SYMPHONIA CHRONICLES
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Chapter 12: Heat, Lava and a Lot of Cursing
OOOOOOOOH MY GOD.
Okay.
Fuck the Fire Seal.
Seriously, just…fuck it. I don't like it here.
It took us a bit to actually get into this damn place (because Raine was spazzing out over the Seal entrance whoop), but I decided that I didn't want to go in at all after the fucking doors opened. The amount of heat that came out the entrance, just…I choked on it. That's how bad it was. It was like when you open a hot oven to take the food out when it's done cooking.
But, y'know, we have to be in here, so it doesn't matter what I want.
It is literally SO hot in here, that all of us actually ended up stripped most of our clothes the moment we came inside. Kratos even took off that weird cape thing of his.
That's saying something.
The only one who didn't have to strip in some way was Genis. Him and his stupid silly ass shorts…
I groan under my breath, rubbing my face with my hands in an attempt to wipe off the sweat. I don't know why I thought that would work – my palms are just as sweaty. Hell - every inch of me is covered in sweat at this point. I even resorted to taking off my hoodie in an attempt to get cool (which I NEVER do), so I'm just down to this…um, well, I don't even know what to call it. Sarah gave it to me. It's like a tanktop but it has like a sweater neck thing to it. And it's made out of some weird material.
Normally I would be uncomfortable with the no sleeve thing (I have an issue with my shoulders not being covered) but I just do not give a damn right now because GOD DAMMIT IT'S FUCKING HOT.
As I'm complaining mentally, I hear Lloyd groan from the front of the group (my tired ass is at the back ahahahah). "Ugh, this place is even worse than outside. Why does it have to be so hot?!"
Cue group sigh.
"It's the Fire Seal, Lloyd." Genis sighs (he's walking next to the teen). "It's kind of in the name."
The brunet just groans again in reply. It's actually kind of weird looking at Lloyd right now, 'cause he's not wearing his signature red jacket. He's still got the gloves, but he kinda needs those, so on they stayed. I'm pretty sure that he would have thrown them at a wall if he could- he keeps complaining about how sweaty his hands are.
I do not blame him.
…Y'know, now that everyone's kinda stripped right now, I can see just how very…under-armored I am. I seriously think I'm the only here who's not wearing ANY sort of protection (except maybe Genis – can't tell). Kratos isn't really, but he definitely has some sort of chest guard on. Same with Lloyd. Raine and Colette seem to be wearing some sort of guards, and I can see Colette also has some sort of arm bracers under her jacket (she took off the cape thing she wears over it). It makes me feel…very very naked. And vulnerable.
Soon as we get back to Triet, I'm buying some damn armor.
…Okay, maybe I should get back to the current situation. Instead of continuing to talk about how everyone is stripped, because that topic line is starting to get a little weird.
Right now we're walking through the long hallway that's at the beginning of the seal area. It's a lot longer than it was in the game – long enough that we've been going down the path for about 10 minutes now. We haven't run into any monsters (yet), so I'm assuming that they're farther in. Of course, they could just be lurking around – it's pretty dark in this hallway. The only light comes from a torch on the wall every now and then.
Also, fun note here – the farther in we go, the hotter it gets. Possibly because I remember there being lava where all the puzzle bits are. Isn't THAT just fantastic?
UUUUUUUGH, I wanna get outta here.
Aaaand because I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, I almost just walked straight into Kratos. Who is stopped, for some reason. Actually, everyone is stopped. Why is everyone sto-
Oh hey, we're at that intersection thingie. Or should I say, we're at the part of the Fire Seal where the hallways branch off into the different entrances of the puzzle room. I have no idea.
"Aw, man…" Lloyd pipes up. I turn my attention to the brunet, who's currently craning his head to look down both ends of the hallway. "Which way are we supposed to go?"
"Well, there's a doorway right there." I speak up, pointing directly ahead at said doorway. "We could just…go in that way."
"Just because there's a door there doesn't mean that it's the right way." I turn my gaze to Genis. "This is a Seal – there's bound to be some sort of puzzle involved."
Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that…wait, I just remembered it in my head before. How did I forget about it already? …Ugh, whatever, it's way too hot for this shit. Let's just goooo with the floooow.
After a few moments of debate among the group, we settle on separating into pairs and checking out each pathway. Kratos ends up going with Colette, since he's in charge of protecting her, and they go down the right path. Raine goes with Genis, and they both go through the main door. Aaand for some reason, that leaves me with Lloyd, with us going down towards the left.
Eh, at least I'm not stuck with Kratos. Or Raine, for that matter.
The first few moments of walking are very…quiet. I guess because both of us are too tired and hot to really hold a decent conversation. The only sounds are from the echoes of our footsteps…and also the faint sound of something bubbling. Which I'm going to assume is lava.
And then almost on cue there's a massive hissing noise in front of us.
"OH crap!" I jolt, grasping for my gun as Lloyd hurriedly draws his swords. A rather large Fire Element hurls out of the darkness in front of us, followed by a Scorpion and…some weird plant thing. I think it's called a Brown Pot?
Oh my god who cares fOCUS CASSIE.
Lloyd immediately focuses in on the Scorpion, so I cast my attention onto the Fire Element currently trying to blast him from the right. I try my best to fire some shots at the flying rock, and am pleasantly surprised when they actually hit him. It. Whatever.
This obviously irritates the thing, because now it's hurtling its way towards me, hURRAH.
Going with my previous strategy, I back away as I continue to fire my gun at the floating rock. It groans ominously with each bullet impact, the holes each one makes billowing steam. But even so, I don't really seem to be doing much damage.
Oh, oh, wait! Maybe I could try using Aqua Edge! Genis used it before to take care of these things. …But wait, I don't know how to use it…then again, I don't know how to use Fire Ball, and I can still do it.
Whatever, let's try it.
Dropping my aim, I turn around and run back down the hallway, just far enough to put myself some distance away from the monster chasing me. Once I think I'm a good distance away, I turn on my heel, and hold up my left hand in the direction of my enemy.
Okay, okay, okay, concentraaate…imagine big blades made of water. Blades of water slicing into the Fire Element. Come on, you can do this, just picture it, aaaaand…
"Aqua Edge!"
Like last time, the Exsphere on my hand flashes blue at the incantation. However, this time around, no runes appear at my feet, just…a flash of light.
And also what appears to attack the Fire Element is more akin to giant rain drops than water blades. They simply hover for a few seconds, then splash to the ground.
…..
"Well, that didn't wo-OOOOAHG!" My statement is interrupted by the floating rock ball flying towards me at an unbelievable speed. I have to literally almost bend myself in half to avoid the thing barreling straight into my torso. And, since I have no balance, the little maneuver causes me to fall flat on my back with my arms pin wheeling in an attempt to stop it.
Aaaaand as soon as that happens my face is assaulted by the Brown Pot I forgot was still running around.
I shriek and flail around on the floor, trying to bat the thing away from my face, because it's currently trying to scratch my cheeks to bits with its pointy little feet. Or what could be considered as its feet – OWOWOWOW OH GOD IT JUST BIT ME GET IT OFF-
"Demon Fang!"
My hand is suddenly blasted backward as the Brown Pot is ripped off it by the wave of mana that just hit it dead-on. I don't even get to see where it landed before Lloyd runs past me, swords at the ready. I crane my head backward just in time to see him kick that Fire Element straight into a wall, resulting in a very loud cracking noise (DAMN, Lloyd). I can't tell if it came from the wall or the monster, but I hear the Fire Element give off a very nasty groan, so I assume it came from it.
I manage to scramble into a sitting position in time to see the monster peels itself off from the wall. Chunks of its rock body fall from its back, exposing a bright fiery core in the middle. Before it can try and go after us again, I aim my gun and shoot at the core.
That turns out to be a very weak spot on the thing, as when the bullets hit it, the core basically explodes in hissing steaming chunks of rock. The defeated Fire Element groans one last time before falling to the ground, breaking into steaming chunks.
A few moments pass, the only sound being both Lloyd and I trying to catch our breath, along with the remaining hissing from the extinguished monster.
Finally, Lloyd sheathes his wooden swords (which obviously do not work well here – I can see singes on them), before walking over to me. Seeing as I'm still sitting on the ground.
"You okay?" He asks me, a concerned look on his face.
"Uh-yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I reply, waving my non-bitten hand at him. "I just…got surprised, is all."
I'm caught by surprise when he offers out a hand. After a few seconds of staring (like an idiot), I take it, and he helps pull me to my feet. I offer a quick 'thanks', before checking out the damage the Brown Pot caused.
Luckily, the thing didn't really get my face too bad (most likely due to all the flailing I did). Most of the scratches are on my forearms. The main problem is my hand, which is actually bleeding pretty badly. I have two really big punctures just to either side of my Key Crest, and then a few little ones between them. I think the damn thing actually bit into the crest too.
I groan a bit before digging an Apple Gel from my belt, proceeding to smear it onto my hand (which burns like hell, oW).
"Did you try using Aqua Edge on that thing?" I look up at Lloyd's question. He's currently staring at the puddles I made trying to use said spell.
I blush a little from the memory. "Yyyyeah. But it didn't…work. I have no idea why." That blush quickly turns into a frown, as I begin thinking about the incident further. "I could use Fire Ball just fine, though, so…why can't I use that?"
"Beats me…" Lloyd replies, shrugging. He looks back to me. "Maybe it's more complicated, or something?"
I make a sort of 'I-don't-know' noise, holding up my hands. "Maybe I should ask Genis about it…" I sigh. "Well, whatever. Let's keep going."
"Right." He nods at my statement, and we continue down our way.
Not much happens after that. I end up having to use another Apple Gel on my hand before it heals up fully. I really need to start saving those things – they're actually pretty expensive. Maybe I could learn First Aid or something…
After a while, light starts filtering in from somewhere ahead of us in the hallway. Along with a lot more heat (if that's even possible). It even starts making it a bit hard to breathe.
Eventually, we find our way towards the end of the path. And I say it's the end because the rest of the way is blocked by an enormous amount of rubble. Like, giant boulder-sized rubble. And yet SOMEHOW the doorway leading into the puzzle room is completely free of debris.
I kind of wish it wasn't.
"Ugh…" Lloyd groans, looking very flustered (his face is about the color of his gloves). "How the hell is it even hotter here?!"
"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's coming from in there." Good god, my voice sounds like a frog's would with strep throat. "It feels like an oven in here."
We aren't even standing in the doorway right now – the amount of heat billowing out of there is just that ridiculous.
I wipe my face, groaning. "Egh…we might as well go in there."
Lloyd makes a ridiculous sounding whine in response. "Do we have to?"
"Eyup." I really don't want to go in either, but dammit, that's where we need to go, so I'm just gonna have to bear it. I brace myself, before making my way through the doorway.
And then I immediately regret it and want to turn back because HOLY FUCKING CHRIST IT'S HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOOOOOOOOOOT.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH MY god it hot." I yell that through my teeth, because at the moment I'm trying to figure out how to breathe this fucking air that is sEARING THE INSIDE OF MY NOSE. Every part of me is tense and stiff and screaming at me to get the hell out of here and my skin is buuuuuuurning oh my god.
Behind me, I vaguely hear a choking noise from Lloyd, who appears to have followed me into the room now, followed by him groaning something involving Martel and something about how his skin is on fire.
I think if it weren't for the Exsphere on my hand right now, I'd be dead. Either that or just collapsed on the floor from a heat stroke.
Suddenly, there's a hazy noise from somewhere to the right.
"Lloyd! Cassie! Is that you guys over there?"
Wait a minute.
"Genis?" I call out (weakly), looking towards the area where I heard him. Unfortunately, my view is blocked by stone pillars. "Where are you?"
"Over here. I can see you guys." I look in the direction of his voice, and notice a small, very tired looking shape peering out from behind one of the taller platform to the right. Almost by the edge towards the lava, YEESH.
"Is the Professor with you?" Lloyd seems to have recovered from his outburst (sorta), and I spot him walk up from behind me.
"Yeah, but she's too busy looking around." I hear some unsettlement in his voice, which probably means that Raine is actually going Ruin Mode all over the place. How the hell she can have the energy to that here, I have no idea. "Never mind that, though – I need to tell you guys about the puzzle."
"Puzzle?" Lloyd sounds confused.
"Yeah. Do you see any torches on the walls?"
I immediately look around, and quickly spot one of said torches, centered in a pillar behind me to the left. "Uh, yeah. Why?" I already know why, but they don't know that, so I'm asking.
"You need to light them. It raises those platforms." He points to the one near the torch I mentioned. "And we need to raise them in order to get to the Seal area. That's what Raine and I figured out, at least."
"Why would lighting torches raise the platforms?" I turn my head to look at Lloyd, who looks very confused at Genis's explanation.
The half-elf just shrugs. "It probably has something to do with Efreet. This is his territory."
Ah yes, Efreet. Can't wait to meet him. Back to the point, though. Lighting them torches.
The first thing I do is make my way over to the torch near the elevated platform I saw earlier (the one with stairs leading up to it). I don't know why I go towards that one first, I just…do. Also it's the only one I saw when I looked around.
Even though the steps up to the platform are pretty wide, I take caution while walking up them. Because no railings plus lava equals a painful, fiery death. I am also very careful on the platform for the exact same reason.
What can I say – I'm paranoid.
When I finally get over to the torch, I take a minute to look it over. It's actually pretty simple looking – just a little alcove in the wall with a small pile of cinders inside. I don't actually see how I'm supposed to light this thing…there's no wick. Or wood, for that matter.
I turn back to look where Lloyd and Genis are. "Hey, so, how am I supposed to light this thing?"
"You need to use magic – just throw a Fire Ball at it!" Genis yells back. "Don't make it too big, though!"
"Okay then!" I yell back. Then I remember something. "Wait, Lloyd- don't you still have the Sorcerer's Ring?"
"Huh?" Lloyd's surprise at me talking to him clues me in that he wasn't paying attention. "Um, yeah. Why?"
"Well…" I shrug at him. "Couldn't you use it to light the torches too?" That was the main component for the puzzle in the game, so I don't see why that wouldn't work here.
"Oh yeah…" Genis's voice echoes in. "Maybe that could work too."
"Really?" Suddenly the brunet sounds really excited. "Awesome!"
I roll my eyes. These people are so silly…
Ignoring the two behind me, I turn my attention back to the torch in front of me. After a bit of thought, I decide to back up a bit before launching a spell. Don't wanna be too close when this thing catches fire.
Okay, let's do this…and let's not try to fuck this up like I did with Aqua Edge earlier. Now, imagine balls of fire…not too big, though. Not too big…okaaaaaay, I think I got this.
I raise my hand. "Fire Ball!"
Like last time, the Exsphere on my hand flashes blue, and a rune appears at my feet. However, now that I'm actually paying attention, it does look a lot fainter and fuzzier than Genis's does. This time, the spell does appear, but it kinda putters around like a dying spark. I really have to concentrate in order to make it go toward the torch.
Thankfully, the weak little spell hits the mark, landing in the alcove. The cinders inside immediately catch fire (which scares the crap out of me), and the pile quickly produces a steady flame.
The loud sound of grating stones (and a yelp from a certain swordsman) suddenly hits my ears. Surprised, I turn around to look directly behind me as, just beyond a stone pillar, a smaller platform than the one I'm standing on rises up to match the level of stairs leading up to…I'm guessing the entrance to the seal.
I blink. "Well, that worked well." I raise my voice, turning back to look where Lloyd and Genis are. "Hey Genis, I got one!"
…Wait a minute, where'd Lloyd go?
I yelp when the platform I'm standing on abruptly begins shaking under my feet. And then I fall to my knees when it lurches upward, and I'm left to desperately grip the edge of the platform as it rises up into the air.
Whaaaaaat the fuck.
When it finally stops, I keep my place, gripping the edge like my life depends on it. A few moments pass of me like this, the only audible sound for me being my heartbeat in my ears, before there's a sudden voice.
"Oops…"
…Ooooof course.
"Lloyd!" I screech, turning my head to look towards where his voice came from. I finally spot his crazy hair popping up from just ahead of where that other platform was (I forgot there was a torch there god dammit). "What the heck did you do that for?!"
"I didn't know it was gonna raise that one!"
"Well now I'm stuck up here!" Ooooh my god, I just looked down, I'm so high up, oh god.
"Cassie, calm down."I jump a bit when I hear Raine's voice faintly come out of nowhere. "There's a pair of steps right behind you. You can get down that way."
I blink at this, craning my head around to see if it's true…aaaaand it is. And it leads right on over to where the Seal room entrance is. Hmm, lookit that.
"Uh…okay." I reply, still staring at the conveniently placed pair of stairs. "Thanks, Professor."
But before I can stand up to look, I realize that there's now a problem. "Wait, what about Lloyd? He's stuck down there now."
"I am?" Said swordsman is now out in the open where I can see him, and he looks a bit confused at my statement.
"Yeah…" I look around as if to prove my point. "I don't see any other way for you to get up here…and there's no way to get to where Genis is from where you are, either."
"She's right." Genis perks up from his place (I can't see him now). "If you're gonna re-group with us, you'll need to go all the way back around to where Raine and I came in…"
Aw, man. Tough break for the Lloydie.
He seems to realize the situation as well, because he immediately gives a huge sigh. "Aw man..."
"Do you think you could jump up here, or something?" I blurt out that thought without even really thinking about it first. It actually seems like a sort of good idea, but this ledge is pretty high up…and there's the fate of lava if Lloyd can't.
Then again, he did jump off a cliff and end up perfectly fine, so maybe it's really not a bad idea.
Lloyd looks thoughtful at my suggestion. "…Yeah, maybe." His look turns to one of determination. "Let me try."
The brunet then begins to back away slightly, putting some distance between him and the platform. I wisely decide to back away from the edge before he tries the stunt.
After a slight pause, Lloyd suddenly sprints towards the stairs that led up to the platform. Before he can reach the bottom step, he springs up like a jackrabbit, and just manages to grab the edge of the platform with his left hand.
God, this kid has some fucking leg strength.
"Holy shit, dude." I have to exclaim it out loud – I am just that impressed. I manage to find the sense to crawl back over to the edge to help Lloyd up, which is a bit uncomfortable and awkward because I end up having to grab his upper arm to pull him up. Uncomfortable because we're both sweaty messes, awkward becaaaaause Lloyd is actually kinda muscle-ey and I have had next to no contact with dudes in my entire life.
Heghuagagah.
As soon as Lloyd is safely on the platform with me, I let go of him and scoot away a bit so he can catch his breath. And also because I'm still being very awkward. Thankfully it doesn't show on my face because it's already really fucking hot in here.
"Well, that worked." I finally say, trying to ignore how hot my face feels (it doesn't work). I glance at Lloyd out of the corner of my eye. "Dude, how the hell can you jump so high?"
He just shrugs, making a noise. "Probably cause of my Exsphere."
If that's the case, I wonder if I'll be able to jump like that…I don't really wanna try, though. Maybe if I wasn't so clumsy.
"Well, we should probably re-group with Genis and Raine." I sigh. Lloyd nods at my suggestion, and stands up, heading towards the stairs behind me.
I decide to follow behind as soon as I can gain the courage to stand up on this stupid thing…fucking heights.
"Uh, hey – Genis?"
"Hm? What's wrong, Cassie?"
"I've got a magic related question for you."
"Uh…okay, what is it?"
"Well, earlier Lloyd and I ran into some monsters, and I tried using Aqua Edge on them like you did earlier, but…it didn't work."
"…Do you even know how to use that spell?"
"Well – no, but I don't know how to use Fireball either, and I can still perform it…kinda."
"Aqua Edge is more complicated. If you really want to used spells right, you need to know how they work – just trying to imitating them can be kinda dangerous…"
"…Oh."
I am so fucking nervous right now, I swear to god. I just want to run really, really far away from here because I am nOT READY FOR THIS SHIT. NOT READY. NOOOOOOOOOOOOT READY.
…oh my god stop freaking out, I need to focus. Heeeeeugh…
Okay, let's update, uh…well, right now, everyone's sort of gathered around the entrance warp to the seal room (Kratos and Colette joined us not long after Lloyd and I got to Raine and Genis), and we're basically just trying to formulate some kind of a strategy before we head in. Mainly because we have no idea what we'll be facing once we get into the Seal room. Or at least…they don't. I do.
Raine and Kratos are the ones currently formulating the strategy. I'm not really paying attention, though. Too busy panicking.
How the hell are you supposed to keep calm when you know you're about to fight a giant flaming monster?
Uuuuugh, my hand hurts…
I jump when I feel something tap my shoulder. When I turn, I see that it's Colette, giving me a concerned look.
"Are you okay?" she asks. "You look worried…"
Aw crap, I didn't realize I was being so obvious… "Uh-yeah, Colette, I'm fine. Just…nervous." This is really weird, Colette's been all worried about me since her and Kratos met back up with us – she must have heard me screeching at Lloyd earlier.
…Wait, why is she worried about me? Colette's about to lose some of her humanity here! God, I didn't even think about that…welp, now I feel like an ass.
"Is everyone ready?" Oop, I didn't notice that Raine and Kratos had stopped talking. The mercenary looks over all of us for confirmation, and I'm pretty sure all of us nod in reply (I don't' but I don't think he notices). "Very well – let's go."
I hang back for a second while everyone else heads into the warp. I haven't used one of these yet, so I'm a little apprehensive…ugh, might as well get it over with.
I manage to dart in right before everyone takes off in the warp, sort of squeezing myself in between Colette and Genis. There's a moment where a wall of shimmery light appears around us, and then the warping happens.
And it is the strangest fucking thing I have ever experienced so far. It feels like your being squished and sucked into a vacuum at the same time. And the visual isn't too pretty either – it's like you're going through hyperspace.
When the warp finally stops, I actually almost fall over sideways from being so disoriented. I somehow manage to NOT fall to the ground, though, righting myself after a few clumsy steps. The others seem to be fine though – they probably have more experience with this than I do (Lloyd does look a bit dizzy, though).
The room itself looks almost exactly the same as it did in the game, save for the obvious size difference. And everything looks a bit more ornate. Like, the floor is actually shiny. Wasn't it like that in the Symphonia OVA?
…oh my god, FOCUS.
As everyone walks up to the altar area, Raine stops midway, and looks around in awe.
"This place is also built with magitechnology!" she gushes, and as I walk around her, I notice a very disturbing glint in her eye. "Absolutely amazing!"
She finally walks up to the altar area as I reach the rest of the group, though I'm hanging back because I know what's coming.
Sure enough, as soon as Raine gets close enough, the area around us begins to rumble, causing everyone to jump in surprise.
"Aah! What the-!?" Genis sounds really surprised at the sudden quaking, and as we watch, the altar begins to emit a very bright light, and glowing red spheres erupt from the surface. Everyone backs away at this, and I try very hard not to turn around and run straight back through the warp.
Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire erupts from the altar, causing all of us to recoil in surprise. The pillar continues to rage for a few seconds, before suddenly disappearing…but not before leaving something in its place.
As the last of the embers die away, a massive rumble emits through the room – a rumble, I realize, that is actually a deep growl.
Standing on the altar is a massive shape, in the form of a large, red and black tiger-like animal with glowing yellow stripes. The beast's hide is covered in flame, and its mane is made up of large, crystal spikes that seem to reflect the light of the fire. It raises its head, revealing glowing yellow eyes, and large teeth that remind me of a saber-tooth tiger.
We are now face to face with the Ktugach.
END SCENE OHOHOHOHOHO
Next chapter should actually be out a lot sooner than this one was, I actually have the next one half done already! Hopefully all chapters will be out sooner now, since I'm writing them ahead of time. :3
NEXT TIME: Fiery cats and angel wings.
