The Palace of St. Bevelle

*The body opens its mouth, a shimmering black orb appearing from within. The head kicks a few of its legs feebly. Luna attacks the right claw as Valefor finally swoops into the room, landing next to Ark & stooping its head.*

*Hitomi casts another Osmose.*

*He pats its head.*

Ark: <Okay, let's do this!>

*Valefor flies upward and casts Fire on the head.*

*The head stops kicking. Not much else happens. Luna attacks the claw again.*

OOC: 2 claws. 1 head.

Zephyr begins to attack the left claw.

*Zeno keeps trying to hit the head. It's, again, what a gunner does best.*

*Hitomi casts Fire on the body.*

*Gui fires the orb from its mouth at the back wall, where it begins to expand rapidly along the room. Valefor doesn't even flinch, but Luna's wrist & shoulder crack audibly when it reaches her. It continues expanding to Hitomi, & Zeno. Luna slashes the right claw again.*

OOC: 2 claws. 1 head.

*Hitomi backs away from the orb.*

Zephyr attacks with a power break on the right claw, "How are you Luna?"

*The right claw dissolves. Once the orb reaches a certain size, it disappears, casting an eerie inverted light on the battlefield. Luna attempts to slash the body, but the remaining claw intercepts it.*

~Slow wears off!~

OOC: 3 claws. 1 head.

*Hitomi casts Fire on the body.*

Zephyr attacks the last claw with a heavy slash.

*Gui attacks Zephyr. One of the legs on the head gives a feeble kick. Luna attacks the arm & it dissolves.*

OOC: 4 arms. 1 head.

Zephyr is knocked back from the attack and stumbles.

*Hitomi casts Fire on the head.*

*Valevor darts towards the body, slashing at it with its talons before casting Fire on it. Ark slashes at it repeatedly.*

*Gui's body begins to break down, pustuling & bleeding profusely. Eventually, it catches fire, burning as pyreflies exit it until it just dissolves completely, taking the rest of its bodyparts, dead or otherwise, with it.*

"It came down that passageway...do you think you guys will be all right checking it out while I go pray to the Fayth?"

~Hitomi is out of MP!~

~5000 Gil for all!~

"Okay."

*Hitomi heads on down the passageway.*

"Ark, Zeno, and I will go check it out. Its probably a good idea to take Hitomi with you just in case."

Ark: <She apparently disagrees. Too bad.>

*He runs after Hitomi.*

*They come to a large, round hidden chamber. Several discarded cages lie about, the bars broken & bent. There are also machines along the wall, but most of them have been smashed apart. Over an examination table are smears of red blood & the purple ooze that is sometimes reported as coming from Sin's wounds. Not to mention a foul smell of decay. Pyreflies drifting all about the room assemble above it & start to drift in a small cloud towards the newcomers, swirling about rapidly & angrily.*

[Discarded lab equipment. Didn't see this coming a mile away.]

*Hitomi backs away from the cloud.*

Zephyr had begrudgingly followed Hitomi and Ark and remains quiet.

*The pyreflies assemble into a shimmering image of a wizened old man with a chest-length beard, red robes with blue sashes, & a headdress featuring ram horns. He smiles, a cold smile that doesn't quite reach his glittering yellow eyes in their hollow black sockets. On his chest, where the sashes cross, is a white symbol, somewhat comically shaped like a butterfly with an eyeball in the center of the wings. He speaks in a deep, raspy voice that echoes all around the room.*

???<So...some pathetic remnants of those rebel Crusaders finally managed to enter this chamber. That means it has been discovered in 2 temples. But you aren't among them...are you?>