Thread: ☢Final Fantasy: Edyn's Lament☢ [-Haru|Lila-]

Judge sat in his containment cell, a little irritated as his skin itched where it was healing. Normally a Far'Anthi did not possess any sort of regeneration powers, though often they could heal others. Unlike some of the other specimens however, Judge's body had integrated well with the Jenova Cells, giving him a degree of regeneration. Not only that, but his conduit to the elemental magics of Edyn had been boosted significantly. His current state of irritation was due to a couple of factors the escape of Lunenova, his predicted mate, and also due to the fact that ARC wished to test his regenerative powers and had denied him anything to help him heal or to even dull the pain. Luckily the Jenova Cells within his body had heeded the need he felt and had flooded his body with pain-dulling endorphins. His newfound tolerance for pain was quite high, and yet Judge groused in the corner. Despite the containment cells and their supposed seclusion from other specimens, word had reached Judge that Hojo had decided to send Aeshir and her brother Stone out after Lune. Why they had decided to send the siblings and not him was something that Judge was trying to figure out. In the meantime it was apparently business as usual, as one of the many lab assistants came to inform Judge that another combat test had been scheduled. You need to get into your containment suit, and then the testing will begin. the assistant said, and one panel of his cell opened to present the suit to him. Ever since the integration of Jenova Cells into his system, Judge's abilities had been boosted, yes, but also were quite dangerous and the Far'Anthi had trouble focusing his power when his emotions ran high. The scientistss, most of them working on various mechanical weapons programs before studies had turned to organic ones, had been able to adapt some of the cutting edge technologies at their disposal. Now, with Judge's powers over the elements and his high tolerance for pain, and the armor that would let him focus his attacks, ARC was eager to see what he could do. As Judge slipped into the armor, the assistant informed him of his adversary. This will be a Jenova-based foe. One of our earliest experiments, and one that partially proved Professor Hojo's theory about the Jenova Reunion - where he believed that any time cells are separated from Jenova, they eventually seek to reunite with the main body of the being. Judge had heard it all before but had not seen evidence of it, and as he entered the combat area in his containment armor , the sheer mutation of his combat foe was obviously apparent , and deep down Judge felt sick to his stomach. At his core he was supposed to protect Edyn, protect the humans and all the other races upon it. This was what ARC was doing, experimenting on humans with Jenova Cells, and watching as they morphed and mutated into unspeakable monsters. This pitiable creature looked like several humans had been injected with Jenova and then as the cells tried to reintegrate with one another formed this abomination. Judge wanted to wretch, and yet he was also fascinated by it, and as soon as the combat began he was more than happy to rain down death - a barrage of lightning and fire, which seemed to anger the thing, which charged him, leaping to try and grab him in its maw, though he easily evaded the clumsy attack, and seeing that the creature's hide was red hot, coated the beast in a sheet of ice. It promptly broke free but Judge could see where damage had been done, as the red hot carapace cracked and split under duress of the extreme temperatures. As the creature slowed Judge moved in with devastating physical attacks, his strength driving the metallic claws of the armor through the beast's hide and Judge actually closed his eyes as he crushed and split the skull of what had once been a human beneath his prodigious strength. Gore and blood splattered across the combat floor as Judge finally reached the heart of the beast, Jenova's Cells having formed a large muscle to drive and control the beast, though Judge ripped it apart and brought the aberration down. He'd hardly broken a sweat really, but he still felt sick to his stomach. The assistants had recorded the entire encounter however, and of course the results would be given to both Hojo and Gand. Judge was released back to his cell, and his armor removed so that he could rest. --------------- Stone shook his head at his sister's question. I do not think we will have to kill them, sister mine. Lunenova will listen to reason I am sure. he had told his sister, and deep down he hoped that was true. The episode with the runaway cart made Stone spring into action as well, and though he had not seen or paid much attention to the flower girl, the cry of alarm and then seeing the boy in danger fired his innate need to protect. His sister sprung into action and Stone did what he was best at - use his strength to stop a threat. Bracing himself in the path of the cart, his arms opened wide as the cart ran into him, and instead of standing firm, as he could have easily done, Stone backed up a step or two to absorb the energy of the cart and preserve it intact instead of letting it simply demolish itself on his armored form. The man that the cart belonged to came running down the hill as well, concerned not only for his wares bu the welfare of the child. It had been an accident averted instead of ending in tragedy, and his own thankss to Stone and Aeshir were not small, inviting them to come and enjoy a meal at his establishment sometime. The Sand Sea. Stone looked at Aeshir and seemed to ponder a moment. It had been a very long time since they'd been shown true kindness, or even had this level of freedom. Though he was the eldeer of the two, he often deferred to Aeshir in such things. Do you think we could, sister mine? Go and eat? he asked, quite enthralled with the idea. The owner of the cart, a man whose name they learned was Bartolomus, or just Bart, had invited the flower girl, Aerith, and her brother Kator, to both eat at the Sand Sea as well. --------------- Stryker hadn't seen him, but had indeed smelled Akin as he'd entered the Golden Sphere, the establishment he was now eating at. The wonderful meal was hearty and filling, and much better than the fare seved by ARC, which was odd considering they should want their specimens fed very well. The food was plentiful, simply bland. Even as Akin approached the faintest hint of Lune clung to his clothing, regardless of the cigarette smoke the man expelled like a train. The blunt manner of Akin was refreshing in its own way, and Stryker gave a nod. He did, though I was instructed to bring her back alive. I do not wish to fight. That, at least, was the truth, and Stryker was always reluctant to draw his sword. His natural abilities were often sufficient, and though he had not bonded fully with Jenova's Cells, they still granted the former human skills far beyond his ken. If you just tell me where she is, I would go and speak with her. Stryker assured Akin. --------------- Gand moved swiftly along the corridors behind Number Thirteen and soon they arrived at Dareeva's quarters, the vocalizations from the half-rebuilt young woman echoing in the halls. One assistant was obviously damaged and Gand sighed. Knocking on the door to Dareeva's rom he called out to her. Dareeva! It's your father! Let me in sweetheart! he called. He knew that she would recognize his voice, and even if she did not calm down right away she would let him in to help. --------------- Cid Orlandeu had heard the latest rumors now circulating on the streets of Shornhelm - that ARC had lost one of its most valuable and most powerful specimens. He had called a meeting of the senior members of his organization, the Special Encounter Elimination Division, or SEED. Plans had been in the works for months now to storm the ARC building and estroy what specimens they could, or at least set them free to wreak havoc on their captors. It was no secret that many of the Far'Anthi had been taken, and that their purpose in life was to preserve the balance of the planet. Cid knew that they would help if he could somehow contact them, but the ones that had not been captured had quickly went into hiding. Several squads had been sent out to try and track down the free Far'Anthi, but so far had yielded little results. What was even more frustrating in the grand scheme of things was that the general populace of Edyn seemed unaware, or indifferent, to the very precipice that the planet stood upon. Most knew of Jenova in some way, for the Atlan Wastes was not something one could simply ignore, and yet the danger was not viewed by most as a serious threat. ARC had managed to downplay the entire event, and Cid was sure that this calamity was going to play out, for good or for ill, in the coming months. CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO Subject Judge last name unknown Age unknown, though approx. 10,000 years appears mid-thirties Height 1.88 meters 6'2 Weight 98.8 kilograms 218 lbs. Hair Dark brown Eyes Dark brown Judge was captured alongside Lune, and just as Lunenova has been an astounding specimen, so has Judge. A Far'Anthi with an innate control over the elements, Judge has proven quite capable in his own right. Further study is needed. Judge in his base Far'Anthi form Judge was injected with Jenova Cells, and though it seemed like a painful acclimation, his body seems to have assimilated and he has stabilized. His abilities have been augmented nearly tenfold and his elemental powers can scarcely be controlled. The Military Division had given us one of their exoskeleton armors that now doubles as a containment armor, allowing Judge to concentrate and focus his powers. Judge manifesting his powers after assimilation of Jenova Cells The physical changes in Judge manifest when he now accesses his newly augmented powers, and frankly, they are amazing. His body turns an obsidian color, with what could only be described as points of starlight on his depthless skin. It is as if the nature of Jenova, from the stars, has a manifestation now in Judge. Observing Judge over the last weeks he seems to have claimed Lunenova as his mate, and after discussing this with Gand we have decided to allow them to procreate and possibly make even more powerful progeny. The effect of this on an unborn infant, the Jenova Cells, is unknown, but possibly the next step in our evolution. Judge's amorous advances were rejected by Lunenova, and Judge has entered a state of depression and anger. The subsequent escape of Lunenova herself from the facility will need to be rectified quickly.