Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it.
FINAL FANTASY/ ALTERED TALE
CHAPTER 8
Squall's eyes focused in anticipation as he waited for the inevitable. He didn't totally agree with Quistis plan to use GF's as an initial attack. It would make them vulnerable in battle and it would leave too wide of a margin for error. However, he would not argue the point. He had his orders and he would act accordingly. Thus, Squall continued to watch diligently with unwavering eyes.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out over the whole room. "SHIVA!"
A huge white mist began to evolve around the center of the room, right were the Galbadian Knights were standing. The poor souls scattered in confusion as the white mist began to form the solid shapes of icicles. Suddenly the ground burst open, and a huge ice shard protruded from its center. Inside the ice casing, a gigantic, incredibly beautiful, woman began to stir to life. With the force of a demon, she burst through her ice prison revealing herself to the victims below. Some of the Knights watched in awe. Others ran for their lives. A certain few, simply charged in to attack the apparition. However, all these actions were to no avail as the Guardian of Ice brought forth her arm and waved it across them. Within a heartbeat, ice engulfed them all. Horrendous screaming could be heard as warm flesh slowly surrendered to the whims of the oppressive ice storm. Then, suddenly the ice shattered, scattering their frozen remains all across the room.
Once her work was finished, Shiva disappeared back into the realm of Guardian forces, leaving only death and destruction in her wake. Immediately, Squall saw Quistis form go limp from the exertion. Now, with nothing holding him back, He ran towards his exhausted Commander. Rinoa followed closely on his heels.
"Commander, are you ok?" Squall asked plainly.
Quistis looked up into Squall's eyes searching for some trace of worry, or even possibly…love? Unfortunately, she only found cold unfeeling eyes staring back at her. Her heart sank some as she finally answered.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired that's all."
Squall nodded briskly. "Good, it seems like you got them all. Good work Commander. What are your next orders."
Qusitis knitted her brow as she tried to collect her scrambled thoughts. The summoning had jumbled her mind more then she realized.
"D-disable the bell. We don't want it going off and alerting the others. Once that is accomplished we'll radio Seifer and tell him to start his run. He should be happy to hear that."
Squall nodded and proceeded towards the Huge, dome-like bell that could cause so much trouble for them all. However, upon reaching it…
"Wait!"
Squall turned swiftly to see the form of a Galbadian Knight slowly rising to his feet. Squall drew his sword and held it at the ready. Rinoa swiftly ran to his side, preparing to fight next to him.
The man clutched the walls for support. "Y- you will never beat our Sorceress… I call upon the power that she has bestowed upon me……. Diablo! Awaken to my call!"
Thus, with the last of his strength, the Galbadian had summoned the barely contained Diablo, who he had imprisoned inside an orb like ball. He rammed the ball hard onto the stone floor, then fell lifelessly to the ground.
Black ooze seeped from out of the orb, then slowly took form until it had grown into a huge beast, much larger then all of them combined. The monster thrust its head back, screaming as huge black and red striped wings ripped from its back and flapped strongly in the wind.
Squall took a step back as he reeled from the force of its massive wings. Rinoa similarly, backed away.
"Squall! That's Diablo!" She said with amazement in her voice. "He has been dormant for years. The last owner who junctioned him, went mad because Diablo wouldn't consent to being welded by anyone. He is, by far, one of the most vicious Guardian Forces you could ever run into."
Squall had listened closely to this speech, but glanced at Rinoa in annoyance when she stopped talking. "And…? What are its weaknesses?"
Rinoa's face turned beat red and she gulped nervously. "Well… uhh… heh heh heh, nobody ever mentioned any to the best of my knowledge… heh heh heh…"
Squall's shoulders dropped in exaggeration.
"Holy." Quistis voice rang out from the other side of the room. "He's weak against light attacks."
Squall gave a crisp nod then thrust his fingers to his head. The monster roared over him and prepared to strike however suddenly Rinoa yelled out "BARRIER" and protected both of them from the creature's onslaught of physical attacks. She then pointed towards Squall with deep concentration etched on her face. "TRIPLE" She called out again.
Squall was momentarily shocked. He felt a wave of energy surge into his body making his magic three times more powerful then it actually was. Squall quickly removed his fingers from his forehead and thrust them towards the Floating GF. "HOLY!" Squall cried and suddenly a bright, blinding light engulfed the Demon. Rinoa winked as the sounds of the creature's screams rang out around the room.
Squall saw his opening and rushed towards the monster with his Lionheart sword. He slashed furiously at its face yet the monster blocked the attack with its claws. It viciously tore at Squall trying to break through his magic barrier. After a few tries, it venomously slammed Squall to the side with its claws. He soared in the air and crashed painfully into the tower wall, then fell unmoving onto the stone floor.
"Oh no!" Rinoa screamed in agony. The monster prepared another attack for the unconscious man, however a cord quickly wound itself around the demon's neck.
"How's that for improvision?" Quistis asked smartly, as she yanked on the cord, drawing the creature further away from Squall. Diablo roared in outrage at the humiliation, then forcefully ripped itself free of the bindings and turned to face her.
The young Battalion Commander was ready to face this menace as she unsheathed her sword and attacked it savagely. However, still weakened from her earlier attack, her hits were only half hearted. Diablo roared in triumphant laughter as he swooped around her blows then got in close enough and sliced through the side of her armor with its talon claws. Quistis swiftly jumped back far enough so that the blades didn't penetrate any further then the protective shell. She quickly sprinted towards him again and impaled him in the thigh with her sword. Diablo was not at all pleased with this and forcefully knocked her back with the end of its hand, sending her reeling across the room.
The air began to get cold and then a dozen Ice shards slowly materialized from thin air and impaled diablo from all angels. He roared in fury at these meddlesome mortals and their childish antics. He trained his eyes on Rinoa and blazed towards her. Rinoa was mesmorised by the intense size of the beast and simply closed her eyes as it approached her. Suddenly, a tall force came in between them.
"QUEZOLCOT!" Squall yelled as Diablo reared in close enough to him and Rinoa. Electricity sparked the room and huge thunderclouds formed above. Diablo panicked slightly as he recognized the presence of one of his brothers. Soon he was surrounded in a huge dome. The center blazed brightly and bursting forth at the speed of light, Quezolcot immerged and thrust his wings boldly as he faced off with Diablo. The Guardian Force of darkness sped towards the electric entity but was too late. Quezolcot, beat his wings faster and soared higher into the air. Then with a momentous surge of power, a huge comet sized meteor struck the ground below, ramming right into Diablo. He screamed from the intensity of the blast.
Squall fell to his knees from exhaustion, hoping that was it. However, when the light cleared and the dust died down, Squall realized that he couldn't have been more wrong in his entire life.
****
Flesh and bone met steel in the relentless battle for life and death. This was not a battle of odds or spoils but a battle of sacrifice. The Seeds knew that they could not win this battle but surged on with the belief that they could at least stop an event that could change the world forever. To the Knights of Balamb Garden, that was more then enough to spur them on to fighting at their best and giving their all. The battle raged on and each Knight continued to fight with a will of iron, struggling to pave a brighter future for the world.
Seifer charged forth into a group of Knights then spun into a swift 360 degrees turn, killing two of the five men surrounding him. The other three charged in, however, Seifer wasn't done yet. He blocked the strike of the first attacker then quickly ran to the side as another Knight tried to drive him through. Instead, the man accidentally impaled the Knight whom Seifer had been blocking against. As the second Knight stood in shock from his mistake, Seifer drove his sword through the man's back up to his heart. With a vicious yank, he pulled his sword free and challenged the remaining Knight. This last opponent didn't seem too eager to fight the demon in which Seifer had become. Yet, he charged in at the last minute out of desperation. Seifer parried his attack easily then swung around to his unguarded flank and slid the sharp end of his sword through the man's intestines. Seifer pried his sword free, the searched with wild eyes for the next victim that would feel the sting of his blade.
Coleman, was hard pressed as he locked swords with the head Galbadian Knight. Already he had to avoid several different side attacks from other Galbadian Knights that wished to help their commander. But in the end, Coleman defeated them all, while still at the same time, holding his own with the Galbadian Commander. He had never been so exhausted in his life, yet at the same time, never before had he ever felt so invigorating; never before had he ever felt more alive then he did now.
He swung swiftly at the opening the Galbadian made for himself. A slight smile crept up to his face when his sword met flesh. The Galbadian Knight clutched his arm and screamed wildly as he charged in, preparing for another attack. Coleman dodged easily. This man was nowhere near as good as the other Knight Commander he had dueled with. He found himself slightly disappointed at this revelation. Coleman swung down hard, yet the man quickly scrambled away before he was decapitated. He pushed himself up on his heels and faced off with Coleman once more, panting heavily and clutching his sword tightly in front of him.
Coleman looked at the man with pity in his eyes. "It must be sad to know that you are going to die and you can do nothing about it."
"Shut up!" The Galbadian said. "What about you huh? You will all die! You didn't think you had a chance of actually winning did you? You will die miserably!"
Coleman closed his eyes lightly. "The difference between men like you and I is that in the face of death, men like me can accept it as long as we know there is meaning behind it. However, men like you cannot bear the burden of death because of the foul actions you have committed in life! Justice is cruel is it not?"
At that very moment, the Galbadian's eyes became wild and he savagely rushed in for another attack. It had been the sloppiest attack Coleman had ever seen in his life. He easily ducked low, avoiding the man's overhead strike, then drove his sword forth, embedding it deep into the Galbadian's heart.
The man cringed his face in a look of absolute horror and insane rage. But he was not done yet. He quickly reached into his back pouch revealing a dagger. Before Coleman could act, he swiftly shoved it into the Balamb Knights side, right below the rib cage. Coleman grunted in pain the glared at the man who didn't know when to die.
"Bastard!" He seethed. "You chose even to die like a coward!?" Without another thought, Coleman ripped his sword out of the man's chest with lightning speed, then swung it down hard, splitting the man's head vertically in half.
Coleman turned his face away from the disgusting scene in front of him, not wanting to look at this dishonorable filth that had done him the disgrace of facing off with him. He absently yanked his sword then began wiping it clean of the filthy blood that smeared his blade. Suddenly another Galbadian rushed up on him.
Biggs quickly sped in and rammed his sword into the man with such intensity that it caused him and his opponent both to fall over. Biggs quickly got to his feet and pulled his sword out of the man. "Squad Leader, ya gotta keep eyes open sir."
Coleman smiled weakly at Biggs. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Coleman then rose to his feet, ignoring his wound and strode across the battlefield for his next victim.
Biggs watched his Squad Leader walk off then quickly dodged out of the way as another Galbadian tried to attack him. Biggs swung but his blow was parried. He struck again but the man blocked again then thrust and shoved his sword right into his shoulder. Biggs cried out in alarm and fell to his knees. The Galbadian pulled his sword out of him and prepared for another attack.
Then suddenly he jumped to the side as Wedge came charging in. Wedge swung as viciously and wildly as he could. Although they would never admit it, Biggs and Wedge were the best of friends and they would never let the other die without them at least trying to do something for the other. The Galbadian Knight blocked as best as he could but he could not guard against the rain of attacks Wedge pummeled him with. Finally the man's sword gave in and broke before him. Wedge did not waste a second. The last swing came and the man's lifeless body fell heavily to the ground.
Biggs looked at his friend with a wry smile. "What took you so long?" He said, still clutching his wound.
Wedge shot him an annoyed look. "Get up! We still got lots of people to kill and not enough time to do it in."
Monter danced through the haze of Galbadian Knights killing one after the other. He dodged right, avoiding a fatal blow, then swung vertically, killing his victim. Another Galbadian charged towards him and Monter twisted left then thrust forth impaling the second man. However he didn't see the other Galbadian charging towards him from behind. He spun swiftly but fell back as he was pushed out of the way.
"PHILLIPS!" He cried in shock and alarm as the other man selflessly took the blade for him and was cut through his heart. The Galbadian too, seemed slightly shocked at the turn of events and hesitantly removed his sword from the man's flesh. Monter shot up to his feet and rammed his sword as hard as he could into the man's throat. He then walked over to Phillips prone form. But then suddenly he felt the sting of another sword entering his spine. He cried out in alarm as he clutched at the blade but stopped as another Galbadian charged in on him, impaling him through the chest. He coughed up blood and grit his teeth through the pain. "You Bastards!!" He seethed but then a third Galbadian ran him in, right through the rib cage. More blood spurted from his mouth and his eyes slowly began to cloud over in death. He vaguely noticed the forms of three others rushing in and similarly shoving their blades into him. Yet it didn't hurt anymore. He couldn't feel anything. All he could feel was the welcoming blanket of darkness as death came in to seize him.
Jerrard saw the brutal death of Monter and Phillips but shut his eyes against the pain and and finished off his latest opponent. He felt rage seep into his heart and scanned the area for anyone else to attack. Eventually, his eyes fell on the departing form of the X-ATM092. His eyes shot wide opened and he hollered at the top of his lungs.
"THE MACHINE IS GETTING AWAY!"
Seifer's head shot up immediately at the sound. He yanked his sword out of a, now dead, Galbadian and ran as fast as he could towards Jerrard, occasionally stopping to swiftly kill any Galbadian Knights that tried to get in his way.
Jerrard saw that the others were too hard pressed to make it in time. He shut his eyes tightly. 'If that machine gets to the tower everyone would have died for nothing. This battle would be pointless and the world would suffer for our failure!' Wildly, Jerrard snapped his eyes back open and charged towards the machine at full speed.
"BASTARD!" He screamed as he jumped onto one of the legs and shoved his sword into the circuitry. The machine spun wildly trying to rid itself of its unwelcome guest but Jerrard clung on for dear life. Suddenly a huge cylindrical object shot up from its back and a red laser shot out from the opening. Jerrard's eyes opened wide as the beam seeped straight through his heart. His hands weakened and his eyes began to cloud over but suddenly a burst of rage filled him. He would not give up. He would not surrender to death just yet. He summoned forth triple on himself. The strain further weakened him but pure determination kept his adrenaline pumping. He then cast Thunderaga on the huge machine and shook violently as they both burst into a blaze of white light while thunder continuously struck them both.
Seifer saw the light as he approached and ran even faster. "NO! JERRARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!"
He ran up to the X-ATM092 just in time to see the machine wobble violently then balance itself at the last minute. Completely drained from the last attack, Jerrard fell limply from the leg he had perched himself on. Without another thought, the machine rammed the point of its leg through the already, dying Seed, crushing his internal organs and severing his upper torso from the lower half of his body.
Seifer was horrified at the scene playing out before his eyes. Blood slapped his face as the machine continued its violent attack. "God…" Seifer said in horror as the machine finally removed its leg.
Only the maimed pieces of what used to be a Knight, remained. The machine turned to face Seifer then after a split second it shifted back the other way and resumed its trek. Parts of its hull sparked violently as it moved on. The thunder had apparently damaged some of its internal functions critically. Seifer quickly ran to the remains of Jerrard and wrenched his eyes shut tightly.
"Why…" He whispered. "You stupid idiot… You should have waited for me…"
Seifer slowly rose to his feet then gave the heroic man a Knight's salute. "Rest in peace, brave Knight."
Rage rose up in Seifer and he shot his head back towards the X-ATM092. "COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARD! STAND AND FIGHT, COWARD!!!"
Seifer thrust his right arm out and summoned forth the fire raging within him.
"IFRIT!!!!!!" He screamed and immediately a huge gout of fire burst forth out of the ground right in front of the X-ATM092.
Ifrit tore from the ground, roaring violently as if he could feel the pain, anger and rage welling up in Seifer's heart. The ground rumbled again and then a huge crater followed Ifrit and carried him up into the air. With the rage of a demon, Ifrit charged up his huge ball of destruction and raised it high over his head. Then, with another roar, Ifrit sent the meteor flying straight towards the X-ATM092.
The Ground exploded, shaking with wild eruptions as the meteor embedded itself into the X-ATM092, carving its way forth into the ground. Fire exploded everywhere and many of the Galbadians were caught up in the explosions.
Coleman ran up as Seifer fell to the ground, totally spent from his last attack.
"Almasy! Are you alright?" He asked.
Seifer glanced up at him weakly then gave him on of his infamous grins. "Mission accomplished… Now we die…"
Coleman nodded his head thoughtfully.
Suddenly the ground burst forth again and out came the X-ATM092. It was extremely battered and ruined however it still functioned. It slowly dragged itself out of the huge hole it was buried in and made its way towards the tower.
Seifer's hands clenched in anger. He slowly, and painstakingly pulled himself to his feet. "Damn!" He seethed as he watched the machine go off into the tower entrance. He started in the direction to follow it, then stopped himself and looked back at his companions. He couldn't leave them behind. A firm hand clutched his shoulder.
"Go after it." Coleman spoke softly.
"What? I can't! You all are fighting a dying battle here. By my honor, I can't leave you." Seifer argued.
"And we will have all died in vain if that monstrosity reaches the top of the tower. Look Seifer, everyone else is either dead or too deep in the fight to stop that monster. Only you can stop it now."
"But my honor…" Seifer regarded Coleman with an almost desperate look in his eyes. Seifer had always prided himself on image. What he was to do now will have violated all that that image stood for.
"Put aside you façade for once Almasy." Coleman said silently. "Put aside your image and do what you know is right. Stop this machine Seifer. That is your true path to righteousness. Give up the code for one moment and change destiny."
Seifer closed his eyes. He knew that only humiliation awaited him if he chose to follow the path to righteousness.
"Seifer…" Coleman clutched both his shoulders forcing the man to face him. "You must ensure that Jerrard didn't die for nothing! I'll keep the party going down here. I'll keep them off your back but you Seifer! You have a job to do! For the world! For everyone's future! You must stop the bloodshed."
Seifer was quiet for a moment. Again the images of the dreaded future entered him mind and he suddenly knew the choice he had to make. Slowly, he nodded his head.
"Fine… I'll stop that damned monster, even if I have to do it with my last dying breath, I'll stop it."
Coleman gave him a warm smile and the two men gripped hands in a sign of respect for each other. "I never used to think much of you before Almasy, but now I see a new side of you." Coleman said boldly. "You'r one of the finest Knights I've ever had the pleasure of serving with. I'm proud to have known you."
Seifer smiled. "Likewise Coleman. I never understood why you never got rank. You're an inspiration to Balamb Knights everywhere. May you forever be remembered in the Code of Knights for you're unwavering honor and bravery."
Seifer was silently shocked at this huge praise he had just given the man. It was totally out of character for him. However, a lot of things he was doing now were out of character for him. He silently laughed to himself when he came to the realization that, at this point, he really didn't care anymore.
"I'll see you soon in the next life." Seifer said to Coleman with a smile. Coleman returned the smile and gave him the Knights salute. Seifer did likewise then turned smartly and ran off towards the X-ATM092.
Coleman spun around to find that the Galbadians where heading straight for them, intent on thwarting their task. Coleman flashed his blade in the bright sunlight as he prepared for battle once more.
"Well boys, nice of you to save me the trouble of having to come to you. Let's dance!"
****
Seifer ran as fast as he could up the stairs of the tower as he saw the retreating for of the X-ATM092. He was still incredibly exhausted from summoning Ifrit, yet Seifer forcefully pushed aside his fatigue and cast haste on himself. He felt his muscles slacken more from exertion but at the same time the burst of speed hit him hard. He ran at full tilt towards the X-ATM092 and leapt up onto its back. The only think keeping him going now was his anger and rage at what this monster of chaos served to accomplish.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Seifer seethed at the machine as he pulled out his sacred sword and plunged it into the monster's back. Five cylindrical cones came up out of its back just like they did with Jerrard. However, nothing would stop Seifer now. He swung his sword to the side, severing two of the cannons from their posts. The other three shot at him. He dodged two of them deftly however the last ray burned straight through his shoulder. Seifer blocked out the pain and continued to attack. He slashed at the other two beam cannons then drove his sword deep into the last one. Seifer ranted more as he quickly attacked the center of the machines back.
"YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME?!?"
With all his might, he rammed his sword deep into the armored hide of its back and pulled the casing off to reveal tones of GF powered circuitry beneath. He eagerly plunged his sword in, relentlessly ripping the inner organs of the machine apart. He continued to repeat this as he raved on in a wild insane rage.
"ARE YOU…"
CLUNTCH
"…OUT…"
CRUNCH
"…OF…"
SLASH
"…YOUR…"
RIPP
"…DAMN…"
CLUNTCH
"…MIND!!!!!!!"
RRRRRRIIIPPPPPPP
The last strike ripped through the inner fibers of the machines systems revealing a strange object underneath. Seifer plunged his sword further.
"Where is it?" he hissed as he continuously chopped at its core. "Where is the damn Septor at you Bastard!"
Unbeknownst to Seifer, the X-ATM092 activated its emergency systems. Huge blades shot out along its back. Two more cannons zipped out from the farther end and fired at Him.
"Arrghhh!!!!" Seifer cried in pain as the rays seared through him. One ripped through his ribs and another tore through the right side of his chest. Blood shot from his mouth as he continued to tear away at the hated machine with his honor sword.
"Is that all you got?" He screamed. He stuck harder and this time he felt his sword hit against something more solid. He looked down and saw it. The bright light emanating from the object of his desires. The Septor of Power. "There!" he whispered with an almost hungry ting to his voice. The blades quickly shot up. One ripped through his side, mulching what was left of the right side of his already shattered rib cage. He screamed out in rage through the haze of pain and rose up over the machine. He held his sword high as he prepared to strike. The beam cannon fired again, cleaving a hole through the center of his torso. He gritted his teeth. The pain didn't matter anymore. Death didn't matter anymore. 'This is it!…' he thought to himself. 'After this I can finally rest…'
With the force of a demon, he drove his sword home into the Septor with all of his might.
CRACK!!
At the same time, the beam cannon fired one last time, tearing yet another hole through his chest. Seifer collapsed on to its back, now completely spent of all reserves. His eyes seeped open slightly and he saw it. His blade had struck the Septor. It had cracked the center of the crystal. But to his misfortune, it still shined brightly. 'I failed…' was the last thought that drifted through Seifer's wavering conscience as darkness overtook him.
Well things are finally drawing to a close to the Dollet Saga. I know this chapter may have been kinda intense but I hope you all will continue reading. There's more to come! As always, thanks for reading, and please Review! J
-Cordis