Chapter 10: End Game
He was tired and sore from the constant fights, on edge at every little sound that cut through the silence. His nerves were fried and he wanted it to be over. Whatever Zell had done to him sure as fuck hadn't helped.
But he forced himself to move, he had no choice but to see this through. The others counted on him to free them. He could not stop now even if he wanted to.
To keep himself aware, he turned his thoughts from his exhaustion and onto what he could expect when he faced Selphie. What other abilities did she have? She could teleport and controlled the brightness of the room. Could it be some kind of energy manipulation technique? It sounded very similar to how the actual Selphie operated in the field, with her slot of random spells. Could she use it to make her invisible? And if so, how the hell would he even find her?
He stopped when an awful thought occurred to him. What if she decided to hide for the remainder of the time? All she'd have to do was run down the clock. His body and those of his friends would be forfeit.
The dread weighed heavily on him. His exhausted body sank to the ground and he found himself against a wall as he stared up at the ceiling that disappeared in the dark. How could he combat such a creature? All he had at his disposal was the Exeter and his wits. A lot of good that would do against someone of her abilities.
"You could always just give up," a voice said from out of nowhere. "No one would blame you. You gave it your best shot after all, and that's all that matters."
He recognized Selphie's voice and looked around for any sign of her. He was still alone.
"I mean, your friends might have something to say but it's not like they could," she continued. "And as far as the rest of the world would know, you were successful so there would be no blame for you. In fact, your friend Rinoa would be so proud of you. Wouldn't that be awesome? To be hailed a hero for doing nothing at all?"
Irvine refused to even consider it.
She chuckled from wherever she was. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd go for that, but there's nothing wrong with asking."
"So this is yer scheme then? Actin' like sum disembodied voice ta taunt and run down tha clock? Doesn't sound all that fair ta me."
"You could always convince me not to."
"And how ya figure I can pull off that magic trick?"
"A sort of prid-quo-pro." He heard her snicker. "You give me something, then I give you something."
"Like what?"
"Like... I'll come out of hiding if you..." she trailed off purposefully to draw the suspense before she continued in a sing-song tone, "tell me the clue Squall left for you..."
"But ya already know."
"But I wanna hear you say it." She giggled again before she resumed the sing-song tone. "So... tell me the clue Squall left for you..."
"He didn't leave a clue," Irvine corrected in disgust. "He left us tha answer."
"Then tell me exactly what he left you..."
Irvine's sigh was heavy, filled with exhaustion. It was obnoxious the way she was taunting him but the sad fact was he had no other option. If she stayed hidden he didn't stand a chance. "Come out first, then I'll tell ya."
"Nuh-uh. Not how this works. You go first!"
"How do I know you'll keep yer word."
"Because I already told you; I'm an asshole but I keep my word. We shook on it and everything. Humans don't work the same way, so you get to go first."
This time Irvine's sigh was in defeat. If he drew this out any longer he'd run out of time and he'd lose anyway. "Tha hard part was findin' it, but when I think on it, it was obvious."
Silence greeted him as he paused. "Possession ain't exactly sumthan we're new to. That Sorceress ya'll feel is too much trouble? She got possessed earlier in tha year and yeah, she did cause some trouble. Fact is someone else I care about lost her damn mind tha same way. What happened ta Sefie... we shoulda thought somethan like this but we were fixated on tha medical. So when I'd seen Squall's message in a book about tha Occult, on a chapter for possession of all thangs, it clicked."
"What'd he write?"
He contemplated withholding the answer until after she appeared but decided against it. "Two words. Not Selphie."
Silence followed for a minute before she spoke again. But there was something akin to admiration in her tone. "You're right. He really is blunt."
"A deal's a deal," Irvine reminded. "Come on out."
Her sigh was lacklustre. "Oh, fine..."
His shadow stretched the width of the cavern until it moved up along the wall opposite him. Higher and higher it rose to an impossible stretch and then the girl emerged from it like it was a doorway. She dropped into a pose as she said, 'Ta-da!"
He was not impressed. "Ya do requests at parties too?"
"Oh you're just jealous!" She waved away his anger. "But you're also kind of impressive. You managed to beat my friends by yourself, without magic. You're pretty inventive, Irvy. I like that about ya."
"Enough to let us all go?"
"Well that'd be no fun at all. I mean, what would we get out of the bargain?"
"Ya'll'd have had a grand ol' time."
"Tempting, but no. We kind of like having these skins and it'd be a waste to just give 'em up like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.
"Reckon yer pals see it all as a raw deal."
"Yeah well, they're whiners. The way I see it, someone's always gonna be on the losing end of an arrangement. I didn't exactly get the body I was looking for, but they don't see me moaning about it."
"Well if ya don't care fer Selphie's body, why not jes give her up?"
She laughed. "Nice try there, cowboy. It's not that I don't like her, she just wasn't my first choice."
"So who was?"
She grinned. "You were, actually." As he digested this she paced down the hall. "Our fighting styles are very different. You shoot from afar, I like to attack from the dark. You're not as agile as I'd like but if I was looking for someone with my skills, that'd be just plain dull. I wanna mix it up a little, learn some new tricks. Selphie... was a convenient choice at the time, and I couldn't afford to be picky."
"Cuz yer tha gate keeper?"
She nodded. "Exactly."
"So ya had ta go first in order fer tha others ta get a body. Ya had ta open the way from this side." He suddenly had a picture of the way these creatures operated. She would appear, grab a body and the others would wait for her to pick out prospective hosts for the rest of them. But it was imperfect; she couldn't stop it if someone decided to go before it was their turn, which seemed to have happened in this case. There had to be some trust and clearly everyone was out for themselves.
Selphie suddenly tilted her head to the side. "I know what you're doing."
"What am I doin'?"
"You're trying to stall." While she still grinned her eyes betrayed her annoyance. "Keep me talking until the clock runs down, and you're free to go. I can't blame you for trying, what with what's at stake and all, but really? You were all indignant just a second ago when you thought I was doing the same thing. I never thought of you as a hypocrite."
"Reckon I'm only human. Ya'll have powers I could only dream of. I gotta rely on my wits is all."
"I suppose you have a point." But she didn't seem to like it.
"Well, let's get to it, then." He levelled the Exeter. "Get this over with."
But when she didn't move he frowned. "What's tha matta? Got cold feet? Don't think ya can handle me?"
"I want to give you the chance to surrender." She looked far too serious for it to be a joke. "I know it's a long shot and my last attempt wasn't all that serious. But I mean it this time. Throw down your weapon and just take a load off. I don't wanna hurt you anymore than you already have been and you really did give it your all. I'm really impressed and with my attention span that's saying a lot. Like a lot, a lot. So as not fun as the idea is, just sit down, relax and let us do the driving from now on."
"Sorry dahlin'. But it ain't jes me I'm fightin' fer, it's mah friends. Friend's I've had since childhood. I'm not about ta throw it all away jes cuz this is gettin' hard. So jes try and do yer worst. Fact is, I'm walkin' outta here with mah friends back in control o' themselves. Ya can eitha stand in mah way or get the hell outta it."
She sighed and looked disappointed. "Pity. I really do like you, Irvy. And really I don't wanna hafta hurt you. I mean that, truly. Just remember that I did warn you."
She pointed at him and dark cloud of magic materialized at the tip of her index finger. He had the sense to duck and the blast hit the wall behind him to tear it apart. Chunks of bedrock pelted his upper back and he winced as he moved to the right.
She dropped to the ground with palms pressed flat. A dark substance rose up between them. He fired Exeter twice but the blasts flew straight through it and hit the wall instead. The black substance took shape and became a copy of her. It ran at him and threw her tiny fist at his chest. He was able to shift so the blow hit his shoulder instead and a cold darkness rippled through his left arm at impact.
He pushed it away with his good arm and checked his shoulder, but was stunned when he didn't even see a tear through the fabric of his coat.
When the clone recovered it attacked him again with a spell. He dodged and doubled back as it connected with stone.
He ducked behind a corner to recover and check his ammo reserves. He still had some scattershot, dark, quick and normal ammo. When he poked his head back around he barely managed to keep it. Had he been a second slower, Selphie would have won her prize of a headless cadaver.
"BOO!"
The real one appeared through a shadow portal next to him. He jumped out as she cast a spell and avoided the Meltdown that would have burned his skin and made him vulnerable. The clone charged from the right and he rolled away to avoid a kick that hit the ground instead. He continued to move until he got behind another wall. When he stopped he checked to make sure there was no portal beside him this time.
He reloaded Exeter, rolled out from behind cover onto his stomach and opened fire. All four shots hit their mark: the dark ammo crashed into the clone's face and blinded her like it had with Squall. The three blasts that followed – normal shot – crashed into her body at a force that sent her back. She exploded into a puff of smoke before she even hit the ground.
He rolled onto his side, reloaded and opened fire with two blasts of scattershot. Selphie ducked into a shadow portal before the shots could land. He flipped onto his back in case she tried to attack from all sides, but found himself alone once more.
After a moment he sat up, but heard movement from behind. When he turned she emerged from another portal and made strange symbols. By the time he stood up her palms hit the floor and dark auras split from her hands to form more shadow clones. He ducked back and shot blindly around the corner. The shots spread wide before he ran to put some distance between them.
One of the clones appeared in front of him. When he turned the others cut off his escape. He dropped into a crouch as he prepared his next move. The clones acted first. He evaded a kick that would have knocked the air from his lungs but the lone clone grabbed him under his arms before he could get away.
The other clones closed the gap. One kicked him in the face, another nailed him in the side. The one he'd evaded kicked him in the back of the knee and forced him down. The one who held him let him go and kicked him in the ass as he fell forward.
When he looked up he saw Selphie above him, hands on hips. "If you don't wanna play anymore, I'll understand."
"Sorry dahlin'." He groaned as he stumbled when he got to his feet. "I ain't tha quittin' type. Y'all understand."
She sighed. "Not only is this getting ridiculous, I'm getting bored. I don't wanna get yelled at for cutting off limbs."
"You should worry more 'bout tha there skin than ya should about me." He reloaded the Exeter.
The quintet caught his thoughts and moved before he could. They surrounded him as he raised his gun arm to fire. With his normal ammo he couldn't tag them all before they landed a blow and immobilized him.
Which was what he hoped they'd try.
He shifted and took aim at the closest clone behind him. The bullet tore through the chamber and cut through the air so quickly there was a sharp whistle in its movements and it struck the clone in the collarbone. The force of the blast was enough to propel her back and she blew apart in a puff of smoke when she hit the floor. The smoke hadn't cleared before the other clones met the same fate and none had gotten more than a foot closer.
Selphie was also in the line of fire: she took two shots to the arm before she ducked back and hid around a corner. He could hear her curse and couldn't stop himself before he cracked a smile at her expense. "Not mah fault if y'all decided ta cheat, dahlin'. Readin' mah thoughts and dependin' on that info's not what I'd call fair play." As he reloaded Exeter he couldn't resist the added jab."If ya'll don't wanna play no more, I'll understand."
"You just make me wanna play harder!"
He turned to the sound of her voice and saw her emerge from another portal. He readied himself for more clones but she just lunged forward, arms outstretched in an attempted tackle. He jumped back before she could grab him, but her fingers traced along his trench coat for the shortest of seconds. She maintained her balance and tried again. When she missed, she pounced quicker than Irvine anticipated.
He ran, his boots pounded against bedrock as he tried to keep ahead of the smaller girl. He rounded a corner and she appeared from a portal. He'd already back peddled before she'd gotten out of it. He wanted to create as much space between them as possible.
She burst out of the middle of the floor feet ahead of him. He vaulted over her outstretched hands, missed the grab by a nail. But he slipped and tumbled hard onto both knees before he could turn it into a roll. Back on his feet he continued to run without a backwards glance.
These attempts were not serious. Her plan was to tire him out, make it easier for the grab. The worst part was that it was working. His sides ached and his lungs threatened to burst but still he kept at it. He glanced at the watch and his heart rose up into his chest when he saw he had just two minutes left.
If he could last for just two more minutes...
He felt a sharp yank at his right foot and he fell hard on his right arm and cursed as a sharp pain ran up through his shoulder. Through hisses and curses he kicked at the hand that held him captive. His arm hurt like hell, was probably broken, but he couldn't stop.
He kicked his leg free and raised Exeter left-handed. She ducked back into her portal before the bullet could hit her. He didn't stick around to see where she would appear next. Too slowly he picked himself off the ground and forced his body to move. He hissed at every awkward motion and tried to force his right arm to stay still. But it was difficult and he breathed through gritted teeth at each jostle.
The watch beeped. When he looked down he saw that he had just passed the last minute mark. 0:00:59... 0:00:58...
It was all the encouragement he needed.
It seemed to be the same for Selphie. She emerged from another portal and charged him. He kept his distance aware that she held the advantage of stamina between them. But he refused to give up. Even in combat, with his friends at his side, he had never been discouraged that he wasn't as fast, strong, agile or clever as the others. He never used GF's because he didn't want his memories stolen.
She closed the distance. He tried to force himself to go faster but he was spent, his body just wanted to give up and lie down despite his wishes. He stumbled into the adjacent wall, the painful impact of his injured arm caused him to cry out as he slid to the ground. He cradled the appendage even as she cleared the distance, towered over him and reached to grab him and end the game once and for all...
A dull beep filled the air between them in a constant and shrill drone.
Both froze in their places. When the chime stopped the silence that hung in the air between them was thick and heavy.
It took another minute for the import of the noise to hit him. When it did he laughed. It started as a slow thing that rattled out of his exhausted lungs but then it grew in volume until it physically hurt his throat to commit the act. It broke through the silence, like thunder through the sky before a storm. Then it felt like he might laugh himself to death because it started to hurt his chest and jostled his arm.
"You don't have to rub it in."
When he looked up he saw she was on the ground with legs crossed and a scowl. Her head was propped up by her hands, her arms were propped up against her knees.
"Oh don't be such a sore loser. Ya did yer best." He levelled Exeter, pointed it right at her. She looked up and straightened. "Now, ya'll had yer fun, but it's been an hour. Reckon it's time ya let me and tha otha's go free."
She let out a long exasperated sigh that blew the bangs out from her face. "Fine." Then she closed her eyes and flashes of light shone from the labyrinth. One was grey, one was red and the last was brown. Those lights stayed suspended in the air before they dispersed into the darkness.
Irvine frowned, suspicious. It seemed too easy. When she opened her eyes his stomach sank when he still saw purple.
"There you go. Happy?"
"Selphie goes free too. That was the deal."
"The deal," she rose to stand, "Was that you and your friends go free."
"Selphie's mah friend too."
"Then you should have been more specific."
Irvine went to argue but cut himself off when he realized what she meant. The little bitch had a backdoor; a loophole from reinterpreted words. His friends could have been at least two of the four. He should have said all of them. "Ya tricked me."
She sighed. "Yeah sure, we can go with that if it makes you feel better. Deep down you know the truth. I'm just following the contract. It's your problem if it's not everything you thought it'd be. You sure as hell don't see me complaining about having to scope out new skins for my friends to fight over."
"Let. Her. Go!"
"What a broken record you are!" She threw her head back and grunted. "If you can't get past yourself when I practically spelled it out for you then I'm not about to waste anymore time on you. And FYI, I know you're not gonna shoot sweet lil' Sefie, cuz you woulda done it by now! Cut the crap already!"
Her words echoed off the walls but neither person moved. When a minute passed she hung her head. "Okay, I get it. You're pissed. I would be too if I were in your shoes. So... how about I make things a little easier for you? Soften the blow?"
She snapped her fingers and three shadows emerged from the ground a few feet away. When the shadows dispersed he saw his friends lined up in a row, still unconscious. He almost moved to them but caught himself before he could follow through.
"Zell should be fine." Not-Selphie spoke about his friends like they were pets he was supposed to take care of. "Same with Quistis, though she'll probably be a little cranky. You might wanna prep a sandwich for Squall though; it's been a while since he last ate. Otherwise the only harm they've come to is what you inflicted on them tonight. Which might be fun for you to explain."
He did not move. He still held the gun aimed at her but despite the ploy he knew it was a bluff. She had already seen through it. Despite it all he could not bring himself to pull the trigger.
Even if killing her meant he would free Selphie.
"Whelp, it's been a blast." The walls around them disappeared and without it for support he fell flat on his back with a startled cry. "But I really must be going. Have a good life, all of you. I'd say I'll keep in touch but... well, I know you well enough to know you would just use that to find me. And I can't exactly have that so..."
He sat up just in time to see her blow a kiss and wave. He could not stop her as she turned for the ladder.
But someone else did.
Something dropped down from the top and knocked her on her ass. Irvine didn't see who it was until she was out of the way and barely heard her curse the intruder.
As he saw her tower over the small SeeD, Irvine was reminded of the power that Rinoa possessed. Sorceresses could move things from across the room with a gesture, wield magic akin to those of the Guardian Forces and strike fear in the hearts of mere mortals. And while he knew she would never use these things to maliciously hurt anyone, even he felt his gut clench at the rage that melded her features.
"You're not going anywhere!" She hissed. Her feet and shoulders were squared; she was prepared to intercept if Selphie made a run for the exit. He wasn't so sure how she would handle these shadow powers but he suspected he would find out soon enough.
"So mean!" Selphie pushed herself back up. "I didn't even touch you and you push me?
"You're not Selphie, so get out of her and leave us alone!"
"Now you're starting to sound like him," Selphie inclined her head in Irvine's direction.
Rinoa's face fell when she saw him and she started to run to his side. But a familiar voice called out from behind her.
"No Rinoa, I need you to stay here."
From behind her emerged another woman far older than her appearance let on. Long black hair fell against her back and blended with the simple black dress she wore.
Rinoa regarded the elder woman with indecision and did not brush away the reassuring hand that pressed against her shoulder.
What surprised Irvine even more than the woman's presence was Selphie's reaction to it. The smaller girl rose and froze the instant Edea Kramer came into view. The elder woman regarded Selphie with thinly veiled disdain. "Demon. I thought I told you to leave mine alone."
"They're yours?" Selphie's tone feigned surprise. "I didn't even realize..."
"Spare me the platitudes!" Matron's tone was harsh, a lot like when she had been possessed by Ultimecia. "It is because they are mine that you chose them. Do not lie. I will know."
"Ya'll know each otha?" Irvine was brought back to his encounter with Zell. He had seemed eager to tell Irvine why they had been chosen but had not corrected him when he had made his guess.
Matron did not move her gaze from Selphie. "I met this imp years ago. Would you care to explain what happened, or shall I go on?" Selphie remained silent and Matron nodded. "I thought not. She pulled her little tricks through Cid's body and when I discovered what had happened I removed her before she caused any lasting damage." The elder woman lifted her chin, jaw clenched. "You did not care for my methods the last time, did you?"
"Doesn't look like your little side-kick's around this time," Selphie sneered.
"He is not required to deal with you," Matron shot back. "Release your hold on Selphie. Now."
"Why should I?" She folded her arms across her chest. "What's in it for me?"
"We are not negotiating! You will release your hold on Selphie or suffer the consequences."
"That's not fair!"
"Life is not fair." Matron nodded at Rinoa, who looked nervous but determined.
The Sorceress held her hands in front of her, like she held a bowl. Magic began to form in the palm, a bright white light that began to fill the gap.
"That's cheating!" Selphie shrieked. "You can't have someone else do your dirty work for you!"
"Exorcizamus te," Rinoa started, eyes closed as magic flowed from her hands. "Omnis, immunde spiritus, omni satanica potestas..."
Not versed in ancient Centran, Irvine could only assume it was a spell of Edea's taught to Rinoa during their return trip to Balamb. How the Galbadian born girl could even say these words without getting her tongue twisted was remarkable. He forced himself up to his feet and began to move to the others. Something in his gut told him they should be ready to leave, and soon.
"Omnis incursioninfernalis adversarii." The light flowed out of Rinoa's hands. "Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica in nomini etvirtute..."
"You're gonna be sorry!" Selphie threatened as that light moved in a straight line towards her. "You're not gonna like what happens if you keep this up!"
"Domini nostri Hyne, eradicare et effugare a Dei Ecclesia, ab animabusad imaginem Dei conditis ac pretioso divini. Agni anguini redemptis!"
When Rinoa's eyes opened the irises had disappeared and left behind the spooky white image of her eyes. The trail of light continued on its path and even as Selphie moved it would adjust its trail. As soon as the light touched her, the brunette fell to the ground and convulsed like she was in the middle of a seizure. Irvine wanted to go to her, but Matron raised her hand for him to stay where he was. He would not interfere.
Selphie's arms and legs flapped helplessly as she moved around like a fish out of water. Her mouth was wide open in a cry of pain, the light that touched her seemed to burn in response to the contact. But after a moment she stopped and lay still against the floor.
There was silence for a moment as no one moved, but then Selphie took in a deep lungful of breath and coughed, like she emerged from a lake. But when she turned to face him, Irvine saw her eyes were still purple and his hope began to flag. Maybe the spell had failed? Maybe she had found some way around it.
"It is working," Matron reassured. "It is almost done."
Selphie opened and closed her mouth. Her gasps of pain and attempts to breathe seemed to interfere with her ability to talk. But she tried to speak and Irvine craned his ears so that he could hear her better.
"You're all gonna die down here." Then she gasped and she fell limp.
Irvine was the first to move and he checked on Selphie. Her pulse was steady and despite the bruises and the bullet wounds in her arm she was healthy. It was a shock given what they had gone through. Then the temperature started to rise. It wasn't in small batches either, but like a car going from zero to eighty in an instant. He broke out in sweat and realized what the cause was.
The room had originally been covered in shadow but as the seconds passed it brightened and the lava that had been hidden moments prior began to run free once more. It was a sign Selphie was no longer possessed but if they didn't move quickly they would roast alive if the lava didn't burn them to a crisp first.
And the little bitch knew it too. Irvine recalled her last words and realized how obvious her end game had been.
Irvine picked up Selphie and draped her over his good shoulder even as Matron and Rinoa ran for the other three. He couldn't carry two people and magic or no, Matron and Rinoa would likely struggle with just one. There was no way they could get everyone out alive in one piece and the panic bubbled up as he came to the bitter conclusion.
Which one were they willing to leave behind?
"Hey!" A voice called from above. "You guys need any help?"
"Yes!" The women shouted up and it took Irvine a moment to remember who it was.
Everyone climbed up as fast as they could. Irvine barely got up through the hole before the metal ladder melted under the lava cascade. Everyone took a body and double-timed it out of the cavern as quickly as they could manage.