You know how I used to have all sorts of crazy quotes? I thought I'd open with something meaningful for a change...
"For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten son; that whosoever believe in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In case any of you didn't realize it, Wyvern's new form looks a lot like Seymour EVOLUTION (or Seymour Natus, take your pick) minus the little necro-phobe thing he had protruding from him. That was a spur of the moment decision. Originally, I wanted him to be just another ZERO body himself. However, I had planned on him gathering power from the dead, just as Bahamut's new body gets power from the living. While I was about to write him transforming into "Wyvern ZERO", I was listening to "Fight with Seymour" on my CD player. Now, I disliked most of FFX, and I despised the English voice of Seymour, but I still liked the idea of some already dead guy coming back again and again in a more deadly form each time, thinking he was death personified. So I thought...Wyvern thinks he's Death at this point...Bahamut saw Seymour Natus in his vision...he takes energy from the dead...he's supposed to be more suped up than Bahamut ZERO...why not go with it?
Zola stared down blankly below him. He was about a mile outside of the City of the Ancients now. Here, the deep ravine that cut through the city twisted and turned, and continued to work its way along the mountainside. Here, however, the stone was more granite like, and easier to use. When the army needed stone, they got it from here. Apparently, they weren't the only ones. This had to have been used years earlier, perhaps when the Cetra still lived in their city. An old, half rotted yet stable bridge spanned the ravine. It didn't lead anywhere now. There used to be a shed on the other side for tools. But those were gone. It didn't matter. Zola wasn't interested in that. He stood on the edge of the bridge, and looked down far below. The river was dry down there, even though it was now raining. An empty bed of rough rocks were exposed in their place…about a hundred feet down.
The half esper looked to this…and then turned and looked back to his side…where the statue of Tifa was still standing. He swallowed, and then looked back down again. The man quivered once…but then finally turned his body back to the statue. He put his hands on it, and began to push it, moving it toward the edge. Considering his strength, it was more than light enough for him. He should have easily pushed it in. And yet…he felt himself only inching it forward.
"I'm…I'm really sorry." Zola finally choked out as he pushed it, as if the statue could hear him. "I…I just can't. He'll kill me…or worse. I didn't want to do this… It's not my fault…"
All he received in response was the still surprised face of Tifa.
The half esper quivered his lip, and bowed his head. He felt so dirty. He tried to tell himself not to think about it. Who cared what happened to a few humans? He was supposed to hate them anyway, right?
However…it was hopeless. That had made him feel comfortable once, but not anymore. He was no longer a creature who thought that way. He no longer saw humans as just some subcreature or farm animal. And he didn't see them as destroyers either. Even if he did…this woman didn't do anything to him or his race. She was kind and pleasant. And she bore no ill will in her heart…and she didn't have that feeling of darkness coming off of her that he felt from Wyvern… Yes, it was darkness now. He knew that. He had denied that for a long time, thinking himself to be on the right side. But now…he could sense the evil dripping from him, no matter how he wanted to say it wasn't so.
There was a time where even daring to think these things would have driven him to terror. He would immediately blot them out, not daring to think a single thought against his master. However…his master had not been around for five hundred years. That gave a lot of time to unlearn some habits. What more…he had learned some logic. He wasn't supposed to second guess his master, and yet he was supposed to kill an innocent woman without hesitation?
Don't be a fool, Zola. He'll kill you, just like he kills whoever gets in his way. Just stay quiet and serve him, and you'll be of high estimation in his eyes. You'll live in peace. Just shut up and do as your told as you used to… Serve him. Be his servant. Belong to…
On thinking that, however…Zola stopped, and ceased his pushing of Tifa. He raised his head, and realized what he was thinking. It was just what Wyvern had said.
Belong to him.
On realizing this, Zola gave pause. He bowed his head again and licked his lips nervously. He thought for a moment about that. And for the first time since he had been with Wyvern…he forced himself to think about it as if Wyvern still didn't exist.
Belong to him… That's what I am. I'm his property. His tool. His lap dog or worse. That's what he thinks of me. He commands, and I obey. If there's any dissention, any attempt to assert myself…then I'm useless and destroyed. I've never been allowed to think independently. I've never been allowed to think or feel. One of the reasons I hated humans so much is because I wasn't allowed to make any judgments of my own on them. I had to just take what Wyvern thought of them and accept them. I wasn't even allowed to think for myself. And I served him…I followed him faithfully, risking my life time and time again to stay his faithful servant. And in the end…he was going to discard me like so much trash. He was going to let me die without a second thought. Then he returns five hundred years later…and expects me to grovel at his feet just like I used to…like nothing changed.
And here I am…five hundred years later…two thousand years later…and nothing's changed. Our supreme goal, our supreme mission in life…nothing more than making his brother suffer. Our race is dead. Our kingdom is gone. Any smatterings of nobility or revolution this once had is over. Now…our mission is simply to get revenge on Bahamut. To make him suffer to appease the endless rage of Wyvern. And he's never satisfied. No matter what he does…he always wants to make him suffer more. He makes it look as if doing this is some sort of higher purpose or great mission. But it's nothing. It's nothing more than sating his unquenchable thirst for revenge. And the more he drinks, the more thirsty he is. Meanwhile…he wants us to take our lives and sacrifice himself to this same "noble" goal…the meaningless, stupid pursuit of making another man suffer endlessly…
This is my life. After thousands of years…this is what I amount to. Some little imp doing the dirty work of a hate-warped man. And now, I'm doing it again. I'm betraying these humans, slaughtering them, leading them to death, murdering innocent people…all so that Wyvern can get revenge. No other purpose. Not for my benefit. Not for our race. Not for the Planet. Just him.
...But what am I saying? He'll kill me. He can kill me easily. As long as I serve him, I'm immune from his wrath. So long as I do what he wants, he'll continue to look kindly on me. He'll spare me from death…let me live…
…
…That's not a fair trade.
There are thousands of ways for an immortal to die on this world. Even Bahamut has died before now. The rest of our race died too. But they didn't die in vain. They died fighting for a cause. They died trying to establish a new world. They used their lives to work for peace and prosperity in the world. They tried to elevate their own races. They didn't live as long as me…but they helped the world. They helped other people. They had meaning to their lives. They had a purpose and legacy.
…What do I have? What will my gravestone say?
Sacrificed his life to help Wyvern get eternal revenge.
Stabbed his friends in the back to help Wyvern get eternal revenge.
Lived as a mindless dog to help Wyvern get eternal revenge.
Abandoned friends, family, purpose, and meaning for his own life…to help Wyvern get eternal revenge.
What does it matter if I die or live? Is the world any better either way?
Zola's face slowly began to stiffen. There was a time when he wouldn't dare think these things…but he had been free too long, and was used to it now. And now, they came to him. This was what he was doing. He would live…but for what? To go on being the slave of Wyvern? A creature who cared nothing for him? Considered him disposable garbage? When Ragnar liberated him…he did more than just free him. He gave him a new purpose. Fighting on the side of the humans…showing his strength…being a hero in their midst…he was doing something. He was protecting other people. He was saving the world. And he was doing it for a man who was kind and generous…and who loved the things that he loved. A true human of an older time… And here he was, betraying him…hurting him…so that he could serve a heartless tyrant…
Here...Zola's restraints broke. The last part of the oldperson melted away, and he at last became a totally new creature. He found a new resolve inside him, and devoted himself to that.
He wasn't going to do this. He didn't care if he died anymore. He didn't care what Wyvern would do to him. He was going to serve Ragnar…to the death, if necessary. He was going to help the humans. He was going to fight for something greater than himself…and greater than one man's dark ambition.
The creature decided. Immediately, he turned back to Tifa. He had to start with her. He swallowed a bit. She would be angry, of course…and she wouldn't be able to fight. A regular stone spell that old mages used to use wasn't truly a killing maneuver. If you simply waited until the next day, it would wear off. But to actually be truly turned into a rock…she wouldn't be able to fight when she recovered. She'd have to regain her strength for a day first. Nevertheless, it was too late to worry about that. Quickly, Zola grabbed her shoulders again. He aimed his own face into hers, and looked deep into her stone eyes. As he did, his own eyes shifted and turned reptilian again…and a light once again burned within.
There was nothing at first. The statue stayed cold and lifeless. But then…everything began to happen in reverse. The white areas of the eye began to lighten. The center began to darken. Color began to fill the iris area. Zola continued to focus and stare, as the rock surface smoothed and began to grow soft. They started to shine and shimmer as tears from the body wet them. Soon, her eyes were real again. Not only that, but as before, they seemed to become two fires that radiated a warmth throughout the rest of her body. The gray rock vanished around her eyes, replaced by pink flesh. The ripple traveled to her hair, and one by one the strands turned brown again and wavered on the breeze. The effect continued to spread through her as Zola stared. It went down into her shoulders again, through her torso, and along her extremities. Her clothing began to turn colors again, and began to move as the rest of her body softened and turned pink. It kept going on, until at last her entire body was its old color and texture again.
Zola kept staring. As he did…Tifa's mouth began to slacken and loosen. Her fingers began to extend again. A breathless noise came from her loosening throat…the last word she never managed to finish before she was petrified. Warmth and movement went throughout her again, spreading throughout her system, making her body live once again. At last, Zola broke off the stare, and his eyes quickly shifted back to normal. As they did, Tifa's eyelids drooped…before she collapsed to the ground in a heap.
The half esper let out a large exhale and stepped back. He licked his lips again and looked around a bit, almost wondering if Wyvern was watching him now, seeing his treason against him. He didn't care if he died…but turning Tifa back into flesh and blood would mean little if he found her. At last, he felt safe, and turned back to the woman. She was breathing slowly and softly against the ground, as if moving her lungs was taking effort. Seeing this, Zola quickly bent down and went to her side.
"Commander Tifa!" He called out. "Are you alright?"
There was nothing for a moment. But then…the eyelids slowly moved again. They cracked slightly, and allowed her eyes to shine forth. They moved around a bit, before the orbs turned and managed to focus on Zola. She stared at him a moment, looking nearly dead. Then…her lips suddenly began to shift. A faint breath of air went out from them, but she couldn't move them enough to make noise. She just stared and tried to speak.
Zola blinked, but then leaned in closer. He put his ear to her lips. "What was that?"
He heard Tifa gulp in a breath of air. He heard a faint mumbling for a moment, as she struggled to move her tongue and mouth. But in the end…he did hear one slow phrase be whispered in his ear…
"You…bas…tard…"
That was all Tifa could say before she focused all the strength she had left into driving her knee off of the ground and into Zola's groin.
The half esper's eyes widened. He was shocked. Most humans lacked the power to hurt him…but somehow this weakened one had managed to do this. And now…he grasped his crotch in pain as his gaze bulged, and his teeth grit in agony. He let out a single moan before he too lost his strength, fell to the ground, and rolled over onto his back. He continued to groan there, holding his package in agony. While he did, Tifa weakly made a fist…and vainly swung it at Zola, barely tapping him in her attempt to beat him. Her teeth slowly grit, as her eyes burned with the emotion of anger.
"I'm…going…to…kill you…"
Zola winced and continued to hold below for a few moments more. He cursed mammalian species for keeping their genitalia outside of their abdomens. But once that was done, he managed to recover a bit. After all…he could regenerate pretty well. Nervously, he rolled back over and onto all fours. He walked himself back over to Tifa. She continued to grit her teeth, and feebly raised her arm to strike him.
"Commander…I understand you're rather upset right now, and I can hardly blame you, but…"
"Go…to…hell…"
Zola innocently raised his hands. "Alright…Wyvern wanted me to kill you, yes. But I've changed my mind. I'm trying to help you now. But I'm afraid to tell you that helping you is only undoing one thing that Wyvern was planning. There's a lot more going on…and if I don't get you back to the camp before Wyvern realizes that I haven't finished you, he'll kill us both."
Tifa released her grit and dropped her fist. She was too tired to keep fighting. However, she did hear what was being said. "What…what are you…talking about…?" She managed to croak. "What…did you do…to me…?"
"There's no time, Commander." Zola answered. Immediately, he began to reach down to pull her up. "We have to get going…"
On seeing him do this, Tifa's face flushed with fear. Immediately, she threw her hand over her eyes and shut them. "Don't…look at me…"
Zola hesitated again, and swallowed. "Commander…I'd understand if you never forgave me for what I did…but you have to trust me now. I'm the only one who can get you back to camp. And we have to get back right away if we're going to stop what Wyvern planned. It might already be too late."
Tifa winced and continued to keep her eyes closed. But Zola couldn't wait anymore. Every second they passed could mean death for them or for the army. And so, he reached down and scooped up Tifa with both arms. She tried to protest and fight back, but she was far too weak to do it. She had already blown her strength on the knee to the crotch, and Zola wasn't letting her limbs get anywhere near it. He easily raised her off the ground and carried her in front of him. After that, he turned and began to run back to the camp as fast as he could.
He had to at least get into walkie-talkie range…to tell them not to fire the cannons or explosives…
Bahamut smashed his fist against the translucent body. A moment later, he ducked to avoid the creature from swiping him across the head. He returned with an uppercut. Strong as it was…it only made Wyvern recoil slightly and snap his head up. It sounded strong though…tearing up the area around them with a crack of thunder that fractured the ground. Yet without being stunned for a moment, Wyvern swung his other arm at him. Bahamut ducked this as well, and then pounded away at his stomach for all he was worth. Each blow felt like it was hitting rock, and none of his strikes left a visible mark. Wyvern let him hit him a moment, before rearing back and swinging up his leg to try and sweep kick Bahamut in the face. The esper quickly snapped back, using his new speed to duck away from it. Moments later, he had to avoid Wyvern's other leg coming up and trying to bring down an axe kick against his head. He quickly swung back to avoid that as it swept down. The force of the blow was so strong…a deep fracture was torn into the ground beneath him, just from the air that followed it.
The esper grit his teeth and seized the thing's leg after that. He meant to try and lift it behind him and fling it. But it was too late. The moment he touched it, Wyvern formed both hands into hard chopping gestures, and then swung them down on either side of Bahamut's head. It was a short blow…but it felt like steel being dropped on his tender spots. He gagged in pain, and dropped the leg. Even with his new body and nearly unbreakable skin…he still felt agony from the strike. Wyvern didn't waste a second. He swung his shining fist at his head, and smashed it in one direction. Pain rocked through Bahamut's skull, far stronger and more agonizing than he had done. The creature before him swung his other fist back and smashed it into him again, snapping his head the other way. Grinning, the translucent being brought his fist back to smash it again into Bahamut's skull. But the powerful being turned his head back just in time, shaking out of his daze. He quickly crossed his arms in front of him…and the blow smashed into the part where his arms interlocked instead.
Bahamut didn't waste a second. He quickly twirled his body around, and leapt up as he did. He began to extend his foot. However, Wyvern was still faster. The radiant creature leapt up in midair as well, and brought one of his own shimmering feet to bear. He cocked it back as Bahamut finished swinging around. The two creatures moved so fast that none alive could see them move save for each other. They were powerless to stop each other as Bahamut finished turning and drove his leg in a sweeping blow against Wyvern's face as hard as he could…just as the creature drove his own leg forward into Bahamut's own beaked face.
The sky above split. The trees around them cracked and were forced down. The ground beneath them flattened and spread out into a great basin. And in the center…the two demigods went flying away from each other from the force of their blows. Both of them went limp and sailed away headfirst, frozen in the position where both hits had struck them. Their speed was like meteorites hitting the world, blazing away like shooting stars as the sky thundered from the wake of their hits.
However…Wyvern didn't sail long. Abruptly, his circular foil wings spread out…and he immediately halted. His eyes had closed briefly when he was hit, but he opened them again now. Still looking calm and untroubled, Wyvern leaned himself back up to hover in midair. He hung their simply, and looked ahead.
Bahamut was worse. He bounced off the ground a few times, his head swimming with pain as he tore away from the impact zone. Each one drove another trench into the ground. However, in the end, on the height of one bounce, he spread out his wings as well. Immediately, he halted, and quickly righted himself too. He hovered as well. His own face was still dark and cold, and his eyes blazed with fury. He looked ahead to his shining opponent, and showed no fear or pain.
However, it didn't last long. Abruptly, Bahamut turned his head to the side and spat. A thick wad of blood came out of his mouth, bearing a tooth with it. After doing so, the creature exposed his mouth as he opened it and cracked his jaw. It was filled with blood, particularly over a gaping hole. Yet he continued to hold it for Wyvern to see. As he did…a new tooth suddenly emerged from the bloody socket and grew to match its mates. The blood around it was drawn back into the wound, and soon his mouth was clear and unhurt. Only then did he close his jaw and crack his neck.
Wyvern raised an eyebrow to this. "How interesting. It seems that Dr. Maester improved vastly on your regeneration abilities. Now, your body does so automatically…and far faster and more efficient than ever before. You seem to be at the peak of ability in terms of self-healing…"
Bahamut glared back coldly, showing nothing in response to that. Wyvern stared a moment longer, and then snorted.
"…So old fashioned." He sighed.
On hearing this, Bahamut's own head raised slightly, and his face turned to puzzlement. What did he mean by that?
Wyvern chuckled again, and then gestured to himself. "Like I said, Bahamut…your body is still that…your body. Nothing more in the end…just an upgraded version. But I am totally new. Watch carefully…"
Without the slightest reaction or hesitation…Wyvern swung his clawed fist around and punctured his own chest, driving his hand all the way in.
The esper gaped in astonishment, shocked at the sudden action. Had he lost his mind completely? At least…that was what he thought for the first few moments. But as he stared in amazement at what Wyvern had done…he noticed that he didn't react in pain in the least. What more, there was no blood that came out from the wound. Wyvern snickered once, despite the fact that his hand had to be inside his lungs at this point. Then, he calmly pulled his hand back out. A gaping wound was left in his shimmering flesh. But it didn't last. The moment he pulled it out, the wound closed and seemed to melt, liquefying the exterior and merging it together to cover the tear in his body. After that, it flattened out again and became normal, returning to being his chest.
"I no longer have blood to bleed, Bahamut." Wyvern continued. "I have no organs to fail, and no bones to break. Each cell in my body runs off of matter-antimatter reactions, so I no longer need to breathe. Organs form only as I need them, for digestion once a year to refuel the reactions. The cells work together as one grand unit to make my structure. As you can see…I am indeed a new creature. I do not feel pain. I do not suffer injuries. I am god-like…while you are still confined to a simple mortal body."
Bahamut grit his teeth at this, and cursed Dr. Maester again. He had created a far deadlier monster than he could ever conceive. This being had no restraints anymore. There weren't any limits to its power. If it didn't have to breathe or have cavities…it could live in space without restraint. There was nothing keeping it from moving to other worlds and doing who knew what horrors there. Did the foolish Ettecans have any idea of the abomination they unleashed?
The esper tightened his hands into fists, and took off for the radiant being again. Chuckling slightly, it pitched forward and closed the distance as well. Bahamut began to pray that this thing had some weakness.
That…and that the Planet could even survive in the wake of their battle.
The ground rumbled beneath Red XIII's feet…right before a massive clap of thunder resounded. A gale of wind from the east suddenly ripped at the falling rain, making it almost blow horizontal as it pounded the field.
Spectacular. Now, the world seems to be ending too…
The battle was turning into a disaster. In the wake of that speech made by the two strange men, a hundred people had turned and run for it. Their forces were left in weakened condition, and the men were more disheartened than before for it. That, however, was only one problem that had arisen. The enemy was using some sort of new mobile bomb that was scaling the cliffs, running into the enclaves, and then detonating. They were able to use this weapon outside of firing range too. The only good thing about them is that they were apparently still a bit buggy. Some of them had missed their targets, particularly when lightning materia was used. It must have disrupted their signals. That would be a useful bit of knowledge in the future…assuming their survived today. Two of the enclaves actually managed to shoot the ones meant for them, although they had to spend a magazine trying to hit it…and a third never succeeded. Nevertheless, out of thirty separate areas…they were now down to seven. Three of those were at the end. Those that were left were unable to establish the rain of fire as before. They tried to shoot their weapons, but now the enemy was far better able to peg them down, even with the barricades they erected. They best they could do now was shoot wildly and throw their firebombs and explosives down. The canyon was still packed and it was doing damage…but this time the enemy wasn't halted and kept coming at the same speed.
Red XIII shook his head furiously, making the water that had collected on his mane scatter. He ignored the fact that Yuffie and Barret were still on either side, and the former gave out a whine from his action. Barret was too busy loading another grenade into his minigun. The soldiers that were still gathered were trying to steel themselves as they looked ahead. The enemy had entered this portion of the valley. The heavy machine guns were opening fire, but just like last time the artillery units were being sent first. The shots bounced harmlessly off of them. Just like before, they had to go in rows of two…and they lumbered toward the opening. They were already aiming to fire, ready to attack the moment they were in range.
The beast frowned. This was too easy. They were making the same mistake as last time. They should have sent in ground troops first…but they were still using tanks. Fearing the worst, Red XIII nevertheless sighed and lowered his head behind his barricade. It wasn't just to duck. It was going to the radio before him. It had been specially made for one of his "physicality", with the speaker much larger and with large pedals for the buttons stretched before him. He depressed one and spoke.
"Artillery units…ready to fire. Target the first two tanks as soon as they are in range."
The colonel released the pedal after that, and looked up anxiously to the path ahead. The tanks continued to rumble forward, squeezing their way into the narrow spot. Their chain guns turned and began to take aim. Red XIII flattened himself, and tried to put his ears down to avoid the loud noise that was coming.
Suddenly…a panicked voice came from the speaker before him.
"Belay! Belay! Don't shoot the-"
Red XIII heard no more…as a huge eruption of fire and metal came from his left. The soldiers there were blown into the air as a ripple of fire and force tore by them. People screamed in agony as they were flung over the barricade. Red XIII himself felt pieces of hot debris strike against his fur before Barret's body was flung against him, knocking him off of his feet and to the ground. Rock and dust fell everywhere as a fireball arose in the wake of the blast.
The beast landed on the ground roughly a moment later, and was skidded against it before striking Yuffie and knocking her to the ground too. The rest of the soldiers collapsed around him. Everyone else flattened, hitting the deck in the wake of the boom. For a moment, they lay still against the ground. Red XIII winced in pain, feeling his flesh burn and smelling his singed hair. He continued to lay curled up as the troops rested against him. But then, with groaning and moaning, they began to pick themselves back up off of him. Some of them cried in agony. Fortunately, those on top of Red XIII were only injured…although some worse than others. One screamed in pain from a large piece of metal shrapnel imbedded in his leg. However, just a bit ahead, amid flaming bits of wreckage and falling rocks, several soldiers lay dead. The beast managed to slowly drag himself up a bit, gasping and panting as he did. He turned and looked to the source of the explosion, stunned at what had just happened. As he looked back with the others, he saw only a black cloud and smoldering ruin where one of the artillery units had been.
"What the hell…?" A groggy Commander Barret asked as he pulled himself off of the lion/wolf.
Somehow, Red XIII's radio had survived the blast, probably due to being low to the ground. It was still intact, and a moment later a crack of static came through. It was the same voice as before, which the colonel recognized as Lieutenant Mack.
"The guns have been sabatoged, sir! I was checking the first round and I saw it was cracked! Someone cut into it and loaded the guns with them to make them blow up when fired!"
Yuffie shook her head as she rose from the ground, after having been crushed under two large people. As for Barret, he clenched his teeth and nearly pushed Red XIII aside, slamming himself down on the radio and pressing the talk button. "Damnit! Get that cleared out and get the damn thing shooting!"
"I think it may be a bit late for that…"
Both Yuffie and Barret turned and looked to Red XIII as he said this. They saw that his one good eye was growing wide, and was focused ahead of them. They turned and looked as well…and were just in time to see the two tanks roll out of the narrow area into wider ground before they opened fire with their big guns.
Barret soon seized the beast and wrestled him to the ground as two huge eruptions impacted into the barricade. The sandbags did little to help other than create explosions of dust and debris in their wake. The explosions still ripped more soldiers off of their feet and flung them backward, crying in agony as their bodies were flung into the air with the rest of the debris. They were like dolls in the wake of the blasts. The rest of the terrified soldiers hit the deck. Far on the right side of the barricade…Mack suddenly dove out of the remaining artillery unit as another shot hit it and blew it to kingdom come, sending another eruption of fire and metal out that scattered more troops in their wake. A fourth shell blew away another part of the barricade, destroying anyone in its path.
At last, Yuffie grit her own teeth and looked above the remaining barricade defense line. She took only a fraction of a second to aim her shot, and then flung her shuriken. The deadly weapon sliced through the air with enough force to pierce metal. A moment later, and it reached the tank on the left, slicing into its tread. The line broken, the segments of metal tread went flying everywhere as the wheels continued to turn and propel it forward. Again, the PPA ducked as pieces of debris flew everywhere. However, after running out of tread, the tank slammed down and dug one side into the rock. Now only able to turn, the tank swung around and full momentum and slammed into its partner. The force ripped this tank off of its traction, forcing it back and pushing it away into the nearby cliff wall. A moment later, it smashed into it, and crooked its own treads off of the ground. When that happened, this tank too halted, and the advance was stopped.
Yuffie grinned a bit as she reached up and snatched her returning shuriken out of the air. The ducking soldiers slowly began to pick themselves back up, and looked out to what had happened. "That takes care of that." The ninja laughed.
However, as Barret leaned off of Red XIII, and the colonel himself began to rise from the ground and look over what had happened, he soon swallowed uneasily.
"I do believe you are mistaken."
The girl turned to Red XIII at this and cocked a confused eyebrow. After that, she turned back to the battlesite…and soon gulped. Though the tanks could no longer move, their guns were still active, and were rotating to aim at the barricade again. But that wasn't all. A division of heavy troopers, no longer blocked, began to flood around the sides of the tanks and take up positions to attack the enemy barricade as well. More soldiers came in behind, obviously meaning to flood them.
Yuffie groaned after a moment. "Oh hell…"
Ragnar forced his feet back into his boots. They weren't quite warmed yet, but he couldn't wait any longer. From what it felt like…the battle was hell over there. The ground was shaking, and the snow seemed to fall harder every now and then. Winds blew it into the cave occasionally. Whatever was going on, it was tremendous. And he knew he had to get there somehow. Besides…as he slowly regained his basal body temperature, he had grown more worried about Wyvern coming back to make sure they were dead…
"…Tifa…"
Ragnar turned his head at that. Cloud was still lying on the ground. He was doing better now, but Ragnar had wrapped his own blanket around him just in case. He still seemed to be delirious. There was a wound on his head… It looked as if Wyvern had thrown him so hard through the lake that he hit the bottom. At any rate, he was doing better. He had stopped shaking by now. Ragnar had dragged in his sword and his clothing, and had set them in front of the fire to dry. In a few minutes, they should be dry enough to put back on him. Unfortunately, he was still semi-conscious, and he had only started speaking to occasionally mumble "Tifa"…although Ragnar thought he caught a few "Zack"s in there…
Still, that left a rather big problem, the youth realized. Actually, a few of them. How they could possibly go through the New Shinra Army and back to their own side of the battlefield was a mystery. If Cloud was up, then perhaps they could have risked running it, suicide as it was. But Ragnar feared he'd be dragging him back across lines, and they couldn't do much like that. Then there was Tifa… She had to have been used as bait by Wyvern to get Cloud out here. But if that was the case…where was she? What had Wyvern done to her? Was she even still alive? He began to fear that the answers to those questions weren't things he wanted to hear.
Ragnar finished tying his boots, and shivered a bit. His clothing was still cold, but it would soon get warmed up by his own body. After that, he went back over to Cloud's things. He felt them a moment. The outer shirt seemed to be dry enough… He decided to start putting that on while the rest continued to dry. By the time he was done dressing him in this piece, the next piece would be ready. The young man turned to Cloud afterward, and began to pull him up and out of the blankets.
"Alright Cloud…try to help me out here."
Cloud groaned in response, but managed to sit up. As Ragnar began to put on his sleeveless undershirt, his limbs moved somewhat weakly in compliance, allowing him to do so. However, he didn't open his eyes, or seem to even acknowledge Ragnar's existence. The youth grew a bit worried. He hoped he didn't have a concussion… It didn't seem like the wound would cause that much damage, yet he was acting very listless and lifeless. The youth began to fear that it was because of Tifa. He hoped that Cloud hadn't had enough of his senses to reach the same conclusion that Ragnar deduced…that she might be dead. If so, then he wondered if Cloud really wanted to be saved after all…
The young man tried to push this out of his mind for now. Nothing to do but try to get him back on his feet…and then think of how he was going to get him back.
The two combatants rushed into each other again. As they did, Bahamut angled himself up as much as possible. He had to make sure they were off the ground…as far away from the world as possible, when they collided. A moment later, they did so.
A clap of thunder cracked through the sky all over the Northern Continent. A vacuum was actually created around the two as a sphere of water was blasted out, the result of their shockwave pushing back the rain that surrounded them. The ground below rumbled and fractured. A gale came from them both and swept away at the trees below, snapping trunks and flinging them aside. And in the center of it…the two creatures continued to fight.
Bahamut and Wyvern spun around each other, twisting this way and that, locking limbs, and striking out again and again at one another. As they did, they ascended into the heavens further, away from the ground. This was Bahamut's doing, struggling to get them both farther away from where they could accidentally kill people. As they climbed, Bahamut dodged two blows, and swung out to block a third. He drove his fist into Wyvern's side afterward, and followed up by smashing his head into his. The creature recoiled a bit, but quickly snapped out of it and jabbed at Bahamut's head again. The esper blocked this with his other hand, and then swept his leg up and pounded it into Wyvern's side. Again, the creature barely reacted. Bahamut didn't stop, but brought his leg up a bit higher, and struck it against Wyvern's face. Finally, he reared back and slapped his tail against his head. The radiant being turned his head slightly with each blow, but other than that showed nothing. After hitting him with his tail, in fact, Wyvern swung back with impressive speed. Before Bahamut could react, one of his glowing fists struck him across his face. The power was agonizing, wrenching his own head and neck to one side. Somehow, he managed to catch himself and swung his head back…but was just in time to have Wyvern swing his foot up and catch him below the chin. Another thunderclap went out as they connected, and Bahamut went sailing away from him.
The two were now in the air a considerable distance. The world and mountains were far below. Bahamut was left to shoot back through the sky in open air. But as he sailed away, grunting and stunned from the latest blow, Wyvern grinned evilly once more. He once again held his hands to either side…and moments later, balls of red, flaming energy started to gather into them. Bahamut, still flying away, finally spread out his wings and halted himself, and with a wrench forced himself to look back up. He gaped atthe sight. Looking into Wyvern's hands…he saw Pyron balls forming. But that wasn't possible…Pyrons only came from the mouth… He looked back up to the creature, only to see it grin in delight…as it increased the power in its hands. Suddenly, both became filled with even larger, more intense balls of energy…Mega-Pyrons. Apparently, to Bahamut's fear, he had learned a new trick…
And now, he vented it, aiming both of his hands forward and at Bahamut…and letting the Mega-Pyrons fly.
Soon, huge balls of destructive light were sailing toward the esper. Gritting his teeth, Bahamut banked to one side and took off as fast as his new speed could take him. Behind him…a trail of fire lit up the sky, all streaming from Wyvern's hands. Fast as Bahamut was…the balls were even faster, and they obeyed Wyvern's every command. Flames and eruptions lapped at Bahamut's heels as he swung around in the sky, trying to avoid the stream. He sailed away for a few moments, trying desperately to outrun the attacks which seemed tomove as effortlessly as Wyvern's gaze. Then, he decided to break it. Quickly, he generated his own attack in his mouth as he dodged the incoming fire. As he came close to pass by Wyvern again, he discharged a Mega-Pyrin.
Wyvern grinned wider as he broke off his attack. He peeled back his hand as he did so, and let the attack come to him. At the last moment, he swung forward and struck it. Bahamut continued to sail by, but soon saw Wyvern vanish into a fiery explosion. The deadly energy bathed him now from striking the orb. Yet it lasted but a moment…before the gleaming creature suddenly erupted out of the flames. The fires seemed to reflect off of his skin, turning him into a hellish piece of metal. He still grinned like a demon…as he shot forward to Bahamut with inconceivable speed.
However…Bahamut had been expecting this. As the being shot forward with a fist outstretched, ready to strike the esper from the sky…Bahamut dodged at the last moment. The glowing fist tore by his face, the sheer power ripping his cheek open. Yet Bahamut moved the instant it went by. Immediately, he reached out and seized the arm with both hands. Then, anchoring himself here…he swung his body up and drove both of his feet into Wyvern's gut as hard as he could. Not pausing to see if his own earth shaking blow did any good, he continued to push and gave a yell…doing a somersault in midair, and utilizing Wyvern's own power to throw him behind him. Soon, he released, and the radiant being was being cast away from Bahamut at speeds even greater than before.
The esper wasted no time. He was already charging the next attack within him. He turned around, and saw Wyvern's body sprawled out as he flew through the sky, still overwhelmed by Bahamut's inertia. Bracing himself…putting as much power as he could immediately gather into it…Bahamut opened his mouth and blasted out a Sol-Pyrin. This one was violent, snapping not only Bahamut's head but his body back as well. However, the deadly attack was large and powerful. Theball of solar energy sizzled and flew through the sky even faster than Wyvern, cutting a line of fire through it. Moments later, it connected with the creature's back, and erupted. For miles, the world was lit up by the blinding flash of the Sol-Pyrin.
Bahamut rested a moment…and exhaled a rather deep breath. He didn't think anything could tire him out in his new body. But now…he was hitting Wyvern for all he was worth. He was putting everything he had into every blow. He went all out right from the start this time, not giving Wyvern a chance to bring his own power to bear. But as his cheek sealed itself up again, he felt overwhelmed. Wyvern was far deadlier than he had ever been before…far stronger. Bahamut didn't even know if he could feel pain in this new body. All of his own blows seemed to not even phase him… The esper began to feel a bit anxious. The truth of the matter was…he already knew that he was far Wyvern's inferior in terms of strength and power. So fighting right now was almost pointless…as the creature was still far stronger, and could outlast him…
Bahamut cut off this thinking as he saw something emerge from the black smoke in the wake of his Sol-Pyrin. He braced himself for an attack…but one didn't come. However, he recognized it. The iridescent body of Wyvern sailed out of the smoke with grace and poise. He sailed through the air in a grand formation for a moment…before he flew up and halted, once again holding himself in midair. His gleaming body didn't have a scratch on it. His smile had returned, and was quite confident.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" He calmly asked.
Bahamut swallowed, and let out a long exhale.
All around Red XIII, gunfire crackled. He frequently winced and ducked, stopping only to raise his head occasionally and fire off another attack from his Contain Materia. The rest of the time, he was struggling to survive with the rest of the soldiers at the barricade. Abruptly, another mortar shell went off, and an explosion tore through one of the sides of the barricade. Another six people were thrown away violently as another heavy machine gun was blown. Shortly after, Barret gave out a yell and raised off of the ground, firing one of his grenades into the attacking heavy cannon. Another explosion soon totaled this machine. Afterward, he screamed out again as he turned his gun to the ground, blowing away some sort of metal machines that were rolling toward the barricade. Each shot caused them to explode. Yuffie herself ran along the edge of the wall, flinging out her shuriken before enveloping herself in her cloak, and reappearing a moment later after it had hit its targets and returned to her.
This was going to hell.
The emplacements around the canyon had fired off all they could. Now, they were pinned down under enemy fire. The barricade on the end of the valley was already breached in seven places. People were panicking. Twenty more had run off. Those that were staying were all but too scared to come out and fire. The New Shinra were flooding the opposite side, using their own tanks as barricades as they came forward. They had stayed down for a while at first. But then the enemy started to send in more tanks. They pushed the two that blocked their way ahead and forced their way onward. They managed to disable them after they fired off a few more deadly shots…but each time they lost another precious few feet of ground to the enemy, and went into a wider valley.
Red XIII snarled, and rose over the edge to fire out a Freeze maneuver. It locked up the wheels of the latest tank, and the cold caused it to snap its treads and run into the ground. He quickly fired off another Freeze attack on its barrel, locking up the main gun as well. After that, however, he was forced to duck again as the chain guns opened fire, tearing up more of the barricade. Barret gave out a scream further down the line, and fired away with his tri-minigun, razing the area with as much suppressant fire as he could. The last heavy machine gun behind the colonel finished reloading, and began to join with it.
It was just in time. Suddenly, Red XIII saw a flash of something ahead. It was gleaming metal. Moments later, they came. They had started doing this a few mintues ago, and now they were making another run. A line of soldiers bearing bullet proof shields began to run down the field, charging for the barricade. A hundred other soldiers began to flow in behind them, using them as protection. The Planet Protector Army forces raised over the line and opened fire. Sparks went out from around the enemy shields, but only one or two got in a critical hit. Barret cried out and turned his fire to them, and managed to cut through a few more shields and the soldiers beyond…but then the enemy retaliated, forcing him to duck again. Yuffie tried flinging out her shuriken again, but only managed to cut a few more. Unrelenting, they continued to pour forward. The beast sneered. It looked like they would make it to the line this time…
Suddenly, a giant spiked fist shot out from behind Red XIII. It looked like it was attached to some sort of spring as it went over him. The beast looked up in surprise. As he watched, the fist sailed right into the first shield carrier. It impacted the metal, and the force dented it in immediately. Not only that, but the impact forced the man back, off of his feet and charging into the others. Soon, he caused a large hole to be opened up in the enemy. Rifle bullets and rounds soon poured into it. The enemy began to break up, and soon the wall began to collapse.
Red XIII sighed in relief. They had survived another strike…but just barely. He turned around behind him to see their savior. As he did, he was just in time to see the spring-loaded fist recoil and reattach itself to the arm socket of a giant moogle. The cat on the back gave a cheery yell.
"How do you like my secret weapon?"
Stoic as the beast normally was, he usually would have given some praise in this event. However, that was a little hard considering the constant gunfire, explosions, and general chaos that now surrounded him. And that wasn't the worst of it. Transmissions were constantly coming in on his radio…
"My unit's dead! My unit's-SKH!"
"Damnit! The gun's overheated!"
"Colonel! We're pinned down up here!"
"We're running low on magazines!"
"We're cut off from the rifle shots! We need more ammunition here!"
"Another pair of tanks are coming in!"
The beast grit his teeth and looked around in anxiety. This was going from bad to worse. The massacre was on their side now. He estimated that they had already lost at least a hundred and fifty due to casualties. Taking into account those that had deserted…and they were nearly downby a quarteralready. This was a slaughter. They were taking out a lot of the New Shinra as well…but it wasn't enough. They were in a real fight now, not an ambush. And they were losing badly. They didn't have the resources to outlast them now. Their heavy weapons were almost gone. Their regular ammunition was almost out. They had only managed a fraction of the intended damage to the New Shinra Army. They were running out of options…and distance to the barricade.
There was only one option left.
Frowning, Red XIII turned back down to the radio and pressed the talk button.
"Prepare the charges. We're going to blow the canyon."
The last word had barely escaped the beast's lips, when he immediately heard a frantic cry return.
"No! No! Don't fire! Don't fire!"
Red XIII recoiled a bit in puzzlement, as did any other officer who was somehow able to hear their radio and keep fighting at the same time. A moment later, the beast leaned back in. "Who is this? Identify yourself!"
"Lieutenant Zola, sir! It's a sabotage! Don't blow the charges! They've been repositioned!" The frantic, somewhat staticy transmission returned. "If you blow the charges, they'll blow open the bottleneck and send two tons of dirt on the barricade!"
"Say what now?" Yuffie asked as she suddenly reappeared right next to Red XIII's side, just in time to snatch her shuriken back out of the air. She turned her head to the radio for a moment…before a stray bullet tore a strand of her bandanna. After that, she turned back and frowned at the enemy, and then flung her shuriken again before vanishing once more.
Red XIII hesitated a moment, but then growled again. He smacked his paw against the ground angrily. He didn't know what was going on with Zola…but he could tell a lot from a man's voice, and even over the radio he didn't sound like he was lying. Besides, after that first act of sabotage, he was willing to believe it. He didn't know how Zola knew this, or where the heck he was when they were in the middle of combat, but there had been enough crazy moments in this battle for him to act on some faith. Of course…that only made things worse. Their trump card was gone.
The beast looked up and around. New tanks were rolling up again, pushing the wrecks ahead of them away. They opened fire…and soon the wall around Red XIII was breached in two more places. More clouds of dust and debris flew up in the air. The people at the front line were getting massacred. New Shinra bullets marked two more right before his eyes. One soldier was panicking as he dragged himself behind the bodies of his own dead comrades, using them as a barricade. Another was totally shell shocked, quivering and mumbling behind the sandbags, letting his gun fall uselessly into his lap. The slaughter was continuing…but the New Shinra weren't letting up. This barricade was the only stalwart left, and they were progressively destroying it. The battle was a disaster. They were being wiped out.
Red XIII narrowed his one remaining eye, and clenched his jaw. He growled slightly again deep in his throat.
Ragnar…I held as long as I could, but this is it.
The beast put his paw on the talk button again.
"All units…engage the retreat protocol."
To be continued...
