CHAPTER 25
THE CARDINAL'S LAST STAND
"OK, where's Delita, anyway?" Mustadio asked.
"I saw Gideon run off towards the western part of the castle," Malak said. "I bet that's where he's hiding."
Ramza and company dashed towards the western part of the courtyard. A huge wooden door that led inside the castle was half-open.
"What did I tell you?" Malak chuckled.
"Auooo! Gau go!" Gau howled as he ran forward and crashed through the door.
"Gau, wait!" Ovelia shouted. "Anything could be in there!!!"
"Gau!!!" Celes yelled as she ran inside too.
"We'd better follow them, huh?" Seifer asked as he conveniently stated the obvious.
"C'mon!" Cloud growled.
Ramza and his friends charged inside the door. The room inside was wide with a low ceiling and checkered floor tile. Gau was on all fours and growling fiercely at Gideon, who was standing on the other side of the room with a nasty glare on his face. A wooden door behind him was the only other exit from the room.
"Grrrrr!!!" Gau growled. "Bad man! You helping Delita!"
"Gideon!" Ramza declared as the entire team entered the room.
"So, you beat Law... Good. Hmmm, it looks like I'm cornered, eh?" Gideon mused. "Far from it. The door behind me leads into the King's private chapel. You'll have to get through me if you want to face him!"
"We don't have any interest in your little zealous fantasy," Meliadoul growled. "Step aside."
"No," Gideon said. "I won't allow you to ruin the future again!"
"Ruin the future?" Ramza asked. "Gideon, what're you talking about?!"
Gideon smiled sickly. "Exactly what it sounds like, Heretic Ramza. You and your little band brought great dishonor on the Glabados Church by exposing our role in the Lion War and then defeating an imaginary demon that you claimed was Saint Ajora!"
"Imaginary?!" Agrias snapped. "Where the hell have you been?! Ajora's a monster! He tried to revive himself with the Zodiac Stones so he could kill everything!"
"SILENCE!!!" Gideon yelled. "Your lies and treachery were compiled in a book called the Durai Report, which thankfully the priests confiscated. Of course, that busybody Alazlam got his fingers on it and made it half-believeable before he showed the entire world!"
"Durai Report?..." Olan asked. "Hey, that's MY report! Oh, but I lost it before we left for Zeratul... I'll have to start working on a new one."
"You'll do NO SUCH THING!!!" Gideon snarled. "Your report has slowly dissolved the power of the church. Where I come from, its power is much lower than the governments, and many people have changed their religion. It's a disaster, and it's all because of YOU!!!"
"..." Ramza said.
"The church must be in control for the world to be at peace!" Gideon yelled. "Humans are filthy, weak creatures! Only the divine can rule for a proper world order!"
"You? Divine?" Amarant snorted. "I didn't know that the 'diviine' were fat bigots."
"Hold your tongue, worm," Gideon sneered. "Don't you see? Unless the world is ruled by a higher power, there will always be wars, famine, injustice and corruption! The church MUST rule and regulate God's decrees!"
"What makes you think that the church would do any better?" Alma asked. "The church is run by humans. By your own definition, humans are corrupt and manipulative. The church would be just as bad as the governments!"
"The church is run by honorable men," Gideon protested. "Their decrees are as good as God's."
"But they AREN'T," Ramza objected. "High Priest Funeral and his Temple Knights were as corrupt as they come, and several other priests had mistresses and illegitamite children..."
"Do you take me for a fool?!" Gideon snapped as he became very emotional. "I know that some priests father illegitimates!!! I know... Because I am one of them!"
"What?!" Mustadio asked. "You're the illegitamate son of someone?"
"In a way," Gideon grumbled. "I am a descendent of the Temple Knight Rofel!"
"YOU'RE descended from Rofel?!" Meliadoul hollared. "But... But he died in Murond Death City..."
"Did you SEE him die?" Malak asked. "I bet he got out, the lousy worm..."
"Indeed he did," Gideon cackled maliciously. "That's why I'm here."
"The church didn't seem to mind Izlude and Meliadoul," Rafa said. "...And they were Vormav's children..."
"Vormav never mentioned that to the High Priest," Meliadoul sighed sadly. "As far as Funeral knew, we were just two siblings that he took under his wing."
"Grrr..." Orlandu growled. "The Ivalce sect of the church never ceases to disgust me..."
"Say what you will," Gideon huffed, "but you shall go no further! I'll destroy you to avenge Rofel, bring honor to King Delita and revive the power of the church!"
"And how are you gonna do that?!" Agrias asked. "You're outnumbered."
Gideon smiled devilishly as he pulled the Pisces Stone out of his robes.
"A Zodiac Stone!" Rad exclaimed. "He's merged with a Lucavi!!!"
"You church guys are all the same," Celia muttered.
"Always usin' those dumb stones the wrong way..." Lede added. "Of course, we know how to use 'em right... Hee hee!"
"Sometimes one must employ the methods of the enemy to acheive victory," Gideon chuckled. "Now... Feel our combined rage and die!!!"
Gideon held the stone up and a bright light filled the room. When it cleared, Gideon had been replaced by an orange bipedal fish-like monster. It had huge spikey scales, sharp claws and a long tail, all of which were directed at the party with malicious intent. There was no skin around its head; it was nothing but a fanged, evil-looking fish skull. The Pisces crest gleamed on its shoulders.
"My name is Pirahnos," the fish monster hissed. "The Bloody Angel was St. Ajora?... Yes... It's all clear now... So be it... For King, Country and Ajora, I will smite you all!"
"Get ready, guys!" Ramza shouted.
"You're goin' down!" Seifer snorted as he drew his gunblade and swung it around.
"CORAL CRUSHER!!!" Pirahnos shouted. Huge chunks of sea coral shot up from the ground and formed a cage around most of the fighters.
"Aaagggh!!!" Alma cried.
"Dammit! I can't get out!" Malak growled.
"Who didn't get caught?!" Orlandu called out.
"I didn't!" Tifa announced as she leaped back onto the battlefield.
"Neither did I!" Cloud declared.
"I'm still here," Rafa said.
"Auooo! Gau too!" Gau yelled.
"I'm all right," Ramza said.
"It looks like it's up to you guys!" Celes said. "Go get him!"
"Right!" Ramza said. "Cloud, Tifa, Rafa, Gau! Let's get him!"
"AWWWOOOGAUOOO!" Gau yowled.
The five fighters confronted Pirahnos, who chortled darkly. "The odds are in my favor now," he laughed. "What can you possibly do?"
"Enough to mop the floor with you!" Cloud said as he spun his Materia Blade around. "Let's get him, Tifa!"
"Yes!" Tifa shouted. "Hold on, Cloud! I have an idea!"
"You won't win!" Pirahnos hollared. The palms of his hands opened up and revealed circular, fanged openings. "EEL SHOCK!!!"
A swarm of electric eels slid out of the openings and flew straight at Cloud and Tifa.
"What's your plan?" Cloud asked quickly.
"Hold your sword above your head!" Tifa said.
Cloud held his sword up so that the blade pointed at the ceiling. "Like this?" he asked.
"Perfect!" Tifa announced as she dove down, grabbed Cloud's legs and started to spin around. Whirling at maximum speed, she moved towards Pirahnos and sliced up anything in her path. The eels that Pirahnos had launched became sushi when Cloud's spinning blade touched them.
"What?!" Ramza exclaimed. "What's Tifa doing?!"
"Tifa and Cloud are working as a team to make their attacks more powerful!" Rafa said.
"Oooh! Ayla know! They use Double Tech!" Ayla shouted from the cage. "Much stronger than single attack!"
"Wow," Ramza said. "So, they get stronger by working together..."
"Here we go, Cloud!" Tifa announced as the spinning duo neared Pirahnos.
"Whaaaaahhhh!!!" Cloud yelled. His face was turning green, but he held firm and tightened his grip on the sword.
"What are you-AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!" Pirahnos roared as the Materia Blade embedded itself in his stomach. His scales, however, absorbed most of the blow and halted the spinning. Tifa was thrown off balance and crashed to the ground. Pirahnos pulled Cloud and his blade out of his gut and glared at him.
"Eh heh heh..." Cloud chuckled embarassedly. "...Oops?"
Pirahnos's response was sending an electrical shock through Cloud's body. "AAAAAHHHH!!!" Cloud screamed as the current rushed through him and forced him to involuntarily twitch. After thrity seconds passed, Pirahnos tossed the smoking Cloud aside.
"Cloud!!!" Tifa yelled as she ran to him and helped him up. "Speak to me! Are you OK?!"
"Cloud's not in right now..." Cloud wheezed as steam poured out of his mouth. "...Can I take a message?..."
"Come on, Rafa! Let's try combining our own attacks!" Ramza called to Rafa as he rushed between Pirahnos and Tifa.
"All right!" Rafa cried as she joined her love in facing down the beast.
"Those whelps' blow was the only one I will allow," Pirahnos snarled. "Prepare to be shredded! OIL SPILL!!!"
Pirahnos vomited crude oil onto the floor, which made everything dirty and slippery.
"Whaaaa!!!" Gau yelled as he slid around on the oil and fell down. When he got up, his body was almost completely covered in the goo. "Auooo... Gau need bath..." he groaned.
"Say goodbye to another of your friends, Heretic Ramza," Pirahnos growled as he pointed his right hand at the oily floor. "EEL SHOCK!!!"
"Oh, no!" Ramza cried. He knew what Pirahnos was going to do: the fish demon was going to spark the oil and ignite it. Gau wouldn't be able to survive such intense heat. "Rafa, cast Hydragion Pit on Gau, now!" he shouted at Rafa.
"OK!" Rafa said. "HYDRAGION PIT!!!"
Wherever Rafa's random water-based attack exploded, the floor was washed clean of oil. She hit Gau once and he was cleansed of the gunk. "Auooo! Gau thank Rafa!" Gau barked.
"Don't thank her yet!" Pirahnos laughed as he fired his electric attack. The shock traveled along the water and rushed through Gau's body.
"GauuuoooooOOOOO!!!!!!"" Gau shrieked as he was pumped full of wattage. He toppled backward and hit the floor with a stunned expression plastered on his face.
"Gau!!!" Ramza cried.
"Don't worry," Rafa said. "That shock was nothing compared what would have happened had the oil caught fire."
"Now it's YOUR turn!" Pirahnos roared as he stomped towards Ramza and Rafa. "No more games. I'll kill anyone who threatens the church... starting with YOU!!!"
"Rafa, now!" Ramza said. "Let's combine our attacks!"
"I'm with you, Ramza!" Rafa replied as she put her hands together and prepared to chant one of her spells.
"You won't beat me..." Pirahnos laughed. "JOLT BARRIER!!!" He thrust his arms apart and an electric sphere surrounded him.
"He uses electricity a lot..." Ramza said. "How can we stop him?..."
"Remember, water conducts electricity!" Mustadio shouted. "Be careful!!!"
"Water... Wait, that's it!" Ramza said. "Rafa, get ready to use another Hydragion Pit spell!"
"But Ramza, that won't work!..." Rafa exclaimed. "...Will it?"
"I have an idea..." Ramza said. "It's a gamble, but I'm willing to try it. Send your water magic into my Ultima spell!"
"...All right..." Rafa said. "I trust you, Ramza!"
"What rubbish!" Pirahnos chortled as he advanced on the two fighters. "Now to stomp you out..."
"Now!" Ramza shouted. Both Rafa and he started to chant spells.
"What're they doing?..." Tifa asked as she hoisted Cloud into a standing position (he was leaning on her heavily).
Suddenly, Ramza and Rafa began to glow with a bluish-white hue. "What's happening?!" Agrias asked.
"I get it!" Amarant said. "They're learnin' a Double Tech, like Ayla said.
"Go Ramza!" Lede cheered. "Get that overgrown guppy!!!"
"I won't let you!!!" Pirahnos shouted. "EEL SHOCK!!!"
"Water, life force of the planet!" Rafa and Ramza chanted at the same time. "HYDRO WAVE!!!"
From out of nowhere, a massive tidal wave swept through the room. It was so massive that it washed the eels that Pirahnos had launched away. "WHAT?!" Pirahnos roared. "But... But..."
"And now we'll do the same with that barrier and you!!!" Ramza and Rafa shouted simultaneously.
"Wow! That was awesome!!!" Celes exclaimed.
"Ramza and Rafa are moving with one voice and mind," Orlandu explained. "It's the power of love at work."
"It also Double Tech!" Ayla added. "They very strong! Double Tech even stronger!"
"You fools!" Pirahnos laughed. "If you send water against me, I'll shock the whole room!!!"
"That's what YOU think!!!" Ramza and Rafa shouted. "HYDRO WAVE!!!"
Another tidal wave swept through the room. Pirahnos cackled with glee as he thought of how nasty the shock would be when the water hit his electic barrier, but he was sorely mistaken. The water touched the barrier and suddenly Pirahnos felt HIMSELF being shocked. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" he roared as his jaw opened wide and a horrible black tongue lashed out and flapped wildly in the air.
"The shield is connected to Pirahnos, so the water is zapping HIM instead!" Meliadoul said.
"Nice thinking, guys!" Celia said. "I'm impressed."
"Yay! Yay! Rammy-Wammy did it!!! Oh, uh, and Rafa too, of course," Lede giggled.
"Well done, you two," Orlandu agreed.
"AAAAAAAAGAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!" Pirahnos shrieked as the electricity dove inside of him. His body began to smoke and twitch. Huge air bubbles rose up through his skin and burst and his scales melted away. It was a gruesome sight, to say the least.
"Ewww..." Alicia said as she stuck out her tongue.
"Wasn't there a more pleasant way of beating him?" Lavian asked.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Pirahnos shrieked as what was left of his body burst into flame. "MASTER... KING DELITA... ROFEL... FORGIVE ME..."
Pirahnos exploded and fish guts went flying everywhere. The coral cage shattered and everyone was freed. When the smoke cleared, all that remained where Pirahnos had been standing was the cerulean Pisces Stone.
"Another one bites the dust," Seifer mused. "Awesome!"
"Delita's all that's left now," Rad said.
"We must stop him to restore peace," Ovelia said. "Let's go."
"We'll probably find the other Zodiac Stones somewhere in the castle," Ramza said. "Let's hurry!"
"Cloud, are you OK?!" Tifa asked.
"Ohhhh... I'm all right..." Cloud coughed. "I'm never eating fish again..."
"Oh, you had me so worried!" Tifa asked as she grabbed Cloud in a choking hug.
"(GAG)," Cloud replied.
"Auuooooo..." Gau moaned as he got up.
"Gau, are you all right?" Ovelia asked as she walked over and knelt down next to the wild boy.
"Gau just fine!" Gau laughed. "...But Gau afraid of thunderstorms for while..."
"That's good," Ovelia said. "I'm glad."
"We'd better hurry," Olan said. "Delita's waiting for us, I'm sure!"
Ramza opened the door that Gideon had been guarding. Beyond it was a flight of steps that led upwards.
"This is the path to Delita's sanctuary," Balmafula said. "It's where he knifed me last time... Let's get moving."
"Everyone started forward when the door behind them opened with a slam. "...Hold," a familiar voice said.
"Huh?!" Alma and Ramza asked as they turned around and looked at who had made the sound. Everhart was standing in the doorway. His armor was still cracked, his head was bare and he had a very cold expression on his face. Cloud glared at the Lancer.
"Everhart!" Alma exclaimed.
"Go no further," Everhart growled.
"Why?" Rad asked. "What's up, Everhart?"
"Your quest is at an end," Everhart said. "Prepare yourselves."
"What?!" Agrias snarled. "Are you crazy?!"
Everhart raised his fist in the air and it glowed pitch black. All the Zodiac Stones in the bag that Alma had given him floated out and began to orbit around him. His pupils' colors changed from pitch-black to bright green and shrank until they were merely dots. He gritted his teeth and the Zodiac Stones rotated around him faster.
"Look out!" Amarant growled. "He's gone nuts!"
"...Everhart?..." Ramza asked. "...What's wrong with you?..."
