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There'll be no comfort in the shade
Dec. 12th, 2013 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bladeoflightThe manikins had seemed endless.
Perhaps they were. He did not know what it was that Kain and Lightning and the others had managed to accomplish- if they had managed to accomplish anything, at all. The Warrior trusts in their abilities, and their mission was to stop the source of the manikins, not to defeat every last one they encountered. Yet it had been so long, and the tide of crystalline enemies had never once slowed.
Had he time, between the waves of enemies, he might have worried for their safety, but there was no time. He'd had not attention to spare for anything but the opponents around him, and even a moment of distraction was invitation for injury. He had already been unable to escape their strikes, for his armor was battered and scraped, and blood oozed from a dozen cuts, including a large gash on his leg. He did not know how bad an injury it was, for he had not had so much as a moment to examine it, but he was all too aware of the painful throbbing of the injury every time he moved.
Still, the fight had dragged on and on, until his breath rasped in his throat, and spots danced across his vision. The crystal forms all blurred together, until he could barely register who they were imitations of- first one of Kain, then Lightning, Yuna, Cecil... He knocked a Tidus manikin away, only to be beset by a version of himself, slamming with bodily force into his left side, where he had only just managed to raise his shield in time. Attempting to drive it back, he aimed a kick at it- the manikin leaped away, but too late. He could feel his injured leg buckling, unable to take his weight, even as his shield slipped from his numb fingers.
He gasped for breath, trying to recover in the only moment afforded to him, but too late. A wordless cry from Cosmos at his back dragged the Warrior's attention up, to see Garland's crystalline form leaping at him, enormous blade raised. Is this how I am to meet my end? The thought flashed through his head, as- too late, too late- he staggered to his feet once more. Too slow, he could not possibly raise his sword in time to protect against such a blow--
A blinding flash of light knocked the creature back from him, as it landed in pieces amongst the front lines of the advancing manikins. His attempts to struggle upright did nothing, for even the weight of his armor had him staggering and falling to one knee once more. He could only watch the advancing manikins with a growing sense of dread, until he saw a flicker of white out of the corner of his eyes. It was Cosmos, coming forward in front of him... and straight into the path of a charging manikin.
"Cosmos!" he shouted, desperate to ignore his weakening body and protect Cosmos as he was meant to, but his vision was going dark, and his head was spinning. He did not even feel himself hit the ground.
What awoke him was the unmistakable sound of a manikin's movements. The warrior opened his eyes to see crystal feet standing only a few steps away. He reacted on instinct, lashing out with the sword somehow still in his hand. He struggled upright and struck again, letting his hand fall as the manikin broke apart into chunks of stone.
Only then did he look at his surroundings, only to realize that they were utterly unfamiliar. He knelt in the midst of a meadow, unlike anything he had seen in the conflict. In fact, it looked as though it had never been touched by battle. He only realized a moment later that Cosmos was not there, and that, in the end, was what drove him to his feet. "Cosmos!" Somehow, he found the strength to limp forward. He had to find her.
Perhaps they were. He did not know what it was that Kain and Lightning and the others had managed to accomplish- if they had managed to accomplish anything, at all. The Warrior trusts in their abilities, and their mission was to stop the source of the manikins, not to defeat every last one they encountered. Yet it had been so long, and the tide of crystalline enemies had never once slowed.
Had he time, between the waves of enemies, he might have worried for their safety, but there was no time. He'd had not attention to spare for anything but the opponents around him, and even a moment of distraction was invitation for injury. He had already been unable to escape their strikes, for his armor was battered and scraped, and blood oozed from a dozen cuts, including a large gash on his leg. He did not know how bad an injury it was, for he had not had so much as a moment to examine it, but he was all too aware of the painful throbbing of the injury every time he moved.
Still, the fight had dragged on and on, until his breath rasped in his throat, and spots danced across his vision. The crystal forms all blurred together, until he could barely register who they were imitations of- first one of Kain, then Lightning, Yuna, Cecil... He knocked a Tidus manikin away, only to be beset by a version of himself, slamming with bodily force into his left side, where he had only just managed to raise his shield in time. Attempting to drive it back, he aimed a kick at it- the manikin leaped away, but too late. He could feel his injured leg buckling, unable to take his weight, even as his shield slipped from his numb fingers.
He gasped for breath, trying to recover in the only moment afforded to him, but too late. A wordless cry from Cosmos at his back dragged the Warrior's attention up, to see Garland's crystalline form leaping at him, enormous blade raised. Is this how I am to meet my end? The thought flashed through his head, as- too late, too late- he staggered to his feet once more. Too slow, he could not possibly raise his sword in time to protect against such a blow--
A blinding flash of light knocked the creature back from him, as it landed in pieces amongst the front lines of the advancing manikins. His attempts to struggle upright did nothing, for even the weight of his armor had him staggering and falling to one knee once more. He could only watch the advancing manikins with a growing sense of dread, until he saw a flicker of white out of the corner of his eyes. It was Cosmos, coming forward in front of him... and straight into the path of a charging manikin.
"Cosmos!" he shouted, desperate to ignore his weakening body and protect Cosmos as he was meant to, but his vision was going dark, and his head was spinning. He did not even feel himself hit the ground.
What awoke him was the unmistakable sound of a manikin's movements. The warrior opened his eyes to see crystal feet standing only a few steps away. He reacted on instinct, lashing out with the sword somehow still in his hand. He struggled upright and struck again, letting his hand fall as the manikin broke apart into chunks of stone.
Only then did he look at his surroundings, only to realize that they were utterly unfamiliar. He knelt in the midst of a meadow, unlike anything he had seen in the conflict. In fact, it looked as though it had never been touched by battle. He only realized a moment later that Cosmos was not there, and that, in the end, was what drove him to his feet. "Cosmos!" Somehow, he found the strength to limp forward. He had to find her.
