General Leo's Final Stand
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or locations of Final Fantasy VI. Everything belongs to Squareenix! Keep it up guys!
It was finally over. The war that waged to control the Espers was at its end, thanks to the negotiations between General Leo (in place of Emperor Gestahl) and Yura, leader of the Espers. Terra, Sabin, Relm, and Strago appeared before General Leo and Yuma to witness this event. After a few words exchange, Leo nodded to confirm the negotiations over and done.
"It's finally over," Terra breathed a sigh of relief.
"Maybe now, things can finally calm down," remarked Sabin.
Celes appeared next to Sabin and tugged at his arm.
"Did it...work?" she asked quietly. "I have a bad feeling about this."
The monk chuckled a bit.
"You seem worried. Is it about...Locke?"
The female General turned bright red when the young thief's name was mentioned. She furiously shook her head.
"N-No!" she cried out. "Of course not!"
"Ha! So, you DO have feelings for him!"
Celes turned away and walked over to Terra. Unfortunately for the Esper-hybrid, she didn't understand as to why Celes was so red in the first place. Strago and Relm, on the other hand, began to laugh at Celes's dismay. Suddenly, a familiar cackle filled the air and a frozen chill ran down everyone's back. Leo turned to the northern part of Thamasa Village and unsheathed his blade.
"Kefka!" he growled. "What are you doing here?!"
The psychotic clown cackled again and began to send out Magitek Knights to the center of the town. One of them bumped Kefka out of the way and he got back up like nothing ever happened.
"Burn! Burn it all down!" he cried out.
As the Magitek Knights used their energy to knock everyone around, Kefka continued to jump around like a complete lunatic. Leo, on the other hand, decided to end it here. He approached the clown and reached for his blade.
"It's over, Kefka!"
"What?!" the clown feigned shock. "No way! You would challenge me?!"
"In order to bring peace to this war and stop someone like you from destroying the very fabric of a mutual relationship?" Leo questioned the Magic General. "Then, yes. I do intend to stop you."
The Warrior General rushed towards Kefka and suddenly, he disappeared. The clown looked around with a confused look on his face. But just as he turned around, Leo came behind him with his blade slashing into Kefka's body. Four successful hits later, Kefka stumbled onto the ground. Leo, however, stood his ground and waited.
"Not bad, General Leo!" the clown cackled. "Now it's my turn!"
Kefka got back up and began to chant softly.
"Bio!"
A sickly green blob surrounded the Warrior General and his skin turned into a light lilac. He began to cough and blood came out, along with some mucus. A nauseous feeling crossed Leo's face and he came down onto his knee. He was firmly gripping his sword and used it to steady himself back to his feet.
"How do you feel now, General?" Kefka taunted. "Don't feel so hot, do you now?!"
"Heh," Leo chuckled. "Actually, I was wondering about that for you, Kefka."
He rose up and thrusted his blade into the air, piercing the Bio that Kefka had cast upon him.
"I'll show you the true meaning of fear!" he cried out. "Shock!"
A large blue circle appeared below the Magic General's feet and began to glow suspiciously. Kefka jumped up and down repeatedly and was quickly engulfed by a wall of light.
"Wo-oow!" he exclaimed. "Such power! I thought you didn't care for magic!"
A few chains attached onto Kefka's limbs and began to drag him to his knees. Leo stepped up to him and the clown...had the look of pity.
"P-Please, Leo," he muttered. "Don't do this to me!"
"You deserve no empathy," Leo stated as he decapitated the clown's head off of his shoulders. "You are a monster. You never cared about the people of the world."
A satisfied sigh escaped Leo's lips, but just as he was walking away, a feeling of dread entered his body. He turned around and gasped.
Kefka's body was gone.
General Leo closed his eyes and slowly began to focus his energy. Time began to slow down and his breathing stopped. The only thing making a sound was his heart continuously beat faster and faster. Suddenly, the air changed.
"Leo," a distorted voice appeared. "Leo..."
"Emperor Gestahl?" the Warrior General asked.
"Yes, it is I."
An elderly man wearing gold and scarlet robes appeared before Leo. The General kneeled before the Emperor and bowed his head.
"I am sorry, Leo. My grand wish was to always conquer the Espers. Forgive me for tricking you earlier."
"But, my liege!" Leo stated. "Why? What is your reasoning for this now?!"
Emperor Gestahl chuckled eerily.
"My reason is none of your business! But, I do agree that should you rest, Leo. Yes, you need to take a nap...for a long time."
"Gah!"
Leo was forced upon the ground with chains wrapped around his wrist and ankles. Emperor Gestahl disappeared and Kefka's laugh echoed once again.
"Did you enjoy my impression?" he cackled. "You're such a goody-two shoes."
He approached the struggling man and began to stroke his cheek.
"Aww! I'll miss you, Leo," he crooned. "Too bad, though. I've never liked your type anyway."
He reached over into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. Kefka gave Leo an evil smirk and thrusted the knife into the Warrior General's heart. Leo gasped and blood began to pool from his month.
"Kef...ka," Leo gasped for air as the sparkle began to disappear from his emerald eyes. "Why? What do you...have to...accom...plish from...this?"
The clown came up to the Leo's face and stared into the dying eyes of the General.
"Everything," he breathed.
Kefka shoved the knife deeper into Leo's chest and watched as the life was slowly ebbing away. The Warrior General's breathing became slow and steady as his eyes began to close. When they did, Leo stopped breathing and the chains that bound him were finally released.
The only thing that echoed in the silence was Kefka's psychotic cackle.