FF7 Heartstrings
Vincent Unleashed
by TacomaSquall
Part Ten:
The members of AVALANCHE waited by the shore of the central pool in the long-abandoned City of the Ancients. Fifteen long minutes before, Cloud had called forth the Phoenix, and sent it to bring their beloved companion, Aeris Gainsborough, back from the dead.
Yuffie looked at the pool they had chosen as Aeris' last resting place. She was shocked to see wavelets on the pool. They radiated outwards from the center of the pool, the depths of which had never been plumbed by human beings. As she watched, a second ring radiated outwards. As the first set of miniature waves hit the edge of the pool, she felt the ground beneath her shudder. A third wave, larger than both of the first two waves combined, rushed toward the shore.
The ground shook again, harder this time, and Yuffie heard the splash of the water as a fourth wave was created and began hurtling outwards. The third wave raced into the second as it began to slow down upon nearing the shore. Beside her, Yuffie saw Nanaki grimace in pain, then throw his head back and howl.
The ground began to shake, catching the members of AVALANCHE off-balance. Cait Sith's stuffed body was thrown to the ground, as was Maiji. Cloud staggered backwards drunkenly, his eyes casting about frantically for enemies and finding none. Cid and Yager stood side by side, supporting Hieros, whose sense of equilibrium had went haywire. Braced on all four legs, Nanaki continued to howl, his voice calling out the grief of the Planet's countless eons. Yuffie and Tifa maintained their balance, swaying with the motion of the ground. Barret stood as solidly in place as if the ground were not moving at all.
The trembling continued and became more and more intense. The waters of Aeris' final resting place began to churn wildly, with foaming spray being cast in all directions. Waves began beating on the pool's shore in an increasing, staccato rhythm. The members of AVALANCHE found themselves rapidly starting to get wet from the mist from the pool.
The tremors were taking their toll on the cave's roof, as well. Cracks began to spider-web across the walls and ceiling of the cavern beneath the City of the Ancients. The cracks inexorably spread. Horrified, Yuffie realized that, soon, the lost city of the Cetra would collapse upon the grave of the Planet's savior.
Beside Yuffie, Nanaki threw his head back again and howled with great urgency. "The Planet! It is in agony!"
From above, Yuffie heard a grinding rumble. She looked up, to see a portion of the ceiling break off and crash to the cavern's floor. She looked about the ceiling of the cavern desperately. Dust was beginning to sift down from above.
Yuffie's attention was dragged back to the pool by a eruption of earth and water. The slurry struck the heroes like a slap from a Gigas' open hand. The members of AVALANCHE were driven back a step or two by the onslaught.
In horror, Yuffie watched as the waters of the pool rushed into the gigantic hole created in the cavern's floor. Climbing up through the massive opening was a 200-foot-tall, gleaming, metallic monstrosity that resembled most an unwinged version of the Weapon that AVALANCHE pursued for days in the Highwind before defeating it between Cosmo Canyon and Gongaga. By the Ancients, another Weapon! And it doesn't look happy to see us…
The members of AVALANCHE froze in horror. Their attention focused on the massive defender of the Planet that stood before them, they never saw the section of ceiling that began tumbling downwards.
Yuffie was jarred from her paralysis as the roof caved in, burying Tifa, Cid, Cait Sith, Hieros, and Yager under a ton of earth and rock.
Before she could do anything, Yuffie felt impact tremors. The Weapon was moving! She looked up to see the Adamantine Weapon stride towards the members of AVALANCHE.
* * * * * *
In the mining town of North Corel, things were settling down after a long day. Elmyra Gainsborough walked slowly home from the rail station, holding the hand of the young girl who had become a second daughter to her, Marlene. With Barret gone all of the time, she was the closest thing to a parent the girl had.
They had just returned to North Corel after their excursion to see Cloud and Tifa's wedding, two weeks before. They had ridden the train from Costa del Sol, and were both exhausted from the long journey.
Marlene drew herself up short in the town square, where the members of AVALANCHE had stopped a train from plowing through the then-ramshackle settlement. Statues of the members of AVALANCHE were scattered throughout the square, their figures posed in heroic poses that made these replicas much more flawless than the people they represented. Marlene looked toward the north.
Elmyra stopped short. "What is it, Marlene?"
"Daddy is in trouble," the girl said simply.
Both of them were surprised as the statue of Vincent Valentine metamorphosed into the guise of Lord Chaos. It stepped away from the pedestal.
"Actually, my dear little girl, I think I would worry about the trouble you are in before worrying about anyone else." Chaos smiled as he drew the Chaos Saber. "Not that worrying about it will help…"
Marlene opened her mouth to scream.
* * * * * *
Cloud sighed to himself. How do we get into these messes? Fighting against a new Weapon, and already half of us are out of action, with the rest of us off balance. First things first, I guess. Time enough to dig the others out if we can survive. With Yuffie, Maiji, and myself, we have enough summoning ability to beat it, I hope.
He drew the Ultima Weapon and concentrated on two of the Materia socketed in the blade. A glowing cloud of green energy surrounded the five standing members of AVALANCHE, suffusing them with the healing energies of the Planet. They felt the minor wounds they had sustained from the collapse of the ceiling begin to heal.
He looked at Barret. "I need you and Nanaki to keep that thing busy for a few. Burn a belt of ammunition, if you need to, but keep its attention off of us while we scatter and try to hit it. I want to try and use the same tactics on it that we used against Emerald." Using the power of the Mime Materia, we can volley the Knights into this monstrosity. It worked before…
Barret nodded, and opened fire. High-caliber shells slammed into the Weapon's armored hide. They might as well had been pellets from a child's toy gun, for all the effect the stream had on the colossus. Barret dodged quickly to the right, narrowly avoiding a sweep of the Weapon's massive arm.
Nanaki darted into the space left by the Adamantine Weapon's attack and sprang at the giant machine. In mid-spring, Nanaki noticed his fur standing on end in places and recognized the smell of ozone in the air. Desperately, the Kyrrawlen shifted in mid-air. Partially successful, Nanaki clipped the electrified skin of the Weapon, instead of coming into head-on contact. Even that fleeting contact, however, was enough to leave the defender of Cosmo Canyon twitching on the ground.
Cloud saw Nanaki go down and swore. "Damn!" He turned to Maiji and grimly ordered, "Use summons and stay away from this guy. Do not use Kjata, Ramuh or the Knights of the Round on it. We will try to keep him busy. When I signal and Yuffie calls on the Knights of the Round, hide!" He brandished the Ultima Weapon and charged at the monstrosity. "Scatter!"
Maiji looked at the Materia that Cloud had taught her about on the trip here, focusing her attention on a singular ruby orb socketed in the ornate Wizard Bracelet he insisted she wear. The Master Summon Materia. With this, according to Cloud, I can call upon any of the summons. How about this one… The woman concentrated and called forth the Earth's Anger.
The members of AVALANCHE vanished as the ground heaved and shook. Finally, the group erupted, revealing a muscle-bound man the size of a Gigas. He roared in anger and sank his hands into the ground at the feet of the Weapon. With a single surge of power, Titan began lifting, raising the ground up higher and higher, until he toppled the Weapon. As the Weapon fell, Titan dropped the slab of the earth it had pulled up onto the metal-clad monstrosity and then vanished. When the dust had settled and AVALANCHE had reappeared, the Weapon stood, seemingly unharmed by the summoned mako-twisted avatar of the Earth.
The Weapon turned its gaze toward Maiji, but was rocked as Barret called forth all of his despair and frustration into a single blast of energy. Barret knew it was a risk, using such a low-powered Limit Break, but he wanted to keep the enemy distracted, not convince it he was a serious threat. He darted sideways, as the monster fired eyebeams of coruscating emerald energy into the space where he stood. "Jeez! You can't even shoot straight!"
Taking advantage of Barret's distraction, Maiji ducked behind part of the rockfall as she tried to make up her mind as to which Summon to call on next.
Yuffie darted in a zigzagging path towards the back of the Weapon. As she ran, she concentrated. Magical barriers encapsulated the five standing members of AVALANCHE, offering a measure of protection from the powerful magical and physical attacks of the Weapon.
Cloud slashed at the Weapon with his sword. The huge sword seemed to barely have any affect upon the massive monster, however. The Weapon ignored the blond swordsman, focusing its attention on the powerfully-built dark-skinned man which had, so far, proven to be the biggest threat.
The Weapon's fist slammed into Barret's torso and flung the massive former terrorist backwards fifty feet. Under the impact, Barret felt ribs give, and heard the snap of what felt like his collarbone. Dazed by the blow, Barret looked numbly at the Weapon as it turned its baleful gaze upon him.
Repaying Barret's distraction from earlier, Maiji called upon the power of the Master Summon again. Clouds rolled in, cutting off the light of the sun above, and the heavens opened. As the rain began to fall in sheets, a single rider, mounted on a six-legged horse, came into view. He looked at the Weapon with his one eye, and urged his mount forward.
Odin reined in his mighty steed before it could reach the gigantic monster, and used the steed's momentum to cast his war-spear high into the air. Gungnir cut through the air, slicing through the clouds and revealing the light of the sun momentarily.
Moments passed slowly, before the clouds were torn asunder, as the spear came plummeting downwards. The spear struck home into the monster's head, staggering the Adamantine Weapon with the sheer force of the blow, but glancing off its nigh-impenetrable hide.
Cloud knew they could not go toe-to-toe with the Weapon forever. It was time to get this ended. "Yuffie, now!"
Yuffie concentrated on the special golden Materia she wore in the Chocobracelet. With it, she could call upon consecutive Summons. She sent her call through the void for the mightiest of the mako-twisted.
The Knights of the Round.
End of Part Ten