Hey! This is a long and exciting chapter (well, it's very long; I hope it's exciting, but that's up to you, i guess). A lot happens in this chapter, so stick with me! -7th







Chapter Nine: Friends and Family



We ran to the deck of the Lunar Whale, worried, stricken looks on our faces. I couldn't help but think that this whole quest had been a horrible race; and we were always one step behind, even when we tried to stay ahead. When we reached the small observation deck we all froze. Before us stood the most horrible creation I had ever dreamed of. A giant machine, modeled after a humanoid body yet terribly misshapen, disfigured and appalling. It clambered over the mountains as if they were dust, emerging from the glowing Tower of Bab-Il. Where it walked, it left only destruction and fire, burning wastelands in its footprints. It reared its head back and screamed, and its voice was the molten flame of destruction and despair.

"It's horrible," I whispered.

Edge, next to me, was gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were white. "Dammit," he said. "Blast it."

All I could see was the fire now, fire destroying everything nearby, destroying the world, destroying my home. "Can't we do anything anymore?" I whispered.

A large explosion racked the air, making even the Lunar Whale shudder. But when the air cleared, we saw the Giant staggering!

"What?" Cecil turned to peer over another edge. "What's that?"

And we saw - tanks! The tanks of the dwarves! Rank upon rank were swarming over the land, firing their deadly bolts at the Giant. One tank pulled up next to the Lunar Whale; the top popped open and the grinning head of the dwarf king peered out at us. King Giott waved, and called in a voice clear enough to reach us:

"Enter the dwarves! We will join you! We will fight for Mother Earth!"

Another tank pulled up next to the king's tank; but as this lid opened, we saw Yang's familiar face, supported by two of the Sylphs. "I cannot rest while you are fighting," Yang said to us, his voice as strong and brave as it had ever been. The Sylphs chattered at me.

It was enough to make me cry. But then, from the right, came another unexpected explosion - the Red Wings had arrived!

Ship after ship pulled up and fired, effectively hemming in the fearsome Giant. The lead ship came up aside the Lunar Whale and we all heard a familiar voice:

"Time to steal the show, boys!" It was Cid, back on his familiar fleet, surrounded by all his engineers. "Watch out, here we come!"

Then another airship pulled up behind Cid. On it stood the Mysidian Elder and two young children dressed in the robes of mages. The young boy ran to the edge and almost threw his body over, yelling, "Cecil! What's up, man?"

The girl on the airship took a firm grip on the boy's robe and yanked him back to safety. Looking at Cecil apologetically, she said firmly, "The Elder removed our petrification and restored us to normal."

The Elder himself bowed to Cecil and said: "This battle is not yours alone! It involves all of us!" Beyond his ship we could see scores of mages, working in tandem with Cid's airships to fire horrific bolts of magic and energy at the stumbling giant.

And then yet another airship pulled up beside us - I could see now that they had all placed themselves as to protect the Big Whale - and on deck were a host of women clad in fancy armor - and Edward! I squealed like a child and ran to the deck. He waved at us all and bowed.

"Cecil!" Edward called from his airship. "Let me show you the courage you've taught me!"

We were surrounded by friends and companions; humans, mages, and dwarves, tanks and airships. And together we were holding the Giant at bay!

Tears were running down my face; I saw Rosa sobbing as well. All the people we had ever cared about had come to our aid! Cecil bowed his head, whispering, "Thank you. Thank you."

And then I saw an idea gleaming in his eyes. Founded by the hope and love of those around us, I knew immediately that it was what we had to do.

"Look!" Rosa ran to the prow, not bothering to wipe her face. "The Giant is staggering!"

Cecil's eyes met those of FuSoYa, and the old Lunarian nodded. "The time is right. We must get inside the Giant of Bab-Il!"

Edge's face snapped up; then his eyes narrowed, understanding immediately. "I get it - we get inside and destroy its core!"

FuSoYa nodded. Cecil ran to the edge of the ship and yelled, waving: "Cid!"

Cid's airship pulled up next to us; his engineers tossed over a ladder and we quickly (and carefully) made our way off of the Big Whale onto Cid's smaller, more agile ship.

FuSoYa pointed. "Aim for the giant's mouth."

Cid gaped. "Who are you?"

Cecil grinned. "This is FuSoYa, guardian of the Lunarians, from the moon."

Cid's bearded jaw dropped, and the look on his face was priceless. Even in all the tension I burst out laughing. "From the - what?"

FuSoYa looked at him with a level gaze. "Can you or not?"

This put Cid in his place. He revved the engines. "Ah, keep your beard on," he said. "Who do you think I am?"

He took of at amazing speed, dodging the explosions with cunning accuracy. As we neared the fearsome giant, he yelled "Hang on!" as FuSoYa ordered, "Now!"

We all leapt.

For a moment we were plummeting in space, and then - thud - we landed inside the Giant of Bab-Il.

The Giant was a teeming mass of machinery and madness. It glowed with evil light and pockets of wild monsters had made its dark corners their homes. We prowled through the giant beast, again depending on the medicines we carried to keep our health up. There was an overwhelming sense of urgency; we knew outside our friends were fighting - those we loved dearest were in danger.

Finally we came to a long, narrow bridge; ecstatic, we ran across. But as we got to the center something was blocking the way, some invisible wall. As Cecil stopped, confused, the lights dimmed and I suddenly felt the air around me flare to live with dark, dark magic.

At last...

You cannot stop the Giant.

Now it's your turn ...

To go to hell!

There was a sudden flash, and we were surrounded by four glowing bodies. I recognized the intense magical power immediately. Before me, Cecil gripped his sword and then hissed, "The Four Fiends!"

Yessss, hissed the one called Milon, a hunched, skeleton-like monster covered in a cloak.

Master Zemus has blessed us with a second life, said the beast Kainazzio, a dark blue turtle-like creature with long fangs.

Prepare to die, hissed the being Valvalis, an ethereal creature who appeared as a beautiful woman with long, long blond hair, sparking with magic.

I shall enjoy fighting you again, said Rubicant, still tall and cloaked in burning red. We, too, can join forces. Allow me to restore your strength. The same light settled over us. Now. Fight with all your might. I will not be disappointed.

Before us appeared the mighty Milon, cloaked in the power of earth. But I could sense some unearthly evil, and sent my third-level fire at him; he howled, and some of his torn cloak burnt to ashes. Edge sent some of his not-magic flames after mine; Cecil struck out with his sword. Rosa concentrated on keeping us all alive and well. FuSoYa, I saw, had an extensive knowledge of magic; though my capacity was deeper than his, his breadth far surpassed mine; he had mastered both White and Black! He alternated between supporting my blasts of magic and Rosa's healing. Soon, Milon fell to Edge's swords.

But then Rubicant stepped in, and we all had to change our tactics. I began chanting for Ice spells, but FuSoYa beat me to it; however, my blast followed soon after. Cecil and Edge both fought this time, engaging Rubicant in a series of technical swordplay moves that must have hurt. Rosa, again, set herself to caution, keeping us all healthy. I let loose another blast of ice and Rubicant vanished.

Then Kainazzo appeared and hit us all with the full force of his beastly wave powers. I was struck to the ground, but Rosa quickly sent strength my way. Cecil struck out with his sword, while Edge called upon his Blitzing ability. FuSoYa summoned forth a high tier of bolt magic. They were all looking at me, waiting ..

"I summon Ramuh!" My voice was strong as I raised my arms. The wizened beast came forth and poured lightning into Kainazzo's form, striking the beast unable to move. Cecil finished him off with a mighty blow of his glowing sword.

But then Valvalis appeared before us, and I began to panic. Not much of my magic could hit her in the air; she was too fast and too powerful. And she had a fearsome attack that dropped us all to our knees. Soon, both Rosa and FuSoYa were healing us, and even they were too slow; Cecil was running, dodging hits, trying to protect us all as his strength failed...

In desperation, I began to chant. I didn't even know what I was saying - magical words were pouring out of my mouth by their own volition - until I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Flare!" I saw a horribly bright flash of light appear. It coalesced around the beastly woman and grew to the size of a bright fireball, burning her flesh. She shrieked.

This brought back new vigor to Cecil and Edge, who began attacking; but I was nearly spent. I collapsed, my magical reserves gone, barely able to lash out with my whip. Rosa, in a split second, was at my side, forcing a brightly shining drink down my throat. "Dammit, Rydia, be more careful," she scolded. "What the hell was that? Another spell?"

"That's just the beginning," I said hoarsely. I was content to limit myself to a third-tier Ice spell. That had hurt!

Finally, the Lady of the Air fell to Cecil's blade. Around us the air dimmed as the four bodies of the Fiends writhed.

No, they hissed. Master Zemus - one more chance ...

And Rubicant's voice, clearly recognizable. Farewell, brave ones.

We retreated to the last safe haven, running and hiding from all the monsters we found, and collapsed. Rosa's magic was drained and she could barely walk; she leaned on Cecil, who stood tall even after having taken a royal beating protecting us from the wrath of the Fiends. FuSoYa was silent and slow. Even Edge looked weary. As for myself, I can't even explain. I had just summoned forth a new spell, but the exhilaration that usually accompanied it was missing; I was empty, drained, and in lots of pain. I curled up into a ball and slept.

We didn't rest long; Cecil, who appeared to have not rested an ounce, woke us all soon. "Come," he said. "Things are changing. We have to get to the center of this machine."

FuSoYa took command, leading us stealthily down the path where we had fought the Fiends; the invisible wall had vanished and we made our way to the end of the long walkway. Inside the room was a giant mess of machinery and computers and wires. As FuSoYa stepped through the door an alarm went off. Some large, floating bits of machinery detached themselves from the array and moved towards us in a defensive position.

"This is the core of the giant," FuSoYa said to us.

"Damn!" Edge yelled. "This thing's HUGE!"

FuSoYa did not react. "We must destroy the defense system first, for it protects the main unit. After that is gone, concentrate all attacks on the main CPU."

I considered for a brief second being alarmed at the fact that we were attacking a pile of wires and metal; but since the Sealed Cave I had almost become used to having inanimate objects come alive and attack us. So when the pile of computer bits swarmed around and fused into three giant floating spheres which began to fight us, I decided to not bother with surprise and instead laid into them. FuSoYa soon identified which sphere was the defending one, and we concentrated on that. The main CPU - the really large ball, as Edge pointed it out to me - was programmed for protection only; it cast a series of Wall spells on itself and did nothing else. One of the smaller spheres attacked us mercilessly, but FuSoYa told us we had to withstand it; killing this sphere would release the fearsome powers of the CPU. That was scary enough in and of itself.

Soon the defense mechanism fell, and we began to concentrate on the CPU. I found that I was unable to use my magic due to its reflectivity, and Summons soon became worthless (I was much too afraid of killing the other small floating ball). Cecil and Edge were panting with the effort of attacking the large, well-defended CPU; Rosa and FuSoYa were concentrating on protecting us. I took Rosa's bow and some arrows and began to fire from the back row. It wasn't much, but it helped.

The smaller sphere was relentless. It spun around the room, zooming so fast it was impossible to hit, snapping lasers at us from far away. It was panicking, seeing as we wouldn't touch it; Cecil and Edge were fighting faster, powered by some speed spells of Rosa's. I fired - again - Cecil struck - and the thing exploded.

There was a loud noise and then silence.

Then a door swung open and a tall man clad in midnight armor yelled, "YOU WRETCH!"

Golbez!

The air filled with darkness, stifling the room; I, who was more sensitive to magic that others, choked. Golbex stood before us, with a dark cape and a massive helm with two ornate horns. His armor was dark and we could almost feel the anger seething off of him.

"You are all DEAD!" It seemed that Golbez had lost himself in fury, and we all prepared for the fight of our lives, knowing we were weakened beyond belief, but not wanting things to end like this ...

Then FuSoYa stepped forward. He had a horrible look on his face, unlike any I had seen the placid old man wearing. It was full of anger, rage, and fury. He walked right up to Golbez, standing before him, minuscule next to the tall dark man but full of power, and more terrifying than I had ever seen.

"You!" The Lunarian's voice was a command, thick with magic.

"Get away!" Golbez cried. He was nervous, almost intimidated by the old man.

"Don't you know who you are?" FuSoYa's voice boomed around the room.

Golbez shrank back. "Stop it!" he said, but his anger had fallen away.

Almost ina trance, I saw the old man approach Golbez. FuSoYa raised his hands and light shot out, bright, blinding light. I turned away for a second as the light hit Golbez. There was a terrible scream, and then the light died.

FuSoYa had fallen to the ground, and lay panting. Golbez was staring at his own hands, gloved in black. We could all sense that something strange had happened.

Then Golbex whispered: "How did I ...what is all this hatred?"

FuSoYa pushed himself upright and looked at Golbez. "Come back to your senses. Do you remember your father's name?"

"My father," Golbez whispered. "My father was ...KluYa..."

"What?" Cecil's sharp cry rang out across the silent room.

Rosa gripped his arm. "That means ..."

Edge tore his eyes from the tall dark man to look at me. "Cecil's brother?" he mouthed. I shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

FuSoYa was still lying on the ground, propped up by his arms; he looked old and incredibly weary. "You have been controlled by Zemus's telepathy. Your Lunarian blood made it easier for him." It looked as if FuSoYa were about to pass out; Edge ran to his side and propped the old man up while I rummaged in my pouch for an item of strength. He smiled wanly at us.

Cecil was staring at his hands as well. "I have been ...cursing ...and fighting ...my own brother?"

Golbez looked up slowly. "My brother?"

The two men stared at each other, both tall and regal, one dark, one light. It was a cruel mirror between them; Cecil, unhelmed, his white hair falling past his shoulders, clothed in the bright, holy gear of the Paladin; and Golbez, hidden under that evil helm, coated in his dark armor.

Then Cecil's head dropped. "It could have been me," he whispered, "whom Zemus chose."

"But it was me,"Golbez whispered in response. "My soul was stained with evil. He could not have touched you." The dark man's head snapped up then. "But me ..." He turned suddenly and headed back for the door.

"Where are you going?" Cecil was staring into space.

"I shall settle this myself." Golbez bowed his head.

FuSoYa stood up carefully. "Wait," he said softly. Golbez turned to look. "Zemus is a Lunarian, of my race. I will come with you." The old man walked over, put a hand on Golbez's arm, and then headed out the door.

Golbez, still carefully looking the other way, said, "Farewell, Cecil," and left.



Edge looked at Cecil. The Paladin showed no sign of moving. The ninja walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "Are you just gonna let him go?" Edge demanded, looking right in Cecil's face.

"Golbez ...he may lose his life," Rosa said.

"He's my brother," Cecil said, as if it pained him.

"Cecil," I began, wanting to say something comforting. But as I walked over to him the ground beneath us began to shake violently. The Giant was collapsing!

Edge swore. "The floor!"

"We have to get out of here!" I had grabbed Edge's arm to steady myself.

Rosa stood in front of Cecil, who was still motionless. "Cecil," she said, a hint of panic in her voice. His eyes remained on the floor.

"Come on," Edge said, tugging at his arm. But I said, suddenly afraid:

"Where's the exit?"

We looked around wildly. The door that Golbez had used had vanished. Our path back to the mouth of the Giant had crumbled. There was nowhere else to go.

Then a voice called out suddenly: "Come this way!"

Kain?

The dragoon appeared, swinging open a secret door near the one Golbez and FuSoYa had exited. He motioned to us.

"Kain!" Rosa called.

Edge's voice was full of fury. "What are you doing here?"

Kain held his gaze. "We'll talk later. Come on, get out of there!"

Just then the ground heaved beneath us; we had no choice but to trust Kain. Rosa grabbed Cecil's arm and finally the Paladin followed us out. Kain led us to a small platform and a very small ship. The entire Giant was quaking now, and we heard explosions coming from somewhere below us.

I still have no idea how we returned to the Big Whale. I remember a short flight in what seemed to be a glider of some sort; I remember explosions and flame; and I remember someone's strong arms grabbing me and hauling me into the safety of the Lunar Whale. When I finally stopped shaking and opened my eyes, I saw that we were all inside the great ship.

Kain was pacing. "I've broken free of the spell," he said slowly. "But I don't ...I don't expect forgiveness ..."

Edge was on his feet in a flash. "Forgiveness? The Giant was revived because of you!"

Kain took a step back, but the ninja was in his face, teeth bared. Edge reached to his back for his sword; Kain stepped backward again, putting his hand on his spear. I tensed, not wanting to see it -

Rosa vaulted herself out of her chair and threw her body between the two men. "Stop it!" she cried. She faced Edge. "Golbez himself was also under control! It's not Kain's fault!"

There were tears in her voice, and Edge slowly backed down, his arms falling to his sides. Behind Rosa, Kain bowed his head. "Golbez as well?"

Rosa then turned to face him. "Golbez is Cecil's brother." There was a long pause. "A Lunarian called Zemus was controlling him from the moon."

"FuSoYa helped Golbez remember," I added. "Now they're going to the moon to fight Zemus."

"Golbez ..." There was much thought in Kain's voice. "Then I am going to the moon too," he said slowly. "To get even."

Edge snorted. "You'll just get hypnotized again."

"Look," Kain said fiercely, striding up to face the ninja. "If that happens again, just take care of me, okay?"

"Then I'm coming too," Edge said evenly, staring Kain in the face. "I want to get Zemus just as bad."

"We'll all go." Cecil stood up; he took a breath, and then turned. "Rosa, I want you and Rydia to stay."

What? My heart plummeted.

"Cecil," Rosa began; I just yelled, "NO!"

"Look," Cecil said. "I doubt we'll all come back. I want you two to be safe, no matter what."

"Cecil," Rosa said firmly. "No."

Cecil took two steps and bent over Rosa, looking at her with fire in her eyes. "Get off," he ordered.

Rosa's eyes filled with tears and shock; wordless, she turned quickly, gathering her cape behind her, and ran off.

I was full of rage and despair. Cecil turned to me, the same order in his eyes. I backed up slowly, preparing to make my last stand. But Edge cornered me and said, "Now, Rydia. You be a good girl and stay home."

"Idiot!" I slapped him across the face and ran for the door. "Think it's sweet of you to say that, hotshot?" I looked daggers at everyone (Edge was cradling his cheek in his hand) and walked outside to collect Rosa.

She was sitting on the steps, right near the bottom. She heard me coming up behind her and reached out to grab my hand. "I can't do it, Rydia," she whispered. "I can't leave him. I don't care."

I sighed and sat down beside her, still clasping her hand. "I feel just like you do," I said, then added hastily, "except in a different way. Look, Rosa, when I came out of the Land of Summons the most important thing to me was having a second chance to protect you guys." Rosa turned to look at me, her gray eyes full of tears. "That's the reason I left. Hell, that's the reason I trained for eleven years all by myself!" I was crying, too, openly. "I've spent my entire life telling myself that I could protect my friends! I'm not going to stay behind and let them go into danger!"

"No, you're right," Rosa said slowly, but there was steel in her voice that I had never heard before. "You're not staying behind - and neither am I."

I looked at her, confused. "But - you saw - we can't go back ..."

"Then we wait until it's too late for them to go back," she said, and headed back up the stairs. I followed her, confused. But she carefully and noiselessly swung the door open and slipped inside. I followed suit. Instead of heading into the main room, however, she opened up a small side panel. Behind it was a narrow ladder leading down into the engines of the Lunar Whale.

"We'll hide here," she whispered. Just then the engines picked up.

"Quick!" I rasped, and pulled her inside. She closed the door; darkness surrounded us. We gripped each other and the little rope ladder with all our might, terrified. Below us was the whine and moan of the machinery; around us was the darkness of space. The minutes seemed like days, but still we held on, perfectly quiet and motionless.

Finally, the ship stopped. Through the walls we could hear the men readying themselves.

Rosa hauled herself upright. "I'll go take care of this," she said, the hard edge still in her voice. "You stay here."

She left me, entering the main room. I quickly pulled myself up out of the pit and crouched on the small sill. I could hear part of the argument:

"- that's it. We're taking you back." Cecil's voice was hard.

"No," Rosa said, her voice just as cold, "you're not. I don't care what happens. As long as I'm with you."

"Rosa," Cecil said, pleading, but the White Wizard refused to give way.

"I'm staying with you, Cecil," she said softly.

Edge sighed. "Aww, where's my love," he said, teasingly. I blushed in the darkness. Was that me?

"Come on, Cecil," Kain said encouragingly.

Cecil took a deep breath - and sighed. "No matter what, I will protect you, Rosa," he said.

I yelled "Alright!" and burst through the door.

Cecil and Rosa were embracing, so it was a little awkward, but I just stood there grinning. Edge cried out, "YOU!" and made like he was going to hit me.

Cecil looked at me and shook his head, smiling. "You two..."

"I told you before, Cecil," I said matter-of-factly, "we all must work together. Besides," I said with an evil grin, "I'm the only Caller you've got. You're gonna need me."

"Rydia, you're right," Cecil said. He looked at us all, his arm around Rosa's waist, and there was pride in his eyes. We stood, ready to follow him, ready to do everything we could. We were bound together, friends yet more than that: we were our own little family. He smiled faintly and said:

"Let's fight ...together."