Warning: Graphic violence ahead.
March 29th, 1820, War Room, Alexandria Castle
13:00 P.M.
"What? The Gunitas Outpost has gone silent too?!" Zidane blurted out, staring at a plan of Gargan Roo, the ancient underground passage that connected Alexandria, Treno and Lindblum.
"Not only that... the Border Outpost staff reports having heard loud screeching noises and... screams before the line went dead..." the Pluto Knight replied, "They request permission to cut the city off from the tunnel network right away..."
"... FUCK!" Zidane shouted, pounding the table with enough force to fracture it. He took a deep breath before addressing the terrified soldier again, "Kohel... please instruct the outpost crew to seal the gate and to get the hell outta there. If anything gets past that door, they are to flood Gargan Roo immediately. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied, bolting out of the room. As soon as he left, another Pluto Knight cracked the door open and peeked inside.
"Your Majesty..." he nervously said, "T-the princess of Lindblum wishes to meet with you at once!"
"The princess of... wait... Eiko is here?!" Zidane squeaked, taken completely off-guard by her presence in Alexandria.
"Zidane! We need to talk right now!" a familiar, high-pitched voice yelled from the hallway. The soldier stepped aside, and a purple-haired young woman in Lindblum Air Force garb entered the war room with an unusually somber expression on her face.
"Holy shit, Eiko! What are you doing here?!" the genome yelled, "I thought you would be attending Puck's funeral with your father!"
"I'm glad to see you too, jerk," she retorted, giving him a back-breaking hug. "Where's Garnet? Is she safe?"
"What do you mean by safe..?" the king inquired, his eyes wide open.
"Oh, crap..." Eiko muttered, staring at Zidane with a terrified expression, "She's on her way to Burmecia, isn't she?"
"Yes, why? What's going on?!" he yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Zidane... there's probably a bomb inside her ship..." the princess replied, "Father's been trying to warn you about it for hours, but he hasn't been able to contact you, so..."
The genome stared at his friend in utter shock.
"A... bomb..?" he stammered, letting go of her. He felt ready to pass out.
"My team can defuse it, but I need to know her flight itinerary if we are to reach her in time!" the summoner replied.
"Yeah... sure..." Zidane mumbled, hobbling like a zombie towards the giant Mist Continent map on the wall. "Here... the red flags..."
Eiko approached the plan immediately and drew a measuring tape from one of her pockets.
"How long has it been since she left?" she asked, carefully studying Garnet's route.
"Two hours and a half... give or take," the king replied.
"Two hours and a half... okay..."
The summoner checked the map scale and started taking measurements while humming a tune. Hadn't the genome known her since her childhood, he would have thought that she wasn't taking the situation seriously.
"Alright... taking into account the Wind Rose's cruise speed and the weather outside, I think that they must be roughly around... hmmm... this area." the summoner declared, drawing an imaginary circle with her index over Gunitas Basin, "Okay, I must go now, Zid. We'll save her, I swear it!"
"Wait! I-I'll send another ship to escort you!" the king exclaimed.
"Heh... I don't mean to be rude, but that would only slow me down," Eiko replied with a smirk. "Trust me, I've got this. See ya!"
Having said that, she hastily left the war room.
"Dag..." the genome muttered, still in shock. His entire body was trembling and his legs threatened so badly to give under him that he had to sit on the floor for a moment. A purple, ethereal haze started dancing around him, and he clearly felt the monster inside him wake up and struggle with him for control.
"Not now... not now..." he mumbled, rocking back and forth like a scared child, "Focus, Zidane... not now... please, not now..."
"Let me handle this... you know you want to..." a distorted, almost demonic voice inside his head demanded.
"No... my people need me... my son needs me! I can't lose control right now!" the genome grunted, pulling his hair.
"Come on, we're one and the same... you know what needs to be done..." the beast retorted. Even if he couldn't see it, Zidane knew that it was grinning madly at him.
"No! You've become... too dangerous! I can't... trust you anymore!" the king stammered, trying to slow down his own breathing.
"Mark my words, coward: we'll lose everything, and it will be entirely your fault!" the voice warned him before retreating back into the depths of his mind.
"Nggh..!" the genome winced, feeling his Trance gradually dissipate. "Geez... it's getting worse and worse every day... I need help..."
March 29th, 1820, Radio Tower District, Alexandria
13:20 P.M.
Trying to draw as little attention as possible, three military carriages drawn by armored chocobos headed down the city's cobbled streets towards Alexandria's radio tower.
"Wow... I've never been this close to it before." Freya commented, peeking at the steel lattice colossus through one of the wagon's barred windows.
"According to our experts, the illegal signal comes from a hijacked transmitter that should be in that building over there," Beatrix said, handing the Burmecian a spotting scope and pointing at a large concrete structure located at the base of the tower. Its roof barely jutted out from behind the compound's perimeter wall, and several windows were visible from the carriage's position.
"Hmm..." the dragoon replied, scanning the area for hostiles. "Something's off... I can't see any signs of activity within the complex."
"That's what's been bugging me," Beatrix replied. "It's like the entire place is deserted... I don't like it at all."
"... I could easily jump over that wall and open the gate for your troops," Freya proposed, handing the general the scope. "If I encounter resistance, I'll either deal with it or jump back out if I find myself overwhelmed."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Beatrix replied. The Burmecian's wall-vaulting skills were really convenient, but she dreaded blindly sending her in, and without backup to boot. "Besides, what if our foes are compatriots of yours? Can you truly kill one of your own?"
"... I've been thinking about that for a long time, Beatrix..." Freya replied, staring at the helmet on her lap. "You've read Mikoto's report on the mass-produced soul cores, haven't you? Well... I've decided that even if I'm to fight my own kin, I can't allow them to keep murdering people and stealing their souls. Besides, there are many paths to victory other than killing, you know? That's why I'm here, to help prevent a pointless massacre."
"... I understand," the paladin said. She then cleared her throat as if to change the subject, but got interrupted by a nearby explosion.
BOOOM!
"Nngh! What the heck was that?!" Freya shouted, covering her ears. Her naturally sharp hearing coupled with Berlioz's divine enhancements had amplified the already deafening noise tenfold, resulting in a nasty headache.
"We're under attack!" Beatrix yelled, as the carriage behind theirs exploded after getting hit by a huge fireball.
"Rrrrgh!" Freya grunted, gritting her teeth and pulling her ears down in a desperate attempt to make the pain stop.
"Crescent! We need to get outta here!" the paladin barked before a third detonation overturned their vehicle, sending the coachwoman flying and making the armored wagon land on its side.
...
"Beatrix, are you okay?" a distant voice called for her, "Beatrix, answer me!"
"Huh..?" the general mumbled, opening her eyes. She had bumped her head against the roof of the wagon and was now on top of Freya, who was frantically trying to wake her up. "Crescent..? What..?"
"Quiet! Look outside!" the Burmecian whispered, pointing at the carriage's tiny front window. The paladin promptly got off her comrade and craned a look at the street through the barred opening.
"What the hell is that..?" she muttered, staring at a mechanical monstrosity that was inspecting an unconscious soldier. It was vaguely humanoid, standing hunched over like a feral beast, its body an intricate mass of clockwork pieces, jagged blades and armor plates. The poor knight made the fatal mistake of waking up under the golem's gaze and it proceeded to unceremoniously crush her skull under its clawed foot. "Son of a..!" Beatrix hissed, reaching for the hilt of her sword, but Freya quickly grabbed her arm and pointed upwards with her other hand. The general held her breath; another automaton was perched over their wagon and it was staring directly at them (or so it seemed) through the lateral window.
"I don't think it can see us..." the Burmecian whispered, remaining as still as possible.
Without moving an inch, Beatrix looked at the street through the carriage's back window. "...Two... three... four... there's four of them..." she muttered.
"Listen up. I'll blow that thing to smithereens with a spell. When I get out of the cart, wait a moment and then run back to the castle," the dragoon said, activating her Dragon's Crest.
"Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you alone with those monsters!" Beatrix replied a little louder than she meant to, accidentally drawing the creature's attention.
"No time to argue! Cover your eyes!" Freya ordered, unleashing the souls trapped within her. The spectral dragons punched through the wagon's wall and rammed the golem head-on, vaporizing most of it and sending what was left flying away. The rest of the automatons stared at the swirling pillar of spirits in confused silence until the largest one of the pack uttered some sort of distorted war cry and the three of them started running on all-fours towards the carriage.
"Mother Reis, give me strength!" Freya roared as she jumped out of the wagon, spear in hand. The first thing she noticed was that there were at least ten more androids perched on the nearby rooftops, so she targeted the closest one and threw her polearm at it, cleanly impaling it through the chest. The golem shrieked, contorting and spasming like a wounded animal. The dragoon landed on top of it with Burmecian precision and twisted the spear in a quick and brutal fashion, putting the creature out of its misery for good.
"They're more fragile than they look..." Freya thought as she retrieved her weapon from the destroyed machine. The rest of the automatons immediately retaliated with a fireball salvo, but the dragoon had already jumped out of reach and was now perched on a nearby lamppost.
"Oh, no..!" she mumbled, realizing that the spell barrage had accidentally set several houses on fire. A cacophony of screams filled the air, as the burning bodies of those unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire started raining from the balconies and onto the streets below. The sound of clashing steel brought Freya back to reality: Beatrix had refused to retreat, and was now fighting a three-on-one battle against the mechanical fiends
"This is for Lena, you piece of scrap!" the paladin roared as she deflected a slash aimed at her head and used the momentum to bury Save the Queen deep into her attacker's torso. Without missing a beat, she ducked to avoid an attack from behind and ripped her sword out of its new 'scabbard' with a circular motion, releasing a gust of razor wind around her that cut the other two androids (and what was left of her carriage) in half. Freya immediately recognized the technique that had left her lying in a pool of her own blood twenty years ago. She gulped, realizing that the general had actually held back that time.
"Beatrix, look out!" the dragoon yelled as the golems on the rooftops switched their attention to the paladin and prepared to fire a new volley of spells.
"You know what to do, kiddo!" a familiar voice in the back of her mind whispered. "Show'em what you've got!"
"Grandpa..? Is that you..?" the Burmecian muttered. She then started charging her spear with raw energy until it glowed a bright, reddish hue, "Okay... one shot... gotta make it count!"
"Dammit! No escape!" Beatrix exclaimed, realizing that if she moved, the androids would end up bombarding the houses around her, killing dozens in the process. She raised her sword and adopted a defensive stance, "Bring it on, monsters!" she grunted, gritting her teeth. As she braced for impact, what seemed to be a stray arrow made of light exploded above her, unleashing a storm of ghostly flower petals over the entire area. The golems had less than a second to realize that they were under attack before they started igniting on contact with Freya's magic.
"Beatrix! Get the wounded out of here now!" the dragoon barked, drawing a short dagger and returning to the rooftops with a powerful leap.
"Easier said than done..." the paladin thought, scanning her surroundings until she spotted an abandoned wooden cart, "Alright, Crescent! Meet you at the district entrance!" she yelled.
March 29th, 1820, Town Square, Alexandria.
14:15 P.M.
"I can see the castle!" a little girl covered in ash yelled, leaving the band of survivors and running down the main street towards the royal plaza's gate.
"Emma! Wait!" her mother shouted, chasing after her.
"We're saved!" an old man exclaimed, also breaking formation. "Thank you, my general! Thank you, Freya of Burmecia! You've saved us all!"
Freya humbly nodded her head, preferring to save her breath. Despite her magical enhancements, she could feel her age starting to catch up with her.
"Oh, think nothing of it..." Beatrix said, pulling their improvised ambulance with the dragoon and two of her soldiers' help. "Whew... we're finally here..." she thought as the town square's guards left their posts and rushed to their aid.
"My general! Are you alright?!" one of the soldiers asked, performing the Alexandrian salute.
"We heard the explosions and feared for your lives, ma'am!" the other one exclaimed.
"At ease, soldiers. And thank you." Beatrix replied, letting them take care of the cart, "How's the situation in the rest of the city?"
"Things are looking grim, ma'am... the Market District and the Industrial District are completely overrun by the machines and they're pushing us back towards the castle!" the knight explained. "His Majesty has ordered all hands on deck to gather the citizens of Alexandria. As soon as they're all here, we'll activate the inner barrier to isolate the royal district!"
"I don't get it... how is this even possible?" Freya said, staring at the smoke columns rising in the distance, "Where did those things come from? How did they get past the city's walls without us noticing?"
"I don't know Crescent... but we need to find a way to neutralize them before they corner us here," the paladin replied
"Wait... is that Zidane..? What is he doing here?" the dragoon said, noticing the king's presence among the refugees. He was giving orders to a group of knights and intermittently pointing at different places and people.
"Oh, that? Heh... he's leading his people from the front lines." Beatrix explained with a strange mixture of resignation and pride, "He does it all the time... drives me up the wall security-wise, but I find it admirable. In a way, he's become a father to all of Alexandria."
"I see..." Freya said, smiling tenderly. Seeing the genome in his element filled her with nostalgia; she remembered scolding him for his recklessness while also being deeply fond of him and his selfless heroism. It was no surprise that he would grow to be loved and followed by everyone around him.
"Freya?! Beatrix?! Girls, over here!" Zidane yelled as soon as he noticed them. He excused himself for a moment and started weaving his way through the crowd.
"Heh... still as excitable as ever..." the dragoon thought, finding the situation oddly reminiscent of his 'return from the grave', but with the roles reversed.
"Geez, are you alright?!" the king exclaimed, checking the battered warriors for injuries, "I've sent a rescue team to find you! Where are they?"
"Much appreciated, sir." the general replied, saluting him, "I've ordered them to help with the evacuation of the other districts."
"You truly are a two-women army, aren't you?" the genome commented, "It's nice to see that you're okay... I was worried sick."
"Have I ever let you down, monkey-tail?" Freya cheekily replied.
"Festival of the Hunt, year 1800. That ring really came in handy though," Zidane retorted, "Seriously now, could you reach the tower? What happened to the rest of your squad?"
"We got ambushed on our way there... most of the girls perished during the initial attack." Beatrix replied in a broken voice. "Lena, Mia, Sophie, Hilda... they're all gone, sir..."
"Dammit... I'm sorry Bea..." the genome sighed, "We're losing people left and right... everyone here has a missing friend or family member. It's a fucking nightmare..."
"That tower must have something to do with all this..." Freya commented, staring at the distant structure, "Do you think that if we shut it down, the machines will cease their attack?"
"I doubt it... Mikoto says that they're autonomous," Zidane replied. "And as if that wasn't bad enough, something's been trying to break into the city via Gargan Roo. We've closed the border gate, though, and we're ready to flood the tunnel if necessary."
"Gargan Roo..?!" Beatrix exclaimed, "That means that Treno is directly responsible for this! This is an act of war, sir!"
"Indeed, Bea, but we'll think about that later. Our priorities now are getting the people to safety and finding a way to deal with those golems," the king stated, "We've managed to capture a few. Mikoto is studying them, looking for weaknesses."
"Excellent! If someone can come up with a strategy to defeat them, that's her!" Freya said, trying to sound optimistic despite what her instincts were actually telling her.
"So, what should we do now, sir?" Beatrix asked, cracking her knuckles. "Save the Queen itches for revenge..." she thought.
"Now you two will go to that tent, eat something and we'll plan our next move based on the intel we've gathered, okay?" Zidane dictated.
Beatrix frowned and opened her mouth to protest but her rumbling stomach cut her short, much to Freya's amusement.
"Strange... I've always thought that you were made of marble, Beatrix," the dragoon commented in a misguided attempt to lighten the mood.
"... Not now, Crescent!" the paladin brusquely replied, heading towards the command tent. The Burmecian glared at her, briefly contemplating giving her a piece of her mind, but finally decided against it out of pity and started making her way through the crowd.
Oblivious to the knights' squabble, Zidane stared at the radio tower for a moment, lost in thought. "... I wonder if you're actually right, Freya..."
March 29th, 1820, Gunitas Basin, Alexandria.
14:30 P.M.
"Hmm... North Gate should come into view any second now..." Garnet thought, staring at the distant Aerbs peaks from the Wind Rose's main deck.
"Your Majesty, you shouldn't be out here. You'll catch a cold," Steiner said, bringing the queen's favorite shawl with him.
"Oh, thanks," the summoner said, putting the warm cloth over her shoulders, "Adelbert... do you think everything will be alright?"
"I'm not sure, my queen..." the old knight replied, prompting Garnet to look at him with an alarmed expression, "But whatever that scoundrel has in store for us, we've already seen far worse."
"...You're probably right," the monarch replied.
"Your Majesty!" the Wind Rose's navigator exclaimed as he ran towards the duo, "There's an airship tailing us! It seems to be the Quicksilver!"
"The Quicksilver..?" Garnet said, "What is it doing here..?"
"Hmm... I don't like this..." Steiner commented, "We should ask Zidane if he sent it after us before lowering our guards..."
"Good idea, Adelbert," Garnet replied, "Haagen, please contact my husband immediately. I'll be there with you in a second."
"At once, ma'am!" the Pluto Knight replied, saluting her before hurrying back to the command bridge. He wasn't even close to it when a nearby detonation stunned him. The ship shook savagely from side to side, making him lose balance and fall on his backside. "Wha-what is going..?!"
Before he could finish his sentence, fire erupted from the bowels of the aircraft, ripping the door in front of him off its hinges and sending him tumbling backwards. Time itself seemed to slow down for Garnet as a chain of explosions started tearing the Wind Rose apart, engulfing everything in flames and throwing its crew into the abyss below.
"My queen!" Steiner yelled, desperately reaching for the summoner.
Garnet raised her hand, pointed her open palm at the blazing wall advancing towards her and closed her eyes.
...
Author's note:
This chapter was revised by Myshu, whom I'd like to thank for her invaluable help and support =)
I'd also like to thank the awesome folks that generously take the time to review my work and everyone who's still reading this story!