FFVII: Rebirth Of Armageddon (starts, again. LSUs accepted)

[Nylf]

OOC: Well here we go. Again. Yes, this is (mostly) c+ped.

He stared into the sunset from his late grandfather's ruined observatory. His red hair, turning grey slowly, showed how much time had phased him.

Unfortunatlye, time did not phase other things. As he sat their, he could sense Meteor awakening deep in space, it's dark will grabbing onto any and all energy it could find so it could begin it's ultimate task.

Nanaki turned to the cliff, and jumped down skillfully, not missing a single footstep, and landed by the Cosmo Candle. The flame that had burned in the centre of his home since before he could remember, and considering that is over two hundred years...well it speaks for itself. Several spheres of red energy appeared before him, all in a circle. He sat down, as each ball of light flickered in the flames, sometimes revealing their true form, a ghostly spectre of their true power.

"The time has come great guardians. The Planet needs help of heroes. Yes, I can tell as well. a lot has happened since those days. I know you have come to me, being the only one of your first heroes left, but I am too old, my hero days are history. There are ones out there more suited for the task. Go, find them, and bring them here. I know as well as all of you do, with the exception of our newer members, what is happenening, so I will assist you in this. You have my word," the spirits flickered, almost as if discussing what the old Cancient had said. Eventually, they faded. Nanaki smiled.

"So, this is how Bugenhagen felt..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over in the distance, on the grassy fields before the great Cosmo Canyon, the sound of an engine could be heard. A large black assault trike roared through the wilderness, monsters being cut down by the rider as he rode towards the canyon.

The rider was tall, wearing a black leather jacket. His hair could be likened to a birds nest, being a similar shade of brown and looking about as messy. He wore jeans that were tattered with holes, some patched, some not. One hand rested on the handlebars of his trike, theother holding a long sword in it. Normall designed for two handed wielding, the man was wielding it rather well with just one. He screeched to a halt, as a bizarre red light appeared before him.

Something deep within him told him to get closer, so he got off, and walked over to it. In a flash of multi coloured lights and ancient runes, three dragons appeared before him. Sieg, as the man was known by, stepped back and grasped the hilt of his blade, not knowing whether the dragons were friend or foe. They beckoned him to lower his weapon with simple hand gestures.

" Do not worry, descendant of the Great Calamity From The Sky, we are not your adversairies," the largest of them spoke to Sieg telepathically. The dragon was huge, and was technically high in the air, and if it's form hadn't been spectral it would have easily blacked out the sky itself. It's six wings and a silver hide were incredibly imposing. The smallest, a large black dragon, but barely a third of the silver one's size, who hovered in front of Sieg, now spoke.

"We are the three grand lords of the Dragons, Bahamut, Neo Bahamut and BahamutZERO. Our fourth brother, SIN could not be here. We are three of the many guardians of this planet, and we come seeking your help," Sieg sheathed his sword, and lowered his guard. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to trust the three. Their aura felt almost...familiar to him, as if he'd met them before. But a sharp pain through his mind erased the thought, as the second largest began to spoke.

"It is best not we tell you know. Go to Cosmo Canyon, where the Great Elder will tell you more," this one was twice the size of the smallest and a deep crimson red. It's build was far more elaborate than the smallest, but no-where near as large as the silver one. Sieg nodded, he was on his way to Cosmo Canyon anyway. Almost as if they could read his mind, which he worried they could, they smiled and disappeared ina similar manner to their appearance. Sieg shrugeed, and leapt onto his trike, before continuing to Cosmo Canyon.

Little did he know, he had taken his first step onto a path that not only decided his fate, but the whole Planet's as well...


OOC: All you do is post your introductory post and meeting with your Summons. Also, your decision to head to Cosmo Canyon.

 

[Masa Mune]

Syvet hobbled along the bedrock desert, bloody and bruised, though not from the monsters of the area; they were easy enough to handle.
“That’s the last time I ask Marci to rough me up while she’s angry at me…”

Trekking across the stone, Syvet began hearing a quack like sound he was becoming all too familiar with. Fumbling inside his new yet torn robes, he drew his six-shooter and prepared to pre-empt another devastating Mad Bomber attack. The penguin-esque beast flew out from where the sun was, the marksman barely having the reaction time to put a bullet through its left wing, sending it off course. Syvet flinched at not hitting it in the head, his reaction times were too far gone at this point… but with the creature wounded, he’d not miss again.

Aiming the gun carefully he pulled the trigger only to find nothing happen and the monster was starting to recover. Deftly opening the chamber, he realized all of his rounds had been spent, and he wasn’t going to have enough time to reload in his current state; there was only one option left. Holstering his weapon, he stood as straight as he could and pointed his left arm at the beast. On this arm was a bangle holding two green orbs, and one of them was beginning to glow. In a quick release of energy, a bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips and into the opponent before him, striking it dead, but sending the young captain flying back from the recoil.

“Now this is a prime example why one should never use materia when they can barely keep balance… I know I didn’t want to risk anyone knowing who I was aver at Cosmo Canyon, but perhaps my disguise methods were a bit extreme; maybe I should call the Ark before another of those little b******s come to pick me off.”

Fumbling around for his phone, a voice began speaking in his head that sent him to his feet in a defiant anger.
“Is that all a Silverbane is capable of? How disappointing, why your father…”

“What the hell am I doing? Of course I can keep going!”

Another glow came from Syvet’s bangle and this time he was basked in a glow, some of his wounds closing.
“At least this should be enough to get me to town without blowing my cover.”
And with that, the pirate hobbled off; however as Syvet left the area, a shape formed; a true monstrosity of… something.”

“Yes, I realize your concerns Doomtrain, but that was necessary… he’s the type that needs to be manipulated. Don’t worry though, he’ll learn the truth soon enough.”

 

[Shadowfaith]

Kali (Jenova Descendent) and Jack (Wolf/ Dog)

A roar of an engine could be heard over the calm hills of the Gongaga area, disturbing the peace and alarming all creatures wandering at that time. A flock of wild birds gushed from their hiding place as a black motorbike raced by in haste. Its silver frame was covered in sleek looking black armour, topped with a screen which protected the occupant’s eyes from the harsh wind that blew forth. Upon the back was some sort of red symbol, unknown to the rider to be the logo of the Shinra Company.

The person who rode upon it was a young woman in her early twenties. Some would be entranced by her abnormally sleek looking silver hair and piercing emerald gaze, but many others would have fled at her unapproachable gaze. She wore a heavy black trench coat, which blew with the wind behind her, and a pair of black glasses that along with the screen protected her eyes from the particles of dust that would have abused her eyes.

Running at her side was a powerful looking creature. It looked to be an abnormally big dog, but its features were also lupine. Its muscles pumped gracefully as it ran along side the motorbike in what was an abnormally fast pace. To keep up with a motorbike was amazing, even for such a weird looking creature such as this.

The two had been travelling aimlessly for days, stopping at random villages to see if there was any jobs that they could fulfil, of course, their help came with a small fee depending on how big the job was. They did not work for free, and certainly did not work big jobs for so little money. If villagers were unwilling to pay her price, then they could deal with the problem themselves.

As the pair rounded a corner, a bright light emitted in front of them, which would have blinded the rider if it weren’t for her glasses, but the light was still bright enough to avert her gaze. The dog on the other hand, whimpered in agony and clenched its eyes closed forcefully.

Coming to a stop and placing her foot on the ground, Kali removed her glasses slowly and lifted herself from the padded seat. She calmly flipped up the holster and walked cautiously towards the glowing light, which seemed to be taking some sort of form.

Before long, there were three different creatures standing before her.

Immediately, Lupus and Extraho were at her sides, ready to strike if any one of these creatures made a single wrong move. But they slowly lowered when one of the creatures stated that they meant her no harm.

“I am Leviathan, one of the beast lords of the universe. I guard the seas and the creatures that occupy it. I am here to guide you through the difficult journey that lies ahead of you. For the sake of the world you must accept this challenge.” The beast was what Kali would describe as a sea serpent, tall in length and silver-blue in colour, it was a truly magnificent creature.

Kali returned Lupus and Extraho to their sheaths and crossed her arms gracefully over her chest, staring up at this mythical being. She replied calmly, “It depends on what the job is.”

“This is no job,” replied a beautiful looking bird, with shimmering wings and an aura of demand revolving around her. The Phoenix had a voice which demanded respect and a gaze which entranced even Kali. “This is your fate. If you turn your back on this request, then you will be the downfall of this world, you must accept this challenge.”

Kali sighed mournfully and lowered her gaze to the floor. “If I accept this, then whomever has requested me do this task, will have to pay the price and I will not work cheap for a job such as this”

The three headed dog, who she immediately knew to be Cerberus, guardian of the underworld, spoke in a gruff, hissing tone. She noticed that the middle head was the one to do the talking, as if the other two heads did not possess the ability. “You are a stubborn one. I can assure you that this job will be worth your while. But for your pay, you must work hard and long.”

Kali nodded, turning her back on the three summon spirits and climbed back atop her bike. She replaced the glasses on the bridge of her nose and lifted the hold on the bike. The weight of the vehicle was held easily in her grasp, and she asked one more question, “Where and who do I seek?”

Leviathan was the one to answer the question. “Across the River to Cosmo Canyon, seek the wise one who takes residence there.”

And with that, Kali left on her way, followed by a still whimpering Jack.

 

[Raposa Dalua]

Naomi sighed, poking at the embers of the slowly dying campfire that sat before her. Next to her was a rather large creature; she was nestled quite comfortably in the grass and looked very much like she wouldn't be moving again for quite awhile. The golden chocobo let out what looked to be a strained sort of yawn, and settled her head down on the ground. Naomi just laughed and reached over to ruffle the feathers on her head. She opened one eye lazily, her animalistic purple eye gazing up to meet the human like green eyes of her partner.

"C'mon, you can't be that tired already Alexsis. It's barely dinner time and you look ready to call it a day. I'm not that heavy, am I?" the red haired girl asked.

Alexsis only clacked her beak in reply, closing her eye again and rubbing her head into the soft grass. Naomi chuckled good naturedly, shaking her head as she reached over and attempted to poke the fire alive again with a rough brown stick. She grunted in frustration when nothing happened, and gave up, tossing the thin branch into the fire. It landed straight up, and not a second later the pile of logs before her burst into flame. The sudden sound of the fire exploding to life shocked Alexsis out of her sleepy stupor, and she let out an irritated "Wark!" in Naomi's general direction. Naomi, however was far too startled by the action itself to try and explain that she hadn't caused the fire to leap up as it just had a second ago. And the thing that came next did little to steady her fast beating heart.

Emerging from the trees surrounding them was a demon that looked as though he had stepped right up from the very pits of Hell. His skin was goldish brown in color, and a spiky purple mohawk could be seen arching back inbetween the two freakishly large horns protruding from his head. Despite being hunched over, he was still scarily large. He was laughing uproarously as he tramped towards the frightened duo. He finally stopped on the other side of the fire and promptly sat himself down; his fanged smile reaching from ear to ear.

"Oh, the looks on yer faces," he spoke with a rugged, yet surprisingly friendly voice, "They was priceless. Gold, I tell ye." He laughed again.

To his immediate left was a little pink moogle, equipped with a bandana and two extremely cute, amber colored eyes. He was mounted on what at first glance appeared to be a normal chocobo. However, closer inspection would reveal that his feathers were a much brighter yellow, and he had a certain air about him that made him seem incredibly different.

Following directly behind the two were three other entities, each appearing to represent a different element. The first to follow was a creature whose skin was so pale that if she was as human as she looked, she'd be dead. Her icy blue skinned body was (barely) covered by an unknown, lavender colored fabric, which wrapped around and hung neatly behind her back. Her long, aqua colored hair was pulled into a high set ponytail, and even when it was pulled back it still trailed fairly close to the ground. She was currently shaking her head, her purple eyes concentrated on the still shivering Naomi.

"You really shouldn't have scared her like that Ifrit," the ice elementalist chided, "I can only imagine that she's terrified of you now, and that will do us no good."

"Come now Shiva," came the crinkled, yet firm sounding voice of the old man to her right, "He was only having a bit of fun. I'm sure the young Cetra is not scarred for life because of this."

"Yeah, it's alright Ice-Butt, no need to get all huffy. Naomi here an' I 're gonna be pals, right? She forgives me, right?"

Ifrit cast his red eyes towards the oddly clothed girl on the other side of the fire, who had long since stopped shivering. She had the oddest look on her face, as though she was both relieved and utterly lost at the same time. Her mouth opened and closed, each time she shook her head, trying to think of what to say. Finally, she just blurted out the question she had been meaning to ask the minute she saw them emerge from the foliage.

"Who the hell are you people?!"

Ifrit merely blinked at her, his expression half shocked, half unreadable. Shiva looked slightly taken aback, and the old man next to her chuckled lightly as he adjusted the long, cream colored robes that were draped around his body. The chocobo next to Ifrit was thrown into such a fit of giggles that he had half a mind to excuse himself, but thought the better of it. It took a few minutes, but he managed to regain his composure. He coughed, harumphed, and presented himself with a bow. The moogle on his back held on for dear life.

"I apologize for suddenly intruding like this, but we have some important things to discuss," he could barely contain his grin as he continued, "As for, 'who the hell we are,' as you so kindly put it, allow me to explain. I am Choco, and the little kamikaze sitting on my back is known as Mog. The one responsible for making your fire explode is Ifrit here. You should be thanking him really, it'll burn brightly for the rest of the night now-"

Choco was cut off by an annoyed cough from Shiva, an indication that he should quit rambling and get on with it. He ruffled his feathers in response, and continued speaking.

"The blue one back there is Shiva; standing next to her is the wise yet very old Ramuh. And lastly, the one brooding in the back there, waaayy behind everyone else is the ever social Titan."

Her pistachio eyes shot up, noting the large stoic figure in the background. This one had large muscles that could rival Ifrit's, but his skin was darker in color. His pure white eyes, which were completely lacking in any sort of irises or pupils, stared ahead emotionlessly. It was as though he was simply waiting for this to finish so he could leave again.

"Not very nice, is he? Staying near the back, trying to leave you wondering just what he was doing," Choco joked lightly, "Together we are the Elemental Masters: wind, fire, ice, thunder, and earth summons, respectively. We were specially created to protect this planet in times of danger."

"You see," he started, now taking on a far more serious tone, "This planet is about to find itself in great peril... again..." he trailed off, as though remembering something he'd rather not, then started up again with new determination, "And we're going to need your help."

Naomi, now looking even more surprised (I mean, listening to a wind-based elemental chocobo speak to her is surprising enough), but Choco cut her off, "I cannot explain much now, but you must make your way to Cosmo Canyon. There you will find a wise creature who will be able to explain the situation in greater detail. Will you partake in this quest?"

The Cetra hesitated, staring down at the ground with uncertainty. This was a lot of information to swallow, and it was hard to accept it all at once. Heck, it was pretty hard to believe that she wasn't dreaming, or even hallucinating. But this seemed far too real to be either. Still... her? Needed to help the planet, the very earth she had lived on and listened to for so many years? The concept seemed nearly impossible to comprehend.

"I... don't know. Maybe. I guess?" she stuttered out, keeping her eyes fixated on the ground. She didn't want to look up and see their disappointed faces.

"I understand that this must be difficult to accept," the weary voice of Ramuh reached out to her, his tone kind and understanding, "At least make you way to Cosmo Canyon so that you may listen to the entire story. This will give you some time to think."

Naomi nodded slowly, muttering a soft "sure" as she found the courage to lift her gaze from the ground. By the time she looked up, however, the strange entities that greeted her had disappeared without a trace. She blinked in surprise and looked around worriedly, half expecting the rambunctious Ifrit to jump out and scare her again. But there was nothing. She felt both relieved and a little guilty as she looked back to the fire. It crackled merrily, almost tauntingly in front of her, like a mocking reminder of what had just taken place. The reddish-pink haired girl finally turned to look at Alexsis, whose expression was still quite shocked, as though she had forgotten how to blink. A little half smile broke through the somber mood as she waved her hand in front of the chocobo's face, trying to get her attention. Seeing as this didn't work, Naomi brought her hands to her face and cupped them around her mouth.

"FREE GREENS FOR THE FIRST CHOCOBO TO STAND AND DANCE WILDLY!"

The great golden bird immediately stood and started jumping about crazily, finishing her odd dance with a leap and a twirl. She landed in an undignified heap on the ground. She breathed heavily, but was definetely more awake than she was a few seconds ago. Naomi laughed and laughed as she knelt down next to her now quite miffed friend, who realized that she had been tricked. Alexsis clacked her beak unappreciatively as she shifted about, trying to get her feathers to lay down again.

"Aw c'mon Alexsis, I had to get you out of that state somehow. Any longer without blinking and your eyes might've popped out," she managed out between laughs, "Now, we'd best settle down. After all, we've gotta make a trip to Cosmo Canyon tomorrow, right?"

The gold chocobo nodded almost excitedly in response. She noted this as odd, and peered down at her feathery companion.

"You like that other chocobo, don't you?"

Somewhere in the distant starlit sky, raucious laughter could be heard.

 

[Nylf]

OOC: As it's clear no-one but us four wants to post, we'll just do this on our own. People can still jump in anyway.

BIC: Sieg came to the gates outside the village, and screeched to a halt, his trike skidding till it turned sideways. He got off, and looked around. The place seemed to be in a perpetual sunlight, a warm red glow shining against the walls of the canyon. Various green roffed buildings stuck out. At a large fire in the centre of town sat a tall red Cancient, a rdge of brown fur running down his back. His fur was greyng in places, and his tatoos were fading gradually, but he remained an impressive sight. A sharp pain shot through Sieg's head, as he walked over to the creature.

"Hello Nanaki," Sieg said.

"How do you know my name? We have never met." the Cancient replied cooly, centuries of experience seemed to echo in his voice.

"I...don't know. Just, well it's weird, I guess I must've heard of you somewhere. Anyway, these three dragons, I think they called themselves Bahamut, Neo and ZERO, said to meet the Grand Elder, and is my gut right in guessing that's you?"

"You are right on both parts. I sent the Bahamuts to choose someone to help me, and know I have to hope they chose well. What is your name, and must ask, was there one with them called SIN?"

"My name's Sieg, and I'm afraid not, though the non-titled Bahamut mentioned them having a brother by that name,"

"This brings another point to my fear, but for know, you must be patient. I am awaiting the other summons to return with their chosen. Did you travel far?"

"No, I was actually just on my way here," Nanaki studied the Jenova Descendent. There was something about him. It was stange, but Nanaki felt like he had met Sieg somewhere before. The feeling he got, it was bizarre. It was the same as back when he was forty five, but it couldn't be. Anyone who had known him at that time was now deceased. But still, this 'Sieg' couldn't be dismissed as run of the mill. The Bahamut's had chosen him, and those three dragons, especially ZERO, had only ever reacted to one other human with anything near to alliance. And why would he be on his way here before meeting the Bahamuts?

"I think that is no mere cooincidence, now then, follow me," the old creature slowly rose, and walked casually over to one of the many caves in the cliff's face. Sieg followed, staring in awe at the place, never shaking the feeling of familiarity.

They passed through several tunnels, walking by many old rooms and shops along the way. Flashes kept coming to Sieg's mind, and he often found him self seeing the places as if they were brand new, then blinking, and seeing them corroded and abandoned once more. Evenetually, they came to where the Cancient had been planning to take him. A large steel door awaited them. It's grey form was dotted with numerous bronzed patches of rust. The aura it gave off was one of manevolance. Sieg stepped back. He didn't know how or why, but whatever was behind that door, he knew was bad news.

"My grandfather left a document how to open this door, behind this is your test. There are others who will come, but whether that is important or not is up to you. Your test is to make it to the back of this cavern. You will enter alone, but others will probably meet you. Whether you ally yourself with them or not is up to you," Nanaki closed his eyes, and the many tatoos on his body glowed flame red. The door rose, and, rather cheekily, the Cancient pushed Sieg forwards with his tail, before closing the door behind the Jenova Descendant. Sieg turned in shock, and sighed, before sitting down, his back to the door.

"Great, well I may as well wait for these others. Something's telling me that this place isn't going to be traversable on my own," Sieg thought, as the Cancient returned to the candle to await other arrivals.

OOC: Basically, meet Nanaki, then enter the Cavern Of The Gi. You can go right ahead, talk with Sieg, whatever. However at the end, be aware something's waiting...

 

[Masa Mune]

Tattered, tired, and bloody, Syvet finally reached his destination of Cosmo Canyon. Letting out a sigh of relief, Syvet could only muster saying, "At last!", before passing out on the first step. When he next awoke, the captain was lying in a bed, fully recovered from his injuries; surprised he bolted up, only to find her was still very much soar.

"Don't be so impatient child, the magic can cure the lacerations, but it won't remove the lingering pain;" echoed the voice of of someone from a back room, "now let's finish taking a look at you and see if you're truly fit to start moving again."

With that the old Cancient made himself visible, and a clearly startled Syvet fell straight down. With his composure already cracked from waking up in a strange room, this was certainly more than enough to break it.

"M-m-m... N-n... um"

Nanaki let forth a soft chuckle; it had been quite some time since he'd gotten such a reaction from anyone. It was quite obvious he was going to need to start the conversation, so he did not hesitate to do so, "I am the Elder of Cosmo Canyon, and you young traveler, who might you be?"

Syvet managed to regain enough composure to try and speak, "I'm Syvet-", at that moment it dawned on him, he had not taken the time to come up with an alias to go by, and the old cat was beginning to look puzzled by the man's sudden silence.

"Sssyvetler?.... Gah! I mean, um, Sylvester... Yeah, Sylvester Silvermane."

Syvet managed a smile, but he was sweating bullets on the inside, and could only think of how pathetic of an alias he had come up with, but the cancient just seemed to smile.

"Well then Sylvester Silvermane, what can I do for you? The Canyon doesn't get many visitors these days."

with that, Silverbane seemed to calm; it seemed this creature had bought what he was said. Seeing he had his mental footing again he stood up, albeit painfully, and smoothed out his tattered robe before clearing his throat and clearly stating his purpose.

"Ah, yes... well I am a scholar of materia, and I came here to do research... though I must say, it probably would have been wise for me to hire a body guard; though alas I did not have the funds for that... Anyway, I'm here researching some very special materia; some considered by most of my colleagues to be myth; those referred to as the Master Materia."

With that Nanaki's expression turned a bit more serious, "And why would you be searching those out?"

Thinking quickly, Syvet came up with what he thought to be the perfect excuse; "I was just thinking of how a materia capable of holding such power could benefit society, especially if how exactly it was structured was opened to our knowledge!"

With that the cancient began walking out the door, but not before saying one final piece.

"The materia you speak of were legendary when I was young, their existence has never been confirmed truly... I would suggest you take up more traditional Materia Sciences... unless... well, I suppose I could tell you a little of what I've heard if you can take care of a small task."

A gleam appeared in Syvet's eye, he found an opportunity to strike and he was going to, "If you will translate for me a book I found that I believe to contain information on the Master Materia as well, you have yourself a deal... um... what was your name again? I don't think I caught it."

A sly grin spread across the ancient's face, "ah, that's because I never spoke it... after all, we all need to keep our secrets, right Sylvester?"

With that, Nanaki left the room followed closely by a now somewhat flabbergasted Syvet; though he was not to stay in such a state for long as the duo soon arrived upon a large metal door.

"The task that awaits you is beyond that door... leave the book with me and I'll see what I can make of it by the time you return."

Syvet had lost control of things again, and he couldn't quite figure out how. He was only sure that he was dealing with a crafty being that seemed to know how to play him like a fiddle. So left with little choice, he put the thick tome into the Cancient's mouth and he walked into the doorway, only to find another person already inside, back to the door. Before he could turn around to question it though, the way was once again closed.

A bit of a chuckle escaped from Nanaki and he could help but think how right Eden was on this one and how to handle him. He was just glad that the boy seemed to have purpose in his heart; it may not have been pure, but it was far from evil; and as he recalled, it wasn't just the pure-hearted that could save the world. A smile crept upon his widened lips as he began to reminisce a little on the old days; he was lost so much in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice the loud banging on the steel, obviously coming from a slightly annoyed Syvet.

Meanwhile, annoyed, but realizing no good would come of his actions, the pirate captain sat down against the wall and gazed and his fellow captive and then looked around to see what he could tell from his spot, also taking the time to regain himself. Now back to his normal demeanor he looked at his fellow captive and said the only thing that would come to his mind; "So what did he promise you?"

 

[Nylf]

"No promises, just some test, see if I'm worthy of using the Bahamut materia, or something like that, he said there were other's coming," Sieg took his sword off his back, and used it to lever himself up. He sighed once more. Not his day.

"Well, now I know there's someone else here, I'm going in, follow if you will, but if I tell you to run, run. I can be somewhat...beastly when I don't mean to be," he walked forwards, his sword dragging behind him, sparks shooting off the blade as he went.

High above them, the malevolant eyes of a thousand deceased spirits watched them, their long dead optics gleaming red, with a thirst for blood, and vengeance...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"THE CAVERN OF THE GI!? What are you thinking Nanaki, sending them into there! They'll die for sure," a huge black dragon, invisible to all but the hound he was talking to, sat next to the flame. Bahamut, the youngest of the four Dragon Lords.

"You worry too much Bahamut. Times have changed, the Gi have lost their touch now. Anyway, at this point, they both have powers beyond mine and the other's in our day. Two hundred years is a long time to mortals Bahamut, a long time indeed..." he stared to the skies. Faces appeared on it. Two hundred years ago...he hated to admit it, but dspite the horrors of that age, despite the terror of the One Winged Angel, the Calamity From The Sky, and Shinra, something had made those days his most preciosu memories. He could only wonder, where were they? Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, the others? Did they wander the Lifestream, or had their life energy been reused? Or maybe...no. No, they won't come back. Only the One Winged Angel ever came back. The dragon looked down to him.

"Let go. The days of heroes have passed. The world's at peace, and we have them to thank. But didn't Cloud say the only way for both you and them to move on...was to let go?" Nanaki nearly laughed, then sighed.

"You are right Bahamut, no then, go, if you really don't want to see the young Jenova Descendant die, then I won't stop you from protecting him. Be aware though, that while I believe him powerful enough to pass through Gi Cabern, that does not mean he can call you yet," at this point, Nanaki lay his head down. Letting go...he learnt a long time ago, that was one thing you had to do, but never wanted to do.

 

[Masa Mune]

Syvet sighed and jumped to his feet from his sitting position, and discarded the robe, showing his normal attire.

"Yeah, follow, suppose I have nothing better to do... wouldn't worryabout me too much though; I'm quite adept at taking care of myself."

The two moved for a few moments in somewhat eerie and uncomfortable silence, until Syvet decided he best get used to his poorly chosen alias lest he slip up at a critical point.

"Well, I'm not expecting any friendships or bonding, but if we're going to be working together in this cave, we might as well introduce ourselves to each other... The name's Sylvester Sivermane; just call me Sly for short; and you are?"

They progressed a little farther into the workings of the cavern, and Syvet was noticing a slow build in the miasma about them; his gut told him this was far from a good sign, but he also knew turning back would more than likely be meaningless.

"Alright then, don't tell me your name... but when whatever Cetra forsaken creature that lives in here and decides to go after your obviously more nourishing build, don't expect me to yell out 'Hey you! Watch out!'... I only use names... speaking of which..."

Syvet draws his gun and makes sure to load it from a satchel of bullets hanging from his side.

"Don't know if these will do any good... and call me paranoid... but I prefer to not take chances in a place where the dead are quite literally staring at me."

Not even turning around or even stopping, the Jenova descendant spoke matter of factly, "So you can sense them?"

Syvet almost let out a bit of a guffaw at the question.
"Sense them? I can see them quite plainly, and they look, dare I say, hungry... but somehow I don't think it matters as I'm guessing you can see them too... in fact, I think a blind and inbread chocobo would still have enough sense about it to see these things... there's certainly enough malice in here to form them."

 

[Shadowfaith]

The bike roared up to the gate and finally deceased when Kali turned off the engine. She set it up on its stand and made her way up the steps towards the wooden sign of Cosmo Canyon. She swept her hand over Jack’s head and smiled as the wolf like creature leaned into the touch. She scratched his ears a little before beckoning him to follow her lead into the canyon.

Towards the centre of the canyon was a large flame, dancing with orange and yellow. It stood tall and it overlooked a creature with the same coloured fur as the flames that swept from fire. Its body was scarred in all manner of paces and she could spot quite a few tattoos embedded into its skin.

She walked over to the creature, Jack scurrying behind her. His eyes scanned the whole of the canyon and Kali could hear him sniffing the new smells of the town. He was excited and she could tell from the way his tail swung back and forth in a flurry of grey.

“Nanaki?”

At the call of his name, Nanaki turned to acknowledge the young woman behind him and gave a warm smile. She was the first female to make it to the canyon and she looked quite the touch looking customer, but the Cancient could tell she would be a good ally to the other two who had already entered the cave. He answered her with a nod of his head and turned so that he was facing her, stood on all fours.

“I was told that you needed help. I have to say that I don’t work for free.”

“Free? Nothing is free. You will gain much from this journey, I promise you that.” He stated, looking the woman up and down. This one was of the same species as the first that had arrived.

“Good. So, what do you want me to do?”

The old Cancient looked as if he raised an eyebrow then. He walked passed Kali and begun to walk up a set of stone stairs. “First, tell me who sent you here.”

Kali frowned “You were the one that sent them. You should know. Leviathan, Cerberus and Phoenix, the guardians they said they were.”

Nanaki nodded and said no more. Instead he led Kali and Jack through many tunnels of the canyon and finally came to a stop in front of a steel door. He opened it before her and Kali was about to step in when Nanaki spoke up again.

“Your companion will remain here.”

Jack immediately disagreed as he begun to growl at the Cancient.

“Jack is my companion, we share abilities.” Kali stated easily, giving Nanaki her ‘no way!’ look.

“This test is for you only, Kali. Jack will remain here until you return. I promise you that no harm will come to him in your absence.”

Kali stood in silence for a moment until she nodded her head and shot Jack a look when he turned his growling onto his owner. “I will not be more than an hour, Jack. I will come back for you soon.”

Jack whimpered.

“And I will make sure to look after myself.” Kali finished.

Jack then sat back on his haunches, a sign that he had understood what Kali had said and was willing to wait for her at the entrance to this door. He would not move from his position even when Nanaki would move himself.

With that settled, Kali entered the cave and was greeted with darkness and a rope.

Without wasting any time, she grabbed a hold of it and hoisted herself down, further into darkness.

 

[Nylf]

Sieg rubbed the tatto on his exposed arm. He was nearing limit break. He must've taken more hits on the way in than he thought. The blood underneath the eye surged, as if to say,

"Damn straight."

"Listen, I'm far from a spiritual being, the freakish chocobo you refrenced has a closer connection to this world than I do. Jenova's cells stripped me of my humanity, remember?" he checked the floor. Just as he planned, his sword had scratched a mark in the floor. Any other's who came should now at least have a guide through, if they noticed it. He looked around. It was bad enough knowing you were being watched, but knowing that you're being watched, yet stuck with the impossibility of seeing them? Brilliant.

Sieg's ears twitched. Someone had entered. The echo of the door closing reached them even inside the cave. It was slightly unnerving in the uneasy silence.

He and 'Sly' continued further into the cavern. Numerous creatures attacked them, none of which were frankly appealing in terms of looks, but then again, when were those things?

Eventually, they came to a dead end. They were about to turn around and leave, when a rock fell in front of them. They were trapped. A rock with a mysterious red glow shone behind them.

"Well then mr. sealed my ancestor, any ideas?"

 

[Shadowfaith]

A trail lined the floor. It was obvious that someone else had entered before her and she didn’t at all like the fact that this journey through the cave would be an easy one due to the trail leading her on the floor. But it would be foolish to ignore it now that she had spotted it and to not accept help in such a dangerous place would be sheer stupidity, not bravery.

Sighing, she took a hold of her twin blades and held them at the ready for any monsters that would make themselves present and followed the trail of grit on the floor. It wasn’t long before a monster jumped at her in an attempt to suck her dry of blood. But she easily disposed of said monster with two swings to its being, one to the torso and one to the head.

It fell to the ground with a gurgling sound and the crunch of the grit below its body softened as it was drenched with dark blood. She couldn’t help but grin smugly and if Jack had been with her, he would have howled with delight at the sight of spilt blood. They were like to peas in a pod, even though they were of a different species completely.

She made her way through the cave, slashing at enemies as they made themselves known. She didn’t like to admit it, but even she wasn’t invincible and a few of the cursed monsters took a clean swipe at her and her infected blood was spilt to the floor with a loud, wet splat.

But this only angered her more and she could feel her veins pulsing. The monster within her was begging for release, but she either disallowed its release or her limit wasn’t quite reached yet. The voice inside of her was squealing with rage as it crawled closer and closer to the surface of her skin.

Luckily for Kali, it wasn’t long before she heard voices from somewhere ahead, but she saw nothing but a rock with a red glow emitting from around the edges.

“Is anyone there!?”

 

[Masa Mune]

Syvet looked very confused, "I'm sorry... but, stripped of your humanity? Sealer of your ancestor? You talk as if I'm supposed to understand any of that. Well, no matter... right now there are more pressing things I need to worry about... I get the feeling we won't need to move the rock, but that's just a feeling of mine. So you can go and exhaust yourself on it if you want; but I think I'm going to sit in wait and conserve my energy."

With that, Syvet moved to an area with the least amount of Gi spectres and sat down.
"Listen, I know it's not what most would consider your average capability, but because of how thick everything seems to be here, I just assumed I wouldn't be the only one to see them. If you took offense, well..." it sounded as if Syvet was actually offering an apology, "that's your own damn fault and you need to get over it."

Shortly after those words, the voice of a woman was heard through the rock, stating simply, "Is anyone there!?"

The pirate couldn't help the snide remarks that followed; "Yes, though I must say my dear... you chose a poor time to seek out a date... Though judging by the voice I won't mind the extra company regardless. Though this isn't exactly the most romantic of places to woo any woman... enchanting, or rather, enchanted, yes, but far from romantic. However if you can get us out of here some way, I might be inclined to show my gratitude to you."

 

[Nylf]

"Sorry about that. Sometimes stuff blurts out I don't fully understand. You ever get the feeling that there's someone else telling you what to do?" Syvet gave him the look he got from the soldiers at his old base. The one that says 'are you crazy?'. Sieg sighed.

"Okay then, that's a no I take it. Well, I can't move this rock, even I'm not dense enough to try. Maybe someone will come along," he leant over and hit the glowing, yet seemingly looked over stone. Immediatly, the large rock moved, and out of the stone burst three Gi spirits. Perfectly physical Gi spirits, their spears primed to attack.

"Oh ****", Sieg groaned, as he drew his sword. Over his eye, he noticed another person, slightly shocked at the spectacle of a rock moving on it's own.

"If it's not too much trouble, may I request your help?"

 

[Raposa Dalua]

The odd duo awakened the next day, feeling fully refreshed and ready for another day of killing monsters and travelling to new towns. Then they remembered the events that took place the night before, and the happy mood suddenly fell flat. Naomi set about fixing up the camp, making sure the fire had fully gone out. She then covered the pit with a fresh mound of dirt, and left the place set up with a pile of wood in case any other traveller might happen upon it. She then mounted her chocobo, and the two of them set off for Cosmo Canyon.

It was about mid-day when they arrived, though the setting of the area, and even the sun itself made it appear as though it was late in the evening. Both Naomi and Alexsis looked a little worse for the wear, having run into a bit of trouble with some spear-wielding, bipedal turtles in the valley below. It had taken quite a bit of magic, coupled with some very threatening squawking from Alexsis to scare them off. She dismounted at the foot of the stairs, and began walking up them, her staff put into its normal use of being a walking stick. Alexsis followed close behind, eager to get to the stables this place surely had and rest a bit. Ahead of her, she heard the young Cetra's stomach rumble lightly. Oh, and getting some food would be good too. This place was sure to have some nice greens.

There to greet them at the foot of the stairs was an old, yet wise looking Cancient. Odd looking scars covered his reddish brown fur, and she could see gray speckled throughout his hide. His eyes, however, were just as vibrant and sharp as the color of his flaming tail. Even though they had just met, Naomi felt that this creature reminded her somewhat of Ramuh. She heard the soft whispers of a few different voices at the sight of him; voices in a much lighter and happier tone than the ones she usually heard from the planet. The Cetra was only vaguely aware that she was hearing them, as she had become accustomed to hearing the despairs and requests of the planet and those who have passed on long ago. What she picked up on the most were the calls and greetings to a someone or something named 'Red XIII.'

"Red... XIII?" she murmured aloud, confusion etched in her voice. The Cancient she was speaking of looked up in surprise.

"Red XIII is a nickname of mine, I suppose," he said, startling her out of her train of thought, "Though I cannot imagine where you would have heard it..."

"Oh! The voices told me, sir," she replied with a smile, as though this was the most common thing in the world. Behind her, Alexsis rolled her eyes. "Oh, by the way, my name is Naomi. This bag of feathers behind me is Alexsis."

She grinned brightly, then ducked out of the way as Alexsis tried to peck her on the head. She batted at the indignant chocobo with her staff, trying to stave her off without hitting her too hard. Red smiled at their antics, shaking his head slightly. He then turned away, indicating with his tail that they should follow. As he spoke, he made his way towards the fire in the center, where it merrily crackled away as wisps of smoke reached up into the sky.

"I assume you are here to visit, then? There is a place here for both you and your chocobo to rest if you like," he offered, nodding towards the small inn and the newer looking stable built next to it.

"Much as I'd like to rest, I'm not really here to visit. See, I was sent here by a bunch of big, elemental monsters I'd never seen before. There was a fire demon, an ice witch, a thunder wizard, a talking chocobo, and even a big, muscular looking sumo wrestler there. They talked a bit about how there was an important task for me, that the planet was in danger..." she trailed off for a moment, then continued, "I don't know what I could possibly do, but I want to help."

The Cancient paused, as though he was undecided about something, then nodded. He had one of the stable hands come over and take Alexsis down to the stables to be fed and watered. Then he changed direction, heading for the paths that led deeper into the canyon. Naomi was a little confused, but she followed the cat-like creature without question. They passed a simple looking store, a few storage rooms and some kitchens, and eventually stopped in front of a large steel door. The red-haired girl recoiled in disgust and almost pain when Red opened the door; the other side reaked of malice, revenge, hatred, death...

"Through here is your test. As you can see from the strong sense of hatred coming from its very depths, traversing it will not be easy," he pushed the shivering Naomi through the doorway and made to go close it, but she called out to him.

"Wait, before I take this test," she stopped to work up her courage and still her quivering voice, "I want to know... what's your real name?"

"... Nanaki."

And with that, the gate shut, leaving Naomi standing in the pale green light that issued forth from deeper into the cave she had just been locked into. She wrapped her staff around her shoulders as she descended down the ropes, not entirely sure about what she had just gotten herself into.

 

[Shadowfaith]

Kali sneered from being the rock at the voice of a rather confident (or stupid) individual from the other side. If she were to ever get her hands on him, she would teach him that she was no easy going damsel in distress that would do anything for a male. She felt her sneer turn into a growl at the thought of those who acted in such a way around the male species.

“Perhaps I’ll leave you here until you change your view on me? I am no damsel in distress. If anything aren’t the tables turned at the moment? Fine, I’ll find you a way out. If you managed to get yourselves stuck in there, then there must be some way-”

All of a sudden, the rock in front of her rose and out of no where, three ghost like beings shot forward and begun to attack the two who had got themselves caught behind the large rock. She stood there in awe for a while until another, who she was sure was not the one who had called out to her just a minute ago, asked for her help in fighting off the demons.

After regaining herself, she took on her fighting stance and raised her twin blades, ready to strike. Almost as if the spirits had taken note that she was willing to fight, one of them shot ward and brought his spear in line with Kali’s heart. She deflected it with Extraho and attacked with Lupus, slicing the Gi’s side effectively.

Unfortunately, the blow was not enough and Kali was forced to deflect with Extraho again.

This wasn’t going to be an easy battle.

 

[Nylf]

Sieg kept slamming his sword down hard. And missing. If this fight drew on, he was in trouble. He hated Limit Breaking. Deathblow, the cheapest Materia known. Boosts your strength temproarily, but makes your moves more obvious. As a spear point flew over his head, he ducked down, and thrust Crimson forward. Finally, it connected! But, whereas a normal creature would be gored, the spirit let out a manevolant laugh. Slowly, it pulled itself off the blade, much to Sieg's displeasure. The blow hadn't been final. But it had to have done something he prayed. A chuckle found it's way to Sieg. Him, praying? There's a first for a Jenova.

He quickly looked round. The one who Sly had rather patheticaly tried to woo was also engaged in a fight with another of the spirits. If he knew some offensive magic, maybe he could help. But she seemed fine on her own, and the spear that ripped his side clean open told him he was the one in trouble. Not flinching, he placed a hand over his wound, and a mild green light emitted, stimulating the cells to grow and heal. Cure, may not do much, but being able to heal was sometimes the greatest blessing. He drew his blade again, and leapt up, thrusting the sword down clean through the spirit. It continued laughing, as it's very body split in two, then reformed behing him.

The ghastly spear was thrust powerfully through his shoulder. With something near to a yelp, Sieg dropped Crimson, as blood ran down his arm. The warmness of it was far from comforting, as from beneath the Eye Of The Beast, he could feel the adrenaline rushing, the steroids flowing through the blood still in his body. He breathed deeply. He had to keep the beast under control. He just had to. If he released it here, who knows what could happen? He ripped the spear from his shoulder, and snapped it in two. Once more, he placed his hand over the wound, and used Cure to stimulate the body's healing into overtime, and felt the pain disappear.

The Jenova Descendant grasped his head, the blood loss and adrenaline had left him woozy. He slowly regained his footing, as the spirit, still laughing maniacally, conjured another spear from thin air. Sieg picked up Crimson again, and, with a roar, charged forwards. The yellow glow of Deathblow emitted from his body, as he plunged his sword through the spirit once more. This time though, it was the death blow. With a groan, it contorted on the end of his blade, curling into an almost fetal position, before vanishing into smoke. He collapsed, and wiped the blood from his arm. Well, one down...

 

[Shadowfaith]

The male who had come across as being the more sensible of the two looked as if he were in a little trouble when the spear caught his side. But Kali wasn’t doing much better herself. The spear of her foe had narrowly missed her chest multiple times and if it weren’t for her choice of weaponry, she was sure she would have been lying dead on the floor some time ago.

She was surprised when Lupus failed to hit its target and she was caught of guard when the spear of the Gi was thrust into her hip. She could have sworn she heard the crunch of her bone collapsing around the spear tip. It was finally withdraw and she could see the Gi spirit was ready to strike again, but this time taking a more fatal target.

She collapsed onto the floor. Lupus was driven into the ground so as to help her balance and Extraho hung limp in her grasp. She stared with hateful eyes up at the creature that loomed over her, but was dead set on taking her foe down with her if she were to die this very second.

Casting aside her pain for the second, she took up her twin blades and concentrated on unleashing a fearsome deathblow on her foe. She used her good leg to thrust herself up into the air and levelled her arms above her head. She finally gained the power she needed and cut a clean swipe down the centre of her foe.

Unfortunately the tip of the spear caught her stomach and skimmed it slightly causing her to topple to the floor along with the remains of the Gi’s spirit.

The only materia she had was her deathblow materia and her fire materia. She had been set on retrieving a cure materia from somewhere but had never gotten around to it. She regretted that now.

She was now gasping quite heavily and though she had taken the same amount of damage as her team mate, she was the one without the healing materia at this moment and so was the one to suffer for the clumsy mistake of taking her eyes from her foe.

She couldn’t help but think that she found something familiar about the ‘sensible’ male.

 

[Nylf]

Sieg looked over, as the second of the spirits vanished. However, it was clear she had been seriously hurt. He dropped his sword, drank an ether to restore his magical energy, and went over quickly. She was bleeding heavily, her stomach had been slashed, and her hip nearly ripped to pieces. Higing his embarassment slightly, he placed his hand gently on her hip, the worst of the wounds, and cure began to set in. She cringed slightly, recovering bone hurt regardless of magic. Eventually, the wound shut, and everything meshed back together internally. Next, he placed his hand over her stomach, and the slash on her stomach closed up. He helped her up, and her leg was fine.

"You okay? I know Cure's usually thourough, but I just want to be sure," he asked calmly.

 

[Raider Phoenix]

Sora's eyes darted back and forth as his motobike's engine hummed loudly. Ragnarok, a fox/wolf hybrid sat behind Sora with his jaws shut tightly on Sora's shirt. "Watch it Rag or you'll get it" Sora muttered. Rag growled as loud as possible while trying his best to keep his hold on Sora's shirt. "How about you let go and I'll won't kill you" Sora said as he stopped the motorbike. Rag jumped off but only to get on again in front of Sora. "Why you no good lousy hybrid" Sora retaliated. Rag growled again this time with a menacing noise in his growling.

"Shut it or I'm having fox stew tonight" Sora said keeping his cool. Ragnarok growled again but more quietly. "That's better" Sora said and started up the motorbike again. The motorbike hummed to life and the motorbike accelarated. Rag tried to sleep but to no avail as the motorbike's engine was too loud. Sora noticed Rag's annoyed look and smirked to himself. "Well looks the like the big bad wolf is annoyed!" Sora said over the noise from the engine. "Oh just shut up already!" Rag said.

"What the ***!" Sora said as he saw a white wolf stand there in the middle of the road. Sora stopped the engine right before it crashed into the wolf. "Uh are you okay little guy?" Sora asked. "He's not little you know!" Rag said. "I know that idiot!" Sora replied. "I am Whitefang, the leader of Canine Chaos" Whitefang said. Then three more canines appeared by Whitefang's side. "These are Kyuubi and Krauster, our local kyuubi kitsunes" Whitefang said walking over to two foxes. "And this here youngling is Wishbone our little dog in training" Whitefang said pointing to the little puppy who was wagging his tail happily.

"We are Canine Chaos" Whitefang said. "Alright so let me get this straight, you four dogs are mighty magical dogs and you're summons?" Sora asked. "Yes" Kyuubi answered. "Now then a great evil is coming and you are one of the few chosen to stop it" Whitefang explained. Sora simply nodded and waited for Whitefang to continue. Rag just stood there dumbstruck by this information. "You must go to Cosmo Canyon and meet the Cancient known as Red XIII or Nanaki" Whitefang added.

"Alright" Sora said. He readied his motorbike when he noticed Rag had not moven or had spoken for a while now. "Rag you coming?" Sora shouted over the noise. Rag came back to his senses and jumped into Sora's lap. "Next time don't sit on my lap" Sora mumbled. "I can sit where I want to!" Rag retaliated. Sora shook his head and went back to looking at the road. Cosmo Canyon was nearing the horizon.

 

[Shadowfaith]

Kali’s vision was blurry and she could only make out the faint outline of someone getting closer to her. She knew for a fact that it wasn’t another Gi spirit, this figure moved too slowly to be one of a spiritual type. She felt its warm hands settle on her hip and cringed when the bone begun to heal. Regardless of whether the spell was a healing spell, it still bloody hurt when bone repaired itself. It wasn’t long after when the hands settled on her stomach and the wound closed quickly. Fortunately the wound over her stomach didn’t hurt as much as her hip.

She normally didn’t accept help from anyone, she was very weary of whom her allies were and the only one she felt truly at ease around was Jack. But it would be foolish to complain of help when it was needed as badly as this. Kali would trade her beliefs over a foolish death any day.

Her vision begun to focus and Kali made out the features of the one she had deemed sensible. She studied him for a moment to long, thinking of where she had seen this individual before, but couldn’t place him. She muttered a “thanks” under her breath and nodded her head when he asked if she were alright.

“I’m fine. It was just an unexpected attack.”

She stubbornly got to her feet, even though her hip was protesting under the harsh movement. She couldn’t help the hiss that escaped her lips, but ignored it none the less.

There was still one more spirit around somewhere, but it seems it was occupied with the pirate like male.