FF7 Heartstrings
Vincent Unleashed
by TacomaSquall
Part Three:
The room was spinning, and Vincent was aware of something he had not noticed in more than thirty years - the small hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He felt the energies that coursed through his body as a distant memory of agony that was smothered by the lassitude induced by the narcotics that had been injected into his bloodstream.
As far as he could tell, the table had been suspended in a field that kept it balanced and spinning at high speeds. Arcs of varicolored energy flashed from the edge of the spherical field to the table, and Vincent, who was trapped within. Whirling around Vincent were four rods of titanium-steel alloy, tipped with crystals of Materia. Each rod had a different colored crystal at its tip.
The first rod, about two feet in length, ended in an amethyst-hued piece of Materia. The Materia had been encouraged to form into a long cylinder shape, about four inches in length. The shaped crystal was as wide as the rod it tipped. Bolts of violet energy shot from its tip into the field surrounding Vincent. Somehow he knew it was related to the Galian Beast.
The second rod stretched for four feet, and was segmented cunningly to move about the field as it sought the optimum place to cast its energies. Dull gray beams emitted from its gem, an arrow-shaped piece of obsidian Materia a full foot in length, and sloughed their way into the field around Vincent. The energy called to Vincent's mind the mindless power of the Death Gigas.
The beams from the third crystal was blindingly white, and came from a piece of Materia that appeared to be a lump of unrefined white quartz. The striations in the stone carried over into the beams that jumped from its knobby surface to the vortex of energies. The crystal was a mere inch in length, and it capped its two-foot-long rod like the head of a mushroom. The Hellmasker.
The fourth and final rod was four feet in length and segmented as the Death Gigas' rod had been. The crystal on its end was unshaped and rough, jagging out in four tines from a central crystalline body. The crystal was onyx, and its bolts were crackling pulses of night itself cast at Vincent through the gyre he was trapped inside. Chaos.
The amethyst and quartz Materia rods stayed stationary, providing the axis for Vincent's spinning. The second set of rods, those tipped with onyx and obsidian Materia, moved back and forth, in a manner similar to that employed by Hades over his great cauldron. The motion from these rods changed the angle of Vincent's gyrations. Together, the four rods acted on the undead gunslinger as a gyrocompass would, keeping Vincent centered on one place, regardless of the forces working on him.
Suddenly, the first crystal flared into violet luminescence. A beam shot out of the vortex towards the crystal, and it drew the pulse of energy into its heart like a flower soaks up water after a long drought. As the beam left Vincent, he felt somehow weakened by it, more vulnerable. Beyond the crystal, he saw two burning red eyes appear, followed by the rest of the Galian Beast. It howled in exuberance and turned to flee. Vincent saw the demonic being that had dosed him into unconsciousness speak a single word to the Beast, and it sat, facing Vincent. Vincent felt the intent gaze of the Beast and knew it meant ill for him whenever this experiment was ended.
The second crystal soon followed in the first one's footsteps. When the Death Gigas materialized, the demon spoke to it and the Galian Beast. Together, the two left the chamber, the Beast's loping trot easily keeping up with the mammoth strides of the giant.
The third crystal flared into white light, and Vincent was now certain that his strength was being drained with each monster being pulled from within him. As the Hellmasker came into being, Vincent felt his blood flowing from his lacerated wrists, being flung about by his gyrations and splashing on the Hellmasker, the table, the floor, and even his demonic tormentor. The Hellmasker looked at the demon and gave a curt nod to Lord Tenarrus' command. It flew straight upwards, passing through the ceiling of the chamber without leaving a mark of its passing.
Vincent slumped in the restraints, the only thing keeping him in place being the forces that pressed him flat against the table. He felt his blood draining and the resurgent pain that flowed through his body. He welcomed it as a man who is starving welcomes sustenance. In the back of his mind, he realized the drugs were wearing off.
The final crystal flared into non-light, and then shattered as Chaos was drawn forth. The demon was surprised by the concussion, but hastily regained his composure as Chaos formed in the chamber. Vincent sagged further, his strength drained, as the spinning table slowed its gyrations.
Chaos spoke. "Why have you released me from my chosen vessel?" The dark being's voice seemed to reverberate in Vincent's mind. He gestured at Vincent.
The demon replied. "I have freed you, Lord Chaos, to go forth and have your revenge upon the ones who bound your brethren so many years ago. You are the last of the great ones still free. Bahamut and the Knights of the Round were captured long ago, as were Typoon, Hades and the mighty Phoenix."
Chaos laughed. "You think this is unknown to me? I knew the fates of my brethren many years ago, fool!"
The demon Lord smiled at Chaos. "Perhaps. However, I know how to free them. I will, unless you lend me your aid."
Chaos snarled at Tenarrus, "Who are you to command ME?" As he spoke, he drew the Chaos Saber and slashed at the demon. To his surprise, Chaos' blade did nothing to Tenarrus.
Tenarrus laughed at Chaos' attack. "I am the master of shadows! I am the dread lord whose coming was foretold millenia ago by Jenova! I am Tenarrus, Lord of Nessos!" With a fluid movement, Tenarrus drew the blade of his shadow-wrought greatsword, Midnight's Heart, and brought the blade about in an en garde position.
"I am your master, Lord Chaos. Yield to me, or face your kin's revenge!"
Lord Chaos cried in negation, "Never!"
Chaos launched into a furious series of attacks on the demon lord, thrusting and slashing with all of his might and skill at Tenarrus. Coolly, Tenarrus met each and every thrust with the perfect deflection, each slash with a flawless parry, each kick and punch with a sidestep or a backstep. Tenarrus seemed content to allow Chaos' fury to play out, while maintaining the defensive.
Vincent realized his captor's attention was all on the gunslinger's monstrous alter-ego, and frantically tried again to get loose of the restraints that held him to the now-still table. With a supreme effort that almost took all of his strength, he managed to slip one blood-slickened wrist free of its clamp. From there, it was easy for Vincent to reach over and release the clamp that held his other hand fast, and then to release his feet.
Vincent looked at the two combatants. They seemed oblivious to his actions, and were on the far side of the laboratory from the exit. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Vincent dashed for the exit, his previous weakness swept away in a rush of adrenaline. He made it the exit without looking back once and continued running into the tunnels, ramps, and stairways of the underground ShinRa complex.
Vincent kept running, as he drew nearer and nearer to the exit. He knew, somehow, that if he stopped, either Chaos or "Lord Tenarrus" would catch and do something terrible to him. His burst of adrenaline sustained him until he reached the no-longer-hidden entrance to the lab in the central support of Midgar. He staggered out of the opening and into the ruins, taking a few steps on sheer momentum before collapsing from blood loss and exhaustion nearby, behind a small pile of rubble.
* * * * * *
Every attack Lord Chaos threw at Tenarrus was parried effortlessly. It was obvious that Tenarrus was a master of the blade, and Chaos was beginning to feel even his nigh-limitless reserves wane. The great Mako-twisted monster chose to change tactics on the demon lord. Calling upon forces of magic unknown to any whose bloodstream did not thrill to the burning energies of the Planet, Chaos called upon the greatest weapon in his arsenal, the Satan Impact.
The magical attack that was known as the Satan Impact was a magical assault conceived of by Chaos and his dark brother, Hades. The magic's power called upon the powers of uttermost darkness to attempt and claim the soul of those foolish enough to oppose them. Those fortunate enough not to be slain outright by the powerful magic were still buffeted by waves of unholy energies. When the magic had been created, Chaos wrested control of it from his brother, beginning the Mako Wars that ended in his betrayal of the Mako-twisted to the Cetra, who bound them within Materia forever. When the Cetra sought to bind Chaos, he used what he learned from them to mask his presence, hiding in the mountain that later became known as Mount Nibel. It was there that he hid, until the explorations of ShinRa revealed to him that the Cetra's day was done. ShinRa led him to HoJo, and the twisted scientist was the one who offered him such a wondrous vessel of power, the undead gunslinger, Vincent Valentine.
The energies of the Satan Impact roiled into being at Chaos' command, and he felt satisfaction at the knowledge that soon, he would be able to reclaim his host. Chaos' satisfaction turned to ashes when he saw a reflective barrier activate around Lord Tenarrus. The barrier turned the energies of the Satan Impact back upon its caster. Chaos was thrown to the ground by the impact.
As Chaos began to rise, he felt the pressure of Tenarrus' blade on his neck. "I tire of this, Chaos. I permitted your attempt to allow you to understand how outmatched you truly are, Mako-twisted one. Strive further, and you will feel your brethren's justice."
Chaos quailed before the implicit threat. He bowed his head and, as meekly as he could, stated, "I will obey, Lord Tenarrus."
"Very well. Go to the surface and recapture Vincent. He escaped while you were being a fool." Tenarrus' rebuke was soft, but sharp.
"As you wish, dread Lord." Chaos bowed and took the same route that the Hellmasker took to the surface.
Once in the ruins of Midgar, Chaos looked and spied the unconscious form of the gunslinger. He noted the rise and fall of his chest with each weak breath that he took in. He knelt beside Vincent and placed both hands on his chest. Calling upon his magic, he pronounced one word. "Live."
As he watched Vincent's wounds heal, Chaos laughed. I will serve you well, Lord Tenarrus. For now. The time will come when I will have a chance for revenge, and Vincent will be the instrument of it.
As Chaos returned to his new master, he sent a telepathic call to one of the agents of ShinRa that worked in conjunction with HoJo in making Vincent what he had become.
"Turks, one of your own has fallen in the ruins of Midgar. He needs your help. Come quickly."
End of Part Three