Start Date: June 28, 2022
Windwillow
Final Fantasy VII
As the search for Sephiroth continued, Barret's Gun-arm was badly mangled by a monster and rendered inoperable. Down a man, the party nonetheless navigated the dangerous Mythril Mines, meeting Shinra's Turks at the exit. They'd met Rude before, were introduced to Elena, and met with their leader Tseng, an old friend of Aerith's.
Seemingly out of guilt for his actions in Midgar, Tseng dropped a clue of a place where Barret's Gun-arm might be fixed, a place called Fort Condor, but without any further details, there was still the possibility it was a trap.
Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII have departed by chocobo to Junon to wait for their friends, who now depart to the aptly-named Fort Condor - aptly named given the gigantic condor perched on top of it. Why they would have the capacity or the motivation to fix Barret's arm? Who knows?
Either way, the conflict with Shinra continues at Fort Condor. And, a... colorful... new addition to AVALANCHE will brighten the spirits of the team with her boundless energy. Assuming she doesn't snatch their materia and ditch them...
Chapter Eighteen: Fort Condor, and...
Scene One
At the port town of Junon, many of the lesser-to-do citizens had huddled into a small slum at the bottom of the town itself. While Midgar's slums were cobbled-together chunks of rubble, the slums of Junon were built with actual hardwood buildings. The facilities here were middling compared to Junon proper, but adequate and comfortable.
It took two days of travel for the first party to reach the slums, two nights sleeping in Red XIII's makeshift shelter. Given that they were given the bulk of the team's supplies, they did so with relative ease. The hardest part came down to Red XIII being hogtied to Tifa's back, something he never let them live down. Aerith was more amused than anything else...
The two-man party of Cloud and Barret had to do without Red XIII's Gaea materia, riding in a forced march through the December winds towards the massive Fort Condor. Whereas Cloud remained silent, Barret often complained. By the angry "kwehs!" of the chocobos, they weren't very happy either.
"So why can't we stop and rest?!" shouted Barret as he drooped in his seat. "We got food, don't we? We got water, don't we?! So why the flying-"
"Oh, shut up," Cloud snapped as he stopped his chocobo and got off. He withdrew a bottle of water and lifted it his face, drinking it before offering it to his steed. As he wiped his mouth, Cloud offered the water to Barret as well. "If I'd known you'd be bitching like this, I'd have just had everyone stay together..."
Barret snatched the bottle and guzzled it, handing it back to Cloud with a scowl. When Cloud offered some of it to the chocobo, finding it empty, the chocobo hurled Barret off its back and pecked at his feet angrily.
"Hey, hey, hey! Whatcha doin', you frickin' chicken?!" Barret screamed, defending himself by covering his face. "Don't yell at me just 'cause-" When the chocobo suddenly stopped, Barret opened his eyes to see said chocobos gone and Cloud's sword drawn. "What the hell's your problem?! Where'd the chocobo go?!"
"I can't let them be endangered," Cloud said as he lowered his materia gauntlet, sighting the shadows approaching them. "They die, we have to walk!" Barret turned his attention to the shadows and immediately understood the problem.
They were strange abominations, seemingly green, mutant birds that walked on four claws with scaled wings jutting from their backs. The Nerosuferoths were a common enemy, able to cover their wings in flame to cut through their enemies.
What made things worse was the approaching Zemzelett, a similarly colored two-legged bird with a colossal wingspan. Its lightning breath posed a greater threat than the Nerosuferoths, but it was far enough away that it could be dealt with.
Three of the Nerosuferoths set their bladed wings aflame, darting forth at breakneck speed. Cloud swiftly swung his sword vertically at the creature's wing, but it was repelled and he was forced to counter with a two-handed slash that cleaved its head in half.
So the wings are hard as steel? Dammit!
Moving his blade like a flowing river, Cloud immediately followed up by parrying the next two Nerosuferoths' wings each in turn, before cutting them in twain just as he had their brethren. The remaining three surrounded Cloud and Barret in a triangle formation, ignited their wings, and charged.
From a distance, Cloud felt a disturbance in the air and swiftly kicked Barret out of the way of an oncoming thunderbolt launched by the Zemzelett, cut through one of the Nerosuferoths, and incinerated the other two before turning to face his incoming foe. As Barret seethed, he grit his teeth and lifted the Buster Sword in both hands.
As the Zemzelett opened its lightning-filled beak, the battle ended as Barret slammed his fist into its face and broke it open. The monstrous bird dropped to the ground, and Barret promptly kicked its body far into the distance. Cloud had to stop cold before he hit Barret, skipping back and sliding to a halt far from his friend.
"I am so not in the mood for a big-ass green chicken to piss me off like the yellow one!" Barret yelled, dropping to his seat with a miserable grunt. Suppressing a laugh, Cloud sheathed his sword and lifted his materia gauntlet. As the two chocobos reappeared, he offered his hand to Barret, which was met with a huff. "Don't you show me no pity!"
Pausing for a moment, Cloud angrily bonked Barret on the head, dropping him face-first to the earth below. When Barret skittered to his feet to curse him out, Cloud turned and mounted his chocobo.
"And I'm not in the mood for your prima donna bull-crap!" snapped Cloud. With that he rode off towards the fort, leaving an angry Barret and an equally pissed off chocobo - the same one he'd taken the water from. As it pecked at his feet, Barret scowled and tossed himself atop it.
"Don't you start with that, too, Cloud! I will cut you!" Muttering various curses and death oaths, Barret kicked his chocobo to bring it back to meet Cloud's pace. When it turned and scowled, Barret sheepishly swallowed his pride and bowed his head. "Okay, okay, when we get there you'll get your God damn water!"
Scene Two
The reason they called it "Fort Condor" wasn't difficult to figure out. It was a massive, high-topped hill with both a fort on top and a gigantic condor nesting atop it. Is there really any need to explain more at this point?
After dispelling the chocobo summon, Cloud and Barret moved towards the base of the fortification. There they found an empty hole with a rope ladder leading up. Assuming no better course of action, they approached. They were met at gunpoint by a man with a rifle trained between Cloud's eyes.
"Ain't that a Shinra outfit?! Get the hell out!" snapped the guard. "So help me, if you push me I will-" Cloud simply smacked the gun away and dragged the man by the collar to meet his face.
"I'm. Not. Shinra," deadpanned Cloud as he shoved the guard back. "And we need to speak with your mechanic." He pointed his thumb back at Barret. "This little weasel needs a tune-up, and I've had to hear him bitch about it for a day and a half, so please... Just let us in."
The astonished (and frightened) guard allowed the duo up the ladder, where they found what looked like a small military installation with stores, bunks, and supply depots. All throughout the fort, several armed men loitered about. Most were drinking, but others were sharpening their weapons.
"I see Wayna referred you..." The fort's leader offered Cloud and Barret a drink as they sat at his table. "I'm Waman, leader of Fort Condor," said the man, dressed in military fatigues and wearing a green beret. "You know, most of the time we turn people away, but I guess being threatened by a punk with a huge sword changes the usual etiquette."
"I'm sorry for the way it unfolded," Cloud said as he sipped his beer. "But after dealing with this guy here-" He pointed his thumb behind him at Barret, who promptly flicked him off, "-I guess I'm a little testy." Waman shrugged, seemingly getting the idea. "We need some help from your mechanics. We have money, so please..."
"Tasty as your offer is," Waman sighed, "I must decline. We need military might, not money. This fort was built as a Mako reactor by Shinra to house something called a Huge Materia. After the condor - a very rare condor - started nesting here, they started sending raiding parties to kill it and take back the fort."
"That explains why you were so pissy..." muttered Cloud. "But I have to ask: do you have a mechanic that can fix this guy's prosthetic arm? I can make it worth your while, if it's military might you're after." He held his chin in his hand as he leaned forward. "I'm ex-SOLDIER. Training, mercenary work, whatever. We need that guy's arm in fighting shape."
"SOLDIER, huh?" Waman said as he stroked his chin. "Yeah, we got someone here that specializes in both prosthetics and weapons, and he can whip something up for your friend. But it's gonna cost you: I want you to train my men, and help defend the fort."
"No sweat!" Cloud laughed, clapping his hands together. "But we can't stay forever. When do we need to get ready for the next assault?" Waman checked his watch, doing a few calculations in his head.
"We got about three hours," he said flatly. "You can start training them right away." His jaw dropping, Barret angrily stomped his foot on the ground.
"Three hours?!" snapped Barret. "You're telling me they're coming in three frickin' hours?!" With a shrug, Waman took a chug of his beer. Barret groaned; he had them over a barrel. "Sure, fine, whatever! Cloud, get started! And you!" he shouted at Waman, pausing before bowing his head. "Thanks, man..."
Laughing, Waman sent Barret to meet the fort's mechanics, and brought Cloud to the soldiers' barracks. He explained that most of them were mercenaries they'd hired, but because they came cheap they weren't very well trained. Cloud didn't mind, and assembled them together atop the fort.
"Right, then!" Cloud said cheerfully. "What do you guys need me to teach you?" When met with blank stares he narrowed his eyes, frightening the mercenaries. "I guess that means everything," he said flatly. "Let's start with swordsmanship."
Cloud went about teaching the various target zones and techniques to the soldiers, paying close attention to working on their balance. Once satisfied, he turned to marksmanship and demonstrated the most rudimentary techniques. By the two hour mark, he'd moved on to materia and in another half hour he'd whipped them into a... well, not an army, but at least something workable. He checked in on Barret, observing his new arm being constructed, finding the work well underway.
And then the three hours came to an end in two hours and forty minutes. Cloud rushed to the top of the fort to organize the fight.
Scene Three
The topography of Fort Condor was rough, vaguely divided into several rocky platforms leading towards the reactor like a pockmarked battlefield. Well, it was one, so that was pretty understandable. The landscape was littered with abandoned firearms and the remains of several Shinra army uniforms. They'd sent the prisoners back in their skivvies.
For strategy, their tactics emphasized defense above all else. Let the Shinra come within range, and make them fight for every foot of earth on the way up. The orders were to fall back as reinforcements came, waiting for the enemy to come within materia range. That was usually how they'd fended off the Shinra in the past. Atop the fort's highest point, where the entrance to the reactor was, Cloud was stationed as a last line of defense. By the time the enemy reached this area, they were worn down enough that one last offensive just made them give up.
The soldiers Cloud had trained performed admirably. Against the Shinra infantry's rifles and batons, they countered with their own firearms and the swords they'd been trained to use. Steadily, they fell back towards the top, and left a stream of wounded Shinra soldiers in their wake. But slowly, the Shinra forced their way through the mercenaries' lines. What forces they couldn't hold back simply rushed around them, leaving Cloud and the materia users to deal with the final wave.
Cloud shouldered the Buster Sword as he waited for the enemy to come. The various materia units, specializing in Fire and Bolt materia, fended off the Shinra to the point where they soon fell back. Minus their leader, that is, riding a hellish beast and wielding a huge mace that battered and threw the mercenaries aside. The Hell Rider was an elite unit, sent to finally capture Fort Condor once and for all. None of the mercenaries could hold it back, leading only Cloud to defend the point of no return.
That's one nasty son-of-a-bitch! No wonder none of these guys could stop it!
The Hell Rider VR2 quickly broke through the final line of defense, swinging its mace wildly through the air. Cloud dashed forward and swung his sword, which was met with the hardened Mythril mace and firmly was repelled. As it was, Cloud skipped back and slashed again, this time knocking the Rider off balance. Recovering quickly, the Hell Rider's steed slammed its hooves down with enough force to shake the ground. Cloud stumbled just enough to give the Rider an opportunity to strike.
Dammit!
As he began to trip, Cloud flipped the Buster Sword around and stabbed it behind him, firmly grounding him as it cushioned his body. Still embedded, he formed a ball of flame and hurled it at the Rider. It bashed the fireball away with its mace, lifting with both hands for a massive strike. Cloud took the Buster Sword in both hands and jumped back just in time for the strike to hit the ground. Cloud flipped, crouched against the ground, and sprang forward with a horizontal slash. His strongest slice severed the legs of the Rider's beast, dropping it to its own two feet. As its steed fell helplessly to the ground, the Rider met Cloud's slash with one of his own, managing to clash evenly for a time.
"I am so over this!" snapped Cloud, sending a charge of lightning through his blade. "I don't care what your weapon's made of! I'm gonna wreck it!" As the thunder roared, the Buster Sword struggled against the Mythril mace before slowly slashing through both it and the Hell Rider's body. A follow-up round house kick kicked the mace into the air, and Cloud finished with a massive slash that cut through both the Rider and its steed.
Exhausted, Cloud drove the Buster Sword into the ground to catch himself. With all the mana he'd expended severing the Mythril mace, he didn't have enough time to gather any more to fend off the group of Shinra infantry that dashed towards him. Muttering a curse, he lifted his tired body up regardless, but his efforts were rendered pointless as the final wave was cut down with a stream of gunfire. From below as the infantry fell, a figure came ambling up slowly and awkwardly.
Barret's new Gun-arm looked remarkable: rather than having the barrels showing, they were covered in a shell that became thicker the further up the arm it went. As Barret confidently aimed his new weapon at Cloud in triumph, he noticed a smaller, silver dollar-sized barrel extending just below the bottom of the gun. The Gun-arm's barrels became hidden, their four hatches becoming like a flower folding into itself as it closed in a rounded shell.
"Like the new look?" Barret beamed as he pumped his fist, stomping his foot triumphantly. "And that isn't all! My new weapon-" With a laugh, Cloud dropped to his seat. "Hey, you okay?!" As he laid the Buster Sword down on the ground, Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I don't need to know the specs..." Cloud huffed, laughing again. "All I need is some water and something to eat..."
Scene Four
Their leader defeated, the Shinra gathered their wounded and retreated. The mercenaries buried the Rider and his steed in a small grave, leaving the mace as their grave marker. For the fight the Hell Rider had put up, it deserved a certain amount of respect. None of the other grunts warranted a burial, so they allowed the Shinra to gather their bodies and head down the mountain.
Inside the fort, the whole of the installation erupted in joy. Their mercenaries had performed far better than their pay grade indicated, after Cloud's training. The only reason the final wave got past them was because it forced through their comrades regardless of casualties.
"Cheers!" said Waman as he clanked his glass against Cloud's. "We actually did it!" He slammed his beer down triumphantly. "Now that we know what we're dealing with, I really think we can hold out for a while longer!"
"Hell to the yeah!" Barret shouted as he downed his beer. Suddenly, he paused and his jaw dropped. For all the work they'd done, the bill had to be in the thousands of Gil... and far more than what they could pay.
"Forget it!" Waman laughed, sensing the questions Barret had just had. "Between the training and the morale boost we have, let's just call it even!" As Barret beamed, Cloud had more doubts.
"What if they send another one of those big guys?" questioned Cloud, leaning back in his seat. "If it took me that much effort..."
"Necessity is the mother of invention, son!" Waman cackled. "Our mechanics went into overdrive making your friend's arm, and now we have a new uber-weapon! Forget that big bastard, we can hold our own now!" Seeing Cloud's dubious stare, Waman cleared his throat. "While our guys were rebuilding that dude's arm, they were inspired by some of the hidden mechanisms and created something awesome!"
"And what makes it so awesome?" Cloud asked. While the Gun-arm was certainly advanced, what kind of crazy weapon did they come up with?
"I'll show you later," Barret sneered. "From now on, I ain't gonna hold you guys back!" He burst out into raucous laughter, which slowly tapered off as Cloud's blank face stared him down. "Next time we see those monsters, I'll show you."
"Well, we better get going then..." Cloud muttered, extending his hand to Waman. "Thanks for the supplies! With this water and food we ought to make it to Junon." He lifted his tired body up as Waman held out his fist with a smile. Returning with a smile of his own, Cloud folded his fingers and sealed the deal.
After exchanging goodbyes, Cloud and Barret departed Fort Condor. As he took a quick bite of his sandwich, Cloud lifted his arm and summoned the chocobos.
"So, this is supposed to be great, huh?" Cloud said absentmindedly as he finished his snack and hopped on board his chocobo. "I certainly hope it is. I'm still sore from fighting that sucker..."
"Ha!" Barret scoffed, beating his chest. "It'll knock the wind out of you... literally!" Cloud tilted his head as Barret's laughter tapered off. "Oh, fine. It can wait. We gotta head to Junon quick, 'fore Sephiroth gets away!"
Mounting their chocobos, the duo kicked up dirt and headed down the mountain. All along the way, Barret continued to brag about his Gun-arm, driving Cloud into a catatonic state as he blocked out all the bluster. Suddenly, Barret dropped to his seat again as the chocobos vanished.
"Warn me next time!" snapped Barret. Cloud drew his sword and pointed towards the horde of enemies approaching. It was as if the last batch had called in reinforcements, and their numbers were respectable. Brushing his nose with his finger, Barret stepped in front of the oncoming army. "Time to show you my stuff!" Cloud kept his hand on his sword anyway.
May as well be ready if his new weapon has an epic fail...
Barret lifted his new Gun-arm at the approaching Nerosuferoths, the four hatches unfolding like a flower blooming and its barrels heating up. With a thunderous roar, the Gun-arm began to unload on the Nerosuferoths, the countless bullets riddling them with holes. Before long, the army started to falter. As the final four Nerosuferoths ignited their wings, a Zemzelett slammed down from out of nowhere behind Cloud, who lifted the Buster Sword towards it.
But, with the four Nerosuferoths incoming and Barret distracted by his own success, Cloud was forced to disengage and move towards the Nerosuferoths. He clashed briefly with one of their steel-hardened wings before cutting it down the middle and turning his attention to the other three.
"Barret, if you have a secret weapon, use it!" Cloud snapped as he met the Nerosuferoths head on. "I don't have time for that thing!"
"Oh, hell yeah!" shouted Barret as he lifted his Gun-arm towards the incoming Zemzelett. The beast's maw opened wide, crackling with lightning. "C'mon, you blowhard! Time to knock the wind outta you!" The hatches folded back down, leaving only a closed hangar plate pointed at the Zemzelett.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cloud screamed, finally downing the final enemy and turning to face the Zemzelett. "If you aren't going to do anything-" Cloud's attention turned to the small barrel hidden beneath Barret's Gun-arm. The barrel began to tremble wildly, a violent shaking quaking the entire Gun-arm. Cloud noticed a small fading effect around Barret's arm distorting the air around it. Barret's Gun-arm suddenly stopped cold, confusing Cloud. From the tiny barrel a small bubble formed before shattering the air with a massive crack of thunder. The whole Gun-arm, and Barret, was blown all the way up with amazing recoil.
What the flying-
The air around the Zemzelett rippled before a huge hole was blown through it, what remained of the torso dispersing into the winds. There was a wild after-shock as Barret's entire body trembled like he was in an earthquake. As it subsided, he lifted his arm to the sky and pumped it. Cloud was utterly speechless, legitimately awed.
"Look at that!" Barret cackled, lifting his Gun-arm at Cloud, allowing him to observe the small barrel beneath the hidden barrels. "Turns out there was a secret pocket in my arm that had some super technology! This new weapon focuses air pressure and fires it like a battleship cannon! It's a bullet of air!" Seeing Cloud's smile, Barret lowered his weapon. "Impressed now?" he smiled cheekily.
"Heh... Ha Ha!" Cloud began to laugh, reattaching the Buster Sword to his back. "Now I really am impressed!" His smile widened. "Good one, Barret. I love it!"
Scene Five
After the display of Barret's wind cannon, the duo's journey was largely uneventful. As they passed through the flat plains - the flat dry plains - eventually the overbearing sun wore the party down. Even the water they had left didn't satisfy their sun-beaten heads.
"God damn, we need shade..." Barret moaned for the third time in half an hour. "Whoever designed this place should've put at least one frickin' tree somewhere..."
"Ugh, God, you're a pain..." Cloud muttered as he suppressed the urge to throw his shoe at Barret. It wasn't like it was any easier for him. The heat and the dry sun had worn him down as well, not to say anything for their poor chocobos.
"Oh! Oh!" exclaimed Barret, frantically pointing at the horizon. "It's a forest! Let's stop! Can we stop? Hell with it, I'm gonna stop-" Cloud broke formation to circle around and bonk Barret on the head, causing him to flick the ex-SOLDIER off. "Stop doing that! You ain't Tifa!"
"Fine, we'll stop!" snapped Cloud, any happiness he'd felt from Barret's new weapon dissipating like the sweat on his face. "It isn't worth it to have to listen to you bitch..." As Barret shook his fist at him, Cloud turned his chocobo towards the heaven-sent woods.
Following a brief (and sweltering) ride, the two AVALANCHE leaders finally reached the sanctuary of the trees. A very excited Barret sat underneath one of the larger trees, as Cloud hopped off and began to water their chocobos. He wouldn't openly admit it, but Barret actually had a good idea.
"Phew!" Barret sighed, leaning against the tree, taking a swig of water. "Another reason to hate Shinra: if they keep messing with the Planet, all this is gonna dry up! Frickin' bastards..." As he lowered the bottle, he closed his eyes blissfully. "Ahh, yeah... Sweet relief... Don't get no better than-"
"Get down!" Cloud screamed. Barret slammed his head down into the ground, Cloud having surprised him. As he prepared another slew of curses, he felt a breeze on his head. Barret lifted his head to see a thin line on the tree that slowly separated it and dropped it diagonally to the forest floor. Some outside force had cut through it as if with a blade.
"Whoa, what the flying-" Barret's curse was interrupted as he felt something brush his cheek. He held his hand to his face, finding a thin streak of blood. "Hey, hey! What the hell-" Barret was interrupted as he heard a sickening thud hit the tree behind him. Turning, Barret found a huge, four-pointed shuriken embedded in the tree right where his head would have been. Shocked, Barret lifted his Gun-arm and waved it wildly at... well, nothing, since he couldn't see anything. "What the flying-"
Barret's words were cut short as a foot slammed into his face, knocking him into a faraway tree and sending him to la-la land. Cloud detached his sword, eyes darting back and forth in an attempt to find the source of the attack. He quickly noticed that the shuriken had vanished.
What the...
Cloud's senses piqued, and he lifted the Buster Sword just in time to deflect the shuriken a second time. As it went flying, he vaguely saw a shadow catch it before vanishing into the forest canopy. He quickly focused his senses, lowering his hands as if in surrender. Whatever was out there...
... was quickly punched in the face as it tried to snatch Cloud's materia from his gauntlet, sending the assailant flying into a nearby tree. Cloud quickly grabbed his weapon and narrowed it at the attacker, who had dropped face first into the forest floor.
"Ow! You son of a bitch!" The source of the curse was a young, black-haired girl wearing a sleeveless green turtleneck, who skittered to her feet on her orange sneakers. On her left arm was a bizarre sort of gauntlet that extended all across her forearm, tied to the shoulder at the neck and waist and segmented at the elbow. "I'm gonna kick your ass!" She snatched her shuriken up with her free hand, swinging it down at Cloud.
With the hilt of the Buster Sword, Cloud deflected the attack and sent it flying into the forest canopy. He sensed a presence at his side, and he swiftly delivered an uppercut with his left arm that slammed the girl into a tree, down again, and flat on her face. Cloud shouldered his weapon, flexing his left arm to check if anything had been stolen (nothing had been).
"Who are you?!" Cloud snapped, placing his sword to his attacker's neck. "Stand up!" The girl swallowed hard, slowly rising with her hands up. She was about sixteen, standing at five-foot-two wearing a pair of fingerless gloves that now froze in surrender.
"Ain't you scared of me, punk?!" she snarled, palming a small shuriken, which was slapped out of her hand as Cloud pinned her to the tree by the neck.
"Petrified," deadpanned Cloud as he released his arm from the girl's throat. "Answer me. Now. Who the hell are you?" Realizing that the battle was over, the mysterious girl plopped down onto her seat with a huff.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you to treat a lady with respect?!" snapped the girl, folding her arms angrily. "And not that I need to tell you, but I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, master kunoichi and the best damn thief... uh, I mean... ninja that ever came out of Wutai!"
"Wutai?!" Cloud gasped, crouching next to Yuffie with suspicion. "You mean, the Wutai that lost the war against Shinra?"
"Shut it, punk!" Yuffie shouted as she got in Cloud's face. "We didn't lose anything! There was a ceasefire, and-"
"So, you lost," Cloud said flatly. With a sigh, Yuffie plopped down again. "Tell me what you just tried to pull off... You look awfully dedicated to snatching my materia." Yuffie sniffed, wiping the tears from her face.
"Y'see, after the war, Wutai was forced to give up all its materia... Biggest. Mistake. Ever! Without materia, we can't fight back against those bastards! So that's why I wanna get lots and lots of materia - so I can help Wutai fight against Shinra!"
"You seem to already have materia," Cloud muttered as he lifted his eyebrow. "Pretty powerful materia, at that. But..." He sighed, sheathing the Buster Sword as he rose. "Whatever. We're fighting Shinra too, but we need our materia to do it. In fact, I've got some friends over in Junon waiting for me. So... we have to get going."
Yuffie's eyes opened wide as Cloud strode towards Barret, slowly brushing her hand against the two materia embedded into her gauntlet. They were powerful, yeah, but it wouldn't make a dent against Shinra. Without materia, there was nothing she could do for her country.
Hey... I think I just got an idea...
"You gonna sleep forever, or can we get going?" asked Cloud as he nudged his foot against Barret's sleeping face, prompting him to come back to the land of the living. As Barret staggered to his feet and flicked him off, Cloud only sighed and saddled up on his chocobo. He turned to Yuffie, a grim smile on his face. "Good luck, Yuffie. But we gotta move on..."
Scene Six
After calming down Barret and tying up Yuffie, Cloud set back out on their chocobos through the forest. All along the way, Barret cursed him out repeatedly, but he didn't pay any attention. By this point, he was used to hearing him complain.
Maybe I was a little harsh? I guess tying her to a tree might have been a bit much, but she caused us a lot of hell. But at least it was sort of fun. She would've been a powerful ally...
"Ain't you listening to me, Cloud?!" Barret shouted, angrily waving his Gun-arm in the air. "I've been saying for the last ten frickin' minutes-" Cloud dropped back and bonked Barret on the head before returning to the journey. "Oh, come on! Stop doing that! Like I said-"
"I haven't said anything because listening to you makes my headache worse!" snapped Cloud, stopping his chocobo to circle around and face Barret. "I healed your face, didn't I? Just because you got your ass whipped by a teenager doesn't mean you have to bitch about it into the next century!"
"Oh, I ain't even started, jackass! Just listen to me, you son of a-" Barret dropped to his seat as the chocobos disappeared, causing him to skitter to his feet and throw a fit. "What now?! I don't see-" He ducked just in time to keep his head from flying off, the assailant flying back towards him with a shriek. "Not again, you little-"
Barret screamed as a bright purple mutant hawk soared at his face. He quickly dodged the beast's slicing wing, just enough to avoid having his head cut off. Stumbling, Barret lifted his Gun-arm in time for the Formula's talons to rake his back. As he fell, he turned and tried to fire only for the weapon to bounce off the monster's hard skin and slap himself in the face, knocking him out cold.
"God damn it, Barret!" Cloud snapped, drawing his sword. "Why can't you-" He was forced to dodge a blade-like wing that clashed against the Buster Sword and sent it flying into the ground blade first. As he looked around, Cloud saw a pack of three Formulas - mutated hawks that, like the Nerosuferoths could harden their wings - soaring towards his head, faster than he could react to.
"Oh, sh-"
Before it could reach him, the Formula was thrown back by a hard kick to the beak that shattered its face. Cloud turned and found a shadow pass by him, one that he recognized. With several swift slashes, the Formulas were carved up like the trees had been before. As they fell dead to the ground, Cloud turned to find Yuffie cockily tapping her shuriken to her shoulder.
"Didn't I just tie you to a tree?!" Cloud exclaimed, diving to catch the Buster Sword and snatching it just in time for Yuffie to bow to him politely. "Wait, what..." He quickly stopped, sliding to one knee. He was still prepared to strike if necessary, but somehow he didn't think it would be needed.
"You're fighting Shinra, right?" asked Yuffie. Cloud nodded slowly. "And you've got materia, right?" Cloud shrugged and nodded. "And that means you're gonna find lots of treasure along the way... like materia, right?!" With a blank face, Cloud could only tilt his head. "So!" she chirped, head snapping up. "I'm gonna come with you guys!"
"I, uh..." stammered Cloud, dumbstruck. Was this another trick? "Where the hell did that idea come from?! What are you-" Yuffie extended her hand with a smile and a wink. "You, I... um..."
"Okay? Not okay?" Yuffie tittered, tilting her head. "Or if you want, I can just leave the two of you alone in the middle of the forest to die again!" As Cloud seethed, Yuffie clapped her hands together. "Right then! That means we're friends!"
And I bet you're gonna find something juicy... hehe...
Author's Notes
At first I was stumped for this chapter, but as I wrote it I really got into it. I think I'm going to enjoy writing Yuffie from here on out...
Far as Barret's Gun-arm goes, I want to elaborate on a few things. At first I was trying to figure out some weird, hand-grappling thingy with a bayonet or something... But after thinking about how the mechanics at Fort Condor aren't likely to have uber-technology to draw from, I decided on a simpler option. You wouldn't believe how much stuff I churned out trying to figure this out! The image I based Barret's new Gun-arm off of Samus' arm cannon from the Metroid franchise. it still extends out, but instead of having the barrels exposed (leaving them exposed, like what caused the problem in the first place) they're covered in a smooth, rounded shell shape that unfolds to show the machine gun barrels. Think a beetle's shell kind of thing.
And the wind-bullet was inspired by Franky's Coup de Vent attack from One Piece, of which I'm a diehard fanboy. Coup de Vent literally translates to "gust of wind" in French. I figured I wanted something new, and I decided on this. He can also bash things at melee range with his new arm shell, so he isn't restricted to firing bullets as being his only contribution. As for the names of the Fort Condor troops, I got them from the Quechan language of the Nazca-area native Americans. When I think condor, I think the condor geoglyph from the Nazca Lines for some reason.
Wayna: Quechan for "young boy"
Waman: Quechan for "eagle" or "falcon." I didn't spend enough time researching to find the translation for condor, so I settled for this.
A kunoichi is a female ninja in Japanese history. They were rare, I think, but no less capable than male ninja. Gender equality in Japan doesn't seem too great these days, but I guess when you put a dagger to your enemy's throat, you earn some respect...
By the way, Yuffie has her own cellphone puzzle.
Yuffie's cellphone is: Yellow with green trim, number 724-632. Think closely about her affiliation with Japan, and the architecture there. It starts with a P.