"What the fuck does a punk ass thug like you think they are doing around here?" Barret says in my face. He was just a little taller than me standing at 6'5. He was a big man, with most of it being muscle. A lot different than my thin and wiry build. He would fit right in with the body builders I saw in Wall Market.
I was being confronted much sooner than I would've hoped unfortunately. Not even half an hour of making my way towards the bar and already I was stopped. I was planning to convey the information on my own terms, preferably in a situation where there is no possibility of me getting shot at. Not like this with a gun aimed at me. If they were actively searching for something to take their minds off losing Cloud then squeezing a known affiliate of the Don for information is what they think they just found. Unfortunately that affiliate was me. I'm not sure how exactly they found out I was in their territory so soon, but the slight damage to clothes and bruisings alluded to them just coming back from the reactor bombing mission. They also seemed pissed. Lashing out was most likely what was going on here. In the game, the Don's men would arrive at sector 7 looking for his wife, pissing them all off in the process, then getting interrogated for everything about their boss. The Don being a known affiliate with Shinra would make them curious as to how, and then Tifa would infiltrate his mansion for further information. They didn't have to worry about that now. Getting interrogated wasn't something that I wanted done to me because I was helping them out. I honestly tried thinking of ways around it but it always resolved to being believed and getting attention.
Before I left Wall Market, I considered changing my clothes because the lackey uniform had too much of a reputation associated with it, even in the other sectors. The notoriety would benefit me here. It helped that it was attention grabbing. Probably the most eye catching thing about it was the mask. Slum dwellers were naturally inclined to being distrustful of strangers, and it just gets worse trying to hide any aspect of yourself from them. Concealed weapon? Threat. Concealed face? Spy. Trying to hide? Guilty of something. Can't see anything wrong about them? Very suspicious. It's a sad reality that I live in where they are right most of the time. I was placing my bets that I wouldn't get shot in the back. Hopefully nobody would take me up on that. Too dangerous of an assumption normally, but I was on a tight schedule and activated sense sporadically to try to keep some sense of security in this dangerous situation. Bodies would commonly show up in the slums so it wasn't unheard of for someone getting gutted. My paranoia paid off and let me know that the group was headed towards me so I didn't full out panic and run off or fight at the first sign of confrontation. I had gotten too used to dictating battles on my terms. The pillar attack was going to go off tomorrow morning and the day was already half over. I wasn't sure what would happen when I told them about Shinra's plan. I was going to see it through even despite me not knowing. It was the right thing to do and could potentially save lives.
But still there was that niggling of doubt that blossomed in the back of my mind because of that. I didn't truly know these people. I didn't know how capable they were, after all, when they tried to stop the pillar attack they failed in the game. So how could I trust them when this is my first time meeting them? Just because I knew a facsimile of their true selves, that shouldn't mean anything at all. Do you unfailingly trust people that you hear about second hand? I sure as hell don't. My paranoia had earned me the respect of the adults in sector 5 because it kept me alive going out by myself. I rightfully believed that there was danger around every corner. Here it had me doubting the people that were destined to save the planet. I didn't want to doubt them, but my healthy paranoia towards anybody in this world goes against it.
Almost everyone portrayed in the game, aside from a choice few, are almost laughably incompetent at everything besides combat. Sneaking, deductive reasoning, finding out plans, all what should be simple reasoning ends up mostly relying on blind luck to see them through. What kind of hero was that? I hated relying on luck and would try to manipulate things so it would be an almost useless factor. I knew that I had took chances recently, and I would have to take more such as trusting the group now spread out in front of me. I was already suffering from taking chances and hoped to get my footing soon. That could come the sooner I was in the sector 7 camp and could situate myself. That I could get my hands on materia there also helped.
"AVALANCHE?" I intoned. I wasn't truly worried about getting my head blown off. I still agitated my mako and got ready to reinforce my head with cover. I really hated relying on luck and other people. The mako circulating inside of me reacted surprisingly fast, almost as if it wanted to be in this state of anticipating a fight. That never happened before, usually it took longer and was sluggish to get it to a point useful for combat. It was barely noticeable but I was fine tuned to my body. Is this what it felt like to sit on a limit break? I didn't feel as I was going to break out a devastating attack randomly. I focus back to the 'conversation' that was going on.
"Oh no you don't! I'M the one asking the questions here! ME! You got that? Now, what are you doing in my sector? What does that asshole Conero have planned now?" Barret almost growled out.
"I'm not with him." Agitation reaching my voice quickly and making them tense up. This, this right here is why I wanted things to be on my terms. Less accusations and no trouble conveying what I needed to. "I got into some trouble with them, that's why I got rid of them. It wasn't easy, but I got it done, and now I'm looking for AVALANCHE." A half truth. Which is the safest type of lie there is.
It took them a second to piece together what I said, and another to tell if I was serious or not. They probably guessed right when they spotted red stains that I couldn't get off and the damage to my armor and me. The hole in my arm had closed up, but the scabbing looked horrendous akin to a plague victim. Not to mention the clothing had several tears from bullets and shockwaves. It made it slightly uncomfortable to wear but it was better than nothing, what with my armband being ruined and having to of been thrown out. I could tell that I was a lot worse off than them. They didn't have anything that looked debilitating just a few burns and bruises. I wondered if it was because they were that good at fighting, or if it was restore materia.
Since there was no Tiffa I reasoned that they at least had the chance to get back before confronting me and rest for a bit. Jessie, the brown haired tech-savvy member of their team, lifted up her arm and started typing on a wrist mounted computer. Neat. I wanted one.
"How could a punk-ass twerp like you manage that? What's this got to do with us anyways, you ain't bringing trouble down on our heads that we don't need. Got enough problems as is." Barret said, then stepped forward, voice growing even deeper. "Explain. Now." So I did.
I gave it to them as simply as I could. My name, then how I got here. I had been given a job to find someone in Wall Market from sector 5. I found him at the Don's mansion where I was attacked. I didn't give a clear reason for it because they never asked. Apparently it wasn't that uncommon for the lackeys to basically rob people they found annoying or bothered them. It was uncommon for people to fight back. Almost unheard of. Attacking the Don's men inside the Don's mansion? Only a madman would bring his anger down on him. Then I explained the ensuring shit show of me going back to finish them, my reasoning being that they were out to get me so I would get them first. I put in that Scotch had said some things he knew about AVALANCHE that I thought they would be interested in. They seemed unsure about the story until Jessie seemed to find something. I was amazed that I even told it, it had been the single most amount of talking that I did since...well I learned how to talk. It wasn't uncommon for me to go days without talking, especially when I was in sector 6 hunting. I wasn't used to long drawn out conversations at all. I thought of this more as stating a series of events than a conversation which helped tremendously.
"Holy shit boss, he's not kidding. Just look at this, 'Donald Corneo's mansion destroyed in terrorist attack?' I don't believe it." Jessie held up the screen and everyone but Barret crowded around to read the news article. I couldn't read yet and was still being held up. It was still easy to guess what it was about. It basically blamed AVALANCHE for the attack and outlined the investigation so far. It seemed to be the general scapegoat Shinra set up. There was no mention of the monster being housed or of the dungeon underground that I heard from their mutterings and whispered conversation. Either they both burned or it was being covered up. Typical, when Shinra owns a monopoly on all the media you can expect things to be hidden like this. I had no idea that the Don's full name was Donald. It wasn't mentioned in the game. I had thought it was just a title alluding to him being the boss of a mafia, but maybe it wasn't. Or he just didn't use it. The title Don Donald Conero didn't have the same ring to it or strike as much fear into the hearts of enemies.
"What explosives did you use to deal that kind of damage? It almost looks like a monster rampaged around in his mansion." Jessie looked up and questioned me eyes sparkling with interest. I wouldn't be much help here. I didn't know what millimeter explosives were used in the shell I bought. She was spot on about the monster surprisingly.
"Cooked off a tank shell that I bought." I smirked at their stunned expressions but then it quickly left my face. I was actually proud of the damage I did to the priceless mansion. There had also been a monster rampaging in it, I was impressed she could tell from the pictures alone. A sour taste was still left in my mouth from the previous accusations they aimed at me and made me want to get this over with quickly.
"That's...unexpected, but the main question of why you are here still stands." Biggs, the black haired youth wearing a metallic headband and gripping a katana interjects. He was looking serious, they all had hardened expressions, but he had passion behind his eyes. Wedge, the round man holding a grenade launcher wearing a red bandana, nodded behind him looking like he just wants this to be over with also. Jessie is looking at me in a different light now, almost like trying to pick me apart which was a bit disturbing. Biggs was right, I had been putting it off. How do you go about telling a group that the government is willing to kill thousands to get rid of them. That their friend who they thought died was back? That you knew because you've experienced what was going to happen in a game?
To lie with something much less ridiculous of course. It's only natural to cover up something truly unbelievable with something suspicious. Keep them skeptical about your answer, not the real truth behind the answer.
"Before Scotch died, he said Shinra was going to kill everyone by dropping the plate on top of them. That they would destroy the sector pillar tomorrow." There was collective gasp and mutterings, but I continued, figuring I would give some good news with the bad. I had to wait for Barret to calm down so the others could hear. "He also said something about a yellow haired ex-SOLDIER member being sighted…" I said trailing off.
"CLOUD? Where is he!" Jessie blurted out. Jumping on the prospect that he was still alive. Then blushing furiously when everyone turned to her with varying expressions. Biggs and Wedge shared a look. Barret scowled. I stared blankly. Yeah, no crush on Cloud at all.
I shook my head as if I didn't have an answer, he should be in sector 5 in the care of Aerith but I had no way to prove that. I didn't have the premonition that Aerith did and had no way to explain myself. The planet told me? Please, like I would ever be caught using that excuse.
"No idea. Just that he was seen recently." She perked up a bit at that. I continued on. "The question is what are we going to do now? I'm wanting to join AVALANCHE since I'm wanted by everyone in the city it seems." I wasn't going to mention that I technically could go back to sector 5 and live a simple life there, but that wouldn't let me work towards my plans of surviving the pending apocalypse. It's just that I didn't know if the Turks or Shinra would come for me like they did Aerith. Better to be on the side of caution.
"Do you even hate Shinra kid?" Barret asked. A brief flash of my time in the vat and I knew without a doubt that yes, I hated them. I would hate any organization that allowed experiments like that to happen. It would be different if humans were nearing extinction and weapons/experiments were needed to survive. Because the Wutai war ended and we were in a time peace, yet they still allowed the experiments to go on. Who knew how many more were out there. There could be people like me out ther. It was a cold and intense hatred now. They made it personal with my waking up. The kind of personal where you don't question going for your revenge. The kind that makes you push yourself that much harder just thinking about it. They made a mistake bringing me back. It would've been better for them to keep me in oblivion and dead. Nothing is more driven than a spiteful person.
"Yes." Raw anger leaked out of my voice and I saw Barret's eyebrows rise in response. The others had questioning looks. I wouldn't say more, it was too much and too painful to talk about. I didn't think that I would be anywhere near calm if I turned my mind to it. Mako started to circulate and I could feel it agitated beneath my skin. It wouldn't do to get worked up. I took a breath to calm myself. Another to center myself. One last one to focus. A beat later and the prickling sensation went away.
"Fine." He spits out, obviously displeased but for some reason relenting. "Seems we just let whoever the hell wants in nowadays. You ain't getting paid with how much trouble you are. You hear? Now everyone back to the bar, been away from Marleen long enough. Don't want to be caught with our pants down like Shinra. New kid, you're with me." Barret ordered then took off. Everyone shared a look, probably not sure what to make of what happened. I wasn't expecting him to be so understanding and not pry, then again he had his own history with Shinra.
I wasn't sure what he planned to do with the information I gave him, but he posted Biggs to camp out in front of the sector plate and kept me close on our walk back. The youth loudly complained but as we walked past an intersection he branched off from the group, presumably to the fenced entrance depicted in the game to check on it. They were taking Shinra's plan to kill them in stride and seemed confident that they could stop it. I wasn't so sure, they were too confident that Shinra wouldn't directly attack it and would blame the incoming sabotage on them. Jessie claimed she had hacked into the security in the sector which allowed her to view the robotic guards orders and could broadcast the attack if it happened. No wonder they were so keen to get rid of them if the entire security of the sector, including the plate above, was compromised. She was probably the reason such a drastic action was being taken honestly. Each plate at least had separate security systems relating back to when each acted as a small town independent of each other. But if one was hacked, the others could be too. It prevented the collapse of the entire city in the case of defenses being breached just like now. EIther that or the people who founded the city were a paranoid bunch. It's something I would do in their shoes.
The walk was boring, I was expecting monsters to jump out at every bend and turn, but nothing happened. Travelers would nod when they passed by, as this was a recognisable bunch. No sign of fear at all from them. They warned a couple people to move out of the sector, but it was more of a friendly heads-up something might happen warning. I was the one that got odd looks, not the man with a gun arm telling people to leave. The camp came up unexpectedly, by this point I was thoroughly lost with all the branchings. Most of the sector housing was built along the Shinra rail system. I couldn't see it, but I could hear the shrill sounds of trains leaving the station blaring their horns and the scream of the engine. The camp entrance was just a crude drop gate that seemed almost rusted over and was built near the main station. Much different than the out of place camp of sector 5 that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.
If I thought that the outskirts of sector 7 was nice, then the camp we came upon was lucrative. It reminded me of downtown areas in a nice city back from my old world. It was well lit and the housing was nice, if old. People were sitting outside on porches in beat up houses. Where before it seemed relaxing, here it was peaceful. Older folks watching younger kids play peaceful. They were playing with actual toys and balls, and not monsters. People were armed of course, but they didn't have the hardened features and tight grips on worn weapons like in sector 5. Teenagers were grouped together, practicing with weapons, but with smiles on their faces and not the hollow gaze and haggard smiles I was used too. Smiles of joy and friendship, not smiles of surviving a rough day. There was a staccato of gunfire that was coming from the only three story building, probably the firing range inside of it. Weird place to put it honestly. Where Wall Market was too jarring to appreciate what was there, here, I was painfully reminded of what was lost. If you squinted and looked at it from the right point you could almost believe that you weren't on a strange and alien world.
"Everyone, GET the HELL OUTTA HERE!" Barret goes charging towards the bar with a grin and fires off his gun several times into the air. It was almost comical watching people scramble out. People were vaulting over the railing and down the steps to get down and away from him with practiced ease, almost as if it was a common occurrence. It probably was with how easily the group was found. Barret isn't known for being subtle or quiet. The rest of us made our way inside pushing past the forming crowd, yeah, definitely not subtle. I'm surprised with the ease that they accepted me, people around camp were giving me glares, even with my goggles lifted to the top of my head. I figured the group would want to do a background check or anything to see if they could trust me. I was sure something would come up soon.
I pushed my way past the saloon doors and was pleasantly surprised to see a western styled bar. Synthetic wood bar, tables, and stools all gave it a feeling that you just didn't get in the metal based slums. There was a squawk and the pattering of feet, and suddenly Barret was swinging his 'daughter' around in the air. "Papa! You're back!" she squealed from the air with her father laughing. She was a tiny thing, with light brown hair and looked nothing like him. She was cute in the way little kids were. "Stop your whiskers hurt!" She said while laughing
"What's everybody doing back so sooooo- Who is that?" Tifa stands in front of me in all her amazing non-polygon glory. Long black hair, suspenders, short black skirt, and red leather combat boots/gloves combo she somehow makes sexy. They all only served to accentuate her well endowed figure. It was hard to maintain eye contact. She was staring levelly at me while waiting for anybody but me to supply an answer. It was unnerving being the focus of such intense scrutiny.
Barret pauses and sets his daughter down on his shoulder, his shoulders were actually thick and wide enough to do that, turning towards her. "Says his name is Vice and he took down the Don, he's going to be joining up. Gonna be spikeys problem" Wait, what was that?
"Cloud? Is he okay?" She turns to me and I give a short nod. I was going to be his problem? Yeah, not going to happen. I took the moment to speak up.
"The Don was affiliated with Shinra and was helping them look around the slums for AVALANCHE. You don't have to worry about them now, but Shinra knows where you guys are. Said something about seeing your friend. Not much else." I vaguely replied. I at least knew that much was true. He was probably hiring mooks and thugs to scout out the sectors while looking for a 'wife'. I sincerely hoped that he didn't plan on using them and when he wasn't interested anymore the unlucky girls would 'run off' somewhere. Most likely to Alps lair. I shuddered at the awful thought, now doubly glad his mansion was destroyed.
"Oh...well it's nice to meet you...Vice?"
There was no way that getting into their folds should of been this easy. Things just didn't work that way. Some relative unknown comes in and wants to be part of the group? Okay suspicious but believable. On top of that they get rid of one of Shinra's puppets? Too convenient to be true. Who knows, maybe Barret is a much better person than I initially took him for and trusts my dislike for Shinra. There was just a few other questions asked, but i'm not the best at keeping conversations going and it died promptly. They had everything they needed and there wasn't much I really knew. They didn't seem sure what to do with me, so they let me get acclimated around the sector. Pretty much let me do whatever I wanted. They didn't have much else for me to do and weren't worried about me betraying them. That would cost them when Cait Sith joined their party. I take a deep breath and step off the porch of the bar. I get some curious looks as I make my way through the camp. Its fairly small, maybe several blocks big, and nothing is placed exactly like it was in the game. It seems more like someone explained what it looks like and designed it from there, totally unlike the sector 5 camp. Sure there is the three story tower and other key buildings, but they aren't in the same locations. You can see a lot of the camp from the bar, as it's situated in the middle of everything, but odd angles and placement of houses make it seem much bigger than it really is. I have the free time to wander around and relax. I'm not tense in this situation at all and it is such a relief and a nice change of pace. Nobody moves their hands towards weapons, sure I got glares, but that was much easier to take than a gun pointed towards me. It might of had a lot to do with Tifa's advice to leave the gun inside the bar that lessened the general air of hostility directed towards me, but I was still armed with my knives. I had gotten so used to always being geared for combat it didn't even occur to me to just….not be.
Aside from the three staples, I managed to find a tailor shop in my wandering. I didn't just go barging into houses, this wasn't a game and that's how you get shot, but I peered into open doorways or looked for signs hinting towards what was inside. That's how I found the store, and it was owned by an old man (who didn't smell like liquor!) who was kind enough to help me know what I needed just from a glance when I walked in. He seemed almost disgusted at the state of my clothes, like it was a personal insult to his profession, and promptly got me undressed. It was nothing like the clothes shop in Wall Market but it allowed me to patch up the uniform instead of just wearing it in its damaged state for a low price. There was also a cheap strap pouch that caught my eye. It was small and circular, and perfect for my thigh. The zipper on it makes it unusable in battle, but it was perfect to keep gil inside of. From both seeking fingers and jostling it would keep it secure. I was honestly just getting tired of having to sift through my collection of potions and medicine in my knapsack just to pay for anything. Pockets were too easy to steal from for my taste, especially with steal materia out there. Maybe once outside the city I would use my pockets to store food and such, but for now almost everything was kept in my knapsack and zealously guarded.
I'm finding it ironic that I'm starting to finally feel prepared for a journey when I still don't own any offensive materia and I'm low on funds. A trip to the materia store should change that. It was almost lights out and I've had enough with exploring the small camp. There wasn't much else that I needed. I was stocked up on ammo, and while I could buy another armband I wasn't sure my funds could support it after purchasing the materia.
Once inside the 'store' I was greeted by an orange skinned bald man behind a rusty counter. The store was more of a shack and pretty damn rundown if the rust on the metal sheet walls was any indication. He looked up and his face lit up with surprise.
"Oh! Look at this! Another customer, two in one day nonetheless! Yes! Buy anything you'd like!" He gestured towards a display case installed inside the counter. The prices were still 1000 gil for fire, ice, and lighting. Restore was 2000 and definitely out of my price range. I had a sudden urge to take it, this place might be gone by tomorrow, but squashed it down. There would be plenty of opportunities to earn money and keep in people's good graces. I didn't need the materia is what I told myself. I didn't want a mob after me, I was dealing with enough already. I sold the cover that I picked up after the Scotch fight along with several speed potions, I really needed to wean off the stuff. The money barely covered the cost for lightning. I still had a little bit of gil left over. I was eager to try it out, but not to the point to do it in public. There was perhaps another hour of light from the plate above and I'd make use of it getting ready for tomorrow. I hadn't been asked to join the fight that I know would take place but I wasn't worried. I was feeling refreshed taking it easy for most of the day. I was too used to throwing myself into sector 6 day after day and this break from action was nice. With that resolved I made my way back to 7th heaven, as there was a private area behind the bar I could try the materia in.
I wasn't expecting it to be occupied.
Tifa was practicing with several wooden post, forming a loose circle in which she situated herself in the middle of, attacking randomly. It was mesmerizing, watching her perform, I'll be the first to admit my style was crude compared to hers. She seemed to use her momentum from pivots and twists to add power behind her kicks and punches. There was force behind every move she made and could turn nearly every movement into an attack or block. Whereas mine was all about creating an opening and taking brutal advantage of it while dodging. There is a major difference between creating an opening through feints or probing attacks and beating someone until there is one. Many would see my way as cowardly, but I didn't have the strength, skill, or confidence to take things on in a pitted fight. Finding the most efficient and fastest way to kill monsters doesn't compare to what I was seeing. You don't learn a whole lot when fights are brutal and quick, doubly so if you catch your opponents off guard.
By now Tifa had finished going through her routine which I walked in the middle of, working up a sweat and slightly out of breath. She turned to me and put a hand on her hip. "Can I help you?" I blinked, slightly put off and realizing I had been standing there watching her. Hopefully I wasn't drooling. "Yeah, can I practice here? I've got some new hardware-" I hold up the green materia and give it a little shake. "that I'd like to try out." I truly couldn't wait to try it out. Lightning! Harness one of the most destructive forces of nature easily! Be my own personal battery! The possibilities were endless. A grin crawled onto my face, I wanted this.
"I don't see why not, but you better know I'm not putting on a show for you." That instantly put thoughts into my head, and I idly wondered how she fought without having back problems, then chalked it up to mako being bullshit.
Taking that as an answer I sat down and focused on the green orb held in front of me. I was downright giddy to finally own something destructive and could break conventional laws with ease. Or at least my conventional laws. Just like with ice and the 'pie' fire, I slowly channeled mako into it and focused on a point. A tiny, nearly imperceptible, stream of mako shot out and latched onto the point, then...just fizzled in the air. The spell failed? It was barely several sparks that formed! This is interesting, was it some backlash that I didn't know about? I can easily tell when I'm tired from using spells because my mako is sluggish to respond, but there was none of that. I thought about it for a few minutes, then tried several more times to the same result. There was frustration getting pent up. Damn it, this was supposed to be a relaxing day, not getting worked up because I couldn't figure this out. I channeled a huge surge of mako into it, forcing me to concentrate on it for several seconds, then pushed it through the materia, It felt like forcing more water into an already full sponge. Tifa looked up at the sudden change just as I saw the line whip out.
CCRRraaccCCK.
A single, small bolt made it's way into existence. It was pathetic and I could probably of gotten more out of jumper cables, or done more damage just beating them with a pair. It looked like it would barely stun somebody. I hear giggling and turned to the source. Tifa has a grin on her face. "Having performance issues?" She winked and put on her best coy face. I turned away from her and opted to fiddle with the materia in my hands. I'm not one to get riled up easily. Was the materia defective? I tried firing the spell different ways. Feeding the materia a slow stream of mako, building it up in my body then forcing it into the orb, aiming at metallic objects, it all made no difference. There were varying degrees of failure and success, much like the kids who didn't know how to control their mako flow, but I could clearly sense the flow. I got up from sitting down, very frustrated about this. I brushed my sweaty black hair from my face. This is the first thing that stumps me in the world? Everything else has been so straightforward so why couldn't this be? Tifa glanced up at my change of stance and I did something I never thought I would of.
I asked for help from someone I had just met.
Tifa shook her head in the negative immediately. What? That doesn't make sense. She could use them in the game. Whats going on here? Almost as if she had the premonition of Aerith she continued.
"I've never had a real reason to learn lots of materia other than what my teacher gave me." Wasn't it Zangan the martial artist? I didn't know a whole lot about him. "He taught me that if I couldn't win with my strength and martial arts alone, then I would never surpass him." She glanced towards a materia inserted into a small port on her thick leather gloves as if reminiscing, then slowly made a fist. What. I don't remember this at all. She shook her head and looked up with resolve. "I would never rely on materia for my fights." How...naive of her. Still, was she using this as an excuse to not flounder like I did? No, the look of determination in her eyes is too genuine. She turns fully to me, the talk about surpassing her teacher seems to have sparked a second wind. She glances down at my knife holsters greedily. "Are you any good with those?" Not liking where this was going I gulped, then slowly nodded.
"Let's spar!"
It was dark now. It's been a good bit since Tifa, the overwhelming victor, left abruptly. I laid out in the area behind the bar lost in my thoughts. After the spar, any notion I had of being prepared was shattered. I was easily trounced. Within the first few exchanges any worries I had of hurting her evaporated. In the game, her fighting style was punches and a few flashy moves. That could be translated as a well trained brawler, she did own a bar and was probably in quite a few at one point. The first time she pinned me disproved that notion. She was an expertly trained fighter in unarmed mako-enhanced combat no less. She was all about overpowering her opponent, be it strength, leverage, or position. Not only was she stronger than me, she was more flexible and able to evade attacks easier. I was slightly faster, taller, and more dextrous, but her experience trumped any advantage or opening I could of scrounged up somehow. She grew up fighting and learning under the tutelage of a world class fighter. I had been fighting for far less time and never really learned how to fight a person. It was humbling. Not only was she completely unphased when I utilized sense and cover in the middle of a combo, hoping to catch her off guard, she got excited. A punching bag that could dodge! Eventually I got too dizzy from performing rolls and twists to dodge her blows, sense screaming where it would land like contact with hot water but with me unable to avoid it. Our spar had gotten to the point where the little enclosure was much too small to realistically fight in. We were moving at dizzying speeds. Each of her enhanced footsteps sent cracks into the ground and all I could do was dodge, which was getting harder and harder. She called it off after the one and only strike landed and seemed embarrassed to have gotten so worked up. She left me wheezing on the ground. I was pretty sure she had cracked several ribs with one punch and maybe bruised some organs. Eventually I managed to sit up and reviewed what I had learned from the spar.
It seemed intention had a big part of interacting with sense, but how it could detect it over distance wasn't clear. She would broadcast her strikes, forgoing subtlety for speed. The more power she put into them the easier they were to detect. Much like intention had a role with which areas cover...well, covers. If sense or cover weren't focused then it would try to affect as much as it could. It almost seemed...crude. It was much more useful and mako efficient to focus them but hard to get a handle of processing the information. It was interesting learning the parameters of my materia, or as I dubbed it, 'intuiting intention' of the things around. It was very difficult to use in combat, but being able to know where blows would land and then cover those areas was absolutely invaluable. The control with materia goes up the more you get used to using it. I had gotten pretty proficient with using sense and cover. I've come a long way from locking up large portions of my bodies and could effectively avoid large joints such as elbows and knees. Anything that required fine manipulation was beyond me...for now. The spine was tricky and I personally took more to covering the skin. It was much easier and simple. Sense was also tricky. I wasn't really sure how it sensed things at a distance but it did. It also provided hyperfocus on one thing, making it ridiculously easy to tell where opponents were aiming. If sense was unfocused it would just...sense where things are. I almost always reflexively focused sense to the point where I had to focus on not focusing it. They were both a lot more helpful than I initially thought they were going to be. I wanted to see if there was anything else that would pleasantly surprise me. My spar did not.
I was a person. I was prideful of how much work I had been putting into learning how to fight my own way, by myself. It truly left me feeling unprepared losing so soundly even with all I learned by putting myself in dangerous situations. The best way to learn to fight is to do it after all. I had thought that I could measure up at least a little with the introduction of materia into the fight, but no. Maybe if I took combat enhancers I could've started landing meaningful blows and bypassing her expertly timed blocks, but that was a bit excessive for a friendly spar. The lighting materia conundrum left me a lot more unsure about myself and my odds of survival. I could always go back and exchange it for a different one, but that would be giving up. This wasn't a game. I can't just walk away from it. If I didn't learn this it literally might be the death of me. What would I do if the next problem faced was a lot more deadly? If there was something I knew I could feasibly do, I would do it.
I was also worried about the upcoming fight and what I could bring to it. The enemies that are at the sector pillar are flying guards, not much my knives could do to them. I had a gun, but I haven't even fired the thing yet. Putting one bullet into a corpse doesn't count as practice. Maybe I should of went into the firing range with my spare time, but materia and testing my combat skill was just so much more interesting. I was a firm believer of not trying new things in combat. Ever. It was dangerous and stupid. I spent countless hours practicing with my daggers before I used them and would do the same with the gun. If only I could do that with limit breaks I would feel much more comfortable with them. I'm still getting used to just carrying the guns weight around and coming to terms that I own one now.
I held a sliver of hope that AVALANCHE might handle things at the pillar by themselves. Before, I thought that if I could fight enemies in sector 6 I might just be able to catch up to their level of combat. That was now firmly rejected. I had just gotten used to fighting those enemy types. Now it seems where I fit into things is in question. Problem. A simple spar left me feeling unprepared. I could contribute very little to the fight without working materia. Solution. Sector 5. I was still owed materia for teaching the kids and needed to report about Rilo. That would help immensely. Maybe I would even get paid. It wasn't very clear when I was told to do it.
With that in mind I make my way into the bar mentally ready to set out.
I was met with the sight of Marleen standing behind the bar cleaning dishes. How did Tifa and Barret got her to help out with chores on her own volition no less? Probably bribes. It's what I would of done. I could hear muffled voices coming from underneath the floorboards. They must be in the secret headquarters underneath the bar and I shot a look over at the pinball machine that would take me there. I sigh, not wanting to wait for them to finish, but not really knowing how to go about getting their attention. Knowing about the headquarters would just raise questions. Marleen looks up at the noise, and I let her know that I would be back in the morning, to which she replied with a startled little squeak of being addressed and a small nod. Confident that she would tell her father when he got out of the meeting, I set about collecting my things that I left in here and packing things.
I wanted to head back as soon as I could, the fight would be tomorrow and if I rushed I could be back, back before anything happened, armed with something dangerous. While it may be a bit abrupt leaving, I was sure that they could at least handle themselves until Cloud showed up. Wait, Cloud would make it before the attack. He wouldn't have to deal with anything in the Don's mansion, essentially no side quest. He should be spending tonight at Aerith's and then make his way here early in the morning. There really wasn't anything that was a threat to the enhanced warrior in the slums. I now had everything I left in the bar ready to head out. I checked to make sure my gun was strapped securely to my back, my knapsack was packed, my gil pouch was on my thigh, and then set off into the night. For one brief second I reconsidered, then squelched the thought. It wouldn't do to second guess myself here. AVALANCHE is made up of better fighters than me. They didn't ask me to fight what they considered their battles. So I wouldn't.
With a feeling of trepidation I turn to look behind me at the sector 7 camp, which was quickly becoming smaller and smaller. It was just a dark blur, as it was night, but the feeling of unease seemed to grow. The sector pillar could be seen, several lights were strung up at the top, seemingly taunting me. Were they there before? I didn't think so, so it must be something AVALANCHE did. My first hitch was the sector gates, which were securely closed...but unguarded? Right, keep the sector filled with dangerous monsters firmly locked out but don't guard it. I didn't have a ready plan for this, and figured just poking around in the little booth beside the gate would have to do. If not then it would be significantly harder, if not impossible until tomorrow, to figure out a different way. A mako powered kick broke the lock and I was in. The keys were left in the control room? This was weird, this place should be guarded and alarms going off. The trepidation only got worse and set the mako in my body to circulating faster and a tingle to set in. Mako was very closely linked to the body. I hit several switches that looked the most important, and was rewarded with the sound of grinding metal after one was flipped. Not wanting to have any monsters wandering in, I waited a beat, flipped it back, then slipped through the closing gate.
I was met with the sight of darkness, barely able to make out the neko-playground in the distance, the one that I cleared what seemed like ages ago but was in reality days. The gate shut behind me and I set off. Though it had happened a few times, I hated being in the pitch black of the sector. It was too nerve racking, all senses stretched taut, ready to react to the first sign of danger. At the very least mako can be directed towards the eyes to enhance night vision but trying to adapt to this level of darkness leads only to a few feet of clear vision and a buzzing headache. Before, when I was in the sector at night for whatever reason it was mainly luck that allowed me to find a landmark and adjust from there. Starting from the place that I had been making my way towards would make this trip much easier. That there was a recent monster culling only that much more so. There was very little sign of the chaos that happened the other day aside from a few scraps of the guards laying around, and no sign of the large swarms that were usually present.
There was nothing amiss and I thought it was going to be an easy stroll to sector 5. I shouldn't of thought that. Things just don't seem to go my way if I don't plan for every little thing. Including the impossible. In the distance there was a light silhouetting a person. Just looking at them made me nervous.
I was shocked that there was somebody as crazy as I was to go into the sector at night. There was an orb beside the person that emitted a bright light. It not only provided clear light, but it actively scared off monsters from approaching it's radius. That's actually really neat. I was almost tempted to go and ask him, because it was definitely a him, where he got that. Was it materia? Technology? I wanted to know. I had never seen anything like that before, including the game. I was debating on if I should go or not until I clearly saw the black suit and glasses combo when he trekked closer to the point where I could make out details. Turk. Red hair and goggles. Reno. Was he making his way to sector 7? That would make sense with the missing security forces and the attack coming up. Best to let him be and sneak by. What were the odds of seeing him like this, in the middle of the slums?
I took off at a light jog, grabbing hold onto a small pile of trash and hauling myself onto the ridgeline away from the small path. A quick hop to a bigger pile and I latch onto the side. Digging in and making footholds until I scramble up and found my footing at the top. One benefit of it being night is that it's much harder to be spotted. Wait, can demons see in the dark? The last thing I wanted was a hell house chasing after me. Do they even sleep? I was suddenly much less sure of this and opted to prone and wait. I needed more information on monsters than what was in the game. Maybe they would have something at the mercenary guild. I remember hearing something about them keeping track of monsters a little while ago.
I watched the orb float behind Reno as he made his way forward. Several whole eaters trail behind him and hiss at the light, but he seems to be paying more attention to his phone. That's brazen to blatantly ignore monsters like that and expose your back. It incites them even more. He walked past my position, and my eyes followed the slight bobbing of the the light as it faded off in the distance. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Good, now hopefully Jakayo's father wouldn't be too upset about being woken up when I got back to camp. If I stuck to the high ground I could make good time as long as I moved slowly and stayed low, I'm much faster than a house and...something felt off, the faintest feeling of paranoia coming from sense. I looked around with a feeling of dread, then spot the light wobbling in the distance. Making it's way back. Fuck, there is no way this is happening. I knew for some reason that he was after me. There was no rational explanation for it. I just knew.
I took off at a brisk jog, staying low and on top of the trash heaps and debris.
Adrenalin started to pump through my system. I didn't like this. I reached over my head and into my knapsack and fiddled with a speed potion, then thought against it. I wasn't up against a wall. I could lose him in the maze of rubble. It would be a bitch to find my way back, but I didn't think he just wanted to talk. It would be worth it. There seemed to be even more debris since both of the bombs went off and the extermination happened. I was darting from obstruction to obstruction, getting myself lost in the process, but out of the line of sight. Every time I thought I lost the Turk I would see the light slowly creep nearer to me. I would see it around a bend, over a small pile of trash, I couldn't seem to get away from it. It was a twisted game of cat and mouse that went on for far too long. He was a professional and didn't have to worry about the swarm of monsters he was agitating. Would he put off his mission to sabotage the pillar for me? Aerith was going to be captured, so why wouldn't I be? Something screamed at me to get away, anyway that I could. As fast as possible. My heartbeat picked up.
I was done with trying to lose him, it didn't seem to be working. The chase had gone on for quite some time. It was getting too dangerous with the large amount of monsters getting pissed off. I would at least get help fighting him in sector 5 from the people who lived there hopefully. I was sorely tempted to take another speed potion, but held off. It wouldn't make anything other than my focus sharper and reflexes faster. I needed to think about my health and repercussions of taking too much and the long term. I didn't need to out-think him, just out-run. I suddenly remembered that he had a materia that could capture me. Pyramid. It couldn't be broken out of without the help of others. I was alone. An easy target.
I took off at a dead sprint. Panic setting in.
Adrenaline and mako blended together inside my body and enhanced my speed, pushing me even further faster. It was like going down the highway with no headlights. Things would pop up in front of me and I would have to twist out of the way or jump over them. I was rushing headlong in the darkness, hopping and sprinting wildly. Scrambling when I lost my footing. Eyes and legs stinging from the mako agitation. This seemed to stretch on for long minutes and I got myself thoroughly lost. It might even take me hours to find my way back now. We had been darting back and forth in the rubble for a long time. Possibly several hours. My foot shifted, and I found myself tumbling headfirst. There was a splash and then burning set in everywhere and I was underwater. I scrambled, my feet found purchase and I stood up gasping for air. The burning was still happening below my waist. I couldn't seem to get enough air and started to hyperventilate. Some small dark form croaked then lunged at my face. I lashed out, pulling my knife out in a blur, stabbing it. With a wet plop it disappeared...beneath the surface. Several croaks resounded, then with a bright flash I felt something akin to hot coffee splash across my face accompanied by the sound of fire igniting. Thankfully it was my lower face and didn't injure my eyes. I wildly look from side to side trying to find where the attack came from, my hair sticking to my head. There was another flare beside my head and I could see where I...was...oh, this isn't good.
Of course I would fall into the biggest god damn mako pool I ever came across! Of fucking course! How have these little shitty things not been hunted out of the sector? It was about as big as a swimming pool and pissed off hedgehog pies were lined around the edges. It was diluted mako, sure, but the dozens of 'pies' didn't seem to care at all. They cared about me, the sudden intruder. There were plops when they jumped in, and suddenly I was fighting for my life. I couldn't bring the gun to bear or reach into my backpack for grenades so I pulled out my other knife. Spikes seemed to stab me from all sides, brief flares of fire sprung up into existance around me scorching me all over, they started to gnaw on me. I wished for respite as I peel off two doing their best to claw out my eyes. Cover mitigating a lot of the damage, but I couldn't lock up my entire body, I would be a sitting duck then, they were still doing plenty of damage to me. Each 'pie' was about the size of a football, if not a little bigger, just a lot more spiky and apparently they could swim. They would sink to the bottom then push off the ground to launch themselves at me. I needed to drink something in my backpack, anything. Potion, drugs, water. Anything. I grabbed hold of one and overrode the materia inside of it, mako sluggish but still managing to fire off a spell, not aiming, trying to scare them off. A massive, blinding flare encompassed the area, giving me the respite I needed. I blindly reached into my backpack and drank a...potion. I could feel it's effects coursing through me and repairing wounds. As my vision came back I looked around for enemies but was only looking at an empty pool. Where did all the enemies go?
"Bit late to go for a swim isn't it? Is that what you rushed over here for? C'mon yo, let's have a talk, you and me." Reno smirked from the bank of the pond with the light behind him and casting long shadows. The light wasn't an overrode spell, but Reno's own monster repelling light. I looked around but there was little maneuverability or options to move when waist deep in mako. I had tripped myself into this trap. Still, with wild eyes I looked for a way out, eyes darting all over the place, any way out. I saw nothing. I felt my chest tighten in fear.
"Awww c'mon don't be like that, I'm not the bad guy here. I was just trying to help." Lies. I threw a dagger at him and dashed off to the opposite bank, only to feel intense pain as electricity surged around me, sparks dancing on the surface. It lasted for several seconds then ended leaving me panting and slightly hunched over in the water.
"Hey now, none of that. I've got to keep my face pretty." Reno says with a cool smile as he extracts his rod from the pool. I was panting, still couldn't fully catch my breath, things were starting to get fuzzy. His face turns serious as he looks at the state i'm in. "Enough playing around. You're coming back with me. Augment: Pyramid."
A blinding flare. Something inside of me twisted. Even tighter than the last time this happened. Apparently I really was sitting on a limit break. The spell seemed to slow in the air. Pyramid. It would trap me. It would trap me. No. I push myself as hard as I can, then harder, enhancing everything. So much I start to glow, mako bleeding out and getting reabsorbed. Everything starts to burn but it quickly fades to the back of my mind. My eyes widen, then dilate. I felt calm and a strange clarity settle over me. An unnatural feeling.
"Why don't you make me!" I scream at Reno, mako spiking towards my vocal cords and throat. The volume was deafening and sounded alien to my ears. Anger was bleeding into my voice. He winces at the volume of it as if in slow motion. No. In slow motion. Time has gotten strange and was undulating infrequently that I associated with limit breaks. A blink, the magic hanging suspended in air. Another blink and I'm engulfed in a strange pyramid. Half a blink later realization sets in. Trapped. My already wildly beating heart seems to still much like how a hummingbird can hang suspended in air. The mako whipping around my body in some super sayian knockoff starts lashing off of my skin striking at my prison. The calm is still at the forefront of my mind, but I can feel the panic right behind it waiting to take it's place. I was detachedly watching the strange acting mako seemingly have a mind of it's own whip out in a tentacle fashion. Especially since they blur with the different perception of time. It makes it almost seem in still shots of what's playing out. The spell construct just rattles heavily from the by product of the limit break. It's not giving. The twist inside of me tightens. I need out. Whatever means necessary. In a daze I make a strange gesture that feels familiar. All the mako trapped with me in the pyramid burns up instantly, but more floods in. I slam my hand into it, once, twice, then three times. The pyramid is vibrating with the force of my blows like a struck gong. Nothing. Mako is still bleeding from me for what felt like a small eternity. Everything burned with a liquid fire coursing through me that both invigorated and consumed me. It was like living and dying with every breath. Like becoming a god. Mako is pouring into the pyramid from small holes that appeared in it.
Wait, that's not quite right.
I look up through clouded eyes at the mako surging towards me. Dimly I process the sight. The bank had receded and reached up and piled on top of itself. The mako was pulling itself towards me. There was a point where something inside of me seemed to snap into place. Everything was still swirling around and curling in on itself. Almost like a whirlpool. I had burned up a good amount of mako effectively creating a dry patch inside and around the pyramid. A blink. Water droplets hung in the air. Almost paying it no attention I reached into the strange new part inside of me and reached out through the pyramid and onto the tiny, nearly imperceptible stream connecting it to the materia. I followed it's path to its caster. Reno looked rough from what I could piece together in fragmented shots. Razor thin droplets had cut into and through him, absolutely shredding his suit. I didn't feel sorry for him. With some strange feeling and sense of purpose I tugged on the line and something seemed to just...give in him. I could tell the moment it happened watching the events unfold slowly around me. He was out like a switch had been flipped. I blinked, and droplets started falling stinging where they hit, time returning to it's usual speed. I blinked again, readjusting to the change, and shivered. I was feeling physically and mentally tired. The mako against my skin felt almost...drained. It didn't seem to hurt as much as before.
Mako was pooling on the ground again and Reno was laying face first in it. I couldn't have him dying and struggled to drag his body out. The spell construct had fizzled out with it's caster hopefully unconscious. A quick check of his pulse showed he was still alive thankfully. I kicked his high-tech weapon away and sat by the Turk for several minutes to see if he was truly out and not faking it. He didn't react at all when I rifled through his pockets and took the gil and ether he was carrying. I was glad I didn't kill him. I had only wanted to get out and away and he was an integral part of the story and was just doing his job. I didn't anticipate that. Was that my limit break reacting to all of the mako around me? I was unnerved. I fiddled with his baton for a bit, but it must be keyed to just him because no buttons I pressed responded in any fashion. Then I put on his glasses and swore at what I saw. Perfect night vision. No green haze at all. There had been no point of my trying to hide from him in the dark. I was so angry I just crushed the glasses, not thinking about it at all. A beat later I was already regretting it. Those could've been mine.
I moved his body away from the mako pool into a small crevice, couldn't have monsters finding him and eating him, when something slipped out of a hidden pocket. It was a file with a picture on it. A picture of me inside the vat. Something inside of me seemed to freeze with the realization that I was truly being hunted. It's not a good feeling not understanding just what the fuck was going on. I sat there staring dumbly at it for who knows how long. Time was hard to keep track of when you were as tired as me. Also, I wasn't sure the effects from the limit break hadn't fully gone away, it was hard to tell with no way to track time. I had thought things returned to normal, but maybe not. Eventually I snapped out of it and picked up the innocent looking file. I was feeling unsettled about the prospect of me having a file in the first place. I opened it up, only to realize that I couldn't read it. I cursed myself for not learning how and tucked it away scowling. I applied some medicine to the unconscious Reno, sealed up the small crevice so nothing would easily get to him, and started the process of finding a familiar landmark. It was going to take time to find my way to sector 5. The lights above turned on just as I was leaving him, so much for getting back in time. Hopefully the group would understand that I had my own things to deal with and didn't think I betrayed them.
It wasn't too difficult to find something familiar, it was just an extremely long walk. I wasn't bone weary like I had been after taking so much damage at the Don's mansion. If anything I just felt drained and had trouble paying attention to things. As I came within sight of the familiar sector 6 entrance I turned to verify that there was no Turk following me. I turned just in time to see a piece of the sky I had gotten so used to tear itself from the sky with an ear splitting explosion. A second later the shockwave hit and I stumbled after being hit with dirt and small debris. As I picked myself up my blood ran cold and seemed to freeze inside my veins. AVALANCHE had failed. Reno hadn't been there, they had known about it, they had time to prepare, Cloud should've been there, and yet they still failed. Strangely I wasn't too upset with the loss of thousands of lives from the people both above and below the plate.
I was mesmerized and happy to get my first glimpse of the sky that was now visible.
