A/N: It's been a while, but I've finally gotten over my evil case of writer's block. So, here's Ch. 7....
DC: No. No ownership. Not ever. -sighs-
Chapter VII:
Battle of the Mages
Dagger woke up from her deep sleep, looking around her room. It wasn't what she had
expected. It was one of the plushest rooms she'd ever seen, excluding Zidane's and her
bedchamber. Sitting up, she was hit with a sudden wave of pain. Looking down, she
noticed the gash-like wounds in her forearms and legs, inflicted by Garland's creation.
Hugging herself, she wondered, When am I going to get out of here? As if he were
listening to her very thoughts, Garland replied, "I doubt you're going anywhere, my
Queen. Zidane and the others are coming, yes, but they'll never make it. I'll see to it.
Khehehe...." Despite her injuries, Dagger managed to hobble to the door, screaming,
"Let me out! Please!! Oh, no, Zidane...Hurry...." she trailed as gas began seeping in
through seemingly-hidden vents. Again, Garland cut in. "Hmph. This is my little gift to
you, Garnet. Enjoy it while you can..." Dagger soon began to feel the effects of the
fumes, and succumbed to them. The last thing she heard was Garland's derisive
laughter....
Zidane and Orion stood quietly on the bridge of the Invincible as they approached the
Shimmering Island. /Do you think....Dagger's really on Terra?/ Kuja asked, worry
evident in his voice. /I can't sense her magic.../ Orion shrugged. "We'll find out. But I'm
worried about Amie, too," he said. Zidane noticed the tension in his friend, and grinned
reassuringly. "Don't worry," the king said. "We'll stop Garland."
Garland watched a viewscreen as the Invincible approached the portal to Terra. He
knew what he had in mind for that. With a wave of his hand, a legion of Silver Dragons
moved through the Terran end of the portal, and moved to attack the Invincible...
Orion felt the magic as the portal to Terra opened, and began to rise from the floor of
the bridge. He tried to make his way outside, but Zidane stopped him. Orion drew in a
sharp breath as he saw what was on the viewscreen. /Silver dragons,/ Kuja said
breathlessly. /Hundreds of them./ The otherworldy creatures moved as one, and
converged on the airship. The combined effect of their attack was blinding, and sent
both Genomes reeling as the Terran battleship was struck full force. The bridge
lurched as the Invincible struggled for altitude. "Outside! It's the only way to Terra!"
Zidane cried as he slapped the switch to open the door. The various delegates were now
in different states of panic. Scrambling and fighting to get outside, some were badly
hurt by the others. Once Zidane and Orion were outside, however, Kuja's magic took
over as he set up a powerful Shell spell. /This'll only hold for about five minutes,/ he
cried. /After that, my magic runs out! We need to hurry!/ Zidane felt the familiar tug as
the ancient Terran magic, fused with technology, began to pull him off the deck of the
ship. The Silver Dragons attacked the Invincible again, this time causing multiple
explosions alongst the ship's hull, resulting in a large explosion as the Terran ship was
destroyed. Fortunately for Zidane and Orion, they were safe, protected by Kuja's
magic. But, Zidane thought as they were sucked into the vortex separating the worlds,
we're the only survivors of the explosion...This sucks.
Amie crept between two Terran sculptures, determined to reach Dagger before it was
too late...Orion, I'm sorry, she thought. But I had to do this, kadriah.(1) This is the only
way to defeat Garland and restore peace to Gaia. She had had a lot of time to think on
the way to Terra. She somehow felt more mature. As though she could handle things
herself. Or is it just cockiness? she thought, as three Movers appeared from the
shadows, snapping her out of her reverie. Let's do this. Drawing her mystical
Dragonstaff from her side, she assumed her battle stance. Before the Terran creatures
had a chance to attack, she spread her arms, calling powerful magic to her. "Flare,"
she cried as the mighty blast consumed the small spherical creatures. Assuring herself
that they were dead, she continued on her way.
As Amie walked through the deserted alleyways of Bran Bal, she wondered as to the
deserted Genome settlement. Stopping at the entrance to the inn, she decided to rest.
"Besides, Orion and Zidane are coming," she murmured to herself. Before she could
take another step, however, a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of her.
She wheeled around to face...a black mage. Oh, hell, she thought. It's..."Vivi?!" she
cried in outrage. The young mage's eyes glowed red as he prepared another spell.
"Prepare to die, sriliah(2)," Vivi snarled as he released a Blizzaga spell. Thanks to
Amie's agility, she was able to dodge the powerful ice spell, casting a Thundaga spell of
her own. The magical lightning found its target, sending the younger mage through the
nearest wall. Vivi picked himself up slowly, then readied a Flare spell. Before Amie
knew what was happening, she felt a Shell spell encase her in its protection. What the
hell? That's white magic! I don't know that! she thought frantically as the Flare hit
her, pushing her back a few steps. She looked down at herself, and noticed the blue
aura that had surrounded her before had returned. Ah, I see. That's what it is, she said
to herself. Someone is giving me the power to use white magic. But who? Before she
had time to consider her benefactor, a familiar voice murmured one word: "Ultima."
The immensely powerful energy waves tore through several buildings on their ascent,
then sought their target as they dropped. Vivi was caught completely unawares as the
most powerful spell in existence struck him fully in the chest. The momentum threw the
small mage through the Inn and out the other side. Amie looked around, alarmed.
Fortunately, Zidane was behind the Inn, checking to see if their former friend was still
alive. After a few minutes, he came to the front of the building, wearing a grim
expression that confirmed their suspicions. Vivi was dead.
"What do you think you were doing?! You could have been killed!" Orion raged,
storming up and down the main street (that is, if you could call it that) of Bran Bal.
"You take off without letting us know, and gods only know how you got here! If we
hadn't have shown up in time..." Zidane placed a hand on Orion's shoulder, silencing
the younger Genome. "Look, you two," he began, surveying them both, "we don't have
time to argue." "But-'' Orion began. "We're here for one thing, and one thing only-to
save Dagger," Zidane said, cutting him off. "What we need to do is go to
Pandemonium. We'll find our answers there."
"Sheez, Zidane," Orion said, sounding exasperated as they made their way through
Pandemonium's various puzzles. "Do we really have to go through all this crap?" "Hey,
don't complain," Zidane chided him. "At least we know where we're going. I've been
here before, remember? This place hasn't really changed." Orion sighed. We might get
killed out here, but oh well, he thought. As long as we find Dagger. /Hey. I...I'm
starting to sense her magic again,/ Kuja said, derailing Orion's train of thought. /She's
not far./ "D'you know where she's at?" Orion asked him. /Yeah. I'll need to take over
for a while to really guide you, though,/ Kuja replied, sounding apologetic. /I know you
don't like it, Amie, but we don't have much of a choice. Okay?/ Amie nodded. "Okay,"
she said. "You're better than the alternative." With the flash that was becoming all too
familiar, Kuja emerged. Strangely enough, Amie smiled when she saw him. "Hey,
guys," Kuja said, looking around. "My, my...what a surprise it is to be back here.
Never thought I'd see this place again. Okay, just follow me. Like I said earlier, I can
sense her magic, and she's not that far-'' Kuja stopped. He cocked his head to one
side. "Oh...damn," he breathed. "She...I mean, her life....she's fading. Fast. We need to
hurry," the sorcerer said quickly, running in the direction of wherever Garland was
holding the queen. Zidane and Amie exchanged looks, then hurried after him.
Kuja ran, ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He knew that Dagger was dying. He
didn't know how, but he just knew it. And the only thing he could do was get her out of
wherever she was and away from whatever was killing her. She's barely holding on, he
thought. I have to-wait! This door! It's- "-her room," he finished. He tried pushing it.
Nothing. Then pulling. Still nothing. After thinking on it a few minutes, he decided to try
using magic. But what spell...? Ah, I've got it, he said to himself. Tapping into his
reserves, he managed to produce enough magic for..."Blizzaga," he whispered. The
door was instantly covered in ice, and when Kuja pushed on it again, it fell over,
clanging heavily on the stone floor. Rushing into the room, he noticed the faint odor of
poison gas. Remarkable, Garland, he thought as he set up Protect and Shell on himself.
All these years you've been around, and you still are as unimaginative as a normal
Genome. He went to Dagger's side, blowing the gas away with a wave of his hand. But
he knew it was too late. As Zidane and Amie ran into the room, he regarded his brother
with a sorrowful look. "Zidane..." he began, but Zidane didn't listen. Instead, he looked
at the fallen form of his wife. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he surveyed her.
"No..." he whispered. "Damnit, no! Why the hell did Garland kill her?!" "Good
question, my Angel of Death," Garland's voice said from the loudspeaker. "Because I
want to destroy you, and the only way I can do that is by destroying that which you hold
most dear." By this time, Zidane had heard enough. He turned and walked out of the
room. As Kuja and Amie watched him go, they heard him say, almost under his breath,
"...Fuck it. I'm done. Flat-out done."
A/N: OOO! Didn't think I had it in me, didja? Well, maybe you did, but that's not
important. Review please!
1 A Silerian word meaning 'beloved'. Used by Laura Resnick in the Silerian books.
2 Another Silerian word meaning 'traitor'.