They finally reached the edge of Gaea's Cliff. It was now warmer then the previous areas. The moment they left the Warship behind, and it's one inhabitant, things got warmer all the way. They also found out what happened to Mr Holzoff. As they left the warship, they found his body, frozen over, outside it. Perhaps he got killed by a critter or monster. They weren't sure, but it didn't matter now. At least they knew his fate.
His home was still intact. And as Cloud put it, "It wouldn't be disrespectful if we used it to rest and recover before heading up the cliff."
They went inside his wooden building, and found it had logs nearby the fireplace, fur covers, food, water…they soon made themselves right at home, if only for a few hours. They all sat in a circle in the living room. Well, all of them but Darkmega. He was resting on the couch nearby, laying there, listening to Cloud.
"The cliff will most likely be just as cold as the Glacier Wasteland we went through, so don't expect things to get any easier. We'll need to pass through a few cave systems on the way up. Other then that, there shouldn't be any problems getting to the Northern Crater from here."
Anna was seen leaning on Chad's arm, quite snug at the moment, keeping herself covered in fur. "So when do we have to leave?"
"As soon as we feel ready. A few hours tops I think will do. We've eaten and had something to drink. This is the only stop we'll need to make."
Darkmega was still laying on the soft couch when he spoke up. "You sure we won't encounter problems? Maybe we'll get unlucky and Chad will piss himself at the sight of another ghost."
Chad was really getting annoyed with Darkmega's attitude now to this. He was fighting back the urge to smash his face in.
Cloud shook his head. "The only thing we might get is a monster. The Lifestream from the Northern Crater might've attracted a few. Shouldn't be a problem still. Now get some rest, all of you."
Darkmega rolled over, looking away from them all. Chad noticed Anna closing her eyes, no doubt falling asleep, and gently moved his arm, so she was off it, and put it around her. She didn't seem to mind, and just snuggled up to his chest instead. Chad smiled at her…she was beautiful as she rested, he couldn't deny that…he noticed Zhang He watching them and smiling, before standing up and heading into the kitchen area of the house. Cloud was seen turning around, and just looking at the fire.
The Cliff. The coldness quickly return with vengeance. They all stayed close as they journeyed upwards, often having to stop and warm themselves up a little. All of them but Darkmega, who seemed fine with the icy weather. "What's the matter with you lot? Can't just turn off your senses to the cold or something? Heheh."
He was abusing the fact he was a Net Navi, who could, with skill and plenty of practice, turn off vital systems or humanoid programming. He seemed to have mastered it, which made Chad hate him more.
They continued the climb upwards, still making stops, even getting through one set of the caves Cloud said about, and climbing up to the second cave system that SHOULD lead them to the Northern Crater, when Anna seemed to suddenly slow down, panting, looking dizzy. Darkmega was behind her, and Cloud, Zhang He and Chad were ahead. Chad stopped when he heard Darkmega shout up about her being lazy, and looked. "Anna? Are you alright?"
"I…I just feel, so cold Chad. So tired. All this moving and grabbing on this, cold set of rocks…I think I'll just, get some sleep, a little shuteye…"
Chad quickly noticed she was easing her grip on the side of the cliff. "ANNA NO! STAY AWAKE!" this alerted Cloud and Zhang He, who stopped and looked. Zhang He was quickly trying to head back down, as Anna was letting go, but he didn't make it, as she let go of the cliff, and begun to fall…when Darkmega reached out, and grabbed her with one hand, just catching her wrist. He held on tight to the cliff with his other hand. "I gotcha, I gotcha…"
Chad was dumbfounded, looking down at Darkmega…had he just, saved Anna from death?…Darkmega looked at him for a moment, then, carefully, continued to climb up, keeping a tight grip on Anna. It made it far more difficult for him, but he was pushing himself, instead of letting her go. The others continued to move, as the cave entrance was only a little further, with Chad watching him, actually concerned about Anna AND Darkmega, as Darkmega made the odd slip, but continued to keep a hold of Anna.
Cloud, Zhang He and Chad got up to the entrance, and as Darkmega got close, Zhang He leaned over and got Anna from him, carrying her now, letting Darkmega get up with the use of both hands. As he got on flat ground like them, he found Chad staring at him, looking at him carefully. "…What? Did I rip something?"
Cloud and Zhang He took Anna into the cave, leaving them there. Chad just kept looking at him, as the wind howled against the cliff. Then, looked at him right in the eyes. And in a flat tone. "…Why?"
"Why?"
"Why did you save her? You gain nothing out of it that you could use."
Darkmega was about to open his mouth, then stopped….WHY did he save her? He didn't know himself. It was suddenly on instinct to reach out and grab her. A part of him said that because he would've seen her die…but that's what he wants to see…wasn't it?
He looked a little baffled with himself, then looked at Chad and shrugged. Then walked into the cave. Chad watched him enter, then followed suit.
The cave was just…ice. Everything was iced over. Frozen. All blue and shiny. It was a little warmer once again. Zhang He was seen carrying Anna in his arms. She hadn't opener her eyes yet. Chad quickly came over to check on her. "Is she okay?!"
Cloud nodded. "She'll be fine. She'll recover slowly, just give her time. The worst part I would say, is over now."
Zhang He looked around. "What a wonderful, beautiful place…"
Cloud looks at him. "We're not staying. We have to keep moving. We're not far now. Keep your wits around you and…"
They heard something echoing through the caves. The sound of something stomping coming their way…behind them. They all turned to look, and just entering the cave, was Phantom. Still with a wounded claw, he roared out in fury at them. "THIS TIME YOU WILL DIE!" and without a moments rest, his eyes glaring bright blood red, an orange aura around him, expressing his power was higher than previous, he opened his mouth, and charged up and fireball.
"RUN!" Chad yelled out, the moment Phantom unleashed the fire at them, just missing them all. They begun to flee deeper into the cave system, with Phantom in hot pursuit, firing fireballs as much as he could, determined to mostly, as Chad noticed, hit him. He was feeling a lot warmer alright with those balls of fire exploding near him each and every time.
He noticed as they went that he was also risking the others safety, as those fireballs that missed him, keep getting close to Zhang He, thus, close to Anna. He noticed as well as they went through a huge part of the cave, massive icicles hanging from the ceiling. Phantom was just coming through.
An idea sprung up in his head, as he quickly turned around, drawing the Blade of Darkness. Darkmega stopped, seeing Chad turn to face Phantom. "The hell you doing!?"
Chad quickly looked at him. "Stay with the others! Keep running! I got an idea on stalling him!"
Darkmega saw Phantom charging towards Chad, and did what he was told. Chad quickly jumped back, missing the still okay claw swiping at him. "Whoa whoa easy there Phantom!"
Phantom followed up by unleashing a fireball yet again, Chad jumped to the side, and fired a Chaos Beam. It bounced off the creature without it even looking at him, that was fine though with Chad. Phantom turned towards him.
"That's it you dumb monster! Come at me! I kicked your ass earlier and I can do it again!"
That made Phantom go at him, jumping up into the air, with the intention of flattering Chad under him. Chad used Chaos Control to evade the attack, and appeared on the other side of the room, putting his hand in his jacket, and was checking his battle chips…he found what he wanted. First he pulled out a Hi-Cannon chip, forming the cannon and firing several shots at Phantom, as the Creature spun round. The shots all hit, doing nothing. "Fool! Your attacks are nothing to me now! Prepare to die!"
Chad smirked. "Well then, let's see you dodge this Phantom!" he then showed the battle chips he had ready, a Cyber Sword Battlechip, a Wide Sword battlechip and a Long Sword Battlechip. "Program Advance!" He placed all three on his arm, then like the cannon, a bright blue aura covered his hands, as he held his arms above his head, Phantom looking amused. He knew no slow attack like this would be hard to dodge, he prepared to just leap sideward's, then blast Chad down with the biggest fireball we could muster.
Then, the energy in Chad's hands took the shape of a sword, still flowing like energy, about the length of a claymore. He looked at Phantom. "Dodge this! LIFE SWORD!" he swung it down, and the energy sent out a vertical energy wave, going straight towards Phantom, who laughed, and before it hit, jumped to the side as planned. The energy wave exploded and dispersed on contact with the wall, shaking the cave ever so slightly, the energy itself, on dispersing, flew around the room for a moment…Chad smiled, as he could near the faint cracking of ice.
He disabled the sword, seeing Phantom charging up the fireball. "Hey Phantom, maybe you should be keeping an eye on your surroundings instead of just me! I seem to be bad luck for ya!"
Phantom ignored him, and unleashed a fireball at least four times the size of his normal ones. Chad used Chaos Control, the last drop of energy he had of it to dodge, and appear where the others went, waved at Phantom, and fled.
As Phantom begun to chase, he now heard the cracking…and screamed out, as one of the massive icicles, a quarter of his width and just huge in length, impaled his back, and smashed into the ground, embedding into it. Quickly, his lava insides were melting it, but soon, as he noticed…dozens of them were flying down. He gave one huge roar of despair, as Chad heard while running, before he heard the echoes of objects crashing into the ground from that segment of the cave, smirking.
He ran on, and soon reached the end of the cave, leading outside, to a snow covered pathway…a small one at that, leading round to another cave entrance. Off the snow path, it was the cliff…and a very, long way down. He saw Cloud and Darkmega waiting for him at the entrance to the other cave, motioning him to hurry. He smiled at them, and begun to walk, relaxed.
As he got halfway, he heard that stomping sound again. He quickly turned, and to his horror, Phantom was on the pathway himself, just coming out of the cave. His eyes were still bright red in fury, but his orange aura was gone, and his body…the lava insides of his seemed, duller then before, more darker, steam coming off him as well. That was a lot of ice he had to quickly melt to catch up, and it's effected his body warmth, and in retrospect, being a fire summon, effected his power all round. As such, he gifted power of teleport was down to, perhaps one shot in this condition. He needed to warm himself up.
"Oh goddamnit! Can't you quit!?" Chad said, not believing what he was seeing right now. He knew his old enemy Chaos was stubborn, but SHEESH!
Chad prepared to run again, but Phantom was already spamming his loved fireballs, by the truckload. Small and numerous, certainly not powerful, but it gave Chad little time to use a battlechip or leg it. He had to jump, move left and right with what little space he had on the side. Soon, he noticed the fireballs stopped, and started to run, when he saw Phantom teleport from behind Chad, to right in front…blocking his only way.
Phantom knew this, and laughed evilly. "End of the line for you, boy!"
Chad looked at the beast…and he was sure he heard Zuo Ci at that moment. Time seemed to slow down, as Cloud and Darkmega were running down to come and rescue him if possible, as Phantom raised his working claw to smack Chad off the edge. "Chad…the Blade of Darkness…allow me, to open one of its many powers to you."
Chad seemed to look at the Blade of Darkness almost against his will, and felt the power flow into him…he looked at Phantom…and ran at him, and just as the claw swung, he jumped into the air, using it as a platform, rose the sword high, and yelled out "EXPLOSION!" suddenly, the Blade of Darkness glowed bright orange, the blade becoming blunt, and as Chad flew down, Phantom quickly moved back, and noticing the blade could still hit, rose up on his hind legs as much as possible so it would avoid his face, as Chad aim was where it once was…then he recalled what this power was. He'd seen it before.
But it was too late. The blade missed him, and hit the ground before him, creating a explosion that didn't move Phantom, but knocked back Chad, making him hit the ground, holding his sword, dazed a little…the ground near Phantom cracked heavily, making the being lose its balance, and in one final roar, as the ground beneath it gave way a little more, he fell off the edge, falling down smacking the side of the cliff on the way, screeching as he fell, chunks of rock and the path followed him to the ground far, far below, unable to seen by a grey mist…
Chad got up, and felt the ground rumble. He knew his part was about to give way. He quickly changed into his mobian form, and ran, taking a leap of faith, as the ground beneath him vanished, and having little choice but to jump over where Phantom was…and just made it, looking back, and seeing the pathway, all the way back to the cave before, had fallen down the Cliffside…and felt this side of it start following. Cloud and Darkmega saw, and turned to run back, with Chad quickly following, the ground with each step for him slipping, his heart racing.
He saw Cloud and Darkmega make it, and as he got close to the Cave entrance he swore to himself, as he had to jump again, the pathway being an asshole and fully giving away before he got there. But this was a lot smaller in distance, and he easily made the gap, landing between Darkmega and Cloud, panting, but he smiled at them. "There…there…piece of…cake, eh guys? Heh…"
They all walked into the cave, as Chad turned back into his human form, to where Zhang He was sitting with Anna next to him. "I heard the roar of that beast! Chad, are you alright?" Zhang He asked.
Chad nodded. He looked around this new cave. It was iced over like the rest, but he noticed a green glowing pool of liquid nearby, close to the direction they had to go, it's glow reflecting on the ice, giving the place a more greener, shining appearance.
Cloud saw it and smiled, walking over to the pool of liquid. "Zhang He, everyone, over here." they stepped over to where he was, Zhang He once again carrying Anna. "It's a pool of Elixir. I recall it from the last time I came through here. Put your hand in it. It'll make you feel fully energized again." he showed them by doing it himself…they saw nothing happen but him seemingly having pleasure written over his face for a moment, before moving his hand away from it.
Darkmega looked at Cloud, then at the pool of liquid. "Did…it give you an orgasm or something?"
Chad sighed at Darkmega, then went over and put his hand in the pool…alright he admitted it FELT like an orgasm. A wave of warmth flowing right through him suddenly, before he moved his hand away. He felt refreshed, even his Chaos Energy was restored.
Darkmega took his turn, as did Zhang He. Then Zhang He moved Anna's hand, and placed it in the pool for a moment, then back. Anna slowly opened her eyes, breathing in shock almost at the sudden warmth going through her. "Oh, Chad…" she sighed in pleasure, before realizing she was near Zhang He, with him, Cloud and Darkmega looking at her.
She quickly sat up, noticing she was in the icy cave with them. "Huh? What? What happened?" Chad was seen looking away, blushing faintly, knowing how the energy felt going through him must've for her.
Cloud told her. "You gave up to the cold and nearly fell to your death. Thankfully Darkmega saved you from the fall, and Zhang He carried you throughout the progress we made while you were down and out."
Anna looked surprised at Darkmega, then gave him a smile. "Well, thank you Darkmega." as she turned to thank Zhang He, Darkmega felt this little happiness inside at being thanked…this just confused him more with himself. Why was this happening? Why did he care for what they said? He cursed mentally, before focusing on Anna, as she stood up by herself once again.
They soon begun to move on from the cave, and arrived at its exit, not far away from where they quickly recovered….and there it was…Northern Crater…the air was a lot warmer around here. It was more mild then anything. Cloud just told them it might be by the Lifestream flowing here that's made it like this. It was once hundreds of cracked pathways and mist in the past, but now…it was just a huge hole in the planet, they were only a little while away from its edge. It was filled to the brim, with the Lifestream, that same glowing green aura as the pool of elixir…no, more so…Chad was looking at it, and he felt…strange, in its presence. They all did.
Lifestream's were the blood of all planets. On the surface, it would condense and form pools of green liquid, many that have named it Mako in this form. Deep beneath the planet though, it flowed like energy. It was the very power that kept all planets alive. SCI had taken a lot of time and research to understand the Lifestream.
They all stood outside the cave. Darkmega looked at the filled hole, then at Cloud. "I thought the Black Materia was around here?"
Cloud nodded. "Down in the depths of that hole, the centre of the crater, was where we battled Sephiroth to save this planet…he died in there, taking it with him. Sorry guys, I had hoped maybe the Lifestream would've returned deeper into the planet then remained here. "
They walked down, and close to the edge of the lake of green liquid. Chad was about to go in, when Cloud held his shoulder, shaking his head at Chad. "Bad idea. Putting a small piece of you in is fine, but submerge yourself in the Lifestream? You have a risk of becoming very…unstable. It feeds you with the memories and voices of others, to the point of confusion and mental breakdowns…I've been there."
Anna looked at him, feeling a little defeated. "So…So there's no way in getting down there to find the Black Materia?"
Cloud nodded sadly. "No there isn't I'm afraid."
Then a new voice was heard, coming from the middle of the lake. "It would not be waiting for you down there, even if you did look for it."
They all quickly looked, and rising from the liquid, with his long silver hair, the green eyes matching the lake, his fair skin, clothes as black as the abyss, along with his one wing, and a sword that was at least the length of a person…Sephiroth. He soon appeared fully from the lake, and seemed to stand on top of it, no doubt using magic to float.
"Because I have it."
Chad knew from description's of the man he was told, that this was none other than the warrior of legend. "N-No way…that's…S…S…S"
Cloud got his Buster Sword ready without thinking, watching Sephiroth every second. "Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth looked at him, seemingly bored. "Oh, is that you Cloud? Did you lead them here for me to slaughter? I must thank you then. At least I'll be able to do the job that Phantom failed."
Chad looked surprised. "You…You knew Phantom?"
Sephiroth nodded a little. "I've known him for a very long time. We have…close ties to our pasts. I'm surprised he was defeated by the likes of you. But then, you do carry that sword. Still, it is only temporary, the damage he got from falling, and the claw wound you gave him. He'll recover to try and restore his pride on what you did, if you survive here."
Chad got the Blade of Darkness ready, trying to push away that fear he was getting. "Yeah, well, he can try, because I will survive here Sephiroth…"
Sephiroth chuckled darkly. "That sword…you expect it to stop me? No, it's long ago previous holder could not defeat me with it. Today will be no different, bar from the fact your still inferior to him, making it far more easier for me. You hardly know what power is within that blade, do you? It holds far more than just a little explosive burst."
Cloud quickly spoke up. "Sephiroth, I'll deal with you! Not them!"
Sephiroth waved his hand dismissively at Cloud. "Cloud, I am far more older, and more powerful, then my actions showed on this planet. You're nothing to me now."
Darkmega formed his Dark Buster, aiming it at Sephiroth, who now turned his attention to him. "Ah, Darkmega…the one who allowed Richard to become the summoner of Unicron…how does it feel, to be this low now? To assist those you wanted to destroy?"
Darkmega glared at him, as Chad looked at Darkmega, surprised at what Sephiroth said about Richard. "Shut it you. I'm only helping them because I'm forced to!"
Sephiroth smiled at him. "Forced to? Like you forced Richard to become controlled by Unicron?"
This was a blatant lie, but he knew where it would go. Chad glared quickly at Darkmega, as did Anna for that matter. Darkmega was slightly stunned by what Sephiroth said. "B-Bullshit Sephiroth! I never-"
"You forced several Dark chips into him, made him carry the Sigil shard to call Unicron…he was your puppet once, and now his a puppet to Unicron. All thanks to you."
"He was already a Dark Soul!" Darkmega noticed Chad was gripping the hilt of his sword, and his glare was darkened.
Sephiroth once again did that haughty chuckle of his. "Oh was he? Perhaps I can give proof on my side of the story more so…Chad, you have met the old man, Zuo Ci, have you not?"
Chad turned his head away from Darkmega, and looked at Sephiroth, before nodding.
"He is a Deity. A being that can see many things. I am one also. I saw what Darkmega did. We know of what happened, what your destiny could be now. Why would I lie, before you die?"
That was enough for Chad. The seeds of distrust rapidly were sown back into him and Anna. Sephiroth little fun before he enjoys killing them had worked out for him.
Darkmega looked at them, knowing they had believed Sephiroth. "Anna…Chad…look, his lying alright?" he felt the confusion again on caring about their opinions on him, but he chose to ignore it. "Richard was already a monster before I even saw him!"
Before Chad could say anything, Sephiroth spoke up. "Now that's out of the way, let's get down to our business…I predict this battle will end within twelve of my attacks. One of you will be impaled on my blade, two wounded by it, one wounded by other means, and the fifth knocked out cold."
The lake of liquid seemed to ripple for just a moment, before Sephiroth flew at them like a bullet. His first target, who merely fired one dark energy shot from his Buster before Sephiroth towered over him was Darkmega. The energy shot missed as Sephiroth came up to Darkmega, and then he rose his hand in front of him, the palm of it in Darkmega's direction…out of it came a bright light, blinding the others, and after it died off, Darkmega was seen on the ground, out for the count.
Cloud ran at Sephiroth, and quickly swung the Buster Sword…Sephiroth merely jumped over it and him, and landed behind Cloud, pointing his spare hand towards Anna now. And before she could act, a dark energy filled beam flew out of it, and smacked into her, sending her crashing into the rocky ground.
"ANNA!" Chad shouted, before turning his attention to Sephiroth, then firing a Chaos beam, which Sephiroth sidestepped, then rolled forward, as Cloud turned, swinging his Buster Sword. Cloud was cursing the fact he didn't bring any Materia with him so much right now.
Zhang He prepared his claws, then leapt into the air, before diving down towards Sephiroth, who used his blade to block the claws, and as Zhang He was in the air for just a moment as they clashed, Sephiroth suddenly vanish before him, leaving behind a single black feather. Zhang He landed, and looked around quickly with the others, then heard Cloud shout something about behind. When he looked, Sephiroth was there, already swinging his blade at Zhang He, slashing him across the chest, sending Zhang He flying back by the sheer power alone, blood flowing out of the wound, as he crashed into the ground.
Sephiroth didn't get a break, as both Chad, coming from behind, and Cloud from the front were coming at him. He vanished as they swung their weapons, and found themselves clashing their weapons on each other. Cloud looked behind Chad, and Chad turned, swinging the Blade of Darkness at Sephiroth, who was there, that easily blocked the sword.
Chad swung it again and again, both times easily blocked, then Sephiroth swung his blade to make an attack, clashing with the Blade of Darkness, the power knocking Chad flying back, and Cloud having to jump to the side to allow Chad to fly past him without colliding.
As Chad skidded across the ground, before coming to a halt, he felt that power from the sword…that, was nothing like his felt before. Sephiroth was on a whole new level. 'goddamn, why the hell did we get this nightmare? Now I really wish I didn't dispose to Phantom so soon. Maybe Sephiroth would've stayed away.' he looked over, and saw Cloud and Sephiroth exchanging blows.
Cloud was swinging with abandon at Sephiroth, who was blocking with ease, and only trying to attack once in a while, racking up his number of attacks to nine, before he jumped back, away from Cloud, and before Cloud could act, he created a sphere of dark teal energy above his head with his hand, and threw it at Cloud. Ultima. It hit, and Cloud was heard shouting in pain, and Chad saw him fly back midst the explosion of energy from the attack.
Chad forced himself up. And he heard Sephiroth's voice. "Now see how worthless your bloodline is, descendent of Primus." and before him, was Sephiroth, towering over him, his wing fully open…it was a terrifying view, one that Chad didn't really want to see, before the Masamune, Sephiroth's blade, swung diagonally at him, slicing his chest and stomach like Zhang He, making blood gush out, and Chad falling back onto the ground, screaming in pain.
Cloud saw it, and rushed as fast as he could to where Sephiroth and Chad were, energy flowing around him. He was going to perform his ultimate attack, to deal with Sephiroth, mustering all his power, into the move called Omislash…he never got the chance. Sephiroth heard him a mile away, and as Cloud got close, quickly turned, stabbing the Masamune into Cloud's stomach, and right through it for that matter, coming out of his back, halting his advance, the energy dispersing as he yelled out from feeling the cold steel go through him, making him drop the Buster sword in shock.
Sephiroth smirked evilly, as this was his twelfth attack, and lifted Cloud in the air on the sword. "Hm, Deja'vu, right Cloud?"
Cloud sight was blurred by the sheer pain he felt, but was able to look down at Sephiroth, trying to glare at him, gritting his teeth to try and bare the pain. Sephiroth then swung the sword a little, just enough for Cloud to suddenly fly off it and hit the floor.
Sephiroth looked at his blood covered blade, then at them all. "One was impaled, two wounded by the blade, one wounded by my beam attack, and one out cold…this was too easy. Now, it's time to deal with the highest priority amongst you all." he begun to walk toward Chad.
Then he heard a voice, coming from the direction of the lake, one that he knew he should've guessed would come if Chad was placed in severe danger. "Sephiroth…I cannot allow you to harm the boy anymore then what you already have. I must strongly suggest you cease and desist."
There, floating just above the centre of the lake, was Zuo Ci, holding his five cards close to him, looking right at Sephiroth's back. "I see you still keep trying to get your nose in my business, old man.." Sephiroth turned to look at him. "I must say, you appear to have a few more wrinkles after the last time we met."
"And I see, Sephiroth, you still are keeping the look of a pretty boy as before. Keeping your hair groomed and washed daily?"
"You should leave, now. Before I ruin you."
Zuo Ci slowly shook his head. "I cannot. I'm afraid I must make you leave, and to hand me the Black Materia."
Sephiroth slowly got into his battle stance, chuckling. "And you expect me to hand it over without a fight, do you?"
Zuo Ci sighed, and got into his own battle stance, his five cards flown out of his hand, and were seen spinning around him. "Of course not. Shall we make this a quick one?"
Sephiroth flew at Zuo Ci raising his hand forward and unleashed a wave of purple lightning, which Zuo Ci stopped by forming a large sphere of ice in front of him. The lightning flowed into it, and then Zuo Ci made the ice shatter into sharp fragments, and fly back at Sephiroth, who easily sliced them away, as he got close to the old sage.
He swung the Masamune, and it was blocked by one of Zuo Ci's cards with ease, then swung it again, being blocked by another. Then he vanished, and Zuo Ci teleported himself from where he was to the edge of the lake, as Sephiroth had appeared thirty or so feet above where he was, blade ready to plunge down into Zuo Ci. Instead, Sephiroth vanished underneath the liquid….and within moments burst back out of it, towards the old man, with a Ultima ball of energy his hand, throwing it at Zuo Ci.
Zuo Ci jumped over the energy ball, letting it fly by, then created several balls of fire energy, five of them from his cards and two from his hands, launching them all at Sephiroth, who dodged a couple and sliced the remaining ones in half, smiling in enjoyment at this.
Soon, their paced picked up, taking up a notch, to the normal eyes, it would seem as if they were jumping from place to place, clashing and exchanging magic, but in the way of a sped up film. They never stayed in one spot, several times the lake was seen making splashes, no doubt meaning they sometimes went under the liquid then out again. To deities, this was more normal.
Zuo Ci was calmly avoiding another wave of lightning, and using his cards to create a wave of red flames to force Sephiroth to move back while they fought and flew in the air. "So you must've guessed I was watching your actions by now."
Sephiroth summoned several meteors, small ones, higher up from where they were, to launch down towards Zuo Ci. "I hoped you would act like an old man and ignore such things going on."
Zuo Ci countered by using his cards, coming together in the shape of a star, and firing out a stream of pure icy water, hitting the meteors and making them break from the sudden cool down.
Sephiroth then teleported in front of them and swung his sword. Zuo Ci just as easily teleported away from the attack, appearing a little further back from where he was. "So old man. How is Lu Bu these days?"
Zuo Ci launched his cards at Sephiroth, and Sephiroth quickly begun to dodge them and blocked them, as they attempted to cut into him, like each one had its own mind. They were a shape as any blade. "He is still being himself. He doubts the boy will amount to much."
"After following Primus, can you blame him?" Sephiroth said, as he unleashed a burst of Dark energy from his body, knocking the cards away, which flew and returned to Zuo Ci's hand. "Primus proved his worth at least. This new one can hardly be called the replacement."
"We'll see…" Then Zuo Ci vanished, and appeared behind Sephiroth, who turned, to see several fire energy filled balls fly at him, followed by several ice element ones, then finally a huge wave of yellow colored lightning strike out, all of them hitting him. He was seen flying backwards by the barrage of hits, but soon stopped himself…to find Zuo Ci before him once again, blasting him with a beam of holy energy, covering him completely.
After the attack, Zuo Ci didn't move from his spot…and as the beam died off, Sephiroth was seen, covered with his black wing, before it moved away. "…This will do for now. Old man. You always seem to make things interesting. This one you win."
And with that, he covered himself with the wing again, and vanished…left behind, floating there, was the Black Materia and a couple of black feathers, which drifted down to the ground. Zuo Ci reached out and grabbed the Materia, then looked down at Chad, Anna, Darkmega, Cloud and Zhang He…He looked to the sky, and before anyone knew, all of them were gone from the Northern Crater.
Chad slowly opened his eyes…the ground was brownish…a pavement…he remembered his eyesight being so blurred after Sephiroth's attack, and the pain…jeez. But now, it was gone, like as if a dream had ended. Near him, was a black orb…the Black Materia, it had to be.
He sat himself up, and looked around, seeing the others just recovering as well, with no wounds on them. All of them had returned to Traverse Town, just outside the bar.
"W…what the…what, what happened to Sephiroth?" he said, looking at the others in hopes one of them will know.
Cloud noticed where they were, saw the Black Materia, and just shook his head, as he sat up, looking a little dazed himself. "I have no idea. Something got us out of there though, and healed us too….even got us the Black Materia off him. Talk about timing."
Chad nodded, picking up the Black Materia, and putting it with the Holy one. Then, as they all stood up, regaining themselves…his attention, and his fist, turned to Darkmega. Before Darkmega could to anything, he felt a blow right across his face, sending him down to the floor again, coming from Chad. He quickly looked up at him. "C-Chad!"
"You BASTARD…you…you made him like he is, you disgusting mother fucker…I'm gonna to enjoy killing you…"
Darkmega stood up, rubbing his cheek. "Tch, you really did listen and believe him didn't you? Wake up Chad, HIS the enemy, not me! Along with Richard! They're both the bad guys!"
"SHUT UP!"
Whack. Darkmega stumbled back from a direct blow to his stomach. He saw Chad come at him again, and managed to strike back, punching him right in the nose, making him bleed from there as he too, had stumbled back from that. Then Darkmega formed the Dark Buster, pointing it at Chad. "I'm warning you…"
Chad, to him, something snapped. He wanted to kill Darkmega. He lusted to see that Navi choke to death…that flare of darkness was quickly returning. He screamed out in fury, his mad eyes looking right into Darkmega's making the dark soul flinch.
Anna looked in shock at Chad's sudden anger. "Chad?!"
Before Darkmega could do anything, Chad jumped on him, literally holding him down and punching his face in over and over. Darkmega tried to shove Chad off, but it wasn't happening. Chad was effectively scaring him. He was very afraid right now. Chad was swinging left and right, not caring for what part of the face he hit, he just wanted to smash it.
"CHAD! STOP!" Anna shouted, knowing that what he was doing was just not right. But he ignored her. He continued to assault Darkmega, grinning madly at how helpless Darkmega was. He LOVED this feeling of dominance over someone, it felt great! He begun to choke the Navi as much as possible, to the point he was trying to break its neck.
Cloud begun to walk over. "Chad, stop it now. Sephiroth was most likely just trying to cause a rift between-" before he knew it, Chad had turn to him, then got up and rammed into him, pushing him down to the floor. Then Chad got his Blade of Darkness out, preparing to swing it at Cloud. "Don't you DARE take his fucking side in this spiky!"
He actually swung the sword down with the intent to kill, but it was thanks to Zhang He kicking Chad in the head to knock him off Cloud that stopped it. But Chad was not going down easy, a dark, purple familiar aura, to Zhang He and Anna, was starting to cover him, as he looked at his new attacker. "Zhang He…that was stupid."
Zhang He quickly got into his stance. "So that nasty aura has reappeared! Anna, everyone, stay back! Our friend here appears to have lost it once again!"
Darkmega weakly looked over, trying to recover, and saw the purple aura…he knew what it meant, and pushed himself up. "His…his got a Dark Soul!"
Anna was deeply horrified at this. "N…No…it can't be…"
Chad heard her, and smirked at her. "What's the matter Anna? Do I scare ya like this? Personally I feel good…great to be honest! Why don't ya join me? I'm sure Unicron's got plenty of this power to go round!"
"Unicron…no…what did he….what did he do to you!?"
"Anna…" he shook his head sadly at her…then suddenly, fired a more powerful Chaos beam at Zhang he, blasting him through one of the windows of the seventh heaven bar. "…he just woke me up."
Anna was petrified, as Chad aimed his hand at her next, charging up a Chaos beam, when a Dark cannon shot was seen hitting Chad, knocking him back a little, as the one who fired it was none other than Darkmega. "Anna! Get Cloud and get into the bar! Now! I'll handle this!"
Anna didn't know what to think. First Darkmega was meant to be the bad guy, then Chad has become twisted again, and now Darkmega is telling her to get away from the boy she likes so much…she did so, getting Cloud up, and trying to make him follow.
Cloud looked at Darkmega quickly. "You sure you'll be alright?"
Darkmega nodded, keeping his Dark cannon focused on Chad. "I'll deal with him!". Cloud and Anna soon went inside, to find Zhang He to see if he was okay mostly.
Chad shook his head at Darkmega, and laughed a little, before getting his Blade of Darkness ready. "Oh COME ON Darkie! You can't beat me! Why even try?"
Darkmega kept his weapon aimed. "Chad…wake up. This isn't you. This is what I'm supposed to be."
"What your supposed to be? Why? You're not anymore? Grown some emotions? Maybe a small, little heart? Face it. You're as nasty as me. You want to fight me as much as I do with you! Come on, let's see who can rip out who's guts first! I'm betting on myself of course!"
He shot forward, and swung the Blade of Darkness, with Darkmega having to move back to avoid it, just firing the cannon at Chad, point blank. It knocked him to the floor, but he easily got back up, firing a Chaos Beam, which Darkmega was hit by, making him stumble. He can changed his Dark cannon to a Dark Cyber sword, running at Chad and swinging it.
Chad suddenly shouted "EXPLOSION!" and as he rose the Blade of Darkness to defend himself, it became blunt and had that orange glow to it again…the swords clashed, and an explosion of energy occurred, sending Darkmega flying back, smacking into the pavement, looking a little hurt, before getting back up. Chad was standing there, just fine, grinning madly.
'Shit. This won't work. Fighting him isn't going to make him stop. What the hell do I do…?' Darkmega thought to himself…the confusion returned…he was worried about Chad?…something wasn't right with him at all, but he decided to keep to these new…things, instead of fighting them. These, emotions…looking at Chad, that was indeed what he was before. What he would be now if he kept to that path.
It finally hit him, as Chad rushed to attack him and Darkmega blocked with his sword. He was gaining emotions…he was changing. This is why that old man who rescued him back on Zebes did it. He remembered the old man's words… 'are you afraid?', that moment, he felt the new feeling…
He jumped back, away from Chad. Darkmega looked at him, and tried to figure out a possible way to stop Chad…then he thought of a, rather suicidal idea. Fighting darkness with darkness wasn't going to help at all, if anything, it'll fuel the evil more so…he looked at the Dark Cyber Sword on his arm, and disabled it, lowered his arms to his sides.
Chad looked annoyed at him. "And what do you think you're going to get out of leaving me a chance to kill you?"
Darkmega looked at him. "You always saw me as what I was. I'm not going to let you believe I still am the monster out of the two of us. I'm not going to attack you."
Chad looked at him in amusement, then at his sword. "Ya know…this IS pretty shape. I could easily dice you open to see what your insides look like…"
"Chad, your being pulled in by the same evil me and Richard are made of."
"So what if I am? I'm enjoying it."
Darkmega shook his head. "No you're not. that's the Dark Soul talking. Not you Chad. I know what you're really like. You would rather kill yourself then accept this, wouldn't you? You would never accept being a puppet to someone like Unicron. He intends to destroy this Universe. You want to protect what you care about in it."
Chad just tried to ignore him, and ran at him, expecting Darkmega to use a battlechip to protect himself, and swung the Blade of Darkness…he hit, and found the blade stabbed deep into Darkmega's right arm, data flowing heavily out of the wound he caused.
Darkmega chose to not defend himself with a weapon. He just allowed harm to come to him, even a Barrier battlechip would've stopped the attack, but no. he allowed himself…something in Chad woke up. Regret? Regret for hurting Darkmega? He looked to Darkmega's face. He was in pain, and gritting his teeth to try and handle it.
He looked at Chad.
"Don't…let it control you Chad. This isn't what your suppose to be. Anna, would never forgive you.."
Chad pulled out the Blade of Darkness from Darkmega's arm, and moved a few steps back…he heard a voice in his head suddenly.
'Continue the attack! Destroy him once and for all!'
Chad felt, as if something else was inside of him now. He managed to break himself apart enough to feel it's presence, to hear it's thoughts…and just enough control to stop himself from charging at Darkmega. He felt his arms shake, something, the voice, was trying to lead him.
'Listen to me! This is your chance! Don't let it go!'
'My chance?' Chad thought in his mind. 'My chance at what? To, to kill Darkmega?…why…why do I want to kill him. His not trying to attack me…'
'Does it matter if he tries or not? He led your friend astray! He made Richard an enemy! Don't give him mercy!'
Chad could feel his legs shaking now as well. 'Stop…Stop trying to make me move. I won't do it. Cloud was right. I shouldn't listen to Sephiroth, Deity or not.'
'Cloud is a fool! He was an enemy to Sephiroth! He has his own reason to distrust that man! Listen to me! End Darkmega's life! His done little for you but be an annoyance!'
Chad looked at his sword…then at Darkmega, who looked uncertain with Chad, but still didn't prepare to defend himself. '…He saved Anna for me. He didn't have to do it.'
He felt his arms were becoming his again, his will suppressing the Dark Soul. 'NO! he done it so he can kill her later!'
'…I saw his face. He was confused after he did it…he seems to be changing from what he was…I can't fight him.'
'YOU MUST!'
'BE SILENT!' suddenly, the purple aura faded from him, and he felt that other part of him, become almost locked away once more. He dropped the Blade of Darkness. His body felt num for a moment, before he, in his mind, returned to it. He felt himself again. He was panting slightly, looking at Darkmega.
Darkmega wasn't sure if Chad was him again, or it was a trap. "…Chad?"
Chad closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, and picked up the Blade of Darkness, putting it away. He then pulled out a Recovery+ battlechip from his jacket and tossed it to Darkmega…he looked at him silently, unsure of what to say…then looked over to the bar, and chose to head in there.
Darkmega watched him leave, after catching the Recovery chip. He activated it, and his arm healed up within moments. He didn't know what Chad was thinking or even why he didn't talk, but right now, he was just thankful he was alive. He chose to wait for a good 10 minutes, knowing Chad and Anna would need a moment no doubt, as Anna would probably be hugging him and being glad he was okay once again, before going into the bar himself.
He was greeted by a hug from Anna as he walked in. he was just surprised by it, as he felt her hold him close. Chad was seen nearby, sitting at the bar, with Cloud and Tifa, While Barret was seen taking Zhang He upstairs, who looked like he had a few cuts from the broken glass after smashing through, and was out for the cold, most likely having hit a table after flying in.
Anna soon let go, and led him to the bar with her. Tifa looked at him, as did Cloud. "Well, nice to see you managed to resolve it like that Darkmega. Good job." Cloud said.
"Well…it's, no problem. I just had a feeling that attacking him wasn't going to get me anywhere." Darkmega said quietly, just for them to hear.
"You got it right though. If it weren't for you, maybe Chad would've done a lot of harm to everyone." Tifa commented. "I think you guys should stay for the night and get plenty of rest, before heading back to Gaia VII."
Chad remained quiet, as Darkmega looked at him, neither of them answering what Tifa just said. Anna was the only one who replied. "Thanks Tifa. Zhang He needs to recover anyway, so it's a good idea."
Soon, the three had gone into different bedrooms above the bar. They were rather pleasant looking and basic. A bed, a wash basin, and a bedside drawer. It was wooden flooring, with a circle red carpet in the middle of the room. The bed had white pillows on, with a nice red cover…the night was passing slowly, as Chad lay there. His feelings for Darkmega had changed in a flash…he saved Anna, and now him…
He thought to himself. 'Maybe….Maybe I shouldn't be so negative about him. Maybe Dr Wily was right all along…maybe he had learnt his lesson, changed his ways…'
At Junon Harbor, it was night time once again. Rufus was seen with Master Chief, Dr Robotnik and Colonel. All of them walking up a stairway to one of the higher meeting rooms. Rufus had been summoned, and he already guessed why.
"You think they would make you an Emperor so soon?" Master Chief asked him, as they reached the top, heading towards a double set of metal doors. "I mean it's only been three days since you've been promoted to acting Grand Commander."
Rufus didn't bother to look at him, as they got close to the doors and stopped. He knew why they would. Of course they would promote him now. It wouldn't be long before Unicron was upon them. They need a figure to give people 'hope', and someone that would make the GF look good again after Keaton was such a poor let down.
Rufus spoke to him, as he crossed his arms for a moment. "Right now Chief, I just need you and Colonel to pledge your support, and to act out what I want. The moment I give the signal, I need you to do most of the dirty work. Is that understood?"
Master Chief looked to Colonel, then at Rufus…there was no going back really. "I will do whatever you ask."
"Of course Rufus." was all Colonel said.
"Good…Robotnik, go and reach the main security room. Cortana should've disabled the access to allow you in. shut off all the cameras." Rufus quickly looked at Robotnik, to make sure he got the message.
Robotnik nodded, and departed back down the stairs.
Then, Rufus headed to the doors, and opened them. Inside, sitting at a U shaped metal table, with the centre gap facing Rufus, were the Nine Ministers. Rufus chuckled a little to himself. He expected this. Of course the outsider Ministers would not even get note of his promotion until after, and he noticed Yuan Shao was not here. But nonetheless, these were the main glue of the High Ministers, the humans…this is too perfect.
Walking in with him, was of course Master Chief and Colonel. The room was rather dimly light, with mostly the middle section of the ceiling lights on, making as if a beam of light was coming down in the gap of the table. This room had no windows in it, but instead, hanging on the walls, were the flags of the GF, so proud…
The floor was all blue tiles, and the nine were all sitting there, watching him carefully, as he stepped closer, soon standing in the light, with Master Chief and Colonel waiting near the doors, closing them after he stood in the light. Rufus looked at the person directly before him, sitting there, smiling. Dante Yuki.
"Ah, Rufus Shinra. You must be wondering why we would call you here so late? And to ask you to bring two witnesses?"
Rufus shrugged. "I have a feeling it's to do with the fact you need an actual Grand Commander, Minister Yuki, and I'm the right one to fit the shoes."
Dante shook his head. "Oh no no no Rufus, nothing so trivial as Grand Commander. Looking at your records and those around you, you've shown a lot of promise, especially to the now deceased Keaton Al'Keriff. What we need, is someone to be acting Emperor…"
Rufus couldn't even pretend to be surprised. He just gave that boring stare he had at times, waiting for Dante Yuki to continue.
"Now, I admit, this is a major jump from Grand Commander to Acting Emperor, but with it comes great rewards. Plenty of fame, a larger pay check, and a bigger range of control. To top it off, you may also voice your suggestions when we ask you to join us for any matters we feel needs your input. It will be hard work, but unlike Keaton, I'm sure your more than capable, aren't you?"
Rufus looked at the other Ministers. "Are you all in agreement with this then?"
Dante felt that was a little rude, but allowed it, looking to the others as well, each one nods as Rufus gazes his eyes at them, then back at Dante Yuki.
"Good. Then I'm honored to accept the rank of Acting Emperor, if it is the will of the High Ministers."
Dante was resting on his chair, putting his hands together. "Excellent. I knew you wouldn't turn down this opportunity to be something that'll never be forgotten. You have a bright future ahead of you, Emperor Rufus Shinra. For now, we would like to ask you to listen to our suggestion for the upcoming battle against Unic-"
Rufus raised his hand, showing his palm to Dante Yuki. "Hold on. Before you go into what you want. I would like to suggest a decree. One little one."
Dante went silent. He found this new puppet of his to be rather rude, but if he wants to say one small thing, it can't possibly hurt. He nodded at Rufus in approval. "….Go on."
Rufus slowly turned, looking at each and every Minister directly. "The Galactic Federation…haven't you noticed how much it's decayed over the years? With all of its useless battles with the United Federation of Planets, and Galactic Empire and the Republic? How much it's reputation, since the fall of Armstrong Houston, has gone down? He gave birth to it in order to fight off SCI's own decay. Of its corruption, Do you wish to know why it was corrupted? Why he stood up and became a proud, but flawed, Emperor?"
He reached back his line of sight to Dante, and pointed at him. "Because of you. Because you think money is the only answer to everything. The Universe is nothing but profit to you, along with its people."
Dante was offended by this. One of the other Ministers, Sijo, spoke up. "How dare you talk to us-."
Rufus cut him off. "Drak was an Emperor, surrounded by Ministers of his own, was he not? They were the main targets of Houston's mission. Don't get me wrong, two of Drak's family were on the Minister table, but they were all the same…they spoke to Drak, told him of what to do…and he listened. He made money, he made profits for himself, and those of the High Ministers."
He turned away from them, the shadow made by the light made him look more sinister now then much earlier to them. "That's not what I want. You don't need pitiful objects like money to control things. Fear, words, understanding. That's all you need to keep people in line. You don't need to throw money at everything. A little fear can silence a man for good, while cash will only delay him, before he runs out and demands more. Put a chain of terror on him and keep him in check, and he'll never dare anything again."
The Ministers were getting pissed off now. Dante decided to try and calm them by standing up and speaking. "Rufus, you expect things to change so drastically? Wake up, you know as well as anyone money is what drives the Universe."
Rufus chuckled, looking at the doors. "No, that's your foolish, idiotic attitude….you and all of those here before me, the new Emperor….and as that Emperor-" he pulls his shotgun out, turning quickly and aiming right at Dante Yuki's chest. "-I believe it's time for a little change in that attitude. Don't you?"
He fired. The shot tore through the white robe of Dante, and blood was seen spraying. Dante flew over his chair, knocking it down with him, as he hit the floor. The other Ministers panicked, getting up to flee, but as Rufus just stood there, Colonel got out a Vulcan battlechip, making the device form on his hand, while Master Chief got his energy rifle out, and both opened fire at the others.
The terrifying screams that came from them all, mixed with the sound of weapons fire, soon was silenced, as the last female Minister hit the floor, bullet holes in her body, and in her head, along with the other now dead Ministers. Rufus walked out of the centre of the table, and walked around, stepping over the dead bodies, through the blood that covered the blue tiles red, up to where Dante Yuki was…he was still breathing.
Dante Yuki, in his wisdom, wore body armor incase anything possibly happened at all times. It had stopped a lot of the fragmented bullets from hitting his organs, but the power of the shotgun was enough to tear through some of the armor, and hit his chest, causing him severe pain, and minor blood loss. He heard the sound of footsteps, and looked up, after being face down on the floor, to see Rufus standing near him, Shotgun aimed right in his face.
"R..Rufus, you…bastard!"
"Hmph, call me what you want Dante. It doesn't matter. With you all gone, it's just Yuan Shao, and his hardly a danger to me as it is. The outside Ministers have little power thanks to you. It's all broken down in one quick movement…it stings, doesn't it? You thought you picked a perfect puppet to control."
His finger went onto the trigger. "When in fact, you promoted someone who'll take a hold of all these matters…be an actual Emperor…now, my first decree…is this…there will be no more High Ministers to control the Federation. Instead, all power will be given back to the Emperor." He looks around on purpose, and looks down at Dante again. "Oh yes, it's already carried out, isn't it?"
"Y..you…"
Rufus looked down the length of the Shotgun. "Rides over Dante. I don't need snakes whispering what they want in my ears."
He fired the gun. Dante's brains, fragments of bone and blood, spreading itself across the once clean floor.