Chapter 2: Labyrinth of the Ancients

No sooner did she come back after finding two nearly impossible things is she sent out to find two more… it was just her luck, wasn't it? Just by keeping her mind on the prize, however, the idea of being allowed to explore that beautiful tower of crystal was too tempting to ignore. So she would have to just grin and bear it.

"So you think you know where to get the other two types of aethersand?" she asked Rammbroes as he carefully set the two sacks of aethersand on a barrel that was serving as a makeshift table.

"Yes, yes...I must speak of the arrangements I made to acquire the two remaining varieties of aethersand," Rammbroes said as he turned back to her, "Some days ago, I asked a Sharlayan acquaintance of mine to travel to Gridania and there gather the necessary materials. Since that time, however, I have heard nary a whisper from him. To be frank, this lack of communication is not entirely uncharacteristic, but I cannot discount the possibility that something ill has befallen the man. Alas, we do not have time to investigate his fate."

Well that seemed a bit harsh. So busy that he didn't even have time to see if this acquaintance was still alive? Really made her wonder what this guy did to earn such a reaction from someone?

"As I have mentioned before, the more we delay our expedition, the more likely it is that the Crystal Tower's secrets will fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, I would entrust you with the same mission I assigned to my friend," he finished, somewhat apologetically. "Travel to the Black Shroud, and seek out Parsemontret, the master of the markets in Gridania. If anyone knows where aethersand might be bought, it is he."

Really? Just after returning from Thanalan they were already sending her back out into the field? They were sure making the most of her travel experience, weren't they? So with a wave, biting back any cheeky remarks that were threatening to rise up inside her, took it all with a grace she perfected back when she was made to run 'errands' for the Company of Heroes. She still had more than a few remarks to each of them for sending her all across the breath of Eorzea for a feast of all things.

But she teleported straight back to Gridania, finding her steps taking her towards the markets as she hunted about. She never once saw any of the stalls ever selling aethersand, and she had been here enough times to remember if she had; she hunted Parsemontret down, one of the watchers of the stalls, and he waved merrily when he saw her approach him.

At first he thought that she was having trouble finding her way around the markets… at least until she told him what she was looking for.

"...I'm sorry?" he said, though it was clear that he heard her request, "Did you say you wish to purchase aethersand? Forgive me, madam, have you the faintest idea of the rarity of the material you seek?"

Yes, that was why she was asking him, wasn't it?

"Why, I have not seen so much as a grain of aethersand in these markets for many a long year," Parsemontret stated, "I could tell you where one might mine the ore from which the water-aspected variety of the abrasive is derived, but only a desperate fool would willingly set foot in the place..."

Really? Well, she supposed the ore was the next best thing. She could bring the ore back to Cid and she was certain he would be able to find a way to turn it into aethersand. It was a start anyway.

Rather than be turned away, she just smiled sweetly at him until he sighed, "You seem undeterred." Then looking as if he felt he may regret telling her all this, he said, "Very well. Are you familiar with Urth's Gift? That is where the ore is to be found—in an area inhabited by a particularly pernicious hog. Should you encounter the betusked nightmare, you will know that you are in the right place...albeit at the wrong time. Farewell!"

Ah, so a hog? She had been around Urth's Gift a few times in the past, but never staying long with all those boars that roamed the area. So she had to keep looking around until she found the biggest one of the bunch and she would know where to find the ore, right? Sounded like a fun way to spend her afternoon.

With a slight spring in her step, she headed out to the South Shroud, having teleported straight to Quarrymill and took the unbeaten path east until she could hear the snorts and grunts of the hogs that roamed the area. She had come out this way before to do some mining, so she already had a clear idea the best way to avoid some of the creatures here while she hunted about for anything useful. After climbing her way out of the dark cave, her feet touched water as she made her way through an almost marsh-like area. That was when she came across something she did not expect… the massive form of a hog carcass.

Baffled by this, she approached, keeping an eye out for anything that could be considered a danger, as she inspected the hog. No, it was definitely dead. Could a stray adventurer have come through this area and killed it? She doubted that it was a hunter, who would have surely taken it back with him… unless he went to retrieve aid in bringing it home due to its massive size?

Still, she didn't like the idea of being here on her own in case the killer came back.

But as she began to examine the corpse, she heard something.

"You are too late, adventurer—and not only for the entertainment," a disembodied voice called out from the shadowy boughs above her head, and she jerked her head up at once, "You will find no trace of the ore which but recently lay here. Nay, not so much as a speck."

She stood up, her eyes flashing about as she searched for the owner of the voice, ready for a fight if that was what they wanted.

"Ah...no," the disembodied voice said tauntingly, "You will never spy me from there. For the time being at least, you will have to trust the evidence of your ears. Now stop squinting at the foliage and listen."

Her eyes narrowed, finding it very grating that this unknown person was toying with her.

"As I told you, the water-blessed mineral you hoped to find is gone—taken by me," the voice said, "Victory has made me magnanimous, however. Accordingly, I have decided to share the location of an alternative source of aethersand with you—the wind-touched variety, to be specific. I trust I have your attention?"

Yes, he was definitely toying with her. She wanted nothing more than to shout out to him, "Are you sure you aren't sending me out there because you're scared to go on your own?"

But she held her tongue as the voice explained, "Good. A band of Ixal in the North Shroud keeps a quantity of the abrasive for the purpose of removing impurities from lesser crystals. Well? Do you mean to dally here all day? Make haste, adventurer, before I snatch another prize from under your nose! This is to be a race."

Oh, a race you say? Well fine, she would play along for now. And when she got her hands on him…?

"The Ixali logging grounds in the North Shroud shall be our destination. And that is where the real amusement will begin," he laughed and she heard a slight rustle of the trees and could feel how the eyes that had been watching her were gone now. Leaving only a whisper on the wind, "May the best player win!"

She was being duped, she just knew it.

However, she would play along for now. She could not help but feel as if her pride was on the line here and she hurried off, taking a few short cuts and paths to make it to the North Shroud as quickly as she could. She knew about the Logging Grounds, though in truth, she had little reason to go there before… but she found her way through the Bobbing Cork easily enough before she took the road more to the northern reaches to where the Ixali were.

Most people tended to avoid this part of the Shroud, knowing that so many Ixali were holding themselves up there as they worked. She never really knew what it was that they were up to, but as she ventured into their territory, she could get a good clue. She could see the makeshift homes and the pieces of airships that were mostly in pieces… this must be where they work on some of their balloons then.

She didn't have time to properly examine them as she slipped under the beaks of the Ixali who were stalking the area, as well as covered up her trail when their wolves sniffed about, smelling someone that didn't belong there. However, Claire had begun training with the Rouge's guild and learned a few helpful tricks to be able to slip across the area unseen. She could not become invisible, but it was enough to cover her tracks just long enough to sneak by before anyone looked too closely.

Eventually, she found her way back so deep, she knew that there was nowhere else she could hope to venture to. She was worried that voice sent her here hoping to get her killed… at least until she noticed a familiar sack sitting on top of a barrel and knew that had to be what she was looking for. As she made to retrieve it though she ended up accidently brushing past a couple Ixali, who felt her, and began to squawk in shock and lunged in her direction.

She had no choice but to silence them before they called anyone else into the area. Once she finished and snatched the bag up, she quickly looked inside to see the bright emerald-green sand that sparkled like fairy dust. She knew that this had to be the wind-aspected aethersand she was looking for.

That was when she heard the sounds of clapping and that familiar disembodied voice she heard before spoke up again.

"Bravo!" the male's voice called, "That was quite a show, adventurer! Why, the spectacle proved so enthralling that all thoughts of aethersand slipped my mind. I appear to have forfeited our little race!"

Oh really? Why did she suddenly doubt that?

But the voice went on, "Congratulations—the wind-touched abrasive is yours. And yet, having been treated to such a memorable performance, I cannot help feeling that the greater prize is mine. This inequity must not stand. I insist that you accept a token of my appreciation."

She was almost afraid to ask this but she simply had to know.

"And what did you have in mind?" she asked coolly, still trying to get a glimpse of this voice, but found nothing.

"Payment for this entertainment will be waiting for you to the east, in a clearing within Proud Creek," the voice chuckled, clearly amused that he got her attention. "Pray retrieve the gift ere it is crushed beneath the iron feet of the dullahans!"

Hoping that she wasn't doing something that she would regret, she vanished from view and hurried off to Proud Creek, knowing that it was close by. She followed the trail south until she spotted the dullahans, the empty armor that would lumber around, attack anything that drew too close. They say that these things were the left over cursed remains of those who died before… by losing their heads in battle. And now they were cursed to wander the earth forever… searching for their missing heads… and not above taking anyone else's either.

She fought her way downwards, preferring only to fight if sneaking by them was impossible. It was far from easy trying to slip by, but once she ended up crushing two particularly large dullahans, she found a small tied up sack left at the base of some boulders.

Blinking, she grabbed it and looked inside, only to be rewards with the bag full of glittering blue powder that reminded her of water sparkling on a sunny day.

"Not what you were expecting?" laughed the voice once more, "I took the liberty of refining the ore from Urth's Gift into aethersand. Do keep it safe, adventurer. Lest you accuse me of playing games, you should know that the thought of relinquishing my prize never once crossed my mind—until I saw you in action. Such deeds must needs be rewarded. It is my vocation, you see, to record history as it is made by mortal men. And I much prefer to chronicle the accomplishments of the bold and the mighty."

Truly? Another admirer? She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or not.

"Thus, it is my fervent wish that you continue your career with the same courage and zeal you have shown today," the voice laughed once more, "We shall meet again, adventurer—and sooner than you may imagine."

She waited until she knew they were gone. She heard the slight rustle of some branches and the breaking of twigs… and then she was left alone safe for the occasional clanking sound of metal footsteps from the dullahans.

Note to self, if she ever found the owner of that voice, she was going to give them a harsh talking to… if not a good smack.

Feeling confused and annoyed in equal measure, she returned to Mor Dhona with her prizes, eagerly looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he finds out that she brought the remaining two types of Aethersand they needed.

So when she did return to Mor Dhona and found Rammbroes waiting for her, it was with a smile she pulled out the two sacks and watched how he almost fell over in shock. Indeed, his hands were downright shaking when he took them from her.

"You've brought both!?" he gasped, "I shall have Master Garlond begin work on the crystals immediately."

And he then turned and hollered for Cid, who came running over, wondering what the noise was all for. When he found out about the remaining sand brought to him, he looked ready to kiss her… which he did give a quick peck on her cheek in joy—before he turned around and began to work. They watched him as he went to the makeshift table and began to work. The first two bags of sand had already been shaped into the forms of long fangs and he set them aside before pulling the other two bags towards him.

It took him almost an hour to finish, but at last, he was able to finish crafting what they needed… leaving them with four bright fangs, each a different color, and each brimming with pure aether. They were so pretty that she was almost tempted to ask if she could keep one.

"There," Cid said proudly, wiping his brow and took a steps back to admire his handiwork, "That should to do the trick!"

"Excellent work!" Rammbroes said happily, "We now possess all four of the "fangs" required to pierce the Crystal Tower's defenses. My compliments, Master Garlond!"

"Oh, it was a trifling matter, I assure you," Cid said before looking to his other side to where she stood as he added fondly, "Claire here is the one you should be thanking. Anyway, by my reckoning, there's nothing stopping us from striding up to the Allagans' front door!"

Claire could feel herself growing more and more excited with every passing moment as the thrill of adventure began to flow through her body once again. But as she was mentally preparing herself for the next part of the journey, she heard a couple voices calling out.

"You can't go without us, Chief!"

Unlike the mysterious voice she heard before, she knew at once who they were. And as she turned around, she could see Biggs and Wedge sprinting towards them, not stopping until they were in front of them, and bent over double as they panted hard for air. It looked as if they ran all the way from Ul'dah just to get here in time.

The three of them stepped out from behind the table to greet them and Cid asked brightly, holding up a hand in welcome, "Biggs! Wedge! Come to lend a hand, have you?"

"Well, it's not every day you get the chance to study the wonders of the Allagan Empire, is it?" Biggs grinned once he caught his breath, "Their technology makes Garlemald's look ancient!"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, lads, I really do, but we're not here to take this knowledge for ourselves," Cid said, his smile soon fading as it took on a much more serious tone as he informed them, "Twice in the last decade, the promise of unimaginable power has prompted men to meddle with technology they do not understand, and the realm has been dragged unto the very brink of oblivion on both occasions. We shall not be so irresponsible as to risk another."

He then looked to Wedge, who jumped, when Cid asked him firmly, "Wedge, do you recall our company's creed?"

"Y-Yes, Chief!" Wedge said, almost as if he was in the middle of a surprise exam, "It's, um, "Freedom through Technology"?"

That last part sounded more like a question than a statement, but Cid let it go as he nodded.

"Exactly," Cid agreed as he folded his arms, "Freedom. When we forsook our homeland, we swore that we would have no truck with machines that could be used to promote tyranny. That has not changed. Should you feel tempted to break your oath, remember this: the wonders of the all-knowing Allagan Empire could not save their civilization, and have damn near doomed ours. Twice. That is why we must explore the Crystal Tower, and, if needs be, seal away its secrets."

Now that the two of them were here and were met with the true purpose of their expedition, they thought it over if this was something that they could be a part of. She could see it in their faces that while this was a chance to study Allagan technology, if there was even the slightest chance that these items can be used in the wrong way… they would seal away the tower and everything inside it.

After thinking it over for a moment, she watched as the two friends looked at one another and smiled as they nodded in agreement. She smiled as well, knowing that they could count on them.

"A compelling viewpoint," spoke up another voice, "It is unyielding wills such as yours that have defined the course of history."

Oh no…

At the voice, she looked up to the scaffolding above their heads where the researchers used to study some of the giant crystals that were jutting out of the land… to where a miqo'te was standing. He was dressed in red and black leathers with a sturdy-looking bow and quiver full of arrows upon his back as he observed them all with a curious gaze.

"So you return at last," Rammbroes scolded him as Claire felt her eyes narrow slightly, knowing who's voice it was who had been playing around with her earlier, "What, pray tell, has kept you so wholly preoccupied that you could not spare a moment to inform me of your progress or preservation?"

The Miqo'te just grinned before he leapt down, landing just in front of them and he stood up so that she could get a clearer look at him. He had a rather muscular build, with a thick mess of reddish brown hair that fell over his face. She blinked, startled to see the trademark tattoos on his neck that marked him as an Archon, as well as tattoo on his arm that she had learned from Minfilia was actually a symbol of the Students of Baldesion—their allies back in the homeland of Sharlayan. And this seemed to be confirmed when she saw the familiar contraption around his neck that Y'shtola and the other Archons wear. But the thing that really drew her attention were his eyes. The left eye was a bright cyan color… while the left—which was mostly hidden underneath that thick hair—was a red-pupiled one.

"Why, the task you assigned to me, of course. Surely you have not forgotten about the aethersand? I tasked a passing adventurer with delivering it. A more capable courier I could not imagine," the stranger said before around at them all, as if the reason for his lateness was obvious. When he saw her, he gave her a rather mischievous grin and introduced himself, "Greetings, adventurer! Did I not say we would meet again?"

She arched an eyebrow and he grinned a little wider, knowing that she realized who he was. He gave a little bow as he finished, "I believe an introduction is in order. I am G'raha Tia, one of the Students of Baldesion. I look forward to joining you on your ground-breaking expedition!"

She was so close to giving him a telling off for sending her all across the Shroud, but Rammbroes sighed at the Miqo'te's antics. He then looked to the rest of them as he explained, "G'raha Tia has been assigned to the project as an observer. I hope you will forgive him his... eccentricities and welcome him as one of our own."

G'raha grinned and gave them all a big thumbs up.

"So then, our fellowship is complete, and all stand ready to step into the unknown! Three cheers for NOAH!" G'raha cheered out.

The name did not seem to give him the desired reaction, for he was looking a little put out that they were just staring at him blankly. Not that she could blame the others… Noah?

"…Noah?" Cid repeated slowly, voicing some of her confusion.

"That is the name I have chosen for our little collective," G'raha Tia answered, as if the answer was obvious, "Given our differing backgrounds, we cannot very well call ourselves the Sons of Saint Coinach, can we? And we must have a memorable appellation if our venture is to leave its mark in the annals of history. I could claim that NOAH stands for "Nominated Observers of Artifacts Historical," and so it does, technically—but my true reason for choosing this name stems from the fact that it is shared by a vaunted Allagan archmagus."

"An archmagus?" Wedge repeated in awe, and she could see how his eyes lit up even through his goggles, "I like the sound of that!"

Rammbroes laughed as he said, "...Very well. Now that the pressing matter of what to call ourselves has been settled, it is time we set forth to brave the outer defenses of the Crystal Tower. Is everyone ready to depart?"

"Ready!" they all called.

Claire chuckled as she watched on, seeing how everyone was already running around and getting their things ready. Tools and equipment were being packed up and tended to as if they were made of glass, and fresh stacks of paper were ready to have notes be taken upon them as the researchers got to work.

She then looked over to G'raha Tia and raised her eyebrows at him and said, "You know… a gentlemen wouldn't have made a lady run all across the Twelveswood like that."

He grinned and waved his hand at her as he confessed, "A gentleman wouldn't have. But then again, I'm not a normal gentleman, now am I? Rest assure I was watching the whole time and was planning to jump in should you need help. But after seeing how easily you took care of all that, I can see you can look after yourself. Rest assure, you have nothing but the utmost respect from me, my dear lady…"

He then bowed low and despite the slight annoyance she felt with him, she found it difficult not to laugh. But the grin seemed to be more than enough of a reward for him as he stood back tall and began to call to everyone else.

"Esteemed colleagues!" G'raha Tia laughed, "The secrets of ancient Allag beckon! Let's not keep them waiting any longer!" He looked to Claire and added, "Adventurer—you and I will join the engineers at the Crystal Tower's main gateway, where we will endeavor to neutralize the structure's outer defenses." She nodded as he looked to Rammbroes and added, "Rammbroes, meanwhile, will remain here and oversee the operation. Given my knowledge of Allagan history, it seems logical that I should lead the expedition itself… though I admit the role does not exactly befit my status as an observer."

"Awww, gonna miss us already?" she asked and he flashed an annoyed look as she grinned back. She could see the corner of his mouth twitch at that as he winked back before clearing his throat.

"Still, we can but make use of the resources at hand," G'raha Tia said, "Assuming all are in agreement, let us proceed forthwith to the large, lopsided gate found to the southeast."

So she went on ahead with G'raha, Cid, Biggs, and Wedge—taking care as they crossed over the crystal landscape. The journey was mostly uneventful; aside from Wedge accidently getting too close to a Gigas—who turned and charged at them. Claire dashed around the Gigas and stuck her knives in its back, watching it fall with a crash as she leapt out of harm's way as the boys clapped.

"Take a bow, my lady," G'raha clapped, truly looking like he was enjoying every moment here as Cid all but shooed them onwards through some of the denser parts of crystal that surrounded the area. Claire had never been past this part of Mor Dhona before. She had ventured through this area out of curiosity before, but never past this wall since she could not see a way around the stone and crystal. But Cid seemed to know exactly where they were supposed to go and she followed after him as he led them to the lopsided door.

Claire confessed that she never even gave this door a second glance… having just assumed that it was part of the destroyed part of Mor Dhona—just another scar left over from the Calamity. But now that she really took the time to examine it, she realized that it wasn't just some part of the road that was twisted and uplifted… it could certainly be part of a doorway. But how were you supposed to…?

"The Crystal Tower lies beyond this portal," Cid spoke up, "Now comes the interesting part…"

"Cid, you are the only one of our number who has ever crossed this threshold," G'raha stated, "I ask that you take the lead for the present."

Cid agreed and led the way. He was able to find the correct switch to get the door to slide open… with so much crystal jetting out around them though it could not open all the way. But it was enough for the rest of them to squeeze through one at a time. They followed the crystalline tunnel until it came out into a much open area where she could see more stone than crystal waiting for them. They walked along the stone steps for a short distance until they came across a bridge that led to a large platform where she could see the base of the Crystal Tower in her sights. At the other end of the platform they were supposed to cross to get to that point, she could see more steps that were almost perfectly preserved along with a strange, glowing gate that rose up before them. She could think of no words to describe the strange gate, but her attention was soon drawn to the statues that surrounded them. On either side of her stood a series of statues, each in the form of a helmed warrior that held a blade in front of them, with just the tip of the sword buried in the ground. The statues each had a different colored blade, save for their mirror image that stood just opposite them, connected by a slightly glowing series of stones that stretched from one statue to the other.

Though she could not see anything, she could clearly feel it. She felt an odd chill in the air, along with a foreboding sense of doom that was looming over them like a dark cloud. She wasn't the only one who felt it either, for Cid was tensing up as he carefully approached the first set of statues and looked at them anxiously—as if expecting them to spring to life and attack them.

"I say…" G'raha said, sounding serious for the first time as he looked around, "The energy radiating from these statues is… palpable."

That was one way to describe it. The energy from these statues were so tense she could almost taste it in the air. She shifted uncomfortably as Cid took a few more steps so that he was directly in front of them and she had a feeling that he did not want them to go any further than this.

"Lucky for us that it is," Cid said with a grim tone as he observed the statues, "One might otherwise stroll past them… feast your eyes on the elemental defenses which prompted our lengthy preparations. These sentinels prevent would-be intruders from advancing to within twenty yalms of the tower's inner reaches."

That was when G'raha took his bow and a single arrow, never taking his eyes off the statues. She watched, realizing what he was about to do, and watched as he took aim just to fire the arrow… and let it fly. But as soon as it came to the line in the stone where the first two statues stood, the arrow collided with a wall that only became visible when the arrow struck at it. It was there for just a moment before the energy from the wall, in the shape of a honeycomb, instantly burst the piece of wood to ash.

"…No matter how swift they may be," G'raha Tia stated in understanding as he folded his arms.

That was when Cid pulled out one of the fangs he made and held it tightly in his hands, albeit a little nervously.

"Happily, the crystal fangs we took such pains to craft should spare us the inconvenience of instantaneous annihilation," Cid said to them all in determination, "Here, allow me to demonstrate."

Biggs and Wedge, however, were looking terrified at the mere thought and voiced their opinions to that.

"Ch-Chief? It's too—" Biggs began as Wedge failed about.

"Dangerous to allow anyone else to risk his life testing one?" Cid finished for them, but they all knew that wasn't what they were going to say, "Quite right, I made the damn things—it's my job to see that they work."

No one raised another word of complaint, but she felt truly concern rise inside her as she watched Cid slowly approach the statues, the red fang held tightly. She was already preparing to take him back to others if it failed…?

But there was no need for worry.

For as soon as he stepped up to the diamond pattern stone in the middle of the two connecting statues, pausing only to take a deep breath, before thrusting his hand that held the fang out. It happened so quickly she almost missed it, but the fire burned from the fang clashed with the wall around them and they watched as the firewall burned and shattered apart like glass. The impact didn't seem to bother Cid in the least, but the statues on the other hand…? There was a loud CRACK through the air and she watched as the statues broke apart, stone flying in every direction as the statues fell over, leaving nothing but broken rock and dust.

They all cheered as Cid escaped with no more than a slight burn on his hand where he held the fang.

"…Success!" he cried as they all clapped, knowing that all they had to do was repeat the same with the other statues.

"I for one am convinced!" G'raha Tia grinned, "Friends—ready your fangs!"

So they all went. Biggs went next with Wedge, using the water fang to shatter the next one, letting them pass onto the third, where G'raha went next with the green fang and watched with a big grin as the statues were turned to rubble.

Finally, they reached the final two statues, where she was handed the last fang.

"This last one is yours, old friend," Cid grinned, "It seemed only right…"

She took it proudly as she stepped up to the last line of defense and held up the earth fang. As she held it up and thrust it into the barrier, it felt as if she had tried to punch through a wall. She could feel it standing against her, at least until the aether inside the fang pushed back, releasing a wave of aether that caused the barrier to shake and break apart. She could feel the aether burning her hand, but she barely noticed it as she watched the two statues shatter apart from the impact. She escaped with nothing more than a bad sunburn on her palm.

Wedge laughed as they stepped over the final line.

"We did it!" he cheered, "So much for the outer defenses!"

"Indeed!" G'raha Tia said as he punched his fights together. "The entrance to the tower is near at hand. My blood fairly sings with anticipation!"

So did hers. She could feel her spirit rising at the thought, and her legs were all but itching to hurry on ahead and see what laid next. Even though they were still a fair distance away from the tower, she was eager to see where this road would next take her.

"Speaking of blood—I have a proposal for the next stage of the expedition," Cid offered suddenly, "I suggest we wait here while Clare and a handpicked party of her adventuring companions enter the tower."

"What?!" G'raha gasped, turning back to stare at him, "Without us? I thought we came here to survey the entire structure!"

"We did—and we will," Cid promised the otherwise fuming Miqo'te, "But our investigations must proceed at a more measured pace. If the outside of the place is this well defended, can you imagine what awaits us on the inside? Only a true hero could reasonably hope to brave the hazards ahead and live to tell the tale." He looked back to Claire and added affectionately, "Claire here fits that description better than anyone I know."

"Awww, Cid," she said and he laughed at her playful antic.

"And is it not as if we shall be idle in her absence," Cid added to a disappointed G'raha. "While Clare and her companions are risking life and limb to beat us a path to the tower, we can set about analyzing this rubble for evidence of how its technologies function. Your knowledge of ancient lore will be invaluable in that endeavor, Historian G'raha Tia."

"Bah!" G'raha Tia snarled, but seemed unable to come up with a good counter argument for that statement, "Do you ever tire of being right, old man!?"

Rather than wait for an answer, G'raha Tia looked to Claire and said, "Claire—as it seems I won't be accompanying you, allow me at least to provide some instruction. The maze that surrounds the base of the tower is known as the 'Labyrinth of the Ancients.' During this initial foray, I suggest you concentrate on ridding the place of hostile elements. When you are reasonably certain the maze is secure, contact me via linkshell and we shall join you posthaste—no matter what Master Garlond says!"

Seems fair enough and she nodded, promising to let them know when it was safe to go in.

"Though we would prefer it if any relics you encounter remain intact, you have leave to do whatever is necessary to secure ingress to the upper leaves of the tower," G'raha also added. "Fortune go with you, Claire."

But he still insisted on walking with her as far as the entrance even as Claire contacted some of her adventuring friends, who were flocking to the tower. G'raha glared at each one with envy as they went through the gate, all of them talking and laughing, until it was just the tow of them outside.

"Well, better go in before they start without you," he sighed as he bowed and gestured with his hand for her to continue on ahead. "Look after yourself there, my friend," he then added, "I expect to hear the entire story when next we meet."

She nodded, promising to tell him everything as she stepped up and through the portal as well… she shut her eyes from the brightness of the portal… and when she next opened them… she could see that she was somewhere underground.

The entire feeling she got, at least at first, was similar to the Sunken Temple of Qarn. But the more she looked around, making her way down some steep steps, she could see more of this strange stone technology like the kind they ran into outside. There were glowing blocks that let the way for her… not that it was needed for beneath them was a river of fire and lava. The heat was almost unbearable and she felt as if the very air was burning her lungs as she and all the others stepped further in. She wiped her brow as a pillar of lava would burst out from over the ledge of the stone walkway that they were all standing on. They all agreed to stay as far away from the ledge as possible as they continued to walk until they came across an enormous stone doorway set in a thick wall that had blue glowing stones, later realizing that they were actually crystals. She looked up in astonishment to see how the light flowed through the cracks, causing the entire wall to twinkle like it had tiny rivers cut perfectly into the brickwork.

Curious, she stepped closer to examine it… but when her group got close enough a doorway opened up like the mouth of some great creature. And after looking inside, she realized that this place was a lot bigger than she first thought.

For through the door there was another flight of stairs that led to an island that was set up on a vast pillar over the lava that burned beneath them. Upon this island was a floating pillar surrounded by aether as it floated there, while three stone tablets circled it—energy flooding in through the room.

These Allagans liked to do things big didn't they? She ran forward, trying to examine the pillar but they all quickly realized that it was out of their reach. So what was it they were supposed to do? Well, upon this pillar were crossroads that stretched in four directions, including the path they used to get here. Yet aside from the one they used, there was only one on the left that remained open for them to travel through—the other two blocked by some sort of invisible barrier.

Knowing there wasn't any other option, they went left, following a long path of walkways and stairs until they came out into another large open area. This room was full of platforms that were set with several different layers on the ground while a strange purple liquid floated about them. Claire didn't need to guess what that purple gunk was—having been with the Alchemist Guild long enough to be able to recognize poison when she saw it.

Guarding these platforms were all manner of voidsent stalking the area and she ran to join the others to fight them. She soon found out the purpose of these platforms when the poison began to flood over the stone floor. She could feel the leather burning on her boots when her foot stepped in some of the gunk to avoid an attack by a floating eye and warned the others who all began to climb up higher to avoid the poison. Thankfully, once their foes were all dead, the poison receded and they were allowed to continue on.

The next couple rooms were just like the first, with different 'safe' areas to stand on while they fought the voidsent and avoided the poisoning. She was really starting to get sick of this after clearing out the third room with the poison when a flight of steps rose out of the poison when they killed the last voidsent. She led the way up the stair and into an enormous room, larger than the last three put together, and she could see more of the poison dripping from miniature waterfalls all around the circular room. On the ground below them were a series of square platforms as well as one slightly larger round one in the center of the room… where a dragon was waiting for them.

She had dealt with dragons before when she made her way through Coerthas and the Stone Vigil… but this one was very different from the ones she had seen before. This one was very thin and had strange glowing scales and empty eyes as it hissed and waited for them to come to it. Well, not one to stand by and let a challenge go, she charged ahead to face the dragon head on. She should have known that beating it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought… for while the dragon fell quickly enough… a small army of skeletons appeared. They rose up from piles of bones that were scattered around the room and charged in with swords.

So they had to focus their energies on fighting them while the room would continue to fill up with poison from time to time. It got to the point no one wanted to step off the platforms in fear of when the poison would rise high enough to get to them. Meanwhile, the dragon, whom they thought was dead, would keep rising to its feet to keep on fighting; which led to the cycle to continue on from there.

To say it was getting irritating, would be an understatement.

But finally, they beat the dragon down long enough to finish killing off the last of the skeletons, whom they realized were the ones bringing the dragon back to life, and dealt a serious enough blow for it to stay down this time.

She spat out a mouthful of bile as she wheezed, the fumes of the poison starting to get to her as they watched the glowing dragon fall for the last time. As soon as the guardian fell, the poison receded for the last time and they made a hasty retreat back to the 'main hall' she supposed she could call it. As soon as they made it back though, they realized that one of the tablets that circled the floating crystal pillar had vanished and they quickly grew excited when they saw the path on the right was suddenly open.

It didn't take an Archon to figure out what was going on. She realized that there must be a sort of 'guardian' along each of these three paths and the only way to get through this labyrinth was to face and kill all of them. Only then could they find out what this crystal would do… hopefully open the way to the Crystal Tower.

So they knew they already cleared one of the roads, they headed to the newly open one, with her silently hoping that there would be anymore poison waiting for them.

Well, maybe it wasn't poison… but she knew not what else it was. For once they ran along the walkway, they came out into another room that was full of this thick, luminous green liquid. She didn't like the looks of it and was really hoping that she or anyone else would fall through it by accident. She wasn't overly curious to know what it was.

But as soon as they crossed over another flight of stairs, she saw that their one path broke up into three different paths, each one led to a large platform that was right above the strange 'water'. What was this room for? On each platform were several smaller pads at one end, with several large monsters on the other side?

The group separated into three slightly smaller groups as they each ran towards one of the platforms and wondered what they were supposed to do here. It wasn't until someone got too close to one of the monsters did things get interesting. They all ran to the other end of the platforms to fight with the large monsters that were more like giant mouths than anything else, before they watched in horror as they called forth voidsent and demons to fight for it.

Oh, just what they didn't need.

And to make matters worse that when they went straight in to attack the drifting creatures… they were protected by some kind of barrier that prevented them from doing any damage. Meanwhile they kept summoning more and more monsters to attack them. She could hear the screams of fear and anger from the other adventurers as they were trying to work out how it all worked… however it wasn't until someone stepped onto one of the smaller pads and saw how it began to glow were they able to work it out.

After much shouting and arguing, they managed to figure out that at least four people had to be standing on each of the pads on each platform at the same time to get the barriers down long enough for the other four members of each group to attack the monsters and the monster makers. So, through trial and error, they managed to hold their own until the last creature was killed and more stone platforms rose up at out the green pool to allow them to continue on. She could hear many others cursing and grumbling about what they thought about this stupid labyrinth—and to be fair—she didn't disagree with it at all.

Whoever came up with this place sure had a sick mind.

They all began to run up another flight of stairs… which led to another round platform that was surrounded on all sides by the green liquid and a large set of moving armor with a giant greatsword –larger than her entire body.

Meanwhile, on the platform there were a few sections that held what looked to be some sort of giant imps sticking their heads out of… pots?

This place just kept getting stranger and stranger.

Not even bothering to think, some of the others raced in to kill the giant armor… at least until they realized that none of their attacks were getting through to it. She didn't know how Allag was able to do it, but she could sure use some of those barriers that prevented anyone from doing harm to her when she was fighting in a battle. It would make things a whole lot easier.

They kept this up for a while as the giant armor continued to not just swing it's blade around, but it was summoning up more voidsent to its aid.

'Think,' she scolded herself as she ducked as she managed to avoid getting her head cut off. 'There has to be some sort of trick to get out of this…? What about those pots?"

That was when she realized that the voidsent were targeting and attacking the pots, causing them to hover off the ground and float about the room. Deciding to take a chance, she called for others to help her defend the pots and see what happened. Several of them looked at her strangely, but with no one giving out any better ideas, they did what she asked. Once they cleared the room of monsters for the moment, it seemed that the imps were ready to repay their kindness. She could feel a surge of aether flowing through her from the potted imps and she suddenly had an idea as she threw a dagger at the moving armor.

That certainly got a reaction out of it and they all leapt into action. It turned out that the imps had the power to make sure that their attacks actually did harm to the moving armor… and by protecting them from the monsters, they were more than able to repay the favor by enchanting several groups long enough to be able to deal damage over time. It took a while, but finally, they watched as the damage they dealt was enough to case the giant to fall over as nothing more than a giant pile of broken and twisted metal.

Seriously, who thinks up these 'trials' for them? Someone needed to spend a little more time in reality.

But with that threat now taken care of, and no other way to move forward, they returned to the main hall where they saw that the second stone tablet was gone, leaving only one… and the final path open.

So they were nearing the end… thank the gods.

She took the final path that was directly in front of them, and she could already feel the blast of heat hitting her face as they ran through another series of rooms where they were surrounded by pools of fire and lava on all sides. She didn't even want to know how they were able to keep lava here for the last few thousand years.

"Blood brilliant," she sighed as she ran along the platform and was already sweating. That was when they came to a large platform that was set right in the center of the pool of lava with three fire demons waiting for them.

She saw where this was going and they broke up into groups once again so that they could each have a chance to kill some demons. Not long after the battle started, however, they realized that the demons were connected through some sort of bomb in the center of the platform. The closer the demons were to the bomb, the stronger they grew and the tougher they were to hit them. Not only that, but she could see how the bomb would also continue to grow larger and larger… and she had seen enough of these blasting bastards go off to know that this was going to be a big explosion.

They separated the demons as far as they could as they killed them all one at a time… leaving the bomb defenseless in the middle where they killed it before it could explode as well. She couldn't wait to get out of this place, thinking longingly of a tall cool drink waiting in Costa del Sol… or even more so of the wintery lands of Coerthas.

Just any place was better than a giant stove that was trying to kill them all.

Out of the fire then rose another stone platform where they were able to cross over to a tall flight of stairs—where she was sure the last creature was waiting for them.

Well, she was half right.

At the top of the stairs there was another large creature waiting for them… only it was a…?

"You got to be kidding me," she sighed as she saw the behemoth began to roar out at the sight of them there.

Having fought with behemoths across Coerthas before, she knew this fight wasn't going to be easy. Especially since there were these strange mechanical towers surrounding the platform and as soon as they stepped up to the area to fight, she could feel electrical shockwaves going through her body just from standing there. After shouting out orders, some members ran off to each of the towers to see if they could turn the power off so that it wouldn't hurt them just to stand… however, it seemed that they were only making things worse because they were calling down large boulders from the ceiling.

That really wasn't helping… especially since she hit the ground and rolled to avoid a boulder from crushing her. Yet, it seemed that perhaps this was what was supposed to happen… for the Behemoth began to roar out and she knew what was coming. After warning the others of the meteor that was coming, they were all looking for something to stop it… but it was too later, she could see the giant mountain of flaming stone coming down from above. With no other choice, she called for them to duck behind the boulders that fell earlier and hold on.

This turned out to be the right choice. While she could still feel the impact and cried out in pain… the boulder took the hit rather than her or any of the other adventurers. The worst of them were merely winded and bleeding… nothing life-threatening and certainly no deaths yet.

That was when they went back to the towers to continue call down more boulders so that they would be ready for the next meteor… but it seemed that the monsters that were summoned, including more bombs and iron giants, were aware of this plan and were suddenly attacking the towers themselves.

It fell into a pattern once again, fight and kill the lesser mob of monsters, call down the boulders, and hide behind them should Behemoth roar. Every time they saw him open his mouth to roar did they know what was coming. After a few rounds, they were able to get in under the defenses and dealt a serious enough blow to the creature to bring it down. It roared one more time before it fell, disappearing in a giant guff of black aether.

She was gasping for air as they headed back to the entrance, thinking that all was over… at least until they sat the floating pillar in the center of the room was now glowing even brighter. She watched as the final tablet fell away from it and the pillar floated downwards into the ground. It didn't break through it though, it was more like it merged with the stone and passed by… and she watched until the glow continued and faded. Then that was when the stone block rose up and into the air, having formed a platform where they could stand upon. So, without thinking, she led the way and they all leapt onto the platform as it moved past them, taking them upwards and out of this horrible place… at least she thought it was.

Instead of carrying them outside like she was hoping for, it brought them to another series of platforms surrounded by fire and lava. As she and the others stepped off to look around… that was when she saw him appear.

A giant of a warrior with glowing yellow skin stepped forward; dressed in grand armor with a fierce blade in his hands. He looked down at her with empty eyes and a rather sad face as she stared up at it.

She just can't catch a break, can she?

They all charged together as more lava poured in around the room, beginning to cover the outermost reaches of the arena as they fought with the giant. Even as giant mechanical hands rose up from the glowing pads and tried to grab hold of some of their number, forcing them to deal with the hands before turning their full attention back to the warrior, who would perform attacks wide enough to reach every corner of the vast room.

But if there was one thing that they all learned it was to keep to the pads. They were the key to the problems in this maze of nightmares. She could feel it coming at one point, when the warrior moved to the center of the giant room and held his blade up high. She could feel the aether being stored up and ready to be unleashed… and she looked around, ready to find some way to block it or interrupt it…?

That was when the fire moved away from the pads on the platforms and they all bolted for them, ready to take the chance. They moved back just in time. For as soon as enough people were all standing on each of the three platforms, a magick barrier rose up to protect them from the flare that broke away from the giant. She could see the platform beneath them covered in fire and magma… knowing that just one step would be enough to burn and seriously injure any of them.

Not that staying behind the barrier was a good thing either, for more iron giants and claws rose up to attack them. Yet, they did not dare move from the pads until the fire had died down from the warrior's attack. Once they watched the flame flicker and die, they dashed out to finish it.

So they knew how to defend themselves from the worse. That was good to know. So they kept moving back and forth, black and forth between the pads, even as iron giants and claws rose from the pads to attack them. It protected them from the flare magicks. And then they watched as she dealt the final blow and brought an end to the warrior. He fell to his knees and then onto his back where he burst out.

There were cheers from all over as the adventurers around her all began to loot for any valuable treasures and armor they could get their hands on before they made a hasty retreat. Claire waved at them all, thanking them for their help as they celebrated, many of them making plans to return to their favorite taverns for drinks.

Claire remained there as she waved them all over, only pausing to inform G'raha Tia and the others through the linkpearl that it was safe for them. By the time that the others arrived, the last of her adventuring friends had made their way out.

"Ho there, Claire!" Cid said, jogging the last few yalms to join her, a big grin on his face.

"Very impressive, I must say!" G'raha Tia added with another thumbs up, "Your name shall be write large in the volumes that are sure to be penned on this historic expedition."

She smiled back as she shrugged, watching how Cid folded his arms and stared up and all around them as they took in the full massiveness of the room.

"The scale of this structure defiles comprehension…" he whispered in wonder, "Someone plainly thought bigger was better."

Well, with all the traps and defenses that they set up here, Claire reasoned that they needed all the space they could get just to fit everything inside. And if this was just to get to the front door… she could not help but wonder what was waiting for them at the top of the tower?

"According to the findings of my Baldesion colleagues, the Crystal Tower was constructed to collect and store the endless energies of the sun," G'raha spoke up as he looked around with a bright sense of curiosity, "A characteristically ambitious undertaking."

He turned to Claire and added, "Now, what of the tower's inner defenses? Judging by your haggard expression, clearing out the labyrinth was no small feat."

She shrugged and told him everything she had seen as well as how some of the defenses worked. Biggs and Wedged wandered a little bit to get a better look at everything as Cid and G'raha Tia listened closely to her tale.

"…A giant of a man wielding a shimmering scimitar, you say?" G'raha said thoughtfully, "Yes, that will have been Phlegethon. Not Acheron. Phlegethon. He was a hero of the Allagan revolution."

"And you gleaned that from what exactly? His choice of weapon?" Cid asked incredulously as he turned his gaze towards him.

"Well, I am a historian," G'raha said rather smugly. "And I have a certain, shall we say, 'affinity' for the lore of the Allagan Empire." But then some of his smugness faded as he added, "It is, of course, all knowledge gleaned from musty scrolls and tomes. The ancient texts claim that the Crystal Tower is defended by the champions of eld, resurrected and augmented through the Allagans' extraordinary technology."

Truly? She knew that Allagan was advanced, but to be able to resurrect their heroes from their technology? All of a sudden, she was having second thoughts of looking into the Crystal Tower.

"Chief, you need to see this!" Biggs called, having wandered a little bit away and was looking at something above them. They hurried over to see what it was, and that was when she spotted the large opening in the roof that led out to the base of the Crystal Tower, now so close that she could all but touch it.

"Well, well, there it is… the foot of the tower," she heard Cid whisper to himself as he looked on, "What surprise do you have in store for us, I wonder…?"

Cid then looked to Claire and said, with no small amount of relief, "I can't tell you how glad I am to have you with us on this little jaunt, old friend. Had you not beaten a path through that maze, I very much doubt we'd be standing here now…"

"I doubt that you would have gone straight in on your own," Claire said before looking to G'raha and added, "Well, most of you wouldn't have."

G'raha didn't seem to notice what she said as he clapped his hand together and said, "Well! We have much to discuss and digest. Let us retire to Saint Coinach's Find for the present and there plan our next step. Lest there be any doubt, our expedition has some way to go yet!"

And that was what they did. With the Labyrinth of the Ancients now safe to pass through, they made it back to Rammbroes and the others with little trouble, and were already informing him of everything that happened. Most of the other researchers had already left at this point as they began to set up their equipment outside the Labyrinth so that they could get to work studying up on every part of the ruins, leaving the rest of them to discuss where to go from here.

"The fellowship of NOAH being accounted for, it is time this assembly was called to order! Rammbroes will be presiding over the meeting. If you would be so kind as to inform him of your readiness to proceed..." G'raha Tia said, calling out to everyone rather formally, leaving Rammbroes to give him an impatient poke in the back of the head for his antics.

"Welcome back, Claire," Rammbroes said directly to her after G'raha had been scolded, "I have just been reading about your encounter in the Labyrinth of the Ancients. It pleases me greatly to note that you seem none the worse for the experience. For your reference, I have added my own notes to G'raha's preliminary expedition report, and begun compiling a Crystal Tower survey log."

He then set the large tome that he had been working on and set it aside, informing her that she was free to look over it whenever she wanted and he would be glad to answer whatever questions he could. Once she thanked him he then went on to the matter at hand.

"Now, if there are no objections, I shall begin with a summary of the expedition's key accomplishments," Rammbroes said, "In the course of this, our first foray into the grounds of the Crystal Tower, we succeeded in neutralizing the structure's outer defenses, before proceeding to secure the maze surrounding the base of the spire. According to Claire's account, the labyrinth's defenses were most emphatically active. Disturbingly, her report also mentions a violent encounter with a sentry heavily augmented by Allagan technology…"

"In short: our misgivings were well founded," Cid said darkly, his arms still folded, "The Crystal Tower was not simply thrust above ground by the chaotic shifting of earth—it has somehow been reawoken."

What did that mean though? Reawoken? As in the defenses were dormant until now? But if that was the case, then who, or what, could have woken everything up? Was it them when they made it past the Eight Sentinels?

"If, as seems increasingly likely, the tower's secrets should prove too dangerous to share with the world, we will have no choice but to contain them," Cid sighed, "Short of leveling the place, this will almost certainly involve returning its mechanisms to a state of dormancy. To do that, however, we will first need to address the question of how they work—the answer to which must surely be waiting for us inside the tower itself." He then turned his gaze to the beautiful spire as he finished, "In conclusion: that is where we must go."

"A task rather easier said than done, if the perils of the labyrinth are any indication..." G'raha Tia stated, not a hint of his usual cheer in his voice.

"Then I move that all further exploration of the tower be delayed until such time as an exhaustive analysis of the structure's defenses has been completed," Rammbroes suggested, he turned back to Cid and the others as he finished, "Master Garlond, may I entrust this task to you?" Rammbroes asked.

"It would be my pleasure," Cid confirmed without hesitation.

"Don't forget about us!" Wedge added as he and Biggs beamed widely and were looking ready to get to work.

When Cid turned back to them, Biggs added, "It's like you said, Chief—we founded the Ironworks to make sure that technology was used for the right reasons, and that means making sure it's not used for the wrong ones. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't see this through to the end."

"Lads…" Cid sighed and he truly sounded touched by their words before he cleared his throat and added a little more sharply, "Well, I hope you're ready for some backbreaking chores!"

"Well, everything seems to be in hand here, so I shall take my leave of you for the present," G'raha Tia said brightly, "If I am to witness this valiant tale unfold with mine own eyes, I must needs hone my martial skills ere we ascend the spire!"

"You'll do nothing of the sort, G'raha," Rammbores warned, "Your knowledge may prove useful to Master Garlond's investigation."

G'raha looked put out about this and pouted as he turned his head away, almost childishly.

"As an observer, I am not, strictly speaking, subject to your authority..." G'raha said, but when his eyes caught her own, he seemed to calm down and added, "Pray do not mistake my intent, Claire. I am well aware that I shall never be a match for one with your innate talents, however hard I train. Be that as it may, pray do not allow your skills to rust from disuse during the coming pause. We will need you fighting fit if our subsequent forays are to prove as productive as this one. Mark me: we have not yet caught more than the briefest glimpse of that which time has obscured. Soon, however, we shall cast off the veil, and gaze upon the glory of the Allagan Empire!"

"And with that encouraging thought in mind, it is time to bring this assembly to a close," Rammbores said as they all felt that familiar sense of excitement rise within them at what could be waiting for them. "Let us all focus on the tasks at hand, that our next expedition may begin all the sooner. Meeting adjourned!"

Needless to say, there was a celebration happening that night as they rejoiced in how far they had come already. Claire remained with them as they all had a small feast and sat around the fire as they enjoyed themselves. It was a relief when someone spoke of something other than calculations or of the structure of the tower and instead spoke of stories. She sat, ate, and laughed with the others as they all took turns telling each other their most exciting and funny stories. She took this time to tell them a little more of the bumbling inspector she met a little while ago, and how he truly thought that he had been a zombie for the last few years and lived among the living dead as their king.

"Good gods, how is he still alive?" Rammbroes roared out in laughter as he enjoyed a generous amount of drink.

"Maybe he didn't have much of a brain and the other zombies weren't tempted by him?" G'raha offered and soon they were all laughing again. As the night wore on, the Miqo'te clapped her on the shoulder and said to her with a bright grin, "My friend… something tells me that you and I are going to get along famously!"

While the group enjoyed their hard-won victory, malms away there was someone else who was stepping up to examine the destroyed pillars that had been—until earlier that day—pristine statues.

"Such a terrible mess," the outlandish man sighed almost bored as he looked around at the smashed rock, "Yet it does leave the door wide open, so to speak."

He paused as he looked around a little closer at the remains and even gave a slight grin.

"One cannot help but be impressed," he admitted, "I'm beginning to understand the reliance you place on adventurers, old friend." He looked to the still glowing platform that held the gate and sighed, "So… this is the legacy the Allgan Empire left behind. If my readings are correct, the energy source waiting atop the tower is a match for even the Ultima Weapon. Nay… more than a match."

He then chuckled to himself, "A new toy for me to play with."

He reached up to remove the mask and let it fall as Nero tol Scaeva looked on. A new fire burning in his breast at what he suspected was waiting for him up ahead. It seemed his idea to get that adventurer involved was a good decision on his part. Already the outer defenses have been taken care of and a path to the front door was open to him.

He waited this long, so he supposed he could wait a little longer.

"I believed the fates had conspired to deny me my just rewards once again… but it would seem they had a greater destiny in mind for me," he said, "And so long as my ambition burns, I shall strive to seize it. The dream lives on, Cid… do not disappoint me!"