Evanescense: Electrical Communication

By: NKfloofiepoof

folder +M through R › Mega Man

Rating: Adult

Chapters: 3

Views: 1,281

Reviews: 3

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 0

Category: +M through R › Mega Man

Rating: Adult

Chapters: 3

Views: 1,281

Reviews: 3

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 0

Disclaimer: I do not own MegaMan, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

03: Heart of Sword

Chapter Three

Heart of Sword

"Hey, Rock? Rock!"

Rock grunted and cracked open his eyes, blinking against the sunlight
creeping through the wooden slats and various openings of the barn. He tried to
sit up, but the grey cat on his chest made it clear it did not want to be moved
just yet. Rock glanced around until he found Forte in one of the darker corners
of the barn holding a stone bowl, Solandri extended with her scythe blade
ignited. He was already wearing his original, now dry clothes, the borrowed
clothes from the farmer folded neatly on a barrel.

"What?" Rock groaned.

"How do you like your eggs?" Forte asked, glancing into the bowl with a
disapproving glare. "Scrambled, burnt, or raw?"

"...um...scrambled?"

"Wise choice," Forte grumbled, setting down the bowl and making his way back
down the row of stables towards the chickens on the opposite end of the barn out
of Rock's line of sight. A chicken clucked in protest, and Forte walked back,
emptying a thoroughly burnt egg out of the bowl in his left hand as he shook the
two eggs in his right hand to break the yolk, cracked the shells to get the
broken yolk into the bowl, and tossed the shells aside. Rock watched with half
interest as Forte placed the bowl onto Solandri's fiery blade and conscentrated
hard on not ruining the eggs.

With a yawn, Rock sat up, and the cat meowed in protest but removed itself
from his chest. A dull grunt issued from behind Rock, making him jump slightly
and turn around to see he had been using the bloodhound's belly for a pillow
during the night. A second cat had appeared which he did not remember seeing the
night before, this one stark black, and was rubbing against Forte's ankles as he
cooked the eggs.

"I think she's hungry, too," Rock spoke with a small grin before stiffly
standing to change back into his own clothes, thankful to be rid of the farmer's
wife's immense garments.

"Well, she's not getting any," Forte responded, removing the bowl from
Solandri's blade and extinguishing and retracting her. The burnt eggs had
already been snatched by the grey cat which had been sleeping on Rock. Forte
shook his head, tucked Solandri in the back of his pants waistband, and made his
way to Rock and the haystack. "Here you go." Rock finished pulling on his
clothing, took the bowl, and looked into it, his stomach growling when he saw
and smelled the cooked, only slightly burnt eggs.

"What about you?" he asked, blowing on the eggs to cool them.

"I already ate," Forte answered with a yawn as he sat down on the haystack
and was promptly hoarded by both cats trying to share his lap. Rock choked back
a laugh at Forte's exhasperation. "The sun's high," Forte quickly spoke to
distract Rock. "If we're going to get to the next village before dusk when
Blues' power will be returning, we'd better get moving soon." Rock nodded and
quickly finished filling his empty stomach. The apples from the night before had
long since lost any potency, and his stomach and tongue craved food. He had not
truly eaten anything since Roll had been killed except maybe a few berries from
bushes every so often. He had nearly forgotten what eggs tasted like, and
although food was not vital and more of a luxury, he still missed the taste.

The bloodhound sniffed at Rock's food, and Rock had to lean away in order to
avoid getting drool on his breakfast. Forte tugged on the dog's ear, muttering,
"Leave him alone..." The bloodhound snuffed, disappointed, but set its head down
to let Rock finish eating.

"I'll take the farmer back his clothes while you're eating," Forte stated,
standing back up to do so. Rock just made a muffled noise of acknowledgement,
busy chewing. He found a barrel of water tucked into one corner and used it to
wash out the bowl when he was finished eating. He was thirsty now, but even if
he knew how to milk a cow, he was sure he did not have time to get enough to
quench his thirst before Forte returned. As he was thinking that, Forte entered
the barn once more, leaving the doors open this time since the farmer would need
inside soon. Over the younger's shoulders were two small packs which Forte was
quick to explain at Rock's questioning glance.

"I told him we're headed to Ivona, so he's loaning us some supplies," Forte
explained, handing one of the packs to Rock for him to carry. "Good thing too
since I couldn't grab anything before we left last night. I don't even have any
money on me." A quick glance into the pack he was given revealed a few apples,
some dried oranges or apricots, a generous chunk of cheese wrapped in a scrap of
cloth, and a small, similarly wrapped loaf of bread. There was also an already
filled waterskin which Rock quickly pulled out and eagerly drank from though he
was careful to not drink too much at once so it would last. "You've got the food
- I've got blankets, another waterskin, and a lantern," Forte added as Rock
drank.

"What could we do to repay him?" Rock finally asked once his thirst was
quenched for the time being. "I don't have any money either."

Forte merely shrugged. "I told him we may be gone for over a month if
necessary. He said don't worry about it. I'll do some work around here when we
get back if we can't give him the money." Rock nodded - that sounded fair to
him. "If you're ready, let's get started." Rock nodded again and let Forte lead
the way. Puddles splashed and their boots were coated with mud as they made
their way through a small field of tomatoes on the farmer's land and ran towards
the dirt road, slowing to a walk once they reached it and began their trek
northeast.

"It's likely going to be dusk by the time we get there if we stay on foot,"
Forte stated with a small yawn, making sure Solandri was secure in the waistband
of his pants at his back. "Maybe even full dark. I don't think Wily's stupid
enough to have Blues attack a village, but he might be. We shouldn't hear much
from him during the day." Rock nodded, understanding.

"I'm sorry about your house."

Forte shook his head. "Wily probably would have found me soon, anyway. It's
just not safe there anymore until Blues is dealt with." He glanced at Rock and
frowned as he just then noticed something. "We're going to have to find a way to
make a little money between here and Ivona to get you some clothes..." Rock felt
his face heat with embarrassment. His clothes, though now dry, were a pitiful
sight - a white, long-sleeved tunic, white cloth pants, and black boots. At
least, the clothes used to be white. They somehow maintained most of their sheen
despite numerous grass and mud stains, a few blood stains here and there, and
the knees were nearly worn through. They were the same clothes he had been
wearing the night of the attack on the laboratory, and he was sometimes amazed
at how long they had lasted.

Forte shook his head and turned his attention back to the road ahead of them.
"Maybe we can get some bounty on something between here and there. It shouldn't
cost much to get something less threadbare." He let silence take over after
that, concentrating on the road.

"Forte?" Rock asked after a moment of silence, tired of listening only to the
persistant squish their boots continued to make in the muddy road. Forte
glanced at him. "Do you know the story about why Scions are the only people with
technology? I used to know it, but I forget." It was a lie - Rock remembered the
legend perfectly, but he knew of nothing else to talk about, and after living
with silence for so long, talking with Forte about anything was appealing. Forte
blinked at the odd question but nodded. "Who told you?"

"Centaur. He always was interested in mythology and stuff like that," Forte
answered with a shrug.

"How did he tell it?" Rock asked, "Might be different from what I was told."
Forte rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember.

"Ages ago, the gods were at war with each other, each claiming that they were
better than the others and could do more spectacular deeds. Stupid reasons to
fight, but then again, it's also the main reason why humans fight." Rock nodded,
listening quietly. "Eventually, Horus grew tired of the long-winded argument and
demanded that each of them do or create something to prove themselves, and then
they would resolve the argument once and for all. There was no time limit, so
each god had plenty of time to think of what they would make to outdo the
others.

"Horus created the planet, which we know as Hesparia, and the sun. A thousand
or so years later, Isis created the plants and the atmosphere and its
continually changing weather pattern. Sekhmet was next after a long time,
creating the birds, animals, fish, and, to top it all off, humans. She gave them
the ability to use tools to make shelter and clothing - made them sentient,
basically. She also gifted them with fire and knowledge of magic to which Isis
came up with the different Classes. It was a very, very long time afterwards
when Anubis made his creation..."

"The Scions..." Rock muttered. Forte nodded then blinked and glanced over his
shoulder upon hearing the telltale rumbling of a wagon. It was pulled by two
large cows or oxen - Forte could not tell at that distance. He raised a hand for
Rock to stop and turned to wave to the wagon.

"Let's see if we can hitch a ride - we might be able to avoid Blues that
way." Rock nodded and stepped to the side of the road once the wagon drew
closer. The man guiding it pulled the oxen's reins to halt them and glanced down
at Forte and Rock.

"You boys headed to Ivona?" he asked, his face weather-hardened but with a
friendly smile.

"Yes, we are, sir," Forte answered, Rock peeking over his shoulder.

"You'll never make it before full dark if you stay on foot," the human
stated. "Hop in the back. I'll get you there before sundown." They thanked him
and quickly climbed into the wagon, sitting atop the large pumpkins which filled
it, and they steadied themselves when the oxen began pulling again.

Forte yawned and shook his head, leaning back against the edge of the wagon
before speaking again as Rock settled into a comfortable position across from
him, "This ought to put us there right before dusk, and Wily's probably too
dependent on Blues now to think to send out anyone else."

"Right...you were saying?" Rock prompted, eager to get off that subject.

"Oh, right. Anyway...yeah. Anubis created the Scions about thirty thousand
years ago, just before humans really started recording their history. He made
them to spite Sekhmet's hard work on creating the humans. He gathered four
humans and gave them knowledge beyond what humans had been created or meant to
understand. He also gave them technology and the means to create more for
themselves. Ordinary humans couldn't begin to guess what all of these new
mechanical and electric tools were for or what they could do. Only the Scions
could use the technology given to them because only their minds were able to
comprehend what everything was capable of.

"Anubis made sure there would never be any more than four Scions at one time,
and it's impossible for a Scion to have children, so when one dies, the magic
that makes them what they are drifts for a varied amount of time before choosing
a new Scion at birth. Scions are 'gifted' with the ability to create robots and
give them a life of their own - a soul of their own, and they can destroy it at
any time they wish. Sekhmet views Scions and robots as freaks of nature." Forte
shrugged with a small grin. "Which I guess we are, in a way, but anyway...

"Anubis never meant for the Scions to war against each other or against the
humans - at least, that's what the history books say. As far as anyone knows, he
could have been trigger happy or the Scions might have been his revenge against
Horus, Isis, and Sekhmet for beating him in the 'contest'. Or he could have
simply lost control over the Scions. However it happened - not long after the
initial creation of the Scions, something happened to the Fourth which drove him
mad, and he used all of their creations to try to eliminate the other Scions as
well as the humans. That's where I get fuzzy - Centaur probably told me the
outcome before, but I forget. Anyway, the Fourth disappeared without a trace,
and the First, Second, and Third Scions have been reborn about fifteen times or
so, and were most recently reborn fifty-some-odd years ago, and the Reign of
Wily began almost nine years ago. The rest, I believe you already know."

Rock nodded and remained silent for several moments, brooding. He remembered
when Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had worked together as friends. They had teamed
together to create himself and Roll, Blues before them, and Rock had helped
create the first six Robot Masters, drawing their designs and aiding with the
construction. The six had been designed to aid humans in many ways. Sekhet-Aanru
had been created to cut down trees for crop space or for lumber to be used to
build housing. Geb had been created to transfer the lumber or clear roads after
abberant weather. Osiris had been meant to explore the arctic and tundra for
healing herbs and game and other areas too cold for humans. Khet was to be used
to destroy fallen rocks in montane regions, Uraeus for burning old crops and
clearing underbrush for Sekhet-Aanru. Min had been created for the sea, capable
of fighting off sea serpents and other oceanic monsters, or to act as a
lightning rod during harsh storms.

All six had been stolen by Dr. Wily and renamed. Sekhet-Aanru had been
renamed to Cut, Geb to Guts, Osiris to Ice, Khet to Bomb, Uraeus had been
renamed to Fire, and Min was now known as Elec. Rock had considered them all to
be his brothers, and it had pained him to have to fight them. Until Dr. Wily had
sent them to attack Dr. Light's laboratory over a year later, Rock had never
been sure if they had survived his attacks. He was happy they survived but still
pained that they were fighting against him.

Rock shook his head and looked back up at Forte as he asked, "Who are we
meeting at this village, again...?"

"A friend of mine who escaped Wily's control a long time ago," Forte
answered. "If I remember right, he was taken in by a priest and stays at the
church."

"Who?"

"You'll see." Rock blinked but dropped the subject. The rest of the day
passed quietly, the silence rarely broken.

* * * * *

The sky was red and orange from sunset when they finally reached Ivona and
thanked the farmer one last time before leaving the wagon and starting down the
muddy lanes of the village. The inn and the church were the only buildings which
stood out. The market was open air and closing for the day, most of the booths
and tables empty and wagons gone.

The human who had given them the ride to Ivona took one good look at Rock's
falling-apart clothing and insisted they allow him to give them some money,
especially after hearing of how they were forced to evacuate Forte's house
during the storm the night before.

"Food and blankets are good," the man stated once told of the supplies they
had been lent by the other farmer and his wife, "but just a blanket or two won't
do much good on the road. Here." Before Rock could protest, he found several
coins shoved into his hand. "This should be enough for you to get some clothes
that are in one piece and board at the inn for tonight." He refused to be talked
out of his decision, insisting he would easily earn that money back the next day
with his pumpkins, and the two, reluctant but thankful, ceased arguing and made
haste to a still open clothing booth after thanking sincerely thanking him.

"Look on the bright side," Forte stated as Rock quickly looked for a decent
set of clothes to replace his own before the booth closed for the day, "We won't
have to sleep in a puddle tonight."

"That still doesn't make me feel any less guilty about taking someone else's
money," Rock muttered in response.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Rock," Forte admonished. "If someone
insists on giving you something that much, it's almost an insult to refuse it."
Rock just sighed, conceding defeat. Forte was right even if Rock still felt
awkward about the situation.

"This'll do," the elder stated after a moment, a new tunic and slacks, both
two different shades of brown, slung over one arm, much hardier than the clothes
he currently wore. His white clothing really had not been meant to travel in to
begin with - the new clothes would last much longer. He would have preferred any
color but plain brown, but it was the cheapest - another set of white clothing
would have taken all of the money they were given, and as Forte said, he did not
want to sleep in a puddle.

Forte stood in front of Rock just behind another, already empty booth so he
could quickly change. "We're going to have to kill something for bounty in the
morning for traveling money," the younger said. "Ivona pays a lot for raptors
since the forest is severely overpopulated." Rock blanched and suppressed a
shudder. He knew all too well about the raptor overpopulation - the vile,
two-legged reptiles had terrorized him more than once in his years camping in
the woods. They seemed to be as smart as humans and hunted in packs, a single
enormous claw on each foot their primary arsenal. Rock imagined the only reason
the price was high despite overabundance was because they were so dangerous and
lethal, and the price was to encourage hunting.

That, and they sure did taste good.

Forte glanced around the quiet village as more and more people disappeared
into their houses or into the inn for the night. "Do you want to go ahead to the
church or rest up first?" he asked.

Rock shook his head and brushed off his new clothing, leaving the old on the
ground. "Get this over with..." Forte nodded and lead the way to the cathedral.

It was a large building, the largest in the village, with two columns of
fifty pews each lining the floor, the altar rising high above the pews, and two
confessionals in the back corner. Behind the altar against the back wall was a
large stained glass mural of the four gods, Horus, Isis, Sekhmet, and Anubis, in
their shining glory, each holding a sphere representing what he or she spawned
in the Great Creation. Horus stood at the back above the other three and held
the planet, Hesparia, high over his head, his wings spread and curved around his
three fellow gods below him. Isis - also known as The Weathermaker to some
regions of Hesparia - stood to Horus' left and held a hurricane in front of her.
Sekhmet on Horus' right sported a raven on one finger, and Anubis, crouched to
one knee before all three, held a nearly grotesque representation of a computer
chip, showing his role as the creator of technology and the Scions. It was one
of the few churches Forte knew of which honored all of the four gods. Most
honored Horus and Isis, a few highly honored Sekhmet, and Anubis was abolished
in a great many churches, especially after the Reign of Wily began.

A dozen priests milled about, cleaning statuettes, dusting pews, sweeping
floors, and talking with villagers. Most wore white and blue robes, but there
was one figure who stood out from the others. He was tall and wore black slacks
with a yellow tunic, black robes with gold trim circled his shoulders and chest
in a cloak, pinned in place with a gold emblem of a lightning bolt. A white
blindfold hid his eyes, short-cut platinum blonde hair spilling over his face.
In his hands, coming up to his forehead, was a silver sceptre, streaked in a
spiral with gold down the body, the head of the sceptre ending in a cobra's
head, hood flared and fangs poised to strike. Large emeralds shined as its eyes,
even with its bearer's own, and wings of silver or platinum spread behind its
hood. Rock froze.

"...Elec?"

Forte nodded, answering, "He was one of the first to rebel against Wily and
escape." Rock glanced at Forte, blinking slowly before turning his attention
back to Elec. He stared for a few minutes before his expression twisted
slightly, almost pained as he gulped slightly, closing his eyes for a moment.

"So..." he muttered, voice hushed and eyes still closed, "how can he help
us?"

Forte crossed his arms, glancing around the cathedral briefly before
answering, "Hopefully, he can tell us how to get control of Blues. How to
reunite Blues with his soul." Rock remained silent, opening his eyes to watch
Elec cautiously. "Come on," Forte said, stepping forward down the isle of pews.
Rock hesitated slightly but begrudgingly followed. Elec stood near the end of
the column, head tilted downward as if he was staring at the floor as he leaned
against the sceptre. Rock stopped before Elec, staring up at his old enemy with
an expression of uncertainty. He glanced at Forte then leaned forward to tap
Elec's shoulder in an attempt to gain his attention.

Elec jumped slightly, glancing up but looking past them. "Hmm?" he spoke, his
voice soft, softer than Rock remembered it being years past. "May I help you?"

"Hey, Sparky!" Forte beamed, and Elec's expression turned annoyed.

"You're lucky you're the only one I let call me that..." Forte just grinned.

Rock stared at Elec as if his eyes were trying to absorb every detail of his
face. He slowly looked up at Forte then Elec. He felt distinctly awkward - he
still viewed Elec as his brother and had always wished he had not been forced to
fight him, but it was strange standing right beside him for the first time in so
many years. He studied Elec's face further, his gaze lingering on the blindfold
which hid Elec's eyes - they were gold if Rock remembered correctly. He's
blind...I know he wasn't blind before...

"What do you need?" Elec asked Forte before tilting his head back to Rock's
direction, still looking past them. "And who's with you?"

"I need to see if you can answer something for me," Forte answered then
looked to Rock. "Hey. Say something."

Rock jumped, startled as his thoughts were broken, then flushed with
embarrassment. "Um...hello, Elec..." he whispered though his voice wavered on
the Robot Master's name. He cleared his throat before continuing. "You remember
me?"

Elec's expression brightened a little, and he smiled as he responded, "Hi
Rock!"

Rock blinked slowly, then glanced at his feet. "Hi..."

Elec glanced back in Forte's direction and asked, "Answer what?"

"Do you know what needs to be done in order to reunite a robot's soul with
its body after it's been removed? That has to be how Wily's controlling Blues,"
Forte answered. Rock cringed slightly at the mention of Blues' name but said
nothing, looking away.

Elec blinked several times behind his blindfold before stammering in
response, "Um...I don't have a clue. That's beyond me." He shook his head. "I
assume you mean someone other than another Scion." Forte nodded then made a
noise of affirmation upon remembering that Elec couldn't see his nod. "The High
Priest would probably be able to tell you or at least direct you to someone who
could." Rock sighed and sat down heavily on one of the nearby pews.

Forte sighed and nodded. "Okay," he muttered, "I'll go talk to him." He
looked down at Rock then back up to Elec. "Is there anyone free who could Heal
his wounds?" Elec nodded, and Forte turned back to Rock. "Stay here and relax
for a minute. I'll be right back." Rock just nodded as Forte left, leaving him
and the former Robot Master alone.

Elec hesitated for a moment before glancing down at Rock and speaking, "I'm
sorry I couldn't help."

Rock pulled one knee to his chest and rested his chin on it. "It's okay," he
whispered.

"Where are your wounds?" Elec asked and sat down beside Rock, letting the
smaller robot guide his hands to the wounds he knew were seeping through the day
old bandages. Rock bit back a hiss as Elec's Healing power reknit the torn
artificial muscle and skin - it was a painful process, but it ended as quickly
as it began even though it still left him breathless with lingering pain. The
process was repeated for each wound though some were close enough together for
Elec to Heal more than one at a time.

In an attempt to distract himself from the pain, Rock asked through clenched
teeth, "So...you've been here for...how long?"

"About four years, maybe a little longer - sorry," Elec answered, apologizing
at the sharp hiss and jump he received for Healing a wound at Rock's side.

"Why...didn't you come to the lab?" Rock had to ask.

"Oh, that..." Elec muttered, his cheerful mood dampening a little as he
finally pulled his hands away. Rock let out a small, relieved sigh and tried to
ignore the lingering pain so it could dissipate properly. "Wily sent out a bunch
of Robot Masters to find and kill me since I wasn't the first one to get away,
and it took me a week to lose them. Right after that was when my sight started
going. I woke up one morning and it was blurry beyond belief. The next morning,
everything was darker than it should have been. My sight was completely gone in
four days." Rock stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at Elec.

"Why didn't you tell anyone to write us? We would have come and gotten you."

"I tried, but the High Priest was always too busy, and everyone else has
always been too afraid of me to get near me. And I couldn't find the next room
most of the time, much less find paper and identify a pen, otherwise I would
have written myself." Elec sighed. "I thought about you and the others all the
time. Even when I was with Wily. It made me sick to know that we were on
opposite sides. I couldn't escape sooner because he had tighter control on us
until two others escaped before me. That weakened his control enough for me to
escape."

Rock watched his face intently, not quite sure why he was staring until his
question finally formed in the back of his mind. "How did you lose your sight?
Did they injure you when you escaped?"

Elec shook his head. "I'm a Myrmidon. It's my handicap." Rock could not hide
his wince. He never understood the point behind Myrmidons being forced to
develop a handicap of any sort - it only happened when their power fully
matured, and the handicap could be anything from loss of vision or hearing to
crippling or even paralysis. "I like to think I was lucky with mine. I'd rather
be blind than how Spark ended up - his brain rotted in his head." Rock had to
suppress a shudder just at the thought of that.

Elec hesitated a moment before daring to ask, "What happened to everyone? All
I ever heard was the lab was attacked, and you disappeared."

Rock's throat tightened, but he forced himself to answer. Elec deserved to
know - former enemies or not, he was still family. "All dead. I don't know about
Dr. Light or Tango - they were gone to Fuu when the lab was attacked...but I
haven't seen them since they left. All I can think is that they're dead too..."
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, not wanting to cry. "Forte said
he'll help me figure out how to help Blues, but...I'm honestly afraid of getting
him hurt because of me. If he gets close enough to Wily..." Elec simply nodded -
he knew Dr. Wily would destroy Forte's soul without a second thought if he could
just get close enough to him.

"You have to keep in mind one thing though," Elec offered. "Forte knows the
danger as much as you do, if not more, but he's still helping you." Rock quietly
nodded with a small sigh - that did not alleviate his worry any, but at this
point, he knew there was no changing Forte's mind despite how hopeless Rock felt
the whole situation to be. "I'd come too, but honestly, I'd probably just get in
the way."

That tore through Rock's train of thought, and he asked, "Why would you think
that?" He could not see his brother's eyes, but if he could, he had a feeling
Elec was giving him the same look a parent would give a child who was acting
stupid.

"I'm blind, Rock," Elec answered. "This building is my whole world now. If I
go outside, someone has to guide me." He shook his head. "I'd just slow you
down."

"But, you can Heal," Rock pointed out. "We may need that. What if something
happens when we can't get to a village to find a Healer?"

"I suppose you're right..." Elec admitted with a frown, albeit reluctantly.
"But still-"

"I wouldn't mind guiding you," Rock interrupted, starting to become adamant
about it. "And, besides...I didn't have much time to get to know you...you know.
Before Wily." The elder robot suddenly found himself almost glad his brother
could not see his embarrassment.

Elec stayed quiet for a moment, mulling over his options. While he greatly
appreciated the high priest's kindness for allowing him to stay in the cathedral
for so long, Elec had to admit he honestly was not happy here. The other priests
and Healers made it obvious, whether they meant to or not, they did not like
having him around. Elec also greatly missed his family even if Rock was the only
one left. On top of all that, the food here was atrocious, and he suspected he
was the only one fed the gruel which tasted suspiciously like wood chips and
paint.

Finally, he responded, "It's up to Forte to decide."

* * * * *

"I'm sorry...anything involving robots is beyond the reach of anyone in this
village, including me," the High Priest of the cathedral spoke, apologizing.
Forte's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "Again, I'm sorry. I don't think a
normal human could do such a deed as restoring the soul of a robot, anyway."

"So, what you're saying is that our only hope is finding Dr. Light or Dr.
Cossack," Forte sighed again.

The High Priest slowly nodded, his tall headdress surprisingly staying on his
head without much trouble as he answered, "It would be best, but no, I don't
think it's your only hope just yet." Forte looked back up, his attention
firm once more. "A Rosicrucian is all but bound to the church, making it a class
nearly specializing in Healing. I'm not sure how well they would be able to
restore a robot's soul, but I do know they would at least try. If
they couldn't do it, I'm sure they could direct you to someone else."

"Really?" The human nodded.

"There is a large church in the city of Khana almost due north of here, three
days' travel if you're on foot. You'll likely find a Rosicrucian there."

"Thank you, sir," Forte said, tension leaving his shoulders. After a brief
moment of silence, he looked up and asked, "How's Elec doing?"

The High Priest's expression brightened a little as he replied, smiling, "Oh,
he's doing great. Much better than when he first came here."

"How did he go blind? Last I remember, he could see perfectly."

"It was his handicap for being a Myrmidon." Forte winced and nodded. He had
forgotten a Myrmidon's powers, once fully matured and mastered, would eventually
give the Myrmidon a handicap of sorts. It always varied between deafness,
blindness, or crippling, although no one was ever sure as to why they
were handicapped when the more powerful Mage Classes were not. "He was blind
when I found him."

Forte frowned. "Found him?"

The High Priest nodded. "He was curled up in some bushes just behind the
church, filthy and terrified. I was taking a walk when I found him."

Forte blinked again, then drawled, "Well, no offense, but I'm almost
surprised you helped him, considering whose side he was on at the time..."

"None taken. He just seemed so helpless sitting there shivering and looking
around at nothing that I couldn't leave him there. And admittedly, he didn't
seem much of a threat since he couldn't see where I was standing." The High
Priest shook his head. "Everyone else is still hesitant and withdrawn around
him."

"I can imagine. Where did that sceptre come from?"

"It's a holy sceptre, said to be blessed by Anubis, himself. It can increase
the success rate of Healing, but no human has been able to utilize its powers
because it was created by technology. I brought it out just last year and let
Elec walk with it for a few days to see what would happen if a robot held it and
tested its powers instead of a human. His Healing powers improved as did his
confidence in himself. I didn't have the heart to take it away from him."

Forte nodded and spoke as he stood up from his chair, "As long as he's okay.
It's a pity what his handicap turned out to be, but it could have been much
worse." Forte had to suppress a shudder when he remembered Spark's fate. The
High Priest nodded and stood to escort Forte back to the sanctuary. "And thanks
for helping."

"You're more than welcome."

* * * * *

Forte could not help but cast an amused grin at Rock when he saw the smaller
robot struggling to stay awake, his chin cradled in one hand propped up on his
knee. Elec was still sitting beside him, his head tilted downward. Rock jumped
with a yip when Forte rested a hand on his shoulder, and he had to yawn a few
times before he could finally squint up at Forte with sleepy eyes and ask, "What
did he say?"

"It's long, and you're too tired to really listen," was the answer he
received. "For now, I'll just say we need to go to Khana - I'll go into detail
in the morning when you've gotten a good night's rest." Rock looked as if he was
going to argue, but his protest was cut off by yet another yawn.

Rock stumbled to his feet and blinked stupidly a few times before his mind
awakened enough to remember his other question. "Can Elec come with us? I can
guide him, and-" This time, he was cut off by a sneeze, but his point had been
made, so he did not bother finishing his sentence.

Forte arched an eyebrow at the odd question then looked to Elec. "Do you want
to?" He knew Elec's blindness would slow them down, but if Elec and Rock really
wanted it, he saw no reason to not let Elec accompany them.

"I'll slow you down," Elec answered, voicing Forte's thoughts, "but I would
like to leave...I appreciate them helping me, but I've been here at least four
years. I've had cabin fever for the last three."

"Well, I don't see why not. We don't have enough money for three at the inn
though."

Elec nodded and stood, leaning against his sceptre for balance for a moment.
"I have a little money in my room here, and I can spend the night there and meet
you in the morning. You can use my money in the morning to get supplies." Forte
nodded - the farmer only gave them enough supplies for two, so they would need
some more food and probably another blanket or two to have enough to go around
for three.

"Sounds like a plan," Forte agreed. "We'll come pick you up in the morning,
then." Rock remained quiet, but Forte could tell he was already beginning to
perk up some. He hoped having Elec along for the journey would also help
alleviate Rock's choking depression; it would likely do him a lot of good having
family nearby rather than only an old enemy.

Elec nodded once more and began guiding himself to the back of the cathedral
so he could begin getting ready, using the sceptre to feel along the ground for
anything he might trip over. He also needed to inform the High Priest he would
no longer be staying. Forte turned back to Rock who yawned once more and allowed
himself to be tugged back out of the cathedral. Forte figured they had better go
ahead and get a headstart on a restful night's sleep since they had a long three
days' travel ahead of them.

"Heart of Sword" -- T. M. Revolution

"Rurouni Kenshin"

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