Author's note:Well, a new part begins! Let's kick it open like a boss!

Radiant Fantasy

Act 2: The Leonhart Rebelion

Chapter Ten

I'll Cry Your Tears

Ah, the wonders of medieval technology… Two months have passed ever since the departure from Crimea and yet, the boat is still sailing. Not that his would surprise anyone after the four months it took from Crimea to Begnion, but it was still pretty annoying for most of our heroes. The boat, while big, was not a good substitute for freedom. Many things happened on the trip, but let's let our heroes inform you.

"URG! When do you we arrive?!" Lyre shouted out of pure frustration, looking on from the mast of the ship before jumping back to the center of it. "We've been going for MONTHS now! I've had it!" The cat Laguz shouted as she ruffled her hair in frustration.

"Says the girl who sneaked onto the ship." Ranulf chastised as he sat on a barrel, throwing an apple into the air before grabbing it and taking one or two bites off it. "I'm eating fruit and you don't see ME complaining." Since beast Laguz ARE carnivores, the cats had had some difficulty on adapting, but in the end they were still similar to beorc, they just needed to start getting used to the taste.

"But…" Lyre whined.

"Want to train? It'll make time go faster." Her sister asked as she looked, no, glared holes in her shoulder. She was really just asking for a reason to beat her up for sneaking onboard, ignoring protocol. Yes. Two months later, Lethe held to the grudge.

"N-no! I'm perfectly fine!" Lyre exclaimed, running up to the barrel, grabbing an apple and trying to do like Ranulf, only to not be able to take the taste and having to spit the apple… all over Lethe.

"But you won't be." Lethe simply said, grabbing Lyre by the ear and pulling her to one of the "training areas" they had set up. By freezing the water on each side of the ship, they had created two ten meter ice platforms to allow for battle training of the ones on the ship. Celes, being a distinguished Ice mage, knew an attrition spell for the ice so it was much like normal ground. Convenience! Lethe first went to the one to starboard, but unsurprisingly, it was already taken up. By Ike no less. He and that girl Lethe couldn't decide if to call a branded or a Laguz were trading blows on the center of the arena, the sheer impact of the Ragnell hitting Terra's claws causing the ice block to severely crack and a small crater to open beneath their feet. "Those two are monsters…" Lethe left unsaid, seeing a beorc casually walking past her and clapping to claim their attention.

"It's been over a minute! Break it up!" Shinryu exclaimed, the two person's in question looking at him, Ike with a conformist look while Terra shot him a glare.

"I feel fine!" She growled, immediately covering her mouth when she heard her own voice do so.

"I reckon I don't have to counter-argument that." Shin told her. Terra looked at her hands and noticed how the aura was reddening and immediately shut down her trance, returning to her blue dress. "One minute and twenty seven seconds. That's more like it!" He congratulated, playfully rubbing her head.

"GET A ROOM!" Boyd exclaimed from side of the ship.

"You jelly?" Rolf teased, turning his back and running away as he knew what's coming.

"Come back here this instant!" Boyd shouted, chasing his brother through the deck.

"Well, I'm not finished yet, anyone wants to have a go?" Ike questioned. Lethe saw this as a chance to punish Lyre but alas, she had vanished. "Al, care to try? Your fight style is… weird."

"Alright! Let me just get my Dragonstone!" The blue haired lord answered, leading Lethe to give up the prospect of training altogether. Well, it's not like everyone hadn't worked their butts off this voyage, so she was satisfied. Still, just checking if she had no real place, she headed to starboard and, just as she expected, it was taken. It didn't seem like it, you could only vaguely see the blurs of the ones training on it, the ice seemingly being slashed by nothingness, only after a few seconds did the Trueblades and the Blade Lord clash in the center, for once meeting the sight of us mere mortals. Yet again though, no cigar for any her training. Then there even was aerial training… more like Tibarn and Naesala taking their frustrations onto each other and occasionally sparring with Elincia. Yeah, Tibarn didn't like Naesala's advances on Leanne and Naesala didn't exactly take kindly to Tibarn telling him off. Sometimes, even Lethe thought they'd end up killing each other. Then there was the thing that, by far, unnerved her the most. Cuore. She was not, by any chance or form, a five year old as they thought she was. She was a far call from either Beorc or Laguz also. Why do you ask? What Lethe was looking at was, indeed, a girl which seemed to be no less than ten years old now, staring right at her.

"Do Laguz have distinct smells only another Laguz can smell? As an identity code of sorts." And she did this. Lethe groaned, remembering how she was deemed the prime candidate to speak for the Laguz, she and Nasir really, by none other than that child. Her thirst for knowledge seemed to have no bounds and even worse… she grew so fast. She had grown what would be four years' time in two months. Approximately at least. It unnerved Lethe. Hell, it unnerved most on the ship, just the rare and obligatory exception. Ike. Terra didn't seem distressed but frankly, she unnerved Lethe too. That beorc that somehow had grown attached to her also. Something told her that most beorcs were not what they seemed where they were going. Take the monkey wannabe Laguz. Lethe had scorned him… a lot. But he kept coming and, yes, he had shown her how he himself had a secret, the thing was… "Is it an impertinent question?" Cuore asked since Lethe had spaced out.

"No, it is not young one. Laguz can distinguish the specific scent of anyone they wish. Much like you do with their magic." Lethe answered her, who whipped her head to the sides.

"I don't smell magic!" She also alternated from a robotic-like nature to a childish tone as you could obviously see. "It's like music to my ears! Everyone has a different tune, I just listen closely and I can distinguish everyone's sonata!" Lethe stared at her like she had seen a ghost.

"I see…" She mumbled, taken aback by the explanation. Being around Soren, a branded, a COLD branded, was soooo much easier than being around this… girl.

"Cuore! Don't be rude!" Rydia shouted, running up to the girl she was semi-forced to care as a mother. "I'm so sorry Lethe… She just loves asking you stuff, she says you're the best Laguz to hang out with."

"Can't say the feeling is mutual…" Lethe thought but said otherwise. "I'm glad she feels that way. Such a peculiar girl is a great way to pass this… actually quite boring travel." There, she'd said it. It was boring. Even Workaholic herself had decreed it. The trip had to end! Lucky for us, it was going to. As Lethe finished her conversation, her ears picked up the unholy sound the object Bartz owned did. He ringing drove her and her sister INSANE. There had to be disadvantage to being a catgirl, hadn't it?

"Squall! WAZAAAAAAAAH!" Aaaaaand Lethe suddenly wanted the phone to be kept ringing.

"Why am I friends with you again…?" A tired and substantially more mature voice asked from the other side of the devil's contraption.

"Well… because: One…" Lethe was ONE second away from jumping in and ripping that guy's damned throat out, but the voice shut him up just in time.

"Don't you dare enumerate the reasons. You did it one time too many." It ordered. Pouted did the Mime as he answered:

"But I only did it once!" And the voice confirmed so:

"Exactly my point." Bartz shook his head and gave the phone the most indignant look he could, even if the image calling wasn't turned on. Still, he got better.

"Fine, what is it? You left me hanging for what? Two months!" Bartz exclaimed, back to his normal self. He knew exactly who this was. Squall Leonhart, his "contact" in the Returners.

"I need you to stop at Babilonia Port. Dalmasca is not a safe option anymore." Squall informed from the other side of the line. "The Empire has been establishing checkpoints to all of the ports in their possession. Babilonia will be inspected and have a regiment stationed there in just one day. Can you make it before they set things up?"

"Yeah, I think we can." Zidane told Squall and Bartz from behind as he held up some kind of object that projected the boat and their surroundings on a much larger scale.

"Good. This army delay your arrival by a month, but we need you to be safe." Squall explained but was interrupted.

"Squall is it? Military leader of the Returners?" Edge asked, snatching the phone from Bartz.

"Yeah, and you are?" The person from the other side questioned.

"Edward Geraldine of Eblan." Edge answered in a rare serious tone.

"Prince Edward?" Squall questioned, his voice turning just a smidge less sharp and more respectful.

"Exactly. I'm going to give them passage through Eblan. I figured that since we turned, we'd better go all the way. I should be able to find some recruits for you in the castle and we should save weeks off climbing mountains with our tunnels. I'd say the month can be cut to a time as short as three days, four to stop in Eblan." That was music to anyone's ears. One month of going around a mountain wasn't exactly appealing.

"If you are willing to do so, far from me to turn down such generous offer." Squall trying to sound proper just didn't feel right, but he had to at least try.

"No biggie. I'm sure mom and dad will understand when I show them my kiiiiiiiiiid!" He exclaimed, touching up his voice with a somewhat ridiculous whimsical tone at the end, holding Cuore. Rydia could just sigh in disapproval. How DID such a logical being like Cuore get attached to EDGE of all people?

"Alright. However, I need you to ask around for information about the Empire on the town Bartz. Rumor is they disbanded the Lightbringer division. I did send someone to Babilonia Port so you might have that job already done for you, but just in case you don't meet Desert Hawk, I'd ask around." The disbanding of the Lightning division was logical so it didn't come to be a surprise of massive scale. Why call it as such with no Lightbringer? Yet, did they just loose a division or did they substitute it? And if they did… what could be a replacement for the Lightbringer? Even worse…

"Desert Hawk? You do know who we have onboard, don 't you?" Bartz pointed out, much to the confusion off everyone else.

"He will just have to stop being a child when you meet him. If he is there, I bet he will be waiting for you when you dock. If he's not, well, keep going. You cannot risk meeting the God General in charge of the checkpoints." Squall explained.

"THERE IS A GO- He hang up… HE FREAKING HANG UP!" Bartz exclaimed, near panic. "Nasir! Due east! Now!" He urged, going to the edge of the ship and calling everyone training. "We need to melt the ice! We're supposedly a merchant ship." Obviously, Mia wasn't happy with it, but the others understood and did so. Nasir then turned the ship east while Zidane checked his contraption.

"The GPS says Babilonia port is two hours away. We should arrive right after noon. A good meal and we should be ready to leave well before nightfall." The teen told everyone.

"Good. If all that we've been told is true, finding an enemy commander all alone in a hostile country is the worst case scenario for us. Now, we need cloaks. A quite a few to be exact. I doubt Terra and her companions are that well received, and that is leaving the Laguz out of the equation." Soren calculated.

"I guess we can just wear a turban and stick our tails inside our pants…" Ranulf said, crossing his arms and giving it some thought. "The dragons are fine but…"

"The true problem is the Bird Laguz." Soren pointed out. "Shall we get them to fly over the city?" That seemed to be a good idea from the tactician but…"

"Any and all unidentified flying objects near a city are promptly hunted down and questioned by Black Chocobo riders. It's too risky." Celes pointed out as she was one of the more accustomed to the methods the army had.

"But we can't really put a cloak around them. Their wings are…" Ranulf began before seeing Tibarn, Leanne and Naesala walk back into the deck, cloaked from head to feet and no bulging mass from behind their backs.

"Incredibly flexible." Tibarn completed for him. The Laguz just shrugged, he always questioned how bird Laguz dressed with those massive wings but it appeared that said question would, not only not be answered today, but the mystery had increased.

Two hours of waiting ensued, disguises from the recognizable faces being made, carefully distinguishing them to not seem they were all hiding something, just dressing according to their wishes. You'd be surprised how different Terra looked with loose, green hair and glasses for example. Soon, they laid sight on the port town. One could see why this had been one of the last towns. It was incredibly small. To the point where it was still under construction, men carrying over their shoulders the large chucks of wood to be cut. It seemed to lack that "mechanical" state that Ike had tried to explain to his compatriots, but that was just because the country's development was not that distinct from Crimea, except for… you'll see it later.

"So far so good…" Ike whispered as they docked. Nasir was talking to the man that came to check the ship, which was not a Palamecian, meaning that the checkpoint hadn't been established in time. After a quick banter only Nasir could pull off, the man left while truly believing they were a simple merchant ship that made a stop before heading to Dalmasca.

"Sucker." Shinon spat, getting clubbed in the head by Titania right after.

"Indeed he is." Some voice told them. They quickly scouted from the ship and found the person in question sitting on starboard, Volke already touching the neck with his knife. "And you do have an efficient guard… Telians." He took off his hood and covered Volke with the cape, but of course, the Assassin had already seen such a simple trick hundreds of times. The knife never left the man's neck. "Very efficient guard I see." The man remarked, s if mocking Volke. Well, everyone admitted he was either stupid or brave. That snark of confidence didn't help the brave argument, he just seemed full of himself… for the guys at least. The women had to resist the urge to find him dashing, to no avail. His light brown hair, bordering the blonde with sideburns complemented his embroidered olive best and leather trousers, all of the clothing adorned with classy attachments like his gold buckles, the rings on both hands and even earrings that didn't make him look queer.

*Cue: Stalwarts Unite*

"Brother. I should've guessed. "Mustadio said, turning his attention to Volke. "You can let him go Volke. Balthier is on our side."

"If he was, why would he sneak on us?" Shinon groaned, rasping at Balthier's attitude.

"It seems to me our companion is not proud of letting one such as me escape his sights. Do not worry my strangely colored hair archer, you are not the first, nor will you be the last." That tone, so high and mighty yet so mocking and to the ladies, so charming. If it weren't for Titania AND Gatrie grabbing both of his arms, no doubt would Shinon show him something he couldn't see coming… his fist to be exact.

"Are you here to guide us?" Elincia asked, more to change the subject than to gain information. Now, she did not know the man, had she, she would've asked another man to do so. Immediately spinning while fluidly taking her right hand, Balthier knelt and kissed it gently.

"How would I say no to someone as grand as you Milady?" He complimented with his silver tongue. Now, any woman would've instantly fallen to her knees when his hazel eyes stared at Elincia's but well, as we all know, she's whipped.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said… dryly. That surprised everyone who knew her. Since when was Elincia dry? Yet, Balthier was not easy to peel off.

"Oh, don't be like that my dear. I understand you may have many pretenders, but if you could give me a cha-"And now he had a hulking bird-man in-between them.

"Give it up boy. Charlatans like you can't fool this girl." Tibarn told him, also warning him of consequences to come if he were to pursue this route.

"Pardon me, I should have guessed such a fair lady would have already found a man. However, your manners leave much to be desired for such a specimen." Balthier bantered on, possibly only to spite Tibarn even more.

"Nice try, but I'm just saving you from a much worse fate. Trust me, the last thing you'd want to do is flirt with Elincia." He was actually being serious there, even if he didn't like the guy. Yet, again, didn't work as planned.

"Well, I should have guessed you would have quite a bit of difficulty in finding a lady." This time, it was Ike who needed to grab Tibarn from behind.

"I'll rip his eyes out!" Tibarn roared, a small but audible cry of a hawk leaving his mouth.

"Calm down Tibarn! You're playing his game!" Even Ike knew it. The tone the man used was so daring and downright offensive it was like shooting arrows. And he seemed overjoyed seeing this.

"Balthier, trust me, don't get Tibarn angry!" Vaan exclaimed as he pulled Balthier back.

"I trust I can take care of myself, I am a pirate after all. One of the sky variant." He dismissed.

"We're Fran? I don't think I can stand being near the guy while he doesn't have the voice of reason with him for much longer…" Agrias groaned.

"Oh Fran? She was left with the Strahl. Should be walking around Rabanastre right about now." Balthier's expression fell if ever so slightly. "Well, we've had our fun. Let's get to a tavern, eat up and leave. I've arranged a hovercraft with supplies by five P.M. which gives us…" Taking a circular object and taking off the lid, the man stared at the pointers on the compass-like object and said. "Three hours is more than enough. Follow me and bring the mounts with you. Don't worry, no one dares to steal here, one complaint and its right to the gallows with them." And he commenced to walk.

"So THAT'S why he's so grumpy." Vaan nodded knowingly.

"What?" Mustadio questioned.

"The things you missed on when your brother joined the Returners…" Vaan simply said, leaving Mustadio to wonder just what the hell had finally gotten inside his brother's skin.

They followed Balthier to a modest tavern on the town square, going in separate groups of no more than four to avoid attention. They stationed Erza, Robin, Elena Gwydion and Stardust near the entrance and entered, again, eating separately. Tibarn however, had other ideas. After a very quick fix, he sat and asked the bartender to come to me.

"I need a mug of your strongest ale here." He asked, the bartender nodding.

"Make it two!" A strong, raspy voice demanded. The bartender looked back and froze at the sight of the man. Still, he did as he asked, on the double really, going back and getting them their beer in a minute flat. After another minute of silence with Tibarn looking at the mug, the mysterious man broke the silence. "So… what's the occasion?" Tibarn shot him a look. He had to admit, the man was almost as manly as him, at least in his eyes. Rough, scared face, pitch-black unkempt wild hair, no upper torso clothing whatsoever with a tri-edged tattoo and most importantly, the bandanna. A TRUE man has to have a bandana. "Don't mind me. I just get drunk whenever I get the chance. Pity I resist this stuff so easily…" He continued, drinking the entire mug in one shot. Tibarn, not wanting to be outdone, did the same. "So you CAN chug!"

"Of course." Tibarn replied. "But the reason I'm here is I just realized something. I am one hu- I mean, on my late thirties and I've never, even once, how do I say this…" Tibarn wondered, it was not something he was proud of remembering.

"Got laid?" Well, that was a direct and T-rating defying way to say it. But for this man, for this man it was normal.

"That." And he cursed Balthier yet again for remembering him. The man laughed, bellowed really.

"You're just like me man. Not that I didn't get some, I got a kid after all, but we're both tough on everything but that." Another mug came and another mug went in a flash.

"Well, thing is, the only people I get attracted to already have someone in mind…" And down went another mug. Tibarn's gleaming chugging potential seemed an equal match for the man. "Damn that raven…" He cursed.

"If that's your so-called problem, listen to mine." The man replied as if this was a contest. "My wife died when my boy was just five. My job takes up most of my time and lo and behold, he began blaming me for everything and ran away from home. He's out to kill me now." He finished, sipping on the mug.

"That's pretty harsh…" Tibarn replied, doing the same.

"Well, at least we still look badass. We take it like men and move on, right?" He asked, raising yet another mug for a cheer.

"Take it like men and move on!" Tibarn cheered, the duo taking down another mug and slamming the table.

"ANOTHER!" They both roared, now catching the attention of everyone on the tavern.

"Vaan… what is one of your guys doing sharing drinks with a God General?" Balthier asked, trying to not seem shocked.

"By the love of the Occuria…" Vaan stated, not knowing how to respond.

"You know what would make all of this that much better?" The God General asked, now a bit tipsy.

"A freaking fight!" Tibarn didn't know how, but he did it, he read his mind.

"Alright! We're in synch. No swords, daggers or SHIT like that! FISTFIGHT!" He exclaimed, breaking the table with his fist. The residents didn't know what to see as more surprising. The fact someone had just broken a table with his bare hands or how casual Tibarn treated that.

"You don't have any idea what you're getting in to!" Tibarn exclaimed. Oh… the irony.

"Hey you two, take it outside." A woman clad in black armor said from a nearby table. Everyone gasped and stared at her, shocked she had the proverbial balls to tell the two hulking beasts of a man that were about to cause havoc.

"Oh, and now you think you can order ME around?" The God General questioned, slamming the table.

"Exactly. Times have changed "Ace"." The woman spat, standing up to be eye to eye with the general. "My division has priority over yours you hooligan." They stared at each other for a moment, a fight about to break out… or was it?

"Pft, fine, it'll be better and all. But you know Hrist, don't think you can stand in Orlandeu's shadow for much longer..." The man spat at her, adding: "Bitch…" Under his breath while he walked to the outside, Tibarn and well, most of the people on the tavern doing the same. Our heroes because they wanted to see Tibarn escape this with his life, the rest just wanted to see the show.

"The report shall be disastrous… Bartender, two mugs!" The woman named Hrist ordered, leaving the money on the table as she left with the beverages.

"So… why don't we get started?!" Tibarn exclaimed, rotating his shoulders, being careful not to lift the cloak enough for the wings to show. As one could imagine, two badasses of this caliber attracted a lot of people and a circle around one of their members fighting a God General wasn't the best way to stealth.

"Just one thing. Names. I want to remember you if you don't suck and well, it's gonna be hard for me to ask you after I'm through with you!" The man taunted.

"Tibarn! And you? I doubt you'll be even be able to talk after this!" He taunted back. The man bellowed.

"You really don't know?!" He roared, slamming his right foot on the ground. "God General of the Apocalypse division! Jecht Ace!" He exclaimed. "Having second thoughts?!" He asked Tibarn, seeing only a smile as a response.

"On the contrary… God General? That just makes me all the more pumped up! Come one, let me see how high the standard for one is!" Tibarn bellowed as he lunged at him, his right fist flying into the man's rugged face. It connected and he was surprised to see Jecht being pushed back while his feet didn't fail, scrapping the ground in two lines.

"That was… pretty good actually! I may have my fun here! But can you take a hit?!" Jecht exclaimed, the earth trembling when he slammed his right foot on the ground for extra power behind his right-handed fist. As if to mock him, Tibarn let himself get hit, going back the same distance Jecht had gone.

"Good enough for ya?" He joked, whipping the side of his cheek in case there was blood.

"Oh yeah! Let's get to business!" Jecht shouted as they both dashed at the same time, their right fists colliding in midair. Tibarn grinned and quickly uppercut the man with his left fist, but he found him only slightly flinching, his lips forming a smile as he kneed Tibarn with all his power, taking out the air of the King's lungs. Tibarn still didn't let himself go down that easily and, even if he had instinctively hunched to come with the pain, he made the most of it by tackling Jecht into the cold hard floor. Now on top of him, Tibarn unleashed a series of punches on the man's head, but only half of them, if that many, connected.

"Sorry, but I don't like having guys on top of me!" Jecht shouted, easily throwing Tibarn away, who spun in midair, thanking the fact he had tied the cloak to his back so that his wings wouldn't show. He landed on one knee and Jecht jumped back to his feet. The battle was far from over.

They clashed in the middle of the circle, punching the right side of their face at the exact same time, one could swear he felt a shockwave coming from it.

"How is Tibarn keeping up? Aren't Laguz weaker by default?" Mist questioned, only to have Ike step in.

"Laguz's bodies are as strong as or even stronger than hours. Difference is, we wield weapons. Technically, a "monk" as they call them here, would be stronger by default, but all of the God Generals use weapons." Ike explained, to which Balthier nodded.

"You are not as hard in-between the shoulders as I thought. Yes, Jecht uses the Apocalypse but still incorporates physical contact on his training. They are both only slightly of their environment because of that." Balthier explained as Jecht and Tibarn headbutted each other with such force the vibration reached the people around them. Almost no single woman was still conscious, the sheer manliness had incapacitated them.

They continued exchanging punches for what was about ten minutes before any of them showed ANY signs of wear and tear. And it was only a very slight change in their respiration.

"So… getting tired yet?" Tibarn asked, quickly whipping the sweat that bypassed the bandana from is eyes.

"Hell no! Why? Need a break?" Jecht taunted, even though he was in the exact same worn out state.

"You wish!" Tibarn shouted, the two men preparing themselves for "round two" before a shrill cry crossed the air. Tibarn and Jecht looked to the side to see how Terra was on her knees to grab her glasses, a woman staring at her shocked.

"T-th-the monster!" She gasped, alerting a lot of people to promptly look at Terra from more directions Shinryu and Celes could cover.

"It does seem like her…"

"You whore, changing your hair-dye won't save you!" A fisherman exclaimed, pulling out a knife.

"You'll pay for everyone you slaughtered!"

"We'll feed your remains to the dogs and hope they don't get sick!"

The entire village seemed to have caught on at the exact same time, leaving the group to make a difficult choice.

"This is getting too similar to Port Toha!" Ranulf exclaimed, remembering how he was beaten up by the villagers in the Mad King's war. However, this time, this wasn't going to be something so frivolous. No, the villagers were bloodthirsty, you could see it in their eyes how much they hated Terra, Leanne herself was feeling sick. Everyone began to prepare to blow their cover to save her when an unlikely voice resounded.

"What the HELL is going on here?!" Jecht boomed, any and all noise stopping immediately. "And it better be good because fights like this are one in a thousand!" The God General roared yet again, the entirety of the crowd now beginning to look at each other, trying to find a scapegoat.

"S-sir Jecht! This… thing." There were suddenly a lot of people with a sudden urge to rip that guy's vocal cords out when he uttered such disrespectful words to Terra, but they knew better. "It's Terra Branford! The Monster! The traitor!" The townspeople nodded resolutely to make their point.

"This chick?!" Jecht asked, staring at Terra and walking towards the kneeling girl. Everyone's sense heightened, but dropped when Ike saw Tibarn shake his head. Jecht kneeled and… began pinching her cheek… playfully. He gave her a warm smile, a very brief one, not many caught on to that, before looking at his hand inquisitively. "S'not her. Her cheeks aren't the same. I know, I've pinched her cheeks for five years!" That had to be the lamest… most disappointingly weak… and especially the most ridiculous excuse me as a narrator had to narrate. "This chick is a cutie, but she ain't no Branford. IF she were, she'd have thorn every one of you to piece, wouldn't she?" It wasn't as much people believing in Jecht as it was they being AFRAID to speak their minds to him. "I've known her for five years and while this one..:" He gestured to Terra. "Is a work of art, she's just a doppelganger. In short, you made me lose my mojo for nothing… If I EVER know you spoke about what happened here today, especially my fight, which if didn't guess it, isn't very well seen by the rules, I'll come here and pay some debts, understood? Now fucking apologize to the girl for trying to beat her up and go fish or some shit like that!" The most ridiculous part of this entire exchange? The shout at the end of it was so frightful that the entire village felt the need to apologize.

"Well, that's that huh? We're leaving now, but don't worry. I'll find you and beat you up soon!" Tibarn assure Jecht, who had turned his back and began walking into a street.

"And next time… we'll go all out, don't you think birdie?" He finished, Tibarn's jaw opening for a split second. He had known all along…

"You are despicable." Hrist insulted, walking besides Jecht.

"Yeah. You aren't going to write on your report you let Terra escape, now are you? And you aren't going to try and do it alone either. I think it would be better for everyone if this "encounter" was just forgotten, Miss "By-the-book." Wouldn't want to destroy that rep, would you?" Jecht sneered, enjoying every moment of Hrist's discomfort.

"He is correct… if I report how Terra escaped my grasp, I can forget my race with my sister to promotion…" The dark clad woman told herself, closing her eyes and deciding it would be best to do as Jecht had said… and remember to repay this to him in the most painful way possible. And yes, given the chance, she would kill him, she just needed an excuse… and power to do it.

After having to assure the townsfolk there was no harm done, the group followed Balthier to the outside of said town, meeting up with the person that "borrowed" the Hovercraft. By the tone he had used, it was quite obvious what had REALLY happened. Sure enough, when they arrive at the drop point, there it was, the contraption.

"Are we to ride on a steel machination like this?" Shinon asked, clearly in disbelief.

"Well, if you want to try your luck with the bog around the Babilonian mountains, be my guest." Oh, how Shinon wanted to put an arrow or three in-between Balthier's eyes! Yet again though, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to the side to see Titania making a decapitation sign with her thumb. Shinon groaned and pulled his shoulder from her grasp jumping onto the large back of the craft before even meeting the driver.

"So… who stole it?" Celes asked, not falling for Balthier's guise.

"I prefer the term found. I mean, it was just lying there with the keys on and all. A treasure if you will." Ike's jaw dropped.

"Mist… is Celes SMILLING?!" He asked his younger sister, who seemed to be as flabbergasted. Save for the lone smile at the end of the battle, never had Celes smiled in front of well, anyone, and there she was, a broad smile gracing her cheeks. Before he could ask though, Celes tried to conceal it with the least believable grimace he had ever seen as the object of her smile jumped off the wagon. He was, as everyone from the Returners, wearing strange clothing. He was a brown haired man of medium height, brown eyes somewhat muscular stature. The one you get from doing physical activity but not by lifting weights. He wore a dark blue jacket that opened to reveal a light blue shirt, had trousers matching the jacket and finally, his trademark probably, his dark bandana that covered most of his hair.

*Cue: "With us!*

"Locke Cole… And I had thought you'd given up on stea-" She was immediately silenced by the same man, who had lunged and… planted his lips on hers.

"How did he even…" Rolf asked no one in particular, pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Balls kid. That guy has got some BALLS!" Gatrie told him. Worse yet, Celes hadn't bothered to pull away. This was just unreal for people who had known the "Ice Queen" for little more than two months. The only ones not completely swept of their feet were their closest friends, as it was to be expected. After a few more moment though, Celes did pull away, but not before the man grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I've been saving that for two years. You've been a hard one to visit!" He told the still stunned woman. One could tell she didn't expect someone to have the guts to do that to her.

"I know Locke but… will you let go of me?" She asked the man, who shook his head fiercely.

"Heck no! I know what I did, you're going to kill me if I let you go!" And then the entire group realized that the man had known exactly what he was bringing upon himself. Celes was still Celes after all.

"Even if I were… would you purposely hold me forever then?" There was something inherently wrong with seeing Celes flirt but it was also extremely amusing.

"Well, I've heard of worse fates." Locke answered seductively as he leaned in for "seconds". Before this turned into a chapter 9 though, Vaan sacrificed himself for the crew.

"Hum, if I may." He interrupted. Now getting the couple's full attention. "There is a hill over there. We can give you ten minutes to go there and "do your stuff" and we leave. Just leave your sexual tension back there, okay?" One could only wonder. Was he THAT stupid, or did he do he take one for the team?

"Locke… you may let me go." She told the red man, who, in light of her dark, foreboding tone, did so.

"Hum Celes?" Vaan questioned. "Celes… what are you doing?! CELES, STOP! CELEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

And he was never heard from again… okay, he was, but he did not leave unscathed.

"Sooo… Squall told me things had changed on the Empire." Bartz told Balthier. The group had grown silent while they mourned for their fallen companion and after explaining to them what a Hovercraft actually WAS, they simply got in, no questions asked. After fifteen minutes of ridding they had reached the bog. Edge was at the front, giving Vaan directions while making the party promise they would take them to the grave. Considering how he was a ninja and they had learned said job was very much like Volke's during the trip here, not even Telians had a problem with that.

"Yeah. The lot of you managed to cause quite the storm." Balthier began. "Since the Lightbringer was stolen, there was no reason for the division to exist. That means it had to be replaced…"

"You can't just replace a division. They were named and made around the wielder of the respective legendary weapon." Shinryu intervened, to which Balthier shook his head.

"What if I told you they found a new one to name it after?" He asked.

"How did…"

"A mere month ago, a man appeared on Palamecia's capital. He simply barged in, killing any guard that would stand in-between him and his objective. Said man proposed a duel to Orlandeu." Ramza gasped. That was a fool's trap if they wanted glory quickly. Challenging Orlandeu never ended in less than utter humiliation. "Needless to say, Orlandeu won. But it took him more than anyone else did, the fight lasting for over fifteen minutes and even at one point, the man knocked Orlandeu down." This time was the time for Ike to cringe in both surprise an horror.

"There are more monsters like him around…" He cringed at it.

"Yes. And that is not all. His blade, which can morph between sword, axe, lance and whip, the Gaia Cleaver, gives him the upper hand on any battle. He is now God General after only a month of service. The Battle Crazed Knight, Garland." Everyone took a moment of silence. For a knight to appear out of nowhere, carrying with him such power and weapon, were the gods really betting against them?

"What about the other ones? We heard nothing about the rest of the God Generals." Elincia asked. It may have been a very grave oversight on their part but they had still time to correct it, didn't they?

"And a good thing it was. Only half are the very same." Balthier explained. "I do not need to tell you how they look as of now, I do believe we have accurate pictures of them on Dalmasca, yet, their names would be good, in case you get into a mindless fight like some…" Balthier spat, Tibar shooting him a "Bite me" stare. "The Omega Weapon division, the Valkyrie, Lightning Farron. The Apocalypse division, the King of Havoc, Jecht Ace. I do believe you've met. The Ultima Weapon division… formerly lead by The Hero, Zack Fair is now lead by none other than another you've met. The Earth's Descendant, Aerith Gainsborough. Which is ironic really, as she does not even use said weapon. One would ask themselves if the division should be named after her right hand's weapon." That hardly concerned anyone in there, Micaiah however, finally understood why she was being decimated on the battlefield. She was fighting no ordinary mage… "The Chaos Blade division, the Judge Magister, Gabranth. The Masamune division… Sephiroth Shinra. He vanished after his defeat, yet, the Empire did not take his leadership so I doubt he is dead."

"Well, at least we know we have a chance against one of them." Ike said to bolster morale. On the inside he knew. "That guy must be cooking something up. He's got to have one hell of a grudge against me…"

"True, true. As you know, the Battle Crazed Knight Garland commands the Gaia Cleaver division. But the last one may be a shocker." Balthier whispered.

"Why is that? The Excalibur division, led by Orlandeu, right?" Celes pointed out from the front of the craft.

"The Excalibur division… is no longer part of the Seven." Silence. No one expected that.

"D-did something happen to Orlandeu?" Agrias gasped, not believing the man could have been defeated.

"I wish so. The Excalibur division now serves as the leader for the other divisions." Balthier explained, and it did make sense.

"So that's what Jecht was talking about." Tibarn mused. Balthier nodded.

"The new division that is going to substitute the Excalibur division in the Seven is the Gae Bolg division. We have little to no knowledge about this division as it was only announced four days ago. We know two things only. The Gae Bolg is a spear and its God General… The White Raven. Nothing more, albeit, the man dueled Orlandeu to a standoff. Neither had the advantage." Things just kept getting crappier and crappier.

"So, you're telling me we have to deal with TWO Orlandeus?" Zidane whined, receiving a nod in return.

"Worse even, from what I can tell and was reported, none of you have comparable jobs to him." Locke told from behind the wheel.

"Jobs?" Ike questioned.

"Classes. You follow a class system do you not? Same thing really. Just that, if we were to apply your concept of tiers… Fantasia, this continent, would have at the very least five. Five Fourth Tiers. And that is leaving Garland on the doubt." Locke finished.

"What?! Is that even possible?!" Ike blared, to which Balthier answered:

"Orlandeu stopped your sword with one finger. Do you realize how much of a gap there is between you?" He questioned. Ike didn't want to believe it but he had already entertained the notion of Orlandeu actually being something higher than what he believed to be the pinnacle of human beings. Hell, he had beaten a goddess with this power, and now they say all of what he was was not even on the same level as not one but FIVE other people?

"Why five?" Elincia questioned.

"Each country has one has of right now. Ivalice, Alexandria, Esthar, Baron and the Empire… Except ours… If the White Raven dueled Orlandeu to a standoff, the first man to reach said unconceivable power, well, it's a given. Why do you think we tried nothing against Ivalice or Alexandria yet? The Returners have set base in Esthar, our army is as good as the other nations as a whole. We should be invading Ivalice. Yet… they have General Frimelda Lotice. She alone tips the scales far to their side." Balthier made a visible grimace when he said that name.

"How, ONE person can't change so much!" Micaiah protested.

"You're one to talk." Soren spat dryly. "There are multiple factors to take in account before saying that. Maybe they have special powers. Micaiah, you and your future sight. Don't tell me you didn't change the course of the war all by yourself." Micaiah pursed her lips and looked down, admitting her defeat. "Maybe they have stellar commanding skills and can bolster morale. Ike is a prime example of that." Ike nodded. "Maybe they are so strong that they can take on most of the army by themselves." Ike remembered the Black Knight.

"Like Murdock did." Tiena said, remembering how General Murdock singe-handedly stopped Roy's advance before falling to the young lord.

"And even worse… maybe all three of them." Soren finished. Something told everyone that, for how desperate the Returners were, it was the last option.

"So. We're your way to tip the scales?" Sothe asked.

"Pretty much. Our only hope to do it at least." Locke admitted in a less optimistic tone. "We're here!" He exclaimed to break the atmosphere that was settling in.

"Yes. This is right where it is. The Eblanian caverns." Edge confirmed. "Hop on out guys!" He exclaimed, calling everyone to see the entrance to Eblan. No one would guess it was what it was. It was just a simple opening in the mountain on the east side of the swamp. Of course, being stealthy AND the fact you'd need a Hovercraft to reach it, was perfect for a Ninja nation, but still, the royalty expected some… guards. But no, nothing.

"It's not exactly… impressive." Bartz pointed out, surprisingly not getting the evil eye, but a chuckle.

"Thank you. It's not supposed to. Would you ever guess this was the only entrance to Eblan?" Bartz had to face palm for not getting the reason, the rest just shaking their head, following Edge to the cave.

Back in Crimea.

It was nighttime and Geoffrey sat on the throne Elincia always set, right hand covering half of his face, drowning in his thoughts.

"How can this be… the people accepted Elincia's leave so easily… they congratulated her. They can't possibly want that ignorant for a king." Geoffrey spat to no one in particular. There would be no one wandering the halls for hours to come. The knight had been absolutely livid for the past two months, not talking to anyone for more than a few moments to conceal it. He feared Lucia had noticed but if she did, she made no move to stop it. "He'll tear this country to pieces! He does not know how to rule it! Why can't she see it… why can't she see ME?!" Lightning crashed on the outside. Geoffrey found it strange, as the night had been calm until now, but what made his skin really crawl was the haunting melody that began rusting on his hear drums. And then, a voice, It was sad, like a mother who had just lost her son. He could barely distinguish it.

To all of my children… in whom life flows abundant

To all of my children… to whom death hath passed his judgment

Geoffrey's body seemed to move on his own, slowly approaching the window. There it was, sitting on it, a woman clad with only the essential to block her womanly parts. The rest of the skin was bare. Long, dark silvery strand falling down her neck, a red mark on her forehead. Her eyes crimson. What made Geoffrey question if it was even human was how two snake-like extensions extended from the back. Ones that MOVED. Even worse. The voice. It didn't come from her. It came from all around him, as if it was part of the air. However, Geoffrey caught sight of something far more sinister. Besides the moon was… a smaller one. Died in pure red.

The soul yearns for honour, and the flesh the hereafter

Look to those who walked before to lead those who walk after…

"Our Master…" The creature whispered, her voice seductive and powerful. "May help you."

Geoffrey jerked his shoulder at the shift of weight in it. Turns out, a bird had landed on Geoffrey's shoulder. A white raven.

Tell us why… given life

We are meant to die?

Two days of walking. That's what they had to put up with. The caverns were obviously changed by man as stone stairways, doors and even an Inn littered the cave. There was just one thing that stroke everyone as odd. Even for a small nation, if this was one of the only two entrances… how was nobody passing by?

"I've got an awful feeling about this… how can there be no one at the Inn?" Edge asked, looking around to see how the beds were in perfect shape and the Inn was clean. "This isn't abandoned. Someone was here recently. No sign of struggle also." He turned to the group, worry clearly plastered on his expression. "Would you mind…"

"We don't have to sleep Edge. We're fine." Rydia assured, looking back to have the others concur. "Let's find out what happened." She touched his shoulder and gave him a warm smile.

"Interesting. The heart beat ratio is skyrocketing." Cuore pointed out, of course turning both ends into a red mass. "And now the cheeks have a great concentration of blood… may I ask why this is happening?"

"Poor… pure girl." Balthier admonished.

"I do not understand." Cuore said dryly, trying to understand what she had done to make her parents so uncomfortable.

"You will when you're older…" Mist simply said, patting her on back. Avoiding any questions, especially since everyone felt exactly what Edge felt, they hurried to the exit. After more or less six hours of non-stop walking, they saw natural light on the horizon, the moon illuminating the dark caverns.

"We're almost there…" Edge said, increasing his pace.

"Wait…" Terra pleaded. She stood there, her nose moving intensely, as if she was smelling something. She closed her eyes and transformed for a few seconds, returning to her normal form moments after. The beast Laguz, alerted, had done the same, and both her and the three cats sported the same, worried look on their expressions.

"Smoke… burnt wood… fire." They all said in unison, as those were the smells that prevailed.

"No… NO!" Edge roared, sprinting towards the entrance at a pace no one in the group could follow except for Volke, who Ike ordered to. He was so fast. They were running for ten minutes straight before they arrived at the exit. And what they found was what they all wished with all their hearts not to be true.

They were in a large valley, a large valley that only had two man-made places. There had BEEN a town and castle where they were, but now it was nothing more than piles of burning wood and molten rock. Whatever had happened, they had just missed it.

"Where's Edge?!" Rydia desperately asked, the ninja in silver nowhere in sight.

They looked around and saw a ninja on the ground, wounds far beyond healing having been inflicted upon him. Mist and Rhys ran up to him but soon shook their heads.

"He's hanging by a thread. There is nothing anyone can do." The man's breath slowly began to fault as Rhys said so, blood streaming from his mouth.

"Wh-who are you people?" The man asked, yet again coughing blood.

"We're with Edge. Do you know where he is?" Ike answered, trying to make the man's last moments useful.

"Edge? I do not know any Edge." The man said, weakly lying. The was his eyes moved made Cuore point out how he was lying, to which Rydia leaned and asked the man:

"Please… tell us where Edward is. I know he must be doing something very stupid." The woman pleaded, looking into the man's hazed eyes. For a moment, his eyes jolted open and he asked:

"You…? How… Did he?" Before letting go a weak laughter. "Prince Edward should be fighting the monster that did this… at the courtyard. Please, girl of Mist… return the favor…" His last breaths were swift, but he died with a satisfied look on his face. Rydia swept her palm over the man's face, closing his eyes for a final time.

"We have to go help Edge!" She exclaimed , to her surprise though, Ike had already sped towards the courtyard at the end of the city. He ran and ran, noticing how the flames became greater the closer he was to his objective, he was sweating oh so much when he arrived at the blocked off castle gates. He was about to reach for his sword when the gates exploded. Looking at his side, he found out Rydia had managed to catch up to him in a chocobo Esper she had summoned. With a nod, they entered.

*Cue: Battle with the Four Fiends*

"I'll make you pay for what you did to Eblan!" Edge roared, thunder cackling around him. "Blitz!" He chanted as he gestured some strange signs, redirecting said lighting against the giant he was facing. The humanoid being just protected himself with his cloak-like clothing, not even flinching. The thing was about four meters high, sly more than twice as tall as Edge. He wore what appeared to be a full body cloak that covered everything but his left leg, hands and face. The cloak pure red with blue circles while it's skin was dark with fiery scar-like tissue on the leg. His cloak also seemed to be linked to his skin, furthering the belief that he wasn't human.

"You still try to resist? You cannot harm me!" The thing boomed, fire around him and Edge intensifying into a ring that locked Ike and Rydia out.

"Edge! Run away! That's an Esper, one of the Four Fiends no less!" Rydia shouted from outside the ring, knowing Edge could jump out if he wanted to. Ike walked backwards to gain momentum.

"I know! But I won't let him get away with what he did! Autarch of Flame or not, he… took my kingdom and burned it to ash. He mailed my men to come back to Eblan only to burn even those who stayed in Tellius. Everyone I know is DEAD! FLOOD!" Now he had summoned a massive wave of water... which was useless against the being's cape, vapor was the only thing left.

"I respect men like you. Men with… courage. But you are a slave to your emotions, and so you will never know true strength. Such is the curse of men." He taunted, even if he had complimented him in the same sentence.

"RUBICANTE!" Edge roared, vanishing and reappearing right on top of the Archfiend, only to have swat him aside like a fly, ending up slamming him against a nearby house, destroying the wall and knocking him out in the process.

"Live. Grow stronger. Do your parents proud." He told the now unconscious ninja before turning to Ike, Rydia and the ones that were arriving just now. "I've resorted to unforgivable tactics to achieve this victory today. For that, I shall now leave and let not a soul know of your arrival. Consider this an apology, as I cannot go against my summoner's orders, no matter how unjust they are. Goodbye rebels, may we meet again on an even battlefield!" And with that, before anyone could ask anymore of him, he was gone in a burst of flames.

"Edge!" Ignoring what had just happened, Rydia shot towards Edge like an arrow, Mist following her to heal him. "Edge!" She called, cradling the burnt mess of a man on her arms. He wasn't moving. "This is not funny Edge…" By now, Mist had arrived and was healing him with her staff. "Edward!" She cried, tears falling from her eyes into his. Just then though, movement. His chest started to move. He was breathing!

"I told you… that name is so lame…" Edge whispered with the remainder of his strength.

"Don't talk, I'm healing you, it'll be easier if you don't open the wounds I close." Mist advised him, earning a nod as the man shut his ever blabbering mouth. "He'll be alright." She shouted for the others to hear. Ike breathed out in relief. That was what he needed to hear. However though, this scenario was far too similar for his tastes. However, any and all thoughts drifted away when he was approached by an elderly man and several, but few, injured man.

"It is good to hear Prince Edward will be safe. I am Shen, the caretaker for the boy. He always calls me the Seneschal since, well, that's what I am. I'll have to thank you stranger… if it weren't for your arrival, I severely doubt we would have lived through Rubicante's onslaught." The elder thanked, even going as far as to do a small bow. Ike recognized the Four Winds behind him, a wave of comfort washing him. He was happy Edge still had friends left. Yet, all that comfort was replaced with guilt as he realized who the real culprits for the attack were.

"We don't deserve your thanks Shen… If it weren't for us, Eblan wouldn't have been attacked." He lowered his head in a sign of apology.

"I knew you'd say that young man. And my answer is: Don't be. Prince Edward's choice was the correct one. The one we never had the courage to take. The Mist Massacre was and forever more shall be the darkest stain in our countries' history. Mayhap some would hate you and Edward for this decision, but me, and his parents… Crystals bless their fallen souls… will never hold such against you. Now, if you'll excuse me, we shall go and tend to the wounded." Ike was surprised how the Seneschal held no ill will against him, but was even more disturbed at how Edge had just lost his parents. He reminded him too much of himself…

"Sir Ike…" Elincia called, touching his right shoulder. "Shouldn't we help?" Ike felt stupid. How could he have been so blind as to not offer his help to the ones in need?

"Yeah, of course! Shen, we'll help in putting out the fires and looking for the wounded!" Ike shouted.

"Much appreciated…" The Seneschal answered, a small, weak smile creeping onto his tired features. "Maybe… it was worth it after all." He muttered to himself, taking a look at the group which eagerly helped people they had no connections with.

Hours later, on a crevice at the east of the valley where the city was situated.

Edge sat on the only place where he could be away of it all. He couldn't smell the burnt wood, he couldn't hear the crying women and he especially couldn't hear the whispers that blamed him for everything.

"They're right though… my decision made this." He told himself, closing his eyes and feeling his body. He was completely thorn to bits before being healed. "What a monster… that Rubicante."

"You should be in a bed resting!" Rydia's voice caressed his ears so, even if it were an angry one. She was always angry at him, so he was used to it anyway.

"I'll be there in a minute…" He answered, hopelessly trying to tell her to go away.

"I'm sorry Edge…" She said after a deep, heavy silence. "This was all…"

"Mateus' fault. No one else's. I'll make him pay for what he did to Eblan and Mist." Edge didn't know where he was getting that confidence in his voice. He sure didn't have any.

"Thank you Edge…" She whispered, thoughts he noted he hadn't looked at her for a second. "Are you… crying?"

"I'm… not. I can't cry. What if someone sees me? They need their… King…" How that word hurt. "To be strong." As he finished the phrase, a couple of slender arms wrapped around his shoulders, Rydia's head leaning against his. His air suddenly became moist.

"I'll cry your tears then…" She whispered on his ears, silently sobbing on his shoulder.

"Thank you…" Edge simply said, caressing her hair with his right hand without meeting her eyes. He'd cry if he did, he was sure of it.

"Erratic and illogical behavior detected…" Cuore whispered mechanically behind a rock. "Is this what humans call "love"?"

And as always, the little girl was right.

After such a devastating blow right at the start of their new journey, our heroes' resolves is tenfold as they march towards Ivalice. However, even in the country, the ones which would help them are thrown against the wall. And what happens when a former God General is sentenced to death, yet again?

"From now on, we're in completely hostile territory, and this time, guards are not scarce."

"Queen Ashelia, may I ask you what your TRUE intentions are?"

"Zack, you have a week to live."

Next Chapter: Ashe and Ashelia

Balthier Bunansa

Sky Pirate, Level 14

Locke Cole

Whisper, Level 15

Vaan Beoulve

Sky Pirate, Level 9

Post-Chapter Note:Well, you got yourselves a pretty varied chapter, don't you think? I don't have much to tell you as this was so massive I'd lose an entire paragraph talking about it. Anyway, you know I love those reviews so, any opinions, critiques, or much of anything is welcomed. See you next time.