Author's Note:
Before you even ask, yes, Cid is dead. I thought that would be rather obvious, but I'm just making it official. You probably noticed the lack of Author's notes in the last chapter. I didn't want to clutter it with something that would detract from the chapter. Cid deserves better than that.
An odd thing happened as I was writing that chapter. When I was doing my first re-read, I was playing some Final Fantasy music, and when Cid ordered the abandon ship, his theme came on. I was totally psyched. What are the odds, eh? And oddly enough, it lasted until I finished. I was completely awed.
I don't own Final Fantasy, or its characters.
Chapter Thirty Two
Behind the Weapon
As Cloud parachuted down, he felt a pang of sadness. He knew exactly what the old pilot was going to do, but could do nothing to stop him. It was his decision. Captain always goes down with his ship and all that.
An updraft hit his parachute, and Cloud was taken up. He looked across what used to be Midgar and saw Proud Clod, a massive giant striding across the rubble. It was different than before. Parts of it seemed changed, minor things, but one glaring difference stood out. On its left arm was what appeared to be a cannon grafted onto its arm.
"Time to go to work!" Cloud yelled, not caring if anyone heard him or not.
He focused on one of the green orbs on his bracer, and called forth its power. Green waves of energy poured out of the Materia as wave after wave of Ultima slammed down on the incoming machine. Nearby, he could hear the fire of Barret's gun arm. Lightning came down from the sky to strike at Proud Clod, and the earth shook beneath its feet. Ice and fire races up and down its flanks, but still the titan came.
Cloud heard a massive explosion behind him. He didn't look back. Cid had made his choice.
"Goodbye, my friend," he whispered as he forced another blast of Ultima into Proud Clod's chest area.
The attacks weren't inflicting as much damage as they had the last time they had fought this monstrosity. It was almost as if... of course. Someone was keeping Proud Clod protected with shell and protect spells.
"Cid!" he heard someone cry. Tifa. She had noticed.
Cloud finally touched down on the ground, and he removed the parachute quickly. No time to let up. He didn't have any Materia that could dispel the protections, but he could get in close, try to do some damage. He drew the Buster sword and charged directly at Proud Clod.
Red XIII was at his side in a flash, parachute still trailing along behind him. No one had removed it from him yet. The protector of Cosmo Canyon let out an annoyed growl, and a brief flash of green followed by a small flash of red burned the parachute away, giving Red XIII the mobility he needed.
Cloud looked over to Red XIII and shouted, "Go left! I've got right!"
Gunfire assailed Proud Clod's face, and bolt spells still rained down on it. A flash of red coming from the ground appeared, striking at Proud Clod's legs. Rude's Grand Spark. Cloud hadn't actually expected Rude's help during the fight.
A green flash came from Red XIII's direction, and another earthquake hit Proud Clod. Cloud took advantage of the shifting earth, jumping from rock to rock as they moved, and readied the Buster sword. He leapt as he approached Proud Clod, and swung with all the strength he had directly at the machine's leg. Already unbalanced, the sword driving into the appendage was the last punishment Proud Clod could seem to take. It went down onto one knee, the wounded leg refusing to let the machine get up. Red XIII was there instantly. The feline warrior leapt into the air and landed solidly on the bent knee. He didn't stop there. With several leaps and bounds, the protector of Cosmo Canyon made his way up the robot quickly, intent on reaching the face plate of the machine. Not hesitating, Cloud also leapt up, climbing onto the leg. He didn't have the same agility as Red XIII, but he was still quick, and able to make it up the machine.
A sudden creaking made Cloud look up, and he saw the left arm reaching for Red XIII, intent on swatting the feline away. Cloud once more readied his sword, and slashed at an exposed wire in the machine's side. It gave way, spurting Mako. Grasping onto it, the Soldier concentrated on his Ultima Materia and used it on the ground below him. Proud Clod staggered again. Cloud was sent flying into the air as the force of the spell sent him upwards. Still clutching onto the wire, he swung from Proud Clod's side and towards the incoming arm. Just before the arm reached Red XIII, Cloud intercepted it and parried with his sword, a large clang sounding.
Red XIII stood now on the shoulder of Proud Clod, and the faceplate opened up. The feline guardian leaped at the opening. Cloud swore, then shifted his swing, using the momentum to prepare himself for what came next.
A blast of lightning came from the now open face of Proud Clod, sending Red XIII off course, striking him downwards. A wounded yelp came from the feline. Cloud dropped his sword and held out an arm, reaching, reaching...
The impact of catching Red XIII out of the air drove the breath out of him, and he nearly lost his grip on the wire. When he hit the lowest peak of his swing, Cloud released the wire and hit the ground. He took the brunt of the hit to the ground, rolled, then released his companion.
Red XIII growled a little, but didn't move. Checking over his friend, Cloud decided that the lightning blast had only wounded Red, nothing fatal. He looked around for his sword, then spotted it roughly ten feet from where he had landed, point driven into the ground.
"Why do you help it?" a voice called.
Cloud looked up, and saw the man operating Proud Clod. Rufus. His eyes narrowed.
"Because she is ... a friend."
"A friend? That... thing? It is a monster, Strife. It cannot be your friend."
"That monster is Aeris!" he yelled in response.
"I know. What of it?" The tone in Rufus' voice caused Cloud to shiver. Such complete hatred, such passion to see something destroyed. He had nothing against Aeris, or the Cetra, then why...?
Diamond Weapon.
He wanted it dead because Obsidian was a Weapon. This was some kind of twisted revenge.
"You didn't like being beaten, did you, Rufus?" Cloud called. "Diamond nearly killed you, and you didn't like the taste of defeat. I. Pity. You. Rufus."
Each word struck out at the President of Shinra like a blow. He flinched visibly at the last four.
"I am not to be pitied!"
"Are you forgetting something, Rufus? Diamond may have nearly killed you, may have nearly destroyed Shinra, but I was the first to defeat you. I was the first to see you humbled."
A scream of inhuman rage came from the President of Shinra, and with a shotgun in one hand, and a large, cloth-covered bundle in the other, he dove down from the protection of Proud Clod. Cloud smiled to himself, then ducked and rolled over to the Buster Sword, plucking it out of the ground.
Rufus gracefully landed nearby. That was odd. A normal human... Cloud noted the new Mako eyes Rufus had. So, that was how he did it.
Cloud had just enough time to drive his sword into the ground and hide behind it as the first shotgun blast, followed by the second, flared out. Metal pellets struck the sword harmlessly. Cloud stood back up, and take his weapon in hand, charged at Rufus. The President of Shinra smiled, and tossed the shotgun aside. He lifted the cloth-wrapped object up, and yanked hard on the covering.
Cloud stopped in mid-charge.
"Surprised?" Rufus taunted.
In Rufus' hands was Ultima Weapon.
"Excellent craftsmanship on this weapon. Ironic that I will use it to kill Obsidian, considering it came from Ultima. I must thank you for leaving it in the wreckage of your airship, and not even trying to pick it up. Reno had no trouble finding it and bringing it to me."
Cloud swung his sword at the Ultima blade, trying to push it out of the way for a follow up. The blade didn't move in Rufus' hands. It absorbed the blow entirely. No easy victory here.
The two began a battle that ran from fast-paced to slow and probing, always trying for the kill, but also stopping to look for new weaknesses. The first was the most apparent.
The Buster sword, while being a weapon of awesome power and destruction, was not in the same league as that of Ultima Weapon. Ultima was a weapon born of the planet, forged by the Lifestream itself to defend the world. The Buster sword was made by a man, and was subject to the limitations of a man.
The next set of weaknesses were on Rufus' part. Cloud had far more experience wielding this type of weapon, and had more of a soldier's calm in battle. Rufus was easily flustered, given to arrogant moods and temper tantrums. He wasn't used to being confronted, much less equaled, on any battle field.
The last weakness found was the one that determined the fight.
Rufus had in him a fanatic's zeal, the idea that his mission was the one that was right, that he was there to save the planet, and in Cloud there was the gnawing doubt that he would be unable to once again save Aeris.
The Buster sword went spinning from Cloud's hands on the last pass, and Rufus had an insolent grin on. "Remember this day, Strife. This is the day I took back my pride from you. Now watch as your ... friend... is destroyed. Reeve!"
Cloud looked up and saw into the open faceplate of Proud Clod. It was beginning to close, but there, in the pilot's seat now, was a man in a blue suit, with a neatly trimmed beard. Cloud had only seen Reeve a few times before, and only glances, but he recognized the man he once considered his friend, the man he knew as Cait Sith.
"Reeve! Don't do this! It's Aeris! Aeris!" Cloud called.
"He can't hear you," Rufus said. "And even if he could, he wouldn't help you anyway. He's mine now, do you understand? He doesn't remember you."
"What do you mean?"
Rufus held Ultima Weapon up, pointing it directly at Cloud's throat.
"Reeve was so incredibly loyal to you. A defeated warrior, a man who couldn't even save the one he swore to protect. Why? It doesn't matter. He follows me now, as he should."
Cloud began to hear sounds of battle between Proud Clod and Obsidian, but couldn't look back with the sword so close to his throat. He whispered a silent prayer to himself that Obsidian would win.
Sounds of the crashing and small earthquakes permeated the air. Several times Cloud nearly fell onto Ultima Weapon's point. Rufus' grinned widened each time.
A loud energy blast sounded, followed by what seemed to be the sound of a large hose spraying. A wail of inhuman pain filled the air, and Cloud felt his heart break. Obsidian was horribly wounded somehow.
Rufus' smile spread ever further, reveling in the pain he could see but Cloud could not. A dark joy filled the man's eyes, a maniacal glee.
And then it faded, replaced by something else. Fear.
"No, no... that isn't... no..."
Rufus' confidence wavered, and the sword dropped from his hand. Cloud was instantly on him, striking him with fists and feet, quickly disabling him. He turned to face the battle between Obsidian and Proud Clod and sank to his knees in despair.
Proud Clod was missing an arm, and its chest plate was horribly mangled. Deep claw marks scored its entire body. Obsidian was in worse condition.
The Weapon stood clutching at its face, a green liquid substance covering its body. It shrieked in pain as parts of it dissolved away. And there, in the middle of its chest, now exposed, was a hovering figure. Bathed in green and blue light was the figure of Aeris, completely unharmed by Proud Clod's final attack. And in her arms, held fast from a figure that railed against her, trying desperately to escape her, yet at the same time cling to her, was a man of darkness and light.
Sephiroth.
Before you even ask, yes, Cid is dead. I thought that would be rather obvious, but I'm just making it official. You probably noticed the lack of Author's notes in the last chapter. I didn't want to clutter it with something that would detract from the chapter. Cid deserves better than that.
An odd thing happened as I was writing that chapter. When I was doing my first re-read, I was playing some Final Fantasy music, and when Cid ordered the abandon ship, his theme came on. I was totally psyched. What are the odds, eh? And oddly enough, it lasted until I finished. I was completely awed.
I don't own Final Fantasy, or its characters.
Chapter Thirty Two
Behind the Weapon
As Cloud parachuted down, he felt a pang of sadness. He knew exactly what the old pilot was going to do, but could do nothing to stop him. It was his decision. Captain always goes down with his ship and all that.
An updraft hit his parachute, and Cloud was taken up. He looked across what used to be Midgar and saw Proud Clod, a massive giant striding across the rubble. It was different than before. Parts of it seemed changed, minor things, but one glaring difference stood out. On its left arm was what appeared to be a cannon grafted onto its arm.
"Time to go to work!" Cloud yelled, not caring if anyone heard him or not.
He focused on one of the green orbs on his bracer, and called forth its power. Green waves of energy poured out of the Materia as wave after wave of Ultima slammed down on the incoming machine. Nearby, he could hear the fire of Barret's gun arm. Lightning came down from the sky to strike at Proud Clod, and the earth shook beneath its feet. Ice and fire races up and down its flanks, but still the titan came.
Cloud heard a massive explosion behind him. He didn't look back. Cid had made his choice.
"Goodbye, my friend," he whispered as he forced another blast of Ultima into Proud Clod's chest area.
The attacks weren't inflicting as much damage as they had the last time they had fought this monstrosity. It was almost as if... of course. Someone was keeping Proud Clod protected with shell and protect spells.
"Cid!" he heard someone cry. Tifa. She had noticed.
Cloud finally touched down on the ground, and he removed the parachute quickly. No time to let up. He didn't have any Materia that could dispel the protections, but he could get in close, try to do some damage. He drew the Buster sword and charged directly at Proud Clod.
Red XIII was at his side in a flash, parachute still trailing along behind him. No one had removed it from him yet. The protector of Cosmo Canyon let out an annoyed growl, and a brief flash of green followed by a small flash of red burned the parachute away, giving Red XIII the mobility he needed.
Cloud looked over to Red XIII and shouted, "Go left! I've got right!"
Gunfire assailed Proud Clod's face, and bolt spells still rained down on it. A flash of red coming from the ground appeared, striking at Proud Clod's legs. Rude's Grand Spark. Cloud hadn't actually expected Rude's help during the fight.
A green flash came from Red XIII's direction, and another earthquake hit Proud Clod. Cloud took advantage of the shifting earth, jumping from rock to rock as they moved, and readied the Buster sword. He leapt as he approached Proud Clod, and swung with all the strength he had directly at the machine's leg. Already unbalanced, the sword driving into the appendage was the last punishment Proud Clod could seem to take. It went down onto one knee, the wounded leg refusing to let the machine get up. Red XIII was there instantly. The feline warrior leapt into the air and landed solidly on the bent knee. He didn't stop there. With several leaps and bounds, the protector of Cosmo Canyon made his way up the robot quickly, intent on reaching the face plate of the machine. Not hesitating, Cloud also leapt up, climbing onto the leg. He didn't have the same agility as Red XIII, but he was still quick, and able to make it up the machine.
A sudden creaking made Cloud look up, and he saw the left arm reaching for Red XIII, intent on swatting the feline away. Cloud once more readied his sword, and slashed at an exposed wire in the machine's side. It gave way, spurting Mako. Grasping onto it, the Soldier concentrated on his Ultima Materia and used it on the ground below him. Proud Clod staggered again. Cloud was sent flying into the air as the force of the spell sent him upwards. Still clutching onto the wire, he swung from Proud Clod's side and towards the incoming arm. Just before the arm reached Red XIII, Cloud intercepted it and parried with his sword, a large clang sounding.
Red XIII stood now on the shoulder of Proud Clod, and the faceplate opened up. The feline guardian leaped at the opening. Cloud swore, then shifted his swing, using the momentum to prepare himself for what came next.
A blast of lightning came from the now open face of Proud Clod, sending Red XIII off course, striking him downwards. A wounded yelp came from the feline. Cloud dropped his sword and held out an arm, reaching, reaching...
The impact of catching Red XIII out of the air drove the breath out of him, and he nearly lost his grip on the wire. When he hit the lowest peak of his swing, Cloud released the wire and hit the ground. He took the brunt of the hit to the ground, rolled, then released his companion.
Red XIII growled a little, but didn't move. Checking over his friend, Cloud decided that the lightning blast had only wounded Red, nothing fatal. He looked around for his sword, then spotted it roughly ten feet from where he had landed, point driven into the ground.
"Why do you help it?" a voice called.
Cloud looked up, and saw the man operating Proud Clod. Rufus. His eyes narrowed.
"Because she is ... a friend."
"A friend? That... thing? It is a monster, Strife. It cannot be your friend."
"That monster is Aeris!" he yelled in response.
"I know. What of it?" The tone in Rufus' voice caused Cloud to shiver. Such complete hatred, such passion to see something destroyed. He had nothing against Aeris, or the Cetra, then why...?
Diamond Weapon.
He wanted it dead because Obsidian was a Weapon. This was some kind of twisted revenge.
"You didn't like being beaten, did you, Rufus?" Cloud called. "Diamond nearly killed you, and you didn't like the taste of defeat. I. Pity. You. Rufus."
Each word struck out at the President of Shinra like a blow. He flinched visibly at the last four.
"I am not to be pitied!"
"Are you forgetting something, Rufus? Diamond may have nearly killed you, may have nearly destroyed Shinra, but I was the first to defeat you. I was the first to see you humbled."
A scream of inhuman rage came from the President of Shinra, and with a shotgun in one hand, and a large, cloth-covered bundle in the other, he dove down from the protection of Proud Clod. Cloud smiled to himself, then ducked and rolled over to the Buster Sword, plucking it out of the ground.
Rufus gracefully landed nearby. That was odd. A normal human... Cloud noted the new Mako eyes Rufus had. So, that was how he did it.
Cloud had just enough time to drive his sword into the ground and hide behind it as the first shotgun blast, followed by the second, flared out. Metal pellets struck the sword harmlessly. Cloud stood back up, and take his weapon in hand, charged at Rufus. The President of Shinra smiled, and tossed the shotgun aside. He lifted the cloth-wrapped object up, and yanked hard on the covering.
Cloud stopped in mid-charge.
"Surprised?" Rufus taunted.
In Rufus' hands was Ultima Weapon.
"Excellent craftsmanship on this weapon. Ironic that I will use it to kill Obsidian, considering it came from Ultima. I must thank you for leaving it in the wreckage of your airship, and not even trying to pick it up. Reno had no trouble finding it and bringing it to me."
Cloud swung his sword at the Ultima blade, trying to push it out of the way for a follow up. The blade didn't move in Rufus' hands. It absorbed the blow entirely. No easy victory here.
The two began a battle that ran from fast-paced to slow and probing, always trying for the kill, but also stopping to look for new weaknesses. The first was the most apparent.
The Buster sword, while being a weapon of awesome power and destruction, was not in the same league as that of Ultima Weapon. Ultima was a weapon born of the planet, forged by the Lifestream itself to defend the world. The Buster sword was made by a man, and was subject to the limitations of a man.
The next set of weaknesses were on Rufus' part. Cloud had far more experience wielding this type of weapon, and had more of a soldier's calm in battle. Rufus was easily flustered, given to arrogant moods and temper tantrums. He wasn't used to being confronted, much less equaled, on any battle field.
The last weakness found was the one that determined the fight.
Rufus had in him a fanatic's zeal, the idea that his mission was the one that was right, that he was there to save the planet, and in Cloud there was the gnawing doubt that he would be unable to once again save Aeris.
The Buster sword went spinning from Cloud's hands on the last pass, and Rufus had an insolent grin on. "Remember this day, Strife. This is the day I took back my pride from you. Now watch as your ... friend... is destroyed. Reeve!"
Cloud looked up and saw into the open faceplate of Proud Clod. It was beginning to close, but there, in the pilot's seat now, was a man in a blue suit, with a neatly trimmed beard. Cloud had only seen Reeve a few times before, and only glances, but he recognized the man he once considered his friend, the man he knew as Cait Sith.
"Reeve! Don't do this! It's Aeris! Aeris!" Cloud called.
"He can't hear you," Rufus said. "And even if he could, he wouldn't help you anyway. He's mine now, do you understand? He doesn't remember you."
"What do you mean?"
Rufus held Ultima Weapon up, pointing it directly at Cloud's throat.
"Reeve was so incredibly loyal to you. A defeated warrior, a man who couldn't even save the one he swore to protect. Why? It doesn't matter. He follows me now, as he should."
Cloud began to hear sounds of battle between Proud Clod and Obsidian, but couldn't look back with the sword so close to his throat. He whispered a silent prayer to himself that Obsidian would win.
Sounds of the crashing and small earthquakes permeated the air. Several times Cloud nearly fell onto Ultima Weapon's point. Rufus' grinned widened each time.
A loud energy blast sounded, followed by what seemed to be the sound of a large hose spraying. A wail of inhuman pain filled the air, and Cloud felt his heart break. Obsidian was horribly wounded somehow.
Rufus' smile spread ever further, reveling in the pain he could see but Cloud could not. A dark joy filled the man's eyes, a maniacal glee.
And then it faded, replaced by something else. Fear.
"No, no... that isn't... no..."
Rufus' confidence wavered, and the sword dropped from his hand. Cloud was instantly on him, striking him with fists and feet, quickly disabling him. He turned to face the battle between Obsidian and Proud Clod and sank to his knees in despair.
Proud Clod was missing an arm, and its chest plate was horribly mangled. Deep claw marks scored its entire body. Obsidian was in worse condition.
The Weapon stood clutching at its face, a green liquid substance covering its body. It shrieked in pain as parts of it dissolved away. And there, in the middle of its chest, now exposed, was a hovering figure. Bathed in green and blue light was the figure of Aeris, completely unharmed by Proud Clod's final attack. And in her arms, held fast from a figure that railed against her, trying desperately to escape her, yet at the same time cling to her, was a man of darkness and light.
Sephiroth.