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Post by SqiKy kLeen on Sept 27, 2006 22:05:51 GMT -5
Jack and Zack arrived at the abandoned gym around night fall. He pulled the bike right into the gym, as one of the doors had been left open. The moon shone through a large window, casting a rectangular spot light against the hardwood floor. It’s beams also revealed the stagnant, dusty air, which were now mixing with wisps of exhaust fumes from Jacks bike. Jack propped his carrying case for the Earth Breaker up against one of the bleachers and sat down for a moment to rest. “Feels just like home…” He took a deep breath, his lungs partially choked by the particles in the air. “It’s roomy, AND it’s got exercise facilities.” “Heh, yeah, it’s nice. You get used to it.”, Zack agreed. “It sure is nice to have a place you can call home…” Oh, how I can identify with that one… This place reminded Jack of his last house, that broken down, condemned piece of crap. Celica was always complaining, always arguing the benefits of getting out of there and living in a better in a better place. If only he had listened to her… Celica…Jack: “Sorry Claude, but I’ve gotta be getting back soon. We’ve gotta find Celica as soon as possible, or who knows what could happen to her.” Zack gave an understanding nod. “I understand. I just wish there was something I could do to help…” Jack: “I’ll tell you what. If your friends don’t make it back here soon, you can stop by my place, now that you know where to find it.” Zack: “Alright. If I have time before we get outta the continent then maybe…” But he was interrupted by the distinct sound of engine noises just outside the gym. Muffled at first, they grew ever closer, until they were clearly heard parking just outside the gym doors. Jack: “Oh no…” Jack knew who these people might have been. Living on the streets gave him an uncanny ability to identify engine sounds. A lump grew in the back of his throat, as he stood up to face the doors, confirming his worst fears. A group of thugs strutted in through the doorway, their very presence foreboding nothing but suffering. They were all members of the 19th Street Mafia, a group with no morals, no ability to feel, and no souls. For years they’ve ruthlessly preyed on the weak, dealing drugs, raping, killing homeless people, and the list goes on. Truly a product of this oppressive culture. Damen, the group’s leader entered first. He carried a pair of large spiked gauntlets on each of his forearms, which he had used to commit unspeakable acts of violence. They reeked of the smell of blood. He was followed by three of his other cronies, Razor, Sitan, and Vira, one of the nastiest, most conniving and sadistic women Jack had ever seen. All of them were carrying weapons, including baseball bats and chains. Jack knew what they had come for. (OOC: pic reference img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/sqiky_kleen/rival-gang2.jpgimg.photobucket.com/albums/v472/sqiky_kleen/rival-gang.jpg ) Damen: “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Sitan: “I thought we told you to stay off our turf, you little queer!” Vira: “Hey, isin’t this the punk from that Whiplash group?” Razor: “HAHAHA it is! DUUURRRRR I’m gonna fight crime!” Damen: “Yeah, DUUURRRR I fight for truth and justice! DUUURRR I’m a fucking retard!” The gang busted out laughing at their own stupidity and their apparent pride in berating Jack. Zack could stand idly by no longer. A hate was building inside of him. He couldn’t believe that people could be this evil when the society had enough to worry about with the Senate. Zack: “Hey, you can’t talk to him like that…” Sitan: “And just who the fuck do you think you are, little kid?” Razor: “You make one more word, and I’ll rip your throat our and drink your blood.” Jack could take insults for himself, but he drew the line at the mention of such things towards his friend. “…you lay a finger on him and I’ll tear each of you limb from limb…” Damen: “Oooohhhh is he your gay lover?” Jack: “You… will… NOT… speak of him that way!” Damen: “And just what are you going to do about it?” The four thugs gathered around Jack, circling him completely. He was in a deadlock stare with their leader, Damen. Nobody… and I mean NOBODY is going to hurt Claude… The standoff seemed to last for an eternity, neither of them ever breaking their glares at each other. Tension was high, and every one of them were quiet. Then, from behind Jack, Razor swung his metal baseball bat at full force, striking Jack on the side of his knee. Jack yelled out in pain before collapsing to the ground, unable to support his weight under the throbbing pain of the wound. Razor: “Come on, let’s kick the shit out of this asshole.”
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Post by ZaCloud on Oct 4, 2006 0:48:06 GMT -5
Zack’s eyes narrowed and instantly went dark when Jack went down. There would be no mercy for these monsters who dared threaten his friend. For all he knew, Jack’s leg might already be broken. Zack was determined that not one more blow be landed.
He leaped forward, landing over Jack, and reached back with both arms, one grabbing the new sword Sephiroth had given him, the other closing around the familiar grip of Fjalar. While he knew the newer one was probably capable of faster movement, precision would be critical with Jack in such close proximity. Thus, Fenrir was pounded tip-down into the floor, creating a wall on one side of Jack’s form, giving Zack a bit of an area he wouldn’t have to watch as diligently as the rest. And so the more familiar Fjalar was wielded with both hands, as he quickly glared daggers at all those surrounding him.
“Don’t bother running,” he said in a low tone, quiet yet nearly quivering with terrible rage below the surface, “I’ll kill you all anyway.”
The criminals could not help but have a moment of surprise as the seemingly harmless kid had suddenly changed in an instant. Not to mention how easily he wielded such a giant weapon. But Damen quickly recovered and smirked. “Heh, nice bluff, porcupine. But let’s see how you look when we pluck that Whiplash guy out from under you.”
Prompted by their leader’s ever-present confidence and his apparent order, the other three moved quickly in with strikes aimed specifically at Jack. The angry blonde took a step forward and swung out in a wide arc with Fjalar, with Fenrir as his rear pivot point, so for an instant there was no safe radius for the enemy, forcing them to abort their charges. This gave Jack room to sit up, back against the stationary blade behind him as he growled and tested his knee.
Zack made note of his new position, now having more room to work with, but not daring to dart out. He was purely in defensive mode, albeit a maximum-aggression one. They were specifically targeting Jack, so he had no choice. These guys were serious professionals at fighting dirty.
In twisted good fortune, however, Zack was used to dealing with such dishonor.
Sitan made another move toward Jack, and Zack quickly swung at him in a downward arc so gravity could speed his motion. But the punk was prepared, smirking as he leaped back simultaneous with Razor coming in from the opposite side with his own bat-attack.
But the experienced Zack allowed Fjalar to slam into the floor, and with it still firmly in his grip he pushed off of it, kicking back behind him with both legs, body straight as a board. BAM!!! His boots savagely hit Razor in the face, the force doubled by the enemy’s rush.
“AAAGH!! Motherfughar…” Razor staggered back, blood cascading between his fingers as he held his broken nose and throbbing jaw.
Vira was not about to abort their strategy, however, and she swung her chain savagely at Zack as he landed, going for his extended arms to separate his grip from his grounded weapon.
Zack, however, was already in the process of jerking backwards, dislodging Fjalar with a shower of splinters from the floor boards. Vira’s chain clanged loudly against the blade, then slackened for an instant as the more solid metal sped toward her. She tried to duck, but the sheer width of the blade’s broad side was almost completely unavoidable, the impact sending her rolling about fifteen feet away. She landed in a crouch, her shoulder, neck, and the side of her head throbbing from the slam. A trickle of blood ran down from a split in her lip. She licked this up, then smirked. She liked them feisty…
Meanwhile, Sitan once more made a target out of Jack, rushing in and preparing to swing down at his skull. But instantly Zack had whirled into his path. Almost in slow motion, all Sitan saw was a swirl of crimson cloth, golden hair, and ice blue eyes which seemed to cut into what soul he had. Then the bat in his hands seemed to bite him with convulsing impact as Zack’s great blade halted its descent.
Sitan’s eyes widened, his teeth bared as he pushed against the giant weapon with his own. What the hell is this kid?! he couldn’t help but wonder.
Damen, for now having remained watching nearby, frowned slightly. It was pathetic, the lengths some people would go to in protecting others. It made him sick, really. Kids never outgrew their teddy-bears, they just found substitutes in other things and people. Clinging to each other like babies. It actually did them a favor to put them out of their misery. He and his crew were above all that shit, and made good use of all that weakness around them.
This guy though, he wasn’t such a push-over. It appeared that his supposed weakness wasn’t much of one after all. Damen flexed his arms, barking out, “Quit wimping out an’ get the sitting duck already, I’ll keep Porcupine occupied.”
Zack had no intention of going along with their plan, however, and even as Damen charged toward him, Zack roared with effort and pushed so hard against the guarding Sitan that he stumbled back, tripping a bit on the torn floorboards. Zack quickly gauged that he had enough time to follow-up, and he slashed across Sitan’s form before letting his momentum swing him back to face Damen. The enemy leader crossed his spiked arms together, blocking the blade but halting his own momentum.
Meanwhile, Sitan was sitting on the floor, a bit confused and wondering if he had been hit. He saw nothing at a glance, so began to stand, but then a shifting pain flared up from his right lower to upper left trunk, and blood seeped from between the torn cloth. “Agh, shit!” he snarled, holding his arms around himself, “He fuckin’ got me!”
By now, Razor was quite ticked about his own pain, but still made for Jack along with Vira, coming from both sides as Zack grappled with Damen from the center. Zack tried to release his blade to go after Razor, but found it caught in Damen’s crossed forearms, headed by a smirk.
Zack shoved forward, actually letting go of his weapon so Damen stumbled back and was forced to hold it up so it wouldn’t fall on him. Meanwhile Zack quickly spun on his heel, kicking Razor in the belly, stopping him once more as he doubled over. Then he turned back toward Vira and stuck out his arm. Her lashing chain wrapped around his metal arm guard rather than hit Jack.
Her eyes widened with shock as Zack grabbed it and jerked her toward him, elbowing her in the mid-section. She went down on a knee, coughing. Zack then tried to rush back toward Damen, who had thrown Fjalar down, but found that Vira had not relinquished her grip and the chain was still secure around his arm guard.
She smirked up at him. “Leaving so soon?” she hissed, grabbing half the chain’s available length with her left hand, and swinging the rest with her right. Zack’s dodging options were limited with the restraint, and he took a nasty hit over his left eyebrow.
He caught the chain on the second swing with his other arm, bruising it harshly as it only had a wrist guard. And he saw that Damen was nearly upon him, ready to land a good blow on his now restrained target.
Zack’s first instinct was to jerk Vira between himself and Damen, but with how these guys worked, it would likely not stop an attack at all and merely block his vision. So, he instead spread his arms out, pulling the chain taut between his arms and thus pulling her toward him as she still refused to let go. BAM!! Zack’s head impacted with her forehead. She staggered back, seeing stars and completely dizzy.
Now with his arms loosely shackled, Zack dashed to the side, causing Damen’s intended backhand to rip through his trailing red cape. But Damen smirked and continued to move now toward the exposed Jack. Zack was prepared for this, however, and had quickly whirled and grabbed into Damen, arms wrapped tightly around his mid-section, slightly off to the side. There was no way he would let this creep complete his intention.
Damen’s face twisted in surprise and disgust. “AGH!!! Let go you little homo!” He attempted to elbow Zack with his spiked arm, but it glanced off of the shoulder guard, although the force did drop Zack’s stance a bit.
As negative as the attention was, at least it was on Zack again, and that was his goal. He released his grip and crept quickly backward toward where he had heard Fjalar fall. Meanwhile, the dizzied Vira finally collapsed onto her back, and the messy Razor was too pissed off to follow orders anymore. He began to charge toward Zack instead, roaring with rage, and Damen was too focused on also attacking him to notice.
Zack quickly picked up Fjalar and swung it into position, the chain on his arms swinging and clattering over it. His angry gaze remained on his enemies so they would not think about Jack anymore. He hoped this would now give him enough time to arm himself or escape.
With blood running from left forehead to chin, framed by a tattered cape, eyes sharp as any blade, and massive metal at his command, Zack was a dark sight to behold. But his shoulders were heaving with fatigue; he had been moving so fast all this time with no chance to slow down. And with two angry people now completely focused on him, he would have to keep going.
“Come on, scumbags,” he intoned, charging forward to meet their attacks.
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Post by SqiKy kLeen on Nov 12, 2006 2:23:59 GMT -5
Jack slowly lifted his head off the hardwood floor, trying to overcome the throbbing pain in his knee. He still wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but whatever they did to him, it hit a sweet spot.
As he lay there he watched Zack helplessly from the sidelines. The kid’s strength was unreal, most would say not of this world. Vira lay unconscious in the corner, and Sitan was immobilized as well, laying in a pool of blood. Meanwhile, Zack still battled furiously with Razor and Damen, who appeared to be struggling to keep up with the young warrior’s skill.
But he couldn’t let Zack fight these guys alone. These guys were known for their dirty tricks, and didn’t want Zack to fall victim to them that way. Not only that, but Jack had a personal score to settle with these guys.
Mustering all of his strength, Jack pulled himself across the floor, struggling to maintain a good grip on the varnished gym floor. The battle behind him lingered on, the occasional hard packing sounds of punches and clangs of steel randomly ringing in the air. If I could just get to the suit… Jack inched closer to where he had propped his backpack against the bleachers. Thankfully, it hadn’t been touched. He stretched in closer to suit, and just as he grabbed onto the strap…
CRUNCH!
Damen stood angrily over Jack, the heel of his left boot burying itself deep into Jack’s knee, adding another level of pain to his injury. He grunted in pain as Damen pushed harder on Jack’s knee.
Damen: “Where do you think you’re going?”
Jack ignored Damen’s assault and continued to struggle with the bag in attempt to gain the suit’s power. The latches clicked and the flap swung open, revealing the shiny metallic surface of the Earth Breaker.
Damen: “And just what the hell is that thing?”
Before Damen could speak another word, Zack charged full speed into him, holding the hilt of the Buster Sword in his right hand and pushing on the blade with the left, using the massive width of the sword as a portable wall. Zack and Damen collided and slammed into the floor each rolling in separate directions. Each sat motionless for a moment, then Zack slowly climbed to his feet, brushing off his clothes while giving Jack a quick nod.
Jack nodded back and prepared to arm himself with the suit. Unable to lift it due to its weight and his injury, he flipped it over and slid his arms through the straps while laying on the floor. The suit slowly came to life performing its start-up procedures and beeping with activity. As it unfolded, it forced Jack into a more upright position, eventually bringing Jack to a stand. As the suit straightened out his leg, he heard a crunch and grimaced in pain as the joints popped around in the socket.
*INJURY DETECTED> ADMINISTERING MEDICAL ASSISTANCE>*
The suits robotic voice chimed out again as Jack felt something attach to the underside of his knee, something like a suction cup. He twitched a bit as the suit fused with his skin. Whatever it was doing, it quickly numbed the pain, though he could still feel the joint swelling within the suits confines.
Jack once again regained control as the suit finished its startup procedures, immediately noticing a fierce battle raging between Zack and Damen. Damen was backed in a corner as Zack repeatedly swung at him with his Buster Sword, forcing him into a defensive retreat while only being able to block Zacks strikes.
As Zack continued to fight Damen, Razor slowly climbed to his feet, recovering from what looked to him to be a fake injury. In his hand he concealed a small black device. He proceeded to rush Zack from behind, bringing the box into contact with Zack’s back, sending him shaking helplessly to the ground in a gigantic shock of electricity.
Jack: “NOOOOOOOOOO!”
The two gangsters turned and looked at the angered Jack, taking their attention away from Zack. The two looked at each other then shot a look and a crooked half smile at Jack as they stepped forward. The two gangsters brought themselves within inches of his face, staring him down.
Razor: “And now were f*ck you up…”
Jack: “Just try it.”
“Cosplaying little bitch…” Razor cracked another smile and chuckled a bit as he closed his eyes and turned away from Jack. But his instincts told him a sucker shot was coming, and he was right. Razor reached around and swung a right hook at Jacks face, holding the tazer in his hand! In the blink of an eye, acting purely on twitch instinct, Jack threw up his hand to guard his face as the mighty grip of the suit caught Razors clenched fist, crushing the tazer between it along with several of Razors finger bones. Razor let out a loud scream as he dropped to his knees, his deformed hand continuing to compound even further as Jack squeezed tighter while bending his wrist almost all the way backwards.
“Please!... please stop…you little brat…” Razor cried as he attempted to free himself. Jack threw his hand off the side as Razor kneeled, supporting his shattered hand. Razor looked up to the now much taller Jack, a tear streaming down his face. “Hey man, I was just kidding…” Jack refused to answer his lies. “…I’m gonna kill you and then I’m gonna…”
But Razor didn’t utter another word. Jack let loose with a powerful punch which passed easily through Razors jaw with almost no resistance, bending Razors head and jawbone in ways they shouldn’t. Razor hit the floor like a dead fish, the blow knocking him out on impact.
Damen stood back in amazement, unable to believe what Jack had done using the suit. He brought himself to blurt out a few shaky words. “What..t-t-the hell… are you…”, Damen stuttered as Jack cut him short of any further speech. Jack sprung to life as the suit guided his hand directly to Damens throat in a high speed lunge. His grip tightened slowly, as Damen found himself struggling against a new man-machine hybrid. Damen swung his spiked gauntlets at Jacks arm, sending sparks flying onto the surrounding ground. No amount of force or effort could budge or even phase the suit.
After much more wasted effort on Damens part, Jack pulled his discolored face closer into his, staring directly into his eyes.
Jack: “Leave here. And never return.”
Damen mustered his last breath to give him the energy to nod in agreement as Jack threw him backwards by the neck into a basketball cage. Damen took a few moments struggling to regain his breath, falling face first into the ground at least twice from lack of exhaustion dizziness.
He doesn’t matter. Claude does. Jack immediately rushed over to the downed Zack, thinking about the massive power of the suit. It’s amazing… I brushed off those guys like nothing… I wasn’t even phased by any of their attacks. It’s almost like it does the work for you!...
…With this I’m untouchable!
“Claude, are you alright?” Jack asked as he bent over to assist him. “Yeah… it’s alright. Wow, that felt like I just got hit by a train… did you get ‘em?”
Jack: “Yeah.”
Damen staggered as he limped out the doorway of the gym, looking back to yell out one last thing to Jack. “You’re the devil, man!”
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Post by SqiKy kLeen on Nov 14, 2006 2:35:09 GMT -5
Damen's panicked and uneven footsteps echoed back down the hallway to the pair. But the sound was interrupted moments later by a scuffle and a quiet grunt.
The footsteps resumed, but these were heavier and evenly spaced. They got louder as time passed by. Damen reappeared in the doorway, but his feet were quite a ways above the ground. A second being supported him with a hand around his neck. Valtiel stood in the doorway, Damen held aloft with one arm.
Zack's jaw had gone slack even before Valtiel came into view. He had the eerie, sickening feeling in his stomach, which grew as the distance shrank. As the beast appeared, their previous opponent hung like a rag doll drying on a clothes-line, he forced his dry mouth to whisper, "Valtiel... It's Valtiel... Not again... Not already..."
The time from when he had last encountered him could be measured easily in minutes, only shortly in hours. And he had not had time to find the others... And now, Valtiel had found their hideout... Zack aimed his sword toward Valtiel, but as his stance looked strong and defensive, his expression was one of dismay and even fear. "...Valtiel... What are you doing here?"
"What? You mean, that thing..." Jack immediately remembered the name from when Zack had mentioned it earlier. Even as he began to step away from it he could feel a dark energy intensely radiating all about the room. Somehow, he recognized this energy. It was the same as that pitch black aura he had sensed earlier through the suits visor. He could feel it.
But how can things like this exist? It like some reanimated zombie from hell that you'd see in some video game... but still... it cant be that strong, it's just a heap of flesh... and I do have the suit..... That's it. I can take him. I just want all this to end...
Jack turned to stand and face this deformity of life, fighting the dark energy’s suffocation.
Valtiel looked between the duo in their ready postures. "Now now, don't get so uppity. I'm just checking up my favorite little boy here." He motioned toward Zack with his still struggling captive. "I wanted to make sure he wasn't causing any unnecessary commotion or getting into trouble." Valtiel glances at Damen. "But I see that this isn't the case. Haven't I taught you not to get involved with these brutish ruffians?"
Zack swallowed, his brows lowering. "Flattered I'm you're favorite... But you've taught me nothing. Those guys came to us. As did you. If you want left alone again..."
He hesitated. Should he tell Valtiel to leave? Or should he and Jack retreat? It was useless as a place of safety now. But the others might try to come back here... Zack would need to be in this vicinity to warn them, or clear it of the danger himself. Would there be a chance that Jack's powerful new weapon/armor could give them a chance against Valtiel? He wasn't sure... He looked at Jack, clearly at a loss, hoping Jack would at least understand that this creature would be utterly dangerous in a fight.
Jack acknowledged Zacks advice about the creature and returned his attention its presence. He knew he was going to have to be cautious about this. Slowly he brought himself to a calm tone. "Why did you come here anyways? Why us? And why now?"
Valtiel raised his arms slightly. "I stand before you now because it is necessary. But for you, as humans, you have no purpose. None of them do, you are all just a disease in this land that must be cleansed."
Zack's dead-serious mask dropped quickly, as did his sword. He pouted and exclaimed, "Oh come on now! I know a lotta people suck, but we're not ALL that bad! Senate sucks, and these guys here, but me an' Jack here are working on getting rid of 'em. Besides, you're not exactly a nice guy yourself. Slaying and torturing isn't the best way to make a good impression."
Valtiel sighed and shook his head. "You poor souls, you don't even know. The simple act of being human is crime enough for your punishment. People have been destroying this planet and each other since the beginning of time, I believe it's time to stop and start over."
"Maybe this is true..." Jack wondered as old memories came to mind. "But that doesn't mean you can't change it. There’s no way I'm gonna let myself die, even if it is just for a belief."
"But what about you? Haven't you killed hundreds if not thousands based on one belief? You know, you're just a damn hypocrite..." I just can't stand to see Damen to die at the hands of this thing...he might deserve it, but... The twisted nails of Valtiel dug deep into Damens flesh. He would be dead soon if Valtiel wasn't stopped.
That's it.
In a quick change of stance, Jack crouched down almost touching his left knee on the ground, then launched off the floor in a low lunge, while at the same time extending his right arm into a punch aimed at Valtiels throat.
The impact of Jack's fist echoed through the gym. Yet Valtiel stood unphased, still as stone. His head slowly tilted toward Jack under him, his fist still under his chin. "...You say I and a hypocrite? How many times have you killed an insect because it was buzzing in you're ear, how many times have you taken medicine to get rid of whatever sickness ails you? You are no different than me. I am simply this land's vaccine to cure the illness of human life.”
Valtiel put his right knee into Jack's chest, sending him through the air. He slammed into the oppisite wall with such force that it created a small crater in the concrete bricks. Jack feel on his face and lay there for a moment before looking up at the creature. Valtiel began a slow walk across the room.
"No one, not even you, will stop me from realizing my goal." Valtiel looked back at the struggling Damen. "Your turn..." He grabbed the collar of his captive's shirt and coat and tore them from his body, tossing them aside as he walked. He only held his free hand back for a brief moment before plunging his fingers into Damen's chest. His hand gripped and twisted, a large blob of flesh within his hand, Damen's frame showing through his now much tighter skin. Valtiel pulled back his hand, and just as easily as his shirt, the majority of Damen's flesh freed itself from his torso.
Valtiel stopped in the middle of the room. He brought the dripping rag behind him and tossed it across the room, landing with a splat just feet from Jack. His had slowly released his neck, allowing the still writhing lump to rest on the floor.
Zack's breath caught, and he felt bile rising in his throat. Damen may have been one evil bastard... but he was still in a human body, and that body had just been mercilessly pulled apart by the layer. What had once been a moving, breathing being was now a sloppy, wet mess of meat, wrought by the most casual of Valtiel's motions.
If he gets a hold of me or Jack... then... we'd end up...
Perhaps a blade could manage to hurt Valtiel if impacts could not... but perhaps not. Zack was once more caught in the fight-or-flight battle with his mind and body. But instead of being frozen in place, he quickly dashed to Jack's side, extending Fjalar defensively between them and the approaching, blood-covered monstrosity.
He began to pull at a section of armor on Jack's arm to pull him to his feet. "Fine, very nice... You can be crazy all you want in here, we're out of here."
Jack recovered his senses a bit after the intense shot to the gut he had taken. That strike had hit Jack so fast that he almost couldn't tell what it was. It felt like a high speed battering ram. Thankfully, the suit dispersed the impact somewhat, otherwise he would have thrown up after seeing...that.
It replayed over and over in slow motion. It was something no human should ever be subject to, nor bear witness to. Not to mention the god awful smell and sight of flesh strips dangled in your face. Maybe it's just a nightmare. Yeah... that’s it
But maybe, just maybe this suit can save me one last time... Feeling the soreness of the impact he had endured, Jack slowly stood up to face Valtiel.
Valtiel cocked his head at the rather resolute man. "You refuse to run even though it will save you're life? Oh well, one less pathogen to deal with."
Valtiel crouched down and placed the palm of his hand in the pooling blood at his feet. His fingers pressed against the surface, but after a moment slid into it like a deep body of water. He submerged his arm up to his elbow, then pulled it back out. But in his grasp was his corroded weapon of choice, pulled from the depths of darkness. He flicked the blade in front of him to clean off the wet filth, creating a splattered streak on the floor.
Jack took a small step back. He knew what this thing was capable of bare handed, and he didn’t want to know what a weapon attack would do. His eyes twitched around the room. "Claude...get out of here..."
"NOW!"
Jack once again kneeled down slightly, throwing his weight behind him in an attempt to escape Valtiels reach. The evil incarnate quickly and angrily swung for Jack, the gigantic edge of the blade passing within centimeters of Jacks suit. He launched himself backwards through the air several feet, landing near Zack and one of the back entrances of the gym.
Zack gritted his teeth. "Jack, you can't fight him alone! Either we both do it or I do it! But I still say we're better off finding the others first."
Jack: "I agree. Maybe, we can find them with this suit. We still need to get our things though. But there's no way I'm fighting death incarnate!"
At Jack's words, Zack felt relief that his friend wasn't about to stay after all. He quickly dashed to the side, diving for Fenrir and jerking the blade from the floor as he skidded to a stop. "Then we won't! Sorry Val, look at our tucked tails!" He took off running toward the door, with Jack's motorcycle as his planned destination.
Valtiel shot a glance back to Jack as Zack made his escape. The dark creature had cornered him and now had drawn a gigantic blade on the weakened Jack. Sensing a strike was imminent, Jack dove upward, missing by inches the sharp edge of Valtiels giant blade and somersaulting on top of the bleachers. Immediately after landing, Jack took off again to the other side of the gym, making a dive to gather their things. Jack hopped on top of the bike, followed closely by Zack. Gunning the throttle, the duo took off out the door of the gym and into the cover of night.
Valtiel paused as they fled. "If not now then later..." He rested the blade on his shoulder and walked back toward the door he had came from.
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Post by SqiKy kLeen on Nov 20, 2006 5:22:01 GMT -5
(OOC: another post by me and Zacloud. ;D )
Jack had been traveling through the streets of Midgar for about a couple hours now. He had not had a chance to take off the Earth Breaker given the extreme danger of the situation. He stuck to the shadows, the beams of moonlight highlighting their retreat at random intervals. After a bit of riding though, he once again brought focus to the injury he had sustained. Oddly enough, he wasn’t in any real pain from it, but he could feel that the wound had swelled immensely inside the suit and was pulsating within the knee supports.
Jack couldn’t believe what a turn his life had taken. In a matter of less than a couple of days he had lost two of his best friends, encountered an old pal from the ages ago, as well as a number of super powered beings, including one of the most twisted life forms this world has ever known.
Jack threw up a little in the back of his throat. That rancid smell was stuck. God knows what Damen had poisoned himself with before having…no. It doesn’t even sound right to say. It doesn’t even seem as if its physically possible… Valtiel was certainly everything Claude said it would be. Even Sephiroth was right…
He reminisced on his battles within the gym, his thoughts returning to his bout with the local street gang scum. The power of the suit was incredible… It eased the pain, and I just tore those guys up. I didn’t even need to put any effort into it, it was like my fist just glided through his face as if it wasn’t there…not to mention that they couldn’t even touch me…I felt invincible…
…but Valtiel is completely different. It was like I was on the receiving end of my own attack. His knee hit me like a two hundred mile an hour train; I’ve never encountered anything that powerful before, even an actual train! And the way he articulated his words, it’s as if he were human. …did I actually agree with him for a moment? It was like he could read my mind. I need to watch my thoughts around him. I could sense his aura, it seemed like the air around me was being choked off of oxygen. I wouldn’t put it past his capacity to play mind games.
Zack clung to Jack from behind as the air of the motorcycle’s breakneck speed threatened to tear him away. His eyes were wide despite the air’s drying force against them. He had expected, or at least hoped, to find his other friends at their haven. Instead, he and Jack had encountered many horrible enemies in a row. And it was still a sharp shock to have re-encountered Valtiel so soon after already escaping once. Now that Zack’s battle-ready side was silent, he could feel how harrowing it had all been.
But once more, his mind’s state would not allow it to affect him for long. Once more, it defended his consciousness by closing it all away and locking the door.
They were in a rather crumbled area near the outskirts of the city. Midgar, over the decades, had been migrating north-western like a slow-moving slug, leaving a trail of slimy rubble in its wake. It was this digested-and-rejected area the two young men had reached.
"We… should be far enough now,” he shouted up to Jack, putting effort into being heard above the rushing wind, “Most of these buildings look abandoned. We can take a break around here somewhere.”
Zack kept his eyes out for any of the places that didn’t seem to be caving in dangerously, or overrun by street thugs. He felt concerned for Jack, who was obviously lost in thought, probably confused as hell, and undoubtedly had at least one bad injury. Despite the fact that Zack’s own arm’s swelling was seemingly engulfing the chain around it, the wind numbed it fairly well, and Jack’s own well-being was definitely higher in priority.
Finally, he spotted several buildings in a row in a fairly quiet area. If one won’t work, then another’s bound to, he thought.
He slapped Jack’s left side twice, since he knew his friend probably couldn’t feel a mere poke through the suit. “This spot looks good,” he said, “I’ll run in an’ check ‘em out.”
Jack looked at the buildings, then nodded and slowed to a halt, albeit reluctantly. At first, it felt vulnerable to stop, and he instinctively looked behind him. From the corner of his eye, he actually saw Zack do the same thing for a moment, before the lad scampered toward the nearest building, gripping his clanking chain parasite to keep from tripping on it.
Zack first approached a large open bay with cracked, grass-laced cement for the floor. Critters scattered away from his approach. He saw an opening in the ceiling in the back, with a surprisingly smooth pole coming from above and firmly into the floor. Zack approached this, looked above, then leaped, trying to grab the edge of the floor above. He missed the first time; two large swords on his back, and the odd feeling after being on a vehicle for so long, being a large factor. He landed awkwardly too, the chain catching on his boot’s heel and forcing his upper-half down too fast.
“Gah, clumsy! I’m ok, folks!” he yelled cheerfully to the raccoons, snakes, and spiders watching him from the corners, waving to reassure them. He then set himself and tried again, this time succeeding, and pulling himself up partway to look around. Thanks to the draft of air from outside, it wasn’t as dusty as most buildings would be inside. The area seemed like a cross between a cafeteria and an office, with old telephones, charts, and computers lying around. There was a patchy old couch, several tables and chairs, a sink, and an open empty fridge.
Zack could actually see quite well; the overhead lights were on. Does this place still have power? Oh… maybe it’s got solar.
He looked to the side and saw the inner door to the foyer was open. So he dropped down, catching himself with his hands and re-gathering the chain before standing, and trotted around outside the bay and up the outside stairs to the main office’s door. He paused to take in the letters: “K-Division Midgar Vol. Fire Dept.” It was gibberish to Zack, so he shrugged and tried the door. It opened.
Smiling, and seeing nobody else inside save a few mice and insects, Zack motioned for Jack to come on up. “It looks good! Real good!” He was grinning; finding something this nice after what they’d been through, was a great thing to focus on, thus he did so with vigor.
Indeed, Zacks intuition was right. Maybe if we we're lucky, we'll find some food left in here. Jack thought. “Nice choice…an old fire station. This is a good place to crash.”
Jack stood himself next to one of the kitchen stools, and "thought" his way out of the suit. As it folded and repackaged itself, he could feel something detach from his inner knee, the pain shooting through his leg once again as the Earth Breaker reformed into its backpack shape. Jack fell back onto the stool, gripping his swollen knee.
Zack cried out in surprise, stepping forward with his arms slightly extended. "Jaaack you shoulda sat first! Do you think it's broken or dislocated? Lemme take a look." He actually did not wait for permission and quickly lifted Jack's pant leg, being as careful as possible not to move the injured joint further.
Zack examined it closely, then slowly sighed. "Damn, looks painful... but I think it's only dislocated. Thank goodness. Broken knees are so hard to fix. Have you popped joints in before? If not I'll do it, you should lay on the couch." He began pulling a bit of cloth from the edge of his cape. His voice was edged with sympathy, yet efficient and all-business in manner, giving the impression of expert experience.
Jack hated being in a position like this, but he knew Zack had good intentions. "I'll be fine, its just a little swollen. Actually, the pain is kinda dissipating now...this is a fire station, maybe there’s some ice around or something."
He limped over to one of the longer kitchen benches and lay the leg straight across it. "I don't think we'll be doing any more traveling tonight. I'm going to have to rest up if I'm going to have a hope of driving that motorcycle and finding the others."
Zack sighed and weighed his options, then headed to the freezer to see if there was any ice, although it was not instinctive to him to check a freezer. It was cold inside, and there was an ice cube tray, but the cubes inside were shrunken quite small, having sublimated over time. Still, there was enough in amount that, put together, they would provide a decent cold compress. He brought the tray out, and began to use more cloth from his cape to create a suitable means of icing the whole knee. He tied it on carefully, leaving it loose enough for blood flow but snug enough that it would do its job. "There we go... When the swelling goes down hopefully we'll be able to tell. You'll have to bend it to really find out though."
He sighed again, and took a seat on an opposite bench, resting his elbows on his thighs and lowering his head. "Lots o' crap today... I'm real sorry you got caught up in this, Jack... I was really hoping the Senate would be your only problem..."
"Eh... I don't even know what to say at this point." Jack sighed. "This has been a real trip. It's hard to believe everything that happened in the past 24 hours..." Jack let out another sigh and looked off at the wall. "I know what you're up against now... it really is horrifying."
Zack slowly nodded. "Yeah... at least I've had a buildup o' crazy. You had it all just dumped on you now." His mind mulled over a few things for a moment, and he went to rub his hands over his face when the chain clanked to remind him it was still there. He let out one rueful chuckle and began to attempt untangling the easiest end on his arm-guard. Then he paused.
"Wait... Earlier did you say something about... finding the others?" He had been so caught up in trying to help Jack's knee that he'd only half paid attention.
"I see it like this," Jack contemplated. "So far the suit has identified every person I've come into contact with so far. If it worked for the three of you, it has to work for the others. I can't let something like that run rampant..."
Zack slowly smiled, his eyes brightening. Jack was coming with him to find the others. Not only would his help be very valuable to them all, but his company to Zack as well. Introducing him to the others would be great, even if it would be down-to-business afterward.
But then, he thought for another moment. "Well, we all definitely plan on going after Valtiel... But, Sephiroth did say that we needed to get offa this continent quickly... And trust me, he usually really seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to something so drastic. That Dark Crono guy he's been dealing with... He's up to something that probably overshadows Valtiel at the moment... Damn, I don't even want to think about something that much worse!"
He resumed working at the chain, using his teeth to help since one injured hand was hardly doing the job.
Jack: "Then it sounds like we're going to need all the help we can get. In either case, we all need to regroup if we want to stand a chance against him. If we need to get off the continent then so be it, but individually we're sitting ducks."
The harmless end of the chain fell into Zack's lap then slid onto the floor with a resounding *kchnk!* Zack looked at Jack and nodded, his brow narrowing slightly with determination. "Definitely. Lynx, I'm not even sure if he'll come with us or not, he's a bit of a loner, but if he does he'd definitely come in handy. Bax though, he's loyal and very powerful. A real great guy, and super valuable in a fight. Heh, I'd say a lot stronger than me."
He started trying to pick a knot out of the chain on his arm, but paused with a hiss, eyes squeezing shut. It would not be easy with all the swelling, and he didn't want to look like a wuss, so he just covered it with his hand and grinned at Jack, ignoring it for now. "You'll probably like him, least I hope so."
"I'm sure I will; I've heard nothing but good about him." Jack smiled. He stopped for a moment, taking in the sounds of the abandoned station. Aside from the squeaking of a few rodents, it was rather relaxing. He hadn’t had a good silence in a long time. "We should get some rest though."
Zack nodded. "Yeah. You take first choice o' bedding; I'm used to just about anything." He stood and headed for the foyer, the slack of the chain trailing like a snake across the floor. He didn't want Jack to feel like a useless observer while Zack got the darn thing off. "Be back in a minute," he chirped, trying his best like always to sound fine. Against the windowed doorway's moonlighting, he was silhouetted as black, including his spiky hair.
Jack shuffled around for a place to rest; he wasn't particularly picky either. As long as he could get somewhere to rest his leg he would be fine. As his head hit the backpack he had folded up, he felt the waves of drowsiness and exhaustion sweep over him. He was out in a matter of seconds.
Meanwhile, Zack worked at the chain, and slowly got it loose. The throbbing grew worse as blood could once more flow through the injured area. Zack bit his lip and leaned up and down, eyes closed tightly, until the pain grew more tolerable. He was quite concerned there might be a hairline fracture, but it was impossible to tell without making it a more advanced fracture, so he decided he would just have to be careful for a while.
He pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and poured some on to cool it and wash the ruptured areas, as well as cleaning the wound over his eye and the dried blood from his face. Then he headed back out to get some rest. He saw that Jack was already sleeping, right on the floor.
Zack sighed and shook his head. "Jack... You always were such a hardass." He wondered if he should take that as a kind offer to use the couch, but he would feel bad to have such a luxury when Jack wouldn't, so he simply removed his swords and sank back against the wall near the doors, so if anyone intruded he would be first to hear it.
The very long day had taken its toll, and quickly Zack's eyes fell shut and his head lowered to his chest.
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