Zell Chronicles
Forgotten
Chapter 5: Links Made and Crystals Found
In the Presidential Palace, Caladorei and Kandi were busy explaining their mission. "It is a priority that we find this crystal and destroy it at once!" Kiros agreed.
"Let us explain about the Fears first. There is number one," Caladorei held up one finger. "He is the King of the Marlboros, Chimeras, and Ochus. He is the most poisonous, representing the drain of life, the present, and the inner evil within us all. Then there is two." Caladorei added another finger. "He is the King of all the Dragons. He is the strongest of the Fears, meaning that he will be very straight in his battle with us, which we will fight eventually. He represents the pain of fighting, the future, and the violence which we are all capable of."
Squall shifted uneasily in his chair. This was the enemy they were fighting now.... Rinoa was silent, Quistis was nervously fingering her gloves. Zell was listening intently, instead of shadowboxing in the corner. Laguna and the Presidential Committee (Kiros, Ward) were inputting this data into the Esthar files.
"The third," Caladorei went on, "is the last of the three 'servants'. He is the king of the undead, the zombies. Think of all the Bloodsouls, Vysages, Forbiddens, and Gerogero put together, not to mention Abadon. His form is never revealed, and he represents the death result from war, the past, and the unwanted curses that we give to others. Be warned, do not equip Doomtrain, for the two are cousins."
Luckily for them, Doomtrain was not currently junctioned, so he could not overhear the conversation.
"The fourth, and last, is their elder brother and King. He represents all three of them. We do not know yet which creature he is linked to, but he is most likely all three."
The room turned stone-like silent. Everyone looked at each other with the same question in their minds. What now?
Seifer munched greedily on some MRE's and gave Fujin and Raijin some, saving the largest share for him, of course. Fujin was careful in eating only so much so she wouldn't get sick. Raijin was cramming down MRE's by the mouthful. Then Irvine caught them.
Seifer looked at Irvine before making a dive behind the cabinet. He reached for his Hyperion, which he spotted lying in the corner of the kitchen. Irvine took aim and let loose a round of energy. The Pulse ammo completely knocked the Gunblade out of Seifer's hand and sent it sprawling into the air, and got stuck in the door of the refrigerator. Fujin whipped out her Pinwheel while Raijin drew his staff. Irvine eyed his opponents. They were easy enough in Balamb and even easier in the Lunatic Pandora. What can go wrong this time, he thought. Then Seifer joined in, having apparently gotten back his gunblade. Raijin acted first by bashing Irvine on top of the head. Irvine rubbed this spot and shot Raijin twice in the chest. Raijin fell to the ground. Irvine turned his aim to Seifer and shot four times. Seifer dodged the first two, but took the third one in the arm. The fourth ripped into his gunblade. Seifer lost grip of his Hyperion again, this time letting it clatter to the floor. Fujin was burning with rage at their situation and channeled all of her rage into her Sai attack. The attack slashed only air, because Irvine dodged just in time, but the force of the blow blew off his hat, slightly singeing it.
"That was a new hat...," he quipped, hastily picking it up. Seifer had just picked up his gunblade and was charging at the distracted Irvine. Luckily, and right on time, Selphie jumped in between and casted a Wall, blocking Seifer off. Irvine brushed off the dust from his burned and sliced hat and placed it on a table nearby. He reloaded.
Selphie was now actively in the battle, fighting off Fujin and Raijin with her Strange Vision. Irvine was preoccupied with Seifer, who was relentless in his attacks. Irvine casted Haste on himself, allowing him to dodge many of the knight's attacks. Then he casted Flare on Seifer, who sucked up the damage like a sponge. He fell back but got up just as quickly and then countered with a small Fire. Irvine was unharmed, but there was something about this fire that told him trouble was coming...because regular Fires aren't this smoky. The thick black gas was choking Irvine, and he couldn't see in front of him. Without warning, he was slashed by Seifer. SLICE, SLICE, SLICE. Irvine felt the pattern. Blood Ceremony. Irvine, clutched his Exeter Rifle in both hands. It was natural that Seifer was unforgiving, but this time, he was cruel beyond comprehension, putting every effort to kill Irvine. Using his extraordinary gunman senses, Irvine found the source of the slashes and fired towards it. Seifer took it in the chest and hit the linoleum floor of the kitchen. Once again the gunblade fell out of Seifer's hand, this time for good. Irvine checked to see if Seifer was alive, which he was. Irvine casted Cura and Sleep on Seifer. Selphie had Raijin on Berserk and Fujin on Blind. She put them both to Sleep. Irvine observed the kitchen. Cleanup's gonna be a bitch, he thought.
"Tell me again why we're here!" asked Zell. Caladorei looked at him as if to say, "You know exactly why..."
They were in Odin's chamber, in the Centra Ruins. The place was streaming with monsters. Zell kicked up some dust and surveyed the scene. It was a wreck. Sure is different from the last time we saw it..., he thought. He tightened his gloves and ran his fingers down the left side of his face, with the tattoo. He then took off the small pouch on his back and checked his items. He had Elixirs, Hi-Potions, a Hero, a Holy war, X- Potions, a Phoenix Down, and several Magical Stones. He also looked in the pocket in front. A small comb, a travel-sized bottle of gel, and a tiny mirror was inside. Satisfied, Zell zipped up the pouch. He turned and followed the rest of the group and stayed in the back, whistling a tune.
Quistis was second closest to the front. She was observing the walls of the chamber, engraved with unique Centran designs. There were various illustrations of monsters and historical events. The one that caught Quistis' eye was of five Centran Priests surrounding pentagonal a platform with a crystal embedded upon the center. She called over the rest the rest of the group, "Hey, people! I found something!" Everyone quickly headed over to Quistis. She showed them the engraving which brought everyone to the conclusion that it WAS in fact, the crystal. The trouble was finding it now. And it would be a lot easier with the clue that they just got. The crystal was within possible reach.
As the group continued, Quistis continued looking around for clues. Zell was behind, as usual, his eyes glued to the ceiling. At last they reached the end of the hallway. And it was here that the first real breakthrough came....
In front of them was a collapsed chandelier. That was nothing. But BEHIND it.... The group there way around the chandelier. And there was nothing visible. But it was like somebody turned down the temperature about fifty degrees. And the sky, or ceiling turned black and starry. Meteor. The asteroids summoned from space crashed down on the group before they even knew what was happening. When the spell ended, Gerogero (or was it?) jumped off the balcony above. The group quickly prepared their weapons. The Gerogero that they faced was red. Quistis did a quick scan. It was Gerogero's older brother, a stronger undead boss-class monster that drained energy and summoned creatures to assist it.
The thought occurred to everyone at the start of every tough battle. When a party member is KO'd, will the Phoenix Down heal them? Will the curative spells? If after trying to revive a dead party member, and didn't succeed, will they be gone forever? Not yet has Squall seen on of his fellow SeeDs actually die before, but the anxiety and the nervousness from holding his breath as he laid the Phoenix Down, waiting for and praying for the effects to take place. It never failed for Squall, but Zell was faced with another fate. It was the girl in the library, with the pigtail. She had passed the test and was under leadership of Zell. Their mission was simple: Drop onto Battleship Island from the Ragnorak and collect the "A" and "B" mechanisms. A Ruby Dragon had given her a fatal wound.... A wound which Full-Lifes, Recovers, Phoenix Downs, and Revives could not heal. She was lost. At first, Zell had felt the gash deep in his heart. But he recovered in two month's time and has had his eyes on Quistis ever since.
Quistis started lashing out her whip at the monster's heels. The boss, Merimeroi, was unfazed at the stings on its feet. It lunged at Quistis, knocking her over while proceeding to perform an attack. The rest of the group was not completely idle, however. Squall loaded his weapon and stuck his Lionheart straight into the Merimeroi's back. The monster roared and knocked Squall off its back and threw a Meteor stone at the group. All of the adventurers were hurt, but not on a major scale. Zell threw a Holy Stone at Merimeroi. The divine energy sent him sprawling, but the monster picked himself up quickly and counterattacked, this time leaving Zell on the ground. Rinoa shot her Angel Wings at Merimeroi and followed up with Angelo Strike. Merimeroi whipped around and knocked the poor dog to the ground. Caladorei leaped and brought his scythe down for a powerful slash through the tough skin of Merimeroi. Merimeroi hit him with Pain, causing evil statuses within Caladorei. He dropped his Scythe as he felt the Poison wearing him out. Kandi had an Elixir handy and it soothed Caladorei. Quistis started summoning.
At this point, Centra Ruins had faded away and they were fighting on an ethereal surface. Thusly, Quezacotl could not be summoned. Quistis lashed out in fury with her whip and called a Shockwave Pulsar. Merimeroi was stunned by the initial light, and then was incinerated by the attack, dying, and returning the heroes back to Odin's Chamber.
"That was EASY!" said Rinoa. Quistis rolled her eyes. Zell checked his pouch again. Squall was unloading his Lionheart. Rinoa gave a G- Returner to Angelo, as Phoenix Downs didn't work.
"Base Omega, this is unit Delta, Over," said Caladorei through his communicator.
"We copy, Over," came the reply form Kiros.
Ellone was staring at the red sky of Esthar. Red because of the Lunar Cry, the event that threw all of Esthar into turmoil before they regained control two years ago. She walked towards the Presidential Palace. ZOOM! A car flew by. Ellone noticed that it was the Presidential limousine that Laguna and Gang rode in. Why were they in such a hurry?
Seifer started going into frequent fits. The entire Disciplinary Committee was wiry and fidgety. Irvine took no notice of this as he continued reading a catalog of various types of ammunition. Quantum Ammo, Ice Ammo, Thunder Ammo, Homing Ammo, Elemental Ammo, Pulsar Ammo, Pulse Ammo, Gattling Ammo. All of these were top-notch. Irvine decided to get 100 of each from a small store at the side of Dollet. He looked at various guns that he could buy only at East Academy Side Station. Not that his Exeter was not enough, but he could use a sniper or a sub-machinegun, or even some rockets. Irvine decided to order a sniper, two subs and one rocket-launcher. Irvine decided to make his address at the mailbox of Esthar, in his own private account. It was the only thing that didn't keep moving around.
Irvine looked at the clock. 7:00 p.m. He wondered how everybody else was doing.
And then, it happened.
Seifer clutched his gloved hand. Fujin clutched her hand, and so did Raijin. An aura of bright red light flashed. Irvine sent his order and then looked at the Disciplinary Committee with a look of utter shock. The three had risen two feet off the ground, having have the effects of Float. Then they were moving faster due to Haste. Many other support magics were taking effect on them, and when Irvine tried to cast Dispel, but all it did was make the effects stronger.
Then, Seifer's glove slipped off of both hands and there it was; a design on the hand of the three; a middle crystal surrounded by five Centran Priests. Seifer and the other two lashed out their light onto Irvine, making him float up into the air.
At first there was just a searing pain, like a thousand white-hot knifes slicing in and out on all parts of the hand, a pain that lasted for all but two seconds. The design was burned into his hand. Then it was the visions. The vision of Fury as a man was being whipped. The vision of Sadness as one who was loved was lost. The vision of Happiness as children received presents. Then was the urge to call out the name of Selphie, to complete the circle. Irvine did so, but instead of sound, the red light surrounding the four reached all the way into the bridge, capturing Selphie, who saw all of the vision as they all had. Then they spread out evenly and formed a circle around the center of the jail cell. Without warning, the five were dropped onto the ground. And a clinking sound was heard. Irvine looked at his hand. The design was fading.
He got himself up and looked around. He noticed the clock. They had been floating around for ten minutes. He looked at the ground. There was a red crystal. Irvine reached out to grab it, but Seifer pulled his hand away, a look of terror in his eyes.
"If that thing was strong enough to make me crazy, then it is more than likely to cause you harm." Irvine nodded...and continued reaching for the crystal. Fujin Pulled him away this time.
"CRYSTAL. DANGEROUS," she growled. "ALL OF US. CONTROLLED!"
The crystal began glowing. Irvine decided to let it go. Until the ship started shaking.
Outside, the Rose Beast was shaking the Ragnorak like a rage doll. "GIVE ME THE MASTER CRYSTAL!" it bellowed. Irvine stuffed the crystal into his tightest pocket and took out his Exeter.
All five rushed out to find the road leading to them crushed, so they had nowhere to go and no choice but to fight. The Rose Beast lay the dented Ragnorak down and roared with the strength of a thousand lions. Irvine loaded his gun with AP ammo and executed a quick scan. Selphie cast Aura on everybody and, thanks to Expend 3x-1, only needed to spend two Aura. Seifer swung his gunblade and noticed that it was unloaded, and he was out of ammo. Irvine noticed this and tossed five Pulse ammo. "Use 'em wisely!" he warned.
Fujin attached her two pinwheels together to create a Sai-Blade. Raijin started bombarding the Rose beast with multiple special combos. Irvine trained his eye on his target. He squeezed off two rounds to get a feel, and then shot over and over again until his stock of AP ammo was lost. Irvine cursed and loaded Fast ammo. Seifer shot Fire Cross at the Rose Beast and got to using Blood Ceremony, successfully slashing and executing fire five times until his ammunition ran out. He looked in his pocket. There was a badge with a Moomba on it. It was the Friendship. Chanting the words to summon a Moomba, Seifer threw the item onto the ground and Moomba appeared and used his razor-sharp claws to execute an attack that made even the Rose Beast recoil in pain.
And so they fought on and on.
Forgotten
Chapter 5: Links Made and Crystals Found
In the Presidential Palace, Caladorei and Kandi were busy explaining their mission. "It is a priority that we find this crystal and destroy it at once!" Kiros agreed.
"Let us explain about the Fears first. There is number one," Caladorei held up one finger. "He is the King of the Marlboros, Chimeras, and Ochus. He is the most poisonous, representing the drain of life, the present, and the inner evil within us all. Then there is two." Caladorei added another finger. "He is the King of all the Dragons. He is the strongest of the Fears, meaning that he will be very straight in his battle with us, which we will fight eventually. He represents the pain of fighting, the future, and the violence which we are all capable of."
Squall shifted uneasily in his chair. This was the enemy they were fighting now.... Rinoa was silent, Quistis was nervously fingering her gloves. Zell was listening intently, instead of shadowboxing in the corner. Laguna and the Presidential Committee (Kiros, Ward) were inputting this data into the Esthar files.
"The third," Caladorei went on, "is the last of the three 'servants'. He is the king of the undead, the zombies. Think of all the Bloodsouls, Vysages, Forbiddens, and Gerogero put together, not to mention Abadon. His form is never revealed, and he represents the death result from war, the past, and the unwanted curses that we give to others. Be warned, do not equip Doomtrain, for the two are cousins."
Luckily for them, Doomtrain was not currently junctioned, so he could not overhear the conversation.
"The fourth, and last, is their elder brother and King. He represents all three of them. We do not know yet which creature he is linked to, but he is most likely all three."
The room turned stone-like silent. Everyone looked at each other with the same question in their minds. What now?
Seifer munched greedily on some MRE's and gave Fujin and Raijin some, saving the largest share for him, of course. Fujin was careful in eating only so much so she wouldn't get sick. Raijin was cramming down MRE's by the mouthful. Then Irvine caught them.
Seifer looked at Irvine before making a dive behind the cabinet. He reached for his Hyperion, which he spotted lying in the corner of the kitchen. Irvine took aim and let loose a round of energy. The Pulse ammo completely knocked the Gunblade out of Seifer's hand and sent it sprawling into the air, and got stuck in the door of the refrigerator. Fujin whipped out her Pinwheel while Raijin drew his staff. Irvine eyed his opponents. They were easy enough in Balamb and even easier in the Lunatic Pandora. What can go wrong this time, he thought. Then Seifer joined in, having apparently gotten back his gunblade. Raijin acted first by bashing Irvine on top of the head. Irvine rubbed this spot and shot Raijin twice in the chest. Raijin fell to the ground. Irvine turned his aim to Seifer and shot four times. Seifer dodged the first two, but took the third one in the arm. The fourth ripped into his gunblade. Seifer lost grip of his Hyperion again, this time letting it clatter to the floor. Fujin was burning with rage at their situation and channeled all of her rage into her Sai attack. The attack slashed only air, because Irvine dodged just in time, but the force of the blow blew off his hat, slightly singeing it.
"That was a new hat...," he quipped, hastily picking it up. Seifer had just picked up his gunblade and was charging at the distracted Irvine. Luckily, and right on time, Selphie jumped in between and casted a Wall, blocking Seifer off. Irvine brushed off the dust from his burned and sliced hat and placed it on a table nearby. He reloaded.
Selphie was now actively in the battle, fighting off Fujin and Raijin with her Strange Vision. Irvine was preoccupied with Seifer, who was relentless in his attacks. Irvine casted Haste on himself, allowing him to dodge many of the knight's attacks. Then he casted Flare on Seifer, who sucked up the damage like a sponge. He fell back but got up just as quickly and then countered with a small Fire. Irvine was unharmed, but there was something about this fire that told him trouble was coming...because regular Fires aren't this smoky. The thick black gas was choking Irvine, and he couldn't see in front of him. Without warning, he was slashed by Seifer. SLICE, SLICE, SLICE. Irvine felt the pattern. Blood Ceremony. Irvine, clutched his Exeter Rifle in both hands. It was natural that Seifer was unforgiving, but this time, he was cruel beyond comprehension, putting every effort to kill Irvine. Using his extraordinary gunman senses, Irvine found the source of the slashes and fired towards it. Seifer took it in the chest and hit the linoleum floor of the kitchen. Once again the gunblade fell out of Seifer's hand, this time for good. Irvine checked to see if Seifer was alive, which he was. Irvine casted Cura and Sleep on Seifer. Selphie had Raijin on Berserk and Fujin on Blind. She put them both to Sleep. Irvine observed the kitchen. Cleanup's gonna be a bitch, he thought.
"Tell me again why we're here!" asked Zell. Caladorei looked at him as if to say, "You know exactly why..."
They were in Odin's chamber, in the Centra Ruins. The place was streaming with monsters. Zell kicked up some dust and surveyed the scene. It was a wreck. Sure is different from the last time we saw it..., he thought. He tightened his gloves and ran his fingers down the left side of his face, with the tattoo. He then took off the small pouch on his back and checked his items. He had Elixirs, Hi-Potions, a Hero, a Holy war, X- Potions, a Phoenix Down, and several Magical Stones. He also looked in the pocket in front. A small comb, a travel-sized bottle of gel, and a tiny mirror was inside. Satisfied, Zell zipped up the pouch. He turned and followed the rest of the group and stayed in the back, whistling a tune.
Quistis was second closest to the front. She was observing the walls of the chamber, engraved with unique Centran designs. There were various illustrations of monsters and historical events. The one that caught Quistis' eye was of five Centran Priests surrounding pentagonal a platform with a crystal embedded upon the center. She called over the rest the rest of the group, "Hey, people! I found something!" Everyone quickly headed over to Quistis. She showed them the engraving which brought everyone to the conclusion that it WAS in fact, the crystal. The trouble was finding it now. And it would be a lot easier with the clue that they just got. The crystal was within possible reach.
As the group continued, Quistis continued looking around for clues. Zell was behind, as usual, his eyes glued to the ceiling. At last they reached the end of the hallway. And it was here that the first real breakthrough came....
In front of them was a collapsed chandelier. That was nothing. But BEHIND it.... The group there way around the chandelier. And there was nothing visible. But it was like somebody turned down the temperature about fifty degrees. And the sky, or ceiling turned black and starry. Meteor. The asteroids summoned from space crashed down on the group before they even knew what was happening. When the spell ended, Gerogero (or was it?) jumped off the balcony above. The group quickly prepared their weapons. The Gerogero that they faced was red. Quistis did a quick scan. It was Gerogero's older brother, a stronger undead boss-class monster that drained energy and summoned creatures to assist it.
The thought occurred to everyone at the start of every tough battle. When a party member is KO'd, will the Phoenix Down heal them? Will the curative spells? If after trying to revive a dead party member, and didn't succeed, will they be gone forever? Not yet has Squall seen on of his fellow SeeDs actually die before, but the anxiety and the nervousness from holding his breath as he laid the Phoenix Down, waiting for and praying for the effects to take place. It never failed for Squall, but Zell was faced with another fate. It was the girl in the library, with the pigtail. She had passed the test and was under leadership of Zell. Their mission was simple: Drop onto Battleship Island from the Ragnorak and collect the "A" and "B" mechanisms. A Ruby Dragon had given her a fatal wound.... A wound which Full-Lifes, Recovers, Phoenix Downs, and Revives could not heal. She was lost. At first, Zell had felt the gash deep in his heart. But he recovered in two month's time and has had his eyes on Quistis ever since.
Quistis started lashing out her whip at the monster's heels. The boss, Merimeroi, was unfazed at the stings on its feet. It lunged at Quistis, knocking her over while proceeding to perform an attack. The rest of the group was not completely idle, however. Squall loaded his weapon and stuck his Lionheart straight into the Merimeroi's back. The monster roared and knocked Squall off its back and threw a Meteor stone at the group. All of the adventurers were hurt, but not on a major scale. Zell threw a Holy Stone at Merimeroi. The divine energy sent him sprawling, but the monster picked himself up quickly and counterattacked, this time leaving Zell on the ground. Rinoa shot her Angel Wings at Merimeroi and followed up with Angelo Strike. Merimeroi whipped around and knocked the poor dog to the ground. Caladorei leaped and brought his scythe down for a powerful slash through the tough skin of Merimeroi. Merimeroi hit him with Pain, causing evil statuses within Caladorei. He dropped his Scythe as he felt the Poison wearing him out. Kandi had an Elixir handy and it soothed Caladorei. Quistis started summoning.
At this point, Centra Ruins had faded away and they were fighting on an ethereal surface. Thusly, Quezacotl could not be summoned. Quistis lashed out in fury with her whip and called a Shockwave Pulsar. Merimeroi was stunned by the initial light, and then was incinerated by the attack, dying, and returning the heroes back to Odin's Chamber.
"That was EASY!" said Rinoa. Quistis rolled her eyes. Zell checked his pouch again. Squall was unloading his Lionheart. Rinoa gave a G- Returner to Angelo, as Phoenix Downs didn't work.
"Base Omega, this is unit Delta, Over," said Caladorei through his communicator.
"We copy, Over," came the reply form Kiros.
Ellone was staring at the red sky of Esthar. Red because of the Lunar Cry, the event that threw all of Esthar into turmoil before they regained control two years ago. She walked towards the Presidential Palace. ZOOM! A car flew by. Ellone noticed that it was the Presidential limousine that Laguna and Gang rode in. Why were they in such a hurry?
Seifer started going into frequent fits. The entire Disciplinary Committee was wiry and fidgety. Irvine took no notice of this as he continued reading a catalog of various types of ammunition. Quantum Ammo, Ice Ammo, Thunder Ammo, Homing Ammo, Elemental Ammo, Pulsar Ammo, Pulse Ammo, Gattling Ammo. All of these were top-notch. Irvine decided to get 100 of each from a small store at the side of Dollet. He looked at various guns that he could buy only at East Academy Side Station. Not that his Exeter was not enough, but he could use a sniper or a sub-machinegun, or even some rockets. Irvine decided to order a sniper, two subs and one rocket-launcher. Irvine decided to make his address at the mailbox of Esthar, in his own private account. It was the only thing that didn't keep moving around.
Irvine looked at the clock. 7:00 p.m. He wondered how everybody else was doing.
And then, it happened.
Seifer clutched his gloved hand. Fujin clutched her hand, and so did Raijin. An aura of bright red light flashed. Irvine sent his order and then looked at the Disciplinary Committee with a look of utter shock. The three had risen two feet off the ground, having have the effects of Float. Then they were moving faster due to Haste. Many other support magics were taking effect on them, and when Irvine tried to cast Dispel, but all it did was make the effects stronger.
Then, Seifer's glove slipped off of both hands and there it was; a design on the hand of the three; a middle crystal surrounded by five Centran Priests. Seifer and the other two lashed out their light onto Irvine, making him float up into the air.
At first there was just a searing pain, like a thousand white-hot knifes slicing in and out on all parts of the hand, a pain that lasted for all but two seconds. The design was burned into his hand. Then it was the visions. The vision of Fury as a man was being whipped. The vision of Sadness as one who was loved was lost. The vision of Happiness as children received presents. Then was the urge to call out the name of Selphie, to complete the circle. Irvine did so, but instead of sound, the red light surrounding the four reached all the way into the bridge, capturing Selphie, who saw all of the vision as they all had. Then they spread out evenly and formed a circle around the center of the jail cell. Without warning, the five were dropped onto the ground. And a clinking sound was heard. Irvine looked at his hand. The design was fading.
He got himself up and looked around. He noticed the clock. They had been floating around for ten minutes. He looked at the ground. There was a red crystal. Irvine reached out to grab it, but Seifer pulled his hand away, a look of terror in his eyes.
"If that thing was strong enough to make me crazy, then it is more than likely to cause you harm." Irvine nodded...and continued reaching for the crystal. Fujin Pulled him away this time.
"CRYSTAL. DANGEROUS," she growled. "ALL OF US. CONTROLLED!"
The crystal began glowing. Irvine decided to let it go. Until the ship started shaking.
Outside, the Rose Beast was shaking the Ragnorak like a rage doll. "GIVE ME THE MASTER CRYSTAL!" it bellowed. Irvine stuffed the crystal into his tightest pocket and took out his Exeter.
All five rushed out to find the road leading to them crushed, so they had nowhere to go and no choice but to fight. The Rose Beast lay the dented Ragnorak down and roared with the strength of a thousand lions. Irvine loaded his gun with AP ammo and executed a quick scan. Selphie cast Aura on everybody and, thanks to Expend 3x-1, only needed to spend two Aura. Seifer swung his gunblade and noticed that it was unloaded, and he was out of ammo. Irvine noticed this and tossed five Pulse ammo. "Use 'em wisely!" he warned.
Fujin attached her two pinwheels together to create a Sai-Blade. Raijin started bombarding the Rose beast with multiple special combos. Irvine trained his eye on his target. He squeezed off two rounds to get a feel, and then shot over and over again until his stock of AP ammo was lost. Irvine cursed and loaded Fast ammo. Seifer shot Fire Cross at the Rose Beast and got to using Blood Ceremony, successfully slashing and executing fire five times until his ammunition ran out. He looked in his pocket. There was a badge with a Moomba on it. It was the Friendship. Chanting the words to summon a Moomba, Seifer threw the item onto the ground and Moomba appeared and used his razor-sharp claws to execute an attack that made even the Rose Beast recoil in pain.
And so they fought on and on.