Disclaimer: All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix
Advent of the Necromancer: Book I
Chronicles of Past and Present
Chapter 19: Halls of Disorder
No equation
To explain the division of the senses
No sound
To reflect the radiance of time
In
the beginningest dream
Halls of disorder
Where we are swept to encircle dawn
Strapped in a little car
Racing through silence
Trumpeting bliss
You can kiss the world goodbye
–Patti Smith–
- - - - - - - - - -
Quistis's Journal Entry
31.05.01 AU
Yesterday, by the time we finished exploring two more stairwells –All leading to a dead end– Irv and Seifer had more than passed the Attack component of the Field Exam. (If this were to be a normal FE, but we all know that it isn't…) The last stairway explored was the worst. As we ascended the stairs, some Blobras oozed their way slowly down towards us. We all knew that physical attacks against such monsters would do very little damage as their gelatinous bodies could easily absorb the impact, so I scanned one to see what elemental would be the most effective. To my great consternation, the spell failed! I told Irv to cast thunder spells while Seifer did fire (for some reason his fire attacks are always very strong), I myself would be casting blizzard. I wanted to see which one would be the most effective, but to our dismay all three caused very little damage to almost no damage. Perplexed, I was going to try an earth based spell, when Seifer –who had run out of patience– just rushed one of the monsters with Hyperion and sliced it through! Irv and I looked at each other, he started to point and shoot Exeter and I cracked Save the Queen at the nearest Blobra.
Once we dispatched all of them (There were quite a few!) we looked at each other panting. For some reason the monster only looked like a Blobra, but was in fact not one… In any case, there was a funny smell coming from Seifer's trenchcoat. When we looked down at the hem we noticed that the part which had slightly touched the monster was beginning to disintegrate and was quickly spreading its way upwards! Without waiting for permission, I grabbed one of the lapels and screamed at Seifer to take it off. Thanks Hyne! he decided not to argue! He shrugged his coat off at once… and not a moment too soon! The whole thing disintegrated before our very eyes! I didn't realize it at the time, but I had a dead grip on Seifer's arm as I saw his coat disappear! Upon closer inspection, we concluded that these particular Blobras exuded a poison that could dissolve organic matter! As it did not affect Hyperion at all, and to my everlasting relief, Save the Queen was also left intact by the contact! (It seems that Malboro tentacles are immune to any poison…)
From that moment on we proceeded up the stairs with absolute caution. Those look-alike Blobras were lethal! Had we even chanced to graze one of them, our fate would've been similar to Seifer's trenchcoat! Of course, Wembley's monster report would not have this information… Although it did refer to mutations of the same monster… In any case, we never expected monsters to look like something we knew and then actually be something completely different!
Irvine shot off a few Buels which had detached themselves from the walls, but to my relief they were just normal Buels… Round and round we ascended the stairway, which became narrower and narrower until only one person could go at a time. Worried about Irvine, who was first, I put my hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to be cautious. He just flashed me that cocky smile of his, but nodded his head, his finger ready on Exeter's trigger. Behind me, I could feel Seifer's tightly clenched muscles as he had plastered his back against mine, guarding the rear, Hyperion's sleek black blade on the ready. I gripped Save the Queen securely in my hand, ready to let it unfurl at the most minute indication of threat.
A couple more Buels –which Irvine easily shot off, and one Forbidden which had crept up the stairs behind us (Seifer dispatched it quickly), we finally reached the end of the stairway. We found ourselves in a narrow rampart that lead to a small turret with very thin slits (It must've been used to shoot arrows during a siege a very long time ago). By looking down, I could see that we were very high up, and from the creeping darkness, that it was already past dusk. As we drew closer to the opening archway of the turret, we found out that it was packed with an entire colony of vicious Red Bats! It was impossible for me to count how many, as they swarmed toward us looking like a huge red cloud, blocking the view of the sky! Before I could even think about summoning Shiva, Tiamat was already out there dishing out his Dark Mega Flare attack.
Afterwards, Irv and I just looked at each other stunned by the incredible power of the attack. Back in Ultimecia's Castle we had tofightTiamat to unseal our abilities …but I don't remember the GF's attacks ever being so powerful as what we had just witnessed. The entire swarm was destroyed in a matter of seconds! We both looked at Seifer who seemed to be as stunned as we were! He just mumbled something about Tiamat wanting to flex his muscles? (What does he mean by this? That Tiamat just came out because it felt like it?).
In any case, apart from the swarm of Red Bats, there was nothing of interest in the turret. Disappointed, we made our way to base camp. Once back, I had almost expected our things to have vanished, or that they would be strewn all over the place, or destroyed…but they were exactly where we had left them, by the broken statue. However, I could not shake off the unsettling feeling of being watched…
Since it was already night time, we decided to set up camp and call it a day. We would be resuming our search on first daylight. After the encounter with the Not-a-Blobra monster, exploring the ruins in pitch darkness with only our flashlights to guide us, would've been rather foolish if not hazardous. We tossed for it and the first watch would be Irvine, then Seifer and lastly me. Even as I'm writing this, I can see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the sky, weak though they are… as if somehow this place is able to diminish them…making them less warm, less bright.
I took advantage of when Seifer shook me awake for my watch, to thank him for his kindness the other day. His only reaction was to raise an eyebrow which I interpreted as confusion, so I clarified and told him that I was thankful he had put me to bed when I had fallen asleep at the desk back in Pistille. He just looked at me, then smirked and replied that he did it, because he didn't want to deal with me being bitchy during the mission! The nerve of the man! He makes me so mad sometimes! Does he have to ridicule everything I say to him! I wanted to yell at him, but restrained myself since I didn't want to wake Irv up. I made up my mind to ignore him, but he grabbed my wrist and told me (Actually it sounded like an order!) not to wander off. I yanked my wrist from his grasp, and didn't even deigned myself to answer him. (Hyne! Who was the SeeD here and who the Cadet!)
Today we shall be taking the final staircase which we know leads to Odin's Chambers. We left it to the last because it's the one that Irv and I are most familiar with, having been here before to explore the ruins. Apart from the strange inscriptions Seifer found yesterday on the first staircase and the strange Not-Blobra monsters, we haven't found anything of real interest. Hopefully, today will be a more fruitful day.
I suggested that we change the order so that I would lead and then either Irv or Seifer bring up the rear. We were going into known territory and I remembered it very well. I felt we could all benefit if I were to be the lead this time. My suggestion was greeted with absolute silence, until Seifer replied, "No can do." Before I could object to his remark, Irvine added casually that the arrangement had worked so well yesterday, why bother changing it today? I didn't really have a good reason unless it was the I-don't-want-to-be-stuck-in the middle kind. I could see in their expression that they knew it too!
As with yesterday, to conserve the battery on my PD I will only leave the microphone on.
…
… static noise …
…
"Hey Quistis, wasn't it on this landing that we were forced to fight the Tonberry King?"
"Uh-huh… Irvine could you move a bit to the side?… Thanks, I think I see something…"
"Sniper-boy, eight o'clock incoming!"
Bang!
"Good shot!"
"What do you guys think?"
Swoosh!… SLASH!
"Huh?… Dunno, Quisty, looks like some kinda material…"
"Yeah, there seems to have been some kinda scuffle that went on…" SLASH! "… By the looks of it… FUCK! TREPE! WATCH OUT!" CLANG! CLANG!
"Ouch! Seifer! Did you have to push me so hard!"
… swoOOSH! "Oh! So sorry to have saved your pretty butt, Trepe!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Guys, like, can I get some backup here?"
…Crack! …SNAP! CRACK!
Swoosh! Slash! … Clang! Swwwoosh! Voosh!
Bang! Bang!
"Wow! Those monsters, like, just came outta nowhere, man!"
… panting…
"Oh, dear! What a mess! In any case we better take this unidentifiable 'thing' with us and have it analysed once we get back to Garden…"
"Quisty, there're fresh bullets buried in this wall, and like they're not mine."
"Can you pry some off?"
"Yeah… Sure!"
"Trepe! Over here!… The panel on this altar has those weird inscriptions we saw before."
"Oh! Let me see! Why is it that I didn't notice them last time?"
"I wasn't there, Trepe, that's why…!"
"Hah! Like, I'd save the effort Almasy, she's like zoned you out…"
"What?"
"Seifer, don't crowd me! Let me… Huh? 'Odin's throne'…? What does it mean?... Aaah, I see!"
SWOosh! "FIRA!" …Slash!
BANG! BANG!
Clang!
"Trepe!" SLASH…swoosh! "Are we ready to move on?" Clang!... "Or you're still ooh-oh-aahing over the pretty pictures?" …Voosh!
"Hyne, Seifer! Do you have to be so impatient! There's some important information to be gleamed from this inscriptions!"
"Yeah!" BANG! bang! "It's like gettin' kinda crowded around here, Quisty!" BANG!
"Let me… 'mechanism …' Oh! I see! 'Beware…?' …Hmm? Okay, all done!"
"Let's go, Trepe! Sniper-boy!"
"Hyne, Seifer! Can you let go my arm?"
"NO!" Clang! …Slash!
Bang! Bang! BANG!
Crack! …"Blizzara!"
"Seifer! Climb onto the altar!"
"WHAT?" …Swoosh! Clang!
Crack! Crack! "Trust me! It's an elevator!"
"Yeah! She's right!"
BANG! BANG!
"Trepe! You first!"
"Eeep! SEIFER! Watch where you put your hands!"
"Hey! Soft!"
…snicker …snicker…
"Oh! Shut-up Irvine!"
…
"PHEW!..."
"Wow! Check out the scorched walls! Hey, Quisty! I don't remember that from last time…"
"Oh, my! There're also signs of a struggle here… See these marks on this blackened wall?"
"Hmm… Trepe, you may be right… But nothin' human could've made those claw marks!"
"Pheeew!… They're, like, humongous!"
"Okay, let's look around and see if we can find more …Oh, goodness! I hope these ashes over here are not what I think they are…!"
"Let's scoop some up for testin' later…"
"Err… You do it, Seifer…"
"What, Instructor? Scared?"
"No! Hardly! It's your Field Exam, remember?"
"Alright! Alright! Don't burst your panties!"
"Seifer! Sometimes you can be so crude!"
"Whatever…"
…
…
"Quisty, I've thoroughly scouted like the west side and found nothin'."
"Me too, I found nothing of interest… How about you, Seifer?"
"Zilch!"
"Hmm… Maybe after the scuffle below, like us they made it to the elevator, got here… Only to be met by a more powerful enemy…"
"You mean, like you're talkin' bout those Centran Agents, right?"
"Uh-huh… At least it would explain the scenario we found below and the one here…"
"Err…Quisty…?"
"Hmm?"
"The bullets I found embedded on the wall? …There're not the standard Centran Military issue… Like, they're not the standard issue anything, y'know? They're like some kinda special bullet type I've never seen before!"
"Great! Sniper-boy here only confirms those assholes had a hidden agenda 'bout this fucking place!"
"You may be right, Seifer… I wonder what it is that they're hiding…?"
"Or tryin' to find, Instructor… And, I'm always right!"
"Irvine, now that I think about it… Why don't you use Diablo's ENC-NONE ability?"
"Like I am!… I was, but somehow it's not workin'!"
"Oh! You mean… All this time you were using it but it didn't …"
"Nope, yesterday and today… Diablo's ENC-NONE didn't do a damned thing!"
"Oh, dear! I wonder what else will not work in this stranger-by-the-second place!"
"Can we cut the chit-chat short? I don't wanna be here just in case whatever left these nice claw marks decides to come back for more souvenirs… Let's go!"
"If I remember correctly, we have to touch the altar for another staircase to appear…"
"Like, what're we waitin' for?"
"Okay, here goes nothing…"
"Oooh! Lookit! Pretty lights and a pretty stairway!"
"Shut up, Seifer!"
…
"So… Here's the demon statue with both jewelled eyes…"
"…Pheeeww!" … "That's one ugly mother-fucker!"
"Yeah! Like you said it, man! Thought so, like, last time too…"
…sigh…
…
"This is the entrance to Odin's Chamber …Door's open…"
"Quisty, we got it opened last time 'member?"
"In any case better be prepared for any contingency… Seifer! What now?"
"Sniper-boy first… He's got the nice shiny shotgun, see?"
…snicker…
…
ROAR!
BANG! "SHIT! SHIT! Ruby Dragon!" BANG!
…SWOOSH! "How the FUCK did it get here!" CLANG!…SLASH!
CRACK! SNAP! "Blizzaga!" CRACK! …"Watch out for its Claw Swipe attack!"
BANG! BANG! "DIABLOS!"
… static…
"WHAT! Why didn't it work?" …Snap! …Crack! "TRIPLE!"
…SWOOSH! …SLASH! "Fuck! This monster's got a real thick hide!"
"Shell! … Shell! … Shell! CAREFUL! It's known to cast Meteor!"
ROAR! …Swipe!
"TREPE! MOVE THE FUCK OUTTA THE WAY!" CLANG! …SWOOSH! VOOSH!
"OW! Protect! …Protect! … Protect!"
"AURA!" …"Move back! I'm gonna shoot this fucker with my Hyper Shot!"
…SWOOSH! "CURAGA!" …SLASH! "Just fuckin' do it Kinneas!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"SHIVA!"
… static…
BANG! BANG! "SHIT! Now's like real mad!"
ROAR! … ROAR!
"WATCH OUT! THAT THING JUST CAST METEOR!"
… … static… …
…pant …"This is…" panting… "…one strong mother-fucker!" …"NO MERCY! … TEMPLAR-FLARE!" …SLASH! …SWIPE! …SWOOSH! SLICE!
"DARK SHOT!" BANG! BANG! BANG! "FUCK! This thing's immune to status attacks!"
"WHITE WIND!"
ROAR! ROAR! …SWIPE!
"QUISTY!"
"TREPE!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"LIFE! Dammit!"
"Ooow! Thanks!" …groan… "Mighty Guard!"
"NO MERCY! …CRUSADER REVENGE!" …SLICE! SLICE! …SWIPE! VOOSH! SLASH!
"EAT THIS! HYPER SHOT!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"I think we got the mother …FUCK! ULTIMA! RUN! RUN FOR COVER!"
"EEEP! SEIFER! Put me DOWN!"
"SHUT UP, TREPE!"
… … static… …
…
- - - - - - - - - -
Quistis's Journal Entry
01.06.01 AU
I never thought I would be greeting the first of June inside Odin's Chamber near the incinerated bodies of two Centran Agents. The bodies are so charred that we can't tell if they are male or female or anything! If what I fear is true, I think the ashes we found below near the scorched walls must belong to the third… Even if they were crack Centran Council agents, they probably never expected to have to fight a Ruby Dragon inside the Ruins! At least I think it was a Ruby Dragon… Although this particular one was specially nasty and incredibly strong! We never bothered scanning it. I suspect that Scan would've failed in any case, like with those pseudo-Blobras we encountered! It disturbs me greatly that the dragon was immune to Diablos' attack, because it's normally one of the best ways to tackle Ruby Dragons… And that unexpected Ultima spell! Ruby Dragons are known to cast Meteor, I've neverever heard of any who can do Ultima… Except for this one. It affected my PD by turning it off! To my utter relief, I was able to turn it back on again… With no data loss! (NOTE: commend Lank and Port for their creation of an indestructible device!)
As for us, I'm glad to report that we're still in one piece. Our clothes, however, were in a terrible condition… Seifer's trenchcoat was dissolved by merely grazing the not-a-Blobra. Irvine's hat and part of his duster was singed by the dragon's Breath attack. (I told him it was better his hat than his head! When I heard him complain…) My jeans (They were my favourite pair!) and my t-shirt were ripped when that horrible monster took a swipe at me from shoulder to thigh! Had I not protected and healed everyone… (including myself) Instead of being knocked out, I would've been knocked off! The Protect spell cushioned a lot of the dragon's blow that I was unable to evade. When I was revived, I felt weak but my blue magic came to the rescue… I was able to cast Mighty Guard on us all, and not a minute too soon! We didn't expect the dragon to cast Ultima! I was grateful that Seifer realized I couldn't possibly run quickly enough, but I wished he'd assisted me in a different manner! (He tossed over on his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes and made a run for it!) As it was, we still caught the tail end of it, and I had to cast White Wind again. I don't know why I have blue magic abilities, but I'm grateful I can summon them in moments of direst need!
Even as I was healing everyone, Irvine shot the dragon again with his Pulse Ammo and Seifer repeated his No Mercy limit break… I was familiar with Fire-Cross, but Hyne! Crusader Revenge is such a devastating attack! It has got to be at the very least ten times more powerful! (And, unlike Fire-Cross, it unleashes bolts of pure non-elemental energy with every single stroke!) I was gathering all of my remaining strength to cast Shockwave Pulsar when the dragon gave a final roar and fell! For some reason the fight with this dragon reminded me of the one we had against Ultimate Weapon! It was almost as strong and its attacks were as devastating! Thanks Hyne that this monster was not as fast and that its Breath attack, although bad, did not resemble Light Pillar! In any case, I do hope that this will be the worst of the monsters around here…
After the fight we scouted the room. I looked over the pictograms that had fascinated me the last time we were here, and asked Irv to take a good picture of them. I was also intrigued to find inscriptions on the stone floor, but I was really too exhausted by the fight to try and decipher anything… Once we determined the room was empty and therefore safe, we decided to rest for a bit just to recuperate from that difficult and strenuous fight. We debated on whether we should return to the base camp below or not. We'd only come up with the minimum: provisions and bedrolls.
I wanted to go back, because the right side of my pants were ripped from the thigh down, and there was a huge tear on my t-shirt which bordered on the indecent! Irv didn't care either way, but Seifer objected by saying that the landing below was probably infested by monsters and that none of us was in good enough shape to go down there and fight another battalion of them just so to get some girlie stuff! (Hyne! Does he have to be so insulting?) When I told him I didn't feel comfortable walking with part of my chest exposed! He just looked me over with mocking green eyes, and told me to put my jacket on!
My face burned with mortification, I'd completely forgotten about it! To cover up I told him it was too warm to have it on. He didn't reply, he just reached over to where I had the jacket tied to my rucksack. Once he had the garment, he shook it open, looked at it critically, and ripped the sleeves! My mouth must've opened and closed, but no sound came out of it. The huge explosion inside my brain muted Irvine's voice. I grabbed Save the Queen ready to give Seifer a scar that would cross the other one he already had… I was so upset! In my fury, I'd forgotten how quick he could be. He had his hands clamped on my arms before I could even think about unfurling my whip! But his chest was there, so I used my fists to pound at it… All he did was tighten his grip and say, "Whoa, Trepe! You wanted to cover yourself, but found your jacket too warm… So I solved your little problem." He brought his face down so that our noses were almost touching, "You should be thanking me, Instructor, instead of throwing a tantrum…" That's when the roar inside my head subsided, and I could hear Irvine asking me to keep calm… I yanked myself out of Seifer's grasp, (Okay, so he let me go!) and bent on the floor to pick up my poor mutilated jacket. I took a deep breath, put it on, and went to sit by Irvine who didn't say a word to me; instead he just put his arm comfortingly around my shoulder. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. Flirt or no flirt, Irv's a good friend.
…
After resting, (I was also back to my calm self) to be on the safe side, I made them each drink an X-Potion. (I've already drank one myself) I always carry a supply in my utility belt during missions. Irv was not too hard to convince, but Seifer… I had to trick him into drinking his… At first, he said in his own inimitable style, "No fucking way!" Even when he saw Irv drink his without protesting, he refused. At my continued insistence, he replied, "I'll do it… If you give me…a reward, Instructor." And smirked at me even as he looked at my lips suggestively. Hyne! I was asking him to drink it for his own damned good!
I ignored Irvine's loud chuckle, and leaned close to Seifer. The three of us were resting against the wall, so all I had to do was place a hand on his shoulder and raise myself on my knees to whisper suggestively in his ear, "Close your eyes and I'll give you something good…" I saw his eyes widen (Humph! I bet he wasn't expecting that!), then looking at me suspiciously he closed them. (I could feel Irvine's amusement!) After our little heated session at the hotel lobby in Pistille, I knew Seifer wouldn't think a peck on the lips 'rewarding' enough, so I caressed his squarish jaw softly (It felt a bit rough because of the stubble) and murmured very close to his lips, "Open your mouth…" And when he did, I pinched his nose, hard, and poured the X-Potion down his throat! After that, and with Irvine laughing his head off, I scooted myself out of harm's way!
Of course Seifer spluttered and of course he choked! But he had swallowed most of the potion! He promised me all manner of punishment, but I ignored him. I had finally scored one point in my favour! I felt good!
Feeling victorious, I decided to look at the inscriptions on the floor first. They were located on the exact same place where Odin had been standing as he waited for us to try and best him. Strange I hadn't noticed them the first time I was here, but then I was more worried about the threat of the sorceress… In any case, this time around they seemed to glow faintly in the falling darkness. I could see through the cracks on the chamber's stained glass windows that it was already past dusk. I asked Irvine to come over and take a picture of them:
'Impia tortorum longos hic turba furores'
'Sanguinis innocui, non satiata, aluit'
I was amazed at how clear they were! Of course, these inscriptions were not as ancient as the ones we found on the final landing of the easternmost stairway. They were probably carved onto the stone around the same time as the pictograms on the walls. As expected, Irv and Seifer were impatient to know what the inscriptions were saying. I'm not much of an expert on the old Centran languages, but these inscriptions were not as difficult to decipher as the first and second set… I told them that they seemed to be more of a warning than an incantation, something about 'unholytorturers' maybe 'eating?''the innocent?' I was not sure if it meant 'blood' or 'artery' and 'wanting more?', perhaps my translation left a lot to be desired, but we all got the gruesome picture… Even as I was trying to make out the inscription, I was very tempted to touch the words… They seemed to be whispering to me, asking me to touch them…
In slow motion, as if guided by a will not my own, my hand just hovered over the word 'innocui'. It glowed brighter than the others. My fingers went unerringly to that word and touched it… All of a sudden the stone floor began to shake, and the roof seemed about to collapse on us when a huge gaping hole opened up on the floor. I would've fallen had Irvine not lunged forward and pulled me away from the widening gap. On the alert now, the three of us waited for anything threatening to emerge from that hole on the ground, but nothing came out. We stood and listened, but we heard nothing except silence. I knew without even looking at Seifer that he was furious at me. (I've noticed that when he's angry his eyes become a glittering emerald green, and the scar on his forehead looks more prominent…)
Upon closer inspection, we realized that the gaping hole was really a spiral staircase leading to who knows where! Curious now, I wanted to keep on going, but to my utter disbelief both Seifer and Irvine outvoted me and decided that it was best to set up camp in Odin's Chamber. (Since when have they become so cautious!) In the end, I realized I was too exhausted to argue with them, so we decided on the same rotation as yesterday. Irvine would have first watch, Seifer next and me last.
…
Next time I'm suggesting that we change the roster! I will go first, Irv second and Seifer last! Just like yesterday, when it was my turn, Seifer shook me awake. Still hazy with sleep I was only vaguely aware that he was helping me to my feet… It was only when he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist that my mind began to clear, but even as I realized his intent, it was already too late. He'd already positioned my head with his other hand and his mouth was swiftly covering mine. I felt his tongue gently coaxing my lips to open… I must've sighed in response, because he seized the moment to sink his tongue deep inside my mouth… Hyne! He tasted so good! His kiss was hard, demanding. With my whole body on fire and my senses in a complete state of disarray, I didn't realize I was standing on tiptoes with both my arms around his neck until he released my lips and lifted his head. Still in a daze from his passionate kiss, I could only stare at his face. Slowly he bent his head again until I felt his lips kiss my neck softly, sending shivers up and down my spine. He must've felt the tremors, because his hands had somehow found their way beneath my jacket, my t-shirt… He nipped my earlobe with his sharp teeth before whispering huskily in my ear, "Thanks for the reward… Instructor."
Thatdefinitely cleared my mind! Incredibly embarrassed, I tried to push him away, darting a quick look at Irvine's sleeping form (Thanks Hyne Irv's a deep sleeper!), but Seifer, that arrogant jerk! wouldn't budge. "That was my reward," he told me softly, "This is payback…" After saying that, he dipped his head and seized my lips roughly in a mind-shattering kiss that turned all my bones into liquid fire. Those wicked hands of his were not idle either! When he lifted his head, my entire body was humming, and I could feel my heart pounding like crazy inside the confines of its ribcage! Had he not been holding me, I think I would've fallen… (Dammit! Why do I allow this man to kiss me senseless!)
I suddenly realized that a monster could've attacked us and I wouldn't have known! Coming to my senses, I glared at him. Had Irvine not been there sleeping peacefully I would've yelled at him! Oh! How I wanted to! By the knowing look on his face and the smirk on his lips, he knew it too… This time, when I pushed him, he released me. Cool as anything, as if nothing had happened, he told me before going hitting his bedroll not to wander off! (Oooh! He makes me sooo mad!)
…
It's almost time to set out again.
I know that we'll find answers down that stairwell. Something in here is making monsters mutate… or is creating new ones but giving them the appearance of known monsters…! More than ever, I feel the need to get to the bottom of this (no pun intended), because whatever strange force is being awakened here, will definitely pose a threat not only to Edea's House, but to the whole of the Centra continent as well… and perhaps by extension, to us all…
I'm not sure how many more days we'll be in this mission, and the battery is beginning to run low so I think I will turn my PD completely off and resume recording or writing my journal whenever I can… I've noticed that even with only the microphone function on, this device still consumes quite a bit of battery… Hyne! I miss my laptop! Thanks goodness I had Irvine's PD outfitted for special infrared image taking as he's quite a keen photographer … I've asked Seifer to keep a copy of Wembley's files in his, just in case my unit dies… If only he could comply with other requests as easily…
- - - - - - - - - -
Quistis's Journal Entry
03.06.01 AU
Hyne! Has it been really been that long? I need to retrace my steps now. It was the first of June when we descended those spiral stairs that had suddenly appeared in Odin's Chamber. I was first, followed by Seifer (Surprised me he would consent to be in the middle, after all the fuzz he put up!), then Irvine came bringing up the rear. And no, we didn't 'discuss' anything… I just took to the stairs, and said to them, "Let's go!" They had no choice but to follow.
The steps, which were already quite narrow to begin with, became even narrower as we went down, to the point that if I stretched my elbows they would be grazing the smooth stone walls. It couldn't have been too comfortable for Irv and Seifer, being both taller and wider than I am. As we continued descending, the roof became closer and closer, so that if Seifer were to raise his hand he could touch the roof with his palm… I don't know how long we kept on going down, I lost track of time. (Our chronos had been a casualty of our fight with the unusual Ruby Dragon) No one said anything, we were all too tense not knowing what we would find or where we were heading…
Perhaps at another time, in another place, I might've complained about having Seifer following me almost plastered to my back, the glint of Hyperion's blade looming menacingly before me… But the feel of his muscles, hard and warm… Somehow comforted me in the midst of the pitch darkness that surrounded us…
We kept on going down the unlit stairs with only the weak light of my flashlight to guide us through. (We had lost whatever natural light we had, many many steps ago…) In a rare moment of unanimous agreement, we decided to conserve power by using one flashlight at a time… From the little that I could see and the very stillness of the air, we were probably the first to use these steps for a long time, perhaps even a millennia or two?… Our downwards descent seemed to last forever… Fortunately, we encountered no monsters but I could sense Seifer's impatience, because it echoed my own! I wanted to get to the end of these neverending stairs! With that in mind, I tried to pick-up our downward pace, but to my astonishment Seifer grabbed my elbow and wouldn't let me!
After what seemed like forever, we finally hit even ground, but the passageway that loomed before us was as narrow as the steps. I flashed my light at the walls and again found them to be smooth, no inscriptions, nothing – Just plain rock. All we heard was the sound of our own breathing and our boots as they crunched the hard stone floor beneath us. Again, no idea how long we traversed the long passageway that seemed to stretch endlessly like the stairs, but I was getting tired and dehydrated. We had taken no breaks to rest, not even to have a drink of water…somehow it felt wrong to stop in the middle of this long and narrow passageway surrounded by the most oppressive pitch darkness. We could be a hundred feet under or still above the surface –Odin's Chamber was located on the third level, but I think we've gone down much more than that…
Now that I stop and think about it, the passageway reminds me of a very narrow version of the Tomb of the Unknown King, except I don't believe we were in a maze. There were no openings to the left or to the right, just the straight and narrow corridor. And no monsters whatsoever. I know that after a while, both Seifer and Irvine had relaxed their guard. In the corridor, like in the stairs, there was an air of stillness …as if nothing had moved in there for a very long time. I confess I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I saw a faint light gleaming from afar, perhaps as far as fifteen to twenty yards away. Picking up the pace, I wanted to get there as quickly as possible only to be stopped again by Seifer's grip on my upper arm. Frowning, I looked up at him, but he was looking straight ahead at the source of the dim light. Knowing from experience that yanking my arm would get me nowhere, I elbowed his gut to signal that he release me. Looking behind him, I saw that Irvine was once again on the alert, Exeter on the ready. Still looking ahead, Seifer released my arm but not before he tightened his grip in silent caution. Once again I saw Hyperion looming before me… As a sign that I understood his warning, I grabbed Save the Queen from where I had it clinched and felt its familiar weight in my hand, ready to unfurl.
Armed and on the ready, the three of us approached the source of the light cautiously.
As we got closer, I could see that the light streaming out of the room had a bluish tinge to it and illuminated the curved archway entrance. Remembering our unexpected encounter with the Ruby Dragon, I looked once again behind me to make sure everyone was on the ready. Seifer's attention was already focused toward the entryway, his eyes reflecting the bluish light. Behind him Irvine nodded at me, his finger already on Exeter's trigger while his other hand held up the shotgun's barrel. I unfurled Save the Queen and rushed into the room ready for anything. I was not surprise to find Seifer and Irvine right next to me with their weapons pointing towards the source of the light… Except that the room was empty!
I can't say I was disappointed to find nothing. (Parts of me were even relieved!) Seifer and Irvine scanned the room before lowering their weapons. As for me, …I couldn't take my eyes off the light itself. It emanated from a circle placed in the middle of a large circular room with a very high domed ceiling. There were very strange glyphs inscribed within the square inside the circle. There were four glyphs. One glyph on each of the square's corner. It was a strange sight: A square within a circle placed within a circle of stone. I could feel them whispering inside my mind… just like the glowing inscriptions in Odin's Chamber. Unintentionally, I took a step towards that radiant light, but the firm hand that grasped my elbow stopped me. It was Irvine. He looked at me and shook his head silently, before releasing my arm. I understood. I had almost succumbed to the lure of the glowing symbols. Again.
It took me an enormous mental effort, but I forced myself to look away from the strange glyphs only to encounter the jolt of Seifer's eyes across the circle of light. He was regarding me with a watchful look on his face. Looking away from the silent warning in his eyes, I scanned the circular structure. The room itself was constructed with the same smooth stone that characterized both the passageway and the stairs. I looked up at the domed ceiling and wondered why anyone would bother building such an elaborate roof over this windowless room. From the looks of things we were at a dead end. The entryway seemed to be the only means to enter and exit the room. I signalled Irvine and Seifer to explore the smooth surface of the room's wall in the hopes of perhaps finding some hidden mechanism that might trigger a hidden door. But it was to no avail, we found nothing unusual… Except for that circle of light…
Strangely enough, the unsettling sensation of being watched, which has dogged me throughout this entire mission, was somehow dissipated in this room. Perhaps because the whispering inside my head was growing louder; although I've tried my best to ignore it… We had finally decided to rest inside this room illuminated by the eerie light of the glyph circle. After sharing a very sparse meal of water and power-bars, I suggested that we call it a day and try to get some sleep. I offered to do the first watch and could sense Seifer staring at me with very cool and assessing eyes, as if trying to measure the trustworthiness of my words. Even as I walked around the room, I could feel his gaze following me. Annoyed, I raised an eyebrow at him and looked pointedly at Irvine who had promptly rolled out his mattress and was already fast asleep, with Exeter cradled in his arms. Seifer just shrugged and to my alarm stood up and slowly walked towards me.
At this unexpected action I couldn't help but remember the last time he'd kissed me senseless. However, not wishing to look like a coward I stood my ground and waited for him to approach me. He stopped only a couple of inches away to ask me softly, "What's bothering you, Trepe?" He'd folded his arms over his chest. With Hyperion securely holstered to his right hip for easy access (Although I know he's taught himself to be ambidextrous), I wondered if he knew how intimidating he could seem to other people. (What am I asking, of course he did!) He looked directly at me and then gazed at the circle of light. I realized at that moment that he knew! He knew that I was tempted beyond reason to step into the centre of the glowing circle! Those insistent voices kept calling me, they were almost becoming too hard to resist! Not knowing what to say, I just shook my head at him and looked towards the bluish light. It was beckoning to me…
I felt his arm go around my waist, (I guess I'm more than passing familiar with the feel of it by now…) I half expected him to try and kiss me senseless again, but he surprised me once more by cradling my head in his hand and making it rest on the crook of his shoulder. Was Seifer offering to comfort me? How odd is that? Once again, my body disregarded the doubts in my mind and sank into his arms… Did I feel a feather caress on the top of my head? I was more confused than ever now… And like the time we descended the staircase, I felt myself comforted by his nearness and by the steady sound of his heartbeat.
After a while, I lifted my head from his shoulder, and gently pushed him away. Smiling up at him, I raised myself on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips which made him widen his eyes at me. I guess I managed to surprise him… I told him softly that I was alright and that he should be getting some sleep. I must've laid his suspicions to rest, because this time he unfolded his bedroll without any objections and went to sleep. I waited a long time to insure myself that Seifer was fast asleep. Once I heard his steady breathing echoing Irvine's, I knew it would be my only chance to step into the light…
As I drew closer, the light's bluish tinge became more intense, I was about to step into the circle when I felt a hand grab me and quickly turn me around. I was staring into Seifer's angry eyes, "What are you trying to do, Instructor?" He asked me menacingly. I tried to shrugged him off, but of course to no avail, he was unmovable. "You don't understand!" I hissed at him. "Try me," He replied. I decided to look elsewhere and not bother to answer him… I should've known better than to try that with him! I must've let out a loud gasp when he lifted and carried me to his bedroll. I squirmed to make him release me, but he just tightened his hold on me until I felt like my breath was being gradually squeezed away.
"Trepe, we'll stay like this until you tell me what the fuck is goin' on!" He threatened, but I replied that his arms would tire way before that. In reply, he just smirked and squatted down. I wasn't sure about his intentions when he threw me onto his bedroll! I was still trying to regain my breath, when I felt his body on top of mine pinning me to his sleeping mat! With my wrists securely imprisoned in each of his hands, he brought his face down to mine and said, "Believe me, I'll enjoy the wait more than you, Trepe!" I looked over to where Irv was sleeping, thinking inconsequently that he really did sleep like a log… Looking up into Seifer's face, I struggled furiously trying to push him off me. In retaliation, he just tightened his hold and whispered in my ear, "If you don't stop your squirmin', Instructor, I might have to teach you somethin' about how a guy's anatomy works…" To prove his point he parted my legs with his… Even through the layers of my thick jeans and his I could feel that he was getting aroused. I stopped moving immediately, "Good girl!" He murmured softly.
I tried to reason with him, "Seifer, you don't understand… They're calling me…" The voices had become even more insistent.
"Who's calling you?" He looked down at me, and to my surprise gently kissed my brow.
"The voices, they keep telling me that I have to activate the circle…"
"Why?"
"I-I don't know, but i-it's important… Don't you get it?" I didn't understand why, but I was crying, tears were rolling down my cheeks and onto Seifer's bedroll. The voices inside my head were becoming more urgent. Deep inside I felt something cataclysmic was about to happen.
"Quistis… What the fuck is going on? You're not being yourself…"
"You have to let me step into the circle! IT'S IMPORTANT!" I yelled, I didn't care if I woke Irvine up or not. Of course I woke him up and he saw Seifer lying on top of me holding down my wrists. I was stunned when all Irvine did was look at us curiously while rubbing his eyes. All he said was, "S'up guys?" Seifer got off me, but kept one of my wrists imprisoned in his hand. "I dunno Kinneas, why don't you ask her?" Irvine looked at me and must've noticed the wet tracks on my face left by my tears, plus the fact that I was still crying. "Quisty?" I guess he'd never seen me in tears before.
"T-Tell him Irvine! T-Tell him to let me go! I need to step into that circle!" I tried to wrestle my wrist from Seifer's grasp and make a run for it, but it was impossible to have him let go. "D-Don't you understand" I found myself yelling at both of them now, "So-something… Something horrible is about to happen!" Without realizing it, I was hitting Seifer's chest with both of my fists. I was so far gone that I didn't notice that once again he'd enfolded me in his arms, and tried to offer me comfort. I forced myself to relax in his arms, and somehow managed to stem the flow of my tears by taking very deep breaths. The voices inside my head were somehow ruthlessly stripping me of all the control I had over my emotions. Part of me knew that Irvine was shocked to see me act so hysterically. When I finally felt Seifer loosen his hold on me, I pushed him away with all my strength and made a run for it. As I found myself engulfed in the circle of blue light I could still hear the two of them screaming my name…
§ § §
To be continued…