If you run... they WILL chase you, and they ARE faster than you.
Antiviral
A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction
Author: Sanjuno Shori Niko
Summary: When a god shows up in person to dictate your Destiny... it's probably a bad idea to argue.
Timeline: The stuff that came before this part can be found here.
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(In which there is a message from the Ancient Spirits.)
"Ah. I must be hallucinating." The giant man facing Vincent looked amused by the gunman's quiet statement. To be fair, thirteen foot tall men dressed in black leather and furs with gold skin and stag antlers growing out of their temples tended to indicate that hallucinations were a viable and valid assumption. Cid snorted, and looked away when Vincent frowned at the smirk the pilot could not quite hide.
"Nay, my young Heruli! I am no mirage for all I come upon ye in the Dreaming!" The deep voice boomed like thunder, and the giant smiled with a mouth full of viper fangs as he patted the equally massive eight-legged black equine that stood beside him on the neck.
"This ain't one'a my dreams." Cid peered around with narrow blue eyes. Arms cross, the pilot glared up at the Huntsman. "I dunno about the cowboy here, but I ain't much fer entertainin' any fancies about gods."
"Ah." The presumed god looked delighted. "Ye recognize me!"
"Woden, Black-Horned King of the Wild Hunt, who leads the Asgardreia as their packs of hounds and hawks seek monsters for the chase." Vincent cleared his throat at the look Cid gave him. "My father was fond of mythology."
"Excellent!" Woden clapped his hands, sending his steed away. "Ye were an excellent choice! T'was wise of my advisor to suggest ye!"
"Your advisor?" The cackle that greeted his question was familiar, and Vincent reflexively dropped a hand to his - empty gun holster. Of course.
"You gave me the gift of company, my old Host." CHAOS scratched Galian Beast behind the ears, flanked by Hellmasker and Death Gigas. "It was a rare pleasure to return the favour."
"As ye say, my Herald! Do attend to thine duties now, for I would have private speech with the Heruli Alphas." CHAOS bowed, gave Vincent one last demonic grin, and vanished with the other demons into the mists. Woden looked amused again. "He is rather fond of his theatrics, that one, but he does his job admirably."
"... So, what did ya wanna talk ta us about, Old Man." Cid cocked a sardonic eyebrow at the god while Vincent quietly had a fit in the background. "This have anythin' ta do with the Planet playin' at bein' an immunologist?"
"Aye. The young Cetra did well for one so untrained! My Lady Frigga has been ill these past centuries, and the Calamity has muddled her voice." Woden inclined his head in subtle acknowledgement and spread his hands wide, red eyes gleaming in satisfaction. "Ye and thine companions have freed a great many Powers in thy clashes with the Malady. Included among them was myself, and so I gift ye with this boon."
"That'd be why ya never acted before now." Cid looked Woden up and down. "Jenova trapped ya somehow, didn't she. Same as Chaos and Omega."
"Ye speak the truth of it clearly, my dear Heruli. I was not caged in mortal flesh as my Eyes were, but whilst their chains held I hung from the branches of Yggdrasil. Able to see all that occurred, but incapable of action." The massive form went down on one knee, ebony rack of antlers lowered. "This is my shame. That in my selfishness I left my Lady Wife unguarded. When the Slattern attacked I was not there to sound the Hunt and burn out her infestations."
"You are free now." Vincent stepped up next to Cid, meeting Woden’s blank, all-black eyes evenly. "Is it enough to save Her?"
"Aye, young Alpha." Woden lifted one massive hand to brush careful fingers over their hair. "Aye. Thine bloodlines were thinned, and thy ancestry a thousand years distant, but Heruli blood is strong. I apologise for the abruptness of the Calling, but our time to act grows short."
"That ain't comfortin', Old Man." Cid exchanged an uneasy look with Vincent. How short exactly was a 'short time' for a being that had existed since the Planet first formed and who would continue to exist until the Planet ended? Would they hunt tomorrow, or would it be a battle that their children's children would fight? Was it to be a battle, or would they Hunt at Woden's Call over and over for the rest of their lives? There was no way to know, not for certain, not without knowing if they could trust Woden to tell them the truth.
"Ye are the Heruli Alpha - the first such born in a millennium. To offer ye platitudes as if ye were naught but still-blind pups would be the worst of disrespects." Woden's voice rumbled like a distant storm front. "I chose to Call ye for thine strength! It is ye who will command the new pack. It is ye who will lead the Wild Hunt! The Asgardreia will need strong Alphas if it is to succeed in its purpose. The whelps my Lady is readying for rebirth will be far stronger than the Packs of the past. Do ye deny the wisdom of my choice, my Heruli?"
"... No, Lord Woden. Of course not." Vincent looked at Cid and swallowed a thousand unwise questions. "I only wonder... why it is both of us who were Called here to your presence."
"Ah, a simple thing, young Alpha." Woden calmed quickly, the smile back as fast as it left. "A Heruli must be mated to hold place as Alpha. Just as my Lady and I exist together, so do your chosen Hunters. One to stand for my Wife's honour, and one to stand for myself."
"I see." Vincent glanced at Cid to see how his friend was taking the revelations. There was a deep furrow between blonde brows, and Vincent sincerely hoped Cid was not about to insult the God-King because he objected to being cast as the Wife.
"So yer sayin' that Vince and I are fuckin' god-married?" Cid twitched violently, looking at Vincent only once before wrenching his gaze away with a scowl. The gunman's gut knotted in nameless dread.
"Thine Union was overseen by my Lady, and similarly blessed by the mighty Woden!" The god stood up again, towering over them and beaming with a paternal pride that was at distinct odds with his freely admitted voyeuristic tendencies. "Ye will lead the newborn Heruli into Legend! The Slattern-Brats will soon cower in fear, and mine Lady Frigga will see her strength returned!"
"That's great." Cid blinked slowly, voice thin with the strain of reigning in his temper. Greatly daring, Vincent touched Cid's shoulder, expecting to be rebuffed. The white-knuckled grip Cid took on Vincent's wrist made the gunman glad they were in a dream.
"I bid ye farewell, mine Heruli Alphas. I risk drawing the Calamity's attentions ere I linger much longer." Woden nodded once and whistled. Taking hold of his stallion's bridle as the beast trotted up, Woden paused before mounting. "Remember who ye are, mine Asgardreia, for that is why the mighty Woden chose to Call ye both as Alpha for the Pack."
Woden leapt into the saddle, and was gone before either man could respond.
/.../
Cid sat up, Vincent's arm sliding down to rest around the pilot's waist. Vincent remained on his back, red eyes staring up at the domed stone ceiling. Sighing, Cid rubbed a rough hand over his face.
"... So that's what happens when a god don't git laid fer a thousand years, huh?" Vincent's reply to Cid's irreverent musing was little more than a strangled noise of confused outrage. The gunman gaped at Cid, and the pilot just laughed, bleak and humourless. "Fuck. Our lives."
(Word Count: 1,268)
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So there's 353 KB of fic I need to edit and post before I even start to think about typing up the newer stuff I've written. At the same time, I've written about 200 pages of new fic in the last week and change. *blinks slowly* ... It's a conundrum. On one hand... editing is easier than writing, since it just involves reading my own fic and editing grammar whoopsies. On the other hand... I find the pen and paper so relaxing and actively avoid spending more than a few hours a day on the computer. Hm.
Had to get up early this morning to take three female barn cats in to be spayed. The weather is horrible. It's all rain and slush and grey and cold and I want it to be summer already! I have plans for this year, and I just need the weather to cooperate. Bah.
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HERE THERE BE DRAGONS!! (So I've got two of the funny noises eggies and one of the moist striped ones from the new releases. I'm kinda sitting here poking the other three eggs going: "Hatch. Haaaaatch. Hatch nooooow." I have no life.)
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A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction
Author: Sanjuno Shori Niko
Summary: When a god shows up in person to dictate your Destiny... it's probably a bad idea to argue.
Timeline: The stuff that came before this part can be found here.
=/=
(In which there is a message from the Ancient Spirits.)
"Ah. I must be hallucinating." The giant man facing Vincent looked amused by the gunman's quiet statement. To be fair, thirteen foot tall men dressed in black leather and furs with gold skin and stag antlers growing out of their temples tended to indicate that hallucinations were a viable and valid assumption. Cid snorted, and looked away when Vincent frowned at the smirk the pilot could not quite hide.
"Nay, my young Heruli! I am no mirage for all I come upon ye in the Dreaming!" The deep voice boomed like thunder, and the giant smiled with a mouth full of viper fangs as he patted the equally massive eight-legged black equine that stood beside him on the neck.
"This ain't one'a my dreams." Cid peered around with narrow blue eyes. Arms cross, the pilot glared up at the Huntsman. "I dunno about the cowboy here, but I ain't much fer entertainin' any fancies about gods."
"Ah." The presumed god looked delighted. "Ye recognize me!"
"Woden, Black-Horned King of the Wild Hunt, who leads the Asgardreia as their packs of hounds and hawks seek monsters for the chase." Vincent cleared his throat at the look Cid gave him. "My father was fond of mythology."
"Excellent!" Woden clapped his hands, sending his steed away. "Ye were an excellent choice! T'was wise of my advisor to suggest ye!"
"Your advisor?" The cackle that greeted his question was familiar, and Vincent reflexively dropped a hand to his - empty gun holster. Of course.
"You gave me the gift of company, my old Host." CHAOS scratched Galian Beast behind the ears, flanked by Hellmasker and Death Gigas. "It was a rare pleasure to return the favour."
"As ye say, my Herald! Do attend to thine duties now, for I would have private speech with the Heruli Alphas." CHAOS bowed, gave Vincent one last demonic grin, and vanished with the other demons into the mists. Woden looked amused again. "He is rather fond of his theatrics, that one, but he does his job admirably."
"... So, what did ya wanna talk ta us about, Old Man." Cid cocked a sardonic eyebrow at the god while Vincent quietly had a fit in the background. "This have anythin' ta do with the Planet playin' at bein' an immunologist?"
"Aye. The young Cetra did well for one so untrained! My Lady Frigga has been ill these past centuries, and the Calamity has muddled her voice." Woden inclined his head in subtle acknowledgement and spread his hands wide, red eyes gleaming in satisfaction. "Ye and thine companions have freed a great many Powers in thy clashes with the Malady. Included among them was myself, and so I gift ye with this boon."
"That'd be why ya never acted before now." Cid looked Woden up and down. "Jenova trapped ya somehow, didn't she. Same as Chaos and Omega."
"Ye speak the truth of it clearly, my dear Heruli. I was not caged in mortal flesh as my Eyes were, but whilst their chains held I hung from the branches of Yggdrasil. Able to see all that occurred, but incapable of action." The massive form went down on one knee, ebony rack of antlers lowered. "This is my shame. That in my selfishness I left my Lady Wife unguarded. When the Slattern attacked I was not there to sound the Hunt and burn out her infestations."
"You are free now." Vincent stepped up next to Cid, meeting Woden’s blank, all-black eyes evenly. "Is it enough to save Her?"
"Aye, young Alpha." Woden lifted one massive hand to brush careful fingers over their hair. "Aye. Thine bloodlines were thinned, and thy ancestry a thousand years distant, but Heruli blood is strong. I apologise for the abruptness of the Calling, but our time to act grows short."
"That ain't comfortin', Old Man." Cid exchanged an uneasy look with Vincent. How short exactly was a 'short time' for a being that had existed since the Planet first formed and who would continue to exist until the Planet ended? Would they hunt tomorrow, or would it be a battle that their children's children would fight? Was it to be a battle, or would they Hunt at Woden's Call over and over for the rest of their lives? There was no way to know, not for certain, not without knowing if they could trust Woden to tell them the truth.
"Ye are the Heruli Alpha - the first such born in a millennium. To offer ye platitudes as if ye were naught but still-blind pups would be the worst of disrespects." Woden's voice rumbled like a distant storm front. "I chose to Call ye for thine strength! It is ye who will command the new pack. It is ye who will lead the Wild Hunt! The Asgardreia will need strong Alphas if it is to succeed in its purpose. The whelps my Lady is readying for rebirth will be far stronger than the Packs of the past. Do ye deny the wisdom of my choice, my Heruli?"
"... No, Lord Woden. Of course not." Vincent looked at Cid and swallowed a thousand unwise questions. "I only wonder... why it is both of us who were Called here to your presence."
"Ah, a simple thing, young Alpha." Woden calmed quickly, the smile back as fast as it left. "A Heruli must be mated to hold place as Alpha. Just as my Lady and I exist together, so do your chosen Hunters. One to stand for my Wife's honour, and one to stand for myself."
"I see." Vincent glanced at Cid to see how his friend was taking the revelations. There was a deep furrow between blonde brows, and Vincent sincerely hoped Cid was not about to insult the God-King because he objected to being cast as the Wife.
"So yer sayin' that Vince and I are fuckin' god-married?" Cid twitched violently, looking at Vincent only once before wrenching his gaze away with a scowl. The gunman's gut knotted in nameless dread.
"Thine Union was overseen by my Lady, and similarly blessed by the mighty Woden!" The god stood up again, towering over them and beaming with a paternal pride that was at distinct odds with his freely admitted voyeuristic tendencies. "Ye will lead the newborn Heruli into Legend! The Slattern-Brats will soon cower in fear, and mine Lady Frigga will see her strength returned!"
"That's great." Cid blinked slowly, voice thin with the strain of reigning in his temper. Greatly daring, Vincent touched Cid's shoulder, expecting to be rebuffed. The white-knuckled grip Cid took on Vincent's wrist made the gunman glad they were in a dream.
"I bid ye farewell, mine Heruli Alphas. I risk drawing the Calamity's attentions ere I linger much longer." Woden nodded once and whistled. Taking hold of his stallion's bridle as the beast trotted up, Woden paused before mounting. "Remember who ye are, mine Asgardreia, for that is why the mighty Woden chose to Call ye both as Alpha for the Pack."
Woden leapt into the saddle, and was gone before either man could respond.
/.../
Cid sat up, Vincent's arm sliding down to rest around the pilot's waist. Vincent remained on his back, red eyes staring up at the domed stone ceiling. Sighing, Cid rubbed a rough hand over his face.
"... So that's what happens when a god don't git laid fer a thousand years, huh?" Vincent's reply to Cid's irreverent musing was little more than a strangled noise of confused outrage. The gunman gaped at Cid, and the pilot just laughed, bleak and humourless. "Fuck. Our lives."
(Word Count: 1,268)
=/=
So there's 353 KB of fic I need to edit and post before I even start to think about typing up the newer stuff I've written. At the same time, I've written about 200 pages of new fic in the last week and change. *blinks slowly* ... It's a conundrum. On one hand... editing is easier than writing, since it just involves reading my own fic and editing grammar whoopsies. On the other hand... I find the pen and paper so relaxing and actively avoid spending more than a few hours a day on the computer. Hm.
Had to get up early this morning to take three female barn cats in to be spayed. The weather is horrible. It's all rain and slush and grey and cold and I want it to be summer already! I have plans for this year, and I just need the weather to cooperate. Bah.
=/=
HERE THERE BE DRAGONS!! (So I've got two of the funny noises eggies and one of the moist striped ones from the new releases. I'm kinda sitting here poking the other three eggs going: "Hatch. Haaaaatch. Hatch nooooow." I have no life.)
♥
♠
♥
♣
♥
♠
♥
♣
♥
♠
♥
♣
♥
♠
♥
♣