<ooc - Not well written by any stretch of the imagination, but hey, it’s a fun fight-scene>

The two cruisers skimmed over the uneven terrain as they approached the Thunder Plains, the rising winds and occasional flicker of lightning in the distance letting them know they were getting close. The hover bikes were visible only as brief flickers through the air, like the indistinct shimmer of heat haze - the Al’bed cloak spheres were doing their job well and rendering them almost totally invisible to the naked eye.

“We’re into enemy territory now, Fari!” Larek’s voice crackled over the radio in Fariel’s helmet.

Almost before the words were out of his mouth a winged demon swept out from behind one of the distant lightning rods, visible briefly as a black dot against the cloudy sky, and wheeled round to disappear towards Guadosalam.

“Look out,” Jacen warned from behind Larek as he spotted, rather closer to them, a patrol of four demons on foot guarding the edge of the arid Thunder Plains.

“Don’t worry Locke,” Fariel’s voice crackled back, a slightly mocking tone evident over the static, “They can’t see us.”

No sooner had she said this then a purple fireball came streaking towards them. Fariel swore and yanked the controls of the cruiser to one side in a tight barrel roll. The fireball streaked past the cruiser’s underbelly.

“Frak! You were saying?” Eevee yelled at her, having barely been able to hold on through the sudden manoeuvre.

“They can sense us even though they can’t see us? Aeons, I hate frakking demons!” Fariel growled as more Demon Balls followed and she was forced to jink the craft aside again. The four demons were extending their wings and soaring to intercept them, their bestial heads turning this way and that as they shouted alerts to each other.

“Hang on!” Larek said grimly to Jacen as he swung the cruiser round. It was only lightly armoured and not meant for combat - a direct hit would be the death of them. As he pulled sharply away Jacen let go of the handlebars in front of him, unslinging his rifle. Even at the high speed he brought it up to his shoulder and held his breath, holding the barrel steady despite the bumpy progress. In less than a second he had aimed, tracked and fired, and one of the demons spun back through the air in a welter of blood as the bullet tore through its skull.

“Good shot, Jacen!” Larek shouted in praise as the demon dissolved into dust and flames, and braked sharply so that the two of them could leap off the cruiser.

Fariel hadn’t braked. Instead she slammed her foot down on the accelerator and streaked towards the three remaining demons. Demon Balls flew by, so close to either side that Fariel and Eevee felt the heat of their passing, but did not hit. As they drew closer the demons roared a challenge and extended black talons as long as daggers from their fingers. The closest screeched at Fariel and Eevee as it rolled in the air and dived towards them. Fariel screamed back and jinked the cruiser’s nose up, and for a second the demon’s eyes opened wide in shock, but then it was suddenly gone as the cruiser ploughed into it at maximum speed, purple blood spattering Fariel’s visor and the nose of the hover bike.

Fariel glanced back to see the demon bounce and roll across the rocky ground in a tangle of shattered limbs before dissolving into flames.

“Bastard…” she grunted, but then another shrieking demon came out of nowhere and latched its claws onto the back of the cruiser, flames licking over it from the vehicles engines and searing its unnatural flesh.

“Frak!” yelled Fariel and braked hard, but with the unbalancing weight of the demon the crusier was pitched to one side, so that as it decelerated all three occupants were thrown clear and sent sprawling across the ground. The demon recovered and came screeching towards Eevee while she was still scrambling to her feet, and sent her rocketing back with a flying dropkick. Eevee landed hard on her back but quickly flipped back onto her feet and tore off her biker helmet to reveal a face contorted with rage. She let the hate flow through her and now she could feel another power swelling along with it - she felt her parents’ Aeons suddenly burst into consciousness inside her head, and the force lance she held in both hands blazed incandescent. She held it towards the sky, her thumb firmly down on one of its power runes, and the weapon physically shook with the power flowing into it. Lightning blasted down from the sky to connect with the lance’s tip once, twice, three times, and then a triple-helix of fire, ice and water joined it before it discharged in a white flash. A white shockwave sent small stones flying in all directions as she punched the lance forward and the gathered energy jolted from it in a glowing beam that smashed the demon back through the air, screaming as it was carried on the tip of the beam into the sky before annihilating in a white starburst.

The fourth demon aborted its attack run, beating its wings frantically to slow itself and whirling to retreat, but a three-round burst from Larek’s pistol caught it in the midsection and it pitched from the sky, dissolving to ashes before it touched the ground.

“Well, they won’t be telling anyone we’re here…” Fariel murmured as she pulled off her own helmet, “Eevee, that was the definition of overkill.”

Eevee was breathing heavily and didn’t reply as she lowered her force lance, retracted it, and stopped to catch her breath. Her face was hard and stern.
I believe my brothers are back, Fariel, Fariel heard Leviathan comment with amusement in her head.

“Yeah, no **** Leviathan…” she answered dryly.

The four of them parked the cruisers under one of the lightning rods at the edge of the Thunder Plains, with Guadosalam not far away to the south. They left the cloak spheres running so that no other demon patrols might discover their transports.

“I’m glad Ghede kept the lightning rods running…” Fariel commented, though she admitted privately that whatever Ghede was using the collected energy for could only be bad news.

“Now are you sure you can remember where you parked them?” Larek asked cheerfully as they ducked from lightning rod to lightning rod, stopping each time to look out for demons before proceeding towards the overthrown Guado city. Fari laughed and twirled a homing beacon in her fingers.

“Lets hope that creepy bastard hasn’t moved Tsu anywhere else, and that we can bust her out of there before too many of his lovely creations show up…”

Leviathan had been able to tell her that Ghede had set up a new laboratory in Maester Seymour’s old mansion, and she found the fact almost unbearably ironic.

“Right,” she went on, “This guy is due a serious ass-kicking…though don’t worry Eevee,” she said, turning to her goddaughter with a grin, “I’ll make sure I get the right one of him this time.”

She had been hoping to trigger a laugh, maybe one of Eevee’s characteristic sarcastic retorts, but she was disappointed. Eevee appeared to have withdrawn into herself again, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever as she looked up briefly at Fariel. She looked away again in complete silence.

Fariel sighed, suppressed an unpleasant mixture of sadness and frustration, and focused her mind back on what might await them in Guadosalam.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 00:45, 2007-03-06

Cid, Gooey, the good guys and Soven badass army, had been waiting for what seemed hours. Some were wondering what would happen if Soven died, others wondered what they’d do next but one person was voicing her thoughts loudly, of what they should do. "Why are we sittin' on our butts when Soven needs us? We should be helping him instead of being cowards?"

Tanoj was holding Promise back as she kept trying to run down the path to catch up with Soven. Promise was slapping Tanoj with all the strengh she could muster as she said loudly, "Your his friend, aren’t you? Why did you stay behind instead of helping him? Why? WHY?!"

"Lass, I stuck 'hind cos 'Ven wouldnae like me tryin' t' fight 'is fight. He'd kill me 'fore he let me take 'is fight. 'Ven is too proud of 'is strength to allow 'elp. The 'est we can dae is t' stick by 'im, no matter wha'."

"Hmm, never thought I'd hear a ragged pirate say somewhat honourable words." Promise and Tanoj stared at the unwanted voice. Gau stood several paces away, with several of his own men behind him. Noting that Tanoj, neither Promise nor the rag-tag "army" made a sound, Gau spoke on, boldly. "Your great Soven is nothing more then a filthy pirate, too stubborn to know he can't wi-"

"SHUT UP!" Roared Promise. "You know nothin' of Soven, you just know he's a pirate and a better fighter then you so you talk down of him! You act tough but everyone's seen you shake when he offered to fight you! You don't like Soven cos your jealous!"

"Jealous? JEALOUS!? I have nothing to envy of that useless rogue! And don't praise him just because he saved your life. He has killed so many people, I doubt if he even considered himself human."

"Well, he's better off then. Cos if you consider YOURself human, then why would he wanna be a whiny, gutless arse with less brains then an upside down fiend!"

A cluster of laughing burst forth. Promise and Gau had forgotten the rest of the men who were obviously watching with great interest, and it seemed most of them thought Promise had gained a point. But Gau wasn't going to be out done by a child.

Gau sneered, "So, you think so highly of your great Soven that nothing can open your eyes to the truth? You think just because he did one good deed that he deserves to be redeemed for his past sins? Well, child, your great savoir is already dead and he more then deserved it. Everyone here knows that your pathetic "hero" can't beat an Aeon by himself and-"

A loud static hiss crack through the air. Men jumped to their feet, readied their weapons for an attack. Nothing happened. Bitter silence filled the air as the men stood ready to face anything. Another broke through the air. Promise pulled her beautiful dirk out and waited for the fight. Again, nothing happened. Another hiss sounded. Promise snorted and nearly broke down in tears of laughter. She fell her knees, clutching her stomach as the realisation poured over her.

"Ta-Ta-Tanoj (hahaha)... wh-why don't you (burst of giggles)..... ANSWER IT!" A fresh burst of giddiness over took her as she saw the look on Tanoj's face. She never knew it could get that red.

The men stared with rage at Tanoj as he fumbled with the device that Tara had given him to keep in touch with Soven.


OoOoOoO


Soven watched as his and Cid's men marched along the path that hugged the hill. Soven knew they could see them, by their pointing and shouting, they also saw the "Aeon" lying in three pieces around him. Soven waved at them and stopped. He saw Promise had broken from the rest and ran down the hill as fast as she could and trailing behind her was Tanoj shouting for her to "Git back 'ere, lass!"

As she and Tanoj got closer, Soven saw Promise clutching something tightly in her hand. When the light glinted of it, Soven knew exactly what it was. Before Soven could speak, Promise screeched, "WHAT HAPPENED? WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE US? IT THAT YOUR BLOOD?!"

Soven opened his mouth to speak but the wind was knocked out of him when Promise threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Soven was about to tell her to let go when noticed something. She was shaking and she was sniffing quickly and Soven knew she trying to stop herself from crying.

"Hey, kid. Come on, nothin's a match for me, huh. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself." He gently patted her head and rubbed her back. Soven looked past her at Tanoj and saw the question in his eyes. Soven recounted to fight to Tanoj and Promise, if she listened. At the end Soven added, "That’s not all. I don't think this thing was an Aeon."

"Huh?" Tanoj glanced at the massive corpse. "Looks real te me, mate"

"Duh, of course it looks real, it was meant to. But this fake was... weird. Before we fought, it looked tired and really old, but I've never heard of an Aeon ever being tired or that there age ever affected them. And it never used magic. Aeons are supposed to have great magical powers, so why didn't it blast me to bits with magic instead fighting like an enraged drunk? I'm tellin' ya, this Penance guy is tryin' to be a god or somethin', recreating fake Aeons, and poorly made ones at that. Come on, let’s join the rest of them so when can make Penance cry or somethin' but breakin' into his home. Come on, you two."

Promise had stop crying but her eyes were still red and wet, she took no notice of them and neither of them mentioned it. As the walked back to eagerly awaiting force, Soven put his arm around Promise and whispered, "Thanks, kid."

After they reached the top of the hill several people tried to ask questions but Soven silenced them and ordered them to continue marching, all the while keeping his arm around Promise's shoulders. Soven and Promise walked to front of the massed troops where Cid and Gau waited patiently. Soven called for everyone to "Move it or lose it!" and started to march down the path, taking his arm away from Promise.

Soven spoke with Cid as they marched, ignoring Gau and the bet they made perilously. Cid was concerned about the Aeon but Soven thought that the Aeon was more of a one off thing rather then a serious creation and dismissed Cid's claims. Cid fell back and spoke quietly with Gau, leaving Promise and Soven alone.

"How’s you, kid?" Soven asked her.

"I'm mad at you. You’re unbelievable, takin' a risk like that. You could've died fightin' that thing and for what?! To prove your strength, your ability, your complete lack of thinkin’?!"

"Kid, calm down." Soven was surprised at how much her words stung and resisted the temptation to hung his head in disgrace. "I've always wanted to fight an Aeon, jus' to see if I could wi-"

"You mean you fought it, without knowin' if you COULD?!"

"Kid, come on. It not very likely it could've killed me, remember, I've wiped out armies, killed so many fiends that they run away from me before I can draw my sword. I'm near invincible-"

"Invincible? That’s not what I remember from... before."

Soven looked away. He did remember, the tower, Soren and Promise.... Soven glanced back at her and saw the vacant look of someone looking through the past. An uncomfortable silence hung over them. Soven broke into a small smile and said gently, "You'd like my mother."

Promise stared at Soven with the sudden change in conversation, looking startled. Soven saw her look and laughed loudly, "Really, you'd like her. She would always tell me things, things that were not normal of a carin' mother. She'd say, "Soven, if your goin' out, don't get into fights cos you know when your blood starts boiling, that you won't stop" or "Soven, if your find fiends, stay agile, alert and never turn you back unless you know their dead". Yevon, she was an inspiring mother, makin' you think anythin' was possible, that no goal was out of reach and made every victory even sweet with simple praise. Ha, I remember the day I killed my first fiend, I was a young boy, too young to kill a fiend but some how I did. I dragged it to our home and when she saw it, she smile and said "Well done". Most people need to show lots of enthusiasm to show their praise but with her, all she had to do was smile and say "Well done" and you felt the world shift, air become lighter, the wind sweeter. I haven't seen her for 10 years. When we're done with this, I’ll take you to meet her. You'll love her instantly. Guarantee it! You'll probably be her new daughter, which makes you my little sister."

Promise smiled, "That be great. I don't remember my mother..."

"Don't worry about which is lost but look ahead, you'll get your revenge, get a new mother, a new family and a big brother no one will mess with. Won't that be great."

Promise smiled widely as tears swelled in her eyes.

“Now, kid, don’t you remember? Cryin’ helps nothin’, not even your pain. Wipe those away and move it!”

Promise laughed, wiped her eyes dry and marched on, copying Soven, step for step. As they marched on the path went up a hill. When Soven reached the top, he stopped dead in their tracks. Before them was a huge citadel with huge, thick outer walls, tall towers and heaviest weight of ancient evil. They had reached Penance’s home, the heart (if it has one) of Sheol.

"The gates bigger then I expected,” Whispered Gau, "but it shouldn't be much of a problem.  Our explosives should take care of it.  What worries me is what’s inside?  We don't know how many Penance left behind and if he left too many we’ll have to fall back and come up with another plan."

Gau and Cid had been in a whispered conference since the moment they found Penance's home.  They had moved back down the path and everyone waited patiently while the goody leaders made plans.  Well, almost everyone.  Soven and Promise were bored and restless to get inside.  Soven wanted to see Penance "home, sweet home" and trash the place to the Farplanes and Promise, not focusing on the "Now" but the "Then".  In low tones, she paced whispering her plans for the future.  If Soven kept his promise to introduce her to his mother and if she did take Promise in as her own, then Promise needed to think over important details.  What was she like, Soven mother?  Was she nice or was she only nice to Soven?  What should she say when they were introduced? Would she be please with Promise or not?  What if she didn't?  What if she hated Promise and wanted her thrown out?  Would Soven stay with her or would he abandon her as well?  What if Mother is like Son?  What if - 

"Kid!  Your pacin' is drivin' me nuts!  What's up any way?"  Soven was re-braiding his hair into his single tail.  She knew he didn't care if it was tidy or not but he only did it out of boredom with nothing else to do.  "Are you worried about that place?  Don't be.  Nothin' will get near you as long as I'm around and Tanoj."

"Tanoj?"  Promise turned her gaze to the large man leaning his back against a tree with his feet propped up on a rock, trying to sleep.  "But he doesn't have a weapon.  How can he fight?"

Soven flashed one of his evil grins and chuckled to himself.  "Not everythin’ is as it seems.  'Noj, show her."

Promise and Soven waited but no reply came from the massive man.  Soven turned to Tanoj, saying louder, "Tanoj!  Show her!"

But Tanoj stayed silent and still.  Well, not completely.  Promise could see his chest moving and ... could hear him snoring.  Tanoj had fallen asleep just before Soven addressed him. 

Trying as hard as she could, Promise forced herself not to smile or laugh but what happened next was simply beyond her ability to stop laughing at.

Soven noticed that Tanoj had fallen asleep as well and was now standing with his arms crossed over his chest.  Several other pirates and evil people had noticed this and started to watch, hoping for a show.  Soven looked around for something and when it caught his eye, he grinned as if he as a child who found his birthday present a month early.  He walked, quietly over to a stop near Tanoj, his smile widening with every step.  Some people were nudging each other and pointing at Soven, whispering what he might do.  Soven stopped right in front of Tanoj, with his feet wide apart and his face constricted by pain as he tried to stop himself laughing.  One person, behind Promise nearly burst into laughter, catching on to what Soven was planning.  Promise heard another person whisper, "He wouldn't, would he?"

Promise watched in mix horror and mirth, as Soven pulled his black trouser down a bit and whipped his - "He's not goin' to-"

Tanoj woke slowly by a strange sensation over his chest and face.  It felt like rain but Tanoj couldn't remember it ever coming out in a single stream.  As the sensation continued, Tanoj smelt a strange smell.  It smells like piss but that can't b-

Tanoj's eyes flung opened as he saw - Soven pissing on him!!!

Soven and the audience burst out laughing when he saw Tanoj's wake up by being pissed on.  Tanoj roared with rage and leaped to his feet, Soven ran as fast as he could, fighting the urge to drop and stop his lungs from hurting.  The crowd laughed outrageously, watched Tanoj covered in piss chasing Soven who was still trying to pull his trousers up.  The chase continued for several minutes, with everyone watching and laughing so hard it physically hurt them, until Soven jumped into a tree and climbed as high as he could, laughing all the way.  Tanoj tried to grab the branch Soven used but it snapped and he fell flat on his back.  Tanoj roared life threatening swears at Soven but he only laughed harder, until Tanoj had given up trying to get him and stumped off, casting everyone with dark looks, in search of a stream to wash in.

OoOoOoO

An hour later, Tanoj returned, dried and the smell faded.  He still stumped and no one looked him in the eye and when he passed people they fell over in silent laughter.  Tanoj marched angrily to the tree Soven stilled called sanctuary.  Tanoj stared daggers at Soven; Soven glanced back and said, "Even?"

Tanoj growled and bared his teeth like a dog and a single word was heard.  "Even!"

Soven smiled and jumped back down, grinning stupidly at his huge friend.  Tanoj face slowly changed from anger to bitterness to sadness and then disgust.  "Did ya really hav' ta wake me like that?!  That’s one o' yar wors' thing's ya ever done."

"I know but couldn't resist, could I?  Beside, you clean up nicely."  Soven sniffed loudly, "See, can barely smell it."  Several people burst out laughing, including Promise although she felt guilty about it later.  Tanoj looked depressed then he smiled sheepishly and slapped Soven on the back.  Soven was pushed forward so hard that he tripped over a small stone and fell, landing on his face.  More laughter broke out as Soven turned over and stared annoyance at Tanoj.  "Feel better?"

Tanoj nodded and laughed.  He offered Soven his hand, but quickly ran it over his head as Soven reached for it.  Soven grinned and pulled himself to his feet.

"Anywa', why did ya wake me?  I wis havin' a cracker o' a dream."

"Sorry, but Promise wanted to see your weapon, that you've successfully hidden from her.  She thinks your unarmed, but we know better, don't we?"

Tanoj showed his own sly grin, though it was mostly hidden by his thick beard but if you looked at his eyes, you'd see it.

"Oh, aye, we ken better, don't we?"

"Why don't you show our curious trainee, your secret weapon?"

Promise had stepped closer, wondering Tanoj's hidden weapon might be.  Promise; full of wondering, watch as Tanoj reached behind his back and pull out ... his hands.  Empty hands.  Correction, empty hands with gloves on.  Big deal.  Promise stared blankly at the grinning pair, thinking they were playing a trick on her.

"Oh, she doesn't see.  Well, Tanoj, you should demonstrate for her."

Tanoj chuckled happily.  He walked over to a large rock with two baddies sitting on it.  Indicating they move, Tanoj turned back to Promise and smiled widely.  Suddenly, Tanoj turned back and punched the rock as hard as he could.  A tremendous crack ripped through the air.  Promise gasping, thinking he broke his, watched as Tanoj straighten and turned back with a smug look on his face.  Promise gaze turn puzzled, trying to work what happened.  Tanoj held a finger, showing it to the crowd who were watching.  He turned back to solid rock and flicked it.  The solid rock cracked into a hundred fractions, it shook and fell into a dust-covered rumble.

Promise mouth fell open, as did several others as Tanoj waved his hands in triumph, Soven started to explain.  "It's his gloves.  Tanoj has the strength and the gloves, not only protect his hands from damage; they also multiply the strength in his punches a thousand times over.  Basically, if he punches you without the gloves, you'll be knocked out, with the gloves, you'll be lucky if your head is still on or your guts still in place.  Ok! Everyone!"  Soven abruptly addressed them.  "No more waitin'!  We're gonna knock that place down.  Now, shift it!  You two!"  He pointed the stunned stricken pair, Cid and Gooey.  "Forget your plans, we're just gonna walk up, kick the door in and raise chaos.  As we do best!  Come on!  I wanna hurt someone so there better be someone in there!"

The ragtag army jumped to its feet and followed Soven, Tanoj and Promise jumping around saying how cool that was.  In a moment, only Cid and Gau were left behind, stunned into a coma.  Gau shook his off and ran after the force, shouting they need a plan not a simple whim.  Cid laughed loudly, wondering how such people came to be his recent companions.  Cid strolled after them wondering if he should ask the Angels if they could ask Soven and Tanoj to join them and laughed louder at their looks.  The Angels and Soven and Tanoj.

<ooc - Heh heh heh...had a fit of over-dramatic writing :P>

“Hey Ghede!” Fariel yelled as she swept down and drew her wave swords.

Ghede turned slowly round and fixed his ice-blue eyes on Fariel, his face not showing any indication of the pain that must have been wracking him as he bound a strip of cloth round the bullet wound in his arm. There was a white flash behind him as a bolt of lightning lanced down and struck a nearby pylon with a ringing concussion. Neither combatant flinched.

“Persistent, aren’t you?” Ghede commented mildly, a small knife appearing in his hand.

“Shut up and fight,” Fariel growled and threw her fist forward to send a spiralling pillar of water roaring towards Ghede. In a blur he Timeshifted and was gone, the water slamming into the lightning-struck pylon and causing loose static to discharge in all directions.

He reappeared in a swirl of black right in front of Fariel. He punched the knife forward into Fariel’s stomach.

“If you insist?” he said softly. His eyes were fixed on Fariel’s. Unblinking. Expressionless.

Fariel’s wave swords clattered to the ground. She let out a stifled choking sound as Ghede ripped the knife out and turned on his heel, walking dismissively away with his black overcoat dancing behind him in the storm as Fariel fell to her knees.

“Leviathan…” Fariel whispered, clutching her wound, and water began to swirl around her hands.

Hearing the soft rushing noise, Ghede looked back curiously to see Fariel raise her head and stand, her wave swords now back in her hands. There was a tense silence.

“The hard way then?” Ghede asked conversationally, and a Lightning Edge began to crackle around his right fist.

“You so have to die…” Fariel snarled, and leapt at him.

* * *

 

Jacen brought his rifle up to his shoulder and had time to fire one shot before a glowing Demon Ball came screaming towards him and he had to dive aside, twisting in the air and landing hard on his back as it fireballed against the roof. A feral winged demon came screaming through the dissipating explosion with claws extended. Jacen automatically brought his rifle up and the demon slammed against it, keening a high-pitched shriek as it slashed at his face. Jacen kicked out as the demon rolled over him, keeping his rifle barrel between him and it as it flew past his head and landed hard in a tangle of wings. Jacen flipped back onto his feet and drew one of his knives just as the demon regained its feet and launched at him again, bowling him over. It disappeared in a jet of purple fire as it impaled itself on his blade. Jacen got up, slung his rifle over his back and looked up to see more demons descending. He leapt from the roof as a flurry of demonic fireballs burst against it, catching a window sill on his way down and hauling himself through the shattered window. Finding himself in a wrecked bedroom, he stood up and ran for the door, unslinging his rifle and fumbling to reload it as he went. He had just pressed the last bullet home when there was an inhuman screech behind him. A flying demon had appeared at the window. Jacen whirled and fired reflexively from the hip as he spun, shattering the demon’s chest in an explosion of blood. It disappeared, bursting into flame and fading to ash as it fell. Jacen threw himself down the stairs as demons flapped and screeched around the upper level, glancing behind him as he ducked through the unlocked door into the street outside.

“What the…?” he whispered to himself - the street was shrouded in dense fog. Flattening himself against the wall, Jacen sidestepped round the side of the building, his eyes darting all around for any signs of his pursuers. He could hear them, their inhuman screeches and snarls were everywhere, but he could not see them.

He grinned. Which meant they couldn’t see him either.

Hefting his rifle in his hands, he stalked quickly but silently down the street, ducking from cover to cover, alert to possible enemies and looking for a good firing position among the surrounding buildings as they hazed into view. He was in his element now.

* * *

 

“Spread out! Find them!” the demon leader roared to the other demons and mutants following him up the street. A thick mist had suddenly fallen across the city, drastically reducing visibility to even the demons’ unnatural eyes. As the demons darted off in various directions or teleported in swirls of fire, the lead demon growled. This was clearly a magical mist and therefore it could be dispelled, but all of their attempts had inexplicably failed.

“You two, with me,” he growled to a pair of bull-headed demons who remained as Ghede’s mutants shambled off into the mist, hissing to themselves. The two minotaur hefted their glowing, fire-wreathed axes and followed him up a side street. The lead demon could sense that their target was close…

“There she is…” one of the minotaurs growled as a silhouette appeared in the alley ahead, shrouded in fog. All three demons roared a challenge and hurled Demon Balls at the figure, but they detonated harmlessly against a golden haze a few metres in front of her. They growled and advanced, but suddenly a bright light pierced the fog and they stepped back in spite of themselves.

Eevee stood regarding them coldly, a white halo swirling around her. Slowly she put up a hand and flicked open the hooked catches of her overcoat, never taking her eyes off the demons as she shrugged the heavy jacket off and let it fall to the ground.

“Fools! What are you waiting for!?” the demon leader snarled, but as they charged forward a bright light lifted Eevee into the air, collecting behind her and materialising into two angelic wings. Her eyes flashed gold, with white pupils, her force lance flicking out and becoming wreathed in a corona of incandescent lightning. She suddenly darted forward and the three demons were hurled back by a white shockwave, slamming against a building wall and splintering the timbers as she soared off into the mist. Roaring in anger they pulled themselves free of the wreckage, hurling demonic fireballs blindly into the mist, but Eevee had disappeared. A silence fell.

A silence that was shattered a few seconds later by a blue energy bolt that pulsed out of nowhere, immolating one of the minotaurs in a bright glare. The leader whirled round and hurled yet another Demon Ball, but the spell just vanished into the mist without hitting anything, and then a half-glimpsed blur swept by on his left and suddenly the second minotaur too was gone in a swirl of purple flames. His axe clattered to the ground, its fiery aura fading, and once again there was silence.

The now-alone lead demon backed up against the wall. Even demons could feel fear.

He whipped round as his inhuman senses screamed in warning, casting a flurry of dark fireballs at a white thunderbolt that suddenly came streaking out of nowhere towards him. The thunderbolt darted through the barrage and the demon saw it resolve itself into the shape of the winged girl, her eyes blazing white/gold and her crackling staff pointed towards him…

And that was all he saw.

Neji, Keiji and Zell paced through the scorched Ellessar woods into its most deepest acre.

"Here we are," Neji said haulting.

"What? I thought we were going to Melinas grave? This is just more burnt forest," Zell complained

"Look more closey,"

Zell and Keiji skinted as they stared deep into the forest ahead of them, slowly the air began to swirl fade away revealing the elfen burial grounds.

"See, the elfs most sacred grounds, protected by an illusion,"

"incredible..." Keiji said stepping onto the dark green area infront of them.  The three men approached Melinas grave staring down at the still beautiful flowers laided around, as they stared down at the tomestone they were all brought back to the moment of her death, something they all witnessed. Zell crouched down and placed his hand on the grass.

"I'm sorry I wasn't her for you'r funeral, and I'm sorry for my mistakes, I know they must of upset you,"

"You are forgiven Zell, Melina never blamed you, she's just happy you are still alive,"

"Mother, if I could avenge you..." Keiji said a hint of anger in his voice.

"Enough of that Keiji," Neji snapped, "You have it all wrong, your fighting for her not to avenge her, she isn't gone yet, she is still supporting us,"

"Your right dad,"

After a moments silence the screaming sound of an airship could be heard from the distance. Zell immediatly regonised that sound.

"The shadow! Gau must be here!" Zell shouted spinned round to see the airship skim over the burnt land looking for any trace of life, the three stepped out of the illusion and waved to the sky.

---------------------------------

"Gau! we have spotted life," Gau rushed over the main window and gazed down at the three figures waving up to him. He smiled.

"Land the ship," he said turning to his crew.

----------------------------------

The shadow swung back round, and landed close to right next to trio causing them to sheild there eyes from dust and mud whipped up from the ground as it landed softly. The ramped lower and Gau stepped out waving.

"Gau! you better of taken good care of my baby while I was gone," Zell shouted

"Ofcourse, think I made a better captain than you,"

"Whatever kid,"

Neji attention was soon drawn to another figure staggering out of the airship, it was an elderly man with white hair, he placed his hand on the enterence of the airship holding his bandaged rips in the other. He looked at Neji and smiled.

"Long time no see Neji,"

Neji smiled, "Indeed, glad your back Cid,"

(That all my character reunited, they just gonna head back to Bevelle in the airship, Zell will take over command on the shadow, and Cid's will get healed, yeh Cids gonna take damage in Shoal dont worry aint gonna kill him its nothing life threatening, just broken rips, but he continues the fight reguardless)

(I wrote this at 6.30am at work.  I could have written it better, but i can't be arsed re-writing it at the moment, i'll write some more at work tomorrow.  Still trying to figure out how i can make thisfight scene good XD LOL  My mind is blank of inspiration at the moment :p  I'll come up with something, eventually.  Also i'll make it more obvious in my second part that she's actually shapeshifting into a mouse and scurrying away and then reappearing as herself, just to be annoying)

Ghede time shifted straight towards Fariel, she saw the blur of the charged lightning edge fly towards her, “Leviathan!”  She yelled jumping into the air and flipping forwards just as Ghede thrust the attack towards her, sheathing her sword she grabbed his attacking wrist and twisted it back as she flipped over him, his time shift broke as she finished her flip by kicking off his back, his bottom half continued forwards as his upper half went backwards because of Fariel’s tight grip around his wrist.

Releasing his wrist she landed on the rough terrain and instantly drew her second sword, looking over her shoulder with a grin as she saw Ghede roll onto his front and pick himself up.  “How did you…?”  He mumbled.

“Timing!”  Fariel said with a sly grin, “Something I learnt after having known Feyd for so long.”  Ghede sneered at her, “That and you’ll never hit anything with such an obvious attack.” 

With that Ghede disappeared, “Thanks for the advice.”  His voice appeared from all directions, and disturbingly a ring of clones surrounded her.

“This trick again?  Tut tut.”  She mocked; the clones drew their blades and time shifted in for the attack.

But nothing happened.

The attacks just passed by without touching anything, the clones stopped in their tracks and looked around, she was gone, “What trivial games you play.”  Fariel slashed down two of the clones with one strike and spun around to cut down another before disappearing again.  “Can I play too?”  Several Fariel’s appeared in amongst the Ghedes.

Fariel’s clones burst into puddles of water as they were cut down one by one, “This grows tiresome!”  Ghedes voice appeared again.

“Yes it does, so why don’t you come out.  That way I can kill you and it’ll be one less thing for me to do later.”  The puddles of water separated into pairs and became more water clones of Fariel, all speaking with smug grins.

"Come on, Come on!" Gau shouted back at his men, "We have to find something before Soven's men steal or destroy it all!"

"Split into groups of 5, and be careful who knows what stalks these corridors and search for anything that appears useful!" Cid called out, the elderly man panting as he struggled to keep up with Gau.

Gau ended up in a group with Cid and three other highly capable soilders, they decided to have 30 stay on the airship and 30 of the best fight with them. The others groups fanned out seperating each taking a corridor as they approached, systematically they burst through each door one at a time killing anything in it with a hail of bullets.

After running for sometime Gau and Cid finally came up to what they thought the end of the line, before them stood a grand double door at the top a stair case.

"This must be Penance's throne room," Cid said

"And since we've made it this far without encountering him I take it he's not here,"

"Good for us, but no doute he left someone capable to defend his castle,"

"Well shall we burst in?"

"Ok, everyone in position," The three capable soilders lined up behind Gau and Cid, Gau raised his pistol, leaning against the door, he pressed his ear hard against it.

"I here chanting,"

"We have no time to waste, we will take them now," Gau nodded in respones singling to his men, they raised there rifels, Cid pressed against the door along with Gau, holding his rifel close. Gau and Cid burst open the door stepping to the side so there three soilders could line up between them.  In the room stood 6 purple and gold hodded men in robes, they stood around a hexagon drawn, candles filled the room and a earey purple light rediated from the Hexagon, the men jumped as the door burst open.

"Fire!" Cid and Gau shouted, all five men opened fire, the bullets through the air killing 2 of the robbed men instandly, a second volly through the air in wake of the first, but this time the men ready, three cast up purple walls, much like dark encampment wall but weaker, the bullets cracked the walls just protecting the men, but one slow to cast got brought down. The three remaining men looked at the one at the top of the hexagon and nodded, they stood infront of him in a protective barrier.

"Kill them all!" Gau yelled leveling his pistol and firing, the bullets once again hit off weakend barrier leaving all three men unharmed.

"Fear our demonic magic," one said in a deep voice reaching into there robes and bringing decorated skulls, they punched forward with the skulls unleashing purple demon balls of magic.

"Down!" Cid shouted and all five men ducked the balls flying over head eventually fading away behind them, Gau turned round to look at the fading balls.

"Demon balls? No, what poor range, they barely made it to us, not to mention they are far to slow,"

"It's those skulls, it appears these men have found away of mimicing demon magic, if but a poor copy,"

Gau laughed "you think crappy magic can beat me? I'll take all three of you on my own,"

"Gau, don't be hasty,"

"I can handle this," Gau said stepping forward and drawing his sword, the hooded men looked at eachother and nodded, discarding there skulls into there robes they produced two more, one stepped forward punching forward with both skulls unleashing a pair of purple dragons, Gau side stepped one bringing in his sword down cutting the magic in half, he slashed his sword cutting the second in a head on collision. Gau head his sword in twin hands bringing it his side he roared as he charged forward, his sword dragging along the ground. The man paniced jumping back, the second stepped forward and by slamming his skulls together unleashed the mighty dark element explosion, Gau rolled to the side avoiding the attack completely, and continued his charge, the men looked at eachother again, casting aside there skulls they flipped back there robes to reveal egg shaped bracers, they clenched there fist and springing out came three sharp blades.

"Imbeciles!"

The men were surprisingly fast, sprinting towards Gau, the first charged punched forward but Gau easily side stepped cutting him slighty with his blade, he went for a finishing blow when the second closed in, he lunged his blades forward causing Gau to leap in the air and flip over him, the man lost his footing and stumbled forward, while landing Gau caught sight of the one he cut coming in again, he punched his blades forward Gau retaliating by slashing his sword upwards stiking him the blades and parrying the attack upwards.  He came in again with the other arm, Gau leaned back and forced the blades downwards stiking the mans bracer with a down handed slash following up and forcing the blades to the ground, the second man came from behind leaping to air, seeing this at the corner of his eye Gau raised his foot and kicked him in stomach, turning back to the first man he knocked aside another strike this time getting in on the inside and slashing him down the middle, he man roared as he fell back, spunning round Gau ducked a swipe from the second attack following up by running his sword through his stomach. Gau withdrew his sword with aggression spraying red blood on the ground.

"Know your place!"
 
he turned to the final man still chanting at the hexagon.

"Your next,"

"Damn I was so close," he shouted turning around and fleeing to a door at the back of the room.

"Hey wait!" Gau shouted, to distracted to noticed that one of those men he shot remained alive, he reached into his robes slamming together the two skull unleashing a blast of dark element explosion. Gau turned round to late.

"Gau!" Cid shouted jumping infront of the young man, bracing his rifel. The blast collided with Cid's rifel with enough force to launch the old man through the air and slam him into the wall.

"Cid," Gau said running to his side. The three soilders riddled the man bullets before he could launch another attack. "Cid are you alrite?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Cid said struggling to his feet, he winched in pain and fell to the ground holding his ribs. "I'm getting too old for this," he complained.  Gau tried to aid him but was soon pushed back.  "Don't worry about me, go after that man," Gau nodded and took after the man.

Gau chased the man up several flights of stairs before finally reaching an open balcony, the man stood there over looking the burning castle.

"It's the end of the road I see, and I was hopeing to get a promtion, very well," he said as he spun round to face Gau pulling back his hood to reveal a weak looking man with white hair and freaky eyes. He flung open his robes revealing his black armor, hanging from his robe dangled several decorated skull each one glowing with dark energy.

"You like them? I invented them myself, yet never could perfect these skulls, no no, I'm nowhere near as gifted as my brother, now then, if I can't defend this castle then I might as well blow the place along with everyone in it,"

"What, are you nuts,"

"Yes, yes, driven mad with jealousy but now I see my call for greatness, yes I prepared for this, the black shockwave, you see several of these skulls rest all around this castle and I can control them all! By explouding them all at the same time I can create a mighty explosion one that could perhaps destroy this island!"

"You think I'll let you," Gau said drewing his pistol.

"Go on shoot, shoot me," he laughed

"If you insisit,"

"But before you do I suggest you look behind you,"

"Like I'd fall for that," Gau said flexing his finger on the trigger, then suddenly he heard foot steps charge up to him, Gau spun round to see a 7th hooded man charge at him with his claws out, Gau tried to fire but his gun was quickly knocked aside, the man followed up with and upward slash, quickly Gau avoided the attack the claws taring his clothes, he drew his sword but was soon pounced upon and pinned to the ground, using his sword Gau pushed against the attackers blades struggling against his opponents force.

Meanwhile the leader turned towards the balcony spreading his arms wide holding a skull in each hand he laughed as the skull around him and around the castle began to glow ready to exploud.

"Hahaha! Ghede! watch me surpass your pow-" the mans sentence was cut off by the sound of a gun firing, he looked down his chest to see a patch of blood grow on his chest through his leather armor. Slowly the skulls lost there glow has there masters life blood drained out through where his was, without a sound he fell forward, tumbling off the balcony and landing on ground below.  Gau took this opportunity to push his attack off, drilling his sword into his chest, he looked towards the enterence of the balcony to see Cid lean against the wall holding his ribs in one hand and a smoking pistol in the other.

"Thanks old man," Gau smiled when his communicator began to flash. "Gau, here,"

"Sir we found something,"

"Excellent,"

EDIT - <ooc - ****ing program, deleting all my punctuation...>

Larek kept running. Ghede's mutants were impossibly fast but he had lost his pursuers in the mist. Not far behind, the sound of claws scraping against wood as mutants scuttled on all fours along the sheer walls of Guado houses and leapt between buildings and walkways faded away as they slowed to a creep and began searching for him. Slowing his breathing and trying to make as little noise as possible, Larek ducked into a side alley and listened. He could hear nothing of his pursuers as they went into stalking mode and he fought down fear, flexing his hands on the grips of his twin short-swords. At least, he reflected, he wouldnt have to worry about the two giant mutants that had burst from the mansion right after he and Eevee had left, as he'd surely hear them coming and be able to avoid them.

Ive got to find Jacen and Eevee, he thought. He knew Fariel could more than take care of herself.

He began moving silently down the side streets, away from where he had last heard his pursuers. Every house and walkway was a sinister outline in the mist, their appearances softened into ghostly dark shapes in which anything might lurk, but Larek knew the fog was concealing him just as effectively and so he pressed on. Once or twice something would scuttle across the walkways overhead and he would flatten himself against the wall with his heart in his mouth, but each time the creature would disappear back into the fog and all would be quiet, and after a long pause he would continue. Thinking that Jacen, a sniper, would head for the high ground, Larek made for a tower that loomed hazily in the distance, stalking down a narrow side street that was thickly shrouded by the mist.

A flicker of movement made him duck into cover. A lone mutant was stalking the narrow alley ahead, barring his path. From his hiding place Larek glanced covertly around, making sure the mutant was alone. It hissed curiously, its head turning for some time in Larek's general direction, but if it had heard him it couldn't pinpoint the sounds origin and it began to scan the walkways above. As soon as it turned away from him Larek acted, visible only as a dark blur and a brief flash of metal as his short sword slammed into the mutant's back. Its eyes and mouth opened wide in a silent scream that was choked off by the blood rising in its throat, then it fell without a sound. The blade jammed in the mutants ribs, but the curious hiss of another mutant and the clack clack of claws against stone came from the street behind so Larek released his weapon and slunk away as fast as he dared. In the next street he ducked into the doorway of a wrecked house and tried to listen for his pursuers over the hammering of his own heartbeat in his ears.

There was an angry snarl as the mutant discovered the body. It was followed by scuttling footsteps and a loud crack as the mutant gave a feral leap up onto an overhead walkway, then a hiss as it looked around, and more scuttling. It faded, and Larek breathed a sigh of temporary relief as he realised the mutant had gone the wrong way. Not daring to go back for his sword, he kept on towards the tower.

* * *

Larek did not realise he was being hunted. Occasionally he would stop and listen and his pursuer would freeze, making no sound, silently unfreezing and stalking ever closer as Larek began moving again. The hunter's face was a mask of concentration, every footstep carefully placed so as to make no sound as he moved, but all of his targets senses were now focussed forward.

* * *

 

Larek glanced back over his shoulder, but he saw only mists and shadows, and the dark buildings rising up either side of him. Ahead was the tower in a mist-shrouded square, where he hoped hed find Jacen. Regripping his sword, Larek made for it, scanning the dark windows for any signs of movement. The hunter held his breath - all he needed was a few more seconds to catch his prey completely unawares.

* * *

 

A sixth sense made Larek whirl round with his remaining sword gripped in both hands, just as something that was all claws and teeth came leaping out of the fog towards him. But suddenly it twitched in mid-spring and Larek realised that it wasn't leaping anymore but falling, and it crashed into the ground in front of him, skidding to a halt in front of Larek with a throwing knife stuck in the back of its neck.

A black-clad shape emerged out of the mist and Larek lowered his sword, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Jacen." he said.

"Got your back, Larek," the sniper grinned. The mutant had been so intent on stalking Larek that it hadnt noticed that it too was being hunted.

"Have you seen Eevee?" Larek whispered.

"No. But Fariels out on the Thunder Plains going one-on-one with Ghede."

Larek's eyes suddenly opened wide, and at first Jacen thought it was out of concern for Fariel, but then he saw that Larek was focussing past him, purple fire reflected in his eyes.

"Look out!"

Just as they dived aside a Demon Ball exploded between them. A demon appeared on a walkway behind them with black leathery wings spread wide behind it. Its yellow eyes glowed, cutting through the mist and fixed on the two sprawling men. It screeched a warning to its unseen fellows.

"Quickly! Here, by the tower!"

Jacen rolled and brought up his rifle, aiming between those two yellow points of light, and fired. The bullet shattered into sparks a good metre in front of the demons face as it raised a hand to cast Dark Encampment Wall. While still scrambling to his feet, Jacen was lifted into the air as a second Demon Ball detonated right in front of him. Larek meanwhile had drawn a small vial from his belt, tipping a drop of the bright red contents onto his blade. Standing, he drew back his arm and sent his short sword spinning through the air towards the demon. The Dark Encampment Wall rose up again in a black haze to meet it.

The blade flew straight through it.

The sword embedded itself in the demons chest, skewering it all the way through so that the tip of the blade burst several inches from the demons back. The demon screamed, exploded into flames and incinerated.

Larek ran over to Jacen, who had his teeth gritted in pain. His face and hands were burnt, though one hand still resolutely gripped his rifle so tightly that his knuckles were white. The other was clapped to his right leg. The demonic flare had exploded right in front of him and his legs had taken the worst of the fireball - under clothes torn ragged by the blast, bone was visible beneath charred flesh. Jacen was almost faint with pain, but he was still lucid enough to stammer to Larek,

"What...what was that? It went right through his Shield!"

"Soul-render poison, courtesy of Fariel." Larek grinned.

"Soul-render? That stuff they developed specifically to assassinate mages?"

"Seems to work on demons too," Larek said as he examined Jacens leg, flinching when he saw the extent of the damage.

"Where'd Fariel get it?"

"Off the body of some Guado assassin, ages ago. Feyd speared him with his own dagger and he burst into flames but a couple of vials fell clear and Fari picked them up. She gave this one to me right before we left, saying I'd need it if we got separated and ran into magic-using demons."

"How does she feel about being right all the time?" Jacen said, managing a slight smile.

"Can you walk?"

Jacen tried to stand, and failed with a yelp of pain.

"Aargh! No. Sorry Larek"

He drew two knives from hidden sheathes and handed them to Larek, who had just lost his second sword in the process of killing the demon, as the snarls and screeches of mutants responding to the demon's warning rose up in the distance.

"You'd better go before more of them get here."

"And leave you here?" Larek challenged the sniper, but their argument was cut off by a heavy thud, accompanied by a loud splintering sound.

It came again and they looked round to see the walls of a Guado building twist and warp. Then the timbers burst outwards in a cascade of splinters and the building itself came crashing down on itself, and through the dust and rubbish came a roaring mutant, twice as high as either of the men and monstrously bulky. Slabs of ropy muscle bulged beneath its arms as it extended hooked claws towards them.

"Frak!" Larek swore. He thought he had given this guy the slip outside the mansion. He hurled one of Jacens daggers, which flew past the mutant's clumsy blow as it tried to swat the missile aside, but to his horror simply bounced off the creature's chest leaving nothing more than a score across the dark leathery skin. The mutant slammed the ground with its fists, cracking the pavement and knocking Larek off his feet with the shockwave as it roared its anger at him.

But that proved its undoing, as lying on his back Jacen managed to bring his rifle up to his cheek and fire. Blood sprayed from a neat hole in the back of the mutant's head as the bullet tore through its open mouth. The mutant crashed to its knees, but even in death it sought to kill, reaching towards Larek and Jacen with clawed hands until its strength gave out and it fell. Larek rolled out the way as the creature fell and its fist came crashing down on the ground where he had been lying. As the mutant toppled so did Jacen, keeling over onto his back with a groan of pain and letting his rifle drop. Still gripping his dagger, Larek crawled away from the slowly-spreading pool of mutant blood to Jacens side.

"You okay?"

"For Aeons' sake Larek, get out of here!"

But even as he said it a hissing screech announced the arrival of more mutants, coming howling out of the mist from all sides and blocking all the avenues of escape. More appeared on the tower. In swirls of flame, demons appeared atop building roofs and on overhead walkways, until the multi-storey Guado city was filled with twisted figures.

As Jacen lapsed into unconsciousness, Larek stood up and defiantly stared down the nightmarish creatures surrounding him. Though his only weapon now was Jacen's borrowed dagger, he did not throw it down in surrender.

Suddenly a bright light from above made Larek shield his eyes, and Ghede's creations howl in alarm. Streaking down towards them came a white thunderbolt - a blazing girl with white wings.

<ooc - No, it's not a bird, it's not a plane and it ain't Fariel :P >

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 18:39, 2007-04-09

Eevee's wings and glowing aura faded away, so that Larek thought she seemed to shrink. Now just a 16-year-old girl again, she looked tired and worn. Looking at her face, for a second Larek thought she looked...desolate. He took a step forward to try and say something, but the words died on his lips as he saw the warning look in her eyes. He dropped his gaze from his girlfriend's godchild as they began walking. Thunder rumbled overhead, but it brought no rain, and the lightning bolts that flickered down from time to time seemed subdued in comparison to the storm that had engulfed Guadosalam.

"I wonder where Fari is..." Larek wondered aloud. In response Eevee closed her eyes in the way Larek had often seen Sonya do when she called upon Tritoch's Farsight, her eyes moving visibly beneath the lids.

"That way. Not far." she said simply, opening her eyes again and pointing out across the lightning-struck desert.

They began running, Eevee in the lead, and suddenly a kneeling figure came into view ahead with blood-streaked wings hunched over her.

"Fari!" Larek called out.

Fariel looked up, saw Eevee, and leapt to her feet. Her face was a mask of alarm, which melted into anger.

"DIE GHEDE!" she yelled, throwing herself at them. Jacen stepped back in alarm but Fariel just skidded to a halt a few paces in front of them, doubled over with laughter.

"Oh come on, it was only a joke..." she admonished Eevees taciturn expression, "For frak sake you used to be fun to wind up..."

She stepped forward to hug Larek, wrapping her wings around him, then nodded to Jacen.

"Wheres Ghede then?" Larek asked.

"I beat him to a pulp then dropped him about a thousand feet onto Guadosalam."

"Nice."

"Speaking of Guadosalam..." she said, making another brave stab at conversation with Eevee, "What did I tell you about overkill? What the frak did you do?"

"A spell Ramuh and Tritoch came up with. Something like..." she paused and ****ed her head as if listening to someone only she could hear, "Tritoch gathers up nearby elemental energy and Ramuh channels it into a concerted attack. Sharing a host means they can combine their powers. They call it Nature's Fury."

"But," Fariel laughed, "What do I do now if I decide to become evil and creepy? Where am I supposed to hide out now you've blown up Guadosalam?"

She smiled at Eevee, who returned it unconvincingly and without warmth. She could feel Fariel pressing down on the diamond-hard core she had crushed her feelings into, and she pushed back. She didn't want to open up to someone again only to lose them, just like...

She turned away.

Fariel, Larek and Jacen began walking back to the cloaked cruisers, debriefing each other on their separate exploits. Eevee took no part in the conversation, following at a distance sufficient to convey that she didnt want to talk.

"I give up on her," Fariel muttered under her breath, "You say she'll talk when she's ready but at this rate well all die of old age first."

Patience was one thing you never had, Fariel, Leviathan chuckled to her, Maybe you should try and get Keiji to talk to her? He's more her age and he's suffered similar losses.

"Aye, Melina and Tsunami..." Fariel agreed, "How the frak am I supposed to tell him that Ghede wasn't mind-controlling her and that she really has been working for Penance all along?"

With a bit of tact, one presumes.

"Frakking stubborn angsty emo kids..." Fariel said, mirroring the statement she had made earlier, "Godchildren or not, when we get back to Bevelle Im gonna give them both a good kick up the..."

That wont help, Fariel.

"Pfft. You know what you're right, Keiji can talk to her and they can mope together. Im sick of trying."

<ooc - Tried to include some helpful ideas for the as-yet-unwritten fight between Fariel and Ghede ie pick him up and drop him from a great height lol>

* * *

Guadosalam lay in silent, burnt-out ruins. The endless ash-plain of smashed rock and splintered wood suddenly moved - shifting subtly, then cracking apart as a bloodstained hand burst up out of the debris. Slowly, a tattered figure dragged itself clear of the wreckage and hissed its defiance at the turbulent sky. A faint purple aura pulsing around him and glowing from his many wounds, Ghede emerged and collapsed on the urban desert. Blood dripped into the dust and Ghede's teeth were gritted in pain as the reanimating powers of Penance fought a desperate holding action against his massive injuries. Nevertheless his eyes blazed defiantly. In a silent swirl of flame he disappeared, the demonic teleportation spell rematerialising him in the vast lab he had constructed beneath Seymour's old mansion. The lab was in a reinforced bunker deep below ground and had survived both the earthquake and the catastrophic lightning storm. Hazing into existence before a complex control panel connected by snaking wires and cables to five great cryogenic stasis pods arranged in a line before it, Ghede cried out and fell to his knees, blood pooling beneath him. He fixed his eyes on the pods and the indistinct shadows that lay behind the frost-covered glass canopies. Forcing rapidly-failing muscles to obey, he reached out with shaking, gory fingers and after several tries closed them around a great lever on one side of the panel.

"I will not fail you, Penance," he whispered, and with the last of his strength pulled the lever down, collapsing onto the floor as he did so. Lights blinked, conduits sparked, locks sprang back with an ominous clank, and with a high-pitched hissing sound the pods began to open, filling that corner of the lab with chill mist.

Ghede smiled as he watched the pods. One by one, the shadows began to come alive, moving sluggishly behind the misty haze.

"You may have killed me, Fariel," he said in the barest whisper, "But my work is done, regardless."

But Penances power could do no more, and as the cryogenic fog filled the lab Ghede sank slowly to the floor, the purple glow finally fading.

EDIT

<ooc - Thought it'd be easier to just tag Ghede's bit onto the end of this post>

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 13:18, 2007-04-18

(I do like decapitating people <3 <3 <3 totally love it...But yes. What is it i'm supposed to be asking Ghede again? Where Tsunami is and something else?)

Leviathan, can you sense where he is?Fariel queried her aeon as she found herself surrounded by several of Ghedes clones, as did her own clones.

Fighting the guard for so many years has dulled your senses, Fariel.Leviathan chuckled light heartedly, not at all worried by his hosts predicament.

This is not the time, can you sense him or not?!Fariel snapped, Tell me which one to attack.

 

The many Ghedes started to circle her, she looked at each one of them warily, trying to figure if any of them were real, then the attacks started, when she was looking the other way one of the Ghedes broke the circle, dagger drawn, and dashed towards her, she spun into a duck and his blade flew over head.Instantly she had her swords sheathed and pistol drawn.

A second charged at her while the first recovered but she kicked him harshly in the chest sending him staggering back, pivoting around on the spot she shot the first one, a bullet hole appeared in its forehead before it dissolved into dust.The second one recovered and slashed at her, she used the same manoeuvre to dodge out the way and again of a third Ghede coming in for an attack.

She rose from her spin onto to be confronted with a forth, it slashed down, she rose her pistol to defend herself, the dagger lodged into the gun and the pair of them wrestled their weapons from each other, on parting a bullet flew from the barrel and turned the attacker to dust.Which ones the real one?!Fariel growled in frustration.

Quickly back flipping out the way of another slash she shot that one into dust mid-flight as well, another two ran forwards, one attempted a high kick but she ducked out the way and launched into a back flip; shooting the second Ghede, running up behind her in the process.

She rolled to her feet quickly but had to launch away as the previous one attacked again with his dagger, she shot him promptly.Ive found him; hes fleeing back to Guadosalam!Fariel was thankful for the information, even at the late stage in the battle.

Though the Leviathans revelation had only distracted Fariel from the fight, another Ghede ran forwards, she was too slow to defend and was rewarded with a gash right across her chest just below her collar bone.If she hadnt backed way in time it would have been deeper then it could have been.She kicked him back and shot a second Ghede coming from her right before finishing the lucky clone that had gotten in a hit.

She took her chance, no clones were around her anymore, she broke into a run in pursuit of the real Ghede, but typically enough another clone tried to bar her path, arm out with dagger in hand, she jumped, into a flying cartwheel over the clones arm which disintegrated to dust as she shot it in the back before landing.

The other clones were two slow to catch her or were intercepted by her own water clones, Fariel smiled as it started to rain.He may have been able to hide from me but he cant hide from the rain.

As if water washing a canvas of its colour, each of the rain drops that landed upon Fariel seemingly washed her away.By the time the real downpour started she was completely invisible, washed away by the waters that fell from the clouds above.

Thats when Ghede came into view, There, I see him, finally.

The empty magazine from her pistol fell lose and hit the ground as she ran on, Ghede was closer now, she drew a second magazine from one of the pouches on her belt and slid it into the gun with a click.

A click.

Thats all it took.

Ghede spun around, dagger drawn; Fariels mouth gaped as the front half of her gun fell away.That was my favourite gunShe growled, drawing her own dagger.

He knew he had made contact with something, cut through something but he couldnt see that something.About to step back he let out a yowl as something tore through his arm.Or what previously was his arm; it laid a few feet away now, his dagger with it.

Ghede grabbed his wound, blood gushed through his fingers.Fariel spun into a high kick, Ghede went stumbling sideways with a soon to be a very bruised jaw, but it didnt stop there.

Soon he was being attacked by all sides by the invisible force.Broken ribs, cuts and bruises soon joined his previous injuries.A kick to the chest sent him crashing to the ground and skidding a few meters across the muddy terrain.

Ghede couldnt stand by that point; he just laid there, especially since there was a sharp point sitting under his chin.Fariel reappeared and looked down at the pathetic excuse for a human being."You cut my gun in half."Ghede didnt respond. "But before i gut you further, I have a few questions for you." she raised her sword slightly so he was forced to look back up at her, "which you are going to answer, or you will start loosing body parts one at a time."

-- Edited by [BOSS]Asreal at 20:38, 2007-04-22

(So not as good as i wanted it to be but that's easily fixable. Anyway, the last sentence is from Fenix's last post so they join together better. So yeah. There we go, not i have to tell the angsty, emo kids about Tsu and then start plotting things in Bevelle for our return :D LOL)

"Wheres Tsunami?"Fariel started in an emotionless tone, no different to any other time in which she had to interrogate someone.Ghede ignored her; she pushed her blade into his neck so a dribble of blood ran down from the nick in his skin."Tell me where she is, now.No answer.Alright answer me this, why did you kill Trevor Stead?"

"Who is that?" Ghede laughed but spat out a mouth of blood as Fariel backhanded him across the face with the flat side of her sword.

"Ive had enough of your games, Ghede, answer me." Just looking at the man made her blood boil, it annoyed her.

"Even if I was willing to tell you, you wouldnt like the answer." He laughed to himself.

"Dont make me ask again."She lowered her sword and shot it into his upper leg, he flinched then, she hid a smile, twisting the blade she tore it out again.

"Tsunami isnt here, obviously." Ghede continued to laugh weakly, defiant to the end, Fariel lifted her sword for another slicing attack through his other leg."Shes with Penance."He spoke quickly, "As she should be, he is her father after all."Fariels eyes narrowed and she stabbed his other leg anyway.

"So why kill Trevor, he had nothing to do with you."

"Who said I killed Trevor?" He smiled, even as wounded as he was he could still manage to smiled, inside she wanted to cut him to pieces but she didnt let it show.

"Youre saying Tsunami did it, arent you."Ghede nodded his grin widening.

The rain stopped as the ground started to rumble, lightning crackled down upon Guadosalam. "You obviously wanted to get back to Guadosalam for a reason, so Ill help you get there." Fariel smiled, grabbing him by the arm he had left and jumping into flight.

"Youll die a painful death, Fariel Oreen.Penance will suck out your aeons power from you, make you watch the rest of your friends die and then no doubt torture you until you die".Ghede cackled from where he hung from her grasp.

Fariel growled, her hand became a ball of blue fire that burnt Ghedes arm."Take a deep breath Ghede; itll be your last." Hovering high in the sky above Guadosalam Fariel released him.

"He already got two of your friends, Penance has already won!"Ghede yelled as he fell away from her, a picture of Kobie and Sonya flared up in her mind.

Ghede cried out as a barrage of fireballs rained down upon him as he fell, Fariel watched as the half dead burning body as it disappeared into the city, a fork of lightning drowned out the thud as he hit the ground.Well thisll be fun to tell the kids aboutShe flew out of the rising storm and headed back out to the thunder plains, all of Ghedes clones had disappeared.She let her own spell go and the duplicates returned to the puddles of water they started as.

Laying on the ground in a puddle of blood Ghedes arm still grasped his dagger, "Well he doesnt need it anymore." She knelt down and examined it but paused as she heard footfalls.

"Fari!" Larek called out.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Asreal at 09:49, 2007-04-24

Neji swung and twirled the Set sword slowly through the air around him, switching effortlessly from a one-handed to a two-handed grip and back again as he loosened up his muscles.
"Father?"
Neji stopped the practice swings and turned to see his son coming towards him, accompanied - to his surprise - by Eevee. That was an improvement, he thought - it was about time she stopped isolating herself.
"Dad, do you have a minute?" Keiji continued.
Neji sheathed the Set sword, "Sure."
"Eevee was wondering if you could train her for a bit as well as me."
Neji saw Eevee flare up slightly at Keiji asking the question for her rather than letting her do it herself, but she quickly controlled the impulse and withdrew back behind her expressionless mask.
"Of course," Neji said, turning and beginning to lead them towards the same park where he had previously conducted Keiji and Zells training. He watched Eevee passively as they walked, wondering what she was thinking, and being left with the uncomfortable thought that it should have been Feyd and Sonya helping her get to grips with the First Aeons, not him.
"Right," he said as they arrived, "I've told you this already Keiji, but we're in the middle of a city so no magic - we don't want any collateral damage."
A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. Keiji returned it; Eevee didn't, merely nodding. Not insolently, just silently obedient.
"Right," Neji said again, turning businesslike, "I want you two to fight each other hand to hand. I need to know," he explained as Keiji gave him a puzzled look - he had been expecting his father to teach them both some new moves, "How Eevee fights before I can pick something to work on."
Keiji grinned, putting on the knuckle-dusters that Zell and Retala had so recently made for him, and flexing his fingers so that flickers of fire and lightning magic crackled across them. He was clearly looking forward to trying them out.
Eevee, to make the fight fair, handed her force lance to Neji and crossed her hands to pull her twin daggers from their sheathes.
"Geuloth du knifr," she said, causing them to glow green for a second and dulling their edge so they could not injure Keiji by accident.
Thus prepared, the two walked into the centre of the park and stood facing each other, Keiji side-on with his right fist drawn back. He smiled nervously as they stood motionless for several seconds, their eyes locked and their muscles taut.
"Come on then!" Neji called out, "Spending a few moments to study an opponent for weaknesses is well and good, but this is only practice. And you should find out more about possible weaknesses in the initial spar anyway."
Eevee was still looking at Keiji expressionlessly, and he realised she was going to let him make the first move. Keiji felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, let his nascent demon powers flow through him, and then, like a coiled viper striking, he attacked.
He swung backhand with his left fist and followed through like lightning with his right. Eevee didn't fall for the initial feint and merely bobbed back and deflected his second, harder, punch with her forearm, but she didn't realise that that attack too had been a feint and left herself open to Keiji's foot driving into her side. As she twisted away he drove her to her knees with a third, downward punch and stepped forward ready to knock her back up again with a swift uppercut. Eevee however had been only momentarily stunned and raised her hand to meet Keiji's. The knuckle-duster that would have gashed her palm ground instead against the handle of the dagger she still held in two fingers while the other three wrapped round Keijis fist. Keiji blinked in surprise as she caught his punch and stopped it dead - her wiry arms were surprisingly strong.
But in that eyeblink Eevee had reversed his momentum and dragged his fist in a circle and down, pulling him forward off balance. Keiji grunted as a sharp jab of pain marked the dagger in Eevees other hand hooking round and pressing hard against his exposed back.
Keiji glanced up to see Eevee giving him a questioning look as if to suggest they should break apart, and they did so.
"Touché," Keiji admitted as he straightened.
"You don't pull your punches, do you Keiji?" Eevee remarked with a flicker of her old smile as she touched her head, which was red where Keijis knuckle-duster had grazed her.
"Sharpen up, Keiji," Neji commented from the sidelines. He was pleased to note that Keiji didn't get annoyed, just took the criticism on board and squared up for another round. Again it was Keiji who launched the attack, swinging his fist in a flailing hook that Eevee easily ducked. This was, however, what Keiji had expected her to do and he stepped forward to drive his elbow low into her face so that she fell backwards. Eevee regained her feet only to have Keiji flip over her head. Eevee pirouetted on the spot but Keiji's fist swung to meet her as she turned, the sharp knuckle-duster grazing her face in a narrow miss even as she tried to jerk her head back out of harm's way. Eevee was spun round by the hit and fell to her knees. Keiji leapt forward with a shout in a flying dropkick but she was feigning worse than actual injury and dodged aside, slashing her blunt dagger across his leg. It was only a glancing blow and though Keiji landed awkwardly and staggered forward, he caught himself in time to turn and catch Eevee's fist as she lunged out at him, catching her off-balance and throwing her to the floor.
"That was a mistake, Eevee," Neji said, "You overextended yourself. Remember your balance."
Inside his head Diablos chuckled, remembering Neji giving Keiji the same advice many years ago in a spar against Retala. Think about your feet. To fall is to die.
"They're doing well though," the demon observed, "They're matching each other point for point, and learning from each other's tricks."
Neji nodded in agreement as Eevee stood, her face still impassive and quietly determined, though now she had a second scratch across her cheek where Keiji's glancing blow had caught her. This time it was Eevee who launched an attack, sweeping Keiji's defensive fist aside with a forearm and lunging with the dagger in her right hand. Keiji caught her wrist and twirled her round, twisting Eevee's arm up behind her back. Eevee yelped in pain but thought fast, hammering her free elbow back into Keiji's chest, and then back again into his face. She felt his grip loosen as he instinctively twisted away, and kicked out of the arm-lock. Her dagger dropped to the ground between them as they staggered apart. Eevee spun and dived for her fallen weapon, but Keiji slid forward and kicked it away, his foot sweeping back again to connect with Eevee's face. Spun to the ground, Eevee rolled away and they both flipped back onto their feet.
Neji chuckled as he saw the tell-tale glow in both teenagers' eyes which indicated they were drawing on their Aeons' strength.
"Time for some demonic kung fu I think," Diablos whispered dryly to Neji as he watched Keiji draw on his power.
As a faint shimmering aura hazed into life around him, Keiji lunged forward with a high kick that Eevee blocked with both hands, but followed up with a series of rapid punches that drove Eevee back on the defensive. He landed two solid body-blows before she ducked the third and tried to counterattack, but Keiji grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward off balance, driving his knee into Eevees stomach. He knocked her reeling with a swinging punch that put enough distance between them for a sweeping kick that collided with Eevee's temple and floored her.
"Two-one," Neji quoted the score approvingly while Eevee lay there gasping, "Good work Keiji."
Keiji stepped forward to help Eevee up but she deliberately forced herself to her feet first. He shrugged and stepped back.
"Let's go again," Neji said, beginning to form a training plan in his mind based on the two teenagers' performances.
Keiji launched a high kick and followed through with a powerful right hook which left a trail of lightning sparking through the air, but Eevee ducked rather than try to parry and stepped into Keiji's guard, driving her elbow down into his shoulder and slashing backhand with the dagger she was still holding. It raked across Keiji's face in what would have been a painful cut if the dagger hadn't been magically blunted. Keiji shook it off and countered with a gut-punch that almost doubled Eevee over, but she too shook off the hit and spun round twice in a double-slash across Keiji's chest, hopping from one foot to the other on the third pirouette to finish with a roundhouse kick that knocked Keiji to the floor.
"Two all," Diablos noted inside Nejis head.
"She learned that one from Alarielle," Neji whispered back with a grin, recognising the elf-maidens style in Eevee's balletic attack.
Keiji got up. They circled. Eevee suddenly hurled her remaining dagger to send it spinning towards Keiji. He sidestepped to let it fly past him. Neji raised an eyebrow at Eevee thus disarming herself, and then realised that she had circled round towards her other fallen dagger and now she ran to retrieve it. As she skidded forward on her knees to pick it up Keiji lunged at her from behind. There was a blur as Eevee leaned aside in a Timeshift dodge. Keiji went flying past her but broke his fall with a diving roll and came up. He lunged again but Eevee blocked his arm with her's and swept her newly-recovered dagger back and forth across Keiji's chest, vaulting over him as he fell with a hiss of pain and allowing him to stand.
Keiji turned, a mix of enjoyment and grim determination on his face.
"Three-two..." he admitted, then grinned as energy began to gather and spark about his right hand. As the Lightning Edge reached full power, he leapt forward. Eevee skipped back from several sweeping strikes, then sprang forward off her back foot in an unexpected counterattack. Reacting fast to the unexpected manoeuvre, Keiji twisted to let the knife thrust go past him and swung his lightning-wreathed fist at Eevee's head. She ducked to one knee and tried to counter with a fast uppercut, but Keiji blocked with his forearm and as he swept her dagger aside, punched down for what would have been a clean hit. With perfect control, he stopped the Lightning Edge centimetres in front of Eevee's face.
"Three all now," he grinned. Eevee grinned back and for the first time the smile reached her eyes, just for an instant. Then she winced. Keiji withdrew his lightning-sheathed hand, which was so close it was starting to burn Eevee's skin, and cancelled the spell. The power it required was draining him.
Eevee stood and picked up her other dagger. Her face was hard and inscrutable again. She attacked, crossing her hands and sweeping the twin blades outward. Keiji jumped back, his arms thrown wide for balance as the daggers scythed through the air a harmless six inches from his stomach. Eevee lunged again but Keiji backflipped away, landing on his hands and flipping back over to attack. Eevee caught both his fists in hers, hissing in pain as the knuckle-dusters dug into her palms deeply enough to draw blood. The sheer momentum of Keiji's attack drove Eevee to her knees. Keiji drove his knee into Eevees face and then kicked her backwards, leaping after her. Eevee kicked up into Keijis stomach to send him rolling over her head. They rolled across the ground and Keiji came out on top, his sparking knuckle-duster held at Eevee's throat, but at the same time he felt something digging into his solar plexus and looked down to see one of Eevee's daggers jammed against his chest.
Neji was laughing, clapping his hands slowly as he walked towards them."Well call that four all! Right you two, that'll do, I think I've got a few things I can teach you..."
Keiji looked back at Eevee who was still pinned underneath him. She was ****ing an eyebrow at him. Suddenly embarrassed, Keiji scrambled off her and let the girl stand up.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 18:16, 2007-04-26

(And while Eevee and Keiji are upstairs fighting, we have assasination plots and that kinda fun stuff :D LOL.  Also because its never come up i thought i'd tell you know, Fariel's mother is called Duenan and her father is called Sid! :o lol)

It was in the early hours of the morning when Fariel and her companions returned back at Bevelle, everyone in the great hall was asleep.  Eevee was quick to head straight upstairs, the quiet thud from upstairs as she slammed her door was all Fariel heard, she sighed and looked at Keiji who was following.

Well this is new; I didnt even have to ask him, hes going at his own accord.

 

Yes, but is he going after Eevee or is he going to his own room to punch some walls?  Leviathan was as cynical as always.

Fariel rolled her eyes, Thank you Leviathan, she answered sarcastically.

 

Larek patted her on the shoulder before heading upstairs, Jacen stayed behind and stepped up beside her.  So what happens now?  He asked in a very pessimistic tone.

Thats almost as dumb as asking me how long a piece of string is, Jacen, but right now lets just survive the night?  She smiled, Go to bed.  Fariel looked out the corner of her eye at one of the side corridors.

 

oo0oo

Ciaphas watched from the shadows and smiled, scurrying away he informed Mathew of Fariels return.  Then shell have no alibi.  Mathew grinned.

 

The pair of them took the servants staircase upstairs, out of sight from everyone and headed to what was temporarily General Benis room.  The General had retired to his room a few hours prior to Fariels arrival and all sound of movement within had stopped.  He was asleep.

oo0oo

 

Gerald laid on the large four posted bed staring out the window at the stars, Whisper he had noticed as extraordinarily tame, she laid by his side, her ears moved occasionally to follow the sounds from outside the room.  Gerald found the little twitches entertaining, it meant that the wolf was aware of its surrounding even while sleeping, which would make her a perfect companion for Fariel.

The old crusader closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he couldnt.  He heard the sound of a door handle turning, he opened his eyes and stared at the door as a crack of dim light widened, he looked to Whisper, he only caught a glimpse of her tail as she disappeared off the bed, her head appeared again though and looked at him, he nodded and she scurried under the bed.  How did she train such a creature?

 

He watched the door out the corner of his eye, two figures slipped in, the light from the window flashed off one of the figures weapon, a sword, a familiar sword.  Duenans sword?! 

The two figures neared, the crusader was perfectly aware of what they were planning, and was even more aware of their identities.  They obviously hadnt noticed that he was awake; the man in front raised the sword ready to strike.  Gerald remained still; the sword came down towards him but was thrown away with a yell as Whisper jumped out from under the bed and seized the mans arm within her powerful jaws.  Mathew fell backwards and was pinned beneath the weight and jaws of the wolf.  Ciaphas turned to escape but fell to the ground as a throwing knife appeared in his back.

What amateurs  Fariel laughed balanced atop one of the bed posts.  Who do you think you are?  You sad fraks.

 

Mathew didnt answer, his words held back by the pain in his arm.  Jacen, Larek, you can come in now.  The pair she called entered with several guardsmen behind them.  General? 

 

You are both under arrest for the attempted assassination, of myself.  Take them away.  Gerald ordered, Whisper released Mathew and sat down beside the General.

Thanks guys.  Fariel smiled at her two companions that left with the guardsmen.  And thank you for taking care of Whisper.  Fariel jumped down and petted her pet.

 

I think it was rather she took care of me.  Gerald knelt down and retrieved the sword that had been discarded.  I believe this is yours?  He handed the blade to Fariel.

Thats the last time I leave anything lying around where your men can get to it!  Fariel laughed, accepting the weapon and looking at it for a moment.  Mother would be disappointed in me if I let her sword get covered in a crusaders blood.

Keiji lowered his guard as the last of the creatures scurried away into the darkest shadows, slowly one by one there eyes peered out staring in sheer fear at the invaders.

"What are these things?" he asked turning to Neji

"Clumsy or curiose fiends and animals who have fallen into the hole Ghede made, being deprived of the light and being forced to live in complete darkness has mutated there bodies, god knows how long they have been down here,"

"Just how long has it been since Ghede was down here? a progress like this would of taken years," Zell asked before jumping when Laconfir's voice echoed in his head.

"Thousands of years, Ghede would of travelled down here when the bodies were fresh,"

"And we are just getting told this now?"

"We elves had no way of telling, Ghede is sneaking, I could not know until I died and my connection with the earth strengthed,"

"Still you would of thought you would of have found this hole and thought something was up,"

"This temple is the resting place of Avenging Angels, it is also where all those angels who have fought Penance are remembered, it was buried to conceal the dark history of Spira, for us to unburie would be sacrilidge, the dead should be left to rest,"

"Ummm, I've got one question," Keiji asked stepping in, "You say it must of been thousands of years since Ghede trespassed here, so just how old is Ghede?"

"Older than Penance," Laconfir replied, his voice fading.

Zell and Gau continued to light the way with there thin torches occasionally moving to check on the hoards of Dark creatures that followed them, eventually the five men reached the end of the corridor and were faced with a great stone door, Zell ran his torch light from top to bottom, the door was decorated with encraved pictures of all the previous angels the first at the top leading all the way down till eventually there was six pictures which Neji reconised one being him. He ran his hand down the door, every picture seemed to be cracked down the middle but those of him and Fariel and to his surprise a picture of Eevee which sat below the picture of Kobie and Sonya, he touched the picture and bits of freshly cut stone fell to the ground.

"Increidible, a stone which refreshes itself," he looked down to the blank rows below the row he was in, those bits of rock were smooth and ready for carving.

"Lets hope these spaces don't get filled Neji,"

"Couldn't agree with you more," Neji said in his head to Diablos. Neji placed his hand on the door and turned to his companions. "Lets go in,"

It took all five of them to heave open the ancients door just enough so they could enter, this room unlike the rest of the temple was fully lit, the roof was decorated in ancient stones of stored light, there beams brightening up the room like many bright stars, Zell and Gau had no need for there lights and switched them off to conserve energy.

The room unlike the temple was wide and opened up into a semi-circle, at the points built into large arch shaped holes in the walls were stone caskets decorated with jewels and gold. They all approached a casket and investicated, the evidence was clear, Ghede seeing no need to cover his tracks had left the caskets open the stone lids half off to reveal emptyness inside.

"Not good?" Cid said turning round

"There no way to tell what Ghede did with the bodies, but if its anything like what he does to other bodies then we could have trouble," Gau said grimly remembering what he saw in Ghede's tower

"Indeed, but if Ghede had the old angels enslaved he would of used them by now, would he have not?" Keiji said remembering his fight with the old elf leader he fought revived by Ghede. "I mean we proberly would of heard tales of them, I've seen what his revived bodies can do they seem to keep there old powers,"

"This is something we can not over look, we must be prepared incase these old angels attack,"

"Aww man, Penance has now possibly got five Avenging Angels and his disposal and we only have two,"

"Three, Eevee now has Ramuh and Tritoch," Keiji said reminding Zell

"Still that 3 v 5,"

"Well then Zell, looks like you are gonna have to play your part once again," Cid said to Zell with a smile.

"And don't forget about me," Keiji smiled in overconfidence.

"Enough talk, lets get out of here, we have no more business here,"