Chapter Two: Storming Dollet
The way out of the cave proved to be uneventful, save for Quistis trying to regale me with how Junctioning elements to my attack and defense will help me in future battles. All it took was a simple eyebrow raise to get her silent. She apologized, saying she just wanted to make sure I understood everything about Junctions. I wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, tired of her endless combat tutorials and lack of faith in me. I decided to take a shortcut through a small wooded forest.
I could see the Garden through the trees as I heard a familiar sound, a noise you hoped you never heard in the Training Center… the rhythmic snapping of trees as if they were twigs. A guttural roar tore through the air, and I dove to the side, rolling on my shoulder as I turned to face my attacker.
Quistis screamed, "T-Rexaur! Squall, be careful!" I knew about this creature before I even saw the red and brown scales on the lizard-like monster. I had read about them in the Garden texts, and I knew that they were the most powerful monsters in the Balamb area. My instructor threw in an unnecessary, "Sometimes it's better to run!" The fires of Ifrit burned for a challenge, and I unsheathed Revolver to answer it.
The monster charged, its mouth agape, fangs promising to tear into my skin. I leapt, and managed to land on the side of its neck as its head replaced the space where I used to be. I brought down Revolver in a heavy swipe, but the beast didn't seem to notice. Looking down, I realized that the fire magic I had drawn from the cavern's monsters was still in tune with my weapon, and I cursed myself for my idiocy. The reptilian creature spun, knocking me off, but I landed deftly onto my feet. It continued spinning, and I saw its tail heading to impact with my head. I sidestepped and ducked, and felt the breeze as the limb missed me by inches.
I hadn't foreseen this battle, but I wasn't about to let my new victory be ruined by such an oversight. I reached within me for the cold magic I had prepared for my fight with Ifrit. I felt the temperature on my right arm drop radically, and my hand shot forth, outstretched, and ice crystals coalesced in thin air. The spears of frozen water ripped through the air and tore into the monster's throat before freezing the wounds and slowing its current charge. It staggered, apparently weakened, and I took advantage of the moment. The fire magic coursing through Revolver flash-fried the ice and created a reaction that burned through its innate resistance to fire. I heard the creature choke and rasp before its gigantic body fell with a heavy thud into the forest ground. I pulled the massive blade out of its throat and jogged to catch up with Quistis, who was standing at the forest's entrance.
The rest of the walk back to Garden was relatively peaceful, and the soothing blue and white of the base was soothing, considering my last two battles. Although I remained calm on the surface, I was hiding my unease at my last two close calls. Even with all of the preparation I had gone through to pass the test, it felt like blind luck had gotten me through it. My instructor tried giving me another lesson on Guardian Forces, but another sharp look stopped her cold.
"Okay, I get it. Change into your uniform and assemble at the first floor lobby." A twinge of annoyance ran through my head, but I knew there was no point in arguing with her. During exams, it was required that all SeeDs wear the traditional uniform, instead of their casual clothing. Most of the students wore their uniforms anyways, not a hallway devoid of the blue and silver of the SeeD cadet colors, but I preferred the ensemble I wore because it allowed maximum maneuverability. I didn't like getting used to clothing that hindered my movement.
I walked to the dorms, and quickly checked the panel by the door. My roommate wasn't in there, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as I swiped my card through the machine and entered the small two-bedroom suite. I quickly changed out of my black leathers and threw on the embroidered jacket and pants before heading to the massive lobby. Quistis stood there with a laserpen and a clipboard, which I assumed had the team assignments. As she saw me, she waved and called me over.
"I'll be announcing the squad assignments for the exam now. Let's see… you'll be with Zell Dincht." A bemused smirk crossed her face as she saw my displeasure. I barely suppressed a groan. Seifer and I were known for our intense rivalry, but Zell was just obnoxious. One of the only martial artists in the Garden, he was constantly shadowboxing around the base, often accompanied by loud panting or dramatic yells.
"Quite a lively fellow," the instructor followed up. She knew the team assignments were getting to me, and a knowing look was plastered across her face.
"Lively? He's just loud," I stated flatly, "Can't I switch members?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible," she said before calling over my squad member. Turning, I saw the blue-eyed blonde, his usual gel in place, spiking up the front of his hairstyle. A tribal tattoo, claw-like in shape, ran down the left side of his face, enhancing the feral, wolfish grin proudly displayed on his mouth. He was wearing the same uniform I was, but his sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, and it looked like he had ripped some of the seams a bit to give him more room to move. I made a note of the modifications, in case I found it necessary to implement them in the future.
He was in the middle of one of his usual routines, a spinning kick here, a knife-handed block there, before he heard his name called. He planted his hands on the ground, flipping towards us before executing a spinning free-hand flip and giving us the thumbs-up, as if he was the best thing since crystallicution. I'll admit he had skill, but he thought far too highly of himself.
"Whoa! I'm with you?!" He seemed impressed enough, even going so far as to wipe the sweat off of his hand, residue from his cardiac work-out clinging to it, and extending it in welcome. I didn't take it. He eventually got the hint, but still tried getting friendly with me.
"You don't get along with Seifer, do you? Heard he whooped you pretty bad this morning." A flash of anger rose from my chest. I hated the rumor mill that seemed to spread gossip like wildfire around Garden.
"We weren't fighting," I corrected him; "We were training."
"I bet you he doesn't think so," he replied with an annoyingly cocky tone, "Look, Seifer's just being a pain in the ass. All you have to do is ignore him." First Kadowaki, now this guy.
"That's –"
"None of your business," Quistis finished for me. I barely took the chance to look at her, knowing she'd still have her knowing smirk plastered on her face. She cleared her throat and continued, "Excuse me, but that… Seifer… you're talking about… He's your squad leader." Zell stepped back slightly, more upset than I was with this announcement.
"SAY WHAT?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Quistis told him the same thing she had told me about team assignments, and soon, I heard the tap-tap of three pairs of shoes growing closer. As Quistis called for our squad leader, Seifer and the two others turned the corner into the lobby towards us. The one on his left side was a thin woman with silvery hair, wearing a blue shirt and dark pants with an eyepatch over her left eye. Her name was Fujin, and she was known for being ruthlessly efficient as an appointed member of the Disciplinary Committee that Seifer headed. On Seifer's other side was a dark-skinned man in loose, padded clothing, tape wrap around his forearms. His name was Raijin, and he was known for taking bribes to not report violations of Garden's rules. You wouldn't know it by looking at these two, but they were brother and sister. Whether by adoption or different parents, no one knew, but despite their usual antics (which usually consisted of Fujin kicking her brother around), they were almost inseparable, and always tagging along with Seifer.
Looking at Seifer, Quistis said, "You're the squad leader. Good luck to you." As she jotted down something on the clipboard, Seifer ran a glove through his dirty-blonde hair.
"…Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck," he purred menacingly, as if he held some sway over her, "Save those words for a bad student that needs them, eh?" His cronies nodded behind him in agreement, as they usually did. Quistis nodded, her face almost approvingly as she said, "Ok then." Without missing a beat, she turned to face him fully and said with a sharp tone, "Good luck, Seifer." Zell chuckled, and even I couldn't help but smile tightly. Seifer shook for a minute as he glared at Quistis before slicing a finger through the air, indicating something to Fujin.
"Add Intructor Trepe to the list." I didn't know what it meant, but it couldn't be anything good. Quistis didn't seem to take him too seriously.
"You're all assigned to Squad B. I'll be the instructor in charge. Teamwork is of the utmost importance. Let's get through this exam, everyone!" She was trying to inspire us, getting us to work together, but Seifer's sharp words almost encouraged a strike from Zell, "Listen up! Teamwork means staying out of my way. It's a Squad B rule. Don't you forget it." As Zell brought back a hand to punch Seifer, calm words from nearby stopped him.
"Everyone here?" Coming around the corner was the respected headmaster of Garden, Cid Kramer. He was one of the founders of Garden, and had watched over Balamb's Garden for many years. The wrinkles on his portly face spoke of experience, and complimented the almost eternal smile he wore quite well. He was a stout fellow, and spoke with the air of a scholar, always addressing everyone with kindness and respect. He was dressed in his traditional red vest and brown pants, a pair of spectacles just below his eyes. We could tell he wanted to give one of his famous speeches, and even Zell calmed down to listen to him.
"It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing? This exam will involve twelve members from Squads A through D. You will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously, the battles are real. Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace… Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How 'bout it? Are you still up for it? You will be accompanied by nine SeeD members. Should you fail, these members will get the job done. They always do. Well, that's one less worry on your mind. The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Learn from them, obey their commands and accomplish the mission. Prove yourself worthy of becoming a SeeD. Best of luck."
Zell seemed truly inspired, his face beaming as he clenched his fists at his side, as if having trouble waiting to bring them to the enemy's face. Seifer just seemed impatient, unable to stand waiting to be sent to the battlefield. I wasn't sure what to think. I'd fought mindless monsters before, but this was going to be different. We were probably going to be fighting soldiers ready to die for a cause… I tried not to think about it.
We made our way to the green and yellow APC that served as a transport for the cadets. Zell sat next to me as the instructor and Seifer took up the other bench. I hunched over, my arms crossed, hoping my body language would imply my desire to be left alone. Zell, however, did not pick up on such things.
"Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" Even if I wasn't as territorial about my equipment as I was, he could see it perfectly fine, holstered in my belts. I remained silent.
"C'mon, man!" He shook my shoulder, and I tried to use his advice for Seifer on him, in the hope that he would leave me alone.
"Just a peek?!" he asked, holding his index finger and thumb barely far apart to indicate what he wanted. I could hear him, but I forced myself into a quiet meditation. I didn't feel like being bothered, and I wasn't going to let him.
"Tch, fine…" he resigned, "Yeah, yeah… Why you bein' so selfish?! Scrooooge!" He was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wouldn't have it. I refused to let any emotion cross my face. Suddenly, I could tell he was worried. This struck me as odd, enough to catch me slightly off-guard.
"Say somethin', will ya?! W-what's on your mind?" I didn't want to think about the mission, or what it entailed. I didn't want to stress out about the exam. I didn't want to think, so I gave him the answer I wished was true.
"… nothing." My instructor said the word as I did, and a flash of annoyance flickered again across my mind before I let it go, resigned that my instructor was going to prove at any opportunity that she knew me better than I wanted her to. My thoughts turned to the duel this morning, and the incident with the mysterious girl in the infirmary as Zell stood up and started shadowboxing. It was easy to ignore, but I heard Seifer groan slightly before he started in on the tattooed man.
"Stop that… it's annoying." As Zell turned towards him, Seifer took the moment of his attention to antagonize him: "Chicken-wuss." Zell exploded, his hands up in a boxing stance.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Seifer began chuckling at Zell's attempt at intimidation until Quistis stood up, her hand on her hip as she sharply addressed both of them.
"Knock it off!" Her annoying façade was immediately gone, the sternness of an instructor taking her over completely. Zell shoved himself back onto the bench as Quistis settled back down, shaking her head at having to discipline the two of them. Unable to stifle my curiosity, I decided to get her attention.
"… Instructor… who was that girl in the infirmary this morning?" Quistis blinked blankly at me before brushing her hair out of her eyes and saying, "Was someone there? I didn't notice anybody. Is there a problem?" Deciding to drop the subject, I said, "No… not really…" Seifer began chuckling again, and for a moment, I was curious about what was on his mind. I didn't even need to ask him to share.
"This is great… I have Chicken-wuss and a guy who just reached puberty in my squad…" Zell seethed, Quistis brought her palm to her forehead, and I would have rolled my eyes if I felt like feeding into his crap. I refused.
The trip through Balamb didn't take too long. It was a small fishing town where the busiest sections were the port and the train station. As the APC stopped, Seifer got out before me. The APC had brought us to the port, and on the water floated a Cutter, a sort of half-submarine that specialized in slicing through ice. I knew that the Garden had a fleet of them, considering out close we were to the northern pole, but I couldn't think of a civilization, other than Trabia, that would require vessels with those specifications. Considering that Trabia had its own Garden, I wondered what our test was going to take place, and where.
"So that's the vessel…?" I couldn't suppress, alerting Seifer to my thoughts. His voice had a tone of excitement to it, "Ain't no turning back now." He turned to me, and a look of sincere concern crossed his face, "Huh, you scared, too?" I wasn't sure how to answer his vulnerable expression. I never knew until then that he had it in him.
"Hey! You guys are the last! Hurry up and get in!" The Garden staff's voice broke my concentration, and I began steeling myself for the journey ahead. Seifer's face quickly became an emotionally devoid mask as he began heading towards the blue vessel.
"Don't disappoint me now." I understood that he saw some of himself in me as he said that, and I almost felt a pang of camaraderie for the squad leader. Almost.
"Come on, move it!" Quistis yelled from behind us, getting out of the APC and running to get into the vessel. Zell wasn't far behind her, an excited grin on his face. I squeezed into the tight portal and sat down in the narrow benches. Inside, it was cramped, with barely enough room for six seats, a small table and the briefing screen. Xu, Cid's unofficial second-in-command, was already on board, and greeted us as we entered. She smiled particularly at Quistis, betraying their friendship.
"Well, these are the members of Squad B," Quistis reported, extending an arm to punctuate her words. Xu took an appraising look at each of us. Zell saluted, bringing his hand up to be level with his eyes, showing her the back of it.
"Nice to meet ya!" Zell's enthusiasm wasn't being dampened by anything at this point. He had a nervous energy about him, barely keeping himself standing still. I saluted as well, but was much more reserved. I was saving every ounce of energy for the battle to come.
"Pleased to meet you," I said with a neutral tone. She nodded to me and then an almost condescending expression came over her face as her eyes swooped down on Seifer, who not only had kept sitting, but was resting his feet on the center table, the pinnacle of disrespect.
"Seifer, how many times has it been now?" Xu needled him. Seifer yawned and replied, "Oh, I just love these exams…" I could tell, though, that he was trying to put a brave face to the administration. I knew this was his last chance to become a SeeD. Next year, he would be too old.
"I'll explain the current situation and the mission," Xu started as she passed Quistis and Zell to stand beside the briefing screen. Zell sat as she proceeded: "Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made eighteen hours ago." A technical map of the peninsula city of Dollet flashed onto the screen, giving a geographical view before the green grid of a tactical map overlaid it.
"Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about seventy-two hours ago. Forty-nine hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city." Red markers were displayed on the city map of the G-Army's previous position, before moving towards the mainland as Xu continued, "Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status, now onto the mission objective: according to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region." The map moved upwards toward the mainland and a blue arrow came down from the top of the screen.
"We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach." A tactical red trajectory node cut across the map, showing us where on the beach we would be landing. She passed out a printout of two sheets, one with the peninsula seen from the side, and the other with tactical data on it as she continued, "We're to eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city and liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region." The blue arrow from before now split into three different ones, seeming to attack red markers that could only indicate G-Army's position. The screen then faded back to the traditional Garden wallpaper.
"So what are WE supposed to do?" Seifer said next to me, as if asking for the point of it all. Xu gave him an exasperated look, and replied, "SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city."
"Sounds important!" Zell said, revving himself up for the task at hand.
"Sounds boring, "Seifer replied with a mock yawn, "So what you're saying is, we do all the little dirty work…" He was implying that what we had to do wasn't a challenge, and Xu caught that, but her air of authority only strengthened as she turned to deal with him, "Oh, it hardly needs to be said, but the order to withdraw takes priority. Do not forget." We all knew what she was really telling him: he needed to make sure he followed SeeD orders. He had a famous problem with authority (ironically enough, seeing as he headed the Disciplinary Committee), and always did what he thought was best, despite everyone else.
"We're almost there," Xu said, looking at her timepiece on her wrist, "We anticipate a battle as soon as we disembark. Just be prepared. That's all. Any questions, talk to Quistis." She took her leave, heading back to the cockpit. I stayed in my seat, hunched over as I listened to Zell panting through his breathing exercises, and Quistis looking over her clipboard of notes.
"We'll be landing pretty soon. Get ready," Quistis warned us. Seifer nodded, before turning to me, "Well then, Squall. Go see what's going on outside." I could tell he was testing me, making sure that I was going to follow his orders as squad leader. I buried the feeling of resentment for his conduct at the duel and forced out an affirmative. "Good. Because it's MY order," he said as I stood up and climbed the ladder to the gunner's post.
The sun was down enough so that the full moon was barely visible behind the dark clouds. The Cutters began speeding up as Dollet came over the horizon. I pulled the map Xu had given us and pressed the tactical data over the bare map. Now knowing exactly where we were entering. I felt the vessel beneath me speed up, and I saw that the pilot wasn't going for complicated maneuvers. A solid stone wall lay in its path between us and Dollet. Suddenly, I knew why we had taken Cutters to land at this beach. I narrowed my eyes, steeling myself for the rocky landing.
I slid down the ladder, sitting back on the bench, and quickly strapping myself in. The others already were, but I gave them a quick warning, "Hold on." With that, the vessel lurched, as I imagined we cut straight through the wall, probably taking a chunk out of it as we did so. Soon, the back doors opened and we unbuckled ourselves, racing out. Grenade explosions were going off all around us and G-Army soldiers ran up the beach, retreating. Before we could go after them, Quistis gave us our squad specific orders: "Ok, you are to secure the Central Square!"
Seifer calmly stepped towards the chaotic beach, and said, "Come on, let's move out," before running ahead of us, his trench coat waving wildly behind him. Zell gave me an irritated look as we made our way up the beach, ready for battle.