Final Fantasy VII: [3
rd Instalment]Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Twenty-Five
There was a strong wind blowing when Cloud and Yuffie ran onto the outer deck. Sand was being blown up from the desert below and falling like rain upon the airship, scattered by the Highwind's propellers. Yuffie was forced to shield her eyes with her arm armour to keep from being blinded by the flying grains. Cloud stood in front of her, blocking the sand, and scanned the deck for signs of Red XIII and Cait Sith.
He spotted them at the other end of the deck. The two were standing close together and looking up at Weapon. Cloud strained his eyes. Just behind Cait Sith and his Mog he caught a flash of blue and white. Then Cait shifted and Cloud got a better look past him, and he sighed with relief. The old man was there, and he was all right. Cloud tried to call out to them, but the howling wind and the deafening roar of the airship's engines drowned out his voice.
Weapon looked down at the airship. The Highwind was about two thirds the size of Weapon, but when Weapon stretched up to its full height it seemed much smaller. Its tiny eyes, visible only through the red glow that radiated from within them, glanced left and right and then settled on the airship. Its 'gaze' turned to those standing on the deck. Weapon roared and raised one of it long, clawed hands, and then brought it down upon the airship.
Seeing the hand descend, Cloud darted forward. He drew his sword as he ran in front of Red XIII and Cait Sith and caught one of the claws with the blade of the Buster Sword. The strength of the blow was immense and almost forced Cloud onto his knees. Cloud lacked the physical strength to stop the blow entirely, but he managed to push it off course. The claw swerved out of the way of the others and hit the back end of the Highwind, tilting it back. The hand then slipped off the edge and slammed into the sand below.
The Highwind steadied itself and began to move away from Weapon. In the cockpit Cid was frantically turning the wheel and cursing loudly, shouting at the airship and telling it to move faster and bring some distance between them and the enemy.
Weapon's head moved, following the movements of the airship. It raised one large, flat foot and stepped forward. The ground trembled as the foot landed on the ground and sent clouds of sand shifting across the desert, much like a ripple in water.
It took only a single step for Weapon to catch up with the airship. There it stopped, lifted its head and roared. In the lower half of its torso was large hollow containing a laser. This hollow began to glow red, and sparks of red light flickered around it. These sparks were being drawn into the hollow, and the glow became brighter.
Cloud's eyes widened. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was coming next. He lowered his sword and turned to his friends. "Get back inside!" he ordered. "And tell Cid to move the ship away!"
Cait didn't need telling twice. He turned to Bugenhagen and began to usher the old man towards Yuffie, who was calling to them from the doorway. Cloud went with them, helping Bugenhagen along. It was just their luck that this happened when they had Red XIII's grandfather on the ship with them. If it was just them, they could fight Weapon and take it out.
Suddenly, Cloud stopped. He looked around. Speaking of Red XIII… where was he? The swordsman turned and looked back along the deck.
Red XIII was still standing at the far end of the deck; he had not moved. The hound's head was low, and his mouth was curled back into a ferocious snarl. He did not seem to notice that Cloud and the others had gone. In truth he did not even notice that Cloud had ran in front of them and blocked the falling claw. All of his attention was fixed on Weapon. His eye narrowed, and he growled angrily.
"Red XIII!" shouted Cloud. "Come on! Get over here!"
The hound either did not hear him or was ignoring him. He crouched down low, his furry chest brushing the ground. He raised his head and howled loudly into the wind. The sound of his howl was carried by the wind to all parts of the airship and was heard even by those inside, sounding as eerie and ghostly as the call of the planet.
"Oh dear," said Cait Sith, jumping onto Yuffie's shoulder. "I think seeing Ruby Weapon near his grandfather has made Red XIII go berserk." The cat shook his head. "I doubt he can hear anyone right now. Well, good luck."
Cloud turned sharply. "What do you mean, 'good luck'—hey!"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. Cait Sith had already jumped off the ninja's shoulder and was scurrying back inside the airship. His Mog went after him, waddling down the steps as fast as its short, fat legs could carry it. Cloud scowled and cursed under his breath. Damn them both!
He turned back to the deck just as Red XIII dropped his head, snarled, and then charged forward. The hound leaped and landed on the rails, but then he jumped again and disappeared over the edge of the airship.
"Red XIII!" Yuffie ran to the rails and leaned over. She caught sight of Red XIII as he dropped through the swirling sand and onto what was Weapon's kneecap. The hound landed and scrabbled wildly for a moment, and she feared he would lose his grip and fall completely. Then she saw the hound steady himself and begin to scramble his way upward.
Weapon, or as Cait had called it, Ruby Weapon (likely due to the ruby-coloured hue of the metallic-like plating that covered its body) lowered its two outrageously long arms and placed the claws on the sand. The Highwind was climbing slowly and was in direct range of the monster's primary weapon. The air around the laser cannon in its torso began to waver hotly as the weapon prepared to fire.
A shot fired and struck Ruby Weapon squarely in the middle of its metallic forehead. The monster stepped back, startled. Its laser fired and a thin beam of red light burst out, heading for the airship. Luckily, the suddenness of the attack caused Ruby Weapon to lift its upper body a fraction at the last minute, and the red beam zipped over the airship, missing it. Cloud ran to the opposite end of the deck and looked out to see where it was heading.
It was heading for the Gold Saucer.
Business was being conducted as usual in the Gold Saucer. It was the only place that had not been affected by the fear and panic that was slowly spreading through the rest of the world. To the people that went there it was a refuge: a place where they could forget about their fears and their worries, if only for a little while.
Of course, it would all be different if they knew that Ruby Weapon was lurking in the desert that surrounded the theme park.
Dio, manager of the Gold Saucer, was the only one who about Ruby Weapon's presence. He had kept that information secret, for fear it would send panic rippling through his customers. A panicked populace was difficult to maintain and would likely cause more harm than good. Besides, Ruby Weapon had made no moves to attack. So Dio kept the monster's presence a secret, but monitored it closely.
He was standing in the arcade when the red beam shot past the Gold Saucer, thankfully missing the arcade. Due to the noise and the bright lights already flashing, very few actually noticed it. Those who did see the beam believed it was a part of the Gold Saucer's fireworks display, and so they cheered and clapped for more.
Dio saw the beam and knew immediately what it was. He frowned, and his brow creased. Had Ruby Weapon launched an attack at last? Deciding the situation needed close observation he slipped away from the celebrations and returned to the peace and quiet of his personal room where he could watch the events unfold.
Vincent raised his gun and fired a second shot at Ruby Weapon. This time he caught the monster in the side of its face, and Weapon's head was thrown sideways in the impact. The monster gave an angered roar took a step back away from the airship. It raised an arm to shield its face from further shots.
Seeing that the ray had missed the Gold Saucer, Cloud turned away from the rail and turned to Vincent, who was standing in the doorway. "Vincent!"
The gunman stepped silently out of the doorway. His cape flew back in the wind, and Cloud saw the small shape of Cait Sith standing behind him. The cat rubbed his nose and walked towards Cloud. "Thought you might need a hand," he said cheerfully.
Vincent lowered his gun and placed more bullets into the chamber. Clicking the barrel shut, he raised the gun and aimed once more at Weapon's head. The towering monster was still shielding its face with one hand. Its eyes peered out between the claws, red and menacing, searching for the source of the attack.
"This is no time for talking," he said gruffly. "Just kill it."
"Are you insane!" Yuffie exclaimed. She pointed up at the towering creature. "How can we possibly defeat that! It's, like, bigger than this rust bucket!"
The Highwind gave a deep groan and tilted back a little. It began to climb faster; Cid was pushing the engines hard to get them out of reach of Ruby Weapon's ray. Of course, it made little difference how far away they were. Weapon could catch up to them in a matter of steps.
Cloud looked up at the creature that the planet had created to be its ultimate defence. Ruby Weapon's whole body was covered in a thick hide that gleamed like metal. It was immensely huge and strong—his shoulder still hurt from blocking that earlier blow. Did they have a chance? Was it worth the risk? The answer was obvious even as he thought the question.
"We have no other choice," he said. Ignoring Yuffie's horrified look, he continued, "The Weapons are built to protect the planet from any threat that may cause it harm. We're human. It won't distinguish us from anyone else. If we don't kill it here, it might go after the people in the Gold Saucer next." The swordsman looked at Vincent. The gunman nodded—he had thought the same. Cloud turned his attention back to Weapon, his gaze travelling downwards.
"Besides," the swordsman added dryly, "I don't think Red XIII is going to come along willingly."
Yuffie followed Cloud and Vincent's gazes to Ruby Weapon. Red XIII was still there, scrambling across the creature's giant legs, attacking wildly and without control. The ninja sighed heavily. She reached behind her and unhooked her shuriken. "Well, fine," she said, "if you want to get yourselves killed, I'll just have to protect you."
That was just like her. It was also interesting to note that now she had something important to do, her motion sickness had disappeared.
The three fighters walked out to the centre of the deck. Cait Sith watched them go. He scratched his furry chin thoughtfully and then shook his head. This was one fight the cat would prefer to miss. Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie could handle this… probably. So Cait shouted good luck to his friends and then disappeared back inside the airship, pulling the heavy door shut behind him.
Realising that the attacks had stopped, Ruby Weapon lowered its arm. It took a half-step backward and then raised its other arm. Its spread its claws wide, and then the creature thrust out its arm at alarming speed and grabbed the airship in midflight.
The Highwind gave a violent shudder and lurched to the side as it was caught in Weapon's grasp. Ruby Weapon stretched its arm out, holding the airship at arm's length. The claws closed around the hull, narrowly missing the bridge where Cid and the rest of his friends still stood. The sudden lurch had knocked everybody else off their feet but Cid remained standing, fighting to regain control of his airship.
The former Shinra pilot turned the wheel as far as it would go, until it locked in place. His crew crawled and scrambled back to their posts and worked frantically, while the crew in the engine room tried to draw whatever power they could get from the engines. They had to break free of this grip!
The engines groaned and heaved, straining against the claws that were holding them in place. After a few moments of straining, a painful scraping and screeching sound could be heard. Hurriedly Cid unlocked the steering wheel and ordered his crew to stop. It was no use. They would damage their engines if they tried to break free.
The sudden tilt of the airship had also thrown those on the outer deck off their feet. Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie clung to the railings as the deck heaved. With the airship caught in one hand, Weapon stretched out its other hand and closed its claws around the rear of the airship. The rails of the outer deck bent against the strain but held firm, refusing to snap. The claws held the airship firmly, keeping it from moving.
When the airship finally stopped shuddering, Cloud let go of the rails and rose to his feet. He looked down the deck. One of the monstrous claws was nearby. In fact it would have impaled Vincent, if the gunman had not seen it coming and moved hurriedly out of the way. The other two were wrapped around the rear of the airship. The claw on deck was the only thing holding the other two in place. If that claw was cut, the other claws would slip away and Weapon would lose its grip.
The swordsman leaned over the side of the airship and looked down at the hull. The hull was in a similar position, with two claws gripping the upper half while the third was pressed underneath.
He turned his attention back to Ruby Weapon. The creature's pointed jaw hung open, and there was a low growl from deep within its throat. It was making no other moves to attack. Cloud guessed it was waiting for its ray to recharge so it could eliminate them in a single shot, unable to escape. He could not see Red XIII.
"Vincent. Yuffie." The two stood up and turned to him. Cloud held out his sword and pointed down the length of Weapon's arm. "Think you can run across that?"
Vincent also looked. The creature's arm was held out straight, and was wide enough at the wrists to act as a suitable path. The arm became smaller the closer to the shoulders it got, but it was probably still wide enough to walk on. The gunman looked back at Cloud, guessing what he was planning.
"Think you can cut through these things?" he asked in turn, gesturing to the thick claws that gleamed like platinum.
Cloud nodded his head. "Yeah." He pointed to a spot on the underside of the claw that rested on the deck. There was a deep graze about a quarter of the way through the claw, made when Cloud had blocked it and pushed it aside. It was superficial damage, nothing more, but it was damage nonetheless.
"Vincent, Yuffie," said Cloud again. "I want you two to go over there and distract it. Keep its attention focused on you. I don't want it to pay attention to anything I'm doing. Once the airship is free, get out of the area, and I'll finish it with Bahamut."
"You really think Bahamut can beat that thing all by itself?" Yuffie asked sceptically, still leaning over the rails. "And what about Red? He's still down there, being nuts."
"Get him out of the way any way that you can." Cloud hefted his sword onto his shoulder. "Now, go. We have to hurry."
Vincent did not waste time with a reply. He jumped up onto the rails and then onto Weapon's hand. Yuffie gave Cloud a mischievous grin and a mock salute before she jumped up after him. Together they began the long charge down the creature's arm.
Once the two were out of the way, Cloud approached the metallic claw. The claw pressed down heavily on the railing, which bent a little further. Cloud grasped the hilt with both hands. Once he had a firm, steady grip he raised the sword over his head, and then brought the blade down as hard as he could.
Vincent ran quickly down Ruby Weapon's arm, his cape fluttering wildly behind him. Yuffie was running close behind him—he could hear her panting, her boots clicking against the arm.
Ruby Weapon did not seem to notice them running along its arm. To Weapon, they were nothing more then insects scrabbling along, and as such not worth noticing. Vincent looked down towards the hole in its torso that contained its deadly laser. The hole was beginning to glow again as the monster began to recharge it. Once charged, Ruby Weapon would fire its laser, and this time it would not miss its target.
The gunman raised his gun and fired three rounds towards the laser. The shots hit their mark and exploded just inside the cavity's rim. A ball of flame burst out and enveloped the laser. These flames were then drawn towards Weapon, being sucked into the barrel of the ray. Vincent watched as the light of the flames flickered inside the cavity and then disappeared, extinguished.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Don't get too close to that ray," he called over his shoulder. "You'll get sucked in."
"I don't plan on getting that close!" responded Yuffie. The ninja quickened her pace and artfully zipped past Vincent. She was much more agile than Vincent, and pulled away from him quickly.
They were close to Ruby Weapon's right shoulder. The monster shifted slightly, but the two maintained their balance and kept on running.
Below them, Red XIII lost his footing and slid down the plating that covered the monster's thigh. The hound scrabbled frantically, then dug in his claws and held on tight. His claws scraped across the plate before finally finding a hold, and the hound stopped just a few feet from the edge of the monster's knee. He hung there, his tail lashing wildly.
Yuffie was the first to reach the shoulder. She did not stop but turned sharply to the right, her boots skidding across the armour that covered Weapon's shoulder. She ran along the back of the monster's neck, heading for the other side.
Vincent stopped at the shoulder and raised his gun. He fired a series of rounds at Weapon's face, trying to draw its attention. Most of the bullets bounced off the hard plating surrounding its face, but one hit Weapon in its right eye. The eye burst on impact, and Weapon roared in anger and pain. Glowing green liquid leaked from the wound and poured down its face and neck.
Lowering his gun for a moment, Vincent looked at the liquid spilling out from the wound. His red eyes narrowed. Was that… mako? Of course, the gunman realised. The Weapons were made from the Lifestream, given life by the planet. The planet had used its own Lifestream to make these powerful Weapons, to use when it was in peril. It made sense that the creature's 'life blood' was the very energy of the planet.
Weapons head twisted painfully, and it roared in rage as more mako streamed out of its wounded eye. Yet, despite its pain, it did not loosen its hold on the Highwind. Its claws remained firmly around the airship's body, its arms refusing to budge.
Yuffie reached Weapon's left shoulder. Here she stopped and turned again, facing the left side of Weapon's face. The ninja ran forward and leaped up the plates of the creature's neck and face, making her way up to the top of its head. When she reached the top she stopped and looked down at her foe.
"Let's see you handle this!" shouted the ninja, raising her armoured arm.
An orb of green materia in her armour glowed brightly. The ninja clenched her fist and brought it down hard to deliver powerful punch to the central point of Ruby Weapon's head. The materia in her arm activated on contact, throbbing with inner light. The materia's power sent strong shockwaves pulsing downward throughout Weapon, beginning at its head and moving all the way down to its feet.
The shockwave did not stop with Weapon. Once they reached Weapon's feet they then moved into the ground, creating an intense, focused earthquake. The ground trembled violently, and clouds of sand rose up and swirled around the great creature.
Weapon itself was struggling to maintain its balance as the ground shook and trembled around it. The creature was so tall that its large, flat feet did little to help it balance itself. It took a slight step backwards, shifting its great bulk, in an effort to keep from falling over. Even with this great attempt to distract it from the airship, it still did not relinquish its hold, nor did it take its eyes off the airship.
On its head, Yuffie wobbled and tottered as the tremors continued. Finally losing her balance, she fell back. The tremors continued for a few seconds more, until they finally came to a stop.
Cautiously, the ninja opened her eyes. She looked down at the spot where she had unleashed the powerful Earth magic. There was a crack in the thick metal plating that covered Ruby Weapon's head, but that was the extent of the damage. The ninja sat back and sighed in exasperation. Ruby Weapon was tougher than she expected.
More gunshots were fired, and Yuffie quickly ducked down and shuffled back along Weapon's head. An icy breeze blew, and Yuffie turned to see an icy formation suddenly rise up on the other side. The ice stretched up and encased half of Ruby Weapon's face, covering its gaping mouth and its wounded eye. It stayed there for a few breath-stopping moments before it cracked and shattered, breaking away.
The ice did even less damage than the Earth magic. All it left was a few tiny cracks in the side of its face: superficial damage, nothing more. And still it did nothing to distract Weapon's attention from the airship, or from preparing its primary weapon.
The glow in Ruby Weapon's chest was steadily growing in intensity—it would not be long before the ray was ready to fire. It didn't seem like anything could distract Weapon from its task, or make it relinquish its hold. Vincent turned and looked over at the airship, still stuck in Ruby Weapon's hands. He hoped Cloud could free the airship before it fired.
Cloud, meanwhile, was still on the outer deck trying to free the airship from Weapon's grasp.
The claws were much harder to cut through than he had first expected. He had landed several blows now, some of them landing directly in the graze he had made earlier when Weapon attacked. Yet he had made little progress in cutting through, and in many instances the blade simply bounced off. The sword had just about managed to make it halfway through the claw—whatever substance these claws were made of, they were a match even for the Buster Sword.
Cloud raised his sword and brought it down upon the claw. The blade slid into the graze and cut another two inches into the claw—the best damage he had made so far. His arms were beginning to burn from the effort. Through the corner of his eye, Cloud could see Weapon's ray cannon begin to glow again. Realising he had little time, Cloud fought against the burning pain in his arms and lifted his sword high. He brought it down with as much strength as he could muster, and struck the claw.
His effort was finally rewarded. A crack appeared in the claw and spread down the rest of the claw's width. There was a moment's pause, and then the front end of the claw snapped off. The airship gave a shudder and Weapon's hand slid loose. The two remaining claws around the side of the airship lost their grip and fell away, releasing the back end of the airship.
Ruby Weapon roared in rage as its arm dropped back to its side. It was impossible to tell if it felt the pain of losing one of its 'fingers'—the only expression its fierce face seemed capable of expressing was anger. The monster raised its hand and looked down at the shortened stub where its finger had once been. It roared again.
Without pausing, Cloud turned and ran back along the deck. In a single bound he leaped onto the roof of the compound. He ran along the hull, heading for the hand that was gripping the other half of the Highwind.
As Cloud ran, he looked out across the desert towards Weapon. Now that its arm was free, Ruby Weapon was turning his attention to the three attackers that were moving across its body. He watched as Vincent jumped off the monster's shoulder and grabbed hold of its hand as it tried to sweep him off. The gunman clung to the claws, pulled himself up, and then fired four icy bullets at the monster's face.
Like before, the ice exploded on impact and spread out across Weapon's face, sealing it in a layer of chilling crystal. Weapon roared. The vibrations of its voice caused the ice to break apart. The ice fell away, melting into water as it fell towards the sand.
Weapon's hand drew near to its left shoulder, and as Vincent jumped off to return to the 'safety' of the unmoving plates, Yuffie took her turn and leaped onto the hand. The ninja released her Crystal Cross, and the shuriken zipped quickly through the air. Riding the air currents, it zipped past Weapon's wounded eye. The crystal spikes cut into its face, making small but definite grazes in its plating. It followed the swirling currents and came to the other side of Weapon's face, this time grazing its cheek and jawline, before finally returning to the ninja's hand as she leaped off the arm and onto Weapon's right shoulder.
Cloud turned his attention away from the battle and back to the task ahead. He did not need to worry; Vincent and Yuffie could handle themselves fine.
Weapon's other hand was just ahead. Two of the claws had closed themselves around the hull just behind the bridge. Luckily, the claws had missed the airship's propellers when they latched on. Unfortunately this made the wind around the hull stronger, and more than once Cloud came close to losing his footing. Like the outer deck, the claws had made a dent in the airship's hull, but it was holding out rather well. Cloud grasped the hilt of his Buster Sword, and as he neared the first of the two claws he twisted his body and spun, swinging his sword.
The blade struck the edge of the claw. The added momentum caused by the spin was enough for the blade to cut straight through. It sliced through at an angle and a large sliver of the claw slipped across the hull. It struck the remaining claw, making it lose its grip on the hull. Both claws slid and scraped across the hull, leaving ugly scrape marks in its otherwise undamaged surface. The claws dropped off the edge and released the airship.
With its impediment gone, the Highwind jerked backwards. It moved so suddenly that Cloud lost his balance and was forced to cling to the roof to keep from sliding off along with the claws. The Highwind rolled slightly before steadying itself and beginning to pull away from Weapon at an upward angle.
Seeing the airship pulling away, Ruby Weapon unleashed its primary weapon. There was a brief pause before the ray opened fire, sending a second thin beam of red light streaming after the airship. This beam was much thinner than the first one, for the weapon was not fully charged and as such did not carry the same strength. It carried the same heat, though, and Cloud was forced to shield his eyes as it zipped by. The beam continued on. It would miss the Gold Saucer, as well.
Ruby Weapon was so outraged that it had missed its target a second time that it lifted its head and roared in rage. The sound was so piercing that Vincent and Yuffie, in close proximity to its head, were forced to cover their ears.
The monster raised its giant arms above its head. The sudden movement caused Yuffie to slip and topple forward. She slid down the front of Weapon's shoulder plate, scrabbling for a handhold. Thinking quickly, she thrust out her Crystal Cross. The crystal spikes scraped along the metal before finally digging in enough to gain a hold, and she slowed to a stop about a metre away from the edge of the plate. She hung there, clinging to the crystal spikes.
Red XIII was halfway up Ruby Weapon's torso when the monster lifted its arms. As it stretched up, the hound lost his own footing and fell back. He dropped quickly and landed heavily on Weapon's knee where he had started. He did not stop there but rolled rapidly down the metal plating, until, finally, he rolled over the edge and fell down to the sand below. He fell into a dune and disappeared beneath the sand.
Weapon closed its claws and then thrust its arms downwards. Its fists plunged deep into the sand. The ground gave a low rumble and the sand shifted, as though something was stirring beneath it. The airship, now safely out of reach above Weapon, turned to watch.
The sand quivered and then suddenly spurted upwards in two large columns. From them emerged two equally large tendrils: silver in colour, more than two metres wide and fifteen metres long. The tendrils gave a sharp flick, and the rest of the sand fell back to the ground. One tendril flicked back and hit the ground, making it tremble.
Inside the Highwind, Cid, Tifa, Barret and Cait Sith watched as the tendrils stretched up to their full height—their tips waving wildly outside the glass.
"That…" said Cid. "Is not good."
A Note from the Authoress
I didn't plan for this battle to extend to another chapter, but I guess it has. Writing up this battle is difficult, since I haven't done this one myself, and all the videos I've seen have had Ruby Weapon stopped and pummelled with Knights of the Round. So I apologise for any inaccuracies.