Twenty Minutes Earlier
Most of the soldiers had no idea what they were doing. Only two techs were actually able to go the computers and get to work downloading the files on them. Everyone else was just loading up all of the hard copy files and materials that they could find. A few of them, however, looked around a bit curiously at some of the charts, graphs, and even the titles of the materials they were loading into carts. None of them would ever have been allowed in here in a hundred years if it wasn't for the current emergency. This was their only chance to see what some of the research had been up to.
The teams had been moving fast. The first priority, at least initially, was to secure all of the military data. Things like control codes, launch codes, troop deployments, security clearance…all of those sorts of things. Those were on other floors, and the soldiers were trained to be able to empty those databases quickly. Yet just as they had finished cleaning out the first half, they were reassigned into the more classified areas…ones so restricted even high-ranking military officials couldn't get into it. In fact, most of them were told to go in and focus on that. A security override enabled them to all access it, and they were all rather stunned on the way in two see heavier laser and bullet batteries guarding several security corridors, all of which were normally guarded with things like retina scans, ID card swipes, and hand print indentification. In addition to anyone trying to get in being trapped by thick metal walls and torn apart by automatic defenses, many of the security corridors could electrify the walls or emit poison gas in addition to locking down the facility. A number of the soldiers were plenty nervous just walking in, for fear that something would somehow reset security, and they'd be as good as dead.
Once inside the most secure rooms…the soldiers were a bit confused to see that it had very little military technology and planning. Almost everything was more like out of a lab, and none of them had any idea what to take. Unfortunately…they couldn't ask for help from the few technicians who were allowed in there. An emergency order had been given in regards to emptying the building, and only one researcher, namely the head, Dr. Luccia Lindst, had been cleared to remove from the premises. That meant the fate of the other researchers was already decided…
At least that part was easy enough for the soldiers. They were used to that sort of thing as they piled up the technicians' bullet-riddled bodies in a side storage room and began to douse the remains with flammable liquid. After all…they wouldn't have done this if they weren't going to risk a major breach in security. That meant everything was burned once it was moved. No trace or copy left behind.
The major handling the removal of information from the central lab and materials storage was only in the outermost rooms, where the bulk of the digital research was stored and where experimentation took place on the microscopic level…but not much else. He was impatient to get moving, however. Not only did he think the military files were far more valuable than this, but he was nervous at spending extra time in here for this stuff. That monster that had popped in could destroy the building at any moment, regardless of how far away the enemy fleet was or how that skirmish was faring. He didn't relish being in here when it happened. It would have made more sense to let the technicians handle this rather than shooting them…but obviously this was all too sensitive to be allowed to let leak.
Then again…what does that mean about us once we've gotten it to a secure location?
The major tried not to think about it. He turned back to one of the other officers. "Sergeant?"
"Yes sir?"
"We finished in this room yet?"
"Just about, sir."
"Alright, get ready to delete the databases, then move on to help the other groups with the materials."
The officer hesitated at that. "Some of those things are going to be trouble, sir. Frankly, I think we need a forklift for some."
The major hissed. "You're kidding me, right? Damnit, they should have had a plan for this… Carry on, sergeant."
As he looked back, however…he heard his radio give a beep. He looked down to it, and quickly pulled it out and held it up. The digital readout read a few simple words on it: Bab-Il is under siege.
This actually made the Sybenian hesitate, showing visible unease. The resistance to the south was much stronger than anyone in Sybenia had realized, obviously. They had assumed this was some pointless sortie that was being launched. They all did at first. That was before, however, they had that triple assault the other day that had pretty much stymied any attempt at the two surges they were planning. Now, it seemed some of them had made it farther north for a more direct, and more severe, operation. They were actually attacking the capitol building. In truth…the major didn't expect any assault to get that far. The building was armed and guarded very well. But then again…if they had gotten far enough to actually start assaulting the building to begin with…that was a major concern in and of itself. A part of him wanted to break off right now and fortify the building…but that was against his orders. He'd only be reprimanded if he did so before being ordered.
Instead, he was more concerned with their own installation. With security deactivated, there wasn't anything stopping assailants from walking right into the heart of the building and taking whatever they wanted. However…he didn't worry too much about that. True, all of the automatic and instrinsic defenses had been shut down, but they had close to two hundred soldiers and 30 mobile armored defensive units guarding the outside of the Database Building all the way up to the innermost area. They'd have to fight through all of that first, and he doubted any strike team could make it through in such close quarters, regardless of the strikes that had happened yesterday.
…Still…
Adjusting the radio to the outside frequency, he held it to his head and spoke inside. "Lieutenant, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear, major. Over."
"Any sign of any disturbance out there? Over."
"Negative, sir. We've got a few mutant rodents running around out here…but nothing that's a problem. We're all clear. Over."
"Alright. Make sure it stays that way. Over and out."
The major clicked off the radio and put it away at his belt. He frowned a bit. Did he mention 'mutant rodents'? He thought that the clean-up city workers had long since gotten rid of all of those… However, he shrugged at the thought. It wasn't like they could be any sort of threat to something like this. And ones that were in the sewers or train tunnels were probably trying to flee the destruction that was happening. God knew there was plenty of that going on. At any rate, they never came…
…Indoors?
Even as he thought this…he soon saw something unusual. Through the open bulkhead leading in through the last security corridor and into the lab they were in came an odd looking creature. It seemed to be like a cat or rabbit in nature more than a rodent…but it was colored bright green. It looked fairly well-groomed too…like a pet almost. Or even a stuffed animal, considering that its had black eyes almost like buttons. Finally, it had one other feature that stood out from it…what looked like a precious ruby was right in the middle of its forehead.
The creature ran right into the room, alerting a few other soldiers although most stayed on task, but stopped just inside the doorway. The major furrowed his brow and stared at it for a few moments. Was this that 'mutant rodent' they mentioned? To be honest, he wasn't sure what to make of it. It didn't look like any rodent he had ever seen, although the bright green fur definitely wasn't natural. That jewel had to be some sort of headpiece or something that some rich citizen had given it…so perhaps it was an exotic pet of some sort. But if that was the case…then what was it doing here?
Yet as he thought about these things…he saw something impossible. The gem on its head suddenly shimmered, seeming to spread the light all over it…and a moment later, it vanished into thin air.
The man blinked in surprise, as did the other soldiers who had paused to look to it. The major actually moved forward for a moment and looked at the area more closely, thinking he had just seen some sort of magic trick. He knew he didn't just imagine that. The other men who had seen it were enough to confirm that. It must have been some mutant indeed. It had to have some sort of magic to enable that…
As he continued to puzzle over it, however…something else happened that made both him and a few others in the room react. Suddenly…a ruby-colored flash, much larger than the one that the creature had made, ignited and radiated throughout that side of the room. It was enough to make the major recoil a bit and wince. He even began to move his hands to shield himself. However, the glow died just as quickly…and he continued to look forward into it as it vanished…
And, to his surprise, he saw a grinning, black-mustached pirate looking back at him.
"G'day!"
The major reacted in shock…but wasn't even able to get a word out before a much smaller figure, but far stronger than any normal man, lunged out at him and smashed a buckler shield against the side of his head, dropping him instantly.
By that point, the others in the room reacted, not just to this and to the two who had arrived…but two others with them: a fierce-looking native Fuliet warrior and a more scrawny, wimpy looking one wielding what looked like oversized tools attached to a massive battery pack. However, their shock lasted only a minute. Immediately, they dropped whatever they were doing and immediately sprung up and for their weapons…for all the good it did them.
The one with the tools spun to the soldiers on his side, wielding what looked like a giant pneumatic nailgun…and began to fire away with it, dropping them one after another. The pirate, on his part, drew his sword and advanced, quickly striking down the nearest soldier, and then waving his hand at two more…causing blue spectral flames to ignite around them. Immediately, they went hysterical and mad, and began to fire their weapons wildly…right into each other. A few of the soldiers deeper in the room got out their guns in time and began to open fire…but the one who had decked the major, no more than a boy, rose up and braced his shield in front of him, intercepting the four or five bullets that managed to get off. After that…he dropped…allowing the Fuliet warrior to give a war cry and lunge forward, dropping one soldier with a skull-cracking kick, punching the next nearest enough to send him flying, knocking a computer monitor to the ground before driving his body into a fume hood, and then swept her body around once before she flung a massive axe into the chamber, sending it in a deadly arc that tore through many of the computers and lab stations…but also through all remaining soldiers who were still standing. Soon it returned to her, and she snatched it from the sky, twirled around once to lose momentum, and then stopped again.
The group looked around only for a minute…making sure there were no other soldiers still lurking or having taken cover. However…it was soon broken by an angry snort from the midst of the group…a little green creature.
"'Mutant rodent' my ass."
Cryder swept his blade around to clear the blood, and then looked back to the bulkhead. Already, the sounds of commotion were coming up from it. After all, they had to hear the gunshots if nothing else. He turned back to Ceja and beckoned. "Alright, cave-lass…come on over and give me a hand with this door will you?"
She turned to the pirate, and saw him already moving over to the open hatch. He grabbed ahold of it, tightened his arms, grunted, and slowly began to pull it up to close it again. Even with his enhanced strength, he wasn't doing so well…but soon the woman was at the metal bulkhead as well and grabbing on…and it shut so quickly that the pirate was nearly swept off of his feet. After a few moments, just as the sounds of boots became distinct, and one of the Sybenians yelled to fire, the door slammed closed. It didn't seal, but Cryder and Ceja both braced themselves against it as the sound of dull metal thuds from bullets rang off against it. The pirate looked up to Cid next.
"Your turn, mate."
Cid, however, was frowning a bit as he finished readjusting his smaller torch head and same over to it, getting to work welding the lock shut, although he looked unhappy about it. "…You didn't have to cut through all the computers on the way in here. We're supposed to be downloading from them."
"I only destroyed half of those strange boxes." Ceja retorted. "There are still plenty left."
The engineer rolled his eyes as he kept working.
"Keep your pocket protector on, Cid." Carbuncle called up from the floor, as he ran over to one of the fallen techs who had succumbed to Ceja's assault. After rooting around on him a bit with her paws, he came out with what looked like an advanced memory stick. He turned back to the others and held it up. "They were just finishing our job for us when we got here. It's right here."
Cid exhaled as he finished a foot-long swath. By now, the bullets had stopped, and people were banging on the other side, but between the door's mass and the two leaning against it, it was hopeless to get in. "Alright…but we need to check out the rest of this place for any other data we can find."
"Just so long as we do it fast." Bahamut answered. "The fight has already begun in the capitol building. Dael and the others could be walking right into a trap, but even if Raven is the only one waiting for them they'll still need our help."
Cryder let out a grin. "Ain't you a fine young man, lookin' after his mum?" He joked in response.
Bahamut looked up a bit incredulously at that, honestly taken back. "Wh…what?"
"Forget it, lad." The pirate answered with a head shake. "Just always tickled me how you do whatever she tells you when you're older and wiser than her by far… Makes me wonder why. I mean, she may be stronger than you are at the moment, but I doubt she's the 'beatin'' type when you misbehave. You seem to like playin' the part of the mama's dearest though…"
Bahamut flustered a bit, his face turning irritated. "…Not only is what you're saying ridiculous, it's irrelevant. Can we stay on task, please?"
"Got it." Cid answered as he leaned away from the hatch, putting his torch away and getting his nailgun back out. Cryder and Ceja soon moved off as well, both of them readying their weapons.
"I overheard them say something about more guys inside…messing with the bigger and harder-to-move things or whatnot." Carbuncle stated as they all got ready to move. He pointed ahead in the room. There was a door ahead, and it was another security one…but it was ajar, much like the rest of the security systems. "They may have heard all of that and have a counter-offensive or something planned."
"Even if they don't, they're bound to reactivate the interior security so long as we have ourselves sealed in." Cryder answered. "Let's move before they get desperate to kill us." He immediately began to advance.
Ceja looked a bit puzzled as she moved forward. "…If the exit is sealed, how are we supposed to leave when we are done?"
Carbuncle sighed, and pointed to himself as he followed. "Teleporter, remember? When they deactivated the security system, they must have turned off whatever Eris Bell they may have had in here too. So as long as we're quick about this, we've got nothing to worry about. It's easy for me to go to a location in the recent past that I've been to."
Bahamut himself brought out his shortsword and went ahead and took the lead, headed straight for the next open security door. "I'll take the point. I'm the one with the shield, after all. And they don't seem to be planning on needing to bring out armor piercers."
"Just move fast, lad." Cryder answered with a grin. "Hit 'em hard and fast. That's my motto."
"…What if we run into a bunch of gunners who already have themselves set up?" Cid groaned in response.
"Do not be a coward." Ceja simply answered, leaving the engineer to only sigh in response.
However, Bahamut took the words to heart more than Cid knew. He reached the door and put a hand on it. The bulkhead here was lighter than the previous one, and soon he yanked it open, immediately bringing his shield up to protect his upper body. However, nothing was on the other side. It made sense. It was only another security checkpoint corridor. There wasn't even any place in there to set up an ambush. Bahamut nevertheless looked around a bit. The next door up ahead was already open, which meant nothing was stopping anyone from shooting through it. Yet no shots came. After a moment, he turned and looked back to the others.
"Ceja, I know you can guard yourself with that axe of yours. Mind getting behind me?"
The warrior raised an eyebrow, but then did as she was told. Once there, Bahamut began to advance again. One by one, they all moved into the next corridor, Bahamut keeping his head covered as best as he could and still look ahead. As they went a bit further, Ceja looked over to him again.
"I would have thought you would ask me to move ahead of you as my axe is broader than your shield." She stated.
"I'm a smaller target with less protection. They'll try to get me first, leaving you open to throw your axe however you like."
Ceja blinked. "…Very valorous of you."
"I'm a member of this group as much as anyone else, whether I be in a child's body or a Guardian Force's one." Bahamut flatly answered. "I'll assume the risk along with everyone else."
"Maybe you won't, lad." Cryder answered with a smile. "This ol' pirate still has a few more tricks up his sleeve, remember."
Bahamut looked to the pirate a moment, but didn't hesitate. He couldn't afford to, after all. None of them could.
Venturing to the next entrance, Bahamut tentatively looked inside. This hall had a branch inside it in a "crook" shape, but other than that was the same as the previous security corridor. This one had to have been built around some large piece of machinery or the like. However…it also created a blind turn. With that in mind, he inched forward to the edge only slowly, and then snapped and looked around the side for just a flash. However…nothing was there…except the opening to the next chamber, which was more dimly lit. He could tell even from a brief glance that it was much larger than the corridor they were in, but, again, he saw nothing.
After a moment, he tentatively stepped out and advanced again, all the way up to the doorway. Bahamut didn't look inside too much just yet, not wanting his head taken off by a sniper bullet. He pressed himself to one side, and Ceja to the other. After that was done, Cryder moved forward a bit, making a "hold" gesture. "I've got this, mates." He stated. With that, he held out his hand, and made a gesture.
Nothing seemed to happen. Bahamut saw nothing, and heard nothing. Yet Cryder gave a smile and a nod. "The room's clear."
The others paused, Bahamut included. Ceja looked to him strangely. "How can you tell?"
"Trust me." He answered. "You'd have heard it if there had been something."
Bahamut wasn't so sure, but he didn't hold any longer. They couldn't take this too slow, after all. He soon rose again, keeping his shield in front of him, and advanced into the larger room.
There wasn't much here either. A few old specimen cases, already emptied and in disuse, and lots and lots of file cabinets. Bahamut and Ceja continued to take point, for the door to the next chamber was still open. They made sure to keep themselves guarded behind their shields as they advanced enough for Cryder, Carbuncle, and Cid to move in. The engineer held up his nailgun and went to the nearest cabinet, pulling it open and looking inside. He frowned at what he saw, and shut it and moved to the next. He frowned again and went to a third, but also with the same result. Exhaling, he looked back to the others.
"Nothing but paper copies. No data we can take with us."
"All the better." Cryder answered with a smile. "Let's move on."
"Hold a moment…" Bahamut interjected. "Anything on research they've done? Correspondence?"
Cid shook his head. "Nothing I can understand at first glance. There might be some abstracts or summaries in here…but it would take hours to sift through. We don't have that time."
"…Then let's move on. See if there's something easier to manage." Bahamut responded a bit reluctantly, moving on with his shield out to the next corridor. Ceja followed alongside, and the others soon fell in behind.
There was another security corridor after this chamber, but only one this time, and a straight shot. The door on the other side was wide open, but there was no one looking inside. Although the corridor made a good bottleneck, apparently they were counting on someone being able to bust through anything right in the doorway. And sure enough…people could pretty much only shoot straight into the chamber, which meant only one or two individuals at the most. Not much of an effective bottleneck.
On stopping at this next entrance, Bahamut's glance into this chamber looked more "promising". It was some sort of specimen testing area with sealed metallic cylinders. Only a few were there, however. Most were empty sockets, or had clear cylinders inside with nothing in them, including no residue. Some of the sealed ones did still look active, however.
Ceja looked around a bit herself. This area was much larger and higher-ceilinged. The path branched ahead to the left to a larger set of doors. Perhaps this was the innermost area. After all, most of the labs were over in Leuco. They probably only had a few special areas here for preliminary research or the like. She wrinkled her nose a few times, and then let out a hiss.
"It stinks of chemicals. There may be men with guns in here, but I can't smell anything in these accursed buildings."
"No worries, mate." Cryder answered. "Didn't forget me already, did you?"
Bahamut had to admit, he wasn't sure what Cryder was going to do. His grasp on geomancy was too little. Neither did anyone else. However, the pirate simply put his hand on the ground.
"Get ready to hit whoever makes a noise." He said with a smile, as he made a gesture.
The others were again confused at that…but soon got an answer. Abruptly, they heard no less than eight people give a noise, and then a surprised sound as they were heard crashing to the floor. Bahamut turned back in astonishment, wondering what had just happened…how Cryder had done that. Then, his memory clicked. There was a move geomancers could do that was fairly basic…actually alter the consistency of the ground in certain spots so that it would swallow up an opponent in one shot. However…that was only in a more advanced case. In a more general spectrum, they could do the same over a large area just enough to make people slip and fall. Normally not good for much…but apparently it let out some target locations.
With that in mind, Bahamut burst into the room. He had a few moments where he knew he wouldn't have to worry about gunshots, and he went right for the nearest wall, to go around the cylinders. He saw one of the soldiers was lying prone on the other side, struggling to rise…but he quickly dove on him and took him down. Ceja burst in next, flinging out her axe in the more "vertical cutter" motion, straight for one of the clear cylinders. The deadly weapon ripped right through it, shattering glass and metal alike, before tagging the two on the other side. Cid broke in next, keeping his nailgun out and firing shots at another location. He wasn't as good as Quaren, but the shots still managed to tag and drop one, and send another, just as they got the gun out, running for cover.
The others quickly broke into the room, moving behind the nearest cylinders themselves. Bahamut took one side while Ceja, after her axe returned to her, ran behind another. A few errant shots went out after her, but soon she was back behind cover. Cryder moved in behind her while Cid came behind Bahamut, keeping his gun out. They both took cover, waiting for a few more shots to go off and die down again. Carbuncle stayed low...not much use in this situation other than barriers. After that happened, using their respective companions as shields, Cryder and Cid leapt out from the other side, launching their own attacks. Cryder used a Will 'O The Wisp that lit one solider's arm on fire, causing him to recoil and howl in pain, struggling to put it out. As for Cid, he fired into a steam pipe near the hidden soldiers, blasting them and making them pull back. Bahamut and the others soon did the same.
Both sides held back for a moment, neither advancing any further, or trying any more shots.
Finally, Cryder called out. "Not lookin' good for you, mates! You throw down your weapons and just let us knock you out like good little boys and we'll be on our way!"
"Screw you!" One of the Sybenian soldiers shot back.
"You are hopelessly outmatched!" Ceja shot back fiercely. "One of us is more than a match for a dozen of you! You cannot win! Only death awaits you by challenging us!"
"Step out and say that!"
"Don't dare her, friend." The pirate called back more quietly and with a chuckle. "You don't want to meet this tribal lass on even ground. Or maybe you didn't catch what her axe did to your two chums?"
There was a few moments of silence after that. Bahamut waited for a bit, but his eyes also narrowed. He looked to Cryder. "You shouldn't egg them on too much." He said quietly, so only they could hear. "People can get desperate in this situation. Desperate people perform stupid and dangerous actions."
"What's the big deal, my lord?" Carbuncle stated with a shrug. "These are just shock troops. They can't cause too much-"
"Private, what are you doing?" One of the soldiers suddenly called. "Get away from that control! That's an order! NO!"
Suddenly, a large hiss went out within the chamber, like the world's largest bottle of soda being uncapped. The group looked up curiously in response…actually risking looking out…and were just in time to see one of the sealed cylinders opening up. Yet even as it slowly rolled aside, letting out an amount of white smoke in the process, three of the remaining soldiers backed up and began to move away, no longer caring about the group and instead moving their weapons to the cylinder itself. As the smoke cleared and it fully moved away…what was inside immediately began to exit. Bahamut saw it…and did not like what he espied one bit.
A hideous mass of green, slimy tentacles began to ooze out, lined with black, corrosive sludge as they ran over the sides of the platform the cylinder was on and began to move down to the nearest target, the one who had let it out…and was now immediately regretting his decision as he backed up. Other than the thick mass of tentacles, the only other thing was a large, ovoid head split open with a horribly large mouth, lined with red, bloody gums, and row after row of sharp teeth leading into a cavernous mouth that stank even from their side of the room. Surrounding it, like a grotesque flower, was another mass of tentacles, each one holding a dim eyeball on the end of each stalk. Bahamut knew this thing…something even espers made sure to go far away from as a general rule…a Malboro.
The nearest one made the biggest mistake one could make dealing with one of those monsters: trying to engage it at point-blank range. He was obviously more shocked about the monster itself than what it was, and he raised his gun and tried firing at it. The Malboro didn't even bother using any of its deadly breath powers on him. Its tentacles went out…its mouth opened…and even Bahamut, after his thousands of years of life, had a hard time not feeling queasy on what happened in moments. One of the younger soldiers went hysterical…and the other two made the mistake of standing their ground as well, opening firing on the monster. Despite looking like a plant, or having rubbery, soft flesh, a Malboro had all vital organs in its head, which was as tough as bullet-proof armor, and plenty of tentacles to spare. It could lose half of them and still move around as easily as it could with them. The monster used its more "signature" move on the others. It looked to them as they fired desperately at them…and then began to shudder violently.
"Cover your mouths!" Bahamut yelled…not to the soldiers, though. It was far too late for them. But even from this distance, they were at risk. He and the others quickly did so…just as the monster let out what sounded like a massive, wet, thundering belch as a cloud of toxic fumes in vomit-inducing colors poured out and washed over the remaining group.
The stench even from here was ghastly and nauseating beyond belief. It made Bahamut's eyes water, his throat burn, and his nose feel almost like something was laying eggs inside it… It didn't help that what happened to the other three soldiers was enough to really make his stomach turn. The only good thing was that the venomous cloud a Malboro produced lasted only moments, and immediately began to sink afterward. Ignoring the remains of the three soldiers it had just killed, it swiveled around and looked to fresh prey. It spotted them easily with all of those eye stalks, and immediately began to come forth.
Everyone, after seeing that, began to look nervous.
"Eh…never threw it down with a Malboro before, lads…" Cryder said a bit tensely. "Never was that suicidal…"
"Neither was my tribe. Even if they went abroad…" Ceja answered with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "They can kill even the best with breath alone…"
Bahamut was tensing as well, but quickly called out. "Everyone, split up! Flank it! That's no guarantee it won't use its breath…but it's less likely if it can't get us in one go!"
To further remove ambiguity, Bahamut stepped forward and immediately banged on his shield, trying to get more attention of the monster, challenging it. The others only paused a moment…Ceja most of all, seeming to scowl a bit that a child was taking the lead on her…but then she tore off like a panther, clearly meaning to get on its blind side. Cryder went for another one, making sure to press himself to the wall and stay far from the monster. Cid finally went out as well, gulping as he went for his saw…
"No!" Bahamut shouted to him when he saw it in his peripheral vision. "No melee weapons! You saw what happened to that soldier who got too close! No fire, either! Burning them only prompts them to use more of their breath!"
"…What am I supposed to use against it then?!" Cid cried in panic as he ran out far to the other side. "Scorn?!"
The boy didn't bother answering because he didn't have the time to. The Malboro had seen the nearest target. Although the eye stalks spotted the others moving around it…it advanced fully to Bahamut. And for being a mass of writhing tentacles that seemed to thrash about randomly as much as with a purpose, it moved very fast. Its head actually lolled from side to side with his teeth opening and closing as it drew near.
Now Bahamut realized he was in a bit of a bad spot himself. These things weren't truly plants but nothing short of Leviathan would leave a serious mark on it. Regular water attacks wouldn't work. And he had to take his own advice and not get close to it. It was large enough to devour him whole in one bite. He looked around, searching for some weapon to use…but saw little. Basically his strategy was to hold the thing in check long enough for someone like Ceja to inflict a distant mortal blow. Yet the abomination was surprisingly quick…and suddenly applied a burst of speed, going right for Bahamut. Eyes widening a bit, he quickly whipped his body around and tried the "shield discus" move he had done earlier in an attempt to at least stun it.
The shield said through the air and struck it right over its monstrous lips…but aside from a thick thud and a brief slowdown which lasted all of two seconds…the monster was neither halted nor hurt. It continued to advance rapidly, and its front tentacles began to reach out for its prey. Bahamut's eyes widened. Even when the shield bounced back to him, and he was able to snatch it out of the air…he knew it would do no good against a Malboro. Struggling or slashing…it would eat you whole just the same with you fighting all the way. There was only thing he could do…backpedal. Yet as he did so, he soon saw, for his own enhanced speed, the monster was closing even faster. He was only slowing it down a bit…and not that much. It didn't take long for the Malboro to speed up even more. He began to hope the others launched an attack pretty soon…
When he saw a pipe under a grating within the floor as he ran by.
Wait…there!
Abruptly, Bahamut stopped in mid-step just as he crossed over it. The Malboro didn't stop, opening its cavernous mouth as its tentacles raised for him. But before it could seize him, Bahamut bent down, drove his shortsword forward, and drove it in through the grating and into the pipe, cutting out a slash inside it. He quickly pulled back, wincing in pain, as he felt a burst of hot steam come over his hand, but luckily he had pulled it out before it could be too bad…at least, he hoped. It seemed hot enough to blister. But he quickly backpedaled again after that, narrowly missing the tentacles as they slammed down at his location.
But on doing so, the monster put its appendages over the steam, and it began to roast away at the rubbery flesh. It had deadened reception to pain, but even it wasn't stupid enough to want to linger within something burning it. Letting out a belch-like grumble, it recoiled away momentarily. Bahamut used that moment to gain more distance and quickly try to look for something else. Perhaps he could use Leviathan…but no. Not while the others were moving around the thing. The wave might hit them as well. He had to think of something else…
Yet as he tried to think, the others went into action. Cryder and Cid, both of whom were now far closer, began to get to work. Cid raised his only remaining projectile weapon, his nailgun, and began to unload into it into the monster's head…for all the good it did. Most of the nails bounced right off, and the few that didn't only went in a centimeter…not enough to break the shell and hit something vital. Cryder was pretty much just as much at a loss. The Will O' The Wisp was too similar to fire to use against the thing, and these monsters didn't have enough of a nervous system to get confused anyway. He definitely couldn't go up to it and try and slash it…so he sighed as he manipulated his hand, causing mist to gather around the monster in hope of blinding all of its eyes at once. Sure enough, the little stalks began to look all around, trying to find who was attacking it while keeping its eye on Bahamut at the same time. As this went on, Ceja was finally in position, and warmed up to start throwing her axe again…but only got one revolution before she stopped.
"I cannot aim well with that mist covering it!" She shouted to Cryder.
"I don't fancy being an appetizer either!" The pirate complained back, before he reluctantly began to lower the mist. Soon, the monster became visible again…but its eye stalks also soon zeroed in on its two opponents.
Ceja, however, now had a target, and quickly spun around twice and then flung her axe at the thing. The air was filled with a loud whistle as the solid, deadly, sharpened bone whirled right toward it. The abomination, in response, turned its rear eye stalks to her, seeing the blade coming…and then did something no one suspected. Barely constricting its tentacles first, it suddenly leapt straight into the air with surprising agility, easily going up eight feet and letting the axe whiz harmlessly past it. Bahamut not only gaped at that, but soon had to dive to the side, near the earlier shattered cylinder and among the broken glass, to avoid the axe slicing him in half. A moment later, the intact Malboro landed.
The Fuliet warrior actually gaped. "This monster can jump?!" She exclaimed in astonishment, almost forgetting about her axe as it spun around and began to return to her.
The Malboro, however, wasn't done. Its head began to tremble again, as it swiveled over to face Cid. The engineer gaped, and quickly began to run for it. Cryder, on his part, actually began to run out toward the backside of the creature, trying to get it while it was distracted. Yet he only got a foot before one of the tentacles laced over the panel grating on the floor, ripped one off, and snapped around…flinging it right at him. He quickly dove to one side himself, nearly having his head taken off by the metal grating…which was thrown so hard that it embedded in the metallic wall halfway. He collided with the ground a moment later, hearing a loud clang above him, and looked up…soon gaping in shock.
"Leviathan's breath…this beastie has a Hell of a throwin' arm!"
As for the main monster, it stopped shaking its head and let out a stream of deadly miasma again, right for Cid. He quickly ran away from it, and barely got out of range in time. Still…the horrible mist seemed to melt certain substances that flowed over it, like sealant and rubber, and some of it still tagged the back of Cid's power pack, actually staining the metal a putrid color.
The axe, meanwhile, returned to Ceja, just as the thing swiveled around and exhaled more of its bad breath, creating a wall of miasma in half of the chamber. Cryder quickly rose up and ran away from it. That would have normally been too slow based on the angle...but Carbuncle quickly charged behind him, jumped on his back, and teleported him a short distance away from the toxic fumes. Cid, on his part, kept going as fast as he could. Ceja quickly readjusted her axe and tried throwing it in a vertical slice next…but the miasma was closing faster, and her aim and focus was off as she let it go. It went out to the thing…but the creature merely sidestepped, letting the deadly weapon shoot past, tear up the ground where it was, and then recoil to her. She didn't even have time to grab it right away, needing to turn and run back and away from the poisonous cloud. The axe was left to be left behind in the expanding miasma, leaving her unarmed in turn.
However, all of this had an additional effect, that Bahamut looked up and began to realize. The others were now separated from him…and the Malboro was free to devour him at leisure. Since the miasma was a magical-type breath weapon rather than purely biological, even Carbuncle couldn't teleport through it while it still hung in the air. The monster obviously intended for that to happen, because it immediately swiveled around, cutting off its breath, and began to scuttle up to him.
The boy was on his feet in a flash, forcing himself to get up. He tried to run for cover, trying to go forward and shoot past it. Running back would only make things easier. He had to get around. Yet as he went up to the broken cylinder with jagged glass remains still pointing upward…the Malboro was on him. Before he could go any farther, filthy tentacles shot out and lashed around either leg, jerking him to a stop. He would have fallen over in moments…if not for another two tentacles shooting out and lashing around his torso, freezing him in a "standing" position as it yanked him off the ground and into the air. Bahamut's eyes widened in shock. The horrible putrid stench from it nearly gagged him again, making his eyes and lungs burn… In spite of that, he pulled his sword forward and began to hack way at the creature's giant lips and gums. It did absolutely nothing, even with his enhanced strength and well-made weapon. The thing was more than used to this from all its prey, and simply opened its cavernous mouth and shoved him inside.
The stench alone was nearly enough to make Bahamut pass out, but as it threw him into the cavernous hole…it released his legs. Having only a split second to react, as the monster began to close its massive mouth, he planted his legs on the bottom jaw, brought his shield over his head, and soon went rigid to force the thing to keep its mouth open. It tried to shut it…and the force was indeed incredibly strong…but so was Bahamut. The thing tried to shut severel times, but to no avail. Letting out another ghastly belch, it began to bear down on the boy…and, in short order, his muscles began to strain and burn as he tried to hold back the massive force. Worse yet, it kept the tentacles on his torso, and tried to push him deeper into the cavernous hole…which still smelled like melted meat remains…which only unsettled the boy further. Soon, his strength began to give. The mouth slowly began to close…and he was slowly pushed more inside…
Yet Bahamut realized that wasn't fast enough for the monster. Its head began to rattle and shake. It was getting ready to exhale its foul breath on him, leaving him easy prey. There was only one move left he could make… It was risky, but when faced with a miserable death…it was worth it. With that in mind, as he felt the pressure and tentacles increase even more…he did something crazy. He slipped his shield out, and held up his sword with one hand and all his might.
The tentacles immediately pushed him in…but on feeling him going, they released…letting him fall on his back into the mouth. Disgusting as this would be, he held out his shield to hook around the outside of the monster's jaws…and kept his blade up and hard, as steady as he could. In split seconds, the mouth began to slam shut with a heavy machine's force. The stench and putrid feeling intensified, the darkness of the mouth closed around him…
But then, the mouth, closing with such force, bit down in the roof of its mouth on top of the outstretched blade. The monster was armored inside and out, so normally it wouldn't have made a difference…but its jaw strength was too strong. It slammed the inside on the blade…and drove it in several inches.
Immediately, the mouth opened again as thick green blood fountained out of the internal wound, and the monster bellowed in a hideous cry. Yet as the mouth opened, Bahamut yanked back on his other hand, letting the jaw catch his shield and pull him out of the disgusting maw of the beast, enough to get on his feet. As soon as he was, he sprang out of the mouth as fast as he could. Nothing tried to stop him. The tentacles were flailing wildly now. And so, he quickly moved off and away from the hard mouth of the creature, and stepped backward, actually putting a foot on the edge of the broken, jagged cylinder nearby. There he stayed a moment…holding…temptingly just outside of the monster's injured mouth.
Just as he thought, it wasn't long before it got enough of its bearings to raise three of its disgusting tentacles at once, and swing out for him…and he responded by immediately jumping off, wide, and to one side. The Malboro was left to swing its tentacles down onto the broken glass edges…spearing it and holding it in place. More blood oozed, but even if it didn't hurt as much as before, it was enough to immobilize the monster for a few moments.
Bahamut, on his part, landed and tumbled clear, then snapped his head up and looked to the end of the chamber. "Now, Ceja! It's stuck!"
The miasma was finally dying down…and, sure enough, the Malboro was dim witted enough to try pulling its tentacles free…tearing them up worse in the process. That gave the Fuliet Warrior all the incentive she needed. Quickly, she darted forward to her discarded axe and snatched it off of the floor. Taking only a second to aim at the thing, she swung herself around two more times, and then let it fly with the deadly cutting sound whistling through the air. The monster, if it saw it coming, couldn't move. It was too dim witted to realize it needed only jump again to both free itself at the price of maybe losing some tentacles, thinking it was anchored and needed to rip free first. It could do nothing as the axe met it…and sliced through its hard carapace as easily as any other bit of armor.
As the deadly axe cutter whistled by, green ooze-like blood flew everywhere and the entire upper half of the Malboro's head flew into the air, the upper jaw still attached. It toppled through the air over itself again and again for a few moments, as the whirling axe went around and cycled back to Ceja, who snatched it out of the air and halted it before the top of the head fell back down again. Having only a primordial nervous system, it took a moment for the rest of the body to slowly stop moving and then collapse…but it did. All motion ceased, and the creature lay dead.
Bahamut, who had landed in a squat, got back to his feet and exhaled, looking at the dead monster. After that, he looked back to the others, and gave a nod to Ceja. "Thank you."
She simply nodded back.
"You alright, Lord Bahamut?" Cid asked.
"…I have a few new memories that I would rather do without…but yes." Bahamut responded. "At any rate, we're far from being in the clear. By now, the Sybenians have to be cutting their way in. Let's move on…and make sure not to open any more of these cylinders."
No one disputed that. Quickly, everyone got themselves together and looked to the bend in the path. Unlike everywhere else, the door here, which was much larger than the others, was shut. It didn't look sealed, however. As Cryder, sword still naked, began to move up to it, Bahamut cleaned his own weapon as best as he could before putting it away, keeping his shield out, and running forward to meet up with the others. However, while still at a distance, Cryder reached the door first. Pressing a button on the side, the heavy metal bulkheads opened up, and he began to venture in.
On the other side was another advanced lab space. Pretty high tech too…with lots of top-of-the-line equipment. But it appeared no real work had been done in it for some time. Nothing was lying out, only one computer was active, and the various lab appurtances were clean and looked as if they had been that way for a while. No sign of anyone else either, although there were plenty of places to hide.
"'Ello, lads and lasses!" He called inside. "Anyone up for a spot of-"
Click.
Cryder froze in mid-speech. The sound came from the side of his head, and he turned his glance over…seeing that a handgun was pointed at his temple and cocked. It was in the hand of a rather fierce-looking woman who looked like she was once a well-dressed and well-kept lady, but was disheveled and tense now. Her makeup was running, the bun her hair was in was loose with strands hanging down, and her glasses were askew. She was dressed like a researcher, however…one for the Sybenian military.
Not only that, however…but he saw a few more things nearby.
A suitcase was hastily packed and at her side…and two soldiers were slumped against the wall. Both had been shot…one in the head and one in the chest.
"…Perhaps not." He said.
"Drop your sword." The woman ordered, her voice cold, but also a bit crazed…clearly showing she wasn't in the right frame of mind. "I'll pull the trigger. I swear to God I will. I've already killed two people in the past ten minutes. Don't think I won't do the same to you. Don't move your hand either. You think I don't know you're a geomancer? You think I don't know what you can do?"
The pirate said nothing to this. He simply dropped his sword and let it clatter to the floor…but the opening back into the previous chamber was still there…and the way the woman was angled…she couldn't see inside. Neither could he at the moment, but the fact that the others were quiet meant that they had to be working on something. Instead, he smiled back at the woman.
"…Dr. Lindst, I presume? Nice to finally meet the Professor Cid of our time. And of course you know all about geomancers, lass. How many did you send to an early grave again?"
"Shut up!" The doctor snapped back, driving her gun barrel forward and actually smacking it against his temple in a painful manner.
"As you wish, lass." He calmly answered with a slight wince from the pain. "But do tell me…how do you plan to get out of this? You can blow my face off, but it won't do you no good. You planning on using whatever bullets you have left in there…let's see…" His head turned slightly.
"Keep your head forward!" Lindst snapped back.
"…Five, give or take…to get past all those men? I bet they won't be too happy to find out you went and shot your escort…"
"I said shut up!" The doctor retorted…although the words that he said began to make her quiver nervously. She held for a moment, clearly trying to think, and then finally spat. "You're getting me out of here!"
The pirate snickered. "And why would I do a think like that, mate?"
"Because I'll blow your brains out if you don't!" She shot back. "None of those soldiers know I did this…they were coming here to get me out…I'll just tell them I'm your prisoner and you can walk out with me!"
"Heh…not a bad idea for being on the fly, love." Cryder answered. He began to go for a cigarette.
"Keep your hands down."
He did so, but kept smiling. "Only one problem with your plan…"
Abruptly, Cryder was seized from behind and thrown out of the way…before the muscular, furious form of Ceja shot in and seized Lindst's hand and the gun. She gaped in shock…but that soon gave way to agony as the warrior put both hands on it and tightened her grip…crushing the gun in it as well as her finger and thumb, audibly enough to where the sounds of bones breaking could be heard. Lindst soon cried out in agony, and Ceja, giving her a sneer, ripped the gun out of her now-flaccid hand and threw it behind her, before slapping the woman on the side of the head and sending her crashing to the ground. It was only a light hit…but even that was enough to split her lip. What more, the woman clearly wasn't built physically. She was in pain now, and remained on the ground.
The others soon stepped in, one after another, as Ceja glared darkly at the woman. Cryder resumed pulling out his cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it up. After taking a drag, and seeing Lindst still on the ground, he gave a shrug. "It didn't really allot for more than one bloke breaking in, did it?"
After taking another drag, he advanced on her, reached out, seized her by the lab coat lapel, and roughly yanked her to her feet. He knew this type. This woman barely knew how to use a gun. She wasn't going to put up much of a fight or have a concealed weapon. As soon as she was on her feet again, she began to tremble all over violently and shrink away from the others. She knew full well what she had done, and that these four had little incentive to be kind to her. Immediately, she cowered and put her hands up defensively.
"Alright…alright!" She said as Cryder continued to seize her and forced her back, toward some of the minor lab equipment. "Look…look, just wait a second! You can't be mad at me for that! You came in here killing everyone! Look…I'm unarmed now! I'm not a-"
Cryder cut her off as he roughly shoved her back onto one of the lab benches, and once she was lying prone, shoved her over to one of the devices…a centrifuge. She looked around a bit in ever-growing fear and confusion, but he merely reached up and undid the rest of her bun, beginning to pull out her hair all the way.
"What…what are you doing?" She asked nervously. She held a moment, but then swallowed. "Alright…I'm sorry…I'm sorry! Just…just please…get me out of here!"
"Looks to me like your friends over there had that already taken care of, doc." Cryder answered as Bahamut, Cid, Carbuncle, and Ceja began to advance. Ceja was rather cold still, and Carbuncle, tough as he was, let all of this happen…but Cid began to look uneasy as well, seeming to wonder where the pirate was going with this. Bahamut secretly thought the same…but was willing to let it go on for now. "You gonna do us like you did them? Besides…do I look like a metro conductor to you?"
"I had no choice! They would have kept me in the country or given me over to-" The doctor's eyes suddenly widened, and she cut herself off. She had clearly nearly spilled something.
The pirate smiled. "Oh, don't stop. Please…continue. You were saying?"
The doctor said nothing more. She trembled. "Please…please, get me out of here… I'll do anything you want…"
"You can start by telling me everything you know." Cryder answered. "And you can start that by telling me why you're so dead-set on getting out of Sybenia."
The woman merely trembled in response, swallowing hard.
Cryder's eyes narrowed…for once turning deadly.
"Lass…you've got three things going against you right now. One, I'm a pirate, and Sybenia's caused me a lot of Hell. Two, I'm a geomancer, and you've caused me a lot of Hell. Three…" He looked in a bit closer. "…I don't go easy on women."
With that, he reached over and flipped open the centrifuge. That done, he seized some of her long hair and draped it inside, then slammed the lid. The woman began to look up in fright. "What…what are you doing…?"
Before she could go far, the pirate slammed his hand down on her neck, firmly holding her head in place. "Warning label on this gizmo says to keep long hair and dangly things away from it while it's on." He told her. "I reckon I flip this little switch right here…and you'll get to experience getting scalped, mate, once it starts pulling on your hair."
The doctor began to panic. "No…no, please!"
Cid began to move…but Bahamut's hand shot out and placed itself on his chest, keeping him back. Carbuncle began to retreat a bit now. Even Ceja's cold demeanor was softening ever-so-slightly…but the boy didn't care. He was willing to let this go…for a bit longer, at least.
"I'm a simple pirate myself, lass. Not very technically inclined." He answered as he easily held her down and set his sword on the far side of the table. His other hand moved for the main switch. "I see a big button…I just push it…"
"Stop, please! I'll talk!" The woman begged.
"Better be a tune I like, dear. Until it is…" He rested his forefinger on the switch. "That stays right there."
The doctor was practically tearing up now, gasping and near hyperventilating. But she swallowed it down and began to speak.
"The truth is Rozan Hierarch gave me a couple days to come up with something that would decisively swing the war back entirely in his favor! But nothing I came up with was any good! Even after everything I did for him, I couldn't give him what he wanted!"
"What did he want?" Bahamut interjected, but even colder than Cryder.
"He wanted what that person calling the shots told him to make! An individual who could relive history by tying into the spiritual memory of their ancestors!"
The boy looked confused. "Why would anyone want that?"
"I don't know! It might be a way to power or something!" The doctor whined in response. "All I do is what he tells me to do! I may be a genius, but I'm still just hired help! But he got enraged when I couldn't make it! I told him no one could make it! I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker! He wouldn't take that for an answer! He said for me to come up with something that looked like it and he'd use me as a bargaining chip! I'd be dead if I stayed here! That's why I have to get out! Please…get me out of here!"
"Why does he want you in the first place?" Bahamut asked. "Who is this person?"
"I don't know!" Lindst answered. "I worked in Esthar's military division prior to the Depression hitting! I found some unpublished notes by some crackpot scientist! I came up with some theories that I could replicate magic in any individual using artifical means, but Esthar wasn't interested! They outlawed anything that had to do with manipulating spiritual energy years ago! My job got cut when the government income started to run out! I had nothing! Then this man came up to me saying he represented a Sorceress!"
Bahamut went rigid on hearing that, his cold look fading. Cid, however, nearly had his jaw drop. "Wh…what? You mean…like an Order of Hyne Sorceress? Or some sort of street perform-"
"A real one!" The woman shot back. "We don't have time for this! Please…let's just go! I'll tell you everything later!"
By now, everyone had gone unusually still. Even Ceja looked visibly unsettled, her warrior exterior cracking. Bahamut thought over this a moment. Was there a chance she was lying? Or, if she wasn't, that she only thought she was telling the truth? Possibly…but he didn't know for certain. None of them did. What if she was telling the truth, however? Bahamut considered that only a moment…and then called out again.
"Which Sorceress?"
"I don't know which! Like I said, this man only came to me saying he was a High Child of hers! All of her messages and threats got passed on through him! Sometimes I'd get them through Rozan, sometimes she'd pass them straight to me! Please, let's just go!"
Cryder was as shaken as the rest, for all of his supposed disdain of the Order of Hyne. However, he soon spoke up again. "Not yet, lass. Keep going on with your story. It's just gettin' to the good part."
"I told you, I'll tell you everything if-"
Cryder turned the switch on and off rapidly. It was just enough to pull her hair in a little bit, and make her yell, but not any more. Fearful and more frantic than ever, she continued.
"He said she'd get me citizenship in Sybenia if I agreed to work for the military's science division! I could finally get my work out in public!"
"You mean you could start harvesting people for research." Ceja darkly answered.
"I'm a member of a military organization! You don't have room for morals! There's only our side and their side! Come on! You'll kill me over having the same mindset as everyone in Esthar's military?!"
"No…I'll kill you if you don't start getting good again." Cryder answered. "Start telling us more we don't know."
"I don't know anything else!" She cried. "I made some ways to enhance magic! I made the lot that causes people to be able to draw spells! I found out ways to force a junction and to enhance it! I even came up with some ways to manipulate Guardian Forces directly! What more do you want from me?!"
"The essences." Bahamut stated firmly. "Where are they now? You had to be researching them."
"They're all gone! The last of them was used two weeks ago when I learned everything I could from them!"
Bahamut paused again on hearing that, growing rather uncomfortable. There was no telling what else was unleashed at this point. What sort of monstrosity. Even if there wasn't, that meant there were more than just Raven left who had junctions…
"You said you were going to be used as a 'bargaining chip'. What for?"
"If I tell you, I'm a dead woman." She whined.
"Pretty damn close to that right now, lass." Cryder retorted darkly, beginning to push down more on the switch again. "Spill your guts."
The woman, closing her eyes in pain and fear, finally began to choke it out.
"Whoever hired me is counting on Rozan dying today! Once he's gone, she's going to-"
A loud gunshot rang out…and half of Dr. Lindst's head erupted. She barely got out a final cry of agony…before she went limp forever.
In shock, the group snapped to the source…and saw that the soldier shot in the chest wasn't dead yet…and had recovered enough to pull his gun and tried to shoot at the group and the doctor. His aim was so unsteady, however, that he missed them entirely and hit the supine doctor. Cid, in mostly a panic move, twirled around and immediately fired two shots from his nailgun…both of which hit the target. The soldier went limp…and then slumped again, this time for good.
The room was quiet afterward. No one said a word. They looked back to Lindst…but she couldn't say anything else. She had been silenced and was beyond medical or magical help. Yet the few things she had disclosed left everyone in the group unsettled. They all looked up and to one another…each one now filled with fear and anxiety. Bahamut looked more troubled than any of them.
"…So our worst fears were right all along." He stated darkly. "This entire operation was planned. Once again…we're doing the work of whoever wants the power of the Void."
"And it's a Sorceress, to boot." Cryder stated grimly.
Cid immediately snapped his head up. "…We don't know that. She might have been lying. Or maybe she only thought it was supposed to be…"
"She wasn't lying." Ceja stated grimly. "She was a coward when faced with her own mortality. Besides, if what she said was true, then she had nothing to gain from protecting the individual."
"…Perhaps this individual was only masquerading as a Sorceress…or even acting on behalf of one." Bahamut added after a moment. "Although it makes little sense for that individual to do so. If they were acting as a 'mysterious benefactor', they could have pretended to be anyone."
Cid looked to Bahamut at that…his face rather worried now, like a child who had just caught their parent doing something awful. "Lord Bahamut…you can't believe Faerio would-"
"Even if it was a Sorceress, there's no guarantee it would be Faerio any more than it would be Mianyl, Cybus, or Veriguno." He simply responded. "It is, at this time, irrelevant. It matters little compared to what our current dilemma is. We know one thing for absolutely certain." He looked up to the others grimly. "…We were supposed to assassinate Rozan Hierarch. Obviously, whatever political or world-wide effect that his death will have on the world is another part of this 'puppeteer''s plan."
"So what are you suggesting, Lord Bahamut?" Carbuncle spoke up. "That we just walk away? Spare Rozan's life?" He gave a snort. "I'm sure we'll be a bit hit in Esthar after that."
"It doesn't matter." Bahamut responded. "All that matters at this point…more than this world war or anything else…is keeping Nyx Gaia from getting any closer. Even if it means things with Sybenia will continue, that's precisely what whoever is behind this doesn't want…so we need to act on that."
There was a moment of silence from everyone…but they all knew that was the truth. None of them had much love for Rozan or what he had done…but if whoever was playing them for fools and increasing the death and chaos in this world wanted him dead, then there was no question that he had to be saved. Cryder and Ceja both grimly acquiesced as Cid once again got out his earpiece to look to the radio, obviously for any developments in the main building. As for Carbuncle, he let out a long sigh and an eye-roll with his button eyes, but could say nothing else.
Bahamut turned his head to the floor. "Carbuncle…teleport us back out to where we were stationed before we came in, and then get to the top of the capitol building as soon as possible so you can teleport the rest of us back in there."
The green creature frowned a bit. "That's not going to be easy. Don't think just because I can squeeze in some ducts that I can move terribly fast on these tiny legs. Plus…they may not have seen me talk, but they saw me go in here…and then this happened. That's going to make me someone suspicious."
"Just get up there as fast as you can."
"He may need to be faster than that, guys…"
The group looked to Cid, as he grimly looked up from his radio unit.
"They're sending out word on the general alert now. The High Dictator's personal guard has been wiped out. There's nothing standing between the others and Rozan Hierarch."
Beep.
The elevator, for being private and styled with gold and ivory on the inside, still let out a rather characteristic noise as it ceased moving. Soon after, the doors slid open…and what was beyond was revealed.
In truth, it looked very much like the last floor in terms of art and décor. As with the rest of the Guiding Hand, everything depicted the greatness of the old kingdom that had been founded by Odin. Very ancient architecture and bas reliefs. Unlike the previous floor, however, the walls here were clear…nothing but a series of slanted archways that were filled with glass windows. From here, with an easy view of the entire city, including the smoke-filled skies and the battle far in the distance…which was growing smaller now, as it seemed the attacking fleet was pulling out…and no airships were visible anymore…but the view made one look rather like a god before a sprawling landscape. 'The king of all he surveyed', and what have you.
Aside from all of this…the edge of the room was at a slightly higher elevation, in a ring of steps. There was only one bit of furniture…a desk also plated with gold. Very official…nothing more than what would be on any other high executive's desk. All of the papers had been cleaned and put way, however. The various items had been picked up that were loose, and the office supplies and standard of the Guiding Hand and Sybenia alike were both cleaned up. The chair was pushed in too.
Dael, on the elevator opening, only looked to that for a moment…before focusing entirely on what was beyond.
Back to her, arms crossed behind his own back, and holding onto what looked like an ornate spear that was both old and well-made, stood a young man with dark, almost slick-looking, black hair, slightly messy and unkept.
Dael narrowed her gaze, and stepped out of the elevator.
The others followed behind her…patched up as best as they could be. Taraketh was back at the "top of his game" in terms of magic, even after having used quite a bit to heal up everyone else. They all had their aches and pains, but all could still fight nearly at full again after he was done with them. One end of his kusarigama was useless, but he still had the chain and the hammer. Next was Quaren…down to his last clip in his rifle, which were anti-personnel bullets. He looked a bit unsteady, but was still determined. Finally, there was Jalab. He had thrown his staff away downstairs. It was one blow from shattering into dust. From here on in, he only used his fists. And, of course…Dael was in the lead, the Save the Queen put away at her side for a moment as her eyes narrowed ahead.
Each footstep they made echoed loud and long. By now, the explosions were gone. As the city burned all around them, they were left in silence save for the humming of internal machines to the building.
Finally, about halfway to him, Dael stopped, causing the others to halt as well. A hand went on her sword.
"…Rozan Hierarch." Dael stated rather coldly.
The young man didn't move.
"You now have two choices available to you. You can either come with me quietly as my prisoner to Esthar, or you can die right now where you stand. What will it be?"
The figure said nothing in response right away. The silence lingered a little longer. But he did eventually speak…and his voice was just as thin and cruel as ever.
"So…the executioner has passed my final obstacle…and now is here to carry out the will of her master like a good little doggie…" He spoke coolly. He soon let out a snicker. "…Bitter irony. I suppose I can't really fault you. After all…I danced to the tune up until today. Until I started realizing I was just another stalk of wheat to harvest."
Dael's gaze narrowed, but she didn't change. "…Who was helping you, Rozan? Who's been dictating your actions?"
A snort came out as the head turned…just enough to see his thin, cruel face.
"Don't talk to me as if I'm on your level, bitch. Or as if I'm willing to grant any request you have." He held for a moment longer, but then exhaled, closing his eyes, as he fully turned to the others.
"…I believed in the Guiding Hand and its principles. And why shouldn't I have? I was my father's son, after all… You people of Esthar…you all think it was an elaborate ruse. A sophisticated system. Something designed to pull the wool over the eyes of an entire nation and secure power for myself. And you know what? Perhaps it did become that. Yet I know what you're all thinking even now…thinking I had my own family killed just to secure my own power."
He scoffed.
"You know nothing of sacrifice. None of you. None of you have ever been leaders. All you've ever done is fetched sticks that your masters told you to. Do you think it is a petty or an easy thing to have your own brothers eliminated? To order the execution of men you once met at parties, and trusted whole-heartedly...even knew their wives and children personally? Who you knew were the best for the job in your heart of hearts? Political ideology is a horrible thing. If you want to create anything with it…you must also destroy. I believe in the Guiding Hand. I believe in a world without magic. I believe in a world without gods or mages…only men. And I knew I was the only one who could fulfill my father's legacy when he grew too weak to do it himself. How many great men…great commanders…great leaders…had to go their lives being despised and hated? What is the difference between the glorious, noble rulers who were on the 'winning side' of history, and the depraved, cruel, demented leaders who were on the 'losing side'?
"But none of you would know anything about that. You're only ants. You do only what people like me say, just as you always have and always will."
He formed a wicked grin here.
"…I don't think I wish for anything else in the world more at this moment than to see the looks on your faces when you feel the proverbial knives in your backs. I wouldn't have to wait long either…"
Taraketh grit his teeth here…the earlier memory of what Raven said coming back. "Shut up…" He sneered.
Rozan's grin faded into a smile. "Out of all the people it could have ended up being…it's you two." He stated after a moment. "High Child Sir Taraketh Sabian…and Commander Dael Levinson. Or is it 'lieutenant'? Or 'captain', even? I never forget a face. I remember you two well from when this all began…when I was told to start setting everything into motion. How strange…that one who has so much loathing for magic ends up doing what a magic user wants, no matter what she requests. Now…she rewarded me handsomely, to be sure…at least, until it became clear beyond a shadow of a doubt what she wanted. Now I'm simply a liability…or another phase of the plan. Now she intends for me to simply roll over and fall into place like you four did…"
His smile faded, and his gaze narrowed, as he swung his arms out from behind him and crossed the spear underneath him.
"…But I'm not the type to simply roll over and die. Perhaps she forgot the supreme condition I gave for my help…the thing that my father could never possess but that I made sure I would attain so I would never falter as he did…immortality!"
Dael and the others reacted to that for a moment. For a few seconds, she furrowed her brow. What did he mean by that? However, she shook that away. Her own face tightened, and she drew the Save the Queen out in a flash. The others quickly moved away from her a bit and readied their own weapons and attacks.
"If you want to die here, then so be it." She retorted. "Whether I'm doing the will of another or not, I'm not going to let you live to one day launch those missiles!"
For a brief moment, something happened that surprised everyone…
Rozan's face turned to a hint of puzzlement.
There was a moment of silence, with either side looking at each other. But then…Rozan's smile returned as his eyes grew wide and crazed. He began to chuckle darkly, soon breaking out past that into a laugh, and soon booming past that in a bellowing chain of mocking laughter. His face turned more demented and cruel than ever.
"You simple ants…you really don't know anything, do you?" He said in twisted glee. "You're dumber than sheep already in the slaughterhouse!"
Dael's surprise gradually faded…giving way to unease. "…What are you talking about, Rozan? What about the missiles?"
He laughed out loud again. "Forget it! You think I'm actually going to tell a mindless cow that? What would you do with it? Carry out the order like you carry out everything else your master tells you?"
The Esthar's Hawk was getting angry now. She tightened her grip on her sword, already looking for the spiritual divide again. Rozan looked pathetic enough, but no sense in…
…What?!
His grin returned as he calmed and glared darkly at the group. "I'll make a deal with you… I'll tell you right as you're hovering on the edge of death!"
Dael couldn't explain what she was seeing…but Rozan's aura was blazing. It possessed more spiritual energy than ever before. It almost looked like there was…
She didn't get another thought off…for in an instant Rozan was in front of her and swiping the end of his short spear at the side of her head. She only had time to gasp, along with the others, as she felt the blow both hit her and open a bloody gash across her cheek. The force wasn't as powerful as Raven's…but between her exhaustion and stamina loss, she was still torn off of her feet and thrown to the ground.
The others snapped to him…but before they could get an attack off…he vanished again and reappeared in front of Taraketh. The High Child went wide-eyed, forgetting to use a spell, before the staff portion of the spear went out, slammed in the side of his head, and threw him to the ground as well. He shifted again…and this time was right in front of Jalab…and drove the end of his spear deep into his right pectoral muscle. Jalab's eyes went wide. He didn't cry out, but showed clear pain as the man used that for leverage to yank himself up onto his chest, and then shoot out with two kicks so fast they seemed to gleam with light, striking him in the head one after another and sending the monk spilling back. He ripped the spear free as he did so, snapping away and landing on the ground.
Quaren quickly raised his rifle and took aim as Rozan snapped to him with an almost fiendish look. He immediately opened fire…only for the High Dictator to snap his head and body one way and the other, letting the bullets harmlessly shoot by as he moved too fast to even see. He simply seemed to leave one region of space and pop into another. Although the corporal had a dead eye and was fast on the trigger, the High Dictator dodged each one with a devilish smile. He seemed to actually strain a bit to do so…but none of the bullets even came close to grazing him as he closed in closer and closer. Even at point-blank range, Quaren's last shot only managed to just tear the edge of one of his shoulder lapels before he drove forward with his spear right for Quaren's gut. The Esthar's Hawk gaped and dropped his gun to quickly fall back…but it was only due to the fact he was wearing the more uniform and torso protection of a basic "shock troop" in Esthar's Hawks that the spear didn't pierce his abdominal wall. As it was, he snapped back and still got a thrust in the gut along with a stab, drawing blood as he spilled backward. His gun momentarily was dropped as he grabbed for his middle.
Dael, on her part, rubbed a hand along her face…wincing as she did so. The cut was fairly deep…but luckily hadn't gotten any of the musculature, or she'd be giving "half-smiles" for the rest of her life… She did look up and grit her teeth at Rozan, however, who had taken a moment to actually pause and put his spear at his side, looking down on them maliciously.
"As I figured…you thought I was just some obnoxious brat, didn't you? I studied with the spear for years. But even if I didn't…I'm much more than that. You didn't think I'd let the Elite Hounds 'hog' the junctions all to themselves, did you? I was the first one to be junctioned long before them. And my Guardian Force emphasizes speed. The fastest living thing. You really think you all can stand up to that?"
The captain merely grit her teeth and, in a snap, got back to her feet and held her sword before her.
"You may have speed…but everything else is lacking. Even Jay could hit harder than that." She retorted. "My guess is your stamina isn't much to speak of either. A few solid hits, and you'll be down for the count."
Rozan merely snicked in response, calmly letting Quaren grasp his side and go for his gun once again. He didn't react to Taraketh rising and starting to chant a spell, or Jalab getting up and focusing his aura.
"You make that sound so easy… I know full well I wasn't a match for them. Then again…I'm sure Raven and my Kaiser Raidens already knocked a lot of the fight out of you… But if you insist…then come! Let's see who earns the right to watch this world pass away!"
Giving another demented laugh, Rozan vanished and reappeared again, going right for Dael first.
To be continued...
