Beatrix woke up from all the ruckus going on and the smell of fire. She looked around only to see that the Prima Vista had crashed in a dark forest. She picked herself up.

"...Maybe she fell off, got squashed under the ship." Said Zenero

She heard him from the distance and came to the conclusion he was talking about the Princess.

"Not good. The Princess needs to be alive...!" She thought to herself.

Next to her, still lying on the ground was Steiner.

She ignored the man and left to take a look around the forest. If Garnet was still alive, she wouldn't have gone far.

"Hey you, sword girl!" It was Zidane. "You're going to look for Garnet, right? I'm going with you." He looked around for a second. "The pointy-hat boy isn't here either. Maybe he's with her."

"Do as you wish. But once we find her, she's coming with me and you lot shall be dead meat." Beatrix coldly replied.

"Ah~ And you're such a babe... What a waste." Zidane whispered.

As the other members of Tantalus were busy saving as much luggage and weapons as possible, they headed south, down a hollow tree trunk. When they emerged on the other side, they found themselves on a swamp-like area filled with odd mushrooms and trees on both sides.

Zidane proceeded with caution. You can never be sure when something will leapt at you in the Evil Forest. It's called evil for a reason, right?

He looked at the woman next to him and noticed she remained as composed as ever. Wasn't she afraid?

Suddenly, she halted her movements.

"What's wrong?" The monkey boy asked but obtained no answer.

A few seconds later, a pack of Fangs came running at them, wildly.

Zidane readied his twin blades but before he could even do anything, the Fangs were completely obliterated by the female general.

He glanced at her one more time and broke into a cold sweat. If he had to face her directly, he wouldn't stand a chance. He needed to find a way to save Garnet and escape the clutches of the tyrant in front of him.

"Let's continue." Beatrix voiced, breaking the silence which had installed after she killed the monsters.

After walking some more, they spotted the pointy-hat boy.

"Sh-she's in trouble..." He shivered.

Up ahead, stood a big monster with Garnet trapped inside it.

Beatrix ran towards it with grace so she could save the Princess.

Zidane followed behind her, his body shining.

"What is that light?!" They heard Steiner shouting. Good timing.

"I don't know. It somehow raises my power!"

Zidane became faster as well, striking the monster with energy accumulated in his blades.

Beatrix wasn't going to stand still either, and sliced with an upward thrust.

The monster wept and fled the area almost instantly.

"Princess? Princess!" Steiner fell on his hands and knees. Despair evident in his eyes.

"It's my fault... I was too scared to cast any spells..." The mage boy said.

"At least, you're not hurt. We'll get Garnet back, so don't worry." Zidane comforted him. "Hey, what's your name, by the way? Mine's Zidane."

"Vivi..."

At that moment, Beatrix took a good look at the mage boy. She didn't realize it before but, didn't he awfully look like one of those...? Anyway, this wasn't the time to be idling around wondering about it. She had a mission to complete, after all.

"Vivi, can you go back to the ship and let everyone know what's happening? And tell'em we're bustin' outta here as soon as we rescue the Princess."

The boy adjusted his hat in agreement and went on his way.

Steiner wasn't so sure if it was a good idea to let him go alone. What if another monster got him next?


Meanwhile, almost letting out smoke from her nostrils from anger was Queen Brahne.

"Oh, what a disaster! Zorn, Thorn! Have you heard anything from Beatrix yet?"

"Beatrix has yet to contact us!"

"Contact us Beatrix still has to!"

The Queen smashed her fan violently into the right arm rest of her extravagant and luxurious chair.

"Your Majesty!" A female soldier called. "According to the ship's direction and state when it left town, it probably crashed somewhere around Evil Forest."

The fat woman scratched her chin, deep in thought.

"Good, it isn't very far from here. If anything goes wrong, she can also make her way to Dali. I'll be patient for a while longer."


Back to the general and the others, they were roaming the forest again, looking for clues to where the monster could have gone. It probably went back to its master so they needed to find the nest.

The path they opted for was pretty straightforward and soon, they reached a clearing in the forest. A small fountain stood in the middle and right next to it was a moogle.

"Monty, is that you?" Beatrix asked as she approached the tiny creature.

"Ah, Beatrix! It's been a while. Got any mail for me?"

The woman searched through her pockets. "As a matter of fact, I do. Here you go."

The moogle thanked.

"Have you seen anything out of the ordinary around here?" Beatrix continued her inquiry.

"Now that you mention it... I saw a few monsters gathering up ahead. It sent shivers down my spine... Oh! And I got a letter from Stiltzkin. He said he's somewhere really cold!"

"I see. I appreciate your information." She then turned around to the two men behind her. "We're up for a tough fight. You better take a quick rest and prepare before we go in for the kill." She advised.

Her companions agreed and took a few sips of the delicious spring water. They'd never felt so refreshed!

"I wonder if these mushrooms are edible...?"

"If you wanna get sick, be my guest Rusty." Zidane teased.

As soon as they were ready, the party continued forward. Determination was burning in their eyes.

A few more Fangs and Goblins showed up along the way but they were no match for two royal generals and an expert thief.

After a while, they reached what it looked to be a cave. They went in. The ground was made solely by plant roots which led to a single gigantic plant monster in the middle. Princess Garnet was trapped behind it.

They rushed towards the monster.

Upon noticing the intruders, the master plant gushed out pollen to their eyes.

"Wh-What is this? My eyes burn!" Steiner shouted.

"Use some eye drops and you'll be fine." Beatrix advised as she jumped as high as she could to slash one of the plant's tentacles.

The armored man did as he was told and as soon as the pain stopped, he followed the female general and tackled the monster.

As for Zidane, as observant as he was, he noticed a helmet tangled at the plant's roots. If he could get close enough to steal it, it would make a good armor piece for sir rustalot. So, taking advantage of the fact that it was focused on the other two, he swiftly ran towards the Plant Brain and cut some of the roots, releasing the helmet. Taking it in his hands, he could tell it was made of iron.

From the position he was in, he had perfect vision of Garnet.

The monster still didn't realize Zidane was there, so it was probably the best chance he had to rescue the girl.

Although, it seems like luck isn't his best friend...

When he tried to get near the Princess, a group of 5 more plant-like monsters showed up. One of them was holding Vivi inside its tentacle cage.


Obs: Things are starting to look a little different from the original story but there aren't many major differences yet. Although, the first real Boss (Plant Brain) only held Garnet captive. Here, he has her and Vivi, as well and there are minions by the Boss' side. How will the fight develop? Find out next chapter! :D

Zidane's Trance ability used: Dyne - Free Energy.