Hey everyone! I'm loving my piano book of FF music. But I do have one regret... The FFVI section lacks Kefka's Theme while including Colliery Nalsh (I think that's supposed to be Coalery Narshe in English...), which in my opinion is a rather boring and bad sounding song. Oh well... I wonder if One Winged Angel is on here... (I can't tell from the titles, because they're all in Kanji)
Locke didn't like this.
He had thought following after the group would lead him up. But instead, shortly after entering the cave, he saw that the bridge that spanned the next wide area had lowered, and seemed to connect to an auxiliary area. Now, it led downward instead, down a staircase that went along the length of the chasm and into the deep darkness below. The thief had been around places like this long enough to know a trap when he saw it. It was obvious that something had broken the path off, and was now leading him down. The question was…did the group go this way as well? Or was he being led off into another encounter with another member of the little fruit basket he had seen back in Zozo?
Locke didn't know, but he didn't like the looks of the place. After descending into the darkness for a few hundred feet, he had entered another enclosed area. It looked like some sort of rock tower ascending from the pit. He was illuminated again, but it was all by fiery torches. There wasn't a sound anywhere, or any signs of any other opposition or enemies. However, in a place like this, the quieter it was the worse it was. The remnants of the force they had fought in Zozo alone should have caught up to them by now. And so, he kept his dagger out as he slowly descended deeper and deeper into the mountain. He struggled to keep himself still as he looked for signs of any noise…
At last, he finally reached the bottom of this stairway. But he saw little in terms of comfort. Now, a rough, rock hallway, illuminated by the same fiery torches, led onward. What more, there were no branches in the path. They all just led to the same direction. The thief hated this. It implied that he was being forced to go one way…just like a trap would. However, he saw no opposition, and he couldn't go anywhere else. He just had to keep his wits about him and proceed. And so, he raised his blade again and continued.
For about thirty minutes, he made his way down the slowly winding pathway. He kept his eyes alert for the slightest sign of any trap, and listened for any foes. However, he saw nothing. There wasn't anyone at all coming, and there wasn't any resistance. He didn't even run into a locked door. There was nothing here but the path, and no sign of anything coming. No deviations, no branches, no pits…just a straight shot. After all that time, Locke was only made more anxious. Why didn't something try to stop him? Why weren't the other warriors coming after him? Why wasn't a trap sprung? Did they not intend on him getting this far? Or was the fortress incomplete in terms of traps? What was going on?
At last, Locke saw two changes. As he turned a corner, he looked ahead down the next hall. There was a merge up ahead. From where he was, he could look down the hall and see the merged hallway move on up ahead. But he could also make out, just barely, the exit of a tunnel similar to his emptying into this one. This gave him some relief. So…he had options. That was something. So long as there were options, he wasn't entirely forced into playing the enemy's hand. But it would seem as if guards would be appropriate in this area… And sure enough, after a moment of creeping forward…he began to hear something else. Far in the distance, nearing the same branch…he heard light footsteps, slowly creeping forward.
Locke immediately tensed up. He pressed himself against the rock wall of his own corridor, brought the Gradeus up to his neck, and stared ahead. From this distance, he could see little other than the flickering light of the flames. He held a moment, but then began to creep down his own passage. With practiced skill, he made himself as silent as a cat. He didn't disturb the slightest pebble as he went along. Because of that, and because of his new position, he removed any chance of the other from seeing or detecting him. The only sound now came from that person's own footsteps coming down the hall, creeping slowly. Locke glared at the break ahead, and continued to make his way down. For a few moments, the two slowly approached each other…
When Locke was about ten feet away from the branch, he saw it. One of the flickering flames managed to catch a shadow. It was distorted, due to the number of lights, but he did see something.Locke shifted his dagger into a stabbing motion. He licked his lips nervously, and inched closer to the edge of the bend. There, he held a moment. He waited for the shadow to draw a little closer. Slowly, the owner of the other set of footsteps rounded the bend. Immediately, Locke sprung out and readied to stab…
Immediately, the thief froze and turned pale. He saw a set of blonde hair, nearly white skin, and somewhat torn and ruined armor. It took him milliseconds to realize that it was Celes. Gulping, he quickly put his hand holding the dagger behind him, just as Celes spun around and glared at him. She yelped as well, and leapt back in surprise on seeing him. After all, he had been so silent that she had thought the way was clear, and though she had been cautious she didn't know someone would actually be waiting for her. She put a hand toRagnarok and nearly drew it out as she went back…before her memory kicked in and she recognized the person. Immediately, she exhaled in relief, and gasped as she calmed herself. Her arms fell limply to her sides.
"Locke!" She exclaimed, whispering loudly. "You scared me half to death!"
Locke, still nervous that he had nearly stabbed his wife, grinned innocently and shrugged. "Heh…old habits die hard, I guess…"
Celes held for a moment, but then smiled pleasantly. Abruptly, the ex-general came forward and embraced her husband. Locke paled, and struggled to look calm and happy as well. At the same time…he struggled to maneuver his hands away from Celes' enclosing arms so that she wouldn't realize his weapon was out. In the end, he managed to finally put his own arms around Celes, and held the knife out to make sure she wouldn't feel it. They held a moment, before Celes began to break off. Moving like lightning, Locke quickly twisted his arms back behind his back before she could back off enough to see he was holding the dagger. Soon they were separated.
Locke was nervous a moment longer, but then saw Celes' condition. She had a lot of makeshift bandages on her body, each of which was bloodstained. Celes also looked the thief over, and saw that he was a bit ragged, torn, and bruised as well.
"Are you alright?" Locke asked his wife in genuine concern…quickly stuffing his blade into his belt behind him. "What happened to you?"
Celes sighed in response to this. "The one called Platno tried to ambush me in a trap. I took care of him, but he got me a few times. But what about you? You look pretty rough yourself."
Locke whistled a bit as he finally was able to pull his hands out from behind him, giving a shrug. "Manzan wasn't nearly the pushover he turned out to be. But he's gone too. That leaves only three other monkey boys between us and Nireevyou." The thief hesitated after saying this, and suddenly turned puzzled. He looked around Celes a moment, and looked up the shaft she had come down. "Hey…where's the others? I thought you went with them."
Celes frowned. "I did…before Platno caught me in the booby trap. After I beat him, the only way to go was down this long corridor…and it led me right here to you. But what about you? Are they up ahead? I thought you'd be following right behind us."
Locke likewise frowned. "That's what I thought. But my fight took a few minutes, and when I went after them, I think my path was redirected to lead me down here. I just ran into you."
After saying this, both Locke and Celes paused, and grew nervous. So…in the end, they were both directed down the same path. Both of their trails didn't lead anywhere but to where they came in, and the only way onward was the way that led them this way. Locke's feelings that this wasn't a trap vanished again. Now, it looked more likely than ever. It appeared both of their opponents had the real intention of leading them down this way if they failed. That wasn't good. They had a feeling that they might be in for it…
Yet before they could suggest anything else, they heard a loud clatter from up ahead.Locke and Celes both turned and looked to the source. Apparently, the corridor they were now facing was a lot like their previous ones. This one too merged up ahead. And now, it was obvious that something else was coming down the other hallway that was in front of them. And it was making a lot more noise than they were. It wasn't just one person this time. Locke turned to Celes, and silently motioned her to the wall. She nodded and pressed herself against it. Locke did the same in front of her, and the two began to creep down.
Celes wasn't as stealthy as Locke, but she still was pretty silent. After all, she was a seasoned warrior. And with their shadows concealed, it looked as if they were able to stay pretty invisible to their enemy. However, they had only managed to close half of the distance to the merging point this time when their targets too went silent.On hearing this, Locke paused a moment, and sweat a little. These ones were being cautious too. Either they had heard them, or they were being careful as they neared the bend in the corner as well. The thief licked his lips, and drew his dagger. Celes drew outRagnarok as well, and the two continued on.
At last, they came to the next merging point. Right at the edge, Locke halted. He once again placed his weapon into a stabbing motion, and looked to Celes. The woman edged up until she was right next to the thief, and then brandished her sword. She gave a nod to Locke as well. The man turned back, looked around the corner a bit longer, and then held up three fingers in front of Celes with his free hand. He counted down from three silently, closing one finger at a time. After the last one, both the husband and wife jumped out to confront their foes.
"Yaa!"
As Locke and Celes jumped out in a battle cry, they saw their opponents jump out as well. A huge fist came out and enclosed Celes' throat, putting claws to her neck, while she pressed her sword against the owner's chest. Locke put his own blade to the neck of his own opponent, while he gunned up a long, thin drill machine and pressed it against his own torso. The four locked for a moment and did not move…
But then, all four rapidly eased up as Locke and Celes realized they were looking at Sabin and Edgar.
All four looked anxious for a moment, and then immediately recoiled and put their weapons back faster than a jackrabbit on a date. They immediately looked innocent and pleasant to one another, and tried to look as harmless as possible, as if nothing had happened. However, that lasted only a moment. Celes finally exhaled, and looked to them again.
"Looks like you two are alright." She commented.
Locke, meanwhile, gave them a look over, and saw their status. He raised an eyebrow. "Relatively speaking…"
"We ran into some old friends." Edgar explained.
"I wouldn't worry about Anaranda or Chile causing us any more problems." Sabin added.
Celes gestured to herself and Locke. "We took care of Manzan and Platno. That only leaves Ultros and Nireevyou."
Sabin snorted and crossed his arms. "Looks like they were trying to separate us and beat us one by one. So much for their traps."
Locke frowned. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. All of our corridors have been leading us together, trying to direct us to one place. My guess is they still have one trap left for all of us."
The monk wasn't worried, and flexed one of his muscles. "If it's anything like their previous traps, it won't do much good. And now, there are four of us."
"Just in case," Edgar added, reaching up to his headset and pressing a few buttons. "This will tell us if anything is hiding, and how strong it is. Let's keep going."
The others gave a nod to this. Even Locke, who was suspicious, knew that their only way to go was forward from here. Besides, if the best that they could do was Ultros, then they were in trouble. He did fear that what Ultros said was right…that their foe at the end was able to withstand Chupon's sneeze attack… But there was nothing for it. They could only go forward, and try to deal with whatever threat came next. With that in mind, the four turned and made their way further down the hall.
They soon ran into other branches, much like the previous two they had run into. But unlike before, no one came down them. They'd have expected to run into Terra and Tumahab down some of them, but Edgar's device confirmed far in advance that they were nowhere near them long before they reached the bends. As before, the four encountered no resistance, traps, or barriers to their progress. They continued to wind down the path, always entering a larger one as more branches fed into theirs, but never reaching the end. Locke grew nervous more than once, and considered going back up one of these branches to see if they could find another way, or run into Terra and Tumahab. However, he was more confident now that he was with the others, and continued on. Besides, considering their power levels, they were all confident that Terra and Tumahab could handle anything…especially if Terra had indeed managed to use magic somehow on that door…
At last, the corridor reached a rather sharp bend. This one was at a forty-five degree angle, and stuck out from the others. What more, the corridor turned very narrow as they went on. Down here…things were incredibly silent. As they went closer, and began to squeeze into the narrow corridor and turn…they noticed new things. The torches seemed to glow dimmer, though they were in smaller spaces. Their footsteps seemed to echo more quietly. Everything began to grow stiller…as if the energy on the air was dissipating, and all was becoming quiet and lifeless. It seemed to grow a bit cold down here as well. Yet still, they turned the bend.
It was even darker andquieter down this direction. It made the group pause. The light was so dim here, that it barely seemed to extend beyond a few feet from the torches. Still, the group was able to see ahead. And when they did, they saw that they were on the leftmost branch of three other branches, all of which emptied into some central chamber. It was a narrow chamber, only about twenty feet across, and they couldn't see that well into it. However, as they turned this way and hesitated, Edgar's eyes suddenly expanded.
"I'm sensing two signatures up ahead." He whispered. "Both of them are near 5,000."
On hearing that, Celes looked surprised, and turned to him. "5,000? That's strong compared to some of the ones we beat. I thought they said they were their strongest warriors. What are two other strong ones doing down here?"
"Who knows?" Sabin responded, pounding one fist into his other hand. "But there's only one way to find out…"
Locke was nervous about this. Celes was right. Why didn't they refer to these guys earlier? He didn't know…but it was too late to worry now. The four of them pressed themselves against the wall and snuck down, much as Locke had before. They were pretty silent as they did so, barely making any noises above a whisper. Edgar himself took the lead this time, keeping the Debilitator aimed ahead. He sensed no new movement or changes, which was good. They were allowed to come forth very easily. As they neared…they began to hear faint echoes. They couldn't make out what they were exactly, but it seemed as if the two signatures up ahead were…talking. That only made things easier on them, though. They continued to creep forward, until they were at the edge. At once, Edgar halted them, and they all complied.
The king pulled up his drill. Sabin brandished his fangs. Locke and Celes both drew their weapons. Edgar held his hand up to them all, and licked his own lips. For a few moments, they stood and nervously made ready. But then, at once, the king swung his arm down. On doing so, all four jumped out, not screaming this time, and filled the hallway in front of them. They aimed their weapons down in front of them, and prepared for battle.
The two signatures reacted immediately. They were stunned on seeing attackers, but they didn't cry out. Instead, they gaped at the four a moment, and then immediately dropped into their own ready stances. They began to hiss and snarl. These two were monsters. Locke looked them over, and quickly recognized the type. The one on his right was a drake. The thin lizard flapped its thin wings in the air and hissed at the four, stretching out its claws menacingly. The other was worse…a basilisk. These creatures had the lovely habit of turning their victims into stone if they looked right in their eyes. However, the creature had to be trying that on purpose in order to make it work. Now, it darted its head from side to side, showing its teeth, and trying to look menacing as it did so. Looking indirectly at its eyes was safe enough.
The six stared each other down for a moment. Both held their weapons ready, and both prepared to attack the other. The two monsters sneered and snapped at them. In truth, they had no chance. Thequartet was more than a match for the two of them, especially when Edgar and Sabin pulled out their greatest attacks. However, they still pressed in close, guarding one thing. A tremendous set of stone doors, intricately carved and covered with details, stood behind them. They were heavy and formidable, looking too heavy for most people to move. On seeing them, Locke was a bit surprised. They looked a lot like the doors that had sealed away the esper world…at least, in terms of architecture. However, that didn't surprise him nearly as much as when a large, booming, male voice, dark and laced with venom and cruelty, sounded from the other sides of the door.
"Zola…Noonian…what riles you both so?"
Locke was a bit taken aback from this, as were the others. But that was nothing compared to what they felt when the creature on the right, who they thought was previously dumb, spoke back in a female voice.
"The intruders have come, Lord Nireevyou."
There was a brief pause from the other side. But then…a dark chuckle emitted from it. Even blocked…the four, no matter how prideful or strong, felt their blood chill as they heard it. It seemed to seize their hearts and clutch them like ice.
"Well then," The voice added after a moment. "By all means…open the door and let them in, so that I might give our 'guests' a proper welcome…"
Both creatures, the ones named Zola and Noonian, hesitated a moment. But then…both of them stopped being so earnest. Instead, they calmed down, and then grinned wickedly at their opponents. A deep maliciousness burned in their eyes as they realized what was about to happen to them. Immediately, they forgot about fighting. The four stayed in their ready stances, looking to this all with puzzlement, and a bit of unease. Meanwhile, the two monsters turned and grabbed two large rings hanging from the door. Both of them pulled, and soon their tremendous strength made the doors give, and slowly began to swing open.
As the doorway opened and the contents of the interior were revealed, Edgar's machine recognized a new energy signature. Very soon…he began to see the power coming from it…and it made his face turn white in terror.
"Oh god…"
Bahamut leapt back as one of the colossal Brachiosaurs leaned forward and snapped at him. The moment it failed, he immediately leapt up, swung his leg around, and gave it a powerful roundhouse kick. Its body was flung violently to one side, but the two others rapidly came in to take of the slack. Both dove at once for the esper, who sighed in response, and then quickly dodged inward, going in between them. Both of their jaws snapped at air, but they weren't done. They both shifted their feet and attempted to stomp Bahamut flat as he ran in between them, forcing Bahamut to leapt and dodge as great heavy pillars smashed the ground around him. In the end, however, the esper was too fast. Both of them turned around once they had failed, looking to go after him again.
Bahamut groaned inwardly. I'm definitely getting too old for this…
As both dragons turned to try and snap at the esper, Bahamut quickly dropped into a slide and did a kick to one of the feet of the turning creatures. The result managed to knock out its balance under one leg, and with a cry it toppled to the side. Its massive body crashed into the other's as it was just about to reach out and snap at Bahamut, and the collision ripped the creature's head away from his quarry, and smashed it into the rock mountain while the other fell to the ground. However, the third was up again by now, and was stomping forward, stepping both on and around the fallen Brachiosaurs, to attack on its own. It lowered its head and its body as it did so, presumeably to pick up speed. However, Bahamut stood his ground at the ready for it. As it swung its head down to snap at him, he gave it a bone-jarring uppercut to send its long neck flying into the sky. However…the creature kept charging. It passed by Bahamut for a moment, thrown off by the blow…but then it suddenly swung its charging body inward, smashing it full force into the esper. Bahamut realized too late that the creature was smarter than it looked, as he found himself violently flung against the rock wall himself. On connecting, he cracked it from his impact, and he slid down slowly, groaning all the way.
However, once he reached his feet, he quickly leapt back onto them and shook his head. Just in time too. The outer Brachiosaur had recovered, from the two he had knocked over, and was stomping for him with head outstretched. What more, the one that had broadsided him had recovered, snarled, and was turning around to bite at him again. Bahamut grit his teeth as he saw both of them come against him at a near equivalent rate. Quickly, he snapped out and gave the nearest one a jab in the nose, making it snap its head back and snort in irritation. But the other one was too fast. As he turned to confront it, it suddenly opened its mouth wide and brought it down on Bahamut, looking to swallow him whole. The esper paled, but then quickly stretched out his arms and legs as foul, hot breath breathed over him, and rows of teeth enclosed him. He locked his limbs just as the thing shut its mouth. Soon, the creature's eyes widened in puzzlement, as it found its meal keeping its mouth from closing. Quickly, it grew angry. It snapped its long neck up and began to gag and roar, struggling to close.
As for Bahamut, he soon grunted under the strain of keeping himself from being devoured, and winced as he stood in Brachiosaur saliva and smelled horrid rot from its previous meals being blasted up his nose. He also was soon made a bit dizzy as the creature shook him around violently. Yet through it all, he managed to turn his head and look out. He frowned at what he saw. The other two Brachiosaurs had recovered, and were now coming for him. Despite the fact that he was in the mouth of one, both of them opened their own mouths to come in from the side and rip him out again. Bahamut grit his teeth as they approached, groaning again inwardly. But right as the first was about to hit, he suddenly shifted all his weight to one leg, and raised the other. It was a strain, for now he was holding the creature's mouth open with only three limbs, but he got the leg free. As the Brachiosaur neared, he swung his leg out and clipped it across the face, kicking it to the side. The other one approached, but he did it the same way, sending it flying to the other side.
With that done, Bahamut growled, and then kicked out for the jaw connection point of the mouth he was in. He focused his power as he did so, and was satisfied as he heard a crack on connecting with it. Immediately, the thing's mouth went limp, and it roared in pain. Now able to free himself, Bahamut put his other foot down, pushed up once to throw the upper jaw clear, and then leapt out of the thing's mouth to, of all places, the back of one of the stunned Brachiosaurs. He quickly sprawled out and straddled it, and put his arms around its back. He looked back to the one he had injured…and got a bad surprise. The thing's loose jaw hung a moment, but then it merely flipped its head up and forced its jaw shut. A clicking sound resulted…and the thing was normal again. It shook its head once, and then glared at the one who injured it. Bahamut sighed. He forgot…many reptilescould unhook their jaws at will.
As he stared at this…his face suddenly went violent, and he swung a fist behind him. It was just in time…for the other Brachiosaur was up and snapping for him, but instead got a faceful of fist, and was once again smacked into the rock wall. As for the one that reconnected its jaw, it snarled and began to stomp after him as well, extending its neck to attack him. Bahamut quickly shifted his weight to both arms, brought both of his legs up, and then gave a double kick to the monster's head. It cried out as a very powerful blow smacked it so hard it was thrown to the ground, and nearly spun ninety degrees. However, the one he was on was now reaching back and struggling to extrude the snack from its back. Bahamut uttered a sigh in response. Then, he suddenly pushed himself up and landed on his feet. With expert skill, he ran up along the back of the creature, until he reached its neck. Though it was confused by this, and began to twist more violently than before, Bahamut managed to keep his balance as he ran onward, all the way up its long neck and to its head. Finally, the base of the creature's head was within range. Bahamut zeroed in on it, took careful aim at the critical point of its anatomy, and then leapt into the air for it. The thing paused for the briefest second, giving Bahamut all the time he needed, and the esper landed down on the back of his head, giving it a powerful iron palm to the base of the neck as he did so. His blow traveled past the skull, although it dented in the edges, and drove its power right back into the thing's brain.
The head of the Brachiosaur was slammed down on the lower jaw, and blood exploded from the nostrils. It gave one empty groan, before it stumbled on its feet, staggered forward a bit, and then collapsed in a heap onto the stone path. It gurgled once, but then moved no more. Bahamut, on landing, which was big considering the thing's side, leapt off of it and onto the ground, and exhaled a massive sigh.
One down…
A bloodcurdling roar behind him interrupted his victory. He turned his head around, and saw that one of them Brachiosaurs was up and charging him from behind, much as the previous one had that checked him. Rather than risking to hit this one, and have the same thing happen, he quickly ducked and rolled beneath it, slipping himself under its legs. The creature stomped by, and glared about in confusion as to what had just happened to it. As for Bahamut, he got a nice breather right under the thing as it raged past. But that was only for a second, for the other one was up again and had spotted him. Not waiting for its relation to pass, it drove its own head down and underneath its legs as it charged. It snapped once at Bahamut, but the esper, seeing it coming, quickly rolled back. Angry, the Brachiosaur raised its massive head and pushed its shoulders forward, flipping the other one over and behind it. It continued to lunge forward, roaring and mad.
As it neared Bahamut, it swung its head down to snap at him again. Bahamut, this time, only ducked back a little, avoiding its intended bite. After that, he reached forward and, to the thing's shock, seized it by two of its massive incisors. Yanking hard, he twisted himself and continued to pull it forward, directing the creature's path to keep going. Powerless to avoid, the mad beast continued to roar and followed after where he led, snapping out to try and hit Bahamut as he did. However, the esper only directed him for a moment before letting him go…allowing the creature to come forward and drive its head right into the stone wall. It was a hard, thunderous blow, shaking the cliff, and bringing more rocks down on the creature. It grunted, and slumped over, stunned momentarily.
Meanwhile, the esper turned and looked to the other. The flip had also stunned it, and it was only now getting to its feet. Gritting his own teeth, Bahamut ran to it as it stood. He leapt, sailed through the air for a moment, and then landed right on the side of the thing's head. He dug in his own claws through the dragon's scales and into the flesh of its scalp, anchoring him there. As blood began to run out and drip into its vision, the creature stood and began to madly prance around, waving its huge head from side to side to try and get Bahamut off. After a moment, however, it simply charged forward down the trail, and began to extend its head over to the rock wall, hoping to scrape Bahamut off once it got enough speed. However, that was what the esper waited for. Holding on tight, he swung his body out, and then brought both legs forward to deliver a strong and powerful blow right to the side of the thing's skull.
The force snapped the thing's head violently the other way, toward the edge of the cliff. And where the head went, the body was turned as well. Bahamut quickly leapt off, as the stunned, staggering, and hopeless to halt creature twisted inexorably toward the edge of the cliff. It already had stepped over the edge with one foot, and on the edge with the other by the time it managed to slow itself down and recover. But it was too late. Its other foot, too heavy, broke the edge of the rock cliff, and down its entire upper body went. It flailed out afterward, struggling to stop itself, but the force of gravity was already too great to overcome. Bellowing in anger, its entire body toppled over the edge, and soon it began to tumble and skip down the huge drop off the side of Mount Zozo, to certain death at the bottom.
Bahamut exhaled a massive blast of air. He wheeled around afterward, and looked to the final Brachiosaur. It too was finally recovering after being knocked senseless. And now, as it stood, and saw the tiny fighter ahead of it, the creature hesitated. It sneered and snarled, but did not roar. It pranced where it was, but didn't advance. The tiny meal had already killed two of its kind. He was a considerable foe indeed. At this point, the monster normally would discharge an Ultima spell to wipe the meal from the face of the earth. But since magic had faded, it knew it no longer had the power. If it had been only a little bit smarter and less savage, it might have turned and ran. But in the end, it merely bellowed another earth-shattering roar, and took off for the esper. Bahamut clenched his own teeth, and then ran down the trail to meet it.
The two titans charged toward each other for a brief moment. But at last, they collided. The Brachiosaur lowered its head and attempted to snap at Bahamut again, to which Bahamut gave an upward kick below its chin. The jaw was laterally fractured on impact, and the head of the beast flew into the sky. Maddened with pain, the thing spun around violently, using the force to its advantage, and struggled to slap Bahamut's head off with the end of its tail. The esper glared at it and waited…until the tail was right next to him. Then, he reached out and seized it with both hands. The creature growled in surprise, for suddenly it was stopped as the tiny opponent had seized it. It sneered, and struggled to break itself free. Bahamut's face turned red, his own teeth grit, but he managed to hold. Grasping it hard, he suddenly turned his body around, bracing the tail over one shoulder, and then gave his own bestial roar…stronger and fiercer than any Brachiosaur. Then…with all the strength his human body could bear…he hoisted the huge dragon off the ground, over his shoulder, and smashed its huge mass into the ground with such an impact that the whole mountaintop trembled and cracked.
The massive monster was on its back after a severe impact, and the force was so strong that it was too stunned to rise. Bahamut let go of its tail, letting it limply fall to the ground. He glared at the thing a moment longer. Then, crying out in another sound of fury, he leapt into the air again. He sailed over its body a brief moment, bringing his legs up into a crouch. The Brachiosaur could only look up weakly, staring at him helplessly. Then, the esper came down, and did one last double kick, right smack dab in the middle of the thing's torso. Each rib was immediately snapped, and the sternum was driven in like a press to crush the creature's lungs and heart flat against its own backside.
The thing spasmed once, and began a cry…but then cut short. Gurgling, its limbs went limp, and its head slumped uselessly to the ground. Bahamut straighted up on its chest, and panted.
It was dead.
The esper panted a few times. That had been a greater workout than he had expected. He almost thought he would have had to turn into his true form to do it. At any rate, he wiped the sweat from his brow, and adjusted his rumpled clothing over his body. Once he was cleaned up in that fashion, he jumped off of the dead Brachiosaur and landed on the stone path. Without any more delays, he ran ahead to the extra-large cave opening that awaited him.
Terra was able to make her way along better now. She had recovered a bit, thanks to being able to recall a minor healing spell to rebuild some of her injuries. Now, she moved along regularly and kept a hand on Atma Weapon as she made her way down the corridors. She was certain that this way was what led to Nireevyou, as Ultros had no doubt planned to take her down this direction to get to him. And to that end, she had descended the stone tower and found herself in a series of underground rock passageways. They were dimly lit by the same torches as in the stairwell, and they all seemed to be leading in one direction. With that in mind, the half esper headed that way.
As Terra moved on, she kept an eye out for traps or enemies. But she saw nothing. She moved quickly, and so she breathed hard and felt her heart rush. However, she still heard nothing around her either. She seemed to be totally in the clear for now. That was a comfort at first. However…as time went on and she continued to make her way down the halls, it made her nervous. She thought she would have encountered something at this point. That wasn't all. Every branch she ran into fed into the ones that led her onward. Everything was being directed forward. Seeing that, the woman began to fear that it was intended for her to come this way. And she still hadn't seen any sign of Celes, Bahamut, or any of her friends… This didn't bode well. She eventually put her hand on Atma Weapon as she went on, looking for signs of opponents…
At last, the woman saw a sharp turn ahead. She began to approach it eagerly at first…but slowed down after that. There was something not right here. She felt…strange. It felt like there was some sort of numbing effect up ahead…as if life was being cut off just in front of her. As she slowly made her way forward…she began to see it wasn't all in her mind, either. Her footsteps were growing quieter. The torches, identical to the ones before, nevertheless grew dimmer. And she felt strange too…as if her power was somehow being forced inside her. Everything that was cast off…somehow vanished. It made her uneasy. As she kept walking…getting into the sharp turn, she saw the corridor narrow around her. It turned quieter than natural…and cold. Terra felt herself begin to tremble as she went on. But she didn't stop. She stayed at the ready, and turned the sharp corner. Just ahead, it terminated, along with three other paths, into a larger space. Swallowing, and feeling herself begin to sweat, she crept forward and turned the edge.
No one was there. It was a small passageway, a bit wider than the others but still very small. This was illuminated by torches as well. However…other than that, there was nothing. No signs of any other life, and not a sound. At the back of the rock wall, Terra did notice something. The entire back had been made into doors…large, heavy, thick stone doors. They were slightly cracked open as well, just big enough to let an adult human squeeze through. On seeing these…Terra felt strange. Suddenly, something within her burned. A memory was registered. She stared at them for a moment…and then realized why.
These doors…they were made from esper technology, just like the doors to Terratopolis.
This place…it had to be Nireevyou's lair.
The woman trembled a moment, but then forced herself to be calm. She didn't hear anyone else, and that scared her. She would have to go in alone. She tried to remember how strong she was…and who she was fighting for. With that in mind, she ignited Atma Weapon. Soon, the meter-long beam of energy hummed gently in the silence. Even its noise seemed softer…and its glow seemed dimmer. It made the woman nervous. She crept forward slowly, staring at the crack in the doors. She still heard nothing…but she began to see something else. Inside the doors, there was a light. And it wasn't like any artificial light she had seen. It was big and white, glowing stronger than anything else in this hall. In fact…it actually seemed normal and natural compared to everything else, like sunlight. Despite the situation, Terra felt comforted by that…and she longed to get to it and out of the hallway. Tightening her grip, she quickly rushed forward, squeezed through the stone doors, and entered into the room beyond.
The half esper was a bit surprised at what she saw. This room was rather nice. It was tall and dome covered, like the inner sanctum of a church. And like a church, the walls were lined with tall, splendidly colored stained glass windows. But unlike a church, these windows depicted great creatures and events, each one with incredible feats of strength and terrible, earth shaking power. Humans were in some of them, but always they were small, afraid, and panicking. And as Terra had noticed, light streamed in through these windows, natural sunlight. This, however, was only one thing. Curtains were draped across the room, long, brightly colored, and draping over most of the stone walls, making this look like a much more elegant space than the mountain suggested. The place had a thick, rich, intricately-designed carpet spread across the floor. A grand piano was against one wall with a candlebra. An elegant table with pure silver appurtances was set with two chairs in the center of the room, and it was set up for what looked like fresh tea. There were other ornaments, cabinets, and appurtances surrounding the room as well, making it look very tasteful and elegant…the dwelling place of a king even. It wasn't silent in here either. A phonograph was set up on a table against one wall, and it slowly played a symphony. Terra blinked as she looked around this. Was she in the right place? She never expected an esper dwelling to be like this. What more…the strange feeling was gone. Sound was normal in here, as was light and warmth. Now…Terra's unease only stemmed from her fear of what would be lurking in the room…
As if to accent this…Terra suddenly saw a slight shift from beneath one curtain. She saw it out of the corner of her eye, but immediately wheeled her body around to it. She glared coldly at it as cold sweat dripped off of the end of her nose to the ground. She froze for a moment, holding Atma Weapon up and ready to fight. Then…very slowly…she crept up to the curtain.Soon, she was up to its edge. There was no more movement in that time. Not a sound went out. The nervous woman slowly reached over, trembling, and grasped the edge of the curtain. She exhaled slowly...and then pulled it back to reveal what was on the other side.
Immediately, her eyes went wide and her flesh paled.
"Oh god…" She uttered, before she dropped her weapon in terror as well as the curtain, and cupped her hands to her mouth in fear.
The curtain was left to close the nightmarish sight on the other side, and Terra trembled in absolute terror. Her stomach turned with disgust, as she held her hands to her face and backed away from the horrible sight. She couldn't think. She couldn't react. All she could do was see that ghastly sight on the other side burning in her memory.
That was…until she felt herself back up into a cold, hard, cloth covered object that had suddenly materialized behind her.
"…Perhaps you would like to join them?" A dark, insidious, pitiless cold voice slowly spoke behind her.
Terra spun around and cried out in terror. As she turned…she saw him. A tall man now dwarfed her. He was dressed all in blood-red and black, and it was draped over him in the form of long robes and capes. It was elegant, clasped with gold and trimmed with lace, but against such dark colors…and such an equally dark man…they might as well have been death shrouds. A cold presence eminated from the dark man, as he towered over the small woman impressively. His face was as white as snow, and his eyes…burned blood red and full of violence and malice. His hair was thick and black as midnight, draped along his shoulders and behind him. An equally thick mustache was spread across his lower lip, and beneath it his pale lips twisted as he revealed pearl-white teeth, grinning evilly at her. He looked like an ancient vampire…and for all Terra knew he was…for despite as ghastly and gothic as he was…he was also the picture of elegance and even handsomeness. The devil probably looked like this man did.
Terra gaped at him a moment…but only had to feel his horribly strong and evil aura for a brief second before she knew who it was. It was Nireevyou…her target. But now, in light of what she had seen on the other side of that curtain…her rage was doubled. Anger took her over now, and her eyes flashed violence. "You…sadistic…monster…" She slowly seethed at him, letting her rage fill her. Then, with a lunge, she dove for him.
Without a weapon, all Terra could do was punch him. She did so now, mercilessly beating him with both fists. She struck him again and again, trying to knock him down and kill him. But in her anger…she failed to realize that she did little. The man merely smiled at her, and didn't even shift his head as she punched him again and again at his face. Each blow was like an infant striking a brick wall. He endured this with his wicked grin for a few moments. But then, he seemed to grow bored with it, and like a bolt of lightning reached up and slapped Terra with the back of his hand. The force was so strong that her head was wrenched painfully around. Blood flew from her nose and mouth, and her body was flung across the room to smash into a wardrobe on the opposite side. The force was so strong that she broke both doors in, and would have gone all the way through had the clothing not broken her fall. She slumped to the ground afterward, and panted…tired from what she had just done as well as the smack.
"Come now, Terra." The man darkly answered, his voice was hollow and cold as a tomb. "Show me your true power."
The woman panted, and rose to her feet. She glared darkly at the man in front of her, full of rage and anger. She hated him. He was a demented monster. He had ordered the attack on her children…and now this. This…horrible abomination… She had to beat him. She had to kill him. He stood there calmly. Obviously…he would give her the time she needed. Very well…if that was what he wanted, that was what he would get. She had never wanted so badly to vent her full fury.
Terra clenched her hands into fists. She focused her power…and then raised her hands over her head. Immediately, the burning aura exploded around her. Once more her hair grew long, wild, and fierce. A pink energy flame wrapped her flesh, and her face twisted and distorted to become bestial and savage. Her eyes blazed with inner power, and her own strength sky rocketed. Her face twisted into a snarl as the transformation completed. Her eyes shone forth with animal fury. Glaring hatefully at Nireevyou, she reached out a hand to her fallen weapon. Immediately, her power summoned the blade to her, and it shot into her hand in an instant. She ignited it, and immediately the weapon blazed forth with unparalleled glory, growing even longer and deadlier than before.
Nireevyou grinned at all of this. "Yes…"
His grin soon twisted into agony, as Terra raised her hands and let loose an inconceivably powerful lightning attack. Deadly energy shot out from her fingers, and blasted forward to strike Nireevyou in the chest. The power ripped him off of his feet and threw him across the room, smashing him into his own furniture. The power was so great he bounced off and fell to the ground, his body smoldering, and his clothes on his chest burning. He cried out in pain as he did so. The force was so strong…that he only slowly managed to get back up to his feet. And when he did and looked out…he gaped to see Terra already on him.
Atma Weapon swung three times, slicing open his chest, his belly, and his face. Great burning gashes spilled across them, but the heat was so hot that it catorized the wounds, keeping them from bleeding or spilling out anything else. With that, Terra tossed aside the weapon for the moment, and drove her clawed fist into Nireevyou's throat. The esper's eyes widened, and he gagged horribly as blood exploded from his mouth. That wasn't all. Terra next drove her fist into his stomach, and followed up with an uppercut deep into the solar plexus. All of Nireevyou's wind went rushing out of his body as he collapsed to the ground, losing his strength as well. He barely manage to collapse on all fours…before he coughed and vomited up blood and who knew what else.
Terra, snarling, reached down and seized Nireevyou's head with both hands. She crushed as she pulled him up…digging her talons into his skin to send blood spilling down his face, pressing until she heard his skull bones begin to crack, and frying his brain cells with the heat pouring off of her body. She raised him up until she looked him right in the face, glaring at him furiously. Then, snarling, she flung him by his head across the room, smashing him into another opposing wall. Right after throwing him, she generated another ball of fire and threw it at him, so that he exploded into a ball of flame before he reached the opposite side of the room. He crashed into his things, and once again collapsed to the ground in a heap. Crying out in misery, and now aflame, he rolled on the ground, stripping himself as he did so, in a desperate attempt to extinguish his body.
He had ripped off his outer robes and put out his burning hair when Terra was on him again. She reached down and seized him by the neck, ripping him to his feet. After that, she shifted her grasp to his throat, throttled him, and then twisted him around and smashed him against a wall. He cried out in pain again, as Terra held up her other hand and extended her claws, making them each blades. With that, she turned back to Nireevyou, still clutching his throat to keep him from screaming, and began to stab him. Again and again, her claws flashed over his body, driving themselves deep into his torso again and again at speeds so fast they became a blur. Blood was ripped from his body, and soon his torso was a bleeding, torn mess as blood fountained out from the insides. Nireevyou gasped, but couldn't breathe. Once his chest was a mass of blood and wounds, Terra balled her bloody hand into a fist and began to smash him in the side of the face. Burnt skin was ripped from his skull, and blood and matter flew from it as she bashed him mercilessly in the side of his head. The bones grinded under her hands. The face swelled and was distorted by her pounding. Again and again she bashed him, until half of his face became an unrecognizeable swollen mass. She punched one last time at that, knocking out three teeth, and then at last released the deformed, beaten hulk and let him fall to the ground.
Terra snarled like a lioness, and backed off from Nireevyou. He struggled to breathe now, his windpipe crushed and his lungs torn. He swallowed in a pool of his own blood, barely able to move. He lay there for a few moments, his deformed, crushed face marinating against the floor, moaning and groaning against the ground as he continued to bleed. Terra continued to stare at him savagely, struggling to restrain the primal instinct of ripping him apart with her teeth and devouring him. Nireevyou continued to gag for a moment longer, his voice hollow and crushed.
"Ter…ra…" He slowly managed to utter after a moment, nearly gasping…and without any sound for his vocal cords were crushed. A bloody hand slowly quivered and reached up to her. "Ter…ra…" He groaned again, and weakly looked up to her with the one eye he still had left.
The half esper looked and glared down at him. Her face was cold and merciless, and she sneered at him as he lay there. He was as good as dead, and all within seconds. But she looked to him now, waiting to see what he would say. He continued to tremble and wallow for a moment, extending his hand out to her, broken and bleeding to death…
Then, at once, his mouth closed, he stopped trembling, and he became perfectly normal. With a spring in his step, he rolled up, flipped once, and then was on his feet.
Terra's anger vanished. Her feline mouth opened and hung in shockas she stared at him. Meanwhile, Nireevyou reached up to his collar and gave it a quick snap to straighten it. As he did…the holes in his clothing mended themselves. Not only them…but the wounds beneath. Each one sealed up, both externally and internally. The burns vanished and were regenerated with fresh fibers. Nireevyou cracked his neck, letting the vertebrae move back into the proper positions and fuse together again. His face shifted as the swelling began to lower, and popped back out into place as it had been before. The lacerations healed all over it, and his skin became pale and flawless again. The smoldering smell vanished, the smoke cleared, and all of his burns smoothed out to being fresh again. Within moments…there wasn't a mark on him…and he grinned darkly at Terra.
"…Is that the best you can do?" He simply asked.
Terra stared in stunned terror. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't believe it. In the end, on instinct…she grit her teeth again, and swung her fist at the man again.
This time…he calmly extended his own palm and grabbed it. Again, like punching rock…Terra found herself powerless to move. She looked to her hand and gaped. She clenched her teeth afterward, and tried to push it…but it was no use. She couldn't move it at all…or pull it back. She turned back to the man and gaped again…but then suddenly gasped.
He had changed.
The thing was growing larger now. It was distorting and twisting. It was growing new appendages and enlarging in size. Not only that…but the hand that held her now grew larger…much larger. Claws began to come from it. The old flesh ripped off and revealed the new. The man began to breathe…and as he did his voice grew deep and powerful, terrible like the voice of doom. He became larger and larger, and as he did the light in the room went dim. His massive bulk filled everything, and he blotted out the light from the windows. What was left grew so faint that the room became dark…and nightmarish. Cold air came from the creature and blew over her, and his one hand became a massive claw enclosing her own.
Terra's savagery vanished. Now…she stared at the thing's massive face in terror.
Suddenly, the woman cried out, as Nireevyou tightened his fist and crushed. Immediately, four bones snapped as he broke each one of her knuckles. Terra bellowed in agony, and reached over to try and grab his hand off. However, moving so fast she didn't even see him shift weight, a blow came from the man and struck her in the stomach. Immediately, she collapsed in half. Her eyes bulged, and her tongue hung out of her mouth as an eruption of blood was knocked out of it. Roaring inhumanly, Nireevyou seized her by the hair roughly, ripping some out in the process, and raised her to her feet. Moments later, her face was nearly smashed in as a horrible force struck her. Again, her body went flying to the wall, but this time it went through it. The rock was smashed around her as her body flew into it and embedded, and a rockslide fell down on her esper form as she found herself partially entombed in the rock.
She wasn't trapped long. The horror seized her by the ankle and ripped her out again. Roaring like a demon, he twisted her around and smashed her into the opposing wall. She cried out in agony. The thing snapped back and smashed her back into the other after that, then swung around and began to bash her against the floor again and again like a toy. It smashed more of its furniture as it continued to beat her, feeling her bones break in his grasp, crushing her ankle bone, rattling her brain, and continuing to pound her until she stopped screaming. Then…he shoved her face first into the ground…and began to beat the back of her head. He continued to smash again and again against it, until a steady stream of blood came out of her nose and mouth and filled the hole her face was stuck in, threatening to choke her on her own fluid.
At that, he ripped her back out of the hole. She was limp now, totally unconscious from the merciless beating. She maintained her esper form, but couldn't even move. The demonic beast towered over her a moment, grunting and snarling at her, looking at her bloody, ruined face. Then…giving a slight snort…one of its claws very slowly reached out to her…and gently stroked her wild hair.
"That's enough for now." A thunderous, bestial voice sounded. "We want you to look somewhat well for Bahamut, don't we?"
The claw stroked Terra's hair one more time…before slipping down and pulling off the jeweled band that was attached to it.
Bahamuttightened for battle. With no one left to delude, he freely went forward once he reached the next area. As before, this was a wide chasm with bridges stretched across it, and pillars leading from the bottom of the abyss to Bahamut's level. But the esper wasn't wasting time with traps anymore. Using his superhuman strength, he leapt from the entrance to the nearest flat pillar. It was twenty feet away, but it was nothing for him. After that, he leapt from here to the next nearest pillar, this one thirty feet away. He continued to hop forward, clearing the chasm quickly, and not giving any time for opposition to arrive. It seemed he wouldn't have to, however, as nothing came out of the side caves in this area.
The esper began to prime himself for transformation. As he did, he focused on a side entrance far in the distance, the largest and most prominent by far. That was it. Soon, he'd be face to face with Nireevyou, and put an end to this once and for all. He hoped the others were alright, or could hold on a bit longer. Once the head was lopped off, the rest of the body would die. He just needed to finish their master. His passions surged, and his battle instincts began to take over. He hopped forward a few steps more before launching himself on a very long leap, sailing about fifty feet before he landed right on the stone walkway that was in front of the cave entrance. Immediately after doing so, the esper barreled in, and readied himself for a fight.
However, on entering…he stopped. There was another cave entrance just ahead of him, and this one let sunlight pour in from the outside. There were also openings in the ceiling, letting more light flow in to the chamber. But this place itself was nothing more than a small cave room. There was nothing here. Bahamut saw a rotten, old desk that had been sitting there for some time…but nothing else. There were no signs of recent life or anything. On seeing this, Bahamut's anger vanished. It turned to puzzlement. That wasn't all either. He suddenly realized…he didn't sense any great powers here. Not here, or anywhere near here. The place was empty.
Confused, Bahamut turned to the cave exit. He trotted up to it, but no longer ran. Once he reached it, he dipped his head outside. Nothing. He was near the peak of Mt. Zozo now. There was a bit of a grass in the area, but then just a cliff leading down into an oblivion drop. There was nothing here. No signs of life. No signs of habitation at all. This place was deserted, not even guarded.
The esper blinked in disbelief. He slowly brought his head back in, and looked to the ground with a confused expression. Where was he? Did their leader leave? Did he fly before Bahamut could reach him? Somehow, he doubted it. People like this were too arrogant to fly the coop, especially after all that Bahamut had done. Well, in reality, he supposed it was what the others had done too. They too killed quite a few, and he bet that they probably had met with the others top warriors after they had gotten separated…
At the thought of that, however…Bahamut froze. His blood ran cold as he realized something horrible.
Edgar and Sabin fell in that pit to the ground.
Locke got away from us with that one monster.
Celes was led to a pit that went into the bottom of the mountain.
Terra broke off to go after her.
And now…I'm up here all by myself, with nothing…
…It was a decoy. They were trying to separate us the whole time.
Bahamut thought of this a moment, and then cursed and swore. He swung his fist angrily into the wall, punching a hole through the stone. How could he have been so careless? One by one, they had broken off from the main group on the way up here. One by one, they had all been shipped off to their various areas. As he had continued to go higher and higher…everyone else was being led lower and lower. Well, except for Locke…but he was sure that the path had changed in some way to distract him into coming down instead of up. This whole time, Bahamut had thought that he would be at the top of the peak. But he had little to base that knowledge off of. Even the warriors hadn't said he would be there. And Bahamut had to admit…he couldn't sense anything here. He couldn't detect any sign of him. And he hadn't since he had come. But Nireevyou was an esper. He should have detected him, especially with his new abilities, from a hundred miles away. The only explanation was that he was blocking his own signature…and leading Bahamut on a wild goose chase.
The esper began to realize it now. While he had been tangling with these monsters, trying to get to the top where there was nothing awaiting him, the others had been drawn off one at a time to their separate fates. And all of them were led down…as far away from the peak as possible…as far away from Bahamut as possible. It now made sense. Nireevyou wasn't hiding at the top of the mountain…he was hiding below it. His lair was at the lowest level of the mountain. And one by one…he had brought the others to him…to face him personally…
Bahamut's flesh turned pale at the thought.
Terra…
In a blinding flash, Bahamut whirled around and shot back into the previous room. The moment he was in, he immediately jumped into the chasm. As he did, and sank into the deep blackness, he prayed that his fiancée was alright…and that he wasn't too late…
To be continued...
