Raenya watched as the group gathered in the elevator area. She watched as Shelke rubbed her eyes, rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She watched as Manna wrung her hands nervously, eyes on the bottom of the elevator lift as it descended. She watched as Tifa hugged Vincent like there was no tomorrow for either of them, and he seemed to be comforting her.
The Turks had since left them, considering their mission complete in Midgar Underground. Raenya cleared her throat and everyone's attention was on her. "Listen up. Lizu vanished from Dmitri's sight, meaning she could be anywhere now. Once we surface, we need to be careful, or we could wind up ambushed."
They nodded their agreement, eyes on her.
"Remember your roles in this fight against her. If, at any time, I feel the fight is going to end in failure, I will change the roles up. As Dmitri said last night, listen to me and we should make it through this fight just fine." She looked at Tifa. "Your role is..."
"To take Lizu's back initially, putting her in a battle on two fronts."
Raenya nodded, eyes shifting to Manna. "Manna, what's your role?"
"To... to steal Lizu's staff from her and bring it to Vincent shortly after."
"Rui?"
"I'm to steal the All's End she has on her and, like Manna, bring it to Vincent."
"Right." She looked at Vincent. "Valentine?"
"I'm to provide suppressive fire until Manna steals Lizu's staff, at which time I will aid her in her efforts to locate Sephiroth's spirit and put an end to him once and for all. Similarly, once Shelke brings me All's End, the two of us are to work together to free the souls trapped inside of it."
"Excellent," Dmitri's voice rang from the com unit in Raenya's right hand. "And, while we're at it, my role is to close in on her as she's close to finished and remove her soul with the sliver of All's End I have on me now."
The elevator came to a halt, and each of them stepped onto the elevator, anxious about the fight.
"Going up," Manna said, forcing a cheery attitude as she pressed the 'Up' button.
--
"It's... so dead in here," Lizu said, walking slowly through the reactor that was once Sector 3's Mako reactor. She was twirling her staff slowly, taking in the sight of the abandoned reactor.
"Lizu, go to the core of the reactor. I'll take over from there once we're there."
She nodded slowly, progressing slowly into the reactor's interior. "So... what is the basic plan here? How will this reactor give you a new body and give me my Cetra body back?"
"In time, Lizu, in time."
"Again with the suspense..." she muttered.
The walk into the core of the reactor was silent between the two of them, and she stood at the valve at the center. "Well, here's the center," she finally said, breaking the silence.
"Hold the staff up, and let go of it," he said firmly.
She complied, and watched as the orb flashed repeatedly. The flashing lights subsided and the orb was glowing a steady blue. The staff rose slowly into the air and hovered over the edge of the bridge. "Sephiroth?"
"Trust in me." The staff suddenly plunged to the pure Lifestream at the base and sank into the current.
She gasped, rushing to the edge of the bridge and looking down, worried. Her hands gripped the railing tightly. "Sephiroth!"
A series of flashes erupted from the Lifestream below her, and she cried out in surprise. The Lifestream suddenly exploded upward, the edge of the spray narrowly missing Lizu.
Two sickening thuds could be heard, followed shortly after by a metallic clanking noise. She looked over at the spot where the noise originated from, and gasped.
The Spiked Crescent lay on the bridge, all traces of Mako eradicated from it. This wasn't what surprised her, however.
Two bodies were laying upon the bridge. One was clad in SOLDIER First Class armor, a familiar long sword resting next to it. The other...
"My... my original body..." she whispered, taking a slow step toward the second body. The silver-white hair seemed to glow greenish-blue in the light of the reactor, the white robes it was clad in glowing the same color.
The first body stirred, and sat up. The left hand grasped the sword laying next to it, and then it stood, grinning at Lizu. "I told you," it spoke, Sephiroth's voice sounding from the body's mouth. "Now, claim your old body, Lizu."
She nodded and wordlessly moved to the body still laying on the bridge. "Sephiroth, my love... Do the final honors, if you would."
He complied, sweeping the Masamune blade in his left hand across her neck. The head flew off the bridge and into the Lifestream below. The rest of Lizu's body slumped over.
Almost at the same time, the other body stirred and rose slowly, almost shakily. It examined its hands, then looked itself over. "I... can't believe it..." Lizu's voice whispered from the other body's mouth. "It... worked..."
He nodded, picking up Lizu's old body and throwing it into the Lifestream below them. "That is the least I can do for everything you've done for me. You've removed all but two of the heroes of Meteorfall; not an easy feat, as you know. And now, with your old Cetra body and my rebirth, the last two heroes can't possibly hope to stop us now."
She looked at him, then moved swiftly into his chest, her arms wrapping around him. "This... I can't even begin to tell you how long I've waited to hold you..." she murmured.
He smiled, hugging her. "The same could be said for me as well." He looked at her soft face, her turquoise eyes seemingly glowing in the reactor.
She smiled, not even caring that tears were falling down her face.
She was finally reunited with her love, and to her, this moment was perfection.
--
Dmitri watched as the group stepped into the lobby, nodding to each of them individually as they entered. "I lost sight of her somewhere around Sector 3," he said, skipping the pleasantries. "It looked like she was headed for the reactor, but I have no way of confirming it."
Raenya nodded, saying nothing at first.
"You're in charge, Raenya. Don't forget that."
His words seemed to snap her back to reality, and she nodded. "Let's move out, then. Rui, activate your transparency and follow Dmitri closely. Defend him against anything that appears as though it'd pose a threat to him, excluding Lizu. He will address Lizu, we will be hidden from her view, watching the exchange."
Dmitri nodded, leading the way. Shelke vanished from view, and they all set out to reach Sector 3.
The procession was silent, a somber air about them as they progressed. Not even static was audible from either com unit. An ominous wind blew through Midgar, and they all shivered involuntarily, as though the wind itself had caused massive discomfort among them.
--
"Sephiroth," she murmured, her long hair blowing freely in the wind outside the reactor. She clutched her staff tight in her left hand. "I think I see someone."
He looked in the direction she was looking, and gave a slow nod of understanding. "I'll hide from view for now, and if it's the remaining heroes, I'll join you in the fight against them."
"Mm." She didn't watch as he hid from view, choosing instead to walk forward, to meet the person approaching her.
A look of confusion plastered the old man's face, and she grinned. "Ah, Professor Dmitri Aeon. You're still alive and well, I see."
"You are...?" he said uncertainly.
"You don't recognize me?" She gave a small bow, straightening up and twirling her staff. "It's me, Lizu. Oh, that's right too; of course you wouldn't recognize me like this." She smirked. "This is my original Cetra body."
A look of shock flashed across his features for a moment, but he erased it quickly, forcing a grin. "Interesting. How'd you manage that?"
"Nope, that's a secret between myself and a friend." She stopped twirling her staff and gave him a sarcastically sweet smile. "So what brings you here, my old friend?"
He didn't reply, instead choosing to look around. "You're alone?"
Don't you wish, she thought, fighting every urge to laugh out loud. "Mm, I am now. Why, do you need to talk to me in private?"
--
Raenya's mind reeled, the words that sang softly through her com unit still echoing in her mind. Lizu has her original body back? she thought, horrified. She caused so much hell in her old body, but now she's got her most powerful body back? She wanted to call Shelke, to tell her to strike Lizu now, to paralyze her, but knew better than to speak over the com unit. She looked at Tifa and mouthed 'Do you have Rui's phone number?'
Tifa looked at Raenya, dumbfounded, but eventually nodded and silently pulled her phone out, handing it to Raenya.
She proceeded to enter a text message and bit her lip. She pulled her own phone out and flipped it open. She dialed Dmitri's number and pressed the 'Send' button on Tifa's phone first, immediately following up with the last digit of Dmitri's phone number, confirming the call.
--
Lizu heard a small beeping noise, and Dmitri fished into his pocket for a moment. "Excuse me, I told them not to call me," he said slowly.
Shelke let a silent breath of relief out; the timing of the phone call to Dmitri had covered up the fact that Shelke had received a text message on her own phone. She listened to Dmitri as he proceeded to talk to the person on his phone, reading her message over and over.
'Rui,
Change in plans. Paralyze Lizu with everything those EM sabers of yours are capable of pushing out. Once she's paralyzed, take her staff from her and run. Find a safe hiding place, then text your coordinates to me. I'll send Valentine to your location at that point.
Raenya'
Shelke closed her eyes, silently closing her phone. She put the phone away, then reached for her EM sabers. She was about to flick them on when a sudden realization hit her; if she turned them on now, Lizu would hear and her position would be compromised. She glided backward quickly, putting distance between her and Lizu. Once she was a safe distance from Lizu, she flicked her sabers on.
"My my," she heard from behind her. "It sounds as though he's not alone, my dear."
--
Dmitri's heart missed numerous beats as he heard the chilling voice speak. But it didn't come from her staff... he thought, looking cautiously in the direction of the voice.
A sudden cry sounded, and Shelke's transparency faded from view, her sabers losing what charge they had. She stumbled forward, looking behind her. "But... that's impossible..." she said. "He's supposed to be just a spirit!"
Sephiroth stepped into view, smirking at her, Masamune pointed at Shelke's heart. "Then explain my rebirth and Lizu's Cetra body," he said coolly.
Lizu clicked her tongue, shaking her head. She grinned at Dmitri. "Well, well. I didn't know you were in league with the remaining heroes of Meteorfall," she commented, raising the staff above her head. The staff flashed in a downward arc, the blades biting into Dmitri's chest.
He was knocked a good distance backward by the sheer impact of the staff against his chest, and brought a hand to his chest. "Dammit..." he muttered, reaching for his shotgun.
Lizu stepped calmly toward him, staff at the ready. "Should I strike him with magic? Or should I just slash him to pieces?" she mused.
A roar of fury sounded a little further from her, and in what seemed to be a split second, the familiar 'Slayer' was bearing down on Lizu, twin tonfa in hand. "You leave Dmitri out of this," Raenya hissed.
"So you're here too?" She looked to the spot Raenya had run from. "Hm... Come out, you two. If this rabble's here, I know you're there too."
--
Vincent and Tifa looked at one another, unsure of what to do. They looked to Manna, who gave a grim nod.
"She doesn't seem to remember me," Manna said quietly. "I can take advantage of that and possibly deliver a decisive blow. You two should reveal yourselves; keep a distance from her, though."
They slowly nodded and, after an attempt at a calming breath for each of them, stepped into the open.
--
Lizu grinned wickedly. "Good, saves me the trouble of searching for Midgar Underground now."
Dmitri looked at her, shocked once more. "You... knew about Midgar Underground?"
She shook her head. "Not until that damned demon told me, anyway. Unfortunately, it refused to disclose how to reach Midgar Underground. But now there's no point."
"I have a question for you," Dmitri began. "All's End. Do you plan on using that during this fight?"
"Of course. You think I'm a fool? I'm not about to abandon my greatest advantage." She smirked at Dmitri. "Now, I have a question for you. Any last words?"
He chuckled, grinning. "Yeah. You lose, Lizu, and you were never destined to win."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, but she maintained the smirk. She looked at Raenya, then back at Dmitri. "Hm, what to bet?" she said simply. She suddenly vanished from view.
Sephiroth watched Shelke intently, waiting for the former Tsviet to make a move. "You're not going to try saving him?" he said to her, taunting her.
"What? But she..." Her voice trailed, and her eyes widened in horror. "No..."
A cry of pain pierced the air, and everyone's attention was snapped to the source of it.
Dmitri was clutching his chest again, fingers trying to pry the blades of the Spiked Crescent from his chest.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lizu said in a singsong voice, appearing next to him, placing a hand upon the staff. "You do that, and the blood will have free access out of your body. Oh, by the way, I think pierced your heart, so guess what?" She smirked. "I actually win."
Raenya dropped her tonfa, the shock of what had just transpired numbing her. She could only watch in horror as Lizu wrenched the staff's tip from his chest and buried a foot into his chest. Raenya bent over to pick up her tonfa, prepared to strike Lizu.
Dmitri coughed up blood, but managed to grin. "You still lose," he gasped through pained, ragged breaths. His eyes flicked to Raenya. "Give her hell before you send her there."
Raenya's eyes overflowed with tears, but she ignored them, rushing toward Lizu angrily. She carelessly swung her right tonfa at Lizu's torso, missing as the Cetra sidestepped the attack. She dropped both tonfa again, rushing to Dmitri's side. "No, you can't!" she cried, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight. "Don't leave me alone, Dmitri!"
"I don't have... much choice in the matter..." he chuckled. He hugged her as best he could and pulled her close. "The... shard of All's End..." he whispered into her ear. "It's... in the shotgun shell currently inside my shotgun. Fire it at her... and... it'll do the work... for us..."
Raenya's lower lip trembled as his embrace slackened around her, but continued to hug him, refusing to believe what had just happened. "Dmitri..." she whispered. "You can't leave me..."
Lizu laughed. "Aw, so it turns out the 'Slayer' has a big weakness." She smirked at Raenya, turning her attention to Vincent and Tifa once more. "Now, you two won't suffer that same fate, provided I can remember how to hold back in this body." She coursed raw magic through her palms. "If I do accidentally kill you, I guess I apologize."
--
Raenya pulled away from Dmitri's body and clutched the shotgun at his side. She fished for the ammunition box he tended to keep in his lab coat pocket and pulled it out. She tucked both under her arms and she watched as Lizu's attention was fixed on the two heroes of Meteorfall.
She had a plan, and she had a feeling it would work without fail.
I'm afraid to say anything else about the story, other than 'next chapter summaries', for fear of spoiling the rest of the story.
Soul Calibur IV rant time. I've progressed some more through the Tower of Lost Souls, and am avidly despising the mission I'm currently stuck on. King of the Physical Realm is a pain and a half to attempt. I can beat the first of the three enemies there with enough skill, but I always get stuck on the second of the three. Is there an easy way to beat an enemy with maxed defense, an easy way to defeat an enemy with Auto Grapple Break S, Nullify Ring Out S and Auto Impact B? Is there an easy way to beat him within the 200 seconds I'm allotted to fight him and the next guy?
The answer is 'no', sadly. I've managed to knock his health down to about 5 of what he started with, but then I ran out of time. It's like trying to destroy a damn tank with a butterknife; it's aggravating, and I think it's impossible. However, an early morning revelation has seen me pondering the use of skills against all three of them; that is, I've thought maybe it's time I drop the skills. After all, the special conditions for unlocking the treasures of the mission is to use fighters with no skills set on them, and if the second guy's a damned tank while I use skills like Venom Fang A, Shave Damage A and Soul Gauge Damage A, will he be more manageable without skills? I don't know, but I'm going to try it tonight, see if it works. If not, then this second guy's even more godlike than that Sizuku character from way back on Floor 14 (I think; I haven't revisited since). Frankly, I hate this guy with a passion, and while Venom Fang A does a wondrous number on his health when it catches, his knack for popping off attacks regardless of guard status tends to work off the Venom Fang easily. (Note to self: master the art of guarding low attacks and sidestepping...)
I have had some decent success against him, however, using Auto Impact A and Impact Edge; this takes a surprising chunk out of his HP, making my fight considerably faster. Now, if only I can get the guy with it on him to survive everything this punk throws his way... Either way, I'm going to try fighting him without skills set and see if that helps; if not, I'm just going to try berserker mode on his sorry ass and toss the most aggressive skills I have on three characters (possibly all using Voldo's style; this style, unexpectedly, seems to hold up best against the second guy).
Anyway...
Next chapter, the death of Dmitri seems to have filled the entire group with a new purpose, but will it be enough to pull them through to victory? Or will the unexpected fight against Lizu and Sephiroth together be the end of them? -Spiritslayer