Chapter 3
The halls of Balamb Garden were far, far to quiet for Irvine after the funeral. Students still chatted as they walked, but it was subdued—like the spark that had animated them had been put out. Boot heels muted on the polished floors. Even the fountains didn't seem to make as much noise anymore.
And no one seemed to want to talk to him. It was like they thought his depression was a contagious disease or something.
Sometimes, he welcomed the silence. Sometimes, just the presence of another person would remind him too much of Selphie and he'd lose it. Other times, the aloneness, the quiet was too much and he'd comb the halls f the Garden looking for someone—anyone—to talk to.
Sometimes he would have been happy to talk to Ultimecia as long as she didn't leaven him alone in a crowded room.
This was one of those times. One of those moments when he needed something to distract himself from his sorrow.
But, this also seemed like one of those times when he wasn't going to find the distraction he needed. The SeeDs and cadets he assed always found something else to look at, rather than acknowledge him. Right now, shoes seemed to be far more interesting than he was.
She'd give 'em all a good tongue lashin' for actin' the way they are. Ain't like bein' nice'll kill 'em. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. When his fingers tangled in it, he realized that he hadn't brushed it out this morning. Then he wasn't sure if he'd changed his clothes since yesterday, either. No wonder no one wants to be around me. I look like a bum.
He was distracted from his thoughts by running footsteps. Looking in the direction of the sound, Irvine saw a girl in a cadet's uniform pelting down the hall toward him.
"Thank God," she gasped, sliding to a stop in front of him. "You have to help us!"
His eyes narrowed. This would seem awfully convenient, if the girl didn't look so genuinely panicked. "What's goin' on?"
"The Training Center. There's a monster, and it killed the others! Instructor Dincht is there alone with it." The girl was breathing hard, almost panting for breath. "He told me to get help. Please!"
Irvine was running before he was really aware of it. If Zell can't handle it alone, don't know what I can do without Exeter and some GFs, but I have to try.
"What's your name," he asked as the girl as they ran toward the Training Center.
"Dara Penbrook."
"Are you junctioned, Dara?"
"Yes, sir!"
"I'm not. I need whatever you've got."
"Then how will I--?"
"You won't," Irvine interrupted. "You're going to go get Commander Leonheart and bring him down there."
"Yes, sir." A moment passed, then Dara said, "My GFs are yours."
Quickly, Irvine drew them off of her and began junctioning. The GFs weren't as experienced as he would have liked, but no one below a second year SeeD was allowed to use the Guardian Forces he and the others had trained during the war. These two inexperienced GFs were also not any he'd worked with before.
He hoped that the lack of compatibility didn't cause more deaths—specifically Zell's and his own.
Dara broke away from him when he took the GFs. He hoped she would be able to find Squall quickly.
Because anything in the Training Center that killed cadets being supervised by Zell Dincht was trouble.
The doors to the Training Center barely had time to open at his approach before he was sliding through them frantically looking for his friend. He found the martial artist near the Secret Area, fighting the biggest Marlboro he'd ever seen.
And since he and Squall trained regularly on the Island Closest to Hell, that was saying something.
It was also a grayish-purple color, which he knew wasn't right either. But as the creature in haled and blew a blast of Bad Breath at Zell, Irvine decided that he'd worry about it later.
Quickly, he cast Triple on himself; if he was going to have to rely on magic and GFs for this fight, he needed to do it up right. On the heels of that casting, he began summoning one of the GFs he'd gotten from Dara—Golem, who whispered to him that he could protect from both physical attacks and status effects.
Zell noticed he was there a few seconds later, when they were shielded briefly by a giant stone golem as the Guardian Force draped his protection around them.
"Irvine!" The martial artist shouted. "Am I glad to see you!"
"I bet," the sniper replied. "What have you tried on it?"
Zell dodged a flailing tentacle before replying, "Status effects bounce off it like rubber. Fire heals it. Gravity doesn't do anything to it at all."
"Ultima?"
"Don't have any."
Irvine nodded and cast a single Ultima on the Marlboro and watched the effect. The monster screamed in pain and recoiled. Then it countered with another Bad Breath attack.
With the status effects he felt bouncing off Golem's shield, he was intensely glad Dara had been toting the GF.
Zell responded to the attack with a limit break. Irvine followed up his attack with three Ultimas.
The cowboy felt a flair of triumph as the monster screamed its pain. It was short-lived, however, as the Marlboro wrapped a tentacle around his left leg and threw him across the training grounds. He hit a tree and heard something crack. Pain shot hot blades through his back as he hit the ground next to one of Zell's students.
Blackness swam at the edges of Irvine's vision as he struggled back to his feet. He hated to think what the force of that throw would have done to him if Golem hadn't been protecting them.
"Stay with it, Kinneas," he said to himself. "Squall ain't here yet, and Zell still needs you."
Whatever had been broken when he hit the tree was making it hard for him to walk. He cast Curaga on himself a couple of times, hoping to keep the pain at bay.
He staggered back to fight, and prepared to cast three more Ultimas. As he gestured to cast, he realized that his arms weren't working right either.
Nerve damage. Just great.
The Marlboro screamed as his spells hit it and dropped Zell in a heap at its base. Irvine staggered closer and cast a trio of Curagas on the martial artist. Zell leapt to his feet and unleashed another limit break on the creature.
The Marlboro flailed its tentacles at them in response. Zell was hit in the chest and knocked several feet away. Irvine felt one him in the head, and he felt himself blacking out.
The last thing he heard was Rinoa calling his name.