They entered into the next room, also circular, though not as tall, with spikes on the ceiling, and a circular hatch on the floor.

The instant Kuja saw the room, he gasped.

"Zidane! Quick! The hatch is locked. You've got to open it!"

"Why?" Just then, they heard a loud CLICK! The ceiling, the spiked ceiling, began to come down on them. "Oh." The group rushed to the hatch, and Zidane quickly pulled a slender needle from his belt, a tool from his thief days that he'd never bothered to remove. Kneeling, he inserted it into the keyhole under the hatch's round latch. As he felt around and probed, the ceiling grew ever nearer.

"Hurry, Zidane," begged Vivi, nervously looking up.

"Almost... almost..." It was halfway down, making Steiner crouch a bit. "Got it!" He spun the wheel and popped the hatch open. Steiner first, they scrambled down the ladder, Zidane slipping in last and closing the hatch behind him just as they heard the scrape of metal on metal.

"That was close," Freya said, wiping her forehead under the brim of her hat. They climbed down the rungs to the bottom, where there was enough room to all stand... for about two yards. Then the ceiling dropped down so all but Vivi would have to at least crouch to continue.

"I'll lead," offered the Black Mage. "I'm small enough." They proceeded forward, Vivi first, then Steiner, Zidane, Kuja, and Freya. They went for about thirty feet, then it sloped sharply up, so sharp they had to crawl on hands and knees to ascend. Then, after about ten feet of this, it leveled off, then began slowly to grow taller until after a total length of fifty feet, all could stand again. Before then the hall sloped down into the next room, fusing seamlessly with a ram that started at the doorway in. A shadow moved back and forth at the base of the ramp, but they couldn't see what cast it.

"The guardian," Kuja whispered. "I remember it's a mechanical creation."

"Then I'll go first," Steiner replied as he moved to lead the way, and they carefully edged down. It was a rough slope, nearly equal to the previous one, and they were hard pressed to not tumble forward.

"Careful Steiner," whispered Zidane. "Beatrix would kill me if you didn't come back."

"Then she'd kill me," replied the knight of Pluto with a smile, as he drew his sword. The shadow had vanished and not returned, so they were all on edge, as the knight braced to charge. Zidane and Freya were at his side, the mages in back. "On three, all charge. It should be to the right. Ready? One... two... three!" They charged in, and as the knight had figured the mechanical guardian was to the right. It was a huge machine of steel, steam, and magic, shaped to look like a winged centaur wielding two swords. Those weren't its only weapons, though, as its tail was long and whip-like, its hooves were glistening sharp, and the edges of its wings were razors. Vivi quickly unleashed a reflected Flare, but it had no effect.

"Magic won't hurt it!" Kuja called. "Vivi, fall back!" They retreated as the three warriors attacked. The centaur was fast, not seemingly able to fly but using its wings as propulsion. The whip tail lashed repeatedly, soon laying both Freya and Zidane low. This put Steiner into Trance, far too annoyed and angry to tolerate this machine any longer. He charged, his armor much shinier and now sporting a faceplate, and gave a mighty blow that severed its mechanical head from its body. The resulting racket brought Freya and Zidane back to consciousness, and created a high-pitched ringing in the eras of Kuja and Vivi.

'Nice one, Steiner," groaned Zidane as he downed a healing potion Freya handed him, before drinking one herself revitalizing them both. Steiner slipped out of Trance, and they continued on. Through another, shorter hallway, and more rungs leading down.

"I wonder how far down we are," mused Vivi. "I think my ears just popped."

"I'd guess at least seventy-five feet down," estimated Freya. "If not deeper."

"There shouldn't be much more," Kuja said. "Maybe one or two more rooms, and no more guardians."

"That's good." Zidane hopped off the last rung. "I doubt Steiner would take another pounding like that." Steiner replied with a non-comment grunt. They continued through a final hall, to the largest, and longest, room yet. A doorway directly across from them led into another room, but to get there they had to cross a huge gap, a pit, so deep that they couldn't see the bottom. Freya studied the gap, her quick mind judging the width.

"I think I can make it," she announced.

"There should be a switch somewhere on the other side," Kuja said, once more his face creased in concentration. "When you find it, you'll have to hold it to maintain the path for us." The Burmecian nodded, went to stand at the edge of the doorway leading in, then abruptly darted forward. She leapt at the edge of the gap, and practically flew through the air, so far was her leap. She nearly misjudged her jump, however, the balls of her feet narrowly landing on the other side. For a few tense moments, she teetered on the edge, arm spinning to try and get her balance. The others held their breath, then gave a collective sigh of relief as she was able to move away from the edge. She turned to wave, then sought for and found the button Kuja had told her about. Within moments of pressing and holding it, the others had crossed the magical, glowing bridge and joined her. Then they went into the final room before they reached their goal.

This room was empty save for a doorway opposite them, through which they could somewhat see the machine beyond. But blocking their path were three overlapping magical barriers.

"Well, well." Zidane poked it, then yelped and withdrew his hand and shook it. "The thing shocked me. Steiner, why not try your sword?" Steiner scowled, as all could figure out what kind of shock he'd receive if he struck it. The former thief just grinned.

"We've got to break the barriers." Kuja studied the walls.

"Try that chant from before," Vivi suggested. Kuja tried it, both in magical language and in normal language.

"The master has returned. The master calls to the Nothing Gate to open and appear. Kuja is the master, obey my command!"

Nothing.

"Hmm... Physical attacks won't work, just as magical attacks wouldn't beat the guardian." Freya eyed up the barriers, then the mages, who shrugged and used their spells. It took a few attacks, but first one, then the other two barriers fell, allowing access to the last hope of casters all over Gaia, the Black Mage Machine.