A/N:Title subject to change. This chapter was bashed out in a fit of madness, just like the...
No Guard of Kings, Only (a) Man(Worm Multicross SI)
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Prologue
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
A/N:Title subject to change. This chapter was bashed out in a fit of madness, just like the entire basis of this quest. The difference for this chapter is that it's currently midnight as I type this.
Voting will be able to start in the next few chapters, but right off the bat--you as a general rule will NOT be voting for my actions, but for those of other people.
Eidolon had been growing steadily weaker for quite some time. What's more, powers he used frequently had begun to vanish. His favored anti-Master power, which he usually kept running, had been worn down until it no longer did anything.
At the moment, he had just left a Cauldron meeting and was frustrated by Doctor Mother and Contessa insisting he wouldn't be enough.
He would show them.
But how?
He thinks of something that had happened a few months ago and scowls. A distant cousin, but still one he was fond of, had been kidnapped by Heartbreaker, and Contessa had had the nerve to tell him that rescuing her would add too many steps to the path, but in a year they could save her and only add 2 in the process.
Well.
FUCK THAT.
-----
Cherie Vasil was a young parahuman, but nonetheless she was a parahuman.
So when the big angry parahuman burst out through the wall, she immediately lashed out for his mind.
Eidolon's current anti-Master set focused on negating direct behavior manipulation, with smaller effects against other things. Manipulation that was not, in fact, Cherie's goal.
Instead, Cherie had struck directly for the most injurious effect she could cause.
Cherie tried to induce suicidal levels of grief, built, and overall despair in Eidolon.
Oddly enough, instead of offing himself, he left.
Well…. Issue solved, she guesses? She'll have to talk to Father.
-----
As Eidolon huddles under blankets and pillows wallowing in self pity from Cherie's mental attack, he slowly falls asleep.
As he does, one powerful thought is on his mind.
"I can't beat Scion. We need someone else. Someone else who CAN."
In the depths of Eidolon's body, the metabolized Shardstuff that is the power his Vial granted takes the thought, interprets it, and sends it out as a order to each of the active Endbringers.
[Secondary Objective:You Must Find A Champion Who Can Defeat Scion, or else create one.]
And so, pieces were set in motion and the fate of the universe was irrevocably altered, as one particular endbringer pondered on her new instructions before nodding slightly and getting to work.
[Rejoice!]
She would enjoy this. She got to work gathering the Tinkers she would need, organizing space junk into an acceptable dummy before leaving covered in a Tinkertech cloaking field she'd been holding in reserve for some…. Subtle actions.
Voting will be able to start in the next few chapters, but right off the bat--you as a general rule will NOT be voting for my actions, but for those of other people.
Prologue: Horrors of a Hero
Eidolon had been growing steadily weaker for quite some time. What's more, powers he used frequently had begun to vanish. His favored anti-Master power, which he usually kept running, had been worn down until it no longer did anything.
At the moment, he had just left a Cauldron meeting and was frustrated by Doctor Mother and Contessa insisting he wouldn't be enough.
He would show them.
But how?
He thinks of something that had happened a few months ago and scowls. A distant cousin, but still one he was fond of, had been kidnapped by Heartbreaker, and Contessa had had the nerve to tell him that rescuing her would add too many steps to the path, but in a year they could save her and only add 2 in the process.
Well.
FUCK THAT.
-----
Cherie Vasil was a young parahuman, but nonetheless she was a parahuman.
So when the big angry parahuman burst out through the wall, she immediately lashed out for his mind.
Eidolon's current anti-Master set focused on negating direct behavior manipulation, with smaller effects against other things. Manipulation that was not, in fact, Cherie's goal.
Instead, Cherie had struck directly for the most injurious effect she could cause.
Cherie tried to induce suicidal levels of grief, built, and overall despair in Eidolon.
Oddly enough, instead of offing himself, he left.
Well…. Issue solved, she guesses? She'll have to talk to Father.
-----
As Eidolon huddles under blankets and pillows wallowing in self pity from Cherie's mental attack, he slowly falls asleep.
As he does, one powerful thought is on his mind.
"I can't beat Scion. We need someone else. Someone else who CAN."
In the depths of Eidolon's body, the metabolized Shardstuff that is the power his Vial granted takes the thought, interprets it, and sends it out as a order to each of the active Endbringers.
[Secondary Objective:You Must Find A Champion Who Can Defeat Scion, or else create one.]
And so, pieces were set in motion and the fate of the universe was irrevocably altered, as one particular endbringer pondered on her new instructions before nodding slightly and getting to work.
[Rejoice!]
She would enjoy this. She got to work gathering the Tinkers she would need, organizing space junk into an acceptable dummy before leaving covered in a Tinkertech cloaking field she'd been holding in reserve for some…. Subtle actions.
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A1W1:Chapter 1
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
If there was anything I hated most in the world, it was waking up at 3:30 in the morning. Especially when it was abrupt, for instance because I fell in a dream and then suddenly stopped, or because someone decided to shake me awake.
I jolted awake as someone JABBED me in the shoulder hard enough to instantly bruise, eyes snapping open.
Only to be greeted by a giantess hovering over me. Unclothed.
"I...Buh...wha?" I manage to say 'coherently'.
She studies me as I slowly manage to take in details, reaching for my glasses only for my hand to be slapped down. Hard.
"Ow! What the fuck!" I manage despite her ominous looming.
She studies me and cracks a smile.
And then something hit me like a ton of bricks.
[̧̨CH̴͡A̷͟M̢P͢I͞Ơ̸̧Ǹ͢.́ ̸R͡E͡J̷O̶̵̢IC̵̨̧E͏.̵]
I clutch at my head and manage a "Guuuuuuuuuh".Suddenly, I felt my body encased in some kind of force and I was bodily lifted, the sheets over my body shredding themselves instantly. She glanced down; I had worn only briefs to bed, and a amused smirk divided her face at my state down there before she casually flicked me somewhere very sensitive.
Relatively lightly, thank god. Still, I no longer had it in me to think about how sexy the giantess was.
Which, by the time I stopped screaming in pain, gave me time to take in the numerous wings all over her body and the fact that she had in fact torn the roof off.
"OH HOLY FUCK WHAT THE HE--"
She slaps a wing lightly over my lips.
[͜L͟ANG̛U͝AG͜E̵]
AAAAAH MY SKULL IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE MIXED BOILING OIL WITH LIQUEFIED PAIN AND STARTED POURING IT DOWN A FUNNEL AND INTO MY EAR AND IT'S LEAKING OUT THE OTHER EAR WHAT THE FUCK
She then pulls out a small device and starts fiddling with it while I clutch helplessly at my skull and the world SPLITS to the side of the bed I was sleeping on.
What the--NO.
NO NO NO NO
"Please… no…" I manage to wheeze out through the agony.
She ignores this and grabs me by the neck, hard enough to strangle me, before diving through the new portal as I spluttered for breath.
She dragged me through the portal before flinging me bodily.
Directly into a river of power.
ARC ONE WORLD ONE:
FFVII
'MAKO MAN OUT OF YOU'
A/N:
Sorry folks, nothing to vote upon yet! Comments are appreciated, though.
And yes, I very frequently wake up at exactly 3:30 am. It is a mystery to me.
I jolted awake as someone JABBED me in the shoulder hard enough to instantly bruise, eyes snapping open.
Only to be greeted by a giantess hovering over me. Unclothed.
"I...Buh...wha?" I manage to say 'coherently'.
She studies me as I slowly manage to take in details, reaching for my glasses only for my hand to be slapped down. Hard.
"Ow! What the fuck!" I manage despite her ominous looming.
She studies me and cracks a smile.
And then something hit me like a ton of bricks.
[̧̨CH̴͡A̷͟M̢P͢I͞Ơ̸̧Ǹ͢.́ ̸R͡E͡J̷O̶̵̢IC̵̨̧E͏.̵]
I clutch at my head and manage a "Guuuuuuuuuh".Suddenly, I felt my body encased in some kind of force and I was bodily lifted, the sheets over my body shredding themselves instantly. She glanced down; I had worn only briefs to bed, and a amused smirk divided her face at my state down there before she casually flicked me somewhere very sensitive.
Relatively lightly, thank god. Still, I no longer had it in me to think about how sexy the giantess was.
Which, by the time I stopped screaming in pain, gave me time to take in the numerous wings all over her body and the fact that she had in fact torn the roof off.
"OH HOLY FUCK WHAT THE HE--"
She slaps a wing lightly over my lips.
[͜L͟ANG̛U͝AG͜E̵]
AAAAAH MY SKULL IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE MIXED BOILING OIL WITH LIQUEFIED PAIN AND STARTED POURING IT DOWN A FUNNEL AND INTO MY EAR AND IT'S LEAKING OUT THE OTHER EAR WHAT THE FUCK
She then pulls out a small device and starts fiddling with it while I clutch helplessly at my skull and the world SPLITS to the side of the bed I was sleeping on.
What the--NO.
NO NO NO NO
"Please… no…" I manage to wheeze out through the agony.
She ignores this and grabs me by the neck, hard enough to strangle me, before diving through the new portal as I spluttered for breath.
She dragged me through the portal before flinging me bodily.
Directly into a river of power.
ARC ONE WORLD ONE:
FFVII
'MAKO MAN OUT OF YOU'
A/N:
Sorry folks, nothing to vote upon yet! Comments are appreciated, though.
And yes, I very frequently wake up at exactly 3:30 am. It is a mystery to me.
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A1W1: Chapter 2
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
As the Lifestream flows around me, somehow squeezing my body heavily, I hold my breath desperately, tenaciously clinging to my sense of reality. Oddly enough, my injuries are helping with that, the pain acting as a anchor to consciousness.
I frantically gaze around, unable to pick out anything through the green flow.
And then suddenly I see a tiny blur heading straight for me. And it slams into my body, piercing through my solar plexus and coming out near my spine, and letting the flow of Mako seep into my body directly as I expel the breath I had been holding in a scream of pain.
As tears streak my cheeks, I realize that somehow, I'm not bleeding. Then I realize something…
The pressure of blood within my body is exceeded by the pressure of the Mako around me. My blood's not leaking out, because the Mako is leaking in.
The flow and the current seethe around me, seemingly angry at my intrusion. You and me both, buddy. Ahahaha…..
The Lifestream suddenly expels me, only for the Simurgh to catch me and plunge me right back in, physically holding me in the stream. If the Lifestream was angry before, it was furious. Something floated up to me and, after a minute's study, lashed out at my face.
Ah! FUCK that hurts! What--I--I can't see anything!
Oh god, it just blinded me! I reach up to my eyes and inhale the Mako to let out a scream of agony when my hand touches one of the ruined orbs. There, too, instead of bleeding, Mako seeps in.
Around me, I can feel other things moving, disturbing the current, but there's a more sudden disturbance and shrieks that tell me that they're dying for some reason. An indeterminate amount of time passes. It could have been seconds or an eternity; suspended in the Lifestream and in sheer agony, body broken and traumatized, with only the movements of what is presumably the Simurgh attacking things attacking me, I have no frame of reference for time.
Heh, down here I could practically define time.
Wait, what even was that thought, am I going crazy or something? Must be the lack of oxygen and likely severe Mako poisoning talking.
Wait, what?
I finally lose consciousness.
And it's time for the first votes! This particular vote is going to be pretty damn important.
Each eye can see something different. Each eye is unimpeded by anything that it cannot see.
Pick 2.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Restore materia.
Essence of the world, within my sights.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Lightning materia.
Reveal to me that which has power.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Earth materia.
The Earth has given its bones to its children, and now it gives their image to me as well.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Fire materia.
See anything that is hot, and not in a sexy way.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Ice materia.
A glimpse of oceans and glaciers.
I frantically gaze around, unable to pick out anything through the green flow.
And then suddenly I see a tiny blur heading straight for me. And it slams into my body, piercing through my solar plexus and coming out near my spine, and letting the flow of Mako seep into my body directly as I expel the breath I had been holding in a scream of pain.
As tears streak my cheeks, I realize that somehow, I'm not bleeding. Then I realize something…
The pressure of blood within my body is exceeded by the pressure of the Mako around me. My blood's not leaking out, because the Mako is leaking in.
The flow and the current seethe around me, seemingly angry at my intrusion. You and me both, buddy. Ahahaha…..
The Lifestream suddenly expels me, only for the Simurgh to catch me and plunge me right back in, physically holding me in the stream. If the Lifestream was angry before, it was furious. Something floated up to me and, after a minute's study, lashed out at my face.
Ah! FUCK that hurts! What--I--I can't see anything!
Oh god, it just blinded me! I reach up to my eyes and inhale the Mako to let out a scream of agony when my hand touches one of the ruined orbs. There, too, instead of bleeding, Mako seeps in.
Around me, I can feel other things moving, disturbing the current, but there's a more sudden disturbance and shrieks that tell me that they're dying for some reason. An indeterminate amount of time passes. It could have been seconds or an eternity; suspended in the Lifestream and in sheer agony, body broken and traumatized, with only the movements of what is presumably the Simurgh attacking things attacking me, I have no frame of reference for time.
Heh, down here I could practically define time.
Wait, what even was that thought, am I going crazy or something? Must be the lack of oxygen and likely severe Mako poisoning talking.
Wait, what?
I finally lose consciousness.
And it's time for the first votes! This particular vote is going to be pretty damn important.
Each eye can see something different. Each eye is unimpeded by anything that it cannot see.
Pick 2.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Restore materia.
Essence of the world, within my sights.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Lightning materia.
Reveal to me that which has power.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Earth materia.
The Earth has given its bones to its children, and now it gives their image to me as well.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Fire materia.
See anything that is hot, and not in a sexy way.
[]One of my eyes turns into a Ice materia.
A glimpse of oceans and glaciers.
A1W1: Chapter 3
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
As I 'sleep', a small fraction of the mako energy within me twists and slowly crystallizes in my eyes, a Lightning and a Restore in my right and left eyes respectively.
Additionally, the Mako that leaked into the rest of my body sits there for a minute before the energy of my body begins to subsume it, the Mako flowing along the same paths that my own lifeforce did. Whatever it touches, it improves. Extraneous fat is greedily consumed as the stolen life force of Planet mingles with my own, every beat of my heart spreading it through my veins. In under a minute, thanks to the multiple entry vectors, Mako has reached every part of my body. In ten, the Mako levels have stabilized across my body, leaving me with a hyperactive metabolism as the released caloric energy is put to another use, weaving pure muscle through my body and a few exotic internal structures beside, not that I know of this.
The Simurgh has not been idle through this; she used her telekinesis to swipe at least a dozen Elixirs from around the world, force feeding me one after another over the course of several days.
Any doctor on the planet would tell you that an Elixir would hardly help with the symptoms of Mako poisoning--while it would make the patient physically healthy, it would dump a ton of extra Mako into their body at the same time. Potions were viewed as dangerous as well, but accepted as a last resort.
The first one sealed the injuries through which I'd received the truly ludicrous and way-more-than-fatal dose of Mako.
Over the course of the next 4 hours, I dropped into a coma. She fed me another, restoring mild cognitive function.
"A shooting star wanted the TRUTH!" I gasped out before lapsing back into unconsciousness as the Simurgh seemed to giggle.
[Negation! Overwhelm!]
I would probably never figure out what on earth I had meant when I said that.
About six hours later, the Mako began to overwhelm me again, and the Simurgh dutifully administered another Elixir.
After twelve hours, she administered not one but two Elixirs, meaning that the next time I succumbed was actually just ten hours later.
To be honest, I'm not sure what happened with the rest of them, but I woke up eventually in some sort of alley.
The first thing I thought when I opened my eyes was that I really needed to open my eyes.
Except that didn't work, my eyes were already open.
Then I realized that I could see humans floating in the distance, and that the flickers that I had thought were phosphenes were….well, not phosphenes.
My eyes trace the glimmering web of sparks around me. Big, of course, way too big to catch anything in it and they stay in mostly the same place.
I stagger to my feet somehow, and looking down, realize that I can see myself, but not the ground under myself.
I'm perfectly clear, in fact. And also perfectly naked.
Wait, what?
A quick pat down confirms that no, I'm not naked. But… I can't see my clothing?
I seem to be wearing some kind of heavy leather trenchcoat with jeans and a t shirt underneath it.
I reach into a pocket and, somehow, the first thing I encounter is a piece of cloth.
Some physical examination reveals it to be a blindfold made of a light yet warm material. I slip it on, tying it tight. It's oddly elastic, but very comfortable.Sure enough, it doesn't obscure my vision at all.
Nice.
Mind you, everything about the situation sucks, but still. At least I probably look stylish.
Further probing of my pocket reveals some kind of metal...I think it's a swiss army knife or something, but it feels wrong. I also find a wallet in my pocket and take a minute to examine a gil with my fingers.
Oh, thank god, there are denominations on these coins!
That means that I can actually pay for things without worrying about being cheated or anything like that.
I put my hand on a wall, and find a simple walking stick.
…
Fucking Thinkers. I'm sure that I'm going to freak out later once I've processed all of this.
For now, I carefully step out of the alley, tapping along with my stick, until I'm interrupted by….
[]Some passing person.
-[]A brown-haired girl with seemingly big….fists! Yes, I was totally looking at her fists.
-[]A brown-haired girl who is slender and seems to be wearing some kind of goggles.
-[]A brown-haired girl who somehow projects innocence through her very soul.
-[]A yellow/grey haired young adult/man who seems reasonably normal/absolutely terrifying. Wait, what? Oh, also, he glows.Totally normal
-[]A dark skinned man with black hair who seems to be missing an arm.
[]A monster of some type.
TFW I realize that the 3 girls that I could run into at this point all have brown hair.
Flips table
Edit:Oh, and the Mako interaction is based on something out of canon. If you don't mind spoilers, look up Geostigma and look at the quote. It says that each human has something that's similar to the Lifestream inside of them, according to Vincent.
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Character Sheet, through the lens of FF7, as of A1W1 Ch.3
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
All stats are meant to be compared to FF7 stats and are not actual things.
HP:270
MP:25
Strength:21
Dexterity:9
Vitality:12
Magic:12
Spirit:8
Luck:3
Update probably later today.
HP:270
MP:25
Strength:21
Dexterity:9
Vitality:12
Magic:12
Spirit:8
Luck:3
Update probably later today.
A1W1 Chapter 4
- Location
- In The Shadowbear Slave Camp
Even with a walking stick, my ability to walk safely wasn't exactly the greatest. So, inevitably, I tripped.
Not because I was paying more attention to what I COULD see than my walking! Pff, who would think that?
It's not like I could actually see anyone's private parts. Even if I couldn't see their clothing, they were like barbie dolls! Besides most of them were too far away, anyway.
Anyway, I tripped and barely managed to catch myself with elbows and arms.
"Oh my! Are you alright?"
Suddenly, there's a pair of hands on my left shoulder, and the girl who spoke helps me up.
"Aaaaaah…." I manage eloquently. Between being blindfolded and having no pupils to indicate where I'm looking, it takes a minute to wrench my 'gaze' away from her chest. Probably would have taken longer if if wasn't for the fact that there was a certain air of innocence around her.
Goddammit, I'm going to need to figure out some way to deal with this whole 'nudity' thing without losing the 'see that people exist' thing.
Before I manage to gather my thoughts, the girl continues.
"Oh no! What happened to your eyes?" She gasps out.
I internally wince.
"Something ripped them out. I wear the blindfold because it probably doesn't look too pretty." I state, voice a little low.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to remind you of something so painful. But you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous in Sector 6!"
I freeze.
"Excuse me, miss…" I trail off, doing my best to look expectant without the advantage of eyes.
"Aerith."
"Miss Aerith, where did you say we are?"
"Sector 6 of Midgar…?"
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
I need a name.
A name shapes a person as much as a person shapes a name, as Studio C acknowledges.
"Well, I can honestly say that I never expected to be here. My name…" I hesitate. "My name is Acies." Wait, where the hell did that come from? It was pronounced almost like Achilles, but I wasn't even thinking of using that!
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Acies." She pronounces my name slow and carefully. "Where did you mean to go? I can guide you to Sector 7, or I can take you to Sector 5. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind letting you use the guest bedroom for a day or two!"
I take a minute to think.
On the one hand, going to Seventh Heaven would totally FUCK canon up.
On the other hand, fuck canon.
On the third hand, I value my life.
On the fourth hand of this metaphorical mutant monstrosity, if Meteor succeeds because I didn't do anything I'll die anyway.
And the original hand swoops in for the kill with one piece of evidence.
Specifically, the fact that a feather falls from the air and hits me on the head JUST hard enough to draw blood.
Fucking Simurgh. Bitch probably won't let me die anyway since I'm her [Champion] or whatever.
Which makes it a lot less of a risk for me, and a lot more of a risk for everyone else.
But Aerith dies anyway and some pretty dumb shit happens during Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus and stuff.
So….Fuck it.
"Sector 7, please, ma'am."
"No, no, please, call me Aerith!"
"Alright, miss Aerith." I offer her my most polite smile, keeping my 'eyes' FIRMLY averted. She takes me by the forearm and I can't help but look at her and OH GOD MY FACE IS SO RED.
After a few minutes of her leading me, I freeze, my Restore materia picking something out. I dig my feet into the ground and pull Aerith back.
"Mr. Acies?" Aerith asks in concern.
"I heard something ahead. It…" I study the scorpion-like monsters for a moment. "It sounded like it was scuttling. Before we move on, can you tell me what this is? It feels like some sort of weapon." I pull out the swiss army knife analogue.
"Oh, wow, is that...a Wutai warfan?" Aerith says curiously. "Yeah, it is! I've never seen one of these before, only pictures!"
"Wait, what?"
She manipulates the fan in my hand and then leads my other hand to it. I fan feel the sharp metal(with lots of care). It's a fan that's straight up made of blades, and there's a round divot on the axis where the blades unfold from. Underneath that axis, it's not bladed.
"I'm betting that you heard some Whole Eaters. " She murmurs. "Your hearing must be really good!"
"Er, yes."
"Anyway, try not to get hurt, we're going to need to fight them off." She grips something in one hand. "Can you manage without me guiding you?"
"I think so, yes." Dammit, this isn't going well.
I grip my Fan tightly and we advance.
Soon, we near them, and the Whole Eaters take note.
One charges at Aeris, and two charge at me.
I basically stick out the fan at one to keep it from hitting me, blade-first and actually manage to force the first to back off, but the other takes a bite out of my other thigh.
FUCK that hurt. I slam my cane down on that one, heavy metal handle stunning it as I slash the fan at the other. I can't see what Aerith is actually DOING, but she seems to be holding off the other Whole Eater.
The Whole Eater I slashed with the fan suddenly develops a massive hole in its mouth-segment. Disgusting thing. It lets out a keening wail as it perishes, allowing me to turn my attention to the other and AAAAAAAAUGH IT HAS MY ARM
I instinctively drop the war fan, then realize that was a horrible mistake. With no other option, I reach up and call to the heavens using the knowledge granted to me by the Materia buried in my eye socket.
As I do so, a nerve impulse travels through my ocular nerve and into the Materia. I have a mere second to rip off the blindfold before a massive bolt of lightning slams forward from it and fries the Whole Eater instantaneously.
I quickly replace the blindfold afterwards, closing my other eye and using Restore on myself. I feel a little bit of fatigue, but nothing major.
The third Whole Eater has been clubbed mostly to death by the time that I manage to pick my war fan back up and advance on it, killing it with a careful swipe.
To be continued later.
On the Way to a Smile explains how Materia works according to the wiki, so that's what I'm using until I have proof otherwise.
Also, I'm going with souls not wearing clothes unless said clothes are somehow super important to the wearer and they wear them constantly. So Barret's dog tag is something that would show up, for instance.
I'm going to need to find a way to give at least all my female companions magic clothes before I find a way to get killed...
Bonus if anyone can figure out why the Simurgh chose my name.
Not because I was paying more attention to what I COULD see than my walking! Pff, who would think that?
It's not like I could actually see anyone's private parts. Even if I couldn't see their clothing, they were like barbie dolls! Besides most of them were too far away, anyway.
Anyway, I tripped and barely managed to catch myself with elbows and arms.
"Oh my! Are you alright?"
Suddenly, there's a pair of hands on my left shoulder, and the girl who spoke helps me up.
"Aaaaaah…." I manage eloquently. Between being blindfolded and having no pupils to indicate where I'm looking, it takes a minute to wrench my 'gaze' away from her chest. Probably would have taken longer if if wasn't for the fact that there was a certain air of innocence around her.
Goddammit, I'm going to need to figure out some way to deal with this whole 'nudity' thing without losing the 'see that people exist' thing.
Before I manage to gather my thoughts, the girl continues.
"Oh no! What happened to your eyes?" She gasps out.
I internally wince.
"Something ripped them out. I wear the blindfold because it probably doesn't look too pretty." I state, voice a little low.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to remind you of something so painful. But you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous in Sector 6!"
I freeze.
"Excuse me, miss…" I trail off, doing my best to look expectant without the advantage of eyes.
"Aerith."
"Miss Aerith, where did you say we are?"
"Sector 6 of Midgar…?"
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
I need a name.
A name shapes a person as much as a person shapes a name, as Studio C acknowledges.
"Well, I can honestly say that I never expected to be here. My name…" I hesitate. "My name is Acies." Wait, where the hell did that come from? It was pronounced almost like Achilles, but I wasn't even thinking of using that!
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Acies." She pronounces my name slow and carefully. "Where did you mean to go? I can guide you to Sector 7, or I can take you to Sector 5. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind letting you use the guest bedroom for a day or two!"
I take a minute to think.
On the one hand, going to Seventh Heaven would totally FUCK canon up.
On the other hand, fuck canon.
On the third hand, I value my life.
On the fourth hand of this metaphorical mutant monstrosity, if Meteor succeeds because I didn't do anything I'll die anyway.
And the original hand swoops in for the kill with one piece of evidence.
Specifically, the fact that a feather falls from the air and hits me on the head JUST hard enough to draw blood.
Fucking Simurgh. Bitch probably won't let me die anyway since I'm her [Champion] or whatever.
Which makes it a lot less of a risk for me, and a lot more of a risk for everyone else.
But Aerith dies anyway and some pretty dumb shit happens during Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus and stuff.
So….Fuck it.
"Sector 7, please, ma'am."
"No, no, please, call me Aerith!"
"Alright, miss Aerith." I offer her my most polite smile, keeping my 'eyes' FIRMLY averted. She takes me by the forearm and I can't help but look at her and OH GOD MY FACE IS SO RED.
After a few minutes of her leading me, I freeze, my Restore materia picking something out. I dig my feet into the ground and pull Aerith back.
"Mr. Acies?" Aerith asks in concern.
"I heard something ahead. It…" I study the scorpion-like monsters for a moment. "It sounded like it was scuttling. Before we move on, can you tell me what this is? It feels like some sort of weapon." I pull out the swiss army knife analogue.
"Oh, wow, is that...a Wutai warfan?" Aerith says curiously. "Yeah, it is! I've never seen one of these before, only pictures!"
"Wait, what?"
She manipulates the fan in my hand and then leads my other hand to it. I fan feel the sharp metal(with lots of care). It's a fan that's straight up made of blades, and there's a round divot on the axis where the blades unfold from. Underneath that axis, it's not bladed.
"I'm betting that you heard some Whole Eaters. " She murmurs. "Your hearing must be really good!"
"Er, yes."
"Anyway, try not to get hurt, we're going to need to fight them off." She grips something in one hand. "Can you manage without me guiding you?"
"I think so, yes." Dammit, this isn't going well.
I grip my Fan tightly and we advance.
Soon, we near them, and the Whole Eaters take note.
One charges at Aeris, and two charge at me.
I basically stick out the fan at one to keep it from hitting me, blade-first and actually manage to force the first to back off, but the other takes a bite out of my other thigh.
FUCK that hurt. I slam my cane down on that one, heavy metal handle stunning it as I slash the fan at the other. I can't see what Aerith is actually DOING, but she seems to be holding off the other Whole Eater.
The Whole Eater I slashed with the fan suddenly develops a massive hole in its mouth-segment. Disgusting thing. It lets out a keening wail as it perishes, allowing me to turn my attention to the other and AAAAAAAAUGH IT HAS MY ARM
I instinctively drop the war fan, then realize that was a horrible mistake. With no other option, I reach up and call to the heavens using the knowledge granted to me by the Materia buried in my eye socket.
As I do so, a nerve impulse travels through my ocular nerve and into the Materia. I have a mere second to rip off the blindfold before a massive bolt of lightning slams forward from it and fries the Whole Eater instantaneously.
I quickly replace the blindfold afterwards, closing my other eye and using Restore on myself. I feel a little bit of fatigue, but nothing major.
The third Whole Eater has been clubbed mostly to death by the time that I manage to pick my war fan back up and advance on it, killing it with a careful swipe.
To be continued later.
On the Way to a Smile explains how Materia works according to the wiki, so that's what I'm using until I have proof otherwise.
Also, I'm going with souls not wearing clothes unless said clothes are somehow super important to the wearer and they wear them constantly. So Barret's dog tag is something that would show up, for instance.
I'm going to need to find a way to give at least all my female companions magic clothes before I find a way to get killed...
Bonus if anyone can figure out why the Simurgh chose my name.