Prologue: Most Important Things Happen on Nights Like These
The door made a clanging noise as it swung open. The barkeep, an old man with snow white hair, looked up at the strange visitor. "Good evening," he said smiling. "It's nice to see visitors. Since that tower went off 'bout a year ago, the whole world's been healin' itself. Well, that's what folks say, at least. Still, thing's have been getting' better. People're nicer and happier. Animals're re-appearing, and those dratted monsters are seen less and less."
The barkeep stopped talking as he realized the stranger was barely paying attention. He had simply walked over and sat down on a stool. He could tell nothing about the young man, who was wearing a large cloak with the hood up, save that he had emerald eyes and brown hair that hung over his face. The only other person in the bar was a middle-aged man with a dangerous look about him, wearing the same cloak but with the hood down. The barkeep sighed, wondering why no beautiful women in skimpy outfits came into the bar on dark, rainy, depressing nights like this.
"Nice night." The newcomer finally said. The barkeep only raised an eyebrow. "There's rain, it's abnormally dark, and a general feeling in the air.most important things happen on nights like these."
The dangerous looking man in the corner grunted. "What's your name, sir?" the newcomer asked, glancing over to him.
The man only stared for a bit, before hesitantly answering. "Clyde. Just Clyde, please. And what business is my name of yours?"
The stranger smiled under his cloak. "You seem like a person who knows a blade. I'd like an escort to Figaro Castle. I'll pay you, of course."
"And why would I bring a nameless stranger to Figaro Castle, which, might I add, is on an entirely different continent?" Clyde said, raising an eyebrow.
"For starters, my name is Dave. Well, David Blue Arlington, if you want my full name. But that doesn't matter too much. And secondly, I have plenty of money to make sure we reach Figaro. I simply would appreciate a companion. And you, Clyde, seem to be a good man."
Clyde only snorted, his dark eyes dulling even more. "That alone tells me that you should go to someone else. I'm NOT a good man, regardless of what I try, and in the end I can assure you that if any big problems come up, I'd just run away. 'S what I always do, and it's painfully obvious to me that it's what I always will do."
Dave only stared at him for a while. "I'm going to disagree with you on that, Clyde." He said softly, "I know the past can be a horrible beast swallowing you whole. But you don't have to live that out anymore. At any rate, I'm offering you a job that will make use of your fighting abilities. Can you honestly turn that down?"
Clyde looked up at Dave. "Heh, you don't know what your getting yourself into. Yeah, I'll go with ya to Figaro. Easiest way is to travel down the Trench into Nikeah and grab a lift off a boat to get to South Figaro. Any objections?"
Dave smiled. "None at all."
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"Blasted weather." Setzer said, growling.
"Oh, calm down." Relm said, pouting. "Is it so hard to stay here with us an extra day?"
Setzer grinned his foolish grin. "What, not appreciate staying with a beautiful girl like you Relm? You're kidding, right?"
Strago snorted, letting them know that he wasn't quiet asleep yet. "Oh, grandpa!" Relm said exasperated. She walked over and bopped him neatly on the head. "You just.just.stop!"
Setzer laughed. It was nice to be with his friends, the people he considered family. He had grown to used to having them watch his back while fighting for his life to give up the world and become a hopeless gambler again. Still, the whole "hopeless gambler" bit did have some charm behind it.
Relm yawned and shivered. "It's so drafty in this house," she muttered, "though this is the first bad night in awhile."
Setzer's grin only widened. "Eh, s'not too bad." He said. "Why, I remember once I tried flying my old airship over the icy mountains in the middle of winter. Heh, some deity must've been looking out for me, 'cause if I wasn't lucky I'd still be frozen up there today."
Relm sat next to Setzer and yawned again. "Tell me more stories," she said sleepily. "Grandpa's already sleep, and I don't think he knows any stories that can top the one we lived through. Tell me.tell me a story bout a mysterious man who comes and goes with the wind. One who fights monsters and saves bored girls who're stuck in a cold house at night."
Setzer smiled. Relm was growing up after all. He had spent most of his time after that great battle in this house, somehow feeling like he belonged. After all, Relm had no mother or father. Maybe a dejected ex- gambler could find a niche here. "All right. Once I met a man named.well, let's call him Derek. He was quiet down on his luck when I found him. Might've even sold his sword for some food! Well, he and I, we heard about a group of monsters nearby that were wrecking the town and causing the roads to close down. Now, as both a gambler and a good man, I couldn't take that! But him, he only wanted to help the town."
Setzer smiled even wider, noticing that Relm was already asleep and was starting to snuggle against him. "She's taken a liking to you, Setzer." Strago said, opening one eye again. "After all that excitement over saving the world, I think she needed someone to look up to, more wiser in the ways of the world. Once again, I'd like to thank you for being here for her."
"Oh, it's no problem. I enjoy it here." Setzer said, smiling quietly. "The gambling business is shot, and while it will come back eventually.well, it's a dangerous business anyways, and I'm starting to get feel old."
Both of Strago's eyes snapped open. "You? Old?! How do you think I feel, LAD?"
Setzer chuckled. "Calm down, Strago, calm down. You know what I mean. Time to settle down, put my roots in. The only woman in the world that ever loved me was Daryl, and she's been missing for a while. And after fighting a god, gambling isn't quiet as adventurous and risky as it may have once been. Besides, I figure, if I can't have a wife, might as well settle for two close friends who can be a family for me."
"Bah." Was all Strago said, waving Setzer away. Setzer grinned; that was Strago's way of agreeing with him. As Setzer took the poker and jabbed at the fire one last time to make sure it would keep going through the night, Strago smiled and yawned, before laying his head back down on his chair. It would be a cold night, and he figured he might as well get some sleep.
The door made a clanging noise as it swung open. The barkeep, an old man with snow white hair, looked up at the strange visitor. "Good evening," he said smiling. "It's nice to see visitors. Since that tower went off 'bout a year ago, the whole world's been healin' itself. Well, that's what folks say, at least. Still, thing's have been getting' better. People're nicer and happier. Animals're re-appearing, and those dratted monsters are seen less and less."
The barkeep stopped talking as he realized the stranger was barely paying attention. He had simply walked over and sat down on a stool. He could tell nothing about the young man, who was wearing a large cloak with the hood up, save that he had emerald eyes and brown hair that hung over his face. The only other person in the bar was a middle-aged man with a dangerous look about him, wearing the same cloak but with the hood down. The barkeep sighed, wondering why no beautiful women in skimpy outfits came into the bar on dark, rainy, depressing nights like this.
"Nice night." The newcomer finally said. The barkeep only raised an eyebrow. "There's rain, it's abnormally dark, and a general feeling in the air.most important things happen on nights like these."
The dangerous looking man in the corner grunted. "What's your name, sir?" the newcomer asked, glancing over to him.
The man only stared for a bit, before hesitantly answering. "Clyde. Just Clyde, please. And what business is my name of yours?"
The stranger smiled under his cloak. "You seem like a person who knows a blade. I'd like an escort to Figaro Castle. I'll pay you, of course."
"And why would I bring a nameless stranger to Figaro Castle, which, might I add, is on an entirely different continent?" Clyde said, raising an eyebrow.
"For starters, my name is Dave. Well, David Blue Arlington, if you want my full name. But that doesn't matter too much. And secondly, I have plenty of money to make sure we reach Figaro. I simply would appreciate a companion. And you, Clyde, seem to be a good man."
Clyde only snorted, his dark eyes dulling even more. "That alone tells me that you should go to someone else. I'm NOT a good man, regardless of what I try, and in the end I can assure you that if any big problems come up, I'd just run away. 'S what I always do, and it's painfully obvious to me that it's what I always will do."
Dave only stared at him for a while. "I'm going to disagree with you on that, Clyde." He said softly, "I know the past can be a horrible beast swallowing you whole. But you don't have to live that out anymore. At any rate, I'm offering you a job that will make use of your fighting abilities. Can you honestly turn that down?"
Clyde looked up at Dave. "Heh, you don't know what your getting yourself into. Yeah, I'll go with ya to Figaro. Easiest way is to travel down the Trench into Nikeah and grab a lift off a boat to get to South Figaro. Any objections?"
Dave smiled. "None at all."
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"Blasted weather." Setzer said, growling.
"Oh, calm down." Relm said, pouting. "Is it so hard to stay here with us an extra day?"
Setzer grinned his foolish grin. "What, not appreciate staying with a beautiful girl like you Relm? You're kidding, right?"
Strago snorted, letting them know that he wasn't quiet asleep yet. "Oh, grandpa!" Relm said exasperated. She walked over and bopped him neatly on the head. "You just.just.stop!"
Setzer laughed. It was nice to be with his friends, the people he considered family. He had grown to used to having them watch his back while fighting for his life to give up the world and become a hopeless gambler again. Still, the whole "hopeless gambler" bit did have some charm behind it.
Relm yawned and shivered. "It's so drafty in this house," she muttered, "though this is the first bad night in awhile."
Setzer's grin only widened. "Eh, s'not too bad." He said. "Why, I remember once I tried flying my old airship over the icy mountains in the middle of winter. Heh, some deity must've been looking out for me, 'cause if I wasn't lucky I'd still be frozen up there today."
Relm sat next to Setzer and yawned again. "Tell me more stories," she said sleepily. "Grandpa's already sleep, and I don't think he knows any stories that can top the one we lived through. Tell me.tell me a story bout a mysterious man who comes and goes with the wind. One who fights monsters and saves bored girls who're stuck in a cold house at night."
Setzer smiled. Relm was growing up after all. He had spent most of his time after that great battle in this house, somehow feeling like he belonged. After all, Relm had no mother or father. Maybe a dejected ex- gambler could find a niche here. "All right. Once I met a man named.well, let's call him Derek. He was quiet down on his luck when I found him. Might've even sold his sword for some food! Well, he and I, we heard about a group of monsters nearby that were wrecking the town and causing the roads to close down. Now, as both a gambler and a good man, I couldn't take that! But him, he only wanted to help the town."
Setzer smiled even wider, noticing that Relm was already asleep and was starting to snuggle against him. "She's taken a liking to you, Setzer." Strago said, opening one eye again. "After all that excitement over saving the world, I think she needed someone to look up to, more wiser in the ways of the world. Once again, I'd like to thank you for being here for her."
"Oh, it's no problem. I enjoy it here." Setzer said, smiling quietly. "The gambling business is shot, and while it will come back eventually.well, it's a dangerous business anyways, and I'm starting to get feel old."
Both of Strago's eyes snapped open. "You? Old?! How do you think I feel, LAD?"
Setzer chuckled. "Calm down, Strago, calm down. You know what I mean. Time to settle down, put my roots in. The only woman in the world that ever loved me was Daryl, and she's been missing for a while. And after fighting a god, gambling isn't quiet as adventurous and risky as it may have once been. Besides, I figure, if I can't have a wife, might as well settle for two close friends who can be a family for me."
"Bah." Was all Strago said, waving Setzer away. Setzer grinned; that was Strago's way of agreeing with him. As Setzer took the poker and jabbed at the fire one last time to make sure it would keep going through the night, Strago smiled and yawned, before laying his head back down on his chair. It would be a cold night, and he figured he might as well get some sleep.