Zell Chronicles
Forgotten
Chapter 4: Crossroads
Caladorei loaded the gas tanks of the Emperor and sat in the cockpit of the ten-meter ship. He flipped a couple of switched and checked to make sure that Kandi was strapped in the backseat. Although the ship was built for a crew of three and a passenger capacity of ten, they rarely even used the extra seats. Caladorei started singing along to the Bee Gees on the radio. "I've seen the story, I've read it over once or twice..." Kandi nodded her head to the tunes.
Suddenly, a large BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!! filled the sky. The ship was suddenly jolted by an explosion from the ground. The next thing that happened was a missile zooming straight past them. This was followed by a flare on the side of a wing. The ship started going out of control...and the radio ceased to churn out Bee Gees as their telecommunications were sent down with an electromagnetic pulse-wave. The two donned emergency jump-suits with parachute packs on their backs. Caladorei forced his way through a tumbling cockpit towards the door. He made a grab for his scythe and snatched Kandi's knives. He took out a handgun and shot the rope apart, which was tying the emergency exit door to the hinge. He opened the door and jumped down with Kandi dropping right next to him. At a mere thirty feet from the ground, their parachutes deployed, decelerating their drop. As soon as the duo hit the ground, they drew their weapons and looked around. They sliced through their parachutes and were met by ten jeeps driving towards them. To their left lay a smoldering chunk of metal, which used to be their ship. They got in a defensive position while Kandi Scanned jeeps. The jeeps read out as Estharian forces accompanied by two SeeDs.
Zell was sure the gunner made a mistake.... The unidentified shape they shot down was in the shape of the Cloud Beast, but it did not flap its wings. They knew it was not the Dragon, but the pilot seemed to fly in a military fashion. Strange. Otherwise, the two people who jumped out like trained professionals and operated much like SeeDs. Even stranger. Xu and Nida weren't supposed to send backup.
Zell and Quistis jumped out of the jeep and stepped towards the two cautiously. This triggered an immediate reaction from the girl clad in yellow. She reached into her pockets and threw a Gysahl Green at Quistis and Zell. A tiny little Chicobo popped out and looked questionably at the two. Zell then realized who it was. "Boco! It's you!" The tiny yellow- feathered bird jumped up and down excitedly, happy to see that it was somebody familiar, not like the two strangers who just captured him. Caladorei looked baffled. Kandi's eyes were wide in shock. Zell crouched down to pet the fast-growing Chicobo, who "WARKED!" in happiness. Boco was now a good three feet tall now, and was getting stronger from fighting as a true "warrior" Chocobo. Soon he'll be old enough to ride on. They were also raising a moogle that they called MiniMog. Anyway, the two dumbfounded adventurers regained their composure and got into fighting position. They brought up their weapons and rushed at the semicircle formed by Esthar soldiers. Kandi threw dozens of knives, immobilizing the gunmen at the jeeps. Caladorei slashed his way through shotgun pickaxes. Shots bounced off of his Protect Stone like super balls. With all of the Esthar soldiers neutralized, Gamma and Delta quickly checked their junctions. When they were done they faced their adversaries. Caladorei gripped his scythe with both hands. Kandi brandished the remaining twenty knives she had around her waste. Gamma and Delta, as they came out from scan, were now holding spells at the edge of their minds, getting ready to cast them. Delta held a whip and was dressed in pink with dark colored gloves and boots. The other bore a tattoo of unique design on his face while wielding no weapon. Kandi decided to take Delta. Caladorei chose Gamma.
The sun now shone brightly above the Abadon Plains, which was now a battlefield for the four fighters, who were now staring each other down. Zell clenched his fists. Quistis snapped her whip. Caladorei sharpened his scythe with a stone in his pocket. Kandi was fingering her knives. Quistis acted first. Her flexible elastic whip extended twenty feet with the likeliness of a fast-striking cobra. SNAAP! Save the Queen created a line of red blood trickling down on Kandi's calf. Kandi was not completely idle, however. She drew her knives and threw a few. Caladorei seized the moment without a moment's hesitation; and yelled, "CHICK FIGHT!". The unsuspecting Zell jerked his head up to see Quistis and Kandi locked in a fierce Chick Fight ;) each one using their skills to great multitudes. Caladorei came upon Zell with a slash to the neck.
The moment Zell thought he was going to die because of a moment of distraction came with mixed feelings. Sorrow, anger, embarrassment. Zell saved himself the very last moment. The blade missed his head by a millimeter, shaving off an inch of Zell's cowlick. Under his breath he mumbled, "I needed a haircut anyway...."
Caladorei skidded to a stop before his momentum could make him slam into the ground. He twisted in midair and landed on his feet. Zell clenched his fist. Caladorei called out the name of his spell. "HOLY!" Zell stood his ground and just grinned in return. The spell threw around lots of light but when it faded away, Zell was still standing there with the goofy grin still on his face. All thanks to good junctions. Zell was equipped with Shell, Full-life, Protect, and Life on his Elem-Defx4. Plus Zell got a high spirit rating from extensive training and devouring. Caladorei switched strategies....
Meanwhile, Quistis was fighting an undecided battle. Kandi was whipped in several places, but Quistis had taken a nasty wound in the arm. Luckily, the whip only needs one arm to operate. After a moment of heavy slashing and snapping, the two females stopped fighting. Quistis took an X-potion. Kandi Cured herself. Then the fighting resumed. This time Quistis could use both arms.
Kandi called forth her GF, Plu-Sac. A light appeared in the sky, outshining the sun. A dragon came forth, similar to Leviathan, but shaded with red and orange. This was the Dragon of Light, the Scan turned out. Only thought to be a myth, it does a random elemental attack, decided by its color. Plu-Sac turned into a purple, signaling poison. Quistis was thrown back by a sudden burst of light.
The battle ensued.
Irvine oiled his Exeter again and took out The Girl Next Door magazine. Seifer was sitting on the bed, hunched over. He was getting very twitchy by now. Irvine checked the clock. His shift was about over.
Meanwhile, Selphie was organizing files that seemed of little importance at the time. She sighed and looked at the clock. Four more minutes until her shift....
Raijin was the first to notice. Fujin followed, taking the keys that were on the stool left by Irvine. Obviously Irvine's clock and Selphie's clock were conflicting. Seifer walked out of the cell as if there was no trouble at all. All of his nervousness was gone. He was the cocky leader of the Disciplinary Committee once again.
Ellone boarded the train heading for Dollet. In her suitcase were all of her belongings.
The train ride was relatively short and was also very bumpy. When it came to a halt, Ellone got off to be met with the Artists' Street. This was where the Queen of Cards lived. At the moment there was no hustle and bustle, as it was late morning, and the streets were empty save a few policemen and shop owners. Ellone headed towards the hotel.
At the room she closed her eyes and sensed a feeling coming strongly from the East.
Esthar....
Laguna reached into his pocket and drew out a little machine, like a cellular phone, only smaller. He gave it to Kiros with a nod, who showed it to Squall and Rinoa. "This is the best we could do on short notice. It will beep more and more persistently when you near a foreign object, in this case, the two 'Beasts'. Now, if you don't want it to beep, just turn it off."
"Yeah, it can get really annoying when you want to make surprise attacks!" Ward's face seemed to agree with Laguna's remark. Kiros sighed and shook his head. He then looked at Squall and Rinoa with a look of burden, as if he was feeling weighted by his jobs. Laguna then said, "Kiros does most of the brains and speaking for us. He is in a position of...," Laguna clutched his cramping leg and muttered, "Just go and do your mission...."
Squall let out a sigh of relief as he quickly stepped out of the bore that Laguna was giving him. Rinoa thought that she could finally be able to get a chance to further learn and harness her sorceress powers.
The two were out, out to do their work. The work of a SeeD. The fields were empty, and the soldiers that escorted them from the city were going back. Squall and Rinoa were left in the middle of the meadow. The sun was straight up in the sky now, brightly illuminating the surrounding mountains and plains. In the distance they could here faint screeches as the beasts circled, more distantly. The Rose Beast and Cloud Beast were now nearing Trabia. Squall and Rinoa made their way South, where their mission orders lead them. They would proceed to a defensive post at the Sorceress Memorial. There were delays, however.
Just at the same time, Zell and Quistis were getting nowhere. The two opponents they fought were as hard as rocks. This was true for the opposition as well. Each thought of the other highly. Now was the moment of decision. Neither was holding back.
Neither would hesitate to use their best.
"Shockwave Pulsar!"
"Mashizuken Cross!"
"Duel!"
"Ballistic Tribulation!"
Quistis' attack struck first. The force of the heavens spun out in front of Caladorei and Kandi. Quistis' own body and Zell's were transparent. When the light passed away, it was Kandi's turn. She leaped forth with her loose, yellow sleeves hanging out with the wind. Then she brought forth her wrath by throwing her fan-knives in many directions, chiefly towards Zell and Quistis. Quistis and Zell were pierced in several locations, straight through. Luckily for them, Mashizuken Cross was a gravitational attack, so only four-fifths of their HP was consumed.
Their was a light. Squall noticed the pattern of swirling and knew right away that it was Shockwave Pulsar. Rinoa saw things like meteors falling from mid-air. Strange. Obviously, there was a battle going on. A big battle. It was going on about a half a mile away. They could make it in two minutes....
Zell's eyes were flaming red now. He charged up, an aura of power surrounding him. He rushed forth at his adversary, Caladorei. With exactly thirteen seconds before his energy rush ran out, Zell chose only his best. Booya, Punch Rush, Mach Kick, Heel Drop, Dolphin Blow, Meteor Strike, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Punch Rush, Booya. The pattern repeated itself until Zell broke off. Caladorei thought the beating was over and let his guard down. This gave Zell a chance to do his grand finale. My Final Heaven.
Zell's best punching fist was engulfed in light as he rushed light speed around the world. Then he let loose his fury upon the two enemies. Both were thrown back and were tittering between life and death. Caladorei let loose his attack.... This was the supposed finish to a long battle....
Caladorei was rushing at the two SeeDs, leaving a trail of fire. at the last moment, he cut off of his rush and went around Quistis and Zell, causing the blaze to surround the two. Zell frantically looked around, searching for an exit from the cage of fire, when suddenly, Caladorei came down from the sky and sliced towards Zell. This time, Zell couldn't dodge. It was all too fast.
Squall looked at the ring of fire forming ten yards away. He saw the blurred figure leaping up towards the middle. He saw the look on Zell's face. By pure instinct, he threw his gunblade.
Zell saw it the last moment. Caladorei's scythe was raised high over his head. He swung. Time froze. It was milliseconds before scythe would hit the party, annihilating the two SeeDs. The Lionheart connected with the thrown scythe. Both were hit off course and fell to the ground. Zell looked to his left and saw Squall there, next to Rinoa. The two were just in time to save Zell and Quistis. Squall picked up the blue gunblade and looked at the two adventurers, then looked at the two SeeDs. Obviously, the battle took over an hour. He then looked at his partner, Rinoa.
When the fire ring burned down, both parties looked at each other for ten minutes without speaking. Then Caladorei spoke, "That was the first time my most powerful limit break failed to obliterate an enemy."
"Well, with tough crackers like us, you know it won't work." Zell laughed at his own joke.
"Actually, you would've been killed had it not been for my gunblade," Squall stated with a cold stare to Zell.
"Until we have done our mission here, we will avenge our loss. Someday, we will meet again," Kandi said.
"And what is your mission?" inquired Quistis.
Caladorei faced the blond instructor and said, "We are here to find a crystal. It is beyond our knowledge about the whereabouts it is. All we know is that it hides a great and powerful secret. We are not the only ones after it. The Fears, four of them, are all looking towards it as well. They seek it for its enormous spoils and glory and power. We seek it to destroy it, not allowing the Fears to reach it and their prime goal: the destruction of all things living."
Seifer was almost about to accomplish his first task. He was to find himself a decent meal. And the kitchen aboard the Ragnorak was more than adequate to fulfill his wishes....
Forgotten
Chapter 4: Crossroads
Caladorei loaded the gas tanks of the Emperor and sat in the cockpit of the ten-meter ship. He flipped a couple of switched and checked to make sure that Kandi was strapped in the backseat. Although the ship was built for a crew of three and a passenger capacity of ten, they rarely even used the extra seats. Caladorei started singing along to the Bee Gees on the radio. "I've seen the story, I've read it over once or twice..." Kandi nodded her head to the tunes.
Suddenly, a large BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!! filled the sky. The ship was suddenly jolted by an explosion from the ground. The next thing that happened was a missile zooming straight past them. This was followed by a flare on the side of a wing. The ship started going out of control...and the radio ceased to churn out Bee Gees as their telecommunications were sent down with an electromagnetic pulse-wave. The two donned emergency jump-suits with parachute packs on their backs. Caladorei forced his way through a tumbling cockpit towards the door. He made a grab for his scythe and snatched Kandi's knives. He took out a handgun and shot the rope apart, which was tying the emergency exit door to the hinge. He opened the door and jumped down with Kandi dropping right next to him. At a mere thirty feet from the ground, their parachutes deployed, decelerating their drop. As soon as the duo hit the ground, they drew their weapons and looked around. They sliced through their parachutes and were met by ten jeeps driving towards them. To their left lay a smoldering chunk of metal, which used to be their ship. They got in a defensive position while Kandi Scanned jeeps. The jeeps read out as Estharian forces accompanied by two SeeDs.
Zell was sure the gunner made a mistake.... The unidentified shape they shot down was in the shape of the Cloud Beast, but it did not flap its wings. They knew it was not the Dragon, but the pilot seemed to fly in a military fashion. Strange. Otherwise, the two people who jumped out like trained professionals and operated much like SeeDs. Even stranger. Xu and Nida weren't supposed to send backup.
Zell and Quistis jumped out of the jeep and stepped towards the two cautiously. This triggered an immediate reaction from the girl clad in yellow. She reached into her pockets and threw a Gysahl Green at Quistis and Zell. A tiny little Chicobo popped out and looked questionably at the two. Zell then realized who it was. "Boco! It's you!" The tiny yellow- feathered bird jumped up and down excitedly, happy to see that it was somebody familiar, not like the two strangers who just captured him. Caladorei looked baffled. Kandi's eyes were wide in shock. Zell crouched down to pet the fast-growing Chicobo, who "WARKED!" in happiness. Boco was now a good three feet tall now, and was getting stronger from fighting as a true "warrior" Chocobo. Soon he'll be old enough to ride on. They were also raising a moogle that they called MiniMog. Anyway, the two dumbfounded adventurers regained their composure and got into fighting position. They brought up their weapons and rushed at the semicircle formed by Esthar soldiers. Kandi threw dozens of knives, immobilizing the gunmen at the jeeps. Caladorei slashed his way through shotgun pickaxes. Shots bounced off of his Protect Stone like super balls. With all of the Esthar soldiers neutralized, Gamma and Delta quickly checked their junctions. When they were done they faced their adversaries. Caladorei gripped his scythe with both hands. Kandi brandished the remaining twenty knives she had around her waste. Gamma and Delta, as they came out from scan, were now holding spells at the edge of their minds, getting ready to cast them. Delta held a whip and was dressed in pink with dark colored gloves and boots. The other bore a tattoo of unique design on his face while wielding no weapon. Kandi decided to take Delta. Caladorei chose Gamma.
The sun now shone brightly above the Abadon Plains, which was now a battlefield for the four fighters, who were now staring each other down. Zell clenched his fists. Quistis snapped her whip. Caladorei sharpened his scythe with a stone in his pocket. Kandi was fingering her knives. Quistis acted first. Her flexible elastic whip extended twenty feet with the likeliness of a fast-striking cobra. SNAAP! Save the Queen created a line of red blood trickling down on Kandi's calf. Kandi was not completely idle, however. She drew her knives and threw a few. Caladorei seized the moment without a moment's hesitation; and yelled, "CHICK FIGHT!". The unsuspecting Zell jerked his head up to see Quistis and Kandi locked in a fierce Chick Fight ;) each one using their skills to great multitudes. Caladorei came upon Zell with a slash to the neck.
The moment Zell thought he was going to die because of a moment of distraction came with mixed feelings. Sorrow, anger, embarrassment. Zell saved himself the very last moment. The blade missed his head by a millimeter, shaving off an inch of Zell's cowlick. Under his breath he mumbled, "I needed a haircut anyway...."
Caladorei skidded to a stop before his momentum could make him slam into the ground. He twisted in midair and landed on his feet. Zell clenched his fist. Caladorei called out the name of his spell. "HOLY!" Zell stood his ground and just grinned in return. The spell threw around lots of light but when it faded away, Zell was still standing there with the goofy grin still on his face. All thanks to good junctions. Zell was equipped with Shell, Full-life, Protect, and Life on his Elem-Defx4. Plus Zell got a high spirit rating from extensive training and devouring. Caladorei switched strategies....
Meanwhile, Quistis was fighting an undecided battle. Kandi was whipped in several places, but Quistis had taken a nasty wound in the arm. Luckily, the whip only needs one arm to operate. After a moment of heavy slashing and snapping, the two females stopped fighting. Quistis took an X-potion. Kandi Cured herself. Then the fighting resumed. This time Quistis could use both arms.
Kandi called forth her GF, Plu-Sac. A light appeared in the sky, outshining the sun. A dragon came forth, similar to Leviathan, but shaded with red and orange. This was the Dragon of Light, the Scan turned out. Only thought to be a myth, it does a random elemental attack, decided by its color. Plu-Sac turned into a purple, signaling poison. Quistis was thrown back by a sudden burst of light.
The battle ensued.
Irvine oiled his Exeter again and took out The Girl Next Door magazine. Seifer was sitting on the bed, hunched over. He was getting very twitchy by now. Irvine checked the clock. His shift was about over.
Meanwhile, Selphie was organizing files that seemed of little importance at the time. She sighed and looked at the clock. Four more minutes until her shift....
Raijin was the first to notice. Fujin followed, taking the keys that were on the stool left by Irvine. Obviously Irvine's clock and Selphie's clock were conflicting. Seifer walked out of the cell as if there was no trouble at all. All of his nervousness was gone. He was the cocky leader of the Disciplinary Committee once again.
Ellone boarded the train heading for Dollet. In her suitcase were all of her belongings.
The train ride was relatively short and was also very bumpy. When it came to a halt, Ellone got off to be met with the Artists' Street. This was where the Queen of Cards lived. At the moment there was no hustle and bustle, as it was late morning, and the streets were empty save a few policemen and shop owners. Ellone headed towards the hotel.
At the room she closed her eyes and sensed a feeling coming strongly from the East.
Esthar....
Laguna reached into his pocket and drew out a little machine, like a cellular phone, only smaller. He gave it to Kiros with a nod, who showed it to Squall and Rinoa. "This is the best we could do on short notice. It will beep more and more persistently when you near a foreign object, in this case, the two 'Beasts'. Now, if you don't want it to beep, just turn it off."
"Yeah, it can get really annoying when you want to make surprise attacks!" Ward's face seemed to agree with Laguna's remark. Kiros sighed and shook his head. He then looked at Squall and Rinoa with a look of burden, as if he was feeling weighted by his jobs. Laguna then said, "Kiros does most of the brains and speaking for us. He is in a position of...," Laguna clutched his cramping leg and muttered, "Just go and do your mission...."
Squall let out a sigh of relief as he quickly stepped out of the bore that Laguna was giving him. Rinoa thought that she could finally be able to get a chance to further learn and harness her sorceress powers.
The two were out, out to do their work. The work of a SeeD. The fields were empty, and the soldiers that escorted them from the city were going back. Squall and Rinoa were left in the middle of the meadow. The sun was straight up in the sky now, brightly illuminating the surrounding mountains and plains. In the distance they could here faint screeches as the beasts circled, more distantly. The Rose Beast and Cloud Beast were now nearing Trabia. Squall and Rinoa made their way South, where their mission orders lead them. They would proceed to a defensive post at the Sorceress Memorial. There were delays, however.
Just at the same time, Zell and Quistis were getting nowhere. The two opponents they fought were as hard as rocks. This was true for the opposition as well. Each thought of the other highly. Now was the moment of decision. Neither was holding back.
Neither would hesitate to use their best.
"Shockwave Pulsar!"
"Mashizuken Cross!"
"Duel!"
"Ballistic Tribulation!"
Quistis' attack struck first. The force of the heavens spun out in front of Caladorei and Kandi. Quistis' own body and Zell's were transparent. When the light passed away, it was Kandi's turn. She leaped forth with her loose, yellow sleeves hanging out with the wind. Then she brought forth her wrath by throwing her fan-knives in many directions, chiefly towards Zell and Quistis. Quistis and Zell were pierced in several locations, straight through. Luckily for them, Mashizuken Cross was a gravitational attack, so only four-fifths of their HP was consumed.
Their was a light. Squall noticed the pattern of swirling and knew right away that it was Shockwave Pulsar. Rinoa saw things like meteors falling from mid-air. Strange. Obviously, there was a battle going on. A big battle. It was going on about a half a mile away. They could make it in two minutes....
Zell's eyes were flaming red now. He charged up, an aura of power surrounding him. He rushed forth at his adversary, Caladorei. With exactly thirteen seconds before his energy rush ran out, Zell chose only his best. Booya, Punch Rush, Mach Kick, Heel Drop, Dolphin Blow, Meteor Strike, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Punch Rush, Booya. The pattern repeated itself until Zell broke off. Caladorei thought the beating was over and let his guard down. This gave Zell a chance to do his grand finale. My Final Heaven.
Zell's best punching fist was engulfed in light as he rushed light speed around the world. Then he let loose his fury upon the two enemies. Both were thrown back and were tittering between life and death. Caladorei let loose his attack.... This was the supposed finish to a long battle....
Caladorei was rushing at the two SeeDs, leaving a trail of fire. at the last moment, he cut off of his rush and went around Quistis and Zell, causing the blaze to surround the two. Zell frantically looked around, searching for an exit from the cage of fire, when suddenly, Caladorei came down from the sky and sliced towards Zell. This time, Zell couldn't dodge. It was all too fast.
Squall looked at the ring of fire forming ten yards away. He saw the blurred figure leaping up towards the middle. He saw the look on Zell's face. By pure instinct, he threw his gunblade.
Zell saw it the last moment. Caladorei's scythe was raised high over his head. He swung. Time froze. It was milliseconds before scythe would hit the party, annihilating the two SeeDs. The Lionheart connected with the thrown scythe. Both were hit off course and fell to the ground. Zell looked to his left and saw Squall there, next to Rinoa. The two were just in time to save Zell and Quistis. Squall picked up the blue gunblade and looked at the two adventurers, then looked at the two SeeDs. Obviously, the battle took over an hour. He then looked at his partner, Rinoa.
When the fire ring burned down, both parties looked at each other for ten minutes without speaking. Then Caladorei spoke, "That was the first time my most powerful limit break failed to obliterate an enemy."
"Well, with tough crackers like us, you know it won't work." Zell laughed at his own joke.
"Actually, you would've been killed had it not been for my gunblade," Squall stated with a cold stare to Zell.
"Until we have done our mission here, we will avenge our loss. Someday, we will meet again," Kandi said.
"And what is your mission?" inquired Quistis.
Caladorei faced the blond instructor and said, "We are here to find a crystal. It is beyond our knowledge about the whereabouts it is. All we know is that it hides a great and powerful secret. We are not the only ones after it. The Fears, four of them, are all looking towards it as well. They seek it for its enormous spoils and glory and power. We seek it to destroy it, not allowing the Fears to reach it and their prime goal: the destruction of all things living."
Seifer was almost about to accomplish his first task. He was to find himself a decent meal. And the kitchen aboard the Ragnorak was more than adequate to fulfill his wishes....