Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey

Chapter XXI – At the Mountains of Monsters

The next day, they were all awake by early morning. Fortunately there were no hangovers this time, and The Liberator took flight not long after everyone had risen. The Returners were summed back to New Vector for a strategic planning meeting, now that South Figaro, Narshe, and Nikeah had been freed of Geeda's control. The trip was fairly short, and by mid-morning they were assembled in a large briefing room in the capitol where many Imperials were hard at work. Sergeant Hera Orann was in charge of the briefing. She was a young, petite woman with calculating, gray eyes, and her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. Celes had been briefly acquainted with her when she was a Private in the former Empire, but they were not exceptionally familiar to each other.

"Very impressive work, everyone," said the Sergeant when everyone settled in.

"I think we're starting to make Thomas Geeda nervous. Our MagiTek is working better than ever, and we have successfully comandeered many Legion vessels out in the World Sea. The esper attacks are becoming more rare, but unfortunately when they do happen, the espers are starting to pair up. Though this war is far from over, and we are not quite close to victory, we at least have his attention as a formidable foe," she continued.

"So what's our next plan of action?" asked Edgar.

"Well, our ships are going to secure the routes between these newly rescued areas, hopefully establishing a useful network of trade and communication. There are no plans for any further direct attacks yet, but we are currently considering our options. As for you, we have been receiving reports of activity in the mountains near Valorin. As far as we know, nothing has attacked the city yet, but we are certain its only a matter of time until something does. We would like for you to go investigate."

"Sounds like a plan," said Setzer.

"Before you head off, however, I do have a request," she added, looking somewhat nervous.

"Anything you need, it's yours," said Locke.

"Well, Captain Gabbiani told us of some of your magical abilities returning to you in Nikeah. Dr. Kethlan, head of our R&D department requested that some of you stay behind for observation and study."

Many of them immediately tensed up, and Celes stepped forward with a startling fury in her eyes.

"Excuse me? You want to cage some of us up and watch us perform magic? Just like the old Empire did to the espers which we are now currently at war with again!?"

"No, no! Please let me explain first!" Orann cried defensively, cowing away from Celes.

"Dr. Kethlan does not want to experiment on you. He just wants to see you utilize some magic and maybe take some blood samples. Nothing more than that! It's just a simple observation to try and understand what is happening with magic returning to the world!" she explained.

Celes was still breathing angrily, but she seemed to back off somewhat after the explanation. Locke quickly stepped forward.

"You promise that this is all completely harmless, and that if somebody wants to back out of the test they can?" he said firmly.

"Y-yes, of course! We would never hold you against your will! This is purely a voluntary thing, and the department understands if you would rather not partake. The only thing is, we would have to keep those who stay over an extended period. This isn't something that can be done in a mere matter of hours."

They stood there thinking for a moment, understandably having doubts about the good intentions of any study like this.

"I'll do it. I can stay," said Terra, coming forward.

"I will too," Daryl added.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, as no one necessarily wanted either of them to be left behind, but they also didn't want to tell them explicity not to go through with it.

"You know what? I will stay as well. You'll probably need someone who never had any control of magic before Magicite, and I was just able to conjure some in Nikeah," said Locke.

"Locke…" Celes began.

"Don't worry, Celes. I think this New Empire has earned our trust at this point. They've put a lot of faith in us fighting against the Legion, and it's time we did something for them closer to home."

"Hey, I wanna stay, too! I haven't been able to use magic yet!" said Relm.

"These variables should work nicely; a half-esper, a mimic, someone who just regained control of magic, and someone who has yet to," said Sgt. Orann.

"If she is staying, then so am I," added Strago, stepping up right behind Relm.

"And a blue mage. Perfect!"

"Is it wise to leave so many of our number behind?" asked Cyan.

"Yeah, especially those capable of using magic so far?" followed Clyde.

"We'll make it work," Celes said firmly, trying her best to be understanding of the situation. Her face was hardened, and she did not want to seem entirely unreasonable by doubting the Empire's intentions.

"Yeah, you guys will be alright. But if you do find anything particularly valuable, try to hold onto it!" said Locke, causing some of them to snicker.

Their goodbyes were quick and not too dramatic, because they knew they would see each other again soon enough. Clyde wasn't exactly sure how to say goodbye to Relm, given recent events, so he settled for a slightly awkward pat on the head, which she found amusing. He asked Interceptor which way he would rather go, and the dog seemed intent on staying with Relm. Clyde was relieved that she would have some extra security and agreed to let him stay. Locke and Celes shared a quick kiss before they all parted ways, and when all was settled, the five volunteers remained in the briefing room and everyone else made their way to The Liberator.

"I can understand your apprehension here, Celes. But I think they'll be just fine here in New Vector. This is an entirely different regime now, and they know that what the previous Empire did was immoral and dangerous. They just want to do what they can to defeat Thomas," said Edgar as they entered the ship.

"I know. I just hope that they don't feel like they have to resort to dire methods in the end. It may be harmless study for now, but what happens if they realize they can exploit magic-users again? It always comes down to the ends justifying the means, and I don't want to see that happen."

"I can see your point, and if they hold our friends hostage we'll just have to bust them out, won't we? Though it would be a damn shame to put down that Sergeant. She was pretty cute!"

Celes nodded grimly, giving him a short smile. She wasn't happy about the way things were going today, but she had to believe that Locke and the others were in good hands, and that they wouldn't need them for the battles that might come their way. She sat down in the cabin as Setzer fired up the engines, taking off in the direction of Valorin not long after.

Meanwhile

"Thank you all for remaining behind to help us with this. If you will follow me, we will meet with Dr. Kethlan and get started right away," said Sgt. Orann.

The five followed her from the briefing room and down a long hallway full of activity. Soldiers and other officers were passing through various doorways along the way, passing intel between different offices of the capitol. It seemed that this kind of activity never ceased around here, and that the Empire worked around the clock to gain the upperhand in this global war.

"Do you guys ever get to even sleep?" asked Daryl, half-joking.

"Oh yes, we are constantly working, but we take it in shifts, of course. The night shift is currently clocking out while their daylight counterparts take over and keep everything going. We can't afford to waste any time not fighting Lord Geeda somehow."

"Even still, how long are your shifts? You've gotta be dead tired by the end of the day!"

"Oh several hours, indeed. But look at yourselves! You are out fighting on the battlefield nearly every day. You know what it takes to save the world, and you don't rest for too long either!"

"Fair point."

They continued deeper into the building, passing through the large main atrium where the activity grew ten-fold. Other than the posted sentries, there wasn't a single person standing still, and everyone had somewhere to be. At one point it was almost difficult to even get across the floor because so many soldiers were heading in one direction at once. Eventually they made it to the other side and entered the Research & Development wing. Compared to the rest of the building, which was very dull, gray, and industrial, this area was sterile and white, almost like a hospital of sorts. The apparel had changed from colorful military wear to crisp white labcoats and light gray uniforms. They were led down more and more hallways before finally entering a large laboratory that was familiar to some of them.

"Hey, this was Cid's old lab!" Locke noted.

"Indeed. Well, a replica at least. After the original was destroyed, we secured the old blueprints and made a similar copy of it, due to its incredibly efficient layout," Hera explained.

"And what a gift it was!" came a booming voice from across the way.

They looked up to see a heavyset man in a labcoat coming their direction. He had a curly mass of gray hair on his head, with a great fluffy beard around his chin, framing his round face. Perched on his hooked nose were circular spectacles, through which he gazed at the new arrivals with excited eyes.

"You are the Returners!?" he inquired.

"They are, Dr. Kethlan. They have volunteered to be observed. Friends, this is Dr. Kethlan, the head of Research & Development for the New Empire."

"A great pleasure to meet you! I wish I could have seen the others as well, but even here with you five I am greatly honored!" he said while enthusiastically shaking each of their hands.

"What is it you would like us to do, exactly?" Locke asked.

"Oh ho! Well, come along with me, my good man. We will take you to the testing area and get started immediately!"

Locke turned to his friends and shrugged before following Kethlan down the length of the lab, passing many technicians and scientists at work. As they walked, the Dr. began to explain immediately.

"So! As we have so far observed, magic appeared to have completely vanished from this world as soon as Kefka's Tower collapsed, correct?"

"Ah, yeah I think-"

Kethlan continued, disregarding the interruption.

"So! Suddenly this man, Thomas Geeda, appears a little over a month ago and has apparently brought espers, and by extension, magic, back into this world! He wields an incredible and almost unrestricted command of magic, and has complete control over every single esper that has thus far been encountered. How he has accomplished this, no one knows for sure, but we have our theories! Anyway, that is not the object of our study. What we are attempting to do is to tap into the latent abilities within people like you, which I am told are gradually manifesting once again. The patterns have shown that as more espers are destroyed, the more magic has been returning to this plane. The inhabitants of Thamasa are gaining their powers back, you are gaining yours, and MagiTek energy is increasing in effectiveness! Logic dictates that the death of an esper results in some manner of magical expulsion. When their bodies dissipate, magical energy is released and absorbed by the living things from this particular world."

"We've figured that-" Locke began again, only to be cut off once more by Kethlan's rambling.

"So! While the cause of magical energy is sufficiently explained, the manner of manifestation in beings of this world is not! There have to be certain psychological and physiological aspects to this phenomenon, and I have set out to discover what that might be! I have designed a series of tests that require certain levels of physical and mental participation, and we will document just how one is able to call upon magic once again after it has been completely absent for a time."

By the time he had finished they found themselves in a room near the back of the lab where many scientists were making notes on pads, and there were several digital viewing screens on the wall in front of them, showing video recordings of various chambers designed in a variety of ways. They all correctly surmised that these would be the chambers they were to be tested in.

"So! Who wants to go first?" Kethlan said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Later

The other Returners had set out on their expedition of the mountains by Valorin, having parked The Liberator close to the growing town for convenience. Sir Owzer, of course, chose to remain in the town while they went on their expedition. They did not make time to chat with the mayor or any of the townspeople, and opted to head straight up the mountain path, weapons ready and their eyes peeled for any disturbances.

"We're not exactly sure what we are looking for here, so be ready for anything," said Edgar, seeing fit to take the lead in Locke's absence. No one dissented and they were happy to follow.

They climbed ever higher and slowly began to break away as a group, as someone would end up diverting to a different path or tramping through a mass of weeds with their weapons poking and prodding. Cyan and Sabin came across a Crawler at one point, a small, hideous green creature with needle-like teeth. They dispatched it quickly and continued their search. A little while later, Setzer spotted some Mantodea, giant mantises, scavenging for food, but they quickly moved on to another location, ignoring the nearby interlopers. Currently they were fairly high up, having a clear view of Valorin and the nearby shore below them.

"There's really nothing out of the ordinary here. I figured when they said 'monsters' they meant something really serious," he said to Celes.

"I don't think they would have sent us here just for things like this. The reports must have been for something more dangerous," said Clyde, coming up from behind with Gau in tow.

"Smell things. Big animals around!" said the wild boy.

"How big, Gau?" Celes asked.

"Big long-necks are close!"

"Long-necks? Brachosaurs?"

Her own question was answered when a low rumble sounded from a thicket of trees off to their left. They all turned that direction and stood their ground, waiting to see what approached. Just through the trees, the large long-necked dinosaur came ever closer, footsteps thundering into the ground. It had not yet spotted them, but would soon enough if it continued its present course.

"I'd say that's plenty dangerous right there," said Setzer, caressing his Fixed Dice.

"Right. We need a plan of attack. We can't just charge that thing like we used to. Our equipment won't protect us as well. Let's try and sneak-"

"RUN!" came a voice from down the path, cutting Celes off.

The brachosaur looked up just as a blaring roar sounded from nearby. The others turned to see Sabin, Siegfried, and Cyan running up the path, their eyes wide with fear. Celes was about to ask what the matter was, but she soon saw. Two ferocious Tyranosaurs came charging behind the three, gnashing their teeth. She immediately sprung into action and stopped one with a Figa spell, and Setzer stunned the other with a potent blast of his dice. Behind them, the Brachosaur stalked out of the forest to investigate the commotion, and immediately became hostile on the sight of these intruders. Clyde and Gau ran forward to meet it, but were blind-sided by its massive tail and swatted aside like mere pests. Celes and Setzer only just escaped being trampled as it came forward. They were about to take it on themselves, but were surprised when one of the Tyranosaurs lunged for the Brachosaur, clamping its teeth down at the base of its neck. The Brachosaur let out a booming cry and shook the carnivore off, whipping it with its tail.

"Praise be to the food chain!" said Setzer.

Sabin and his fellow runners came back around in a wide circle, having noticed the brewing confrontation between the great beasts. Clyde and Gau recovered and joined them as well, watching the fight with great interest and apprehension.

"How long do you think they'll stay occupied?" Celes wondered.

"As long as it takes for one of the two sides to die, leaving us the remainder," said Clyde.

"Let's hope the Brachosaur takes out one of the Tyranos and then gets whacked itself. That sounds good!" said Sabin.

"Sabin, that is one hell of a gamble. I think the odds are stacked in the Brachosaur's favor through and through," Setzer whispered over his shoulder, hoping their conversation was not making them noticeable.

Unfortunately that did not matter much longer. The Tyranosaurs had only just begun to square off against the Brachosaur before the latter hunkered down and summoned a devastating Ultima spell, the blue wave of energy expanding outward with a deep hum. The other two creatures were no match for it, and were immediately wiped out. Several of the Returners cursed under their breath as the Brachosaur turned its attention their way.

"Just like old times, eh?" Setzer said shakily.

"We shan't fear this great beast!" Cyan boasted.

"Let us meet it in battle!" Siegfried added.

The two swordsmen ran forward and attacked it on either side, slashing its forelegs. The dinosaur cried out and snapped at Cyan as he ran past, just barely missing him. Setzer hurled his Fixed Dice and rolled a moderate hit on the creature, which Sabin followed up with his Aura Bolt. The monster was barely phased, and it stomped forward with remarkable speed for its size. The heroes cleared a path, and Clyde took an opportunity to strike the side of its belly with his sword. Gau summoned one of his Rages and struck a powerful blow to one of its hind legs after. Soon, they all had the beast surrounded, making it unsure of which person should be its priority.

"It looks confused! Keep hitting it from all sides!" Celes called.

"Hey! You guys having all this fun without us?" came Edgar's voice from behind.

The king came running up the path, followed by Umaro, Mog, and Malain. He had his Auto Bow Gun at the ready and fired a round of bolts into the Brachosaur's hide, which brought its attention his way. Umaro bounded ahead and jumped into the air to attack. It threw its fist across the monster's face and sent it reeling backwards a ways. The onslaught became relentless and overwhelming, and the Brachosaur simply stood no chance against them en masse. With one final roll of the dice, Setzer dispatched the creature finally, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Just like the old days, training in the forest!" said Edgar when they had regrouped.

"I think you remember that time a little too fondly, bro," said Sabin, rubbing his sore muscles.

"Alright, we need to keep moving. That can't be the last of the monsters around here," said Celes.

"Are we seriously going to try and kill everything here?" asked Sabin.

"Too many monsters!" Gau added.

"Ugah! Ooh ooh!" Umaro agreed.

"We're not here to make the local dinosaur population extinct. The Empire knew those things existed, and I don't think that's what they saw before," Celes explained.

"Indeed. It seems unlikely that Thomas Geeda doth not have servants in every corner of the world at present," said Cyan.

"So, let's move out!" said Edgar, strutting towards the nearby forest.

Most of them followed him into the green, though Mog volunteered to stay on the outside with Umaro and Gau to check things out around the forest. Celes simply shrugged her agreement and went on into the forest right behind Clyde.

"Yes! Let's go, kupo!" said Mog.

"Hey! Try and steer clear of anything too powerful! If you need help just call out for us!" Setzer yelled from the forest.

"What?" Mog called back.

"I SAID-"

Setzer was cut short by a loud bellow from the foliage. He looked round to see a large three-horned creature coming straight at him, it's crested head dipped forward with the intent to gore. He threw himself out of the way and landed against a nearby tree, catching a fuller glimpse of the beast as it rumbled past. He had never seen anything quite like it, but had read a description of it once before and guessed that this was the rare Tritops, another dinosaur species from the dangerous forest that used to be near these mountains before being submerged in water.

"Setzer, art thou okay!?" Cyan called.

"Yeah!" he responded, suffering only a few scuffs to his coat.

By now, the Tritops had noticed his disappearance, and it looked around wildly for him before setting eyes on Clyde, who had attempted to sneak up on the creature. Having been spotted, he dashed from the clearing into a small cluster of trees, hoping to draw it in an keep it in close quarters. Out in the open they were much more vulnerable, he thought. The beast let out another low roar and stamped its right foot into the ground before charging forward. Clyde's illusion of safety was thoroughly shattered when it rammed straight into one of the trees, splintering the bark and almost toppling it completely. He quickly moved from his position to meet up with the others, who were already ready to do battle again.

"We've never seen this one before!" said Sabin.

"Yet we shall treat it with the same courtesy as all murderous beasts!" said Cyan, readying his sword.

The monster turned to face them and charged again. Now that they knew what to expect, they easily dodged the attack and got in a few hits of their own. Sabin, however, was a little to close to its tail when it whipped it from side to side, winding him and knocking him to the ground. Cyan and Clyde attacked again from behind before grabbing hold of Sabin and helping him get away before the three of them were in trouble. The Tritops roared again, turning to its attackers and ignoring the others, who had begun to surround it just as they had done to the Brachosaur. It growled deeply and stomped one foot into the ground, then it reared up on its hind legs and stomped with both front feet. The ground suddenly ruptured with energy as the creature cast Quake, knocking everyone off their feet. The damaging spell left them all dazed for a moment.

The dinosaur did not attack immediately. It simply waited to see what they would do, not sensing any danger while they were on the ground. It snorted angrily, and whipped its head around, unsure of who would make the first move. Setzer, meanwhile, was looking around trying to get his bearings when he saw two Mantodea scuttling his way. He instinctively recoiled at their approach and shot into the air with a small cry of alarm. The Tritops focused on him and ran forward for another attempted impalement, only to be stopped as Edgar's Chainsaw came buzzing down and dealt immense damage to the beast. Celes engaged the two mantises at once, hacking and slashing viciously while sending as much magic their way as she could. Malain ran forward to lend a hand, bouncing around nimbly on his feet as he dealt out powerful kicks.

"Kuuuuppooooo! Ruuuuuuun!" came Mog's voice from not too far away.

They all glanced up momentarily to see the moogle and Gau perched on Umaro's shoulders, who was running full pelt into the forest. Clyde was wondering what they were thinking, but then he saw the hideous monstrosity that followed them in, uprooting trees with powerful blasts of wind.

The last time he remembered seeing Chupon, he was an ugly, pink mess of a creature with a gaping mouth full of teeth. But now, with the influence of Thomas Geeda's power very apparent, Chupon had become much more grotesque. It was almost as if multiple Chupons had attempted to meld into one being. The incredibly wide body sported two mouths, one contorted upwards with the original's familiar grin, and the other contorted the opposite way almost like a frown. There were three pairs of eyes across the upper part of its face, with two stray ones located below either side of the mouths. What it had for hands was almost indescribable: There were numerous little stubs of hands poking out every which way, each one a little more developed than the other, but not enough to count as functioning hands; but it was the three monstrous and far more developed hands at the end of long, spindly arms that were the real threat, their long claws swiping through the air.

"You have got to be kidding me!" said Edgar in utter disbelief.

The normally quiet Chupon flew in making bizarre babbling noises, interceded with a few snarls and wheezing grunts. Even the Tritops and the Mantodea were intimidated by its presence, quickly fleeing the scene. The Returners had no choice but to confront the malformed creature, certain that this is what the Empire had mentioned in their report. Umaro slowed his run when he had reached the safety of his friends, and they all stood their ground to face the nearing Chupon. When it reached them, it simply hovered in the air a moment, its multiple eyes darting around madly as if trying to solve a problem. Then, it drew back with a great intake of air, and most of them knew what was coming next. They braced themselves, but were not prepared for the amazing power of the Sneeze it unleashed. It was as if a massive shockwave had emanated from its mouth, and they were all sent flying through the air at high speeds. Some of them crashed directly into trees, while others continued to spin through the air with no idea when they would stop.

Finally, Clyde tumbled out of the forest, still carried by his own momentum. He rolled across the ground before crashing against a large rock jutting up just at the edge of the nearby cliff face, which was a straight drop down into the nearby World Sea. He let out a mighty groan at the intense pain, and it was through very hazy eyesight that he looked up and saw a great purple tentacle creeping up from the cliff's edge.

Author's Note: Tritops is a monster based on triceratops that obviously isn't in Final Fantasy VI, but I felt like it would fit in with the other dinosaur monsters. I feel like some RPG or another had a creature in it called Tritops, but I can't remember what.