Resurrection | FFVII

~Chapter XIV ~ ShinRa

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Amara's fork pierced through a mango, the tines scratching against the sides of the can as she revealed the fresh fruit. It was the only sound that could be heard among the group, minus the occasional droplets of water from their washed hair slapping against the rim of their cans. Even then, the silence between them was deafening. Everyone seemed to be on edge, apprehensive about the mission ahead. With no cell phone service, they would have no advice from their parents. Despite their strenuous training, they all felt like sitting ducks out there. Clarity reached over to the fire, putting out the embers that remained all night. Suddenly, Zack stood sharply, whipping his head as he scanned the area.

"What is it?" Amara looked up at him, observing his cautious behavior.

"Sh!" Zack held his finger out, listening for another sound. "Do you hear that?"

Holly stood up. "Engines?"

"Or the reactor..." Clarity cut in, looking around.

"Let's go. We should scout this place out." Rory picked up his katanas, waiting for everyone else to follow.

Elaina stood, followed by Amara, ready for whatever was down in the village. Clarity attached her knife holsters to her thighs, securing the cans of food inside the tent before scurrying down the hill with everyone. Zack grabbed her arm before she could move any farther, pulling her next to him, his wide eyes facing the village. "My God..." he breathed. "There's more than a hundred of them..."

"We're no match for them, Zack." Rory turned back to him, speaking in a hushed tone.

"We can't just leave, can we?" Holly tapped her brother's shoulder.

"We have to find a way to wipe a lot of them out at once."

"I guess that's my cue?" Clarity smirked, holding up her hand.

"We'll all have to cover Claire. She's our best bet." Elaina held her chin as she pondered. "I can stay up here. Shoot some of them from this spot." She held up her sniper.

Zack picked his head up, a full plan on the tip of his tongue. "Alright." He turned around, facing the group. "Rory, you and I are going inside. We'll push our way through while Clarity burns them all. Amara, cover Claire. Holly..." Zack pointed to the water tower at the center of town. "Stay there. Use your bow to cover my sister." Zack turned back to Claire. "Once you've gotten enough of them... I want you to follow me."

Clarity nodded, wanting to stay close to her brother as he'd asked her to back in Edge. "Right."

"Let's go," Zack ordered. "Before the sun fully rises."

"Hell, yeah." Clarity was the first to break formation, diving straight in. She slid down the hill, carefully maneuvering around the rocks as she conjured her flames, intending to be their first target. Holly followed behind, along with Amaryllis. They reached town quickly, entering their enemy's line of sight. As expected, ShinRa forces saw Clarity first, firing at her. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around herself, the flames enveloping her in a blazing shield before firing out in every direction. Some soldiers fell back as the fire seeped into their skin, burning them to a crisp.

"Hols!" Rory grabbed his sister's ankle, hoisting her up onto the tower under the cover of the flames. "Don't let them see you!" He caught up with Zack, who swung his sword at any enemy that dared to come close to him.

Holly drew an arrow from her quiver, aiming it at one of the Turks. One by one, she fired, hitting each soldier with perfect precision. She watched as Amara's boomerang glided through the air, slicing through skin as it made its graceful rotations around the militia. Clarity's flames were blinding, lighting up the sky as if it were midday. Suddenly, bright red bolt of lightning cracked through the sky, followed by a deafening crashing sound. Looking down, Holly saw twenty or more of the armed men flying backward, covered in soot. Gunshots could be heard coming from the mountain. She glanced down at the soldiers who fell like dominos below. Her body froze at the sight of the battlefield. Despite being hidden up in the water tower, she felt as if there were eyes piercing into her from within the darkness of the corners. She peeked out the window in search for her brother, only to see the village had been emptied out. Must be in the manor already. She slid down the wall and sighed, her job being done. She crawled out of the water tower, climbing down the ladder as she spotted her remaining team members.