The Zodiac Brave Story.....Take Two
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in either Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Those are owned by the wonderful folks over at Square Enix. (about TIME those companies merged into something good)
Chapter 1: Lookie what Babus found.
It was snowing on Lutia Pass....like always. This day, however, a lone figure dressed in blue and white robes was trudging along the path to the other end of the pass and the summit of Lutia Peak. And it was NOT a very happy and content being traveling along, either.
"What does he think I am, a message boy? Me, Babus Swain, guardian of His Highness Prince Mewt, a common errand runner? How absurd. And yet...since the Prince left it makes me feel....useful....I guess I cannot complain much."
-----------
It was a simple dispatch mission, really. Someone had reported an object falling on Lutia Peak and Marche and his Clan Nutsy signed up to investigate.
Babus could have sworn that Marche actually grinned when he picked him out for this mission. "Well, you're a Nu Mou, so you're used to the cold of Lutia Peak. So you'd be absolutely PERFECT for this mission, Babus...." he said before sending him off.
"But....Marche, there are FIVE other Nu Mou in the clan.....why me?" he started to object.
"Because of your coloration. Your white color is rare...no, unique...among the Nu Mou and, well, there are possibly other bandits on the lookout for whatever it was that fell. It might be a meteor loaded with Mythril and Adamantite, and they'll be after it like flies to honey, plus you're going alone. So it helps to stand out as little as possible..."
"I..I see, I think." the white Nu Mou answered, bowing his head. Although he was the Royal Advisor to Prince Mewt in the past, he was now a member of Clan Nutsy, and since Marche was its leader, he answered to him. "However....if I am attacked...."
"Then your abilities should hold you out for a while, plus act as a signal to the rest of us to act."
"My abilities? Marche, I am but a novice Runeseeker...I do not have as many combat skills as you and the rest of the clan do."
"But you have some...besides, your Explode skill would be useful in the snows of the pass...ice monsters lurk about, and they just so happen to be weak to fire magics. Like yours." And Marche knew just how powerful his magic was, firsthand, having been on the receiving end of it many times before.
Babus nodded, understanding somewhat. "And with Cyril being so close to the peak, the rest of the clan would be able to see its use and respond quickly."
Marche grinned again. "Exactly, Babus. So you'll go?"
"Although I am a bit ruffled at being sent on an mere errand...I am a member of Clan Nutsy now..and I do as you command, as our clan leader. I will go."
-----------
Ruffle him, it did. He felt about as happy as an Ice Flan in the heart of Roda Volcano.
It was at times like this that he missed the warmth of Bervenia Palace and the company of the Prince--and his best friend--Mewt Randell. He also wondered if Marche sent him on missions like this to test his loyalty to the clan, being that before he joined Clan Nutsy, he and Marche were constantly locking horns in battle. However, after the Prince left, he felt terribly alone, and so he'd asked Marche to go with him on a mission to find the sole reminder he had of Mewt...his teddy bear. THAT had proven to be an interesting mission, as he had gone head to head with an impostor of his former liege, Queen Remedi. After that, he'd felt even more alone--though at that point, and even now he'd not dare admit that to anyone save himself--and so he accepted Marche's offer to join the clan, although he insisted that they would never be close friends.
Once in a great while, he regretted that sole condition. Even at that point, those words sounded hollow to his own ears, but he had his pride, and that was ALL he had when that mission was done. He had nothing else...his best friend was gone, the palace was in a shambles, and he'd left the palace to, well, find time for himself to quietly reflect, as all Nu Mou were inclined to do in times of depression.
It didn't help.
He was still young for his kind, quite possibly the youngest to hold the title of Runeseeker, an honor among the Nu Mou. In human years, he was about 15...but then again, Nu Mou were a long lived race, and ages of 200 human years or more were not unheard of among them.
However, as he'd pointed out to Marche, his skills were still developing. Some ridiculed his class, calling it a glorified Time Mage/Sage combination. Explode was similar in its magical structure to the Sage's Giga Flare skill, except that Explode was bound to the Fire element, whereas Giga Flare was not bound to any element, and his other unique skill, Stillness, was similar in nature to the Time Mage's Stop spell. He also had the Time Magics Quarter and Demi, which reduced an enemy's health by a quarter and half, respectively.
But a Runeseeker at the peak of its skill and power...that was a force spoken of only in legend among the Nu Mou. To date, only a chosen few had ever reached that awesome peak...and that was millennia ago, ancient even for them.
Babus had stepped onto that path two years ago, much to the surprise of his family--and the dismay of his father, who'd thought he was just chasing flights of fancy. He'd grown up more or less a loner, ridiculed by even his classmates in school--before he'd dropped out to study the ways of the Runeseeker. In many ways, when Mewt arrived at the palace three years ago, Babus felt a kinship with the young human boy. Both were alone and ridiculed in their respective worlds, only laughed at, never respected. With Prince Mewt at his side, he started to feel as though he was important, second only in the land to Judgemaster Cid and the Prince himself in prestige, and given the due he felt he'd been lacking since he'd stepped onto that lonely road. During that time, he'd not kept up with his studies as a Runeseeker.
Now, he felt that lack of study was hindering him. He'd just now, shortly after joining Clan Nutsy, started back on his work, studying the ancient patterns of various runes etched into his weapons of choice, the mace. He hadn't picked up any new skills yet, but he knew he would someday...and deep in his heart, he'd felt he'd gone astray from his calling in order to find respect he didn't think he had.
But there was something he learned on that final day that Mewt disappeared, supposedly heading back home to his true world. Friendship is its own kind of respect...no matter where you come from or who you are.
*Perhaps THAT is why I took Marche up on his offer to join the clan...because I needed friends...* he thought as he continued his trek up to the summit of Lutia Peak. *Although there will never be another Prince Mewt...no one will hold that place in my heart...that kind of friendship...ever again*
He was still thinking about that when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He spun around, holding his mace at the ready, his spells springing forth to mind in an instant. Although he may have not studied in a while, and lived the life of a sheltered royal guardian, he was by no means not ready for battle...and even being a novice at his craft made him no less deadly in an engagement. Even if he was merely a force of one.
Two Ice Flans came out to confront him, sliding forth, sensing his presence as a threat to their territory.
Babus studied them for a moment, then narrowed his eyes intently, half chuckling to himself. As Marche had so well pointed out to him, Nu Mou were hardy against the cold, and Babus had the additional presence of mind to wear a Flurry Robe, for good measure. In his eyes, these were no threat.
The Ice Flans had all of quite possibly one tenth of one percent of Babus' mental capacities, and were solely acting on instinct, so they did what came naturally to them.
They attacked with ice magics.
Babus just stood there, repressing the urge to simply fall over laughing at these attacks, as the magical weave of the Flurry Robe effortlessly absorbed the attacks and converted them to energy for its wearer. For a while, he just thought to simply move around them, until a THIRD Ice Flan decided to make its presence known right behind them.
And although the Flurry Robe offered excellent protection against ice magics, it offered very little in comparison against physical attack.
Obviously the first two Flans had learned from their mistakes as they projected parts of themselves into icicles and lunged forward at the Nu Mou. Okay...so maybe these particular ones had ONE percent of Babus' mental capacities.
Since they were attacking Babus head on, though, he easily parried one attack with his mace, dodging the second by deftly sidestepping. This left the third attacking from the side, though..and this one got through his defenses and scored his side with an icicle.
"Ouch...that hurt. Gotta be more careful...okay, playtime is over...." he muttered through gritted teeth as he pulled out a potion to heal the wound that the Ice Flan had left.
He took a quick check of how the Ice Flans were arranged and noted that all three were bunched together. One spell would end this encounter and end it rather quickly and convincingly. He wasted no time, but traced a runic pattern in the air and extended his fingers forth before shouting out the words of the spell.
"Runes of fire, gather and unleash your fury. Explode!!"
A massive fireball gathered precisely in the center of the formation of Ice Flans before it burst spectacuarly into a mini nova. When the fire died down, three steaming puddles were all that remained to mark the passing of his foes.
"Better luck next time." the Nu Mou snickered as he continued towards the summit.
He got all of two feet before a blade stopped just short of his nose. "And just where do you think you're going, pal?"
Babus cursed under his breath. "I am here to retrieve whatever it was that fell on the summit."
"Fat chance....that's probably a meteor filled with precious metals and it's gonna fetch us a lot of gil...so you'd just be best to move along and pretend you didn't see us."
"That I cannot do." Babus spoke. He was scared in his mind, but his voice would not betray it.
The bandit stepped out of the shadows, his clothing identifying him as a mere Thief. "You will, or we'll get to see what you look like on the inside, Nu Mou."
Another bandit spoke up, a Soldier by his armament and clothing. "Hey...ain't that there Babus Swain? I heard that he was the Royal Guardian to that fella' Mewt..."
"Yeah, that's him all right..." a human Fighter spoke. "Heard that Mewt wasn't nothin' but a tyrannical scumbag...makin' the laws all harsh and such..."
Babus glared at the bandits. "What....what did you say about His Highness?"
The Thief got right up in his face until Babus could smell the alcohol on his breath...and it wasn't pretty. "He said that the Prince wasn't nothing but a dirtbag...and I heard he ain't around no more..."
"How dare you speak of His Highness with such disrespect!!!"
"Disrespect? Listen here, boy, he ain't around and we can talk about him however we want to. Now get lost!!"
By this time, though, Babus was positively fuming...another spell came to mind but with that Thief holding that dagger too close, he worried that he wouldn't have time to get it off before he got himself killed, or at least severely hurt. Last time he checked, this wasn't exactly a Jagd, so surely a Judge would intervene before that happened.
"I said...." the Thief repeated, but then a voice rang out. Babus instantly recognized it as Marche.
"ENGAGE!!"
With that word spoken, a figure dressed in full armor and riding a Chocobo sauntered forth. "I will be the Judge for this engagement. The law shall be: Holy Elemental Ban...neither side shall use Holy action abilities. The penalty is immediate imprisonment. Now begin!"
The Thief cursed loudly. "Damn it...an engagement. Didn't want the Judge to see this, but he won't get in the way. Everyone, attack!!"
Babus scampered back to the company of more friendly people. "Marche! How did you..." he started to ask but the question answered itself as he rememebered what Marche had told him back at the pub.
"We don't leave our own to hang, Babus. We saw your Explode spell and came to the rescue as quick as we could."
Babus nodded. "Glad you came...thank you."
Marche had brought along with him Ritz, Ezel, Montblanc, and Shara. Ritz was his friend from school before he came to the alternate Ivalice, Ezel was the Nu Mou owner of the Antilaw Card shop in Cadoan, Montblanc was the Moogle that had befriended Marche on his arrival and had been his steadfast companion ever since, and Shara was Ritz's clanmate and her best friend here.
Shara was the first to attack, nocking an arrow into her bow and taking aim at the Thief...or rather, the dagger he was holding. The arrow flew straight and true, shattering the dagger to bits.
"Gotta love that Aim: Weapon skill...works like a charm." Marche noted before drawing his blade, having taken the role of a Fighter for this engagement. And not a moment too soon, as the bandit Fighter came charging forth with a blade of his own.
"Charging at me, hmm? Let's see you handle this..." Marche said, and slashed with his blade so quickly it actually sent the other Fighter back a few steps. This was the power of the Fighter's Rush technique.
Ritz didn't have much time to react either as the Soldier bore down on her with his sword as well. The redheaded Fencer calmly drew her rapier from its sheath on her side and lunged forth, her attack so sudden and powerful that it created a wave of power that hit the Fighter behind him that was recovering from Marche's attack. The Fighter, having been assaulted by two powerful attacks, slumped to the ground and didn't get back up.
The Judge nodded and tossed something at Ritz. "One Judge Point awarded to Ritz for a legal KO."
Montblanc was up next...and his attack targeted the Thief that Shara had so easily left daggerless at the start of the engagement. He lifted one white hand and shouted. "Frigid winds, blow and condense...Blizzard!!"
A huge stone of ice fell on the Thief, causing him massive damage but not yet enough to put him out of the fight...and the aftereffects of the spell caught the Soldier as well, causing him to drop to one knee.
"Wow...two for the price of one, kupo." Montblanc noted in the unique way that was a trademark of their race.
The Soldier started to get back up, but then a bluish haze filled the air and the Soldier was out cold, sleeping like a log.
"Nice work with that Azoth skill of yours, Ezel." Ritz nodded, as the Soldier was too close to her for comfort.
"Works every time...well, almost." the Nu Mou dealer responded. He looked more or less like your usual Nu Mou except for the patch of red blush at the tip of his nose. Not quite as unique as Babus' snow white coloration, but still stood out in a crowd.
The Theif was struggling to get back up, but failing miserably, when he suddenly produced a vial from his tunic, opened it and drank it, and stood, fully recovered.
Marche and the rest of Clan Nutsy looked on as the Thief charged towards them, with a weapon he'd stolen from one of his compatriots, when he was suddenly surrounded by a greenish aura and disappeared.
"Violation of Holy Elemental Ban by enemy Thief. Penalty of immediate imprisonment assessed." The Judge then looked around. "Engagement is hereby ended and Clan Nutsy is declared the victor by KO or imprisonment of all members of opposing clan."
Marche nodded. "Didn't know that Potions were considered Holy elemental..." He shrugged, then turned to see a pulsing red glow not far from where they stood.
Babus, as luck would have it, was right by whatever it was that was producing the glow and knelt beside it. "I think I found what it was that fell here...but strange...I don't recognize the inscription on it..." he said as he brushed aside some snow.
Then the inscription on it became much clearer and Babus gasped, in shock. It was the inscription of the sign of Scorpio. "This....this can't be!"
"What is it, Babus?" Marche inquired of him, trotting over to him at his reaction to it.
"This....this is one of the Zodiac Stones...thought destroyed millennia ago!!!"
"Zodiac Stones?" Marche asked.
Babus nodded, regaining his composure somewhat. "It would appear to be...but as I said, they were destroyed millennia ago....long before Ivalice was in its present state."
"Explain..."
"Long ago, a fierce war was fought all over Ivalice...people started calling it the Lion War....but this was brought on by humans, years before the discovery of the other races in Ivalice. At any rate....the war was dragged on for years and years, until it was discovered that the whole war was started over evil-hearted humans that possessed THESE stones. They turned into demons from the underworld and would have destroyed our entire world if not for the deeds of one brave human boy..."
He turned to Marche. "A boy that reminds me a bit of you, from what I've read of him...."
Marche blinked. "Me?"
Babus nodded. "His name was Ramza Beoulve...after that great fight he was never seen again, and the human church sought to cover up the entire affair, as it was their quest for power that brought about the discovery of the stones in the first place. No offense, Ritz and Marche, but humankind can be so arrogant when they want to be..."
Ritz and Marche didn't say a word, but allowed Babus to continue. "Go on..."
"The stones were presumed destroyed at the end of that battle...but as you can see, here one is, the stone Scorpio."
"How many were there, Babus?"
"Thirteen in all. Leo, Scorpio, Cancer, Libra, Aquarius, Capricorn, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Virgo, Sagittarius, and the final stone, Serpentarius. Furthermore, as I recall the story, Ramza was never able to find the Leo stone. It was thought to be held by a man named Vormav Tingel...thought the be the orchestrator behind the scenes that was the REAL force behind the Lion War."
"But...you're talking about something that happened thousands of years ago, right?"
Babus nodded. "Yes...but there is no telling what these stones may portend....as they were held by the Lucavi..."
"The what?"
"An ancient league of demons...you could call them the devils of our world."
"I see...."
"At any rate, we must get this stone somewhere safe and pray it does NOT fall into the hands of evil-hearted humans...or any other race for that matter."
Marche nodded. "Good work, Babus. You finished the mission."
"With help..." the Runeseeker added.
"Yes, but you did. Now let's get back to Cyril and find out what we're supposed to do next."
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in either Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Those are owned by the wonderful folks over at Square Enix. (about TIME those companies merged into something good)
Chapter 1: Lookie what Babus found.
It was snowing on Lutia Pass....like always. This day, however, a lone figure dressed in blue and white robes was trudging along the path to the other end of the pass and the summit of Lutia Peak. And it was NOT a very happy and content being traveling along, either.
"What does he think I am, a message boy? Me, Babus Swain, guardian of His Highness Prince Mewt, a common errand runner? How absurd. And yet...since the Prince left it makes me feel....useful....I guess I cannot complain much."
-----------
It was a simple dispatch mission, really. Someone had reported an object falling on Lutia Peak and Marche and his Clan Nutsy signed up to investigate.
Babus could have sworn that Marche actually grinned when he picked him out for this mission. "Well, you're a Nu Mou, so you're used to the cold of Lutia Peak. So you'd be absolutely PERFECT for this mission, Babus...." he said before sending him off.
"But....Marche, there are FIVE other Nu Mou in the clan.....why me?" he started to object.
"Because of your coloration. Your white color is rare...no, unique...among the Nu Mou and, well, there are possibly other bandits on the lookout for whatever it was that fell. It might be a meteor loaded with Mythril and Adamantite, and they'll be after it like flies to honey, plus you're going alone. So it helps to stand out as little as possible..."
"I..I see, I think." the white Nu Mou answered, bowing his head. Although he was the Royal Advisor to Prince Mewt in the past, he was now a member of Clan Nutsy, and since Marche was its leader, he answered to him. "However....if I am attacked...."
"Then your abilities should hold you out for a while, plus act as a signal to the rest of us to act."
"My abilities? Marche, I am but a novice Runeseeker...I do not have as many combat skills as you and the rest of the clan do."
"But you have some...besides, your Explode skill would be useful in the snows of the pass...ice monsters lurk about, and they just so happen to be weak to fire magics. Like yours." And Marche knew just how powerful his magic was, firsthand, having been on the receiving end of it many times before.
Babus nodded, understanding somewhat. "And with Cyril being so close to the peak, the rest of the clan would be able to see its use and respond quickly."
Marche grinned again. "Exactly, Babus. So you'll go?"
"Although I am a bit ruffled at being sent on an mere errand...I am a member of Clan Nutsy now..and I do as you command, as our clan leader. I will go."
-----------
Ruffle him, it did. He felt about as happy as an Ice Flan in the heart of Roda Volcano.
It was at times like this that he missed the warmth of Bervenia Palace and the company of the Prince--and his best friend--Mewt Randell. He also wondered if Marche sent him on missions like this to test his loyalty to the clan, being that before he joined Clan Nutsy, he and Marche were constantly locking horns in battle. However, after the Prince left, he felt terribly alone, and so he'd asked Marche to go with him on a mission to find the sole reminder he had of Mewt...his teddy bear. THAT had proven to be an interesting mission, as he had gone head to head with an impostor of his former liege, Queen Remedi. After that, he'd felt even more alone--though at that point, and even now he'd not dare admit that to anyone save himself--and so he accepted Marche's offer to join the clan, although he insisted that they would never be close friends.
Once in a great while, he regretted that sole condition. Even at that point, those words sounded hollow to his own ears, but he had his pride, and that was ALL he had when that mission was done. He had nothing else...his best friend was gone, the palace was in a shambles, and he'd left the palace to, well, find time for himself to quietly reflect, as all Nu Mou were inclined to do in times of depression.
It didn't help.
He was still young for his kind, quite possibly the youngest to hold the title of Runeseeker, an honor among the Nu Mou. In human years, he was about 15...but then again, Nu Mou were a long lived race, and ages of 200 human years or more were not unheard of among them.
However, as he'd pointed out to Marche, his skills were still developing. Some ridiculed his class, calling it a glorified Time Mage/Sage combination. Explode was similar in its magical structure to the Sage's Giga Flare skill, except that Explode was bound to the Fire element, whereas Giga Flare was not bound to any element, and his other unique skill, Stillness, was similar in nature to the Time Mage's Stop spell. He also had the Time Magics Quarter and Demi, which reduced an enemy's health by a quarter and half, respectively.
But a Runeseeker at the peak of its skill and power...that was a force spoken of only in legend among the Nu Mou. To date, only a chosen few had ever reached that awesome peak...and that was millennia ago, ancient even for them.
Babus had stepped onto that path two years ago, much to the surprise of his family--and the dismay of his father, who'd thought he was just chasing flights of fancy. He'd grown up more or less a loner, ridiculed by even his classmates in school--before he'd dropped out to study the ways of the Runeseeker. In many ways, when Mewt arrived at the palace three years ago, Babus felt a kinship with the young human boy. Both were alone and ridiculed in their respective worlds, only laughed at, never respected. With Prince Mewt at his side, he started to feel as though he was important, second only in the land to Judgemaster Cid and the Prince himself in prestige, and given the due he felt he'd been lacking since he'd stepped onto that lonely road. During that time, he'd not kept up with his studies as a Runeseeker.
Now, he felt that lack of study was hindering him. He'd just now, shortly after joining Clan Nutsy, started back on his work, studying the ancient patterns of various runes etched into his weapons of choice, the mace. He hadn't picked up any new skills yet, but he knew he would someday...and deep in his heart, he'd felt he'd gone astray from his calling in order to find respect he didn't think he had.
But there was something he learned on that final day that Mewt disappeared, supposedly heading back home to his true world. Friendship is its own kind of respect...no matter where you come from or who you are.
*Perhaps THAT is why I took Marche up on his offer to join the clan...because I needed friends...* he thought as he continued his trek up to the summit of Lutia Peak. *Although there will never be another Prince Mewt...no one will hold that place in my heart...that kind of friendship...ever again*
He was still thinking about that when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He spun around, holding his mace at the ready, his spells springing forth to mind in an instant. Although he may have not studied in a while, and lived the life of a sheltered royal guardian, he was by no means not ready for battle...and even being a novice at his craft made him no less deadly in an engagement. Even if he was merely a force of one.
Two Ice Flans came out to confront him, sliding forth, sensing his presence as a threat to their territory.
Babus studied them for a moment, then narrowed his eyes intently, half chuckling to himself. As Marche had so well pointed out to him, Nu Mou were hardy against the cold, and Babus had the additional presence of mind to wear a Flurry Robe, for good measure. In his eyes, these were no threat.
The Ice Flans had all of quite possibly one tenth of one percent of Babus' mental capacities, and were solely acting on instinct, so they did what came naturally to them.
They attacked with ice magics.
Babus just stood there, repressing the urge to simply fall over laughing at these attacks, as the magical weave of the Flurry Robe effortlessly absorbed the attacks and converted them to energy for its wearer. For a while, he just thought to simply move around them, until a THIRD Ice Flan decided to make its presence known right behind them.
And although the Flurry Robe offered excellent protection against ice magics, it offered very little in comparison against physical attack.
Obviously the first two Flans had learned from their mistakes as they projected parts of themselves into icicles and lunged forward at the Nu Mou. Okay...so maybe these particular ones had ONE percent of Babus' mental capacities.
Since they were attacking Babus head on, though, he easily parried one attack with his mace, dodging the second by deftly sidestepping. This left the third attacking from the side, though..and this one got through his defenses and scored his side with an icicle.
"Ouch...that hurt. Gotta be more careful...okay, playtime is over...." he muttered through gritted teeth as he pulled out a potion to heal the wound that the Ice Flan had left.
He took a quick check of how the Ice Flans were arranged and noted that all three were bunched together. One spell would end this encounter and end it rather quickly and convincingly. He wasted no time, but traced a runic pattern in the air and extended his fingers forth before shouting out the words of the spell.
"Runes of fire, gather and unleash your fury. Explode!!"
A massive fireball gathered precisely in the center of the formation of Ice Flans before it burst spectacuarly into a mini nova. When the fire died down, three steaming puddles were all that remained to mark the passing of his foes.
"Better luck next time." the Nu Mou snickered as he continued towards the summit.
He got all of two feet before a blade stopped just short of his nose. "And just where do you think you're going, pal?"
Babus cursed under his breath. "I am here to retrieve whatever it was that fell on the summit."
"Fat chance....that's probably a meteor filled with precious metals and it's gonna fetch us a lot of gil...so you'd just be best to move along and pretend you didn't see us."
"That I cannot do." Babus spoke. He was scared in his mind, but his voice would not betray it.
The bandit stepped out of the shadows, his clothing identifying him as a mere Thief. "You will, or we'll get to see what you look like on the inside, Nu Mou."
Another bandit spoke up, a Soldier by his armament and clothing. "Hey...ain't that there Babus Swain? I heard that he was the Royal Guardian to that fella' Mewt..."
"Yeah, that's him all right..." a human Fighter spoke. "Heard that Mewt wasn't nothin' but a tyrannical scumbag...makin' the laws all harsh and such..."
Babus glared at the bandits. "What....what did you say about His Highness?"
The Thief got right up in his face until Babus could smell the alcohol on his breath...and it wasn't pretty. "He said that the Prince wasn't nothing but a dirtbag...and I heard he ain't around no more..."
"How dare you speak of His Highness with such disrespect!!!"
"Disrespect? Listen here, boy, he ain't around and we can talk about him however we want to. Now get lost!!"
By this time, though, Babus was positively fuming...another spell came to mind but with that Thief holding that dagger too close, he worried that he wouldn't have time to get it off before he got himself killed, or at least severely hurt. Last time he checked, this wasn't exactly a Jagd, so surely a Judge would intervene before that happened.
"I said...." the Thief repeated, but then a voice rang out. Babus instantly recognized it as Marche.
"ENGAGE!!"
With that word spoken, a figure dressed in full armor and riding a Chocobo sauntered forth. "I will be the Judge for this engagement. The law shall be: Holy Elemental Ban...neither side shall use Holy action abilities. The penalty is immediate imprisonment. Now begin!"
The Thief cursed loudly. "Damn it...an engagement. Didn't want the Judge to see this, but he won't get in the way. Everyone, attack!!"
Babus scampered back to the company of more friendly people. "Marche! How did you..." he started to ask but the question answered itself as he rememebered what Marche had told him back at the pub.
"We don't leave our own to hang, Babus. We saw your Explode spell and came to the rescue as quick as we could."
Babus nodded. "Glad you came...thank you."
Marche had brought along with him Ritz, Ezel, Montblanc, and Shara. Ritz was his friend from school before he came to the alternate Ivalice, Ezel was the Nu Mou owner of the Antilaw Card shop in Cadoan, Montblanc was the Moogle that had befriended Marche on his arrival and had been his steadfast companion ever since, and Shara was Ritz's clanmate and her best friend here.
Shara was the first to attack, nocking an arrow into her bow and taking aim at the Thief...or rather, the dagger he was holding. The arrow flew straight and true, shattering the dagger to bits.
"Gotta love that Aim: Weapon skill...works like a charm." Marche noted before drawing his blade, having taken the role of a Fighter for this engagement. And not a moment too soon, as the bandit Fighter came charging forth with a blade of his own.
"Charging at me, hmm? Let's see you handle this..." Marche said, and slashed with his blade so quickly it actually sent the other Fighter back a few steps. This was the power of the Fighter's Rush technique.
Ritz didn't have much time to react either as the Soldier bore down on her with his sword as well. The redheaded Fencer calmly drew her rapier from its sheath on her side and lunged forth, her attack so sudden and powerful that it created a wave of power that hit the Fighter behind him that was recovering from Marche's attack. The Fighter, having been assaulted by two powerful attacks, slumped to the ground and didn't get back up.
The Judge nodded and tossed something at Ritz. "One Judge Point awarded to Ritz for a legal KO."
Montblanc was up next...and his attack targeted the Thief that Shara had so easily left daggerless at the start of the engagement. He lifted one white hand and shouted. "Frigid winds, blow and condense...Blizzard!!"
A huge stone of ice fell on the Thief, causing him massive damage but not yet enough to put him out of the fight...and the aftereffects of the spell caught the Soldier as well, causing him to drop to one knee.
"Wow...two for the price of one, kupo." Montblanc noted in the unique way that was a trademark of their race.
The Soldier started to get back up, but then a bluish haze filled the air and the Soldier was out cold, sleeping like a log.
"Nice work with that Azoth skill of yours, Ezel." Ritz nodded, as the Soldier was too close to her for comfort.
"Works every time...well, almost." the Nu Mou dealer responded. He looked more or less like your usual Nu Mou except for the patch of red blush at the tip of his nose. Not quite as unique as Babus' snow white coloration, but still stood out in a crowd.
The Theif was struggling to get back up, but failing miserably, when he suddenly produced a vial from his tunic, opened it and drank it, and stood, fully recovered.
Marche and the rest of Clan Nutsy looked on as the Thief charged towards them, with a weapon he'd stolen from one of his compatriots, when he was suddenly surrounded by a greenish aura and disappeared.
"Violation of Holy Elemental Ban by enemy Thief. Penalty of immediate imprisonment assessed." The Judge then looked around. "Engagement is hereby ended and Clan Nutsy is declared the victor by KO or imprisonment of all members of opposing clan."
Marche nodded. "Didn't know that Potions were considered Holy elemental..." He shrugged, then turned to see a pulsing red glow not far from where they stood.
Babus, as luck would have it, was right by whatever it was that was producing the glow and knelt beside it. "I think I found what it was that fell here...but strange...I don't recognize the inscription on it..." he said as he brushed aside some snow.
Then the inscription on it became much clearer and Babus gasped, in shock. It was the inscription of the sign of Scorpio. "This....this can't be!"
"What is it, Babus?" Marche inquired of him, trotting over to him at his reaction to it.
"This....this is one of the Zodiac Stones...thought destroyed millennia ago!!!"
"Zodiac Stones?" Marche asked.
Babus nodded, regaining his composure somewhat. "It would appear to be...but as I said, they were destroyed millennia ago....long before Ivalice was in its present state."
"Explain..."
"Long ago, a fierce war was fought all over Ivalice...people started calling it the Lion War....but this was brought on by humans, years before the discovery of the other races in Ivalice. At any rate....the war was dragged on for years and years, until it was discovered that the whole war was started over evil-hearted humans that possessed THESE stones. They turned into demons from the underworld and would have destroyed our entire world if not for the deeds of one brave human boy..."
He turned to Marche. "A boy that reminds me a bit of you, from what I've read of him...."
Marche blinked. "Me?"
Babus nodded. "His name was Ramza Beoulve...after that great fight he was never seen again, and the human church sought to cover up the entire affair, as it was their quest for power that brought about the discovery of the stones in the first place. No offense, Ritz and Marche, but humankind can be so arrogant when they want to be..."
Ritz and Marche didn't say a word, but allowed Babus to continue. "Go on..."
"The stones were presumed destroyed at the end of that battle...but as you can see, here one is, the stone Scorpio."
"How many were there, Babus?"
"Thirteen in all. Leo, Scorpio, Cancer, Libra, Aquarius, Capricorn, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Virgo, Sagittarius, and the final stone, Serpentarius. Furthermore, as I recall the story, Ramza was never able to find the Leo stone. It was thought to be held by a man named Vormav Tingel...thought the be the orchestrator behind the scenes that was the REAL force behind the Lion War."
"But...you're talking about something that happened thousands of years ago, right?"
Babus nodded. "Yes...but there is no telling what these stones may portend....as they were held by the Lucavi..."
"The what?"
"An ancient league of demons...you could call them the devils of our world."
"I see...."
"At any rate, we must get this stone somewhere safe and pray it does NOT fall into the hands of evil-hearted humans...or any other race for that matter."
Marche nodded. "Good work, Babus. You finished the mission."
"With help..." the Runeseeker added.
"Yes, but you did. Now let's get back to Cyril and find out what we're supposed to do next."