Shake and Oddity's CYOA

Ken and Ryu's Dojo, Karinta Sector 10.00 AM The morning sun was shining brightly outside as a single blue hedgehog was trying to make up his mind. He was torn between his pride and self-reliance and his sense of duty and responsibility. He was ordered to keep an eye on Max, and by warning the leaders he risked losing track of him. Sonic just stood there gazing at the door Max had exited through moments ago. I shouldn't go after him alone. Gotta warn Crono. He'll know what to do. Sonic turned and ran up the stairs to the very top of the Dojo, aided by his immeasurable speed. The meeting was being held there. I am running as fast as I can, I hope I'll be there in time. Sonic slammed open the door and started yelling as the entire party looked at him in surprise, "Max just sneaked outside. He was all tip-toeing and trying to keep quiet, as if he didn't want to be seen." Sonic was explaining with his hands wildly making gestures. Cloud shot an accusing look towards Crono : "I knew we couldn't trust that bastard!" Sonic felt a twinge of guilt as he realized his mistake. Crono hadn't whispered in his ear for nothing. He had wanted to keep this between them. And now he had told most of the crew. Damnit Sonic, think next time before you act. Everybody was frantically discussing the apparent betrayal. Crono seemed to be in the eye of a whirlwind. Calm and serene as he looked at his scout directly, Sonic knew this was just a pretense. There was a volcano simmering underneath that quiet exterior. Suddenly, Crono stood up. "Shut up Cloud. Sonic, who is with Max now? Knuckles?" Crono inquired. Sonic began sweating. He had trouble bringing himself to speaking the words to Crono, this was what he wanted to hear the least. "Well, uhmm, I thought I should report to you first before doing anything else. You weren't that clear when you..." Crono exploded, "I wasn't that clear ?! I am not running a boyscout brigade Sonic !" Uh oh, there goes the volcano. "You just made public what I told you in private, and you failed your mission by checking in with me before getting results! Maybe he went out to take a leak, you just don't know do you?!" Crono was almost foaming at the mouth now. Sonic shot back: "There are bathrooms here, moron. And I'm telling you, that jerk was hiding something. Now I am going to go and catch him red-handed!" A blue blur later, Sonic was nowhere to be seen. Redheaded freak. I'm no boyscout. I have been with him in the Resistance from the start and now he treats me like a fool in front of all the leaders? I'll show him. At least I didn't lose my head over a broad. I wish Dante was still alive instead of him. Sonic's wounded pride made him judge Crono too harshly. Instinctively he knew he had made a mistake, and it was Crono's responsibility as leader to let him know that. But he was determined to prove him wrong. He was going to find Max. The Karinta Sector was a very busy one in the morning, as most of the inhabitants were fighters for whom training was a way of life. And training began at sunrise. But the fact that Max dressed himself only in black should make it easier for Sonic to find him. Sonic rolled up and raced through the Karinta Sector, hoping for a chance encounter. *sigh* This isn't going to work. I have been going around in circles for 8 minutes now, and I still don't...............what's that over there? As Sonic turned another corner, he thought he saw something black at the end of the street. Might be nothing....best to check it out anyway. Sonic rolled up and raced through the street. Now where did he go? The blue hedgehog was frantically looking to all sides, trying to spot the odd black stain in the tapestry of lively hood of the sector. Suddenly Sonic saw the man he had been looking for. It was Max alright. Walking on the street as if nothing was wrong. Sonic felt his heart leap when he thought of the possibility that he might have been wrong. I didn't imagine the sneaky manner when he left, did I? He sure seems comfortable now. The guys will get a good laugh if I find out he went to pick up some groceries. But what's that he's carrying? Sonic got a bit closer to better examine the strange form on Max's right shoulder. It was dangling from left to right along with his footsteps. Footsteps? That looks like a leg right there. The adrenaline began surging through Sonic's body as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. He didn't know why Max was doing this, but he didn't go out to take a leak, that's for sure. You're going down... Sonic curled up into his ball form and began spinning rapidly without moving an inch. As soon as the high pitched noise the maneuver made was loud enough to be heard, Max suddenly dashed to the right, vanishing inside an alley around a corner. Damn, he knows I'm here. Sonic released his throttle and sped into the alley Max had disappeared in. He put on the breaks as a limp body caught his eye. Sonic stood up, and scanned his immediate surroundings. No sign of Max. I need to see if I'm right........ Slowly Sonic walked over to the motionless body, all spread across the sidewalk as if it belonged there. Its her alright.......but that face.....I didn't pay any attention to it before. It looks so much like her, but it can't be, can it? A sound behind him made him turn around . Finally, there he was. "Give it up Max, I told Crono all about you. Unless you want me to kick your ass first," Sonic warned his former ally while threateningly cracking his own knuckles. He was comfortable enough he could take Max, his ability to manipulate time never exceeded the point to where Max was faster then Sonic. He had beaten him in plenty of sparring sessions. "You know you'll lose, Max, just come back with me.......... Suddenly, everything went black. A pain in the back of his head overloaded all of his senses. Oh ****,ambush. It was Sonic's last conscious thought as he felt himself being picked up and carried away to God knows where.......... Back at the meeting... Crono had earlier explained his intentions to the leaders, and everyone seemed to accept that what Crono did was in the best interest of the group. All except one... Cloud was challenging Crono again: "So why was it necessary to keep all of us in the dark? Don't you trust us? Magus came to Crono's aid, "For Max to be fooled, we needed to convince him he was back in the group. You, Cloud, cannot keep your emotions hidden well." Cloud respected Magus' judgment, so he stifled it with a protesting grunt and sat back down. Snake decided he was going to end the tactical meeting, everyone needed a good sleep. He wanted to try and get his point across one last time though. His option had been shot down by both Crono and Cloud, a rare happening. "I still think leaving the CAM be is a big mistake. We need to hit them where it hurts. And Sigma could be trying to restore Megaman as we speak, we should not let them cancel out the only real damage we did." Snake tried. "We need reinforcements. We have discussed all the pros and cons Snake, and quite simply we are not strong enough. And as crazy as it sounds going into Romaji, at the first sign of Kefka we can decide how to proceed. We are there for Sephiroth, nothing more. Cloud, you head for Ganondorf. Take Ken Masters, Knuckles and Squall. Take Auron too, you may need him." Crono stood up before Magus could protest. "I want to go with you, and I am sure Auron and Squall feel the same. "Cloud said. "We need Ganon's forces, Cloud. This is more important. You are simply the best man for the job." Crono enforced. "What about Sonic?" Snake inquired. "He got himself into this, he'll have to get himself out. If Max sold us out, there is nothing we can do about it at this point. And Sonic has been in tighter spots then this, this isn't a mission into enemy territory. He is out in broad daylight, probably sulking. He will be back before we leave for Romaji. You'll see." Crono said confidently. The usual silent Squall spoke up. "Crono..............if you see Rinoa .............don't hesitate. She wouldn't have wanted this. The others too." Squall almost whispered. Crono nodded. He knew exactly what Squall meant. He had made a similar vow to himself. "This is how we are going to do it. No more discussion. Get some rest. We leave at nightfall. " Ken and Ryu's Dojo, Karinta Sector 10.30 PM Everyone was awake, but barely. They hadn't had much sleep the last few days, and they had been both physically and mentally draining.. Ryu had gone from room to room to wake everybody up, while Ken Masters had prepared some bacon and eggs for everyone to enjoy. Auron and Cloud had been awake for some time before that, and Magus hadn't slept at all. He seemed preoccupied. Ken, on the other hand, seemed to be glad he was going to join the struggle against the Alliance, although his immediate mission took him to locate the Thieves Den of Ganondorf. Ken and Ryu often visited the Kintari Sector to practice with the Guardian of that sector, the wild ape DK. "Can't fight on an empty stomach. Get ready to taste the Ken Master's special," Ken announced cheerfully. He was obviously in a good mood. Crono came waggling out of his bedroom, his hair stood right up as if he had taken a jolt of electricity. "*yawn* Hey, breakfast. I haven't had a good meal in weeks. Aeris here is a wonderful nurse, but a lousy cook." Crono winked at Cloud. "If you hated it so much, you shouldn't have eaten it. Tomorrow when you are cold and hungry in Lord Kefka's sector, lets see if you get a plate," Aeris shot back while mockingly sulking. Cloud smiled. It had been awhile since they enjoyed the banter and friendship like they did now. "Where's Snake and Samus? And Sonic and Knuckles?" Crono asked. “Samus went to Snake's room a couple of minutes ago. I haven't seen Sonic yet . Knuckles went to look for him," Squall said without any inflection in his voice. In Snake's room "I can't believe it either. I have always misjudged him, he was cocky and arrogant at times........but he died well Snake. That should account for something? I know you won't agree, but he died a hero's death." Samus said trying to bring Snake some consolation. He had been hiding it, but since Snake came back from his last mission, he hadn't been the same. He was more often then not the deciding factor in the leader meetings because of his sharp eye for tactical situations. All the leaders were great fighter's and the presence of Crono was an inspiration, but he was the only one who could accurately suggest the best option when it came to military decisions. Crono relied on him a great deal. But he had failed to convince the leaders of his opinion the last time, he just didn't care as much as he did before. Snake could take the death of a member better then most, but he couldn't get Tommy out of his mind. He had known Sam Fischer a long time and he didn't think twice about him. But Vercetti wasn't a member of the Resistance. He wasn't involved in this war. He probably wouldn't have agreed to tap Fritz if Snake hadn't been on Crono's team. What had the resistance done for him? A few comments on how he had been a hero and an allowance from the Resistance for his family. That's the legacy of Tommy Vercetti, Snake thought grimly. "He died for a cause that wasn't his. People who die needlessly aren't heroes. They are either fools or victims." Snake said while looking Samus dead in the eye. "And Tommy never wanted to be a victim." "There is a very good chance Megaman won't come back from this one." Samus insisted. "Tommy could have done us all a favor." "Keep telling yourself that, Aran. Remember what Dante did to him 4 years ago? And this model was way more advanced then that one. Give Sigma time............he did it 27 times before, why not now?" Snake just shook his head. "Thats why you wanted to go to CAM.........to get rid of Sigma's lab. Right?" Samus saw Tommy was bothering him. He thinks it’s his fault................maybe it was. Tommy is dead. We have to treasure the memory and move on. Get back at them for Tommy. But that's easy for me to say, I don't have to live with the guilt....... "It's not just that Aran, I know its the right thing to do. They know we can hurt them again, just like all these years ago. They will be pumping out android after android, and we're of to do some quests that could get more people killed. I just hope it turns out alright......." Snake said with obvious doubt. Back at the table ...10.45 PM Knuckles was arguing with Crono: "Well, I can't find him anywhere. I can't believe you let him go off on his own. I'm sure he went after Payne, and he isn't anywhere either. I am beginning to think Cloud was right back at the base." Knuckles stated. "Sonic is not a kid anymore, Knuckles. If he wants to go, he can go. He won't follow my orders, you know how he gets. We leave in 15 minutes, he has until then to come back." Crono said carelessly. He liked the hedgehog, but Sonic's welfare wasn't his priority. They had a mission to accomplish. Crono stood up. He was done with this conversation. "Listen up. Everybody in my team pack your things and assemble outside at 11.00. We'll have an hour before the androids start patrolling the streets, and I intend to be in the Romaji Sector before they do!" Crono shouted . Cloud stood up. "Listen up. Everybody in my team pack your things and assemble outside..........at 10.55." Cloud gave Crono a wink. They were often at odds, but they had an unspoken understanding. A deal between men. And that was that they didn't have to kiss each other's asses to be friends. Now that they were parting, they both felt the need to say something, but both didn't know how to. Outside Ken and Ryu's Dojo A great deal of hands were shaken. Shoulders were mercilessly bruised by all the friendly backslaps. A rare hug was exchanged, between Aeris and Cloud. They were the last remaining hope for the continuation of a dying breed. After the swift goodbye's and "see you soon's" the air was heavy with melancholic resonance. They didn't know when they would see each other again, or if they would see each other at all. But there was the poignant feeling with everyone that they were going to change the world. They had too. At the same time they had nothing and everything to lose............... Cloud came out at 10:55 on the dot to survey his troops. Auron was ready, whenever, wherever, whatever. No worries there. Knuckles was arguing with Ken about some finer points of Punching vs. Kicking. Both warriors seemed to be ready. Squall looked at Cloud with indifference. Cloud thought he was ready, but Squall had been learning a few tricks from Cloud for a while now. He was pretty certain Squall was ready. Cloud was anxious to depart, “Alright people, let’s move out! If we don’t dawdle we should be able to make it to the Khintari sector by sunset. Then tomorrow we should reach the Thieves’ Den by midday. Let’s roll!” With that the party began their long journey to the Den. After a long (and disappointingly uneventful) march the group finally made it to the Khintari sector. A ghastly sight greeted them at the outskirts of Khintari. On route to Romaji Sector, 11.15 The crew had been talking for a while, but the closer they got to Romaji the quieter the flyer had become. Aeris had been totally silent after the first 5 minutes. Ryu wasn't a big talker, and neither was Snake, and he was piloting the flyer anyway.. But the usually lively Crono and the cryptic Magus were almost mute now. Samus could feel the tension in the flyer. Everybody had heard the rumors and stories, but Samus didn't really know what to expect. Magus and Crono knew. They had been there. It would be hard for them to see their homes in ruin........... The name of the place was enough to bring out a shudder in most people. Especially because it hadn't always been the horrible ghost town it was now: Crono, Cloud, Aeris, Auron, Magus and Squall had all been born there. It had been the place where Link dominated the competition. Although most of the members of the Resistance were incredibly gifted, it was mostly a struggle for second place. Link was both versatile and deadly, his weapons varying from prowess with a bow and arrow that could carry fire or ice within them, to bombs and magical spell's. On top of that he had no equal with a simple sword and shield. Even the wise Auron who had tutored Link when he was still a teenager, wasn't a challenge anymore in the end. And Auron was considered the best pure sword fighter in the Resistance. While others relied on magic or firearms or were somewhat capable at all disciplines, Auron rarely used anything but the sword he carried. But Link wasn't the only wonderkid in the Sector in those days. There had been a teenager, small and frail and seemingly ordinary. This kid was blessed with extraordinary magical ability, and he honed it day by day by torturing the various animals in the forest parts of Romaji. Some adults were disgusted by his sadistic nature, others just afraid. Kefka was a problem child. He refused to enter the competitions with everyone else. Kefka had no friends. He didn't reward attempts at friendship. Many of the Romaji youth's had scars from encounters with him, and they all remembered the insane high pitched cackle and glowing lights of insanity in Kefka's eyes as he summoned fire spell after fire spell scorching the kids that had dared to come near him. "Run run run......" he always screamed, and they all did. Nobody stayed long enough to hear what else he had to say. The parents complained. But if there was anyone more insane then the maniacal child-magician, it was the one that had given him life. The only one that could control Kefka was his mother. Just outside Khintari Sector Ken gasped, “Oh Dear Lord! That’s Donkey Kong!” A mighty simian corpse hung as a terrible warning to all who entered Khintari. A tattered tie hung from his neck. The Monkey’s gigantic hands were nailed to a cross, and the stench of decay filled the air. He had been horribly mutilated by some sick creature. The flies swarmed all over his barely recognizable body, feasting on the little blood the poor creature had left. It was obvious that he had been dead for at least a week, the rotting flesh seemed ready to fall right off of his bones. And then there were his eyes, somebody had hammered two nails straight into them, closing them forever. Squall turned away as Ken stared in disbelief, “No way! Who could do that to Donkey Kong!? DAMMIT, I WANT TO KNOW WHO NEEDS KILLING FOR THIS!” Cloud glanced at him, “Who is Donkey Kong?” “Donkey Kong is the guardian of this sector. Me and Ryu come here all the time to train with him. His heart was so pure…” Ken averted his eyes, obviously trying to control his emotions, “He has vowed to keep this sector free from the chaos that infects most other sectors. He was good at it too. You should have seen him when he got mad, he was unstoppable!” Knuckles snidely remarked, “The evidence suggests otherwise…” “Shut up!” Tears streamed down Ken’s cheeks, “He was my friend! I’m going to bury him…” “We don’t have time…” Auron told the grieving warrior, “… the sun is going down, and we need to figure out what happened here from the townsfolk before everybody’s asleep.” Ken turned his gaze on Auron, “I’m at least taking him down and removing those nails!” “Fine…” Cloud nodded at him. Romaji Sector Kefka's mother was feared and loathed throughout the sector. Adept at magic and a wretched individual, it was not hard to guess from which of the parents Kefka had gotten his magical ability or his sadistic tendency's. Kefka also had a brother. Much more accomplished and focused then Kefka, Sephiroth did try out in the competitions. He wanted to meet any requirement to be the best, challenge any champion. Arrogant and confident in his ability, Sephiroth felt himself superior to his rivals. He was his mother's champion, and Jenova had much more pride in him then she ever did in Kefka. It was easy to overlook Kefka.................nobody suspected that the little warlock had more raw power then his family combined. But it wasn't honed like Sephiroth's. It wasn't fine-tuned. It was a blunt instrument compared to the accurate powers of his mother and brother. It was commonly known that Jenova didn't view Kefka as her child. She thought of him as a failure, and she often punished him with her magic. Not for the things normal parents punish their offspring for. She punished him for showing weakness, for failing to be powerful or when he showed mercy like he did when he was at a very young age. And the punishments always left him bloody and battered, near death. Because of this his brother viewed him as an inferior being, a stain of weakness on their powerful family. Because of this Kefka was taught that compassion and mercy, weakness and kindness were parts of him he should banish. He had to make himself as ruthless as his brother. He wanted to do his mother justice, he wanted her to be proud of him. There was one ability Kefka possessed that Jenova and Sephiroth didn't. He had the ability to resurrect the dead and make them serve him. He was followed wherever he went by a pack of horribly scarred undead animals, ranging from wolves to rabbits and raven's. Kefka was a necromancer. Jenova didn't approve of this, she thought of it as a useless ability. There was no spirit to overcome, no real will to break when controlling the dead. It was a coward's tactic. She believed you had to win on your own merit, show your enemies you and you alone were stronger, instead of relying on the dead to do the fighting for you. Until that fateful day. The day everybody would remember. The day everyone was forced to leave the sector. The day Sephiroth and Link would face each other in this sector's final. It was a much anticipated battle. Most of the sector was reported to be there. Except Jenova. She always stayed home, no need to go and view the match. She felt everything Sephiroth was feeling. She stayed home and gave her son all the strength she could, extending her magical power to aid her son in battle. She had done so the entire tournament. The battle wasn't going well. Link was putting heavy pressure on the silver haired warrior, and he was barely holding on. Jenova was standing concentrated and sweating with weariness, as she tried to channel every bit of her power to Sephiroth. Kefka sat in the corner of the room. He had refused to go and watch his brother, and this was against the wishes of his mother. But he was getting bolder and more daring with each day that passed. He had felt his magical ability maturing, and although nobody else sensed it he wasn't as afraid of his mother as he used to be. Kefka stood up and silently outstretched his arms toward the entity that had tormented him, his lips whispering the word. "Fire". The spell hit the being he no longer considered his mother with full force, she was completely oblivious to this unprovoked attack. She got knocked back against the wall, and immediately turned on Kefka with every bit of magic she had left. A myriad of ice, fire and lightning spells were raining down on him. He saw Jenova standing over him with a furious look in her eyes. The pain was immense, he felt himself slipping away. His undead animals were furiously attacking Jenova, and it were these creatures he so loved and cherished and had kept from the day he was 8 years old that saved his life. Jenova twisted and turned to get the wolf that was hanging on her right arm to let go, and was firing lighting spells with her left arm to kill the owl that was pecking at her eyes. Her attention switched from Kefka to the animals which she then swiftly killed. Kefka lay there battered and bruised, unable to move because of the pain. He should have been outraged or heartbroken over the demise of his animals, but he suddenly felt a source of tranquility welling up inside of him. It was hard to explain, like a surge of concentration inside his belly. Because of this he was able to focus his powers like never before, his ability's no longer chaotic but aligned and serene. Then the feeling changed. It was struggling to find a way out of his body, he outstretched his arms and legs and opened his mouth to scream because of the pain, this raw power felt like it was consuming him. Then his hands began to feel hot, burning with energy. Jenova had resumed firing her magic at him, but it seemed unimportant, the pain from the spells felt like biting mosquito's compared with the excruciating agony this unknown power was putting him through. His mouth began spasming and between screams a word was forming that wasn't his, at least not on a conscious level : "Gaaaagghhh....UL....ughh......ULTI...........ULTIMA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " A uncontrollable wave of energy left his body, obliterating the life-force out of everything in its path. His mother, the people in their homes, all the animals in the forest, everyone. Kefka stood up. All the pain was gone. He didn't know what just happened to him but he felt empowered. His body was glowing with energy.He had finally unlocked the potential that had remained hidden for so long. He looked down at his fallen mother and began laughing uncontrollably. He outstretched his arms and every fresh corpse slowly raised their mutilated body's to serve their new master. Lord Kefka, King of the Undead............................................ Khintari Sector Once the deed was done Ken seemed to gain control of himself. “Let’s go,” was all he said after. The party walked through the town and an aura of oppressive silence pushed at them. The homes were shut tight and the streets were abandoned. Everybody could see that there were people inside the houses because they were peering out of their homes fearfully. But whenever one of the warriors’ gaze passed over them the people fearfully retreated further inside. Ken’s fist clenched, “This was a place of laughter…” he paused trying to control some powerful surge of emotion, “We’re going to the Prancing Pony, the town tavern, to find out what happened here.” They came upon a tattered building that might once have been a cheerful gathering place. But the all the lights were out and the sign that should have hung proudly above the door was askew. It hung from only one chain and dangled pathetically. The sound of weeping could be heard from inside. Romaji Arena of the past Back at the stadium the people were cheering on the two fighters, although the fight had become terribly one-sided. Sephiroth had been holding on, hoping the strength of his mother would return to him. Link was about to deliver the final blow when everything went dark above the stadium, although it was in the middle of the day. An eerie wind began to blow. In the fighter stands Crono and Magus nodded to each other when they felt the inherent evil in these dark currents and drew their weapons. "The black wind howls..............Magic Barrier !." Magus tried to protect himself and the other former contestants against whatever that was coming. Sephiroth did the same, inadvertently protecting the elf who was standing close to him as well. Cloud and Aeris protected Auron and Squall. Link no longer focused on the match, and stared up into the ink black sky. Sephiroth felt the innate familiarity within the winds. Suddenly an unknown blue force of energy washed over the stadium , it felt incredibly powerful although it had been weakened by the distance it had traveled......the Stadium was at the very border of Romaji. "Can't............hold....much...longer ...AHHHHH" Magus screamed as he tried to hold the barrier. Not only was the force too great but he had extended the barrier far, and his reach was failing. He felt the barrier slowly crawling back to him . "Stand close to me. NOW" the wizard ordered. Glenn and Luca were on the outside, as well as Ayla. The barrier shrunk faster and faster. Crono tried to pull Lucca in, but it was too late. Glenn and Lucca were thrown back as the barrier's reach failed them. Then suddenly the blue wave had passed over, and Crono found himself staring at a virtual graveyard. The entire stadium was filled with lifeless shells. The bodies of their families, neighbors and friends. He frantically searched for Glenn and Lucca, but he couldn't find them in the jumble of corpses stacked on top of each other. Then suddenly there was movement all around. "Thank God, Magus. They aren't dead." Magus shot a focused look all around: "Don't judge too quickly Crono. There is something very wrong here" Mutilated body's without arms, legs or even heads began swarming all around them, engulfed in a bluish glow. Sephiroth immediately started firing magic and slashing his mighty Masamune, but the others stopped as soon as they encountered someone they knew. Crono gasped in shock as he saw Glenn heading towards them with a lively expression. He too had the bluish glow, but these were no zombies. He moved exactly like he did when he was alive. Magus's surprise was obvious when Glenn spoke to him " You are no match for the power of Lord Kefka. Surrender to the Masamune, or it will force you to join us." Glenn's tone was forceful and full of hatred, but it still sounded like him. It was his voice. The group frantically tried to get nearer to the city, but legions of undead stood in their way. They were still in utter shock as to what they had seen, too many fresh images to process to grieve for lost friends. And now they were face to face with an army of undead. The youths were talented, but not good enough to overcome this. They had never fought to the death, and that the undead forces resembled their friends and family didn't make this any easier. Magus was frantically blasting his way through all of them, he was obsessed with getting to his sister. Crono was torn between two things, torn between helping his friend and his hesitation. He couldn't bring himself to attack these people. He recognized most. Ms Talian from the bakery. Tom Garbot who ran the local inn. He just couldn't. And he couldn't watch Magus do it either. Crono leapt at his wizard friend, and in one swift move giving all he had in him knocked Magus out cold with the back of his sword. Magus' strength was in his magic, in a physical battle such a surprise blow proved sufficient. Crono lifted Magus upon his shoulder as he heard Auron shout, "We'll come back for them. Just GO!" Auron was a bit older then the rest and he had made the right decision, although many years later they would still be looking back at what they did this day. Khintari Sector Ken looked at the rest of his compatriots, “Don’t say anything; let me handle this. Jill Valentine runs this establishment and lives on the upper floor with her 5 year old daughter.” As Ken entered the bar he saw the sobbing beauty in blue crying on a bar stool. She looked up when she heard the door. “KEN!” Still crying she ran to him and collapsed in his arms. The rest of the party looked away as Ken tried to soothe her. Slowly she stopped weeping and stood up on her own power. “What happened here, Jill, what the hell happened to Donkey Kong?” Ken inquired. Still recovering from her sobs she responded, “He… *sob*…it all … *hic* … went wrong 8 days ago. One night, He came. He laughed and … He did things. Horrible things, and nobody was expecting it. Everybody heard the screams of Donkey Kong. In seconds everybody saw him charge through the street. We …*sob*… thought he would …*sob*… but he didn’t! Donkey fought but He was too much. He retreated into his shell for Donkey’s initial atta…*sob*… and then…*sob*” Ken’s eyes softened, “Don’t worry you don’t need to tell us, we saw…” “And now… every night, OH GOD! NOT MY BABY! Bowser ate my baby, Ken, HE ATE HER! JUST LIKE EVERY NIGHT HE EATS ANOTHER ONE! OH GOD, KEN…” and then she collapsed into helpless weeping again. Everybody’s eyes opened wide. Nobody had been expecting THAT! It was just too brutal… Ken held Jill in his arms and his eyes flashed with rage, “We need to hunt this bastard down and kill him!” Auron, ever the voice of reason, spoke up, “Let’s not be too hasty, we should set a trap and wait in ambush if we want to do this right…” For a change, Squall spoke up, “Don’t we need rest before our journey tomorrow? Why don’t we set up camp outside, and I’ll keep watch while you all sleep…” Back in the flyer As Crono, Aeris and Magus were doing now as they approached the Romaji Sector.. They looked each other in the eyes when the Arena came into view. Beautiful blue lights that could be seen through the flyer windows were scattered everywhere they looked. "It looks so beautiful.......what are those?" Samus asked. Crono couldn't appreciate the beauty. He knew what it meant. Suddenly, the whole flyer began to shake. All of them were thrown into the right side of the flyer as it began its rapid descent. "Snake, what the hell is goin' on ?! " Crono yelled as he was trying to hold his balance. "The readings don't make any sense!! We're going down!! Hold on!!" Snake reported yelling over the sound of the crashing flyer. Snake managed to get the flyer into a steady vector, but they were still rapidly headed for the ground below. With all his strength Snake was trying to pull up his nose. The immensely dark sky that could be seen through the window the passengers were pressed against coupled with the speed at which they were going caused Aeris to panic. She was screaming at the top of her lungs while anxiety reigned supreme with the others as well. Crono couldn't believe it. To come all this way........and fail before we even began... The mood was tensed as the belly of the flyer made contact, accompanied by a horrible screeching and shaking of the metal. Would the flyer hold? It did. As it came to a brusque halt, Snake sighed with relief, went to the back and began checking for wounded. Aeris had a gaping wound over her head, and Magus was unconscious as well. Samus' suit had protected her. Ryu and Crono were shaken, but alright. Their was a lot of smoke and sparks inside the flyer. Crono was still confused, but assumed his responsibility as leader. " Both of you, carry Aeris and Magus out. I'll go and check outside." Crono knocked open the door with his foot and stepped outside. It was cold and very dark. The entire landscape was inhospitable, not like he remembered it at all. Blue lights that shined in the distance didn't illuminate his surroundings very well. As he turned around, the large mass that stood out in front of him startled him a bit. Fate worked in funny ways. The same place where this horror began........and I'm back now. Ryu and Snake emerged from the flyer with Aeris and Magus. Ryu started treating Aeris as best he could with some bandaging. "Don't do that. " Snake advised. "Just try and wake her up. She is the best healer I've ever seen. Trust me. Firsthand experience." Samus enforced Snake's request by grabbing a small bottle of ammonia out of his backpack. She put it on a small piece of cloth and instructed Ryu, "Here hold that under her nose." "Where the hell has Crono gone? " Snake added. Crono was scouting the perimeter. Damn, you can’t see a thing out here. He took a torch from his backpack. "Fire " he said as he ignited the torch with his hands. What the hell was that? Did I see someone just now? "One among you shall shortly perish." A child's voice.... "Fire " Crono said determined. As the flash lit up the source of the voice, Crono could just see a small figure with blue hair turning and walking back into the darkness, a black cat walking in his tracks as their images slowly faded into nothingness. It can't be............. Aeris and Magus had woken up back at the flyer. She cured herself in no time and was up and about at the time Crono came walking back . Snake stood up to question the leader :"Well, Crono, found anything? Jesus, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Magus’s eyes lit up when he heard the word ghost. "What was it Crono? Tell me what you saw." Crono shrugged it off. "It was nothing guys, just emptiness and a lot of dust..........I guess I was shaken up a bit when I saw the old arena again." Crono tried to go and check the flyer for internal damage. Just as he walked past Magus, the wizard violently grabbed him by his shoulder : " TELL ME what you saw?! " "Nothing, Magus.......really, it was nothing. Snake, check how the engine held up. I want that flyer operational." Magus didn't let go " Why? It got us here. Why do you need the flyer?" Magus questioned him persistently. "Stop being so goddamn paranoid ! It’s better to fly there then to march through this freakin' ghost town." Crono shot back annoyed while tearing himself lose from Magus' grip. Magus didn't let up. "Fly where? Where is it that you want to go, Crono? We haven't got any new information since the rumors from three years ago, we don't know where to look and what we're looking for. So I ask you again... Fly where?” Snake chipped in. "We have to do it anyway, the engine is totally fried. I don't think this thing will ever fly again. Like it or not, we're stuck here." Crono paced in front of the flyer, the sweat shining on his forehead. Aeris tried to calm Crono down: "We aren't at the town yet. We should probably try to get as far as we can. Its always dark here and we just rested." "We're not going anywhere. Not until tomorrow. We should stay here and wait. They know we're here " Crono said nervously. Snake started to look worried too. “You're acting strange Crono. What happened out there? And who knows we're here? " "Just do what I said," Crono ordered. "We should march toward the Arena. We might as well start there. " Magus suggested. ------------------------------------------------------------ Choice 1: What should Cloud's party do? 1) Hunt down Bowser. 2) Set a trap for Bowser and wait in ambush. CHOSEN 3) Set Squall on watch while everybody else sleeps. Choice 2: What should Crono's party do? 1: They should set-up camp at the flyer and post a guard. 2: They should march as far as they can before setting up camp. 3: They should check out the Arena before setting up camp. CHOSEN Choice 3:Who should guard the campsite while the rest sleep? 1: Aeris 2: Snake CHOSEN 3: Ryu 4: Magus 5: Crono Author: Shake Back Home