Final Fantasy Eds
Chapter 26
The whole area around the five kids existed as a pixel mess. The face of their enemy gazed down at them like a animal ready to strike. Sephiroth's mug seemed to fill the sky, with the exception of a few pieces of black peeking around him.
Our heroes were grouped as one with Ed and Amber in the front, Double-D and Eddy behind, and Sarah hiding behind Amber's legs. All eyes were upward towards the sky. The tall boy and the girl fighter bore their weapons with solid determination on their faces.
Sephiroth's face sported a dark and cruel grin. *~...Heh, I am surprised that we would have to meet now, Tifa. And the others, Cloud, Vincent, Cid, and little Yuffie...~* He laughed in a deafening tone, like he just told a joke.
"What's so funny?!" Amber said with grit teeth and tighten fist.
The face in the sky came to a stop and made a wide grin at them. *~...Oh, I'm sorry. I should have addressed you properly, right, Amber? ~*
All the gang's eyes grew large.
*~And the other four; Ed, Double-D, Eddy, and Sarah? RIGHT? ~* He started laughing again.
Amber was, for a moment, at a lost for words. Eddy was the first to speak up.
"He...he knows our NAMES!?"
"But HOW?!?" Double-D said.
*~HOW?? All this time in the game, and neither of you know what is really going on! You fool...~*
"SHUT UP!!" Amber suddenly shouted. "We've NEVER met before! So how do you know our real names?!"
*~You don't think I've been watching, seeing EVERYTHING you and these "children" have been doing? You're not as smart as you think you are! What did you think made that little runt you have behind you "trance out" when she did? ~*
"...What?...You...?" Amber was at a lost of words once more.
"Amber!" Double-D said. The girl turned her head towards him. "He said something about the game, THIS game! He KNOWS about this world being part of a video game!"
Amber's face perked in shock. She was so tensed up before; she didn't even hear that part! Her mind began to race without her. '...Sephiroth knew who we were all along?...HE was the one who messed with Sarah's head before?...HOW??'
*~You are all so stupid...~* the face snarled. Just then, below the mug, his hands formed and appeared in the same sense as his head, and they started to gave off a weird, pixel glow.
"What is he doing?" Ed mumbled in a scared tone.
His question got it's answer when Sarah suddenly started to glow in the same way! Her body slowly began to turn the same texture as the rest of the landscape. Her legs and arms were turning pixel! The small girl was petrified for words.
"SARAH!!!" The Eds all shouted in horror.
Amber's sight went from poor Sarah right back to Sephiroth's face. "STOP IT!! STOP IT, YOU-" Instead of finishing, she swiftly, instinctively, fired a Fire3 spell up at him. But the spell didn't have any affect on him. It turned pixel, then disintegrated! But at the same time, Sephiroth released Sarah from whatever he was doing to her before. She slowly returned to her formal real-life look.
"Are you okay, Sarah?!" Ed asked her. She nodded, still startled.
"He totally wiped out my attack..." Amber said in shocked dazed. "That.... this doesn't smell right...." Her face drew focused. She walked a few feet away from the rest and looked straight up at the sky. The Eds and Sarah just watched from a far, not really wanting to move.
"Tell me!" Amber shouted up. "...Are you REALLY Sephiroth?"
The face smiled again. *~Well, you COULD said that, but then again, you couldn't...~*
"ANSWER ME!" She shouted.
The face sharpened its eyes at her. She did the same right back.
*~...Like ALL of you, I have merely taken the form of the enemy known as Sephiroth...but UNLIKE you, I am not a living being...~*
"Say what?" Eddy said with a look.
"Are you saying...you're not HUMAN?" Double-D asked.
*~...I am one with this game. I'm part of it. I was from the very beginning...~*
"The very beginning...?" Amber said. She thought for a second. "The beginning.... as in...manufacturing?"
"WHAT??" Eddy didn't know what word Amber just used. Double-D poked him and explained that "manufacturing" was the making and selling of a item on market. "Oh...I knew that."
The face in the sky continued by saying, *~I was not supposed to be part of the programming.... I am what you humans call...~*
"A VIRUS!" Amber finished, in sudden realization.
*~Correct...They called me a master virus, because I infected all the programming of the game...I am the only infected copy that made it to the stores. ~*
"...Which I then bought..." Amber said, recounting the time she bought the Final Fantasy VII game when it first came out. Shortly afterwards, she was sucked inside it. It hit her like a ton of bricks.
"IT WAS YOU!!! YOU'RE the reason we're all TRAPPED in here!!"
The face chuckled evilly. *~Your right! Are you surprised? You humans are, in a way, interesting. You create things like me, only to see you're inescapable down fall! It's been so FUN watching you run around this world for these past few years, Amber. Fighting for your own life everyday! But, as you might guess, watching just you can grow boring. So, I waited, to see if and when another human would turn the system on, and open the game's doors! I would have NEVER guessed that I would snag FOUR MORE in a short time! ~*
Amber let out a growl. She tightened her fist, causing them to tremble.
*~Oh, do you wish to fight me, Amber? ~*
A short moment passed, and Amber lowered her hands and she hung her head.
*~I thought so...you could NEVER beat me! This world is MY world! You and your "friends" are barely a match for something like me!~*
Ed, Double-D, Eddy, and Sarah walked up next to Amber to form the group again, looking upward at the Sephiroth look-a-like. Sarah gazed up at Amber's face. Something shiny fell from her cheek and hit the ground. A teardrop.
*~Now...let me see...what could I do before you all have to meet your end? ~*
Suddenly, all the Eds, including Sarah, drew their weapons and surrounded Amber in a protecting circle. The girl fighter lifted her head to see what her friends were doing for her. Little streams of tears were on her cheeks. "...You guys..."
*~HAHAAHAAA! You think WEAPONS will stop me?! Your magic is nothing, so what could your weapons do?! Besides, I'm not ready to kill you all yet.... I would like to do one more thing before that.... maybe something like.... a test. Well, not REALLY a test. More like something to set the stage for your final moments...~*
The sky above the virus grew a red and orange hue, forming something that the gang have not seem, or even THOUGHT about for quite some long time. Meteor.
*~Remember this? I've been thinking.... this ball of fire, normally while playing the game, never REALLY falls on the planet. ~*
"What?!" Amber worded out. The others reacted the same.
*~It just LOOKS like it will. Players could play forever and never have it fall on them. But you know what? That doesn't make it much of a challenge.... ~*
"No..." Amber had a bad feeling about this....
*~Therefore, you all have only FOUR days left! After that, Meteor will fall to the planet FOR REAL! I can't wait to see how you will spend your last days!! HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAAAA!!!~*
The face's laugh echoed in the gang's heads like pounding sledgehammers. It's voice continued on as the world around finally began to turn back to what it was before. The Sepiroth face then melted back into the sky, and everything was back to normal. Everything, but the wills of our heroes...
"...Four days...?" Amber whispered under her breath. Her head hung back down, her chin touching her chest.
"It was a VIRUS!!? All this time, and it's a computer glitch messing everything up?!" Eddy said looking at everyone. Double-D was in a state of shock, and Ed and his sister were just freaked.
"FOUR days...." Amber repeated to herself. She dropped to the ground, folding her knees up to her chin, and hiding her face in her folded arms. A faint sound started to come from under her hidden self. Her breathing made her shoulders rise up and down rapidly.
"Amber?" Double-D went down to her level and tried to look at her face. But she wouldn't let him get a peek. "Amber...? What's wrong??"
Now noticing this, Ed sat down next to Amber and placed both hands on her face. Gently, he lift her head up. Her face and eyes were red and wet with tears.
"Don't look at me!" She slapped Ed's hands down, some more tears flowed through. She gazed up at the others concerned or otherwise stunned expressions. A few moments of this passed. Then, without saying anything, Amber shot back to her feet and bolted off, running towards the HighWind. More tears flew off and pass her cheeks as she ran.
"AMBER! AMBER, WAIT!" The others called out, but the girl fighter didn't even look back. They all gave each other a confused look and then went after her.
Amber, being quick on her feet in the first place, got to and in the airship just as the other four got to the rope ladder outside. One by one, they climbed up and onto the deck.
"What's up with her?!" Eddy said, short of breath.
They burst through the double doors and spotted Amber running down the stairs and into the room for the chocobos. A few of the crew were looking at each other, just as bewildered as the Eds and Sarah. One of them saw the four descending from the stairs.
"What is the matter with Ms.Tifa?" The man asked them. "She has never acted like this before!"
"Well, we're gonna check it out. Come on!" Sarah said, taking the lead in the situation. The boys didn't say anything against it, and followed the girl into the chocobo room. There, kneeing next to the green chocobo, still hiding her face in her hands was Amber. The chocobo sensed her feelings, and was sweetly nudging her on the shoulder. The gang at first just stood in the doorway, but Amber already knew they were there. She turned her head at them, wiping away another tear. '...Hi guys..." Her voice was speaking in a sort of fake tone, like she was still trying to hide whatever was wrong.
"What's yer problem?!" Eddy suddenly said, with no real sympathize. The others drew an angry eye at him, which made him realize his tone. "...Sorry."
Double-D and Sarah walked up to the girl fighter and kneeled down with her. Eddy and Ed continued to stand in the doorway.
"...Amber, is there something...." Double-D started, but then thought that it wasn't really necessary to ask if there was "something wrong". He restarted by saying, "...What is troubling you?"
There was a short stillness before Amber answered anything. She tried to smile, even in her state at that moment. "...I....I'm guessing you've never seen me like this before, uh...?" Her smile disappeared.
"Is it what that creepy face said?" Sarah asked.
Amber's expression answered that question with a "yes".
"Who WAS that guy anyway?" Eddy said.
"That was the evil Sephiroth." Ed answered plainly. Eddy threw a surprised glance at his tall friend.
"How do you know?"
"He's known for a while now..." Amber answered. She got back on her feet. "A while back, back in Mideel, he had a dream based on one of Cloud's memories. It had Sephiroth in it. I was gonna to tell you and Double-D...I guess I just...forgot or something..."
"But...it isn't REALLY Sephiroth we have to worry about now, is it?" Double- D said. "That was just a "image" to hide the true enemy."
"A virus." Sarah added, getting into the conversation. "That thing said it was a virus, right? Viruses in computer games can make them mess up, so all we have to do is get that virus!"
"...I'm not sure about that..." Amber said, in a low tone. "We only have four days..." She looked like she was going to start crying again. The four all looked at her.
"THAT is what's making you sad, Amber?" Ed said with a concerned look. "Why?"
"I don't think...." She stopped to keep from tearing up again. ".... We could finish by then..." She then tightened her fist. "It KNEW! This whole time, IT KNEW what we were doing, what we were PLANING! It was just waiting for the best time to finally show its face! It was PLAYING with us too...."
"Heeey...Your right! I bet it was that virus that made all them monsters attack us before!" Eddy said. "Like those thunder birds! And that ugly thing back in North-what-ever-it-was-called!"
"COREL, Eddy." Double-D said.
"Not to mention the haunted Ghost Ship that nearly got Double-D!" Ed added. The hat wearing Ed shuddered at the thought.
"And just about EVERYTHING else, I bet." Eddy said.
"Like WEAPON." Amber suddenly said. An uneasy feeling hovered above them with that thought.
"...If that's the case...then we could get ambushed by just about anything from now on?" Double-D said with a chill. Amber nodded.
"We've been like "action figures" to that virus. It's been merely throwing "easy" stuff at us, just to see what and how we would act, and also to see if we would survive...." Amber said. "It'll start using the hard-hitting stuff now, I just KNOW it. And just when we were going to start looking for the weapons that would help us beat it!"
"...Another road block..." Double-D said.
Yet another hush caught hold of them. It seemed to be the longest one yet. The minutes were like hours. No one was looking or talking to one another. It was not a happy feeling. But...it didn't last long. The tall one was the one who broke the quiet this time...
"So...it's JUST a road block...."
Everybody turned attention to Ed.
"Um...well, we've been through all kinds of things, right? Some were close, and others were not so close, but they were all "road blocks". We got through all of them with flowing colors."
"Don't ya mean "flying", Ed?" Eddy said.
"Oh, right.... but we GOT THROUGH. We kicked monster butt! We saved people!" His voice started to get louder. "They gave us gifts for saving them! We worked together, and we kicked down those roadblocks! I say we continue on, and show that flowing head that ya can't kick US down! We are UNITED in FRIENDSHIP and BUTT WHOPPIN'!!"
"Whoa...Ed!" Eddy said with big eyes. Double-D, Sarah, and Amber couldn't help but stare at him as well.
"WHOOO'S WITH ME!?" Ed called out.
At first, the gang just stood there, sinking in how Ed just acted, very "unforeseen" on his part. ^-^ But it was pretty uplifting, nonetheless. The veil, which covered the gang with a sense of doubt and dread, was suddenly lifted away.
"...Ed's right!" Eddy said with a stern tone. "We can't just back down now! We have to finish this!"
"Yeah! I just got here, but I say we go after that virus and beat this game!" Sarah said.
Double-D looked at everybody, then said, "It will be tough from now on, but that shouldn't stop us if we all work together." He looked at Amber with a smile. "Right?"
Amber eyed the gang around, all wearing eager faces that just screamed, "Go for it!" Her eyes were still red and now puffy, but the tears were completely dried up. There was a renewed hope within her. Four days suddenly didn't seem to be a big problem to them. It was more of a greater test of their friendship, yes, the bond, which has been there even since the beginning.
Amber sported a true smile. "You guys are the best!"
"Now that is more like it!" Ed said with a huge grin. He patted her on the back.
"So, what's the word, Amber?" Eddy said.
The girl fighter characterly cracked her knuckles. "Follow me, guys." She headed out the chocobo room.
The gang headed for the bridge where the crew were waiting to see what was troubling their captain. The whole crew gathered around them, asking questions to "Tifa".
"It's alright, I'm fine." Amber answered them. "I have a few announcements to make, though." The crew grew quiet. 'To start off..." She began, "...From now on, we have a new pliot to this airship! The one and only, "Cid Highwind"!"
"UH?!" The short boy was stunned. The crew however were clapping and cheering. Eddy forgot that his character was the real owner of the HighWind. However, he went up to Amber and whispered in her ear, "What's with this all the sudden?"
"I just thought now would be a good time as any to let you and your character fly "your" airship." Amber answered.
Eddy thought about that. "...I'll do it!" He said with a grin. "How hard could it be anyway?"
Amber turned to the crew once more. "Also, we are going to start on a major search for weapons. And not just ANY weapons, I'm talking about the BEST weapons, the ones told in all those stories I'm sure you've heard! We have gotten hold of hints on where they might be hidden all over the planet. I want every map we've got out and used on this trip, understand? I want the quickest ways, anything to make the trips QUICK! I need complete and total cooperation, do you hear me?"
"YES!" The whole crew answered.
"And we NEED to finished this mission WITHIN three days or less! No sooner, no later, got it?"
"YES!!" They all answered. Amber then gave the word to start immediately, and off they went. She turned back to the Eds and Sarah. "If we can do this in three days or less," She said, "...we'll have more time to reach that fake Sephiroth."
"We can do it!" Sarah said with a big smile. The Eds smiled the same way. Amber reached her hand palm down in front of them, and they all piled each other hands on top.
"We'll get out of this game, as a TEAM!" Amber said.
"TEAM!" They all called out, breaking the piled palms apart.
"Okay! Our FIRST stop is a small place called Rocket Town." Amber said. "The weapon guy said there might be somebody there who could help us with one of the weapons."
"Right! In that case, I'll be taking us there, if ya don't mind..." Eddy said walking to the pilot controls. The one who's been piloting stepped back, saluting "Cid". Eddy smiled that this, and looked at the steering controls of the HighWind. He scratched his chin a bit, and placed his hands on the steering. "...Alright...lets see..." He was a tad nervous, but quickly shook it off, and drew a breath. His small waiting paid off as that unexplained feeling of "Cid's self" took over, and he reached for a thick level to his right.
'Let's see what this does...' He thought as "Cid" took over his hands. He pulled the level down. There was a slight rumble from outside. The back rockets on the airship trembled and busted their metal skin, exposing a pair of hidden, more powerful boosters. With a pulling back of the stick, Eddy caused the airship to hover upward, and as they were high enough, his guided hands pressed a button next to the booster level. Like a bullet, the HighWind FLEW off at double the speed!
"WOOOOWHOO!!" Eddy shouted, instantly enjoying himself and "his" airship. ^- ^
The rest of the gang had to grab on to something at first, but were having just as must fun as their short friend was having. Looking out the huge front window, the clouds were just flying passing them like smears of cotton candy. The smears soon disappeared, and there was the blue sky and green land, zooming by, but still, quite the site for such a speed.
"That this speed, three days won't be a problem at all!" Double-D pointed out.
~...In the Darkness...~
The eyes of the unnamed virus watched the HighWind fly towards its first place for the quest of the best weapons. It had no "solid" form. It's being blended into the dark void of where the enemy of the game would truly be. It watched, and it laughed.
*~...What a bunch of idiots! What makes them think they could find those weapons in four days time? ...I give them the death sentence ahead of time, and they still continue on with their little adventure. It is rather humorous, though....~*
It snickered coldly. *~...I'll add to their "quest". ~* The darkness laughed eerily.
Back on the airship, thanks to Eddy's flying, the gang was already over halfway to Rocket Town. Ed, Double-D, and Sarah were sitting in the chairs behind Eddy, and Amber was gazing out the front window.
"This flying stuff's a piece of cake." Eddy said with a proud smile.
"What flavor!?" Ed asked, thinking of real cake.
"Hey...what's that?" Sarah suddenly said. She pointed towards the window. There was something coming towards them at high speed, but that could only be because of the HighWind. Neither way, Eddy slowed to a hovered stop.
"What is that thing??" Eddy said, seeing it too.
With the ship now stopped, the five could see that whatever it was coming at them slowly, getting bigger in their sights. But that wasn't the only thing. On each side of the flowing "thing", there were four glowing dots.
".... Amber?" Double-D worded out.
The girl fighter sharpened her eyes at it. They immediately snapped back opened with shock. "IT CAN'T BE!"
"WHAT?!" They all asked.
"It's GI NATTAK!!" She answered stepping back from the window.
"WHO??" They said. "What's a Gi Nattak???" Ed asked.
"Gi Nattak was a boss you fight on the FIRST disk of this game! He's not supposed to be here!" Amber said. "...It's the VIRUS! The virus is doing this!"
"Then...is that thing REAL..." Sarah said, "...or is it a virus trick?"
The creature was now in view for description. It was a undead creature, with its lower spine exposed at the tip behind it's back. It's arms too were just skeleton, and it wore a tribe mask and chest armor. In its right hand it held a staff, and that it's sides were its henchmen, known as Soul Fires.
Gi Nattak suddenly raised its staff up and at the HighWind ahead, and the Soul Fires jetted off for a head on impact!
"HOLY-!! HANG ON, GUYS!!" Eddy said, grabbing the steering. He jerked it to the side, turning the airship sharply, but missing the incoming fireballs. Everybody fell flat on their backs, but were fine. The crew straightened up, and asked Amber what to do now.
Amber thought quickly. "Everybody get to your posts and monitor all sides! Make sure those things don't get too close to the ship!" She then turned at Eddy. ""Cid"! Can you keep on avoiding them like that?"
Eddy looked at her. "I'll try! But them things are FAST!"
"Their called Soul Fires. They do most of Gi Nattak's dirty work." Amber said. "The other's and I will go out and get rid of them while you and the crew help out in here!"
"You got it!" Eddy said.
"Let's get out there, guys!" Amber said, running for the outside deck with Ed, Double-D and Sarah following.
"Ya heard the girl! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Eddy called out the crew.
As the gang got outside, the Soul Fires were already ready to go for it again. They circled around the ship and were coming from the side.
"Double-D! Ice can beat fire!" Amber said.
"I'm on it!" He said. He raised his hands at the fires. "ICE2!!" The frozen spikes hammered one of the things, knocking it out of the sky, but the others were still coming. Three left.
"Here I come!" Sarah said with shuriken ready. She swung her razors sharp weapon right through the closest Soul Fire, splitting it in half. "Gotcha!" But the flames simply fused back into one and dived towards the young girl. Sarah hit the deck, missing its hot being.
"We have to get them in one blow!" Amber called out. "Ed! Call Choco\Mog!"
"You got it good, Amber!" Ed said with a salute. He summoned forth his favorite "chicken" and rider at the little "wild fires". Choco and the small Mog appeared behind the Soul Fires and drove right into them, the wind element of the spell "blowing" two of them completely out! The one that they missed retreated back over to its undead master.
"A-, I mean, "TIFA"! Go after it?" Eddy's voice came over the intercom outside.
"Yeah, but what ever you do, DO get too close to Gi Nattak!" Amber called out.
The HighWind picked up its speed and flew closing to the flowing dead and it's last fireball.
"I'll get it!" Double-D said, preparing to cast Ice2 again. As his green ring fired up, the Soul Fire jetted right for him.
"DOUBLE-D!" Ed and the others cried out. The fire creature knocked the hat wearer on his back, canceling his spell out. Before he could get back up, the fire turned back around and hovered over Double-D.
"Double-D! Get away from it!!" Amber shouted.
The boy tried to crawl away, but it didn't help. The Soul Fire suddenly dropped down on Double-D, ENTERING his body.
"WHERE DID IT GO?!" Ed said, freaked.
Just then, scaring everybody to near death, their friend busted into flames, throwing him back down to the floor, screaming in pain. The fire then stopped, disappeared, leaving a poor burned Double-D.
"DOUBLE-D!!!" Everybody ran over to his side. He staggered as he got up to his knees, and wrapped his arms around himself, trembling.
"My body....I can't.....feel.....it..."
"The fires in his body!" Sarah said.
"Double-D! Don't move!" Amber said. She placed her hands on his shoulder and casts Cure2 spells, making the burns go away. "That should do, but that fire's still in you. If you try to move or attack Gi Nattak, it could burn you again."
"Then what should we do?" Ed asked.
Amber looked back at the dead creature. "We'll attack it while Double-D stays put here." Her and the other two ran closer to Gi Nattak on the deck. "Alright, use anything but Fire spells! Go!"
"SLEEP!"
"CHOCO\MOG...AGAIN!!"
"LEVIATHAN!!"
The spells hit Gi Nattak square in the chest, but it didn't seem to damage it at all! The creature just shook the attacks off and raised its staff again. "Watch out!" Amber said, waiting to see what it'll do.
But the next thing they hear was Double-D yelling again. They all turned sharply and saw him on fire again! It went away, but the burns came back, twice as bad.
"DOUBLE-D!" Ed called out.
"We can't attack him without hurting Double-D!" Sarah said.
"...SHHHOOT!!" Amber said with grit teeth. "Our attacks before should have hurt it bad, but it's stronger then I thought!" She then thought to herself, 'The virus can make easy bosses tougher!'
Ed and Sarah were over with Double-D, making sure he was still breathing or anything. His burns seemed worst then before, showing Gi Nattak didn't like that last attack.
"Can you hear me, Double-D?" Ed asked. The boy was responsive, but not so much so.
"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE?!" Eddy's voice boomed.
"Double-D's hurt! We can't fight this thing!" Sarah yelled out.
"Waddaya mean "we can't fight it"?!" Eddy said. "Amber?"
Amber ran up next to the others. "Turn around and high tail it!"
"WHAT?!" Eddy said.
"RETREAT! We can't fight Gi Nattak right now with Double-D's condition!"
"...Alright, hang on to yer hats!"
The airship made a complete turn around and started to fly away from the flowing one. But Gi Nattak began to pursuit them, and it wasn't happy. It raised its staff once more...
The boy's body grew hot again; his friends could feel it coming off of him. He grabs himself, shaking. Everybody grew fearful, thinking that Double-D may not survive another flame attack from with in him. He was trying with all his left over strength to keep the fire in.
"Please, Double-D, fight it!" Amber said. Ed and Sarah couldn't say anything with seeing him in such a state. Gi Nattak continued to follow them, picking up some speed.
The weaken Ed clench tighter in his person, but it was looking like a losing battle. He couldn't hold it in much longer. The air around him became heavy with increasing heat. His muscles began to lose their strength. His breathing was strong but stressful sounding.
"No....please..." Amber said under her breath, her voice shaky and dry. She tightened her body, trembling. ".... STOP IT!! GET OUT OF HIS BODY!!"
Double-D could hear Amber's plead. She was screaming at Gi Nattak. Or, maybe she was screaming at the virus, even though they couldn't see it anywhere. But either way, it was enough...
The boy's body exploded into, not fire, and red light. ^-~
Everybody jumped back from the red inferno. As they did, they witnessed the Soul Fire being thrown out of Double-D's body by the boy's own energy.
"What the heck's going on out there?!?" Eddy called out. The whole airship was shaking because of the energy. From inside the cockpit, everybody, including Eddy, saw the red light covering the outside deck area. Eddy's jaw dropped. "...Double-D..."
Outside, the red died down, revealing Double-D's second level transformation limit break! There stood a large, Frankenstein-like monster with huge muscles and gray colored skin. His fists were the size of basketballs, and there were bolts sticking out from his neck and arms.
"Death Gigas!" Amber said with a surprised smile.
"COOOL!!" Ed said, clapping. Sarah, well, Sarah was just plain speechless. She's never seen one "Vincent's" limit breaks.
Death Gigas faced the Soul Fire that gave him all that earlier pain. One of his HUGE fists rose and POUNDED the flame with titanic power! The flame disintegrated under his fist!
"ALRIGHT!" Amber cheered.
"Go get'em!" Ed said, throwing fake punches.
".... Um..yeah!" Sarah mumbled out.
With the last Soul Fire now out of the way, all that was left was the big dead dude himself. ""Cid!" Turn around again!" Amber commanded.
"Did "Vincent" do what I think he did out there?" Eddy asked as he also turned the HighWind back around once again.
"YEAH! HE'S FRANKENSTEIN!!" Ed said with almost uncontrollable glee in his voice. Eddy decided not to ask a question to that one.
The airship faced Gi Nattak. The undead creature painted a grim snarl on its face, seeing the last of his henchmen have been destroyed. Ed, Sarah, Amber, and a transformed Double-D faced it, ready to really finish this.
"GIVE'EM ALL WE GOT!!" Amber called out. She glowed into another summon spell. "BAHAMUT!!"
Sarah's summon gem fired up. "SHIVA!!"
Double-D's body suddenly started to build up a large amount of lightning. With a pound on his chest, he released the wave of lightning right towards Gi Nattak. This is known as Death Gigas's Live Wire attack!
The two summons mixed with Double-D's attack slammed the dead monster hard enough that it drop it's staff to the ground below. But it still was "alive", so to speak.
"Your turn, Ed!" Amber said. The big Ed nodded and drew out his sword. "Uh, Ed, I don't think you could reach Gi Nattak from the deck here..." Amber said, slightly confused with the boy's actions. "You should use a sum-"
But a summon wasn't what Ed had in mind. His sword's glowed in so much light, that Amber and the others had to cover their eyes. "Ed...?!" Amber unshielded her view to see a long awaited move to be performed! ^-^ "He's powering up.....he's going to do it!"
Like with Double-D earlier, Ed exploded in red energy. His sword glowed in the same intensity as his body. He looked towards Gi Nattak with a fire in his eyes. He suddenly ran across the deck, with sword in both hands, the red trailing off of him like smoke. He jumped towards the undead one.
There was a moment where time felt like it stopped. The energy around Ed helped him stay in mid air as he delivered his final attack, the most powerful attack in all the game! He screamed out the name of this legendary move...
"OMNISLASH!!!"
He slashed Gi Nattak in a god-like show of power, then again, and again, and again, again, AGAIN, AGAIN! His speed was mind blowing! It looked like there was a hundred Ed images flying around the creature, slashing repeatedly! Then, the many Eds became one again, and he stayed in the air right in front of the highly beat up Gi Nattak. He raised his sword high over his head. One last slash...
"HHHIIYYAAW!!!"
The final attack spit the undead monster in two pieces, sending it dive- bombing to the planet below!
"YYEEEEEES!!" Amber jumped high in the air, arms higher. Sarah did the same thing, just as high as Amber. Double-D had already turned back to his real self and was celebrating as well.
Ed came back down on the deck safely and placed his sword back behind him. He grinned widely.
"ED!" Everybody ran to him. There was a group noise of cheering, "that was amazing", and so forth.
"HEY, ED!" Eddy suddenly came though the double doors. The gang turns to see him, running up to them. "That was YOU cutting that thing into pieces!?"
"YEP!" He answered with his biggest smile.
"Uh, Eddy? Who's flying?" Double-D asked.
"That other guy." He said. "This ship's still mine! I just had to come out here! We saw the whole thing from the cockpit!"
"What a show!" Sarah said.
"What a fight." Amber said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "If Ed didn't know Omnishash, I doubt we would have been so lucky!" She grew serious. "And I have a good feeling from now on, all the fights are going to be this tough..."
"That virus..." Double-D said out loud. Amber nodded slowly.
"HA! I bet it's blowing it's top right now!" Eddy said with a laugh. "Let him throw more at us! We can take it!"
"Next time, YOUR fighting with us." Amber said with a look and a little grin. Eddy shut up.
~The Darkness~
*~...GGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHH!!! HOW!!? HOW COULD HAVE THEY DEFEATED THAT MONSTER!! I made it HUNDURED times more powerful then what it really is!! ...Hmmmm..... That "Ed" child...There's something about him...the others ARE powerful, and together their quite strong, but that boy......what is WITH him??.... ~*
TO BE CONTINUED....................
*RogueStar*: (Sweating from over typing) WHEW! I'm BEAT! I came up with this chapter right off the bat! About seventeen pages!! I hope you people are happy with my poor painful typing fingers! Naw, I kid, but really, I hope you like this chap. I thought now was a good time for Double-D to turn into the second Vincent monster. ^-^ Anyway, I better get off the computer before my eyeball fall out of my skull. Later! ^-~
Chapter 26
The whole area around the five kids existed as a pixel mess. The face of their enemy gazed down at them like a animal ready to strike. Sephiroth's mug seemed to fill the sky, with the exception of a few pieces of black peeking around him.
Our heroes were grouped as one with Ed and Amber in the front, Double-D and Eddy behind, and Sarah hiding behind Amber's legs. All eyes were upward towards the sky. The tall boy and the girl fighter bore their weapons with solid determination on their faces.
Sephiroth's face sported a dark and cruel grin. *~...Heh, I am surprised that we would have to meet now, Tifa. And the others, Cloud, Vincent, Cid, and little Yuffie...~* He laughed in a deafening tone, like he just told a joke.
"What's so funny?!" Amber said with grit teeth and tighten fist.
The face in the sky came to a stop and made a wide grin at them. *~...Oh, I'm sorry. I should have addressed you properly, right, Amber? ~*
All the gang's eyes grew large.
*~And the other four; Ed, Double-D, Eddy, and Sarah? RIGHT? ~* He started laughing again.
Amber was, for a moment, at a lost for words. Eddy was the first to speak up.
"He...he knows our NAMES!?"
"But HOW?!?" Double-D said.
*~HOW?? All this time in the game, and neither of you know what is really going on! You fool...~*
"SHUT UP!!" Amber suddenly shouted. "We've NEVER met before! So how do you know our real names?!"
*~You don't think I've been watching, seeing EVERYTHING you and these "children" have been doing? You're not as smart as you think you are! What did you think made that little runt you have behind you "trance out" when she did? ~*
"...What?...You...?" Amber was at a lost of words once more.
"Amber!" Double-D said. The girl turned her head towards him. "He said something about the game, THIS game! He KNOWS about this world being part of a video game!"
Amber's face perked in shock. She was so tensed up before; she didn't even hear that part! Her mind began to race without her. '...Sephiroth knew who we were all along?...HE was the one who messed with Sarah's head before?...HOW??'
*~You are all so stupid...~* the face snarled. Just then, below the mug, his hands formed and appeared in the same sense as his head, and they started to gave off a weird, pixel glow.
"What is he doing?" Ed mumbled in a scared tone.
His question got it's answer when Sarah suddenly started to glow in the same way! Her body slowly began to turn the same texture as the rest of the landscape. Her legs and arms were turning pixel! The small girl was petrified for words.
"SARAH!!!" The Eds all shouted in horror.
Amber's sight went from poor Sarah right back to Sephiroth's face. "STOP IT!! STOP IT, YOU-" Instead of finishing, she swiftly, instinctively, fired a Fire3 spell up at him. But the spell didn't have any affect on him. It turned pixel, then disintegrated! But at the same time, Sephiroth released Sarah from whatever he was doing to her before. She slowly returned to her formal real-life look.
"Are you okay, Sarah?!" Ed asked her. She nodded, still startled.
"He totally wiped out my attack..." Amber said in shocked dazed. "That.... this doesn't smell right...." Her face drew focused. She walked a few feet away from the rest and looked straight up at the sky. The Eds and Sarah just watched from a far, not really wanting to move.
"Tell me!" Amber shouted up. "...Are you REALLY Sephiroth?"
The face smiled again. *~Well, you COULD said that, but then again, you couldn't...~*
"ANSWER ME!" She shouted.
The face sharpened its eyes at her. She did the same right back.
*~...Like ALL of you, I have merely taken the form of the enemy known as Sephiroth...but UNLIKE you, I am not a living being...~*
"Say what?" Eddy said with a look.
"Are you saying...you're not HUMAN?" Double-D asked.
*~...I am one with this game. I'm part of it. I was from the very beginning...~*
"The very beginning...?" Amber said. She thought for a second. "The beginning.... as in...manufacturing?"
"WHAT??" Eddy didn't know what word Amber just used. Double-D poked him and explained that "manufacturing" was the making and selling of a item on market. "Oh...I knew that."
The face in the sky continued by saying, *~I was not supposed to be part of the programming.... I am what you humans call...~*
"A VIRUS!" Amber finished, in sudden realization.
*~Correct...They called me a master virus, because I infected all the programming of the game...I am the only infected copy that made it to the stores. ~*
"...Which I then bought..." Amber said, recounting the time she bought the Final Fantasy VII game when it first came out. Shortly afterwards, she was sucked inside it. It hit her like a ton of bricks.
"IT WAS YOU!!! YOU'RE the reason we're all TRAPPED in here!!"
The face chuckled evilly. *~Your right! Are you surprised? You humans are, in a way, interesting. You create things like me, only to see you're inescapable down fall! It's been so FUN watching you run around this world for these past few years, Amber. Fighting for your own life everyday! But, as you might guess, watching just you can grow boring. So, I waited, to see if and when another human would turn the system on, and open the game's doors! I would have NEVER guessed that I would snag FOUR MORE in a short time! ~*
Amber let out a growl. She tightened her fist, causing them to tremble.
*~Oh, do you wish to fight me, Amber? ~*
A short moment passed, and Amber lowered her hands and she hung her head.
*~I thought so...you could NEVER beat me! This world is MY world! You and your "friends" are barely a match for something like me!~*
Ed, Double-D, Eddy, and Sarah walked up next to Amber to form the group again, looking upward at the Sephiroth look-a-like. Sarah gazed up at Amber's face. Something shiny fell from her cheek and hit the ground. A teardrop.
*~Now...let me see...what could I do before you all have to meet your end? ~*
Suddenly, all the Eds, including Sarah, drew their weapons and surrounded Amber in a protecting circle. The girl fighter lifted her head to see what her friends were doing for her. Little streams of tears were on her cheeks. "...You guys..."
*~HAHAAHAAA! You think WEAPONS will stop me?! Your magic is nothing, so what could your weapons do?! Besides, I'm not ready to kill you all yet.... I would like to do one more thing before that.... maybe something like.... a test. Well, not REALLY a test. More like something to set the stage for your final moments...~*
The sky above the virus grew a red and orange hue, forming something that the gang have not seem, or even THOUGHT about for quite some long time. Meteor.
*~Remember this? I've been thinking.... this ball of fire, normally while playing the game, never REALLY falls on the planet. ~*
"What?!" Amber worded out. The others reacted the same.
*~It just LOOKS like it will. Players could play forever and never have it fall on them. But you know what? That doesn't make it much of a challenge.... ~*
"No..." Amber had a bad feeling about this....
*~Therefore, you all have only FOUR days left! After that, Meteor will fall to the planet FOR REAL! I can't wait to see how you will spend your last days!! HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAAAA!!!~*
The face's laugh echoed in the gang's heads like pounding sledgehammers. It's voice continued on as the world around finally began to turn back to what it was before. The Sepiroth face then melted back into the sky, and everything was back to normal. Everything, but the wills of our heroes...
"...Four days...?" Amber whispered under her breath. Her head hung back down, her chin touching her chest.
"It was a VIRUS!!? All this time, and it's a computer glitch messing everything up?!" Eddy said looking at everyone. Double-D was in a state of shock, and Ed and his sister were just freaked.
"FOUR days...." Amber repeated to herself. She dropped to the ground, folding her knees up to her chin, and hiding her face in her folded arms. A faint sound started to come from under her hidden self. Her breathing made her shoulders rise up and down rapidly.
"Amber?" Double-D went down to her level and tried to look at her face. But she wouldn't let him get a peek. "Amber...? What's wrong??"
Now noticing this, Ed sat down next to Amber and placed both hands on her face. Gently, he lift her head up. Her face and eyes were red and wet with tears.
"Don't look at me!" She slapped Ed's hands down, some more tears flowed through. She gazed up at the others concerned or otherwise stunned expressions. A few moments of this passed. Then, without saying anything, Amber shot back to her feet and bolted off, running towards the HighWind. More tears flew off and pass her cheeks as she ran.
"AMBER! AMBER, WAIT!" The others called out, but the girl fighter didn't even look back. They all gave each other a confused look and then went after her.
Amber, being quick on her feet in the first place, got to and in the airship just as the other four got to the rope ladder outside. One by one, they climbed up and onto the deck.
"What's up with her?!" Eddy said, short of breath.
They burst through the double doors and spotted Amber running down the stairs and into the room for the chocobos. A few of the crew were looking at each other, just as bewildered as the Eds and Sarah. One of them saw the four descending from the stairs.
"What is the matter with Ms.Tifa?" The man asked them. "She has never acted like this before!"
"Well, we're gonna check it out. Come on!" Sarah said, taking the lead in the situation. The boys didn't say anything against it, and followed the girl into the chocobo room. There, kneeing next to the green chocobo, still hiding her face in her hands was Amber. The chocobo sensed her feelings, and was sweetly nudging her on the shoulder. The gang at first just stood in the doorway, but Amber already knew they were there. She turned her head at them, wiping away another tear. '...Hi guys..." Her voice was speaking in a sort of fake tone, like she was still trying to hide whatever was wrong.
"What's yer problem?!" Eddy suddenly said, with no real sympathize. The others drew an angry eye at him, which made him realize his tone. "...Sorry."
Double-D and Sarah walked up to the girl fighter and kneeled down with her. Eddy and Ed continued to stand in the doorway.
"...Amber, is there something...." Double-D started, but then thought that it wasn't really necessary to ask if there was "something wrong". He restarted by saying, "...What is troubling you?"
There was a short stillness before Amber answered anything. She tried to smile, even in her state at that moment. "...I....I'm guessing you've never seen me like this before, uh...?" Her smile disappeared.
"Is it what that creepy face said?" Sarah asked.
Amber's expression answered that question with a "yes".
"Who WAS that guy anyway?" Eddy said.
"That was the evil Sephiroth." Ed answered plainly. Eddy threw a surprised glance at his tall friend.
"How do you know?"
"He's known for a while now..." Amber answered. She got back on her feet. "A while back, back in Mideel, he had a dream based on one of Cloud's memories. It had Sephiroth in it. I was gonna to tell you and Double-D...I guess I just...forgot or something..."
"But...it isn't REALLY Sephiroth we have to worry about now, is it?" Double- D said. "That was just a "image" to hide the true enemy."
"A virus." Sarah added, getting into the conversation. "That thing said it was a virus, right? Viruses in computer games can make them mess up, so all we have to do is get that virus!"
"...I'm not sure about that..." Amber said, in a low tone. "We only have four days..." She looked like she was going to start crying again. The four all looked at her.
"THAT is what's making you sad, Amber?" Ed said with a concerned look. "Why?"
"I don't think...." She stopped to keep from tearing up again. ".... We could finish by then..." She then tightened her fist. "It KNEW! This whole time, IT KNEW what we were doing, what we were PLANING! It was just waiting for the best time to finally show its face! It was PLAYING with us too...."
"Heeey...Your right! I bet it was that virus that made all them monsters attack us before!" Eddy said. "Like those thunder birds! And that ugly thing back in North-what-ever-it-was-called!"
"COREL, Eddy." Double-D said.
"Not to mention the haunted Ghost Ship that nearly got Double-D!" Ed added. The hat wearing Ed shuddered at the thought.
"And just about EVERYTHING else, I bet." Eddy said.
"Like WEAPON." Amber suddenly said. An uneasy feeling hovered above them with that thought.
"...If that's the case...then we could get ambushed by just about anything from now on?" Double-D said with a chill. Amber nodded.
"We've been like "action figures" to that virus. It's been merely throwing "easy" stuff at us, just to see what and how we would act, and also to see if we would survive...." Amber said. "It'll start using the hard-hitting stuff now, I just KNOW it. And just when we were going to start looking for the weapons that would help us beat it!"
"...Another road block..." Double-D said.
Yet another hush caught hold of them. It seemed to be the longest one yet. The minutes were like hours. No one was looking or talking to one another. It was not a happy feeling. But...it didn't last long. The tall one was the one who broke the quiet this time...
"So...it's JUST a road block...."
Everybody turned attention to Ed.
"Um...well, we've been through all kinds of things, right? Some were close, and others were not so close, but they were all "road blocks". We got through all of them with flowing colors."
"Don't ya mean "flying", Ed?" Eddy said.
"Oh, right.... but we GOT THROUGH. We kicked monster butt! We saved people!" His voice started to get louder. "They gave us gifts for saving them! We worked together, and we kicked down those roadblocks! I say we continue on, and show that flowing head that ya can't kick US down! We are UNITED in FRIENDSHIP and BUTT WHOPPIN'!!"
"Whoa...Ed!" Eddy said with big eyes. Double-D, Sarah, and Amber couldn't help but stare at him as well.
"WHOOO'S WITH ME!?" Ed called out.
At first, the gang just stood there, sinking in how Ed just acted, very "unforeseen" on his part. ^-^ But it was pretty uplifting, nonetheless. The veil, which covered the gang with a sense of doubt and dread, was suddenly lifted away.
"...Ed's right!" Eddy said with a stern tone. "We can't just back down now! We have to finish this!"
"Yeah! I just got here, but I say we go after that virus and beat this game!" Sarah said.
Double-D looked at everybody, then said, "It will be tough from now on, but that shouldn't stop us if we all work together." He looked at Amber with a smile. "Right?"
Amber eyed the gang around, all wearing eager faces that just screamed, "Go for it!" Her eyes were still red and now puffy, but the tears were completely dried up. There was a renewed hope within her. Four days suddenly didn't seem to be a big problem to them. It was more of a greater test of their friendship, yes, the bond, which has been there even since the beginning.
Amber sported a true smile. "You guys are the best!"
"Now that is more like it!" Ed said with a huge grin. He patted her on the back.
"So, what's the word, Amber?" Eddy said.
The girl fighter characterly cracked her knuckles. "Follow me, guys." She headed out the chocobo room.
The gang headed for the bridge where the crew were waiting to see what was troubling their captain. The whole crew gathered around them, asking questions to "Tifa".
"It's alright, I'm fine." Amber answered them. "I have a few announcements to make, though." The crew grew quiet. 'To start off..." She began, "...From now on, we have a new pliot to this airship! The one and only, "Cid Highwind"!"
"UH?!" The short boy was stunned. The crew however were clapping and cheering. Eddy forgot that his character was the real owner of the HighWind. However, he went up to Amber and whispered in her ear, "What's with this all the sudden?"
"I just thought now would be a good time as any to let you and your character fly "your" airship." Amber answered.
Eddy thought about that. "...I'll do it!" He said with a grin. "How hard could it be anyway?"
Amber turned to the crew once more. "Also, we are going to start on a major search for weapons. And not just ANY weapons, I'm talking about the BEST weapons, the ones told in all those stories I'm sure you've heard! We have gotten hold of hints on where they might be hidden all over the planet. I want every map we've got out and used on this trip, understand? I want the quickest ways, anything to make the trips QUICK! I need complete and total cooperation, do you hear me?"
"YES!" The whole crew answered.
"And we NEED to finished this mission WITHIN three days or less! No sooner, no later, got it?"
"YES!!" They all answered. Amber then gave the word to start immediately, and off they went. She turned back to the Eds and Sarah. "If we can do this in three days or less," She said, "...we'll have more time to reach that fake Sephiroth."
"We can do it!" Sarah said with a big smile. The Eds smiled the same way. Amber reached her hand palm down in front of them, and they all piled each other hands on top.
"We'll get out of this game, as a TEAM!" Amber said.
"TEAM!" They all called out, breaking the piled palms apart.
"Okay! Our FIRST stop is a small place called Rocket Town." Amber said. "The weapon guy said there might be somebody there who could help us with one of the weapons."
"Right! In that case, I'll be taking us there, if ya don't mind..." Eddy said walking to the pilot controls. The one who's been piloting stepped back, saluting "Cid". Eddy smiled that this, and looked at the steering controls of the HighWind. He scratched his chin a bit, and placed his hands on the steering. "...Alright...lets see..." He was a tad nervous, but quickly shook it off, and drew a breath. His small waiting paid off as that unexplained feeling of "Cid's self" took over, and he reached for a thick level to his right.
'Let's see what this does...' He thought as "Cid" took over his hands. He pulled the level down. There was a slight rumble from outside. The back rockets on the airship trembled and busted their metal skin, exposing a pair of hidden, more powerful boosters. With a pulling back of the stick, Eddy caused the airship to hover upward, and as they were high enough, his guided hands pressed a button next to the booster level. Like a bullet, the HighWind FLEW off at double the speed!
"WOOOOWHOO!!" Eddy shouted, instantly enjoying himself and "his" airship. ^- ^
The rest of the gang had to grab on to something at first, but were having just as must fun as their short friend was having. Looking out the huge front window, the clouds were just flying passing them like smears of cotton candy. The smears soon disappeared, and there was the blue sky and green land, zooming by, but still, quite the site for such a speed.
"That this speed, three days won't be a problem at all!" Double-D pointed out.
~...In the Darkness...~
The eyes of the unnamed virus watched the HighWind fly towards its first place for the quest of the best weapons. It had no "solid" form. It's being blended into the dark void of where the enemy of the game would truly be. It watched, and it laughed.
*~...What a bunch of idiots! What makes them think they could find those weapons in four days time? ...I give them the death sentence ahead of time, and they still continue on with their little adventure. It is rather humorous, though....~*
It snickered coldly. *~...I'll add to their "quest". ~* The darkness laughed eerily.
Back on the airship, thanks to Eddy's flying, the gang was already over halfway to Rocket Town. Ed, Double-D, and Sarah were sitting in the chairs behind Eddy, and Amber was gazing out the front window.
"This flying stuff's a piece of cake." Eddy said with a proud smile.
"What flavor!?" Ed asked, thinking of real cake.
"Hey...what's that?" Sarah suddenly said. She pointed towards the window. There was something coming towards them at high speed, but that could only be because of the HighWind. Neither way, Eddy slowed to a hovered stop.
"What is that thing??" Eddy said, seeing it too.
With the ship now stopped, the five could see that whatever it was coming at them slowly, getting bigger in their sights. But that wasn't the only thing. On each side of the flowing "thing", there were four glowing dots.
".... Amber?" Double-D worded out.
The girl fighter sharpened her eyes at it. They immediately snapped back opened with shock. "IT CAN'T BE!"
"WHAT?!" They all asked.
"It's GI NATTAK!!" She answered stepping back from the window.
"WHO??" They said. "What's a Gi Nattak???" Ed asked.
"Gi Nattak was a boss you fight on the FIRST disk of this game! He's not supposed to be here!" Amber said. "...It's the VIRUS! The virus is doing this!"
"Then...is that thing REAL..." Sarah said, "...or is it a virus trick?"
The creature was now in view for description. It was a undead creature, with its lower spine exposed at the tip behind it's back. It's arms too were just skeleton, and it wore a tribe mask and chest armor. In its right hand it held a staff, and that it's sides were its henchmen, known as Soul Fires.
Gi Nattak suddenly raised its staff up and at the HighWind ahead, and the Soul Fires jetted off for a head on impact!
"HOLY-!! HANG ON, GUYS!!" Eddy said, grabbing the steering. He jerked it to the side, turning the airship sharply, but missing the incoming fireballs. Everybody fell flat on their backs, but were fine. The crew straightened up, and asked Amber what to do now.
Amber thought quickly. "Everybody get to your posts and monitor all sides! Make sure those things don't get too close to the ship!" She then turned at Eddy. ""Cid"! Can you keep on avoiding them like that?"
Eddy looked at her. "I'll try! But them things are FAST!"
"Their called Soul Fires. They do most of Gi Nattak's dirty work." Amber said. "The other's and I will go out and get rid of them while you and the crew help out in here!"
"You got it!" Eddy said.
"Let's get out there, guys!" Amber said, running for the outside deck with Ed, Double-D and Sarah following.
"Ya heard the girl! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Eddy called out the crew.
As the gang got outside, the Soul Fires were already ready to go for it again. They circled around the ship and were coming from the side.
"Double-D! Ice can beat fire!" Amber said.
"I'm on it!" He said. He raised his hands at the fires. "ICE2!!" The frozen spikes hammered one of the things, knocking it out of the sky, but the others were still coming. Three left.
"Here I come!" Sarah said with shuriken ready. She swung her razors sharp weapon right through the closest Soul Fire, splitting it in half. "Gotcha!" But the flames simply fused back into one and dived towards the young girl. Sarah hit the deck, missing its hot being.
"We have to get them in one blow!" Amber called out. "Ed! Call Choco\Mog!"
"You got it good, Amber!" Ed said with a salute. He summoned forth his favorite "chicken" and rider at the little "wild fires". Choco and the small Mog appeared behind the Soul Fires and drove right into them, the wind element of the spell "blowing" two of them completely out! The one that they missed retreated back over to its undead master.
"A-, I mean, "TIFA"! Go after it?" Eddy's voice came over the intercom outside.
"Yeah, but what ever you do, DO get too close to Gi Nattak!" Amber called out.
The HighWind picked up its speed and flew closing to the flowing dead and it's last fireball.
"I'll get it!" Double-D said, preparing to cast Ice2 again. As his green ring fired up, the Soul Fire jetted right for him.
"DOUBLE-D!" Ed and the others cried out. The fire creature knocked the hat wearer on his back, canceling his spell out. Before he could get back up, the fire turned back around and hovered over Double-D.
"Double-D! Get away from it!!" Amber shouted.
The boy tried to crawl away, but it didn't help. The Soul Fire suddenly dropped down on Double-D, ENTERING his body.
"WHERE DID IT GO?!" Ed said, freaked.
Just then, scaring everybody to near death, their friend busted into flames, throwing him back down to the floor, screaming in pain. The fire then stopped, disappeared, leaving a poor burned Double-D.
"DOUBLE-D!!!" Everybody ran over to his side. He staggered as he got up to his knees, and wrapped his arms around himself, trembling.
"My body....I can't.....feel.....it..."
"The fires in his body!" Sarah said.
"Double-D! Don't move!" Amber said. She placed her hands on his shoulder and casts Cure2 spells, making the burns go away. "That should do, but that fire's still in you. If you try to move or attack Gi Nattak, it could burn you again."
"Then what should we do?" Ed asked.
Amber looked back at the dead creature. "We'll attack it while Double-D stays put here." Her and the other two ran closer to Gi Nattak on the deck. "Alright, use anything but Fire spells! Go!"
"SLEEP!"
"CHOCO\MOG...AGAIN!!"
"LEVIATHAN!!"
The spells hit Gi Nattak square in the chest, but it didn't seem to damage it at all! The creature just shook the attacks off and raised its staff again. "Watch out!" Amber said, waiting to see what it'll do.
But the next thing they hear was Double-D yelling again. They all turned sharply and saw him on fire again! It went away, but the burns came back, twice as bad.
"DOUBLE-D!" Ed called out.
"We can't attack him without hurting Double-D!" Sarah said.
"...SHHHOOT!!" Amber said with grit teeth. "Our attacks before should have hurt it bad, but it's stronger then I thought!" She then thought to herself, 'The virus can make easy bosses tougher!'
Ed and Sarah were over with Double-D, making sure he was still breathing or anything. His burns seemed worst then before, showing Gi Nattak didn't like that last attack.
"Can you hear me, Double-D?" Ed asked. The boy was responsive, but not so much so.
"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE?!" Eddy's voice boomed.
"Double-D's hurt! We can't fight this thing!" Sarah yelled out.
"Waddaya mean "we can't fight it"?!" Eddy said. "Amber?"
Amber ran up next to the others. "Turn around and high tail it!"
"WHAT?!" Eddy said.
"RETREAT! We can't fight Gi Nattak right now with Double-D's condition!"
"...Alright, hang on to yer hats!"
The airship made a complete turn around and started to fly away from the flowing one. But Gi Nattak began to pursuit them, and it wasn't happy. It raised its staff once more...
The boy's body grew hot again; his friends could feel it coming off of him. He grabs himself, shaking. Everybody grew fearful, thinking that Double-D may not survive another flame attack from with in him. He was trying with all his left over strength to keep the fire in.
"Please, Double-D, fight it!" Amber said. Ed and Sarah couldn't say anything with seeing him in such a state. Gi Nattak continued to follow them, picking up some speed.
The weaken Ed clench tighter in his person, but it was looking like a losing battle. He couldn't hold it in much longer. The air around him became heavy with increasing heat. His muscles began to lose their strength. His breathing was strong but stressful sounding.
"No....please..." Amber said under her breath, her voice shaky and dry. She tightened her body, trembling. ".... STOP IT!! GET OUT OF HIS BODY!!"
Double-D could hear Amber's plead. She was screaming at Gi Nattak. Or, maybe she was screaming at the virus, even though they couldn't see it anywhere. But either way, it was enough...
The boy's body exploded into, not fire, and red light. ^-~
Everybody jumped back from the red inferno. As they did, they witnessed the Soul Fire being thrown out of Double-D's body by the boy's own energy.
"What the heck's going on out there?!?" Eddy called out. The whole airship was shaking because of the energy. From inside the cockpit, everybody, including Eddy, saw the red light covering the outside deck area. Eddy's jaw dropped. "...Double-D..."
Outside, the red died down, revealing Double-D's second level transformation limit break! There stood a large, Frankenstein-like monster with huge muscles and gray colored skin. His fists were the size of basketballs, and there were bolts sticking out from his neck and arms.
"Death Gigas!" Amber said with a surprised smile.
"COOOL!!" Ed said, clapping. Sarah, well, Sarah was just plain speechless. She's never seen one "Vincent's" limit breaks.
Death Gigas faced the Soul Fire that gave him all that earlier pain. One of his HUGE fists rose and POUNDED the flame with titanic power! The flame disintegrated under his fist!
"ALRIGHT!" Amber cheered.
"Go get'em!" Ed said, throwing fake punches.
".... Um..yeah!" Sarah mumbled out.
With the last Soul Fire now out of the way, all that was left was the big dead dude himself. ""Cid!" Turn around again!" Amber commanded.
"Did "Vincent" do what I think he did out there?" Eddy asked as he also turned the HighWind back around once again.
"YEAH! HE'S FRANKENSTEIN!!" Ed said with almost uncontrollable glee in his voice. Eddy decided not to ask a question to that one.
The airship faced Gi Nattak. The undead creature painted a grim snarl on its face, seeing the last of his henchmen have been destroyed. Ed, Sarah, Amber, and a transformed Double-D faced it, ready to really finish this.
"GIVE'EM ALL WE GOT!!" Amber called out. She glowed into another summon spell. "BAHAMUT!!"
Sarah's summon gem fired up. "SHIVA!!"
Double-D's body suddenly started to build up a large amount of lightning. With a pound on his chest, he released the wave of lightning right towards Gi Nattak. This is known as Death Gigas's Live Wire attack!
The two summons mixed with Double-D's attack slammed the dead monster hard enough that it drop it's staff to the ground below. But it still was "alive", so to speak.
"Your turn, Ed!" Amber said. The big Ed nodded and drew out his sword. "Uh, Ed, I don't think you could reach Gi Nattak from the deck here..." Amber said, slightly confused with the boy's actions. "You should use a sum-"
But a summon wasn't what Ed had in mind. His sword's glowed in so much light, that Amber and the others had to cover their eyes. "Ed...?!" Amber unshielded her view to see a long awaited move to be performed! ^-^ "He's powering up.....he's going to do it!"
Like with Double-D earlier, Ed exploded in red energy. His sword glowed in the same intensity as his body. He looked towards Gi Nattak with a fire in his eyes. He suddenly ran across the deck, with sword in both hands, the red trailing off of him like smoke. He jumped towards the undead one.
There was a moment where time felt like it stopped. The energy around Ed helped him stay in mid air as he delivered his final attack, the most powerful attack in all the game! He screamed out the name of this legendary move...
"OMNISLASH!!!"
He slashed Gi Nattak in a god-like show of power, then again, and again, and again, again, AGAIN, AGAIN! His speed was mind blowing! It looked like there was a hundred Ed images flying around the creature, slashing repeatedly! Then, the many Eds became one again, and he stayed in the air right in front of the highly beat up Gi Nattak. He raised his sword high over his head. One last slash...
"HHHIIYYAAW!!!"
The final attack spit the undead monster in two pieces, sending it dive- bombing to the planet below!
"YYEEEEEES!!" Amber jumped high in the air, arms higher. Sarah did the same thing, just as high as Amber. Double-D had already turned back to his real self and was celebrating as well.
Ed came back down on the deck safely and placed his sword back behind him. He grinned widely.
"ED!" Everybody ran to him. There was a group noise of cheering, "that was amazing", and so forth.
"HEY, ED!" Eddy suddenly came though the double doors. The gang turns to see him, running up to them. "That was YOU cutting that thing into pieces!?"
"YEP!" He answered with his biggest smile.
"Uh, Eddy? Who's flying?" Double-D asked.
"That other guy." He said. "This ship's still mine! I just had to come out here! We saw the whole thing from the cockpit!"
"What a show!" Sarah said.
"What a fight." Amber said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "If Ed didn't know Omnishash, I doubt we would have been so lucky!" She grew serious. "And I have a good feeling from now on, all the fights are going to be this tough..."
"That virus..." Double-D said out loud. Amber nodded slowly.
"HA! I bet it's blowing it's top right now!" Eddy said with a laugh. "Let him throw more at us! We can take it!"
"Next time, YOUR fighting with us." Amber said with a look and a little grin. Eddy shut up.
~The Darkness~
*~...GGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHH!!! HOW!!? HOW COULD HAVE THEY DEFEATED THAT MONSTER!! I made it HUNDURED times more powerful then what it really is!! ...Hmmmm..... That "Ed" child...There's something about him...the others ARE powerful, and together their quite strong, but that boy......what is WITH him??.... ~*
TO BE CONTINUED....................
*RogueStar*: (Sweating from over typing) WHEW! I'm BEAT! I came up with this chapter right off the bat! About seventeen pages!! I hope you people are happy with my poor painful typing fingers! Naw, I kid, but really, I hope you like this chap. I thought now was a good time for Double-D to turn into the second Vincent monster. ^-^ Anyway, I better get off the computer before my eyeball fall out of my skull. Later! ^-~