Finally got to upload this chapter, after having some delays and then problems regarding the uploading. This chapter is a bit on the short side to me, but the next chapter will make up for it. Enjoy.

Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge

Chapter VIII: Into The Abyss

—Celsius, Bridge—

"So, here's the plan. You two will go into the castle," Yuna begins, pointing at Angel and I, "and find whatever's controlling these fiends. You get rid of it, and you get out. We'll keep anything from getting to you for as long as we can, okay?"

"Got it," I reply quickly. "How long do you think we have?"

"We're not sure," Paine says. "Who knows how many of these things will try and stop us, once they figure out what we're doing."

"Yeah," Angel says. "I wouldn't take too kindly to it myself," he adds, sounding somewhat joking but completely straight-faced.

"I can fly my way to the chasm, at least, to keep from being attacked. Angel, do you think you can keep up on the ground if I cast Haste on you?" I ask, looking over.

"I should be able to, as long as they don't decide to swarm me."

"Alright, good. Guess all that's left is to do this," I state, stepping out of the room with Angel, Yuna, and the others following.

—Macalania Forest—

"Don't let a single one through!" the commander yells, firing into a group of what appear to be four-legged, dog type fiends, a deep blue in color. One of the fiends gives a howl and slumps over onto its side, as another leaps into the air, intent on ripping the throat from the commander.. The only thing it meets, however, is a saber from one of the soldiers that rips into its stomach, cutting it wide open and causing it to explode into dust.

"Hmm...another type. Scan!" I exclaim, looking at one of the new fiends.

Felhound

HP: 3,936/3,936

MP: 2,369/2,369

–Guard–

Fire: Immune

Ice: None

Lightning: None

Water: None

Holy: None

Dark: Half

Non-Elemental: None

Status: Blind, Poison

"Must be some kind of grunt," I mutter, grabbing one of my swords from its sheath and turning to Angel. "Let's do this! Haste!"

The spell takes hold instantly, Angel's movements nearly doubling in speed as I use my Angel Wing skill, a pair of white wings extending from my back and propelling me up into the air. Focusing once more, I call up one final spell.

"Flare!"

A beam of energy flies from my hand, annihilating several of the Felhounds as well as knocking an unaware Deathbringer to the ground. Without hesitating, I begin to fly over the woods, trying to keep up with Angel, who ran off during my spell.

For several minutes, I can't see Angel due to the trees below me, or much of anything for that matter. Soon enough, though, I enter the open expanses of the Calm Lands. Below me, I can see Angel still running, beginning to head down into the Calm Lands itself. Far away, I can see movement, Forsaken fiends scattered everywhere over the vast plains.

"Almost there," I mutter, beginning to head for the chasm.

—Calm Lands, Chasm—

A short time later, we find ourselves in the vast chasm of the Calm Lands, looking for clues as to the location of King Agamand's ancient castle.

"Where do you think it is?" I ask Angel, looking around the cavern walls.

"The book says it was buried, so I suppose it could be anywhere," he replies, also looking around.

The chasm is long, probably several miles long, and neither of us know just what kind of landmark to look for. For all we know, the place could be buried ten feet under our feet, and we would be none the wiser.

"Wonder what the castle looked like when it was still standing," I muse, walking along one of the walls.

"Probably like any other castle," Angel retorts.

"Funny," I reply, rolling my eyes. "Anything?"

"Nothing that I can see," he says, eyes wandering over a cluster of boulders. "Wait...stop."

"Huh?"

"Look over there," he remarks, pointing ahead of us. Following his gaze, my eyes fall upon a duo of Felhounds, standing in front of...

"Looks like the front door...or what's left of it," I say, looking over.

"Guess it's mostly buried now," he says, unsheathing both of his swords. "Come on."

"Right behind you," I say, taking my swords from my back and advancing.

The first Felhound never knew what hit it. One minute it's standing there, and a moment later Angel is standing nearly on top of it, blade driven firmly through its skull. Focusing, I teleport directly in front of the second, stabbing out and into its mouth, my sword exiting the top of its head. Both of them vanish into mist without so much as a sound.

"Simple," he says, looking up at what used to be the front entrance. Time and decay have broken some of the stone that made up the once beautiful monument, but now we can see part of it, jutting out from the dirt like a picture hung on a wall.

"Quite," I agree, nodding. "Let's get going." Quickly, I step inside the castle, Angel following closely behind.

The entrance is a long hallway, the stone covered in dirt and other minerals from centuries of solitude. Some of the stones have fallen from the wall, leaving a pockmarked trail leading up to the first room. Torches line the walls as well, and I light two of them with Fire spells, giving us some light to work with in the dim environs.

"Any clue where to go?" I ask, looking around.

"My best guess would be the very back of the castle," he replies, turning to me. "If the creature is here, that's more than likely where it is."

"Think so?"

"Better than flying blind."

"Good point," I say, conceding. Ahead of us, a snarl grabs our attention, as two Bloodfiends advance, raising serrated-edged swords easily as tall as myself.

"Blizzaga!"

My spell engulfs the first Bloodfiend, freezing it in place in a cocoon of ice, which I can see won't last long. Angel rushes the other fiend, ducking under a wide swing and burying his sword in its chest. The fiend looks more annoyed than hurt, and swings its free hand, knocking Angel away and making him lose his grip on the sword in its chest. Rolling with the momentum, Angel springs back to his feet, palm raised for a spell.

"Thundaga!"

The spell laces through the air, connecting with the fiend and frying it, the damage amplified by the metal sword sticking out of its body. As it dissipates into dust, Angel reclaims his other sword, turning to the frozen fiend. The ice cracks, then shatters, but I'm ready for it.

"Rough Divide!"

Running up to the fiend, I bring my sword flashing up, an aura of energy laying into the fiend and splitting it nearly in half. The fiend crumples to the ground and dissolves, as the two of us look around for any further threats.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing," Angel says, taking a final glance around the area. A heavy looking wooden door sits at the other side of the room, and the two of us stride over quickly to examine it. Tugging on the door, I grunt with the effort of trying to open it, but finally give up as the door doesn't budge an inch. Angel watches for a moment before stepping in front of the door, kicking it hard with his right foot. The door blasts inward, the aged wooden bolt that was holding it shut shattering under the force.

"How'd you..." I mumble, slightly stunned.

"It opens in," he says, looking somewhat amused at my mistake.

"I knew that," I say calmly, stepping into the room. When I do, I have to hold my breath to keep from gagging. The room might've once been a dining area, but it holds very little resemblance to that now. A table in the center of the room is broken in half, the two pieces strewn with rotten food and other objects. Several dead bodies litter the room as well, one speared to the wall by some sort of pole, another slumped in the corner with a gaping hole in its chest. Others lie strewn around the room, killed in fashions that only fiends would use. Skulls lie around the room like gory decorations and blood lines the floor in small trails, staining the once shining white marble with eerie lines.

"Apparently everyone didn't make it out before the fiends were sealed away," Angel says, walking around the room seemingly unaffected by the noxious odor.

"Guess not..." I manage to say, returning to covering my nose. "Think there could be other fiends here? These people couldn't have been sent, after all..."

"Possibly. We'll find out soon enough, more than likely," Angel replies, looking around the room. Three doors line the room, one on each wall, along with the one we just came through.

"Which way?" I ask, looking from door to door.

"Hm...left," Angel says, pointing towards the left door. Silently, the two of us leave the room through the opened door, leaving the grim scene behind.

The next few minutes are spent in silence, with the exception of dispatching a few more of the Forsaken grunts that cross our path. The halls seem fairly straightforward, no branches or side paths in sight anywhere.

"Look at this," I say, pointing to one of the walls. Several iron gates line parts of the wall, corpses all that remain of the people once behind them. "Looks like some sort of jail."

"Must have been for people who disobeyed," Angel agrees, looking around. There are around a dozen of the cells, some of them empty, some with remnants of bones and flesh. The area is eerily quiet, and a chill sweeps up my spine as I look around the jail.

"I don't like this. At all."

As if to punctuate my statement, scuffling suddenly breaks the silence, coming from the end of the hall. Both of us immediately turn to look, seeing nothing but the faint silhouette of a door, a dim light shining from the room beyond.

"Should we?" I ask, looking at Angel.

"Let's go," he says, sword held in front of him as he walks down the hall.

The room at the end of the hall is much like the other rooms we've seen. Strewn with dead bodies, blood, and pieces of furniture and banners that once decorated the room proudly. A lone figure stands at the center of the room, dressed in some kind of plate mail and carrying a powerful maul in his right hand. His long hair is blond with streaks of gray, giving his otherwise youthful face an older, frazzled appearance. Pyreflies float around the figure, proving his near-obvious unsent status.

"They told me you would come," the figure says, shifting his maul slightly, but making no other movement.

"Who are you...?" I ask tentatively. The figure gives a short chuckle, hefting the powerful maul onto his shoulder as if it weighed no more than an ounce.

"My name is Larazon Esfurious," he replies coolly. "I was once King Agamand's most trusted advisor...and then they came. They turned me into this...abomination," he spits, looking down at himself. "But...all that will soon change."

"And what makes you think that?" I ask, keeping a close eye on Larazon.

"Because you are here, of course," he replies, a strange edge to his voice that wasn't there before. "You are the key...you are the one. You will seal my escape from this tomb." The look in his eyes is one of insanity, driven to the edge over ages of torment. "Give me your life so that I may live again!"

(Play: Malicious Fingers - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)

Moving deceptively fast for a person glad in full armor, Larazon closes the short distance between us and hefts his maul, slamming it down as both of us move out of the way. The maul cracks the ground between us, and I inwardly grimace, looking at the power behind the swing.

"Plan?" I yell over to Angel, narrowly avoiding another swing from Larazon and slashing, also missing.

"Still working on it," he yells back, joining me in the attack with a slash across Larazon's back, plate mail screeching from the metal on metal contact. Larazon spins and swings wildly, Angel ducking under the maul before cutting Larazon's stomach, another deep scratch in the plate mail appearing. Larazon kicks out and catches Angel in the chest, hurling him back and causing him to fall, but roll backwards with the momentum.

"Blade Fury!"

Grabbing at my sides quickly, I throw two of my knives and continue to throw, a veritable storm of throwing knives striking and stabbing at Larazon. The plate mail deflects a great deal of them, but some stick in his forearms, one also stabbing him in the forehead and only serving to anger him.

"Spire!"

Running back up to Larazon, Angel stabs a dagger into each of his arms before jumping back and casting Thundaga, amplifying the electrical damage and causing Larazon's body to spasm wildly.

"You cannot deny me my strength!" Larazon screams madly, before his head suddenly snaps to the side, a result of a vicious punch from Angel.

"Tell it to someone who cares," I remark, aiming a palm at Larazon. "Doublecast: Blizzaga, Firaga!"

The ice spell encases Larazon in a casing of ice from his legs to his waist, before the Firaga spell hits, scorching his upper body and burning away skin and flesh from his unprotected face. Shaking with rage, Larazon smashes the casing of ice with his maul, hefting it again for another strike. Before Larazon can swing, however, his right arm goes limp, Angel's sword now sticking out of his shoulder. The maul falls, giving Angel a perfect chance to strike the back of his neck with the sword. A muffled sound comes from Larazon as he sinks to the ground, his weapon falling from his hands with a quiet 'clink.'

"My life...you...give me..." he manages to say, before falling still, pyreflies floating from the body.

(End: Malicious Fingers - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)

"What a lunatic..." I mutter, shivering slightly and looking at the pyreflies rising from Larazon's corpse.

"He's been around for centuries. I'm not all that surprised, really," Angel says, looking down at Larazon's body as well.

"I don't think he was the leader..." I mutter, looking around.

"I'm willing to say you're right," Angel agrees, beginning to step back out into the hall.

"Back the way we came, then," I say, heading back down the hallway that leads to the dining area.

This chapter was a little short, mostly because it served as the introduction to the castle itself. The plot will kick up again in the next chapter, so don't worry. As always, please read and review!