Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey
Disclaimer: Copyright to the Final Fantasy names in this story goes to the writers at what is now Square Enix and I do not own any characters in this story, etc. etc.
Prologue:
In a very peculiar sequence of events, the noble team responsible for the defeat of Kefka Palazzo was reunited to fight against another evil that threatened the stability of their world. Unbeknownst to the team until moments before entering the final battle, Clyde Arrowny, formerly known as the mercenary-assassin Shadow, was amongst them during this period, and he had purposefully thrown away his former identity after a failed suicidal attempt to go down with Kefka's Tower. Along with new comrades such as Siegfried, the noble swordsman and mercenary, the long thought lost Daryl who was the previously unknown identity of Gogo the mimc, and Sir Owzer of Jidoor, the group reunited and traveled across the world, battling monstrous incarnations of their former esper guardians that were turned mad by the magical powers of a mysterious man known as Thomas Geeda.
Many successful engagements against the espers led the heroes on a great journey towards a final confrontation with Thomas Geeda himself. However, utilizing an ancient magical power from the arcane Crystal Tear, Geeda practically repeated history and brought the world once again into a ruin by flooding it entirely, similar to the catastrophe caused by Kefka only a year before. The heroes were disbanded and scattered across the land, fearing that they had lost entirely. Now, under the powerful hand of Thomas Geeda and his remaining espers, the World of Ruin has become a giant ocean with an incredible struggle for survival amongst the slowly deteriorating governments and townships all around the world that were fortunate enough to survive The Flood. Independent pirate factions roam the vast seas, the New Empire attempts to hold the world together with its strong navy, despite repeated assaults by Thomas Geeda's newly formed Legion of the People, a large group of individuals who have been taken in by his promises of prosperity through a cleansing of the land and the defeat of the 'tyrannical' empire.
We begin this second part of the story only a little more than a month after the initial collapse of the world.
Chapter I – Disorder and Hope
Zantalore City was now the largest establishment in the world. Surrounded by a great stone wall that rose from the deep land shelf in the sea around it, it housed the massive empire of Lord Thomas Geeda and his infamous Legion of the People. This city had every shop and business anyone could dream of, a long harbor, a huge castle, sturdy underwater supports, and a surprisingly successful trade business with the remaining towns in the world. It was a place where several had taken refuge after The Flood, and saw no choice but to indebt themselves to this empire that promised them security and happiness. It was their 'destiny' as Geeda himself put it. Naturally, however, most of those who were not part of the Legion of the People itself despised Thomas Geeda and wished to see his demise. He was not worried, however, as it was to his knowledge that the greatest threat to the control he held had been dealt with. But, no one seemed to notice the three very suspicious-looking people that were sneaking around the city in dark robes, following Lord Geeda who was himself dressed in a handsome black uniform and cape as he strolled down the street with his elite guard, the Trine.
"Remember, I want that new stock of armor to be heavily inspected this time. Lord Valkin must have planted that cursed helmet in there as a little present for me, and we cannot afford to let our guard down," said Thomas to one of the guards.
"It will be done sir," replied the elite.
The Trine was a mere group of three men. However, despite this low number, no one could touch Thomas Geeda when they were around. They were, so far, undefeated in battle and had skills with weapons only matched by Tom himself, also being gifted with a large degree of magic by their master, and more so than any of his other followers to enhance his own protection. The three of them wore almost identical, gold-colored heavy armor but were very easily differentiated. Lanceus was a bulky, large man and had a helmet shaped like a dragon's head. Bediveus was a shorter, stocky fellow whose helmet was shaped like as serpent's head. Galleus was tall and thin, and he wore a helmet similar to the head of a wolf. Also, though not always the same, Lanceus preferred to use a broadsword, Bediveus an axe, and Galleus a pair of smaller swords. Geeda took pride in the Trine and often smiled at the looks of fear from the civilians when they passed on the way to the castle.
"Oh, sir… I have a message from Mobliz that is requesting two day's grace for their shipment, due to difficulties in the town," said Lanceus in his deep, gravelly voice.
"Very well… I suppose I can spare them the time," Geeda said with a sigh.
The four men arrived at the large, stone gatehouse, identified themselves, and made quick entry through the thick wooden doors while the citizens of Zantalore watched cautiously. Being in the presence of Tom Geeda always brought out a nervous tick in people. Then, from out of the shadows of a nearby shop came the three sneaky individuals who had followed the four through the city, donned in great black cloaks. They made a lengthy observation of the great iron fence surrounding the castle grounds.
"It seems that entry will be most difficult," said a man with a very dignified tone.
"Doesn't look like we can crawl over this fence without being seen either," came the voice of a woman.
"Maybe I can bend the bars!" exclaimed an eager fellow.
"And have the guards shoot us dead on the spot?" said the girl, gesturing to the many towers placed intermittently throughout Zantalore City, and concentrated most around the castle.
"Well, way to think this plan through guys," the eager one scoffed.
"We shall find a means," replied the other man.
"Let's get out of the street though… people are starting to look at us funny," said the woman, leading them back into an alleyway.
Elsewhere
A man with long, blonde hair and a dirty merchant's outfit watched as the Doberman pranced around in the rain with gloomy, light gray skies above… sunlight never able to penetrate. The past month had been difficult with that dog around, as he had very limited control over it, but he was thankful for its protection in this vile city of Zozo.
"Hey, Interceptor! Come on boy! Let's go inside!" Edgar Figaro beckoned, whistling at the dog.
Interceptor stopped and looked at him curiously. It always took several tries before the animal even became responsive to the king, who lost patience with every passing day.
"Get in here, you! Let's go!"
Interceptor seemed to get the idea and made a quick trot through the rain back into the inn where he and Edgar had claimed lodging. Halting next to Edgar, Interceptor shook the water from his body and then made way to the corner he had claimed as is own, laying down on his bed cushion.
"Wonderful, dog… wonderful," Edgar grumbled, trying to brush the water from his clothes, a former merchant's outfit that he had found lying around in the building upon his arrival some time ago and a suitable replacement for his soaked kingly robes.
Zozo, being a run-down village at the base of a mountain, received heavy flooding at first, but due to its position on a partial land slope, the water washed away quickly and now basically sat only feet away from the hamlet itself. This only made Zozo that much more secluded from the world, being surrounded by mountains on one side and now water on the other. A few of the crafty thieves had fashioned makeshift boats to flee the area, but no one ever actually sailed to the village and only a handful of individuals called it home. Edgar found it fortunate that he was able to catch a messenger pigeon and send a note of encouragement to whomever it would reach out in the ruined world… maybe giving them some hope for the future. However, that was well over a month ago.
"Bah, we've got to find a way out of here, boy. If only those thieves hadn't used up all the necessary supplies to make those stupid boats…" Edgar huffed.
He often wondered if his friends were doing all right. The last person he saw before being washed away was his own brother, and he worried about him every day since. He didn't know if the airship had been able to fly away, or if Clyde had escaped either after falling from the mountain, but he had a feeling that they were all out there, blending in to their surroundings until a miracle arrived that would help them defeat Geeda once and for all. He gave a smile when suddenly, he heard the coo of a messenger pigeon above. His heart gave a start and an overwhelming sensation of curiosity and potential joy hit him like a rock.
After a month's time, had someone replied?! Interceptor's ears perked up with his head, and Edgar ran up the stairs of the inn to the second floor landing and out the door to the balcony. There, resting on the rail with soaking wet feathers, was a pigeon with a wet note. He snatched it eagerly and read the blotchy ink.
Edgar, if this is you, and you're where I think you are… send me the time. Hope has not been lost, friend. –Locke Cole
To anyone else, 'send me the time' would be a complete mystery… but Edgar knew immediately what Locke meant and quickly found his pen in the room, scribbling down the numbers 6:10:50 in big print on the paper. He hastily reattached the note and sent the bird off to where it had come from, his stomach doing ecstatic flips as he watched it soar away in the rain. Hope had not been lost at all.
Later
Thomas Geeda sat quietly in his study, drinking a glass of red wine and staring out the window into the night, where he could see his entire city beneath him from that tower of the castle. It was always a comforting feeling being above everyone in such a literal sense, and he prided himself on the supreme control he possessed. A knock to the door brought him out of his day dreaming and turned his attention to this visitor.
"Enter," he commanded.
Bediveus, the short knight, entered as ordered and bowed deeply before his master, holding his helmet to his side. He looked upon his master with his curious, bearded face and large eyes.
"Ah, what brings you here, loyal Bediveus?" Geeda asked.
"My Lord, we have received word of some suspicious activity from Mobliz. Apparently, a man named Hobbes has been sending out anonymous messages in secret, and we know not of his intentions," the guard explained, having a surprisingly sonorous voice for his size.
"Hmm. First, two day's grace for shipment… then a questionable business in delivering unknown messages. Perhaps you should speak with Zirgen and have him investigate."
"Master Thade is busy in Narshe, Lord Geeda. He is there temporarily replacing the Chancellor, who departed this morning for negotiations in Thamasa."
"Damn, seemed to have slipped my mind. Very well. Just tell the men in Mobliz to confiscate anything suspect from our friend Hobbes."
"Yes sir. Is there anything you require?" Bediveus asked as he stepped halfway out of the room.
"Nothing. You may leave now."
Thomas stood from his large, leather chair as his sentry left. Still sipping from his wine, he paced around the room and continued to watch the night scene outside. Often when he strolled about, he took time to admire his beautiful study with its polished candelabra, fine-looking shelves with books looking fresh out of print, a small upright piano, various trinkets laid on wonderful red velvet, and a pile of three black cloaks lying on the floor…
"Now!"
Tom jerked his sword from the scabbard on his belt, blocking just in time as Siegfried came leaping from the shadows in the room, dressed in a shabby white tunic and brown trousers. The two clashed blades viciously before Sabin, armed with a large iron gauntlet, stepped in and knocked Tom upside the head, where he was caught by Daryl and thrown against the wall. The trio advanced upon him, and he pulled up the Crystal Tear, attached to his left hand by a rope around his wrist. They hesitated for a moment and ducked as he fired Demi at them. The three gave out a loud groan as the dark matter surrounded their bodies and took all of their energy away. They all collapsed in a heap, the magic rendering them absolutely useless at the moment.
"Well, what a surprise this is!" Thomas said with a chuckle as he stood from the ground, eyes averting to the door as the Trine came bursting through, fully armored.
"Sir, we heard a struggle!" Lanceus exclaimed through his dragon helmet.
Geeda gave a smug gesture to the three heroes crumpled on the ground before him. The three guards stowed their weapons away and grabbed them each by their necks, pulling them to their feet while they could hardly stand.
"Come here to whack the boss?" said Galleus in his quiet, mellow tone.
"Mm, these three are part of the team that made my life so much more difficult before I took power. It's somewhat startling to see their rebellious, vengeful faces again," said Thomas.
"Shall we kill them here?" asked Bediveus.
"I was thinking that we might have a use for them in Narshe. Granted, I had expected them to die in The Flood… but I suppose that was hardly a challenge after battling my espers. Yes, take them to Narshe and hand them over to my overseers there. Perhaps Zirgen will understand me," said Geeda.
The three men nodded and dragged the weak triad out of the room. Daryl looked around in a panic, absolutely delirious as to what was taking place, she could only recall glimpses of the great castle as they were hauled through. The outside was just a blur, and the Trine was very determined in delivering the heroes to the east harbor where they would subsequently place them on a prison ship to Narshe. They were all so weak that none of them comprehended that they were being sent off to be enslaved in the coal mines that had garnered a large number of individuals who fought or spoke out against Lord Geeda's regime. The confusion never wavered until they noticed themselves arriving in the cold, snowy city.
"Well, looks like that plan failed," moaned Sabin, noticing with surprise that his gauntlet had been taken away.
"We cannot let ourselves be defeated by this foul organization. Thou must persevere!" said Siegfried as he was pushed along the freezing ground by a Legion guard from the snow-covered planks of the docks.
"We'll have to keep the whole 'hate Thomas Geeda' bit down for a while though," Daryl whispered after catching the suspicious glances of some soldiers.
They were marched through the busy streets of Narshe, where it seemed many had taken up residence after all of the dangerous creatures roaming about were basically 'evicted'. Though Daryl and Siegfried had ever seen the city in the World of Balance, it was so much more active and had even expanded through the mountains some, requiring considerably more residential areas. But, as they trudged forward through the snow, high civilization began to slowly blur into absolute destitution when the slaves came into view. All of them were filthy and dressed in nasty brown rags as they shuffled back and forth, mining, carrying buckets of water and coal, pushing rail trolleys, and so on. Drilling them all to the core were several heavyset, muscular men cracking giant bullwhips. It was a pitiful and terrifying image.
"We're dead," Sabin gasped.
"Don't be negative!" Daryl pleaded.
After being shoved through the vast, tortuous caverns of the Narshe colliery, they were dumped off in a small chamber that had been carved into the cave walls and was decorated like a sort of business office, complete with a metal door. In this office, they had dropped onto their hands and knees from their weakness, looking up at a tall, thin man wearing a large maroon robe.
He had a shallow, sunken face with a black mustache and long beard, accompanied by circular spectacles that sat upon his pointed nose. The three of them looked up apprehensively at the man as he grinned.
"Mmm, Thomas sent me a message about you three. Caused him a bit of trouble, have you?" he said in a brooding voice.
"Maybe if he weren't-"
"Silence, fool! I often speak in rhetorical questions, and you will only speak when I request it of you. Is that clear?" the man said angrily.
Sabin was about to speak again, but he caught the nudge from Daryl and shut his mouth.
"Good. Your silence means a lot to me. Well, unfortunately for you, you are now going to be under the service of this mining operation, which Lord Geeda holds in high esteem. I will tell you right now that this will be no picnic. You will be driven to your cores and made to work harder and faster than you ever have in your life. Now, normally Thomas would prefer to execute anyone who has made an attempt on his life, but he seems to be under the impression that your imprisonment in an inescapable hell will be much more suitable torture," the man explained somewhat cryptically.
"Oh yeah?! Well-"
"SHUT UP!" he roared, blasting Sabin with a quick jet of flame that knocked him flat on the ground.
Daryl and Siegfried continued to stare at the ground, remaining still on all fours before the seething man. His look of ire quickly disappeared and he brought himself to smile.
"So, without further ado, welcome to your doom, the Zantalore Mining Project. I am a temporary replacement here while the director of the mines is away on a short business trip. My name is Zirgen Thade, but you will refer to me as Sir."
He snapped his long, skeletal fingers loudly and the door behind the three opened. They were pulled up from the ground very roughly and shoved back down the hall. Sabin could barely walk now, and Siegfried seemed to be in some sort of meditative state. Daryl, however, was actually afraid. Thomas Geeda wanted them to try and escape, just because he knew that he had the power to stop them in such small numbers. Everything had happened so quickly, and as she reflected on it, she had always feared that their insidious attack on Thomas would be foiled somehow, yet she still convinced Sabin and Siegfried to take the risk… even with all of her friends around, they probably would've lost. It was a really dumb plan.
"Move, maggots!" shouted an overseer ahead, pushing a line of slaves forward.
She almost felt the urge to cry after getting themselves in this situation after a month of safety in Zantalore itself. Why did she rush into that stupid plan, and why did her comrades agree with her? She had found them just a week after the Flood when Sabin and Siegfried had stowed away on a ship from South Figaro. Their original plan was to get on the inside of the Legion, and they decided it would be best to attack Thomas himself. Of course, Sabin even protested the idea at first, and she had still persisted. How stupid could she be?! She had entrapped them, and their other friends were probably dead by now! Suddenly, she felt a jolt of surprise when the line of slaves passed by. For a split second, she made eye contact with a mildly familiar face, and despite the lack of mustache and his untied hair, she could already sense the presence of Cyan Garamonde as he passed, showing an equal amount of surprise before they disappeared from each other's views.
"Keep walking, Blondie," a soldier growled at her.
She continued forward after her friends, and they were quickly deposited before a massive pile of coal rocks, where two other people where already scooping up the minerals into buckets at their sides.
"Start loading."
Author's Notes: Here it is, the continuation of the epic tale. I am hoping that this portion of the story will be much better constructed and support itself with less continuity errors. Oh, and updates for now will be a lot slower, since I've had a lot to do lately, and whenever I spend too much time writing I start losing quality. So, bare with me for a while. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to be as quick as I was with the first part. Enjoy.