Demon Gate Chapter 2
Dangerous Alliances
By Icy Brian
"Damn Sephiroth." Reno coughed as he picked himself up. "This has to be his fault. Now look at us." Elena stood up beside him, the palm of her hand resting against the outer wall of a building.
"Where are we?" She asked, shaking her head at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Hell if I know." Rude muttered. "It ain't Midgar, that's for sure."
"Well, considering that Midgar was getting its ass kicked about a minute ago..." Reno replied sarcastically. "Sucks too. They had some damn good bars there."
"Shut up, Reno." Elena told him without looking in his direction. Her eyes were darting over the land, looking for something familiar. They stood on the outskirts of a town, behind one of the buildings. Surrounding them were lush plants of bright greens and reds. To their left they could see the sun finishing its rise into the light blue sky. Reno sniffed the air and grimaced.
"Ugh. Fresh air." He snorted in disgust. "I miss the pollution already." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, empty box. "Damn. Out of cigs."
"Those things'll kill ya." Rude said nonchalantly, not really caring one way or another.
"I'm a Turk." Reno shrugged, dropping the box on the ground. "Something's bound to kill me sooner or later." He gave the empty box a small kick, knocking it under a nearby bush. As it smacked into the wall, a low rumble eminated from the trees behind them. A blue flash of light quickly vanished as they turned around to look into the forest where the sound had originated from. Standing amongst the trees was a man wearing a long, brown robe with black and gold trim. The hood of the robe was pulled back, revealing a deeply tanned face with dark hair and mustache. Seeing the three Turks standing in the clearing, he approached them with a large knife clenched in his right fist.
"Where would I be?" He demanded. "Speak now, or I shalt skewer thee." The Turks looked at each other questionably.
"What?" Rude asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Quite well have you heard me. Respond now, or from your bodies your heads shall be free." He said, letting out a small laugh. Elena leaned closer to Reno.
"I think we've got a nut on our hands." She whispered, keeping both eyes on the man in front of them. Reno nodded.
"Your bet is as good as ours." He announced. "We just appeared here a few moments ago."
"So you say and so I see." The man answered, stepping closer. "But if you're lying, your deaths it shall be." Reno laughed at this.
"Awfully confident in yourself." He sneered. "Better be careful. That won't do you any good dead."
"Enough of this foolishness." Rude said sternly. "Either tell us who you are or stay the hell out of our way."
"My identity it is you wish to know? My name's Hassim, not friend nor foe."
"Then what's left?" Rude asked mockingly.
"All is equal, all is same." Hassim responded. "Except for me. I own this game."
"This guy's psychotic." Reno whispered to the other two Turks. A small smile parted his lips. "One of my favorite qualities in a human being." He nodded towards the knife Hassim held. "You any good with that thing?"
"My skill is that of which to fear." He uttered, turning the knife over in his palm. "But that is not why I am here. Power is my one true goal. Very soon will I take my toll."
"Your toll?" Elena inquired.
"Yes, once I have taken power." Hassim said with a menacing grin. "Those who oppose me then shall cower."
"I like your style." Reno smirked. He started walking towards him, his hands resting in his pockets. "Ludicrous in context, but to the point." Reno removed one hand from his pocket and extended it towards Hassim. Elena immediately sprung forward.
"What are you doing? You must be crazy!" She hissed at him, grabbing the front of his shirt with clenched fists. She yanked him in closer so that the two were nose-to-nose. "We can't trust that maniac!" Elena shoved him backwards, releasing her grip on his shirt. Reno straightened his tie and stepped back up.
"Relax. I know what I'm doing." He returned his gaze to Hassim, but Rude placed his hand on Reno's shoulder before he could so much as open his mouth. He winced as a sharp pain ran down his arm as Rude tightened his fist.
"You'd damn sure better." Rude growled into his ear. Reno half-nodded without turning his head, his eyes staring right into Hassim's.
"We have a lot in common, you and I. You wish to attain power, as do we. You want your enemies to feel pain. We like to inflict it." Reno examined thoughtfully. "I propose we form an allegiance."
"Align myself with you? My, that sounds askew. But the power I shall come to soon will take others marching to my tune. Together we shall join our forces, following treacherous courses. At the end will await us, power, glory, all will hate us. Meager is the price to pay, once we've won that fated day." Hassim finished. A small shimmer of light beamed off his dagger and reflected on his face, creating a strand of luminance across his eyes. "With you a deal I will make. In their boots our foes will quake."
"Very good." Reno grinned, glancing towards Rude and Elena, who still looked skeptical about the situation. "Don't worry about it." He told them quietly. "I've got a feeling that... what the hell?" His eyes opened wide as another gate opened up and a ninja dressed in grey and black fell from it to the ground, flipping around in midair so that he landed on his feet. He looked at the four who stood in front of him.
"Where is this?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"That's what we'd like to know." Elena responded, eyeing him suspiciously. "Who are you?"
"Kage." He responded simply. Reno grinned mischievously towards Rude and Elena.
"Well then, Kage, you and I should have a little talk."
* * *
"When Omek opened the Demon Gate, it sent a ripple throughout the lifestream. It had a profound effect on numerous timestreams, but its energy was focused mainly on yours because that is where the Demon Gate took its origin." Gaspar explained, looking towards Crono and Marle.
"Our timestream?" Marle asked. "You mean there are others?"
"That's correct." Gaspar nodded. "There are many different timestreams, all of which are connected by one single lifestream. The opening of the Demon Gate caused a disturbance within the lifestream. Six timestreams were disrupted, as best as I can tell, and all six briefly clashed into one another. It centered mainly on yours and another, where a less powerful Demon Gate was opened. The disturbance pulled these other timestreams towards yours, where they collided for a brief moment before returning to their normal state. The End of Time is set on the very edge of your timestream, where it is more susceptible to disturbances such as these. With the timestreams back in their normal arrangement, it will be extremely difficult, if possible at all, for those who crossed over during the clash to return to their normal streams."
"So you're saying we're stuck here." Ravel reiterated.
"That's the gist of it, yes." Gaspar spoke in a modest tone, his voice unwavering. "You three are basically trapped in this timestream until we can figure out a way to get you home."
"What if we were to regain the staffs and open the Demon Gate?" Crono asked. "Wouldn't that pull the other timestreams towards us again, allowing them to escape?"
"Highly unlikely." Gaspar shook his head. "It would be more probable for it to have the same effect as before, pulling even more people into this world." He looked around at the others. "No, we must try to find another way to allow you to cross-over."
"There was one other with me when I was pulled into the vortex." Setzer said quietly. "Where is she now?"
"She could be anywhere, in any time." Gaspar answered. Setzer looked up, a puzzled look on his face.
"Any... time?" Gaspar nodded.
"Perhaps I should explain. A little over a year ago there was a rift within this timestream. That disturbance tore through the fibers of this stream, creating gates through which a being could travel from time period to time period. Their friend, Lucca, created a Gate Key which they used to control the gates. Later, they received a machine known as the Epoch from my old friend Belthasar which allowed them to travel to any time period more easily. They also have a robot friend named Robo who can travel through time at will, though this addition of time travel was made only recently." Gaspar paused for a moment to note the exasperated look on Setzer's face. "Yes, I know it's a vague recap of events, but you get the point. I'm afraid I can't explain the rest to you at this moment. Perhaps Crono and Marle can do so at a later time."
"Omek's opening of the Demon Gate is what caused the recent disturbance in our timestream." Crono commented. "But what of them? Are you saying they were just pulled in at random as the timestreams clashed together?" Ravel laughed at this.
"Don't be so naive." He smirked. "In this day and age, nothing is ever done at random. We're here for a reason, whether we like it or not. I may not be a Royal Knight or a person of noble blood, but that makes me no less of a warrior. I am a vigilante. I don't wait for the king to give me an order. I take matters into my own hands. That's exactly what we were doing when this whole damn thing blew up in our faces..."
* * *
"Arashi, flood left! Try to head him off at the pass!" Ravel shouted as he shielded his eyes from the violent gusts of sand which blew all around him. His clothes were battered and the front of his shirt was covered in blood from where a dagger had slit across his chest. A stinging sensation made him wince as sand blew into the open wound, covering it in a salty layer of earth. Several yards ahead of him, the samurai spun on the heel of his metal boot and began running at a diagonal forward and to the left, his path headed to the left fork of a canyon wall in the distance. Seeing him running towards the destination, Ravel reached into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small green vile. Using his teeth, he pulled the cork out of the top of the vile and spat it out onto the desert floor. Ravel poured the contents over the wound and felt the sizzle as it bubbled and closed the gash back together.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked. Ravel turned around to see Jenah coming towards him.
"I'll live." He looked around, but saw nobody else. "Where's Arturo?"
"He went ahead. You mean he hasn't passed through here?" Ravel shook his head. "Damn. We'll have to worry about him later. Right now we need to take care of Hassim."
"What of his henchmen? What is their state?" Ravel questioned. Jenah let out a small grin.
"Dead. Hassim's the last one... Unless you count Kanyon, but since he has no alignment with him-"
"He's still pissed off about the Satiros incident. As long as there is blood in his veins, he's a threat to ourselves and the kingdom. I don't give a damn what his intentions are. He'd better just stay the hell out of my way."
"If you say so." Jenah shrugged. "What happened to Arashi?"
"He went into the canyon after Hassim. It's time we do the same." Jenah nodded. She closed her eyes and put her hands together as she began to utter words in some strange language. Ravel placed one hand on her shoulder and waited as an orb of light engulfed them. A bright light flashed, followed by a sudden blur. When the blurring ended, they were standing between the canyon's two rock walls, Arashi positioned in an alcove a few feet away.
"Move!" He shouted as soon as they appeared. Ravel immediately grabbed Jenah's arm and pulled her into the haven. Not more than a second later, a huge ball of fire filled the canyon, billowing past them. "Hassim's out there somewhere." Arashi informed them as the tail of the fireball whipped past. "I can't see him. He cast a spell to camoflague himself with the rest of the land."
"Damn!" Ravel cursed. He turned to Jenah. "Can you counter it?"
"I'll give it a shot." She shrugged. She muttered a few words and frowned.
"What's wrong? You couldn't get it?"
"No, I could. That's what worries me. He didn't even have a barrier to protect it."
"That's not like him." Arashi said quietly. "Either he's getting careless... or he's got something up his sleeve."
"I would pray for the former, but I already know it's the latter." Ravel sighed. "It's time for Plan B."
"There was an A?" Arashi asked.
"Yeah," Ravel nodded. "Don't get killed."
"Oh, yeah, it's a good thing we're abandoning that one." Arashi muttered sarcastically. Ravel leaned back so he could get a better look into the canyon.
"There's another opening on the other side about thirty feet away. Just follow my lead." His hands began to glow a bright red and he pushed one leg back. "Eeaaggh!" He screamed as he made a mad dash to the other side, balls of fire shooting from his fists. Jenah was right behind him, firing off bursts of a dark energy. Arashi took up the rear. Hassim stood in the center of the canyon casting quick spells of lightning which flew towards the three. They dodged around the first round, but Ravel and Arashi were both hit by the second. Both were knocked off balance, and Arashi shot a shimmer of ice towards Hassim. It struck him in the stomach with enough force to cause him to double over. This gave the three the opportunity to reach the other side.
"Okay, now what?" Arashi asked, breathing hard.
"I haven't gotten that far yet." Ravel told him. Arashi sighed.
"Then let's just rush him." He proposed. "That beats sitting here."
"No," Ravel shook his head. "That's just what he wants us to do. Why do you think he went so easy on us out there? He wants us in one piece so he can rip us to shreds." He was thoughtful for a moment. "How about we-" He stopped abruptly as a startled cry erupted from the canyon. "Even better. Let's go!" The three rushed out of the alcove to see Hassim standing face-to-face with a man in black leather pants with green serpents running down them, above which were a large gold belt and a black shirt with no sleeves. His hair was long and black, falling just past his shoulders.
"Ah, Kanyon, now you are here." Hassim exclaimed. "Off your path I shan't veer. Come a bit closer, unless too great is your fear."
"Shut up, Hassim. Why don't you just drop your weapon now and let me slit your throat. That ought to make everyone happy." Kanyon growled. "Everyone, of course, meaning me." He glanced to the side and saw the other three. "Ravel..." He said the word with spite.
"The one and only."
"You ruined my one chance at revenge." Kanyon hissed. He drew a pair of daggers from his belt. "Let's settle this now. I'll be glad to kill two birds with one stone."
"If you are so willing to die for this pitiful hatred, I will soon oblige you." Ravel said through gritted teeth. Kanyon shoved Hassim aside and charged towards Ravel, who quickly pulled his sword from its scabbard. Kanyon swung one of his daggers at Ravel who brought his sword up to meet it. Ravel ducked under it and nailed Kanyon with a headbutt. As they fought, Hassim started to back away.
"And where do you think you're going?" Arashi demanded, hurrying past Ravel and Kanyon with his katana raised. "It's not going to be that easy." Hassim grinned.
"Expected as much of which I did. Come on then, it's your ass, kid." Arashi ran at Hassim and sliced his blade at an upwards angle towards him. Hassim drew out a large knife over a foot in length and deflected the attack from Arashi's katana. As he attempted another attack, Hassim jumped back and, quickly putting the knife away, forced both of his arms forward. A wall of fire erupted from the ground and expanded forward to engulf Arashi. He screamed in pain as the flames burnt his skin. A downpour of water fell over him, and Jenah stepped forward.
"So, you want to use magic?" She smirked. "Try some of that on me. The results will be different, I assure you."
"If that you do ask, receive it you will. But of course soon, a casket will you fill." Hassim stomped his right foot in the sand, kicking up a small cloud of dust. He fired a bolt of lightning at Jenah, who dove out of its way. She rolled on the ground a few feet away and shot her left arm forward. As she did so, a gust of wind began to circle around Hassim. Just as it lifted him off the ground, a circular wall of stone erupted from the ground, surrounding him and blocking off the wind. His laughter could be heard from inside. Jenah mumbled a few words and a pile of rocks located near the base of the canyon began to float in midair. She shouted a command and they flew into the stone wall. A few dented it, but no major damage was sustained. A pale light began to glow around the wall, and a vibrant energy shot from it towards Jenah. It caught her in the chest and knocked her back into a leafless tree which collapsed under the force. Jenah slowly returned to her feet, the corner of her lip curled in distaste.
"So that's how you're going to play, huh?" She stood with her feet set apart and her arms open to their full extent. Slowly, she brought her hands together. The closer they came to one another, the more intense the light which surrounded them became. As they came nearer, the stone walls surrounding Hassim began to tremble and close in on themselves. Just before her hands met, Hassim screamed and the walls grew blindingly bright before exploding outward. Hassim fell to the ground and snarled.
"Cheat you do and so shall I. In this desert so shall you fry." He looked to the sky and knelt down on one knee. As he raised one arm to the heavens, a white light beamed down into him. He looked at Jenah and a red light passed over his eyes. She did not return his gaze, her eyes tightly shut. Her hair blew in the wind as sand kicked up in her face and she began to hover a few inches off the ground. Her lips moved wordlessly with no sound emitting from them. With a piercing scream she fired off a mass of dark energy towards Hassim, who simultaneously released the power of his spell. The darkness of Jenah's attack clashed with the lightness of Hassim's, neither one giving way as they met halfway in an attempt to overpower one another. Sweat began to pour down Hassim's brow and Jenah struggled to keep up the output of energy from her body. Then, with a deafening crash, the power of both spells merged into one large beam. Rather than collide with their designated targets, the solid beam remained still. Hassim began to stagger backwards, his steps awkward as he tripped over himself. Jenah bumped into Ravel, the sudden jerk knocking him forward into Kanyon's dagger, which cut into his shoulder. Ravel jumped back and grabbed the wound.
"Ravel..." Jenah stammered, breathing in short gasps. "Look." Ravel followed the direction of her hand to the spot where the two beams had met. The mixture of energy was gone, and in its place stood a swirling vortex.
* * *
"Something strange is going on. I can feel it." A man sat at the bar in Choras. He lifted a mug to his lips, drinking the last few drops. "More."
"You and your feelings, Toma. I swear..." The bartender picked up Toma's mug and held it under a large wooden barrel, filling it to the brim. He slid it back across the bar, and Toma picked it up and lifted it in a toast. As he began to bring it down to his mouth, the door to the bar flung open, loudly crashing into the wall. Startled, Toma dropped his drink. The mug fell to the floor and shattered, spilling the drink into a small puddle. Toma turned his head to see what was going on. In the doorway stood a man dressed in black and red, his body battered and bruised. He walked forcefully towards the counter, tossing a table at which a man sat out of his way. The man hit the ground with a thud, the table falling on top of him. He rolled the table off of his torso and jumped up.
"What the hell are you doing?" He screamed, giving the other man a shove. A scowl formed on the face of the man who had just entered. In one swift motion he drew his sword and stabbed the other man in the chest. His eyes bugged out and blood dripped from his mouth as the sword was yanked upwards. As the sword was pulled from his chest, he fell to the ground, dead. Aghast, Toma hopped off of his stool.
"You just killed an unarmed man!" He shouted. The man shrugged.
"He should have armed himself." He walked up to the counter. "Give me a drink. Now."
"Y..y..yes, sir." The bartender stammered. He fumbled for a mug and, with his hand shaking, poured him a drink. He cautiously handed it to him and then backed off.
"Hold on a second!" Toma cried, stepping up to the man. "Just who do you think you are?" The man shot his gloved fist at Toma's throat and gripped it in his hand, cutting off the air from reaching his lungs. Toma gagged and unsuccessfully attempted to pull the man's hand away. The man lifted him off the ground and threw him into a stack of barrels that lined the wall. The brace which held them up collapsed, and they clattered to the ground on and around Toma.
"The name," he disdainfully replied, "is Kovac."
* * *
Magus hit the ground hard, landing on his hands and knees on the cold, damp ground. Picking himself up, he took in his surroundings. The room was dimly lit by candles which lined the walls. Against the wall across from him stood a small table with an open book on it. Close by, a candleholder was pulled down at an angle, with an opening in the wall beside it. Magus shook his head.
"Back where it all began." He muttered, leaning against the wall. He put his hand on his chest and winced as the wounds from the earlier battle began to burn once more. Looking down at his hand, he saw that it was covered in blood. He wiped it off onto his cape and staggered out of the room. He walked into the throne room and picked up a Tonic which sat on a small pedestal. Magus poured it onto his chest. It sizzled and burned as smoke arose from the wound and it closed up. He was about to sit down when he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly turning around, he could see a shadow coming from the room in which he had materialized. "Who dares to set foot in my castle?"
"I dare," came the reply. The man stepped out of the shadows. He held a dagger in his right hand, which twitched anxiously. Seeing this, Magus drew out his scythe.
"State your name and business for being in my abode. Pray it well, for I've had a bad day." He snarled. The man laughed, a keen glint in his eye.
"My name is Kanyon, but I have no business here."
"And I am to believe that?" Magus argued. "Do you think me a fool?"
"If you do not holster your weapon, then yes, I do."
"Insolent bastard." Magus snarled. "You tongue shall earn you no more than an early grave." He raised his scythe and began to circle around him when a loud clap erupted and a gate opened up above him, dropping out a man dressed in black armor with a mask covering his face. Magus jumped back as the man landed on his feet in front of him. "What now?" Magus bellowed, irritated. "More intruders?"
"Where is this?" The new man asked. "Where has Yuber's foolish sorcery led me now?"
"If it is not already blatantly obvious," Magus growled, "you are trespassing in my castle. I demand of you, tell me how you got here."
"Demand?" Kanyon snickered. "You aren't in the position to demand anything."
"Watch it." Magus turned to him, looking at him with angered eyes. "You tread on uneasy ground. I could kill you where you stand."
"Ha!" Kanyon exclaimed. "The likes of you wouldn't stand a chance against someone of my caliber."
"Are you willing to risk your life to find out?"
"Hold on there!" The man in black armor shouted. "If you two kill each other then I won't find out what I need to know. I ask again, where am I?"
"You stand in the presence of the lord Magus, and within the walls of his castle."
"Your words mean nothing to me. Never have I heard of one by your name."
"You are either ignorant or not from around here." Magus observed. The corner of his lip curled into a slight smile. "Or perhaps both." He looked over the man thoughtfully. "And who would you be?"
"I am Pesmerga." He stated. "Judging from the look on your face, I see you have never heard of me either."
"Right you are." Magus acknowledged. "And yet I still implore. How did you get here?"
"I was in the middle of a battle when two of my enemies caused three staffs to react. The ensuing chaos opened a portal through which I was pulled in." Magus frowned disturbedly.
"That was what threw me back here as well." He muttered. "And what of you?" He asked, turning to Kanyon. "Through what sorcery were you brought here?"
"Much the same as you, only it was the result of two spells' reaction to one another. But I still don't know what the hell is going on."
"Nor do I." Magus commented, his anger now subsided into thoughtfulness. "I don't know what's happening around here anymore." He holstered his scythe and looked at the other two. "Something seems to have-" He stopped midsentence as the sound of another gate opening interrupted him. Straight ahead of him he saw a man in a ninja gi fall out of a portal which vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Another?" Magus asked aloud. "Who are you and how did you get here." The ninja made no attempt to respond. "I asked you a question." Still no answer. Magus let out a slight growl. "What are you, some kind of mute?"
"No, not at all." The ninja smirked. "I am Shadow." He glanced around the room. "Where is this? It does not seem familiar."
"I don't know, but the company is most unpleasant." Kanyon muttered, leaning against the stone wall. "This is a waste of time. I'm outta here." He began to walk towards the door.
"Wait." Pesmerga said aloud. "It seems that we are all here as a result of our enemies. I don't know about the rest of you, but I just want to get this over with."
"What are you proposing?" Magus asked.
"An allegiance of sorts. Just long enough to rid ourselves of our foes. After our cause has been dealt with, we go our separate ways." Pesmerga looked at each in turn for their reactions. Kanyon was the first to speak.
"Strategically speaking, that may be wise. I would like nothing more than the vengeance I have so longed to extract. But he has always been surrounded by others so that I cannot get to him." He smiled grimly. "Count me in."
"I have no enemies." Shadow stated. "My goals are of a different sort. For the right price..." He looked at Pesmerga, who in turn glanced towards Kanyon and then nodded.
"Well?" Pesmerga questioned, his eyes on Magus. "What about you?"
"I don't need anyone's help." He replied in a low voice. Pesmerga shrugged and, with Kanyon and Shadow behind him, started for the main gates. "But," Magus cut in, stopping them short of the door, "you are unfamiliar with this territory. You will need someone who knows the area." He sighed, touching his fingers to the amulet around his neck. "Oh that basis, I suppose I will align myself with you." He clenched his fist and looked into Pesmerga's eyes as best he could through the mask. "But that in no way means that I give a damn what happens to you."
"I can live with that." Pesmerga nodded. "Now, let's try to gather the facts and get some idea of what's going on."
.