Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

FORTY-ONE

Kunsel and I stood in the old simulation suite, weapons ready and our eyes on each other as we listened to that brutal, mysterious woman on the other side calling for us. She'd slaughtered the rest of the strange soldiers who'd chased us in here, and we both knew that she planned to do the same thing to us. I shivered as I tried to keep my feet away from the blood that had leaked in from under the door.

"Now, now, don't be shy..." the woman taunted. "It wouldn't do for you to be late for your own execution."

I nodded to Kunsel, and he nodded back, touching the controls to unlock the door. We had to go out there and face her, but we'd do it on our terms, together. As the door slid open, Kunsel and I stepped slowly out into the larger room, our eyes alert. But when I saw what was there in front of us, I let out a horrified gasp. Even with the screams I'd heard from inside the other room, I wasn't prepared.

Although the strange soldiers were all dead, just as I'd suspected, it was the way they'd been killed that made me fall back a step. Slashed to pieces, blood everywhere—spattered all across the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Some of them had been shot as well, but if the woman had been using a blade, how was that possible? Unless it was some sort of weapon I'd never seen before. Then, at the sound of soft laughter, we slowly turned to our right and saw her.

The woman was sitting casually atop a stack of metal crates, bodies all around her and a strange double-bladed weapon in her hand. It had a gun barrel on the shaft, which meant that she could slash or shoot as she saw fit. Her hair was as red as the blood everywhere, swept back as it hung just under her shoulders, with long bangs that framed her ears and jaw. Her lips were red, too, and her eyes were the same color, cruel and cold, without any trace of humanity.

The front of her gray armor with those vertical pale blue lines was kinda like what the other soldiers wore, but also different. Her stomach and thighs were exposed, and she had torn red stockings just above her knees and the tops of her tall, high-heeled dark gray boots. Her sleeves and shoulders were red as well, and a matching furry cape hung loosely from the back of her waist. The woman also wore dark gray gloves and a pair of bronze bracers over her forearms.

"Ah, and there you are..." she sneered, looking at us. "And the prey finally arrives. I was beginning to wonder if you'd simply cower in that little room until I came in and cut you down."

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman laughed and stood up. "Your death, little one. But you may call me Rosso. Also known as the Crimson. I think you can see for yourselves how I earned that name."

Kunsel glared at her. "The blood. The killing."

"Exactly," Rosso gave us an icy grin. "It is what I do, what I live for. Did you know, I've never seen the sky? Only projections. But one day, I will. And I'll kill as many Deepground soldiers as I must to make that a reality. And anyone else who gets in my way."

"That would be us," I said.

She smirked, hefting her dual-bladed weapon. "Very astute. While you fight well, girl, you have yet to face a Tsviet. We are weapons, every one of us, masters of combat. This should prove to be quite amusing. If you manage to last long enough, that is."

I readied my light daggers. "Trust me, I will."

Rosso launched herself at me so fast I barely had time to block the vicious slash she sent my way. The dual blades of her weapon had to be two feet long, with the handled, half-circle shaft almost the same size. I slammed my light daggers against the blow, but although Rosso wasn't any bigger than I was, her strength was incredible. It took everything I had to hold her back, and I only got a reprieve when she spun around to deflect Kunsel's attack. He and I came at her from opposite sides, but she kept up easily, laughing as she fought.