Okay, on to yet another FF game. However this is one only a few have
mastered: Tactics. It is a great game for something different and full of
intrigue, but here instead I will focus on someone unnamed.
Chapter Six
The Dragon's Heart
"Damn." Cid muttered as he rubbed a painful spot on the back of his head. "That was some landing eh guys?" He opened his eyes. only to find that the rest of his party was nowhere to be seen. "Guys?" he asked again.
"No guys. just me," said a soft voice. Cid turned around to find a tall female warrior, with a lance in her hand. She wore a helmet with wings upon it over her blond hair, and Cid could see that her eyes were the exact same shade as his own.
"Were you standing guard over me?" Cid asked, receiving a nod in return.
"Yes I was. we dragoons watch over each other you know? I mean you may be dressed differently, but I know you are my brother all the same." She moved over to him, and offered her gloved hand to help him to his feet. He took it, and realized that they were about the same height too.
"Yeah. I've been told I was a dragoon. The name is Cid Highwind," he said. "Yours?" She shook her head.
"I have no need for a name. I have no want to be recognized, nor do I need to be loved. If I do any wrong then they know who to punish regardless. If I die, then my body shall just be dust in the wind and my soul shall fly with the dragons once more."
"No offense Mam but that's kinda depressing," Cid said, shaking his head.
"I was born into a time of war. lost my parents young."
"Yeah. I know the feeling," Cid said. "I never knew mine either."
"But I do not need parents to know who I am or my place in the world. Do you feel the same way Cid?" Cid frowned, looking up to the sky.
"I don't know. To tell you the truth. I."
"I know your problem Cid. and I think that I can help. Summon your dragon Cid. and I shall take you to our home." Dumbfounded but curious, Cid nodded.
"Soulstorm! I summon you to come to my aid!" In a second, the giant dragon was at Cid's side. The other dragoon did not have to say a word, before a huge green dragon pulled swooped down from the skies and picked her up. Cid climbed onto Stormy's back, and followed behind. The rode for what seemed miles, until a huge building came into sight at the top of a cliff.
"Only dragoons can see this sacred place," the woman said to Cid as they landed. "You did well," she told the dragon, before she got off and let it fly away. Cid did the same, watching Stormy once again vanish.
"It is huge," Cid said with wonder. The building made Shinra HQ look like a campsite, and that was saying something. It seemed paved with gold, and sparkled like a jewel.
"Yes. and here is where you will hopefully find some answers." The gate opened, allowing the pair to enter, before shutting behind them Inside was an immense array of rooms, and where they stood was a huge foyer bare of design. "And also where you can at last be yourself." With this the girl took off her helmet, allowing her blond hair to flow freely behind her. She removed her boots, gloves and shirt next, revealing what Cid already knew would be there. Emerald scales lined her arms, chest, and legs like an armor, and behind her unfolded a set of wings that perfectly completed her dragon partner's.
"What is the matter Cid?" she asked.
"It's just that I never. well I."
"Are you ashamed of yourself Cid?"
"No. it is just that I. well I." She nodded, and in an instant Cid's gloves, shirt, and boots were beside him. But he did not have what she did, only ugly scarring.
"Cid." she said shaking her head. She put her wings around him, and somehow he felt comforted. Warm tears fell from her onto his cheek, and he found himself touched. "What happened to you?" she asked.
"I. I was too young to remember." he said shaking his head. She looked at him, and sighed.
"That is only what you tell yourself to forget it. I can't blame you but." She put a hand to his forehead, and with a shudder he spoke.
"I was a young kid in the woods when Shinra found me. They. they let Hojo take me apart and put me together again but as a man. To retain my strength and skills but look like a normal human. their perfect captain." She removed her hand, then once more looked into Cid's eyes. She was about to say something, when an explosion was heard behind them.
"What the Hell!" Cid yelled.
"We're under attack!" the woman yelled. She ran outside, to find a whole league of what looked to be floating eyeballs with wings. Cid knew them very well from his world, but here they went by a different name. "They must have seen us enter!
"Allemanges," Cid growled, readying his spear. "Do we have backup?"
"Like me, the other dragoons are out on various excursions," she replied. Cid narrowed his eyes, as the hoard of monsters came closer to them.
"Then I will take the entrance and you the sky!" She nodded, and with her wings pushed up into the air. He did not get to see her leave however, as the monsters came upon him as did the battle fire. "DIE!" he screamed, plunging his spear into them as they came. At times there were dozens upon him, but for this he would simply use the attack he liked to call Big Brawl and kill them all. Not that he was not injured too. Their claws had taken bits from his unprotected skin, and there was a nasty wound on his cheek. But they were all dead, and with a blast from the Fire materia he carried he incinerated their bodies.
"Whew. we did it gal," he said, looking up only to find she was no longer there.
"Cid." came a weak voice behind him. He whirled around, only to find his friend dying from a deep wound in her chest, right underneath the scales that formed a kind of breastplate.
He ran up to her, and kneeled down. "You'll be just fine," he said, about to use a cure materia. He did not care if he only had enough MP to summon Bahamut, he just wanted her to live. If he did not get to summon the big guy then it was okay to him.
"No," she said shaking her head. "I know your situation. save it for Sephiroth."
"But I was certain. you could go with me to fight and."
"I am not the one to be pulled from this world Cid." she said, and with that she hugged him.
"Damn." Cid muttered as he rubbed a painful spot on the back of his head. "That was some landing eh guys?" He opened his eyes. only to find that the rest of his party was nowhere to be seen. "Guys?" he asked again.
"No guys. just me," said a soft voice. Cid turned around to find a tall female warrior, with a lance in her hand. She wore a helmet with wings upon it over her blond hair, and Cid could see that her eyes were the exact same shade as his own.
"Were you standing guard over me?" Cid asked, receiving a nod in return.
"Yes I was. we dragoons watch over each other you know? I mean you may be dressed differently, but I know you are my brother all the same." She moved over to him, and offered her gloved hand to help him to his feet. He took it, and realized that they were about the same height too.
"Yeah. I've been told I was a dragoon. The name is Cid Highwind," he said. "Yours?" She shook her head.
"I have no need for a name. I have no want to be recognized, nor do I need to be loved. If I do any wrong then they know who to punish regardless. If I die, then my body shall just be dust in the wind and my soul shall fly with the dragons once more."
"No offense Mam but that's kinda depressing," Cid said, shaking his head.
"I was born into a time of war. lost my parents young."
"Yeah. I know the feeling," Cid said. "I never knew mine either."
"But I do not need parents to know who I am or my place in the world. Do you feel the same way Cid?" Cid frowned, looking up to the sky.
"I don't know. To tell you the truth. I."
"I know your problem Cid. and I think that I can help. Summon your dragon Cid. and I shall take you to our home." Dumbfounded but curious, Cid nodded.
"Soulstorm! I summon you to come to my aid!" In a second, the giant dragon was at Cid's side. The other dragoon did not have to say a word, before a huge green dragon pulled swooped down from the skies and picked her up. Cid climbed onto Stormy's back, and followed behind. The rode for what seemed miles, until a huge building came into sight at the top of a cliff.
"Only dragoons can see this sacred place," the woman said to Cid as they landed. "You did well," she told the dragon, before she got off and let it fly away. Cid did the same, watching Stormy once again vanish.
"It is huge," Cid said with wonder. The building made Shinra HQ look like a campsite, and that was saying something. It seemed paved with gold, and sparkled like a jewel.
"Yes. and here is where you will hopefully find some answers." The gate opened, allowing the pair to enter, before shutting behind them Inside was an immense array of rooms, and where they stood was a huge foyer bare of design. "And also where you can at last be yourself." With this the girl took off her helmet, allowing her blond hair to flow freely behind her. She removed her boots, gloves and shirt next, revealing what Cid already knew would be there. Emerald scales lined her arms, chest, and legs like an armor, and behind her unfolded a set of wings that perfectly completed her dragon partner's.
"What is the matter Cid?" she asked.
"It's just that I never. well I."
"Are you ashamed of yourself Cid?"
"No. it is just that I. well I." She nodded, and in an instant Cid's gloves, shirt, and boots were beside him. But he did not have what she did, only ugly scarring.
"Cid." she said shaking her head. She put her wings around him, and somehow he felt comforted. Warm tears fell from her onto his cheek, and he found himself touched. "What happened to you?" she asked.
"I. I was too young to remember." he said shaking his head. She looked at him, and sighed.
"That is only what you tell yourself to forget it. I can't blame you but." She put a hand to his forehead, and with a shudder he spoke.
"I was a young kid in the woods when Shinra found me. They. they let Hojo take me apart and put me together again but as a man. To retain my strength and skills but look like a normal human. their perfect captain." She removed her hand, then once more looked into Cid's eyes. She was about to say something, when an explosion was heard behind them.
"What the Hell!" Cid yelled.
"We're under attack!" the woman yelled. She ran outside, to find a whole league of what looked to be floating eyeballs with wings. Cid knew them very well from his world, but here they went by a different name. "They must have seen us enter!
"Allemanges," Cid growled, readying his spear. "Do we have backup?"
"Like me, the other dragoons are out on various excursions," she replied. Cid narrowed his eyes, as the hoard of monsters came closer to them.
"Then I will take the entrance and you the sky!" She nodded, and with her wings pushed up into the air. He did not get to see her leave however, as the monsters came upon him as did the battle fire. "DIE!" he screamed, plunging his spear into them as they came. At times there were dozens upon him, but for this he would simply use the attack he liked to call Big Brawl and kill them all. Not that he was not injured too. Their claws had taken bits from his unprotected skin, and there was a nasty wound on his cheek. But they were all dead, and with a blast from the Fire materia he carried he incinerated their bodies.
"Whew. we did it gal," he said, looking up only to find she was no longer there.
"Cid." came a weak voice behind him. He whirled around, only to find his friend dying from a deep wound in her chest, right underneath the scales that formed a kind of breastplate.
He ran up to her, and kneeled down. "You'll be just fine," he said, about to use a cure materia. He did not care if he only had enough MP to summon Bahamut, he just wanted her to live. If he did not get to summon the big guy then it was okay to him.
"No," she said shaking her head. "I know your situation. save it for Sephiroth."
"But I was certain. you could go with me to fight and."
"I am not the one to be pulled from this world Cid." she said, and with that she hugged him.