Final Fantasy Impact

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Xanien
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Post by Xanien » Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:07 pm

Chapter 17: Rebirth of the Shadows


His mouth was dry and muscles weak from the nonstop journey his body had taken him on from the Veldt. The wild boy was no longer in control of his body. By will alone, somebody else?s will, he had made his way across treacherous terrain and fought countless enemies. But why? What had made him give into the twisted demands of his unknown instigators? They had driven him relentlessly and stolen his freedom long ago. His every independent thought erased as soon as he touched that shining mysterious rock. Gau, for lack of a better word, had become a slave. A slave to the powers that bound him, a slave to the stone he carried . . .

"Head . . . hurt less," he whimpered to himself as he pushed on, stumbling over the uneven earth, "almost there . . ."

His destination had been the southern tip of the middle continent, far below the remnants of the old Kekfa Tower and even farther below Neo Vector. This area had been desolate since the beginning of time . . . a small mountain range and ageless piles of rock stood as the only landmarks of the barren wasteland. Black clouds hung ominously around the peaks of the mountain, never letting a ray of sunshine touch the ground, never letting life sustain itself . . . Even the muddy tributaries of a once great river were still virgins to the Sun. Sightless fish and scraggily animals were the only thing that existed here, and even sparsely at that. It was the perfect place . . . the perfect incubator of evil . . . all that was needed was a catalyst.

"You're close now, the voice that had commanded Gau earlier on the battlefield injected into the boy's susceptible mind, "Bring me what you carry and I will rid you of your pain . . ."

"NO, COME TO ME! I must be awoken first!?"the other entity screamed inside Gau's shattered psyche.

"Ooowaooo! STOP IT! I can't take anymore!" Gau pleaded with them, grabbing his head and tearing clumps of green hair from their roots. His eyes were dark and sunken and his hair disheveled . . . Gau was a mere shadow of the once lively boy that used to live off of nature. He figured that physical pain to his own self was the only way to cure himself of these voices, and he had continually destroyed his own body in the process. It was only a matter of time before his body ceased to work . . . and then he would die and be rid of this suffering.

"Hmph," the first voice chuckled to himself, amused at the boy's agony, "Hurry to me. I will end your misery soon, and then it will be all over. You will rest forever."

Gau fought against his dying body and dragged himself forwards, sometimes on two feet, sometimes on all fours. After a few minutes he reached a deep scar on the planet?s surface. A deep, solitary skid-mark stretched for thousands of feet from where he was. He curiously looked down the tear in the horizon and was suddenly struck with am awesome pain that shook his entire body. He hopelessly careened down into the ravine and slammed into cool, glass-like rocks that marked only this path. This evil road was created when a giant metallic object screamed through the planets atmosphere and became super heated. The mere touch of the rock and metal against this landscape melted the rocks with the sand to create the almost nightmarish landscape.

As Gau continued, he noticed thousands of similar silver spots where smaller asteroids had crashed down from the sky. The dark sky beckoned him to continue on, and he did. Cold wind blew and the grey clouds stirred tumultuously up above as Gau?s heart pounded with every increasing anxiety. Some of the bigger asteroids had shattered when they hit the bedrock and had split into millions of smaller shards. The shards had embedded themselves haphazardly around the environment and shone repeatedly with lightning strikes far off in the distance . . . Rotten and bloody, with intestines and other body parts spilled over the ground, Gau caught the sight of an unlucky animal that had been caught in the carnage. Flies buzzed around the remains and he turned his sight away from it to keep his stomach from being turned inside out.

He closed his eye now and prayed. He prayed that he be taken from this world and that mercy be taken on his soul. Even if he couldn?t express these feelings, he felt it. The wild boy had learned much from his friends, and had come very far from the feral instincts he once relied upon day in and day out. But he didn?t need to pray anymore. He was at his destination. Before the diminutive teenager from the Veldt was a boulder encased in absolute darkness. Its face was shrouded in the shadow of the mountains and from the rolling black clouds. Gau?s eyes strained to see anything, anything at all. But it was all in vain. He walked around as though he were sleeping, surrounded by total silence and darkness. Wind seemed to stop altogether and time slowed when Gau put his hand onto the cold stone in front of his body.

Dare he wake the darkness and what it held? His heart raced as he thought of the ramifications of what he was about to do. But without making a conscious decision the events transpired on their own, out of his control. Breathing slowly, Gau took his precious orb out of his leather pouch and held it in front of his chest. A violet glow began to beat along with his heart quickening in pace as he grew ever more anxious. As this dark ceremony continued, he raised the ball upwards to the sky, presenting it to the obsidian figure masked by the shadows. The dark light inside the orb suddenly flared up, wildly kicking around but casting no light whatsoever against the unholy monolith that had landed on their planet.

?Release it and I will release your pain,? the voice commanded, almost soothingly. The Black Materia suddenly rose away from Gau?s hand and floated towards the rock. He watched it with unadulterated wonder as the pain he had grown accustomed to was lifted from his heavy spirit. The purple and blue light twirled and meshed inside the ball and grew more violent, seeming like it was about to explode as it met with the boulder . . .

?You have done well,? the voice was actually SAYING this now. No longer just floating words in Gau?s head. What was happening? Both of cold objects finally collided sent the world into chaos. The light that had been imprisoned inside the black materia exploded outwards and illuminated the entire boulder, changing the asteroid in essence into one large emulator. The energy screamed and popped all around the boy as a dark figure suddenly became apparent inside the rock. It was just rock, but metal and glass that incased this extraterrestrial being. The blinding light layered itself all over the mountains and rocks, and all the boy could do to shield his eyes was curl up into a ball and bury his face in the rocks. But even that didn?t seem to work . . .

The light inside had escaped all at once, and now all that remained was a glowing asteroid. For the first time in days, the wild boy willfully looked up. As his pupils dilated in fear, he suddenly wished he hadn?t. The materia had bored its way through the minerals and settled mere centimeters from the figure locked inside. Buried within the rock was a man. Only his right arm and upper torso remained, the rest had been destroyed in an epic battle from a Meteor that he had summoned himself. During the fall into this planet, his head remained in a permanent slump looking towards the ground, and his arms were locked in a pose of crucifixion. Very unfitting for a man that more closely resembled a demon god. The black stone had started to fuse with his body, and Gau had helped make it all possible.

The materia burrowed deeper and deeper inside the figure, diffusing its power to the man. White light poured from his arms and waist, forming an outline for the orbs power to fill as his physical form regenerated. Bones to linked themselves together and muscle was sewn onto his frame before a thin layer of skin finally enclosed it all. The glass-like coffin that had formed from the asteroid entering the atmosphere rock exploded off his form violently. Smoldering cinders fells from Sephiroth?s skin as he slid from the molded surface of the rock. He collapsed onto one knee, looking at his naked and glowing body knowing now that he was the one and only true heir to the Black Materia that had liquefied and now flowed through his veins. After staring at the renewed magnificence of his reformed body for a few moments he finally lifted his head, looking at the person who had resurrected him with a cold, ruthless hate.

?What . . . I do?? Gau mouthed as he slowly recoiled in fear, falling to his back as the man stood over him.

?They rejected me. At every turn they fought to deny my very existence. But now it?s my turn to deny their existence.?

?Who? What you talking about?? the boy continued to whimper, cowering before the grandiose figure of Sephiroth standing before him.

His silver hair flowed with the dark wind, an evil smirk formed at his lips, ?Cloud . . . I can feel you here. This will be your end. It will be the end for all of you . . .?



Mobliz



?Why are you here?? Vincent wondered to himself, not wholly knowing if he was thinking it or saying it aloud.

?You called me, remember?? Lucrecia responded to him, almost in a daze. She walked up to the hunched man and softly caressed his jawline.

?I did? Why??

?Because I had something . . . to tell you,? Lucrecia stopped moving around the room as she began her next sentence, her white flowing dress moving ever so slightly, ? I . . .?

The room suddenly flooded with an odd light, temporarily blinding Vincent. When his eyes readjusted, Hojo stood defiantly before him. He held a gun shakily in both hands and pointed the barrel between the Turk?s eyes.

?What are you doing!? Vincent shouted, grabbing for the gun. Hojo didn?t hesitate and squeezed the trigger when his victim swung for him. The bullet hit the Turk straight on and instantly zapped all strength from his body. The force of the bullet jolted him backwards and knocked him off his feet. Unable to control his bodily functions, he let the ground take him even though he was willing his hands to brace for the impact. His head was busted wide open and blood dripped from the multiple head wounds caused by his murderer. Hojo dropped the gun on the ground. He seemed to be a man of contradictions. Both confident and afraid of what he had done, he started to walk away, seeing his woman?s eyes watching him from the doorway. She had a look of accomplishment on her face, but what had she done?

?Let?s go,? she said, placing her arm around the scrawny scientists? shoulder. As they left the room, Lucrecia endeared these last words to Vincent, ? Its over my love, time to move on . . .?

Before all life had left him, the room flashed violently again and Vincent found himself standing up. He was alone in a vast wasteland with nothing but gravel as bedfellows. Like a bolt of lightning, his name rung out from the fog that enclosed him and he spun around just in time to miss the arc of a five foot blade sailing towards his head. It came back towards him as he jumped away to escape, but he was too slow to avoid it. It met his flesh with the searing pain and fire seemed to tear through his body from his shoulder vertically down to his stomach. He fell lifelessly to the ground below, a cruel joke played by the fates as Sephiroth, the offspring of his murderers appeared to him and smiled . . .


?AHHHH!!? Vincent screamed, throwing off his blanket. Children scampered all over the room, startled at both this man?s appearance and actions. He was still disoriented and dripping from a cold sweat. After a few moments he felt the warmth of the fireplace nearby, the warm soothing breeze through an open window and then the children?s faces . . . which were all around him. Once he had gotten his wits about him again, he started asking questions, ?Where am I??

?Mobliz,? a cute little blond haired girl with pigtails told him from behind a bedpost. She still seemed a little frightened, especially of this strangers foreboding metallic arm.

?W, where?? He stuttered.

?Mobliz!? a boy replied more happily, rushing to open up the door and go outside. Vincent was about to raise his voice to speak again when a green haired woman came through the door, being pulled by the kid.

?Oh, you?re finally up. Don?t talk right now. Try to save your strength,? Terra told him, ?I?ll explain everything to you once your other friends wake up . . .?



Depths of Wasteland



?It?s not fair! Who said you get to return before me??

Sephiroth squinted in anger, and his aura of hate translated into a roaring scream for other bothersome, almost loathsome entity.

?No need to have a hissy fit! I?m just a little bored, that?s all,? the other voice retorted, ?If you only knew, maybe then you?d be a little more understanding . . .?

Sephiroth sneered, ?She is of no importance to me, and neither are you. I could care less about your ambitions. You power pales in comparison to mine now . . .?

?Ha ha ha! You think? That might be true . . . but let me tell you a little background about this girl and her powers, well,? the other spirit rambled on, both in Gau?s head and the former general?s whether they wanted to hear it or not, ?The girl I seek is the essence of life itself. She is the fourth goddess of this world, born before existence itself . . . ?

Sephiroth was not amused or impressed, but Gau seemed enthralled by the story, and the voice in his head which seemed uncannily familiar to him.

?Before all this happened and I ended up here, I had been in command of the Empire?s forces. However, I grew tired of that position, and soon I delved into the history and lore of this world. Scouring through the ancient texts ?borrowed? from Vector?s Imperial Library, I one day came across the legend of the Three Goddesses. At the beginning of time, the world was in violent chaos. The three goddesses lent their powers to the planet in hope that it would calm its troubled spirit, and sure enough, it did. But the world?s calm came at a high price. In order for the world to remain peaceful and full of life, they could never move again. Accepting their fate, each of these entities turned themselves into gold statues and hid their ethereal bodies from the eyes of the world. I traveled the world, hoping to come across them in their purest state. You see as statues they were naked, and to steal their power would be child?s play.?

Gau swallowed hard, listening to the story with amazement, even though the impossibility of it all seemed like no more than a fantasy. Sephiroth?s interest had been piqued however, much to the delight of his companion, ?Continue,? he said to the storyteller.

You could almost feel the confidence in his voice as the man continued now with his listener?s full attention, ?Their power was legendary, and I was eager to obtain it . . . I stopped at nothing to obtain it. Looking back on what I possessed, It was unfathomable and unequaled in this universe. Only after the statues had moved and I absorbed this WONDEROUS power did I realize it only to be partial. I became a god, and the beautiful world shifted from balance to ruin. The world became filled with sorrow and despair . . . I erected marvelous monuments in my honor and scattered hope to the winds! Oh, I wish you had been there to witness my greatness!?

?But you lost it all. And that is why you are here now,? Sephiroth teased him, stifling a rare ?hmph? of amusement.

?BE PATIENT!? Gau cringed as the voice?s scream rang through his head, ?I was just getting to the point! You must first understand the history of my world to grasp the immensity of this power!? The voice waited a couple seconds and let the noise settle between them before starting up again. ?So now I continue . . . When I was basking in this new power given to me by those goddesses, I learned much about this planet?s ancient history. Originally, there were four gods, guardians actually. They represented Power, Magic, Life, and Death. Each existed in a delicate balance with one another and created the world in their image. Gaia or Terra, or whatever this planet it is called, could not exist without Power/Magic and Life/Death sitting in opposition to each other.?

?The last time I checked you were still dead and had taken the three goddesses to the grave with you. Shouldn?t everything cease to exist?? Sephiroth asked, trying to trap him in his own contradiction.

?Hmph, you aren?t as smart as I thought you were, ? the voice shot back, insulting Sephiroth.

?What!? The demi-god yelled, shaking the ground with a physical outflow of anger.

?Calm down . . . I?ll explain a bit more to you. The planet is still here thanks to the wondrous cycle of life. It was my plan all along to die and take the goddesses with me. During my reign I feverishly sought the fourth and final deity, only with all four would this unmentionable power be complete. But this was impossible, and I knew it to be so. As long as the others still lived inside me, the goddess would never show herself. I had to draw it out. So . . . once I was dead and gone, the last guardian would appear on this world to revive her companions. In the process, she would revive me as well. The final goddess will arrive in the form of that innocent girl, and I will rise again to the level of a god. This time however, I will steal her powers and become one with the planet . . . literally.?

?So you are more of a brother to me than I thought,? Sephiroth mused, alluding to his own delusions.

?More like a distant cousin, ? the voice arrogantly replied, ? I will become a god and nobody will rival my power . . . not even you.?

Sephiroth responded to him in silent contempt as he began to feel the presence of another coming close to his location, ?Your princess is here.?

Everyone?s focus shifted to a woman in her early twenties walking unfazed through the same terrain that Gau had so difficultly traveled less than less than an hour before. Taking off the hood of her robe, as she continued to walk and her rare beauty seemed to shine on this dark, unholy place. Since she had left the tower and her father, her hair had faded to white blonde color and her skin had become a perfect tone of beige. She was almost an exact copy of her mom except for the immeasurable power that lay dormant inside. Phoebe?s silver colored eyes searched the area for anyone before calling out bravely, ?Mom??

The purity and clarity of her voice pained Sephiroth to listen to, but he would keep his promise to his ?friend?, ?Phoebe is it??? he asked, almost politely.

?Yeah, how did you know?? Phoebe said, reluctantly taking the hand of this naked man. But for some reason she saw him as pure and almost angelic in features, not unlike herself. It would make sense that her mother be guarded by other angels. She followed closely, walking not three steps behind him as he led her deeper into the wasteland. She noticed Gau as they walked over the loose dirt and gave the wild boy the sweetest and warmest smile he had ever received. Gau lifted his head to return the gesture, but he caught Sephiroth eyeing him coldly in mid gesture. He instead shied away and bowed his head.

?I was told me to bring you in when you arrived,? Sephiroth continued, sticking with the ruse, ?we are almost there.?

Sephiroth led her to a small cave that was actually pockets of debris from the old Kefka?s Tower. Buried beneath it lay the master of that dreadful tower, waiting for his turn to live again. The depth of the cave stretched no more than ten feet underground, but light was scarce in the wastelands, giving the effect that was in reality MUCH deeper. In order to light the way, Sephiroth used his new powers and effortlessly formed a small fireball in his free hand. It hovered inches from his palm and looked as thought it would fade out at any second, but it continued to flicker just enough to light the pathway and the room where Phoebe would meet her ?mother?.

?Mother? You here?? Phoebe cried out when she reached the tomb of Kefka. She had waited so long, and listened to her mom?s beckoning ever since she was born . . . finally being able to meet now was a dream come true for the child of angels.

?Yes,? Kefka said inside her thoughts, ?But I?ve been hurt! I?m underneath you, can you help me up?? In her mind she saw her wounded mother, buried alive underneath all the rubble.

?Of course!? She happily answered her mom. Phoebe crouched and began pulling away loose rock and pieces of mangled metal until she located a shoulder sticking out of the ground. A white aura formed around her hands and she placed them on the back of the person who was just beneath the surface of rubble. The life giving power spread all over the flesh of her ?mother? and took only a few seconds to take effect.

Ripping away the stones and other material off his head and legs, Kefka emerged from his ephemeral grave. He wasn?t much to look at in his human form. Pale in complexion without any of his usual makeup or decoration adorning his slender frame, he instinctually ran his hand through the dull blonde hair that covered his head. Looks can be deceiving though . . .

?No,? Phoebe said in a shocked tone, stepping backwards and shaking her head in disbelief, ?you?re not mom . . .?

?You?re right . . .? Kefka gleefully conceded to her, baring his moldy teeth. In one swift motion he lunged forward and seized Phoebe?s neck. She gurgled and fought for air as Kefka lifted her body above his, punching his arm as hard as she could while kicking his chest. Even with all the power she had inside her, not knowing how to use it was meaningless. The gentle and caring child could feel her life slowly slipping away slowly, knowing that not even her magic would be of any use. Compared to the other three goddesses, Phoebe?s power was infinitesimal. Kefka?s power alone easily outmatched her own. Gabe?s daughter could only stare at Kefka and hope he sympathized with her pleading gaze. He smiled back to her, but only to let her know that he didn?t care. She spat at him, trying to suck in air to fill her lungs . . . but it was pointless.

Kefka brought his other hand to her throat and pressed his thumbs into her larynx, crushing it. There was a look of immense pain on the girls frightened face and then nothing as the vertebrate in her neck broke. She didn?t punch, she didn?t kick . . . Phoebe just hung there, lifeless in Kefka?s grip of death. He let her fall to the ground in a heap before he began the process of merging with her like he had done with the other deities.

Kefka stood perfectly still and began to pray with his hands together, mumbling the forgotten words of a forgotten civilization in a forgotten tongue. The three goddesses of Magic, Power, and Death left his body in a mist then lazily drifted over to Phoebe?s broken bones. Calling to her soul they transformed her body into vapor, and then, with all four sisters finally reunited . . . they returned to Kefka. One by one he absorbed them, until at last he had them all in his possession.

In the darkness his pupils glowed red and their light flooded the room, ?Such power,? he confessed, almost giggling as he flexed his arms. Like the rest of his body, they were growing in size and endowing him with a power that no human had ever seen before, ?It?s more than I had ever imagined!!?

Feeling his new power, even Sephiroth was startled.


Mobliz


?After your friend Nanaki came out of your ship, we saw that he was pretty banged up. The kids and I brought him back here to help,? Terra explained, ?It?s not much, but luckily our potions worked on him and your friend recovered. You were different though. We found you already knocked out and you?ve been unconscious ever since.?

?He?s a sleepy head!? Thomas accused Vincent, causing the other children and giggle and laugh.

?He he,? Terra chuckled, ?I guess he was . . .? Vincent looked unamused and caused Terra to catch herself quickly. She wasn?t used to being around adults anymore, ?Billy, Thomas . . . why don?t you go over and help Duane with the rest of the people from the ship? It would help mommy a lot.?

The dozen or so kids left the room following the other boys, leaving only Terra, Vincent, and a sleeping Red in the house. Terra was about to continue the rest of the story when her head started to swoon. Grimacing, she fell to her knees and held her head tightly.

?You okay?? Vincent asked, still a bit groggy.

?Y, Yeah,? she said, ?it just suddenly felt as though I had been hit in the head by a blunt object. Anyway, while we were the fixing up Nanaki, he told us about the mission you guys were on, his other friends that hadn?t come, and your planet. It?s a little hard to believe that you came from a different planet, but we didn?t want to push him too hard so I let him rest and said that he could tell us all about it in the morning. The kids liked him . . .?

There was an awkward silence after that. Seeking to break the ice, Terra asked Vincent, ?So I guess that you want to find your friends, right??

?Yeah, as soon Nanaki rested we will leave to find them. Our friend Cid is ? ? Vincent was cut off in the middle of his sentence.

?Let me help!? Terra implored, grabbing his human hand, ?I have many friends around these parts and I?m sure that they?d be happy to help.?

?Alright, ? Flustered at the touch of a woman, Vincent drew his hand away from her and threw the sheets off his legs. He preferred the chill of wooden floorboards to that of a warm bed. While searching for his belongings for a couple minutes, he came to realize that he no longer had his tattered crimson cloak. Almost embarrassed because of his arm of iron and steel, he frantically looked for something as he hid it behind his back, ?Where is my cloak??

Terra looked at him baffled, ?What cloak? We brought everything in here from the ship and there wasn?t one . . . I could get you one if you wanted me to.?

?No that?s alright,? He replied trying to keep his arm hidden from view. When he thought it over though, Vincent knew it to be the best way, ?Well, if it?s not too much of a burden for you . . .?

?No problem Vincent. By the way,? Terra asked as she turned to leave, ?what happened to your arm??

Had she noticed him trying to hide it all that time?

?That isn?t of any concern to you,? Vincent came off rather brash and angry so he quickly reworded his sentence. He didn?t want to offend her and looked away as he said, ?It was an accident . . . from long ago, and I don?t want to talk about it.?

Satisfied with the answer, she started for the door, ?Give me a minute, I?ll be right back with a cloak for you.?

Terra never made it to the door . . .

A wave of pain suddenly swept over her entire body and forced her onto all fours. Vincent lurched towards her but she held out her hand as though motioning him to stay back, ?It?s okay, just a migraine,? It felt like electricity was stimulating all of the nerve endings in her body, causing a debilitating sensory overload in her head. Terra gritted her teeth, trying to suppress this pain, but couldn?t. Defeated, she let the pain run its course and blacked out from its intensity.

Vincent watched intently, half stunned and half worried at what he was saw. Bolts of electricity swarmed around Terra and hit the floor and walls of the already fragile house, splintering wood and shattering glass. Her hair turned pink and flowed wildly behind her head for a moment and then died down. But seconds later it returned with a vengeance and wind blasted out of the ground below her body. Pink flames began to sporadically appear all over her body, burning away the clothes she wore, but more importantly, her humanity.

?What is this . . .? Vincent mumbled, unable to comprehend what was happening.

?NOOOOOO!!!? Terra screamed as her body exploded into an inferno of pink fire. How she managed to survive the raging fire defied nature and the laws of physics. It just remained on her skin, slowly undulating and flickering in a sea of unbridled energy. Terra seemed unharmed and unphased by her current situation. She looked over to the other person in the room, her eyes replaced by a dark void surrounding a pink pupil.

Vincent was shocked. He was viewing the awakening of a new being, a new lifeform . . . and it scared the hell out of him. This luminescent pink figure moved with the wind, standing up with no effort and walking towards him without any look of worry. She was featureless. No mouth or nose to speak of, and only the slight suggestion of the female anatomy indicated it to be a woman . . .

Looking into her eyes, they spoke volumes to Vincent. He saw her sadness, her pain, her compassion . . . she tried to approach him, reaching a hand out to him but he suddenly stepped back in fear, not knowing what had come over him. Without speaking her soul seemed to cry out in pain from the rejection. She was frightened, terrified even. She couldn?t bear the thought of anybody seeing her like this and a feeling of loneliness swelled up deep inside her being. Something told Terra that it wouldn?t be safe in Mobliz anymore, and without any warning she jump up and rocketed through the roof at hundreds of miles per hour, sending wooden boards and rusted nails raining down to the floor below. Where she was going, nobody knew . . . but one thing was certain . . .

Magic was back.


---------


Sorry about all those weird symbols. I think That's James fault for the type of text he has supported on this website. I'll try and get him to fix it. Anyways, new chapter weeee. Wish me luck on the next one . . .
Last edited by Xanien on Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Tall Reita » Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:57 am

how great would it be if this forum allowed AVATARS! :)
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Xanien
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Post by Xanien » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:41 am

It does! Maybe Chewi made it so that you have to have like 10 posts or something . . . sooo odd. Want me to ask him?
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Post by Trigo » Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:46 pm

OMG a new chapter nice work as always.
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Xanien
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Post by Xanien » Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:29 am

Chapter 18: Title Match



Even in peaceful times there is need for blood, gore, and violence. The Arena had once been the secret fighting center of the world. Underground crime syndicates, thugs, and thieves would train their men in the remote mountains, right under the watchful and ALWAYS prying eyes of such groups as the Returners. However that had all changed when the bigger and newer Coliseum was built. The Arena became nothing more than a dusty memory, a forgotten landmark of villainy. There was no glory to be had there anymore . . . money, fame . . . all these things were easily attainable at the Coliseum. The ranks of warriors and combatants slowly dwindled while more and more people trained to become celebrities instead of vicious fighters. It was a mockery of everything the dark martial arts had once stood for. Greed had replaced honor and loyalty to ones lord.

In the aftermath of the World of Ruin, The Arena was abandoned. But it was only a matter of time before the Cult of Kefka discovered it, who changed it and made it their own. Worked into a frenzy by the overzealous Head Priests, it only took weeks to get the establishment up and running again. But the change of ownership wasn?t the only difference that had occurred . . . The idea of noble fighters dueling with each other became laughable. The Cult wanted gruesome violence. They wanted to see red. They wanted their souls to feast on the dead and so the former system was replaced with weekly bloodbaths. Quarreling neighbors, thieves, and anybody who had wronged the peace of Kefka?s holy establishment were thrown into the pit to fend for their lives. The weak would usually fight monsters to the death. But if a strong person had somehow been captured, somebody of equal strength, worthy of their talents would be their opponent. Tonight would be no different.


During their slumber, both Cloud and King Edgar were fitted with Slave Crowns. Now they would be docile and under the absolute control of their trainers. The original crowns, which used magic, would disrupt the brainwaves of the wearer lowering their will to almost nothing and thus make them very susceptible to orders and suggestions. These modified versions worked in very much the same way, sans magic. Scientists for the Empire had invented a genius clone that worked with body heat instead of magic. As the slave?s body heat rose in temperature, the slave crown would activate, tightening their control on the wearer. The harder they fought the device, the more will they would surrender to their captors. It was truly ingenious . . .

The stage was finally set. The cult would soon get their revenge on both of their enemies: The king of the bastard Empire of Figaro, and the unknown terrorist that had claimed dozens of lives when he crashed into the tower. The whole population of the tower had converged for the main event. Other than a few sentries left to look after the tower, nobody else could be found outside of the Arena. Each seat was overflowing and every mouth yelling as the cruel religious cult eagerly awaited to get his or her ration of blood and gore to atone for the great sins their enemies had done onto them. They grew restless waiting for the first round of battles to begin, throwing garbage and screaming at no one in particular to get the battles underway. Small fights broke out amongst some of the more rowdy crowd members who had to be subdued and beaten by the guards lined up around the aisles. This was chaos. The cult had become nothing more than an angry mob bent on lynching the accused. Had it not been for the reassuring voice of the announcer, it probably would have become a riot.

?My people! Calm yourselves,? he said in a matter of fact type of voice like this happened all the time. To quiet them even more, he raised his hands and made a gesture for all of them to lower their voices. In an astounding show of respect, the people occupying the arena quickly silenced, ?The events that have occurred these last few days have affected us all, but that?s not an excuse to attack one another. I know that you find it hard to restrain yourselves but you must. We cannot falter in this, our most trying time. We mustn?t give up hope that one day Kekfa will return to us and lead the way to paradise. In times of great sorrow we should remain happy for those that are dead, and most of all strong with our convictions! That is why today, I?m honored to introduce our tradition that of which celebrates strength and devotion . . . I bring to you . . . THE TOURNAMENT!?

Instantly the thousands of people filling the underground stadium of cried out triumphantly and gave the announcer a standing ovation. The walls of granite rumbled and dropped dust onto the ground below. Some deliriously screamed the name of Kefka for no reason other than to say his name and show their faith while others demanded the start of the momentous occasion. It was insanity at its finest.

?Priests and priestesses, worshippers of all shapes and sizes, I present to you the first battle of the night!? The announcer shouted as the middle part of the Arena suddenly lit up from the shining of hundreds of lights. Red banners with the names of past champions unfolded and hung from the ceiling, inviting the onlookers to imagine that tonight the final battle would be as glorious as ones of the past, ?Bring out the non-believer!?

A gate opened on the west side of the battle floor and under its arch stood a tepid man that looked to be in his early twenties. He didn?t seem that strong, but the smaller frame of his body seemed to be built more for speed. In a fight with a seasoned Tower Priest or a sentry, he?d probably lose, but tonight he wouldn?t be fighting humans . . . Two Arena attendants shoved him into the stadium, knocking him to the ground as they shut the gate quickly behind him. While they braced the iron lock on the door, the man picked himself up off the ground, his knees trembling.

?I don?t know why I?m here! Just let me go!? the man pleaded with the audience. But his frenetic voice was drowned out by the sheer volume of noise echoing off of the walls in the enclosed dome, ?I didn?t do anything! Let me leave-? a hole opened up in the wall and somebody tossed him a Mythril Sword. It lay in a pile of dirt, the brilliant silver color of the blade glittering for a few moments as he contemplated why they would give him something like that. But he found out soon enough why . . . On the other side of the Arena, another door opened.

It was dark, too dark to see anything that was more than a few feet close to the door. But there was a smell. A horrid, rotten smell so foul and putrid that it caused the challenger to cover his nose and gag, almost dropping the broadsword he had just grasped in his hands. He watched the darkness looking for any movement, dreading its contents and realizing from the chanting of the crowd that if he wanted to leave this place he?d have to defeat whatever it was hiding in the shadows. Cautiously, the monster slithered out of its hole and into the grand Arena, its huge eyes dilating as it got used to the bright lights. Slime trickled down its sides and it left a puddle of mucus across the sandy floor whenever it moved.

The crowd cheered and the showdown began. On one side there was a timid non-believer, barely able to hold onto his sword and on the other, a grotesque Wart Puck. Its purple skin was diseased and rotting, bubbling on the outer layer of skin due to the billions of bacteria breeding in the beast?s orifices. To the man, it was just a purple ball with pimples and short legs that hugged close to its body. Only the ones that had dared to capture it from the remote Triangle Island knew of the Wart Puck?s true ferocity. Just looking at its doleful eyes and dumb grin-like mouth could give a man a false sense of security. And that could get them killed.

?Kill it if you want to live!? someone reminded him, shouting above the roar of the hysterical crowd.

?I?ll kill it just to get rid of that awful stench,? the man thought, switching the sword to his stronger hand and covering his nose with the other, ?You don?t look so tough! Come on!? He dashed towards the mutant, almost dragging the sword behind his body as he ran because of its weight. The Wart Puck sat unmoved, and unaware of this hyperactive human?s intentions. The only movement from the monster came in the form of a blink of its eyes when the glint from the sword bothered him. Struggling, the man got in his first attack and left a huge gash above one of the beast?s legs, causing it to suddenly cower backwards in pain and growl. The man proceeded to stab the Wart Puck multiple times and it began to roar from the injuries that he had caused it. Angered, it reared up and scuttled forward, hissing and letting out plumes of toxins around its body. The recently tested warrior didn?t know what to make of these actions but was startled at the sudden speed the beast had exhibited. Clearly this mist didn?t affect him, but it was changing the color of the dirt from dark brown to a sludgy mess of black and gray. So the two of them stood, looking at each other with over 50 feet between both of them. The man seemed to be tiring as he placed his hands on his knees and took in a few deep breaths. ?Maybe . . . it?s dying?? the man thought as he slowly closed in for his kill, ?I?m going to kill you, and I?m going to earn my freedom you stinking ball of puss!?

The tainted fog began to disappear the closer he got and by the time he was in striking distance the misty substance had vanished entirely. Curious, the man continued to watch his prey. The Wart Puck?s body rumbled from deep within its lungs and it began to have trouble breathing. Fighting for its life, the monster gasped again, further contracting its muscles and body inward.

?Poor th-?

?AAAACHOOOOOO!!? a hurricane of mucus and dust spun out of control from its mouth and lifted the man off the ground. Instants later he found himself spiraling through the air flying at hundreds of miles per hour into the stone stairs used as seating. The people barely scattered in time as his body collided with a couple levels of seats. The impact of his body made a sickening ?splat? as bones cracked and various body parts and organs flew everywhere. Those that couldn?t get far enough away from the ?splat? zone got a little closer to the man then they would have liked to be.

There was silence, and then a scream of joy, ?That . . . was awesome!? a cult member exclaimed as he removed pieces of intestine from his shirt and wiped blood from his face. The crowd seemed to agree and erupted into an even louder roar than before. They had sunk their teeth into the first battle and relished every ounce of spilled blood. The main event was still two hours away, but it still lay heavily in everyone?s mind. It would have to wait though if Kefka?s Cult were to get their fill of violence. The many battles before the last one served as a stimulant, an addictive drug that causes the user an uncontrollable blood lust and feverish craving for anything violent in nature. The battles themselves usually didn?t last long, but the rush from viewing the intense carnage would last for weeks. The skirmishes continued for hours while below the fighters of the next event rested. But no longer could they sleep peacefully, their time for battle was approaching.



Under The Arena



?Wake Up!? a voice called from a seemingly infinite distance. But it was just a voice, not a person. To ?awaken? needs another human being in order for it to happen . . . not the sobbing of a lost soul.

?Get up!? a hunched over, white haired man yelled, ?what be your name??

?Huh?? the answerer responded, his vision still blurry from his short hibernation.

?Is this thing no working?? the crotchety old man said as he hit the Slave Crown on the person?s head. The force from the slap to the head sent the person off balance and tumbling to the ground. Giggling, the trainer continued, ?Ye better be good on your feet soon. It?s going to begin in a few minutes! So what be your name??

?Cloud,? the person guessed, not a hundred percent sure if that was his name or not.

?Cloud eh? Well it?s a good thing you?re getting yer senses back now,? the crowed cheered abruptly above them but the great acoustics of the granite halls caused it to echo around the bowels of the Arena for a minute or so afterwards. ?You hear that?? Cloud nodded slowly, ? they?re cheering for you. They are cheering in anticipation of the happiness you will bring to them. You are the one that will be fighting next, and you?ll win now, you hear?

The gladiator nodded again in agreement. It wasn?t as though he could disagree anyways, even if he wanted to. The Slave Crown made sure of that. The soul-draining ring of burnt copper had been fixed tightly around Cloud?s skull. The only way it was coming off was through decapitation.

?Now take off those rags and put this armor on,? the geezer commanded. Cloud took off his tattered SOLDIER issue shirt to reveal a sweat stained white tank top. He then took a gray leather vestguard being presented to him by his so-called trainer and slipped it on. Moving in behind Cloud, the trainer took the buckles on the armor and tightened them till Cloud started to gasp for breath. ?Too tight?? He asked. Cloud said ?a little? and he got them loosened.

?Now onto the weapons!? he brought in front of Cloud a leather bag filled with an assortment of blades. There were daggers, sabers for close range fighting, two-handed longswords from the Empire, and stabbing rapiers. His hands hovered over the sabers, but soon he found himself choosing between one of the two longswords. One had an intricate wrist guard shaped like a lion?s claw with simple jewels adorning the handle. The blade was simple, but very sharp on both sides. Its over the top design suggested it was some sort of Regal Cutlass. The other sword was the complete opposite of its counterpart. Its handle was tightly wrapped in leather for excellent grip, and the wristguard seemed to be made out of a very coarse stone. It would barely deflect attacks aimed at the hand but was definitely more durable than the other sword. The blade itself was a wicked looking creation. One edge was perfectly smooth while the other was jagged and serrated all the way down to the handle like a lightning bolt. The engraving on the flat side of the sword even depicted a picture of the Thunder God Ramuh locked in battle with a deadlier looking god, Odin.

"I?ll take that one," Cloud said, pointing to the saw-like thunder blade.

?Ah, good choice!? the trainer rejoiced, ?Now it?s time to begin. Walk to the door and start up those stairs. I?ll be right behind you with your sword.?

Cloud went outside into a torch lit hallway and began to walk up the stairs. This feeling felt awkwardly familiar to him . . . He glanced over his shoulder and saw the degenerating old man limping up the stairs not too far behind. Even farther back, two attendants blocked off the bottom of the carved stone stairs and were illuminated in the orange glow of the fire. The farther they walked, the louder and brighter it got. After a few minutes, they arrived at a huge oak door that had been reinforced with metal bars. The old man put his ear against the door and a smile formed on his face. On the other side he heard a symphony of swords clanging and screams ringing out. When he couldn?t hear the battle anymore, the crowd of cult members let out a final euphoric roar that rattled the iron bars against the doors.

?He, he,? he laughed to himself, ?Looks like you?re up next! Now remember not to let your guard down against your challenger, or to lose your sword at any time during the match, alright? He will NOT be going easy on ya,? Cloud agreed with him for the last time, nodding once more.

?Ladies and gentlemen,? a muffled voice reverberated through the door, ?the moment you?ve all been waiting for has arrived. I?m thrilled and honored to bring to you the Main Event and final battle of the night!? The spectators couldn?t be contained any longer. Their fervor for battle took over and everybody with at least one leg began stomping on the ground, shaking every loose fixture in the building and sending rocks falling from the ceiling. ?The first fighter,? the announcer continued, ?hails from lands far away from here and sought to disrupt our lives! He may be a king where he comes from, but today he will be reduced to the rank of a gladiator! A slave not only to battle but to our will!? the announcement received mixed ovations. Some cheered for the sake of battle while others booed because of who the person was. ?His challenger tonight is an officer we think to be either from the Returners or the Empire. As you all know, HE was the one that killed all of our friends at the tower! I hate him as much as all of you do, but please restrain yourselves from interfering with the fight! Remember, this is a fight to the death so we will have our revenge one way or another! Now, without further adieu, Gatekeepers raise the gate and let the battle begin!?

The rusty gears clamored against each other and metallic dust that had settled on the doors from the previous fights filtered through the brilliant rays of light aimed at each door and rested on the ground. Both doors opened at the same time allowing the warriors to see each other from opposite sides of the Arena. Cloud and Edgar looked like doppelgangers as they came out of their separate dungeons. The only distinct difference between them was the type of equipment they used. Edgar had elected to take the other two-handed sword that Cloud had not and was wearing a sheet of sparkling chain mail over his sky blue king?s outfit. Following the directions given to them by their respective trainers, they walked out until they were twenty feet from each other and bowed. Turning to their left they bowed to the audience, and then back to the right to bow to Gabe who had just sat down on his throne to watch. High above on the tallest balcony he would pass his judgment . . . Standing next to Gabe, the announcer did his final duty and proclaimed the Last Rites to Edgar and Cloud, ?May Kefka take pity on your souls . . . NOW FIGHT!?

The crowd cheered and spat as the warriors faced off against each other. Edgar moved first, sidestepping in a circle but always facing his opponent. Cloud did the same and held the sword with both hands as he pointed it in Edgar?s direction, ?I don?t know who you are, but I?m not going to die,? Edgar stoutly declared, ?I may have no idea who I really am but I will kill you!? The king made a lunging downward slice and Cloud parried it to the ground, almost losing his grip on the handle.

?I don?t want to die either!? Cloud thought, trying to convince his self-conscious to fight as hard as he could. He gripped the handle of his sword tighter as Edgar feigned a strike to Cloud?s right leg. Cloud committed to the strike, leaving his other side wide open. Edgar spun around and swung his sword horizontally at Cloud?s leather armor. He was barely able to leap backwards out of the blade?s reach but still managed to catch the tip of it. The armor on his left side split open, exposing a shallow crimson line dripping from the surface. Edgar grinned and his foe staggered backwards holding his lower chest with a painful smile on his face, ?Is that the best you can do?? Cloud taunted, straightening out his back. Hearing this, the crowd exploded into a joyous cacophony of laughs, yelling, and cheers.

?Get him Cloud!? Somebody egged him on.

?What?! You want to see what I can really do? Bring it on!? Edgar sneered, insulted by this miscreant.

Cloud charged at Edgar with his sword behind his body and angled at the ground. Stirring up dirt, Cloud jumped upwards and swung his blade from the ground up to Edgar?s face. The king barely managed to block it to the side as the dust cloud momentarily blinded him. As Edgar was pushing Cloud?s strike away from him, his blade got caught on the jagged part of the other sword. His seasoned opponent instinctively pulled his sword inwards and yanked the long sword out of Edgar?s hands. It quickly rattled to the ground, leaving him defenseless. Cloud quickly moved in for the kill and swung diagonally multiple times as fast as his body would allow, but each slash was dodged by the more agile king. Scurrying along the ground and out of the way, Edgar scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it into Cloud?s eyes while he was in mid-swing. before he had a chance to attack again. Edgar rushed the blinded combatant as he wiped the earth from his eyes and jump kicked him as hard as he could, sending Cloud?s body crashing hard to the ground. Cloud retaliated by swinging wildly in the air but Figaro?s monarch leapt off his chest and made a mad dash for his sword. Cloud righted himself almost immediately and cursed the cheap shot as he rubbed his eyes. The ex-SOLDIER was enraged and chased his target with newfound speed.

Edgar checked over his shoulder to see Cloud only a few steps behind him. He couldn?t keep this pace up forever. Where was his sword? Ah! There it is! The king was only a few short feet away from his sword but knew if he stopped even for a moment to bend over and pick it up he would be run through.

Cloud hoped to cut off Edgar?s head with a high powered slice but the strategically superior mind of his foe ducked under the attack and went into a slide on the ground, grabbing a hold of his cutlass and skidding along on his shins while not losing any speed. Cloud continued his offensive with another downward headstrike but the other sword met his behind Edgar?s head without even looking and parried it away. Putting out a foot he stopped his slide and sent a kneeling strike at his assailant?s legs. It was blocked but soon Cloud found himself on the defensive. Edgar threw as many consecutive blows at different places as he could but Cloud was too good at a head on fight, especially with him having the heavier sword. These warriors were exceptionally matched. Though different in technique and style, they could each hold their own if thrown into any swordfight.

But this battle couldn?t go on for much longer. They were both becoming extremely tired and it obviously showed. Cloud?s usually spiky hair was dirty and matted down, dripping with sweat. He found himself wiping his hands on his pants every couple of seconds just to maintain a decent grip on his Thunder Saber. Edgar, on the other hand, had bleeding knees that soaked through his pants and his usually neat ponytail had frazzled outward like a frayed wire. There wouldn?t be anymore defense in the match if either of them could help it . . . even if it meant being maimed for the rest of their lives. They?d have to take some punishment in order to get close enough for that critical hit. Thus the figthers took in a final deep breath and prepared for one final melee.

?DIE!!? They screamed in unison, swinging their swords so hard that the blades met in a deafening screech that left their ears ringing. Locked up, both Edgar and Cloud used all their might to push the razor sharp edge of the other?s sword into one another?s neck.

?Face it,? Edgar snorted, breathing out a gust of air and hate, ?I?m the better one, and you?ll never beat me.?

?Don?t . . . ? Cloud replied, gritting his teeth to relieve the strain his arms were feeling as they burned with acid, ?count on it!? Cloud?s arms began to emit a blue aura and his strength overwhelmed Edgar to break the lock of weapons, sending both of them stumbling backwards.

The crowd had quieted down a great deal as the two slaves fought with all they had, showing more skill and heart than anyone had ever seen before, ?Such great warriors,? someone from the audience murmured to nobody in particular.

?Yeah, it?s a shame they have to go out like this,? somebody else added in amongst the profanities and cheers around them.

Both of the battlers continued to stand apart from each other, chests heaving as they gathered what little strength they had left. It would have continued to be a stalemate if Cloud hadn?t realized his blade?s true power. Fitting loosely into the bottom of his weapon?s hilt was a plain, common looking stone. Using his palm, he pushed it in till it snapped into place. For a short instant it glowed blue-white then faded. Being that both of them were still under the Slave Crown?s power, neither knew what to make of it. Sensing his sword?s power though, Cloud devised a plan as he unbuckled his useless armor.

?Giving up huh?? Edgar asked as the loose leather breastplate dropped to the ground. Cloud didn?t think that remark deserved a response so he remained silent. In what was thought to be a final act of defiance by the crowd, he instead extended his free hand towards Edgar and beckoned him to attack. The warrior king was more than glad to help Cloud meet his fate and began to shuffle towards the vulnerable, and seemingly fanatical warrior.

In all is haste to quickly finish Cloud, the leader of the Returners had become hotheaded. Edgar tried the same attack that had worked before on Cloud hoping that if he connected Cloud would parry it once more and set him up easily for the deathblow. But this is what his opponent had hoped for. Edgar feigned right again, then left and Cloud looked like he had committed again, but in reality he had Edgar right where he wanted him. Edgar let loose a backhanded attack to the neck and Cloud easily ducked it. Moving in as Edgar followed through his swing, Cloud took his sword and lodged its jagged fangs into Edgar?s chain mail. It wasn?t enough to pierce the woven links of steel, but it would serve its purpose.

Edgar thought he might have committed a deadly mistake but was relieved to see that Cloud had instead, ?Now I will finish you,? he said, moving his sword high into the air above the utterly defenseless challenger in half a SOLDIER uniform. Cloud seemed to cower in fear and balled himself up as close to the ground as possible before Edgar caught on, ?What are you doing? Get up and take it like a-? the blade tangled in his armor began to shoot hot stinging bolts of electricity out of it and Edgar discovered his fatal error ? His entire body had turned into a lightning rod!

The musty air inside the Arena began to cackle and pop as the hair on Edgar?s head began to stand on end. The first bolt was weak, hitting the king just hard enough to give his body a nasty jolt which sent his sword flying form his hands. He fell to his knees, his eardrums shattered and bleeding as the next shock hit him. Knocking him senseless he fell to the ground face first, landing on the serrated blade, ?what?s this?? he asked himself as though he were looking at his own body from the outside, ?How can I . . .? his sentence would go unfinished as volley after volley of lightning poured through his body. The crowd shouted in fear as the King of Figaro was struck countless times before laying silent. His corpse lay smoking on the blackened ground around him. Cloud walked over and kicked his fellow gladiator him in the stomach until he flipped over. It was a shock to the former Shinra soldier to see his enemy still alive.

He couldn?t feel the pain, but the icy touch of death was already taking over his body. Paralyzed and bleeding, the one benefit from this battle was that the lightning had shorted out the circuitry in the Slave Crown. At least he could die as himself, and not some brainless slave. Still unable to make words form out of his mouth, he saw Cloud pick up the Regal Cutlass instead of the one embedded in his chest.

?Cloud . . .? Edgar somehow managed to say through coughing up blood and ruptured vocal chords, ?Don?t kill me.? Cloud hesitated as he positioned the sword above a bare part of Edgar?s chest.

?Why not?? Cloud replied uncaring, almost in a zombie-like tone.

?If you do, then all of the women of the world will grieve!? Edgar had a short fit of laughter. But the laughter soon left him, and slowly everything faded into an eternal darkness. He could not feel the cold, hateful sword as it pierced his heart.



------------------

Shit, I'll try to use less apostrophes and quotations in the future . . . sorry about all the mess ups in the other chapters. It's the server's fault.
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Chewi
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Post by Chewi » Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am

It's not the server's fault, it's Word's fault!!
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Post by Trigo » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:04 pm

nice work
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Post by Xanien » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:33 pm

Chewi wrote:It's not the server's fault, it's Word's fault!!
Then why does it post well on other websites? Aura is the only one it has a problem with. And I do not have the slightest idea how to fix it given the explanation you gave me in Staff. Smart quotes? WTF is that? And the problem of having a Mac probably intensifies the issue. Hmmm, I'll fuck around with it some more. Could it also be the type of board Aura is on now as well?
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Post by Mik » Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:42 am

it's probably to do with the software we're using too, IPB v2.0.4 was available for like a day if I recall correctly.
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Post by Chewi » Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:57 pm

It may be IPB. Other forums probably fix it for you. But here is how you stop the smart quotes!!

https://usa8.tycho.ubalt.edu/wtdocs/wthelp/...martquotes.html
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Post by Chewi » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:09 pm

Okay I've finally got the bastard. £ wasn't working either. It was a problem with character sets.
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Post by Xanien » Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:30 am

Sweet, it fixed the earlier problems, but the later ones (which I copied and pasted from another website) are the problems. I'll try to fix it up later then. Thanks a bunch!
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Post by Xanien » Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:30 am

Chapter 19: An Unsettling Calm



"It doesn’t look like we have any more options left to us," Sabin said, disenchanted after Setzer told them all of the bad news.

"My god, all of Narshe . . . gone like that," Banon added to the already somber discussion. He suddenly sat back down in his tall mahogany chair, slumping in it as he clasped his brow, " But Sabin is right. We no longer have any other choice. We must act now and take out our enemies or the world will once again fall under control of the Empire. We all remember what that was like, and it should never again happen. Without Narshe’s vast resources of coal and machine technology on our side, a drawn out conflict would be perilous to our cause. We MUST make a quick attack with what we have, and do it very soon."

"Plus two of our operatives are missing somewhere in Neo Vector," Sabin added, leaning his chin onto his fist as he propped his elbow on the arm of the chair.

"Relm and Strago?" Setzer asked as he leaned forward in his chair to put his hands on the long oak table. The rest of the delegates at the table turned their attention to Sabin, who then nodded.

"We haven’t had any contact with them for well over a week now. I don’t think that they forgot to communicate . . . something has happened to them. We must believe that they have been captured," Sabin, now the interim leader of the Returners told them.

"And don’t forget Edgar . . ." Mik chimed in from a dark corner where he had been hiding himself. The lights in the room only shone on or around the table, leaving pockets of darkness in each of the corners of the room. Setzer, Sabin, Banon, Gogo, Shadow, and various representatives from the Allied Returner Nations had been talking nonstop for the last hour, making it easy for Mik to slip in unnoticed.

"We won’t forget, but we won’t make him a priority over anybody else," Sabin replied as he slumped down into his chair. He WANTED to make it a priority, he WANTED to make it number one on the list for the committee, but he had to think about the other people counting on him and this council defeating the Empire first. God knows he wanted to kill all of those priests holding him captive, but rushing in there would have meant certain death. He just had to deal with it . . . all of the bad news, all of the drama . . . he had to bear with the pain and continue to let his world fall apart with each passing hour.

"There’s a lot of space we must cover in a very short amount of time," Banon stated, "We’ll have to call in every favor we have to pull this off. But we can do this, and we will do this. I don’t think that our friend Cyan will be able to stay neutral for much longer. This has long since become something more than just a matter of vendetta. The safety of Doma is at risk too."

"I’ll have messages sent to him and Terra as soon as the meeting is over, "Sabin announced, sensing that the talks would soon be coming to a conclusion.

"I think we should get a rough battle plan made while everybody is still here, agreed?" Setzer asked the council.

"Agreed, we-" Banon was cut off when one of the castle’s messengers stumbled though the door out of breath, letting it crash against the stone wall with a dull but loud thud.

"Sabin! They’re Alive!"

"Who?"

"Locke, Celes, Mog . . . " the young man braced his arms against the table as he caught his breath.

"Anybody else?" Sabin asked anxiously.

"Don’t know," the royal subject said as he shook his head and swallowed before finishing the rest of the message, "Cyan gave word through Pigeon Express . . . said that he’ll be coming here tomorrow morning . . . and bringing the others too."

"Thank you, that is great news! You may leave now."

"You’re Welcome Lord Banon," he replied as a guard led him to a seat outside of the room. The other guard shut the door soon after to allow the meeting to continue.

"This changes everything, doesn’t it?" Shadow said, breaking the silence with his calm and logical voice.

"Yes, it does," Banon agreed, " But none the less we’ll go on as planned. The others will be implemented into the already existing operations. Sabin, you will lead a group consisting of Locke, Celes, Gogo, and covert operatives of your choosing into Fanatics Tower. You should know what to do from there, just try not to make too much noise, alright? Shadow, you will be leading Mik, Setzer, and a squad of Figaro’s Elite guard into the heart of Neo Vector by cover of night to rescue Relm and Strago or at least learn of their whereabouts. It should be an in and out operation, no need to spend any unnecessary time there. Your group will be dropped onto the roof of the Military Penitentiary building via the Falcon. It will be heavily guarded but we will supply you with more than enough fire power to hold them off until the mission is complete," Banon took a deep breath and poured himself a cool glass of water from the pitcher on the table before continuing, " Any other suggestions? Or do you all accept the missions set before you?"

"Sounds good to me," Mik said as everybody else merely nodded heads.

"So . . . what’s going to happen with the others?" Setzer asked Banon with uncertainty.

"Cyan will no doubt be swayed to join our fight now. I’ll ask him to start sending all the troops he can spare to the front line. Mog and Umaro will retrieve Terra for us since we will need the mail for more urgent matters at the moment. From there on out, my advisors and fellow representatives here will begin to spread the word to every man capable of fighting," Banon’s plan were no longer secret, everything was out in the open now, "Before I send you off, I just want to say that war is an awful thing, and that people will-"


Knock, Knock.


The door opened much slower this time around, and a different messenger walked in with his head lowered. He walked up to the table like a blind man, stumbling every couple of steps. As he came closer, everybody could see that his eyes were red an swollen with tears, "Sir, " he said to Sabin, his head still focused on the grains of sand on the ground that had been tracked in, "I have grievous news. Earlier tonight-" the messenger couldn’t help but to choke on his next words. How could he bring himself to tell Sabin that he had become the new King of Figaro?

"What happened? Tell ME!" Sabin felt anxiety set in as he grabbed the man’s shoulder and shook him. His stomach started to bunch up, and sweat ran down his cheek from his sideburns. He already knew what the man was going to say, but there might be a chance . . .

The man finally gained the courage to lift his head, tears dripping down his cheeks, "Edgar . . . he’s," Banon gritted his teeth, gripping the table as he braced himself for the news, "he’s . . . dead."

There was silence. No, that’s an understatement. It was so silent in the room that a pin drop could have shattered eardrums. Nobody could even begin to comment on how great a loss this was to not only The Returners, but to Figaro itself. And more importantly his brother Sabin . . .

"No!" Shadow yelled as he slammed the side of his fist into the wall. A few members of The Council gasped while others hurriedly built themselves into a furor trying to comprehend why the Fanatics would do such a thing. Were they trying to start a war with the Returners, and was this an act of cruel provocation?

Sabin sat as still as he could, half digesting the information and half denying it in his mind. He moved his eyes onto the sole reflection of light from the lacquered table and stared. Amongst all of the movement in the room he laid perfectly calm, his lips slightly parted and eyes unblinking. He had lost his composure . . . no longer could he act like an heir to the throne of Figaro. Sabin had locked himself in a vegetative state, fighting with his heart that wanted vengeance and with his logic that told him cooler heads would prevail.

Mik, on the other hand, was in total disbelief but acting it out in exactly the opposite manner, "No! No, no, no, no, no!" he was hysterical, punching the gray stones that composed the wall till his knuckles bled, "This can’t be! It was my fault, MY FAULT!" he screamed along with the rest of the chaos and arguments in the room. He looked at all of the faces of the people he knew and began to guess what they were thinking.

You might as well have killed him yourself!

Why did we ever trust you with him?

It’s your fault . . .

It’s your fault . . .

It’s all YOUR fault!


"Nooo!!" Mik freaked out and stormed out of the room, yelling at himself like a madman the whole way as he covered up his ears to keep the voices out. Gogo stood up to follow him like last time, but Shadow stopped him.

"Let him be. He has his own demons to deal with."



Fanatics Tower, AKA Kefka’s Tower



When did I give up? Was it when they put the Slave Crown on? No . . . it was before that, way before that. Was it when she refused me? God, it wasn’t that either,’ Cloud searched his thoughts, trying to find a reason why he didn’t fight the control others forced on him. Why he second-guessed himself all the time and why he couldn’t shake that feeling of despair from the recesses of his mind, ‘It was . . . his laugh. That terrible, undying laugh,’ The metal bars of his cage suddenly moved and tore Cloud away from his thoughts. Gabe stood at the doorway with a guard on each side of him.

"Hello Cloud, " Gabe smiled haughtily as he addressed the champion of the hour. Cloud raised his head and glared into his new master’s eyes. His mako blue eyes twitched. The only way he knew how to struggle against the mind control of the Slave Crown. If he could he would have shot them at Gabe, "Oh, are you uncomfortable?" Cloud noticed that he was nearly naked except for his navy boxers. He saw Gabe lift his left hand and motion for one of the guards to come inside of the cell. He came in bringing Cloud’s clothes, smelling freshly of deodorants and soaps, "we had them washed for you," He handed them to Cloud, who took no time putting them on. They had even repaired the holes in his shirt and chinks in his shoulder guard. Why had they done this? Cloud seemed to remember his training back with Shinra at this moment. He remembered the anti-torture training he went through and how he learned that captors would act cruel and violent and then try to befriend you to get you on their side. Oh yes, Cloud was thinking this and he knew better, but with the Slave Crown firmly in place, it was impossible to see it as nothing more than a nice gesture.

"The champion deserves clean clothes, right?" Gabe asked, not expecting a response.

"Thank you . . ." Cloud replied, lacking any emotion or tone. Gabe’s eyebrows lifted in astonishment.

"Impressive, you are trying to fight its control and you are doing rather well I must say," Gabe said, pointing to the metal ring on Cloud’s head, "that’s the main reason why I came here actually," Cloud looked at him blankly, not quite understanding what he meant, "But first you have to answer me one question. Why did you come here, and why did you kill the people of this tower?"

"It’s obvious he’s a spy," the guard sneered.

Gabe gave his peon a contemptuous glare, almost murderous in nature, "Do not talk again . . ."

The guard quickly shaped up, standing at attention and leaving Gabe to sit in the cell with the prisoner. Cloud continued to contemplate his answer as the Fanatic leader spoke, "I know you are not from the Empire, and also that you are not with The Returners. Nobody posses the technology you used to attack us. Tell us the truth. Tell us everything . . ." Gabe slowly reached behind Cloud’s head and tuned the Slave Crown to its highest level.

"We . . ." the small electric shocks coursing through his brain was painful, almost inhibiting all of his bodily functions, "we came out of curiosity. But there was an accident, and . . . and . . ."


‘We?’ There were more of these people like Cloud on this Planet? But where were they? Gabe turned down the power on the metal ringlet, "That’s enough. I believe you. You held no malice against my people. It was just a freak accident," Cloud took in a deep breath as the pressure came off of him all at once, "But I needed to know before I made this next decision. I need a new general for our army, the last one was in the tower when you crashed into it. You Cloud, will be that general. You have great strength and skill for your size and a certain candor that nobody else at this tower possesses. I will appoint some advisors to you of course to keep you under our control, but we’ll do you a favor and give you some of your own thought and willpower back by adjusting the Slave Crown," Gabe moved his right hand and the other person came in toting Cloud’s partly transparent Ultima Weapon and a metallic armguard. The man also handed him a large sheath that went over Cloud’s shoulder and under the other so he could place the sword on his back whenever he wanted.

"That’s a very respectable sword you have there," Gabe joked, but it went over Cloud’s head in his current state and got no response, "Well, be sure to bring it tomorrow to the rally. Cloud, you are now one of us whether you like it or not. I’ll introduce you as our new general at the rally. I’m sure you’ll be a huge success. Until then, get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning."

As if he had any other choice. All Cloud consciously knew under their control was his name. He could not distinguish between good or bad, or refuse to obey his master’s orders. He had to fight the chokehold they had on him. Hopefully, when they lowered their control on him tomorrow he could begin to break free.

The door to Cloud’s cell slammed shut, and before Gabe left, he told him to go to sleep. Cloud struggled to keep his eyelids apart, but it was no use. His body controlled everything and not his own will. His limbs began to falter and in a couple seconds he was asleep.



Neo Vector



"Is everything going as planned?" Emperor Shan asked the engineer as they both walked through the Magitek Armor test laboratory.

Shan had been former Emperor Gestahl’s 3rd in command behind only Kefka. He was quite the seasoned veteran of war. As a general he had accumulated more stars, medals and stripes than could fit on his uniform. He was getting old however, with streaks of white mixing with his brown shoulder length hair. The many wrinkles in his face under his eyes and at the corners of his mouth were a testament to the long straining years he put in as a regular officer in the Empire’s army. He had worked hard and kissed ass countless times, and now he was finally the one who ran it all. Thanks to Kefka. The former general of the Empire’s Northern and Eastern Armies managed to knock out all that were ahead of him. Gestahl on the Floating Island, General Leo at Thamasa . . . and then Kefka’s own overzealous behavior had led to those Returners defeating him at the zenith of his power. Shan would be sure not to make the same mistakes the others did. He would have others do the dirty work for him and not get involved. His first order as Emperor was the appointment of Gabe, one of his long time supporters, as general of the entire Imperial Army. From that point on, he had organized the rebuilding of a bigger and stronger Neo Vector, a bigger Air Force, and the development of more powerful weapons, namely within the Magitek series.

"Yes sir," an engineer in a white lab coat answered as he moved a wisp of his graying blonde hair away from his eyes, "We’ve been running tests on those specimens we received from that crashed ship and have already made an impressive discovery!"

"How so?" Shan asked as he stopped to adjust his blue velvet robe in the reflection of stainless steel pillar inside the laboratory.

"This stuff is radically advanced, very awesome if you don’t mind me using an unscientific term. We don’t know if it’s stable but in all of the conductivity tests it outscored any known material on record," the scientist rambled on as both he and the Emperor walked through the archway of two massive metal doors and into the Weapons Testing Area for the Tek Armors. By using various synthetics and different jewels found around the world, the scientists had managed to increase the power and efficiency of the normal Magitek’s Tech Laser. By focusing a high-powered laser through the materials, it rid the particle stream of impurities and when fired, something such as a Fire Beam would burn hotter and recharge faster than before.

"Could you tell me again what that means? In English perhaps?" Shan replied, perturbed.

"It’s basically an inexhaustible source of energy sir," the engineer quickly explained, not wanting to anger his leader, "One piece alone could power an entire sector of Neo Vector for more than six months!"

"Interesting," Shan said as he pulled two fingers down through the goatee on his chin. The dozen or so engineers that were working in the room had stopped whatever they had been doing and saluted the Emperor as he walked by. The only noise in the rusted brown test room was steam escaping from the walls of pipes and their shoes on the metal floor, "So, have you tried it in the prototype yet?"

"We were just about to, but after we learned of your visit we decided to hold off," he told Shan, "We thought you would like to see it in person."

"Indeed. Good thinking," Shan said, looking intently at the engineer. All he got back in return was an unresponsive stare, "Well? Shall we?"

"Oh! Yes, let’s get started," the scientist answered, a rush of excitement suddenly running through his body. As he walked with Emperor towards the highly secretive hangar, he yelled to the others, "Everybody back to work!"

The two left the room containing the modified Magitek and Proto Armor’s and entered into another well-lit corridor. The closer they got to the hangar, the tighter security became. Along the twisting hallways there were checkpoints of two guards every 100 yards. Today there would be no questioning of the people entering and leaving or to ask if they had their papers regarding proper identification. Shan’s arrival had been known of ahead of time and the pathway to the Experimental Armor had been cleared. As they cleared the final turn, four guards standing in front of two colossal 20 ft. tall slabs of metal began to operate the door’s controls. Two stood on each side and simultaneously pulled a lever unlocking the door. The other two took the valve handles on the doors and turned them in opposite directions from each other until they locked out. Mechanisms inside the door clicked and whirred and then it finally opened, super heated water vapor gushing out as the doors split apart. Then, in a joint effort, all four men grabbed the doors and pulled them farther apart with all their might to let Shan and the scientist squeeze on through.


The room opened up into a spacious hangar with a ceiling more than 300 feet above them and with only a single vehicle occupying it: The SNX-00. The code name of the project had been "Alexander II", and for a very good reason. The scientist who had brought the idea to Vector, Nigel, had witnessed first hand the awesome Alexander rise from its holy resting place and destroy Kefka. He had watched in awe as it attacked with a concentrated Pearl fusion beam that vaporized everything, including Kefka’s Tower. Nigel had been mesmerized ever since and had made it his only goal in life to create a man made weapon in the magnificent image of the Holy Summon.

It had been constructed far bigger than any common Magitek armor or Proto Armor in existence. Whereas the government issue vehicles stand at 12 feet and 10 feet tall respectively, and have a width on average of about five feet, Alexander II dwarfed them easily at a whopping three stories high and a width of more than 30 feet. In order to get enough power to move it, the engineers had to take two 1000 series power cores from the regular Magitek armors and join it with the 1500 series power core from the Proto Armor. The engine wasn’t the only thing of a large size either. Forty by ten foot long feet (called ‘Waffles’ by the scientist who created them due to their design structure and appearance) kept it stable while walking, and the cockpit had been expanded to hold two people, a gunner and a pilot. As an afterthought, Nigel had added two grappling arms, right around the level of the cockpit. He had used the original blueprints for the crane arms that had once overlooked the weapon manufacturing plant and improved on the design for added maneuverability. They could still be detached and controlled, but now both the gunner and pilot could control the arms separately.

"We just finished equipping its armament this weekend," Nigel announced to Shan while the scientist’s assistant continued to wonder at his marvelous invention.

"What did you end up using? I wasn’t here when you guys were doing that," the engineer asked Nigel.

"We went crazy my friend! The arms have 20 Tek missiles apiece and located under the heavy metal plating on Alex’s back is a launcher with another 100. We also mounted a swiveling Beam Cannon with a maximum downward slope of 45 degrees for a wide arc of fire. Any lower though and the pilot would be toast! Wouldn’t want to hurt the pilot now would we?" Nigel prodded his elbow into one of his colleagues’ ribs, causing a chuckle but then continuing on, " However, only the Ice and Fire Beams can be used. We removed the Bolt Beam because of problems with the cockpits conductivity to electricity."

"Speaking of conductivity . . ."

"Noo . . . you got it? I didn’t think they’d let you use it so soon!" Half knowing that his team would get it sooner or later.

"Thanks to Emperor Shan’s confidence in our project, Section 81 let us have it earlier than normal. The got some great data on it," the engineer mentioned to Nigel, "Its conductivity rating is off the scale!"

"Thank you for your kindness sir!" Nigel said, bowing to Shan, who in turn gave him a nod, "So, do you have it?"

"Right here," the scientist said as he produced a pouch from under his lab coat. He removed the simple white cloth around it and gave a turquoise orb fitting no bigger than his hand to Nigel.

"Excellent," Nigel remarked, clasping both hands around it and taking it up a ladder that led to the joint power core, " Get ready for remote operation," he yelled to another scientist manning the remote control station. The man gave Nigel a nod and the waited for his superior to give him the signal, "Here we go!" He placed the orb into the generator stream and the controller switched his workstation onto initiate the lasers. Nothing happened. Nigel and the others were confused, and Shan was starting to lose interest. He had other things on his agenda today and disliked it when projects ran behind schedule.

"I don’t get it," Nigel said as he went back over to the ladder, "The tests showed-"

The flimsy ladder lurched backwards and slammed on the ground as the machinery came to life. Steam poured out of its joints as the hydraulics pumped its legs and feet forward, and the whirring from the engine’s turbine caused some of the onlookers to cover their ears. The 3000-ton robot was moving, and moving well for something of such mass.

"What’s the power rating?" Nigel yelled, barely audible over the lurching metal beast.

"140% and still rising!"

"Good god . . . have we finally harnessed the power of Alexander?" Nigel uttered in disbelief before screaming for a weapons check.

"Roger," the controller confirmed. He switched on the beam cannon and selected the Ice Beam. Blue particles began to swirl and collect around the base of the cannon as it took the surrounding water vapor into its ammunition cell. It took only five seconds before it was fully charged.

"Fire before it overloads!" Nigel screamed as he watched the cannon start to rattle around on its pivot.

"I’m trying but the commands are transferring slower than the charge rate!" the scientist shot back to Nigel. A luminescent ball composed of white ice and blue water the size of a Tek armor had formed and was still growing around the cannon’s barrel. Red lights were flashing all around them on each of the workstations as the power output went off the scale for everything they were measuring.

"Do it now or we are all dead!" Nigel continued to order his man over the crackling of electricity in the air.

"Just a few more seconds . . . there!" the scientist depressed one last button and the beam shot across the hangar, leaving a trail of snow falling behind it in its wake. It covered over 200 yards in less than three seconds and hit the blast wall with such an impact that lights directly above the target blew up and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

"Very good," Shan smirked as he surveyed the damaged wall. The Ice beam created an inverted bubble inside of the wall and shattered the first four layers of concrete, steel, iron, and rock, "I want it ready for battle in 36 hours. Is that a problem?"

"No sir!" Nigel responded in unison with the others.

"It launches as soon as the good general gets back, understood?"

"Yes . . ."

"Good, now don’t disappoint me or it will be your head," Shan said. He bowed his head and gave Nigel an "understand?" look and then left the compound.

As soon as the Emperor had exited through the door, Nigel spoke up, "You heard him! It’s crunch time people! Somebody get up there and adjust the controls to fire that cannon faster!"


Hall outside of Hangar


Shan had arranged to be met by his defense minister outside of hangar, and saw him as soon as the doors shut. Before turning to talk to him, he gave the four guards an order. If the scientists didn’t have it ready by the time Gabe came back, they were to be removed . . . permanently. After that was out of the way, he began his briefing.

"I think it’s safe to say war is inevitable at this point," the minister informed Emperor Shan," both the Returners and the Fanatics should be at each other’s throats in a matter of days. Your plan worked perfectly. We’ve even sent false information to The Returners that the Cult will be attacking Nikeah. That should split up their forces and bode well for us. They will destroy each other and then we will sweep down and crush any remaining resistance."

"Good, send in the retraction team immediately and get our men out of there," the Emperor ordered him.

"What about the loss of Sector 5 though?" The defense minister asked.

"There isn’t anything we can do about that anymore. Just begin to amass the troops of every other sector. I won’t let the destruction of one platoon get in the way of our destiny. Oh no . . . NOTHING will stop the Empire from rising once again!"


------------------

Hope this isn't a retarded chapter. Two more are finished ... maybe I'll post another chapter next week?
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Xanien
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Post by Xanien » Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:03 am

Chapter 20: The Beast Within



You are weak.

‘No I’m not. I am the strongest in the world.’

You are afraid. You are sad. I can feel your soul crying. Why is it crying?

‘Who are you? Get OUT of my head.’

A sad, scared little boy crying out for his mommy. Pitiful.

Sephiroth’s emotions boiled over at this point and he lashed out, swinging his hand outward to strike down this voice with a sword he didn’t even have.

"Done with your sleep. It took you long enough," Kefka sneered.

Had it been him? Had this inferior man entered that waking dream and taunted him? No. He still fears me. He wouldn’t dare . . .

"Ahh, Alrbook. It’s so peaceful, so cheery. Look at the kids playing ball around the corners of the buildings!" Kefka giggled as he clasped his hands together in joy, "And even the cats and dogs are living in perfect harmony!"


Sephiroth shrugged.

"I see this peace and all I want to do is destroy it."

There was a brief disapproving glare from Sephiroth and then a quick reply, "Do what you must." The former General had taken part in his far share of massacres during his tenure with the Shinra army. He had destroyed entire villages, wiping out bloodlines of families that had lived for thousands of years when they invaded Wutai. They had been proud warriors though. They had fought to the last man. They weren’t lambs being led to a slaughter. Sephiroth wanted to destroy everything now, to carry out his mother’s will . . . but not like this.

"Yes," Kefka responded, "I will." With Gau in tow, both of them had flown a few miles southwest to the closest town. Flying was not an alien feeling to either of the demigods. Both were able to sustain flight to some extent in their current forms by manipulating their energy outwards. And if they were to transform . . . well needless to say it wouldn’t bother them in the slightest. But there was no need to destroy this planet just yet. Gau had been reduced to experiencing seizures regularly and intentionally hurting himself the entire time. It was as if merely being around the intense, evil aura of his two captors drove him to insanity. At that point, Sephiroth had noticed and mentioned to Kefka that they walk the rest of the way there. It was decided at first light on the next day that they’d go to the nearest town and get clothes, weapons, and whatever else they felt like. In Kefka’s case he had only one thing in mind . . . a bloodbath. These people would pay for supporting The Returners. From his former tower his Ray of Judgment had scorched the city countless times, razing it to the ground almost entirely. But they defied him and rebuilt. But no longer . . .

"It doesn’t seem like there are too many people in this town," Sephiroth told Kefka as he used his hand to shield his eyes from the morning sun, " I don’t think we can find what we need here,"

"You’re just scared," Kefka said in his most demeaning tone.

This man was really starting to get on Sephiroth’s nerves. "Be careful what you say . . . little man."

Kefka just smiled confidently and flew into the air with ease, just high enough to get a panoramic view of the city. With only gray pants and a long red sheet wrapped around his stomach, he felt a slight chill in the morning weather, "Ten, twenty, fifty" he counted. He knew there were close to two hundred people living in the town after he had partially destroyed it more than a year ago. "They must be sleeping," he commented to his challenger when he came back down, " I only counted 130."

‘Does a town this size even have a shop?’ Sephiroth wondered. There were over a million people living in Midgar alone, and even that shit hole Corel town had close to 500 (although most were refugees).

"I have an idea, but let’s get some new clothes first, " Kefka said, "couldn’t bare to be seen in these rags. I’ll need something extravagant to show my greatness . . ."

His counterpart was smirking smugly but Sephiroth couldn’t care less. Instead he remained quiet and looked down to his own torn wardrobe instead. Without an answer he began to walk into the old Victorian-style town. The houses were large and grandiose. It was a new looking town, even down to the sparkling window panes, so what Kefka had said about destroying this town must have been true. Most of the buildings were remakes, far from the original. It was almost . . . tacky. The homey, turn of the century look wasn’t something he was too fond of. Not like he cared about that sort of thing anyways. Gau followed behind them as best he could, even though his muscles were shredded to pieces from his constant convulsions and he was on the verge of brain death.


The armor shop had just opened its doors when the group walked by. The fragrance of cooling iron and treated leather filled the air. The shopkeeper was wiping down the counter with some cloth when they entered his shop.

"Why hello there!" he yelled to Sephiroth across the room in a fake, pleasant tone, "What can I do for you today?"

"These two and myself are looking for some clothes," Sephiroth replied, pointing to Gau and Kekfa who had their backs turned to them already, sifting through the shelves of clothes. The shop keeper noticed the group’s meager appearance and found himself suddenly worried about whether they could afford the clothes or not. But he gave them the benefit of the doubt. Warriors had come in before, battle torn and their armor falling apart and swords chipped. Those types of customers had the most money he had learned, even more than the petty lords and ladies and other aristocrats.

"Do you know your size?" The roly-ploy old man asked.

"No"

"Well then let’s get you measured up then!"

‘This man is far too cheerful to be an Armor dealer,’ Sephiroth thought. He missed his custom tailored uniform that had been made for him when an officer was promoted to the rank of general in Shinra’s main army. But, the trivial suits this peddler had would have to do. While Sephiroth got measured, he saw Kefka still towards the back of the room, throwing clothes he liked into Gau’s open arms and the ones he didn’t every which way, strewing them all over the floor. He suddenly thought of his supposed equal as nothing more than a woman. One of those garish cross dressers he had seen down in the slums of Midgar . . . and it bothered him. He would NOT lose to this freak in power.

The shopkeeper finished and wrote the measurements down on a small piece of paper, " So do you have a color in mind?" He asked.

"Black," Sephiroth said, "only black," The man led him over to the opposite corner of the room and began grabbing items. Sephiroth saw that Kefka was in the fitting rooms trying stuff on already. Gau painfully waited, holding a pile of linen and other materials in front of his body. Some of the dirt and grass stains had wiped off on the clothes, revealing blotches of beige on his face and arms.

"That one will do," Sephiroth said, pointing to a piece of leather armor that had recently been presented to him. He took the obsidian colored chestplate and put it on. It covered his neck and stretched all the way past his stomach, but was also sleeveless. Etched in the black leather was a small mural depicting a ferocious lion clawing at a snarling dragon. Sephiroth didn’t care for the design but decided to take it nonetheless. The shopkeeper showed him matching black pants, a shirt, and boots and he took those too.

"If you don’t mind," the old man asked politely, not aware of the danger he faced, "I’m going to help your friend now. Sephiroth nodded and the man left to go to the dressing rooms.

"So," the armor dealer shouted as he got closer to the fitting room, "How’s it coming along?"

"I found some wonderful clothes! Not a bad selection here might I add," Kefka replied form behind the door, "There, I’m done," the self proclaimed god walked out in an outfit that could only have been made for him. He wore a two-piece silk kung-fu suit made of strange colors such as cerulean and olive green. Mixed in was a darker green and spots of red freckled everywhere. It looked more like he was wearing a salad than actual clothes. Somehow, he had managed to locate a cherry colored cape to match the red and draped it around his neck to complete the outfit. Kefka began strutting around the store, looking for makeup.

"Wait a sec, do I know you?" The old man asked as he watched this odd man dance around the store. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. The long, white haired man was a stranger to him. But the boy in green was definitely familiar. His name was on the tip of his tongue. And now this eccentric customer . . . how he looked, how he acted . . . no . . . I couldn’t be, could it?

"Know me? Hmm, knew me? Perhaps," Kefka answered cryptically. He covered his cheeks in red blush, adding some over his eyes and applying lipstick, then traced his eyes with a dark purple mascara.

"You’re . . . YOU’RE KEFKA!" the shopkeeper realized, the horrible memories of years past suddenly flooding back into his thoughts. He started to back up towards the door as fast as he could then fell.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" That laugh. That maniacal laughter that had echoed down day after day from his grotesque tower all those years ago. It was the same, "Tsk, tsk, tsk," Kefka waved his finger at him, "Leaving so soon?" He moved so fast that it appeared as though his body had turned to mist. His figure quickly faded away as the fog had cleared, and the shop owner had trouble locating where the nightmarish person had gone off to.

"Why . . ." the man quivered as he grabbed a hold of a shelf of t-shirts. A noise behind him startled his heart and his hands twitched, accidentally pushing the rack of clothes all over the ground. The middle-aged man twisted his body, looking around for any sign of Kefka. But all he saw was the young, feral looking teen in front of him. WHERE HAD THE OTHER ONE GONE NOW?!

The tasteless villain suddenly reappeared just as quickly behind the man and covered his mouth so he couldn’t scream. He wrapped the other arm around the dealer’s body and held him with hardly any effort at all, "Sephiroth, are you ready?" Kefka waited a couple seconds before his friend finally gave him a nod, "This is an initiation of blood my friend. To see if you are as devoted to our cause as I am,"

"I am not afraid to draw blood," somehow this madman had gotten to him. Sephiroth wanted the apocalypse, he wanted Armageddon to wipe the filth of man from the universe . . . but it was in a totally different way that Kefka wanted to achieve this. It bothered him somewhat. But at this moment he would show this planet a portent of their future. A future that ends in both death and chaos.

"Gau, come here, "Sephiroth motioned with his hand, his minion reluctantly approaching his master before stopping a few feet from Kefka and the shopkeeper. The evil general began to circle around the wild boy, creating a visage of ‘the beast’ in light under his feet. He stroked his hair, seemingly comforting him and very unbecoming of the man once known as Sephiroth. But when he had fused with the infinite knowledge of the Ancients . . . the Black Materia had given him powers beyond his limits. On his third time around, he grabbed the boy by his head with one hand so they were face to face and yelled into his face, "GAU! AWAKEN THE BEAST INSIDE YOU!" Sephiroth’s hands glowed neon green for a moment as Gau dangled helplessly, his feet moving back and forth only inches from the ground while his master lifted him into the air.

"He’s resisting," Kefka shot at his partner.

"Not for long . . ." Sephiroth shot a large spark of energy into his subjects body, creating a booming command inside his brain that broke down all barriers in the child’s head. And then suddenly . . . he let him go.

The boy was dropped to the floor, who fell to the ground and landed like a beast, ready to pounce. But then Gau clutched his head and banged it against the wooden floor as hard as he could, an unbearable pain coursing through his veins, "Out! Out! Out! Me no want!" Gau agonized every second of his wretched existence as his voice gradually got deeper, "Ou . . . Ahhhh!" He dropped to his knees and began pounding his fists like anvils into the ground to purge the pain in his head, splintering the boards that made up the floor.

"What did you do to him?" the dealer, a bit shaken up asked. He didn’t want to watch, but for some reason he couldn’t bare to look away. As he watched more of this magic unfold, Gau stopped moving abruptly. He lay perfectly still, hunched over with his back in the air and his head buried in his arms on the floor. Then there was a twitch of muscle in his shoulder. Then another in his arm. Soon his entire body seemed to contract involuntarily. Gau’s right arm flew straight up, twisting his body to that side. It flexed itself uncontrollably and tensed up. It would do this for a few moments, stopping for a second here and there, but then starting up again. It became faster and faster until the arm turned a purplish-red from the increased flow of blood and then---


That’s when all hell broke loose . . .


"RAAA!" Gau lashed out and his body began to enlarge frighteningly quick. The skin on his arms ripped apart and his muscles bulged from their prison, the blood red fibers and tendons popping and twanging as the beast inside of Gau awoke. His limbs continued to grow and swell, his chest following soon after in the same manner as the rest of his body. His back muscles began to double and knot and soon they had almost tripled in size. His legs had grown to the size of a tree trunk before his body finally began to settle. Thick, burgundy colored blood dripped from his fresh muscles all over . . . his new frame a sick science experiment gone horribly wrong. But then his skin started to grow back, and new roots of thick green hair sprouted all over his body.

Gau had quadrupled in size and strength. His clothes were ripped and strewn about all over the floor. Instead of the naked skin that covered his body before, there was now a layer of green fur over each inch of his being. The hair on his head had grown to three times its normal length and hung all the way down to his lower back like a mane. The man had witnessed the entire transformation and hadn’t uttered a word. Gau had started out as a five foot something boy, and had become a ten foot tall monster. The shopkeeper shook where he stood, wet cloth stuck to his leg on the inside of his pants and a yellow puddle was growing on the floor beneath him.

"Gau," Sephiroth said to his slave as calmly as he could, "Tear him apart," Kefka let go of the bewildered man and he slipped onto the floor in his own puddle of urine as he did so. His gaze was transfixed on the beast that had yet to show its face. Its head still lay buried under hairy, clawed paws. There was a noise that sounded like a gurgling growl, then a tiny hint of movement. Gau was no more . . . His pupils had sunk deep into his eyes somewhere, leaving only the white meat behind to view the world. He had grown ten sizes in mere minutes and now had claws like daggers and fangs the length of spears. The monster inside his head had full control of his body now, and would soon start his master’s bidding. If there was any will left in his soul before this incident, it was gone now. He was a drone, there to do Sephiroth’s bidding and only his. His first target was the man on the ground. His master pointed to him and Gau’s eyelids squinted to focus in on the old man. He let out a throaty snarl then leapt the remaining distance between himself and the shopkeeper. The man was pinned by fear to the floor. The mutated Gau moved around his prey, sniffing the air. Was he taunting his prey? Or had some type of animal instinct taken over?

"I think he wants us to leave," Sephiroth thought out loud.

"He better not run away if go outside. I’m not going to run after him!" Kefka agreed and both of the demi-gods left the store. It was mid morning and twice as many people seemed to crowd the streets now.

"I’m amazed nobody had come to the aid of the man’s screams in this town," Sephiroth had observed, "But we can’t let our existence be known just yet. Whatever happens here we must leave no witnesses."

"His what?" Kefka had no idea what the hell the man standing next to him was talking about. He had already planned an all out massacre.


They intently listened to what was going on inside the store as wood cracked from the floorboards and the man screamed. There was a loud, wet snapping noise, and then nothing.

"Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?" Kefka moved closer to the door to listen to what was going on in the shop.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Sephiroth warned. A mother and her son from across the street had heard the commotion and had come out of their house to investigate.

"What’s going on?" they asked. Before Sephiroth could answer, a deafening roar shook the ground, shattering all the windows in the area. The child cowered into his mother’s breast and started to cry. Through the windows you could see Gau charging towards the front of the building, his feet ripping through the wood that was unable to support his massive weight. The anger he seemed to control was unparalleled. It was as if all of the hatred and evil in the world had been channeled into his body, grossly transmuting it and polluting his mind.

Without warning he broke through the storefront, taking the doorway with him around his shoulders and caving the front of the store in. The beast angrily ripped the doorframe from his body and Kefka was hit by falling wood and debris as it hulked towards his two masters.

Sephiroth managed a self-satisfied laugh as Kefka hacked up dust and splinters.

"Oh dear God!" the mother yelled as she saw that the monster’s fur was matted down from blood and pieces of flesh hung from its fangs, "Oh no!!" She grabbed her son and they began to sprint as fast as they could away from the troop of terror, screaming fanatically. Gau quickly closed in on them, and jumped on their backs, crushing them.

"This might get a little out of control," Sephiroth said.

"You better believe it," his comrade smirked.


More and more screams of horror rang out in the town of Albrook. It only took minutes before the whole town was in an uproar. People were screaming about a beast, running through the streets with belongings trying to save themselves and all the while they were playing directly into Kefka’s and Sephiroth’s plan. In a mad scramble to evacuate the town, everybody would be outside. Not a soul could be found in a house, shop, or pub. And even if they tried to hide in a building, Gau would hunt them down. Nothing could stop him.

Kefka watched with a certain joy as the Gau beast scaled a wall of a house, looking inside of a window then ripping the house’s residence out of their rooms before throwing them down to the ground below. Some of the men of the town had taken up arms, coming at the monster with lances and daggers. Sephiroth stared intently at the battle. Three men surrounded Gau on all sides. The first attack came from the side which the animal managed to grab easily and throw the man and spear into the wall, but the second one got lucky and thrust his blade into the beast’s chest. Gau snarled in pain and was quickly overcome by the third man who left onto his back and jammed his dagger into the back of his neck.

They thought that it was dead . . . but those weapons couldn’t even penetrate his thick hide. Sephiroth’s monster was invincible. There was no material that could protect people from him, no weapon that could slow him down. His skin was just too tough. The entire town of 463 people were running for their lives.

"Ready?" a crowd of citizens was pushing and shoving their way though an alley towards Kefka and Sephiroth’s location.

"Of course," flames were already spreading around the city, jumping from building to building with out a hope of being put out. A house behind the two collapsed,

"GO!" Kefka glided on one foot towards the alley and waited for the right moment to strike. His cape fluttered in the hot, fiery wind as he gathered energy in both his fists. The louder the screaming became, the more the smile on the tyrant’s face widened. Right before the mob ran out into one of the main streets, Kefka popped out from around the corner and blasted them all. He held his hands above his head and merged the orbs of energy into one beam as he recreated the Ray of Judgment in the palm of his hands. The bright light caught everyone off guard as the pillar of magic seared the immediate ground around the group, and blowing it sky high. Eighteen people were instantly torn apart or incinerated as the beams exploded amongst the group, most of them women and children. Kefka moved on after his first taste of blood, down the next alleyway in search of new victims.

During this time, Sephiroth had taken his attack into the air. From there he acted like a sniper, shooting beam after beam at the hysterical targets below. Finding that it was taking too long, he curled himself into a ball and focused his newfound Black Materia energy all over his body. Sephiroth could feel the dark beams tingling from every pore of his body as he gathered it inside. Without warning his body sprang forward and shot violent rays of energy in each direction, shooting his spirit outward like a gatling gun, not caring if he hit the townspeople or not. To him it was either a kill or a crater. People were yelling, "It’s him! It’s Kefka! He’s returned from the dead to kill us all!" This served to really piss him off. All this time the freak had taken all the limelight. On his planet he was well known. People feared the mere mention of his name, and he was actively sought by those who wished to kill him. But to be totally forgotten . . . to be a nobody, away from mother, away from the mako that served as his lifeblood . . .

"The name . . ." Sephiroth said through gritted teeth as he gathered a large amount of power into a sphere the size of a house, "IS SEPHIROTH!" The force of it leaving his hands knocked him backwards but he was able to recover. The ball was slower than his smaller beams, but its destructive power was a hundred times more than that of those.

Kefka dropped the corpse of a women he had been torturing and looked over his shoulder at the huge incoming blast. Its size cast a shadow over half the town, yet no light seemed to come from it at all, "Not fair!" Kefka screamed as he tried to put some distance between himself and the impact zone.

The black sphere attack hit the ground and a typhoon of light spilled out of it, ripping apart houses with its shockwave and leveling the town in a thunderous ‘BOOM’. Albrook had been vaporized. Its population terrorized and murdered. Kefka was flying away from the destruction and gazing at the cloud of smoke that had risen miles above the city. The shockwave had taken a minute to finally dissipate, but it didn’t matter. The damage was already done. All that was left of the rich and prosperous city and its inhabitants was a few scattered skeletal remains and smoldering rubble.

There was another satisfied look from Sephiroth’s face and then he returned to his normal self, "Now that that is taken care of, it’s time to move on. Don’t fall behind."

"I hate you," Kefka pouted, " That was my first chance in years to relieve some of the hate I’ve held for this world in my heart and you ruined it," Kefka continued to whine but a certain sight caused him to change his track of mind, "I don’t believe it, look!"

Sephiroth looked down and saw Gau, still standing, and still in his beast form. His fur was singed, but for the most part he was unharmed. Both of the men were surprised. Neither had guessed that Gau would have the power to survive that blast. He might have other uses after all.

"No interfering next time," Kefka demanded, breaking the awkward silence of the moment.

"Hmph, we’ll see . . . " Unknown to them, a pink streak of light flew away, far above their heads. It had seen everything.



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Well, I hope this chapter was somewhat cool for you guys. Hope it gets some replies too. I'm going on vacation for a week, but when I get back I'll post up a new chapter.

Enjoy.
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Trigo
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Post by Trigo » Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:41 pm

nice work as always
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