Chapter 21: The Test

"Focus," Squall calmly explained to Rinoa. "The magical energy you'd normally cast while focusing on it has to be concentrated on a particular part of your body. The Guardian Force you junctioned should understand what it is that you want."

Rinoa nodded, sitting on the couch in the private SeeD cabin. She quietly did as Squall instructed, focusing her magic. Beside her, Angelo watched quietly, the dog observing the exchange between her master and her bodyguard.

"Your magic can be focused on particular aspects of your physical body," Squall explained. "Strength, reflexes, durability, even your ability to focus magical energy. You need to will the energy to enhance that part of your body."

Squall then took an apple from the bowl of fruit that had been in the cabin's refrigerator, and handed it to Rinoa.

"Focus on your physical power, and your ability to manipulate your surroundings with pure strength," he told her. "Can you feel the magic?" Rinoa furrowed her brow in concentration, then suddenly relaxed and nodded quickly.

"Now, center it on your physical power," Squall told her. Rinoa concentrated once more.

"I can feel it," she whispered. "I can feel it in my calves and biceps, all over."

"Good," he told her. "Now squeeze the apple gently." Squall looked down at the apple, watching intently. Rinoa's muscles flexed in her fingers-

-and the apple was crushed inward, almost effortlessly.

Zell, sitting nearby, was unable to surpress a whistle. Angelo, who had been watching her mistress intently, jerked back at the display.

"You're one quick learner, Rinoa!" he commented as Rinoa opened her eyes, surprised at her strength.

"I . . . I guess so," Rinoa replied quietly, surprised at how easily she'd crushed the apple.

"Those are the fundamentals of junctioning," Squall explained to Rinoa, impressed with her performance with the fruit. "By focusing your magic and centering it on any other attribute, you should be able to enhance yourself. But, you have to remember that particular types of magic have different effects. Healing and protection magic are better for defense, and offensive magic is better for enhancing your strength or reflexes."

Rinoa nodded in understanding, but then paused as an announcement came in over the intercom, informing the passengers that the train was getting close to Deling City.

"We can save the other lessons for later," Squall told her, reaching for his gunblade and pack.

A few minutes later, the train passed into a tunnel, where it rapidly began decelerating, until it came to a complete stop. The SeeDs and their client were already moving when the predictable announcement asking them to leave sounded.

Squall hopped off the train into a large, loud and noisy hub, Deling City's train station. Passengers, conductors, and station personnel were moving around the area, lit by muted yellow lamps and neon signs. Squall checked to see that the rest of his team was following, and led the group off their platform and towards the main door.

It turned out that Deling's train network and station were underground, the rail lines running into the base of the hill the city sat upon. The SeeDs and their client approached a huge, wide, and long escalator, the automated staircase running up to the surface, and stepped on.

After a couple of minutes riding the device up to the top, the group saw Deling City unfold before them, beyond the huge archway of the station's main entrance.

The night sky of Deling City shimmered with the illumination of dozens of spotlights reflecting off the clouds. Directly ahead, down a wide avenue, there was Deling City's central landmark, a massive archway, covering in statues of heroes and monsters, and brass statues of ancient Galbadian soldiers, surrounding a huge clock set above the arch. The city streets bustled with activity, as cars, trucks, and huge red double-decker busses blazed past. Citizens and the occasional military police officer moved about purposefully along the sidewalks, congregating at bus stops.

Deling City, the city known as the Shining Night, was as alive at night, or even more so, than it was in the daytime.

Zell and Selphie seemed slightly bewildered at the bustle of the city, which was no surprise, considering they came from relatively quiet communities. Irvine, Quistis, and Rinoa seemed much more at ease, Irvine in particular. However, while Rinoa seemed familiar with her surroundings, she still seemed anxious.

"Irvine, do you know where Caraway's home is?" Squall asked, to which he shrugged.

"Its not too far," Rinoa piped in, a bit hesitantly. "We just need to take the 08 bus. There nearest stop is right outside the station."

"You know a lot about Deling?" Quistis asked, to which Rinoa nodded.

"I've been with the Forest Owls for years," she explained quietly, "but I was born and raised here in Galbadia. In this city, actually."

Squall nodded, understanding why Rinoa was so familiar with such a large city. He indicated she should lead the way, and as the group followed Rinoa out of the station, a random thought hit the SeeD.

Was Laguna here?

That question bothered him throughout the wait for a bus and the subsequent ride on board one of the double-deckers. Was Laguna in Deling City now? And if he was, what did that mean? And most importantly, what would happen if the SeeDs encountered the soldier? It seemed an unlikely possibility, even if Laguna was present, but fate had a way of arranging meetings . . . .

Squall banished the thought as the bus rose a hill, and a series of massive mansions came into view on their left. He had a mission right now, and should consider it and it alone.

The bus came to a stop, the driver announcing their arrival in Deling City's upper-class district. Rinoa quickly rose and led the team off. It was only a few minutes until they approached one of the mansions, and average sized-one, if the huge homes could be considered average-sized at all.

"This is it," Rinoa said quietly, gesturing to the home of General Hibrom Caraway. Squall nodded and took the lead, walking toward the gate. As he did so, he shifted his musings to the general himself. One of the higher-ups in the Galbadian army . . . could this whole operation simply be a coup d'etat?

Squall quashed that notion quickly enough. The reputation of the general said that he was an honorable man, not a power-monger. Hell, he was supposed to have had a family at some point. The general's wife had died twelve years ago, and he did have a child. The man was a family man, devoted to the good of Galbadia. If he was behind a military overthrow of Deling, then it must be for the good of the country.

Squall approached the gate, and was almost immediately accosted by a large patrol of very heavily armed Galbadians. The leader of the group, wearing the insignia of a lieutenant, held up a hand as the SeeDs approached the gate.

"Excuse me," he asked. "Do you have some business with the general? He is a busy man."

"We came from Galbadia Garden," Squall said truthfully, "We're here to meet the general. I think he's been informed of our arrival."

"Garden?" the lieutenant asked, almost to himself, but then nodded. "Yes, indeed. Caraway's mansion is through this gate, but . . . I can't let you pass. Yet."

Squall frowned, but held back from saying anything. That last bit in particular kept him from protesting.

"Yet?" Squall asked, realizing that there were likely conditions that would have to be met first. Perhaps they would need to prove who they were?

"I ordered not to let you through until your skills have been tested," the soldier explained.

What was this bullshit? Testing skills? Did the general think they were some kind of knights who needed to prove themselves before their lord and master?

"Test our skills?" Squall growled, holding back on his anger, but still letting it slip through a bit. He wanted the guard to know how he felt concerning this bit of silliness, and hopefully relay that back to Caraway. "What does he want us to do?"

"The Tomb of the Unknown King is to the northeast of the city, on the Gotland Peninsula, near the coast," the soldier explained. "A rather boastful Galbadia Garden student went there some time ago, investigating the rumors of monsters. He has never been seen again, but he did leave his identification number behind along with his weapon. Find them and return."

The soldier reached into a pocket in his uniform and pulled out a rolled parchment.

"This is a map of the tomb," he explained. "Once you find the weapon and his identification number, return. Simple." Squall scowled but nodded, taking the map.

"Good luck," the soldier bid, and then turned around and led his patrol away. Squall kept his scowl and looked back at his group, then at the parchment. The tomb they were supposed to visit was best described as a series of criss-crossing corridors and intersections. It looked easy enough for the SeeDs to navigate.

"The Tomb of the Unknown King?" Irvine commented as Squall scanned the map. "That old place? It's about sixty to seventy miles away. Too far to walk."

"You know anything about it?" Squall asked, to which Irvine scratched his chin.

"Monsters, treasure, and I even heard there's an earth spirit there," Irvine said after a few moments. "Mostly made-up stuff, but one legend says that a pair of cow-men lives there." Irvine chuckled at the notion.

"Sixty miles?" Quistis said with a shake of her head. "We can't walk that far."

"Hey!" Selphie suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Why don't we rent a car?"

"We have the money for that?" Squall asked, dubiously. He also wondered how mcuh Selphie's suggestion was based in the actual practical use of a car, and how much was in her obvious love for vehicles.

"We could bill it to Garden, like with our train fares," Quistis replied. "It is a travel expense." Squall shrugged and nodded.

"There should be one in the shopping district," Selphie pointed out. Squall nodded again, and when the next bus arrived, they quickly boarded and rode it to the shopping district. En route, Squall noticed Zell was scowling angrily in his seat. The SeeD gave the martial artist a questioning look, which Zell caught.

"What?" he asked.

"Something wrong?" Squall questioned, to which Zell's frown deepened and he shook his fist.
"Who the hell does this Caraway guy think he is?" Zell replied, shaking his head in fury. "Sending us on some kind of test of courage? How lame is that?"

"Well, it does seem silly," Quistis commented, "but we've got no choice. The sooner we get done the better."

"Yeah, suck it up, Zell," Selphie added. She pumped a fist excitedly. "Be a man about it. You're a SeeD! It's not a job, its an adventure!"

-------------------

The ride did not take as long as expected, as Selphie was driving the vehicle they had rented. The heavy-duty sport utility vehicle lumbered across the rolling plains northeast of the city, passing farms and suburbs until it reached open ground. Selphie found a vehicle trail running northeast, toward the distant peninsula where the Tomb of the Unknown King rested, and steered onto it.

It took the better part of an hour and a half to reach the Tomb, though Selphie set good time, driving the SUV at speeds well in excess of sixty miles per hour. Zell, predictably, did not enjoy the trip at all.

Despite his constant protestations of Selphie's insane driving, the SUV, loaded with the five SeeDs and their client, arrived safely at the ancient tomb. She brought the vehicle to a stop outside a crumbling wall of stone, near an opening in the wall where a gate had likely stood. Apparently they weren't the only ones there; another car was parked near the entrance.

Once they passed through the wall, they found a heavily overgrown ruin, green grasses and bushes interspersed among grayish-blue stone paths and columns. About a hundred feet beyond the outer wall was a massive stone structure, as heavily overgrown as the outer grounds and covered with runes, images, and reliefs. A river cut between the stone structure and the outer section, with a stone bridge traversing the gap. Just beyond the bridge was the entrance into the tomb, a yawning black portal into the depths of the grave of the ancient, nameless king.

Squall led the group across the bridge toward the open hole, and looked back at his team. Zell and Rinoa seemed a bit apprehensive, but aside from that the group seemed ready to delve into the tomb.

"We stay together," he told them, to which the others nodded. "We don't know what to expect in here, but I don't want to take any risks." Zell nodded and slapped a fist into a palm.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with!" the martial artist said. Squall turned back to the entrance and drew his gunblade. He almost thought to fashion a makeshift torch, but just beyond the entrance, Squall could see a faint glowing light. Some type of luminous lichen, perhaps? Cautiously, he waved his group forward.

As soon as they entered the chamber, they were struck by a faint odor. Not the musty smell one would expect from a forgotten tomb, but a scent of the earth, of life. Despite the fact that this place was one of death and eternal sleep, the Tomb of the Unknown King seemed to possess a sort of strange life. The walls were covered in more designs and embellishments, and a pair of trenches running between the walls and the floors,funneled water throughout the tomb from an unknown location.

As the group advanced, Squall found the source of the illumination: shafts of light shot down from the ceiling, through holes in the roof cut by the builders. Where the light shone, small grasses grew out of the stone floor.

The group approached an intersection, the first one on the map, and suddenly had to leap back as a pair of Galbadia Garden cadets, females, ran around the right corner and past them to the exit. They were scrambling as fast as they could, with expressions of sheer terror on their faces. The cadets were gone before anyone could even speak, but the glances the SeeDs and Rinoa traded as the cadets fled were enough. Something was very wrong here. Angelo seemed to sense it, and hugged close to Rinoa's side as they moved into the intersection.

"Which way?" Rinoa asked. Squall looked down each of the corridors, but was unsure.

"We definitely shouldn't go that way," Quistis commented, pointing down the right tunnel, from where the cadets had come. Squall nodded, and consulted his map. The corridor straight ahead would lead to a dead end beyond another intersection, while the one to the left led to a corner in the tunnel, and turned right before leading to another intersection. The route to the right mimicked the one to the left.

"Left," Squall said with a shrug, then reached into the bandoleer on his right leg and pulled out one of his gunblade shells. He dropped it in the middle of the intersection, as a marker, and then the group moved to the left.

They traced the outer perimeter of the tomb's tunnels, for the most part simply following the corridors that turned, until they found a side chamber. A quick check, however, showed that the side chamber was blocked by a large stone slab. Squall frowned, but then led his team back. He doubted the Galbadia Garden cadet could have moved that slab there.

Squall continued to lead his team around the outer tunnels, not wanting to go deeper in until they'd confirmed that the cadet's equipment hadn't been left out here where it was easier to navigate. They found another side chamber some time later, but this too was blocked by a slab. Undaunted, they continued on, though now by Squall's reckoning, they would be headed into the region those Galbadia Garden cadets had been fleeing from. Now Squall moved more cautiously, and the rest of the team caught on to his movements, and moved slowly as well.

Nothing reared up to threaten them, however, as they skirted the outer tunnels in this region. Something wasn't right, however, and whatever it was put everyone on edge. Angelo became a bit more skittish, while Zell's level of nervous energy rose considerably. The others weren't quite so visible with their anxiousness: a lower lip being bit, or a slightly quicker than average sweep of the head to check the surroundings were the most one could see. But everyone was on alert now.

Squall found another side chamber in this region, and (to little surprise) this one wasn't blocked by a slab of stone. Squall cautiously led them down the corridor, noting that the chamber beyond had no overhead lighting, just a faint bluish-white glow with no apparent source. When they entered the chamber, they saw what the glow was centered on, if not its source: a huge statue of a Minotaur, a great beast that looked like a cross between a man and a bull. This statue was set on a pedestal, and was remarkably life-like, its skin painted grayish-blue with red horns and shield, white tusks, a thick brown chestplate, black cloven feet, and a spiked iron mace in its hands. The statue's face seemed more like a vicious dog than a human, and it scowled at those who entered the chamber.

The six humans looked around the chamber, but aside from the statue, there was little beyond the bas relief images on the walls that was remarkable about this room.

Dead end," Squall said, shrugging, then he began to turn to leave. Irvine, quisits, zell, and Rinoa began to follow, but Selphie paused to regard the statue. She walked up to the Minataur statue and looked it in the cold eyes.

"Sure is ugly," she commented. "Who would want to make a statue of something this stupid-looking?"

At that, the statue blinked.

Squall whipped around at the thunderous sound of a spiked mace smashing into the floor erupted behind him. What he saw shocked him: the lifeless statue was now very lifelike, its mace smashed into the ground here Selphie had stood only a second before. A quick backflip was all that kept her from being crushed beneath the iron spikes.

The Minotaur raised its mace again, but at that moment Irvine snapped up his rifle and fired. Both barrels flashed simultaniously, the heavy round blasting into the creature's face. It stepped back, almost off the pedestal, and then roared a thunderous reply. Squall saw the gaping wounds on the creature's face, which looked more like miniature craters in rock instead of real wounds. Even as Squall watched, the small craters reformed, regenerating the damage.

"Guardian Force!" Squall shouted as he moved forward, Zell beside him. Irvine fell back to the side, where he could get another clear shot at the GF, while Selphie moved back and away from the spirit's wrath, stopping beside Rinoa, who was already casting a spell. Quistis moved forward, behind and beside the two front-line fighters, ready to use her whip's longer range to strike at the Minotaur.

The Guardian Force thundered a challenge, and Squall and Zell answered it. They split, Squall going left, Zell right. Squall sent a quick upwards chop into the GF's mace hand, which the spirit deftly dodged, pulling its hand back. Zell, meanwhile struck hard with a crushing kick aimed for the GF's knee. The foot smashed into the Minotaur's leg, and the creature howled. Its counter, a swinging shield bash, caught Zell on the left shoulder and hurled him back against the wall. Zell smashed into the wall hard, cracking the stone where he hit. Thanks to his junctions, he was stiil alive, although hurting.

Squall ducked below the Guardian Force's second counter, a swift swing of its mace that took a chunk out the wall above Squall's head. At the same moment, a powerful Fira and equally powerful Thundara spell blasted into the Guardian Force's face, courtesy of Selphie and Rinoa. At the same time, another resounding twin blast from Irvine's rifle hit the GF in the upper neck. Quistis' rante cut in a second later, the blade gouging a deep cut in the side of the GF's head.

The Minoataur roared in fury and pain, hopping down from its pedestal and rushing Rinoa and Selphie. It didn't make it far, as Squall leaped after it, burying his gunblade into the GF's right thigh and firing a blast. The Revolver's concussive blast shocked the Guardian Force, knocking it off balance until Irvine could shoot it again, the rounds burying deep craters in the spirit's side.

Squall ducked low, the GF's mace flying overhead, one of the spikes actually passing through Squall's hair, the tip slicing a cut along the top of his head. The SeeD countered, burying the Revolver into the GF's armored stomach and firing three blasts in rapid succession. The spirit shuddered and fell back. Fire and explosive ice erupted on the GF's back as Rinoa and Selphie struck again, their spells chased by Quistis' whip. Irvine shot the Minotaur again as Zell rose and prepared to dive back into the fray.

The Minotaur didn't even know where to begin with so many opponents, and simply opted to flee. It turned, leaped clear over Selphie and Rinoa's heads, and dashed out the chamber. Over its shoulder, it sent a roaring threat.

"BASTARDS!" it called. "THIS AIN'T OVER!" Squall quickly scanned his group, checking each member. The only person who had even really been hurt was Zell, and even that was more of an annoyance than an injury. The SeeD looked more than ready to continue fighting.

"We gonna chase him?" Zell asked, angry that he couldn't have gotten any deeper into the quick battle. Squall shook his head.

"We're on a mission," he replied. "Our objective is to find that identification number and the cadet's weapon, not to defeat Guardian Forces." Squall didn't like having to say that, himself. From what they had seen, they could easily defeat the Guardian Force as a team and earn its service, but hey just didn't have the time to be chasing it through the tomb. Reluctantly, he led his team out of the chamber, and resumed the search for the cadet's gear.

However, if they met the Minotaur again, Squall intended to finish the game.

-------------------

"Mr. President?" the aide said, jogging up to Vinzer Deling as he walked down a hallway, flanked by advisors. The President was speaking to one of them, but paused as the aide approached.

"Yes?" Deling asked, rubbing a hand across his neck, where that blonde kid's gunblade had been pressed.

"The Sorceress would like to speak with you, sir," the aide said quickly. Deling frowned, and then nodded.

"I'm sorry Heris," Deling said to the advisor he had been speaking to before. "We'll cover the economic problems in Tollane later." With that, he dismissed his advisors and headed for the fourth floor of the Presidential Palace.

The fourth level as actually the highest level in the Palace, with the vast majority of the structure underground. It was designed that way back in the Sorceress War with Esthar, as a defense against their powerful aircraft and advanced energy weaponry. The upper level was often a place where the important media and social functions were held. One of the chambers for this kind of activity was recently taken over by Deling's new . . . ally.

Deling stepped through the white, transparent curtains she had draped over the main entrance and entered the Sorceress' chamber. Before he'd even seen her, Deling sensed the Sorceress' power, radiating out from the diminutive woman. It was an incredible, alluring power, but one that frightened Deling as well. Vinzer Deling was a dangerous man, but even he had to tremble before the power of this weapon he had joined with, always watching him like a half-tamed animal.

Deling wondered, not for the first time, the wisdom of his decision to ally with the same kind of person that had started the Sorceress War all those years ago, ravaging both Galbadia and Esthar . . . .

The woman was seated directly across from the entrance, facing away, out an open double door that lead onto a balcony overlooking the streets below. She still wore her black dress that gradually shifted to purple at her feet, with the beak-like mask resting upon her face like a shadow of doom. Cautiously, Deling approached.

"You requested my presence," he stated grudgingly, reminding himself that they were allies, and that he was not subservient to the Sorceress. Still, the events from earlier that day rang fresh in his mind, and weakened Deling's beliefs of his superiority.

"Indeed," the woman said quietly, not looking back at the dictator. "I have a question I must tell you personally."

"And that is?" Deling replied, although he suspected the nature of the question the Sorceress would ask.

"Have you found her yet?" the Sorceress asked.

"No," Deling replied. "My intelligence networks are working feverishly to locate her. You must understand, it takes time, especially to search for one woman."

"I know how challenging it is to find a particular person," the Sorceress replied, an edge to her voice. "Believe me, I do know."

"Then why do you keep asking me?" Deling replied, not allowing her to gain the upper hand. "What is so important about a single person?"

"In time, you will see," the Sorceress responded.

"That won't do," Deling responded, growling. "If we are allies, then I have to know. Why are we committing so many resources to one person? What could she matter to our war efforts? I need to have my men analyzing information and projecting possible responses from Garden, Esthar, the Global Mineral Association, and any number of other groups that would respond to our plans. I can't have them wasting time with this unless I have a damned good reason to!"

The Sorceress looked up, and turned her head to face Deling. The dictator, who had been gaining confidence with his tirade, began to shrink back beneath her invisible glare.

"Faith," she said to Deling. "Hold faith. Tonight, at the commencement ceremony, all will be revealed."

"I have no time for dramatics!" Deling fumed through clenched teeth. "Tell me! How important is she?"

"More important than you can imagine," the Sorceress responded quietly, her voice like steel lined in velvet - soft yet powerful. "One woman could bring us to the height of imaginable power, my President. Would you revoke such an opportunity?"

"You speak in riddles," Deling growled again. "I know she is important, but why?"

The Sorceress was silent.

"I tire of this," Deling hissed. He turned and began to leave the room. "You had best tell what you intend at the ceremony," he added. Deling paused as he reached the door, but did not look back at the Sorceress. "Or else."

The door slammed shut as Deling left. The Sorceress chuckled quietly to herself, at the amusement of such simple-minded men. Deling was so petty. World domination? Why aim for that low a mark, when vastly greater power was in one's grasp?

"Tonight, little man," the Sorceress whispered. "Tonight you will see . . . ." Beneath her mask, she smiled. Nearby, in the curtains, invisible to the sight of Deling, another figure shifted. He, too, smiled.

Soon.

-------------------

Thus far, their search had turned up fruitless. The SeeDs and Rinoa found no trace of the missing cadet's gear, even after they began searching the tomb's maze-like inner corridors. An hour of prowling the tomb later, the SeeDs came to the conclusion that the cadet's gear was not in the tunnels. Furthermore, they'd had run-ins with other unpleasantness, a type of gel-like monster that had repeatedly poped up along the way. Killing the things had gotten tiresome. Squall was almost considering searching the blocked side chambers when he noticed a section that they had not searched: the very center of the tomb, a singular stone structure that, according to the map, was surrounded by water. The chamber itself was supposed to be the actual tomb of the ancient king, but that was not the only reason Squall was apprehensive towards that part of the complex. In the hour they had been searching, the Minotaur had not resurfaced. Guardian Forces always remained in their lairs, which meant that the GF was still around. If it wasn't in the tunnels, then the Minotaur was most likely in the tomb itself.

Still, they had no choice but to continue their search of the tomb. Squall led his group around, to a spot where the map indicated a bridge that led across the water. They found the bridge easily enough, spanning a wide, flowing lake and leading to a huge and tall stone structure in the middle of the body of water. The overgrown structure did not seem particularly ominous, but the SeeDs were at the ready despite the peaceful surroundings.

They entered the open chamber of the king's tomb. The room was bright and filled with plants lining the walls and floors, with a huge metal coffin in the center of the chamber. A shaft of light shot down on the tomb of the king. Near the king's coffin lay a sword, beside the tatters of a Galbadia Garden cadet's uniform, doubtless that of the one they had been seeking the whole time.

However, all the details of the room were subordinated to the figure standing atop the tomb itself. The Minotaur glowered at its pursuers, clutching its mace tightly. It looked back and forth at the SeeDs and Rinoa, who was telling Angelo to get back. The dog may have been loyal, but in this situation, dealing with a Guardian Force of tremendous power, Angelo could be of little help.

"YOU, YOU'RE BACK AGAIN?" the Minotaur thundered, its eyes going wide. Like Ifrit, the spirit's mouth did not move in accordance with its words. "I TOOK IT EASY ON YOU LAST TIME, BUT NOT NOW!" The spirit jabbed a finger at the SeeDs, in a vain and boisterous attempt to make its words threatening. The group remained undeterred however, in light of the battle they had just fought an hour ago. Apparently the Guardian Force had forgotten how easily the humans had won that confrontation. Squall had never believed a stupid Guardian Force existed, but apparently they did. The GF reminded Squall of Raijin in a way.

"T-THIS TIME, M-MY BIG BRO IS WITH ME!" the spirit shouted at its enemies. "N-NOW'S YOU'RE CHANCE TO RUN AWAY, MAN!"

Zell, in response, openly laughed at the Minotaur. The Guardian Force roared in anger, and then looked up.

"BRO!" it blasted, its voice reverberating off the walls. A flash of light filled the room, momentarily blinding the SeeDs, until the glow shrank. From the light there emerged an almost perfect replica of the Minotaur, except that it had yellow horns and shield.

That, and it was barely four feet tall.

"Yeah, bro?" the Guardian Force asked in a very quiet, calm tone, appraising the intruders.

"Y-YO, BRO, SACRED, THESE GUYS CRASHED THE TOMB!" the Minotaur whined to his "older" brother. "P-PLUS, THEY ATTACKED ME!" The tiny Guardian Force chuckled to himself, but looked on the SeeDs with new respect.

"Oh, really?" Sacred said, almost casually. "They defeated you? Not bad . . . for humans."

"Psh," Zell muttered, surprised by the absurd events. "The puny one's the elder brother? And the younger one's a moron!"

"BRO, THEY'RE MAKING FUN OF US!" the Minotaur shouted, and Sacred nodded, scowling at the intruders. Slowly, the tiny GF readied his mace.

"Foolish little humans," he said as the Minotaur hopped down off the coffin to stand beside his brother. "I'll show you not to judge a book by its cover."

"I got the little one," Zell muttered, moving into line with Sacred. The GF turned to face him and sneered.

"Alright," Squall agreed. "Keep him busy." He turned to face the rest of his team. "Everyone else, focus on the Minotaur, and take him out quickly." Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, and Selphie nodded.

"LET'S ROCK!" the Minotaur roared, and the brothers charged. Squall met the Minotaur's charge, ducking below a wide wing of his mace, while Zell charged Sacred, leading with a flying kick. Sacred ducked below the kick, and his shield arm rose, catching the SeeD by is foot. Zell tried to yank his foot away, but Sacred held fast. Then, almost casually, he spun, lifting Zell with his shield arm and flung him across the room as if he were a rag doll. Zell crashed into the wall beyond the coffin, out of the fight with one throw.

Squall backed away as the Minotaur reduced the stone beneath his feet to dust with an overhead mace smash. The SeeD countered with a measured strike, and then dove aside. The Minotaur turned to pursue but was then almost hurled off his feet as twin .50 AE rounds tore into his chest, and magic from three different casters exploded across his body. Burned, shocked, and frozen, a second pair of bullets blasted the GF back. Squall came in even harder, a cleaving strike across as a high-caliber concussive- force shell blasted the chest of the Guardian Force. The Minotaur fell back, and would have fallen quickly if Squall had not immediately needed to defend himself from Sacred's attack, a swift mace stroke that the SeeD deflected with a deft parry.

Sacred smiled and swung its mace over. Squall, his gunblade clashing against the mace, followed it with his weapon, forcing the mace into an arc overhead and down into the floor. As the mace hit the floor, Sacred spun and stepped forward, bringing his shield arm around. Squall, his gunblade engaged with the mace, couldn't deflect the shield aimed for his knees, so he simply went over it, hopping into a sideways flip over the arm and landing on his feet. The SeeD then raised his gunblade and brought it down in an overhead chop. Sacred swung both his shield and mace up, catching the powerful cleave, grunting with the effort of stopping it.

"Strong, for a human," the GF commented off-handedly.

The Minotaur, no longer pressed by Squall, recovered quickly. His wounds immediately began regenerating, for Guardian Force avatars were more or less indestructible. He raised his mace as the cuts, burns, and craters vanished, and charged at the humans. The GF bulled through a series of spells from Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis, and aimed for the blonde SeeD. She evaded his mace stroke easily enough, but the Minotaur showed his ingenuity by using his brother's trick with the shield arm. The arm came across as Quistis dodged the mace, and struck her hard, knocking her off her feet.

The Minotaur did not follow up on the attack, as Irvine chose that moment to plug another pair of bullets into the GF's face. The Guardian Force spun, enraged, and charged at Irvine. The sharpshooter quickly drew a pair of explosive shells from inside his coat and loaded them into his rifle, backing away from the Minotaur. The GF approached swiftly, raising his mace as he towered over Irvine. The mace began to fall as Irvine slid the last shell home, cocked the rifle, and fired.

The first shell exploded into the Minotaur's chest, tossing him back. Undaunted, it raised its mace again, and took another shell, directly on the GF's nose, accompanied by a pair of magical blasts by Selphie and Rinoa. The Thundara and Fira spells, combined with the explosives, staggered the Guardian Force, and Quistis, recovering from the hit, spun her rante at the Minotaur's legs. The chain wrapped around one of the GF's trunk-like limbs, and Quistis pulled with all her GF-enhanced strength. The Minotaur toppled. Irvine, wasting no time, slid a pair of shotgun shells into his rifle and leaped on top of the GF's chest. The Minotaur was about to rise again when Irvine fired point-blank into his face. The sharpshooter then pumped his rifle again, leveling it at the Minotaur's head, but the Guardian Force croaked out something. Irvine held back for a moment, until the Minotaur's face could regenerate enough for him to speak.

"Give," he said weakly. "Sorry, bro. I lost . . . ."

Sacred snapped his mace low, using his shield to hold Squall's gunblade up enough to keep him from parrying it. Squall hopped backward, evading the mace stroke. Sacred growled and began to advance, but then movement from beyond the coffin caught his attention.

Zell rose from his spot on the floor, amidst rocks and loose stone from the blasted wall. Fury stamped itself across the SeeD's face as he clenched his fists.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Zell growled as glowing light began to form around him. "And don't piss off a SeeD!"

The shimmering light reached a crescendo around the martial artist, and he leaped across the coffin at Sacred, impossibly fast. Sacred began to raise his weapons in a semblance of defense, but took a foot across the face before he could deflect the hit. Zell alternated his feet, snapping a kick with his other leg before delivering a powerful uppercut that actually lifted the GF off its feet. A blindingly fast spin-kick caught the GF in mid-air, smashing him across and down into the ground. Zell was on Sacred in an instant, his fists striking in a rapid series of alternating jabs and hooks to the Guardian Force's face and chest. Sacred back away, trying to recover from the dizzying routine, but Zell chased him, going into a low sweep that dropped the GF onto his back. Before Sacred could recover, Zell smashed him with an axe kick, the heel of his foot rising nearly 180 degrees and slamming down into the prone Guardian Force's chest.

Sacred didn't even let out a wheeze of pain before Zell soccer-kicked him, hurling him across the room into a wall. The stone spider-webbed around the impact, and Sacred began to fall. Zell didn't let him reach the floor, already moving up in front of the GF. Before he'd even completely fallen out of the hole in the wall, Zell grabbed the GF with one arm and hammered Sacred repeatedly with his other fist. After five or six smashing punches, Zell headbutted the GF once, and then a second time for good measure, before spinning and spiking Sacred. Sacred smashed into the floor, bounced up a couple of feet, then rolled away.

Zell then slumped slightly, falling back against the wall as Sacred rolled over weakly on the floor.

"The brothers . . ." he said, both quietly and weakly, barely audible. "Defeated?" Sacred looked at Zell, then at Squall, and then at the remainder of the group, standing over the Minotaur. Sacred's brother began to rise, his wounds almost completely regenerated. After a moment, Sacred rose, recovered from his wounds as well.

"Mighty ones . . ." Sacred said to the victorious group. "May we join you? The ancient rules dictate that we must serve the victors of our battles." Sacred looked at his younger brother, who looked back at his older "bro." Both nodded, and, as one, tossed a pair of gray stones at Squall, leader of the victors. Squall caught the stones, and nodded. The brothers replied their nods, as stone began to rise up around the two. The stone quickly encased the Guardian Forces, and then receded back into the floor, taking them with it.

The test of the Tomb of the Unknown King was over.

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Yar. Done, finally. Anyway, on to me notesies.

There's an Under Siege quote in there. Try to find it. XD

Yes, that two paragraph beat-down Zell unleashed was Duel. I'll go into it next chapter. Also, I said Irvine would be using his special ammo outside of Limits, and I meant it.

Hardest problem with doing the battle with the Brothers was bringing the six heroes together against a single target. There will be very few moments in the course of this writing where the whole group will be foused on one opponent, primarily among them the Abadon, Mobile Type 8, and of course our ultimate foe. Usually, when all six heroes are together it will be for really serious and massive battles, like the Garden war.

The placement of certian things was altered to make the story flow better. The sword was supposed to be in the entrance, but I placed it in the tomb to give the heroes reason to go there and fight the Brothers. Also, the Brothers are being taken as two seperate Guardian Forces. I doubt that they will be summoned because, well, their summon was just plain silly.

Also, made some foreshadowing to the future here. I especially enjoyed doing the Deling/Sorceress scene.

Also, after I get done with the first disc, I will go back and upload edited chapters, thanks to the critical input of Aaron, my editor. (gives Aaron a harem for his troubles)

Also, I wanted to make this announcement: After reviewing Foreshadow once more, I'll be bringing it back sometime in the future. The story is intense and epic, and even moreso now that I've reenvisioned it!