Satorl Marsh - Rock

Meddy leans Dunban, Reyn, and Sharla onto the wall. They had woken up, but Meddy was unmoving in her orders to just stay down to recuperate. Sharla, though, declines, and offers to help treat the rest of the party, something Meddy absolutely forbids.

"You need to rest for now. We'll wait until morning before we head on, none of you are strong enough to keep going at the moment." She then turns to Mega Man. "I need to talk with you for a bit."

"What about?" He tilts his head in confusion.

"Just come on," she replies, and heads to the adulthood emblem. Rock follows, and as soon as they reach the center of the emblem, Meddy turns around.

"Dr Light said you had brought a human back with you that was severely damaged. Something happened…"

"What is it?"

"Something went wrong. Dr Light doesn't know what happened to him, but… He's dead."

Rock's face freezes. Dead? Could this mean he went too far in the attack?

No, it couldn't. The Zeroth Law would have allowed him to do so… But even so, he could have used that same judgement call to kill Dr Wily all those years ago…

He had been defeated yet again. Dr Wily bowed his head in submission.

"Okay, sorry for all the trouble, I'll go quietly…"

But Mega Man's eyes had lost the kindness they once had. He charged up his Mega Buster, preparing for the final strike. "I don't trust you, Wily. I gonna do what I should have done years ago!"

An expression of fear washed over Wily's face. "B-But you forget, Megaman! Robots cannot harm humans!"

Mega Man suddenly stopped charging. "I AM MORE THAN A ROBOT!" He yelled. "DIE, WILY!"

He was about to take the shot, when the castle started to crumble around the two. Dr Wily was covered in a pile of rubble, a single screw comedically bouncing off his head. An orange light beamed down, and a black robot with orange hair fins appeared. "Too late, Megaman!" He said. "He who hesitates is lost. We shall return!" The robot left with Wily almost as soon as he appeared, and Mega Man teleported out of the crumbling castle.

Days later, he had met with Dr Light.

"Doctor, I think I need to be deactivated."

The good doctor's face contorted in confusion. "What do you mean, Mega Man?"

"When I had defeated Wily, I… I nearly killed him. It wasn't an accident, I was about to shoot him right then and there. I don't know if I can be trusted with the task ahead of me, Dr Light. It'd be safer for humanity if I were deactivated."

The confusion faded away into sadness. "... Rock, I can't remove the Zeroth Law from your programming, but I'm not deactivating you."

"The.. The Zeroth Law? What's that?"

"The Zeroth Law states that if more humans would be harmed by not harming one, then a Robot can break the First Law. It was Asimov's way of dealing with the Trolley problem. If there was no way to prevent someone from dying, would you save Five people or One?"

"The five, but only if there's no way of saving the One as well."

"Exactly. The Zeroth law affects your judgement, even if you don't know of its existence. If I were to remove it, you couldn't make such a call."

"I had always thought that was just a loophole, like with the Emerald Spears attack at the convention."

"No, that's one of Asimov's laws, just as much as the others."

Mega Man sighed in relief. He could now see that he wasn't a threat to society at large, and with that, he left to go talk with his brothers.

"Mega Man? Mega Man!" Meddy snaps in his face, bringing him out of the flashback.

"O-oh, yeah?" He asks.

"The black haired human called for you. You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replies. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, just that he needed to talk with you."

Rock nods, and heads back to the statue. Dunban stands there while the rest of the group sleeps. "Reyn had mentioned that you found a way through to Makna Forest. Where is it?"

"It's at the top of the Sororal Statues. There's a small pathway. The elevator seems to go right to the top, so I'd suggest we take that option."

Dunban simply nods. "Got it. We'll do that in the morning. I'll keep watch here. You and your companion should spread out. There aren't any Ether Lamps to protect the group from monsters, and none of us are fighting fit except you two. We need you now more than ever."

Mega Man nods, and heads off to meet up with Meddy once again.

Satorl Marsh - Meddy

Rock had spent the last hour or so filling in Meddy on the details of their adventure.

"Top Man may be in one of these Face Units, so we can't destroy them completely. Not to mention there are still humans in them as well. It'll be just like taking down Robot Masters. Incapacitate them, but don't kill them. Alright?"

Meddy silently nods. (All this seems… wrong. Desecrating the dead to fill a purpose… who does that?)

After a fair bit of deliberating, she decides to ask Rock. "Rock, er, Mega Man…"

"You're my sister, Meddy. Rock is fine."

"Right. But anyway! Have we found out who exactly is doing this? Who's using human corpses to pilot their drones?"

"We have. His name is Egil. Xord had given me the coordinates to his base back in Colony 6. Said that he'd explain everything."

"Do you still have those coordinates?"

"04o, 67', 34" North, 12o, 5', 23" West," he replies. "Wait. Are y-" But before he can finish the sentence, Meddy beams out.

Agniritha, The Mechonis Capital - Meddy

Meddy beams into the room. It's pitch dark, though that doesn't bother her. She can see just fine. By all accounts, the room is devoid of life, human or otherwise. All that's there are large suits of armor. She approaches one, and opens the faceplate. Empty. She closes it back, and leaves the room to explore the capital.

The first thing she sees is a large orange-white set of the same armor she had just opened. She yelps, and the figure turns around. "Who are you?" it asks. "State your business in Agniritha."

"DLN 089 Meddy," she replies, almost out of a need to say it when asked. "I'm here to find a man named Egil."

"DLN? You're Dr Light's newest robot?" The armored figure asks. Without warning, the face plate opens up, and the armor drops to the ground, and a similarly colored robot rolls out of the armor. "DLWN 021, Top Man."

"Pleasure to meet you, Top Man." She gives a bit of a bow. "So… Where's Egil?"

"I don't know. I was about to be sent to Alcamoth when you showed up. I thought you were one of the Homs."

"Yes, speaking of that… What the Yellow Devil are you thinking!? Has the First Law somehow just slipped through your programming or something!?"

"I'll be honest, I haven't been able to get the whole story, but from what I've heard, Egil is trying to get the Monado. It houses something he despises, possibly even fears. I don't know what, but it's imperative that we retrieve it and destroy it. Only then can the war end."

Meddy stands silent. The Monado? That makes no sense to her. What is that?

In any case, she's gotten the intel she needs. "... Very well. I don't know when you'll see me next, but Rock will be there as well. He's to get you back to Earth."

"Rock's here, too? Perfect! I'll see you then, Meddy."

Meddy nods, and teleports back to the Marsh.

Satorl Marsh - Mega Man

Rock just… stood there. He would go after her, but he's the group's last line of defence, he can't just leave them!

He checks to see if he can see the sun. It barely peeks over the cliffs around them. Perfect, he can wake up the others. He makes a mad dash to the cliffside (with more than a single use of Charge Kick on the way), and gets Dunban to his feet.

"You guys need to get up there," he starts, "and Meddy's yet to return. What's your call?"

"What do you mean she's yet to return?"

"I mean she went to Agniritha."

Dunban almost recoils in shock. "Agniritha!? Why on Bionis would she go there!?"

"She's trying to get answers. Why the Mechon are attacking, why they're using humans to pilot their machines, anything she can find out. I accidentally gave her the coordinates, and she left before I could get her to think."

Almost immediately after he says this, a purple light beams down next to Rock. "I'm back," Meddy states. "And I know their next target, a town called 'Alcamoth.' Maybe you know where it is?"

Dunban shakes his head. "I've never heard of the place. That's more Dickson's line of expertise. But even then, we should possibly warn someone of that… Perhaps they could prevent what happened to the Colonies."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. And what's more," she begins. "I found Top Man. He's in one of the Face Units as well. Orange and White, so it should be easily spotted. Now, I think the rest of them have had enough rest. Let's press on, shall we?"

Satorl Marsh - Meddy

"To think that Top Man has sided with the Mechon of all beings!" She says, to no one in particular. "Sure, we share heritage as robots, but siding with them is a direct violation of the first law, he shouldn't have been able to make that decision without his programming going haywire."

Her short ranting is overheard by just about the entire party, and Shulk's curiosity is piqued. "You and Rock seem to mention this 'First Law' quite a lot. What is it?"

Meddy turns to face the blond one. "Oh, it's the most important of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. A Robot cannot harm a human, or through inaction, cause a human to come into harm."

"Of course," Rock adds, "If there was one human that was going to hurt more if the Robot didn't act, the law is null and void. The second states that a Robot has to follow commands set by a human, so long as it doesn't conflict with the First Law."

"I see…" Shulk nods. "And the Third?"

"A Robot must protect its own existence, so long as it doesn't conflict with the First Law," Meddy finishes. "Really straightforward, to avoid loopholes being found and exploited. They're standard in every robot created to this day."

"So," Reyn starts. "If I were to say something like "go punch that wall over there," either a' you would have to do it?"

"Actually, no." Rock shakes his head. "The Second Law nowadays is only used in relation to the creator of the robot, or the reprogrammer. So I would only have to follow an order set by Dr Light, or if Dr Wily had reprogrammed me, I'd only accept orders from him."

Reyn simply nods, though he looks a tiny bit let down by that. A good pranking idea has just left him…

"Now let's get going. I've been in this Marsh long enough." Meddy takes her leave of the party, and heads toward the stairs leading to the Sororal Statues.

Upon reaching the furthest part of the statue's base, they see an elevator. Reyn exclaims in triumph as he goes to start it up.

Nothing.

"The Lift don't work," He says, a bit disappointed.

"How are we supposed to get up there, then?" Shulk asks, looking to the top of the statues.

"The way we've always done it," Dunban replies. Sharla immediately turns to him. "You don't mean climb all the way up there, do you?"

"We may have to…"

Reyn, meanwhile, has turned his disappointment into irritation. "Who makes a lift that don't work," he mutters, and starts for a wall, before Rock stops the group. "I have an idea. Wheel Cutter can climb up walls. I could just take all of you up there one at a time. It'd save on time."

Dunban considers it for a moment. He would rather avoid climbing the statues. "Very well, that would be best."

Rock nods, and changes color. "Dunban first, then Sharla, Shulk, and Reyn."

"I can take Shulk and Reyn up, you take Dunban and Sharla," Meddy offers, and Rock accepts. Meddy grabs Shulk and Reyn's arms, and teleports to the top of the statues. A few minutes later, Rock arrives with Dunban, and drops down to get Sharla.

"Dunban," Shulk starts. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it, Shulk?"

"Could… Could I keep the Monado a while longer? I know it's your sword, but I need it to complete my mission."

Dunban stands, a bit surprised at Shulk's question. "You don't need to ask me. The Monado is yours now. You wield it better than I ever have. Besides, I've got a new sword. Slim, sharp, perfect for slicing through steel."

Shulk simply nods. "... Thank you, Dunban."

Meddy tilts her head a bit. So Shulk's sword is The Monado… But why would Egil be hunting it… What could it house?

She starts to pull Shulk aside, but before she can, Rock comes back up with Sharla. "Alright, let's get going!" He smiles, and the group enters the cave before them

Bionis Interior - Shulk

Something about this place… unsettled Shulk. He couldn't place his finger on it - Well, that was a lie. He knew exactly what was messing with his mind - but he simply dismissed it as paranoia.

"Is something the matter, Shulk?" Dunban asks.

"N-No, nothing, it's just… It feels like the Bionis isn't actually dead…"

"Whoa, hold on there!" Reyn exclaims. "If the Bionis starts movin' all of a sudden, it'll be bad for us Homs!"

Shulk nods silently, and the group continues onward.

One thing that everyone had noticed almost immediately is that… nothing seemed to live in here. It seemed as though the Third Lung was completely abandoned. The only thing inside there of note was a large geyser of yellow liquid. But still, everything seemed… alive.

Rock, Meddy, and Reyn waded into the liquid, and the rest of the party soon followed. Almost immediately, they were shot up into the air by the geyser, landing on a higher platform. Meddy and Rock landed first, catching the four Homs behind them. "Alright, onto the next area!" Rock exclaims.

Makna Path - Shulk

The group steps through the opening in the Bionis, and finally sees green. The first thing they notice about Makna Forest is that it's extremely hot.

"Who turned up the heat," Reyn says.

"I've never seen such a dense forest…" Sharla comments.

"Me neither! How much further?"

"This must be the back of the Bionis," Dunban begins. "If Shulk's vision is right, we've still got a ways to go."

"You mean go on in this heat?" Reyn complains. "I'm sweatier than a Brog's armpit!"

"We'll have to search for the best route," Rock says.

"Until then, we'll have to put up with Reyn's stench." Sharla laughs a bit at her own comment. Meanwhile, Shulk stares into a large waterfall overlooking a bridge. His eyes glow blue, and another Vision comes into view.

"We must be outside the tower…"

This one again. What does it mean…

The figure of a giant figure in chains appears. "Welcome, true Heir to the Monado…"

A winged girl hugs an elderly winged man.

Metal Face…

Shulk holds the Monado upright. The blade of light is much larger than it usually is…

"You will know the suffering you caused the Emperor and Fiora!"

Before the blade can hit Metal Face, a silver Faced Mechon leaps in front, and the blade pierces its outer casing. Something is visible inside, but the vision ends too quickly to make it out.

"A silver Faced Mechon… and who was that girl?" He thinks to himself. "These visions keep showing me people and places I've never seen…"

Sharla's comment draws him out of his monologue. "Look, over there! A rope bridge!"

She points to the distance, to the waterfall Shulk had stared at. "Maybe it's Homs made?"

"Not Homs," Dunban starts, shaking his head. "Nopon. While there are a lot of them in the Colonies, they're native to Makna Forest. Our best bet would be to look for their village."

Shulk simply nods, and the group press on.

Makna Forest - Meddy

This place was amazing!

There's so much plant life, not to mention animals! Those large frog creatures, what looked to be Velociraptors infused with electricity and fire, all of it! This world was simply enchanting! She takes another look around, taking in the beautiful scenery, when she spots something. Something out of place. A pair of white wings sticking up on the ground. She approaches, thinking it may have been a fallen dove. But when she gets closer, she suddenly jumps back in surprise. "Sharla! I need your help here!" She calls to the group, and the rest of them come rushing, Sharla at the head of the pack. She kneels down as soon as she reaches Meddy, and the seemingly lifeless body beside her.

Meddy gets to work almost instantly, checking for a pulse. "She's got one," she says. "It's weak, but it's still going. No fever, and no sign of physical injury. I'm running a scan now." She grabs both hands of the body, and closes her eyes. After three minutes, she lets go. "This makes… no sense whatsoever. According to the scan, she's the picture of health."

"That scanner of yours doesn't check for Ether Deficiency, does it?" Sharla asks, to which Meddy shakes her head. "I've never heard of such a thing, what is it?"

"All life on the Bionis runs on an energy called Ether. Without any Ether, you can't survive, it's as necessary as air."

Meddy simply nods. "I see. So you're saying she's run out of it?"

"Not out, but she's dangerously low. I can fix it, but I need some pure quality Ether Crystals. They have to be perfect, though. They can't be too weak."

"There was a waterfall on our way here," Shulk suggests. "Would Ether Crystals under a waterfall work?"

"Yes, those would be perfect." Sharla nods, and Shulk prepares to go, before Reyn stops him. "You're not goin' alone, are ya?"

"Yes, Reyn. I need you to protect the group."

"I could do that," Rock says. "You and Reyn go to get the Crystals."

"See? Rock's with me on this one!"

Shulk simply shrugs. "Alright. Let's get going. We'll be back in a bit with the Crystals."

"Stay safe!" Meddy calls back. "I don't want to have to cart you back here, alright?"

"Don't worry! You won't!"

Makna Forest - Shulk

The forest was a tangled mess of pathways while backtracking. Reyn had already tripped on three separate vines, and he looked to be starting on a fourth one. But Shulk had other things on his mind. That girl, for one. "Reyn, I think I've seen that girl before."

"Another vision?" Reyn asks.

"Yes, the same one when we were atop Prison Island. She was with us, fighting Metal Face."

"In that case, I like the sound of this girl." Reyn laughs. "Now where was that waterfall you were talking about?"

"Just ahead, this way." Shulk takes the lead, and they reach the bridge. Reyn looks downward. "Well, should we jump?" He asks, but Shulk shakes his head. "There's a path not too far from here, it'd be safer to just go down that."

The duo eventually reach the bottom, and Shulk finds a small collection of Ether Crystals. "These look like the right quality."

"Let's just hope Sharla thinks the same way," Reyn says.

"Here, go ahead and take these back, I'll be right behind you." He hands Reyn the crystals, and the other heads back up the slope. Shulk begins to follow, but he stops suddenly. He hears rustling. He turns around, and in front of him stands a Homs. They approach rather quickly. "How unusual. It's rare to see a Homs in this region," he says. Shulk is about to ask him what he's doing here, before the man answers without being asked. "I suppose you are wondering why I am here, in that case," he begins. "Then permit me to introduce myself. My name is Alvis."

"Alvis? Um… my name's-"

"It's Shulk, isn't it? Wielder of the Monado, defender of Colony 9, the hero who has every Mechon running. You're famous amongst all Homs."

Shulk says nothing in reply, astounded that his reputation has spread this far. Alvis looks to the sky as a cry is heard, animal in nature.

"They're here!"

"'They?' Who are they?" Shulk tries to get Alvis' attention, but he continues on as if Shulk had never spoken.

"The Monado emits a particular ether wavelength at its ground state, it must have drawn them in."

A monstrous beast swoops in and attempts to grab one of the Homs, but Shulk ducks out of the way just in time. "Alvis! Out of the way, I'll deal with them!"

He activates the Monado, and charges forward. Halfway to the Telethia, the Monado shows him how the Telethia is going to attack. "To the left? Then I'll go…" He starts to dodge to the right, but the Telethia is too quick for him, changing its attack to knock Shulk off its feet. It pushes him against a wall, and he drops the Monado. "How!" He cries out. "The Monado showed me how it would attack, how did it…"

"They are Telethia…"

"Telethia?"

"They can read your mind. Whether you have a vision or not, if they know your next move then it's all in vain."

Shulk picks himself up off the ground, bewildered. "How did you-"

Before he finishes, Alvis picks up the Monado, and rushes the Telethia. Shulk cries out a warning, but just as before, Alvis doesn't listen. But oddly enough, he's wielding it quite well. He gets in a few slashes, before a symbol appears, a light green. It's not one he's seen before. Alvis swings the blade, and a green aura leaves it. He then leaps up to cut the Telethia's antenna before finishing it off, where it explodes in a green light. Shulk can't help but stare incredulously. "That was amazing!"

"I suggest you stop staring, Shulk." He tosses the blond one the Monado. "The sword is yours to wield. It does not control itself, you control it."

A few more Telethia come down from above as Shulk activates the Monado once again. "By the Light of the Monado, I will stop them."

The battle, if you could call it that, was little more than an execution. The combined might of Alvis and Shulk was simply too much for the Telethia. Alvis nods to his comrade. "You see, Shulk?"

"Thank you. But more importantly, Where on Bionis did you learn to use the Monado!" He rushes up to the other, stars in his eyes like an excited child. Alvis simply laughs distractedly. "They were not the primary Telethia, only its spawn. The Primary Telethia dwells elsewhere in Makna Forest. Is it… Wounded? I see… Wounded by a girl…"

"A girl?" He asks. "Perhaps it's the girl we found in the Forest…"

Alvis grabs the hilt of the Monado. "The Monado is a divine sword capable of disturbing the very fabric of existence, of both the material and immaterial."

He takes his leave after saying this, leaving Shulk to wonder how he knows so much of this sword. But he can't worry about that, he's got to meet up with the rest of the group.

Makna Forest - Mega Man

Most of the group had wanted to search for the duo, but Mega Man wasn't allowing that. "This is Shulk and Reyn we're talking about. They're strong enough to make it back. They may just be taking a while to get there."

"We're back!" A voice calls from within the forest. "And we have the crystals!"

Sharla's face lights up. "Perfect! Give them to me, I'll prepare the rounds."

"Wait!" Meddy says, incredulous. "You're not going to shoot her, are you?!"

"No, I'm going to fire into the air, and let her body absorb the ether."

She seems a bit uneasy by this, but she accepts the answer, and steps back. Sharla aims into the sky, and fires three rounds, and steps back. It takes a few minutes, but the girl's body starts to move. Shulk kneels down next to her as she opens her eyes. "Wh… Where am I?" She asks.

"Everything's fine," Shulk replies, resting a hand on her. "You're going to be…"

And then she slaps him.

"Get your hands off me!"

He reels back as she pushes herself up. Reyn immediately turns hostile toward the woman, who, now seeing the entire group, calms herself down a bit. "Forgive me, I did not mean to…"

"Sorry if I surprised you," Shulk replies.

"Are you the ones who helped me?"

"Well, something like that."

She brushes herself off, taking up her staff. "Excuse me. My name is Melia. Forgive my indiscretion, I haven't had the pleasure of coming into contact with a male Homs."

This earns a hearty chuckle from Dunban. "Coming into contact?"

Reyn joins in as well. "Hey, Shulk. You're creeping this lady out."

"This large one is far worse," she replies, earning a confused look from Reyn as the rest of the group joins in the laughter. Sharla then turns to the girl. "Melia, you said? Why is no one with you?"

"I must apologize, but my situation does not concern you. I will not be divulging any information to passers-by."

"I can respect that decision," Dunban replies. "But I can tell you weren't simply taking an afternoon nap."

Melia returns this comment with a glare. "And what, might I ask, are you lot doing here? It's rare for Homs to venture this deep into Makna Forest."

"We're heading to the Bionis' Head," Shulk answers. "We've got a long journey ahead of us."

"The Bionis' Head?" Melia can hardly believe this. They're certainly an ambitious group, that's for sure. "I see. Then allow me to be your guide. We can rest in the Nopon village, it's not too far from here."

"The Nopon Village? That's where we were heading! We wager it's the best place to reach the Head."

"You should make way for Eryth Sea. If you would be so kind to escort me out of the forest, I will show you the way."

"We'd be pleased to," Shulk nods. "I'm Shulk. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah yes. Likewise."

Melia starts off through the path, leaving the rest of the party behind. Sharla leans over to Reyn. "She acts all high and mighty, but she's a Homs too, right? So what was she doing here?"

"Beats me. I'm no good with her Posh accent."

The rest of the group simply follows along, save for Mega Man and Meddy. "You had said something about the Monado, what's up with it?" Rock asks. Meddy looks a bit uneasy, but she answers anyway. "Egil is looking for it."

Rock freezes. Something made sense about that. It seemed to be the enemy of technology, after all. It'd make sense they want to get rid of their greatest threat.

But still, why JUST the Monado? Dunban's sword is made to cut through Mechon armor, why not hunt those as well?

He looks forward. The party was leaving them behind. "Let's get going, we'll talk to Shulk about this later."

"Roger that." Meddy nods, and the two rejoin the rest of the group.