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THE BLUE SKY
(BASED ON "FINAL FANTASY")
BY
SOPHIE GREEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
The dragon landed on the outside of the ship, gripping it tightly. It looked straight at General Catrix with a look of hate in its eyes.
The General drew his sword and shouted, “Why have you come here, now, at this time, in this manner?!” The dragon howled. It breathed a shot of white flame towards the General, who quickly turned and fled. As he left he shouted, “Damn you all to hell!!!”
The dragon then turned its attention to Sianna. It reached a claw in and cut the rope that bound her. It grabbed her and Bevern in its claw, and then reached in with its other claw and grabbed Gaian and Tyght. Whilst this would appear to be a terrifying sight, the party strangely felt perfectly calm about it.
The Crystal continued to shine brightly, emitting a high pitched sound that hurt all of their ears. The ship was shaking violently, and it was clear that it was losing altitude.
The dragon took off, carrying the party in its claws. As they gained altitude they could see smoke billowing from the airship, as it appeared to be heading towards an island, presumably for an emergency landing.
The dragon turned away from the airship, and started to head towards the east.
Bevern said to Sianna, “How did you manage to get him,” he looked up at the dragon, “to come along and help us?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I was looking into the very heart of the Crystal, and it seemed to be communicating to me. It taught me a different sort of magic, a summoning spell. When I felt that we needed help, the Crystal said that I knew what to do, and somehow I knew that I needed to summon Bahamut, and so I did, and he’s come to help us.”
“Where is he taking us?”
“We’re heading east, towards the Empire. Maybe the last Crystal is there.”
“Were you able to restore the Wind Crystal?”
“No, but at least we know where it is. Once that airship crash lands on that island it won’t be going anywhere for a while, and I can’t see any other way they’re going to get it off the island.”
Gaian and Tyght weren’t able to hear this conversation, but they had one of their own. Gaian asked Tyght, who had now returned to normal, “How did you escape?”
“I was able to control the red mist in time.” Which was actually the truth. Tyght wasn’t sure what he should do once they reach the next Crystal, or what he was going to do about the figure. He still believed in Leven’s ways and aims, but he wanted to try and see if there was a better way of achieving them that didn’t involve killing Gaian, or any of the other party members should they be able to restore a Crystal.
“So,” said Gaian, “We now know where one of the Crystals are – I’m guessing that was the Wind Crystal – and so that would just leave the Earth Crystal. I don’t suppose you have any idea where it is?”
“Somewhere in the Empire, which, fortunately, is the direction that we are heading in. I will pinpoint its location once we have landed.”
Bahamut flew at incredible speeds, and before long they could see land. Only, instead of fields and towns, all they saw was a barren and broken landscape. There were cracks all through the ground, which had turned brown.
Bahamut turned north, and they soon saw a mountain range. He headed towards the largest mountain in the range, and entered a large cave that was near the top. He gently let go of the party onto the floor of the cave, before slowly landing at the far end of the cave. Even though they were many miles above the ground, the cave was pleasantly warm.
The party got to their feet, and then Sianna walked up to Bahamut and said, “Thank you.”
Bahamut replied and said, “It was an honour.”
The others got a shock, and Bevern burst out, “It can speak?!”
Bahamut turned to look at Bevern and said, “I am not an ‘it’. I am Bahamut, king of the Dragons. You may be a Warrior of Light, but it will serve you well to treat me with the respect that I deserve.”
“S... s... sorry...”
Sianna then asked, “Would you be able to take us back to the Wind Crystal?”
“No.”
“I... don’t understand... We need to go back there so that we can restore it. It’s vital for our quest.”
“But it is not for I to take you there. It is safe where it is for now. I can not go back there for I have work to do here. Ever since the Emperor manifested his power there have been many dragons who have been making their way back into this world. We normally only exist on another plane of existence, and only travel to this one during times of great need. But ever since the Emperor altered the balance of your world, many of my kind have travelled here, only to be brought under the control of the Emperor. He is building a mighty army to prepare for his final conquest of the world. He is yet to bring me under his control, and I do much to thwart his plans. But there is still much for me to do, and so I will be unable to take you back to the Crystal.
“However, I understand that you have only restored two Crystals so far, and so there is still one more for you to find.”
“That is correct.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“No, we do not.” Sianna then turned to Tyght, “Will you be able to locate it?”
“I will try.” Tyght gripped his pole and concentrated hard. He immediately sensed that the Crystal was near – far nearer than when he had located the Fire and Water Crystals. It wasn’t further north or south of where they were, nor was it any further east or west. Then he realised where it was and opened his eyes. “It is somewhere straight beneath us!”
Bahamut said, “That is correct. I have known of its location as soon as I entered your world. However, it was the Emperor who discovered its location first, many years ago. The knowledge of its location was kept a secret, with only a select few knowing where it was. He found the wisest men in the Empire, and put them to work in finding a way to utilise its powers. However, after many months, they had failed to make any progress, and so he had them all put to death.
“He then stayed in the Crystal’s presence, alone, for many weeks. What he did in that time, no one knows. When he eventually returned to Galvatron he was a changed man.
“Within a week he had located the Wind Crystal. He dispatched the 4th Unit of the Imperial Guard to bring it to Weclock, which is just outside of Galvatron. That was where his engineers were working on the airship project. The 4th Unit were successful, but they suffered many casualties, as the Crystal sent out many beasts to try and prevent them from removing it. Whilst only 3 out of every 10 men that set out returned, the Crystal was eventually exhausted and overwhelmed, and was brought to Weclock.
“With guidance from the Emperor, his engineers were able to radically transform the airship program, and within weeks the airship that you have just seen was launched.
“Two days later, the apocalypse took place.
“Since then, most of what was left of the Imperial Guard have been concentrated on this mountain range. They are unaware of the true scale of the devastation in the world. The Emperor wants them to capture the Earth Crystal so that he can use its power too. Whilst these soldiers are unaware of everything that has taken place, they are aware of the losses of the 4th Unit, and so they are being careful. But I fear that they are getting close to achieving their aim.
“If you wish to achieve your aim of restoring the Crystals, you will need to confront them, and defeat them. I am sure that you do not need me to tell you that it will not be easy. But Lisa has chosen you to be the Warriors of Light, and so it will be possible for you to do so.
“Once the Earth Crystal is restored, you will need to travel to the island where the airship now is. I will not be able to take you, as I have said I have much work to do here, and if I do not see to it the Emperor will use the other dragons to fly to the island to secure the Crystal for himself. But have faith in your quest, and in each other, and you will find a way.
“When you have restored all of the Crystals you will be in a position to challenge the Emperor. Whilst the Crystals will have been restored, he has drawn much power from a darker source which even I am unable to identify. You will need to face him and identify the source of this power, and neutralise it. Then peace can be restored to this world.
“Now go, Warriors of Light. The world is depending on you. If you go to your right you will find a passage that leads through the mountain. You must leave immediately.”
Sianna bowed her head and said, “Thank you, Bahamut.”
She started walking towards the passage, and was followed by Gaian and Tyght. Bevern walked up to Bahamut and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know how badly damaged Galvatron is, or how we might be able to get in there?” Bahamut remained silent.
Sianna shouted out to Bevern, “Bahamut has no more to say. Come on, we have to go.”
Bevern took one last look at Bahamut, and then followed the others into the passage.
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