Chapter 6: Road to the Evil Sorceress I

[vanesse]

Suddenly, a boomerang clattered on the ground. Vanesse dropped to her knees, her head tossed down. It was as if all the emotions that she had decided to set aside came haunting her once again. The destruction of the heart and the SeeD's mission don't mean a thing to her right now.

I'm this close to him. I can kill him now. She bit her lip. It was hard not to cry. This man ruthlessly killed Signe, Able, and Lawric. I can avenge them now. So why?! She couldn't bring herself to kill someone--not when he was like this.

What should I do?! Paridge... There was no answer.


-------
Uh oh Weiss, no curaga for you. O.o You've been a bad boy >__< It's your fault.

Weiss: *gulps*

[Jaime Lewis]

Jaime burst in through the door, Irvine following close behind her.

"Everyone alright?" She asked breathlessly, her gaze zooming wildly around the room but froze upon sighting Weiss' still form where the girls were gathered. He's still alive? The commander was talking about blowing up the heart, and someone else about healing the bastard?? Jaime could not believe her ears, keeping her mouth tightly pursed. She walked up to them dazedly, automatically stopping beside Vanesse and placed a shaking hand on her kneeling friend's shoulder.

"He should have to pay." She said curtly, her voice choking over the words. "He didn't stop to think when he killed our friends. Why should we!"

I'll be damned if I raise a single finger to heal him.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris didn't speak.

She didn't say a word--- she simply wrapped an arm around her bruised and broken ribs and made her way over to the others, pushing past Blaze and Stardust and Jaime, her breath coming in harsh, shallow gasps.

Defeat looks ugly on you, Weiss Jong.

She knelt down, slowly, so slowly--- her body screaming in protest, I don't want to move anymore, just let me sleep, please let me sleep, and she placed a slender, elegant hand on Weiss' chest.

"...Regen."

The magic flared to life in her palm like a suburst.
__________


Damn her and her code of honour!

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze stared at her best friend in horror.

Did she just cast REGEN on him?!

"What are you doing?!" Blaze shrieked. She had been THIS close to killing him and now there was talk of keeping him alive?? She glared daggers at Polaris's back before she realized something.

Wait.. she thought, Maybe this is better!

Blaze rammed her foot into Weiss's side so hard that she heard ribs crack. "You're right, Pol! We keep him alive. Prolong his death. Torture him until he spills everything." she gave a twisted smile.

Polaris healed him because she wanted him tortured of course. Blaze was sure of it. Why else would she heal him? Oh, this was gonna be good.

Blaze looked down at Weiss, who was out cold and bleeding from his mouth.

You're going to spill EVERYTHING.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris managed to find her voice, even with her broken ribs scratching against her lungs and causing almost-unbearable pain.

"Dammit, Sanaku," she deadpanned, "the only thing he'll be spilling is all the blood in his body if you don't let him regain consciousness. He's not good to anyone dead."

{Well, you're not TOO exhausted. You can still be a sarcastic bitch.}

I know, right? I'm only REALLY tired if I start being nice to people.

"Fucking--- Regen," Polaris gasped, casting the spell on herself and stilling as the magic worked on repairing her broken bones. She was dizzy, her heart pounding, her body screaming for mercy--- it was bad enough she was physically exhausted, but casting magic was just pushing it.

{Okay, no more casting. Your heart will explode.}

Gee, really? Never would've known had it not been for the LOUD POUNDING PAIN in my fucking chest.

{AND you're schizo!}

"...wake up," Polaris murmured to Weiss. She swung a hand across his face. The side of his face turned red.

[ST]

LOL yay for Pol! Looks like mr. baddie is still in the game XD
-----------------------

There was no respond from Weiss. Irvine came beside Polaris and placed a hand on her head. "We'll take this man under Balamb Garden's custody. Xu's group are on their way here." Irvine glanced at Weiss before winking at Polaris. Turning to Squall, he said, "So Mr. Jong's in for some heart-to-heart interrogation, eh?! That--" He pointed his rifle to the humongous pumping organ in front of him. "--sure ain't no joke."

"Looks like it." Squall tightened his grip on his gunblade, preparing to attack. The heart didn't look like it would give in with a single attack.

"Sheesh," Irvine slightly tugged at his cowboy hat. "Ladies, shouldn't you be doing something else now?" He motioned towards Squall.

"Roger," Stardust quickly responded and hurried near the commander. "Awaiting for further orders."

[vanesse]

Vanesse bit her lip and managed to suck it up when she heard Jaime's voice. Having her friend beside her, it just made her feel a little better. It was just about time for someone to step up and fix the DoTNA leader for imprisonment. That someone turned out to be Polaris. She wasn't fond of the sight, but she knew that justice would be serve soon.

"Ladies, shouldn't you be doing something else now?" Irvine's voice reached her, and finally, it dawned on her that Mitch and the other DoTNAs were all taken care off. What left now was the core of the problem. She picked up her boomerang and looked at Jaime. "Let's go help Garden with the heart." she calmly muttered before heading over to Squall.

[Gemma Ridean]

Realizing that they were, in fact, going to keep the Dotna leader in captivity, Gemma felt a twinge of regret for not finishing him off earlier.

But what matter's most is that we have the Trinity Sword, right?

"Ladies, shouldn't you be doing something else now?" yelled out Irvine

The heart!

Quickly, she ran over to join the commander and the others. The heart was in front of them, barely beating so that you can see any signs of a pulse. Its tentacles were sliced half open and patches of raw tissue were oozing blood, but nonetheless, it was still beating.

Paleruin was still in her hand, caked blood matting its metal surface.

I'm not going to clean you yet.

"Waiting on your orders commander."

[Jun Kuroki]

Jun strode over to where the girls congregated, slightly swaying when a wave of light-headedness hit her body.

"Your leeching days are over." She sneered at the pulsating object as though it could understand.

{You sound delirious and you know it.} Sapphy was terribly amused-- from what she could tell if his unnaturally high pitch was anything to go by.

How coherent would you be if you had that kind of adrenaline withdrawal. Remember it's from limit break rush to nearly empty fuel tank within the space of one milisecond---fine fine I'm delirous I admit I'll shut up now.

"Ready." Jun said, steeling herself for a major spell casting session.

[Jaime Lewis]

Ooh...moody Jaime. Happens maybe once in hundred years.

Jaime: Phew...angsting burns a lot of calories! No wonder Polaris' so slim! And I'm starving!*flounces off to flip pancakes*
------------------------------------

Jaime had to look away when Polaris cast Regen on Weiss Jong. Curing him? Why? It was not something she could witness and not experience a wrench of guilt...although it was for the benefit for the whole of humankind and a vital lead to Adel's downfall, she didn't care for that now. Quick,gratitous revenge was what she yearned right now. She didn't like her dish cold and congealed, even if it would taste better. Hell no.

She couldn't shake off the dread--illogical it may be-- that if Weiss was allowed to live now, she'd be forgetting about how Able, Signe and Lawric had been killed, and their deaths would all be in vain.

"Let's go help Garden with the heart." Vanesse muttered. Jaime stared at her blankly. Didn't Vanesse feel the same way as she did? She couldn't understand but followed blindly, her steps clumsy, as if tonnes of iron chains were tying her feet together. Or it might be the hands of her dead friends clawing at them. Heh...nice image. She laughed blandly at herself. Pup was too afraid to make any comments but she could feel his apprehension even in her foggy state.

But then she was never the sharpest knife in the drawer. Maybe there was a reason behind all this, some zen-like revelation that she would never get. What could she do except follow the crowd?

She decided to channel all that anger into destroying the heart.

"Let's kill it."

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze obediently began conjuring up a firaga spell, watching Squall from the corner of her eye. He silently walked up to Weiss, casted silence and blind, and whipped off one of his many belts to tie Weiss's hands.

Blaze's spell was now almost at full. She stared at the flames whipping back and forth between her fingers, trying to ignore her growling stomach. She briefly wondered what time it was. Nobody had anything to eat today.

Teriyaki.... chickennnn Blaze's mouth watered in desire. Hell, she was so hungry she even thought the heart looked kind of tasty.

/No! There's dead seeDs in there, you don't want to eat that, Blaze!/ DS scolded.

Deathstrike's voice snapped Blaze to attention and she accidentally burned her fingers.

".. ahhhh!" she hissed and her firaga spell disappeared in a puff of smoke. Squall gave her a disapproving look and Blaze mumbled, "sorry.." before conjuring up her spell again.

"Wait for my signal....." Squall commanded before he threw the unconcious Weiss over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, "... NOW!"

Blaze threw forth her firaga as the rest of her team threw out a different spell.

[Gemma Ridean]

Gemma stared at the still-pulsing heart that lay in a quivery massive heap in front of them. She curled one hand around the handle of Paleruin. Her entire body was tingling with adrenaline.

"Wait for my signal....." Squall commanded, right before throwing unconcious Weiss unceremoniously over his shoulders l

She knew exactly what spell to cast. Now if only the Commander would give us the order...

"NOW!"

"Blizzaga!"

Gemma shuddered as shockwaves ran through her as electric blue bolts of energy shot out from her finger tips.

Ghostly tendrils of ice wrapped around the heart's veins and arteries, and seconds later, the entire organ began to turn purple.

Yes! It--It's losing heat...35 degrees and it will atrophy..

Just as she was about to cast another ice spell, Gemma turned around in time to see Blaze preparing to throw her powerful Firaga spell.

Gesturing wildly, Gemma choked out, "No wait, Blaze! Stop!"

[stardust]

Stardust ignored Gemma and Blaze's cross-cancelling of spells and shot as many arrows as she could to the heart. Blood splurted on the walls and on the ground, but she wasn't content and casted a Holy spell, litting the dark place with a bright light.

Die, die, die!

[vanesse]

Vanesse shielded her eyes from the bright light of the Holy Spell and thought it was nothing but a disruption on their assault and nothing more. She would pour all of her frustration in this attack. She had to vent it out. She just had to.

"Tornado!" Vanesse almost growled and a malevolent twister shredded the heart's external surface for a good one minute.

[ST]

It was too late. Blaze had already casted the firaga and it quickly thawed out the heart.

"Why didn't you tell me you were casting Blizzaga!!!" Blaze shot out at Gemma imatiently.

But even with Gemma and Blaze's spells canceling each other out, others stepped in to do their part. With nobody to protect the vulnerable heart, hit after hit of magic casting weakened it significantly. The heart thudded slower and slower.

"Tornado!" Vanesse casted.

"Ultima" Squall held out only one of his palms but still managed to cast the extremely high powered spell. It collided with the winds of Vanesse's tornado and the two spells worked together to drill into the heart.

"Umm... guys..." Zell's eyes widened as the torando spell and the ultima spell mixed together to form a gigantic swirling ball of green. The spell completely surrounded the heart and Vanesse's tornado spell was gaining power. The veins on the walls began to rip off from the sheer power of the tornado's wind.

"Cast everything you've got!!!!" Squall yelled as the winds began to get more violent. Everyone's hair was whipping in their face and veins keep colliding with bodies.

Firagas, flares, thundagas, demis, holys, everything is thrown into the whirlpool of green. All of a sudden a huge force throws you back and you find yourself completely drenched in blood and other things you don't even want to know. The heart has exploded.