#and when LINK JUMPED IN AND SAVED ABEL

[kikker-oma]

OOOOHH MY GOOOSSHHH

This is SO DARK I LOVE ITTTTT

The sky burned.

He had never seen anything quite like it. He had never tasted smoke and ash so heavily, smelled metal and blood mixing in a nauseating manner that nearly emptied his stomach. He'd never seen so many bodies. He'd never fought for more than twelve hours straight.

And he'd never seen the sky burn.

The bells in the temple rang repeatedly, a warning and a petition, a prayer and a guide. It punctuated the screams, it harmonized the ticking of lasers as they charged and fired, shooting through the air with such intensity that it created miniature claps of thunder as the heat separated the air harshly before it returned together with a snap.

And the sky burned.

Abel watched as the castle was engulfed in flames, filling the night air with sickly hues of red that drowned out the oncoming sunrise. They had fought all night to hold the guardians at bay to no avail. The capital had fallen. The king had fallen.

Hyrule had fallen.

He should have died in the castle alongside the king. When the library ceiling had collapsed in on all of them, that should have ended it. He should have died so the king could have lived.

Instead he was the only one who survived.

He shook his head, ridding himself of the distraction and despair. He may have failed his duty to the royal family, but the fight was not over. Hyrule hadn't fallen yet. Just the capital. There was still an entire country. He had failed the royal family, but he would not fail its people.

Barking orders at what remained of his troops, the captain of the royal guard corralled as many people out of the city as possible. When his men had found some semblance of organization, he ran back into the fray, ending up in the square with three guardians. One swiveled its head, its eye, once blue like a placid lake, was pinkish red, infected by the blood stained clouds that shot out of the castle. The other two were preoccupied, one destroying a building while the other killed the remaining civilians in the alley where it had cornered them.

Abel felt his blood freeze as the center guardian's laser focused on him, and then his entire body screamed in rage. He echoed it with a battle cry, charging ahead with his shield. He remembered his son's trick, he remembered seeing his little knight deflect a stray accidental blast so long ago.

He just had to time it right.

The guardian fired. His heart skipped a beat. He put the shield forward, shoving with all his might just as it made impact.

His arm shrieked in protest, and his entire body shuddered.

And the guardian's head melted as its own blast reflected back at it.

Gasping for air, Abel let his arm fall limp a moment, remembering how the pot lid Link had used had shattered into a thousand splinters, his arm broken from the maneuver. He remembered rushing to the princess' aid while internally panicking over his son.

But duty had always come first.

He prayed Link and the princess were safe.

Would they be able to stop this? Would the divine beasts be enough aid to halt an entire army, as well as the calamity itself? Would the princess be able to fulfill her destiny alongside his son?

Abel shook his head. Now wasn't the time. He was growing weary from fighting all evening and all night.

The other two guardians noticed their comrade had been destroyed and immediately started to charge towards the knight.

"Captain!"

Abel turned to see a handful of his soldiers coming to his aid. He asked, "The civilians?"

"The other team is helping to evacuate them," one of his men answered.

The temple's bells rang again and then were silenced by a terrifying crash of thunder. The guardians ripped the building apart piece by piece.

And the two in the plaza charged their lasers.

Electricity shot through Abel's veins. He couldn't deflect two blasts at once, and using his shield as his sole strategy was going to get everyone killed. His arm was already aching from fighting all night, and the one parry had nearly crippled him.

Abel roared and charged forward, trying to continue zigzagging back and forth so he wouldn't be an easy target. If he could make one fire on the other, then maybe--

One guardian charged faster than the other, its blast creating a cavernous hole in the earth, sending cobblestone flying, and Abel along with it. The captain of the guard landed in a heap just in front of the other guardian as it reached its peak charge.

Abel refused to die this easily. Getting a glimpse of the other guardian in his periphery, he rolled over cobblestone and broken weapons and bodies alike, slipping under the guardian entirely as the other fired, knocking its companion onto its side and exposing Abel once more.

With one guardian at least incapacitated, his men charged forward to chip away at it while Abel was left with the other. He ran towards it again, trying to get to its legs, knowing that if he hit it enough times he could at least damage them and slow the metal beast down. When it charged another blast, he cried out in warning to his fellow knights, who had finished off the other guardian, and they all scattered. Abel dove into an alley this time, fighting the jolt of horror as he landed atop the still body of a child.

The guardian's leg tore into the alley, trying to reach for Abel. When the knight scrambled away hastily, it reached another leg above the alley entirely, slowly tearing buildings apart to reach its prey. The child's bloodied form vanished in the debris that fell. Abel felt sick all over again, but the situation was far too immediate and dire to ponder everything he'd seen over the last twelve hours.

The buildings around him crumbled entirely, leaving him cornered against the wall of another alley, and he reached for a sword he no longer had, having lost it back in the plaza.

He was pinned and he knew it.

Looking around for the nearest weapon, he found a large tree branch that had somehow been blasted into the area from the nearest garden. He grabbed it desperately, glaring with all his hatred into that baleful pink eye.

He would die a knight of Hyrule. The Calamity would never take that from him.

There was a cry that tore through the air, a little hyah that made the knight's entire being nearly crumble with the instant recognition. A small figure dove from the nearest rooftop, sacred blade glowing so brightly it nearly blinded Abel. The figure landed on the guardian's body and sank the blade so deeply into the guardian's eye with such vehemence that when it collapsed he had to brace against it with his foot to pull the blade back out.

The sky burned around them, and the little knight's eyes burned even brighter.

"Link," Abel breathed, collapsing.

His son's fierce glare melted into worry as he rushed to the captain, falling to his knees to be at eye level and look him over. Hovering behind the guardian was another figure, a girl whose white dress was already stained with soot and soil and sweat.

The princess.

"Link, you--you have to leave," Abel immediately said, putting a hand on the teenager's shoulder. Link's eyes narrowed stubbornly, almost as if in defiance, and Abel shook his head, growing dizzier by the second. The mere sight of his boy made the world crash around him, the fight finally catching up to him. "L-listen to me. I--my men are gone, Link. The castle has--"

He looked beyond his son for a moment, watching the princess as she stared at him desperately.

"The king...?" she asked quietly, her words barely audible over the destruction all around them.

Abel swallowed. "He's gone, Your Highness. I'm... I'm so sorry."

Princess Zelda's face grew whiter than her dress. She covered her mouth quickly, eyes horrified at the news, and turned away. Abel watched her a moment longer, feeling all the worse for having failed in his duty to protect the king, and then returned his focus to the young knight in front of him.

"You have to get her out of here," he said quietly, his voice beginning to shake.

Link immediately shook his head. He looked up beyond Abel, up at the castle, where the Calamity itself swirled around like a demon ready to consume its prey.

"Link!" Abel snapped, catching his boy's attention. "Listen to me! The castle has fallen. My men can't fight an army of these guardians! The divine beasts have done nothing, and if the Calamity can corrupt our army, then there's no doubt they can corrupt the beasts as well."

Link swallowed, brow furrowing together. His boy, who had tried so desperately to always be so stoic, began to look afraid. He shook his head again.

Abel's hand slid from Link's shoulder to his face, making him focus on him. "Son... they're gone."

The Champions are gone. You have no support. Don't you understand? Don't you see this is impossible?

Link's lips trembled, and he bit harshly to still them.

"Get her out of here," Abel repeated. "You can't win this fight. Not here, not like this. Go to Fort Hateno, Link. We'll rally the troops there and figure something out."

It was more than just bad news and a command. It was hope, and Link latched on to the words, his face growing stony with determination. Abel pat his cheek lightly and gave what little bit of a smile that he could muster. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

His son watched him, his façade cracking a hair, his breath hitching for just a moment. Abel slid his hand behind his boy's head, pulling him close so their foreheads rested against each other, and they both closed their eyes for a moment. "Keep her safe. Do your duty, Link. Now, go."

The moment was lost, and Link pulled away. He took a slow, deep, steadying breath, and then nodded. With determination set on his face, he turned quickly, rushing to the princess and grabbing her by the wrist, pulling her away from Abel, away from the castle, away from city and the ruin and the disaster all around them. Zelda followed helplessly, tears staining her cheeks as she turned back to look one last time at her home, her kingdom, before they vanished around a corner.

Abel sat there on the cold stone floor a moment longer, catching his breath and readying himself. He offered up a prayer for his son and the princess, for Hyrule and its protection. Then he rose, dragging his feet out into the plaza and finding his weapon and shield he had dropped.

And he moved forward as the sky burned above.

[bungoustraydogsbigbang]

We’ve come to the end of the Soukoku Big Bang 2019! Before we move on to the master post for 2019, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to all of you. It has been a wild ride and us mods couldn’t thank our participants enough for being such lovely people to work with. There’ll also be a feedback form the participants can fill in! The link will be distributed through email and shared in our discord server. We would like to know how you think about us and how you would like us to improve through our feedback form!

If you missed your chance this year, don’t worry, we’ll be back again in 2020! Do stay tuned for some exciting information on where this event will be going next year! We have some “big news” waiting for you!

Without further ado, here’s the masterpost for all entries of Soukoku Big Bang 2019! 

M A S T E R P O S T

It Was Worth Trying by MidnightLightHowlite | Art by Misa

Rating: General Audiences

Seeing Dazai float face down in a river was not all that unusual. True, it hadn't happened in four years, but the view was not exactly a foreign one. No, what was foreign was the fact that Dazai seemed to be shorter. And younger. And didn't remember him. In retrospect, Chuuya probably shouldn't have let the boy call Mori because that allowed his boss to put him on babysitting duty.

(Or Dazai gets deaged. No romance will happen till they are both the same age again.)

Bandaged Sheep by MidnightLightHowlite | Art by Abel

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

There had been something very weird, very off about the new recruit. He had popped up out of thin air a few months ago, wrapped from head to toe in bandages. Not a word of what he did before, saying he wanted to join the sheep. He wasn't strong or skilled, and truly, there was no logical reason for Chuuya to pay him any mind.

But then the Port Mafia put a huge bounty on his head and things started to get interesting

these days, you’re fine by AquarianTwin | Art by Nella

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Fifth-grade classmates Q and Aya are convinced that their older brothers would make a perfect pair if they’d just stop fighting for five minutes. Dazai and Chuuya, who have been dating for over a year, find this too funny to correct them.

Dazai takes in his younger sibling, Q, after they’re removed from their father’s home. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising of a child when he can barely keep himself alive some days, Dazai leans on his partner, Chuuya, to help lead him through. It’s a good thing Q gets along so well with Chuuya’s younger sister, but Dazai thinks he might die of laughter if the pair try to “secretly” set him up on another date with his own boyfriend.

Project Pinocchio by EKmisao | Art by Ginny

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

What kept the youngest mafia executive alive enough was a new file, on a newly-acquired powerful cyborg. It started as a project to keep a cyborg a boy. It became more than he expected.

Outrunning Fate by RocketJams | Art by Nanamin

Rating: Not Rated

Chuuya laid in the hospital bed, his consciousness slipping away slowly as he patiently awaited his demise. The doctors had assured him he wouldn't feel a thing but for some reason he couldn't shake this feeling his chest. An subtle pain which at this point had coaxed his stomach into a frenzy. Something was wrong but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

In Isolation He Thrived by Maddy | Art by Leo

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

All his life Dazai felt like a tool, a pawn that was just tossed aside when not needed. He was looked down on and felt useless, so slowly a fire ignited within him and turned him into a merciless person also well known as a "Soulless Demon".

He always believed he was destined to do wrong until one day when he finds Chuuya who proves him wrong.

S8 (TBA)

i step from here without you by fatimé | Art by eva

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

“I used Corruption because I trusted you,” Chuuya gasps out, and the words leave a hole the size of Yokohama in his chest. He punches Dazai right where that hole is and hopes it hurts him just as much as it hurts Chuuya.

Dazai smiles. He catches him when his vision finally goes dark and the next thing Chuuya wakes to is emptiness in his heart and a stack of neatly folded clothes.

In one universe, they’re partners-turned enemies, the former Double Black, the most fearsome duo in Port Mafia history. They’re Soukoku and they’re spiteful and they’re tangled up in one another more than they’d care to admit.

In another, they’re—

S10 (TBA)

In Blood we are Sealed by Chaosia | Art by RedZeverin

Dazai stared at his subordinate and the white tiger passed out on the ground, dismayed. It almost worked. This was the fourth person they've went to. There was one more person Dazai could take Atsushi to but he had enough reason to guess that it wouldn't work.

Dazai made a face.

There was one person Dazai knew who could do the job. He'd successfully commit suicide though before that gremlin ever found out he had such thoughts. The taste of metallic filled his mouth. He held in the urge to spit it out.

His ears rang as he imagined a shrieking voice yelling his name like it was the worst insult one could come up with and the mirage of fire that surrounded those blue eyes and foul mouth. Ugh, he was so annoying even in his imagination...and short.

Sticking a pinky into his ear to clear out the haunting voice, Dazai went about gathering up his apprentice and the tiger. Maybe fate would take pity on him and this next trip would solve their problem...

He could feel the cursed blood laughing at him all the way back to their hotel room.

Or a magical AU where Dazai inadvertently gets Atsushi cursed and they have to go to Chuuya, a powerful witch in his own right, to break it.

S14 (TBA)

Quatervois by TheWanderingTanteiThief | Art by King

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Quatervois (n.) a crossroads; a critical decision or turning point in one's life

Chuuya didn't expect to see a man hanging from a tree.

Chuuya didn't expect to meet the man again.

Chuuya certainly didn't expect the man to be the crown prince of the kingdom.

...or cardverse au where Dazai is an asshole and Chuuya just wants to have a peaceful life. Is that too much to ask?

flaws and all by alli | Art by phryn

The transition Dazai and Chuuya routinely make between their heated arguing and completely seamless teamwork is being disrupted by their changing relationship. Which is an issue, because the two of them have been assigned to what could possibly be the most important undercover mission of their careers. Will they be able to strengthen their partnership for the better, or will it crack under the ever growing pressure?

-

As much as he craved that, as easy as it would be to do, it terrified him.

So, he didn’t.

Mirror Mirror In My Eye by MidnightLightHowlite | Art by cchibikko

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Dazai didn't have much hope for the next few years of Hogwarts, but would have liked to wait at least a few till Arahabaki noticed him.

Never such luck for the resident mummy.

School year was already shitty as it was, but now he has a fiery angry redhead demanding answers he's not ready to give

School year was already shitty as it was, but now he has a fiery angry redhead demanding answers he's not ready to give

Fuck.

thy kingdom come by chubsthehamster | Art by Stella Rasu

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

In a bid to save their continent from destruction, the kingdoms of Ada and the Port Mafia must put aside their years of tension to form an uneasy alliance. An act of holy matrimony unites Princes Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuuya, marking the beginning of an infamous partnership.

The affair is strictly political, and perhaps for the better. The two hate each other from the beginning.

should we never meet again by setosdarkness | Art by phryn

Rating: Mature

Sixteen women have been killed by a vicious serial killer haunting Yokohama’s streets.

Dazai has been chosen to become a part of the elite Bloody Valentine Task Force, even if he personally thinks that it’d be a lot more fun to stay at home with his boyfriend. Especially since it took years to convince Chuuya to finally move in with him.

It’s just a coincidence that Chuuya’s agreed to move in with him the moment he’s been chosen to become a part of the Task Force, right?

Resolving the Matter in Spirit by ASentientSlug | Art by Tomomorey

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Dazai's boring, everyday life ends in an accidental double suicide, but instead of facing the sweet release of endless sleep, Dazai finds himself in the Spirit World, where nothing is familiar and dangerous, soul-eating spirits lurk behind every corner. To get out, Dazai must confront the ghosts of his past and the ghosts of his present when one very familiar and yet very dangerous spirit takes Dazai under his wing.

If We Ever Meet Again by Luc | Art by Saiel

Rating: Mature

It all started with diamonds.

Chuuya thinks he would've been just as attracted to it if it wasn't for the equally shiny police badge in his pocket.

It all ends with a silver bullet.

For someone as talented in the dance of crime, Dazai has developed quite a bias about the jewels that would catch anybody's fancy.

Diamonds? They're overrated. Old. Boring.

Rubies? Sapphires?

Now those—

—those are worth getting caught for.

keep your windows open by Maristella | Art by Einjjjj

Rating: General Audiences

Usually, whenever Chuuya jumped, he flew.

This was not one of those times.

(Or, alternatively, where Chuuya breaks into Dazai's mansion as a thief, and comes out as a kidnapper. Even though he's also sort of a kid. And it's also not kidnapping.)

(Not when the victim bribed the kidnapper to take him.)

“You do know that the treasure doesn’t exist, right?”

“The what?”

“The treasure. You know, the one in the rumours. It doesn’t exist.”

“…are you screwing with me?”

“No?”

“I’m not an idiot. If there’s no treasure, why else are you here then?”

“Um…this is my house?”

(Also featuring: Chuuya and the different types of falling.)

half of my half by keptein | Art by manwe.russingon

Rating: Mature

No one understands why Dazai’s dæmon looks like a boy more often than not.

Book One: Fire by chuuzuke | Art by wandiwoo

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Avatar The Last Airbender/Korra AU: The world has changed. Technology can meet nearly every need, to the point where bending is considered a relic of the past, and with it, the Avatar. In fact, no one has seen the Avatar for nearly 100 years, and most people prefer to keep it that way.

Nakahara Chuuya, Prince of the Fire Nation, more than understands what it's like to be considered a relic. After the Fire nation moved to a parliamentary system, the title of Fire Lord is a largely ceremonial one, and Chuuya struggles under the burden of an office that restricts his every move without giving him any actual power to enact change.

When he runs away, intent on finding his own path, it seems like fate when he runs into Dazai Osamu, a mysterious man who claims he has a way to cure the unexplained illness Chuuya has suffered from his whole life.

peace lily by intimatopia | Art by phryn

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

They say you don’t truly know a person until you live with them. Dazai and Chuuya would argue that they know more about each other than one ought to know about anyone else.

Or: Mori forces 15 year old Dazai and Chuuya to share a flat because he doesn’t trust them to be on their own, and he thinks it’ll be a good way for them to bond.

Dazai and Chuuya think he's a sadist.

Two rambunctious teen boys, left to their own devices in a multi-million dollar penthouse. What could possibly go wrong?

of flowers and verses by lua & lanipalmer | Art by Yahuri

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

For years, Nakahara Chuuya has been pining over the ex-mafioso himself, Dazai Osamu. So what better to vent than through poetry? Combined with his (frankly, alarming) knowledge of flower languages, this is a story about Chuuya and his frustrations and desires.

Still Worth Fighting For by Maru | Art by ewe

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

"In which Chuuya never joins the port mafia, stops using his ability for fighting out of guilt, and later becomes a hacker.

His life had been relatively peaceful until one day, Dazai appears again at his doorstep asking for his help to find information on ‘The Rats.’"

The Necromancer by Ru | Art by etsuki_haru

Rating: Mature

If you venture into the slums of Suribachi City, you’ll find the witch Dazai Osamu, known as the Necromancer, and his barely tamed beast, Arahabaki. If you bring to him the bones of someone, he will bring that person back to life - in exchange for some of your lifespan. But bringing a soul back from the dead turn a heart twisted. Did you get your wish, or dig your own grave? These are the grim tales of a witch and a creature, trying to figure out their humanity, overseeing the consequences of taking death too lightly.

S34 (TBA)

fire and calamity by Jasmine | Art by Zen

Arahabaki has left its vessel, leaving Chuuya in a comatose state. Dazai and the rest of the ADA now have to track the god down and capture it for two reasons. One, because Chuuya knows the whereabouts of the Book. Two, because if they don't, they lose him forever. (ADA!Chuuya, established!SKK)

S38 (TBA)

fight our way to heaven by kiwi | Art by chicchii

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

The redhead had a fire in him that made Dazai want to poke and prod until he could see the limits. Chuuya was so alive and for the first time since Dazai could remember, he wanted to taste and feel that fire.

What he didn’t account for was that the decision to follow Chuuya would lead him to discovering memories he didn’t know he had and it would make them a target for all ability organizations in Yokohama.

Or the one where we have teen skk against the world.

Everything Comes Back To You by Catsby | Art by Mai

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

In the period after the war for the Book, the Port Mafia finds itself in need of a Boss. The logical choice for that position would be Chuuya - except Chuuya has gone missing.

Après Un Rêve by manwe.russingon | Art by Sebby

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

"I wandered long, methought, alone

to the deep shadow where the dead dwell,

but ever a voice that I knew well,

like bells, like viols, like harps, like birds,

like music moving without words,

called me, called me through the night,

enchanted drew me back to the light!"

Nakahara Chuuya, the elven lord commander of the kingsguard of kingdom of Mirkwood, singing in the woods. With a sudden intervention from Dazai Osamu, a mysterious being that was caught in between his tunes, they became best friends afterwards. Or perhaps it is more than that?

Time to time, one story comes with another. The truth finally unveils, and the clock is ticking faster. What exactly is Dazai? Why does he act so familiarly to Chuuya? And perhaps the biggest question we need the answer is: What makes them always connected, even for thousands of years?

S42 by chuuzuke | Art by willofjokerXIX

Lost All Judgement by todxrxki | Art by Yahuri

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

“Uh, sorry, but unfortunately I already have a date to the dance.”

“Oh, really?” Tachihara says, sounding disappointed. He pauses for a second, clearly processing what Chuuya’s just told him, and then says, “Who is it?”

Chuuya certainly hadn’t budgeted for this.

Panicking, he tries to think of the people that he knows that are single, and before he knows it, the first name that comes to mind is slipping out of his mouth. “With Dazai.” / After a momentary lapse in judgment, high school student Chuuya ends up having to pretend to date his enemy Dazai to get Tachihara off of his back - and quickly finds it's nowhere as bad as he'd imagined.

Of Boxers and Bachelors by writingfromtheshadows | Art (1 & 2 & 3) by Angella

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

When Dazai Osamu gets cut off from the family's coffers in an attempt to regulate his behavior, he decides to find a way around his father's ultimatum. Faking an engagement with an underground boxer sounds like the perfect scandal...

Crimson Memoirs by Luneath & Abel | Art by lefterstein

Rating: Mature

By the power of great ancient magic, supernatural beings are aptly hidden just behind the eyelids of humans. Vampires, witches, weres, faeries – all of them live and exist out of the fairy tales books.

Humans' eyes are just shielded into not comprehending their true nature, their magic, and their trickery. To protect them, the Gods say. But Dazai has always known that he’s no ordinary human. From the gift of seeing beyond the magic veil to the peculiar dreams to the aching, hollow feeling hugging his chest in a tight embrace – he knows he’s different.

What Dazai doesn’t know is that this isn’t the start of his story and the stranger with glowing blue eyes that have always been the center of his recurring dreams. What Dazai doesn’t know is that this is not exactly his first life. Dazai doesn't know a lot of things. But with time, he will come to know that he doesn't mind dying the second time for Chuuya.

entanglement by Shinkirou | Art by Zevy

Rating: Mature

Not everyone has a destined partner. Theoretically, even Dazai and Chuuya aren't supposed to. Are being programmed not to, even.

But whether they're "meant" to be together or not is irrelevant. Dazai wants Chuuya to be his, and so Chuuya will be his.

... If only it were actually that simple.

pointless by Lua | Art by Behax

Rating: Explicit

It was an annoyance after everything that happened, and yet, Chuuya found himself on the doorsteps of a man that he had more than enough reasons to kill. He could come up with excuses, but he was not in the habit of lying to himself. At times, Chuuya would describe their relationship as an addiction he couldn't get rid of. This was ridiculous. Dazai was now a traitor and a coward; what did that make of Chuuya himself to know where to find him and keep that a secret?

Latent Identities by RocketJams | Art by Seiran

Rating: Explicit

He could deny it however many times he wanted to, but Dazai could see through it every time. The lies over his lips, the false smiles and misleading words. He could fool anyone else into believing he was who he said he was. Though whenever he smiled, Dazai could feel it. Something was wrong, he wasn't Chuuya.

N6 (TBA)

Before I Fall by hellosweetie17 | Art by Nanamin

Rating: Explicit

Chuuya’s oblivious to the circumstances surrounding their fragile world; Dazai’s made sure of it.

Mighty Long Fall by quinnlocke | Art by Xoinks

Rating: Mature

When Dazai betrays the ADA for the Port Mafia, he’s greeted as the prodigal son. That doesn’t mean he’s trusted, however, and now that he’s betrayed the Port Mafia and ADA alike, he has far more enemies than friends. As Dazai works to survive the heart of the viper’s nest, it quickly becomes clear that Chuuya will save him - or be the reason he fails.

Chuuya, meanwhile, knows Dazai too well to trust that his cards are on the table. But as he finds himself at Dazai’s mercy, and caught between loyalties, he realizes there’s no other option but to master the god that lives beneath his skin and hope he survives long enough to protect the organization to whom he’s sworn his life.

But first they both must realize that a mighty long fall awaits.

moonshine voyage by setosdarkness | Art by Behax

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Dazai's plan to stop Fyodor involves sacrificing his life. He should have known that even the best-made plans are useless when there’s someone like Chuuya out there, who just won’t stop saving him.

A journey of growing and growing old together.

[or: chuuya saves dazai's life by linking their souls & lifespans together]

Lifeline by Abel | Art (1 & 2 & 3) by phryn

Rating: Explicit

Nakahara Chuuya is a normal kid. He has two parents who loves him very much even though he's not really their son. He's a good student even though he's not on top. He's popular and has a lot of friends. Everything in his life is fine-- perfectly fine.

Until he bumps into another kid his age, bandages wrapped all over him. Dazai Osamu-- he said his name was, with a tone of amusement and yet tinged with longing.

Little did he know, that fated meeting will change his life forever.

Can’t Be Tamed by stargazerlilith | Art by Abel

Rating: Explicit

The boss of the Port Mafia is merciless against those who oppose him.

Well he was, until he resigned himself to the fate of the notorious dating app known as Tinder.

We hope you enjoy the masterpieces made by our talented participants! See you again next year!

[itsanerdlife]

Chasing The Dream 3/10

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader (High School/College AU)

Warning: Angst. Underage drinking. Jealousy. Language. Heartbreak and arguing.

A/N: This is the series, the prequel of Chasing Dreams One Shot. They do overlap so if you need to read it I can link it when time comes.

Your father always warned you about musicians. They’re never good news, but Peter Parker is everything you could want. The other half to your groupie, rocker baby soul. Peter and the guys have big dreams to be rock stars, you couldn’t be a bigger fan of theirs. But your dad’s got a different path for your future, one that doesn’t include Peter and his band. But can Fame and dreams coming true really keep the two of you apart? Is this just a high school love? Or will you make it through the struggle of chasing your dreams?

Tag List Is Open!!

High School –

Y/N (Living on a Dream)

You move through the bodies around the table playing beer pong. The front door opens, and you catch a glimpse of messy brown hair and a white band T-shirt. You quickly run your free hand through your waves, giving them a fluff. The music that vibrates the house, suddenly changes, as you spot Peter working his way towards you. You grin at him and he grins in response, a hand on your waist suddenly spins you around.

Todd, one of the football players runs his eyes greedily down your body as he towers over you. He licks his lips and leans in closer to you. His hand around your waist, you lean back slightly from him.

“I always knew there was more under all those little good girl, teasing skirts.” He chuckles. You roll your eyes, you wore dark cut off, distressed jean shorts, and a form fitting white crop top that read QUEEN across the chest in faded red lettering.

“Gross you are even thinking about me.” You pat him on the chest attempting to move away from him.

“Maybe you aren’t just a good girl underneath all that.” He leans in closer.

“What I am underneath anything, would never want anything to do with you and the low IQ you are carrying around with you. If it wasn’t for the IQ, your idea of good music is Drake and Lil Wayne, which just makes your IQ even worse.” You peel his hand from your waist as he stares at you, trying to understand what you just said to him.

“Drake and Lil Wayne are awesome.” He grins nodding.

“Oh god my IQ is dropping breathing the same air as you.” You blink, pressing your lips together, looking for an escape.

“Hey.” Peter appears next to you, grinning. His arm slips over your shoulders. “Sorry we’re late. But Buck is worse than a girl. If his hair doesn’t fall just right, we can’t leave.” He shrugs, sighing. “Excuse us.” Peter blinks looking at Todd, who blinks looking from you to Peter. Todd moves to the side, looking confused still as Peter leads you back towards the kitchen.

“Oh god thank you.” You drop your head to his chest, laughing.

“You looked like you were being tortured.” He laughs.

“He seriously said, and I quote ‘Drake and Lil Wayne are awesome’ after I insulted his IQ and music taste.” You laugh.

“That’s torture enough.” Peter nods. His band T-shirt was Pink Floyd, a white T-shirt and colored album cover.

“Nice shirt.” You tug lightly on his shirt.

“Same to you. Queen, classic.” He grins. You notice the writing on his palm and wrist as he picks up a cup.

“What is this?” You grin, taking his hand and turning it over.

“Something I’m working on.” He shrugs. Your eyes move over the words written in ink on his skin.

“Lyrics?” You look up at him.

“Like I said,” he grins “something I’m working on.” He fills his cup, placing his arm over your shoulders again, the both of you wander out to the back.

--------

“Who picked the music?” Buck winces into his cup.

“Why?” Nat grins.

“Some old school shit, lot of grunge.” He shrugs.

“She will slit you from ear to ear if you disrespect the grunge era.” Nat laughs.

“Who?” Buck swallows.

“Me.” You tip your head, mouth pushed together.

“I was not disrespecting it, just wondering why so much was being played.” He quickly covers his ass.

“Better than the mindless bullshit people listen to, today.” You shrug.

“True.” Peter nods, sipping from his cup.

“Kiss ass.” Steve coughs into his hand, everyone laughs.

“Y/N is the music god, for everything we do.” Wanda laughs.

“I prefer the term Goddess. I don’t have a dick.” You smirk, tipping your cup at Wanda who leans into Sam laughing.

The song changes, Buck starts laughing as you and Nat start instantly singing to each other. Saving Abel – Addicted, the party around all of you starts singing it too. Buck and Peter are dying laughing, Steve nods, bobbing to the beat, and Sam’s fingers move across his thigh. You and Nat get louder with the song, shoulders moving, hands going, singing at each other.

“They do this every time this song comes on.” Buck leans in closer towards Peter.

“Why?” He laughs.

“No fucking clue. They just laugh and carry on like nothing happened.” Buck grins, shrugging. The song ends, you pat Peter’s thigh grinning.

“Time for shots.” You jump up as Buck starts laughing looking at Peter.

“Oh no.” Wanda shakes her head.

“You know the rules Wanda, strip down if you’re not drinking.” You shrug grinning at her.

“Wait what?” The guys reply at once, looking around.

“Better pick your poison boys, and hope you can handle your alcohol better than us girls.” Nat shrugs, as you both turn heading for the kitchen.

---------

Peter (Good Girls Are Bad Girls Who Haven’t Been Caught)

“Hold on a second.” Peter holds up a finger as Y/N and Nat set down three different fifths and shot glasses.

“Come on Parker, you don’t like games?” She grins, leaning back in her chair, a smug smirk on her lips.

“Depends on the game.” He struggles with the reply for a moment, trying to not just grin at her.

“Works like this boys.” Nat shuffles a deck of cards, while Y/N slides shot glasses around. “First one to say no, throw up or can’t finish their shot, strips down and runs around the house.” She grins.

“Fuck.” Sam rubs a hand over his face.

“Jager?” Y/N cracks the bottle and Wanda cracks a can of red bull.

“Hell no.” Peter laughs, he leans over swiping the bottle of Jack.

“Pansy.” Y/N bite her bottom lip grinning.

“What are the cards for?” Steve looks nervous.

“Shit we need another girl.” Y/N sits up. “Amy!” She waves over the cheerleader, with curly blonde hair.

“Hey Y/N.” She grins coming over.

“Play our game?” Y/N bats her eyes.

“Damn.” Amy laughs. “Alright, but no photos this time.” Amy holds up her finger.

“Deal!” Y/N claps her hands together. “You’re between me and Steve.” Y/N grins.

“He’s cute.” Amy laughs “And I’ve kissed you before.” She waves her hand. The guys exchange a look again.

“I’m missing something.” Peter holds up a finger.

“Oh the cards.” Nat wiggles them in her fingers. “Each card has a dare, or command on them. Like,” she finds one and holds up. “Pass me with only your mouth.” She blows him a kiss. Peter looks from Nat who was on one side of him to Y/N who was on the other side of him.

“The rule is whoever fails the challenge, the command, has to do a shot.” Y/N grins, winking at him.

“This is going to be a fucking interesting night.” He laughs.

---------

“Do you know how hard this shit gets the numb-er your lips get?” Sam laughs, trying to make the card stick to his mouth. Y/N dying laughing next to him, daddy’s good girl wasn’t much of a good girl that much was pretty clear.

“Sammy you better get ready to drink up baby boy, cause you can’t get it up.” Y/N giggles, taunting Sam as she leans on the table.

“Peter, shut your girl up.” Sam laughs, still trying to stick the card to his mouth.

“Oh no, I don’t need her taunting me.” Peter laughs. “But bro it looks like your ass might be getting naked.” He pats the table top laughing.

“Like hell!” Sam grumbles, finally the card sticks.

His hands pump in the arm as he turns to pass it to Wanda. Amy and Y/N exchange the card, but Nat snaps at Y/N as Peter leans in to take it. Instead of card his mouth lands on hers. She kisses him, her hands holding the front of his T-shirt, he kisses her back his one hand on the edge of the table, the other on the back of her chair. There’s a round of hoots and whistles, making them break apart.

“Hand it over.” Nat grins. Y/N rolls her eyes, looking down.

“Hand what over?” Peter flushes.

“Payment for losing the card trade.” Nat grins. Nat hands him the card, it reads pass me with only your mouth, in the bottom corner is reads Loser removes their shirt. Y/N pulls the Queen crop top over her head handing it to Nat. She’s sitting in her cut off shorts and white lace bra.

“That means I get to make anyone I want drink.” She does a little giddy dance. He looks at her funny, she holds up her card, it reads Kiss the person to your left in the middle of a challenge and make anyone you want drink. “Worth it.” She winks at him.

“You did that on purpose.” He nods.

“Don’t you already know it Parker.” She grins, pointing to Sam and Buck they take the shots in front of them.

“Good Girls are bad girls who haven’t been caught.” He laughs.

“By golly I think you go it.” She laughs.

Everything Peaches 2/6/19: @xmtd5 @mo320 @courtmr   @all1e23 @izzy--lee @irepeldirt @dumblani @crist1216 @alyssaj23 @allyp1023 @joannie95 @kolakube9 @rileyloves5 @sarahp879 @sea040561 @sexyvixen7 @pcterpvrker @pigwidgexn @doctoranon @abschaffer2 @nickimarie94 @teller258316 @wandressfox @amandab-ftw @henrietteoaks @nea90sweetie @circusofchaos @itsagalaxystar @bettercallsabs @miraclesoflove @lucifersnipnips @queenkrissy11 @sadyoungadult @destiel-artemis @paintballkid711 @iwillbeinmynest @sweet-honey15 @chanelmadrid13 @mellxander1993   @spookygrantaire @geeksareunique @supernatural508 @sammysgirl1997 @itzmegaaaaaaan @booksbeforebois @mariekoukie6661 @pure-princess-97 @capsheadquaters @samanthasmileys @youclickedthislink @futuremrsb-r-main @lovemarvelousfics @petersunderoos96 @loving-life-my-way @booktvmoviefangirl @supernatural-girl97 @fanfictionjunkie1112 @abbypalmer14-blog @meganlikesfandoms @awkwardfangirl2014 @supernaturaldean67 @xqueenofthecraziesx   @queenoftheunderdark @writingaworldofmyown @supernaturallover2002 @sprinklesandsugarcubes @whothehellisbucky-1930 @verymuchclosetedfangirl @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @ocaptain-mycaptainmorgan @wonderlandfandomkingdom @crazy-little-thing-called-buck @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @stupendoussciencenaturepanda @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety

Peter Parker: @ml7010 @ariminiria @dkpink123 @little-smurf @boltsgirl919   @everthenerd @ms-rogers06 @crayonwriting @baebeepeach @bellamouse16 @honey-bee-holly @kiss-the-stars-goodbye

Chasing The Dream: @del-rcys @gabile18   @robin-writes @raven-black102

[megamanxfanfics]

S.V - Ep. 9: Fight On At All Costs

----------------------------------------------------------

EXT. UNITED KINGDOM – Airspace - DAY

---------------------------------------------------------- Caption: 12:00 Noon – London Time Zero flies at swift speeds amidst the sky. SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Emergency! Dynamo has come back here to attack! What on Earth does he want?! -pan inside his cockpit- Zero stares at his receiver in awe. ZERO: (reacting) WHAT!? What the Hell is he doing, back? SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered, retorting) Well it doesn’t matter, we have to fight him!  X is engaging him, now. ZERO: Oh man… and I’m hours from home!! Damn it!!! (v.o, thinking) X…  You gotta handle this… -cut to-

---------------------------------------------------------- EXT. NEW MHHQ – Space Shuttle Dock - NIGHT ---------------------------------------------------------- Caption: 4:00 AM – Hexagon Time X clenches his fists as he stares at the smug Dynamo, who has just crushed Freeze Alopex. DYNAMO: Hey there, you’re X right? Nice to meet you. Did you guys miss me? He steps off of her neck and walks toward him. X: (annoyed) rr.. Stop pestering us, Dynamo! What do you want? DYNAMO: I told the other guy.  I want to disturb you. That, is my mission. It may not seem it, but this is my job.  And since you guys are always so serious, I’m a little serious too, this time.. okay? X gives him a confused look, then shakes it off into a grimace again. DYNAMO: (smirking) Ready to die? [Insert Title Card – Fight On At All Costs]

X: …No…

X quickly inserts a sub-tank into his stomach, which cleans the scuff marks off of his armor and face.  He dashes back and charges up.

X: Hyuu/ah!

X shoots a level 3 charge shot at Dynamo, who easily high-jumps over it and comes after him with a pink blade.

X: Ah!

He narrowly dashes below and away from it as Dynamo passes him on the other side.

When Dynamo lands, he turns around and smirks at X.

DYNAMO: Heheheh...  Learned a few of my tricks, I see...

X backs up and quickly /takes level 1 shots at Dynamo.

X: /Hmph!

Dynamo grins as he puts an arm up and takes the hits.

DYNAMO: Hehehehe, you’re kidding, right?

He holds out an open palm and charges up a dark power ball of energy.

DYNAMO: TRY THIS!!!

He pounds the energy ball into the ground, which causes five streams of dark light to rise up from the ground.

X: /Ahhh!!!!

X gets caught by the blast and holds onto his chest, panting.

DYNAMO: Haha/!

He summons another wave of light to rise from directly below X.

X: /AGH!!!

He dashes mid-blast, but still gets caught in the crossfire.

DYNAMO: HAHA!!/

He summons a final wave, closer to his own vicinity, where X has landed.  X rolls out of the way and watches the power waves dissipate into the sky in fear.

X: (v.o, thinking) Haw man! This guy is gonna kill me if I’m not careful!!

SIGMA: (v.o, responding) Yeeees, he iiiis…

X’s eyes become even wider as Dynamo dashes over to him.

DYNAMO: Aww, what’s the matter?  Lost your nerve!?

X gets up and blocks a blade attack by grabbing Dynamo’s hand.

X: No! ..damn it.. I won’t let you.. Win!

DYNAMO: (grinning) Hm.

He makes a buster with his other hand and /shoots him in the ribs at close range.

X: /Ogh!

He doubles back and falls to one knee.

ALIA: (frightened, desperate) X, try the new chip!!

X nods and takes out the wing spiral chip from his compartment belt. He quickly inserts it into his buster as Dynamo jumps after him.  Suddenly his base armor morphs into white and yellow.

DYNAMO: Hm?

X uppercuts the intruder, which unleashes his new spiraling wind attack.

DYNAMO: /Whuuooooh!!

The tornado throws Dynamo high into the air, and makes him plummet down helplessly onto the scaffolding.

DYNAMO: Aughh.

X: Hmph. Looks like that worked.

Dynamo looks up at X, amused as he gets up.

DYNAMO: Ohhh, we’re just getting started, big boy.

X: Hm?

Dynamo charges up an open palm again and slams it down against the scaffolding.

X: Oh No!!  

He jumps away and instinctively forms his Falcon Armor, once airborne.

Surprised at his own reflexes, X quickly charges up and shoots a piercing laser at Dynamo, who rises another set of beams towards X.

X: /Gaahhh!!!

X gets struck by the blast and falls to the ground near Dynamo.

ALIA: (worried) EeeeeeX!!!!!

When X lands, he shoots another wing spiral, which shoves Dynamo into the wall.

X gets back up on one knee again and switches to C-Shot.

X: Stay out of our Base, Dynamo!  

X rapidly fires crescent slashing shots at Dynamo, which seem to chip away at his armor pretty well.

DYNAMO: (hurting) Uuughh. Hahahah!  But why??  

He swiftly spins a double-sided blade fully around with his wrist, making it serve as a shield.

X stops shooting as the C-Shots deflect off of Dynamo’s defense.

DYNAMO: We’re having so much /Fun!!!!!

He throws the double-sided blade at X, who dodges it. It comes back around like a boomerang and /slices him in the back on the way back to Dynamo’s hand.

X: /AAhhh!!!  Damn.. you…

DYNAMO: Hahahah!!!

He high jumps after X to capitalize on the punishment with his blade.

X dashes away, dodging the swing.

X: How’d you even find us?

He shoots a charge shot.

DYNAMO: It’s no secret. /Agh. Sigma sent me!

He summons his wave attack once again.

X: What!?

X’s eyes widen as Dynamo’s attacks near him.  

He /evades as best as possible as the attack starts to become predictable.  

DYNAMO: That’s right!  /  He /Hired me to get in your way, and /Trip you guys up.

X anticipates his next two moves, by //dash-jumping in the opposite direction once Dynamo’s palm hits the ground.  After advancing and effectively retreating from the following blasts, X takes his moment to hit Dynamo with some quick level 2 charge shots//.

X: /…You…/ Pest!

He flies toward his opponent.

DYNAMO: Hmhmhm!

He high jumps to X and takes another swing from his blade.

X narrows them and pushes another Wing Spiral uppercut into Dynamo’s chest.

DYNAMO: Whaaaaa!!!  Come on, Man!!

X flies into him and punches him in the gut, in mid-air. Then he grabs him by the neck.

X: You think this is a GAME!!?  HUH???

The smile on Dynamo’s face could not be bigger.

DYNAMO: Hahahahahh…

X’s face scrunches up as he uses his left hand to punch Dynamo in the head a few times.

X: You think you can just come in here and mess with us???  You just killed my Friend!  And for what?!?  For a little FUN!!!????

DYNAMO: Y-y-yeeah…

Irate, he throws Dynamo to the ground and fires another piercing charge shot at him.

After sinking into the scaffolding, Dynamo raises a hand for mercy.

DYNAMO: (hurt, conceding) Ogh…  She wasn’t the target..  Just in the way…

X: I DON’T CARE!! YOU’RE IN MY WAY NOW. AND I HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD!!!!

At close range, X activates his Falcon Armor’s Giga Attack.

Streams of his piercing charge shot rise from the ground and rain down on him within their vicinity.

Holes are blown through Dynamo’s armor as his circuits start to sizzle.

DYNAMO: (hurt, shocked) Hooouuuuggghhh!!!!! …So… You ARE strong… I fought.. seriously this time… Agh..

He pulls back and huddles into himself, in pain. Then, he surprisingly maintains his composure and manages to stand upright.

DYNAMO: (damaged) ..Anyway… I’d need 9 lives if I stuck with you… So… I’ll take my leave.  No more games.  

X lets out a breath and lowers his guard.

DYNAMO: You should think about your future, too or… you’ll die someday… I’m getting out of here, because I want to live.

He lets out another friendly smile, just as he did with Zero, before.

DYNAMO: Adios!

He teleports away, leaving X to wonder if they’ll ever see him again.

X: Dynamo…

He looks up and watches his trail disappear into the early morning darkness.

-      pan up to the sky above them –

- fade to -

------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. ABEL CITY – Trailer Park Complex – NIGHT

------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 4:30 AM We pan down from the dark sky to see a small Trailer amongst a community of quiet mobile homes.  While everyone else is sleeping, the windows from this Trailer sporadically spark of electricity as the sounds of drills and metal work can be heard through the night. We zoom in closer to the humble Trailer Home.

-pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. TRAILER LAB – Gate’s Work Space - NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Gate and Isoc are working together on rebuilding his creations. Resting offline are the shells of Blizzard Wolfang, Blaze Phoenix and Infinity Flea.  They are currently working on replicating Commander Yammark’s design from Gate’s 3D Blue Prints.  Suddenly Isoc’s chest beeps twice with a blinking red light. GATE: (distracted) Hm? ISOC: Oh, excuse me, Gate. I have to take this call. Gate nods and turns back to his design with a smile. -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. TRAILER LAB – Trailer Park Complex – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Isoc steps outside and slowly walks away from Gate’s Trailer as he takes the com-link. ISOC: (soft, discreet) What is it? SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) The Assassin failed. ISOC: (gasping) ..Is he dead? SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) No…  But I just might finish the job. ISOC: No need, sire.  My associate is coming around. SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) Hmph…  He’s the one you originally wanted to hire, right? ISOC: Yes.  Ever since our plan has been televised, he stirred into a panic. He asked for my help to rebuild his reploids. SIGMA: Hm!? For what?? ISOC: He hopes to survive this and rebuild a society of Elite Reploids. SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) Hmm, that’s interesting...  They might factor into my plan after all.  I like that you are thinking ahead.  Thank you for your assistance as always, Doctor. Isoc’s eyes twinkle from the reflection in the moonlight as he grins. ISOC: My pleasure, my Lord. -pan up to the sky- -fade to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. UNITED KINGDOM - Airspace - DAY

------------------------------------------------------------------ From afar, Zero’s aircraft zooms through the skies. -pan inside his cockpit- Zero flies on with an uneasy glare in his eyes. After a little while, his dashboard receives a com-link. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Zero, this is Alia. Come in. ZERO: (gasping) Alia!  What’s up?? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) ..Dynamo attacked us again, but.. We're okay...  Most of us, anyway. ZERO: Is X, alright? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) He’ll be fine. He just needs to rest for now. How are you? ZERO: Uhh..  I’m alright.  But Rho & Frenzy are uh... ALIA: (o.s, filtered) ...Ally, too. ZERO: (shocked) Freeze Alopex is gone??? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Dynamo killed her the moment he got here. ZERO: That Bastard!! ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I know.  Frostbite ran away... It’s terrible...  but now we have to focus on our next move. ZERO: (nodding) Yeah. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I’m analyzing the specs on your Aircraft.  If you can push that thing to Mach 10, you should be able to get here in an hour. ZERO: (shocked) I can do that?? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Well, it’ll take a bit of hacking, but that’s why I’m here. ZERO: Whoa, Alia. You’re amazing!! -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT.  NEW MMHQ – R & D Lab – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alia beams at her computer screen. ALIA: (responding, pleased) I know.  Now, sit tight and let me work my magic. If I can upload the enhancement data remotely, you should be here in no time! ZERO: (o.s, filtered) Heheh.. Okay! -pan further away, and into the room- Around her is a series of lab scientists, researchers and technicians that have been rescued by X and Zero. They are all eagerly working with Douglas and studying plans for the Space Shuttle. ALIA: Alright, guys! We’ve got some work to do. Who wants to help me remote-hack into a Repliforce Aircraft? The former Repliforce Technicians in the room raise their eyebrows, surprised and rush over to her. TECHNICIAN 1: We built those things! We can help. ALIA: Alriiiiight!   -pan over to Douglas and a few Scientists- Douglas concentrates as he puts the finishing touches on a new chip and looks over to his new colleagues. DOUGLAS: The new parts are almost ready! These will really help X out. ALIA: Now we’re talking!! -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT.  NEW MHHQ – Infirmary – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ X is sitting up in bed, with tubes attached to his arm and chest, while Lifesaver studies his body’s contamination levels.  On the monitors, everything is evened out. Despite the tremendous pressure X is under, his neuros are calm. LIFESAVER PRIME: Okay, X.  All of your systems look good.  You just need some good old-fashioned rest. X nods and gets up. X: Unfortunately, I don’t really have time for that. Lifesaver puts a firmer hand on his shoulder. LIFESAVER PRIME: Energen IVs and Sub-tanks will only go so far.  Give it an hour, okay? X: But... we’re running out of/- LIFESAVER PRIME: /Sleep, X. He /forces a needle into his neck. X: (weary, fainting) Tiiiiiiime... He falls back into the bed. -fade out- -slow fade in- ZERO: (o.s, echoing) What the Hell?? -blurry winks bring us into focus- Zero can be seen, pointing a finger at Lifesaver. LIFESAVER PRIME: He wouldn’t rest. I gave him something to ease the pain. ZERO: What are you doing!? We have 4 Hours!!  Just give him my Sub-Tank!! LIFESAVER PRIME: That won’t be enough!  And I need to look at you, too. ZERO: Don’t touch me, Doc. /Here!! As the blurry red figure gets closer, a pressurized swell of energy is /injected into his sub-system. Jolted with energy, X rises, becoming more awake and aware of his surroundings. X: (weak, groggy) H-hey, what gives? Is that you, Zero?? He rubs his eyes, before getting up as Zero comes into focus. ZERO: Yeah. I just got here! Caption: 5:45 AM LIFESAVER PRIME: X! You shouldn’t be up yet. ZERO: What is this? Are you TRYING to mess up this Op?  We gotta get back out there. LIFESAVER PRIME: I understand, but I need you both, Alive!!  If either of you keep substituting artificial energy as a life force, you’re going to burn out at the worst possible moment.  I don’t want that for either of you!! ZERO: Well that’s a risk, we’re just gonna have to take. X gets up. X: (tired) I’m fine... We’ll all be dead soon if we don’t finish that Shuttle. ZERO: We have 4 Hours!!!! X: (urgent) Then we’d better move... -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – Hallways – DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ The two worn-out heroes walk through the halls once again for another round in the field. They both share a stoic frown as they look ahead. ZERO: Man, that was really screwed up... X: He thought he was helping... Zero shakes his head. ZERO: Not cool... X: Yeah...  Thanks for the Sub-tank... ZERO: Of course, man. They continue to walk in silence. ZERO: Listen, uh.. I’m sorry for blowing up before about Repliforce. X: (exhausted, passive aggressive) You did what you had to do...  And this time they actually went Maverick, so.  Good job, I guess... Zero looks down at X, taken aback. ZERO: Ya know what? Screw you, man. He runs ahead and doesn’t look back. X frowns with an annoyed glare as he watches Zero run off.  His brow tightens into a scowl as he cricks his neck and sinks to his level. X: Yeah? Well, Good luck out there!  I bet you can’t wait to finish them off! -pan to Zero- He just winces with tightly closed eyes as he continues to run away from X. -pan back to X- X passes by the R & D Lab with a mug on his face. ALIA: (o.s, calling out) X!! He stops short. X: Hmm? ALIA: (o.s) Come here! -      pan to –

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ He steps inside the R & D Lab, surprised at all the people inside. X: (humbled, focused) I.. don’t have much time. ALIA: I know.  We just wanted to give you this. She tosses him a new enhancement chip. X: What’s this? ALIA: It’s a Virus Buster. Now you can blast Sigma’s stupid face away next time he tries to haunt you. X: (shocked, happy) Whaaaaat? How!?? ALIA: We analyzed Sigma’s Virus data the moment he tried to interface with your systems. Lifesaver was wary and wanted to study you as long as possible, but we’re just glad you’re okay! X: Oh, my God! /Thank you!! In an instant he /hugs her out of sheer gratitude.  She immediately /blushes in his arms. ALIA: Ah/huhh.. You’re welcome! When they disembark her flushed cheeks regain their original color. X: I gotta go.  You rule.  Later guys! RESCUED REPLOIDS: Byyye! DOUGLAS: Bye, X. Douglas frowns as X runs out of the room. Alia keeps grinning as she looks at her new colleagues. Then, she nods to Douglas. ALIA: What’s got you all bummed out? DOUGLAS: We didn’t get to show him the Speedster chip. Alia just looks at Douglas and laughs. ALIA: Hahahahaha! DOUGLAS: (offended) Heeeey, I worked hard on that! ALIA: We can always beam it to him, silly… -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Zero teleports away the moment X gets inside the room. X: Alright everybody. This is it! SIGNAS: Good Luck out there, X!  I believe in you. X: (smiling) Thanks, boss. He walks over to a teleporter and is taken to Axle the Red’s location.

-cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. UKRANIAN JUNGLE – Rose-covered Fence - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 3:50 PM – Ukraine Time. As the sun sets in the Ukranian Jungle, X teleports onto the unnatural, metal ground.  He lands near a barbed-wire fence that is covered in vines and delicate roses. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) The secret Repliforce base that is hidden deep in the jungle has become infested with Mavericks. X: Wait.  This place is Repliforce!? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Yep.  I bet if you go a little deeper in the jungle, you'll find the Orbiter Engine. X's eyes widen. X: How deep did their secrets go...? -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. KENYA – Sunhouse Mountain - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 4:50 PM – Kenya Time. Zero stands tall by a large well, which provides the entrance to a hidden volcano underground. ZERO: This it... Sunhouse Mountain.  This is where it all started. Zero clenches his fists as he remembers how different everything was 3 years ago. -FLASH-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. OLD MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Cain Labs – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- X and Zero walk in to Dr. Cain’s Lab. Magma Dragoon is sitting at Dr. Cain’s Mother Computer, waiting for them. MAGMA DRAGOON: Hey guys… X: You wanted to show us something?? MAGMA DRAGOON: Yeah.. -flash- MAGMA DRAGOON: I’m under the impression that Dr. Cain was about to conduct an internal investigation of the Repliforce and that he wanted your teams to do it. -flash- MAGMA DRAGOON: ...I’m going to volunteer my Team to investigate this case. There’s got to be something more going on here that we just can’t see at the moment. And I’ve got to find out what! ZERO: (v.o, narrating) 3 years ago, before Dr. Cain died, he always sensed that there was something wrong with the Repliforce.  Magma Dragoon took it upon himself to figure it out. -FLASH-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. OLD MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Meeting Room – NIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magma Dragoon and his 14th Unit continue to investigate Repliforce’s activity from their computers. MAGMA DRAGOON: Its Burn Dino-Rex! I can’t believe it!  I KNEW something was off with him and here it is!! FRENZY FOXKIT:   What are you on about, boss? TETHLON: What did you find?? MAGMA DRAGOON: He has an Illegal Weapons Warehouse located in Southeastern Kenya and Repliforce doesn’t know anything about it.  He’s funding their own crime-prevention! If word of this gets out, their whole organization is finished!!! ZERO: (v.o, narrating) Dragoon narrowed it down to you...  You were the crack in the Repliforce that we were looking for! -FLASH-

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. SOUTH EASTERN KENYA – Illegal Weapons Warehouse – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A warehouse is filled with stacks of ammunition crates. Caught in the act, Burn Dino-Rex can only stare in fear as Magma Dragoon takes out a badge and holds it in front of him. MAGMA DRAGOON: (smiling) Maverick Hunter Special Investigations Unit.  Got a minute to talk? BURN DINO-REX: I.. have nothing to say to you! He immediately guards himself, ready for battle. -flash- He powers up into an aura of flame and dashes after him. -flash- Magma Dragoon charges into a flame aura of his own and catches his hands. They begin to pursue each other in a power struggle. BURN DINO-REX: How did you find me!?  No one knows that I’m here!!! MAGMA DRAGOON: I’m a detective.  It’s my job to know things like this. BURN DINO-REX: You’re going to wish you never found me! MAGMA DRAGOON: Is that a fact? Magma Dragoon puts his right foot behind Burn Dino-Rex’s right leg and trips him to the ground, while still holding onto his arms.  The abrasive trip turns the move into a tackle as he holds him down on the ground. BURN DINO-REX: Agh. -flash- He blasts a heavy wave of fire out of his mouth, which causes Magma Dragoon to lose his grip and cough. MAGMA DRAGOON: Aghhh. –kuh- -kugh-  Come on man!! Burn Dino-Rex punches him off and gets up. -flash- BURN DINO-REX: You just had to stick your nose in my business.  Now I have to kill you. MAGMA DRAGOON: No you don’t.  Our factions are allies.  If word of this got out, your whole organization would be compromised. BURN DINO-REX: That’s why I cannot allow you to live. Magma Dragoon shakes his head. MAGMA DRAGOON: No man. You don’t get it.  You can’t hurt me.  And we can’t be seen fighting! BURN DINO-REX: Hahahaha. You’re scared.  I get it.. He pounds a fist into his hand. MAGMA DRAGOON: Hah. Hardly…  I came here to help you out, moron.  I tried to be civil.  Maybe cut a deal...  …But if you’re too dimwitted to see that, then forget it.  I’ll just have to beat it out of you to cooperate. BURN DINO-REX: Hrrraaaaahhhh! MAGMA DRAGOON: Nyaaaaaahhhhh!!!! The two flame up and run after each other with burning hands of fire. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) But something happened.. I still can't figure out what! They continue to clash and crackle at each other with flaming fists and feet until the feed gets cut off by static. -Flash- When the static picture is fixed, we see Magma Dragoon standing before Burn Dino-Rex’s fallen body, looking down at his own fist with a dark grin. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) After that, suddenly Dragoon played double agent until he finally betrayed us and switched sides completely.  He took down the Sky Lagoon just so we would fight him.  He caused the whole Repliforce War... Just for a stupid grudge. -We see a set of grainy images depicting Zero’s victories over the Repliforce.- Zero stylishly uppercuts Web Spider with a saber, while X takes a Charge Shot in mid-air to his exposed core Zero forms his broken Z-buster and impales a downed Slash Beast with the Thunder God Attack. Zero dashes into Jet Stingray’s cross-cut back and performs Slash Beast’s Shippuuga for the first time. Zero grabs the hilt of his saber with both hands, upside down and thrusts it directly into Frost Walrus’ heart. Zero destroys Storm Owl with his upgraded Rakuhouha Giga Attack. Zero pulls his Saber down and shrouds it in ice as he carves a Frost Blade through Colonel’s chest. Zero holds the fallen Iris in his arms, with remorse. Zero slices General across the chest with a pink Shippuuga slash. X takes a Plasma Shot from the ground. Trapped in a Dark Hold, Spiral Pegasus is finished with a final E-Blade uppercut. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) One by one, I've taken down the Repliforce, and we even got rid of Dragoon, but there's still a loose end.  That's you. -FLASH-

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. KENYA – Sunhouse Mountain – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He walks up to the well and looks inside. ZERO: You may have walked away from the Repliforce, but you're still up to no good.  You were the one who started this mess in the first place!  X doesn’t seem to understand that, but right now that doesn’t matter...   He jumps into the well and takes a swift fall into his secret base. - pan to -

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. SUNHOUSE MOUNTAIN – Well Entrance – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He lands on one knee, and rises up with closed eyes. ZERO: Now I need that Booster Engine. And one way or another, you’re gonna give it to me. He takes out his saber, and looks below with a determined gaze. -Freezeframe. Grainy Effect- SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Go, X & Zero.  We have 4 hours left…

[prettyallfriends]

Pretty Rhythm: My☆Deco Rainbow Wedding Chapter 17+18 English Translation

(Tumblr's new text editor doesn't support moving images so I'll leave this up here)

Chapter 17: A Pop Test with a Testy Rhythm

Mia: You’re soooo lucky you got to face up against Serenon! I love their manzai~! You keep piling up experience, huh? Though, I was wondering… have you seen Rinne at all since that fashion show? She didn’t even enter the Gold Spiral Cup. I’ve seen her on TV, in magazines and in movies, but I can’t get her sad expression out of my mind… Whenever we come close to learning about Rinne’s secret, we end up back at square one!! What we know right now is… Rinne wants the Rainbow Wedding, and she’s forgotten something. But the thing I’m most concerned with is how she always looks really sad. She’s your rival in terms of getting the Rainbow Wedding, but she’s also a fellow idol. We can’t just leave her alone… And she looks her happiest when she gets to watch your shows, or when she gets to talk to you, Player. Maybe you’re not the only one who wants to save Rinne from her sorrowful heart!? ...Is what I want to say, but I still have no idea what I can do! It’s really pissing me off!!!

??? (Rizumu): Morni~ng!

Mia: Ahh!! Who’s there!? What kind of idiot goes around hugging people from behind!?

Rizumu: Ta-dah! It’s Rizumu!

Mia: Wha- Rizumu-san!! You scared the hell out of me!!

Rizumu: Sorry, sorry. You looked like your were having a bummer of a convo so I wanted to lighten the mood a bit! Ahahaha! Ooh? No way, are you Player? I totally know about you! Aira and Mion, hell even Serenon have told me all about you. You’re collecting the power of the seven coords to complete the Raingowdam…

Mia: It’s called the Rainbow Charm, Rizumu-san!

Rizumu: Yeah, that’s it! Ahaha, must’ve gotten a bit mixed up there!

Mia: Jeez… and people say that I should be a funny guy… I’m the straight man compared to Rizumu.

Rizumu: Aw, c’mon! Keep complimenting me and I’ll get flustered! Ahaha!

Mia: It wasn’t a compliment!!

Rizumu: Anyway, I was thinking of helping you get the power of the seven coords… Aira helped you before, right? By giving you a Coord Rank Test?

Mia: Oh, that makes sense! Rizumu’s a member of MARs too, so she can give these tests too! But… Rizumu’s sense of style is, uh… unique. Honestly… it’s a bit… weird…… Y’know, she wore a pumpkin mask, and she centred a coord around radish sprouts. What’ll you do? Are you really going to trust Rizumu enough to take her Coord Rank Test?

Choice: Of course! / I’m… a bit scared…

Mia: What do we do!? I wouldn’t even be able to look at you in whatever weird outfit you’d be forced to wear!

Rizumu: What are you two whispering about? We’re starting the Coord Rank Test now, hurry up!!

Mia: No!! Player’s being taken away! Well, looks like you can’t escape anymore, Player! Good luck!

Rizumu: I’m testing your pop coord rank! Bring me 10 pop My☆Deco stones! Once you do that, we’ll compete in a prism show! This test has a special edition prism show! We’ll be competing in an all-dance prism show. All-dance mode doesn’t have any jumps, so as the name suggests it’s a prism show that’s always in dance mode! Doesn’t it sound fun?? Just letting you know, my dancing skills are unbeatable! So, will we start the test? My spirit is fully charged!

(prism show. Also zenbu dance mode is the best mode, i hate doing prism jumps lmao)

Rizumu: Oka~y! That was such a poppy show~! Congrats, you’ve passed the pop Coord Rank Test!

Mia: Ah!! The Rainbow Charm…

(5 slots filled, 2 left)

Mia: The power of the pop coord returned to the Rainbow Charm!

Rizumu: I’m glad I could help. How was all-dance mode? Shows without jumps are good too once in a while! It’s perfect for when you just want to dance your heart out!

Mia: Thank you, Rizumu-san! This is great, Player! We only have… feminine and star left. It feels like we’re really close to finishing the Rainbow Charm! Though… does being close to getting the Rainbow Wedding also mean you’ll have to face off against Rinne? If only we could just get it over and done with!

Rizumu: Whenever you talk about this Rinne girl, you seem pretty testy, huh? Is Rinne your friend, Player? …...Looks like you can’t answer. But you’re interested in her? I’m sure you’ll eventually be able to become friends with her, since she makes you feel that way. I’ve been through a lot with Aira and Mion, too. We’ve fought a lot, but in the end our fights brought us all closer together, and gave us a deeper understanding of each other. And now we’re the best of friends!

Mia: But how do we become friends with Rinne…? It’s pretty hard to befriend someone you know nothing about…

Rizumu: It’ll be fine! We have prism shows after all, right? MARs became close through prism shows, we formed our bonds on the path to the Aurora Rising. You’re bonded to Rinne because you’re both after the Rainbow Wedding. Believe in your heart and work hard! I’ll definitely be cheering you on, Player!

Chapter 18: Aurora Wings

Mia: Rizumu has a really good point! Her advice has a way of worming itself into your heart! 'Bonds that form through prism shows’, huh~

Rizumu: Player and Rinne will definitely end up as close friends.

Aira: Rizumu-chaaan!

Mia: Grrr…!! That voice must be… Harune Aira!

Mion: Mion’s here too, you know.

Penguin-sensei: Me too!

Mia: Gah! Mion-san! ...and Penguin-sensei…

Mion: What do you mean by ‘gah’!?

Mia: Yikes. I feel another test coming~

Penguin-sensei: We won’t be giving you another Coord Rank Test. MARs have gathered here for something else… They have a special lesson for you, Player!

Mia: What kinda special lesson?

Penguin-sensei: The rainbow is not the only light that shines in the sky.

Mion: We want you and Rinne to create another light… MARs will tell you all about the light of the aurora!

Mia: The light of the aurora!? Wait, you can’t mean…

Aira: You’ve worked hard on lessons and prism shows up until now, Player. Your current self can definitely pull off the Aurora Rising!

Mia: You want Player to perform the legendary jump, Aurora Rising!?

Mion: It will be fine. We’ll all help out.

Aira: Wear the Gold Spiral Dress, and you’ll be able to perform the Aurora Rising! The light of the aurora is the light of dreams that brings the world together.

Rizumu: The colours of the aurora will give your heart power too. They’ll become the key to opening up Rinne’s sorrowful heart! Like, ‘that is it, the Aurora Rising!’ So, will you show the new light of the Aurora Rising to Rinne?

Choice: I want to show her / Can I really do it?

Mion: Nice prism! Your straightforward heart will definitely allow aurora wings to form.

Rizumu: It may seem impossible at first, but you still have to try! It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all! I’ll make a wish for the Aurora Rising to link Rinne and Player’s hearts!

Mion: It seems that Rinne is currently in Sweets Café. Let’s go there at once.

Rizumu: Whoop! Let’s goooo~!!

(they go to the sweets cafe)

Mia: We’ve finally arrived, but is Rinne still even here?

Rinne: Player……

Mia: Rinne!?!?

Rinne: ………

Aira: Aw, don’t look so sad! We came here today to give you a present, Rinne.

Rinne: A present……?

Aira: A very happylucky present from Player to you!

Rinne: Happylucky…… for me?

Mion: Now, Player! It’s time!!!! Wear this dress!!!! And fly!! With aurora wings!!!!

(prism show)

Rinne: Amazing…… Amazing……. The aurora’s light… was beautiful…… It was shining in all the colours of the rainbow. It was as if a curtain was drawn over the night sky.

Aira: That was the light of Player-chan’s heart, Rinne-chan.

Rinne: The light of Player’s heart…

Mion: A girl’s heart is a prism, you know.

Mia: It is! When we experience lots of happy or sad moments, when we cry or laugh… our hearts spin round and round, changing colours and creating shining bright!! That’s why they’re so beautiful…

Rinne: But I… don’t know my true self. I’m empty…

Aira: It’s alright.

Rinne: Huh…?

Aira: Player-chan’s heart is overflowing with light.

Mia: Player could definitely My☆Deco your heart, Rinne.

Rizumu: That’s right! After all, you looked so happy during Player’s show! If you cry together and laugh together, if you have lots of experiences together… you’ll be able to see hearts with many more colours of light!

Mion: Split the happy times in half. Split the sad times in half, too… That’s what friendship is.

Rinne: Friendship… Player and I…

Aira: Now, join hands! Together with Rinne-chan!!!!

Rinne: Aurora…… RISING!!!!

(white flash)

Mia: The light of Rinne’s heart mixed with Player’s… is shining in the sky!

Rinne: Player… I… don’t know my true self. Where did I come from? What do I want to do? I don’t know that, either… Even so… Will you be my friend? ………...Thank you. Your heart is so warm. I want to make my heart shine like yours… no, I will make it shine!!!!

(white flash, and… refer to the image above)

Rinne: ……

Mia: Ah! Rinne’s coord… changed again!

Rinne: What is this…?

Penguin-sensei: H… How is this possible!? That’s the Seventh Coord Star Dress! How on earth…!?

Aira: What a happylucky coord… Your clothes are so happy they seem like they’re shining.

Mion: The shining white light of a star. That’s the colour of Rinne’s heart!

Rinne: I’m not lost anymore, Player. My seven-hued heart, not being able to remember anything… Everything…

Aira: The power of on of the seven coords, star, seems to have returned to Rinne-chan.

Mion: In order to complete the Rainbow Charm, you’ll need Rinne’s star power. Completing the Rainbow Charm and getting the Rainbow Wedding… Who will do it? Rinne… or Player? I won’t be able to look away from you too until one of you wins.

Rizumu: But, but! There’s an important tournament to think about before the Rainbow Cup! The last Spiral Cup, the Platinum Spiral Cup. If you put your passion towards reaching the Rainbow Cup, there’s no way you’ll lose!

Rinne: Player, here…

(meganee screaming about the deco parts rinne just gave us)

Mia: Hm, what’s this? A My☆Deco frame?

Rinne: It’s to thank you for today, Player… For My☆Deco-ing my heart. I know you’ll be abel to make a wonderfully lovely or cool coord…

Mia: Then it’s the frame of friendship! With this, you’ll be able to win the Platinum Spiral Cup like kaboom!!

Rinne: Thank you, Player. For… becoming friends with me. I’ll look forward to the Rainbow Cup.

[deztinywarriors]

ES Spectre 2.0 Chapter 8-2

[samy-bct]

A Mirrors Thought & Not being Abel

12/06/2017

A day in the life of a stressoholic, since last week we didn't manage to get then mask pieces up thus we are running a little behind thus we couldn't get the feedback from people of our whole project but we managed to get feedback regarding pieces of them such as the soundscape, the medium what they thought it was and if they even knew what Projection mapping even is and if they have seen in before and also the reaction when they say they finished pictures that we are gonna project.

Talking to one of my previous teammates Talia from the movie project her initial Reaction of the project was “I think it is a really a genius idea” her words while on the other hand, my other previous teammate Andrew didn't know what was going on with the .different pieces of paper everywhere, since it still was unfinished which made getting the feedback from people a little difficult and vague. 

The feedback from the soundscape was good overall with small changes here and there, such as the part where the girls are laughing needs to me softer and the random scratching sound whats the meaning behind it and the soundscape seemed a little disconnected.

I Was quite happy that I got good feedback's from people were noteworthy and I could use them to improve the soundscape. The overall reaction of the project and its concept was received in a positive way by the students and the tutors, we still do have finish building the wall and fine tuning everything.

Not being Abel

After getting feedback, I jumped onto changing the soundscape. That's when the nightmare settles in.

The program that I was using for audio editing Ableton stopped working as I was using trail version which was a major problem because I had saved my project as a live set and it could be opened on Abelton thus started the process of uninstalling and reinstalling the program, through a bit blood and sweat the problem was solved, I just had to use the non-live version of the program.

On to the changes to the scratching part that people were talking about was just extra sound sample that left behind, the comment about the soundscape being disconnected was at the point where it transitioned from the lively portion to the more mellow part thus it just needed a bridge and more fading thus I added a laughing/crying piece which faded into the last sound sample and polished it off, looking back I like making the soundscape in the sound project thus I took the responsibility of making it, I have fun how you can manipulate different sound samples and turn them totally different from what they were initially.

If I am to go back and do it over again I would have like to record more kinds of different sound samples and used bend them to my concept, sound that you would not believe what they were initially.

bellow is the link to the soundscape that I uploaded on Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/fallen-angel-962974478/i-smile-because

[pocket-luv101]

Familiar Magic // Chapter 3

Characters: Servamp Kuro, Mahiru Shirota Ship: KuroMahi Summary: Their story started with a simple choice that lead to a whirlwind of complications. Mahiru saved a lion without knowing its true identity and the secrets it had.

Ch. 1 // Ch. 2 // Ch. 3 // Ch. 4  // Ch. 5

When Mahiru invited Misono and Lily to his home, he didn’t expect a parade of animals to join them. An assortment of animals filled his house and Mahiru struggled not to step on one of them. Misono and Lily seemed to be accustom to the animals as they casually drank their tea. Kuro was sitting some distance from them, reading a book alone.

“Kuro, you don’t want to talk to your brother?” Mahiru stood over him and asked. Kuro didn’t look up from the book he was reading. His eyes weren’t focused on the book and Mahiru wondered about Kuro’s behaviour. “What’s so interesting about my spell books that you won’t talk to your brother.”

“I doubt Lily wants to speak to me,” Kuro muttered the answer. He absentmindedly turned the page and said, “I never knew so many spells existed. It must be nice.”

“Do you want me to teach you some of these spells? You’re teaching me how to use my broom so I can pay you back with a few lessons of my own. I’ll teach you after we talk to Misono and your brother, okay?” Mahiru offered with a smile. Kuro didn’t answer and closed the book instead.

“You haven’t told him anything, have you?” Lily, as a butterfly, landed on Kuro’s shoulder. His voice was soft with sympathy as he said, “I know it’s troublesome but you need to explain things to him properly. You see, Mahiru, we guardians have more magic than others but we can only perform one spell that our creator gave us. We’re not like other familiars.”

“I guess that would explain why Kuro only use his shadow spell.” Mahiru mused. “What can you do, Lily?”

“I can make illusions.” Lily lied.

“Yuri, Mari, behave yourself. We’re here for business, not to play.” Misono said when wo bunnies jumped onto the table and almost knocked over the tea set. They happily jumped into his lap. He sighed but petted them. They squeaked at him and Misono seemed to understand them when he created a plate of carrots for them. “Now that they’ve settled down, we need to talk about the person that attacked you.”

“Do you know who he is?” Mahiru asked but Misono shook his head. They looked at the small doll they sealed in a cage. But they didn’t know how long they could keep him trap in that state and were discussing what was best to do with the doll.

“I was hoping that you would be able to tell me who he was, actually. He has been attacking us for a month now and I’m frankly tired of him. We’ve been able to fight him off but I’m just worried since our magic isn’t the best for fighting.” Misono hands tightened around his teacup since he hated to admit any weakness he had. “I specialize as an animal tamer.”

“But that’s a wonderful magic!” Mahiru could hear the bitterness in Misono’s voice. It was obvious that he was a talented animal tamer because the animals around him clearly loved him.

“You wouldn’t understand. I didn’t learn animal taming to use them like pieces in a chess set. I wanted to help them and protect them. Now they’re in danger and I can’t do anything. But, between my animal magic and Lily’s illusions, we simple don’t have enough power. I don’t have time to learn a new magic but I thought of how you can help me.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help!” Mahiru was quick to offer his assistance.

“I want you to break your contract with Kuro and give him to me.” Misono looked up from his tea cup with determined eyes. “A guardian is wasted on a simple witch that uses magic without a purpose. I have a reason to fight but I need power like what a guardian can give me. Give him to me.”

“What?” Mahiru and Kuro exclaimed at the same time. Kuro instinctively gripped the bell hanging around his neck protectively. “Can’t we talk about this? I want to help you. If that magician’s master is a guardian, then it’s dangerous to fight him on your own. I’ll fight with you. I know I’m not a powerful witch but I’ll do what I can. Don’t take Kuro!”

“Don’t worry, no one’s fighting.” Lily came between them and raised his hands. “Misono, Mahiru might be right. It’ll be better to work with him rather than to try to force Kuro to come with us. He seems happy here and I don’t want to take that from him. Imagine if someone tries to take me from you. Wouldn’t you be sad?”

“I would be. But what would you have me do? Just leave them? I’m not like him!” Misono snapped and Lily looked down at the ground, trying to search for an answer. Honestly, Lily never enjoyed fighting but he could understand Misono’s need to protect the animals around him. They were the only ones that kept Misono company and were his friends when his brother left.

“Misono, I don’t want to give you Kuro but I want to help you. We don’t know who this eighth guardian is or what he wants from us but we’ll have a better chance of keeping everyone safe if we work together. This mountain is my home and yours and these animals. Thinking simply, it’s not only your battle but mine as well. So, lets protect everyone together.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.” Misono sat down again and Mahiru let out a relieved breath. “What do you want in exchange? I don’t expect you to offer your help without expecting something.”

“Can’t I just want to help you? Seeing that our familiars are brothers, I was hoping that we could become friends.” Mahiru answered and Misono’s eyes widened. “I think you had the right idea. If the eighth guardian is as powerful as the others, we should gather the other guardians. I don’t want to fight but we should find out what he wants. They might be able to help.”

“I can send everyone a message and tell them to come to your cottage if they’re able to.” Lily offered and turned to Kuro. “You should be able to find everyone with your magic. I’ll write the letters so you only need to send them. Its been centuries since we’ve all met.”

“You know gathering everyone will be troublesome. They might not come if I’m the one that sends them.” Kuro said but Lily was already writing the letters. Lily’s eyes were hopeful when he held out four carefully made letters. Kuro sighed and waved his hand over the letters. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his sibling’s life force and link it with the letters. The letters turned into ash and blew away.

“Can I ask you for another favour?” Lily asked and held out another letter. “Can you give this to Doubt Doubt? I know where he is and I would like to give him this personally but it’s kind of hard for me to see him. He doesn’t live too far from here so can you give it to him in my stead? I’ll draw you a map.”

“You’re really going to use a cat as a carrier pigeon?” Kuro took the letter from him.

“I wonder why Lily wanted us to hand Doubt Doubt’s letter in person instead of using magic to send it like the others.” Mahiru wondered as he followed the path Lily drew on the map. It was close enough that Mahiru could walk and he didn’t have to worry about flying.

“It’s complicated. You don’t need to worry about my family.” Kuro told him as they walked. Mahiru thought back to how Kuro and Lily talked. They were somewhat distant and Mahiru wondered if something happened to cause them to be distant. “Mahiru, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why didn’t you break the contract with me when Misono threatened you? We only made a contract because we were in a bad situation. Lily and Misono are worried about those animals but you don’t have to fight or worry about us guardians.” The question had been playing on Kuro’s mind since they made the contract but he hadn’t been able to ask it out loud.

“I guess it’s the same reason you protected me even before we had a contract. I don’t think you’re a bad person. I can’t think of a reason someone would try to hurt you. If I just let you go, I’d worry about you. I want to help you but I can’t if you don’t let me. So, lets try to get along.” Mahiru wanted Kuro to be more open with him since they were partners now but Kuro only answered with a conflicted expression.

Mahiru’s expression was honest and kind but Kuro knew that it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth. He touched the bell around his neck and wonder how long he would be able to keep it. If his other siblings received their letters and came, Kuro doubted he could keep the truth from Mahiru for long.

“We’re almost at Doubt Doubt’s home. What is he like? You say that your other siblings are high maintenance but Lily seems pretty normal.”

“You haven’t seen him try to strip yet.” Kuro found himself laughing at the memory. “Doubt Doubt is a quiet kid so it’s a little difficult to talk to him. It’ll take a while for him to become comfortable with you but, aside from that, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Actually, I think that’s his house down there—”

“Stop! You’re going to step on Abel!” Vines burst from the ground beneath them. Kuro reacted quickly and pulled Mahiru out of its path. He lifted Mahiru into his arms and jumped back. The vines didn’t attack them but protectively shielded a flower. A man, covered in dirt, ran out of the house and knelt next to the flower. “Are you okay, Abel? They didn’t step on you, did they?”

“Mikuni?” Mahiru recognized him since he would often buy vegetables from him. “You live near here?”

“Oh, it’s just you Mahiru.” Mikuni noticed him and stood. He controlled the plants and returned them to the earth. “Lately, a lot of bad people has been on this mountain and they’ve been making a mess of my beautiful garden! I swear if I find them, I’ll unleash the wrath of Abel upon them. They need to learn that you can’t treat a lady with such disrespect. Isn’t that right, Abel?”

Seeing that they weren’t in danger, Kuro placed Mahiru on his feet. Mahiru had to comment. “… that’s a flower, Mikuni.”

“You’re exactly right, Mahiru. Every lady is a flower so you must treat her with care. I’m so glad that you understand even though you were the one that almost stepped on her. But why are you here? I don’t get many visitors. Wait, did you come to steal Abel?” Mikuni asked.

“I actually came to find someone and give him a letter. Do you know if a familiar spirit named Doubt Doubt lives near here?” Mahiru asked and saw Mikuni’s hand still over the flower. A mixture of emotions crossed his face before it settled on a smile.

“Who’s sending that guy a letter?”

“His brother is.” Mahiru didn’t know if he should tell him about the guardians because Mikuni seemed to be nothing more than a food vendor. So, he tried to keep his answer vague. To his surprise, Mikuni took the letter from him and tucked it into his pocket.

“I’ll give it to him. You probably don’t want to see him right now. He’s working on his bottled ships right now and he can be a grump when anyone interrupts him. I thought there was something strange about your new friend. Who would’ve thought a little witch like you would have a guardian for a familiar. How about I buy him from you?”

“I’m not going to give you, Kuro.” Mahiru stepped in front of Kuro.  “How do you know about Lily and Kuro?”

“Don’t need to be so protective. I know about the guardians of the mountain because I have a one for a familiar spirit as well. My contract is with Doubt Doubt but he goes by JeJe now.” Mikuni explained.  Mikuni started to walk away but stopped, as if a thought suddenly came to him. “I’m guessing it was Lily who sent the letter. The next time you see, remind him that we made a deal and I’ll know if he breaks it.”

“I wish we could’ve met Doubt Doubt in person. I’m sure Lily wanted us to see him so we could tell him if he’s okay.” Mahiru sighed as they walked back to his house. He was surprised that Mikuni had a contract with a guardian and wondered who the other witches were like.

“You can tell Lily’s that he’s fine. I would know if something happens to one of my siblings. I sensed him and he didn’t appear to be hurt or weak.” Kuro told him. He hadn’t spoken with his siblings for a long time and wondered what could’ve lead them to making a contract with such strange witches.

“Kuro, you have a leaf on your cape.” Mahiru’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. Kuro shook his cape but Mahiru chuckled slightly. “It’s on your hood so let me get it for you. Stand still.”

Kuro did as Mahiru instructed and leaned down slightly so Mahiru could reach the leaves on his head. Mahiru hadn’t noticed how tall Kuro was before now. Though he appeared to be lean, Mahiru knew how strong Kuro could be.

“Did you get them?” Kuro looked up and their eyes met. Mahiru realized that his hands had stopped collecting the leaves stuck on Kuro’s cape and he had been staring at him instead.

“Yeah, that should be all of them.” Mahiru stepped away from Kuro. When he did, Kuro found himself disappointed and was surprised with himself. He could feel the warmth of Mahiru’s hand through his hood and he had to admit that it was pleasant. “We should be getting home now.”

“Yeah,” Kuro transformed into a cat and climbed onto Mahiru’s shoulder. “I’m tired so I’m going to sleep here while you walk.”

A/N: I have turned Misono into a witch with the powers of a Disney Princess and I know no guilt XD

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Blood of the Hero Ch 9 (Link's parents play BotW)

Summary: The Soul of the Hero will always be there to save Hyrule. But when Calamity Ganon is nearly victorious in killing him, it's those that bear the Blood of the Hero who will prevail. Ten years after the Great Calamity, the Shrine of Resurrection is damaged and Link's parents fight to save their son and Hyrule along with him.

i.e. Link's parents play BotW while protecting their boy and they are ready to take on Ganon himself if they have to.

(AO3 link)

First

<<Previous // Next>>

To Kakariko - Dueling Peaks

It was the prickling on his neck that woke him. It was an unsettling feeling, like he was being watched. He’d felt it a few times when a monster would try to jump him or his men during a journey.

Abel opened his eyes, instantly on edge and confused. He was home; why did he feel like he was being—

Oh.

A little set of beady eyes was staring at him silently from the stairway, peeking around the edge of the banister.

“Link…?” Abel whispered a little hoarsely. “What’s wrong?”

His son watched him mutely, biting his lip. He looked afraid.

Concerned, Abel slowly slid out of the bed, careful not to disturb Tilieth. “What’s the matter, son?”

The toddler looked at his feet, sniffling. When he still didn’t speak, Abel sighed, sitting on the stairs and pulling the little one onto his lap. Link was a bit of a mystery sometimes, though he wasn’t sure if that was because the child was really that bizarre or because he himself knew so little of children anyway. This was his first, after all. But either way… Link was a pendulum swinging rapidly between a noisy, boisterous, and reckless three-year-old and a stifled, quiet, and timid one. To some degree Abel saw his own more silent demeanor and Til’s exuberance for life fighting for dominance in the child, and he felt a little guilty for it.

But when Abel was scared, he would grow agitated and aggressive. He would fight his fear. This little one seemed overwhelmed by it… and he didn’t know how to address that.

Giving his boy a kiss on the head, he said, “Tell me what’s wrong, Link.”

“Bad dream,” Link finally admitted into his father’s chest, his little hands clinging to Abel’s tunic.

“Oh?” Abel prompted, rubbing the little one’s back reassuringly. “What was it about?”

Link shifted a little on his lap, and suddenly Abel felt the boy’s weight change, increasing rapidly. Caught off guard, he glanced down and saw Link, bloodied and broken and burnt, one eye swollen shut, the other bloodshot from exhaustion and exertion, a small chunk of flesh torn off his neck as it oozed blood from the one spot that hadn’t been cauterized by an energy beam. Abel jumped, nearly dropping his boy, horrified at the sight.

“You didn’t get to me in time,” Link said accusingly. “And I died because of it.”

Abel gasped as he awoke, scrambling for reality, heart in his throat. He whipped his head to the right and his eyes immediately fell on his teenage son, oblivious to the world around him. Neither eye was swollen any longer, though Abel had only glanced at their cerulean hue for a few minutes in the past ten years. Had they been bloodshot when they’d opened yesterday? His neck bore the traces of a burn, reddened and somewhat swollen but at least fully intact.

The former knight sighed and dropped his head to the ground, closing his eyes as he collected himself.

Slowly, after a few calming breaths, Abel opened his eyes and sat up, pulling Link up with him. Tilieth was still fast asleep on Link’s other side, bundled under the blankets they’d packed, her brow slightly furrowed in discomfort as the family slept on the floor of the shrine. 

With Link settled on his lap, held loosely in place by his left arm, Abel sifted through their bags to find some water. Stew would be best as it could provide some nutrition for the teenager as well, but nothing was prepared and Abel’s growing anxiety would not wait for breakfast. Grabbing a flask of water, he shook Link slightly, whispering softly to him. In previous shrines, getting a spirit orb had shown some sign of improvement in Link, but Abel couldn’t discern any notable changes in his son since they’d completed this shrine, and it was making him grow worried.

Despite multiple prompts and his voice growing ever louder, Abel was unable to make Link even stir. Tilieth eventually awoke with his attempts, sitting up and throwing an uneasy look in his direction.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“He won’t wake up,” Abel answered pitifully, as if this hadn’t been an issue before. Being able to get some water into the boy yesterday had given him hope for their journey, but now he couldn’t get Link to react, even briefly. Had it just been a fluke?

Abel shook his head. There was no way Link was getting worse, was there?

This was foolish and he knew it, wasn’t it? Link hadn’t even flinched throughout all their jostling yesterday. Maybe the boy just needed more sleep. He’d barely awoken for them yesterday, but… Abel had hoped it meant he was improving quickly.

Of course he’d been wrong.

Tilieth reached out, her hand settling on Link’s forehead, and Abel shook his head. “I’m sorry. It… maybe we’ll be able to give him some water later in the day.”

“There’s a river outside the shrine,” Til suggested as she stretched. “Maybe a cool bath will wake him up a little.”

Abel supposed that was possible. Til made a simple breakfast for the pair, and Abel went outside first to clear any monsters before bringing Link to the water. There was a small group of bokoblins just down the hill by the shore, and he dealt with them swiftly. With so many beasts around, though, he was beginning to consider wearing his old knight armor; he hadn’t been keen on doing so due to its cumbersome nature while carrying Link and had been wearing a warm doublet and trousers instead.

Sighing, Abel was temporarily distracted at the sight of a chest that the bokoblins had been apparently guarding. Opening it, he felt his stomach churn at the sight of what was inside.

A soldier’s bow.

Abel suddenly felt enraged. These monsters were pillaging the bodies of the fallen, combing through their homes and stealing their weapons to further Ganon’s chaotic agenda?! The very thought of such a desecration happening all over Hyrule nearly made him sick to his stomach.

He turned to further maim or burn the bodies of the creatures he’d slain only to find them disintegrating into dust and smoke, as all fell beasts did when Ganon had no more use for them.

Abel spat into the ground, marching back over to the shrine. After telling Til that the coast was clear, he kept watch while she cleaned herself and Link, using the bow he’d just acquired to pick off a stray bokoblin in the distance. As his eyes trailed the shoreline on the other side of the river, his gaze settled on two guardians sitting seemingly innocently on the ground, and he felt his breath catch at the sight of them.

If they’d been active he’d have known by now. They would have fired when he’d first attacked the pack of bokoblins. It didn't make him feel any less uneasy, though.

“I’m surprised Proxim Bridge held up as well as it did, considering how many guardians were crossing it back then.” Tilieth remarked from beneath the bridge. Then he heard her gasp slightly, and he slid on the slick rocks to get to her. Before he could ask what was wrong, she pointed to the water flowing on the other side of the bridge. “There’s a chest in the water, look!”

Abel sighed in exasperation. “Til, the amount of debris around here shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”

“It’s intact,” Tilieth noted. “Let me see if there’s something useful inside.”

Abel spluttered in protest as his wife swam over into plain view, unable to stop her as she gently pushed Link towards him. His son was unphased, floating peacefully in the cool, clear water as his father held him afloat.

Tilieth reached the floating wooden chest, struggling a little to open it while swimming in the water. When she’d tried and failed three times, Abel called out to her. “Til, for the love of Hylia, get back over here! I can’t protect you from there!”

His wife was clearly growing frustrated with her lack of progress and swam to the rocky shore, climbing up and walking back towards their supplies underneath the bridge. Abel lost sight of her for a moment and then heard her scream.

Every nerve in his body fired in response, and he hastily tucked Link under the bridge and grabbed the bow and an arrow, knowing he probably couldn’t get within arm’s reach in time. When he leapt over the rocky wall of the bridge, he loosed an arrow at a brown figure near his wife and then felt a yell of shock and horror tear out of his throat immediately after.

The Hylian turned in time to see the arrow slam into his shoulder, and he hit the ground with a cry of pain.

Oh shit, Abel’s mind screamed. Shit, that’s a Hylian, an actual Hylian!

Tilieth slid under the bridge to hide, both horrified at being caught in such a state of undress and at what had just happened. Abel found himself at a loss for words.

It hadn’t occurred to either of them that they’d run into living, breathing people before they got to Kakariko.

“Zomi!” another voice cried, and Abel turned sharply to his left, seeing someone running towards him across the bridge, blade already raised.

Abel felt his mind numb as he nocked another arrow, and then Til was in view again, a green tunic covering her to her mid thighs. She waved frantically in the air. “Stop, wait!! My husband was just trying to protect me, we didn’t mean any harm!”

The Hylian on the ground grunted. “Feels pretty harmful to me.”

“You’re one of those thieves, aren’t you?!” the foreign woman yelled accusingly, raising her sword to point at Abel. “You think you can just attack anyone who is trying to travel?! Get away from my brother!”

“We’re not thieves,” Til replied, a little bemused at the branding. “We’re just…”

His wife trailed off, glancing at Abel uncertainly. Abel supplied, “We’re travelers.”

Finally, the former knight lowered his weapon, though he was still too addled to get near the injured Hylian. The woman grew hesitant with his action, uncertain of his intention. With the pause that it created, Abel managed to catch his breath and knelt beside the man. “I’m… sorry. My wife yelled and I—”

“Reacted,” Zomi grunted as he shifted uncomfortably. “Good thing you caught yourself in midshot, eh? Though I—Hylia above, this hurts… I’d really like to get this out.”

Abel bit his lip. He hadn’t changed the trajectory of his aim at all. He didn’t have the heart to tell the man the only reason he was alive was because archery was not Abel’s strength.

He couldn’t even fathom the fact that the only reason he hadn’t just murdered a man was because his aim was off.

“We can’t pull it out, you’ll bleed more,” Tilieth protested as the Hylian woman rushed over to the injured man.

“We have something for that,” the woman said dismissively as she reached for the arrow. Her brother hissed in pain as she braced, her brow furrowed in worry.

Abel put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me pull it out. It’ll be faster.”

“You’ve already hurt him enough!” she snapped.

“Hisal, please,” her brother pleaded, his voice shaking. “Let him do it.”

Hisal frowned, clearly not wanting to listen, but she backed off nonetheless, reaching into her large travel pack. Abel took a deep breath, putting one hand on Zomi’s shoulder and the other on the arrow. Then he pulled hard, leaving the stranger screaming as Tilieth looked away, slipping under the bridge to check on Link.

The sister shoved a bottle in her brother’s face, and he drank quickly, coughing a little on it as he groaned in pain. Once he was finished downing the contents of whatever concoction he was given, he laid on the ground, panting for air and sweaty, but… not bleeding. Abel glanced at the wound and saw that it was little more than a divot in his skin.

Abel looked at Hisal, amazed. “How did you do that?”

“Fairy,” she explained.

Abel grew confused. “Fairy? Those are exceedingly rare. And I didn’t see a fairy in that bottle.”

“If you cook them, they have healing properties.”

Abel’s mouth snapped shut. Somehow that seemed… wrong to cook such creatures. Weren’t they supposed to be gifts from the goddesses?

He didn’t comment. It wasn’t as if the goddesses had spared much after the calamity. People had to make do.

Maybe they could find some fairies too.

Tilieth appeared once more, wearing trousers and throwing her light blonde curly hair into a messy bun as she almost always did. “What are you two even doing here?”

“We were trying to make the pathway safer for travelers,” Hisal said as she helped her brother sit up. “People are slowly starting to try to venture out of their homes again. If we could make contact with others then maybe we can help each other out. But there are plenty whose homes were destroyed during the calamity and have been living out in the wilds. Some make do, but a lot try to jump people for supplies. It’s dangerous to travel anywhere right now.”

“So you’re… clearing the path?” Abel tried to surmise, growing tense. Had this Zomi person been about to attack Til, then?

Zomi rotated his arm a little, testing it as he grimaced slightly. “We’re building a shelter on the other side of the bridge. A place of refuge for weary travelers. I saw someone under the bridge and went to investigate. I’m… sorry for the scare.”

Abel’s tension drained out of him, and he slowly rose. “I believe I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

“Where are you two from?” Tilieth asked, prolonging the conversation (unnecessarily, his mind added).

“Palmorae Village,” Zomi answered after a moment, sighing. “What’s left of it.”

There was a heavy silence in the air after that. Abel glanced around uneasily, wanting to check on Link though he knew Til had just done so. Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, you stumbled onto my wife as she was finishing up a bath, but I’m afraid I still have to clean up, so perhaps you two can get back to whatever you were building and we’ll leave each other in peace.”

His words fell on deaf ears, though, as the siblings stared off towards the shrine.

“Wasn’t it glowing orange yesterday?” Hisal wondered softly. 

Zomi shook his head, glancing at Abel. “Sorry, we just… these things have popped up everywhere. People are taking it all kinds of ways. Have you seen the towers? They’re enormous and they came out of nowhere, and it’s got people freaked out. Like… some are saying it’s for the guardians.”

Abel nearly laughed, but he bit his tongue instead. As entertaining as others’ interpretation of the situation was, he and Til still had a mission to accomplish, and these two were stalling them. 

Tilieth, on the other hand, was eager to speak. “Oh? Well, I don’t think it’s anything quite that foreboding. It could be a good sign.”

“That’s what I said,” Hisal muttered, nudging Zomi. 

Abel was finally at the end of his patience and turned to go under the bridge. “Either way, be safe. I’m sorry about earlier.”

The apology felt significantly less sincere than it really had any right to be, but he hadn’t spoken to anyone aside from his wife (and recently a dead man) in the last ten years and had enough adrenaline in his system to make him want to scream. He had little idea or tolerance for such an interaction.

Zomi noticed the finality in his tone and huffed a small, sheepish laugh, patting his sister on the shoulder. “Yes, I suppose we should get back to what we were doing. I… good luck to you two.”

With that, the siblings uneasily made their way across the bridge, dipping around the other end and climbing down an embankment. Abel immediately let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and rushed under the bridge to check on Link.

“You almost killed him,” Til said shakily as she followed him. “I–goddess, what if–I didn’t even think about—”

“I noticed,” Abel said flatly before adding with a sigh, “I didn’t think about it either.”

His train of thought derailed when he got to Link and saw the boy grimacing and shivering. Abel hastened his steps and knelt beside his son, quickly wrapping him in a larger cloak to dry him off. Til noticed his furrowed brow and immediately grabbed a water flask as Abel tried to coax him awake.

“Link,” he whispered, giving his son a little shake. “Open your eyes.”

Hylia, please, Abel prayed as he brushed damp locks of hair out of his boy’s face. “Wake up.”

Link looked like he truly was trying, but his furrowed brow started to relax, the crinkles around his eyes smoothed out, and he started to grow limp in his father’s hold. Tilieth let out a panicked little cry as Abel shook him again, but neither parent could rouse their child.

Abel sighed heavily. “Let’s just get him dressed and get going.”

Breakfast was simple and somber, and the couple was on their way soon enough. A quick scan from Abel ensured that the siblings they’d encountered were nowhere in sight as they crossed the bridge, though building materials were stacked to the side. As an afterthought, Til grabbed the slate and made an ice pillar to finally reach the treasure chest she’d been investigating, and she pulled a purple rupee from it.

“All of that for a purple rupee,” Abel sighed. At least it was more useful than amber.

Honestly, the more he thought about it the more he realized that if there truly were so many survivors, they had a fairly significant problem.

They were broke.

The thought was only a brief concern. They’d survived off the land long enough, he supposed. They didn’t need to buy from anyone. He looked distractedly to his left as Til returned, feeling his son’s legs sway by his sides, and saw the wrecked remains of a distant stable.

He wondered just how many people had actually ventured outside of their home towns and villages. He wondered how many towns and villages were even left.

Focus, he told himself, shaking his head. He hadn’t had these thoughts since the early years.

As the pair made their way on the path, the dueling peaks loomed steadily closer. Abel remembered when it used to be a comforting sight on his journeys home, when he was allowed time off duty. Except… there was something distinctly different.

There was a tower beside them!

“Didn’t you say the tower on the plateau let you map out the area on the slate?” Tilieth noted.

“I did,” Abel answered slowly, wondering if it was worth the climb. He knew this area like the back of his hand, after all.

Then again, the tower could have more to offer the slate. If nothing else, it would give him a good view to survey the region. It had been a decade - things changed.

“I‘ll climb it,” his wife said, catching him off guard. At his surprised expression, she added, “You're carrying Link. I don’t want you to get tired.”

“Til, that’s a hell of a climb.”

“I’ve got it,” she insisted, waving the slate. “Let’s get closer.”

A small monster encampment was just north of them, and it didn’t take much for Abel to eliminate it. The treasure they guarded was an opal, to Abel’s relief and Tilieth’s delight. His wife started to pick through the trail as well, finding herbs and berries and nuts and even snails on the shoreline at one point.

“Is that really necessary?” He asked as she stuffed a freshly caught butterfly into her pouch.

“It could come in handy,” she said lightly with a cheery smile.

The highlight of her strange fascinations was when she shoved a rock into a curiously formed hole and then smiled at the air above it, holding out her hand.

Abel stared at her in bemusement. “What are you doing?”

Til’s smile faltered a little as she looked at him, and then her eyes dulled a little with sadness before she shrugged and returned to the path ahead. “I’ll explain later.”

The tower itself was adjacent to a monster camp that rivaled the large one by the River of the Dead. Abel had practically gone to war with the beasts there a few times, keeping their numbers fairly low. Here, there were…

Wait a minute. Were those people?

Abel froze, and Tilieth nearly ran into him with a yelp. Then she tensed as she recognized them too.

“Is… why does that look like a monster camp?” she asked quietly, her voice tight.

“I think they took over it.”

“So… that’s a good thing, right?” Tilieth asked, and a part of Abel despised that it even had to be a question. Given their last interaction, it was possible, but…

But Abel wasn’t a trusting man. Not anymore.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Best to assume it isn’t. That man spoke of dangerous people on the road.”

“But… they would have passed them, wouldn’t they?”

That was a fair point. It didn’t make Abel feel any better, though. He didn’t want them to see Link.

“Let’s backtrack,” Abel said. “We—”

“Wait,” Til interrupted, staring at the shore. “Maybe there’s an alternative.”

Abel watched his wife tiptoe towards the shoreline, staring at a spot just by the water. When he examined where she was looking, he saw only the same rock that covered the rest of the shore. She reached down as if to pick up a stone and then jumped slightly, her hand shooting back as if it had been burnt.

Confused, he approached slowly, very aware that they were steadily creeping into the line of sight of the camp. “Til, what are you doing?”

“I think I can find a safe path across the river,” Tilieth said. “We both can cross.”

“I can’t swim with Link on my back like this,” Abel immediately. “This current is too strong.”

“We’re not swimming,” Tilieth replied with a mischievous smile, pulling out the slate. “Follow me. With that, his wife started creating ice pillars to cross. Abel watched them warily. They were… fairly easy to traverse, but they were still made of ice. He’d barely managed to not slip when they’d first started using it in the snow shrine. And if they fell into the river…

Sighing, he watched as Til easily slid across three pillars to reach a little island where the stone tore out of the earth higher than the water could cover. They weren’t quite in view of the camp from here. He followed his wife, wondering why she again stopped on the rock and reached for something only to stop midway, but he didn’t bother voicing the question. They continued with this pattern until they were nearly all the way across the river. Then Tilieth smiled and held out her hand, her palm closing as if she’d grabbed something.

“Caught another bug?” Abel surmised, catching his breath after leaping across the river with Link in tow.

“Something like that,” Til said softly, her smile brightened by her flushed cheeks. Then she pointed ahead. “We’re almost at the tower!”

She wasn’t wrong. From here they could just hop to another rock and then they’d be at the shore again. Tilieth hastily ran ahead, climbing up some rocks that helped her reach nearly halfway up the tower.

“Be careful!” Abel called a little worriedly before settling Link on the ground. As he examined his boy, he noticed a little blood stain on Link’s trousers, right around where the strap of the harness would be. Feeling his gut clench a little, he slid them down to look and see the damage he suspected was happening.

The harness was hurting him. Because of course it was. It wasn’t as if something could go well for any of them. It wasn’t as if Link couldn’t just wake up, and—

Abel bit his lip, reaching into his bag for what little medical supplies they’d packed as he cleaned the pressure wounds. There was no sense in complaining about it. He just had to deal with it. Just like he dealt with everything else.

There was a yell of excitement and Abel looked up and nearly had a heart attack as his wife practically landed on top of them, their glider guiding her descent. Before he even had a chance to speak, Tilieth was immediately rambling with excitement.

“Honey, there was another upgrade to the slate, it has a sensor that can track shrines, we can find any shrine anywhere now and—why are Link’s pants pulled down? Did he make a mess? Why—is that blood? What happened?!”

Abel held up a hand in a desperate attempt to make his wife at least pause for breath so he could explain, and then her words registered. “A sensor? The slate can find shrines?”

Tilieth’s distress was evident when she started to speak again, so Abel hastily redressed their son and explained, “It’s the harness, Til. There wasn’t an attack. Tell me about the sensor.”

Tilieth bit her lip, anxiety sketched into every crease of her pinched face, and then she determinedly pulled out the slate. “If we follow the beeping, it’ll lead us to shrines. It’s already picked up on one nearby.”

Abel ignored how his stomach growled in protest while the midday sun hung heavily overhead. He was suddenly filled with energy at the sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, something was finally going well today. Carefully slipping the harness back on Link, he rose with his son. “Then let’s get going.”

Tilieth rushed ahead, leaving Abel to run to keep up with her. At first they climbed a few rocks and then started to trace a path around the mountain. Then Til paused so abruptly Abel crashed right into her.

“Til, what the—”

“The signal stopped,” she interjected, a little worried. “Let’s try again.”

Turning around, Tilieth brushed by Abel, who followed her hesitantly, his brow steadily crinkling together. He heard the little slate chirping more frantically as they moved, and Tilieth picked up the pace once more.

And then she stopped again.

“Til—”

“It keeps disappearing.” She said, squinting at the screen. “I think… honey, I think we have to climb.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

He shouldn’t have been surprised at this point.

Shaking his head, he said, “Well, if it means we can find a shrine, then let’s go.”

The couple looked upward, sizing up the mountain. There were perches for them to cling to, but it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. Abel’s gut churned; if Til lost her grip, there was nothing he could do to catch her. He didn’t like this.

Then again, they had little choice in the matter. And she had the paraglider, so there was that.

Slowly but surely, the two started to climb, emboldened by the repeated encouragement from the slate.

And then, halfway up the mountain, it stopped.

“What happened?” Abel asked, growing a little concerned and more than a little frustrated.

“We lost the signal,” Tilieth muttered, carefully looking at the slate as sweat poured off her forehead. “But… it didn’t… this doesn’t make sense…”

“Maybe we should just bomb our way through the mountain,” Abel grumbled.

“No, we have to figure this out!” Tilieth argued. Abel noticed with worry that her arm was visibly trembling.

“We will,” he insisted. “But let’s reach the top first.”

The pair continued on, and Abel quickly realized how completely idiotic of a suggestion that had been. There was absolutely no way they were reaching the top. Thankfully, though, there were outcroppings where they could stop and rest. By the time Abel dragged himself onto stable, even ground, his body gave out altogether, leaving him in a crumpled pile lying prone in the grass while Link slowly crushed the air out of him. Tilieth wasn’t of much help as she was splayed out on her back beside him, panting.

“Why—is there—a shrine—in the middle—of the mountain?” she asked between breaths.

“Why can’t that damn sensor figure out where the hell we’re supposed to go?” Abel snapped. “It has to be broken.”

Til groaned as she pushed herself into a seated position and gently coaxed Abel to lie on his side so she could get Link out of the harness. A steady rain started to coat the area, washing their sweat away along with any chance of continuing their climb anytime soon. Sighing, Abel finally crawled over to Link and pulled him close so he could shield him from the rain. He could already feel his boy shivering a little under him.

“I’m going to look around,” Tilieth resolved tiredly. “Maybe I can figure this sensor out.”

Abel didn’t bother to throw his two rupees in on the matter. Instead, he carried Link and found a tree to serve as somewhat tolerable shelter, and then he started rifling through their bag to see if Til had any elixir. They’d promised to not use any unless absolutely necessary, but if he couldn’t get Link to wake up long enough to sip more than two gulps of water, he’d need one soon enough.

Speaking of which, he should try to wake him again. At least Link was reacting to his surroundings once more. Every fiber of his being screamed in protest as Abel pulled Link into his lap and shook him a little, and his stomach was so tight he felt nauseous.

Maybe he should eat something too.

The ground shook, and Abel heard Tilieth call for him frantically.

Propping Link by the tree, he immediately grabbed his sword and ran to find his wife, only to find…

Only to find a stone talus.

Tilieth was miniscule in front of the monstrosity, running for her life to get to Abel.

“TILIETH!” he called. 

The stone talus took an enormous step and Tilieth screamed, dodging its feet within the last second. She managed to reach Abel just to slam into him, and he nearly fell over before whirling around to drag her away. 

His mind screamed a million different things at once. Where would they go?! How would they get Link to safety?!

Someone had to distract the beast.

Just as Abel shouted a command to his wife, she dragged him to the tree and pointed at Link. “Pick him up, we have to climb!”

“It’ll pick us off before we can ever get anywhere! It needs to be distracted,” Abel shook his head, throwing the harness to her. “Get him out of here!”

“No!” Til shouted as the ground shook again, the beast looming just around the corner. “Climb the tree! Remember the little taluses on the plateau? As long as they couldn’t see us they’d go back to their resting place. They’re even dumber than bokoblins, Abel!”

“You—you want to hide in the tree—”

“Come on!”

Well there wasn’t any stopping her. Abel quickly switched strategies, pulling Link onto his back and hastily clamoring into the branches. It appeased Til long enough for him to try to come up with a new strategy.

The stone talus loomed into view and then paused just a step away from them. It swiveled its stone body a few times as if looking for them. Abel and Tilieth held their breath.

A bird squawked beside them, making Til yelp. Another bird at the outcropping across from them flew off, startled. The movement caught the talus’ attention, and suddenly Abel’s world shifted and any stabilizing force holding the tree together fell apart as the talus picked up the tree and tossed it high into the sky.

Both parents yelled in horror as they flew through the air. The tree was steadily stripped of its leaves until Abel could see a clear view of ground underneath him - they’d cleared the mountain peak entirely. If they held onto the tree any longer they’d fall right back down into the river far below.

Assuming they didn’t hit the rocks first.

“Let go!” he shouted.

“What?!”

“Let—go!!”

Tilieth screamed but obeyed, and the two hit the ground hard before rolling a little ways. The tree continued straight over the cliffside, splintering on the ground far, far below.

The stone talus was nowhere in sight. Nor were any landmarks, until Abel looked around over the cliffside, dizzy and disoriented. 

They were on the top of the mountain.

The air was considerably colder, wind howling against his face and stinging his cheeks. The biting chill was a slap of reality to the face, and he gasped, unfastening the harness just as Tilieth helped pull Link off him.

Their boy was bruised, with some blood leaking out of his nose, but none the worse for it. Though he was clearly cringing in pain.

“Link, oh Link, baby I’m so sorry,” Tilieth sobbed, holding the boy. “I was just trying to figure out where the sensor was leading, the talus came out of nowhere—”

Abel put a hand on Til’s shoulder, too out of breath to comfort with words, when the slate chirped.

“That damn thing,” he snapped, getting ready to grab it and throw it when Tilieth gasped and pointed behind him.

Turning, he saw a shrine glowing at the very top of the mountain, nestled between two stone formations that looked like pillars.

On the other blasted mountain.

Abel was going to lose his mind. He was. He really, truly was. 

Gritting his teeth, he took a steadying breath, his chest burning both inside and out as his ribs protested against movement while his lungs protested against the dryer air. 

Shooting to his feet, Abel swayed in place and nearly fell back over, but he spread his feet a little to plant himself into the ground as Tilieth hurried to steady him. He stormed away from the twin mountain, away from his wife, and away from his son.

“Abel, where are you going?” Til asked shakily.

Abel waved a hand over his head, beyond words. His ribs hurt too much to talk anyway, and he was ready to go off.

The only way this day could get worse was if Link didn’t wake up at least once to drink something, and that seemed a likely possibility considering getting catapulted into the air didn’t rouse him.

Tilieth’s tear—filled call made him pause, and he clenched his fists, trying and failing to calm down. He wasn’t mad at her. He wasn’t mad at anyone.

Well. Maybe he was a little mad at Hylia. Maybe that was why they were getting pulverized like this.

What was it that they used to say back in the day? Trust the goddess?

Abel scoffed. Trusting in the goddess got Hyrule destroyed. Her royal bloodline had failed Hyrule and his son.

Yet he had failed Link just as badly, if not worse.

Abel’s knee suddenly gave out, and he yelped as he face-planted into the damp grass. His body felt like it was on fire and he couldn’t even tell if it was from pain or the pure frustrated rage that was about to tear out of his throat.

Instead, he took a shuddering breath and slowly sat up. Glancing back where he’d walked away, he saw Tilieth sitting on the ground with Link’s head in her lap as she rocked him slowly. He couldn’t see her face from where he was, but he could see her shaking.

The former knight sighed, drained of his anger and filled with hopelessness and exhaustion. Slowly, he rose to go back to his family and offer what little support he had left in him. When he approached, Tilieth looked at him, her cheeks stained with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely audible over the wind.

“This isn’t your fault.” I’m sorry too.

Abel knelt beside her, slowly and gingerly wrapping an arm around her as he helped cradle Link. The wind blew harder, making both parents shiver in the cold, and it blew a few pebbles over the side of the mountain.

Only for them to bounce against something that was distinctly not stone.

Both Til and Abel glanced in the direction of the drop where the rocks had just fallen before looking at each other with curiosity and, in Til’s case, the smallest glimmer of hope. His wife rose first, leaving Link in his care, and Abel watched her walk as he held his son tightly.

Tilieth gasped and quickly said, “Abel! Abel there’s a shrine here! Just under the cliff!”

Though his joints were stiffening from the bitterly chilly wind and the cool moisture seeping into his clothes from the ground, Abel still had a little energy left to lift Link and follow his wife. Just as she proclaimed, a shrine sat waiting innocently for them just a little slide away.

There were two shrines. Twin shrines for the twin peaks.

Abel let out a weak, tired laugh, his breath carried away by the gusts.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get Link’s spirit orbs.”

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Link's Parents Play BotW! Pt 8

Summary: The Soul of the Hero will always be there to save Hyrule. But when Calamity Ganon is nearly victorious in killing him, it's those that bear the Blood of the Hero who will prevail. Ten years after the Great Calamity, the Shrine of Resurrection is damaged and Link's parents fight to save their son and Hyrule along with him. i.e. Link's parents play BotW!

Part 1

<<Previous // Next>>

(AO3 link)

To Kakariko - Return to Hyrule Kingdom

It had taken the couple a few minutes to figure out how they would actually leave the plateau. The large cavernous stairwell that used to feed from the rest of the kingdom up to the plateau had been collapsed by guardian firepower ten years prior, and Abel and Til had done nothing to clear it since they didn't want anyone to be able to reach Link.

The paraglider was their best option, but there were three of them. After several test controlled falls from some walls, Abel ascertained that the little glider could handle their weight for brief periods of time, though it didn't slow their descent as much as it should have due to the weight.

So this was going to be interesting.

With Link strapped to his back and Til pressed against his front, the couple held tightly to the paraglider, standing at the edge of the wall.

Abel gulped and hastily averted his gaze. He wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but this was... a lot. "Ready?"

Tilieth nodded.

"Okay. On three." Abel said to himself as much as he did to her. "One, two, three."

Neither of them moved.

"You didn't jump," Til accused.

"Neither did you!" Abel fired back before groaning. "Okay, fine, let's just try this again. One, t--TIL!"

With a lurch, Abel felt Tilieth pull the three off the edge of the wall. His stomach and heart were left behind, the breath knocked out of his lungs as he clung to the handles for dear life.

The ground came closer with unnerving speed, and both parents tucked their legs so they landed on their backsides with an unceremonious yelp.

Tilieth sighed, letting go of the paraglider and leaning back against her husband. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Abel found himself far too frazzled to comment.

A rustling caught his ear, though, and just as he turned his head he saw a long snout round some rubble.

Abel shot to his feet, nearly felt his knees buckle, and then realized with a jolt that Link was still attached to him. He hastily crouched and unfastened the harness just in time to grab his sword and shield as the moblin caught sight of them. "Get back to the wall!"

With a gasp of terror, Tilieth dragged Link away as Abel deflected a blow from the massive beast's club, nearly getting knocked over in the process. He'd gotten far too accustomed to bokoblins.

The moblin snarled and swung again, though Abel ducked to avoid it, tucking and rolling to close the distance as he stabbed into the beast's knee. The moblin shrieked in pain, and Abel got behind it, slashing at its back several times. When the creature finally fell to the ground, he dug his blade into its neck to finish the job. The world grew silent for a moment, and then...

Splat.

Flinching, Abel looked up as more rain drops started to fall on him. The overcast morning had grown even darker, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled, sheathing his blade and rushing back to the wall where there was at least a little shelter. They hadn't been down here for even a minute and they were already besieged by moblins and thunderstorms.

Had Hyrule always been this inhospitable? He almost couldn't remember.

Tilieth pulled him close as he knelt beside her and Link. Her eyes were frantic, looking to him for guidance that he couldn't give. Sighing, Abel glanced out at the world around them.

At the ruins around them.

The stone road that led to the stairs of the plateau was still mostly intact, being washed clean of the moblin's blood by the rain. Flags blew violently in the wind, somehow holding steadfast despite the weather. Half demolished stone buildings were all that were left of the town that used to be there.

Abel remembered being stationed there once in his early knighthood, and his heart ached for Hyrule as it had in the early days of his exile. He looked away.

The thunderstorm was blessedly brief, though it chilled the air terribly. Abel wanted to carry Link in his arms just to ensure he was warm enough, but given their warm welcome back to the rest of the kingdom, he figured it was prudent to keep the boy on his back.

Damn his shoulder hurt.

Biting back a groan, Abel led the family down the main road, passing the remains of fort. Buildings that had once been homes were collapsed, a wagon filled with supplies and a grisly sight of rotted armor and bone made Tilieth take a step closer to her husband.

And then she yelped and pointed. "Guardian!"

Abel immediately drew his blade and looked for cover before recognizing that this guardian was fully deactivated. Both parents heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

The clouds parted ways with the wind, and the morning sunrise shone light directly into their faces, warming the air. The puddles of water glistened shimmering pink and gold, and the land suddenly felt so open and vast.

So foreign and unsafe.

The couple trudged ahead carefully, and Til pointed ahead. “One of those towers!”

Well that was new. Why did these towers not appear ten years ago, anyway? Princess Zelda had the slate back then, after all.

Certainly there was no way Abel was smarter than the royal family.

Til walked ahead of him a little, excited at the sight of the tower, and just as Abel reached forward to call her back, three bokoblins jumped out of nowhere and surrounded them.

“Stay close to me!” Abel shouted as Til yelped.

There was no time to get Link off his back, and so Abel and Til found themselves standing back-to-back to protect him. Abel shoved off an attack by…

A mop?

You know what, on second thought maybe this won’t be so bad.

Or I’m going to die in the most humiliating way possible.

One of the bokoblins tried to attack him again, this one armed with a broom, but an arrow to its eye stopped it quickly. The bokoblin made a wretched, quick shriek before collapsing, and Abel turned to his wife to thank her when he saw her volleying a bomb.

"Til!" he yelped, pushing her to the ground just in time for her to detonate it.

Tilieth gasped, pushing Abel off her and rising just to yell and drop again as another bokoblin got too close. Abel snarled, turning and stabbing it in the gut and pulling the sword sideways to kill it faster. Blowing out a sigh of relief, he heard rumbling to his left and whirled with his sword at the ready.

A shard of amber rolled innocently into his foot. Confused, he looked up to see shattered stone from where Tilieth had thrown the bomb.

"You made me detonate it at the wrong time," Til protested, picking up the amber and examining it. "But at least we know we can destroy certain rocks to find these."

"Great. We can start a rock collection," Abel grumbled. "Warn me when you decide to use bombs as weapons, those things have a hell of a blast range."

Tilieth sighed, nodding as she latched the Sheikah slate onto her hip where she'd made a little holder for it on her belt. Abel's back started to ache and protest as they continued onward towards Proxim Bridge; fighting while carrying Link was... not ideal.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tilieth gasped and pointed. "Abel! There's a shrine!"

Following her outstretched arm, he saw the shrine sitting innocently just by the bridge. He blinked, baffled - had... had that always been there and he'd just missed it? It had been some time since he'd been to this town, but... Abel shook his head. It wasn't like it mattered anymore.

Hopefully it mean the could put Link down for a moment as well.

"Come on," he said, though Til needed no prompting, having already run ahead. When Abel finally caught up to her, she had the slate ready and gently took Link's dangling hand, brushing it against the pedestal.

The pair entered the shrine together and greeted the familiar mantra of the monk and the stale air of the underground dwelling. Abel did have to wonder how this place still was so well ventilated. Sheikah architecture certainly was something else.

Til stared at the slate and then looked around the room. "It just says Bosh Kala Shrine and underneath says 'the wind guides you.'"

Abel also examined the area. The room was far larger than any of the other foyers in the other shrines... and where was the pedestal for the next rune?

"This is... different," Abel noted aloud.

"Wind guide you..." Tilieth read again, mulling over it. Then she looked at the enormous fan. "Well, clearly it has to do with that."

Abel sighed heavily, walking to the wall and gently lowering Link to the floor. "When you figure out what the wind is supposed to guide us to, let me know."

"Well the wind is going towards that treasure chest."

"Where's the monk?" Abel asked, trying to find the purpose of this shrine. "We heard him."

Tilieth walked ahead, her footsteps echoing all over the room, and she nearly disappeared with how far she'd gone. Abel started walking towards her nervously, though he was hesitant to leave Link alone.

When he finally got close enough to be within hearing distance of his wife again, Abel felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. What was with these shrines and dark abysses that they could fall into?

"We'll need to use the paraglider," Tilieth determined a little shakily.

"It can't carry all three of us through this," Abel protested. "You saw how quickly we fell off the plateau."

"We can test it out on that first fan," Tilieth suggested.

Abel felt his stomach churn, and he nodded. He hated this. He hated every single bit of this.

Strapping Link back to the harness proved to be more exhausting than Abel anticipated, but he kept his mouth shut. The couple stood at the edge of the platform, staring across the way towards the other elevated area where a treasure chest awaited them. The wind blew harshly, making Abel cough with the dry air being thrust into his lungs.

Tilieth blew out a breath and shouted over the wind, "Ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to be," Abel muttered before saying louder, "Yes."

"Okay," Tilieth said with a calming breath. "We'll have to do a running start, I think. Just to make sure we get there faster."

Abel looked at how closely they were squished together. "How?"

His wife took a small step backwards, pushing him with her. After a few awkward paces where they fumbled not to trip over each other, his wife pulled out the paraglider and counted down. This time they ran together, though they didn't really run so much as stumble, and when they made it off the ledge Abel immediately knew this wasn't going to work.

Tilieth gasped as Abel curled his abdomen, letting his legs go around her and reach farther so his feet hit the wall before it could slam into her. The three fell to the ground unceremoniously, and Abel twisted to ensure he landed on his stomach and not on his son. His hand immediately shot up to catch Link's head before it bounced on the ground.

The couple gasped for air briefly, Abel steadily feeling every nerve in his back screaming more and more at all the twisting and carrying he was doing. Til buried her face in her hands for a moment and then growled, rising.

"We'll try again," she said determinedly.

"Til," Abel stopped her with the mild pleading in his tone. "I admire your tenacity, but this isn't going to work. I..."

I can't keep carrying him around like this while we experiment.

Tilieth watched him a moment, and then looked back at the fan, her brow furrowed. She shook her head. "You and Link rest. I'll at least get what's in the chest, it could be useful."

Abel didn't bother to argue, slowly letting Til unfasten Link from the harness. The former knight rolled onto his back with his feet propped on the ground, pulling Link to his chest so he could feel his boy breathe softly. He heard Tilieth walk away and closed his eyes a moment, trying to let the sturdiness of the ground beneath him ease his muscles. Link's breath tickled his neck, ever so faint in comparison to the draft that the fans were creating.

How in the world are we going to do this over and over? How many shrines are there?

Abel's thoughts were interrupted when he saw his wife practically speed overhead, an excited squeal escaping her. He craned his neck to see her vanish onto the other platform they'd originally been aiming for.

"Oh! More amber!" her voice announced.

"More amber," Abel repeated in mild annoyance. There certainly was a lot of it. Why didn't these treasure chests have something useful in them, like food? Water? Medicine? Flint or whetstones?

"Well, I have good news," Tilieth said as she slid down to the ground level. "That breeze practically threw me into the opposite wall, let alone the platform. If this is a demonstration of how far apart the others are, then maybe at least one of us can make it over there."

"Link is the one who has to make it over there."

"Yes, I know," Til said hastily, waving a dismissive hand. "But Link and I are both fairly light."

Abel propped himself up with his elbows to protest, winced, and laid back down.

"Abel, just let me try," Til insisted gently. "I'll use the same fan."

He didn't like this plan at all. His wife had never been a fighter or done anything that conditioned her body to carry a seventeen-year-old young man. Both parents had grown more lean over the last decade but that didn't mean--

Abel sighed. He wasn't in a position to argue, and it was just the tutorial run. He unclipped the harness entirely, handing it to Til. When she had the first half secured to herself, she crouched down so he could help her get Link on her back. He heard her groan a little when their son was attached to the harness, but she gritted her teeth and rose nonetheless. He rolled onto his back just to give it one last moment of recovery, though he was tense and ready to spring to his feet to catch them if Til fell.

Tilieth's steps were slow and burdened, but steady nonetheless. She struggled immensely on the stairs, making Abel actually rise to his feet to help her, but she got to the top before he had a chance to reach her. Til took another breath, sweat starting to grow on her forehead, and she hopped off the edge with the paraglider, making it to the platform with just a hair's breadth to spare. Her landing threw her off balance, and Abel ran faster than he had in years to catch them if they fell, but she pushed her momentum forward, falling face first onto the chest.

"Til?" Abel called worriedly.

He heard her grunting and saw her hands as she crawled to the edge, peeking over. She smiled weakly. "Made it. I guess you're just too heavy, darling."

"It's all the food you fed me," Abel quipped back, though he couldn't keep the worry out of his tone. "Are you alright?"

Tilieth heaved a sigh, practically collapsing on the ground, her arms hanging over the edge alongside Link's as he rested peacefully on her back. "Why didn't His Majesty provide two paragliders?"

"Honestly, I still don't understand how he procured this one."

Waving a hand with a flick of her wrist, Tilieth said, "The point is that Link and I can make it across.

Abel nervously looked at the chasm in the distance. "Til..."

"It'll be fine," Tilieth insisted, slowly rising and sliding down to the ground level once more. She tripped a little, off balance, and Abel steadied her.

"We need another paraglider," Abel observed flatly.

"You don't trust His Majesty's forethought?"

"Hyrule Kingdom is in ruins," Abel noted darkly, a moment of bitterness biting through him before he felt a pang of guilt at it. The king had no way of knowing what was going to happen. "Besides, I don't expect His Majesty to bear in mind how much someone weighs when he's a floating weightless spirit."

"Link needs this," Tilieth said firmly, eyes hard and determined. "Rest here. I'll get him to the monk."

"Til, that chasm is twice as far--"

"And the platform beyond it is lower than this one," Tilieth observed. "Which means we have more room to maneuver."

Abel opened his mouth to argue further, and Tilieth gave him a sharp look. He ignored the warning. "No."

Tilieth's frustration grew, but it manifested in tears as she asked, "Don't you trust me?"

"What? I--goddess, Til--"

"Then let me do this."

Against his better judgment, Abel relented, sighing heavily and looking away. Tilieth took a moment to compose herself and slowly walked towards the edge of the abyss. Abel slowly walked up behind her and felt his heart stop as she leapt into the air with Link, paraglider at the ready. Everything and everyone he held dear in his life hung in the balance as the pair flew across the endless pit and nearly crashed into the wall on the other side of the platform.

Releasing a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, Abel watched his wife slowly sit up, check on Link, and throw him a wave and a smile in reassurance.

Abel watched Til rise, readjusting Link with a little hop, moving her hands to better support his legs. Then she moved farther away, behind a wall and completely out of sight. Abel apced worriedly, his anxiety and helplessness overwhelming him, before he heard the booming voice of the monk speaking unintelligibly.

Oh, thank Hylia. They made it.

Wait. Did that mean he needed to exit the shrine, or would he--

Abel felt dizzy and nothingness overtook him before he was unsteadily on his feet once more at the entrance of the shrine. Tilieth collapsed beside him, narrowly avoiding landing on Link.

Kneeling beside her, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Til smiled, breathless and sweaty, but glowing with happiness. "We made it. And I found--oh, where is it--here!"

As his wife slipped something off Link's back, Abel jolted when he saw his wife pull a claymore out from where it had been sheathed in the harness. "Where did you--?"

"There was another treasure chest," Til explained. "And this one had something you liked for once."

Abel had to laugh at that. "It's about time."

The couple was quiet as Abel unfastened the harness from Til, who nearly collapsed in relief.

"How is he so heavy," she huffed. "I swear he doesn't weigh much."

"He doesn't," Abel noted, a hint of worry in the remark. "But it adds up when you carry him for a while."

"Maybe we should rest," Til suggested. "The sun's setting, and--"

As if on cue, two stalkoblins ripped forth from the ground, making the parents jump.

"Back to the shrine," Abel said hastily, hauling Link into his arms as Til rushed to the entrance. The couple both gasped in relief, adrenaline shooting through them like ice as they descended back into the shrine.

Abel flashed a tired smile at his wife. "Rest sounds like a good idea."

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Dad Squad is rotting my brain (^///^), anyways.

Rusl groaned as pain woke him up. His eyes flew open and promptly closed again at the assault of sunlight on his eyes. With them still painfully watering he looked around himself hoping to catch a glimpse of Link. When he failed to catch hide or hair of his son his heart sank.

The strange man in red had come out of thin air while they were scavenging through Hyrule field to make a delivery to kakariko. Link had taken the chance while they were alone to stretch his canine legs. that hadn't stopped the man from targeting his son while his back had been turned. Rusl had managed to call out while he unsheathed the sword from his back and ran towards the pair. He had managed to grab hold of his son's tail as he was being dragged through what looked like an oil slick in the air.

The man had managed to kick Rusl hard enough that he let go once they were on the other side, and his head found a rock on contact. Rusl swallowed in shame as he recalled the blurry vision of Link standing over his prone body, growling a warning at the enemy while Rusl's eye had slipped closed against his will.

Surveying the area around him he was easily able to spot the rock he had hit, still slick with the blood coating the back of his head. then his eye caught on something shiny and Rusl stiffened when he saw that it was a massive set of armor attached to an equally massive hylian. lying nearby was another hylian, this one shorter than Rusl and looking . . . rough in a word. the dirt scuffs, cuts and overall haggard appearance was similar to how Link looked when he finally dragged the village children home after saving Hyrule.

Before he could decide how to leave without the giant warrior noticing him, both men sat up and yelled one name

"LINK!"

(sorry this is kinda long lol)

ALSDKFHDKSLAJDG—

HANG ON, hang on, just give me a minute—*squeals into pillow* Ok!

Rusl jolted. “Who are you? You met Link?”

The larger, armored Hylian turned his… goddess, what happened to his eyes?!

Before Rusl could register what was happening, he was hauled off the ground entirely, held in the air by a firm grip on his tunic. The… otherworldly Hylian was at eye level with him now, allowing Rusl to get a entirely too lose look at his tattoos and blank eyes.

“How do you know of Link?” He asked, his tone dark and unnervingly powerful.

Rusl fought the wave of nausea that hit him. He supposed that head wound was a problem. Swallowing, he explained. “He’s my son.”

“You look nothing like him.”

Well, then. This fellow was certainly rude. “He’s adopted. Doesn’t make him any less my son.”

“Link never spoke of a father, adopted or otherwise.”

“All right, cut it out,” a more baritone voice interrupted sharply, garnering both men’s attention. The other Hylian was on his feet, eyes ablaze with fury and body tense. This apparently made him more of a threat than the injured Ordonian, who was dropped unceremoniously as the armored man drew his blade.

“Many boys are named Link, this isn’t an issue,” the smaller Hylian snapped. “Clearly the Yiga are searching for the old fallen Hero.”

Rusl and the other both froze, completely confused. Or, at least Rusl was.

“This theory is plausible,” the taller Hylian said, though he didn’t sheath his blade. His face scrunched a little. “Though I can’t imagine those performers being capable of such an act.”

“Performers…?” Rusl muttered before shaking his head and rising. “Look, I don’t care who these people are, they took my son. I’m going to find them.”

The tall Hylian nodded, finally putting his blade behind his back. “I will assist you.”

“Great, wonderful,” the other Hylian muttered, brushing dust off his weathered clothes. “My name’s Abel. Who are you two?”

“Rusl.”

“I am known as the Fierce Deity.”

Rusl and Abel stared at the man.

“A deity.” Abel repeated flatly.

The ground rumbled, making the three men jump, and then Abel hissed, eyes widening. Rusl turned to find what he was looking at and saw a hideous metallic creature on six legs, purplish red lights emitting as it let out a strange screeching sound and scurried towards them. The sight of it made his skin crawl. He immediately grabbed his blade.

“Guardian!” Abel yelled. “Run!”

Rusl had no idea what this guardian was, but if this Abel fellow did he was inclined to take his advice, particularly given his head wound.

The so called Fierce Deity, on the other hand…

The massive man shot forward, blade at the ready as he cut clean through the creature’s closest two legs. It slipped to the ground, it’s massive torso digging into the earth, and it started to shine a red light on the man, a ticking noise accompanying it.

That didn’t bode well. Rusl started to run ahead to await him, Abel yelling behind him, when the other warriors cut its head clean off its body. The hulking creature sparked and squealed and fell into pieces.

Abel stared.

The warriors turned back to them. “The threat has been eliminated. We should proceed.”

The other two watched as the warrior walked between them and continued onward.

“Ok. Fine.” Abel finally said. “Fierce deity it is.”

There was a pause, and then Abel turned to him, a careful, analytical eye scanning from head to foot. “And what are you, then, Farmer Deity?”

Rusl gave him a flat look. “Just Rusl.”

Abel nodded before his eyes widened again. “Your—what happened to your ears?”

Rusl sighed heavily. “His eyes glow in the dark and you’re concerned about my ears?”

“I can’t imagine why you would mutilate them in such a way,” Abel muttered before shaking his head. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

[megamanxfanfics]

S.V - Ep. 1: The Way Things Are

-Fade in-

In Outer Space, we see a beautiful image of the Earth as Eurasia, the giant Reploid Space Colony orbits it.

Caption: In the year of 21XX.

Mega Man X: Season V – The Earth Crisis

We zoom closer into the Earth, towards North America, then the West Coast.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. LOCATION 8197-2201 – New Maverick Hunter HQ – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From a deserted park area, located in between a bay and a city in Oregon, we zoom to a small modest base of operations.  Attached to it’s right side is a large beam cannon pointed at the sky, and directly behind the base is the rigging for a recently acquired Space Shuttle, which is being loaded in by a series of Maverick Hunters.

Caption: December 5th, 1:00 PM

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) It has been 3 years, and things are finally starting to feel normal, again.  As normal as can be anyway…

-pan inside to Signas’ Control Room-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room - DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Signas sits at his center console, surrounded by his four main dispatchers who are working quietly at their desks.  

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Ever since the Repliforce War ended, the Government has cut our funding. We were forced to downsize and move out of Abel City, California. I have successfully relocated the remaining Hunters here, in Hexagon Bay.  /

At the dash, he /pulls up a list of the Elite Shinobi Unit, which displays their names and a small mugshot of their faces: X, ZERO, TAU, VENZO & TAKUMA.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) We now consist of two Combat Teams… /

He /pulls up a second list - the Special Ops Unit:  RECON RACCOON, SCORCHE, BARYON, FRENZY FOX, FREEZE ALOPEX, TURIAN, TETHLON, BLIZZARD & BLAZE.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) …a /Recovery Team and a small /Supportive Staff.

He /pulls up a third list for the Recovery Team: GREEN NOIR, RHO, SIERRA, OLIVER, SNOWBALL, SNOWFLAKE & FROSTBITE.

Then, he /pulls up a final list for his Medical and Supportive Staff:  PSI, CASSANDRA, LIFESAVER, LUCAS, DAVE, HECTOR, KIRK & DOUGLAS.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) /Lucas and /David, from Dr. Cain’s Research Division are now with me. They have moved up to Central Command along with my new hires, /Hector and /Kirk.  

At each dash, we zoom in to the familiar faces of /Lucas and /David, followed by the new faces of /Hector and /Kirk.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) I have also just hired a new navigator, who will aid X and the Maverick Hunters on their missions. But first, she needs to train…

[Insert Title Card: The Way Things Are]

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALIA, a reploid in pink and black armor with short blonde hair and a headset built into her headband, is seen at her computer desk.  She takes a deep breath and watches X enter their new training room. After shaking the nerves of her first day, she com-links to him from her switchboard.

ALIA: Hello, my name is Alia, your new Navigator! Let’s begin your training. Are you ready, X?

- pan to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Room – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X nods with a smile as he admires their new training course.

X: It’s been years since I’ve been in a training simulator. It’s time to get back on track.  I’m looking forward to this.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Me too. I’ll navigate you as you are a novice Maverick Hunter.

The smile on his face quickly wears off.

X: Excuse me??

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Er-  Not quite, Alia.  

-pan to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just then, Alia’s heart skips a beat. She lets out a short gasp.

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) X is a Legendary Maverick Hunter, who has saved our planet, many times.

ALIA: Oh my God! Wait…!  You’re.. the one who saved us on Laguz Island! And.. stopped Doppler!!! Ohh, my goodness, how could I botch that up? We’ve met before!!!

X: (filtered, staggered) Uhh, yeah..!

On the screen, he slumps his shoulders and raises his hands, looking confused and slightly annoyed.

ALIA: I’m so sorry. I was reading from a script..

She shuffles her prompt papers and lets out a nervous sigh.

X: (filtered, confused) Huh?

- pan to -

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Signas smirks at the screen as he chimes in to his somewhat flustered comrade.

SIGNAS: Just go with it, X. Remember, this Training Simulation is more for her as a Navigator, than you as a Hunter.  

X: (filtered) Uh huh…

On screen, he folds his arms and straightens his posture again.

SIGNAS: Just pretend that you’ve never been in the field before, and take her advice accordingly.

X: (filtered) ..Alriight. Shall we??

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Yes.

X shakes the miffed look off of his face and puts his hands at his side. He clenches his fists, ready to begin their session.

Signas looks at the other screens from his console displaying Hunter activity and focuses his attention elsewhere.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) While X begins his training, the rest of our units pursue their struggle to win back the public’s trust.

-cut to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. NEWPORT – Suburbs - DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 1:15 PM

Along the streets of a neighboring town, a young girl cries about her kitty who is stuck in a high tree.

Green Noir and Sierra from the Recovery Unit appear with friendly faces and open arms. The girl gasps in fear at the sight of them.

GREEN NOIR: Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

SIERRA: We got this, honey.

GIRL: (scared) /Oh!

Sierra /high-jumps and climbs the tree swiftly.  The kitten arches it’s back and hisses at Sierra, but she is able to snatch it before it can jump away.

GIRL: Oh my Gahaaaaad…

Sierra lands and hands the kitten over to the girl, who desperately holds her cat and tries to calm down.

Suddenly sirens blare and two cop cars arrive.

GREEN NOIR: Oh man…

SIERRA: Here we go…

SQUAD CAR: (filtered) Stop right where you are!  You are under arrest.  This is the Newport Police Department, and you are not welcome here.

A heavily armored officer exits his vehicle and calls out.

OFFICER 1: GET THOSE REPLOIDS OUTTA HERE!!!!!

The two of them sigh and teleport away.

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alia buries her face in her hands, embarrassed at her first day flop.

ALIA: (v.o, thinking) Jeez, Alia. That was stupid-stupid-stupid!!! What were you thinking!?

She lets out a short sigh and shakes her head.

ALIA: (v.o, thinking) What a way to break the ice…

She regains her composure as she watches X maneuver through their obstacle course, until reaching his first enemy mechaniloid – a spike marl.

The spike marl rolls after him, and opens up it’s little sphere-shell to reveal it’s tiny legs and eye-cannon.  She decides to chime in.

ALIA: Enemy ahead of you! Use your X-Buster. Then, you can attack it from a distance.

X: (filtered) Uhhh, I know…

He raises his buster on screen.

ALIA: (put off) Hm..

-cut to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Room –DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Also, keep holding on to your trigger, then/-

He /blasts it down easily with a Charge Shot.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Oh..

X: (smirking) Heh.

He jumps over to see a few holes in the terrain of the obstacle course ahead of him.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Enemy in the hole, underground. Remember: Your shots don’t penetrate through the land. So, if you want to attack enemies, take advantage of the lay of the land.

X: (smiling) That is actually great advice!

X concentrates his aim on the small spike marl.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) In this situation, take advantage of the terrain, ignore the enemy and jump over it. You can adjust how far you jump by how long you pressurize your gauges.

X: That part, not so much.  

He ignores her and destroys the enemy with a couple of level 1 shots.

X: Always destroy the enemy if you can help it.

He far jumps over to the next ramp ahead on the obstacle course. This time, a pink walk shooter is waiting for him, just slightly out of his normal reach.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Hm.. Your enemy is in a difficult place to attack, but that is common in real life situations. Consider how to attack where you cannot attack by normal methods…  

X: (nodding, patiently) Mmhhmmm.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Your charge shot has a wide attacking range, and if you shoot while crouching…/-

He /blasts it down with another charge shot before Alia can finish her sentence.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Right..  Sorry.

X: (smiling) It’s okay. I could’ve used advice like that when I first started.

-pan to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alia watches her screen with a slightly glum look on her face.

ALIA: (v.o, thinking) Hmm…  I can’t tell if this is going well or not…

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) While our new Navigator seems to be having a rough start, our Special Forces Unit have arrived in Salem just in time to investigate a larger threat.  This could be good exposure for us.

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. SALEM – Pioneer Bank – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 1:30 PM

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) The local authorities have not been making it easy…

On a hot Sunday afternoon in the middle of a somewhat busy town, everything seems to be just fine outside of the Pioneer Bank when out of nowhere, it explodes from the inside!

*BWWWOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH*

The flames and ashes scare the surrounding civilians into a panic.  Cars drive away as fast as possible, while others run for their lives.  

On the other side of the street, Turian, Tethlon, Blizzard and Blaze make their appearance, ready to save the day.

TURIAN: Looks like we got here just in time, gang.

BLAZE: (annoyed) I’d say it was too late, if you ask me!

The Maverick responsible for the attack makes his escape through a side of the building out of what remains of the surrounding walls.  He is large and top heavy, with overly sized muscles from the torso up.  This allows him to carry a huge vault of cash over his shoulder.

MAVERICK: Huhuhuh. HAHAHAHA!  This is too easy.

BLIZZARD: That, bastard!!

TETHLON: Let’s go.

The gang swiftly walks over to the gloating Maverick who is cackling with glee.

MAVERICK: Eeehehehehehee!!!!!

TURIAN: Put that down, big guy.

TETHLON: We don’t wanna hurt ya.

MAVERICK: HAH!  What are you wimps gonna do?

Blaze ignites her fists, annoyed.

BLAZE: We’re gonna take care of you!!  Come on Sis!!

BLIZZARD: (nodding) Right.

BLIZZ & BLAZE: TWIN FISTS!! /YAH!!

The two of them /shoot powerful fire and ice from their respective hands, which spiral around each other into a large combined Charge Shot.

MAVERICK: Huaah??

He tries to guard his face from the oncoming blast, but it is too powerful.  The Twin Fists knock him down, causing an explosion from his chest.  This forces the vault onto the ground, which puts a huge dent on its side.  Large quantities of money seep out into the street while Turian sets his ice cannon.

TURIAN: We gotta finish this quick, before the cops come.

TETHLON: Yep.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Despite our best efforts, the police have declared all Reploids an enemy of the state. Ever since the fallout of the Great Repliforce War, Mavericks and Hunters have been treated alike by the human race.  We are not welcome here… but we still fight the good fight.

Turian blasts the Maverick down with a powerful wave that freezes him while Tethlon creates a large boulder from his buster.  When Tethlon releases the boulder, it crushes the foul reploid.

TURIAN: (smiling) That’s it.

The sirens blare.

BLAZE: Shit! It’s the cops.

TETHLON: Oh, great…!

SQUAD CAR: (filtered) FREEZE, Reploids.  This is the Salem City Police!

TURIAN: Come on guys, this is enough.

TETHLON: You sure about this?

TURIAN: (nodding) Yeah.  Let’s go.  Just as we rehearsed…

TETHLON: (worried) Alriiight.

The gang hops on their nearby Ridechasers and quickly leave the scene as the cops chase them down in their squad cars.  Turian leads the group as they weave in and out through the city streets.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Wait, what’s this??

-cut to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hector and Kirk look horrified at their monitors as they attempt communication with the team on their boards.

HECTOR: Turian, what are you doing!?  

KIRK: Get out of there!! Do you read???

Only static can be heard from the other end.

KIRK: Shoot!  His com-link is off.  

HECTOR: Commander, should I force teleport?

SIGNAS: (curious, slightly amused) No…  Lets see where this goes first.

They look at him surprised, but follow through with his orders.  David and Lucas smile at each other.  David points at Signas with his thumb while looking at his buddy, Lucas.

DAVID: I love this guy.

LUCAS: (smiling) Yeah, man.

He focuses back on his monitor.

-cut to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Course – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Along his obstacle course, X dashes further ahead until he bumps into a familiar mechaniloid with two arm cannons and a fearsome, beastly nose cannon.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Giant enemy ahead of you.

X: Yep, the Dejira… I remember those.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) This type of enemy doesn’t move, but specializes in durability. Pay attention to their attack pattern and attack them with your charge shot or a special weapon that works on them.

X: Well, since I don’t have any special weapons, my Charge Shot is gonna have to do.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Actually, you’d be surprised about that.

X: Hm?

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Try calling upon your Force Armor. I took the liberty of downloading it into the simulator, so you can practice your better moves.

X: Really!??  My Force Armor??  But, I haven’t used that in years!

ALIA: (o.s, filtered, encouraging) Go for it.

X: Uh, okay... Here goes nothing.  ..Hrrrrrrr/AH!

He focuses his energy, and almost effortlessly transforms with a white flash of light.  Suddenly, an enhanced version of his armor emits from his body and shines. Donning a pristine, white and blue armor, accented in gold with touches of red, this version of his Fourth Armor looks like it has never seen a day in combat.

X: Wow!! Alia, how did you do this!?

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I reconstructed your armor using the Archive Data we have of the Great Repliforce War. Consider it an apology for calling you a novice, before.  

X looks at his white and blue gauntlets, amazed. Then, he charges up and points his buster at the idle Dejira.

X: /Wow!

He/shoots a brilliant large plasma shot, which puts a big smile on X’s face.  The huge blast leaves a residual ball of plasma energy, which erodes it’s armor and fleetingly destroys the enemy.

X: (shocked, amazed) Apology accepted!!  So this armor is a… Replication?

He studies his gauntlets once again before he proceeds with the rest of the obstacle course.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Yes, but it only works in the Training Room. For field use, I can download it into your mainframe if you want.  

X: Oh, really?

He destroys a wall trap blast and nears a ladder where he climbs down and carefully avoids getting shot from two walk shooters.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Sure! After a quick glance at your file, I noticed that your armor fades after periods of non-use. So, I figured it couldn’t hurt to have it, just in case.

X’s eyes widen.  After taking care of the walk shooters, he drops down and looks ahead with a smile.

X: Whoa… Well, thanks a lot!  This is great!!

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. SALEM – Streets – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TURIAN: (v.o, thinking) Hehehe, this is gonna be great.

Turian’s gang pushes forward through the frantic traffic. He cannot contain the grin on his face as he com-links to the extension of his team.

TURIAN: Alright, Recon. It’s on.

RECON RACCOON: (o.s, filtered) It’s on??  Alriiiight!!!

TURIAN: Come on, gang!  We’re outta here; Full Throttle!!

Turian leads the way as the group takes off at full speed.

Caption: 1:45 PM

The cops cannot keep up, but they do not quit either.

-pan to their side of the chase-

The cops completely lose sight of the reploids when suddenly, a new group of reploids appear before them.

Recon Raccoon, Scorche, Baryon and Frenzy Fox all stand before the 4 squad cars, fearlessly.

-pan inside the first squad car-

OFFICER 1: Uh, sir??  What do we do?

OFFICER 2: They’re testing us. Go ahead.  Run them over.

-pan over to Recon Raccoon-

RECON RACCOON: Baryon? Would you like to do the honors?

BARYON: Hmph. With pleasure.

Baryon makes static electricity from his hands, clenches his fists and pounds the concrete heavily.  With his fists in the pavement, he moves his electrical pulses through the ground as they reach the squad cars and shock the cars from their undercarriages, effectively shutting them down and stalling them out in the middle of the road.

OFFICER 1: HUH??

OFFICER 2: What the Hell is that???

Recon Raccoon smirks as their cars slow down before them and almost come to a full stop.

He kicks out his foot, which dents the hood of the first car and stops it. Then he holds out his gun with a wink.

OFFICER 1: Armed Reploid!  Get out and engage!!!

The armored officer gets out of his car, as the rest follow suit.

RECON RACCOON: Sorry… But we’re savin’ the day, this time.

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Course - DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X dashes over to a wall.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) High wall without any ladder. Jump to the wall, and if you touch-

X: (smiling) I know.

X proceeds to do the triangular kick-jump off the walls that he learned years ago.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Oh! Uh..Sorry.

X: Don’t be so nervous. You’re a great Navigator!

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Hehe, aw thanks.

After kick-jumping up the wall, he spots something new.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Can you see the yellow rope in front of you?  Jump to it and use your wire hook! Then you can grab the rope.

X: (smiling) Now, that’s new!

-cut to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. SALEM – Streets - DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recon Raccoon shoots an officer with a containment blast from his heavy gun.  The electric band wraps around the officer’s chest plate and stuns him down to the ground.  With his armor affected, he cannot move.

His partner angrily pulls out his gun and takes charge.

OFFICER 2: You call this saving the day!!? /You’re under arrest!!

The rest of the officers /pull up their guns.

FRENZY FOX: All weapons on stun, boys.  You know the deal.

SCORCHE: Yeah, yeah…

Frenzy takes out his electric whip and lets out a containment band, similar to Raccoon’s blast. Scorche pulls out a pistol rather than his flame whip and fires a containment shot as well.

OFFICER 2: Evasive Maneuvers!!

The armored officers quickly scatter with their dash boots and high jump away with the aid of thrusters from the back of their armor.

BARYON: Nope.  Not today.

He holds out his hands and carefully emits three electrical pulses; two from his hands and one from his visor.  The pulses effectively stun and contain the remaining officers.

They all fall to the ground and struggle.

OFFICER 1: (struggling) Gah!! You’ll never get away with this. What is the meaning of this???

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Course - DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X takes out his new wire hook, and uses it on a short yellow wire for the first time.  The wire hook effortlessly clasps on to the wire without any trouble and allows X to freely hang on the rope, while moving over to the next platform.  Multiple spike marls are underneath him, which he is freely able to shoot down with his other X-buster.

He jumps from rope to rope, encountering a hover gunner in the process.  With an instinctive level 1 pellet, he destroys it and moves on to a vertical rope that leads down into the next section of his Training Course.  As he descends down the hallway, he shoots a spike marl below him and lands.

He looks ahead and destroys a hover gunner instantly.  Then, he dash-jumps over to another rope and descends further towards the floor below

X dashes with a smile as he spots some more walk shooters and hover gunners ahead.

X: Let’s go!

As he takes them out, Alia breaks her silence.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Watch the floor in front of you…  Can you see the-

X: Deadly spike trap ahead. Yeah, yeah I know…

ALIA: Uh..In cases like this, do a dash-jump..

X: I know, Alia!  You don’t have to tell me everything..

He impressively destroys the mechaniloids in the room with swift shots from his X-Buster. Then, with a hurdle over a medium sized wall, he spots a gate in front if him.

-cut to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. SALEM – Streets – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Momentarily triumphant, Recon Raccoon walks over to the disgruntled police officers.

RECON RACCOON: You may not remember us, but we’re the Maverick Hunters.  And /THAT… over there… was a Maverick!  

At the dash, he points to the scene of the crime, where Turian’s gang had quelled the threat.

RECON RACCOON: We eliminated the threat for you, and yet somehow we’re the ones that are apprehended.  Now tell me, why is that?

OFFICER 1: All Reploids… are scum.. and need to be eradicated.

RECON RACCOON: (unfazed) Uh huh…  I’ve heard that before, pal.

OFFICER 1: We will eliminate you all one day. Only then, will we be free.

RECON RACCOON: Oh, really??  Well don’t forget that your real enemy is sitting right there, fried in the middle of the street.  

FRENZY FOX: You’re welcome by the way!

OFFICER 1: For what?  City Clean up??  Do you have any idea how long it is going to take to fix that bank and repair any of the surrounding damage?

SCORCHE: Not our problem…

OFFICER 1: Yes it is.  This is why we don’t trust any of you. No concern for our Environment!  

BARYON: Well, to be fair, we did lose the Environmental Recovery Unit in the budget cuts.

OFFICER 1: AGH!  That’s not the point!!  Your whole Operation was blown.  You’re all acting as Vigilantes and it isn’t your place!!!

OFFICER 2: We could’ve handled this on our own.  We don’t Need you any more!!! Now you just made more trouble for all of us…

OFFICER 1: When we get out of this, you are all under arrest.

FRENZY FOX: We’re only here to help!!

OFFICER 1: We don’t want your help!

FRENZY FOX: Why you!!!?

He raises a whip to the officer, but Recon Raccoon grabs him by the arm.

RECON RACCON: Frenzy!  That’s enough.  Come on guys, this is a lost cause.

FRENZY FOX: Hmph…

They all walk away. Without looking Recon Raccoon waves a hand at to them.

RECON RACCOON: (calm, controlled) The bands will only last for another 2 minutes.  We’ll be long gone by then…

The police officers continue to struggle.

RECON RACCOON: You should consider yourselves lucky. After all the times Sigma tried to take over the World, you’d think the locals would appreciate all the Peacetime.

OFFICER 1: Who!!?

RECON RACCOON: OH GOD! This guy’s an idiot.  Lucas, take us outta here.  

LUCAS: (o.s, filtered) On it.

BARYON: I guess, we’ve simply been doing our job too well…

SCORCHE: Hmph!

All of the reploids teleport away, leaving the cops upset and dumbfounded.

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room – DAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 2:00 PM

Signas studies his monitor carefully, taking in what just happened.

SIGNAS: Hmmm, that could’ve gone better…

The Special Ops Unit teleport into the room with a mixture of smug and glum faces.

Lucas turns to his Commander with a guilty look on his face.

LUCAS: I’m sorry, Commander. I should have run their idea by you.

SIGNAS: (calm, poised) Yes, you should have. But, don’t be sorry… It’s important to raise awareness. I’m just glad that no one got hurt.

Everyone in the room is relieved and surprised at their commander’s reaction.

Signas gets up from his control chair and walks away.

SIGNAS: Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a break.  I’d like to see how our new Navigator is doing, in person.

-cut to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab - DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alia watches X near the gateway on her computer.

ALIA: Go through the shutter. There you will encounter the boss of our Training Area.

X: (filtered) Ooh…

Signas walks in to the room, which surprises Alia.

SIGNAS: (smiling) Hey, Alia. How are you holding up?

ALIA: Okay! X is about to face the Training Boss.

SIGNAS: Nice. I could use something uplifting to watch.

ALIA: (nervous) Heh.

She nervously smiles at her boss then turns to the monitor to prepare X for what lies ahead.

ALIA: I have emulated the Dragoon for your training.

X: (gasping, filtered) Magmard…  If it wasn’t for him…

-A still,grainy image of Magma Dragoon suspiciously standing next to the Sky Lagoon’s broken Power Generator appears.-

-Followed by an image of the destroyed city below in Virginia.-

X: (v.o, narrating) The Repliforce War never would have happened.

-A grainy still of Repliforce’s Colonel declaring war on X and Zero appears-

-Followed by a mission prompt at the Old Maverick Hunter Base Control Room-

It reads:

-VOLCANO-

Dragoon of the 14th Unit is a traitor. Locate and bring him back to Hunter H.Q.

X: (v.o, narrating) He betrayed us!  But I didn’t want to believe it.  So, instead, I chased other leads…

At once, X becomes lost in thought.

-FLASH-

—���————————————————————————— INT. MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Med Bay – DAY ———————————————————————————

An unconscious Blaze teleports in with pieces of Blizzard, Tethlon and Turian, as they all fall to the ground an ashen and bloodied mess.

PSI: Whooa!

X: What the…-

X stares at the fallen 14th Unit in shock with PSI, the head medic and CASSANDRA, the main nurse.

CASSANDRA: Oh my God.

Cassandra leaves the portly rookie, DOUBLE and immediately checks on the incoming Hunters with Psi.

Double stares at them, awestruck.

DOUBLE: Wh-what happened??

X grits his teeth.

X: Dragoon did this… That BASTARD!

Double grins.

DOUBLE: Are you gonna go after him, sire?

X gives him a strange look and shakes his head.

X: He’ll get what’s coming to him…  Right now I have to keep my head in the game and go after this lead.

DOUBLE: (surprised) Really?

X: If I can prove to the Repliforce that Split Mushroom was responsible for the Sky Lagoon attack, then I can end this War!

X: (v.o, narrating) But Split Mushroom wasn’t a help at all...

-FLASH-

—————————————————————————--------- INT. BIO LABORATORY – Wrecked Computer Room - NIGHT —————————————————————————---------

X stands over a defeated Split Mushroom.

X: You’re done Mushroom.  Now talk…

SPLIT MUSHROOM: N-never…

X: Why did you build those Mechaniloids? Why go after the Repliforce? What’s your game??

SPLIT MUSHROOM: Hahahahahahaha..

X: What’s so funny!?

X holds out his buster.

SPLIT MUSHROOM: Its not about the Repliforce, you fool……  I’m just here to test your limits…  And by now… the damage has probably already been done…

X: Huh?

SPLIT MUSHROOM: Oh, nothing.  Good luck getting home…

-Flash-

X: (irate) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!?

SPLIT MUSHROOM: GAAAHhahahahaha!!!  

X: (v.o, narrating) He set me back a lot. With our coms down, I had to contact our allies from his computer in order to get a ride home with The Legion.  

-FLASH-

—————————————————————————------------------- EXT. MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Heliport Rooftop Landing – DAY —————————————————————————-------------------

X: (v.o, narrating) He betrayed us!  But I didn’t want to believe it.  So, instead, I chased other leads…

The Legion Jet gently lands on the rooftop Helipad.  The cockpit opens up as a ladder rail juts out from the side, by the wing.

X: (v.o, narrating) Then, I had to solve our new issue. We had been hacked, and the only way to resolve it was to enter Cyber Space!

-FLASH-

———————————————————————————– INT. MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – R & D Lab - DAY ———————————————————————————–

The moment X enters the room with Team Legion, Lucas and David stir at the sight of him.

-Flash-

Double and the rest of the Elite Hunters run over to him. He grovels on his knees.

DOUBLE: I’m so sorry, sir.  - I don’t know what happened!!

X: (annoyed, ready) Cyber Peacock happened. And now I’ve gotta get rid of him.

Double gasps.

From further towards the Mother Computer, Lucas /claps his hands once.

LUCAS: /Okay!  That, I know how to do.  David, help me set up X’s Pod.

DAVID: Oh wow.  This is just like Anomaly Day.

LUCAS: Exactly like Anomaly Day.

X: (v.o, narrating) The only good thing about this was the possibility of getting more information from this Maverick.  Instead, I was only left with more questions.

-FLASH-

—————————————————————— INT. CYBER SPACE – Core Lair – DAY ——————————————————————

In the midst of a vicious battle, X finds out pertinent information from Cyber Peacock.

X: Tell me Peacock!!  Did you tamper with our system just to distract me!?? While Countless Innocents in the Repliforce die by our hand???

CYBER PEACOCK: Hahahah…  You think you have it all figured out, but that isn’t even half of it.

He teleports away and reappears behind X, giving him a hard punch in the back of the neck.

X: Agh!!

CYBER PEACOCK: Get it through your head. The Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce will all be Dead soon.  No matter what happens with your Precious Repliforce War…

X: What!?

CYBER PEACOCK: Muahahahahahhh!!!!!  /GAH!!

X narrows his eyes and /fires another Soul Body at him.

X: Something bigger is going on. And I’m gonna find out what!! YOU HEAR ME!!!?

When Cyber Peacock reappears, X grabs him by the neck and punches him in the face.

CYBER PEACOCK: Kaughh..

X: Where did you come from!!?  WHO BUILT YOU!?

CYBER PEACOCK: ughh…  The Doctor…  

X: Hm?

CYBER PEACOCK: D-Doppler.

X’s eyes widen.

X: (thinking outloud) Doppler!  No way…  Is it possible..?  No!  I saw him die!

CYBER PEACOCK: The Doctor is dead, but his last act lives on.  Just in case he failed, he created me to attack your base from the inside.

X’s eyes widen in anger.

X: Then… you have nothing to do with the Mechaniloid attack at Sky Lagoon??

Cyber Peacock smiles, mischievously.

CYBER PEACOCK: ..n-Nope.

X grimaces and shoves him to the ground, hard.

X: (v.o, narrating) This was it. Magma Dragoon was responsible for everything after all.  And there was only one thing left to do.

-FLASH-

——————————————————————

INT. NEW MHHQ – Gateway – DAY

——————————————————————

X stands there in a daze as he receives a com-link from Alia.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Um, X? Is everything alright??  You’ve been standing there for 5 minutes…

X snaps out of it with an angry face.

X: DAMN him!!!

He rushes over to the gate, in a furious rage.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered, surprised) Oh! Make good use of your crouching and Charge Shot!

X: Yeah… You bet.

He narrows his eyes with a clenched fist.

X: ..I still need to work out this aggression.

He runs through the gate and drops to a lower ground floor as the gate closes behind him.

The simulation of Magma Dragoon appears with the same wicked grin on his face from before.  X narrows his eyes with hatred.

-FLASH-

—————————————————————— INT. VOLCANO – Magma River - DAY ——————————————————————

X and Zero brace themselves for battle on a small landmass, over a smooth river of magma.  Zero is protected by a Ride Armor while X bears most of his Force Armor, save for the gauntlets.  On the other side of the landmass, Magma Dragoon rises out from the magma, which startles them both.

MAGMA DRAGOON: X and Zero… You’ve arrived.  I can’t believe It’s really you!

They both narrow their eyes.

X: Dragoon! Why did you betray the H.Q.!?

He hesitates to answer.  He can only offer them a wicked smile.

MAGMA DRAGOON: ………

ZERO: (annoyed, firm) Why did you betray us?!  …Answer me, Dragoon!

-Flash-

MAGMA DRAGOON: …You’re so naive. …Listen closely. I let the Sky Lagoon fall! And I’d do it again! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

ZERO: (shocked) Dragoon!

X: But… Why!? We’re allies!  How could you DO THIS TO US!!!???

MAGMA DRAGOON: (impish, baiting) Heh… You’ll have to defeat me first.

- FLASH –

—————————————————————— INT. NEW MHHQ – Training Lair – DAY ——————————————————————

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Wait…

X snaps out of it again to realize that Magma Dragoon is right here, in the training room. And this is not real.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) If you set your X-Buster to Auto Charge, you can shoot your Charge Shot easily.

X: (smirking) Auto Charge is for wimps…

ALIA: Oh..  Good luck, X!

X: DRAGOOOON!!!!

He angrily charges after the artificial program, which hops and does a narrow flame kick, right before him.

X back-dashes and blasts him with a fully charged plasma shot.

Taking the hit, the A.I fires a Hadouken at him.

X easily crouches and blasts him from below.

Taking the hit, the A.I fires a crouching Hadouken at him.

X simply jumps and hovers with his thrusters above the hadouken, while charging another shot.

He blasts him, which affects him deeply.  Then, he lands.

X: (disappointed) Hm… This A.I isn’t as strong as the original.

X dashes after him and throws some swift punches at his open points. Magma Dragoon just misses catching his punches each time, until he throws a Dragon Punch in retaliation, which X easily reads. He dodges the uppercut at close range and hard kicks Magma Dragoon down to the ground.  Then, he charges up once again, unleashing another heavy Charge Shot upon him, which completely leaves him open.  

X: Take this, Dragoon…

He powers up as his entire body ignites with bright energy.  In one fell swoop, he thrusts his entire body into an air-dash toward the A.I of Magma Dragoon. He destroys the A.I in record time with a Nova Strike.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Whoa!

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Nice one, X.

X: (disappointed) Hmph… This one was significantly powered down, from the original. I can tell…

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) …Believe it or not…  He had the same specs. You just got that much better.

X’s eyes widen.

X: (surprised) Really?? ..but…  I haven’t been training.

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Imagine, if you had!

X thinks back to the first time he destroyed him.

-FLASH-

—————————————————————— INT. VOLCANO – Magma River – DAY ——————————————————————

MAGMA DRAGOON: …This is about the Pride and Self Worth of every Maverick Hunter you’ve ignored. Every Reploid whose been thrown to the wayside, because they could never get a word in edge wise with you two.

He slowly rises from the ground.

ZERO: What are you talking about!?

-Flash-

MAGMA DRAGOON: Most of us never had the great privilege of working with you.

ZERO: (coughing, hurt) You did…

MAGMA DRAGOON: A rare Honor, indeed!  But secretly, with every triumph and every new power up you two received…  I was never happy for you.  No. Instead, I grew resentful of you both. Most of us are…

-Flash-

ZERO: Oh BOOHOO!  Poor Magmard!  You weren’t getting enough attention, so you flew the coup and caused a World Tragedy on our account. Are you kidding me with that, right now?

X: (hurt) Zero!!  Don’t.. rile him up any more…

ZERO: NO!  We took this guy to Laguz Island. We trusted you!! Almost every co-op mission we’ve done was with the 14th Unit. Then you betrayed us. For no reason!

MAGMA DRAGOON: …It all comes down to one simple thing in the end.  Power…  And sometimes, in order to achieve what you truly want, you have to make sacrifices.

X gasps and sharpens his brow in anger as he gets up.

X: You sacrificed an entire civilization… and joined Repliforce, just so we’d fight you…

ZERO: So that was your big plan!?  Take out the Sky Lagoon and make it look like Repliforce did it!!!?

MAGMA DRAGOON: It was so brilliant. The look on your bewildered faces when Colonel declared War on you.

Tears well up on X’s face as he clenches a fist.

X: (whispering, shaking) So many lives.. Lost for nothing…!

-Flash-

X: We had Peace!  We worked so hard to re-attain the state of the World after Doppler’s reign, Sigma’s return and Berkana’s erasures.  Then /YOU ruined it.  Over the most.. Infantile reason!  …I’ll Never forgive you for this!!!

His fist glows blue and then flames up into a fiery, red state.  The flames grow across his arm and cover his body as a glowing aura of gold surrounds him.  Then, the aura covers his body with pure power.

X: NOVA STRIIIIKE!!!!!!

MAGMA DRAGOON: What!?

He stares in awe of X’s new attack, as X launches himself with a swift air-dash, directly into him.

MAGMA DRAGOON: GYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

X rams into his chest as his Nova aura breaks off his torso and completely disintegrates his legs.

The broken, defeated Maverick looks up at X with tired, hurt eyes.

MAGMA DRAGOON: gg.. Uuurgh. You… are… strong… X…

Zero slowly gets up with wide eyes as he looks at the damage, X has done.  He walks over and stands by his exhausted partner as they look down at their former friend.

X pants as he sweats through his helmet. X: Such a waste… Why Dragoon?

MAGMA DRAGOON: … Always… wanted… to fight… you. …Then …he … appeared … and

X: He appeared? Who?!

MAGMA DRAGOON: …told me to work for Repliforce. To goad you into fighting…  …He …told me… he’d give me power.. only if I worked… for Repliforce…

ZERO: …What!? He? Who!? MAGMA DRAGOON: I couldn’t… refuse the offer… Sorry Zero… ZERO: …Dragoon!!! MAGMA DRAGOON: … was worth it… for a final duel…

He turns his head as the rest of his body explodes.

X: (v.o, narrating) Sigma…  He was really the one behind the Repliforce War.  Not, Dragoon…  But even now, we’re still getting traces of him again!  I have to be ready, for anything!!

-FLASH-

——————————————————————

INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab - DAY

——————————————————————

Caption: 2:20 PM

In the R & D Lab, DOUGLAS, the engineer is hanging out with Alia and Signas as X walks in. X looks at his Commander surprised, and salutes him. Signas offers a salute in return.

DOUGLAS: Wow, X! That was awesome.

ALIA: You handled that way better than I could’ve imagined.

X: (smirking) Clearly… For a novice.

ALIA: Ugh, God. I’m never going to live that down, am I?

X: (smiling) Well, you did make up for it with the Armor. Thank you again for that.

ALIA: My pleasure!  Like I said, if you want to use it in the field, Douglas and I can install the program into your mainframe.

Douglas smiles at X and gives him a thumbs up.

X: Sounds good.

SIGNAS: Go ahead and debrief him, Alia.

ALIA: Oh! Right. Well, tactically your field experience is spot on, and you far surpassed anything I could expect.  Your emotional responses to field combat however, I feel are a bit…

She hesitates to say the words. X looks at her, concerned.

X: It’s okay, you can say it.

ALIAS: …Post-Traumatic.

X: (admitting) I’ve been through a lot.

ALIA: (smiling) I can tell… You’re holding together though.

Signas smiles and looks at X.

SIGNAS: And how’d she do, X?

ALIA: Hm?

X: Well, with all due respect, although she is really nice, she kind of talks too much and has a tendency to point out the obvious.

ALIA: (defensive) Hmph! Well she is standing, right in front of you! The least you could do is address me while I’m in the room.

X: Sorry to offend you.. I think with some more experience, you’ll become great at this.

ALIA: (put off) Right! Well, we’d better download that program if you want to use the Force Armor in the field.

X: Let’s do it. With Maverick Activity on the rise again, I think it’s only a matter of time before Sigma pops up again…

They both share a concerned nod.

-pan out-

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Yes, things certainly have been interesting for us, as we’ve re-established ourselves in Hexagon. However, we fear that this minor time of peace may be coming to an end. Maverick Activity has been picking up lately and the Local Authorities are not having us. The Repliforce has been silent as well, which is a slight concern. Their Colony still orbits directly above our planet, although it is not currently considered a threat.  I just hope that Eurasia truly is a new breeding ground for Reploids to thrive off planet, and not just a place for them to reload their weapons.

-cut to-

—————————————————————— EXT. HEXAGON BAY – New MHHQ - DAY ——————————————————————

We zoom out from the new Maverick Hunter Headquarters to see their boastful beam cannon and the large Space Shuttle resting at the sides of their base.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) For this reason, we have taken their unfinished Enigma cannon and acquired an old Space Shuttle from NASA. It seems that we’ll finally be able to adhere to Dr. Cain’s last wishes after all. He had always hoped we would create a Space Unit one day to explore the unknown…  Once its ready, we plan to visit Eurasia to see what is really going on up there.

-pan to-

——————————————————————

EXT. OUTER SPACE – Eurasia - DAY

——————————————————————

We zoom out from Earth and closer into the brilliant Eurasia Space Colony.

- pan to –

——————————————————————

INT. EURASIA – Fallen Commune – NIGHT

——————————————————————

We zoom in to the Space Colony Eurasia.  What was once a thriving Reploid Community has now been mysteriously destroyed by a tall assassin. His long white hair wafts in the artificial wind of the Colony as his crimson visor partially glimmers from the artificial sunset behind him. The shady figure stands amidst the desolation, tall and proud as he reports to his latest contractor.

Caption: 4:25 PM – Eurasia Time

DYNAMO: Yes, it’s ready… Piece of cake. The Colony is still alive.. I can let it fall at any time… Please let me do it now. I’m getting bored.  All I have to do is… go back to the Earth and scatter the Virus.

Over coms, the mysterious voice of his contractor speaks.

SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) You’re exactly what I expected…  You’re doing a good job… hee hee hee.

DYNAMO: Nobody dares to fight against you, except those stupid Maverick Hunters.  I’ll do anything for you, anything…

SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) Good… I’m going to Earth to execute our plan.  Stay where you are and await further instruction.

DYNAMO: But I don’t think you need to do it personally.  Are they really a threat?  Are X and Zero really so strong that you can’t let someone else do it?

SIGMA: Hee hee hee. Yes, in a manner of speaking.. Zero…  I’ll show you what you really are and who your true enemy is…  Hee hee hee hee. Bwah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

- Freeze Frame. Grainy Effect-

- Fade to Black -

[megamanxfanfics]

S.V - Ep. 6: Recover the Laser! Fire the Enigma Cannon!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room - NIGHT

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 7:00 PM

Alia walks into the Control Room to report to Signas.

ALIA: (sighing) 7 PM and our heroes are fast asleep…

SIGNAS: There are 12 hours left and just one more device to get until collision. I think we’re alright if they take a short nap.

[Insert Title Card – Recover the Laser! Fire the Enigma Cannon!!]

ALIA: (worried) Hmmm…

SIGNAS: I know, it’s anxiety-inducing, but we have to let them rest.  Have faith.  They’ve saved the world so many times before.

ALIA: I know.. I’m just.. not used to being this close to the action, ya know?

SIGNAS: Hm?

ALIA: In the past, I always focused on my Research to distract me during the tough times. We tried to create cures for the Maverick Virus or at least find ways to combat it… When my old boss, Dr. Doppler failed to do that, I lost a lot of faith in the world.  Then my next boss, Berkana turned on us as well..

SIGNAS: (nodding) From Laguz Island…  I remember reading up on that.

ALIA: Up until now, I feel like I’ve been constantly on the run from the Maverick Virus.  My colleague escaped with me to a new lab, over in Abel City but… that didn’t work out.

SIGNAS: (curious) What happened?

ALIA: We were only trying to help!  The Great Repliforce War was in full effect, and my old colleague Gate…  He just wanted his enhanced Reploids to join the battle. But… our Superior felt that it wasn’t our place. She did everything she could to sabotage his operation.  Including… threaten my termination if I didn’t comply…

SIGNAS: (gasping, surprised) Oh nooo…

ALIA: I took this job, because I needed a serious change.  But now, all I see is the constant struggle that you guys face against the Maverick Virus! …I’m sorry, but… I just don’t know if I can handle it.

She chokes up and looks away, trying to contain herself.

Signas calmly walks over to her and places his hands on her shoulders.

SIGNAS: (comforting) Alia…  I hired you, because you are exactly the type of person that we need. Especially, right now.  Your analytical skills are beyond top-notch, and I’ve been meaning to put good use to that Research background of yours.  So now is as good a time as any.  Come.  I have something to show you.

ALIA: Hm?

He leads her to his main computer screen and pulls up a halogen image of the DNA Data they have retrieved from Grizzly Slash, Duff McWhalen and Squid Adler.

ALIA: (shocked) This is... DNA!!

SIGNAS: (affirming) Yep.  Here is the DNA Data that X & Zero have acquired from the Mavericks, so far…  Why don’t you and Douglas see if you can make something useful out of it, while we wait for them to wake up??

Alia gasps.

ALIA: (wide-eyed) This is… Wonderful!

SIGNAS: (smiling) You had mentioned your strong background in Research at our interview. So I figured, why does that have to change?

She nods with a brightness in her eyes, which livens up her spirits once again.

ALIA: Ohhh, Thank you, boss!  You have no idea what this means to me.

She can’t help herself and gives him a hug.

SIGNAS: (surprised) Oh! Hahah.  My pleasure.  

He reciprocates the hug, patting her on the back, twice.

SIGNAS: Go ahead. Do what you love, Alia.

He lets her go to work as she happily runs out of the room and heads for the R & D lab across the hall.

He returns to his chair with a smug beam on his face. From nearby, David turns over to Signas and leans in.

DAVID: Hey, what was that all about?

SIGNAS: She just had the first day jitters… Go ahead and send out Frenzy Fox to recover that Energy Cart.  Then, alert me when X and Zero wake up.  With any luck, we can fire the Enigma Cannon tonight!

- cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. NEW MHHQ – Infirmary – NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Caption: Four hours later, 11:00 PM

Zero stirs awake and rips the energen feeding tubes off of his arms.  He looks over at X in shock, who seems to have been in the same state as him.He quickly sits up on his bed, leans over and shakes X by the shoulder.

ZERO: (shocked) X!  Wake up.

X: (groggy) Hmm? /Oh!

X grows wide-eyed at the sight of an alert, Zero who has fully recovered.

ZERO: How long have we been out, man?  We gotta get that Laser Device!

X blinks and feels his heart race at once. He sits up in bed.

X: (rising, tired) Yeeeah! Ogh.  Let’s go!

Zero stands up and helps X get out of bed.

ZERO: Alright. Come on, man!

They run out of the room.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. NEW MHHQ – Corridors – NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

X and Zero run down the hallway as they receive a com-link from Signas.

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered, surprised) Oh! You’re both up. Excellent!  Pop in to the R & D Lab before you both set off on your next mission.  Alia and Douglas have some surprises for you.

X and Zero both look at each other, quizzically.

X & ZERO: Huh?

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab – NIGHT -----------------------------------------------------------------------

X and Zero walk in to see Douglas and Alia high five each other.

ALIA: Yes!

X: Hey, guys. What’s going on??

ALIA: Oh, I’m glad you’re both up so soon. Check out what we’ve been working on!

They both walk over to their work table, with interest.  They see that five new items in the form of data chips are waiting for them.

ZERO: What is this?

DOUGLAS: Remember how we said I could make new parts for you guys??  Well, this is it!

He proudly displays five colorful chips, before them.

ZERO: (scoffing) Hmph… I don’t need any power-ups.

ALIA: (annoyed) Wait!  We’ve been working on these for the last 4 hours. The least you could do is listen to us.

Zero rolls his eyes and folds his arms, reluctantly.

ZERO: Okaay.  What have you got?

ALIA: I’d change my tone if I were you, because most of them are for you…

Zero jerks back for a second, surprised.

ZERO: What!?

X chuckles as she continues with a scowl.

ALIA: Well, first of all, Grizzly Slash was good for more than just his Crescent slashing abilities.  We were also able to create a Shock Buffer defense out of his DNA Data.

X: (intrigued) Shock Buffer?

ALIA: This decreases the amount of damage taken by half!

X: Ooh.

DOUGLAS: It also keeps you from being knocked back after taking a hit.

ZERO: (nodding) Alright.

DOUGLAS: We were then able to make a Super Recover chip from Duff McWhalen’s DNA Data.

ZERO: What’s that?

DOUGLAS: This makes all energen and weapon refill capsules restore twice as much power than usual.

X & ZERO: (surprised) Whoa.

ALIA: The last three are for Zero, exclusively. Sorry, X…

X shakes his head, paying no mind.

ALIA: This next chip, I think you’ll like. We call it the Z-Saber extend.

ZERO: (attracted) What?

ALIA: With this equipped, your Z-Saber will project a small wave of crescent energy with each slash, increasing your range by about 10%.

ZERO: Wow. Okay, I’m interested…

ALIA: (glowing, excited) Then you’ll Love the next two…  These are weapon items, extracted straight from McWhalen and Kraken’s core DNA.

ZERO: (nodding) Alright.

ALIA: First is Duff McWhalen’s Flying Splasher, which will give you more of a defensive Air-Dash that you can control with directional flight.

ZERO: (shocked) I can fly with this!?

ALIA: Only momentarily. Don’t get too excited. But yes. Your air-dash should be more mobile than before.  And you’ll be coated in a protective layer of the same material as X’s Goo-Shaver.

Zero looks at X.

ZERO: What’s that??

X: It’s like a water-based Plasma. I can’t really explain it, but it’s powerful stuff.  It’s what helped me bring down Squid…

He looks at his buster with slight remorse.

ALIA: Well, speaking of Squid Adler, that’s where this last chip comes from.   We’ve correlated his electric weapon data to interact directly with your Z-Saber, which will give you an awesome striking Electric Blade.

ZERO: Ooh.

DOUGLAS: (smiling) Still don’t want these Power-ups???

ZERO: (bothered, smile) Alright, gimme ‘em. X can have the Shock Buffer and Super Recover though. I don’t want to hog them all.

X shakes his head.

X: No, that’s okay.

ALIA: Huh???

X: I have the Force Armor, and another one on the way. I’m okay.  Really, I think Zero should have them.

ZERO: Are you sure??  All of them???

X: (smiling) I’m positive.  Let’s save the World, Zero.

He puts his fist out for a friendly bump with the most confident and sharp look in his eyes.

Zero gives him a nod and then a fist-bump with a smile.

X runs out of the room, while Zero equips his new power-up chips.

DOUGLAS: Wow!  And here you thought you weren’t getting any of these.

ZERO: Alriight, alriiight.

Zero gets equipped with all 5 of the power-up Data Chips within his gauntlet. Then he looks up with an eager grin.

ZERO: Man! I can’t wait to test out these new abilities.

ALIA: (content) We’ll be right here.  I’ll be on coms guiding you both every step of the way.  Now, go!

She leans up and gives him a friendly pat on the shoulder, but he simply turns around and runs away, ignoring her.

ALIA: (reacting) Oh…

DOUGLAS: Something wrong?

She combs her hair with her hand for a second and walks over to the monitor.

ALIA: N-no..  I just hope they’re successful on this mission…

DOUGLAS: (smirking) Uh huh.

-cut to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  EXT. NOVIKOVO – Fortress Lab – DAY -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 9:05 AM - Russian Time

In the solitude of Novikovo, Russia lies a rich, fortified lab, hidden from sight by numerous tall mountains.

X and Zero teleport to the area and take in the sight of his massive fortress.  They land on a cobblestone roof, just before a drawbridge, which leads to the entrance of the fortress.

ZERO: Whoa… This place, is huge.

X and Zero instantly explore the area as they kick-jump up a small wall, which leads to the large drawbridge.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) We can learn lots about Dr. Izzy Glow just from looking at this Laboratory… He is the world leading authority on laser technology. Therefore, the laser he created will be great use to the Enigma. I hope he will willingly give one to us, but… …I heard he is a very stubborn person so this might not be easy.

Zero grins.

ZERO: Well, I can be very stubborn, myself. Come on, X!

X nods and readies his buster

Zero pulls out his saber and slashes at the draw bridge a couple of times, admiring his new orange-tinted extended slashes as he cuts at the bridge a little harder.

X shoots level-1 shots at the bridge until it is forced down to lie flat, before the actual entrance of the hallway.

They both run on top of the bridge, which does not quite reach the hallway entrance. They stop short, when they see that below them is a dangerous bed of spikes.

ZERO: Whooa, let’s steer clear of that.

X:

Yeah!

They both carefully dash-jump inside Dr. Izzy Glow’s Fortress.

-      pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Hallway Entrance – DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

They proceed down the red-carpet steps, before a long wall where a Met jumps out at them.

X: (gasping) Haven’t seen one of these in a while.

He shoots at it a couple of times, but his pellet shots are blocked by it’s hard-hat.  After a moment, the met peeks his little face out, while Zero dashes and takes a strike at the air.  His extended slash is able to reach the met from a distance, surprising both him and X.

X looks over to him.

X: Whoa, you get a pretty good reach with that thing.

ZERO: It’s like a complete extra slash! I’m gonna have to get used to that.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Hehehe.

They both kick-jump up the wall before them and spot another met on the other side of the carpeted floor.  This time X takes it down with some carefully aimed level 1 shots, while Zero drops down and leads the way.  Zero runs into another wall and kick-jumps up towards a Guardian drone, which he easily cuts down once it’s shield guard is up.  

They drop down through the opening corridor as they come near a lethal chandelier of spikes.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Whoa, careful!  The platforms above you can’t be destroyed, so you will have to time it just right to get through…

X: (acknowledging) Right!

They both wait and see two spike chandeliers rapidly drop down before them.

ZERO: Damn!  This guy really doesn’t want any visitors.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Told yaa.

The chandeliers slowly rise up, out of sync, but with their opening they dash through and pass the platforms.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Oh no!!

ZERO: Hm??

X: What is it?

Zero slashes another guardian and met down, while Alia speaks.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) There’s another researcher and he’s stuck just beyond that board above you.

X: Hmph!

X transforms into his Force Armor with a quick flash of white light and looks up at the board with a determined face.  He fires a charged plasma shot to the wooden plank, but it is simply absorbed into the mysterious virus-infected board.

X: Whaat?

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) It’s just like I thought…  You can’t break through the board unless you use a special weapon.

Zero perks up and sparks his Z-saber with lightning.

ZERO: Allow me!!

He uses his new rising Electric Blade attack, but unfortunately it does not work.

ZERO: What!?

He jumps up and tries to use his Crescent Blade slashes in the air, multiple times, but to no avail.

ZERO: Damn it!

X shoots a charged Goo-Shaver at it, which does not work either.

X: Nothing is working!!!

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Try… Dragoon’s Rising Fire.  You should have it again..

X: (surprised) Really??

X looks up, concentrates and shifts his armor into red and white as he charges up.

X: (concentrating) Shuuuuryukeeeen!!!!

Zero takes cover as X blasts through the wooden planks only to find more spiked chandeliers in his way.

X: (reacting) Whoa!!

He quickly air-dashes and holds on to the wall, setting off his thrusters.  Once the chandeliers rise, he is able to kick-jump up the wall and assist the researcher in need.

RESEARCHER: (grateful) Ohh. Thank you!  I was installing Dr. Glow’s enhanced security platforms when this board mysteriously appeared and trapped me inside.

X nods.

X: That’s Sigma’s virus. It’s been awful to us all.  Here.

He pulls out a teleporter ring and offers it to the Researcher.

RESEARCHER: Be careful!  I fear this Fortress is ridden with the Virus.  You’ll need this.

He pulls a Power-cell out from his compartment belt and offers it to X in return.

X gasps and takes it.

X: Thank you!  Where’d you get this?

RESEARCHER: (insulted) We make them!

X: What?

The Researcher takes the teleporter ring and sends himself away.

X makes a confused face as he drops down to an impatient Zero.

ZERO: Come on, X!!!

-      pan to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Chandelier Trap - DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Zero dashes across the hall to a set of ladders.  He ignores them and double-jumps in the middle of the room, narrowly bypassing a chandelier that comes down right behind him.

With the chandelier lowered, X uses the first ladder and then catches up to Zero at the second ladder with an air-dash, while the chandelier rises.

At the top level of the room X and Zero spot a guardian waiting for them at the other side of the rising chandelier.

ZERO: Got this one!!

He fearlessly air-dashes toward the guardian mechaniloid and sets off his new F-Splasher forcefield around his body.  His air-dash is just as short, but he is able to direct it more as an attack, lowering himself right into the mechaniloid as it crumbles under his water-based plasma power.

X & ZERO: Whoa!!

X: Damn, Zero. Are you crazy??

Zero looks at him with wild eyes.

ZERO: After staying in the game this long? - You know it!!

X makes an amused, but concerned face as Zero takes the lead once again.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Spiked Room - DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

They both pass the platform to find a spiked floor below them and a series of spiked chandeliers hanging on chains from the ceiling.  

X: Oh man… How should we tackle this one?

ALIA: (o.s, filtered)

You should proceed by stepping on the platforms.  Please be careful.

ZERO: (revved up) You heard her!

Zero anxiously air-dashes to the first chandelier platform after it drops.  Then the next, as they both rise towards the ceiling.

Zero turns around and gives X a thumbs up.

ZERO: See X?  It’s no biggie…  Just do what I do.

X looks in horror and points behind him.

X: Look out!!!

ZERO: Huh??

He turns around to find a small purple Sigma head with devilish horns right behind him.

ZERO: SIGMA! What the- Uaarrrggghhhh!!!!!

SIGMA: (v.o, echoing) Heeheeheeheehee.

With no time to react, Zero has no choice, but to dash through Sigma’s head, which dissipates and relinquishes itself into his pores like a ghost virus.

X & ALIA: (horrified, o.s, filtered)

Oh NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Zero glows with a purple aura as he air-dashes to the other side and carefully looks at his body.

X: (wary, worried) ZEEERRROOO!!!!!

The purple aura slowly disappears as Zero stares at his hands and blinks, confused and awestruck.  He keeps his back to X and stands there in silence.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered, scared) Oh, God…

X fights through the chandelier platforms with a determined glare in his eyes as he nears, Zero.

ZERO: It’s… okay.

X lands right behind him.

X: (fretful) Huh?

Zero turns around with his armor looking pristine and glossy, as if he was first created.

ZERO: (surprised) I’m.. okay!!!

He shows X his clean hands, opening and closing them as if they are brand new.  

ALIA: Was it the Shock-Buffer that protected you??

ZERO: Maybe… I don’t know…

He twists his wrists and stretches his fingers, until he unfurls the Z-Buster from his right hand only to find that it has completely been repaired.

X: (worried) What the-

Zero shakes his head.

X: Did Sigma just… repair you???

ZERO:

(wide-eyed) I don’t… know!

He makes a firm grimace of his own as he looks away, trying to focus on the mission.

X: Why would he do that…?  And how???

He shakes his head, a little more annoyed.

ZERO: I don’t, know!!  Come on, we don’t have any time.

He runs away, while X is left to simply shake it off and continue to push past more chandelier obstacles in a short maze-like descending hallway.

They both wrestle through short spiked chandeliers and a couple of mets in their way, before they find another Researcher who looks hurt, near a tall chandelier.

ZERO: Here, man.

He gives the researcher a teleporter ring and air-dashes above, into another descending set of spiked platforms.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Break the door that you can see below, and proceed to the next room.

They carefully make their way down until they find the door and break it down a combined charge shots.

ZERO: (smirking) Haven’t done that in years…

He runs in to the next room.

-      pan to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Spiral Staircase - DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

In the next room, they come to a flight of stairs which spiral upward seemingly endlessly.

X: (worried) Zero, are you sure you’re okay?

They come across a bunch of spiky mechaniloids and tiny hotarion firefly mechaniloids.  

ZERO: (upset) I don’t want to talk about it!

He slashes the spikys down with an extended slash.  Then he crescent slashes a set of hotarian’s brutally and swiftly air-dashes ahead.

X: (reaching out) Waait!!

X dashes, only to get cut off by another ghost virus of Sigma’s head, which has appeared before him.

SIGMA: (v.o, echoing) Heheheh….

X: (spooked) Whoooa!

X blasts him with level 1 shots, but they go right through him.  He frantically dashes around the ghost virus and runs away from him.

SIGMA: (v.o, echoing) What’s the matter??

It disappears and reappears before him, as X gets stung by some hotarian lasers in the process.

SIGMA: (v.o, echoing) Are you scared that I might find you? …The real youuuu???

An image of iX appears in X’s mind.

He charges up.

X: NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

X blasts a large Plasma shot, which takes out a set of hotarians in his way as he finally catches up to Zero, who has been halted by aPrism Guardian.

Four poles have dropped from the ceiling, in which three block-shaped laser turrets have taken their positions against Zero and fired their first set of lasers at him.

Zero manages to jump to the far pole and cling to it with his wire-hook, evading the bottom two laser blasts.  However, he takes the brunt of the top laser blast as he attempts to slash it down with his Z-Saber.

ZERO: Auughh!

X: /AAH!!

X blasts down the laser turret that was hurting Zero with a Plasma Shot, while the other two, retreat back into the ceiling.

Zero drops down with a grateful look.

X: You okay?

Zero makes a weakened smile and gives him a silent thumbs up.

Then, three more laser turrets come down in different positions.  X and Zero fire and crescent slash at two pink turrets near them, but their attacks only ricochet off.

X uses his old Aiming Laser, which attackes all three turrets at the same time with a green, red and yellow laser.  The black turret is the only one, which is affected and destroyed.

X: The black turret is the target!

ZERO: Nice, X!!

The turrets retreat once again, and then reappear in different positions.  A black turret is directly above Zero.

He narrows his eyes with a smirk and uppercuts it with an Electric Blade slash.

ZERO: (proud) Yeah!!!

X smiles at his partner, then charges up as he sees them come down again.  This time, the black turret is in the middle, while a pink turret lands directly in front of him.  He jumps on the pink turret and blasts the black one away with a Plasma Shot before it can fire upon him.

The other lasers fire anyway, despite missing their targets and retreat into the ceiling once again.

When they reappear, Zero double jumps towards the far black turret and uses his crescent spinning slashes to annihilate the Prism Guardian.  With his last attack, the entire Security system explodes and the poles themselves are fried out of their sockets, falling down to the ground, pathetically.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Wow! You did it!!

ZERO: (cocky) As if there was any doubt…

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Okaay, okaay. Easy, boys.  There should be a teleporter at the end of the stair-case.  Proceed with caution.

The two smile as they run towards the teleporter and use it, one after another.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Top Defense Systems - DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

X and Zero teleport into a nice open hallway with an excellent view of the mountains by an open balcony with gorgeous architecture.  But these sights are ruined by spiky mechaniloids which bounce after them on the luxurious carpeted floor.

X: Aah!

X fires level-1 pellets at them, annoyed as they are put down quite easily.  They make their way up a carpeted ramp, which leads towards a very threatening laser cannon.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) His defense system is engaged. It attacks you with powerful plasma. You may be able to neutralize it with your other weapons.

X: Hmm…

He tries his X-Buster, but it ricochets off. Zero’s Z-Buster, as well.

Zero then tries using his crescent slashes, which work like a charm as they completely destroy the large laser cannon.

X: Nice, work Zero.

They look up and come to find that the whole hallway above them is riddled with these laser cannons.

X: Oh man. We have our work cut out for us.

ZERO: Then let’s get started!!

Zero double-jumps up, ignoring the ladder right by them and kick-jumps off the wall to reach the next floor, only to get knocked down by a large Plasma Blast.

X carefully climbs up the ladder and creates a forcefield out of his C-Shot, immediately destroying the laser cannon.

X: Hmph, That’s what you get.

X dash-jumps over Zero and dashes ahead.

Zero shakes his head with a smile as he gets up.

ZERO: Whatever..

He dashes after him, up the ramp.

With X’s C-Shot forcefield, he runs through a hotarion and easily kick-jumps through two defense systems on the wall, as he reaches the next floor. Then, his radar suddenly perks up.

[RADAR]: Light Capsule above.

X: (gasping) Really??

His C-Shot forcefield dissipates when he looks up and finds a small nook near the ceiling.

X: Ooh.

Zero catches up with X, to see him distracted by another power-up.

ZERO: While you’re busy with that, I’ll clear the path ahead.

X: (nodding) Alright, bud.

He air-dashes towards the wall above and sees a laser cannon before him.  X simply fires C-shots in a rapid fashion, cutting away at the cannon as it fires it’s plasma at him.  At close-range, X persistently dodges with side-dashes and nearby close calls until the cannon is destroyed.

X: Yes!!!

He walks into the hidden room and stands before another Light Capsule, surprised to see him again so soon.

DR. LIGHT: (smiling) This is the final program for the Falcon Armor. Analyze this arm upgrade and store it into a secure area with Alia’s help.  Once it is successfully uploaded, your Falcon Armor will be complete.

X smiles.

DR. LIGHT: With the arm part equipped, you can maximize the attack power of your original shot and fire a piercing laser as your Fully Charged shot. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to charge the special weapons in this armor, but luckily you still have the Force Armor for that. As this armor specializes in mobility, you might find that this is all you need.  

X makes a thoughtful nod as Dr. Light disappears.

X: (at ease) Hmm… It seems that Dr. Light was concerned about balancing my power-set, after all.

He steps inside the capsule to receive his upgrade.

-pan down and across the hall-

Zero has destroyed a set of defense cannons within the hallway, and is dropping down into an open room, where more plasma cannons await him.

ZERO: Hey Alia.  Any idea how close I am to Dr. Glow??

He swiftly advances towards the wall and double jumps with crescent slash attacks as he ascends through the corridor with kick-jumps.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) You’re very close, actually. Dr. Izzy Glow’s room is above you, about 30 clicks away. There are several plasma defense devices installed on the way, so keep using your C-Slash!

ZERO: (smiling) Got it!

He ascends up the stairs and chips away at the cannons ahead of him.  As he kick-jumps up the long vertical hallway, X catches up to him with a C-Forcefield of his own.

X: Hey.

ZERO: Hey!

They both take their sides on opposing walls and proceed to plow through Dr. Glow’s defenses, until they reach the top floor and find the gateway to his chamber at last.

X gasps as they run through the gateway.

ZERO: This is it, man. You ready?

X: (nodding) Let’s save the World, Zero.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. FORTRESS LAB – Izzy Glow’s Chamber – DAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A siren immediately goes off, as the two intrude on Dr. Glow’s private space.  From there, the lights go out dramatically as Izzy Glow makes a colorful appearance with a teleport that has a firefly glow.

The lights go back on, but so does the device to his laser cannon, which he seemed to be working on, before they barged in.  It sparks omionously amidst the dim light as he scowls down at them in mid-air.

IZZY GLOW: (unamused)

What a graceful entrance…

X: This laboratory is so badly infected by the virus. There was no other way for us to enter.

IZZY GLOW: Hmph!

ZERO: Dr. Izzy Glow, will you do us a favor?

IZZY GLOW:

(stubborn) My work is not for Maverick Hunters! I’ve never trusted your approach. Therefore, I will not cooperate with you.  However, I do find you both fascinating… No one has ever managed to analyze the infamous X and Zero…

X: Doctor!  We don’t have time to argue with you.  Please, understand.

IZZY GLOW: (shaking) My body… has already been infected, too. I realize these thoughts may be wrong… But it’s too late to change now…  Soon, I’ll be one of the Mavericks…

X: Noo!!

ZERO: Brace yourself, X!!

IZZY GLOW: It’s time…  I’ll have to learn about you two through battle. Now…  Put me out of my misery!

X: DAMN IT!

ZERO: LET’S GO!!!

Zero runs towards Izzy Glow and instinctively uppercuts him with an E-Blade, which violently shocks the stubborn specialist.

X reluctantly switches to his new Tri-Thunder power with a frown.

X: (v.o, thinking) Alright, Adler…  You’re gonna help me save the World after all.

Izzy Glow teleports away from Zero, only to get blasted down by X’s Tri-Thunder, which covers the room in three currents of power.

IZZY GLOW: Caaauuughhh…

X shakes his head.

X: This is unfair..

ZERO: (firm) We have a job to do, X!

He dashes towards the Firefly and slashes at him in a combo.

IZZY GLOW: AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

He teleports away, swiftly and angrily.

IZZY GLOW: Take this, you foul Hunters!!

He shoots out a sophisticated Firefly-shaped laser, which directs itself down towards X.  When X dashes away, he directs it to Zero, who powers up and defiantly air-dashes above it with an F-Splasher.

The F-Splasher reaches Dr. Glow’s legs and stings him as he teleports away.

Zero proceeds to use his 2ndjump to stay airborne and Crescent slash him on the back on the way down.

IZZY GLOW: AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH.

He teleports over to the wall and juts out his bottom-light, which he powers up.

IZZY GLOW: Get AWAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!

He fires a powerful green laser at them, which knocks them both down.

Then he swiftly comes near them and teleports away, faking them out constantly as a form of defense.

ZERO: Agh!  What the Hell is with this guy!??

X: He doesn’t know how to fight, Zero. We’re forcing his hand!

ZERO: (aggravated) WE NEED THAT LASER!!!

X: (torn) I KNOW!!!!

Izzy Glow floats above them and blasts his bottom Prism Laser at them vertically.

ZERO: NO!! I refuse to feel guilty.

He dashes away and uppercuts him again with an E-Blade.

IZZY GLOW: AAAAAAIIIIHHHHH.

ZERO: You’re not cooperating, and told us you’re becoming Maverick.

X shakes his head with tight, closed eyes, holding back some tears as he charges up.

X: I can’t believe I’m doing this… I’m sorry Doctor… but WE HAVE TO PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERYYYYY!!!!!

He unleashes a charged Tri-Thunder, which creates six currents of lightning around the room.

IZZY GLOW: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.  

He tries to evade the thunderbolts with swift teleports, but gets shocked three times and falls to the ground, smoking.

IZZY GLOW: (panting, hurt) To die at the hands of the Notorious X & Zero… Is this my cruel fate..?

X: It doesn’t have to be!!

He shakes his head, huddling over, in pain.

IZZY GLOW: (obstinate) No…  I’m too far gone…  But if I get out of this alive..  I’m coming after what’s left of this planet and tormenting everyone you Love!!!!!

ZERO: That’s it!!

Zero runs after him as Izzy Glow unfurls his last desperation attack.

IZZY GLOW: Prism Shot!

He spreads his arms out to create lights across the floor, where a multitude of green light-balls attack them from all directions.

X: Aghhh. No..!

Zero grits his teeth and electrifies his Z-Saber once more.

ZERO: It’s time to /DIE!!!!!

With a final uppercut from his Saber, he slices Izzy Glow in half and absorbs his DNA instantly.

Zero gasps as he feels a new power enter his veins.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) You got Izzy Glow’s Chaos Flasher from his DNA Data! His weapon chip is the Will Laser, which X may use.

X sniffles.

X: (regretful) I don’t care.  I just wanted the Laser Device for the Enigma...  Why does it always have to come to this…?

He walks over to Izzy Glow’s remains and picks up his weapon chip.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) It looked like a quiet Laboratory… but the inside was in complete ruins.  The Sigma Virus has caused total disorder everywhere… In order to fix the situation, we need to make good use of Dr. Izzy Glow’s Laser Device.

At this moment, she teleports Douglas and their Recovery Team – Rho, Frenzy Fox, Freeze Alopex and Frostbite into the room.

X looks at them, awestruck.  Their surviving teammates are as focused as ever as they go right to work at dismantling the laser device with Douglas’ help.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) We’ll finish taking the Laser Device back to the base.  Thank you for your help.  We’ll meet you at the Hunter Base.

X nods and powers down into his base armor, feeling a sense of relief for the first time in a while.  Maybe they were going to win this one, after all.

-fade to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room – NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Caption: December 6th, 1:00 AM – 2 hours later…

X, Zero, Alia, Douglas, Signas, Hector, Kirk, Dave, Lucas, Rho, Frenzy Fox, Freeze Alopex, Frostbite and Lifesaver all look at the Main Monitor with hope in their eyes.

Displayed is a schematic of the completed Enigma Cannon.

DOUGLAS: At last!  The Enigma has been completed!!  It’s old, but we’ve reinforced it with those devices… It should work fine…  Well, we’re ready!

Everyone nods as a group as they all look ahead at the screen with anticipation.

SIGNAS: The time has come at last! We are going to launch the Enigma.  The fate of the Earth depends on it.

Alia calculates her figures one last time.

-pan to-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  EXT. NEW MHHQ – The Enigma Cannon - NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

On the right side of the base, we see a bird’s eye view of the upgraded cannon, pointed at the sky.

ALIA: (o.s) The energy, the power, the angle… everything is clear.

-      pan to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room – NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Signas clenches a fist as he makes his fateful command.

SIGNAS: All right…  This is it.  /FIRE!

-pan to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  EXT. NEW MHHQ – The Enigma Cannon - NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

SIGNAS: /FIRE!!

We see the Enigma Cannon /fire a powerful blue blast from a close angle.

SIGNAS: /FIRE!!!

We see a side-angle view of the same fateful blast.

SIGNAS: /FIRE!!!!

We see a final back-angle view of the cannon as it blasts it’s huge wave of energy into the sky.

We follow the giant blue wave of energy into Outer Space, where it collides with the Space Colony, Eurasia.

-pan to-

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

EXT. OUTER SPACE – Eurasia - NIGHT

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The Space Colony is struck by the blast, which does severe damage to it’s front and side.  The blast erupts into a brilliant flash of light.

-Fade to White-

SIGNAS: (o.s) Did we make it? …Did it get crushed apart?? Alia, give us the report.

ALIA: (o.s) …Negative! We only destroyed 62%!!

Jeers from the Hunters can be heard.

HUNTERS: (o.s, layered) Damn it!!

HUNTERS: (o.s, layered) Shit!!!

-fade in-

We slowly see that the Eurasia Colony is still fully operational, with only a chunk of damage done to it’s frontal and side regions.

ALIA: (o.s, disheartened) We have merely made it change orbit… and delayed the time of impact…

-pan to –

-----------------------------------------------------------------------  NEW MHHQ – Control Room – NIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Alia winces at the screen, and looks down feeling hopeless.

X’s mouth is agape, as he stares at the screen in disbelief.

Signas looks at the screen with a dogged, unwavering glare, while Douglas makes a confused, crooked look at the screen with a slight grimace.

ZERO: Curses!

Zero looks down with closed eyes, while the other Hunters console each other.

Frenzy Fox and Freeze Alopex give each other a saddened hug, while Rho bends down to hold Frostbite in consolation.

Lifesaver takes a deep breath, lets out a sigh and leaves the room.

DOUGLAS: The Enigma was not successful?

SIGNAS: (confirming) No…

He makes a firm grimace.

ZERO: Now what…?

-Freeze frame. Grainy Effect.-

The failed Hunters all look down in defeat and despair, while X stares at the screen with a determined face.

-Fade to Black-