Chapter 6: Road to the Evil Sorceress I

[Blaze Sanaku]

"They're coming out of the walls," Irvine announced as he cocked his rifle and shot it, "Infinity, take those down for me, willya?" He looked sideways at Vanesse and the boomerang strapped to her back.

"Don't think I've had the pleasure, but I see you have a long-ranged weapon too. Mind helping us out?" Irvine winked at her.

Squall was slaughtering the grats in a way that Blaze could only gape and admire at. The monsters didn't even stand a chance.

"Sanaku, what are you standing around for?" Squall asked in his authoritive voice. Blaze felt her ears grow hot. Even dealing with monsters on all sides, Squall still noticed that Blaze was off task.

"Right...!" Blaze said as her claws chinked out. She rushed foward into the battle, praying that she wouldn't get injured and look like a retard in front of the commander.

[stardust]

HAHA BLAZE XD
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"Roger!" Stardust quickly responded after Irvine's request, briskly aiming at the couple more monsters that were eating their way in from the high walls and hitting them right on their mouths. Maybe if she stuck an arrow to shut off their mouths, they wouldn't be able to chomp their way further.

/This is really making me sick.../ Diwata whined.

[vanesse]

Vanesse kicked a dead grat out of the way and gave Irvine a thumbs up at his request. Her boomerangs hurled towards the three more Grats that were approaching them at the base of the elevator. The twin boomerangs chopped their legs off their bodies and were reduced to crawling lumps--still desperately trying to approach them despite their condition. Once she caught the boomerangs, she threw another one to the Grats' direction and finally ended their miseries.

Jumping to catch the boomerang, she looked around, and watched the other girls and the men kill their share of Grats.

[ST]

After the group's demonized Grat-killing streak, the whole place quieted down and the elevator was once again free. However, when Zell tried to activate the gunk-filled elevator, there was no power and it wouldn't open. They all gathered around it and looked up, seeing a long cable coming out of the elevator cell that led to the second floor.

"We have no choice but to climb that cable to get to the second floor." Squall announced, looking up. He sheathed his gunblade and walked closer to the girls. "You ladies should go first, we'll give you a boost from here," the commander said; then he started to kneel down and clasp his hands together for the first girl to step on.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris tilted her head back, her hair covered in Grat blood and slime, frowning slightly at the height.

< ...hm. >

"You ladies should go first, we'll give you a boost from here," Commander Leonhart broke into her trance and Polaris blinked to look at the older man, surprised when knelt down and laced his fingers together to create a sort of booster step.

Polaris' mouth thinned into a grim line, and she strode up to him while strapping her axe to her back, placing her bare right foot in the Commander's gloved hands and jumping as Squall pushed her up slightly. She caught onto the cable and winced silently - the cable was covered with black, sticky stuff that was gluey and thick.

< At least it's harder to slip, > she thought to herself, beginning to pull herself up slowly. She glanced down.

"Permission to sweep the area before alerting the rest to climb, Commander?" she asked.

"All by your lonesome?" Irvine said, before Squall could answer. "Miss, that isn't the best of ideas." He glanced at the Commander. "Should I go up with her, Squall?"

"...No. If there's an ambush, I can't risk you," Squall said quietly. To Polaris he said, "Ninety seconds."

Polaris nodded, beginning to move upwards. She had a minute and a half to climb up, sweep the immediate area for an ambush or enemies, and then alert the rest of the danger...or lack thereof.

She climbed up the cable quickly enough, pulling herself onto the second floor, and looked around.

< ..oh. Okay. >

She called down, "It looks clear, Commander!"

[waterlily43]

"Alright." Squall called back up. "Good Job." He said succintly, turning to the rest of the girls. "Who's next?"

"I'll go." Jun approached the elevator, and with the Headmaster's boost, grabbed onto the cable and climbed up to the second floor. Sweeping a cautionary gaze around, she saw Polaris' feet nearby. "It's me." She announced, immediately heaving herself onto solid-albeit a little squirming- ground.

"It seems a little too deserted here...doesn't it?" She asked Polaris. "After all those Grats on the ground floor..."

Jaime's blonde head popped up a few minutes later.

"The rest are coming soon."

[stardust]

Stardust watched Polaris, Jun and Jaime as they climbed their way towards the second floor. Swinging her gaze towards her commander, she approached him for a boost. It was new to her to have her commander kneel before her and let her step on his hands, but maybe she was just thinking too much.

Stepping on his hands, Squall pushed her foot up causing her to reach the cable and climbing up. She grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up, seeing Jun, Jaime and Polaris standing in front of her. She didn't say anything and looked at the next person that was climbing up.

[vanesse]

Vanesse was a little shy when she stepped on Squall's hands for a boost, but quickly got over it when he pushed her up rather quickly. She caught the slimy cable and struggled to climb through it, careful to not slip back. Fortuitiously, she managed to bring herself to where the other girls were. She roamed her gaze around the spatious second floor which was in the same condition as the first floor.

"Nice...so this is 2nd floor garden..." she mumbled, standing up.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris unstrapped her axe from her back, the razor-thin blade held low, near the pulsing, twitching floor made of muscle. The lights were completely busted in the hall, and the room was dark - she could only see the others' shadows in the eerie red glow that the hall seemed to be giving off. Her whole body was tense, her bare feet sliding along the floor to prevent sounds, slick with the slime that coated it. She felt the ooze everywhere around her, on her bare skin, her feet, and even her hair.

"Nice...so this is 2nd floor garden..."

"Yeah, welcome," Polaris replied softly, still looking around with her senses on high alert.

And then

THUNK!

Polaris' head snapped to the left, the axe warm and heavy in her hands. < What was that?! >

It sounded like something heavy had fallen.

[Myacu]

Upon having her idea snubbed, Gemma found herself with the others on their way to the second floor.

After all...the key to diplomacy is compromise, right?

And getting covered with putrid green slime after fighting through hoardes of Grats was certainly worth it.



Now, as she waited for Vanesse to hoist herself up the elevator cable, Gemma commenced upon wiping the slime her face and arms with the sleeve of her jacket.


As she was doing so, Gemma felt a burning sensation on the underside of her forearm. Rolling up her sleeve, Gemma was stunned to find an angry rash beginning to take place on her skin. Right near the base of her elbow, it seemed as if she had severely burnt herself, her pale skin now stunningly red.

She was about to dismiss it, when....oddly.... there was another one on the back of her neck...and one on her left leg...


"Hey Miss Ridean, we're waitin' on you!"


Gemma hastily rolled down her sleeves. Right now, her primary responsibility was the Trinity Mission and that meant joining the others in securing the area on the second floor.


Nodding her head, Gemma hurried over to where Commandeer Leonhart's stirrup-like hand was outstretched for the sixth time. Strapping Paleruin to her back, she placed a hand onto his shoulders to balance herself before he her up to grab a hold onto the cable. This she did and found herself sliding downwards on the grease-ridden wire. Readjusting her grip and relying on the narrow elevator shaft for extra support, Gemma steadily began to climb her way up the wire until her feet could maneuver themselves onto the platform of the second floor.

Feeling slightly apprehensive about the deep blackness of her surroundings, Gemma slowly removed Paleruin from its strap and into her hands. She could barely make out a couple dark moving bodies.


Taking a few steps forward, Gemma failed to see the stack of metal boxes.


THUNK!

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris was ready to swing Maverik when she noticed someone standing near the opening to the cable. She warily stepped closer, realizing it was Gemma, and then noticing the stack of fallen blocks or boxes sprawled around her. Polaris let out a heavy sigh.

"Damn, Ridean, you scared me," the curly-haired woman whispered. "For a minute there I thought something had---"

...bump-bump...bump-bump...

Polaris felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The sound was faint, but it was very clear. And it sounded like...it sounded a lot like---

< ---it sounds like heart. Beating. >

[Blaze Sanaku]

You're gonna have to do it sooner or later.

Blaze stared as each girl was helped onto the cable by none other than Commander Leonhart himself.

"Sanaku, we don't have time to waste." Squall said when he noticed that Blaze wasn't moving.

".....right." Blaze nodded and before she knew it, she was standing on the second floor with the rest of her teammates with Squall, Irvine and Zell close behind.

It only took a few seconds before Blaze heard a sound as well.

...bump-bump...bump-bump..

"...Do you hear that?" she asked.

[stardust]

Moments later, their group had finally made it to the second floor. Stardust's face scrunched up at the disgusting smell of the place. She could hear something beating. It was faint, but she was sure they were not imagining things.

Squall lurked his gaze around. "Let's investigate the area further." Stardust heard him say, then he unsheathed his gunblade.

"It sounds like a heart, Sir," she suggested.

"A heart?" Vanesse said, "You mean...Garden has turned into a creature who has a beating heart now?" She wrinkled her forehead. "Okay if it is, then this is really--"

She hadn't finished her sentence yet when a whimpering sound seeped through the air. It was soft, yet very near. Someone was crying.

"...freaky." Vanesse ended, looking from left to right. There were classrooms everywhere. It could've been in one of the classrooms near the elevator.


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So there's a beating heart and someone crying XD It's like something you'll see in a horror film XD

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze turned her head at the sound of somebody wailing. She didn't seem too bothered by it until she noticed that her teammates actually looked worried about what was making the noise.

"Just ignore it, we have to go for the heart!" Blaze said, "If what Vanesse said was right, killing the heart would kill this monster Garden, wouldn't it?"

But what would happen to us if we killed the heart?.. Would the Garden itself die? Would we die too since we're inside of it? Blaze tried not to let these thoughts drill too deeply into her mind.

[waterlily43]

Jun creased her forehead. Blaze was right but then again...

"I feel like I've heard that voice before though. Is it just me or...? We can't ignore it if it's someone we know..." She turned to the rest for opinion.