Disclaimer: As the same with all the other chapters, I don't own anything I didn't come
up with. That belongs to Square. The song "Savior" belongs to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I do
this for no profit. Blah, blah, blah.

Additional Notes: Since this chapter is so long and has taken me such a long time to write,
I'd like to give another big hand to Nightstalker for his help! He has given me some great info
on the Draconians, uniforms, army, ect. and helped out greatly by even writting some of the
battles! What a guy, eh? So let's all give him a hand for helping me out since this chapter has
been real tough on me. It's great to have friends who can help and are great writers. :) If I
could, I'd put his name next to mine on the credits just for those battle sequences. :D Give
him a hand everybody!

Chapter 11: Revelation In War

Without having the time to wait for Quistis, Rinoa and Seifer to return from Timber,
Squall, Vira and Dorin boarded the Ragnarok for Draconia. Dorin stood behind Squall, making sure
that they were headed in the right direction. Vira sat a seat back, looking at her scar again.
It had finally stopped bleeding, but the dull throbing pain was still there. And the sinking
feeling in her stomach gave her the feeling that something was terribly wrong. After giving
Squall the final directions for Draconia, Dorin turned towards Vira.

"Last time we fought the Galbys, they used a number of their Ironclads. I hope we can
avoid fighting them again. Battle is never something to revel in." He said.

"Ironclads?" Vira raised an eyebrow, interested. "You mean their battle droids with the
soldiers inside? They teach that sort of combat in Galbadia Garden. Never took the class,
though."

"Curious names you have for the Galbys." Dorin commented.

Vira stopped looking at her scar and craned her head up to look at Dorin. "I could say
the same to you. You guys call them Galbys."

Dorin looked strangely at Vira. "It's better than the old Draconian name we have for
them."

"Which was what?" Vira asked, an expression of scrutiny almost crossing her face.
"Because technically speaking I AM Galbadian...I think...I believe I was born in Galbadia, then
I was in Deling City..."

Dorin immediately shut his mouth. "It's best you didn't know," he replied, his voice
becoming stiff.

"...Whatever," Vira's apathy showing through. "I bet you called the Galbadians morons or
something. After some of the stupid decisions they've made I wouldn't blame you." She turned her
head towards the window, treating the Galbadians as if they were just another bunch of people
that made some bad mistakes.

Dorin began to get suspicious. How could she say something like that about the country
she was born in? Her homeland, the place she grew up. How could she have no alligence to the
people at all? He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you were Galbadian."

"I am. That doesn't mean I'm gonna side with them. I'm a SeeD. I'm on the side of who
hired me. With Garden, you're not really basing anything because of where you came from. It
doesn't work that way." She tried to explain, turning her head back to Dorin.

Dorin shook his head and looked out the window. "Nach fara ne pasach."

"Hmm?" asked Vira.

He turned his head back to her, his foreign accent again cutting through the air.
"'Honor has no price.' The Vorhal, chapter 23, verse 16."

Vira shrugged, adding casually, "Nothing in life is free."

That was enough for Dorin. He bore his icy blue piercing stare into Vira's dark chocolate
eyes. "And honor is not bought with money," he snapped back. "It is bought with the blood and
lives of honorable men. That's what we hold dear. That's what you Galbadians don't seem to
understand." He turned back to the window, silent again.

Vira stood up, looking at Dorin as he gazed out the window. "You didn't seem to have a
problem with me before you knew I was born in Galbadia. Some of us just didn't have the luxury
of learning something like that. A lot of us never had a real place to call home. Garden
operates under a different set of rules than the ones from where you are. We need the money to
keep the place going. I didn't think there was something wrong with trying to keep Garden open
by making money. Most of us wouldn't have a place to go if Garden was closed down.

"I do my job and that's just doing what I'm told. Even if it's a losing battle. If I'm
told to go out there and fight, I'll fight. For as long as I can. If following my orders isn't
honorable then you can just consider me unhonorable. It's not like I care what anyone thinks
about me." Vira explained, trying to not sound hurt. This was the first time anyone had
actually been angry at her for something like where she was born and what job she held. Almost
everyone around the world admired SeeDs in one way or another. Garden took in orphans and other
children and taught them how to take care of themselves, how to fight, and how to be part of
society. But Draconia wasn't part of the world Vira knew. It was somewhere else where what they
valued and how they viewed things were different. Something very hard for her to understand.

"Then you are no better than the robots the Galbadians use," Dorin coldly answered, not
ever looking at Vira as he talked. He turned sharply and left the cockpit, the sliding door
swishing open quickly. His anger was nearly palpable.

Vira collapsed into her chair again, thinking that petty prejudices could not have come
at a worse time than now. She turned her attention to Squall. "I don't know what he expects of
us. Maybe he wants us to not follow what he tells us and then we're 'honorable' in his eyes."

Keeping his eyes on the horizon, Squall answered, "We can't really understand his way of
thinking. He lives in such a different world than we do. There's Draconia up..." He paused,
looking at the sight of the country. "...There..."

Over the horizon stood Dorin's homeland, Draconia. Immediately the three could see
something was wrong. Smoke clouds of blackened ash were floating towards the blood red sky. There
were legions of battle droids being manned by soldiers flying across the skyline. Down below
thousands of soldiers on foot were running towards the woods, leaving a pile of rubble behind.
Rubble that once was a town.

The pure devistation of the town shocked Squall when he was finally able to lay his eyes
on the town up close. Never had he seen such destruction to a town. Houses were reduced to
nothing more than smoldering piles of rock, timber and debris. Once tall and proud brick walls
were now haphazardly lying in the middle of the road, stripped of all dignity. Bodies of victims
littered the streets, faces frozen in permanent masks of shock and horror. The air was thick
with the scent of blood and death. Everything had been destroyed to such a degree you would have
thought Hell itself had come down sending judgement on everything, even the buildings. Above
them, the clouds were made of black ash, playing against the now blood red sky of the waning
afternoon. Squall looked at Dorin, who was in complete shock from the sight. He staggered through
the rubble with the pace of a zombie.

A small cry muffled by the fallen rubble came from the right. Squall and Vira drew their
weapons, ready for an attack, but Dorin instead slowly walked over to a fallen body of a woman.
Her thoat had been slashed, the blood now caked and dry around her neck, her mouth opened in a
silent scream that was never heard. Carefully, Dorin moved the body to reveal a small baby
wailing with tears streaming down its eyes. Gingerly, he picked up the baby, its cries now
subsiding slightly, but its wail still quite audible. Dorin held the child close to him as he
knelt beside the woman's body and the rubble, slowly rocking back and forth.

Vira walked over to him. "Dorin..." she said softly, placing a comforting hand on his
shoulder.

"Get away from me, Galbadian," he whispered harshly. Every word chisled with hatred. Vira
withdrew her hand, trying to mask her hurt feelings under her stone cold fascade.

Squall took Vira's arm, gently pulling her away. "He didn't mean it. He's just in a lot
of pain right now. Leave him alone."

"With pleasure," she returned coldly. "I'm going to scout ahead for the Silver Siren."

Even though Squall wasn't too sure letting Vira go off on her own was the best idea, he
nodded his head, allowing her to do it. This wasn't the time to have a fight start between a
Galbadian and a Draconian, especially when one's been hired to help the other. Squall thought it
would be best if he just let them sort out their difference in their own way.

After Vira's departure, Squall knelt beside Dorin, who was still slowly swaying back and
forth. He could almost see the tiny tear streak down Dorin's face, the baby in his arms now
silent.

"This was Drayden. One of the McGregor's towns." Squall noticed the barely-contained
grief in Dorin's voice as he spoke.

"Dorin, we have to get going now. They could come back at any time. Vira's ahead, looking
for the Silver Siren. When she finds it, we can head a full attack on Sorceress Xana's army."
Squall attempted to sound calm and collected, but his luck at it was failing. He had never seen
such viciousness in the Galbadians attacks, even when they were at their worst with searching
for Ellone.

Silently, Dorin nodded, then looked up. "Someone's coming."

Squall rose to his feet, his hand on the hilt of his gunblade, and surveyed the area
around them for anyone. A man in a Draconian uniform stepped out from a wooded path nearby, a
plaid tartan draped over his shoulder, and a laser rifled leveled at them.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

Dorin raised to his feet and faced the soldier, his face composed as Squall had never
seen it before. His piercing ice blue eyes now looked more like steel in the light.

"I am Lord Heir Dorin Vachon. Where are the Galbadians now?" Dorin demanded, his voice
matching the steeled look in his eyes.

Relaxing a little, the soldier lowered his rifle from them. "They're nearing Verner. We
have evacuated the town, but we weren't able to get here in time..." The soldier's voice trailed
off as he took in the devastation and death surrounding him. He recomposed himself, adding, "The
Galbadians have been destroying everything in their path. No one has been taken prisoner. They
are going all out on this."

Dorin went up to him and handed the soldier the baby. "Where are your men now?"

The soldier looked down at the baby, then back up at Dorin. "In the forest. The Campbells
and the O'Malleys are waiting for us McGregors at Verner." He paused, looking down at the baby
again, raising him up slightly to Dorin. "He's the only one?" he asked softly.

Dorin nodded in response. "Yes. Tell your men to get there as soon as possible. I'll get
word to my father and try and get my regiments there as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir." The soldier bowed slightly, nodding to Dorin. He then turned and left as
silently as he had come, leaving only Dorin and Squall in the wake of the carnage.

"We must start heading to Verner now." Dorin broke the silence with a sledgehammer with
that remark, startling Squall just a little.

"Should I go and find Vira to tell her?" Squall asked, not wanting to have her become
lost in all of this mess.

Dorin shook his head, evidently still very upset by her. "No. Let's go now."

Unallowed to go against Dorin's orders by his contract, Squall followed Dorin into the
woods, opposite the path Vira had taken into the neighboring town.

Vira stormed down the dirt path, angry and hurt. It was unbelievably frustrating to have
someone hate you based on where you were born. She wasn't even living in Galbadia anymore. It
wasn't like she was fighting alongside the G-Army, wreaking havok and pain wherever they went.
No, she was on his side. Trying to help Dorin stop this carnage and destruction, but he seemed
to be too blind to see that she was there to help, not hurt. Vira didn't believe in hating
someone because they were born somewhere. Just because she was born in Galbadia didn't mean she
believed what they did. For one of the first times that Vira could remember, she felt hurt by
someone. Truly hurt.

A battle cry came from Vira's right, in the woods. She drew her weapons, but the
attacker was too fast. The man, wearing a Draconian uniform, knocked both of Vira's
kamagunblades to the ground with his laser rifle, and then aimed it at her. She saw the a chance
to sweep the man and took it. He fell to the ground, but his lase rifle was still clutched in
his hand. Vira rolled, grabbing her kamagunblades and then jumped on the man's stomach. He
groaned in pain, but then hit Vira in the face with his rifle. She staggered back, off of the
soldier. It gave him enough time to hit her with the rifle again, this time in the stomach. She
doubled over onto herself, dropping one of her kamagunblades to the ground. In a curious twist
of events, the man picked up the fallen kamagunblade. It looked like he had no clue whatsoever
at what the weapon was, but quickly decided it was a blade of some sort. He aimed it at Vira's
face, slashing down the right side of her forehead violently. Vira yelped a little in pain, the
blood dripping down her face. Angry, she took the kamagunblade she still had, and aimed the
sharp blade at the soldier's thoat. Her rage was almost taking over her. She kicked him in the
stomach, hard, ignoring all of her pain. He stumbled to the ground again, letting Vira once
again get on top of him. She pressed the blade of her kamagunblade to the soldier's throat, a
small bead of crimson blood protruding from the side of his neck.

"Why were you attacking me?!" She yelled, now showing her anger in full.

The soldier's face looked disgusted. "Because you are one of those bloody Galbadians and
you are wearing the seal of the ship."

Vira looked confused, trying to figure out what the seal of the ship was. The only thing
she could think of was the necklace dangling from her neck, shining in the blood red afternoon
light. "Who cares if I'm from Galbadia?! That doesn't mean I'm here to hurt you! I came to
help!"

"We don't need any help from someone like you!" He returned.

"What about this?" Vira took a free hand to wave her necklace in the soldier's face.
"You said I am wearing the seal of the ship. What ship? And is this the seal?"

The soldier tried to squirm from Vira's weapon, but that only made her press down on his
neck harder. "I have seen that same symbol on the terrible airship above the land. It's the
harbringer of doom. Now either kill me or leave me be!"

Furious, Vira got up off the man, taking her other kamagunblade from the soldier's hands.
He scrambled to his feet, ready to try again. Vira pointed both her kamagunblades at him. "Leave
me alone. I am only here to help. I don't care where I'm from and neither should you. Your
country has a lot to learn about manners and tolerance."

"You Galbadians should go to Hell. That's where you deserve to be." The soldier spat out
coldly, but decided to cut his loses and leave. He turned around, running into the woods.

With no one in sight, Vira sank to the ground, now paying attention to the wound on her
forehead. It throbbed and pulsed, gushing red blood down to the dirt covered road. Sighing, she
turned her gaze up to the sky, again seeing the ash clouds and billows of smoke rising to the
crimson sky. Vira began to remember a song she had heard long ago, but only the words, the tune
disappeared from her mind.

Dusting off your savior
You were always my favorite
Always my man--All in a hand

To celebrate you is greater
Now that I can--Always my man

Now you see what I came for
No one here is to blame for
Misunderstand--All in a hand

Just like you 'cause you made me
All that I am--All in a hand

"Vira?" A voice from the town called to her, but she paid no heed. The voice called out
again, still no response from her. Now the voice was beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder
and shaking her gently. "Hey, Vira!"

It was Seifer. They had tracked down the Ragnarok to Draconia to join the group. He kept
shaking her lightly, trying to stur up any response. Finally she looked up at him, her face still
covered in blood. "Yes? What is it, Seifer?"

"Man," He started. "Looked like someone got the better of you."

She rose to her feet, dusting off her pants and picking up her weapons. Vira then took
one hand and wiped it across her forehead, trying to remove some of the blood. It succeeded only
a little. "Not really. I let them go."

Quistis and Rinoa came running up the path, still looking shocked from the sight of the
town behind. They stopped in front of Vira, looking at her with concern.

"What happened?" Quistis asked.

Vira shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

The other three SeeDs exchanged a small look with each other and then turned back to
Vira. Rinoa stepped towards her cautiously. "Do you want me to give you a hand with that scar?"

"No," Vira began looking around the dirt path. "I'm fine."

"Okay..." She trailed off. Rinoa knew as well as the rest of them that Vira was supposed
to be with Squall and Dorin. Of course, plans can change, but with Squall nowhere in sight,
Rinoa felt a pain of concern in her stomach to accompany the horror and shock from the devastated
town. She could only imagine the terror and sheer brutality that had been wrought. It pained her
to see a sight such as that, with no one left standing. A horrifing thought came to her and
hesitatingly, Rinoa asked, "Did...did the G-Army do this?"

Silently, Vira nodded back, confirming Rinoa's horror. She stumbled back into Quistis,
who was barely able to catch her.

Seifer looked back at the rubble. "They've never done anything this brutal before. What's
going on?"

"How the hell should I know?" Vira snapped. "I'm just here to help, but these people
don't want it because I was born in Galbadia." Rinoa gasped. "Yeah, you better be careful around
here too. They don't take too kindly to Galbadians. Or anyone else for that matter."

"Whoa, there. Calm down, Vira." Seifer pushed his hands up and down in a motion to make
Vira calm.

Vira eyed him stone coldly. "I am calm."

"Where's Squall?" Rinoa asked, her voice sounding slightly panicked.

"And Dorin," Quistis added.

Again Vira shrugged. "I don't really know. I went scouting ahead to check for Xana or
Naxa...whoever she is, her ship, the Silver Siren. I'm guessin' they headed into the woods right
next to us. The G-Army's on the warpath, destroying everything." She explained.

"So you think the woods it the best bet right now?" Seifer asked.

"Probably," Quistis interjected. "The G-Army is most likely going by roads and avoiding
them right now would be the best thing."

Vira agreed, "Yeah, that works."

Without exchanging another word, the four began trecking through the wooded path near
where Vira had been. Although none of them spoke a word, the tension in the air was heavy and
noticible. Rinoa's quicken steps made it known to everyone how anxious she was to get back to
Squall and Vira's cold stare spoke volumes of that there was something more sinister going on
here than she was letting on. Quistis felt saddened at how this was the time the Draconians were
trying to reach out to the rest of the world and they had paid them back in cruelty and pain.
Meanwhile, Seifer was still trying to prove that this time he would be part of the team. At least
so far he hadn't made any terrible mistakes and he only hoped that he wouldn't at all. He looked
at Quistis for a moment, noting the sad expression plaguing her face. Inside, a small voice told
Seifer that she was hurting because of what had happened to the town back there. No doubt, it
had been the worst sight he had ever seen. Not even things that Edea had done under the control
of Ultimecia had been this bad. Something inside him wanted to tell Quistis it'd be okay, and
pay her back for all the time she tried to help him. And yet, the overwhelming feeling that it
was the wrong time to say a word prevented Seifer from voicing his feelings.

* * * * *

"Is it all clear out there?" Selphie's anxious whisper fell onto Zell's ears while he
inspected the hall from around the corner. No one was there.

Zell motioned forward with his hand. "All clear. Let's go."

Sneaking around the Silver Siren probably wasn't the best strategy when Zell had looked
back on it, but it was the only thing he could think of. They never would have gotten back to
Garden in time to tell everyone and at least at this rate they could try to stop what was going
to happen.

The three had seen the outside of the Silver Siren briefly when they were sneaking
aboard. The ship itself resembled the Ragnarok combined with a luxury boat. Black metal encased
the entire ship, with a small balcony near the front. No doubt the place where Xana would be
observing the wrath she was bringing down. On the side of the ship was the same silver symbol
Zell had seen on Xana's dress, but he still couldn't make the connection.

The interior of the ship was completely different from the outside. While the outside
had appeared quite metal and industrial, the interior was lined with heavy gargoyle statues,
pillars made of marble, with silver fire torches adorning the walls. The same kinda of scarlet
carpet from the TV station laid on top of the slick marble floors. All around the three SeeDs
was the feeling of gloom and hatred. It seeped out from every orafice of the ship, every carpet,
every torch, ever gargoyle. Indeed the Silver Siren was a formidable and depressing place to be.
Even the air felt cold and cruel.

Slowly, Zell, Selphie and Irvine walked down one of the ships larger hallways. They made
sure to walk on the carpet, muffling the sounds of their own footsteps. Zell was leading
blindly. He had never been on the ship before, and every decision he made was one pulled from
thin air. But his friends felt the same way and had no place to disagree with his decisions.

Selphie stopped when they passed by one of the only windows in the ship. She pressed her
small hands against the glass and looked down to what was below them. "Zell, Irvine! Come see
this!" She ordered, waving her hands madly.

"What is it?" asked Irvine, looking out the window next to her.

Down below them was a beach, stained with blood. Soldiers as small as ants were fighting
a furious battle against each other. Large battletanks the like of which the three had never
seen were stewn about the battlefield, trying to take out their enemies quickly. The battle
against the Draconians and the Galbadians was in full force. Left and right bodies of soldiers
fell to the ground, more blood staining the once pristine sand. Selphie could not take the sight
anymore, she jerked her head away, Irvine following her lead. Slowly, Zell turned and joined his
friends.

"We have to get down there and help the Draconians," Zell ordered sternly. "This is not
an order from Garden itself, but it's the right thing to do before Squall and the others get
here. We all know that they'll probably be heading here after hearing the announcement. There's
no way that guy Dorin'll let the Galbadians just come on in. Until they get here, I think we
should help the Draconians out any way we can."

Selphie and Irvine nodded in agreement. "So like, how do we get outta this flying
monstrosity?" inquired Irvine.

Zell scratched his head, looking around the hall a bit. "Good question..." He murmured.
A barely audible mumbling was heard ahead of them. Zell franctically looked around for a place
to hide. "There!" Pointing to a pillar, the three dived behind it just in time to see Xana
gliding down the hallway with her aide.

"We aren't even close to wiping out all of Draconia yet!" She coldly remarked.

The aide winced a bit. "Madam...the country is large and the Draconians are excellent
fighters. We were only able to destroy one town so far, not too far from here. The battle down
below is just a small fraction of the Draconian's army."

"No excuses," Xana demanded. "I want the Draconian's wiped out as quickly as possible
without any survivors. No survivors at all. Do you hear me?"

"Y-y-yes, ma'am." He stammered.

Xana lightly pushed one of her long braids from her face. "I don't care if I must go
down there personally to finish the job, but I do not want the other countries to be become too
suspicious. None of them know what shape Draconia is in. I want it to stay that way until we are
through."

The aide nodded fearfully. "Aye, madam."

"What is the next target?" She asked, her eyes now shifting around the room suspiciously.
Unintentionally, Zell, Selphie and Irvine all cringed, almost anticipating her discovery of them.

Following suit, the aide began looking around the room as well. "Verner, I believe.
Recon showed us that some of the Draconian troops are situated there. We should be able to wipe
out a large group of them. Once their army is gone, the citizens will have no chance."

"Good," Xana approved, nodding her head. "I am going down to the battlefield now."

The aide nodded, following Xana down the hall into another room. Being as silent as they
could, the three followed.

* * * * *

Only a little ways into the woods, Quistis, Seifer, Rinoa and Vira had found the main
path of the woods and up ahead, Squall and Dorin. So excited to see Squall again, Rinoa could
not resist the urge to run up and hug him tightly, making Squall's face become very confused and
embarrassed. Seifer began to laugh a little seeing Squall's reaction, but was silenced by
Quistis smacking him upside the head lightly. Vira said nothing, her face set in stone as it
almost always was. The wound on her forehead was still bleeding a little, leaving her forehead
looking like a massacre. Dorin stayed to Squall's side, after Rinoa had released him from her
hug, his face looking more hard than usual.

"Boy, are we glad we found you guys so early," Quistis breathed out, relieved.

Rinoa nodded. "Yes, I was really worried after what happened back there..."

"Yeah, we're heading over to Verner. Some of the Draconian army is supposed to be there."
Squall placed a supportive arm around Rinoa, noticing how worried she had been. "Vira, did you
get any information on the Silver Siren?"

Vira shook her head. "No."

Squall pointed to the scar on her forehead. "What happened?"

"I got attacked. No one was killed. Just a little scar. Nothing to worry about," She
replied emotionlessly.

"Who was it," Squall asked, his eyes narrowing on her. "G-Army?"

The emotionless mask on Vira's face faultered for a second, remembering the even wasn't
a pleasant thing. Like it or not, she had something to do with the sorceress. Though what it was
was beyond her completely. "It doesn't matter." She avoided telling the whole story.

Deciding to leave Vira's encounter alone for the moment, Squall decided to bring up a
question that had been bothering him. "Where's Zell, Selphie and Irvine? Didn't you guys see them
on the way here?"

Seifer shook his head. "Chickenwuss and his team haven't been around at all."

Sighing at Seifer, Quistis added, "The announcement was from Deling City where they were
supposed to go. Do you think they heard what was going to happen and are trying to get here?"

Squall nodded. "That's possible. We'll have to go along without them, though. There's no
time to be waiting around. Let's get going."

Putting up a hand to stop Squall from continuing down the path, Dorin asked Quistis,
"How did you three find your way here? Draconia is a land no veruchii has been able to find since
this sorceress."

"The Ragnarok," Quistis answered, matter-of-factly. "There is a tracking device built
into it. We were just able to pinpoint the location from the bridge of Garden."

The party started off down the dirt path again, Dorin not saying a word. This unnervered
Vira a little, knowing he was probably still upset at her. Leaving out the fight with the
Draconian was probably for the best. It would have made things more complicated. Slowly her
thoughts turned to Zell, Selphie and Irvine. It seemed strange that they hadn't made a b-line
back to Garden to warn everyone. Something must have made them change their minds. Even though
Vira hadn't known most of them that long, she was beginning to feel that they weren't such bad
people. In fact, they seemed to be more friendly than anyone she had ever met. Zell especially.
Now she had finally realized that he really wasn't out to make her life miserable at the
graduation, he was just trying to be friendly. In a really clumsy, not well thought out way.
Well, wherever they were, Vira hoped they were okay. She then reminded herself that they were
SeeDs and should be able to handle themselves accordingly.

All the troops that were available of McGregor's Legion were ready and waiting not too
far ahead of the dirt path. Except that it looked much larger than just one regiment to Dorin.
Small tents had been pitched up everywhere, a few battle tanks stood proudly in one area.
Outside of the tents were the soldiers, either sitting and waiting or even practicing their
skills. Dorin stopped one of the soldiers and asked him where Lord Heir McGregor was. The
soldier pointed down to a tent at the far end of the camp. Dorin thanked him and strided over to
the tent. Squall and the others followed him until they came to the entrance of the tent.
Looking at Squall, Dorin made it clear that he should be the only one to enter. Understanding
this, Squall nodded as Dorin walked into the tent, the rest staying a little ways from it.

Inside the command tent, Dorin's eyes met not only Lord Heir Shawn McGregor but also
Lord Campbell and the commander of the O'Malley regiments. This explained why the camp had looked
so much bigger than Dorin had expected. Shawn nodded to him, Dorin returning with a salute.

"Greetings, Lord Heir Vachon," Shawn said. "The Galbys are moving into the farmlands
right now. There's too many of them to fight head on. Unfortunately, we have to provide cover
for the refugees until they make it to the mountains."

Dorin nodded, taking in the information. "And how many regiments do we have? Three?"

"Yes," Shawn concured grimly. "My McGregors, the Campbells and the O'Malleys. Long range
communications have been scrambled, so there's no way for us to call for reinforcements. We also
have a squadron of Hellraiser tanks, but that is about all. Not too much of an army for ye, I'm
afraid."

Dubious, Dorin raised an eyebrow. "For me?"

"Aye," Shawn nodded. "You are to be our force commander."

"You have fought them before. You know their tactics, lad," Lord Campbell added, joining
in on the conversation.

Relenting, Dorin nodded again, then began studying the map. "We'll confront them here.
Just outside the city walls." He pointed to a level spot in front of the city on the map. "We'll
merely fight a holding action. There's no chance against them if we attack head on. When they
start to concentrate, we'll pull back to inside the city..." Dorin trailed off and thought deeply
for a moment before continuing. "If need be, we'll set fire to the city. We'll deny its use to
them."

"Lord-Heir Vachon, you can't be serious!" the commander of the O'Malleys exclaimed. Lord
Campbell the commander a look that immediately silenced him after.

"The lad knows what he's doing. Even if it pains us to do so, we have no choice in the
matter. The rules have changed, gentlemen. We must change with them."

Silently, the others all nodded. A somber feeling consumed the room, all within knowing
the reality of the situation. Dorin wasn't too enthusiatic about his plan much either, but he
couldn't see any other way. If only he had more regiments or a Griffon seige tank, he thought,
quickly pushing the thought from his head. He had to get grounded in reality. He had three
regiments, some Hellraisers and some SeeDs. SeeDs...Vira...inwardly, Dorin sighed. What he had
said to her wasn't something he was proud of, and decided to apologize when he had the chance.
There was also something else she wasn't telling them. If she hadn't been attacked by the Galbys
then who was it? The thought that a Draconian soldier came to mind, but he didn't see how
something like that would happen. Shaking his head, Dorin cleared his thoughts, concentrating
on the task at hand. There must be something else he can do. There has to be.

"There must be someway we can create more confusion among the Galbys. We can't hold them
forever. Even if we do burn Verner, they'll still be on the refugees in no time."

Shawn shrugged. "We can hold them as long as we can. Even if it means fighting to the last
man."

Lord Campbell shook his head. "A dead soldier does no service to the land, lad," he
reminded Shawn. "If we do than then there will be no one to protect the refugees and they'll be
dead anyway."

Dorin suddenly looked up, an idea popping into his head. "Maybe if we can kill the Galby
commander, that will create enough confusion for us to slip away."

The O'Malley commander shrugged at the suggestion. "Maybe, but we're not Eschers, mind
you."

Eschers were the regiment of the Draconian legions trained in stealth battle, and unable
to be called in to help. If only there were someone else trained to do something like that...

"Aye. We're not trained in stealth warfare," Shawn concurred.

"No," Dorin started, slowly realizing exactly who he could get to help. "But I do know
some people who are..."

"So what you're saying is we sneak behind Galbadian lines, kill the commander and get out
again. Where's the hard part?" Seifer grinned confidently, eager for his chance to finally
fight.

Dorin just looked back at Seifer, his face its usual mask of no emotion. "It will be
chancy because you will be surrounded by the enemy. But hopefully it will create enough
confusion for us to slip away."

"So basically, we can stop the invasion in its tracks," Rinoa said.

"No," Dorin shook his head. "When you strike the head off a serpent, the body still coils.
No, it won't stop the invasion, but it will give us some time to regroup and possibly go on the
offensive. At the very least, it will give the refugees a chance to get away into the mountains
where the Galbys can't follow."

Squall nodded. "All right. How will you go about it?"

"I'm leaving that up to you," Dorin answered. "I'm giving you free reign over how you plan
it. Although, I would suggest taking a small team. Maybe only three people. It will be easier
for you to sneak in that way. Other than that, it's up to you."

Understanding, Squall nodded again and thought for a moment. "I'll go in, with Seifer and
Vira."

His grin growing wider, Seifer placed a hand on the grip of his gunblade. "I'm gonna love
this."

Vira only nodded slightly. "Fine."

"Very well. It will be about an hour before the Galby's get here, so you will have a little
time to plan." Dorin bowed slightly and then turned to walk away. He then paused and glanced
over his shoulder. "Vira, may I speak with you? Alone?"

Internally, Vira's gut clenched at the thought. A fight with Dorin was not something she
needed right now. Not after all the questions she still had about Xana. And she also was
thinking Dorin might be suspicious about the fight she had with the Draconian soldier. Another
thing she didn't need to explain. Hyne, this wasn't going to turn out to be a good talk.

Externally, Vira stayed calm. She turned and waved to Squall saying, "I'll catch up to you
later." Squall acknowledged this and Vira turned to join Dorin.

Vira walked beside Dorin before he stopped and turned to face her. Behind him a Draconian
regiment moved out, a strange bag-pipe instrument playing an odd turn from their musician. After
her momentary distraction of watching the regiment, Vira looked at Dorin and saw he was looking
at her, as if he was studying her.

"Vira-" he started.

But she interupted, "I'll just say one thing; I wish your people would have been more
friendly. Or at least civil. I didn't come here to attack Draconians so if that soldier has
something against me, that's his problem. He attacked me first. Total self defense."

Dorin's mouth hung open, like he was still stuck on what he was going to say. Snapping out
of it, he looked at her with a half confused expression. "What?"

Mentally, Vira scolded herself for blurting something out like that. Dorin didn't seem to
know what she was talking about. She sighed, knowing she was caught, and began to tell the whole
story. "The attacker that cut me was a Draconian soldier. He popped out of the woods while I
was looking for the Silver Siren. We fought, he cut me with my own blade and thought I should
go to hell, even if I was here to help." The last sentence came out stiffly, Vira still angry at
the event.

Dorin nodded his head slowly. "I'm sorry about that. You do understand why he...did that?"

"Yes," Vira said. "But there's also a thing called tolerance. Just because the Galbadian
army and their ruler is causing this, doesn't mean that I have anything to do with it. They do
not define me. Not all Galbadians are blood thirsty murderers."

"I know, it is just hard to not pre-judge after what so many Galbys have done. But I do
apologize for blowing you off earlier. You did not do those things; you did not destroy the
innocent lives of the people here. It's just..." He trailed off, not sure what to say next.

Trying hard, Vira managed a small smile. "It's okay. I understand."

Dorin looked at her, his eyes meeting hers. "Do you?" He asked. "I mean, this type of
this might be part of the game in your country but..."

"War is never a game," Vira said.

"This wasn't war," Dorin sighed and continued. "This was murder. Plain and simple. It is
against our principles to kill civilians, enemy or otherwise. There is nothing to be gained from
that. Those people didn't do anything."

Vira sighed. The rules that the Draconians followed were admirable, but there was so much
Dorin had to learn about the world. "Dorin, there are no rules in war. Especially when you are
dealing with Galbadians. Everything to them is fair play. They'll pick on the weak to make
themselves feel strong. I wish that Galbadia had been more choosy about who they take on as
their leader. A good leader could reverse all the bad habits the G-Army has made and turn the
country around for the better. But bad luck just sets in all the time and the army is led by
someone who is evil. It's infectious. With someone like Xana they are just an army of mindless
murderers."

Dorin looked back at her, and for the second time since she had met him, he dropped his
emotionless expression. The cold stone make he wore laid somewhere else for the moment. His
eyes were swimming with so many emotions and feelings that it made it hard for Vira to look into
them. "I know...it's just still so...alien. So inhuman." He half smiled. "I guess I can see why
you are not one of them. You've actually got a sense of honor about you. The same with the
others."

Suddenly, Vira felt uncomfortable. For the first time she could remember, she felt herself
almost blushing and looked down, her dark brown hair covering it from view. "Uhh...thanks. I
need to go...back to Squall and the others. To plan our mission." She quickly looked up at Dorin
again. He nodded and his stone cold mask of emotionless came back in place.

"I understand," he replied. "Good luck."

"Yeah...you too," Vira muttered softly before she turned and ran back to Squall and Seifer.
She had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. Even more strange it felt kind of...good. Vira
shook her head, chasing all the unsure thoughts from running in her head. She slowed down to a
walking pace as she rejoined the group.

As Seifer inspected his gunblade for the millionth time, polishing it with his golved
hand. It sparkled and shone with the crimson sunlight from above. When it looked satisfactory
to him, Seifer grinned from ear to ear. Nearby, Squall observed Seifer's grin with a frown of
his own.

"Wipe that arrogant grin off your face, Seifer. This isn't going to fun or easy," he
ordered.

Seifer rolled his eyes, putting his gunblade down. "Get off your high horse, Squall. I
haven't had some good action in a while and this is gonna be good."

"No, it isn't," Squall answered, shaking his head. "You won't be so happy when the
Galbadian soldiers are all over you."

Behind the both of them, Vira cleared her throat. "I think we should just get this over
with already."

Both of them looked at her for a moment, and then shrugged in unison.

"Right," Squall said.

"So who is this commander anyway? Is it Caraway or the sorceress?" Seifer asked.

Squall picked up a map of the surrounding area, inspecting it carefully. "Not sure," he
replied, still looking at the map. "Most likely it's the sorceress herself. I say we go down to
the shore where the soldiers have said the Silver Siren is and encage in combat there. We go in,
find Xana, kill her, and get out as quickly as possible. We should try to keep from being
noticed at all times. That means no running off to face the entire army."

"I guess that limits your options, huh, Seifer?" Vira commented.

He looked at her, frowning deeply. "I supposed you could do much better. Try no to go
insane and beat on a corpse this time, okay?"

"Try not to-" Vira started but was interupted by Squall putting a hand up.

"Let's move out. Now."

Silencing the arguement for now, Squall began walking towards the shore, followed by
Seifer and Vira.

Destruction, death, this was what Xana thrived on. For as long as she could remember she
would take out anyone who dared to cross her path, bringing absolute destruction with her. It
was never enough to kill her enemies, no, she had to make them suffer as well. And this was
what she was doing to Draconia, absolute destruction. Kill off their innocents, make them suffer,
just as they had made her suffer. But that was a long time ago, ages, longer than anyone would
remember. Of course, the ruling government of Draconia was different than when she had arrived
there ages ago, but her revenge would not be forgotten. Just a minor step in her quest for the
world. A minor revenge before she brought about a new age that hadn't been seen since the times
of Anarix. Break them down, crush their hopes, dreams, and faith. That was what she must do. As
Xana stepped onto the blood stained sand of the Draconian beach, she knew soon her troops would
tear apart Verner and move onward toward Sturmgrad. They would bring about the carnage she
needed. Her revenge would be done soon. All around her she took in the sights, smells and sounds
of the battle that had been wrought there. Too soon every Draconian person on that beach had
been killed, thought there were sadly few there. Just some people enjoying a little time off.
Such a shame there hadn't been more. At least the smell of the burned Drayden nearby made it
feel worth it.

Xana glanced oddly at the Ragnarok, parked not too far from her ship. Anger boiled inside
her. There was no reason for it to be there. None at all. She raised her hand into the air, a
firey sphere emerging from her hand. Xana released the fireball, and the Ragnarok suffered the
impact. Pieces of the ship fell from the side while other parts melted, all of the impact causing
smoke to curl up around it. Pleased, Xana turned her attention back to her aide, unaware of Zell,
Selphie, and Irvine sneaking off the ship behind her. Quickly they dodged behind rubble that was
once a home. Not far off, several G-Army troops were awaiting instruction from their captains,
the rest of the army near Verner.

"Where are the troops now, exactly?" She asked, coldly.

"Just outside Verner, ma'am. They will be there within the hour," the aide answered.

Xana nodded. "Good. Tell them to destroy the city, killing everyone within. Do not spare
a soul. Do not leave on building, one house, one anything, standing. Understood?"

Nervous, the aide nodded his head very quickly and ran off, leaving only Xana, a few
soldiers and the three SeeDs hiding behind.

Dorin rode out slowly near the MacGregors. Shawn and the House MacGregor standard
bearer were close behind, the white banner flapping in the wind, making the embroidered
emerald dragon on it to look like it was flying. Behind him, Rinoa and Quistis followed a
distance behind. At the designated spot, the entire line halted and the heavy weapons teams
started to set up their weapons. Ahead, the Galbadian army was drawing up their own line.

Quistis had a bad feeling about this. She had been in battles before, sure. But not a
full scale military operation like this. And she also didn't know about how the Draconians
fought. She'd only heard the storys and legends of the Draconians, but she'd only considered
them just that, legends. She looked at Rinoa, who was nearly shaking. Quistis put a hand on
her shoulder. "Hey, you gonna be okay?"

Rinoa smiled, though it was a shaky affair at best. "Yeah. Just my first big battle,
ya know?"

Quistis nodded. "Yeah. I know what you mean. I just hope the Draconians live up to
their reputations in the legends..."

"Aye, we will, lass," a grizzled sergeant near her said in his strange accent.
We've beaten the Galbys once before, and we'll do it again." He turned to his men. "Right,
lads?"

An enthusiastic cheer went up from the MacGregors. Quistis half-smiled and turned back
to Rinoa. "At least their confidence is good."

Rinoa laughed and turned back to the Galbadian army. She had a look of sick worry on
her face, and it almost made Quisits cringe. "Squall will be alright, y'know," Quistis
reassured her. "He's done this before."

Rinoa turned to Quistis, and Quistis saw that there were tears in her eyes. "I know,
but what if my father is the commander? What if he's leading them and Squall has to-" Rinoa
stopped, the rest of her sentance obvious. What if Squall had to kill her father?

Quistis put an arm around her. "I don't think your father would be leading them. And
even if he was, Squall wouldn't kill him. He knows what to do. He'll probably try to take
him prisoner and get him out of there."

Rinoa nodded, fighting back the tears. "I know he will. I'm just scared that...scared
that I won't be able to put things right between us. That I won't be able to make things good
again before something happens..."

Quistis could understand. Caraway was the only family that Rinoa had left. If he were to
die...

-She'd be an orphan. Just like us...-

Quistis shoved the thought away as Dorin rode up to them. "Squall and his team are in
place on Drayden beach. They said that Xana is there, commanding the army. If we give them
enough of a distraction, she'll turn her attention to it. When the battle begins, I'll make
the distraction, and they should get to her without problems."

Rinoa arched an eyebrow. "You? What can you do to get the attention of the entire
G-army and a sorceress who is in a completely different place?"

Dorin smiled just slightly. "Not me, exactly. But you will see." He turned and rode
off down the line, reviewing the troops. Rinoa looked at Quistis confused, and Quistis looked
back with the same expression.

"Now what did he mean by that?" Quistis asked.

Squall looked back to Seifer and Vira, their faces both looking intent now. "I just got
off the radio with Dorin. I told him we're in position. He said he'd cause a big enough
distraction to get Xana to look towards Verner. When that happens, we go through the few troops
she's got here and kill her."

"That's gotta be one helluva distraction to get her to look at it from here," Seifer
commented.

"I'm sure he'll be able to do it," Squall reassured Seifer.

The three of them were behind one of the buildings of rubble on the outskirts of Drayden.
Not far ahead, Xana stood looking at her troops, inspecting each one of them. Afterwards, she
turned her gaze to the sky, grinning at the destruction around her. Just a bit closer to them
Squall noticed something moving behind one of the buildings. A spikey blonde head that looked
like-

"Zell!" He exclaimed, trying not to be too loud.

"What?" Seifer snapped his head to where Squall was looking. "Hey, so it is. Chickenwuss
must've gotten on the ship to get here. How do propose we get them over here?"

Vira glanced around, taking in how far they were from them. She then began moving forward
in a crouched position. "I'll sneak over and bring them here."

Nodding, Squall gave her the go-ahead. "Fine, just don't be seen by anyone."

Without exchanging another word, Vira silently moved from one pile of rubble to the next.
Her mind still swirled with questions about what she had to do with Xana, and the constant shine
from the symbol on the ship above only made her feel worse. Still, she was relieved that Zell,
Selphie and Irvine were all right. She was going to make a point to apologize to Zell as soon
as she could, but she wasn't sure how he would react to it. Maybe she had blown it completely.
Maybe he wouldn't accept her apology.

-Hey! Since when do I care about what other people think about me?....Since always. You
never want to admit it, but you do care. That's why you shove them away. Because you care too
much. They'll never like you for who you really are, so just make them think you're unfriendly
and you'll never have to worry about it. Makes it a lot harder when you have to apologize for
your behavior, doesn't it?-

While Vira sneaked over to retrieve Zell and the others, Seifer glanced up at the airship.
He made a low whistle as he took in the sheer size of the thing. Black. Slick black. Except for
one thing. A silver symbol on the front that looked awfully familiar to him...

"Hey, Squall," Seifer tapped Squall's shoulder then pointed his finger at the symbol on
the ship. "Doesn't that thing look familiar? Kinda like that thing Vira wears, right?"

Squall silently looked at the symbol. Yes, it did look like the thing Vira had. Exactly
like it in fact. What does that mean?

"Yes, it does. But I don't think she knows anything about it," he answered.

Seifer stared at Squall. "Does that mean she's got something to do with this Xana?"

Shaking his head, Squall answered, "I don't know..."

Zell kept looking at Xana then back at Selphie and Irvine. He didn't know what to do.
Launching an attack on her was stupid, but if she was there, they couldn't leave. And where are
the others? Were they here too? If they are, did the G-Army get them already? Did they get Vira
already?

He shook his head free of the thoughts and turned back to his friends. They looked about
as perplexed as he did. The G-Army had already mercilessly destroyed this town, and were already
on to the next. How were they going to help the Draconians?

"Pssst. Pssssst." A voice from nearby called to them.

"What was that?" Irvine asked.

Vira's head poked up from behind a pile of rubble. She motioned with her hand for the
three of them to come over. Checking back at Xana once more, Zell led Selphie and Irvine over
to Vira. All of them looked genuinely happy to see her.

"Thank Hyne you're okay," Zell said.

"Where's everyone else?" asked Selphie.

Vira jutted her thumb back to the pile of rubble Squall and Seifer were behind. "Squall
and Seifer are over there. The rest are outside Verner, creating a distraction for us to kill
Xana. Come on."

The three followed Vira back to Squall and Seifer. When they got there, they heard Squall
asking to no one in particular who had damaged the Ragnarok, which he had just noticed was
severely damaged. Seifer just chuckled a little saying something about Squall caring about his
"car" a little too much.

"Zell, Selphie, Irvine. I'm glad you guys are okay," Squall announced.

"And we're glad you guys are okay. What are we doing?" Selphie's usually happy face was
now deep in concentration.

"We're going to attack and kill Xana when we see the signal from Dorin. He's out near
Verner fighting off most of the army with Quistis and Rinoa," explained Squall.

Zell looked at Irvine then at Selphie. Both looked as intent as he did to end this here
and now. He looked back at Squall. "We're in, baby. All the way."

The G-army started to move, the ironclads and battle droids taking the lead. Dorin sighed
at their predictability. He rode forward a ways from the line and dismounted before sending
his horse back to the line. He drew his honor blade, bared his arm, and cleared his mind.
Behind him, Rinoa and Quistis looked at him with interest and confusion.

Dorin looked back and began to concentrate heavily. "Nic teras fure nepatha draconis
nemach...", he chanted. He could sense the G-army nearing, guns firing at him. But he was
untouched, bullets thudding into the earth around him. He drew his honor blade across his
forearm, cutting deep and letting the blood spill on the ground. The he held the hilt up to
his face and continued chanting. And the blaze of power swept through him and he touched the
essence of his patron, the red dragon Vulkan.

"I am here, little one. What is it that you request?" The dragon's voice boomed through
his mind, drowning out any thought.

"Our enemies are upon us. They must be destroyed, milord," he replied. The dragon
laughed heartily, the sound echoing through out his consciousness.

"And so they shall be, little one, so they shall be," Vulkan answered before the
familiar blaze of power swept through him and he knew no more.

One moment, Dorin is just standing there chanting and bleeding as the G-army decends
upon him. Then the next moment, he is consumed in a blaze that grew larger and larger into a
firestorm.

From the beach, a large fire could be seen blazing into the sky, catching the attention
of Xana already, as well as Squall and the others.

"Damned idiot's set everything on fire," Seifer said.

Then, a large, magnificent, and terrifying thing emerges from the fire. At the beach,
Vira makes out large wings on a serpentine body, armored scales, claws that are as big and
long as Squall's gunblade. The head is almost as large as a house, and when it roars, Vira
almost loses her breath to the sound that whipped around them. It is a dragon, the biggest
red dragon that Vira has ever seen. It towers over the woods that it emerges from, being easily
sighted from the beach

It is Vulkan.

The dragon lifts itself up from the pyre and looks at the G-army, which has stopped in
it's tracks, awed and terrified by the appearance of the mighty beast. It takes in a breath,
and then opens its mouth. A long stream of fire erupts from its inner recesses, hitting an
ironclad and exploding its fuel tank in seconds. The dragon sweeps the entire front line with
its fiery breath, reducing machines to molten hunks of metal and turning men into piles of
ashes and cinders. The front lines turn and run before Vulkan stopped his attack.

"Come on, now's our chance! Go!" Squall shouted. Vira tore her gaze off of the dragon in
the woods and followed Squall and the others down the beach.

Dorin's consciousness returns and he stands face to face with Vulkan. Bowing his head,
he presents his still bleeding forearm.

"The pact is fulfilled," he intones. Vulkan nods and with one claw, pierces his own
flesh on one foot.

"And the pact is made once again," the ancient beast intones as he puts his wound into
contact with Dorin's. The inflow of the dragon's blood made Dorin light headed as it always
does. Vulkan lifts his foot away from Dorin's wound and it is magically healed again. Then
the dragon laughs again, spreading his wings into the air.

"Until you call on me again, little one!" Vulkan laughs as he is lifted into the air and
disappears into the clouds above.

Dorin staggered a little bit, then turned to his men. "Open fire!", he shouted before he
dropped to one knee, exhausted by the ordeal of the summoning.

Quistis and Rinoa ran forward to Dorin as he fell, still unable to believe what had just
happened. The dragon had completely decimated the entire front ranks of the G-army and had
sent it into a momentary retreat. She knelt down and took Dorin's arm. "My God, what was
that?!" she shouted over the high pitched whine of laser fire.

Dorin looked at her, dazed. "That was my house's patron guardian force, Vulkan." He shook
his head a little bit. "I'll tell you later about it. We have more pressing matters to attend
to."

Quisits and Rinoa nodded and helped him to his feet and walked back to the line. Dorin
quickly recovered his strength and got back into the saddle.

"What do you want us to do?", Rinoa asked over the din of another salvo.

"Go up and down the line and attend to the wounded and fight when you have to." Dorin
smiled slightly. "It wouldn't be good manners if my guests were killed."

Blood stained sand is kicked up from the running. It doesn't bother Vira, she runs as
fast as she can, keeping up with the rest easily. Xana's face is still focused on the dragon's
form towering over the forest. Her face is contorted into a mask of anger and outrage. When
she looks back to the beach, she sees the SeeDs coming towards her. More anger. More rage. With
one hand raised, she commands the troops around her to attack. The soldiers hop to action,
running at the SeeDs with everything they have. With seething hate in her eyes, Xana looks from
SeeD to SeeD, and then notices Vira's necklace.

"You-!" She yells.

* * * * * *

Dorin is knocked to the ground, a thin trickle of blood running from his brow. He rolls
to the side and dodges the paratrooper's sword as it slices into the ground where he had been
moments before. He brings up his sword, trying to buy himself some time to gather his senses.

Then the rage begins to boil inside. He tries to suppress it, but images start to flash
before his eyes. The burning of Drayden, the sight of innocents slaughtered on the whim of a
madwoman. The crying baby. The bodies. The blood...

He looks up the Galbadian paratrooper, the man's face filling his view. This was the
last view the slaughtered residents of Drayden saw, one of the people that had made his
homeland into a killing field...

Try as he might, he can't restrain himself. The rage consumes him, his vision hazing
over red. In his rage and turmoil, before he loses complete control over himself, he screams.

Quistis casts Thundara on a GIM47N. A bright white light from above strikes down
violently, hitting the machine with much force. The lightning causes the droid's circuits to
overload before it falls to the ground, electricity arcing from it's twitching limbs. Beside
her, Rinoa catches her pinwheel as it returns to its mount on her forearm. She lookd at Quistis
and gives a shaky smile. "You holding up?"

Quistis nodded. "I'm fine, but where's-"

An ear-splitting howl rings in the air, which quickly turns into a fierce roar. Quistis
spins to see Dorin on the ground, a paratrooper standing over him. She takes a step forward to
help him, then stops, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

"Dear Hyne," Rinoa breathes.

Dorin's face is turned up in an ugly visage of pure rage and hatred. His ice blue eyes
have gone completely red, and the animalistic roar is coming from him. The paratrooper's face
fills with fear and he brings the sword down. In a burst of inhuman speed, Dorin leaps to the
side. With a flash of adamantine, the trooper's head falls to the ground a second before his
body. Bellowing with beastial fury, Dorin launches himself into the Galbadians around him,
hacking and slashing with great speed and strength. His blade is a blur of silver and crimson,
Galbadians falling in welters of blood.

The Galbadians start falling back, but another droid, a SAM08G, steps forward and
fires its gatling guns. Quistis can see several bullets rip through Dorin's shoulder, even
as he dodges the stream of bullets with inhuman speed. Dorin roars again and brings his blade
in a silvery arc, slicing through the armor of the droid, cutting it in two.

"He's a demon! He's possessed!" the soldiers start shouting. The Galbadians start
routing, shouting in fear as Dorin collapses to the ground. Quistis and Rinoa run to him, but
stop a few feet away.

"Dorin?" Rinoa asked tentatively.

Dorin waved them back. "Stay back," he rasped, his voice tinged with the animal rage. The
girls did as they were told, Quistis exchanging a worried look with Rinoa. In a moment, Dorin
stood, his ragged shoulder oozing blood. He turned to them, looking rather stricken at the
carnage he had caused.

"I slipped over the edge, didn't I?" Dorin asked, his tone somber, tinged with what
seemed to be...fear.

"Y-yes. What was that?" Quistis asked, still in shock and awe.

"That was the Dragon Rage. It happens from time to time..." Dorin looked like he wanted
to say more, but bowed his head. "I'll tell you later. We have to retreat back into the
mountains now."

* * * * * *

The small amount of soldiers that were available to fight the SeeDs at the beach were
not many, but they fought with everything they had. Squall, Seifer, Vira, Zell, Irvine and
Selphie had their hands full of one attack after another.

In front of Vira stood three soldiers, all looking quite intent on killing her and Squall
standing next to her.

Stepping back, Vira says, "Dual Goddesses."

The next second she disappears, in her place float out two goddesses, Athena and Artemis.
Artemis is adorned in silver clasps and armor, brown leather boots covering her feet. Behind
her, her golden hair flows freely in the wind. In her hands are a beautifully crafted bow made
of silver. On her back is a quiver, from which Artemis takes an arrow from. With blinding speed,
Artemis shoots every arrow she has at the enemies, piercing their hearts with pin-point
accuracy. Blood spews from their wounds, gurgling sounds coming from their mouth as they collapse
into a heap on the sand. More blood for the already tainted beach.

Next to Artemis, Athena is dressed in a long flowing cerulean dress, golden clasps securing
it in a few locations. Her light brown hair is somewhat hidden by a golden helmet on her head.
Deftly, she takes out a large swords from nowhere, bringing it to life with sparkles and
swirls of blue light. She turns the sword to Squall and where Vira had been standing. A small
blue beam charges and then flows over Squall, making his fatigue disappear and the cut a
soldier had previously made.

The two goddess turn to each other and smile, walking off into the heavens. As they ascend
upward, they disappear, leaving only Vira behind, looking a little tired.

Squall turned to Vira and asked, "Your guardian force?"

"Yes," She nodded. "Artemis and Athena. Dual Goddesses. They sometimes switch roles,
depending on how they feel. But one of them always heals while the other attacks."

Another soldier suddenly attacks from the left, punching Vira so hard blood spews from
her mouth. The soldier recovers quickly, slashing her leg with his sword. More blood for the
sand. Vira falls to the ground, trying to recover from both wounds at once. Above her, the
soldier raises his sword high for another attack.

* * * * * *

Dorin walked through the empty streets of Verner. Outside the town, the MacGregors and
Campbells were fighting a holding action against the Galbadians. The Galbadian's attack were
still uncoordinated, but they had started to attack more frequently. The O'Malleys were given
orders to set plasma explosives through out the main city blocks. Dorin's idea was to blow the
town just as the Galbadians entered.

Quistis and Rinoa walked a few step behind him. They hadn't said a word to him since he
had let the rage overcome him. Truth be told, he couldn't exactly blame them. He was afraid of
the moment when he was in battle and he let the Rage overcome him. He knew the consequences
of the Rage. He knew he could slip over at anytime. He thought he had suppressed it enough so
that it couldn't overcome him.

-But it did. And now it could come at anytime. What happens when it comes again? Will
you turn on your comrades, Lord Heir? Even Vira?-

Dorin dismissed the thought almost violently. He would control it somehow. He wouldn't
let it slip again. He took out his comm. "Vachon to Campbells and MacGregors. Fall back to
Point 3-7-Gamma. We'll reconoiter there."

"What about Squall and the others?" Rinoa asked.

"If they accomplished the mission, they'll be there." Dorin replied.

"Dorin," Quistis said softly. "When you said you 'went over', what did you mean?"

Dammit, thought Dorin. He took a deep breath and walked on. "You know that we Draconians
junction with our GFs by way of the Blooding, right?"

Rinoa thought for a moment. "I've heard something about it. But it was mainly a legend.
Most everything about Draconia was a legend."

Dorin nodded absently. "During the Blooding, we are first junctioned with our patron, by
way of intermingling the blood. Well, in some cases, the patrons take a person and make them
their champion, or Chosen. Whenever the patron is called upon, the Chosen and GF reenact the
Blooding before the patron disappears from the material plane. So therefore he takes in more
of the patron's blood each time he summons the GF."

"But in doing so, something else takes over," Quistis said, catching on.

Dorin nodded somberly. "Indeed. In such times when the Chosen is in battle, is he has
summoned the patron often, then he is at risk of submitting to the Dragon Rage. When the Rage
overtakes him, his strength amd speed is tripled. But during those times, he loses complete
control over himself and cannot distinguish friend from foe."

Dorin paused and stopped, turning to the girls. "Draconian history also says that there
have been those that have been so consumed by the Rage that they are unable to return from it. They become mindless killers whose only joy is bloodshed." He looked at them, wondering if they could possibly understand what that meant. "So now you know my secret. If I should become...incapacitated as such, kill me. Tell the others about this too. I will not become a murderer..." Dorin stopped, recognizing the slight tremor that creeped into his voice as he delivered that last line.

Rinoa and Quistis nodded. "Don't worry," Rinoa said. "There has to be a way to combat it."

Dorin nodded. "There is, but it isn't totally fail safe." He sighed, drained by the
fighting and the long confession. At that moment, a hiss of static came from the comm.

"Lord-Heir Vachon, we've successfully withdrawn, and the Galbys are entering Verner.
Instructions, sir."

Dorin took out the comm and spoke into it. "Detonate on my mark. All Darconian forces
evacuate immediately. Vachon out."

Dorin looked at the girls and sighed. "Let's go." He turned and started jogging out of
the city, his heart troubled with the new implications that the Rage had brought.


Commander Johnson of the Galbadian Fifth rode into Verner on a BGH-version ironclad
grinning triumphantly. His troops had taken heavy losses, but they had pushed back the cursed
Draconians and taken the town. He looked up the slope of the mountain and saw the Draconian
forces falling back quickly, albeit in good order. He pondered it only for a second before he
turned his attention to his troops ransacking the town. He let them, they deserved it after
the beating they had taken. But why wasn't there more resistance...?

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Johnson had time to look around as blue-white fire engulfed his troops around him, the
buildings around him falling like matchwood before he was lifted clear of his mount. He had
the feeling that he was flying, then he realized that he was thrity feet above the ground
before a burning whiteness surrounded him and burned him to his soul before he knew no more.


Quistis looked on solemnly as the entire town of Verner went up in one earthshaking
explosion after another. The Draconians streaming past were silent as they marched, none
looking back at the burning city. Dorin was silent as he looked on, his thoughts known only to
himself.

* * * * * * *

Xana yelled loudly, and all fighting ceased. Her soldiers, the few that were still alive,
backed off of the SeeDs they were attacking. She leered at the SeeDs. A leer that reminded Vira
of the one she had been seeing in her nightmares.

"Pathetic SeeDs think they can stop me. Please, show me what you have. This has been a
fun day. Make it even better," she cooed, the underlying tone of her voice icy.

Vira feels her kamagunblades getting hot. Her limit break, the Iron Will, is coming. She
knows it. Before Zell is able to make good on Xana's offer, he stops to look at Vira, as does
everyone else. The metal from her kamagunblades leaks from them, spreading over her arms, onto
her shoulders. It fills every crevice of her body, making her nearly impervious, and stronger
than before. Without thinking, she charges at Xana, slashing her several times with her
kamagunblades. Bright silver arcs slash in an x shape several times before Vira finally stops.
As quickly as she charged at Xana, she retreats, the metal quickly being sucked back into her
kamagunblades.

A cold, heartless laugh cuts through the heavy air. Xana grins sinisterly. No damage had
been done by Vira's limit break at all.

-What the hell? That can't be possible...-

"Your petty excuses for attacks have no effect on me. Even if you put up a good fight,
Vira," Xana stretched her lips into another grin.

"What?" Zell questioned, confused. "How'd she know-?"

Vira doesn't wait to hear the rest of Zell's question. She races for Xana at full speed,
leaving the rest of the SeeDs to yell for her to come back. Vira lunges for Xana and is promptly
knocked back by ball of light coming from Xana's hand. Staggering Vira looks up at the soceress'
face for the first true time. Or maybe not.

-Her face...I know her face. How?-

She catches Xana off guard, sweeping her with Vira's good leg. Sand flies upwards from
Xana's impact on the ground. Leaping, Vira lands on top of Xana, one kamagunblade raised in a
killing blow.

"How do you know my name?!" Vira demands. "HOW?!"

Another cruel, cold laugh comes from Xana. "Isn't it obvious?" She snickers. "You even
have that necklace your pathetic father gave you. He told me he had gotten rid of you. I should
have never believed him. Good thing I got rid of him soon after that."

Vira's eyes widen with confusion, but anger takes her over in the next second. "You knew
my father?!"

"Of course," Xana grinned. "I spent some time with him, making a stupid mistake as I went
along. He was too moral to let me kill you outright. When I look back, I don't know what the
hell I was thinking. You're just a stupid mistake, did you know that?"

The words from her nightmares ring into Vira's mind. "You're-?"

"That's right, whelp. I am your mother." Xana's grin fades into a hideous frown.

As the other SeeDs run to the aid of their comrade, they hear a loud scream and see a
bright, white blinding light reaching up to the sky. It is coming from Vira. The light spreads
upward and outward, blinding everyone for a few seconds. Seifer is reminded of the move Vira
had used on him by accident during their sparring session. Once the light has subsided, they
continue to run to Vira and Xana.

All Vira rememered was the anger she felt at that moment. And the confusion. Then the
light came and she slipped into darkness. As she slipped the only thing she could remember was
the rest of the tuneless song she had remembered earlier that day.

Dusting off your savior
Forgiving any behavior
He's just a man--All in a hand

Your hero's destined to waver
Anyone can--Always my man

I would never betray you
Look at me who could raise you
Face in the sand-- Safe in your hand

You were always my favorite
Always my man--All in a hand

Author' comments: I sincerely apologize for taking so damn long to finish this chapter.
It was really hard and my new job just started last week. You can tell it's so hard, can't you?
Again, I'd like to thank Nightstalker for the sections he did and the idea's and dialogue he's
come up with. The next chapter has some talking from all parties, and Vira having to admit to
someone what Xana told her. But there are still so many unanswered questions and with Xana's
ultimate agenda still unknown, who is to say what's going to happen? Me! That's who. ;D Stay
tuned for the next chapter which will hopefully take less time than this one did. And will be
not quite as long. :) And as always, PLEASE (I can't stress that enough) R&R to let me know
what you think. Okay? Okay. :) Until next time. Same FF time, same FF channel. XD