Phase Two: Forge Lands!
Chapter 4 - Eidard, The Forge Lands and Corruption! Part 1
Minutes after calming down from the fight...
"You all fought well, but Corruption cannot be beaten by a blade. Seek out the Forge Sister; ask her about the Fire of the Mountains, she will help you reach the tree. As for me, I have to head back to my work." the sagely thick-bearded elder replied.
"And who are you to command a rider? I get that the two companions that followed me volunteered to help you and your kind because of personal reasons, but me?" Death crossed his arms and frowned.
"I am a Maker, older than even the Charred Council. These hands have laid the foundations for many worlds, but that was long ago. Now, they but hardly know the touch of stone." the Elder Maker replied calmly.
"So basically...your kind created the structures, buildings, and even constructs of this world long before the Charred Council enters...interesting. And who are the Charred Council anyway?" Chris wondered.
"The Charred Councils are Old Ones - ancient beings that the Creator Samsarel tasked to bring Order and Balance. We are older, far older, than the Charred Council." the Elder replied.
"Why are the many worlds hardly know even the things that your kinds have created? Does that have to do with the black gooey substance that we fought with just now, the ones whom you called...Corruption?" Chris tilted her head.
"Yes...it is a pity, of course." the Elder shook his head.
"Are you not curious as to why we are seeking the tree?" Death asked.
"I would not presume to question one of the Four...but yes, tell me." the Elder simpered.
"I must restore Humanity - to redeem War." Death clenched his fists in determination.
"Heaven and Hell battle upon the shattered Earth. All creation trembles...and at the center of it all stands your brother, the Red Rider." the Elder replied calmly.
Death frowned and replied in discontent, "He is innocent."
"I never said he wasn't." the Elder refuted calmly and continued, "And you, young women warriors, what are thou purposes?"
"We are to find the perpetrators responsible for the current dimensional disruption back in our world, and eliminate it." Chris calmly replied as Alito nodded along.
"Hmm...The Tree holds power over life and death. If you would resurrect Humanity, then you are heading in the right direction. But be warned - a dark presence dwells now within the Tree, and the path is barred by Corruption. Plus, the perpetrator of the dimensional disruption...is Corruption itself." the Elder replied.
"Wait...you mean the slimy substances that possessed the mini construct is the ones that are tearing the dimensional stability between our world and yours?" Chris's eyes widened slightly.
"As it does with the Tree, yes." the Elder nodded.
"Hold on..." Chris's visor glowed as her Project Tundra scanned the dormant black slime that oozed from one of the dead mini-constructs.
"What are you doing?" Death wondered.
"Isolating the particles that made up Corruption and measuring its energy levels. I have the energy levels for the dimensional disruption in my database before the mission, so if what the Elder said was the truth..." Chris's visor soon displayed the results, and her eyes widened.
Results of Energy Scan - Energy Level Pattern of Dimensional Disruption and Energy Level of Corruption: 100%
"Corruption...is indeed the perpetrator..." Chris frowned.
"Well, isn't that nice. Both of you have found the perpetrator after all. I guess that would mean we're going our separate ways then." Death grunted.
"You will still be trapped here anyway; Corruption is the end of all life itself, even Death. That dark force chokes on the Tree, and only you three can stop it. Without your help, your journey ends here..." the Elder shook his head.
Death sighed and shook his head. Chris, however, was more appreciative.
"These heartless forces of evil are not easy to beat, but that doesn't mean we will let them terrorize your innocent kind and our world. We will help you, Elder..." Chris tilted her head.
"Elder Eidard is I."
"Elder Eidard..." Chris and Alito greeted.
Forge Lands
"You figured there's nothing we could do now? Not for the both of you since the perpetrator has been spotted." Death wondered.
"Even if you refuse their help, look at it this way. One, Elder Eidard has more knowledge than all three of us do. Two, you will go nowhere if the Corruption leading to the Tree of Life is not dead. Three, Corruption can kill us all. Four, even if you don't believe jack about what the Elder says, take a look at this." Chris handed over a small picture to the Pale Rider.
"This is a picture I took using the satellite uplink earlier, this picture is taken by the Stonefather's Valley." the Icy Maiden frowned.
Death saw the picture and his eyes widened slightly - a huge spiky structure with an enormous, cat-like, lime-green eye. Humongous strands of thick, gooey Corruption vines wrapped around the path leading to the tree. Its entire structure covers nearly the entire mountain that surrounded the path to the Tree.
"That...is big." Death calmly replied, albeit with a tinge of surprise.
"Again, I'm not forcing you to decide. If you are confident, be my guest but remember, you do not want your Brothers to mourn at your ironic death, right? I sure don't want that to happen..." Chris sighed.
"My Lady is right. Yes, rescuing your brother is important. But when the obstacle at hand can kill you, the last thing you want is for them to mourn at your demise. The Seals ain't broken, so the end of you is a possibility." Alito agreed.
Death tilted his head. "Why do you care so much about me?"
Chris looked away, feeling a tide of emotions rushing towards her. However, her icy heart barely managed to suppress it as she looked down and exhaled deeply.
"I would not want history to repeat itself."
"Maybe the Makers will forge us new weapons or tools to aid us in defeating Corruption easier. We need the Fire of the Mountains first so let's go." Chris continued as she and Alito walked ahead of the pale Rider.
Death looked at the two maidens with amusement. "What is this history that Chris is talking about? If what the Elder says is true...guess I don't have much of a choice."
"Wait up." the Pale Rider followed along.
Chris, Alito, and Death approached an area with six wooden dummy stakes and a bunch of crates surrounding the area. A tall, large Maker with thick brown moustache, beard, a scar across his left eye, and brown hair was cleaving down at one of the wooden dummy with his axe. He was wearing a full plate mail with a red scarf around his neck.
The big, axe-wielding Maker saw Death, Alito, and Chris looking around the Forge and gave a short grunt.
"Interesting...I have never seen a human around here, let alone two," the big Maker grunted.
"You must be one of the few surviving makers that Elder Eidard mentioned. I'm Chris Fuschia, and this is my best friend Alito." the Icy Maiden bowed.
"Interesting, my name is Thane; I'm a warrior Maker...and if it ain't the Pale Rider. It's about time you came. The Makers are dying, and our realm. Only a few of us remained." he replied.
"A warrior's life isn't easy, Old One." Death replied calmly.
"Aye. Not easy, but simple." he replied. "I always saw my end with blade in hand, a field of enemy dead before me."
"And what glorious end awaits you, hiding behind these gates?" Death wondered.
"Do you mean those things you Makers called Corruption?" Alito wondered.
Thane sighed, "You cannot fight Corruption, nor can you harm it. You can only kill those it has claimed. Every blow I strike against Corruption...is a blow against my own people. Muse on that Rider, and the two women, before you mark me as a coward."
Chris's expression softened immediately. "I never said that you're a coward..."
"Huh?" Death and Thane wondered.
"I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Thane. It must be hard to cope with such an epidemic rising up and wiping out...most of your families..." Chris sighed, as she looked the other way, taking a deep breath before calming herself back to her usual calm state, never smiling.
Thane's eyes widened for a while. He knew that humans were capable of deceit, for he had observed the human world for millions of years, yet this was the first time he ever saw a sincere condolences from a human being, let alone anyone.
"I was expecting humans to be mocking at me, eh? Guess I was wrong about you both..." Thane shrugged.
"I never claimed to be superior to anyone, Thane. It has been hard on you, having to deal with people who unintentionally turned against you because of Corruption. Alito and I can help you destroy Corruption if able to prevent anymore suffering from your kind." Chris calmly suggested.
"Well, it will certainly be helpful, not that I doubt your strengths here, but a human being cannot defeat Corruption. You would be wise to stay clear of it." Thane cautioned.
Chris's mind snapped in a way most people would not have expected. The Icy Maiden signalled for Alito to transform to Lifebane once more and planted her huge scythe on the ground by is hilt.
"Although I never claim to be superior, but nor am I weak. Do you think we are going to let it by while Corruption slowly inches its way to destroy your world and ours, and ending your innocent kind? Not a chance..." Chris's eyes glowed blue as her calm, yet deadly voice echoed through the Forge, chilling the air, freezing nearby plants and lamps. A huge burst of aura formed around Chris and her Lifebane, knocking a surprised Thane back slightly.
Death crossed his arms. "So...Chris and Alito had the same past as the Makers, I presume...An epidemic that wiped out their parents, perhaps? No wonder she's so determined to prevent history, right?"
Thane, not one to back down, stepped back and wielded his axe on his right hand.
"Well, you're welcome to try, if only you defeat me. Be warned, though, my axe is pretty tough still!" the Maker grinned.
"Trust me...when I'm furious...you won't get to use it..." Chris's eyes glowed as she soon vanished!
"What?!" both Death and Thane's eyes widened greatly.
Thane could feel a chill down his thick spine as Chris appeared behind him, but it was too late for any countering.
With a sweeping left kick on Thane's back, Chris successfully blast the huge warrior Maker crashing through several walls and into a medium-sized fountain with a small statue on it.
"Makers' bone that hurts..." Thane rubbed his head as he cleared the smoke with his hands, just in time to see Chris bringing her Lifebane's blade tip close to Thane's neck.
"Thane...I do not want to do this, please." Chris looked at Thane with calmly, yet the warrior Maker could feel a tinge of remorse in those lines.
"Do you really think you can destroy Corruption?" Thane raised his left eyebrow and crossed his arms.
Chris sighed, "Since you have the same past as me...I suppose I will feel no shame in sharing them with you..."
Death too, came along to check Thane, Chris, and Alito, and managed to hear the conversation between them.
Twelve years ago - When Chris was eight years old.
"My Lady Chris…I bring you devastating news. We do not know what to say, My Lady…On this occasion, your birthday…" one of the servants nearly cried as she approached the girl.
"Is it something to do with my family?" Chris replied. She had observed the family ever since the reunion at the Berlin Wall. Their condition has not been the best since. For the first few days after the reunion, they seemed rather weakened. Chris assumed that her family and relatives might have been so excited about catching up with the times, that they ended up tiring themselves. However, she began to see that their condition had taken a downturn.
Chris became worried. She had since sent for the best physicians to prescribe the best medicine for them to combat the symptoms of their illness – cold, muscle ache, flu, and the lot.
She also stayed by her parent's side, occasionally moving from room to room to take care of them, checking on their condition to make sure they were fine. She even helped the workers in Audi's financial department, who heard about the Fuschia's illness, in settling the accounts. It was usually her parents that settled this.
Chris was also infected by the E-Coli bacterium, but she was well within two days. Doctors were wondering what had caused Chris to successfully counter the bacterium. That was, until they found out that Chris's room was covered in frosty ice on the windows and icicles upon the ceilings.
Hours of research after the icy discovery, the doctors concluded that the E-Coli had awakened Chris's dormant power - cryokinesis.
"Chris's cryokinesis is able to decrease her body to sub-zero temperature when contracting the , effectively rendering the bacterium useless. We concluded that she was able to control her new-found powers with practice."
Chris's personal servant, who was accompanying Chris at the Rosengarten for teatime, moved away to allow the physicians specially assigned to the Fuschia's family to approach Chris.
"My Lady…this is unexpected. We recently found out that a bacterium had infected the Fuschias. This bacterium, E-Coli, is far stronger than we have anticipated; your family might have caught it due to the polluted atmosphere at the Berlin Wall twelve days ago." The doctors shook their heads.
"What do you mean…" Chris's tone fell into a soft, deathly tone, trembling.
"We…we have done our best."
Chris's cup fell to the floor. A chilling silence screamed through the backyard as she shook her head.
"No….No, you are lying, right, doctor? You're mistaken, right? Please, tell me that you're wrong! My family, they can't! THEY CAN'T!" Chris cried.
"My Lady! Please calm down!" her personal servant worryingly pleaded.
"There is nothing we can do, My Lady, the epidemic outbreak arrived far sooner than we have expected, and we didn't even know its formidable power despite knowing its identity. We're really sorry…" the doctor shook his head, clearly feeling regret for the family.
Chris could feel the world crashing down upon her, as if it was about to fall apart completely on her feet. Cold sweat broke out in her. She could even feel her heart stabbed by a razor-sharp knife. The whole family reunited and within a few months, it was torn apart by an epidemic. It shook Chris in to the very core as she tried to absorb what was left of the devastating news about her soon-to-be-dead family.
Chris kept screaming "NO!" as she ran to the hall where her dying family was. Her tears flowing with anguish, refusing to believe what she had either heard, or what she was about to experience.
Family Hall
"MOM! DAD! EVERYONE!" Chris cried in anguish as she saw that what the doctor had told her was true all along…
The entire Fuschia family could be seen on the stretchers.
"Please tell me this isn't true, mum! All of you must hang in there! After all we have done and persevere to make sure that we are back together as one whole family, this has to happen? Tell me you're all alive, please!" Chris cried, tears of sorrow flowing down upon her delicate cheeks.
Chris's mother gently shook her head.
"It's no use….Chris, our dear girl. You have done the best you can to take care of us in our last days of our lives. We're not lying…the doctors are right about our conditions. We have not much time left in this world." She smiled sadly.
"All this time, since you were born, you have been a gem to us; a spark of delight during the times when our family has been apart..." Chris's father spoke.
"Chris…my dear niece, we love you and the efforts that you took to take care of us all these years. The way you brought us happiness even during our darkest days, and the contributions you bought to the automotive world warmed our heart greatly. Don't ever feel sorry for yourself, Chris. You are not at fault, never to blame for today." Chris's aunt smiled weakly.
"Remember, Chris. We will always be indebted to the joy and happiness you gave us over the eight years. Your filial heart and respectful personality shall be the reason we can leave this world peacefully. We have a wonderful daughter to carry on the legacy of the Fuschias..." Chris's mother smiled gently, tears flowing down her face.
Chris held out her delicate, trembling little hands as she received a small necklace from her mother; a necklace with the entire family members of the Fuschias Bloodline, all thirty of them. It represented the family reunion taken the very day after the reuniting event at the Berlin Wall.
Chris, however, grabbed her mother's hands and held it close to her face, "Please...we can do something about this, don't close your eyes! I beg you!"
The other twenty-eight members of the Fuschias beckoned Chris to hold their hands as she went by their bed, one by one. The warmth of their hands that she felt slowly became colder and colder as their life slowly slipped away.
"Thank you, Chris...you have been a filial daughter to us Fuschias..." Chris's mother weakly smiled as her voice breath soon faded away.
Thane gave a look of concern and realisation.
"Your parents...everyone...died in an epidemic caused by an illness?" the maker asked.
"Yes. We saw that your kind is suffering the same thing as my family did twelve years ago...and so we figured enough is enough." Chris did her best to stifle any form of emotions from her heart easily, but even then, Thane and Death could still picked up the Icy Maiden's sincerity.
"I have no purpose, and thus nothing to lose in life...What else is there for me to live, than to prevent your kind from threading the same history that we do." Chris gave a soft, concerned look as she drew her Lifebane back and extended her left hand, offering to help Thane up.
"Alito and I only ask if you could at least grant me this request of helping your kind, for we will help you rid Corruption by any means, or die while doing so." Chris bowed.
"No wonder you're able to empathize with what we makers are suffering right now...heh..." Thane grunted while he accepted Chris's offer.
Death stood beside Thane, blinking his eyes, speechless. His mask could not cover the shock he was feeling down his guts.
"So that's why he wanted to help me redeem War. Fulfilling a parents' last wish..." Death nodded softly; his respect towards the Icy Maiden and Alito grew a lot that day.
Minutes of dusting up the mess later...
"Alright then...not that I distrust you, but if you are really stubborn enough, I suggest learning from me a couple of move sets to get you started, eh? I will even let you learn a move for free!" Thane boasted, impressed by Chris and Alito's showing.
"I thank you for your kindness, Thane." Chris, back to her usual calm and cold self, nodded.
"I will take a look around and see the Forge for what it is. I will come back to you later." Death replied.
"Please do, Death." Chris and Alito replied in unison.
The Pale Rider walked away, musing about Chris's claims that she was 'dead', and snapped his bony fingers once more.
Chris was not saying she was dead; it was more on the fact that her humanity was dead...
Empty...no purpose at all.
Death could feel for Chris, if only because of what happened during the battle for Eden...
The day that he had to kill his kind...the Nephillim, for the sake of the Balance.
"Why do you betray your own?!"
"Absalom, the Nephillim have no claim to Eden; Balance will be destroyed!"
"There are realms for Angels and Demons...why not for us?"
"Eden belongs to Man!"
"It belongs to those who take it!"
"I always think that no one can understand how depraved we Nephilims were...Guess I was wrong." Death sighed.
Hours later...
Elder Eidard came strolling by Thane's corner with his big staff by his right hand.
"Ah...I see that you are learning new techniques from Thane. He's a very good teacher, even if he is getting on in years." Elder Eidard chuckled.
"Age isn't everything, Elder. Besides, we're grateful that he gave us a chance to help the Makers out in defeating Corruption." Chris bowed.
Elder Eidard smiled wistfully. "You don't have to say a thing...I have known all about it."
"How is it...?" Chris's eyes widened, along with Alito's eyes.
"We Makers used elements to our advantage. The Wind blows in my direction, so does your words. There is no shame in admitting that, Chris and Alito. In fact, we can understand you better about why you want to help us. For that, we appreciate your determination." Elder Eidard simpered.
"At least you have a few of your kind left..." Chris turned away, clenching her fists.
"And so, does your humanity..." Eidard replied.
"Our humanity is gone..." Chris claimed, Alito nodding in return.
"Who are you to judge humanity? You might claim it's gone, but who knows...you might still have it. Why then, do you want to fulfil your parent's last wish? If not out of love, then what is?" Eidard simpered, clutching his staff by both hands.
Chris's eyes widened, confused.
"We're only doing this because we cared for the entire Fuschia lineage."
"That proves my point..." Eidard continued smiling.
"Why is it that every people that we helped think we still have humanity...you all included?" Chris gave a look of disbelief and confusion.
"Because you are not alone..." Eidard simpered.
You are not alone...
Those were the very words that would stick on Chris's mind for two more years...
Then again, that was for another story.