After an hour of walking, I finally managed to make it to Alexandria's front gates. The sun was starting to set as the Prima Vista was carefully maneuvering towards the castle. With the rusty scythe still sitting on my shoulder, I made my way towards the pair of female guards at the gate.
"Halt!" one of the Alexandrian soldiers barked as both intercepted me before I could enter the city. "Who are you and what is your business here in Alexandria?"
"My name is Cyrus Truth," I replied nonchalantly. "And I'm a simple traveler. I'm here to rest up for a day or so before moving on. I also hear that Tantalus is in town performing 'I Want to Be Your Canary,' so I'm also looking for a nice rooftop to catch the show."
The soldiers, young women wearing a steel breastplate over a dark green singlet, looked me over before one of them finally said, "All right, but what about that scythe you're carrying? Don't tell me that's your weapon!"
"And what if it is?" I rebutted. "Trust me, with a scythe in my hands, I'm more than capable of handling whatever the Mist can throw at me."
"But…it looks more like a farming tool than a weapon," the second soldier stated.
"Look, am I allow to enter the city or not?" I demanded.
Both the soldiers looked at each other for a second before one answered, "Very well. But cause any trouble and you'll be spending the night in the dungeon. Understand?"
I simply nodded as I walked past the soldiers and took my first step into Alexandria. I had to admit, exploring the city in person was way more enthralling than exploring it back when it was still just a game. The sights and sounds of this rustic hamlet encompassed my senses as I strolled down the familiar alley towards the town center. The sounds of children laughing, the smell of freshly-clipped roses, and the general jovial atmosphere of the Alexandrians made me forget for a minute that I was a prisoner in this world.
I was just passing by the tavern when I caught a whiff of freshly-baked bread and roasted meat. My stomach started to growl violently as I decided that now was as good a time to get something to eat. I entered the tavern as my eyes immediately searched the floor in several specific places, hoping that this world really was the one from the game.
As luck would have it, the "real" Gaia mimicked the virtual one as I managed to collect some Gil from the floor of the tavern. Granted, it was only roughly one hundred Gil, but it was more than I had and was more than enough to get a meal. I walked up to the bar as the bartender finished cleaning a glass and greeted me.
"Welcome, stranger!" the bartender exclaimed. "The name's Ashley. What can I get you?"
"Something to eat and drink," I plainly answered. "I'm a bit strapped for Gil, so whatever you got that's cheap and tasty is fine by me."
"No problem," Ashley replied. "We've got some roasted axe beak and some of the best ale in town. I can get you that for thirty Gil."
"That'll work," I agreed as I handed the bartender thirty Gil coins. Ashley took the money as he poured me a tankard of ale and went to the kitchen to fetch my food. I took a drink from the tankard as a red mage at the other end of the bar kept staring at me.
"Sorry, pal. I don't swing that way," I told the nosy red mage.
The mage, somewhat agitated by my comment, shook his head as he replied, "Yeah, I haven't had nearly enough to drink, but thanks anyway. It's just that you don't see too many alchemists anymore these days."
"Alchemists?" I blurted. "You think I'm an alchemist?"
"What, are ya stupid?" the red mage retorted. "Only alchemists wear that kind of get-up. Big coat, way too many pockets…hell, if you ain't an alchemist then I'm not drunk!"
"I…see," I muttered as Ashley returned with my meal. The red mage returned to nursing his drink as I started to dig into my food. As I was eating, my mind started racing with what I knew about Final Fantasy alchemists.
"Alchemists…sometimes called chemists. Specialists in mixing items and using unique items for attacks. So, if that red mage is correct, that's my job class. Interesting. But how am I supposed to know what combinations do what? Damn it, Gihen. You could have at least given me a guide or something…"
I decided that thinking too much about it wasn't going to do me any good as I finished my meal. I thanked Ashley for the meal as I emptied my tankard and walked out of the tavern. Finding a nice shady spot in the street, I took the opportunity to really examine my new gear in greater detail.
Sure enough, as the red mage said, my new overcoat had dozens of interior pockets, presumably to carry any number of strange and exotic items I'd be collecting on my journey. As I patted down the pockets lining my coat, I discovered a piece of old parchment in one of them. Curious, I took the parchment out and unfolded it. On the parchment was some scribbles that were mostly unintelligible, but there was one section that was legible:
"Proper synthesis of items requires not just simply mixing items together. It requires a working knowledge of the magical arts as well. The best alchemists know that, when creating new potions and items, that the use of magical seals and runes greatly improves the quality of the creations. Proper manipulation of the four basic elements through the use of seals is essential in true alchemy and in the pursuit of the alchemist's penultimate goal: the triumph of life over death…"
I reread the passage over and over, trying to make sense of it. It was then that I noticed something peculiar on the palms of my hands. There, like a series of tattoos, were two large circular seals surrounding dozens of runes and symbols. Knowing full well that those seals weren't there before I entered the realm of Final Fantasy IX, I had to assume that they were the seals that the parchment was talking about.
That still didn't tell me how to use them or what to combine, but at least I was making some progress. Until I learned how to use my new abilities, I'd just have to rely on my scythe.
I pocketed the piece of parchment as I slung the rusty scythe on my shoulder and headed for the center of town. The sun was starting to set rapidly as a thought occurred to me. I walked up to the dog-like ticket master, who at that point was closing his tent in the center of the town square, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Sorry, sir!" the demi-human barked as he turned to face me. "All tickets to the performance tonight have been sold. It's a full house, so if you want to see the play, you'd best be finding a spot on the rooftops."
"I understand, but that's not what I wanted to ask you," I replied. "Did you happen to see a young boy stop by here? He wore a blue coat and a pointy hat."
The ticket master thought for a second before answering, "Oh, yes! That young lad! Poor boy had a fake ticket. He was so sad that I gave him a few cards to cheer him up. I think he headed for the alley over there to find Alleyway Jack. That was…oh, ten or fifteen minutes ago."
"I see," I muttered. The ticket master shot me a strange look as I said, "Oh, right! Yeah, he's a friend of mine. I heard he was in town and just wanted to say hi. Thanks for the information!"
Satisfied with my response, the ticket master nodded as he went back to work taking his tent down. Knowing that a certain black mage had already been there and was sneaking into the show via the rooftops, I knew where I had to go.
With that, I jogged over to the alleyway to my left as I turned the corner. There, past a large house, was a familiar-looking chapel. I walked towards the chapel and entered the somewhat dilapidated structure. Nostalgia started to set in as I looked all around the tiny chapel, remembering first exploring this area during my first playthrough of the game.
It was there, in the center of the circular chapel near the ladder leading up to the bell, that I noticed another familiar sight. It was a two-foot tall cat-like creature with white fur, bat-like wings, and a large red ball of fluff protruding from its forehead. The creature took notice of me as it hopped in place.
"Kupo!" the creature, which I immediately recognized as a moogle, shouted as he waddled over to me on his short, stubby legs. "My name's Kupo, kupo! What are you doing here? Are you friends with Puck, kupo?"
"Um, not really," I admitted. "I'm just looking to catch the play. Can I get up to the rooftops from here?"
"Kupo!" the moogle, Kupo, replied with a nod. "There's a hole in the bell tower at the top. You can crawl out it and get onto the roofs. That's where Puck and his new slave went just a few minutes ago, kupo!"
"Right…" I muttered as I headed for the ladder leading up to the chapel's bell. Before I could start climbing, Kupo grabbed my coattail, stopping me.
"Hold on, kupo!" Kupo pleaded as I turned to face him. He then held out an envelope as he looked up at me. "You look like a strong traveler, kupo. One who travels to a lot of different places, kupo! I have a favor to ask you. You see, we moogles communicate through a mailing system called Mognet! But Mognet's been pretty spotty as of late, kupo. So, if you don't mind, I'd like you to help me out by delivering some mail for me, kupo! Please?"
Kupo looked at me pleadingly. Even if I wanted to say no, the moogle's overly-cute begging face made refusing impossible.
"All right. Who am I delivering this to?" I asked as I took the letter from Kupo and slid it into one of my coat pockets.
"Kupo!" Kupo shouted in excitement. "Please take that letter to Monty, kupo! Thank you, thank you, thank you, kupo!"
"No problem," I said with a mock salute as I turned my attention back to the ladder. Kupo continued to hop up and down excitedly as I started to climb. Despite having to lug around the rusty scythe, I managed to climb up the ladder relatively quickly. Once I reached the bell, I saw the opening Kupo had mentioned and stepped out onto the roof of an adjacent house.
From my new position, I could see the scaffolding that led to the inside of the castle walls off in the distance. Grinning, I started to make my way across the rooftops as quickly as I could as the sun was getting closer to dipping below the horizon. Night finally descended fully as I made it to the scaffolding and into the castle itself.
The twin moons of Gaia, one red and one blue, gave me just enough light to navigate the ramparts and find where the audience of nobles and other honored guests of the Kingdom of Alexandria were sitting for the show. Behind them, trying to stay hidden yet get a good glimpse of the stage, were two kids. One was a rat kid wearing a blue shirt under dingy red overalls and a red cap. The other kid wore a well-traveled blue coat, light green-striped white pants, and a large steepled hat. His face was obscured by a black haze, pierced only by a pair of circular, yellow eyes.
"Vivi…" I mentally noted as I searched for a dark corner with a good view of the play. It was then that everyone started to clap their hands. The rat kid (whose name was Puck) and Vivi started clapping as well as the orchestra aboard the Prima Vista started to play a lively, upbeat tune. As they played, the Prima Vista's stage started to shift and move, revealing the faux castle scenery that Tantalus would be performing their play. Fireworks and various other noisemakers served to rile up the crowd even more…especially one in particular.
Shouting over the crowd's applause and the fireworks was a large, corpulent, blue-skinned humanoid wearing a red robe and a gaudy crown with large tassels on the sides and a flower made of gold "growing" out of its top. She was dancing around as her numerous folds of gelatinous fat jiggled and shifted, making me want to throw up.
"Damn…Queen Brahne is uglier than I ever imagined," I thought as I turned my attention back to the stage, just as a large, tapir-like demi-human with a large bushy beard wearing an outfit fit for a king stepped out onto center stage to address the audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king. And now, Your Royal Majesty Queen Brahne, Your Highness Princess Garnet…noble ladies and lords, and all our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents "I Want to Be Your Canary!"
The orchestra started to play a foreboding tune as the tapir-man, who I recognized as Baku, bowed and backed into position. At that point, he had settled into his role as King Leo as he was quickly flanked by two other demi-humans wearing leather masks. I recognized them as the brothers Benero and Zenero. They were soon joined onstage by a man wearing a blue shirt, a leather belt across his chest Pancho Villa-style holding his sword's scabbard, and a bandana that covered his eyes. The man drew his sword and faced the king as a trio of voices shouted from off-stage:
(Play Final Fantasy IX-Feel My Blade)
"Bereft of father! Bereft of mother! Marcus, thou hast lost even thy love!"
"Fortune hath escap'd thee! For what end shalt thou live?"
"For the sake of our friend…let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!"
"Aye!" the first two voices exclaimed in agreement as three new characters ran out onto stage from my left. One was a portly man who looked completely disheveled wielding a small hammer. Another was a red-haired man who wore a series of belts across his chest, waist, and even on his forehead. The third was a blonde-haired young man wearing a blue vest and pants with a tail. Both he and the red-haired man carried swords as they joined the man in the bandana, Marcus.
"We shall back thee, kinsman!" the red-haired man announced.
"Nay, sheathe thy swords!" Marcus protested. "This villain is mine alone!"
"Nay, kinsman!" the portly man with the hammer interjected. "For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!"
Marcus nodded slightly as the four men readied their weapons. Baku, or rather, King Leo, looked angered as his two "guards" shook their clawed fists at their opponents.
"What, ho?" the King exclaimed as he drew a massive jagged-edged sword. "Out,vermin! Away! Thou bare thy swords against the king?! All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"
The blonde man with the tail stood steadfast as he proclaimed, "Treacherous Leo, my kinsman's suffering will not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee with his incomparable pain!"
With that, Marcus struck first, striking his sword with King Leo's. The red-haired man and the hammer-wielder then attacked the two guards as the young man with the tail "focused" his energy and shouted, "Face the wrath of the heavens! Medeo!"
Some flashes appeared above stage as a large meteorite crashed onto stage. I knew it was just special effects, but King Leo and his servants sold the attack well and the audience ate it up. Benero and Zenero fell to the spell and the two rebels that attacked them, giving the audience something to cheer at.
"Worthless fools!" the irate King Leo shouted as he pushed Marcus back. "Thou may hath fell my guards, but I will not fall so easily! Poly!"
A large, Holy-like orb appeared over the hammer-wielder's head as it rained down streams of light on top of its target. The portly man clutched his chest as he fell to the ground, seemingly defeated. The crowd gasped in shock at the man's apparent death.
"Cinna!" the tailed man exclaimed. He then turned to King Leo and said with a menacing tone, "No more, King Leo! Prepare thyself to feel my blade!"
The crowd roared at the tailed man's rage for the fallen Cinna as he rushed King Leo. The king held his ground as he roared defiantly, "Taste steel, peasant!"
The tailed man and the king crossed blades as they attempted to land a blow on their respective opponent. The red-haired swordsman stood back as Marcus reeled back and unleashed another special effect, this time in the shape of a small flame twister that emerged from behind King Leo. The malicious monarch took notice of the "Pyro" spell as he quickly leapt to his left, leaving himself open.
"Strike him now, Marcus!" the tailed man shouted as Marcus nodded and rushed at King Leo. The king could not stop the rush as both Marcus and the tailed man struck him simultaneously with sword slashes, leaving the king "wounded" as he fell to one knee.
(End Music)
"Argh…" King Leo groaned as he got back to his feet. He started to make his way to a flight of stairs stage left. "Grr…thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!"
"Come back!" the tailed man shouted as he ran after King Leo. Before he could reach him, he was blocked by the red-headed swordsman.
"Out of the way, Blank!"
The red-haired man, Blank, shook his head as he pointed his sword at the tailed man. "Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!"
"Tis foolishness!" the tailed man, Zidane retorted. "If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
(Play Final Fantasy IX-Vamo Alla Flameco)
Blank smirked as he backed onto the ramparts, Zidane following close behind. Zidane attacked first, slashing at Blank, forcing him to duck. Blank then retaliated with a slash of his own, which Zidane sidestepped to avoid. Both men then went for a vicious overhead chop, which resulted in their blades clanging into each other.
After this initial exchange, Blank leapt off from the scenery and towards the walkway in front of the audience. Zidane gave chase as he met his adversary in front of all the nobles, crossing his sword with Blank's.
"En garde!"
"Expect no quarter from me!"
Blank and Zidane then engaged in an impressive mock swordfight, complete with clashing steel, artful dodging, and acrobatics. One scene in particular that really caught the crowd's attention was when Blank went for a horizontal slash on Zidane's torso, only for the tailed man to perform a flawless backflip. The two clashed swords together one last time as Blank muttered just loud enough for the audience to hear:
"We shall finish this another time."
With that, Blank ran stage right straight into the castle. Zidane, with a look of shock, gave chase as he shouted, "Come back here!"
As Zidane disappeared into the castle, the crowd roared in enjoyment. Queen Brahne, in particular, was applauding loudly as she and the rest of the nobles were throwing Gil on stage as a token of their appreciation.
(End Music)
"Impressive," I thought with a smile. "Tantalus may be a band of thieves, but they sure can put on one hell of a performance. And that was a clever move taking the opportunity to sneak into the castle. Well done."
I turned my attention back over to where Vivi and Puck were standing, but I saw that they had moved. Instead of hiding behind the crowd, the two kids had headed for the front row, seemingly to get a better view of the play. I, however, decided to stay in the shadows as Marcus, alone on stage with the "dead" Cinna, started to speak again.
"What cruel jest the heavens doth play on me tonight! My kinsman slain, my brothers fighting one another, and my beloved held captive by that demon King Leo…my heart is torn asunder, my soul weighted by despair. But no…I shall not give in to my sorrow! I shall find my beloved Cornelia, and free my beautiful canary from the cage of her hard-hearted father. Cornelia! I shall be with you before night's end!"
With that, Marcus ran off the stage as the lights dimmed, signaling a scene change. The crowd clapped vigorously, showing their approval for Tantalus's performance. I clapped too, as seeing the play in person was a hell of an experience. After the applause died down, the crowd started to murmur amongst themselves, leaving me to assume that we had reached an intermission of sorts.
"Okay, now what do I do?" I ask myself. "Right now, Zidane and Blank are probably looking for Garnet, if they hadn't found her already. That means that Steiner's going to be close behind. Do I just wait here for them to come swinging in? Can I even get away with sneaking around the castle? Do I even want to?"
As my brain continued running through several different plans for close to five minutes, the stage was once again illuminated. From what I remember from the game, this scene was where Marcus tried to sneak into Cornelia's chamber to whisk her away from her father's clutches. My attention was elsewhere as I searched the towers looming overhead, looking for a sign…
After a few minutes of searching, I saw something on the tower to my left. There, being chased by Zidane, was a petite girl in a white mage's robe running in circles. They continued this chase for a good two minutes before I looked over to the other tower. Standing there was a knight in rusted armor, shaking his fists in anger. He jumped up and down excitedly as the girl in the first tower climbed on the stone barrier surrounding the tower, grabbed one of the lines holding the festive banners in place, and fell backwards. Zidane and the knight, both in shock, grabbed lines of their own and chased after the girl. The girl and Zidane swung and landed on a soft section of the ship and slid down into the orchestra's balcony. The knight, however, completely veered off-course and slammed right into one of the Prima Vista's propeller towers. Surprisingly, the crowd was so into the play that they completely missed the three of them swinging around on the ropes like Tarzan.
I snickered a little as my attention was redirected to the stage. Marcus, attempting to climb one of the stage's faux towers, was intercepted by Benero and Zenero. Valiantly, Marcus attempted to hold them off with his sword, but one of the leather-masked demi-humans managed to grab a hold of him and wrestle him to the ground. The other grabbed Marcus's sword and tossed it aside as he helped his brother lift Marcus up and drag him away stage left. The crowd gasped at this new development as Vivi cupped his mouth with his hands in surprise, something Puck chuckled at.
Several minutes later, Baku in his King Leo regalia stepped out from stage right, looking rather pleased with himself. I couldn't help but wonder if that was just him playing his character, or from him knowing his boys were kidnapping the princess.
"Tonight, I shall finally see my daughter Cornelia betroth'd to Prince Schneider. And then Prince Schneider and his kingdom will be mine! Gwahahahaha!"
At that moment, Benero and Zenero dragged Marcus out to the middle of the stage. "Your Majesty! We have caught an intruder!"
"Why, my poor Marcus!" King Leo said condescendingly. He then turned his back to Marcus as he continued, "Hark, lad! No matter how much thou dost treasure Cornelia…no matter how deeply she might believe she doth love thee…never shall I see her marry a peasant such as thee! When yonder bell strikes three…under the axe thou shall be!"
The bell started to toll. On the second ring, King Leo turned to face Marcus again.
"Furthermore…"
King Leo was interrupted by two platforms rising from below stage. The surprise was evident on his face as Zidane rose up with the girl in white and the knight arose from a separate platform.
The characters in the play muttered something amongst themselves before Marcus freed himself from Leo's guards and shouted, "Cornelia!"
A few seconds later, the girl in white ran to Marcus and embraced him, shouting his name. The knight stood there dumbfounded as the actors improvised the scene.
"Oh Marcus, I missed you so. I wish never to leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this place!"
"See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!" Zidane suggested.
King Leo appeared to contemplate it for a second as he started walking towards the knight. "Never! Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! I'll not allow it! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man, Prince Schneider! Is that not so, Prince Schneider?"
King Leo clapped his hand on the knight's shoulder as the knight looked confused. "M-marry the princess? Me?!"
"Aye!" the king replied, ignoring the knight's astonished expression. "And this traitorous crew, I shall put to death!"
King Leo motioned for Benero and Zenero to attack Zidane and Marcus. The two men, however, overpowered the two identical guards, forcing them to run in terror. King Leo then turned his attention back to the girl in white.
"Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me," the king pleaded.
"Nay, father!" the girl in white retorted. "I shan't return!"
"Cornelia...trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that," King Leo chided.
"Not if I can help it!" Marcus interjected, drawing his sword. "Now is my moment of vengeance. For my parents, and for my love Cornelia…I shall cut thee down!"
Marcus shouted as he ran towards King Leo, looking to drive his sword into the wretched king. However, his sword instead "pierced" the girl in white, "killing" her.
"No, Cornelia!" Marcus exclaimed.
"Marcus…forgive me…I still love…my father," the girl in white muttered as she fell to the ground.
At that point, both the king and the knight started to weep over the fallen girl. I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, as the crowd started to sob and shout over the tragedy that had just played out in front of him. In an act of despair, Marcus drove his own sword into his side in an attempt to be with his beloved in death. Zidane shouted his friend's name as Marcus fell to the ground next to the girl in white.
Had I not known what was going to happen, I may have gotten a little teary-eyed too. However, my mind was already racing with what was going to happen next…
"Hey you!" a knight in dingy armor shouted at me, having seen me. I turned to face him and his partner, both of them having drawn their swords.
"You there! You must've kidnapped the princess! Stay where you are, villain!"
"Yeah…about that..." I replied before turning and running down the center aisle, past a very shocked crowd. The two knights pursued me as Puck noticed me getting closer to him and Vivi.
"Uh-oh!" the rat kid shouted. "Time to run!"
Vivi looked confused as Puck simply dashed away to some new hiding spot. Vivi, seeing me with my rusty scythe being followed by two very pissed-off knights, started running towards the Prima Vista's stage in fright. I followed him as the two knights continued shouting at me, trying to get me to stop.
Vivi ran in a circle around the cast, who for some reason was still able to maintain character (save for the knight who was legitimately weeping). The pint-sized black mage hopped over the fallen girl in white as he held his hands out in front of him. Knowing what was coming up, I stopped just on the other side of the girl as the two knights grabbed my arms.
"Ha ha!" the knight on my left shouted. "Got you!"
"Don't come any closer!" Vivi shouted, afraid and confused. Seconds later, the black mage conjured up a Fire spell…however, instead of hitting me, the spell hit the girl in white, igniting her robe. Immediately, she hopped up as she quickly rid herself of her robe, revealing a lovely brunette wearing a white blouse under an orange jumper. The crowd gasped in realization as the knight on my right stuttered, "P-princess Garnet?"
Taking advantage of their distraction, I wrenched my arms from their grasp as I picked up the rusty scythe and held it behind me, its blade ready to strike. Baku, having decided that the show was over, shouted to Zidane, "Zidane! It's time to go!"
Zidane nodded as he turned to Garnet, "Princess! Let's get outta here!"
The large knight who had been weeping now stood erect as he blurted out, "What…what is going on?"
"Steiner! Don't follow me anymore!" Garnet ordered the knight.
"Captain!" one of the knights who had squared off against me shouted to the man called Steiner. "Sir! Awaiting orders, sir!"
Steiner seemed to be conflicted before he finally said to Garnet, "Princess! I'm afraid I cannot comply!"
Garnet shook her head in dismay. "Stubborn as always, aren't you?"
"Come on, Princess!" Zidane insisted. "Let's ditch Sir Rustalot and get out of here!"
I turned my head slightly so I could look over at Zidane. "Hey, monkey-boy! You take care of the Princess! I'll handle these two stooges!"
Zidane, a little shocked at my offer of help, quickly decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth as he replied, "All right, stranger! Thanks for the help!"
With that, I turned my attention back to the two knights in front of me as Zidane checked on Vivi, who had been knocked back by the force of his spell. After making sure the black mage was all right and helping him back to his feet, Zidane turned his attention back to Steiner as the thief drew his daggers.
"Princess, I cannot allow you to go! Weimar, Haagen! Deal with that brigand and seize these scoundrels at once!"
"Yes, sir!" Weimar and Haagen, the two knights in front of me, shouted in response as they rushed me, swords drawn. Steiner drew his own sword as he faced off against Zidane and Marcus.
"Things just got a whole lot more interesting," I thought with a smirk as I tightened my grip on the rusty scythe and prepared myself for a fight.
(Play "Silver Will" by the Falcom JDK Band)
"Prepare to feel my fury!" Haagen shouted as he took the lead, rushing towards me with his sword held high. I sidestepped to dodge the knight's overhead chop as Weimar was next in line, hoping to succeed where Haagen had failed.
"Nice try," I muttered as I blocked Weimar's sword with my rusty scythe. Haagen, thinking he had an opening, turned and ran to skewer me from behind. However, knowing what the knight was thinking, I sidestepped again just in time, breaking my block of Weimar's sword and allowing Haagen to collide with his partner. The two knights tumbled down onto the stage as I stood tall, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Seriously?" I taunted. "That's the best you can do? I thought you two were knights! Knights are supposed to know how to fight, for Truth's sake!"
That seemed to get Weimar and Haagen riled up. Both knights tightened their grips on their swords as they got back to their feet.
"You think you can make fools out of the Pluto Knights?!" Weimar roared as both he and Haagen lunged at me at the same time, presumably to overwhelm me. I simply smiled as I turned my scythe so that the blade was facing behind me and swung the scythe shaft as hard as I could left. The shaft connected with the flat part of both knights' swords, wrenching the blades from their hands and sending them flying off the stage. Disarmed, Weimar and Haagen looked shocked as I stood there, my scythe resting on my left shoulder and a broad, wicked smile on my face.
"My…my fury ends here…" Haagen stuttered as he turned tail and fled.
"M…mine too," Weimar chimed in as he followed his partner. "Besides, I'm going to be late for my date!"
Both Pluto Knights ran off the Prima Vista as Steiner, holding off Zidane's daggers, shouted at them both, ordering them to come back. I simply shrugged as I turned my attention to the Pluto Knights' Captain.
"You scoundrel!" Steiner shouted at me as he used his strength to push Zidane to the ground. He turned and pointed his sword at me as he proclaimed, "How dare you aid these thieves in abducting the princess!"
"I'm not helping them," I retorted as I rushed towards Steiner. The knight reacted quickly as he brought his sword up to block my rusty scythe's blade. "I'm just doing as I please. But from what the princess was saying, it looks like she wants to get kidnapped. Far be it for me to not help the princess get what she wants!"
"You fool!" Steiner growled as he pushed me back. "The princess is being deceived by these scoundrels. But if you choose to side with them, then I will strike you down myself!"
"The odds say otherwise," I muttered as Steiner looked at me with a confused look. Seconds later, Steiner was attacked from behind by Zidane and Marcus. The thieves' blades slashed into Steiner's broad back as they drew blood. Steiner yelped in pain as he fell to one knee, while Zidane, Marcus, and I headed over to stand with Garnet and Vivi on the left side of the stage.
"Bah!" Steiner spat out as he got back to his feet. "It is only a flesh wound!"
Zidane and Marcus looked shocked at the knight's resilience. "Man!" Zidane exclaimed. "This guy just doesn't know when to quit!"
Marcus nodded as the Prima Vista started to shake and shutter. The airship started to rise as I looked over towards Queen Brahne. She was shaking her fist in anger as she motioned for her prized cannons to emerge from the castle's ramparts. Seconds later, the cannons fired harpoons at the Prima Vista, looking to halt the airship's escape. One of the harpoons struck the stage we were standing on, barely missing Princess Garnet and Vivi. The Prima Vista, after being impaled by the harpoons, struggled to free itself as its bow careened into several nearby buildings, creating a lot of havoc and destruction. The airship continued to try to wiggle free as a massive cannon emerged from the castle and fired a large, iron orb at the airship. Before it collided, the orb exploded, revealing a round, fiery monster.
"Damn it!" I shouted. "Brahne shot a bomb at us!"
The bomb laughed wickedly as it floated over to the stage, behind Steiner. And for some reason, Steiner couldn't figure out that a monster born of pure flames was hovering right behind him, growing by the second.
"Hey Rusty!" Zidane shouted, trying his hardest to maintain his footing on the rocking Prima Vista. "Look behind you!"
"Ha!" Steiner laughed as he held his sword in front of him, ready to fight. "I'll not fall for such an old trick! Prepare to face justice, you thief!"
"Please, Steiner!" Garnet pleaded. "Behind you!"
Steiner paid no attention to the princess's pleas as he rushed towards us. Shocked, Marcus attempted to block Steiner's advance with his sword, but the knight was too strong. Steiner simply shoved Marcus aside as he kept moving forward. Zidane and I stood ready to stop him when a voice from behind us shouted, "Fire!"
Vivi, his staff in hand, cast the spell on Steiner, completely enveloping the knight in magical flames. Steiner stopped to try and put himself out as Zidane and I nodded at one another. In a flash, the tailed thief and I ran towards Steiner with our weapons ready to strike. Zidane, being faster, reached Steiner first and crossed his daggers with Steiner's sword. Steiner, now focused on Zidane, pushed the thief back, giving me an opening. I used my scythe's blade to hook Steiner's sword and rip it from his hands. Defenseless, Steiner could do nothing as I grabbed a hold of him and spun him around.
(End Music)
"There, you idiot!" I screamed at him. "See it now?"
Steiner stood there slack-jawed as the bomb continued to swell to enormous proportions. "W-where did that come from?"
I wanted to face-palm so badly, but before I could, the bomb exploded with incredible force. I was sent flying back hard into the Prima Vista's stage as my world started to go black.
"What the hell did I get myself into?" I thought as I drifted into unconsciousness…
Author's Notes:
Longest...chapter...I've ever written. But with this particular project, I'm not surprised. After all, I've got a lot of game to fit in, so chapters like this are unavoidable. Hope that the quality you've all come to expect from me doesn't go to hell with the longer chapters!
So many reviewers to thank, and so little time. Thanks goes out to Katherine the Black Rose, Hiiro Mizutani, FF and STH, butcherthegirl, and the Duelist of Dawn. Thanks also to No Romance for putting my story on alert, but you get no style points because you didn't review. But no worry, my friend! There's plenty of chances to get style points!
Next time: The Evil Forest...of EVIL!
I've got Review Cookies for anyone that leaves a review. They're chocolate chip...
See you on the Long and Winding Road,
"The Exile" Cyrus Truth