Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Ch.4 The Assault Begins
The chopper dropped us off in the middle of the forest near Fort Tamblin, and once we were grounded Zack smiled "Alright! Where's the enemy?" he asked, pumping his fists and looking around. I groaned. "We'll run into them eventually, Zack. No point in rushing the issue," I said. "What? But I want to do some fighting!" he complained. Angeal chuckled and walked forward. "The fort is straight ahead. Let's hurry; B Unit is standing by," he said. I said "Yes, sir," while Zack merely nodded, but then we heard a rustling up ahead. Quickly I moved into a battle pose, and what looked like three Wutai soldiers dressed as privates ran up to us. "You! Identify yourselves!" he yelled. "I'll leave this to the two of you," Angeal said. I nodded and drew my guns, while Zack gripped his sword.
"Just leave it to me!" he said, and charged forward. The three troops aimed their weapons at him and fired, but Zack leaped over the bullets and slashed down, cutting one of them completely across the chest. He fell to the ground with a guttural cry, and the other two aimed at him. "Die, you Shinra-serving bastard!" one yelled, and fired. Zack couldn't dodge but managed just to turn enough that it hit the pauldron on his shoulder, denting it but bouncing off. Zack grunted but turned back and cast Thunder, blasting the soldier with a bolt of lightning. He screamed before falling over, twitching and jerking before going limp. The last one tried to charge at him, but I pointed one of my guns at him and fired, catching him right above his left ear.
He dropped without a sound, and Zack looked at me. "Hey! I said to just leave it to me!" he said. "That dent on your shoulder would have debilitated your ability to block. If that Wutai soldier was any good, he could have slipped under your guard and hit something vital," I said, putting my gun away and walking forward. Zack grunted, but accepted that I was right and ran to catch up. "All right! Next!" he said, looking around. Angeal walked out from behind the trees, and said "Calm down, Zack." he smiled. "No can do. That Director is watching from somewhere, right? I have to make a good impression," he said. Angeal stopped, and looked back at us. "Zack, Jace. Do you two know about dumbapples?" he asked.
I frowned, thinking for a second. All of all of the things they had taught me during my training as a Turk, I don't think I had ever come across the term "dumbapples". "Can't say that I do," I replied. Zack shook his head as well. "Me neither. What are they?" he asked. Angeal shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable... How could neither of you know about dumbapples? Zack, you'll never make first at that rate," he said, before walking off. Zack started. "Whoa, wait! What are dumbapples?!" he called. But he was already gone. I sighed. "If you want to find out, then I suggest we catch up," I said. Zack nodded and started sprinting, while I kept my cool and simply walked. Soon enough we both made to where Angeal was standing, and Zack said "So Angeal, what's the deal with dumbapples?"
"The official name is Banora White. The trees bear fruit at random times during the year. Because of that, the townspeople affectionately call them dumbapples. The local farms had plenty to spare," Angeal explained. I raised an eyebrow at that last bit, and Zack voiced my thoughts. "Oh, really? So you stole them," he said. "We were poor, Zack," he reasoned. I didn't say anything, but Zack said "Nice excuse!" "But even then, I had my honor," Angeal said, looking up at the sky. "The largest Banora White tree grew on a wealthy man's estate. It was rumored that those apples tasted the best. But I never stole from the tree, because the wealthy man's son was my friend," he told us.
I blinked, before looking at him. "If the owner's son was your friend, why didn't you just ask for some?" I asked. Angeal smiled. "Honor can be quite a burden at times," he admitted. "...And what exactly does this have to do with me?" Zack asked after a moment. "No story is worth hearing," Angeal told him, before laughing and walking away. "What?" Zack asked, while I was similarly dumbfounded. "That's it?" I asked. We both started after him, and my partner called "Yeah, well, thanks a lot!"
A few hours later, we had made it to the fort, and the three of us crouched down behind the outer wall. "B Unit will set off an explosion. That's our cue," Angeal said. "And the diversion will allow us to infiltrate?" I asked. "Right. I'll set the bomb inside the fortress. You charge the front gate and..." he began. "Uh-huh, and? And? And? And?" Zack asked excitedly. Angeal smiled, before saying "Indulge yourselves." I smiled and nodded, while Zack pumped his fist and said "You got it. That's what I do best!" I pulled out my gun and inspected it for anything, while Angeal drew his broadsword. "Come on, B Unit," Zack muttered, already raring to go. Angeal bowed his head and pressed his sword against it, praying silently before putting it back.
"You know, I've never actually seen you use that," Zack said. "Neither have I. Is there a particular reason why?" I asked. "Use brings about wear, tear and rust. And that's a real waste," he told us. Zack stared at him. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked. "Yeah. I can be pretty cheap," he admitted. "No kidding," Zack said. I didn't say anything, just I hadn't when Angeal admitted to having stolen dumbapples. The truth was, I was much the same. Having no family and just appearing outside of Nibelheim with no memory, there was no one willing to take me in. Despite being a child I had to work to keep living, and I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't stolen anything on the rare occasion.
Before I could take another trip down Memory Lane there was an explosion, and I said "There's the signal." "Begin mission," Angeal said. Zack leaped over the wall and I followed, and we ran up to the fort gates. The Sergeant in charge said "No one passes beyond this point. The enemy is but two men! Obliterate them!" "Yes, sir!" we heard the other soldiers called, and we watched as ten... twenty... twenty-five Wutai Privates ran through the gates before they shut again. I drew my guns, and said "Think you can handle this many?" "Oh yeah!" Zack said, drawing his swords. We both charged forward, and every one of the privates aimed at us.
I grunted and called "Barrier!" twice. A dome of magical energy appeared around Zack and me, and the bullets bounced off. "Thanks, Jace!" Zack said, launching himself forward and slashing at one of the soldiers. He caught him on the arm and dropped his weapon, and Zack finished him off with Thunder. I aimed one of my guns at the mass of soldiers and fired, shooting one in the abdomen and another right beside his heart. Zack was still before saying "Alright! Time to show you my newest move: Rush Assault!" His body glowed golden, before he shot at one of the soldiers and gave him an uppercut, followed by a harsh kick to each side. He moved from him to another troop, he delivered several kicks to him, then a straight punch.
Last, he dived straight into the heart of the troops and shouted, the ground exploding as he flew past. The blast sent several of the troops flying, three killed from the whole combo. I could feel my own strength charging, and I smiled. "Have a taste of my Limit Break: Gunfire!" The edges of my body glowed red-orange along with my guns, and I fired over and over until both clips were empty. My bullets were enchanted to not miss, and I felled perhaps five of the Wutai soldiers. That meant that there was a total of eleven left, which Zack cut down to ten when he stabbed another in the stomach. "Do not let them get through!" the Sergeant called, and he leaped down from the guard tower to land in front of us. "You keep taking care of the small fry! I've got this one!" Zack said, blocking his assault.
I nodded at my partner and cast Barrier, shielding me from the Wutai Privates while I reloaded. "You will not pass!" one of the troops said, and he slashed at me. The blade struck sparks off of my spell, which in turn faltered and began to weaken. Seeing that, the others began crowing in, trying to beat down my barrier. I finished reloading my guns but put them away, drawing Potentia. I focused a Fire spell into the sword and it caught aflame, startling the troops around me. "If you won't let me through, I'll make my way!" I said, and I dropped to the ground before slashing my sword in a wide arc in front of me. At the same time I dismissed my Barrier spell, and the burning blade cut through the ankles of four troops in front of me.
The soldiers cried out and fell back, their wounds both burnt and bleeding. The others fumbled their weapons to aim at me, and I placed my hand flat against the ground before leaping into the air. The soldiers predictably looked up, and I threw Potentia at one, stabbing him right in the eye. He screamed shortly before falling to the ground. I called "Thunder!" and snapped my fingers, and my sword buzzed with energy before electricity burst from it. The voltage leaped from my sword to strike another one, hitting him in the head and jumping from soldier to soldier through the metal in their helmets. As I kept the spell going I could feel my strength beginning to ebb, and I let go before I had no more strength left.
With the current of electricity gone about four soldiers dropped down, their helmets slightly melted and their heads inside a lot worse. I looked over to Zack duck beneath a swing from the Sergeant and slash him across the abdomen, and he kicked another Private in the chest, knocking him back. "Was he that good?" I asked, pulling my sword free. Zack shrugged. "He was mainly good at blocking, but not much offense. And these guys..." he said, delivering a hand chop to the neck of the one he had kicked and cracking it. "Are hardly fighting back at all," he finished. "Oh really?" one of the privates asked, firing. Unlike the others he must have been a better marksman, because despite the fact that Zack dodged he still got a shot right in the ribcage.
"Zack!" I said. He waved me away and pulled out a Potion, drinking it. The bullets slid out and the hole stopped bleeding, although it didn't close. The Private aimed him again, but this time I tapped him on the shoulder and he whipped around... just in time to see me stab him the chest. Whatever he had been about to say was cut short, and once I pulled Potentia out he fell over. Now there were only four left, and Zack and I each took two. I held my sword in one hand and drew one of my guns in the other, shooting and slashing. One soldier fell with a bullet in his shoulder, and another with his throat cut from in front.
I cast Blizzard and finished off the one I had shot, while Zack slammed the butt of his sword into the temple into the third soldier and he broke the nose of the last one, knocking it out. I sighed and sheathed my sword, while Zack did the same and looked at me. "Why the long face, Jace?" he asked. I looked down at the total of twenty-six people we had just killed. "So much death, and for what? So Shinra can keep draining the land of mako that we in turn use for our regular lives, and the excavation of more mako? Where does it end?" I thought aloud. Zack frowned. "Uh... you lost me there," he said. I rolled my eyes and walked towards the gates, saying "When you've gone through the things that I've experienced, you'll begin to always question the morality of the things you do."
Zack looked at me confusedly, wondering what I meant by "the things that I've experienced". But I wasn't willing to share. At least, not yet.
On the inside of the fort Zack and I began to move out, but we had barely taken two steps when we heard a voice call "Enemy attack! It's SOLDIER! Don't let him get through!" My eyebrow twitched; didn't I get included. Then the same voice yelled "And kill the Turk as well!" and I nodded. There we go. Another pair of Privates ran up and slashed their weapons at us, but I simply ducked behind a pillar. Zack did no such thing and dodged, running up and pulling his sword back out. He knocked the weapon out of one's hand and stabbed him in the arm, while I emerged and shot the other. "I think it's safe for you to just keep that sword out for the rest of the mission, huh?" I suggested. Zack nodded. "Fine by me," he said.
Just then both of our phones began vibrating, and we answered them. "Were you able to get inside the fortress?" Angeal asked us. "We did," I said. Always the confident one, Zack said "Piece of cake! I could have done it blindfolded!" "Don't get too careless. I've heard that the Wutai monster keep a large monster for anit-SOLDIER purposes. It should be somewhere inside Fort Tamblin," our mentor informed us. "Understood," I replied. Zack was silent for a moment, thinking, before he asked "If I take it out, do you think I'll make 1st?" "It depends on the quality of work. Your main duties are to draw the Wutai troops to you be running amok. Do that well, and the director will give you a favorable evaluation," Angeal explained. "Oh, that'll be easy! Just leave it to Jace and me!" Zack said, and I nodded before hanging up.
The assault of Fort Tamblin has begun, and Zack and Jace must take it alone! Will they succeed, or will a certain "mighty ninja" get in the way?
Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I"m just kidding... or am I?)