The surgeons of Fort Condor worked away through the late hours of the night. Sweating feverishly in the humid heat of the underground chamber, they pored over the bodies of Reis and Aeris, carefully cleaning their wounds and stemming the blood flows. Gloves stained with blood, they adjusted the gas lamp overhead so to shed as much light as possible in the dim environment.

'More water,' one said, 'We need more clean water. Hurry, we won't have much time if we want to save these two,'

'In, through, up. In, through, up,' another hummed, sewing together a cleaned, sterilized wound on Reis.

'Found a bullet. Dangerous one too,'

The doctors rubbed away the blood with the water, then purifying the bloody ruptures with alcohol. It would have caused unimaginable pain, if they were not under the influence of tranquilisers.

'Knife, please,' the head surgeon said, examining a wound on Aeris' thigh. Slicing the wound efficiently, he searched for the hidden lump of metal with a pair of narrow tongs. Pulling out a shiny black object, dripping in crimson fluid, he placed the knife and the bullet into the waiting stainless steel tray on a trolley.

Thus they went on for another hour, working against the clock to help the two women survive the night.

'Thank goodness,' one said, after the surgery had completed, 'That was the most horrific surgery I had to undergo so far,'

'You are lucky you aren't like me,' the head surgeon said, 'You haven't yet seen an amputation,'

'Either way, these two are fine. Take them down to the dorms,' the last said, pulling off the blood-coated facemask and hair net.

Next morning…

'Are you two alright?' a soft, gentle voice said.

Reis opened one bleary eye, barely strong enough to move.

'That's a good sign, you're awake. Well, don't be expecting much movement anytime soon…you two lost a lot of blood. Especially you, dragon lady, you ran while having those wounds. An extraordinary feat, I should say, one that I cannot accomplish,'

Reis closed her eye again, her mind still feeling ill and rather nauseous. She could barely lift a finger, let alone talk. I assume Aeris is experiencing the same, she thought.

'So, are those two alright?' a bossy voice said, echoing in the stone building.

'Yes, sir,'

'Good. Keep them safe from any danger. Especially during the siege that's to happen soon, Shinra forces have been reported to be around here somewhere,'

'Yes, sir,'

A number of heavy footsteps could be heard, making loud thumps on the hard stone floor. A door squeaked open, and the footsteps drew ever closer.

'Good morning, fair miss. I am the leader of the soldiers in Fort Condor,'

Reis made a futile attempt to move her arm, tried twice and gave up. The man seemed to have expected this, and held her arm down.

'No, don't strain yourself. Rest. Have some sleep,'

It's been awhile since I had that sort of attention…

'We captured some suspicious-looking men on chocobos around this area this morning,' he continued, 'We believe that they were the ones responsible for your ills. We have found on them money to the sum of fifty thousand gil, and also guns with the same caliber on their persons. Their executions are within one hour; the last rites are being performed on them right now, so to give them at least some mercy on their souls,'

What is a 'caliber'? All the same, I am glad that they were captured. They do not deserve any mercy…let alone the last rites…

'I will leave you to rest now. Farewell,' he concluded, kissing Reis on the forehead.

Eight hours later…

'Aeris?' Reis said, hearing some movement in the bed next to her.

'Ow…Am I still alive?' she said slowly.

'Yes, you are. We are safe now,'

'Thank God…I thought I was dead…'

'So, how do you feel?'

'Not too bad,' she replied, lifting a feeble arm to her stomach, 'At least I'm not dead,'

'That's good to know…now I can move around at least…hang on, let me try something,'

Gathering her concentration, Reis focused on a piece of ancient magic she learned during her imprisonment with the dragons in Goland coal mines.

'Spirits of dragons long gone,

Let me borrow your power

By the bond of our sisterhood.

Heal me with the power of our friendship,

And free me from the shackles of illness!'

A soft red aura surrounded Reis, wispy, indistinct. Swirling around in small circles, it gradually rose up, knee high, chest high, head high. She felt a powerful rush of blood within her veins, a steady, pulsing throb of adrenaline, one with the rhythm of her body and soul. A warm feeling spread from the centre of her chest, spreading outwards to the very tips of her fingers. Aeris' eyes widened in surprise as Reis' wounds closed without a trace, not even a single scar. The glow fading away into nothing, Reis collapsed back into her bed, panting, sweat dripping from her forehead.

'WOW! Have a look at this, boss!' someone called out from the doorway.

'Oh…my…goodness…' the boss said, dumbstruck, 'She's fully cured! How!'

'I have no idea, sir,'

'THEN WHAT WERE YOU DOING, SOLDIER?' the leader roared, apparently furious, (it was impossible to see through walls, after all), 'Taking a nap while you dreamed about the beautiful lady instead of guarding the two!'

Really…Am I that beautiful? I'm just an ordinary girl…

'Resume your post, soldier. Shinra forces are coming ever closer. They may be here by this evening,'

Feeling a little better, Reis stood up. Stretching her arms, she walked over to the door.

'Young miss, are you alright?'

'Yes, I'm fine, thank you,' Reis said, 'Please let me speak to the leader of this place,'

'Right this way, young miss,'

The guard led Reis down a broad hallway, edged with small braziers. Down a flight of steps or two, up a ladder, and they were at a door labeled 'King of Fort Condor'. Thanking the guard, Reis knocked on the door.

'Come in,' the familiar bossy voice said.

She walked into the room, which was unlike the other rooms of the fort. It was lined with bookracks, filled with books concerning war and history. A tiger pelt was on the ground, acting as a carpet, its striped glory adding to the fierce outlook of the leader.

'Ah, so you're feeling better now, young dragon lady,'

'Yes, and thank you for your assistance. My name is Reis Dular. I am a dragoner, or quite literally a half-dragon,'

'Really?' the leader said, surprised. Remembering his formalities, he said, 'I am…well, you won't really need to know me…I think I'll be dead by this evening, along with all the soldiers in this fort,'

'Why is that?' Reis asked, curious about this streak of dark thought.

'Shinra forces have arrived in vast numbers throughout the day, and are now about to lay siege to this fort,'

'If it were necessary, I will put myself into your service for this battle, leader of Fort Condor,'

'Thank you! We will require all the men that we can gather…and women too, if they wish to defend this fort and the giant condor above,' he said, 'Oh, and that's why this place is called Fort Condor. There had been a gigantic condor nesting here for a lo-oo-ong time,'

'I wish to make a request of you,' Reis said, 'Is there anybody that can make weapons or armour in this place?'

'Yes, indeed there is. Speak to the blacksmith, he works in the lowest floor of this fort,'

Bowing politely, Reis farewelled the leader, before heading down the ladders and staircases of the fort. It's like being in a castle, she thought.

'Yes? What d'ya want?' the blacksmith said, wiping his brow, 'I'll make anything from swords to guns to plated leather,'

'Well…I need something specialized,' Reis said, 'Could you make a pair of claws for a dragon?'

'A dragon? Are you sure about that young missy? They're more trouble than help,'

Another person that thinks dragons are stupid and useless creatures…

'Yes, I'm certain,' Reis concluded, holding back her indignant feelings.

'How big do you want the claws to be?'

'Uh…wait,'

Reis went into a secluded spot behind the large bellows of the inactive furnace, where she could avoid the gaze of everyone. Then, taking off her clothes, she wished for the transformation. A flash of white light, lengthening and rapid expansion of Reis' body ensued, followed by an eerie silence as everybody fell into silence. Stepping out from behind the bellows, Reis stretched out her claws.

'Well, how's this? Can you measure the size of my claws to fit them with weapons?'

The blacksmith snapped out of his shocked trance. 'Yes, I will be able to, ma'am,'

Taking out a piece of string and a black ink marker, he measured both of Reis' front claws, taking note of the distance between each individual nail. Finally, drawing back his reels of string with a flourish, he gathered up sheets and bars of metal, and went away to the anvil, hammering them to shape.

Reis waited, dropping down on four legs in a corner, looking at the work in progress. How long would this take, I wonder.

'There. Finished,'

The blacksmith held out a pair of steel claws, their cutting edges reinforced with hardened mithril. Slipping them onto Reis' large claws, he stepped back and admired his work.

'I must admit, my work looks better on you,' he said, grinning, wiping a greasy hand across his soot-blackened face, 'I will make some armor before the siege begins, just trust me,'

'Thank you,' Reis growled, in a deep, dragon-y voice.

'You're…welcome,' the blacksmith said, unnerved by the strange new voice of the previously-beautiful woman.

Walking as silently as it is possible for a dragon, Reis climbed slowly up the rock fortress (for she cannot climb ladders…you all know the reason why). Meeting the leader, she greeted him with a clumsy sort of bow on four legs. Uncertain of what to say or do, the leader simply bowed in return.

'I have grave news, my lady,'

'What is it?' Reis replied, as politely as possible.

'Shinra forces are currently marching on the far side of this mountain. It will not be long before they will decimate this fort. They outnumber us twenty-to-one,'

'You need not worry. I will reduce them all to ashes…in return for your hospitality and for my own revenge for what evils they have done,'

'Are you certain about what you are saying, my lady? You speak as though you were God himself or a being of greater power. Shinra forces are not something to be dealt with lightly,'

'I am totally certain that I will emerge victorious,' Reis growled, 'By the divine protection of God, I will destroy the evil that marches on this land,'

This reminds me of the old times…the fifty year war…the Lion War…major bloodshed and uncountable deaths. Still, it is necessary to purge all evils from the lands, be it mine own or one that I visit. Beowulf, I hope to see you again soon…even in death, I will still be grateful, for I will see you again, touch you again, speak with you again, not through some intermediary that you cannot see.

Ten thousand troops marched on the vast plains at the base of the hill, bearing the Shinra mark upon their hats and helmets. Carrying rifles on their shoulders and spinning pistols from their fingers, the troops looked formidable. Battle-scarred and toughened, these appeared to be the crack troops of the Shinra Empire.

'I will leave now. Please send your available troops up to defensive positions,'

'I will, my lady, though I still doubt your conviction that everything will be fine,'

The five hundred defenders of Fort Condor emerged from the small hut atop the Condor Hill, beneath the shadow of the giant condor that nested in the old reactor above them. Reis stomped through the middle, parting a path through the mass of soldiers.

'Today…will be a day of blood…' she began, pacing around in front of them, 'We fight…for a reason that we all know of, that we appreciate. We fight for life. We fight for freedom. We fight for our rights! We shall not let these Shinra oppressors resume their tyranny! Today, we fight. Today, we shall not run! Today, we fight for freedom and life—or die in the process,'

At these words, some of the soldiers muttered among themselves, staring mutinously at Reis and shooting occasional glances at the huge army gathered in front of them.

'So you are suggesting that we will fight to the death!' one soldier shouted.

A murmur of assent rose through the crowd.

'Fight, and some will die,' she said, scratching her neck with a claw, 'But if we fight, we still have a chance of winning, no matter how slim. We still can achieve freedom, even if it means losing our lives. Do not think that I have not been in a battle before, and that I have not experienced the bitter pain of loss,'

'Prove it, young missy. I know you've been shot by bandits, but that ain't some battle,'

'So you question me?' Reis said, indignant. Rising up to her full height as a dragon, she began to storm, 'I have lost my betrothed, one whom I am to marry. I have lost my family, when I was young. I have lost all, if not most of my friends, those that were in battle with me when I fought for freedom. Think! Have I not lost enough? Have I not lost enough to know the bitter pain of loss, the cold blade of fate slicing through my heart? Have I not felt the grief and sadness of death? Think! I am as much pain as you are, if I have lost my friends, as you would be when you have lost your comrades,'

There was a series of clapping hands, and a chorus of assent. The protesting people fell silent, hung their heads and held their rifles low, flushing in shame. They could almost swear that the Shinra army paused for a moment, stunned by their cheers.

Sobering up, they hid among the piles of stone positioned on the hill, squeezing their rifles through the gaps, some even mounting machine guns on the largest gaps. Reis stood in between two clusters of rocks, waiting for the Shinra army to come into safe attacking range…

1800 hours, local time, Fort Condor. The Shinra army came under heavy fire, the psyched-up troops of Fort Condor firing far more frenziedly than ever before. Shinra troops fell down in great numbers, their corpses littering the ground like confetti on a wedding day. But this was anything but a wedding day. Minute by minute, the Condor soldiers began to take casualties, one by one they fell. Not enough Shinra soldiers were being killed. This calls for quick action.

Reis took one mighty bound, her mighty legs allowing her to spring sixty feet forwards, landing squarely on top of a dozen or so soldiers, squashing their faces into the ground. Entering a frenzied rampage, she bit and tore her way through the Shinra ranks, every few seconds throwing six or seven into the air with a sweep of her tail. Unable to fire and gripped by fear, the Shinra troops began to fall into disarray, scattering like undisciplined barbarians, easily picked off by the snipers left atop the hill. Reis herself stomped over the remaining troops of that company, shredding flesh and scattering blood. Opening her mouth wide, she blasted the fleeing members, reducing their bodies to dark grey ash.

But the Shinra invasion still continued. One company was down, but another was still there. Turning on Reis, they marched forward, rifles held at her. This is becoming…bad…

Must I risk it? Will I try to burn them? Or should I run away? No…I will not be a coward now…those people at Condor gave their lives in my service, I will not waste their ultimate sacrifice for my paltry life. I will fight! Fight for freedom, even to the death if necessary!

A strange gleam filled her ultramarine eyes, a blazing heat from the normally icy colour. Gathering her energy, she dug her claws down into the ground. Ignoring the numerous rifle shots being fired at her, she continued to gather her power, for one last attack that was sure to destroy the rest of the vile Shinra troops.

Bullets peppered her skin, puncturing minute holes in them. Thousands of them, pouring down upon Reis, some bouncing off the hide, but others piercing a shallow distance into her flesh. Pain…needle-like…stabbing away…it was all too familiar. I must not stop, she thought.Feeling her strength fully gathered, she released it all in a breath attack, one that could be comparable to Lord Bahamut's Mega Flare. Superheated air rushed over her enemies…a silence, the men mouthing words that one cannot hear, clutching their heads in agony, rolling around on the ground as though trying to minimize the pain…and in moments, the entire army was vaporized…gone, from the face of the Planet, forever.

Shifting back to her beautiful self once again, Reis was immediately mobbed by a crowd of overjoyed soldiers, picking her up and passing her all the way to the top of the hill. The condor had finally taken off, a smaller, but still large, miniature version of itself following behind. Stumbling around once she arrived at the top, she crashed to the side of the wall, bleeding slightly from a bullet wound on her shoulder. Curing herself in an instant, she was again passed around the fort, with a new nickname:

'The maid of Fort Condor'

A\N

Yay it's my birthday and I wrote this chapter extra long as a special treat. Hope more ppl review soon!