Chapter III: Schiria
Early the next morning Seifer headed for the Training Center as he always does. He was already at the entrance when he heard Headmaster Cid on the intercom.
' Seifer Almasy, please come to my office.' He sounded fatigued.
' What the hell! I just got to the damn Training Center, and Cid wants me!' Seifer cursed, and went off to the headmaster's office.
In Cid's office, Seifer saw something he could not believe, ' What are you doin' here?' Seifer exclaimed.
The girl in front of him was no more than fourteen years old, he had met her before however this was the first time he truly bothered to note her looks. She had black hair that went down to her upper back, she was wearing the blue student uniform, and appeared to have had not seen any fights in her life.
' Hm, you do know her. I guess there's no need to introduce you then.' Headmaster Cid said.
' Uh, Headmaster Cid, Seifer really only knows my name. So maybe we should tell him more?' Said the young female standing in front of Cid's desk.
' Okay. Seifer, this is Schiria Dukedom. I hear you saved her life on a ship from Dollet, she was attacked by a, Elvoret was it?' Cid said.
' Yeah… So? Why do you want me here?' Seifer queried.
' Well, long story short: Schiria wishes to learn how to defend herself. Who better to train her than SeeD? That's what Mayor Dukedom thought anyway. So I want you to take her under your wing.' Cid explained.
' Why me? Why not the instructors, or any of the SeeDs?' Seifer said.
' Well…' Schiria started, ' All of the instructors are too busy to take me on, and none of the SeeDs are willing.'
' Do you think I want to?' Seifer retorted, ' Besides, I already have one "student" anyway.'
' A group is better suited for her leaning Seifer. Besides, you saved her life once, she would listen to you, and dare I say, trust you?' Cid said.
' Please Seifer?' Schiria pleaded.
' Will I get extra credit for this?' Seifer asked the headmaster.
' Tons. You'll also be paid directly from Mayor Dukedom, consider it a pre-SeeD mission.' Cid told Seifer.
' Yeah, okay.' Seifer agreed, and Schiria almost leaped for joy, ' I'll take on the challenge only because no SeeD is brave enough to take the job. C'mon Schiria, we're gonna get you a weapon…' Seifer said.
' Seifer, I want you to take Schiria to the Trabia Cavern to get her a GF too. Take this note, it'll pass you off as her SeeD support for today.' Cid said, handing Seifer a note.
' Okay, I'll bring along Zarack, he can fight some Blue Dragons while we're in the Cavern…' Seifer said, and took Schiria to the Balamb Garden weapons cache.
The weapons cache was at the bottom of the Garden, the Garden workers noticed the new student and her temporary instructor and let them inside. Inside were all sorts of weapons: swords of all kinds, copies of the Revolver gunblade, certain handguns, and staves, to name the more powerful.
' Alright, choose a weapon suited to your ability, and all that crap.' Seifer told Schiria.
' Okay!' Schiria said enthusiastically.
She scouted the entire room, which was large enough to accommodate ten Malboros. It held every basic form of every type of weapon you could think of. At the back of the room Schiria found a set of katanas. She marveled at the lightweight weapon, and decided to ask Seifer what it was.
' Seifer, what is this?' She called out.
Seifer walked to the origin of the sound, and saw Schiria holding up the katana.
' That is a katana it has the power of a sword and is so light even you will be able to use it.' Seifer explained.
Schiria gave Seifer somewhat of a glare at his remark, and then went back to looking at the thin blade in her hand. The curved blade was three feet long, and an inch wide, it was a marvelous weapon.
' So, you're going to teach me how to use this?' Schiria asked.
' Uh yeah, sure…' Seifer said, he never met anyone who could not use a weapon, ' Actually, I'll teach you nothing.' Seifer said, getting an idea, Schiria looked shocked and Seifer continued, ' You'll learn by yourself.' Seifer saw the young girl glare at him, ' As I was saying, the best way to learn how to fight is to teach yourself. We'll stop off at the Training Center, and get you used to your weapon of choice.'
' Seifer, isn't there any basics you should teach me?' Schiria said, remaining clam.
' Well, if you put it that way…' Seifer said, taking her katana.
' You should know how to swing, like so.' Seifer said, swinging katana, clearly mocking Schiria, ' Also, you should know how to stab…' He demonstrated each move that a child should know in such a fashion that would mock any self-respecting person.
Schiria looked like she was ready to attack Seifer, but quickly calmed herself.
' Right… Well, lets go then, if you aren't going to tell me, I guess I'll just have to find out.'
' That's what I've been telling you!' Seifer said, grating his words so they annoyed Schiria to no end.
' Really, does he just love to laugh at people?' Schiria thought, and followed Seifer to the Training Center.
Schiria noticed that Seifer received several glares from the students they passed.
' Seifer, why are all these people looking at you like you shot them in the leg?' Schiria asked the traitor.
' You don't know me? I'm Seifer Almasy, traitor and the asshole who joined the Sorceress who wanted to destroy Garden. I personally lead the attack on this place, which more than likely killed or injured most of the students slash SeeDs slash everybody that got in the Galbadian soldier's way.' Seifer told Schiria.
Schiria remembered the lesson she learned in school about the second Sorceress War, she however never learned about Seifer Almasy.
' Uh, I never heard of you in the history of the second Sorceress War…'
' Of course not! Edea felt so damn bad that she fell to Ultimecia and got me involved in it, that she used her good influence to wipe the record of my being an enemy of the world during the second Sorceress War from the record books! That means I won't be famous! It means that no one will remember that I was the bad guy too, but come on! I would rather die a famous bad guy than a non-famous nobody. I don't even know where I should stand…' Seifer said, feeling down on himself yet again.
Schiria just then saw the true Seifer, the man who craves attention more than any one man can handle. She saw the fear in his eyes when he spoke of being forgotten. The ambitious man, who's lost his dream, a nobody. Schiria noticed that Seifer's greatest fear had almost come true, that he will not be remembered by anyone.
' Seifer, there is always a chance. If you attacked this place, why are you here again? Cid told me that you were being given one more chance to set right all of the wrongs you've done. And never forget: where there's a will, there's a way. It means get to work, and if you get down and dirty, you'll eventually do anything you want. Seifer, I know you can do it. You have proven yourself a hero, at least to me. I know you can become a SeeD, and from there you should shoot to be the most famous SeeD alive! Better than Squall, if only you quit feeling sorry for yourself and get to working on your future.' Schiria could not believe that she had thought of what she just said.
Seifer stared right into Schiria's eyes.
' Geez, she's just like Fujin!' Seifer thought, marveling at how much alike Schiria was to his best friend Fujin, ' Well, not quite, she doesn't kick Raijin in the leg as much. I can't believe how much I miss my posse. Hell, Fujin more so…' Seifer lost himself in thought.
' Well, stop staring into space, and let's go Seifer.' Schiria said, deciding not to continue to delve into Seifer's personal problems, ' I'll get him to open up to me later…' She thought.
They arrived at the Training Center, where Schiria met Zarack.
' Hey, you're late!' Zarack yelled at Seifer, ' I've been waiting here for over twenty minutes.
' Don't expect the teacher to always be on time boy!' Seifer told Zarack, ' Didn't you hear Cid's announcement? He wanted me in his office. Or were you sleeping?'
' Uh, the announcement woke me up…' Zarack confessed.
' Anyhow, I have another damn student. Her name is Schiria Dukedom.' Seifer explained.
' Why the hell did you get another student?' Zarack asked, then it hit him, ' Schiria Dukedom? Why the hell is the daughter of the mayor of Dollet here?'
' You ask too many questions. She wants to learn how to fight, I think she'll do better hiring body guards, more pay for people like us.' Schiria gave Seifer yet another dirty look, ' Getting to the point… I now have a class to teach. Geez, that sounds way too weird. Now Zarack take Schiria around the Training Center, help her deal with any Grats that give her problems.'
' That'll be every three minutes.' Zarack said, gaining a now trademark dirty look from Schiria.
' Yeah, that's why you're with her.'
' Why not you? She'll only slow me down.'
' I'll only kill everything before she can get to 'em. Yeah that means you gotta make sure she gets her fair share of experience. Hell she needs it more than you. Now I want no backtalk, or I'll cast Ultima on you. Now go!'
Zarack nodded, and took Schiria around the Training Center. Schiria held her katana at her side, looking around for the Grats.
' Uh, Zarack where are the Grats?' Schiria asked.
' Hiding, they'll attack us when they want something to eat, or just feel threatened. Calling monsters, monsters is not fair, they're more like animals than we care to think.' Zarack explained.
' Oh…' Schiria said.
They came across a lone Grat who appeared to be eating a small prey.
' Okay, back attack, let's go Schiria.' Zarack whispered.
Zarack and Schiria walked over to the Grat, and Zarack let Schiria attack first since she never attacked with a weapon before. Schiria ran up to the feeding Grat and struck it with her katana. The monster let out a screech of what seemed like pain, and fell to the ground.
' That's strange, I've never heard that before…' Zarack stood pondering.
Suddenly as if by magic, the two were ambushed by Grats all around them. The monsters attacked all at once, greatly harming both of the teenagers. Schiria screamed, and Zarack tried to fight back, but found that every Grat he attacked two more came from behind it. Schiria also attempted to swing her sword, but found it get knocked away by a Grat that was stronger than she was.
' Damn, and me without my GF!' Zarack cursed.
Seifer noticed that his two "students" were not back yet, and thought that something must have been going on. He hurried to follow where Zarack and Schiria went.
For Zarack and Schiria hope seemed thin, but just then they heard another inhuman sound. The Grats ran away from their prey, and Zarack remembered the sound.
' Schiria, let's go, a T-Rexuar is coming!' Zarack told the girl at his side.
Schiria looked up at Zarack, she was bleeding profoundly from a scar on the side of her head made from one of the attacking Grats. She took up her once hidden weapon, and tried to stumble off to where Zarack pointed. He was pointing to some overhanging bushes that would possibly hide them from the soon approaching T-Rexuar. Zarack helped the wounded Schiria to the bushes, however it became too late. The T-Rexuar had spotted them, and it was known to attack anything smaller than it was, regardless if it was hungry or not.
Zarack drew his two swords, and prepared to fight the oncoming giant. Schiria too noticed that if she were going to survive she would need to fight also, and she picked up her sword. The gargantuan monster charged at the wounded cadet, and hit him a few feet away with its head.
Seifer arrived to see the T-Rexuar looking straight at Schiria, he then knew he would have to intervene or risk losing his extra credit. He drew the Hyperion, and ran up to the scene. Schiria looked extremely frightened, and the adrenaline in her veins caused her to lose control of herself.
' Vyis!' She said, why though was beyond her.
She held her weapon out in front of her, and the blade glowed bright white. She then made a slashing movement towards the ground, and the energy flew from her blade, to the T-Rexuar. The ray of light struck the behemoth, and causing all of the air in the monsters lungs to dissipate.
The T-Rexuar struggled for air, and Seifer saw this as his chance. He ran at the monster, and cut at its legs. The monster turned its head to see the new threat, and found a Firaga spell as its reward. Seifer dodged the now very angry T-Rexuar, and slashed at it again. The monster continued to chase Seifer around, until the tricky mercenary was able to trick it into running itself into a wall. The T-Rexuar tried with all its might to crush Seifer into the wall, however the trench coat wearing ex-knight was quicker than the monster and the T-Rexaur crashed headfirst.
Zarack got up, and walked towards Seifer, and Schiria finally got grips with her physical being and fell to the ground. Seifer ran up to Schiria, and saw she had a scar on her head.
' Damn, we gotta get her to the infirmary!' Seifer said then looked over to Zarack, ' Zarack, why the hell didn't you protect Schiria?'
' We were surrounded, I couldn't help her.'
Seifer picked up Schiria, and sprinted off to the infirmary.
