Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rinoa was waiting for him inside the Garden. Squall ran to catch up with her. When she saw the look on his face she tried to ask what was wrong, but Squall just avoided her gaze and said that they needed to catch up to the others. Rinoa hesitated but eventually agreed, and so they headed on.
It was not long before they found their friends. Quistis, Zell and Selphie had stopped for a breather at a cross-junction further down that same corridor. Zell, as usual, was unable to keep still and kept glancing about the corridor, as though he was looking for someone. He turned around, and when he saw Squall and Rinoa running towards them he jumped for joy, startling Quistis and Selphie.
"Rinoa!" Selphie cheered when she turned and spotted them.
"You're here!" exclaimed Zell.
"Are you alright?" asked Quistis, looking relieved.
When Angelo saw her, he ran forward and began to jump around her. Rinoa, touched by their concern, could say nothing. All she could do was nod.
Footsteps could be heard from the eastern corridor and everyone turned as Irvine walked up to them. When he saw that Rinoa was with them he turned to Squall and gave him a knowing smile. Squall did not return the gesture and folded his arms. Irvine's face then grew serious, returning to the business at hand.
"The sorceress should be here somewhere," he informed everyone.
Everyone fell silent. The sorceress—Matron—was somewhere within this Garden, waiting for them. Squall then raised his gaze and strode forward. All eyes turned to him as he walked past to stand at the head of the group. He stopped before them, not turning, his face set.
No turning back now… Squall thought. Clenching his fist, he turned back to his friends. "Forget about the past!" he declared. "She's our enemy now! Don't think twice for a second. There's no way we can fight her like that. I, for one, can't." Around him the others stood silent, but Irvine and Rinoa nodded in agreement.
"She chose to fight and became our enemy," Squall continued. "We choose to fight back. We have no choice." He hesitated. "At least, I'd like to think so."
He looked around at the solemn faces of his friends, all of whom were listening intently to what he was saying. The swordsman sighed and held his head. Seems like I'm the only one confused… he thought.
"We've come this far," he said aloud. "I guess there's no need for me to say anything."
At this point Squall fell silent, still looking unsure and confused. Rinoa, seeing that look, walked over and laid her hand on his arm.
"We're still listening," she said to him. "Squall, we want to know how you feel."
The swordsman looked at her and then turned away. This 'opening up' and talking about what he felt… it made him feel awkward. Besides, this was hardly the time or the place for a heartfelt discussion. "I'll tell you later," he promised Rinoa, turning back to her. "After we all get out of this." Rinoa frowned, mulling this over. Then she nodded. Squall looked at the others. "Let's go," he said.
Everybody nodded, and they set off. Irvine took the lead as he led them down the corridor he had been exploring when Squall and Rinoa arrived. As they walked Irvine informed them of what he had found out. The army had sealed off most of the rooms—classrooms, storage rooms, etc. This meant they could not access most of the rooms they needed in order to make their way through the Garden.
Galbadia Garden implemented a very secure security system, whereby people could only access other rooms through the use of special key cards. Not all key cards, he pointed out, allowed access to all rooms, and so without the right key cards, they would not be able to get very far. On seeing the disheartened looks on their faces, Irvine quickly reassured them that everything would be all right.
When they were halfway down the corridor, Irvine came a dead stop. He spread out his arms, bringing the others to a stop also. The gunman turned and put a finger to his lips. The others nodded and kept silent. They listened.
Up a set of nearby stairs they could hear voices—two familiar voices. They were speaking in whispers, as though they were afraid of being heard. Irvine turned to Squall, who nodded as he too recognised the voices.
"Raijin and Fujin…" Squall whispered, folding his arms. So, they had gone running straight to Galbadia Garden and Seifer. Had they been sent to stop Squall and the others from reaching the sorceress? Why were they waiting, then?
Squall drew his gunblade, the chain rustling. Irvine and the rest of the group did the same. If Raijin and Fujin had been sent to stop them, a fight was inevitable.
The swordsman made slow, sure steps as he approached the stairs. He walked as quietly as he could so as not to alert the people above as to his presence. He made his way up the steps until he was about halfway up, where he stopped and peered up above him.
Sure enough, there was Raijin and Fujin. The two were standing together at the top of the stairs. They had not noticed Squall yet, and continued to talk to each other in low voices. Squall raised a hand, signalling for the others to remain behind, and then he walked up the stairs towards them.
Raijin turned his head and spotted Squall. Instead of drawing his weapon, which was still stuffed into his pockets in two broken pieces, he turned to Fujin.
"Let's just go," he said to her. "…Let's get it over with, ya know?"
Fujin closed her good eye and sighed. She had also made no move to draw her weapon. Both of them, Squall noticed, looked withdrawn and fatigued, as though they had not slept for some time.
Fujin brushed her hair from her face and turned to Squall. "…REQUEST," she said.
Squall looked from one to the other. He lowered his gunblade and gave a slight nod of his head, indicating that he was prepared to listen.
"…We're leavin' Seifer up to you now, ya know?" Raijin said, as Fujin nodded her head. "We don't know what's going on anymore, ya know? …We just want the old Seifer back, ya know?"
Seifer… Squall thought as he sheathed his gunblade. He probably thinks he can't go back now. Seifer was no different from them. He had come too far to just turn and walk away. His fate was now entwined with theirs and that of the sorceress. Seifer had chosen his path and became the sorceress' knight, while Squall and the others had chosen theirs and became his enemies. Raijin and Fujin had gone as far as they could go, and went further only out of loyalty to Seifer.
"All right," Squall replied, returning his attention to Raijin and Fujin.
Fujin inclined her head in thanks, and her silver hair fell once again over her face. With a tired look, she brushed it away. "…FATIGUED," was all she could say.
Irvine and the others, tired of waiting down below, came up the stairs. When Fujin saw them a relieved look passed over her face, and she gave a rare smile.
As Raijin and Fujin had access to Galbadia Garden, they tried to question the two on the Garden's current situation. They confirmed that the army had invaded Galbadia Garden shortly after the assassination attempt on the sorceress at Deling City. They had overthrown Headmaster Martine, took over the Garden and then proceeded to seal off various areas, allowing access to no one but the army. Unfortunately, Raijin and Fujin did not have any of the keycards needed to break through the locked areas.
They did, however, know that some of the Garden students had managed to obtain some of the keycards and were using them in defiance of the army. Irvine's face glowed with pride as he was told how these students had caused no end of trouble for the army, messing with doors, hiding supplies, and misplacing weapons. He tried to ask what had become of the rest of the students, but Raijin and Fujin just shook their heads. They advised the group to search throughout the floors to try and find the students who possessed the keycards. Raijin was sure that one of them was on the very floor they were on, for he had heard voices coming from one of the classrooms further down.
They left Raijin and Fujin and headed left, down the corridor.
As they expected, most of the classroom doors were sealed off, requiring Level 1 or Level 2 keycards to open them. In fact only one of the classrooms on that corridor was unlocked, and so the group walked straight in.
The classrooms in Galbadia Garden were very different from the ones in Balamb. Instead of paired-off desks and open windows, the classroom was organised into an auditorium, with several rows of raised desks gathered around the instructor's desk at the head of the room. A large, wide-screen monitor stood behind the instructor's desk, but it was turned off right now. The rows, the desks, the walls and the floor were all coloured a dull metal grey. Distraction was something that was prevented at Galbadia Garden, Squall thought.
At present the classroom was empty except for one male student. He was sitting on the instructor's desk and appeared to be studying, but when the door opened and Squall's party entered he leapt off the chair and sent his papers scattering onto the floor.
"Please don't kill me!" the student cried, hiding his face. "I'm not your enemy!"
Squall and the others piled into the room and closed the door behind them. "We know that," Squall told the terrified student. "We're SeeDs from Balamb Garden." He looked around at the classroom and its empty desks. "What happened here?"
After realising that they had not come here to kill him, the student calmed down. "These bastards stormed in during class and just took over the place," he told them, as he bent down to pick up his papers. "Most of the students were kicked out then." He put his papers back on the desk before turning back to the group. "You guys are here to fight the sorceress, right? Here, you can have this."
He delved into his trouser pocket and pulled out a keycard. He blew off a bit of fluff and then shoved it into Squall's hand. The swordsman looked down at it. It was a plain-looking swipe card with a big number '1' printed onto the front.
"I know two other students are hiding somewhere," the student went on. "They also have keycards to open the restricted areas. Be careful, guys."
They left the classroom and headed back down the corridor. They passed Raijin and Fujin, who were sitting on the stairs looking tired, and searched down the other corridor. The keycard they now possessed opened up some of the closed-off classrooms, but all of them were empty. They even headed up to the 3F and tried the door there, but that was sealed off with a Level 2 keycard.
After checking all the doors on the second floor, they headed back down to the first floor to search the lower corridors. During their search of the eastern corridor they ran into a group of Galbadian soldiers on their way to the courtyard to join in the battle. It was needless to say these soldiers never made it to the courtyard, and their unconscious bodies were locked inside one of the classrooms.
Through one of the doors they managed to unlock their keycard, they found not a classroom but an ice rink. They expected the rink to be abandoned, but to their surprise and horror they saw that the rink was filled with monsters. They were not like monsters they had ever seen before, for they were dressed in sports gear and were engaged in a game of ice hockey. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves, the group snuck around the perimeter of the ice rink and then slipped into the changing rooms, leaving the creatures to their game.
The changing room was in disarray—clearly some students had been in the middle of their physical training when the army came to throw them out. A door at the other end led into another empty corridor. Irvine headed down to the double doors at the end that should have taken them to the lobby, but it was locked with a Level 3 keycard. With their way blocked once again they resumed their search of the corridor, checking the classrooms they were able to unlock.
In one of the unlocked classrooms they found another male student. He did not seem surprised to see them here, and Squall noticed that he had an earpiece fitted into his ear, and a small microphone along his cheek.
"We don't stand a chance against them," the student said as he pushed a Level 2 keycard into Irvine's hand. "You're our last hope."
Irvine pocketed the card and then tilted his hat in thanks, and they left the classroom.
They went back to the sports arena and crept around the ice rink again, avoiding the hockey-playing monsters. They then returned to the cross-junction, where they paused to discuss their options. The only corridor they had not checked was the northern corridor. Irvine informed them that door led to the basketball court, but it was sealed with a Level 3 lock, and so they could not go out that way.
They returned to the 2F junction. Raijin and Fujin were still here, talking quietly to one another. They were so absorbed in their conversation that they paid no attention to Squall and his party. Seeing them like that, Squall felt a little bit sorry for them. They had not wanted any of this. All they wanted was to have Seifer back to the way he was.
They left the pair and made a search of the classrooms again, this time opening the ones with a Level 2 lock, but all the rooms were empty. Then, remembering the locked door on the level above, they headed on up the stairs again. Squall swiped the card through the lock. It beeped and then the door slid open.
They walked through the door and found themselves on an outdoor balcony overlooking the Garden's basketball court. One by one they jumped off the balcony and landed on the rubbery playing field. The last one to jump down was Angelo, who required some prompting before he jumped, landing, unfortunately, on Irvine again.
Luck was on their side: the door on the other side of the court was unlocked. They ran straight on through, and entered the Garden.
"The sorceress is probably on the 3F," Irvine said to Squall as they ran.
"The 3F?" repeated Squall. "Why do you think she'll be there?"
"The 3F is the headmaster's office," the gunman explained. "If the sorceress is to be anywhere then that is where she will be."
"Makes sense," Squall admitted. The one position of total power within Galbadia Garden would be the office of Headmaster Martine. It made sense that the sorceress would claim that room as her own. But then what had become of the headmaster, Squall wondered. Had he been thrown out like everyone else?
They reached the stairs leading up to the 2F. By now everyone knew where they were going, for they had been to this part of the Garden before. Irvine took them straight to the lift that would take them to the headmaster's floor. However there was where their luck ran out, for the lift was sealed by a Level 3 lock.
"Well, now what do we do?" Rinoa asked, kneeling by Angelo.
"We have no choice," said Squall. "We need to find the student who has the Level 3 keycard. It's the only way we're going to get up there. Come on…" He paused and looked around him. "Hey," he said, "where did Selphie go?"
Everyone looked around. Then they heard Selphie's voice, calling at them from further down the corridor. They spotted her on the 2F balcony overlooking the lobby. She was leaning over the edge of the bannister and waving her hand, signalling for them to come over.
"Umm… guys? Squall? You'd better come take a look at this!"
The others did as she bade and gathered around her. They peered down into the lobby. Zell's eyes widened and he pointed down.
"What is THAT!" he asked.
"Is it a monster?" Rinoa wondered.
Standing in the centre of the lobby was a hound. He was no ordinary hound, for he was taller than the average human, and had three monstrous heads filled with yellowed teeth as thick as a human's wrist. Saliva dripped from between those teeth, and their nostrils flared and snorted. His flesh was jet black and rippled with muscles, and behind him a long tail lashed back and forth.
"That is no monster," said Quistis, folding her arms. "That is the GF Cerberus."
As though he had heard his name, Cerberus's three heads snapped up to face them. Three pairs of yellow eyes fixed upon them, giving them a cold stare. The lips of each head curled back to bare their yellow teeth, and he snarled.
Squall looked down at the Guardian Force. The six eyes turned and settled on him. He could feel the malice within the GF, and the power he held. A GF here could only mean one thing: someone had summoned him here to prevent them from going any further. That meant that if they wanted to progress any further, they would have to get past him.
Zell and Selphie must have thought the same, for they both climbed onto the banister and then jumped down into the lobby. Rinoa, after a moment's hesitation, did the same.
"Never knew about this one," Irvine commented as he drew his gun and pushed two shells into the barrel.
"I don't think G Garden uses GF," said Quistis, unhooking her whip.
Squall laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. One of the GF's three heads was still focused on him, while the other two had turned their attention to the others, who had gathered below.
"Ahh… Let's just take it," he said. He jumped from the banister and landed behind the others. Drawing his sword, he ran to join them.
Cerberus, who had heard every word, turned his heads towards him. Each head split into what looked like a malicious, hungry grin, his sickly-yellow eyes glinting.
"…PRETTY CONFIDENT," the three heads said as one, in a deep, rumbling voice. "LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO." The heads then dropped down low, and he raised his tail high. With a roar, he leapt into the air.
The companions responded quickly. Selphie and Zell dived out of the way as Cerberus landed between them, the jaws of his two side heads snapping at the spots where they stood. The two jumped back and made way for Squall, who swung his sword and unleashed a fireball into the air. Ifrit emerged from the flames, swinging his massive fist and dealt Cerberus a powerful blow to his middle head. The impact sent the hound flying back across the lobby. He rolled across the ground until he reached the turnstiles, crashing into them.
Cerberus scrabbled back onto his feet. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes and the three heads were smiling wider, exhilarated by their show of strength.
"SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!" the hound roared, and he charged again.
Ifrit's body vanished into flame. Squall ran straight through the flames and charged right at Cerberus. The GF skidded and swiped a paw at him, but Squall dived out of the way. Swinging his sword, he cut a scrape into the GF's foreleg.
Before Cerberus could turn to retaliate, gunshots sounded and two bloody holes were punched into the hound's flank. Cerberus's right-side head glanced at the wounds and then snarled at Irvine, who was standing nearby. The gunman only grimaced as he loaded two more rounds into the barrel, but Cerberus dodged these shots and then dived at him. Irvine narrowly escaped the blow, feeling the tip of Cerberus's claws on the ends of his coat.
At a signal from Squall, Selphie ran in. She ran around the GF's left-hand side. She stretched out her hand and ice crystals dripped from her fingers and onto the floor. The ground hardened into ice, causing Cerberus to skid and scuttle, trying to maintain his balance. One paw slipped and the GF fell down onto his knees. Selphie clenched her fist and Cerberus, seeing the ice start to glow, regained his balance and leapt back just as several ice spears burst out of the ground.
Cerberus landed a few feet away. He shook a few stray crystals from his body and then ploughed forward. He broke through their lines, forcing them to split up. The group surrounded him on all sides, with Cerberus standing at the centre. Cerberus's three heads turned this way and that, taking in their positions.
The moment his left head turned away, Zell darted in to attack. Flames glowed around his fist, but before he could strike Cerberus's tail whipped around and struck him in the side. Zell was knocked aside and skidded across the floor. He rolled off the lobby steps until he stopped at the bottom, groaning.
The left head of Cerberus turned to look at him. The yellow eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, and lightning crackled between his teeth.
"THUNDAGA!" the hound bellowed.
He spat out the lightning. It hit Zell as he tried to get up. The charge struck him in the chest and enveloped him, trapping him in a shield of lightning. The fighter's cry could be heard over the hum of the lightning, and when it parted Zell was thrown clear. He hit the far wall and slumped to the ground, smoke rising from his clothing.
Cerberus opened his mouth again to fire another blast of Thundaga magic. He spat it out, but before it could hit Zell the hound saw that Rinoa had run in front of him, her palms outstretched before her.
"Reflect!" she shouted.
The barrier rose just as the lightning hit. A loud explosion ripped through the air as the magic hit the barrier, followed by a blinding flash of light that covered everything in a sheet of white. Everyone was forced to shield their eyes, all bar Cerberus, whose yellow eyes looked straight into the light.
When the light faded, Rinoa lowered her arms. The Reflect barrier still stood strong before her, unharmed by the lightning. With a wave of her hand, Rinoa cancelled the barrier. Her gaze was firm as she raised her arm and pointed her Pinwheel at the GF.
Cerberus gave her an appraising gaze. For a human to be strong enough to create a barrier able to reflect the highest level magic he possessed was no mean feat. This one, he sensed, had great magical potential, and Cerberus could not deny he was intrigued. His lips curled back and he turned towards her. He wanted to see more of that magic.
Catching movement from his right flank, Cerberus's heads snapped back around. Squall was running towards him again with his sword at the ready. Cerberus started to turn when something silver slashed across his jaw—Rinoa had released her Pinwheel.
There came a crack from behind as Quistis flicked her whip, and the end wrapped around Cerberus's tail. The hound jumped back to avoid Squall's strike and then lashed his tail, throwing Quistis clear.
After being healed by Selphie, Zell was back on his feet and running towards Cerberus. The left head started to turn when Zell jumped and delivered a shocking blow to the hound's face, knocking him off-balance. As Zell dived back Rinoa's Pinwheel came sweeping in again. It hit Cerberus on his calf, forcing him onto his knees once more.
Irvine signalled to Squall and together they ran forward. They charged Cerberus from the front, Squall providing the gunman with cover until they were right up close to Cerberus's heads. The middle head snapped its jaws. Squall dodged and then brought down the flat of his blade onto the GF's snout and pinning it to the floor. In that moment Irvine leapt over Squall and onto the hound's head, and from there onto his back. Once he was up Squall leapt out of the way, avoiding chomps from the two other heads.
While Squall and the others worked to keep Cerberus busy, Irvine positioned himself on the GF's back. Cerberus knew he was there and started to thrash, but a few strikes to his legs soon brought him down again.
Irvine knelt down at a spot between the hound's shoulder blades. There was a small dented spot that marked the central point, and it was here that Irvine placed his hand, palm down. The gunman closed his eyes and brought a picture of the GF Brothers into his mind. He felt the familiar tingle as the two Guardian Forces stirred in his mind. At Irvine's will the GF's power flowed into him, empowering him and giving him strength. Irvine drew as much energy as he dared, knowing that the more he extracted, the more his memories would dwindle away. He concentrated that energy into his hand and then drew his shotgun. Opening the barrel, he slipped in a single silver-plated bullet.
Cerberus continued to thrash. His tail raised and thumped against the ground, making it tremble. But that tremor was mild compared to what Irvine had in mind. The gunman stood and took aim at that central point in the hound's back. When the hound stilled for a moment, Irvine pulled the trigger.
The shot that landed on Cerberus carried in it more power than a 3.0 magnitude earthquake. The shockwave that followed it tore through the GF's body and then passed into the ground. It caused the beautifully paved floors of Galbadia Garden to crack and burst open. The symbol of Garden, bathed in golden light in the centre of the lobby, was split in two.
As for Cerberus, his three heads were open wide in a silent screech. Had he been a normal hound, that blow would have killed him instantly. Luckily, he was a Guardian Force and not a mortal creature, yet despite that the power behind the blow was shocking. When it ended the GF slumped onto the floor, each head rolling to the side with its tongue hanging out.
Irvine slid off the GF's back and walked around to the front. The three heads were silent, the yellow eyes closed, defeated. Irvine blew steam from the shotgun's mouth and then placed it back in its holster. He tipped his hat.
After a moment, the GF opened his eyes. With great effort he raised his three heads to look at the humans now gathered before him. He growled, disliking how quickly these humans had defeated him. It had been a long time since he was last summoned, and his body was still weary from sleep. He had to admit the humans had put on an impressive show of strength and skills, and each one had faced him directly and without fear. Cerberus had always disliked having to deign serving a human master, but when a worthy one came along, he could not refuse their right to share his power.
"NOT BAD… MORTALS…" the GF growled.
Cerberus struggled to his feet. He hunched his shoulders and there was a crunching sound as a broken bone in his right shoulder moved back into place. The Guardian Force then raised his heads high and puffed out his chest. "COME," he ordered the humans.
The companions came forward. Cerberus's six eyes looked them over before he leaned over, bowing his heads to them. Squall and the others placed their hands upon his cold snout—after a moment's hesitation. Once the Guardian Force's power had transferred, Cerberus raised his heads and growled, vanishing in a flash of light. The companions sheathed their weapons and then headed on in search of the final keycard.
They found the last student in another of the empty classrooms down one of the side corridors leading away from the lobby. This one was female and, like the others, she had an earpiece in her ear, furthering Squall's suspicions that the students were monitoring every move in the Garden.
"Here's the last card key," the student said as she passed over the keycard to Irvine. This one had a big number '3' on it, much to their relief. "The sorceress' room is on the top floor." She closed her hands around Irvine's and gazed into his eyes. "Good luck guys," she said.
Irvine tipped his hat to her, telling her that they did not need luck to win. The student looked relieved to hear such confidence, but Squall wished he had not said it. Fighting the sorceress was not going to be an easy task, if their last encounter with her was anything to go by. Only luck had kept them alive then, and Squall doubted that luck would be with them this time around.
They left the classroom and hurried back to the 2F lift. Now that they had the last keycard the lift doors opened, and so they piled in. They had barely made it inside when the doors slid closed and the lift began to move up. Everyone glanced at one another. It seemed they were expected.
The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. The companions stepped out and entered the headmaster's chamber. They stood together, their eyes turned ahead, on the person who had been waiting for them to arrive.
Seifer.