[RP] Final Fantasy XIII: The Butterfly Effect.

[Gaige]

Soldiers marched civilians down a narrow corridor of lifeless metal. An eerily green sky showed only a few stars, the rest blocked out as a large, spiked something was lowered into a crater detonated for just that purpose.

Of course, this was only a temporary measure. The l'cie at least had a chance of merely being transported to Pulse, but the Fal'cie within the Vestige uprooted at Bodhum was likely doomed, barring a miracle.

Barring intervention.

The less submissive of the victims and their families were on a lower walkway of the Hanging Edges, most if not all holding guns of some kind, only some of the younger children weaponless, and even that wasn't universal. There was a frantic battle happening between this resistance faction- one of only many- and a cluster of no less than five soldiers, a little better armed and trained by comparison.

"Typical Sanctum," remarked a woman who was holding a machine gun to her chest like a parent would a baby. "Shoot first, ask questions later."

"I guess." A man behind a makeshift barrier of raised metal spoke with a shrug. "But are we any better than them? Really? We're doing the same."

""They're fighting to line their pockets," rasped an elderly man with a pump action shotgun that seemed out of place on his emaciated form. "We're fighting to protect the ones we love. There's a difference."

"If you say so," sighed the man as the shootout resumed.
_____________________________________
A train thundered through tracks encased by bulletproof glass, containing people whose original clothes were covered by thick, hooded white robes. There was an air of silence in this place of misery. No laughter. No smiles. Barely even the sound of a breath among the despondent victims of the Purge.

Hale sat beside two others, one tall and one even shorter than he was; a young girl. He offered her a false smile, and she smiled back. Whether false or true was another matter, and not one of his concern. Never one of his concern.

The knife stored inside his shoe was a little uncomfortable, making his ankle down sweaty, itchy and uncomfortable. But it was time to give the Sanctum something to worry about. Yes. This was it.

His time to go out fighting.

 

[Martel]

[OOC: Imagine Evrae from FFX, only metallic. That'd be the Fal'Cie Elicia is fighting.
Since I've changed the final boss theme, Elicia's NPC Fal'Cie fighting theme will be "To Defy a Demigod"]

Elicia strolled casually along one of the upper bridges, picking her way delicately through the debris, almost skipping with joy. The battlefield had been her home for several centuries now, it was where she belonged. She was the conductor, and the screams of the helpless maggots being culled and the staccato bursts of gunfire were her symphony.

Not that any would recognise her, of course. Clad in simple (well, perhaps slightly more expensive than the norm) clothing and maskless, she was just another citizen caught up in the middle of the Purge. Not even her own soldiers would recognise her now, which was unfortunate for them, if they chose to attack her. Only her Brigadier General would know her for who she was…it paid to have one person who knew her in the field. After all, it would be very difficult to convince anyone that she was the elusive and mysterious Primarch of Cocoon without that mask on.

She stepped off the edge of the bridge, landing lightly on the one several feet below it. No doubt the Fal’Cie was hiding at the very bottom. The last two had, anyway. Fleetingly, she hoped that this one wasn’t as disappointing as the other two had been. The first one had done nothing but put up a barrier – which Peacekeeper had swiftly cut through – and the second one had been either dead or unconscious when she got down there, hit by fire from the cruisers and falling debris. Elicia had NOT been happy with that one, and this time she had ordered the cruisers to hover in place, serving as a blockade and nothing more. The Fal’Cie was hers to kill, and no others. She had, after all, been doing this for just over five centuries now. These toy soldiers and their Purges were just a ruse, so that she could do what needed to be done without the complications that would arise from single-handedly levelling an entire settlement. She wanted to save humanity, not kill it off, which she would no doubt have to do if she did this by herself. Being chased by humans was VERY annoying, and she had no desire to repeat the experience.

An unearthly shriek pierced the air, followed by several loud explosions. A shadow passed over Elicia, gigantic in size and, clearly, not one of her own soldiers. She glanced over her shoulder to see a metallic reptilian creature, flying in wavering, random pattern, blasting apart bridges and any soldier unfortunate enough to be on them with lasers, missiles, and well-aimed magic attacks. For their part, the soldiers were returning fire, but they didn’t even seem to be able to put a dent in it’s armour. It would appear that this Fal’Cie was going to be a lot more fun than the others had been. It had probably already created its l’Cie, although Elicia was not particularly concerned – she would find them in no short order. They were always vulnerable and far too trusting when they were newly born. Or rather, she corrected herself, freshly dead. L’Cie were just puppets for their Fal’Cie, and nothing more. They would not prove to be a problem. Nor would this creature, which she would kill first.

Elicia unsheathed Peacekeeper, and then sprinted along the bridge, using a Haste spell to increase her speed. She was going to need it to keep up with this thing. It had been a very long time since she had engaged in an aerial battle, and it was going to be interesting to see if she could hold her own, especially given the terrain…the Hanging Edge offered very little in the way of it, especially with chunks of it being blasted away by explosives and spells. She was going to have to be very careful – it was a very long way down and, whilst Elicia had no doubt that she would survive the fall, it would be extremely embarrassing and irritating if she had to make her way back up again. If worse came to worse, she could always summon her Eidolon, but this was hardly a special occasion…and there were other, more pressing reasons for Elicia to keep her Eidolon’s power a secret.

She reached the end of the bridge and launched herself into the air, over the heads of some surprised and cowering citizens, heading straight for the Fal’Cie, which was occupying itself with some of her soldiers. It hadn’t even noticed her approach, and it was likely that it wouldn’t, until it was too late for it to do anything about it. One quick stab, and it would all be over.

But then, where would the fun be in that?

Elicia changed her angle so she shot past the creature’s head, and then flipped herself over in front of it, blasting it with a Thundara spell. It struck the creature’s head and engulfed it, causing it to shriek with agony. Elicia landed lightly on the bridge just in front of the terrified soldiers, brushing off imaginary dust from her clothing as the Fal’Cie recovered from her initial attack. She raised Peacekeeper in challenge, and smiled grimly. This way was much more fun…and destructive.

 

[Demon]

"I am a cat," said Cloudess as she cackled to herself.

Cloudess fell backward off a very large cliff. One would think she was attempting suicide, but she landed with blue light under her and sprung up.

Several scared people at the bottom of the cliff accused Cloudess of being a witch and attempted to fight her.

"Ah ha ha, I will be leader over you," said Cloudess.

Cloudess unleashed Shiva and used Shiva to destroy all the people.

Left behind from the slaughter was a spear which someone had tried to kill Cloudess with. Cloudess picked up the spear and attempted to pick her teeth with it, then tossed it aside.

"They call me a witch, but I am not a witch," said Cloudess.

It was at that point, Cloudess checked her arm. "Why am I bleeding?" she said. "I thought I was too strong to be wounded. Huh."

Cloudess proceeded to have Shiva heal her wound. Afterward, Cloudess found a small spaceship and jumped inside. "Now, to find someone," she said.

 

[Exoskeleton]

"Orouba" Rasche whispered softly as the train shot through the tracks.

Rasche couldn't help but think of what his brother would do in a situation like this. He knew that his older sibling could have easily broken out of the Sanctum's clutches, but sadly it was only him now. His brother had left him alone to deal with this alone and now he would have to act grown up once more.

He sat beside others as the train rocked back and forth. The soldier patrolling the car had gone to the other end and Rasche kept his head down. He wore a white heavy robe and his hands were bound by a cuff of an electronic key. He panicked for a moment, not knowing how he was going to pull this off. He looked off to the side to see young children sitting beside him. One child had tears dropping from the white hood of it's robe. The robes were identical to everyone on the train waiting to be purged. "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay." Rasche said to the kid with a smile before gazing down the passenger car.

It was almost time for him to take action. As the patrol guard had walked to the end of the train Rasche quickly stood and ran towards the opposite end, hiding behind a thin wall acting as a barrier between the seats and the passage to the next car.

Rasche had gotten stares from other passengers who gaped at him as if he was a moron. He did nothing but press his right index finger to his lips as the patrol guard began his way towards Rasche's end of the purge train car. As the guard came close, Rasche lunged into him with a tackle of such force that the surprised guard dropped his gun and the switch containing the locks to the bound hands of the passengers of the purge. Rasche kicked the switch over to the child who had been crying before and used his elbow to deliver an upwards thrust into the soldier's chin area. The soldier on patrol was out cold now.

"I got it!" The kid said as the lock binding the hands of all the passengers on the train had fallen onto the ground at an instance.

"Great job!" Rasche spoke excited. "Now you keep watch over the others."

"Okay sir!" The kid smiled back.

"What are you planning?! Are you trying to get us all killed?!" shouted one of the males on the purge train standing angrily.

"You'll be killed anyway if you're sent to Pulse." Rasche said. "Besides this Sanctum isn't trying to 'protect' anyone. If anything it's mass murder sending unarmed civilians to the wilds of Pulse."

The mood between the passengers shifted and muttering about what to do had begun to spread quickly. Rasche smiled at the people. "We should free the other cars too." Rasche said as he picked up the rifle of the unconscious officer. "Anyone who wants to help can feel free to at any time."

"You have to fight if you want to stay alive." Rasche spoke before running towards the car exit to the next car.

He passed through with ease, his hand on the trigger ready to squeeze when necessary. He was instantly met with two soldiers in the next car and as other purge deportees saw him they ducked as Rasche squeezed the trigger and shook as he struggled to steady the gun in his enemies direction. Once the two fell dead to the ground he stepped on the lock binding the passenger's in that car. "Wow I think I did well for an amateur" Rasche spoke while running to the conductor car in the front of the train, oblivious to the stray bullets that lined the floor, ceiling and two innocent people who happened to be unfortunate victims to his aim.

"Revolt! Fight for your lives! help the others get set free in the cars further behind!" Rasche spoke without worry or concern for anyone other than himself.

Terrified screams and confusing mumbling had echoed the car and Rasche made his way through it towards the conductor car of the purge train. Running through to the conductor's car, Rasche spotted what looked like two soldiers and pulled the trigger at will before they could react. The two dropped easy, but sadly as the train moved Rasche realized that he shot the conductor who had only been accompanied by a Sanctum soldier. "Aaaaaah oh no, get up." He spoke running over to the man lying on the floor and shaking him. "Please get up get up get up!!!!"

It was no use, the man was unconscious. He had only himself to blame for being such a bad shot. But this was for Orouba. he had to find out where exactly his older brother had gone at all costs. "I can't control this thing!" He shouted in panic as he gazed at where the purge train was headed.

A giant pink barrier glowed up ahead, but instead of stopping Rasche could do nothing but brace himself as the train would impact through in into the Hanging Edge...

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

Stevie stood still, without a clue as to what he should do. He knew what waited at the end of the train. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to remain calm, and not think about it. However, he soon realized that that was impossible, as he couldn’t forget the fact that his hands were bound, or that everyone was wearing those haunting white robes.

Looking around the car, he noted that solider was patrolling. The man was built big, and Stevie knew that there was no chance that he, with as little over all combat training as he had, could take this man in a fight. Not that matter, since his hands were bound, and his weapons, which had been left on his hips by an over arrogant solider, were useless without hands.
There was a loud noise. Stevie wouldn’t have even noticed it, if the train hadn’t been so quiet. He may not have been much use in a fight, but knew enough to know that this was the sound of a struggle. The guard was looking up too, surprise evident on his face. Another guard walked in both looking at the back door to the car as though it had became dangerous.

And it had. In rushed a man, Stevie barely had time to see him at all, before dropping to the floor instinctively at the sound of gun fire. When he looked up, the two guards were laying in the floor, clearly dead. He let out a little gasp of shock and another when he felt the lock binding his hands break. He got to his feet, feeling a bit shaky, and noticed the bullets on the floor, and the man who had killed the guards standing there.

"Revolt! Fight for your lives! help the others get set free in the cars further behind!" The man shouted, before he headed toward the front exit of the car.

People were mumbling, and Stevie heard a few terrified screams. Not knowing what to do, he looked around frantically, and noticed two people in robes lying in the floor in the corner of the car. His instincts kicked in as he rushed over, hoping that some part of the medical training he had could help them.

He got down on the floor next to the first body, and felt for a pulse. There wasn’t one. He felt the next body. None. They were both dead. Stevie had been too terrified to notice if the man had been the only one to fire, or if the soldier’s had had the chance to fire as well. All he knew was that for the second time in his life, he had watched innocent life being taken before his eyes. Flashes of Vanessa’s face clouded his vision for a minute, and a few tears feel from his eyes.

“Damn it,” he wailed.

And then something clicked in his mind. Rather the man or the soldier’s had killed the two people didn’t matter. This wouldn’t have happened if Sanctum hadn’t ordered this Purge. Sanctum was responsible for this and the man had been right. All that awaited them at the end of this was death, and although Stevie was far from a soldier, he knew that he had to fight. Revolt was the only option. He rushed around blindly, looking for injured innocents to help. That was the best way he could revolt and fight at the moment.

 

[Linnaete]

"Another purge?!"

"I am afraid so, madam..."

"I don't believe this. To hell with the Sanctum! Innocent lives are being thrown away and they do nothing at all! Do these people not have rights? What rights does the government have to ship them all to Pulse, where they're no better than dead down there in that hellhole?"

"Madam, I understand your rage towards this atrocity, but you cannot at the moment hope to intervene in fear of jeopardising our whole agenda..."

"Agenda or not, you honestly believe I will passively stand here and allow the military to do whatever they want to innocents? We have an agenda yes, but I have a personal duty to ensure that humans are not simply pawns in a Fal'Cie's game. A personal duty to protect the lives of others who cannot protect themselves. A personal duty to have all Fal'Cie who wish malevolence on us be wiped off the face of Cocoon. Even if this costs us!"

"We cannot interfere in the Hanging Edge. That is not our area of jurisdiction at all. I know you wish to help those currently being shipped off to Pulse, but at the moment the Archadia is prohibited from entering the area lest we put the entire regiment at risk..."

The muffled male voice under the heavy helmet of the Cavalry commander was interjected by an audible crash against the wall from the Brigadier General. Her left arm was protruding forward, her fist, heavily armoured under her gauntlet had slammed against the wall with colossal force, luminous yellow light emanating from the photon streams running across her arm as she heavily exhaled, visibly frustrated beyond anything the commander has ever seen.

"...if this is truly something you wish to discuss with the Primarch.."

"I do not need to have a civilised conversation with anyone in the Sanctum so long as the Fal'Cie are within, quick as shadows, and bemused by the fact that through them, humans are suffering in droves. The Maker has sinned creating such creatures. I am not going to rest until my ultimate agenda is fulfilled. Until the day of liberation where we can have something to finally rejoice for.."

Her left hand, hovering in front of her face was tightly clenched into a fist, the newfound silence of the room being broken only by the audible voices of the photon streams cooling down.
_________________________

A magificient hawk of the skies she was. She would challenge the artificial skies of Cocoon effortlessly, her stature rivalled by few others. From dawn until dusk, the skies would be hers, her ears attentative, listening out for signs of crises to respond to - given that she was permitted to. This was the Archadia; she was in many ways the zenith of man's prowess over the technological arts. Its elongated, fish-like shape was the pinnacle of airship design, being able to slice through the boundaries of the skies unchallenged, its many rear thrusters enhanced by photons being able to propel the vehicle forward at a speed that would eclipse the airships of many of the Cavalry's fellow contingencies.

Brigadier General Wisel emerged into the cockpit, emerging into glorious, golden light - the form of light that her crew deemed was a major highlight for partaking in this job. Up there above the clouds and the cities and the rest of civilisation below, the skies would be their own little world, shut off from everyone else. Wisel on the other hand, did not quite share that sentiment. If anything, being shut off from everyone else was certainly not what she desired. She clutched a crystal in her hand, a crystal adorned with the marking of Pisces. This was nothing she was about to let go in any occasion, even among the flames of the battlefield. It symbolised her mother's bravery and her sacrifice yes, but it would also symbolise her own mission, her own wish for humanity and for a new Cocoon, one where people would not have to live in loneliness in fear, where no one would need to be shut away from one another.

The Purge that was currently occuring was the very symbol of this dystopian world. At the heart of that Purge, were the Fal'Cie. Devils spawned by The Maker, misguided creations. Humanity and Fal'Cie. We had no reason to revere the Fal'Cie. They had no reason to revere us either, so she thought.

So, as the Archadia continued to cut its way effortlessly through the cloud barriers, Brigadier General Wisel casually approached the two pilots in the cockpit, the golden sunlight illuminating her entirely. The time of their true dawn would soon begin.

"The Sanctum Fal'Cie in collaboration with the government are our enemies," she suddenly declared, with authority unwavering, "we're finding them and silencing them once and for all. For no longer shall they have the ability to dictate our lives, our fate, our freedom. For this, we shall also need to track down any L'Cies and extend our hand of companionship to them. Think what you want about the L'Cies. If you listen to government propaganda and are frivolous enough to believe it all, you may want to see them as being destructive monsters hell-bent on our destruction. In which case, you people can leave. They are just as human as we."

 

[Martel]

Elicia laughed in delight as the Fal'Cie moved forward, one clawed arm reaching forward to snatch her from the bridge and crush the life from her...had she still been in that spot. Quick as it was, she was quicker, enhanced by her spell. She backpedalled out of it's reach, Peacekeeper coming forward to slice off the tops of it's outstretched claws in answer. She could have quite easily taken off it's entire hand if she so chose, but there was no doubt that the stupid thing would flee if she did. That would be very annoying.

It hissed in frustration, spitting a stream of molten liquid from it's mouth. Elicia jumped backwards, although not quite far enough, as the section of the bridge beneath her collapsed, weakened further by the Fal'Cie's attack. She felt herself sliding inexorably downwards and pushed off, sailing past the Fal'Cie...and directly into it's outstretched hand, which came forward to catch her, and then propel her backwards. Somehow managing to keep a grip on her weapon, Elicia was nonetheless sent sailing helplessly through the air, to collide with an armoured vehicle at the opposite end of the bridge, punching the breath from her lungs. Lights exploded behind her eyes as she fell to her knees. She forced herself upright, laughing shakily.

"Now, really. You are Fal'Cie. Are you not a God? Are you so pathetic that you cannot even kill one mortal woman?"

It sent a Firaga spell at her in response, the heat so extreme that, for a moment, Elicia wondered whether or not this Fal'Cie had been holding back as well, and whether she had actually succeeded in getting it's attention. The thought that it would hold back, seeing her as unworthy, sent waves of anger far hotter than it's spell through her. She rolled forward, the Firaga spell missing her by inches, and then charged, leaping forward...and into empty air. The Fal'Cie sailed lazily upwards, bringing the tip of it's tail around to clash with her instead. Peacekeeper sliced through it as though it were paper, yet her momentum carried Elicia far past the Fal'Cie. She fell several feet, landing awkwardly atop one of the skyscrapers. She spun around, just in time to see a second Firaga spell, inches from her face. She had barely enough time to bring her rapier up into a guard position before it struck her, engulfing her entirely. She leaped from the skyscraper, flames licking at the hem of her coat, and sent her an answering Thundara spell in response. It struck home, yet appeared to do nowhere near as much damage as the first one had.

"You were holding back, then." she said quietly, twisting in mid-air to avoid it's answering spell. She landed a level below it, on a second bridge, this one far more occupied. Several soldiers, who had been watching the battle with a mixture of awe and fear, pointed their guns at her whe she landed. She ignored them, her eyes fixed on the Fal'Cie, which twisted about...and then moved away, heading off in the opposite direction.

You dismiss me so quickly? Are we not having fun?

Elicia sheathed Peacekeeper and then leapt away, back up to the bridge she had started on. The Fal'Cie was circling lazily above her, firing off Firaga spells in seemingly random directions, although each one created a spectacular explosion where it landed, sending large parts of the Hanging Edge crumbling away. It seemed to be systematically destroying the entire settlement.

She pulled her gun from it's holster. Time to get it's attention again.

 

[Rorolina Frixell]

Boarding the Purge Train, David was no deportee instead he had been transferred to guard the civilians as both a matter of curiosity as well as to ensure the people's safety was the top priority. Purge tainted or not, these people deserved the utmost respect for what they were doing, not many would condemn themselves to oblivion for the sake of others, or at least that was what David told himself.

For this mission David's sword was kept in his sheath and he kept a standard issue Sanctum machine gun on hand, he could understand the reason for weaponry in case anyone's nerves got the better of them but at the same time these weapons could unnerve people, no sane person enjoys being controlled by the man with a gun.

Hopefully carrying out this mission would grant him a peace of mind for these 'purges' and whether their intent was true or not. There's no such thing as a totally honest government so all he could do was watch and wait. Continuing his patrols down the length of the Purge train he thought to himself, he was nowhere near Bodhum anymore, this train had long since left it, the Hanging Edge was probably close by if they weren't there already. When he finished one length of the train he had a look out of the window, evidently enough they had neared their destination, everything was going smoothly...

He then heard gunshots, followed by screaming, gripping his machine gun he charged through the corridors of the train till he found rebel forces had killed some of the guards and was abducting the refugees. Spotting who he assumed was the rebel leader he charged him while his attention wasn't directed on him and forced the gun to his head "What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you think it's hard enough for these people to give away their lives for the benefit of millions? Would you sooner get them killed than give them a chance of survival?" anger had rushed into his face, the foolish actions of others was often the way to get civilians killed in the crossfire, nothing good could come of this.

Without turning his gaze, he shouted at all of the refugees who had freed themselves "return to your seats! There is nothing to fear, do not flee from this most noble of sacrifices! What you are doing is not in vain, it's for the benefit of millions of others, don't let them down!"

 

[Gaige]

The train thundered through the barrier as the odd man stirred the frightened deportees into a frenzy. Shortly afterwards, a man with a sword and a gun stepped in, full to the brim with anger and threats.

Hale stood up slowly as the train thundered through a dark tunnel. He had no idea where they were going, but he certainly wasn't going to let this soldier put down his attempts at escape and chaos. He would escape from this claustrophobic nightmare of a train and then... and then...

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Reaching into his battered old sneakers, he withdrew the knife that had nestled there for ours, pushing the button to release the switchblade as the deportees continued to scream and cry, as well as rebel against the soldier desparately trying to keep order.

The blade went to the soldier's neck; the one who was pointing the gun at the other boy. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hale leaned against the man's back, both hands on the blade, only the slightest tremor betraying his disease. "Put the gun down, soldier. We're leaving, one way or the other. Your propaganda doesn't mean much to me."

 

[Rorolina Frixell]

Feeling a blade press up to the back of his neck, he sighed slightly, he didn't want it to have to come to this. However, once a civilian was armed they had to be prepared for the worst, the train was too narrow for him to draw his sword so he was left with hand to hand which should be sufficient for an untrained civilian in combat. Slowly withdrawing his gun from the rebel's head to drop their guard he then dealt a hard elbow to the civilian's face before turning around to face him, keeping the gun focused on the rebel.

"Why don't you calm down and return to your seat, and if you don't want to die i'd recommend dropping the knife" having other civilians stirring each other up wasn't good, nothing good could come of this chaos. "And you, rebel boy, I would strongly advise that you leave your hostages here and get off this train before I throw you off, there's been enough bloodshed today and i'd sooner not be responsible for anything else that occurs because of you"

Right now his options would be strongly limited if the civilians attacked, killing the unarmed wasn't something he took pleasure in but perhaps removing the instigators would stabilise the situation before it got any more out of hand. It was situations like this where order was vital, something that the rebel had jeapordised.

 

[Whoareyou]

Alexander had been stood silently watching over the carriage for any sign of movement whilst lost within his own thoughts. He had always been at odds with the orders and agenda of the sanctum, but he had had to make a living. But this was going too far, of all the things he disagreed with, the purge was amongst the top few, and now he was expected to watch over those who were being as good as shepherded to their deaths...

And now to top it off, a civilian had just pulled a knife on the other soldier in the carriage. not only was he beginning to disagree with this whole situation it had become a lot more dangerous. As his companion began to talk to the passenger, Alexander simply looked in in silence from behind his visor, sowrd held down by his side, pistol safely holstered away.

Despite what the other soldier was saying, he knew that if it came to it, he would kill any member of the carriage in a heartbeat if he thought trouble was going to break out.

Looking along the carriage at the faces of the civilians he could see the shock on some of their faces, apparently in disbelief that any of their number would even consider standing up to PSICOM. Others were clearly worried, some even crying, as their future's were uncertain as the train rocketed on towards the hanging edge.

 

[Martel]

Elicia examined the Fal'Cie for a moment, watching it circle, blasting bridges. It's attentions focused elsewhere made it all too easy for her to cast DeShell and DeFaith on it, which would weaken it considerably. She was in no mood for being hit by a Firaga spell again...after all, one could only take so much punishment, even when one happened to be a l'Cie and, when more advanced and powerful magic was denied you, it was best not to push your luck. Perhaps it would have been better to have just killed the Fal'Cie with that first strike, after all. But then, if Elicia could not kill this Fal'Cie fighting at full strength, she wouldn't stand a chance against her own...

The sky around the Fal'Cie lit up with small explosions as Elicia unleashed a wave of bullets, enhancing them for a Thunderstrike. She had always enjoyed fireworks when she was a little girl, but making her own was infinitely more satisfying. The Fal'Cie whirled in confusion as it desperately sought out it's attacker. Elicia switched to Firestrike, and the explosions became a raging inferno, individually weak shots combining for a rather satisfying effect. It was a shame that the people of the Hanging Edge were otherwise occupied with dying, really - they were missing one hell of a show. No doubt they would wish to see their oppressor fall, before they themselves were killed. Alas, you couldn't have everything you wanted in life.

The Fal'Cie burst free from the firestorm, charred and smoking. It launched several retaliatory fireballs of it's own, most striking nothing but an unoccupied bridge, before it finally noticed Elicia, who had stopped firing and simply stood, watching it's tantrum. It dived. Discarding her pistol and drawing Peacekeeper, Elicia leapt to meet it, even as it opened it's metallic maw to unleash another Firaga spell. The blade's surface shimmered as she enhanced it and brought it to bear for a Waterstrike. It struck the fireball, which erupted in a cloud of steam. Elicia continued upwards, past the Fal'Cie, which had stopped mid-dive when it's intended target suddenly vanished, and lashed out on her way past, scything through one of it's wings. It dipped to one side, yelping in panic, and then fell. Elicia jerked herself about in mid-air, stopping her momentum, and then began to fall, flattening herself to catch up with the writhing Fal'Cie. Once close enough, she lashed out a second time, removing half of it's other wing, and then jammed her blade into it's body all the way up to the hilt. It screamed, the sound rocking Elicia down to her very bones, yet doing nothing to slacken her grip, which only tightened as the two drew ever closer to ground...

 

[Naoto Shirogane]

"YOU'VE GOT TO BELIVE ME! tHE l'CIE ARE NOT EVIL! WE HELP YOU! PLEASE STO-'

*whack*

Connor remembered that scene clear as day. A man go insane shouting that L'cie are not evil. Connor got up from his position on the bed. and paced back in forth. He thought of the man. How he was shunned and hated. and of the L'cie how they we're feared for no accurate reason.

"What's the true meaning...of fearing the L'cie?" He murmered. "Are they really evil as people make them out to be?....or are they just like......me..?"

Connor thought about what he just said. "Well im not getting any sleep to night.....and i want to learn more about the L'cie...." He pondered "AHA! Time for a midnight trip to the Eden library!" Connor quickly got dressed. grabbed his Backpack. and queitly set out for the Library.

This was gonna be a looong night.



(so um how was my first RP post?)

 

[Exoskeleton]

"Um, Attention all Pulse Deportees" Rasche crackled onto the train intercom. "We are now entering the Hanging Edge. Brace yourself for possible impact."

The train went speeding through barrier after barrier. The impact violently shook the car and he held onto the control panel so as to get a better grip. Rasche looked out onto the Hanging Edge at an already ongoing battle. It seems that other trains and deportees had taken over and had decided to make their stand here. "Ah i can't control this thing!" Rasche accidentally shouted over the intercom.

He looked around the dozens of control panels spread throughout the room and immediately became confused. Seeing a level he pulled it slowly which he found was a way to slow down the train. Another level going horizontally had become the switch the switch to speed up and accelerate. "I got the hang of this now!" Rasche spoke as a gigantic Sanctum machine had come soaring from he sky towards the train.

"Ah. no-no we're gonna crash!" he spoke pulling back a lever to slow the train down, but he was too late has it had already crashed into the train's front, causing violent vibrations. "Haha hello Mr. Bot!"

Rasche pointed the gun through the glass of the conductor's window and pulling the trigger. He was able to keep his aim a bit more steady now and pulled the lever to speed up the train, hopefully pushing the Sanctum tech over the boundary of the Hanging edge. The robot was about as big as the train car itself, but was not able to completely hold the train back. After a minute it had completely been pushed turned into useless scrap metal. "Oh yes!" Rasche said as the train pulled forward.

"Never mind the slight pause passengers!" was what he spoke into the intercom before running the train again.

The glass from the windows in the cockpit must have been thick, for the sounds of war had become much louder now. But Rasche didn't mind this however. He saw what he was headed for. The path to the Vestige was much clearer now and the Vestige was nothing but a mile away. He pulled the train forward with the lever doing it's work. This place had dazzled his eyes, for Cocoon was very odd in everything they had done. But this war did not concern him in the slightest. "I think Orouba would be proud." Rasche smiled.

The train had now become faster than ever, but for now Rasche did not see the guided missiles coming their way towards him. The said firepower had completely obliterated the tracks and bridge on which the train had run. As this happened the train was immediately thrown off the tracks, the heavy machinery now sliding on a bridge of the hanging edge before stopping altogether.

Rasche looked around the cockpit. It looked like it was leaning and it fact is was leanind a it to the side. The boy opened the door of the train and fell out onto the bridge floor. Of course his legs would have to adjust to steady ground. Picking himself back up he looked at the train cars. Some were missing, few were still connected. The boy couldn't help but wonder whether the people inside were alright, but he had already convinced himself that His mission had come first, after all he was an enemy of this place.

He grabbed his Pulsian weapon from his back. He looked like a double bladed sword with a handle. Almost like a swallow Rasche held it's handle and proceeded to the easy walk to the pulse Vestige until the machine that had attacked the train had come once again crashing onto the bridge in front of him. The boy backed up, it was no doubt that this thing would try to kill the survivors of the train crash including himself. "This looks like a problem." He mumbled as the obstacle blocked his way from the Vestige which was only a quarter of a mile away.

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

Stevie could see the commotion clearly. Another solider had arrived, and another person was resisting with a knife. Flashes of the innocent bodies from the last scuffle filled his vision for a moment. If this continued for much longer, there would only be more death and bloodshed. He hadn’t seen this sort of thing before, hadn’t experienced anything close to combat.

His hand strayed toward the daggers on his hips that the guards hadn’t confiscated. It had no doubt been clear to their eyes that he had never used them, that they had never tasted blood. If it came down to it, he asked himself, could you use them now? Could you kill another person so simply? He had always wanted to save life, to find a cure for what had taken his love away, but could he also take it?

He relaxed his arm, and let it hang at his side. The guard had a gun. One shot from that and I’m dead, he thought. Of course, he would soon be dead anyway, so that was hardly the problem. The bigger issue was that if that solider decided to use that gun now, there was no telling who might get caught in the crossfire. More innocents would be caught in the crossfire.

Stevie stood still and waited for whatever might happen. The guard hadn’t made a move yet, so it was possible that he knew his life was at stake. Or perhaps, he honestly didn’t want to hurt the civilians. Stevie didn’t know, or truly care which, but just prayed whatever held his hand continued to do so. If it came down to the soldier firing, he would do what it took to stay alive and help the others on the train. It’s what Vanessa would have wanted him to do. He moved into the crowd of terrified innocents, people like himself, and let himself blend, waiting for the outcome of this uneasily, wondering which side winning could possibly be best.

 

[Noblesse Oblige]

OOC: Gonna take a while to catch up.

Jeanne was on the Purge Train, having been able to sneak her way in. The team was going to take positions along the track towards the outskirts of Cocoon. She wanted to go in herself, to deal with the Sanctum from the inside.

At first she remained calm, passing through what she considered to be the first checkpoint. After a while, some kid with a gun came in he looked ,gunning down the two Sanctum soldiers before they had time to react.

Jeanne did not hear what he said over the screams of terror. But shortly thereafter, looked at the kid. "He doesn't look that old, but why is he the one trying to spur a rebellion?" She thought.

A Sanctum officer followed in pursuit of the kid, who passed through to the next car, followed by another kid. "Just what the heck is going on here?" Jeanne wondered as she pulled out a weapon of her own from her jacket, and followed everyone into the conductor to find the same officer pointing his gun at the man, followed with a boy holding on him with a knife. Despite the odds, it seemed that he was confident that he could win.

Jeanne told the officer, "Hasn't anyone told you that the odds are against you?" She pointed the Dagger at the man, which transformed itself into a Sub-Machine Gun.

OOC: Tis the best I could do, I can't keep up with you guys.

 

[Naoto Shirogane]

Connor walked up the stone steps to the library. He knew it was locked. but he had gained a Maintenance pass because heused to work here. He queitly scaned his ID card and slipped into the library. he headed to a random Section and began reading the Letters.

"H......I......J.....K.......AHA L!"

Connor scanned The section Hoping to find any book regarding the L'cie. He needed too know the truth. He was'nt going to take anything as true unless he found definite proof. He started pulling boks out at random.

"...Lightning storms no....."L'cie: who and what"...perfect!'

Connor openes the book an Scanned the pages untill he found a page all about why people are a fraid of L'cie.

"L'cie are a race of people with focusus. We belive that these Focuses Revolve around Destroying cocoon. Why we do not know. but their Vile natures are a harm to us all. L'cie has been recorded attacking people of cocoon because of a "focus". We send "Purges" to Gran pulse to elminate any threat of L'cies but sometimes are Warriors get turned into L'cie and must be killed to keep peace."

Connor dropped the book in shock. No one knew why L'cie got volent when they have focuses.

"Well isnt it obvious!" Connor Mentally shouted. "The need to complete their focus or they'll die!"

Connor glared at the book."I can't let thm kill innocent people...L'cie are just like anyone of us! just a little diffrent!" connor whispered.

"im going to go to gran pulse...im going to show people the L'cie are good people! ....Ill become a L'cie.....This will need some planning..."

Connor grabbed his bag and walked out of the Library. he needed to plan. He was going to gran pulse. he was going to become a L'cie.

"Lookng back.."Connor thought as he left the library and walked home.
"Ill never know where that sudden courage came from....Il always be a coward.."

It was time to go. and leave this life behind him. no matter how Terrified he is.


(oh my god....this post sucked so much....ill be better from here on...honest!)

 

[Ironman]

"please, save my son, here is 1000 Gil, he is being purged with the people who have been in contact with the l'cie" a female voice rang out inside of Stephen's head, he opened his eyes and looked around the train, an assortment of kids and psicom guys ran past, Stephen shook it off as kids being kids, and guards being dicks.

Gunfire ran out from further down the train, Stephen smirked "here's my chance" Stephen muttered to himself as he jumped out of his seat and sprinted in the opposite direction to the gunfire, he slammed down on a red button at the end of the train car and his,and the other cuffs released their grips on wrists "PSICOM ARE YOUR ENEMY, TAKE THEM DOWN" Stephen shouted before continuing in the same direction, His destination the front of the train.

 

[Martel]

[OOC: For plot purposes, only David (Damon's character) should get a proper view of Elicia at this point. Feel free to gawk at the Fal'Cie, though~
Also, Oliviski, feel free to spot Elicia now as she makes her way up off-screen, such as it were. xD]

The Fal'Cie collided with another bridge, sending up a cloud of dust. Elicia's grip was torn from her rapier and she was thrown aside, skidding across the ground. She clambered upright, slightly battered but otherwise unharmed - the Fal'Cie had taken the majority of the impact. As she looked at it, she noticed that it was gradually getting smaller, almost as if it were...imploding. Odd. None of the other Fal'Cie she had killed had done this before.

Moments later, the mechanical reptilian creature was gone. In it's place was a man, easily seven feet tall, his skin a dull, pallid grey. He was barechested, wearing plain black leggings of a style she hadn't seen since she was a girl, and was heavily muscled. Chained to his back was a two-handed broadsword, the hilt very similar in design to the dragon he had been moments before, and surely far too large and heavy for an ordinary human to carry. His features were angular - a great deal like her own, in fact, although far too handsome to be human - and he was completely hairless, making his body appear to almost gleam. Stuck in his side, entering through his left and sticking out of his right, was Peacekeeper. Noting the angle, Elicia cursed herself slightly. A little higher and she would have killed him outright. He was doubled over with pain and, as she watched, he attempted to grasp the handle, to pull the rapier out. Predictably, it burst into blue flames the moment he tried, engulfing his hand. He cursed, his voice soft and deep.

She laughed softly, "I'm afraid nothing you can do is going to remove that. It's very touch is poison to you filth. One way or another, it is going to kill you eventually. Perhaps you'd care to let me end it now?"

"I think not." he replied, his tone was measured, although flickers of pain passed across his handsome face, "I know of the one who gave this to you, and I also know that he can remove it. Nay, he will remove it, once I deliver it unto him. Without this sword, you are little more than a...thorn in his side." he smiled.

"Perhaps if you tell me where he is, I shall make your death a swift one, Fal'Cie." Elicia ignored his jibe and poor attempt at humour both, her body tensing. He was indeed correct - without the sword, it was doubtful she would be able to kill a Fal'Cie...at least not without considerably more effort. Such efforts would leave her vulnerable to crystallization once more, and she was not prepared to let that happen again.

"Alas, things are not as simple as you would have them, my dear. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe my train has arrived."

The Purge Train approached above to the left. The Fal'Cie offered her another slight smile and a wink, and then leapt atop one of the carriages as it sped past. Sighing, Elicia leapt after it. Everything just had to be difficult with this one. She offered a slight shrug in reply to the Fal'Cie's look of consternation. He drew his sword in response, chains rattling. They were reasonably evenly matched - she had no weapon, but he had a sword that was slowly sapping his life stuck in his side, with no way to remove it. Bur she had the advantage - she could wait him out.

Evidently he was thinking the same thing, for he charged, bringing the sword over his head in a slash that would have decapitated her, had she not dropped moments before he had closed. Reaching up, she closed her hand on the hilt of Peacekeeper, and pulled. He twisted in response, pulling her up and around, and then knocked her with the flat of his blade, sending her sprawling. He leapt forward, angling it downward. Elicia rolled out of the way moments before it came crashing down, driving through the carriage, causing renewed screams below. She gripped the edge of the carriage for support, then pulled herself back up as quickly as was possible.

Too late, the Fal'Cie realized his error, as he ignored her in his attempts to free his sword. She leapt forward, extending both hands for a Fira spell. What came out was far more powerful, as it blasted the creature clean off the train, to land with a dull thud on a bridge below. She pulled his sword out of the carriage, tossing it to one side, and then leapt off the train, landing a few feet away from him.

"I'll be taking this back now, thank you." Elicia said calmly, reaching down and pulling Peacekeeper out of the creature's side. The Fal'Cie gasped with pain, but that handsome face twisted once more into a smile as she stared down at it, face expressionless.

"Evidently he has other plans for you, to enhance your power so at the critical moment. A shame, for us both. In time, perhaps you will wish I had killed you, for in my experience, your master is never kind. No matter. I die content. Finish what you started, l'Cie."

Elicia raised Peacekeeper once again, driving it into the middle of the creature's chest. It cried out, a disturbingly human cry, and then shuddered. Elicia held Peacekeeper in for a few moments, and then pulled it out.

"You can contemplate the futility of your existence for a few moments longer, I think. I understand that Peacekeeper causes an immense amount of pain. Savour that pain, Fal'Cie, for it shall be the last thing you know. There are none who can save you from your fate now, not even my "Master". There are none around who you can corrupt. You die alone and forgotten."

She sheathed Peacekeeper, and turned away, the Fal'Cie behind her already forgotten. She had done what she came to do. Now, to find the l'Cie it had left behind, and assess their worth to her. Perhaps some value would come from this filthy creature, other than some cryptic hints about her own Fal'Cie. Useless information and bluster - he would never work with anyone. He had no allies.

Still, a lingering doubt remained...frowning, Elicia decided to make her way up, towards the surface. The area was completely cordoned off, the l'Cie weren't going anywhere. Better than she assess the situation first...in the heat of battle, one lost perspective and, as the Primarch of Cocoon, perspective was one thing Elicia could not afford to lose.

 

[Linnaete]

So long as the Cavalry avoided the hostile region of the Hanging Edge during the Purge, the Wide-Area Response Brigade needed not fear suspicions from PSICOM. Wisel realised this. Under states of emergencies, this was PSICOM's jurisdiction, and PSICOM's alone.

For the sake of her agenda, she was not intending to clash with the rest of the Sanctum military at the moment and risk endangering the brigade. They would remain on the veneer loyal to the government, although nothing, especially no Fal'Cie was to hinder her from progressing onwards with her agenda discreetly. The Sanctum government loved operating under tight secrecy as well as smoke and mirrors. There was no such thing as a transparent government. The Fal'Cie were the puppetmasters here, twisting everything to suit their needs.

____________________

"Class! Settle down, already! We are already ten minutes into class and I would hate to keep you all behind later! Alright! We're all settled now? Class has begun..."

That booming, yet kind voice...it sounded so familiar now, emanating nostalgia. But why was she hearing this all of a sudden?

"Hey Alma, guess what? I've already received an offer for a place at the University of Eden!"

That voice...it was certainly not one she had heard from years. Why was this also audibly heard from within her head?

"Eden's awesome. It's all the way up in the sky and I'm planning to study as many of the Fal'Cie as possible!" this was followed by another voice, giggling.

That giggle. Was that...mine?, so she thought.

"Oh, awesome! You and I should meet up up there in Eden! I'm not heading off to university myself. It's about time that I do what I've been meaning to do all throughout my life. Join the Guardian Corps!"

That was her voice. In fact, she was hearing herself speak inside her own head, a voice from years ago, otherwise forgotten. Why was she hearing this?

"You've already told me that many times now, silly. Do you like, forget some of the things you've said? In seriousness, go for it. You would definitely make an awesome member of the G.C. Heck, you should try and earn promotions as fast as you can! Think of the badges you would get. I heard the Gil's pretty awesome as well!"

"That does sound good Rem, but I'm not too fussed about ranks and the pay and all that. If anything, I've found my road in life. It's always been there, laid out for me. I just want to be there, looking out for people who may otherwise not be able to defend themselves, to do my own good for everyone in Cocoon. Look at the Fal'Cie as well, how kind and gentle they are. They do all this stuff for us. The food we eat, the sunlight in the day, the air we breathe, literally everything. The Fal'Cie really love us to do all this kind of stuff for us. Yet we do so little for them in return. It's not like we can do much in return, but the least we as humans can do to keep this world a happy place is to watch out for others, human and Fal'Cie..."

Hmph, 'human and Fal'Cie', she thought. How naive she was to think back then that humans and Fal'Cie could live in harmony and that the Fal'Cie could possibly truly love humans. False, false, false. The Alma Wisel at the age of 17 at the time knew so little.

"Alma, Rem! I told you two to stop talking and pay attention to the board. I do not expect to have to explain how the Fal'Cie Carbuncle works again!"

____________________

Wisel blinked hard momentarily and quickly snapped out of her brief trance. She found herself standing where she had been previously, an empty, almost sterile metallic room onboard the Archadia where golden sunlight seeped in large torrents from the window adjacent to her.

That trance-like sensation and the audible voices in her head from eight years ago. As much as she did not wish to, she could easily recall that time, back in Palumpolum when she had been in school, prior to joining the military. What a foolish girl she had been back then, to believe that the Fal'Cie were benevolent to humans. Mentally, she imagined her as she was now, wielding her Manadrive Blade, easily slicing a portrait of an image of herself - and Rem - in that classroom, and the portrait vanishing into the blackness.

Her antenna flashed red and an audio signal reached into Wisel's ears through her visor-band's headphone technology. She was expecting this signal sooner or later anyway.

Another Fal'Cie down.