Oh, right, a few things I forgot:
Thing the first: The rewrite of the intro was a suggestion from Sage. Thank you very much for that.
And now for a disclaimer, which I should've written a LONG time ago. I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance or any of its characters or locations. The only things I own in this story are my characters, but not really, because four out of five of them are races created and owned by Square Enix. Ah well, I don't own anything. There we go.
Isaac blinked rapidly and covered his eyes as he walked up into the light for the first time in over a week. He wasn't sure how long they'd been down in the jagd, but it felt like it was an eternity. He felt much heavier with all of the equipment he was carrying. His blade was shoved comfortably into his normal sheath at his right hip, his Longbarrel slung over his back, and his two new revolvers in their holsters at his sides. The light wind felt incredibly refreshing across his fur, and his wings ruffled softly at the sight of the sky again.
"Goodbye to eternal damnation!" Ben laughed as he ran up into the light. There were still bandages on his face and hands from the vampire's flare. His injuries were the principle reason for their extended stay in the depths. Diesel had insisted that their injuries be taken care of before they left.
"Speak for yourself," Eileen muttered, right beside him. "I think we should've stayed there and finished the job."
"Should be thankful Diesel let us live," Jacqueline retorted. "We did better than I'd 'spected."
"Either way," Maxwell said, shielding his face from the light, "I will one day return there."
"What for, kupo?" Isaac asked.
"To destroy the Colliseum."
Isaac nodded. He had been surprised, to say the least, when Diesel had announced that he would continue the operation of the Colliseum, assuming control now that his former employer was dead. He still wasn't completely sure on where he stood with Diesel. Physically, and in their interests, they were very similar. And yet…
No, he thought, they were complete opposites in their minds and their morals. Isaac would never kill. Diesel had killed six warriors with absolutely no hesitation. No, in fact, it seemed as though he had actually enjoyed slaughtering them.
However, Isaac couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, there was something fundamentally the same between them. He had seen what he could possibly become one day, and it disgusted him.
"Let's please just forget about that for now, kupo," Isaac pleaded. "We're finally together. It took us over a year and way more effort than I care to think about to get here. Let's not waste it."
"Right," Eileen agreed. "So, what are we going to do, then?"
They all stopped at that little remark. None of them, not Isaac who'd been fighting to reunite his friends for so long, not Eileen with all her keen intellect, not Ben who had simply been longing for his girlfriend, not Jacqueline who desired high adventure, and not Maxwell who had been dreaming of freedom for months, had considered what they would do when they finally got what they wanted.
"We could join a clan…" Isaac began.
"No," came the answer from the other four all at once. Isaac nodded in agreement. He didn't want to join one either.
"Go around aimlessly adventuring?" Ben suggested.
"'d rather actually have something to work to," Jacqueline disagreed. "We've got a lot o' potential, and I don't wanna waste it."
"Become journying heroes?" Max supplied.
"Uh…" Ben began.
"But that is not really our style, is it?" Max said for him.
"No," Ben nodded.
"How about for now we just go back to Cadoan?" Eileen suggested. "Once we're there, we can decide on something."
"Kupo," Isaac agreed. "We should get started. Unless we can meet up with a caravan or something else like that along the way, it'll be a two and a half week journey, kupo."
They all nodded, and the five headed off into the lightly forested region just outside of the cave. They all slowly noticed something as they went. They noticed the strange way Isaac's eyes roamed the trees around and above them, keeping off a bit to the side of the others. They noticed Ben a few paces ahead of everyone else, his eyes observing the forest floor and sniffing occasionally. They noticed Jacqueline slightly behind the others walking casually, but with her hand occasionally twitching over to the hilt of her rapier. They noticed Maxwell, standing tall and proud, his step confident and his spear working as an easy walking stick. They noticed Eileen, standing at the very center of them, and the way that they all naturally seemed to keep a watch on her.
After about an hour of walking, Isaac simply stopped and shook his head, muttering, "This is too bizarre."
"What?" Ben asked.
"This," Eileen responded for him, sweeping her arms out to show all of them. "The way it seems not just that we've been together for the past year, but that we've also been living here our entire lives, marching through forests and acting as a fighting unit."
"I agree," Maxwell nodded. "There is something strange about it."
"Strange," Jacqueline said. "Natural, though."
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Ben demanded. They all looked over at him. He had his right sabre out, and was twirling it around his hands in a complicated series of circles, releases and catches, and occasional thrusts. He began speaking. "Before I came here, there was no way I would ever be able to do this with a worked piece of steel. Before I sat down on the curb to wait for the bus, I'd hurt myself with a sword. Then," he stopped his routine suddenly, holding his sabre out straight in front of him. He held the blue weapon out so perfectly straight that it seemed like a literal extension of his blue-sleeved arm. "Then, that light hit, and it made me so much stronger and changed so much about me. You guys might not have noticed it because of slightly more," he paused for a moment, searching for a word, "evident changes, but I felt it. My muscles, my mind, my instincts." He remained quiet for a few more moments, then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, the sabre leapt to movement, going up into the air and landing upside down in Ben's hand. He shoved the sabre back into its sheath, and whispered, "If that light managed to make such a difference in me, in you, and in this entire world so dramatically, then, well," he shrugged, and looked back at them, smirking, "What's to say it didn't give us pasts? Eileen, Jacqueline, the two of you know yours out of luck more than anything. Isaac, you must have been involved with airshipping, in some way. Maxwell, you were probably a dragoon already. And me?" He shrugged. "I guess I was just a lowly thief."
The other four stood watching him for a moment. Ben was normally the type who held his real and deep thoughts in, not allowing anybody else to know them. As far as Isaac, Eileen and Maxwell were concerned, they all assumed that Ben simply kept all of his feelings between himself and Jacqueline.
"Was almost home when the change struck," Jacqueline muttered. "Just up the street. Then there was the light from behind, and, well, it got all confusing. Then everything was changing, faster than I could see. Then I was in the ring, and, well…" She grinned, that evil little grin she possessed which seemed to say, I'm going to eat you. "The rest is history."
"I do not remember my change," Maxwell said simply, shrugging. "It was so long ago."
They were all quiet for several long minutes after that. Each one was thinking the same thing, and it took a very long time for Eileen to finally vocalize it for all of them.
"I guess the question now is," she said, "do we still actually know each other?"
Isaac opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Did he truly know any of them? Since they had gotten to this new world, so much had changed in all of them. Maxwell had been forced into fights to the death for the entertainment of others, and now seemed so incredibly powerful and dark. Jacqueline was a public figure; famous, intelligent, independent and powerful. Eileen had been fighting for equality in a male-dominated society and going on research missions with some of the greatest spellcasters of all time. Even Ben, with whom Isaac had spent the most time with since the change, had told Isaac very little of his apparently shadowed past, from bein adopted into a thieves' guild, rising in the ranks, and breaking away to live a hermit's life. The moogle suddenly felt very small and young in the presence of his incredibly great and powerful friends. He was just a weak hanger-on. What was he doing amongst these gods?
"Bullocks," Isaac said suddenly, shocking everybody from their revories. "This won't happen, kupo."
"Whatcha mean?"
"I mean that I've worked way too bloody hard getting us all back together to let us fall apart so quickly, kupo. So, from here on in, I'm imposing a new rule, kupo."
"And what would that rule be?" Ben asked, looking at him as though he was watching a mildly amusing but mostly annoying comedy skit.
"From now until we get back to Cadoan, each one of us has to tell one story about ourselves every day, kupo," Isaac declared.
"Er, sorry, Isaac," Ben muttered, "but I'm not sure that we'll be able to come up with a story for every day."
"Are you kidding, kupo? You've got an extra four months of time you've spent in this world. I think that I'll be the one with the most problems."
"I like this idea," Maxwell said. "I want to know about what the four of you have been doing. My stories, however," he shook his head, "they would not be the kind you would like to hear."
"They don't have to be, kupo," Isaac said. "None of us have had a perfect ride while we've been here."
Isaac waited, and when there was no further criticism, he said, "Alright, every day then. I can start."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Three days later, Ben, who was still walking a few steps before them, called out, "We've reached the road!"
The other four let out a small cheer. All of them were getting bored of the kilometres of roots and undergrowth they were having to wade through. There was a general sentiment that if they met the path, they would keep to it for the rest of the journey.
"So how long now?" Ben asked, looking back.
"Only about fourteen days, then," Eileen said cheerfully.
"Now I remember why I used to just stay in the forest all the time."
"That," Jacqueline nodded, "and the thieves that wanted your head."
"Right…" Ben muttered.
"Shall we make our way onto the actual path, then?" Maxwell asked.
"Sounds good, kupo," Isaac said, and took the first step out onto the parth.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhthunk!
Isaac's foot stopped moving an inch before the ground, as there was a rather sharp arrow sticking out of the earth in his way. There was an instant of silence as all five of them stared on, and then Isaac dove backwards, out of the way of an arrow aimed for his head.
Isaac drew his guns when he picked himself back up, while Ben, Jacqueline and Maxwell all walked past him with their weapons out.
Ben led the way cautiously out onto the path, his sabres out and up. He knew that the five of them were quite proficient warriors, but there was no point in being careless. He looked about him, scanning the trees around him and the path. Down the path, behind a bit of bush, was a small fleck of white, far more pure and clean than was normal in such a forest. He grinned, and was about to turn back to nod to his two companions, when a shadow fell from the trees above him with a katana in its hands.
Ben jumped out of the way the moment he saw it, holding his sabres out to parry the falling blow. Despite the shock from the impact of weapons and the quick fall, the figure managed to spin around and get off another quick strike with the weapon. Ben blocked it just before his face with one sabre, and slipped the other weapon in to stab at the figure. The figure easily dodged out of the way of the blow, and, as it moved, slipped its foot behind Ben's leg. In a quick and easy movement, the figure brought the foot forward and knocked Ben off his feet.
The figure was about to finish Ben off, but Jacqueline stepped up and took the blow with her rapier. She struck out, even faster than the figure could, but the dark figure still managed to parry the blow. The figure took a quick step back, and darkness began gathering around its unarmed hand, becoming a smoking cloud. The hand came forward, and was about to hit Jacqueline, when Max simply reached forward and grabbed the wrist. His other bare hand came forward and punched the enemy in the face.
The cloaked figure fell back, and as she did so the hood of the cloak came off. Jacqueline and Max were about to take her out, now officially identified as a viera, when Ben said incredulously, "Jocelyn?"
Max and Jacqueline stared on in shock as the assassin stood up slowly and brushed herself off. She looked over at Ben, and said quite simply, "It's you."
"Er, yeah," Ben replied. "Why is it you always try to kill us when we meet?"
"Bad luck," she shrugged. Then she looked back up the path, and called out, "They're friends."
"What took you so long to figure it out?" Marche asked, as he immerged from the bushes, sheathing his knightsword.
"I felt like fighting," Jocelyn answered, as though it were a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Right," the boy said. "That's the best you can come up with?"
Jocelyn didn't respond, instead choosing to walk off to the back of the rest of the clan's caravan.
Marche shook his head, muttering something under his breath. Then, he looked up at the three of them standing there. "I apologize about that," the boy muttered. "She was supposed to figure out who was there…"
"Introductions?" Jacqueline requested.
"Right," Ben said. "Maxwell and Jacqueline, this is Marche Radiuju of Clan Nutsy. Marche, these are Maxwell the Dragoon, and Jacqueline the Scarlet Rapier."
"So you finally managed to get to them?"
"Yep," Ben said, pride on his face.
"And none of you died?"
"None of us," Eileen answered for Ben, as she and Isaac walked out onto the path.
"Ah, Isaac and Eileen," Marche nodded. "Good to see you two again."
"Same," Eileen nodded. "It feels great to not be diced meat for a vampire."
"Well that needs a bit of an explanation, kupo," Montblanc muttered as he walked up. He held a long and gnarled wooden staff with a yellow gem stuck into the tip. After Marche turned to nod to him, he continued, "I was just talking with the others. If you guys don't mind, they want to get going as soon as possible, kupo. We should be meeting with Caitlin and Lindsay at Cadoan, and the new recruits are nervous without the full crew here, kupo."
"Right," Marche replied. He looked back to the five friends, and said, "I'd like to get to know the rest of you better, but like Montblanc said, we're on a bit of a schedule."
"Understood, kupo," Isaac nodded. "We're going to Cadoan too. Mind if we tag along?"
"That'd be great," Marche said, smiling. "You can give Montblanc the explanation for that vampire thing, then."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Late that night, the group sat at a campfire. Isaac had just returned from his turn at the watch, to be replaced by a young archer by the name of Stewart. As he took a seat between Robert and Eileen, Marche said, "Well, let's get down to it, then. We want to hear about what you've all been doing since we left."
Isaac looked at his other four friends around the ring of the campfire. All around, there were about twenty members of Clan Nutsy there. "You guys haven't told them yet, kupo?"
"You were there from the beginning," Eileen shrugged from beside him.
"And you have always had a flair for the dramatics," Max nodded.
Eileen slowly placed an arm around Isaac's shoulders, and the moogle suddenly found he couldn't resist anymore. "Alright," he sighed, wondering how many times he would thank Famfrit for his concealing fur. That arm felt so warm against him.
He began with the journey to the jagd, on their first attempt to rescue Maxwell. They had told the bangaa about the event a few days before, and he had said that he was alright with it. However, the proud dragoon still had to look away when he heard that he had a chance to escape several months earlier.
He got all the way to the part when they had been planning the breakout without interruption, when Montblanc suddenly looked up and said, "Wait, kupo. What was the name of that prisoner?"
"Uh, Caesar…" Jacqueline began.
"Oh Mateus," Marche muttered in shock. "It was you guys?"
"Yeah, why?" Ben asked, his face beginning to look concerned.
Marche shook his head slowly. "You guys…" he stopped, then began again. "I think you guys should sit down."
"What is it?" Eileen asked, standing slowly up. Isaac was more concerned with her arm leaving his shoulders than the current events, but he still paid attention to Marche.
"There've been, uh…"
"Murders, kupo," Montblanc finished for him. "Horrible murders."
"Don't tell me…" Ben muttered.
"Yeah, it's him, kupo."
"Dammit."
"Where'd the murders happen?" Jacqueline asked.
"There have been three of them," Robert said, standing up slowly. "Mossst have happened in Sssssprohm, but there wass alssso one in Cyril."
"Who, kupo?" Isaac asked, looking up at him.
"The three in Ssssprohm were two high ranking guardsss, and one wasss actually a judge."
The five companions all stopped breathing and stared at the bangaa templar for a moment. "Did you sssssssay 'a judge'?" Maxwell demanded, his hiss returning with his fear.
"Yeah," Marche nodded, seeming to have found his voice again. "A human, very strong. Majored equally in Black magic and fighter techniques. He was originally awarded his position for the part he played capturing Caesar."
Ben uttered a few more choice words while Eileen asked, "Who was the other?"
"Leader of Cyril's Clan of Thieves."
"Are you bloody kidding me, kupo!?" Isaac demanded.
"Also Caesar's former student and traveling companion."
"Any other happy news to give?" Jacqueline drawled, rolling her eyes.
"Yes," Marche whispered. "The Judgemaster Cid and several of the palaces best trained guards tried to take him down."
"What happened?" Jacqueline inquired.
"Three guards killed, and then he managed to get away from the others."
Silence reigned around the camp for a very long while after that. After about ten seconds of standing in silence, Ben got up and walked out of the area of the fire's light, and Jacqueline quickly chased after him. Eileen had returned to her sitting position, kneading her forehead with a palm. Max simply stared into fire, the flames reflecting and dancing in his eyes. Isaac got up very slowly, and softly placed his hand on Eileen's shoulder. She looked up at him, and he saw that same firm resolve he felt within himself.
"Well," he sighed, and everybody's eyes went over to him. "As soon as Jacqueline and Ben get back, kupo, we should be heading out."
"What?" several voices around the fire said at once, but Marche simply nodded.
"We have unleashed this on the world," Maxwell said, his low voice barely audible above the crackling of the fire. "It is our responsibility to see it ended."
"You'll get yourselves killed," Montblanc objected.
"Probably," Eileen shrugged.
"He's stronger than any of you can imagine," the moogle went on.
"Bring it on," Ben said, as he and Jacqueline returned to the light.
"Well, in that case," Marche said before anybody else could voice any objections, "you have our support. If at any point you need us, we'll be spending a few weeks up in the Kudik Peaks training the newbies. Come and find us there."
"Thanks," Isaac said, getting up and dusting himself off. "We'll come and meet you guys as soon as we're done dealing with him, kupo."
The five of them gave quick goodbyes, then grabbed their packs from the campsite. They went without light, heading down the path in the direction of Cyril. They all realized that Ben would probably be able to get more information out of the thieves than all of them would be able to get from the Sprohm guards with their stunning reputations. It was extremely dangerous, they knew, but hey, what was one more risk.
Thus, they were adventuring again.