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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 2 - The Goddess War

Chapter 9 - The Wanderer

9.5 -Dogs of War

The moment Maduin stepped outside to face the unknown beast plaguing Antissa, he knew the meaning of the scent Elphis had described as "rotten chocobo eggs". The pungent odor filled the night air and, as a scientist, he recognized the smell instantly. It was the unmistakable aroma of sulfur gases, a common scent found around volcanic vents. Now that Narsille had been turned into a seething cauldron of fire, it made sense that anyone or anything coming from that region, including himself, would carry this unpleasant scent.

Another series of howls roared through the village, and Maduin braced himself for action. Mr. Laperdeau and the other men of Antissa had already organized themselves into a small army of a few hundred, and were marching with whatever weapons they could find towards the northern edge of the town, where the beast always appeared. Short swords, pitchforks, torches, and as many guns as could be found, primitive by Narsillian standards, were in every hand.

Maduin had not joined the mob at his father-in-law's request, for fear of panic. For now, he would wait just behind the men and attack only when the beast showed itself. He would prove his loyalties directly by fighting by their side, a guardian spirit of sorts. Actions would do far more than words, and there would be no time for uncomfortable questions about where he came from in the heat of battle. Maduin hoped that as soon as the men saw his power, they would back away and leave the fight to him. If this creature was as dangerous as Elphis claimed, their feeble weapons would do nothing against it. And if it was of a magical origin, as Maduin suspected, then only another magical being would stand a chance of defeating it. Or so he hoped.

When Maduin reached the northern gate, he could see the villagers standing in a thick mass, blocking any entrance into the village. Try as he might, he still could not see the source of those infernal howls, but he knew it must be very close. The sulfurous scent was almost overpowering now, and the tripled howls were deafening roars. But even with the light of the twin full moons and a blazing wall of torchlight, nothing but blackness could be seen beyond the gate.

There was one more proof that the beast was close, though, and it was something Maduin alone could feel. Like the tug of the wretched gravity crystal he once wore, he could feel the pull of some immense magical force approaching Antissa. It felt different from the frigid grip of Doom that had reached out from within the crystal. This energy was hot and rage-filled, a vengeful presence his body instantly associated with Sade, and his fiery Master, Moloch. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn it was the Esper triad of Crusader itself gliding down from the mountains of its stronghold to attack the tiny village. Whatever this creature was, it was undoubtedly an emissary of Moloch.

Maduin snuck as close to the group as he could, ready to leap into action at the first sign of battle. He did not want any of the villagers to get hurt, least of all Mae's father. His magical senses told him the creature must be right outside the gate now, but still nothing could be seen. The howls had stopped abruptly, but Maduin felt that only meant the creature was getting ready to make its strike. Maduin was not used to battle or violence, and the surge of blood he felt coursing through him at the thought of a real fight him made him nervous. His strange powers were still too new, too untested. If he did fight this creature, was he sure he could control himself?

Before Maduin could answer this question to himself, an angry snarl rose from just in front of the wall of villagers, and the ground trembled. Now something was plainly visible and audible, galloping towards the puny humans, shaking the earth with each bound. Two glowing coals of eyes gleamed in the darkness, then two more appeared on their right, and then a third pair blinked on the other side. Arcing gouts of flame burst from three blood-red mouths, and the stink of sulfur gas belched forth with each exhalation of fire.

And yet, the pitch black body of the charging monster still could not be seen. Only its six glowing eyes, three bloody mouths, and flaming breath were visible to the terrified men. The fighters were unsure how to handle their invisible adversary, and did the only thing their instincts dictated. With a wild cry, the entire body of warriors surged forward, ready to collide with whatever mighty force was hurtling towards them. Gunshots rang out from the men in the rear, hoping to hit a target they could only guess at.

Maduin knew he had only seconds to intervene, and with a burst of blue energy he leapt over the town wall and threw his body directly towards the right flank of rushing villagers, where he felt the magical energy of the beast most. A sickening crunch of colliding bodies ahead of him told Maduin he was too late to completely avoid involving the townsfolk, but there was no stopping his momentum now. As Maduin finally caught a glimpse of the rapidly approaching monster, he knew everything Elphis had said about it was true. Horribly, impossibly true.

It was easily the size of a house, even larger than the Laperdeau's humble cottage. The sheer size of its bulk distorted its shape, but there was no mistaking the canine features of a powerful mastiff, bred for war. Small patches of decaying grey fur spotted its smooth, heavily muscled body, but it was mostly hairless, putting its unnaturally jet black skin on full display. The thick, segmented tail looked like the long tail of a giant lizard, whipping back and forth in a frenzied anticipation of the kill. And as hard as it was to believe, the hound really did have three separate heads attached to the single massive frame. Each head bore the same look of utter wildness in its point-like eyes, with drool like molten lead dripping from each of their wide maws. Whatever this creature was, it was an abomination.

By the time Maduin slammed into the beast's iron-hard sides, the cloying smell of blood was already covering everything. The initial rush by the villagers had been predictably disastrous, with most of the brave frontliners being either burnt by the flames or crushed by powerful feet and teeth. Swords clanged off the armor-like hide, and bullets ricocheted into the night, but the monster continued its charge unheeded, trampling or biting anything that tried to get in front of it. Screams of the dying or terror-stricken rose over the din of violence, and above all, the alien howls of a creature that should never have existed.

When Maduin made contact, at first it felt like he had done nothing but clang harmlessly off the creature's side, like just another useless pest. But as he continued to push, propelling his body forward like a magical missile, he felt the thick muscles give way. The force of the blow expanded across the beast's flesh in a rippling wave, and it was a full second before it even knew it had been struck by something substantial. Abruptly, it stumbled to the side as it ran, rolling over several unlucky fighters before righting itself. The tripled look of surprise in its three pairs of eyes told Maduin he had definitely made an impression on the beast.

For a moment, the battle ceased and all was quiet, save the wails of the dying. The remaining villagers stood stock still, staring at not one, but two nightmares before them. Maduin stood on one side of the blood-soaked field, and a dozen yards away on the other side, the giant hound stood quivering with rage, steam rising from its superheated skin. All three heads snarled at this unexpected new arrival with tight grimaces. Short bursts of flame shot from three rapidly dilating snouts as the beast caught its breath. The cold gleam of an intelligent mind calculating a new variable appeared on all three faces. Then the creature spoke.

"Who are you..." the middle head growled in a low voice so feral it was almost unintelligible.

Maduin was so shocked at hearing the creature speak, he simply stared at it like the dumb animal he had assumed it to be.

The creature let out a fiery bark from its left head, then repeated the question impatiently. "Who are you!"

Maduin stumbled for his voice, not expecting any need to communicate with the monster. "I am Maduin, protector of this village. Leave this village and do not return, and no harm will come to you!"

All three heads barked in laughter at this pronouncement. "Ah...I know of you, Ex-Herald. I am known as Cerberus, Esper of Moloch, and I have claimed this place for the mighty Crusader. A worthless traitor like you has no business here. Leave!" The last utterance was more bark than word, and as Cerberus spoke, it reared up on its hind legs, all three heads arched upwards, mouths gaping.

Before Maduin could respond, a great flood of flames spread from the three heads, covering the entire span between the two battlers in a sea of red, orange, and yellow. Several more villagers were caught in the blaze, and screamed horribly as they were burnt to cinders. Watching them, Maduin could feel his blood rushing in his ears, anger filling every corner of his body. Such reckless carnage was the hallmark of Crusader.

Maduin quickly darted his eyes across the battlefield, looking for Mae's father, fearing he was already lost. He found the haggard-looking man standing near the edge of the flames, covered in burns and with his sword arm hanging limply to one side. Mr. Laperdeau was wounded, but alive. A cool rush of relief washed some of the blinding anger from Maduin's senses, but he knew no one was safe yet.

As the flames raced straight at Maduin, he closed his eyes and centered his own magical energies. Just as the wall of fire should have impacted him, an equally powerful barrier of freezing cold expanded outwards from Maduin's body, stopping it. The two opposing elements clashed, and a cloud of steam obscured Maduin's side long enough for him to conjure as large a block of ice as he could manage, and send it hurtling through the cloud towards Cerberus, who was still standing on its hind legs, belching an endless stream of fire.

The boulder-sized chunk of ice smashed into the mouth of the middle head, eliciting a yowl of pain from the surprise attack, but no obvious damage.

"Cheap tricks won't save you," the dog said angrily from its left head, crushing the remnants of ice in its central mouth as it spoke. It shook its shaggy heads and leapt into the sky, clearing the field in a single, blindingly fast bound.

Maduin saw the massive shadow of the dog blot out the moon, then felt the weight of a mountain descend on him before he could dodge out of the way. He was pinned in an instant, the vast hulk of Cerberus overpowering him with ease. The stench of its rotten, sulfuric breath was nauseating as it huffed hotly in Maduin's face. Elphis had been right on this point as well - the huge jaws of this monster could easily rip him in half and devour him whole if it chose.

"You escaped once, but you will not again." Cerberus growled right in Maduin's face. "I will take your magicite remains to Crusader personally."

Maduin's eyes widened in surprise. How did this beast of an Esper know about magicite? What had Crusader been doing inside the walls of Narsille since his escape?

Sensing Maduin's surprise, Cerberus barked smugly from his right head, the feverish drool seeping onto Maduin's skin. Even through his rock-hard skin, he could feel the heat of the spittle as it ate into his flesh. The pain was excruciating.

"You are a fool," Cerberus continued, reading Maduin's reaction easily. "You forsook the knowledge of the gods, and now you stumble blindly, as ignorant as any pathetic human. You know nothing of Espers, nothing of our power, of our destiny!"

Maduin wondered what kind of human this fiend had been before he was turned into the Esper Cerberus. Power was a potent drug, and he knew there would be plenty of humans like Sade and Levi who would gladly give up their humanity for the power of an Esper, as grotesque as their forms could be. Which had been this sorry creature's fate? Was he a hapless victim who's inner will could be reached, and perhaps saved like he was, or was he just another power-hungry madman, drunk on the lies of a false god?

"Why are you doing this?" Maduin struggled from underneath the suffocating pressure of the beast's paws.

"We Espers will rule this world once the humans have been eradicated." Cerberus replied, savoring his moment of victory. "Once enough humans have been sacrificed to my Master, he will return and create a world of fire, where only chosen Espers are allowed to live. We will build a glorious new world, and I will be one of the elite, the chosen. And you, you will be nothing but ash!"

Cerberus's mouths opened wide and Maduin could feel the intense heat of oncoming flame from deep inside the monster's throat. He knew even his body would not be able to withstand the blast for more than a few agonizing moments. No matter how hard he pushed up against the giant claws digging into his chest, there was no escape. Maduin wondered briefly what death was like for an Esper...was it the same as a human's death? Would he be able to speak through his own magicite, and warn the world of the madness of the gods?

Maduin prayed silently to Elia, hoping the Nacre would respond as it had when he thought all hope was lost deep in the bowels of Narsille. But nothing happened. The Nacre, still hanging around his neck, remained cold and dead, only a faint glimmer of light flickering in its pearls. It was true then, the gods really had abandoned him. There was no one left to save him now. He had been useless after all. He closed his eyes tightly as the bright flash of white-hot fire filled his vision.

"Hyah!"

The impending rush of fire ceased, and Maduin felt sudden coolness as the great jaws of Cerberus snapped shut in pain. Opening his eyes slightly, his sight blurred by the blinding flames that had threatened to destroy him a second ago, he saw a wave of tiny specks wash over the body of the giant hound. He could just make out the familiar form of Mr. Laperdeau, hacking futilely at Cerberus's side with his pathetic blade, now horribly bent. Shockingly, there was a sharp dagger planted straight through one of the tongues of the beast. Blood dripped from the wound onto Maduin's face, snapping him back to reality.

"No...get away...don't fight..." Maduin gasped. The weight of the giant Esper was still on his chest, but now it was distracted, having to deal with the surprise attack of the remaining villagers. Maduin felt he could wriggle a bit more now that the beast wasn't focusing all its strength on him, but he knew it was all in vain. The foolish villagers would just be slaughtered, and nothing would have changed.

"Get up and fight, you bloody idiot!"

Maduin heard the voice, but couldn't believe it. It was the voice of a woman, clear and sharp like a musical instrument. He had seen no women before, and there shouldn't be any but the strongest men of the village here. What was going on?

A second sharp cry of pain rose from Cerberus as another cruel dagger found its mark in one of the glowing red eyes of its right head. The infernal light flickered out, but the unnatural creature had more than enough eyes to compensate. With a huge lunging swipe, it struck at the source of the daggers, giving Maduin the chance he needed to extricate himself.

With a terrific push, Maduin lifted the left side of the monster forcing it to lose its balance as it lunged at its unseen attacker with its right side. Maduin rolled out from under the toppling mass of muscle, just barely avoiding getting crushed himself.

"It's about damn time!" the harsh voice of the woman rang out from Maduin's right as he got to his feet.

The woman was standing just out of reach of Cerberus's claws, a set of four daggers between her fingers ready to toss with lethal precision. There was a look of impatience on her face as she watched Maduin recover himself, apparently far slower than she desired. But there was also the crazed look of bloodlust in her features that said she might just start throwing her weapons at him if he didn't hurry up. Who was this wild woman?

"A little help, big guy?" She said lightly, completely changing her countenance from anger to glee as she danced out of the way of the rising Cerberus's swipes like a ballerina. Her ginger-colored hair swirled around her as she moved with perfect grace in the face of the hideous beast. With each evasive turn of her finely toned body, she flung another dagger at the enormous Esper, every weapon finding its mark in a vital spot. Two more eyes went dark, one dagger stuck in the upper jaw of an open mouth, and one more was embedded deep in the fleshy armpit beneath the right shoulder as it rose to strike. Cerberus howled in rage and humiliation as it staggered under the relentless assault.

Maduin had never seen anything like it. This unknown woman was the fiercest fighter he had ever seen. A human, going up against an Esper...and winning? From the look of her clothing, she was not from Antissa, and not a wanderer from Narsille, either. She wore an elegant, full-length dress that was as black as Cerberus's skin and flowed around her in perfect time with her movements. It was hardly battle gear, but it complemented her style of fighting beautifully. If she wasn't darting in and out of the clutches of a giant beast, she could easily pass for a noblewoman from some foreign land.

"Who...?" Maduin stammered, at a loss for words.

"Hey, do something! I haven't got an endless supply of these, you know!" the woman yelled as she danced around the increasingly furious Cerberus.

It was true, she only had three knives left, and then the beast could take her at his leisure. For now, the chastened Esper hound was afraid to open his mouths to spit fire, since every time he did, he received another dagger in his throat. As soon as she ran out of weapons, the game would be up.

Around her, the few remaining villagers were doing their best to keep up their attack. Mr. Laperdeau had gone down when Cerberus's tail struck him savagely across the chest and sent him and his weapon flying. He now was kneeling off to the side of the fight, wheezing and clutching his chest with his good hand. The gunners had long since ran out of ammunition, and now joined the rest of the villagers in close combat. What was left of the dwindling band of fighters was still bent on distracting the creature long enough for either Maduin or the mysterious female fighter to have a chance at landing a critical blow.

Unfortunately, the three-headed Cerberus was perfectly capable of dealing with threats from multiple directions, and even while he struggled with the untouchable woman, he was using his tail and hind legs to take out any foolhardy pests from behind. With each passing minute another fighter went down, and Maduin knew he had to do something or these brave people who were giving their lives for him would have done so in vain.

"Ugh! Wake up, Dune!" the unknown woman shouted as she threw her last dagger. It clanked harmlessly off Cerberus's hard central forehead, missing its mark by inches. It was obvious she was growing increasingly fatigued dodging his attacks, and would soon fall like the others. There was no one left on the battlefield now but her and Maduin. The beast smiled across all three faces, and began to open his bloodied jaws, a red hot glow already flickering through his teeth.

Hearing his human name unexpectedly from the woman's mouth snapped him into focus, and Maduin rushed at the towering Cerberus, grabbing one of his trunk-like forelegs as he raised it to pin the breathless woman to the ground and deliver the same fate to her that he had planned for his fellow Esper. Maduin used the beast's own momentum to send it tumbling over his shoulder to the ground in a shower of dust and flames before it could strike.

"Get out of here! I'm the only one that can stop him now!" Maduin roared at the stubborn woman, who was still trying to fight the beast with a fanaticism Maduin couldn't begin to fathom. What was driving this stranger to keep fighting a battle that wasn't even hers?

Seeing Maduin finally get back into the fray, a sudden flash of sanity stole over the woman's face, but not without effort. She realized her situation and nodded gravely, but with a wide smile. She winked, and in the blink of an eye had vanished from the battlefield. Maduin still couldn't believe what he had seen, even as he struggled with the flagging Cerberus. Maduin had no idea who that battle-crazy woman had been, but she had saved his life, and somehow, she knew who he really was. He was sure he would meet her again, if he lived through this night.