A SeeD Grows
Part I: Planted in War
He had never been more scared in his life. Ever.
Blood pounded in his veins like war drums beating with vicious anger and rage. The adrenaline rush soared, his every move quicker than lightning, every sound and vision and came in a torrent. This was what it was like – war. Terrifying, thrilling, bloody, destructive, and entirely new. For the first time, he was experiencing war, and it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. The blue of his Balamb Garden uniform was tainted and soiled with the same powder stains, grime, and crimson blood as his face. Strands of dark brown hair were plastered to his forehead; the rest fell to the sides of the center parting line, stopping just above his eyebrows. His right hand tightened its grip on the hilt of the katana, the blade still retaining a slight sheen of crimson, though the gore of its last dozen kills had been wiped away. Eyes of hazel slit beneath dark eyebrows and a deep inhalation of breath attempted to calm him down.
"Hunter," another voice called form his left, no more than a hoarse whisper, "They're moving. If we don't take them now, we'll never get our chance. Do you wanna pass this exam or what?"
"Of course I want to pass the exam, dammit." Hunter snapped off the words, swinging his blade down in an arc, harmlessly splitting the air. "Alright. Here's the plan: Lancer, you go around that building, there." Hunter pointed at a small apartment building on their left, which bordered a tight alleyway on one side. Then, Hunter pointed at the alleyway. "And make it quick, because once the bastards are in there, we both open up on 'em. Go it?" Lancer nodded, his ice blue eyes burning with determination. The young man was tall, about as tall as Hunter. His short-cropped hair was the color of purest snow, but was now gray with dirt. Lancer jammed another clip into his submachine gun, pulled back the bolt, nodded at Hunter, then at the young lady next to him, and ran off around the building.
Hunter turned to look at the girl, and his heart thumped just a little bit more. Even in the middle of the battlefield, she held this power over him. Amazing! He shook it off, however, and looked into her blue eyes, sparkling with mischief. Her hair, the color of dark bronze streaked with gold, was tied back in a tight ponytail with a dragon-shaped clip binding it. She wore sparkly makeup on her eyelids and on her cheeks – even on the battlefield – and her lips formed into a smile.
"Serena, I want you to climb up to the roof of this building," his hand made a dull thud against the brick wall next to him, "via the fire escape. Once you get there, start summoning your Guardian Force. Okay?"
She grinned, eyes twinkling. "You got it, boss man. Give me a hand?" Her slender eyebrows raised the question, and her eyes glanced up at the ladder dangling a few feet above her reach.
"Sure thing. Let's hurry it up, though." He cupped his hands and she stepped into them gingerly, and rested her weight on her legs. Quickly, he hoisted her up and she swung herself onto the first landing deftly. She waved and took of up the steps at a rapid pace – she had Junctioned some magic to her Speed ability.
Hunter took another breath. Their objective was to eliminate a patrol of Galbadian soldiers on this side of the occupied town of Iridia, just west of Timber. Hopefully, if the other candidates did their jobs, and the SeeDs accompanying them as well, the entire city would be liberated at the end of the mission. His team, Team B, had been successful enough in locating the patrol. At the time, though, they had been in a haven where refugees were known to hide, and attacking them would risk those peoples' lives. So, Hunter ordered his team to wait until the patrol, consisting of six heavily armed and well-trained soldiers, left that area. That time had come, and now the moment of truth was at hand. He gripped the katana tightly in his hand, and took a practice swing at in the air. He watched as a trail of flame appeared behind it as he swung, the blade crackling and glowing slightly with electric fire. "Fyrebolt" was his nickname around the Academy for the past week, because he had passed the Fire Cavern test, and now Junctioned both Quezacoatl and Ifrit to himself. A grin spread across his lips; he rather liked the name, it was catchy and sort of intimidating.
The sound of heavy footfalls echoed in the silent square on the other side of the wall he hid behind. Hunter steeled himself for the coming battle, muscles tensing for the coming movements. He waited until the echo of the sound became more distinct, signaling their entry into the alleyway. With quicksilver grace (he, too, had Junctioned magic to his speed), Hunter whirled around the corner and leaped over the mound of debris lying nearby. In one single motion, he grabbed a throwing knife from his belt and launched it at the rear soldier in the line that stretched away from him. It embedded itself into the back of the man's neck with a dull crunch and a loud gurgle spurted from his mouth as he hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
"NOW!" Hunter bellowed. A burst of gunfire rattled down the alley, more screams echoed as the front two Galbadians hit the ground. Hunter raced forward, blade raised in the air. A metallic clang resounded as his katana met with one of the soldiers' gunblades. The bullet from the blade exploded forth and whipped through Hunter's hair, barely missing his head. Without releasing any pressure, he swept his right leg out in a fierce kick the landed on the soldier's knee. Applying plenty more than the seven pounds of force required, Hunter turned the man's knee backwards with a thankfully muffled crunch. The katana came down too, ripping through the flesh like butter. Hunter didn't bother to stop and survey the damage. A hail of bullets cut down another of the Galbadian's as the patrol began to search for cover. Two of the enemies ducked in between two dumpsters and began to fire around the corner with their assault rifles on rock'n'roll. Almost without thinking, Hunter threw his arm up to his forehead, and then extended his palm outward and a wall of blue light appears before him. The bullets bounce off, and fly away in multiple directions into the sky, ground, and concrete walls around him.
"Shiva, come to my aid!" Serena's voice blasted down the narrow corridor of the alley. A swirling mass of ice and frozen vapors appear in the mouth of the alley, solidifying into the curvy figure of the Warrior Goddess of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!" the combined voice of Shiva and Serena echoed into the sky. Shiva's crystalline body pirouetted in midair, then she pointed her dainty finger at the Galbadian grunts. A blast of frozen air zipped past Hunter, and then the soldiers froze in mid-movement, ice crystals coating their entire bodies. Expressions of fear and horror were etched into their faces. Not satisfied with just that, Shiva descended upon the two frozen men and swung her arm at them, shattering them into a thousand pieces. Spectacularly, the Guardian Force herself shattered out of existence, becoming shards of crystal ice that rain death upon the remaining soldier.
Dead silence fell on the Garden cadets. Lancer trudged over the fallen bodies, stopping only to grab an assault rifle and some spare clips. He stopped next to Hunter, letting the submachine gun fall at his side, suspended from its shoulder strap. Staring at the scene of carnage, he chambered the first round in the assault rifle. "Hey, uh, where's Serena?"
"Coming, coming." The young beauty dropped down from the fire escape across the way and jogged over, looking weary. Her expression is slightly darker than usual as she manages to smile. "We got 'em."
Hunter nodded, and slid the katana into the sheath strapped to his back. "Excellent work." His voice trembled gently with excited fear, and the effects of the adrenaline washing through his system.
"What's next?" Lancer asked his leader.
"We fight our way back to the rendezvous point at the beach." Hunter answered grimly. They were already tired, and the ordeal was far from over. "Are you two ready?" He looked at his two companions, and they answered with a nod each; all three started running back toward the beach. They made it almost three blocks before a group of three Galbadian officers in their burgundy uniforms turned the corner ahead of them, just to the right.
"Holy shi--!" The lead soldier's exclamation was cut off as Serena's elbow slammed into his face. The girl slowed her sprint, and passed to the soldier's other side, and spun into a mean kick that snapped the man's neck.
Hunter and Lancer split right, circling around the back of the remaining pair. One of the soldiers swung his gunblade at Serena, her back turned to him and completely unprotected. The blade slashed painfully into her arm, cutting a wide opening, which immediately started pouring blood. She yelped in agony and jumped back with magically enhanced speed.
"You rat-bastard!" Hunter bellows, thrusting his arm forward. "I'm going to watch you burn!" Gouts of flame ignited in the air and envelop Serena's assailant from Hunter's Fire spell. The soldier fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain.
Lancer stood over the body of his latest kill, the barrel of his new toy still smoking. He looked at Serena grimly, and then at Hunter, who ran to her side.
"Are you okay? How bad is it?" His face creased with worry, he began to examine the wound.
"Iiiiit huuuuuuuuuuurts," she moaned, tears rolling down her face as she sobbed. She regarded Hunter with helpless eyes that screamed for assistance. Soldier or not, she was still human and injured badly.
"Hold still. I've got it taken care of." Hunter touched the side of her face softly with the back of his hand. Lancer stood back, keeping an eye out for other enemies, the barrel of his gun pointing wherever he looked. Hunter placed his palm flat over the wound, and closed his eyes in concentration. A soft twinkle of green light enveloped his and before moving toward the wound. Serena's body was then surrounded in healing light as the Cure spell sealed the wound and stopped the bleeding.
"Oh! Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" Serena threw her arms around Hunter.
"Anytime." He smiled. "Now, come on, we've go to get back to the transport, ASAP, otherwise—"
Hunter's train of thought was cut short by a loud roar in the distance. People six blocks away began screaming and the ground shook in a rhythmic pattern. The three teenagers looked at each other in shock and worry. "That's Squad C's sector," Lancer commented.
"The hell is going on?" Serena added.
"I don't know, but …" Hunter stopped, unable to decide the next course of action. "Shit, do we leave them stranded there, or go find out what the ruckus is?"
"We can't just leave them there!" Serena screamed in exasperation. Her face was already flushed from fatigue and her wound ordeal, and it just got worse from there. "They are fellow Garden students! And besides, Zander is over there." Zander was a friend of all of them; light-hearted and friendly, he was a whiz with the gunblade.
"Okay, okay. Screw orders, our friends are in trouble. Let's go!" Hunter grabs Serena's hand and pulls her up t her feet. Once again, the three of them take off down the streets again. It wasn't a hard task to follow the sounds of destruction to their destination.
Within two minutes, they had come to the area of conflict, and they gaped in awe at the scene of calamity before them. Entire city blocks lay in ruin, dead bodies strewn everywhere – some Garden, some SeeD, some Galbadian, and some civilian. Flames covered more than half of the ruins. A lone figure sprinted toward them – it was Zander. His blond hair was splattered with blood, his face colored in black and red. Yet, he smiled in what seemed to be relief at the sight of his companions, but that soon faded as he began to explain this situation.
The sheer look of terror on his face shook Hunter's confidence. "We've GOT to get outta here, guys! This thing is going to tear the entire place apart! It's already taken out the rest of my squad, and the gods know how many others! Just RUN for it!" The ground began to shake again.
Hunter grabbed Zander by the shoulders. "Whoah, whoah. Hold on. What is the 'thing' you are referring to?"
Before an answer could be given, the very thing that they spoke of crashed through another building into view. As the dust cloud began to disperse, their eyes took in the sight of a gigantic beast standing on six legs, a thick tail swung in the air behind it, and six glowing red eyes glared down upon them. Razor sharp teeth gleamed in the sunlight, and horns protruded from its hide in grotesque fashion. The monstrosity was covered in minor wounds and burns, presumably from the resistance forces trying to put it down.
"That…" Zander quivered, his voice a whisper, knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on his gunblade.
"By Gods, it's a Hexadragon!" Hunter's voice was strangely calm, like someone commenting on a museum exhibit. "Well, then … someone's got to put the bastard to rest! We can't let him just destroy the whole city! Now buck up, Zander!" Hunter slaps the wiry boy on the back heavily.
"Are you nuts, man?" Lancer protested. "I mean, look at the SIZE of that thing!" Indeed, the dragon mutation did loom above them about two-dozen feet.
"Hunter, I'd have to …" Serena began, but she saw the look of passion and determination in her leader's eyes. "… back you up on this one. Let's do it!" Hunter's look inspired her own determination and she clenched her jaw – more to prevent her from changing her mind than in anger.
"That's the spirit! Lancer, give her your submachine gun. We'll fall back a little and let the butt-ugly have it with everything we've got!" The four of them began to move away from the quickly approaching danger. Lancer and Serena opened fire, stitching a mayhem pattern of death across the Hexadragon's hide. Zander launched a volley of Blizzard spells at the creature, causing patches of its armor-thick hide to freeze over. Hunter loosed a blast of Thunder; the spell shrouded the beast in writhing tendrils of electricity. Another deafening howl rattled their brains within their skulls. A blast of red flame exploded from the Hexadragon's mouth, slamming into the ground just behind them. The concussion wave hurled Hunter forward like a toy soldier, and he hit the ground hard, lying in a pile of rubble. The others didn't see his misfortune and continue their forward sprint, running for their lives.
"Please, dear Gods, don't let me die now," he whispers as the Hexadragon closes the distance between them. "Quezacoatl… help me!" With an almighty shudder, and a rumbling crack of lightning, the feathered serpent materializes in the air between Hunter and the Hexadragon.
"Be gone, wretched beast!" The Thunder God's voice boomed and it stretched its wings out to full length, a hail of lightning bolts emanating from its radiant form. Everyone halted their movement and turned around to see the spectacle, realizing they had missed something. The searing hot lances of rampant electrons laced into the Hexadragon, cutting it down. Quezacoatl ascends into the sky, speaking into Hunter's mind. "Be careful, Child. You have an entire lifetime ahead of you. Don't always depend on me to save you."
The Hexadragon lay squirming on the ground, writhing in agony. Hunter realized the beast is in the throes of death, and he picked himself up off the ground. With amazing speed, he ran toward it, unsheathing his katana and raising the gleaming blade in the air, a war cry blasting forth from his mouth. With a strong thrust of his legs, Hunter leaps into the air, and comes crashing down on top of the Hexadragon's head, driving the katana into its skull, and into its brain.
"Oh my Gods!" Serena yells, running forward.
The others are snapped out of their stunned paralysis and follow suit. They surround Hunter, who stands atop the Hexadragon's head. He smiles grimly down at them, ripping his sword from the mutation's skull.
Serena grabs him and hugs him tightly as he jumps down, then she steps back and smacks his arm. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"
Hunter grins as Lancer and Zander pat him on the back, calling him 'Fyrebolt the Dragon Slayer.' But, soon enough, he gets his serious face back on. "We've got to get back to the transports! They're going to leave in less than a minute!" Everyone exchanged glances for a split second, then sprints down the street like bats out of Hades. Luckily, all of them were able to Junction magic to their speed, and they all used their strongest magics for that now. All four became streaks as they practically flew past the straggling enemy troops.
They reached the beach just as the craft's engines began to whine to life. "Go! Go! Go!" Hunter put on an extra burst of speed, and sloshed through the water like a madman. He closed the short distance rapidly, and reached out to pull the others in – just in time, as the bottom of the ocean suddenly dropped off, as it was a shelf of rock.
As the doors closed behind him, he slumped into a seat, exhaling heavily. The blood still pounded in his ears, and his heart beat rapidly. But, there was a feeling like something huge had been lifted from his shoulders. And he smiled in satisfaction, knowing what it was: he had survived.