Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Fall of Faith


Ramza floated in darkness, curious why his body hadn't yet plummeted to the unfathomable depths below. He could not be dead, of that he was certain; the aches and wounds all over his body made sure the knight was aware that he was very much alive. For a moment, in a delirium of pain and loss, Ramza thought that the darkness around him had taken physical form, gently holding him aloft to prolong his suffering. Hearing a grunt of exertion above his head, the Beoulve looked up, and instantly his mind cleared.

"Izlude?"

"I said to avoid the edge." His friend replied, his lips a thin line.

The knight lay atop the bridge, one hand tightly gripping the back of Ramza's tunic. Izlude scrabbled for purchase, doing his best to stay on the stone walkway while trying to pull Ramza's dead weight back up.

"You kind of forced me to it…" Ramza replied, shaking his head to clear more of the fog from his mind.

"Give me your hand, quickly." Izlude instructed, his hold on the thin cloth shirt faltering.

Reaching up with his good arm, Ramza grabbed tightly onto the other man's wrist, and once their arms were locked Izlude tried again to hoist him up. The Beoulve could see the strain on his friends face, and without thinking he quickly unfastened his chest armor, wincing with the effort it required from his injured shoulder. Letting the breastplate slide off of him and into the black sea below, Ramza snagged the lip of the bridge with his injured arm.

It was much less effort for Izlude to pull him up without the extra weight of his armor, and the two men collapsed side by side a moment later, panting and bathed in the torchlight. Ramza closed his eyes, trying to push the agony out of his awareness, and when he opened them he discovered he was on his feet, supported on both sides.

"Hey," Izlude said, looking him in the eye. "Don't go to sleep. You hit your head, and you might not wake up."

Glancing to the left and right, Ramza saw that Wiegraf and Delita were holding him up, supporting his weight between them. Delita had a peculiar set of scratches across his face, where he had been raked by the claws of something. Ramza couldn't immediately recall what happened. He strained to remember what was going on, and it only took a moment for it all to flood back into his head.

"We have to get to Alma!" He cried, lunging forward and forcing Izlude to catch him before he tumbled to the stone.

It wasn't a moment after the words had left his lips that the entire world seemed to tremble. The bridge beneath his feet shook violently, a cacophony of sound rising up from the darkness below them. The surreal world around the men seemed to vibrate, each small quake echoing throughout the large black chamber.

"It's too late for that." Izlude said quietly, forcing Ramza back into the other men's arms. "The Gate has been opened, and we can't stop them now."

"What gate?" Wiegraf asked, an edge to his voice.

"I'll explain later," The Tingel knight replied, glancing in the direction Vormav had departed. "We need to get out of here. Quickly."

From the darkness further down the bridge, the sound of claws scraping stone reached the knights. It was followed immediately by dozens of unearthly voices, each strange and inhuman, as whatever their company was began the trek across the stone. Ramza found himself practically carried across the bridge, and he struggled weakly to break free of Wiegraf and Delita. He couldn't leave Alma with those monsters, and he didn't care what Izlude said. It couldn't be too late. It simply couldn't. She had been right there, less than ten steps from him. His struggle meant little, however, when he had hardly the strength to stand on his own.

Then they were back in the corridor, the sounds of their pursuers met by even more disturbing noises from the abyss below. Wiegraf snatched another torch from the wall as small chunks of stone and dust fell from the ceiling, the entire world in upheaval.

"Get back, I'll seal the passage." Izlude ordered, pushing the other men further into the corridor.

Ramza stared blankly at the man as he spoke a quiet incantation, both hands raised toward the ceiling. The resulting cascade of rock and debris was impressive, but barely audible over the sound of the world collapsing around them.


Agrias shouldered the door open, praying that she would find her charge unharmed. The Holy Knight had barely made it into the room when Ovelia pounced on her, wrapping both arms around the older woman with a strength that caught Agrias off guard. The Queen stepped back, smiling broadly as Zalbag and the Lionsguard entered.

"I knew you would come for me." She said with relief, her gaze darting between them.

"Your Majesty, are you hurt?" Agrias asked, gently taking the woman's shoulders.

"No, they did not harm me." Ovelia replied, shaking her head. "But Alma, my friend, they have her somewhere in the temple."

"Ramza and Delita are rescuing her now." Zalbag assured her, smiling. "We should leave before-"

The knight was cut off by a terrible cracking sound, and suddenly the earth came to life. High above the rest of the city, in the tower, the effects of the earthquake were more profound than far below. The room shook and rocked, and Agrias was afraid for a moment that the entire tower would collapse. After the initial quake subsided, Agrias took the Queen's hand, towing her along and rushing out of the room.

"What was that?" Lavian asked, as they made their way to the tower stairs.

"I have no idea, but let's not wait around and find out." Agrias replied tersely, taking the steps as quickly as possible.

The structure continued to shake violently, knocking them from one wall to another as they descended. It was treacherous footing, and one slip could mean a tumble down the circular stairs that would be disastrous. Agrias moved fast, reaching the bottom of the tower as the sounds of other buildings crumbling to the earth reached them.

Though they were in less danger now, Agrias wasn't that relieved. Whatever was happening was not a force of nature. The trembling beneath them seemed to intensify as they rushed through the halls of the temple. As much as Agrias wanted to make her way to the catacombs to aid Ramza and the others, her top priority was the safety of the Queen, and so she instead led them toward the front of the cathedral, dust swimming in the air around them.

As they rushed through another long hallway, Agrias was forced to leap back as a door was thrown open not a handful of paces ahead of her. The Holy Knight reached for her blade, only to stay her hand as the second party exploded inside, an injured Ramza supported between Wiegraf and Delita. Izlude slammed the heavy door shut, and it wasn't until then that the men noticed Agrias.

"What happened?" She asked, frowning at Ramza's condition.

"Later." Delita said, and Ovelia gasped in surprise at his state.

Four shallow slashes ran diagonally across his face, forcing the man to close on eye to keep the trickle of blood out. The wounds weren't deep, but they looked painful, and there would very prominent scarring. For a man that had gone through his life with few marks of battle, it was jarring to see them.

"Alma?" Zalbag asked, a hint of worry slipping into his voice.

Izlude shook his head slowly, closing his eyes and taking a shallow breath. Ramza's head hung, his body limp, and if his eyes hadn't been open Agrias would have thought he was unconscious. Aside from his small breaths, there was no sign at all that the man was alive.

"They're coming." Wiegraf said, urging them to move on.

At that moment something slammed against the thick door they had entered through, snarling in a tongue that Agrias couldn't recognize. Without another word they ran down the hall, each of them except Ramza glancing back as they rushed to escape the trembling temple.

They'd reached the next hall when the door burst open, and Agrias spun, allowing Zalbag to continue ahead with the Queen, as the Lionsguard came to her side. What had followed the others from the depths of the catacombs was like nothing she had seen before. They were all claws and sinew and teeth, a dozen creatures straight from a man's worst nightmare. They scrabbled quickly across the stone, making their way toward the women, and Agrias was shocked to notice that they seemed to have no skin. Raw red muscle stood exposed to the air, flexing and contracting as they crawled across the walls and floor.

"Help me brace the door." She ordered, rushing through the portal to the next corridor only to discover her knights hadn't moved.

"That won't stop them." Lavian said calmly, her cool gaze locked onto her partner's.

"No, it won't." Alicia agreed with a sigh, before turning to glance at Agrias. "We'll hold them here. Get Her Majesty to safety."

"Absolutely not!" Agrias shot back, her tone sharp. "I won't leave you to-"

"Agrias!" Lavian shouted, drawing her sword smoothly. "Go, damn you. We'll keep them busy and catch up with you after."

Agrias found she was frozen, staring at the Lionsguard as the nightmare creatures scampered toward them. Lavian was lying about catching up with her, of course, anyone could see that. Agrias knew as they did that the door wouldn't hold for more than a short while, and the demons would catch up to Ovelia and the others in no time at all, but She couldn't just let the women stay behind, offering themselves as lambs to the slaughter. However if he creatures reached everyone else, there wouldn't be another day to fight for.

"Go!" Both women cried as one, standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the door.

"Fighting alongside you was the greatest honor of my life." Agrias said quietly, and the women simply smiled at her.

The Holy Knight slammed the door and locked it, sprinting down the hall toward Ovelia and the others. She thought she'd lost the capacity for tears after all she had seen and done, but as the sounds of combat filtered after her through the door, Agrias found it difficult to see.


Sword drawn and eyes scanning the street, Izlude waited tensely with the others for Agrias and her knights to catch up. The woman had stopped to assess their pursuers, and the young Tingel sincerely hoped she hadn't opted to stay behind and fight. Izlude knew some of the unholy beasts that would be after them, Agrias did not.

He knew the creatures for the same reason that he now was aware of arcane secrets that no living man possessed. There were many things Izlude had recently learned, and though he wished he hadn't, he would use the knowledge as best he could. The taint upon his soul was washed clean the moment Taurus had fallen at his feet, dispelling the dark passenger as well as the remnants of the dead that Shemhazai had called forth. Yet, even though he was certain that his mind and body were his own once more, some of the knowledge carried by the beast remained.

Izlude wasn't sure why the holy stone had affected him so, but he had a theory that it may have had something to do with the stone itself being clean. Taurus had birthed the first Lucavi that Izlude and Ramza had faced, and perhaps in banishing it from the world they had stripped its influence from the stone it had used to make the journey.

Turning sharply as Agrias swept out of the temple, he breathed a sigh of relief, until he realized that her knights were not at her side. Apparently Ovelia and Zalbag picked up on this as well, for they stared at Agrias with questioning eyes.

"Where are Lavian and Alicia?" The Queen asked quietly, wringing her hands.

"They chose to stay behind to allow us to escape." Agrias replied, her voice strained, and Izlude could see a streak through the dust on her cheek.

"No," Ovelia said quickly, darting to the woman. "We can't leave them! They need our help!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Agrias said solemnly.

The Holy Knight took the woman's hand and attempted to pull her away from the temple, only to have Ovelia yank free from her grasp, and turn back to stare into the building. Agrias closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"They knew what they were asking." Wiegraf said, his voice rushed. "If we don't move now we'll only be doing them a dishonor."

Ovelia nodded once, slowly, before she allowed Agrias to guide her away from the shaking, crumbling temple. Izlude fell into the rear of the procession, as they made their way through what was quickly becoming the ruins of Murond. The earth still trembled violently beneath them, making it seem as though the entire city was caught in choppy seas. All around homes and buildings collapsed, debris and dust scattering through the once beautiful holy city.

They rushed through the streets as fast as possible with Ramza carried between Delita and Wiegraf, dodging falling debris and cracking stone beneath their feet. It felt as though the entire world was collapsing in on itself, and Izlude hoped that wasn't the case. He didn't know what would happen now that the seal to the Lucavi's realm was broken.

The outer limits of the city were visible when a tremendous crack drew Izlude's attention, the sound rising above the overall chaos around them, from behind. The knight spun just as the ground erupted, chunks of stone and a cloud of dirt flying in every direction.

He knew what came from beneath the city, and his heart immediately fell as it climbed out of the hole it had tore up through. The behemoth was enormous, towering over Izlude by almost half his body length, and it roared in triumph as it breathed free air.

The demon hunched forward, moving like nothing any of the assembled humans had ever seen. It lumbered slowly forward, as a wave of lesser abominations swarmed out of the hole. Izlude knew its initially slow progression wouldn't last. Once it got moving, there was little that could stop it.

"Go!" He shouted, turning and urging the rest of them forward, only to halt instantly.

The road ahead was blocked. Massive stones and mortar had fallen into the street when the beast had broken through, forming what may as well have been a solid wall. There was no way they would be able to traverse it before the swarm and the monstrosity were on them.

Another deafening roar drew Izlude's attention once more, as he spun to face the creature. The assembled knights and their Queen backed slowly toward the wall of debris, swords drawn and faces pale. The beast before them was no Lucavi, simply a dumb brute of a demon, but Izlude knew they couldn't stop it. Dozens of his smaller ilk scampered around the behemoth, and they would tear the knights to pieces before they could hope to bring it down.

Then it was moving, lumbering forward, and Izlude knew what would come next. The beast picked up speed, its heavy tread and thick clawed feet gouging the stone as it charged for him. He stood at the front of the others, knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. They couldn't win, but at the very least he would kill this juggernaut, and dispatch as many of them as possible before they were overwhelmed.

The behemoth was only a short distance away, roaring in anticipation, when Izlude heard a peculiar noise. It was a sound of metal grinding on metal, a distinct rattling, and suddenly a large metal form landed in front of him with a loud crash. Izlude could only think of it as a massive man, made entirely of steel, and a moment later the beast struck the metal golem.

Izlude was sure that, despite the mechanical man's size, it would be bulled completely over by the larger demon. The two collided roughly, and to his surprise the metal contraption only slid backwards a short distance, both hands gripping the deformed shoulders of the beast.

After the initial impact halted the monster, Izlude's steel savior twisted at the waist with a loud grinding of gears, and hurled the demon away with enough force to lift it from the ground. The behemoth flew through the air, crashing through a nearby home and practically leveling the structure.

That impressive display of power was punctuated by a bolt of blue and white, as lightning rained down upon the horde of man sized demons that rushed toward them, close enough that Izlude could feel the heat on his face. The knight turned, his gaze travelling inexorably skyward. What he saw caused him to forget all about the approaching swarm.

A ship composed of wood and steel drifted through the air over the wall of debris, held aloft by some magic he couldn't comprehend, and Izlude's mouth fell open. He watched in awe as Celia and Lede launched themselves over the side of the airship, plummeting to the street below and rolling lightly to their feet.

Then the demons were on them, and he could spare no more attention to the ship. The metal man barreled through the creatures with little effort, snatching one up before it reached Izlude and flinging it into several others. The twin assassins moved beside it, and the Tingel knight quickly dashed ahead to join them.

He fought without thinking, only noticing in his peripheral that Agrias, Delita, and Wiegraf had joined them. They grouped around the construct, using it as a shield to keep most of the creatures at bay. Magic buffeted the demons from above, from what Izlude assumed to be Valmafra's work, and the humans took such a toll so quickly that the horde was forced to fall back some.

Izlude glanced back to see Zalbag scaling a rope ladder, Ramza's weight supported under one arm, as the man's younger brother struggled upward through his injuries. Quickly the rest of them retreated to the ladder, and began scrambling up it. Izlude was the last to remain on the ground, standing between Celia and the metal giant.

"Hurry." The woman said, nodding to the ladder.

"I'll go last." Izlude replied firmly.

"Chivalry is wasted on us, but it's cute, now get up the ladder."

Izlude hesitated a moment longer before he did as she said, sheathing his blade and clambering up. He was halfway to the ship when he glanced down to see the mechanical golem force back one last handful of attacking demons, and then it turned to the ship.

Celia and Lede grabbed tightly to its legs as it reached up, and fired its hand upward. Izlude followed the steel hand with his eyes as it reached the side of the ship, clamping tightly. A length of metal rope trailed the appendage, and instantly the two women and one metal man ascended. Izlude's mouth was agape as he watched them rise past him, one of the women winking before they reached the extended hand.

Scaling the rest of the rope ladder, Izlude tumbled over the side, panting. Olan helped him to his feet, and the knight quickly glanced around. The ship was like nothing he had seen before, and the others held the same expression he was sure he did. Even Ramza was frowning thoughtfully, his brother supporting him, as he gazed at the airship.

"What is this thing?" Delita asked, as he sat to allow Ovelia to examine his face.

"Welcome to the Valefor." Mustadio said with a grin, turning the helm as the ship began to rise.

"Damn, boy, what happened to you?"

Izlude hadn't noticed Gaff and Cid until the Dark Knight's booming voice rose from where Ramza stood, as he looked the young Beoulve over. Izlude had no idea where the rest of them had managed to find a flying ship, but he couldn't help but appreciate the vessel that had just saved him.

"Wait," Cid said, his gaze travelling over them. "Where is the Lionsguard? Weren't they with you?"

"They're gone." Agrias replied quickly, staring at the deck.

A long silence followed as everyone let that sink in for a moment. Izlude's mind continued on that track to include the other person who hadn't returned with them, and he felt his stomach knot up. He noticed the same thought on the faces of several of the others, though they all had the tact not to ask the question in front of Izlude and the Beoulves.

Izlude cleared all thoughts of Alma from his mind. He couldn't think of her, not now. Deep down he knew what had happened when that seal had been broken, but he refused to let his mind reach the conclusion that she was gone forever.

"You all need to see this." Wiegraf said from the edge of the ship.

Everyone but Mustadio and the mechanical golem rushed to the side of the Valefor, and most of them gasped at what they saw. Murond was crumbling, collapsing in on itself, but even from high above they could see the scores of creatures roaming the streets of the city.

More shocking than that was what Wiegraf pointed at. From where the temple had once stood another ship rose into the air, this one easily three times the size of the one they stood upon. It hovered a short distance above the rubble, and Izlude could only imagine what else would be unearthed now.

Izlude's gaze travelled toward the coast not far from the peninsula leading to the city, as did the others, and they were all silent as they watched. The sea was surging forward, slowly engulfing the coastline and proceeding inland. Murond itself rested on a rather high plateau, well above sea level. The seal being broken was bringing the Lucavi's dream into their reality, and Ivalice was to be ravaged by it.

"Just like what happened to the Fara Church, a thousand years ago." Agrias noted quietly. "What does it mean?"

"It means Ajora lives once more," Ramza said, sitting against one of the ship's masts. "And it means I failed…"


Author's Note: Here were reach the end of the canon game. Except, well, it looks like the Lucavi succeeded. Ajora has been resurrected and the gateway between the two worlds is open. Yeah, things are definitely not looking up. Mel and Alma are now the core of the evil that Ramza has to face, and Lavian and Alicia... well you can guess what happened to them.

I included how Izlude was freed of his darkness to make sure people caught it, and there is a lot he learned because of the demon. This plays a part in what Izlude will become in the very end, in a positive way.

I told you all that you'd be seeing Olan and Company, and Rattletrap, very soon. Our favorite steel golem will serve a role later as well. I must say that I really, really enjoy writing the twins. Deadpan snarkers with a very seductive nature. They're just fun to include. Reviews appreciated, as they're great motivation, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Vegeta the 3rd: Seems like you worried about Lavian and Alicia a chapter early. I wanted to give them a heroic send off and at the same time make it clear that by the end of this story people will die. Possibly some that you would never expect. As for Shemhazai, yes, she is a monumental bitch. She cared only for one thing: The revival of Ajora, which brought together Morrigan and Ajora, their original alter-egos. So basically Alma and Mel are sharing three distinct personalities, with their own lying mostly dormant. That has to strain on them a bit I'd think. Finally, it seems you were pretty accurate about your 'call to arms' idea, as that is what I'd been planning on from the very beginning. It's not gonna be Ramza and Company versus a handful of Lucavi to save the world. It's going to Ivalice versus everything the Lucavi can throw at them.