Author's Note: Big thanks to Thefrogkiller for finding out just what gender Tiamat is. Thanks too to Zinkata who managed to look up the original myth. I see the confusion now, apparently in the original myth Tiamat was a female dragon/goddess, but this isn't about the original Earth based myth, this is Final Fantasy and if Nintendo Power says he's male then he's male. Thanks anyway Zin! This way also creates a nice parallel: the three male and one female Light Warriors and the same for the fiends. They're almost like rival parties now. (Also, 10HP? Wow, must be easier than I remember. Unless Nintendo Power got that bit wrong. I've only played FF1 Origins, even if all the translation for the FF1 sections of this come from the original NES because it was easier to find screenshots of the original dialogue for that. Hence 'Kary' not 'Maralith').
Anyway, thanks a lot for the help you two! Lucky I was checking the site though because it seems the fan fiction bot has stopped e-mailing me reviews, I would never have noticed Thefrogkiller's point if I hadn't looked at the reviews on the site. (What? I like reading through them, makes me feel good about myself).
PART XXI
The Goliath thundered down from the clouds slowly. It was so big even landing was a slow process. It hovered above the ground, and ropes were thrown over the side. It had landed in a specially constructed dock built by Lich's minions in San D'Oria, but otherwise it was designed to land on water only.
"I'll stay with the ship." Cid explained. "Somebody has to keep it steady."
"Just be ready to get us out of here!" Zinkata cried as he descended hanging from the rope. "If we succeed, this island is going to be crashing out the sky faster than you can imagine."
"I'll be ready." Cid reassured as the four heroes descended. Vivli struggled to hold on to the rope, and fell. Bootus was beneath her, grabbing her.
"You're really pathetic sometimes, you know that." He said to the little mithra.
"Hey!" Vivli protested. "We can't all have upper body strength!"
"I don't think you have any strength." The galka muttered.
"Pack it in you two!" Zinkata ordered.
The four hit the ground and looked up at the Goliath hovering high above.
"I hope he doesn't go anywhere." Vivli said to herself.
"I want to know where we go." Voldos stated.
"Well, the crystal will be at the centre to levitate the island like this." Vivli explained. "At least if I've read the history books right."
"Hm. That would mean finding some kind of network of caves to get to the centre of the island." Zinkata had barely finished when Vivli, quite randomly it seemed, screamed.
"BLOODY CAVES!" She yelled. "I HATE CAVES!"
"Whoa, calm down!" Voldos quickly said. "No need to alert the island we're here."
"Why can't it be a nice, bright field. What is it with the dark caves?" She was overreacting for comic effect, she knew this, but her frustration was real. It actually helped take her mind off things though, and meant she didn't have to focus on the more recent traumatic events.
"Evil villains don't normally hang around in pretty flowery fields, Li." Voldos gave in answer.
"Well they should." Vivli said grumpily.
"There must be a way in somewhere." Voldos decided. "Let's go and find it."
"I think we may be in luck." Bootus said. "It looks like nobody's on this island yet. Obviously the fiend's haven't got their forces to it."
"Watch yourself." Zinkata told the galka. "Tiamat'll be here. He has to be. He's the one who rose the island."
"Great." Vivli stated. "Now I'm scared."
"You're always scared!" Bootus pointed out.
"That's hardly the point." Vivli said with her arms angrily folded.
"Oh yeah, Li, take this." Zinkata pulled out Vivli's silver staff. "Almost forgot to give it back."
"Thanks." Vivli smiled as she hooked it on her belt. "Thought I was missing something."
"Don't worry," Bootus laughed, "I'm sure she'll lose it before we're back on the ground." Vivli sighed.
"Sadly, I think that's true." She muttered.
The four wondered across the island for a moment before coming to a small hole in the ground.
"Leads underground." Bootus deduced. "Let's jump in."
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Vivli cried. "We can't get out if we go down there! And it's dark. What if its full of spiders or something?"
"Anybody getting flashbacks of the elvaan chateau?" Bootus asked. "Hole. Vivli wouldn't go in it. Remember how I solved it?" Vivli turned to him. It had been back when they first fought Chaos, and they were sent to San D'Oria's ancient dungeons.
"You wouldn't." She stated.
"I would." Bootus smiled, giving Vivli a hard shove. She fell in with a scream. "Come on guys! Into the hole!" The three jumped in after Vivli, barely giving her enough time to scurry out the way of the falling heroes.
The cave was dingy, and it felt unstable. They were inside the hollow mid-section of a flying island. A fairly unusual situation.
"How are we going to get out?" Vivli asked quietly.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" Zinkata decided.
"We're trying to knock this island out of the sky." Vivli reminded him. "I'd like to have an escape plan for when we do."
"Planning ahead is for fools!" Bootus joked, running onwards.
"Come on." Voldos signalled, following.
"Oh, this is going to go wrong." Vivli groaned.
The four crept down the dark tunnel until they came to a huge space, in the centre of which the shining crystal sat.
"Wow. Pretty." Vivli remarked.
"Don't get too attached." Bootus said. "I'm going to smash it." The galka advanced. Vivli suddenly let out a small yelp before falling silent.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The party spun around. Olose had snuck up behind Vivli and grabbed her, covering her mouth and holding her tight. She couldn't move or speak.
"Dammit, Li." Voldos grumbled. "This is why you need to pay more attention."
"Olose. How could you do this?" Zinkata demanded.
"It's not the how you're interested in. It's the why. And I'm sure you know." Olose sneered.
"Olose, don't harm her." Volods warned.
"Or what?" Olose smirked. "I can do what I like." He laughed. "You know, mithra are a very curious race." He ran his hand up Vivli's tail. She squirmed. "They're a strong warrior race, but have one bizarre genetic defect that evolution seemed to have missed." He began to rub behind Vivli's ears, and she began to purr, sounding almost as if she was enjoying it. "Behind the ears is a cluster of extremely sensitive nerve endings. If you tickle these in the right way, they unleash endorphins into the blood. Huge amounts of them." The Light Warriors looked blank, except for Vivli, who was purring in pleasure. "It means their bodies become overcome with pleasure. Most mithra can fight it, as it results in their muscles being turned to jelly, and the larger and stronger the muscle is, the easier it is to resist. Weaker and smaller mithra, like Vivli, are completely helpless against it."
"What've you done to her?" Zinkata cried.
"I can only assume its supposed to be some bizarre sexual thing." Olose ignored Zinkata. "Either way, it's left her completely disabled. She doesn't even know it. Her body will just be pounding with a pleasant feeling, overloading her brain."
"Why are you doing that to her?" Bootus asked in confusion. "What's the point?"
"Not only is she lost now." Olose laughed. "But very susceptible to anything I might suggest." Vivli had indeed cuddled up to her captor, purring like a lazy animal. Olose grinned sinisterly. "But also, can you imagine what would happen if I crushed her ear? Just as those nerve endings were this active? It would snap her out of her trance. I found out about this over my six hundred year life, but nobody has ever known what would happen if you crushed a mithran ear while they were in a trance. I could be the first to find out." He smiled. "Shall I?"
"Don't!" Zinkata cried. "Alright! Alright! What do you want?" Olose smiled again.
Vivli couldn't hear any of this. It sounded like a dreamlike melody in the background. Her whole body had gone floppy, and she was lost in a void of pleasure. Her brain had begun by screaming at her to fight it, but as much as she had tried, she had failed. It was as if those messages of logic had never reached her physical body. Now she was content to just drift about, enjoying the feeling it gave her. She had given up on the world around her. Her brain wouldn't let her focus on it. She just snuggled up against whatever it was she was resting against, and let out purrs as the feeling washed over her. She was cut off from the world, and didn't care. Couldn't care. Her brain wouldn't let her.
The heroes lay their weapons on the floor.
"Now what?" Asked Zinkata.
"Back away from the Earth Crystal." Olose ordered. Vivli let out another purr. She was helplessly trying to process thoughts, but couldn't. "Do it!" Olose commanded. The party did so. He bent down to Vivli. "Do you want to kiss me?" He asked. Vivli did so without replying. He turned back and smiled. "Cute, isn't she?" The evil villain remarked. Zinkata took a step forwards in anger, but Olose warned him off.
Vivli didn't really sense the kiss. She knew she did something, but it felt incredibly pleasurable, so she didn't care. Then again, in the trance she was in, everything felt pleasurable. It was a strange existence, and she now just felt as if she was floating in a void. Vivli had been completely unaware that such a feeling was possible. She hadn't been raised by mithra after all. In truth, not even the mithra spoke of it, or mentioned it. It made them too vulnerable, and they preferred to pretend it didn't exist, except when certain husbands would inflict it on their wives and vice versa for the pleasure of their partner. Outside of the odd bedroom in Kazham, it was pretty much unheard of. This meant Vivli was completely lost to her own overpowering feelings, and was completely helpless to resist.
"What are you doing now, minion?" Spat the booming voice of one of Tiamat's heads as the multi-headed dragon marched in from another entrance to the huge room. "Put down that plaything."
"She is not a plaything." Growled Zinkata between the two.
"No. She's a Light Warrior." Olose answered with a very cocky tone considering he was speaking to one of his masters.
"And so are these, I sense." The second head of Tiamat said.
"I've waited far too long for this!" The third head announced.
"You idiots." The first head cried. "We can't destroy them. Chaos wants that honour."
"They're threatening the crystal." The second head said with a sneer. "We have to destroy them to protect them."
"Destroy those three." Olose announced. "Feel free. The girl is mine." Zinkata shuddered as he thought what Olose might do to Vivli with this newly discovered ability to disable her like this.
"You don't make demands." Tiamat reminded his minion.
"But you may do what you like with her." Another head interjected, much to the dissatisfaction of the first.
"That has to get really inconvenient after a while." Bootus observed, watching the arguing heads.
"You people have no idea what its like to be stuck in constant arguments." The third head sighed.
"Yes. I have no idea what that particular situation might be like." Zinkata mumbled sarcastically.
Voldos had phased out of the talk a while ago. He was now focused on the speech and actions of the two villains. They were suitably distracted. In one fast motion he drew his bow and fired, hitting Olose square in the head. As the werewolf went down, Vivli dropped to the floor, semi-unconscious. Olose had released her ears, so she was beginning to wake up even before she hit the ground. Zinkata reacted instantly, diving into a front roll and grabbing his weapon. Bootus charged Tiamat and attacked. A shocking reminder to the villains that despite the sarcastic talk and bickering, the party were experienced heroes.
Vivli began to come to her senses, suddenly realising the horror of where she was and what had just happened. She felt an awful sickness as she realised she had been wallowing in pleasure as the others fought. She had to physically battle to stop herself from crying at the thought of how vulnerable she was. She turned around to see a gigantic black form rising behind her. Olose had turned into his werewolf form.
Tiamat unleashed a huge powerful wind, and blew back the galka that was pounding him. Voldos skilfully rolled aside as Bootus crashed down near him, and unleashed arrows that slammed into Tiamat's armoured form. Zinkata ran in with a sword.
"HELP!" Vivli bellowed. Bootus turned around to see the gigantic form of Olose.
"Now I know how Vivli feels." Bootus remarked, noticing the height difference between himself and the werewolf. Olose lunged at him. Bootus swung to the side, hitting the werewolf. Olose countered by jumping past the galka, and grabbing him by the tail, hurling him across the room. Bootus landed with a thud, his tail aching. "I definitely know what Vivli feels like."
The three of Tiamat's heads snapped at Zinkata. The brave warrior dodged the blows before getting grabbed by one of the dragons claws. He found himself lifted up in the air, and cursed as he felt the claw crushing him. Arrows flew in, hitting the claw and allowing Zinkata to drop.
"Damn, you're getting pretty good with that thing." Zinkata remarked to Voldos.
Olose was satisfied he had taken care of the galka, and turned back to Vivli. She went for her staff, but Olose pounded her before she could get it. She found herself pinned down.
"You know," Olose began to ponder. "Since mithra are cats, and werewolves are dogs, I wonder what would happen if I bit you." Vivli quivered in fear. "Oh, don't worry. You won't feel a thing." He said, reaching for her ears. She squirmed, watching as he opened his jaw to bite her. She began to feel that same pleasure rush again as he rubbed her ears. He could only pin her down with one arm while doing this, though. She knew she had to act fast. Before that feeling took over, she grabbed her staff and rammed it into the werewolf's mouth as hard as she could.
Olose sprang back emitting a loud howl as smoke burst from his mouth. He thrashed around, screaming as the staff literally melted through his jaw. Vivli turned away, feeling sick as she regained full control of her own emotions. Olose screamed, running and smashing into the wind crystal. It blew apart against the ground.
"YOU FOOL!" Tiamat bellowed as the entire island began to shake. Olose collapsed, reverting back to his human form.
"Let's get out of here!" Cried Zinkata.
"Olose!" Vivli screamed, running to his side.
"No time! We have to move!" Bootus dragged Vivli away as the tunnel began to collapse. They ran down the tunnel hearing Tiamat roaring behind them. The cave began to collapse all around them. Conveniently, this meant the roof caving in and giving them an easy passage out onto the land above.
"Where's the airship?" Vivli screamed hysterically.
"Damn you Cid!" Cried Zinkata. The four looked around frantically as the ground beneath them began to break away. The Goliath roared up behind them.
"Look!" Voldos yelled, pointing to the giant airship.
"Glad you pointed that one out." Despite the urgency, Bootus had time for a sarcastic comment. "Now let's get out of here."
"How?" Vivli cried. "The airships out there!"
"We jump." Zinkata decided.
"Jump? Are you mad?" Vivli screamed.
"You're the mithra. Aren't you supposed to be agile?" Bootus asked.
"But it's a long way down." Vivli moaned.
"You aren't scared of heights to, are you?" Bootus laughed.
"I think its perfectly fair to be scared of heights right now!" Voldos yelled. "Now let's do it!"
The four bolted for the edge and leapt, landing on the deck of the Goliath. Cid had seen what they were going to do, and had lowered the airship so that they could jump and just fall onto the deck.
"Ow." Vivli moaned, holding her ankle.
"Look!" Voldos cried in awe. The island broke apart and plummeted towards the ground below.
"Scratch one up for the forces of good!" Bootus cheered.
"That's gonna give Lich a headache." Zinkata laughed. He looked down. "Hopefully literally." Vivli walked to the edge of the island sadly. She looked down.
"Oloseā¦" Was all she managed to say.
(Another) Author's Note: When I started writing this I couldn't quite figure out where I got the 'scratch behind the ears' idea from. Then I figured it out. It comes from Forever Dreaming by Thefrogkiller. Just wanna credit him so people didn't think I was stealing an idea of his.
