Start Date: March 5, 2022
Windwillow
Final Fantasy IV
Chapter Nine
Having clashed with Golbez, Cecil and his allies escaped from his base just as Tellah's spell destroyed it. Golbez now had been forced to retreat, but in the process he'd learned how to cast Meteor.
Now aboard the Enterprise, the party considers their next move. Kain has given an ominous statement about the crystals - that the four they know are only half Earth's total, four more being beneath the ground in an underworld.
How to get there? How to protect the crystals? In seeking these answers they would reunite with an old friend...
Scene One
"There are eight crystals," explained Kain. "Four of light - ours - and four of darkness, deep below the earth. We need to get down there ASAP."
Cecil sighed.
"But how...? Until today, I never knew there WAS an underworld..."
Kain lifted a small, pulsing orb from his armor.
"I stole this from Golbez. Chances are we can use it to get inside."
Cid cocked his head.
"Where?"
Kain tossed the orb to Cecil, who caught it and examined it.
"Agart," said Kain. "The volcano there is the key."
Cecil gripped the orb.
"Then, we must make haste."
And so they did. Agart was a busy island south of the Kingdom of Eblan, known for its blacksmiths and technicians. The volcano there was notably active, so most citizens lived on the perimeter of the island. The area around the volcano itself was, gratefully, uninhabited.
Cecil looked at the magma stone, examining it carefully. He shrugged, and tossed it in. There wasn't much else to do or say, really.
As the orb fell it had just barely passed the volcano when a massive roar erupted. The ground shook, birds fled, and the volcano seemed to demolish itself to reveal a large, gaping hole. The party took the Enterprise in, carefully.
Shortly after entering the hole, they heard the sound of cannon fire. The airship rumbled, and they saw the combatants.
"Look!" yelled Rosa. "The Red Wings are fighting with... something?"
Cid peered over the side.
"Tanks! Ground-crawlin' armored vehicles! I want one!"
The Enterprise shuddered. It began to rumble.
"It's too much!" yelled Cid. "Between the heat and the cannon fire we're in trouble!"
Yang held onto the shaking ship. He pointed towards a structure.
"Land there! It's a castle!"
Cid whirled the Enterprise around.
"This won't be a pleasant landing, folks! Hang on to somethin'!"
Scene Two
The landing was hard, knocking Cecil out. In the ensuing chaos the Enterprise was heavily damaged, with scars all across the hull. It was inoperable, as it stood.
Cecil opened his eyes sharply, staggering to his feet.
"How long have I been out?"
Yang folded his arms.
"About a minute. We all blacked out, except for Cid."
Cid chuckled.
"These ol' bones are hardy, folks!"
Cecil shook his head.
"We've got to move on to the castle... If we're too late, it's all for naught."
They entered the kingdom of dwarves, ruled by King Giott. The phrase "rally-ho!" was, by the time they'd reached the throne room, just annoying. The king was a hardy, stout man with a long white beard.
"Rally-ho!" he said as he padded his chest. "What brings you folks here?"
Cecil kneeled.
"We come from the overworld, milord. We seek to reclaim the crystals stolen from us. Has a man named Golbez attacked you?"
The king nodded.
"We're down two crystals."
Rosa gasped.
"That's horrible!"
Cecil rose.
"We offer our services in protecting the remaining crystals. Pray, let us aid you."
The king smiled.
"Sure thing! Well, one crystal's here... Right where they can't get it, behind my throne!"
Cid nodded.
"Let's keep it safe, then. Damn Golbez won't get past..."
Yang shushed him.
"We're being watched," he said. "I sense a presence behind the throne."
The king startled.
"Say what now?! You, open the door. Let 'em in!"
One of the dwarves nodded and pulled a lever, opening a passageway behind the throne room. Cecil and the others moved on and reached a large, crystalline shrine - a crystal room just like their own!
Yang looked side to side.
"Strange... I sense... MORE presences?!"
From behind the pedestal, two dolls popped out. One was dressed in a red child's frock, the other a fine blue suit. They were both hopping about, cackling wildly.
"Surprise!" yelled the boy.
"It's Calcabrina!" chirped the girl.
Cecil drew his sword, though he was heavily confused. This was the castle's crystal room, the holiest of holies, and two puppets stood in their way?
"They're spunky, Brina!"
The girl giggled.
"Yup-yup, Calca!"
Calca raised his hands.
"Oh, Cecil-chan! Cecil-chan!"
Brina hopped in front of Cecil.
"Golbez's gonna kill ya!"
Cecil swung, narrowly missing the doll. It jumped back and hopped from side to side, joining hands with its sibling.
"Golbez?!" shouted Cecil. "He's here?!"
Calca did a hand stand.
"Yup-yup! But you won't be soon!"
Angrily, Cecil slashed at the doll. Again and again he swung, but each time Calca nimbly evaded. Finally the two dolls hopped on top of the crystal's pedestal.
"Uh-oh, Calca! He's gonna kill us!"
Calca giggled.
"Yup-yup, Brina!"
Cecil tightened his grip.
"I grow tired of this! Show me Golbez or I'll tear out your stuffing!"
Calca giggled, as did Brina. The two dolls' mouths ripped open to reveal a set of sharp teeth.
"Calcabrina's gonna make ya bleed!"
The dolls broke apart into stitches, wildly swirling around each other. It gradually coalesced to form a gigantic baby doll, twice the size of Cecil. The Calcabrina bared its fangs.
"Gonna kill ya!"
Cid charged.
"I'm sick of this!"
Kain shouldered his lance.
"These toys must be taught a lesson!"
Yang folded his arms to his side, a wild wave of pressure enveloping his entire body.
"Ha-do-ken!"
He released a giant burst of pressure, which hurled towards Calcabrina. The doll bared its fangs and detached its left arm, allowing the blast wave to hit nothing but air. Its stitches dragged the arm back and connected it as if nothing had happened.
Cecil coated his sword in light, a gleam forming at the tip of the blade. As he charged the attack Rosa fired a volley of arrows, evaded just as Yang's attack was. Cid hacked and slashed with his axe which, as you may expect, didn't connect. Kain stepped back, unsure.
Yang slammed his hands to the ground.
"Ha-do!"
The wave blasted him upwards. He curled his entire body into a ball and tightened it.
"Tatsumaki!"
He whirled forward in a giant wheel, his leg shining with light.
"Sen-pu-kyaku!"
Yang's body hurtled towards Calcabrina like a wild wheel. As Yang's foot started to connect, the arm disconnected. But Cecil swung his sword at lightning fast speed, sending several waves of pressure that dissected the doll's limbs. The doll bared its fangs again.
"I've had ENOUGH!" yelled Cecil.
With all his might he swung, beheading Calcabrina. Again he swung, and swung over and over again, sharply ripping the stitches to shreds with each blow. As he finished and landed, he angrily brandished the Mythgraven Blade at the remnants.
"Come out and face us, you spineless bastard!"
He cleanly cut the ragdoll in two. As his sword touched the ground, a whirlwind blew him and the rest of the party back onto the door. Through the tornado a figure emerged, an armored warrior with obsidian armor and a horned helmet. Cecil tightened his grip.
"GOLBEZ!"
Golbez shook his head.
"So, the sage that used Meteor is no longer amongst you...?"
Cid slammed his hand to the floor.
"'Cause you killed him!"
Golbez chuckled.
"Seems to me he killed himself."
Yang readied and lunged, but was repelled by an invisible force. He righted himself and skidded to a stop, hands forming a circle at his side. Golbez lifted his hand, and a violent energy whipped around him.
"Let me show you something," said Golbez. "You might call it a familiar..."
Tearing from his hand, a jet black dragon burst into view. It was a gigantic, serpentine beast, and as it bore its fangs Cecil lunged. The dragon blew him back with a gust of dark wind, and as he dug his sword into the ground to steady himself he felt Golbez's hand shove him backwards.
Kain charged. Golbez shook his head.
"You folks don't know when you've been bested."
He lifted his hand and an invisible force blew the party away, each to a corner of the room. The dragon blasted its breath at Cecil, who narrowly blocked it with a swipe of his sword. Another burst dropped him, his blade sliding just out of reach.
"Shadow Dragon!" Golbez commanded. "End him!"
Cecil's vision dimmed, as the black breath surged towards him. His strength had waned, and he couldn't reach the Mythgraven Blade in time to block.
"Damn!" he cursed.
The black fire was dissipated in a stream of white mist, its energy redirected back at Golbez. The warlock swept it away, but was nailed by a wave of mist that blew off one of his horns. Cecil looked shocked, unsure of what to do.
"Your sword!" shouted a voice.
Cecil gripped the Mythgraven Blade, rose and cut through half the dragon. It recoiled, dissolving into black smoke, before reforming into its full body again. Turning his head he saw a flash of green pass by his eyes.
"Ifrit! Shiva!"
The dragon was slammed head first into the ground by a fiery demon, cracking the floor. As it threw off the attack and knocked the ogre away. It was quickly met with a blue hand right in its face. The hand belonged to a beautiful, ivory-skinned woman dressed in blue.
"Diamond Dust!"
With a wild wave of pressure the dragon was punctured by countless daggers of ice, thrown by the woman, that pinned it to the ground.
"Hellfire!"
The ogre crouched and lunged. Engulfed in fire it crashed through the Shadow Dragon, breaking it to pieces. Golbez staggered, and was met with a gust of mist from a huge white dragon that slammed him against the pedestal.
Cecil gripped his sword and severed Golbez's left hand, sending it flying into the air. Golbez parried the next blow, but retreated back battered and bleeding. Cecil turned to his savior, and found it was a radiant young green-haired woman dressed in verdant robes.
The woman charged a spell.
"Cecil! Infuse my magic with your sword!"
Cecil nodded and charged. The young woman threw forward her hand and coated his sword in fire, which dissolved Golbez's body as it impacted it. His body disappeared in a sea of bright flames, and as he landed Cecil slid to a halt.
"Who are you?" he asked incredulously. "WHAT are you?"
She turned to face him, as the pary clammored to Cecil's side. She stuck out her tongue and giggled.
"A friend. An old one!"
Rosa gasped.
"R-Rydia?!"
Yang startled.
"RYDIA?!"
Cid cocked his head.
"Who the hell is this?"
Cecil staggered to his feet, stunned. He couldn't manage to say anything, too taken aback by what had just happened.
"Who is this?" asked Kain.
"This," Cecil gasped, "is Rydia... the girl from the Village of Mist!"
Kain trembled in shock.
"You jest!"
Cecil shook his head.
"Rydia... What happened to you?!"
Rydia looked at the ogre and woman with a smile.
"Ifrit, Shiva... Thanks!"
She snapped her fingers and they disappeared in a flash of light. Turning, she lifted her arm and the white dragon she'd summoned coiled around it and slithered across her entire body to rest at her hand. Cecil and Kain recognized that dragon...
"A-an..." gasped Cecil. "Eidolon?!"
Rydia nodded to the dragon, and it vanished in a wave of mist. She turned to Cecil and the others.
"Leviathan took me from the ship to his realm, the Feymarch. The land of Eidolons. I've been training under him for quite a while. Even if I can't use white magic anymore, I learned a whole lot of new spells!"
Kain shook his head.
"Y-you were gone for HOW long?! You're an adult!"
Rydia paused.
"Oh, right. Time passes differently in the Feymarch, so I am a bit older..."
Cecil sheathed his sword and hugged her tightly, tears forming in his eyes.
"I thought I'd lost you!" he gasped.
Rydia giggled.
"I'm back! And we're gonna save the world!"
Rosa rushed to meet her.
"Thank heavens you're alive!"
Yang bowed his head.
"The Gods favor us."
Cid scratched his head.
"Uh, I'm lost."
Cecil turned to face his friends.
"This is Rydia of Mist. When we... destroyed... the village, she was spared. She traveled with me until we all were seperated at sea. Now it seems she's returned... and killed Golbez!"
Rydia smiled and nodded.
"Oh, I don't think so."
Everyone turned to see Golbez's severed hand grasp the crystal. As it tightened its grip Golbez's body reformed, clutching the crystal tightly.
"I cannot die!" he snarled. "I will fulfill my dream!"
Cecil drew his sword.
"What nonsense do you speak?!"
Golbez brushed the dust from his armor.
"Given that I've just won, I'll share some information with you. The crystals form a road to the holy moon above us. By collecting them all, I can reach that celestial paradise!"
Cecil tightened his grip.
"The moon?!"
Golbez nodded.
"My dream lies up there," he said as he pointed upwards. "And I shall not be deterred."
In a gust of dark wind he was gone. As the dust settled, the party gasped in shock. Cecil angrily sheathed his sword. He lowered his head.
"Dammit..."