Disclaimer: I don't own FFXII
The ghost smirked and announced to Vaan, "Fran's here. Right on time, as usual. I wonder if they deliberately plan their timing to be dramatic?"
Vaan looked in the direction that the ghost was looking. Fran stood behind the closest portcullis to their right. It rose roughly a foot and a half. Just enough for a man to drag themselves under. Vaan went to her. Balthier was more cautious; he kept an eye on the Archadians.
"Through the oubliette, there's a way out," Fran informed them. "Only..." She looked down.
"Only you sense the Mist."
Fran gave a slight nod.
Balthier and Vaan dragged themselves under the portcullis.
The sky pirate stood and dusted himself off. "Then we'll need weapons."
Vaan pulled himself to his feet but turned to face the raised voice of an Imperial.
"What did you call me? Say that again!"
The ghost draped himself across Vaan's shoulders. His spectral form was cool in the hot, humid dungeon. "Ah, an argument brews! This should be entertaining!" The ghost's breath caressed Vaan's ear and neck.
He shuddered.
Why? He wasn't cold or uncomfortable or in pain. Why did he shudder?
The bangaa replied to the Imperial. "What, you couldn't hear? I merely said that the lot of you are incompetent fools." He brushed past the bristling Imperial. "If you've the sky pirate in your hands, where is he?"
The Imperial snapped back. "You'd have done better, Ba'Gamnan? By your own words, it was the Imperial army who caught this sky pirate of yours. We've done your job for you! We don't require the assistance of filthy headhunters. The Empire will restore order here."
The bangaa known as Ba'Gamnan turned to face the soldier. "Eh? What's that you say now?" He stalked toward the man like a lion on the prowl. "Maybe I'll whet my blade on you... before I kill Balthier."
"That's enough, Ba'Gamnan!" A voice from beyond spoke. The clinking of chain mail was heard before the person appeared. It was a man in armour darker than silver wearing an ornate helmet with a cape with the crest of the Empire thrown over his shoulders. His face was hidden.
Beside Vaan, Fran spoke. The dread she felt at the man's presence was apparent in her tone. "A Judge."
Vaan looked at her, confused. "Judge?"
Balthier explained contemptuously. "Hmph. The self-proclaimed guardians of law and order in Archadia. They're the elite guard of House Solidor. Which effectively makes them the commanders of the Imperial army. If you ask me, they're more executioners than judges." Balthier scowled bitterly. "Not a friendly lot, at any rate. What are they doing here?"
The Judge dispelled the argument between the Imperial and Ba'Gamnan with a few terse words, then stalked off. The Imperial ran to follow him.
"Where is the Captain?"
"We have him in solitary, Your Honour. We're ready to begin our interrogation."
The ghost was still draped across Vaan's shoulders. "The Captain? Is he one of their Captains, or one of ours? Did they capture another member of the Resistance? How intriguing."
Balthier watched as Ba'Gamnan and his underlings caused quite a commotion. He saw the direction that the Judge was heading and his eyes followed. "Time for the hare to follow the fox."
Vaan blinked. "Huh?"
The ghost chuckled. "The prey, us, will follow the predator, the Judge. Balthier is curious as to what can draw a Judges attention to a place such as Nalbina Dungeons."
Fran spoke up. "The magicks binding the door to the oubliette are quite strong. Too strong even for my talents." She shook her head in disappointment. Her eyes followed movement behind Vaan.
Balthier clapped Vaan on the shoulder. "That's why we'll get them to open it for us." He continued on.
The ghost hummed in surprise. "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say that Balthier was a fox himself, with cunning like that."
A fox? As in a Judge?
Vaan frowned in suspicion and followed after him. "How is going deeper into this place-"
Balthier tuned abruptly causing Vaan to stop and lean away from the man. "What's wrong? You don't trust her? Vierra's noses are sharp. If she says there's a way out, there's a way out."
Vaan turned to look at Fran and she tilted her head at him.
The ghost sighed. "He speaks the truth, Vaan. Always trust the senses of a Vierra. Keep in mind that Balthier is a wanted man, pirate or not, and that he has yet to be permanently caught. Fran likely has something to do with that."
With the ghost's assurances, Vaan obediently followed Balthier.
As they ran through the hallways after the Imperials, they passed a room piled high with objects of every kind. Fran stopped and back-tracked to the door. "Look!"
Balthier and Vaan followed her and also peered into the room.
Balthier's mood seemed to brighten. "Ah! The prison repository of wrested relics and raiments."
What? Vaan looked at the room's contents and was able to spot swords, bows, shields, and armour among the mess. "...So our things are in here?"
Balthier was obviously amused. "That's what I said."
The ghost rolled his eyes.
They headed in to recover their weapons.
The ghost led them to their things very quickly as well as to an urn containing a Moogle-made map of the Nalbina Dungeons. Vaan let his fingers wander and managed to find a Tourmaline Ring. The ghost informed him that it was magical and would make the wearer immune to poison of any kind. Very useful.
After that find, Balthier dragged them from the room saying that they were wasting time.
Vaan pouted. He'd wanted to search for valuables or at least weapons and armour better than their own.
The ghost tried to cheer him up. "If it makes you feel any better, the Imperials would have taken anything of value for themselves, including armaments. We'd only arrived recently, so they hadn't had a chance to take anything of ours."
Vaan sighed and quietly responded. "That helps a little. At least I know I'm not missing out on a huge find in there. Thanks."
They walked a little more.
"Hey ghost?"
"Yes, Vaan?"
"What can I call you other than ghost? It's kinda weird."
There was a tense pause and hesitation on the part of the ghost.
It was a valid point. "...You may call me R."
They sprinted after the Imperials as they heard the grinding gears of a heavy door automatically closing. They were just able to make it in time. They slowed their pace but continued running with Balthier in the lead.
The ghost spoke. "Shouldn't we be a bit too close to-"
Balthier made an alarmed noise and darted back around the corner.
"-the Imperials?"
The ghost floated out around the corner to broadcast to Vaan what was happening while Balthier tried to see without being seen.
"They've led you into a heavily guarded room. There are guards on the walls and around every corner."
Vaan looked back at the firmly closed doors in dismay. A trap.
The ghost continued. "My assumption is that whatever is beyond this room is something they don't want found."
Vaan's fingers began to tingle. That sounded promising. Even if it wasn't a material object, Vaan had been on the streets long enough to know that information could be just as powerful as any object.
Balthier pondered their situation while he made a decision. "There are more turnkeys than cutpurses down here. I've had my fill of chains." His tone left no doubt of his thoughts on dungeons. He added almost as an afterthought, "Let's tread lightly, shall we?"
They ran through the room corning soldiers as they went and killing them. The ghost was scouting and would alert Vaan of any enemies, as well as where to turn.
He led them into a small room.
They all watched the Judge open an ornate door with some sort of chant.
The group ran after the Judge at Balthier's urging.
They efficiently hid themselves at a good vantage point while the noise of a chain pulling a cage through the oubliette covered any sounds they made.
As soon as the prisoner came into sight, the ghost gasped and said something very uncharacteristic of him. "Shit, Basch!"
