"Start moving, old man!" Cloud barked, his voice sharp with impatience as he twisted his body mid-stride, narrowly slipping between a deadly rain of bullets that tore through the air. The deafening clatter of tal ricocheted across the open platform. "And shoot, don't hide!"
"I need to get into cover so I can support you or distract that thing, idiot!" Barret shot back, his frown deepening. His voice was nearly drowned out by the chanical whirring echoing from their foe. The problem was obvious—there was no cover. They stood exposed on a massive tal platform, the cold wind whipping past them, the open reactor chamber yawning around them like a steel abyss.
Cloud hesitated for only a second before his instincts took over. Standing idle would only invite death. A robot didn't tire, didn't falter, and didn't care about pain—but humans did. He knew who would wear out first if they kept dancing around. "Alright, I'll draw its attention. You focus on hitting the weak spots when you see them."
"Understood!" Barret replied automatically, his gaze sharpening into a soldier's focus. But after a mont, sothing clicked in his mind and irritation bubbled up. "Wait—why the hell am I taking orders from you? I'm the leader here!"
"Do you want to live, or not?!" Cloud's words cut like a whip. "Stop whining and fight! That thing's got my SOLDIER moves programd into it—it's reading like an open book!"
Barret's jaw tightened. That piece of information landed hard. He gave a short nod, the shift in his deanor instant. His hands adjusted on his weapon, ready for whatever ca next.
Seeing this change, Cloud didn't waste another heartbeat. He surged forward, boots hamring against steel. Sparks danced across the length of his spear as it humd with crackling power, arcs of blue light leaping from the weapon to the floor. "[Electro ]," he intoned.
Barret's eyes widened, his voice half incredulous, half accusatory. "You can use magic?! Why the hell didn't you open with that?!"
"Because I didn't know what it was weak against yet," Cloud shot back, his brow furrowing. "Shinra's been fitting their machines with insulation and magic-resistant casings lately. Sotis they're immune to lightning entirely, but it makes them weak to another elent. This one—looks like they haven't finished that project."
Barret didn't answer at first. He pressed his fingers to his temple, activating a small projection HUD from his gear. Green light flickered in the air, scanning the lumbering machine. His HUD confird the readings in seconds. "You… used [Materia: Sense], didn't you?"
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[Guardian Scorpion: Model MK-9]
Elental Weakness: Electro
Weak Point: Tip of tail, central core in the chest (core is mobile)
Resistance: Physical and ranged ammunition
[Manufactured by Shinra to defend reactor installations. MK-9 is a modernized variant programd with the combat patterns of all registered SOLDIER operatives, enabling adaptive counterasures.]
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Barret's focus was broken by a sudden glint of green flying toward him. He caught it on instinct.
"You won't do much damage with that materia, but it's better than wasting ammo," Cloud said, slipping past a slashing tal claw and vaulting forward. Lightning surged from his spear into the robot's armor, singing the steel. "And use it quickly—that piece wasn't cheap. I was saving it as a gift for Tifa, but right now survival cos first."
Barret's face twisted. "You gave soone else's damn gift?!"
"Quit acting like we're in a love triangle! This is serious!" Cloud barked, springing backward as the Guardian's stinger slamd into the spot he'd just vacated. The impact shook the platform. "That's a [Materia: Pyro], almost at master level! With your mana reserves, you won't manage anything above [Pyro ] without knocking yourself out cold!"
The older man gave a grunt of annoyance but slotted the materia into the slot in his chest harness. A sudden warmth surged through his body, fiery energy coursing down to his fingertips. It was intoxicating—almost dizzying—but he shook his head sharply. No ti for getting drunk on power. "How much did this thing cost you?"
"Enough to buy Tifa's bar five tis over and still put your kid through college," Cloud replied without looking back. He saw his opening—its stinger was still embedded in the floor—and charged. "Take this!"
Barret's lips curled in a grin as he thrust his normal hand forward, mana swirling into a crimson blaze. "[Pyro ]!"
"Idiot! I told you not to—" Cloud's shout was cut short by the roar of the explosion. The heat slapped him across the face like a wall, the fireball engulfing the robot's midsection in a blazing inferno.
Barret blinked at the destructive power, stunned at his own output. The surprise quickly soured into weakness—his muscles went slack, his chest heavy. "What… the hell was that?"
"That's what happens when you bite off more than you can chew," Cloud growled, glancing at his own forearms—burned despite his reflexes. The blast had robbed him of vitality. "Now move—your little stunt just made you its top target."
Barret barely had ti to register the warning before the scorpion's optics fixed on him. "Oh, hell—"
"This one's on you," Cloud said with dry disdain, already pivoting to flank.
"Son of a—! Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Just help already, you jackass!"
"That's a terrible way to ask for help, Barret."
"I don't care, just move your damn feet!" The big man's breath was coming harder now, each step heavier than the last. "Fine! I'll stop doing stupid crap when you tell not to, happy?!"
Cloud's lips twitched into a faint smirk. In a flash, he darted at the enemy.
The [Scorpion Guardian] swiveled, its priority recalibrating instantly—the electric glow of Cloud's spear drew its full attention. Barret exhaled in relief… until the stinger angled toward him anyway.
"Shit!"
"Throw a fireball while it's charging its stinger!" Cloud's voice cut through the chaos. His spear slamd into the chest plating, but his sharp eyes noticed the glowing weak point had relocated to the head. A mobile core. Annoying—ingenious, but annoying. "Hmph… I could make Cid try sothing like this…"
The thought vanished as the Guardian vented a plu of steam from every seam in its fra.
Cloud's grip tightened. His pupils shrank. The thing was shedding armor—its fra now glead, stripped to a lighter exoskeleton. Its speed tripled instantly.
"Shit," Cloud muttered.
"Shit," Barret echoed.
"Limit!" Cloud roared. His entire body ignited with a storm of magical energy, a shimring barrier wrapping him in light. "Co at , you overbuilt scrap heap!"
The machine lunged, but each strike only fed his Limit gauge. The ability absorbed every blow, channeling the force inward. But Limit had a price—if he failed to unleash it, all that stored power would backfire, tearing him apart from the inside. He had sixty seconds to finish this.
Barret watched with horror. "You're crazy! You screw that up and you're dead!"
Cloud didn't answer. The glow around him intensified, heat distorting the air. He sprinted straight into the beast's path.
"Limit Break: Leap of Faith!" His shout was followed by an eruption of light. Smoke billowed across the platform.
The Guardian froze, its sensors scrambled. It never saw the shadow above—Cloud plumting from the air, spear aid like a lightning rod. The point drove deep into the head plating, striking the central core that had been shifted there.
The impact echoed like thunder.
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NEW WORLD - FINAL FANTASY VII ( AFTER THIS - DRAGON BALLS ]
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