3rd POV:
'Excerpt of a 'round' ':
Nox and Aerith were once again in the sewers. Walking side by side, having come just from a recent battle. The walls were filled with moss, droplets dripping at some spots from the ceiling. The smell was disgusting.
Nox was surprised Aerith was putting up with that.
''I think I'm ready for the deeper levels of the sewers,'' Aerith said suddenly, confident.
Nox could not deny that she was a really good mage. Despite not having fought as much as him and thus absorbed defeated monsters Mako residue into her body to grow stronger and grow her Mana Pool, she seemed to have almost as much Mana as him.
Probably a Cetra thing, Nox assumed.
''You've only done that for a few weeks,'' Not refused her.
''But the increase in monsters from that Mako leak went away. Surely, now that there are fewer monsters, we can go lower,'' Aerith argued. She grabbed him by the elbow with both hands, jumping a little and looking at him pleadingly.
''That depends, did your body get tougher? More resilient? Do you have more stamina?,'' Nox teased her.
''Tifa showed me a few moves. And she recommended me what sort of exercises to do,'' Aerith let go and playfully punched the air several times.
''A few hours of training do no make a martial artist,'' Nox shook his head and rubbed her head playfully. She stopped her theatrics and looked at him attentively, heart slowly beginning to beat in her chest.
''I do no want to go on the lower levels with you and have you get harmed because you couldn't endure a hit. The less tough you are the greater your damage,'' Nox explained to her.
The weaker the body, the weaker everything. Really. There are all sorts of benefits to going around defeating monsters than one's body simply growing stronger, as he found out. Not at all what he initially believed when he was younger. How could he have found out about that, when he struggled to kill a few monsters and could not reap the rewards and thus make the discovery?
Though once the ball got rolling, it really got rolling and he started noticing these things. But by then he already had his Mako Strands.
He was still using his Mako Strands, of course, but even without them he was very formidable. With them he enhanced everything by like... a factor of 1000. (A bit of an exaggeration, but the point stands.)
Everything was enhanced. Durability. Endurance. Stamina. Strength. Speed. Mana Pool. Magic intensity. Regenration. Regeneration intensity (up to only a certain point, however). Health Pool (he noticed he bled out a little more then he usually did).
Materia, when equipped, could boost or nerf those parameters too.
Just blame Mako.
And they haven't really found any Materia down here for her, that would make her tougher.
He did not want to give her one of his mastered Materia, because he knew it would stunt her growth. It was better if she had a weaker Materia and they grew with her. For now, she only had a Bolt, Fira and Blizzara Materia. As well as a Cure Materia. She could buy more Materia, like the four previously mentioned, but they were both Materia purist in a way and she was using them as a stop gap till she found natural Materia.
She would only grow more formidable as a mage then. As if she already wasn't, but still.
It was nice to have her as support on the battle, even from afar.
''Nox, I'm not some delicate flower that will wither at the slightest challenge,'' Aerith complained and pouted.
''Of course not. You grew up in the slums there is a certain toughness to that...to a certain extent. I still disagree that we should take the risk,'' Nox replied and crossed his arms.
That and the fact she was subjected as a 'science subject' for Hojo when she was younger before she escaped.
''Well, I don't. I'm making my way down there and there is nothing you can do about that,'' Aerith stubbornly pivoted beginning to make her way over to the nearby stairs.
Nox disagreed. There was a lot he could do to stop her forcefully, but that would be crossing some lines.
He sighed and heavily and began following after her, quickly catching up and walking besides her. What the hell got into her, that she would make such a decision so suddenly?
''And may I know why you want to so stubbornly jump headfirst into danger? Which, I want to state for the record, you are not yet ready to handle,'' Nox asked her.
''...It's silly,'' Aerith replied at a low volume and avoided looking at him. She turned her head sideways, opposite of where he was walking.
''So? The world is absurd, yet it still spins. Whatever plagues you, silly or otherwise, must be important enough that it motivates you to move. So spill, if it is not too private,'' Nox tried persuading her.
Several reasons really.
The most important reason was that she had a hope, vain and small and cautious, that by getting stronger she could escape her fate. Both getting captured by Shinra as well as her death in the future.
But she couldn't tell him that. For now.
She was planning on telling him soon.
He had to know what he was getting himself into, if she did decide to confess and he reciprocated her feelings.
Another reason, was that recently she has gotten it in her head that by getting stronger, she can speak more clearly with the planet. There was a certain amount of evidence for that. It felt like she could make out more words from the Lifestream now, since she started fighting, then compared to before she started fighting. But for now, there was still a jumbled mess she could only hardly make heads and tails of what the planet was trying to tell her.
The final reason, was that he was strong. She saw that, the planet told her that. And there was, of course, still the other matter the planet told her about. That there was something ... 'more' about him. And in the case she will never get to the point where she communicates clearly with the planet, she will have to find it out for herself what that was.
In other words, she wanted to walk by his side as an equal. And she needed to start somewhere.
She shook her head, indicating that she won't tell him her reasons and then turned to stare ahead while they were walking.
Nox sighed.
''This is gonna end in a disaster. But fine. Guess I'll have to try my best to carry your ass,'' Nox muttered.
Aerith wanted to tease him that it was a fine ass, but he wouldn't appreciate it probably. Considering he sounded very frustrated.
...
''What the... Shit. Aerith run!,'' Nox immediately engaged the Black Dragon.
What the hell was a Black Dragon doing so high in the sewers? They barely got a few floors deeper and creatures like him shouldn't yet appear. Could it be leftovers that weren't cleared from the Mako leakage? Wymer didn't post anything about a Black Dragon.
Aerith didn't run as he instructed her. Instead she gripped her staff and resolved herself. She tried to remain at the edges of the massive intersection. And planned on giving Nox support when needed.
Problem was, that they were both incredible fast and she struggle to follow them, let alone charge up a spell to hit the dragon. Sure, she was able to hit moving targets, but with such a fast target, even if it was large, she need it to be stationary just for a moment.
Nox and the Black Dragon landed on the suspended disk in the intersection of sewers.
Again, he would have to fight it without his Mako Strand considering his audience chose to disobey his command.
Nox dodged and parried as necessary. The tail, maw and claws he parried with his sword spear. Magic he dodged.
Finally he saw his opportunity and threw his spear into it's maw when it tried to bite him, prohibiting the dragon from closing its mouth. The dragon began shaking his head trying to dislodge the spear from it's mouth.
Having learned something from his previous encounter with it's like, Nox extended his arm and tried casting an icicle to pierce it through it's mouth and into it's guts.
He had to quickly switch to casting a Barrier (even if he didn't need it really), when the dragon suddenly snapped forward at him and slammed it's maw shut on his arm, suffering the sword piercing through it's upper maw part.
Not stopping there, the dragon began breathing fire at him, while beginning to shake his head wildly and slamming him into the ground. The fire, because it's jaw was closed and teeth were in the way, did not really hit him that much, but they were an extra layer of sustained damage he was receiving.
'This beast is FAR more berserk then it's previous kind,' Nox remarked while he put his legs on the teeth and began pulling. If it did try to snap at his legs as well, it would have to open it's mouth and Nox was ready to catapult himself away in the case it let go.
It was around this time that a massive Blizzara slammed into the Black Dragons head, almost hitting it's eye and causing catastrophic damage. Instead it was just irritated when it snapped it's eyes at Aerith.
The dragon wildly threw his head in a direction and let go, Nox slammed into one of the walls and cracked it.
Wasting no time, the dragon cast Comet at a running Aerith. And while she did dodge the attack, she was thrown away by the shock wave and slammed into a wire fence protecting a few pipes. She managed to protect her head by putting up her arms in time and twisting her body slightly. She struggled to pick herself back up, her body aching everywhere.
The dragon tried to jump at her lying figure only to halt in the air.
Noc grabbed it by it's tail, stopping it in it's tracks. The dragon growled beginning to beat it's wings, it had enough room in this intersection to fly a little.
But Nox had enough of that and saw an opportunity. He wanted to end the fight NOW and return to Aerith to check on her.
He cast Tornado and threw the dragon of it's game, then he slammed both his feet and the dragon on the ground, piercing it by Earth Spikes in both wings.
Nox let go of the tail and used his Earth Materia to make a hammer. He slammed it into it's head bringing it back down, when it tried to stand and untangle it's wings. While it's head recoiled, Nox slammed his hang into it's eye and cast an overpowered Thundaga making it suffer catastrophic damage.
He wasted no time returning to Aerith, paying the dissipating dragon no mind.
''Are you alright?,'' Nox asked and helped her up.
''I'm fi-,'' Aerith assured him, feeling a little delirious she stopped speaking and grabbed her head while shaking it.
''You're bleeding,'' Nox pointed to her forearm to her heavily bleeding appendage. The wound was deep, the blood poured profusely, bone almost visible.
Aerith was dirty, having fallen into a puddle of...Nox didn't want to know what was in it. Her arm, under normal circumstances, would get infected even if the wound was smaller. But with such a big wound? It would almost certainly need to get amputated.
Luckily, this was a magical world.
Aerith snapped her head to the wound and swallowed. No, no, no, no. The wound was too deep for her to cure with her Materia. Not without leaving a scar behind. She began hyperventilating.
''Calm down. I have a mastered natural Full Cure Materia,'' Nox took her hand and cast the spell.
Fun trivia. Healing Spells operated on the principle that they sped up the bodies own natural healing ability. The more powerful the Spell or Materia, the better the healing. Of course, only up to a certain point. Even a Full Cure Materia couldn't regenerate arms. But it would quickly close any wounds, leaving behind only tender flesh for a few hours.
They were useful. Yes. But there was a reason doctors still existed, instead off everyone relying on them.
This wound?
The moment he cast the spell sewage water and other impurities began to pour out and the flesh began to stitch itself quickly together. Leaving behind only tender flesh and a faint scar.
''Shame. If we had the means to clean the dirt that got in, then the Materia would have probably gotten all the rest of the microscopic impurities out of the wound. Alas some must have remained stuck causing that faint scar. Sure beats losing an arm or dying though,'' Not commented and released a sigh of relief. He gave her a once over in case she sustained any more damage.
He let go off her hand, yet she kept it in place and stared at the scar.
Her expression slowly shifted into one resembling being horrified and devastated. She collapsed to her knees and began scratching desperately at her scar.
''Hey! What are you doing? You know the flesh is still tender and needs to settle,'' Nox exclaimed. That is why she put band aids on her fingers, when she hurt herself while they were cooking that first time together. Also to avoid any impurities getting in, should the flesh open again.
She only began scratching more desperately and frequently, as if the scratching would get rid off it, and she began panting. Like she was out of breath or something. Blood began pouring as flesh tore slightly.
''Hey! Enough!,'' Nox grabbed her hand harshly when she wouldn't stop.
''LET ME GO!,'' she suddenly screamed and shoved him harshly away with tears in her eyes, shocking him.
For a moment they both stared at each other. Nox in concern and worry at what she would do next and Aerith in horror, both at what she suffered and at the way she snapped at him.
She clenched her trembling fists and brought them in front of her face. She tried to get herself under control, but no such luck. Eventually she opened them and put them on her ears, like she was trying to block out something.
After a few more moments she brought her trembling hands in a prayer and began shedding tears silently.
At least she was no longer scratching at her scar.
''I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at something else and I should NOT have snapped at you like that,'' she explained avoiding his eyes.
''It's fine. You want to talk about it?,'' Nox offered her.
''It's not. And no,'' she murmured mournfully. She looked at her small bleeding scar, feelings ... and memories coming back up again. Before she would start another episode she put her trembling hands, clenched as fists, on her knees and forcefully rested them there.
Nox gave her her moment when she looked like she was trying to get herself under control more properly.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to come up with an explanation of what happened from everything he knew.
...Could it be?
He was just speculating. But maybe her mother took the full brunt of Hojo's tender 'mercies' when they were captives. Knowing him, from the personality profile Nox made of Hojo, he would want to prefer working with the purer Cetra then with the 'halfbreed'.
Either that or the cretin was satisfied with Aerith as the 'spare'. That could also fit the mans personality profile.
He certainly ensured he preserved every piece of meat from her corpse after she died.
But who knows?
Ifalna must have born many scars... and Aerith has bad memories of that time period, making her associate scars with it.
And here he was teasing her that she was vain, when she tried so carefully to avoid any wounds and went above and beyond to avoid scars.
If she risked suffering this, then whatever reasons she had for risking such a scenario could not be 'silly', as she said.
Nox looked down at her, while she was trying to get her mind in order.
...
Should he?
If he didn't, then she would be forced to give him an explanation. No way was such an reaction normal, after all. And that will be a slippery slope that would most likely force her to talk about her past and the fact she was a Cetra and he would finally find out what it meant to 'commune with the planet'.
...
But...that left a sour taste in his mouth. She would have to live with that scar forever. Was her pain worth his desires? Especially when it was just a shortcut?
And it may ...no. It would complicate her trauma healing if she carried a constant reminder like that. Easier to get eased into the healing process, if there were 'breaks' when confronting the trauma.
Maybe. He was just spit balling. He knew how to manipulate people, that did not make him a sudden therapist/psychologist.
(The last checkpoint was a few days ago. He paid another trip to Reeve and let him do his magic with the improved thesis and theories and some tentative models. Then he reaped the rewards, ended his 'rounds', edited/ the papers, and updated his checkpoint again, so he wouldn't have to update the paper each time he came back to his checkpoint for some reason.)
...
...
...
...
...
(The things one does for love. Be it friend, lover, brother, sister, parent, child. Whatever the reasonable course of action was, it left man blind to all reason.)
''Huh?,'' Aerith commented when she felt Mako gather up in front of her.
She looked up, seeing Nox look up and away from her, pointing the tip of a green sword spear at his throat.
Her eyes widened.
''NO!,'' she lunged forward.
*Squelch**Splatter*
*Drop*
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Nox sat in his bed, in his condo, by himself.
Like always, despite everything and no matter how often he goes through this process, the phantom pain lingered.
Nox stroked his throat, with one trembling hand, assuring himself his head was still attached.
His other trembling hand, he balled into a fist that he briefly rested his head against. Slowly he extended this same hand out, steady, only slightly trembling and released a breath.
He got himself back under control.
...
Funny.
Nox rested his elbows on his legs and dropped his head.
The process is the same as always and yet some time ago it began feeling more ...stifling, in addition to being painful. Though, only if it wasn't just business and contained interactions with his...friends as well.
The fact laid heavy on his consciousness, his chest felt constricted. A feeling of loss permeating his being.
Heh. Nox chuckled humorlessly.
Guess, that was him.
A keeper of 'non-existent' memories.
...
That was fine.
(A.N.: 3206 words. I have found a solution about writing shorter chapters. On weekend I can write much more. On workdays I can write chapters like these. Short and quick.
They don't have to always be stories about 'rounds', or about slice of life, but a brief parcel of text where you learn more about the characters.
This will also be a nice set up for later, if I ever want to give some attention to the other characters.
That said, I may not always update on work days. It will depend on whether or not I get ideas.
That (also) said, in this case there will be (probably) more chapters then the 70ish I anticipated.
Oh well.
Hope you enjoyed reading that. Cheers and stay safe out there.)