The Last Shinra Soldier ➝ Final Fantasy VII ✓

Crescent Unit

We found ourselves yet another secret passage and slipped through the shadows and into the hidden alcove. As we tentatively approached the other side, I caught snatches of a conversation.

"In the name of Wutai, we must halt the enemy advance here."

I frowned and held out a hand to halt Zack in his tracks. He peered at me expectantly, and I gestured to the hallway the passage opened into. The dim candles cast a scant light through the corridor, and I caught sight of three shadows.

"Sir!" The other two soldiers said in unison.

"Fort Tamblin will not fall to a paltry force like SOLDIER."

I scoffed, but quickly clamped a hand over my mouth. Luckily, they hadn't caught my involuntary noise.

"The enemy could be lurking anywhere." Hah, he had no idea! The shadow moved as the Sergeant turned away from the Privates, and came into my line of sight as he walked directly past our hiding place, clutching a wickedly sharp blade. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't notice us.

"Keep your eyes open," He muttered, just as Zack couldn't wait any longer and charged past me, swinging his blade. The Wutai Sergeant, facing away from us, took no heed of the battle and continued his mutterings.

"SOLDIER is a formidable foe," He declared as I impaled the remaining Private with my sword. Yeah right, we are! I grinned at Zack and we both glared at the back of our oblivious opponent, arms folded. "But to protect our homeland, we must stand against our enemies, no matter how powerful they may be. Even if it means our lives."

"Retreat is not in the Wutai dictionary!"

At that moment, he pivoted on his foot to face us and a look of bewilderment crossed his features. "Huh?!"

Zack and I merely raised an eyebrow and burst into a fit of giggles as he began to sprint away, yelling, "Retreat! Retreating is a part of military strategy!" We allowed him to flee and glanced fleetingly at each other, sharing a smile of amusement. I quickly dragged my gaze away, feeling my heart start to thud faster in my chest.

"Don't go there, Rowan," I muttered to myself, dismissing it as a cough when Zack inquired about what I'd said.

~~~

My body shuddered with relief as we broke out of the dank passages and into a vast, open space. The sky above was a mix of dark hues, peppered with glowing stars and the pale orb of the moon. We had emerged on a landing, overlooking a courtyard.

Two steps of stairs led down to the courtyard, and we instantly flung ourselves down them, intrigued as to what lay before us. At the bottom, a strange shrine obscured our path; a statue spouting water, surrounded by thick pillars of stone.

"What's this?" Zack muttered, scratching his head. I merely gazed at it in awe, discerning each detail of the intricately carved stone, until a voice made me freeze.

"That is Wutai's guardian deity, Leviathan." Accompanying the voice was three soldiers, all clad in steel armour, and I pivoted on my foot, only to find a spear pointing at my neck. The troop wielding it began to walk closer, pushing the blade deeper into my neck. I stumbled backwards until my back was pressed against one of the cold surface of one of the pillars. The point pushed deeper into my neck, piercing the flesh and drawing blood. I could feel the sticky substance slip down my neck as I struggled to grasp the sword slung around my back.

Luckily, he didn't advance or cut my throat any more.

"We are the Crescent, the Wutai army's elite unit," The Captain declared, smirking under his helmet. "We appease the wrath of Leviathan, and smite the enemies of Wutai. Our beloved homeland has been brutally ravaged by Shinra."

Zack cut in immediately, his voice faltering with panic. "I heard that if we process the mako here, it would help people live better lives!" He protested, and the Captain growled in frustration. "But then you attacked us without even hearing us out!"

"What do you know of the pain we have suffered?" Demanded the other soldier, anger flaring in his features. "Shinra has continually brought fear and oppression to the innocent people of Wutai!"

"For those of us born and raised in Wutai, loosing our land is the same as loosing our lives," interjected the leader, striking his weapon against the floor in his rage. "Hence, I must eliminate you, as my last duty to the land. You will now witness the wrath of the Wutai!"

All three soldiers growled and the one holding his spear to my neck, swung back his blade and thrust it towards my chest. But it never hit it's target, for the heavy SOLDIER sword in Zack's possession greeted it with a weighty collision. The metallic ring that resounded after made me cringe, as the clamour ricocheted around the courtyard like a missile.

My breathing quickened as I ducked away from the embracing blades, and advanced on the remaining enemies. The Captain charged with a grunt, and I hastily slid the sword from my back as he thrust his spear relentlessly towards my side. I parried his blow with my own stab, directing the hit towards his exposed abdomen, but he nimbly dodged and responded with a counter.

We exchanged blows, parrying and dodging, until he finally caught me in my side; the blade sliced along my hip, penetrating the flesh. Luckily, the wound was not deep, and it did nothing to hinder my movements. As I cast a fleeting glance towards Zack, I saw he had a cut along his cheek, but he seemed unfazed by the blood dripping off his chin.

As he took on the remaining Crescent soldier, I continued my duel with the Captain, eventually catching him off guard with a fireball. He bellowed in agony as the blaze ripped through his armour and began singing his flesh, melting his leather gloves. I turned away from the burning body, now an agonizing heap on the ground.

Zack sauntered over to me, his face lined with worry and pain. "You okay?" He gasped, catching sight of the blood leaking through my uniform. I nodded, trying to ignore the nausea that gripped my stomach in a sickening embrace.

"You?" The wound on his cheek didn't look serious, but his face still contorted in pain as I gently brushed it with my hand. "Here. I got those potions, remember? The ones Kunsel gave me."

I snatched my fingers from his face and began rummaging through my pack for the little vials. Pulling one out, I carefully removed the stopper to one of them and handed it to the blushing SOLDIER. "Drink this."

He took it off me gratefully, his fingers brushing past my own. "What about you?"

Kunsel had gifted me with three, but I wasn't sure I ought to waste them yet. I shook my head. "It's not so bad."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest as he gulped down the colourless liquid. He pulled a face of disgust, and I forced a smile to mask the pain lancing through my hip.

"Thanks, Rowan."