Centra Crisis - Guardian Enforced

[Aleister Black]

Initially, Xanther was absorbed in his work at the digital side of things, but a shred of conversation he picked up piqued his interested. Incredulous, he turned in his chair and just looked at the security officers. He opened his mouth as if to say something, closed it again, shook his head. He blinked, and said, "Seriously...?" He shook his head again and turned towards the screen, mumbling something that sounded remarkably like 'fossils', but no one could ever be sure. His search was reinvigorated as he could now limit his search to a few select places; the locations of the old city gates, locked down after the detruction by Sorceress Rinoa.

The situation had almost reached the point of escalation before Lucy and Tamara even had a chance to react. The first thing Lucy saw was Lani's sai plade hovering closely over the shop owner's face. Shocked, she shouted, "Don't!" If she hadn't been sure before, she definitely was now. This mission was personal to Lani. Not just because it involved SeeDs, but because it involved someone she knew. Lucy only briefly wondered whether it was wise to send an acquaintance or even a friend on a mission to retrieve information about missing SeeDs. Tamara hadn't wasted her breath on words but had immediately leapt to Lano and grabbed the SeeD's wrist to point the sai blade someplace other than the shop owner's right eye. Tamara looked Lani in the eyes and held her gaze for a second before she simply turned to the shop owner. Lucy had quickly followed her friend and was now holding Lani, feeling insecure in that she was actually restraining someone who was superior in rank to her. However, she knew that she not only owed it to the Garden rules of conduct, but also to Lani herself to restrain her; threatening civilians could get you reprimanded or even discharged. She held Lani loosely, but knew she could tighten her grip if the SeeD were to make a bid for the proprietor's jugular again.

If I had known that sooner, I wouldn't have wasted twenty minutes on useless pictures and videos, Xanther thught morosely. As it turned out, More than half of the pictures had been unusable, as they had been taken on several key locations that were magnificent tourist attractions, such as the palace and the airstrip, which were nowhere near the old city gates. Now he could search for matches on far fewer media, narrowing his search considerably. And if he found enough images that supported the theory, he could make an educated guess at the location of the missing SeeDs by corssreferincing the pictures with all the witnesses' and victims' stories. He smiled. He had briefly had a vision of the security officers searching the city with magnifying glasses.

Meanwhile, the man was trying to thank Tamara for saving him from Lani's wrath. However, Tamara shut him up quickly as she grabbed him by the collar and hissed, "I may not want to see you dead anytime soon, nor do I want to stick something sharp into you. But please consider in how many ways I can make your life a very nasty place to be indeed if you don't start telling us all you know about this dumby supplier of yours." The shop owner seemed confused at first, but as he saw the look in Tamara's eyes, his own widened as he grasped just how unchanged his situation was.

Lucy, although best friends with Tamara, had only rarely seen this side of her. During training sessions and classes, Tamara had always remained playful, in a way. But during assessments and especially actual missions, she would change completely into a deadly serious and professional SeeD. It was a virtue that Lucy was quietly envious of. Of course, Lucy had had training and she regarded herself as professional a SeeD as they came, but the sudden switch Tamara could make was scary, sometimes. Lucy saw that the shop owner's eyes were still frantically looking for a way out of this mess. She held his gaze and gave him a pleasant smile. "It's alright, no one's going to hurt you," she said in the face of all evidence. "Just tell us about this man and we'll leave you alone."

"Alright, alright! I said I dunno his name, he's just a guy! I swear!" the proprietor managed as Tamara's grip on his collar went a little bit tighter. "He's like... 6 foot tall or something, brown 'air, white coat! Almost like a lab coat." A shiver went down Lucy's spine. "A lab coat?" she repeated. "Y-yeah, I think so. I mean, some people wear anything to look cool!" After a short pause, he continued, "I don't know the guy, he just sells me stuff! I don't have anything to do with it and I don't want to! Please just let me go!" He looked at Lucy, almost as if begging her to call the other back.

Xanther smiled as more and more beeps came from the computer. An increasing amount of matches were being found, and as he directed the program to continue searching following specific guidelines, it went even faster. Some time later, he had five possible suspects. For the first time in quite a while, he tore his eyes from the computer screen and turn in his seat. "OK, I've narrowed it down to five people who have all been photographed or otherwise spotted near the old city gates at the times the victims were found. Gentlemen, one or some of these are your culprits."




---Thomas---

The hot bath and feather bed had definitely done him good. Thomas had been averse to even rising this morning and had slept in until about 11am, enjoying the single beam of sunlight that peeked through the window and moved slowly across the covers of the bed as the sun climbed higher into the sky. Yesterday night had not been a waste. He had not only enjoyed the drinks, the music and his bath, he had also been able to talk to people and inquire about the Brothers. As it appeared, the age-old GFs had disappeared almost three decades ago, but returned several years after that, taking up residence in the old maze-like Tomb of the Old King again. Some superstitious Galbadians still brought bowls lavishly laden with fruits and bread, or amphoras with wine to the Tomb to appease the GF and ensure a healthy earth. Pandemona had snorted. Gullible dickheads. As if the Brothers care about the earth; they just want the food! I'm amazed those incestuous purple bulls are no longer asking for fair-skinned maidens anymore. Thomas could feel that Tonberry disapproved of Pandemona's words, but the GF chose not to say anything. Thomas just continued the converstion, but the thought of human sacrifice didn't leave his mind for a while. Had the Brother really asked for that, way back?

By day, Deling city was a lot more crowded than at night. At night, all the dancing halls and music bars and cafes were packed; during the day, people walked the streets, went to work, ran taxi services, or simply waited for the night again. Thomas recognised a few Galbadia Garden unifroms, and groups of soldiers roamed the streets, occasionally asking someone for their papers. Twice, Thomas saw someone being taken away into one of the old Galbadia Army cars, sturdy and reliable vehicles that had been in use for over half a century and sustaining only few improvements over the years. He wondered why the soldiers seemed so on edge, until his eyes caught a glimpse of the headline of a newspaper. He ambled over to the newsstand and grabbed one of the papers, his eyes scanning the page. "Boiling Point Reached... WAR?" was the question posed on the first newspaper. Similar headlines could be read across the newsstand: "Armed Conflict Inevitable?", "Esthar Lies!", "FH FAILURE", "NO PEACE IN OUR TIME" were just a few of them.

What the hell is this? Thomas thought. Tonberry was as perplexed as he was.I don't know. We didn't hear anything about this sort of open warmongering back in Centra. Is it so hard? Pandemona interjected. Galbadia are preparing their subjects for war. And war is easier when the people know it will come, and when they have enough time to start hating the opposite side. But why don't we know of it yet, then? Well, maybe because the other side are not expecting a war to come from this. Come on boy, you do some thinking at least! So are they going to attack soon or something? Should we be worried about an assault? Do I look like a fortune teller to you? Maybe they're just preparing just in case. You never know, right? Now, stop standing there thinking stupid questions, and pay the fucking newspaper. Thomas snapped back to reality and quickly payed for the newspaper, and ambled away into the street again, leafing to the economic section as if uninterested in the war stories; Galbadians had probably read that stuff plenty of times and so should he appear.

Thomas was happy when he left the city in a banged-up former Army car. He'd haggled a good renting price and a few cans of fuel to take him to the Tomb and back to Deling again. The car had been painted over several times, but in some places the old red-and-grey of the old Galbadian Army still shone through, and in other places patches of rust speckled the car. But, like all of these cars, it still ran as if it had been made yesterday, going cross-country with ease. He would be at the Tomb of the Unknown King in no time, no time at all.

[Mellusia]

Aiden took quick strides to Xanther's side to look at the profiles of the potential suspects.

Whatever potential room for error there was had decreased immensely. There was something awfully fishy about all 5 potential suspects wearing white lab coats.

"Good work," Aiden said while patting the back of the younger SeeD's chair, pleased with the findings.

"I guess it's just a matter of either identifying them or even just waiting for one or more of them to show up and follow their trail," Aiden mused.

"Xanther, call up the field team please. We'll regroup with them and make a plan. Hopefully the ladies managed to find something too."

Aiden turned to leave, looking at the somewhat disgruntled veteran guard force. The blond could understand their embarrassment and anger for missing crucial pieces in an investigation, but couldn't find anything to say that would spare their feelings.

"We'll keep you posted," was all Aiden said before leaving the surveillance room.

*****

Lani found herself heaving in deep breaths while being restrained by her comrades. The hold on her body and wrist managed to break through her angry haze but her temper was still very high. Her body became rigid, about to break out of the hold when a cold sensation over swept her.

"Whaaa..." was all Lani managed. It felt like a hand suddenly covered her eyes.

"Hush. Just calm down and trust me," came Shiva's crooning voice

Feeling oddly helpless, the woman showed little resistance to allowing control to go to Shiva. Her consciousness receded into a blurry haze, not quite awake, but still aware to a certain degree.

Shiva tuned "her" head towards Lucy "It's alright now," the goddess assured to the girl, moving slowly to show she was docile and nonthreatening.

Tamara was speaking with the seller now, the man offering a bit more substantial information. Nonchalantly, Shiva moved slowly forward, pulling out the blade that held the man's tie in place.

"Forgot this," she with a polite smile before walking out of the store. It only occured to the GF that "Lani's" sudden mood change would be off for Tamara, but didn't think too much about it now.

When the two younger women followed out along with any potential questions, the radio the team had activated, a voice telling the group to come back to the suite to discuss their findings.

Once they responded, they trio made their way to the hovercraft, on route back to the presidential palace.

"Are you ready to play nice now?" Shiva asked with some bemusement, although the goddess' disappointment in her host bled in.

"...Yeah," Lani said meekly.

"We're gonna talk about this later, but you still have to do your duty, kitty," Shiva said, swapping places with the girl.

Blinking rapidly in the dark tunnel, Lani literally pinched herself to reassure that she was back in control of her body.

The hover chair stopped and the women walked out and made their war towards the presidential palace. Swiping a keycard to gain entry into the large building, Lani swallowed, before turning around to stare at her comrades.

"About what happened...I'm sorry you had to deal with that mess. I think it's obvious this mission's personal to me now. You can tell whatever you want to the squad leader if you want or mention it in your reports, I won't get mad," Lani assured, not sure if her "permission" for her team mates to evaluate her however they want was even something they cared for.

[Bloodbane15]

Aumanil gazed off into the distance, ahead the sun drifted slowly below the horizon, a huge glowing sphere of brilliant red and yellow.

The waves rocked the small boat gently and the wooden railing felt rough and coarse on his palms.

It was a beautiful sunset; under normal circumstances a person would have felt calm, content with life on a day such as this.

But these were not normal circumstances.

The beauty of the fading day did nothing for Aumanil, his eyes stared past the marvels of nature unseeing, unfeeling.

He had waited long for this day.

Three years ago he had returned to his village and discovered the still warm corpses of his entire village piled roughly in the centre of the village square.

Dark red blood rapidly congealing in the cool afternoon air.

No witnesses, no survivors.

He had not cried, he had not felt anger or sadness, on that crisp autumn afternoon his heart had hardened like the cold hard glaciers that dotted the landscape of his homeland.

The bandits had not bothered to cover their tracks, what had they to fear from a remote fishing village when they thought all the inhabitants to be dead?

Who would care enough and be brave enough to follow them, they had no fears at all.

They feared now.

A sudden crack in the distance brought Aumanil snapping out of his thoughts, he instinctively adopted a defensive stance, feet planted apart, slightly crouched with arms outstretched in front and behind, ready to strike in any direction.

Another crack sounded and Aumanils body relaxed, as much as it ever relaxed these days.
The sky in the distance had grown cloudy and lightning forked down from the heavens, a storm was coming.

Turning to the bow of the ship he noted the shoreline fast approaching, a small cove could just be seen in the curve of the steep cliff that bordered most of the small island, it would be virtually invisible if you didn’t know it was there.

There Aumanil knew hid 6 bandits, those who had been in charge of the group that killed his family, killed his friends.

Aumanil stared at the cove with eyes as cold as the ice itself, the moment of his vengeance had finally arrived.

Dragging the small boat ashore he took care to muffle the wet grinding sound of the boat dragging on the rough wet sand, he didn’t bother to hide the boat itself though.

The men here would not have time to flee even if they wanted to.

The sun had fully set now and darkness and shadows shrouded the land, he quickly scanned his surroundings.

Steep cliffs bordered the small sandy inlet on all sides except for one nearly indiscernible track that wound off through a small pass in the mountains, with no other way out of the cove there was only one way that could lead to the bandits’ lair.

Aumanil fingered his silver necklace before pushing it down beneath the collar of his sealskin jacket.

The necklace had been a parting gift from his parents before he went to study at Trabia, little had he known it would be the last gift they ever gave him.

Pushing those thoughts away he hugged the side of the cliffs, sticking to the shadows and made his way up the small track, constantly scanning the ground ahead of him for movement.

Aumanil crept along the path for what seemed an eternity, though by his judgement of the moon and stars it had been barely 15 minutes when the sound of faint laughter reached his ears.

Creeping around a final bend in the track Aumanil saw a pool of light surrounding the entrance of a natural cave set in the side of the rock, peering around the corner he patiently waited for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness so that he could make out the insides of the cave.

From Aumanils vantage point he could tell that the cave was quite large, he could make out the shapes of crates and barrels stacked haphazardly around the edges of the cave as well as a large burning campfire in the centre surrounded by 5 seemingly drunken men.

4 of the men were laughing raucously while the 5th made grandiose gestures with his hands, slopping some kind of liquid all over the front of his filthy shirt.

From the stench emanating from the cave Aumanil could smell the strong heady odor of crude beer.

Aumanil crept closer to the cave using rocks from the sides of the cliffs as cover until he was only metres from the cave entrance, so close he could see the spittle flying from the speakers mouth as he carried on in a loud drunken slur.

“Ya shoulda seen how the little bitch squealed” he laughed, “Don’t take me children she says, spare us she says” the speaker roared.

The other men laughed raucously, Aumanil shut out their voices and studied the cave entrance, figuring out the best way to assault the men.

With the drunken state of the men it should pose no problem but he still didn’t want to just rush in blindly, he peered again at the 5 men….

Wait! Aumanil thought, only 5 men!

A rustle sounded behind him and Aumanil spun, crouching low into the ready stance. The instinctive movement saved Aumanils life as a sword slashed through the air where his head had been.

Without thought Aumanil lashed a foot out at the man and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the ground then stood and backed away to gain some ground.

The Bandit stood and spat, glaring at Aumanil with eyes full of menace.


“I dunno who ye are, or where ya came from” he spat “but yer aint leavin our little ‘ideout alive” the bandit sneered.

Aumanil stepped forwards wordlessly ignoring the mans comments, he needed to kill the man before he alerted his friends.

The Bandit snarled and lashed out again with his sword but Aumanil was ready, flowing into a twisting sidestep he dodged the man’s blade by an inch then, instead of dodging away he aggressively moved forward, catching the bandit off guard.

The bandit gaped in astonishment as Aumanil grasped the mans forearm, almost as if to embrace him, then his astonishment turned to shock as Aumanil jabbed his middle and index finger into a nerve cluster at the base of the man’s wrist.

The Bandits hand opened convulsively as he momentarily lost control of the motor neurons in his wrist and his sword dropped to the ground.

He opened his mouth to yell for help but before he could get a word out Aumanils hand chopped into the vulnerable part of the man’s throat, crushing his windpipe.

Gasping soundlessly the bandit dropped to the ground clawing at his ruined throat, Aumanil looked at the man only for a moment before turning away, he cared not for the man’s suffering, he deserved much worse.

Aumanil hurried to the edge of the cave and carefully looked around the corner, he could still hear laughter inside and the other 5 men seemingly hadn’t moved.

They were so drunk they hadn’t even heard the small commotion outside.

They had been overconfident, so sure that their hiding place was secure they had placed no traps and only 1 sentry.

In doing so they had sealed their own deaths.

Aumanil would have smiled with pleasure, if he felt such emotions anymore.

With only one way into the cave, and the drunken state of the bandits inside Aumanil decided that the direct route would be just as easy as any other.

The bandits peered towards the entrance as Aumanil strode in, shielding their eyes in an attempt to see who was entering.

“What is it Kievold” one of them mumbled, “aren’t ya sposed ter be watchin the pass t’nite?”

Reaching the first man Aumanil launched a right foot crescent kick into the man’s neck, a snap echoed around the cave as the man died instantly.

Flowing on from the kick he booted another of the bandits in the face before jabbing a series of pressure point in his chest that would stop his heart in less than 20 seconds.

In the face of this vicious attack the other three bandits tried to rise, stumbling over their own weapons as they drunkenly clawed at hilts and staves.

Stepping forward Aumanil jabbed one of them in the temple and he crumpled to the floor, he sidestepped a clumsy stave thrust and chopped his hand like a blade into the back of the mans neck, hitting a nerve cluster responsible for transmitting signals to the brain.

The bandits features relaxed and he slid to the floor as all his muscles gave way, unless the correct pressure point was manipulated again the man would die in minutes as his body stopped receiving the signals needed to control blood circulation and respiration.

Turning to face the final bandit Aumanil barely dodged back in time to avoid an axe blow to the face, raising his hand he cast a blind spell on the man and the bandit staggered as black mist surrounded his head and obscured his vision.

Moving forward for the killing blow, the bandit suddenly toppled backward as he tripped over one of his fallen comrades and right into the fire.

His screams rang in the cavern as he lit up like a torch and scrambled forward blindly searching for something to douse himself.

Aumanil watched for a long moment as the man’s piercing cries faded and died.

His vengeance was complete.
______

The icy water of the Trabian Ocean frothed all around him, dwarfing the boat Aumanil had travelled from the mainland in.

Squinting against the cutting wind and stinging spray Aumanil could just make out the coast of the mainland some few hundred metres in the distance.

What had seemed like a regular storm when he landed had turned into a raging tempest when Aumanil was only partway back to the mainland.

He had been forced to reef the sails else they would have been ripped to shreds in an instant by the howling wind and was now forced to try and row the boat to safety.

His course was parallel to the wind so the going was not quite as tough as it might have been but still the exertion made him sweat even in the freezing temperature, the muscles of his forearms and biceps bulged and ached as he lost himself in stroke after stroke of the solid wooden oars.

A splintering crash sounded and was ripped away by the shrieking winds as the boat jarred to a halt, Aumanil was thrown into the bottom of the boat by the impact, hitting his head on the hard wooden floor.

Groggily Aumanil struggled to pull himself up by the railing, wondering what had happened when he was enveloped by a torrent of freezing water.

He barely had time to gasp before he was washed from the boat and dragged beneath the surface by the strong undercurrents, the shock of the sub zero temperature of the water almost drove the breath from his lungs and he had to force himself to hold his breath.

He struggled against the ocean, trying to drag himself towards the surface but each time he neared freedom he was dragged under again, as if by an invisible hand.

His jacket floated and thrashed around him constricting his arms before it was wrenched free, Aumanils lungs began to burn and his chest tightened as his body yearned for oxygen.

Panic started to rise in his stomach and Aumanil thrashed towards the surface with every last bit of strength he could muster, suddenly his head broke the surface and he gulped in a lungful of fresh air as his lungs ached in relief.

Lunging forward he grabbed hold of what seemed like a small shelf of glacial ice covering a small rocky outcrop, he dragged himself desperately onto the ice and dragged himself as far back from he waters edge as he could where he lay, panting for breath.

For what seemed like hours but could only have been minutes Aumanil lay face down on the tiny shelf of ice but he knew he had to move, to lay still and wet in this freezing tempest would mean certain death for sure

Slowly dragging himself to his feet he looked around as best he could in the darkness, his haven was barely 10 meters square and seemed to be made mostly of rock covered in a thick coating of glacial ice .

Glancing around he could see the mainland roughly 100 meters away, so temptingly close yet so far beyond his reach, he cursed under his breath.

Noticing an overhang of rock close to his right he moved over and sat beneath it, gaining some small shelter from the freezing gale.

Sitting back against the frozen ice Aumanil knew his death was approaching, his boat was gone and he had no way of reaching the mainland. To attempt to swim in this weather he would certainly drown before he made it even close to the shore and if he tried to wait out the storm on his little haven of ice and rock he would certainly die of hypothermia.

Already he could feel his feet and hands going numb and the cold of the wind seemed not to bite so deeply, he knew these were bad signs.

Aumanil mused over the events of the past few hours; he had finally avenged the death of his village and family.

Those he had chased for three long years were dead, and yet it did not bring him peace, he had thought he would find comfort in the deaths of those who had taken his only family but instead he felt nothing.

As a few frozen tears began to slide down his cheeks the coldness of Aumanils heart shattered.

Pain and Grief and Sorrow flooded to the surface all at once, bubbling over and erupting. The emotions he had kept pent up ever since the destruction of Trabia and the murdering of his family surged to the surface and he was filled with white hot rage.

“Damn It All!” he screamed, hurling curses and insults into the wind at the top of his lungs.

He cursed his parents, cursed his village, cursed the Galbadians for their attack on Trabia and cursed the Bandits for their greed and heartlessness.

Stumbling to his feet he spread his arms wide and faced into the storm, “Take Me Then!” he roared “If You Want My Life So Badly, Then Take It Hyne Damn You!”

Suddenly the sound of the storm dulled and grew quiet, the wind dropped and even the waves seemed less rough.

Aumanil stared at the sudden calmness, shocked.

“What in the world…” he muttered.

Slowly a soft keening sound rose above the dulled murmurings of the storm, growing louder by the second.

It seemed to come from all around him so that he could put no location to the source.

The keening was joined by what sounded like the strumming of a harp as it became like an entire orchestra of sound, flooding around him in crescendos and waves.

The music seemed to reach inside him through every pore; the music was so pure and so strong that it conveyed emotions almost too strong for Aumanil to stand.

He sank to his knees again, overcome by the incredibly strong feelings of pity and strangely enough sympathy which this music washed throughout his body; it was almost as if the music itself knew his pain, like it had experienced it before.

A mellifluous voice floated to his ears amongst the wash of music.

“Death comes for you child” it chimed, “your body resists it, though your heart welcomes it”.

“Who are you?” Aumanil demanded.

“A Goddess” replied the voice simply “Some among your kind call me a Guardian Force.” A touch of contempt swirled through the music at that, as if the music echoed the emotions of the mysterious speaker, “You may call me Siren.”

A purple mist began to coalesce in front of Aumanil, taking on a vague humanesque outline.
The mist seemed to swirl and eddy as if wanting to solidify but was seemingly unable to.

“Why are you here?” Aumanil asked as he scrambled up from his seat and forced his frozen limbs into the ready stance, “What do you want?”

The music took on a lighter note, and the sound of wind chimes swirled through the pattern of sound as if conveying amusement or laughter.

“You are very demanding for one in such a precarious position, so defiant.” “I knew another boy like you once…so many years ago.”

Sadness entered the music at that last comment, so strong it felt to Aumanil like a blow to the chest.

“What do I want with you?” the voice mused, “I want to fuse with you, if you will let me.”

“Fuse with you?” Aumanil asked suspiciously, “Why would you want to do that? I have nothing to live for, it would be better if this storm would take me!”

Again sadness echoed through the music, the sound taking on a low solemn tone.

“I too have lost much, the boy I was junctioned to was killed. I was captured and experimented on by scientists and researchers seeking to discover the source of my power. Each day they contained me I grew weaker. I managed to escape and I fled as far as I could, to the northern reaches of Trabia but I no longer have the strength to leave this place. I am but a shadow of who I once was”.

“Let me fuse with you! I can fill the void of what you have lost, I can give you power beyond your wildest dreams! I can give you the power to ensure that what happened to your village does not happen to others!” the voice echoed fervently. “And in exchange I can finally leave this barren wasteland.”

Silence stretched for long moments as the wind shrieked and the seas raged around the small glacial rock, Aumanil thought over what Siren had said.

What she offered, he wasn’t sure why but he was sure it was a she, was so tempting.
To fill some small part of what he had lost, to give him power and strength beyond what a mere human alone could achieve.

Yet did he dare to accept her offer?

He had lost everything once already, did he risk filling the emptiness only at the possibility of losing it again?

For what seemed like an eternity he sat and thought.
__________

With a start Aumanil sat straight up, the springs in the bed he was laying on creaked at the sudden movement.

That dream came often, sometimes more than once a night, as vivid as it had been on the day it happened.

As he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes still half closed from sleep, a light gentle song swirled in his head, flickering with happiness and love.

Aumanil smiled.

[Aleister Black]

Silently, Lucy stepped into the room, thinking about what Lani had said to them. Tamara would not know, but Lucy had felt it somehow; the sudden change in Lani's behaviour was not her own doing, it had been Shiva's. She wondered if she had felt it so strongly because she had been holding Lani at that time. She had been glad to be able to let go; she had felt very uncomfortable restraining the older SeeD who was supposed to be their senior in the field. Tamara hadn't spoken about the incident at all on the way back, and had only briefly reported on the outcome of their own research when Aiden and Xanther contacted them. Instead, Lucy's friend had seemingly effortlessly taken up the role of keen shopper again, in each and every way her regular self. Again, Lucy was amazed at just how well Tamara could make the switch between professional and relaxed.

And then Lani had said that she would not mind if they would report her conduct to the squad leader. The fact that she would have to make that choice made Lucy feel uncomfortable. It was expected of her to be honest about these things, but she was also in Lani's debt; the SeeD had helped her so much already, Lucy would feel devestated if Lani would be reprimanded just because the girl would hand in a 100% complete report. She glanced at Tamara but her friend had merely nodded in understanding and continued through the door. Lucy quickly and quietly followed her. Cactuar shifted. He felt Lucy's anxiety and did not understand where it was coming from. There was nothing to run from. Hesitant thoughts came through in Lucy's mind, carrying images of blue skies and sandy horizons with them. She was beginning to understand the GF: sometimes it was better to be somewhere where there aren't any other people. Then she would not have to make these hard decisions.

Xanther was sitting in a chair, silently reading a book. He didn't even look up when they entered the room, and he only moved to turn a page. "Not even a 'hi'", Tamara whispered to Lucy as they quickly went into their room to put down their bags and prepare for the evaluation of today's findings. "What an anti-social ass."
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know him any differently. He almost never talks and when he does, you can hear in his voice that he doesn't want to." She paused a few seconds and continued, "Well, not with us, anyway."
"I bet ya he's just shy!" Tamara said, winking at Lucy. "I think he has a crush on us and just melts anytime he sees us!" Lucy stared incredulously at Tamara and quickly changed the subject. "So about today... Are you reporting her?" She did not have to explain what she meant.

Tamara seemed to hesitate, the first time today Lucy had seen her friend being unsure about something. "I honestly don't know," she said. "I know I should. But she's healed me back when... well, you know." Tamara avoided Lucy's gaze and Lucy immediately looked away, too, still ashamed at how much she had let herself go that day. Tamara suddenly spoke. "I know that if you had been missing, I would not even consider not being a part of the rescue party. And I don't know if I could stay as calm as I did today if he was withholding information I needed to rescue you." Lucy felt Tamara's arm on her shoulder and knew that she, too, would do the same thing. "We're not going to tell, then," she said, just to say it out loud.

Tamara stood up and winked at Lucy again. "But there's no way I'm not going to tell that it was me who got the information! I might go up a rank!" Lucy followed her out of the room, saying, "But he only started talking after I comforted him!"




---Thomas---

It reminds me of the Centra Ruins, Tonberry said. The ruins of the Tomb of the Unknown King towered over them. Thomas had to agree. While the Tomb lacked the mist and strange architecture of the Centra Ruins, it breathed the same atmosphere. There was a feeling of hopelessness here, a feeling of loss. Vines and roots had managed to break down large parts of the Tomb already, and some parts appeared to have caved in years ago. Giant trees now cast their shadows on the once white stones of the last burial place of a monarch who once ruled a forgotten country. Historians had not been able to find out anything about the Tomb or the one who was said to have been buried here. It did not help that it was infested with monsters and that a spirit was said to reside in the old stones of the Tomb. While Thomas knew with reasonable certainty that the spirit was in fact a GF, he did feel a strange presence emanate from the ruins.

Had Thomas been Galbadian, he would have known that many young adolescents challenged eachother to go as deep into the Tomb as they dared. None of them ever went further than the first gallery before running back fast. Thomas carefully made his way over what had once been a pathway. The stones now barely formed a path and were scattered all over the place, upturned by roots, picked up by youngsters to throw at the walls of the Tomb or eaten by the large birds in the area to have grinding stones in their stomachs.

When he reached the gate that gave him access to the first gallery, a dark corridor stretching away into the darkness, he stopped and looked back. Through the trees, he could still see the Galbadian fields. The sunlight looked inviting and made the Tomb seem even more gloomy. Pandemona laughed aloud. You going to run back to your mommy, boy? She ain't there anymore, you have to deal with your own problems. You can't go running back into the sunlight all the time. To make progress, you must sometimes bear the darkness. Wuss. Although delivered in a typically Pandemona manner, Thomas knew that it was the truth. And besides, he had with him two Guardian Forces, a large stock of magic and years upon years of training. It's all a trick to keep people out, Tonberry said. They make it dark and scary so people will not come in and take them away again. Again?, Thomas asked, but Tonberry remained silent. Thomas shrugged and took one look back at the beam of sunlight beckoning at him so invitingly in the distance. Then he turned and stepped into the darkness of the Tomb of the Unknown King.

[Mellusia]

As soon as the Esthar SeeD team had reached the spot where the vehicle they had been trailing had stopped, it was almost shameful just how close the kidnappers had been to Esthar City.

Barely 20 minutes outside of the city towards the west near the continent's edge. Lani gritted her teeth as she followed the others out of the car.

"Anita's been here the whole time," the woman thought anxiously

Granted the entrance way to the so-called lair had been hidden beneath rough ground that only revealed a pathway if one knew where to look, but the brunet was no less upset.

Aiden peeked his head into the cave-like entrance, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Further away, movement could be seen. Random creatures and various shapes and size crawled around the area. They didn't appear to be tamed in the least, so anyone going in had to either know of a secret passage away from the monsters, or fought through the hoard.

Which seemed to be the only option for them.

"Oh boy..." Aiden said with exasperation

[Aleister Black]

Lucy swallowed. It had come to this, then. Her hands lightly held the bladed staff that was her weapon of choice. Leaned against a rock, white dust causing stains on her jacket, she peered into the cave. She paid the stains no mind; those particular stains would be the least of her worries at the end of the day, most likely. She could pick up movement in the shadows but her eyes had to adjust to the dark after the bright sunlight in the desert of white sand and dust. When her eyes had finally adjusted, she could make out not a few, but many creatures. A few of them she recognised, but others were unfamiliar to her. She looked over at Tamara. Her friend was crouched behind another rock only a few metres away, resting the tip of her gunblade on the ground next to her as she, too, peered down into the cave. Then she looked at Lucy and grinned. She made a fist with her free hand and punched the air. Lucy smiled and rolled her eyes. It struck her once more just how different they were: to her, the prospect of battle might not be scary but it wasn't something she particularly looked forward to; Tamara, however, relished it and always enjoyed what she called 'the rush you get when you're in the action, and you feel like you're... you're really alive, you know?'

The soft crunching of grid dust behind them made Lucy look back. Xanther was laying down behind a small rise in the terrain. Tamara and her had exchanged glances when he had unpacked his weapons as they prepared for the mission. Before then, they hadn't actually known what kind of weapon he wielded, only that it was big. They had been rather surprised to see him flourish an MP-WPH; a Multi-Purpose Weapon Platform Handle. The handle in an of itself was not really impressive at all. It simply looked like someone had tried to combine a large gun and a large sword but had forgotten both the blade and the gun. However, the handle boasted an ingenious system that allowed the wielder to attach a variety of weapons to it, ranging from guns to blades to wacky items like rubber fists.

As Lucy looked back, she saw Xanther pull up his weapon, and a huge multi-barrelled gun poked from over the ridge. Belts of bullers were draped across his shoulders, and a blade was strapped to his back in case he had to switch weapons or he ran out of ammunition. When they had asked him about the weapon, Xanther had shrugged and said, "I just liked the look of it. And when you can't choose between weapons, why not pick one that can be everything you want?"

Lucy turned inwards and found Cactuar reluctant to go into the cave, and she figured a part of her own trepidation came from that. Don't worry, we're going to be fine, she said to him, knowing he'd much rather stay out in the warmth and the light than go into that dark and cool cave. A jumbled mess of images appeared before Cactuar thought, Promise? She nodded. He shoes crunched on the gravel as she prepared to enter the cave. She looked at Aiden to give them the sign to enter.



---Thomas---

Thomas pulled his rapier from under the shield of a monster that had been startled by his arrival and had charged him instinctively. Thomas had rolled away just in time, barely avoiding the monster that by then smacked into the wall behind Thomas. As Thomas pulled his rapier, the thin blade he favoured so much, the monster had turned and charged him again. This time Thomas was able to sidestep and quickly turn to sink the deadly blade in between the two halves of the creature's shell near the neck, thrusting it in deep and turning the blade. The creature had obviously already been weak and old before Thomas had arrived, as it was unable to recuperate from the sudden stab. It limped to a corner, trailing blood, and died.

"Everything here is old," he said out loud, hearing his voice echo back to him distorted several times before it died down.Even the monsters here are almost fossils. Reminds me of home, Tonberry said. There is almost no life left in this place. It feels almost as dead as the Centra Ruins. Tonberry hesitated and added, This place is dying. Let's make sure it does, then, Pandemona responded. The Brothers will dissipate if they stay here. You'll do them a favour if you take them away from this place. Their magic is the only thing holding this together, Tonberry pondered.I can feel it. This place is much older than it looks. Even older? Thomas was incredulous.You have no idea, Pandemona giggled.

Thomas didn't have to walk for long before he came to a stream of water that would have seperated him from what, by the carvings in the wall, would be the burial chamber, had it not been for the drawbridge that connected the chamber to the rest of the tomb. The wood of the bridge looked mouldy in places and Thomas took special care to walk carefully, keeping one hand on one of the chains used to draw the bridge. He doubted the mechanism would still work; moss clogged the holes the chains disappeared in and they were almost rusted through in some places anyway. The hinges on the far end of the bridge also seemed to have seen better days. Everything in this place exuded old age.

As he crossed the bridge, he found himself in a long corridor leading up to what seemed to be a larger chamber. Along the walls of the corridor, wall carvings and reliefs indicated that this was the main part of the Tomb. Recurring elements in the carvings were two bull-like beasts, whom he suspected were supposed to represent the Brothers. He hoped that the pictures telling of what would happen were anyone to incur the wrath of one of these Guardian Forces, had been taken artistic license with.

"WHAT?! IS ANYONE THERE?!"
"what? where?"
"SOMEONE IS COMING!"
"again?"
"AGAIN!"

Thomas had almost jumped when the booming voices filled the corridor and barraged him with myriad echoes. He regained his composure and continued down the corridor. Tonberry, are you ready? I'm here. Pandemona? You betcha. Good. Let's go get us a Guardian Force.

[Mellusia]

Anita's eyes fluttered open. The woman found herself laying on her side on a steel surface. Grunting, she lifted herself up on her palms, looking around. The best the blond could deduce her environment was something similar to a metal cylo. There were unseen machines humming in the background, so the SeeD made the safe assumption she was still within her captures' grasp.

"When did I get knocked out..?" she pondered out loud, her head resting heavily against her hand.

The momentary grogginess passed and Anita stood up, bracing her hand against the metal wall, but quickly pulled away at the chill that passed to her hand. Still clad in only the small shorts and tank top, the blond was hardly comfortable in the cold, metal area.

Warily the blond stared around. She had a bad feeling.

"Oh, you SeeDs certainly are something. We hit you with enough tranquilizers to have you sleeping into next week," came a bemused, static voice.

"Bee?" Anita asked, looking around. Despite the static, the SeeD still recognized the voice of the only person who had thus far spoken to her, rather than about her.

Staring high up Anita managed to see a large window with a few people staring down at her, including Bee. At the bottom of the the window was a large speaker. It was hard to see, but the SeeD would assume the woman scientist was speaking into a microphone.

"Hello again, dear. Sleep well?"

Anita's eyes narrowed. "What are you guys up to now? Why are you even doing any of this?"

Bee's chuckle resounded in the chamber, making Anita scowl in annoyance.

"Awwww, don't be so mad, honey. We really are thinking about the future, and you'll be a big part of it," the woman said

So they aren't going to kill me later..? the blond thought, confused about what worth she had in the on-going experiment.

"Thunder bird has been pretty anxious as well. We can barely keep him contained ever since you two first connected," Bee explained

"Thunder bird...You mentioned that before...And what's this about connecting with him?" Anita asked, more confused than anything else.

"Oh, you'll understand soon enough. I'll let you two get acquainted again," Bee said. Anita was sure the woman scientist was smirking.

But the brown-eyed SeeD had more pressing matters to worry about. Looking around everywhere, the woman automatically fell into a fighting stance, tensing her muscles in preparation - and nervousness. The machines hummed louder and faster, but no "thunder bird" appeared.

What the hell is suppose to happen? Anita thought, trying to keep herself calm despite the precarious situation.

Free me...

Gasping, Anita looked around frantically.

"Where are you?!" she cried out at last, releasing some of her pent up tension, yet heightening her anxiety.

Please...free me...

In my head..? He's speaking in my head?!

Not even taking the time to ponder how "thunder bird" was talking to Anita in her mind, the SeeD clamped a hand to the side of her head, her eyes staring off to the side.

"I don't understand...Are you trapped? What am I suppose to do?" Anita said out loud

I WANT TO BE FREE!

Anita shouted then, falling to her knees, her eyes squeezing shut at sudden pain that exploded all over her body. The shocks she had faced before were just a fraction of the barrage she faced now.

Her body forced in a pain crouch, the woman felt tears spring from her eyes.

"Oh Hyne..!" she cried out

Whimpering, the woman lifted her head in time to see a mass of electricity form in front of her. It was massive, nearly taking up the entire space of the cylo. Slowly the mass shifted into form, two appendages spreading from it...like wings.

Thunder bird...so that's what it was the blond thought wearily, her tears blurring most of the image.

An appendage most likely it's head formed, before it pointed down towards Anita's weak, human form.

"Thunder...bird..?" she asked warily, her body jerking with the frequent shocks.

That is not my name. Only one in the past respected my wish to keep my name, but no one else has uttered it since then.

"What is it, then..?" she asked, hoping appeasing this...thing would elevate her pain.

Quezacotl.

And then Anita's world went black.

***

Lani pulled her sai blades out, crouching behind a rock at one side.

Aiden mirrored the woman, his katana drawn out to the other side. He signaled to his team mates with his hands for attention and a plan of attack.

The brunet shut her eyes, shuffling through her stock pile of magic before finding the stash of Protect spells. She opened her eyes, looking at each of her team mates before looking to Aiden.

Cover me she signed to the blond.

Aiden nodded, before giving the go ahead for everyone to attack.

The squad leader charged first, slashing down on some large, mutated centipede like creature that gushed out bright green gooey innards. The scent caught the attention of it's closer by brethren and they descended upon the SeeDs.

Lani finally stood up and summoned protect spells simultaneously on all the party. Once the spells were cast, she braced herself for a few seconds against the rock, shaking her head from the slight dizziness she got for casting 5 spells at once.

The brunet specialized in support and healing abilities in terms of spells and managed to get to a decent enough level to cast a simple buffs on up to 3 people without trouble. However she rarely went over that limit.

"Take a deep breath," Shiva said in a calm voice in the blue-eyed SeeD's mind

Lani nodded outwardly, and soon the black spots disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

"Thanks," the brunet muttered before grasping her blades and charging forward.

What could only be described as a large snake had risen, towering over 9 feet. It attacked, and the brunet dodged and rolled, rising to a knee and quickly stabbed the creatures with both blades, the snake letting out a hissing cry before falling to the ground with a thud.

Grimacing, the brunet could still see more creatures that would need to be taken out.

"There's too many of them," the SeeD woman uttered, frantically looking for a potential route they party could continue towards.

Finally the brunet decided to make a mad dash towards her vantage point, slicing at all the monsters she came across.

"I can't keep wasting time with these small fry," she thought

Aiden him charged forward, slashing at two centipedes, managing to kill them in the single blow.

"These guys aren't that hard," the blond said grunt, shaking the innards off his blade.

"Spoke to soon, boy," Ifrit remarked to his host

Aiden blinked in confusion before he saw the peaking head of a beast come into view, make the blond curse loudly. How a Behemoth had been out of site until now baffled the squad leader, however all he knew was that a very tough foe appeared.

"Great, just fuckin' great..." Aiden said with a huff.

He slowly moved around the beast, hoping that the large beast would have the standard speed disadvantage and wouldn't react in time for Aiden to land blows on it.

The blond shuffled through his magic and cast a simple thunder spell near the beast's head. It growled, rising on all fours, but didn't pay attention to Aiden charging it from behind. The blond swiped at the beast's thick tail, chipping off some of the scales.

His earlier assumptions of the beast proved to be wrong, as the creature swiped it's injured tail at the SeeD, knocking the blond a a few feet back. The protect spell took a decent amount of the damage, but the impact still hurt the squad leader. Aiden grunted, holding his blade in a defensive position.

"Hyne damn it...It sucks to be on Esthar."

[Aleister Black]

As soon as the attack started, things started happening at an ever increasing speed. Lucy felt the protective shield of a Pprotect spell wrap around her body at the same time as she launched five Shell spells she had been building up the past few minutes. She almost tripped from the sudden sense of vertigo that came over her as soon as the light of the spell passed from her fingertips to her teammates. She felt a hand on her shoulder to steady her and she looked up, half expecting to see Tamara there. Yet it was Xanther, who looked her in the eyes for a flash of an instant and then continued on, slower than the rest as he was weighted down by the bulk of his massive minigun.

Soon, Lucy found that she was level again, and she sprinted past Xanther and into the cave, where Tamara was already disposing of several smaller critters, seemingly effortlessly slicing them up as they jumped for her. The shots of her gunblade clearly rang out and echoed throughout the cave, as did the screams of the little monsters that seemed to be made from teeth and claws only. Lucy quickly sidestepped to avoid just such a creature as it jumped towards her, screaming and clacking its jaws, and as she turned she stabbed at it with her staff, pinning the monster into a rock with a sickening crunch. And suddenly, she felt lighter on her feet. as if something was propelling her forward. Cactuar's thoughts seemed to have gone in overdrive, and Lucy staff stabbed and swung and slashed faster and faster as Lucy near danced through the cave, in perfect sync with Tamara. They didn't even need to speak. Sometimes, their eyes locked for the briefest of moments, nodding at a good kill or in thanks to some protection. The cave was now filled with sound, not least of which the continuous roar of Xanther's minigun.

Only when the ground shook did Lucy lose her balance and slow down. Tamara cut down another monster, the gunshot ringing clearly through the cave as a gaping hole in a centipede's body squirted blood. (The girl's clothes looked slightly singed, and Lucy was glad that she had cast Shell; the fire would otherwise have been much more lethal for Tamara) Lucy stared as Aiden took a hit from the Behemoth and slammed into the far wall of the cave. Before conscious thought had the chance to take over and persuade her that the Behemoth would be too strong for her, she turned and sprinted and jumped from rock to rock, making her way steadily to the gigantic creature that was duelling with Aiden. From behind her, she heard Tamara call out, and the roar of the minigun seemed to stop. All went silent as the monster swiped its tail towards Aiden again, until the tail crashed into a nearly invisible wall that seemed to shiver with the force it just absorbed. Lucy quivered from the blow, and she quickly dropped the Protect spell now that the Behemoth's immediate attack had been stopped.

This moment of victory was short-lived, though, as the monster now looked straight at her, following the faint white light that had stopped his attack back to her fingertips. His claws buried in thefloor of the cavern, making deep gauges in the hard rock; it looked ready to charge her. Suddenly, a roar as if from a prehistoric supermonster came to live right next to hear, and red tracers poured out of the rapidly turning minigun barrels, lighting up the cavern as the round impacted on the creatures tough hide. Lucy was amazed that a fairly skinny guy like Xanther could keep such a heavy gun under control.

At the same time, Tamara came charging in, meeting the monster head-on and slashing it across the fase. The gunshot rang clearly and red fluid welled up from a spot just behind its eye. Just as the Behemoth was about to turn to face Tamara (the monster was confused and disoriented now; it was being attacked from all sides), Lucy threw another spell at him that she had been building up: a coiling line of black smoke jumped from her fingers and raced towards the creature, wrapping itself all around its face and eyes. Roaring, it clawed at its head, ineffectually trying to remove the bliding fog. Lucy now pulled both hands away from eachother, making a horizontal gesture and making a pulling motion in the opposite direction from the monster. The roaring stopped. The Behemoth's jaws were still open and its tongue was quivering, but no sound was coming out.


As Tamara was slicing into the monster's left side with her gunblade and Xanther was peppering it with his minigun from the right, Lucy sprinted forward and jumped, raising her staff with the blade down. As she came down, the stabbed the staff into the creature's neck, and it slowly stopped struggling as life poured slowly out of him.

All sound suddenly seemed to die away. The only sounds Lucy still heard were her own breathing and heartbeat. Cactuar retreated back into her mind slightly, and she felt as if thousands of tiny pinpricks withdrew back into her skin as well. The world seemed to speed up again, as if all of this had happened in slow motion. "Whew," Tamara's voice came from somewhere behind the bulk of the creature, "That was a tough one!" Xanther's voice came later, after a pause. "I think that was all of them. Or the rest fled."

Lucy pulled her staff out of the Behemoth's neck, and it was followed by a gush of thick, dark blood. Lucy suddenly felt sick. She staggered backwards and awkwardly sat down on a rock, looking away from the large creature she had just killed. The realisation only now kicked in, and a part of her was having an overdue case of extreme fright.

"I- I think I need a drink." she said. She only now felt the heavy drain of the rapid succession of spells she had fired off.










---Thomas---


Thomas stepped into a large hall containing two enormous marble sarcophagi. Contrary to the rest of the ruins, the sarcophagi looked new, as if they had only been carved days prior to his arrival. A voice that sounded like the rattle of gravel on a rock surface demanded, "who are you?"
Another voice sounding like enormous metal doors slamming shut, spoke, "BRO, HE'S AN INTRUDER! HE'S GOING TO BREAK OUR TOMBS AGAIN!"

Those Brothers are so over-dramatic, Pandemona scoffed. As if there's anything left to break, anyway. This place is a dump. Thomas flourished his rapier, holding it lightly between him and the two sarcophagi, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Tonberry King whispered, I can feel them building up for something...

Just before Tonberry could finish the thought, the sarcophagi burst open, hurling the covers away and towards Thomas. He rolled away just as one of the lids crashed into the wall just behind where he had stood, and the other slid across the floor, grazing his leg as it came hurtling past. From the sarcophagi had risen the two Brothers; dark creatures, vaguely humanoid but with the characteristics of bulls. Both caried gigantic morningstars capable of crushing a man with ease.

"YOU CAN STILL LEAVE NOW!" the bigger one roared at him. The smaller one swung his morningstar and growled, "foolish twerp. you're going to regret entering this tomb..." The ground abruptly started shaking violently, and Thomas lost his balance. One of the creatures immediately surged forward and slammed his morningstar down at Thomas. He could only dive away just in time, but he hit the ground hard and felt the skin on his chin split open. Blood stained his shirt. Suddenly, Thomas feld a breeze coursing through the Tomb, a breath of fresh air in the musty, dark age-old depths. The shaking floor didn't seem to have such a destabilising effect on him anymore; his feet seemed to be floating a few inches above the ground. Courtesy of yours truly, Pandemona breathed. Thomas grinned. He surged forward and as he passed the bigger brother, a red gash appeared in the GF's right arm. Taken aback, the Guardian Force almost dropped his weapon. "WHAT'S HE DOING?! BRO, HELP!"

But his brother couldn't help. Thomas was circling the smaller GF, figuring that this one was the brains. He could deal with the brawn later. The smaller one was a lot faster than his brother, and Thomas was having a hard time dealing any sort of damage to the Guardian Force at all. From the corner of his eye, he saw the other GF recover and charge them. Again, Thomas could duck away just in time to avoid the GF; and to ensure that it crashed into his very own brother. The stream of curses that erupted shook the walls of the Tomb, and parts of the ceiling came down. To his dismay, though, Thomas saw the wounds he had managed to inflict disappear as he watched them. A look of victory crossed the faces of the Brothers. "we're older than you, little boy. We are together. Who have you got, huh? We cannot be killed, least of all by a foolish little boy like you!" "HAH! THAT'S RIGHT, BRO!"

"You're wrong. It's two of you..." Thomas paused and his eyes started glowing: one amber and one purple. "... and three of me." Thomas surged forward, propelled by a gust of air strong enough to move a ship, and swung his rapier, which was glowing yellow. A morningstar missed him by a hair as he dodged the blow and made a turning cut on the hand holding it. The huge weapon fell to the floor with a loud, echoing clang! while he stabbed the long, thin blade into the arm of the other GF, causing it to drop its weapon as well. "WHAT IS THIS? BRO! BRO! WHERE'S THE GROUND?!" Thomas grinned, but it was not his own grin. It was a sickly grimace of Pandemona's, who had just raised the Brothers several feet above the ground, denying them the connection to the earth that was so important to them.

Thomas did not stop. Time and again, he flashed through the two Brothers, who could hardly follow him around the room. Only the smaller one was able to defend itself, but Pandemona was a Guardian Force that was used to the heat of battle, while the Brothers had been sleeping for well over 25 years, and for an untold number of centuries before that. "Stop! Stop!" pleaded the smaller Guardian Force, but Thomas was lost in the thrill of battle, his body completely focussed on the maneuvers, and stabs and swings and the wounds he inflicted and the hurled rocks he dodged.

The big Brother had collapsed to its knees, still hovering several feet above the ground. The effort of keeping them afloat was beginning to tell on Thomas and Pandemona. Let's end it! Pandemona shrieked. Thomas accepted wordlessly, coming in for one last dash, his rapier burning golden. But then the golden flame went out. NO! came Tonberry's voice from deep within. You were NOT sent here to kill them! You had to capture them and take them to the Garden! Shut up, you spoilsport! Pandemona scoffed. It's not as if anyone is going to miss these little shits anyway. Come on, let's finish them off and put this Tomb to the use it was originally intended for: to harbour the DEAD! But Tonberry's outburst had shaken Thomas from a trance. He saw the Brothers, bloodied and heaving chests. He only now saw how old they looked. Their eyes were sunken deep into their skulls, their muscles were sinewy and the skin hung from their bones. Their fingernails and horns were grooved and had taken on a brown colour, their hair was matted and dirty. They were as old as this Tomb, and very, very close to death. KILL THEM! screamed Pandemona.

No, said Thomas, echoed closely by Tonberry. A large rock fell from the ceiling and shattered. Thomas, Tonberry whispered, they cannot sustain it any longer. They are exhausted. What do you mean? The Tomb still stands because they willed it to be, Tonberry quickly said. They can't do it any longer. Look at the sarcophagi! The two perfectly carved sarcophagi lost all their shine and looked millenia old. Cracks had appeared around the edges. Thomas could hear the creaking of the Tombs fundaments. Quickly! Tonberry pleaded. Finish your job and get out of here!

Thomas looked at the Guardian Forces, who looked even more ancient now. Their voices had lost nearly all of their power. "BrO... I-i thInk... ThIS IS The enD..." The smaller GF did not answer. Its gaze rested on Thomas, defeat in its eyes. "Quickly, join me now!" Thomas said. "Why... should we? We ... are ... almost dead... anyway." "You have been living off the same place for too long!" Thomas said. "Come with me, and you'll live; you'll regain your strength!" "And... what makes you... think... that we... will not turn on you... when we do?"

Thomas paused. "Because you need something that I can take from you very easily." At the last word, both GFs rose a few inches off the floor again. The bigger brother howled in despair. "So... it's a ... threat, then..." "No, it's an opportunity. I am giving you life." "What... kind... of life?" Another rock fell from the ceiling, and a pillar collapsed. "But... I see... that we have... no choice." Tree roots were quickly digging down, as if the growth of trees had been stimulated by magic. "Fine." The GF said.

As soon as Thomas felt the weight of both GFs inside of him, he turned and ran for the exit. He saw a light source and ran towards it and thanked whomever was watching out for him. He would only have to cross the bridge and sprint straight ahead to get out. But halfway across the bridge, the wood suddenly gave way beneath him. He fell right through and into the water. He tried to cling to the wooden planks of the bridge but they pulverised beneath his touch. Then the current dragged him away as all around him, rocks plunged into the swelled river that took him out of the Tomb. He lost consciousness.

[Bloodbane15]

Dust and gravel made small puffs in the still air, kicked up by Aumanils feet as he ran at a ground eating pace along the small coastal road east of Deling city. Seed training had put his body in peak physical condition and with his own effort and determination he had taken it even further, even now in his middle years he could keep this pace up for hours.

As he ran thoughts swirled through his head, though on the outside he looked as calm and impassive as ever. He had been sent to Deling City by Headmistress Selphie of Timber garden, to keep a discrete eye out for any signs that Galbadias armed forces might be escalating in preparation for conflict. Galbadia was notorious for invading other nations and towns, with Timber being among the most recent examples, as such the Headmistress had deemed it especially prudent to keep an eye on them with the recent tensions.

Aumanil had fully expected to see Galbadia "flexing its muscles" in front of its people, but what he had found in Deling City had him worried, though he didn't show it.
He had been forced to travel back to Timber on foot so as not to risk being traced via car hire records.

One person though was able to read Aumanils emotions, no matter how blank his face and body language appeared to be.

"Don't worry my love" Siren crooned, "Timber has us after all, it doesn't matter how many men Galbadia throws at us." Waves of a soothing melody washed over him, washing away some of his tension.

Aumanil grinned inwardly. Siren always communicated with him like that, half in words but accompanied by melodies and sounds which conveyed much deeper meanings and emotions.
She always spoke to him like that, like talking to a lover, let alone the fact she had been alive long enough to be his great great Grandmothers great great Grandmother, probably longer.

"Of course" he thought, "But it's not Just men...well, you saw."

"And worrying over it will get you nowhere darling, the only thing we need worry about now is getting back to Timber Garden to make your report" Siren said soothingly.

Gratitude surged in Aumanil at the confidence his companion showed in him, considering they had originally fused simply in order to save each of their own lives they had grown inseparably close, Siren was the only one who would ever know his true emotions.

The dirt road wound along the coast for miles yet and he still had a long way to go before he reached Timber Garden not to mention the sun was getting low in the horizon, he would find a nice spot on the beach soon to camp for the night, Siren enjoyed being near the beach.

Looking out over the bay to his left Aumanil could just make out the land on the other side, he had been this way before on other trips to Deling city, and he knew that the Tomb of the Unknown King lay on that far shore.

Strange he thought, he should have been able to make out the outline of the Crypt, silhouetted against the sky even at this distance.
Still he took no notice, he had other things on his mind at the moment.

Spotting a nice secluded spot of beach just up ahead, nicely screened from the road by some nearby undergrowth and trees Aumanil decided that now was as good a time as any to set up camp, making his way off the road he unshouldered his travel pack and placed it carefully on the ground. The pack contained a watertight canvas envelope with evidence, mainly manifests and orders, against Galbadias military buildup.

Soft contented humming resonating from Siren inside his head as she basked in the soft burble of the ocean and the pleasant crunch of soft sand under Aumanils boots.

"Isn't the melody of the waves just beautiful?" Siren sighed, "why don't you cool your feet in the water?"

Nodding in agreement Aumanil stripped off his shoes and rolled up the legs of his sealskin pants, they were coated in the reddish brown dust from the road, it would take much more than cold ocean water to get those stains out.

As he crested a small sand dune near the waters edge Aumanil noticed a strange mound laying at the waters edge, his keen eyes quickly realising what it was. All thoughts of a refreshing dip vanishing from his mind.

"A person?" Siren mused, "Something odd must have happened for a person to be out here" Higher notes laced the melodies swirling in his head, a sure sign that his GF was curious.

With quick strides Aumanil moved to the body, skilled hands checking the neck for a pulse. Long moments stretched, even Sirens songs, a usually constant buzz in the back of his mind had quietened to nothing.

"He still lives" said Aumanil eventually, "though his pulse is weak."

Quickly sorting through his stored magic Aumanil found a Curaga, the strongest healing spell he had. Bluish light sparkled in the dimming light as he cast the spell on the pale, dark haired young boy.
Aumanil checked the boys pulse again, it was much stronger now though it would still take time for the youth to recover his strength.

Taking a better look now that the boy was stable Aumanil took notice of his strange almost colourless eyes, pale skin and lean physique, a trait that Aumanil was sure belied a surprising amount of strength and speed. To Aumanils trained eye the kid was definitely a Seed, though without his uniform, from what garden Aumanil could not say.

Picking up the boy Aumanil carried him back to his swag and set up a campfire to heat his dinner, just plain old Garden rations, but Aumanil was used to them by now. He draped the kid in one of his spare fur lined sealskin jackets, designed for the freezing Trabian wastes the jacket would keep the boy plenty warm enough and the sky showed no signs of rain.

"This boy..." Siren said suddenly, caution tinging her song "he is like us, but different...I can sense multiple presences within him, as much as four"

"Four?" Aumanil replied, "You think he has Four guardians forces? Is that even possible?"

"I can think of no other explanation" Siren mused, "we would do well to be wary of this boy"

Leaning back against the sand and staring up at the night sky Aumanil let Sirens song overtake him, swirling and rushing around him, calming him and yet invigorating him at the same time, all his senses sharpened to a razor point. He let go of his worries about Galbadia and about this strange young kid and let himself drift off to sleep, Siren would keep watch tonight, and he trusted her with his life.