A/N Jirall's descent into madness was one of my favourite things about The Last Story. I mean, you hate him for being a jerkass for most of the game but by the end of it I really did feel truly sorry for him. In early parts of the game I actually find him quite funny as well- he was just...too ridiculous to take seriously. His voice acting in the dub was brilliant.
Jirall hunched in his cell. He'd explored every single inch. He had counted the bricks. He had counted the spiders. He had counted the bars. He had even found a message scratched in one corner.
"There's no way out through here, Yours sincerely Horace."
Jirall imagined 'Horace'- a lowlife mercenary locked up long ago. He had a beard and brown eyes and wielded two swords. He then imagined a series of tortures for 'Horace' to endure, most involving chains. This was entertaining for a while, but eventually Jirall moved on to what he spent most of his time doing: Devising Ways to Get That Cur Zael.
Step one was to escape from prison.
He was having a great deal of trouble with this step.
Step two was to take out Zael's allies- the one who sucked up to the count, Dagran and...who were the others? He'd have to make sure to get them all. There was that creepy girl who was always reading books in the library. The mouthy girl who always smelled like liquor. The little kid with the eyepatch who was apparently some kind of mage. And the man who was always chatting up the maids.
I have to remember them all, he thought. I can't forget. Dagran and library and liquor and eyepatch and maids.
He muttered it. He got progressively louder.
The guard came round.
"Shut the hell up," he said.
Jirall grudgingly shut up. He remembered the pain from having not shut up in the past.
He moved on with his plan.
Step three was to find Zael. He would probably be in the castle, but Jirall was prepared to go out into Lazulis City and look for him. He'd heard Ariela's Tavern might be the place to go. No problem.
Step four was to corner him somehow. Jirall was not crazy enough to think he could take Zael in a straight fight, not when Zael had the Outsider on his side. Plus Jirall knew full well he was next to useless in a fight. He might use poison again- a more stronger, deadly kind. Of course, Zael would be after Jirall at this point- Jirall having murdered all his allies- so this could be tricky.
Step five- having killed Zael, Jirall would then go on to kill the Count, leaving him in charge. No, wait- leaving Calista in charge.
Jirall had almost forgotten about Calista.
The Count always dealt with her by whacking her in the face. Jirall supposed he would have to do the same. He paused. He had never felt right about hitting Calista. It had something to do with the way his father hit his mother. She only cried when he wasn't looking- if she cried, he hit her harder. Not even Jirall could make her happy again.
He had forgotten where he was up to in the plan.
He thought about Calista.
He didn't want to marry her and she didn't want to marry him. It was an un-love story.
He had tried to be polite. He had tried to be civil. But no matter how hard he tried, she seemed to find him lacking in some way. As though he weren't good enough, which was a ridiculous sentiment that went against everything Jirall had ever believed in. All the same, it gave Jirall an unpleasant feeling, the way she looked at him.
He had intended to marry her and rule Lazulis Island- and then rally the Lazulis Island troops and rule other places. Jirall was all about ruling things. Power was his one true love. He loved the thrill of it. He loved how it gave other people no choice but to listen to him. Locked in the dungeon, no power at all, was the very worst thing that could have happened to him. His worst nightmare. Everything taken from him. All because of Zael. Zael. Zael.
"I'll kill him," said Jirall.
A miracle was the only chance he had of escape. Luckily enough, this 'miracle' would soon arrive...