Vision Lost: Turning Left
November 13th, 2006 06:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skerenTitle: Turning Left
Arc: Vision Lost
Fandom: FF7
Wordcount: 944
Warnings: Violence
Note: This... is another AU! In this section Zack goes ow.
He couldn't believe he'd been ordered away from the town for this. For this! Shaking his head, he picked his way down through the trees. It had just been a rumor, but Seph had cited that it was more practical to send one SOLDIER than their entire unit of troopers up the mountain after a dragon, since the villagers weren't exactly about to risk it with military in town. True, there had been a dragon, but the thing had just been a baby, small and easily defeated.
It had taken way too long to track it down was all, he didn't mind so much outside that but it had taken all day, and into the night once he'd caught the trail that he had followed. Now, he was finally almost back from the errand, which he'd started that morning.
He must have gotten far too used to Midgar and it's bright lights. The sight of stars alone had caught him off guard the first few nights, but he should have realized the significance of the light before he was on a ridge and could see…
The flames were licking up along the streets and he was almost close enough to hear them.
He had to find out what was going on. He had to help. He could have been used there, gotten a water materia out of the gear and use it like their troopers couldn't. It begged the question of where Seph was, really. The man always was too ambitious, stretching himself too far. He was likely still in the basement of the damn mansion.
Sliding down the steeper mountain incline instead of taking the way he'd gone up, pebbles hailed down ahead of him, kicking up dust that made him more alert to the little small shifts in balance he'd need to keep stable on the bluff. The crouch of his position ensured he didn't end up tumbling but he still needed the hand that skated along the smoothed streak he was leaving behind him to keep his balance.
If he was a different man, that likely would have given him some severe friction burns. He was a SOLDIER though and they could take more than the standard level of punishment. It meant he could go faster and get there. But it also meant that he had better eyesight, and he knew that streak of silver anywhere, even through the kicked up dirt. The man was distinctive, always had been, and he'd been with him through enough battles that he knew that reflected haze.
Why was he going away from the town?
"Seph! What happened?" He brace his feet as he hit bottom and darted towards the man, wanting to catch up, wheel him around to go back the way he was coming from, something. It was only luck that had him ducking the attack that swished past him… or the man had been trying to give him a warning to stop asking. Either way, it was enough to alert him that something was seriously wrong. "Seph?!"
"Do not concern yourself with me." It was a murmur, and Seph glanced sideways with an odd smile. He was already bringing the Buster sword to bear in case the taller man did another attack, but that look made having something to defend himself with seem even more urgent. "Go on." Seph gestured back towards the town in a slow sweep of his hand. "Try to save the town."
"Seph…" He paused, hesitating against doing as he was told. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the longer he looked, the more he realized that anything he might have been able to do wouldn't be enough to save people. At best he'd be able to stop the forest from lighting up too. A short delay was, unfortunately, not going to change anything. "Seph, what's going on?"
"History." And then Seph was turning to walk away from him, and that didn't tell him anything. All it did was chill him to the core.
"No, Seph, Seph what's going on? What happened to the town? Why are you leaving them like that?" How did they get that way while you were there?
He must have made some aborted action towards him, because the next thing he was aware of was the fact he was blocking a slender blade and trying not to go down as the loose stone shifted under his feet. "They deserve it." Another strike fell, and he had to retaliate. Zack knew he couldn't hold on to this kind of defense for long, not with Seph on the other end of it.
But… Deserve it? What could those people have done to make him want to leave them all to die? "Seph no." He moved into a lunge, his hesitance only having served to strain his arms in too close blocks as he was driven sideways into the trees. He took advantage of them and tried to get under the strike, to disarm the other man. The attack was blocked with a hard sideways strike.
"Zack." The word was soft, silky with anger, and it was almost low enough he missed it. The force put behind the blow when he twitched to hear drove him viciously into a tree.
No… He tried to force his way back to his feet as the dark oblivion of unconsciousness loomed behind his eyes. He couldn't afford it, not until he knew what was going on. Or tried to help stop the burning, at least tried…
"Don't be a traitor."
A flare of magic ensured that was the last thing being awake was going to offer.
Words this month: 9792
Arc: Vision Lost
Fandom: FF7
Wordcount: 944
Warnings: Violence
Note: This... is another AU! In this section Zack goes ow.
He couldn't believe he'd been ordered away from the town for this. For this! Shaking his head, he picked his way down through the trees. It had just been a rumor, but Seph had cited that it was more practical to send one SOLDIER than their entire unit of troopers up the mountain after a dragon, since the villagers weren't exactly about to risk it with military in town. True, there had been a dragon, but the thing had just been a baby, small and easily defeated.
It had taken way too long to track it down was all, he didn't mind so much outside that but it had taken all day, and into the night once he'd caught the trail that he had followed. Now, he was finally almost back from the errand, which he'd started that morning.
He must have gotten far too used to Midgar and it's bright lights. The sight of stars alone had caught him off guard the first few nights, but he should have realized the significance of the light before he was on a ridge and could see…
The flames were licking up along the streets and he was almost close enough to hear them.
He had to find out what was going on. He had to help. He could have been used there, gotten a water materia out of the gear and use it like their troopers couldn't. It begged the question of where Seph was, really. The man always was too ambitious, stretching himself too far. He was likely still in the basement of the damn mansion.
Sliding down the steeper mountain incline instead of taking the way he'd gone up, pebbles hailed down ahead of him, kicking up dust that made him more alert to the little small shifts in balance he'd need to keep stable on the bluff. The crouch of his position ensured he didn't end up tumbling but he still needed the hand that skated along the smoothed streak he was leaving behind him to keep his balance.
If he was a different man, that likely would have given him some severe friction burns. He was a SOLDIER though and they could take more than the standard level of punishment. It meant he could go faster and get there. But it also meant that he had better eyesight, and he knew that streak of silver anywhere, even through the kicked up dirt. The man was distinctive, always had been, and he'd been with him through enough battles that he knew that reflected haze.
Why was he going away from the town?
"Seph! What happened?" He brace his feet as he hit bottom and darted towards the man, wanting to catch up, wheel him around to go back the way he was coming from, something. It was only luck that had him ducking the attack that swished past him… or the man had been trying to give him a warning to stop asking. Either way, it was enough to alert him that something was seriously wrong. "Seph?!"
"Do not concern yourself with me." It was a murmur, and Seph glanced sideways with an odd smile. He was already bringing the Buster sword to bear in case the taller man did another attack, but that look made having something to defend himself with seem even more urgent. "Go on." Seph gestured back towards the town in a slow sweep of his hand. "Try to save the town."
"Seph…" He paused, hesitating against doing as he was told. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the longer he looked, the more he realized that anything he might have been able to do wouldn't be enough to save people. At best he'd be able to stop the forest from lighting up too. A short delay was, unfortunately, not going to change anything. "Seph, what's going on?"
"History." And then Seph was turning to walk away from him, and that didn't tell him anything. All it did was chill him to the core.
"No, Seph, Seph what's going on? What happened to the town? Why are you leaving them like that?" How did they get that way while you were there?
He must have made some aborted action towards him, because the next thing he was aware of was the fact he was blocking a slender blade and trying not to go down as the loose stone shifted under his feet. "They deserve it." Another strike fell, and he had to retaliate. Zack knew he couldn't hold on to this kind of defense for long, not with Seph on the other end of it.
But… Deserve it? What could those people have done to make him want to leave them all to die? "Seph no." He moved into a lunge, his hesitance only having served to strain his arms in too close blocks as he was driven sideways into the trees. He took advantage of them and tried to get under the strike, to disarm the other man. The attack was blocked with a hard sideways strike.
"Zack." The word was soft, silky with anger, and it was almost low enough he missed it. The force put behind the blow when he twitched to hear drove him viciously into a tree.
No… He tried to force his way back to his feet as the dark oblivion of unconsciousness loomed behind his eyes. He couldn't afford it, not until he knew what was going on. Or tried to help stop the burning, at least tried…
"Don't be a traitor."
A flare of magic ensured that was the last thing being awake was going to offer.
Words this month: 9792