A/N: Hello there, nice of you guys and girls to be back for another chapter. It's a year now since I started regularly updating OLaF, which is surprising because my first plan was to be ahead a certain number of chapters and update when I'm ahead like 8 or 9 chapters. All because of a guest review I couldn't directly reply to. Looking back, I released two chapters in 2 weeks, my fastest time between updates ever. It's been a blast writing so much every month and getting to update regularly. I really didn't want to keep promises back then and I still don't, but I'll definitely be able to show a new chapter next month regardless I finish the part I am writing on. After that, I'm not not sure if I can keep my schedule as consistent as it has been this year.
Anyways, I've kept you here long enough. Read up! If you guys and girls happened to like some parts of this chapter or want to point out some mistakes/typos/suggestions, tell me or send it in as a review or a PM. See ya next time!
Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 26: Grotto Run, Grotto Run Now, It's A Rat Race
- Alyssa -
"Over there! Is that it?" I called out to the others, pointing to the opening along the mountain I could see in the distance.
We started running towards it, Freya leading the group. The closer we got the opening looked more battered, more aged than the mountain itself, like the entrance itself tried to fight off its attackers. We could see the forms of slumped figures in the field before it. Pools of blood gathered under them, patches of scorched earth around the bodies made sure to tell us they fought bravely.
The Burmecians may have tried to guard this place, but it was obvious they were taken by surprise. It was telling because we couldn't see any bodies from the Alexandrian forces, female soldiers or black mages.
"No…!" Freya ran to the nearest body, hoping that they had survived the attack. But each soldier she tried to wake up she was only met with lifeless gazes and silence.
"Oh man…I hope Dagger didn't come here." Zidane muttered, witnessing for the first time the cruelty of the attacking Alexandrian war force. I've already looked away. I didn't want to see Freya like this, beaten up that she hadn't arrived fast enough to help. And whatever we could've done, what I could've done, wouldn't change the fates of her comrades here. Doesn't change the fact I wanted to try.
But now I could only look to Vivi, who now could see how much damage his fellow black mages could do, how brutal they could be. I've taken his side and could see he was struggling to find the right words for comforting his new friend, even when this wasn't his own fault. Even Zidane could see it, who had put a hand on the young black mage's shoulder.
Freya had suddenly stood up from her position by one of the fallen soldiers. "The king might be in danger!" She broke into a run, heading inside the grotto.
"Hey, wait up!" Zidane called to her. The rest of us followed the dragon knight. My hand went to my sword hilt even though I knew there wouldn't be a fight in the first room. But just in case of random battles, y'know?
We found ourselves in a narrow hallway lit up by decorative torches. The design on the walls really made the place not belong under the mountain with the walls looking like the scales of a dragon and numerous bells hanging from the ceiling. The hall leads to two places: One towards a locked door with a bell on it, the second being a small corner with supplies, a place for those guarding the entrance to rest and relax.
"Place very pretty." Quina commented as she looked around in awe. "Pretty than marsh." It is surprisingly pretty for a place dug in under the mountain. Must've taken a while to make it look good.
Vivi had walked over to the door at the end of the hall, carefully approaching it with light steps. He's probably thinking there would be a trap or something. Then he tried pushing open the door since it didn't look like it had any knob to turn. "It won't budge."
"Need key?" Quina wandered over to him. She tried to brute force the door, slamming into it with her full weight, but the door proved to be sturdier as it barely moved. "Door strong."
Zidane heard a rough cough to our right and instantly readied himself for a fight. But all we saw was a man sprawled under a table trying to move.
"Hey are you alright!?" Freya was already beside the man when she recognized the uniform, one that was similar to those outside. Zidane had helped her prop him up in a sitting position. From what we could see he was still alive but barely breathing. Almost like the others outside, he was bloodied and had some nasty burn marks all over him, uniform and various body parts. It's surprising that he's still alive at this point.
"Black mages…couldn't do anything…" The soldier managed.
"Please save your strength." Freya told him. The soldier looked up upon hearing her and a smile started to form.
"Fre-Freya..?" The soldier coughed, blood pouring from his mouth, but the smile was still there. "Gods be damned…You're finally…coming home."
"We're here to help." That was Zidane trying to assure the soldier. "We're on our way to help Burmecia."
The soldier shook his head. "Thank you. But I'm…done for."
"Don't say that." Freya said, trying to pull out a potion in her pouch. "You will pull through and survive."
Gingerly and with all of his remaining strength, he managed to go for his pocket and pulled out a small bell, the last of what Freya said not registering to him. "Take this bell, and…go to Burmecia." He placed the bell in Freya's open hand where the potion was and closed it for her, completely ignoring the vial.
"No you must drink this potion. It will help!"
"It's too… late for me." He looked pleadingly to the dragon knight, the rest of his strength waning. "The black mages…took our bells…The king's in…palace. Please…pro…tect…"
With his message finally passed on, the soldier's hands released Freya's and fell to the ground at his sides. His head tilted down and his last words trailed off to silence. A strangled breath left Freya as she let her fallen comrade rest. She put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something to the air before standing up again.
"Freya…" I tried to think of something to say, to cheer her up or something. My brain can't really find the right words, but it looked like she didn't need any when she walked past me with a determined look on her face, one that make anyone who had anything to do with this attack tremble in their boots.
"How could they be so…vicious?" Vivi asked no one in particular. He was still looking at the soldier by the table. It's probably horrible that someone as young as Vivi has to see this kind of thing happen, especially if the atrocities are being done by those similar to him.
"It's war, even if it ain't official yet. It's always horrible." I answer him as we watched Freya stand before the locked door ahead of us.
With the bell given to her in hand, she raised it and started to ring it. The melody of the bell began to fill the room. It was a slow tune as it started out, but the bell on the door started to move and ring in a similar pace it had matched, only in a different tune. She rang it quicker and quicker until it almost blared, but it didn't feel bad like a siren would when it would ring near you. It almost sounded…welcoming.
When the ringing reached its peak, the bell in Freya's hand shattered. The door then opened at the same time, the ringing from the bell finally dying down. 'Wow…' was all I could've said, but I stayed silent just in case someone was waiting behind the door. Freya turned her head past the door and tried to listen in. Her training must have made her senses more sensitive or able to do more than the average person because I think she picked up something ahead of us. She then turned back to us and put a finger to her lips before motioning us to follow her.
Crouched low and moving slowly, we moved towards the next room where I'm sure we would have our first fight with the black mages and confront the two clowns left here to hold the fort. I'm curious why the queen would leave her two court jesters, of all people, here to hold the line. Sure they're not useless and can fight, but if I was a good strategist I would've put the person below Beatrix's rank here. But that would be Steiner. Maybe she's too pressed for time to promote someone else and already had her magical clowns have the position for a while.
My normal human ears, along with everyone else's, managed to hear some people talking in the next room. They didn't care whether there were any survivors or not because they sure as hell didn't pipe down. Freya was the first to take a peek, which only took a few seconds, before she gave us the go-ahead to move up.
Okay, place looks bigger in real life and still pretty much the same layout. The wall's taller, the wooden bridge separating this room to the previous hallway looked sturdier and less improvised, but I couldn't see anything or anyone above the wall. The people talking must be ahead by the doors.
"The grotto is all clean of any nasty Burmecians," one voice cackled.
"Full control, we now have." Another said with almost the same tone, except being all Yoda-like. "By tomorrow, the city will surely fall."
"That's good to hear." A third voice spoke up, but this one sounded kinda…bored?
Wait a second! That one sounded familiar…
"That's the guy!" I whispered to the others. Both Freya and Quina gave me confused looks, but both Zidane and Vivi knew who I was talking about.
We scooted to the opening in the wall and I edged over near the front so I could who MJM was talking to. He was seated on the stairs before the big door leading to the next room. Both the royal clowns and a pair of Type-A Black Mages stood around MJM, and it looked like Zorn and Thorn were getting pissy with him.
"I do not see why you are so lax about all of this." Zorn told him, pointing a loose sleeve, and I think there's a finger somewhere in there, at MJM. All he got was a yawn, which didn't go so well with the blue-clad jester.
"His assignment to us, the general did not approve of. Her point, I'm finally seeing." Thorn added to the complaint his partner had, shaking his head at the taller human.
MJM just scoffed at the two, flicking at Thorn's red and white hat. "Ah, relax! We got the Grotto. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Besides, no one's stupid enough to send someone here."
'You got another thing coming.' I thought. I slinked back to the rest of the group as they were waiting for a report.
"There's the queen's clowns and two black mages. The guy from Dali who nabbed me and Vivi is also here." I told them.
"We should expect them to have more than just five to secure this area. It would be foolish to think they left behind such a small force." Freya advised us. We all nodded in agreement. Even without random battles popping in, and I'm talking realistically here, the black mages they have might prove to be handful even with the five of us.
Zidane probably wanted to take a look at the scenario we have before us as he took the front again. He peeked and surveyed the entire room for a different way to get to them. From what I saw on my turn earlier, charging them up front would be a death wish. He nudged me on the side and pointed to the left side of the stairs, where an open door leading to the top of the wall we're currently under.
"We could sneak past them if we get on top of this wall," he suggested.
"The less fighting we can have, the better." I said, liking his plan. Thieves do have a tendency to avoid fights, one strategy that I would definitely always agree on. If we fight everyone we won't last long.
He took another peek in case another idea popped up, but something whizzed by his face before he could fully take another look. The object hit the wall opposite us and was lodged in between the bricks. We were all stunned to see something nearly hit Zidane that we all barely made a sound. But when we recovered, we saw it was a knife!
Then I heard MJM chuckling. "Well, well. Guess I jinxed us, fellas." And he doesn't sound too beat up about us being here. He's more like…entertained by the fact that we came here.
"If you think you'll get away with what you've done then you're wrong on so many levels!" I shouted at them. No point in hiding since they know we're here.
"Who are they?" Zorn asked, head tilted to the left. We've already stepped out in the open with our weapons in our hands. I expected more black mages to come out of the door behind them since it would be stupid for them to only use two at a time.
"That, I do not know," Thorn replied, head tilted to the right. The mages on their side had turned to us and presented open palms burning with balls of fire.
"I know we have seen them before. Especially him." A blue sleeve was pointed to the blond in our group.
"Somewhere before? I have not seen them. Know, I would."
"Don't mind them. This is part of their comedy routine." MJM sighed at the two jesters. Then he turned his sights to me, a grin on top of his mouth. What the hell is he thinking about that's so funny? "If you don't think they're not funny, let me take the lead and entertain you!"
MJM drew out three more knives from his sleeves and threw it at our feet. Damn it, he has a gun and can throw knives? All of us at the front jumped back to avoid his projectile while the mages with the Alexandrians put up fireballs about to be launched to us.
We were about to ready ourselves for the two approaching Type-As, but fire rained down on our positions that we had to jump back into the wall for cover. Three more Type-As jumped down from above, one on the wooden bridge behind us and two more at the front. Their palms blazed with fire and we had no choice but to take a few steps back.
Vivi took action first, denying the Type-A Mage behind us with the first strike by freezing his front with a Blizzard. It stumbled back from the attack and started to unfreeze himself starting at its hands. Zidane didn't let it when he kicked it off the side of the bridge, the Type-A falling into ravine under it.
I was lucky Quina was there with me at the front when she burped massive bubbles at the two Type-As about to attack us. That must've been the attack she gained after eating the Axolotl earlier. It sent the two hostile mages tumbling over to the stairs, nearly knocking over its other two brethren. Zorn and Thorn, probably unprepared at our resistance, retreated behind MJM muttering things to each other, while MJM only twirled his knives while watching the Type-As at work. Was he waiting for something to happen?
Fire spells were thrown at us by the two Type-As from MJM side and they were closing the gap between us faster than I thought. Plus, the other two were getting back up on their feet. Soon we'd have to retreat back to the bridge if this keeps up. As I was trying to find a different approach my head turns over to Zidane, who's looking up at the wall for some reason. Freya sees this also but takes it a step further by jumping up. Zidane gestures to us to stay where we are, and gesturing might be the best since the enemy wouldn't be able to hear us, as he climbs after the dragon knight.
The three of us stay behind cover for a while, still feeling the impact and the heat of the fire spells against the wall. Then a few seconds later it seemed to have slowed down with just one hitting near our position once in a while compared to the constant peppering just a few seconds ago. I had to look out into the corner. The mages were firing above us, their spells going left and right at different paces. Zorn and Thorn were trying to direct traffic, shouting at their minions as to where to fire with shrill shouting while MJM only smiled at what he is seeing – probably Zidane doing acrobatics or Freya dodging their attacks with ease, I dunno—either impressed or entertained.
My eyes go over to their left and see an open door. That should be closed in the game. Maybe they thought it would be a waste to close a door that basically leads to surface of the wall above us. Then I noticed the mages starting to aim their fire towards said door. Zidane and Freya might be acting as diversions!
I turn to Vivi and Quina. "I'll go in and attack. Quina, follow me and back me up. They're sure to see us coming, but at least we'll have a head start without fireballs coming to our faces. And when that happens, Vivi I want you to cover us." Both of them nodded. I eyed the fire attacks one more time. This time it looked like the four of them were aiming closer to the door, meaning Zidane and Freya might be getting closer with their opportunity to close in on them getting smaller and smaller.
I pulled out my sword and drew in a breath. I silently counted three seconds, timing them with the last fireball to hit near us before giving Quina the nod. Here goes nothing!
We both pulled away from the wall and charged forward. The Type-As had just finished their latest barrage on Zidane and Freya's position and noticed the two of us coming. Fire started swelling up on their hands and were about to blast us. I felt a sudden jolt of electricity pass us and hit the two Type-As, knocking them down and catching the other two by surprise. The one closer to MJM wasn't able to give them a hand when I ran up to it and stabbed it in the chest. Okay so one down, three more to go. The one beside it was tackled to the ground by Quina, who then proceeded to lick it. Probably a taste test.
I see Zorn and Thorn bolt up the stairs and leave MJM after I kick the Type-A off my sword. He only looked at me with a sneer and drew two more knives from his sleeves. How many does he have in there? MJM didn't wait for another second, jumping over the other barely alive Type-As and tried to get a slice out of me. I bring up my sword and let his knives slide against it before swinging it at him. He easily dodged my attacks and did not let me come close to even getting a scratch on him, and he did that with a stupid grin on his face. I thought one attack would come close, a stab towards his chest, but he dropped down below it and took me by the wrist and tried to wrestle the sword away from me. I tried to pull back from his grip, but he kept me in place by dropping his knives and held me in place where he could easily trip me up and take my sword. But it felt like he wasn't trying to take it.
"Hope 'ya appreciate the little help I gave 'ya in the Festival," he winked at me. Is he fishing for some kind of thank you from me? I could feel my eye twitch in irritation. I kicked him square in the gut, pushing him back a few feet. He grunted upon getting hit, but that grin didn't even change one bit. "Feisty."
"Who the hell do you think you are!?" I shouted and charged.
Another Type-A stood in my way, the one that got blasted by Vivi earlier. Due to its wounds, it was easy to put down with a pair of slashes. MJM stood by, not doing anything for his comrades, yet had another knife at the ready. The last Type-A by his side got a fire spell for trying to get back up from Vivi. I was about to thank him for covering me again when I saw a knife fly his way. Thankfully, it missed when Vivi dived to the ground as the knife whizzed past his hat.
Quina inserted herself between me and MJM when he tried to run up to me. The fork barely missed as he jumped back, chuckling at his own failed attack. "That's only a taste of things to come." Was that his way giving some foreboding warning? If that's the case then it ain't working on me. "Just looking at that little face of yours, you're not gonna take my word. That's fine."
The Qu tried to interrupt him again, charging like a freight train with fork pointed up front. MJM jumped out of the way and up the stairs where more black mages seemed to have come out of the next room. He was laughing as he backed off. One of them didn't get the chance to attack when Freya nailed it right in the chest with her spear. Zidane zipped towards the mages with his daggers, cutting past them with MJM as his actual target. MJM merely backed up some more just as the doors behind him started to move.
"I knew letting you get away back in Dali is gonna be fun." He offered a mock salute before closing the big door leading to the next room. What's that supposed to mean? Did he…intentionally let me get rescued back then?
Zidane, Freya, and Quina mopped up the remaining Type-As near the door while I stood there trying to piece together what MJM meant. There are only two things he could mean. Either he's just trying to mess with my head or has motives for not doing anything when Vivi and I escaped Dali's underground factory. The worst part of it all, I have no idea what he has to gain with both scenarios. Great. He's a mystery AND a bad guy. The latter wasn't very obvious when he first came around since we thought he only worked in the underground factory and that maybe it was only coincidence he was in the Festival. Now he's clearly part of Alexandria's army.
"Apparently, while we may have the same enemy, it seems like they know more about you." Freya's voice broke me out of my thoughts to only find myself on the receiving end of a curious look from her.
"W-Well, I don't know much about him either." I answered. And true, MJM sounds like he knows more than he lets on, more than I even know, and that's very worrisome.
"We saw him first back in Dali. I didn't know he's part of the attack army." Zidane added.
"He was in the Festival too. Alyssa was staring at him before it started." Vivi remembered. Yeah, and here I was wondering if him being there was a massive coincidence.
Freya considered what had been said and then turned to the big center door. "It doesn't matter right now. Just an observation. What we need to do is get past this door."
"Doors?" Quina was actually standing near the third door, the one on the right side of the platform.
I looked at the two doors back and forth. No need to choose which one to go through because it would be a waste since they lead to the same room. Unless… "One of these doors leads to a trap..."
It sounded more of a question upon delivery, but in my head it was clear. Something has to be up with this. I can feel it.
Freya put a hand on her chin as she started to think. "That is a possibility since these doors are both entrances to the same room." Exactly. "It would be smart to assume so since they still have their forces here. They can hold the line there and defend their position."
"Question is, which one's the trap." Zidane was kneeling beside one of the dead Type-As when he spoke up. It didn't take long for him to get an answer. Freya stood before the center door and tapped the bell on it with her spear.
"This one. This has a straight path to the center room. The black mages could unleash a barrage of spells and destroy us before we can take three steps in it." That plus MJM firing at us with his gun. He's already shown to me how accurate he is from a distance.
Since the other door starts at the right side of the room, curves over the center door's path and goes under and then ends on the right side of the center platform, it should give us enough cover from any magic and long-range attacks. I think the only problem we might have is entering the room. The bell on the door rings when the smaller bell resonates with it before shattering to pieces. That could alert the enemies on the other side. So much for the element of surprise.
Vivi brought this up to Freya, but before she could answer with anything helpful, Zidane stands up with a bell in hand. He probably took it off from one of the dead black mages. "They already know we're coming, right? Don't wanna let our 'entertainment' wait."
We all nodded, mine was more hesitant than all of them because of what's happening right now. This doesn't really follow the script of the game, but I should really expect this to happen sometime now. I need to get used to it. Change is inevitable anyways.
Zidane rang the bell in front of the door to the right, the bell on the door resonating with the melody of the smaller, portable one until it dissolves. The door opens and we see the path going over and under the center doorway. It was eerily silent as we gathered by the door, crouched to avoid detection and silent in case it would break the tension in the room. We could see a line of three Type-As standing in the middle of the path, hands already aimed at the door. There was some bustling and high-pitched talking somewhere behind them, probably from Zorn and Thorn, with MJM just standing around a few feet behind the line of mages. More mages seemed to file into the room where the boss fight is going to happen. And it looks like he's looking this way and just not shouting to aim where we are. What is he doing?
The moment we step through we're going to be under a lot of fire. Zidane was at the very front with Freya by his side. Vivi and Quina knelt beside me as we waited for the blond's cue. After signalling we're ready, Zidane counts down from three. The moment he reached zero he bolted out of the doorway with Freya close by. I held my hand up for a few seconds before letting the two beside me know it is okay to move. I stalled for a few seconds because MJM had taken his rifle and started shooting at Zidane and Freya. The mages in front of him realized that their targets weren't coming out of the center door and were directed by the two clowns to start firing where their other accomplice was attacking.
The two agile fighters didn't follow the path we were on for long. Once they reached the part that goes over the center path, they jumped down and captured the attention of the defending Type-As. Freya landed on one of them with a spear going straight down its skull while Zidane planted his feet on the one to Freya's left. He kicked the remaining Type-A on the frontline, sending him tumbling down the chasm, while the one he landed on was also stabbed by the dragon knight.
MJM enjoyed watching what was happening to his comrades, twirling a knife in his hand as he leaned on the bell while Zorn and Thorn were backpedalling so hard they basically rolled out of the room. Even with only their hands the Type-As knew how to deliver a hard slap and punch as they traded blows with Zidane and Freya's respective weapons since they're too close for magic.
Vivi once again played as the long range back-up, blasting MJM's previous position with thunder as the two more experienced fighters in our group started to get rid of the first line of black mages. Quina and I managed to reach the end of our path and moved to cut and stab the advancing mages. They hit me with a good round of fire spells, but Quina retaliated with her Aqua Breath, sending them back a few steps as the smell of frogs and Axolotl decorated the air around us. With them discombobulated, I stabbed at one right in the chest and kicked it off my sword, sending it toppling over one of the other mages behind it. My hands became the victim of frostbite when a Type-A casted a blizzard on me as I was about to swing. The added weight and sudden drop of temperature to my limb was a shock to my system, making me miss my attack.
Quina got hit by a pair of fire spells, resulting in her being pushed back, as a few more black mages started pouring in from the next room. I tried breaking the ice over the mage that attacked Quina, but the moment it got knocked out another took its place and tried to freeze me some more. And the ice only got a crack! Zidane and Freya saw the incoming attackers and had to jump back before they got fried with a thunder spell. How many black mages did they leave here!?
We had to back up some more and take cover on the small arc on the lower path behind us. I saw at least seven Type-As over where MJM is at, three in the front and the other four by the giant bell in the room. Not only were they focusing fire, blizzard, and thunder where we are, they were also attacking Vivi's position above us. We're basically trapped, had nowhere to turn to, and I'm pretty sure I heard MJM laughing in the midst of his teammates' magic barrage.
"Guys, I'm starting to get dizzy…" Vivi said as another fireball hit near his spot. He's probably used so much magic since we came in that it's taken a big toll at him. Without his magic we can't really push forward. Quina might still be able to use that Aqua Breath of hers, but that might not be enough. How can we break through their defenses? If only someone here can ring that massive bell and disorient those mages…
I risked getting hit by a few spells just to get back to Vivi's position, but thankfully they all whizzed past or hit the floor by my feet. I figured he'd be trying to get his magic back by downing an Ether, but was struggling to get one out.
While Vivi was taking a break, he dug through his items and it accidentally spilled out to the floor. He apologized as he tried to get the vials back in his bag, but one particular item caught my attention. It was about the size of my hand, semi-circular, and had this lightish-brown color to it.
"Vivi, is this what I think it is?" I asked as I picked up the weird item. It had this faint, strange smell to it.
"Oh, that's a Kupo Nut. I bought it before the Festival." The black mage replied as he finally got an Ether in his hand and drank it. Wow, he still managed to get one. Not that I doubted him. I'm just surprised to see it in my hands right now.
"Mind if I use this for a sec?" He looks at the nut in my hand for a moment, probably trying to figure out what use it'd be. When a spell came close to hitting our position, he nodded as he waited for his magic to come back. I do hope this works out…
I keep an eye out for the bell carefully, ducking out of the way whenever a spell hits nearby. Eventually when I found a gap in their magical assault, I popped out for a second and threw the nut in their direction. I luckily hit one of the Type-As near the bell, disorienting the fire spell it was about to send out. I ducked back down for cover and waited.
Then I hear a hearty laugh from across the room. "You have got to be kidding me! What's this? You've gotta be desperate to think throwing one random nut's gonna work. What the hell does this thing do anyway?" I looked and saw MJM holding the nut.
Just when he started laughing again I saw movement over his shoulder. The bell standing right behind him jiggled a bit. It started moving more and more until it looked like it was having a terrible dose of the shakes. MJM eventually noticed it because of the ringing it started doing. Before he could give a comment, it was suddenly flung into the air. MJM had to dive out of the way when it landed and squashed his back-up before they could even react.
The Type-As attacking at the front flinched at the sudden quake their platform experienced and turned around to see the commotion. Quina, Freya, and Zidane took this momentary distraction and attacked. Finally replenished and ready to cast once again, Vivi stood up and aimed a Fire spell at the nearest enemy. I joined the others now that we were on attack mode.
"Let go of me, you freak!" MJM shouted. Attached to his arm was this moogle in what looked like a tuxedo. He was flailing his arm around, trying to get the moogle to let go.
"No, you let go, kupo! I love Kupo Nuts! Gimme it, kupo!" The moogle yelled back. Maybe he should drop the Kupo Nut he has in his hand if he wants his arm back.
I look over to see the fight being waged against the black mages. With their back-up taken care of it looked like Zidane and the others weren't having that hard a time pushing them back. On the sidelines, MJM wrestling with the moogle for control of his arm. He managed to connect two and two together and threw the Nut into the door to the right, where it seemed like another moogle was waiting. The moogle followed the nut and let go of his arm, waddling over clumsily past the dead bodies of the black mages towards the door. MJM pulled his rifle off his back, probably thinking he needed to get rid of the nuisance that was the moogle who hid in the bell, but he didn't manage to get a shot out when Freya swatted the end of it with her spear.
But surprisingly Zorn and Thorn had his back, jumping in with what looked like a synchronized jump and slap attack sequence that caught our resident Burmecian by surprise. The blue clown took out a small pouch and threw what looked like dust on Freya's face. It staggered her and MJM capitalized by hitting her with the butt of his rifle. I directed Zidane's attention to what was happening with Freya before running down to them.
Vivi and Quina were cleaning out the rest of the Type-As as I ran past the Qu. She had hit them with an Aqua Breath, disorienting them and stopping their attacks for a while, which only gave Vivi more of an opportunity to blast them with a Thunder. The added water on their clothes just intensified the effect of the attack and instantly took them out. It just paved the way for us to push forward more to the final room where our biggest fight in this Grotto will take place.
While that was happening, MJM and the two clowns had already retreated with the remaining pieces of their squad. Zidane was tending to Freya, who was trying to touch her eyes after she got hit by whatever nasty thing Zorn and Thorn threw at her, while the happily married moogles were forcing something into Quina's hands. It probably affected her eyesight and Zidane's trying to find eyedrops in his pocket. Vivi and I regroup with the others, my hand already digging through my stuff for some eye drops and handing it over to the thief.
"Everyone alright?" I asked in case we needed to rest up a bit. Zidane and Vivi both nodded, the latter adjusting his hat and staff grip.
"Moogles give me bell." Quina mentioned, pointing to the bell in her hand. It wouldn't be necessary to use since the door ahead was open, but I guess she can have this as a souvenir when she comes back to the Marsh. Said moogles have already left, probably happy they're safe now and content they now have a nice wedding/honeymoon story to share with the other moogles.
Once the eye drops were applied to Freya's eyes, she made some test blinks first before standing up, wiping the excess liquid from the drops with the back of her hand and then facing the door leading to the final room of the grotto. "Thank you. But we musn't waste time. If their forces here is only a small part of the main army then I worry for the fate of Burmecia."
I nod and follow her to the next room, the others close behind. The presence of MJM changes a lot of things and if we don't stop him here he might drastically affect what happens in Burmecia. Plus, if he gets there before us he might report to Queen Brahne. That could mean a lot of things. She might send a whole battalion of her soldiers, which I think would be excessive, or have General Beatrix greet us at the front door. And the problem with that is MJM and his clowns are close to escaping. We need to stop him here.
We stand before a couple of Burmecian bodies strewn across this single straight path surrounded by water. Facing us was this massive octopus-like figure sculpted on the wall with the exit right under it. In the middle of the path were the remaining Alexandrian forces, MJM right behind them with his rifle pointed at us. There's no way for us to circle around them on foot, nowhere to hide from their full frontal assault save for the rubble around us.
"Well, as fun as this whole situation is, this is where we part ways. We don't want those rats to have some beacon of hope stroll in to the city." MJM said, taking a few steps back towards the exit.
"Unfortunate, it is." Thorn laughed.
"Don't worry. We have a guest to keep you company." Zorn raised this bell in his hand. It looked very different from the ones we've used recently. It was red and black with engravings matching the designs we've seen in the grotto. He rang it, the sound echoing into the room as we prepared for what is to come.
An opening appeared beside the octopus wall sculpture just when silence became prevalent and out spilled this massive thing into the water with a big splash, wetting a big part of the path in front of us, causing them to move towards the exit door.
I noticed Freya jump towards our enemies, who were looking at Gizamaluke being dropped in the water, not even waiting for the creature to start attacking us. MJM turned his head at the last minute and saw her already in the air. The moment he told his black mages to fire on her was the moment I started running at them. They had to divide their attention when MJM ordered to attack me instead. Zidane follows my lead and uses his agility to avoid most of the attacks. Vivi managed to give us cover with by freezing one of the mages walking towards us.
Due to the amount of people firing on her, Freya's chances of successfully landing near them without getting hit was low. That was proven right when MJM managed to hit her out of the air when he aimed and shot her with his rifle. I saw her drop into the second body of water in the room as MJM laughed at her falling form. Worried for the Burmecian, Zidane dived into the water after her while I was left to myself in the middle of a magical firing squad.
"Kill them or I will have Gizamaluke kill you instead!" Zorn ordered the black mages. They merely looked back and acknowledged the order.
"Don't worry about them," I hear MJM speak. I move closer and try to attack one of the Type-As and could only cut one down when I feel the wrath of their brethren's thunder spell. A shield would be nice to have right about now. I knew I should have gone and bought one, not that it would stop magic at all, but it would at least help give me some cover from it. Since I don't have one I have to avoid the rest of their attacks, so I roll to my side and drop into the water.
It takes me a few seconds to get used to moving in the water, which I wish I could say the same for my eyes. Not really keen on swimming without goggles so I try to focus around me. It didn't take the same amount of time for me to notice movement somewhere near me. Despite that I looked around. Something from above drops beside me and it's one of the Type-As, probably because of Zidane or Quina storming their position. I stabbed at it, which wasn't easy after the hit I took and the underwater physics not that cooperative as it is above water. It raised its hands, probably to cast a spell or to defend itself, but either way it was too late. Blood seeped out of the wound a little when my sword went it and more when I pulled it out.
Then I feel something nearby. If I wasn't underwater I would have gasped when I saw the red eyes of Gizamaluke staring at me. This massive stingray-like creature was staring me down, its face twisted in an angry sneer and pain. My voice may have not carried through the water, but his roar sure did. I was blasted back and against a wall, causing me to spin around the water before impact, knocking some of the air out of me.
Holding my sword underwater after being knocked around proved to be pretty hard. I knew fighting him down here alone would not be a wise move, even more so when he has a spell that makes use of water. Wouldn't want him to have more of an advantage. So I try to swim back up and hope the black mages aren't waiting there with spells aimed at me.
Gizamaluke was the first to break through to the surface with me like a few seconds behind since the water was somewhat shallow. He hovered over the water while everyone was frozen, even the black mages stopped. There were no signs of MJM and the clowns, the exit door at the end of the room closed, meaning they had already retreated back to Burmecia.
When his glowing red eyes went from Zidane to Freya to Vivi, which told me that Zorn and Thorn's mind control is in full effect. To make it worse, the Type-As focused on the others again with their hands now burning with fire ready to light us up. Just when I thought we had the numbers on our side...
Bellowing at the air, it seemed to be the signal the black mages were waiting for as they started casting their spells. Fantastic. I see Vivi was trying to take cover and Quina using my previous position to hide from the mages' attack. I was about to offer some assistance when Gizamaluke glided past me with his tail intending to smash me against the middle pathway, forcing me to dive down into the shallow water to get away from it. I had to get out of the water quick!
I surface once again and see one of the Type-As nearby. There were five remaining Type-As in their group since Gizamaluke was introduced in the fight. Two of them were still in the middle of the path while the other three were advancing on Freya and Zidane's location near the exit, using some of the debris from the grotto roof as cover. The former Tanatlus member was helping Freya with her wound, her spear probably retrieved by our lovely thief, while Quina was losing ground fast, fire spells chipping away at the frozen black mage cover I used a minute ago. I hurried near one of them and pulled at its leg, knocking him down to the water.
The splash took the other Type-A's attention, looking over to where his comrade used to be. I've already pulled myself up behind him, drenched from head to toe with both of my hands holding my sword, before he could fully turn. Unfortunate with how cowardly this seems, but that's what happens when I'm a plain girl and only have a sword and everyone else has more tricks under their sleeve. So with how brief time I have the upper hand, I strike down the Type-A with two heavy cuts and he falls down the floor. That gives Quina and Vivi some space so they can divert their attention on the bigger fish.
"Quina, we need to help Zidane and Freya," I instructed our resident Qu while pulling out a potion from my items. My movement's gonna be a bit slower with how sopping wet I am but Quina was super dry, meaning she had no trouble barreling through the three Type-As attacking Zidane and Freya's spot, sending them flying into the water. But because of her single-minded attack, Gizamaluke swooped down and swiped at her with his wing-claw. She got a big cut on her apron that sent her tumbling on her back. I had to help push her upright again before the giant teal boss could make another go-around at her.
I heard his mad cry when its tail barely misses us after a burst of fire hits him square on the chest. His focus was redirected to the source of the spell: Vivi, who was all alone at one end of the room. And to make it worse, the Type-As were starting to surface and paddle over to middle path. Without even thinking about it, I give Quina another potion and point to our more experienced friends.
"I'll help out Vivi," was the only thing I managed to say before I turned around and ran towards Vivi. Any of the Type-As trying to pull themselves up was kicked back down as I pass them. Gizamaluke quickly glided to his new target and was about to pass me. "Vivi! Get outta there!"
The problem with being a big monster fighting five people smaller than you is that you take up more space, which is surprising because the grotto is actually bigger than I thought, and because of that it tends to leave you vulnerable even when you're on the offensive. That's what I was trying to take advantage of as he is passing me. His tail skidded against the water near me and I tried getting his attention by cutting at it. Swinging a sword one-handed while running parallel with a target was something I have no training on so my attacks were all over the place, only a third of my total attempts managed to hit.
Maybe it's because the tail is probably the least sensitive limb he has, but he didn't care I was attacking it and was about to flatten Vivi if I didn't do anything. Okay if cutting isn't doing anything then probably stabbing and wiggling my sword in its tail would do something. So I jumped and stabbed my blade into his tail.
It let out a pained howl, finally feeling my attacks on it, but I realized my mistake of holding on when he swung his tail. And because the sword embedded on his tail is my only weapon, I had the dumbest idea of holding on to it. Not a second later after I thought about it I had instantly regretted it when I got taken off the ground and in the air. So there I was dangling off his tail, holding on to the hilt of my sword desperately as Gizamaluke swung his tail around. The good news is that the boss missed Vivi. At least I have that going for me.
As I was trying to pull out my sword, I hear something impale a part above me, causing the mind-controlled creature to slightly falter in the air. I look up and see Freya, a big part of her left chest burnt, likely from the spell that hit her, dangling from her spear implanted on a part of the giant's wing.
"Any game plan?" I ask loud enough for her to hear. I could feel some vibrations coming from the top as I peek past her to see Gizamaluke glaring down at us and growling. The only way he could get us off of him was to slam into the nearest wall that would sure end with them splattered against it.
"There has to be a way for us to wake Master Gizamaluke from Alexandria's control." Freya responded, looking at the creature to see if there was anything she could see directly affecting him.
"If only we knew how to get him back to normal. I hope we don't have to...you know." I didn't want to say it. For all I know he just ends up just knocked out after the boss fight, but this is real now. Killing him is an option, one that I did not want to consider.
"That is not an option! Despite his appearance, Master Gizamaluke is loyal to Burmecia. I would never want to strike him down." Freya reasoned. Okay, thank goodness she wasn't thinking of it too.
Now what can we do to wake him up. Knocking some sense into him is kinda hard when most of your attacks can't hit a flying opponent. I guess that's the first agenda: knock him down to our level so we can hit him hard enough to get him to think straight. That's what most people do when people go loopy, or in this case mind controlled, right?
What after that though? I look around, up above us and down below. There doesn't seem to be any loose portions of the roof. Looks as stable as it can be after suffering from an attack from the Alexandrian black mage army. Guess that's a dud idea. But the water might be useful...
"Get off. Now!" I almost didn't notice Freya falling past me if it weren't for her grabbing my arm. The extra weight made it easier for my sword to slip out of the cut it made on the tail. She landed first and caught me in her arms a second later. If she hadn't helped me out I would have getting smashed against the pillar his tail just hit.
Before I could even say thanks to Freya my relief was immediately taken away when a water sphere formed around us. I was barely able to get a breath in when it fully enclosed. I can almost see Gizamaluke's dark red-eyed glare above us through the water as the sphere applied more pressure against us, as if it was trying to squeeze out the air in our lungs. No matter how I try to move, the sphere would adjust and keep me in the center.
My head starts to spin as the last of my air bubbles through my lips, the world around me blurs, and my chest burns from the lack of oxygen. Not only was I drowning, my body was being slowly crushed. If I had to think about the ways I would die, drowning in a ball of water and lightning would have been at the very top. Regular drowning is still a possibility though.
Then suddenly I drop to the floor. The water just plops down around Freya and I and we take in huge gulps of air. As everything was clearing up, I feel someone land near us. My eyes managed to see something yellow swing and my thoughts slowly go to Zidane. He must've broken Gizamaluke's concentration on us. Thank goodness! We almost died!
"You guys alright? Hope I wasn't too late." I look up and see Zidane holding out a hand. "Trying to distract four mindless drones on my own is kinda hard, especially when there's a bigger one trying to crush me."
"Funny that...the actor's the one having a...hard time retaining an audience." I tried to comment between breaths. I gladly accepted his hand and helped up. He chuckled at my wisecrack as I try to shake off the dizziness.
When I got myself straightened out, my eyes identified a big cut on Gizamaluke right where his body and tail met. Then my eyes manage to catch Quina jumping safely into the water at the right time as Gizamaluke nearly hits the spot she was standing on. One of the Type-As were still in the water and had attempted to attack the novice chef, only to be surprised by her quick swimming as she headbutted it. Vivi's cry of effort reached my ears, meaning I didn't have a lot of water in my ears anymore, as one of his spells hit our enemy. Because of this, the master of the Grotto redirects himself and whips his tail at the three of us, sending us for another trip to the drink. I'm getting tired of getting wet and we're not even in Burmecia yet.
As I was catching my breath, I catch Vivi running toward us, trying to dodge the spells aimed at him, but he had a bigger problem when I see the winged giant focus on him again. I desperately swim back to the platform, hoping an idea would come to me to distract, but nothing came into mind as he sailed at our black mage. The moment he saw this he turned around and ran TOWARDS the other black mages on the platform. They didn't know how to react to this and just kept showering his direction with spells. I couldn't catch what he was saying, but it sounded desperate. Probably telling Quina to move since the big bad blue monster was right behind him, who was standing behind the two manmade mages. Even Zidane wasn't fast enough to jump out and get him out of the way.
As luck would have it, Vivi hit the ground at the right moment, taking the two Type-A mages with him with the massive tail missing him by mere inches. Quina had moved as Vivi had shouted and nailed our enemy with an Aqua Breath. It was a direct hit to the face as Gizamaluke recoiled and swayed in the air, his tail being swung in random directions. His blind attacks did connect with the Qu, catching her on the side and sent her tumbling near our way. On impact with the platform, a melodic chime filled the air. The noise caused Gizamaluke to twitch erratically and almost drop from the air.
This made me run to Quina immediately. "I alright. Hurt, but okay."
"Excuse me, Quina, but mind if I check your apron." I didn't wait for an okay since I was already grabbing the first thing I come into contact with her apron pocket. I pull it out and examine it. It was the bell the moogles gave to her. My eyes go over it and then to Gizamaluke, who had recovered and wondered where we were. The moment he turned to us I rang the bell. He jerked away from the sound and was about to fall out of the air if he didn't adjust and save himself. "We can use this to snap him out of it!" I turn to the others, glad to have figured something out, still ringing it just in case it would make him regain his senses.
Before I could lay out a plan, Zidane pulls me down right before the creature loyal to Burmecia could swipe at me. Apparently, my ringing got a bit excessive and he just wanted me to stop. Dunno it it's hurting the guy or that's the mind control struggling with...the mind control. As Vivi stuns him with a fire spell, I get to Freya and Quina.
"Okay, we'll be playing hot potato with the bell for just a bit. Just ring it a bit and then throw it to the next person when he tries to go for you." Freya looked at me as if I was actually suggesting we play a game. "But it's just to get Gizamaluke in position. Somewhere over the water would be nice. You're our best bet to get him there, Freya, since you're very agile. You're up first Quina. Throw it to me when you get his attention. Once he's over the water, Vivi will blast him with magic and Zidane will help put him in the water for more magic blasting." They nod in understanding. "Alright, team! Break!" Then we break away to get into a good spot. Meanwhile, I run over to behind Gizamaluke's tail and take a stab at it. The moment he turns, I get around him to Zidane and Vivi.
"Vivi, we need you to focus a blizzard on his face when he's over the water. Then, you go for the knock down." I tell to Vivi and Zidane respectively. Quina was on the other side of the room swinging her arms as she rang the bell. Gizamaluke roared and went after her.
"What do I do until then?" Zidane asks.
"Uh...probably don't let the other mages attack...?" I answer. When it left my lips, however, did I find it strange.
"But they're not attacking anymore." Zidane pointed out. I see them scattered all around the room looking at our direction but their hands weren't raised to cast spells at us. That's what I found strange. I wasn't able to dwell on it when I hear Quina shout.
"Catch!" She throws the bell as far as she can, but it clipped part of Gizamaluke's wing and had fallen far from where I was.
The Grotto Keeper noticed this and quickly went after it to get rid of it after he missed Quina. I already started running the moment he turned around and left my sword near Vivi so I could get there faster. I may have gotten to the bell first, but Gizamaluke was already so close that I was barely able to throw it to Freya, who had put her spear into the wall over the body of water at the side of the room and stood carefully on it. Not even three seconds later I feel the full force of Gizamaluke's massive form hit me like a speeding truck on a highway.
The ringing continued despite that, his body once again fighting with his mind, and went after the source. Moaning in pain, I get propped up with the help of Zidane so at least I could sit by him and Vivi. It was a big hit, but it was something I was willing to take. If Blake was here he's gonna tell me that what I did was stupid. At least Freya got the bell, right?
"Hope this works." I hear Zidane mutter as he steps forward, taking my place and was about to make the catch. Exactly when Gizamaluke turned to keep his eyes on the bell, Vivi blasted him with a blizzard spell and it completely covered his face with a layer of ice. The massive serpent thrashed about in a desperate attempt to regain his eyesight and get revenge on the one who did this to him. But for us it was enough time to strike.
Our thief jumped on the opportunity and planted his daggers on Gizamaluke's spine. It roared in pain and tried to get Zidane off his back, only to hit the wall where Freya used to be, knocking him down to the water. Before he could get another attempt, Zidane stabbed him again at a different part of his back.
"Bring on the thunder, Vivi!" I called. Vivi pointed his palms to the water and thunder struck it with Zidane jumping out at the very last second. Caught in the water conducting the foreign element, intensifying the damage being put on him, The mind-controlled creature erratically flopped about as the electricity ran through him. Freya couldn't bear to look at him as we put him through this. It was cruel, but it was better than killing. I mutter an apology to Freya. It was my idea after all.
After a half minute I wave it off. Vivi stops channeling his magic and the mind controlled keeper of the grotto finally went limp.
My mind couldn't worry about his condition, if he was still under the clowns' control or if he's still alive, but Zidane points out the subtlest movement of Gizamaluke's back. He was breathing through the water at least. That gave Freya some relief. She may have lost her comrades guarding this grotto, at least she managed to save one person here.
"We must hurry," Freya started to move towards the door when a groan filled the room. Our eyes went to the water again as the winged giant started moving.
"Ah...this must be my...punishment for falling for those...lunatics' tricks." Another wave of groaning filled the air. Freya was the first to go to his side as he floated near the pathway.
"Master Gizamaluke, please save your strength!" She said to him. Against her wise words, he turned over so he could see who was talking to him. Instead of angry and crazed red eyes we were met with a serene and humbled set of blue hues, lighter than his skin. "I'm sorry, sir! We came as fast as we could, yet we were unable to stop those who attacked the grotto. And they forced us to cause harm unto you."
"No need to apologize...dragon knight." He addressed her, his voice still clearly holding back a lot of pain. "You've done what you could."
"Baddies escaped." Quina summarized.
"But don't worry, they're not gonna get out of this for long." Zidane declared. The rest of us nodded. Freya was going through her items as the freed serpent continued to speak.
"I pray our beloved city...does not fall in their hands. You must not worry about me. You must...make haste. His Majesty is...in danger." The reminder of their goal made Freya immediately pull out a vial from her stuff. A hi-potion vial. She uncorked the top and fed its contents to the injured Gizamaluke.
"I swear on my honor as a dragon knight, the king will be rescued and Alexandria will be punished for what they have done to you and my people." With her resolve strengthened, Freya led the way to the door with bell in hand. Its ringing melody harmonized with the door's bell. Then I felt a tug on my hand. I turn and see Vivi doing it.
"What about them?" He asks me, pointing to the other side of the room. Standing there were the four remaining Type-A black mages left to hold this grotto. For some reason they were not attacking, just staring blankly at our direction. They must've witnessed the final moments of the fight and our conversation. They had all those opportunities to attack us, but they didn't. Very weird…
I honestly didn't know what to do. Maybe they've finally gotten sentience? Maybe this is them breaking down after a defeat? I dunno! Of all the changes I've encountered, this one is the strangest. My answer was to silently hold my sword to my side. I hope they won't attack now though. I'd rather be sure that they're going to attack than hastily make a decision.
The others noticed my tense stance and stood beside me, keeping an eye on the mages as Freya unlocked the door. I'm not sure if it was us staring back at them or if they've reached a silent consensus, but they turned their backs on us and started walking back to the previous room. Again, can't help but stress this enough, this is so weird. Everyone in the room managed to relax a little after their departure. The sound of shattering and the door being opened caught our attention. Wherever they're going, I hope they're not out to kill more people.
Freya then addressed us as we exited the final door of the grotto, leaving Gizamaluke to recover from his wounds. "Let us go. We have more ground to cover."