Chapter 7.

Tifa loaded arrow on the string of her ebony longbow and scowled at the Lucian prince, who was frowning at her.

"Will you stop that?" She hissed. "You're looking at me like I already missed the target."

"You will miss." He declared and his frown deepened. "You never killed anyone in your life, I can tell. You can't kill them."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You think, I'm going to shoot the arrow in their heads and kill them?"

"You aren't? You just shoot the arrow in the air or wound their feet and arms? You can just scream that we're here to steal their weapons, you know? Maduin, help me, it was supposed to be a secret mission."

Tifa growled and felt how her muscles tensed. She started recalling the reasons, why she shouldn't shoot the arrow directly at the crowned prince of Lucis.

"Will you shut up?" She spat. "I poisoned my arrows. Yes, I will shoot them in their feet and hands and paralyze them. Now, please shut your mouth and let me do my job."

"Savage." He mumbled. "They will bleed to death without taking care on their wounds. You're still killing them."

"I mixed the paralyze poison with the slow poison. It will slow their heartbeats and they won't bleed too much." She answered. "And we will have forty free minutes to steal the arsenal from the thieves."

Noctis eyed her.

"The bow is too long, have you enough strength to reach for them with your arrows?"

"You shouldn't underestimate her strength, cousin." Cloud spoke and winced when he remembered his sparring with her. Now, Noctis was frowning at him too.

Tifa took a deep breath and let her arrow go. The slender piece of the finest ash of Lucis whistled in the air and pierced the right shoulder of the guard. The dark-haired archer quickly loaded and shot another arrow. The second guard was down too.

"The entrance is clear." Tifa murmured. "We can enter the town now."

The three 'Returners' silently entered Zozo. Tifa shifted and wrapped her cape tightly around her. Her long, ebony-colored hair was moist from the rain. She bit her bottom lip and grabbed her bow tightly. Long, gloved fingers took another arrow out of her quiver and loaded it on the bow. Walking with a loaded bow consumed a lot of her stamina, but she was trained archer and martial artist. She could walk miles with a loaded bow without taking a break.

"Do we have the plan of the building of arsenal?" She whispered. "We just can't roam in the building, you know?"

"Of course we have the plan." Noctis replied her. "The arsenal is beneath the pub. Three men are guarding the door of level zero and five men guard the entrance of arsenal."

"And we're supposed to walk through them without them noticing us? Sorry, but I'm not an assassin. I can't muffle my footsteps."

"No, you can kick their asses if you want. Or shoot them your arrows. Or you can stab them in their stomach with your sword. You have free choice, but we won't need it."

"Huh?" She jerked her head. "What? Then why I shot the guards?"

"We didn't have the permit to pass the entrance, but in the city, we're free. Just keep it down, we don't need the unwanted attention." Cloud explained and narrowed his eyes. "I can see the pub."

"Where?" Tifa raised her head and tried to see the building. "Oh, I can see it too." She winced. "Exactly how we are planning to enter the building of arsenal?"

"With this." Noctis unsheathed his black sword. "It's Excalibur, the legendary sword, crafted from Adamantite. We will tell them, that we want to exchange my sword in something greater."

Tifa pursed her lips.

"So we don't have the plan."

"Excuse me? What you don't like in my plan?"

"It's not a plan. What if they won't want to exchange their weapon in ours?"

"Then they will taste the blade of my sword on their skin." Noctis rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. Tifa glared at him.

"I thought our plan was to do our job silently, without violence. We don't need the unwanted attention." She repeated his words.

"But if..."

"Will you two stop arguing?" Cloud hissed. "We don't know what will happen until we offer them exchange."

"And what if they decline?" Tifa argued. Cloud shrugged.

"Use your imagination, milady." Tifa rolled her eyes. The Rebel Lord glanced at his companions and hissed. "Act naturally, we're entering the pub."

Noctis scowled at them and opened the door of the pub. The thick cloud of the smoke of cigarette's and the disgusting smell of alcohol immediately filled the nostrils of newcomers. Tifa cringed and tried to not faint in the building. Her knees slightly buckled and she was about to fall on the mud-stained floor, when a strong hand gripped her arm. She raised her head and met familiar cerulean eyes.

"Thank you." She mumbled and Cloud nodded. She coughed. "How can they sit here, in this smell and smoke?"

"They smoke and drink here since their childhood. The smell doesn't bother them." Cloud answered and eyed the crowd. "Can you see Gilgamesh?" He asked Noctis quietly.

"He's at the bar." The prince of Lucis answered. His shoulders relaxed when he changed his posture. "Follow me." He moved forward and in a few large steps the dark-haired man was in front of bar. Noctis cleared his throat and knocked on the bar.

"One bottle cider." He told the bartender and glanced at the man next of him. "You're Gilgamesh?"

The man turned to face the newcomer and Tifa was able to see his features now. His hair was reddish brown and two cat-like ears were adorning his head. His right eye was red and he was carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows. The dark-haired girl gulped. Was this Gilgamesh Miqo'te? Her inner voice told her that he wasn't.

"Gilgamesh isn't here today." Miqo'te answered and Tifa could see how the tiny drops of sweat covered the forehead of the prince of Lucis. Her shoulders tensed. 'Crap.' Miqo'te glanced at the trio. "My name is G'raha Tia. Can I help you?"

Noctis bit his lip.

"Actually, yes." He answered and his glove-covered fingers wrapped around the hilt of Excalibur. The sword slipped out of the leather sheath and reflected the light of candles. "I want to exchange this into something."

G'raha Tia eyed the weapon cautiously.

"Can I hold it?" He asked and his fingers touched the polished metal. "What you want for this?"

"It's Excalibur, give me something that surpasses it." When the Miqo'te scoffed, Noctis shrugged. "I can add money, if you wish."

G'raha Tia shrugged and placed the sword on the bar. He crossed his hands over his chest and shrugged.

"I've heard that Excalibur has many replicas. I'm not the blademaster, so I can't tell, if this sword is a real one or not. You should wait for Gilgamesh."

"When will be Gilgamesh here?" Cloud hissed.

G'raha Tia shrugged again and Tifa fought the urge to grab his shoulders. What's wrong with this guy and shrugging?

"In a week or two."

'Crap. Crap. Crap.'

Her brown eyes eyed the Miqo'te and his quiver again. The long, gloved fingers gripped the ebony bow tightly. Uncle Angeal gave her it when she was seventeen. She bit her bottom lip. Uncle Angeal wouldn't be angry because of this, right?

"What about a bow?" She chirped and three pair eyes landed on her. She placed her bow on the bar, next of Excalibur and squirmed. "It's made of Gaian Ebony."

The red eye brightened. Miqo'te swiftly stood up and brushed his fingers on the smooth surface of the bow.

"The finest wood of Gaia and the feather-shaped ornaments, shimmering like the gods forged them in the celestial anvil." He gasped. "Is this the legendary 'Raven Feather'?

"Yes." Tifa squeaked.

"Why you have this bow? No, don't answer this question. I don't care. What you want for this bow?" G'raha Tia's fingers gripped the wood tightly. "I'll pay everything."

"Let me see your arsenal and I'll tell you what we want in exchange of this bow." Noctis butted in the conversation. G'raha Tia nodded and pointed at the exit of the pub. Tifa sighed when the tow men left the building.

"What we should do now?" She asked Cloud. The blond man shrugged.

"Keep our eyes on the crowd. We don't want anyone to see how Noctis proves on the skins of guards that his sword is the original one."

"Right." His female companion answered and fought the sick feeling in her stomach. She squirmed again. "How he's going to steal the weapons? Does he have any experience?"

The edge's of the blond man curved upwards.

"We both are trained by Locke." When she gaped at him, he shrugged. "What?"

"He taught you how to steal?" She gasped. "What the king was thinking?"
Cloud shrugged.

"It was his idea. Regis always thought that everyone needs to have a job. You don't know when it will be useful."

Tifa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? And what was his profession?"

"He was a master alchemist." Cloud replied and Tifa's smile faltered when she remembered Regis on his deathbed. So, his job helped him to know which poison was killing him. She sighed.

"I wish to have a job too." She admitted. "I was raised like a princess and look what I can do now." She shrugged. "Nothing."

"Why are you talking like that. You have a job." Again, Tifa's eyebrows rose. "Remember, how you defended Denzel against Corneo? You have a job - knight."

"Right." She scoffed. "From now, call me Sir Tifa." Cloud laughed and she smiled. "By the way, how's Denzel? I haven't seen him in the castle."

"Maybe he was on his lessons, mother already began raising him as a proper lord."

"Your mother is a great woman. I can see that." Suddenly her shoulders tensed. Cloud leaned closer to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Heidegger." She hissed. "The right hand of Rufus Shinra. What is he doing here?"

Cerulean eyes left her and landed on the newcomer. Heidegger was grasping some old man and shaking him hard.

"You still haven't paid the debt." He growled. "You know that m'lord hates waiting. You know that you will pay for him, one way or another."

"I'll pay." The old man moaned. "But please leave Rem alone."

"When you will pay? In another life? Grab the kid." Heidegger ordered to his fellows.

"Let Relm go, please." The old man pleaded. "Take me instead of her."

"You're too old." The right hand of Shinra scoffed. "And stop rambling about how you'll pay in the future. You know that lord Rufus doesn't give a second chance."

"That's it." Tifa hissed. "I always hated this man and now, he's going to take a little girl. It's enough for me to punch him in his ugly face."

"What?" Cloud turned to see her face, but she was already gone and he could see her in the crowd of armored man with her bastard sword in her hands. He groaned. "Damn that woman." What word she didn't understand in 'We don't need the unwanted attention?' The blond man unsheathed his buster sword and stepped into the armored crowd. Even if she was drawing the unwanted attention to them, he wasn't going to leave her alone.


G'raha Tia - Character in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Relm Arrowny - Character in Final Fantasy VI.

The old man - Strago - Relm's grandfather. Character in Final Fantasy VI.