Queen of Souls
By Soul Hunter
Chapter Five
"Fifty-eight men."
"Ohmigosh."
"Fifty-eight brave, good men. Lost. Just like that. Next question, please."
Zell almost felt guilty after seeing the distraught expression on the face of Major Sarah Pearson as she answered his question. He imagined some of these brave men she spoke about must have been under her command, since the look in her face unmistakably displayed a sense of loss. But he wasn't the only one making the same observation. Seeing her facial cast, Captain Marianne Laggan opted to fill up the slack.
"Nice going, Chicken-wuss." Seifer whispered to Zell. "Next time, ask them about the casualty rate during the first Sorceress War."
"Shut up, Seifer! How was I supposed to know?" Zell shot back.
"You would if you'd only use that gray mass inside your head that you keep insisting to be a brain."
"Bastard."
"Mr. Dincht, Mr. Almasy, do we have a problem here?" Captain Laggan suddenly exclaimed.
"Uhh no, ma'am. We were just, uhh you know" Zell stammered. Seifer just flashed a smirk as the Estharian officer focused her attention at the martial artist.
"Good. Because I need you to listen to me and understand that whatever we hurled toward the direction of this 'thing' either bounced back slaughtered or never at all. We've already lost a lot of our best soldiers against it, and those were ones that paid attention to briefings like this. We're already in a huge disadvantage here and I suggest that you not aggravate it further. Is that clear?"
"Uh yes ma'am." Zell replied sheepishly, trying to restrain an outburst as Seifer silently snickered.
The discussion was then interrupted by a loud knock followed by the entrance of another officer more decorated than the two convening with the SeeDs. Major Pearson and Captain Laggan simultaneously stood up to salute the newcomer.
"Officer on deck."
"At ease, Major, Captain." The officer acknowledged. "How are things going?"
"SeeDs, I would like to introduce you to General Ruth Pischke, base commander of Camp Tetsuo."
Except for Seifer, they all welcomed General Pischke with the familiar SeeD salute. Irvine amusedly mumbled toward Rinoa and Selphie as they sat back down.
"Is it just me or is this place too jam-packed with cuties? I mean, what is this? A military base or a tribe of Amazons?"
"Sshh!" Rinoa shushed him with an elbow nudge. Irvine wondered slightly when Selphie didn't react to his joke. Normally, she'd be the first to feign an expression of jealousy whenever he makes a provocative comment about other women.
"That's quite all right. I won't be staying long." The commanding officer opened. "I just came here to inform you of the current situation. We just received word from our Kashkabald unit that the enemy had taken another town again. And like all the others no one survived."
"My goodness!" Rinoa voiced out. "Shouldn't we be doing something about it now?"
"We are doing something, Ms. Heartilly." General Pischke returned calmly. "As of today, rescue forces have been mobilized to evacuate all the other towns and villages that we think stood on the path of our target. It may not be much, but at least that would help to curb the body count."
"So where's this thing now? Have you made a fix of its location?" Asked Squall.
"Yes. He's still moving. Only about two hundred or so miles south of the desert." Pischke returned. "Oh, and one more thing. Is Deputy Commander Trepe supposed to go somewhere today without you?"
"Huh? No." The SeeD commander quipped back, puzzlement showing in his face. "Why do you ask?"
"Because she left a couple of minutes ago. She took the Ragnarok with her."
"WHAT?"
"Wh Why would Quisty leave us behind?"
They were throwing their reckless opinions around as Squall pondered intently. Ever since they left Balamb Garden, he had been noticing his deputy commander's unusual behavior, which, at first, he thought to be just an aggravation of the friction persisting between the two of them for the last two months. But this morning, he thought he saw something in her. Something that almost borders on fear. He wondered if this had something to do with her deserting them like this.
"Monitor Central, this is Commander Squall Leonhart, authorization code six-kappa-rho." He began to talk into his communicator. "Initiate standard SeeD signal triangulation. Subject: Deputy Commander Quistis Trepe." He then turned to General Pischke after the locate request he issued. "General, is there an aerial carrier vessel that we can borrow in this base?"
----------
The sun shone with brilliant red rays from the western horizon, painting crimson streaks across the thick patches of cumulus clouds littering the darkening skies over the Galbadian countryside. Through the clear wind barrier of the Ragnarok, Quistis observed the scarlet surroundings distort as a result of the heated air being emitted by the dragon ship's landing thrusters. When the air settled, she softly expressed admiration for the serene environment in her mind. It would have been a perfect night to enjoy the scenery if not for the grim tidings besetting her.
She spent a second to turn off the Ragnarok's engine before turning to the masked mystery man beside her.
"We're here."
"I can see that."
Quistis was slightly offended by Hunter's thoughtless quip. If she didn't know better, she'd think he had been taking finishing lessons from Seifer. On the other hand, he saw the momentary scowl that went across her lovely face, and felt repentant for his unwitting remark.
"Sorry. I mean uhh what time is it?"
The instructor turned around to conceal her amused smile.
"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get this thing over with."
As they entered the old ruins famed for the number of curious denizen who entered its forbidden gates and never came out, Hunter gently held Quistis by the arm, prodding her to stay behind him. This wasn't exactly the first time he visited this accursed temple of earth creatures and undead beings. The last time he was here, Hunter himself had to hide behind the protection of the man who sired him and trained him to be what he is. Back then, his whole being cringed at the eerie atmosphere of the abandoned burial place. And though grown to full manhood, he still remembered the creeping sensation. He still remembered the hideous monsters they faced. And if anything, the first thing he wanted to do was to protect Quistis from whatever creature they encounter along the way.
Quistis recognized the tender grip on Hunter's hands. She didn't know whether to find it hilarious or sweet.
"Thanks." She quipped. "But I am a SeeD, you know. I can take care of myself quite well."
"Yeah, I know. But I'm the man in this little party. So you're under my protection."
It wasn't exactly PC, Quistis thought. And aside from that, her renown as one of the most accomplished fighters of Garden had brought her to hardly necessitate any special treatment from her male peers. Maybe Irvine occasionally displayed gallant acts like this, but she had always accepted them as skin-deep. A superficial gesture of a ladies' man who always sought to win the approval of his female colleagues.
But coming from Hunter, it somehow felt different. Not only did it feel sincere
It also basked her entire being with a profound warmth that made her feel safe and happy. Chivalry wasn't only alive and kicking. But it was also sending her heart to a flower field of serene beauty and fragrance. Had Hunter turned around, he would have seen the sweet smile painted on Quistis' face.
Almost uneventfully, the pair managed to walk through the dank corridor connecting the deserted courtyard to the center of the structure, where a moat surrounded a single edifice in the middle of the maze-like mausoleum. The drawbridge was still down, indicating that the place had stayed undisturbed ever since they visited this place to collect the student number required for that audience with General Caraway more than a year ago. Pity she didn't have the Brothers junctioned, Quistis thought. They would have had a hay day seeing their old sanctuary again.
"We'll find what we're looking for inside there." The masked man directed.
"Inside the tomb?"
"Yep. Let's go."
However, they had to stop dead on their tracks when two Forbiddens suddenly stood on their path. The run-of-the-mill tomb of kings population, Quistis thought. Instinctively, she removed the golden Save The Queen from its harness and braced herself for battle. But Hunter had other things in mind.
"Stand back, Quistis. Let me handle this."
"Hunter, it doesn't have to take"
"Just sit tight and relax. I've got this covered."
"But I have a Megalixir he"
She was slightly annoyed when he walked out of her in mid-sentence to face the undead creatures. So Quistis just stood there with a frown on her face and her arms smugly crossed over her chest. She didn't know why, by she hated it when he treated her in that manner. She was so irked that at one point she wished the Forbiddens got a lucky one in, but the thought was quickly followed by an apologetic mumble.
But as the instructor watched the intruder battle the pair of monsters, she slowly noticed a peculiar way by which he fought the enemies. Quistis wondered why Hunter frequently executed reverse pivots to spin away whenever one of the Forbiddens swung from his side. He could have just as easily used one of the Twin Jutte psi blades he was wielding to block the lateral attack. Why did he intentionally position himself in between them? Didn't he know that he can be blindsided more easily this way? Why did he keep on using kicks and elbow strikes to push his enemies back? Yeah, his movements were very fluid and graceful almost artistic in its perfect rhythms. Not to mention quick as lightning. But what the hell are those short swords for?
And when Hunter finally plunged his weapons inside the heads of the Forbiddens, a brilliant, white spark shot out from the contact point between the blades and the bare bones that comprised the squealing skulls. The bluish white glow was unmistakable, she thought. Holy magic. If his weapons were somehow infused with Holy magic, what took him so long in defeating the undead creatures? He could easily have destroyed them with a straight stab or two.
Speaking from a tactical point of view, there was absolutely no sense behind Hunter's superfluously extravagant combat maneuvers. It didn't take long before Quistis realized it. And when she did, a fond and slightly amused smile flashed across her dainty lips.
He was showing off to her.
She didn't know whether to laugh or gush. Never mind the fact that he did possess excellent combat skills, that didn't come as a surprise to the instructor. She just couldn't avoid feeling like a school girl once more one who had just seen her favorite varsity player slam the ball into the hoop after taking off from the free throw line. Quistis couldn't explain the excitement building up inside her.
"There huhh all done" Hunter came back to her with labored breaths. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No, I'm sure you had a good time." She replied, trying to hold back a smile. Quistis knew she wouldn't be able to hide her amazement for long so she eventually opted to proceed with their goal. "Come on, we don't have much time."
After a short trek across the drawbridge, they were finally upon the open crypt that once imprisoned the spirit of the unknown king. Hunter approached the stone artifact slowly and carefully, as if venerating the sacredness surrounding the mystery that shrouded its existence. Quistis watched intently as he laid two hands along the wide side of the crypt and bowed his head down, appearing like he was praying. After the brief moment of solemnity, the dark operative reached into the crypt and pulled out a dusty, yellowish scroll. It was almost brittle, attesting to the relic's supposed age. He cautiously unrolled the delicate item and subsequently browsed through it.
When he started speaking in verses, the arcane and dreary tone of his voice perturbed her.
King of past made somber |
A mate's done betrayal |
Vengeance schemed made darker |
Sentence without a trial |
A hasty summon, a spiteful call |
Awakened ancient poison |
Unfettered hate spared all |
But his mate's faithless moan |
Curse of ages screamed refusal |
To be driven back to sleep |
Its archaic hunger carnal |
Too insatiable, too deep |
Awakened avenger took leave |
Revealing the old king's crime |
Innocent souls are his to cleave |
Damning a generation's time |
His heart needed atonement |
And atonement demanded life |
A life without substance to eternity spent |
Imprisoned within his people's strife |
Ancient king before his verdict |
Called forth his loyal knights |
To them he left his last edict |
Be saviors to doomed plights |
A new commission to not falter |
Destroy his jealousy's spawn |
From that day forth, called they Hunters |
And their task began at dawn |
And to hide his guilt and shame |
The king declared reparation |
His reign to die with no acclaim |
And his name forever unknown. |
The instructor was dumbfounded. She can't be hearing the old legend of the unknown king.
"Is that is that the"
"Sshh! Quiet!" Hunter blurted out. And as if on cue, the decaying chamber became filled with dull luminescence as the crypt began to emit a yellowish-white glow. Quistis felt her hairs standing on ends, as she became aware of another presence becoming manifest. She then watched with awe as a writhing figure took shape and hovered before them.
"Your father was Hunter before you." The spirit began to speak in a hollow voice. "What manner of curse led you to disturb my freedom by unraveling the tome of my shame?"
"Venerable king, forgive me." Hunter replied. "But the destroyer you you have unleashed The one imprisoned by my ancestors from a century ago walks again. And he's taking innocent lives again like before."
This wasn't the first time Quistis witnessed the awakening of the unnamed monarch. She knew him from a previous encounter that acquired for them the allegiance of the mighty earth Guardians. And yet, she felt something different with this latest encounter. Back then, all she perceived from the bodiless entity was reprieve after they apparently freed him from his prison. She almost felt guilty while realizing that they may be denying him the freedom once more.
"And what concern is that to me, fated warrior? Haven't I already suffered for the carnage that I caused? Do you mean to incarcerate me again because my curse is among the living once more?"
"By no means, your highness. I am aware of the ancient words that revealed the soul reaper's downfall. And I am also aware that once it broke free, it would become impossible for one such as I, working alone, to send it back to the pit that spawned it. However, I have with me who prophecies dictated as the one to introduce the destroyer to his ultimate defeat. Please, I seek you counsel for her."
He showed no semblance of eyes, but Quistis knew that the spirit was boring down on her with his scrutinizing senses. She couldn't avoid feeling uncomfortable because of it.
"Where are your comrades?" The ghost blurted out to her. "The scripture of prophecy declared that a legion will be responsible for the slaying of the beast. But they themselves will be slain."
Hunter noticed Quistis' silence. He almost regretted bringing her here. It wasn't the easiest thing for someone to hear an oracle's voice predicting her death. He was nevertheless startled when Quistis spoke back to the unknown king.
"No one needs to die senselessly, your highness." She voiced out with all the dignity of a proud warrior. And though admiring her resolve, Hunter became confused with the lack of clarity in her reply.
"Do you fear for your life?" The spirit returned.
"Y-Yes. But I fear more for those of my friends."
"Very well. Such is your destiny as you have chosen. I shall then meet you by the gates when you complete your journey to the ethereal realm."
Journey to the ethereal realm? What was he saying?
"My lord, it is not my position to question your word but"
"But what, descendant of my knights?" The king thundered back at Hunter. "But this woman has become endeared to your heart?"
Quistis looked at Hunter, unsure of how to react. And despite the foreboding truth revealed to her, she couldn't avoid feeling elated at the prospect suggested by the substance-bereft monarch. Hunter's silence subsequently caressed her heart even more.
"Go now. And secure my final absolution."
The glow filling the old chamber disappeared, leaving the two awe-struck warriors wondering about what had just transpired. Hunter remained still, as if too embarrassed to look at Quistis. And too afraid. He didn't want to see the expression in her face now that she knew she was going to die. The strained silence was then interrupted when the instructor's SeeD communicator started beeping.
"It's them. They've found us."
"Who?" He quizzically shot back.
"My comrades. I deserted them back in Esthar and now they're coming after me."
"Is that a bad thing?" Hunter asked, mindful of military protocols involved in such an act.
"It is for them. Unless I can do something about it. Come on, you have to help me out here."
----------
He knew the transport ship General Pischke loaned to them was a lot slower than the Ragnarok. And Squall feared that with the head start Quistis had, she may well be beyond their reach by now. However, his apprehension diminished the moment they began their descent over the grassland fronting the Tomb of the Unknown King. He stared stoically at the scarlet dragon ship silently parked by the entrance of the ancient structure.
Rinoa observed Squall as he maintained his silence. She tried hard to perceive his thoughts, wondering how he felt at this very moment. She didn't know if he was just anxious as a result of his duty of holding his team together, or worried about the reason that made the instructor abandon them like that. Rinoa didn't want to admit it but she felt a pinch of jealousy in her heart. But still, she was not one to make something out of trivial matters. She held her beau's arms and attempted to assuage him.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Quisty's all right."
"Let's go." He quipped, almost ignoring her words. "One of you make sure Diablos is working."
Together, the team of six quietly traversed the courtyard and the adjoining unlit hallway that eventually brought them to the central chamber. Irvine bent down momentarily, taking note of the two pairs of footprints on the rocky ground.
"This one is obviously Quisty's." He observed, puzzling on the other set of imprints. "But she's not alone. It's either she suddenly had a twisted idea for a date or she's being held captive. Heads up, guys. This doesn't look good."
They were all flustered to see the footprints ending beside the cold crypt. Irvine looked around furiously, confounded by what seemed to be their sudden disappearance. Seifer echoed his suggestion to everyone's consternation.
"Stealth techniques." He quipped. "The instructor is obviously giving us the runaround."
"And why in the world would Quisty do that?" Selphie exclaimed back.
"I don't know. Maybe she just got tired of you all. If that's the case, I don't blame her."
"That is so mean, Seifer!"
"Ignore him, Sefie." Squall interjected before reassuming an authoritative tone. "All right. Let's split up and look for her. And Irvine may be right so be careful and watch your backs. Double check your communicators."
They all took different paths in searching for their lost comrade. A few minutes later, Rinoa found herself in the middle of two intersecting corridors. Unsure of what to do, she bent down to look for clues that might help her in her search.
She didn't notice the silent blur of a bullwhip's tip that whizzed past her wrist and flicked the 'Off' switch of her SeeD communicator.
"Rinoa."
Rinoa's eyes widened when she saw the source of the voice.
"Quisty! What are you doing here? We've been looking all over for you."
Quistis didn't answer, simply shrugging innocently to Rinoa's frantic inquiry. The latter then lifted her arm to inform their comrades, and subsequently discovered that her communicator had been disabled.
"Hey, I thought I double checked this thing." Rinoa blurted out. Quisty knew she had to act now.
"Rinoa"
"Yeah?"
A staggering blow from Quistis' fist connected solidly on Rinoa's jaw, instantly knocking her out.
And Quistis never felt so low in her entire life.
"I'm sorry, my friend. But I have to do this for your sake." She mumbled repentantly while securing Rinoa's hands and feet in a tight knot. She undoubtedly hated having hurt one of her best friends. But under the circumstances, Quistis knew that she had no other choice.
Come what may, she had already chosen her path.
End of Chapter Five