Final Fantasy XIII: Episode Zero -Promise-

"Encounter", Chapter One

"Encounter", Chapter One

She knew she was surrounded, but she felt no nervousness or panic. She only thought about how it would save her the time it would take to look for them. "Just like we heard", Lightning murmured as she readied her sword. There were several Bloodbaths, a monster that looks like a fish with amphibious arms and legs that lives by the water's edge. On the outskirts of the Coastal City Bowdam, these sorts of aquatic monsters appear quite often. It's not only humans that want to live here, with it's warm temperature, water, and resort-like atmosphere, it seems even monsters find it easy living.

She could detect four of the reddish grey lumps in the area. She sensed two behind her. One began to creep about. It was preparing to attack. She sliced her sword down the right side of her vision. Resistance. Now to the left. Her sword flashed, becoming her name, through the Bloodbath's vitals. Now two are down. She felt something jump at her back. But at that speed there should be no problem. She breathed a small sigh. She whipped around and cut him down, now only one left behind her....

It was then. She jumped back. She heard gunshot, and the Bloodbath burst open. Now one more was covered in it's own green body fluids.

"We'll help!"

She heard a woman's voice along with the racket of the airbike. You aren't helping, you're just in the way, she thought, irritated, and lowered her weapon. The Bloodbath's attention had already turned away from Lightning. She didn't need to look up to know that the owner of that voice was a lower class woman By the sound of the airbike it was obviously remodeled. It wasn't one that was designed with safety first in mind for the regular market, nor was it a military model that was made for silence. It was a different sound. The woman riding that wouldn't be a citizen or a soldier.

It was not, in fact, the woman who had a gun in one hand while controlling the airbike with the other. It was a blue haired man. He was very young. He had feather and jewel decorations all over, and even from afar you could see he was very flashy in appearance. Behind him was a black haired woman holding a huge gun at the ready. The airbike descended quickly, and the woman stood up and fired off her gun. The two remaining Bloodbath's flew back, one after the other, and grew still. She wasn't a bad shot. Of course, that was after she'd already wasted half her round.

The airbike flew down around Lightning slowly, and put on the breaks. It was driven by someone who knows what he's doing.

"Hey there soldier, you were in a tough spot weren't you?"

The black haired woman put up her gun and smiled. The neckline of her shirt was low and open. Lightning could see a butterfly tattoo on the upper part of her shoulder blades. If the blue haired man could be said to have a lot of decorations, this woman could be said to be showing a lot of skin. Either one was not wearing clothes that someone who uses a gun would normally wear. All of those decorations hanging down would just get in the way of a gun fight. And a large gun like that heats up easily. With that much skin showing she wouldn't be protected from burns. Amateurs, she decided, and then asked:

"Who are you?"

"We're Nora."

Even though Lightning meant to sound hard and cold, the other woman hardly seemed to notice. Her amber colored eyes whirled, as if she were amused. "

"If you're a soldier from Bowdam you've at least heard a little bit about us right?"

Confident. Lightning was interested in how she managed to get so confident, but she didn't have the time to ask. "

"Sorry, never." She said, her voice curt, and she spun on her heel. She could hear their voices behind her.

"But...."