Violence.
Like violence you have me for ever and after, Like violence you kill me, Like violence you kill me.
Blink 182, Violence.
Crave awoke with a yawn and stretched out his refreshed limbs, his coat falling open around him on the metal floor. The air in the MD was murky and palely lit. His pupils dilated to see better in the small amount of light as he sat up scratching his head. He looked around disoriented and then grinned as he remembered what he intended to do.
He spent the next few moments walking up and down the gantry staring up at the ceiling looking for something. He stopped gazing up at a metal panel welded to the ceiling. Casting a Float spell on himself he was able to rise up high enough to force his gunblade up into the panel and tear it wide open.
Pulling the torn metal down in his gloved hands, curling it down so he could pull himself into the vent without slicing himself on the razor sharp jagged edges, he crawled along the vent mentally counting how far he'd gone.
After a while he stopped, rolling over onto his back. He placed his hand on the metal panelling above testing it. He sighed softly as he realised he wouldn't be able to force his fist through it and there wasn't enough space for his gunblade. Instead he slid a hand into his coat and pulled out a set of brass knuckles and slid them over his fingers.
Snapping out his forearm he dented the panel with his fist, a couple more blows and the dull metal caved in, his fist going through enabling him to tear it down. Once the hole was large enough he crawled up into it and cut his way up through the floor into a dark murky room which had a thick layer of dust covering the floor telling him that it had been abandoned for a while.
Standing up in the dark, his eyes lit upon a hulking object in the far corner. It was a rounded metallic pod with large coloured orbs in either side. The top was scarred and torn by the cuts of blades and weapons a whole mass of contorted metal that supported an opaque crystalline white orb.
Crave's lips curled into a mix of a smirk and a snarl as he saw his reflection in the shell of an enemy. NORG the Shumi was encased in this shell after he was defeated during the riots in Balamb Garden and since then had been left, thought to be of no threat. But Crave knew better. NORG was changing in there like a caterpillar in it's cocoon but this wasn't a pretty butterfly that would come out.
Unsheathing his gunblade, Crave climbed up the pod until he was level with NORG's cocoon and raised his gunblade over his head before bringing it down plunging it deep through the crystal surface of the orb which cracked and bled a black viscous fluid whilst an eerie scream leeched out into the room. The crystal cracked further, black blood flowing over its surface.
Crave jumped back, gunblade in hand as a clawed hand pulled the crystal wide open, showering the pod with crystal fragments and black gore. Crave looked up at the monster before him, a tall Moomba with long razor claws and canines, its red fur matted with black ooze, flesh was missing from its limbs showing blackened bones. It growled at him its eyes flashing red as it stepped down from the pod.
'What's the matter NORG? A little grumpy that I spoilt your nap?' Crave taunted as stood his ground, the Moomba looked him in the eyes flexing its claws menacingly.
Crave laughed hollowly and jumped backwards as a clawed paw swiped at him. NORG growled even more and lunged at Crave but he was more than ready, ducking under NORG's arms, rolled along the ground and swung his blade round slicing through the unprotected bones of NORG's legs.
Crave rolled out of the way as NORG's body tumbled forward hitting the ground with a thud and a screech of claws on metal. NORG roared in pain rolling over to look up into Crave's blazing eyes. A paw whirred up as NORG tried to sit up and claw Crave once more. Sneering Crave caught NORG's arm in his left hand and twisted, blood soaked fur slipping in his hand as bone creaked and snapped, tendons twanging as the paw came away dropping to the floor.
This time NORG's pain was so great that when he opened his mouth to roar all that came out was silence. Crave seized his chance and planted a boot in NORG's chest pinning him to the ground.
'This time I have the advantage.' Crave snarled as NORG's eyes looked up at him in incomprehension.
Crave then swung his gunblade down as hard as he could forcing the blade into NORG's jaw and pulled the trigger NORG's skull shattering in a gory explosion. Crave stood emotionless over NORG's corpse his breathing slow and even, barely exerted. Slowly he moved a hand to his left cheek which was tingling, and felt his scar disappear. It was a souvenir from his original meeting with NORG but now that wasn't going to happen.
He smiled faintly aware of the implication of this and looked around for a way out.
Seifer was awoken by the sound of a roar in the distance and was instantly upright and alert, bypassing all those disoriented steps people usually go through on waking. He had reached out for Hyperion without realising, adrenalin flooding his veins preparing him to fight before realising there was no threat.
'The Quad now!' Siren hissed in his mind. Seifer looked hesitantly at the door to Dana's half of the room before finally making a decision and dressing, leaving her behind.
Seifer's walk to the Quad didn't go unnoticed. Up on his sniper's platform in the side of the elevator shaft Irvine watched him enter and frantically called Squall over the intercom.
Seifer entered the silent Quad to be met with a sickening vision, a black slick corpse was strewn over the ground whilst sat peacefully on the stage, gunblade laid across his thighs was Crave.
Crave looked up as Seifer approached and smirked. 'Ah the Knight. Do you think it wise to come alone?' he sneered.
'What is it you really want?' Seifer demanded holding Hyperion ready to strike.
'To sever the ties to Ultimecia's arrival.' Crave told him still unmoving, motionless.
'What!?' Seifer blurted in shock. 'Dana's child is Ultimecia?' he asked.
Crave gave a derisory laugh. 'Fool. I cannot harm the Sorceress directly only those whose lines will aid her coming. The lines of Brand and Almasy are as such and so I will cut them.' He replied finally lifting his gunblade off his lap.
'You're insane!' Seifer snapped.
'You never thought about it yourself? All those lives that'll be saved at the cost of few.' Crave retorted.
'She didn't do anything wrong!' She's innocent!' Seifer raged holding his position, waiting for Crave to move.
'For now, but innocence can be corrupted. You of all people should know that.' Crave countered dropping off the stage facing Seifer.
'I won't let you kill her!' Seifer told him squaring off to the shorter warrior.
'Do you really think you can prevent it?' Crave sneered and lunged at him, blades meeting with a metallic clash and a shower of sparks.
Seifer gritted his teeth as he absorbed the recoil of the blow, saving his breath now for the fight ahead.
Seifer was forced back under the weight of Crave's blows as the younger warrior struck him relentlessly. He could feel the rage building up inside him, the surge of power that crackled in his body as he broke his limit, unleashing his No Mercy technique.
Crave jumped back laughing in sarcastic delight as the fireball that erupted from Seifer's fist breezed by harmlessy. He raised his gunblade and caught Seifer's Hyperion as it whirled down with a powerful blow.
'Don't tell me that's the best you got.' Crave sneered as they locked gazes, blades grinding along each other.
Seifer grunted using his shoulder to push Crave away and had to jump back as Crave's blade whirred past his face as they broke away. Seifer looked in disbelief at Crave's pale face, unblemished by sweat whereas his own was red and soaked by exertion, his heart pounding to pump much needed oxygen to his muscles.
Crave stepped back and returned to the stage a look of disdain on his face.
'Cura.' He said softly and Seifer was swathed in iridescent swirls of white light that refreshed and faded.
Seifer looked at Crave in surprise and incomprehension. 'Why?' he managed to say.
'You disappoint me, you make a useless knight.' Crave told him sitting on the stage nonchalantly.
Seifer growled. 'Stop toying with me.' He yelled clenching a fist.
'All you are is a puppet, a toy.' Crave taunted but then suddenly rolled back on the stage as a pale blue blade slammed into the wooden surface where he would've been.
'Why not play with me then.' Squall said sliding Lionheart from the groove in the stage and glared at Crave angrily.
Crave stood eyeing Squall warily and then grinned as Seifer joined Squall. 'Good. Good. Two knights for one.' He leered and crouched slightly holding his gunblade in both hands.
Squall and Seifer nodded to each other and worked in tandem as they had against Raijin, their training together as rival now becoming useful as they worked as a team following each other's rhythm.
However it seemed that Crave knew their rhythms pretty well himself and was able to spin and duck his way under their every swipe and thrust. Crave rolled under Lionheart's blade as Squall slashed at him in a horizontal arc and used his momentum to plant his elbow in Seifer's torso as Seifer came in with a vertical blow.
Seifer dropped, winded by the blow, Hyperion slipping from his hands leaving him open to Crave's next blow from the handle of his gunblade which smashed Seifer in the temple knocking him unconscious.
A sideswipe from Squall as Crave stood over Seifer's prone form caused Crave to stumble sideways. Squall took advantage of this unleashing his limitbreak, charging at Crave and attacking with Renzokuken he slashed five times each time firing Lionheart but the blade was met each time the blackness of Crave's own whilst the bullets were seemingly absorbed harmlessly by Crave's coat.
Exasperated, Squall used his Lionheart attack, the strongest technique he'd been able to awaken from those dormant in his psyche. The force of the blows swept Squall and Crave into the air as the twelve mighty slashes were, to Squall's surprise, deflected effortlessly by Crave. Crave landed lightly on the ground as Squall hung in the air concentrating all his strength, his will, into this final blow, Lionheart gleamed as energy flowed along it as Squall fell from the air bringing Lionheart down in an overhead slash.
Squall was knocked back into the wall as this attack was fended off by a grinning Crave. Flashes of colour blinked in Squall's vision as the recoil dazed him but he was able to see Crave's grin bleed away as the blade of his gunblade sheared in half, the split part dropping to the floor.
Crave looked at his damaged weapon in disbelief and ran a quivering hand along the flat of what remained.
'Angelo...' he yelped in shock and sorrow cradling his weapon in his arms. His face flickered through a number of emotions finally settling on anger as he snarled in rage carrying what was left of Angelo with him as he stalked over to Seifer's limp form.
Through his blurred vision Squall caught sight of an insignia on the shoulder of Crave's coat that jolted his body into action. He ran across the Quad as Crave stood over Seifer, holding Angelo over Seifer's chest ready to plunge it into his heart, when Squall tackled him, both of them rolling along the ground Angelo skittering out of Crave's grasp.
Squall finally pinned Crave down the younger man simply lying there looking up at him, hurt filling his mismatched eyes.
'You should go back to where you belong. You can't change the past only the future I should know.' Squall said softly gently releasing his grip on the now peaceful Crave.
Crave slipped a hand into his pocket pulling out an orb that flashed red. Assuming it to be a weapon Squall went to grab it but Crave shook his head pointedly and faded away to nothing leaving Squall kneeling on the ground, drained, before he finally succumbed to exhaustion and slumped to the floor not so far from Seifer.
Like violence you have me for ever and after, Like violence you kill me, Like violence you kill me.
Blink 182, Violence.
Crave awoke with a yawn and stretched out his refreshed limbs, his coat falling open around him on the metal floor. The air in the MD was murky and palely lit. His pupils dilated to see better in the small amount of light as he sat up scratching his head. He looked around disoriented and then grinned as he remembered what he intended to do.
He spent the next few moments walking up and down the gantry staring up at the ceiling looking for something. He stopped gazing up at a metal panel welded to the ceiling. Casting a Float spell on himself he was able to rise up high enough to force his gunblade up into the panel and tear it wide open.
Pulling the torn metal down in his gloved hands, curling it down so he could pull himself into the vent without slicing himself on the razor sharp jagged edges, he crawled along the vent mentally counting how far he'd gone.
After a while he stopped, rolling over onto his back. He placed his hand on the metal panelling above testing it. He sighed softly as he realised he wouldn't be able to force his fist through it and there wasn't enough space for his gunblade. Instead he slid a hand into his coat and pulled out a set of brass knuckles and slid them over his fingers.
Snapping out his forearm he dented the panel with his fist, a couple more blows and the dull metal caved in, his fist going through enabling him to tear it down. Once the hole was large enough he crawled up into it and cut his way up through the floor into a dark murky room which had a thick layer of dust covering the floor telling him that it had been abandoned for a while.
Standing up in the dark, his eyes lit upon a hulking object in the far corner. It was a rounded metallic pod with large coloured orbs in either side. The top was scarred and torn by the cuts of blades and weapons a whole mass of contorted metal that supported an opaque crystalline white orb.
Crave's lips curled into a mix of a smirk and a snarl as he saw his reflection in the shell of an enemy. NORG the Shumi was encased in this shell after he was defeated during the riots in Balamb Garden and since then had been left, thought to be of no threat. But Crave knew better. NORG was changing in there like a caterpillar in it's cocoon but this wasn't a pretty butterfly that would come out.
Unsheathing his gunblade, Crave climbed up the pod until he was level with NORG's cocoon and raised his gunblade over his head before bringing it down plunging it deep through the crystal surface of the orb which cracked and bled a black viscous fluid whilst an eerie scream leeched out into the room. The crystal cracked further, black blood flowing over its surface.
Crave jumped back, gunblade in hand as a clawed hand pulled the crystal wide open, showering the pod with crystal fragments and black gore. Crave looked up at the monster before him, a tall Moomba with long razor claws and canines, its red fur matted with black ooze, flesh was missing from its limbs showing blackened bones. It growled at him its eyes flashing red as it stepped down from the pod.
'What's the matter NORG? A little grumpy that I spoilt your nap?' Crave taunted as stood his ground, the Moomba looked him in the eyes flexing its claws menacingly.
Crave laughed hollowly and jumped backwards as a clawed paw swiped at him. NORG growled even more and lunged at Crave but he was more than ready, ducking under NORG's arms, rolled along the ground and swung his blade round slicing through the unprotected bones of NORG's legs.
Crave rolled out of the way as NORG's body tumbled forward hitting the ground with a thud and a screech of claws on metal. NORG roared in pain rolling over to look up into Crave's blazing eyes. A paw whirred up as NORG tried to sit up and claw Crave once more. Sneering Crave caught NORG's arm in his left hand and twisted, blood soaked fur slipping in his hand as bone creaked and snapped, tendons twanging as the paw came away dropping to the floor.
This time NORG's pain was so great that when he opened his mouth to roar all that came out was silence. Crave seized his chance and planted a boot in NORG's chest pinning him to the ground.
'This time I have the advantage.' Crave snarled as NORG's eyes looked up at him in incomprehension.
Crave then swung his gunblade down as hard as he could forcing the blade into NORG's jaw and pulled the trigger NORG's skull shattering in a gory explosion. Crave stood emotionless over NORG's corpse his breathing slow and even, barely exerted. Slowly he moved a hand to his left cheek which was tingling, and felt his scar disappear. It was a souvenir from his original meeting with NORG but now that wasn't going to happen.
He smiled faintly aware of the implication of this and looked around for a way out.
Seifer was awoken by the sound of a roar in the distance and was instantly upright and alert, bypassing all those disoriented steps people usually go through on waking. He had reached out for Hyperion without realising, adrenalin flooding his veins preparing him to fight before realising there was no threat.
'The Quad now!' Siren hissed in his mind. Seifer looked hesitantly at the door to Dana's half of the room before finally making a decision and dressing, leaving her behind.
Seifer's walk to the Quad didn't go unnoticed. Up on his sniper's platform in the side of the elevator shaft Irvine watched him enter and frantically called Squall over the intercom.
Seifer entered the silent Quad to be met with a sickening vision, a black slick corpse was strewn over the ground whilst sat peacefully on the stage, gunblade laid across his thighs was Crave.
Crave looked up as Seifer approached and smirked. 'Ah the Knight. Do you think it wise to come alone?' he sneered.
'What is it you really want?' Seifer demanded holding Hyperion ready to strike.
'To sever the ties to Ultimecia's arrival.' Crave told him still unmoving, motionless.
'What!?' Seifer blurted in shock. 'Dana's child is Ultimecia?' he asked.
Crave gave a derisory laugh. 'Fool. I cannot harm the Sorceress directly only those whose lines will aid her coming. The lines of Brand and Almasy are as such and so I will cut them.' He replied finally lifting his gunblade off his lap.
'You're insane!' Seifer snapped.
'You never thought about it yourself? All those lives that'll be saved at the cost of few.' Crave retorted.
'She didn't do anything wrong!' She's innocent!' Seifer raged holding his position, waiting for Crave to move.
'For now, but innocence can be corrupted. You of all people should know that.' Crave countered dropping off the stage facing Seifer.
'I won't let you kill her!' Seifer told him squaring off to the shorter warrior.
'Do you really think you can prevent it?' Crave sneered and lunged at him, blades meeting with a metallic clash and a shower of sparks.
Seifer gritted his teeth as he absorbed the recoil of the blow, saving his breath now for the fight ahead.
Seifer was forced back under the weight of Crave's blows as the younger warrior struck him relentlessly. He could feel the rage building up inside him, the surge of power that crackled in his body as he broke his limit, unleashing his No Mercy technique.
Crave jumped back laughing in sarcastic delight as the fireball that erupted from Seifer's fist breezed by harmlessy. He raised his gunblade and caught Seifer's Hyperion as it whirled down with a powerful blow.
'Don't tell me that's the best you got.' Crave sneered as they locked gazes, blades grinding along each other.
Seifer grunted using his shoulder to push Crave away and had to jump back as Crave's blade whirred past his face as they broke away. Seifer looked in disbelief at Crave's pale face, unblemished by sweat whereas his own was red and soaked by exertion, his heart pounding to pump much needed oxygen to his muscles.
Crave stepped back and returned to the stage a look of disdain on his face.
'Cura.' He said softly and Seifer was swathed in iridescent swirls of white light that refreshed and faded.
Seifer looked at Crave in surprise and incomprehension. 'Why?' he managed to say.
'You disappoint me, you make a useless knight.' Crave told him sitting on the stage nonchalantly.
Seifer growled. 'Stop toying with me.' He yelled clenching a fist.
'All you are is a puppet, a toy.' Crave taunted but then suddenly rolled back on the stage as a pale blue blade slammed into the wooden surface where he would've been.
'Why not play with me then.' Squall said sliding Lionheart from the groove in the stage and glared at Crave angrily.
Crave stood eyeing Squall warily and then grinned as Seifer joined Squall. 'Good. Good. Two knights for one.' He leered and crouched slightly holding his gunblade in both hands.
Squall and Seifer nodded to each other and worked in tandem as they had against Raijin, their training together as rival now becoming useful as they worked as a team following each other's rhythm.
However it seemed that Crave knew their rhythms pretty well himself and was able to spin and duck his way under their every swipe and thrust. Crave rolled under Lionheart's blade as Squall slashed at him in a horizontal arc and used his momentum to plant his elbow in Seifer's torso as Seifer came in with a vertical blow.
Seifer dropped, winded by the blow, Hyperion slipping from his hands leaving him open to Crave's next blow from the handle of his gunblade which smashed Seifer in the temple knocking him unconscious.
A sideswipe from Squall as Crave stood over Seifer's prone form caused Crave to stumble sideways. Squall took advantage of this unleashing his limitbreak, charging at Crave and attacking with Renzokuken he slashed five times each time firing Lionheart but the blade was met each time the blackness of Crave's own whilst the bullets were seemingly absorbed harmlessly by Crave's coat.
Exasperated, Squall used his Lionheart attack, the strongest technique he'd been able to awaken from those dormant in his psyche. The force of the blows swept Squall and Crave into the air as the twelve mighty slashes were, to Squall's surprise, deflected effortlessly by Crave. Crave landed lightly on the ground as Squall hung in the air concentrating all his strength, his will, into this final blow, Lionheart gleamed as energy flowed along it as Squall fell from the air bringing Lionheart down in an overhead slash.
Squall was knocked back into the wall as this attack was fended off by a grinning Crave. Flashes of colour blinked in Squall's vision as the recoil dazed him but he was able to see Crave's grin bleed away as the blade of his gunblade sheared in half, the split part dropping to the floor.
Crave looked at his damaged weapon in disbelief and ran a quivering hand along the flat of what remained.
'Angelo...' he yelped in shock and sorrow cradling his weapon in his arms. His face flickered through a number of emotions finally settling on anger as he snarled in rage carrying what was left of Angelo with him as he stalked over to Seifer's limp form.
Through his blurred vision Squall caught sight of an insignia on the shoulder of Crave's coat that jolted his body into action. He ran across the Quad as Crave stood over Seifer, holding Angelo over Seifer's chest ready to plunge it into his heart, when Squall tackled him, both of them rolling along the ground Angelo skittering out of Crave's grasp.
Squall finally pinned Crave down the younger man simply lying there looking up at him, hurt filling his mismatched eyes.
'You should go back to where you belong. You can't change the past only the future I should know.' Squall said softly gently releasing his grip on the now peaceful Crave.
Crave slipped a hand into his pocket pulling out an orb that flashed red. Assuming it to be a weapon Squall went to grab it but Crave shook his head pointedly and faded away to nothing leaving Squall kneeling on the ground, drained, before he finally succumbed to exhaustion and slumped to the floor not so far from Seifer.