Duelist of Dawn: Oh hell yeah! My first chapter has brought together my good readers to bask in the ambience!
Ron: Where are you getting these words? And where have you been!?
Duelist of Dawn: Sorry, my final exams are approaching and the studying is kicking my ass right now. I'm trying to make time for everything.
Ron: Well, look at the positive side; after you get them done, you can catch up and be ready to hang with your folks on Christmas!
Duelist of Dawn: Yeah, right now one of my presents is going to be the rest and relaxation of the college for the break. Anyway, I'm back and ready to go.
Ron: Yeah, so is everyone else!
Duelist of Dawn: All right! A special thanks to those adding me on their favorite's page, story and author alerts. I also thank Katherine the Black Rose, No Romance, Cyrus Truth, lilypop8, FF & STH, Hareru1995 and introducing AzureKite4. Again, sorry for the delay.
Ron: Also, the Duelist of Dawn doesn't own Final Fantasy 9 or any music used in the story. He owns me and Lovrina's characters.
Duelist of Dawn: And in the spirit of the holidays; Start the Chapter!
Chapter 32:
Night Party
(Treno-Dr. Tot's Tower Home) (Ron's POV)
After the nice, monster-free ride in Gargan Roo, we all made it to Dr. Tot's place inside of a tower. Choco climbed up first; apparently his mountain climbing ability also lets him climb ladders as well. Next, the rest of us guys went up followed up by the ladies. The tower was mostly occupied by lots of books and huge globe of the planet, Gaia. I was wondering how a small guy sleeps in such a crowded place, but I didn't want to sound rude.
"Hey Doc, I know you're book smart and all, but your place is crowded and dirty!" Of course, Lani didn't care about it in the slightest.
"Are you always this rude, Lani?" Lovrina asked. Lani shrugged.
"I never knew about this secret passage..." Amarant said.
"I apologize for the lack of space." Tot said.
"It's fine..." Amarant replied.
"Hey, Amarant, have you been here before?" Zidane asked.
"He has..." Lani replied for the red-haired man, earning a glare from him.
"...What about you?" Amarant asked Zidane.
"Me? I've been to every place where there are beautiful women!" Zidane responded cheerfully.
Everybody except Tot and Amarant groaned.
"Uh, can we talk about Madain Sari later?" Eiko asked the scholar. "I wanna go sightseeing."
"Oh, of course." Tot replied. "There's no hurry."
"Yay!" Eiko said, about to make her way down the stairs. She turns to Vivi, who was watching go. "What are you staring at? Let's go!"
Vivi jumped and looked around, before asking. "Wh-Who? Me?"
Eiko groaned and grabbed his hand. "Yes, you! This is my first time in Treno. Show me around."
"Okay, take it easy!" Vivi shouted as Eiko drags him out of the tower as most of us laugh.
"Then I shall go, as well." Freya said, calming down. "I'll take this chance to relax." She leaves after the kids.
"What about you, Amarant?" I asked the red head. He basically leaves off on his own accord. "...I'll never understand him."
"Don't worry about." Lani tells me. "This is the place he became a wanted man."
"What!?"
"Kweh!?"
"Oops, said too much!" Lani said, running off after her partner.
"I wonder how they got involved with each other." I said.
"No wonder he acts so cold to others." Lovrina added. "Though, I do remember Dagger saying he had wanted posters over Treno."
"Oh man, now I see..." I muttered.
"Yes, well..." Tot interrupted, addressing Zidane. "You know, today is the last day for the card game tournament registration."
"Well, then I better go register." He answered.
"I'm a skilled card player. Let me know if you need assistance."
"Hey, I'm not so out of practice that I'd need your help." Zidane scoffed.
"I see. Good luck." Tot said.
"Yeah, knock 'em dead!" I added.
"Kweh!" Choco said.
"Thanks, later!" Zidane said running out the place.
"What card game are you talking about?" Lovrina asked.
"Oh, right..." I said, forgetting that she and Eiko are new to this continent. "It's called Tetra Master, a card game involving some monster cards. People play these and battle with others, when you win you can take one of the loser's cards." As an afterthought, I said, 'I must sound like geek right now...'
"Sound fun, but I'd rather go sightseeing than play a card game." Lovrina said. "But I wonder why, you're not entering; you sound like an expert of it?"
"I retired from it." I said. 'Actually it was another card game, I just play video game versions of it now... Great, I'm starting to feel like Squall keeping his thoughts to himself!'
"That's too bad, I would've like to see you play." She said.
"Yeah, but who would take you on the tour?" I asked. "Choco's never seen this place and the doc is probably finishing up something here." Then, I saw something I've never seen Lovrina do: make a devious smile on her face. I was almost scared at that face. "What's wrong?" I asked carefully.
"If I didn't know better, Ron..." She started. "I'd say you were trying to ask me out."
"Huh!?" I said, having a big blush on my face. "W-w-wait... I'd never said..."
"I'd be honored; let's go!" She said, walking past me. All I did was watch her leave down the stairs, with my jaw hanging out.
"What just happened to me, guys?" I asked.
"I believe you're on a date," Tot said, amusedly. "Be sure to treat the lady right."
"Kwehh!" Choco added, smiling.
"I'm waiting!" Lovrina called from the stairs.
'I can't believe this is happening...' I thought before, following the kunoichi to the door.
(With Eiko and Vivi) (3rd POV)
The kids were currently at near the tower and approaching the entrance of the city. Eiko was leading while Vivi stayed behind a little, pondering something...
"Um, Eiko..." Vivi wanted to choose his words carefully, after seeing her get angry so much. "Why didn't you..."
"Why didn't I invite Zidane?" She interrupted.
"Y-Yeah."
Eiko sighed, but not out of anger on the black mages. "Those two are thick like bricks. They don't realize how they feel about one another until they're apart."
"Hmm...What do you mean?" Vivi asked.
"Aaargh! You big dope!" The little summoner yelled, frightening poor Vivi. Seeing this, Eiko calmed down. "You really don't know about relationships?"
"No." Vivi shook his head.
"No wonder you seem so timid." She said. "Okay, listen carefully. Zidane really likes Dagger. But Zidane wants to act cool, so they misunderstand each other and end up fighting. Now do you understand?"
"...Not really." Vivi replied, but Eiko ignored it.
"Zidane wouldn't stop acting cool in front of me, either." She continued. "It's so hopeless..." She stopped a bit, looking over the ledge at a stadium in the distance. "Hey, what's that? Is that the card stadium?" She asks. "I gotta see that!" Eiko ran down the stairs.
"H-Hey, wait...!" Vivi protested, but it was too late. "...She's gone. I hope Lovrina doesn't get mad at me." Just then, a figure comes up behind him.
"Hey! You're..." The figure says.
"Huh...?" Vivi turns around and finds...
(With Amarant...)
Amarant knew this city well from his past experiences as he walked near a white and pink mansion, staring into a lake with his arms crossed in front of him. "Nothing's changed..." He says.
"I'll say..." Amarant doesn't turn his head, but knows that Lani showed up near him. "Treno's always been a dump as far as I've been here." She paused a bit before continuing. "It's been rough since you've became a 'criminal', at least I know you're not."
"...What makes you say that?" Amarant asked.
"You don't seem the like someone who would steal, despite your 'thuggish' look." Lani replied.
"...Whatever..." Amarant was about to head over to the mansion when a familiar four-armed man walks out of it.
"Dammit! That bird lady didn't fall for it!" He yelled. "Gotta find my next scam..." As the passes by, Amarant ends up bumping into him, almost knocking him down. "Damn! Ain't you gonna apologize for that?"
Amarant just stayed silent, with his back turn to the four-armed man.
"Oh great..." Lani muttered. In all the time they've been partners, she knew that Amarant wasn't the one to apologize for something mediocre.
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you!" The four-armed man yelled. "Don't you know who I am!?"
"...No." Amarant said bluntly.
"Here it comes..." Lani sighed. It was the same song and dance: first, you bump into the guy and expect and apology...
"What!?" the guy walks up to Amarant, ready to beat some sense into him. "I'm the infamous... Huh?" He over looked the red-headed man.
"Next, you'd try to go beat an apology out of him...
"I've seen you somewhere before..." Then, the four-armed man gasped. "Y-You're...the Flaming Amarant!" Some of the bystanders gasped also, knowing the reputation of that 'criminal' in question.
"Then, you realize what you got yourself into..." Lani counted to three.
"I-I'm sorry!!!" Then the four-armed man ran off, like a scared babe.
"Finally, you piss your pants and run." Lani finished as she walked over to her partner. "Nice work, you've scared off another wanna-be bandit! You really should be a bounty hunter like me!" Amarant groaned.
It was then, Eiko popped over after seeing the events that took place. "What happened, Amarant? That guy was totally frightened!" She said.
"Nothing serious, kid." Lani spoke.
"Oh, I know! Amarant was being a bully," Eiko exclaimed and turned to the man in question, "weren't you?" Amarant groaned while Lani laughed. "My grandpa always told me that bullies are actually cowards."
"Amarant? A coward?" Lani said. "Trust me, you don't know the half of it."
"Ooh! Tell me!" Eiko said, jumping.
"Just leave me alone..." Amarant says turning around. Little did they know, the four-armed man was hiding behind another building, eavesdropping.
"Hee hee... So he's traveling with a kid..." He said, chuckling to himself. "I never knew the Flaming Amarant had a soft spot for kids! This could be my chance to get him back!" When Eiko looks his way, he turns around quickly and takes his leave. "Well now, excuse me!"
Eiko saw him run off and thought, "...So weird." Amarant then walks away as well. "Amarant? Where are you going?" "He just ignores her and goes off. "...So weird."
"Trust me kiddo, it's as weird as it's gonna get in this city..." Lani said, going after her partner.
With Vivi...
The man that Vivi ran into earlier turned out to be an old acquaintance of his named Marco. He wore an all blue outfit like an attendant complete with a cap. He and Vivi walked near the entrance gates and reminisce.
"I never expected to run into you again." Marco said.
"I didn't think so either." Vivi replied. "Thank you very much for your help to the airship."
"Hey, no worries." Marco said. "My master is a good man. Anyone else would've refused. You should thank him. He's the one who agreed to take you to Alexandria for free."
"Yeah..."
"So, how was the play? Did you like it?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Wasn't there an accident during the show?" Marco asked. "Were you okay?"
"Oh, um... Well, yeah, I was okay." Vivi replied. "I've met a couple of friends along the way, and they helped me out since then."
"Good to hear!" Marco said. "Well, I gotta get back to work. Hey, don't you live near Treno?"
Vivi looked kind of down when he heard this. "Yes, I do..."
"Your family must be worried. You should go home soon and tell them you're alright!" Marco suggested and then walked off. "See ya!"
The young mage started to hesitate a bit. "...But Grandpa's gone. Hmm..." Well, since I'm so close to home, I might as well stop by. Grandpa always said its best to pay your respects." So Vivi left Treno for the home he left after his grandfather died.
(Ron's POV)
I finally shook off the shock of actually being on a date with Lovrina, rather being a normal tour. Thanks to knowing about this place from the game's point of view, I could hint out every place in the city to her. The first place we went to was a duck lady's house named Queen Stella. She was really hyped up on earning those Stellazio coins, and even sensed the ones I had on me: Aries, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra and Gemini in a nearby fountain. I got some good money out of the deal and a new weapon for Steiner to wield called the Blood Sword. Despite what I thought of it originally, it wasn't covered in blood, yet it did have the crimson color on the blades and it was all worth the annoying quacks she let out as she placed the coins in some cages with magic.
When we left out of there, I felt pretty bad about wasting Lovrina's time in there; heck I forgot I had the coins.
"I'd never thought I would see a duck person anywhere." She stated. "And she seemed quite happy with those coins you gave her; what were they?"
"They were Stellazio coins she called it." I told her. "Heck, I forgot I had those and I'd been collecting them throughout this whole time."
Lovrina chuckled. "At least she's happy, even though she doesn't have the whole set. Are you going to help her?"
"Why not?" I asked. "If my dad was here, he wouldn't let me leave this thing un-finished."
"Is he that strict?" She asked.
"When it came to learning knowledge and fighting, yup." I said. "He's a lot nicer than you think; he just makes sure I'm not in anything deep."
"He must really love you to keep helping you as much as he did." Lovrina smiled. "I can see it has influenced you."
"Thank you." I said. "I bet your family was the same way, especially how you and Eiko get along."
"Yeah..." She trailed off. I noticed it as she looked kind of down.
"You miss your parents and grandparents a whole lot, don't you?" I asked her carefully.
She sighed. "Mm-hmm. I've always cherished our family, immediate and the rest of our clan. It was hard seeing my home the way it was after the storm, but I was happy that my grandfather survived it. But it became even harder when he died..."
"But look at how strong you've gotten..." I told her. "I bet that even influenced Eiko to keep having a reason to be happy." She got out of her sadness to look me in the eye. "Look at how both of you are continuing on by exploring the world, with your heads held high, you even found a lost family member."
"Y-You're right..." She said astonished.
"Yeah, so let's continue this tour with big smiles." I said with a big smile of my own. "I really hate see someone as pretty as you crying." It took the next second to just realize what I said and came up blushing more than back at the tower. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did." She said, stepping in front of me. "You really think that?" I nodded, shyly. "I knew it."
"Wha?" I asked.
"Back in Madain Sari, you were talking to Choco about me." She replied.
"You heard what I said to Choco?" I asked. She nodded. "Besides all the nice things I said, I hope you don't take offense to when I told him about the beating you handed me.
"I don't." She giggled. "It's good to know I had an influence on how you're taking your fighting abilities seriously."
"Good, cause I hate to lose someone that became a fast friend to me." I said.
"Me neither, now..." She walked next to me and held my hand. "Shall we continue the tour?"
I smiled, despite the small blush on my face. "We shall..."
(With Eiko...)
Eiko found herself inside the local two story synthesis shop. The inside was kind of dark, but then again it's always night time in Treno. Eiko wanted Mog to see the city, so she decided to let her out. Both of them focused on the three nobles talking below the balcony.
"I purchased a life-sized griffon statue the other day..." The first noble, a middle-aged man conversed with a middle-aged woman and a younger man.
"How wonderful! I bet it's gorgeous." The young man said.
"Indeed, it is. I had to add a room to my mansion for it!" The older man replied.
"Oh, my..." The woman said.
"Everything costs so much!" The older man exclaimed.
"I was also thinking about buying a behemoth statue for our mansion." The younger man said.
"Everything costs so much!" The older man said as he and the other nobles laughed.
"Hmm... I guess city people have their problems, too." Eiko said, after listening to the conversation. "I thought they would be more carefree being rich and all."
"Kupopo!" Mog replied. Suddenly, they saw a glimpse of a man around the balcony called. "Kupo!" Mog hid behind her best friend as the four-armed man made himself known.
"Hey... What are you doing?" Eiko asked, confused.
"H-Hello, little girl..." The bandit said, walking over to her cautiously for some reason.
Eiko then realized who it was. "Oh, you're the one who was being pushed around by Amarant."
The guy laughed a little. "Ha ha ha... D-Don't be silly!"
"So? What can I do for you, Mr. Wimpy?" Eiko asked.
"...Alright." The four-armed man was trying to mask his anger at that question. "Hey, are you new here?"
Eiko nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm sightseeing."
"Hey, why don't I show you around?"
"No thanks." Eiko shook her head, about to make her leave with her moogle. "I'm fine by myself."
(A/N: That's right kids, never go out with strange, four-armed men! We now return you to the story!)
"W-Wait!" The four-armed man said, stopping the little girl. 'Dammit, why do I gotta deal with this brat?' He thought. 'I just need to nab her and get even with the Flaming Amarant... That bounty on his head is mine for the taking!'
Eiko sighed. "I'm leaving."
"W-Wait! I'll take you out to dinner." He said, quickly.
"Dinner?" Eiko asked.
"That's right! What would you like to eat?" He asked, finally feeling triumphant. "Treno gelato, seaweed pasta... The choice is yours."
"You say you have delicious food?" Another woman's voice asked.
"Yeah, lots of delicious... Huh!?" The four-armed man noticed Eiko wasn't talking, so he turned around and saw a familiar Qu...
"Hey, Quina." Eiko greeted.
"You say you have lots of delicious food?" Quina asked again, ignoring Eiko.
"Wha-- Who the heck are you!?" The four-armed man asked the Qu.
"I want delicious food." Quina replied.
"Wh-Why do I gotta..." He gasped. "A-Are you part of Amarant's posse?" 'Maybe Amarant hired...her? ...to protect the girl...? Oh man, and he probably hires the best, given his skills...' He then runs off yelling. "Ahhh! I'm sorry!!!"
Quina gives chase exclaiming, "You give delicious food!!!"
"...SO weird." Eiko said, with a sweat drop running down her head.
"Kupopo!" Mog replied with the same expression.
"Hey, he dropped something." Eiko said, picking up a pink armlet with a chimera engraved in it. "Oh well, it's mine now!"
"Kupo!" Mog replied.
With Vivi...
"Home sweet home..." Vivi said, with an echo over the place. He was at a cave with a pool of boiling water. "Wow, it's still boiling." He said as he walked further into the cavern.
"This place hasn't changed..." He said, looking at a mark in the ground near the boiling water. "This is where I fell... I was starring at something down there. Grandpa helped me... I haven't liked heights ever since."
The next room was much small, but had some worn out cooking utensils and a ladder.
"Wow... Dusty... I guess that's natural. It's been a long time since I left..." When he looks at the utensils on the table, he suddenly realized something. "Grandpa didn't eat anything towards the end... His cooking tools are badly damaged now... Oh yeah, he said something like... 'Vivi! I learn art of fulfillment without eating food!'" As he walked outside, he thought, "You know, Quina looks so much like my Grandpa. So did that Quale guy..." Vivi thought about it for a bit. "Well, I better head back to Treno in case we're meeting up again." And with that, Vivi took one more look at his home before leaving again.
(With Quina...)
After the four-armed guy gave her the slip, she wandered the streets near the water, sulking...
"H-Hungry..." She whined. "I try travel to eat many foods from different cities... But why you need Gil to eat anything!?" She yelled. I cannot eat without Gil..." She sat down peering down at the water. "Ah, light on water look like food... Is just illusion...?" At first she just feeling down, but then perked up. "But maybe real! I go jump in! No... I drown if I jump... But...I hungry... HUNGRYYY!!!" She jumped in belly first into the water as an old man watched where she took the dive.
"Suicide, eh?" He thought. "I've seen many people commit suicide because of gambling debts... What a shame..." He put his hands in prayer. "Rest in peace..."
With Eiko...
Eiko runs up the stairs into Tot's tower, to see Tot still working and Choco sleeping on the ground.
"I'm back!" She exclaimed.
"Welcome back!" Tot greeted. "How did you like Treno?"
"Hmm... It was okay." She replied. "Never thought a city could be like this.
"Do you prefer your own village?" Tot asked.
"Yeah... But it's fun to meet different people." Eiko said. "I've only had my big sister and the moogles 'til now."
The Dr. looked a little bit surprised at that. "Just the moogles and your sister...? What about the others?"
"They're gone..."
"I see... So you two are the sole survivors of the summoner tribe..."
"Why does everyone wanna know about my horn and the eidolons?" Eiko asked.
"Oh, I'm a researcher of sorts..." Tot answered. "I'm just curious."
"Oh yeah, you were Dagger's teacher, right?"
"Well, yes."
"Teach me how to become a graceful princess like her!" Eiko exclaimed
"Ha ha... The princess used to be a rambunctious girl, just like you." Tot said, amused at the young summoner's actions.
"Do you think I can be like her when I grow up?" She asked.
"Oh, of course..."
Eiko squealed in happiness. "I'm glad to hear that! You see, Dagger gave me her 'mark of the princess'!"
"The mark of the princess...?" Tot asked.
"Yeah, Lovrina too!" Eiko exclaimed as she showed him the crystal she got from Dagger. "Dagger gave me one of hers and Lovrina did the same."
Tot gasped. "Do you mean...the legendary crystals!?"
"Yeah. That's what Dagger called them, too." Eiko replied. "Lovrina said they were used to summon Alexander."
"I-I see... So the crystal was divided." Tot said, going into thought mode. "One piece remained in Alexandria, while the others were sent to Cleyra, Lindblum and... The summoner tribe took the last piece to Madain Sari... But why did they have to split the crystal? What happened 500 years ago to prompt such an action...?" He snapped out of his thoughts after remember Eiko. "Ah! Excuse me. I'm sorry. I get lost in my thoughts sometimes." He saw Eiko peering out of the window. "Miss Eiko?"
"...Mog is calling me..." She muttered. "Mog wanted to talk to a moogle she met in Treno, so I left her there, but something's wrong! I have a bad feeling about this... I've gotta go get Mog!" She shouts as she runs out of the tower to get to her moogle.
With Amarant and Lani...
Amarant and Lani stand at the auction house, staring at the water again.
"You really need to stop hanging onto the past you know?" Lani said. Amarant stayed silent. "Look, if anyone wanted the ransom on your head, bounty hunters would be on your tail before all this."
"...So why didn't you?" Amarant asked.
"I told you; I may not know who it is, but I know you're not the guy responsible for the job you pulled here years ago." Lani said.
Before Amarant could make another statement, Freya comes out the auction house and spots the two of them.
"Oh, Amarant, Lani." She greeted as she joined them. "What are you two doing? Looking at the lake?"
"Pretty much." Lani replied. "I've been making sure, this guy didn't get into anything deep."
"What for?" Freya asked.
"In the bounty hunter game, we're partners." Lani said. "Even though you rarely get a decent word out of him; so I'm actually thankful for it."
"I thought you'd be the quiet type..." Amarant said to Freya.
"Sorry. Maybe I've changed." She said. "It's probably his influence."
"Zidane, huh...?" Amarant asked.
"Him and Ron." Freya added. "Mainly, it's because they've helped me out so much during Burmecia's invasion. We may have lost Cleyra, but I know my people are still around aside from the ones that escaped to Lindblum."
"Oh yeah." Lani said. "Ron told me about how you guys fought in that tree and saved a lot more lives by having him stay up in the town to prepare for battle." She then grinned. "Now I see why he beat me; if he can command an army foreign to him, I'm in way over my head!" Freya laughed a little at that.
"So..." Amarant interrupted and pointed a thumb at the auction house. "Did you find what you were looking for in there?"
"Well, I've been investigating Kuja..." Freya said. "Some people seem to think that King, the owner of this mansion, is Kuja. True, I found and talked to people who witnessed Kuja on this property. But there is no legal proof that Kuja is Lord King."
"Hmph." Amarant said.
Freya took note of that and asked. "...What do you know?"
"Nothing, really..." He replied. Lani shook her head,
Freya turned back around to the house again. "Maybe I can find out the truth from the mansion's auctioneer..."
"Don't hold your breath." Amarant muttered.
Freya heard this and decided to get to the heart of the matter. "So, what's your story? You seem to know your way around. Are you also here for a reason?"
"Who, me?" Amarant asked. "I'm only an unemployed security guard."
"Security guard?" Freya and Lani asked.
"Never pictured you working in a place like this." Lani thought.
Amarant sighed. "It was painfully dull...until the day he showed up."
"He?" Freya asked.
"IS this the reason you became a 'wanted' man?" Lani asked.
"You mean you don't know?" Freya said to the female bounty hunter.
"No, we basically helped each other a little after this." Lani replied. "I met him during bounty hunt that involved a gang. At the time, it was too much for one person to take. We were stubborn to accept help, until we realized we needed to work together to subdue them."
"I guess you got the money after that." Freya wondered.
"Yup!" Lani answered. "Pretty soon, whenever a gang bounty was involved, we teamed up. And that's how I pretty much met Ron and his gang." She then turned to her partner. "Now, about that security guard job...
"...I've said too much." Amarant said, about to walk out of here.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Lani shouted.
"What, you're interested in hearing about my past?" Amarant stopped and asked.
"Well, I wonder how someone like you became Treno's most wanted."
Amarant turned around to find...
(Ron's POV)
Lovrina and I passed by the auction house to find Amarant, Lani and Freya conversing with each other.
"Ron, Lovrina how are you?" Freya greeted.
"We're very good right now." Lovrina replied.
"So what bring you here?" Lani asked.
"Oh, I was showing Lovrina around the city." I said. "We were about to head up stairs, but we had to avoid a drunken man, burping up the alley."
The summoner giggled. "So we came over here, and heard you talking about Amarant."
The red-headed man growled. "So you wanna know, too?"
"It's nice to know a little about the people I work with." I said. "Helps build teamwork and understanding; giving great advice."
"You got that from me." Lovrina said, giving me a playful slap on the shoulder.
"Exactly why I said its great advice." I said, coyly.
Amarant groaned as he started to talk. "This was where he and I met for the first time..."
"Who is 'he'?" Freya asked.
"...Zidane."
"Zidane!" All of us asked. And I was just as surprised as they were, I never knew this and I only heard about this part.
"I thought the two of you just met!" Freya said.
"Why doesn't that kid remember you?" Lani asked.
"I don't think that he does remember." Amarant replied as he turned around to face the auction house. "I was working as a security guard at this mansion... I was looking for a fight... It didn't matter who, as long as he was strong..."
(Flashback) (Amarant's narration and POV)
"THIEF!!!"
(I saw him running out the door, stashing something in his pocket, snickering.)
"That was too easy!" He said, not noticing me just yet. "The boss was right; Treno's full of suckers! Now to make my escape!" Before he could leave, he pushed back by another person, me. "Wh-who are you?"
(I never was the one to wear those stupid, purple guard outfits, but anyway...)
"You look like a worthy opponent..." I said.
"Hmph." Zidane just looked me in the eye, without fear and said. "So you're the King family's infamous new security guard, huh?"
"What if I am?" I told him. "Hasn't got me any action yet. Come on, fight me." I got out my hand claws, ready to fight him.
"Hmph. So you're just a thug." He said. It pissed me off...
"What did you call me!?"
He grinned as pulled out two daggers, and started assuming a battle stance. "My favorite kind! I'll knock you out in one minute, flat!
(I was ready to prove him wrong.)
"Don't disappoint me." I said, but before I could make the first move...
"Where did that thief go!?"
(Two of those idiot guards ran out of the mansion as Zidane chuckled...)
"Hee hee... Here they come." He said.
"I won't let them interfere... Come on!"
Zidane dropped his stance and daggers and replied. "Don't be silly. The game's over!"
"What!?" I shouted as he ran to the guards.
"H-Help! He came out of that door as I was passing by!" He put on a fake crying act. "I was staring at him 'cause I thought he might be a burglar, and then he started pummeling me!"
Both of those guards looked at me strangely. "But he's a guard for this mansion..."
"That's why he's suspicious!" Zidane retorted. "Just look at him!"
"W-We always had our suspicions, but..."
Zidane cut off the second guard's comment. "I'm gonna call the police! You guys hold him off until they get here!" He runs by and whispers..."(I'll tell you one thing... The truly mighty ones don't flaunt their power. How can I describe it to you? The sly eagle hides its claws.)"
"Hmph..." I thought he was talking nonsense, so I waived it off.
"(I'm outta here! Buh-bye!)" He whispers before running off and leaving me with the worst security idiots ever to 'apprehend' me.
"W-We've got you now!" They shouted.
"...Yeah, right." I had enough of those idiots already and started to leave.
"H-Hey!"
"Don't run away!"
(Like I'd run...)
(End flashback) (Ron's POV)
"S-So, you..."
"I became a wanted man..." Amarant answered for Freya. Suddenly, she and Lani started laughing while Lovrina and I held it in. "What's so funny?"
Freya stopped to compose herself. "Sorry. I just didn't expect you to fall for such a childish trick..."
"...It's no concern of yours." He replied.
"Wow, I can't believe that's what happened to put you on the wanted posters." Lani said.
"Don't get me wrong. I don't hold a grudge against him." Amarant said. "But I need to understand him... He doesn't flaunt his power. He only cares about being with his friends..."
"And that's exactly the reason you got tricked." I said. "You can't expect every warrior's thoughts to be on the fight every moment of the day. Learn to live your life, pal."
"You were destined to meet each other again." Freya mused on Zidane's and Amarant's second meeting. 'Two men walking on the same path are destined to confront each other one day.' That's what a man told me some time ago... Honesty is a virtue. That's if you can manage to stay alive..." And with that she walked away.
"That was very insightful..." I said. "With all these meanings and proverbs, we could make a book about it." I turned back to Lovrina. "I think we should head over to the card stadium to see if Zidane won his big trophy."
"Good idea..." Lovrina said. "But I thank you for the tour, even if it was mostly us talking."
"No problem..." I replied. "Let's go. Maybe we could pick up some more weapons for us, how about you?"
"Oh yes, I need another katana." She said.
"Well let's head on over to the weapons shop!" I said.
"Lead the way!" She replied. We both walked the short distance, since we passed it after hearing Amarant talking to the girls. The inside of the place was kind of dungeon like with everything behind gates. The weapons, the walls, even the bottom was a gate. The attendant was an old woman, who carried battle scars on her face, a veteran in a war perhaps.
"Hello there, welcome to the bishop's shop." She greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you happen have any ninja swords for my kunoichi friend here?" I asked, gesturing to Lovrina who was staring at the weapons on the wall.
"Oh..." She replied. "Your girlfriend?"
"I... not at the moment..." I said. "But we are on a date; taking her on a tour of the place."
"You might want to choose a less... criminal place to go to next time." She said.
"I know, but our friends came here to take a break and..."
"I get it now." The veteran said, picking up a thin sliver blade with a blue hilt. "Well, we do have a special Murasame blade for 10,000 gil."
"Wow, sounds great if it's pricey." I said.
"I do have an extra alternative for you..." She said.
"What's that?" Lovrina came over to see what was going on. "Wow, a murasame blade! I could buy that."
"Well, your friend here was gonna buy it for you." The store attendant said. "Unless you guys want the alternative challenge..."
"What's that?" Lovrina asked.
"The master of the Knight family, who owns this building, keeps a monster below the gates as a pet." The attendant informed us. "He likes to see people challenge it and get beat up."
"Really?" I asked. "Doesn't sound like nice thing to do on his part."
"Well, if you beat the monster below you, you'll gain this blade free of charge." She offered.
"How about it, Ron?" Lovrina asked. "We have been training back in Alexandria; we should use this opportunity to see the results."
"Why not?" I asked and then turned to the clerk. "We're in."
"Are you sure? I can't guarantee your safety." She warned us.
"We're not backing down." I said, confidently.
"Alright, go stand in the middle of the cage." She said. Lovrina and I did just that. "Unlock the gates!"
The gates below us opened up to the underground dungeon. Both of us jumped a bit before it opened, to shake off the surprise and landed without injury.
"Alright, where is it?" I asked.
*WRRAASSH!!* An airy roar bellowed out from deep into the dungeon halls, signaling the monster's arrival.
"Never mind..." I said. The monster was a large, green beast with two curved horns and massive feet.
"A Catoblepas!" Lovrina shouted. "Don't look at its eyes!"
(Play Enemy Attack from Final Fantasy X)
The monster bellowed, preparing to stomp the ground in order to shake us up. Lovrina climbed the walls while I hung on to some loose chains from the wall. The ground started shaking, causing me to swing around on the chains. I worked on using that momentum and swung towards him, I use one of my hands to punch the monster right between the eyes, making it stop.
"Lovrina, go!" I shouted. Lovrina did some hand seals and shouted.
"Ninja Art: Fire Blast Jutsu!"
She breathed a large amount of flames on the Catoblepas, but it didn't even phase it at all. She stopped it a little late before the beast slammed the wall, causing Lovrina to land on top of it.
"Plan B!" She took out her katana and jabbed it on the back of the monster's head, making it scream out in pain and flail its head. She jumped off the beast and landed right next to me.
"I think you made it mad." I said.
"Oh well..." She replied.
The Catoblepas wasn't finished yet as its eyes started glowing...
"Close your eyes!" She shouted as both of us did. It's a good thing the aura sight, didn't let me fall for it as I saw the yellow aura of the Catoblepas and the bright white aura of Lovrina.
"I could've used this from the start." I muttered. "Instead, we're playing around with this thing."
"It has a tough hide..." Lovrina said. "I had a tough time jabbing its head with the katana."
"Maybe we could go under?" I asked.
"Let's try it; I'll try to get on its back and you charge in, kay?" She said.
"Got it, go!" Lovrina made a dash for the monster; good thing I taught her how to battle with her eyes clothes back in Alexandria, swapping battle strategies. It's a lot easier with aura, but she's great enough without it. But it was hard to do that when the Catoblepas stomped around, barring her from continuing.
"Damn!" I was about to go in until...
"Here's a present!" Lovrina shouted throwing a kunai below the monster. "Get ready, Ron!"
"Wha?" I then understood what was going on. A tag was attached to it, and if I know ninjas it will...
*BOOM!!*
The blast harmed the beast as it jumped up on its hind legs in pain and surprise.
"Go now!" Lovrina shouted, signaling me for the attack. I ran in as fast as I could, pouring some power into the trench knives.
"Bye-bye!" I jumped when I was right under the monster and started delivering punches where the explosion hit it at. The monster roared in pain as it got weaker, and I moved away to see it fall.
(End music)
I opened my eyes to see the dead body without the aura. I whistled at the damage we did, it was a lot easier than I thought but that's because we found a weak spot early.
"We got him!" I shouted to the store leader.
"Impressive!" She said, opening the gates for us. Lovrina jumped out using her skills, while I had to resort to climbing the gates, after seeing no real place to jump on.
"Nice work back there!" Lovrina said.
"Hey, you deserve half the credit." I told her. "You gave me the opening I needed, plus went in to expose it."
"Well, thank you." She said as we approached the lady. "Do we win?"
"Of course, here you go!" The veteran woman handed Lovrina the new sword.
"Thank you very much, ma'am." I said, bowing in respect. "I'll come back to visit sometime."
"You better, and good luck with your date!" She replied. Surprisingly, I didn't blush this time as I nodded back and turned to Lovrina.
"Like your present?" I asked.
"Of course, especially since you helped me get it." She replied.
"No problem." I said, opening the door for her.
She giggled as she went out, "Such a gentleman..."
But as we went out the door, we stopped to hear...
"Lovrina, Ron!"
We turned to the voice and saw Eiko and Mog run towards us with scared looks on their faces.
"What's wrong, Eiko?" Lovrina asked her, kneeling in front of her sister.
"A moogle here in Treno told me that Alexandria's under attack!" Eiko shouted. Lovrina and I gasped. "We need to find Zidane and the others and get back quick!"
"I'm on it!" Lovrina did some hands signs and shouted. "Clone Jutsu!" Two clones of Lovrina appeared next to her. "Go get Vivi, Amarant, Freya, Lani and Choco, we need everybody at the card stadium!" The clones nodded and split up.
"Let's get Zidane!" I said as me and the girls ran to the stadium.
(With Zidane...)
"Congratulations, you're the winner!" The card shark said to Zidane as he and his opponent walked out. While everyone was sightseeing among town, Zidane was advancing in the tournament. The former champion he beat happened to be a pilot at Lindblum's Castle.
"Wow, I didn't know you were the champ, Erin." Zidane said. Erin wore a white sailor's uniform but was a airship pilot. She used oglop cards, in name of Regent Cid, who accompanied her. Being that Zidane was Lindblum resident, he met her running to the castle trying out for her airship license.
Erin saluted. "Long time no see, Mr. Zidane!"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm the champion!" Cid jumped up.
"Hey, Regent Cid." Zidane grinned. "Still an oglop, I see."
"And you still haven't learned any manners..." The oglop retorted.
"Cut me some slack, will ya?" Zidane said. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Mainly participating in the tournament, yet a bug couldn't play cards..." He growled a bit. "But there was something I wanted to test."
"What are you testing?" Zidane asked.
"Our new airship, Hilda Garde 2!" Erin exclaimed.
"The one that can fly without Mist?" Zidane asked.
Regent Cid nodded. "Correct. We can't go very fast yet, but we made it to Treno."
"Why now?"
"I have a funny feeling there'll be more trouble on the horizon."
"Don't you worry," Zidane said. "I'm sure our almighty Queen Garnet will take care of everything."
"Oh no! This is horrible!!!" The three of them turned to see Eiko, Mog, Ron and Lovrina run up to them.
(Ron's POV)
"What's up, Eiko?" Zidane asked us.
"Oh, it's horrible!" Eiko exclaimed. "A moogle from Treno just told me--"
"What's wrong? (Gwok!)" The regent asked.
"It's Alexandria! The placed is being attacked!" I shouted.
"What!?" Zidane, Cid and their sailor friend shouted.
"Hey!" We found the rest of the Freya and the gang running up to us from where we just came.
"Zidane!" Vivi and Choco came from the other side of the stadium.
"We got your message!" Freya said. "It's probably Kuja again!"
"Dammit!" Zidane shouted. "Alexandria won't hold on if he's attacking!" He turned to the oglop. "Cid, we need your airship!
"Taking care of..." He said. "Erin, (gwok!) hurry to the Hilda Garde 2!"
"Yes, sir!" She said, leading us to wherever they docked.
We are in some serious crap now; hope Alexandrian forces can hold on 'til we get there...
And I'll stop there. It will be sometime before another chapter, plus my Yu-Gi-Oh! GX chapter. So don't think this is the end of the Duelist of Dawn!
Next Time: Hell just came to Alexandria in the form of Kuja's malice (Scene of Bahamut attacking Alexandria)
The soldiers won't be enough for this mess (Scene of Beatrix and Steiner, fighting off Mistodons)
But an ancient eidolon might... (Scene of four white wings sprouting from Alexandria's castle)
Also, there's a crazy book inside the place that could prove useful (Scene of blue head, sprouting from a large book)
But will it be enough? (Scene of the airship, Invincible descending towards the castle)
Next Chapter: Alexander's Holy Judgment