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[Mercen-X]

Kasic Brunishka: Bamboo Sword; Age: 14
(Kasic is an unreal name which loosely translates to "such force")
He can utilize SOLDIER-styled attack strings. Looks like Roxas from Kingdom Hearts 2.
Hariet Brunishka: Doll “Mog”; Age: 14
Kasic’s sister is more of a defensible fighter as she idolizes the memorable flower girl of MIDGAR. She can summon Mog to her aid. Looks like Kairi from Kingdom Hearts 2.
Raine Rivers: Pistols “Arthur & Lancelot”; Age: 25
A rather mysterious girl from GONGAGA, Raine’s past somehow ties in with Vincent’s and an old friend of Cloud.
Roger Hirudo: Fists
A mercenary under Raine's command, Roger is cautious and loyal.
Shale Monarch: Machine Gun
Another mercenary under Raine's command, Shale is headstrong and wishes to eradicate the undead menace. She is loyal to Raine but is impatient.
Reno Sinclair: Stun Rod
Reno is a Turk.
Rude Olnar: Fists
Rude is a Turk.
Yuffie Kisaragi: 4-Point Shuriken & Ninjitsu
Yuffie is a ninja from the land of Wutai. She currently holds down a job as a hyperactive tour guide within the Gold Saucer. She is spunky and resilient.
Tifa Lockheart: Fists
Tifa runs a bar in Edge and acts as an answering service for Strife's Delivery, one of Cloud's many jobs.
Shelke Rui: Twin Batons
Shelke is a former Deep Ground Soldier and Tsviet once called the Transparent. Her computer hacking skills have risen her through the ranks of the World Regenesis Organization to become a key member.
Vincent Valentine: Gun “Cerberus” & Transformation
Vincent has taken part in more than one fight to defend the Planet from impending doom. This time, the woman he admires so much has disappeared and his only thoughts are of finding her.
Cid Highwind: N/A
Piloting the Mako-powered Shera, Cid provides transport for Kasic and the others as they search the world for the "hero", the "menace", and Cloud.
Death Zack: Fists or Sword
The reanimated rotting corpse of an old hero, Death Zack is a sack of bones whose feral nature has once already plagued Kasic and his friends.
Barret Wallace: Fists &/or Prosthetic Arm
The former leader of the anti-ShinRa anti-Mako group, AVALANCHE, Barret continually fights with all of his strength, influence, and ammunition in order to save the Planet from disaster.
Red XIII/Nanaki: Claws, Fangs, and Headdress
Guardian of Cosmo Canyon and the son of a great hero, Red XIII fights to rid the Planet of its undead illness.
Darke: ?
A necromancer who identity is shrouded in mystery, Darke's abilities make him a prime suspect in the investigation into the undead plague.
Death Seto: Claws, Fangs, and Headdress
Unlike certain others, Nanaki's father Seto has been reanimated by Darke for the sole purpose of aiding him in discovering the truth behind the undead legions and defeating the necromancers responsible.
Death Dyne: Gun-Arm & Explosives
A rambunctious and malicious man bent on destruction, Dyne is crazed for reasons as of yet unknown. He is determined to rob Kasic of the Buster Sword which he retrieved from Zack's burial site.
The Puppet Master?: ?
???
Adonis: ?
???

[James Leopold]

very good, please continue

[Mercen-X]

Chapter 1
Episode 1

Across the vast plains of the four continents that fill the world, skeletal fists burst from the ground.
Corpses, their flesh rotted having been dead many years, stalk the lands searching for relief of their endless pain and insatiable lust for blood and death.
As creatures of an unholy origin fester throughout; fourteen-year-old Kasic Brunishka travels with a band of mercenaries as they hack their way from Nibelheim through vile undead monsters to the town of Gongaga where the mercs have been contracted to defend against an onslaught by ravenous zombies. It is here that Kasic also hopes to find his twin sister, Hariet, alive and well.

Fending off the undead hordes is only half of the equation as the mercs soon learn. For the twins Brunishka are a vital component to an important goal. They must venture into the dangers pit against them by an evil force and seek a hero who will rid the world of its newest threat.
Setting out from Gongaga by buggy, the twins and last three mercs make their way across the desert where the creatures dare not follow lest they sink back into the earth whence they came.
It is here that they face their first real obstacle.

As their buggy nears its last mile of sand, a huge indefinable creature rises from below. A chimera would be a blessing compared to what stands before them now. A massive red colossus with claws protruding from the outside of its fists, its head reminds of a winged fish and bears a single piercing eye. Above the eye, at what would be the head of the winged fish is a spear-headed beak. Its chest requires one to tilt their head back to truly understand the width of its muscles and realize the strength that must lie therein. Its shoulders are cursed with crooked spikes and its feet are those of a bird: three claws in front and one behind.

Kasic holds his kendo sword before him, ready to attack. The mercs shove the overeager child back with his sister and step up as the first line of defense. Two pistols, an auto-gun, and a pair of fists . . . that's all they have.
As the gunners open fire, the monster draws a clawed fist back and slams into the group. Kasic grabs his sister and leaps back over the buggy. Fists pound repeatedly into the hard-armor flesh of the crimson creature as the now airborne fighter pours all of his strength into his blows. The gunners, back on their feet, resume their onslaught, hoping to at least deter the beast.
The monster attacks again, sending the group scattering across the sand.

Suddenly, a black-clad figure drops in from above, flinging a shuriken straight into the beast's eye. With a series of confusing hand signs the attacker emits a huge wave of iridescent light that blows back the colossus and knocks it off balance. Summoning a monstrous strike of lightning, the ninja begins a new series of hand signs. With a stylish pose, the hero unleashes a trio of flame lines that devour the creature. Eventually, the crimson submits and sinks back into the sand.

The ninja approaches the group as they gather back to the buggy.
"Who are you?" The pistoleer asks.
"Who am I?" The ninja removes the black coverings. She's somewhere in her 20s with dark hair and brown eyes. "Yuffie Kisaragi: the Hero of Wutai!!"

[Mercen-X]

Episode 2

"A hero…?" Kasic and Hariet glance at each other in wonder.
"What are you all doing out here?" Yuffie asks.
"In case you haven't noticed, the world is swarming with the undead." The pistoleer says.
"I'm sorry? Did you say something? I'm a bit hard of hearing when it comes to people who don't introduce themselves. That's a new rule I made up when I started working at the Gold Saucer."
The pistoleer just stares.
The auto-gunner steps up. "Our captain doesn't introduce himself to arrogant wanna-be hero kids." She says bluntly.
Yuffie glares at her. "What did you say!?"
"Cool it!" The fist-fighter steps in. "My name is Roger. Please, forgive our gunner. She's a little distraught since most of our team was killed in Gongaga fighting off an undead army."
"I'm not distraught. I'm furious. When I get my hands on the guy who's responsible for all this, I'll make 'em into SWISS CHEESE!!"
All rear back from the loud woman and she starts to calm down.
"You know, come to think of it. I may have noticed a few more skeletons walking around than I used to see. But still, why are you all here."
"We're supposed to be heading to Edge." Roger says.
"We're looking for a hero." Hariet speaks up.
"Well, look no further." Yuffie stands triumphant. "Though, I don't offer my heroic services to just anyone. I'll need some kind of payment... preferably materia."
"We weren't going to ask you." Kasic blurts rather harshly.
"You little brat... Fine… Don't bother asking me then, 'cause I'm not even gonna consider it now." She turns her back.
Hariet turns to whisper to Kasic. "Maybe we should ask her. Even if she can't help us, maybe she can at least lend a hand."
"But we don't have materia." Kasic tries to whisper but Yuffie overhears.
"I'm sure you'll find some. Just agree now to turn it over to me, okay?"

With that little event out of the way, the group continues on toward Costa Del Sol, hoping for a quick trip across the water by barge.
Here, they run into some unwelcome faces familiar only to Yuffie and the pistoleer: the Turks.
Reno steps forward. "Nice mask." He says with a sneer to the gunman whose hands are ready to draw and blast a hole through the lapdog's head.
"What do you want?" Yuffie scowls.
"The barge is off limits, kids. We're here to make sure you don't press your luck."
"What right do you have to---!" Yuffie starts.
The pistoleer grabs her by the arm and steps in front of her. "I guess the Turks don't get a lot of real work these days. What with Rufus losing his whole company, I guess all you can really do is run errands." The voice is muffled by the mask. It's hard to tell if its male.
"The company is still intact. There's still a main building at Junon. Rufus still has his funds so he's constructing a new headquarters around that reactor where the Condor made its nest. Oh, and we still get paid." He turns slightly away. "Though, I admit our reputation has taken a few hits recently. People don't feel the same fear and admiration for the Turks as they used to just by hearing our name. Some kids used to want to be just like us."
He sighs and turns to the pistoleer. "Who cares? Look punk, the fact is if you don't get lost, Rude and I'll have to drop you sorry runts into the ocean." He says and pulls his stun baton out to his side.

[Mercen-X]

Episode 3

Yuffie swings her shuriken at Reno's head. He flips backward onto his hands and rebounds onto his feet, charging recklessly at Yuffie and the gunman. Rude and Roger pound away at each other as the gunner shields the twins, who watch in fear and awe respectively.
As Reno is knocked to the ground, Yuffie's shuriken returns and she leaps up as she hurls the projectile at Rude.
Rude knocks the shuriken to the ground and catches a glimpse of Reno pulling Yuffie down and throwing her at the gunman.
As both Roger and the pistoleer are knocked to the ground, the leader turns the gunner. "Are you entertained, Shale?"
Shale grins. "Just waiting for my invite…" She points her gun in the air and opens fire. She then points to the aggressive Reno. "Back off, dimwit, or I'll turn you into a screen-door."
"Huh?" Reno is dumbfounded by her threat but backs off anyway.
The pistoleer steps forward. "Are you idiots completely unaware of what's going on out there?"
"What? The zombies…? They're nothing to worry about." Reno says arrogantly.
"Do you know who's responsible?"
"No . . . and I don't care."
The leader shakes his head. "We're getting on that barge. Shale…!"
Shale places Reno's head in the crosshairs of her auto-gun. Roger locks Rude's arms behind his head.
The gunman and the twins make their way aboard the barge, followed by Shale, Roger, and the hostages. Yuffie collects herself and follows.

As the barge moves slowly from Costa Del Sol on its way to Junon, a rumbling upsets the flow. Waves thrash violently at the side of the barge as three creatures, each larger than the next arises from the seabed. One is at port: a long, rainbow-scaled dragon-like fish. Far off starboard is a longer, blue-scaled dragon-fish. Right in front is a large living ship with a skeleton crew.
As the three creatures close in on the barge, the twins, the mercs, Yuffie, and the Turks as well, all ready themselves for a fight.

As the Turks, Kasic, and Roger leap aboard the living ship, Yuffie and Shale turn their attention to the blue dragon. Hariet and the captain are left to deal with the Bottomswell.
While the cacophony of rolling skulls and snapping skeletal limbs drowns out the occasional shout for support from each of the fighters aboard the living ship, there's no escaping the shrill scream of terror from the barge as Hariet is knocked into the waters.
Before Kasic can recklessly charge to her rescue, the merc captain dives into the water, followed immediately by the Bottomswell.
Shale and Yuffie easily finish off the blue dragon-fish with a combination of bullet-fire and ninja arts and quickly leap aboard the living ship to help finish off the skeleton crew.
During all this, Kasic is plagued with worry for his sister's safety and is uncertain how to move on if she . . . well, it's not a thought he can even bear to see through.

[Mercen-X]

Episode 4

The group manages to destroy the living ship and proceeds to Junon after hours spent searching for Hariet and the merc bear no desirable results. As Kasic is exiting the barge, he drops to the ground and slams his fist onto the metal plating of the port. Yuffie helps him up and everyone continues on to a nearby motel.
After tossing and turning in bed for hours, Kasic finally gets some much needed rest. When he wakes up and meets up with Roger and Shale, the Turks seem to be missing.
"It doesn't matter." Kasic says. "It's not like we're going anywhere anyway."
The two mercs sit silently.
"C'mon, kid. You can't give up." Roger says. "I'm sure it hurts. But we're dealing with the fate of the world here, right?"
"You don't understand. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The only way I can find the hero is with Hariet. We have to find him. We have to save the world. Without her, I'm no good to anyone."
Shale shakes her head. She removes her masking helmet and sets it on the only table in the room. She's a red-head with battle-hardened features. Her soft blue eyes make Kasic feel suddenly relaxed. "Surely, you've still got something. We were heading to Edge. You know who lives there, right?"
Kasic shakes his head.
"The remnants of Avalanche: the heroes who battled ShinRa." Roger states. "C'mon, kid. Let's keep going."

The trio passes Fort Condor, birthplace to one of the few remaining docile giant birds on the planet. They observe the two ShinRa MP's making some kind of trouble. Unfortunately, they haven't the time to stop and help.
After exiting the Mythril Mines and crossing the dreaded marsh, which once was home to a large self-replicating snake called the Migar Zolom, they pass Chocobo Ranch and Kalm on their way to Edge.
"Well, we're here. Now we just need to do some talking." Roger says as they proceed deeper into the city.
Yuffie is able to lead the group to what she claims is Tifa's bar.

Inside, they meet Tifa Lockhart in person. Though they try to explain themselves, they don't sound very convincing without Kasic's help. The young man just sits on a barstool, staring out the window.
Tifa, now aware of Kasic's dilemma, approaches him. "I know what it's like to lose family, Kasic. People you care about. I've lost people too. It really won't help you to close yourself off."
"Do you know what it's like to lose a part of yourself?" Kasic asks. He turns to her. "She's my twin. I'm useless without her . . . and I just feel empty." He turns back to the window.
Tifa returns to Roger and Shale.
"Tifa." Yuffie speaks. "Where's Cloud?"
"Making a delivery... ShinRa has developed a new engine component for Cid's ship. The company hopes to redeem itself by being as helpful as possible with forward progression."
"No matter what ShinRa does... They'll never be able to recover from the horrible things they've done. If anything, Rufus will have to change the name." Shale says.
The group is silent for a moment.
"I've heard rumors that Cid's ship is run on Mako. Is that true?" Roger asks.
"It is." Tifa nods. "Just enough to get it from one place to the next..."
"But isn't Mako the reason Avalanche fought ShinRa to begin with?"
"That's why Cid is so eager to get his hands on this new component. Apparently, it's an advanced fuel converter. It should make oil nearly as powerful to burn as Mako."
Suddenly, Kasic jumps up. "Hariet..!"
"Kaz…?" Roger walks over to him.
"She's out there. I can feel it."
"So let's go!"

[Mercen-X]

Episode 5

Washed up on the shores near the rebuilt town of Mideel, a town whose wooden floors are constructed over a gaping Mako abyss, Hariet and the masked merc captain find themselves assisting the locals to fend off a small regiment of furious undead fiends.

Hariet's toy mog dances as she unleashes a constant stream of fire spells upon the zombie masses. The spells prove less affective against the more skeletal brood, but the double-gunning merc finishes them easily enough. After the ordeal in the ocean, neither have the strength to subdue the army by themselves. However, with the help of a young girl seemingly no older than Hariet, they are able to push back the offenders and save Mideel from ruin.

The girl introduces herself as Shelke Rui.
"Shelke... Shelke the Transparent..." The captain says.
Shelke eyes him thoughtfully.
The captain merely walks into the inn. Hariet approaches the girl.
"My name's Hariet. Thank you."
"Thank you. It was my assignment to protect this village. Your assistance was appreciated." She looks out on the coast. "How did you get here?"
"We washed ashore."
"Did something happen?"
Hariet explains the incident on the barge and goes on to regale Shelke of hers and her brother's mission.
"A hero...?" Shelke thought a moment. She shakes her head. "It would take a lot of convincing for him to be heroic."
"Who…?"
"Vincent Valentine. He has . . . issues."
"Where would we find this Mr. Valentine?"
"I don't know. You might explore the waterfall cave. On rare occasion, he can be found there. But normally, he simply can't be found."

Meanwhile, back at Edge, the group, now with Tifa escorting them out of town, makes its way to the city's massive border.
Kasic trips on something and falls on his face.
A hand, rotted with exposed bones in the fingers, is wrapped around Kasic's ankle. Kasic watches in shock as a familiar face rises from the ground.
Though very little of his face remains to mask the skeletal visage that now sends shivers of horror down the young warrior's spine, there's no mistaking this legendary hero. The remains of his long hair and the torn fragments of the Soldier uniform he wore until the day of his death make it all too clear that this undead monster was once the valiant Zack whom the village of Gongaga had celebrated since Cloud Strife arrived to tell them his fate.
Zack, Kasic's ankle in his grip, hurls the boy across the city. As Tifa and Roger step up to challenge him, Zack summons an army of corpses. A plethora of these creatures wear SOLDIER uniforms of varying styles, a telltale sign of the age and rank of some of these former individuals. Now acting as a hive seemingly controlled by Zack, the monsters hurl themselves upon the group.
They hold their own quite efficiently; however, the tables turn when Shale runs out of bullets.

[Mercen-X]

Episode 6

Although it would seem that the group was out of luck, Tifa and Roger haven't given up and, as Kasic begins to stir, the two of them manage to back the Zack into a corner. As Kasic stares in enduring disbelief, Tifa and Roger proceed to punch what's left of the hero's face right off of his skull.
Wide eyed and confused, Kasic screams out for the world to hear. When the Zack collapses, the remaining zombies scatter, disappearing into the distance or just the ground itself.
Roger walks up beside Kasic, who lies on the ground with a blank expression. The tears in his eyes seem to turn them red with anger.
He stands up. "Who is doing this?!"
After a moment, Shale puts her hand on Kasic's shoulder. "C'mon, kid. We've gotta find your sister, remember?" She then walks away.
"I can't just leave him here." Kasic says, staring at Zack.
As Roger turns, expecting to see and unconscious zombie, he shocked by Zack's quick recovery and his escape into the distance.

Not too far from Edge, is the ocean shore. There the group finds a fast-moving wave racer. Climbing aboard the small seafarer, Kasic and the others part ways with Tifa and Yuffie.
They travel across the ocean, guided by Kasic's self-assured twin-sense.
Meanwhile, Hariet has found her own way off of the island home of Mideel. Shelke, interested in seeing the ever-young Vincent Valentine once again, is taking the young twin and the merc captain to the waterfall cave by airship.
To Shelke's surprise, Vincent is sitting right at the mouth of the waterfall, seemingly awaiting his new visitors.
Upon the ship's landing, Shelke marches down the access ramp and steadily approaches the mysterious marksman. Hariet and the pistoleer are not far behind.
Vincent stands and takes four long steps toward Shelke. His freakishly long legs quickly deliver him within arms length of the ever-young girl.
Hariet approaches and stands next to Shelke. The two are the same height and look to be the same age as well. However, Vincent is aware of Shelke's condition. The subject of experimentation, she, like him, doesn't age.
The captain approaches Vincent with interest and looks him over. "So this is Vincent Valentine."
"Who are you?" Vincent asks.
The captain removes her helmet. "My name is Raine."
"Raine . . . ?" Vincent wonders aloud.
"Raine Rivers... You once worked alongside my father in the Turks."
Vincent remains silent.
"Mr. Valentine," Hariet steps toward Vincent, "we need your help."
"The kid's searching for a 'hero.'" Raine explains. "Surely you must've noticed a stark increase in undead monsters."
"I have. Do you intend for this 'hero' to fight back the zombie hordes?"
"I don't know. My brother and I are supposed to find the hero." Hariet says.
"I've fought alongside a number of people who can be called heroes. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful."
"You can." Raine says. "Just accompany us for a short time. We could use the firepower."