Chapter 2: Preparation.
Sephiroth exited his tent the next morning, the Masamune Blade in hand. He drew in a long, hard breath and cast his view across the surrounding hills. Hundreds upon hundreds of tents, all belonging to soldiers from the Shinra army, dotted the landscape, offering false hope to the Commander. Over three-quarters of these tents were uninhabited, their occupants dead and buried. In reality, there were only roughly 300 combat-ready soldiers left in the camp.
"Commander Sephiroth". He turned to acknowledge the source of the hail. A soldier marched towards him, stopped when he got to within a few feet, then stood to attention and saluted. "Reinforcements from Midgar have arrived, sir. This man claims to be from SOLDIER, a First Class recruit". He pointed to a man standing to his right. Even as he said it, Sephiroth could see the disappointment in the soldier's eyes, and he knew exactly what he was thinking. "What, only one man as back-up? We don't stand a chance". Nonetheless, Sephiroth returned his salute, and dismissed him, then turned to address the newly-arrived SOLDIER.
He gave him the once-over. The recruit was tall and well-built, with unkempt hair nearly as black as Sephiroth's cloak, and the striking blue eyes which were the mark of SOLDIER- those infused with Mako all had the same eyes. He carried an enormous sword on his back, nearly as long as his body, and almost as wide. Before Sephiroth could address him however, the young recruit took the initiative.
"First Class SOLDIER. Recruit Zack reporting for duty, sir".
Sephiroth couldn't help but smile. His enthusiasm marked him a as a rookie, but he could tell that he had tremendous battle prowess, and he inwardly noted, "Hmmm, perhaps we're not all doomed after all".
"At ease", Sephiroth said. Zack immediately quit his salute, and stood steadfastly with his hands behind his back. "I assume you've been briefed on our current position", Sephiroth questioned. When Zack nodded, Sephiroth continued. "The Wutai army outnumbers us by at least 3 to 1. Even with both of us contributing, our side would be hopelessly outmatched in battle, so as a result, the element of surprise is our only hope".
He continued, "As we speak, our forces are mobilising for combat- they should be ready within the hour. We then plan to launch a tactical offensive which will hopefully take the Wutai forces unawares, thus allowing us to capture this region. I don't have to tell you that this area is of significant tactical interest, since Wutai itself is only a few dozen miles to the North".
Zack nodded in acknowledgment. Sephiroth then beckoned for the recruit to follow him. "If you're going to be of any use, you'll need some materia". They entered his tent, and Sephiroth pried open a hefty wooden chest which was lying right inside the entrance. "Restore, Ice, and Lightning materia. There are a few others in there as well, but I recommend that you leave them alone, since they require a lot of experience to use correctly. I already have mine equipped, so take as many as you like. These infantrymen don't know how to use materia anyway".
Sephiroth turned and left the tent, "I'll leave you to equip those", was all he said. Zack's attentions returned to the materia inside the chest. As a member of SOLDIER, he had previously equipped materia, but it had been mostly either Support or Command style, like HP Plus or Counter Attack, which was more of an instinctive materia than anything else. He had never used anything offensive like these before. "Hmph, there's no time like the present", he mused to himself, before reaching inside the chest and taking hold of the Restore materia in his right hand.
He had gone through this process countless times before. Concentrating deeply on the materia in his hand, the surface of the orb began to fluctuate, taking on almost liquid properties as the colour grew lighter and lighter. It began to glow a brilliant white, and Zack was forced to turn his head away because of the sheer radiance of the glow. Within seconds the light faded and he was able to look at his hand once again. The orb had vanished, but he could feel it's power inside of him, providing him with it's magic, and charging him with previously unknown abilities. The feeling of Magic Materia was distinctly different from that of the materia he had previously equipped however. With HP Plus, it simply allowed him to take more damage in a fight- it wasn't something he had to wilfully use, it was just there. Same with Counter Attack, whenever he incurred a hit, he just felt an overwhelming urge to counter, no matter how weak he was at the time. Nothing too serious. With Magic materia it was different- he actually had to invoke the power it gave him. He was just glad that Sephiroth hadn't given him any Summon materia...
He quickly repeated the process with the remaining orbs, then joined Sephiroth outside the tent.
Later that day, the Shinra army, with Zack and Sephiroth at it's head, marched onwards towards Wutai, eventually reaching the peak of a mountain near the Da-Chou range. Sunlight bathed the valley in a warm, idyllic glow, giving off a sense of blissful serenity. The calm before the storm, Sephiroth realised. Still, he could not help but be swayed by the natural beauty of the region, although that was far from the predominant thought in his mind at present. They were close to Wutai, so close that the top of the Pagoda of the 5 Gods could be seen in the far reaches of the horizon. Sephiroth estimated that they were maybe 15 miles from the town- barely half a day's march, and that was what troubled him. Wutai's army should never have let them get this close- it put their city at risk. He knew they outnumbered his army, so why hadn't they already attacked and tried to push them as far away from home as possible?
He stared intently at the two mountain ranges which ran towards Wutai at opposite sides of the valley. The valley itself was surrounded on 3 sides, and the only exit was straight in front of them, about 5 miles away. If Sephiroth ordered the army to enter the valley, they would be effectively trapped until they reached it. It had taken them hours to scale the mountain and reach this vantage point, even at their maximum speed. There was no way they would be able to climb out of the valley in time to escape a surprise assault- they would be forced to fight with their backs to the wall- a position no one was really comfortable fighting in. As soon as they entered the valley, the only way out was to reach that exit 5 miles away.
It was a difficult decision. He could always bring the soldiers around the valley and take Wutai from the side, but that would take days. Another thought also came to him: what if the Wutai army was currently attempting to regroup, thinking that Shinra would never initiate an offensive so soon after the last battle? If that was true, then going around the valley might give them the necessary time to regroup and form a strategy, and actually work in their favour. Going through the valley would catch them unawares. Then again, if they were fully mobilised right now, then going through the valley would give them an advantage. After several moments passed, Sephiroth realised that he was prepared to take that chance...
"Okay. We go through the valley.". Sephiroth's voice thundered through the ranks of Shinra's soldiers, and the message was gradually passed along until it reached those at the back. Zack, standing at Sephiroth's right hand, leaned over and spoke to him quietly. "Are you sure that's wise? I'm sure you realise that this would be the perfect place to spring a trap".
Sephiroth merely smiled, and replied, "I know", then turned and entered the yawning crevasse…
Sephiroth exited his tent the next morning, the Masamune Blade in hand. He drew in a long, hard breath and cast his view across the surrounding hills. Hundreds upon hundreds of tents, all belonging to soldiers from the Shinra army, dotted the landscape, offering false hope to the Commander. Over three-quarters of these tents were uninhabited, their occupants dead and buried. In reality, there were only roughly 300 combat-ready soldiers left in the camp.
"Commander Sephiroth". He turned to acknowledge the source of the hail. A soldier marched towards him, stopped when he got to within a few feet, then stood to attention and saluted. "Reinforcements from Midgar have arrived, sir. This man claims to be from SOLDIER, a First Class recruit". He pointed to a man standing to his right. Even as he said it, Sephiroth could see the disappointment in the soldier's eyes, and he knew exactly what he was thinking. "What, only one man as back-up? We don't stand a chance". Nonetheless, Sephiroth returned his salute, and dismissed him, then turned to address the newly-arrived SOLDIER.
He gave him the once-over. The recruit was tall and well-built, with unkempt hair nearly as black as Sephiroth's cloak, and the striking blue eyes which were the mark of SOLDIER- those infused with Mako all had the same eyes. He carried an enormous sword on his back, nearly as long as his body, and almost as wide. Before Sephiroth could address him however, the young recruit took the initiative.
"First Class SOLDIER. Recruit Zack reporting for duty, sir".
Sephiroth couldn't help but smile. His enthusiasm marked him a as a rookie, but he could tell that he had tremendous battle prowess, and he inwardly noted, "Hmmm, perhaps we're not all doomed after all".
"At ease", Sephiroth said. Zack immediately quit his salute, and stood steadfastly with his hands behind his back. "I assume you've been briefed on our current position", Sephiroth questioned. When Zack nodded, Sephiroth continued. "The Wutai army outnumbers us by at least 3 to 1. Even with both of us contributing, our side would be hopelessly outmatched in battle, so as a result, the element of surprise is our only hope".
He continued, "As we speak, our forces are mobilising for combat- they should be ready within the hour. We then plan to launch a tactical offensive which will hopefully take the Wutai forces unawares, thus allowing us to capture this region. I don't have to tell you that this area is of significant tactical interest, since Wutai itself is only a few dozen miles to the North".
Zack nodded in acknowledgment. Sephiroth then beckoned for the recruit to follow him. "If you're going to be of any use, you'll need some materia". They entered his tent, and Sephiroth pried open a hefty wooden chest which was lying right inside the entrance. "Restore, Ice, and Lightning materia. There are a few others in there as well, but I recommend that you leave them alone, since they require a lot of experience to use correctly. I already have mine equipped, so take as many as you like. These infantrymen don't know how to use materia anyway".
Sephiroth turned and left the tent, "I'll leave you to equip those", was all he said. Zack's attentions returned to the materia inside the chest. As a member of SOLDIER, he had previously equipped materia, but it had been mostly either Support or Command style, like HP Plus or Counter Attack, which was more of an instinctive materia than anything else. He had never used anything offensive like these before. "Hmph, there's no time like the present", he mused to himself, before reaching inside the chest and taking hold of the Restore materia in his right hand.
He had gone through this process countless times before. Concentrating deeply on the materia in his hand, the surface of the orb began to fluctuate, taking on almost liquid properties as the colour grew lighter and lighter. It began to glow a brilliant white, and Zack was forced to turn his head away because of the sheer radiance of the glow. Within seconds the light faded and he was able to look at his hand once again. The orb had vanished, but he could feel it's power inside of him, providing him with it's magic, and charging him with previously unknown abilities. The feeling of Magic Materia was distinctly different from that of the materia he had previously equipped however. With HP Plus, it simply allowed him to take more damage in a fight- it wasn't something he had to wilfully use, it was just there. Same with Counter Attack, whenever he incurred a hit, he just felt an overwhelming urge to counter, no matter how weak he was at the time. Nothing too serious. With Magic materia it was different- he actually had to invoke the power it gave him. He was just glad that Sephiroth hadn't given him any Summon materia...
He quickly repeated the process with the remaining orbs, then joined Sephiroth outside the tent.
Later that day, the Shinra army, with Zack and Sephiroth at it's head, marched onwards towards Wutai, eventually reaching the peak of a mountain near the Da-Chou range. Sunlight bathed the valley in a warm, idyllic glow, giving off a sense of blissful serenity. The calm before the storm, Sephiroth realised. Still, he could not help but be swayed by the natural beauty of the region, although that was far from the predominant thought in his mind at present. They were close to Wutai, so close that the top of the Pagoda of the 5 Gods could be seen in the far reaches of the horizon. Sephiroth estimated that they were maybe 15 miles from the town- barely half a day's march, and that was what troubled him. Wutai's army should never have let them get this close- it put their city at risk. He knew they outnumbered his army, so why hadn't they already attacked and tried to push them as far away from home as possible?
He stared intently at the two mountain ranges which ran towards Wutai at opposite sides of the valley. The valley itself was surrounded on 3 sides, and the only exit was straight in front of them, about 5 miles away. If Sephiroth ordered the army to enter the valley, they would be effectively trapped until they reached it. It had taken them hours to scale the mountain and reach this vantage point, even at their maximum speed. There was no way they would be able to climb out of the valley in time to escape a surprise assault- they would be forced to fight with their backs to the wall- a position no one was really comfortable fighting in. As soon as they entered the valley, the only way out was to reach that exit 5 miles away.
It was a difficult decision. He could always bring the soldiers around the valley and take Wutai from the side, but that would take days. Another thought also came to him: what if the Wutai army was currently attempting to regroup, thinking that Shinra would never initiate an offensive so soon after the last battle? If that was true, then going around the valley might give them the necessary time to regroup and form a strategy, and actually work in their favour. Going through the valley would catch them unawares. Then again, if they were fully mobilised right now, then going through the valley would give them an advantage. After several moments passed, Sephiroth realised that he was prepared to take that chance...
"Okay. We go through the valley.". Sephiroth's voice thundered through the ranks of Shinra's soldiers, and the message was gradually passed along until it reached those at the back. Zack, standing at Sephiroth's right hand, leaned over and spoke to him quietly. "Are you sure that's wise? I'm sure you realise that this would be the perfect place to spring a trap".
Sephiroth merely smiled, and replied, "I know", then turned and entered the yawning crevasse…
