Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 1: Arrival

FORTY-NINE

I narrowed my eyes while Rude flexed his fists. "Guess you're here to keep me from getting to the pillar in time."

"It's my job," he said.

"I've heard that before," I said, hefting my sword.

Rude's face had all the expression of a piece of rock as I faced him. On either side of me, Wedge and Lena stood ready. They'd done pretty well helping me against those troops and mechs earlier, but a Turk was something else. Still, I appreciated the backup. Lena glared at Rude, her own fists up, while Wedge gripped his large assault weapon, some kind of combined rifle and flamethrower. He looked a little battered, but he didn't waver as Rude advanced on us.

He lunged at me, but I got my sword up just in time to block as his fist struck the flat of the blade. Lena pummeled him from one side as I spun around and caught him with the butt end of the hilt on the other. Rude staggered back just in time to get singed by Wedge. I pressed the attack, cutting at him and catching him across the shoulder while Lena drove a few more punches into his stomach.

Rude struck at Wedge next, hitting him with a right cross before he could fire, and he tumbled backward into the dirt with a pained groan. Lena and I closed in on Rude, but he whipped his other arm at me in a swift backhand punch that smashed me in the chest. I slid backwards a little but stayed on my feet as Lena took advantage of his distraction to drive her foot solidly into his back.

A low grunt was all the sound he made, but instead of trying to hit Lena back, he backed away and laid into me again, fists flying. But this time I was ready, blocking the first few hits and dodging the rest. As he went past me, carried forward by his momentum, I quickly chilled him out with a shot of ice from my materia.

Lena tried to follow up with a punch to the face, but Rude grabbed her arm and thrust some sort of vial at her with his other hand. Almost at once, she slumped over and collapsed. Wedge roared and shot it out of his hand while I drove Rude back with several quick slashes. I didn't hit him, but the attack did force him away.

"Lena, wake up!" Wedge tugged on her shoulder.

She stirred. "Huh?"

I glanced at her as I traded blows with Rude. "Some kinda sleeping gas. He got you with it back there."

"Ugh, what a cheater!" she muttered.

"He's a Turk," I grimaced. "They don't fight fair."

Wedge helped her up. "Yeah, but we can still beat him!"

Lena's hazel eyes burned. "Damn right we can! Let's show him just what Avalanche is made of!"

She sprang at Rude in a flash, driving her fists hard into his ribs as I slashed at him again and again, scoring a few small hits. Wedge sent a blast of flame at him from his gun, forcing him to back away in a hurry to avoid getting torched. But doing so sent Rude off balance, and while I kept the pressure on with my sword, Lena nailed him with a string of quick punches ending with a high kick to the face that shattered one of the lenses of his dark sunglasses.

Rude stepped back for a moment. "Those aren't cheap."

He took off his broken shades and tossed them aside. After that, he reached into his jacket, took out another pair, opened them with a flick of his wrist, and put them on. Then he flexed his gloved fists, obviously ready for more as Tseng watched silently from the chopper. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, but there weren't any windows on the side so I couldn't see who he was talking to. Then his gaze went back to us as Rude made a beckoning motion to me.

I twirled my sword. "Bring it!"

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