Disclaimer: FFXII, its characters, location, and story, does not belong to me. However, all original characters, location, and story, do.

Chapter 1

-Rabanastre-

It was an unusually hot day, even for Rabanastre, the kind of hot that melts your clothes and dries your throat until it is hoarse with thirst. Despite this fact, the thousands of people packed into the stadium in the northern part of the city were shouting and cheering as loud as their lungs could handle, all bearing the same cry: "Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh!"

"Good people of Rabanastre!" the announcer's voice rang out, "we are pleased to bring to you the Eighth Annual Enkidu Competition, so named for Gilgamesh's faithful hound! As you know, the stakes of this competition are the highest of any in the land, for if our challenger manages to defeat Gilgamesh – a feat which has yet to occur in any showdown yet – the coveted Genji Gloves will be awarded as a prize!"

"Funny they don't mention what the prize is if the challenger doesn't defeat Gilgamesh," said one girl near the back of the crowd.

"Oh, come on Beth. There's always surrender," replied the boy next to her.

"And how many have surrendered so far, hmmm?"

The boy sighed. "May I remind you that this is completely voluntary? The challenger chooses to track down and slay Enkidu-"

"Alright Valkyrie, shut up. They're about to announce the identity of this year's challenger, and I want to see how big his arms are this year."

"To the west," boomed the announcer, "we have the legend himself: the ancient man of mystery, the fabled swordsman, the collector of weapons most powerful…Gilgamesh!"

The cries of "Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh!" increased as the swordsman lifted one of his many arms and shook his fist in triumph at the crowd.

"Bahaha! It is good to see you all here today, ready to witness another victory in my name! Gilgamesh strikes again!"

"And to the east, we have our youngest challenger yet in the history of the competition! At age sixteen, give a hearty welcome to Zeus!"

From the east end of the stadium, a tall, slender figure appeared, weighted down with as much metal as Gilgamesh himself. While Gilgamesh only held swords, this master of weaponry carried guns as well, with a shield strapped to each arm. Unlike Gilgamesh, she was calm and composed, but a look of intensity captivated her face just the same.

The crowd was clearly surprised. "A girl?!" cried Beth.

"Oh, c'mon Beth, don't sound so surprised. You're the one always saying that women are strong like men and all that. I'm a little more hung up on the fact that she's only two years younger than I am, and that I couldn't possibly carry half of what she's wearing," said Valkyrie.

"You're telling me," said Beth, still in shock. "I mean, I turned seventeen a month ago, she's practically my age. There's no way I could ever be down there in that arena."

"You're just disappointed that you can't see her arms," chided Valkyrie.

"Shut it Pietr," said Beth.

"Hey, don't call me-"

"Seriously, shut it. I want to watch."

"Bahaha! I would call you a mere sliver of girl, but if you've made it this far, it's clear that you're no mere sliver," barked Gilgamesh. "Well, you've earned the reward bestowed upon you. Prepare for the fight of your life!"

Gilgamesh laughed again and quickly cast Haste on himself, but was surprised when moments after the spell took effect that he felt the effects of Slow seeping into his limbs. "So you have a few tricks, eh? Bahaha! This just keeps getting better!"

The blue-skinned demon drew one of his many blades and made a rush for the girl, but as he was Slow, she had already drawn two blood-red swords to counter. As Gilgamesh's thrust came near her stomach, she easily blocked with a shield and delivered a riposte to his left shoulder. However, Gilgamesh was ready for her next attack, and with another free arm, countered the sword which had just cut him, now attempting a stab in the arm. The sound of metal against metal continued to ring for a good three minutes until one of Gilgamesh's arms was seen drawing back in a wince; Zeus had managed to pull off a deep undercut and the legendary swordsman's wrist was now bleeding quite visibly.

"Where do you suppose she's been trained?" Beth yelled over the crowd to Valkyrie.

"Dunno," he yelled back. "She's too elegant to have been trained by bandits, and too young, not to mention too female, to be accepted into any military force in Ivalice. Besides, that style of swordsmanship isn't as composed as that of any imperial I've ever seen."

"Yeah, I…wait, what's she doing now?"

Gilgamesh, now slightly annoyed due to his useless hand, had attempted to cast sleep on Zeus, but it appeared she had cast Reflect in order to deflect the spell, and now appeared to be attaching something to her left hand.

"Oh! An Opal Ring!" cried Beth, "To let her cast through Reflect! Man, where did she get one of those? Do you have any idea how much those things cost?"

"Not important, Beth. Looks like she's changing weapons. Man, can you imagine the recoil from firing two of those at once?"

Zeus had indeed sheathed her swords and drawn two medium-sized guns. They were quickly loaded with a dark brown ammunition and fired at Gilgamesh, one shot following another following another. Although the impact woke Gilgamesh, he had trouble locating Zeus just the same: a dark cloud had surrounded his eyes. It appeared that Zeus had used Mud Shot, which had blinded Gilgamesh.

However, Gilgamesh had experienced many bouts of blindness in his life, and was thus able to locate Zeus, even if he could only land blows half the time. Seeing the blue demon rushing towards her, four swords drawn, she quickly changed the shot in her gun. This ammo appeared to be quite a bit more powerful, as each bullet slowed Gilgamesh's movement. However, as Gilgamesh drew near, she was forced to put up her guns and draw the two red swords yet again, countering his now wild blows. Blades dancing ferociously, the two warriors twisted and turned in a circle, until finally Zeus landed two quick cuts to Gilgamesh's middle arms simultaneously. This came at a price though, as her own back was thinly sliced in the process. The two backed up into a ready stance, both visibly drained from their long clash.

"I say, girl, why don't we finish this the traditional way? One broadsword each, you and I," said Gilgamesh, drawing his coveted Sword of Legend.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to do that," said Zeus, sheathing her two blood-red swords and drawing a greatsword of her own, "You haven't a real broadsword to fight with."

Gilgamesh's expression contorted into fury, but softened considerably when he noticed what she was wielding.

"I see…well then, why don't we up the stakes a bit? If I manage to defeat you in battle, I'll take that lovely piece you're wielding there, but if you win, in addition to the fabled Genji Gloves, I'll give you something else, anything you might desire."

Zeus smirked. "I hear you hold possession of the original katana of legend? The Masamune?"

"Done. Bahaha!" cried Gilgamesh, "the fight of a lifetime is about to come to an end! The Save the Queen will be of Gilgamesh!"

With alarming speed, he swung the Legendary Sword towards Zeus' chest, but her own weapon countered remarkably quickly. She quickly performed a powerful riposte, one attack coming after another. Gilgamesh, for once in his very long life, began to worry. That beautiful blade seemed crafted for her hands, and if she kept up at this pace, she would soon overtake him.

The noise of the crowd could be heard through near all of Rabanastre now, though some, like Valkyrie, could only stare in shock.

"The Save the Queen? I feel like I've heard of it somewhere…" mused Beth.

"You've forgotten? Of course you've heard of it," replied a pained Valkyrie, "it's the sword of the powerful female general in that old story. It made her unstoppable, even when overtaken by a great number of enemies, remember? Gods, I wasn't aware it actually existed, but if anyone would know, Gilgamesh would."

Gilgamesh now knew all too well the power contained within the Save the Queen. Barely able to keep up with Zeus, he stumbled backwards.

This was the opening she had been waiting for. Zeus cast Confuse on Gilgamesh, and as he vainly tried to orient himself, she stabbed at his chest with all her might, piercing straight through to his heart. A deafening silence fell over the crowd as Gilgamesh sank to the earth, Mist radiating from his body. Not only had Gilgamesh been defeated, he had been slain. The Ancient Man of Mystery was purged from Ivalice.

Abruptly, the crowd began bellowing again, but with a different cry, one of "Zeus! Zeus! Zeus!"

"Sh-she actually…" Beth began to stutter, unable to find the words.

"She killed Gilgamesh!" Valkyrie's expression of shock suddenly split to a huge grin. "Fuckin' A!" He began to holler with the rest of the crowed.

"Rabanastre," said the voice of the clearly stunned announcer, "it appears we have a new champion. The winner of this year's Enkidu competition is the challenger Zeus!"

For the first time that day, Zeus' face broke into a smile. Shaking the hair out of her face, she raised the Save the Queen for the crowd to see, then defiantly walked out of the exit at the west end of the arena, having been crowned the victor.

-

"They'll be talking about that one for years, Valkyrie. Years."

"Man, we can say we were actually there! Once we get back to Archades, news'll have made it that Zeus won. We can tell everybody exactly how it went."

Beth and Valkyrie, making their way to West Rabanastre and the Aerodrome, were gloriously reliving the events of the fight, discussing everything from Gilgamesh's final moments to Zeus' skill with a weapon.

"You could see she was clearly a gunner when you get down to it," said Valkyrie, "Only somebody who's been around guns all their life could do that. Even so, it's risky. It looked like she was using a couple of Antares, and the recoil on that sort of thing can overtake even an experienced gunner if he's never used one before."

"You and your guns, Valkyrie, I swear. You'd think that you'd never dream of touching a sword," sighed Beth, rolling her eyes.

"Man," continued Valkyrie, completely oblivious, "She'd work wonders with a Fomalhaut. Gods, I'd work wonders with a Fomalhaut if I could ever get my hands on one."

"You can tell everyone on the ship about it, I'm sure they'll be pleased to hear," said Beth, clearly exasperated. "I'll deal with checking us in, you just stand here and swoon over the precious Fomalhaut."

Leaving a scowling Valkyrie, Beth approached the Archades counter. "Good afternoon, miss. Two tickets under Valkyrie and Gulmuré to pick up."

"Oh, for the early flight?" asked the attendant.

"Yes, the one just after high noon," said Beth, "is there a problem?"

"I'm sorry, miss. Due to the unexpected early departure of the Alexander, we have had to delay all flights to Archades. Your flight has been rescheduled for Late Afternoon. Does this suit you, or would you like to change your flight?"

"No, that suits us fine," replied Beth.

"I understand. Thank you for being so accommodating, and have a pleasant day," said the attendant.

Beth turned and walked back to Valkyrie. "Man, you'd think they were all drones."

"We going, then?" he asked her.

"Looks like we've got three hours to kill," she replied. "More important personnel have delayed our flight."

"Yeah?" said Valkyrie. "Which Archadian Imperial came to see the fight?"

"Unsurprisingly, Judge Magister Zargabaath."

-

Though the Alexander was primarily a military warship, one could not deny that it was comfortable. Despite the luxury, Zeus felt the need to roam. The ship was far too stuffy for her tastes, and the open air on the bridge suited her tastes far better. It was here that Zargabaath and his accompanying panel of judges found her.

"My lady, I was surprised to find you up here," said the Judge Magister. "Are your quarters not to your liking?"

"No, Judge Magister, they are quite pleasing. However, I felt the need for a bit of fresh air after cleaning up. Spending the day full of sweat and steam can cause one to long for something a bit cooler," said Zeus.

The Judge chuckled to himself. "Very well, then. The Genji Gloves and the Masamune have been delivered to your quarters. I suppose I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"Judge Magister! A moment, please."

Zargabaath had only gone a few feet when Zeus called to stop him.

"I am quite grateful, but you know that the Hunt Club has ship transport. You did not need to go out of your way to shuttle me to Rabanastre."

"As you are the challenger in Enkidu Competition, Archades, as the sponsor, is required to provide transport. It is not a detriment to us to 'shuttle' you anywhere. Though, I must ask my lady, what need do you have for returning to Archades with such haste?" said the Judge.

"There was report of a particularly vicious Malboro in the Uplands heading for the coast," droned Zeus. "We wish to make sure that no travelers seeking refuge at the camp fall under harm."

Zargabaath snorted. "This is no delay to us, Zeus. We will find it, at all costs."

The sound of chinking armor mixed with the rush of the wind as the Judge and his party retreated to the interior of the Alexander. With a sour look on her face, Zeus remained, determinedly glaring at the horizon.

-

"Why did you agree to do this?"

Beth groaned, pulling a foot out of the muck of the Garamsythe Waterway.

"Hey," said Valkyrie, "when I agreed to this, I had no idea it was going to be in the sewers."

"It was a hunt for a Flan. Where else did you think it was going to be?"

After exploring for a bit, Valkyrie had discovered a bill posted for a white flan in the Sandsea. As the petitioner was a native of Rabanastre, Beth had no original objections to going along.

"But come on, Valkyrie. Even you have to admit this is disgusting."

Valkyrie sighed. "You know that we're just in the entryway, right? It's only going to get worse from here on out. You can go back and wait for me in Lowtown if you want."

"Well, the Moogle said that she had seen it lurking in the alleyway outside, so it really shouldn't be too far in. I can put up with that."

"Well, that isn't what I –"

A thick plop cut of Valkyrie's words. A mass of quivering white pudding glared at them with beady crimson eyes, emitting a low groan.

" – meant."

Beth stared, dumbfounded. "That thing is truly disgusting."

Unsheathing his sword, Valkyrie began circling the beast. "This is your last chance to back out. Seriously, you can go back if you want."

The flan beat towards Valkyrie with slimy tendrils, knocking him back. He shook the muck off his leg, disgusted.

"Naw, I think I'll stay here," said Beth, looking amused, "Somebody has to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"Haw haw," said Valkyrie, rolling his eyes.

Beth drew her dagger and hurried to Valkyrie's right flank, ready to back him up if need be. As the creature prepared to cast water magic, Valkyrie knocked it from its trance with a strong blow down the middle of the head. The amorphous blob molded to the shape of the blow and returned to normal, though clearly shaken. Giving the creature no time to catch its bearings, Valkyrie swung again at the creature's head, but this time, the flan beat its dripping flesh in a spiral, greatly dampening the effect of the blow. Beth managed to land a sharp cut from behind as Valkyrie defended himself against the slap, but with uncharacteristic speed, the creature flung itself forward, pinning Valkyrie's feet and slowly oozing over his body.

Valkyrie quickly held up his sword to defend his head, but the beast stopped moving as its back burst into flame. As the creature roasted, Valkyrie pulled himself free and retreated to Beth's side.

"Goddamn, could you have cut that any closer? I think my shoes are scorched," he lamented.

"You'll be fine," said Beth, "Buck up."

She focused on the creature and began casting Fira again.

"Wait! No!" yelled Valkyrie, "don't look directly into its eyes!"

It was too late. The flaming blob had noticed Beth's gaze, and flashed its eyes menacingly to blind her.

"Shit!" cried Beth, flailing and knocking Valkyrie in the face with her shield.

"Hey, hey! C'mon, don't move." Valkyrie rubbed his forehead and uncorked a bottle of eye drops, applying it to Beth. Without wasting any time, he turned and lunged at the advancing flan, knocking it back a fair few feet. Eyes clear of the darkness, Beth continued casting her Fira spell, lighting the blob ablaze once again.

The fire was doing wonders. As the creature continued to burn, its many layers of white gunk began to recede, growing smaller and smaller. However, this did nothing for the temperament of the mousse, causing its anger to flare. Turning its blazing face to Valkyrie, it began casting another water spell.

"Beth!" called Valkyrie, "Idea! Cast Reflect on me!"

"That'll put out the fire!" she yelled back.

"I know, but trust me, this will work."

"Whatever," Beth muttered, beginning the spellwork for Reflect.

Doing its job perfectly, the magickal shield surrounding Valkyrie bounced the water back at the flan, extinguishing the flames. Without a moment's hesitation, Valkyrie called up a Thundara spell, directing the magick towards his own body. A few seconds later, bolts of lightening rained upon the creature, thoroughly crisping it. Beth, who had understood Valkyrie's plan by now, followed this act with a last fire spell. The flan, completely engulfed in flames, shuddered and melted.

Beth and Valkyrie stood agape.

"Well…" said Valkyrie.

"Yeah," finished Beth, "…are we supposed to bring back proof or something?"

"You know we are, Dumbs, you've done this before. You just don't want to touch it," said Valkyrie, pulling and empty phial from his pocket. "I'll scoop some of the residue into here."

He hesitantly approached the puddle of cream. As he bent to collect the creature's entrails, he paused, noticing something shining in the heap.

At first glance, the coin seemed nothing special, simply a weather-beaten steal of the felled mark. Yet, there was something unusual about it. The small disk, though clearly worn, seemed to sparkle enticingly, almost glowing with an inner radiance. Though engravings littered each side, Valkyrie couldn't make head or tail of the language. The aura began to spread, becoming brighter, and then…

And then the spark was gone. The luster of the coin had been snuffed out like a candle against a cold winter wind. Nevertheless, Valkyrie scooped it out of the mess after filling the phial, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it to Beth, who scrambled in order not to drop it.

"Did you seriously take this out of that nasty goop?" she asked, disgusted.

"Oh c'mon, you can't complain. It wasn't oozing all over your legs, hmm?" said Valkyrie.

"It's still gross," she said, "though, you know, this coin thing would look pretty nice if we cleaned it up. I could string it; maybe turn it into a medallion."

"Do as you will," said Valkyrie, "I, however, have a bounty to cash."

Ascending to the exit of the sewers, Valkyrie was quickly followed and punched in the ribs by an enthusiastic Beth.