Chapter 18: Gizamaluke's Grotto

The entrance to the grotto was a wreck. It looked as if the walls around the cave had been hit by several fire spells. I noticed two bodies near the entrance.

"No…!" said a voice behind me. I turned and saw Freya run right by me to get a look at the soldiers. She shook the first one. "Come on! Get up!" she yelled; the soldier didn't move. She turned to the other soldier. "Dammit! Say something" she yelled, desperately.

I heard Zidane approach us. He saw the destruction. "Oh man…" he paused.

Freya turned to face us. "The Black Mages! Who are they!" she yelled. At this point Vivi had joined us as well.

He was looking at the ground not wanting to look at Freya. He tried to speak. "U-um…" he couldn't say anything.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Its okay, Vivi. You didn't do anything and Freya knows that." I said.

Freya turned to look at Vivi. "Vivi, aren't they your-" she stopped suddenly, realization in her eyes. "The king might be in danger! Come on!" she yelled, and ran into the grotto.

Zidane spoke. "I sure hope Dagger didn't come here…" he paused. He turned to look at us. "Let's go." We nodded and followed Zidane inside.


We entered the grotto and found Freya knelling by the side of a fallen soldier. Only thing is, this one was still alive, but barely. He was speaking to Freya.

"Freya…take this…bell" he said, barely above a whisper. Freya took the bell from his hand. The soldier continued "please…protect the…king."

Freya nodded to him "don't worry. I will" she said, determined.

That's when the soldier glanced in our direction. As soon as he saw Vivi, his eyes widened. I immediately saw this and spoke quickly. "It's okay; he's different from the others."

The soldier looked at me in disbelief "you lie…he's just like-" Freya interrupted him.

"He speaks the truth. Vivi is on our side."

I smiled behind Freya's back. "thanks, Freya." She nodded her head in acknowledgment. The soldier seemed to relax slightly. Then his body seized up and went limp; he was dead.

Freya looked startled. "No...Dammit!" she yelled. She rose up from the ground, bell in hand. I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer for the dead soldier. When I opened my eyes I noticed that the others had moved on to the door. I walked over to the door and saw Freya ring the bell.

As the bell rang in her hand the one on the door began to ring as well. Then the door opened and the bell in Freya's hand shattered. Zidane and Vivi looked surprised at this; only Freya and I weren't surprised. She turned to us. "They're a one use only item. Once used it shatters. It's to insure that intruders can't get any deeper into the grotto" she said.

'A lot of good it did them' I thought. We ran on into the next room.


As we ran we could hear the sounds of battle ahead of us. We emerged from the tunnel and found ourselves in a wide room on a wooden bridge that led further into the grotto. That's when I heard a familiar voice.

"Who are they?" asked the voice. Then I heard another voice.

"That, I don't know" said the other voice. I looked up to an archway that was at the end of the bridge…it was Zorn and Thorn.

I turned to Zidane. "Zidane, look it's those two jesters from the Ice Cavern" I said, unsheathing my normal sword.

Zidane responded, "Yeah, you're right. It's them alright" he said, removing 'The Ogre' from his back and preparing to fight. Zorn and Thorn now had looks of recognition on there faces.

"It is those two" they said together.

I spoke. "You guys escaped us in the Ice Cavern, but you won't get away this time!" I yelled. They didn't look fazed.

Zorn turned to Thorn "let's kill them."

Thorn responded, "Yes, kill them, we shall."

They commanded two Black Mages to attack us. Freya readied her lance, Vivi readied his staff, and Quina readied her fork. It was time to fight.


I charged at the first mage, sword ready to strike, and suddenly stopped. I had just remembered what I told Vivi. If I killed this mage it might make him think differently of what I had said to him. I quickly sheathed my normal sword and unsheathed my reverse blade sword. Because of my hesitation Zidane made the first move.

He charged at the second mage and struck it in the chest with his weapon. The mage fell to the ground, wounded, but he wasn't dead yet. Freya took care of that though. She jumped into the air and threw her lance at the mage, successfully piercing its heart and killing it.

I turned back to the mage I was charging at previously, and quickly dove to the ground…just barely avoiding a fireball. I cursed myself for giving the mage the time it needed to summon his spell. I quickly got off the ground and charged at the mage again, preparing a "Ryu Sou Sen." I was so focused on the mage that I didn't even see the bat wings to my left. As soon as I sensed the creature and turned to face it… it was too late. The giant bat rammed into me sending me over the edge of the bridge. I quickly grabbed onto the edge of the bridge with my left hand.

I had stopped myself from falling, and looked down to see the jagged rocks below; it was a 100 foot drop. Then I felt the presence of something above me. I looked up and saw the mage standing over me. His soulless eyes looked into mine as he held up his hands and prepared a fire spell. I quickly tried to get up, but I already knew it was too late…I was going to die.

Then, suddenly: the mage spontaneously combusted. He began to try and put out the fire and was dancing around on the bridge. Eventually he tripped and fell off the bridge. I watched as his flaming body fell to its death. I cringed when his body finally hit the rocks below; it was a terrible way to die.

I pulled myself up back onto the bridge. The mages were defeated, but there were four giant bats flying around the air, attacking us. Zidane had placed his weapon back on his back and unsheathed his daggers to fight the bats. Freya was having a hard time hitting the bats with her lance as well; they were too fast. Vivi tried, again and again, but couldn't hit any of the bats with his spells. And Quina couldn't hit any of the bats with her fork. 'I don't remember these bats being in this cave' I thought. I quickly shook the thought away. 'Now's not the time. I gotta do something' I thought.

I tried to think of something fast, and then it hit me. 'Of course' I thought, sheathing my reverse blade sword. I then unsheathed my normal sword, shouted "Ryu Mei Sen," and quickly sheathed my normal sword. My action created a high pitched sound. It didn't affect Zidane, Vivi, or Quina, but it did affect the bats and, unfortunately, Freya. The bats were stunned by the sound and fell from the sky, right into the chasm. The battle was over.


Zorn and Thorn looked at us in shock "HEEE! Savage monsters they are!" yelled Thorn.

Zorn added in "run away!" and the two jesters ran off.

I was disappointed; I really wanted to beat the crap out of those two. I turned around and looked at the others. Everyone seemed okay.

I looked at Vivi "thanks, Vivi…you saved me again" I said. I knew he had cast a fire spell to save me.

Vivi looked at me. "I-I'm just glad that you're alright" he said.

I nodded at him. "Thanks to you…that's what I'll be." We were cut off by the sound of someone moaning.


I looked up to where we saw Zorn and Thorn, and noticed a wounded soldier. Freya quickly jumped up there to help the soldier. I quickly jumped up there as well. The soldier spoke to Freya.

"Freya…take my bell…it will get you…into the altar…" he said, struggling to speak due to his grave wounds.

Freya took the bell from him "thank you…" she paused. I had had enough.

I walked up to the soldier, a determined look in my eyes, and pulled a potion out of my pocket. I uncorked it and spoke to him "open your mouth." He complied and I poured the potion into his mouth. His wounds immediately started to heal, not completely but it was better than before.

He looked up at me with a gratified expression. "T-thank you, sir" he said in surprise. I smiled at him, putting the potion back into my pocket.

"Don't mention it. I'm just tired of seeing everyone die." I continued "you should head to Lindblum. You've done all you can here, soldier."

He nodded. "You're right. Please, you two protect Burmecia for me."

Freya responded, "Don't worry. We will." The soldier got up and left the room.

Freya turned to me "thank you for helping him, Michael." she said.

I looked at her and smiled. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't help him." She nodded her head in acceptance.

We jumped back down and joined Zidane and Vivi. We walked to the back of the room and Freya used the bell on the door. The same thing happened again. We walked through the door and into the altar.


I noticed the giant bell in the center of the room. I also noticed that like in the bell tower the Moogles weren't here either. We approached the bell and noticed a closed door on the left. "Looks like we need another bell" Zidane said. I nodded my head in agreement.

I looked over at the bell again, and smiled. I turned to the others. "What do you guys think? Do you think the bell could be hidden under that bell?" I asked, indicating the fallen bell.

Freya shared my suspicions. "You could be right, Michael, but how are we going to lift that heavy thing?" I smiled again, glade that I could use some schoolwork to solve this problem.

I spoke to Freya. "Can I borrow your lance, Freya?" Freya looked surprised, but nodded her consent. She handed me her lance. I walked over to the bell and shoved the tip of the lance under the bell. I pushed down on the lances handle. The bell didn't budge; it was too heavy.

I looked at the others. "A little help here." All of them came over, grabbed the shaft of the lance and pushed down with me. We succeeded; the bell had flipped over revealing a chest.

Freya walked up to the chest and opened it. Inside was a bell just as I had thought. We walked over to the door and Freya rang the bell again. The same thing happened again.

I looked at Freya. "no offense, Freya, but are your people always this obsessed with bells? We haven't even gotten to Burmecia yet and already I have seen four bells."

Freya smiled at this. "We just use them for our defense systems."

I gave her an odd look. "Why bells?"

She countered. "Why not bells?"

I sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine."

Zidane spoke. "Guys, let's get going." We all nodded and continued our journey.


We entered a cave filled with water. As soon as we entered I noticed another wounded soldier lying near the water. Freya ran up to him "Are you alright?" Freya said, concerned.

The guard looked up at her. "Freya…please be careful…Master Gizamaluke has gone mad. He's being controlled by some strange clowns." That's when I felt something big enter the room.

I spun around and saw something big hit the surface of the water. The others turned around as well. Then we all looked into the water and saw a monstrous shape approach us from under the water. We readied our weapons and prepared for battle.


After a few seconds the creature emerged. Gizamaluke looked like a cross between a sea serpent and a manta ray; with large, jagged teeth. Freya made the first move, jumping into the air and readying her lance. I charged at the creature and jumped into the air as well. I performed a "Ryu Tsui Sen" and aimed for the creatures head. The creature moved its head, however, and I missed my target.

I was now falling towards the water, but before I hit the water I felt something collide into my side…it was Gizamaluke's tail. The force of the hit sent me flying into the opposite wall. I hit the wall hard, knocking the wind out of me. I fell again but managed to land on the walkway. As soon as I hit the ground I slowly reached into my pocket and grabbed a potion. I was having trouble breathing due to the attack, but I still managed to drink the potion. It rejuvenated me and I got back up to face Gizamaluke.

I saw Vivi cast a thunder spell at Gizamaluke which seemed to greatly injure him, since he was wet and all. Gizamaluke lashed its tail out at Vivi and knocked him into Zidane and Quina. The three fell to the ground and I rushed to help them up. That's when I heard Gizamaluke scream. I glanced up and saw a lance sticking out of its head. Then Freya came down and retrieved her lance from Gizamaluke's head. She jumped back down and joined us.

Gizamaluke was enraged by Freya's attack and cast a water spell on us. We were all surrounded by water. I could feel the pressure from the water threatening to crush me. I was also running out of air, as I was holding my breath. Then the water sphere we were in exploded, releasing all of us. We were all gasping for air as we hit the ground. I looked up and noticed that Gizamaluke was preparing to attack us. I quickly jumped into the air, executed a "Ryu Tsui Sen Zan," and targeted the wound Freya had made in Gizamaluke's head. My aim was true as I pierced Gizamaluke's skull.

Gizamaluke flayed around in agony trying to shake me off. I withdrew my sword and jumped off his head to land next to the others. I looked at the dying creature and sheathed my sword. Gizamaluke's body fell into the water and didn't rise again. The battle was over…or so I thought.

I had turned around when I felt something grab my leg from behind. It pulled with such force it spun me around and I fell to the floor, hitting my head, hard, on the walkway. I saw stars as my vision began to blur. Shaking it off I realized I was being dragged towards the water, and I also noticed what had my leg…it was Gizamaluke's tail. Panicked, I tried to grab onto anything I could find, but it was no use, I was pulled under.

I grabbed at Gizamaluke's tail trying to pry it off, it wouldn't budge. I could feel my vision blurring as I was running out of oxygen. I couldn't hold my breath much longer. I slowly looked up to the top of the water. 'So this is it for me…what a way to go' I thought. Then I thought I heard something, but it didn't matter now. Everything went black.


I was walking through a house. My senses were on full alert. I rounded the corner, my hand on the hilt of my reverse blade sword. I saw a shadowy figure in the next room. I drew my sword "who are you? What are you doing here?" The figure turned to me and pulled out a gun. I watched as he pulled the trigger. Everything went black. "Michael" it was the voice…'no wait it wasn't the voice. It's someone else's' I thought. "Michael" I heard it again. 'That voice sounds familiar' I thought. Then all went black.


"MICHAEL!" someone shouted. I woke up with a start, and immediately began coughing up water. After all the water was out of my lungs I slowly looked up. It took me a while to realize I was still alive. Then it all came back to me.

I slowly got up and looked around at the others. "Michael, are you alright?" asked Zidane.

I looked at him "yeah…I'm fine, but who saved me?" I asked.

"I did" I turned to look at the voice. It was Freya and she was soaking wet.

I looked at her. "Freya…you saved me?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I did."

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Freya, I mean it. I owe you big time."

She shook her head. "You owe me nothing. I'm just glade I could help." I turned from her and looked at the others.

I smiled at them "I'm sorry you guys. I was careless. I must have worried you guys so much." I said.

Zidane smiled at me. "We're just glad you're alright" he said.

Quina nodded at this. "Glad you okay." I nodded and looked at Vivi. His eyes had a look of great relief in them.

I smiled at him. "Don't worry, Vivi. I'll be alright" I said.

He looked at me. "A-alright, Michael" he said.

I smiled and looked over Zidane's shoulder to see Freya near the wounded soldier we saw earlier before we fought Gizamaluke. Freya knelt down at the soldier's side "can you stand?" she asked.

The soldier looked up at her. "Don't worry…about me…please…protect…Bur…me…" his body seized up and he died.

Freya bowed her head and slowly got up. "I will protect Burmecia. You have my word." She then turned to us. "Let's go." We all nodded and exited the cavern. We emerged out into the Mist again. We were on our way to Burmecia.


Ryu Mei Sen
The user quickly sheathes his sword, creating a piercing sound that distorts the hearing of those with enhanced senses.