Chapter 36 - Broken Toy
Night had fallen over Figaro, the pale moonlight illuminating the campsite that had been hastily constructed on the outskirts of the desert. Kefka sat alone in his tent, his hand moving over the doll in his lap as he brushed her soft, green curls. He'd been brushing its hair for the past hour, his eyes unblinking as he gazed at the wall in front of him.
She was close. He could feel the magic that flowed through her veins, its subtle vibration creating an invisible current that filled the air around her. It was a unique magical signature, one that was similar to his own. He started rocking back and forth, waiting for her energy levels to dissipate as they usually did each night when she went to sleep. When that moment came, when she was asleep and vulnerable, he would storm the castle with his troops and burn everything to the ground. Every last man, woman and child, every stone right down to the foundation of the building. There would be nothing left but her.
The moon parted ways with the horizon, turning the sand a pale shade of silver. Kefka stood up and made his way towards the entrance of the tent, pushing the flap aside and gazing out into the starry skies above. He didn't realize that Terra had more memories of this place than he did, and that she was tossing and turning in her sleep, trying to find peace while the sound of his laughter haunted her dreams. The only thing he could remember was falling head over heels through the King's bedroom window, his cloak falling forward into his face as he hit the floor. There was a bottle of wine on the table, a splash of green, then nothing.
He watched the lights go out, the stone halls growing dark as the hours slowly passed. His nails dug into the doll's body, his hands twitching as he jerked his head to the side, wincing as another spasm caused his facial muscles to contort. He needed her. She was the only one who could stop this. She was his, she belonged to him, and he would stop at nothing to get her back.
He turned to face the troops, his lavish cloak rippling on the wind. A feather escaped his ponytail and drifted on the rising air current towards the clouds. Kefka raised his hand, signaling the troops to move out. The ground shook as soldiers in suits of armor raced towards the castle. A scream pierced the silence, and streams of fire lit the sky for miles around.
Kefka watched as the soldiers unleashed wave after punishing wave of fire upon the inhabits of the castle. Those that weren't in Magitek armor stormed the gates, slaughtering the guards and forcing their way into the castle. He was pleased with what he saw, but it wasn't enough. He needed to find her, and if he relied on these fools to get the job done he would soon be combing the ruins for what was left of his precious toy.
He took a moment to concentrate, inhaling deeply as he felt the energy pooling in the pit of his stomach. He directed it towards the soles of his feet, and slowly he began to rise until he was high enough to view the courtyard. This was it. He was going to claim her for his own. No one else. Just her.
His eyes scanned the area below, watching the terrified people screaming and running for their lives. And in the middle of it all was Edgar, still clad in his pajamas after being woken up in the middle of the night.
The mage laughed, a ball of fire in each hand as he prepared to unleash his magic on the unfortunate King. "This is your last chance, Edgar!" he shouted. "Give me the girl or you can watch your kingdom burn!"
The King moved towards the rampart, backing away from the insane jester. He reached for the ledge behind him, his eyes wide and staring. Kefka's body was surrounded by undulating waves of heat, the air shimmering with amber colored flecks of light. "So this is magic," he whispered. Edgar swallowed hard, glancing to the side where Locke stood in his worn jeans and t-shirt. "Get her ready."
"Right." Locke nodded, his eyes fixated on the glowing apparition in the sky. He turned and ran downstairs, taking the steps two at a time as he bolted towards the guest bedroom.
"Edgar!" Kefka snarled, the swirling balls of fire growing larger by the minute. He raised his hands above his head, causing the burning spheres to merge into one massive ball of fire. "I'm losing my patience! If she isn't here in the next five minutes, I'm burning this place to the ground."
If Kefka was telling the truth about using a Flare spell to melt stone, then all hell was going to break loose the moment he unleashed his attack. And judging by the size of the rapidly growing fireball, dozens if not hundreds of people could be killed in the process.
Locke emerged from the staircase a moment later, running with Terra as they entered the courtyard. Terra gasped, a scream building in her throat the moment she laid eyes on the clownish mage. Her muscles seized up as she was paralyzed with fright, her mouth opening in a silent scream as Kefka's laughter filled the air.
"There you are!" said Kefka, squealing in delight at the sight of the young woman. The light around him flickered, fading as the fireball dissolved. He rose briefly before diving through the air, still laughing as he closed in on the frightened girl.
"Go! Now!" The King shouted, leaping off the rampart and onto a chocobo that was waiting below.
Locke seized her by the wrist, taking a running leap as he and Terra dove off the rampart, narrowly avoiding the hideous clown as he flew into the courtyard.
Kefka stopped short of hitting the wall, his lean form hovering a foot in the air as he watched Terra disappear over the rampart. He turned in midair, his claws ripping the fabric of her dress as she slipped through his fingers. Flames erupted on either side of him as he howled with rage, taking to the air and following them across the desert.
The chocobo raced across the sand, carrying a stunned Terra Branford who had landed badly and was facing the wrong direction on her feathered steed. She practically collapsed when she landed on the oversized bird, her arms wrapped around its backside with her belly pressed against its back. It took everything she had to hold onto the chocobo as they sped off across the desert.
Edgar looked back at her, and noticed that she was backwards on her chocobo. Locke was too busy celebrating their escape to notice her awkward position, his victory cry carrying on the wind.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet if I were you," said Edgar.
"Huh?" Locke blinked and looked at him in confusion. He turned his head, following Edgar's gaze as he spied a glowing ball on the horizon. "Oh shit!" He tugged on the reigns, causing the bird to rear up and open its beak, releasing a startled cry as its rider kicked its side and ordered it to speed up.
Terra looked up and saw Kefka gliding over the sand, looking very much like a predatory bird with his cloak and feathers rippling on the wind. He reached towards her, his claws inches from her face. Terra screamed, a fireball forming in the palm of her hand. There was a split second during which Edgar and Locke looked back and saw her throw the fireball at him, the flaming mass striking him in the chest and exploding on contact.
Kefka hit the ground, rolling over and over in the sand. His cloak tangled around his body, with feathers flying in every direction. For a moment he was still, lying in a heap as his mind tried to comprehend what just happened. Had he been shot by something? Perhaps a stray fire beam from one of the armored soldiers. Friendly fire. Accidents happen. God knows he used that excuse many times when he started having "accidents" during his training sessions. But no, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be because there was a deep, burning pain in his chest. Which meant that he had been struck by something in front of him.
He peeked out from under his cloak. "Terra?" Nothing. She would not respond to him anymore. He then disappeared beneath the yellow and red fabric, cursing and muttering as he untangled himself from the mass of brightly colored material.
His fingers found the burn holes in his shirt, the pale tips brushing against the charred tassels hanging from the ruff around his neck. He stared at the beads and scorched feathers lying in the sand, then looked up at Terra's retreating form as the chocobo she was riding disappeared over the top of a sand dune.
He was in shock, watching her vanish over the horizon. His precious pet, his obedient toy. Since when did she attack her master? His fist struck the ground, and he screamed, the sound carrying across the desert as Terra and her companions continued their mad dash across the desert.
Locke was grinning as he looked back at her. He raised a hand and pushed his bandana up, his sandy hair blowing in the wind. "Did you see that? She's really something, isn't she?" He turned to Edgar and burst out laughing when he saw the look on face. "What's wrong? You look like you pissed yourself, Edgar!"
"She used magic!" Edgar exclaimed. "Magic! M-a-g-i-c. Stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry. It's just that the last time I saw you with that look on your face was when you accidentally sat on a sand ray." Locke turned in his seat, looking back at Terra who was still facing the wrong way on her chocobo. "Hey, are you alright? You seem distracted by something."
Her eyes were fixated on the horizon, staring at the spot where, only moments ago, Kefka had tried to snatch her off the back of her chocobo. She felt sick to her stomach, her heart pounding against her ribs as she realized how close she came to being captured by that garishly painted monster.
"Terra!"
The young woman started, gasping as she turned and looked back at him.
"Terra, are you alright?" Locke was concerned. He steered his chocobo to the left so he could ride beside her.
"That was Kefka," she whispered, her gaze drifting towards the horizon. She thought she could still hear him, his voice drifting on the wind as he continued to scream and curse.
"You son of a submariner!" Kefka screeched, driving his fist into the sand. He was still for several seconds, breathing heavily as he tried to come to terms with what had happened. She attacked him, his precious toy fought back, trying to escape. But why? How could she do this to him? Was she broken? A broken toy that no longer knew how to obey its master. But she couldn't. She wouldn't do that to him.
Kefka looked over his shoulder, the sound of footsteps drawing his attention as two of his soldiers ran towards him. That was a mistake, because the first person to reach him was struck with a bolt of lightning. The second soldier barely had time to react before Kefka hurled a ball of fire at him, his body reduced to ash in a matter of minutes from the strength of the fire spell.
He rose from the sands, his cloak billowing out behind him on the wind. The castle had vanished into the desert, leaving behind a sunken pit where the castle once stood. He was alone, the remainder of his troops getting pulled into the pit like quicksand. Someone was going to pay for this. Someone was going to suffer for breaking his favorite toy.
"Celes," he hissed, his voice barely above a whisper.
He convinced himself that this was her fault. He saw her tears, he heard her whispering in the dark as she cursed the empire and promised to set Terra free. His thoughts shifted towards South Figaro as he turned to face the moon. Emperor Gestahl had given them orders to kill her, to hang her for treason. He imagined seeing her lips turn blue, her eyes bulging until they were ready to pop right out of their sockets. It was a lovely thought, one that made him laugh like a mad hyena.
The troops were already stationed in South Figaro. The clock was ticking, the hour was late. Celes was on her way to South Figaro, leaving Narshe to join her fellow soldiers in the hostile takeover of yet another city. She didn't know that the soldiers were going to arrest her when she arrived. And who better to welcome her than Kefka?
.oOo.
Kefka traveled alone to South Figaro, using any monsters that were unfortunate enough to cross his path as target practice. He reached the city in a matter of days, and was pleased when he saw that the city had already been occupied.
The troops saluted him as he walked into town. His painted lips twisted into a fiendish grin when he saw the fear and surprise on the faces of those he meet. The soldiers weren't expecting him, and neither was she, as they lead her into the center of town, her hands bound behind her back. She looked up when she heard him laugh, and was dealt a swift blow to the back of the head.
She felt the cobblestone against her cheek, cold stone mingling with warm blood as her vision blurred, and felt a trickle of warm fluid dripping down the side of her face. Celes groaned, her hair falling forward into her face as she rolled over onto her side. There he was, his dark figure a silhouette against the bright, blue sky. He was a curse, a dark rainbow of misfortune and death, and all she had done was try to help her friend, to support her even when Terra wasn't aware of her presence.
She should have known better than to let her guard down around Kefka, or to think he'd leave them in peace while she spoke with Terra. She knew the man was crazy, but she didn't think he had the intelligence to plan and scheme the way he did. His mind had been twisted and warped from those experiments, and yet his cunning intellect remained, his senses sharpened, like a lion stalking its prey. He was everything Gestahl wanted him to be, laughing hysterically as he danced in a circle, kicking up his heels and striking her in the side with his boot.
Another blow, this one making contact with her face. His fingers fisted her hair, ripping it from her scalp as he lifted her off the ground and threw her against the side of a building. She was nearly unconscious when a sudden image flashed before her eyes, and she recalled a moment where Dr. Cid warned her not to underestimate Kefka. Leo said the same thing, telling her to keep her distance and avoid making contact with him whenever possible. Celes had seen what he was capable of. She knew he was capable of causing widespread death and destruction, but that's all she thought he was capable of.
This man spent four months in a mental facility. He was barely able to remember what he did last week, he was diagnosed with everything from generalized anxiety disorder to extreme psychosis. Who in their right mind would listen to a word he said? And how was it that he could he function well enough to think up such grand schemes? Celes knew that his plans went beyond the search for Terra, that he was already making plans to poison every last man, woman and child in Doma. It was one of the reasons she'd spoken against him. And now here she was, lying in the street as Kefka ordered the soldiers to beat her to within an inch of her life.
She braced herself for the attack, and felt the soldier's boot make contact with her ribs. But she wouldn't scream. She refused to cry or beg for mercy. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her writhing in torment, not even when a direct blow to her abdomen caused her to lurch forward and vomit blood onto the sidewalk.
"I'd kill you myself, Celes. But then it would be over much too soon. It's more fun to savor the moment, to cherish each and every dying breath until you beg me to put you out of your misery."
She opened her eyes when she heard his voice, and saw the mad jester standing over her, a sadistic grin on his painted face. He was clearly enjoying himself, watching the blood trickling past her lips and pooling on the ground beneath her. His face was the last thing she saw, his wicked laughter ringing in her ears as the world around her faded to black.
They dragged her unconscious body through the streets, making sure they hit every rock and curb along the way. Chains clanked as they fastened the manacles to her wrists, keeping her hands suspended above her head. It was some time before she regained consciousness. She barely had the strength to lift her head as a voice whispered in the dark, trying to get her attention.
Celes opened her eyes, a feeble moan escaping her lips, and was greeted with the sight of a young man wearing worn, faded blue clothing.
"Name's Locke," he said, his fingers working to remove the chains that bound her to the wall. "Just stay calm and don't make a sound. I'm going to help you escape."