Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Square Enix.
Note: Holy cow...I'm sorry that I haven't updated within these months. I was quite busy with school and after school activities. . And even worse, the Microsoft Word that I use to type up my fics was expired...so yeah, I gotta get the Microsoft Office Word 2007 CD from a friend. Ah well, hope you guys enjoy this story, and please R&R! :D
Chapter 19
Several Days Ago and the Match Up
The place I'm held up in right now was quite dark and I couldn't even make out anything. The only visible light I could find was a seep under some kind of door. I could TRY to open the door, if only my body wasn't so run-down tired.
I woke up several minutes ago with my entire body drained of energy. I can't even remember what happened or how I got here in the first place. Groping around, I felt some fuzzy stuff pass through my hands and then I held onto something solid. Feeling it, well, it seems to be some kind of bucket.
I groggily stood up and smashed the bucket onto the door. I stopped for a moment to listen if anyone was arriving, and when I didn't hear a sound, I smashed the bucket into the door a few more times until a small hole was made. I was glad because now more light appeared for me to discern where I was.
And it was disgusting. I was holed up in some kind of storage room, which was filled with brooms, pails, buckets, and some weird soap stuff that was placed on a shelf. And look, there's a doorknob! Wow, aren't I stupid?
I turned the knob and opened the door slightly, peeking through. When I was sure no one was around, I opened the door all the way to find myself in a very long corridor.
It was quite nice looking, with lamps hanging from the walls illuminating the corridor. The floor was metallic, and each step I made produced a loud 'clunk' sound.
I continued walking until I found myself in front of some kind of metallic sliding door. Both doors had some kind of sphere locked into place in the middle, as if it was holding them both together. And the doors were very clean, I could see my own reflection on it. And I looked really dirty.
I was just about to open it when I heard some footsteps getting closer to me from behind. Looking back, I saw a lone Yevon soldier walking towards me, reading some kind of holographic newspaper. Ah shoot, I can't hide anywhere!
Wait....unless. I smirked at my own genius. I walked towards the soldier and said, "How do you do?"
The soldier jumped a bit and dropped the holographic newspaper, which fizzled into nothingness. "Oh shit, who the hell are..."
I reverted my right arm into my scythe arm and slashed at the soldier's throat, blood spurting out like a fountain. The soldier then gurgled and dropped down to the ground with a thud.
I then took off his Roman-like helmet, his yellow armor suit, and his machina rifle. I put them on and checked myself at the metallic door, and I looked like a real Yevonite soldier. This is great, I never knew my plan would go this well!
But now, how to open the door? I tapped on the sphere and suddenly it brightened up into a greenish glow, and I heard a hissing sound. The door then slid open, showing in front of me the piloting chamber. Wait, piloting chamber?
"Can you wimps NOT make this airship any slower than it is?!" yelled out a man with a black sword and blitzball strapped on his waist. Hey, that's Jekt!
The piloting chamber had several rows of men sitting on chairs typing on their keyboards and reading some data strings from their computer screens. At the front of the chamber were two pilots in control of the airship. Jekt, Misake, Calera and Malfonse were standing besides each other, supervising their workers.
Opening the door was a mistake, as it seems several of the people in this room turned their heads to see who would disturb their work. Sadly, it was me.
"Hey yah sweaty ass, get over here!" Jekt yelled out. I had my hand into a solid fist to keep myself from punching Jekt in the face. But I couldn't, I needed to get out of here, fast.
I quickly strode over to him and stood right in front of his glaring eyes. "Hey yah soldier, grab that box over there and bring it to the drop-off chamber. We're making a fast delivery to some people before heading to Maester Seymour. Now hurry up!"
I nodded and said, "Alright."
Jekt's body tensed up. "Did you just say alright?" He gritted his teeth and swung his fist right into my stomach, sending me toppling into the double doors. Oohh, my stomach suddenly feels like it needs to take a dump. Jekt walked up towards me and pulled me up gruffly by the collar. "It's yes sir, to you, soldier."
My right arm was suddenly starting to feel haywire. I clenched my fist to stop my arm from reverting. I meekly said, "Yes sir," and then he let me go.
"Haha, soldiers these days are very disrespectful," Misake said in a loud tone. Several soldiers who were nearby stiffened and started getting nervous.
Well, whatev, I need to get off this ship, and the only way is probably to the drop-off chamber. I picked up what looked like a small wooden crate. Something inside was making a clanking noise. Something metallic probably.
I walked through the double doors and continued walking for 2 minutes until I found a double door with the purple insignia of Yevon. Oh, it also had a sign "Drop-Off' in big letters. Wow, very lame.
Walking through, there were many crates and boxes stacked up against each other on the floor and walls. Each one branded with a different insignia or name. Walking through an aisle of crates with a crate in my arms, I saw a girl, or more like a woman, neatly stacking the crates at the end of the room. Wait, that's Anuy!What's she doing here?
Running up to her, Anuy turned around....only to stop me from my tracks. Whoa, she looked like Anuy, but she wasn't. It was someone different... I could tell just by the legs.
"Who...are you?" I asked as I placed the crate on the ground.
The Anuy-look alike brushed a strand of hair from her face and said in a menacing tone, "I don't talk to dirty soldiers. Leave me alone." She then stacked the crate I was bringing onto another stack.
I just stood there, watching her stack crate after crate of stuff. I could tell by the atmosphere that she was getting agitated. How to lessen the hostility?
"Um, you know, you look just like this girl that I was with....her name was Anuy," I said in a low tone. Well, I wonder what's happening with her and the others. Are they okay?
The lady stood up and looked at me with a sincere face. "Heh, Anuy huh? Yes, I've heard many say I look like the recent Summoner." The room was quiet again. "When you meet up with your friends again, tell Movaak I said that...I love him. Could you do that for me?"
Errr....this moment is quite touching. I nodded my head and looked around the chamber. "Well, um, can you help me find a way to get out of here..."
"It's Ira," she added.
"Ah yeah, Ira. I need to find my friends..."
Ira held up her hand to stop me from talking anymore. "There is a way to get you out." She walked up to some kind of panel that was on a wall. I just noticed, but there's a square-like garage door-type of thing there. She pressed a button and the door slowly lifted up, and I could see light starting to brighten the place up. Strong currents of air started to filter in, and it swayed both me and Ira's clothes dramatically.
"You're gonna have to jump off from here!" yelled out Ira. I could barely hear her, but somehow I was able to catch the words.
I looked out and saw that we were above a huge forest, cropped full of greenery and vegetation. A light mist floated above the trees like a soft blanket. I gulped from the intense height. "Alright then, thank you for helping me!" I don't think she heard me, cuz she then pushed me off the room and into the forest floor below.
"GAAAAHHHH!!!!" I outstretched both my arms and flapped my arms hard. "Oh shoot, I'm gonna die!!!!" Before I slammed into the treetops I came to a sudden stop.
Breathing deeply, I was floating just above the trees. Wow, I could see the forest floor from up here! But in seconds, I fell quickly onto the floor.
"Umph!" Gah...landed on my stomach... As I lifted myself up from the ground, the noise in the forest was starting to get louder in my ears. Birds were chirping, a soft wind rustled the air, and I thought I heard some kind of monkey hooting somewhere above. Dusting off my clothes, I looked around to find myself....lost.
Dense trees surrounded me with many flowers and vines covering the dirt floor. There were some prints on the floor, strangely some of the prints looked human. As I walked through a dirt path I found, somehow I tripped on a tree root. Okay, why the hell am I tripping all over the place?
Getting up again, right in front of me was some rat. Don't tell me to explain, it looks just like an ordinary rat. Although, its eyes looked...red.
Jiggling its nose, the rat's eyes suddenly shined a bright red. And surprisingly, it squeaked out, "Intruder alert, intruder alert!"
I jumped back and landed on my butt. The fu...the rat just spoke! Wait, its voice sounded mechanical.
All of a sudden, all these men with black jumpsuits jumped down from the trees with some kind of machina rifle aimed right at me. Dang...somehow I knew I had a bad feeling about this place.
A black jump-suited man walked up towards me. He had on one of those gas masks and a tight black jumpsuit on. A rifle was aimed steadily at my head and he grabbed for something from his...utility belt. He drew out a grenade. Wow, a FRICKIN grenade. Here? At this place? He must be DAMN crazy.
The man shoved the grenade right in front of my face. "The hell? Are you trying to kill me?!" I jumped back a bit to avoid the grenade, but I bumped into another jump suited man behind me.
The grenade man sighed and said in a deep voice, "Take it." With that said, he threw the grenade gently at me. I cupped my hands and caught it in my palms.
Suddenly, the man behind me grabbed a handful of hair from my head and pushed it against the grenade. Okay....oh shit! All these porous holes started to appear on the grenade, and a transparent gas filtered out of it. Just great, this was sleeping gas! I tried to hold my breath, but it was too late, I already whiffed too much of the gas. My mind started to get hazy and all slowed down, the man who gave me the grenade took of his gas mask. Isn't that dumb thing to do?
Holy....this guy wasn't a male at all. It was a girl, wait, or was it a guy with blond shoulder-length hair? And he/she also had a female voice. Oh no wonder she wasn't getting affected, she had some kind of nose veil to protect herself from breathing in the gas.
"Take the intruder to the base. The Master would LOVE to see him," said the girl. I'm pretty sure she's a girl, cuz of the voice. Before I blacked out, I felt something get shoved through my throat. "Good dreams, mister," said the girl. And with that, my mind was then gone.
DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS
------------------------------
I woke up to feel my wrists bounded by some kind of metallic object. And it seems like I've been sitting on this swivel chair for who knows how long. I lifted my legs to see if they were bounded and....yes, they were. They looked like metallic padlocks, and every time I tried to move my feet, it hurted.
Looking up from my position, well, there was nothing to explain here. The place I was in was dark, save for a lamp giving off light from a work desk. A hidden figure was sitting on a chair with his legs on the desk.
"Well well, look who woke up. Hello Will, welcome to my domain," the man said. His voice was like some guy talking on a microphone. Yeah, its that loud too. He stood up and then said, "I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking how does this man know my name? Well, I have my sources."
"No, um, I wasn't thinking that," I mumbled. Ah jeez, my throat feels kinda weird.
The man chuckled and then his face was then shown from the lamp. What the....he looks just like Zelferd! Well, Zelferd was clean-shaven and had slicked back, oily hair. This guy had a mustache growing and his hair was combed to the side. He looked much older than Zelferd....
The man then walked towards me with his hands behind his back. It's one of those authoritative postures mature men have. He stood right in front of me and examined me for a moment. That gave me enough time to see what he wore.
The only thing he wore on was a black suit with a white shirt underneath it. He also wore on those black suit pants with finely polished, black shoes. A black tie hung from the collar of his white shirt. He had on these silver wristbands on both of his wrists. Wow, he was a finely dressed man. But who cares about that!
He lowered himself until we were both eye-level with each other. "You're a Hiend, are you not?" he asked in a curious tone. Quickly, he took my cheek and he started to examine every bit of my face. "Hm, yes, I thought so."
Standing up to his fullest height, which was probably 6'1 feet, he then said something that surprised me. "Well, we're gonna have to train your powers to its fullest potential." I know, strange right?
I tried to clear the irritation in my throat. "W-why? Why would you help me..train?"
The man then turned and walked back to his desk. "Shana, can you please lead this boy to the training grounds? I would appreciate it if you taught him some essential battle skills." What the heck? He just totally ignored me!
A ray of light suddenly filtered in from behind me. Seems like some kind of door was opened. I heard footsteps slowly advancing towards me from behind. Then I heard a female voice say, "Yes sir."
The padlocks that bounded my wrists was cut off, falling on the floor with a clank. I moved my wrists and flexed my fingers to get the circulation going, but before I cold turned around and say thanks, this Shana girl grabbed me by the back of my shirt and turned me around, facing her. Wow...this is embarrassing.
The girl was SHORTER than me. She looked as if she was only 5'5. She had bleached blond hair that went down to her shoulders and her eyes were green. The insignia of an Al Bhed was inside her eyes. She wore on a black jumpsuit that bound tightly to her body. There was a musket looking rifle that was strapped across her back. Judging by the color of her face, I'd say her skin color was peach-like.
"Come on Hiend, you're coming with me to the training grounds," she said in a haughty tone. She then got behind me, grabbed a handful of hair from my head which made me look up, and pushed me forward to walk. My eyes were closed with tears starting to come out from the pain she was causing, but I heard the sound of the door closing behind us.
"Yeah, uh, you wanna let me go?" I asked. It took her a few seconds to let go of my hair, and at that time, tears started to stream down. Damn, she's such a pain already. "Did you really have to do that?"
I turned around to look at her. Her arms were folded across her chest and she had a searching look on her face. What's she looking at me like that for?
"You look really weak..." she said.
Did she...really say that? "Wait, I'M weak-looking? Look at you! You're smaller than me!" I pointed at her.
In a quick motion she slapped my finger away and aimed her musket at me. "If you want to live as long as possible here, I think it would be smarter for you to shut your mouth and follow me. The Master gave me some specific training instructions to give you. Now let's go....Hiend."
She's much more dangerous than she looks. The eyes she had when she talked to me spoke of obedience and determination. Eerr.....
Raising my hands up in defeat, I muttered, "Fine, fine, let's get this over with..."
Shana and I walked through a huge hallway that was brightly lit by these solar panels on the ceiling. The walls were padded with some kind of metallic plating. There were many doors lined up on both sides of the walls, each labeled with a different name. One was the cafeteria, and the other was an entertainment room.
"So...Shana, how old are you exactly?"
She glanced at me and said, "I'm 12."
12? No way....
Shaking her head, she then added, "Why, thinking of going out with me or something?" What kind of 12 year old girl would....never mind.
"NO! You're a crazy girl! Just....just lead me to the grounds..."
Shrugging, I think I heard her say, "Well, you asked me."
We then approached a door labeled Training Grounds. Shana pushed the door aside and I followed her. This was boring as frick. The whole entire room was metallic..and square-shaped. There were 3 columns of metal holding up the room which lined each other up to look like a triangle. The room was illuminated by one large orb stuck in the middle of the ceiling.
"Welcome to the training grounds," she announced. She then propped her musket onto her shoulder and said, "I'm gonna be teaching you some ranged and close-combat abilities. You ready?" Damn, she's so full of herself....
"Well, for your information, I already know some ranged moves," I retorted, and I reverted my right arm into my Fiend arm. The 3 scythe-like claws glinted from the light.
Arching her eyebrows, she said, "You know some? Alright then, use it against me."
"Wait, right now? But I might..."
She rolled her eyes and replied in a frustrated tone, "We're in the training grounds! Of course we fight each other! Now come on!"
"Alright, alright, man, I thought I was gonna fight some wooden dummy or something."
"No," she said, "The Master doesn't think training against dummies would improve a person's fighting abilities. He thinks when the person fights against another thinking, breathing person, it would make the person think and learn what to do and what NOT to do, so you see, you can fight against me."
Training against a thinking, breathing person? Alright then...
"Heh, okay. Let's go at it," I muttered. If its a fight she wants, its a fight she'll get. It was a mistake for her to pull my hair....
I stabbed my claws into the ground and yelled out, "Stone Wave!" I slashed upwards and a linear line of stalagmites erupted out of the ground towards Shana.
I caught her shaking her head in disapproval, and she said, "Do you think that would work? Using the earth beneath, what if I.....JUMP!" She crouched down and then sprang upwards into the air like a cat. She aimed her musket at me and fired a bullet. I held out my Fiend arm and swiped the bullet away... which was a big mistake for me.
The bullet touched my forearm, and then it blew up. I was sent flying into the wall with a bleeding arm and I slumped to the ground.
"Hehe, a BOMB bullet. The bullet's made out of metal coated with some tissues from a Bomb. Hence the name, BOMB bullet." She took out a red colored bullet from a small satchel on her belt and loaded it into her musket. "Ready for another one?"
I examined my Fiend forearm to see scorch marks with blood streaming down from the wound. Dang, if my 'assumptions' are correct, this BOMB bullet she talks about blows up in contact with anything that involves heat. Just great....
My forearm started to stitch itself up. Wow, I forgot all about my regeneration abilities. How could I forget?
I heard another 'bang' from the musket and I blindly side-rolled to the right. Shana's a good shooter...gotta give her credit for that. But if I can't hit her with my ranged move...then maybe...
I positioned myself like a track runner and then sprinted quickly towards Shana. Just when she shot ANOTHER bullet, I jumped up in the air and saw myself face to face with her. "Heh, got you."
I was about to swing my scythe arm, when Shana bent her body backwards and planted both her feet to my stomach. With a grunt, she pushed herself away from me and landed onto the ground...like a cat. Unlucky for me, I was sent crashing into the ground. What the frick!? Why is she so strong?!
"Grrr, Shana! Tell me, how can I improve my fighting abilities, huh?! Why don't you teach me?" My head was starting to heat up. I'm getting angry...she's not even teaching me anything! I stabbed my claws into the ground and ferociously slashed upwards again. "TIDAL....STONE!!!"
A huge burst of stalagmites crawled quickly towards her. Shana sighed, stuck her musket to the ground and vaulted herself over the stalagmites. What?!
Just then, at that moment, a huge stalagmite propelled out of the ground where Shana was at moments ago. Dang, I missed. Maybe...maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe all the fights I've been in was just luck...fighting against Misake....fighting against Leila's werewolf form....even fighting against Ichiro.
Shana landed onto the ground softly and stood up. "Will, let me give you some helpful tips about half Hiends and fully-integrated Hiends."When she said those words, my mind perked up and I looked at her. Helpful tips? How would she know?
"You're probably wondering how I know about half Hiends and fully-integrated Hiends, correct?" She talks like an adult, but anyways, I nodded. "Well, Hiends can learn and increase their knowledge of combat moves. If they want to learn a new move, they must first learn the restrictions and limitations of their power. For instance, your Fiend arm seems to make use of ranged moves. So then...what kind of ranged moves would like your arm to learn....if it was able to?"
What kind of ranged moves would I like my arm to learn...if able to? That's like a frickin Pokemon game! "Well...I would like to be able to shoot bullets..like a gun." I looked at my arm. Wait a second, I think I know what she's talking about.
If I wanted my power to shoot like a gun, I have to modify the way my arm works. Let's try it out.
I closed my eyes and pictured my scythe bladed claws. The 3 blades would retract backwards like pulling my fingers back. 3 pores would emerge from the knuckles, and then I would be able to shoot out solidified bullets!
Just then, my hand started to feel all fuzzy. Opening my eyes quickly, I saw my 3 scythe-blades retract back and 3 pores opened up quickly. What the...
I heard Shana clapping and as I looked up, I saw her smile. Smile! Well, FINALLY! "Good job, Will! You've finally learned to teach your arm to move and modify within your command. There may be more moves for your arm to learn in the future....so, you wanna try it out?"
I grinned and aimed my knuckle 'gun' at her. "Alright then...now eat some dirt!" I expected it to shoot out something, anything! But nothing came out.
Shana muttered something under her breath. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Those types of powers 'probably' requires you to use mana. The essence of energy and spirit within the person's body."
Mana? Huh, I think I've heard someone talk about this once. Well, in the game, it's how everyone uses magic and stuff. I nodded my head and thought about my arm gun filling up with blue stuff. Wait, I can SEE it! Blue veins of mana streamed from my heart to my knuckles. Warm energy started to fill my hands.
Gritting my teeth I took aim and said, "Well, here goes nothing!" I shot out 3 huge, brown spikes from my knuckles and it sped right towards Shana.
"Now that's more like it! A firefight!" Shana side-rolled to the left and shot some bullets at me. I put some energy into my legs and jumped up, letting the bullets pass me below. I then aimed at her again and started firing small pellets of solid rock at her, like a machine gun.
Smirking, Shana then took out a small bag of jelly-looking stuff and threw it to the floor. A sphere of yellow jelly surrounded her entire being, deflecting the bullets that I shot out. What the...
"Training is enough for now. Maybe we'll train some more later on." Shana walked through the jelly and grinned. "Looks like the its been a fruitful lesson, right?"
I smiled. She was right. I've actually learned some new things...and then I felt something gurgle in my stomach. "Shoot....I'm hungry." Great, feeling hungry just when I was feeling proud of myself.I held my stomach and looked at Shana.
Rolling her eyes, she beckoned me to follow. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria." I happily obliged.
Entering the cafeteria, there were many people wearing black jumpsuits just like Shana. The cafeteria was HUGE if I would add. It was as big as a....cafeteria. Yeah, anyways, there were many steel-looking picnic tables aligned to each other perfectly. There were transparent windows lined up against the walls, so you could see the view. There was a long line of food counters, and a long line of people were there, picking up their food and talking.
"All the employees who work in the The Hunter base eats here, no matter what job they're in. Programmers, weapon developers, planners, soldiers, etc eats here. It's a great place to drop by and talk and have some fun conversation." Looking at Shana talking, I felt...happy. I don't know why its because of how great her future would be when she grows up. But that's if I can defeat the Variants from doing any bad deeds.
"Well, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go grab a plate and...wha?" I felt Shana grab my arm. Now what?
"Let me get the food. Pick a spot at the tables, I'll be with you in a sec." Shana smiled and walked towards the food counter. That's strange, befroe she was tough and scary...now she's happy and cute. Wait, cute? Did I say that?
I walked over to an empty table and sat down. There was a salt and pepper shaker stocked in a little shaker basket. A few seconds later, Shana came by with 2 plates of food. One for me, which was only pasta with marinara sauce and orange chicken. She had a meatloaf and salad. No drinks....oh well.
I started eating my food when I saw Shana looking at me with her chin resting on her hand. "Yes? May I help you?" Okaaay, she's starting to scare me.
Shana shrugged and then ate her food as well. Hmm, whatev, maybe she's telling me to start talking? "Hey Shana...when you said The Hunter base, you're talking about a base nearby, right?"
"No, you're in a Hunter base right now. This is the main base, where the Master gives off personal instructions and missions to certain hunters. His favorites were Zakuo and Sophia."
SPLAH!!!! Zakuo and Sophia?! Working with the Master, here? In this base?!
"Looks to me that you know who they are," Shana said in a curious voice.
"Know them? I've encountered them a long time ago. We've fought against each other a few times...and fought side by side with them." Side by side...it looks like we may fight with them again against the Variants.
Shana continued. "Anyways, Zakuo and Sophia are the most accomplished Hunters we have here. I'm just the Master's servant and guard." Guard huh? Must be a good position to be in. And no wonder she's so strong....
Just when I was about to ask about the Master, a loud alarm rang. What the....what's happening?
The people in the cafeteria started to get up quickly and ran for the exit. The soldiers here picked up their machina rifles and started to motion everyone to get out. I looked at Shana and I saw the look in her eyes. Something is happening here in the base, and its bad.
We ditched our food tray and ran out the cafeteria door to find many of the employees running through the hallways carrying weapons and paper documents. The siren was loudest here, I could tell...because of the red alarm system located above some of the doors.
"Oh no...they've already started." Shana's look on her face showed of horror and disbelief. "We've gotta get you to the safety pods!" She quickly grabbed my hand and ran through the hallway with me dragging behind. Isn't that strange.
"Wait, safety pods? No way! I'm staying here! Remember, I have to continue my training if I want to defeat the Variants and the Maester?!" Shana halted for a moment and looked at me seriously.
"You won't be able to train at all if you stay here! No let's go!"
I pulled my hand away from her and stood face to face defiantly. "Why? What's going on?"
Her face then changed to sadness. Oh geez, did I say something?
"It seems as if the troops the Variants have under their command are attacking this base. They're probably looking for any sources of Hiends....or any related technology."She then grabbed my hand once more and tugged on it. "Now come on, before they discover your presence here!"
Shit, the Variants already located this place? Wait, what am I talking about? Both the Yevon and Hunter organizations have been working together for a while. Of course they'd know where to look!
I nodded. "Alright then, show me the way."
We ran until we came across a door that was labeled 'Safety Pods'. Okay, seriously, these labels are driving me crazy. It's like these employees need some kind of name tag to actually know what they're dealing with.
Shana opened the door to reveal a dark room which was faintly lit by some glowing pod machines. There were rows and rows of oval-shaped pods which can probably fit an enormous fat guy in there. The machines were whirring softly and there were several pods that were already empty.
"Okay, take any one of them, Will. Just get out of here, quickly!"
I chose the pod closest to the door, but before I step in...."Wait, are you coming with me?" The look on Shana's face told me everything. She was gonna stay here and fight off against any of Yevon's troops. No way....
"Just go!" Shana stepped up to the pod and pushed me in. She then slammed the pod's door shut, sealing me in the machine. All around me there were buttons, levers, and some weird analog stick. She didn't even explain to me what these are for!
Just then, right beside my pod, some kind of terminal ascended. Shana then pressed something, and then BAM!!! You wouldn't guess how freaky it was, speeding along in Mach 3.
The pod shot through some kind of tunnel. Everything I saw was a blur, and my face...no, I'm not even gonna talk about that. A few seconds later, a bright flash of light filled my eyes. I had to cover my eyes with my arm so that I wouldn't get blinded.
When I felt brave enough, I lowered my arm to see...the afternoon sky dotted with reddish clouds. Well, it looked red. But then again, it's already the afternoon? I was pretty sure it was morning...
Not more than 10 seconds later the pod crash landed into earth. Gah! Ow, that's just great, as a result, I get a headache!
The pod's door opened up and at the same time gas was released from inside the pod. No, not fart, just gas the pod used for transportation of some sort. When I looked around...I knew where I was immediately.
Where I'm facing, I could see the building of Bevelle over there. All these interconnected bridges and pathways lead to it, with Yevon soldiers patrolling along. In the distance I thought I saw an airship get closer to the Bevelle building. If I want to get to the building...I'm gonna have to get through all the soldiers.
I walked a few feet towards a bridge when, oh what a surprise, I've been caught!...No really, I was.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here! Men, get him!" I was at a forked path, the right was blocked by some crates filled with stuff I don't know of. The left path was filled with soldiers coming towards me. I'll take the left and then the right.
I reverted my right arm into the scythe arm and retracted them into gun-mode. 7 Yevon soldiers held swords while the one who yelled out was dual-wielding scimitars. Okay, let's make this quick.
I aimed my knuckles at the 7 soldiers and started to spray fire. In less than 3 seconds I was proud to shoot them all down. Yep, all proud and.... SLINK!
The hell? The dual-wielding guy....was behind me the whole time? I felt a searing pain from my back. Urrg, it's pay back!
I modified my arm to transform into the scythe mode and I swung around to slash at him to meet his right-handed scimitar block. Caught off guard, he kicked me right in the stomach, making me sprawl to the floor. He made a stabbing motion with his left scimitar, but he only clipped my right cheek. I felt a drop of blood plop down on my pants, but before long, it stitched itself. I then counterattacked by flicking my wrist into the ground, sending out a crushing line of stalagmites. And he was really close to me too.
So, all in all, his private area was stabbed by a very 'spiky' stalagmite. With a low groan, the dual-wielding guy slumped forward, slowly dying. Dang, that actually sucks, losing those balls of his..if he has one anymore.
I then took the right path and examined the boxes of crates. I stabbed my scythe arm into the crate, puncturing the box. When I took out my arm, my claws held up a complete set of clothing. A long black and white coat with a cowl. There was also a white long-sleeved shirt and white pants with black and white shoes. Alrighty then, I finally get to change my clothes. I took off the clothes I had and then refitted myself with the ones I found in the crate. Dang, I need to check myself out.
I then continued taking the left path, and what do you know? There was a broken glass mirror which was laying on the floor. I picked it up and checked my face...dang.
I didn't notice it, but it looks like I'm already growing a bit of a beard. And a scar was formed on my right cheek from that dual-wielding guy. And my hair...what happened?! It's now a little more longer to my ears, with my front spiked up a bit...like that crazy Movaak. Ah well, everyone changes sooner or later, right?
I continued a leisurely walk of killing soldiers and finding some random stuff, until 2 minutes later, I found myself at the foot of the stairs. And then...
AT THIS POINT, YOU CAN ADD THE SOUND EFFECT OF A RECORD DISC BEING SCRATCHED
"And then whatever happened 5 minutes ago comes into the story, right?" Leila interrupted. I nodded in reply.
Zakuo, Sophia, Delna, and Derek were quiet, probably thinking about what happened back at the Hunter base.
"So...all you learned was a measly way to actually use a gun now?" Tsuki said in awe, which to my translation, is sarcasm.
"Yes....that's all I learned...so far." I crossed my arms across my chest. "Hey, at least I LEARNED something! How about YOU guys?!"
Movaak, Tsuki, Leila, and Anuy grinned. So did the guy with the wings and glasses.
"Yeah, we actually learned quite alot," replied Tsuki. He then pointed towards the guy with glasses. "Even Roen, who just joined today, has some unique moves."
I then turned my gaze towards Roen. Huh, he has a longsword with holes in them? Strange...
"Wait, what about the Variants!" I turned around to find....empty space. None of the Variants members were here. But then I spotted a paper note being weighed down by a paperweight on the floor.
"Well well, what's this?" Movaak walked towards the note and picked it up. Opening the note, he observed the content.
Tsuki, Anuy, and Leila walked up behind Movaak and peeked over his shoulder.
Movaak's face then turned grim. "Looks like they've decided to expose the locations of where each member of the Variants would be located for their match to be in. Everyone ready?"
Everyone here nodded in approval. Surveying everyone's faces, I could tell everyone knows that this may be the final battle of their time. Hope everyone's ready.
Movaak then directed his attention towards Delna, who was holding onto Zakuo, and turned his attention towards Leila. First match-up is between you two girls and Malfonse, at Macalania Wood's lake."
"Should we get to the airship then?" asked Derek.
10 minutes later
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The Hunters and my friends were lined up getting ready to bid our encouragements to Leila and Delna. They were both standing close to the window, getting ready to jump off to the lake. Delna walked up towards the Hunters and hugged them all. Leila said her farewells to Anuy, Tsuki, Roen, and Movaak. When she got to me...
"Hey Will, looks like you shaved the beard off."
Hehe, it was true. While in the airship, I was at the bathroom using those normal, run-of-the-mill shavers. "Yeah, I did.....anyways, be careful in the battle alright?"
Leila nodded and hugged me. For some reason, I'm getting quite used to it."I will....you be careful also, you hear?"
I smiled from her concern. We both broke the hug and she then joined up with Delna.
Derek, who was at the pilot seat, yelled out, "Alright then, opening up the window hatch!" The windows suddenly latched off, letting out and in huge amounts of air. Delna and Leila waved to us and jumped off the airship. I hope....she'll be okay.
OUT OF WILL'S POV
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Leila and Delna jumped off the airship's windows. They were right above the forest when Delna pulled both Leila's and her parachute bags, which was strapped on their back. 2 light parachutes erupted out of their packs. They slowly descended down to the lake's bottom. Before the parachutes collapsed on top of them, Delna took out her bazooka and shot both of them down.
"Wow, nice shot...I think," stated Leila. She then looked around the forest.
The lake was a bit tad dark. All around them were trees sparkling with these green orbs floating around. The lake was cold to the touch.
"I wonder if Malfonse if here...if he isn't, then I'll call him a chicken," Delna said in a confident voice.
"Chicken? I'd rather be called a boar," said a deep-voice to their right. Surprised, they both saw Malfonse standing on the shores of the lake. His 2 metal hammers were strapped on his back in a crisscross shape. "So, I'm guessing you girls are ready for this? I hope you said your farewells to your friends and families."
"Wow, he's very kind for a Variant," whispered Delna.
"I know what you mean," Leila replied softly.
"If you both are done gibbering softly to each other, then let's get down to it," Malfonse said in a loud voice. Flocks of birds flew out of the trees, squawking. At this point, the song 'The Otherworld' would be suitable here.
Malfonse unstrapped his metal hammers and slammed them both into the lake, sending out a huge blast of water up into the air. Delna aimed her bazooka at him, while Leila transformed...into a more female version of a werewolf. Flaming red hair, with claws as long as bananas. Her jaw reeked of flames.
"Hmph, I've hated Hiends....and I still hate them," muttered Malfonse.
And with that, the three of them dashed at each other.
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A/N: Whhhehewww!! I FINALLY wrote another chapter! I'm sorry again to everyone that this was late. If you read the above note, then I think you know why I couldn't write. And as I always say, hope you guys enjoy the story and please R&R!!! =D
NEW CHARACTER!!!
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Name: Shana Kassim **
Age: 12
Race: Al Bhed
Height: 5'5
Weight: 116 lb
Build: Lean and a tiny bit muscular
Main Weapon: A brown, single-barreled musket.
Special Skills: Using custom-made bullets and has very stylish shooting moves
Overdrive: Unknown
Appearance: Bleached blond hair that went down to her shoulders and her eyes were green with the symbol of an Al Bhed. She wore on a black jumpsuit that bound tightly to her body. She had a peach colored complexion.
Personality: Usually, she acts very determined and tomboyish, and she only acts kind to people she knows. When she get's into fights, she get's into a very calm but crazy state.
Proficient Ability: Her running speed is superb because of her short height and strong legs. She's also quite flexible, being able to bend backwards all the way to shoot at her opponents.
Fighting Style: Range and Speed
Was This Person Born or Warped to Spira: She was born in Home.
Reason Why Your Character Joined The Hunters: Unknown
Background: Unknown