Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Bahamut & the Guardian Forces ❯ To Enter Battle ( Chapter 2 )

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"So let me get this straight, we're out in the middle of nowhere with totally no maps and no idea about where to go?!" Ashley yelled.

"That's about it." Brad nodded. "If Glenn actually knew how to read a map before he lost mine."

"It's not my fault!" Glenn protested, throwing his hands up.

"Not your fault?!" Ashley growled. "You're the idiot that led us around for two hours and totally disorientated us!"

<Problems, problems.> Bahamut's voice resounded in Glenn's head.

"Never mind, let's just go this way." Glenn picked up his bag and begun walking off in one direction.

"Do you know where you're going?" Ashley asked.

"No, I don't." Glenn continued walking.

Shaking their heads, the others followed, walking along the trail that hopefully would lead them back to the marked trails.

"Guys, I think something's wrong." Aldrea muttered.

"What is it?" Brad asked.

"That rock there that's facing the cliff side...when we stopped to take a rest earlier, I was sitting on it."

"You sure?"

"Well, the face towel I accidentally left behind is on top of it."

Everyone let off a long sigh.

"Well, at least we know we should be going the other way." Glenn commented.

"Hey, did anyone hear that?" Aldrea suddenly spoke.

"Hear what?" Glenn asked.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook, throwing everyone to the ground.

"That."

<Check that hill.> Phoenix directed.

The group hadn't even cleared half the distance when a thunderous roar rang out.

"What the?!"

Glenn didn't even have time to finish because some creature burst out of the small hill. Glenn couldn't even think of an animal to compare it to. It seemed to have a lion's body and tail, a wolf's head and horns like a bull.

<That's the Behemoth. > Bahamut informed him. <It's a creature from our world, and a very powerful one mind you. >

"But what's it doing here?"

<I'll give you three guesses. >

"And they're all Dynaock."

<Good, you're catching on. >

<I wonder how Dynaock managed to recover his powers so quickly.> Unicorn wondered.

<He probably has some outside help.> Leviathan suggested. <Cause we're still hazy right now.>

"Hey people, I think he just noticed us!" Ashley said, waving her hand.

The Behemoth the turned to face them and was roaring even more loudly now. Everyone watched in horror as the monster rapidly cleared the distance between them.

"Bahamut, I think it's your call now!" Glenn muttered hastily.

<Glenn, there is a problem. We still need a while more to adapt to your bodies.>

"Meaning?"

<We can't do anything right now.>

"What?! Couldn't you have mentioned that earlier?!"

"We're in trouble!" Brad muttered.

"Split up guys!" Glenn ordered. "He can't follow all of us!"

The party took off in four different directions. The monster was confused for a second, but took to chasing Ashley. She was sprinting along the edge of the cliff with the creature hot on her heels when she abruptly tripped and rolled over the edge.

"Arrgghhhh!"

Fortunately, the young woman had managed to grab onto a plant limb, although she was dangling perilously from it.

"Hey! Over here!" Glenn grabbed a fist-full of stones and hurled them at the Behemoth. They had no effect on it other than making the creature even madder.

"Oh crap!" Glenn took off running as the Behemoth perused him.

<Glenn, I think I have enough strength now.>

"Great, just tell me what to do!"

<Try to calm down and give me control of your body. >

"Huh? I don't…" Glenn began. Then he stopped.

His hands were becoming claws.

"I understand!"

Glenn felt the other changes begin. His skin and clothes hardened and became armor-like scales. Wings and tail emerging. Fangs that lined his mouth and horns that lined his head. He was no longer his human self.

Bahamut spread his wings and roared.

Glenn felt weird. It was like he was watching a movie. He saw through Bahamut's eyes yet had no control over his body.

<That was awesome!> He said. Glenn realized he could no longer hear his own voice.

"That's because out positions are reversed now." Bahamut replied with an answer to his unasked question.

The Behemoth snarled and backed up, startled by the sudden appearance of this new foe.

"I'd explain the whole theory to you." Bahamut said. "But for now, I'll be rather preoccupied."

Bahamut dive-bombed the creature, raking it with his fore claws. The Behemoth roared in pain and rammed into him. Bahamut twisted his body to avoid being skewered by its horns as the grasped onto them. With a grunt, he lifted the huge creature and tossed away.

Glenn was watching all of this, and remembered that Ashley had been hanging over the edge of the cliff. What came up wasn't Ashley, but Phoenix.

The shimmering firebird rose into the sky like a second sun.

"Phoenix Flame!" she screeched, spreading her wings and firing off two rays of light from them.

The rays hit Behemoth, causing parts of its body to burst out in flames. It wasn't beaten yet, and let lose with a breath of fire from its mouth. Phoenix easily rolled out of the way and dodged the attack. Behemoth took the time to shake the flames out; leaving several badly burnt patches on its body. However, it didn't seem to be the least bothered by them.

Unicorn appeared from the forest, charged and drove her horn into the creature's thick hide. The nimble white horse sprinted away before it had a chance to retaliate. Leviathan rose up as well.

The gang's all here. Glenn thought.

"Tsunami!" Leviathan roared. A large tidal wave appeared out of nowhere and swept past the sea serpent. The powerful waters rammed the Behemoth, sending it flying over the cliff.

"He's mine." Bahamut was already in the air. "Mega Flare!"

Bahamut took a moment to charge up, and then fired off a concentrated bluish-white energy burst from his mouth. He watched in satisfaction as his attack hit his opponent in mid-air. The blinding flash of light was immediately followed by a deafening explosion and a loud splash.

"Not bad." Phoenix commented.

"Even after being locked up for thousands of years, we're still the best!" Bahamut roared.

The GFs landed and gathered in a circle.

<Excuse me.> Glenn said, <But what are we? Invisible? OK maybe we are!>

Bahamut turned to his comrades.

"I believe our human partners want an explanation."

"They also need to find their way back." Unicorn added in.

"Just a moment." Phoenix flew up.

<What's she doing? >

"Phoenix has highly accurate vision, like a much enhanced version of hawks or eagles." Bahamut explained. "She'll find what ever landmarks you need to get back."

"The bus terminal, is just due east of here." Phoenix reported, coming back down. "It shouldn't take too long."

<How bout' this guys? You fly us there and explain along the way.> Glenn suggested.

"Agreed." Bahamut answered.

<Just remember to take our stuff.>

Bahamut flew over and grabbed the party's backpacks in his claws, then gestured for the others to follow. Phoenix and himself rose to the skies while Unicorn and Leviathan stayed lower on the ground.

<OK, explain to me what this whole thing about using our bodies is all about. > Glenn said.

"It's rather complex," Bahamut answered, wind rustling through his leathery wings, "but I'll put it as simply as I can. Basically, we are two entities merged in one body. This became so when you allowed me into your body. One of us will always be active, as I am now, while the other dormant, like you."

<I thought you guys would appear like you did back in the cave.>

"It is perfectly possible for us to separate and coexist, just more energy consuming for me."

<Why?>

"The difference in magical energies between my world and yours. While on my home world I could easily hold out on my own, here, especially with my powers weakened, I need to share some of your energy."

<In the ancient times, couldn't you come into our world at will?>

"That was in the past, when magic was still young and plentiful. Today, it has been all but lost."

<It's a little hard to take in at once, but I can handle it. >

"Good, because this is the furthest we can go without being detected. Hang on!"

Glenn felt his stomach lurch as Bahamut descended. At the same time, he felt the changes beginning. Claws withdrawing, wings and tail shrinking into his body and disappearing. The very next instant, Glenn was back in his own body.

With a thump, he landed on his feet and managed to maintain his balance. The backpacks Bahamut had been carrying clattered on the ground beside him.

"OK, that was out of this world." He muttered.

The sound of hooves caused Glenn to spin round. Behind him, Unicorn's horse-like features began to dissolve. Aldrea soon stood in her place, stumbling forward. Instinctively, Glenn held out his arms and caught her.

"Whoa!" she gasped, "I'm all right."

The other members didn't have such a smooth landing. Phoenix and Leviathan accidentally collided, leaving Ashley and Brad to land in a tangled heap.

"Ouch! We have to work on our landing Phoenix." Ashley said as she got up and dusted herself.

"Goes for us too, Leviathan!" Brad added in.

"Erm, everyone," Aldrea waved her hands to get the others' attention, "this may be rather obvious, but when we go home and get back to our lives, we'll be split up."

"Yeah," Brad agreed, "it won't be easy for us to meet up like this very often."

Glenn weighed their options.

"We don't have much of a choice." He said. "Neither we nor the GFs know where that lunatic Dynaock is, or what he'll try next. Our only choice is to lie low, wait and see what happens next."

"He's right," Ashley sighed, "but be sure to keep in touch."

The pendant around her neck began to glow in a soft yellow light, as did the other three pendants worn by Glenn, Brad and Aldrea.

"I hope that's agreeable with Bahamut and the others." Glenn added in.

<Like you mentioned, it's our only choice, considering our situation.> Came Bahamut's reply.

The others nodded, receiving similar messages from their respective partners.

"And that's it," Glenn held out his hand, palm down, "feels like we're a team already, huh?"

"Seems like we were destined to be." Aldrea smiled, adding her hand in.

Brad and Ashley both reached out and added their hands to the pile.

"Till next time!" Brad waved.

"See you soon!" Aldrea added in.

Both Glenn and Ashley waved their good-byes as they boarded the bus that would take them back to the city. It was an uneventful ride, considering what they'd just been through. As Glenn and Ashley had little to discuss with each other in public, both were unusually silent for most of the bus trip.

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Time seemed to fly by, and soon Glenn found himself stumbling into his messy bedroom, shutting the door and flopping down onto his bed. With the visions of the day's events still fresh in his mind, Glenn drifted off instantly into a deep, sleep of exhaustion.

<Hey! Wake up!>

Glenn yawned and rolled over.

<Glenn! Wake up this instant!>

Glenn rolled and tumbled out of his bed, onto the floor.

"OK! I'm up!" Glenn muttered.

<All worn out already? You've got to be tougher than that.>

"Bahamut, did I ever mention how odd I feel talking to empty air?"

<In that case, go look in any reflective surface.>

Glenn dragged himself across the room and threw open the bathroom door. Staring sleepily into the mirror, Glenn saw the image of Bahamut's dragon-like face.

"Whoa!" Glenn jumped back in surprise, nearly tripping on the mat.

<Nice trick isn't it?> Bahamut grinned, showing off the rows of his razor-sharp fangs. <This way, we can 'talk' face to face, to a certain extent. Of course, you'll still be the only one able to hear me or see my image.>

"And you'll only appear if I need you, right?"

<Yes.> Came the reply. Then, he suddenly asked, <Can you feel that?>

"Feel what?" Glenn asked confused. Some instinct inside of him told him to look carefully.

Glenn walked over to his window and looked out. It was almost 1am in the morning, and the streets were virtually deserted. A woman happened to be walking along the street outside his house. She was in her mid-twenties and was neatly dressed, like any other office worker you'd see on the streets.

Then, she began to glance cautiously around. Suddenly, she took off running.

As if that abrupt action wasn't suspicious enough, Glenn had the strong urge that something about this lady wasn't normal.

<I sense something odd within her, > Bahamut spoke as if on cue, <but I can't quite pinpoint it. >

"Should I follow her?" Glenn asked.

<The choice is yours. >

Glenn didn't waste any time. He ran back to his bed and arranged the pillows so that they looked like a sleeping person.

"I do this all the time." He bragged.

Carefully climbing out of his bedroom window, he stepped out onto the ledge and crawled over to the wire fence at the side. Using it as a ladder, Glenn clambered down halfway and dropped the rest of the distance to the pavement, landing as silently as he could.

<Over there. >

Glenn spotted the mysterious woman further up ahead on the street. Trying not to look too suspicious himself, Glenn quietly trailed her.

The chase led Glenn to a series of warehouses near the edge of town. Glenn ducked into a dark alley and watched. The woman carefully checked the entire area again. Assured that she was alone, she approached one of the warehouses. Its door was padlocked shut.

What's she doing? Wondered Glenn.

He watched in amazement as she reached up and ripped out the lock as if it were made of paper. After making one final check of her surroundings, she silently opened the door and slipped inside.

<Be careful. > Warned Bahamut.

Cautiously, Glenn approached and placed his ear to the door. The woman's footsteps could be heard dying away when they abruptly stopped.

"So, you've made it at last." A raspy voice sneered.

Glenn pulled the door open just enough for him to peek into. Three men in black suits and sunglasses had surrounded the woman. The one who was facing in Glenn's direction had a white shirt beneath his jacket. The shirt had a strange symbol on it, which Glenn thought looked like a dinosaur's skull with fire in the background.

<That's Dynaock's trade symbol.> Bahamut noted <These men are probably no ordinary humans as well. >

Glenn threw the door wide open and stepped in, momentarily startling the figures.

"OK, lay off the lady guys!" he demanded.

"Or else what?" the same man growled.

"I'll make you." Glenn held up Bahamut's pendant.

Glenn relaxed and let the changes begin. Seconds later, Bahamut hovered in his place.

"Dammit! It's the dragon king!"

"Don't just stand there! Attack you fools!"

The woman took advantage of the distraction and shoved the nearest man out of her way as she ran for cover behind a stack of crates.

"Hey!" the nearest man gave chase.

Bahamut tried to follow, but was blocked by the other two men. One pulled out a handgun and begun firing. Bahamut used his wings to shield his head. The other seemed to be murmuring something to himself. The next second, a fireball flew from his hands.

Bahamut had to move away as the fireball incinerated a stack of crates behind him, sending pieces of burning wood flying.

"As I suspected." Bahamut muttered. "They're lower warlocks."

<What?>

"Something like apprentice black mages."

He flew up and raked the nearest man's face with his claws. He howled in pain, but retaliated by driving an uppercut into the dragon's chin. Bahamut actually flew back and hit the wall.

<Ouch! They're strong too. > Glenn commented. Like before, he was viewing this whole spectacle through Bahamut's eyes. Thankfully, he didn't feel much of Bahamut's physical pain.

The spellcaster was still slinging fireballs at him and Bahamut had to twist his neck to avoid them. Roaring, he waited for the mage to attack again, then swung his tail and deflected the fireball back into him.

He went down in a burst of flames. His companion dropped his gun and pulled out a whip. In one lash, he threw it and got it around the dragon's neck, pulling it taunt. Bahamut growled and pulled back. Suddenly, the third soldier came flying back and slammed into his comrade, knocking them both over. Bahamut ripped the whip off his neck and turned to face the direction the man had come flying from. The mysterious woman stepped out from the shadows.

"It's me you're after, so come and get me!" she shouted, her voice like ice. She raised her hands above her head.

"Diamond Dust!"

Icicles the size of cars appeared from the floor beneath the soldiers, impaling them. They screamed in pain for a second, they fell and lay still. Their bodies glowed with a red light, and then vanished, along with the body of the spellcaster. The only signs of the battle were the burnt spots, broken crates and scattered bullet casings.

Bahamut turned to the mysterious woman.

"Shiva…it's really you."

"Bahamut…glad to know you're alive." Shiva spoke softly, "The human?"

"A friend." He answered, "Through a junctioning process. But I have enough questions to ask you. What are you doing here, in the real world? The gateway between the two worlds has been sealed, right? How…"

"I came here and adopted this human form," she cut him off, placing a hand on his jaws. "There has been much change in our world since you've been gone. Not pleasant news. And Dynaock's return only makes the situation worse."

"Shiva, please be more specific!" Bahamut gripped her shoulder, being careful not to harm her delicate human body.

"The less you know, the better!" she shouted with a sudden burst of anger. She regained control of her emotions and unclenched her fists. "I apologize." Tears were in her eyes.

"It's alright, just explain slowly."

"Just stay away, I'll only put you in danger!" She pushed him off and ran.

"Shiva…" Bahamut just stood and let her run out the door and disappear into the darkness of the city streets. A tear flowed down his face and dropped down onto his armored chest.

<Bahamut? I'm sorry, but we have to go before the cops get here. >

Bahamut silently nodded, even through he didn't know what the 'cops' were. Exiting the building, he spread his wings and flew off, becoming one with the night sky.

For a long time, Bahamut was silent. He stood of an empty rooftop and stared down at the spot where he'd last seen Shiva. The area was now swarming with police cars and policemen running around. Glenn finally decided to speak.

<Hey, you OK there? >

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'll be fine."

<She was a friend of yours? >

"More than just a friend. I really cared for her. I…"

Bahamut couldn't speak it out, but Glenn understood nevertheless.

<Don't worry. But she seemed so…I really don't know how to explain it either. She knows, but she doesn't want to say. >

"Centuries may have passed in this world, but the passage of time in my world is different. I don't know what events may have transpired during my absence."

<We'll find out, > Glenn said, <I promise. >

"You are very kind."

<We won't learn anything else tonight. > Glenn suggested, <Let's go home. >

"I suppose you're right." He answered with a much happier tone in his voice, "But you were good tonight too."

Bahamut took to the sky as silently as before.

Glenn threw himself into bed and pulled the covers up. Five minutes later, his mother knocked on the door.

"Glenn! Get up or you'll be late for class."

Glenn moaned.

<Problems, problems. > Bahamut teased. <Anyway, you were sleeping most of the afternoon. >

Great! Glenn thought, Now I have to deal with school, some crazy evil warlock and this cocky dragon's voice inside my head. Oh boy, I'm really asking for it this time…