Rain slashed down at my face. A flash of lightning temporarily
blindening me as I burst out the church doors, throwing an arm above my
eyes I charged forward. "Alma!" There was the faintest of cries meeting
mine. "Brother Ramza!" But it was too late. The Chocobo and its precious
burden were gone into the midnight downpour.
A second flash of lightning lit up the scene. Before me on the ground was Weigraf, having crawled all this way out of the monastery, a small pool of blood already beginning to form beneath his beaten body. The one I had beaten, with my own blood coated sword at my hip. In his deadened fingers was clutched the Aries stone. So much bloodshed, so much loss of ideal, for a simple stone, what a waste.
"Damn you Ramza, to be beaten by such weakness. I'm sorry Miluda." Weigraf spat blood, the utter hatred on his face carefully emulated in the residual torchlight from the monestary. The silence stretched between us, until it threatened to swallow me whole. With a grunt, he released the Aries stone, and it landed with a short clatter on the steps, his eyes beginning to glaze slightly and his breathing slowly becoming more and more ragged.
And that was when the stone rose into the air. Glowing a malevolent purple red color, it floated in the air, the holy stone of Aries. "Human, promise.me." I couldn't hear the words, but knew they had been said all the same. Echoing in my own head endlessly in that moment of forever, but it was not to me which the words were directed.
"What?" Weigraf summoned enough energy to pull his face from the pool of blood, it dribbled down his chin and off his armor, washed and diluted by the downpour. His glazed eyes were now filled with the glow of purple, with the light of Aries.
"Promise me human. Promise me..your spirit..in exchange..for power." Sudden understanding began to flood through me. Just as the Cardinal had before, the powers that I couldn't possibly comprehend were at work.
"What? Is this the power of the holy stones?" Weigraf spat more blood, his forehead wrinkled slightly, opening another of his wounds again, spilling blood into his eyes. But he didn't blink or wipe away the liquid, so enthralled was he by the powers before him.
"Promise me, and I will give.you everything."
"No Weigraf!" The words came unbidden from my mouth. I knew what he would become if he accepted the offer. But it was too late.
With a ripple of power, all time seemed to stop right then. The holy stone tore a hole in the fabric of space, shredding time and enveloping my nemesis in the bloody pile he wasted away on. An explosion tore across me, not one of fire or bombs, but of cold bitter rage, of a dark vengeance unknown to a mortal such as I.
With another burst of power the light cleared, and there stood a creature I would not ever have clapped my eyes on again. It was a Ram of some sort, upright and garbed in dark blue robes. The beast stood on its back too hooves, and where the front hooves should have been, instead were the brawny arms of a human. Its long mouth was curved in what must have been a permanent sneer, and the horns along it's head were curved in malicious design and pointed at me. But worst of all were the eyes. No man ever had such eyes, burning with deep rage, black like the deepest hide of Lucavi. Here before me, was a true demon of Lucavi.
"Such power.I had not dreamed it possible." His sneer never left his face, the voice was a pale wrath's version of Weigraf, educated but a throaty rasp of harshness and deep cunning. He turned to me then, his dark eyes studying and his giant fists clenched tightly as though they were about my neck.
I could not help but take a step back. Where once had been a man, now was a demon, so easily was he subverted. With a quick slide I freed the Ragnarok from my waist. Clutching it tightly in my right hand I pointed it at him. "This.the power of Lucavi, you made a deal with demons."
"Easy mortal. I will not slay you yet." With that, to my shock he disappeared in a sickly red contortion of a teleport.
I stood there for a long time after that. Staring at the spot from which he had disappeared. Rain dripping down my armor, rubbing the stains of battle from it and the blade, I was alone there, staring with my sword still clutched tightly in my heads that I feared I could not release it when the time came. The rain scrubbed the stains of corruption, the blood and the decay from the flagstones, but not from my heart.
Agrias came out then, her and the rest of the squad having cleaned out remaining Knights and Archers.
"Weigraf?" There was only that on her lips. To which I had no answer but to shake my head. What else could I say? Nothing right now, that was assured by the heavy weight on my shoulders.
"Gather everyone up, we're leaving." She nodded and disappeared back into the monastery. "Weigraf." I murmured to myself, "What have you done?"
A second flash of lightning lit up the scene. Before me on the ground was Weigraf, having crawled all this way out of the monastery, a small pool of blood already beginning to form beneath his beaten body. The one I had beaten, with my own blood coated sword at my hip. In his deadened fingers was clutched the Aries stone. So much bloodshed, so much loss of ideal, for a simple stone, what a waste.
"Damn you Ramza, to be beaten by such weakness. I'm sorry Miluda." Weigraf spat blood, the utter hatred on his face carefully emulated in the residual torchlight from the monestary. The silence stretched between us, until it threatened to swallow me whole. With a grunt, he released the Aries stone, and it landed with a short clatter on the steps, his eyes beginning to glaze slightly and his breathing slowly becoming more and more ragged.
And that was when the stone rose into the air. Glowing a malevolent purple red color, it floated in the air, the holy stone of Aries. "Human, promise.me." I couldn't hear the words, but knew they had been said all the same. Echoing in my own head endlessly in that moment of forever, but it was not to me which the words were directed.
"What?" Weigraf summoned enough energy to pull his face from the pool of blood, it dribbled down his chin and off his armor, washed and diluted by the downpour. His glazed eyes were now filled with the glow of purple, with the light of Aries.
"Promise me human. Promise me..your spirit..in exchange..for power." Sudden understanding began to flood through me. Just as the Cardinal had before, the powers that I couldn't possibly comprehend were at work.
"What? Is this the power of the holy stones?" Weigraf spat more blood, his forehead wrinkled slightly, opening another of his wounds again, spilling blood into his eyes. But he didn't blink or wipe away the liquid, so enthralled was he by the powers before him.
"Promise me, and I will give.you everything."
"No Weigraf!" The words came unbidden from my mouth. I knew what he would become if he accepted the offer. But it was too late.
With a ripple of power, all time seemed to stop right then. The holy stone tore a hole in the fabric of space, shredding time and enveloping my nemesis in the bloody pile he wasted away on. An explosion tore across me, not one of fire or bombs, but of cold bitter rage, of a dark vengeance unknown to a mortal such as I.
With another burst of power the light cleared, and there stood a creature I would not ever have clapped my eyes on again. It was a Ram of some sort, upright and garbed in dark blue robes. The beast stood on its back too hooves, and where the front hooves should have been, instead were the brawny arms of a human. Its long mouth was curved in what must have been a permanent sneer, and the horns along it's head were curved in malicious design and pointed at me. But worst of all were the eyes. No man ever had such eyes, burning with deep rage, black like the deepest hide of Lucavi. Here before me, was a true demon of Lucavi.
"Such power.I had not dreamed it possible." His sneer never left his face, the voice was a pale wrath's version of Weigraf, educated but a throaty rasp of harshness and deep cunning. He turned to me then, his dark eyes studying and his giant fists clenched tightly as though they were about my neck.
I could not help but take a step back. Where once had been a man, now was a demon, so easily was he subverted. With a quick slide I freed the Ragnarok from my waist. Clutching it tightly in my right hand I pointed it at him. "This.the power of Lucavi, you made a deal with demons."
"Easy mortal. I will not slay you yet." With that, to my shock he disappeared in a sickly red contortion of a teleport.
I stood there for a long time after that. Staring at the spot from which he had disappeared. Rain dripping down my armor, rubbing the stains of battle from it and the blade, I was alone there, staring with my sword still clutched tightly in my heads that I feared I could not release it when the time came. The rain scrubbed the stains of corruption, the blood and the decay from the flagstones, but not from my heart.
Agrias came out then, her and the rest of the squad having cleaned out remaining Knights and Archers.
"Weigraf?" There was only that on her lips. To which I had no answer but to shake my head. What else could I say? Nothing right now, that was assured by the heavy weight on my shoulders.
"Gather everyone up, we're leaving." She nodded and disappeared back into the monastery. "Weigraf." I murmured to myself, "What have you done?"
