towerofanimus | CLOSED; weapons training

Entry tags:

CLOSED; weapons training

Characters: Zack and AUquius
Setting: Floor Fifteen
Format: Starting with actionspam, but I'll switch off.
Summary: ZACK FAIR got a SWORD!
Warning: None.

[Anyone who set foot in the workshop floor for the past few days would have almost certainly found Equius derping around, doing... um, something in there. There was a bit with a pointy metal shell that looked like a sword of some kind, but that was silly; anyone with eyes could see that he would have no use for it, frail and scrawny as he was. Unfortunately, everyone with eyes was wrong; it was a sword. Just not one for him.]

[On the third day, he finally stopped working for a while. Before now the only pauses had been to eat and sleep; unusual for him, yes, but the prospect of something to do was enough to make him throw himself at it with unusual vigor. He knew by now that the fourth floor up from here was a library with a row of terminals, so he skittered quickly up there and filtered something to Zack requesting his presence. He didn't particularly want to leave such a thing alone by itself in the other room. It wasn't as if the mechanical sword would just up and leave on its own, of course, but there seemed plenty of people well-equipped to carry it off from under his nose, and then he'd really be in trouble.]

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[Knee deep in his project to map the tower, it had taken Zack a little while to get to a terminal and check around. When he had, he'd been pleasantly surprised to find that message waiting for him, causing him to double time it up to Floor 15, and straight into the workshop. He'd never been in here before, but it couldn't be that hard to find one guy, right?]

Equius? You in here?

[Or he could just do that. That would work too.]

[Fortunately, Equius knew in advance that Zack was coming; you see, every time someone else spoke on Floor Fifteen, he jumped. But no, now he just turns around in his swivel chair and looks at Zack. Well. He looks... a lot bigger. Sure, Equius was tall, but he had the stature of a thirteen-year-old; this was clearly a trained soldier. Quietly he pushed back his unease at arming this guy, and nodded in greeting.] Hello...

[There wasn't much need for formalities now since they... somewhat knew one another, so Equius just stood up, to allow Zack an unobstructed view of the sword.]

[There he was. Okay, this was going well already, especially since that sword looks so much like his old one that it makes him smile. It's probably got a long way to go to be finished, but his smile is warm as he turns to Equius.]

I'm guessing you didn't call me just to show this off, right? Whatcha need?

...Um, just... try it out. I don't know how you balance it.

[Zack nods, picking the blade up like he's done this his entire life: one hand on the hilt to lift, then with both hands to balance the weight, tip facing upwards. It's a bit lighter than the one he had back home, but this...he can use this, definitely.]

Feels good, man. You been making swords long?

Not... really. [He's been building makeshift weapons for much of his life, yes; but swords only happened when people bothered to ask, and there were much better people to ask than him. He was very intimately familiar with the insides of shitty old chainsaws, but those weren't the same thing either. And as for his own use, well, he already had his arrows, so learning another skill never really seemed... practical.] I mean, I've designed them as weapons for more complex machines, but... I've only ever made a few for the use that you're probably going to put it to.

[While Equius speaks, Zack has stepped back and started a few practice swings. The lighter weight is definitely noticeable now, but it only takes a little adjustment to his stance to counter it, and he can strike faster, too. He can work with this!]

Sure, but how many uses are actually there for swords? So long as it doesn't fall apart, I can make it work. [shifting out of his stance now.] Probably, anyway.

[Well, there are uses for knives -- he's had to make plenty of those, though they were cooking knives anyhow -- and also swords that don't have a hilt, because they're built in to a fighting machine and... lots of things. Still, a giant sword like this? Unusual, for him at least.] ...If it does start to break, don't hesitate to tell me. [Though he probably already knew that. Even though there were no moving parts in this particular weapon, machines are prone to break down eventually. Of course a sword of solid steel would have been preferable, but...] ...Erm, note that is is really a... makeshift, kind of. I mean, it should work for a while. But it won't be as effective, I don't think. So if you can find anyone who can make a, you know, actual sword... you'd be better off with them, of course.

[There's a first time for everything, of course. It would have had to happen eventually...or something. And a project is good for everyone in this place.

At the mention of a "proper" sword, Zack nods and sets the mechanical one back down on the table, fingers lingering on the hilt.]

Yeah, I kinda figured as much. Got a friend who's gonna help with that, but in the meantime, well...[He glances at Equius, smiling warmly.] Better to have a weapon than none at all, right? Can't really beat the monsters in here with just my fists.

I suppose, yes.

[Truth be told, Zack looked like he probably could fight with just his fists. There were people who were highly successful with that. Though, weapons haven't really done him much good, personally -- is that just because he wasn't as adept with them? That was the probable reason.]

...Who's the 'friend'? [This was more out of curiosity than anything else. Perhaps he'd seen them around, if their interests crossed over so much.]

[Zack probably could fight with just his fists; he'd had the training for it and he knew how to not break anything in an attempt, but that wouldn't stop whatever monster he fought from trying to bite his arm off. The sword, on the other hand, well...most monsters think twice before trying to chew through metal.]

Cloud Strife. He's a little taller than me, with really spiky blond hair. Kinda shy, too. You may not have met him yet.

[Equius thinks for a moment. For the most part he's pretty good with faces, but Zack's description doesn't ring a bell.] ...I'm afraid I don't know him. Is he a weaponsmith?

[A shake of his head.] Don't think so. Said he's got blueprints for his sword that he's gonna try and get replicated, but I don't think he knows how to actually make the thing. We weren't trained for that.

Ah. ['Trained'? So perhaps they were actual human soldiers. Interesting.] What were you trained for, then?

War, I guess. We got all kinds of combat and field training, like how to use a sword or keep somebody from bleeding out until you can get 'em to a medic. That kinda thing. This [he sweeps a hand around, gesturing to the work stations and the sword] wasn't part of the program. But Cloud's a few years ahead of me, I guess, so maybe he picked something up.

Oh, I see. Um, most of what I know was self-taught, so... [That said, he could probably be a medic of his own merit if he wanted to, between midday 'wiki walks' of the human internet and the staggering amount of injuries he's sustained over the course of his life.]

Doesn't mean you're any worse at it than someone with formal training, man. I've seen people who've only been self-taught run circles around guys who spent years in a training camp, so you're actually probably better off.

[Granted the ShinRa military is pretty crappy and fond of Cure instead of actual medicince, so Equius would be better off as he is, but still.]

...Really? [That is news to him.]

[Besides, Cure seems like it would be a lot easier, since being an actual medic would involve dragging around several pounds of supplies all over the place, whereas all Curists have to do is chug an Ether every so often and they're set. ...Not that Equius really knows the inner workings of the Final Fantasy magic system, but, there you are.]

Yep. Military training's all about rules and what you can do to help the whole. Don't get me wrong, it does come in handy sometimes, but...[he shakes his head again.] Sometimes, it keeps you from helping the people who need it most. Other times, it's got you going against your friends. Not worth it then.

[...]

[Zack couldn't tell the details of it, of course, but his words are hitting unsettlingly close to home. He commits the words to memory, even though he really doesn't want to; in the meantime, he defaults to the setting which is used every time he gets dangerously close to thinking for himself, which is complete subservience.]

...Too many deviations from the order of things will throw the entire operation into chaos.

[Zack definitely doesn't get the details of it, nor does he really understand the significance of his words, because all he does is wave a hand through the air as if clearing smoke. Order, chaos, pfft. Who cares?]

Sure, maybe, but what good's order if everyone that's important isn't there anymore? Order can be restored eventually, if you try hard enough.

It is necessary to return order should it fall out of place, of course, but wouldn't you rather just avoid the situation? Spending time repairing what has been lost reduces efficiency by an exponential amount. [And it does. Stooping down to fix something means not paying attention to everything else, which could likewise fall apart in turn.]

See, that's the thing. You can fix things, and plans, if they get all screwed up, but you can't bring back lost people. And who knows, maybe you'll need them to put things right again and you won't be able to do that if they're gone.

[It does mean more work, sure, but for someone who values people as much as Zack does, the choice is obvious.]

Well, if it's unrepairable like that, then it's a doomed timeline and there's nothing to be done. There's another timeline somewhere in paradox space where everything moved as it was supposed to. [Said matter-of-factly, as if he was making an ounce of sense.]

[There's the discrepancy, right there. Equius probably does value people somewhere in his heart of hearts, but if he does, he's suppressed it, and he's trying his damnedest to make you think he doesn't.]

[That undoubtedly makes sense to Equius, but to Zack...well, the confused look on his face should say more than enough.] ...I'm guessing those are things from your world, then.

[Because he certainly doesn't recognize the terms. Not used like that, anyway. He never did go into that kind of thing.]

...Oh, sorry, yes. [He sighs.] Well... I'm not the expert on this, but it's fairly simple. Every time someone makes a big decision, the timeline of the universe branches out into two others -- one where they make the right decision, and one where they make the wrong decision. Every timeline with a wrong decision will eventually fold in on itself and die; that's why they're called 'doomed timelines', because there's no saving them. This means that, at any one time, there is only one timeline that will lead to the favorable outcome, and that's called the alpha timeline.

So, if someone important is lost and that makes your goal impossible, then it just means that you are living in a doomed timeline. And even if you --- in the strictest sense of the word -- are not there to see it, you still succeeded, one way or another.

[That takes a moment or two to make sense in Zack's brain, and Equius can probably see the proverbial gears turning as he puzzles it all out. It is simple enough, true, but the use of terms Zack hasn't used before still sends him for a loop.]

So...what you're saying is...if someone dies and they weren't supposed to, that sentences everyone else in that world to die, too?

[Because even if a "him" succeeds in something in one timeline or something, that's just...way too many people he could have helped. Man it's a lot to think on.]

Speaking only in the context of that timeline, yes, you're right. [He seems pretty unfazed by this.]

And there's no way to un-doom a timeline or anything? No way to get things better again?

[His being unfazed is a far cry from Zack at the moment; he appears calm, but he's definitely grasping at straws.]

No. That's why it's 'doomed'. I guess it's possible to escape the timeline you're in and move over to the 'safe' one, but I've never heard of anyone who has.

First time for everything, man. But I guess...if that other timeline's already going the way it should, then why risk screwing it up, too? Who knows if the doom stuff transfers with you, right?

That could be. Maybe moving from one timeline to another will just birth another doomed timeline...

...Regardless. Do you see where I'm coming from?

[Timelines, paradoxes, doom....geez. What a mess.]

Yeah, I get it. I still say you should try to save everyone you can, though. If you're gonna go out anyway, might as well help people along the way.

[He looks a bit baffled by that logic, but then, so would most trolls.]

...That sounds like far too much work. [It also sounds like a kind of good idea, but like hell is he saying that out loud.]

[Most trolls and most people; Zack's logic baffles everyone he meets no matter what he says, even if they agree with it on some level.]

Nothing worthwhile's ever easy, man. You gotta work for stuff if you really want it.

That's true, I suppose. But there are some things that just... can't be done. Or shouldn't be.

And how can you tell if something's one of those things? I mean, sure, you shouldn't take a bullet for no reason, but if someone's gonna shoot your friend or something, don't you think it's right to try and save him?

That depends on who's shooting. [Politically correct answers for the win.]

Well, yeah, sure, but he's still your friend. You wouldn't just let him get shot, would you? [Politically correct things and Zack are a bad idea. He'd tear down the world to save a friend.]

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CLOSED; weapons training

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...I just realized he wouldn't know how to include Materia slots. Whoops.

not an issue~ Zack's got a bangle with him; he'll manage. :3

Ah, thank god |D

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flasdf sorry about that, Internet spazzed

no worries, no worries~ things happen. :3