Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Alright, so we've made it into town," said Quistis once they were safely out of the soldier's hearing. "What should we do now, Squall?"

The swordsman folded his arms. Galbadia's presence in Balamb was not unexpected, but it had caught them off-guard. They did not come here to liberate a town, but seemed they would have no other choice. Squall closed his eyes. He supposed they should start by trying to find the 'commander' that the soldier mentioned, whoever she was. If they captured her, then they could force her to withdraw her troops from the town, as well as obtain valuable information about Sorceress Edea's whereabouts, and why she was searching for Ellone.

"We'll start by going to the hotel and speaking with this 'commander'," he said to the others. "But we'll proceed with caution. Don't fight unless it's absolutely necessary—! Hey! ZELL!"

"Zell! Wait!"

But Zell was not listening. He broke away from the group and ran down the street, heading into the town. Squall cursed and then started to run after him, with the others following behind him. Quistis, Rinoa and Irvine tried to call out to Zell, but nothing they said made him slow down. The fighter seemed to have forgotten all about them, and all they could was try to keep up.

Zell ran down Balamb's main straight. He did not even notice how unusually quiet the street was, nor did he notice the soldiers who were posted at periodic points along the road. These soldiers turned and watched him as he ran past, but they made no move to stop him.

He kept on running until he reached the house at the end of the road. It was an old-looking house with some recent work done to it. Over the door was an old family nameplate with the name 'DINCHT' carved onto it in faded letters. The door, as always, was unlocked, so Zell threw it open and ran inside.

"Ma, I'm home!" he cried. Then he halted. "Huh?"

He looked around. The inside of the house was empty. The kitchen, where his mother usually stood cooking her famous and delicious meals, was empty. Zell looked around him, and he scratched his head. Where was his mother, he wondered. The fighter turned back to the empty kitchen, assuring himself that his eyes were not playing tricks. She was definitely not there.

He started to get worried. He could not even remember a time when he could not envision his mother standing in that kitchen, pouring over a hot stove, with many mouth-watering aromas rising from her pots and pans. Yet the stove was now cold, and there were no delicious scents.

The front door opened again and in walked Squall and the others, panting and out of breath. Zell was aware of Quistis saying his name, but he ignored her. He looked around at the empty house. A whole manner of thoughts began racing through his mind. Most prominent of them all was that the Galbadians had taken her. Zell's fists clenched. If they so much as harmed his mother, then he would—

He paused. A small shuffling sound could be heard. Zell spun around to face the living room, which normally stood open but the door was now closed. Yes, the sound came from in there. Zell ran to the door and threw it open.

Inside the room he saw a young woman, huddling a small, frightened young boy. Zell recognised them as two of his mother's neighbours. Sitting next to them was a middle-aged woman with a wrinkled but beautiful face, greying hair that was tied back out of the way, and dark, kind eyes. When the door opened this woman turned and glared, but when her eyes fell upon Zell her anger vanished, and her mouth fell open in shock.

"Ma," cried Zell, "you're safe!"

Ma Dincht stared at him, unable to believe her eyes. She must have chosen to believe them, for she rose and then threw her arms around Zell, pulling him close and holding him tight. Zell returned the embrace, relieved that she was safe.

"Zell!" said Ma Dincht, and her voice trembled with emotion. She released him and held his face in her worn hands. "How on earth did you get into town!"

"It's all in the brains, ma," replied Zell, tapping his head. "We just said we had some info on Ellone. Piece o' cake!"

Ma Dincht nodded. She stroked Zell's cheeks and looked him over, taking him in. Then, aware that his friends were in the doorway watching, she pulled herself together. "What a relief…" she said, letting him go. "I was worried you might have beaten up one of the guards." At this Zell flushed and scratched his head as she continued. "The soldiers have threatened that the sorceress will burn the town to the ground should there be any disturbance."

"Sorceress Edea?" asked Squall, walking into the room. "Is she here?"

Ma Dincht turned to him. "I noticed a woman with the Galbadian army," she answered. "Grey hair, patch over one eye…"

Grey hair…? A patch over one eye…? There was only one person Squall knew who fitted that description. "Must be Fujin," he assumed. "So they're here…?"

He folded his arms. Now that he thought about it, he had not seen nor heard anything of the two of them since the missile strike. There had not been time to do a check on all the students, so it was possible that the two could have been missed. Fujin and Raijin must have fled the Garden before it took off. But why were they with the Galbadian army?

"Leave it to me!" Zell declared in a loud voice, breaking Squall's thoughts. "I'll get rid of those jokers!"

Around him the others nodded their accord. Squall then frowned and gazed out of the living room window, where Galbadian soldiers patrolled the streets.

…Could Seifer be here, too, he wondered.

Without thinking, Squall rubbed his wrists. Just thinking of Seifer made him angry. This whole thing with Seifer and the sorceress… It was going too far. Seifer seemed so caught up in his 'dream' of being the sorceress' knight that he was blinded to all else that was going on around him. Did Seifer even realise what he was doing anymore? And what about Fujin and Raijin, who had vowed to follow Seifer until the end? Could they even see what was happening?

His thoughts were interrupted once more when he heard Ma Dincht speaking, and he turned back to the conversation.

"They say the town will be released in several fays," the woman was saying. "I wonder if it's true? The whole town's on edge. The residents, the soldiers…"

It was no wonder the soldiers were tense, Squall thought as they left Ma Dincht and her frightened guests. President Deling was a ruthless dictator, but he was nothing in comparison to the sorceress. Sorceress Edea was a woman who was both beautiful and terrifying, and the immense magical power she commanded meant that there were few who would dare to stand against her. Sorceresses were both respected and feared, but it was fear that won above all.

Now that Zell had assured himself that his mother was safe and well, Squall outlined their plan once more. They would seek out the Galbadian commander in charge of the town. Once captured, they would force her to reveal all that she knew about the sorceress' whereabouts, and Ellone, if she knew anything. Squall was unsure the Galbadians knew anything about Ellone except from her name, which meant that they had the advantage.

The others nodded, agreeing with Squall's plan. Only Zell looked discontented and he shuffled from foot to foot, his hands itching to cause trouble for the Galbadians who had invaded his home. Only his mother's warning kept him from running off and beating the hell out of the soldiers.

Following the soldier's instructions, the companions headed towards the Balamb Hotel. They noticed that the number of soldiers increased the closer they got to the docks and, as Ma Dincht had said, they all looked tense. Perhaps it was not just the town that was under threat if there was any trouble, Squall wondered.

They reached the Balamb Hotel. Two soldiers were posted outside. So this was where the Galbadians had made their base of operations in Balamb, Squall realised. They had taken over the hotel, and forced its occupants out of town.

When the soldiers saw them approach, they stiffened and raised their weapons.

"What do you want!" one of them snapped. "If it's the commander you're looking for, I have strict orders not to let anyone through."

Squall stepped forward. "We were told to come here," he told the soldiers. "We have information on Ellone that the commander would want to hear."

At this the soldier froze, and he lowered his weapon an inch. "…What?" he asked. "Information about Ellone?" He looked at his companion. After a gesture, they both turned away. "Hmmmm… More rumours?" he asked in a low voice.

The other soldier nodded. "You know that we'll get a salary cut if we let 'em through without confirmation," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know… In this army your salary gets cut based on just how the boss is feeling," said the first soldier with a sigh.

"I guess it goes with the territory when you can't choose your own boss," said the second, also with a sigh.

The companions watched while the soldiers whispered to one another. Squall crossed his arms. He had guessed that it would not be as easy to fool as the one at the gate, even with the promise of information on Ellone.

Zell, who was growing impatient, shouted to the soldiers: "Yo, listen! We have top secret info! Bring the commander out here!"

Squall hushed him, and the fighter closed his mouth, looking sullen. The two soldiers looked back at them. They looked at Zell and then at Squall, and then to the rest of the group. It was clear, even to them, that these were not ordinary townspeople. The soldiers turned away again.

"These guys are kinda… suspicious, huh?" the first one whispered.

"Yeah, totally!" replied the other.

The soldiers shared a look, and they both grinned. Then they turned back and stood at attention, holding their heads high.

"Have some respect for the captain!" declared the first soldier in a loud and brash voice. "The captain is currently on patrol!" His comrade nodded, and repeated that they must look for the captain if they wanted to speak with the commander.

With nothing else left to do, Squall and the others left the hotel and walked around the corner, to the docks. Once out of sight of the soldiers, they stopped.

"Now what?" asked Quistis.

"Now we just have to find the captain," said Rinoa with a smile.

"I know that," Quistis replied, sounding terse. "What I mean is: where are we going to find the captain? He could be anywhere in this town."

"Ah, to hell with it!" snapped Zell. He raised his fists. "Just forget the commander! Let's pummel the Galbadians and force them outta here!"

Irvine clapped a hand on the fighter's shoulder. "Have you forgotten already?" said the gunman. "Your ma said that the sorceress plans to burn this place to the ground if there's any trouble." The fighter glared and then sagged, giving in.

"Well, Squall?" asked Rinoa, turning to him. "We're waiting for a decision."

Squall frowned. …I'm getting sick of this leader thing, he thought, and he was sure that he had thought those words before. "We can't start trouble," he said to the others. "The only way we can get Galbadia out of here is to eliminate the commander. We know where she is," he said, waving a hand at the hotel. "As for the captain… Let's ask around. Somebody ought to know where he is."

"'He'?" asked Rinoa, curious. "What makes you think the captain's a 'he'?"

Squall shrugged. "I have an idea who the captain might be, if the commander is who I think she is," he replied. "But let's find him first." He looked around and then pointed across the road, towards the docks. "Let's try the docks first."

They headed to the docks. As they had suspected, the Galbadian presence was heaviest here. There were dozens of soldiers stationed here. They were searching every inch of the docks, searching for any traces that might lead them to Ellone. The soldiers stopped anyone who passed by and subjected them to a series of questions they could not possibly hope to answer, and then sending them on their way when they were done with them. Some soldiers used sniffer dogs to search around cars, boats and even fishing equipment, all in the vain hope that they might find some clue of Ellone there.

Even Squall and the others did not pass unscathed. One brash and arrogant soldier, whose temper was already frayed from working long hours in the heat of the day, stopped them and subjected them to a series of quick-fire questions. Of course Squall could not say where Ellone was, for he did not know either. The last he had seen of her was when she left him in the library that day, when she left the Garden for the sorceress' SeeD ship.

Once the soldier released them from his questioning, the group headed out onto the docks. There was a cool breeze here, which was a welcome relief from the sun's warmth. Squall almost felt sorry for the soldiers, having to work in those heavy uniforms… almost.

Here the search continued. All the fishing boats had been moored and were in the process of being search. People's belongings were flung from the boats and piled along the docks, where they were subjected to a thorough search.

Squall looked around at the soldiers as they continued their fruitless search. With nothing to go on but Ellone's name, it was no wonder that the search of Balamb was taking so long. How did the sorceress ever expect them to find her like this?

Remembering why they were here, Squall took another look around. The person he was looking for was not here. Squall decided to risk asking one of the soldiers. He went over to a nearby soldier, who was standing by one the vehicles parked on the dock. There was a sniffer dog at his feet, sniffing the vehicle. He was in luck, for the soldier told him just what he needed to know.

"Oh, the captain? Yeah, he was just fishing here. He caught a few and got really excited. Said he was gonna eat 'em right away."

Squall returned to the others with this new information. "So now we just need to find out where he's cooking them," the swordsman finished.

"What kind of captain is he, if he starts fishing on the job?" Rinoa asked, shaking her head.

Zell looked shocked. "Are you kidding!" he asked. "Who wouldn't go fishing in Balamb? Balamb fish are famous! And my ma cooks them the best! Ask anybody around here—they'll tell you!"

Rinoa put her hands on her hips and shook her head. Squall turned to the fighter. "Zell…" he began. "Is that true? Would anybody here really tell the Galbadians that your mother is the best cook in Balamb?"

"Of course!" replied Zell, and he looked hurt. "You doubt me!"

Squall shook his head. "It's not that I doubt you, but…" An idea was forming in his mind. He nodded. "We should head back to your mother's. If I'm right, we'll find the captain there. Come on!"

He ran on ahead, and the others followed him. Only Zell remained behind, looking confused. Then, realising that he was being left behind, Zell called after them and ran to catch up.

The moment they arrived back at the Dincht household they knew that something was different about it. Before, everything had been closed off. Now the door to the house was ajar, and the kitchen window was wide open. Steam poured out of this window, carrying with it the pungent stench of old fish.

They entered the house. The stench of fish was stronger here, and had filled the house. Ma Dincht was in her kitchen with her hands on her hips and her face scrunched up in dislike, looking at the state of her kitchen. When she heard the door she turned, but she relaxed when she saw that it was Zell and his friends.

"Just now, a man came in and asked if he could use the kitchen…" said Ma Dincht when Zell asked her. "I think he cooked some fish. The whole room is filled with this strange odour." She wrinkled her nose. "Must've been pretty bad fish to give off this odour. I wonder if he's really going to eat it. Said he was going to eat with his men. Hope nothing happens to them…"

Zell sighed and chuckled. Only his mother would be worried about a person's health at a time like this.

But this posed another problem. If Ma Dincht was right, then they had already missed their chance of locating the Galbadian captain. Yet, with a stench as foul as this one, he should not be too hard to find.

They headed for the door. As they reached it a loud cry came from outside, followed by more shouts and the sound of running footsteps. Irvine opened the door a crack and peered out. A young boy came running past the house, chased by three Galbadian soldiers. One of them, Irvine noticed, had a dent in his helmet where a well-aimed stone had hit him on the head.

"Best stay in the house for a while," Ma Dincht advised. She picked up a towel and wafted it, trying to clear the smell from her kitchen. "Those soldiers are so tetchy; you don't know what they'll do. Zell, why don't you take your friends up to your room? I'll let you know when everything's clear."

Zell bit his lip, his face torn. "We can't stay at the hotel…" he reasoned. He bit harder and then at long last he groaned and sagged over. "Aah, I guess we have no choice!" He straightened himself and turned to the others. "Let's just go to my room and rest." Seeing the smiles on Quistis and Irvine's faces he quickly added: "It's not like I'm inviting you guys, ok! It's 'cause we have no choice!"

With that, Zell stormed up the stairs. The others followed him eagerly. Squall remained behind a moment. He folded his arms. What was so bad about them seeing his room?

Squall caught up to the others at the top of the stairs. It was only a small house with three bedrooms. One belonged to his mother and another belonged to Zell. For the third room Zell offered no description, other than it contained some of his grandfather's old belongings. The fighter took a key out from a side cabinet and unlocked the door. He tensed, as though preparing himself, and then opened the door.

Before the door was fully open, Rinoa brushed past him and ran into the room. Her eyes were wide and full of interest as she looked around, and she was surprised by what she saw.

It was an amazingly tidy room, she thought. Rinoa had expected to find a room so messy it was as though a storm had hit it. She expected clothes to be strewn all of the room, some clean and some unwashed, a whole manner of gadgets and gizmos, video games and loud music. Instead the floor was clean, the clothes neatly folded away, and everything was in perfect order. There was a punch bag in the corner of the room and a smaller one hanging over the bed, but aside from that there was nothing scandalous about it. Rinoa felt rather disappointed.

Squall came up beside her. "So this is Zell's room…?" he wondered.

"Well," said Irvine, "it's not very interesting hanging out in a guy's room anyway…" He paused, staring ahead. His jaw fell open. "Whoa! What is that!"

The gunman ran over to the far wall. Hanging on the wall here was a small collection of rifles. There were three of them altogether, of various styles and sizes, and they were in near-perfect condition. They had been well kept, Irvine noticed, and polished with a great deal of love and care. Irvine pressed his palms against the wall as he gazed up at the rifles, his eyes sparkling in delight.

"These are some of them old school rifles," the gunman said, his voice a whisper.

Zell closed the bedroom door. When he saw Irvine admiring the rifles, he beamed with pride. "Those are my grandpa's," he said. Then, seeing Irvine's longing face, he added: "Don't even think about it."

But it looked as though Irvine would be unable to contain his excitement. His fingers tensed, itching to hold the rifles and examine them up close. Aside from women, Irvine cherished guns more than anything else in the world. For him, there was nothing more enchanting than holding a brand new rifle, feeling the firm, smooth finish of the barrel beneath his fingers, hearing the gentle click of chamber as it locked shut, and that first squeeze as he fired that very first shot. These were old, but they were just as beautiful. Irvine could not help but wonder just how many appreciative hands had fired from those weapons. At that moment Irvine was like a little boy, and all he wanted was to hold them, just for a while.

"Oh man, oh man!" he breathed. "These are so COOL!"

Zell blushed and scratched his head. He felt proud that his grandfather's old rifles had caused this much excitement. Zell knew next to nothing about guns, but it was nice to have one over on Irvine for a change.

"…Heh heh… Well… Alright…" he said, giving in. "Go ahead, check 'em out!"

He had not even finished speaking when Irvine reached up and snatched the middle rifle from its stand. In his eagerness he pulled a little too hard, causing the wall to shake a little, but it was enough to make the other rifles on the wall become unbalanced.

The top one fell first. Seeing it fall, Irvine dropped the rifle he was holding and reached up to catch it. As he moved he slipped and fell against the wall. This caused the other rifle to fall from its stand. Irvine tried to grab that one too but he missed, and in doing so he lost his grip on the one he was holding. All three rifles clattered to the floor.

Zell's face turned crimson. "YOOOO!" he cried. "The HELL you doin'!" He ran over to Irvine, trembling with rage.

Squall held his head. …I knew he would… he thought to himself.

Irvine bent down to pick up the dropped rifles. Zell shoved past him and snatched the guns from his hands, placing them back upon the wall where they belonged. The gunman offered no apology and just gave him a sheepish grin.

While the men were tidying up the mess they had made, Quistis walked around the bedroom, looking around.

"It's so clean for a guy's room," she commented. She stopped and turned to the corner of the room, where a brand new T-board was propped against the desk. Quistis's brow furrowed. "Hey? Zell, I thought you had your T-board confiscated?"

Zell followed her gaze. He rubbed his nose, and chuckled. "Heh-heh. Once you reach my calibre, you've gotta have more than one."

Quistis raised an eyebrow, giving him a sceptical look. Then a thought occurred to her and she smirked. She started to giggle, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

Seeing this, Zell ran over to her. "What?" he asked her. "What's so funny?"

"Ha, ha, ha…" Quistis laughed. "I just remembered something." She waved her hand in apology, and then turned to Squall. "Do you know about Zell's famous 'incident'?" she asked him.

Squall frowned and folded his arms. He could not recall ever hearing anything. "What incident?" he asked.

"Well, Zell was riding his T-board through the hallways of the Garden. He made a sharp turn and went right into the women's rest…"

"Arrrr!" cried Zell, cutting her off. "That's enough of that story!" He waved his arms, but Quistis just laughed all the more.

A long silence fell upon the room. Irvine continued to admire the rifles—at a distance, under Zell's watchful eye—while Quistis continued to regale them all with tales of Zell's 'adventures' within Garden. Whenever it came to the embarrassing bits Zell tried to cut her off by yelling, at which Quistis just gave him an innocent smile.

After a few minutes Rinoa, growing bored, got up and took a walk around the room. She stopped by the wall where the rifles stood. She looked them over and then above them, where hung a picture of an elderly man. Although he was old he did not look frail. He had a firm face with a strong jaw, and eyes that were both hard and filled with compassion. It almost reminded Rinoa of her father, General Caraway, and for a moment she felt a pang of sadness.

"Is that your grandfather, Zell?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Yep!" replied Zell. He came to stand beside her, and his eyes were full of love and pride as he also gazed up at the picture. "He's the person I look up to the most. He played a big role in the last war. He wasn't just strong. He knew when to attack, when to retreat… Any kind of situation, he maintained his composure and stayed cool…"

Squall turned from the window. "…So basically, the opposite of you," he said.

At this Irvine and Quistis chuckled, while Rinoa burst out laughing and had to hold herself up to keep from falling over. Zell, meanwhile, stared at Squall in open-mouthed shock.

"Yo, Squall!" he shouted. "Why you dissin' me!"

The swordsman said nothing. Rinoa, done with her laughter, went over and stood beside him. She had a grin on her face as she leaned over peering up at him.

"It's probably none of my business," she said, "but… Maybe you're being a little too 'cool', Squall…?"

Squall grunted in response and turned his head away.

"Heh, heh, heh…" Zell chuckled. "She got you there, Squall. Why don't you try to show a little more passion…? You know, like me!"

Squall closed his eyes. The last thing anybody ever needed was someone with as much 'passion' as Zell. "Let's rest up…" he said.

Even as he spoke, there came a hushed called from downstairs. Zell left the room. He returned a moment later to inform them that his mother had said the coast was now clear. They headed back downstairs. Even with the kitchen window open the stench of the fish was still overpowering. It would take a while for the scent to dissipate from the house. The companions thanked Ma Dincht for her aid and then left the house. Ma Dincht watched them from the doorway and then, once they were safely across the street, she closed the door again.

The group gathered at the street corner. The soldiers patrolling the main road had returned to their stations, and all was quiet again.

Instead of returning the docks to continue their search for the captain, Squall suggested that they now search the other side of town. They headed down the street and were just about to take the west road to the station when a woman crossing the road suddenly stopped and stared at them. Squall stared back at her. What was she looking at?

The woman looked around her. Satisfied that no one else was in earshot, she crossed over to them.

"Um…" she said, sounding hesitant. "Please don't get angry. I don't mean to offend you but… um… The five of you… REALLY STINK…!" And with that she walked away from them at speed, holding her nose.

The companions looked at one another. They sniffed at their clothing. What the woman said was true: the stench of the rotten Balamb fish from Ma Dincht's kitchen had seeped into their clothing. It was an awful stench, and now they were stuck with it.

Squall rubbed his sleeve. It was a shame, he thought, that they had been unable to bring Rinoa's dog Angelo with them. The dog's sensitive nose would have picked up this scent and used it to track down the Galbadian captain. Squall then paused, as an idea came to him. If they could not use Angelo's nose to track the captain, then they would have to use another dog…

Squall lowered his arm. "Let's go back to the docks," he said, and before anybody could ask why he turned and walked off. The others looked at one another in confusion and then hurried after Squall.

They returned to the docks. As Squall had hoped, the soldier with the sniffer dog was still there. Both soldier and dog looked very bored at this point, but if what Squall had planned worked, things were about to get very interesting.

On Squall's instruction, Zell and Irvine went over to the soldier. While they tried to engage him in conversation about the different types of Balamb fish, Squall snuck up from behind. He knelt down beside the dog, which was yawning in boredom. He put his sleeve to the dog's nose. The dog looked at him, curious, and then sniffed his sleeve.

All at once the dog leapt to its feet. It barked and then bounded forward. The movement yanked its leash from the hands of the soldier, who could only stare in bafflement as his dog tore away from him. The dog ran along the docks and into the street, heading towards the hotel.

The soldier turned upon the group. "You idiots!" he yelled. "What scent did you have the dog sniff!"

Except that the group was already moving. The others had now figured out Squall's plan, and they all ran at full speed to keep up with the dog.

They followed the dog past the Balamb Hotel. The two soldiers guarding the door jumped back in alarm as the dog came tearing past them, its tongue lolling out of its mouth and paws skidding against the ground. When the dog passed they started to relax, but then threw themselves back again as Squall and his friends also came running past them.

The dog led them past the shops and the residential areas, until it at last reached the train station. With the Galbadians in town the intercontinental train was down, but the station itself remained open while the soldiers conducted their search. A woman shrieked and almost fell down the stairs as the dog came charging past her and into the station. She was saved only by the quick-thinking conductor, who caught her before she fell. Squall and the others ran past them, and Quistis called out a quick apology as they ran inside.

The train was still on the platform, the door to the main carriage open. The dog stopped outside the door, howled, and then ran into the train. Squall and the others stopped outside the train, panting for breath.

There was a moment's silence. Then there came the sound of a crash, followed by a startled yell.

A figure emerged from the train, almost falling down the platform steps in his haste. On seeing him Squall knew at once that his suspicions were correct. The Galbadian army 'captain', and the 'commander', were both people they knew very well. It was Ma Dincht who had first set Squall onto it, the moment she described Fujin as being present with the army.

The man stumbled across the platform. He did not see them, and when he turned and saw the dog come running out after him, he turned back and ran across the platform. He brushed past Squall without even noticing him, and headed out of the station.

Squall ran to the door. "It's Raijin!" he shouted. "…Come on!"

A Note from the Authoress

Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up. I've been ill the past week or so, and then I had a week's holiday so I took an extended break. But I'm back on track now.