Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Campbell Infection: A deadly Conspiracy ( Chapter 13 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. SquareSoft does.

 

“Prepare to die,” as the words left Aubergine's mouth, the sky became not dark, like it had with just Rouge, but a luminous golden, as though an angel had truly appeared. Anita shook, unable to hide the fear she suddenly felt at waking such a creature. Though his face remained emotionless and unreadable, Aubergine moved his hand to the hilt of a sword and pulled it out, revealing a large, blue sword made of pure light. Shadows danced around it as Aubergine moved it in a ritualistic manner. Anita twitched as she watched.

 

“No!” she hissed, trying her best to move just one leg, “I won't let you win!” Finally, she managed to move one, raising it into the air. Bending it to remind herself she had complete control, Anita aimed it directly at Aubergine. He deflected the attack, but that wasn't her true target as the sword flew out of his hands and landed onto the ground beside her.

 

“Now what are you going to do, my little magician!?” she demanded, trying to intimidate him. But it didn't work. Aubergine remained calm, as though he expected that. Anita clenched her teeth, furious at him. Bending her leg again, she made a grab for the sword. But as she grabbed it, she screamed and pulled her hand back as she said, “What trickery is this!?”

 

“You cannot take the Holy Sword of the Goddess,” Aubergine replied calmly, floating down a little bit, “Only the true Master and Heir of Our Blessed Kingdom can wield such a sword. All others will be refused.” Anita smirked, almost amused with the explanation. She looked at Aubergine with such an intensity.

 

“You act as though this is a fairy tale!” she spat mockingly, “You must wake up, little magician. Allow me to help you along.” Freeing another leg, she went to slash at Aubergine, and yet he didn't make a move. A bright aura appeared around him, and her leg burned mercilessly, resulting in her letting out another terrifying scream. Aubergine looked almost sympathetic, but only his eyes showed the slightest bit of emotion.

 

“Your arrogance will be your demise, Anita,” Aubergine stated, floating down even more, “The unholy cannot harm the blessed. Not truly.” Anita twitched, as half of her legs were killed off.

 

“Be silenced, cretin!” she screamed, using another leg to spew that sticky, spider substance at Aubergine. But, it was simply incinerated by his protective aura. Finally, emotion hit him. Not anger, not sadness, but rather quelled annoyance. She was boring him!

 

“Do you not see that as long as you attack with blindness, you cannot hurt me?” he asked, landing gracefully on the roof, “Or, are you so blind as to burn your own legs?” Anita hissed, snapping her large fangs together.

 

“Stop speaking in riddles!” she demanded, her voice at such a pitch that she shattered windows down below. But Aubergine didn't flinch, nor did he appear to have been affected at all by the sound of crunching glass.

 

“As you wish. Allow me to speak with my mind,” he said, but Anita simply hissed again as he reached for the sword. She stopped him dead in his tracks by slamming her leg into the ground in front of him.

 

“Stop your nonsense and fight me!” she roared, “Or are you so much of a coward!?” Aubergine raised an amused eyebrow, finding it laughable that Anita insisted on fighting him. Then, he grinned that evil grin that only Rouge could be capable of.

 

“You would dare such a risk?” he asked, and nodded wickedly, “Then I shall grant you that. I am no coward, so allow me my sword, and you will have your fight.” Anita, however, didn't move.

 

“It'll be more fun to make you work for your sword,” she said. Aubergine looked at her, and simply moved to approach the sword from a different angle. But once again, she moved her leg to block him. He moved again, as did she. Finally, she asked, “What's wrong? Did I reach the limit of your brain?” Aubergine laughed, finally ending his calm. The sky remained a glorious golden, but thick clouds rose forth, booming with thunderclaps that threatened to break the sound barrier. Winds roared, ripping trees from their very roots and tossing them aside. And when Aubergine looked at Anita again, his eyes were even more black and wicked than Rouge's ever would be. His wings, once a luminous white, were a deep black, whipping a small gust with every flap.

 

“Quite the opposite,” he said, both Rouge and Blue's voices speaking, giving an eerie sound, “We're only getting started. There will be no mercy for you any longer.” Raising his arms up, Aubergine chanted something with that same, eerie split voice, and the sky quickly darkened. Buildings disappeared, and he and Anita were falling. Soon, flashes of red could be seen, and Anita realized it was lava. Aubergine was warping the very fabrics of space itself. Fear once again gripped Anita.

 

“What are you doing!?” she asked, flinching at how muffled her voice was. But Aubergine's was even louder than before, and it made her very core rattle with terror as he spoke.

 

“We will battle in the very depths of hell, where the loser shall rest for all eternity, to suffer the death of a thousand worlds,” he said in that split voice, “A place of such terror… such pain, that you will never forget the excruciating screams that echo through the souls of the damned.” Anita didn't like this, and as the warping stopped, and their battlefield came into view, she tried to run. But her legs wouldn't support her body. Shadows crept through the cracks in the ground toward Aubergine, covering his face so that she could see nothing of it save for the glowering of his red eyes. He held out his hand, and his sword flew to him. But now it was no longer a sword. It was a scythe, incased completely in flames, with spirits swirling around it.

 

“Have you any words before I throw you into the very bowels of hell?” Aubergine asked, but Anita found herself speechless. In all of her power in the world above, with all of the influence she could command, toward all of the crimes she committed, there was nothing Anita could do to get out of this. Nothing would help her as she stared at the most horrifying creature she had ever faced.

 

Meanwhile, Red ran down a very long flight of stairs, trying his best to keep his attention divided while remaining graceful. His mind kept wandering to the fight going on the rooftop, and he nearly fell down the stairs for a third time before he finally stopped running. He forced himself to calm down.

 

“I'm really worried… Rouge wasn't in good shape when I left him,” Red said, leaning against a railing, “But I need to calm down before I kill myself. Okay, just relax…” As Red spoke, he looked at his watch, “It's only been 15 minutes. I doubt anyone won… But Anita wasn't doing well, either. Okay, I'll get to a phone and get Fuse. He'll know what to do.” Feeling this plan was right, once again, Red continued down the stairs. When he came to a door, he tried to open it, only to find that it was locked. Sighing, he walked down another flight to another door. But again, that one was also locked. As were the next three he tried. Finally, Red swore.

 

“Damn it!” he yelled, pulling as hard as he could on a door, “Are all of these doors locked?!” Already having a pretty good answer, Red gave the door a mighty, frustrated kick. It bent in a little, but it didn't collapse. And he wasn't going to risk Alkaiser again, especially after using so much power. He decided to keep going until he reached the first floor. But after running and passing another ten doors, Red started to lose his steam.

 

“How many flights does this stupid building have!?” Red cried, as something came hurtling from above, “HOLY CRUD!” Red jumped away just as a huge piece of plaster slammed into the floor and continued until a large, earth shattering crash was heard far below. Red blinked, and then crept closer to the large crate that used to be the stairs. He looked down, but could see nothing except the swirling dust.

 

“What the hell was that?!” Red asked, scaling the stairs with his eyes to see just how far he'd have to jump. And that was much farther than he could go, even if he morphed into Alkaiser.

 

`We should investigate,' came a voice inside Red's mind. He recognized it instantly, as it was none other than Alkaiser. Red blinked, hearing his voice.

 

“We? What we?” Red asked, “I'm not letting you out again.” Red turned away very quickly, but he could still feel the guilt in Alkaiser.

 

`…I'm sorry,' Alkaiser said quietly, `I'm sorry about your friend.' Out of the corner of his eye, Red could see a ghostly figure that was Alkaiser sitting casually on the banister, looking down. Red sighed.

 

“You almost killed him,” Red stated very calmly, but sternly, “You didn't even care, either. How can I trust you to help me knowing you nearly killed Blue?” As he spoke, Red turned to face Alkaiser. Alkaiser looked up, and saw how much this affected Red. He knew Red didn't trust him, and for once, he understood why.

 

`I thought stopping Anita was the most important thing to completing the mission,' Alkaiser admitted, standing up, `But I never realized… or even considered what it'd mean to the both of you. I'm truly sorry, and I promise to never make a decision that rash again. Not without you.' Red looked away, unable to process what Alkaiser was saying. He was glad Alkaiser realized what he did was wrong, but it felt awkward. Until now, Alkaiser was simply a force he had to deal with. If Alkaiser took over, Red had no choice but to let him do so, as though he were simply a passenger in a car. Red bit his lower lip.

 

“I still don't know, Alkaiser,” Red replied, sitting on a stair that miraculously survived, “What if something happens and we're forced to make a decision like that? Then what'll you do?” Though he couldn't feel it, Red saw that Alkaiser put a ghostly gloved hand on his shoulder. He smiled weakly at the ghost.

 

`We'll cross that bridge when it happens,' Alkaiser said confidently, `But right now, we must find Fuse. Rouge won't last long, even in his morphed state.' Red nearly hopped off the stair, shocked to hear that Rouge could morph.

 

“Wait, what!? He can morph!?” Red asked, as he suddenly transformed into Alkaiser. Alkaiser nodded, as Red was now the ghostly of the two.

 

“Yes. He and his brother fused into the legendary Holy Master Aubergine,” Alkaiser replied, as they jumped down into the large crater that used to be the CIC's stairwell, “It's a long matter to discuss right now, but to make it short, he and Blue have the power to fuse together, because they are one in the same.” It still didn't make much sense to Red, but he didn't speak anymore on the matter as they fell toward the ground floor. When Alkaiser reached it, he immediately punched the door down, running into the lobby of the building. It was deserted, as the receptionist laid near the front desk, dead.

 

`Oh my god! Alkaiser, someone died!' Red cried, noticing the body. Alkaiser walked over, knelt down, and sat the dead woman up. He checked her pulse, and sighed heavily, letting her fall again.

 

“The radiation killed her,” Alkaiser confirmed grimly, making sure the woman was placed back down gently, “I'm guessing more people have died outside, then, because she wasn't infected badly. Just enough for her organs to swell and explode.” He stood up and looked on the desk. The phone was working, but the headset wasn't plugged in. Alkaiser hung up the phone, as the busy tone was beeping, indicating the woman was trying to make a call before she died.

 

`What do we do?' Red asked, checking the body again.

 

“I don't know,” Alkaiser said, taking off his helmet to reveal that he looked exactly like Red, except older, “Fuse can't do anything about the body because there's no obvious evidence as to why she died.” As Alkaiser thought, Red kept checking, and gasped.

 

`Maybe he can,' Red said in alarm, `Look.' Alkaiser looked again, and saw that the woman was lying in a pool of blood. She fell in such a way that she exposed slash wounds on her neck that were otherwise hidden by her blouse. Alkaiser's eyes widened.

 

“She was murdered…” he whispered, “But I felt an infection.” Alkaiser leaned closer, but didn't want to move the body any more, as he knew that'd be tampering with the evidence.

 

`Maybe she was infected as she was murdered,' Red suggested, `But what could've killed her? No one was feeling well enough to murder someone, were they?' Alkaiser looked at the wounds again. They weren't dagger marks at all. They were jagged, looking more like something was trying to rip the woman apart. No human could've done that.

 

“A monster is the only explanation,” Alkaiser said, leaning on the desk, “Look at those marks. Daggers and swords don't make those. They're too long for either blade. And jagged. No, I think something clawed into her.” Red shivered as he stared at the woman. He didn't like what he saw, and he wanted to go home and sleep this all away.

 

`We have to call Fuse,' Red said strongly, and Alkaiser picked up the phone. He dialed the number, and it rung. And rung. And still rung some more. Alkaiser was ready to put the phone down when Fuse's voice finally came through.

 

“IRPO, officer Fuse speaking. How may I help you?” Fuse asked, over the phone. Red shrugged and narrowed one eye, giving a look that said simply “What the hell?!” as Alkaiser explained quickly.

 

“I'd like to report a murder,” Alkaiser stated, trying his best to sound like Red, “We've found a woman here, dead. And I'm pretty sure she was killed. There's slash marks all over her shoulders.” Before continuing, Alkaiser paused to make sure Fuse was actually listening.

 

“A murder!? All right, where are you?” Fuse asked, getting a pen and paper, though Alkaiser couldn't see that, “And give me any details you can.” Alkaiser looked over at ghostly Red, who nodded vigorously. Alkaiser continued.

 

“I'm currently in the CIC lobby. Yes, the one in Manhattan,” Alkaiser went on, “I was trying to reach a phone when I found the woman. I was coming from the rooftop. Why? Well… It's too difficult to explain over the phone. Right now, I'm reporting a murder. I'll explain when you get here.” Red bit his lower lip, because he could hear the skepticism in Fuse's voice.

 

“Are you serious?” Fuse asked, “This better not be a prank. Do you know how many kids report false murders?” Alkaiser held the phone away, giving it a sharp glare.

 

“What do you mean, `this better not be a prank!?” Alkaiser cried into the phone, angrily, “A woman was murdered! And more people will be killed soon, if you don't get your sorry ass here! I said it's too long to explain over the phone because we don't have time to waste! You'll see when you pull into Manhattan.” Red hid his snickering, seeing Alkaiser developing more and more of a human personality. He was sure Alkaiser would lose his temper soon.

 

“I don't know. This doesn't sound like a reporting,” Fuse stated sternly, “How do I know this isn't a prank? And if the woman was murdered, why didn't someone phone me sooner?” Alkaiser twitched, and this time he DID lose his temper.

 

“YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO TRUST ME!” Alkaiser roared, and Red was sure that made Fuse fall out of the seat he was sitting in, “We just found her, and there's no one else in the building! It's been evacuated because an epidemic is spreading through Manhattan! Is that a good enough reason for you?” Fuse blinked as Alkaiser spoke, and pulled up a site on his laptop. Red could hear very fast typing. Fuse must've been looking for something.

 

“Epidemic… there've been reports of people in CIC getting sick,” Fuse said, though he meant to only speak to himself, “All right, I'll be right there. Get to a safe spot, and if you can, call me on my cell phone. My number is 818-426-3873.” Alkaiser was about to hang up when Red remembered an important question.

 

`Where's he going to meet us!?' he asked urgently. Alkaiser quickly relayed the question to Fuse, who took a minute to respond as he closed down his laptop.

 

“Right outside of the CIC building. Wait for me there,” Fuse ordered, and hung up the phone. Alkaiser did the same, and looked at Red. Red was very nervous, and he kept glancing at the dead woman slumped against the desk.

 

“It'll be all right,” Alkaiser assured, “Should we go and help Rouge out?”

 

`No. We need to stay and meet with Fuse,' Red reminded him, `Besides, you aren't up to full power anyway. If you tried to help, Anita could probably kill you.' Alkaiser sat down in a chair and sighed, twirling his helmet in his hands.

 

“Then what can we do? You honestly want me to simply sit here and wait?” Alkaiser asked, exasperated. Red nodded grimly, sitting on another desk.

 

`We have to, Alk,' Red said firmly, `Neither of us will do any good up there, and…' Red was about to say more, but Alkaiser stood up very suddenly, and Red saw him tense up and draw his sword, which was glowing an intense blue.

 

“Red, hold on,” Alkaiser whispered, “I hear something.” Red held his breath and looked around the large lobby. It was dark, but he couldn't see anything moving. At least anything that wasn't covered from the shadows. He bent his head to try and listen, but he had no idea what he was actually looking for. Alkaiser made a silent step forward, his sword ready for a quick swipe. Then he stopped and waited. Whatever he was looking for, Red knew it must've been very close. Then, without warning, Alkaiser attacked.

 

“Hiyaaah!” Alkaiser cried, slashing what Red thought was thin air. But then something hissed angrily and a large lizard-like creature with sea-weed-like hair appeared, scurrying away before it turned to dust. Another creature just like it sprang from the ceiling, but Alkaiser slashed it to pieces. More came out, and soon Alkaiser was outnumbered.

 

`Aw shit! Alk, hold on!' Red called, and through some thought of his own, became solid and threw a heavy chair at a group of those sea-weed creatures. It slammed into them, and they turned to Red. Alkaiser slashed them all in quick succession, barely managing to parry a blow from behind as a boar-like creature rammed towards him. Though he managed to block, Alkaiser was still thrown quite a ways back.

 

“This is bad,” he said grimly, getting up from a pile of broken wood that he managed to fall into. He dusted himself off, and brandished his sword again. Red was next to him, with his fists ready.

 

`What are they!?' Red asked, looking over at the small army that was beginning to assemble, `And how are they getting inside!?'

 

“They're known as Overshadowers,” Alkaiser replied, watching in frustration, “They take on the mutated forms of animals and attack unknowing victims. They must be getting in through the basement or something to that extent.” Red blinked, thinking about what Alkaiser was saying. Then, he grabbed a large board, holding it up like a shield. He had a plan to stop them.

 

`Hold them off. I'm going to try and make a break for that door over there,' Red stated, pointing. Alkaiser could just barely see a door on the other end of the room. It was taken off its hinges, and smoke was billowing out of it.

 

“Red, what are you planning?” Alkaiser asked, glancing at Red as he edged away from their tiny circle of a fort. Though Alkaiser couldn't see it, Red bit his lower lip. He was trying to time something.

 

`If they're getting in through the basement, I'm going to cut them off. Just trust me,' Red said. Although Alkaiser was skeptical, he did have a promise to keep. He held his sword high into the air and bent a ray of light to bounce off of it. The creatures hissed as they saw, drawn away from their prey to that shining light. Red grinned and leapt across the desk that served as a barrier, straight into the ranks of monsters. The light dazzled them in such a way as they didn't even notice Red as he dashed past. They kept watching the light bouncing off of the sword and ceiling. Alkaiser kept focusing on that light, willing it to grow brighter and brighter until it flooded the entire lobby. Red was glad he had his back turned, as he was protected from the blinding effects.

 

`Looks like Alk there has everything under control,' Red whispered to himself, `Maybe trusting him wasn't a mistake.' As he made his way into the back of the room, the amount of monsters assembled decreased drastically. They became farther spread apart, as though they were either ordered to stop or had simply all come into the lobby. Yet, even so far away, they were still enticed by the light Alkaiser was emitting. Red could feel Alkaiser becoming tired, and knew he was using all of his power for that distraction. Guiltily, he said, `Hang in there, buddy. I'm almost there.'

 

`Just hurry up, Red,' came a strained reply from the superhuman, `Something is cutting off my power.' Red gripped the board tighter and sprinted to the end of the lobby. The door was dead ahead… but so was a large creature waddling out of it. Many more creatures followed it, and Red guessed that they purposely hid from the light. The leader of that group, a large, fat, sea-weed covered platypus, seemed to be having a hard time deciding whether he should pay attention to Red or to the light. But just as it seemed to make up its mind, the light went out. All of the monsters hissed angrily. Red didn't hesitate. He pushed the platypus back with the board and slammed it into place just as a large beast lunged forward. Red felt it slam into the wooden board as the board clicked into place. He prayed it would stay, and turned around only to face many angry, glowering red eyes piercing him. He gulped.

 

`Alk, what happened!? Where's the light?' Red asked, but could feel no response, `Alk?' Red couldn't see Alkaiser anywhere, and he felt his own body become solid. Wherever Alkaiser was, something had happened to him, and now Red was defenseless, as was the superhuman. Red cursed, and ran as fast as he could as something tried to claw at him. He didn't care where he went as he ran up toward the elevator. He just had to hide.

 

---

 

Aubergine and Anita both stood in complete darkness. The ground beneath them was solid, but hard to see against all of the darkness. The only light came from lava pools that glowed only softly at best. The gravel beneath the two crunched as they circled each other. Anita tried to stare Aubergine down, but the magician was emotionless.

 

“Why are you stalling?” he asked, “I thought you wished for a fight.” Anita hissed angrily, tucking her injured legs beneath her large body. It was difficult to move with only three legs to support her, but she managed… just barely.

 

“Forgive me for boring you, but you did kill five of my legs,” Anita spat, trying to control herself. She knew what Aubergine was trying. She wouldn't let him rile her. But his emotionless expression aggravated her.

 

“And yet you're the one who put yourself into this predicament,” Aubergine retorted logically, “I just have one question. Why? Why are you doing this?” Anita smiled, but it was a vile, wicked smile. Aubergine expected nothing less.

 

“If you wished to control the world, how else would you do so besides instilling fear into your victims?” Anita asked, “It's a simple matter of loyalty, magician. If the people are sick, they will continue to buy my medical equipment. Radiated equipment leads to more sickness, which leads to more money, which leads to poverty among the masses. Do you see? The more I get, the more they rely on my company.” Aubergine gasped, a disgusted, disdained gasp of true anger, and his voice became similar to Blue's only. Rouge was too shocked to lend his voice into their ultimate form.

 

“You would intentionally kill to dominate?” Aubergine asked, torn between shock and anger, “What happens when your mass dies? When there is nothing left?”

 

“That is where the radiation comes in. Through the use of the cloning equipment my late father invented, I have begun to unravel my DNA,” Anita explained, “When the time comes, and when I'm no longer threatened by abolitionists like you, the eggs spawned from my cloning device will hatch, and a new race will dominate this pathetic planet. And they'll be ruled by me. Because they'll have a clone of my mind, they'll follow my every order. Any survivors of the Campbell plague will be annihilated.” Aubergine's frown deepened.

 

“You honestly think you can win? You're a crippled shell of yourself,” Aubergine stated, “I won't let you operate that machine you're talking about.” Anita simply laughed, and through a sheer force of evil, that laugh rumbled the very pits of hell, causing a small tremor. Aubergine had to float to avoid it, but Anita remained unharmed. She continued to laugh, her shriek filling Aubergine's ears. He covered them, remaining silent, but strained. That shriek was draining his power. Inside, Blue could feel Rouge screaming, wanting to revert and run, but they couldn't. He held Rouge's hand in his own, though they were simply ghostly forms of themselves in Aubergine's mind. Anita's laugh started to die down, and then it finally stopped altogether. Aubergine let his hands fall.

 

“I don't need to touch that machine, you fool,” she replied, her own voice becoming distorted and warped, “In less than three hours, that machine will activate, awakening my clones and pouring gallons upon gallons of toxicated radiation into the air around Manhattan. The weight of the radiation will seep into the ground, into our drinking water, into our crops, until everything becomes infected. Life will become hell… and then my clones will carry my plans through their cloned mind.”

 

“You're sick!” Aubergine cried, as Rouge had taken over, “You're the sickest creature to walk the planet!” Blue couldn't calm Rouge down as he drew the Goddess sword and lunged at Anita. It blazed in an angry flare, and the hit connected. Rouge, or rather, Aubergine, sliced right across Anita, then rebounded and reversed, cutting upwards. Everywhere the sword slashed, the wound inflicted blazed with holy fire. Anita began to scream, and yet her screams were blocked out completely. Aubergine landed on the ground after creating a series of complicated markings with his sword, all of them blazing angrily against Anita's skin. Being ripped apart by the fire, Anita let out one last long, heart-breaking scream, and burst into a fiery cascade. Hidden rock crumbled apart and tiny shrapnel of cooled, hardened lava flew everywhere threateningly. And yet nothing hit Aubergine as he landed. As his aura faded, he closed his eyes, reverting back into the pair of twins from before. Rouge laid on the ground, presumably asleep. But Blue knelt on the ground. He looked up, and around at the empty crater that was hell. Nothing was there, save for Rouge.

 

“…it's… it's over,” Blue whispered, “We… won.” Exhausted, he let himself fall onto the cold ground.

 

“We've… saved… the world… at least from her…”

 

-----------------------------(End chapter)

 

Finally! Anita Campbell is killed and her plans for world domination are put to rest! But, Blue and Rouge aren't done yet. They still need to put an end to the machine that Anita mentioned. And, with Red in danger, CIC is still swarming with monsters left from Anita's terrible conspiracy. Can the exhausted pair wake up and continue on with their mission? And will Fuse show up? Find out the answer next chapter, so click that Review button!