Super Smash Quest - Story - Chapter 261: Prophecies of Despair
Date: March 26th & 28th, 2006.
Metal Man (GM): You guys are all on the ship, 'cept the new people, who are warped in by the inter-ship-HQ Zelda Warp Tile Thingy (ISHZWT). The door to Dark Exor is open, and you guys can walk in. It's dark in there... stupid evil guys and their atmospheric lairs.
Julian emerges from his customary Generic Blue Warp Portal and pops his fingers. "What'd I miss this time?"
Metal Man (GM): Metal himself is back at the pilot's place, making sure the ship isn't stolen or anything.
Deloth steps out of the warp.
Metal Man (GM): Nah, no blue warp. Zelda tile, Joe Dimaggio.
Deloth: "Ah, good to be back."
Julian: "And who's this guy?" *thumbs towards Deloth.*
Metal Man (GM): Most of you would probably wonder where Deloth came from.
Deloth glances around.
Charles moves inside Dark Exor since the Questers defeated the Shadow Man.
Metal Man (GM): You see, all around, various things: A nice and big space ship, and, dead ahead, some door which leads inside what is apparently a dark tower place. Charles walk into the darkness. You can't see ANYTHING in here, unless you can see in the dark.
Julian: "Hel-lo! Anyone gonna answer me?" *Watches Charles head inside.* "...Guess not. When'd Charles get back anyway..." *heads in.*
Charles stops immediately, not able to see.
Deloth takes a peek inside the door.
Metal Man (GM): You also walk into the darkness. Deloth see nothing but darkness.
Julian: *Dexes are backlit, right?*
Metal Man (GM): Sure they are.
Deloth turns around and heads back to the ship to see if he can find a light.
Julian: *reaches into his back pocket and pulls his on out, then flips it open to provide SOME light...*
Metal Man (GM): A weird alarm flips out, and then three faint outlines of laser guns open fire on you, Julian. Three.
Julian: *Flip.* "...Damnit!" *tries to juke and jive out of the way.*
Metal Man (GM): ZAP ZAP WHIFF. Damage, negates armor.
Julian: *KZSHT!* "Aw! Damnit! Can't believe this! Why I always gotta be hit first..." *quickly flips his Dex shut, and tries launching a Hat Trick to where he saw the laser gun outlines...*
Metal Man (GM): You find a flashlight.
Deloth turns it on to make sure the batteries are fresh.
Metal Man (GM): The batteries are nice and fresh.
Aetos just returned...
Garrick is moving along with the others, not really caring... the anger is still flowing through him at a startling rate... he reaches a hand into the pocket and grabs at the red Chaos Emerald... rubbing it light his own worry stone..
Metal Man (GM): Garrick move on into the darkness, and then set off the alarms as Julian destroys a single turret. Your emerald is glowing from the anger.
Deloth heads over to the door and shines the flashlight into the dark.
Metal Man (GM): Three turrets target you.
Julian catchs his fedora on the rebound, then quickly moves to the side to avoid retaliatoin.*
Aetos would be next to Locos.
Metal Man (GM): You point the flashlight at Julian. The guns fire at him again.
Deloth quickly points the flashlight towards the floor. "Sorry!"
Garrick takes the brunt of the attacks, growling out as he's pushed back from the room and outside again. He snarls at the smoking welts on his armor..
Aetos looks around the dark room they are in... heh.
Metal Man (GM): The alarms are also annoying--Deloth moves the flashlight outta the way, but Julian still has 3 lasers at him. Apparently, another set of turrets appeared near him.
Julian: "Gah man watch it!" *More movin'.*
Charles: "Garrick, put away the Chaos Emerald. An idea that I would've said about a week ago.....Giant boxes. Giant... boxes."
Julian: "You think maybe we should try the upstairs instead?"
Aetos sighs and tiptoes over to the boxes and hides in them.
Charles: "For some reason, the sign said this was 'Floor 2'."
Julian: "Same thing happened on the Archellago. Upstairs must lead to either a dead end or Floor 0 or whatever..."
Metal Man (GM): Aetos hides on in.
Charles: "Either way, a giant... box is..more... fitting."
Metal Man (GM): And it says floor 2 on this floor.
Charles: "Pardon the bad pun."
Metal Man (GM): You don't know what the floors were upstairs.
Charles: "Who will go next?"
Julian: "...I still say we should try upstairs."
Charles: "Good luck."
Julian: "But we can't do it without Aetos, because he's the only one that can see in the *censored* dark."
Charles slowly moves toward the giant box.
Metal Man (GM): No robots watch you; you could hide easily.
Aetos gulps and moves up one 'branch'.
Julian: "...Man..." *Julian see, Julian do.*
Metal Man (GM): Aetos slowly moves, but then a robot knocks into the box. The robot stares at the box for a moment...
Aetos blinks, startles. startled.*
Metal Man (GM): Then it opens fire into the box.
Julian: "..."
Aetos ducks.
Julian: "...What did I just *censored* say..." *aborts and heads back up the stairs before he's noticed.*
Aetos lays there motionless.
Charles enters a box.
Metal Man (GM): Charles is inside a box; no robots notice him. The robot shoves the box (with Aetos) out of the way, and continues patrolling. Julian is now upstairs, in the darkness. He could tell Deloth was here; at least, hear him breathing.
Julian: "Yo... Lizard thing... You find the upstairs yet?"
Metal Man (GM): Yes, an eye-shaped one in every box. Odd.
Aetos looks out of the peephole he conspiculously just noticed.
Charles moves his body so his left eye can see throught the hole. He goes to move past the first wave.
Deloth: "No, and if I turn on this flashlight I'll get blasted. I have an idea, though."
Metal Man (GM): You're halfway through the first branch; the robots are patrolling, and don't notice you anymore.
Aetos continues moving through to the 2nd branch.. >.>
Deloth: "If I can turn it on and then give it a Frisbee toss, it'll shine on the stairs and distract the turrets."
Metal Man (GM): Aetos knocks into a robot this time. With more force. The robot shoots the box.
Charles makes his move.
Deloth: "Should I try it?"
Julian: "And get our *censored*s shot up. You do that, I'll wait over here. On the staircase, out of their field of vision."
Metal Man (GM): Charles walks into another robot.
Deloth: "Got nothin' to lose."
Metal Man (GM): The robot Charles hit doesn't seem to care. It continues walking.
Deloth turns the flashlight on and gives it a spin throw in one smooth move.
Charles stops for the moment he hits something and moves on right afterward.
Deloth: Oh, come ON.
Aetos stares back at it..
Metal Man (GM): Deloth hurls the flashlight into Julian's head.
Julian: *KRUNK* "GAH!"
Deloth: "Sorry!"
Metal Man (GM): 3 lasers fire at his head. and damage, Julian. Aetos stares into its red eyes. It detects him as a threat and attacks again.
Deloth decides to find the stairs before Julian finds HIM.
Julian: "STOP AIMIN' *CENSORED* AT ME-" *KZIT.*
Deloth starts feeling the walls.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos's crate is exploded. Charles: Yes. You're half-way there.
Charles immediately stops after hearing an explosion.
Aetos blinks.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos is unveiled 3/4 of the way walking to the edge of part 1.
Deloth: "Here? No..."
Metal Man (GM): Alarms go off throughout the entire tower.
Julian: *Curising violently, Julian picks up the flashlight and decides to flash it on Deloth in his frustrated state-of-mind's idea of revenge.*
Aetos: "Flippin..."
Metal Man (GM): Aetos hears the guns of the robots in the room power up... then fire at him.
Aetos: "I think... my cover is blown."
Deloth sees the beam shining around and hits the floor.
Charles moves on.
Metal Man (GM): Charles moves silently past row 1 of 4.
Deloth crawls over and keeps trying to find the stairs.
Aetos waves from the crater, in a buncha steaming meat globs.
Metal Man (GM): You're at the bend that begins zigzag 2; you're also on the side of a huge computer bank.
Julian: "Payback's a *censored*, ain't it?" *...* *is out of sight of the turrets, right?*
Metal Man (GM): Aetos reappears at the beginning of the crate room; there's another crate for him. Julian: Not if you're in the darkened room.
Aetos sweatdrops.
Metal Man (GM): Deloth finds stairs... bu they go downwards.
Deloth tries again.
Aetos steps upstairs. "Need help?"
Julian: "Find the *censored* upstairs!"
Metal Man (GM): Aetos walks upstairs; he hears Julian cursing and Deloth stumbling.
Aetos nods, looks for the direction it is in...
Julian: "And how the hell you get back?"
Deloth: "Yes. First, kill Julian. Next, help me find the stairs up."
Metal Man (GM): Charles: Yes, you can see the computer bank. Deloth finds Julian's ankles.
Julian: "You're the one who's got the idea that I'M the upstairs!"
Aetos: ;; *snickers.*
Charles, with his dex still on manner mode, takes out his dex. He points the blue button that scans stuff to scan the computer bank for security and possible alarms and such, but not the info on the computer bank itself.
Julian: "What with you shining the flashlight on me all the *censored* time!"
Deloth pulls Julian's leg, making him crash to the floor.
Aetos walks over to them, adjusts them so they face the stairs, "Walk forward... no... run forward." and then he goes back downstairs.
Deloth walks toward the stairs blindly.
Metal Man (GM): Charles scan it, and detect a password-protected alarm computer. Deloth manages to get dragged by Julian's ankle instead.
Julian: *Stomps on Deloth's wrists as he tries to pull him down.* "Stop being a *censored* and follow me..." *heads in the direction Aetos pointed out.*
Metal Man (GM): Then they've both pointed to face the upstairs.
Charles makes a slight gulp and puts away his dex. He will sacrifice his life for information... a little bit later. He goes onto wave 2.
Aetos: "Go the way I aligned you... and... Those turrets will fire."
Aetos indeed goes back downstairs.
Deloth walks forwards slowly.
Julian: "How many times do I have to tell you the turrets can't detect without LIGHT?"
Metal Man (GM): Aetos goes back downstairs, while Deloth slowly walks towards the upstairs.
Charles uses a second chance.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos would see Charles's crate sneaking all the way across row 2.
Deloth: "Don't make me set your clothes on fire."
Julian: *Is moving the in the direction of the stairs ahead of Deloth.*
Metal Man (GM): He's now on the way to row 3's intersection; right next to another bank of computers. Julian reaches the stairs. Then Deloth. The stairs feel nice and safe.
Julian: "I doubt you *censored* can. Now shut up, and let's get this over withOUT trying to kill each other, alright?"
Aetos shrugs and enters another box.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos is hidden inside another box.
Charles will assume that this computer is the same as the first bank. He moves onward...
Aetos slowly makes his way to the 1st branch once more.
Julian: "..." *tosses the flashlight onto the stairs.*
Metal Man (GM): Charles bumps into another robot, while Aetos reaches junction 1, between row 1 and row 2. The robot stares at Charles's box... and moves on.
Aetos looks out his peephole at Charles.
Charles stops the box.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos: Can't see; too low to the ground. The banks are about the same size as the boxes, and Charles is on row 3, half-way through it.
Deloth looks at the stairs, now that they have some light on them.
Charles waits a couple seconds... then continues onward.
Aetos keeps moving forward after a long pause.
Metal Man (GM): The dropped flashlight hits the stairs and rolls away. No traps are caused, while Aetos rams into a robot and knocks it over. It gets up and shoots at his box.
Julian: *picks up the flashlight while heading up the stairs.*
Deloth resists a strong temptation to kick the flashlight to Julian and heads up.
Charles hears shots and stops as soon as he's clear of the third wave.
Metal Man (GM): Julian picks up the flashlight and heads up with Deloth. Charles reaches the space between row 3 and 4, which is like all the other spaces. Just one to go... then stairs lead to floor 1.
Aetos makes horrible dying noises and then remains silent.
Metal Man (GM): The robot believes you are dead and avoids your crate.
Aetos mingles and moxies his way over to the second junction.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos sorta gets half-way before he has to roll. Julian and Deloth hit floor... 4... and see an empty room; the stairs up can be seen, and the lights are on.
Charles finally moves on.
Metal Man (GM): Charles stands up in his box, runs directly into a robot, and then runs screaming out of the room and downstairs.
Julian: "...That was easy."
Charles: "YEE-hAW!"
Metal Man (GM): How that worked to get him out of the room is beyond me. Aetos, meanwhile, is stuck half-way through row 2.
Julian: "Wait..." *tosses the flashlight into the middle of the room to check for traps...*
Metal Man (GM): The flashlight hits the middle of the room, and stops dead... in the middle of the room. Aetos hits half-way again, he's now on the junction between row 2 and 3.
Julian: "Hmm..." *carefully makes his way towards the flashlight...*
Aetos estimates he is halfway to the end, hoping Charles made it out ok. Aetos then pauses to make sure nothing is about to shoot him... and then continues slowly.
Metal Man (GM): You walk right up to the flashlight.
Julian: *bends down...* *picks it up.*
Metal Man (GM): You hit your head... on thin air.
Julian: *Carefully makes his way to the stairs up...*
Metal Man (GM): You walk... into an invisible wall.
Julian: "...What the hell." *Tries feeling his way around the wall... Always a way around...*
Metal Man (GM): Aetos hits row 3's junction. Meanwhile, Julian touches the invisible wall. It feels... cold.
Aetos pauses again, and then nods, .oO(I think I'm almost there..) Aetos then continues once more..
Metal Man (GM): Aetos stops half-way, and needs. Aetos reachs the junction of row 3 and 4.
Aetos gulps.
Metal Man (GM): Julian feels his way... and his hand suddenly goes through the invisible wall. He notices that, yes, the stairs are on the other side... That was a glass wall he was poking.
Julian: "Why bother if you're going to leave a hole in it..." *Julian makes his way through and heads up.*
Metal Man (GM): Aetos reaches the first floor, where Charles is to boot. It consists of some sort of security checkpoint, and then the door outside, which appears to be... under magma.
Aetos whipes the sweat off his forehead. "We made it... the others, I pointed in the opposite direction. They wont come this way." Aetos then glances at the checkpoint, the door under magma, and Charles, simultaneously.
Metal Man (GM): Julian reaches floor 5; this room is sorta weird. It consists of a whole lot of supercomputers on the walls, and a bunch of scientists monitoring them. They're X-naut, obviously. You could probably sneak past the scientists, or you could wreck their research. Knowing Grodus, they're probably armed to the teeth.
Julian: *How many scientists?*
Metal Man (GM): You count... 15.
Julian: *What kinda research?*
Charles: "So then. How do we pass the security checkpoint?"
Metal Man (GM): You can't tell; it involves wavelengths.
Aetos: "Very very good question..." *examines the checkpoint... what all is there?*
Julian: *Any good place to plant a C4 brick?*
Metal Man (GM): It's a counter with plexiglass that extends up to the ceiling; you're looking at it from behind. A sole X-naut gunner sits behind it; there's a stainless steel door in the middle. You could just chuck it right behind him and detonate it. Oops. Julian see the computers, which could probably have a brick placed on them. Though it'd look fairly obvious.
Aetos: "Any ideas of your own?"
Julian: .oO(Wish I had a gun... wonder where Phantom is. Anyway, even I can't take this guys on by myself...) *Sneaky sneaks past them to the next floor.*
Charles: "...We move closer."
Aetos: "Very well..."
Charles: "We don't move to the door, but to the X-Naut."
Metal Man (GM): Julian sneaks up to floor 6.
Aetos wonders if he could get any closer to the x-naut without being seen.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos'd have to use move silently at him. Julian: This floor is relatively simple. It's the armory, full of lockers which contain the weapons any self-respecting X-naut soldier would have. They line the walls; two benches are in the middle. The room is deserted.
Aetos: "...Well, I suppose I'll just go on closer... but... what do I do once I get close to it?"
Charles: "WE will move closer to him."
Julian: "...Hot DAMN!" *checks the lockers. Looted weaponry is ALWAYS good.*
Aetos whipes his forehead. "Thank goodness... I thought you were gunna make me guinea pig it."
Metal Man (GM): Julian: The lockers... they are locked. Each wall has a separate type of weapon; Gloves, Vials, Guns, and... a weird fourth kind. Staves.
Charles makes his walking as slow as he can. He is divided between hiding and going right up to the X-naut.
Julian: *Not for long... Julian uses the Jedi Door-Opening Technique on the Gloves locker.*
Aetos follows suit with Charles.
Metal Man (GM): Charles sneaks up right on the left; while Aetos's feet/shoes slip on the floor, alerting the gunner to him. The gunner turns to Aetos. It aims, and opens fire at him.
Aetos salutes the X-naut.
Julian's pulling out Vendetta, and cutting open the locker door with it, catching the door if it falls.
Metal Man (GM): Julian wrenches open the door; but then the alarms go off in the room he's in. The lockers behind him open up and all the guns inside suddenly are equipped to robotic arms; Julian's got about 6 seconds to do something. The X-Gunner reloads, and gets ready to attack again, his back turned to Charles.
Julian: *Flees to the staircaise up, boosting with Rocket Boots if neccessary.*
Aetos starts making a dash around in circles, making a panicking yelp.
Metal Man (GM): The gunner turns around and notices Charles; Julian. Charles: Better do... something. Julian flies up to Room 7.
Charles: .oO(What I wouldn't do for a hypospray.)
Aetos makes his way for a hiding spot from the gunner, while it's distracted.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos hides while the robot guard shoots at Charles.
Aetos blinks. .oO(I didn't want him to shoot Charles though!...)
Metal Man (GM): Yes, Aetos. Julian: Floor 7 is a casino. No guards seem to be here, though X-nauts (the normal kind) are gambling here.
Julian: *cuts the Rockets and lowers slowly to the floor, looking for the next staircase up.* .oO(Roll 'dem bones...)
Aetos steps out of his cover with a slight... growl. He holds his keyblade outright to the gunner.
Metal Man (GM): You'd see it, but there's a veritable maze of slot machines.
Julian: "..." *looks up, to see if the ceiling has any dark rafters or something.*
Aetos: *small orbs of light form at the tip of the keyblade, after a small bit, wind jets out from the bottom of the blade and twists around and wraps around each orb of light. they soon jet off and smack right into the back of the X-gunner.*
Metal Man (GM): It's hit all three times; it doesn't seem too harmed. It turns away from Charles and shoots at you. Meanwhile, Julian sees how smooth and uniform the ceiling is.
Charles scans this robot, wondering what modifications it has.
Julian: *Lighted up?*
Metal Man (GM): Yup. Charles: Looks like a generic old bot... but similarities to the old Machine-made fallen Quester-bots are rampant. It is also loaded with Magitek.
Julian: *So I gotta sneak again?*
Charles: "My word. Grodus seems to be obsessed over technology powered by magical energies."
Metal Man (GM): Well, you can sneak, but the X-nauts aren't armed.
Julian: *How many are there?*
Metal Man (GM): Around 8-9 of them.
Charles better do this fast. Is the trojan still within the dex? Charles then is content to always make backups of his successes. While the X-Gunner is turned around for the second time, he goes to upload the trojan to this robot.
Metal Man (GM): The robot turns around, raises its gun... and then sparks and is subverted by the trojan.
Aetos cheers. "I don't know what you did exactly, but it must have worked!"
Julian: "...I can take these guys." *Julian actually says this outlound, exposing his presence.*
Charles: "Robotic construct of magiscience technology; what is your function?"
Metal Man (GM): They turn from their gambling to face Julian.
X-naut1: "It's a Quester!"
X-naut2: "I bet 1000 coins that's not a Quester."
X-naut1: "You're on!"
Metal Man (GM): They totally ignore you and start gambling.
Julian: "...WhatEVER. Gaw, try to actually start a battle and they blow it off..." *makes his way to the next staircase then...*
Charles: "...?"
Metal Man (GM): Charles: The robot speaks to you.
Charles: "Must not have any voice projectors."
X-Gunner: "I was created to destroy the Questers. Lord Grodus has us ready to shoot down all the Questers before they can hurt him. We are to protect all critical sectors."
Aetos can listen as well?..
Metal Man (GM): Aetos hears it as well.
Aetos: "Ask it what so critical is located here?"
Charles nods.
X-Gunner: "The entrance, the one assumed to be used by Questers."
Charles raises his eyebrow.
X-Gunner: "However, they entered above. The magma also hardened. Thusly, this area is no longer highly critical."
Aetos: "...So, this is floor one?"
Charles: "We already know it is, Aetos. What are the passwords and security overrides to the computer banks located on Floor 2?"
X-Gunner: "I can only control the computers on floor 1."
Aetos looks around for computers here.
Julian: *So we're walkin'...*
Metal Man (GM): You see an entry computer, nothing else.
Charles: "It's no use. This one only has knowledge of the floor it was stationed at."
Aetos: "What can I do using this computer here?"
X-Gunner: "Open and close the entrance interlocks on this floor."
Charles: "You might as well release the interlocks, Aetos."
Aetos shrugs. "Tell me how."
X-Gunner: "On the command of the master controller, I will open the interlocks."
Julian does?*
Metal Man (GM): Julian go to 8th floor.
Charles: "This may be a stupid question, Aetos... so bear with me... Who is the master controller?"
X-Gunner: "Currently assigned to: Charles L. Magellean."
Charles: "Well now. Seems the trojan has run its course."
Aetos: "That is good. So, tell it to open the door?"
Charles: "X-Gunner: I give the command of allowing one Aetos to open the interlocks of Floor 1."
Aetos: "...Or me..."
Charles: "It's best you do it in case something happens."
Aetos: "Right, meanwhile, do you think you might be able to spread this virus to the other robots?"
X-Gunner: "Affirmative."
Aetos lurks over the computer and begins trying to open the interlocks.
Metal Man (GM): The doors open; first the one to the outside (it reveals a wall of rock), and the second, the middle interlock, which swings open. The door, that is.
Charles: "Trojan, and I might be able to do so. After all, I originally created it take control over the saucers that partrolled the outside of the tower."
Metal Man (GM): Julian, having made it this far, would discover the dark secret behind dark Exor. Upon entering the eighth floor, he would see... a variety of controls, surrounding the most sinister object he had yet seen: A large steel shaft with a single blackened glass sphere atop it. The sphere itself is connected to a huge quantity of wires, and those lead into the panels. It pulses with energy, in an arthyhmic way. The controls are merely a bunch of power controls and logic circuits; you probably couldn't do much with them without a high level of computer knowledge. Interlaced with all of this are a variety of magitek crystals; but you sense... that this sphere is superior.
Julian: "...'S all? I was thinkin' something... bigger, I guess." *catiously makes his way towards it, watching for any more *censored* turrets or assorted trappery.*
Metal Man (GM): You walk towards it, with absolutely no resistance to stop you. The staff stands about 8 feet tall, and is connected into a slot in the floor.
Julian: "...'Lright, suppose I just gotta smash this thing... Dex, whatchu think about this?" *has taken his Dex out and flipped it open at this point.*
Metal Man (GM): You flip it open: The dex doesn't seem to activate in the presence of this object.
Julian: "...Damnit."
Metal Man (GM): It does, however, look smashable.
Julian: "...Might as well." *Julian reaches into his back pocket, pulls out Vendetta's hilt, and smashes the sphere with it, probably dooming him to a horrible death.*
Metal Man (GM): You hit the sphere; but when it touches the sphere, a gigantic bolt of... black-and-purple energy courses through the blade, and into you. This hurts a whole lot, and yet... does no damage to you. Instead, it causes you to fall to the floor. The name "Sardis Mongul" is implanted in your mind for some reason. You vaguely see the door ahead through the temporary haze this energy put on your mind.
Julian: "..." *long blink.* "Bad idea..." *pulls himself up and makes headway towards the door... looking for a possible place to plant the C4 in this room to cause maximum damage while he's at it.*
Metal Man (GM): Knowing how the staff reacted to a little energy, some C-4 stuck right in the base would dislodge it, make it shoot lightning everywhere, and total the computers in one fell swoop.
Julian: *Shabow! C4 Planted.*
Metal Man (GM): The door ahead awaits.
Julian: *sets the timer to 15 minutes, and walks on ahead.* .oO(Plenty of time... I hope.)
Metal Man (GM): You walk on ahead, the timer ticking behind you as you walk. Up the staircase you walk... and into the eye of Exor. There, you gaze upon the most evil thing atop this cursed place... Grodus. He stands with his back to you, but... he speaks before you can react.
Grodus: "Just... as I predicted."
Julian: "What? That'd I be the only one to go up?"
Metal Man (GM): He turns around to face you; Magitek crystals can be seen interlaced with the circuitry in his 'brain', and he stares at you darkly.
Julian: "Damn, I pounded you good last time, huh?"
Grodus: "Yes. I planned to split up the Questers and finish them off, one by one. And you... will be the first."
Metal Man (GM): He laughs to himself, as if he knows something you don't. Then he looks down, though the floor.
Grodus: "It would take more than some C-4 to destroy THAT device... but I don't even need that to defeat you. I won't even make use of my force field."
Metal Man (GM): He is... totally unarmed, at least from what there is. The controls to the entire tower... you cannot see. The room looks mostly empty, save for some controlless mainframes.
Julian: "You got somethin' planned, huh?"
Grodus: "Yes... in fact, it has already succeeded. You're just wasting your time living."
Julian: "What? What is it? You make yourself invincible or somethin'? I shouldn't even bother is what you're sayin?"
Grodus: "I am exactly the opposite of invincible. Now, die!"
Metal Man (GM): BOSS BATTLE PART I: Julian vs. Grodus III.
Julian: "...So you're dead already? Man you're confusin'..."
Grodus: "Your mind is too weak to comprehend the majesty of my plans!"
Metal Man (GM): He makes some dramatic hand-gestures.
Julian: *smirks.* "Yeah, whatever. Tell ya what, if you'se so confident you're gonna win, I'll let you take first shot. C'mon!" *stance! Turn Passed.*
Metal Man (GM): He smirks.
Grodus: "Exactly as I predicted. Now, kneel to my power!"
Metal Man (GM): He points one finger at you; from that, a lightning bolt flies at you. BZAP! damage, and you are slowed down.
Grodus: "I calculated your mental power beforehand, and designed a spell that you could never avoid. Thus, your loss is predestined!"
Julian: *BZZT!* "Gah! That ain't goin' unpunished!" *Julian rushes over to Grodus, flattening his hand and rearing back... then trying to slam it into him for a Punkslap!*
Metal Man (GM): Grodus is hit by that attack... but he seems to have been predicting it.
Grodus: "You won't like what happens next!"
Metal Man (GM): He is knocked back into the glass behind him, which cracks. He stands up and walks right back where he was earlier. His head appears to be glowing.
Julian: "I ain't done yet!" *Julian reaches into his back pocket, and pulls out a badge depicting a stick figure in a bubble... Julian pins it to his vest as a red bubble shield appears around him.* "I may not like shields, but I gotta use it this time... And lastly!" *Julian twists, then launches his right foot towards Grodus' face with a Winding Kick!*
Metal Man (GM): You hit him again. His head glows brighter. Like a berserk lightbulb.
Grodus: "Face the power... of MAGITEK!"
Metal Man (GM): His head suddenly flashes once, twice, three times, and then fires a big laser at you. You barely fail as was predicted by him... and take damage to the shield, which is knocked out about as quickly as it came up. It looked vaguely like being slapped and kicked. His head stops glowing.
Grodus: "Give it up, and you might feel my mercy."
Julian: *Psh.* "What mercy? You ain't got none!" *Julian rushes again, rearing back and slamming Grodus with a KO PUNCH!* *LUCKY 3.*
Metal Man (GM): He watches you closely as you "KO" him. Too bad he springs back like a jack-in-the-box.
Grodus: "The reality of this battle can be expressed without talking."
Metal Man (GM): Indeed. If you couldn't tell already, something is fishy about Grodus.
Grodus: "Perhaps I shall take you down another notch."
Metal Man (GM): He fires another lightning bolt at you from his pointer finger.
Julian: *Bzap.*
Metal Man (GM): Damage, and slowed down even more.
Grodus: "Soon, you won't even be able to move. Pitiful, isn't it?"
Julian: .oO(This ain't good...) *checks his Dex to see if it decided to work again.*
Dex: "...DING! Grodus. Level 110. health: 157/2200. SP: Infinite. STR: 20. END: 30. AGI: 20. MNT: 40. DEF: 10. AC: 15. Unable to calculate attacks and abilities; target appears to be unstable in the time-space continuum. Attack list appears to grow in response to attempts to outsmart opponent. Suggestion: Either raw force or running. End of entry."
Julian: "..." *Yoink!*
Metal Man (GM): You run away from Grodus, who watches you.
Grodus: "Just as expected. I acquired enough attack power from him to destroy the infidel and his avian minion. Away!"
Metal Man (GM): He teleports... downwards. *PAUSE on Julian.* Meanwhile... Charles and Aetos are downstairs, staring at the vapid countenance of one of Grodus's robots. Well, you're both down here, wondering what to do next, I'm sure.
Charles: "There's not much more we can do here. The exit or the second floor again."
Aetos: "Say, is there an elevator, or anything that would let us bypass those robots on the second floor?"
Metal Man (GM): The robot moves to respond. Then, it suddenly explodes. In its place is Grodus.
Aetos: "Woah, it got fat."
Grodus: "No, but I could kill you for trespassing on my property!"
Charles: "..." *just stares intently at... his old friend.* "...Aetos. Run. Get to the Dauntless and find Metal as quick as possible."
Aetos: "What? Hah... I never run."
Grodus: "He has nowhere to go. My robots will blast him to pieces if he goes up there."
Aetos: "...He's just a large robot thing."
Grodus: "The time of reckoning is at hand. You, Charles, and I, will be the only survivors... if you choose to join my cause and forsake all others. Or, I should say... your cause."
Metal Man (GM): He points at Charles.
Aetos: "Eh?..."
Charles: "A choice..."
Grodus: "Kuja and the Questers will go down fighting one another. Infinite destruction will await all but those who wield... the ultimate power."
Charles: "!"
Aetos: "Ultimate power?..."
Charles and his choices has been one of his dire weaknesses. He blinks, and goes into a trance, staring forward... forward... thinking.
Grodus: "Gaack-aack-aaack-aack! Yes... the X-zone crystal which Sardis Mongul spoke of. It is MINE!"
Charles miraculously... snaps out of it!
Aetos gasps. "An X-zone Crystal!?"
Charles shakes his head with ferocity, to the left and right, about 50 times.
Grodus: "...THE crystal. Without it, there would be no Void... no X-zone... nothing."
Charles: "S-s-sardis Mongul... The offer... must now be pondered with great... effort."
Aetos: "Hmm, wait, That's the guy who greeted us when we came here to Nintendus from Turion."
Grodus: "I will wait patiently; as waiting is always predicted to bring great things."
Metal Man (GM): He stands perfectly still.
Aetos eyes them again.
Grodus: "You, bird-thing. You wish to control the X-zone, yes?"
Charles blinks slowly... then his eyes go into a swirls and they twirl. They twirl at a moderate speed. He looks outward... outward.
Aetos: "...Well... how did you know?"
Charles: *...outward.*
Grodus: "I know everything."
Aetos: "Oh... right... I was told that. I do indeed envy the powers it contains within it's dimension. Well... What's it to you? Would you really share that power with moi?"
Grodus: "Share it? We would be equal in power, and that power being infinite. None would remain but us."
Charles: "Power... pride... honor... c-c-crystal. Void. Logic. Solarian. Magitek. Grodus. Commander of Kuja. Questers. Fighting. Power. Pride... Lunarians. Bahamut. Solarians. Commander Grodus. Crystal. Defeat. Control..."
Aetos: "How do you know that Kuja isn't on to you? You might know everything, but what if your powers do not expand into the realm of gods?"
Grodus: "I know he is onto me. The Questers will kill him, and in doing so, die. Thus the world will be ours for the taking."
Aetos: "The Questers will die? I don't like the sounds of that... I mean... I do like some of them."
Charles: "Manipulation. Deception. Traitor. Control. All."
Grodus: "It is a choice of life or death."
Aetos: "Well, I do enjoy life."
Charles: "TEMPTATION!"
Aetos: "I'll tell you what... I will join you, if Charles does as well."
Metal Man (GM): He crosses his arms.
Grodus: "Your decision, Charles?"
Charles blinks... and he has come out of his trance. "...This is the first time I cannot decide."
Aetos hmm's... "Perhaps a demonstration would convince him."
Charles: "One on hand, we would ally again and be able to rule magitek, the X-Zone, and have Kuja and the Questers on our hides. On the other... You have deceived me before, allying with Zio and Kuja to be known as the Axiom of Balance and attempted to destroy many of Nintendus the last time the Questers were here. How could I also not forget when you allied with that Solarian replica of Smithy to destroy my home that is the moon? You've had a reputation of deception and many a claim for power. Not to mention how you denounced my heritage as a Lunarian and promised to rid of me with Solarian technology and magitek."
Aetos scratches his head.
Grodus: "All of those were either done with my inferior previous versions or a test of your faith."
Charles: "And something... is amiss." *attempts to secretly sniff Grodus of sensing a motive..*
Metal Man (GM): You sense... Grodus wanting to escape from some sort of mass destruction that includes himself and many other people. Perhaps even... fear... He doesn't appear to want to harm you, but it seems almost as if he wants to preserve you and a select few from this so-called destruction.
Charles: "You haven't the one thing you usually do when we meet. You haven't cackled. Something is wrong.....It's what happened before we entered Dark Exor, isn't it?"
Grodus: "The destruction of the universe is not funny, Charles."
Charles: "It's The Void, isn't it. He's find a coporeal form, hasn't it?"
Grodus: "I... don't know. We don't have time to know what is going on."
Charles: "...YOU don't know!? The very being who predicts everything..." *looks to Aetos.*
Grodus: "It... can't be known. No logical device can compute it."
Charles: "Aetos... we gotta get the hell outta here. Grodus, we have to call a temporary truce. Magitek or not, my hatred has been set aside since I have turned my back on anger. If YOU fear for your life, a Commander, then we have to evacuate the hell outta here."
Aetos: "Exactly what he wants to do..."
Charles: "No. A truce to ALL the Questers, not just you and me, Aetos."
Aetos: "...But then Kuja will chase Grodus down as well... and know one will be safe from this impending doom you both speak of."
Charles: "We don't have time to argue. We leave now or all of us in this fortress are sent to the Farplane.....Or just wander for eternity; I'm not really sure. What do you say, Grodus? Truce to all of us?"
Grodus: "...It is against my better judgment, but from what I have computed, there can't be any more judging if anyone is to survive."
Charles: "It is what we call un-calculated risk."
Grodus: "We must evacuate this place before Kuja can discover what has happened. Julian, the fool, placed a charge of C-4 upon the holy relic which I recovered from this ground."
Aetos: "Eh? Holy Relic?"
Charles: "Explain later."
Aetos kicks the ground.
Grodus: "Do you mind if I send you... back to your ship? It would be faster than running."
Charles: "As a sign of good faith, we'll help you get outta here if you show us a sign of good faith: say... allow all of us Questers are not to be targeted by your defenses? That's even better."
Aetos: "Yes, back to our ship... would be nice."
Grodus: "Let it be known to you, and you two only, that I never served Kuja willingly."
Charles: "Agreed. Send all of us to the Dauntless and we will owe you a 'sign of good faith."
Grodus: "Good bye, Questers. And... Charles."
Metal Man (GM): *CINEMA.*
Aetos nods. "Secrets safe with us."
Metal Man (GM): Grodus waves his hands; Aetos, Charles, Julian, and a somehow KO'd Deloth land back on the Dauntless, in the control room.
Charles: "Good bye... old friend."
Metal Man (GM): Strange, ethereal laughing echoes throughout the area; clearly The Void again. Dark Exor begins to glow oddly.
Charles: "Illian... ILLIAN!"
Metal Man: "What the heck is going on?"
Julian: "..."
Aetos looks left and right.
Julian: "What the *censored*!"
Aetos walks up to the comms console.
Metal Man (GM): The console is fully functional.
Charles: "We have an emergency. We were forced to leave Dark Exor."
Julian: "I was just about to go back up to that room and smash his stuff..."
Metal Man: "...Say no more. I feel rather odd myself."
Metal Man pulls a few levers and takes off immediately.
Charles: "Grodus said that... he didn't predict this happening."
Aetos: "Someone set us up the bomb... we hadta make haste."
Charles: "That is what truly concerns me."
Julian: "That C4 oughta take care of him anyway... wait, you talk to that *censored*?"
Charles: "I saw a motive Julian."
Metal Man (GM): BOOM! BOOM! KABLAM! The Dark Exor suddenly begins exploding.
Charles looks to Julian with an expression of concern.
Julian: "Yeah! Take that!"
Metal Man (GM): Unearthly laughter shakes the ship itself; the entire area begins exploding. Big chunks of the ground fly into the air and disintegrate;
Charles: "A motive... to survive something that threatens the fabric of time and space." *looks to the destruction.*
Julian: "...What?"
Metal Man (GM): The entire area is surrounded by a gigantic sphere and implodes; then the small, super-heavy chunk remaining violently explodes outwards, making a HUGE crater.
Aetos watches the blip of Grodus' tower.
Metal Man (GM): The blip wavers, then turns into dust and vanishes.
Julian: "...Day-mn! The C4 did more damage then I though it would!"
Metal Man (GM): Lightning smashes the remaining scorched earth, leaving nothing but a bunch of dust in the place of that entire area.
Aetos: "That, or The Void helped."
Charles: "The C-4 didn't do that. At least... not alone."
Metal Man: "...How did C-4 cause a lightning stomr?"
Charles: "All that is happening right now is because of The Void."
Julian: "Well, I set it under this glass sphere that shot lightning... Mighta done something, ya? How does the Void figure into this, Charles? "
Charles: "Think about it, Julian."
Aetos: "Didn't you hear that insane laughter?..."
Charles: "The laughter... the sheer impact of that magitek force field. Grodus saying no computer can calculate something like this. It's back, people. There's no doubt it's more powerful than ever."
Metal Man: "...The fact that C-4 can't cause that magnitude of destruction?"
Charles: "Perhaps that relic had some help."
Julian: "It blew up a magical artifact that mighta done that!"
Charles: "The fact remains: The Void... has returned."
Metal Man: "...I don't even want to know what happened. For all intents and purposes, this commander is down for the count."
Julian: "And I'd like to know why you talked to that *censored* instead of doin' something more forceful. Like caving his skull in.....Where the hell'd this junkheap come from anyway?" *towards the ship.*
Metal Man: "Made out of the ruins of five ships, stuck together with ancient Earth technology which Kuja promptly destroyed."
Aetos: "Garrick's weird base thingy." *looks for that giant black cube.*
Julian: "...Right..."
Metal Man (GM): It's sorta burnt-looking; it sits opposite a cracked moon pearl.
Charles: "Question is... what do we do now?"
Aetos eyes it, and walks up to it.
Metal Man: "To home... we need to plan and take out the next Commander."
Aetos: "Is the ship still needing this thing?"
Julian: "The question is why the hell you won't answer mine!"
Metal Man: "That thing? I disconnected it... I don't think it works anymore."
Aetos: "I was gunna use it as a chair." *drags it over to the comms. console.*
Charles: "Two down. Four armies, four commanders, The Void, and a god to go. Metal, take us home."
Julian: "Charles! Answer me! What the hell were you talking to Grodus for?"
Charles: "He offered us the X-zone. I did not accept, but he showed us a 'sign of good faith'. That is all you need to know."
Julian: "He *censored* shot me! This ain't gonna turn out well man, you just wait and see. He's got somethin' up his sleeves, and he's gonna pull it out when we least expect it and wipe us out!"
Aetos mutters under his breath: "Maybe you..."
Charles: "Let's just say..." *looks to Julian through the corner of his eye.* "...you aren't wrong, Julian." *looks back to outside the window.*
Julian: "This' *censored* *censored* man. Just wait and see..."
Aetos looks over all the comms. radar blips at this time.
Charles: "This could've turned out better than what just happened."
Julian: "Yeah, I could've killed him and we wouldn't be having this disscussion about how he's gonna doublecross us."
Charles turns his head slightly toward's Julian's direction. "Then why didn't you?"
Aetos turns to them.
Julian: "Beause I didn't feel like being stuck to the floor, that's why. He's got this thing that predicts your every move and sets up a counter for it. And he's gonna use it on us, mark my words."
Charles: "Seems you've progressed."
Julian: "The hell you talkin' about? Last time we fought, I punched straight through his head, but I got my *censored* handed to me this time!"
Charles: "You fought with your mind. The Julian I knew would've fought to the bitter end. The Julian that I speak with fought with his mind as well with his fists. He didn't stick around in a battle he couldn't win. That took a tremendous amount of courage, Mr. Sawyer." *turns his head to the window again.* "A tremendous amount."
Aetos eyes Charles, and then bows his head back down to the radar.
Julian: "...Man, whatever..."
Metal Man (GM): Eventually, the group returns to base.
Charles goes to avoid Vladimir one more time while looking for the Young Ward. Charles then straightens his mysterious uniform that has still remained to have a description. One cannot say for certain, but they look like Garrick, Aetos, Aribar, Nodal, Deloth, Azure, Illian, and (other ones I may have missed.)
Julian: "Some Lunarians or... wha?"
Aetos: "But... Charles is the last Lunarian, says Mij."
Metal Man (GM): Illian's image would be ghostly and distorted; even Charles's memory couldn't seem to focus him. Odd.
Charles (GM): In fact, ALL of the images are ghostly and distorted.
Julian: "He ain't the last. The rest of 'em are frozen on the Second Moon or somethin'..."
Aetos: "I see."
Metal Man: "Nothing can be stopped forever." *His voice echoed from away.*
Aetos feels a chill. "Did you hear that?"
Charles, the one holding the emerald, begins to show grimace. The camera shows a diner, and Charles is casually sitting there, along with the distorted images of the Questers. They have menus in their hands, and they seem to be discussing something.
Julian: "...Metal, if you're gonna watch, get in here."
Charles begins to show more grimace, as he thinks of something else again. The image distorts, and now shows the Questers fighting a beast that is terribly ugly. One of them is holding a strange weapon, and slashes the beast. It yells out in pain, but again, no sound comes out of the mind images.
Aetos examines the look of the weapon.
Charles shows a final image distortion, this time the Questers are in a dark place. They see Charles imprisoned in a cage, as a five levitating fires float around him. One black, one white, one red, one yellow, and one blue. A strange red orb of energy is circling Charles overhead. They all enter the Lunarian simultaneously and he grasps the bars, yelling out in agony as lights start to flash inside of him. The Quester.
Julian just watches.*
Charles: The Questers yell out... but it is of no consequence. Where Charles is standing...*** The emerald glows. *shrieks in pain as the emerald is jolted from his hand. He curses in Lunarian as he shakes his hand to get rid of the pain.*
Aetos: "Um... welcome back... Quite the spectacle. Perhaps the purple emerald is tied to pain?" he whistles.
Charles: "Damnit. I guess I was reminiscing too much instead of trying to clear my mind and find a way to utilize the emerald for Chaos Control."
Julian: "...So you got nothin'? "
Charles: "I recalled memories that... didn't happen."
Metal Man walks in, out of seemingly nowhere. "I have never been able to make an emerald work either."
Charles: "A curious sensation. It was as though I was reliving each one."
Julian: "...So you got nothin'?"
Charles: "At a conference table, in a diner... and with you guys. I'm sorry. I don't."
Metal Man: "Each emerald is connected to a negative emotion. That is all I know. Never worked for me, though... I never get very emotional."
Aetos: "So those never happened? What if you just don't remember?"
Charles: "Some I do remember. Some I don't, but the yellow emerald Ari has doesn't need an emotion from him. But I believe that memories of the past is the key to using the purple emerald."
Aetos: "What do you think this one has to deal with?" *holds the white one before them.*
Julian: "...Fan-*censored*-tastic. Now it's never gonna get used."
Metal Man: "I don't know about Ari... nobody seems to understand him."
Charles: "Surely you have memories, Julian."
Metal Man stares at the white one. "Charles babbled about that one before Ivan for days straight. He HAS to know what that does."
Julian: "None of 'em I wanna relive."
Charles: "...The white one. Give it to me."
Aetos hands the emerald to Charles.
Charles takes it with a bit of force. "Perhaps Julian... you could create your own memories with it."
Aetos blinks at the seeming... obsessive Moon-man.
Julian: "...What? "
Charles: "You said yourself you don't wanna relive your old ones. Why not create ones you want to live and remember them?"
Metal Man: "Now then. Uhhhhh... last time I checked, you told us all about the importance of that white emerald, and how it was going to save us all. That was before Ivan sidetracked you and made it so that all the emeralds could be used."
Charles: "The importance of the white emerald... well, I've pondered about it."
Julian: "So what? You're saying I should re-invent my past? Nuh-uh. I read a book about that once, that leads you down a slippery slope to insanity. My memories may not be all that great, but I'll stick with 'em..."
Charles: "Not your past. The present. Like how you enjoyed beating the crap out of oh say... Kales?"
Metal Man: "Old Klumsy would beat you down if he had memory of you beating his naive original self down."
Charles: "Julian wouldn't care."
Julian: "*censored* Klumsy. Whaz he gonna do?"
Metal Man: "Kill you with techniques only someone more experienced than I can master."
Charles: "Then use an example of other memories of your triumphs as a Quester and use them."
Metal Man (GM): .oO(I have yet to learn how to come back from death after being dead for years... a shame.)
Julian: "Psh. Let's see him do that when I'm all the way over here, and he's all the way... wherever hell his tomb is."
Metal Man: "I bet 10,000 coins you can't beat him in a fight."
Charles: "The white emerald: It's the one that I had always claimed required neutrality, but really it is the balance of the other emeralds and that it is the purest of them..."
Julian: "Aslong as it ain't in his tomb, where he holds all the power, you got a bet. But he ain't never gonna leave."
Charles: "I've turned my back on blindly using emotions... so..."
Metal Man: "I'll have to ask him and see what he thinks. Up until he died, he always seemed to want to kill me. I don't know why."
Aetos stares at Charles.
Charles concentrates. He allows himself to embrace the emerald's power. "Peace... of mind..."
Aetos: "He speaks Lunarian again?"
Metal Man (GM): Charles finds the emerald glowing weakly. Apparently he has only just barely begun a return to balance, as opposed to blind rage.
Charles thanks of the times that made him all the different emotions; anger, happiness, cockiness, and the dozens of others. He begins to blend them together...
Aetos: "He seems calm. But he isn't calm enough."
Metal Man (GM): He would feel something else, though... that anger... it went somewhere, into what appears to be a big, black splortch which now seems to reside in the back of his mind whenever using emerald power.
Aetos notices Charles get unnerved slightly.
Metal Man (GM): The emerald continues to glow weakly; Charles would feel one third, weird thing. This use of the emerald allows him to see... a balance of sorts. Of the whole universe.
Charles tries empties his mind of all his thoughts as he lets them flow naturally together. Into one single thing.
Metal Man (GM): He can't see very far out from himself, but he can see the Questers at the dead center, and himself hanging out on the edge of some boundary between neutrality and chaos. With Lumis being fatally out in chaos, consumed by what he used for power.
Aetos taps Charles' shoulder.
Metal Man (GM): That is all he can see, though; the emerald is weak to him; he could still pick up the red emerald and crack some heads with that if he felt like being chaotic.
Charles opens his eyes. He shakes his head.
Aetos: "You are cursed, Charles."
Metal Man: "Hmmm... a good sign. The end of the chaotic Charles is at hand."
Charles: "I saw... the universe. I was on a boundary of some sorts and I saw my twin brother somehow... consumed by something. I misused the Chaos Emeralds, and thus my mind has become unstable."
Julian: "...Huh. Charles, who'd you palm the Red emerald to?"
Charles: "Garrick."
Metal Man: "Garrick hates me, despite embracing forces which border on my--- I mean opposite."
Aetos: "Garrick hates everyone."
Julian: "Good. I'll go see if I can trade with 'em... Seems like he's got alot of memories..."
Charles: "Julian, don't even consider trying to use it for yourself. The red emerald is still somehow bound to me, so Garrick is under the influence of my anger as well."
Julian: "...What?"
Charles: "He already blames himself for the return of The Void, and that was just after one use."
Julian: "This is my problem how?"
Charles: "With how much anger you have, you could become even worse off than he is."
Metal Man: "Yech. I think the problem is of The Void being linked to that emerald at all. How many maniacs with god-like powers do we need trying to kill us? Argh."
Charles: "YOU would teeter on the edge of insanity as me. Mindless. Not able to control the power of your anger."
Metal Man: "I never can understand anger... I just can't seem to stay mad at anything anymore."
Charles: "I was a fool to think that my plan of using all 7 to remove that which bound me to the emeralds... A GOD DAMN FOOL I WAS."
Aetos: "I'm not much of an angry person either." *squeekishly makes gestures for the white emerald.*
Julian: "I think I could handle it. Or atleast try. With the funk he's in, Garrick ain't gonna use it anyway."
Charles: "You could initially. Then you'd become increasingly unstable to the point of using it over and over without rhyme or reason. Think about it for one moment; do you want to become what I have become?"
Julian: "I dunno, what have you become?"
Charles: "A Quester who thought it was a good idea at first. On Turion, the red emerald was snatched from me by Mewthree. Without it, I had no outlet so I was almost killed. I used it against Maximillian out of pure hatred of what he was. I didn't use the emerald with logic, so he overpowered me. He sent me flying across Nintendus. Were not for Ivan and his troops, I would've been killed."
Aetos: "...That whole Mewthree taking the emerald was my fault... Sorry."
Charles: "It drains you of your mind and heart and instead relies on raw emotion. You become dependent on it."
Julian: "And I already know to keep everything I know far out of Aetos' reach."
Aetos sighs.
Metal Man: "Eh. At least you have those things. I find it hard to think these days..."
Julian: "Yeah, but what I'm saying is, I can learn from your mistakes and not end up nearly killing myself."
Aetos flat out asks Charles for the white emerald back now.
Charles: "That doesn't matter. You would be consumed the same way I was since the curse is still in the emerald." *gives it back to Aetos.*
Metal Man: "Yeah. You can finish the job and die outright!" *Sarcastic/silly face.*
Charles: "It's already deteriorated Garrick's condition. With you even moreso."
Aetos: "Thank you Charles, and... in the event I am indesposed or missing, I want you to use this emerald should you want to."
Charles: "I could coach you on how to control the initial bouts of it... but... beyond that."
Julian: "I told you, I can handle it."
Charles: "You refuse to accept the truth of the matter. Even if you could do so, it would be hard to pry it from Garrick's blood-shut hands."
Metal Man: "I doubt you could handle trance mode, let alone emeralds. Brrr. Trance would mess anyone up."
Charles: "Metal, Trance is not available to us anymore."
Metal Man: "The point is, he hasn't even tried the stuff which is a gateway to emerald stuff."
Charles: "If Julian wishes to understand the power of a emerald and its curse... let him try. He seems to have enough dogged determination to try to use it. Julian, if you can convince Garrick to give you the emerald... then I won't get in your way of doing so."
Metal Man: "Eh. In the old days, I used to think about all those purdy relics that exist around this world... utterly, utterly worthless things. Save, of course, anything that can minimize the chaos caused."
Aetos: "Do you believe a curse lies within each emerald?"
Charles: "No."
Aetos: "Or just the red?"
Metal Man points at Aetos. "Not that emerald."
Charles: "It was my doing that made me bound to the red one. I still am for some reason. I ...don't know why."
Aetos: "Do you believe this emerald can do that, recede chaos?"
Julian: "Not a problem. And if he won't give it up, I can just gank it off him when he ain't lookin'-" *Snap.* "Like that."
Metal Man: "...He might do... the look... if you do that. That look which makes you feel like you kicked a puppy."
Charles: "The white one is, in fact, the most difficult to utilize it seems."
Aetos: "With enough motivation, I'm sure it will come to it's use at the right time..."
Charles: "I've also seemed to be bound to the purple one as well since I tried to utilize it. Something that Lunarians have a nack of for using artifacts. I'll just have to learn to stop using them."
Aetos: "It will be tough, what with that darkness in your mind."
Metal Man: "It's not the darkness in your mind to fear."
Charles: "Why is it that I can't help but feel that Shadow put me up to this? ...Shadow." *snaps his fingers.* "Reminds me, we need to understand how those hid away from Kuja were able to survive all these years. As we speak, Ivan is making a device that could help us track those not loyal to him."
Metal Man: "Dang it! If you had that Grodus jerk betraying Kuja, we should have tried to see what sort of signal he gave off before his place simultaneously exploded."
Aetos's eyes widen, he gasps, and pulls Charles outside and down the halls and up stairs and to the sleeping quaters. Aetos then pants, and wipes his forehead.
Julian: "...What's his problem?"
Metal Man turns to Julian. "I wonder what ate him."
Aetos: "Guh... huh... ih... huh... eh... huh..!!!"
Charles: "...You realize by doing this that they'll be suspicious about us."
Aetos: "Trap!!"
Metal Man: "So then, Julian... uhhh... how's the... local... great. No sports teams, no non-brainwashing TV, and the potato chips don't even have computer chips in them anymore."
Julian: "We have chips?"
Aetos catches his breath, and waits for some response from Charles.
Charles: "No. No, you did this. By doing this, they will eventually realize that we are hiding something."
Metal Man: "Back when I could buy them, yes. Unfortunately, the chip vendors keep on saying "DEATH TO THE QUESTER INFIDELS" whenever I call them up."
Aetos: "It's a TRAP!!"
Charles: "Maybe Metal already knows. Who knows. What I know is that I would've kept my cool."
Aetos growls.
Julian: "So you think I'll be able to persuade Garrick to give up the emerald, or force it off him?"
Aetos: "What did Ivan say to you before you left to Dark Exor?? "
Metal Man: "I'll help you get the emerald off of him if you agree to fight Klumsy."
Charles starts to leave again for R&R after saying, "He said if he found a signal that wasn't a part of Kuja, we'd be able to track down non-Kuja followers."
Aetos: "STOP!"
Julian: "Like I said, as long as it ain't in the Tomb, bring it."
Charles stops. "...Now that I think about it, he had scanned me for my genetics. He said it was for archiving."
Aetos flinches. "I took notice that while you navigated the computer room inside the box in Dark Exor, no matter how clumsy you were, the guards didn't harm you."
Charles: "I was not clumsy."
Aetos eyes Charles.
Charles: "...I was unorthodox."
Aetos: "Now, this old bean of yours, he insists on keeping you alive with him... he needs you apparently."
Charles: "You gotta believe me! Honestly!" ^_^;
Aetos: "Is there any chain you can make?! Ivan wanting to... preserve you... and Grodus doing the same?"
Charles: "Grodus wanted to strike a deal with me because The Void was near. Ivan wanted to archive me... but I don't know why."
Aetos: "Do Grodus and Ivan have any relationship?"
Metal Man (GM): Aaaand, just as you're thinking about this, a big ol' page from uncle Sardis lands on Charles's head from thin air.
Aetos blinks rapidly.
Charles: "...What the hell are you looking at?"
Aetos points to the paper.
Charles: "..." *reaches the top of his head, feeling around for something.*
Metal Man (GM): You'd feel the strange parchment used by Sardis Mongul on your head. It smells a little bit singed; must have been a fresh delivery or something.
Charles: "...eeyyy, it's another page of his." *carefully grabs the sides and takes it off his head.*
Charles reads it.
Metal Man (GM): -Page 17.
Charles remembers that he asked a fellow Quester if they saw the latest page and he did get it.
Metal Man (GM): The Questers have lost to Kuja, and the world was rent with unnatural powers that claim to be Solarian. But before I could do anything, I was sent 10 years into the future--all attempts to resist this were futile. I was even unable to departicle myself and go back in time, which is unusual. No being should be able to stop a full grown Solarian from controlling reality like second nature.
Aetos: "This is a lot to think on... I need to sleep." *bows to Charles deeply, and exits.*
Metal Man (GM): I write this as a warning for the Questers. I am going to warn them myself, indeed. They are in great danger, as usual. They are haunted by this Kuja; he goes to great lengths to destroy them. But he holds back... as if he knows something not even I don't. My ancient X-zone crystal, meanwhile, was excavated by a blasphemous machine of Magitek. One of The Void's old false towers was built and powered by it as if The Void had never died. But I knew this couldn't be true. Too horrible. I checked it out myself and saw an impressive shield... so impressive, I knew it wasn't made by any humans. Some sort of race, other than Solarians or Maricians definitely made this. This entry is more verbose than others, because I have more to say. As I near the Questers, I plan to put a stop to the chaos once and for all... the fact they have emeralds powered by it disheartens me, but I will not stop until I am dead. I am warning you, Questers; stay away from chaos. Kuja alone is bad enough. I can't tell what is going on with those chaotic people who lurk between realms, but they don't seem too friendly to me. I will soon catch up to the Questers and reveal the horrible truth. Read this, architect of the ancient shield, and heed my words... I AM COMING. It ends there. The paper is singed on the bottom edge.
Charles: "...Wha... what the hell??" *rereads the last sentence.* "Read this, architect of. the ancient shield, and heed my words... I AM COMING."
Charles keeps repeating, in his mind, "Architect of the ancient shield, and heed my words.......My god. I'M the architect of the X-Zone shield. He's talking about the shield not created by Solarian or marician? Those designs were by a Lunarian. Me." *puts it in the now 17-page journal.*
Charles writes in his handwriting, but in English. "It saddens me to write this, but I, Charles L. Magellean, half-Lunarian and half-human being, am the architect of the X-zone shield when Smithy first attacked Nintendus. While it was an incredible shield, the shielding itself was vulernable to X-zone energy. The last known shield was infused and amplified by Magitek by the Solarian creation calling itself 'Grodus.' This shield was destroyed by The Void after being summoned by the usage of the red Chaos Emerald which, while it was summoned when the Quester Garrick Fy'arr utilized the emerald, was actually used by me time and time again when I was taught to use it by the being known as Shadow the Hedgehog. Little did I know the consequences of my actions. Forgive me, Sardis. I will find a way to undo that which bounds me to the Chaos Emeralds like a curse whenever I utilize a different one each time."