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As they approached Nibelheim Cloud and Tifa grew visably restless. Aeris was the
same way as tons of thoughts passed through her head. She wanted to talk to the dark
gunslinger riding in the last seat of the buggy. Cloud soon had parked the buggy though
and motioned for them to all get out and follow him. As they entered the town Cloud and
Tifa were taken aback. The town looked exactly like it had before Sephiroth burnt it
down those years prior. Even the ShinRa mansion loomed over the town. The buildings
all looked the same, even the well was there. The well had been where Cloud and Tifa
had last seen one another. That was right before he left to go join Soldier. As they all
went around looking throughout the town they figured out that something was up and the
general concensus said it had to do with Shin-Ra. It was about at this point that Cloud
noticed that the newest party member was missing.
Alerting Tifa and the others he then noticed the Shin-Ra mansion door was slightly
open, something it had not been before. Making their way into it the group found her in
the main room walking towards a room to the left where some papers were scattered on
the floor. Scooping them up as she went by she quickly turned and flopped down into an
old dusty chair. Cloud and the others walked forward as she read the notes, Aeris
stepping more forward than the rest.
“What do they say?” she asked as the girl got a pained expression to her face.
“I have to help him...”The girl muttered, the cold look once again on her face as
she stood and walked past them all.
“Where are you going?”Cloud asked, reaching out to grasp the girls arm as she
went past him. Turning just her face to him her eyes flashed a glowing violet as she ripped
her arm free of his grasp easily.
“I have to go help him,”was all she replied as she stalked off up the stairs. The
whole group with the exceptions of Aeris and Red XIII were taken aback at her harshness.
Aeris and Red though followed her up the stairs and to the left entering the first room to
the right. The room was filled with shelves, some still housing old books, and a large
heavy safe. It was infront of this safe that the gunslinger was crouched looking at the dial.
“A timer.... hmm...”she muttered as she looked at a piece of paper she still held.
She read the paper a few more times before setting it down and focusing on the task of
opening the safe.
“Do you think she’ll make it?” Aeris asked Red as they watched intently, Cloud
and the others coming up behind them to see just what the girl was up to.
“I’m not sure,”Red replied as he looked to Aeris for a second then back to the
girl,”Odds are against it though.” As he said this however they heard a cheerful ding and
the safe’s lock retracted into the door. Swinging it open slightly two things were visible
on the bottom of the safe as well as something else towards the back. The gunslinger
reached in and retrieved an odin materia and a small silver key. It was then that the third
thing came forward.
A large monster erupted from the safe and almost everyone was taken by surprise.
The thing towered over them, half of it a dark purple the other brilliant red. Three
tentacles erupted from each side of it and waved around furiously crashing into the walls
and the safe. Quickly drawing her gun she attacked, shooting the monster a few times as
Red ran up and attacked as well. Aeris on the other hand, seeing the danger, began
casting various protection spells. The gunslinger while reloading shoved the Odin materia
into an armband and cast it. As the whole group disappeared Odin soon took their place
erupting from the wall on his great steed. He swung his sword and the monster was
slashed into two pieces bringing it close enough to death for the team to finish. As they
reappeared after Odin’s disappearance they pounded the thing with more physical attacks
and a few more powerful bolt spells. The monster was soon reduced to a large pile of
slimy monster guts and the whole team checked itself over for injuries.
Once it was destroyed the gunslinger holstered her weapon and then brushed past
them all towards the other bedrooms on the second floor. Entering the one to her left she
immediately went to the brick wall and began searching it thoroughly. Aeris and Red,
both extremely curious by this point moreso than the others followed close at her heels. A
few moments after she began examining the wall she found what she was looking for and
pressed the small hidden button. The wall slid away with a dull thud and the spiral
stairway to the basement was revealed, without hesitation the girl descended.