Chapter 2, Falling and rising hope
"Mhh… ngsst…"
"Terra? Terra!"
"Ungh… wh… what? Relm?"
The half esper blinked to get rid of the mist hanging before her eyes, after a few seconds seeing through it. Straight up at a young face that carried tears of relief.
"We thought you were a goner, Terra!" the girl sobbed, smiling widely and hugging the dizzy woman.
"Where, what…?" Terra grunted as she weakly hugged Relm back.
"You've been unconscious for two months, I can't believe you're still alive!"
"What?!"
The green-haired female stared up at the dark roof, realizing that she wasn't outside, neither in a house. It was a cave.
"Where is this? What has happened, Relm?!" she harshly asked.
Relm straightened up, grimacing in pure agony. Not until now Terra saw that the girl's clothes were dirty and had been repaired several times with pieces of various cloth. She looked like she had been on the run for weeks.
"It was… the floating continent," Relm said in an unsteady voice, "and they're all gone, we don't know how many survived… it's horrible, Terra!"
Slowly the woman managed to sit up, her face loosing all blood as she listened to the stuttering child. Never had Relm shown the tiniest grain of weakness such as grief, the older female hardly knew if she wanted to know the whole story now. But she knew she had to.
"Tell me everything," she forced past her lips.
Relm nodded, angrily drying her tears. She took in a deep breath.
"Okay, here goes…"
She hiccupped one last time before starting to talk. For each word Terra's world faded more and more until she was sure she was about to faint.
"After Setzer saved you guys from falling, we were hit by a magical beam from the statues, it was Gestahl's doing for sure. And we don't know what happened to anyone else, there's just us two, Interceptor, dad and grandpa here. We're in the mountains by Thamasa, dad, grandpa and Locke managed to take us here while both you and me were unconscious… we have to hide here, because…"
The young artist bit her lower lip.
"Celes didn't manage to knock Gestahl and Kefka off the continent, the statues' power probably protected them. And… with the power of the goddesses Gestahl is ruling the world now."
Terra's head and back hit whatever she had been resting on. Felt like spruce twigs below a blanket. But she didn't care about that. She stared at the roof with wide eyes, her soul twitching as she tried to comprehend the impossible, complete terror.
"Oh God…" she hoarsely whispered.
"Not to mention that our heads are worth a fortune each," a man's voice bitterly said.
Terra looked up and frowned. She recalled the voice from somewhere, but thought that it sounded more distinct than it really should. And she couldn't recall ever meeting the blond man who stepped into the weak circle of candlelight.
But the way he moved, somehow like a snake… and Interceptor's impressive body frame lurched after him.
Terra blinked as her brain clicked.
"Shadow?" she said in a hoarse voice.
He nodded.
"Well, I used to be. Shadow isn't in me any longer, now I'm just Clyde."
With a sigh he rubbed his neck and sat down on the ground.
"Good to have you back, Terra, we needed that."
"But… what?" the green-haired woman said, shaking her head in confusion.
Everything was spinning, she couldn't take in what it was that had happened… no, it just had to be an awful dream… it felt as if she was about to throw up… there was so much horror that her soul screamed…
'Terra!'
The call in her head almost caused her too jump, but it also smashed two big, strong hands into her violently whirling mind and tore up a bubble for her to breathe in.
'Father?' she whispered with relief.
'Try to calm down, I'm here…' his deep, warmly growling voice soothingly spoke into her shocked soul, 'we'll think of something to mend all this, I'm sure. Hush, calm down…'
The only thing Relm and Clyde noted was that Terra's pale face regained a little color and she slowly took in a deep breath.
"Are you alright?" Clyde asked with a frown.
"Yeah… is my father still here?" the half-esper wondered, rubbing her forehead.
"He's right there," Relm said and pointed past the green-haired woman's head.
As Terra looked around she saw a green, transparent stone lying on the ground just behind the point were her head had been resting. She reached backwards and took the magicite as she sat up again, watching the slowly dancing flame within.
'Thank all the gods…' she muttered to the spirit in the stone and her head.
'Yes,' Maduin grimly said, 'it was a true blessing that you still carried me during the attack, otherwise I might not have been able to help you.'
Terra paled again as the meaning of his words hit her. She looked up at the two humans and the dog.
"How many of the espers did we…"
Her voice trailed off as Clyde bitterly shook his head.
"You had Maduin," he said, "I was still learning from Ifrit when we were on the floating continent and Locke had Kirin. Otherwise it was just luck that Strago happened to be taking care of Siren and Relm Unicorn. We don't know what happened to the others since we don't know what happened to the rest of our friends…"
"Oh good gods…"
Terra covered her eyes with one hand for a moment, hanging onto her father's soothing voice like a drowning sailor holding a broken plank. Finally she let the hand fall and looked at her present friends again.
"Where's Locke and Strago?" she asked.
Clyde and Relm exchanged pained expressions that caused Terra's stomach to turn into a hard knot again.
"Grandpa's just outside," Relm slowly said, "he was going to keep guard for a while…"
Her voice trailed off and her gaze fell to the ground as her hands balled into fists.
"But Locke isn't here anymore," Clyde said in an emotionless voice.
"Is he…?!" Terra screeched, turning stiff as a statue.
The man and girl hurriedly shook their heads.
"No, no," Clyde hurriedly said, "he's not dead, not that we know of. But he's not here anymore, he left about three weeks ago."
"But… why?" the half-esper whispered.
Clyde heavily sighed.
"You better lay back," he grimly said.
Slowly Terra obeyed, blood leaving her face again. What…
"Setzer didn't manage to save Celes, as you might remember," the ex-assassin sadly said, "and we survived the magic attack that destroyed the airship only because he had time to dive closer to the ground before we were hit and thrown away from each other. However it's impossible that Celes could have survived…"
He fell silent and bitterly shook his head before continuing.
"As we fled here it was clear that Locke had taken one of the worst psychic hits possible, you wouldn't have recognized him… he was so depressed we hardly knew if he was going to survive. I guess loosing both Rachel and Celes were just about what he could handle. But he kept up. Then…"
Clyde took in a deep breath and looked straight at Terra, his eyes flaring with bitterness.
"When we passed by Thamasa briefly before coming here, we learned that Gestahl had destroyed Kohlingen completely to make an example. So, Rachel is forever lost as well."
"Oh gods…"
"Yes. For two days Locke didn't speak, then he asked me to give him my mask."
"Your…?"
Terra's eyes widened in horror as the realization smashed down.
"Kefka goes mad," Relm bitterly said, "Locke goes Shadow…"
"No…" Terra groaned, covering her eyes with her hand.
"He put on my mask and left, taking my place as Shadow," the blond man's voice said from faraway.
"Oh no, no, no…"
Terra desperately rubbed her face with both hands, for her inner eye with terror seeing Locke's familiar, warmly smiling face caught behind the black veil.
'Shh…' Maduin sadly whispered, at the same time as Relm reached out and put a hand on Terra's shoulder.
"We know it's hard, but we can't give up," the girl said with a blessed edge of anger in her voice, "even if we're the last ones that are left… we have to do something!"
"Yeah…"
Terra removed her hands from her face and sat up again. She blinked as Clyde draped an arm around Relm's thin shoulders and drew her closer, defensively.
"Well said, m'girl," the ex-assassin said with a grim smile.
And finally the green-haired woman's mind caught up with what she had heard earlier.
"Did you say… dad?" she blankly asked Relm, who nodded accompanied by the man beside her.
"I've been a swine," Clyde bluntly said.
"Now stop saying that, it's the hundredth time…" Strago's gruffly voice grumbled.
Terra looked up and managed half a weak smile as the old man walked into the pool of light as well. He returned the attempt and sat down on the other side of Relm, not in much a better shape than the rest.
"Good to have you back, Terra," he said, "it doesn't exactly hurt to have another friend around."
"Yes, but all the others…" the young woman said in a tight, low voice.
Edgar, Sabin, Mog, Gau, Cyan… everyone… gone?
If her father hadn't been mumbling soothingly to her mind she might have burst into tears of despairing rage.
"Yes, it's sad," Strago said in a voice rough with held back emotions, "but we have to look ahead. There must be something we still can do."
"You know, sometimes you aren't a complete goof after all," Relm said with a vague smirk.
Strago grinned at her and then reached for his belt where among smaller pouches a fairly bigger sack hung.
"Here, you better eat something."
And with that he handed the sack to Terra. She opened it and took out a piece of bread, slightly dry and crumbling in her grip. But even as she touched it hunger welled up in her empty stomach and she chomped it all down without second thoughts.
"Thanks," she said and gave the sack back to Strago.
He managed to smile a bit and hooked up the empty bag on his belt again.
Even though she didn't feel halfway recovered Terra resolutely straightened up. So be it they only were four humans and a dog, she wasn't going to let Gestahl and Kefka rule the world unbothered while she still breathed. They had already stolen almost all of her past life and killed her friends. And she'd be damned if she'd let them get away with it.
Anger filled her soul at the thought of Mog's innocent, cute face, Gau's merry howling, Celes' sad blue eyes, Edgar's flirting, Cyan's grim resolution, Setzer's measuring hawk eyes, Sabin's strong chuckling, Locke's trustworthy friendship…
All lost?
'I won't allow it!' she screamed in her mind.
'That's the spirit!' Maduin gravely agreed with a grin.
"We'll fight, that's the agreement," she said aloud, grimly, "so where are Gestahl and Kefka now?"
"Heh…" Relm said, looking away while Strago rubbed his neck.
Clyde sighed.
"That's another problem," he began, "you see… Gestahl put Vector on the floating continent and made it a flying city. It only lands occasionally to stock up on whatever the military and important people there need. And of course…"
His eyes shot needles.
"… They go to visit the Coliseum."
"The what?" Terra scowled.
"Seems some nutcase went to Gestahl and proposed a circus of death," Strago grunted, "our emperor liked the idea so he used manpower and magic to build a huge arena on the northern part of the western continent. Have only heard about it when I've snuck to Thamasa, but it seems they have monster fights and turn executions to a show there."
"This world could definitely use a few improvements…"
The voice coming from the depths of Terra's throat didn't sound like hers, hissing with despise and hot anger.
"You said it," Strago said.
He shifted, shaking his head with a sigh.
"But, let us be rational," he reluctantly continued, "we're only four people… five."
The last word was a correction after a snort from Interceptor. The old man went on:
"We're not in a good position and wanted for the next murder show to the west. What we really could use is apparently more allies."
Silence hung thick and bitter for a few moments. Then Clyde suddenly spoke again, slowly.
"You know…"
He fell silent, as if he hesitated. But then he pressed on.
"At this rate… we could use any friend possible."
"Of course, pinhead," Relm said, puzzled but with fond mockery.
Clyde's pointing finger rubbed his upper lip as he frowned.
"It's a long shot," he muttered, "but there might be somebody who can help us."
"Really, who?" Strago asked with suspicious hope.
"Do you have a charcoal, Relm? Thanks."
The father took the black stick his daughter offered and began drawing on the ground.
"We're here now," he said and drew a rough circle followed by the triangular island surrounding the mountain area he had just drawn, "and here's Thamasa…"
He paused after marking the town with a dot and looked at Strago.
"Is there anyone in town who's got a fairly good ship and likes you enough to help us?" the ex-assassin asked.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Strago replied, "Gestahl isn't exactly too popular and about everyone's willing to help if they can."
Clyde nodded.
"Good. Because…"
He reached up and slowly drew a smaller triangular island way north of Thamasa.
"… We're going to look for an old friend of mine, and he's pretty isolated from the rest of the world."
