The marching of the Deepground squad broke into a run towards the youth. The young man, fell to a knee, keeping himself from collapsing entirely by driving his sword into the ground and leaning on it. Bodies of disemboweled and mutilated troops littered the ground around him. Struggling to his feet, the man leveled his sword at the soldiers. "What, this is all?" He sneered, even as his arm shook with fatigue. "You're going to need a lot more than that." Grasping his sword with both his hands, he settled into a fighting stance.
The soldiers stopped and entered a firing formation. Leveling their guns, the leader raised his arm above his head. The youth began to rush, his black overcoat streaming out behind him, his silver hair raising in the wind.
Suddenly, a soldier at the back of the formation pivoted. Faster than an eye could blink the soldier fired upon the two closest soldiers. Rushing forward, he kicked one in the back of the knee and wrapped an arm around his neck. Dropping the assault rifle he was holding, the rogue soldier pulled his captive's pistol from it's holster and shot three more soldiers in the head. Spinning, he snapped the neck of his human shield and drew a long, curved dagger from it's calve sheath. He slit the throat of one soldier as he turned, and stabbed another in the gut. The last two soldiers turned and he ducked under the gun of one, passing him up to leap at the other. Landing with both feet on the man's chest, he brought his right leg back and kicked him heavily in the jaw, snapping his head back. Landing, he blocked the last soldiers attempt to stab him by grabbing his arm. Twisting, he turned the soldier around and drove his dagger deep into his back. Then he dropped him to the ground. The entire affair lasted less than a minute.
The young man he had just saved had stopped running and stood watching. Now that the scuffle was over, he fell onto his butt, his coat squelching in the mud. Squinting up at his rescuer, he smiled. "Couldn't you have come a little sooner?"
The rogue soldier pulled off his helmet, revealing shoulder length brown hair and deep gray eyes. He smiled at the young man. "Don't give me that. Just because I fight smart doesn't mean I'm responsible for saving your ass every time." Reaching out an arm, he helped the young man to his feet.
"It's good to see you again Vadha." The young man said, clapping Vadha on the shoulder.
"Likewise Senio." Vadha replied with a slight smile. He looked about at the slaughtered corpses. "Is this all of them?"
Senio nodded. "Yeah. Did you jam their radio?" Vadha nodded. "Alright then, it's time to really open the can of whup-ass on these guys!"
Overhead a large red airship passed. The cargo door in the back opened and two figures leapt out, a large crate suspended between them. As they neared the ground, parachutes sprang from their backs, slowing their fall. Landing gently, they dropped the metal crate. Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine turned to Senio and Vadha.
"The rest of the WRO are on their way." Cloud said. He kicked the crate and it opened, exposing three motorcycles. On one lay a satchel. Vincent tossed it to Vadha.
Vadha opened the bag and pulled out a black hooded vest, his magnum revolver, his curved sword and a pair of sub-machine guns with shortened underbarrel bayonets. Stripping the Deepground disguise from his body, he donned the vest and holstered his guns, sliding his sword into it's sling at the small of his back. Turning to the other's, he nodded. "Alright, let's go."
"About fucking time!" Senio yelled, creating a hoverboard out of Chaos energy. Vadha, Cloud and Vincent each mounted a motorcycle, and soon the four of them were racing through the ruined city at breakneck speeds. Ahead, a pair of Duahlhorns charged them as a squad of Pegasus Riders descended from above. "Vince and I will get the Dualhorns!" Senio called back to his companions. "Cloud, you and Vadha get the flyboys!" He turned his hoverboard and used it as a platform to launch himself at the first Dualhorn, generating two swords in his fist. Vincent followed, firing his Cerebus from his bike.
Cloud skidded to a halt and drew his Buster Sword. Revving the engine on his bike, he started towards the descending enemies. Grabbing on to Vadha's bike, he pushed himself forward, propelling him even faster. Squatting on the seat, he leapt into the air and decapitated two of the Pegasus Riders with one slash. Grabbing onto another one's bike, he prepared to strike at his next target when a small dot appeared on his chest. He moved his sword just in time to block the shot from the sniper, but the impact still knocked him off the hoverbike. Vadha, who had been following behind taking potshots at the PRs with his revolver quickly cut to the right down a side alley. Initiating his cloaking ability, he leapt from the bike and let it crash into the wall. Still invisible, he clambered up the side of the building and scanned the scene.
Vincent and Senio were still fighting the Dualhorns. Now that Cloud was alone and at a disadvantage, the surviving Pegasus Riders had circled back to attack him. Vadha picked out the dark forms of the snipers that were hiding in the shadows of the tall building a few blocks down. They had ceased firing at Cloud to let the Pegasus Riders finish him off. Darting forward, Vadha leapt from rooftop to rooftop, being careful to stay in the shadows in case one of the snipers noticed his spectral outline. Reaching the end of the last roof, he leapt towards a window, behind which he could see a Deepground Sniper patrolling. Crashing through the glass, he kicked the sniper in the face with both feet, knocking him across the room. Rolling with his momentum, he ended up on top of the sniper, his knee against her neck. Pivoting, he snapped her neck and stood up, pressing against the wall and listening carefully. No footsteps could be heard, so he ventured forth into the building.
Reaching an upper level, he opened a door onto a balconey that circled the building. Looking up, he could see the barrel of one of the rifles. Gingerly climbing on the balconey rail, he jumped up, grabbing onto the rail above him. Planting his feet firmly on the edge of the balconey base, he reached up and grabbed the sniper by the throat, pulling back and throwing him over the rail. The soldier screamed as he plummeted to his death. Clambering onto the balcony where the sniper had been, Vadha crouched by the corner and peaked around it. Another sniper walked slowly towards him, his gun leveled. Standing, Vadha drew his dagger from it's calve sheath and dropped his stealth aura. It was draining his strength to quickly. As the gun poked past the corner, he grabbed it and pulled, bringing the sniper's neck to his waiting blade. He hefted the sniper rifle and scavenged some spare ammo from his victim. Then, ears open for the slightest sound, he moved forward.
Another sniper fell to a broken neck, and a fourth to strangulation. The fifth saw him, but wasn't able to make a sound before Vadha threw his dagger, piercing his heart and lung. Taking up a position at the corner of the building, Vadha scanned the city before him. Senio and Vincent had finished with the Dualhorns and had joined up with Cloud. The three of them were running along the streets, killing soldiers left and right. But still more and more converged upon them from the alleys and rooftops.
Leveling the crosshairs on a Heavy Trooper, Vadha began sniping the larger threats from his perch. One after another, Deepground soldiers fell. Suddenly, Vadha stopped. A sound reached him and he dodged to the left. A long scar split the wall just above his head, showering him with bits of concrete. Jumping through a window, he crouched low, hiding just under the windowsill. A throaty laugh echoed above him.
"Come out, little bird." A woman's voice with a thick Romanian accent purred. "No one escapes Rosso the Crimson." Footsteps approached Vadha and he held his breath, activating his stealth ability. The footsteps paused just outside the window. Vadha listened for a moment, then rolled to the side as Rosso's blade cleaved the wall he had been hiding behind. "I see you little bird." Rosso chuckled, rushing Vadha. He fired his sniper rifle, but she deflected the bullet, jumping towards him with a roar. Drawing his sword, Vadha countered her strike, sliding between her legs and stabbing at her back. She jumping, flipping back over his head, and fired a barrage of bullets at him. Vadha deflected the attack, drawing his magnum revolver and firing three shots at Rosso. As she deflected them, he tackled her and drove both of them through the wall. As the two flew through the air, three dark gray wings burst out from Vadha's back, two from the right side and one from the left. Flapping the wings, Vadha slowed his descent as he and Rosso struck at each other. Finally, his strength left him and the wings dissapated, leaving a pair of ragged tears in his vest.
Without the wings to hold them up, the two combatants plummeted downwards, crashing through the roof of a building and smashing into the ground in a large crater, Vadha lying on top of Rosso. With a roar, she kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying out of the pit. She leapt out at him, striking at him with her double bladed weapon. He blocked her attack and slid forward, trapping the weapons between them. He spun behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and rotated his blade, pressing the sharp edge against her throat. Before he could cut her throat, a Deepground beast tackled him from the side, knocking his sword from his grasp. The monster growled, trying to bite Vadha's throat, but he grabbed it by the jaw, and with a sharp cracking sound, snapped his neck.
No sooner had he pushed the corpse off of him than Rosso charged him again. Ducking under he blade, he grabbed her arm and pushed her into the wall. Grabbing his throat with her free arm, Rosso lifted Vadha above her head and hurled him across the atrium. He landed hard and rolled, ending up right beside his sword. Grabbing it, he jumped to his feet and leapt at Rosso. She leapt at him, and they clashed blades in midair. Landing, Vadha rushed towards her again, pressing his advantage. He twirled his sword, ducking and weaving between her counterstikes. She screamed in rage and surprise as he cut a small line under her eye. Leaping back, she pointed at Vadha. "Attack!"
A squad of elite Deepground soldiers charged towards Vadha from the corners of the room. Backflipping, Vadha threw his sword towards Rosso. Pulling his sub-machine guns from their holsters, Vadha opened fire midflip. The soldiers fell like blades of grass before a wind. Landing, Vadha through the guns. The bayonettes carved through the remaing soldiers before imbedding themselves in the wall.
Rosso landed before him, his sword clenched in her hand. Twirling in a small circle, she chuckled. "I will admit, you have been a worthy opponent." With a grunt of rage, she hurled the sword up towards the opening in the ceiling. As it approached the hole, she leveled her gun barrel at it and fired, sending his weapon flying high into the air until it disappeared into the distance. "But now," She crouched, preparing to rush him again. Vadha fingered the handle of his revolver, preparing to quickdraw. "Now, you DIE!"
Rosso's charge was interupted as the ground in front of her exploded, sending her flying acossed the room. Vadha shielded his face from the debris and looked at what had caused the destruction. A sheated katana stuck out of the ground. The scabard was dull graphite black, the handle was gray with silver lining, specially molded with finger grips. Over head, the red airship form before, the Oriphael, hovered.
"I thought you might like some help." Rachel's voice came through the amplifier system.
Vadha smiled, strod forward and pulled the sword from the ground. Without even looking, he flipped it over his shoulder and blocked Rosso's sneak attack with the sheated blade. "Thanks." he muttered, then spun and struck Rosso upside the head with the sheath. She fell to the side and Vadha drew the blade. The silver blade shone with irradescent light. A pair of deep violet eyes appeared on the blade, and a voice echoed in Vadha's head. Are you ready?Vadha smirked. "Let's do it Glass." Rosso leapt to her feet, but almost fell again as she deflected Vadha's attack. He pushed her back, the katana a blur in his hand. She staggered as he cut her calf, and again as she barely managed to deflect a strike to her neck onto her collarbone. With a flick of his wrist, Vadha disarmed her and kicked her the the stomach, knocking her to the floor. Sheating his sword, he closed his eyes, stepping back in a meditative state. Rosso struggled to her feet. He nudged the sword from it's sheath an inch with his thumb. The blade now shone pure white. "It's time to finish this." He murmured, and pulled the sword from it's scabbard. The entire blade shone just as bright as the section had before. A thin white line of energy hung in the air, traced by the tip of the blade. He slashed the air repeatedly, tracing more and more energy arcs in the air. Then, holding the sheat at his waist behind his back, he slid the blade back into it.
As the click of if the sword entering the sheath echoed, the energy arcs raced one after another at Rosso. A huge burst of light filled the battleground, and as it faded Vadha looked down at Rosso's body, bloody and cold.