The Blade Of A Lion
Chapter 5
It could have been fifteen minutes. It could have been an hour or more. But they waited. Zell wandered restless back and forth, Seifer, even more restless, looked down to the ground while waving the gunblade with his wrist muscle. Squall stood still, sometimes shifting uncomfortably.
A bell rang far away. They had been listening to explosions far away, healing their wounds, cleaned their weapons and spent time, looking at and playing with the dog who was still wandering between them. Zell called it 'doggy'. Seifer called it 'furface'. All they did was waiting. Even Squall could feel his patience beginning to fade away.
"Nothing," Squall said.
"Man... Now this is what I call boring," Zell growled. "This ain't right, man!" Squall just shook his head. He agreed with Zell, but he chose not to show it.
"Still keeping us waiting...?" Seifer mumbled. Then he started swinging his gunblade in fury. "That's it...! I can't take it anymore!" he shouted. 'Great, our squad leader lost his patience', Squall thought. "What is this, some kind of dog training?" Seifer complained. He put his gunblade away, but was still twitching with impatience. Upon hearing the word 'dog training', Doggy Furface started smelling in the air, before it ran towards the western square entrance. It howled, like it had found its scent source. Squall and Zell immediately took cover, in case something showed up. Seifer remained standing, hidden behind a statue. The SeeDs looked over to where Doggy Furface was standing, and saw a familiar blue uniform. A Galbadian soldier appeared, looking around. He then waved his hand to something, or someone, behind him.
"It's the enemy," Squall whispered as a number of soldiers walked by, silently. It was obvious they were trying to act incognito.
"Where the hell they goin'?" Zell asked when the last soldier had passed and the SeeD's came out from their hidden positions. "Hey? What's up there?" Zell asked, and pointed towards a structure that could be seen up in the mountains in the west. It looked like some kind of a tower, but they weren't sure.
"Our next destination!" Seifer exclaimed. Zell twitched and looked at Seifer like he had lost his mind.
"But that's against orders!" he said.
"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer asked, glaring at Zell.
"Squall!" Zell turned to Squall, trying to catch some support from the brown-haired teenager. Squall turned his back to the other two.
"I stand by the captain's decision!" he said. Seifer turned around, looking at Squall with a surprised look.
"Captain's decision?" he said, walking up to Squall. "You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" Seifer smiled, placing a hand on Squall's shoulder. Squall shoved the hand away the next second.
"It's a good opportunity to test out my training," Squall said without any sign of emotion. "Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone. Even if they do fight dirty, like you!" Seifer turned away on the last remark.
"You'll thank me when the time comes," he said.
"What the hell...," Zell said, walking up to them. "I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like all buddy-buddy now," he puzzled. He looked at them, before dropping his hands down his sides. "Listen. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders!"
"Then you stay here," Seifer cut him off. "I don't need any boy scouts!"
"What was that!!!?" Zell growled, taking a fighting stance.
"Don't take him seriously, Zell," Squall said, trying to calm the blonde teenager down. Then he turned to Seifer. "Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry!" Seifer nodded, then pointed his gunblade towards the mountains.
"The enemy is headed for the facility. We, Squad B, are to secure the summit. Move out!" he said, before running off.
"Alright," Squall said, following Seifer.
"Tch... Fine...," Zell finally said after a little hesitation, then followed the two gunbladers.
They didn't get all that far. The road was blocked by several soldiers, who started firing spells at them as soon as they got onto the bridge that headed for the mountains. The SeeDs managed to dodge the spells, and continued onward. As soon as they reached the soldiers, the battle begun. Squall and Zell used the opportunities they could find to draw magic, while Seifer dived head first into fights with one soldier after another. He was a well trained fighter, but the soldiers were good. He received some bruises and cuts. One soldier tried to slash him from behind as two others were fighting Seifer at his front. Seifer ducked to avoid a blow, then punched the second soldier in his stomach before he spun around and met the back-attacking soldier with the tip of his gunblade. Immediately after, he withdrew his gunblade, stabbed it through the first soldier, before slicing open the last soldier's throat. Squall and Zell teamed up against the two remaining soldiers, putting a quick end to the fight.
Approaching the mountain, Squall could see a soldier that was down, lying on the side of the road. He was dead, and it had happened recently. The road ahead of them went upward the mountainside. Seifer had stopped, and Squall and Zell headed to him.
"Ahhh! W-Who are you!?" A soldier in a Dollet uniform crawled out of the bushes beside the road. He looked terrified, and was covered in wounds and bruises. He looked at the SeeDs with fear plastered all across his face.
"Don't worry. We're SeeD candidates!" Squall said in a friendly tone, to calm the man down. "We've been dispatched by Garden!"
"So what's going on up there?" Seifer asked. The soldier managed to calm a little, seeing other faces than Galbadian soldiers.
"The Galbadian soldiers have entered the communication tower," he said, looking up the road. "On top of that... that place has always been a nesting ground for monsters," he added. 'If that is so, is there a good idea to hide in the bushes?' Squall thought. "If you're going up, be caref..." The soldier was cut off by something snapping his leg. A giant snake caught his leg, dragging him into back into the bushes. "H-HEEELP!!!" the soldier cried. Squall ran to him, grabbed his arm and pulled it towards him, trying to prevent the monster from taking the soldier. It turned to be a pulling struggle. Two years of constant training each day with a gunblade paid off when he dragged the soldier out of the creature's mouth and into safety. The next minute, Seifer cut the head off the giant snake. Then, another wheezing was heard. Another snake, this one bigger than the last one, crawled out from the bushes. Squall, Zell and Seifer took their fighting positions, facing the giant snake.
"An anacondaur!" Squall said after throwing a Scan-spell on it. The Scan was a useful spell against unfamiliar enemies. Immediately after casting, one could tell how strong or swift the monster was, how it lived and attacked, and one could learn the monster's elemental attributes; what it was strong against, what it eventually absorbed and what its weakness was. Zell immediately started by drawing from the giant snake.
"It holds Fire and Cure!" he exclaimed. Squall and Seifer ran ahead to slash at the giant snake. Squall missed his target, and had to withdraw as the anacondaur snapped after him. Seifer managed to hit it, but not perfectly. His gunblade slid against the anacondaur's scales, giving the creature room to curl around Seifer. It squeezed him, tightening its grip more and more. Seifer's face turned red, then blue and slightly violet. But not for long. Squall and Zell rushed to the snake holding their captain. Zell caught the snake's neck, holding it out from Seifer, giving Squall the room he needed to chop the creature's head off. Anacondaur blood gushed from its body as it became limp. Without further exhaustion, Seifer could get rid of the snake body holding him. He shot the two an angry glare. So much gratitude for being saved. Seifer reached into his pocket for a potion, which he drank in a quick sip. Squall wiped the snake blood off his gunblade, before sheathing it back where it belonged. He bent down to check on the soldier they just had rescued. The wound on his foot bled badly. He had fainted, maybe to never wake up again.
"Monsters, huh?" Squall said as he arose and looked up the road.
"That sucks," Zell said.
"More fun for us. Come on...," Seifer said, before heading upwards. He was one to talk, nearly being choked to death.
"Fun? Pu-lease...," Zell sighed. Then he headed after Squall.
It took them a long while to climb the mountain, even though they followed the road. That, because they met a few monsters and Galbadian soldiers on their way. When they reached the top, the SeeDs spotted two Galbadian soldiers standing at the entrance to the communication tower. The SeeDs hid themselves on top of a cliff, with a good view to everything that happened at the entrance. Crouching and laying flat behind rocks, they tried to catch the conversation as a third soldier came out the doors.
"The generator is up and running!" One of the soldiers said.
"No problem with the boosters!" the other one said. It was hard to hear, but not impossible. Seifer frowned.
"... The hell they doing?" he demanded silently.
"Cable disconnection confirmed! Beginning exchange progress!" a third voice said.
"Roger," The two soldiers saluted, before following the third back into the tower. The door closed, and the SeeDs got up.
"Repairs...?" Squall wondered. He didn't quite believed his own words.
"Who cares!" Seifer said. He then turned to Squall. "This must be your first real battle. You scared?" he asked. Squall didn't even looked at him.
"I don't know...," he answered. "I try not to think about it," Seifer grinned.
"I love battles. I fear nothing!" he exclaimed. "The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream!"
"What!?" Squall asked surprised, turning to Seifer. "Your dream?"
"You have one too, don't you?" Seifer asked. Squall crossed his arms, and looked away from Seifer.
"...Sorry, but I'm gonna pass on that subject," Squall said. Zell walked up to them.
"Yo! Let me in on it, too!" he said. He felt uncomfortable being left outside.
"Mind your own business," Seifer said, casting a mocking glance at Zell.
"Friggin' hell...," Zell growled, delivering a few punches in the air in front of Seifer. This merely caught Seifer's attention.
"What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?" he laughed. Zell trembled with anger. Seifer just laughed, before he started walking away. Squall remained standing, and Zell's burning eyes followed the laughing Seifer. As soon as Seifer was out of hearing range, Zell punched the ground.
"Damn you...," he snarled through gritted teeth. Squall said nothing, just watched a furious Zell.
"There you are!" a female voice said. A girl with brown hair and SeeD cadet uniform came jumping over the rocks towards them. She stopped upon the nearest one, and put her hands on her knees. She seemed to have been running for a while. Just as she was to step down from the stone, she slid and lost her balance. She took a dive, and rolled down to the path where Squall and Zell were standing. She was a bit taken by surprise, but she rise her head and smiled upon the two guys. Then she stood up. "Are you... Squad B?" she asked. Then she took a closer look at Squall. Her eyes trailed all over his face, before her own face lit up. "Wait a minute... You're the guy who showed me around, right!?" she asked. Her voice was mixed by childish curiosity and surprise. Squall just nodded. "Thanks!" she said, putting a cute smile on her face. "I don't get so lost anymore!" Zell looked at the girl, then at Squall. He seemed totally lost in the conversation. "Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet," the girl said. She looked at the ground. "I'm... a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A!" She seemed a little embarrassed over the 'messenger' title. Zell greeted with a handwave and Squall just nodded. Selphie looked at the two boys, then looked around her. "The squad captain's Seifer, right? Where is he?" She hadn't even finished asking, before they could see Seifer running towards the communication tower's entrance. Squall pointed in his direction, answering Selphie's question. Seifer turned against them.
"One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" he shouted. Then he turned and entered the tower.
"This sure is tough...," Selphie sighed. "Captain! Wait up!!!" she then shouted, before jumping the cliff. Squall looked at her with surprise, and Zell thought she was crazy. She landed hard on the ground, but was up really quickly, running towards the tower. "What are you waiting for!? Come on! Come on!" she shouted up to the two boys still standing on top of the cliff. After a quick thinking, Squall decided to walk the way down from the cliff and getting to the tower the normal way. Zell followed him. It took them a little while to get down and getting to an impatient Selphie.
"What took you so long?" she demanded. "It would've been much quicker if you'd just jumped,"
"Much quicker? Pu-lease...," Zell sighed. "...You wouldn't normally jump off a cliff, OK!?" he said, almost scolding Selphie. "Ain't that right, Squall?"
"Yeah. I guess so," Squall said. "You wouldn't normally jump that," That was said with as little interest as possible.
"Hmmm... I don't know...," Selphie mumbled. "Well, anyway, let's get going! Has everyone equipped a GF?" she asked.
"We have," Squall said. "Have you?" Selphie looked down.
"Well... Actually...," she stammered.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten it," Zell said.
"I...," Selphie started, but was cut off by Squall.
"Don't start it! I've got both Shiva and Ifrit, you can have Shiva," he said, taking Selphie's hand. Squall searched within him, ordering Shiva to let him go and ensnare a new master; Selphie.
-As you wish, SeeD cadet- the GF said directly into Squall's mind. Then, it was like a part of him disappeared within, leaving a hole. A hole that itched. The cold feeling inside him disappeared. The only one inside him now, was Ifrit.
"Thank you," Selphie said.
"Try to remember next time," Squall said, turning away. Heading towards the entrance, Zell looked up to catch the view of the colossal structure.
"So this is the communication tower...?" he said.
"Sure is big...," Selphie added. More wasn't said before loud screams were heard from inside the tower. The door flew open, and two soldiers came running out. Following right behind them, swinging his gunblade, was Seifer.
"Cowards!" he spat, before heading inside. Selphie barely made to shout a 'HEEEY' at him before the doors closed.
"The captain's getting away!" she said, waving her hands. They entered the communication tower right away.
Inside, a good deal of corpses were lying on the ground. No doubt Seifer had been there. An elevator coming down immediately caught everyone's attention.
"...Did he go up?" Squall wondered.
"Heey! Squad B captain!" Selphie shouted. The shout echoed through the tower, but no reply was heard. Squall looked around, but no Seifer could be seen. Instead, he spotted another thing. A draw point! He went over to it to examine. A crack in the structure gave room for the purple steam to flow upwards. Squall kneeled down and caught a little of the purple steam in his hand. He tried to memorise the signatures they have been taught at their magic classes. He found it was Blind magic.
"How is your magic status?" Squall asked. Himself had a quite large stock of magic, being able to draw from the various battles they have had this far.
"I'm good," Zell said. Selphie said nothing, and Squall could guess it perfectly.
"You had no GF junctioned, meaning you have no magic now, am I right?" Squall asked. Selphie nodded slowly. Squall sighed, then offered some of the spells he had stocked. "Don't make this a habit," he mumbled, glaring at Selphie. She just nodded. "Now you can draw the Blind from here," Squall said, and headed towards the elevator. Zell followed him, while Selphie drawed the magic, stocking up 13 units of Blind.
"Alright!" she cheered. "13 units!"
"I think we can take this lift up...," Squall said, ignoring Selphie. They all got on, and the lift soon started to move.
"Wow, this lift is really cool!" Selphie giggled.
"Don't get too excited, or you'll fall," Zell said.
"Like I'd really do!" Selphie giggled back. 'Is it possible to be that cheerful?' Squall thought, looking at Selphie as they went upwards.
On the top of the communication tower, a Galbadian Soldier was standing. As a difference from the usual blue uniforms the soldiers was wearing, this one wore a red, and much more armoured uniform, showing he was an elite soldier. Two crosses and a star could be seen on his uniform, showing he was an officer as well. A panel on the communication tower was opened, and the soldier had his hands dug into the machinery, trying to fix the system. Sparks were flying among the wires and circuits rapidly, making the soldier feel uneasy.
Another soldier approached him, this one dressed in the usual blue Galbadian uniform. He saluted the officer doing the repairs.
"Major Biggs!" He said. "There has been a report of a monster-shaped shadow on top of the tower!"
Major Biggs didn't pay him any attention. "Major Biggs!" the soldier said again.
"Be quiet!" Biggs snapped. "I'm busy!" He mumbled something about 'never giving him a moment of peace' before trying to couple some wires. "This goes like this... And... Geez, what with these crappy old tools?" he complained. "And... and... Why do I have to make all the repairs!? AHHH!!!" The last scream was uttered from a load of frustration, combined with the fact that Biggs received a shock form one of the sparks that was flying between the circuits. The soldier felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Sir, I'll check around while the repairs are being done!" he said, before saluting and leaving the major on his own. About a few seconds later, the elevator reached the top with three SeeD candidates on it. Squall, Zell and Selphie got off the elevator as it headed down again, and looked at the soldier beside the huge panel.
"Let's see... Hmmm...," The major spoke to himself while his hands were working like crazy between the circuits. "Put this here... and... This goes here and... There! It's complete!" he exclaimed with relief. At the same time as Major Biggs removed his hands, the entire tower started to vibrate. Shooks and trembling rushed through old machinery that hadn't been in use for years, and screeches and scratches could be heard as engines covered in dust again sprang to life. The SeeDs looked around them, and tried to keep their balance within all the shaking, the sounds and the shockwaves that rushed through the tower.
Squall was confused. He had no idea what this was from the beginning, and it even made less sense now. A roaring sound behind him made him turn, watching as a huge structure practically arose from the communication tower and folded out to form a gigantic antenna. The antenna were buzzing and sparkling in white lights, giving a flash as the white light spread out all over the heaven.
Squall turned towards major Biggs. "What do you think you're doing!?" he demanded. Biggs turned around, a bit surprised by the voice.
"Huhhhh?" he said. "Likewise, MISTER! What do you think you're doing!" he demanded back. Squall folded his arms, standing his ground. Biggs seemed to be taken even more by surprise by now. "H-HEY! What happened to all the soldiers down below!?" he asked, less demanding this time. Squall kinda felt like don't telling him, considering what they had seen upon entering the tower. Biggs didn't seem to enjoy himself. "WEDGE!" He called. "Take care of these twerps!" At first he grinned. But the smile died away very quick, since no Wedge appeared. "W... Wedge?" Biggs stammered. "I... ah... well... ah...,"
Zell grinned. It was slowly starting to come to the soldier's mind that he was pretty alone up here. "I seem to be done here, so I'll just be on my...," Biggs said, slowly starting to go crab-walking towards the elevator, which were on its way up by the sound of it. "I'm leaving now. Move it... Move... Move...," he said, ready to escape on the upcoming elevator. He maybe would have done that, if not someone already was standing there. A certain blonde youth with a grey trench coat and a gunblade in his hand. Seifer!
"Sorry to crash the party!" he said, slashing at Biggs. The control panel Biggs was holding flew across the platform, away from a terrified Biggs.
"Ah... Ahhh... AHHHHHH! Are you CRAZY!!!"Biggs shouted.
"Just shut UP!" Seifer ordered. Biggs backed a little off. Then he decided to take the coming fight. He readied the gun on his arm.
"Prepare for the worst, you brats!" he shouted, before opening fire towards the SeeD candidates. Squall, Zell and Selphie jumped out of the way, barely dodging the bullets.
"Put a hold on him, Selphie!" Squall ordered, drawing his gunblade.
"Roger," Selphie said, forming a Blind spell in her hands and threw it at Biggs. A black cloud appeared in front of the major, showering his eyes with acid, causing him to gradually lose his vision. But the cloud wouldn't stay there forever. Zell checked the major for spells, and initiated a draw from him.
"He holds Esuna spells!" Zell exclaimed, starting to draw even more. Esuna, the handy spell, was a must for anyone that could handle magic. The medic spell Esuna was capable of curing about any status illness. As long as Biggs was blinded, the SeeDs kept drawing Esuna spells, along with other handy spells, if not anything to raise their attributes.
Suddenly, a new soldier appeared with drawn sword. He rushed over to Biggs with a bottle, pouring some liquid over his face. 'Eye drops', Squall stated.
"Major Biggs... Have you finished all the repairs, sir?" the soldier asked. Then he looked upon the candidates. "What is the enemy doing here!?" Biggs regained his vision fully now, and looked at the SeeD candidates with anger. Then he moved his glare to the soldier.
"WEDGE! Where were you!?" he demanded. "No pay for you this month!" Wedge jerked, just as if he received a blow.
"Should have stayed home!" he complained. Then he turned his focus towards the blue-dressed youths in front of them. At the same time, they both rushed ahead to attack. Biggs went for Selphie, while Wedge threw himself into a sword fight with Squall. Selphie ducked away from Biggs, and swung her nunchaku at him, delivering several blows. The sorry thing was just that Biggs were heavy armoured, in addition to having several years of experience behind him. Biggs aimed again for the girl, rushing towards her like a bull that had lost its mind. A crushing blow was delivered, knocking Selphie down to the ground. She went down, Biggs grinning at her. That means, he was grinning until he got a face blast from a more or less furious Zell. The martial artist moved his hands and feet in a punching dance, making Biggs cover him self and retreating for a while. This bought Zell the time he needed to cast a Cure spell at Selphie. The managed to stand up, looking furious at Biggs. Zell gave her another Cure spell, healing the pain she had received.
The fighting between Squall and Wedge went on, and despite the fact that Wedge's sword was much lighter than Squalls gunblade, it was actually Wedge that had to work hard to block the blows that Squall gave him. Squall delivered one high and one low blow, and Wedge had to be quick to follow them, and then blocking. Squall forced him to step backwards.
"What the...!?" Squall lost his concentration, and Wedge did the same, as Biggs' startled yelp echoed over the platform. A tornado was practically lifting him up from the ground, before sending him head first into the newly arose structure at the communication tower. Biggs was out cold. And, as if that wasn't enough, the tornado changed its direction, aiming for the two swordfighters.
"Watch out, Squall!" Zell called. Squall heard him, and jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid being taken by the powerful wind.
"AAAHHHHH!" Wedge howled as the wind took him, sending him to the other side of the platform. He landed head first, and became as out cold as his major. Squall, Zell and Selphie looked after them, then looked up to see what had caused the wind.
The sight made them all jump a little backwards. It looked like some sort of demon, with a big mouth and a sharp tail. It was coloured violet, mostly, except its back and chin that had an ugly, yellow-grey colour.
"What the hell is it?" Zell demanded, as the creature flew down to them, glaring at them. A Scan spell were cast, allowing them to see who and what this monster was.
"Elvoret!" Squall exclaimed. The information displayed it was a really powerful enemy. Considering its size, it was understandable. It was almost as big as a T-Rexaur. Elvoret roared at the youths, drawing its breath. A new tornado roared out of its mouth, showering over the SeeD candidates, nearly blowing them away as well. Seeing that its storm breath wouldn't work well on them, Elvoret raised its arms, before bringing them down so fast that the SeeD candidates barely had time to see it coming. Zell dived out of the way as the one fist hit the ground, bending the metal in the platform. Squall, however, weren't that lucky. The fist hit him full-force, knocking both air and daylight miles away from him. He fell to the ground, beat, but not unconscious. Selphie checked the monster for spells, and found something interesting. The monster held a GF! Selphie started to draw immediately. She lay all her force and concentration into this one draw, feeling a sweet song filling her as the GF came to its new master.
-Hi there. Will you let me assist you, ma'am?- a sweet, gentle voice said. 'Who are you?' Selphie asked in her mind. -I am Siren, lady of silence!- the GF reply calmly. Selphie tried her best to concentrate on junctioning Siren as the battle against Elvoret still raged around her. Zell had jumped up to the creature, punching it for all good he could do. Elvoret was in pain, but not much. It picked up Zell, and sent him towards the ground. Zell threw a flip in the air, and managed to land on his feet. Nevertheless, the landing was rough, and Zell lost his balance.
At the time, a lighter dizzy Squall was back on his feet. His body hurt from the beating he had received, but something stronger was inside him. Something that boiled hotter and hotter, like a balloon being blown up more and more, until it just would explode. And Squall exploded. He exploded in an aura of red light, howling for all the tower to hear him.
"RENZOKUKEN!"
An amazing strength filled Squall as he ran towards Elvoret, leaping straight into the monster's face. Squall started slashing at it, slashing again, and again, and again. The monster was brought down to the ground, howling in pan as the gunblader slashed it, moving the slashes downward along its body. After six slashes, Squall jumped off Elvoret, using gravity to slash the monster along the side, before landing behind it. All along, in every slash, he pulled the trigger at exact right time, dealing the maximum amount of damage he could give. After he was done, he ran back to Zell and Selphie, who stood watching him in awe.
Elvoret, on its hand, were absolutely not in awe. It twitched and trembled at the shocking amount of damage, giant cuts and loss of blood. Squall's limit break had killed the flying demon head-on. Elvoret hit the ground hard, trembling in some final cramps before every muscle in the monster died. As soon as it lay still, the creature started to tear apart. The demon turned to dust that blew off with the wind.
Squall was breathing heavily. The limit break had worn him out a great deal. Zell threw him a Cure spell, as well as the rest of them. Selphie folded her nunchaku, and put it in place. As for Squall, he took out a cloth and wiped the monster blood off his gunblade. Then he eyed Seifer. Where had he been all the time while they had been fighting Biggs, Wedge, and Elvoret? Selphie eyed him too, and headed over to him.
"Squad B captain?" she asked. Seifer turned to her, with a certain pride that someone else called him 'captain'. "S'cuse me! I have new orders!" Selphie said, clearing her throat. "All SeeD members and candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!"
"Withdraw!?" Seifer said, like it was some word he haven't heard before. "There are still enemies around!"
"I know, but I'm just a messenger," Selphie said. Seifer looked like he was thinking.
"All order to withdraw takes priority," Squall said, quoting the rules they'd learned so many times. "I don't want to miss the vessel,"
"What time d'you say?" Seifer asked. Selphie cleared her throat. "Like I said... All SeeD members and candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!" Seifer took a glance at the watch he had around his arm.
"1900 hours...," he repeated. "We only have 30 mins!" He turned around, and shot a glance over his shoulder. "You got 30 minutes to get down to the shore! Better run!" he said. Then, without hesitation, he jumped on the elevator and went down.
"Heeey! Wait for us!" Selphie said, running to his head that disappeared down the shaft. Zell clenched his fists.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" he demanded.
"Why don't you ask him?" Squall asked rhetorically. They waited for a while, before the elevator came back up. "Let's go!" Squall said, getting on the lift. Zell and Selphie followed him.
As the sound of the elevator went down the shaft, major Biggs started to move. He was dizzy, but even more he was furious. He collected what he had of strength, and crawled over to the little control panel that one of the youths had made him drop. HE grabbed it, and started pushing on a few buttons.
"Those little twerps are the target...," he growled. He finished the programming, and rose a fist towards the sky. "Now GO. Go and DESTROY them!" Then he passed out, unconscious...
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Whew. It took me shorter than I had expected me to, but I finally got it done. I hope you like it. I dunno when I'll have the next chapter out, but it will be. I have absolutely no intention of stopping. I just hope you readers will stick with me. Remember, you are what motivates me to write this story. I won't let you down, so don't let me down, ok?
- Ric Leonhart
Chapter 5
It could have been fifteen minutes. It could have been an hour or more. But they waited. Zell wandered restless back and forth, Seifer, even more restless, looked down to the ground while waving the gunblade with his wrist muscle. Squall stood still, sometimes shifting uncomfortably.
A bell rang far away. They had been listening to explosions far away, healing their wounds, cleaned their weapons and spent time, looking at and playing with the dog who was still wandering between them. Zell called it 'doggy'. Seifer called it 'furface'. All they did was waiting. Even Squall could feel his patience beginning to fade away.
"Nothing," Squall said.
"Man... Now this is what I call boring," Zell growled. "This ain't right, man!" Squall just shook his head. He agreed with Zell, but he chose not to show it.
"Still keeping us waiting...?" Seifer mumbled. Then he started swinging his gunblade in fury. "That's it...! I can't take it anymore!" he shouted. 'Great, our squad leader lost his patience', Squall thought. "What is this, some kind of dog training?" Seifer complained. He put his gunblade away, but was still twitching with impatience. Upon hearing the word 'dog training', Doggy Furface started smelling in the air, before it ran towards the western square entrance. It howled, like it had found its scent source. Squall and Zell immediately took cover, in case something showed up. Seifer remained standing, hidden behind a statue. The SeeDs looked over to where Doggy Furface was standing, and saw a familiar blue uniform. A Galbadian soldier appeared, looking around. He then waved his hand to something, or someone, behind him.
"It's the enemy," Squall whispered as a number of soldiers walked by, silently. It was obvious they were trying to act incognito.
"Where the hell they goin'?" Zell asked when the last soldier had passed and the SeeD's came out from their hidden positions. "Hey? What's up there?" Zell asked, and pointed towards a structure that could be seen up in the mountains in the west. It looked like some kind of a tower, but they weren't sure.
"Our next destination!" Seifer exclaimed. Zell twitched and looked at Seifer like he had lost his mind.
"But that's against orders!" he said.
"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer asked, glaring at Zell.
"Squall!" Zell turned to Squall, trying to catch some support from the brown-haired teenager. Squall turned his back to the other two.
"I stand by the captain's decision!" he said. Seifer turned around, looking at Squall with a surprised look.
"Captain's decision?" he said, walking up to Squall. "You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" Seifer smiled, placing a hand on Squall's shoulder. Squall shoved the hand away the next second.
"It's a good opportunity to test out my training," Squall said without any sign of emotion. "Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone. Even if they do fight dirty, like you!" Seifer turned away on the last remark.
"You'll thank me when the time comes," he said.
"What the hell...," Zell said, walking up to them. "I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like all buddy-buddy now," he puzzled. He looked at them, before dropping his hands down his sides. "Listen. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders!"
"Then you stay here," Seifer cut him off. "I don't need any boy scouts!"
"What was that!!!?" Zell growled, taking a fighting stance.
"Don't take him seriously, Zell," Squall said, trying to calm the blonde teenager down. Then he turned to Seifer. "Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry!" Seifer nodded, then pointed his gunblade towards the mountains.
"The enemy is headed for the facility. We, Squad B, are to secure the summit. Move out!" he said, before running off.
"Alright," Squall said, following Seifer.
"Tch... Fine...," Zell finally said after a little hesitation, then followed the two gunbladers.
They didn't get all that far. The road was blocked by several soldiers, who started firing spells at them as soon as they got onto the bridge that headed for the mountains. The SeeDs managed to dodge the spells, and continued onward. As soon as they reached the soldiers, the battle begun. Squall and Zell used the opportunities they could find to draw magic, while Seifer dived head first into fights with one soldier after another. He was a well trained fighter, but the soldiers were good. He received some bruises and cuts. One soldier tried to slash him from behind as two others were fighting Seifer at his front. Seifer ducked to avoid a blow, then punched the second soldier in his stomach before he spun around and met the back-attacking soldier with the tip of his gunblade. Immediately after, he withdrew his gunblade, stabbed it through the first soldier, before slicing open the last soldier's throat. Squall and Zell teamed up against the two remaining soldiers, putting a quick end to the fight.
Approaching the mountain, Squall could see a soldier that was down, lying on the side of the road. He was dead, and it had happened recently. The road ahead of them went upward the mountainside. Seifer had stopped, and Squall and Zell headed to him.
"Ahhh! W-Who are you!?" A soldier in a Dollet uniform crawled out of the bushes beside the road. He looked terrified, and was covered in wounds and bruises. He looked at the SeeDs with fear plastered all across his face.
"Don't worry. We're SeeD candidates!" Squall said in a friendly tone, to calm the man down. "We've been dispatched by Garden!"
"So what's going on up there?" Seifer asked. The soldier managed to calm a little, seeing other faces than Galbadian soldiers.
"The Galbadian soldiers have entered the communication tower," he said, looking up the road. "On top of that... that place has always been a nesting ground for monsters," he added. 'If that is so, is there a good idea to hide in the bushes?' Squall thought. "If you're going up, be caref..." The soldier was cut off by something snapping his leg. A giant snake caught his leg, dragging him into back into the bushes. "H-HEEELP!!!" the soldier cried. Squall ran to him, grabbed his arm and pulled it towards him, trying to prevent the monster from taking the soldier. It turned to be a pulling struggle. Two years of constant training each day with a gunblade paid off when he dragged the soldier out of the creature's mouth and into safety. The next minute, Seifer cut the head off the giant snake. Then, another wheezing was heard. Another snake, this one bigger than the last one, crawled out from the bushes. Squall, Zell and Seifer took their fighting positions, facing the giant snake.
"An anacondaur!" Squall said after throwing a Scan-spell on it. The Scan was a useful spell against unfamiliar enemies. Immediately after casting, one could tell how strong or swift the monster was, how it lived and attacked, and one could learn the monster's elemental attributes; what it was strong against, what it eventually absorbed and what its weakness was. Zell immediately started by drawing from the giant snake.
"It holds Fire and Cure!" he exclaimed. Squall and Seifer ran ahead to slash at the giant snake. Squall missed his target, and had to withdraw as the anacondaur snapped after him. Seifer managed to hit it, but not perfectly. His gunblade slid against the anacondaur's scales, giving the creature room to curl around Seifer. It squeezed him, tightening its grip more and more. Seifer's face turned red, then blue and slightly violet. But not for long. Squall and Zell rushed to the snake holding their captain. Zell caught the snake's neck, holding it out from Seifer, giving Squall the room he needed to chop the creature's head off. Anacondaur blood gushed from its body as it became limp. Without further exhaustion, Seifer could get rid of the snake body holding him. He shot the two an angry glare. So much gratitude for being saved. Seifer reached into his pocket for a potion, which he drank in a quick sip. Squall wiped the snake blood off his gunblade, before sheathing it back where it belonged. He bent down to check on the soldier they just had rescued. The wound on his foot bled badly. He had fainted, maybe to never wake up again.
"Monsters, huh?" Squall said as he arose and looked up the road.
"That sucks," Zell said.
"More fun for us. Come on...," Seifer said, before heading upwards. He was one to talk, nearly being choked to death.
"Fun? Pu-lease...," Zell sighed. Then he headed after Squall.
It took them a long while to climb the mountain, even though they followed the road. That, because they met a few monsters and Galbadian soldiers on their way. When they reached the top, the SeeDs spotted two Galbadian soldiers standing at the entrance to the communication tower. The SeeDs hid themselves on top of a cliff, with a good view to everything that happened at the entrance. Crouching and laying flat behind rocks, they tried to catch the conversation as a third soldier came out the doors.
"The generator is up and running!" One of the soldiers said.
"No problem with the boosters!" the other one said. It was hard to hear, but not impossible. Seifer frowned.
"... The hell they doing?" he demanded silently.
"Cable disconnection confirmed! Beginning exchange progress!" a third voice said.
"Roger," The two soldiers saluted, before following the third back into the tower. The door closed, and the SeeDs got up.
"Repairs...?" Squall wondered. He didn't quite believed his own words.
"Who cares!" Seifer said. He then turned to Squall. "This must be your first real battle. You scared?" he asked. Squall didn't even looked at him.
"I don't know...," he answered. "I try not to think about it," Seifer grinned.
"I love battles. I fear nothing!" he exclaimed. "The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream!"
"What!?" Squall asked surprised, turning to Seifer. "Your dream?"
"You have one too, don't you?" Seifer asked. Squall crossed his arms, and looked away from Seifer.
"...Sorry, but I'm gonna pass on that subject," Squall said. Zell walked up to them.
"Yo! Let me in on it, too!" he said. He felt uncomfortable being left outside.
"Mind your own business," Seifer said, casting a mocking glance at Zell.
"Friggin' hell...," Zell growled, delivering a few punches in the air in front of Seifer. This merely caught Seifer's attention.
"What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?" he laughed. Zell trembled with anger. Seifer just laughed, before he started walking away. Squall remained standing, and Zell's burning eyes followed the laughing Seifer. As soon as Seifer was out of hearing range, Zell punched the ground.
"Damn you...," he snarled through gritted teeth. Squall said nothing, just watched a furious Zell.
"There you are!" a female voice said. A girl with brown hair and SeeD cadet uniform came jumping over the rocks towards them. She stopped upon the nearest one, and put her hands on her knees. She seemed to have been running for a while. Just as she was to step down from the stone, she slid and lost her balance. She took a dive, and rolled down to the path where Squall and Zell were standing. She was a bit taken by surprise, but she rise her head and smiled upon the two guys. Then she stood up. "Are you... Squad B?" she asked. Then she took a closer look at Squall. Her eyes trailed all over his face, before her own face lit up. "Wait a minute... You're the guy who showed me around, right!?" she asked. Her voice was mixed by childish curiosity and surprise. Squall just nodded. "Thanks!" she said, putting a cute smile on her face. "I don't get so lost anymore!" Zell looked at the girl, then at Squall. He seemed totally lost in the conversation. "Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet," the girl said. She looked at the ground. "I'm... a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A!" She seemed a little embarrassed over the 'messenger' title. Zell greeted with a handwave and Squall just nodded. Selphie looked at the two boys, then looked around her. "The squad captain's Seifer, right? Where is he?" She hadn't even finished asking, before they could see Seifer running towards the communication tower's entrance. Squall pointed in his direction, answering Selphie's question. Seifer turned against them.
"One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" he shouted. Then he turned and entered the tower.
"This sure is tough...," Selphie sighed. "Captain! Wait up!!!" she then shouted, before jumping the cliff. Squall looked at her with surprise, and Zell thought she was crazy. She landed hard on the ground, but was up really quickly, running towards the tower. "What are you waiting for!? Come on! Come on!" she shouted up to the two boys still standing on top of the cliff. After a quick thinking, Squall decided to walk the way down from the cliff and getting to the tower the normal way. Zell followed him. It took them a little while to get down and getting to an impatient Selphie.
"What took you so long?" she demanded. "It would've been much quicker if you'd just jumped,"
"Much quicker? Pu-lease...," Zell sighed. "...You wouldn't normally jump off a cliff, OK!?" he said, almost scolding Selphie. "Ain't that right, Squall?"
"Yeah. I guess so," Squall said. "You wouldn't normally jump that," That was said with as little interest as possible.
"Hmmm... I don't know...," Selphie mumbled. "Well, anyway, let's get going! Has everyone equipped a GF?" she asked.
"We have," Squall said. "Have you?" Selphie looked down.
"Well... Actually...," she stammered.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten it," Zell said.
"I...," Selphie started, but was cut off by Squall.
"Don't start it! I've got both Shiva and Ifrit, you can have Shiva," he said, taking Selphie's hand. Squall searched within him, ordering Shiva to let him go and ensnare a new master; Selphie.
-As you wish, SeeD cadet- the GF said directly into Squall's mind. Then, it was like a part of him disappeared within, leaving a hole. A hole that itched. The cold feeling inside him disappeared. The only one inside him now, was Ifrit.
"Thank you," Selphie said.
"Try to remember next time," Squall said, turning away. Heading towards the entrance, Zell looked up to catch the view of the colossal structure.
"So this is the communication tower...?" he said.
"Sure is big...," Selphie added. More wasn't said before loud screams were heard from inside the tower. The door flew open, and two soldiers came running out. Following right behind them, swinging his gunblade, was Seifer.
"Cowards!" he spat, before heading inside. Selphie barely made to shout a 'HEEEY' at him before the doors closed.
"The captain's getting away!" she said, waving her hands. They entered the communication tower right away.
Inside, a good deal of corpses were lying on the ground. No doubt Seifer had been there. An elevator coming down immediately caught everyone's attention.
"...Did he go up?" Squall wondered.
"Heey! Squad B captain!" Selphie shouted. The shout echoed through the tower, but no reply was heard. Squall looked around, but no Seifer could be seen. Instead, he spotted another thing. A draw point! He went over to it to examine. A crack in the structure gave room for the purple steam to flow upwards. Squall kneeled down and caught a little of the purple steam in his hand. He tried to memorise the signatures they have been taught at their magic classes. He found it was Blind magic.
"How is your magic status?" Squall asked. Himself had a quite large stock of magic, being able to draw from the various battles they have had this far.
"I'm good," Zell said. Selphie said nothing, and Squall could guess it perfectly.
"You had no GF junctioned, meaning you have no magic now, am I right?" Squall asked. Selphie nodded slowly. Squall sighed, then offered some of the spells he had stocked. "Don't make this a habit," he mumbled, glaring at Selphie. She just nodded. "Now you can draw the Blind from here," Squall said, and headed towards the elevator. Zell followed him, while Selphie drawed the magic, stocking up 13 units of Blind.
"Alright!" she cheered. "13 units!"
"I think we can take this lift up...," Squall said, ignoring Selphie. They all got on, and the lift soon started to move.
"Wow, this lift is really cool!" Selphie giggled.
"Don't get too excited, or you'll fall," Zell said.
"Like I'd really do!" Selphie giggled back. 'Is it possible to be that cheerful?' Squall thought, looking at Selphie as they went upwards.
On the top of the communication tower, a Galbadian Soldier was standing. As a difference from the usual blue uniforms the soldiers was wearing, this one wore a red, and much more armoured uniform, showing he was an elite soldier. Two crosses and a star could be seen on his uniform, showing he was an officer as well. A panel on the communication tower was opened, and the soldier had his hands dug into the machinery, trying to fix the system. Sparks were flying among the wires and circuits rapidly, making the soldier feel uneasy.
Another soldier approached him, this one dressed in the usual blue Galbadian uniform. He saluted the officer doing the repairs.
"Major Biggs!" He said. "There has been a report of a monster-shaped shadow on top of the tower!"
Major Biggs didn't pay him any attention. "Major Biggs!" the soldier said again.
"Be quiet!" Biggs snapped. "I'm busy!" He mumbled something about 'never giving him a moment of peace' before trying to couple some wires. "This goes like this... And... Geez, what with these crappy old tools?" he complained. "And... and... Why do I have to make all the repairs!? AHHH!!!" The last scream was uttered from a load of frustration, combined with the fact that Biggs received a shock form one of the sparks that was flying between the circuits. The soldier felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Sir, I'll check around while the repairs are being done!" he said, before saluting and leaving the major on his own. About a few seconds later, the elevator reached the top with three SeeD candidates on it. Squall, Zell and Selphie got off the elevator as it headed down again, and looked at the soldier beside the huge panel.
"Let's see... Hmmm...," The major spoke to himself while his hands were working like crazy between the circuits. "Put this here... and... This goes here and... There! It's complete!" he exclaimed with relief. At the same time as Major Biggs removed his hands, the entire tower started to vibrate. Shooks and trembling rushed through old machinery that hadn't been in use for years, and screeches and scratches could be heard as engines covered in dust again sprang to life. The SeeDs looked around them, and tried to keep their balance within all the shaking, the sounds and the shockwaves that rushed through the tower.
Squall was confused. He had no idea what this was from the beginning, and it even made less sense now. A roaring sound behind him made him turn, watching as a huge structure practically arose from the communication tower and folded out to form a gigantic antenna. The antenna were buzzing and sparkling in white lights, giving a flash as the white light spread out all over the heaven.
Squall turned towards major Biggs. "What do you think you're doing!?" he demanded. Biggs turned around, a bit surprised by the voice.
"Huhhhh?" he said. "Likewise, MISTER! What do you think you're doing!" he demanded back. Squall folded his arms, standing his ground. Biggs seemed to be taken even more by surprise by now. "H-HEY! What happened to all the soldiers down below!?" he asked, less demanding this time. Squall kinda felt like don't telling him, considering what they had seen upon entering the tower. Biggs didn't seem to enjoy himself. "WEDGE!" He called. "Take care of these twerps!" At first he grinned. But the smile died away very quick, since no Wedge appeared. "W... Wedge?" Biggs stammered. "I... ah... well... ah...,"
Zell grinned. It was slowly starting to come to the soldier's mind that he was pretty alone up here. "I seem to be done here, so I'll just be on my...," Biggs said, slowly starting to go crab-walking towards the elevator, which were on its way up by the sound of it. "I'm leaving now. Move it... Move... Move...," he said, ready to escape on the upcoming elevator. He maybe would have done that, if not someone already was standing there. A certain blonde youth with a grey trench coat and a gunblade in his hand. Seifer!
"Sorry to crash the party!" he said, slashing at Biggs. The control panel Biggs was holding flew across the platform, away from a terrified Biggs.
"Ah... Ahhh... AHHHHHH! Are you CRAZY!!!"Biggs shouted.
"Just shut UP!" Seifer ordered. Biggs backed a little off. Then he decided to take the coming fight. He readied the gun on his arm.
"Prepare for the worst, you brats!" he shouted, before opening fire towards the SeeD candidates. Squall, Zell and Selphie jumped out of the way, barely dodging the bullets.
"Put a hold on him, Selphie!" Squall ordered, drawing his gunblade.
"Roger," Selphie said, forming a Blind spell in her hands and threw it at Biggs. A black cloud appeared in front of the major, showering his eyes with acid, causing him to gradually lose his vision. But the cloud wouldn't stay there forever. Zell checked the major for spells, and initiated a draw from him.
"He holds Esuna spells!" Zell exclaimed, starting to draw even more. Esuna, the handy spell, was a must for anyone that could handle magic. The medic spell Esuna was capable of curing about any status illness. As long as Biggs was blinded, the SeeDs kept drawing Esuna spells, along with other handy spells, if not anything to raise their attributes.
Suddenly, a new soldier appeared with drawn sword. He rushed over to Biggs with a bottle, pouring some liquid over his face. 'Eye drops', Squall stated.
"Major Biggs... Have you finished all the repairs, sir?" the soldier asked. Then he looked upon the candidates. "What is the enemy doing here!?" Biggs regained his vision fully now, and looked at the SeeD candidates with anger. Then he moved his glare to the soldier.
"WEDGE! Where were you!?" he demanded. "No pay for you this month!" Wedge jerked, just as if he received a blow.
"Should have stayed home!" he complained. Then he turned his focus towards the blue-dressed youths in front of them. At the same time, they both rushed ahead to attack. Biggs went for Selphie, while Wedge threw himself into a sword fight with Squall. Selphie ducked away from Biggs, and swung her nunchaku at him, delivering several blows. The sorry thing was just that Biggs were heavy armoured, in addition to having several years of experience behind him. Biggs aimed again for the girl, rushing towards her like a bull that had lost its mind. A crushing blow was delivered, knocking Selphie down to the ground. She went down, Biggs grinning at her. That means, he was grinning until he got a face blast from a more or less furious Zell. The martial artist moved his hands and feet in a punching dance, making Biggs cover him self and retreating for a while. This bought Zell the time he needed to cast a Cure spell at Selphie. The managed to stand up, looking furious at Biggs. Zell gave her another Cure spell, healing the pain she had received.
The fighting between Squall and Wedge went on, and despite the fact that Wedge's sword was much lighter than Squalls gunblade, it was actually Wedge that had to work hard to block the blows that Squall gave him. Squall delivered one high and one low blow, and Wedge had to be quick to follow them, and then blocking. Squall forced him to step backwards.
"What the...!?" Squall lost his concentration, and Wedge did the same, as Biggs' startled yelp echoed over the platform. A tornado was practically lifting him up from the ground, before sending him head first into the newly arose structure at the communication tower. Biggs was out cold. And, as if that wasn't enough, the tornado changed its direction, aiming for the two swordfighters.
"Watch out, Squall!" Zell called. Squall heard him, and jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid being taken by the powerful wind.
"AAAHHHHH!" Wedge howled as the wind took him, sending him to the other side of the platform. He landed head first, and became as out cold as his major. Squall, Zell and Selphie looked after them, then looked up to see what had caused the wind.
The sight made them all jump a little backwards. It looked like some sort of demon, with a big mouth and a sharp tail. It was coloured violet, mostly, except its back and chin that had an ugly, yellow-grey colour.
"What the hell is it?" Zell demanded, as the creature flew down to them, glaring at them. A Scan spell were cast, allowing them to see who and what this monster was.
"Elvoret!" Squall exclaimed. The information displayed it was a really powerful enemy. Considering its size, it was understandable. It was almost as big as a T-Rexaur. Elvoret roared at the youths, drawing its breath. A new tornado roared out of its mouth, showering over the SeeD candidates, nearly blowing them away as well. Seeing that its storm breath wouldn't work well on them, Elvoret raised its arms, before bringing them down so fast that the SeeD candidates barely had time to see it coming. Zell dived out of the way as the one fist hit the ground, bending the metal in the platform. Squall, however, weren't that lucky. The fist hit him full-force, knocking both air and daylight miles away from him. He fell to the ground, beat, but not unconscious. Selphie checked the monster for spells, and found something interesting. The monster held a GF! Selphie started to draw immediately. She lay all her force and concentration into this one draw, feeling a sweet song filling her as the GF came to its new master.
-Hi there. Will you let me assist you, ma'am?- a sweet, gentle voice said. 'Who are you?' Selphie asked in her mind. -I am Siren, lady of silence!- the GF reply calmly. Selphie tried her best to concentrate on junctioning Siren as the battle against Elvoret still raged around her. Zell had jumped up to the creature, punching it for all good he could do. Elvoret was in pain, but not much. It picked up Zell, and sent him towards the ground. Zell threw a flip in the air, and managed to land on his feet. Nevertheless, the landing was rough, and Zell lost his balance.
At the time, a lighter dizzy Squall was back on his feet. His body hurt from the beating he had received, but something stronger was inside him. Something that boiled hotter and hotter, like a balloon being blown up more and more, until it just would explode. And Squall exploded. He exploded in an aura of red light, howling for all the tower to hear him.
"RENZOKUKEN!"
An amazing strength filled Squall as he ran towards Elvoret, leaping straight into the monster's face. Squall started slashing at it, slashing again, and again, and again. The monster was brought down to the ground, howling in pan as the gunblader slashed it, moving the slashes downward along its body. After six slashes, Squall jumped off Elvoret, using gravity to slash the monster along the side, before landing behind it. All along, in every slash, he pulled the trigger at exact right time, dealing the maximum amount of damage he could give. After he was done, he ran back to Zell and Selphie, who stood watching him in awe.
Elvoret, on its hand, were absolutely not in awe. It twitched and trembled at the shocking amount of damage, giant cuts and loss of blood. Squall's limit break had killed the flying demon head-on. Elvoret hit the ground hard, trembling in some final cramps before every muscle in the monster died. As soon as it lay still, the creature started to tear apart. The demon turned to dust that blew off with the wind.
Squall was breathing heavily. The limit break had worn him out a great deal. Zell threw him a Cure spell, as well as the rest of them. Selphie folded her nunchaku, and put it in place. As for Squall, he took out a cloth and wiped the monster blood off his gunblade. Then he eyed Seifer. Where had he been all the time while they had been fighting Biggs, Wedge, and Elvoret? Selphie eyed him too, and headed over to him.
"Squad B captain?" she asked. Seifer turned to her, with a certain pride that someone else called him 'captain'. "S'cuse me! I have new orders!" Selphie said, clearing her throat. "All SeeD members and candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!"
"Withdraw!?" Seifer said, like it was some word he haven't heard before. "There are still enemies around!"
"I know, but I'm just a messenger," Selphie said. Seifer looked like he was thinking.
"All order to withdraw takes priority," Squall said, quoting the rules they'd learned so many times. "I don't want to miss the vessel,"
"What time d'you say?" Seifer asked. Selphie cleared her throat. "Like I said... All SeeD members and candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!" Seifer took a glance at the watch he had around his arm.
"1900 hours...," he repeated. "We only have 30 mins!" He turned around, and shot a glance over his shoulder. "You got 30 minutes to get down to the shore! Better run!" he said. Then, without hesitation, he jumped on the elevator and went down.
"Heeey! Wait for us!" Selphie said, running to his head that disappeared down the shaft. Zell clenched his fists.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" he demanded.
"Why don't you ask him?" Squall asked rhetorically. They waited for a while, before the elevator came back up. "Let's go!" Squall said, getting on the lift. Zell and Selphie followed him.
As the sound of the elevator went down the shaft, major Biggs started to move. He was dizzy, but even more he was furious. He collected what he had of strength, and crawled over to the little control panel that one of the youths had made him drop. HE grabbed it, and started pushing on a few buttons.
"Those little twerps are the target...," he growled. He finished the programming, and rose a fist towards the sky. "Now GO. Go and DESTROY them!" Then he passed out, unconscious...
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Whew. It took me shorter than I had expected me to, but I finally got it done. I hope you like it. I dunno when I'll have the next chapter out, but it will be. I have absolutely no intention of stopping. I just hope you readers will stick with me. Remember, you are what motivates me to write this story. I won't let you down, so don't let me down, ok?
- Ric Leonhart