Chapter 34
Diablos grinned at Bahamut and exploded into a cloud of bats. The bats reassembled into a floating black sphere that hovered close to the ceiling. Bahamut gaped as a demonic figure descending out of the sphere feet first. Diablos now had blood red skin that had dark patches along his arms legs and chest. His eyes were sunk deep in pits above a double row of needle like teeth. Huge black horns crowned his awful face. Siren screamed in horror. He looked at her, his glowing red eyes narrowing. He turned back to Bahamut and raised a claw tipped so it touched the surface of the sphere. The sphere rippled like the surface of a pond.
"Obscura Viator!" called out Diablos in a deep and raspy voice.
He flung the sphere into the ground under Bahamut, where it expanded and enveloped the dragon in a dark explosion. The upper surface of the sphere glowed with an intricate yellow pattern made of interlocking circles. Bahamut flinched, his wings shaking.
Siren transformed in a sphere of glowing green light. Ifrit's jaw dropped. She now appeared with a gauzy strip of clothing barely covering her. Her hair flowed around her freely as if it were weightless. She strummed the string of her harp.
"Aphonos Stoma!" she sung in a reverberating voice.
Water appeared around her and crashed against the rocks of the cavern as she played a gentle melody accompanied by her echoing and haunting voice. The water turned to waves of golden music that pummeled Bahamut. The water receded.
Bahamut opened his jaws and roared. No sound came out, but the breeze pushed Diablos and Siren back. The great dragon unfurled his wings and began to hover.
Ifrit glanced at Shiva helplessly.
"They told us not to help," said Shiva.
Bahamut opened up his mouth and a bright beam of blue light emerged that struck Diablos in the chest, sending him sprawling. He collided with the ceiling, snapping off stalactites as his tumbled. He struck the back wall and slumped to the floor near Shiva and Ifrit.
"Diablos!" cried Siren.
"I'm going to help anyway," said Ifrit.
Ifrit's body glowed red as he transformed into his Esper form. He hovered in the air and floated over next to Siren.
"Jahannam Naar!" called out Ifrit.
A flaming meteor burst out of the ground and Ifrit hopped onto it, his arms folded across his chest. It collided with the ceiling of the cavern, raining rocks down below. Siren shielded her head. Bahamut shook them off. Daylight streamed in through the new hole in the ceiling. Bahamut squinted and saw Ifrit hop off the meteor and backhand it back down. It crashed on top of Bahamut and erupted into flames.
"Hiraka Dhula!" cried Shiva.
As the flames subsided a spar of ice broke through the floor. Entombed within was Shiva, her arms folded as if in prayer. Her eyes flicked open and the ice around her shattered into thousands of pieces. She raised her arms and interlaced her fingers. A volley of ice spikes erupted from the floor around Bahamut, briefly encasing him before exploding.
"Sight unseen, let no one see thy deeds.Blind!" cast Diablos.
Purple light enveloped Bahamut and he roared mutely. He swung at Diablos, but he neatly dodged.
Bahamut breathed out the intense blue beam again, this time sweeping it across the room. Ifrit and Siren were both struck and flung backwards. Ifrit reached out and caught her and turned so he absorbed the blow when they struck the cavern wall.
"Ifrit!" called out Shiva.
"Siren!" yelled Diablos.
"Arctic winds, blow through and freeze the blood of my foes.Ice!" called out Shiva.
She crystallized a ball of ice spikes and flung it at Bahamut's head where they imbedded. He shook them off.
By now Siren had managed to stand up.
"Time, anoint us with thy power.Slow!" she chanted.
A white light appeared around Bahamut and his movements changed as if he was swimming through molasses.
"Why didn't you cast that in the first place you bitch?" barked Diablos irritably.
"You told me to silence him!" she retorted.
"Well at least you didn't die," he muttered.
Ifrit lurched painfully to his feet and he saw Bahamut begin to glow with a faint blue aura. It shimmered and pulsated. They all began to glow in the same color. Their auras resonated against each other.
Bahamut began to laugh mutely.
They prepared to cast but Bahamut merely hovered there. His voice appeared in their minds.
{So, my own kind has come to hunt me}
"We're not here to hunt you, we need your help," said Shiva.
{For what? To please the whim of some King?}
Ifrit limped painfully over.
"The Eboshi Confederation is trying to exterminate all Espers," said Ifrit, "The only way to defeat them is an alliance between our two Kingdoms."
Bahamut arched an eye ridge.
{Two Kingdoms?}
"We are from Asgard," said Shiva, "Diablos and Siren here are from Golgatha."
{Aren't you foes as well?}
Ifrit glanced first at Shiva then to Diablos and Siren.
"In this case the enemy of our enemy is our friend," said Ifrit.
Bahamut grinned toothily.
{Ha! Well spoken little fellow!}
Ifrit bristled a bit. "Little?" he asked.
{I respect your strength and your common purpose! I will permit you to summon me once! Do not waste that opportunity!}
Shiva bowed her head. "Thank you Great Wyrm," she said.
{I may even deign to bring help with me. Now begone!}
Diablos grinned at Bahamut and exploded into a cloud of bats. The bats reassembled into a floating black sphere that hovered close to the ceiling. Bahamut gaped as a demonic figure descending out of the sphere feet first. Diablos now had blood red skin that had dark patches along his arms legs and chest. His eyes were sunk deep in pits above a double row of needle like teeth. Huge black horns crowned his awful face. Siren screamed in horror. He looked at her, his glowing red eyes narrowing. He turned back to Bahamut and raised a claw tipped so it touched the surface of the sphere. The sphere rippled like the surface of a pond.
"Obscura Viator!" called out Diablos in a deep and raspy voice.
He flung the sphere into the ground under Bahamut, where it expanded and enveloped the dragon in a dark explosion. The upper surface of the sphere glowed with an intricate yellow pattern made of interlocking circles. Bahamut flinched, his wings shaking.
Siren transformed in a sphere of glowing green light. Ifrit's jaw dropped. She now appeared with a gauzy strip of clothing barely covering her. Her hair flowed around her freely as if it were weightless. She strummed the string of her harp.
"Aphonos Stoma!" she sung in a reverberating voice.
Water appeared around her and crashed against the rocks of the cavern as she played a gentle melody accompanied by her echoing and haunting voice. The water turned to waves of golden music that pummeled Bahamut. The water receded.
Bahamut opened his jaws and roared. No sound came out, but the breeze pushed Diablos and Siren back. The great dragon unfurled his wings and began to hover.
Ifrit glanced at Shiva helplessly.
"They told us not to help," said Shiva.
Bahamut opened up his mouth and a bright beam of blue light emerged that struck Diablos in the chest, sending him sprawling. He collided with the ceiling, snapping off stalactites as his tumbled. He struck the back wall and slumped to the floor near Shiva and Ifrit.
"Diablos!" cried Siren.
"I'm going to help anyway," said Ifrit.
Ifrit's body glowed red as he transformed into his Esper form. He hovered in the air and floated over next to Siren.
"Jahannam Naar!" called out Ifrit.
A flaming meteor burst out of the ground and Ifrit hopped onto it, his arms folded across his chest. It collided with the ceiling of the cavern, raining rocks down below. Siren shielded her head. Bahamut shook them off. Daylight streamed in through the new hole in the ceiling. Bahamut squinted and saw Ifrit hop off the meteor and backhand it back down. It crashed on top of Bahamut and erupted into flames.
"Hiraka Dhula!" cried Shiva.
As the flames subsided a spar of ice broke through the floor. Entombed within was Shiva, her arms folded as if in prayer. Her eyes flicked open and the ice around her shattered into thousands of pieces. She raised her arms and interlaced her fingers. A volley of ice spikes erupted from the floor around Bahamut, briefly encasing him before exploding.
"Sight unseen, let no one see thy deeds.Blind!" cast Diablos.
Purple light enveloped Bahamut and he roared mutely. He swung at Diablos, but he neatly dodged.
Bahamut breathed out the intense blue beam again, this time sweeping it across the room. Ifrit and Siren were both struck and flung backwards. Ifrit reached out and caught her and turned so he absorbed the blow when they struck the cavern wall.
"Ifrit!" called out Shiva.
"Siren!" yelled Diablos.
"Arctic winds, blow through and freeze the blood of my foes.Ice!" called out Shiva.
She crystallized a ball of ice spikes and flung it at Bahamut's head where they imbedded. He shook them off.
By now Siren had managed to stand up.
"Time, anoint us with thy power.Slow!" she chanted.
A white light appeared around Bahamut and his movements changed as if he was swimming through molasses.
"Why didn't you cast that in the first place you bitch?" barked Diablos irritably.
"You told me to silence him!" she retorted.
"Well at least you didn't die," he muttered.
Ifrit lurched painfully to his feet and he saw Bahamut begin to glow with a faint blue aura. It shimmered and pulsated. They all began to glow in the same color. Their auras resonated against each other.
Bahamut began to laugh mutely.
They prepared to cast but Bahamut merely hovered there. His voice appeared in their minds.
{So, my own kind has come to hunt me}
"We're not here to hunt you, we need your help," said Shiva.
{For what? To please the whim of some King?}
Ifrit limped painfully over.
"The Eboshi Confederation is trying to exterminate all Espers," said Ifrit, "The only way to defeat them is an alliance between our two Kingdoms."
Bahamut arched an eye ridge.
{Two Kingdoms?}
"We are from Asgard," said Shiva, "Diablos and Siren here are from Golgatha."
{Aren't you foes as well?}
Ifrit glanced first at Shiva then to Diablos and Siren.
"In this case the enemy of our enemy is our friend," said Ifrit.
Bahamut grinned toothily.
{Ha! Well spoken little fellow!}
Ifrit bristled a bit. "Little?" he asked.
{I respect your strength and your common purpose! I will permit you to summon me once! Do not waste that opportunity!}
Shiva bowed her head. "Thank you Great Wyrm," she said.
{I may even deign to bring help with me. Now begone!}