Filling In The Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.
Chapter 127: Dreamers
The fog was heavy.
Rain drizzled his guards, standing atop the tour he was currently scouting. The droplets did nothing to help disintegrate the mist.
It wasn't a particularly interesting night. A bit gloomier than usual, sure, but General Strand was making his rounds, making sure that his guards weren't sleeping when they were on the lookout.
He heard the hushed complaints. What were they scouting against? Who would lay siege to the castle, heavily guarded, with all dreamers and soldiers within range?
A cocky smile came about his lips. That much was true. But he wasn't about to have slackers in his army.
A flash; a chain of lightening that nearly reached the horizon. Then, a few moments later, thunder rumbled through the sky, sluggish and crackling.
The cloudy night had given away to a pre-dawn storm. It wouldn't get light out that day with how heavy the air felt.
There was a murmur from the other side of the tower. He narrowed his eyes. His guards were to be silent unless there was trouble; he didn't want any sort of false alarms.
"What's going on?" he snarls, whirling around the corner.
The middle lookout cocked his head back, concern on his face under the helmet. "Sir, does the mist before a storm usually rise so rapidly."
His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed, "What?" he grunted, pushing past the guard on the left. He leaned forward, his breastplate touching the stone.
"What the hell –"
"Over there, too!" the man he had just pushed out of the way, barely eighteen it looked, pointed to another location to the left, just off of the lake.
Strand knew, simply by the way it suddenly felt too loud outside that his other guards, along the walls and other spires, were seeing similar pictures.
"We need to get down there and see what that is before –"
It came fast. Stunning, quick and without warning.
Straight through the throat of the guard on his right. He gurgled, clawing at his throat, before collapsing backwards, his arms waving as he pulled the two other scouts down with him. Blood bubbled from his mouth.
Strand whipped forward, staring into the mist with wide eyes.
The night was silent, besides the last warbled breath of his soldier. He stood still for a moment, the world frozen.
"Sound the alarms! We're being attacked!" His voice boomed like thunder in the night, and like a flame put to a trail of gasoline, the line of defensive scouts on the wall burst into noise. Chaos was ensuing.
A battle was beginning.
Ruby watched Blank step back from her. She watched Dagger step back from a squeeze and protection spell with Cinna and Zidane step back from a rough hug and handshake with Marcus. Baku stared on at his team in anticipation after Cid and Steiner stepped back from him.
The girl, now alone, took one more glance at Blank. He wore an uneasy expression in his eyes, but his face gave nothing else away. Dagger gave her a little wave and the girl nodded back to her before her eyes slid back to the redhead.
His dagger was in his hand and his hair was pushed back out of his face. He looked so much older than the sixteen year old who had finally snapped back to his regular self after Zidane returned. He was twenty now – no longer a teen; no longer a boy. She flashed him one last smile – more of a smirk than anything, that he returned for just a flicker before his face fell back into an apprehensive scowl again.
Ruby turned back to the front, feeling the weight of her daggers and the freshly made smoke bombs in her item pouch. She leaned forward, wiggling her toes in her boots as her eyes narrowed on the darkness ahead of them. Baku would lead them of course, but then when they got close, Ruby would fall into the front. She was the team's fastest runner and would go the deepest into enemy territory to throw her smoke bombs. While they would still be close enough to see each other, just a few feet could mean life or death, which was why it was vital that the faster members of Tantalus go further in – better chance of them getting out.
"Move out," Baku commanded lowly, and just like that, they set off into the night.
She could feel Blank's eyes burning holes in the back of her head until she was sure he couldn't see her anymore. She was sure she knew what he was feeling; he wanted to be going forward – wanted to be with his team. But he had another important job and another team that needed his unwavering dedication. She would not be the reason for him to abandon the Elites.
Ruby thought about her team. Baku knew Alexandria, still, like the back of his hand. Marcus had at least two back up plans in case something went wrong, she knew, even if he hadn't expressed that out loud. Cinna was uncharacteristically carrying a second weapon with him – a bow. He had explained to them that the smoke bombs would get attention, but they wanted a frenzy, and nobody quite disagreed with him. He was excellent with a bow – better than anyone she'd ever met – though it was impractical for the type of combat they typically encountered.
Today he would finally get to show off his skill and quite possibly take down the first of Kuja's army in this battle.
The move into Alexandria was quicker than she anticipated. The route seemed similar to the last and successful attempt at rescuing Zidane, though they didn't head as far into the slums as before to shortcut around to the tunnel entrance.
They were silent. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance, lightning a bright flash before their eyes. It was the only time anyone would see the four members of Tantalus, and it was hardly enough time for an eye to catch.
The ground brushed underneath her feet as Baku motioned her to the front. They were close. She'd never been to Alexandria when the city made sense, but she could tell. Sucking in a silent breath, she darted forward, skimming by the others. The smoke bombs felt heavy in her leather satchel.
The air was humid, but not hot. For a moment, before her teammates disappeared behind her, she let herself remember autumn in Dali. Maybe she would feel that again this year.
Maybe.
The castle was in front of them. The heavy mist of the night shrouded them as they crept forward, close enough to see guards on the walls and, if one looked hard enough, on the towers.
If luck was on their side, Baku's smoke bombs would work.
One struck the ground, completely silent. She waited for a heavy moment in the mist, too frightened to move. Marcus, who she knew was behind her, waited in fretful anticipation for her to reach him again.
At first, it blended with the mist, but soon it rose, thicker and smellier and quicker than the regular fog. She backpedaled and wound to the right, throwing another.
She made it back to Marcus as a ruckus started along the wall; the others must have also thrown theirs.
Ruby slipped behind some wreckage – a pile of stone and wood from a building that had collapsed, and nobody had bothered to clean up.
Filthy city. That's what they were fighting to change.
The drawstring of Cinna's bow creaked, but so lightly only someone who knew it was coming could hear. She imagined him closing one eye to get the correct aim.
A rustle and a shout.
"Sound the alarms! We're being attacked!"
They turned to flee.
She would see Blank sooner than they thought, for the groups elected to fly first into battle would already be waiting for the first unsuspecting wave of soldiers to emerge.
Hopefully this was enough. Hopefully all of it was enough.
Her heart beat in her throat as she ran, her skirts flying behind her and feeling like a cape.
At least Tantalus still knew how to cause a scene.
As general of this ragtag rebellion, Beatrix had to use a certain amount of wit and gut to lead. People weren't properly trained – propelled by emotions and clumsy with their weapons. She could not rely on one-hundred percent surety to lead.
That's what always set her one peg above Steiner. He played things too safe.
She raised her sword silently, no battle cry needed, for this had always been a resistance that worked soundlessly in the dark. She knew all eyes were on her anyway. Noise was unnecessary.
Reering up her chocobo and allowing him to be the one to kee-wah to the others, she pointed Save the Queen forward, and started the charge.
If all went well, they would meet Tantalus in their momentary retreat.
The sound of unrelenting tromping rose all around her. Her heartbeat raced, matching the beat of the feet of all creatures behind her. Her eyes were wide, taking in the darkness as they stormed the last length into the city.
The downfall of Alexandria was that it did not start as suburbs. There was no difficulty in reaching the main city to wreak havoc, because as soon as you were in her walls, you were immediately in the heart of the city.
Today that would work in their favor.
She felt raindrops on her and acknowledged them somewhere in the back of her mind. But once her chocobo burst into the city and claws scraped at overgrown cobblestone and broken pavement, she forget about everything. The rest of the world around her melted away and finally her voice broke through the darkness with a fierce roar.
And just like a siren giving away their position, fireballs rained down on them like a meteor shower, Kuja's unwavering black mages sending spell after spell towards the first wave of attackers.
So it had begun.
Tantalus' ignition of battle had worked.
Cries broke out and before Beatrix really grasped what was going on, she had charged into the oncoming slot of soldiers – those on duty, the first to raise arms against intruders.
Her chocobo plowed through them, and just like that her world snapped back into place. Gone was that slow-motion, cliché feeling of the beginning of a battle, and here the noise around her became sharp and pointed again. Her heartbeat faded away and she began swinging her sword as her chocobo raced ahead.
Balancing on his chocobo, Vivi raised a waterga spell above them. It came down in a downpour, soaking everyone. But the resistance was ready for it. They weren't bothered. All of the dark black mages' fireballs fizzled out, only embers hitting the ground below.
Without a thought to the soldiers on their side, in a terrifying unison, the mages slapped their hands on the ground, pulling lightning down from the sky.
But Vivi had been ready, and let out a yell, "Ice!" his usually quiet voice road up over the hollers of battle and all resistance members planted their feet firmly on the ground, signaled into what was coming. With stunning accuracy that came only from the last four years of training, Vivi cast a blizzaga, dotted around the wet stone. The ice climbed up the legs of the resistance members, encasing them as the thunder electrocuted those standing in the water.
Already soldiers were falling. They were off to a good start.
When he knew it was safe, he dispersed the ice, freeing chocobo and rebel alike.
Springing forward when he could feel the ice melting, Blank flung his dagger across the throat of a soldier. His eyes were fierce, eyebrows furrowed and mouth set into a scowl. There would be no mercy on the people who took his life – everyone he'd ever known's life – away from him. His chocobo reared with the same fierceness underneath him.
The redhead didn't have to do much dodging. Nor did anyone on the chocobos, really. They kept their grace from the fields in battle, and all Blank had to worry about was where he was swinging his dagger. His chocobo ducked low and to the right, the thief leaning up and to the left, dagger extended. It hit a soldier in the armpit as he raised his sword – a place with no armor because of the contour of the body.
When the man dropped his sword, Blank was quick to pick it up before the chocobo rose to its full height again. He lunged it forward like a lance, burying it into the steel armor.
The battle raged around him, Rama's and Lysandra's teams to the side and Sam's close behind them. He knew that when more soldiers appeared, the rest of the resistance would already be right behind them.
Blank knew these were just the first soldiers to respond – scouts and newbies who were guarding the low-probability battle point of the castle. Out of habit, he glanced towards Zidane, just in time to see the blonde thrown off of his chocobo.
The genome skid across the wet stone violently. Blood smeared underneath him from the road rash on his arm, but he was otherwise uninjured. He bounded back up, ducking into a defensive stance as the soldier with the javelin continued to swing at him from a longer distance. The man had side swiped Zidane off of his mount mid forward dash, sending the thief spiraling. The chocobo rounded back around to pick Zidane up, but was cut off by more of Kuja's men. He gave an apologetic sounding squawk at the boy he was abandoning before it tromped away.
Blank reered to the left, leaping from his chocobo to block the sword coming at Zidane from behind. It got the redhead in the shoulder, ripping through his armor and nicking his skin, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins allowed a temporary immunity to the sting of pain.
Zidane's wide cerulean eyes veered backwards as he parried the javelin in front of him. "Christ. Thanks Pal."
"You've got to have better than that in you," the redhead insisted gruffly, shoving the soldier back and squatting down, swiping his feet out from under him. With his fingertips brushing the pavement, he cartwheeled up and kicked the man in the face. Zidane flipped backwards, his heavy boots colliding with the man's chest, sending him barreling backwards. While Zidane was busy, the javelin soldier sprung forward, only to meet Blank's dagger in the stomach, where his armor had lifted with his arms and left him exposed.
Zidane's tail wrapped around the redhead's torso, pulling him back from the last clawing attempt to take down a rebel with him as the man collapsed to the ground.
"Still make a good team," the blonde grinned, feeling the exhilaration of battle.
Blank's scowl lessoned, but the seriousness on his face was never expelled. "Let's stick together then," he agreed with a nod.
While the two of them fought on, Steiner had dismounted his own chocobo. He enjoyed the speed of dodging he usually didn't get with his heavy armor, but it was making his swings sloppy and, to be perfectly honest, was wearing him out. He would let the creature wind back and pick up another soldier with a lighter weapon.
The man swung, using the momentum of his weapon to guide him. He leaned backwards as he sliced straight through armor, his sword never failing him. It was made considerably better than the hasty assembly of Kuja's soldiers – weapon and armor alike – despite having many years to perfect the trade in power. He must have never seen it as a priority.
The battle rang on around him. He tried to keep his focus off of his teammates, hoping they were doing an okay job on their own. His breath was heavy and the people in front of him began to blur together. It seemed like time was coming to a stop and the air left his lungs agonizingly slow.
"Steiner!" Eiko's voice suddenly brought him back and the world sped up again. She had cast esuna on him, dispelling the slow spell that had been cast.
He huffed, shaking his head. "Thank you, Eiko!" he hollered, hoping she heard.
Steiner couldn't see her dodging in and out of the feet of soldiers. They scuttled forward like sheep in a herd, while she, spritely and flexible, was able to evade them easily, keeping an eye on her teammates. The girl knew she wasn't physically strong, but her quick nature made it simple to be on the battlefield and use her white magic at the same time.
However, she had upgraded from her small staff to a dagger instead, via Amarant. He insisted she couldn't go into battle with just a stick, no matter how much she tried to tell him it was more than that. But, when he offered to give her lessons on how to use it, she certainly didn't hesitate to take him up on the offer.
As she bounced back and forth, she looked for weak spots in the armor, much like she'd seen Blank strategically doing before. When it was low enough for her short stature – like the waist or a shield strap, or perhaps even an ankle, she sliced with all of the power her small arms could muster, hoping to slow anyone down.
Surprisingly or not, she had multiple soldiers on their knees, shocked and unable to get back up fast enough before they met their fate.
Eiko hovered closer to Vivi, knowing that he could easily be overpowered. While his black magic was easily the most effective weapon on the field at that very moment, if too many soldiers got too close, he could be in trouble and she simply did not want him to be cornered.
The black mages around them continued casting fireballs, seeing their thundaga wasn't effective. As time wore on, their spells stayed consistent, creating quite the headache for friend and foe. Their eyes were blank and lifeless, one hand casting a fireball while the other was shooting. But Odin had explained to them in a training session that relentless magic was like a gun – there would eventually be a reload time, and it would be a longer one to get their magic power back.
"Something isn't right!" Beatrix yelled after the battle had already seemed to drag on. "No stronger enemies are emerging!"
Dagger's hair whipped her face as she skidded backwards, her boots grinding into the pavement. She had swung her staff up to protect her face, the man she was facing getting his sword stuck in her wooden weapon.
A soldier in front of her, hearing Beatrix's words scoffed as he swung at Dagger. "You are no threat to us. No siege on the castle will last long!"
His words stuck out to the raven as she defended against him. Her eyes narrowed. So they just needed a more serious attack.
"Beatrix!" She shouted, "Cover me!"
The woman hacked her way back to the girl, crouching in front of her with her giant sword in front of them. Dagger backpedaled for a moment, careful not to stray too far from the woman. Eiko was close to her behind, her eyes never leaving her friend in case Dagger needed more assistance.
She squeezed her eyes shut, straining for the concentration and power she needed to perform a summon. Sucking in a breath, she clasped her staff in front of her like a baton, holding it firm and trying not to focus on the notch that was taken out of the center from the man's sword.
Feeling her breath leave her and her chest heave forward as power ripped from her hands, a bright orange circle lit up underneath her, igniting the girl in a glowing light. It was especially brilliant in the dark, looking like the grounds in front of the castle were on fire.
And then flames suddenly did blossom from that glow, exploding in every direction as, rising from the ground and appearing from the air, a giant beast appeared. Beatrix dove forward to avoid the flames and for a moment, all were stunned into a stupor. As the creature solidified, it let out a terrible howl.
Its legs were long and dark, crater-making hooves giving way to large, unbreakable claws. The upper part of his body was an olive green, muscles and veins rippling underneath its skin. He had gnarled, yellow teeth and blazing eyes, surrounded by the same dark fur on his legs. His orange horns curled like flames around his head, and at his full height, Ifrit rose above the castle.
He curled his clawed fingers, jabbing his elbows back and raising his chest, throwing back his head and letting out a petrifying wail. In one swoop, he knocked the guard tower that Strand had been atop not too long ago over, the stone crumpling to the ground. Men shouted as they were trapped under the heavy rock.
He was careful not to step on Dagger as he tromped forward, but she was the only one he seemed to care about. Men were hasty to get out of his way, but some, enveloped in their fighting, couldn't move fast enough. They were crushed by his hooves.
Ifrit let out another frightening screech, slamming his hand down on the castle wall, creating a giant hole. It gave way to see a barely lit foyer with a long, dark oak table in it and tapestries up on the wall. It was a conference room – one that never saw any meetings after Kuja took over the castle and used mainly for the knights in the barracks. However, it was inside the castle walls and now they had breached the stronghold.
"Think that'll do it?!" Dagger hollered, her voice straining as she kept a tight grip on her staff, fighting to keep Ifrit summoned. She got the impression that he was difficult to command, and harder to keep in the physical world. It wouldn't be long, but hopefully this would be enough of a wakeup call.
"Great work, Dagger!" Beatrix cheered, though something in her gut was worried. It was no secret now that she held the ability to summon but being so close to Kuja's grasp when he wanted so much to get his hands on her power startled her.
Beatrix couldn't continue to think about it though, because Ifrit swung his other foot forward, knocking the debris from a nearby shop flying over the battlefield. The brunette watched everyone fly for cover. A long, ragged beam hit her chocobo's legs and he collapsed to the ground. Beatrix fell hard, her own leg getting trapped under the weight of her beast.
It squawked, only annoyed and not too hurt as it struggled to get up. They were tangled up, but in Beatrix's favor, the attention of Kuja's soldiers was now on the fiery beast.
Many of them fled. Some were too young to think their quick battle would be against such a beast, and others were too frightened and intimidated from the sight. Others were simply cowards, or didn't feel as strongly, in their guts, about the cause, seeing that the treat was quite a bit more serious than they anticipated.
Ifrit yowled, his shriek rising in the air. That orange glow that he had appeared from spread around him, beams of light reflecting in every which direction. They turned dark and looked as though they melded into the ground. Another scream, and suddenly those beams of light burst into flames.
Alexandria was burning.
Fire flung in every direction, and Dagger screamed with the power being ripped from her, half in pain and half in her own rage to keep Ifrit moving forward. It traveled quickly up the buildings, over the debris and in between the fighting. In one more movement, the flames suddenly burst upward, licking the midnight sky. All was illuminated now, the fog evaporating.
And that's when they saw the glint of gold armor marching in from around the side of the castle, chocobos racing fretfully into battle, with men yelling and crying out for blood.
And intermixed into the golden-glad warriors were simple looking people, looking nearly regular amidst the elite soldiers.
Zidane's breath caught in his throat as he recalled somewhere in the back of his mind some of their faces, from this life or perhaps another.
Not only had Kuja's golden warriors emerged…
So had the dreamers.
When the entire stronghold of a castle shook, Avalanche dropped everything he was doing.
He'd heard bouts of rumors passing some hurrying guards earlier about an attack on the outer wall, but nobody seemed overly concerned. However, when not even an hour later everything rattled and he, graceful as he was, nearly lost his footing, his path pivoted.
It was uncharacteristic for the elf to rush down the halls so quickly he was nearly running.
It didn't take him long, with everyone unnoticing and running the opposite direction to reach hid destination.
Still in chains on the stairs that led down into a walled courtyard was Quina, still patient, still acting completely oblivious. But the qu was sitting straighter now, knowing very well who could be knocking at the castle gates.
The key to the prisoner's binds was heavy in his pocket as he rushed forward. His hair hung annoyingly in front of his pale eyes, his ears erect and listening.
"Quina," he said lowly, his voice still sounding foreign when he spoke the qu's name.
He turned, staring at the elf with star-shaped pupils. "It my friends?"
Avalanche gave a small nod. "I think so."
The qu gave no additional movements, and maybe to an outside viewer, it looked as though he had accepted that his life would end there in those chains. "What will Zidane's friend do?"
Avalanche let on a grim smile, feeling the weight of the metal key in his pocket. He knew what he would do, but the physical action of doing it was terrifying. It had been four years in a ruined Alexandria, and just over half a year since he'd learned the truth from Zidane.
Before he could make a movement, the doors to the courtyard burst open. "Avalanche!" A woman with short brown hair and browner eyes raced forward, her face wearing panic. "They're calling on the dreamers. What should we do?" There was a rather sizeable group behind her, fear featured in their eyes.
He gave a long sigh, staring back at the qu. "We forgive," he said quietly and simply.
It was true: while Kuja was ruthless and unapologetic, Avalanche knew from the brief interactions he'd had face to face with any resistance member that they were compassionate – they understood that this whole mess wasn't the dreamers' faults, despite what Kuja would say about them.
Without a word to the group waiting for his guidance, as these were the people who came to Avalanche about their contradictory dreams, he turned towards the qu and slipped the key from his pocket. The chaos inside the castle would be hectic; it would be easy to slip even a prisoner as conspicuous as Quina outside.
The rattle of chains hitting the ground was a big moment – to all of them. Their eyes were still wide in fear, but something in them flickered to life with hope and determination.
"Let us start fighting for the right team."
The marching.
Freya wondered how long into the future that noise would stick with her. The sound of incoming enemies – so many that it sounded like thunder and pounding rain all at once. It frightened her – it infuriated her. How could so many follow a man who only wanted destruction for Gaia?
She gripped her spear tighter. For the time she had left in this world, she swore to make a positive influence; if this was everything there was left, she would not go down without a fight. None of them would. Dagger was already proving that.
She watched the girl pant with the effort of keeping Ifrit summoned, but she knew the end was coming. He was glowing brighter and brighter, and no doubt would use his self-destruct ability to create a hellfire around him before he left this world. Freya had taken some time in Madain Sari to read up on these eidolons, and she and Eiko shared long conversations discussing their history.
There had been the quickest of breaks when the rookie soldiers and scouts began to disperse and flee, but with the dreamers and golden warriors coming towards them, there wouldn't be any time for rest.
She found a divot in the pavement, pole vaulting herself up and kicking a man off of his chocobo. She cut the saddle off the creature and it fled, squawking. Only the insanity of humanoid species would fight with a giant fire-creating monster next to them. The soldier rose, pulling out an additional sword, dual wielding as he charged.
She ducked, extending her spear as she squatted in a side lunge. He leapt over the weapon and slammed his swords downward. She parried with the handle of her weapon before rolling out of the way, feeling the water coat her jacket. As quickly as she could, she flounced into a standing position again, barely touching the ground after her roll as she hopped back up. Spinning, she parried again, pushing the shorter man back on his feet.
He snarled, freeing one sword and swiping at her. Jumping and dancing around attacks. They continued to play this game until Freya backed up into Amarant, who had been backpedaling from his opponent to throw his disks at the man.
The redhead glanced backwards, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Amarant, I'm busy!" she ducked, ant the man's weapon cut one of Amarant's dreadlocks.
He stared down at the hair that had fallen to the ground, a frown appearing on his face. In a quick motion, he threw one of his claws at Freya's opponent, getting him in the face. The man collapsed to the ground, one metal claw having gone through his eye.
In turn, the Bermecian took on Amarant's enemy: a man whose only advantage was the large shield he was sporting. She used her jump ability, effectively pogo-sticking him behind his large, wooden wall with her spear. Amarant yanked the claw from the warrior's face and finished him off.
"Thank you," she breathed out.
"Don't mention it," he said simply, before leaping back into the fray.
As Freya continued to fight, she hardly even noticed that Ifrit had vanished. He had let out a large, scorching howl as fire erupted all around him. The city around them burned so brightly, she hadn't even noticed his gigantic figure had dissolved.
After finishing off another enemy and taking a moment to investigate further, she realized that while all of Kuja's elite soldiers had charged, the dreamers were hanging back, just on the outskirts of the battle.
That cannot be good. Her stomach churned in anticipation.
"Dreamers!" The voice boomed out, echoing loudly over all of the fire. Heads snapped up at the magically amplified noise. It was a voice everyone recognized. "You finally have your chance at justice – your chance at revenge! Fight with me now for your fallen city of Alexandria – your fallen brethren, friends and loved ones. This is the rebellion that destroyed your home!" Kuja's voice jarred everyone it touched.
"Use your gifts! Destroy the resistance!"
As if perfectly timed on cue, a horrible, bright light emerged from the side of battle. Unlike the raging warmth of the orange fires, this was white – pure, blinding white. And at the pink core of it all, were the dreamers, who had been watching the battle and building their rage, readying themselves for Kuja's dramatic cue.
Many, no, most of the resistance had never seen the power of the dreamers before. Hardly anyone was present for Zidane or Vivi's display of this power. And while the two of the side of the resistance had great strength, their power paled in comparison to the compressed amount of power at the sidelines of their battle grounds. Freya swayed with the overwhelming feeling of magic and raw core power in the air.
Zidane pushed forward. Mostly everyone fighting stopped in awe of this unusual display, much like the summon of Ifrit not a half hour ago. His face was broken, eyebrows knit together as he balled his hands into fists.
"No!" he yelled, though he was sure his voice was swallowed. He cried in anguish, tears pricking his vision. "He's lying to you! He did this to you!" he shouted, his throat raw as he stared at these people he once had the chance of knowing – once had the chance of perhaps changing their minds.
But then he remembered the betrayed way Elouise – someone he had known better than anyone else in his life as far as he remembered – had stared at him the last time they had battled in Alexandria, and he knew it would have mattered.
His heart beat in his chest, tears releasing and streaming down his dirty face. The wind was cold, but the fire around them was burning hot. Rain pattered down around them, ineffective against the flames. Thunder rolled on, deafening but silent at all once.
"No…" he mumbled, his words lost on the harsh howl of the wind. He took a frightened step back as the bright light broke and began glowing magenta. Stepping forward were nearly feral looking people, clothing changed nearly primitive or angelic based on the power of their heart.
His and Vivi's power was so different – so diverse that he was sure this trance ability they possessed gave them not one singular move in common. And so he was afraid – just like he knew the others were – of the dissimilar attacks that were sure to come their way.
One tense moment passed as everyone took in that final breath before the real battle of skill would begin.
And then in one move, everyone dashed forward.
Somewhere along the wall of dreamers, someone had incredible strength, for their takeoff cracked the pavement underneath their feet. Zidane heard the battle cry from behind him and knew the resistance was pushing forward, not just those few small groups of soldiers on the frontlines anymore. People passed him left and right, some sporting the matching tabards that Sally and the other older women had worked on for moral, and some in their regular clothing.
He felt the heat of sweaty, grimy bodies swarm around him. The heat of people who didn't have the luxury of running water, or warm beds or a secure home. They were people who would fight with their lives because in all reality, what was left to fight for? Everyone around him would die today if they didn't succeed. No more hiding. No prisoners. Just death.
Zidane didn't realize he had triggered his own trance until the world blurred around him as he started to run. He darted up ahead of the others who were still leading the charge, feeling like the rest of the world was moving in slow motion.
"Graaaah!" he howled, whipping out a second dagger and sliding into the first pink dreamer he could see. His feet moved so fast he could hardly feel them touching the ground.
This dreamer dodged just as quickly as Zidane came. The two of them moved like wisps around the pavement, swiping at each other, weapons not even touching. Zidane threw his arm back, getting ready for a stab, when he accidentally hit one of Kuja's soldiers, the slice so powerful it had cut through the armor and opened a wound on his chest. The metal burned him around the wound, Zidane's body and weapon so hot it violently heated up the metal.
The dreamer in front of him growled, her face unfamiliar. She had a thin katana that she swung with two petite hands. Her hair whipped around her face, canines long and piercing like fangs. Her hair had grown wild and long, her clothing becoming slick like a body suit. Her sword began to glow a vile green, and when she whipped it to the side, what looked like a stream of green dripped off of the sword and to the pavement, burning it like acid.
Zidane howled, shoving forward as they clashed, their speed making them invisible. The thunder shook the rickety structures around them, and the fire flickered, encasing the battle field. Cold rain pelted them too, but the noise that rose up above the rest was the sound of war. Weapons rang out against each other, people were screaming – rage and pain filling the air. Blood was seeping into the ground as both sides fought to kill – fought to persevere and survive.
The black mages around them had finally come back (those that survived) and rallied again after Ifirit's attacks and were hurling different spells into battle. One moment, Amarant was rolling through magic-made fire, Eiko skating over ice in the next.
It was in the onslaught of black magic that Ruby found herself pinned in place, having just been hit with a thundara. She had learned during training that her body was more susceptible to electrocution from these spells that resulted in temporarily paralysis – much like a taser, while others just felt pain and could continue moving.
She collapsed to her knees, grunting as the soldier in front of her, who'd been shocked and knocked to the ground, was already rising to his feet again. Her arms twitched at her sides and her fingers flexed and unflexed, dropping her dagger with a clatter on the ground.
The man in front of her, tripping to get up, chuckled darkly as he lifted his sword. "One more pesky rat out of the way."
"Fuck," she said openly, willing her body to move, but it simply wouldn't.
As she struggled to rise taller, he growled, kicking her back with the bottom of his boot. She turned her head at the last moment, her world swimming as she toppled backwards, her head cracking against the pavement. Her hair splayed out around her, legs cramping underneath her from the awkward angle she had fallen into.
He took in a breath, and Ruby swore it was the loudest thing she had ever her. He heaved his weapon back and she closed her eyes, cussing herself out for going down so quickly – going down in such a stupid way.
And out of nowhere, the heavy footsteps of Cinna appeared, and he barreled into the man as his sword came down. There was a sickening squelch as the sword wedged itself into his arm and blood squirted out, but when she heard the familiar sound of his puffing as he raced forward faster than he ever had in his whole life, her eyes snapped open.
"I don't think so!" he yelled, raising his hammer in his right arm and throwing all of his weight behind a thrash in the head to the soldier, who had been toppled to the ground. Cinna's own blood covered the man's face, making it hard to see what was his split open head and what was her friend's blood soaking into the man.
Just as fast as the man had tried to end Ruby, he was dead, Cinna's hammer slick with bright red blood.
"Cinna," she cried out as he pulled her up. "Yer arm!" He hugged her to him, away from his wound.
"Stay on your feet, Rubes," he puffed, clearly out of breath. "I thought I wasn't going to make it."
"Thank you," she said slowly, getting her feet underneath her. Her head pounded, but the effects of the thundara were wearing off.
Next to them, something exploded.
Pain seared up Ruby's leg as her and Cinna were blasted away from each other and she slammed again, hard, into the pavement. "Ruby!" she heard his voice from miles away, even though he was still near enough to touch.
The ringing in her ears refused to stop as she watched Cinna try to roll over. The blast had carved the broken off sword further into his arm, and from what she could see in her swimming vision, he looked a bit pale.
Another blast, but luckily it missed her. She lifted her weak head enough to see a dreamer walking towards them. He tossed another detonating device, this one landing on Cinna's left. When it exploded on impact, her Tantalus teammate yowled in pain, rolling to one side. Blood was covering his body.
Her heart was hammering in her chest. Where were medics? Where were Eiko and Dagger? Why wasn't anyone helping?! She patted around in her pouch weakly, finding a smoke bomb instead of a potion. With desperation, she threw it at the ground and the smoke sprayed out around them, rising darkly into the sky.
She dragged herself into a sitting position, reaching over the Cinna. He looked like he was barely conscious. "Cinna," she cried out.
The fight suddenly became really real. She watched her friend dying in her arms, not responding to her cries as she begged him to stand. One part of his face was burnt, though she couldn't see how bad it was in the smoke she'd created. Ruby couldn't lift him. She was strong, but the deadweight of her teammate, she knew she couldn't be able to move. But she still had to try.
Heaving herself up and using all of the strength left in her, she pulled on him. Once her momentum was up, her feet pattered against the ground as she desperately dragged Cinna, leaving a streak of blood on the pavement. One part of her mind was screaming that she wouldn't be able to move fast enough. The side of her mind that held so much love for her family – for her friend – told her to keep trying.
The rain dispelled the smoke quickly. She glanced wildly through her hair that was hanging wet in front of her face, her eyes widened in fear and panic. The dreamer was still walking towards them, seeming in no hurry and throwing a makeshift bomb in the direction of anyone who came too close to his path. She watched through the curtain of her own hair, as one of the soldiers on Sam's team parried against a relentless set of attacks from a dreamer, his arms shaking. He stepped too close to this man's path and the dreamer nonchalantly tossed a detonating device at him.
It hit him in the back, and then she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to shield her eyes from the gruesome scene she could already picture in her head.
The next thing that entered the man's path was a throwing star. It hit him, unexpectedly, across the cheek and his head lulled to one side. His eyebrows furrowed and he raised his free hand to his cheek, seeing the blood. Ruby couldn't help but notice that bright pink that enveloped the dreamers was fading from this particular man. Her hopes soared. Maybe she would have a chance.
Another throwing star.
And another.
And one more.
Finally, Marcus appeared in front of them, three more throwing stars in between his fingers. Ruby straightened, bravery returning to her. At the distraction, she dug in her pouch and found a potion, casting it on Cinna. The raggedy way he was breathing disappeared, despite the blood still pouring from his arm.
"Why do you defend each other? You're as good as dead that way!"
"This guy is a lunatic," Marcus murmured at her. He tossed Ruby one of his extra daggers, and she caught it with ease.
Sucking in a breath, she told herself to focus – forced herself to calm down. She slid into a offensive position, mirroring Marcus.
"Is he okay?"
"I don't think so," she murmured, not daring to glance back at her friend for fear of falling apart again.
The dreamer had stopped, staring at them and waiting for an answer to his question. When he realized he wasn't getting one, the man yelled, enraged, before throwing two devices in his hands and shooting forward. Ruby deflected one off of her dagger and it flung away from them, exploding in the air. Marcus rolled out of the way of the other and it exploded behind Cinna, the man underestimating the strength behind his throw.
They played this game of cat and mouse for a moment, yelling at each other as Tantalus dodged his attacks, all while trying to protect Cinna. He was still unresponsive on the ground, and Ruby wished she had another moment for another potion.
Marcus threw one of the daggers at the man, and despite his speed and calmness, the dagger lodged itself into his shoulder. He let out a cry of anger and pain, obviously unused to being injured in battle because his detonators left little room for him to lose.
"Back up! Back up!" Marcus commanded, as he hoisted Cinna up in one moment of raw, adrenaline-backed strength. Ruby was quick to support him and they backpedaled as fast as they could.
"You! You are sitting ducks with that deadweight in your arms!" The man pulled out three more bombs, falling to one knee and grunting. "You can watch yourselves die!"
He threw the detonators, and they blinked ominously in the air.
Ruby heard Marcus screaming at her as he tried to move them, but her body was frozen. He was telling her to save herself, but she refused to go. If one part of her family was going down, she would go too.
The three balls clinked together as they landed in front of the team. Maybe they were duds? The man cackled in the background, perhaps this was what he meant when he said they could watch themselves die.
"Delays," Marcus mumbled, shoving the two of them back as hard as he could. Ruby kicked one of the balls away, back at the man who was distracted by his premature victory. It exploded on his face, giving her the scene she had avoided with Sam's soldier earlier.
While all of this felt like it was taking place in minutes, it was mere seconds, time around her having slowed down immensely. She was still falling from the push from Marcus, and the elf was leaping on top of them, hoping to protect them from the blast.
What that meant, was all of them missed it when Baku hurled himself on top of the other detonators.
"You little shits can't even stay alive! You gotta stay alive!"
And then they exploded.
Steiner barred his heavy sword against the scythe in front of him. The woman with her weapon drawn against him was large – bigger than him no doubt – and probably just as intimidating without a trance.
He ground his teeth as he shoved his weight against her, thankful for his armor but knowing if that weapon touched him, the metal he incased himself in would do nothing to help.
"Why… can't – you just –" she growled, pushing with all of her might against him, "- leave us in peace. You – already destroyed… out city!" she shoved him back with a new bout of strength and he stumbled. But thinking quickly, he collapsed to his knees and swiped her long legs out from underneath her. He learned that trick from Tantalus.
"We did not destroy anything!" he insisted, knowing it fell on deaf ears.
"Incoming!" Before Steiner could question who that was or what that meant, Zidane landed on his shoulders. And just as quickly as he landed, he leapt off nearly knocking the knight off balance. He raged; that genome could make a joke out of any situation.
But instead of the blonde grinning back at him in jest, his spring led him to knocking the lady in front of him over, slicing both arms so she would not be able to lift her heavy weapon again.
As though on a warpath, a dreamer also followed close behind Zidane, her feral growls igniting Steiner's instincts to roll out of the way. And just like the blonde had planned, she landed on top of the fallen dreamer, her sword dripping its venom onto the woman. She howled in pain, and the other's head dropped, horrified at what her sloppy fighting had done.
While the two became tangled in fighting amongst themselves, Zidane scampered forward, "Sorry," he apologized lowly, his weapons drawn. "I can't get a hold on this trance thing."
"I'm not complaining," Steiner admitted. "Incoming," he warned calmly, gesturing with his sword at three incoming golden-clad chocobos. Sweat dripped into Steiner's eyes and he blinked rapidly to clear his stinging vision.
"Let's do this – together!"
But before the men could reach the duo, a sudden blast of black magic crackled behind them. The chain of lightning-like magic hit one of them and extended to the other two, knocking them off of their chocobos. The animals fled, hoping to steer clear of the chaos.
Zidane and Steiner whirled around, shock overtaking their faces.
Quina stood before them, he hand pressed against none other than Avalanche's, as they put their magic together to create a strong attack.
"Quina!" Zidane yelled, laughing. He wanted to tackle the qu where they stood, but knew it would probably get them in trouble. Without the men chasing them, they had just a moment to have a reunion. "And… Avalanche!"
The elf sighed in relief, "I'm glad to see you up and moving, Zidane. Last time we met was not…"
The blonde shrugged, a sheepish look on his face, "Can't say I quite remember." He gripped his old friend's shoulder, staring up at him with wide, friendly blue eyes. "It's good to see you, buddy."
"I've brought some friends," he gestured to the small cluster of alerted dreamers behind him, anxious to see one of two dreamers fighting for the other side. A few of them, seeing the resistance fighting after learning the truth, had already entered their own trance and raced off to battle.
"We need all the help we can get," Steiner insisted with a nod, before he needed to raise his sword again to defend against oncoming soldiers.
"Elouise?" Zidane asked, hopeful.
Avalanche looked away.
The blonde sucked in a sharp breath but gave a slight nod. "I understand. Let's get to work. Show me what you've learned since waking up from Alexandria!"
The elf's smirk couldn't shy away from that as he felt the familiar rage building in him – something that Kuja's dreamers didn't have to work as hard to trigger, for they had been training with the ability for a few years.
"It's really good to see you, Quina," Steiner admitted, maybe more to himself than the qu.
"Quina happy to see friends! Quina excited to eat with them again!"
For once, the knight couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. He was happy their teammate was returned to them unharmed.
Vivi's trance started not long after Zidane's. It didn't take a lot for his pessimistic personality to envelop him in grief and anger, just like Zidane had taught him to unleash this power. He rose up, floating in the air much like before, his robes billowing out around him. He was four times the size of a fully grown mage, his own power burning maybe a little brighter than those around him.
Instead of focusing on the intense threat of the dreamers in front of him, Vivi kept his head and tried to think smart. The black mages that Kuja had created artificially were giving them the most thorn-in-their-side headache. So that's who he would take down.
He summoned all of his strength, trying to remind himself that his grandpa was gone, that much of his life had been wasted, and that his friends would be gone if he wasn't strong and confident. He had to remind himself of those harsh realities, so he could utilize all of the power he possibly could.
The sky rumbled, though not just with thunder, but with the meteor shower that he was producing. Bright sparks of blue and yellow torched to the ground from the sky, aimed at the castle and more on the sides of the battle. Heavy, sparking rocks collapsed around the mages and luckily, in their distraction of being crushed to death, their onslaught of spells deceased.
His meteor spell was working, and for that, he was grateful. If this was the most difference he could make in the battle, he would be happy with that.
What was so excellent about Vivi's trance was that nobody could reach him. He was ten, maybe fifteen feet tall, up in the air with godly robes and a large mage's hat that flowered out around him. His eyes glowed a bright white that matched his aura, and his hands buzzed with power. Even those that did try to reach him couldn't aim accurately – he was too bright to stare at, and too tall to hit blindly.
This he was sure, was the feeling of being invincible.
Dagger was doing her best to get to all of their people. This was when her job truly began. No longer could she help fight. It was all about saving lives now. But no matter how fast she hustled, the dreamers were overpowering them. The power was raw and immense, and she had heard stories of the trance on their side of this power struggle, but she couldn't imagine over a hundred of those trances duplicated.
Rise to your true heritage, child.
The voice was loud, but somehow she knew, just like Kuja's voice before, it wasn't coming from anybody near her.
She nearly stopped in her tracks. The voice was patient and calm in such a hectic battle. She ignored it for the most part.
I have been awaiting your arrival to this castle, young one. I am here as your protector, much like I was your mother's.
"What…?" she dodged out of the way of an attack and backed up to where there were more resistance members as she now stared around. Fire was burning everywhere, the castle up in flames. The light of the dreamers, though duller now, overwhelmed the battle field. And blood. So much blood.
Garnet, it is an honor to see the young woman you have become. You look much like Victoria herself.
"Who are you?" she murmured, knowing that the voice would hear her, even though she was barely speaking.
I am the eiodolon Alexander. As with all summoners, I was assigned to watch over Victoria when she left the tribe. And in her last moments, I made the decision to stay here – to protect her kingdom, and to protect you, might you return.
Her head was spinning. She could hardly focus on the contrast of these slow, heavy words when there was a lightning fast battle and chaos around her.
Alexander continued. Summon me! Allow me to serve the two last white mages in existence, for it would be an honor to help stop this pointless slaughter!
Rise High Summoner Garnet. I require great power. May you find your strength!
Even though her head was spinning with questions, she knew whatever this eidolon was talking about was true. She needed to summon him.
"Dagger!" She spotted Eiko dodging the crowd backwards, trying to get to her. "I heard it too! We have to summon him!"
This seemed to ground the raven haired girl. She stared down at her hands. "I don't know how!"
"It'll come to you as you do it! Think of Alexander! Think of your mother!" The tiny girl reached her and took her hands. "Together!"
Dagger sucked in a breath, unsure what all of this meant. Eiko and her had talked about the eidolon's that became a traveling summoner's guardian, but she didn't think that applied to her as well. But she abided Eiko and Alexander's advice and closed her eyes, trying to pull forth his voice into existence.
Eiko watched, squeezing the girl's hands. As soon as Dagger anchored herself down with a breath, light shot out from underneath them. A circle came up and purple light appeared and didn't go away. She watched in awe as Kuja's men, attracted like moths to the light, tried to force their way through, but were unable to penetrate the force field. Eiko's turquoise eyes snapped back to the girl in front of her.
Dagger's long hair was raising out of her face. A strange turquoise light was emulating around her, and, as though realizing on her own that she wouldn't have the power to summon Alexander, that light began to cross over to Eiko. She watched with amazement as she lended her power without really trying, that misty glow covering both of them. That force field stayed true, despite the men dying to get through – they wanted to stop what could be another Ifrit attack.
Dagger's half-lidded eyes opened but seeing the power between them, they snapped to alertness. She looked afraid. Eiko knew her face mirrored the older girl's. The ground below them began to shake and the two girls had a hard time keeping upright.
A howl that sounded like a train started quietly and continued to rise until it was as deafening as anything else they'd heard that night. From the highest tower of the castle, an explosion of purple and turquoise sparks shot off like fireworks. These sparks didn't leave fire but continued to fizzle as that train horn yell persisted.
"Eiko, what's happening?!" Dagger demanded, sounding truly afraid. Her grip on the younger girl's gloves was tight.
Before Eiko could answer, however, those fireworks ended and in one puff of blinding light, wings erupted from the castle. Huge, beautiful wings with silvery feathers and symmetric shape appeared, extending out around the castle as they bristled and opened fully.
The rain broke for just a moment as those powerful wings pushed away the clouds. The weening night was splashed in the moon's wash for just a moment, before the wings pulled back in, ready to flap. Then the clouds rolled back in and the storm continued.
That turquoise light wasn't done between the summoners yet, though. The wings were bigger than anything either had ever seen. A reflection of an eagle glinted off of the crystals mounted on the top of the castle, though no more than the wings ever came forth. In a beautiful, yet terrifying sweep, the wings came down over the battle field.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop and all felt tranquil. The anxious feelings of the final battle were gone, and Dagger and Eiko had a time to stare at each other, the power between them the only light around them, for the wings had them completely covered.
I will wash away all magic from this battle. No more trance, as it is an unnatural, mutated gene that has lasted through the evolution of eidolons into summoners and finally, into humans, many eons ago. I will put out the fires destroying your city, and I will protect those who are here to fight for freedom.
"Will we see you again?" Eiko asked, breathless.
Perhaps in a time. For now, I will continue to watch Alexandria's future unfold. However, I will not be able to intervene again.
"Thank you," Dagger said, though she wasn't even sure what was happening was real. Maybe she was dying. Maybe this was a dream.
I hold you in high regards, Garnet. Just like I did your mother, always. Protect this world like she did and help the future live on.
Time seemed to flow normally again, and those beautiful white wings lifted back into the sky. They looked ominous and gorgeous, lit up like a snowy lantern even though there was no light to reflect off of them, before they fizzled out like the sparks from earier, and the light between the two girls vanished.
Their purple circle of light also extinguished and the dreamers, Zidane and Vivi included, were left feeling drained and exhausted.
What had just happened?
The rain thickened, washing away much of the blood that had been splattered on the cobblestone.
Dagger rose, feeling stronger than before despite the fighting that picked back up around her. Maybe there was hope left, if she wasn't dead. Perhaps that was what the feeling was.
Kuja's biggest advantage in this war had just been neutralized.
A/N: That seemed like a good place to stop, if there really is one in the final battle.
What did you guys think? I know it seemed a little choppy – probably not my best transition work, but I wanted to make emphasis on these short bouts of fights that give you really important details (i.e. Quina's return). I am having a bit of a hard time capturing the atmosphere of this battle, but it seemed to pick up a bit better towards the end.
Anyways, as stressful and terrible as I left this, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Here's to the next portion of this battle! We have a lot left!
-zesty-
