My alarm woke me up at five in the morning and I groggily climbed out of bed. I decided to avoid the displeasure of submitting my pupils to burning light, and began my preparations in the dark. I got dressed and armed myself; grabbing the combat knife I kept on my bed stand and my VV—36, a semi-automatic rifle with good range for the power it packed. I skipped all the other things you were supposed to do when you woke up, like eating and brushing, and quietly exited the dorm. I don't think Squall heard me. I walked down the hallway towards the center of Balamb Garden and eventually reached the training facility.
In the training facility, the air felt damp. It was much different than the strict and artificial environment of the rest of the Garden and represented the more primal, barbaric side of the mercenary academy. At its entrance, there were two large gates and I proceeded through the one to my left. Inside it looked like a mess. There were overturned trees and debris scattered along the trail, and outlining the trail were intimidating metal fences and yellow barriers. A variety of flora and trees grew beyond the path's borders and fluorescent lights decked the high ceiling. As I made out the humming sound of a humidifier somewhere nearby, a layer of sweat quickly formed on my forehead and in and around my body's crevices. The humidity was designed to keep the various plant and wildlife accommodated but I believe its other purpose, intentional or otherwise, was to make the trainees who entered feel very uncomfortable.
I carefully made my way deeper into the facility and kept my eyes alert. Lurking around were numerous monsters. Grats, caterchipillars, and bite bugs were all residence here, waiting to attack anyone who should infringe on their territory. Most of these fiends served no great risk and were considered safe sparring partners for even the most incapable SeeD hopeful, but there was one type of beast here who made every student feel uneasy.
The t-rexaur was an ancient threat with iron bones and razor sharp teeth. It stood two stories high and its fierce eyes revealed an aggressive predator with an unquenchable appetite. Tales were often told of its brutality around campus and there was a rumor circulating amongst the underclassmen that in order to become a SeeD, you had to defeat a t-rexaur with your bare hands. The monster's real purpose, the one Balamb Garden had intended for it, was to provide SeeD prospects with a challenge that required teamwork to overcome. Of course, this didn't stop fools like me from trying to hunt one alone. It was a very stupid thing to do, but I was a good marksman and I thought that I could fall a t-rexaur somewhat easily. It would really only take a few shots in its head and I wanted so badly to say that I had conquered such a feared monster.
Walking, I came across a narrow bridge that connected to another plateau. It looked safe on the other side so I crossed it. When I made it across, I looked around. There was a large stone ahead of me and to my right was a small pool of water swimming with spotted purple and white fish. The floor was scantly covered with patches of grass and a few palm trees grew up and along the trail. I only took a few steps forward when I heard a crunching noise that made me jump. It was coming from the other side of the stone. Carefully, I moved toward the boulder and, hugging it with my back, I poked my head out to see what was behind it.
It was a caterchipillar, lazily munching on a palm tree leaf that had fallen to the floor. It was very fat, even for a caterchipillar, and it seemed the kind of monster that was inclined to ignore you, so long as you didn't bother it. Checking for more monsters, I saw there were a few more trees past where the caterchipillar lay, but the grounds were mostly bare up until the trail curved and I couldn't see any longer. The caterchipillar looked harmless enough, but you never could be too sure with monsters. I wanted to continue my hunt so I decided it would be wise to stealthily dispatch the caterchipillar and move on. I drew my combat knife from the holster attached to my thigh and stepped silently from around the boulder. I crept up behind the caterchipillar until it was only a breath away. It was oblivious to my presence and it was chewing loudly, trying to digest its food. I slid my knife to the side of its neck and just as I was about to strike, I heard something rumbling and a series of vibrations ran up my spine.
Thump…thump…thump.
The caterchipillar and I froze. We both knew what was coming.
The caterchipillar began to edge away from the noise and bumped into me. It turned around and its beady eyes widened, surprised to see that a human had appeared behind him. Scared, it foolishly skittered off in the direction it had just tried to flee. The caterchipillar only made it thirty yards before it was face to face with a t-rexaur. The t-rexaur looked at the caterchipillar for a moment, as if it was uncommon to see something trembling at its feet, before opening its mouth and clamping down on its wretched prey. The caterchipillar squirmed vigorously, trying to release itself from the t-rexaur's clutches; but the t-rexaur's teeth were impaled through its body like spikes and soon it was dead.
With the t-rexaur distracted, I considered running away. I had never seen one in person and it was just as intimidating as I had imagined. Watching it mercilessly tear apart the corpse of the caterchipillar made me sick to my stomach. I pictured myself being torn limb from limb by its mighty jaws, screaming and yelling until my own blood drowned my voice. My hands were shaking now and I began to doubt my ability to shoot effectively. It seemed self-control had escaped me, but I wouldn't run away. I equipped my rifle, closed my eyes, and pulled the trigger until I heard my clip click empty. Thirty-two shots rang in the air and when I opened my eyes I saw they had all missed. Wait, no, not all of them. By sheer luck, one had managed to strike the t-rexaur cleanly through its left eye. The t-rexaur grimaced in pain and shot its head in my direction. Its teeth were bared tightly together, stained with green caterchipillar blood, and the pupil of its unwounded eye was narrow and focused. It was hunched over and its head was pointed in my direction, like an arrow. I don't speak t-rexaur, but i think it was trying to say, "HOW DARE YOU FUCK WITH ME!" I wanted to get the hell out of there, but I was paralyzed with fear. Such a horrifying feeling it was to gain the attention of a t-rexaur.
Suddenly, the t-rexaur emitted a startling roar and charged me. I almost stumbled, thank God I didn't, as I darted off towards the bridge. I was running as fast as I could but I felt the rumbles of the t-rexaur's feet pounding against the ground growing louder and louder as it gained on me. I made it past the stone I hid behind before and saw the bridge I had crossed up ahead. There was…a girl in front of it.
"Run!" I shouted.
The girl looked at me strangely and then her face turned white when she noticed the t-rexaur's head pop out from behind the rock. She released a timid "yelp" and attempted to run the other way, but her legs tangled up and she fell, face first, to the ground. When I reached her, she was still on the ground. Regrettably, she was unconscious. I didn't dare look back, but the t-rexaur couldn't be far behind. In an awkward motion, I squatted down and hugged the limp body of the girl to my chest. Waddling forward as quickly as I could, I made it onto the bridge and didn't stop until I was safely on the other side. When I finally turned around I saw the t-rexaur breathing heavily, trying to squeeze its nose through the bridge's entrance. Luckily it wasn't so stupid as to try and walk across while we were on it. I positioned the unconscious girl more comfortably over my shoulder and cheekily gave the t-rexaur my middle finger. On the inside I was pissed at myself for not being able to kill it.