(Regent Of Vector And The Lady Of The Airships, Chapter 4: The Power of Infamy)
(21 August 989, 1600 Hours)
(Esper Empire Embassy, Vector)
After they had cleared a path to open air, Flay had Maduin Wing Lord Chelsea teleport the group to the Esper Empire Embassy. It was the quickest way to cover the distance from the Veldt to Vector, and in so doing the group could possibly get an audience with the Ambassador before nightfall.
"We will need security for the site — my crew is still off-duty, we can call upon them," Flay said as Hector held the door open for the group.
"Wing Lord Hector?" the receptionist asked, then caught sight of Flay. "Ah, Summoner Allster. How may we be of assistance?" the Luna behind the desk asked.
"Is the Ambassador available? We have made a massive discovery, and the Esper Realm must be notified," Flay said in a rush.
"Hold, slow down, Summoner," Ambassador Pallas said as she entered the entry hall. "What — whoa," Pallas gasped after Chelsea entered. "What has happened?"
"We went hunting for Magicite in the mountains nearby Mobliz, to prevent anyone grave-robbing the area," Wing Lord Hector said. "We found a grave beyond any mortal expectations," he said coldly.
"A grave? Nearby Mobliz? What grave?" Pallas asked.
"A tomb to an ancient Goddess of Summoners," Flay said. "Anazerne the Summoner, does the name mean anything to you?"
Pallas took several seconds to think about it. "No, never heard it. Why is — " Pallas bit off her sentence. "You said a grave beyond any mortal expectation. How much?"
"Unknown, easily thousands of deceased Summoners, a dozen or more magicite per Summoner," Hector answered when Flay fell short on the words necessary to convey it.
"More than that," Shadow said. "I counted a full battalion of deceased Summoners on one section of one tier around the mausoleum, several Summoners with more than three dozen magicite."
"It was the inside of an entire mountain," Flay finally said.
"I need to see this," Pallas said. "Can you take me there?"
"Hector?" Flay asked her summoned Wing Lord.
"I have reached the limit of my teleportation group ability, milady Allster," he answered, meaning that Pallas was one person too many for his intention.
Use the staff, Selesce recommended by way of telepathy.
"Ah! Yes, I forgot," Flay said, then lifted her travelling cloak to reveal her left arm. She had her usual Magic Knight Squire glove, but also an armband on her left arm that was even more ornate and possessed an absolutely stunning emerald gem in its center. Flay reached to and cupped her hand around the emerald, which caused the gem to glow briefly, then Flay drew her hand back and with it came a summoner's staff.
"What is that — that staff! It — that kind of power, I last felt it in the presence of the Rune Gods!" Pallas said.
"The ghost of Anazerne gave it to me," Flay said. "Please touch to the staff, everyone." Within two seconds, everyone was in position. Flay focused her mind on her view of the entrance to the cave that led to the mausoleum, as a clear sight reference was needed for teleportation magicks. "Teleport," she chanted after she was sure she had the right reference.
-x-
Now significantly east of Vector, the sun was setting on the land that the group arrived upon. The air pressure was also notably different, and the air was a bit warmer due to being closer to the equator. It was definitely a different environ, Pallas judged.
"Through here," Shadow led the group into the cave that Hector had supplied with magicked torches, whereby the torches lit off with a blue flame as someone approached each torch but extinguished themselves when a person was more than 40 yards away.
The cave entrance was short — only about 30 yards from end to end, but serene. The surprise of the day was in the mausoleum chamber, and rightly so.
"Good Gods," Pallas said after Wing Lord Chelsea lifted her up from the cave entrance into the perimeter of the antechamber. "This distance — you have thoroughly succeeded in underestimating the scope of this find, Lady Allster. This is not mere thousands, or even tens of thousands. In this chamber, this can be naught but millions of Summoners and their Espers."
Flay nodded. "And now you know why I wanted this find known to the Esper Empire. The Magicite found in the hills around these mountains, they are probably other summoned that were slain in the same battle. Grave robbers should never have easy access to something of this magnitude."
Pallas stepped down past the orb that Flay had previously used to light the cavern, turned right, and picked her way through the scattered magicite to one of the long-deceased Summoners. The armor and arms of the Summoner was light chainmail, a shield, helmet, and two broadswords, but the easily more lethal component of the Summoner-Esper pair was the twenty or so Magicite around her.
"She was a specialist," the Ambassador said. "Water Magic — her vestments all have sapphire and aquamarine gems, and her Summons are split twelve Undine, two Carbuncle, two Seraphim, six Biasmark, and three Leviathan."
"That is insane," Wing Lord Chelsea said. "With that kind of summoning ability, she could flood small countries at a whim, and certainly cause massive damage to anything she wanted."
"I suspect we will see more repeats of this as we go along," Pallas guessed. "Flay, if you will return me to Vector, we can set out for the Esper Realm immediately. You were right, this is something that must be known and known quickly."
-x-x-x-
(21 August 989, 1830 Hours)
(Oceans between Kingdom of Baron and Republic of Vector, roughly a third of the distance out of Baron)
Dark Knight Cecil Harvey was always saluted by the ship's crew when he approached, and today it was no different when he set foot on the deck.
"As you were," Cecil dismissed the sailors to resume their duties. "Chief of the Watch, ship's status?"
The Chief stepped down from the topdeck. "Sir! All systems running hot and normal, sir. The Chief Engineer found the problem with the number three engine, one of the crewmen partially closed a condenser loop valve which was causing abnormally high pressures."
"Outstanding work. No sign of Vector's Magitek forces, correct?" Cecil asked.
"Correct, sir, no sighted vessels or small craft along our route," the Chief answered. "I did not expect anything of note on the approach, and so far they are proving our estimate correct."
"Something feels off, still," Cecil admitted. "Keep the watches by the book, and during night hours post extra watches as possible. Draw from the recon troops for that duty if you cannot spare extra crew. As we near the Vector continent, we shall post a double watch around the clock, in case the enemy does have surprises waiting for us."
"Aye, sir."
"Resume as normal, Chief." Cecil saluted the Chief of the watch, and once the Chief returned to his post at the helm, Cecil went forward to the bowspar.
Dragoon Knight Kain Highwind was waiting at the bow. "So you have sensed it as well."
Cecil was silent for almost a minute. "I can sense it even now. Something else is going on in the lands ahead of us. Something…" He trailed his sentence off, unsure what to say to convey the feeling properly.
"It is magical in nature." Kain shifted a foot, the surest sign of unease the hardened Dragoon would show in front of Cecil. "Powerful, but not so much as the Crystals. Maybe this is the lingering aftereffects of their Magitek programs?"
"No, the Magitek felt different, when I was in proximity to their Research Facility and Magitek Knight's Training Center. This feels far different, almost as if… high level summoned beasts?" Cecil took a wild guess at the cause of the unease he was sensing from the power he felt in the distance. His guess was not incorrect.
"That would have to be a massive amount of summoned beasts to be sensed at this distance, even by old warriors such as ourselves," Kain said.
"Perchance it is? Magitek was supposed to be formed of the essence of Espers, maybe that is what we are sensing?" Cecil asked, again with the accurate guess but for the wrong reasons.
"It may be, but I would be very much surprised to find them having restarted the Magitek Factory. That whole setup was an abomination in the past, I doubt a more pacifistic Republic would continue such a dishonored line of defense implementation."
"Too true," Cecil admitted. "Alternately, we could hope that the Espers are now uninvolved, or only modestly so," the Dark Knight explained his misgiving on that subject. The Village of Mist to the north of Baron held its autonomy from every nation on dint of its denizens being almost all Summoners or Wizards, making that small village hyper-lethal if ever provoked. If Vector possessed Combat Summoners in their ranks, things could become exceedingly nasty for Baron's more conventional ground forces in very short order.
"Hope for victory, plan for defeat," Kain reminded Cecil.
"The airships would have to be our main counterattack to a concerted summon assault, as the shells would be optimal for dealing with a Summon," Cecil admitted. "I would not want to rely on it, though. Best we not have to fight that manner of battle."
Neither Dragoon nor Dark Knight knew their discussions were spot-on, or that the Summons they were feeling were Espers headed from Vector to Mobliz to view and secure the Mausoleum of Anazerne. The flight path of the airships from Baron would cut south of the transit line of the Summons, in one place by 5 nautical miles distance between the flight paths, but they would not cross paths with their fears until after they landed.
-x-x-x-
(22 August 989, 2200 Hours)
(Courtyard of the Gate Rune, Esper World)
Flay, like pretty much everyone else in the known world, did not know there was a difference in terms between 'Esper' and 'Summoned Being', and had been erroneously using the terms interchangeably. When Ambassador Pallas conveyed her to the Gate Rune to the Summoned Realms, her instruction on the difference had begun in earnest.
Espers, technically, were free beings, and Summoned Beings were not so free. The difference came out to a matter of residency and an ancient curse that went back far beyond written history. Espers were not bound to any one dimension, and though could be summoned by pact, they were not restricted in residence. As Pallas was living proof, Espers could live in different dimensions at whim.
Summoned Beings did not have the freedom of residence, courtesy of the ancient curse. They could be summoned into a dimension other than the Summoned Realms, but those summonings were only temporary; after a certain amount of hours, they would be forcibly returned to the Summoned Realm by the curse and they would have to suffer a downtime before they could be summoned again. For those cursed beings, there was no option to depart the Summoned Realms permanently, the curse always drew them back in. More to the point, the curse was trapped; any attempt to remove the curse resulted in the death of both the Summoned Being and the person trying to purify the curse, making it impossible to unbind a Summon from their fate.
Otherwise, the two groups were identical. The Summoned Beings were immeasurably more numerous, and both groups remained in contact with each other over the ages with no ill will between groups, but only the Espers born outside the Summoned Realms were free of the curse.
News of the find outside Mobliz had travelled quickly, though it was not just a find for the Espers; the find rightfully belonged to both the Esper Realm and the Summoned Realm, and thus an Ice Maiden of the Shiva had been dispatched into the Summoned Realms to begin spreading the word on the far side of the border. Within an hour of that dispatch, the Ice Maiden had returned with word that the Master Summons (the Summons who ruled their respective groups) had been convened by Origin, the deity of the Summons, to discuss the matter. Specifically to Flay's involvement, she had been requested to remain in the Esper World to await word pertaining to her status, if any such decision would be reached.
Waiting was not Flay's strong suit, and after three hours of waiting, she grew frustrated and began exploring the Gate Temple. A day of waiting came and went, and she took her frustrations to the Library Magica, an adjacent facility to the Gate Temple. Chelsea and Hector could easily sympathize, given their knowledge of bureaucratic affairs amongst the Espers and Summons, but the two Wing Lords quickly found themselves wrapped up in Flay's sudden voracious appetite for magic and summoning knowledge.
"Eight elements and a cosmic energy," Flay repeated the lesson inherent to the picture of the rune. "And you are saying that every person has an element to which they are native? How would I find out what mine is supposed to be?"
"There are runic tests that can be cast against you, which will assuredly reveal your affinity, but I strongly suspect we already know it." Chelsea pointed to Flay's right hand, and the Magic Knight Squire glove thereupon. "I highly doubt Rune God Selesce would take under his wing a being that would be incompatible with his own element."
I don't know, I turned out to be incompatible with not just the Magic Knight I was under, but the whole Archangel Team, Flay thought but did not say. "I shall probably want to have it confirmed — the actual numerics of affinity between the elements would be of assistance in learning where I could best focus my spellcraft study."
"Summoning, for starters," Hector pointed to Anazerne's Staff, propped against the table Flay was sitting at. "An attempted philosopher once said that the art of war is the team sport of killing things. The larger the team, the easier the task."
The underlying message in Hector's comment caused Flay to look up to the Maduin. "Am — are we truly destined for the battlefield?"
"If Baron comes looking for trouble, it will either find you, or you will be press-ganged into it — and us along for the ride under each of those possibilities," Hector admitted. "Not that I object — any ally of Gestahl's is by default worthy of contempt and violent negotiation."
"Two of my brothers were captured in the Esper Hunt eighteen years ago, and my niece Terra Branford was abducted after Gestahl used a cavalry saber on her mother. Both brothers were slain in the Magitek Research Facility," Chelsea explained. "I know this is a rather untoward request, but if Baron does come looking for trouble, please allow us into the fight. Any ally of Gestahl who would come to Vector with drawn blades would certainly have dark designs, and best they be seen to immediately and lethally."
Flay nodded, internally understanding the truth of what her Maduin Espers had in mind. Truth be told, Flay believed the same: any ally of Gestahl was bad news, and dealing with them was only the right thing to do.
"They shall come," Chelsea said. "Thankfully, when they do, you will not need to take the front. We Espers shall stand to the battle lines for you, Flay, and for Vector. Maybe even some of the Summoned Beings, if this affair goes in that direction?"
"It has gone in that direction," Ambassador Pallas said. Flay looked up from the book she was reading and to the Ambassador, who was being escorted by two Shiva. "Flay Allster, your presence is requested in the Great Council of the Summoned Realm."
-x-
What pang of apprehension Flay had before the journey into the Summoned Realms disappeared after she arrived on the far side of the Gate Rune that connected the Esper Realm and the Summoned Realm.
That apprehension was immediately replaced with a combination of awe and dread, given that she was still dressed for a mountain adventure, she had not thus far thought to attire in something more suitable given the initial fast pace of happenings surrounding the find. The awe quickly overrode any dread she was experiencing, mainly in the sheer magical feeling of the land she now stood in. An old and storied land, the ground itself exuded levels of magical energy well beyond anything Flay had ever felt in the Esper Realms, which was far and above magicked beyond Gaia. And the sheer magic aura in the environs only increased from there.
For the ride into town, a Chocobo-drawn cart with extra seating built into the loadbed was their method of transport. Flay found this rather unsurprising, having learned how to ride Chocobo in the past year herself, she had quickly found that they were a common bird and rather flexible on the uses they could be put to. The road was bricked, not a dirt or gravel road, which made the ride a bit smoother and rather noisy as the copper-rimmed wheels ran over the bricks.
The physical environs did not take much for Flay to understand: a mix of pre-industrial revolution for the city, Cephiro for the natural areas, and something else entirely thrown in for good measure — Flay wanted to liken it to something out of JRR Tolkien's works, but she knew that was only a half-estimate. This was all too real to be something cut from a piece of fiction, and just that much more bizarre due to this being the Summoned Realm — there were only two humans visible in the area by her count, one wearing a more traditional Summoner's robe, the other wearing some kind of military BDU uniform with an armpatch she thought she recognized…
Apparently, Flay had spent too much time trying to figure out the mystery guy in the BDUs: "That's Master Summoner Kyle Ultras, of the First United States Mage Association," the Shiva guiding the cart explained. "He was in the Summoned Realm to escort some of the First's specialist Mages to advanced training with the Summons. We get travellers and Summoners from all over Existence, and the stories they have to tell! Listening to him was a true pleasure a few nights ago."
"American, no wonder I recognized the armpatch," Flay said. "Are they military? That's a Battle Dress Uniform he was wearing."
"Borderline," the Shiva answered. "They work closely with the United States Military and Intelligence Services, the Japanese Military and Intelligence Services, and they consult for several other nations that accept wizards in their population. They have been caught in battle against military and paramilitary parties; I have a cousin that was in several of their battles with the Catholic Church Jesuit Special Forces, it wasn't pretty."
"Holy crap, that's like, three conspiracies for the price of one story right there," Flay gaped at the explanation.
"Not much in the way of conspiracy there, several of their battles were in public, on worldwide broadcast, and other non-stealthy venues." the non-driver Shiva answered. "I believe you've seen this lady recently, or at least her ghost," she waved a finger at a statue they were approaching, in a market square toward the edge of the city.
"Anazerne the Summoner," Ambassador Pallas acknowledged the figure in marble.
"That reminds me, that American, you called him a Master Summoner. Are there other ranks?" Flay asked.
"Yes. Summoner Apprentice, Summoner, High Summoner, Master Summoner, and Divine Summoner," Hector explained. "Apprentices are learning the art. A Summoner has contracts to less than half the Summons. High Summoners have more than half the Common Summons. Master Summoners have contracts with all the Common Summons. A Divine Summoner is different; they are either divinities themselves, or have a Contract with one or more of the Summon Lords."
"Or both, in Kyle Ultras' case," the passenger Shiva explained. "Kyle, like his parents, is Transcendent, and has contracts with a goodly portion of the Summoned Lords. When they commit to battle, they dominate the battlescape. His preference is for Master Summoner as a title, with his parents holding the Divine Summoner title."
Flay watched the statue of Anazerne as they moved around it, slowly in this case as the market square was rather crowded. A random thought on the sheer impossibility of the scenario she was now in caused her to giggle, then chuckle at the wildly unexpected path her life was running. "What gives?" Maduin Wing Lord Hector asked after a moment.
"I have gone from classic Orb schoolgirl, to a war refugee, to a warship crewmember — briefly, in that case, before I was thrown in the brig for a couple years, then thrown off my ship, a street urchin for several months, then crew to an airship, to captain of said airship, to inadvertent Summoner, and now I have been summoned to the council of the Lords of Summoned Beings. If that is not the most twisting path to a person's life, I would not know what would be."
"I would say you are headed in the right direction," Pallas said offhand. "You are where you are not because of what you did wrong in the past, but because of what you did right. And that's why you're here, today."
"That is why Lord Origin wishes to speak to you, Summoner Allster. You did the right thing, and Origin has a few questions on that matter."
-x-
In a statehouse roughly four times the ground territory of Buckingham Palace, Flay expected a bit of a wait to percolate through the bureaucracy in such a massive facility before she had her audience with Lord Origin.
In reality, quite the opposite was true. A Carbuncle serving as a receptionist quickly directed them to a special rune to teleport them straight to the executive level, where each of the Summoned Lords had their own administrative office (or had staffers manning the office in the case of those Summons too large to fit in the building). The last office on the executive level, and conversely the smallest, was their destination.
The receptionist Carbuncle stopped on a small rune inset into the floor. "Lord Origin, I bring Summoner Flay Allster, by your request." After a few moments of silence, the door popped open and creaked its way slightly askew. "Lord Origin will see you now, milady Allster."
"We cannot follow, Lady Allster. Good luck," Wing Lord Chelsea said.
Flay nodded silently, stepped forward to the door, and hesitated in apprehension for a moment before she finished opening it. On the inside, she closed the door behind herself and received the first of multiple shocks to come.
The office on the inside of the small office was not just an office, but a full living quarters enmagicked to some six or seven times the physical size on the inside as it was on the outside. It was royally outfitted, of course, befitting the quarters of an effective divinity, and had more than a few bookcases around the room, all full of books of varied and obviously magical nature. The true kicker of the room, though, was Origin himself: if anything, Flay figured him of appearance not far from human, except for having an extra pair of arms. Flay figured if she passed Origin on the street of Vector, she would have been hard-pressed to identify him as a Summoned Being, except for the extra two arms.
Origin started by breaking the ice on a subject Flay only partially expected: "So, that much of the report is true, Anazerne's Staff did choose you."
"Is that…" Flay trailed her sentence off.
"A problem? No, the staff would not accept a user that it could not agree with," Origin said. "Be at ease, Summoner. You have done nothing for which you have cause to fear. Please, be seated," he waved to a chair on the other side of a chessboard from the chair he was sitting at.
He is right, and I am an Allster, I should not have a problem dealing with high society, Flay reminded herself mentally as she moved to and took the offered seat. "Thank you, sir. How may I be of assistance?"
"A question came up during the Master-level discussion of your find. We have no information on what lead you to the area you found Anazerne's Altar, or why," he said smoothly. "Are you willing to explain?"
"Readily, sir," Flay answered, figuring the title 'sir' was probably the bare minimum acknowledgement of rank for a divinity. "A few weeks ago, I was purchasing gemstones at a jeweler's shoppe in Mobliz, and I found five ancient Magicite in her quartzite scraps that she had completely failed to recognize as Magicite. I needed the quartz for a project, and I wanted to get the Magicite out of her hands, so I purchased her scrap contents wholesale and turned the Magicite over to the Embassy in Vector."
"That explains the sudden induction of multiple Magicite into the Lifestream I sensed a while ago," Origin put Flay's story into context for something that had been puzzling him for some time. "Is there more?"
"Yes, definitely, sir. After the return of those Magicite, the ship I captain was disabled for mechanical issues, so I returned to Mobliz and went hunting for more Magicite in the mountains southwest of the town — if a jeweler could stumble across the Magicite, so could a treasure hunter or grave robber, and those latter parties would not be so quick to turn it over to the Esper Realm."
"So, you conducted the hunt to prevent grave looting? Such is a very altruistic reason; you have my thanks for the attempt, and for the results. Go on, please," he requested.
Flay sighed; this next part wasn't exactly a stellar showing of her search and recover skills, such as they were. "Well, in our initial search we struck out completely. We were unable to find the jeweler's quarry, and unable to find any scattered Magicite. What we found instead was some of the local wildlife, which chased us into a cave and caused a cave-in with a Quake spell that sealed us in. We were clued into a secondary exit by the Rune God Selesce, and in our attempt to escape we stumbled into the Mausoleum."
Origin nodded. "I thought I recognized that as the glove of a Magic Knight of Cephiro. The Rune Gods are some of the oldest beings in Existence, for certain they date back before the days of Anazerne. To be one of their order of Magic Knights is no light undertaking; I suspect your divorce from their ranks is a significant story, even if Selesce still holds you in his regard."
"That is a long and rather embarrassing tale, sir, and it continues to haunt me to this day," Flay admitted.
"I will withhold any such question, Summoner," Origin assured her. "I gather there is more to your tale at the Altar site?"
Flay nodded once. "Once in the cavern, I found an orb and touched it, with the magic in my Knight's Glove awoke the other orbs around the room and the massive chandelier over the center. We continued into the Altar, and though we could not read any of the old inscriptions, I noticed a spectral being in the area, and when I touched where I thought it was, the ghost of Anazerne was revealed."
"I dare to say you had a conversation with her specter?" Origin cut to something that was also brought up in the meeting.
"I did, sir. She had a warning and a request. The warning was that the seventh armageddon approaches, but it would not be in my lifetime or that of my grandchildren.."
"Another repeat of that cursed campaign," Origin said.
"You were involved, sir?" Flay asked.
This time, it was Origin's turn to sigh. He placed an ornate platinum ring on the chessboard, in front of the white line of pieces. "Anazerne was my summoner for a time, but she annulled my contract before she began the action to stifle the Third Armageddon," Origin said. "I was a victim of the First Armageddon, and in that action I became the de facto divinity of Summons as penance for someone believing that we Summoned Beings started the cycle. Still, that is not the story of the day, yours is. You said she had a request?"
"Anazerne requested that I return the art of Summoning to the world," Flay said simply.
"That's not an unheard of request for her, she was always trying to expand the art of Summoning," Origin admitted. "The question is, shall you go forward with her request?"
"I do not know if I want to or not, honestly," Flay said. "The question has been in my mind for only a few days, sir."
"No rush is required on an answer," Origin said. "Deliberation on this find is ongoing, we simply needed your side of the story to help draw conclusions on the find and several related issues," the divinity of Summons said. "I suspect your input will change some of the equations in this matter, of course. I thank you for explaining the circumstances surrounding your momentous discovery."
"I am just glad that it was found before a thief found it," Flay acknowledged.
"If you are not pressed to return home, Summoner Allster, I offer hospitality in town until we have reached a decision on the matter — and any such decision would certainly involve you, as well," Origin offered.
"I have no immediate business at home," Flay acknowledged the point.
It would be that delay in returning that would change Flay's fate — and with it the fate of the world in its entirely.
-x-x-x-
(23 August 989, 0530 Hours)
(Ocean airspace south of Port City Albrook, Republic of Vector)
"Port City Albrook coming up of the port bow, Dark Knight!" The captain of the Red Wing said.
"Reduce revolutions to landing speed, prepare to set down in the wheat field east of Albrook!" Cecil ordered.
Given that the ships were coal-fired steam turbine rotor blades, the method of reducing revolutions was to simply vent steam to reduce pressure inside the loops. Restricting water flow inside a steam engine was rather hazardous; denying the boiler the necessary water to keep it pressurized could cause an engine to fracture from heat transfer, and trying to valve the inlet pipe for the turbines had caused more than one engine explosion in the infancy of the Red Wings. Thus, when a simple lever valve was opened on the side of the turbine, four percent of the steam would be vented out the top of the rotor shaft — it would be a telltale visible at miles, but the Red Wings officers were certain that Albrook lacked a large garrison to alert.
Two valves dropped the pressure in the turbines below neutral flight pressure, and the ship began slowly sinking toward the continent while still moving forward. Landing would be several minutes off still, but the first two regiments would make landfall to the east and west of Albrook — the remaining three Regiments would land north of the city and set up hasty defensive positions to prevent a mobile counterattack against the 'beachhead' in Albrook.
"All infantry prepare arms and all sailors stand to for gun action port-side!" Kain shouted over the din on the deck, to which several of the petty officers relayed the message both down into the bowels of the ship and forward on the deck.
"There!" A Chief Petty Officer pointed over the side rail to some kind of four-wheeled vehicle headed northbound. "Is that Magitek, sir?"
"No, that is something completely different," Cecil answered. The vehicle in question was wheeled, but very boxy and self-propelled. It was also fast on the brick road, easily fast enough to outpace the Airships. "We will be unable to catch it, and if the teamster (1) within is smart we shall have company from the north."
"Should we attempt to shell it?" The Chief of the Watch asked.
"No, save the munitions," Cecil ordered. "Continue as planned."
Dark Knight Cecil Harvey would never know that the decision to not fire upon the messenger would cost him the invasion. In the moments after Cecil's decision to not shell the vehicle, the Red Wing rotated in for landing and in the process landed on a telegraph pole coming out of the west side of Albrook and branching north. This telegraph wire was the sole wire into or out of town — a second wire system, headed out to Maranda along the southern shore, was not scheduled for completion for another eight months. The destruction of the telegraph pole made a terrible racket to the persons inside the ship, but the copper-plated hull of the Red Wing easily defeated a telegraph pole in a contest of hard object versus descending airship.
The town's alarm and bell were easily audible to the troops after the landing ramps descended to the ground, though the troops from Baron figured it a pale clarion for a doomed town. Outside the ships, the ranks began forming up and prepared marching order, all a routine happenstance for the sergeants in the II Regiment of Baron's ground forces.
"Activity in town, Cecil," Kain said. "Two of my Dragoons think they saw some kind of small-bore cannon being taken into a house on the near periphery of the village."
"Not unexpected," Cecil admitted. "They would be fool to not have some kind of small garrison," the Dark Knight judged.
"Captain, as soon as we begin the approach march, the Red Wing is to take off and orbit the town to prepare for bombardment," Kain said to the Captain of their ship.
"Stay safe, Dragoon Knight," the Captain saluted the Dragoon and Dark Knight, then climbed back up the ladder to the deck of the ship.
Now on the ground, Cecil had a moment to properly survey the lay of the land and how he wanted to make the march and maneuver phase of the battle plan work. "The main Battalion push will move between those two hills toward the town, giving us some screening against cannon fire. Kain, take the Dragoons to the right and cover our right flank; if your men can find a way into town, take it."
"We are on it," Kain acknowledged the shift in orders.
"Troops, move out!" Cecil shouted.
-x-x-x-
(23 August 989, 0930 Hours)
(Palace of the Summoned Realms)
Time moves differently between dimensions, and the Summoned Realms were no different. Four days had passed in the space of one day from Flay's homeland, and in this the novice Summoner had gone from a relatively unknown person in town on business to an instant celebrity due to her very important historical find. By the end of day three, hospitality in town was such that she didn't have to pay for a drink, a telling of the find of Anazerne's Mausoleum was ample.
(Coincidentally, the Summoned Realms did do a lot of trade with the worlds upon which they had active summoners, and one of those commonly traded commodities was alcoholic beverages going in both directions. Flay had tried a bit of a sampling, having grown tired of the wine and beer offerings around Vector and her various stops. One such encounter she promised she would never repeat, if she ever encountered Rakk Ale again she swore she would rather drink muddy stream water in preference to the aforementioned poison-masquerading-as-drink.)
Her third day in town, Flay had traded in some Gil (the currency of note in Vector) for Summoned Realm Leaves (electrum coins with the print of a leaf from the tree Yggdrasil) at a rather generous exchange rate, and used the coinage to acquire herself some proper attire for the lands. Fitting for attire in the Realm was fairly simple, a magicked runestone would take a person's measurements and transfer them to a pattern for the seamstress, which cut down time and hassle in the measuring process. A skilled Shiva seamstress quickly saw to preparing her appropriate robes in a white base with sapphire blue trim reminiscent of her Magic Knight Squire's glove. The white color also matched Anazerne's staff, and the seamstress was quick to add a sash and tails with a light green emerald highlight to match the gem at the end of the staff. Of course, two visible 1911A1 holsters (right hip, left waist crossdraw) and one concealed (left underarm, completely concealed by Flay's bust) were obligatory, especially after Flay demonstrated how quickly she could dispatch Imps in the countryside outside of town with said pistol. (2)
The fourth day in town would be the day that Flay both dreaded and relished, as word came early to her quarters that she had been called to the Palace for rendering of honors. So, cleaned up, dressed up, and ready for anything, Flay made her way to the palace for her midday appointment on the Executive Level of the massive palace.
Flay immediately recognized that this was not 'business as usual' in the Palace once she entered the main entrance hall. At the reception desk, four Undine in full regalia of sapphire blue robes and sapphire armor stood waiting, accompanied by two Luna in similar regalia (pearl vestments and Moonstone armor).
The escort lead, oddly enough, was a Carbuncle (3). Flay moved to meet the diminutive Esper halfway into the entry hall. "Milady Allster, Lord Origin awaits in the great hall of the Palace. Please follow me, we will not be teleporting to this location," the Carbuncle declared with gravity to voice.
"I stand ready to meet with Lord Origin. Please lead the way," Flay answered with equal dignitas to the request.
The trip down the hall was silent, far more silent than the activity in the palace four days prior. Flay took the time to observe, to draw decorating ideas from the environ for her house back in Vector, and mostly to calm her nerves on this matter. The nerves were the difficult part, given that she was about to receive some manner of honors from a Divine Summon. Such circumstances were well beyond anything Flay ever expected from her life, especially after the FUBAR that started in Heliopolis, culminated in her trying to stab Kira, and simply slid downhill from there.
Marching to the Great Hall was a long trip, fifteen minutes one way, though the room in question was obvious at distance: a pair of massive vaulted doors stood entrance to the hall, and beyond it Flay could easily sense the raw magic power of more than one very powerful being.
Her escort stopped just outside the room. "Summoner Allster, beyond this door stands Lord Origin and several of the Summoned Lords. Go with grace, milady, and remember: you have done nothing for which you should fear reprisal."
Flay sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
"Your nervousness is palpable," one of the Undine replied kindly. "Be at ease, and enjoy the moment."
"You are right, thank you," Flay acknowledged, then turned to the door with a steeled heart.
Such a massive door was not openable by small beings (the door itself stood roughly twenty meters tall), so long ago it had been enchanted with a motion spell to amplify any attempt to open or close it. Flay simply pushed against the rune plate where a handle would be, and it gave way into a stunning great hall and ballroom far more exquisite than Flay had ever seen in her lifetime. Reminiscent of something from a fairytale cartoon of centuries past, the inside of the hall was about five hundred meters long, 300 meters wide to create a symmetrical oval floorplan, and the vaulted ceiling was even larger than the doors. Flay gauged that the room was sufficient that the entire mobile forces compliment of the Archangel could stand in a line in the center of the room and never touch wall, ceiling, or each other.
Oddly enough, for such a massive room, only four beings were inside: Origin, a Luna, a Seraphim, and a Volt. Flay could sense no other beings in the area, which did not jive with what she expected should have been an otherwise busy Palace.
Still, this day was about a meeting with Origin, not what sensed unusual to Flay. She approached with grace and bowed respectfully when at an appropriate distance. "Lord Origin, I thank you for seeing me. To what may I be of service?"
" 'Tis not about myself, Summoner Allster, or even about the Esper or Summoned Realms, not today. Today, you have been requested here for yourself, Summoner Flay Allster," Origin said simply. "Though I will admit to having a very minor request, that is a minor thing to be handled at a later time. No, today is a day to consider, and to move forward on your discovery in the process of trying to prevent grave-robbery."
All four of the Summoned Beings held out a hand, and within each opened hand was a platinum ring, inscribed with the same pattern of Runes that Flay had seen on Origin's ring in days past. "We four were part of the Contract to Divine Summoner Anazerne, in those eons past," Luna answered. "I am Kiriko, Moon Princess of the Luna. Along with Lord Origin, Archangel Gabrielle of the Seraphim, and Master of Charges LDAP," on the last she waved to the Volt, whose lightning-generated face nodded twice, "We served Anazerne right up until the day of her final action."
The Seraphim shrugged her shoulders, which caused her six wings to flutter briefly. "Anazerne annulled her contracts before the battle; she said she did not want us involved in an action that would assuredly kill everything on planet to seal away the old Darkness. As a result, we never knew where her final resting place was, and with nobody to summon us back to the world, we could never search."
"Billions of people, and billions more Summons were slain in that battle," Origin said. "By attempting to prevent grave robbery of deceased Espers and Summons, you solved a mystery that has haunted us for eons. You asked how you may be of service, Lady Allster? You have already done a great service to all the Summons, and for that we old Summons to the Goddess of Summoners owe you an eternal debt. The question now rests upon you: how would you collect?"
Flay anticipated this question, and in her conversations over the past couple days, she knew what was the proper answer. There were two types of beings in the Summoned Realms: those who wanted to be Summoned, and those who did not. The latter were the rarity, most Summoned Beings wanted to actually be summoned, but the art of Summoning was a rather rare art throughout Existence.
And, in a moment of personal honesty, Flay had come to the conclusion that she wanted to see how far she could push herself, now that she had broke the dark clouds of her past in her soul. Summoning, and passing the art along to others, seemed like the path that was waiting for her, so…
"Four days ago, you asked if I wanted to continue learning the art of Summoning, if I would fulfill Anazerne's wish to expand the art. I have decided: I will take up that challenge," Flay answered steadily. "I will work toward spreading the art of Summoning throughout the world."
Origin nodded understanding on Flay's wish. "Such is a difficult choice, and a hard road going forward, but a person chosen of both Anazerne and Selesce would certainly be capable to the duty. If you will walk this road, you will not walk it unsupported. Kiriko, if you would?" Origin indicated the Luna.
Luna stepped up to where Flay was standing and smiled. "A Summoner is a unique being. From one person comes many, in both combat and noncombat pursuits. Many of the Lunar Maidens volunteered to contract to you, Summoner Allster, and from their ranks I have chosen four." Kiriko handed her four Moonstone rings. "I also speak on the behalf of the Sirens, who send two rings for their ranks."
Seraphim Gabrielle approached next. Flay found herself awestruck at the sheer beauty of her wings and grace of form, but quickly suppressed such stunning hesitation. "Summoner Allster, I have selected from the multitude of volunteers three Seraphim to assist you in spreading the arts of Summoning and Healing. Additionally, two War Steeds of the Kirin, three Arborists of the Martel, and two Carbuncle Guardians have entrusted me their rings to give to you in Contract. I pray that you would never have to draw them forth in anger, but it is expected in these environs."
"I will do what I can to avoid conflict, but that may not be an option," Flay assured the Archangel of the Seraphim (4).
The Volt Master of Charges glided over to where Flay was standing, and held out what looked like a Chinese Finger Puzzle to Flay by way of suspending it with conflicting magnetic fields, until she took hold of the 'puzzle' and found it to be five rings held tightly together. The Volt's face flashed a pictograph of what appeared to be a volt gliding across the ground. "These are rings for some of the Volt?" Flay asked, to which the Master of Charges nodded his lightning-generated face. A second set of rings came forth from his electrostatic fields, this time with a larger pictograph of a Tritoch as demonstration. "Tritoch? Whoa." The Volt issued out a third set of rings, this one the most numerous of the group at eight, with a universally-known creature from the Republic of Vector: the Cactuar. "I was unaware that Cactuar were Summoned Beings?"
"Quite so, though their ranks did not stay as summoned beings after the first Ragnarok," Origin said as he approached. "I stand in stead for the Undine, whose matriarch could not come to this ceremony due to being in combat alongside one of her Contractors. They send six rings to the chosen of Selesce, the Water Maidens are their best of the best and they seek to defend the disciple to the Rune God of Water."
"This is a bit much," Flay admitted after she stuffed the rings in another pocket. Thankfully, her new robes had a lot of pockets.
"Oh, yes, the quantity," Origin said. "The rings are polymorphic. You can press them against each other and they will form a chain, or press them against your ears to form earrings, or other jewelry as desired. You are not required to use them as rings, just to have them on your possession should you seek to use them."
Flay tried it with the Undine rings, and with some finagling turned the rings into a short length of chain formed of rings, then pressed the chain against her wrist to form the chain into a bracelet chain. "That works well," she said.
"You have chosen a commitment that will last for your lifetime, Flay," Kiriko of the Luna said. "If you can prove yourself of stout heart and character, more Summons will seek to Contract with you and your ranks."
"I have much to learn, still — " Flay was interrupted midsentence by the door opening hastily.
"Lord Origin, my apologies for interrupting, but an urgent message has come for Summoner Allster," one of the Undine escorts announced.
"Bring it," Origin waved her to approach. The Undine Water Maiden marched quickly to the group, bowed, and promptly presented the message to Flay.
Flay opened it and read through it quickly. The notice was short and to the point. "My homeland has been invaded by a foreign aggressor," Flay announced after the totality of the message sunk in. "I will need to return to Vector to expedite returning the ship to service — air support will be a necessity."
Origin chuckled ruefully. "One of my more recent contractors has a rather poignant philosophy. The Chinese calligraphic symbol for the word 'Crisis' is a combination of the symbols for 'Danger' and 'Opportunity'. Think about how you want to go about doing something, and find the opportunity in it."
Flay considered the words of Lord Origin for twenty seconds, then came to the realization of what he was obliquely recommending. "I believe I shall, sir," she answered pensively after the thought came to fruition. "If I may take my leave, sir? I will need to move quickly to make a difference."
"We will speak again, High Summoner Allster." This time, it was Origin that gave the respectful bow.
-x-x-x-
(23 August 989, 1230 Hours)
(Republic of Vector Military Fortress, Northern Vector)
Natarle jumped into the cockpit of Rex 1, her personal combat steed for any major campaign, and inasfar as these things counted this was indeed a major campaign. More than six enemy ships had been sighted by the garrison at Albrook, with estimate being around twelve ships, which to Natarle's thinking meant somewhere north of four regiments of troops — probably two brigade formations and a support regiment, if the ship count was as high as fifteen or sixteen with a notable logistic tail not far behind.
The first thing she did was switch on the radio in her cockpit, so she could hear any updates on the command frequency. Unlike the other Rex units, hers had four radios and a toggle switch bus to allow her to use only one microphone on any or all of the radios. The other Rex units had only two radios, the dedicated ADA band and the command band. Natarle frequently listened into traffic on her Brigade frequencies as well as ADA and Command traffic. She considered that her primary duty to the Republic was as force command, but she was also hands down the best gunner amongst the Rex units, which combination necessitated her being in the cockpit as well as turned into the radios.
"Rex 1, Command, King Edgar is looking for you if you are on the Comms," the fortress Operator requested.
"Go for Rex 1," Natarle answered while she began starting up the massive Bomb-Diesel Hydraulic/Electric Engine that now ran the Magitek Gear Rex units.
"Natarle, love, I know I can't talk you out of going," Edgar said. "I ask only that you come home alive and unharmed."
"I intend to win this one, Edgar, my love." Natarle threw the final startup switch, which began turning over the engine and thereby killed the power feed to her radios briefly. Once the engine caught and began generating electric power, her radios came back on.
"One question came up when I was talking to Setzer, his apprentice Captain Allster is missing. Have you heard from her recently?" Edgar asked, likely in continuance of something else he had said.
"Last I saw Flay Allster was at the ceremony in the Esper Realm," Natarle answered. "I'll admit I would not object to having her Wing Lords along for this battle, Maduin Wing Lords are exceptionally powerful Mages."
"I sent my bodyguard home to warn Figaro and Doma of the happenings down here, but we won't be able to reinforce Vector for days," Edgar pointed out.
"Relax, love, this will be settled, one way or the other, in a matter less than a full day." Natarle let off her microphone for a moment to check her instrumentation. Once she was satisfied, she keyed the microphone. "Command, Rex 1 reporting all systems nominal. Force status?"
"Rex 2, 3, and 4 are powered up and waiting," the operator reported. "First Brigade is mobile and moving for Phase Line Alpha. Second Brigade is forming up, expected to be on the move within the hour."
Natarle nodded to her forward monitor. "Understood. Edgar, do not fear this challenge. This is what I trained for, first in the Earth Alliance, now here in Vector. If Baron wants a fight, I will give them ample reason to pick their fights elsewhere. Rex 1 to all personnel, going mobile."
"Rex 2, moving out!" The pilot for that unit shouted on the ADA frequency.
"Rex 3, going mobile."
"Rex 4, oscar mike!"
"Good luck, Commander Badgiruel," Edgar said. "King Figaro, over and out."
"Command, Rex 1, do the military police groups have our transit route secured?" Natarle asked as her unit began the trek up the ramp to exit the bunker in which the Rex units hangared.
"Rex 1, Command, confirmed, all routes and crossings are secured to the south highway."
"Acknowledged, command. Hangar, Rex 1, open outer hangar doors."
Natarle continued her even-paced march forward at 40 kilometers an hour to clear the bunker. Outside, on the base proper, the personnel of 2 Brigade were still forming up, but more shocking to Natarle were the civilians that had surrounded the perimeter fence, cheering the troops on with waving flags. Their cheer was massive, easily audible through the cockpit glass, once her Magitek Gear Rex unit cleared the bay doors.
"Commander, company," Rex 2 said after his unit cleared the doors.
"I see them," Natarle said. "I get the feeling this kind of gathering would not have been voluntary in the Empire's days."
"Too true, Commander," Rex 3 acknowledged the point.
"Remember this sight, ladies and gentlemen. This is what we fight for. Now, we must make it count."
-x-x-x-
(23 August 989, 1230 Hours)
(Eastern Gateway Base, Republic of Vector)
Flay stepped through the gateway and into the Eastern Gate Base, expecting some manner of chaos on the far side.
She was rather shocked to find that things were not chaotic, they were simply hazardous.
"Hands!" One of the riflemen ordered as soon as Flay cleared the Gate.
"Check fire! I am Captain Flay Allster of the civilian Airship Blackjack!" Flay had indeed raised her hands, which perversely revealed her 1911A1 pistol, but what she said made all the difference in this encounter.
Four AKM and two M-60 Light Machine Guns were immediately lowered. "Jesus, kid, we weren't expecting any kind of traffic through the Gate at this time, what with Baron having invaded," the detachment lead said.
"I know, I received warning from the Esper Realm that Baron had invaded," Flay said. "What can you tell me?"
"Follow me," the detachment commander waved her toward.
"Ambassador Pallas, thank you for the escort," Flay gave a respectful bow to the Luna. "If you require any else of me, you know where to find me."
"Go, Flay, and be careful," Pallas disappeared in a white flash, likely teleported back to the embassy in Vector.
Allster quickly caught up to the NCO and followed him through the base to the Commander's office. Two knocks at his door and the NCO entered. "Commander Vargas, I have Captain Flay Allster here to see you."
"Please enter, and thank the Gods," Vargas said after Flay entered. "There was some question as to where you were, Flay, from high places," Vargas said. "You were in the Esper Realm?"
"Deeper than that, sir, I was in the Summoned Realms for a high-level meeting," Flay said. "I received word that Baron has invaded. Can you tell me what is happening?"
"A scout came north with word of Baron's airships landing around Albrook, at least six, maybe more than ten. We have no communication with Albrook by telegraph, so no further information," Vargas said. "Do you know anything?"
"No, but I can find out fast enough," Flay volunteered.
"How so?" Vargas asked, shocked for the offer given her reputation.
"I can teleport a group of persons to that area, not many, but enough to do some fast recon," Flay said in a rush.
"How many?" Vargas asked.
"Ten plus Shadow and myself," Allster answered immediately.
"Ten? I think I can find ten," Vargas said, then looked past the Summoner to the NCO from the gate guard detail. "Sergeant Foley, assemble ten of the best recon troops to accompany Miss Allster down to the area. Get numbers, dispositions, intentions, and dick sizes if possible," Commander Vargas ordered.
"Will do, Commander."
"Good luck, Captain Allster," Commander Vargas said.
-x-
(5 minutes later)
(Base Armory)
"Relax, Gonzo, she's our ticket into and out of the hot zone, and she's also a rather powerful Mage of her own right," Sergeant Foley said.
Flay wrapped the sling of the Thompson sub-gun around her shoulder, pulled the bolt open to verify the chamber was empty, and released it on an empty chamber as a safety measure. Only after it was closed did she insert a magazine and lock it in place.
"I have a reputation," Flay admitted. "Not a good reputation, at that. That was the past; today I'm here to do the right thing, not live down to what people expect from my history."
"Kid's got spine," one of the other recon troops said as Flay strapped on a bandoleer pouch with a dozen magazines for her Thompson.
"Sign here, please," Sergeant Foley handed her a registration form for the gun, much as everyone else in the unit had to sign in and out their guns. "You carry grenades or smoke, usually?"
"I have in the past, usually WP and smoke," Flay said.
"Over there," the Sergeant pointed her to the cabinet with the 'nonlethal' grenades.
Flay picked out six WP and four smoke grenades, knowing that the former was lethal if needed and the smoke would be useful at disrupting long-range fire in a pinch. If things went sour, she would need to delay, distract, and extract the recon troops — this was not a combat mission, their job was expressly to reconnoiter the enemy. Breaking contact, it had been explained to her, was preferable to engaging the enemy.
On the way back from the nonlethal grenade cabinet, Flay was stopped by the butt of a pistol in front of her face. The person holding it was the team's designated radio officer, a lady by the name of Jasmine. "Take it. You don't want to be captured alive by these pukes, it won't end well."
"I already have one," Flay half-protested.
"I know, conceal it," Jasmine said.
"Ahp, what's the last four of the serial on that one, Flay?" Sergeant Foley asked.
"2206," Flay read off the frame of the 1911A1. While Foley wrote it down, Flay lifted part of her robe and slipped the pistol in next to her left breast, into a holster that had been sewn into it with attention to concealing it from all but a directed search. "Do you know where you want to land, Sergeant?" She asked after she was sure the pistol was situated properly.
"Southeast of town, we'll land a good bit away from Albrook and hike in on the southeast trail, at least until we're close enough to get information on the enemy," Foley judged. "I'm hoping the garrison at Albrook stiffed them, but that was only thirty troops."
"Ten miles out sound good?" Flay asked.
"If you can, yes," the Sergeant said. He hefted a sniper rifle, Flay recognized it as a rifle designed by the same guy who made the AKM, but she didn't know the exact name of that rifle (5).
"I am ready whenever you are," High Summoner Allster announced.
Author's Chapter Afterword:
I'll preface this chapter by saying that I have been having some serious trouble focusing on anything of late. That focus difficulty has resulted in a lot of delays in getting my writing out. This is not for want of writing or motivation to write, I still do want to continue my writing work, but keeping at it is challenging at best. I am trying harder, but with a lot of projects and work pulling at my time, it becomes difficult to stay consistent.
That said, on to the chapter. A lot can happen in two days time, and even more happened in the space of four days compressed time. Flay was quite correct when she said she had gone from a mutinous nobody to something of a hero to the Summons and Espers. The great caveat to that instant celebrity is that she could very easily go wrong with it, or otherwise toast the second chance she has worked herself into. If Flay is smart, though, she has the propensity to bury the ghosts of her past and move forward with a clean record. The next chapter or two will determine what happens there.
There has been some confusion as to why Baron is pulling such a boneheaded move as to invade Vector. Anyone that has played Final Fantasy II (US) / Final Fantasy IV (JP) knows what exactly sits upon the throne of Baron. To a being following the orders of the lunar horror show Zeromus, subjugating a hitherto unknown nation such as Vector is all part of the overarching operational concept — nobody on the ground knows it, but that is the plan. That said, nobody on the ground properly understands that the opposition (Vector) is not much interested in being hammered flat by a nation halfway around the globe. The combat action in the next chapter will hash out how the invasion goes.
The politics and background of the Esper and Summoned worlds is something that reaches back into my overarching milieu, as the Summoned Beings are common across all my stories. The same Summoned Beings and principles apply equally to AAA and its side stories, apply to the Multimage Chronicles, and technically apply to the Jokers' Wild and related side stories except in the consideration that no such summoning exists in JW (at this time). Thus the background information that points to stories not yet published, and persons that show up nowhere else in my stories or elsewhere. I would like to get the material pushed forward enough that the cross-references make sense.
As to the rest, well, all I can say is expect some very loud noise in the next chapter. Lots of very loud noise.
NEXT UP: Vector and Baron meet on the field of battle in the shadows of the destroyed Magitek Air Armor from the war against the Empire, and along for the ride comes a Summoner...
Beta's Chapter Afterword:
Takeshi Yamato: I have to say, the story's shaping up rather nicely.
Anyway, readers, something from my end - before Stravag had to start his massive update on software for Sigma, I was helping him work on contract/campaign tables. During the course of that, we started thinking up alternate history paths for Gundam Stories that we could explore through Campaigns, or solo fanfics.
One idea I came up with is refusing to get out of my head, practically demanding it get written. Not going to spoil what it is for you all, but I will mention that I'll try and get Stravag to start it once we finish MMC Set 1 or JW Set 2, whichever one we finish first. :)
Review Replies: Had five (!) Reviews for the third chapter! That is AWESOME!
Guest: Both, actually, this is a play on the small size of Square worlds, and the way to get around that in my opinion is to have two of the game worlds as back-to-back on the same planet.
Klever Kilva: Well, you can rest assured that the fallout from Flay's inadvertent find has not yet settled, there will be more. That said, this little war will interrupt that part of the proceedings, so…
Mega 1987: It's not a common set of crossover, but…
Tanker 0923: Flay has learned most of her lesson, but still has a bit of a way to go before she is in the clear. She has a good opportunity to completely dispatch the ghosts of her past coming up, or just as easily go sour. Only time and the dice shall tell.
Holy Dragoon: Okay, you lost me at the Theodore reference. Care to enlighten?
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! Whence I need motivation, it is always refreshing to go back through reviews to see where I have done, and what people think of it.
The Gripe Sheet:
No gripes this past chapter. Much thanks to the eternally-patient beta readers Takeshi Yamato, Sieben Nightwing, and Necroblade for putting up with my flaky bullshit when writing of late.
Footnotes:
(1): The term Teamster is actually an olden-days term for a person that operates a team of beasts of burden, normally in the process of transporting persons or goods.
(2): The Imps reference dates back to Final Fantasy 1, whereby Imp was a common enemy found throughout the lands early in the game. They also show up off-and-on throughout the latter games of the series — if I remember correctly they were also a frequent pain in the arse early on around Baron in FF4 (FF2 in America).
(3): For my stories and combined fiction milieu, I use the version of Carbuncle from Final Fantasy 8, which makes them spritely little beings roughly waist-height on a person, aquamarine color, with a large gem on their foreheads.
(4): Yes, I am aware that the angelic rank Archangel is far below the rating of Seraphim, but keep in mind that the Summoned Being Seraphim is not the same as the actual angel order Seraphim.
(5): Dragunov SVD, which is more appropriately a Designated Marksman's Rifle than it is a true sniper rifle. This rifle was chosen going forward for Vector because the processes for manufacture of the Dragunov are almost identical to the AKM, the only difference being the tooling and, in this case, the choice of caliber — the Dragunov of Vector's manufacture uses the British .303 Enfield round, same as the Enfield Mark 4 used by Doma and Figaro in the AAA mainline.