Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Chasing Spring ❯ Tunnels ( Chapter 5 )

[ Notes/etc: I've got a slight warning for this chapter. Because of my tendency to simply stop writing whenever I feel like I've reached a good ending, Seifer's a little OCC. I had intended to explain why I think he'd really be acting like he is in this situation, but I found a good place to stop and I did; having not extended the chapter enough to explain my reasoning. Nevertheless, it's a long and eventful chapter with…nudity!! Woo! ]

V - Tunnels

Zell leaned back into the couch, rotating his neck in a smooth circle to pop out the kinks. As it turned out, he had required Snap's help to explain some of time compression's more technical aspects. Zell had really only tried to understand the basics; knowing that whatever Ultimecia had planned was a bad thing, and that he would stop her, regardless of her nefarious tactics.

But Bardell hadn't really needed such a thorough explanation. Even after Zell's mangled description of time compression, the woman would have been able to theorize (correctly) the rest of the process.

"And you found the mogaki after time separated, correct?" Bardell asked, seeming to enjoy the conversation entirely too much.

"Yes," Zell answered, beginning to feel just a little uncomfortable. Their host's motherly charm had dissipated the moment the rabbit-creature had been mentioned.

Bardell twisted a lock of her hair around her finger as she thought. "This is actually not that hard to explain," she said at last. "See, mogaki can't reproduce. They are, more-or-less, magic in its purest form." Bardell leaned forward in her chair, eyes bright and flicking alternately from Zell to Snap.

"How do they…uhm…come to be if they can't reproduce?" Zell asked. "Wouldn't that…uh…set the species back a little?"

Bardell laughed. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But really, that's why mogaki are so rare, because of how they're born. Their existence doesn't stem from anything biological, but rather thaumaturgical. They…well…pop into being at the site of a tremendous magical discharge. Usually you get reports of the little critters following the transfer of a sorceress' powers. However, it sounds like your mogaki must have been birthed from the excess thaumaturgical energy left over from the re-separation of time."

"So," Snap ventured timidly, "This…mogaki thing… Is it like a GF or something?"

Bardell shook her head. "No. GFs are closely tied to para-magic, but their physiology isn't made from pure energy, like the mogaki. A GF is a sentient being, in most cases hundreds of years old. They have been living amongst, and have drawn power from, humans since long before Hyne's reign. It is possible that at one time their power might have been as raw and untainted as the substance from which a mogaki is born."

Like Eden, Zell thought, recalling the near-terrifying power of that particular GF.

"It is inconceivable to most," Bardell continued, "that any being with a physical body can be entirely formed from magic. So naturally, there is much disagreement between those who know of the mogaki's existence; conflicting theories and such. However, I can see no other explanation for the mogaki's abilities."

"Abilities?" Zell questioned, fidgeting in his seat.

"Yes," Bardell answered. She paused for a moment, playing with a lock of her hair as if unsure of how to continue. "In a way," she said at last, "mogaki do resemble GFs. They tend to be closely tied to a certain element; earth, wind, ice, and fire being the most common. Also, mogaki can…well…they can junction themselves to humans," the woman paused again, allowing this bit of information to sink in.

"Can they be used? Like GFs, I mean," Snap asked, his mind trying to find some way that Garden could benefit from this. (He was also still having a hard time stomaching the fact that a SeeD of his rank would be sent all the way out to Trabia just to play hide-and-seek with a magical rabbit.)

Bardell straightened up. "No," she said harshly. "Certainly not. And you must never try to do so. Mogaki do not junction to humans to help them; they are parasites, cute and harmless as they may seem. They excel in finding humans with extraordinary magical influence. Sorceresses, their Knights, or even para-magic adepts are sought out, junctioned, and…drained.

"You have to understand," Bardell added upon seeing the two SeeDs' distraught expressions, "mogaki do not do this with some ill-intent towards humans. They're composed of magic so pure that not just anything will hold it together. They seek out these hosts as a part of survival; they need them to literally keep from falling apart."

Silence filled the brightly-lit living room. Zell sat, completely straight, with pursed lips and furrowed brow; he rubbed the knuckles of his left hand with his right. "How…do we find this thing?"

Zell and Snap jogged down the steps of Bardell's front porch to their bright yellow car. It had been snowing since they'd arrived and a thick layer of the annoying white stuff had to be brushed from the windshield before they could leave.

"We have to call Selphie," Zell said, sensing the impending weight of a disaster. "We need to locate Rinoa and Edea and have Squall keep an eye on them. I don't know how fast this thing can travel but I don't wanna take any chances."

Snap nodded, buckling his seatbelt as Zell bolted away from the small log cabin.

"See if you can find the radio. It's somewhere with that crap in the back."

Snap complied, having to unbuckle himself and stretch out over the gap between his seat and Zell's. After groping blindly for a moment, Snap's fingers brushed against the cold metal of the radio and withdrew it from his and Zell's collective junk. "Got it," he announced, swiveling around and plugging the radio into the small outlet under the dashboard. "I'm trying for Selphie," he said, fiddling hurriedly with the dial.

~o~

Actually, you look more like a squirrel, now that I think about it,Seifer thought to himself, ponderously chewing on a hangnail.

The small creature cooed softly and cocked its head at the freezing blonde towering above it.

The mogaki, though Seifer didn't know his unwanted guest was a mogaki, or even what a mogaki was for that matter, did indeed resemble a squirrel. It sat on its reddish-brown haunches, front legs curled up against its chest, blinking its eyes innocently at Seifer.

The blonde grunted, cursing under his breath and turning away from his new-Dare he say it?-pet. The mogaki jumped down from the bedside table Seifer had placed it on and scurried up the drooping sheet hanging from the side of the bed. The sleepy teenager had yet to notice the inquisitive animal and was busy peeling off his various layers of clothing. Once he was completely naked, he stretched languorously and flexed his stiff and chilled toes. Quickly deciding he could take no more of the cold, Seifer burrowed under the formidable mound of blankets he had gathered and fitted the bed with. He closed his eyes, sighed contentedly, and started to reach for the bedside lamp's off switch. "Fuck," he hissed unhappily, finally noticing the shivering mass of fur perched on his blanketed stomach.

He glared at the thing, trying his hardest to ignore the cute way it twitched its long, pointed ears. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you sleep with me. Now get off the damn bed."

The mogaki chirped, rubbing at its cheeks with its tiny front legs.

Seifer stared at the mogaki.

The mogaki stared back, blinking occasionally and twitching its ears.

After a few minutes of silence only broken by the soft chirrups and coos of the little creature, Seifer caved, deciding he was entirely too cold and sleepy to argue with the critter any longer. He pulled the chord dangling below the lamp shade and sighed into the soft, heavy darkness.

Something was tickling his nose, Seifer realized groggily, blinking his sleep-weighted eyes open. It took a minute for him to focus his vision, but soon enough, a scowl was clinging to his features as he pushed himself up, dislodging the mogaki from its comfortable position in the crook of his neck. Its bushy tail was what had wakened him.

The indignant ball of fur tumbled roughly onto the mattress, chittering accusatorily at him before skittering by his legs to curl into the ruffled covers. Seifer snorted vaguely in its direction and slid out of bed, the cold buffeting his naked body. "Shower," he mumbled, shivering his way towards the closet-sized bathroom.

The bathroom was anything but notable: it was cramped, rusting, and leaky. Seifer barely missed tripping over the sink as he entered. Tugging aside the cheap, plastic shower curtain, Seifer reached for the hot water knob, turning it on as far as it would go. For a bit of variation, he inched the cold water on just a bit and lifted the small metal tab on top of the faucet. He rummaged in the decaying hamper for a half-decent towel (Kantell didn't provide room service and Seifer was too lazy to trek downstairs and ask her for a new one) and flung the thing onto the closed toilet lid. Seifer was just preparing to submerge himself in the scalding spray when some interloper started knocking furiously on his door.

Seifer cursed his rotten luck, turned off the water, and ran quickly back into the main room. He grabbed a sheet from the crumpled mass on his bed, wrapping it carelessly around his goose-bumped flesh. The knocking resumed more frantically and Seifer stumbled over to the door, tripping over his trailing sheet. He cursed again and yanked open the door.

Kantell stood, hand poised and ready to knock again, in the open doorway. She was more disheveled than usual and Seifer could have sworn her flab had rearranged itself into some semblance of concern. "There's been an accident," she said in her thick, dull voice with absolutely no trace of emotion. "Down at the mines," she continued. "You're needed."

It took a minute for what she had said to register, and during that minute Seifer gaped at her with barely-concealed annoyance, his face slackening as her words eventually made it to his brain. "Monsters?" he asked finally, his cold mask of detachment righting itself on his face.

"Don't know. Might be. I just heard something caused a cave-in." Kantell reached across her bulging chest to scratch at her armpit.

"Fuck," Seifer hissed, rubbing senselessly at the back of his head. He had only started this job yesterday. "All right. Fine. Tell them I'll be down as soon as I get some clothes on." With that, he slammed the door in Kantell's face. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to miss her appraising glance. As he turned back into the room, Seifer happened to notice something odd about his sheet: it was mostly see-through.

Stepping outside, Seifer was reminded (though he still wasn't aware if this was a true memory) of the battle between Galbadia and Balamb Gardens. The utter sense of chaos and helplessness had descended upon Nessel's Crag and driven its citizens to hysteria.

People ran in haphazard circles, screaming at one another to do something. The air was thick with cries and panic as Seifer jogged through the snow. A constant, shifting wail that seemed at times to be the air itself, grew louder the closer he drew to the mine.

He passed through the sun-lit no-man's-land and realized bitterly that he had overslept, and that workers would have been arriving at the mine for hours. Seifer picked up his pace. The mouth of the mine finally stretched into his vision: a gaping wound torn in the side of the earth; humans like voracious ants swarming at the orifice.

Seifer met with the tide of living bodies, pushing his way through those that sought to flee. It took him minutes to actually reach the mouth and locate Djana, his employer. The man was agitated and nervous, wringing his hands and simultaneously barking orders. Upon seeing Seifer, he broke into a rueful grin and wrestled his way over to the blonde.

"I'm glad you're here. We really need your help."

"What happened?" Seifer asked, allowing the older man to lead him into the mine.

"Cave-in," Djana said, gesturing toward the pile-up of rubble that was blocking one of the side tunnels. "Third shift's in there. We know that there are still people alive. Y'can hear 'em screaming." He shook his head. "We've got crews eight through twelve digging at that damn wall but they're not quick enough. What's worse, we've got reason to believe there's something locked in that tunnel with them."

"A monster," Seifer breathed, feeling as if something was constricting around his chest.

"Don't know about that," said Djana. "It might be a Tracker gone haywire. The things can be just as dangerous as any monster."

Seifer nodded, not feeling very reassured. He had this fucking job for one day and already he had screwed up. If he had just woken up a few hours earlier…

"I sent word for you because I think, if we concentrate our efforts, get some heavy-duty D's in here, we could bore a hole through that wall and slip you in. That way, you can take out whatever's been attacking them while we get third shift out."

"Fine. Do it. I'm ready as soon as you get that wall open."

"Good. That's good to hear," then, to another worker, "Jimmy! Get some Diggers and crews one and two over to that wall! We're goin' to bore straight through that thing!"

Jimmy turned out to be very proficient at following orders. Under an hour, a man-sized hole appeared in the wall between the blocked tunnel and a neighboring one. With Hyperion tucked securely against his side, Seifer climbed through the hole, through nearly twelve feet of solid rock, a span roughly the size of his room at Kantell's.

Jagged ridges of rock and un-mined nectyte tore at Seifer's clothes and cut his knees and elbows. He crawled on, cries of encouragement echoed from either side of the wall. As soon as he was near the opening, reaching hands grabbed his coat and shoulders and helped to pull him to the other side. Tear-stained faces smeared with dirt and snot smiled at him, telling him over and over how grateful they were.

Seifer pushed past them, ordering the workers to start evacuating. He searched the crowd for signs of anyone with a shred of control. Over the collective cry of the miners he heard his order being echoed. A smallish young man with a seeping wound on his forehead was lying in a crumpled heap against the opposite wall, shouting at the frenzied workers. A make shift splint had been tied to his leg, and he waved Seifer over as soon as he saw him.

"I can take care of things here," he said immediately. "The others are down that way a bit. We tried talking to them a while ago but we couldn't really make out what they were saying. I think something's keeping them there."

"No one went after them?" Seifer asked, slightly irritated.

The man shook his head. "We couldn't find them. All the tunnels are blocked off. One guy tried to slip through a while ago, but we haven't heard from him since."

"And you don't know what caused the cave-in?"

"No…it started further down and set off the whole damn tunnel."

"All right, I'll check it out. Just get these people out of here." Seifer didn't stay long enough to hear the man's response; he was off, his boots slapping noisily against the rock floor.

The tunnel quickly drew to a dead end. A newly created wall reached almost up to the ceiling; a draft of humid air filtered through a man-sized hole at the top.

Seifer secured Hyperion to his belt and reached for a hand hold. One rock at a time, he scaled the mound of rubble, shimmying through the gap. He dropped to the ground on the other side, looking about him for signs of life.

A small stream of water dripping from the ceiling was the only sound, aside from his seemingly loud heartbeat. Seifer continued walking, keeping an eye open for movement. A few minutes into the tunnel he entered a junction. Leading off in three separate directions were more paths, each as dark and identical as all the others. The place where they met had been widened and was maybe about the size of Kantell's downstairs lobby. The space had been filled with crates and mining equipment, but none of the missing miners were hiding amongst the apparatus.

This presented quite a problem. The miners could be in any of the three tunnels, or even two of them, or all three… But, if Seifer chose wrong, it was very likely that he wouldn't reach them until whatever had them trapped had…well…finished them off.

Seifer cursed, the mono-syllabic word echoed off the walls, tumbling endlessly over itself. He was just preparing to choose the center tunnel when a cry, unsure and panicked, reached his ears.

"Help us! Oh, Hyne, whoever you are, please help us!"

The voice had come from the leftmost tunnel; Seifer sprinted down it, drawing Hyperion and yelling out for the speaker to call again; to tell him their location. He rounded a bend in the tunnel, out of breath and looking frantically for the owner of the voice.

The stray miner called out again, "We're in M-tunnel! To the right! The right!"

Seifer ran forward a bit more, finding a path that branched to the right and following it. The end came into view and so did his guide: She was a middle-aged woman, slender and wounded, holding her bleeding stomach as she waved to him with her free arm.

"Oh, thank Hyne!" She stumbled forward to clasp his shoulder. Seifer caught sight of a few others milling about in the room behind her. "After Rosso, we didn't think anyone else would be coming for us!" She hugged him around the middle, "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

Seifer had frozen the minute she had uttered the familiar name. He yanked her away from him, holding her out at an arm's length. "Begn? Where is he?" Seifer scanned the dirty faces behind her. Rosso's wasn't among them.

"I don't know," the woman sobbed, wiping her snotty nose on a grimy sleeve. "He-He took off after the others; told us to go back that way," she pointed to the path Seifer had just taken, "that there was a way out." She shook her head. "We tried; we did. But…we were attacked…something… Oh, Hyne, something got Tanner," she sunk to her knees, shaking, and Seifer just let her cry, her face buried in bloodied hands.

A few of the other miners went to console her, but most averted their eyes, looking helplessly at their feet. At the far end of the chamber Seifer saw another opening; the only possible route Begn could have taken. He turned back to the other miners; he had to get them out first.

"We're leaving," he said sharply, his tone leaving no room for protest. "I'll lead you to the opening but you have to find your way back from there."

"But…the monster…" one man stammered, standing up on quivering legs.

"I said we're leaving!" Seifer roared, causing most of the miners to flinch. "Now move!"

Those that couldn't walk were carried by their uninjured friends as the tired procession made its ponderous, uneventful way through the tunnels. Moans and sobs fractured the silence that hung like a veil over the mine, and the scuffle of feet against stone was a sad addition to the meager noise.

But they reached the opening unscathed and Seifer waited till all seven had gotten through before hurrying back the way he had come.

Some inexplicable part of his mind urged that he find Rosso. Caught up in the rush of adrenalin and sense of impending danger, Seifer didn't think to question this; he merely acted, letting his long legs carry him through the endless tunnels.