The eel erupted through a stony landscape, letting off a screeching roar as it bucked Mega Man off of it. As he landed, he watched as the robotic body that had carried him up slowly turned to stone before his very eyes. As its writhing spasms came to a halt, a baleful gaze was locked in stone, trained on him. Shuddering, Mega Man quickly moved away from the new structure as he began exploring the new area.
The rocky land was brown and barren, with only an occasional clump of stones breaking up the landscape, colored black. Visible in the distance was a massive volcano, belching smoke as the earth rumbled every so often beneath Mega Man's feet.
"As if where I'm supposed to go could be made any more obvious," he grumbled under his breath as he kept going.
As he approached one of the piles of black stone, it stood up to attack him. While it moved slowly, it took a lot of damage before going down. Mega Man was unwilling to use the Skull Blaster because in addition to causing massive recoil that sent him flying backwards, he took damage from anything he slammed into in the process. Thankfully, the only attack the stone beast had was throwing rocks at him, and after fighting Guts Man, Mega Man had an easy time evading each throw.
Once he realized the rock piles could conceal enemies, Mega Man did his best to avoid them. Unfortunately, the areas that lacked the rock piles were revealed to be lined with land mines that broke open magma vents when they went off, and Mega Man had to be especially careful to not step on them or he'd risk melting in the magma.
Besides the rock beasts and the magma vent mines, other hazards also lined Mega Man's path. The ground would occasionaly collapse beneath him, giving him mere moments to leap to safe ground before falling to a pit of spikes...or further, back into the ocean of the previous trial chamber. He was just grateful that the ground was more or less flat leading up to the volcano, as he was certain he would have been forced to deal with landslides if he'd climbed so much as a single hill, especially as the ground shook every so often in what had to be an artificial earthquake.
Eventually, Mega Man finally reached the volcano...which was a sheer cylinder up and down, with strange tracks running all over it. At the base was a strange cart attached to the tracks. Curious, Mega Man approached the cart and found instructions written on it.
You must climb the volcano.
This cart can move up, left, or right as you climb the mountain. It cannot move down.
At no point can you backtrack.
Some track points have traps. Some have other issues.
If you reach a dead end, this cart will disconnect from the mountain, and you will have to jump free to not be crushed. Assuming you land safely, the cart will respawn in its original position.
The cart has a structural integrity of 100. Traps will inflict damage between 5 and 25 to the cart's integrity, depending on the trap. If the cart's integrity reaches zero, it will explode.Have fun!
Mega Man blinked for a bit. "...I think I remember this game..."(1) he muttered as he stepped in. Remembering playing the game with Vinyl at one point while Dr. Wily was at Light's Lab after his second world takeover attempt, he followed the course he had taken up the mountain Vinyl had constructed for him to climb. He was...rather surprised to find that it was the exact course needed to get up without taking damage.
As he stepped out at the caldera, he saw a Robot Master waiting for him. It looked like Crash Man, but he was much bulkier, with drills mounted at the ends of his arms which snapped closed around his hands. Panels opened and closed on his shoulders and leg armor plates, revealing bomb launching ports. Magma flowed freely around and behind him, framing him without touching him.
"Vulcan, I presume?" Mega Man spoke up.
"That is correct," Vulcan replied. "You have one question left."
"Son of a monkey-goat!" Mega Man swore. "Don't you ever get tired of screwing with me?" He then winced, facepalming as he realized what he'd just done.
Vulcan stared at him for a time. "In some ways, yes," Vulcan replied. "It's fun, but it has served its purpose at this point. But you make it too easy." He shifted to a battle stance. "And now we fight."
With that said, Vulcan dove towards the magma. Without thinking, Mega Man lunged forward, gripping tediously to the edge of the caldera with one hand and grabbing hold of Vulcan's foot with the other.
Vulcan stared up at him in confusion. "What are you doing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just because you're working for Vinyl and Wily doesn't mean I want to see you die!" Mega Man roared out. "Back while you were staying with us, we became friends! We hung out together, played video games, sparred on occasion...Wood Man's not the only one I couldn't bring myself to hurt at the end of that!"
Vulcan stared at him for a time. Withdrawing his drills, he waved his hand at the magma, and it rose to meet him, becoming a solid platform for him to step onto. "Did you really think I'd be fighting in a volcano crater, even if an artificial one, if the magma could hurt me?" he asked calmly. "Vinyl redesigned me so I can swim through the magma as easily as water, so I could use it against you."
As Vulcan pulled him onto the platform, Mega Man glanced away. "Well...when you put it that way, I feel kind of an idiot," he admitted. "But...when I saw you falling towards the magma, towards what to me would be certain death...I..."
"You didn't think," Vulcan concluded. "You felt." He stared at Mega Man for a time, then stepped back of the platform, floating in the heat of the caldera. "I'm supposed to fight you, make you master a pattern...but it's specifically to make you prove yourself here. And I think you've managed that in a different way."
"Huh?" Mega Man asked, confused.
"You have three questions for Typhon in the next zone," Vulcan explained. "Ask, and he'll tell you." With that, Vulcan thrust his arms into the sky. "Hang on tight."
With no more warning than that, the platform shot up into the clouds on a pillar of magma, with Mega Man in tow.
(1) This is based on an actual text based game I remember from a long time ago, where the goal was to get from 000 to whatever was marked as the top of the mountain, where you could only ever go up, left, or right, and each one sent you to a different three digit coordinate. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it's called, and couldn't find it with a google search. I'd appreciate it if anyone could find it for me.
To be honest, I half expected Skull Man decked out as Sauron, but this was good too.
6880039 That would have been interesting.
The mine carts actually made me think of Donkey Kong.
Suddenly I can think if Vinyl was serious she could try to make a "Dark Megaman" a copy with the mission of making his life impossible, a couple of times by using that they are identical so that they think is him and make pranks, and other times to stall him as they have the same powers
6880065 Screw those mine cart levels.
6880128 It takes mad skills to survive a mine cart level.
6880141 Skills that I just don't have...
*smacks Megaman with a Salmon* "You FOOL you should ask "What is Vinyl's Ultimate Goal?"
6880065 DK64 if I remember right.
Theres a couple different games that had them, one was the disney star game, where you rode rides. went to the carribean, and space mountain. (sadly I cant recall the name of that.) Toki Toki had a couple Mine cart style ones. There was also a Dizzy the Egg game that had the same thing with minecarts. Bucky o'hare had a level that was minecart heck as well right off in memory. As for a pure text, nothing sadly comes to mind.
But the choice to act with instinct, is what makes a hero here. And love to see that even with a villain has worth.
You know... I've been thinking of something. You know how Skull Man's basically Sans? Well... I'm starting to think that another character could be influenced by someone from Undertale. A warrior who fights to protect that which he sees as precious, fighting against a nigh-unbeatable foe, all while carrying the hopes and dreams of every living creature... who also happens to be filled with determination. So yeah, I could see Mega Man pulling something like this.
And then he snaps the wand and defeats whatever "final boss" is left (Probably Protoman... or is it Blues?... Eh, wherever that plot thread is going), then walks home, forgetting that he could teleport.
6880288 Actually the original on the SNES.
Something tells me the next chapter's gonna blow. I look forward to it.
6880446 Oh, my bad.
6880449 I'm a big fan of good puns.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6880536 Not like anything is going to erupt in our face right?
I didn't know that a robot master could be... Molten to the core.
Guess they just... Went with the flow.
I'd say that was a... Mountain of a trial but was probably more of a rocky road than anything.
We're steep in puns now so we'll probably need something to keep us on track.
I'd probably mine my own business but I cart stop myself.
I think Mega man is... Shaken not stirred really.
6880359 I'm starting to think that we're all hoping Megaman Snaps in some way, shape, or form.
Visuals on their new designs would be awesome
6880656
I'm no artist, and have no money to commission images.
6880668 I though you might have been basing the new designs of some other pictures. Like if you search shadowman exe you'll find the design you described
6880729
Only in Shadowman's case.
6880591 I can't stop quaking with laughter.
6880446 I loved the music there.
6880591
shut up Sans
6880359
gotta love them undertale references
6880591 I said GOOD puns.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
But that begs the question: what's going to come out of Proto Man's character arc? Earlier, it was revealed that he's hiding some other personality is, a feminine one, that he doesn't necessarily want to reveal. But once it IS revealed, what would it result? What implications would this have on the world at large? Is it merely to draw a hypothesis of what Dave Strider would be like if he had Jade Harley's consciousness in his mind, or is it something that ties into the glitch in his systems? For that matter, will she ever manifest on the outside, or will she be given her own body?...
Stupid authors and their intriguing plot developments, why do they always make us wait for things to get answered?
I'd actually like to see this Rock meet X. I mean how would you feel meeting your inferior predecessor, or meeting your clearly superior replacement... Of course X is most likely a rebuilt and upgraded version of Megaman even keeping the same name. So it's not really possible.
6881906
The assumption that the second personality is feminine is based in a typo that got out of hand that has since been corrected.
The only significance of Protoman's fractured personality core is that he's the only robot that can choose to ignore the three laws, because only one of his personalities has them hardcoded in the programming.
6881968 So you mean... that's it? That's the only point of Blues' mentioning? You mean you could just as easily say it it was glitch in his programming, he restrained himself from coddling Vinyl simply because he wanted to maintain his image, and we, the audience, wouldn't have lost a single thing in the process?...
Sorry about that, I blanked out a little bit. Anywho, that seemed like a waste of potential. I mean, it's like if Launch from Dragon Ball said "Yeah, I always got into trouble as a kid due to my other personality, but after years of intensive therapy, I got it out of my system." the mention of a second personality would be pointless since it doesn't come into play, and it could've just as easily been reworded by taking out the words "due to my other personality". I mean, Rufio from Homestuck wasn't real, but even that came into play eventually! It's like you just casually say information to purposely throw us... off...
{Tatsurou: I mean, A:TLA is at the tail end of a 100 year war that has reshaped - and nearly destroyed - the world...and yet it manages to still be lighthearted and hopeful. In Korra, when the world has grown to the point where the damage is being repaired? It's an overall darker, edgier atmosphere.}
Yeah, but that doesn't stop you from creating your OWN darker, edgier atmosphere, does it?
6882027
The reason I mentioned Protoman's split personality is because, as far as I can tell from my research, it's canon.
And the reason I don't make dark, edgy atmospheres is because I don't like dark, edgy atmospheres.
6882058 Ooh, now I get to say it. *Ahem* You misunderstood my intention.
I wasn't saying that you don't make them because you don't like them. I was saying that you make them DESPITE not liking them. Because, while it's true that taking the air out of a ruling monarch, electrocution, and explosions can be pretty gruesome, I'd say that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people getting devoured by a kraken at once is FAR worse (Even if they DO survive, they'll just be subjected to the same fate as Zhao was)... oh, and a little girl planning out someone's death in a public place in broad daylight didn't help either.
I'm sorry, but what is it, pray tell, that you're saying is canon? Because it seems to me as though you've displaced your cores. See, you're thinking that there was an error in his PERSONALITY core (his "brain", the thing that allows him to distinguish himself as a person) that affected his free will, but what ACTUALLY happened was that a glitch in his ENERGY core, (his "heart", the thing that empowers him) that gave him free will, and he believed that fixing it would stop that would affect his free will and his character. It wasn't that "only one of his personalities has them hardcoded in the programming" or something like that, it was that his physical ailment, the one that shortens his lifespan, ultimately affected his free will... somehow. If you want to say that the canon doesn't make sense and you'd like to take your own crack at it, that's fine. It made sense to me, and I'd love to see you do something with it... But if you choose to proclaim that what you're doing it because you "know" it's canon, and you choose to do nothing with it, then that's when the gloves come off, I'm afraid.
So like I said earlier... wasted opportunity. (Ooh, I can just FEEL the valid point in return!)
6882192
Hmm...I didn't actually research from wiki and the like. But every single fanwork I'd ever come across before now had that Protoman had multiple personality programs, and one or more of them lacked the Three Laws programming. That was my basis of that use.
And while the error in his power core design that will eventually kill him I knew about, there is no logic in that effecting his programming or personality, or in its repair affecting that (as addressed when Vinyl fixed it with her Sonic not-a-Screwdriver near the start of this arc), so I consider that a plot error by the canon.
Now, this is not to say I won't do anything with Protoman's split personality. Only that I have no plans for it at the moment.
6882237 Ah, so we're in agreement. What you did was non-canon, and the canon explanation makes no sense... however, there is ONE fanwork that presented Proto Man the way he was supposed to be.
It might not have any wubtastic ponies, but I'd say it's pretty good.
6880039 While it might have been cool, Skull Man/Sans already showed up way at the start of this world Takeover. Plus he's not Vinyl's robot to modify, he's Kalinka's and her Dad's. Now Skull Man should get a taller brother who has the personality of Papyrus and swaps to Underswap Papyrus when he's defeated =p. Or having the personality of Death from Castlevania and wearing a robe like him, this older Brother looking like the Megamix version.
Got way off topic there, back to this chapter. It was short but sweet, nice to see Rock still has his heroic tendencies and even tried to save Vulcan/Upgraded Crash Man. I can't wait until he meets Mr Typhon/Air Man =D. That fight should be appropriately epic.
locked should be lacked. And you need to change either area to areas or were to was.
Of course Mega Man's first reaction to someone jumping into lava is to grab them, I loved it! Plus, the feelings from his heart... he's more than just a robot.
Probably my favorite fight in this sequence, and it wasn't even a fight.
6880065
me too. music start playing in my head as soon as he said 'mine cart'. Oh, the horrors and frustrations of that level!
TYPHON!!!!
6880591 HAHAHAHAHA! Let's hope the next challenge doesn't ... Blow Mega Man away! LOL!
Well, that was fast.
6882399
Um.... Paps is the younger brother. It's not abnormal for the younger sibling to be physically... stronger/taller/stouter? (take your pick), as opposed to the older one. My own brother is both stronger and stouter, plus every bit as tall and intelligent as I am (potentially more intelligent overall). That's the only part of that thought that I can nit pic, as the rest is just opinion. Can't fault that.
6882237
The 'not-a-screwdriver'; an oscillation matrix generator? (I've done a lot of reading on sonic tech and research, and this is the closest match I have to your description. Sonic oscillation in complex patterns (Matrixes) are the closest thing to theoretical control over string theory, and I'm going to be upset if I have to explain that. That theory is ancient!) {You might be able to build one by combining synthesizer and directional sound technologies, though getting exact effects generated would require a genius mind or lots of trial and error, not unlike composing music really. Sonic tech can include effects ranging from freezerburn to isolated material disintegration (testing in progress for cancer cures), from kinetic manipulation (push/pull/turn) to damn near micro alchemy (manipulation of atomic bonds to link/sever molecular structures). The science is just fascinating (and could potentially turn a nine-volt battery into a nuclear level threat).}
shame this one didn't have a song to go with it, but a good chapter none the less, and a good showcase on how rock cares for those he's bonded with.