Chapter 16
The Last Resort
Lucas and Ultimecia watched as the small cottage exploded. From within, Connor screamed in fear. He knew that his friends were his only hope. Only someone as powerful as Squall could defeat Lucas.
"It doesn't look like Squall is in much shape to defeat anyone," Lucas' voice echoed within their head. "I'm glad to see you've regained some strength, that's the first time I've heard you speak since her majesty set me free." He said laughing. They had been watching from a ship in the bay. Lucas commanded the strongest of the resurrected warriors. Thirty men were under his command. One of his lieutenants was piloting the vessel. "Hector!" Lucas called. A young Trojan man stood before him and saluted."Hector how many times must I remind you? We are not part of the regular army. We do not salute, or notify rank in any way." He scalded the young lieutenant. "How is our prisoner doing?" The young man hesitated to reply.
"S-sir, the prisoner is just fine," Hector replied. Lucas began to speak, but the young man kept going. "But I'm afraid we've taken the wrong one." He continued, with fear in his eyes. "On the plus side, the sorceress Edea is a fine catch"
"FOOLS!" Lucas exclaimed as he stormed to the holds. Edea was sitting on a bench in her cell, waiting for her opportunity. Connor and Edea said the same thing as Lucas realized he had messed up.
"What's the matter, asshole?" Connor's voice rang within their head, as Edea's resonated through the ship's prison.
Back on shore Squall crawled from the rubble. His clothes were tattered and his body was covered in bruises and abrasions. A sharp pain shot through his torso as he tried to stand. One of his ribs was broken, but he couldn't let it stop him. His thoughts soon centered on his sister. Ellone had been closest to the house when it blew. Squall feared that his only living relative might have just died.
He heard something stir under the debris. He ran to the pile of rocks and wood from which the noise had originated. He began digging furiously. He soon found Anna and Quistis. They were both still alive, but Annalyse was unconscious. Quistis smiled weakly, as she saw Squall's hands emerge from the heap above her. He helped her out of the wreckage, and then turned to Anna. He dragged her gently from the debris. Her clothes were badly tattered, as was her body.
Quistis' eyes scanned the bleak surroundings. She was looking for Ellone. She began to ask Squall, but he stopped her after the first syllable.
"I haven't found her yet," He answered intuitively.
"Oh," Quistis replied quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Squall said. "She's still alive. Stay here with Anna. I'm going to go find her."
He stood slowly, wincing at the pain in his torso. His knees began to buckle, but he steadied himself. He slowly limped closer to the source of the explosion. As he neared where the house had been, he saw Elle's foot extending from the wreckage. He fell to his knee's and began digging again. Her face and upper body was badly burned, and her clothes had pretty much been blown off. He removed her from the ruin. He cradled her in his arms and carried her back to his friends. Normally, her weight wouldn't have been any trouble, but his rib made the load a heavy burden. He slowly limped back to Quistis. Annalyse had awoken, and was sitting up when Squall got back to them. He lay his fallen sister's body down in the rubble, and tried to hide his grief.
"Is she. . .?" Annalyse began to ask, but Squall's reaction stopped her. "Never mind."
Quistis began to examine Ellone's body. If she was dead there wouldn't be a lot she could do, but if there was any life left she could be healed. Her heart jumped as she felt a weak pulse. Quistis began to examine her pockets furiously. She found a small bottle of potion. She opened Elle's mouth and poured the liquid down her throat. Ellone coughed and her scorched face began to twitch. Miraculously, they had all survived.
Lucas was furious, his men were the greatest of all warriors, and they could not manage to capture one idiotic girl? Connor laughed hysterically. The sound of the laughter enraged Lucas even more. Connor's strength increased as Lucas' anger worsened, and in true heroic form Connor emerged again.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lucas screamed, but he could do nothing. Connor was in control now, and he was far too strong spirited to be stopped. Connor walked calmly to Edea's cell. He didn't speak to the guard. He unsheathed his sword, and struck the man down. Edea jumped to her feet in shock. Her eyes drifted to Connor, who stood smiling at the cell door. "Miss me?" He asked with a smirk.
"You couldn't begin to understand how much I've missed you," She replied. He unlocked the door, and she ran out. She hugged his neck, but he pushed her off.
"We have to keep up appearances. I'm going to take you to the live well. There's a release hatch that will dump you out into the ocean." Connor said.
"Ah ha, and what exactly is a live well?" Edea asked, confused.
" It's a small pool where we keep the fish we catch. If you kill them, they rot. Thus the term, live well." He answered with a chuckle. They made their way to the well. "Get in, I'll empty it." He said as they approached it. As the pool drained and Edea made her way out into the ocean, a female soldier rushed into the room.
"Sir, the prisoner has escaped!" She exclaimed. "Why are you emptying the live well sir?"
"Joan, my dear, you are relieved of your duties." He slashed at her, but his sword passed through her like cutting through a cloud. She hadn't been corporeal like the other soldier. He had forgotten that ghosts could only be killed in their solid, or corporeal form. The ghost floated through the ceiling. Connor knew that the other soldiers would be down shortly. He jumped into the draining well, and swam out into the ocean.
The Last Resort
Lucas and Ultimecia watched as the small cottage exploded. From within, Connor screamed in fear. He knew that his friends were his only hope. Only someone as powerful as Squall could defeat Lucas.
"It doesn't look like Squall is in much shape to defeat anyone," Lucas' voice echoed within their head. "I'm glad to see you've regained some strength, that's the first time I've heard you speak since her majesty set me free." He said laughing. They had been watching from a ship in the bay. Lucas commanded the strongest of the resurrected warriors. Thirty men were under his command. One of his lieutenants was piloting the vessel. "Hector!" Lucas called. A young Trojan man stood before him and saluted."Hector how many times must I remind you? We are not part of the regular army. We do not salute, or notify rank in any way." He scalded the young lieutenant. "How is our prisoner doing?" The young man hesitated to reply.
"S-sir, the prisoner is just fine," Hector replied. Lucas began to speak, but the young man kept going. "But I'm afraid we've taken the wrong one." He continued, with fear in his eyes. "On the plus side, the sorceress Edea is a fine catch"
"FOOLS!" Lucas exclaimed as he stormed to the holds. Edea was sitting on a bench in her cell, waiting for her opportunity. Connor and Edea said the same thing as Lucas realized he had messed up.
"What's the matter, asshole?" Connor's voice rang within their head, as Edea's resonated through the ship's prison.
Back on shore Squall crawled from the rubble. His clothes were tattered and his body was covered in bruises and abrasions. A sharp pain shot through his torso as he tried to stand. One of his ribs was broken, but he couldn't let it stop him. His thoughts soon centered on his sister. Ellone had been closest to the house when it blew. Squall feared that his only living relative might have just died.
He heard something stir under the debris. He ran to the pile of rocks and wood from which the noise had originated. He began digging furiously. He soon found Anna and Quistis. They were both still alive, but Annalyse was unconscious. Quistis smiled weakly, as she saw Squall's hands emerge from the heap above her. He helped her out of the wreckage, and then turned to Anna. He dragged her gently from the debris. Her clothes were badly tattered, as was her body.
Quistis' eyes scanned the bleak surroundings. She was looking for Ellone. She began to ask Squall, but he stopped her after the first syllable.
"I haven't found her yet," He answered intuitively.
"Oh," Quistis replied quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Squall said. "She's still alive. Stay here with Anna. I'm going to go find her."
He stood slowly, wincing at the pain in his torso. His knees began to buckle, but he steadied himself. He slowly limped closer to the source of the explosion. As he neared where the house had been, he saw Elle's foot extending from the wreckage. He fell to his knee's and began digging again. Her face and upper body was badly burned, and her clothes had pretty much been blown off. He removed her from the ruin. He cradled her in his arms and carried her back to his friends. Normally, her weight wouldn't have been any trouble, but his rib made the load a heavy burden. He slowly limped back to Quistis. Annalyse had awoken, and was sitting up when Squall got back to them. He lay his fallen sister's body down in the rubble, and tried to hide his grief.
"Is she. . .?" Annalyse began to ask, but Squall's reaction stopped her. "Never mind."
Quistis began to examine Ellone's body. If she was dead there wouldn't be a lot she could do, but if there was any life left she could be healed. Her heart jumped as she felt a weak pulse. Quistis began to examine her pockets furiously. She found a small bottle of potion. She opened Elle's mouth and poured the liquid down her throat. Ellone coughed and her scorched face began to twitch. Miraculously, they had all survived.
Lucas was furious, his men were the greatest of all warriors, and they could not manage to capture one idiotic girl? Connor laughed hysterically. The sound of the laughter enraged Lucas even more. Connor's strength increased as Lucas' anger worsened, and in true heroic form Connor emerged again.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lucas screamed, but he could do nothing. Connor was in control now, and he was far too strong spirited to be stopped. Connor walked calmly to Edea's cell. He didn't speak to the guard. He unsheathed his sword, and struck the man down. Edea jumped to her feet in shock. Her eyes drifted to Connor, who stood smiling at the cell door. "Miss me?" He asked with a smirk.
"You couldn't begin to understand how much I've missed you," She replied. He unlocked the door, and she ran out. She hugged his neck, but he pushed her off.
"We have to keep up appearances. I'm going to take you to the live well. There's a release hatch that will dump you out into the ocean." Connor said.
"Ah ha, and what exactly is a live well?" Edea asked, confused.
" It's a small pool where we keep the fish we catch. If you kill them, they rot. Thus the term, live well." He answered with a chuckle. They made their way to the well. "Get in, I'll empty it." He said as they approached it. As the pool drained and Edea made her way out into the ocean, a female soldier rushed into the room.
"Sir, the prisoner has escaped!" She exclaimed. "Why are you emptying the live well sir?"
"Joan, my dear, you are relieved of your duties." He slashed at her, but his sword passed through her like cutting through a cloud. She hadn't been corporeal like the other soldier. He had forgotten that ghosts could only be killed in their solid, or corporeal form. The ghost floated through the ceiling. Connor knew that the other soldiers would be down shortly. He jumped into the draining well, and swam out into the ocean.