Seifers past is out, now it is time to set his and perhaps Clouds future.
Zack M. Strith: Thanks for reviewing and here is a heads-up, I changed the ages a little and added an extra year over there for Seifer so now Cloud is four and not three. After rereading this again I noticed I made Cloud a little too articulate for that age.
Knowing the Enemy
In a dark room seven people stood in a circle looking over a pedestal with a translucent quality to it. The figures were all dressed in long dark robes with the only difference in them being the cut made for a man or a woman. One of the seven stepped up to the pedestal and waved both "hands", if you want to call three clawed fingers with blue scales on black skin hands, over in a series of patterned movements while saying a slight incantation. When the figure was done you could see the image of a monster.
The monster was at least 18 ft tall with two sets of wings. One set came from the back of the black scaled body, from the waist up, which had symbolized patters done in red ink. The ink seemed to flow over the whole body and would spontaneously change in pattern from time to time. The other set came from its thick scorpion like tail towards the top by the stinger. Each leg was like that of a horse with black short fur with shaggy tuffs at the hoofs. Arms were humanlike with claws coming from the six fingered hands. The head was like a cats with pointed elf ears at the sides. Two flexible tentacles coming from its head of red hair that tapered off into claws at the bottom that were a leathery solid black poked out from about the top where the normal cat ears would be. The rest of the face was hidden in a mussel that was connected into the chains that kept him bound on his floating prison in a void filled with darkness.
"Do you have the core?" As the man looked over to one of the women in the room.
"No, my servant Jun was guarding it." Woman One
"Explain, Siu." The same man as before.
"Jun was defeated when she was testing the blitz gate Ning." Siu
"How could she be killed? She went through the process." Ning
"Yes, she did, but something came out after the gate that could not be explained." Siu
"Try me." Ning
"Well, when I shifted away to get a better look of the events of the completed gate something strange happened. A man came out that wasn't a man, but not a monster either. He had been out of it at first, but soon came to after one of the SeeDs' checked him over. I told Jun to check him out with some light sparing, though maybe I should have sent a monster, she was soon over whelmed and took herself out so that the core wouldn't be found. I did not further engage the "man" and what seemed to be his partner monster, a strange looking behemoth, and waited for their next actions.
"And they were?" Ning
"They went to the town for a while and are now heading back towards Balamb Garden on one of the three borrowed jets from Esthar, the blue one with the "X" wing setup. The four reinforcements that came in the jet are staying in the area, which was all I was able to get before I left the area." Siu bowing to Ning
"Waya, they are traveling into your area keep tabs on this, and report back to me what you find." Ning as he turns back to one of the men that was in back.
"Yes Ning. Sir, do you want me to test the person as well to get some ideas on him?" Waya
"Yes, have some fun with him. " Ning
Back to just before they (Seifer, Remmy, Zell, and Irvine) left for Balamb.
"Nice toy, I wonder who they killed to get it?" Seifer as he looks over the jet not realizing he said that out loud.
The jet being one of the three recently commissioned, semi-experimental, flyers from Esthar, this one is the Shifter. As far as looks go it wasn't all that impressive, triangular body with four wings (two on each side) that were adjustable by the hydraulics that connected the wings to the jet, and the "Y" shaped shafts that ran in an arc at the center of the wings. The blue and silver accents helped out a little to stylize it, but what the jet lacked in looks and in style it more then made it up in design. The simple shape cut down on wind resistance, combine that with the eight jet thrusters (two on each wing one on either side of the hydraulics on the wings) making it the fastest of the three jets. The fire power was good with the two AP ammo rail guns that were mounted on the bottom front of the jet. The finishing touch was the newly developed carbon armor that was light and surprisingly elementally resistant to a certain degree. So in all not that pretty, but fast and surprisingly tuff when put up against the wall.
Muttering "Some things never change with time." Zell looking a little annoyed at Seifers comment as he goes to setup the replacement team.
"GURRRR" Remmy looking at Zell, but calms down as Seifer pats him on the shoulders.
"SNUFF" as he curiously looks up and over to Seifer.
Note: Next bit is translated from growls between Seifer and Remmy.
"Pack leader?" Remmy
"Old pack-mate not after fight, old pack-mate just upset at my actions. Understand?" Seifer
"Understand. Where our pack, said tell after went with old pack?" Remmy
"Our pack far away, need old packs help to get to." Seifer
"You, help?" Remmy
"Remember old pack on water, ones not get to?" Seifer
"Snow Hair, Stone Skin, said not get to from anywhere, missing way." Remmy
"Going now on metal bird after talk old pack. Flash take over to place of water pack, need new flash to get back to our pack." Seifer
"Wait for flash again not work?" Remmy
"No, look or find us like this time. Need water packs help, need old pack help to get water pack. Safe at water pack or old pack other packs want dead." Seifer
"Understand." Remmy as he gets scratched by Seifer once more.
Note: Grammar sucked with that, but Remmy is mentality that of a smart child with survival skills, going back to regular talking now.
"You can understand him?" Irvine looking a little stunned.
"I raised him; I better know how to talk to him." Seifer with a smile as he continues to scratch Remmy and dose a double take at the team.
"They're all set to take over and Davis (pilot) is ready to fly us back for the briefing." Zell
"Alright might as well get this done and over with so I can get back to FH. Zell, how long will it take to get there?" Seifer
"We'll be back to Garden in about four hours why?" Zell
"If I stayed on the jet with just my thoughts for my only distraction, you both would try to kill me by the end of the flight just to stay sane. I know how fast I fly, and if I remember the distance correctly, I should be able to keep up with you four on the jet." Seifer now thinking "It will also give me some time to figure out why Cam is now with Seed too."
"You can fly?" Zell
"Didn't I just say I could keep up with the jet?" Seifer
Irvine and Zell share a look to each other.
"OK, just stay within our sight at all times." Irvine
"Alright, and if Remmy gives you any trouble on the way scratch him on his left shoulder to calm him down." Seifer and with that he takes off his: jacket, boots, and items and hands them to Irvine.
With the items gone two wings of a leathery black come out from his back with red single clawed ridges at the joints of the wings. Along his skin you could see the same leathery black quality applied to all parts of his body with varying spots of brown and copper scales flicked in here and there. Claws on his feet and hands, along with the new fangs, gave him an even more demonic look. Though with the now slatted eyes with gold specks mixed in the elflike ears it all fit somehow with the hair that didn't change.
"See something interesting?" as Seifer smirks at their slacked-jawed expressions giving them an even better view of the lethal looking teeth.
"Cool." Zell giving a pleading look to the wings.
"You never were one for doing things small." Irvine
"You know me if I'm doing something it better be big. Well time to fly." With that Seifer climbed up the side of the jet and leapt off to glide while he waited for them to get going.
"Hold up." Said the crossbow welding female Seed that was about the only one not pointing her weapon at the now hovering Seifer.
"What?" Seifer
"Sir, (addressing Zell) what the hell is he? You only said you were bringing back a person and monster from the wakes that wasn't hostile to Garden for questioning. Last time I checked people don't sprout wings like that and start flying." Crossbow female Seed
"Strife you may want to get down here, you can explain this better then me." Zell
Thinking "Well I guess I can practice what I'm going to tell PB to them now." Seifer as he lands, and then gives them all a 20 min. rundown on everything.
"Whoa, another world." Twin knife welding male Seed
Thinking "Ta, figures Seifer is involved with this somehow." Lance welding male Seed.
"Weird." Reaper welding female Seed
"I wonder why you were knocked out and not Remmy?" Crossbow female Seed
"Can you still talk and listen when flying at the speed of the jet?" Davis
"Yeah, why?" Seifer as he watches Davis run into the jet and then come out holding a headset. "Nice idea." As he takes the head set and adjusts it to his liking.
With the headset now working and the jet now airborne they take off towards Garden.
I didn't die, I just got VERY busy with things, (work, school, real life in general) but now things have calmed down slightly and I can work on this again. Well as always read and review and I'll get back to you. Thanks
See first chapter for disclaimer.
