Entry 5
Doomsday is approaching. I've ran several solutions through the computer to find out how to solve this, and none of them would work. It's inevitable. I expect all the megalomaniac fighters will all fight, to see who's the "strongest". But they won't get their answer, as their fight will result in a catastrophe the entire world will suffer from. They will more than likely be killed by it.
The world that we know is going to be destroyed. And from the ashes of the old world, a new one will rise. I don't know if Master will live to see it, but I've made preparations to ensure my survival.
However, when I go into my shelter…I won't be coming out. I will not take any part in creating the new world, I will merely exist in it. The destruction of this world is a clear sign that brother and I have failed in our duty of being the guardians of the world. I've decided that the survivors are the ones that will decide the fate of the world. It belongs to them, not me.
That being said, there is one last thing I wish to do for this world. There are some people whose survival I feel must be guaranteed. People who have powers, abilities, or skills that are too important to be lost. With their survival, hopefully they will pass down their knowledge to others so that it may be used in the future.
I may be able to write one more entry before things go to hell. Nothing guaranteed though.
Snake put down the paper after they finished reading it.
"Well, now we know that he's alive." Bayonetta said.
"Yeah, but we have no idea about this shelter he's made. Where it is? What does it look like? How to get in?" Peach noted.
"There's also something else we have to consider." Ike stated. "What if he doesn't want to be found?"
The others were silent as they pondered this.
"Think about it. He's said that he's decided to not use his powers to intervene in the world's affairs. If we were to find him and ask him for help, he'd probably refuse. Do you think it'd be better if we respected his wishes?"
"We will, because we're not looking for him for his powers." Snake replied.
"Really?"
"Yes. We're looking for him for his knowledge. I only saw a little bit of what happened during the Catastrophe. He's the only one that truly knows what happened."
"So we're looking for him to satiate our curiosity?" Bayonetta questioned.
"No, not just for us. The world deserves to know what happened. He talked about passing down knowledge. His knowledge is history of the world. And if people don't know history, then they're bound to repeat it." Snake explained.
"Okay. I think I get what you're saying." Peach assured.
"Yeah, me too." Ike said.
"Let's not forget that there might be one more letter that we need to find. We should tie up that loose end before we do anything else." Bayo reminded.
"Agreed. Alright team, let's move out." Snake commanded.
Traveling out from where they were, Ike spotted somebody in the distance.
"Hey! I see somebody over there!" Ike pointed. The others turned to look in the pointed direction. Snake pulled out his binoculars to get a better visual of the person of interest.
"It's a man. He's got blonde hair, with a strange hair cut at that. He's wearing mostly black and…what the hell is that on his back?" Snake wondered aloud as he looked at what appeared to be the man's weapon.
The other three seemed to realize who it was from Snake's description. The man seemed to be heading in their direction, so they went to meet him.
"Do you know who that is?" Snake asked.
"I think we do." Bayonetta smirked.
They finally met up with the man. Confirming the other three's suspicions, it was Cloud Strife.
"Cloud!" Peach called out.
"Oh…it's the wonderful people of the UR. Fantastic." Cloud said in a monotonous tone.
Ike crossed his arms and growled at him. "Still an asshole after seven years I see."
"Very funny."
"Let me guess. You were in the fourth tournament, right?" Snake asked.
"Yeah that's right. You must be Snake; the old man a lot of people talk about."
"What's that thing on your back?" Snake asked, referring to the Buster Sword. Cloud looked confused by him asking that.
"The hell does it look like? It's my sword."
"You can't call that a sword. Its design is so crude. It's too big, too thick. It's more of a slab of iron than a sword." Snake critiqued the weapon.
"Okay. Is that a problem for you or something?" Cloud asked, unsure as to where Snake was going with this.
"Don't mind him. He's a weapons specialist. He likes to observe weapons foreign to him is all." Peach assured.
"Whatever. How's your organization's pointless mission going?"
Ike, Peach, and Bayonetta scoffed at his statement.
"I see you're still as gloomy as ever. Still an angsty little teen in a man's body!" Bayo insulted. Cloud got closer to her, with anger in his eyes.
"You shut your fucking mouth!" He cursed.
Snake quickly got between the two and separated them from each other.
"Alright! Let's calm down now!" He ordered.
"You can call it whatever you want Cloud, but at least we're actually doing shit instead of wallowing in self-pity." Ike sneered.
"Enough!" Snake gestured for his group to be quiet. He turned back to Cloud. "Alright. You want to talk about our mission? Then let's talk."
"You look jaded. You've seen some shit haven't you?"
"Maybe. What are you getting at?"
"You don't look like a typical wide-eyed idealist. Surely you know how futile your groups goal is."
"You're going to have to be a lot more specific. Cause we might have conflicting opinions on what's futile and what's not."
Cloud sighed in frustration. "Trying to rebuild the world. Sure it's an admirable cause, but ultimately a waste of time. Because some day, somethings going to happen that destroys it again. And then all your hard work, all your sacrifices would be for nothing."
"I understand what you mean, but I don't see it that way." Snake objected. "In fact, you seem to misunderstand our mission. We're not trying to change the world back to the way it used to be. We know that's not going to happen."
"Then what are you trying to do?" Cloud questioned.
"We're trying to make things better for people in this chaotic world. Trying to make their lives a little easier, a little more enjoyable even in this chaotic world. Teaching people that just because these are trying times, doesn't mean we can't help each other out."
"Okay. But why do you think it's your job to do this? You don't owe these people anything."
"We don't see it as a job. We see it as our purpose."
"Why's that?"
"Think about it. We have certain skills, abilities or powers that not everybody has. Things that allow us to do things most people can't. If we have these abilities, then we should have a reason to use them. So we decide to use them to help those in need, to protect those who can't protect themselves."
"If somebody can't protect themselves, then that's their fault."
"So what, you think we should just use our abilities for our own benefit?"
"Maybe…"
"See that's the mentality we're trying to get rid of. Selfishness. Is living only for yourself really a life worth living?"
Cloud remained silent, not responding to Snake's question. He just looked away.
"You know what I see when I look at you Cloud?" Snake asked.
"What?"
"I see a man who has lost something, or someone very close to him. And he just can't move on."
Cloud pulled out his sword and pointed it towards Snake. Ike pulled out his sword, ready to strike if Cloud made a move. "You don't know shit about me old man!" Cloud said angrily.
"Really? Cause it seems I struck a chord." Snake pointed out. He hadn't even flinched as the sword was dangerously close to his face. Cloud look embarrassed by his outburst that broke his stoic demeanor, and put away his sword with a scowl on his face.
"You know I don't really think you believe in all these nihilistic beliefs that you've expressed to me." Snake added. "Because if you really believed that everything we do is ultimately meaningless and that there's no point in life…you would have killed yourself by now."
The others looked shocked at that callous statement.
"Snake!" Peach stammered.
"Well he does have a point." Ike said.
Cloud looked almost frightened by Snake's statement, and even more so when Snake put a pistol on the ground in front of him.
"That gun has one bullet in it. If you truly believe everything you say, if the world really is as bad as you say it is…kill yourself! Prove me wrong!"
Cloud held the gun in his hand, sweating nervously. He was in utter disbelief. This man was calling him out, challenging him on his supposed "beliefs". Everyone else would just say he's pathetic and he would just shrug them off. Now Cloud was starting to question himself. Thoughts were racing through his head, too many thoughts…it hurt his head. Unable to stand it, Cloud dropped the gun and ran off.
"That's what I thought." Snake thought to himself.
"Shit Snake! That was quite brutal don't you think?" Bayonetta commented.
"Brutal, perhaps. But I do believe it was effective."
"What do you think he'll do from here?" Peach asked.
"Hopefully he'll reconsider his thoughts about life. Maybe he'll take our mission into account. He could end up being a powerful ally. But that's for him to decide. Now let's keep moving."
Deacon the old Darknut was meditating on his mountain. Then he heard someone making their way up. He stood up to face the potential challenger. Turning around he saw a muscular blonde man wearing a bomber jacket. It was Alex.
"Uh…hello." Alex nervously greeted. "Are you the one they call Deacon?" He asked.
Deacon looked at him curiously, humored by his polite demeanor. "I am. You must be the one they call Bomber. I've heard about you." The Darknut said.
"That's just a nickname people made. My name's Alex."
"Very well Alex. Do you wish to challenge me in battle for answers to whatever questions you may have?"
"That sounds nice, but I'll pass."
Deacon was surprised by the answer. "Really? Then what have you travelled up my mountain for?"
"I've heard that you're really strong, so I'd like to ask if you would spar with me." Alex requested. "Maybe I could learn somethings from you and get stronger."
"I see. However, you must answer me this. Why do you wish to grow stronger?"
"Well there's a lot of bad dudes in the Wasteland y'know. I haven't faced all of them and I know they could be incredibly powerful. So I gotta be strong enough so I can protect people from them."
Deacon smiled after his answer. This man was a polar opposite of the Crestfallen swordsman he previously faced.
"Very well Alex. I will spar with you. May we both become stronger from this."
The two began their friendly battle. They fought for a good 15 minutes. Deacon was quite impressed with Alex's resilience. He showed much more determination than a certain crestfallen swordsman. Though he didn't win, he put up a hell of a fight.
"Damn you're strong." Alex said, panting from exhaustion.
"You have shown much strength yourself, young warrior. And it isn't just a result of your training and skills, but also your spirit."
"Well thanks."
"Where did you hear about me?" Deacon asked.
"People in the villages below the mountain talk a lot about you. Heard all kinds of stories, and heard about how strong you are. I didn't care about the "defeat Deacon and he will grant you knowledge. I just wanted to improve myself." Alex explained.
Deacon chuckled. "You are an odd one indeed, but I mean that in a good way. You really are willing to help others. Have you considered joining the UR and their cause?"
"I have. They seem like good people. But there's a skeptical part of me that keeps me from making a decision."
"What is it that makes you skeptical?"
"I feel like they could end up turning bad like the Committee did. And I'd be working for some bad people without even realizing it." Alex answered. "I could just be paranoid though."
"There's nothing wrong with being cautious Alex. There are many different things that could happen. The world often makes unexpected turns." Deacon noted. "However, in my eyes, the members of the UR are good people who wish to help others. I've seen it for myself. I think you'd make a great addition to the group."
"All right. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Deacon. It was an honor to meet you." Alex waved goodbye and made his leave.
"Good-bye my friend. May you be safe on your travels."
Lucina, Fox and Luigi traveled with a small group of troops to investigate a nearby city. They received a report of possible conflict in the area, and set out to find out what's going on.
"We're getting close. Be on your guard!" Lucina warned.
Traveling slowly through the city, they hadn't come across anything yet.
"Seems way too quiet, and there's not a person in sight." Fox said.
"Something's going on…let's keep looking." Luigi urged.
Shortly after, they found what the reports were about, and it was a gruesome sight. Every civilian in the area, chopped up into pieces. Blood, viscera and piles of mutilated bodies littered the ground. And standing atop it all were two Skeleton creatures with black cloaks and a scythe in hand. The blades were red with still wet blood.
"Reapers!" Lucina gasped. Her shock then turned to anger. "Attack!" She commanded. The group rushed at the Reapers armed and ready. The monsters turned to look at the charge. Significantly outnumbered, they began summoning Reapettes to assist them. The smaller versions of their summoners rose from the ground and headed towards the group.
"Be careful! Those things may be weak, but they're strong in numbers! Don't let them surround us!" Lucina said to the others.
"Gotcha. The soldiers and I will take care of the little shits. You and Luigi focus on the Reapers." Fox planned as he and the soldiers started eliminating Reapettes with well placed shots.
Lucina and Luigi got up close to the Reapers. The one facing Lucina swung its Scythe at her. She deflected it with her Falchion. Luigi ducked under a swipe from the other one, and hit it with a leg sweep. It swiped up at him as he attempted to approach it, grazing his left arm. Luigi struck back with a fireball, knocking the monster back.
Lucina continued to clash with the other Reaper. She had yet to land an attack, but only because she was waiting for the perfect moment to land a critical strike. The Reaper, frustrated with her defense, began attacking more aggressively but also with recklessness. Lucina saw her moment and parried, knocking its weapon to the side and then thrusting her blade through the monster's skull. Its skeleton body fell apart, the dark spirit was vanquished.
Luigi finally finished things up on his end, setting the Reaper ablaze. It attempted to swing at him one last time, but its bones had turned to ash before it could.
With both Reapers dead, all the remaining Reapettes disappeared.
"All clear!" Lucina confirmed.
Fox walked over to Lucina and Luigi, all three of them looking very angry.
"Reapers…in our world?!" Luigi clenched his fist.
"I thought we had an agreement! If we didn't bring any of our problems to Skyworld, then she'd keep their problems to themselves!" Fox said referring to Palutena.
"That was the agreement. We need to let the others know about this. She's got some explaining to do…" Lucina scowled.
Sorry it's been awhile since the last update. I've been working on some other projects, went on vacation, and other things.
Also I'm kind of upset at the lack of stories featuring Snake. He's a good character but everyone seems to overlook him since Smash 4 came out. I guess he doesn't have as much appeal as the Fire Emblem, Zelda, Xenoblade and Kid Icarus characters that people love to ship together. No disrespect to any of those characters or anyone that writes stories starring them, it's just those characters get a story pretty much every day.
My complaints aside, feel free to review and feel free to criticize. If you have any questions PM me.