Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > Stained Halo
Grim Reaper's Failure
0 reviewsYou can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the Grim Reaper.
1Original
Stained HaloChapter 1: Grim Reaper's Failure
After the first explosion, he thought that the rocky terrain he was fleeing through was the closest thing to hell on earth. After the second went off mere feet away from him he was sure it actually was hell. Blood was everywhere, staining soldier's twisted bodies, the ground, even the air seemed to turn crimson with all the panic and death filling it. His thoughts were frantic, crazed, how could anyone think clearly in this mess? What had been a battlefield ten minutes ago was quickly turning into a mass grave after the cunning Wutai warriors had unleashed an ambush so deadly that the invading Shinra forces were finding themselves being pushed back brutally.
Escape was the only option left for him and all the other unfortunate souls trapped in this tomb. His eyes scanned the area desperately for a hiding spot as he dodged millions of weapons, bullets, and magic assaults being launched all around him. A cry erupted out of him as he hit the ground after having lost his footing. Looking back he saw that he had tripped over a corpse, and scrambled away hurriedly out of fear and sickening horror. So much death...and for what? To satisfy Shinra's greed. Unfortunately for the drafted men dispatched to fight this particular battle the Wutaian fighters were highly skilled and defending their territory with utmost fervor.
He reached a small opening within one of the many rocky hills that filled the field. There was no way he could run any longer, if exhaustion didn't kill him, one of the ninjas certainly would. Crouching down he hid inside the stony haven and held his breath as if despite the enormous battle clamour, a tiny sound would give him away. The shadow would leave him unseen until the onslought lessened and maybe then he could muster up the strength to make a final run for it. But where? He was trapped on an island filled with deadly warriors that wanted his head.
His thoughts were cut short when a Shinra soldier was brought down by a ninja star just outside his hiding place. The man twisted back horribly as it sliced through his spine. As he let out a painful scream he fell to the ground, and to the hiding soldier's horror, faced his exact direction. He would be forced to watch the man's expression as he submitted to death. Or so he thought.
Ice-cold fear ran through him when he realized the fallen soldier saw him - and dear god, was reaching what should be a totally limp arm out to him. That idiot would expose him! He firecely shook his head as the man grunted something that sounded like 'help'. The man was clearly going to die, why would he bring his fellow soldier down with him? There's nothing he could do for him. Nevertheless pity welled up within his chest as he watched the man slowly submit to his helplessness. He badly wanted to look away, knew that he needed to look away if he valued his life at all. But he couldn't. The man was just a few steps away, if he could only run over and grab him without being seen ... but what if he was caught? He'd be killed, taken down in an instant.
"Oh to hell with it."
Before logic could stop him he hurtled himself out of the small cave and with adrenaline pushing his feet to lightning quick speed, he ran over to the fallen man, grabbed him and pulled him back to his hiding spot. He collapsed within it, sure he'd live only a few seconds longer. But death never came. After a few minutes he looked over at the man he was cradling. He was badly hurt and probably wouldn't last much longer. Fiddling through his own pockets he pulled out a few potions and a Cure materia. He hadn't had a chance to use them since the battle had moved far too quickly for him to do anything but run. Now he went to work on the man, knowing that it wouldn't be powerful enough to help him significantly, but it would at least ease the pain and stop the blood. He carefully turned him over so he could tend to the wound on his back. When he pulled up the blood soaked shirt his eyes widened in shock. The cut had literally missed the spinal chord by what couldn't be more than a finger's width. Wutai warriors didn't ever miss their targets. By all logic this man should be dead. But some ridiculous act of luck had not only shifted the ninja star's course, but also pushed him to risk his own life in going out and saving the man. After the healing treatment had been applied he turned the man back over and leaned him on his side against the wall. He gave a small start when he noticed his eyes were open.
"Are you ... conscious?" He tilted his head to the side to study the man's face. He was older, and by the looks of it no soldier at all. Probably just like him, he'd been ripped out of his normal life by that damn draft.
The man gave a small nod as a response, his face randomly twitching with pain, but on the whole he was strangely calm. His composed state was unnerving, and the younger man couldn't help but ask himself if he realized what just happened or whether he was in some state of shock.
"You know you're one lucky son of a ..."
"I know," he breathed out, "I should be dead."
The younger man gave a weak smile. "Hell, I'm surprised I'm alive too by the looks of this place." But instead of responding the other man just shook his head sadly.
"No, I mean it. I should be dead. I literally saw death coming for me but, but you saved me," he let out a small grunt of pain before adding a "thank you."
"Hey man, I'm surprised I ran out there myself. But I figured I may as well do one honorable thing in case I find myself at some after-death crossroad anytime soon." He peered outside, "I'm telling you though, I don't know how much I extended your life by. We can't hide forever."
But the other man was slowly giving in to fatigue; his eyes were halfway shut until all of a sudden the explosions outside seemed to triple. Both men's hands flew to cover their ears. Hell was breaking loose all around them, but neither was willing to peer outside and see what was unleashing this noise. It only took a few minutes for the noise to stop. Only a few shots rang through the air - but the noise was so quiet compared to the previous moment that it felt like complete silence. Both of their bodies shook violently as they imagined the worst. The younger man couldn't take it anymore. He carefully crawled outside the cave to examine the area but his surveylance was cut short as a boot stepped right in front of him and he heard the clicking of a gun above him. It's over, he thought to himself as he awaited the bullet. But instead came a voice asking him if he was all right.
He shifted his gaze upwards and saw no cruel Wutai warrior - no he saw a young man in a SOLDIER's uniform. Which meant Sephiroth and his troop had arrived. Which meant the Wutai warriors stood absolutely no chance. Which meant they were saved.
The last thing he ever did on the Wutai shore was ask the man he'd saved what he was going home to. His response was a smile and the picture of a smiling brunette.
"Her name's Elmyra."
After the first explosion, he thought that the rocky terrain he was fleeing through was the closest thing to hell on earth. After the second went off mere feet away from him he was sure it actually was hell. Blood was everywhere, staining soldier's twisted bodies, the ground, even the air seemed to turn crimson with all the panic and death filling it. His thoughts were frantic, crazed, how could anyone think clearly in this mess? What had been a battlefield ten minutes ago was quickly turning into a mass grave after the cunning Wutai warriors had unleashed an ambush so deadly that the invading Shinra forces were finding themselves being pushed back brutally.
Escape was the only option left for him and all the other unfortunate souls trapped in this tomb. His eyes scanned the area desperately for a hiding spot as he dodged millions of weapons, bullets, and magic assaults being launched all around him. A cry erupted out of him as he hit the ground after having lost his footing. Looking back he saw that he had tripped over a corpse, and scrambled away hurriedly out of fear and sickening horror. So much death...and for what? To satisfy Shinra's greed. Unfortunately for the drafted men dispatched to fight this particular battle the Wutaian fighters were highly skilled and defending their territory with utmost fervor.
He reached a small opening within one of the many rocky hills that filled the field. There was no way he could run any longer, if exhaustion didn't kill him, one of the ninjas certainly would. Crouching down he hid inside the stony haven and held his breath as if despite the enormous battle clamour, a tiny sound would give him away. The shadow would leave him unseen until the onslought lessened and maybe then he could muster up the strength to make a final run for it. But where? He was trapped on an island filled with deadly warriors that wanted his head.
His thoughts were cut short when a Shinra soldier was brought down by a ninja star just outside his hiding place. The man twisted back horribly as it sliced through his spine. As he let out a painful scream he fell to the ground, and to the hiding soldier's horror, faced his exact direction. He would be forced to watch the man's expression as he submitted to death. Or so he thought.
Ice-cold fear ran through him when he realized the fallen soldier saw him - and dear god, was reaching what should be a totally limp arm out to him. That idiot would expose him! He firecely shook his head as the man grunted something that sounded like 'help'. The man was clearly going to die, why would he bring his fellow soldier down with him? There's nothing he could do for him. Nevertheless pity welled up within his chest as he watched the man slowly submit to his helplessness. He badly wanted to look away, knew that he needed to look away if he valued his life at all. But he couldn't. The man was just a few steps away, if he could only run over and grab him without being seen ... but what if he was caught? He'd be killed, taken down in an instant.
"Oh to hell with it."
Before logic could stop him he hurtled himself out of the small cave and with adrenaline pushing his feet to lightning quick speed, he ran over to the fallen man, grabbed him and pulled him back to his hiding spot. He collapsed within it, sure he'd live only a few seconds longer. But death never came. After a few minutes he looked over at the man he was cradling. He was badly hurt and probably wouldn't last much longer. Fiddling through his own pockets he pulled out a few potions and a Cure materia. He hadn't had a chance to use them since the battle had moved far too quickly for him to do anything but run. Now he went to work on the man, knowing that it wouldn't be powerful enough to help him significantly, but it would at least ease the pain and stop the blood. He carefully turned him over so he could tend to the wound on his back. When he pulled up the blood soaked shirt his eyes widened in shock. The cut had literally missed the spinal chord by what couldn't be more than a finger's width. Wutai warriors didn't ever miss their targets. By all logic this man should be dead. But some ridiculous act of luck had not only shifted the ninja star's course, but also pushed him to risk his own life in going out and saving the man. After the healing treatment had been applied he turned the man back over and leaned him on his side against the wall. He gave a small start when he noticed his eyes were open.
"Are you ... conscious?" He tilted his head to the side to study the man's face. He was older, and by the looks of it no soldier at all. Probably just like him, he'd been ripped out of his normal life by that damn draft.
The man gave a small nod as a response, his face randomly twitching with pain, but on the whole he was strangely calm. His composed state was unnerving, and the younger man couldn't help but ask himself if he realized what just happened or whether he was in some state of shock.
"You know you're one lucky son of a ..."
"I know," he breathed out, "I should be dead."
The younger man gave a weak smile. "Hell, I'm surprised I'm alive too by the looks of this place." But instead of responding the other man just shook his head sadly.
"No, I mean it. I should be dead. I literally saw death coming for me but, but you saved me," he let out a small grunt of pain before adding a "thank you."
"Hey man, I'm surprised I ran out there myself. But I figured I may as well do one honorable thing in case I find myself at some after-death crossroad anytime soon." He peered outside, "I'm telling you though, I don't know how much I extended your life by. We can't hide forever."
But the other man was slowly giving in to fatigue; his eyes were halfway shut until all of a sudden the explosions outside seemed to triple. Both men's hands flew to cover their ears. Hell was breaking loose all around them, but neither was willing to peer outside and see what was unleashing this noise. It only took a few minutes for the noise to stop. Only a few shots rang through the air - but the noise was so quiet compared to the previous moment that it felt like complete silence. Both of their bodies shook violently as they imagined the worst. The younger man couldn't take it anymore. He carefully crawled outside the cave to examine the area but his surveylance was cut short as a boot stepped right in front of him and he heard the clicking of a gun above him. It's over, he thought to himself as he awaited the bullet. But instead came a voice asking him if he was all right.
He shifted his gaze upwards and saw no cruel Wutai warrior - no he saw a young man in a SOLDIER's uniform. Which meant Sephiroth and his troop had arrived. Which meant the Wutai warriors stood absolutely no chance. Which meant they were saved.
The last thing he ever did on the Wutai shore was ask the man he'd saved what he was going home to. His response was a smile and the picture of a smiling brunette.
"Her name's Elmyra."
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