Dark Cloud 2 Fanfic
Chapter 6: Dark Copy----By The Several
Author: Wow, thanks for the numerous reviews, people! Yeah, I know, I write a lot of DC2 fanfics. Actually, after these latest 2, I still have more. Won't stop writing until I run out of ideas!
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Monica nears the mines, and as she runs to that direction, Max joins her.
"You saw it, too?" Max said, both of them not stopping.
"Yeah… But the question is, who is it? The feeling is so familiar, and yet… more powerful than what we've faced before."
Max readied his wrench. "Be careful inside. We don't know what we'll face."
Monica smirked. "Heh, more to you. I can take care of myself. YOU be careful."
Max laughed. "Yeah, I know…"
They reach the entrance to the mines, where dozens of miners run out.
"Everyone, evacuate the mines! A strange force has appeared, and it's too dangerous to stay here!" shouts Max to the moving crowd, waving his arms to signal them away from the mines. Several minutes pass, the crowd running from inside the mines died out.
"That must be all of them," said Monica. She readies her sword with a clink of steel. "You up for it?" she asks Max.
Max nodded. "Let's go." The two of them rushed inside, bravely facing the danger that perilously awaits them. They saved the world once, and well… why not make it twice in a row, right?
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Once away the boundaries of the bright light of the morn outside inside the mines, they stopped running. They walk synchronically, trying to avoid as much of an ambush as possible. They ready their weapons.
But their carefulness was in vain, for a huge dark abyss opens up below them, separating them and sucks them into what seemed like an endless void of darkness. For several minutes did they fall into that dark abyss, until they stopped abruptly, to unknown territory.
"Max?" Monica said from where she stood inside a hollow area unknown to her.
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"Monica?" said Max alone inside his own version of that hollow area where Monica was currently in. He tried to walk around and find a way out, but none was visible. He felt around the walls for marks of any kind that could lead him to freedom, but there was none. In fact, the whole area seemed to be one big nothing.
He sat down to rest and think for a few minutes. He thought about Monica's whereabouts, and if she was safe. He pounds the wall, creating an echo inside that what could be called a room. He curses himself on not being able to keep his promise to himself.
Then suddenly, a hole of pure black appears several meters away from him. But even at that distance, he could see the dark figure that arose from its depths. It was him.
"T-That's me!" said Max, surprised at the sight. Indeed it was him, only pure black in form. But even thought its blackness was complete, the figures could still be seen in its face and body. It was like a perfect black copy of his person.
The fake Max grinned evilly at his adversary, and with that remark, he charged towards our confused hero. Unfortunately for the copy, although confused, Max was battle ready. He blocked the copy's attack of its dark wrench with his own wrench. They back off a few feet away from each other to regain momentum. They both gripped their weapons tighter, and both knew, that the second round was about to begin.
Continuously did they parry each other's blows, but neither one has landed a succeeding blow on the other that could turn the tides of battle. The difference was, that the real one was getting tired. Very tired. And the weak blows that hit him were starting to add up, sending a massive muscle-ache in his body.
"Huff….Huff…" exhaled Max strongly, almost running out of breath. His opponent was still standing, not looking tired at all.
Of course not, thought Max. Since when do fake copies ever not outlast the original? Monica must have the same opponent as I do, but she'd have probably defeated her copy moments before! I wonder… what would Monica's tactic be? He didn't have time for thought, though, as the dark copy unleashes another relentless attack. His skills were not only similar to Max's, they were perfectly executed and copied to perfection. The perfect clone.
But just then, it hit him. He figured out a way to beat it. At that moment, he parried the copy's attack, and deflected it to give him room. They were not a few feet away again.
Now, Max begins to change his stance. He wielded his wrench as if it were a sword. He's admired enough of Monica's skills to at least know how it's done.
The dark copy charges him again, but Max does a nimble back flip, giving him time to launch the perfect counterattack. He charged his weapon up, and instead of doing his usual whirlwind spin, he does a spin cycle, plunging his wrench into the ground with precise accuracy, stunning his opponent. The dark Max vaporized, but the battle had left Max heavily injured.
He sat down and leaned towards the wall. He was tired, really tired. Huh, I bet Monica had beat her copy even before she was hit. I can never be equal to her strength, he thought. I could never protect her this way… Max then stopped thinking, and he quickly became unconscious.
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True to his guess, Monica had beaten her dark copy even before she broke a sweat. She still had tons of energy to go around, and she goes through a long passage revealed to her after her clone's defeat. At the very end of that passage, she sees the source. The source of everything. That very source they needed to stop.
Monica points her sword at her dark adversary. "You again."
To be continued