Chapter XIII – Hell Fire
A past oversight…
Threatens the future…
All because of one swing.
Well, that was about the easiest thing I've ever done, Seifer boasted to no one in particular.
The written exam had not changed at all: 150 Yes/No questions coupled with a few situational responses. By now, Seifer knew exactly what they always looked for in an ideal answer.
He was the first to finish the exam. However, upon a second glance at the doorway from which he just exited, another young man waltzed through with equal confidence and a most-irritating smile.
"A little early for you to be celebrating, Aki," Seifer said plainly.
"Says you, Almasy," the Cadet turned up his flat nose. "At least I knew every single answer. Just so you know, you got a few wrong."
Talman's attempt to provoke his classmate fell flat as Seifer laughed in ridicule. "Oh, really? If you knew all the answers, then why did you need to cheat off of me?"
"W-what? How dare you? I do not cheat!" Talman was caught off guard by the accusation.
"W-wow, kid." Seifer mimicked Talman's sudden stutter. "If you weren't cheating, how would you know what my answers were?" The younger boy was speechless. "Exactly. You're still so new at this, aren't you? I guess you're just not old enough to know any better."
"My grades will probably end up being higher than yours anyhow. I passed my prerequisite with flying colors. What did you get?"
Seifer paused.
Prerequisite?
"I love that you're trying so hard to impress me, but whatever you did, I did better." Seifer didn't bother to step up his game with Talman. If the kid was going to be immature, then so would he. "I'm light years ahead of you when it comes to field experience. I don't think you can cheat there now, can you?"
"Keep up that taunting and I'll report you!" Talman pointed angrily at Seifer.
"You always say that, but I've never seen you follow through. You're really toying around with my trust. And here I thought we were friends." The sarcasm dropped like a brick on Talman's head. "Why don't you just go home and cry? Or will someone need to hire a baby-sitter first in case no one's home?"
Talman took a deep breath, surprisingly calm. "One day, Almasy. Just wait and see."
"Waiting and watching. Give it your best shot."
Talman ignored him and walked away. Once the snobby youngster was out of sight, Seifer made a dash down the hall in the opposite direction.
Quistis gracefully balanced her books in one arm as she opened the library door with the other. Taking her time to ensure the safety of all the books in her possession, she came through the door triumphantly and placed every one on the librarian's counter.
"That was amazing, Quistis!" the librarian with a pigtail gushed. "I was gonna come and give you a hand, but I guess I should've known you would've been just fine. Are you returning all of these?"
"Yes, Lydia, and thank you for your intentions," Quistis said as she gave the young girl a small smile. "Has the library received the books I requested last week?"
"Hold on just one sec and lemme check!" Lydia tapped away at the computer and made a few clicks. Turning back to Quistis, she—
"TREPE! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Both ladies' heads snapped toward the shout from the hallway. They looked through the library windows only to see Seifer and his signature coat turning every which way. His eyes saw through the panes and landed on his fair Instructor. He nearly tore apart the library doors.
"Trepe, where have you been?" he hollered.
Quistis was unfazed by his outburst. "I don't see how that's any of your business. And let me remind you, Mr. Almasy, that this is a library."
"Do I look like I care?"
"Why don't we take this outside?" Quistis turned back to the stunned librarian, whose jaw had dropped in indignation at Seifer's lackluster attitude toward her place of employ. "Sorry, Lydia. We'll be leaving now."
Lydia's voice was quivering slightly. "Um, thanks so much, Quistis."
The Instructor and her rambunctious student left the library and walked together. The halls of Balamb Garden were clear and quiet, as most students were preoccupied with studying for exams.
She spoke without turning to look at him, "I assume you needed to talk to me, Seifer. So, start talking."
"The prerequisite."
"Oh, yes. How did you do?"
Seifer was silent. For a moment their walking pace matched up. He didn't beat around the bush. "What is this 'prerequisite' thing?"
Quistis stopped abruptly in her tracks but Seifer walked a few more steps ahead. "Seifer, is this your idea of a joke? Because it's not funny."
Silence from him again.
"Oh, Hyne, Seifer!" It was her turn to holler at him. "Don't tell me you didn't—"
He whipped around to face her. "Of course I didn't, Trepe! I don't even know what it is!"
"And you wait until now to ask me? I thought you read through the entire SeeD exam application!" Her face was in his now, her eyes scolding him.
"You think I actually read those things?"
Quistis took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. "When is your written exam?"
"Wrote it this morning," he explained, hoping that since he at least showed up for his exam, that deed would redeem his ignorance.
"You WHAT?" She was definitely angry with him now. "Seifer, the prerequisite is supposed to be taken before you write the test! Hence the term 'pre-requisite'!"
Seifer ran a hand through his short hair, ignoring the few strands that bounced back into place. Why can't she just answer my question? "I think it would really help both of us if you just tell me what it is!"
"Do you remember Fire Cavern?"
The light bulb turned on. "Oh, that. Yeah, I know what that is. I've already done it."
"When?"
"Before the War."
"Seifer, that doesn't count! That was then and this is now." Quistis was filled with disbelief. "You have to take the prerequisite every time you take the field exam."
"But I already passed it once!" Seifer could not believe his luck, and the complaints began to pour out in a flood. "Why do I need to waste my precious time doing the same things over and over again? Hyne, why do I even need to take all of these stupid classes, do the homework, and write the damned tests, if all I need is to pass the field exam?"
"It's called 'regulation', Seifer. In case you've forgotten, you are in an establishment. There are rules here, and if you can't even obey simple rules, then I shudder to think how you'll fare on your field exam." Quistis knew there was no point in arguing with his rage. She thought hard for a resolution. "Well, fortunately for you, it takes about half a day for the written exam results to process, which means you have the same amount of time to find a SeeD to be your support and finish the prerequisite."
"All right, then let's go." Seifer turned to leave and when he realized that Quistis was not following him, he turned back to look at her and held out both of his arms. "Well?"
"What do you mean, 'well'?" Although Quistis understood what he meant, she was in no mood to comply.
"Are you coming or not?" Seifer knew that had been the wrong way to ask the second he saw that certain look in her eye, the one she only got when she was about to give a repriman—
"Seifer, has it ever occurred to you that I might have other things to do in the course of a day than to accompany you on your trips to indulge in compensatory acts? Secondly, this error is yours, so even if I were to go with you, it would be considered quite a favor, wouldn't it?"
A scarred face scowled in reluctant defeat. He had no time for her formal theatrics. "Please be my support for the prerequisite, Instructor," he managed to spit out.
"Fine. You'll owe me for this incident." She brushed by him and started walking faster than he had ever seen anyone walk.
By the time they reached the Front Gate, their strides had both developed into a brisk run. Quistis was deft and avoided all the people coming into Balamb Garden from a day of field practice. Seifer, however, being much larger and taller in stature, was unable to dodge some of the young Cadets. One of them even latched onto his arm to keep from falling backwards.
"Watch it, kid!" Seifer barked.
"S-s-sorry, sir!"
A couple of Haste spells later, the pair arrived at the entrance of Fire Cavern. Familiarly-robed Garden Faculty members stood in the way, one of which spoke mechanically and without fault, "Objective: to obtain a low-level GF. A SeeD member must support. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up." Seifer bounced the hilt of his gunblade on his shoulder in impatience.
No response.
Quistis bumped Seifer with her elbow. "You're forgetting something."
Seifer exhaled in annoyance and gave a salute. "YES. I. AM. READY." He deliberately slowed his speech and spoke louder to make sure they could hear him.
"I'm his support. Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe."
The drone-like official continued, "Select a time limit. Choose one suited to your abilities. Challenging yet reasonable. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thir—"
"Five minutes," Seifer blurted.
"Seifer! Will you take this seriously, please?"
"Sorry, that is not one of the options. Please choose again. Ten minutes. Twen—"
Seifer interrupted once more, "I'll take ten, just let us in!"
"Very well. Good luck."
The Faculty moved aside and a blast of hot air rushed past. Seifer blinked to alleviate the dryness in his eyes and quickly made his way inside.
"My job is to support you in battle," Quistis explained. "Everything else is up to you."
"Save it, Instructor. I won't even need you."
"Suit yourself."
They traversed through the pathways with rapid ease. Seifer efficiently disposed of the occasional Bomb or Red Bat with Hyperion and Blizzard magic. Quistis lagged a few steps behind to watch, silently impressed by the poise with which he cast his spells. His one-handed method of wielding Hyperion freed his other hand to execute quick successions of spells. It had been so long since she had seen him on the battlefield. I always knew he had potential, she thought. Please don't spoil this for yourself this time, Seifer.
Within three minutes, they had made their way to Ifrit's dwelling. A raucous roar announced the Guardian Force's presence from within the bubbling lava.
"WHO GOES THERE?" Ifrit's booming voice echoed in the cavern.
"Seifer Almasy," he replied in a tone filled to the brim with conceit.
There was a moment of silence before Ifrit's voice shook the very walls of the cavern. "ALMASY. THE SORCERESS'S KNIGHT?"
"The one and only," he extended Hyperion toward the Guardian Force in a defiant stance. Though he disliked the label, his dignity did not allow him to tarnish the reputation.
"YOU WERE THE ONE. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KILLED ODIN!"
Quistis remembered that moment all too well. During the war, they had stumbled upon Odin at the Centra Ruins. The team had barely reaped the benefits of their new alliance; Odin appeared to perform Zantetsuken in the beginning of their last fight with Seifer when the most extraordinary thing happened: Seifer countered the attack, and went as far as splitting Odin into halves. Seifer had become, in one defining instant, the first and only person in the known history of the world to ever kill a Guardian Force.
Her thoughts were disrupted by Ifrit's enraged growl, and the handful of flames that he threw Seifer's way signaled the beginning of the battle. Seifer aimed a Blizzara spell at Ifrit's chest, causing the GF to howl in anger and pain. Quistis stepped up beside Seifer and was ready to cast Water, but he turned and snarled at her.
"What do you think you're doing, Trepe?"
"What does it look like? I'm lending a hand."
"If, and only if I need your help, I'll ask for it!" he yelled. "Until then, stay out of my way!" Seifer wasn't about to let Quistis fight his battles for him. Killing Odin had been an act of self-defense, and if Ifrit wanted to treat it as something it wasn't, then Seifer would personally deal with this misinterpretation.
Quistis had had enough of his attitude, but understood. "Fine. But I hope you know that Ifrit is only classified as a low-level GF because he is bound by Garden contract to go easy on Cadets. If he chooses to, and it seems like he has, he can—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Now go stand behind a boulder or something." He wanted her somewhere safe, just in case.
He jumped to avoid another stream of fire but was a sliver too slow. The force of the fire sent Seifer crashing into some nearby rocks. He stood back up and brushed the dust off his coat. Seifer pelted Ifrit with ice magic repeatedly while swiping at the beast with Hyperion; unfortunately, he missed his target most of the time. That rocky collision had hurt his head more than he would confess. However, Ifrit's attacks slowed in frequency; he grew increasingly disoriented from Seifer's quick movements. The ex-knight steadied himself to fire another round of Blizzara when he suddenly stopped.
Seifer had depleted his stock of ice magic.
No way. I thought I had more than this. I definitely did.
He searched his inventory for alternatives but found none. Then it dawned on him.
That idiot! That stupid idiot!
The person to whom he was referring was none other than one of Talman Aki's friends. Seifer had seen him before but his mind finally made the connection. In all the commotion and hurry, Seifer hadn't noticed at the time. The boy that had bumped into Seifer as he was on his way to Fire Cavern had held on to the taller man with dear life.
Yeah, so he could pilfer my ice spells. Nice attempt at sabotage, Aki, but getting someone else to do it for you? Coward.
Seifer's pause had given Ifrit the time he needed to regain his footing. "I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!" Ifrit decided to move in for a physical attack. Before Seifer could react, he had been rammed and thrown far across the rocky terrain and high into the air. His body was heading straight for the lava. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quistis reaching for him.
Instructor, you won't catch me in time anyway, so just—
Seifer stopped falling before he could finish his train of thought. Contrary to his assumption, Quistis had not been reaching for him at all; she had cast Float on his descending form with punctuality possessed only by an experienced fighter.
Smart girl. So she does care.
His ego swelled slightly as he released the breath he had been holding. Their eyes locked and Seifer gave her a reluctant nod as a gesture of thanks. Quistis took the nod as permission to engage.
To buy Seifer time, she called on Shiva. The cavern filled with steam as a pillar of ice burst forth from the ground. The column exploded into shards to reveal the ice goddess beneath. For a split second, Seifer's eyes could not tell the difference between Quistis and Shiva; their blonde hair were almost identical, and their temperaments even more so. As a sphere of light formed in the palm of Shiva's hand, Seifer knew he needed to put this distraction to good use while Float was still in effect. He turned to aim a Fire spell at the cavern walls. The resulting momentum pushed him back onto dry land.
Ifrit's aggravated wailing thundered across the cavernous depths as icicles pierced his skin and created a thick cloud of fog on impact. Shiva disappeared but the pain inflicted on Ifrit had frozen his movements momentarily. In the midst of the mist, Quistis felt something in her hand.
"I need to borrow some ice spells from you," Seifer's voice explained. She couldn't really see him, nor he her.
"I thought as much," she replied. "Go ahead." The contrast between the cold steam from the drying ice and the warmth of their hands made the pair shiver.
"It's not that I want to hold your hand," he said. Quistis could feel his smug grin through the fog. "But you and I both know drawing Magic is faster with physical contact."
She ignored his provocation. "Take whatever you need."
He chuckled and leaned closer to her, his voice husky from exertion, "Don't mind if I do." His hand tightened around hers. After a long moment, he released her hand, dragging his fingers across her palm all the while. Quistis could have sworn that he did so on purpose. She thanked the fog that hid the heat in her cheeks. What's come over me? It's only Seifer. She could no longer tell if she was just shivering or if she was tingling from the contact.
"For your information, you have two minutes remaining," she tried to change the subject, more for her own sake than his.
"That's more than enough time." Seifer prepared to use his newly acquired Blizzaga spells.
With careful aim, he unleashed a barrage of ice onto the thickest part of the fog. The subsequent roaring ensured his victory.
"VERY WELL," Ifrit gasped. "I ADMIT DEFEAT, VANQUISHER OF ODIN." Without waiting for a reply, Ifrit stepped into the lava and departed.
"Looks like you needed my help after all," Quistis remarked.
Seifer was too spent to argue. "Only because he decided to exact some sort of revenge. I would have had things under control if the situation had been typical."
"Of course." She stretched and exhaled through her nose. "Well, your work here is done. Shall we?"
They walked in silence for a time until Quistis felt that something was wrong. She watched him as they continued to walk. There were multiple scratches on his face: some were small, and some, like his pride, ran rather deep. Quistis knew better than to offer him a Potion or a Cure. His head was pointed forward, but his gaze was at the floor. She knew he hated to be reminded of the War. She did not look away when he glanced at her. Before he could say anything, she tried to dispel his despair.
"You know, the boys often choke on this test when I come with them. I guess my charm makes them nervous," she recited. "I'm glad to see that you did not lose your composure."
Seifer knew what she was trying to do; he played along. "That's because you're with a real man now," he waved his arm up and down his body to prove his point. "You got to see the whole package in action today."
"Aren't I lucky, then." Feeling as if she achieved what she had set out to do, Quistis decided to give him a small smile, which Seifer caught and returned.
She saw more gratitude in that single gesture than she had ever received from anyone else.