The Shadows Chapter 49
Lazarus
By Keith Adams
Magus stared at the mud-covered creature that had come out of the ground. It was made of a yellow metal, with eyes that seemed lifeless, dead. The creature's head has oddly shaped, a cube with a rectangular thing atop of it, overshadowing the cube. The body had a circular black plate. This was a robot; more precisely, this was Robo, remade by the Shadows. There were small guns atop both his shoulders.
Robo's guns atop his shoulders fired in two giant arcs, converging on Magus. Magus jumped at Robo, wrapping his arms around Robo, and pulling him to the ground before pushing on the huge metal thing with full force of his two legs, sending Robo flying into a tree. This was not good.
Magus opened his palms, and concentrated, pulling in the threads. Three streams of crackling, white-hot lightning shot out from each palm, converging upon Robo, whose steam vent began rattling. Robo got up, the streams still shooting at him, and fired his shoulder guns. Magus dodged to the ground, rolling across the ground, feeling drops of mud raining against his cloak.
Magus saw a tree; it would suffice. Magus levitated, flying into the tree, waiting for Robo to come after him. Robo had searchlights coming from him eyes, swiveling across the ground, looking for him. Magus almost regretted this; Robo was a pleasant companion, not insulting him.
Magus ran his fingers through his hair; he had left Robo to the mercies of the Shadows, and the Shadows had come to call. Magus heard the clanking of the rain against Robo's body - he had never heard it before. So much Robo hadn't done. So much he had yet to see. He was but a child, in every sense of the word. There was a bit of room left in Magus for pity, and this filled it. How could this be done?
Magus remembered something Lucca had told him; these Robots weren't optical. An electromagnetic pulse could concievably wipe his memory after a certain point of alteration. Magus smiled; this would be good indeed.
Magus concentrated on the clouds raining overhead; occassionaly, off in the distance, lightning shot off. Magus began concentrating on the clouds; there was something in them. Magus concentrated; Robo was right under him now. Magus brought down the lightning, and jumped out of the tree.
The lightning struck Robo, overwhelming his circuits. Sparks began shooting out from Robo, onto the ground. A fire erupted, and began crackling and spreading, engulfing the tree, which began to collaspe. Magus looked at the ground. It was covered with the black substance that made up the eight legged things. The fire was spreading, rising higher and higher; the rain appeared to be aggravating it. Magus dodged out of the way, levitating above the fire; in the midst of the infereno, Robo was on one knee, engulfed by flames.
It hadn't worked. Robo got up and began walking through the fire, which by now was consuming many of the Shadows tents, as well as fallen black robed figures. The fire was reaching the edges of the island, and was nearing the central tower. Magus glanced around; Robo was nowhere to be seen. Waves of heat were reaching Magus, hundreds of feet above the flames.
Suddenly, cracks appeared in the fire; some parts of the fire rose, others right by them fell. Parts of the island were breaking away, falling into the ocean a hundred feet below, causing waves to crash over the edge of the remainder of the island; if the world were ending, it would look like this. Magus looked to the center of the island; the tower was rising above the flames, on a chunk of rock. Where was Robo no, he was surely dead by now. Nothing could survive that.
Suddenly Magus felt something grab his foot. Magus felt the wind beginning to crash against his face, the rain ripping across his body as it span through the air. Magus grabbed what was grabbing onto his leg; it was Robo. Spinning through the air, the wind lashed against against Magus face.
Robo was aiming his shoulder guns, although the spiraling nature of the confrontation made it all but impossible. Magus pulled up to Robo; Robo's guns went over Magus' shoulders. Magus began pouring all the lightning he could into Robo, to no avail. Smoke was began to appear, in twists and twirls, between Magus and Robo. A huge boom sounded, and Magus looked down; a tidal wave had swept over the island, covering most of it in water, knocking out the edges, but the fire continued burning.
Magus noticed that the water was dissapearing into a widening crack, as it rumbled and roared. Magus pushed back, getting above Robo. With his free foot, Magus pushed on Robo and let go.
Robo fell, first into the fire, which his fall disturbed not at all; then, the area where he fell split open and apart just as a gigantic wave crashed over it, splitting the sections off more. Nothing could survive it. Simply put, it was not possible. Not even the Epoch, with it's dense armor, could. Robo was as dead as dead could be.
Magus looked up; the tower loomed omniously overhead, as if daring him to rise to it. Magus began rising, and was soon at the top. He heard a distinct clapping sound.
Thiek was standing in front of the monstrous arched doorway, smiling at him with a certain amount of respect. Thiek raised his eyebrow. Thiek examined Magus, who was panting somewhat.
"By all rights, you should have not been able to kill Lazarus. He had power beyond belief. Pity it was never unleashed," Thiek told Magus arrogantly.
"Were you responsible for Robo being turned -," Magus begna, but Thiek cut him off.
"Into what you fought? Yes. I captured him when we attacked Arris. He was there when you attacked the Palace at Death Peak, you know," Thiek answered "We're much like, you and I. Yes, much alike indeed."
Magus did not respond with words. He began pulling at the threads of magic, but Thiek seemed to know what was going on. He smiled gently.
"Come on now Magus. You want to get the person who killed Schala, the High Shadows -," Thiek snickered.
"Gaspar. Yes I know. You've been extrodinarily helpful. Now that I know Gaspar is going to kill Schala. I must go find -," Magus said.
"Don't be an ass. He's coming here shortly. Schala is already here. Wait a few minutes," Thiek admonished Magus "Schala's on the top floor. Gaspar will be here shortly. I suggest you get to her before he does."
"Oh yes," said Thiek quickly "You'll need this." Thiek tossed a disk-shaped object at Magus, which Magus caught "Just in case." And like that, the bastard was gone.
Magus examined what Thiek had thrown at him; it was a watch, set at midnight, black and gold. It looked exactly like the Crono Trigger.
.