The Red Wand
Chapter X: Beginning of the End
The cocoon exploded. From within dropped a very large creature. Xenmaru took one look at it and smirked.
"How…appropriate."
The monster that dropped out from the cocoon…was a gigantic Nine-Tailed Fox.
"What do you mean, 'appropriate?'"
"Kitsune, or fox spirits, are rumored to grow a tail every 1000 years after their birth, up to a maximum of nine, supposedly. It is appropriate that AIDA would choose this form, as a symbol of its growth and evolution."
"I…guess." The rest of the group was dubious of his reasonings…but then the creature roared, a sound that echoed throughout The World.
Trying to pre-empt it's attack, Pai focused on her avatar. "Tarvos!"
The symbols covered her body…and then shattered.
"W-what?"
The others tried, again to no avail. They turned and stared at Alicia.
"What? Don't look at me, I'm not stupid enough to try to bind your powers when there's something that could potentially kill even me around!"
"Then what…"
Miko? Lets give it a shot.
"Mezame…"
He felt it…the link between him and Cubia. He grasped at the link, trying to begin the transformation. The symbols appeared on him as well. However they too shattered.
"What?!"
Something that binds even the powers of the Hidden One…I'm sorry Xen…I don't know what's wrong! I can feel you, but I cant reach you
He unknowingly spoke aloud. "It's alright Miko…"
"Well…looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way…"
Everyone solemnly nodded and drew their weapons.
Xenmaru crossed his arms. His form glowed. He shot his arms to his sides, holding them out, palms outstretched. Black and White energy coursed around his arms till they reached his palms. Two rings of light appeared hovering in front of his hands. The rings grew crosses in the centers, and continued spinning. A beam of light emerged from the edges of the rings. The beam split into three, like a fork. Finally, he grabbed the lights and they turned into weapons. He spun them between his fingers for a few moments and then slashed them across the air, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Show off."
He smirked at Pai.
Can you still…I think so.
(Play Okami: Demon Lord Nine-Tail's Extermination)
"What the hell?"
"New music."
Alicia got into a battle stance. "Any idea how to beat something like that?"
"Nope…"
"So our usual strategy then?"
"Yep."
Alicia nodded, and then shot backwards. She pooled energy into her hands, and fired at the beast. It roared in annoyance.
"HEY! UGLY! YOU WANNA PIECE OF THIS?!" She turned around and bent over, slapping her ass tauntingly. The AIDA turned Kitsune roared at the girl, and ran towards her.
Xenmaru sprung into action. He leapt at the beast, slashing its snout with his blades. He then flipped onto its head, and raked the weapons between its eyes. It roared in pain and swatted at him. Moments before impact, he vanished in a ripple of air.
"Plectra Bullets!"
Kuhn fired into the monster's side. It did minimal damage. Natsume leapt into the air and spun, cutting into the monster's back. It flicked its tail, and a torrent of lightning rained down on the girl. Just before it impacted, Aura flickered into view, and a shimmering dome of energy appeared, blocking the attack. Natsume landed, nodded her thanks, and dashed away, as Pai ran in for a swift kick to its face. It flicked a different tail, and a gale of razor sharp winds surrounded her, taking off a good deal of HP, and causing her operator a great deal of pain. Endrance jumped onto the monster and stabbed his blade into its side, slowly sliding downward.
"Lei Zas!"
Two female voices called out; a wave of light lancing towards the monster. Endrance pulled his blade out just in time to avoid the attacks. The creature screeched in pain. Haseo ran at the monster, pelletting the Fox with hundreds of small shots. It flicked its tails in his direction, sending fireballs, water blasts, and even huge rocks at him. He evaded all the attacks, and drew his scythe.
Weapon Change!
"Rekkuzan!"
He spun like a saw and slammed himself into the giant monster. He didn't cut through, but he did deal a great amount of damage to it.
Suddenly it screeched in pain. Two of its tails vanished.
"That's it! The tails represent how strong it is!"
Zefie fired wave after wave of energy blasts at the monster, while Morgana hacked at one of its legs.
The monster flicked another tail, this time at the one member of the group not fighting, Aina.
She screamed in fear, but Aura flickered into view again, and threw out her barrier.
Alicia was hovering over Pai, healing her. She tossed in a small clump of data. "Pai…you might want to look at your skill list…"
The large chested woman nodded and checked the list. "What the…"
An attack she'd never seen before was in her list. It's SP cost only said one word. All.
"The strength of that attack is determined not only by your strength, but the amount of SP you put into it."
"Th-thank you."
"Just wait till I say to use it. Put it in your skill trigger for now. Your chosen weapons will do very little against this creature. Leave the majority of the battle up to the ranged and blade users."
She then turned away, and fired another blast.
Morgana grew irritated with the monster.
"Zefie! Cover me! I'm going to try something!"
The blonde nodded, and took a position that would allow her to move to Morgana's defense at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Ovan and Kuhn fired their projectile attacks while Atoli and Bo healed the damage the others were taking.
Morgana began to glow. The monster noticed, and though it had lost a further two tails, it charged an attack. It roared again, and a gigantic beam of light shot from its mouth, heading straight for Morgana. Two blurs appeared and the beam slammed into a powerful barrier.
Alicia and Aura had both shown up and were blocking the attack.
"Damn…this thing must be pissed for it to take both of us to hold it back!"
"I have to agree. Mother, whatever you're planning, please hurry!"
Though her eyes were closed, she nodded.
Hear me fragments of myself. Phases of the Cursed Wave…Your hosts are in grave danger. This beast may be currently losing, but it holds far more power than even Aura can match. You may not be able to overlap your power with your vessels, but give them your strengths, give them your lives…become one with them, and show this abomination who the REAL masters of this world are!
The tuning fork sound rang through the area.
Suddenly, the Infinity Eight began glowing. Their respective symbols appeared around them.
Morgana dropped to the 'ground,' her energy spent. I hope this works.
(Play Final Fantasy 7 Suffering Planet OC Remix)
Within each of the PCs containing the Eight Phases, the fragments of Morgana pushed themselves to the limits. Though they couldn't induce the transformation into their fused selves, they could at least assist their hosts.
Atoli was the first to notice a change. She began floating in the air as her Lost Weapon turned into an orb of light that split into two. The twin orbs flew to her hands as her cape seemed to transform into a small pair of wings. The orbs pulsed, and out came a pair of light blue energy blades.
"Th-this is…"
Similar things were happening to the others. Random objects from their times as Phases appeared. Xenmaru took a good look at the group.
I feel kinda left out…Why? We have our own set of abilities. Yeah…but look at them. They're a group, they're friends…partners…I doubt any of them have even met each other outside of this game…and yet there they are, able to battle together as if they'd known each other their entire lives…You never had that did you…? No…either people would move…or I would. Sheela was the only one that I grew close to. Well, more like the only one I had the chance to. But she moved away two years ago. Left…before I could get any contact information. And now…I'm stuck in this world. Zero…Bah…what am I doing. I don't have time for this. Gotta fight on ne? Protect my home…
The Kitsune howled. It glowed a fierce red, and its lost tails grew back.
"Damn! We have to start all over?!"
Suddenly, the tails became points of light. Points of light that separated. Eight out of nine tails turned into a beam. The beams shot towards each one of the epitaph wielders, engulfing them in a separate dome of energy.
"Battle Areas…"
"Well then, while they take care of business there…we'll keep foxy busy."
Xenmaru focused again and drew his blades. The only home I have left…the only Life I have left…
I don't want this world…to end.
The light that slammed into him took the shape of a Fox woman wielding a katana. He stared her down, evaluating his opponent. The creature charged, and a deep black segmented blade appeared in her path, blocking her attack. He dashed to the side, firing off arrow shaped beams of dark energy. The energy impacted and dealt considerable damage to the Kitsune, but she summoned a group of transparent swords and fired them at him like bullets. The two blades of darkness that followed him blocked every attack.
It would seem that these fragments are far weaker than the whole…this would work to my advantage…
He directed the blades to attack her, and she spent the last few moments of her existence fighting them off, before Ovan summoned a huge ball of dark energy, and smashed it, turning it into a bunch of needle like projectiles. He directed them to surround the woman, which they did. She looked around in fear, and resignation, just as the wall of darkness crashed in on her. The dome collapsed, and he looked around.
This thing…can't hurt me! Pai had learned that the creature attacking her couldn't deal a single point of damage. Her symbols would glow, and the attack would be deflected. Pai delivered a punch to the fox woman's face, followed by two jabs to the gut, and a back-flip kick. She gathered energy into her left palm.
"Orb of Revenge!"
The ball of energy flew towards the creature slamming into it and containing it within. Her symbols flared again, and she clapped her hands together, crushing the orb, and destroying her opponent. The dome fell, and she scanned her surroundings.
I miss my sword…but this whip does nicely. His lost weapon turned into a thorned whip, much like the stem of a rose. The whip could send out crescent blades of light, which he was enjoying immensely. The Kitsune woman couldn't land a single hit in, for with each crack of the whip, another blade would be sent out, and she would be forced to dodge. The creature saw an opening however, and leapt to the air, planning on bringing her sword crashing down on him.
Well that's not fair…No my dear Elk…it's not…but I believe…we have something that can stop it…yes Mia…whatever you wish…
He began to twirl. The whip fragmented and turned into a twister of sharpened rose petals. The fox woman crashed into the newly erected barrier, and was sawed into by the blades. Endrance made one final spin, and then lashed out with the stem of the whip, which reformed it, and wrapped around the Kitsune. He then slashed as if he were slicing with his blade, and the fox woman was severed in two. The data scattered, and the dome shattered. Now my darling Elk…find your friends…Yes Mia…
When the dome appeared, the symbols on Saku's body flared with purple light. She suddenly felt herself grow numb, as a second form of her appeared behind the Kitsune. This form was covered in blue symbols.
"S-Saku?"
"Bo? We've split? But…how?"
"It must be our avatar's ability…it's given us separate bodies!"
"Well then what are we waiting for! Lets get this thing!"
Bo fired blue pellets of energy at the confused fox woman. Each hit did minor damage, but it held her in place while Saku summoned two bladed rings of light. She flung both of them at the fox woman, and they smashed into her. Bo then trapped the Kitsune in a bubble.
"You ready sis?"
"Of course!"
Bo held up his left arm, while Saku held up her right. The two of them began to glow, and together, they fired a large sphere of purple energy at the bubble. It crashed, and exploded. The dome around them vanished…but they were still separate. They looked at each other, nodded, and went to join the others.
Confused, but interested, the .hacker turned administrator surveyed his opponent. His fans had vanished, instead turning into large golden disks that floated around him. Every time the monster would attack, either he would vanish out of the way, or the disks would appear in its path and knock it back. He found he could use the disks to fire beams of energy at the monster, and experimented multiple times. Finally he realized what he had to do.
He teleported right in front of it, and as it slashed, teleported away. He appeared above it, and before he fell, he began firing multiple blasts of energy. The four disks then surrounded the Kitsune, blocking its escape. Simultaniously, all four fired potent beams of energy, that engulfed the creature, and destroyed it. The dome fell, and Yata moved to join the rest of the group.
The Kitsune would attack, and he would wave his arm, and the green barrier would appear. He was smirking, having fun with toying with his opponent. Kuhn would fire a lance of energy, and the creature would dodge, only to slam into an orb that would explode. Eventually, he trapped her in a web of energy lines. He created a set of plant like orbs around her, and snapped his fingers. They all exploded at once, taking her out.
"Man…that was simple…"
The dome fell, and he joined the group.
Atoli was having the time of her life. For once, she had power. She was the one dominating. She was the one in control. Move after move, clash after clash, the girl's fighting skills increased by the second. She was too fast for the fox woman to keep up with. The Kitsune would block one strike, only to get hit by another, and then another, and then another. Atoli didn't even use a single ranged move. She just made a copy of herself, and then dashed in while the Kitsune was busy attacking a mirage.
Finally…I know how it feels to be the one in control…to be the one dominating…and DAMN does it feel good! Ooh…everyone better watch out! A new Atoli is coming to play!
The girl laughed out loud, confusing the monster, and knocked it into the air. She boosted above it, and then flew right at it. Atoli crossed her arms, which crossed the blades in front of her hands. Just as she reached the creature, she slashed both blades in an X shape, cutting right through, and destroying it. The dome fell, and the smiling girl floated off to join the rest.
Haseo dashed around, a group of glowing energy blades flowing behind him like a cape. He would swing, and they would swing. He would thrust, and they would thrust. They answered to his very movements, his very thoughts. The monster before him never stood a chance. When he decided to spin like a saw, the blades made an X shape around him, sawing through the monster like it was nothing.
Damn…Xth form IS the shit!
Dome shattered, he went to the others.
Finally they were all together again. Xenmaru, Zefie, Aura and Alicia had all finished holding off the giant fox. It roared in annoyance and began glowing. Its tails grew back.
"SON OF A BITCH!"
"Pai! Do it now!"
Pai looked at Alicia, and nodded. She called up the skill trigger, and activated her last technique.
She pulled back, arms cupped at her side. A sphere of energy appeared and began sparking.
"Shin-ku…"
The energy flared, and she threw her hands in front of herself.
"HADOUKEN!"
A HUGE beam of energy erupted from the palms of her hands, slamming into the great beast. It roared in pain as it was knocked to its side. It slowly got up, greatly damaged…and then started glowing.
But this time…it curled up into a ball. The sphere raised itself and began gathering energy.
Alicia flew over to Xenmaru.
"We can't fight like this…we need their full powers."
"Then that means…"
"Yes…we have to do it."
"Alicia…"
"I know…"
She placed her hands on his right arm.
"You'll only have one shot…so make it count."
"Alicia…"
She placed a finger on his lips. "Please…don't. It's hard enough to do this. Just…Thank you."
"What for?"
"For making me feel…like I had a self."
She kissed him. The same way she did when she first woke him up.
"Time to go…"
She stepped over to Aura.
"Hey…other me."
"Yes?"
"I'm not sorry."
"Wha-
THWACK!
Alicia delivered a bone-shattering punch to Aura's face. She had focused a great deal of energy into it, and as such, a green dome of light surrounded aura, and then shattered. The others gasped. Zefie screamed.
"MOTHER!"
Alicia grabbed Aura's arms and held them behind her back.
"NOW XEN!"
With a resolute look on his face, Xenmaru focused his thoughts on one thing. Before anyone could react, they were all knocked back, and to the ground by a wave of force that came from his body. He raised his arm, and around it, a silver ring of energy appeared.
"NO!"
"Impossible!"
Alicia gave a sad smile. Aura stared at the ring, frightened.
The ring pulsed, and a cone of black shards of energy surrounded it. Within the cone, a large golden rotating bracelet appeared. The bracelet grew 'arms' that resembled fan blades. The blades spun slowly…and then stopped.
"It's interesting to say...I may be an AI…and I may be only one half of the Ultimate AI…but I have to say…I love you Zero Shinzaki…"
A tear ran down Xenmaru's cheek, as the bracelet fired.
I'd say the same for you Alicia…
The arrows of black slammed into both Aura and Alicia. Both of them screamed in unison as their data was wrenched apart, the two forms mingling before fading from existence.
The bracelet shattered, its purpose served.
His arm dropped to his side.
And now…the second part of this fight begins…
Surprised? You didn't see THAT coming now did you? It's not over yet. Two more chapters. You'll see something really interesting in the next one…
Rainfire: Perhaps. The beginning of the end is here my friend. Kuhn's name is…annoying to spell. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope this one pleases you as well.
PirateCaptainBo: It's not as soon as you probably hoped…but here it is…
Hachinoko: Piros is…somewhere. Probably doing Piros stuff. Natsume's other self decided to solo the dungeon. Honestly, she was just in the wrong place at the right time.
Wolfy: Sorry I didn't use any of your ideas. But as you can see above, I had my reasonings to pick a Kitsune…though…I wouldn't count the fan-monsters out just yet…
Nimit Dave: keep reading…the magic is just beginning.
Yamimaru: Nope and nope…thanks for the ideas though. The AIDA beast is going to make another appearance before this fic is over…so I might use one of your ideas…
This is it. The first of the last three chapters. Lets see what you think…