Whew! Again, I've taken soooooooo long to update, but this time, it ain't my fault as it was because of my school exams (School Sucks total ass!) but since they're finished now, I can work on this more, cause I want to get it finished! This is taking much longer than I expected, and yesterday, I got a brilliant idea….. for a sequel! Man, I ain't even finished part one yet! N e ways, on with the chapter!
CHAPTER 14: The Race To Memoria
Vivi sighed as he looked over the side of the Red Rose, as they were now heading for Lindblum to ask if Cid and Hilda knew what was going on with Zeon, and if they could help them find him. He could not stop thinking about how Eiko was doing, and how powerless he was to stop Zeon from taking her in the Endless Cave Of Evil. He shut his eyes tightly as he gritted his teeth and growled at himself, forcing a tear out from his left eye.
'Eiko…..please be okay…. I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to you…..or our child…..' he thought as he slowly looked down at ship's hard, wooden floor. '…..I feel so useless….. I couldn't do anything when you were unconscious in the cave……I couldn't do anything!' he suddenly felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, to see that it was Dagger, with a sympathetic look on her face.
" Don't worry Vivi…. We will get Eiko back safe and sound as soon as we find out where he is hiding…." Vivi gave her a small smile, but with sadness still in his eyes.
"It's all my fault Dagger…..If only I had stopped him on board the Airship… then he wouldn't have taken her away from me…."
" Vivi… it's not your fault…. He's too strong for you to take on alone….."
" But it is my fault!" he exclaimed. "He took her away to get back at me for sealing Ozma! I'm the reason she's in captivity with some psychopath! I'm the reason she and our child are in serious danger! I'm the reason that many mages lost their lives in the destruction of the Black Mage Village!"
"Vivi, listen to me, you are not to blame for all of this." Dagger said sternly, looking into his eyes. "If you hadn't sealed Ozma, then he'd still be around now, terrorising Gaia with his evil powers. You and Zidane did it so that the people of Gaia were protected from him and so he couldn't hurt anyone else. How were you to know about all this what's happening? Trust me Vivi, it's not your fault."
Vivi looked at Dagger with a thoughtful face. She was right, he and Zidane did do it so that Ozma couldn't use his powers to hurt the people of Gaia, and how were he to know that some evil mage follower were to take his wife and try to bring Ozma back? He sighed and gave Dagger a small smile.
"Thanks Dagger." He said softly, and gave her a small hug.
" It's OK." She said, returning the hug. " A good bet to where he's hiding is the Iifa Tree…. Because strange sightings have been seen there…."
" Yeah"…..Vivi agreed " But let's hear what the Regent has to say… because he sent soldiers to scout the tree and they might have news…." Just then, Zidane came over and gave Vivi a joke death stare.
"Hey, are you trying to take my beloved Dagger away?" he said jokingly. Vivi gave a small laugh as he let go of Dagger and she ran up to Zidane and kissed him.
" We nearly at Lindblum yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, just about a few minutes away." Zidane replied. He then looked at Vivi, who gave Zidane a small smile and then looked out at the sky above them.
"Just you wait Zeon, just you wait………"
"At last, I finally have the Lucifer's staff!" Zeon laughed as he held it high in the air. "At last, I can finally summon my master back from his prison in the other Dimension!" He then reached for a tattered scroll on a perch above him, and unrolled it carefully.
" Hahhahaha….. these are the words to complete the spell…" Suddenly, Eiko then woke up, her hands tied behind her back.
"Where….I'm still here?!?" she said whilst looking around. She hadn't remembered what happened after Zeon had put her to sleep.
" Ah…. How nice to see you have woke up in time to see the release of my master……" He then advanced towards her menacingly, his eyes burning like hells hottest flame.
"Ahh! Stay away from me!" she screamed, and struggled to get up and run, but couldn't due to her arms and legs being tied. With an evil smirk, he yanked her off the floor by her hair, and got her to her feet. He untied the rope on her feet, but held a rusty dagger at her throat.
"You're going to walk with me up these stairs, but if you make one attempt to escape, I will not hesitate to kill you…." He hissed. Eiko then started to walk helplessly where she was instructed, with the dagger being held at the back of her throat. She tried to think of her beloved Vivi coming to rescue her, but her thoughts were kept being interrupted by the eerie noised around her, and Zeon's evil laughter from behind her. She looked up and saw that the stair case led a long way up, up to an platform with an altar. Up there, there was a gap in the ceiling, so she could see the red sky and the storm clouds swirling around the altar. She sighed and looked down, to see a boiling lake of lava below them.
" Hahahaha….. not long now before chaos and destruction will once again be brought to Gaia……" Zeon cackled. Eiko sighed, not really hearing him, as she thought
'You guys…..Vivi…..Hurry up…'
The Red Rose had just reached Lindblum, and the group were being led up to the Royal Chambers by the palace guards. After a short walk, they reached the throne room, and found Cid and Hilda there.
" Why, hello everyone!" greeted Hilda, as she got up with Cid to talk to the group.
" Did you get that evil staff?" Cid questioned. Vivi just stood there in total silence.
"…..he's got it." Zidane replied blankly. Cid sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling.
" This presents a big problem." He said quietly.
" I know. With that staff, he can bring Ozma back to Gaia. Uncle, is there any source telling us where he could be hiding? How about the Iifa Tree? Weird sightings have been seen there……." Dagger asked.
" I'm afraid not, Garnet, no kind of source has given us an idea where he could be….. and the soldiers that scouted the Iifa Tree said they haven't seen anything there but changes in the weather… I'm guessing it's the place where a lot of energy is gathered…." Cid was cut off by Quina moaning about his/her live snack escaping by jumping out the castle window.
"No! I no can get them anywhere but that place above the big tree, and we no can go there for long time!"
"Quina, that's it!" Vivi suddenly yelled.
" What it?" Quina asked with a very puzzled look.
" That place above the big tree…. Memoria! It has lots of energy there! That must be where he is!"
" Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Zidane said whilst scratching his head. He then turned to the group.
" Ok everyone, we are heading to the Memoria, Let's go!" He went to run out the door when Dagger grabbed his arm.
"Wait….. what if we're wrong? What if it's not the Memoria?"
" Then we'll keep searching!" Zidane said with a smile. " Besides, I'm pretty sure it's there now. Why, the entrance to Memoria was there! I think it's a pretty safe bet."
" I'll send Battle Airships to Memoria when you give us a signal through the Red Rose." Cid suggested. "We will fire as soon as Eiko is safe."
" Good idea" Freya said " We'll need all the help we can get."
"Yeah…." Vivi said quietly " Cause this will be our hardest battle for Gaia yet."
" Ok, let's go!!" Zidane yelled and ran out the door, followed by the rest of the group, towards the Red Rose, which took off as soon as everyone was on board. Cid and Hilda watched the ship take off from the window.
" Vivi's right, this will be their hardest battle yet….." Cid muttered as he put one arm around Hilda shoulders and sighed.
"Good luck everyone……" Hilda said quietly " The future of Gaia depends on you……"
Next chapter will be up soon, and I mean it this time, since I've got no crappy school stuff to worry about!
Please read and review! ^_^
CHAPTER 14: The Race To Memoria
Vivi sighed as he looked over the side of the Red Rose, as they were now heading for Lindblum to ask if Cid and Hilda knew what was going on with Zeon, and if they could help them find him. He could not stop thinking about how Eiko was doing, and how powerless he was to stop Zeon from taking her in the Endless Cave Of Evil. He shut his eyes tightly as he gritted his teeth and growled at himself, forcing a tear out from his left eye.
'Eiko…..please be okay…. I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to you…..or our child…..' he thought as he slowly looked down at ship's hard, wooden floor. '…..I feel so useless….. I couldn't do anything when you were unconscious in the cave……I couldn't do anything!' he suddenly felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, to see that it was Dagger, with a sympathetic look on her face.
" Don't worry Vivi…. We will get Eiko back safe and sound as soon as we find out where he is hiding…." Vivi gave her a small smile, but with sadness still in his eyes.
"It's all my fault Dagger…..If only I had stopped him on board the Airship… then he wouldn't have taken her away from me…."
" Vivi… it's not your fault…. He's too strong for you to take on alone….."
" But it is my fault!" he exclaimed. "He took her away to get back at me for sealing Ozma! I'm the reason she's in captivity with some psychopath! I'm the reason she and our child are in serious danger! I'm the reason that many mages lost their lives in the destruction of the Black Mage Village!"
"Vivi, listen to me, you are not to blame for all of this." Dagger said sternly, looking into his eyes. "If you hadn't sealed Ozma, then he'd still be around now, terrorising Gaia with his evil powers. You and Zidane did it so that the people of Gaia were protected from him and so he couldn't hurt anyone else. How were you to know about all this what's happening? Trust me Vivi, it's not your fault."
Vivi looked at Dagger with a thoughtful face. She was right, he and Zidane did do it so that Ozma couldn't use his powers to hurt the people of Gaia, and how were he to know that some evil mage follower were to take his wife and try to bring Ozma back? He sighed and gave Dagger a small smile.
"Thanks Dagger." He said softly, and gave her a small hug.
" It's OK." She said, returning the hug. " A good bet to where he's hiding is the Iifa Tree…. Because strange sightings have been seen there…."
" Yeah"…..Vivi agreed " But let's hear what the Regent has to say… because he sent soldiers to scout the tree and they might have news…." Just then, Zidane came over and gave Vivi a joke death stare.
"Hey, are you trying to take my beloved Dagger away?" he said jokingly. Vivi gave a small laugh as he let go of Dagger and she ran up to Zidane and kissed him.
" We nearly at Lindblum yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, just about a few minutes away." Zidane replied. He then looked at Vivi, who gave Zidane a small smile and then looked out at the sky above them.
"Just you wait Zeon, just you wait………"
"At last, I finally have the Lucifer's staff!" Zeon laughed as he held it high in the air. "At last, I can finally summon my master back from his prison in the other Dimension!" He then reached for a tattered scroll on a perch above him, and unrolled it carefully.
" Hahhahaha….. these are the words to complete the spell…" Suddenly, Eiko then woke up, her hands tied behind her back.
"Where….I'm still here?!?" she said whilst looking around. She hadn't remembered what happened after Zeon had put her to sleep.
" Ah…. How nice to see you have woke up in time to see the release of my master……" He then advanced towards her menacingly, his eyes burning like hells hottest flame.
"Ahh! Stay away from me!" she screamed, and struggled to get up and run, but couldn't due to her arms and legs being tied. With an evil smirk, he yanked her off the floor by her hair, and got her to her feet. He untied the rope on her feet, but held a rusty dagger at her throat.
"You're going to walk with me up these stairs, but if you make one attempt to escape, I will not hesitate to kill you…." He hissed. Eiko then started to walk helplessly where she was instructed, with the dagger being held at the back of her throat. She tried to think of her beloved Vivi coming to rescue her, but her thoughts were kept being interrupted by the eerie noised around her, and Zeon's evil laughter from behind her. She looked up and saw that the stair case led a long way up, up to an platform with an altar. Up there, there was a gap in the ceiling, so she could see the red sky and the storm clouds swirling around the altar. She sighed and looked down, to see a boiling lake of lava below them.
" Hahahaha….. not long now before chaos and destruction will once again be brought to Gaia……" Zeon cackled. Eiko sighed, not really hearing him, as she thought
'You guys…..Vivi…..Hurry up…'
The Red Rose had just reached Lindblum, and the group were being led up to the Royal Chambers by the palace guards. After a short walk, they reached the throne room, and found Cid and Hilda there.
" Why, hello everyone!" greeted Hilda, as she got up with Cid to talk to the group.
" Did you get that evil staff?" Cid questioned. Vivi just stood there in total silence.
"…..he's got it." Zidane replied blankly. Cid sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling.
" This presents a big problem." He said quietly.
" I know. With that staff, he can bring Ozma back to Gaia. Uncle, is there any source telling us where he could be hiding? How about the Iifa Tree? Weird sightings have been seen there……." Dagger asked.
" I'm afraid not, Garnet, no kind of source has given us an idea where he could be….. and the soldiers that scouted the Iifa Tree said they haven't seen anything there but changes in the weather… I'm guessing it's the place where a lot of energy is gathered…." Cid was cut off by Quina moaning about his/her live snack escaping by jumping out the castle window.
"No! I no can get them anywhere but that place above the big tree, and we no can go there for long time!"
"Quina, that's it!" Vivi suddenly yelled.
" What it?" Quina asked with a very puzzled look.
" That place above the big tree…. Memoria! It has lots of energy there! That must be where he is!"
" Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Zidane said whilst scratching his head. He then turned to the group.
" Ok everyone, we are heading to the Memoria, Let's go!" He went to run out the door when Dagger grabbed his arm.
"Wait….. what if we're wrong? What if it's not the Memoria?"
" Then we'll keep searching!" Zidane said with a smile. " Besides, I'm pretty sure it's there now. Why, the entrance to Memoria was there! I think it's a pretty safe bet."
" I'll send Battle Airships to Memoria when you give us a signal through the Red Rose." Cid suggested. "We will fire as soon as Eiko is safe."
" Good idea" Freya said " We'll need all the help we can get."
"Yeah…." Vivi said quietly " Cause this will be our hardest battle for Gaia yet."
" Ok, let's go!!" Zidane yelled and ran out the door, followed by the rest of the group, towards the Red Rose, which took off as soon as everyone was on board. Cid and Hilda watched the ship take off from the window.
" Vivi's right, this will be their hardest battle yet….." Cid muttered as he put one arm around Hilda shoulders and sighed.
"Good luck everyone……" Hilda said quietly " The future of Gaia depends on you……"
Next chapter will be up soon, and I mean it this time, since I've got no crappy school stuff to worry about!
Please read and review! ^_^