The Last Shinra Soldier ➝ Final Fantasy VII ✓

Vajradhara Tai and Vajradhara Wu

The room was dim and deserted. Circular, it was lined with tall pillars, each encasing a small lantern emitting a feeble glow. Opposite us, there was a strange gong-like instrument. Everything matched a colour scheme; red and brown.

I walked forward tentatively, slightly crouched. Zack followed behind me, his hand constantly gripping his sword's hilt. Peering closer into the tall pillars, I noticed rusty chains coiled about them, danging off the side like snakes.

I frowned. Something didn't seem right. It was like a small sensation at the pit of my stomach, yearning for my attention. It began to grow as I stepped further into the room. A strange symbol marked the floor, though my knowledge of the Wutai language was limited, and I couldn't discern it's meaning.

Suddenly, as Zack stepped beside me, an unearthly growl wailed through the building and a cloud of dust rained on us from above. I brushed the rubble from my hair and eyes and instantly snapped my head up, feeling a sense of horror and foreboding tug at my stomach.

The ceiling above us began to rumble as a great fissure split through the middle, causing more soot to tumble onto us. Zack abruptly grabbed my waist and shoved me out of the way just as something plummeted from above in a blend of bricks, rubble and purple flesh. The hefty lump, still obscured by the fallen ceiling, was soon joined by an identical blue one.

My head slammed against Zack's chest as we landed with a thump to the side of the room, hidden in the shadows that clung to the pillars. I scrambled onto my feet and darted behind one of the columns, watching from a distance with Zack behind me.

The beast was huge, it's head almost as high as one of the lanterns at the crest of the pillar. The purple one emerged from the collapsed roof and emitted an irrational growl, rumbling through the entire courtyard outside. Both were clad in identical armour; gauntlets of purple and green, helmets of similar colours and boots of corresponding hues. Each clutched a hefty axe; with one swipe it'd surely cut us in half.

Dread weighed down on my shoulders. These were the Anti-SOLDIER beasts Angeal claimed Wutai had obtained for purposes such as dealing with people like us.

Zack gently nudged my arm, jabbing a finger towards the pillar adjacent to us. Then he imitated the column tumbling over and I instantly grasped his meaning.

Darting silently to the next pillar, I carefully backed away, still obscured by the shadows and avoiding the vicious glare of the beasts as they searched for us. Summoning a fireball in the palm of my hand, I then directed it towards the stone tower and sent it toppling forward in a rage of sparks and dirt, flames sprouting from the cloth-covered monsters.

Zack took the apt opportunity to hack at the purple beast's leg with his sword, riddling the flesh with a series of grotesquely shaped cuts. As it regained it's footing, however, Zack bounded back into the safety of the shadows.

The blue one had been knocked unconscious by the pillar, and now lay sprawled along the floor, emitting shallow breaths and gurgling grunts. I myself had collapsed behind the fallen pillar, feeling the energy drain from me after casting the Materia. The past battles had slowly taken its toll on me, and I wasn't even sure I had the strength to move as the beast spotted me and hurtled forward, raising it's axe to strike.

Zack's yells, his voice strangled and high with dread, roused me from my sluggish daze and forced me to quickly roll to my left, watching, stunned, as the substantial axe splintered the wood where my body had just been. I forced myself onto my feet and, feeling slightly disorientated, sent forth a burning haze of flames. It instantly enveloped the monster in a howling rage, and it staggered back, only to trip over it's fallen comrade and tumble to the ground.

"Let's get out of here, before those wicked things wake up!" Zack gasped, sprinting over to my slouched form. I nodded breathlessly, Zack a blurry figure before me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, and I instantly staggered into him, knocking him off balance.

"Woah, are you okay?"

I blinked several times and shook my head in my confused daze. Nothing around me seemed right. All this fighting and use of materia had gotten to my head; I needed a break.

"Come on. Our mission here is complete, I believe."

I merely nodded and started stumbling forward, my feet dragging heavily as I put most of my weight on Zack, struggling to support me. Legs like lead, we eventually made it to the other side of the room, where the exit to the courtyard lay. 

As soon as the cold air caressed my cheeks, I felt some of the weight lift from my shoulders and my head clear slightly. I limped forward on my own, and Zack accepted a call from Angeal.

"You'd better get out of there! Detonation in ten minutes!"

"Understood! Rowan's weakened and the Anti-SOLDIER beasts are unconscious, but not dead. They're too much to handle."

"Even for Second Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair?!" Angeal exclaimed before snorting and hanging up. 

He nodded to me and we started off back through the courtyard. But just as we reached the bridge, a mighty roar rumbled through the precinct, making us halt in our tracks.

We both spun on our heel in unison, just as a beast, larger than those laying unconscious, burst through the wall to our right with a swing of it's mace. It's bulky body, the colour of coal, was stripped with knotted ropes and donned armour similar to it's predecessors. Fierce orbs of amber burned bright behind a metal gate, strapped around it's face. Wickedly jagged teeth protruded from a curved mouth and two horns emerged from it's leathery ears. My eyes widened in horror, mouth agape, as it made straight for us.

"No time to waste. You keep running!" He ordered, bracing himself as he swung out his sword. 

I wanted to stay and help, but what use would I be in this condition? I'd only get in the way. I nodded solemnly and began dashing up the stairs. Yet a moment later, something urged me to look back.

I was filled with alarm. Zack lay crumpled against one of the pillars lining the yard, sword skittering several paces away. He was in a daze, his head hanging limp, unable to do anything against the beast hauling it's mace straight for his head.

I had to do something!

One last shot of fire ought to stall it, but it'd mean serious consequences for me. As long as Zack lived, however, it didn't matter. And so, summoning all of my remaining strength - to the tiniest droplet - I sent forth a crackling haze and blacked out, sinking into instant darkness.