Echoes of his encounter with Bartz stormed in Noel's ears as he flew through time and space to Gaia IX, and the Kingdom of Alexandria. Five others joined him. He could only hope they weren't too late.
Noel did his best to ignore the lingering tingle the Crux left in his fingers as it set him on living ground. He focused instead on steadying himself and searching out the space around him. Sice and Cater touched down at the same time.
Few creatures lived near here, the civilization condensed into city keeping most at bay. He caught a dog that wandered the square, but it had such a thin body that Noel sent it away again. Sice gave him a baffled look.
"His name is Carbon," Noel said. "Lost his owner and doesn't know where to go."
"Are you pretending you can make this look normal?"
"They're already here." Serah joined them and Mog changed into her bow. "Stay focused, guys."
Cinque appeared with a cheer. "Where are we going next, then? This way? That way?"
Yeul materialized at his side and looked to Noel before he took off and left it to them to keep up. "Northeast, about three quarters of a kilometer," he said.
Nine jumped in as Serah froze time.
They only made it some ten and a half yards before Noel caught the presence of two light-stained silhouettes.
He ordered for them to stop in time for Nine to slam into Bartz. If he or his pink friend were affected by Serah's freeze, they weren't anymore.
Bartz leaped with the power of a dragoon and Nine followed him.
The pink girl released her staff and danced to about her as she cast magic. Noel reached out with another dimension and displaced her. Her spell hit him like a truck.
His eyes turned heavy and his limbs stiff. Serah cast him a horrified look.
Cinque growled, low and predatory, before going after the pink mage.
Cater fired a freezing shot and Bartz hit the ground. He slipped and caught himself before getting out of the way of a second aerial assault, courtesy of Nine. It threw him directly into Sice's line of fire.
Noel needed an opening to turn Bartz.
"Porom!" Serah shouted, cutting through Noel's focus. "Stop!" She shot an arrow into Porom's shoulder while Cinque jumped and flung her mace into Porom's side. It caused a sickening crunch.
Porom fell. Bartz moved to defend her despite his own injuries.
"Hey, hey!" Bartz yelled. "Let's be rational about this!"
"We've heard your spiel before." Sice stepped closer, blood dripping from her scythe. "So how about you can it and we get on with this?"
"It's not as simple as all that," Bartz said.
"What about your loyal steed?" Noel asked. "Boko needs a checkup and you can't give it to him if you're dead."
"He—" Bartz looked to his shoulder. It stopped bleeding. "How do you know about Boko?"
Porom pulled herself to her shaking feet and rested a hand on Bartz's shoulder. "He's getting under your skin."
"Guess that concludes negotiations!" Cinque moved to fight, but Noel stopped her.
Nine jumped and Noel froze his ascent. Cater shot him a warning look, but Noel stepped forward anyway.
Yeul finally caught up to them and Bartz's face fell at her approach. Noel put his arms out and stayed between the two parties. "No one dies today," he said.
"You brought Death," Bartz said.
"And you brought your own." Noel tested his hold on the two and found it slippery. "Bartz, I know you're in there."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The hell you don't."
"Noel," Cater said slowly. "There's no reasoning with these people."
"There's no reasoning with Noel," Cinque said, though she hung back.
Bartz kept a defensive position before Porom. She healed while they spoke.
"You remember," Noel said. "Maybe Bhunivelze buried it, but you're in there."
"You're insane," Bartz said.
"You know I'm not."
Something changed in his expression and Bartz readied his sword.
Noel moved first. He warped and shoved one sword against Bartz's wounded shoulder. He slammed the blunt of the other against Bartz' sternum.
Bartz pulled a knife. Noel moved to stop him, but Bartz threw it first.
Noel stopped it and twisted to hit the ground. But then Porom moved and slammed Yeul with something.
Nine immobilized Porom and Cater trained her gun on her. Serah and Sice moved to help Noel with Bartz. "That's far enough," Sice said. "What'll it be? Death? Or have you remembered your brain?"
Noel rushed to Yeul's side and found her curled over herself. When he reached for her hand, she snatched it and pulled him to the ground. The surprise of it overtook him and Noel lost his footing.
Yeul stood and glared at him. Then launched herself at Serah.
Noel moved to subdue her, but Cinque got there first and held her back. The shock gave Bartz an opening to break free of Sice and Serah, so Noel slammed him down again with gravity. Noel focused on holding Bartz and yelled, "Get Porom!"
Sice joined Cater and Nine in subduing Porom. Noel moved toward Bartz, who barely breathed against the force pressing him to the ground. They had to get the shards willingly.
"Please," Noel said. "It's for your own good."
"I… don't…"
"Bhunivelze's lying to you. This will hurt you and everyone you love."
"Doesn't… matter…"
"Lenna doesn't matter? Krile? Galuf? Are you certain?"
Bartz managed shallow breaths and looked Noel in the eye. They betrayed doubt.
Noel took Bartz's wrist and felt the reservoir of energy there. It called to him like a lone wolf sought company. Bartz's resolve wavered enough and Noel took the chance to rip out most of his power.
Bartz went limp and Noel dropped his spell. Bartz sucked in a breath but didn't move.
"We need a white mage!" called Nine. "Yeul's still berserk!"
"I've lost time!" Serah spun her, a habit of hers when she couldn't concentrate. It reminded him of Academia and getting soaked in rain, blood, and the dust of cie'th.
"Ooh, ooh!" Cinque kept up her struggle with Yeul. "I think I can fix this!"
"Fix what?" Cater asked.
"Yeul!" Cinque dismissed her weapon and hugged Yeul, who went stone-still. "There we go, things aren't so bad, now are they?"
"The hell are you doing?" Nine asked.
"Taking away the corruption. Hate and anger and not being reasonable are bad for you, you know."
"I beg to differ," Sice said.
Serah took to Porom's side and spoke with her. After some discussion, Serah lit with the telling glow of moving shards.
Noel waited until the tension bled out of them before he took a seat on a railing. "Man, I hope that's that. Now we just need a white mage to patch these two up."
"King says we ought to talk to the queen up in her castle anyway." Cater gestured north-east. "She's a world savior and white mage, so we can hit two birds with one stone!"
"Where?" Noel asked.
Cater took Noel's wrist and transferred her memory of the castle. Noel caught on to the others and punched through space. They shifted into marbled halls in a bloody heap, weapons vanishing with the move. Mog turned back to himself and floated beside Serah. Carbon appeared with them and took to Noel's side.
Guards shouted and surrounded them. Noel put his hands up as he took a stand at the front of the group. Or the part of the circle that was closest to the woman in the white dress.
"Hey!" Cinque said. "Miss Garnet the queen! We need help with your magic!"
Two soldiers kept a distance, preferring to stand in front of the queen. A man in a full set of armor and a woman in a white coat. Carbon barked at them.
"What is this?" Garnet demanded. "And why did you bring a stray into my room?"
"Is Zidane here?" Sice asked. "He's the one we're supposed to be making our 'we're all friends here' speech to."
"I'm here."
Noel glimpsed the ponytailed kid on the desk behind Garnet.
Cater said, "you know Vanille, then? From, like, something called Tantalus? We're friends of hers."
Garnet wouldn't take her eyes off the bloodied carpet. "What is it that you need?"
"White magic," Noel said. "Bartz and Porom are both hurt. And do you have any scraps I can give Carbon here?"
"You came to the Queen for that?" asked the big armored guy.
"Steiner, allow me." Garnet stepped past her guards and summoned white magic..
Zidane looked at the kneeling Bartz. "I think I know that guy."
"They came as brainwashed intruders to wreak havoc on your world," Sice said.
Serah said, "But he's doing better now. No world-wrecking anymore."
"Supposedly," Sice said.
Garnet waved the troops away and stepped through. She focused her first bout of magic on Bartz. He looked away from her with dulled eyes.
"Why?" Garnet asked.
Bartz shook his head, face turned ashen. "Wish I could tell you."
"I think we should stick around," Noel said. "Maybe there's something we're missing here."
"Steiner, Beatrix, please dismiss your soldiers from the room."
The armored man dropped his shoulders. "My Queen!"
"You heard her." The woman in the white coat made a quick hand gesture and half the soldiers departed without a word of complaint. Carbon eased and sniffed at Noel's friends.
"Dismissed," Steiner mumbled.
"You trust us?" Serah asked. "Just like that?"
"I have developed a keen eye for liars," Garnet said. "These two are the only ones injured? Then what's the cause of all the blood?"
"It's been a mess." Noel looked at Porom, thankfully still unconscious on the ground.
"Beatrix, please ensure the woman doesn't wake."
Beatrix casted white magic, but not without hesitance. "I dismissed the guards without question, Majesty, but Steiner is right to doubt. We don't know these people."
Nine grumbled. "I ain't stickin' around for this. I'm gonna see if Ace's doing anything more interesting." He winked out of existence.
Noel suppressed a sigh and kneeled to Carbon's level. "It's coming," he said. "Will you fight for me if I need it?"
The dog agreed with a curious hum and Noel captured him in crystal. Then sent that crystal to Valhalla where it would receive the nutrients it needed. He didn't miss Garnet's horrified look.
"I'm gonna get some other stuff done, too." Sice followed Nine's example.
"Anyone else?" Noel asked. No response. "Great, then—"
Bartz collapsed. Garnet returned to casting on him. Noel took Bartz's hand in his own and pressed the other against his forehead. Clammy and warm. "Fever," Noel said.
"We're still waiting on an explanation," Beatrix said.
Noel grit his teeth, hoping Bartz would get through this, and directed his attention back to Garnet, her guards, and Zidane. Serah caught his wariness and took over for him. She skimmed their stories and focused on recent developments. Hopefully this was one less world they'd have to do this for.
