Chapter Thirteen – Gates of Antiquity
A relatively short walk through a cavernous expanse of crystal, and they were facing the Bresha Ruins – the very place they had been seeking. The crystal waves were forever frozen as they lapped at the old, worn stone stairs leading to a relic of living history. Now, the ruins seemed almost to be lit from within, the ancient stone haloed by flaming orange as tiny flame-coloured crystal dust particles floated through the air. How it had escaped an eternity frozen in crystal, no-one would know.
"What's that?" Sazh asked, pointing up to a virtually unidentifiable... thing in the sky that Vanille had no words for. It did, however, look like it lead somewhere, but where, she couldn't say.
Lightning, however, recognized it straight away – it was the aerial tunnel that lead outside the Hanging Edge, the yawning abyss that the Palamecia appeared through, carrying underneath its belly the Bodhum Vestige... and Serah.
Just past the steep stone steps, however, was something no-one wanted to see.
"Oh, great. Another Alpha behemoth."
The big metal beast was pacing the immediate area in front of them, its claws scratching against the already-worn stone beneath it. Lightning crept forward when its back turned, making no sound as she approached its backside. She silently flipped onto its back and deactivated the hulking bioweapon before they were spotted, and the l'Cie stopped to take everything in.
Now past the entrance gates, they could now see why the ancient ruins looked like it was lit from within. The air glittered orange. Everywhere they looked was ruin from above crushing the ruined city below, in some areas completely encompassed in crystallized flames.
But further ahead was something the l'Cie had already suspected, and feared.
"Damn. This place is crawlin' with soldiers," Sazh remarked.
"They must be making sure no-one tries to escape through the ruins," said Hope uneasily.
"Guess we weren't the only ones thinking this would be a good place to rest," said Vanille.
Lightning narrowed her eyes. "If we don't get past the ruins now, they'll just bring in more soldiers." Her voice was deadpan, serious. "If we're going to outrun pursuit, they need to go."
"Guess we're fighting again." Hope sounded less than enthusiastic about this.
Once the immediate area was clear of the three watchdrones and lone PSICOM ranger that was there before, the group found a massive trussway piece that had landed over the stairs that were there before. Over it they found a small corner of the ruins that was so covered in flaming crystal that it hurt to look at head-on.
"Even the flames turned to crystal," muttered Sazh. "This is ridiculous."
Below them there was what must have been a town square several hundred-odd years ago, or more. In the centre was the remains of a once-beautiful fountain surrounded by freshly-tumbled stone, and – worse – part of a PSICOM sweep team. A group of four PSICOM Rangers and two tilters, this time Crusaders, were patrolling the little square.
"Here we go again," Sazh commented.
...
Battling their way through more enemy soldiers than was necessary to count was taking its toll on the group.
"I'm getting' tired o' this," muttered Sazh.
But they all knew they had to keep going. If they were caught, they would face certain death just by surviving the Purge.
And so they kept going, turning lefts and rights, running up flights of steps, all to outrun the military. Finally, after yet another flight of steps, Vanille ran forward to an archway in front of them, the entrance covered with tumbled rock. But not completely...
"Hey, hey! It looks like we can get through here!" Vanille exclaimed.
Lightning had been here before, back when she was just a newbie in the Corps, with just over a year of experience under her belt. She still knew the area, had mapped it out when last she came, and she still remembered where to go.
Though the debris looked unstable, when Lightning placed a hand, then her foot, and then her whole weight onto a bit that stuck out, it stayed put; didn't fall, didn't rock. Cautiously, she climbed through the archway, doubled over so her head wouldn't hit the curved roof above her, worn smooth with age. She could hear her companions behind her, carefully following her steps as they, too, scrambled through the wreckage. Eventually, everyone was back out, and on the other side.
Off to their left were three pantherons, which were easily taken care of. Straight ahead of them were a group of three soldiers and an Elite – an Executioner.
"Those'll be our cold-blooded beasts, I take it," said Sazh. "Game over, or what?"
Lightning's eyes narrowed. It wasn't game over, not yet. Leaving Serah with Snow had eased some of her depression. Dead or alive, Serah was safe now. She didn't need to worry about whether or not she would be happy, or whether or not she would be able to afford to send her sister to Eden for college. Now, she must worry about herself and her ability to keep herself alive.
She wasn't losing to PSICOM.
"We need to get rid of the Elite's footmen," said Lightning, more to herself than to Sazh. She scanned the area, spying a set of stairs a little to the right of the Elite. She sprinted to the side towards the stairs, her companions trailing behind her. She snuck up the stairs, her feet making no sound against the steps. She made it to the landing, where a silver sphere was waiting for her. She looked inside to find ammunition for her gunblades, as well as for Sazh's pistols.
She frowned. Was someone, or something, deliberately leaving these out for them to find? She didn't believe in coincidences. She had a strong suspicion someone was leaving the spheres for them to find, and use. But who – or what?
Right now, it didn't matter. She topped up her gunblades – both of them – and then gave Sazh his. He, too, reloaded his pistols, both pairs, and they both took careful aim. Three shots, and the Elite's footmen crumpled to the ground without a sound.
The Elite turned, and looked up. His face was masked, as was every PSICOM soldier's, but Sazh could imagine a fixed scowl underneath that mask.
Lightning was about to raise her gunblade to fire when the Elite staggered forward in pain, a single blade stabbed through his stomach. He fell to his knees, revealing the boy behind him. He looked to be only a kid, maybe fifteen or sixteen at most. His eyes were hard as he stared down at the high-ranking soldier.
"Quick death?" he asked, and then grinned. "Or do ya wanna suffer instead?" His voice, though faint to the l'Cie, revealed an accent similar to that of Keller's and Vanille's.
Lightning shook her head. The kid seemed way too cocky.
The boy raised his katana, smeared with the Elite's blood. "Ya know what? I'll give you a quick death. Just this once." He winked, and then smoothly cut off the Elite's head. Immediately what was left of the PSICOM soldier turned to black ash, joining the tiny orange crystal particles in the air.
The boy looked up, seemingly mesmerised by the ash and the crystal particles as he raised his hand, letting the ash and crystal dance around his palm – until he spotted the group of four l'Cie up on the landing above him.
The boy tensed, raising his weapon. "Who the hell are you?" he asked defensively.
"Tch." Lightning shook her head, and then jumped down from the landing, rolling on impact with the stone ground.
The boy scowled. "Soldier," he growled, and then ran forward to attack. Lightning dodged smoothly, tripping him in the process. The boy rolled back up again and struck out with his katana. Lightning jumped the attack, flipping her Gladius into sword mode and making her own move. The boy blocked with his own blade, making the smooth sound of metal sliding against metal. Lightning smirked and launched herself into the air, executing a perfect flip-kick. The boy staggered backward, and Lightning pushed her advantage, kicking him squarely in the chest. He made as if to get up, but a quick flash of lightning stopped his advance.
Lightning raised her brow, a water-ball forming smoothly within her hand. "I wouldn't try that."
The boy's eyes widened. "L'Cie...?"
Lightning smirked. "Good guess."
"Sanctum?"
"Pulse."
The boy nodded, dropping his weapon and drawing his shirt up, exposing the l'Cie brand just above his hip. This was interpreted as a truce, and the water within Lightning's hand dissipated.
"What's your name, kid?" Sazh asked. He and the others had run down the stairs and u-turned down to join Lightning.
"Me?" the boy asked as he bent to pick up his weapon. "Galen."
Hope looked sideways at Vanille, whose eyes had widened and then narrowed slightly in seeming recognition of the name. "You know him?" Hope asked quietly.
"Hmm?" Vanille hummed absently. "I can't be sure."
Looking closer, the other l'Cie could see the bright green colour of Galen's eyes, and the dark brown of his hair, with a light smattering of freckles sprinkled over his nose and across his cheeks.
"Well, looks like we're all in the same boat," said Sazh. "Why don'tcha come with us, kid? The more the merrier."
Lightning rolled her eyes but, other than that, had no other objection to the boy's joining their group. She knew they all needed to move, if they were all on the same side.
"Those soldiers," Sazh murmured to Lightning as they set off again, their way clear, "they use some kinda device for their magic, right? I mean, it's definitely not the same as the l'Cie stuff."
"They use manadrives," Lightning replied stiffly. "They can only hold one form of magic at a time."
"What are they called?" asked Galen.
Lightning took some time to think before answering. "Ravagers use elemental magic. Commandos use non-elemental spells, we call them 'ruin'; only used for the strongest of soldiers. Saboteurs use debilitating spells, used to slow you down during battle, and Synergists are the exact opposite. Medics use healing magic, far more potent than potions, and Sentinels use potent magic to distract their targets; only shock troopers use those."
"What's with the freaky names?" asked Sazh.
"How should I know? I didn't name them." Lightning shrugged, barely a twitch of the shoulders.
"So, what are we?" asked Vanille.
"Hmm...we can all use elemental magic," Hope interjected. "so we all have the potential to be Ravagers. Lightning could be a Commando, and Vanille and I are Medics."
"Remember Snow? He distracted that Sanctum robot damn efficiently," said Sazh. "He'd be a Sentinel."
"He could also use elemental magic, and fought well hand-to-hand," said Lightning dispassionately.
"So, Snow's a Commando, a Ravager and a Sentinel..." said Vanille thoughtfully.
By now they had reached what looked like a truly monstrous two flights of steps. Sazh paused, frowning.
"Somethin's making the hairs on my neck stand up."
Vanille sighed and shook her head. "You've gotta stop worrying, Sazh!" She was as cheerful as she'd been all day. "We outran 'em. We'll be okay now." She smiled and started walking up the stairs.
Lightning very much doubted Vanille's last statement. The Sanctum was now most likely driven by a very angry populace, all clamouring for the Purge deportees to be rounded up and 'escorted to the World Below'. They didn't know the true extent of the Sanctum's plans. She knew they wouldn't give up if there was any chance a potential threat to Cocoon had survived. And if they knew about the group of Pulse l'Cie running around Bresha...
Nevertheless, she walked up the stairs anyway.
They emerged to a double-sided landing flanking another flight of steps, and past those was what looked like a massive courtyard, flanked by worn stone pillars and, behind those, more flaming crystal.
"Wow!" Vanille exclaimed as they all walked forward.
Aerial scan has been commenced...signs of life in the northern part of the ruins...
Vanille's walk turned into a run.
"Stay close," ordered Lightning. The hairs on her arms and the nape of her neck were beginning to stand. Something was coming.
"I wanna look around!" Vanille called back and she giggled, skipping ahead.
Lightning rolled her eyes, a hand on her hip.
Threat confirmed in the northern part of the ruins. Commencing extermination protocol.
Suddenly Vanille staggered backward, screaming. She ran back to the others, terrified...and behind her was another bioweapon, this one what looked to be a wyvern. It crashed into, first a pillar, and then several crystals, the fire encased inside them springing free, roaring to life once more but with nowhere to spread.
"Vanille!" Hope yelled.
"What the hell is that?!" Sazh exclaimed. "Oh, why is it always the bad hunches that turn out to be right?"
"Garuda Interceptor," answered Lightning grimly.
Vanille was now running full-tilt towards the other l'Cie. She grabbed hold of Sazh's arms, spinning behind him. "Help me, help me," she whimpered.
The Interceptor roared at the group. Its unusually shaped wings were a mixture of deep purple, neon blue and black, with yellow runes along the edges marking it as Sanctum. Its tail was neon blue with a grey claw at the end, its body a purple to match its wings with its head a darker shade.
It turned briefly. Make that two heads.
"It has a head on its ass?" Galen looked shocked.
"You don't get out much, do you?" Lightning pursed her lips. "That's a wyvern."
It brought itself low to the ground and spun, its wings kicking up a powerful blitz of air and almost knocking the five l'Cie to the ground as it came back up, back head snarling. Everyone jumped back, the spiked wing tips missing the group by inches.
Lightning skittered gracefully back a few steps and reached inside herself with probing mental fingers, once more seeking that new well of power deep in the centre of her body, and threw out an orb of pure white magic. It hit the Interceptor and it flinched, visibly reeling back and hissing.
"Ruin," Lightning murmured. She'd only ever been in charge of a manadrive with non-elemental magic once, and what she'd managed to cast then was tame compared to what she'd just cast.
Galen learned fast, and was soon casting alongside Lightning as the others focused on elemental attacks. Wherever those pure white orbs of magic hit the bioweapon, they left black scorch-marks on its skin.
The Interceptor swept its wings around once more, still missing. On it went, the Interceptor continuing to blitz the air with its wings and occasionally throwing out basic elemental spells while Lightning and Galen focused on weakening the beast with ruinous magic while Sazh, Vanille and Hope threw spell after spell of elemental magic.
Finally, seemingly having had enough, the bioweapon roared loud enough to be felt underfoot, spinning around and rocketing through the air in seemingly random patterns around the courtyard, breaking more fire crystals as it did so, creating a path to what looked like…
"An airship!" Vanille exclaimed.
"We need to get around this thing!"
But that was the least of Lightning's worries. Her cold cerulean eyes followed the bioweapon around the courtyard, dredging up memories of all the times she'd seen them in the field. It wasn't just any old flight around the yard… "It's charging up."
"Charging?" yelled Sazh. "What're ya talking about, chargin' for what?"
The wyvern's pattern eventually took it to the gap between crystals leading to the airship, briefly coalescing into a ball before spreading its wings once more, a biometric field serving as a shield around the creature glowing electric blue.
"Its last moments." Lightning broke into a sprint across the courtyard to where the wyvern was waiting. After a moment the others joined her.
The biometric field around the beast, Lightning told them, was impervious to physical attacks and took the edge off the magic.
Galen threw out a ruin spell straight for the shield. It seemed to attach itself to the shield, then, after a moment, absorbed into it, and it thinned slightly.
"Hey, Soldier! Think I found a way through this thing!"
Together, the two l'Cie rained ruin spells upon the biometric shield, thinning it bit by bit while the others threw elemental spells of all kinds at it. Just before the shield broke, however, the wyvern flew around once more in a tight circle above them, an electric blue orb forming quickly just underneath its belly.
"Duck!" yelled Lightning. Everyone gathered themselves and, just before the orb crashed down to meet them, dove out of the way. The shock-wave sliced through the ground, knocking Vanille off her feet.
"Vanille!" Hope ran to her side, touched her arm. "You okay?"
Vanille shook her head as if to clear it, dizziness enfolding her. She looked down at her arm and her eyes widened in wonder.
For, wherever Hope touched her, a soft green light emerged just under the skin. Vanille could feel the waves of magic wash over her, and the dizziness she'd felt just a moment ago disappeared as if it was never there. "Hee hee, I'm feeling loads better now, thanks to you!"
Hope looked down at his hands. "Whoa…"
"You're a medic!" Vanille cried happily, rising to her feet and giving Hope her hand. "Come on!"
Together, they pulled all their efforts in with the other three, magic pouring off them and onto the wyvern. Finally the shield broke, and from there the wyvern was soon defeated, falling to the ground with a large thump and promptly dissolving into black ashes.
Everyone except Lightning sighed in relief, putting away their weapons. Vanille looked up and emitted wordless exclamations of delight as she raced ahead again. She bounced on the balls of her feet, pointing excitedly at the abandoned airship which must have been what the soldiers had used to land there. "Check it out!"
"Come on, hop to it, let's go!" called Sazh. Lightning, Hope and Galen trailed after him.
Vanille giggled and clapped her hands together in glee. "This'll make things easier!"
"Yeah, knowin' our luck, it's probably missin' an engine," said Sazh, arms crossed.
"You shouldn't be so negative."
"And you shouldn't get your hopes up."
Lightning trailed behind the others, looking around. The hairs on the nape of her neck and along her arms were still raised, making her feel uneasy. She boarded the unguarded vessel with the others, still nervous.
Even she didn't see a rukh's eyes following the l'Cie's every move, nor hear it spread its wings and take flight.