Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the related characters, etc.
Note: Did you find the last chapter ironic considering I was mad? Hmm. Maybe I am giving myself subliminal messages….
Chapter 13: Losing Faith
Warning: This chapter is a high PG 13, or a low R. I take no responsibility for minors reading this. You have been warned!!!
Squall loaded a heavy box onto the Ragnarok. Selphie, and the others helped Dr. Odine put take his necessary tools to Fisherman's Point. Zell, Quistis, and Xu had returned that afternoon from the town, and had Mayor Dobe's full support after some forceful delegations. Squall didn't really care how they got his help as ling as they had it. Laguna watched the work from a high window, drinking his coffee as well as nursing his hangover. Kiros stood behind him, and held a report in his hands. Ward was helping the loading.
Laguna: What is it?
Kiros: Sir, there has been another murder.
Laguna shook his head in disgust, and took a sip of his coffee. It tasted funny, and he glanced at it. A sickening aroma came from the red liquid in his mug. He froze in fear, or perhaps shock as a face appeared in the blood. It was that of his foe, the sorceress. She cackled at him, and called him a foolish boy.
Sorceress: Laguna, you foolish human. Do you really expect to defeat me? Perhaps you plan on delegating your way out of this one?
She gave a low, hissing chuckle, as he seemed to somewhat recognize the haunting voice.
Laguna: Who the hell are you?!
Kiros: Great, now he's senile. What next? Blind?
Sorceress: Your little friend can't hear, or see me, Laguna Liore. Raine can. (she gave an evil smirk) Perhaps your friend had a good idea. Eyesight taken from you would be something. Who would shoot your gun? Or perhaps sign your oh-so-important legal documents as president? Laguna? Did you ever once-
She faded as Ellone entered the room. She breathed heavily, and collapsed to her knees. Kiros , and Laguna both ran to her side, and Laguna took her into his arms. After he got a good hold of her, he looked at his coffee mug, which was now filled with water.
Ellone (gasping for breath): She…she…she's here. Rinoa….saw…her…aura….and I sensed…her…mind….
Laguna: I know.
Kiros: Huh? Is that who you yelled at? But I didn't see anybody here.
Laguna: Perhaps she can't be beaten if she has been watching us. She knows we're up to something, but I don't know if she knows what exactly. I want her alive. Bring her to me ALIVE.
Kiros: That's a huge risk, Laguna. Even Zell wouldn't take that-
Laguna: I am not Zell, and I need to know something. Bring her alive!
Kiros: sigh I'll go tell Squall. (mutters "Bring her alive to himself.")
Ellone: I need to go to Winhill. Lend me the Phoenix. Please, Uncle Laguna.
Laguna: If you can sense her, then you need to be protected. You are staying in Esthar.
Ellone (on the verge of tears): Let me go. I am not the little girl you rescued years ago. I can do something to help, so let me.
Laguna (looking into her welled up eyes as his own are about to shed a tear): Fine. Take Ward with you, though, and dome troops.
Ellone: I won't need them.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
Squall put the last box onto the lift, and started to walk to the cockpit. The others were doing so as well, and Kiros came running up to Squall. The middle aged figure slumped to half of his height when he had reached his destination.
Kiros: Man, I am out of shape. Whew. Squall?
Squall (stops, and turns to the pathetic man): What?
Kiros: Don't kill…the sorceress….Keep her alive, and bring her here. Whew, I'm out of breath.
Squall: What the-?! Whose orders?!
Kiros: Laguna's.
Squall: What the hell for?!
Kiros: Something about questions.
Squall: ….
Squall speed walked into Laguna's office, his steps sounded like pounds on the lightning bolts of Zeus in the forge. Kiros told the others to wait for Squall, then he ran to catch up with the livid hero.
Squall: Who the hell does he think he is?! We'll be lucky to kill this bitch, and he wants us to keep her alive?! He's an f#$%ing moron.
**********************
The set of double doors swung open with a crash in Laguna's office. The president of Esthar rose to his feet in shock, and dropped the report. It flipped to a gruesome scene of death, and ritual murder, the work of our villain.
The throat of the naked woman had been ripped out with claws as her abdomen had been slashed open. Her entrails lay scattered on the floor, and her neck had been twisted around a full circle- counter clockwise. An oddly shaped T was etched into her back jaggedly along with the number 17. Her chest had a large hole in it, as if someone, or something had plunged her hand into it. The woman's heart had been ripped out while it was still beating. A large bite had been taken from it, and stuffed into the victim's mouth. The legs, and arms were ferociously gashed, and ripped apart, revealing the muscles, bones, ligaments, and other parts. An odd burn was on what was left of the victim's chest, and gashed were on every other part of her body. She lay in a pool of her own blood, covered in it as well. The only part that wasn't bloodied was a small patch on her neck, where her attacker had drank from her life force. 2 small puncture wounds were evident on what remained of her throat, and lick marks accompanied it. She lay naked from the mere fact that her clothes were literally in shreds. They had been slashed along with the woman's flesh, and were no match for the murderer's claws.
The once steel stomached president threw up into a potted plant, and held himself up on the wall. Squall looked at the picture, and grimaced. Laguna wanted the creature that did this alive? How could he want something this vile to live at all. Even Hades wasn't a cruel enough punishment for this sorceress. She had done this many times, and has gotten away with it so far. He would bring her down himself, despite Laguna's orders.
Squall looked at his father, and the picture again. He thumbed through the file, and saw different angles of the scene. People were splattered with blood, and the scene was in the middle of a mall. In the food court no less. Ironically, it was in Esthar. That morning. Squall noticed the number on the woman's back, and frowned. 17? There were only 16 including this one. She was the 16th victim, so why did she have a 17?
He continued to look at the witness reports. Apparently the slaughter occurred in a matter a second. Impossible. The murder had to have taken at least few minutes – at least! The gashes alone would have taken at least 5 minutes. How could this have occurred in one second?!
She could have easily taken Rinoa that morning. He hadn't seen her since….His mind raced as he tried to remember when he saw Rinoa last. Could she be the sixteenth victim?! He hyperventilated as he thought of her being strewn across the mall floor. He hadn't notice the name of the victim either. Was she Rinoa? The face had been hidden beneath the blood, and hair. He found the paper of victim 411, and found the name of her: Astrai, Faith.
He breathed normally after he realized that she wasn't Rinoa, or Ocean….His mind raced again after realizing that either one could be the 16th. He just remembered that Rinoa had been with him all morning, and was safe. Oceania had said that she didn't have much time left… He hated the thought of her being murdered as well.
His stomach churned. She said she would be waiting with Death at his demise. She'd have to die before him to do so. Had she prophesied her own death, and he didn't realize it? He panicked again that perhaps he could have saved her, but didn't. He had let her down.
He began to wonder if there was any chance for them to beat their foe. He doubted it. He fell back into his emotional rut again, and dropped the papers.
Note: 1) You finally get some gore. Not really detailed though…. I kind of just ate…a while ago…so I am not hungry, thus I am not in let's-eat-meat-mode. I get gross then. Red meat is good to eat! 2) Oh, yeah, the murderer isn't a sexual predator. She drinks, and sucks souls/power, and then totally slaughters them. They are fully clothed when she drinks their blood, and stuff. Just wanted to point that out so you don't get the wrong idea, k? 3) The title has a double meaning if you look hard enough.
