With the blood lust curved and more targets on the way, CM-3 was starting to feel less aggressive and enjoying the coming kills. In hindsight, torching the lab may not have been the best idea. ShinRa had left it here for what seems like years they would probably leave it for me, but he had to take his anger on something that gone goes the lab and most likely this building. Looking at the soliders in their way then his sword, CM-3 whipped his sword so the blood came off and looked at Raiden, “Guess I'll be needing some room.”
Running as Raiden used his earth spell, CM-3 jumped off a particularly violent quake and used the energy to speed up his moment and launch him high into the air. With no automatic grab for his hat, CM-3 dove straight at a ShinRa operative with his blade leaning and piercing both the operative and the ground at a 45 degree angle, “Couldn't ShinRa at least make you guys as strong as us.” CM-3 spat as he put his feet on the ground and pulled his sword from the ground looking for the next target,
Outside in the snow, the cold was barely able to penetrate the black, fitted suit Snow wore. The effects of the haste spell that Raiden had cast were still in effect and were further enhanced by the rage and upset she felt from hearing about her sister. In front of her were more of the soldiers attempting to stop them. They bared no threat to her whatsoever. She pulled out her shuriken, bringinger her arm back, and threw it out in an arch. The steel 4-pointed cross flew out at the headline of the furthest grunt, slicing all the way through his neck, before circling it's way across the group like a boomerang. Several were able to preconceive the attack and evaded the blade, before dashing towards her. She waited for them to get close enough and then rolled forward, narrowly evading the blade of one before kicking her heel up into his stomach and sending him reeling back. “Now for a little trickery.” Snow caught the shuriken that had came back to her and forced it through the chest of the next man. The weapon began to shine an icy blue before a blast of cold air rushed through his body and out of his back. Several shards of ice were sent through the air, burying themselves in any targets that were in their way.
Post edited 3:45 am – October 26, 2014 by dystopia
Chapter V: Midnight Sun
The earth shook with with a mighty force, tossing Shinra grunts right and left as the tremor peaked. The snow covered street parted slightly and heavy sheets of ice tumbled from the roof tops. The low rumble masked the distant rhythmic sound of helicopter blades, but only for so long. The flashlights grew in number in the distance, dancing to and fro like fireflies on a dark summer night. The growing noise from the rotary blades steadily drowned the shouting of Shinra operatives that neared. The picture was becoming clear, and was only cemented when in the flickering street lights, though dim, the silhouettes of several true SOLDIER grew more detailed. ” We have to get out of the open! ” Cloud shouted to his friends before he tore off crossing the street, under a dim street lamp, into the growing darkness of a alleyway passage that ran between the buildings of Icicle Village. He knew that they would be unable to cover their tracks in the snow, but they had to find some cover, some means of gaining an upper hand.
Raiden watched with a grim smile as the quake battered the enemy, throwing grunts about as the tremor reached its peak. In the midst of all of it the street had cracked open slightly, and sheets of ice came crashing from the rooftops. All-in-all this was exactly what he had intended, but as the rumbling began to fade he could hear the sound of helicopter blades approaching fast. As more lights continued to appear in the distance the flickering street lights shone down upon several of the silhouettes fast approaching them; Raiden felt his heart skip a beat as he realized they were members of SOLDIER. “Shit,” Raiden cursed, and then turned toward Cloud as his friend shouted toward the group and started off across the street. “run!” he called out to the other two, tearing his weapon free from the earth and sprinting madly after his friend. “Cloud, tell me you've got somethin'!”
The sound of the the helicopter told CM-3 it was time to move. His bloodthirst was sated enough for now that he could understand it was the best choice to deal more damage to ShinRa later. He ran after Raiden, hoping like him, that Cloud knew where they were going.
— OOC Talk: Sorry for short post. Got a cold and can't think at all. —
Snow watched as Raiden and CM-3 ran after Cloud to immeditaley evacuate. “Wait!” Snow ran after them, the helicopter slowing to a standstill at this point, and managed to catch up to them. Still, running, she panted, “I know this village like the back of my hand. This route leads to a dead end.” She managed to speed her way to the front of the group. “Follow me, I know somewhere that we can hide out for a while. But we have to move fast!” She had always been a fast runner and just hoped that the others could keep up. Turning sharply to the left, she led the group between houses and shops. “Down here, we only have a short window until they see us.” Snow had led them to a wooden opening in the ground, just behind somebody's house. It was slightly covered in a thin blanket of snow but she was able to open it quickly. “This is an underground passageway. They are bound to find it eventually but if you keep going it'll take us back into the forests.”
Cloud seemed dazed, his mind affected by the events that had transpired. He wasn't thinking clearly, wrestling with his demons for the focus required to best Shinra in the situation they found themselves in. He nodded as Snow seemed to direct them away from the alley, turning down others that cut between the buildings of the small village. The alleyways were dark, but the sounds of the rotary blades still seemed to close on them, a sweeping beam of extreme light every so often cutting to close for comfort. ” How will we survive the cold? ” Cloud managed to form a question as they reached the entry to the passage way, the sounds of the Shinra SOLDIERs and grunts not far behind. ” This is not good at all. ” He finished speaking, as he ducked into the opening of the passage following the steps down into complete darkness.
Post edited 1:18 am – October 29, 2014 by sanarian
Raiden stood at the back of the group as they came to a stop in front of the entrance to an old passageway, facing the way from which they had come. It was hard to miss the sound of Shinra's forces, and the rotary blades of helicopters, only a short distance away. They didn't have any time to waste arguing whether or not this was the best course of action. “We've got a better chance of survivin' the cold than we do a bullet to the back of the head, so hurry up!” Raiden exclaimed as he searched the opposite end of the alley (and the forest) for signs of the enemy, only to chance upon a sight between the trees that made his heart skip a beat. “Wait a fuckin' minute…!” Raiden cursed suddenly before bolting down the other end of the alley, toward the edge of the town and into the forest that lurked beyond. Whatever he had seen in the forest had forced any fear of Shinra completely out of mind.
Raiden's sudden break startled Cloud, who was in a haze as it was. He stood halfway down the stairs leading into the passage, the cool enveloping him, watching Raiden dart towards the distant forest line. The rhythmic thwack of the rotary blades drew nearer and seemed to sync with Raiden's motion as the search light beam swept across the edge of town passing Raiden for a moment before correcting and drawing back to the man. ” What's he doing>?! ” Cloud exclaimed as he moved back up the steps to get a better view. Behind him the sound of Shinra operates shouting grew close, they were on them now. Cloud looked to Tsuna, the futility of the situation expressed on his face, a sour feeling in his throat.” I don't think we're getting away this time. ” Cloud said bluntly, feeling the walls closing in on him. A surge of emotion erupted from his core, a sense of frustration at once again letting his friends down. An inner hate had grasped him and held him motionless, he could only watch. In the distance he saw two figures move into the light of the helicopter search beam, walking from the forest line towards Raiden. They were dressed in suits, dark and tailored. The two men walked side by side, one's crimson hair being tossed asunder by the forceful gusts thrown at them from the hovering helicopter above. He seemed to speak to Raiden, the other bald and wearing dark glasses even at night was silent. Cloud wondered what the man was saying but his attention was suddenly drawn nearer as a stream of Shinra grunts and what appeared to be a SOLDIER came into view, their flashlights bobbing as they walked.
— OOC Talk: I felt the need to post out of order to start the conclusion of this chapter. Clerith it's your post now, we're skipping griff this round.
CM-3 stood beside Cloud as he watched Raiden run for the forests. He seemed to see something even CM-3 couldn't, but they had come this far and even he trusted Raiden to not get them killed. Looking over at Cloud, CM-3 squeezed his blade, “ShinRa has always kept me captive before now. I'm getting away even if it means my body doesn't.” Baring his fangs, his left hand grabbed his materia die preparing for what came next,
Raiden came to a halt in front of the two men, his weapon held up and at the ready should they attempt to move against him. Surprised as he was to see these two, he had no intention of allowing them the chance to catch him off guard. “You two, huh?” Raiden questioned with an unsure expression, his eyes darting from one to the other as he maintained his cautious pose. “Raiden! Lookin’ sharp, yo!” Reno called out with that wide, characteristic smile, but it did little to dissuade him from his defensive posture. Raiden was all too aware of his devious nature, in sharp contrast to his usual goofy and comical demeanor. “….” Rude remained perfectly silent, ever the consummate professional; his arms were folded across one another while he let his partner do the talking. “So why’re you here? I didn’t think the army chasing us would need your help.” Raiden questioned the pair, his eyes narrowed into a sharp scowl. “Special request from the boss, yo, we’re here for you.” Reno announced with a wide, cocky grin. “Me? I ain’t nobody special, so why?” Raiden queried as he assumed a more casual stance, his arms hanging loosely at his side though his weapon was still in-hand. “I don’t know why, yo, but c’mon Raiden, think about it! You’re getting’ a better deal here than anyone else would in your shoes!” When he had finally finished speaking it was clear that his words were having a profound effect on Raiden; who at last returned his katana to its sheath and stepped toward the pair of Turks. “What about my friends?” Raiden asked somberly, glancing toward his friends as they rushed ever closer to him. “Ain’t our concern, yo, but….” Reno just trailed off there, deciding it was best to leave the matter to the imagination. “Our condolences.” Rude spoke up for the first, and only, time in the entire conversation. It had a huge impact on Raiden as well—his shoulders sinking and his head hanging low as suddenly realized how hopeless the situation truly was for the group. Shinra would spare no expense in order to capture them. “Alright, I’m in.” Raiden said quietly as he casually reached into his bangle and plucked one of the magic materia within out, before throwing it hard as he could toward Cloud—the material crashing into the snow a few feet in front of him. “It’s been great, guys, but I chose this, right? I can’t….” Raiden shouted out towards the group before he heard Reno and Rude begin to walk away; without finishing the thought he turned away from his friends and began to follow after the Turks. There wasn’t anything more he could do to help the others now.
Cloud watched the movements of the three men from his distant position. They were speaking to each other, tense at first and then less so. A sinking feeling pulled at Cloud, consciously revealing itself as Raiden turned towards them. His expression even at a distance spoke louder than the words he shouted, Cloud knew that he had chosen to save himself. Cloud's eyes followed the refracting orb as it tumbled towards him, burying itself in the snow at his feet. As he reached down into the cold, grasping the orb, the lights from the alleyway emerged in force. The brightness was blinding by Cloud could knew they were outnumebered and before he could act the search light from ahove had found it's way overhead as well. ” I… ” Cloud attempted to speak, the betrayal too fresh, too painful. The heat of the lights on him grew, partnered with a sense of defeat. ” This thing ends now. ” A voice cut through the sound of rotary blades overhead. ” You've made fools of Shinra, but no more. ” It continued, the lights upon him ruining his vision, making it impossible to make out any features of the man speaking. ” You'll find SOLDIER more than equipped to deal with you, however. ” The voice finished speaking with a silhouette of movement, the wave of a hand, which seemed to inact movement in the lights. Cloud was motionless, his hand raised to shield his eyes from the brightness. His mind however was on Raiden, and not the task at hand. Suddenly the brightness grew even more, like the sun had been switched on. A raucous sound of many speaking in bewilderment at once emerged a second later. Cloud Looked up, the outline of the helicopter breaking up the light that came down from above. ” That you down there Blondie?! ” A rough boisterous voice called down. ” I see him! That's them there! Those Shinra bastards have them surrounded! ” The rough voice reverberated again, the sound screeching with feedback as if emitted from a loud speaker. Cloud placed the voice quickly, remembering it's characteristics from Rocket Town many days before, the voice of Cid Highwind.
Clenching his sword, CM-3 knew they had been betrayed, but he would have his revenge if he saw him again. Now was above survival or as much damage as possible. With the group surrounded, it seemed damage was the only option. He was going to rush the SOLDIERs when he heard the familiar voice. His posture straightened as he recognized the voice and Tsuna was overjoyed to hear a friend's voice at this time. It looked like there was a chance to escape, “I don't believe you need our help to look like fools, good sir.” Tsuna mocked the bodyless voice.
As Raiden left with the suited men, Snow felt confused. She looked to Tsuna and then to Cloud. Both of them clearly felt distraught by this sudden turn of events. “Where is he going?” She asked, not expecting a response. It was already obvious that he wouldn't be returning. She hadn't known him all that well, and of the three men, was the one she trusted the least. The Shinra soldiers that surrounded them did little to envoke fear within her. Now was not the time to be afraid. “This is not where I shall die.” There was still so much to do to avenge her sister that she would not allow them to stop her now. Suddenly, another helicopter appeared and called down to them. “Well, it seems you know all the right people.”
Post edited 1:58 am – November 2, 2014 by sanarian
“I can see them too, old man!” he shouted into the intercom, his voice barely cutting through the heavy winds as he stared down at the scene below from the open cargo bay. A brief moment later a particularly strong burst of wind crashed into him, nearly forcing him off of his feet and leaving his jet black hair a frizzled mess. “Can you take us a bit lower already, old man?” Instantly his ears were assaulted by a dizzying array of expletives, some of which he had never even heard before, leaving him standing there awestruck. Once he recovered his senses he attempted to turn off the intercom, only to find that there was no way to do so. Finally, as the old man’s rant began to reach its peak, he slammed his fist into the speaker and it suddenly went quiet. As it dawned upon him what he had just done his face went sour, while slowly moving away from the broken intercom. When the old man found out about this there would be hell to pay. Suddenly the desire to be as far away from the geezer as possible came over him, prompting him to search the area for anything that could help with his descent. On the other side of the cargo bay he spotted a folded up rope ladder, the summit of which was built into the Highwind. “Perfect,” he declared with a slight grin, quickly unfolding it before taking hold of it near the base and moving onto the open cargo bay door. ”Guess there’s a first time for everything!” he shouted out as he jumped out of the Highwind without warning, and into the open skies. In that first instant in the open air everything seemed to slow to a crawl, and instincts beaten into his body long ago took over as he surveyed the situation below. Once he caught sight of the helicopter he knew that it was a priority target, and destroying it would have to be his first act upon the battlefield. With a deep breath he reached inward for greater strength, and as he did so memories, thoughts, and emotions began to barrage him relentlessly. One person in particular came to mind, and he could feel a surge of power as he focused upon those thoughts. Cloud was his reason for coming this far—he couldn’t just leave Zack’s closest friend to the harsh turns of fate in good conscience! “You’re in my way!” he roared while reaching for the weapon on his back with his right hand, tearing it free of its sling in one smooth motion. A soft blue luminescence overcame the weapon as it came free, and he swung the lengthy sword through the air with all of his might. As he did so a wave of brilliant white-blue energy shot forward from the arc of his weapon, tearing through the air before crashing into the tail of the helicopter. As it made contact the beam almost seemed to create a localized blast that literally separated the tail from the rest of the helicopter, sending it spiraling out of control—it wouldn’t be long before it was forced to make an emergency landing, if it didn’t crash into something first. It was then that the ladder finally reached full length, and the force of his descent caught up with him. When it did he was sure that his arm wouldn’t hold, the immense pain nearly causing him to lose his grip on the ladder, but somehow he managed to hold on. ‘I can barely feel my arm,’ he thought, aware that he had done his left arm quite a bit of damage in that ridiculous stunt. All the same it had brought him where he had to be, and so he let go and took the short drop down to the ground. When he touched down upon the ground he was midway between the enemy forces and Cloud’s group. For a second he just stood there, gathering his thoughts, before turning to face Shinra’s troops with a furious gaze. “Soldier 1st Class, Levy.” Levy introduced himself to the enemy forces, and the three behind him by extension. “Is this what SOLDIER has become? What happened to your honor?!” he shouted out as he brandished his weapon, ready for a fight. Some of these men were likely people he knew, but he didn’t care. If they could abandon their dreams and honor so easily they weren’t who he had thought them to be.
Everything was happening fast, faster than a shellshocked Cloud could process. The world around him moved but it was sputtering, hazey, and silent. He tried to concentrate as he peaked on the waves of lucidity which he rode, cresting before tumbling back into the haze of his mind until another wave brought him back to the surface. He imagined himself reaching for a hand, to pull him from the abyss that was his own mind, Cid's voice manifested itself as that hand, thrusting itself into the deepest, darkest place inside him and grabbing hold, pulling with a strength he could never understand. Cloud blinked as Levy arrived, stoic and confident. For the briefest moments he saw Zack in front of him, but that illusion faded quickly. ” What the hell, how?! ” Cloud finally managed to speak, thrusting the betrayal into that sea within, fully aware it would return one day. ” Nevermind, let's just get out of here! ” Cloud had paused, suppressing his instinct to fight, realizing that the numbers were still in Shinra's favor and they should escape while the could. Cloud eye'd the rope ladder, Levy, and his friends before starting through the snow motioning for the others to follow.
Tsuna bowed as the man introduced himself, “Magnificent display of power, sir. I am Tsuna.” Even in dire circumstances, Tsuna would not allow his honor to be besmirched. With that hasty introduction out of the way, Tsuna followed behind Cloud towards the rope that lead to the airship and their escape. Something in his screamed to stay and take all down that he could, but it was repressed by the feeling of staying with his allies and finding strength there. Here he was being rescued by old and new friends and would have have perished otherwise, with Shinra only slightly weaker to show of it.
Leveche didn’t quite understand what had Cloud in such a state, especially now that help had arrived, but he likely couldn’t have given an answer even if he had. “Do I look like I have time to talk?!” Levy cried out in response to both men as he shifted his weight into his right foot, before awkwardly parrying an incoming attack; his greatsword was proving difficult to wield effectively with only one hand. Without missing a beat he lifted his left leg into the air and slammed the flat of his boot into the man’s stomach, sending him stumbling into others behind him. Only a moment later another came charging at him, and swung his weapon in a heavy downward arc that had Leveche taking a few steps back to regain his own balance. A devilish smirk slowly drew itself across Levy’s lips, and then he took a step forward and pivoted, bringing his weapon full circle in a devastating flourish. In an attempt to defend against the attack the other man raised his sword up to block the attack, but the heavy swing sent it flying out of his hands. While the attack hadn’t hurt anyone, the sheer power of it seemed to have left his attacker awestruck. “Why don’t you go get that?” Leveche mocked, nodding his head in the direction of the man’s fallen weapon. It was then that he turned and bolted away from the enemy ranks, returning his weapon to its holster and dashing madly towards the rope ladder—the rest of the group were already on it, so there was no point in delaying ShinRa’s troops any longer.
Login
Register
Search 
Forums
Add a New Topic
Reply to Post
2345 6
Quote and Reply
Topic RSS