Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and how I hate it...
Posts: 56

Character introduction thread

Okay, to prevent clutter and to make it a lot easier to archive the tournament when it has ended, I'm creating this character introduction thread. If everyone would be so kind as to move your character introductions to this thread, everything will be neat and organized.

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~ I am you, and you are me ~ This defies reality ~ Whether this is false or true ~ You are me, and I am you

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: The Big Shell
Posts: 71

Good idea Krizak. This makes a lot more sense. I'll delete my other thread.

*copy/paste*

I finally got my intro written up. It's quite a bit shorter then I expected it to be, but it'll have to do. There are some rather large Metal Gear Solid 2 spoilers in here. I suppose this wouldn't make much sense if you'd never played the game anyway. Don't worry, I'll keep them out of the tournament proper.

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April 28, 2009 – The night before the Big Shell incident

“Are the Kasatka’s both fueled?”

“Yes, I inspected them myself. They’re both ready to go.”

“Good. Have the men check over their equipment one last time. We leave for the Big Shell at 0700 tomorrow.”

“Alright… Olga, you’re sure about this mission?”

“Don’t worry, everything has been planned.”

“It still sounds risky. I'll trust your judgement, though.”

“Look, we don’t have time for this, don’t you have some work to get done?”

“Alright, over and out then.”

The transmission ended. Olga turned off her radio and placed it back on her uniform. Letting out a long sigh, she sat back in her chair and reflected on what she was about to do. She couldn’t remember the last time she had cried, but she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was selling out unit, the men she had grown up with, the men she had shared everything with, to save the life of her child. The child she had never even been able to hold in her own arms. “Damn the Patriots,” she muttered.

Walking over to her computer, Olga opened the message she had read at least a hundred times that day:
“Make sure the boy completes his tasks. That is your role. Do not fail us. Remember, this is what you are fighting for.” Accompanying the message was a picture of her infant child.

Shutting off the machine, Olga suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation. Seconds later, she was engulfed in a bright white light, as intense pain shot through every part of her body. Letting out a final scream of anguish, the Russian Mercenary disappeared.

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Well, that's that. Expect this to be edited about a million times over the next few days as I try to iron out all of the imperfections

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 6

Well here be my intro, which still sux0rz but it's all you're gonna get from me

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Vincent ran ahead of his companions, eager to finally meet Hojo once again. It had been thirty years since the professor had locked him in the basement of Shinra Mansion, and Vincent had a lot of time for the hatred to grow inside his heart. Thirty years of waiting and, at last, the time had come for the good professor to get his just desserts
He was pulled from his thoughts by the voice of Tifa, her tone that of disbelief.

"This can't be..."

Vincent could hear huge metallic thuds behind him, becoming louder each time. He turned round slowly, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

"Not now..." he groaned.

There stood a massive "robot" no less than eighty feet tall, looking most threatening. There was no doubt this machine was here to intercept AVALANCHE. A door in the front of it opened, the mechanical beast raising a hand to it. Out stepped none other than Heidegger, leader of Shinra's administrative research department, otherwise known as "The Turks". He looked over the band of rebels, and promptly let out one of his horse laughs.

"Gyaaa, Haaa, Haaa!!! So they really showed up!"

Without further ado, his partner in idiocy stepped out beside him. Scarlet, eyed the group and flashed one of her evil grins.

"You sure did treat us like dogs up to now!!" The fat man shouted, "G'yaaa, Haaa, Haaa!!! But let's see how you do against anti-Weapon artillery!"

Then the wicked harlet spoke out.
"You guys are worthless, but my proud creation is a sure thing!"

The two retreated back inside the robot, it raised a massive fist and smashed it down to the ground in front of Cloud and his friends. From inside, Scarlet's voice came again.
"I'll show you the destructive power of the Proud Clod!"

The "Proud Clod" began attacking the group, Vincent knew he had to help but Hojo was so close...
He reached a snap decision, but before he could move, a blinding light engulfed his body and he collapsed to the ground..

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Registered: Mar 2002
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Posts: 14

The mists of the world parted as the raven-like shadow spurred itself across the air currents on long, deep blue wings. A single feather fluttered down into the white fog as the shape continued over the landscape, on course to meet it’s destiny. Ahead of it, a ship was visible, floating about the sky, two propeller engines pushing it along it’s journey, oblivious to the thing approaching from below.

Many thoughts were going through the thing’s mind at that moment, confusion and anger the foremost of them all. Two thoughts in particular dominated the perspective of the creature.

‘Kill.’

‘Why?’

Black Waltz, the third of his kind, flitted deftly upwards and zipped up, above the bridge of the flying ship, landing on the deck. The Waltz was a tall figure when fully inclined, a ragged hat topping off the image of the lanky frame under a blue cloak and a large pair of blue wings encircling its body. Under the ragged hat’s brim two embers shone out, his eyes watching the events unfold, contrasting against the darkness revealed beneath the hat.

The ship he had landed on was an average air ship. The deck consisted of a large, empty plane of wooden planks, and a bridge sat at the rear in a shed like structure. Inside the bridge were four figures, a bulky knight who wore old looking armour, a young man with a monkey-like tail, a surprisingly pretty young lady and… and a mage. Only a small mage, but a black mage.

The Waltz’s attention was drawn to the front of the bridge, just outside the little shed. In front of the large windows stood a line of fully-grown Black Mages. Each one was identical to the next, the same clothes, hat and fiercely glowing eyes. The usual blank faces the mages wore was replaced by a determined frown, notable only by the angular and sharply shaped eyes.

A cackle escaped the Waltz, and it was about to speak, when the scene around him froze.

A purple light began to envelop the ship, and seeped through the deck slats, growing in intensity and brightness. In the space of a few seconds, the light had blinded the Black Waltz, and his world flipped on it's head. The confusion from before turned from 'Why' to 'What?'

And then nothingness...

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Black Waltz 3, a confused monster...

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Registered: Mar 2002
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Posts: 77

Hey, nice intro, JonJon. In case you didn't know, I sponsered Vincent for Survivor 4 and 5, and the timeline he came from was after your intro, so it'll be like a super-cool time warp and stuff.

I'll post my intro in a bit. Kinda have to write it, first...

Edit: And here it is:

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“…I’ll open the door for you. If you want to find your future, go through that door.”

Snake and Meryl watched the dying man emotionlessly as the bookcase behind them was pushed aside by an invisible force. At least, their expressions were devoid of feeling, though, had Psycho Mantis wanted to, he could have read their minds and known instantly what they were thinking.

However, Mantis had no desire to allow the thoughts of anyone to consume his own mind ever again. As he had just told Solid Snake a moment ago, he wanted to be by himself, alone in his own world as he drew his final breath.

“This is the first time I’ve used my power to help someone,” Mantis managed through the mask he wore. A bizarre sensation washed over him, and he uttered his final words in the world that had forsaken him, that he had turned his back on in return.

“Strange…it feels…kind of…nice.”

In a corner of his mind, one that had been forgotten altogether until moments ago, Mantis recognized the voices of Snake and the girl for a moment, and it made him somewhat sad, despite being unable to clearly understand the words of their conversation. Their footsteps gradually faded, then, and at last he was alone.

Oddly, though Mantis had assumed death would soon be coming to meet him, he remained alone for what seemed like ages. His body had ceased functioning, but his mind had never been more alive. He reflected back on what he had told Snake and the girl, and in return, what Snake had told him.

A strong man doesn’t need to read the future, Snake had said, he makes his own.

Mantis thought it amusing that he had learned that lesson too late for it to make any difference, but at least he had been able to understand when the time had come.

Showing the barest hint of a smile within his mask, Mantis welcomed the dark presence that washed over his soul. Now, his mind would be free.

Only, it was not death that had come for him.

In a flash of light, the near-dead body of Psycho Mantis, a man who had long ago cast aside his name and past but had done so with no hope for the future, disappeared from the Commander’s Room in the base on Shadow Moses Island.

There was darkness.

Slowly, Mantis opened his eyes…

__________________

We have no past, no future. We live in the moment.

Banner by the super-cool Krizak

Last edited by Exeter on 03-23-2002 at 01:09 AM

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Wandering Vagrant
Posts: 74

One more warning: all of my posts will likely contain HUGE MEGA FREAKING VAGRANT STORY SPOILERS!!!! So, turn away if you haven't finished the game.

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"Help me!!! Someone help!!!"

The cries of a desperate woman echoed throughout the streets of the town square. People walked by carelessly, not caring. After all, this was the slums. No one ever cared what happened here. Even the King refused to send his royal guard to protect his citizens here.

"Ain't no one gonna help you lady! This here is the slums! Even the Riskbreakers won't come 'ere! Now, hand over that bread!"

"I can't! This is for my family! We have to eat!"

"Even the scum o' the earth like meself has to eat too lass! Now hand it over before I make your kiddies little orphans!"

The assailant brandished a small dagger and waved it around in a menacing fashion.

"I mean it wench! Hand it over or I'll--"

The thief's words were cut short as sword came swinging from the shadows, removing the dagger--and the hand that was holding it.

"MY HAND!!! GOD D*MN IT!" came the screams of anguish from the thief.

"A blashphemous thief...you certainly don't have much to look forward to in the after-life." Came a voice from the shadows.

Clutching the knub where his hand formerly was, the thief looked around in a state of confusion. "Who's there! Show yourself!"

Ashley Riot emerged from the shadows.

"You've lost your hand. Now leave before you lose your life. Repent, and you may be forgiven." With a look of anger Ashley's eyes burned fire red, scorching the soul of the now one-handed thief.

"Its the Angel of Death! The Angel of Death! AAAAAH!!!" he screamed as he ran off into the night.

"Angel of Death? I prefer 'The Reaper' myself." Ashley thought to himself amusingly.

Ashley then looked down at the woman who had been cowering in fear, clutching her bread ever so tightly.

"Return home and feed your family. He will no longer bother you."

The woman jumped up and hugged Ashley affectionately.

"Thank you so much, sir! I will not forget this! May God shine on your..."

The woman's sentence was cut short when she recognized the man she had just hugged.

"You! You're the one who murdered Duke Bardorba! Someone help me!" she screamed as she too ran off into the night.

Ashely stood in stunned silence. So much for helping the needy, he thought to himself.

"You give and you give and you give, and yet they never thank you. When will you learn this Ashley Riot?"

Riot didn't even have to turn around. It was a voice he would always recognize--it was Sydney Losstarot.

Ashley slowly turned around to see a ghostly black-and-white image of the man Ashley once knew as Sydney Losstarot, the previous holder of Ashley's 'gift', the Blood-Sin.

"What are you doing here Sydney? Hell kicked you out already?"

"You hurt my feelings Riskbreaker. No, I have not been banished from the Netherworld. In fact, I never got the chance to go. I thought my soul would be able to rest after removing the Blood-Sin and the powers it entails, but I was wrong. By placing my burden onto you, the Powers That Be have deemed my soul incomplete."

"And why should this concern me?" Ashley annoyedly asked.

"Because, Riskbreaker, you do not yet have control over the Dark. Its quite possible you will never have control of it. Even at my heights of power, I had my limits. I am here, for lack of a better term, as your spiritual guide. As your powers grow and expand, I will help you deal with them, and their consequences. Do not worry, I am oblivious to this material realm. Only you will be able to see me and hear me."

"Hmph," Ashley managed to say, "then why now? Why have you come to help me now? Why not at the beginning when I could barely control my powers?"

"Because, Riskbreaker, my time here is limited. There are forces at work here that you cannot yet begin to comprehend. And they foresee trouble on the horizon. Not just for you and your world, but for others as well."

"Other worlds? What are you talking about?" Ashley asked.

"All in due time Agent Riot, all in due time. But for now, I recommend that you prepare yourself. Something bad is about to happen. Right...now."

And with Sydney's last warning, a bright white light engulfed Ashley, causing him to disappear into the night.

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Note: For those who may wonder, no, Sydney will NOT be a partner of sorts. He will not participate in battles or the like, because he's a ghost after all. You cannot attack Sydney and he cannot attack you, because only Ashley can see or hear him. This is a troubling time for Ashley and his new powers, and as outlined above, Sydney is here to help him deal with it.

Note Part 2: As stated elsewhere, Ashley can be quite the brutal and bloody badass. Add this with his new (although currently weak) powers courtesy of the Dark, not to mention Sydney's influence, his potential for bloodshed becomes even higher. Depending on how the story branches out and how Ashley's character goes, it is possible that Ashley will be switching Ex-Types many times throughout the tournament.

Note Part 3: This is my first time playing a "serious" character, and thus any feedback, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Last edited by Anoat on 03-23-2002 at 04:36 AM

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: The Big Shell
Posts: 71

Very nice intros Ex and Anoat. Anoat, you can definitely write a serious character just as well as you do a humorous one. I'll be looking forward to seeing what both of you pull off during the tournament.

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Graveyard of Airships
Posts: 30

All right, here's the first part of Zack's intro. It's a little long, but the next segments shouldn't be as tremendous. Enjoy. Warning: Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII. If you have not played the game, read no further.

...but what are the chances of none of you guys not having played FF7 yet? <=)

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God, there's so much blood!

Zack tore through the reactor, boots pounding against the cold platform connecting the reactor gears to the inner sanctum. The weight of the Buster Sword strapped upon his uniformed back was lost on him to the overpowering, fetid stench of death all around him. It had been insurmountable, back in Nibelheim, back in that burning village; the sickly sweet odor of charred flesh still clung to his nostrils. Not for the first time did he feel like vomiting, his heart thudding against a chest laden with char from all the smoke in the damned village a mile behind him. His smoking frame skidded to a halt as he crossed the platform, eyes widening at the sight of a corpse face-down in a pool of its own blood.

"Mr. Lockheart," he breathed, dropping to a knee beside the body. A pulse check confirmed the worst, but Zack had already guessed right; he was dead. There was a ragged hole ripped into his stomach, right through the back- Zack saw bony chunks of what had been spine and pelvis poking crudely out of the savagely torn flesh and muscle, the bone sliced in some areas to reveal glistening brown bile. The vomit surged in Zack's stomach, and he moaned, looking away from the body with horror behind his closing eyelids. So much for the rumors that the Masamune killed bloodlessly.

Damn it, sir, you couldn't...you couldn't! His mind was still reeling from the brutality of what he had just witnessed the night before- or was it still night? Zack couldn't remember...in the heat and death, he had run doggedly out into the cold, dry air of Mount Nibel, staving off feverish hot and cold flashes, trying to choke back the vomit that was tempted to come up. Never, even in the textbooks written of the Wutai War, had he seen such death. Men, women, children, babies, dogs, cats...crushed, burned, torn asunder. And Cloud...

Cloud couldn't have survived the blaze...I couldn't even find him. I couldn't protect him at all- not in Midgar, and not even here, in his own hometown...I very well may have cast the spell that set ablaze the house he died in. Dammit...dammit...

For the first time he could remember, Zack felt the stirrings of true hatred in his gut, past the grief choking him in his throat. Something had driven the killer of Nibelheim to doing this- whether it was his own insanity or his damn 'mother' he kept rambling about, something had changed his leader into a callous butcher. And it had cost Zack the life of his best friend.

Where did it all go wrong? No...that I know. It all came apart when I had to leave her...

Forlornly he shook his head- now was not the time to think about that. Inside the reactor ahead of him lay pods of brutal- human- creatures, and he wasn't sure his captain, in his fragile mind, had really eliminated all of them earlier. If someone else was in there, they were in mortal danger.

He wiped some sweat from behind the ebony bangs that were his family namesake- a memory stirred, unexplainedly, and he remembered his father chortling at how wild and untamed Zack had let his hair grow out, departing from the crew cut of his father and grandfather. Zack felt a pang at that memory...being separated from his parents, from his friends and family in Gongaga, and trapped in this pyromaniac's paradise made him want to cough the lump out of his throat with tears he hadn't shed for a long time-

Then he was brought out of his reverie by the awful sounds of steel puncturing flesh, and a young woman's scream.

"No!" he blurted out stupidly, but did not take the time to curse himself. Zack rose from his kneel and darted forward into the short corridor ahead. He pumped his legs, forcing the adrenaline to mimic their movements, and clasped the Buster Sword on his back with a purposeful yet frantic expression. A mere flash of sallow light from the overhead lamp, and he was met with a bizarre image- something out of a sci-fi novel.

A bright red room loomed ahead of him. Vermillion carpet draped over a long flight of steps, and on each step level was a wide row of wiring and small consoles. Throned on each console was a blue metallic pod, a little window carved into the top portion in order to view the contents within. Each was laden with the cuts of a blade, most of the pods' windows shattered and seeping with dark green liquid. And upon the staircase itself-

"Tifa!"

Zack's alarmed cry rang hollow against the chamber walls, resonating only lightly against the fallen form of Tifa Lockheart. The beautiful young woman had been their tour guide through Mount Nibel, over the dangers of the peak and into the reactor, and now she lay crumpled at the bottom of the steps, a puddle of dark red rapidly staining the lighter shade of carpet beneath her. Her brown hair lay in a halo around her head, her face a gentle picture of tear-invoking pain, her hat resting almost lonely a few feet from her head. Zack himself winced in sympathetic pain, as his vision was forced to focus on the ragged cut on her chest that seeped with blood.

And above it all, the uncaring god himself.

He stood in front of the large door labelled "Jenova", that name that had haunted Zack since their arrival in Nibelheim. His face was emotionless and blank as Zack rose his own to meet it, a Mako chill thrumming within those wild eyes. The captain was always feared for those eyes- Zack remembered the stories of Wutai, of samurai who had looked into that same gaze and gone insane with fear, before the black-clad Soldier butchered them alive; he remembered the stories of undertakers who had gone through emotional collapse at Da-chao from burying victims who had their eyes swollen over from gouging attempts, for anyone who survived the glare of Midgar's angel of death would rather go blind than face those eyes in battle again. He was quiet but never went unseen, well-muscled but lithely toned; he was crowned with vibrant silver hair that fell to his waist, mirroring the sheen of the enormous eastern blade in his right hand- Masamune, it was called.

But now, it glinted with the sick crimson of the lives of Nibelheim.

Zack felt the rage build again, punctuated by the image of Tifa- fifteen years old and a tour guide, for God's sake!- dying on the steps in front of him. His grip tightened on the handle of the Buster Sword, and he yelled the name of his "friend" like a curse, damning it regardless of any holy origin.

"Sephiroth!"

The other did not respond, a ghost as he turned silently and moved towards the electronic door behind him. A simple flutter, and he was gone from Zack's sight, leaving only Tifa's pained whimpers between them.

Zack darted forward, for a moment not caring about Sephiroth. He dropped to a knee beside Tifa, all at once fearing the worst. Blood all over her chest good lord Tifa dying dead-

No. She wasn't dying, or dead- a pulse check confirmed that. But it was terribly weak, only a simple hum against her soft throat. The blood loss was enough to make him sick- it poured out of her chest by the pint- and it was clear Sephiroth had hit a lung by the way she was breathing, but it had missed the heart by a very safe number of inches. She would only die if she went untreated, though from the depth of the cut, it would take many materia to completely heal it...

Sephiroth's voice suddenly rang out from within the chamber, like a forgotten song lyric. "Mother!"

Zack set his jaw, again testing the sturdiness of the Buster Sword's hilt. Up until now, he'd been deluding himself into thinking it was all a dream, that Sephiroth was just...messed up from all those times he'd spent with Hojo, and had finally exploded and gone off to think, somewhere. But after the fire, and the killings, and now Tifa...no. There was no damn excuse for this. Zack didn't care who you were, you did not try to kill a defenseless, innocent girl.

He looked back to Tifa, winced as another stream of blood washed out from her trembling chest. The fall from the steps combined with the cut of the chill, bloody Masamune was throwing her into a state not unlike shock. Zack quickly reached up to his neck, past the purple SOLDIER uniform and to the scarf he'd worn since coming to Nibelheim. He undid it and pressed it good and tight to the gash. Tifa winced, her bleeding mouth opening in a strangled cry at the stinging sensation, and Zack instinctively murmured an apology. As the blood clotted, Zack glanced up towards the dark chamber at the head of the steps. No; before he could help Tifa, he had something else to take care of.

"Lie still, I'll be back soon," Zack whispered to her. "I'm sorry, Tifa...hang on! Help is on the way."

And it's bringing a very big sword with it.

Zack rose from the fallen girl's side and hefted the blade into ready position on his shoulders, turning his Mako-blue eyes towards the chamber at the top. He clambered up the steps in anger, the weight of the great sword on his back not slowing him down past the violence in his heart. A final step, another push, and he stamped a firm foot into the chamber, shouting the name like a malediction once more. "Sephiroth!"

The chamber was even darker than the one before, a path of tubes and machinery leading up to the spookiest-looking structure he'd ever seen. It was the metal effigy of an angel wearing a crown, its eye sockets sunken and black below the name of "Jenova" engraved on that unholy crown. In front of it, arms outstretched and bloody Masamune in hand, was Sephiroth. "Mother," he said, his light and accented voice affectionate, "let's take this planet back together. I've...I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land!"

What the Cetra land of paradise had to do with Sephiroth's mother was lost on Zack, but the Soldier was all too aware that his leader, his captain, was stark raving mad. Not just asylum-worthy, he was like a foaming mad scientist, on the verge of cackling. Few things frightened Zack, but the idea of Sephiroth holding a bloody Masamune and completely bats-

He banished the thought and set his jaw, remembering why he'd come. "Sephiroth...how could you!?" he almost screamed. "Cloud, Tifa, their parents, their friends...they didn't deserve this! How could you let them die? How could you kill them!?"

Slowly, terribly slowly, Sephiroth let his arms drop to his sides. His head bowed, and for a moment, Zack thought the commander was regaining some of his senses...but what he said next disproved it. "Ha, ha, ha..." he giggled, his silver shoulder armor shaking with laughter. "They've come again, mother." Sephiroth's tone then changed to the harder, more professional style Zack was accustomed to hearing...but not with such anger.

"With her superior power, knowledge, and magic, Mother was destined to become the ruler of this Planet," Sephiroth said quietly, his voice nearly drowned out by the drip-drip of blood drops on the quiet corridor. Slowly, he turned his head up, his arms moving in turn with him, and Zack suddenly felt dizzy-

-but they...those worthless creatures are stealing the planet from Mother but now I'm here with you so don't worry come to me-

Zack grabbed his head, Sephiroth's voice ringing through it- or was it even his voice anymore? He watched in horrified awe, then, as Sephiroth's feet lifted from the ground. He was levitating- freaking levitating, like a ghost out of a really bad horror flick. His hair was wisping through the air behind him as he loomed closer to the angelic face, his gloved hand up as though ready for a loving caress-

-and then he tore the thing right out of its socket.

Sparks flew and electric bolts flashed in the chamber, and Zack whipped his arm up to block any energy shocks coming his way. Through the sudden light that poured into the darkness, Zack saw Sephiroth finally rip it down with one hand, the Masamune glinting in the other as he hacked through the last few wires. Eerie aquamarine light shone, then, and Sephiroth turned to face it- a damned soul facing heaven, Zack thought.

There was a tube ahead of them, there, much larger than the pods outside. Flooded with oceanic blue liquid, there was something adrift in there...a person. Tall, and blue, and horribly deformed, from what Zack saw. There was a helmet over her head, a tube plugged into her navel and wrapping around legs that more resembled tentacles than anything else. Her hands were mysteriously nonpresent, replaced instead by hideous, mutated wings, and to punctuate it all was an eerie smile and a helmet that proclaimed the name that Zack had so come to hate.

JENOVA
Sic transit gloria mundi

'Thus passes the glory of the world.'

Whatever you are, damn you, Jenova.

The Buster Sword was whipped out so suddenly that Zack could have marvelled at his own strength. "What about their sadness? What about my sadness...? Cloud lost everything, Tifa lost everything...I'm losing them both! I couldn't protect them...it's the same as your sadness!"

"Ha, ha, ha... my sadness?" Sephiroth replied coyly, glancing back to his comrade with that awful look of insanity in his eyes. "What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet. I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What am I supposed to be sad about?"

Bile choked Zack, and he bowed his head. Tears long unshed threatened to break their sojourn, and he felt as though the world itself had betrayed him. "No..." he corrected aloud. "You betrayed me. I trust you, Sephiroth...you were my friend..."

His head darted up, the anger intensifying the glow of his eyes. "NO! You're not the Sephiroth I once knew!" he shouted, at once slipping into battle stance. His right leg came forward in a slight bend, his left set back and firmly away from him as Zack held the great Buster Sword out in front of him, lining its tip up with fury towards Sephiroth. He no longer cared who he was facing- it could have been Sephiroth, it could have been Emperor Godo, it could have been that creepy sicko Hojo. A Wutai samurai, the Turks, hell, even fat old President Shinra- or even that dead-looking Jenova. He could have faced anyone at that moment, and not once blinked.

Sephiroth's Masamune glinted in the darkness. "I am the destined...the chosen," he whispered, his breath falling warm and loving upon the hilt of the long blade. "No one shall interfere...not your ancestors. Not your descendents. Not you."

"You're insane," Zack responded venomously.

Sephiroth blankly stared. "You are doomed."

And then he was a blur. Zack gaped for a moment at Sephiroth's speed, unable to comprehend how anything- much less anything human- could move like that. But he'd seen that same speed long enough to know when the strike would come. And come it did, like a scorpion's stinger, ready to pin down its opponent in a deadly stab-

The clang of metal on metal echoed through the entire reactor, Zack's Buster Sword slamming down in a leftward diagonal cut to meet the upward swipe of the Masamune. His muscles trembled from the impact, but Zack held tight- he couldn't afford to miss this next block. Sure enough, Sephiroth's fluttering robe blossomed into a spin, and the second strike came from the side- it was a technique he was most known for, surprising the enemy by bringing his sword (usually used for long-range attacks) in for a close strike, and if blocked, Sephiroth would use the bounce of his light blade to swing around in a clockwise motion and go for a stab to the chest. If that was blocked with the same stance, the Masamune's long blade would carry forward, testing the blade back until the block broke and opened the opponent's chest.

But Zack was not quite ready to die. He brought his Buster Sword in, shoving the handle of his own blade against his chest. The momentum allowed him to push himself back, and as the Masamune scythed forward menacingly from the right, he tilted the blade forward to face directly in front of him. The vicious scrape of holy steel upon reforged mithril sent a shiver down Zack's spine, but his efforts paid off- the Masamune's tip was lodged in one of the sword's two empty materia slots.

Now! Zack grit his teeth, the momentum dying in his legs at last, and before Sephiroth could withdraw the blade, Zack gave a loud grunt and shoved himself to the side. His shoulder rammed solidly with Sephiroth's bare chest, and Zack felt pain ignite in it, along with a sharp crack in his shouldercap- damn, he'd forgotten about the Touph Ring!

"Hah! Always the one mistake," Sephiroth hissed, and then the Masamune was withdrawn. Zack barely had time to block before Sephiroth stepped back and took a lashing swing straight across, a simple cut, no more, but Zack liked his head the way it was. With great effort he brought the Buster Sword in a one-handed batting manuever to ram against the oncoming Masamune. They locked again, Sephiroth's steps forcing Zack to take several steps back, Zack's throat already sore and dry from running all through the night. Despite the exhaustion in his tired muscles that so weighed him down, Zack was fighting with purpose- if it cost him his life, he would see Cloud's death avenged!

New strength poured into his good arm, and he slowly gripped the end of the hilt with his pained hand. Wincing against the might of Sephiroth but grunting with his own determination, Zack turned to one of his favorite close-range counters- he twisted the sword until its blade sparked against the Masamune's, his body twisting towards both blades. As he did so, the Buster Sword skidded along the bloody steel of the Masamune, and Zack gave a furious push with just enough strength to unbalance the long nodachi. Then the final step came in- a quick spin, and Zack brought his blade around and forward, a loud yell summoning strength from his deepest reserves as he swung the mighty blade forward in a close-up chopping attack-

"Too slow!"

Sephiroth said it as an insult, and it was. Zack felt wind whip against his belly, and then Sephiroth wasn't even in front of him. Instead, the Masamune's edge met the Buster Sword's head-on. The clang was deafening, and Zack gasped in surprise as his own body unbalanced. Then the Masamune twisted in and out of the lock, much more skillfully than Zack's had, and the blade snaked dangerously close, too close-

Zack breathed a loud sigh of pain as blood washed over his chest, feeling an awful rip in his purple uniform and hard flesh as the Masamune bit into it. He stumbled back, feeling warmth trickling down towards his gut, but then green flashed in the dark room. Zack's eyes widened at the crackle of thunder, and he barely had time to blink before three tremendous bolts of lightning slammed full force into his chest. He couldn't even scream, the shock hitting his chest like a freight train and having much the same effect. His feet left the ground, and he felt cold lace his back as he was flung through the air, his eyes locking once with Sephiroth's. They were insane, and cold, and sickeningly...satisfied.

The darkness brightened into yellow and then full light, and he was airborn in the red chamber of pods-

-and something like a ceiling pipe slammed into his back, and he plummeted from grace to slam violently against one of the pods. The Buster Sword crashed to the ground beside him, just aside the wheezing body of Tifa. Zack's body was limp upon the pod, his nerves ablaze with pain. His chest hurt so badly, the light armor had incinerated on impact and laced him with what he knew to be third-degree burns.

Damn...damn it... his mind reverbrated. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his back wrenched with pulled and torn muscles- in his mind's eye, he seemed broken, like a rag doll. Dimly, his glazed eyes rolled towards Tifa, and in her expression, he felt the pain intensify. I'm so weak...can't protect even her...sorry, babe. God, it hurts, I know I'm dying, you don't have to postpone it...

He felt numb all over, his head dazed and swimming as blood caked painfully in the back of his throat. Zack weakly exhaled through a bloody nose, losing any sense of time. He heard footsteps, then steel being scraped against the floor as it was hefted up, then blood dripping-

"I promised...I'd come when you were in trouble."

"Hmmph...just like you..."

"Cloud...kill Sephiroth..."

-can't let him live, can't let him live, I won't die here-

And then everything was finally black, and Zack was stolen away, without warning, towards life and death.

---------

End Part One.

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"Memory destroys illusion. Yet even now, I hide in dreams."
Sponsoring Zack Ebony of Final Fantasy VII.

Last edited by Renmazuo on 03-24-2002 at 07:41 AM

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Here's mine. It won't be very good but it's the best I can do.


*********Warning! Major Xenogears Spoilers*********




Id sit confidently inside Weltall's cockpit and watched Miang's C-1 Type Vierge Gear carefully pick up Ramsus' nearly destroyed Wyvern. "Don't do anything unwarranted, Miang! I still have one arm!!", Ramsus commanded. Miang replied to his command by telling him "We're pulling out! ...That mad dog seems to have a new toy to play with." Then they both flew away back into Aveh territory.

Bart was terrified was he watched this monster almost destroy a very powerful Gear in only a couple of blows. He prayed that he would not attacts its attention again and be able to run away. "Where is Fei? I hope that monster hasn't gotten him", Bart thought as he saw Miang and Ramsus escaping.

Bart knew that if he was attacked Brigandier would have no chance against it. He knew that Wyvern was a very powerful Gear. He knew that the best course of action would be to escape back to the Yggdrasil but he also knew that it would be difficult to get back to it now.

Now that he had had a nice warm-up battle, Id turned back to face the red Gear standing before him. He had been monitoring Fei's activities so he knew that he was somewhere near the war front between Kislev and Aveh in Ignas' northern desert. He also recognized the red Gear as the pirate prince Bartholmew Fatima's Gear, Briandier.

Id opened an intercom channel to Brigandier and began to speak to Bart. "Well, now that my motor coil's warmed up... let's start the main event!!", Id said and began to get ready to use his Kishin deathblow when he heard Bart's respond "Today's my unlucky day. Why does this have to happen now? Oh, well... Let's get it over with... "

"Don't worry this won't take long", Id thought as he was thinking about destroying Brigandier. It had been a long time since he had been in a good fight and he knew that he didn't have much time before Fei took control of their body again.

Weltall began walking toward Brigandier when the entire cockpit filled with a white light. "What's happening", Id said as he looked around Weltall's cockpit. The white light was everywhere and suddenly there was a strange pain. "What is this light and this pain? It's not an Ether attack and it isn't time for him to awaken. What's happening to me?", Id barely finished the sentence when he finally passed out and vanished from Weltall.

Last edited by B.K on 03-23-2002 at 07:12 AM

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Mild MGS2 spoilers ahead. I've decided this Vamp will be from the timeframe just before Raiden fights Fortune.

----------

Vamp frowned as he held the radio to his ear, arguing with a colossal idiot.

"Fatman. This is not part of the plan. Arsenal needs to be recovered intact."

"Pfeh! The bombs won't hurt it! Who do you think I am? I'm the Emperor of Explosives!"

"That is not the point. You heard King. The Big Shell is not to be compromised until launch confirmation is granted."

"Hua hu hu hu!"

"Fatman!"

"Huah huhuhuhu! Kaboom!"

Grimacing, Vamp brought the radio down from his ear. "The man is mad. Perhaps Queen can talk some sense into him."

Stepping out onto the AB connecting bridge, he leaped to the roof of Strut A, pausing for a moment on top of the railing. A seagull squawked and took off as Vamp landed on the deck. He stepped onto the elevator and began to descend into the depths of the plant.

A rumble from underfoot brought a small smile to his lips. "Queen must be taking care of that man now." The smile faded when the rumbling grew more intense. "This is not the work of her rail gun..."

Moving to the edge of the elevator, Vamp looked over and watched as a wave of white energy rose from the seabed below. His eyes widened, and he leapt upwards in an attempt to escape it. Bounding from side to side of the elevator shaft, he glanced down occasionally in mounting horror as the wave steadily caught up with him.

Vamp burst out of the top of the elvator shaft just as the energy wave caught up with him. He screamed, and the world went dark.

Darkness. Cold. And an immense suffocating sensation. Vamp forced himself to breathe normally. The memories of his childhood resurfaced, trapped in that church. A dull ache bloomed in his chest. With a struggle, he convinced himself to move his arm. Reaching down, he found his knife in its customary sheath. Slowly, he drew it, and pressed the point to his chest. The real pain brought his mind back to the present and dispelled the phantom pain the crucifix brought him.

Slowly, he stood, knife at the ready. Exhaling a cloud of cold breath, he opened his eyes.

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Nice intros, everyone! ^^

****
“So… this is the end?”

The lights dim, the brightness that once blinded him merely only now gave him a annoying buzz in his ears. And the light was getting dimmer faster.

“Zidane… brother…”

A serene of pain went through him and he arched in agony.

“Damn… and no wings to carry me away.”

Kuja could hear Zidane calling after him, but the words felt muffled, and distant. The light was getting dimmer.

“Go, and do not come back.” And with his last ounce of strength, he pushed his brother out of the roots and onto darkness himself.

****
A bright light. A new one, with it’s own aura of Sorrow. Kuja felt he has never felt such power, such sadness in an area. Even stronger than that of Terra.

“And I thought no grief could over come Terra.” A pain ripped through him again and he could not help but grunt at the severe pain that went through him. Kuja cursed softly, and then tried to stand up.

“This isn’t hell, nor is it a heaven. And where am I then?” He stood up, and felt wobbly on the legs beneath him. He took a step forward, and a wave of dizziness hit him hard, toppling him down again. He could not tell where the floor began or if there were any walls. He had no shadow, and all around him was just white.

“A fallen angel…” He sighed to himself, and cast Scan to see where he was.

No compass direction. No set boundaries. No defined length of area. One void to left.

Void?

Kuja turned his head left and saw what the scan had told him. It wasn’t there before, either. He crawled towards it, and looked closely.

Pitch black. Kuja reached he hand towards it, and was suddenly pulled into screams, horror, pain, and suffering all around him…

***

There we go. Finally got that out of the way.

edit: gee, silver on a grey backround doesn't work, now does it? ^^;

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Renmazuo: Wow, great intro! You really gave Zack a lot of depth that I never even thought about him having.

KyleIII: Thanks. My only concern is the small number of people who have played Vagrant Story and liked it. I'm afraid I'll be introducing Ashley to many people for the first time. Oh, if only Darkken were here, he could join as a sidekick to be Sydney or Guildenstern, really rounding out the story.

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"Entering systems preparation."

"Initiating drain."

Rufus got up from his desk and poured himself a drink. The Huge Materia...that would have been safer. Less costly, too...but Hojo assured him this would work. He smiled grimly and raised his glass. "To Mako. It's always served Shinra well..."

"Drain complete reactor 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...energy diversion systems online."

"Preparing to rout power to the Sister Ray..."

"Aquiring target."

Rufus thumbed a different button on the radio. "We're nearly ready this end, commander."

"Understood sir. We will attempt to get visual confirmation ASAP."

Rufus leaned back in his chair and turned to watch the Sister Ray.

It really was magnificent. Rufus had spent most of his life in Junon, and the immense cannon had always been there on the skyline, threatening anyone who dared challenge the might of Shinra. Just having it here in Midgar made him feel...safer.

He shook his head angrily and swallowed the rest of his drink. He would not feel afraid, not even now. Be afraid, and you gave up control, allowed yourself to be ruled by something else. Rufus had never liked giving up power.

"President, Kalm Monitoring Station is picking up some very strange mako energy readings off the coast. It's not like the attack on Junon but...it could still be weapon."

Rufus frowned. A weapon could mess up everything. "As soon as the Sister Ray has been fired, get some aircraft over there to have a look. Send the Meggido, if she's in."

"Aye, President."

"Target aquired."

"Sister Ray is online. All systems active. Target lock confirmed. Initiating discharge preparation."

Rufus stared past the barrel of the immense cannon, into the darkness. The huge red glare of Meteor was barely visible, obscured by the shroud of Mako fumes that covered Midgar...but there were dark clouds as well tonight, Rufus realized. A storm was coming.

"Sir?"

Rufus stood up and walked to the window. "Fire."

It started low, a rumbling growl that climbed higher as each mako reactor sent up it's plume. From a growl it became a whine, from a whine a scream. Rufus laid his hand on the windows, and felt the glass vibrate. Slowly the lights dimmed, leaving Rufus in the dark, staring out over a dead city.

Stars. Rufus hadn't seen the stars since Meteor had been called, but there they were, being sucked into the Sister Ray. Sapphires and emeralds, diamonds and amethysts, slowly being pulled in, where they began to coalesce, to form a scintillating sphere of pure mako energy, green and blue and dazzling white, surrounded by bands of the deepest purple...Rufus stared in amazement. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Then it fired.

Rufus sensed the danger and leapt back, as the screaming begin. He clamped his hands over his ears, but it seemed to come up through his bones, the sound of millions of voices screaming in pain and hatred. The glass on his desk shattered, and then the windows exploded too. Rufus gripped on tight to his desk as the wind whipped and pulled at him. The screaming seemed to go on forever...

When it stopped, Rufus brushed the dust and glass off his suit, and ran his fingers through his hair. He walked over to the desk.

"Report."

"This is Icicle. We have visual confirmation."

"The unusual readings have stopped, sir. They were right in the line of fire."

"So we did it?"

"Yessir! Weapon's been defeated, and the barrier has dissapeared."

Rufus threw back his head with a sigh of relief. They'd done it.

"Sir! Kalm Station is reporting a mass of high density energy...head right for Midgar. Get out of there, now sir!"

Rufus turned to the now open window. Bolts of golden energy were heading for Midgar. As he watched, they began to strike the city, leaving fire and ruin wherever they hit. One of them peeled off and shot up towards the top of the building. He blinked and smiled.

"Is that supposed to scare me or someth..."

The room exploded in flame, glass and molten steel. Rufus cringed as all around him the world burnt, and sighed in relief as he was enveloped in bright, cool white light.

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Dunno if it's appropriate to give Alucard an intro. After all he's a sidekick. But, what the hell. I'll do it anyway

(This takes place right after the events of Symphony of the Night. If you haven't finished the game, there will be spoilers, minor and possibly major.)

Alucard was running through the Transylvania forests at a blazing speed. For a second, he looked back at the crumbling demon castle that was Castlevania, still visible from all these miles away. Watching it disintegrate into nothingness, Alucard thought of all the experiences he had in that castle. Having all his stuff taken away by Death, fighting Richter Belmont in the Castle Keep, Being in the inverted castle for the first time, and battling his father, Count Vlad Tepes Dracula. He even had memories of joining up with Trevor Belmont to stop his father all those centuries ago. The one experience that held a special place in Alucard's memory was his first meeting with Maria Renard, the sister-in-law of Richter.

"Maria, forgive me," Alucard thought to himself as he headed to someplace where he can finally rest in an eternal slumber, hoping never to be awaken again by the evil schemes of his father.

Just then, a blinding light surrounded him.

"WHAT?!" shouted Alucard as he was engulfed by the light.

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Nice intros, all. Here's mine, for Vile. For the most part, it'll deal with events before Megaman X1. Why? 'Cause I think he could have had a lot more development!

I've considered pulling Vile out during or after X3, but only one thing really stopped me. I have never actually played X3, and I don't like acting from the scripts of games. It helps a little, but I prefer working from actual experience. It's just a small quirk of mine.
-----

Blasted humans. They don't realize just how close we Mavericks are to achieving my dream. Soon, a world under my own rule will be made into a reality...

Suddenly, a harsh voice interrupted Vile's thoughts. "Freeze, Maverick, or prepare to become space dust!" The owner of this voice was none other than Sigma, leader of the Maverick Hunters.

Igniting his blade, the Hunter ran toward the Maverick, preparing to run him through. To the purple-armored Reploid, Sigma shouted, "This is for my people you have sacrificed!"

If Vile had a mouth, he would have smiled. "Sigma, I see my plans have succeeded! Your precious Doctor Cain has believed the delusions I set for him, that being a Maverick is nothing more than a virus in our systems. He is a pitiful, weak fool! Sigma, being a Maverick is following the ideals that Reploids should have their own life, away from servitude toward the humans!" *

The gem on Sigma's forehead glowed for a moment. The Hunter Leader proceeded, more doubtfully this time, on the attack.

Vile, however, had no such difficulties. Jumping over the sword blow, Vile aimed his shoulder cannon at Sigma. The cannon fired, the force flinging Vile's opponent backward.

Sigma quickly recovered, and stepped menacingly toward the errant Reploid. Venomously he whispered, "Tremble with terror, you are finished!"

The Maverick's helmet betrayed no emotions. Evenly, and with a tone of reconcilliation, Vile asked, "Why are you fighting me, Sigma? We are alike, you and I. We were built on the same model. What do the humans offer you that intices you to fight against your own brothers?"

Sigma shook of this attack. While stabbing and slashing at his elusive foe, the Hunter shouted, "Because what you're doing is wrong! You murder innocents, and why? What possible benefit does it offer you?"

Vile dodged most of the blows, and only a few minor hits were scored against his reinforced armor. The Maverick continued his verbal assault, "Right? That is an obsolete, archaic human concept! We are fighting for a better world, a world where Reploids can be free! Where is the shame, the dishonor in that? What concept can be more noble?"

But in his own mind, Vile was thinking, No, I am fighting so my rule can cover worlds! Everything, even you, Sigma, will be a tool in my hands. Only when I achieve my desires will my burning ambition finally begin to cool. I will conquer everything I see, and nothing, not humans, not Reploids, not even the wrath of planets, will stop me!

Sigma was staggered by this. His entire ethical subroutine was being questioned. Vile pressed his advantage further. "There are no 'innocent' humans, Sigma! Even the smallest of their children is a threat to all Reploids! Haven't you heard their reports? Everytime a free Reploid, which they term a Maverick, is destroyed, the humans say they did it, 'For a better future, for our children!'"

"Have you ever been in the factories, in the place of our birth? There, innocent Reploids are killed, there Reploids are taken apart for research, it is the Reploids which are being killed, not humans! Every last of the humans is a murderer! If you gave even one of them a Reploid, they'll treat it as nothing more than an animal, something to kill or mistreat whenever the desire comes upon them!"

Those last remarks triggered the final switch. Sigma reasoned that, since these horrible things were happening to Reploids, they were the ones that needed Sigma's protection, not the humans. Thus began Sigma's trek into the ranks of the Mavericks.

The newest Maverick asked Vile, "What can I do to best serve my fellow Reploids?"

The Maverick almost wished he had a face, so he could beam in triumph. The war Reploid told Sigma, "Remain as the Maverick Hunter leader, for now. I will send the coordinates of the next, and largest, Maverick attack. You must convince Doctor Cain to send every Maverick Hunter. If you don't, then our final triumph will be that much harder! I will send the information two hours in advance, do not be late."

Sigma bowed slightly. "I will do anything to help other Reploids. I will see you again, Vile!"

*Note: Even if being a Maverick is nothing more than a virus, the robot would think it's really his own decisions.
---

Sigma did as Vile had told him. Doctor Cain, far too busy studying the readouts of the recently-captured Zero, let Sigma do as he pleased, but with only one exception. Zero, the one that had nearly destroyed Sigma, was to accompany him on the mission. Sigma, to understate the situation, was mad.

The Commander stared at the red Maverick, supposedly reprogrammed to get rid of his Maverick nature. Sigma thought to himself, First X is allowed into the Hunters, and now another relic from the past. Why doesn't Doctor Cain scrap the lot of us, and use only the worthless derelicts?

With a tone of icy respect, Sigma blandly said, "Yes, sir."

Doctor Cain, noting the lack of enthusiasm, said, "I want you to teach him, Sigma! He's old, true, and his systems aren't yet up-to-date, but he is not experienced. Once he learns, he will probably be even stronger than the latest models. You are the best Hunter I've got, Sigma, you're the best for this job."

The Hunter Commander shot back, "He ripped my arm off and nearly destroyed me. How much experience does he need?"

Cain countered, "He is like a wild beast, powerful but unable to make full use of his potential. You are my only hope, Sigma."

The Reploid threw up his arms in despair. He nearly snarled, "If I have to, then I will do it. But... this will probably be the largest Maverick assault of all time. I won' be able to keep more than a basic watch on him."

Dismissing the protest with a wave of his hand, Cain replied, "He won't need it. With his strength and upgraded coding, he should be able to take care of himself. I only want you to make sure he isn't destroyed in the battle."

Then, by activating his remote control, Cain opened the laboratory main door. Zero slowly stepped out, his red armor and helmet shining in the fluorescent lights. His left arm had been modified to become a powerful Plasma Buster.

The two Reploids shook hands, squeezing with far more violence than necessary. A look of absolute loathing crossed their faces, and Doctor Cain immediantly stopped his plans for trying to reconcile the two.

The two silently left Cain, and went to the main HQ for the Maverick Hunters. The Reploids inside, humanoid in shape but with a wide variety of weapons spread among them, gathered around the Commander.

Sigma blandly stated, "This is Zero, our newest Hunter." Then, with a much brighter aspect, he said, "I have received word that the Maverick Hunters will be attacking South City. All Maverick Hunters are to scramble immediantly, we will be leaving in twenty minutes!"

The leader then looked at each subordinate, finally resting his gaze on Zero. "There will be no senseless heroics in this mission, troops! The Mavericks will kill you instantly. We will be mostly on the defensive, slowly and methodically defeating the Mavericks until they withdraw. Understood?"

The other Reploids shouted, "Yes, Sir!" Then, in twenty minutes, they left for South City.
---

The members of the Hunters were spread throughout the city in strategic points, stationed in teams of two. Sigma, breaking his long tradition of going solo, was teamed with Zero. The two of them were in the center of the city, ready to go to the heaviest fighting in a moment's notice.
---

Vile saw the new Reploid with Sigma, and laughed to himself. Then, speaking over the uplinks so Zero could hear, the Maverick challenged, "Sigma! I'm surprised you brought so many weaklings to defend this city! Do the humans wish your death, or have all of your veterans been defeated by my Mavericks?"

Zero's anger started to rise at this, but he could not do anything in his position. Vile turned toward his Mavericks, and said in his calm, deep voice, "Do not leave a single Hunter alive. This is our chance to defeat our foes in one swift stroke. Do not disappoint me."

His troops, not needing the extra incentive, charged toward the city in a four-pronged attack. The main ground troops, under Vile, stormed toward the main gate. The Sea Troops, lead by Launch Octopus, swam through the city's river, and appeared in the midst of two Hunter groups.

The underground troops, lead by Armored Armadillo, was to disrupt the Hunter's anti-air weapons, so that Stirn Eagle's air troops could land throughout the city and mopup the remaining forces.

Armadillo's wave met with success, as entire batteries were left unmanned as the operators tried to stem the attack. Their efforts were frustrated as Storm Eagle's main transports landed amidst the now-silent AA guns, and the troops swept away all resistance before them.

The battle quickly turned into an all-out war, as the Hunters tried desperately to stay alive amidst the swarms of Mavericks and drones. Vile's group blew open the main gate, and Sigma and Zero were hard-pressed to keep the Hunters fighting.

Vile went at a leisurely pace. If Sigma managed to defeat the other three forces, then Vile could withdraw without shame. And, should Sigma die, then nothing could stop Vile. Either way, the purple Maverick leader would win.
---

Sigma and Zero ran to the First Unit, which was trying to defeat Armored Armadillo's main forces. All of their efforts were for nothing, though, as the Maverick's heavily reinforced body absorbed everything shot at it.

The Hunter commander quickly took control of the situation. Turning towards his subordinates, Sigma barked, "Get an electric cannon on-line as quickly as possible. The rest of you, keep firing! We've got to hold them off until the cannon is activated!"

A sound of crunching metal sounded as Maverick tunnelling machines began breaching the walls of the Hunters' defenses. In only a short time, a small swarm would be able to bring all of their power to bear against the tiny group of Hunters.

Zero, noticing the danger he and his fellow Hunters were in, ran to the top of the one-story building. Then, taking a running start, Zero jumped over the side and behind the drilling machines.

The operator of the first machine slowly turned around, Zero's Buster in front of his face. A few seconds later, the Maverick-designed robot was disintigrated.
---

From the inside of the bunker, the sounds of drilling stopped, only to be replaced by explosions nad exclamations of surprise. Sigma, leading the rest of the First Group, sallied out of the largest breach.

Just in time, for Zero. After deactivatin the boring machines, the Red Hunter had been surrounded by Maverick assault bots. If Zero made one wrong move, the bots would destroy him.

The leading bot raised its cannon, and all of the others followed suit. Suddenly, in a flash of green light, the leading bot's cannon was severed from its arms. Sigma, beam sabre in his hands, proceeded to lay waste to the opposing forces.

Only one thing prevented Sigma from completely winning. All of the Maverick forces were in a long, narrow road, going back into the earth. At the entrance, completely blocking the way, was Armored Armadillo.

Sigma, try as he might, couldn't even scratch the armor plating. Zero fired at the front of the Maverick's shields, and succeeded only in knocking it back a few inches. Obviously, something more powerful was needed.

One of Sigma's technicians called over the uplink, "Sir, the electric cannon is on-line. Shall I fire at Armored Armadillo?"

Sigma replied, "Negative! I'll come and fire myself! I don't want anyone except for Armadillo getting hit!"

The technicians, completely at a loss, could only say, "Yes, Sir!" Sigma ran up to the roof, where two Reploids had just finished work on the cannon. Sigma, pulling out his sabre again, proceeded to kill both of the techs.
---

Then, putting his sabre back in its sheath, Sigma pointed the cannon at his former troops. After a brief barrage, only Zero was left. The Red Maverick, sandwiched between the two forces, was compelled to retreat. Vile's forces walked up, and Sigma fired again, this time at Vile.

The armored carrier couldn't protect against the shot, and Vile was nearly knocked out. When he came to, the former Maverick leader had a green beam sabre pointing at his head.

Sigma whispered, "Make one false move, and I will end your pitiful existence. I am the new leader of the Mavericks, and I won't hesitate to end your small bid for power."

Vile, noticing that most of the other Mavericks were on Sigma's side, whispered back, "Even I didn't think you could be so low, Sigma. Very well then, I am at your command. Lead us, Commander Sigma."

The new Maverick leader smiled. "I am glad to hear that, Vile. Here is your assignment."
---

It was a peaceful day in the secondary Cain Laboratory. The scientists were busily working on their latest projects, trying to get the latest generation of Maverick Hunters completed.

Suddenly, Vile and a small group of other Mavericks burst in. The automated defenses were quickly rendered powerless by Spark Mandrill, who rerouted the flow of power to his whim. The laboratory, without the precise flow of power, was rendered helpless.

Vile, using his latest Armored Carrier, went throughout the labs, destroying all of the reseach and vaporizing the prototypes. The scientists, unready for the assault, were killed outright. Only two were let out alive, with this message from Vile...

"Tell your masters this. Under my rule, the Mavericks were fighting only to win. Under Sigma, we will lay waste to all who oppose us! No human shall survive the holocaust, not even the smallest child shall be spared!"

Vile, slightly exceeding the objective Sigma had given him, 'Destroy the laboratories, and make sure no prototype makes it out alive,' was determined to make Sigma look as evil as possible. Then, with the Maverick Hunters all set against Sigma, and only slightly targeting Vile himself, the purple-armored Reploid would be able to retake command of the Mavericks, and fulfill his dream.
---

Only one thing stopped Vile's plans from coming true. X, the oldest Reploid in existence, had been upgraded to become a Maverick Hunter. The blue Reploid went out to stop Vile, as the Maverick began an assault on yet another settlement. Vile, safely stationed in his personal air transport, laughed at the novice's audacity.

Come and get me, Megaman X. I'm waiting for you! The Hunter did so, reducing the first wave to rubble in his wake. Vile, in his Carrier, hopped out of the transport, ready to fight against the newest Hunter to attack.

Though X put up a good fight, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Vile, not quite wanting to destroy his 'ancestor,' stunned him with a special Lockdown round of his cannon. Vile took that moment to laugh at the other's misfortune, a mistake which cost him. Vile started to squeeze the Hunter in his Carrier's grasp...

Zero, having watched X's progress, fired a shot at Vile. The bolt of blue enegy hit at the carrier's shoulder joint, severing the left arm completely. Vile quickly boarded the transport, not wanting to suffer more damage quite yet. Vile swore that he would get revenge on Zero for his embarrassment.

For the next couple of days, Vile kept working on his Carrier, believing it would be the key to defeating the two Maverick Hunters. One by one, the highest-ranking Mavericks were destroyed, and Vile was forced to prepare to defeat the two Hunters in Sigma's castle. All too soon, the fated message arrived.
---

"The Maverick Hunters have breached the main gate! The Maverick Hunters have breached the main gate!" The cry went throughout the network, and Sigma turned to his second in command.

"Vile, I want you to stop the two Hunters in any way you can. I don't care how you do it, so long as you do it!" Vile bowed, and left.
---

Vile went to the confluence of the two paths, where Zero and X would have to meet if they wanted to get to Sigma. Vile, knowing of Zero's eagerness, appeared without his carrier.

The Red Hunter shouted, "Wait there, X! I'll take care of him!" Vile then lead the Hunter through a small passageway, where his own Carrier was waiting. Vile jumped in, doubts running through his mind.

Is my Carrier strong enough to withstand his blasts? Will I be able to defeat him that humiliated me? What kind of weaponry can X bring to bear, and is it stronger than I feared?

The main door opened, but Vile did not see who it was. A flash of white light enveloped his vision, and the Maverick was flung to another time and place...
-----

*OOC* Oye vay, that was a long post! Thanks for sticking with it, but I really think that this intro explains how I'll be playing Vile this tournament. Thanks again for your patience!

Last edited by San Draco on 03-23-2002 at 08:54 PM

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Of course it's okay for sidekicks to have intros, Onyx. Write as much as you'd like to. As for me, this is Escad's intro, and it's coming to you, for the first time, in normal font size. If, after this trial evaluation, you'd rather see my posts in their natural, smaller font size, so as not to clog the screen with the length, just let me know, and I'll decide on a format before the tourney. Anyway, here goes nothing...or, something...

EDIT: After rereading this, I sort of thought it was left a bit unclear, but Escad's whole conversation with Olbohn is a big flashback, not occurring in the natural flow of the rest of the intro. I'll reword some things to clear it up...

------------



Prologue - The Changing Seasons

“And so it is that another day in my life has come. Could it have been any less fulfilling?” Escad kicked a stray rock, sending it skipping and tumbling ahead of him on the dirt path. Six seasons had come and gone since he and the unlikely hero of Fa’Diel had destroyed Irwin - six seasons had come and gone since his life had fallen apart. Irwin was dead…Daena was dead….and Matilda…Matilda was dead. Save the hero and his master, Olbohn, he no longer had anyone he could call a friend. Emptiness plagued him, eating at his heart. It had been an everyday occurrence since that time…but he walked ever onward, a wanderer of Fa’Diel, his memories drifting back to where the footsteps of his continuing journey all began...

------------

“Master! Please, I have come to challenge you at last! As your student, this is my request!”

“Hmmmhmmhmm…so you have returned to me Escad, as I had seen. Your victory over Irwin; was it all you had hoped it would be?” A serious, knowing gaze shone in the eyes of Olbohn, one of the Seven Wisdoms of Fa’Diel, and Keeper of the Underworld. His student had at last completed that thing which his heart had desired for ten years, and now, as a bewildered son would ask a father, Escad would have so many questions for him.

“Master! Do not confuse me with your riddles! Why didn’t you tell me!? The pain in my heart…even though I have prevented catastrophe, it feels as though the world has ended even still! Did you teach me the way of the sword merely to make me suffer?” Escad beat his powerful fist against Olbohn’s table, his voice becoming shaky as his breath rose and fell in staccato rhythm.

“Escad, I taught you the way of the sword because you wished it. I would have taught you how to befriend Irwin if you wished it. I find enjoyment in doing what I can do grant your every desire.” A half-smile of both teasing and of fatherly caring crossed the Wisdom’s face. It wasn’t often that the Lord of the Underworld received living visitors, and he had grown attached to the vigorous youngster in the ten years he had taught the lad his own style of swordplay. Now, he was all grown up and had made some tough decisions in a time where every option was rife with hurt and pain. Though what Escad had done was to the betterment of all peoples living in Fa’Diel, Olbohn felt a pang of guilt for sending his pupil out to experience such pain. But some lessons in life, as he himself had learned, were only truly palpable with a wound of the heart.

“But I did not wish to like Irwin, nor do I even now! His selfishness is what was truly responsible for Matilda’s suffering and death, not I! A demon can be no more than that - a beast of darkness which tries to lead mankind down a dark path! You yourself taught me to stop injustice where I find it, and I listened to you. And even now, I know I did the right thing…I know I did the right thing! But why does it feel so empty!?" Olbohn could see a look half-sorrowful, half vacant in Escad's eyes, the look of someone lost hopelessly beyond what they could comprehend. "Please master, I have come to you seeking answers from your sword! Duel with me! Teach me what I don’t understand!”

“Escad, Escad….” Olbohn’s voice was soft as he spoke, his odd form illuminated by the flickering flame of his majestic hearth. “Escad…do you seek death?”

“What?” Escad drew back slightly at the question, grasping for his answer. “I…I do not seek it, but neither am I afraid of it!” Truly, a warrior's answer. He had been taught that death was not an enemy who could be grappled with as one fights a mortal. It was merely a natural occurrence.

“Escad, you need something to wish for, not something to fear.” Olbohn’s words struck Escad with a twinge of coldness; the cold feel of being given good guidance too late for it to steer one away from bad fortune. “All you wish for is personal victory. Come back when you are ready to win. I shall be waiting.” He folded one pair of his hands across his chest and looked squarely into Escad’s blue eyes to see how his student would react. He was watching, waiting for a certain reaction. Was the boy he had trained into a man ready to receive further instruction and training?

“Are you saying you already know the duel’s outcome, master?” Escad gazed intently at his master, awaiting a verdict of any sort. In all his time spent with the Keeper of the Underworld, he still prefererred a straight, truthful answer to the kind of vacuous semi-answer that everyone who had taught him in his life had always seemed to give.

Olbohn’s countenance fell slightly and Escad thought he could hear a sigh. “I always win, and never lose. That is true victory. You are simply trying to achieve a partial victory. You will never gain true victory that way.” Olbohn had seen that Escad was not yet ready to receive further training, no less to challenge him to a duel.

Olbohn continued to stare at Escad; his mouth was open and his eyes were unfocused - perhaps his words were getting through. Growing and learning was sometimes painful, but if one was willing to learn, all experiences could contribute something to the greater whole.

You are a powerful swordsman, Escad, truly one of Fa’Diel’s very finest. But even having battled Irwin and having the pain of losing everyone you had grown up with…you are still blind to some of the necessary truths you must know in order to grasp true greatness and understanding. Without the knowledge of those truths, your potential is bound as if by shackles of the strongest iron. But I cannot simply tell you these things, and even if I did, they would make little sense until you had experienced them for yourself. Sometimes, these same underlying truths take different appearances based on one’s own experiences - the learning must be firsthand! This is perhaps the hardest part of your training - you have become an expert, but not yet a master…and before I can teach you any more, you must teach yourself some things without my direct guidance.

“What then must I do, master? If you shall not teach me further, am I just to live life in this new era and forget everything from before?” Escad held up the mystical sword Olbohn had given him before he departed for the surface world to defeat Irwin. “Will the mighty sword Soulblade become merely a mantle-piece hanging on a house’s walls?" He pointed the sword at Olbohn and his voice settled into its unique self-righteous tenor. "You believed in me, trained me, and gave me this sword because you thought I could make a difference in this world; you said I would help usher in a new era!”

“And so you have, Escad. So you have. Know that you can do anything you wish. And do not forget that you are a human being just like any other.” Olbohn reiterated the phrase he had told Escad countless times during training. He needed to hear it again, as a reassuring boon in his time of distress. “Escad, I have a task for you to do. No, not a request; as your master, I order you to do it.” Olbohn's lips curled into a mischievous smile that set Escad's eyebrow to twitching, as it always did when he had the feeling he might not like something his master was going to say.

“No battle is too difficult for me, master.” Escad bowed to Olbohn and awaited the order. At least, he hoped it was a battle. Olbohn had made some odd requests of him back in the days of his training, like that time with the Boink stampede, or that other time he was made to steal a scale from a mermaid's rear-end....

“I am not sending you to a battle, Escad” Olbohn quickly replied “though you may feel free to practice everything I have taught you regarding swordsmanship along the way, as well as to experiment and learn new techniques. My order, quite simply, is this: you shall wander the land of Fa’Diel and experience the marvelous variety the Goddess has put forth upon this world. You will reflect on your past, your present, and your future. You will try to learn from both your memories and your experiences. When you think you have found what I want you to find, return to me. I will, as always, be waiting. Perhaps then I shall train you further, or grant you your duel.”

“Wandering!? I am not a vagrant bard, that I should wander the lands doing nothing!” Escad hit the table again, rattling an empty teacup that sat near Olbohn. This may not have been as dumb as some of Olbohn's 'training' he had been forced into, but it was certainly as seemingly pointless.

“This” Olbohn grabbed Escad’s fist faster than he could withdraw it “is why you are being sent. Your impatience; your lack of foresight and understanding - they cripple you. With those bindings, you would surely die swiftly in a fight against me. He released Escad’s hand from his iron grasp and smiled reassuringly, causing Escad to grow uneasy. It was sometimes so hard to tell when he was joking and when he was serious. “The Mana Goddess has crafted many beautiful lands and places in this world, and the many peoples of Fa’Diel’s rich history have filled them with many splendid and wonderful things, Escad. However, you run through these same lands on the warpath to the next battle without even taking notice of the greatness around you. You must slow down! Be perceptive, Escad. Wander and learn, then return to me.”

“Great…so I AM a wandering bard now…” Escad sheathed his blade and rubbed his fist where Olbohn had grabbed it.

“You’re NOT a bard, Escad, you are a Holy Knight of the Liotte Order, with further training granted to you by myself. However…now that you mention it, I think that writing poetry would do you some good. Help you put your thoughts and feelings into words perhaps.” Olbohn gestured with one of his hands and a book bound with a spiral of metal appeared in a green flash of cold light. “Your extra assignment is to return this empty notebook to me with a poem chronicling each land you visit in Fa’Diel. And yes, I’ve been to them all; back before I was a Wisdom and the manager of the Underworld, so you can’t trick me by not writing about places you think I haven’t visited. And no, before you ask, I won’t accept entries like “Norn Peaks, Norn Peaks / I got lost in them for several weeks.” You get the point?”

“Feh…stop lecturing me” Escad huffed calmly as he thrust the durable notebook into his travel bag. “Poetry writing….pssshhh…”

“What was that?” Olbohn put a hand to his ear, an expression of mock concentration upon his face. Escad stood still, drumming his fingers upon Olbohn’s table. "Some of the greatest insight into the spirit of mankind has been conveyed through poetry, Escad. You ought not scoff at it so quickly. Besides, women really dig it." Truly a master - Olbohn vaccilated from serious to lighthearted in a moment's time. “Ah, wait, one more thing! I want you to have this; it came into my possession just recently." He handed Escad an ornate looking brooch, made from the finest gold and precious gems.

“This is the Brooch of Love.” Escad spoke softly, his earlier yelling seeming as but a memory. The harsh lines of argument on his face melted into a serene tenderness like the passing of a summer storm. “This…belonged to Matilda. From it, Lucemia’s skeleton was called forth…”

“Correct and correct, Escad. But do you know the real history of the Brooch of Love?” Escad shook his head; all he knew was that it had been Matilda’s, passed down through generations of Gato Temple High Priestesses. “The Brooch of Love was first given to a mage who promised to acknowledge all and understand all. It’s said that whoever wears this brooch is charged with overcoming any ordeal through love. So also is my wish for you. There is always more than one way to confront every obstacle; remember that. Now, off with you, off with you! You’ve got a lot of travel in your future, Escad. Rack up some frequent walker miles.” Olbohn smiled and nodded to one of his Shadoles. Escad seemed as though he was ready to voice yet another question as the Shadole touched him, teleporting him to the surface world. Ah Escad…you never did like traveling by Shadole magic! Well, you’ll get enough miles in on those two feet of yours soon enough, so it evens out, I’d say…

No sooner had Escad left than another entity materialized in Olbohn’s room. “You have given him the Brooch, have you not?” A pretty girl in green clutched her hand to her heart, fingering several strands of her thick brown hair.

“Ah, but of course.” Olbohn leaned against the wall, relaxing from Escad’s high-strung antics. “Such a favor is the least I could do as a welcome for the new Seventh Wisdom.”

“Olbohn, I told you before, just call me Matilda. We’re in the same line of work now.”

“Indeed we are, Mistress Matilda.” He nodded slowly, scratching his chin. “Escad…he still thinks the world of you, you know.”

“Yes…I know. That is why I asked you to give him my most precious Brooch. I want him to remember me, both as I was in childhood, in adulthood, and even now.”

“He thinks you’re dead now…I still haven’t told him you’re a Wisdom, you know…” Olbohn patted the smaller woman on the back with one of his several hands. Matilda shot him a chiding look. “Newly a Wisdom and already you’re sending me on a guilt trip…sheesh! It’s for his training, you know that. He still has a lot more to do in life, and he must rise to the challenge before he can meet even greater obstacles.”

“You are truly wise, Olbohn. I’m glad Escad was so fortunate as to learn from a master like you. You instruct the heart and mind just as skillfully as you have taught the way of the sword.” Matilda sat down at Olbohn’s table and served herself a cup of tea from the steaming kettle that had been warming by the fire.

“Your words ease my spirit, Matilda. But likewise, I am glad that even without me, Escad could learn from a truly great teacher whose greatest lesson was to never stop loving those you cared about. It makes perfect sense that you were chosen to be a Wisdom, Matilda.” Olbohn sat down across the table from Matilda and served himself a cup of tea also.

“My only hope is to being betterment to all that live” Matilda bowed her head graciously.

“Now” said Olbohn “ever since I learned you were to become a Wisdom, I had been waiting for a chance to talk to you at length. I want to know all about my pupil, Escad. I want to know the things that naturally get left out during emotional retellings of stories told from only one person’s point of view. Tell me about Escad, about yourself, about Daena and Irwin too. I want to know the whole story, from the beginning…..”

------------

The footfall of Escad’s sturdy purple and silver combat boots landed higher and higher as he made his way up the ridge. Over his shoulders was draped a traveling mantle; its sturdy fabric hid the sword and armor that he always wore beneath, and protected him from the blazing summer sun of Fa’Diel.

“It’s times like these…that I wish I had gone to Madora Beach in the summer!” puffed Escad as he continued his climb. It was hot, and he was looking to make camp by mid-afternoon, as soon as he arrived at the border of the next territory, which he figured he should have been at already. Presently, he could see the apex of the hilltop growing nearer and he pressed forward, promising himself a short rest and a sip of cool water when he reached the top. He sprinted the last few meters and came to a stop, stretching his arms out beneath the arc of the blue sky and breathing deeply of the refreshing air. Lowering his gaze, he made out a form that changed his mood immediately.

There, sprawled across the plain like a great and terrible monument, rested the petrified skeleton of Lucemia, the great Wyrm of Light, devourer of the Seven Cities during the Summoners’ War. Upon the skull of the magnificent beast a little over a year and a half ago, he and Irwin had met in a monumental battle that would decide Fa’Diel’s future. Even now, he could see the skull of the great Wyrm resting upon the earth, its great heavenward-pointed jaws seeming to beckon him closer. Escad put his hand to his breast, instinctively wrapping his fingers around the Brooch of Love which hung as a pendant on a chain around his neck, relishing its physical form as a confirmation of the reality he had wrought.

“This place…upon this great beast’s form, I challenged fate itself, and even the meaning of justice.” He lifted up the Brooch and gazed at it, the sunlight reflected from the gold dancing across his face. “From this token of love came such a harbinger…and if Irwin had his way, he would have brought destruction upon the world again. He said it was for Matilda’s sake…he was wrong! He just used that as a pathetic excuse to rationalize it to his weak mind! He was doing it all for himself! He was wrong! Dammit Daena…why couldn’t you see that? Why did you sympathize with that demon? He wanted nothing more than more power….could he really even care about anything…or anybody?”

Escad sat down upon the hilltop, running his fingers through the green grass as the wispy clouds flowed overhead. Reaching for his travel bag, he withdrew from it the notebook Olbohn had given him, in which to chart his travels through poetry and prose. He hated to admit it, but it was actually rather relaxing to detail the unique feeling and presence of each place in the written word. Opening its spiral-bound pages, he read the note that Olbohn had scrawled into the inside cover, which had become a sort of guide-phrase for him over his travels. “Do not hurry in life or in death. Those with free will shall always find something worthwhile.” He repeated the phrase in a relaxed voice, slowing his breathing. What did this place mean to him? Surely about these great bones, he could compose an epic, reaching as far back as his childhood.

“Saa…I just feel tired now…I think I’ll take a little nap.” Escad threw the notebook on top of his travel bag and flopped backward, sprawled on the high hilltop overlooking Lucemia. Instead of the man he was, instead of the battle-hardened warrior Olbohn had formed him into, being here made him feel like a child again. How he wished for those days; days when he was still unaware of the prejudices he had gained over the years. To be a child again....a child....but once one has learned the truth, one is responsible for it. I cannot shirk the responsibility of my knowledge or my actions, regardless of the cost to me. Even though that cost has been more than...

Escad's thoughs were interrupted by a shimmering wave floating through the sky, almost unnoticible on the warm summer day. He bolted upright and craned his head toward the Eastern sky, from whence it came. "The Aurora, in the middle of the day? In the summer? I don't think so..." He quickly stuffed his notebook back inside his traveling bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Surely, this is the magic of some intelligent force. I must see Gaeus the Wisdom about it. My travels...they can wait. But I'll be back, Lucemia, just you wait." He turned away from the Wyrm and looked into the East again. The wave had disappeared. "Whaa..?" Escad wheeled to the West, and saw the wave continuing along its course. "How did it pass me in so short a tim..." His monologue was cut off as he dropped to his knees. Inside of him, he felt torn apart, as if something was pulling his innards this way and that.

"I...im...possibl...!" Escad sunk to his knees, his chest starting to radiate a faint light. His hand grasped for the handle of his blade. With great effort, he pulled it partially from the sheath, his arm slowing more and more as the stiffness in his arm grew. His fingers loosened one by one and the handle slid from his grasp back down into the mouth of the sheath. The light had spread to every part of his body, rendering him a glowing statue cresting the hilltop. As the luminosity grew, Escad felt himself losing all feeling. When the brilliance of the scene had died, the lonely hilltop overlooking Lucemia was empty, save for the grass, sparse trees, and the wind. Escad was gone, sprited mysteriously from Fa' Diel.


------------

__________________
My name is Escad
I like to protect justice
and beautiful girls.

Thinking things over
is not what I like to do;
I have a big sword.

(banner pending)

Last edited by Soujiro Seta on 03-25-2002 at 09:32 PM

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Ok, i posted this on the drafting thread way too early, its stuck back on page 6 or 7.

This is the Intro for both me and Nefarious Moogle, since we compose the team Los Dos Fuertes.

--
King fell hard agains the heavily padded floor. Assorted punching bags, wieghts and dummies lay about the gymansium. Several mexican children watched the wrestlers through the window, shrieking with delight at every grapple.
Armor King's shoulder charge had caught him off guard, he'd been struck directly in the chest, and toppled backward. Luckily, he'd dropped his elbows in time to prevent his head from striking the floor. Now he would rise and return the blow to his sparring partner.

Armor King's hand extend downward in aid, and King glanced up at the emotionless mask. He accepted the hand, was pulled to his feet.
Each wrestler returned to thier stances, Armor king crouched low, extending his palms forward. King did the same, rushing forward to press his wieght into his opponent. The two grappled, King sliding under Armor King's massive shoulder, slipped behind his foe, wrapped each arm under his chin. He pulled backwards, wrenching Armor King's head upward. In response, the larger wrestler through an elbow backward, but it deflected off Kings hardened stomach.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash. King was distracted, and in turn was immediatly flung over his opponents shoulder, only to find himself, once again, limp on the mat.

Yet no hand lowered to assist him, and both wrestlers were mesmorized by shimmering white portal that had opened before them. The gaping void began to inhale, dust and dirt flying inward.

".....Socio, tu ves?" (Partner? You see?)

"Veo," (I see,) answered Armor King. Both wrestlers remained motionless. Suddenly, the suction rapidly increased.

"CORRE!" (RUN!) But the simple plan was no little, and came to late. Each wrestler turned on King's command, attempted to stride toward a window. The suction had become to much, each were swept form thier feet and sucked into the shimmering white gap. Immediatly, the portal closed, leaving no trace behind.

Moments later, stunned, horrified Mexican children ran from the window.
---

Ok, there we go.

I only wish my mexican child horde could accompany me to the tournament.

__________________
"Violence, don't play that game." I wonder where i can get this game. That sounds like a good game.

Violence is my Antidrug.


Not my most visually spectacular Sig, but it does the job.

Ruroaru Tentinataki 2?

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*Is extremely embarrassed* I forgot something in the above post. I really don't want it to get any longer, so here's another snippet. This is way before the earlier post.
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Vile's systems finally came online. The war Reploid, the one that could keep all others in control, was complete. His purple armor and powerful shoulder cannon were both designed to be the best of the current technology. The modular design program, which was still in research from X's systems, had not been installed.

To compensate, and in the case of close-quarters combat, the design technicians had added another weapon in Vile's arsenal. This was a high-powered energy lance, comparable to the best weapons in the Reploid arsenal. However, it was hoped by all, Vile included, that the weapon would never have to be used. The beam lance was a last-resort, and Vile put it in a holster in his Armored Carrier.

The Carrier itself was a marvel of construction. The armor plating was reinforced with a "Tri-tanium-X" alloy, redesigned for added durability. The propulsion system was based on a fuel-cell system, enabling extreme jumping, considering the weight of the Carrier.

The weaponry consisted of the two arms, both planned to be fully functional, allowing the operator to grab objects as small as a spoon without damaging it, but with enough crushing power to demolish boulders. Vile was justifiably proud of his armament, as he could fire lock-down shots from his cannon from the safety of his Carrier.

But, over time, his love for the humans began to cool. They no longer seemed to care about the war-Reploid, as relative peace seemed to descend on all parts of the globe. Vile quickly became a painful reminder of the past, of a time where noone could tell if their neighbors were friends, or bitter foes.

The warrior spent more and more time in the Engineering Bay, constantly improving his systems and weapons for the inevitable day when war would again threaten the lands.

That day never came. Though Vile waited and waited, the chance to improve his skills in battle never came. Eventually, the Reploid saw other, more peaceful Reploids take on authority that had once belonged to him. Obviously, the humans were hoping that Vile would rust from unuse.

The former leader decided to fight back his own way. He learned how to change his own programming, enabling him to do whatever he wanted. Slowly, and with great care, Vile began recruiting other Reploids, which hated the humans with a passion rivalling that of Vile himself.

The new brotherhood of Reploids took a new name, that of the "Mavericks." They took whatever measures necessary for power, sometimes levelling entire cities, or collapsing entire computer systems. Their influence grew, and the humans became more and more suspicious of even their closest Reploids, driving even more new recruits to the Mavericks.

Obviously, this system could not hold forever. The humans designed a new race of Reploids, the "Maverick Hunters." All of them were based on the original "Megaman X" design, with advanced programs more resistant to the suspected virus.

Though the Hunters were few in number at first, their ranks soon began to swell as their production became more regular. Soon, the Mavericks were forced to find new ways to combat the menace.

Vile found a new way to get the Hunters to join his side, that of feigning to fight for the rights of Reploids. Though some were taken in, most Hunters could ignore or dispute the arguments. Still, Vile's wiles became more and more cunning, and the humans were again on the verge of despair.

Then, a breakthrough occured. While studying the X model, Doctor Cain found a very interesting piece of coding. Basing an entirely new Reploid on this data, Cain created "Sigma," and made him the leader of the Maverick Hunters.

To counteract the forces of Sigma, Vile devised a new coding system to his data. Vile enabled himself to learn new techniques from the Reploids he defeated, though the program was incomplete. Vile, lacking the knowledge of Doctor Cain and his associates, could not perfect his programming until he could bring more knowledgeable Mavericks into his fold.

Thus, the world stood on the brink of destruction. Sigma, the new leader of the Maverick Hunters, stood against the seasoned wisdom and cunning of Vile, the first War Reploid. The tale of their stuggle, and the final result of the chaos, has been detailed elsewhere...
-----

*OOC* All of that to say that Vile has a beam lance and a learning program in the tournament! I hope I'm not this long-winded in the actual fighting!

Last edited by San Draco on 03-24-2002 at 07:59 PM

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Awesome intros, all. You'll definitely be forces to contend with. And thanks for the compliment, Kyle. Perhaps this tournament you'll be able to go without kicking my character in the crotch every round?

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This time I won't be able to. Unless I use the other controller, of course.

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Oh great, now everyone knows my weakness. Thanks a lot, man...

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To anyone thinking of kicking Ashley in the crotch: like all good medieval warriors, Ashley is equipped with a metallic cup. Great for protection, bad smell and it itches though

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: A "Secure" Location
Posts: 70

Oh i'm certain somone will give King a quick shot to the pills. I mean hell, with those pants, hes asking for it.

__________________
"Violence, don't play that game." I wonder where i can get this game. That sounds like a good game.

Violence is my Antidrug.


Not my most visually spectacular Sig, but it does the job.

Ruroaru Tentinataki 2?

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Posts: 23

All right. It's another monster introduction. Sorry, but I've got to try and keep up with Tenshi and Tenken...

Know that this is FULL OF EVIL XENOGEARS SPOILERS, and therefore, dangerous reading. It is also full of Rurouni Kenshin OAV allusions and references. But I'm sure you'll forgive me for that.

------

Prologue - The Rain of Blood Tastes Bitter

Three men were standing in the shadows, conversing inaudiably. It was night-time, if such a time could be said to exist in Etrenank, Eden of Heaven, the capital of the Sacred Empire of Solaris, where light and life never left the streets. They had taken all possible precautions, quickly slipping within areas unknown to all, into unused reparation ducts outside the residential areas, where even the sharp eyes of the automatic guardian robots could not follow them.

But regardless of all of their caution, they were being watched. Two sharp eyes watched their every move through round, old-fasioned glasses, calmly observing the direction the conversation was taking.

Then, it seemed as though the conversation had been brought to an end. Each of the three men shaked hands, and turned around, preparing to depart, each to their own direction. But on that very moment, the sound of footsteps, ringing from the cold, metal floor, caught their attention, as a tall figure approached the men.

The man was wearing the uniform of a Solarian soldier. It was custom-made, meaning that the person who wore it was beyond the ordinary ranks. His long, black hair hair was tied with a red ribbon, and his face was calm, almost serene, as his eyes watched them calmly from underneath his unique spectacles. In his left hand was a katana, sheathed into a wonderfully decorated scabbard.

"Who are you!?" one of the three men shouted, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun. The other two took a few steps backward, their eyes searching for a way out.

The man stopped moving, his face still bearing its serene coolness. "My name", he said with a soft, monotonic voice, "is of no importance to those who will soon leave this world."

"The Emperor's Guardian Angel!" the first of the three men hissed, grabbing his gun and pointing it into the man's direction. In desperation, he pulled the trigger, sending a hail of bullets towards him. He could barely even see the man react. In one second, the man was motionless, and then suddenly he launched himself at him with full speed, his other hand grabbing the handle of the blade, zooming out of the way of the bullets.

"Wha-" the man started in terror, but it was already too late. In a single move, the swordsman unsheathed his blade and drove it through the man's chest. Fresh blood flew in the air as the man collapsed, the gun dropping from his hand. The two other men stared, horrified, and then suddenly the swordsman turned towards them.

"It's no use resisting." the swordsman said, pointing his bloody sword towards them. In sudden resolution, formed out of fear of death and hate of fate, one of them grabbed the sword on his side. The other one, however, turned to flee. The swordsman reached towards him, but was stopped by the slash of the other man's blade.

"Die, worm of the Emperor!" the man screamed in vain defiance. He brought his sword down on the Guardian Angel, but met only air. He had moved aside with grace that far surpassed his assailant. Desperately, he tried to regain his balance, but the Guardian Angel mercilessly raised his sword and decapacitated his enemy with a single slash.

Meanwhile, the other man had already escaped. The swordsman thought quickly and then followed him, realizing what he had in mind.

The swordsman quickly hurried through a corridor which lead him to an open, unused space within the hull of Etrenank, stretching for miles and miles. Only some support bars and pillars went through that space. And there, in the nearest of them, his final victim was desperately trying to flee. The bar was only six or seven metres away, moving to the same direction as the platform, and close to four metres lower than the platform he was standing on. The automatic bridge that was supposed to contact the two was gone; the control device had been broken by the escaping man, no doubt.

The Guardian Angel started running the side of the platform, trying to get as near as the man as possible. The man turned around and saw him, grabbed a gun and fired a few badly aimed rounds at him, and then turned to run again. His speed was no match for the Guardian Angel, though, and soon they were seperated only by less than ten metres.

The Guardian Angel gathered his strength, and dashed forwards. With a magnificent leap, he landed on the construction bar, defying the death that was waiting below. His victim was only a few metres away from him, paralyzed of fear. The Guardian Angel walked forwards slowly but surely, sword in hand.

The man closed his eyes and clasped his mouth shut, resigning to his fate. There was a quick slash and the sound of steel entering flesh, followed by a restrained scream of pain. "Who... are... you...?" the man uttered his last words, coughing up blood with each word, as his blood drippled down into eternity from the end of the gigantic construction bar.

The swordsman looked at the dying man for a moment, and then said quietly, "I am Hyuga Ricdeau." And then he slashed the air with his sword once, ridding it from the blood, and then sheathed his blade, turned and walked away.

------

Hyuga was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the news.

"...three men were killed yesterday in an accident in a construction area in the third level. The police state that there are no suspects, and offer their condolences for the families of the deceased-"

Hyuga shut the television off with the remote and fell back to the bed.

Families? I wonder if they knew what those men did? If they knew, what would they think about them?

They were all second-level citizens. They may well be demoted... perhaps even brainwashed, just to make sure.

If I ever met them, what would I say to them? What reason would I give for having killed them? What would I...

Suddenly, the door opened. "Hi there, Hyu", a familiar said, accompanied by the sound of footsteps. "You all right? You look a bit down."

"Sig?" Hyuga asked, incredulously. "But-"

"Shh, don't worry, old boy. You're such a worrier, you know that? Things have a way of working out."

"Sig..." Hyuga said, feeling more and more like a moron.

"C'mon, let's get out of this place. We can't have you wallowing in your misery like this, can we?" Sigurd retorted. He offered Hyuga his hand.

"You know you cannot bear alcohol, Sig..." Hyuga said.

"Don't give me that. We'll go to the top of the highest building in the city and watch the stars, just like in the old days, you hear me? The stars aren't real, but they're still pretty, and together with alcohol, they might clear that head of yours. Let's get going... Jessie is waiting for us." his hand reached closer to Hyuga's, and then-

Hyuga's eyes opened. He turned around, and saw that he was lying on his bed. He must have fallen asleep in his ponderance.

"Stupid dream..." Hyuga snapped to himself. Sig was gone, returned to the surface... Jessie had disappeared, too. Kahr... he had grown different, and they barely talked anymore. The others had moved on, Hyuga had not. It had taken him months to realize that now he was, in fact, completely alone.

Hyuga stared into a mirror. From his pocket, he took a tooth comb, and started stroking his hair absent-mindedly. His long, well-kept hair had been his joy and pride ever since his youth. Now, though, it was tangled, rough and unclean. Hyuga sighed, and put the comb away. What did it matter anyway?

Hyuga looked at the shelves on his room. They were full of books... he had read so much in his youth, dedicated to reach for the stars, to conquer each and every challenge given to him. How full of energy and naivete he had been, thinking that he could help everyone through science. He took one of the books - it was a book on nanotechnology, once given to him by Krelian. He opened it, his eyes catching word after word, but unable to connect them into sentences. The pages flipped faster and faster, as sweat started flowing down Hyuga's cheeks. Then, with a shout of frustration and anger that surprised even himself, he threw the book down on the floor.

"Who am I kidding?" he asked quietly, and bolted out of the room.

------

Hyuga entered the chamber of the Emperor. He did not know why he had been summoned, but he knew it had to be very important. The only time it had happened earlier was the time he was promoted to a Guardian Angel.

Emperor Cain was ancient. Hyuga did not know how old, and had never seen his face, but clearly, he was beyond human existence. He was wrapped into a thick, purple cloak, and on his face was a gigantic, sceleton-like mask made of gold. Few people could watch that face and not feel their soul crumble, and it was said that no man had the strength to raise a weapon against the Emperor.

"...your Majesty?" Hyuga asked, bowing.

"Hyuga Ricdeau." The Emperor was unmoving, as he always was. Hyuga wondered if that living corpse ever moved. "I have chosen to give to you a task of great importance. As you know, we have been planning an attack against Shevat for some time. You have been chosen lead the direct assault upon Shevat."

Hyuga's eyes widened in surprise.

"The plan will be set into motion in twenty-four hours. You will prepare yourself for ground assault. Our goal is to occupy the city of Aphel Aura. The full plan will be forwarded directly to you later. You will be required to lead the assault on the spot, and possibly make changes to the plan if something unexpected happens."

"Yes, your Majesty." Hyuga bowed.

As Hyuga left the room, there was a sound of someone entering the throne room.

"What is it, Krelian?" Emperor Cain asked.

"Your Majesty." The man called Krelian said, bowing. He was wearing a Solarian uniform, coloured yellow, white and dark grey. He had long, pale hair, tied with an extraordinary hairband. His whole being radiated a certain ageless quality. By far the most remarkable thing about him, though, were his piercing, all-knowing eyes, cold and calculating, shining of intelligence and hidden knowledge.

"Majesty, why are you sending Hyuga Ricdeau against Shevat?" he asked straightforwardly.

"It is not yet time to break the equalibrium of the world", Emperor Cain said duly. "We merely need to keep Shevat at bay, so that they cannot interfere with our mission."

"I understand, your Majesty", the pale-haired scientist said. "However, why send this man? You know as well as I do that his ether potential is tremendous. He has the capability to control an Omnigear - he is a true Animus. Why would you send one of the chosen ones on a suicide mission? I was against appointing him as a Guardian Angel in the first place..."

"Ah? Have you not studied him enough already, Krelian? And did you not already create a being capable of controlling all Omnigears?" Cain asked with a sneer. Krelian shook his head vehemently.

"My concern for this man's life is not only due to his scientific potential. He is unique, and as such he is invaluable. Even my creations cannot match the creations of God. And that's why..." Krelian left his words linger, his sharp eyes trying to penetrate through the Emperor's impermeable mask.

"We are all men of deep fates, Krelian. Creation of God, you say? If he, indeed, is one chosen by God, his fate is no longer in our hands."

"You are avoiding my question, your Majesty", Krelian snapped.

"Everyone has a certain potential to live up to, Krelian", Cain said. "Hyuga has yet to discover his true self. I hope that this mission will teach him who he is, and where his place is. Only that will make him a true warrior, and the Guardian Angel that I wish him to be. He may live, or he may die. If he lives, he will become something greater, and if he dies, the loss will be regrettable, yet not serious. Only a man of special virtue and power can be granted the right to watch over our 'Anonelbe', and I will have nothing less of Hyuga."

Krelian thought of Cain's words for a moment, and then smiled. So, he realized, this was not a battle for the man's life, but for his soul, and to whom it would belong in the end. There were only three alternatives for the man - To serve him, serve Cain, or die. And Krelian had always been one to play with high stakes.

"So be it, Majesty." He bowed to Cain and then left the throne room.

------

"Your Majesty, we have received a transmission from our spies in Etrenank. Solaris is planning to attack. They are going to assault Aphel Aura directly. They have sent an aerial fleet to hold our gear forces, and the ground forces will break through our barrier in an hour's time."

Queen Zephyr stood up. "Evacuate all civilians to designated areas", she ordered. The man bowed and left. "Call the gurus here immediately. I wish to speak of them." Then she turned to a blonde-haired female officer standing next to her. "Yui, you will lead the defense. I leave everything to your hands."

The woman bowed, and walked out of the throne room, taking her sword from one of the guards on the way out.

-----

Hyuga went through the dimensional shift that would send him immediately to the battlefield.

Was this just another dream? Hyuga couldn't help but wonder. He was shouting orders, there were gunshots and screams all around him, but it all seemed so distant, as if it didn't really conern him. He was only barely conscious of the fact that they had taken control of the central parts of Aphel Aura, and that the victory was only moments away from their reach. He felt a bullet go next to his ear, but he hardly noticed it.

I wonder... is this what it's like to die?

There was an explosion next to them, sending Hyuga into the air. He landed on his feet, and then, as though a curtain had been pulled from his eyes, he realized that Shevat's Gear forces had returned. How could it happen? What of Solaris's air fleet that had been sent to intercept them? what had went wrong?

"RETREAT!" He shouted to his communicator, finally fully aware of himself. He turned around, agitated, trying to come up with something that he could do in this moment of chaos. Then, he turned and saw a dozen of his men, cornered and under attack by Shevat troops. He grasped his sword and reached the place with a couple of leaps. With a couple of quick strikes, he made a way through the enemy lines, and saw the men escape from the back of his eye.

Then, before he could notice it, he was surrounded by troops. He raised his sword warningly, preparing to die taking as many with him as possible. Next to him lay the corpses he had slain to retrieve his men, and for a moment, his enemy hesitated. Then, from the troops, a woman stepped forwards. "I will defeat him myself", her soft voice said.

The woman was dressed in the uniform of the Shevat defense forces, but he couldn't discern her rank, signaling that the uniform was custom-made. In her hand was a long, well-crafted fencing sword, which she held gracefully and calmly. Hyuga took his sheathed sword behind him, and crouched slightly, preparing to react instantly to whatever move the woman would make.

Her eyes were strange, Hyuga thought. Few men he had fought had ever been able to hide their fear, let alone had such eyes that reflected everything back to him, like mirrors. The woman was beautiful, with long, blonde hair, and her eyes wore a look that was serene and calm.

Suddenly, the woman charged forwards. She kept the blade in front of her, readying herself to stab him. Hyuga sent himself onwards, as well, and drew his sword with inmeasurable speed, intercepting his enemy's sword and directing it to his left. An opening! He thought, preparing himself to cut the woman's wrist. Suddenly, though, it no longer was there. The woman seemed to disappear, and suddenly spun around, slashing with her blade. Hyuga crouched and met the blade with his sword again, and now pushed forwards, intent on making the woman lose her balance.

To his surprise, the woman pushed back with all of her might. From between their crossed blades, they could see each others' eyes... there was no fury, no passion in either of them, only the iron will to win. Hyuga took a step left and drew himself backwards, and the woman did the same in perfect agreeance. So far, it was a stalemate.

Hyuga changed his pose. He pointed his scabbard at the woman, while raising the sword above his head. The woman remained unmoving, ready for any possible move. The battlefield was completely quiet now - either the rest of the Solarian troops had been able to retreat, or they had already been taken captive. Hyuga could feel his mental composure starting to weaken. He was all alone, whether he liked it or not.

Suddenly, he charged forwards, raising his scabbard into a strike to the head while preparing to slash with his sword. To his surprise, the woman responded by leaping into the air, dodging the strike, and coming down on him with her sword pointed at his heart. Hyuga quickly crossed his weapons, catching his enemy's blade. The two of them moved onwards and backwards, determined to break the other's stance. Hyuga concentrated his strength into a powerful push, which sent the woman flying into the air. Hyuga reacted immediately and slashed with his sword. The woman blocked with her sword, but it was too late - Hyuga's katana cut a long slash in the woman's right arm. Wincing in pain, the woman took a step backwards, quickly swapping the sword to her left hand.

Hyuga put the scabbard to his belt, and raised his sword above his head with both hands. The tide of the battle had begun to turn. The woman pointed her sword on towards the ground, and advanced with short, fearless steps. The two charged at each other again, both striking the other, Hyuga barely dodging a strike that would have cut his face open, the woman skilfully blocking what would have been a mortal blow. The two figures parted again, but the difference between them was greater than ever.

Hyuga sheathed his sword, preparing again for his greatest skill, the instantaneous sword draw. The woman was starting to look exhausted, and with her loss of blood, she probably couldn't avoid this attack. But her eyes hadn't changed, they were still as strong, beautiful, unreadable and resolute. The idea of killing the light in her eyes sickened Hyuga, but that choies was not his to make. Hyuga charged forwards, his hand reaching for the handle of his sword. The woman lunged at him, keeping the sword close to her face, aiming it at Hyuga's chest.

There was a flash of light, and Hyuga no longer saw anything, as he felt cold steel enter his body. This was madness. Only Ramsus and Krelian himself had ever equaled him in swordplay. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. The light consumed him, and suddenly, he no longer felt anything.

"YUI!" one of the troops shouted. As the light passed, the battleground of the two fencers was empty.

__________________
A naked blade glowing in moonlight / two hearts ran through with it / Wind blowing through leaves of autumn / The face of tomorrow, a memory

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Wandering Vagrant
Posts: 74

All goodness there Darkken. I was wondering why you chose the name Hyuga Ricdeau instead of Citan Uzuki, but now it makes sense--you are pulling him from his world before he takes on that alter ego. I'm eager to see more once the tournament starts.

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Arsenal Gear
Posts: 48

Well, now, without further adiew...Adie...Adu...adue...*Screw it* Without further delay, Solid Snake's intro!

=======================
“What do you mean they’re already dead?” Snake asked yet again. “How can they ALL be dead already?”

Snake was sitting in the back of Otacon’s old van, an empty seat to the left of him, and Otacon in the front seat, driving. It had been only a few days since he had gotten off of that accursed Arsenal and already he was getting ready to head back into the fray yet again. In fact, they would’ve been ready to head back quicker if they hadn’t had to stop back at their base of operations™ for supplies. “I already told you Snake, they’re dead. You know, D-E-A-D…”

“Damn it! How can I find people who’re already dead?” Snake said as he punched the window of the van, narrowly missing the little computer set-up next to him, and causing his, or, in actuality, Meryl’s Dog tags to almost fly off his neck.

The days had been long and cold since she died. He’d known her for only a few hours, but they were the brightest hours of his life. Snake shook the old thoughts.
“No Snake…you’ll make yourself weak…vulnerable, and you have to deal with the patriots and find Olga’s child… Meryl’s dead and there’s nothing you can do about it, get over it.”

“So Otacon,” Snake started as he slowly and carefully tucked Meryl’s dog-tags back underneath his shirt. “What’s our plan of action? Where do we go from here?”

“Well Snake, there’s a government building not far from here. There’s a computer inside that I believe holds the answers to all our questions…”

“So why don’t you just hack into it or whatever it is you always do? You’re the brain here..” Snake cut in. “Well Snake, If you’d let me FINISH a sentence for once, maybe I’d tell you”

“Alright, go ahead” Snake mumbled.

“As I was saying Snake. There’s a government building with a VERY complex computer system not far from here. I wasn’t able to hack into it, and that’s saying something right there. You’ll need to get inside and use this disk to get by any security, then establish an uplink with me and send the information. There’s something in there that they don’t want ANYONE to see, and I think it may be just what we’re looking for.”

“Alright…Easy enough, So when do I start?”

Snake reached down to pick up his gun, to clean it and check it out before the upcoming mission. He had just touched the gun when he felt a flash of extreme pain. Otacon started to speak, but his words were far off and distant. Solid Snake was consumed in a light so bright that he couldn’t see, and he was in so much pain that he couldn’t move.

“What…The…Hell...” Was all he could get out before losing consciousness.

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"What you see is what you get, Just a guy who loves adventure!"
-Sonic

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Posts: 74

Cirrus Velious: Far be it from be to tell you how to do your own story, but MGS2 tells us that Meryl did indeed survive...so...why is she dead in your intro?

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: The Big Shell
Posts: 71

Excellent intro Cirrus. Anoat's right, though. I suppose it could just be an alternate dimension. I mean, this tournament is full of them. *shrugs*

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Arsenal Gear
Posts: 48

Anoat & Kyle: Oh, Believe me...You'll see

And now you're gonna be confused and have your intrests peaked...

As Mr. Burns would say...Eeeexcellent...

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"What you see is what you get, Just a guy who loves adventure!"
-Sonic

Last edited by Cirrus Velious on 03-25-2002 at 03:25 AM

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Posts: 32

Mwahahahahahahahaha!!

Right, Cirrus?

Great intros!! And good job, Darkken seeing as you've peeked my interest for Hyuga, or just Citan. Frankly, Xenogears is a fantastic plot, and I plan on sponsering it more in future tourneys.

As for kicking characters in the crotch, I have the right female antanomy not to be worried, but how would Kuja feel?

*ponders*

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Sponsoring Kuja in Rurouni Taikai 2

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Location: Arsenal Gear
Posts: 48

*thinks* hmm...how WOULD Kuja feel?

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"What you see is what you get, Just a guy who loves adventure!"
-Sonic

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: The Moogle Cafe
Posts: 35

Ugh, Magus' castle was so drab. At least that was what Flea the magician thought. He may have been a great leader, but the great Magus sure had horrible taste. Try as he might, Flea couldn't convince the leader of the Mystics to let him do some interior decorating. At least he had his own cozy little living quarters to do with as he pleased. But still, there was only so much you could do with those cold stone walls. The Mystic mage walked over to the vanity mirror in the corner to admire his female body. Flea, a shapeshifter, was truly a male, but he preferred a more feminine form. Putting his hair in a braid, Flea prepared for dinner. He wanted to look good in case Magus was there, although he usually wasn't. He'd probably be stuck with nobody but muscle-headed Slash and slobbering Ozzie as dinner companions. Tying a pink bow in his hair, Flea stepped out into the hallway where he was immediately accosted by the swordsman Slash.

"Did you hear?" he asked. "We're about to take Zenan Bridge. It's only a matter of time before we stamp out the humans completely." Slash grinned, showing his teeth.

"Really?" Flea yawned. The war was all Slash ever talked about. Boring! "Hey, Slash baby, how do I look tonight?" he asked, tossing back his white cape and showing off his dress.

Slash rolled his eyes. "Like an annoying little girl."

"Hey, I'm a GUY, and don't you forget it!"

Slash gave a little snort and they proceeded on to the dining room. General Ozzie was already there and seated. The great Magus wasn't present, as usual. Flea sighed. "Hey, where's my food already?" Ozzie shouted at the impish chef, pounding his fist on the wooden table.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Keep your Ozzie Pants on," the little green imp grumbled. Slash and Flea were seated and the chef produced a large platter of something that resembled flan with eyeballs. Ozzie proceeded to stuff it into his pudgy face.

"Ugh, how can you eat that stuff?" Flea groaned. The imp chef placed a plate of fresh salad in front of the girly magician. "That's more like it. I've got to watch my girlish figure, you know... unlike some people I know," he said, eying Ozzie. Ignoring him, Ozzie started up a conversation with Slash between mouthfuls.

"So, we're in position to-" he took a bite, "take the bridge," the flabby Mystic said with his mouth full. Swallowing, he continued. "I'm going to personally see to it myself." Ozzie shoved another mouthful in his face. General Ozzie and Slash began discussing the war, strategy, tactics, and whatnot. Flea tuned them out. He disliked humans as much as the next Mystic, but it was all they ever talked about anymore. At least Magus had some interesting thoughts to add... when he was around.

Flea absently twisted a strand of hair around his finger as he toyed with his food. As he stared at the plate of salad, the room seemed to grow brighter... and brighter... until the magician and his comrades were bathed in a bright white light. What kind of magic was this? Flea shrieked as the light engulfed everything - Ozzie, Slash, the little chef, the castle walls, and finally Flea himself. All was pain... and then it was over.

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Location: Is this text unlimited?
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Mwahahaha is right. This might make things a little more clear, though...and nice intors, everyone. Darkken, I wanted to read yours, but, alas, I haven't played Xenogears...*watches as all faces turn to stare* The unfairness of it all...
-------
Meryl Silverburgh sat in the back of an old van, only half listening to the conversation going on around her.

"Yeah...whatever...I swear, if we go over this one more time..." she muttered to the glass on the window. An arm hit her on the back of the head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, looking at her attacker. It was none other than Snake, sitting in the seat to the right of her. She was VERY tempted to punch him in the face, but then she remembered that it wouldn't do him any good to get injured before the mission. Maybe later.

"Sorry," he told her noncommitally, not sounding particularly apologetic. Meryl rolled her eyes; she knew it was the best she was gonna get. "So, what do you mean they’re already dead, Otacon?" he asked, for what Meryl thought must've been the millionth time. "How can they ALL be dead already?"

"Come ON, Snake," she groaned. "Haven't we beaten this point to death?"

Snake glared.

"Stop complaining...we didn't have to pick you up, you know."

Yeah...they find me at the place where they need to pick up supplies, and when I politely ask to go with them, they have to lord it over me...

They'd stopped at their base of operations for supplies, only to find Meryl waiting there. She, of course, had demanded that Snake take her too, and after their age old argument about her still being "a rookie," he and Otacon agreed to let her go. Of course, since the whole thing had taken up extra time, Snake was being a little...condecending about it.

"Whatever..." was Meryl's halfhearted response.

"But she's right...I already told you Snake, they’re dead. You know, D-E-A-D…" Otacon rolled his eyes at Meryl in the rearview mirror. Meryl grinned back.

"Damn it! How can I find people who’re already dead?" Snake said, annoyed, as he punched the window of the van, narrowly missing the little computer set-up next to him.

As moody as ever...

"Hey, at least you've got me," Meryl joked, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Such an uplifting thought," he retorted, smirking. But he adjusted Meryl's bandanna on his head all the same.

"So Otacon," Snake started again, directing his next comment to the van's driver. "What’s our plan of action? Where do we go from here?"

Good. We're finally getting to the action...I get sick of all the talk.

"Well Snake, there’s a government building not far from here. There’s a computer inside that I believe holds the answers to all our questions…" Otacon replied thoughtfully, obviously thinking about the computer.

"So why don’t you just hack into it or whatever it is you always do? You’re the brain here..." Snake cut in. Meryl choked back a laugh. He was so...well, Snake.

"Well, Snake, if you’d let me FINISH a sentence for once, maybe, just maybe, I’d tell you."

"Alright, go ahead," Snake mumbled.

Way to go, "Hal"... Meryl hid her grin from Snake by staring out the window.

"AS I was saying Snake, before I was rather RUDELY inturrupted..."

"Yeah, yeah!" Snake said gruffly.

"Ahem. There’s a government building with a VERY complex computer system not far from here. I wasn’t able to hack into it, and that’s saying something right there. You’ll need to get inside and use this disk to get by any security, then establish an uplink with me and send the information. There’s something in there that they don’t want ANYONE to see, and I think it may be just what we’re looking for."

"Alright…easy enough, so when do I start?"

"When do we start," Meryl corrected, suddenly animated. Snake frowned.

"No way. It's too da..." He paused in mid-sentence. "I mean, you're still too green," he quickly covered. He still had a few problems with the whole "public displays of affection/emotion" thing.

"I am NOT! Don't talk to me like a rookie!" she exclaimed, shoving him out of the way.

Been a while since I've seen him last, but we're still having the conversation...

Meryl reached for a gun lying on the van floor. Snake wrestled with her for it, while Otacon watched amusedly from the front.

"Get...off..." she muttered, but suddenly felt weak. Her head plashed with pain, and she fell to the floor, on her knees.

"Meryl?"

Snakes voice.

"Huh? Is sh...right?" Otacon.

"I...on't...ow..." Snake again. The voices flashed in and out of her conciousness, distant and then close again.

"yl...Mer..."

She could hear, but not see. Bright white light. Pain. Blinding...

"...Dave," was her last comment before totally blanking out.

Last edited by Terra Lockheart on 03-25-2002 at 10:08 PM

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...ah. So, I see we're going for the whole multiple-dimensions-within-a-single-world-of-the-multiverse thing, which was actually a battleground in the last tournament, which means that there might be more than two seperate dimensions, which I remind you could serious screw with Mantis's head if he read conflicting thoughts like that from Snake and Meryl. He'll spontaneously combust, or explode, or somethin'.

But whatever. Nice intros, Cirrus, Terra. Same to the rest of you.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Cirrus Velious
*thinks* hmm...how WOULD Kuja feel?

---

I don't know, nor do I want to find out on the basis he might turn me to ashes.

Great into. Terra! Even if i haven't played MGS2 *avoids bricks* I don't care for spoilers in this point. It'll be intertesting

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Ah, now I understand. This should definitely be interesting. Oh, and remember one thing Cirrus. Since Olga's going to be coming in from just before the Big Shell, she's still going to have revenge against Snake on her mind. Watch your back.

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Snake: Olga? Aren't you...
*falls to the ground*
OWW!!! WHY'D YOU KICK ME IN THE NUTS?!?!

Very nice intro Terra!! You too Ex (Yeah, a little late but hey..) And Kellios. *Dances the dance of Survivoristic Superiority* (Okay, that was a semi-referance that only Angelus and Krizak would get...)

Good intros EVERYONE. This should be an amazing tournament.

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Survivoristic Superiority, Cirrus? Hey, you may have been in one more Survivor than me, but I'm still better than you.

*disables second controller port*

Now what're you gonna do?

Oh, that's just great, Kyle. Now, in addition to the multiple dimensions, we've got the whole time-warp thing going on. Mantis's...head...going...to...explode...

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Sheez, what a nightmare this week's been. Sorry I haven't been able to post this, but the amount of homework they pile on before spring break makes me want to maim something. Ah, well. This part of Zack's introduction is mainly him and Aeris, and it's not as long as the first one (and third one), so if you're aiming mostly for action and have a morbid fear of romance, then by all means wait until the third and final installment of his intro. Oh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Also be warned that some of this- while far from erotic or suggestive- borders, uh..."steamy", if you could call it that. Plus there's quite some sentimental, Braveheart-bagpipe-worthy mush in this second part of the intro. Hell, if you have the soundtrack and/or "Wallace Courts Murron" available, play it and see the eerieness of the mood. But I think you'll be fine- it's Tenshi Kain, after all.

...what? What do you mean, "Mi Chobo Sen?"

---------------------------


Her chestnut hair wisped around the creamy, youthful flesh of her throat in the moist Midgar air, her delicate hand coming up to smooth out the bangs that Zack had accustomed himself to. For today, she'd dressed in the light pink summer dress, free of the jacket that she often donned in the city's musky chill. Over all of that, though, as they walked together down the old slum trail to the flower-wreathed house- her house, at that- ahead of them, he couldn't help but glue his eyes to her face. She didn't take notice, but he did; her eyes twinkled with a turquoise sheen that was very familiar to him. She wore a small smile and a little diamond earring that he'd bought her, back when he had been making a rather meager living as a SOLDIER trainee. Many would have seen her as plain, but the young girl in the pink button-up dress, with the everpresent optimism about her, had brightened many lives down here in the slums.

Zack was only one of them.

"Gil for your thoughts- and a flower, too," he said, quietly jovial as he scratched an itch behind one of his short bangs. He was thinking about growing them out, at least, over the next year or so.

Her eyes flickered halfway towards him, and her smile widened a little, but then it disappeared, and she was walking blankly along the path. At once he felt his stomach rise with guilt- what did I do this time? he wondered. It wouldn't have gotten to him if, somewhere in that blank and unfocused look, there wasn't a hint of pain. Frowning slightly, he craned his head to the side. "Eh? What's the long look for? Hey, I'm not bothering you, am I?"

She shook her head, folding her arms in front of her as she walked the trail with him. "No, no, nothing like that," she said, offering a weak smile. "I'm happy you were promoted..."

He returned her smile with his best. "Thanks. Isn't it great? First Class! I'm really proud...but I couldn't possibly have made it without a First Class flower girl," he said, brightening into a grin.

She gave another sad smile. Zack was beginning to worry, now- usually, when he told her about his duties in training, she would at least feign interest. But today, amidst the cold and dreary atmosphere of the slums, she was tinged with a sadness that was new to him.

He stopped, abruptly, and laid a hand on one soft shoulder. Her house now loomed mere paces from where they were, in a halo of light and flowers, but even its holy aura could not dispel the pain that he saw in her. "Aeris...?" Zack asked, hesitantly.

She came to a halt as well, looking forlornly at the ground. "Oh...sorry, it's just..."

Zack raised his eyebrows and twisted his lip. "Not in a cheery mood today, eh?" He chuckled once, letting his thumb brush tenderly over the skin of her shoulder. "The slums can do that...hey, have you eaten today? I know this really awesome place down in Wall Market-"

Aeris Gainsborough cut him off with a faint giggle. "We went there last week, remember?"

"...oh, yeah," he said stupidly, brushing a hand through his hair. Come on, she's feeling down. Put the champagne bottle away and pop up with some cold syrup!

"Something's bugging you, isn't it?" Zack divined, slowly stepping in front of her. Her gaze streamed to the ground like one great ray of sunlight, but even the sun couldn't look that depressed. The weight in his gut still not alleviated, Zack gently cupped her chin in his palm, easing it up to meet his curious gaze. "What is it...? What's-"

He stopped mid-question. There was a tear at the corner of one glistening eye.

"Zack, I know about that new job," she managed, a slight lump bulging in her throat. "I..."

Zack had to admit, he found it strangely funny- and flattering- that she would worry about such a thing. He smiled and lightly brushed away the salty liquid forming at the corner of one eye. "That's all? Aeris, it's only Nibelheim. I've got a buddy from there going with me, and the Commander to boot. Sephiroth himself. It's nothing to get worried about..." He let his arm fall from her shoulder to wrap around the back of her palm. "Want me to bring you an autograph? I'm sure Sephiroth wouldn't object, heh heh!"

Aeris turned her head as though stricken by something. "But...yeah, I guess you're right..."

She's hiding something. She gave in far too quickly for him to not wonder. He tilted his head to the right, keeping his eyes on hers. "But...? Come on, remember what I told you about being shy?" Zack winked playfully and started swinging his hand with hers, like a pendulum. "You need to 'bounce' a bit more. Let people see the perky flower girl I fell for, no? Let everyone in- that's what you're best at. You know this."

Aeris's chest rose and fell smoothly as she took a deep breath, composing herself. Her brow furrowed as she closed her eyes, her brown ponytail swaying behind her almost diminute waist as she shook her head. "You know how I have...dreams, sometimes? How I hear voices...I've been experiencing those since I was small," she told him. "Last night...I don't know what happened, but, I just suddenly told my mother...'something's happened, Zack won't come back.' Then I dreamed..."

Her eyelids squeezed tighter, and she tried to turn away- if not for the gentle but firm grip he had on her hand, she very well might have. "I dreamed you just...went away, and I was all alone. You...you didn't write, nobody told me what happened to you...and then I saw blood, splattered all over the floor of my house..."

Zack was not one to simply dismiss dreams as replays of the mind, even if they were the most obscure of nightmares. But, maybe that's all it is...one more red nightmare. He loosened his grip on her hand to cup it against her shoulder, resuming his earlier brush of its skin. "Well...lots of dreams don't come true," he told her, testing a callus-toughened finger upon the delicate flesh of her shoulder.

A light sniffle and breath came from her, and her eyes relaxed and opened. Unexpectedly, her hand came up to rest upon the medal that adorned his chest- the medal of SOLDIER's swordsmanship champions, essentially a blade-cut piece of materia (in Zack's case, a mastered Lightning) set within a very valuable piece of black gold, and tied to an equally precious cord of dark aurora wire. Aeris ran a finger over it, her lips curving into a thin smile. "Yours did."

Zack chuckled, surprised to find his voice trembling a fraction. "Well, it was pretty hard to make mine come true," he said, resting his hand on the back of hers. She smiled again, though through difficulty, tracing her finger along the aurora wire. Again, he realized just how depressed she looked. The dream really had worked her over- well, no better time than now to turn that forced smile into a genuine one.

"I tell you what," he said, sliding his hand under hers to grasp the medal. With a twinkle in his eyes, he unwound the medal from his uniform, and saw her own gaze light up with surprise as he detached the thinly woven dark aurora thread. Attached to a pin on his uniform, it hadn't been as long, but it would suit the purpose he had in mind. Winking, he offered it forward and gently tied it into a makeshift necklace around Aeris's nape, tying it into a firm knot in front of her. "Let's make a little knight-princess promise, like in the fairy tales," Zack proposed with a grin.

Her cheeks slowly began to change to a deeper shade of pink. "That's silly..."

"No, really, it'll work! The Nibelheim guy I told you about did it himself." Zack neatly added a loop to the knot, creating a sort of inverted shoelace with the precious fiber. "I'll prove this dream wrong for you. As long as you keep wearing this, it means I'll come back." When the thread was in place, he rested his hands on Aeris's shoulders and evened his gaze with her own. "When I come back, I'll give you the badge and make that necklace complete. You don't stop wearing the necklace, I promise you...on my honor, on my life, I will come back."

She was blushing and her eyes practically rolled in their sockets, but her smile was definitely not forced anymore. Zack grinned from ear to ear.

"Ha...well, if you think it will work..." Aeris touched the thread around her neck, a little gleam of her pristine teeth glinting in the smile. "I promise, I'll wear this for as long as it takes for you to come back. I'll never take it off until then."

"Which will only be for about two weeks or so," Zack said, playfully brushing his bangs against hers. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah..." She played with the necklace a moment longer, the smile everpresent on her face. Zack was very happy to see that. Aeris's hand dropped back towards his, and he crooked his thumb to caress the center of her palm as they began to walk again. Zack felt at peace now, the path to her house very much like the road to heaven; though a very passe comparison, he truly thought of the beautiful human being next to him very much the angel leading him there. For all its dusty worth, the road was livened by every footstep she took with him, every swing of their joined hands and swish of their hair strands.

He smiled idly- damned if he'd felt this way with another woman. Strange, that...

It felt all too short when they'd reached the door of her house. Zack exhaled through his nose, staving off the urge to shake his head; the moments of life that counted were just that, all too short. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to say good-bye to her for this long... He was afraid that "two weeks or so" addendum he'd made to her comment was correct- Nibelheim was a long way away from the coast, and although a course through Wutai was possible, diplomatic tensions between it and Midgar heavily restricted Shinra's advances through there.

I can already see Sephiroth siccing All-Whoopass on the lynch mob that'd come to get us.

Just to be safe, the squad would head to Junon and go by boat, and that meant a good five days in and of itself to cross the ocean. Then a passage by truck through Corel, and around the bend of the mountains to Nibelheim. By the time they arrived there, it'd already be June 23rd (as opposed to today's June 15th). the job itself wouldn't take so long, but Zack had been thinking of giving Cloud some time to catch up on old times with his folks and such. The younger teenager was in the Elite Guard, a high honor for those not in SOLDIER- Zack expected the welcome to be quite extravagant for the humble little town.

Bet there's quite a few ladies who'll be after Sephiroth and me. And hey, Cloud's gotta have a childhood sweetheart or two on the side...poor Johnny, I feel so bad for him.

Abruptly, Aeris sighed in contentment, and Zack felt like holing up somewhere and beating himself where he deserved it. He was such an asshole sometimes- couldn't he go five minutes without thinking of a girl? Maybe that old survey he'd heard of was right, in his case at least. He'd seen his share of women in his time, and quite a share it was; but the others had always been flings at most, and at the lower end of that spectrum were much worse.

It made him glad to have Aeris, but...did he really...

Zack craned his head over to look at the light pink skin of Aeris's cheek. "Deserve you...?"

She turned to him, and even a puzzled frown couldn't detract from her pretty features. "Huh?"

He flashed a light smile, one that was all too accustomed to appearing on his vesture. "No, I was just wondering...you know. Sometimes, when I'm with you, it seems too good to be true," he answered truthfully. "You know, a lot of times I feel like I'm dreaming...but of course, I don't want to wake up, you know."

An amused giggle escaped Aeris's lips. "Ha...you're very deep today, 'you know.'"

"...pffsh!" Zack laughed, his palm smacked against his head, the blatant misuse of grammar strangely funny to him. "Well, repetition is a side effect of my depth and charm," he said, cocking an eyebrow. She chuckled- he liked to kid like that with her, pretending to inflate his ego while acknowledging his obvious faults. She'd reciprocate at times, reflecting the little running gag between them. Zack admitted that was one of her more endearing qualities, that he could share the jokes and little quirks of life that he personally enjoyed with her and be completely understood. He liked...no, actually, he more than liked that about her.

He twisted his lip and looked to the door of her house, feeling another sigh coming. Aeris let one of her own out, and guiltily she placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry...you know, Mom would kill me if she found out I'm seeing you. Shinra's...not so popular with her," she reminded him.

Zack smiled nonetheless, drawing his arms out to encircle her waist. "Hey, don't worry about it...you know I'm not a fan of a lot of stuff they do, myself." He took the moment to nestle his temple against hers, memorizing every detail of her presence- the spice of her scent, the sound of her gentle breath, the sensation of her hands pressed tightly up into his shoulderblades. He gave her form a tender squeeze, realizing how sorely he was going to miss her the next few weeks. Zack reminded himself mentally to write her and send the letter via chocobo service.

"I'll miss you, Zack," she whispered.

"I'll miss you, babe," Zack whispered back. "Stay just like you are. I'll be back, Aeris." He held her closer, and she him. He smiled on instinct; the feeling of holding the one closest to you, without fear of something interrupting the moment, was one of the many pleasures of life. Especially when you were holding her in a halo field of flowers that seemed to bloom more with every passing moment.

She parted, and suddenly he yearned for the warmth of her form again. His heartbeat was heavy as he drew back, heavier than it had been with most of the women he'd known. Bunched against her slender, almost fragile form, Zack could feel her heartbeat, too. It was very fast. His arms would suddenly not let go, completely, bound to the magical coil of her very presence. He was close enough to see the blush rising on her cheeks, the same cheeks he'd kissed good-bye every night since they'd started dating...but never had he summoned the courage to run his lips against the part of her face he most wanted to touch.

If I do this...will I ever be able to walk away, if it comes down to that?

Zack didn't know, but he did realize that his lips were already pressed to hers. And she wasn't pulling away. Her breath was slow and deep, almost ticklish against his cheek, and he felt as though he were sinking into the warmth of her cupid-bow lips. He crooked his hands tighter around the small of her back, feeling her own nestling tentatively on the back of his neck. His stomach uplifted and clenched, and he did not dare to breathe until it was over.

Her cheeks were completely flushed, and he suspected his own had a tinge of rose to them. She swallowed, her breath rapid against his throat. "Zack..." Aeris murmured, less a call than a simple statement of his name. The way she said it, the quiet tone of her voice coupled with the rosy beauty of her face, sorely tempted Zack to kiss her again. And he would have, if not for a sudden divine intervention.

"Aeris, are you home?"

They both cringed at the voice of her mother from the second floor of the house. Trembling in his arms, Aeris rose to her tiptoes and pecked Zack on the cheek. "You'd better go," she sighed. "I'll see you."

It was probably the first time in his life that Zack had to force a smile. "Right. Take care of your flowers while I'm gone," he said, sifting his bangs against hers one last time. He embraced her once more, swiftly, and then released her with the most painstaking of difficulty. "See you in a couple weeks," Zack said simply, and then he turned and was gone, back down that dusty path. He did not hear Aeris's footsteps move away from him, or towards her house, and so it stayed until he was blocks away from her home.

And on he walked.

-----------

But I've never walked away from that. I couldn't. I thought it would fade, over time, but the memory of her touch has lingered to even these thoughts...I can still taste a little of the salt that was on her lips, she'd always use that homemade lip balm. The texture of her hair, not silky, but like that soft, tickling blanket of mine back home, the one I'd always keep by my side as a kid. The smell of her skin, imprinted with the smell of the wildflowers from the church where she and I would stay for hours...and the sense of her close to me, pressed into my chest so close that she winced once, at the severity of my heartbeat.

I don't know if we- her and I- were serious, at first...or throughout. But, for that moment, I felt as though I would never leave her. That even if it passed, I would never forget.

I did leave, but I didn't forget. No one will forgive me, and there will be others. I'll flirt. I'll wink. I'll swagger. I'll blush. I may even kiss...or more. I'm that kind of man...in my world, the sting of the wolf's fang and the smell of blood can be soothed by the touch of strange flesh. And I am the first in that world.

But...I...

Forgive me...I said I would return to you, but this pain...it's too great. This is so pathetic, I didn't even know what I had and now I'll never have it again...damn it.

Forgive me...I should have said the words after that moment, but I let them slip away. They would've only been three words, three syllables, but the power behind them would have bound me to you. It would have changed me, changed that world I live in for the better, to where yours would be the only touch I'd need...I'd want...to feel.

Aeris...forgive me. If I don't live past these thoughts, then I pray that they will someday find you. And that your red nightmares will be just that...nightmares.

Forgive me.

---------------------------

End Part Two.

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Renmazuo - Every part of your intro gets me closer and closer to dropping everything I've done already, and all the planning I've already put into this and sidekick Cloud...But I've already promised myself that the next time I play him will be the last, and I want to see if I can get at least one win under his belt, plus I wouldn't feel right without Exeter and Kellios as Vincent and Tifa backing me up...but Dear god man you're tempting me...That intro is simply amazing so far, and I pray you'll sponsor Zack again in a future tournament so Cloud can fight along his side....

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