Final Fantasy VIII

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Six

The bridge was eerily silent as the students made their way across. The only sounds came from the battle that was still raging in the surrounding mountains. It showed no signs of letting up just yet. Thick black smog hung like a pall over the cliffs and was slowly trailing over the city. The air around them felt charged, electrified, and every so often there was a flash of light from the mountains, coming from the SeeD and soldiers using their para-magic or Guardian Forces to aid them in their fight. Aside from that, everything else was silent.

There was no sign of any soldiers, but still they kept a close eye on the rooftops of the city behind them. As they passed the halfway point they turned their eyes to the mountain slope ahead of them. The rocky cliffs would provide adequate cover for any snipers, and so they watched them closely.

As usual Seifer pulled ahead of them. He made no attempt to hide himself. To his mind, that was the coward's way. No, Seifer wanted to be in the open, where the enemy could see him… and where he could see them.

Behind Seifer and Squall, Zell was morosely silent. This was going against orders. If Quistis and the headmaster found out, then they would be punished. At the very least, they would fail the exam. At the most, they could be expelled. Yet even as he thought this, he could not help but feel a tingle of excitement. Disobeying orders or not, at least they were doing something!

They reached the other end of the bridge and hurried to the mountain path. They did not get far before they stopped and stared around them. Several dead and wounded Dollet soldiers lay slumped across the path. Blood lay splattered about the path, staining the shrubbery an ugly red. The stench of blood was thick in the air and would be nauseating to the weak of heart. Squall heard Zell choke back a cough, and he himself felt a little sickened, though he did his best not to show it. Seifer, meanwhile, showed no reaction to the sight of the wounded.

"That's war for you," was all he said.

They walked forward. They moved slowly, not wanting to disturb the scene. Most of the soldiers seemed to have died from gunshot wounds; however one or two soldiers had injuries that definitely did not come from rifles.

They passed one soldier lying face down near the edge of the cliff at the entrance to some shrubbery that bordered the path. The soldier had a gunshot wound in his chest, but there were also two larger, bloodier marks in the soldier's waist and left thigh. To make the image worse, the left leg looked torn, as though it had been ripped hard and was now half-severed. The soldier had bled to death, and his face was frozen in a mask of terror. Zell gulped and Squall instinctively placed his hand on his sword, keeping it close to hand. They continued on.

At the end of the slope was a set of rugged stone steps leading up the side of the cliff. Here the scene of carnage ended, and the three students hurried up the slope.

A slithering noise came from the nearby bushes. The students stopped and immediately raised their weapons. Squall fixed his eyes on the bushes, noting every movement. The slithering noise came again, and the bushes rustled. They parted and a Dollet soldier crawled out. He was wounded. He had a bullet wound to his shoulder and there were char marks on his uniform where he had been blasted with Thunder magic. When he saw the three students he froze and stared up in alarm.

"Ahhh! W-W-Who are you!"

"Don't worry," said Squall quickly, lowering his sword. Zell, too, lowered his fists. "We're SeeD candidates. We've been dispatched by Garden."

This seemed to calm him. It was hard to see his face beneath his helmet, but he sighed heavily and dropped his head. Squall glanced at his wounds. The bullet wound was deep but he did not seem to be bleeding too heavily. The burn marks looked superficial, but as the majority of harm caused by Thunder magic was done on the inside of the body it was impossible to tell just how badly he was injured.

"So what's going on up there?" asked Seifer, looking up the path.

The soldier raised his head and followed Seifer's gaze to the tower at the peak. "The Galbadian soldiers have entered the Communication Tower," he said. "On top of that…" He coughed. "That place has always been a nesting ground for monsters." He looked back at the students. "If you guys are goin' up, please be caref…"

A loud hiss came from the bushes behind him. They parted and a serpent's head came out. It opened its jaws and latched onto the soldier's leg, sinking its fangs into the flesh. The soldier cried out in surprise and pain. The serpent then pulled back, dragging the soldier backward. The soldier struggled and clawed at the floor.

"H-HELP!"

Squall reached out to grab the soldier. The serpent drew back its head sharply and pulled the soldier into the bushes. There was terrible, pain-filled cry… which then became silent. The bushes rustled and the serpent rose up.

It was the largest serpent any of them had ever seen, hence its name: Anacondaur. More than twice their height, it slithered forward on large, powerful coils. It had a large spiked hood surrounding its tiny had, and a balloon-like sack just beneath its throat. Spikes ran along its mottled green scales all the way down to its tail. Its head was tiny compared to the rest of its body. Blood dripped down its jaws; there was cloth from the soldier's uniform embedded in its numerous tiny teeth.

The serpent opened its mouth wide and screeched loudly. Another shriek sounded back in reply and a second serpent emerged from the bushes. This serpent's fangs were also drenched in blood. The serpents had been drawn by the battle and were gorging on the wounded and the dead. That explained the soldier they had seen before, where his leg had almost been ripped off.

The second serpent slithered through the bushes and joined its comrade. Their tongues—about ten inches long and an inch wide—flicked out and tasted the air. They could feel the warmth radiating from the students in their scales and feel their racing heartbeats. Hungry, the serpents slithered out of the bushes and headed towards them.

Squall took a cautious step back. At the movement the nearest serpent lunged forward. Squall jumped back just as the snake's head slammed into the path. Any normal creature would have broken its skull after such a strike, but the Anacondaur's hard scales and thick skull meant it received nothing more than a dull thud. It drew back its head and gazed at Squall. After a moment, it began to slither again.

Squall continued to back away slowly, not wanting to draw the monster's attack. Seifer then suddenly brushed passed him and planted himself in front of the two serpents. The monsters reared up and hissed warningly, but Seifer stood firm. He raised his sword and gestured for them to attack.

They obliged. The nearest serpent lunged again, and as its head drew near Seifer swung his sword and pulled the trigger of his gunblade. There was a flash as the blank round fired and the serpent shrank back, screeching in pain. Blood poured from its jaw where the gunblade had cut through the flesh of its mouth. The added power from the recoil caused the blade to cut through one of the serpent's many, tiny teeth. The tooth clattered to the floor. The injured serpent writhed and wrapped its coils around itself, hissing in pain and anger.

Seifer bent down and picked up the bloodied tooth, holding it in his palm. "Listen up!" he called to his two comrades. "The last strike… Save it for me!"

Zell muttered under his breath but said nothing out loud. He stepped forward to stand by Seifer and raised his fists. Squall drew his sword and joined them, creating a unified—albeit unwanted—front against the two monsters.

The serpents were being more cautious now. The injured one was still writhing, wrapped tightly inside its coils. The other one, possibly its mate, made no move. Its eyes watched the students carefully, its unblinking eyes fixed on them. Clearly, the monsters had not expected humans—less than half their size and barely a tenth of their physical strength—to do them any harm.

Seifer stepped forward and swiped his sword at the second snake. The Anacondaur hissed and reared back, rising up to its full height. Its tail flicked warningly. As it moved its muscles—which were powerful enough to crush a double-decker bus—shifted beneath its dirty green scales. The snake coiled… and then lunged. At the same time Seifer charged, meeting the snake head on.

"Seifer!" called Squall, but he was too late to stop him.

Seifer thrust out his sword. The serpent twisted its body aside just in time, and the blade slid past it. In turn its head had veered off course and slammed into the ground, stirring up dirt and dust. Seifer tilted his blade and pulled it back. The blade's edge caught onto the scales and ripped them from the serpent's body.

Agonised, the serpent reared back. It swung its barbed tail and Seifer dropped onto the ground. The moment the tail's shadow passed over his head Seifer jumped back onto his feet. He lunged, thrust out his blade a second time and smiled with satisfaction as the sword sank into the serpent's scaly torso.

The serpent shrieked and writhed in pain. Seifer withdrew his sword, carrying more scales with it. He stepped back as the monster began to thrash its tail, slamming it against the ground and cliff wall, causing the ground to shake. A chunk of rock broke from the wall and tumbled towards Zell, who jumped back out of the way.

"Zell!"

A shadow fell over him. The second serpent had recovered from its initial wound and used it mate's attack as a distraction to move in behind the group. As Zell turned the serpent was lunging at him, its bloody mouth open. Zell swung his fist and struck the serpent on its jaw, slamming the mouth shut. There was a sickening crunch as the jaw slammed shut—the bones cracked and splintered.

The snake pulled back its head, hissing loudly. Its jaw flopped open, broken. Many of its fangs were missing, driven into the roof of its mouth when Zell's punch slammed it shut. The Anacondaur writhed, its jaw flapping uselessly. While it writhed Squall rushed in behind it and swung his sword. He called upon the Thunder magic he had stored within his body and unleashed it just as the blade hit the serpent's body. The blade crackled as it ripped through the scales, and then the Thunder magic leapt from the blade and onto the Anacondaur's body.

The thunder magic tore through the serpent's body, and the Anacondaur stiffened. It then began to thrash wildly, out of control. Squall pulled back his sword and jumped back out of the way as the serpent began to writhe across the ground, heading back towards the edge of the path where it broke into a rocky slope.

Zell ran in to give it another swift punch. The Anacondaur recovered just enough to swing its barbed tail, forcing Zell to stop its advance. The serpent retreated into the bushes, hissing through its broken jaw. The pain must have blinded it to its position on the path, for it headed closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. Eventually it reached the edge and fell off, tumbling down the rocks, shrieking.

Seifer was still battling the other serpent. He jumped over the swinging tail and ran in close. He thrust out his sword, and the blade sank deeply into the Anacondaur's throat. The snake gave a strangled choke and slumped. Before the snake's excessive weight could overpower him, Seifer placed his boot on its torso and shoved it off. The serpent toppled backward into the bushes, where the natural shrubbery masked its presence. Seifer sighed in satisfaction as he took out a cloth and began to wipe his sword clean.

Silence returned to the path. Squall looked up and down the path warily. The sounds of their battle with the Anacondaurs could have alerted the soldiers patrolling the area and come to investigate the commotion. No soldiers showed up, however. They were in the clear.

Zell went into the bushes and found the Dollet soldier. The man was badly wounded. His leg was torn up pretty badly, but he was still alive. Zell dragged him out and leaned him against the cliff wall. He placed his hands gently over the soldier's wounded leg. Coloured light began to shimmer around his hands. It descended onto the wound, and after a few seconds the wound slowly began to heal. The flesh started to knit together, bit by bit until, finally, it closed. The soldier was still unconscious.

"Monsters, huh?" said Squall, looking down at the soldier.

Zell rubbed his hands together and rose to his feet. "That sucks."

Seifer shrugged. "More fun for us," he said. "Come on…" Turning his back on the soldier, Seifer hurried on up the slope.

Zell watched him go. "…Fun?" he repeated. He shook his head. "Pu-lease…"

Leaving the Dollet soldier to rest by the cliff wall, Squall and Zell ran up the slope after Seifer. They found him at the peak, looking down over the edge of a cliff to the entrance of the tower. The tower itself rose way above them, its metal surface glinting in the afternoon sun.

Squall and Zell joined their squad leader, and the three of them lay down on the dry soil to observe the tower entrance. There were two Galbadian soldiers standing guard outside. Squall raised his eyebrow. The Dollet soldier had been right: the enemy had taken control of the tower. But for what purpose could they want it?

The door to the tower opened and Squall returned his attention to the mission at hand. A third Galbadian soldier stepped out. His comrades turned to him.

"The generator is up and running!" said one soldier loudly, his voice carrying all the way up to the three hiding on the cliff.

"No problem with the boosters!" said the other soldier, just as loudly.

Zell shuffled along the grass and leaned close to Squall. "…The hell they doing?" he asked in a whisper. Squall did not reply. He was focused on what they were saying.

The third soldier raised his hand and saluted his comrades. "Cable disconnection confirmed! Beginning exchange process!"

"Roger."

After this brief exchange, all three soldiers then entered the tower. The doors slid shut behind them. With the coast clear, the three students stood up.

"Repairs…?" asked Squall, thinking aloud.

Seifer shrugged. "Who cares?" The swordsman sighed and resumed tapping his sword against his shoulder. He looked at Squall, who was gazing thoughtfully at the tower. "This must be your first real battle," he said to him. "You scared?"

Squall glanced at him briefly and then looked away. "…I don't know," he admitted. He walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked down to where the three soldiers had stood. "I try not to think about it."

"I love battles," Seifer continued, as though he hadn't heard. "I fear nothing." He looked up at the sky and raised his hand, letting the light shine through his fingers. "The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream."

Squall turned and stared at him in surprise. "What! Your dream?"

Seifer lowered his hand. "You have one too, don't you?" he asked.

Folding his arms firmly over his chest, Squall looked away from him. "…Sorry, but I'm gonna pass on that subject," he said quietly.

"Yo!" said Zell, walking over. "Let me in on it, too!"

"Mind your own business," Seifer snapped.

Zell scowled. "Friggin' hell…" he grunted irritably, and he swiped his fists in front of Seifer's face.

Unconcerned by Zell's display of aggression, Seifer casually leaned his head back and let the punches slide past him. "What's the matter, Zell?" he asked. "Swatting flies?"

Zell's face reddened and his fists trembled in anger. Seifer sneered at him. The swordsman then walked past him and headed down the path leading to the tower entrance. Once he disappeared around the bend, Zell tightened his fist and slammed it into the ground. "Damn you…!" he cursed. He shook his head.

"There you are!"

Zell jumped to his feet just as a small figure ran up along the rocks behind them. It was a girl, wearing a SeeD student uniform. It took Squall a moment to recognise her as the same girl he had shown around Garden earlier that day. He probably would not have recognised her at all if it had not been for that turned-out brown hair and innocent expression.

She made her way carefully over the rocks. Her shoe slipped, and she tumbled forward. She rolled over the rocks—Zell winced—and landed on the ground in front of them. Leaves fell from her shoulders as she sat up. She flushed and rubbed the back of her head. She grinned and stuck out her tongue. The girl climbed to her feet and brushed the dirt from her uniform, before turning to the two men in front of her.

"Are you… Squad B?" she asked. When Squall nodded, the girl narrowed her eyes and looked at him closely. "Wait a minute…" she said. "You're the guy who showed me around, right!" Squall nodded again, and the girl's eyes brightened. "Thanks! I don't get so lost anymore. Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet.

"I'm… a messenger," she continued. "Name's Selphie, from Squad A." She looked at Squall and then at Zell. "The squad captain's Seifer, right? Where is he?"

Squall turned from her and looked down to the base of the Communication Tower. Seifer had reached the bottom and was now approaching the entrance. Before he reached the door he stopped and looked up at Squall. Their eyes met. Squall broke the gaze first and pointed down to him.

"One of these days," Seifer called up, "I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" And with that, he ran to the tower. The doors opened automatically, and he ran inside.

Seeing her objective disappear inside the tower, Selphie dropped her arms and sighed heavily. "This sure is tough…" she said, shaking her head. She then stood up straight, clenched her fists, and ran to the cliff edge. "Captain! Wait up!"

Then, as suddenly as she had come, she vanished, disappearing over the cliff edge. Zell jumped back in alarm. The girl had actually jumped off the edge! He waited to hear a crash and the sound of breaking bones. All he heard was a thud, scrabbling, and then the girl ran out onto the path below. Selphie stopped by the tower and waved her arms back and forth.

"What are you waiting for!" she called up to them. "Come on! Come on!"

Zell stared at her, unable to believe what he had just seen. Jumping off a cliff like that… was this girl normal? It was no small drop, either, and there were a number of rocks clustered about the bottom. He was about to ask Squall what he thought when he saw the swordsman walk forward and stand at the edge.

"Squall…" he began hesitantly. "You're not gonna…"

Squall did not reply. He peered down over the cliff edge to the rocks below, gauging the distance. The rocks had been piled neatly against the cliff wall, creating a slope. He could probably jump it. …Probably.

Seeing a serious look pass over Squall's face, Zell paled. "It's a cliff, man…" he said feebly. "You're not gonna jump off…?" Surely Squall wasn't actually going to…?

Apparently he was, for Squall looked back at him and said: "That's the plan." And with that, he too jumped off the cliff.

Zell stared at the empty space where Squall had previously stood. He shook his head. "Are you serious…?" he asked aloud, though it was only to himself.

Still, Zell Dincht was not a man to be outdone. So although every instinct inside him told him to play it safe and follow the path, he went up to the edge, stepped back, and then took a flying leap over the edge.

"Geronimoooooo!"

The ground rushed up at him. He landed on the rocks. His weight caused the boulders to shift and he almost lost his balance. Luckily his training in martial arts had given him quick reflexes, and so Zell adjusted his balance and jumped off the rocks to the path. Once there he paused, breathing deeply. He'd just jumped off a cliff! Was he as crazy as this Selphie girl?

"Well, let's get goin'," said Selphie when Squall and Zell—still breathing deeply—finally joined her. She looked at them both. "Has everyone equipped a GF? You haven't forgotten… Have you…?"

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS

Just a note to say that I have amended parts of chapters two and five. A reviewer pointed out to me that the gunblade does not use actual bullets, but blanks that cause the blade to recoil, thus causing more damage. As such I have amended the battles to reflect this. As always, if you spot any errors like this, please let me know.