Chapter IXXX: The Assault.
The tank rumbled downward, through the darkness of the sewers. It rounded corners, smashed through any obstacles that lay in its way, but Seph X and Jarred hung onto the tanks turret, wondering for the life of them where they were heading.
"This is your fault." Jarred said as the sewage ran down his back.
"I'm not enjoying this anymore than you." Seph X replied, angry at having to suffer through being drenched in sewage.
"Didn't you slosh around here for hours before you came out?" Jarred asked.
"I never said I liked it." Seph X gritted.
The tank stopped.
"Shit!" Jarred swore.
"What?" Seph X asked.
"The riders won't be able to find us, we're on our own!"
Seph X raised an eyebrow, while drawing the Masamune.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Jarred thought of this briefly. The equation "Metal army + Jarred" ran through his mind. Eventually he came up with the answer. "Metal army + Jarred = Fun."
"No." Jarred answered quickly, a smile stamped on his face, drawing his own weapon out. The long crystal dagger glinted on murky darkness.
"You STILL have that toothpick?" Seph X said sceptically.
"Its stronger than you think." Jarred replied, slightly insulted by Seph X's words.
"We've gotta do something about your choice of weapons." The machine said. "You think you can blow this hunk of junk while I begin?"
Jarred grinned.
"Can do."
Seph X hopped off the tank and ran off into the murky darkness.
Jarred summoned the blue ball of light again, holding it in his hand. Then he pointed it at the tank. A pillar of blueness slammed into the tank, instantly creating a huge hole running through it. Jarred laughed, creating more holes in the tanks bulk. Light reflected off the water as the tank finally exploded, sending Jarred flying into a wall.
"Ouch," He merely said.
He pulled himself up, summoning another ball of light. He held it high to see where he was going, then ran into the darkness after Seph X.
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Cloud ran down the stairs, accompanied by a troop of soldiers. He nearly collided with Vincent and Yuffie as he stormed down to the basement.
"Vincent, Yufs, they're gonna attack! Get down to the basement NOW!" Cloud ordered as he moved out of the way.
Yuffie glanced at Cloud oddly.
"Yes master, would you like some tea while I'm up?" Yuffie whispered. They both chuckled.
They followed Cloud down to the basement, and he rounded up everyone that strayed into his range of site. This included Cid and Barret. They both carefully avoided looking at Vincent, which was fine for him.
"You know, your gonna hafta apologize sometime." Yuffie said.
Vincent looked down at Yuffie.
"I owe them nothing. For five years I have resisted the urge NOT to tear them from limb to limb. I have done nothing to them, and still they insult me. I owe them nothing!" He said resolutely.
Yuffie suddenly realised that her petty insults from Cid and Barret were nothing compared to Vincent's, they called him things like "Freak" or "Vampire" and sometimes just "Monster man", and he had played along with them for five years. The strain must have been great, she concluded.
"Fine." Yuffie said, grinning again. Suddenly she let go of Vincent's hand and waited for Cid and Barret.
"And how's my little marshmallow today?" She asked, a mischievous grin slapped on her face.
Barret frowned.
"Don't call me that, pest." Barret grunted.
"Can't . . . Stop . . ., Must. . . Call . . . You . . . Marshmallow!" she said with mock strain.
Barret put his normal hand on Yuffie shoulder, shaking her.
"If you call me that one more time, I'll-" He was interrupted as Vincent plucked the hand away.
"Leave her alone." Vincent said.
"Damn, Yuffie. Have you got him on a f-#ยค%-ing leash or something?" Cid swore.
Vincent glared at them both.
"I think five years of you two did it to him." Yuffie said airily, letting Vincent move her away.
When they were out of hearing range, Vincent looked curiously at Yuffie.
"What were you doing?" He asked, letting his thoughts show.
"Just getting a thought into their thick skulls." She replied, focussing on the darkness. "Is this the basement?"
Vincent sighed.
"Yes."
"Oh." Yuffie said. "Then were the other guys?" She asked.
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"HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT?" Malice asked.
"Not long." Mech-Head replied.
"WHY CAN'T WE HUNT THEM?"
Mech-Head found that speaking to a demon after so many years of solitude and hate took a toll on one's patience.
"Because if they think they are catching US by surprise, then we can attack while they're still under the impression that they're attacking."
There were simply too many words for the severely limited mind of Malice to comprehend.
"HUH?"
Mech-Head sighed exasperatedly.
"It'll be more fun." He conceded.
"OH."
Malice shifted in the darkness that surrounded him.
"HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT?"
"That depends how smart our enemy is." Mech-Head replied.
"AND HOW SMART ARE THEY?"
Mech-Head shrugged.
"Who can tell with humans?"
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Far away, up in the northern continent, in the ancient ruins of what was, an equally ancient being emerged. It wasn't anything new, no. The being had been there throughout the rise and fall of the ruins. But now it stirred, disturbed from its eternal sleep by the colliding forces so far away. It hadn't felt this kind of energy for thousands of years. And it knew that when there was something of that force happening in one place, something got killed. And it would come to the ruins. It knew the names of all the combatants, even some of their past, but it could not tell who would win. It merely waited.
For in the end, anything powerful returns to the ruins the demons.
"Shagut na entor sita," It whispered. "Mi torna kal khax."
In the background, more things emerged, awakened by the forces.
"The temple of evil has awaited for its call, now it awaits the warriors return." It whispered again.
The winds blew harshly over the black ruins of the temple, a reminder of what was, and what is. The ancient being howled its anguish to the skies.
The tank rumbled downward, through the darkness of the sewers. It rounded corners, smashed through any obstacles that lay in its way, but Seph X and Jarred hung onto the tanks turret, wondering for the life of them where they were heading.
"This is your fault." Jarred said as the sewage ran down his back.
"I'm not enjoying this anymore than you." Seph X replied, angry at having to suffer through being drenched in sewage.
"Didn't you slosh around here for hours before you came out?" Jarred asked.
"I never said I liked it." Seph X gritted.
The tank stopped.
"Shit!" Jarred swore.
"What?" Seph X asked.
"The riders won't be able to find us, we're on our own!"
Seph X raised an eyebrow, while drawing the Masamune.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Jarred thought of this briefly. The equation "Metal army + Jarred" ran through his mind. Eventually he came up with the answer. "Metal army + Jarred = Fun."
"No." Jarred answered quickly, a smile stamped on his face, drawing his own weapon out. The long crystal dagger glinted on murky darkness.
"You STILL have that toothpick?" Seph X said sceptically.
"Its stronger than you think." Jarred replied, slightly insulted by Seph X's words.
"We've gotta do something about your choice of weapons." The machine said. "You think you can blow this hunk of junk while I begin?"
Jarred grinned.
"Can do."
Seph X hopped off the tank and ran off into the murky darkness.
Jarred summoned the blue ball of light again, holding it in his hand. Then he pointed it at the tank. A pillar of blueness slammed into the tank, instantly creating a huge hole running through it. Jarred laughed, creating more holes in the tanks bulk. Light reflected off the water as the tank finally exploded, sending Jarred flying into a wall.
"Ouch," He merely said.
He pulled himself up, summoning another ball of light. He held it high to see where he was going, then ran into the darkness after Seph X.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Cloud ran down the stairs, accompanied by a troop of soldiers. He nearly collided with Vincent and Yuffie as he stormed down to the basement.
"Vincent, Yufs, they're gonna attack! Get down to the basement NOW!" Cloud ordered as he moved out of the way.
Yuffie glanced at Cloud oddly.
"Yes master, would you like some tea while I'm up?" Yuffie whispered. They both chuckled.
They followed Cloud down to the basement, and he rounded up everyone that strayed into his range of site. This included Cid and Barret. They both carefully avoided looking at Vincent, which was fine for him.
"You know, your gonna hafta apologize sometime." Yuffie said.
Vincent looked down at Yuffie.
"I owe them nothing. For five years I have resisted the urge NOT to tear them from limb to limb. I have done nothing to them, and still they insult me. I owe them nothing!" He said resolutely.
Yuffie suddenly realised that her petty insults from Cid and Barret were nothing compared to Vincent's, they called him things like "Freak" or "Vampire" and sometimes just "Monster man", and he had played along with them for five years. The strain must have been great, she concluded.
"Fine." Yuffie said, grinning again. Suddenly she let go of Vincent's hand and waited for Cid and Barret.
"And how's my little marshmallow today?" She asked, a mischievous grin slapped on her face.
Barret frowned.
"Don't call me that, pest." Barret grunted.
"Can't . . . Stop . . ., Must. . . Call . . . You . . . Marshmallow!" she said with mock strain.
Barret put his normal hand on Yuffie shoulder, shaking her.
"If you call me that one more time, I'll-" He was interrupted as Vincent plucked the hand away.
"Leave her alone." Vincent said.
"Damn, Yuffie. Have you got him on a f-#ยค%-ing leash or something?" Cid swore.
Vincent glared at them both.
"I think five years of you two did it to him." Yuffie said airily, letting Vincent move her away.
When they were out of hearing range, Vincent looked curiously at Yuffie.
"What were you doing?" He asked, letting his thoughts show.
"Just getting a thought into their thick skulls." She replied, focussing on the darkness. "Is this the basement?"
Vincent sighed.
"Yes."
"Oh." Yuffie said. "Then were the other guys?" She asked.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT?" Malice asked.
"Not long." Mech-Head replied.
"WHY CAN'T WE HUNT THEM?"
Mech-Head found that speaking to a demon after so many years of solitude and hate took a toll on one's patience.
"Because if they think they are catching US by surprise, then we can attack while they're still under the impression that they're attacking."
There were simply too many words for the severely limited mind of Malice to comprehend.
"HUH?"
Mech-Head sighed exasperatedly.
"It'll be more fun." He conceded.
"OH."
Malice shifted in the darkness that surrounded him.
"HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT?"
"That depends how smart our enemy is." Mech-Head replied.
"AND HOW SMART ARE THEY?"
Mech-Head shrugged.
"Who can tell with humans?"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Far away, up in the northern continent, in the ancient ruins of what was, an equally ancient being emerged. It wasn't anything new, no. The being had been there throughout the rise and fall of the ruins. But now it stirred, disturbed from its eternal sleep by the colliding forces so far away. It hadn't felt this kind of energy for thousands of years. And it knew that when there was something of that force happening in one place, something got killed. And it would come to the ruins. It knew the names of all the combatants, even some of their past, but it could not tell who would win. It merely waited.
For in the end, anything powerful returns to the ruins the demons.
"Shagut na entor sita," It whispered. "Mi torna kal khax."
In the background, more things emerged, awakened by the forces.
"The temple of evil has awaited for its call, now it awaits the warriors return." It whispered again.
The winds blew harshly over the black ruins of the temple, a reminder of what was, and what is. The ancient being howled its anguish to the skies.