Final Fantasy VIII: SeeD (IC)

“No matter what you’re dad has told you, you’re meant to be on this team. You just need to work on your diplomacy a little,”

"Hm, yeah, try telling him that."

Zeke just nodded in agreement, beginning to regret bringing his father up in the discussion. Either way, he still fell silent again as they arrived at a teleporter. It was the first time either of them would experience the sensation of having one's molecules ripped apart and reassembled in a new location.

After appearing in the shopping district, Zeke made a point to avoid using the teleporter whenever possible. He didn't know if the nauseating sensation was something one had to get used to, but it was not at all pleasant. Still, it did make the trip much faster than it would have been otherwise, so at least there was a bit of a silver-lining there. The Shopping Mall was large complex containing various kinds of shops and services. Zeke had expected an overly complicated layout, but it was surprisingly easy to find one's way around the place.

Since the SeeDs had come to the Mall for weapons, then the Junk Shop was their destination. It wasn't hard to find, in fact it was relatively near the main entrance. While Eva implied that she would purchase a new weapon, Zeke would merely have his current one reinforced and tempered with Estharian metal. The process didn't take nearly as long as Zeke had expected, but the price was still pretty steep. In fact, the custom job cost Zeke exactly 5000 credits (25,000 gil), which was all he had. Still, a sword tempered with Estharian material was well worth the cost.

As Zeke waited for Eva, a robed messenger approached, "Excuse me, Sir, but your team's presence has been requested in the Garden's Briefing Room. If you'll follow me, I will take you both there."

They entered the teleporter soon after Evangeline finished her sentence. Even so, Zeke made no attempt to reply after they got off. Either he felt a slight nausea as well, or he had gone back into Mr.AntiSocial mode. Regardless, the two made their way to the junk shop- which struck Evangeline as an odd name for a store of Estharian weaponry.

While Zeke remained calm and composed, knowing exactly what he wanted probably helped, Evangeline seemed like a kid in a candy store. The effectiveness of some of the weapons astounded her, though almost none of them seemed particularly unique. She almost considered just getting her glaive tempered, just as Zeke had done with his sword.

However, she wished to be used to all sorts of weapon weights. She felt like if she got used to just one glaive it might hamper her ability to use other blades should the situation call for it. It was for this reason she had a case of about eight different glaives back at Balamb- well, they’d probably have arrived at Trabia by now.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much to choose from. Estharian soldiers typically used gunblades, or either one of those components separately. Even Kryse used a gunblade of sorts. Evangeline saw two, maybe three pole arms in the entire shop. She looked back to the counter where Zeke handed over his weapon to be modified. It looked as if it were almost done, so she had to make up her mind soon.

Why did girls have to be so indecisive when it came to shopping? Sometimes Evangeline wished she could make quicker decisions when it came to choosing weapons and armor. Ah! Armor! Sure, Eva knew she wouldn’t be able to get a whole new set- it’d be too expensive and it’d take too long, but as long as she got out her current set from the inventory Bahamut held for her…

----
"Excuse me, Sir, but your team's presence has been requested in the Garden's Briefing Room. If you'll follow me, I will take you both there." Evangeline paused as she overheard the messenger tell this to Zeke. She turned on her heels and instructed the shopworkers to have her modified armor delivered to the Garden when it was done.

Directly after this, she walked swiftly up to Zeke and the Garden messenger and nodded, signaling that she knew they were to follow the robe-clad Estharian back to the Garden. Time to meet back up with the group. She made a mental not to get those schematics Phileo had wanted directly after.

It was just a game, of course, but Alex felt a twinge of sorrow as she turned around to see Kryse and Elia annihilate each other. But she had a mission to complete, and she would not let Kryse's sacrifice go to waste, so she zoomed across the battlefield as fast as her haste-augmented legs could take her, junctioning a little of her own magic to her speed as well.

As she neared one of the side entrances to Galbadia Garden, two soldiers stepped out to bar her way. Alex had her daggers already in hand, and she didn't even slow down a mite, extending her arms at the last second to clothesline the two men with the blades. Her momentum ripped the two off their feet, while the cold steel sliced through their flesh, and they were incapacitated and dying before even hitting the ground.

Alex was impressed, but also a little disturbed, at the psychological ease with which she dispatched the two. Sure, they were just computer-generated images, but they looked real. The blood pouring from their wounds looked real, smelled real. The expressions of anguish and surprise on their faces looked authentic. And hadn't she been just as brutal with the soldiers back at the hotel? It was only her mission directive that had stayed her hand from killing them, rather than merely disabling them. But, she reasoned, it was just another part of being a SeeD. There would be battles around every corner, and she would need to kill in each one. Sometimes to follow orders, sometimes just to survive.

The hasted thief pressed a button beside the door, and it slid open for her. In the chaos and confusion, it didn't surprise Alex that the Galbadians had missed securing the entrances. Inside the Garden was a place Alex had never before been. It was basically circular in design, much like other Gardens, but this one's corridors were narrow, winding, and completely unassuming, making navigation a chore in and of itself; never mind the armed soldiers and SeeDs wandering through them.

The spell Kryse had bestowed upon his teammate was beginning to wear off, and the lightness of her body was leaving, returning to its familiar state. It was probably best, as Alex needed to be cautious while moving throughout the Garden.

As she came upon the first set of stairs, she heard rapid footsteps descending them--two sets, from what she could surmise. She pressed her back to the wall and peered around the corner into the wide stairwell. As she predicted, two individuals came huffing down the steps, moving as quickly as they could without tripping and tumbling the rest of the way down. These two were different from the rabble fighting with Balamb's forces: one was female, with silvery hair, an eye-patch, and a blue, long-sleeved blouse. The other was a muscular, tan-fleshed man, chest fully bared but for a small purple vest, which was accompanied below by the baggiest pants Alex had ever seen. The girl carried a small shuriken, while the man held a staff as thick as his own biceps at its extreme lengths. The rosy-haired thief recognized them, but couldn't quite put names with faces.

She heard them talking as they raced down. "WASTE OF TIME!" exclaimed the girl bluntly. "It's prolly nothin', but we gotta check it out like the boss says, ya know?" replied her companion feebly.

That last bit did it; Alex knew who these two were now. As they hit the bottom step and made for the hall, Alex stepped out in front of them, weapons bared. Fujin and Raijin were startled by her sudden appearance, and each jumped back a step, but it didn't take long before they assumed their own battle stances, ready to take on the infiltrator.

"Pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering around here alone, ya know?" said Raijin, extending his free arm while positioning his staff behind him.

"SURRENDER!" ordered Fujin, hunching slightly and holding her shuriken up high.

It was two against one, and judging by the physique of her opponents, Alex guessed that her speed wasn't going to offer as much of an advantage as it usually did. She would just have to hope she was superior overall. Ignoring Fujin's command, Alex laid into them immediately.

She focused on Raijin first, trying to wear him down, but that proved to be an unsound plan, as it gave Fujin an opening to unleash a powerful gust of wind in the form of an Aero spell. The swirling, artificial vortex struck Alex hard and flung her aside, but she agilely landed on her feet in a low crouch. From that position, she sprung back at her foes, knocking aside Fujin's shuriken with one dagger and slashing at her with the other. The second blade tore into Fujin's blouse, but failed to cause any harm, and before Alex could follow up, Raijin's staff came down hard, cracking against the metal floor with ferocious power as its intended target darted away just in time.

Fujin backflipped with surprising grace, landing on the tips of her toes and then chucking her weapon. It spun through the air like a saw blade, backed by wind magic for additional force. Alex ducked beneath it, but as she straightened, she noticed the slight but telling grin on Fujin's face; Alex spun around just in time to see the shuriken coming right back towards its owner.

Alex tipped her head and leaned back, feeling the whirling blade pass just centimeters over the tip of her nose. Raijin was right there to take advantage of the situation, and swept his pole beneath the thief. Her feet were above her head a second later, and she was on her back. The staff came down again, this time striking her square in the chest. Her body curled a bit with the impact, and she found herself unable to breath. The pain was as real as anything she'd ever felt.

"Give up, ya know? We don't wanna have to hurt you any more."

"ELIMINATE!"

Raijin turned to his comrade, a sympathetic expression on his face. "I know what Seifer said, but we got her beat, ya kn-- Ufghh!"

Using the momentary lapse in Raijin's attention, Alex quickly summoned a blizzard spell and launched it upwards. The huge chunk of ice slammed into Raijin's chin, sending him stumbling back, dazed and disoriented. Alex was on her feet moments later, and she followed her magical strike with a kick to Raijin's gut. With his defenses effectively nullified, Alex quickly junctioned her full stock of sleep magic to her knives and cut deeply into Raijin's belly. The wound was hardly fatal, but with the help of the magic, the dark-skinned warrior was out like a light nonetheless. He hit the metallic floor with a resounding thud as Alex renewed her assault on Fujin.

"RAGE!" exclaimed the one-eyed woman upon seeing her comrade fall, and she launched another Aero at Alex.

Still winded from Raijin's mighty blow, Alex wasn't able to fully dodge the magic, and it struck her shoulder, this time biting into her flesh like a thin blade. Alex gritted her teeth and charged at Fujin, pumping her remaining magic into her speed once again, although the low-level spells she possessed did almost nothing for her.

She closed the distance and launched into a series of swift strikes, but seeing what she had done to Raijin, Fujin would not let a single one land true. Despite the unwieldly nature of a shuriken in melee combat, Fujin used it with extreme finesse, denoting years of laborious practice. Even with Alex's magical augment, Fujin nearly matched her speed and agility, and Alex was on the loosing end of the fight with her injuries.

Hopping back to put a little distance between them, Alex decided to try something Fujin hopefully wouldn't be expecting. With the help of Quetzalcohuatl, Alex reached into Fujin's store of magic and drew out a single Aero, immediately turning it on its previous owner. Draw-casting was dangerous, as without a body to channel it, a spell was prone to unpredictable levels of power. Alex got doubly lucky this time. Not only was Fujin taken off-guard by the action, but the Aero spell turned out to be incredibly potent, slamming into Fujin's stomach and sending her soaring down the hall. She slid to a halt along the floor some forty feet away. Just for good measure, Alex hard-cast a sleep spell on Fujin. It took, and within seconds, she, like Raijin, was down for the count.

With both opponents defeated, Alex took a moment to catch her breath and inspect her wounds. She pressed her fingers into the areas around where Raijin had struck her, feeling for any signs of breakage; she discovered a particularly sensitive area, which sent waves of pain through her chest each time she pressed it. Most likely a small fracture. Next, she looked at the cut on her shoulder. It was superficial, but it stung like hell.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Alex stocked up on what spells the unconscious duo had to offer, including Cura magic, a copy of which Alex cast upon herself. When she was satisfied, she proceeded up the stairs. She didn't really know where to go, but if Seifer had sent his lackeys from this direction, it was as good as any to follow.

It wasn't long before she happened upon an important-looking elevator, and she rode it up. When the door retreated into the wall, Alex stared into what looked almost like a throne-room, standing in the middle of which was Seifer, his back turned to her, his Hyperion-model gunblade resting casually on his shoulder. Slowly and cautiously, Alex crept into the room.

"So," announced Seifer, breaking the silence. "You managed to get past Fujin and Raijin, didja?" He spun around with blinding speed and stuck his gunblade straight out at Alex. "Well, it ends here."

As much as Alex wanted to retort, she thought it would just be odd to talk back to a computer program. Instead, she readied her daggers, junctioning her newly-acquired set of Thundara spells to them. Tiny bolts of bluish lightning danced upon the polished but bloody steel every few seconds. Her stock of Aeros went to her speed, her Curas to her vitality. With the new magic, she was a powerful contender for the arch-nemesis of the finest SeeD the world had thus far seen.

When the fight began, it was a blur of motion between two seemingly matched foes. Seifer attacked with quick and vicious strikes, but Alex was plenty fast enough to parry them. She had to give Seifer credit for being a damned good fighter, despite his chosen allegiance.

The white-coated knight brought his Hyperion down over Alex's head. She raised her daggers to block it, but as soon as metal struck metal, Seifer pulled the trigger of his gunblade. The resulting shock and wave of vibrations through the larger sword broke Alex's guard and sent her reeling.

Seifer followed up with a few more strikes, each of which was harder to deflect than the last. Finally, Alex found an opening to exploit and plunged one of her blades into Seifer's side. He pulled back, clutching the wound and crying out in pain. Blood dripped from between his fingers, but the sleep magic didn't take.

With one hand held firmly over the injury, Seifer's attacks became slower and more strained, and Alex now had the upper hand. When he swung the gunblade in a wide, messy, horizontal arc, Alex ducked beneath it, spun forward, and sprung back up right next to Seifer, driving the butt of one dagger straight up into his chin. The crunch of his jaw echoed throughout the vaulted room as all other sound ceased, his consciousness completely snuffed by the heavy impact.

As Seifer began to collapse backwards, Kryse called out for the game to freeze, and everything except Alex herself became locked in place. Just moments later, a disappointing announcement came over the PA. "All Trabia SeeDs are to report to briefing room 1-A immediately."

The simulation ended, and the room returned to white. There was no death, no blood, no battle. Her injuries had disappeared, but Alex was still out of breath, panting and sweating after her duel with Edea's Finest.

"Aww.... do we have to?"

The hairs on the back of the soldier’s neck stood at attention like enlisted men waiting anxiously on the front lines for their doomed orders. The combination of the electricity surging through the massive generator and the Estharian armor encapsulating Balian’s body created a number of tingling sensations to traverse down the length of his spine. For once, all the intel had been on target, down to the blueprint of the corridors that led him down to this very step.

Standing before a major piece of technology that served as an intricate security measure for the nation-state on the other side of the war that had shaped every lesson from his childhood, Aiden Barron found himself strangely benign to the whole experience. It was easy to objectify Esthar and the soldiers that served it, each of them hidden behind the uniform’s metallic helmets that allowed a man to take a life without the soul-wrenching task of staring into the eyes of the soon-to-be departed. They were the faceless enemy, little more than a flag and a target.

Still, Aiden found himself unable to appreciate the gravity of the moment. For years, he would have killed to get to this point, to stand on the brink of striking the greatest blow to the greatest enemy Galbadia had ever known. And now that he had, in fact, taken dozens of lives on his way to reaching this heavily-guarded area beneath the city, there was a calm reckoning. He felt distanced from the act, cold and separated from the passion that had burned so strongly in his veins during the early years of service to his country.

“Echo One in position.”

Balian was growing tired of lurking in the shadows. He would have criticized the plan for not being direct enough, for lacking the courage to face the enemy in glorious combat for all the world to witness. The truth, though, was that he was the only person to blame.

Wolf considered just dropping the digital Squall, but he had more respect so he set him down, if a bit roughly(It was a digital construct after all).

Phileo waited patiently for him to stand back up and draw his weapons. He put his magic back into an optimum junction and prepared to fight, though he was surprised to see Phileo holding a sword. From the armor he had been quite sure that he was a CQC.

Just as he was prepped to make his attack, an announcment called all Trabia SeeDs to a briefing room.

"I guess we'll have to finish this another time," Phileo said before he froze along with the rest of the world.

"Wha-?" The world swirled away and took Phileo with it. Wolf spun to see that Phileo, the real Phileo, was actually behined him, as was the exit."Wow..." a wide grin split his face and he threw both fists into the air, "This place is totally wicked!"

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He'd had to jog a bit to catch up, as he'd stopped to see if Kryse was comming, as the others had lead hm to believe that he was the man in charge as well as their host. Turned out he had nothing to do with the announcment and wasn't sure what it was for.

He had also wanted to find out how Elias side of the mission whent, but she had arrived first and there was a woman already there to brief them on whatever it was they were called there for so there wasn't any time to talk. He merely took a seat and waited for her to begin.

Having made her way clear of the training center and on her own again, Elia reached up and latched an index finger around the band that pulled her short cut of thick blonde hair into a tight ponytail behind her hair. Just a day removed from chopping off most of the length that had established her golden look from the rest of the students at Balamb Garden. Maybe it was something about growing up, maybe it was just an outward sign of an inward change that came with becoming a SeeD, learning to pull the trigger for real.

It occurred to Elia Barron that she really still had no idea what life was going to be like as a SeeD operative. They didn’t like to use the word mercenary so much anymore, preferring the term “operative” to get away from the money-hunting nature that had been epitomized by NORG, or at least in all the stories that Elia had ever heard. Headmaster Leonhart wasn’t the type to revel in the days of old and tell stories, but Elia’s personal sniper instruction and mentor Irvine Kinneas was exactly the type to spill all the dirty details of events that had passed before.

No matter where life carried Elia, she knew that she would always look fondly back on her time with Kinneas. The instructor was so much her opposite in every way. A smooth operator and a man that coveted any attention he could get, Irvine was the type to sweet talk someone and tell them everything that they wanted to hear in the interest of getting his way. On the other end of the spectrum, Elia Barron was brutally honest and had no trouble believing the worst about anyone and volunteering words like daggers at the drop of a pin. Still, the older instructor had been a safe haven for her, a chance to vent all the adolescent frustration that came when boys simply didn’t make sense and girls were even worse. Life was at the Garden was a steep learning curve at the older sniper was there to make sure that the younger one didn’t tumble over the edge.

“Some blaze of glory they’ve got me chasing now, huh?” She muttered the comment to no one in particular as she made her way down the hall, stopping to pester an Esthar Garden technician for directions to the room 1-A. It was her third Garden in so many days, no surprise that her mind was starting to spin with the different layouts and confusion when it came to direction.

It wasn’t long until the rest of the team made their way along as well. The blond-haired girl blew hard upwards to clear her face of a few loose strands of hair as she noticed that she wasn’t the only member of her team waiting for whatever announcement had drawn them all from the war game. Elia bit her bottom lip slightly, fighting the urge to realize that they were later to the briefing because they had lasted longer in the game than she had.

Stupid girl. Never stay in a nest for that long, especially in a liquid fight. Never going to happen again.

Forcing a smirk onto her lips, Elia settled into one of the chairs, sitting backwards and crossing her arms over the back of the chair, waiting for everything to begin.

The Briefing

Dr. Salmance scanned the gathered group of SeeDs, she had been observing their behavior since they arrived. For the most part they were what she expected, but to think that there would be insubordination within the group... Zeke Wantanabe, his first impression was terrible, but perhaps it was too soon to pass judgment, though she'd like nothing more then to berate his attitude, there were much more important matters at hand. “Thank you for coming. I am Doctor Rebecca Salmance, my son speaks highly of you so I hope I can count on you. In a few hours monsters will begin falling from the moon; it is this event I wish to discuss. The Lunar Cry is not to be taken lightly and despite what you might think, there will be no celebration. Perhaps you've notice the facade we put on, perhaps not. It isn't really important what you think, only that you know the danger we all face,” she paused a moment to let it sink in.

“The Lunar Cry is a terrifying event and for good reason. Every time it happens the monster population increases. Many of these monsters are common in the world today, but occasionally a very powerful, rare monster arrives. We designate these monsters as a high threat level. There are three such categories; they are Alpha, Ultima and Omega. Alpha class threats fall more often then the other two and many have been encounter by your fellow SeeDs and soldiers alike. A popular slang for these creatures is 'Boss'. Pausing a moment, she brought up a monitor with an animated image of the moon's surface.

The image was like something out of a nightmare. A massive red & black blob was forming on a plateau of the moon. As the view was magnified the blob began to take the form of thousands of monsters gathering together. “This is what we face. I'm sure you recognize many of them but look here.” The display panned over the monsters stopping on a spot that read sector 3-B. This ladies and gentleman, is why I called you here. “As you can see, it is a Construct, the most common of which is the Iron Giant. Note the gold color to it's armor and its massive twin blades. We estimate this creature to be 1.5 times larger then it's Iron Giant cousins. We've designated it the Alpha Giant. I want you to eliminate it. Any questions?”

>><><<
Kryse sat in the re-spawn room clasping his hands together in a tight grip. His condition appeared to be getting worse, he'd been able to hide it pretty well, so much so he almost forgot about it. The shakes started shortly after Elia left for the briefing, thank god for that, he wouldn't know what to say had she seen it. Why hadn't he told them yet? Was he really afraid to admit he had a weakness?

“It's getting worse isn't it?” His father entered the room. Perhaps turning the surveillance system off wasn't the best idea. “Why did you turn the cameras off?”

“I was hoping you'd think I had a girl in here and you'd give me some privacy.”

“Is that a fact? While I can't say I'd be surprised if that were the case, you wouldn't jeopardize your career for some quality time. Has there been any pain?”

“Not yet. The shakes just started. This means it's the magic itself doesn't it?”

“I'm afraid so, but The Exchange should take of it.”

“Yeah, The Exchange. I've been talking to Diablos about it and it doesn't sound pleasant.”

“You know son, you don't have to do this.”

“No. I've come to far to turn back now. Let's change the subject. How is the briefing going?”

“There's been a new development. It seems there's a Boss Monster in the mix.”

“What, really? That's awesome! Can I see it?”

“I thought you might ask.” Vincent handed his son a data pad with an image of the monster. “They're calling it an Alpha Giant.”

As the briefing began, Elia locked icy blue eyes toward the front of the room and zoned into the presentation. For the rest of the team that hadn’t known the girl before their test and graduation as SeeDs, it would quickly become painfully clear just what kind of student the girl had been during her years at Balamb Garden. The young woman sat with a rigid upright posture near the front of her chair, attention fully-forced forward as the Estharians began to finally share the truth behind why they had requested the presence of a SeeD team on such short notice.

Despite the serious attention she paid to the facts as if the matter was a grave issue of national security, the Elia couldn’t help but feel the hint of a smirk playing upon her lips at the mention of the Alpha Giant and their real mission. It wasn’t much of an expression, really, just a small twinge at the corner of her lips, twisting up ever-so-slightly. She’d been trained as an efficient weapon in all kinds of modern warfare, but there was an exhilaration that came with the idea of battling a single, massive foe. The rush of a fight with one of the big ones. A boss battle.

No sooner had the woman at the front of the room finished speaking than the blonde young woman raised her hand high, taking a few seconds before being recognized. She followed all the instincts that came from military classroom instruction, standing before she addressed the financiers of this operation.

“Does the Alpha have any known weaknesses?” Already, Elia’s head was spinning with possible tactics and strategies to employ. One of the last things Kinneas had been working to teach her was using the junction ability of Pandemona and some slight modifications on her rifle to junction paramagic and actually embedded the elemental and status abilities of the paramagic in her shots. The girl still couldn’t begin to explain how the process actually worked, but the results opened a new potential to warfare that she knew would become extremely valuable eventually.

Her rigid posture as she spoke seemed to relay the idea of a military briefing. She addressed the scientist at the front of the room as if she were a high-ranking general instructing them to invade and occupy a city. It wasn’t hard to imagine her father taking similar order at the same age, receiving his marching orders to sweep in and occupy the Timber during the last Great War. Elia’s icy glare softened to a degree as another part of her mind, miraculously divorcing itself for a few seconds from the military operation, studied the woman standing before them. She was fascinated by the family of her comrades, always searching from some clue or insight to the inner workings of the team. A perfect case study for the last few years had been Melody, Phileo’s older sister. That explained so much. She was sure that the time was doing the same thing to her with Aiden, but Elia had decided not to let thoughts of her brother come back into play until after this new mission. No distractions.

“Will Esthar be providing any support for the operation? From what I can tell,” she said, lifting a hand from the clasped position just below her waist to indicate to the image of the gathering mass on the surface of the moon, “we’re going to have more to deal with than just the Alpha.” The girl paused again, decided to press her luck.

“Maybe someone that is familiar with not only SeeD tactics, but the operational capabilities of this team. I happen to know of a certain individual within this every building that would be perfectly suited to provide a support role for our operation.” Elia actually turned her head from the woman for a moment, eyes drifted over to her teammates to see if anyone else was catching on or would provide support. Maybe she was the only one that missed the idea of having Kryse by their side. Icy blues fell to Alex for a moment, wondering if Kryse’s old friend felt anywhere near the same.

Somewhere during the long wait for the orders from above, Aiden Barron found himself slipping away from the reality that waited for him. In the depth of his mind, he was back as a young Special Ops member of the Galbadian Marine Force, 5th Regiment. Instead of the constricting and suffocating armor of the Estharian disguise, his body was clad in the black cloth of a Galbadian Marine combat uniform.

The silent war between Esthar and Galbadia hadn’t stopped simply because Squall Leonhart and his team of SeeD mercenaries preventing the return of Sorceress Adel and the catastrophic events that would have followed the merger of Lunatic Pandora and the Lunar Cry. There was a change of leadership at times and Esthar’s leader Laguna Loire refused to involve his nation in a military effort against the nation for which he’d once fought, but there were plenty of officers beneath him that had no trouble remembering the good days of conflict with their neighbor across the sea.

The young Aiden Barron leaned over the railing troop transport ship that carried his small unit across the water, spitting into the ocean at the thought of Laguna Loire. A former Galbadian military officer, the man had betrayed his country and eventually risen to leadership in Esthar, trading the pride of a military nation in return for a spacious office at the top of some high-technology building the hear t of the enemy he’d been trained to fight. In the eyes of Barron, Loire was nothing more than a traitor, giving a face to the shielded Estharian soldiers he faced in battles the rest of the world would never discover.

Their mission that day had been simple. Insert to the north of the Estharian continent and make their way overland to a small facility which intelligence believed to be a weapons manufacturing plant engineering and producing a number of new personal combat machines that would tilt the silent war heavily in favor of Esthar. The unit in which Aiden served would insert as a small tactical force into the plant and disable it. In the event of detection and open fighting, they would be supported with a larger force from the 5th Regiment waiting on the coast for a signal for support.

The operation proceeded smoothly up to the point when security forces spotted the invaders and sounded a red alert. The tactical force made the decision to split into two groups. The commanding officer and his senior members would stay behind and continue to plant their charges while Aiden and some of the junior members would break for the surface of the facility in an attempt to draw the security forces away and reach their comrades waiting with powerful reinforcements. Barron’s could still feel the cold steel of the facility’s walls as he body slammed against it during the close and furious fighting that led them to the surface.

It was about that time that the charges detonated prematurely, killing Aiden’s senior officers and making him one of only four surviving members of the unit, embedded deep in enemy territory with no means of contacting the waiting extraction team, who had orders to leaving immediately upon the detonation of the facility to prevent a large-scale conflict between the two nations. In other words, the young soldier and his comrades were stranded on foreign soil and pursued by an angry enemy.

For nine days they were able to avoid the patrols hunting parties combing the countryside to find them. Moving through the Great Salt Lake, or what used to be a lake before Esthar’s testing destroyed all water and life, the team crawled on. One of them died of infection from wounds suffered during their escape, another from a surprise attack by one of the strange creatures “living” in the salt flats. Finally, Aiden’s last ally slipped into an eternal sleep brought on by dehydration.

When the soldier finally reached Fisherman’s Horizon on the other side of the wasteland, a few of the residents actually thought he was a ghost or some other spectral creature from his horrifying appearance. In reality, they weren’t too far from the truth. In many ways, Aiden Barron began to die in those flats before a SCORPIA agent embedded at the Horizon found the young man and embarked on fulfilling a scientific dream he had concocted many years before. Strange, but no one would know the Fisherman’s Horizon gave birth to such a weapon of war.

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The memory – or dream of a past life – was so intense that Aiden swore he could still smell the sickly sweet salt of the Lake as the world around him began to return to his consciousness. The hum of the generator filled his ears rather than the hollow screams of a tired and lonely wind.

That and the sound of someone coming down the corridor.

Balian’s head snapped in the direction and his body instinctively pressed against the nearby wall, limiting his exposure as much as possible while senses tried to piece together a picture of the invisible. Two sets of footsteps were quickly confirmed by two voices of patrolmen going through the boring duty of guarding one of the most secure locations in the country. As they turned the corner, their worlds became a bloody blur.

Balian blasted from the wall and drove his forearm directly into the neck of the first guard and their bodies slammed into the opposite wall. The force of the blow was enough to crush the man’s trachea behind the weight of the vicious attack. Then, pressing his arm against the man’s neck and elbow into the man’s shoulder, Balian lifting his body into the air enough to drive his legs into a powerful kick connecting with the second man’s chest. The guard stumbled back as Balian reconnected with the ground, the first man collapsing to the ground with futile gasps for a breath that would never come.

Balian and the second guard faced each other as the sudden shock of the assault began to fade. Two men clad in full Estharian armor and helmets, faceless warriors in a secret battle beneath the heart of the city. The guard was faced with a choice – stand and fight or make a break to call for help and alert the facility of the intruder. Whatever pride fueled his choice was a mystery to Balian, but the SCORPIA agent knew that it signed the man’s death warrant.

The guard took a step forward as he reached for his rifle, attempting to raise the weapon up for a shot. Balian closed the distance quickly, batting the barrel of the gun back down. They were close enough to hear each other breath as Balian lunged forward with a vicious head butt. Immediately the SCORPIA agent dropped to a crouching position and delivered a sweep of the dazed guard’s legs, sending him crashing forward and landing on his hidden face.

Spinning around to face the man, Balian pounced like a feral beast. Hands dove for the man’s neck while the guard countered with forearms of his own, trying to keep his assailant from getting position. Frustrated, Balian grunted as he smashed an elbow into the man’s upper spine before seizing upon the neck once again. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough time to the soldier to grip the top of the head and chin. With a sudden flex, the guard’s life ended painlessly and instantly.

Gasping for air, the soldier fell off the top of the man and ripped the constricting helmet away to find a breath that was sorely missing. After a few seconds, he raised his arm and the comlink device there.

“This is Echo One. Situation compromised. Commence action now. I repeat, this is Echo One,” he said with a gasp. “Deploy now.”

After a few seconds, a flash of moment grazed the SCORPIA agent’s periphery. A few feet away, the first guard was using what little breath remained to stretch and reached the discarded rifle in the middle of the corridor. Slowly, Balian rose to a standing position and walked calmly over to the man, waiting until the guard actually touched the rifle before kicking it sharply away. The agent knelt down over the man, watching the guard’s face contort with the pains of slow suffocation.

Rather than kill the man, Balian reached down and gripped the sides of the man’s face, his helmet knocked away in an attempt to breathe. Speaking no words and taking no other action, the soldier simply raised the dying man’s face and stared into his eye with a calm and piercing gaze of icy blue eyes as the lack of oxygen overcame the guard’s will to survive. Somewhere beneath the SCORPIA agent’s skin, a sense of pleasure and satisfaction emanated from the twin soul buried there, satisfying its thirst for war, even if only for a few seconds.

Dropping the man’s head, Balian rose and brushed off the armored leg of his uniform and calmly finished setting the charges to the generator before walking away from the carnage. It wouldn’t be too long until another patrol noticed the scene he’d left for them to enjoy.

By then, it would be too late to stop him.

Wolf was annoyed.

Normally the prospect of fighting a boss monster, especially a previously unknown type, would have thrilled him. This Alpha Giant, however, was a construct. A gigantic, living, suit of armor. Nothing but metal and magic.

He hated constructs.

Give him something that bleeds and breathes and he'll accept any challenge. But what whappens when you gash open a construct? Nothing. It doesn't bleed, it doesn't scream, it doesn't care.

He sighed and sunk into his chair.

Battles against constructs weren't fights. They were chores. You didn't kill them, you dismantled them.

He sat in his chair, for all intents and purposes appearing to sulk, and to a certain degree he was, going over the process. Picking which joints to go after first. Based on the sheer size of it, he'd have to go after the wrists or ankles first. Wrists first. Even if it's on the ground it'd still be a threat if it still has those swords...

What a ragtag group the SeeDs must have seemed to Kryse's mother; only one of them sat with the posture and disposition of a professional hired gun, while another sulked in a combination of boredom and annoyance, and Alex herself reclined casually as she watched and listened. Out of respect for Dr. Salmance, Alex didn't turn around to see what her other comrades where up to, but she would put money on finding Zeke bored with his head resting in his hands, Eva sitting upright like a proper lady, and Phileo in an utterly plain position, perhaps akin to an attentive schoolboy, listening intently with that strange, but oddly intriguing expression of his.

The briefing was short and to the point, which Alex could appreciate after being given the runaround with the whole situation. It seemed SeeD's purpose here was more than enjoying the festivities, of which there would apparently be none after all. But that was alright with Alex as well. Enough having fun, already. There was work to do.

While Alex shared most of Wolf's opinion on the nature of their upcoming foe, she did not express it quite so somatically. Instead, she was actually grateful for the chance to both test her abilities in an effort to bring down a truly titanic foe and protect what she still considered to be her homeland, even if she hadn't set foot inside it's holographic walls in over a decade.

The rosy-haired girl's attention turned from the doctor to Elia as the sniper ventured a few queries. The prospect of including Kryse on the mission to destroy the Alpha Giant certainly sparked Alex's interest, and she no doubt telegraphed that to Elia when her she looked over at Alex.

Alex decided to offer an opinion of her own. "He may look better in a lab coat then a set of fatigues, but Kryse is good with that sword of his. What do you say, Mrs. Salmance?" A slight blush of red appeared on Alex's cheeks as she referred to their employer as she had so many years ago. She wondered if Kryse's mother even recognized her after all these years. "Sorry. Doctor Salmance," she added with a sheepish grin.

Through out the briefing, if it could even be called one due to its short length, Zeke had to fight the urge to walk away, leaving Esthar to fend for itself against the so-called Alpha Giant. It would have served them right for having pulled such an insulting ruse against SeeD, and for the lies as well. Of course, the more Zeke thought about it, the more he decided that the thoughts were merely the Galbadian in him still being irked at Esthar and its big secrets. Sometimes, the samurai forgot that he, like Eilia, was Galbadian, albeit from a different part of the country, but Galbadian all the same. Similar to Wolf, Zeke was not looking forward to fighting a constructs, although for different reasons. Zeke didn't mind dismantling a machine (a mission was a mission, after all), but was only annoyed at the prospect of a long and tedious battle that was sure to be coming. Constructs had an annoying way contuing to fight despite how much damage they've already taken.

"Something about this seems off."
"Now what are you on about?"
"While that Giant is threatening, I see no reason why Esthar cannot simply dismantle it themselves. They have the most advanced arsenal in the world, so they are more than capable. Why hire SeeDs?"

Zeke didn't respond to Leviathan's thoughts. He had to admit, the GF had a point. It seemed like a waste to hire SeeDs to do something that Esthar's own defense forces should be more than capable to handling themselves. Then again, maybe there was more to it than that? It wouldn't surprise Zeke to find out that this "Alpha" Giant was actually Ultima or even Omega in threat level. It would just be one more secret in Esthar's long history of secrets and deception. Even if Dr. Salmance designated the Giant as Alpha, Zeke decided he would be ready for more, just in case. Estharians didn't know everything (even if they like to think they do) and certainly could not predict the future with little more than mathmetical equations.

This whole trip had become a nightmare, and Zeke just wanted to get this mission over with. Then, maybe they could get the hell out of here and, God willing, never have to come back. This technological wonder of a city was just too full of lies and secrets to be enjoyable. At this point, Zeke would rather have been home listening to lectures from his old man then being stuck here, manipulated and used by Estharian know-it-alls.

Evangline was sure none of them liked the prospect of having to fight a construct, and such a large one at that. It was understandable. They were notorious for being hard to kill and were an immense nuisance to any warrior. This Alpha Giant looked to be no different.

Elia started off by asking some pretty good questions. But of course, it led to an inquiry after whether or not Kryse would be ‘providing back up’ for the team. It really didn’t surprise Evangeline. From what she’d seen thus far, the sniper seemed to have a thing for Kryse. It really wasn’t her concern, in any case, so long as it didn’t interfere with Elia’s ability to make effective decisions. Besides, she wasn’t the only one who wanted him reunited with the team. Eva was sure the rest of the team would like to work with him again, too.

“Dr. Salamance,” Evangeline spoke up, “Strategically, having your son and perhaps a few other Estharians back up our team is a good idea. That way, we have people who know the surroundings, we’ll have support, and we will have a liaison between our team and the back up provided. While I cannot make this decision, I would advise for it.”

The blonde then changed the subject rather respectfully, though she cast a friendly glance over at Elia. Perhaps her support towards adding Kryse at least temporarily to the team would inch her closer to her teammate’s good graces. The sooner Elia thought better of her, the better they would work together in coming missions.

“I would like to know if I can have access to the files containing information on the coming LCE. If even only a few files, those details could still provide valuable information for this mission.”

The expected questions were asked and not surprisingly her son came up as well. While she'd rather he not be involved, no doubt he was already going over the data and was eagerly running simulations in his head. While it was good they wanted Kryse's participation she was disappointed that none of them asked the important questions. Tactics and support were well and good but did any of them wonder why? Were they really that much like the military, no they were nothing like the military. The military fight for their country, SeeDs fight for their Garden, and their Gardens are loyal to no one, as long as they receive ample compensation they'll send their best; Soldiers of Fortune and nothing more.

“The military will intervene if this creature proves too much for your combined efforts,” she was about to continue when the door opened and Kryse walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt, but there's been a development, may I?” Stepping aside Dr. Salmance gave her son the floor. “I've been going over the data on the Alpha Giant and there are a few concerns I'd like to address.” After bringing up the latest data on the Alpha Giant he continued. “Despite it's size and estimated power it's still a metallic construct meaning it can be weakened by electricity. However, Iron Giants have an Auto Shell/Protect ability that activates when they feel threatened. The Alpha Giant may have this ability as well, but fully active. Getting past this shield will be our first priority. This can be done easily enough with my Core Gun. Once the shield is down Quetzalcoatl can be summoned to weaken the target. With it weakened it's simply a matter of exposing its core and destroying it.”

Kryse took a moment to pause before continuing.
So it's that simple huh?
If only. Data alone isn't enough, the reason we know so much about the monsters that roam this world is because we've had first hand experience with them. We won't truly know what this thing is capable of until we fight it.
Indeed

“Now for the bad news. In truth all we have is data and while good, it isn't enough. The golden color to its armor is a concern of mine. Iron Giants have steel bodies, the Alpha's structure is unknown and may be highly resistant to our weapons. There is also the matter of its twin blades; one is bad enough, but two not only gives the giant an offensive boost, but an impressive defense as well. My biggest concern however, are these,” rotating the image 180 degrees two spikes that rose just above the shoulders were highlighted on the creatures back. “These spikes are not made of any metallic substance, but rather Lunar Crystal. The Lunar Crystal housed within the Lunatic Pandora is capable of invoking the Lunar Cry, these may be capable of doing the same though on a much smaller scale. My theory however, is that they are used to call in reinforcements, possibly nearby Iron Giants. If this is the case we'll need to destroy the crystals before it gets a chance to do so. Looks like we're in for a hell of fight.” When he finished speaking Kryse stepped aside and let his mother continue.

“Right, there you have it. Before we adjourn I'd like to prepare you for what to expect during the event. All transit systems as well as the cities offenses will be offline during the first and final waves. The shield requires a massive amount of power, so we trade offense for defense. The transit system is a different matter. The Lunar Cry disrupts the system's power source causing it to go haywire. Vehicles will be available during this time. Now I suggest you come up with a strategy that best suits your talents. This meeting is adjourned, but feel free to use the room.” With that Dr. Salmance left the room.

Your mother doesn't like SeeDs does she?
No, though that may be my fault. I was supposed to be a scientist, not a warrior. I thought a compromise would work, but she still harbors distaste.
Your father is a warrior though, it's only natural that the son would follow in his footsteps
My father doesn't have the condition I have
Ah yes, speaking of which don't you think you should tell them?
I'd rather not, but I suppose I have to.

Looking at his teammates he sighed, “I have something important to tell you all. I've been avoiding it but the circumstances are forcing my hand. I'm allergic to magic.”

The mention of this seemed to snap Wolf out of his sulky attitude. “Wait, you mean all magic?”

“Unfortunately, though their effects are minor however, Curative Magics are much more severe. There's a way around this but I'd rather not get into that right now. For now I think we should discuss strategy... and don't worry about me. I have some elixirs if things get bad.”

It was Alex's turn to pout now, but a hint of concern shone through her expression of disapproval. "You might have told us that a little sooner, Kryse," she said, crossing her arms. "What if something had gone wrong at the hotel, and one of us had tried to cure you?" She heaved a sigh of resignation. "I guess it doesn't matter now. Don't keep stuff from me, 'kay?"

Alex stood and joined Kryse at the front of the room, studying the images of the Alpha Giant, the prospect of fighting which was quickly turning into one heck of a nightmare. If it wasn't one thing, it was another with this 'boss' creature, and it was going to take maximum effort from the entire team to bring it down. It didn't hurt the girl's pride at all to know that her own GF would be one key to their victory. But aside from that, she had more to offer the strategy.

"Once the battle starts, if you guys can keep the Alpha Giant distracted for a few minutes, I can scale it and take out the crystals on its back. Then that's at least one thing less to worry about. Sound good?"

Shit.

Yeah.

Wolf was stunned. For even beneficial magic to hurt him, especially curative spells... he shuddered at the thought of what offensive magic could do.

Wolf was amused by Alex berating Kryse. Mostly because she seemed offended, as if his keeping it secret was a personal insult. He didn't say anything about it though, as he did deserve it.

When she started talking strategy however, he had something add.

"It's good, but it's only a start. I've been thinking about it, and this is what I've come up with. First, since the target is estimated to be fifty percent larger than your average iron giant, I'm estimating about twentyfive feet, we should make crippling it our top priority. Once we've disabled it we can focus on destroying the crystals. The Shell and Protect spells however add something extra though. If they are constantly active we'll need to bring them down before we can do any real damage. Kryses Core Gun would be perfect for this, but theres a problem. Every Core Cannon I've read about had a ridiculously long charge time. Now, my information is old, but I can't imagine a portable version a tenth of the size of what I read about being any better. That means we've got one shot. Now, unless we get lucky and he destroys it, we could end up triggering its defenses, which, even if it's crippled, would be bad for us. So my plan is this:


We station Kryse and Elia a few hundred yards off, or closer if that's out of his range. We give Elia an explosive, armor peircing, round letting her hammer it from a safe distance while Kryse watches her back as well as being able to hit it himself.
I would engage it first and on my initial aporoach Elia would give it a test round. If its defenses are active Kryse will fire on it and bring them down. If not I'll push it until they do go up. Once the defenses are down, I'll do whatever I can to cripple it. Then Zeke, Alex, and Phileo can move in and we can start taking it apart."

::Phileo Arentus - Strategy Meeting::

“Thank you for coming. I am Doctor Rebecca Salmance," Phileo, now unarmed as opposed to only moments ago in the simulation, listened attentively to her introduction. His posture was straight and while he was not the slacker type, Arentus was no where near what Elia was with the rigid stance and the perfect student aura. This was no longer the Garden but the same manner, respect and professionalism was still expected from them especially due to them now being official SeeDs. "One must not tarnish the name of SeeD." He distinctly remembered Melody telling him with her eyes alone.

"my son speaks highly of you so I hope I can count on you." Doctor Salmance... that must be Kryse's mother. But to 'hope [she] can count on [us]'? So little faith in the capability of SeeDs. Was it because SeeD is not as famed for capability as the propaganda constantly broadcasting in the Garden's SeeD history class? Or was it simply due to first impression by the team's 'professional performance'?

There was also the matter of why they would be telling the truth now as opposed to earlier. How many people knew the of the actual mission and how many were meant to be kept in the darkness? Or was this a request solely by the doctor? There were too many uncertainties. Arentus knew, for the team's sake, that they should make records and file a report to the current situation in case their team was being used for some political ploy. Her being Kryse's mother has nothing to do with contingency plans. It was simply protocol. "It isn't really important what you think, only that you know the danger we all face,”

Arentus's thoughts went silent at those words but continued the briefing without interruption listening mostly to the others as they fired their questions. The Alpha Giant is it?

"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"If you've got something to say, then spill it."
"I was wondering... is it possible to put the Alpha Giant in your storage akin to how I store weapons?"
"Don't be ridiculous, why..."
"..."
"You're not thinking of..."
"Ya."
"Impossible. I know what Melody said about equipping anything and everything for battle, but equipping an Alpha Giant? Are you out of your mind?"
"It won't really be equipping... more like riding. Can you imagine how powerful a weapon it would be? An Alpha Giant, auto shell, auto protect, twin blades, and the ability to summon Iron Giants? An extremely powerful one to many weapon."
"Even if you were able to pull it off, there's no way you can store the Alpha Giant like you do weapons. It will run havoc and deal major internal damage. There's also the issue of siz..."

Siren and Phileo's internal conversation was suddenly interrupted by an astounding announcement. “I have something important to tell you all. I've been avoiding it but the circumstances are forcing my hand. I'm allergic to magic.” While the team announced their full concern, Arentus was fighting hard with himself not to ask the almost rhetorical question How did you ever pass the SeeD exam? "Its a good thing you spoke up now rather than after we cured you in battle Kryse." And how did such an important issue go unnoticed even by their instructor? Or did it? It made no sense for something this important to be kept hidden especially to his team during the SeeD exam. "Does that mean we can't cast magic directly on you? Or will you suffer a large reaction even just being near/touching magic?"

In response to Wolf's suggestion, Arentus first reiterated what he understood, "So you're saying that Kryse and Elia will issue long ranged attacks; You will take vanguard as a solo position; and the rest of us will join the battle once you cripple it?" Phileo continued, "Perhaps I may make amendments to your plan. Having a single vanguard is probably not the most effective solution when we want to destroy the crystals before the alpha giant summons reinforcements." Arentus paused briefly to let his point sink in.

"What if we increase Vanguard count to two. They will take ropes of extreme tensile strength, I'm sure Esthar can provide, and circle the giant's legs with it; think a kid's prank of tying two shoe laces together. When the giant lifts his feet, the other two will cast blizzard type spells to freeze the ground. The combination should be sufficient to trip the giant against its own weight, at which point he will be vulnerable for a brief moment enough for the Core Gun and the full scale attack."

Phileo inhaled for a brief moment before continuing.

"Haste would be a valuable spell for the Vanguards. Gravity type spells would definitely be useful. If we can determine how the giant will fall it will certainly be to our advantage. Finally, due to the humanoid construct of the giant I suspect it may have vulnerabilities in similar locations. As SeeD, as warriors, we all know there are certain locations that can not be trained. Namely: the armpits, the back of the elbows, the back of the knee and the front of the neck. The giant's armory should also have weak points where the joint's bend for the sake of mobility. If we want to target weaknesses, those may be what we are looking for."

"Not going to ride the giant anymore?"
"..."
"Don't tell me you still want to..."
"We'll see."

Zeke just sat in a chair, listening to everything.

So Kryse was allergic to magic? Good to know, should Zeke ever make an enemy out of him (though he obviously had no plans to). But why would Kryse hide that from them? What if he'd been shot at the Hotel and someone unknowingly used a Cure spell on him? Again, Eshtarians and their secrets. They were worse than Galbadian politics, it seemed.

Those thoughts aside, Zeke listened to the suggestions made by the others.

Wolf favored keeping Kryse and Elia at a distance while he crippled it alone to provide an opportunity for everyone else. Basically he just made himself the center of attention. No doubt he would recieve all the credit. But the last time Zeke checked, being a SeeD was not a competition. So why use a strategy like this? Was he suicidal, or just plain stupid? Either way, there was no way in hell Zeke was letting him face that pile of scrap alone. That's when Alex chimed in.

She suggested a more subtle approach. The team could distract the Giant so that she could scale its back and disable the crystals that summoned Iron Giants. The strategy required pure teamwork, which was exactly what SeeD was about. Zeke had one problem. Like Wolf's plan, Alex's suggestion put her in direct danger without any form of back up. A risk like that was unacceptable in Zeke's eyes.

Finally, Arentus spoke up. He suggested a change to Wolf's plan, increasing to two Vanguards instead of just one. His plan involved causing the Giant to trip like someone whose shoes were tied together. That would leave an ample opening for attack. Still, there wasn't anything to stop it from summoning Iron Giant support, and Zeke simply didn't agree with Alex scaling the Giant's back alone because she would be without any kind of support.

"What about me?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Just summon me and I will destroy the reinforcements with my Tidal Wave attack. It will also likely disorient the Alpha Giant and give Wolf and Arentus the opportunity they need to cripple it."

"...uh, guys? I can make a dumb suggestion..." Zeke finally spoke up, standing from his chair, "We won't have to worry about it summoning help. I could summon Leviathan and he can destroy them with his Tidal Wave attack. The Tidal Wave would also either cripple or stun the Alpha Giant, so even if it's still standing it will be vulnerable enough for Wolf and Phil to safely bring it to the ground. After that, we use Wolf's suggestion and pile on it, dismantling it piece by piece. We can also use that chance to disable the crystals so it can't summon more Iron Giants."

With his suggestion up in the air, Zeke could now only wait for a response.

A thought occurred to Alex after hearing Zeke's suggestion. "This Alpha Giant is gonna be made mostly of some kind of metal, right? It'll take some good maneuvering, but if Leviathan can flood the battlefield, Quetzalcohuatl can electrocute it, frying the Alpha Giant and any leftover Irons in the area. If we insulate ourselves properly and let Quetz stow us safely away during the attack, we should be fine, and then we can move in to finish off the target."

Wolf leaned back as the others gave their opinions of his plan and made various amendments.
"I doubt the tidal wave attack will work as well as you think." he said shaking his head, "Iron Giants are heavy, I doubt it would do more than annoy them, and unless we're fighting it somewhere that would allow the water to collect, I don't think it would pool enough to sufficiently conduct the attack the way you're thinking." He scratched at his neck before continuing, "Tying up its legs has some possibilities, but I think it might be unnescarily risky. I mean, I don't think it will be as easy as it sounds. We'd have to keep the cable pulled taught for it to work, unless we tie it to itself, which would be risky as well. We'd be easy targets. And after we bring it down what's to stop it from getting back up?

When I said "cripple it" I meant permanently and physically reducing its combat effectiveness. Like taking off a limb. I've done it with Iron Giants, I should be able to pull it off here." He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled, "This is a more powerful creature though, so if Phileo has a weapon he thinks capable doing heavy damage to it then maybe having him go in with me isn't a bad idea." His method of attack for this kind of relied on the creature’s attention being focused on him though, "I still think it’d be better, and safer, for me to make the first strike alone, perhaps with Phileo as backup in case I get in trouble."