Chapter 3 - Eric vs. Vincent

The tunnel opened up into a huge cavern, with smooth walls and a high, domed ceiling. In the center of the ceiling was a wide circle, cut out, which allowed the sunlight to stream in. This was the sunlight that they had seen from the other end of the tunnel. In the center of the floor was another hole, positioned directly beneath the one in the ceiling. This one had a barred grating on it, and even with the sunlight shining in on it, the bottom could not be seen. Eric peered into the hole, trying to see in as best he could, without having his feet anywhere near the grate. Vincent startled him, his voice echoing off the smooth walls of the cave.

“This place used to be a Mako reactor,” Vincent explained, “but due to constant problems, they had to move the reactor to another area in these mountains. So this cave is empty now, with only these two holes as a hint to what used to stand here.”

“What kind of problems,” Eric asked turning away from the hole, “They had to be pretty rough if Shinra shut down one of their precious Mako reactors.”

“Are you ready to start,” Vincent asked, still concerned about time. He could tell by the whole in the ceiling that sun was beyond high noon, “If we don't hurry, the sun will go down before we get out of the mountains. If it's dark, the mountain trails are extremely treacherous.”

“Alright, but…how do we start? I mean, I've done training for practice before, but never just because.”

“Well,” Vincent said, “You just begin, with one of us making the first strike. And remember, don't hold back.”

Eric and Vincent went to opposite sides of the cavern. Vincent knew that he would be at a disadvantage initially; since Eric had a large repertoire of magic, but knew that if he could get close enough, he would be able throw Eric off his guard. He didn't know the fighting styles Eric knew, but he guessed that the Turks had probably trained him, the same way they had trained him. Vincent wasn't a particular fan of hand-to-hand combat, but he wasn't about to use his gun, Death Sentence, and he wasn't trained in using any other weapon, so hand-to-hand was the next best thing.

As the two of them stood there, Vincent saw Eric raise his hands, and cross them over his chest. His hair was flowing around his shoulders, as if he was underwater, and Vincent felt a tingling in his own body. This could only mean one thing. As quickly as he could, Vincent ran to the left, just as Eric brought both his hands forward. An explosion of fire erupted right where Vincent had been standing, and even though Vincent had just escaped the radius of the flame, the heat still radiated out, catching Vincent in its overwhelming grasp. The air was sucked from his lungs, and the heat caused sweat to break out on his forehead almost immediately. He couldn't believe that the kid could unleash a level three Fire, but now Vincent knew he was dealing with a powerful mage. He had to close the gap between him and Eric, and quickly.

Eric loved the feeling of spell casting. The energy building up from the material, then feeling the magic flow through his veins was like nothing in the world. Unfortunately, Eric usually only cast magic in battle, so he never got to enjoy it long. After the initial cast of fire, Eric saw that Vincent was able to move quickly, and even worse, he was able to sense when he was a target for magic. Eric knew he would have to pick up the pace. He charged for the next spell, this one targeted at him. The familiar energy flowed once again, and he moved his hands in the same way he always did when he cast. This time though, instead of the energy rush stopping when he finished casting, it continued. This was one of his favorite spells, Haste. Everything sped up. His mind could focus more on the spells, allowing him to cast faster, and he could hit his targets easier. He charged again, this time with a blizzard spell in mind. A cool feeling flowed through his veins, and he saw his target, Vincent, coming straight for him. Instead of targeting Vincent, he targeted instead the floor in front of Vincent. He waved his hands, and a spire of pure Ice jumped up from the ground just as Vincent stepped over it. Vincent was caught in its icy grip for a moment, before it shattered, releasing him. Vincent dropped to his knees, then stood up, slightly shivering from the frosty bite. Fortunately, magic never left any cuts, bruises or burns. Not to say that it didn't hurt, it just never left any visible marks. Eric remembered what Vincent said, to not hold back. Eric was sure Vincent could handle himself, but he still wasn't too sure if it was safe to such powerful spells for only practice. Still, Vincent said not to hold back, and Eric had healing spells if the need arose, so he wasn't going to worry. He started to charge for another spell.

Vincent shook off the chill that still ran through his body after that Blizzard spell. Evidently, Eric was a bit more cunning then he had expected as well. Vincent had also noticed that he had cast a spell on himself, which meant that Vincent would have to do a little magic soon, to either balance his with Eric's or break whatever magic Eric had placed on himself. He saw how all of Eric's movements were quicker, and knew that Haste was in place. Unless Vincent did something soon, he would be crushed. Eric started to charge again, this time with Vincent as the target. He saw Eric's hair flow, and felt the warning tingle. Now would be his chance, he just had to hope that whatever spell Eric was casting now wouldn't cause any damage. He threw back his cloak to reveal his own set of material, located on a bracer on his left arm. It was smaller then Eric's collection, but still carried the essentials. Simply put, Eric wasn't the only one who could cast Haste! Vincent began casting his spell, just as Eric completed his own. Vincent felt a wave of energy course through his body, but not the usual kind associated with spells, but another kind. Vincent suddenly felt is heart slowing, his lungs taking in air at a much slower rate. He was under the influence of Slow, and it was fortunate that he was casting Haste, otherwise, the battle would have been lost. He brought his own arms down, though he felt as if he was pulling a load with his arms. As the spell completed, he felt everything grow faster, matching Eric's pace. Eric must have seen the change, because he smiled at Vincent and said quietly, “Looks like we'll be spending the night in these mountains.”

Below, unbeknownst to them, an old tunnel that connected to the Mako hole was carrying the vibrations of their movement and energy. The vibrations traveled to the end of the relatively short tunnel. But the walls weren't the only things feeling the vibrations of the ensuing fight. The old beast opened its eyes slowly, not waking from its sleep for quit some time. Not since the noisy men from above started moving into his cave had he awakened. Now, he felt the familiar footfalls of humans once again. Had these humans forgotten him so quickly? Well, he would remind them. The great beast spread its wings, stretching, and preparing for its task. The dragon had found a meal.

Vincent had closed the gap, using Eric's moments of spell casting as time for him to get closer. Vincent brought his fist up in an uppercut, but it only glanced off Eric's chin as he dodged it. Then Eric sent out a sidekick to Vincent's stomach, but Vincent dodged by rolling to the side, then followed by countering with a sweeping kick that knocked Eric off his feet. Eric fell to the ground, and rolled over to avoid a punch to the chest. He stood up quickly, and saw Vincent coming in for another uppercut. Eric had never really been forced to fight hand-to-hand, so this was all new to him. He desperately needed to get some distance, because being this close didn't allow for any spell casting at all. But with Vincent able to move as quickly as he could, maybe even faster, Eric just couldn't see a way out. Vincent continued to press him with punches and kicks, and it was all Eric could do to stay out of their way, let alone run away. Then Eric saw his means of salvation. Vincent swung a haymaker, and Eric ducked then plowed right into Vincent's chest, barreling right over him, and far enough away to pull a trump card from his sleeve, or more precisely, his belt. Eric began casting another spell, one that would require a lot more concentration, a summon. He would use his very first summon ever, and because it was his first, it was mastered. As the spell completed, Eric's material form disappeared, allowing for the material form of Chocobo/Mog to appear. The little mog nodded to Eric as the two switched positions for physical and astral bodies. Eric loved this part of magic too.

Vincent watched as Eric vanished before his eyes, and knew what was coming next. He had seen and been a part of enough summons to know what had happened. The only question now was, what did Eric summon. As the summon began to take form, Vincent released a slight sigh of relief. It was Chocobo/Mog, one of the weakest summons out there. However, Vincent had never faced a mastered Chocobo/Mog before.

The little mog sitting upon its chocobo took one look at Vincent before bringing its tiny heels against the chocbo's sides. The chocobo started off, running faster than Vincent had counted on, and nearly trampled him. He tumbled to ground, narrowly missing the pounding feet and sharp talons of the speedy bird. At least it only makes one pass, Vincent thought as he stood up. He failed to see the chocobo coming back behind him for another run. He turned around just in time to get caught in an explosion of feathers, fur, and claws. He flew backwards, slammed into the cave's smooth wall, and lay there for a moment trying to reorient himself. As his vision became less blurry, he saw the mog and chocobo fade from sight, replaced by Eric, who was trying his best to smother his laughter. With tears in his eyes from his glee, he said, still trying to subdue his giggles, “You said don't hold back.”

“True,” Vincent replied, standing up, “so now I won't hold back either.”

“What! You mean you were holding back?” Eric asked, his face forming a slight pout. He thought he had matched Vincent, maybe was even better than him.

“Well, we'll call it a day,” Vincent said suddenly, walking over towards an wide-eyed Eric, “what did you learn from this fight?”

“You mean I had to learn something?” Eric asked, still shocked that Vincent had suddenly stopped a fight that he was actually enjoying, “I thought you were testing me?”

“I was, and still am,” Vincent explained, “Now, I'm testing to see if you are capable of learning from a fight, especially a difficult one.”

“Well,” Eric began, thinking it over, “I learned that…um…well, I need to find a way to keep my distance at all times, because I can't fight worth beans.”

“Right, but perhaps you need to learn some fighting skills, in case you can't keep your distance.”

Eric's green eyes brightened, “Will you teach me? You seem really good.”

“You weren't doing too bad,” Vincent said, “You blocked a good portion of what I threw, and you managed to get some hits in,” Vincent mentioned, ignoring Eric's question.

“But will you train me?” Eric asked again, pretending to not have noticed that Vincent had ignored him.

“We'll see,” he answered quietly, then proceeded to cast a Cure spell on them both. As they walked back towards the entrance of the cavern, Eric walking in front of Vincent this time, Vincent regarded the young man once again. Why did he feel the need to see Eric in battle? What was it about this kid, whom Vincent had never known until yesterday, which intrigued him so? Vincent just couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he felt pity for him, a kid who had been forced to grow up too quickly by Shinra, just as he had. Whatever the reason, Vincent felt a want to help this kid, this naïve boy, who had suddenly appeared. And if that included teaching him how to fight, then Vincent was more than willing. I wonder if this is how a father feels, Vincent thought. I'll protect him, and if Shinra wants him, then they'll have to deal with me. Vincent suddenly stopped, realizing what he had just said. He never thought he would say something like that, but he had developed a liking for Eric, even if they had only been together for a short time, and he wasn't about to let another person he liked slip away from him. Another person who saw through his cold attitude, and dark appearance. He wouldn't lose another friend. There wouldn't be another Lucrecia.

“Hey, Vincent! Hurry up! The sun's going down,” Eric called back to him. Without realizing it, Vincent had stopped walking during his contemplations. He looked up to his young ward, then smiled slightly, and walked quickly to his side. Then the two of them walked out of the cave, and into the light of the near-setting sun. Unknown to them, a visitor was coming right behind them. A visitor that was hungry.

Vincent suddenly stopped, and motioned for Eric to do the same. They both stood silently, hearing and seeing nothing.

“What is it,” Eric asked after a few moments, still straining his ears to hear something.

“Nothing,” Vincent replied, starting to walk again, but keeping an ear open for any more sounds.

“Vincent,” Eric said, “You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but I was wondering about this. Your left hand,” Eric said, motioning to the now revealed hand, “What happened to it?”

Vincent looked at the hand. Anyone who looked at it would think that it was a gauntlet, with golden claws at the fingertips. Not so, it was part of the experiments that Hojo had performed, placed there after his hand was damaged. To Vincent, it was just another scar he had to bear.

“What makes you think something's wrong with my hand,” Vincent asked, thinking of a way to divert Eric's attention away from the hand, allowing Vincent to once again forget it himself.

“Nothing really, I just noticed that it was only your left hand. I figured if it were a glove, you'd have one on both hands, unless it's just a fashion statement.”

“Yes, it's just a fashion statement,” Vincent lied. Just because he was looking out for Eric didn't mean he had to know all of his secrets.

When they were about half a mile away from the cave, Eric stopped. Vincent also stopped, hearing the same sound from before, a deep rumbling sound, except this time, they didn't just hear it, they felt it. The ground trembled, throbbed like a heart, vibrating, then stopping, vibrating, and then stopping. Suddenly, a rock-shattering roar pierced the mountain air, emanating from the cave the two had just left. Still looking back to the cave, Vincent uttered one word to Eric.

“Run.”

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