PART XV

"You fight well, Bootus, but I get the impression you fight for the wrong reason."

"What do you mean?"

"You fight for yourself. Not for others."

"That's not true. I-"

"You fight because you enjoy it. Then you use the suffering of the others as an excuse to engage in your violence."

"If I didn't enjoy violence I would have become some kind of whimpy White Mage or something."

"You chose the path of the monk because of it, but never forget, it is your sworn duty to help others. Never let them suffer."

"Yes, sensei. I'll remember."

Bootus looked casually around the devastation. Garland had put his spiked helmet back on his head.

"Well, old chaps, this is goodbye. I have to go and save her." He turned away.

"What do you mean 'I'?" Zinkata asked quickly. "We're all going."

"Sorry, old friend, but it's too risky." Garland explained. "Judging by where that dragon landed, she's in dangerous territory. Only I could get to her alive."

"We will not let you go alone." Bootus said surprisingly.

"Very well. We'll head to the armoury, the guards are sure to let us use their equipment, then head out."

Bootus, Zinkata and Voldos walked into the large armoury, through the huge iron door. Garland waited outside. He already had all the equipment he needed. There was a crash. The door was sealed.

"GARLAND!" Exclaimed Zinkata, running to the door.

"Sorry, friends, but it's just too risky." He paused. "I have to go alone. I can't let you risk yourselves. Goodbye." He walked away.
"Garland! No!" Zinkata yelled, pounding the door.

Vivli awoke, her entire body shaking. I spend more time knocked out than normal sleeping these days she thought to herself. She tried to move, and couldn't. She was stuck to something. A gigantic web of sticky white strands. Her eyes went wide in fear as it dawned on her. A spider's web.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" She bellowed, kicking and struggling like crazy, unable to move. She began to remember the darkness, a noise had rendered her unconscious. A bite. Poison. It would explain why she felt so weak. "PLEASE! HELP!" Fairly predictably, Vivli was scared of spiders. Arachnaphobia was a lot less common in Vana'diel, and those who were scared of spiders were scared of those of the giant variety. Not Vivli. Even the smallest spider creeped her out. So being stuck to a gigantic web sent her into a crazed fit of screaming and yelling. This, of course, attracted the spider.

It was huge, as predicted. About three times the height of Vivli, and so fat its gigantic slimy black legs seemed to struggle to support its bulk. Eight glistening eyes reflected out of the darkness as it snapped its gigantic mouth. Green poison splattered everywhere. It came close to Vivli, almost placing her in its mouth. The entire web vibrated with her shaking. It passed by her, as if she wasn't there. It scuttled off down into the darkness. Vivli burst into tears.

"I'm not ramming it again!" Snapped Bootus, rubbing his bruised shoulder.

"We can't just stay here!" Zinkata countered.

"And why not?" Asked the galka. "Garland can take care of Vivli."

"It's the principle! Come on!" Zinkata pushed the galka. Bootus charged and smashed into the door once more.

The little mithra was tugging desperately at the sticky ropes in a fit. She couldn't move. She couldn't get help. All she could do was cry, and that wasn't very productive.

"What's this?" A voice came. "Hello?"

"Hello?" Screamed Vivli, overjoyed. "Help! Help me! Please!" A roughly shaven figure with scruffy hair poked his head out from the cave. He crept in slowly. He had muddy brown clothes, and they didn't look like they'd been washed for months.

"Is it gone?" He asked.

"Just cut me down! Please!" She cried, struggling. He drew an old battered sword from his belt and did so. Then he bent down to scoop up the goo around the bottom of the web. "What are you doing? We have to get out of here!"
"Shh. I need this stuff. It's a vital healing component. Hold on." She waited nervously, jumping at every little sound.

"Come on!" She snapped, unable to control her fear any longer.

"Okay, it'll be back soon. Follow me." The two shot off down a darkened path.

"We'll never catch him!" Bootus pointed out, rubbing his battered shoulder as they ran through the streets of Jeuno.

"Not on foot!" Zinkata pointed out. "To the chocobo stables!"

"We don't have licences." Voldos reminded him.

"I've got my licence right here." Zinkata stroked his sword handle. Voldos shot him a stare. "What? This is no time to be diplomatic!"

"So who are you?" Vivli was, as usual, struggling to keep up.

"My name's Ronald. I collect this goo for healing potions." He explained as they walked.

"I'm never taking another healing potion again." Vivli stated.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did a girl like you end up out here? Don't you city types avoid the deep wilderness." City types? Vivli certainly preferred cities, but she never thought of herself as the type who would be confined to one. She then remembered how she was dressed.

"It's a bit of a long story." She began to pick the sticky spider web off of her dress, which, with the current conversation, just made her look vain. The addition of her getting her hands stuck together by the web just helped the impression that she was an inexperienced city girl lost in the wilderness. "Dammit." She muttered under her breath.

"This is fun!" Zinkata announced as the chocobos tore across the plains.

"Nice of the owner to be so co-operative." Voldos laughed.

"I don't think my chocobo is doing so well." Boouts groaned. The chocobo was straining under the massive bulk of the galka. Voldos laughed again.

"See, if you had been born an elf, you wouldn't have this problem." He remarked.

"Yeah, but at least this way I don't have ridiculous ears." Bootus countered.

"I do not have ridiculous ears!" Voldos snapped.

"Even with Vivli gone, we still bicker." Sighed Zinkata.

"I think it's just Bootus." Voldos commented.

"Are we near the entrance yet?" Vivli's voice was shaking.

"Ha. A girl like you isn't scared of the dark is she?" Ronald laughed.

"Just a bit." She answered, embarrassed. Ronald laughed.

"Don't worry. The exit is just up ahead." The goo farmer explained.

"And the spider?" She nervously asked.

"It won't come this close to the light." He explained. She saw light pouring into the tunnel, and a bright white exit. She began to run towards it, overly happy to escape. Sadly, this led to her tripping over her dress.

"Ow." She whimpered, looking up. A siloette was stood in the light. Her eyes went wide. It can't be! It looked like….

"We're nearing the canyon where the dragon landed." Zinkata told the others.

"I see no dead mithra, means she escaped." Bootus observed. "That was lucky." Everybody stared at him. "Ur, I mean, damn."

"Yeah, whatever." Sighed Voldos. "Where did she go then?"

"She must have found somewhere to hide." Zinkata stated. Bootus sarcastically clapped his hands. "But I don't see any caves around here." Zinkata continued, ignoring the galka.

"What about there?" Voldos pointed to a blackened pile of rocks. "Looks like a cave in."

"You think she's inside?" Zinkata asked.

"Vivli? In a dark cave? All alone?" Bootus burst out with laughter at the thought.

"If she wasn't crushed." This thought from Voldos silenced him. "We had better find another way in and investigate."

….a demon. She backed away in disbelief, falling over again. The shadowy figure stepped forwards, and as he did it was revealed to be Garland. She breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death!" She cried, standing up slowly.

"You alright?" Garland asked quickly.
"Thanks to Ronald here. He saved me." She answered, pointing to the strange man.

"Is he the only one that found you?" It was a strange question from Garland.

"Well, yes." She replied.

"Excellent." Garland threw his sword, slicing through Ronald, killing him. Vivli screamed.

"Did you hear that?" Zinkata exclaimed.

"Sounded like Vivli!" Voldos gave in response.

"We need to find a way in! Quickly!" Zinkata snapped.

"Garland?" Vivli staggered away. "What are you doing?"

"Always obey your instincts." Came the response, now dramatically deepened into a growling voice. Huge demonic wings were beginning to form from his back.

"You-You're-" Vivli could barely get the words out. "Uggalepih!"

"Ha. It's pathetic you call be by that name." Garland had now gigantic demonic wings, and the horns on his helmet had become real, sticking violently from his head. His eyes glowed a dull purple.

"What do you mean?" She stumbled back.

"Gods. Ha. They don't exist." Garland flew towards her. "Their a stubborn belief of you puny mortals trying desperately to justify your existence. There are no gods. There is no plan. Your world, your races, their all just a bizarre coincidence."

"What? But you're Uggalepih. The god!" She cried.

"God. A god is what they called me. To justify my own power. A spirit of my strength could not be understood." Garland laughed, sneering.

"So, who are you?" Vivli whimpered.

"Tell me, young Vivli, you were a student of magic. Do you know what Uggalepih means in the ancient tongue?"

"I'm not sure." She managed to splutter.

"Think." Garland ordered. Her eyes went wide in blind terror. She suddenly realised.

"Chaos!" She gasped.

Her mind lit up. She could hear the voices again. But this time, she could see. A memory lodged deep in her subconscious.

"Hand her over, Garland!" Vivli found herself crying, stepping towards an armoured figure. He was unmistakable.

"Nobody touches my Princess!" Spat Garland back.

"Your Princess? She belongs to no-one. Now, hand her over, or in the name of the Light Warriors we will strike you down." The fighter stepped forwards to be side by side with Vivli.

"Light Warriors?" Garland replied with a sneer.

"We bear the four orbs of Light. We will use their power if we must. Stand down." The monk joined them also.

"You impertinent fools!" Laughed Garland.

"Surrender!" The White Mage said cautiously, stepping forwards as well.

"I, Garland, will knock you all down!" Cried the evil dark knight.

"That's impossible!" Gasped Vivli. Her memory was from a million years ago. "You were destroyed!"

"Ha. The Demon Lord Chaos will not die so easily." Chaos spat. "My body was crushed but my spirit endured. So you pathetically named me a god. You worshiped that which you hated. There are no gods!"

"There must be. There are!" Vivli shouted back.

"Where are they then, little girl?" Chaos taunted. "Why aren't they protecting you?"

"Why are you doing this?" Vivli screamed. "Why not just kill me? Why crush my faith?"

"You pathetic whelp!" Chaos slammed a mighty fist into the ground, causing huge vibrations and knocking Vivli off her feet. "I have endured being a spirit for a million years. Can your puny brain even process that? A million years. You've lived for under twenty. Fifty, maybe you could grasp. A hundred, I doubt it. How much has Vana'diel changed in the last thousand years?" Chaos wasn't going to let her answer. "So in ten thousand? In a million? A million years is beyond your understanding. You just can't process it. And for that time, I have suffered. I have waited. I have plotted. I have awaited my vengance. Do you think I'm really going to throw it away and kill you instantly?" Chaos flew towards her, still a twisted visage of Garland. "Oh no, young girl, I will make you scream and beg for death before my form before I end your life." Vivli stumbled away in desperate fear.

"Garland!" Zinkata snapped. Chaos span around, seeing the three heroes, Zinkata stood central, Bootus and Voldos flanking him on either side. Zinkata held a sword, Voldos had drawn his bow, and Bootus had claws gripped in his hands.

"RUN!" Vivli screamed, yelling to them. Chaos was still between them. "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" She was sobbing. "HE'S CHAOS! HE'LL DESTROY YOU!" Vivli knew if they left, she'd die, but wanted to do something heroic at least once in her soon to be ended life.

"We didn't come all this way to leave you!" Zinkata shouted.

"He's too powerful!" She yelled. "He'll kill you all!" Tears streamed down her face.

"Even if we cannot win, we'll fight!" Zinkata cried. "Right, guys?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Voldos fired an arrow. It exploded into dust before it reached Chaos.

"This is no fight." Sneered Chaos. Thunder rocketed down, hitting all three of them. They all collapsed in pain.

"Then accept a challenge!" A voice yelled.

He was a beaten man. One arm, the other ripped off. His face was badly scarred, multiple fresh wounds. His armour was cracked and broken. His leg had been bleeding heavily. He barely looked alive.

"You?" Chaos yelled.

"Me." Fiorel replied. "I hope you're more capable than your lackey." He taunted.

"Fiorel!" Vivli ran to hug him, but Fiorel pushed her back.

"Vivli. Get out of here." He told her.

"Not again!" She wept. "I'm not leaving you again."

"You have to. This fight we cannot win." He gestured to Chaos. "He cannot be killed. Find the crystal shards. Discover the power of the Light Warriors. Save the world."

"Fiorel! No!" She sobbed on her knees.

The three watching heroes bolted past Chaos and grabbed Vivli.

"Come on!" Snapped Bootus. "You heard him! We have to go!"

"FIOREL!" She yelled.

"Remember, your big brother loves you." He said with a smile.

"And your little sister loves you." She sobbed, just before breaking into a run. Fiorel turned back to Chaos.

"Aw, how touching. Can I kill you now?" Chaos inquired.

"Give it your best shot." Fiorel told him.

Fiorel ran at Chaos. Chaos summoned a blackened blade, formed from shadow magic. He swung it, knocking Fiorel into a wall. His foot burst into a huge demonic claw, and he picked up the beaten paladin with it, slamming him into the ceiling, and then the floor. He stumbled up, only to have Chaos's sword cut through him. Fiorel flew to the ground, bleeding. He thrust his sword forwards, but Chaos just stamped on it, smashing it apart. The Demon Lord lifted him up in a newly formed claw.

"Why do you fight, boy?" Spat the demon. "You cannot win."

"Incorrect." Laughed Fiorel. "I already have."

"What?" Chaos sneered.

"Vivli has escaped." He spluttered. "She'll find the crystal shards. They'll defeat you and save the world. You'll see." Chaos let out a roar and hurled Fiorel into the ground with all his might.

The paladin was no more.

The entire cave rumbled and began to collapse.

"Oh frack!" Exclaimed Voldos.

"Run!" Zinkata cried. The four bolted down the dark passageways as the force of Chaos's final attack on Fiorel causing the ceiling to collapse. Vivli screamed as a rock fell down by her. Zinkata grabbed her, pulling her away as the entire ceiling collapsed. It stopped just before it crushed them.

"That was close." Panted Bootus.

"Too close. Look." Voldos drew their attention to the fact both sides of them had caved in. "We're trapped."