The two cadets walked besides the blonde graceful SeeD and towards the Fire Cavern, a place where a beast named Ifrit was located. Normally, it would be wise to let a sleeping demon in it's hybernation, but SeeD weren't famous for smart things – they did recruit Seifer, after all. So, there they were, walking, no plan edged in their mind, when Vincent spoke up. "Uh, Instructor?" He asked, and when the woman turned he continued. "Is there a time limit for this adventure of ours?"
Quistis shook her head negatively. "Only the rational one – you should have finished at least an hour before the actual exam." Vincent nodded. What the female SeeD said made sense.
"So, if that's the case, could we make a stop at the beach? The Fasticolans and the Water spells they provide should prove to be welcome aid." He said, remembering a nice old trick from the actual game. He would kick Fasticolan ass for ages, until he got a lot of magic stones – he was unsure of what they looked like now, so he would just go over and call them magic stones for all it was worth – and then he would transmute them into Water Magic.. His train of thoughts died down when he thought that this was "real". There shouldn't be any exploits, such as walking around and having monsters attack you. Hell, not even the tiniest Bite Bug had arrived yet, and they were walking for a good fifteen minutes.
Quistis nodded. "Unofficial rule number 1; Always be prepared. I can go by that course of action. What do you think, Squall?"
"…" As expected, Squall opted not to reply, even though he practically radiated annoyance at the man for sidetracking them and hindering his test. "Whatever." He finally answered, mentally admitting that a small detour and refilling his magic spells with anti-fire could be helpful.
So, the company sidetracked towards the beach, a beautiful sandy one, where the beautiful, cresting waves slowly but steadily ascended on the above mentioned sand. It was not that bad, if you thought about it. It practically made Vincent want to jump in and have a swim right there, but he knew he couldn't. If things such as T-Rexaurs and huge Guardian Forces existed, what prevented Ririn from conjuring, say, an amphibious, carnivorous Brontosaurus?
Yes, a long swim would have to wait. Slowly, he undid his shirt's buttons, revealing the black t-shirt he wore underneath. Not only was it hot in the beach, the shirt's bugginess would most probably hinder his moves if it got all wet with his sweating. He slowly reached for his Harbinger next, drawing it out of it's sheath, feeling it's rather satisfactory weight in his hand, before getting a better grasp of it, and readying himself. Quistis looked at him for a second, nodded, and reached for her Chain Whip, and Squall was soon to follow their example, drawing his own Revolver, and pulled it's hammer back. Ironic, thought Vincent. If Colt had an epiphany and created such a thing back home, it would be useless, considering the actual weaponry going around. However, if you combine the gunblade with magic, it becomes a very lethal thing to play with.
The trio walked throughout the beach, always heading to the east. Whether they encountered monsters or not, Quistis had said as soon as they started moving, they still had a job to do. It made sense to Vincent, and he had let her know, while Squall remained the unreadable statue of nothingness and void he usually was. So, after five minutes of the males careful walking as in to not get sand in their shoes, and envying Quistis for her high heel boots – in Vincent's case, adoring her -, and a terrible sound, similar to car tires tearing through bitumen echoed through the bitch, and instantly the SeeD, along with the two cadets, knew that they were under attack.
A pair of large, red and yellow fins protruded from the sands, less than fifty feet away, but rapidly growing larger as the Fasticolans approached. The two cadets readied their weapons for a good attack of opportunity against the two monsters, should they choose to surface, while Quistis prepared a Thundara spell and kept it in check in the tip of her fingers, ready to have it hurled against one of the two.
Fasticolans were also called "Sandsharks" because that was what they were, in a sense; A fish like creature, with a gaping maw similar to a shark's filled with dozens of pointy, sharp teeth, and the ability to swim through sand. The monsters' tactic was this. Swim in, swim out, weaken the prey, and then do whatever it takes to finish it off.
Considering how the creatures had an affinity for water, and how water was a good conductor for electricity, and how Quistis had readied a thunder family spell, Vincent could let him self feel sorry for the Fasticolan which would draw closer to them first.
Indeed, the two fins crossing the sand drew closer, now within twenty feet. Quistis unleased her spell with a downward hand gesture, and her hand shone blue as thousands and thousands of watt surged through her and on the creature to the right, burning at it and making it drop dead, after swimming through a final good foot through the sand. The one to the left went for Squall, which it probably thought was the least of it's worries, judging by the weapon's size, perhaps? No matter to Squall, who was sturdy as a mountain as the beast moved closer and closer. When it was five feet away, Squall took one good step to the front and spinned on his heel, similar to a whirlwind starting to form, and as the beast leapt through the sand to bite at him, the broody cadet finished his spin and struck at it with his weapon of choice, pushing the trigger for a good effect on the creature's hide.
There was a bang, similar to a gunshot, and Squall hopped back to his original position, leaving behind him a bloody mess, the sorry remains of the Fasticolan. The creature's guts splotched on the sand, painting it green. "Cute," commented Vincent, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence that occurred. "Now what?"
Quistis turned on her heel, creating a triangle fomation, getting almost back to back with Vincent. "Now we wait for the rest of them. They always attack in packs."
"I see," was all Vincent managed to reply with, as three more fins exploded through the sand and sliced through it, towards him. From the other side, two for each one of them, both for Quistis and Squall appeared, rising the encounter's difficulty higher and higher, making Vincent, who was still unpracticed, rather nervous. Still, he decided he would live through Ultimecia if he so had to, and no Fasticolans would stop him from doing so. He pulled his body back, and waited for the monsters to approach.
On the other side, Quistis was striking with her Chain Whip in a rather original fashion; She horizontally swung the rante in a way to strike at both Fasticolans, taking good chunks out of their skins with the force behind her enhanced strength, courtesy of her junctions. The Fasticolans screeched, and with as much as a ridiculous pop, they were out of the sand, growling. They were like goldfish, really, only more ludicrus. Fasticolans were only slightly longer than the huge fins on top of their bodies, the distance from head to tail being only three feet. Two slender but long red fins poked out to either side of their bodies, and another large fin, though not as large or as long as the top fin, was located on its underbelly. Like its fins, the Fasticolan's body was red and yellow. The creatures growled, similar to a dog's threatening, and flew towards the blonde SeeD, who only swung her rante at them again, keeping their charge at bay.
Squall's enemies closed in, but this time Squall intended to make this quick. They had lost precious time on those things, while they should be tearing at Ifrit at the moment. The cadet waited for his closer target to attempt another passing bite. The red fin came in again, and again, it went straight for Squall. And without missing a beat, the passive teen slashed his gunblade down through the sands at the Fasticolan, practically impaling the beast on the weapon's blade. The second one still moved closer, and Squall could see the maw rising through the sand to bite at him.
Right. Not in his shift, it wouldn't. Squall pushed the trigger yet again, blasting the creature underneath the sand with the energy surge passing through the weapon, and he sliced through the ground with ease, using the momentary extra cutting edge the weapon now possessed. With significant ease, he struck at the monster like a professional baseball player would strike at the incoming ball, and the monster was cleaved in half before it could even ascend from the ground, cleary dead. The two pieces sprayed green matter around the place they landed on, but Squall was already gone, charging at the wounded Fasticolans Quistis was fending off.
Vincent was not as lucky. The three of his opponents did not move together, tightly locked in a battle formation, but instead opted to split, making it harder for him. He heard Squall grunt from behind him, but he did not care. He couldn't afford to care, not at the time. The monster on the left was now in flanking position with the one on the right, and Vincent knew he was going to have it tough. Tough as hell. He waited, and waited, and waited, and he instantly knew that was enough. He charged forth, allowing the monsters on the opposite ends to do whatever, and sliced at the one in front of him, which was in the process of surfacing. The Harbinger flashed red as the monster was struck down, not unlike the one Squall killed right a second ago, with a slight difference; Where Squall struck, he cut cleanly through, like a laser of sorts. Vincent's weapon reaped through the creature, tearing it apart. It was dead for sure, even though the twiching it made did not help in order to reduce his tention. Vincent spinned immediately, knowing that the two monsters would not have any remorse on biting him on the back, and he found himself readying a cunning – well, not so cunning, he had to admit, but he still got through it fast enough – plan.
Going through his spells, he found a couple of Firas. They would have to do. Holding the Harbinger with one hand, he blasted the creature to the left with it, sending it back momentarily, as long as he needed in order to resume his fighting position and walk against the now accellerating attacking creature. He struck at it, and he realised with a smile that he could cleave through it as well, rather easily at that. The other monster regained it's senses from the blast and prepared to float at him and bite him, when Quistis' Chain Whip struck it hard, sending it on the floor, where it twiched for a second before starting to ascend once more. This time, it was Squall who struck it down.
"Well, that was interesting. Watching you two in action, I mean." Commented Quistis, earning something similar to a glare from Squall and a smile from Vincent. The SeeD instructor smiled back, and then hasted to annoy Squall, as they both commented in unison "Whatever." Quistis giggled, a melodical sound, while Squall scoffed and reached for a combat knife in his waist, aiming to remove the Fasticolan's fins before more of them appeared. He kneeled and started carving, much like a primitive hunter, while Quistis and Vincent looked at him, not so engrossed by the whole thing anymore. The imported cadet swung his sword a couple of times, to get the much unwanted blood of it, and resheathed it, while Quistis simply allowed her Chain Whip to rest on her belt clip.
Squall was done with the fin collecting, so the broody teen held up the fins in his hand, focused on them, and mentally reached out and touched his elemental companions' powers. The dead fins in his hand glowed, then seemed to form a melting light that seeped down into his hand, through the intervening fabric of his glove. He felt the power of Water magic in his mind and body, and then focused, shifting the magical energies around. By the time he was done, he had produced more than enough needed for him, easily reaching the maximum quantity he was capable of holding. He offered the hand in which he held the fins towards the two of them. When Quistis shook her head and Vincent did nothing, he decided that he had to speak. "Reach out for them, will you?" He prompted, and Vincent walked towards him, and knew that, in order to do what Squall was asking him to do, he would need to reach out for the GFs inhabiting his brain and mentally order them to Draw the magic from Squall.
He did so, or, at least, tried to do so, and he then knew that he was doing well. The remaining fins that Squall held dissolved into liquid energy, and flew towards him fast in the form of shiny blue spheres of water that possessed a lavender core. The spheres collected in his outstretched arm, and they were absorbed there, illuminating his veins and skin around them in the same variety of blue like theirs. Vincent sighed and opened his eyes. Reaching out and Drawing from Squall was.. Depressing. He suddenly had a flashback of Quistis teaching that, in order to use the Draw ability all GFs possessed, you had to reach out for your target and then 'connect' with him, establishing some sort of momentary fusion. Then, using that, you could easily, well, Draw upon him, for luck of words, and then sever that connection before the target could do the same on you. The actual Drawing's success depended on sheer willpower. For example, Drawing from a simple minded target, like a T-Rexaur ("Or Squall", as Seifer had kindly commented), was easier than Drawing from a more complex individual ("No, Seifer", has said Quistis right after that, "You count as a simpleton, thank you very much.").
Vincent felt his magical reserves fill with Water magic, and he felt his GFs shift that magic in his actual muscle potential, making his body bulge momentarily from the power surge, and the previously junctioned Fire spells in his toughness. He felt like a bodybuilder, and the fatigue trying to crawl in his muscles disappeared completely. "Ready?" He heard Quistis ask, and he nodded in response. "Ok then," she said, "Let's get going. Our purpose on the beach is done." So, the instructor and the cadets headed northeast again, directly for the Fire Cavern. Within half an hour they could actually see the Fire Cavern, its tall cliffs looming up above them. At the base of the cliffs, in front of a yawning black cave entrance, stood a pair of Faculty members.
"So we're here." Quistis said. "You still want to do this, cadets?" While she was meant to support them, Quistis couldn't help herself and taunt them, as well as enjoy their responses. Squall crossed his hands in front of his chest and commented his favourite line of all time, his infamous "Whatever," while Vincent narrowed his eyes and walked forward, never missing a beat, and definetely not appreciating the joke.
This was it. The Fire Cavern test. One of, if not the, most important tests a SeeD cadet would take, amongst his final one. Reaching, fighting, and defeating a GF in combat. What could sound more prestigious than that, with the exception of a person's actual SeeD title?
Ifrit was a creature of fire, forever scarred with the visage of a beast like demon, bound on his cave. As the word 'bound' went, it meant that Ifrit was not a random individual picked up for a test. The fire elemental was there in order for cadets to prove their worth, as decided by the Garden Master NORG himself. If they could defeat him, then they would earn it. Usually, the test was taken by a single cadet and a supporting SeeD, who would proceed to reach Ifrit's lair, and defeat him in his own game, thus earning the right to junction his otherwise untamable power. However, this time it seemed that fate, or rather, Ririn, the cheery PS2 had switched things around, and that Vincent would have to tag along with Squall. No problem, right? Right.
Next to Vincent, Squall gave a military salute to the Faculty. As much as the teen hated kissing butt, the two men could deny him the access to the test if they so chose to, so Squall opted for the gentle approach. "Student no. 41269, Squall Leonhart, ready to take the Fire Cavern test," Squall spoke as he stood at attention in front of the robe clad individuals. One of them seemed to nod, and then both of the Faculty turned to look at Vincent, who was also quick to salute and speak of his purpose. When he spoke, his voice was confident and easy going, while in reality he was nervous as hell, considering how – normally – he was not aware of even his Student number.
"Student no. 39145, Vincent Marko, ready to take the Fire Cavern test," he said, and the two of the Faculty nodded.
"Your objective: To obtain a low-level Guardian Force," the faculty to the left said. "A SeeD member must support."
"I'm their support," Quistis replied, taking a quick step to the front, standing at attention as well and snapping off a salute. "Instructor no. 14, Quistis Trepe." The Faculty nodded and turned back to the cadets.
"Select a time limit," the one to the right said, or rather, spat at them. "Challenging, yet reasonable." He added, making the two cadets glance at each other while breaking their salutes and attention.
"…Well?" Said Squall, practically glaring at Vincent.
Vincent mulled over the objective. Battling Ifrit would be rather time consuming, and they would also need a reasonable ammount of minutes were they to actually reach the GF. Judging on how it was two of them, and on how Quistis seemed indiferent – well, not really, but it was not her place to give them hints -, the imported cadet suggested a time limit. "What about twenty minutes?"
It was Squall's turn to mull, but the teen just nodded. "Twenty minutes it is," he said to the Faculty, to which they once again nodded. "Very well. The time will start passing the second you step in. Make sure you are ready." With that, the robe clad individuals stepped aside, allowing the trio entrance. "Good luck." They offered while Quistis, Vincent and Squall walked in, before the duo of Faculty walked back in position in front of the entrance, blocking their escape, was an escape to happen.
And then it happened. The heat of the lava hit Vincent like a hammer, for this cavern was the reception hall of hell itself. Half-solid lava ebbed and bubbled, bidding for his attention, not letting him forget where he was. And there, a path of gravel stretched before them, a levee to serve as their guide to the hottest fire of all, Ifrit, the Fire Demon himself. The imported cadet gasped for oxygen, the heat being unbearable and horrid, and he instantly saw Squall reach for his jacket and doff it, tying it around his waist by it's sleeves. Breathing heavily, the two males reached for their weapons, and mentally prepared themselves. The heat was making Vincent's head probe, he felt as if the lava itself was reaching for him. It was unbearable. Turning to Quistis, he saw her nod. "Time is ticking," She said, "But I feel that I have to say this. I am only here to make certain you stay alive. I'll leave anything else in here up to you, be it Ifrit or a normal monster." The woman was sweating, clad in her long sleeved vest, and Vincent thought of suggesting her to remove it, but let it slip.
It was way to Seifer-ish, and a scowling, mad at him, Quistis was the last thing he needed. Instead, he nodded, passing along that he got the message, patted Squall on the back, and the two of them were off, striding swiftly through the long, winding stone walkway that descended deep into the center of the Cavern. Around the stone flowed molten magma, producing a heat unbearable to any mortal. "Ifrit has better be worth this." Said Vincent, earning a chuckle from Quistis.
"You know, the boys often choke on this test when I come with them," remarked the blonde woman. "I guess my charm makes them nervous." Squall glared at her, his entire being screaming Whatever! while Vincent smiled, this time not resisting the temptation of teasing her.
"Yes, I feel for them, Instuctor. My heart aches just thinking about you. Marry me. We will have a ceremony, and make sure to invite all the Trepies.." He trailed off, his tone nonchallant and humoring, and Quistis managed to laugh, flush, and look horrified, all in the same time. Vincent just hoped that she was horrified of inviting the Trepies to a wedding, and not the actual idea of marrying him, because, well, that would be the exact definition of "backfired".
"Can we move along?" Suggested Squall, and the now reducing laughter to giggling Quistis motioned for them to move along. The cadets and instructor descended deeper into the heart of the cavern, keeping their eyes on the trail ahead for any threats. Up ahead, a creature floated around a stalagmite mound on edge of the stone walkway. It was large, about human-sized, and spherical. It featured short arms and flames on top of its round body, and diabolic, grinning face on the front.
"Bomb," Squall and Quistis remarked in unison as soon as they became aware of it, knowing that, if left alone, it could be far more dangerous than even Ifrit. Not hesitating, Squall and Vincent drew upon their magical energies and casted spells at the monster. Where Vincent doused the fiery creature with many galons of water, however, Squall crushed it with a large chunk of ice, which burried the creature on the hot soil beneath it, not rising up. The Bomb was dead before it could threaten them, so the trio advanced deeper into the Cavern. The stone path began to wind and branch out from here, and the light only got duller. All of them could clearly see that the the Cavern's center was up ahead, inside a pool of magma.
Ifrit's home.
They walked cautiously, with Quistis mentioning that they still had fifteen minutes, when from the lava "ponds" around them errupted another of the devil spheres called Bombs. They were baptised that way from their unique ability; they would explode at will if they received enough damage without dropping dead. A rather lethal tecnique, which the cadets had to make certain to avoid.
Squall was drawing his sword, deciding to keep his spells for the more dangerous opponent far ahead. These ones were hardly developed, so it seemed like they could avoid having them explode in their faces. Vincent opted to follow, but had to take a tumble to the left when the Bomb flashed with vibrant emerald light and sent a burst of flame in his path. Squall took his chances and did not change his course, leaping in front of it and striking heavy with his gunblade, the blast powerful enough to take the hellish creature down, with Squall hopping back to avoid any "accidents" upon "accidental" contact with it. Vincent stood up from his flip, and glanced upon the dead creature. "Oh." He said, and shrugged, before raising himself completely, gathering his wits, and moving forward. This was getting weirder by the moment, he mused. At one point he could fight as if he had been doing so for ages, and at one point he was unable to even react correctly. Or was he just thinking poorly of himself? He was rather certain he could not do, no, would not do such things back at home, even if he was trained to do so. Yes, thinking poorly of himself he was, he surmised, and paced faster, wanting to reach the GF's actual lair that very same instant. He wanted out of that damnable cave, and in his cosy bed, with it's cool sheets. He breathed deeply, knowing that he should concentrate on this, especially when Ririn's words echoed through his head again and again.
Everything you are about to experience is real. So, you should take it seriously.
"Ten minutes," Quistis informed them as they continued down the walkway a few moments later. Up ahead was the very center of this Hell, a stone platform similar to a fiend's grasp.
"I guess I was right," Quistis admitted as they drew closer to Ifrit's fiery home. "You two, along with Seifer, are out of anyone's league. You both have amazing strength and potential." Squall didn't reply to the compliment, focusing instead on the center of the Cavern. Vincent nodded. If you say so, Instructor. His laughing mood was dead. He felt his feet heavy, and dull, and he was beginning to feel a horrid migraine. Up ahead, the GF's lair reminded him of a fountain, only with lava. The whole place seemed eerie, and yet serene, as if there was a hidden peace in it. The lava barely made in noise. No monsters. No anything. Could it be because of the GF's presence? Probably.
"This is it," Quistis said from behind them. Squall glanced back at her, to see the SeeD instructor standing a safe distance away from the fiery hole. He looked at Vincent, and he nodded at him.
"This is it." Squall said, repeating Quistis' words.
Vincent nodded back. "Yeah. Let's do this." He said, barely believing it.
The two cadets readied their weapons of choice – ok, so the Harbinger was given to Vincent despite his will, but still -, and waited.
"That's the spirit," commented a grinning Quistis as she walked halfway back, away from the fiery platform. "Make me proud, you two." She said, hoping the best for the two best of her students.
The ground began shaking. Jets of yellow energy, fiery magic, shot out from the hole in the center of the platform. Squall grasped his gunblade tightly, and Vincent swung his reassuringly. It was time.
Chunks of rock and molten stone flew up from the hole, accompanied by more bursts of magic and a titanic roar. Then, something else rose out of the fiery gap, a massive and mighty creature, an entity of flame and wrath and destruction, a true demon, who tossed it's head back and roared again, shaking the very cave's foundations.
Squall and Vincent did not miss a beat as they rushed to flank the demon from his left and right side, Squall preparing a Blizzard spell and tossing it on Ifrit, with much desired effects, such as the creature roaring in protest. "IMPUDENT HUMANS!" cursed Ifrit, while turning to fend off the caster, planning to extract revenge on him for that pain. Vincent would not allow that, however, as he slashed at the demon with all his might, and practically doing nothing on the beast's brown hide.
The Guardian Force was huge, twice Squall's height and, if he were flesh and bone, would have weighed at least ten times your average person. The demon stood on thick, dog-like, heavily muscled legs. Ifrit's chest was muscular and massive, at least six feet wide. His fingers and toes were tipped with black claws, and his hide was a dark brown, as if singed by the flames from which the demon had spawned from. His growling visage looked like that of a hell-spawned lion, and a pair of huge, slender black horns rose from the top of his head and curved back, extending out nearly ten feet. The Guardian Force had long red hair that ran down his back, and also a short red beard around his jawline. Ifrit's eyes glowed yellow, like molten gold, and had no irises or pupils. It's roar was booming and echoing, and that was tested fairly well when it cried in protest of Vincent's attack.
The demon elbowed Vincent, or at least tried to, since the teen barely managed to hop back, and avoid getting struck by muscles that could crush a car as easily as a man could crash a car. Squall took the oportunity to slash at Ifrit's momentary opening, making sure to pull the trigger, leaving a dark red gash on it's ribcage, before the creature turned to punch him with his other hand. Squall was hit in the chest, and hurled ten feet away, before touching the ground and skidding another good ten feet, making him reach dangerously close to the platform's edge and the waiting magma next to it. Squall cared not about the danger, and rushed at Ifrit again, while Vincent decided to call upon a Water spell to take the Demon's aggravation on him. While the water blob struck Ifrit, the demon only clenched his fist, as if preparing to toss something at him underhanded.
"TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME, HUMAN." Commented the GF, before tossing a Fire spell of unimaginable strength on Vincent, making him bless his own junctioned GFs for shifting his magic to his defense, protecting him from the full blast's force. His shirt was ruined nonetheless, and Vincent was also hurled away from the force, but at least he was still breathing, despite the ache in his chest, and the singed skin underneath.
Squall used the opportunity to strike at Ifrit once more, this time at the demon's legs, never failing to pull the trigger and cause another disgustingly red mark in Ifrit's leg. The bastard would still not fall, however, and not only that, but it seemed that he was easily getting angrier and angrier with the two cadets. Ifrit turned and tossed a punch in Squall's direction, out of which Squall ducked, avoiding his head becoming flat against the creature's wrath and the stone behind him. He slashed at the arm while tumbling out of the way, and hoped he had enough bullets remaining for his next stunt.
Vincent, on the other hand, was debating on what to do, when he decided that, with Squall so close to Ifrit, spell casting was out of the question. He could easily hurt Squall that way, and he couldn't have that. So, he rushed into battle, making certain to avoid the burning pond in the middle of the platform. Swinging with all the fury he could master, Vincent leapt high on the air and thrusted his sword in the fire elemental's back, a stunt which Squall was quick to imitate, with one difference. The usually silent cadet started pulling the trigger again and again, sending clear chunks of flesh away with each surge of the gunblade. The beast, fighting against both the searing hot pain of the Harbinger imbebing into his shoulderblades, and the Revolver sending pieces of it's waist flying, doubled over, where both of cadets stepped on it, and pulled their weapons back for a coup de grace, with Vincent impaling Ifrit where he thought his heart would be with his claymore, while Squall once again struck in Ifrit's back.
The beast roared, and started to rise, before crumpling over in defeat. The two cadets pulled their weapons out of the beast, and walked off him and towards the SeeD Instructor, who could only wince in sympathy on the sight behind them.
Ifrit had risen again, and this time he was growling as his yellow eyes burned deep into the two cadet's souls. "HM. NOT BAD FOR A HUMAN." Exclaimed the beast, before readying two fireballs, one in each hand, and hurling them on the two flat footed teens, sending them on the ground, weapons scattering on the stone floor. Before they knew it, Ifrit had leapt on the air, and prepared to land on them, possibly flattening them both with his mighty weight.
No such luck. Both Squall and Vincent rolled out of the way before the beast could kill them, and each of them rose, Squall bombarding Ifrit with Blizzard spells as he did so, while Vincent reached for the Harbinger, and turning to cast a Water spell on the once again roaring GF. The beast opted to ignore Vincent, and charged at Squall, who rolled out of the way, only to receive a Fire spell right in the chest, sending him further back.
Vincent knew that, with Squall momentarily out of the picture, Ifrit would aim at him, so he prepared to dodge any attack the creature would send at him. The beast tossed one, two, three, four, Fire spells, never ceasing, with slow consecutive calculated attacks, which finally caught up with him, sending him on the floor, allowing Ifrit to rush at him, hoping to trample him over his feet.
The GF was getting closer and closer, and the moment it was going to strike, an icicle was shot from the ground, right in front of him, like a mother hen protecting her childern. The absolute heat of the Fire Cavern was gone in an instant, replaced by a horrid, frigid cold. Inside the icicle, a figure moved, before shattering the ice, and freeing itself from it. The figure was now easy to see, a blue skinned, beautiful and shapely woman. Her long blue hair reached her ankles, and she was dressed in what seemed to be parts of the ice out of which she was born. "THEY HAVE SHIVA!" Ifrit exclaimed, realizing the power of the ice Guardian Force.
The GF in question smirked, and waved a hand over her head, and bluish-white energy formed there, the magical power gathering and strengthening. Then, Shiva thrust forward at Ifrit. A shockwave of frozen air blasted into Ifrit, the absolute low temperatures devastating the fire Guardian Force and freezing the surrounding air as it was swept away, creating a line of frozen icicles around the path of Shiva's attack. Shiva, her duty done, faded away, and the ice she had created shattered and disappeared.
The massive beast, which was barely done regenerating the wounds Squall and Vincent had done to him, now featured red marks all over it's body. It was almost done, but not yet. Momentarily lost in a world of pain, the GF did not notice Vincent charging forward in front of him, and shooting a sharp sword in it's stomach. The beast roared, and that sound changed to a scream of rage and pain as Squall blasted it with a Blizzard spell for good measure.
"Die, you bastard!" Commented Vincent, and Quistis could only nod. The battle had taken more than enough, and it seemed to her that both cadets could use some help. However, despite the fact that the claymore weilder had reached the point of twisting his blade inside Ifrit's stomach, as if to cause more pain and damage, the beast remained standing.
In a green yellow chuckling lightning, Squall stood, and brought his gunblade to his shoulder, gathering all that energy inside his weapon. A Limit Break was the most powerful expression of one's feelings. It was pure rage and hatred and frustration and feelings, channeled into reality, and into one's personal effect.
Squall's was the Renzokuken, a series of slashes, thrusts, cleaves and strikes, which was usually followed up by a finisher, had Squall the energy required for it. With unbelievable speed, the cadet in question had climbed onto Ifrit's back and hacked again and again and again at the same part of it's body, it's massive neck, out of which came blood and flesh in a repetitive fashion, making the GF scream in denial and pain. Squall slashed like there was no tommorow, after which he jumped off Ifrit and on the ground, steadying his step, while Ifrit tried to recollect his balance from the onslaught.
Squall's Revolver flashed with brilliant energy once more, and the young man locked his eyes on his target's vulnerable behind. With a sudden crouch, Squall unleashed all the energy he had acquired upon striking Ifrit, and dashed forward, his gunblade low, scratching – actually, opening a damn chasm – on the ground. With an insanely high jump, Ifrit was cleaved from his left kneecap to the base of his skull, before Squall landed to the other edge of the platfrom, where he collapsed. If he had not killed Ifrit now, he would never do it, tests and SeeD and exams be damned.
The beast roared one final time before Vincent blasted him with a Water spell for good measure, making Ifrit collapse on his already hurt knee. "FOR ME TO LOSE TO A HUMAN..." rumbled the ancient GF, before dissolving into ember flames, which disappeared after a good minute, leaving behind a GF stone and something that looked disgustingly familiar to a Triple Triad card.
Vincent's tired mind had enough wits left to comment. "Didn't know Ifrit was playing. Maybe I should call him over for a game or two.."
"You will do nothing, not until I say otherwise." Came a female voice, and Vincent registered Quistis kneeled next to him, reaching out for his injured, aching chest with her right hand, which glew with a green-ish light.
The teen managed a smile. "Sure thing, Instructor. Hey, Squall," He called to the gunblade specialist, "You take the GF, I take the card?" Squall gave Vincent a weird look, but then he shrugged and tossed the casual "Whatever," before junctioning the stone, and reaching a hand to deliver the recuperating cadet the Triple Triad.
"Thanks." Said Vincent, and then he groggily stood. "So, Instructor, how did we do?" He asked. Vincent was shaking all over from excitement. He was close to dying back there, and, whether Ifrit faked his assault or not, for a moment the cadet felt disgustingly close to the Grim Reaper. He figured that the only reason for him not pissing his pants already were his Junctions, which he knew could make him as sturdy as determined.
Not that he minded.
Quistis grinned. "You did very good. Not only did you get the objective done, but you also did so within the time limit." Both cadets looked at each other, and even the normally broody Squall couldn't suppress his smirk.
"Let's get going, then." Offered Vincent, to which Quistis nodded and Squall walked away.
Hm. Definetely the longest chapter I've written in a long time. For your information, I changed the summoning process. No vanishing to thin air, it just seems stupid. Besides, I have the suspicion that, should FF8 ever get a remake, the characters wouldn't just disappear. Besides, your teammates being hurt by your own careless summon is just too sweet an idea to pass. Anyhow. Liked it? Yes? No? Let me know, will you? Oh, one more thing. I owe the Fire Cavern description to Omega Gilgamesh.
He wasn't asking for too much after all.