Chapter 48

Cactuar Island

The White SeeD Ship reached Cactuar Island in just a few days with Pandemonium's aid. The landmass was an irregular oval shape, separated by twenty-five miles of strait between it and the Kakashbald proper. Although technically part of the southern Centran subcontinent, the desert region had long come under the dominion of Esthar, laying the seeds for her Successor's early alliances. Esthar still had an air force base within the desert, which stood as sentinel against forays into their underbelly. Adel had never regained control over the rest of her home continent; the Lost Kingdom had stood her biggest threat until she orchestrated its fall.

Each member of White SeeD was schooled in cliff-scaling and rappelling from an early age. Yet they were still understandably a cautious breed, and Kurin could not in good conscience allow them on shore with Rhodry and Raine, even though some of the younger crewmembers would have thrived from the adventure.. They could not know how the sentient cactuars would react to a human presence, not after Ultimecia's invasion years before.

Edea, their founder's namesake, was looking at Raine with her best puppydog eyes, straining against Ellone's hand all the while.

'Please, Sis!' the girl pleaded, managing to break from her mother.

'Edea, I'm so sorry!' Raine said earnestly, kneeling before her. 'It could be really dangerous! And if I wasn't with Mog, Rhodry wouldn't be taking me, either! I promise I'll send you as much media as I can!'

Edea looked crestfallen. 'I can't wait to be as strong as you, Sis,' she mumbled.

'Come on, Edea!' Ellone said sternly, seizing Edea by an arm. 'Celes is holding off starting class just for you!' Ellone looked back at Raine as she lead her youngest daughter belowdecks. 'Stay safe, my Lioness!'

'Thanks, Mom,' Raine replied.

Rhodry considered the expression of a nearby Raiden as he stood tall between Relm and Tian. The White SeeD matched his late father in height but not yet in girth. Though without a GF, or his father's staff, Raiden was currently in Raine's shadow. Despite his early mastery of the lightning element.

'Ifrit actually made it to class before Edea!' Rhodry said to a nearby Fujin.

'Obedient,' Fujin responded, giving the faintest hint of a smile. 'Unlike Seifer.'

Rhodry smiled too. 'That he is.'

Likely Ifrit was scared of his mother, as Rhodry had been back at Balamb Garden. The boy was eager to become as strong as his father had been. Fujin had asked Rhodry to teach the boy swordcraft for as long as he remained onboard, as she believed that Seifer's primal and unorthodox style had been his undoing. In doing so, the Abadon had ended up drilling all the children who wished to take up the sword. Ifrit was a fast learner, strong for his age and with great balance, willing to train with fire and steel until long after sunset. Rhodry admired his passion, and knew that Gerra would be equally impressed with his forebear. By his mid-teens, Rhodry knew that Ifrit would be just as proficient as Seifer.

Although a GF bearer, Fujin would not be accompanying them. The ship would invisibly circle the island after Rhodry and Raine's departure, with Pandemonium enabling White SeeD to hightail it to safety if the enemy approached. In that event, it would be a long and arduous journey to the Serengeti Plains for the two SeeDs, but one they would make to ensure their sister organisation continued to thrive.

They summoned Shiva and Minimog to carry them atop the sandy cliff face. It was not the first time the White SeeDs had seen them. The children had been having bundles of fun with Mog, and the elders had urged Shiva to enthrall all the children with the knowledge she had amassed across the eons, giving Celes and Minwu a rare respite. The GFs had also been used to ascertain which White SeeDs would be prime candidates for junctioning, and furthermore, which elements they were best suited for.

'Hynespeed, Sis!' Raiden called to Raine.

'Be careful!' Tian urged.

'Alert!' Fujin warned.

'Make sure you get some breathtaking landscape shots for me!' Relm shouted last.

Before long, the two SeeDs left the unseen cloaking sphere that caused the ship to suddenly distort and disappear from their vision. Atop the sand-coloured cliff-face, they looked around the flat island of dunes, scanning the horizon from west to east. It was truly barren aside from the occasional cacti, which their gazes lingered upon to establish whether or not they were of the mobile variety.

The SeeDs' plan had been to use their GFs to try and locate the aura of a lesser cactuar, then use Shiva and Mog to communicate and seek an audience with their ruler. If hostile, their GFs would be able to shield the SeeDs from a hail of deadly needles and secure their return to the ship, or ferry them across the strait to the north. Additionally, Shiva would keep Rhodry's body temperature cool throughout the journey. Unfortunately, Raine would have to withstand the heat, though with her darker complexion she could endure it better than Rhodry's paler one naturally could. The Trabian would cast the occasional cool wind to bring her temperature down. Wisely, Raine had also requested a reflective White SeeD uniform, and was lathered in sun oil. Rhodry was wearing desert fatigues, with a beige cap and sunglasses.

'That the cactuars themselves can survive here by any means other than their magic is a marvel!' Rhodry remarked.

'Don't they spend most of their time underground?' Raine asked, after a drink from her canteen. She was already sweating, the sun block glistening on her olive brow.

'So, I've heard.'

'Perhaps they live in the old Zebalgan pyramids,' Raine mused. 'Maybe there's a whole colony of them beneath us!'

'Shiva doesn't know, either,' Rhodry replied. 'Understandably, this is her least favourite part of the world! And she said the cactuars are the most estranged of the sentient creatures.'

Raine's oily brow furrowed then. 'Ultimecia and Zebalga would know, wouldn't they?'

'I suppose,' Rhodry answered.

Rhodry took a drink from his own canteen before taking out his satphone. He messaged Kurin to say they had reached the top of the cliffs and were about to proceed. He led the way in a northerly direction, checking his GPS every few minutes, and updating Kurin every fifteen. The White SeeD Captain was tracking a transponder on Rhodry's utility belt, but they had opted for a two-stage check now they were out of radio range.

Squall had once told Rhodry that when the Ragnarok passed by here, Zell had spotted the Jumbo Cactuar through the bridge windows. At Zell's insistence, Selphie had banked the ship for a closer look. But as she moved to land, Jumbo seemed to disappear into quicksand. The heroes were on their way to Esthar at the time, having been contacted by Laguna. With everything happening so fast, they had had no time to investigate further.

They saw no hint of life as their boots made firm depressions in the golden sand, looking back to see their slightly errant footsteps for many yards behind them. Rhodry unscrewed his canteen again, though was not consuming anywhere near as much as Raine, taking gulps in between panning her phone's camera for her little sister's benefit. He had used Shiva's wind to cool her twice already, and would probably have to give her his canteen soon.

Raine still wore that fiercer expression that only seemed to abate when she was around her family, with a firm hold on her father's staff. She had been badged the Lioness after Dollet's liberation. The Slayer of Sepultura. Liu had said Raine had shattered the hand of Gargantua, as well, after their insertion went awry. Rhodry had achieved much himself as Shiva's summoner, though he was impressed that Raine had made such strides with just a demi-GF.

Abruptly, a squeak made them turn to the left.

'There!' Raine said.

There was a single cactuar standing sidelong on a rock, almost completely still. Rhodry gripped Icefall's handle and Shiva already had a shield ready, but the cactuar made no move to fire needles. After a tense couple of seconds, Shiva touched its mind. From what little was known of the cactuars, they only somewhat comprehended human languages, though Shiva would be able to relay a series of thoughts and feelings from it. After a few seconds, it spun in a full three-sixty and squeaked again. Its front arm, crooked so the tip faced the sky, seemed to move backwards in a beckoning. Then it jumped off the rock to disappear behind it.

A loud noise could suddenly be heard from behind it, as though the ground was shifting. Shiva instructed Rhodry to follow. He did so to find what he could only describe as a whirlpool in the sand. Raine gasped as she saw it. The cactuar had vanished.

'You've got to be joking!' Rhodry said.

He did not fear many things in life, least of all death itself. Although a slow, assured demise by falling into quicksand was one of them. Shiva materialised before them.

'It will be fine,' she said reassuringly. 'If it is not, I will be able to freeze the whirlpool and save you both!'

Raine looked as incredulous as Rhodry felt. He did not think that it was possible to freeze sand. Though if they were to die, their GFs would live on, as they would until the end of time. They had a waiting White SeeD Ship full of prospective summoners. Was he not living on borrowed time, anyway?

'If you're sure,' Rhodry said reluctantly.

He quickly texted his intentions to Kurin, then removed his sunglasses. Glancing at Raine, he offered his hand to her as he stepped toward the quicksand.

'You coming?'

She nodded after a few seconds, grasping his hand. Shiva returned to Rhodry as they jumped to a count of three. The sand stuck to the exposed patches of his lathered skin, and he had the sensation of being completely submerged as he shut his eyes. For a few seconds, he could not draw breath at all as his chest was compressed.

In those moments, he accepted that he had made a fatal mistake. Raine's grip was like a vice, squeezing his hand so tightly that it caused him pain. He had led the young Lioness to death's door! Shiva bade him not to panic, but the only thing Rhodry could think of in response was to say goodbye, that he hoped he had been a worthy bearer of the Glacial Empress' power. His only consolation was that all his other fallen brethren would be waiting for him, Anwen and Glyn among them.

Then he found himself dropping into a chamber consisting of beige stone, much like the cliff their GFs had flown them up earlier. What Rhodry assumed was the same cactuar they had seen moments ago was waiting for them a few yards ahead. It gave a couple of squeaks and turned to face the wall of rough-hewn stones to his right, moving sideways away from them.

Rhodry collected himself a fraction faster than Raine. The Neo-SeeD had a hand on her chest and was panting. Thunderstroke, unbreakable as ever, clattered to the ground some distance away.

'You Hynedamn pincushion!' she shouted after the cactuar. 'That was horrible!'

Raine took in her surroundings for the first time. Within seconds, her anger was forgotten. She was going for her phone, snapping pictures of the beige chamber, the roof of sand and the retreating cactuar.

'Come on!' Rhodry said with a chuckle. 'We don't want to lose the little pincushion!'

They followed the cactuar through a matrix of tunnels of varying sizes. Rhodry had not drawn Icefall, but Raine had her staff back in her free hand, her phone in the other. They passed cactuars that looked identical to the one they were following. Some squeaked suddenly as they passed, but they were seemingly not threatened by their presence.

There was not a single stretch of wall uncovered with paintings upon their surfaces. The images ranged from people, to monsters, to Guardian Forces. The tunnels were lit by sporadically placed torches on the walls. The mouths of the monster heads also contained fires of illumination. Raine continued recording their every step.

'Just make sure you tag me in everything,' Rhodry joked. 'It will save me getting my own phone out!'

'Sure thing, Rhod!' Raine replied.

'That reminds me,' he said pensively. 'I completely forgot about the pictures I took of Squall and Rinoa's statue.'

'Huh?' she responded. 'What statue?'

'The shumi built a statue of Squall and Rinoa,' Rhodry explained. 'Of them embracing after he saved her from the Sorceress Memorial. An Esthari soldier named Cyan retired there some years ago, an artist. He was stationed there when it happened.'

Rhodry had mentioned it to Squall after Galbadia, but had forgotten to share the photos on the Network. He wondered if Nida would do so when he saw the statue.

'An artist sheltered us in Dollet City,' Raine said. 'Phillip Massey. A partisan for the Children of Sarona. Uncle Squall met Massey and his grandfather when Garden went there on sabbatical, twenty years ago.'

'I remember,' Rhodry said.

'I never mentioned it to anyone on the Island because of what happened to Massey.' Raine sighed heavily. 'Hyne, don't make me tell you what Zebalga did to him!'

Rhodry did not want to know.

'I've never crossed swords with Zebalga,' he remarked.

'If only you had, Rhod!' Raine replied. 'A good many people could have been spared, Xu being chief among them!'

They let the conversation tail off. As they progressed, the image that reoccurred the most was one of a dashing male with flawless countenance. He was wearing a blue tunic that was partly veiled by a glowing cape of interwoven reds, oranges and yellows that shone ethereally. Its light was acknowledged in the other paintings by slightly altering the colour of any other image it neighboured.

'That's gotta be Hyne!' Raine remarked.

'It would appear so,' Rhodry agreed. 'Before He cast off his skin. Yet it was the Zebalgans that led the rebellion against Him, or so we were always told.'

Raine murmured. 'Yeah, and then they exiled Queen Zenobia when she got a share of His power.'

Not much was known about the Zebalga Clan's prehistoric kingdom, said to have been swallowed by the Kakashbald following the Fall of Hyne, with only the tips of their once glorious pyramids remaining. Rhodry was certain that no one other than Ultimecia and General Zebalga had beheld this place for millennia.

Eventually, the two SeeDs reached the front of one such sandstone pyramid. It was in the centre of a vast chamber. In front of it was a bone-dry fountain. The statue above depicted a full chimera, still whole but cracked in places. While Raine took more photos, the cactuar that had been leading them squeaked once more, perhaps this time in impatience.

They followed it into the perfectly square entrance of the pyramid, into an equally vast chamber. Like the passageways, it was lit by hanging brackets adorning the sides. Similar torches hanging from the ceiling all cast a rich, flickering glow. Each of their footstep echoed deeply, and it took them a few minutes to reach the other side, which opened into a smaller chamber of the same shape. There was an old throne at the end, long since faded from the golden that the traces of coloured patches on it spoke of.

Sitting on it was the Jumbo Cactuar. The demi-GF remained immobile as they cautiously approached. Shiva bade Rhodry to stop a respectable distance away and he did so. Raine also halted, finally putting her phone away after getting a few snaps of Jumbo. Shiva and Mog both appeared in physical form, bowing their heads respectfully in front of the giant being. Rhodry dropped to one knee and drew his weapon, placing the tip on the ground.

'It pleases us to see that you are free Guardian Force once more, Sire,' he said respectfully.

There came a much deeper noise from the Jumbo Cactuar, and their small guide darted away. The common cactuar ran from the chamber, skittering over the floor to return to doing whatever it was cactuars did.

Having been used by Ellone to Connect with Tyris during the Battle of the Great Plains, Rhodry knew exactly how Jumbo had come to be liberated, having been used temporarily by the Stormbringer to boost her power and mask her aura from friend and foe. As soon as Tyris had junctioned with Quetzalcoatl, she had freed it, and it had presumably followed the Tonberry King back south.

Shiva stood erect and must have been communicating to her brethren telepathically, as Jumbo was looking at her before intermittently looking at Mog. Rhodry could garner nothing, and Raine remained kneeling stoically, glancing between the three GFs. Then Jumbo looked at them both, and his gaze did not waver. Suddenly imprinted in Rhodry's mind, whether he wanted it to be or not, was the image of Jumbo merging with a faceless and genderless human being. Then he had the impression of a question mark.

Rhodry smiled in understanding before saying, 'Sire, I would be honoured to accept your power, but I am currently junctioned with Shiva. Raine here is the Quicksilver Moogle's summoner. It is my comrade, Kurin – leader of White SeeD – who seeks to be your new bearer! Kurin was the among the first SeeDs, as it happens, and would never presume to use your power for personal gain. He wishes only to protect you and your noble race from the one who enslaved you before, Sorceress Ultimecia.'

The Jumbo Cactuar remained unmoving. Its mouth was a perfectly thin line. Then, almost like something a restless child would be told to imagine to aid them in falling sleep, the image of hundreds of cactuars jumping aboard the White SeeD ship was suddenly thrust onto Rhodry's mind.

Shiva explained. 'Not only is Jumbo willing to join us, but he will also lend White SeeD his entire army!'