Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel and some other companies now, too, it seems. Not making a dime off this.

…wow. It's been a long freaking time since I last touched this story, hasn't it? Since what, 2006? That's five freakin' years. Never thought I'd ever actually get back to it, but here I am. I seem to have gotten my groove back, so to speak, so here's hoping I can finish this thing up now. Although, I haven't actually re-read any of the older bits, so if I make any continuity errors, it's completely due to that. My bad. Anywho, let's do this!

Chapter 8: Eyes of Flame

"Mom's really upset about this, you know."

"I understand, but what would you like me to do about it?"

"Something, I don't know! It's just… so FRUSTRATING to sit here and do nothing!"

Professor Booster sighed, and placed a hand on Sue's shoulder. "Your mother is angry because she is worried about Quote. Curly is right, however. It would be foolhardy to risk everything we have accomplished here for the sake of one."

"So you're saying we should just do nothing?"

"Well, no, but…"

Sue threw up her paws in aggravation. "Never mind, just forget it."

"Sue…"

The girl was having none of it, stalking angrily from the room. She couldn't stand to do nothing, but she could see the sense in what the adults were saying. Still, there must be something that could be done… anything.

So angry and lost in thought was Sue that she failed to notice the figure standing before her, and bumped heavily into it. The two went down in a tangle of limbs.

"Hey, what the?"

Sue recognized the voice, and looked up to face Curly. The female robot had been quietly going over battle tactics when the mimiga girl collided with her.

"Sorry," said Sue as the two began to disentangle and stand back up. The tone of the girl's voice suggested she meant otherwise, however, and Curly was quick to pick up on it.

"What's the matter?"

Sue made a sour face. "You're the matter."

Curly was taken aback by the anger in the young girl's voice. It wasn't too difficult for her to figure out the cause, however. "Is this about Quote?"

"No, it's about the lack of light bulbs. Of course it's about Quote! Why can't we do anything to save him?"

"Sue…" Curly trailed off, hoping that perhaps the girl would catch the tone in her voice and drop the subject – but no such luck.

"Don't you 'Sue' me! You're not my mother! You don't even know if he's been captured! At least send someone out to look for him!"

Curly just stood there for a moment, watching the fuming mimiga child. She wondered if Sue had noticed the way her fur stood on end when she was upset.

Thinking about what she had said, she realized what Sue believed was true. Curly had only assumed Quote had been captured, but it was possible that he had only gotten separated and lost on the way back. He was no longer a robot, so he had no more access to his orientation programs. If that were the case, then she owed it to him to find him and bring him home.

Curly sighed. "Okay. I'll send out a scout to look for him. If he's out there and lost, we'll bring him back. If he has been captured, however, there's little that can be done for him. Does that sound reasonable?"

Sue crossed her arms, glaring at the robot girl, though her eyes sparkled with gratitude. "It'll do."

Curly nodded and went to find a Gaudi with the skills to take on this new mission.

X X X

The scout was only gone for a couple of hours, the job going quicker than Curly had anticipated. The report was brief and to the point. Quote appeared to be alone in the Egg Chamber's hatching room. The scout had done as told, and only checked the situation and reported back, despite the fact that it appeared that Quote was safe. Curly didn't wish to take any risks. It didn't take long for the robot girl to pull together a task force to cover her on her way to retrieve him, in case it turned out to be a trap.

After informing everyone else of what was going on and where they were going, Curly took her team into the labyrinth and the teleporter that lead to the Egg Chamber. They didn't meet much in the way of obstructions on the rather short trip. Only Curly's extreme caution slowed them down in any real way.

Reaching the door to the hatching room, Curly motioned for the Gaudi to hang back as she went in to investigate. Opening the door, she stepped inside and looked around. Spotting a figure in the gloom, she paused to make sure it was Quote, and it was. Curly approached with caution. It all seemed too easy, but she couldn't just leave him.

Quote was a mess. He huddled in the shadows, holding his arms crossed in front of himself as he rocked unsteadily. He seemed to be muttering something, but Curly couldn't make it out.

"Quote?" she asked, reaching his side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped, startled, and started shaking his head violently. "Go away!"

"Come on, I'm getting you out of here."

"No! No, no, no!" He pushed her away, and she finally noticed the blood staining his hands. She grabbed them and stared in shock.

Her voice was almost a whisper when she asked, "What have they been doing to you?"

He shook his head and looked up at her, his eyes pleading. His hair was unkempt, his tear-streaked face grimy and splattered with blood. "You have to go. Now. Or I might… I could…" Quote's voice faltered and failed as he dissolved into tears once more. He clutched at his head and started to rock again, sobbing.

Curly didn't know what to do. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't have the time to find out what it was. She had to get him back to the base, now.

"Come on, we have to go," she insisted, took him by the hands and pulled him to his feet. He tried to fight her off, but didn't have the strength for it. Giving in, he allowed her to drape his arm over her shoulders and lead him away.

"You shouldn't be doing this," he protested softly.

"Shut up. I don't care."

Quote shook his head but continued to walk with her. He cast his gaze around the cave. The Doctor had left him there on purpose; he knew the man had something evil planned. Curly should leave, as quickly as possible and without him, but he also knew she was too stubborn for him to argue with once she had made up her mind.

The slightest glint of red was the only warning he had before everything went to hell.

Before Quote could even warn Curly, the red crystal was upon him. He had only the time to push her away before the change struck. He could feel his senses cloud as raw rage and power surged through his body. He tried to fight it, but it was futile.

Curly stared in horror, watching from where she had fallen as Quote let out a bestial roar. His body grew; muscles bulged as his form shifted into that of a monster. His hair went wild and his eyes, normally a tranquil shade of blue, now blazed like the very fires of hell. The red crystal orbited his frenzied figure as he cast his furious gaze about, looking for something to fight, something to kill.

Curly picked herself up from the floor, drawing Quote's attention. He swung around to face her, an animalistic growl building in his throat.

"Quote… How… What?" she stuttered in disbelief.

He responded by lunging for her. He moved quicker than she expected for his size, but she still managed to dodge away from his charge. She drew her Nemesis as she leapt athletically to the side, though she was unwilling to use it.

"Quote! What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, aiming her weapon at him, hoping what she said would get through to him. "What the hell is going on?"

The beast that had been Quote rumbled and struck again. Curly dodged easily now that she had a better idea of his speed. She didn't want to fight him, but she couldn't just stand there as he tried to kill her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Quote!"

The monster still showed no sign of recognition, and lunged again. Despite not wanting to fight, Curly knew she had no choice. She called to her Gaudi force waiting outside, and prepared herself to kill. The big beetles came running, and the battle was joined.

The thing that had been Quote was making short work of her team, and she knew it was because she was hanging back, but she still couldn't bring herself to fight him. She couldn't find the drive he had always seemed to have, that ability to fight and kill because it was necessary.

In moments, she was all that was left besides the snarling beast, which turned and lunged for her. Distracted by her thoughts, she was buffeted hard by his strike, knocked into the stone wall. Something cracked and she collapsed with a cry, barely able to stand.

Scrambling to pick herself up, she yelped as her leg gave out, badly damaged. She had to move, though, or she was finished. Quote was coming for her, and she couldn't rely on luck to save her. She pushed out of his way just as he thundered up to her, and he slammed into the wall, stunning himself. She lost her balance and fell over again.

Luck truly was on her side as Quote began to regress back into his normal shape, and the red crystal ceased its orbit and disappeared into the gloom. Though the wounds he had received became more pronounced in his weaker human state, he hadn't really suffered much injury. Curly dragged herself to his side, barely able to stand on her broken leg. "Quote?"

His eyes slowly blinked open and he focused on her. He seemed frightened. "See? I'm a… liability now. Leave me."

"…what was that?"

Quote's eyes darted back and forth nervously. "The Doctor has refined the power of the red flowers and created something he calls the Red Crystal. I know it works on humans and mimiga, but I don't know if that's the full extent of its power. I think he can use it to seek me out, no matter where I am."

Curly stored the information away, terrified by its meaning, and understanding now what he meant about being a danger. "Quote… I don't want to leave you here, and especially not with the Doctor, but… you're right. It would be far too dangerous to take you back now. I … I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

For a moment, the two just stared at each other before Curly turned away first, hobbling off on her still-broken leg. Quote watched her go until he couldn't see her any longer, the murk swallowing her. Once she was gone, he pulled his legs into his chest, wrapped his arms around them and began to rock as he had been when Curly had first found him.

X X X

It took Curly much longer to return to base with her broken limb, though it didn't bother her much. She wasn't looking forward to explaining to her troops about what had happened. It wasn't good news, and as she had finally resolved on the time to fight, bringing down morale beforehand was a bad idea. They would have to know so they could be prepared to counter it just the same.

It was Momorin who noticed her first. She just happened to be walking past the cave entrance at the same time Curly stumbled in, and ran to her side to help prop her up. Curly groaned as she let the pressure off her damaged limb, and the two began to talk as Momorin helped the robot girl to where Hasumi and Gero were.

"Are you okay? Sue said you went to look for Quote. What happened?"

"…I found him."

"And? Where is he?"

"He's still with the Doctor."

"What? Why didn't you bring him home?"

At that, Curly fixed the woman with a dark glare. "Who do you think did this to me? Look, I don't really feel like repeating myself, so you'll just have to wait until I make my announcement to get the full story."

Momorin's expression was clearly distasteful, but she didn't say anything. Reaching their destination, she handed the damaged robot over to the doctor and his nurse and left in a hurry. It was obvious to Gero and Hasumi that Curly was in a poor mood and didn't feel like making small talk, so they treated her in silence. It didn't take long for them to finish, and although her leg was still broken, it was now beginning to heal. With the help of the treatment, she estimated it would be completely repaired by the next morning. Perfect.

Limping back to the main cave, she called for everyone's attention, and waited grimly until she got it.

"Are you ready to fight?" she asked, barely raising her voice. The question still carried throughout, the silence almost complete save the sound of her voice. There was no cheering, but the looks she saw scattered throughout the force said she had their full support.

"Then prepare yourselves. This battle has lasted long enough, and now the Doctor has a new weapon, one we can no longer ignore while sitting by and planning. The time to strike has come, but you all need to be wary of the Red Crystal. Somehow, the Doctor found a way to refine the powers of the Red Flowers, and this Crystal is the result. It has the power to frenzy not only mimiga, but humans as well, and even that may not be the limit to its power. This I know as fact, as it was Quote himself who did this to me, and killed the team I brought.

"Be prepared. Carry as much of the cure as you can, and try to save as many of the frenzied fighters as possible. Focus your attacks on Misery, Balrog and the Doctor as much as you can. The sooner we can stop them, the sooner the battle will be over.

"You have the rest of the day to prepare and tonight to rest. We head up to the Doctor's Throne tomorrow."

The silence that filled the cavern now was absolute. She waited several moments for any reply, but none came. She nodded. "Get to it."

As the forces moved off to prepare, Curly cast about for Jenka. Spotting the old witch, she limped over to her and drew her aside so they could talk in private.

"Yes, dear?" asked the old woman. Her tone was light, hinting at an act of innocence.

"A frontal assault on the Doctor isn't going to be worth much, is it?"

Curly's question was frank and to the point, and a small smile played at the corners of Jenka's mouth. "You are a very bright robot. It's true, to destroy the Demon Crown, you have to destroy its source. Walk with me, and I'll tell you a story."

Together, the two slowly strolled through the throng of busy figures, headed to where the old witch currently made her residence.

"Once, long ago, I had a brother. His name was Ballos. He was a good man, using his magic to help and guide people, and in turn was well liked by the people of the kingdom. However, our king was petty and jealous, and he locked up Ballos simply for the reason that the people liked him more than their own king.

"The king tortured my brother to the point where his magic went wild, and it consumed the kingdom. Before I could do anything, he had destroyed everything he had cared about, his family and friends… Misery and I escaped the carnage, along with a small handful of others, but the damage was done.

"I was the only one with the power to confront Ballos, but he was my brother, and at that time, my heart was weak. I could not bring myself to kill him. I'm sure, even now, I would be unable to do it. So I made a mistake.

"I sealed Ballos away on this floating island. I had no idea of the Mimiga living here at the time, or how my selfish act would affect their lives, or in fact, my own. The Red Flowers began to bloom across the island, a result of Ballos' mad power infecting the very core of it. We all know how that's turned out.

"My daughter, Misery, thought she could help her uncle. Though I advised her against it, she didn't listen to me, and went to Ballos and had him create the Demon Crown. I suppose she thought that with a focus for his power, she could use it to get his magic under control. Instead, the crown cursed her and Balrog and tied them to it, making them slaves to those who would wear it for many years to come.

"Those who wear the crown may be defeated, and the crown itself destroyed, but it will only rise again as long as Ballos continues to live. Defeat him, and it should bring an end to this cycle of tragedy."

Curly nodded slowly, mulling over the story she had just heard. Jenka began to dig through her belongings as she continued.

"You can find the entrance to Hell where Ballos resides on the balcony, topside of the island. The surface dwellers have built a temporary shelter over it. You may have to knock in the floor to get through. Your army can fight without you, distracting the Doctor and his minions while you go after the source of all this sorrow."

Finding what she had been searching for, Jenka straightened up and handed Curly a small glowing pot. "Take this life pot with you. If you find yourself running low on power, or damaged, use it. It may save your life."

"Thank you. I will do what I can tomorrow. With luck, that'll be enough."

"I believe you can do it, now. You've a power and resolution about you that you lacked when we first met. I know I can trust you to fight for all you're worth. You may just be the one who can finally bring peace to this island."

Curly nodded. "I will do my level best."

With that, she returned to her own sleeping quarters and settled down to rest, allowing her leg to heal. She needed to be at 100% tomorrow, or else everything she had accomplished over the past few days would all have been for nothing.