Tower of Madness: Terra vs. Akumu
If a random citizen of Narche happened to walk into a certain cave at this time, he would've found a young blond woman lying on a raised ledge, tossing and turning in her sleep. Like any normal person he would no doubt try to wake the girl; however, his efforts would prove to be futile. The blond would not wake, no matter what he tried. From her struggles he would no doubt conclude that she was having a nightmare, and he would no doubt conclude that she would be fine, so long as she didn't get sick. After all, a dream is merely a dream; no matter how terrifying it may be, a nightmare can't hurt you, right?
-8-
Terra jumped back, feeling the tower quiver beneath her feet as Akumu slammed her fist into the stone. That was Sabin's Pummel! She thought as the remnant pried her hand free and lunged once again. Terra sidestepped another Pummel, firing twin bolts of lightning from her palms. The searing beams danced across the esper's black fur, causing it to stand on end.
"Ah, no!" She cried backing away. Terra kept up the pressure, laying down a constant stream. "No, please…!" Akumu pleaded, shaking. "Please stop, it tickles!" She laughed, shrugging off the magic as though it was an irksome fly. "My turn…"
Not good, it was only level two, but she brushed it aside like it was nothing… Terra thought as Akumu pointed one finger at her.
"Bang!"
Terra dove to the left as a lightning spell incinerated the spot where she had stood only seconds before. Akumu fired again and again, laughing like a maniac.
"Do you know how Kefka gave me all your friend's powers?" She asked, ignoring the fact that Terra was too busy dodging lightning bolts to answer, "It's for the same reason you can use magic in this dream-world: I have some of their memories… So you see I am Relm, Shadow, Edgar, or Celes. You're fighting all of your friends Terra, how does it feel?"
Terra didn't answer, not because she couldn't, but because she was too busy watching her opponent. She was in combat mode, gauging her power and searching for a chink in her enemy's defense. She found Akumu's weaknesses soon enough: She was arrogant, and had no true fighting experience. She believed that she was invincible, that Terra couldn't lay a hand on her.
Well we'll see, won't we? Terra thought diving beneath another blast. She was fervently grateful to all the time spent battling monsters; Cyan and Sabin had often used the opportunity to train her, 'there is no substitute for experience' they said. Now it's time to use that experience. Akumu was obviously having fun watching her dance, so Terra decided to use that; she kept bobbing, weaving, and rolling between deadly electric strikes, all the while slowly moving closer to the source…
The source in question was having the time of her life, cackling madly as she fired bolt after bolt. "You know, this reminds me of a funny rhyme Kefka made up!" She said, sending out another blast, "What was it…? Oh yeah! Run, run, run or you'll be well done!"
Terra ignored her focusing instead on the magical arcs that were threatening to fry her. Akumu continued her maniac chanting, too lost in her revels to notice how little distance was remaining between them.
"Run, run, run or you'll be well done! Run, run, run or you'll be well done! Run, run, run or you'll be well do-!" The remnant stopped in mid laugh as her clawed hand was knocked aside, blue sparks still dancing at her fingertips. Terra decided to savor the look of pure shock that transformed the esper's face, as she slapped one palm over her mouth.
"You talk too much." She smirked. Akumu didn't have time to blink before she was engulfed in bright orange flames, "Fire, level three!"
The beam carved a smoking trench in the tower roof before flying into empty space, and detonating with enough force to blow Terra's bangs back. She waited with baited breath as Akumu emerged, steaming, from the devastation. The black vapors lent her a positively terrifying appearance against the red sun.
"So you do have some fight in you after all!" She snapped, floating in midair, "That was clever, closing in on me like that, you see you actually hurt me. I'll have to thank Kefka for the Cure spell."
So she knows Cure too… Terra thought as Akumu 'walked' back onto the tower. Now what? It can't come down to a direct contest of energy between us, she'll annihilate me…
"That's right." Akumu muttered, twirling a lock of her dark mane, "I have more than a little of you in me, and plenty of the rest of your friends. I know what you're thinking… You're trying to come up with a way to win. I know how all of you think…"
Will someone shut her up! Terra chanted a quick poison spell under her breath. Akumu shook her head smugly as the green mist appeared around her.
"Don't waste your power."
Terra slumped as Silence, Imp, and Slow produced similar results.
"Oh please, surely you can do better than that! Maybe you just need time to think…" The remnant considered the statement for a moment, and then popped her knuckles, "Take five; you have until I reach the count of five to come up with something, so start thinking! One!"
Terra gulped, thinking fast, I can't fight her head on she's way too strong…
"Two!"
The debilitating spells don't work either…
"Three!"
On top of that she knows all our moves…
"Four…"
So the only way to win is to cause her to exhaust her energy while conserving mine, which means…
"And five!"
Terra charged forward. Which means the only way to win is to beat her down and force her to use Cure spells! Akumu bent her knees, flexing her claws in anticipation.
"You've thought up a plan? Something I haven't thought of, something brilliant?"
Terra tried to tune her voice out, but it was proving to be hard. What she had wasn't a plan so much as a desperate gamble. Something brilliant, hardly, it was just the only option left to her, and something that hadn't been thought of… No way, she's thought of everything by now…
Terra lunged forward, intending to nail her in the jaw, she never made it. At the last second Akumu wrapped five iron fingers around her wrist, halting her attack.
"Tisk, tisk… Cyan wouldn't be impressed Terra, he thought imperial soldiers were smarter than that!"
"Shut up!" Terra yelled before the esper's knee drove the air from her lungs. Another knee to her head sent her staggering backwards.
"Locke and especially Sabin would be very disappointed as well, where's that impressive stamina now?" Akumu snickered, driving her elbow into Terra's stomach.
After that the remnant seemed to move too fast for Terra to follow, if she tried to guard herself Akumu's claws were right there with a blow to her vulnerable spot. Terra briefly wondered just whose bright idea it was to go toe to toe with her…
As she healed her bleeding ears for the fourth time, Terra felt the tower begin to vibrate…
"Quake!"
The tower shook violently, then with a deafening crack! The ground beneath her broke apart under her weight. Uh oh… She thought, before gravity took over. The fall seemed to last forever, and then Terra heard a loud crunching sound as her knees hit solid stone. No pain… She realized, I'm going into shock… Twice more she tumbled onto rock, breaking what felt like an arm and two ribs, before landing flat on her back.
I wonder if this is what the door to Hell looks like… She thought hysterically. The hole that she'd fallen through was directly above her, so very high up, casting red light into the blackness of Akumu's tower.
"Cure…" She mumbled, wincing as the green sparks healed her shattered knees and broken elbow. Terra jerked once as her ribs knitted back together, and her various bruises and cuts healed themselves, it was a lot of work but the magic handled it all… sapping her power at a prodigious rate.
"Gotta hang in there…" She grunted, standing.
"Just a little while longer… Right?" Terra whirled, searching forthe esper. The inside of the tower was a seemingly endless series of stairs, ledges, and doors that all meandered about in no apparent order; without a map, Terra knew she could wander around in here forever.
"This tower is just like my mind…" Terra took the nearest staircase, and then stopped when she reached the top; everything had suddenly changed, she was now halfway to the top. At the tower's other end, Akumu was standing on the wall. "It's full of twists and turns, all weaving back into one another." Terra blinked and the tower instantaneously changed again. "It's like all those memories…" Akumu muttered far below her, "They flicker inside my head, all demanding attention!"
The darkness seemed to become more dominant the more Akumu spoke. "But none of them are mine!" Terra whirled, now at the edge of a platform. It sounded as though the esper had been right behind her… "Is it any wonder why I'm mad?" She shouted from somewhere above, "All I know is you, and your friends!"
This is bad; she's working herself up into some sort of frenzy… I have to get out now! Terra thought, wrenching open a nearby door. Unfortunately it led to empty space. Terra reached out instinctively and grabbed a protruding ledge. Her relief was short lived however, as the sight before her nearly made her heart stop; Akumu was walking toward her on the ledge's underside, grinning like a hungry animal.
Fear sent a jolt of adrenaline through Terra's veins, with more strength than she thought possible she hauled herself onto the platform, backing away as she saw Akumu walk up the side. "What's wrong? Are you frightened?"
"No…" Terra squeaked, not convincing anyone. She then froze as the esper walked right through her.
"What would your dear Edgar say if he saw you like this?" Terra was once again on the bottom floor where she started. Sitting on the stairs not ten feet from her, licking her fangs, was Akumu, "You've come so far… But you're letting him and all the others down Terra…"
Without thinking Terra hurled a fireball in her direction, and then sank to her knees. That wasn't too smart; I'm almost out of energy… The fireball struck Akumu squarely in the chest, exploding on impact. But as the dust cleared Terra saw that the remnant had vanished.
Now where'd she go? She thought, and then gasped as a sudden wind picked up, This is a Whirlwind spell!
"Whirlwind!"
Terra screamed as the spell lifted her bodily and began to throw her around as though she were a ragdoll. "Cure!" She shouted, the wind drowning out the sound, "Cure, Cure, Cure!" She cried as the wind mercilessly slammed her into walls, ledges, and stairs.
Over even the roar of the wind Akumu's voice rang out, "I possess the most powerful abilities in this world!"
The wind threw Terra through the tower roof, creating a new hole and taking what little power she had left. Akumu was waiting for her, holding an orb of what appeared to be water, "And I'll use them all to kill you!" She cried, thrusting her clawed hand forward. The water broke apart in her palm, shattering into dozens of small daggers.
Terra screamed as she flew back under the assault, rolling to try and avoid the piercing blades. No magic left… She thought, bringing one bloody hand to her face, I'm spent…
"You can thank Strago for the Aqua Rake. I could throw a million different moves at you, but you just make it so easy…" Akumu snickered, "I almost feel guilty… It's that sad…"
Terra coughed dragging herself up, "Akumu, stop…" She panted, and then choked when a black furred claw gripped her by the throat.
"No, I won't stop, not now not ever…" The esper whispered, the look in her golden eyes growing more crazed by the minute. Shoulders quivering from suppressed merriment the remnant slowly drug Terra across the tower roof and suspended her over the edge.
Terra scratched and kicked in a desperate bid to break the esper's tightening grip, Air! I need air! She thought as her feet left solid ground.
Akumu held her there as her struggles grew weaker and weaker… "They're all depending on you! You're the hero who defeated Kefka… And you're already at death's door!" As Terra's green eyes closed she burst out laughing, "Goodnight Terra, don't be afraid this won't hurt that bad, and you won't even suffer, much…"
Terra felt air return to her lungs and knew that Akumu had released her. The wind rushing past her face told that she was falling. I'm sorry everyone, I've… I've failed… A sudden image of Relm drawing in Doma's town square flashed into her mind, and the tears began to fall, I can't stop her, she'll kill them all and I can't stop her! Unbidden Akumu's words leapt into her mind: 'What would your dear Edgar say if he saw you like this?'
Terra's fall suddenly stopped in midair as memories flashed behind her eyes. Battling a demented general on a snowy tundra… Approaching a frozen esper as it called to her… soaring through the air with unrestrained magic coating her body… Awakening in Zozo with her father's magicite crystal, sure that she could control her power in short bursts… A short burst won't do it, She thought, growing angrier every second, not against that monster! Akumu's words bounced around in her skull, 'What would your dear Edgar say if he saw you like this?'
"He'd say he loves me!" Terra shouted, as violet flames burst from her body, "He'd say he loves me, and I say that you won't destroy that!"
With a cry of rage and power Terra soared upward, the violet flames covering her body. Brushing aside the magical inferno, a fully transformed esper flew over the tower roof.
Akumu was sitting on her throne when Terra appeared, for the first time the remnant looked genuinely scared, "You- How- Where-!" She stuttered, unable to get the words out, finally she settled for, "You're supposed to be dead!"
"I told you…" Terra said extending her right arm, "You talk too much! Flare!" Akumu barely had time to stand before the blast was upon her. With a deafening bang the spell exploded, sending the remnant flying through the remains of her own throne.
Terra alighted gently on the tower, clawed feet scratching the stone. She watched smugly as Akumu healed her burns, and then walked over to where her throne once stood.
"You broke my chair!" She screamed. Terra sent a small fireball into the rubble, vindictive perhaps, but it was worth the look of rage it earned.
Akumu seethed for several more seconds before becoming calm, "It's Terra VS. Akumu: Round two…" She snapped.
A little bit of my power won't work like it did in the past… I'll have to use all of it to beat her…
"Ding!"