Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirty-Two
It was decided shortly after takeoff that instead of heading straight to Midgar, the Highwind would make a short trip east to find Weapon. The pilot followed Cait's directions, leading them to the area where Weapon was reported to have surfaced.
They found Diamond Weapon just as it was leaving the inlet. The monster was making its way steadily through the water, heading in the direction of Midgar. It paid no heed to the airship as it passed by overhead. It had just one goal in mind, and all of its attention was focused solely on completing its task. The airship circled it once, as the crew took it in, before they turned south and sped off towards Midgar.
The plan was simple. They would land the airship a few miles outside of Midgar. Cloud and his friends would disembark, and the Highwind crew would move the airship to a safe distance to avoid attack. Cloud's crew, meanwhile, would wait for Weapon to arrive on land. When it reached them they would strike, and defeat it before Shinra had a chance to use their new weapon.
It took only ten minutes for them to reach the eastern continent. They spent a few minutes or so scooping out the area before landing the airship at the top of a small rise five miles from the perimeter of Midgar's furthermost border. After checking their weapons and materia, they began to disembark.
Before leaving the airship, Cloud took Cait to one side. He asked Cait if he would be willing to sit out of the upcoming battle and monitor the situation within Shinra. Cait said he was only too happy to stay behind.
Once Cloud and the others had left, the Highwind took to the air again. Although the crew's orders were to keep the Highwind at a safe distance from the battle they remained close by, wanting to keep an eye on what was happening below.
With the Highwind safely out of the way, Cloud and his companions turned their attention northward. They could see Weapon even from here, growing larger as it waded steadily through the water towards the continent. It took Weapon only a matter of minutes to reach the shore, and it began to make its way across the land.
Cloud unhooked the Buster Sword from the strap across his back and hefted the heavy blade onto his shoulder. Behind him he heard the others ready their own weapons. Immediately after there were numerous flashes of light, as the companions called upon their summons. There was Shiva and Ifrit, Ramuh and Odin, Titan and Leviathan. The summons gathered behind those who had called them, each one of them ready for the battle ahead.
Cloud raised his fist and called on his own summon materia. The red ball flashed red and a ball of light was fired into the air. The light grew and then shattered like glass, releasing the dragon that was contained within.
One of the most powerful of the Bahamut-class dragons, Bahamut ZERO was much sleeker than the rest of his brethren. His body was slender, with finely toned muscles and a layer of scales the colour of onyx that appeared so fine they seemed like ordinary flesh, and yet were harder than diamond. Six long wings protruded from the dragon's back. They beat the air as the dragon ploughed upward into the sky.
Diamond Weapon stopped at the foot of the rise. It looked up as Bahamut ZERO soared and then turned in mid-flight to make a swooping dive toward the ground close to where Cloud and the others stood waiting. Weapon's eyes passed over them. It must have known they were waiting to fight, for it suddenly roared angrily.
The sound of Weapon's almighty roar shook the ground. The monsters that were prowling the area turned and fled towards the mountains in the far south. Yet Cloud and his friends remained unmoving, refusing to budge even as Weapon tried to use its overwhelming might to terrify them into submission. Weapon was terrifying, of that there was no doubt, but that would not stop them from stopping its advance.
Cid turned to Cloud and said: "I'll ask again. You sure we can beat this thing?"
Behind Cloud, Ifrit roared angrily in response. The beast scraped his large feet on the ground, churning up the dirt in his eagerness to attack. Ahead, Diamond Weapon was no longer content to wait and stepped forward. "Only one way to find out," the swordsman replied. He raised his arm and then lowered it, signalling the attack.
As soon as the signal was given Ifrit dropped down onto all fours and began to storm across the grass toward Weapon. As he passed the companions Tifa leaped up onto his back. She wrapped the trailing ends of the beast's long, fiery mane around her fingers and held on tight as Ifrit charged, carrying her to Weapon.
Seeing Ifrit approach, Diamond Weapon lifted its large, flat foot and stamped on the ground in an attempt to crush Ifrit beneath it. The beast dodged sideways before leaping up onto the monster's leg, digging his claws into the thick, hard flesh. Ifrit then ducked his head down and began to concentrate all its energy. The beast's body grew brightly, and then an earth-shattering explosion wracked the air. Diamond Weapon roared in pain as flames engulfed its leg, causing it to stagger back.
Just as the flames exploded, Tifa took her chance and jumped off Ifrit's back. The force of the blast propelled her up and carried her through the air to the glowing red globe in the middle of Weapon's chest. The young fighter clenched her fist and hit out with all her might, intending to smash it into pieces.
Unfortunately she could not get anywhere near it, for her knuckles rammed hard into an unseen barrier that suddenly rose up to protect the globe. As though in retaliation that same invisible force lashed out and sent her flying back.
Tifa hit the ground hard. She rolled through the dirt, the ground and sky blurring as one as she tumbled over and over. Eventually she came to a stop and a shadow flew over her as Vincent, sitting astride Sleipnir, jumped over her.
Sleipnir galloped across the ground towards Weapon. Vincent drew his gun and began to fire at Weapon, trying to draw its attention towards him. His diversionary tactic worked. Weapon turned to follow the horse as it ran by. The monster leaned over and tried to snatch them up as they came within range, but the eight-legged stallion turned swiftly, keeping just out of Weapon's reach.
The moment that Diamond Weapon turned its back Odin and Cid, standing together, both raised their weapons and hurled them through the air. Cid's spear clanked innocuously off the back of the trailing cloak of armour that protected Weapon's rear. Meanwhile Odin's lance, thrown harder thanks to the summons's greater strength, landed in the cloak and stuck there, embedded in the 'armour'. The lance glowed bright and then exploded. The sudden blast knocked Weapon forward and it stopped, smoke and flames riding behind it.
Cid crossed his arms and looked up at Odin. "Don't you be gettin' cocky now," the pilot warned, only half-serious.
Without response Odin crouched down and then jumped up high into the air. The pilot looked at him in confusion, wondering if he had somehow offended him. Then Red XIII bounded up and leaped onto Cid's back, pushing the pilot facedown into the dirt. Weapon's fist then sailed overhead, narrowly missing them both.
When the fist passed Red XIII hopped off the pilot's back and Cid raised his head, coughing up dirt. "How about you don't get distracted?" said the hound. Before Cid could reply the hound darted forward, with Titan running close behind him.
Weapon roared. The globe in its chest glowed bright as it charged up its main weapon. Knowing from experience what was coming, Red XIII and Titan split up, running in different directions. Weapon finished charging its laser and fired. The beam hit the ground where the two had been standing ripped the ground open, sending clouds of dirt and smoke and fire into the air.
The beam travelled upward, tearing up the ground as it went. The rest of the companions, who had been waiting for a chance to strike, were forced to flee as quickly as possible as the beam travelled past them. The ground erupted beneath them and sent them flying.
Cloud hit the ground and quickly scrabbled to his feet. The air around him was hot and scorched his throat until it was dry. The extreme heat and the flames from the blast zone sucked up the oxygen in the air and left him gasping for breath. His vision swam, and spots danced in front of his eyes. He needed to get away from the inferno before the oxygen was used up completely.
"Cloud! Over here!"
Cloud turned, half staggering, and looked behind him. Through the haze of smoke he saw Yuffie heading towards him, riding upon Leviathan's back. The serpent dived down through the smoke and burning air and flew low, his belly skimming the ground. He flew past Cloud, who forced his air-deprived body to jump up onto the serpent's back. The serpent then headed up and burst out of the thickening smoke, soaring above the flames.
As they flew above the flames, Cloud took in deep gulps of air. His throat was sore, burned by the heat, but he could not think about that. He scrabbled across the serpent's back until he reached Yuffie, noting that her face was pale. "You all right?" she asked him, glancing over her shoulder as he sat down behind her.
Cloud nodded his head in reply and then looked down at the battlefield. There was a long line of flames along the dried up earth, and smoke was billowing into the air. The others were scattered about, trying to surround Weapon and attack it from all sides, working alongside the summons. As he watched, Titan ran in front of Barret and caught one of Weapon's hands as the creature tried to knock the former resistance leader sideways.
The flames were still burning. A strong wind was beginning to blow, fanning the flames. Leviathan circled Diamond Weapon and then flew swiftly north towards the ocean. The serpent swooped down low and glided over the ocean's surface, and when he soared he brought the water with it. Leviathan screeched—almost deafening his human riders—and headed back towards Weapon, carrying the water with him.
The serpent came to a stop over Weapon. He flew in a large circle around the water that he had lifted from the ocean. The water began to churn, following the serpent's movements. When Leviathan increased his speed the water did the same, spinning faster and growing tighter. A whirlpool formed in the centre, spinning rapidly.
When he was ready, Leviathan screeched and dived straight down. He descended quickly, his body twisting in a tight spiral. The water fell with him, still churning and still spinning, following the serpent's movements as his body twisted around it. Hearing the roar of the water, Diamond Weapon looked up.
At the last instant Leviathan pulled away. He released his enchantment on the water, which plummeted down toward Weapon.
The water struck Weapon with enough force to shatter a large building. Tifa and the others on the ground had to brace themselves as the water hit the ground and caused it to shake violently. Spray filled the air and fell like heavy rain onto the companions. Water surged around their feet as the water fell away from Weapon. Despite the immense force that Weapon was hit with, it seemed to be unharmed.
Leviathan returned to level flight back in the sky. On his back, Yuffie and Cloud opened their eyes. Yuffie's face was paler still, and also a little green. "Hey, you!" she called out to the serpent with a shaky voice. "Next time you do that, let me get off first… ugh…" She keeled forward, clinging to the sea dragon's mane. Leviathan simply screeched in reply, and Cloud had the distinct feeling he was laughing at her.
His musings were broken when Bahamut ZERO suddenly flew past them, startling the serpent and almost knocking Cloud and Yuffie off his back. Yuffie shuddered and clamped her hand over her mouth, cursing under her breath about arrogant dragons.
It was lucky for her that Bahamut ZERO did not hear her, and the dragon kept on flying upward. Ramuh was on his back, kneeling down and surveying the battlefield, his staff in his hand. The old man then stood and raised his staff above his head. Lightning began to crackle around it, and Ramuh threw it towards the ground.
Weapon reached out a hand and caught the staff as it zipped by, much to everyone's surprise. The monster looked at the staff for a moment and tilted its head to one side. Then Weapon closed its fist around the staff, crushing it in its grasp. Yet as everyone's hopes fell, Ramuh simply smiled. The old man clicked his fingers.
A tremendous explosion rent the air around Weapon's hand. Weapon cried out in pain and confusion as lightning flashed up and down its body, electrifying it. The electric shock caused the monster's muscles to turn rigid, making it impossible for Weapon to open its fingers and release the weapon that was causing its pain. The water that covered its body only served to further enhance the strength of the lightning—this was the true intent of Leviathan's attack.
With Weapon momentarily frozen in place, Barret raised his gun-arm and fired a series of rounds up at the globe in the monster's torso. The bullets bounced off the invisible barrier, doing no damage to it at all.
Red XIII bounded past Barret and dived onto Weapon's ankle. The flesh here was softer than anywhere else and his teeth sank straight in. The hound jerked his head, but the flesh was too tough to tear. He did do some damage, though, and his mouth was filled with the bitter taste of mako. Even so, the wound was a superficial one, barely even a scratch to a creature the size of Weapon.
This fact was proven when Weapon, outraged, reached down and brushed his hand against his ankle. He swiped Red XIII off in one swift, easy moment, sending him skidding across the ground and into the arms of Odin, who rushed in to catch him.
Diamond Weapon turned and began to head towards them. Odin, carrying Red XIII over his shoulder, leaped back out of the way just as Weapon's foot slammed into the ground. The armoured warrior moved quickly across the ground, running from side to side to avoid Weapon's grasping hands.
All of a sudden Weapon stopped and its attention was drawn to the ground by its feet. A patch of ice had formed on the grass, and it was growing larger with every second that passed. The ice thickened and grew larger. It spread over Weapon's left foot and grew higher to encase its entire leg. Weapon tried to move its leg but found that it could not move—the ice was so strong that it was not able to break free.
Weapon raised its head and looked at Shiva, who was standing nearby. The maiden's arms were raised in front of her as she used her power to trap Weapon in a shell of ice. Once one leg was firmly trapped in an unbreakable casing of ice, the maiden turned her attention to the monster's right leg. Frost began to form in patches along the diamond-hard flesh of Weapon's thigh, growing and spreading down to its ankle.
Seeing the ice forming, Weapon roared and endeavoured to break free before both of its legs became trapped. It twisted its hips and tried to lift its feet off the ground. The ice held, but Shiva was feeling the strain. The ice's growth slowed, and cracks began to appear in the ice's white surface. Shiva's brow furrowed and she closed her eyes tight, drawing upon every last ounce of her power to keep the ice together.
Tifa could see Shiva struggling to maintain the ice's strength. At any moment Weapon would break free. Realising this Tifa turned to Vincent, who was riding close by on Sleipnir. "Vincent!" she called out to him. "Give me your materia!"
Vincent shook the Ice materia out of his gun and threw it to Tifa as he rode by. The young fighter caught it and turned to Weapon. Holding the Ice materia out in front of her, she added her own energy to Shiva's and aided her in reinforcing the ice. The growth of the ice increased and the cracks began to heal. The ice spread up Weapon's leg and over its torso, heading for the globe at its centre.
Meanwhile, Weapon continued to strain against the ice, even as it rose up around its waist and spread up onto its chest. When the ice touched the barrier protecting the red glove the creature roared in anger. Sparks of red light began to flicker around the globe as the ice spread over it.
The beam fired, and the ice broke apart with a loud CRACK. Giant chunks of ice from its waist and right thigh were thrown away and went hurtling towards the ground. One chunk narrowly missed Vincent and Sleipnir, who galloped quickly out of the way. Another chunk headed towards Ifrit, who was about to charge. The ice hit Ifrit, and the fiery summon was thrown back and hit the ground hard. He rolled and eventually came to a stop. The beast tried to stand but failed, and flames swept over his body as he returned to the world from where had been summoned.
One large piece of ice shattered when it hit the ground, sending a cloud of icy shards as sharp as glass sweeping across the land. Tifa raised her arms to shield her face as dozens and dozens of tiny ice fragments hit her. They cut into her arms and legs like thousands of tiny daggers. Her skin burned with an icy cold, but was quickly warmed by her own blood as it trickled from the many tiny wounds.
Shiva was too exhausted by her efforts to trap Weapon to defend herself. The ice cloud struck her with full force, and she fell back to the ground. Her body crystallised into a statue of ice and then, like Ifrit, she too vanished.
Weapon started to turn and wrenched its left foot off the ground. It then slammed its foot down, breaking what was left of the ice that was holding it. The ground trembled as the lumps of ice hit the ground and tumbled across the hillside. Sleipnir galloped between the chunks as they rolled by, and Leviathan dived down to bat the chunks away with his tail. Cid picked up his spear and hurled it at a piece that was heading for Barret. The spear's point cleaved the ice, which fell away and stopped rolling.
Once again Weapon slammed its foot into the ground. It leaned down and tried to snatch Red XIII from the ground but the hound, with his more agile body, leaped easily out of the way. Realising that snatching was not going to work, Weapon clenched its fist and struck downwards in the hopes of crushing the hound instead.
Red XIII saw the shadow fall over him and he looked up to see Weapon's fist heading towards him. He froze, and would have been smashed into the ground if Titan had not at that moment shoved him out of the way and caught hold of the fist seconds before it hit the ground. Weapon's eyes flashed in annoyance at this interference and began to press down with all its strength. Titan struggled and pushed back, though it would not be long before Weapon's superior strength overcame him.
Red XII scrabbled back to his feet and turned to Titan. "That's enough!" he howled. "Titan, withdraw!"
Titan grunted through gritted teeth. The summon materia in Red XIII's hair clip glowed bright and Titan disappeared. With Titan gone Weapon's fist smashed into the ground, going at least two metres deep into the dried out soil.
Up in the sky, Leviathan continued to survey the battlefield. Cloud held onto the dragon's scales as he leaned over. He watched as his friends attacked Weapon from all sides, while Weapon attempted to literally 'stamp' them out. Their weapons were easily rebuffed by Weapon's armour. Only the summons seemed to do any damage, as he saw when Odin threw his lance and pierced the armour of Weapon's thigh. Green mako trickled from the open wound, and Weapon bellowed in pain.
Cloud turned his attention upward. Until now, Bahamut ZERO had been keeping out of much of the battle, waiting for a chance to strike. The dragon saw his chance when those below pulled away as Weapon fired a shot of blue energy from its mouth. Bahamut ZERO tilted his wings and fell into a steep and speedy dive. He zipped past Leviathan—once again causing Yuffie to shout at him—and headed for Weapon.
The dragon slammed his body into Weapon, striking with more force than the Junon Cannon. The impact pushed Weapon back about fifty metres to the edge of the rise. At this point Weapon recovered from the initial shock and dug its claws into the ground, holding firm. It gripped Weapon's shoulders and tried to shove the dragon away, but Bahamut ZERO clamped his powerful jaws into the creature's shoulder and refused to let go. The two were locked in a standoff, each pushing against the other, waiting for one to weaken and relinquish the fight.
Not content to stand around and wait for the dragon to weaken, Diamond Weapon opened its mouth. A faint blue light glowed in its throat as it gathered up mako from the pit of its stomach to fire at Bahamut ZERO.
Seeing this, Cloud grasped Yuffie's arm. "Tell Leviathan to get down there!" he told her sharply.
Yuffie did not hesitate and called out to Leviathan. The serpent obeyed her without question and dived down towards Bahamut ZERO and Weapon. Pulling up at the last possible moment, Leviathan zipped over Bahamut, just close enough for Cloud to jump off. He landed on Bahamut and began to run across his back towards the dragon's neck. When he reached the neck he drew his Buster Sword and leaped into the air, just as Weapon fired a single blue shot at the dragon's undefended back.
Grasping the hilt of the Buster Sword, Cloud swung it with all his might in a swift, upward stroke. The edge of the blade hit the energy shot and cut straight through, cleaving it into two. As the blade came through the other side the two halves separated and went firing off in different directions, landing in the ground on either side of Bahamut.
Cloud kept on moving. He reached up with one hand and caught the edge of the armoured plating at the top of Weapon's chest. The swordsman pushed one foot against the creature's torso and pulled himself up onto Weapon's shoulder. He looked up and saw Weapon's diamond-eyed gaze looking at him angrily. Cloud raised his sword and brought it down upon the joints of Weapon's neck. The blade cut deep into the armour, and mako oozed out of the wound. He struck again, and again, cutting deeper each time.
Angered and in pain, Diamond Weapon raised one hand and knocked the swordsman away. Cloud went flying back, losing his grip on the Buster Sword, which spiralled away from him. Seeing his summoner fall, Bahamut released his hold on Weapon and jumped back. Cloud crashed into the hard, metallic leather of the dragon's foremost left wing and rolled down until he landed with a thud on the dragon's back.
Now that it was free, Weapon opened its mouth and fired a series of energy shots at the dragon in front of it. The shots ripped through the dragon's six wings, leaving giant, gaping holes in their wake. Another hit the dragon's right flank, burning the skin and muscle and dark blood came oozing out of the wound. The sickening scent of burned flesh filled the air as smoke rose from the dragon's wounds.
One final shot hit Bahamut ZERO in the side of its face. At this the dragon screeched in pain and fury. He reared up on his hind legs, clawing at his wounded face. As he reared up Cloud lost his grip and went sliding down the dragon's back, falling off the edge of the dragon's hind legs and landing on the grass. The swordsman rolled as Bahamut ZERO's foot stamped down on the grass close to him. He scrabbled back out of the way and looked up at the dragon.
Bahamut ZERO tried to open his mouth and fire his main weapon. A hot glow began to rise in his throat, but all that came out was a rising column of steam. This effort put Bahamut ZERO in even more pain and the dragon, outraged by the assault, began to thrash about wildly. He no longer cared about his summoner's safety or the safety of anyone else on the field. All the dragon cared about now was to smash up anything and everything that got in his way.
His tail lashed and hit the ground near to where Barret and Red XIII were standing. Another swipe of that tail almost send Vincent and Sleipnir flying. All the while Weapon stared, mouth open and glowing, watching silently as the dragon thrashed.
Realising that the dragon's presence was now a threat to them, Cloud took the summon materia out of his gauntlet and lifted it up above his head. The materia flashed once, and the dragon vanished in a shower of light.
Cloud struggled to his feet. The Buster Sword lay a few feet away, embedded in the ground after Bahamut had stamped on it. The swordsman staggered over to it and bent down to pick it up. A sharp pain went up his arm as he lifted it and he dropped to his knees, holding his arm. Tifa ran over and put her hands on his shoulders, but he waved her away. He forced himself to his feet and held the Buster Sword out in front of him. He could not succumb here, not until Weapon had fallen. With a great effort he raised his sword, preparing to charge forward.
It seemed he did not need to, for Weapon was no longer trying to attack them. The monster had closed its mouth, and the pulsing glow of the globe in its torso had faded back to a dull, constant light. Weapon's head was turned up towards the sky, and its eyes were moving this way and that, seemingly searching for something. The creature stepped back away from Cloud and the others, but it was no longer interested in them. Something else, it seemed, had drawn its attention.
One by one the others cautiously lowered their weapons. They watched as Diamond Weapon's head turned sharply southward. Its eyes calmed, and the monster turned away from the companions and began to make its way slowly across the ground, making the ground shake with every step.
Cloud lowered his sword and ran forward. He stopped before a patch of churned up earth and watched as Diamond Weapon stomped away from them. The edge of its shadow passed over him, and he covered his eyes from the afternoon sunlight.
His eyes turned in the direction of Midgar where Weapon was headed. There were storm clouds moving in from the south, heading in their direction. Something about them gave Cloud a very uneasy feeling in his stomach. No, it was deeper than that. It was a feeling that he felt in his very soul… He sheathed his sword and watched the clouds.
Cid came to stand beside him. "What's wrong?" he called up to Weapon, irritated. "It's like you're blowing us off!"
Cloud returned his gaze to the landscape before him, and to Weapon, who continued to walk in the direction of Midgar. "No it's… Feeling something," he said. He shook his head and looked back up at the black storm clouds. There was definitely a strange yet recognisable feeling in the air. "…Yeah, it senses murder."
Around him, the others shifted uncomfortably. They were tired out from the battle, their bodies battered and bruised. Yet even in their tired, bruised state they too could feel the sense of murder in the air. It was thick and pungent, like a bad taste they could not swallow. What was this feeling, and whose murder were they sensing?
Leviathan landed a few metres away, and Yuffie jumped off. She ran to rejoin the others, while Leviathan, Odin and Ramuh, the only summons that remained, shimmered and vanished, their powers no longer needed.
"Okay," said Yuffie, face pale and hopping anxiously. "Can we GO now!"
Cloud nodded. He did not know how, but somehow he knew that it would be dangerous to interfere with Weapon now. They had done all they could. Their assault had been all but ineffective. Now they could only hope that Shinra's new weapon would be enough to stop it.
Everyone turned and began to run back along the grass. The Highwind was already moving in to pick them up, landing at the top of the rise.
Cloud paused to take one last look at Weapon. The monster had its back to them and was still making its way towards Midgar. He hoped that Shinra's new weapon would be enough to repel it, otherwise Marlene and all the other innocents in Midgar would be in grave danger. Still, he could not worry about that now. They had done all they could.
He was about to turn and follow the others when the PHS suddenly rang. Cloud pulled it out and flipped it open. He had no sooner opened it than Cait's shrill voice came screeching out at him.
"Oh no! Let's hurry out of here! Something big… I'm talkin' REALLY BIG'S comin'!"
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
Well, this battle ended up slightly longer than I intended, but oh well. XD It's also not one of my favourite battle scenes, but when you're restricted with timing, you can't just go all out in flushes of glory. I did try to make it a heavily summon-based battle, though, as a change. So I hope you like it.
And on another note, it is roughly ten weeks now until my holiday in Florida. So I have roughly ten weeks to finish this. Let's see if I can finish this in ten weeks!