Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Eleven
After leaving the Infirmary, Squall and the others headed over to the quad to continue their search for the headmaster. They also kept an eye out for Xu, whom Dr Kadowaki said might have an idea as to where the headmaster was hiding.
As they ran through the hallways of the Garden, Squall noted the same thing he had noticed before. The corridors were swarming with students, but… where were all the SeeDs? Since entering the Garden, Squall had not seen a single one, save for those guarding the Infirmary. That was very odd, Squall thought. Were they in hiding, he wondered, or had they evacuated? Was the headmaster with them?
They reached the outer hallway of the quad and hurried down the steps. Just as they reached the bottom, a member of the Garden Faculty came running out of the quad. He stopped, panting, and turned back to the quad.
"Dammit," they heard him curse. "We need reinforcements." He then turned away and continued running across the hall. When he saw Squall and the others he stopped. Squall at once reached for his sword. Seeing this, the Faculty stepped back and reached for his whistle. "Another one of Cid's followers! DIE!"
He blew on the whistle. At its sound, two monsters came out of the quad and stood on either side of him. One of the monsters was a Bomb: a monster that looked much like an oversized fireball with eyes. When close to death, this monster used its own body as an explosive, destroying itself and its enemies, hence its name. The other monster was known as a 'Glacial Eye'. It looked like a sea creature but lived up in the icy Gaulg Mountains, hence its cold-looking appearance. It floated in the air with a large hood of flesh surrounding its head, and had a long tail dangling beneath it, tipped with a sharp and deadly stinger.
When the two monsters had gathered, the Faculty lowered his whistle. He pointed at Squall and his group. "Now, attack!" he commanded the monsters, and then he ran off down the hallway.
The two monsters attacked. Squall charged and headed straight for the Bomb, while Quistis and Rinoa both teamed up to tackle the Glacial Eye.
The Glacial Eye was amazingly fast. It zipped through the air like an insect, and its body was so flexible that it dodged the blows that Quistis and Rinoa swung at it just by twisting its body out of the way. It tried to jab them with its tail, and they each turned, keeping out of its reach.
A lucky strike from Quistis's whip caused the creature to freeze for a brief moment. In that brief moment, Rinoa called Fira into her Pinwheel and then released it. The projectile landed deep in the middle of its face, and the flames on the weapon engulfed the monster entirely. As a creature native to the cold climate of the mountains, the Glacial Eye was very weak against Fire-based magic. The monster's body turned black as the flames swallowed it up. The monster dropped to the floor, shrieking, its body writhing. Then it stopped moving and fell limp, and its body disintegrated into ash.
Squall, meanwhile, was still busy dealing with the Bomb. Although its body was large and it had no limbs to move around with, the Bomb was just as agile as the Glacial Eye. Its eyes were full of malice as it flung its body at Squall, trying to bowl him over. Through the flames Squall could see its cruel, wicked smile.
The Bomb dived at him, spinning its body like a bowling ball. Squall dodged the attack and turned back to it. He extended his hand and called Blizzard into his palm. He did not release it right away but channelled it further, transforming it into Blizzara magic. Only then did he release the magic, as a pillar of ice shot through the ground right beneath the Bomb. The sharp spike of the pillar pierced the Bomb from below, impaling it. The Bomb did not scream or shriek but simply stiffened and then fell limp. The flames on its body flickered and died out, and then the Bomb vanished in a puff of smoke.
The group sheathed their weapons and hurried into the quad.
As they entered the quad's main courtyard, they saw at once the battle that had been fought here. The stage where the Garden Festival was to be held was covered in scorch marks, and electrical equipment had fallen everywhere, utterly destroyed. The dissolving remains of monsters—more Bombs, Grats, and Glacial Eyes—littered the area.
The group stopped and looked around. Despite the carnage, there was no one to be seen. Squall took slow, careful steps into the quad, taking care to step over the broken equipment. Just as he was about to reach the centre there came the whoosh of air, and an arrow landed at his feet.
"Who's there!" a voice called from above.
Squall looked to the rafters above the stage. A number of SeeDs were standing on the beams. They were armed with bows and arrows, guns, and some were even preparing
Squall looked up to the rafters above the stage. A number of SeeDs were gathered on the beams, armed with bows and arrows, guns, and some were in the stages of preparing to cast magic.
Three of these SeeDs—two male and one female—lowered their weapons and jumped down. They landed in front of Squall and the others and then got to their feet. They raised their weapons, eyeing the group with suspicion.
"Whose side are you on!" one of the male SeeDs demanded.
Squall held out his hands, palms up, to show that he was unarmed. "I'm with the headmaster," he replied.
The SeeD stared at him for a moment, and then he lowered his fists. "That's what I thought," he said, and behind him his comrades also relaxed. "Who's this Garden Master anyway? The headmaster had most of the SeeDs evacuate. He said something about 'the true battle for SeeD' is yet to come, and now is not the time."
"The headmaster?" Squall looked around the quad. "Is he here?"
The female SeeD shook her head. "You won't find the headmaster here," she told him. Holding up her gun, she opened the chamber and reloaded it. "We're gonna hold up here for a little longer." She clicked the barrel shut and then grinned.
After their supplies were refurbished by the SeeDs guarding the quad, Squall and his group headed on towards the next location: the Garden cafeteria. Normally an area of hustle and bustle, it was now a scene of battle and carnage.
As they expected, another member of the Garden Faculty was standing in the corridor outside of the cafeteria. The sounds of battle could be heard beyond, and the flashes of magic-light lit up the doorway. The Garden Faculty chuckled and rubbed his hands. At any moment the monsters he had sent into the cafeteria would overcome the SeeDs inside, and then there would be nothing to stop him from capturing the headmaster!
He stopped as he heard the sound of a weapon being drawn from behind him. The Faculty turned, and he saw Squall and the others running towards him. He scowled. "Another one of Cid's followers!" he shrieked. "DIE!"
He blew on his whistle. Hearing the call, one of the monsters inside the cafeteria turned and came out again. It was another Bomb. The monster stood at the Garden Faculty's side, its mouth split into a wide grin.
"Stall them," the Faculty commanded the creature. He then climbed out of the corridor and ran into the gardens, disappearing amongst the bushes.
Squall ran up to the Bomb. He slashed his sword across the monster's form, slicing through the flames that covered its body. The Bomb gave a strangled cry and then pulled back away from the swordsman. The flames on its body grew brighter and larger, and Bomb increased in size.
"Squall!" called Quistis in warning. "Be careful! That Bomb is close to death! If you hit it around too much it might explode. End it quickly!"
Squall did not need to be told twice. He swung his sword at the monster again. This time the monster dodged, swinging out of his reach. It opened its mouth and flames spat out of its mouth. The swordsman rolled out of the way.
While he was getting back onto his feet, Rinoa ran past him and up to the Bomb. She thrust her hand straight through the flames on its body until she touched its hot flesh. Rinoa closed her eyes as she channelled Blizzard into her hand. The Bomb's body began to cool as ice spread out over its body, putting out the flames. When the Bomb realised this was happening it shuddered and pulled away from her, and the ice that had already formed cracked and then shattered.
The Bomb came to a stop. Its body temperature increased further and the flames grew in size once again. The monster increased in size again, until it was twice the size it was before.
The Bomb then pulled in its arms and began to tremble. Its eyes rolled back, glowing red, and its mouth opened wide. It started to sizzle, like a fuse that was rapidly running short.
Realising that an explosion was imminent, Quistis ran forward and cracked her whip. The tail lashed around the monster, holding it tight. The instructor yanked the monster towards her and then swung it in a large circle, causing the Bomb to spin around her. When she gained enough momentum she tugged the whip. It released the Bomb, sending it flying out of the window and into the gardens.
As the Bomb hit the ground it exploded. A shockwave ripped through the gardens, tearing up the plants and sending dirt flying through the air. Quistis and the others braced themselves as the shockwave hit them, and they shielded their eyes with their arms, protecting themselves from the flying debris. Where the Bomb had landed, a crater now stood in its place. The only traces left of the monster was a lingering flame in the air. This flame was quickly extinguished, blown away by the wind.
With the Bomb destroyed, Squall and the others hurried into the cafeteria. Inside they found two SeeDs, one male and one female, along with two female students who were taking shelter from the chaos. A number of dissolving monster corpses littered the floor. The two SeeDs were panting hard, exhausted from defending the cafeteria. When they saw Squall's group enter they lowered their weapons and came forward to meet them.
"Thanks for the backup," the female SeeD said. She curled up her whip and attached it to her belt. "If you're looking for the headmaster, he isn't here. We've gathered here to make them believe that he's here."
The male SeeD nodded. "If they attacked us all at once, there's no way we could hold them off, even if we are SeeDs," he said.
"The others are doing the same thing in other areas," the female SeeD continued. "Essentially, we're cutting them off. Brilliant, huh? It wasn't our idea though."
Quistis folded her arms. "Who came up with it?" she asked.
The male SeeD turned to her. "Xu," he told her.
"She took charge immediately when this whole thing began," said the female SeeD. She then turned to Squall and smacked her fist into her palm. "Hey Squall, tell those traitors to bring it on."
Squall nodded and they left the cafeteria. Next they headed to the dormitory, where yet another member of the Garden Faculty stood waiting. Beyond, Squall could hear the cries of the students. They were no doubt making a search of all the rooms, looking for the headmaster.
"What…!" the Faculty cried when Squall and his team came running up. "Another one of Cid's followers! Prepare to die!"
The monster he called was another Caterchipillar. The creature wobbled down the steps of the dormitory and stood next to the Garden Faculty. The man then turned to Squall and his friends, clenching his whistle in his fist.
"You're siding with the headmaster!" he said, as though he was unable to believe this fact. He then ordered the Caterchipillar forward.
The Caterchipillar made its way forward. As Squall drew his sword once more from his sheath, he wondered jus what magic these Faculty members were using to keep the beasts under their control. It had something to do with those whistles, he was sure of it. They had some hypnotic effect on the monsters, allowing them to be controlled by human hands.
But now was not the time to think about that. Squall gripped his sword and then charged at the monster. He thrust his blade deep into the monster's body. The Caterchipillar managed only a faint, strangled squeak, before its body fell limp.
With the monster defeated, Squall withdrew his blade and turned to the Faculty. The Faculty member stared at Squall and then looked at the Caterchipillar, which was already dissolving. He then looked back to Squall. The swordsman raised his blade and pointed it at him.
The Faculty member froze. The determination in Squall's eyes was unwavering and the Faculty knew that he was not messing around. The Faculty's hands shook and he ran forward, brushing past Squall and out of the corridor.
Rinoa turned after him. "Hey, wait right there!" she called, and started to run.
"Rinoa, wait!" said Quistis. Rinoa stopped and looked back at her. The instructor folded her arms. "It's no use going after him. He's not the main target. Isn't that right, Squall?" she asked, turning to the swordsman.
Squall nodded and he sheathed his sword. "Forget about them," he said. "It's none of our concern. Our only concern is finding the headmaster."
Rinoa started to protest, but then she closed her mouth. She turned away from them and knelt down next to Angelo him, pouting.
Squall placed a hand on his hip. What was it those SeeD had said? Something about gathering in areas to make the enemy believe that the headmaster was hiding in those places? Did that mean… that the headmaster wasn't on this floor at all? If that was the case, then where was he?
Their only choice, it seemed, was to find Xu. From what the SeeD had said, she was the brains behind this entire operation. If they could find her, then she could lead them to the headmaster. But that raised another question: where was Xu? She was not in the Infirmary, or the quad, or even the cafeteria. Squall also had a strong feeling that she would not be in the dorms, either. Their only choice, it seemed, was to continue their search through the Garden and hope that she turned up, sooner rather than later.
They headed out of the dorms. They were halfway through the Garden now, and they were beginning to tire. Even so, they continued to push themselves onward and entered the car park.
When they entered they were not surprised when they found another member of the Garden Faculty there, peering into the car park. When he turned and saw them his face twisted in rage, and he reached for his whistle.
"Another one of Cid's followers!" he shouted. "DIE!" He blew on the whistle.
A monster stomped out of the car park and into the corridor. The moment he saw it, Squall knew that there was something very different about this one. The monsters they had fought so far were all native to this land—either from the plains or from the Training Centre—but this one was entirely different. It likely came from across the sea, far from Balamb.
The monster was known as a 'Grendel', a small, wingless dragon about the same size as a human. It could walk on its hind legs as well as on all fours, and used its powerful forearms as weapons. It had mottled grey-brown scales with patches of blue armour on its arms and back, as well as down its torso. Much of its bulk was carried in its upper torso and arms, but it also had a long, thin tail that was tipped with a sharp spike. Its head was small in comparison to its body, and its eyes glinted in hunger. A large, blue, wet tongue lolled out of its mouth.
The Grendel came forward and stood beside the Faculty. Even though the monster was under his control, the Faculty tried to keep his distance from it: an indication of how dangerous this monster was. The Faculty started to shuffle away from the dragon and pointed at Squall's group.
"This Garden belongs to NORG!" he told them, and then he ran off down the corridor.
The Grendel saw the Faculty's sudden movement. It roared and then bolted down the corridor. It chased the Faculty member, who gave a yell and quickened his pace. He ran past Squall and the others, who had once again drawn their weapons, ready for battle.
With the Faculty now out of its reach, the Grendel turned its attention to them. It stopped a few metres away and rose onto its hind legs, raising its clawed arms. It gave another roar before it slammed its paws on the ground and charged them. The dragon leapt at Squall, who stepped back and raised his gunblade. He swung and squeezed the gunblade's trigger. The impact flung the Grendel away from him. The dragon slammed against the floor, landing on its back. The dragon scrabbled for a moment or two before it got back onto its feet and charged again.
This time Quistis attacked, as she swung and cracked her whip. The tail lashed the dragon's forehand. Surprised, the dragon stopped and drew back its hand. Quistis gave her whip another crack. This time she hit the ground in front of the creature, which stepped back and hissed in warning. Quistis ignored the warning and gave her whip a third crack. The dragon stepped back again.
With the dragon at bay, Rinoa released her Pinwheel. The projectile sliced the dragon across the face. The blade cut deep, making a bloody gash in its jaw, and its mouth filled with blood. The dragon roared and reared up once again, clawing at its face.
This was just the opening Squall needed. The swordsman dived in and, like the Caterchipillar, he thrust his blade deep into the dragon's chest. The Grendel roared in agony and flailed its arms. It stepped back and Squall moved with it, pushing his blade deeper through its body.
Swinging its arms, the Grendel struck Squall on the side of his head and knocked him aside. The swordsman fell, but his gunblade remained impaled in the dragon's chest. With Squall gone, the dragon slammed onto the floor. It shook itself down and then, ignoring the pain, charged at Squall.
Seeing that Squall was in danger, Rinoa ran in front of him. The Grendel stopped and turned away from her, swinging its bladed tail. It hit Rinoa in the chest, and the woman was thrown to the floor. The Grendel stood over her and reared up, its arms spread. Its claws spread, and Rinoa closed her eyes.
There was a flash of light, and the Grendel roared in pain. Rinoa opened her eyes. Before her, the Grendel stood frozen. A pillar of ice, rising out of the floor, had pierced the dragon's waist. Numerous additional icicles spread like branches from the main pillar, piercing other parts of the dragon's body. Blood stained the purity of the ice and dripped onto the floor.
Rinoa looked to her left. Quistis was kneeling nearby, with her hands pressed onto the floor. Beneath her palms, the ground had frozen over.
The Grendel gave a croak. Quistis got to her feet, crossed her arms and then thrust out her hands. Flames fired from her hands and swept over the dragon. The ice tree shattered, and inside the flames the Grendel roared in agony. Its body blackened and crumbled into ash. When the flames faded, the dragon's remains fell onto the floor. Squall's sword also fell and clattered onto the ground.
The instructor helped Squall to his feet. She then walked over to Rinoa and held out her hand. Rinoa accepted it, and they ran into the car park.
Inside the car park were two more SeeDs, with the remains of more Balamb monsters gathered around them. The SeeDs turned to Squall and his team as they ran into the car park, but it was not to them that the group was looking. For, standing in front of the SeeDs, was Headmaster Cid.
Squall ran towards him. "Sir!" he cried.
Before he could say anything further, the headmaster's image started to flicker. A moment later it winked out, and the headmaster was gone. Squall stopped and stared at the spot where he had stood just a second before. He blinked.
"What the…?"
Seeing his reaction, the two SeeDs came forward. They grinned.
"It was just a hologram," one of them explained. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Squall blinked again. "So, the headmaster…?" He looked at the SeeDs.
The other SeeD shook his head. "As you can see, he isn't here, either."
Squall turned to Rinoa and Quistis. He shook his head, exasperated. This was becoming tiresome. At this rate, they would run out of time. They needed to warn everyone about the missiles. Fujin and Raijin were also around somewhere trying to spread the word, but warning everyone individually would take more time. They needed to find the headmaster, or Xu, as soon as possible.
Next stop was the Training Centre. The group entered the corridor and then stopped as they spotted three figures ahead of them. Two of them were students, and the third was a member of the Garden Faculty. This group was running away from them and down the corridor, running towards the entrance of the centre.
"Over here!" one of the students called back to the Faculty. "She's one of the headmaster's SeeDs."
"The junior classmen are with her," said the other one. "Don't let them escape."
Squall and the others followed the group into the clearing. Once there, they saw a female SeeD running across the clearing. Two junior classmen, a boy and a girl, were with her. The SeeD led them over to the electric fence bordering the training grounds. Realising there was no place left to run, the group stopped. The SeeD turned back. The Faculty and the students were catching up fast.
"Oh shoot…!" she cursed. "I'm sorry."
The young girl with her clutched at her skirt, as the enemy caught up and stopped in front of them. The boy, on the other hand, showed no fear as he moved in front of the SeeD and the girl. He put up his fists.
"I'm gonna fight, too!" he said.
One of the students laughed. "This should be interesting," he said, and he began to approach the boy. The boy, in response, leapt forward and kicked him hard in the shin. The student cried out in pain and fell to his knees, clutching at his knee.
The boy rubbed his nose and laughed. "I'm not training every day for nothing," he said, and he raised his fists again. "Come on!"
Grunting, the student got onto his feet again. He scowled and called Fire into his hand. "Why you little…!" he began, and walked forward.
Before he could strike, a figure jumped down in front of him. A sword blade slashed across the ground, cutting a deep line between the student and the group behind. Squall stood up straight and faced the student, his eyes blazing.
"You'll have to get past me first," he warned.
The flames around the student's hand vanished. His face paled. His bravado was extinguished as quickly as the flames, and he turned to flee. His comrade did the same. Neither student was brave enough to take Squall on in a fight. They fled the Training Centre as fast as they could, leaving the Faculty member behind.
The Faculty looked over his shoulder and watched as his support fled. Quistis and Rinoa walked up behind him, their weapons in their hands. Angelo was snarling but he stayed at Rinoa's side, waiting for her command. The Faculty grimaced and turned back to Squall. "Another one of Cid's followers! DIE!"
Before anyone could stop him, he blew on his whistle. The gates to the mountain section of the Training Centre shuddered and opened. From beyond the doors came the sound of a roar, loud and fearsome. The ground began to shake as heavy footsteps made their way towards them, growing louder with each step. A shadow fell on the cliff wall. It stopped, and the roar sounded again.
As he realised just what the shadow belonged to, Squall felt a chill run down his spine. He raised his sword and gripped it in both hands. The Faculty lowered his whistle. Seeing the look on Squall's face, he smirked.
"Those opposed to NORG must die!" he said with a cry, and he fled for the exit.
"Get back here!" Rinoa called, and she started to go after him.
"Rinoa!" bellowed Squall. "STOP!"
Rinoa did stop. She turned and looked back.
Over by the Training Centre doors, a head peered out. Its eyes flicked this way and that, and when its jaws opened a large tongue licked out. It was the head of a T-Rexaur, the fiercest monster to inhabit the Garden. Its teeth were about two inches long, and although they appeared blunt, they would chomp through a human with no trouble at all.
The head retreated, but only for a moment. It then re-emerged, and this time it was followed by the rest of its body. The T-Rexaur bent its back as it ducked beneath the doors, but once it was out it stretched up to its full height. It was almost eight metres tall, large even for its kind. Its arms were small but its legs were large and powerful, and its feet were tipped with powerful claws. Its tail hung behind it, almost the same length from base to tip as the monster was in height. When the monster stepped out of the doors it stopped and raised its head high. It roared, causing the walls and floor to tremble.
When the young girl saw the T-Rexaur she screamed and clutched the SeeD's skirt tighter. At once the SeeD knelt down and pulled the little girl to her, holding her close. Even the young boy seemed to have frozen in place, terrified.
"Keep still," Squall warned them in a low voice. "Don't move."
The SeeD nodded, and they all kept perfectly still. Quistis and Rinoa did the same. Even Angelo did not move; not even his nose twitched.
The T-Rexaur tilted its head as it looked around the clearing. Its eyes moved across the clearing, looking for its prey. Its nostrils flared, sniffing the air. It could smell the prey, yet nothing in the clearing moved at all. The T-Rexaur took a step forward, continuing to watch the area. Although it did not have the intelligence to realise that its prey was standing right before it, its eyes would catch even the slightest of movements.
Yet nothing moved, and after a few moments the T-Rexaur lifted its head. It snorted and then turned back to the Training Centre.
As the monster turned, its tail swung across the clearing. It passed over Squall and the others, as well as the SeeD protecting the two children.
The young girl was still trembling. When the tail's shadow passed over her, and she felt the breeze coming from it, she cried out in fright. She pulled away from the SeeD and ran towards the exit, screaming in terror.
"No…!" Squall cried. He reached for her, but it was too late.
The T-Rexaur's head snapped around. At once it saw the girl. The monster gave a roar and it turned around again. It began to stomp after the girl, and within a few steps it had caught up to her. The T-Rexaur bent over and opened its jaws wide, preparing to snap her up in a single bite.
At the last second, Squall darted in front of the monster and swung his sword with all his might. He struck the monster across the side of its face. The sudden blow caught the T-Rexaur off guard and its head was forced sideways. With its momentum still carrying it forward, the monster lost its balance and crashed onto the floor. It rolled onto its side, its arms flailing. It thrashed its tail, slamming it onto the ground and causing the ground to tremble.
With the monster down, Quistis ran over to the girl, who had fallen to the floor. Quistis knelt beside her and picked her up. She wiped the girl's tear-stricken face.
"It's all right," the instructor said in a soothing voice, "you're okay." She then looked up as the SeeD hurried over. Quistis passed the trembling girl over to her. "We'll deal with this," she told the SeeD. "Keep the junior classmen safe."
The SeeD nodded. She picked the girl up and carried her back over to the fence. Gripping the boy's hand, she led them over to a giant plant whose large leaves had grown out of the fence. They hid amongst them, keeping out of sight.
When the junior classmen were safe, Quistis hurried over to rejoin Squall. She stood by him and Rinoa. Angelo was in front, snarling and barking. The T-Rexaur was still on the ground, trying to get back onto its feet.
"Squall," said Quistis, standing close to the swordsman, "do not even think about taking it on. Just put it to sleep and lure it back inside the Training Centre."
The swordsman nodded and raised his sword. "Got it," he replied. Beside him, Rinoa gulped. Squall glanced at her. Rinoa's hands were trembling. Yet even as he watched her, he saw her face grow determined. After a moment, her hands stopped shaking. She raised her Pinwheel, holding it ready.
The T-Rexaur continued to thrash about, and finally it managed to get back onto its feet. It turned back to the spot where its prey had stood, but there was nobody there now. Confused, the T-Rexaur looked around the clearing.
It spotted one of the humans nearby. The monster turned towards Rinoa, who was standing off to one side close to the Training Centre doors. The T-Rexaur's jaws opened and it growled in hunger. It stomped towards her, its large claws tearing up the dirt as it moved.
As it drew near, Rinoa raised her hand. "Sleep!" she shouted.
A pinkish-white cloud began to flow around the T-Rexaur's head. The monster stopped and stared. It sniffed, but it could smell nothing. Its eyes began to feel heavy, and they started to close. The T-Rexaur snorted and shook its head, trying to resist the magical pull.
Behind the monster, Squall and Quistis also raised their hands. They also cast Sleep upon the monster, adding their magic to Rinoa's. The pink-white cloud grew denser, and the sleep-inducing pull on the monster increased. Again the T-Rexaur's eyes began to close; it was losing the battle. The lashing of its tail slowed. It lowered, until the limb rested on the ground. The T-Rexaur lowered its head, its eyes almost completely closed, breathing softly.
Rinoa lowered her hand. Before her, the T-Rexaur began to sway from side to side, succumbing to the soothing sleep the magic had cast upon it. While it was in this state the monster could not attack, and they could lure it back into the Training Centre. Rinoa bade Angelo to remain where he was as she walked up to the great beast. She stood before the monster and beckoned to it.
"Come on," she said in a soft voice. "This way. Come on now."
The T-Rexaur stared at her. The monster shook its head, trying to shake itself free of the magic. Yet it could not resist the pull and it found itself moving forward, following Rinoa. It gave a pathetic snap of its jaws before its head bobbed. It followed Rinoa to the Training Centre doors.
As they reached the doors, the cloud around the T-Rexaur's face dispersed. The T-Rexaur shook its head, breaking itself free of the magic. Its eyes snapped open and then fixed on Rinoa. It roared. In alarm, Rinoa stepped back. She tripped on a rock and fell to the ground. The T-Rexaur lunged at her, its jaws open.
Before it could strike, the pink-white cloud of Sleep reformed around its face. The T-Rexaur halted, and its eyes closed once more. Rinoa let out a sigh, silently thanking Squall and Quistis for their quick response. She got to her feet and began to lead the monster into the Training Centre again.
Once it was inside, Squall and Quistis closed the Training Centre doors. Rinoa ran out just before they shut. They left the T-Rexaur standing at the entrance, its head still bobbing in sleep. It would remain that way until the magic wore off again, by which time it would realise it had lost its prey.
Now that the monster was dealt with, the female SeeD and the two junior classmen emerged from the bushes. The young girl was still pale and trembling, but she seemed much calmer now that the monster was gone.
"Thanks, Squall," said the SeeD.
Squall nodded and waved his hand. "Have you seen the headmaster around?" he asked her.
"The headmaster?" The SeeD shook her head. "He isn't here." She then put her hands on the shoulders of the two classmen. They looked up at her, and the SeeD nodded her head towards Squall. Taking her hint, the two children stepped forward.
"Thank you," said the girl, her voice still shaking.
"Thanks," said the boy.
Leaving the SeeD and her two charges to hide in the Training Centre, Squall and the others hurried out. They headed over to the Library, the last place left to look. They did not hold much hope of finding the headmaster there, but they decided to look nonetheless. As they figured, a member of the Faculty was there.
"What's taking so long!" they heard the Faculty shout down the corridor. "Hurry up!" Hearing footsteps, he turned. When he saw Squall and the others he scowled and grabbed his whistle. "Another one of Cid's followers! DIE!"
A Grat emerged from the gardens and approached the corridor. "Face the wrath of this monsters!" The Faculty shouted. He brushed past Squall and ran off. Squall sighed and drew his sword. He looked at Quistis and Rinoa as they also drew their weapons. They were beginning to look tired, as he probably did. In every section of the Garden they were forced to fight battle after battle, using both weapons and magic. For Rinoa, who was not properly trained in such things, this must be a strain on her. Even Squall was feeling the strain, but he could not allow himself to rest yet. Not until the Garden was safe.
The Grat clambered into the corridor, and the group ran forward to fight it. Once it was defeated, the group leapt over its body and ran into the library.
Inside they saw a number of SeeDs and students, all of them taking refuge from the chaos. The damage here was not as severe as the other areas. It seemed the SeeDs had managed to hold the monsters off at the door, and had prevented any from making it inside.
One of the male SeeDs came forward. "Phew! Thanks for your help," he said.
Squall looked away. Why did all feel they had to thank him? What else was he supposed to do in this situation? Ignoring the thanks, Squall looked around the library. "The headmaster?" he asked.
Another SeeD shook his head. "The headmaster? He's definitely not here."
After making sure the SeeDs and students were okay, they left the library and headed back towards the directory. As they ran, Squall frowned in confusion. They had searched every section of the Garden, but there was no sign of the headmaster anywhere. Was it true then, that the headmaster was not on this floor at all? If that was the case, then where could he be? And where was—
"Xu!" cried Quistis.
Squall looked up. He followed Quistis's gaze, towards the steps leading to the lift. Sure enough, Xu was just ahead of them. She was running up the steps towards the lift. She had not seen them. Squall glanced at Quistis, who nodded, and they ran after her.
By the time they reached the lift, the doors had already closed and the lift was moving up. The Garden Faculty who was guarding the door was now on the ground, beaten unconscious. Squall stood in front of the door, his eyes following the lift up. It stopped at the 2F.
"She went up?"