Queen of Souls
By Soul Hunter
Chapter Fourteen
The gurgling and hissing sounds mixed to create an atmosphere that can make the most fearless warlords of old cower in fear. The eerie ambience was further aggravated by the disturbing sounds that resembled rapid chisels at work. But instead of a work of art, they were unleashing an abomination. A horrific curse of bitter indignation hundreds of years old. Jagged fangs and razor-sharp claws moved in a rhythmic blur, gnawing away at the hardened silt, mud and glassy grains that imprisoned the lord of carnage.
They worked without tiring. Once branded as the lesser visible part of a society that demanded vehemence, the elderly members of the cult that worshipped Hyne's enemy couldn't care less whether the world persisted on looking down at them or not. All they desired was to have a purpose in life, a purpose denied them by the people whom they once called loved ones. Abandoned in their apparent uselessness, the forgotten women banded together in their hopes of giving each other their much-coveted meaning. In their desires to find purpose, they were mislead, paving the way for their unknowing hands to conjure the wrath of an ancient demigod. With the demise of the archaic mistress of chaos, they again found themselves lost, and sought direction elsewhere, eventually ending up before the insulting gaze of the old avenger that devoured spirits.
Now, they don't remember even a single element of their past lives. Once facing the incubus lord, the blackened desires of their misguided hearts were made even more Cimmerian when they surrendered their lives to him. And though he did not consume their souls, the eater of spirits gave them a far worse fate of painful enslavement. Every breath they made tormented their bodies, every twitch and every blink tortured their nerves. Had they still controlled their minds, they would be wishing for death at this very moment.
Carrying on with the chore mindlessly, the hideously transformed slaves soon began to celebrate as the casing of hard earth began to give way to their relentless assault. The cocoon unraveled first as jagged chips, then as bigger slabs, further expediting the release of the soul devourer.
A filth-covered hand suddenly moved to slap away the remaining chunk of coarse shell. It was followed by a howl of agony as the incubus awakened to the stench of soil and sand that lingered inside his nostrils. The pain penetrated deep inside his being like a biting, merciless itch that refused to stay in one place. His remaining hand groped to clutch at the throbs, his salivating maw groaning in frustration and failure. Tears of fury rolled down from smoldering eyes as his entire being raged for revenge. He ached to retaliate against those who humiliated him. But first thing's first, he had to tame his hunger first.
Frightened sobs filled the dank air of the secluded cave as two of the mindless slaves walked forward, dragging a struggling dame before the incubus. He stared at her, focusing intently on her tear-drenched face. Over the years, the soul devourer has devised a myriad of ways to empty his victims of their essences. His normal method was to use his incredible powers to first kill them en masse, as he usually feasted with multiple prey to quickly satiate his hunger. Either that or he directly sucks the spirit out of a still living human, reveling at the sight of its emptying husk just for the sake of spectacle.
But today, his appetite combined with his unnerving wrath. And the overpowering desire to inflict pain poured out on the innocent maiden groveling before him. In the blink of an eye, the razor-sharp tips of his slimy tongue shot out from his mouth and tore a vertical cut along the horrified girl's body, spilling out her internal organs. The same grimy appendage hissed past her neck, severing the head from the decapitated body.
As the lifeless victim fell to the ground, the soul reaper's eyes trained upward, his extrasensory faculties focused on the colorless spirit that escaped its prey at the time of death. And before it dissipated into the ethereal plane, he drew an eager breath to siphon the spirit from the air into the waiting chasm in his own being. Thin ribbons of arcane energy enveloped the incubus as his spirit began to feed.
Rejuvenated, the soul devourer then focused his energies toward his injuries, initiating a bizarre process that brought out tiny tendrils of creeping flesh from his exposed joints. The thread-like tentacles slithered out, multiplied a thousand-fold, and fused into three separate masses of pulsating gunk that began to take familiar shapes. The gory details of regenerating limbs became engulfed in a cacophony of green and white light that then subsided to reveal the complete reformation of his lost appendages. Once again, the slayer of souls was whole.
But still, he hungered, as the effort to heal his wounds consumed most of the energies he infused. He was momentarily torn between the craving to feed himself and the thirst for revenge. However, both subsequently became ignored while he was reminded of his real objective. The defeat he suffered proving without a doubt that even his powers were inadequate for his ultimate goal, the incubus ruled against his passion for vengeance, deciding to postpone his anger in favor of a more pressing matter at hand. Vengeance will have to wait. But it will come soon, he vowed. It will come soon.
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"Damn should've known better than to lay our guards down."
She stared at him with a tinge of guilt in her eyes. Quistis let out a sigh while paying attention to Hunter, who was kneeling down along the edge of the dug-up grave.
"It's still fresh." He estimated while taking a lump of earth into his gloved hand. "I think it's only been a few hours. About ten at the most."
"I'm sorry, Hunter." She finally echoed. "This is all my fault."
"Hey, hey this is no one's fault, Quisty." He stood up to console her. "I admit to being a little bit concerned for his escape, but there's no way he could've freed himself without help. There's no way we could have anticipated that."
"Thanks" Quistis returned. "That's so sweet of you. But we should have been ready for anything. I should have been ready for anything. I was just"
"I know." Hunter interrupted. "I was distracted too. But this is not the time for blaming ourselves, okay? Let's just get on his tracks and try to find him again."
But before Quistis could reply, they were both startled by the noise of roaring engines and heavy machinery. The two warriors gawked in surprise upon seeing a detachment of soldiers and armored artillery carriers. The SeeD squinted her eyes as she instantly recognized the newcomers.
"Galbadian troops? Here?"
"Maybe they're here to help us." Hunter added. They were nevertheless surprised when the squadron commander alighted from the lead carrier unit and spoke to them in a stern voice.
"Commander Quistis Trepe, I am Captain Gargant, unit leader of this Galbadian battalion. And I come here under Headmaster Kramer's direct request to take you into custody for charges of desertion. Please come with us quietly, we are prepared to use force if you choose to resist."
Though alarmed by this sudden turn of events, the instructor couldn't exactly say that she didn't see this coming. She was aware of the fact that she violated a very serious statute in Balamb Garden's charter when she attacked her comrades and abandoned them in the Temple of the Unknown King. Quistis momentarily thought about Cid Kramer, the man who was like a father to her. She knew him as one with a heart of gold, but this character doesn't exactly exempt him from performing his role as supreme head of a military academy. Despite their personal relationship, there were still rules that needed to be followed and protocols that must be observed. He has always been a stickler for discipline, a trait that was displayed with alarming frequency where Seifer Almasy was involved. He had been at the receiving end of numerous disciplinary actions not because of his attitude, but because of his many actions that defied direct orders. Unlike what was generally believed, his infamy was not so much a result of his rebellious nature as it was of his rebellious deeds.
Such deeds that fall under the same classification as the one she had just committed. Quistis and Seifer may be as different as day and night with regards to their deportment. But under these circumstances, there was hardly anything at all to distinguish them. She's just as guilty as he was before. And she' s certainly not immune to reprimands.
But this didn't go to say that she would just raise her hands and surrender. For the resolute instructor, the gravity of the situation outweighed the demands for obedience to any charter or constitution. She made this decision to preserve the lives of her beloved friends. If she gave up now, it would be tantamount to condemning them all to a cruel death.
Quistis engraved this very thought in her mind while assuming a battle stance. Hunter smiled in admiration. Captain Gargant groaned in dismay. The fact that the Galbadian army has never won even a single battle against SeeDs didn't sit well for him.
"Sorry, Captain." The instructor bellowed firmly. "I don't want to do this, but I really have no other choice. If you have half the mind or the concern for your men, you will stand down at once and allow us to be on our way."
"You sure about this, babes?" Hunter asked. "I don't wanna be the pessimistic party pooper here, but it looks like they outnumber us twenty to one. And they have huge guns."
"You scared, honey?" Quistis answered with a grin. "Don't worry, it'll be fun. And it's been quite a while since I last fought against Galbadian soldiers."
"Scared? Hell no! It was more out of concern for them when I said they outnumber us twenty to one. It should be at least a hundred to one before they even get a ghost of a chance to beat us both."
The dreadful resonance of a pair of mystically forged steel blades sliding out from their sheaths echoed across the gap between the two warriors and the Galbadian battalion. The disconcerted Gargant whined pitifully before shouting out his command.
"Dammit ATTACK!!!"
Deafening blasts rang out as artillery fire rained over Quistis and Hunter. Moving swiftly, the warrior pair darted to the side to avoid the first wave of shelling with the SeeD casting consecutive Protect and Haste spells on herself and her beau. Temporarily ducking behind a boulder, Quistis and Hunter proceeded to plot their counterattack.
"They have a huge advantage with their artillery." Hunter blurted out. "I'll draw their fire with a frontal assault while you flank them from behind."
"Okay." Quistis returned before kissing him on the lips.
As soon as they parted, Hunter quickly dashed from their rocky cover to meet the bombardment head on. His unnatural quickness came into play, with his lithe form moving in a haze as it hopped, skipped and jumped from one spot to another, each time narrowly missing a shell blast. Meanwhile, Quistis commenced on her part of the flanking maneuver, speedily running around the enemies' position in a wide semi-circle that eventually brought her at an angle almost behind the Galbadian battalion.
But before she can make her move, a speeding missile zeroed in on Hunter and detonated right behind him. The dark warrior was thrown a couple of yards forward by the staggering blast, his body dragged by its own momentum along the sandy ground. Fearing the worst, Quistis bellowed a raging holler.
"BASTARDS!!!" She cried out while unleashing multiple Ultima and Meteor attacks against the soldiers. The explosions of non-elemental magic combined with the earth-shattering impact of falling metallic rocks and pummeled the attacking army with their merciless force. Two Iron Clads immediately erupted in plumes of black smoke and flames as a result of the powerful magic assault.
The guns began to turn toward the instructor, preparing themselves for another round of fire. She was right at the center of the gunners' sights. Quistis knew this, but she didn't seem to mind. As the oversized muzzles blazed, she immediately summoned Quezacotl, who subsequently absorbed the brunt of the attack. Fortunately, the Protect shield provided enough protection for the Guardian Force. In a stunning display of power, the Thunder Guardian shot out from the lightning-infused ground. He spread his majestic wings, then spewed out deadly bolts of negative energy from his obscured beak that struck the metallic bodies of the war machines solidly. Another gigantic lightning bolt popped out from the dark clouds to complete the Thunder Storm attack. Two more artillery carriers collapsed afterwards.
Captain Gargant was already furious. There were only two of them against his entire panzer detachment, but they were clearly losing this battle. His frustration then worsened when he felt a shockwave that struck the lead carrier from the back. Looking out from the armored vehicle's small window, the embattled captain saw the dark knight, his arms raised up while clutching the powerful Twin Jutte. As the shimmering blades crossed, forceful Holy magic was again generated in the form of energy spheres that shot forth like bright missiles, striking the armored carriers with brutal force.
"Squad Beta! Send in Squad Beta!!!" Gargant screamed into the radio microphone. He knew that it will now take an act of god to save himself from humiliation after his entire unit was conquered by the measly strength of two warriors. But he'd rather face humiliation than extinction.
"Oh man!" Hunter bellowed when he saw the arrival of a dozen more armored carriers and gunships. Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, the beleaguered knight scampered frantically to Quistis' side.
They held each other's hands tight, their weary faces looking on dreadfully as the Galbadian war machines surrounded them from all sides.
"What now?" Hunter groaned. "I think I can still fight, but I don't like the idea of you getting hurt. There's just too many of them."
"I I don't know." Quistis stammered. The way it looked for her, they can still fight their way through this gauntlet, but she was also afraid it might leave them too worn down to battle the incubus. It was either that or they exercise the option to surrender.
But in the face of her grim fears, she quickly resolved once more that surrender will never be an option.
"We can't give up now. If we do, they're going to send my friends after the incubus. And they will surely die."
"I know." Hunter concurred. "Okay, same strategy."
"What?"
"I'm gonna draw their fire while you get the hell out of here."
"No! That's unacceptable, Hunter!" Quistis objected vehemently. "We're in this together, remember?"
"Quisty, don't argue with me. If one of us has a chance to live, I'd rather it to be you. You have a much better chance of defeating the incubus than I do."
"Hunter no"
"Besides" He looked solemnly at the instructor. "I did tell you that I'd die for you if I have to, right?"
She looked back with a stern scowl in her face.
"If you die, I will also die. Understand?"
His heroic resolve was instantly replaced by repentance upon hearing the instructor's obstinate words. As if waking from ignorance, Hunter suddenly realized that he has ceased full ownership of his life. He now shared it with Quistis. Neither one of them can go anywhere without the other. Even unto death
A thought tormented him almost as much as the concept of a life without her love.
"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Trepe." He finally said. "Okay, we're in this together. So, shall we rock and roll?"
End of Chapter Fourteen