Subject C

Chapter Five: Final Freedom

The metallic taste of blood filled Cloud's mouth as he sailed through the air. He landed in a crouch and rose to his feet, picking up his sword from off the ground. "This is by far the worst idea you've had since Sector Two!" He dove out of the way of a Firaga, crashing on his knees.

"How was I supposed to know the final round was gonna be a Cutthroat?!" Zack replied, helping Cloud to his feet. "In my defense, we could be fighting something way weirder, like a house!"

"Don't give them any ideas!" Cloud cast cure before looking up into the fiery eyes of their opponent. "Alright, so it absorbs most magic, we can't poison it, and our swords hardly do damage."

"It's already dead, and it summons hellfire." The monster bellowed, roaring louder than the cheers and shouts of the crowd, shaking the very coliseum. "I deem that we are utterly screwed."

Cloud shook his head, scanning the crowd above them. Affectionately nicknamed "Cutthroats" by SOLDIERs, Aljan Mumjes were Wutai's version of a zombie– alive yet dead, slain yet unslayable. It hardly looked human... and maybe it never was... a failed attempt to create their own Sephiroth, perhaps.

Its head was consumed in white flame, floating above its shoulders. Its hollowed eyes were filled with pure evil and malice– jealous of those who remained in the land of the living. Its black flesh twisted in the same patterns as muscles would, sifting apart and rolling back together with horrifying, fluid movements.

It gripped a spearhead in one hand and a chain in the other, dressed in the same white flame. The lower half of its body had the likeness of a spider with six legs in the stead of eight, each dripping with poison.

Despite a Cutthroat's terrifying appearance and being nearly invincible, they were not undefeatable. Cloud and Zack never ventured into the territory where these fiends resided, and their training neglected such beasts due to their sporadic encounters. Yet due to their incredible luck, Don Corneo found one, and crowned it as his champion.

Cloud desperately scanned the crowd, trying to find something– anything– to help, when a flash of silver caught his eye at the edge of the ring. Sephiroth. "Of course!" He thought out loud, giving himself a proud smirk.

"Are you gonna share this thought with me or are you gonna leave me hanging?!" Zack cried, tossing up a barrier as the Mumje closed in on them. Cloud said nothing, fixing his eyes on Sephiroth. The Silver General's gaze met his, and he leaned forward in his seat– almost concerned.

"Darkness." He signed as he noticed the desperation in Cloud's expression, nodding toward the creature. "Then ice magic."

If the blond managed to nod, it was too brief to notice. He pulled Zack out of the Mumje's attack range and to the other side of the arena. "We need to hit it with darkness. Then a Blitzaga should weaken it enough to do real damage."

"Ooh! This calls for my specialty! A distraction!" His friend replied, breaking away and provoking the Cutthroat. "Hey, you! Yeah, you! You dollar store tin man! My grandma could catch me faster than you!"

Cloud struggled to choke back a laugh. The fiend growled and whirled around, lunging toward Zack. His friend evaded and sprinted in circles around the Cutthroat, shouting insults and laughing at himself. The blond held his hand to his chest and called upon the darkness within the planet. He cast it upon the Mumje, quickly bringing ice to his aid. The fiend screeched and flailed. Its attacks barely missed Zack and scarred the floor with deep gorges.

As the ice shattered, the Mumje slumped down with a shriek of pain, bowing its head. Cloud air-stepped to the monster, thrusting with all his strength. They tried their best to kill it while it was down, but a strange, poisonous aura pushed them away after a few attacks.