Here's the next chapter, not much action here, but I hope you still enjoy it. I don't have many ideas left for chapter titles, but I hope this one fits. I owe credit to Infinitestories for ideas for the previous five chapters' titles and the idea to include the cameo villains.
There will be some more dialogue here that's not in the game, by the way.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and its characters, locations, etc. were all created by Square.
The Secret of the Crystals-Part 1: Maenad
The trek down the next floor gave little resistance, save for the occasional Proto Mask. Rydia, Rosa and Ceodore easily disposed of those monsters as the five braved through the next couple floors of the Depths, despite the tricky creatures attempting to blot out their ability to use spells via Reflect on both parties.
"Kain, when this is over, what will you do? I'm the only Red Wings Soldier left, but I would do what it takes to help rebuild our homeland" inquired Ceodore, as the Reflect spell wore off of the group.
The Dragoon thought for a moment"I've been away from Baron long enough. Accompanying you, and aiding Rosa and Cecil convinced me that there's more for me to do as a knight. Perhaps I will assist with the Red Wings' reorganization and restoration."
"I can would expect no better from you, Kain" smiled Cecil.
The group eventually came to a large chamber with what looked like a chasm in the middle. Ahead of them was a passageway, while there was also an elevator not far to the side of their current location.
"This place is so mysterious" Rydia muttered.
Cecil walked ahead a bit, hand on his sword"Doesn't appear to be anything here, but we should stay cautious, just to be safe."
The group walked up to the chasm when a familiar teal-haired, white-clad figure met up with them. Rosa wasn't too surprised"You're here for us..."
"Finally here for us, eh?" Kain readied himself.
"Where's Bahamut?" Rydia asked the Mysterious Girl.
The Mysterious Girl spoke"I had not anticipated you'd make it this far. Beyond is a world which is no place for you. Now, it is time for you all to disappear, under a force you know all too well."
The Mysterious Girl raised her arm as she summoned a familiar dragon-like Eidolon which flew from out of the Chasm. Cecil, Ceodore and Kain readied their blades, while Rosa prepared to cast Reflect, having recognized the being.
"I will not allow things to end like before!" said Cecil, determined.
"Even Bahamut's under her control" Kain realized.
Rydia addressed the Eidolon"Please, you must come to your senses."
"You're wasting your time" said the mysterious girl, casting Haste on Bahamut. Rosa cast Slow on the Eidolon, while Ceodore cast reflect on Rydia and Cecil. Kain used a Lunar Veil to duplicate the effect before lunging at Bahamut with a jump attack. Ceodore followed with a slash. The Mysterious Girl casually cast Quake, staggering them.
Cecil, Rosa and Rydia used potions to keep their teammates alive, while Ceodore and Kain attacked Bahamut with a Cross Slash. The Eidolon roared as it prepared to unleash its Mega Flare.
"Brace yourselves" Rosa shot an arrow at the Mysterious Girl, who smoothly blocked it. Ceodore charged towards the Mysterious Girl, but was pushed back by Flare. Rosa used a Hi-Potion on the prince just as Bahamut began unleashing its attack.
"Black Hole!" The Mysterious Girl cast a spell to negate the Reflect spell protecting the party.
Bahamut unleashed Mega Flare, severely burning the group. Rosa cast Curaja on her allies, while Ceodore, Cecil and Kain counterattacked the Eidolon. Bahamut returned to preparing another deadly Mega Flare.
"Bahamut" Asura appeared, casting protective buffs on the party as she tried to reason with Bahamut"Has your mind and soul been stolen as well? Your place is not here."
Bahamut, still under mind-control, blasted Asura with Mega Flare.
"Your majesty!" cried Rydia as Asura vanished.
Kain leapt up while Rosa performed a white-magic spell on him. The Dragoon's lance was imbued with Holy Power as he landed, striking at Bahamut's chest. The Mysterious Girl coolly shot him with Flare and used Quake to stagger the group, again. Rosa healed her party and took time out to use a Hi-Ether to replenish her magic energy.
While Rydia summoned Titan to attack both Bahamut and the Mysterious Girl, Leviathan appeared"If he remains under her control, we've no choice." Leviathan unleashed a Tsunami at Bahamut and the Mysterious Girl.
Bahamut withstood the Tsunami countered the attack with Mega Flare. Leviathan groaned and also disappeared.
"My lord..." Rydia whimpered. She could still feel her foster parents' presence, but they were weaker.
Ceodore powered up and rushed Bahamut with a slash. Bahamut countered and began channeling energy for one more Mega Flare. Rydia attempted to speak to Bahamut"Please, you must wake up!"
"Bahamut, finish them!" commanded the Mysterious Girl.
While it looked like Bahamut was going to kill Rydia, the Hollowed father of the Eidolons hesitated"Rydia."
"Bahamut" Rydia smiled, relieved to see that Bahamut was slowly coming to his senses.
"What? Incomprehensible" the Mysterious Girl stood, seemingly shocked at this turn of events.
Bahamut turned to face the teal-haired spellcaster"You dared presume you had complete control over us Eidolons?"
"Reflect" The Mysterious Girl started to cast a spell to shield herself, but she had used too much magic fighting Cecil's group.
"You waste your breath" Bahamut spoke before launching Mega Flare at the Mysterious Girl, destroying her. The incinerated spellcaster was now gone.
Rydia smiled"Bahamut, thank goodness."
Bahamut acknowledged the green-haired Summoner"Rydia, from now on, we Eidolons are at your beck and call. Leviathan and Asura will eventually regain their strength." The Eidolon then faded, leaving a gemstone. Rydia picked it up and felt Bahamut's power in her mind and body once more.
"I would expect nothing less from Bahamut" said Kain.
"Indeed" agreed Cecil.
Rydia smiled, glad that she saved all of the Eidolons. Turning to her allies, she said"Let's move on a little further."
The group walked around the chasm toward the north passageway. It led them to a room with several girls that resembled their teal-haired opponent from earlier.
"Who are those people, anyway?" said Ceodore.
One of the mystery girls spoke"I am a Maenad."
"Maenad?" Cecil was puzzled.
"Perhaps its the name of their race..." Kain trailed off.
"These ones seem harmless, though" said Rydia, warily watching the five mysterious girl variants.
"Maybe we can just walk past them" said Rosa, thoughtfully.
The five Maenads did nothing but watch as Cecil's group walked by to another corridor, it was all bluish with side passages here and there. Another pair of Maenads guarded the northernmost door. Rosa had a feeling it led to the next area.
Rydia decided to talk to one of the Maenads"Excuse me, mind if we pass?"
However, the Maenads did not respond, and sent Flare at Rydia. Cecil healed Rydia with Cura, while Rosa shot one of the two Maenads. The other one retaliated with Meteor, which Rosa quickly healed.
Ceodore and Kain rushed at one of the Maenads, knocking her down with a Cross Slash. Rydia summoned Bahamut to eliminate the other Maenad with Mega Flare, incinerating her target.
"Some of these girls are hostile, yet strangely, there are some who are not. Maybe those two were guarding something" said Cecil, thoughtfully.
The group entered the next large chamber, which had several strange canisters containing more of the teal-haired entities. The group came to a dead end, with a canister containing what seemed to be a miniature version of the mysterious girls.
"Whoa" Ceodore was surprised.
The pod opened, and the young teal-haired girl stepped out, blinking as she stared at Rydia for a moment. Rydia could not help but feel a bit creeped out at first, but the child spoke a moment later"Who are you?"
The green-haired Summoner forced a smile"I'm Rydia."
The Maenad-child acknowledged"Your orders?"
Rydia hesitated, feeling a bit nervous around the girl"Could you be a good girl and wait?"
"You wish for me to remain here?" asked the 'child.'
Rydia nodded"Please, yes. Just wait here like a good girl."
The small Maenad nodded"Understood" and went to flip a switch on the wall ahead to open a hidden passageway"I've opened the way ahead for you."
"Thank you" said Rydia.
Cecil's group trekked down the newly-revealed passageway to find another large room. This one contained over a dozen pedestals, each one had a crystal sitting on top of it.
"Hm" Rosa walked ahead to inspect the nearest crystal"The aura is faint, but I think this is where our crystals have been taken."
"This could take a while" Kain looked around the large room"Not all of these crystals may be from our planet."
Rosa placed her hand on the crystal and focused for a moment"The aura is faint, but this one definitely feels the same as the Crystal of Wind. Let's inspect the crystals one by one until we find all eight of ours."
Ceodore walked to the far left pedestal while his mother stored the crystal she recovered in her purse. His magic senses weren't as acute as his mother's, but something told him this was one of the Dark Crystals"Found one."
The group kept checking the crystals and picking up the ones that looked and felt as if they were from their planet. As soon as they were finished collecting all eight crystals, Rosa did a final check on the crystals they picked up, only to find that the crystals lost their color. The crystals were now black"They seem to have lost their radiance."
"Least we found them all" said Ceodore.
Kain scouted ahead until he found a passageway. Addressing the others, he said"It looks like we still have a long way to travel. The mysterious girls back there didn't even appear to be the masters of the moon."
"If those girls weren't the ones directly responsible for the trouble our planet suffered during the past few days, I wonder who is" said Rydia, thoughtfully.
The five pressed onward through passageways with a crystal tile flooring. Kain, Ceodore and Rydia kept an eye out for monsters and Maenads who might attack, only to find pretty much nothing.
"Its too quiet" remarked the Dragoon.
Rydia paused"Hold on, the Eidolons are warning us that there's something powerful in this direction."
"Could it be the moon's master?" asked Ceodore.
"I'm not sure, but it could very well be" replied the summoner.
The group went down another floor to find a stone plateau with a long set of stairs leading downward. Another teleporter laid to the right of their location, while the spot not far from the stairs looked to be a good place to rest up.
"Let's rest here for a bit, we've no idea what's down that staircase" suggested Cecil.
"Good idea" Rosa got out a cottage and set up a campfire to prepare a light lunch. The group sat around the fire and ate some leftover fruit.
"If we're lucky, the floor below might be our final destination. If the moon's mastermind is below, we'll act accordingly. I do not feel we should resort to the blade without attempting diplomacy" said Cecil around a bite of an apple.
"If its human, whatever it is the Eidolons are sensing" shrugged the Summoner.
"I suspect that it may not listen to reason, but I agree that violence is not a solution to all" acknowledged the Dragoon.
The group finished their lunch and went into the makeshift cabin to rest for a couple hours to regain enough magic power for another tough battle.
Sorry if this filler chapter wasn't much, but I thought I should include the entire final boss battle in a separate chapter.
Please feel free to review.