The Third Sorceress War, Act III - Terra Rossa

by Kount Xero

It was inevitable, its seeds sown years ago, and now that a line has been crossed, it's come to this. SeeD rises to counter the threat of the sorceress, and the sorceress rises to the challenge... the fated children have to once more go to war, this time against one that used to be one of their own. (Part 7/11 of a series.)

14. D-Day, II (Hic Vivi Taceant)

"The Third Sorceress War, Act III: Terra Rossa"

13. Hic Vivi Taceant, Hic Mortui Loquuntur

(D-Day, II)

1

Rinoa could almost feel her gaze sliding along the length of the gunblade on her desk. It was her gunblade, sleek, smooth, sharp and deadly. Her fingers were almost itching to reach out and grab it – something in her was telling her that she should have been out there in the streets, with her soldiers, fighting like she used to.

But that was just the thing. Fighting like that was what she used to do. She was a soldier back then. Now, she had soldiers. No, no, the President didn't fight. That didn't mean that Rinoa Heartilly wasn't going to fight, she would. When the time came, and it wasn't quite time yet.

So Rinoa sat there, chin in palm, waiting. Waiting for the war to find her, waiting for it to finally reach her.

Something shifted in her awareness and Rinoa heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance. The sound carried with it a lively, ferocious, tangible presence of pure magic, unburdened by the constraints of existence. Rinoa recognized it to be identical to the one roaming the back recesses of her own mind, laying in wait to be called forth. A Guardian Force.

She smiled. Things were starting to get interesting, and just that presence alone made her want to grab the gunblade and join the fray.

But no. Presidents didn't fight wars.

2

The Guardian force came down with a thunderbolt punching down the concrete beneath the soldiers' feet, and from the lightning, it emerged, spreading its wings and letting out a braying cry. Pulse particles and artillery shells flew in opposite directions directly above the creature, but it hovered, unaffected.

The robots shifted in their position, still holding formation but spreading out to accommodate the size of the target, and once they were in position, they fired. The mini-missiles drew lines of smoke in the air before exploding right in the chest of the Guardian Force. It screamed, the cry reverberating through the battleground below, but the assault didn't do anything to sway it.

Quezacotl spread its wings once more and then, from beneath them, chains of lightning issued forth, slicing clean through the hovering war machines. As each of them overloaded, shook violently and exploded with the yield of their remaining ammunition, the ground under her feet shook.

The Guardian Force's presence dissipated. Selphie felt something rush out of her the moment it did. It'd be a while before she could use him again, but luckily for her, she had others.

3

Seifer heard the Guardian Force's cry and looked up to see a cloud of smoke and dust where once just moments ago, a wall of GIM52As hovered. Seeing the pathway clear, he rose his gunblade and shouted for anyone who was listening to follow him. Xu saw the rallying cry and echoed it, trying to get the attention of enough people to press forward and down main street. Their voices were drowned out by he roaring sound of rapid artillery fire above. Selphie looked up and saw the main cannon of Galbadia Garden protruding from its mid-section, vomiting shell after shell after shell and aided by the dissonant firing of their remaining side-cannons.

A pulse particle got lucky and destroyed a side-cannon, causing Selphie to squeal victoriously. The Galbadia Garden started to move away from its position, and Selphie concentrated onto the street level.

Most of the SeeDs had heard the call and had grouped together, pushing the enemy back. The veterans moved out of cover and took the lead. They sprinted forward, following the Galbadian soldiers giving chase, moving over the junk pile left of the ruined war machines and unto to the spreading, cruciform grid of Deling City.

4

Quistis barely kept her balance as the repeated pummeling of artillery shells echoed through the groaning structure of the Garden. She leaned on her cane and kept her useless hand on the main console. The sound of an explosion on the outside shook them once more, and Quistis cursed.

"We've lost batteries two and six!" Zan shouted.

"Evasive! Nida, try to circle-strafe them! Keep firing!"

Another rumble and the view screen was filled with a sudden burst of flames.

"What was that?" Quistis asked.

"Incendiary shell!" Lea said, "One of their auxiliary batteries, they-" another rumble erupted, somewhere higher up, "The armor plating can't take too much of this!"

One, two, three, four, five...

"Armor breach!" Zan reported, "Upper layers, but the main cannon is persistently digging!"

Six, seven, eight, nine...

"Volley fire, all remaining batteries, charge!"

"Charged!" Zan and Lea both called.

"Fire!"

For a moment, the view screen glowed bright blue with an almost blinding intensity. The ululating of pulse batteries erupted in a sharp, scattering sound. The particles thrown into the volley tore through the air, flying around the constant string of shells thrown by the main cannon. Each particle shot found its mark and exploded in a flash of energy, lining the Galbadia Garden up with damage. No sooner than that hit being scored, however, Galbadia Garden responded with the roaring of auxiliary cannons. The incendiary shells flew right into the exposed bow of Ocean Garden, and showered the ground with a rain of armor plating.

The bridge shook and Quistis lost her balance. She fell on her side and her cane slipped away. She brought herself back up to her knees and the rhythmic pounding of the main cannon suddenly gave way to the sound of metal being crushed and broken through.

Quistis held onto the console and rose to her feet. She leaned on to support herself.

"Fuck it!" she shouted, "Nida, all power to thrusters! Ram the motherfuckers!"

"Quistis, that-"

"Shut up! Go on a tangent, no straight-forward approach – that'll give us some more momentum! Lea, Zan – fire at will!"

"Yes, sir!" the weapons operators said in unison.

"I don't care if we both sink, I'll have them in flames before we do!" Quistis shouted, pounding her useless fist on the edge of the console, "Nida, let's go!"

Nida clenched his teeth and obeyed his orders.

5

The crowd of soldiers the SeeDs were chasing through the streets spread out in small groups and zig-zagged through the grid of Deling City, causing their pursuers to slow down and let them move. Seifer, Selphie and Xu took three separate streets and the SeeDs behind them divided arbitrarily, and followed their Lieutenant Generals. They moved through the city at a surprising pace, encountering no resistance for the first few blocks. They came across trenches placed right onto the street halfway through to the Presidential Mansion, but there were no soldiers manning them, there were no Galbadians holding down the line.

Above them, the booming sounds of the Gardens clashing rumbled on. The shadow of Ocean Garden was cast upon the streets as it glided across the city and towards its enemy, continuing to exchange fire.

The Lieutenant Generals each ordered the troops under their command to halt, to take a fanning formation and march cautiously. They asked each other through their com-links if their situations were identical. They were. No soldiers, nothing to be seen of the ones they had let scatter. Nothing.

Without a choice, they pressed on.

Without warning, the cackling of electricity snapped in the air and the first rows of SeeDs fell, limbs contorting and bodies spasming. The attention of the SeeDs peaked instantly, and they turned to the skies to see paratroopers descending. In that split-second, their weapons – long, thick barrels and glowing, bright blue power cells – reminded every one of them of Esthar.

Seifer didn't hesitate. He held his breath and focused his thoughts onto the group of shocktroopers assembling behind Galbadian trenches. He released his thoughts.

"Ifrit."

6

Selphie started to back away, hoping against hope that she could focus enough to call upon another one of her allies. Her mind, hell-bent on the task, cracked into a sudden burst of joy and with it, her lips shaped the name.

"Cactuar."

7

Xu didn't even consider an alternative. She ordered those under her command to retreat and for the sharpshooters to step up to the front. As a hail of bullets rained from those on the rooftops, Xu clenched her teeth and begged for her mind to angle itself towards what was needed. It found her in a moment of absolute panic and poured out of her mouth.

"Bahamut."

8

Rinoa's eyes opened wide as she felt the presence of the Guardian Force emerging from nothingness and into Deling City. There wasn't just one, but many, each one powerful, each one a relentless, unstoppable force.

Rinoa grinned. It set her teeth on edge.

She shook off the stiffness of waiting in her chair and placed both hands on the desk. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She could feel it hesitantly rising to the surface, ascending, hoping that it would be released, that it would be unleashed.

Rinoa spoke the name as nothing more than a whisper.

"Valcura."