Hey everyone! I'm back from ACEN.

Good things about the trip - I got a piano book full of FF songs! But there aren't any from FFIV... :(

Bad things about the trip - I (in my opinion) wasted over $60 buying The Black Mages CD and The Black Mages II CD. I thought I was just getting FF music...not getting hard rock remixes of FF music. I consider both CDs to be a bastardization of FF themes, and typical of Square Enix's inexplicable attempts to appeal to a non-existent punk/surfer/skateboarder demographic.

But enough about that. On with the story.


Sabin frowned once, and quickly posed in his ready position. He adjusted himself for the briefest moment, and then took off toward the enemy. He quickly brought his fist back and readied it to smash in the monster's face.

However, he soon discovered the thing wasn't all talk. His hand was moments from rearranging his expression, when the monster dodged to one side, letting the hand slide harmlessly past. Sabin was a bit amazed, but quickly followed up with his other fist. Chile dodged this as well. Frowning, Sabin began to advance, and as he did he unleashed a combo with his bare hands, striking at Chile again and again. But the cocky creature merely smiled and dodged every one. Despite how fast or accurate Sabin tried to be, he couldn't get a hit in. He did this for a while, before he suddenly ended one of his punches with a swinging roundhouse kick, bringing his feet into this. Chile smiled, and simply extended his own arm from his cape to block it easily. Sabin reared back afterward, and tried three more thrust kicks. Chile blocked two of them, and simply stepped back for the third.

The monk grit his teeth and continued to advance, punching, kicking, and doing everything in his power to take down the enemy. But for all his effort, his basic skills were no use. Chile was too fast even for his advanced moves. For all of his effort, the most he managed to do was make Chile step back or occasionally block him. The creature was just too fast. Finally, as Sabin drove his hand forward to punch the thing in the face, it reached out and seized his limb. Sabin was surprised for a moment, before the creature drove an iron palm into his chest. Immediately, Sabin was knocked away by incredible force, sailing a good twenty feet before landing on the ground and dragging all the way to the wall.

Sabin lowered his head and coughed. To his displeasure, and a bit to his surprise, a wad of blood came out with it. He looked back up, and saw Chile calmly strike a pose and wave at him with a superior smile. This joker was stronger than he looked. Evidently, he wasn't kidding around. However…Sabin was a fighter. A strong opponent only excited him. Grinning, he quickly wrenched himself, and did a flip back up to his feet. Once he did, he leveled himself in a ready position, and began to lightly hop on his feet. He flashed Chile a smile once, and then went forward to fight again.

The creature frowned a bit, for Sabin was faster this time. He pulled no punches, immediately doing his advanced moves, and striking faster than before. Chile was annoyed by this, but little else. He began to back up again, continuing to block against the moves and dodge every one he could. Yet as he did, he began to notice something. Sabin was getting faster. Unknown to him, the monk was already slipping into a focused state, a sort of self imposed trance. As he descended deeper into it, he made his limbs looser and quicker. He felt less and less resistance to any of his moves. He tried to make himself like water as he cleared his head, moving his hands faster and faster. Slowly, the creature began to turn from displeasure to surprise. As Sabin continued to back him up, he continued to move quicker, until Chile couldn't dodge anymore. Now, he had to just block. But even then, Sabin went quicker…faster than humanly possible. His arms began to blur, and he looked like he had more than one fist moving at a time. His moves seemed to go so quickly they left an image of themselves behind, and they only went faster. The thing started to look left and right, and began to struggle to keep up. Finally…one of Sabin's hands shot out, and Chile gasped at it, not seeing it coming. Only due to a reflex reaction, not anything planned, did he dodge his head to one side and avoid it. Still, it just slightly touched his cheek…

At this, Chile was enraged. Gritting his teeth at the thought that the foul being had actually touched him, he suddenly broke out of his blocks, spun back, twisted around, and gave Sabin an incredibly powerful kick under the jaw. With a force like a battering ram, Sabin was knocked off of his feet and into the air to smash his face against the ceiling, before the ricochette sent him falling back to the ground. He landed so hard that some of the rock was smashed beneath him, and he sprawled out against it. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.

Chile frowned at him, and exhaled once. However…that only made him madder. He was actually showing signs of fatigue to this miserable creature, and it made him furious. Indignantly, turning his nose up again, he brushed his hair back calmly and straightened up once more. That blow had seemed to do it. He bet he had broken the man's neck with it, and that had put an end to his insulting little fight… Sure enough, he lay limply on the ground, and did not move an inch.

However, to the shock of Chile, he abruptly sprung back to life. He flipped himself up and was back on his feet in an instant. The monster was shocked. Sabin himself grinned as he shifted his feet into a ready stance. He paused for a moment, just long enough to wipe some blood away from his nose, before he put his hands together and reared them back. Immediately, his muscles tightened, his eyes focused…and, to Chile's surprise, radiant light began to glow from his palms. It took only a second to form. It quickly grew stronger, becoming a powerful glow, and formed a ball in his grasp.Abruptly, Sabin shifted his hands forward in a clamshell shape and cried.

"Aurabolt!"

Immediately, the radiant ball turned into a giant radiant beam of energy. Chile gaped in shock, surprised at how Sabin's own chi had been transformed into a blast of pure energy, and now the powerful wave was headed straight for him. It turned into a burning bolt of light, dimming everything else, and bathing Chile in its soft white glow. The creature gaped for a moment, but then grit his own teeth and put his hands up in response. He blocked them over each other and planted his feet, bracing himself. Moments later…the bolt hit. Chile soon grit his teeth and struggled not to cry out. The deadly energy burned his palms, and struck him with force he didn't believe possible for the human. He struggled with all his might to restrain it. Soon…he truly began to sweat. His muscles burned, and his legs trembled. The force pushed him…raking his feet against the ground and making him form two giant trenches. He continued to strain, stretching his face muscles and putting everything he could into holding the powerful blast back. Deadly head washed over him…and he felt it burn his skin…

But at last, the beam died. Pebbles that had been blown up in its wake slowly began to settle. A great burning line was in the ground now, sizzling from the power. Chile stood at the back of two trenches that came from his feet, both four feet long. He huffed and puffed as he stood there, his still burning hands frozen in the position they had been locked in to block the attack. His brow was sweaty now, and he slowly panted and breathed. Slowly, he looked down over his body. When he did, he gaped in shock. His lovely clothes had been singed and burned. They were now ragged on the trim, and had holes on them. The creature was horrified. Not only was he forced to show his sweat to this worm…but he had ruined his outfit! He looked up in fury toward him…

And was just in time to see Sabin smash him in the face. Chile cried out and staggered back in pain. The blow wasn't nearly as strong as his own, but it was still rather painful. It made him retreat a few steps, and clutch his face in agony. It burned from the painful strike, and he moaned as he grasped it. As for the monk, he merely settled back down into his previous position, and stood more calmly.

"You have to stay alert in a fight, you know." Sabin informed him.

Chile didn't answer. Instead…he began to hiss. His calm demeanor was gone. His anger fully began to replace it. Slowly, he pulled his arms away from his eyes, and he glared evilly at Sabin. His body tensed up with violence, and he fumed and quivered where he stood. Slowly…a trickle of blood came from his nose.

"Damn you…" He hissed, no longer egotistical or arrogant. "Damn you to hell… You dared to strike me. Spilled my blood…ruined my face…"

Sabin raised an eyebrow to this. The monster seethed and hissed again. It began to grow livid with fury, burning with violent anger. Suddenly, it reached up to its neck, and grabbed the edge of its clothing. Giving a cry, it pulled down, and ripped them into shreds. His tattered cape and shirt fell to the ground, leaving him bare chested instead. His eyes began to crack as he glared hatefully at Sabin. He began to nearly foam at the mouth, as angry as he was becoming. Every muscle in his body tightened in rage. He quivered in anger as he stared at the man.

Then, abruptly…he did something Sabin never expected in a million years.

He drew up to one foot, clapped his hands twice, and then began to go into a crazy dance.

The monk was dumbfounded. His arms dropped to his sides, and he stared in puzzlement. Chile didn't react. His face was still tight with rage, but he continued to dance. It was a fast, violent sort of step. He moved quickly, and pranced around in a circle with numerous footsteps. He continued to do so for quite some time, and only grew crazier and wilder with every move. Edgar scratched his head in confusion. Sabin crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Was this supposed to be an attack? Was he doing something to prepare for an energy blast? Sabin didn't know. But Chile continued to dance faster and faster, making the man feel he had lost it entirely.

Finally, the monster stopped. He was covered with sweat at this point, and his purple skin seemed to have turned redder. Not only that…but as Sabin looked at him, he realized his muscles looked a little bit larger. Perhaps it was only because they were more detailed, now that the creature was gleaming with sweat. At any rate, Chile panted now, and continued to glare at Sabin with maddened intent. The monk coughed after a moment, and scratched the side of his head.

"Um…well. You look warmed up now."

The monster frowned and snorted at him. His sophisticated air was gone. Now, he was ruled purely by rage. "You fool… That was my patented Chile Mambo. I dance it before I kill. It raised my power dramatically. You are doomed now."

Edgar had to stifle a laugh from where he was. That ridiculous move was supposed to be a power up. Sabin had to lower his head and cough a bit himself in response. "Er…ok. Whatever you say. Let's just-"

Sabin had no time to say anything else. It felt as if a tree had fallen on his face a moment later as Chile, moving faster than even he could see, smashed him in the face. The man went flying back thirty feet before he was once again flattened on the ground. Now, his world danced around him, and he was dizzy from the hit. The monk was stunned. He had never seen a blow so fast or powerful. He shook his head once, and then flipped back up to his feet. He wavered a bit, trying to stabilize himself as he did. He looked again to Chile…but then suddenly saw him change into a blur. Blinking in astonishment, Sabin turned his head, and suddenly saw that Chile was on the wall, hanging from it for a moment. The monk turned to him, but he immediately turned into a blur again. This time, Sabin was unable to see him reappear…before another blow smashed him in the stomach. All of the wind rushed over of Sabin's lungs as he bowed over in utter surprise, around the powerful fist of Chile. The monster immediately added an uppercut, sending Sabin flying back and to the ground again.

Despite being sore, the monk grunted and got back to his feet again. His eyes rested on Chile, and he got into a ready stance. However…it was too slow. Another blur…and soon Chile was hooking him across the face again. He grunted and went through it, and struggled to punch back at him. However, Chile vanished the moment he struck…and he soon felt a foot being smashed into his back, pitching him forward. The monk stumbled for a moment, but grit his teeth and righted himself. He was growing used to the power of the blows, and was able to weather them better. He swung around and aimed another roundhouse kick behind him…but he hit only air. He saw another blur before him, before a fist smashed him in the face. Again, Sabin was sent staggering back, before Chile was on him again. This time, he delivered a painful series of blows to his stomach, pushing him back with each one, and causing the monk to spit up blood as a result. He finished up with kicking him again to the face, sending him flying back and smashing into the stone wall. It was painful, and he left another crack as he landed. Grunting, Sabin slumped to the ground for a moment after landing, wincing all the way.

Sabin rested only for a moment. Chile was soon leaping on him again, ready to deliver another blow. The monk looked up just as he closed on him, and saw his fist coming for his face. Immediately, Sabin balled his hands into fists and focused. He cleared his mind again, and brought up another powerful move. Abruptly…Sabin's body was enveloped in a bright red aura, and he began to glow and burn as if he was aflame. Chile halted at this…which was a fatal mistake. Coming back just as fast, Sabin came to his feet and attacked. The monster could only gape as Sabin moved like a blur, hooking him across his own face. Chile's stupefied look turned into a sneer soon after, and he swung his fist back at him. But Sabin was now so fast that he too left after-images. As Chile's fist went through an empty head, another blow struck him in the side, making him cry out in pain and gag up blood. He struggled to hit this, only to be uppercut in the jaw, and then punched in the neck. Chile's eyes bulged, and he bent over and grasped his throat. More air, however, was soon knocked out of him as Sabin drove his fists and legs into his stomach. Chile continued to get violently pounded for a moment…before he grit his own teeth in frustration and anger. Abruptly, he snapped out of his own doubled over pose, put two fingers together, and aimed them out at the fiery images that encircled him now. He focused his own chi for a moment…before a violet blast of energy suddenly erupted from his fingers and sailed into the crowd.

"Augh!"

Sabin cried out in pain and halted as the shot tore through his shoulder, leaving a bloody, burning hole behind it. He immediately broke off his fiery dance, and became normal again. He halted and dropped to one knee, raising his hand to the spot. His shirt, burned from contact, smoldered and fell off of one shoulder, exposing his own sweaty chest. He continued to hold for a second, before turning back to Chile. It was a bit late…for suddenly the thing was on him again, and this time drove his knee into Sabin's face. Crying out, the monk was forceably yanked to his feet.

Chile followed up with an iron palm, driving him back into the stone wall and smashing him in the hardest yet. Sabin cried out in agony, his face tightening in pain, and limply fell off shortly after, collapsing to his knees. The furious Chile walked forward toward him, tightening his own fists for another blow. He came to a halt right in front of the wavering Sabin as he neared, and stood straight and tall. He glowered down on Sabin's own fallen body, heaving and sore where it was. Abruptly, Sabin seemed to lose his balance, and fell forward and against Chile's legs. His body rested against them, and soon he began to sweat and bleed all over them. The monster scowled, and hissed at him for dirtying him. Immediately, he rose another hand to strike…

When suddenly, Sabin sprung to life yet again. This time, he laced his arms around Chile's legs, and suddenly sprung off of his knees and into a squat. Before the thing could react, Sabin suddenly took off and into the air, taking Chile with him. The monster gaped in surprise for a moment…before his face was smashed roughly against the ceiling, smashing in his nose and leaving a bloody mess. The thing bellowed in agony, before Sabin, still in midair, flipped himself and Chile around…and went back down to the ground, this time aiming Chile back to the floor. Moments later…he brought both him and his whole weight down onto the rocky ground as he shoved Chile face-first against the stone ground again, smashing him in so hard that a crater was broken into it.

Sabin was a bit dizzy after this, and a little woozy from having been beaten around so much. He released the monster on landing. That, however, was a bad move. Fuming in rage, Chile revealed he had reserves to spare. Screaming in anger, the monster flipped back up, yanking his bloody, broken face out of the ground, and looked up to Sabin with horrible rage. The monk was stunned. He couldn't believe Chile had so easily recovered from that. And now…the monster, one of his teeth gone and another chipped, mouth filled with blood, one eye swelling puffy and his nose smashed in, was ready to rip Sabin limb from limb.

Screaming again, Chile shot forward and seized Sabin by the throat. Now…he moved faster than physically possible. Sabin could only gape helplessly as Chile smashed his fist again and again into Sabin's stomach, pounding endlessly on and on so fast that a blur was all that resulted. He dug in his fist with each blow, determined to pound Sabin's guts into jelly and make him throw them up. Sabin ran out of air long ago, but the thing continued to pound him. He went crazy, beginning to pound his chest as well,making him gag up whatever fluid and blood he could make him.

That was only the start. Once he had hit him close to fifty times, Chile drove him back and smashed him into the wall, pounding Sabin into a crater. Then, he turned to his face. Eyes mad with hate, face livid with violence, Chile mercilessly pounded him in the head. He smacked him again and again and again, not stopping or halting for a moment. He broke the bones in his own knuckles. He ripped the flesh from his hand, making it bloodier and bloodier. But still, psychotically staring at Sabin, he continued to pound his face into a bloody pulp, smashing in his own nose and beating him again and again…

At last, Chile let him go. Totally senseless, barely conscious, Sabin fell totally limp to the ground. His face throbbed and swelled with pain. His stomach felt like a piece of raw dough. He had turned into a piece of cooked noodle, and he collapsed to the floor. He seemed, for all intensive purposes, dead or beaten half to death. Chile sneered at him…so tired from his own attacks that he too was heaving and panting. He growled like a beast at the monk, quivering in anger and exhaustion from his own move. However…Sabin didn't get up. It was over. He had beaten him down into nothingness.

The monster breathed hard a bit longer, but then leaned up again. He brushed his hair out of his face again, and tried to look as calm as possible. He struggled to regain his lost pride after having been smacked around so viciously as well. At last, he turned and looked to Edgar. The twin was staring at the fallen Sabin in wide-eyed shock, but showed little else. Chile grit his teeth at him, and pointed a hand to him. He panted, but his voice was calm again.

"Your brother paid a terrible price for daring to insult me. And now that he is dead…you will have to pick up the slack of my wrath. When I send you to hell, you'll find him in the section where countless other souls tremble in fear for eternity at the name Chile."

The monster turned his full body to Edgar at that, and began to step forward.

He got one step before he heard a snicker behind him.

"Oh come on…after having me play possum twice, you still didn't get wise?"

Chile's eyes widened in shock. It was impossible. Nothing could have survived that series of blows. Nothing ever did. His brains should have been beaten into jam. It couldn't be true. Slowly, the monster turned around to gape in overwhelmed amazement at the source of the noise. But despite his denial…it was true. Standing and grinning, despite all of his horrible injuries, Sabin stood straight and tall right behind him, no longer limp but looking rather focused and strong, and as solid and formidable as a rock.

Strong as Chile was, and as skilled as he was (or thought he was), he lost much when he gave in to rage. None of those punches had been focused as they could have been. As such, shortly after the hitting began, Sabin was able to use his technique to loosen himself up again, become so fluid and conformist to every blow that the damage was all but negated after the first few hits. In the end, all that Chile had done was waste his energy while Sabin conserved his. What more, while he was being beaten, Sabin had been summoning his own skill forward to do a much stronger attack. Until now, he had been enjoying the fight. But now that Chile had lost himself to anger, it was obvious he wasn't going to provide any more stimulation. It was time to bring it to a close. Quickly, he narrowed his own gaze as he dropped into a ready position, and then announced his attack.

"Bum Rush."

Chile was soon totally overwhelmed as not one, not two, but ten different Sabins encircled him. And unlike before, these ones weren't all images. Each one of them seemed to strike him with such force that he felt his bones ripped asunder under the power of them. Now, for a few seconds of hell, he own organs were crushed, his bones shattered, his brains grinded, and his blood was hit with so much heat and power it began to boil within his own body. The fury and power with which Sabin encircled him was so great that lightning seemed to shoot through the sky, and a sonic sound ripped through the air. The blows came so fast and strong that even as Chile was ground up like meat in a sausage maker, he was still alive throughout the attack until the very last, when all of the images of Sabin merged back into a single one, and that one gave Chile a kick with enough force to crack a mountain. The monster was ripped off of his feet, launched through the air, and smashed into the nearby stone wall.

An eruption of dust and rocks resulted, and Sabin, sweating, bleeding, torn, but still standing, stayed frozen in the position of the final blow, keeping his leg aimed at Chile. As the debris settled, he saw nothing more than a crater punched into the granite, and Chile's legs dangling out from a hole in the wall. The rest was embedded in it. They held up for a brief moment…before the creature within let out his last breath through his bloody, torn lungs, and they went limp. Chile moved no more.

Sabin exhaled once, and then twisted his leg back and lowered it. After that, he became normal again, losing his fighting mode. Exhaling a bit, he began to wipe the sweat and blood out of his eyes with his bare hands. After a moment, he tore off the rag of his shirt and used that instead. As for Edgar, he formed an acquiescing expression and gave a nod, as he rose off of the wall and began to walk toward him.

"And you yelled at me." He scolded his twin. "Why didn't you just do that from the start?"

Sabin turned to him at this, and after a pause he smiled. "Like you said, big brother. I like them to think they have a chance."


Terra dodged quickly to one side, narrowing missing a purple tentacle from striking her. A single slap from Ultros was nearly lethal, and she couldn't afford it. As it was, the powerful appendage ripped a tear against the ground. The thing chuckled, and struck out at her again a moment later. Terra gasped at the speed, but managed to flip backward, just avoiding it soon after. The thing slithered forward for a moment, and then lashed out again. This time, Terra ducked as it raked along the back stone wall.

"You can't keep this up forever, girlie." Ultros sneered. "You better make a move, if you can."

Terra frowned at the thing. He was right. She had to do something. She trembled nervously. She stood still, and wavered slightly, keeping her panicked eyes on Ultros for his next move. Abruptly, the thing snorted, and lashed another tentacle out at her. Terra saw it this time, and gave a reaction. Quickly, she leapt back just slightly. The effect let the tentacle strike the ground just in front of her. Seeing this, the woman reacted. She leapt forward again, and smashed one of her boots hard down on the end of Ultros' appendage. The octopus yelled in pain, and writhed beneath it. However, Terra only used this as a launching point. Pushing off from that foot, she lunged forward toward the main bulk of the beast.

Ultros turned back in shock, but it was too late. Terra was on him, and drove her fist forward, right in between his eyes. The thing gave a yell and recoiled in response, flailing his tentacles out in pain. Terra followed up by sweeping her leg around and smacking it hard against the side of the thing's face. The blow was hard, and jarred his head one way. She quickly spun around, ready to give him another blow…but then stopped. Ultros had recovered enough now to bring his tentacles around and lash them around her legs. Sneering, he seized her, ripped her off of the ground, swung her once around his head, and then flung her hard back into the opposite wall. She smashed with a sickening noise, and then fell off and slumped to the floor. She moaned out in pain as she landed. If that had been her back when Ultros and her first met, then she would have certainly died.

"I don't appreciate a lady slapping me in the face." Ultros seethed, as he slithered forward.

Terra slowly raised herself off the ground. She groaned, shook her head once, and then turned. The thing was already on her. She gasped, and quickly threw herself up and back as three tentacles smashed down on where she had been, and tore the ground to pieces. She landed on her feet a moment later, but soon had to dodge again as the creature thrust another tentacle at her like a lance. She dodged this one, only to have to dodge another that came for her again in a similar way. Beginning to grow fearful, Terra struggled to break free. But it was too late. Abruptly, Ultros slammed four tentacles in front of her, embedding them in the rock wall, blocking her path. She paled, and quickly turned to run back the other way. But he did the same on her other side, blocking her from that direction as well. Fearful, the woman turned and looked ahead of herself. Now, she was caught in a cage of Ultros' making.The great octopus slid toward her, shortening his limbs and flashing his teeth hungrily.

Terra hesitated again, but only for a moment. Then, she realized she had to move and try something. And so, tightening up, the woman rushed right forward toward the closing creature. Ultros looked at her in puzzlement for a moment, before she suddenly leapt into the air, sailed over his head a moment, and then brought both of her boots down heavy on his head. They sank right into the spot on his brow she had hit before, and compressed it. The blow was strong, and Ultros gagged and yelled as a result of it. However, this move had another effect. Terra now had a place to get leverage from…and her way was clear to get to the Atma Weapon. Quickly, she leapt off of the monster's head, and began to sail over him…

"No you don't!"

Abruptly, however, slimy lengths wrapped around her legs again, and with a gasp she felt herself torn out of the sky. This time, she was swung around wildly once before being smashed onto the floor. The impact was hard and bone jarring, and she cried out in agony as she was brought down onto it. She felt her bones strain and her body radiated with pain. The tentacles released her legs, but she could only moan and sprawl out on the floor for a moment.

Yet no sooner had Terra gotten the strength to raise her head again…when she felt Ultros lash another tentacle around her neck. Immediately, her windpipe was crushed again, and she was yanked off of the ground as well. Terra's eyes bulged. She grabbed for the slimy appendage around her throat, but she was powerless to move it. Her fingers ineffectively sank into the sludge, and Ultros thickened the length around it to crush her further. Now, she was dangling in midair, slowly being hanged to death.

"You won't get away this time!" The thing sneered at her. "Struggle all you want! I'll still kill you!"

Terra kicked wildly, but the octopus kept his limbs away from her. There was no way for her to inflict any pain. And he was too strong to pry off with her bare hands. Again, she began to grow dizzy, and knew that she'd black out soon if she didn't do something. And so…disgusting as the thought was to her…she realized she had no other choice. Grimacing a little…she finally seized a length of Ultros' flesh, pulled it up to her mouth, and sank her teeth in.

Ultros' large eyes bulged in shock, and he immediately loosened as he gave a yelp. Terra's mouth filled with a foul, ammonia-like taste, and she gagged immediately as she was released and fell to the ground. However, she at least had the air to gag. She landed in a half squat, managing to catch herself on one knee before collapsing. She clutched her already tender throat, and looked up weakly to the monster. Ultros, meanwhile, whined as he pulled his own tentacle back to him, and put it in his mouth like a child with a sore finger. However, his eyes soon looked up and back to Terra, and flashed violence.

"You bitch! Calamari isn't on this menu!"

With that, Terra's vision suddenly went black, and then showed stars as Ultros gave her a powerful whip from his tentacles. The woman sailed backward from the force of the blow, ripped off of her feet, and soon having half of her face covered with a rapidly forming bruise. But the monster wasn't done with her. While still in midair, Ultros stretched out and seized her legs with more tentacles. Furious, he smashed her up and down against the ground, pounding the woman again and again against the stone floor. Terra cried out in more agony, losing what air she had managed to get back. But as she continued to get beaten, eventually the blows hit her head, and knocked her too senseless to fight back. By the time Ultros was done, the woman was bleeding from several points, and her armor was dented and torn. Scowling, Ultros flung her again against the wall, smashing her limp body once more against stone and letting it fall into a heap.

Ultros' scowl turned into a wicked laugh, and soon he began to gloat over the fallen Terra. As for the woman…her face was swollen, and blood dribbled from her mouth onto the ground. A small puddle formed as she slowly raised her head again, one eye puffy and nearly shut. She weakly looked up for a moment, staring ahead at the purple horror, as he continued to gloat over her. She stared emptily at him for a moment…before she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head…her weak face and split lip began to form a smile. She was lying right next to the Atma Weapon.

The octopus noticed her smile in mid-chuckle, and then saw the reason. Immediately…he cut himself off, and his large eyes began to widen. As for Terra, she heaved once, but then stretched out her hand and seized her weapon. She pulled herself back up to her feet, and immediately ignited the meter-long blade of energy. She swung it dangerously in front of herself for a moment, turning her full attention and battle stance back to Ultros. Her eyes flashed violence as she stared at him, and grew dangerous. The octopus sneered in response. Wringing his tentacles in fury, he yelled and began to attack again.

Terra sidestepped the first tentacle. But this time, Ultros was forced to recoil quickly, for she soon swung her weapon down and threatened to lop it off. He struck again, but had to recoil it once more in order to avoid the potential strike. As Terra swung at him, she advanced. Within a few moments, she was up to his side. The octopus sneered, for now, he had to be on the defensive. The woman swung Atma Weapon down on him, forcing him to leap back to avoid it. He soon had to flatten his body afterward, for she gave him a horizontal slash next. He slithered back afterward, but Terra advanced after him. In an attempt to stop her, he lashed out and seized her around the leg. But before he could pull her back, the woman spun around and swung Atma Weapon down at the tentacle. Ultros' large eyes bulged, and he screamed in agony as one of his slimy tentacles was cut from his body, spewing foul, sticky blood in its wake.

In rage, Ultros back-"tentacled" Terra again, smacking her away and sending her falling to the ground. The woman was stunned and hesitated there a moment. Hissing, Ultros drew up a new tentacle, pointed it like a spear, and drove it down for her head. However, Terra managed to recover, and quickly rolled out of the way of the blow. Not stopping, the monster drove another tentacle down where she had been, slashing her clothes but missing her. He continued to do this as she rolled away from him, struggling to impale her. However, he was too slow…and eventually he reached the extent of his tentacle distance, and couldn't follow up with another. Seeing this, Terra quickly rolled once more and lashed out with her blade again. Ultros felt hot pain yet again as another tentacle went off.

Terra grit her teeth and quickly got to her feet, and then dashed in toward the main body of the creature, holding Atma Weapon at her side and ready to strike. Ultros seethed in rage, now mad with pain and anger. He lashed out for her legs soon after, trying to trip her. The woman managed to leap over this as it came for her, but that was what Ultros intended. Now in midair and helpless to dodge, he thrust another tentacle out and struck her square in the chest. The woman gave out a cry and "oof", before the tentacle drove her back all the way to the wall and smashed her hard into it. She cried out again, and Atma Weapon fizzled and went out. Seeing this, Ultros grinned at his chance. He quickly wrapped the blade around her waist, and brought her limp body back to his waiting mouth. He opened wide and prepared to engulf her as she drew close. Yet just as he was a few feet from devouring the woman, she managed to come out of her daze and look up. She gasped at what she saw…and quickly ignited Atma Weapon again. She drove it forward wildly…but managed to thrust the blue blade right into Ultros' eyeball. Immediately, the great orb was pierced, and foul fluid poured from the wound, burning on the blade.

Ultros roared in fury, yanking Terra away from him and smashing her into the ceiling, stunning her a moment. In absolute agony, he flung his tentacles around wildly, and grasped for his face. A burning, smoldering crater was all that was left of one of his eyes. Terra's blade had burned it out. Moaning in pain, he held his tentacle for a moment to it, whining softly. Terra herself was dazzled, and unable to slash her way free again. Then, the octopus lowered his appendage, and glared hatefully at Terra with his one remaining eye. Abruptly, Terra was yanked out of the air again, nearly snapping her neck, and smashed headfirst into the wall. The blow dazzled her, and she lost her grip. Atma Weapon tumbled out of her grasp and to the ground again. She groaned, but managed to notice this. She weakly reached for it, but it was too late. Ultros snapped her back around and bashed her body into the opposite wall, then swung it down hard on the ground with such force that it bounced off. Bellowing in anger, he flung the woman across the room again and let her fly into the wall once more. She again limply fell down, and this time couldn't get up. She sagged, and coughed up a wad of blood. She was too weak to move, and simply lay there a moment.

Ultros, seething in anger, began to slide forward. He continued to look like he was in agony. However, Terra was only able to weakly raise her head. She couldn't rise again. And on seeing this, Ultros grinned in delight.

"Vwee hee! At last!" He shrieked. "Finally! After all these years! I did it! I finally won! You're finally going to die! In the end…I came out on top!"

Terra panted, struggling to get her breath. Her body was filled with pain, and her own agony was so great that she couldn't move. She just lay there, as the hideous bulk drew nearer and nearer to her. It was gloating over her now, its one eye still ravenous and hungry. It desired both physical and mental satisfaction for this. And now…Terra couldn't fight back physically anymore. Her body was too abused and beaten. It refused to move in the least. She began to smell ammonia again as the creature drew nearer and nearer to her. Its great hideous bulk hovered over her body, and its remaining tentacles began to creep toward her. She weakly looked out, and saw the hideous lengths approaching her, ready to seize her body and rip it to shreds. As she stared at it, weakly holding her eyes open, breathing heavy, she finally managed to call out.

"Last word…Ultros…"

The monster hesitated on hearing that. He frowned, and glared at the woman. But in the end…he let his tentacles contract a little. He muttered, but then shrugged. "Fine. But make it snappy. No delays." He paused a moment, and then grinned. "Unless you're wanting to beg for mercy. Do that all you want."

Terra panted and heaved a moment longer. But in the end, she managed to lift her head slightly to him. "What was it…that you said…when I burned you at the Lete River? I can't remember…"

Ultros glared down at her a moment. However, after a pause, he snorted. "Just a little gag, on my part." He simply answered. "I believe my exact words were…Seafood Soup."

Terra heaved again, and gave a nod. Then, she weakly looked up into Ultros' one eye again. When she did…the octopus suddenly gaped. Her eyes were burning red with an inner aura. Not only that, but soon a fiery aura began to explode around her, enveloping her in a red glow. The octopus stared in utter shock at this. He knew what this was. He had learned magic himself before, after all. But most of all…he recognized what this meant…and what it had meant back at the Lete River. The creature gasped. It stepped backward, and its tentacles began to quiver.

"No…no…it's not possible…"

"In this case, Ultros…" Terra continued, glaring at him as her glow died. "…Seafood Saute."

Ultros couldn't believe it. Magic was gone. It didn't exist any longer, and no one could do it. And yet…it still came. He could only glare in shock as he saw a great red fireball form over Terra's head. It was concentrated and collected. It burned a deep red glow…like magma of the center of the earth. It wasn't especially bright, for it cast off no wasted heat. It retained it within itself. And now…the great fireball was suddenly thrown forward, right at the octopus creature. Trembling, quivering, and shaking all over, the great octopus could only shake his head as he saw doom come straight for him, and moan one last "no" before it struck.

Immediately, the ball erupted into a blinding white flash. The rest of the room was bathed in horrible red heat, and lines of searing flame began to singe everything burnable in it. The tentacles left behind immediately ignited and burned into charcoal. The slime and blood on the floor vaporized. Only Terra was spared, for it had been her spell. But as for Ultros, he screamed out in agony as his body was enveloped in the great blast of fire. Terra couldn't even see him as he was consumed by the flames. The horrible heat burned him away into nothingness, and the horrible burning roar that emitted from the fireball swallowed his voice into nothingness.

At last, the fire died again. The heat vanished, swept away by a magical wind. The sound of burning died, and the air became normal and cool once more. Only the cracking and popping of the appendages that had been left behind now burned. As for Terra, she slumped against the wall again and panted. Beaten as she was, that spell had taken a lot out of her. She had slipped up in the fight, forgetting that she had the ability to use this power. It wasn't until she was faced with death that her instincts told her to use it, and she remembered. However, it had saved her. Now, she looked ahead.

A great black splatter was on the ground. Nothing more. The stone was burned into, and now the black lines had been permenantly etched into it by the horrible heat. Other than that, there was nothing. No ash, no flesh, no smell of burning…nothing. The heat had wiped all else away in flames. Only the body parts left behind still burned. There wasn't the slightest sign of Ultros or any of his other appendages. The woman blinked at this and stared. She supposed that her fire spell could have vaporized him…leaving not even the smell of ammonia behind. Unfortunately, it was just as equally likely that the creature had run yet again. He had a great tendancy for that. Terra had thought they had actually managed to kill him back at the airship, but he surfaced again at the Colosseum. Like he said, he had more lives than a cat. She hoped this was the last battle between them…but she honestly had no way to know. Next time, however, if he did show up again, she would incinerate him with a Metron spell immediately. She could use magic. He lost his ability to. That created a difference between them he would never recover from.

Terra slowly exhaled, and with a groan rose to her feet. She was sore all over from the fight, but she couldn't wait around. The others still needed her. She held one of her arms, sore and bleeding, and stumbled and limped a bit as she walked. But she managed to make her way over to the opposite wall, where Atma Weapon was lying in wait for her. She reached down and snatched it up, and quickly buckled it to her side again. She then turned to the stairwell. She realized that she wanted to go down anyway to get to Celes, so it was probably a good bet to go that way.

Sighing a bit, Terra began to walk over to the stairs, beginning to think of a healing spell as she did so and hoping she could remember one before she ran into more trouble.


To be continued...