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Slizer Mafia 2.8


Pahrak Model ZX

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The hard ground.  Cold on one side, warmth on the other.  An incessant crackling and popping.  Slowly, the world around them was beginning to exist again.

 

…The Coronet!

 

The Sub Slizer’s eyes shot open.  They didn’t recognize the rocky path they lay on, but they could see a silhouette on the other side of the fire popping popcorn in a pan.  Rolling onto their knees, they ignored the soreness in their muscles and drew a disk, and the silhouette raised their free hand and spoke.

 

“At ease, warrior.  You are safe here…relatively speaking…”

 

As they blinked, the Sub Slizer was soon able to see more clearly who sat with them.  It was a Slizer, of course, but one who was exceptionally tall, with thick, white and blue armor that covered their entire body.  Finally recognizing them, the Sub Slizer dropped their weapon and scrambled back.

 

“Ice Coronet!  My deepest apologies.”

 

The Coronet smiled wearily.  “No need.  You must be very confused right now.”

 

“Indeed.  The last thing I remember, I was in the Urban Sector, raiding the weapons facility with the Sub Coronet to recover astralbane we could use in the war.  We were discovered…I was ready to fight, but the Coronet knocked me unconscious.”  Looking up, they asked, “Please, Majesty: what has happened?  Where are we—and where is the Sub Coronet?”

 

The Ice Coronet’s expression darkened quickly.  They looked down at the popcorn, shaking the pan, and then back into the Sub Slizer’s face.  “I am sorry, warrior.  The Sub Coronet is dead.”

 

The Sub Slizer’s eyes widened.

 

“They sent you and the others away while they held off the enemy, and ultimately destroyed the facility to keep astralbane out of the Judge Coronet’s hands.  Unfortunately, since there was so much in the facility, they were exposed to it in the destruction.  I am sorry.”

Though they were still processing, the Sub Slizer asked, “What happened to the others?”

 

“Regrettably…by the time I met up with you, the others had all been fatally wounded.  They informed me of what had happened and insisted I get you to safety.  I hope you will forgive me for bringing you here—I have a very important mission that I am afraid I could not delay.”

 

They sat in silence for a time.  Eventually, the Ice Coronet pulled the lid off the pan and asked, “Would you like some popcorn?”

 

Groggily taking the bowl they were handed, the Sub Slizer whispered, “Then it’s only you two, isn’t it?  You, and the Judge Coronet.”

 

The Ice Coronet nodded once.  “Correct,” they said around bites.  “All the other Coronet Slizers have been killed.  It now falls to me to put an end to the Judge Coronet’s reign of terror.”

 

“How?” the Sub Slizer asked.  “You eight were created to be immortal!  We might’ve won if we had the astralbane—one shot of that energy and the Judge Coronet’s soul would have collapsed—but without it, there’s no way to kill them!  And even if we could…”

 

They paused to look around.  An endless sea of charred rubble spread out from the base of the mountain in all directions, on and on until it met the gray skies at the horizon.  It was now they realized this was probably somewhere in the Rock Sector.

 

“There’s nothing left of this world.  Every Sector has been razed by the war that wretched Judge Coronet started.  So many have died…I never thought I would outlive my Coronet…”

 

The Ice Coronet closed their eyes.  “It is fair to say there is nothing left in this world.  However.”

 

The Coronet rose and extended their hand.  A puff of cold air shot from their palm, dousing the fire, and then they turned and pointed to the peak of the mountain.

 

“I promise you, warrior: there is a way to save what is left of our people.  Will you come with me?  There is someone I must see.”

 

***

 

The cavern that welcomed the Ice Coronet and Sub Slizer was rather small, lit by torches that ran along its circular wall and a neon sign that flashed “OPEN”.  Aside from these fixtures, the chamber was empty at first.  But soon the torches flickered, and in a flash of golden light, a being appeared at the center of the room: they had gray and black armor focused around their torso and feet, with thinner legs and two standard throwing arms.  Two large black fins rose from their back, and on their face was a mask of some kind, made of gold with a depressed crossroads at its center and six fins jutting off of its edge.

 

“Millennium Slizer,” the Ice Coronet breathed.  “At last, we have found you.”

 

The Sub Slizer gasped.  “The Millennium Slizer?  I don’t believe it…is it really you?”

 

With a chuckle, the Millennium Slizer said, “Ah, I see you have your questions.  Is this the real life?  Is this just fantasy?  Caught in a—“

 

“Pardon me,” the Ice Coronet interrupted, “but that’s a very long song and we don’t have that much time.”

 

“Yeah, I guess that’s why we only did a fragment of it last time,” the Millennium Slizer sighed.  “Anyway, it’s me, but I’m only here for the lore—I’m not going to be an actual role.  Sorry if that bums anyone out.  But, fill me in!  Last I heard you were all fighting a war against the Judge Coronet—how’s that going?”

 

“Quite poorly, I’m afraid.  I am the only other Coronet Slizer remaining, and I simply do not possess the means to put an end to my former comrade.”

 

“I thought the Science Slizers built a structural defect into all of you?”

 

“It can only be set off by a special type of energy—the last of it has been lost, and we have no more Science Slizers who could recreate it.”

 

Come on, we already covered this exposition, the Sub Slizer silently complained.

 

The Millennium Slizer rubbed their chin.  “I see.  That is bad…you don’t have much time left.”

 

Frowning, the Ice Coronet asked, “What do you mean?”

 

“…I hate to pile on even more bad news, but you need to know if you’re going to do anything about it.  Your timeline is about to fade away.”

 

“What?” the Sub Slizer asked, stepping forward.  “You mean everything that has already happened is all going to cease to exist?  How can that be?”

 

“There isn’t going to be another server crash, is there?” asked the Ice Coronet.

 

“No,” the Millennium Slizer said.  “…Well, probably not.  But that’s not what I mean.”  They pointed to the mask they wore.  “This Mask of Time once belonged to an island in another world named Okoto.  It has all sorts of powers, but what really makes it important is that it’s a sort of anchor for whatever timeline it’s in.”

 

The Sub Slizer shook their head, unable to understand.

 

“Hm, maybe anchor isn’t the right word…you ever heard of Atlas?”

 

“The book?”

 

“Uh, no.  The mythical figure?  The guy who held the sky up to keep it from crashing down on the Earth?”

 

The Sub Slizer grimaced and half-shrugged, unsure if they really remembered.

 

“Okay, well, the point I was getting at is that this Mask is like our Atlas.  Millions of timelines come into existence, but they’re all swallowed by the void sooner or later—except for whatever timeline the Mask of Time is in.  The Mask holds that timeline high above the void, keeping it from falling in so that it can continue on and on indefinitely.  Originally it came from a different timeline, but the Judge Slizer brought it into this one…and without Atlas holding it up, that original timeline has now been swallowed up by the void.  Okoto Prime is no more.”

 

The Ice Coronet shook their head sadly.  “So much unused potential, all gone to waste…”

 

“Alright,” the Sub Slizer said, “but if the Mask is in this timeline…”

 

The Millennium Slizer shook their head.  “When the Mask bonded with me, it pulled me back to the year 2000 to create another new timeline.”

 

“Another one?!  This is getting confusing…”

 

“I’m sorry.  We’re holding up that one now.  I can pop over here using the Mask’s power, but it’s already chosen the next timeline—I’m not able to stay here long, and this place is already dipping into the void.”

 

The Sub Slizer shuddered.  Quietly, the Ice Coronet said, “Millennium Slizer…I came here because I wanted to ask something of you.  Having heard this, it has been made a far more urgent request.”

 

The Millennium Slizer turned and waited.

 

“I want to ask you to save our people, as many as you can.  Take them with you back to the year 2000, to start over in this new timeline.  I will gather as many as I can, and do my best to prevent the Judge Coronet from claiming any more victims, and then you can carry them out of that fiend’s reach forever.”

 

“Hm…I could do that.  They’ll be safe in this new timeline, providing there’s no Slizer Mafia 4 or anything.”  The Millennium Slizer produced a disk made of gold, and held it out.  “Take this.  I’ll be able to come right to you the next time, and when I do, I’ll take someone with me back to the year 2000.  Though, I can only do one at a time—I don’t think it’d be safe to try any more.  It would break game balance for sure.”

 

The Ice Coronet took the disk and nodded.  “Thank you so much!  You’ve given them the gift of a new future, and you have my eternal gratitude.”

 

“Yeah, sure.  But that still leaves the matter of the Judge Coronet.”

 

After thinking a moment, the Ice Coronet said, “They must be stopped, no matter the cost…even if I have to drag them into the void myself.”

 

The Millennium Slizer stared at them for a moment.  “…Edgy.  But, there may be another way.”

 

The Ice Coronet cocked their head.  “What do you mean?”

 

The Millennium Slizer closed their eyes and put their fingers up to their temples.  “For now, this world still has a future, and I can see a few possibilities for it.  The details are fuzzy when we’re this close to the void, but I see two players who can tip the balance of power.  One of them is…a survivor…someone from the original timeline, who has been trapped here for far too long…and the other…”

 

The Ice Coronet waited patiently, but soon the Millennium Slizer sighed and dropped their hands.

 

“Delta,” they muttered.  “That’s all I can see.  Does that mean anything to you?”

 

The Ice Coronet shook their head.

 

“Shame.  I’m afraid I’ve got to get going.”  They held out their hand.  “Best of luck, Ice Coronet, Sub Slizer.  I hope I’ll get to rescue you both.”

 

The Ice Coronet shook their hand and said, “We shall see.”

 

The Millennium Slizer faded away.  At the cavern entrance, the Sub Slizer leaned against the wall and stared at the ground, not sure what to say about everything they had just learned.

 

“I will not force you to fight, of course,” the Ice Coronet said, walking over to the neon sign and turning it off.

 

“What?”

 

“If you wish to stay out of harm’s way, I am sure I can keep you safe long enough to send you back with the Millennium Slizer next time they visit.”

 

The Sub Slizer looked at the Ice Coronet for a moment, and then out towards the clouded horizon.  They had no reason to stay in this world, now that the Sub Coronet was gone…but still, they wanted to see the Judge Coronet leave it with their own eyes.

 

Turning back, they said, “Ice Coronet.  If you will permit me, I wish to serve you in this final battle.  The Sub Coronet decided my life was still of some value…I want to honor that decision.”

 

The Ice Coronet smiled at them, happy they wouldn’t have to face the oncoming trial on their own.  “Very well.  Thank you for your aid, Sub Slizer.”  They stepped past them and out of the cavern.  “We make for the ruins of the Slizer Dome.  The surviving Slizers have all conveniently gathered there, and I am sure that is where the Judge Coronet still lies in wait.  It will not be easy, but we must do everything in our power to save as many as we can.”

 

As they began the journey, the Ice Coronet looked at the golden disk in their hands.  In a way, it was now easier: even if there was nothing left in this world, it was still their world, so leaving it might have been difficult if they actually had a choice.  But now they were more sure than ever that this was the right decision.

 

The Generic Slizers have suffered long enough.  It’s time to bring this trilogy to an end.

 

***

 

High above the ruins of the Slizer Dome was a dark portal leading to the void between worlds, there since the time of the Okotans’ invasion.  No one was watching it now, and so no one saw it grow larger for just an instant, and no one saw a small one-person craft shoot out of it and arc over the sky.  It crashed at the edge of a riverbank and screeched to a halt.  For a time, it just sat there.  Then, with a hiss, the hatch opened, and out peeked a teal-armored being who surveyed the area to make sure they were alone.

 

I made it!

 

The City Slizer dropped back into their ship, taking a quick moment to examine their instruments.  With some reluctance, they set aside their collection of tubas and French horns and examined the ship’s dashboard.  At a glance, they could tell this ship would never fly again, but that was okay: they had reached their destination, which meant there was a chance they could finally put an end to this madness they had failed to stop once before.  They gathered as many disks as they could, and then picked up a small weapon—a harpoon gun made of odd, yellowish metal—and jumped out of the ship to drive off towards the ruined city.

 

So this is the world the Judge Slizer wanted to build?  I’m not impressed.  Oh well, at least I won’t have to feel guilty about tearing it apart.

 

They loaded up a CD as they drove, and as they made their way across the gravel lot that used to be a city, those famous words echoed out for all to hear:

 

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord

 

***

 

SLIZER MAFIA 3

 

IS COMING SOON

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I'm not personally familiar with the Slizer Mafia series, so I had some trouble following along with this, but it's a very well-written story, and I was able to piece together the general plot thanks to your effective and engaging writing. I enjoyed the first half more than the second, if only because I feel like the second half was meant to be enjoyed with some more knowledge of the series coming in. The first half, though, does a great job of establishing an atmosphere of recovering from a major defeat after a great battle. The Coronets are a neat idea, and I was able to figure out who they were pretty easily. The only thing I'm still confused by is why the Sub Slizer calls itself a "they." Good story overall, though, and I'm glad to have checked it out.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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