Goug Machine City. Home of ancient items from the earlier and more advanced days of Ivalice, this island had a never-ending supply of adventurers and engineers exploring every inch of the area in hopes of making a grand discovery. Day in and day out, various sounds of tinkering rang all throughout the city. One such noise came from the home of Mustadio Bunanza. Finding ancient artifacts of their own, Mustadio and his father were busy at work tinkering with their latest find.
"Ramza! Come here!" He shouted, noticing his friend walk by the entrance. The heretic Beoulve stopped his current activity to go and greet his friend. A large backpack with numerous items protruding from the top had been tightly fastened to his back.
"Carrying perfumes again? It'd been days since hiding your identity was so critical. Last I checked, you only carried a single Setiemson."
The heretic Beoulve raised an eyebrow, "What do you… ah yes." He stopped, frowning, "Lady Meliadoul has fallen ill. Her possessions are on my back."
"Nothing serious I hope?"
Ramza shook his head. "A fever, a few days rest will return her strength. Still…" Despite her tough exterior, she was a really nice girl. Ramza hoped she would recover soon. With Alma and Reis tending her, he recognized the former Shrine Knight had been left in excellent hands, but couldn't help his reflexive concern when any of his companions suffered.
Musatdio nodded, "Indeed. Alas, your attention is needed elsewhere." Changing the subject, he gestured his arm towards an unusual machine both had seen before. It appeared to be some type of orrery, with various contraptions Ramza knew nothing about continuously propelling atop of two thick wooden platforms, the first with a topless pyramid shape and underneath laid a smoother surface. "You don't suppose this one will metamorphose as well do you?"
"We'll soon know." Ramza approach the contraption, easily understanding what Mustadio wanted. Their last encounter with this relic of the past left all three with an objective: obtain the Cancer stone. Similar to their previous discovery of Worker 8, the marking of a certain zodiac sign had been engraved on the machine, most likely describing the key required to activate it. Unlike last time, they had the object necessary to unlock this tool's secrets.
Crouching, Ramza placed the stone in the appropriate area before standing back up. In less than a second, the room darkened and the floor beneath them began to tremble violently.
"Father's mercy!" Mustadio cried, falling to the floor. His father barely stood upright, cane repeatedly pressing for balance and a hand placed on the wall.
The machine emitted a high pitch noise, its volume almost deafening and leaving the men with no choice but to cover their ears. Soon after, steam starting blasting from various sides in small bursts, followed by a hiss of lightning that smacked the floor behind Ramza. The Beoulve leapt forward in a fit of shock, landing near the stone of Cancer. Immediately, the device sent another dosage of electricity that surrounded both Ramza and the stone. Afterwards, the old relic began glowing white until it covered the entire room.
"This foul light shines like the blinding sun!"
But Ramza didn't see it.
Or hear it or touch it or grasp it or understand it.
When engulfed in that white light, Ramza's world had already gone black.
Disclaimer
I don't own Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy VII.
Note(s)
There will be male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic.
Zodiac Interference
Nibelheim
Chapter 1: An Unknown Location
By Big-Babidi
Regaining consciousness, Ramza groaned as he opened groggy eyes. He lay on his back staring towards the blue sky, resting against a surface far harder and edgier than the floor in Besrodio's house. Obviously outside atop a formation of stone and dirt, he began to take in his surroundings while recalling the most recent events of his memory.
"Where…?" His voice trailed off, taking in the awkward, unfamiliar scenery. Okay, so the device in Goug was likely some sort of transportation device. Mustadio's father had mentioned it once offhandedly, no doubt believing it an impossible find, but the real mystery to solve was where he went.
Or perhaps he was simply hallucinating. For now, he shoved that thought aside.
The landscape seemed to suggest he awoke in some type of mountain path. He couldn't remember any similar location to Gallione offhand, but Ramza was far from claiming knowledge of every inch of the land. He spent a few more minutes surveying the area to prepare his next course of action. A guess was made, though Ramza had no idea of its validity.
'The ground's color and murky atmosphere, am I near Poeskas Lake? Perhaps there lay a trail of mountains, its existence I knew naught.'
He couldn't remember such an environment during his prior march to Limberry Castle, but his fixation in rescuing Alma at the time halted any ideas for taking detours, so the possibility certainly existed. Even if he guessed correctly, where to go from here? The Poeskas region had some of most dangerous monsters in Ivalice –such as King Behemoths and their much fiercer dark brothers– so staying put seemed absurd and unintelligent.
"Nothing gained while remaining afoot."
One step forward and he stopped. Looking down, Ramza noticed the backpack he'd carried before this incident at his feet. Seeing the items within made him so incredibly thankful to Mustadio for calling him before returning Meliadoul's equipment he could have sworn the resulting grin touched his ears. Her Save the Queen, Aegis Shield, Ribbon and various perfume bottles would certainly come in handy. He would regret the lack of his own equipment (save a couple projectiles) on his personage later.
One second later, his smile vanished and eyes widened immensely.
Earlier that day, all zodiac stones save the Aquarius nestled inside Worker 8 and the device-powering Cancer had been stored in that bag. What once contained eleven now held three: Libra, Capricorn and the mysterious Serpentarius.
'Oh no the stones! Reclaiming them takes priority. No cost –my existence included- is too great a price to ensure such weapons avoid evil hands.' In the blink of an eye, the situation became much more horrifying. No more hesitation. He had to move. Unsure of where he stood in proximity to Poeskas Lake, he took another look around the mountain hoping to find something, anything. His answer, his barely visible answer, came in the form of a familiar shine, one he'd seen on thirteen different objects since Cardinal Draclau. Buried in the rubble was a Zodiac Stone almost entirely hidden from view. At least reclaiming them was still possible.
"South it is."
He had ground to cover and familiar territory to find.
With two hours of exploration spent in the unfamiliar mountains, only his vast experience in crazy and potentially dangerous situations kept Ramza Beoulve from panicking wildly. He'd yet to find anything recognizable and the area was just plain weird. All throughout the past one hundred and twenty minutes, neither hide nor hair of his friends and allies showed up. He didn't dare call for them and stuck to avoiding monsters. Without awareness of what creatures laid in wait, he thought against garnering attention of whatever resided here. He'd yet to see any familiar monsters and he hadn't fought alone since his disastrously deadly battle against Wiegraf Folles. Using caution sounded quite good.
Continuing his trek, he stepped over one such monster. A green, four-eyed creature that resembled an overgrown iguana, it seemed to enjoy leaping at his opponents. If Ramza had slower reflexes, he would've been mauled by the animal. Sneaking up behind him, it tried to pounce while the heretic inspected the contents within a strange white container. Ramza grabbed the weapon inside and immediately attacked while turning around, slicing it in half.
The boxed treasure brought about another conundrum. He'd seen the Rune Blade before. An expensive sword with magical enhancements that Beowulf preferred to use in combat, it had a brown hilt and a white blade with a pink edge. It looked nothing like this uncovered sword bearing the exact name. It wasn't a blue sword that grew wider from the bottom up; it didn't have a white spherical shaped object –with four round holes in its corners– with a small blade from each side that separated the blade from the hilt.
'What does this mean?' Ramza wondered, eyeing the weapon. Then again, perhaps he was reading too much into it. The blond hadn't forgotten the Javelin and Escutcheon discovered in Nelveska Temple. Despite having similar names to a spear and shield purchased at castles, they had vastly different appearances and an ever greater gap in power. Another similar case of identically-named weapons was certainly possible. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something felt … off.
Placing the Rune Blade into his backpack reminded him that other containers had been confiscated since he began exploring. Starting with a type of gauntlet, a purple orb, a rifle Mustadio would love to get his hands on and ending with some type of barrette Ramza could feel his bag filling. More importantly, he regained two more Zodiac Stones, Taurus and Virgo specifically. He couldn't wait until reaching the nearest town, his mind already planning his next course of action. Sell unnecessary supplies, eat dinner and stock up on food, buy some Chocobos off some townsfolk for a hefty price, and hire a few men from the soldier's office –simultaneously hoping at least one shared similar preferences– who could accompany him during the long trip back to Goug. Of course, finding the stones was top priority so they'd have to retur-
"Get away from him ya sick bastards!"
"Yeah! Leave him alone!"
His plans and brief fantasy had been interrupted by a disturbing scene nearby: A young girl and two boys shouting and running from four monsters salivating for human flesh, a pack of animals getting closer and closer to dining on their prey. Assessing the enemies in an instant Ramza noticed half of them were actually familiar. He never imagined feeling relief to see a pair of Bombs, but stranger things happened two hours prior. The other two monsters were a strange bird-like creature he'd never seen before. At first glance, they resembled the Cocatoris he encountered at Nelveska Temple or Fovoham Plains, but their purple wings and more aerodynamic shape left him guessing.
"Those children are unsafe. I must make haste!" Immediately racing towards the scene, Ramza reached down into a small pouch at his side, filled with a few shuriken for emergency throwing, the only weapons belonging to him instead of Meliadoul. The launched projectile found itself lodged in one of the birds, sending the creature plummeting to the ground in death. Closing the distance considerably, Ramza stopped and pulled back his right arm.
"Burning Anger Rising, Burst! Wave Fist!" A stream of energy jettisoned from his now-extended arm, making direct impact with the Bomb's face. Completely caught by surprise, the orange creature crashed against the ground and rolled for a few seconds before stopping entirely.
"Take shelter children! I'll not let harm befall you!
The young trio did not need telling twice.
"Thanks dude!"
"Yeah man, kick his ass!"
"Good luck!"
'Such informal manner they speak.' He briefly thought, watching the children vacate to safer grounds. The hiss of an enormous Bomb reclaimed his attention. Reaching into his backpack, he quickly drew Save the Queen and leapt back not a moment too soon. The other bird-like monster swooped in from the side, hoping to catch the blond by surprise. But Ramza had other plans. As soon as his feet left the ground, he swung Meliadoul's knight sword downwards, intercepting the bird with a clean slice through the neck, leaving the creature decapitated.
Taking advantage of the extra time, the Bomb roared loudly, its body expanded in mass to almost double its original size. Ramza raised an eyebrow, 'Bombs possessed that ability? When?' Leaving the unanswered thought aside, he clasped the sword with both hands and approached slowly, waiting for his enemy to make the first move. It didn't disappoint, quickly lunging for the Beoulve. Ramza changed the sword's positioning, the blade pointing to his right. When he parried the Bomb's dive, he sidestepped to the left, Save the Queen burying itself within the monster's midsection and continuing through thanks to its own momentum.
The exchange left both combatants with their backs turned. Immediately, Ramza turned around and began ruthlessly attacking. The white knight-sword connected with the Bomb. Once. Twice. Thrice! With a loud grunt, Ramza leapt at the monster, swinging one last downward blow supported by his own body weight, effectively (if also messily) finishing it off. Blood continuously poured from each of the monster's wounds, resulting in a sickening mess across the mountainous ground that shouldn't be seen by anyone, least of all young ones.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced towards the kids and their pitiful attempt at hiding behind a few rocks.
"Tis safe now Children! Hide yourself no more!"
Each youth stood, looking around uncertainly before rushing to Ramza's side.
"How'd you do all that? It was awesome!"
"Yeah man, you ripped 'em apart good!" One of the boys responded, throwing fake punches to the side while imitating silly fighting noises.
"Are in SOLDIER or something? That was badass!"
The girl nodded enthusiastically, black pigtails flailing wildly, "With such a cool lookin' sword, he's gotta be!"
"And check out that armor! That's gotta be heavy as hell!"
Ramza smiled at the youngsters, despite misunderstanding almost everything said, their strange country accent not helping matters in the slightest. What in all of Ivalice did "SOLDIER" or "badass" mean anyway? Similar claims of gushing praise with unknown or made-up words lasted another five or so minutes, until the kids instantly stopped talking and approached the fallen Bomb. His eyes widened with each step taken. That Bomb's death was far from his cleanest kill and he had no desire to watch kids play around in a scene of such epic brutality.
"Hey, ya think that's the gold shard he was talkin' about?"
"How should I know? It's not like any of us have seen the stupid thing!"
"Yeah you stupid idiot!"
"Idiot? Fuck you!"
"What the hell did you say to me?"
"I said you were fat and beaten with a ugly stick, ya flat-chest that's what!"
"Oh, you're so gonna pay for that!"
"Children, halt your tongue!" Ramza shouted, fed up their behavior. And to think he worried they'd get traumatized from the carnage. "Cease this madness at once!"
To their credit, the mouth of each child instantly closed. The young girl even pretended to seal it shut with an imaginary zipper.
"Foremost, let us proceed further before prolonging discussion." Even if they weren't panicking at the scene; the fact remained that carcasses smell. Ramza preferred not to lounge in disgusting areas if given the choice. The kids wore confused expressions, but still followed his lead when he walked past them. Surprisingly enough, it looked as though the mountain was at its end, green grass entering his line of sight. The different environment forced him to remember his objective. Thinking back, he realized both areas between Poeskas Lake –Limberry and Germinas Peak– had green grass, resulting in further exploration needed to make a solid prediction.
He waited until entering the plains before restarting conversation.
"Do you know of a nearby village?" He asked out of the blue, glancing over his shoulder to the kids.
The trio stared at each other.
"Well… yeah," one of the boys hesitantly, hoping not anger the man once again, "we're walking to one right now."
Ramza's eyebrows shot up considerably. "Truly?" In hindsight, that shouldn't be so shocking. The kids had to come from somewhere.
The other boy chuckled, "Yeah. We're country folk, so don't feel bad that you didn't know."
Joining her friends, the girl nodded, all three smiling nervously. Ramza felt like he'd been Wave-Fisted in the stomach. Releasing his ire on innocent children was sickening. "My apologies for harsh words. Today has left me … fatigued. Forgive me. Please, converse as you please."
Faces brightened, a trio of voices quickly filled the air. They didn't fully understand what he said, but an apology was an apology.
"Thanks mister! So… who are you anyway?"
"Ramza." Possibly being in Nanten territory, he thought against revealing his full name. For all their sakes.
One of the boys rested both of his behind his head, "That's cool. So where ya from Ramza?"
The heretic looked up, "Hmm… from a distant land far, far, far away," his tone gradually increasing with melodrama. Not only should the kids keep their smiles, but he'd learned a lesson while fighting the good fight: epic serious business kills. The need to lighten up, relax and enjoy was an urge that needed constant indulgence.
Giggling, the girl responded first, "Let me guess: Icicle Inn?"
"Nah," One of the boys joined in, "I'll bet it's Mideel or Wutai."
"My money's on Kalm, Midgar, Costa Del Sol or Bone Village."
"You can't say four different things and bet on all of 'em ya dummy!"
"Says who! For that, I also got money on Junon!"
As the three began an argument on the validity of plural gambling, Ramza barely stopped himself from freezing in shock. His exterior appeared no different, but thoughts raced through his mind at a mile a second. Costa Del Sol? Mideel? Midgar? Wutai? What were those children talking about? No stranger to world travel, he still had never heard of any of those places. At that moment, he finally acknowledged a thought that had been poking in his subconscious since his exploration of these mountains began.
Perhaps he wasn't in Gallione, Zeltennia or anywhere in between. Perhaps he warped to Ordallia or another area, both unfamiliar and completely different from his brief stay in Murond Death City. Did Ivalice have a new area? Did Ivalice have an entirely new continent under everyone's noses? One entirely undiscovered and uncharted by the finest sailors of Warjilis and Zarghidas? While sounding absurd, it certainly wasn't out of the question. Unfamiliar mountains, strange monsters and different weapons certainly weren't disagreeing. Not to mention some of the names were ridiculous. Bone Village? Really?
"Ramza? Ramza!"
Ramza felt his pondering shaken away by a small boy failing miserably to pull his armor, "My apologies. My mind went astray." He told the lad, smiling.
The kid smiled in return. "I was asking if you were a member of SOLDIER."
A what? Apparently, this new land had other job classes available, this "SOLDIER" possibly being one of many. Unfair thinking, but considering everything strange that transpired today, Ramza briefly wondered if something equally weird applied to the occupation. Something insane like powerful combat abilities but only usable with a sword found in a volcano.
"SOLDIER?" He simply asked, unsure of how to provide a proper response.
"You know… the best of the best of Shinra's guys. They carry a sword and are real tough."
Shinra. Another unknown term. Joy.
"Yeah, and I heard that a SOLDIER or two will be coming to town real soon."
"No way! Where'd you hear that?"
"I overheard the mayor talking about it. Something to do with the reactor."
Ramza shook his head, a bemused smile born from the kid's low attention spans, "I've no part in them."
"Really? Well what do ya do then?"
"Well," Ramza pondered for a moment how to best explain it, "I travel between lands. A traveler, you could say." Wow, that sounded so lame. No one could've possibly believed it.
All three nodded, "That's so cool!"
He sighed. This village better show up soon.
The game of twenty questions lasted much longer than Ramza expected. By the time they reached civilization, the three kids learned a plethora of interesting and downright worthless trivia about the traveler, ranging from his age and love for milk to his favorite time of day for Chocobo-riding or his speed in setting up camp. More strange monsters attacked during the walk –labeled by the kids as Nibel Wolves– but Ramza had no difficulty dispatching them. Creatures that preferred mindless charges with little strength backing them up were better off keeping the most possible distance from the experienced Beoulve.
Walking past a strange pole-shaped object embedded in the ground, Ramza turned to the right and found himself gaping, facing the largest home he'd ever seen. With multiple floors and incredible width, Ramza briefly wondered if he entered this area's capital city. Even the Beoulve manor had nothing on this. Down a couple steps and he saw a well surrounded by numerous buildings, each having far more impressive interior design than any residence he could remember.
The only thing missing was a castle.
"Hey you!"
While the children instinctually cringed, Ramza shifted his gaze to the voice. Three women with anger in their eyes, a seemingly curious teenage girl and a confident old man approached him as a group.
"Where have you been! We've been looking all for you!"
'Ah. Mothers.' Ramza thought, noting how each lady reprimanded a child sharing similar physical traits and spoken accents. All three appeared enraged but he could see the relief pouring through them. A small smile tugged at his lips. The sight before his eyes was yet another reminder of what he'd been fighting for since protecting Ovelia at Zirekile Falls and collecting Zodiac Stones. What he'd helped protect from defeating Altima at the airship graveyard.
During the commotion, the old man stepped closer to the Beoulve. "And who is this?" He asked, gesturing to Ramza.
One of the boy's faces lit up, "That's Ramza! He talks weird and he's strong! Super super strong! He saved us from these big scary monsters and-" he gasped and covered his mouth, his mistake recognized too late. His friends reactions, the boy shaking his head and the girl's epic facepalm, said enough.
Curiosity peaked, the old man stroke his beard, 'Strong you say.'
"So you did wander off!" The boy's mother shrieked.
His companion's mother had similar feelings to her own child, "What were you thinking! That's dangerous!"
"Just you wait young lady, you'll regret lying to us like this."
Annoyance turned to fury as each mother tugged her child roughly in the direction of their homes, ignoring their vehement protests.
"It was an accident I swear!"
"Accident my ass, it was all his fault!"
"You will watch your mouth!"
"Don't blame me flat-chest! This was your idea!"
"Oh, you need to teach your son some manners …."
The shouting gradually diminished as the group kept walking. Ramza only felt a slight pang of sympathy. The children had no one to blame but themselves, though without their guidance he probably would've continued randomly searching for Limberry. A cleared throat from the old man reclaimed his attention.
"My apologies. I am Ramza," he said, getting back on track. Like the children, he preferred against revealing his full name. The possibility of residing in Nanten territory still existed and unlike the kids, this man was far from youthful, nearing an age around Balbanes' own number. Ramza would rather avoid risking an unpleasant reaction to a name like Beoulve.
"So I heard," he replied amusedly, "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Nibelheim. I'm Zangan and this lady right here," he gestured to the teenage girl who'd been silent throughout this entire conversation, "is my pupil Tifa. So what brings you all the way out here?"
For the first time, he took a good look at the pair in front of him as Tifa waved lightly. With large red fighting gloves, red padded vest and cape and white pants, Ramza pegged Zangan for a monk. A skilled one. Looking past Tifa's bizarre clothing consisting of a white corset, an orange vest, miniskirt and cowboy hat, he saw a student with an eagerness to learn not unlike himself at Gariland Magic Academy.
"I've business in the mountain. Artifacts. Personal artifacts lost in travel." A half-truth, but Ramza preferred it to outright fabrication. Loathing dishonesty, he unfortunately learned to successfully lie over the years as a heretic, something demanded when trying to keep a low profile. At that point, the returning trip to Goug needed serious rethinking. Confirming his location seemed more efficient than randomly roaming the countryside hoping to find familiar landscape. If he could reclaim additional Zodiac Stones in the meantime while planning his next move, Ramza knew he wouldn't lose hope.
"I see. Are you planning to travel back up the mountains anytime soon?"
"Tis likely, yes." He wasn't quite sure where the elderly man's line of questioning would take him.
Zangen crossed his arms. "I overheard the boys mentioning your strength."
"Oh?" Ramza raised an eyebrow.
"And I was wondering if you'd be interesting in helping us out," he continued, "I'm unsure what you know of the geography around here, but with mountains on one side and a small body of water and harsh terrain to Cosmo Canyon on the other, it's hard for supplies to find their way here. I've lately been doing a lot of the hunting myself. Now I'd like to bring Tifa along for her training, but I ain't getting any younger and I'd prefer having someone else along for extra precaution. From what those kids said about you, I think you're right for the job."
Ramza frowned. That description was unsettling. Unless they had an enormous difference defining bodies of water, south of Poeskas Lake lied an ocean. And Cosmo Canyon? Where was that?
Suspicion immediately arose within, "You wish my sword to guard your pupil. We only met, why offer your trust so quickly?"
"Like I said: I'm not getting any younger. And let me do some assuming here: I'm gonna guess you were traveling in the mountains, saw those kids attacked by a number of monsters and charged in to help them without hesitation, right?"
The traveler nodded slowly.
"With that in mind, I somehow doubt you'd leave Tifa here to die if things got too intense for her." The older man grinned and the girl averted her eyes. "I happen to be a good judge of character."
Ramza couldn't help but smile back. Years spent as a heretic unavoidably built some paranoia. Being honest with himself, from everything witnessed so far, the chance of Zangen plotting a Nanten ambush with this request was comically slim. Besides, the stones wouldn't return themselves and this could provide an opportunity to learn about this new culture he'd encroached.
"Very well. My sword rests in your hands at sunrise."
Chuckling, Zangen placed his hands at his sides, "No need to get overdramatic there boy. But all in the same, I thank you for your help. Just meet up with us in the morning by that gate over there," he gestured behind them at the large mansion's entrance. A second later, he placed a hand under his chin? "Oh that reminds me. Where do you plan on staying the night?"
Ramza shook his head. "I am unfamiliar with this town. Do any inns lie between here and the next village?"
"There sure is. Nibelheim's got an inn down that away," he said, pointing to the south. "You'll see a bridge going downwards. Just cross it and there ya go. Good night, Ramza."
"Thank you. I wish you pleasant dreams." Extending a hand, it took little time for Zangen to give it a shake. Tifa waved a quick goodbye before leaving with her master.
As they parted ways, Ramza couldn't help but wonder what events the next day would bring.
A/N
I know the timeline is a little off. When Cloud goes to Ivalice it is most likely when he is in the Lifestream before ending up in Mideel, but putting Ramza in that timeslot pretty much equals no story (or at least, not one I'd want to write).