Nine traced the signal to Gaia III and cursed the planet for pulling him back again. These two certainly didn't like to sit still and he was willing to bet it was a trap. But if it was, then he would just teleport back out and yell at Queen for her dumbassery.
The place looked like it might rain later, so Nine planned to get this done soon enough to avoid the annoying wetness that came with it. He even landed near that stupid shack that the world travelers claimed as their "guild." He couldn't believe them.
"Where would two no-good fugitives hide?" he asked himself. A passing traveler gave him a strange look. "Wasn't talking to you."
He gave up on this deserted road and Jumped to the next village, where no one knew what he talked about. Nine gave up on them too and Jumped closer to the city. Seemed a stupid place to go, but maybe these people were just stupid instead of good fugitives.
They arrived on Gaia III to clouded skies and misty, forested hills. Rufus barely knew this place, but he associated it with frustration and intrigue. It smelled so heavily of Crystal magic, he wondered if it infused the very air he breathed. Like electrified dust and murky water.
Rufus caught a whiff of light and stopped. Krile bumped into him. "Wait," he said. "A pawn is close."
Krile made a small squeak and hid behind him. Rufus guided her to a tree and watched that leather-clad swashbuckler from Ivalice step through a break in space and time. The man looked about before moving toward the castle in the distance.
"We could help him," Krile said, then coughed. She picked something up from their last jump. "Heal him?"
"No, there's something odd with that one. He's not like the rest."
"Same with Prompto. Why's that?"
"No idea." Rufus watched him. He carried himself with such an inflated sense of confidence that Reno might see himself in this one. "He's worse than Prompto."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do."
"We need to help!"
"Not this one."
Krile protested but lapsed into a coughing fit. Rufus pulled her aside and wished for a potion—they used up the last of their reserves on Spira. When Krile recovered, she rasped, "Then can we find an inn to rest in for the night at least? I'm so tired."
"None of our currency matches this world and I can't open another portal."
"I can—"
"No. You're too weak to use magic."
"But—"
Rufus wondered at how small she looked next to him despite being as old as fifteen. "It's pointless to warp away if it kills you. I need you in order to finish this work we started."
"You need me?"
"It'd be a pain to do it by myself and I believe in efficiency. We've gone over this." Rufus leaned against the tree. How were they supposed to get to this place and disrupt whatever it was the Ivalician meant to do? He couldn't let them get to Krile or himself.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"How we're going to stop that man."
"Let's break him free!"
"That's not how it works."
"But we both broke out. Why can't we do the same to him?"
"Because I haven't found out how to do that without killing people."
"Oh, well that's bad too. Isn't there a way to not kill people?"
"Not that I've found."
"But you said you've killed people. … Why not now?"
"Because it's messy and I don't have the patience for it today."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"You don't… hate ending life or anything?"
"No, I—I mean, yes, of course I do. It's very… not good. It's unnecessary."
Krile huffed and stifled another cough. "You're a bad liar."
"Only around children like you." Rufus glanced toward the castle again. "Back home, I could fool the rest of the world into doing my bidding without ever moving a hand."
"Then I'm glad I'm not back at your world."
"So am I."
The man disappeared inside the castle and Rufus tensed. Bhunivelze didn't put a lot of time between orders and execution, so if there was something he had planned here—
A pounding in his head signaled Bhunivelze's will and Rufus felt the overwhelming urge to follow Balthier inside. Balthier, who provided a distraction with Rufus and Krile as the closest available tools to cover the slipup that endangered Bhunivelze's plan.
"Don't do it!" Krile said. "I won't do it!"
Rufus took the first steps but froze after that. Bhunivelze refreshed his hold and snapped both into motion. Rufus portaled them both inside.
Balthier stood with his hands up and an intrigued expression on his face while castle guards held him at attention. Some startled at Rufus and Krile's appearance, but most didn't notice.
Not until Rufus slammed half of them into the wall, using up what remained of his energy.
Krile shielded herself and got to Balthier. She begged him to wake up and Rufus knew what she aimed for. But he couldn't let that happen when Balthier remained as one of their few remaining pawns.
He moved to stop her, but his control stuttered. Instincts screamed for him to save her instead and get them all out.
The remaining guards got over their shock and mobilized. Rufus dipped further into his reserves and ripped out enough power to blast them with Bhunivelze's magic, but that left a handful standing.
Krile screamed and knifed one man that got too close before hitting another with a burst of fire. Balthier shot the rest.
"We need to go," Rufus said before taking Krile's arm. "We can't save him!"
"Yes, we can!" Krile showed surprising strength in resisting him. She shook Balthier by the shoulder and he gave them confused looks for it while soldiers groaned about them.
Rufus swallowed his protests. He'd give her until the next round of defenders came.
"Think, think!" Krile wouldn't let go of Balthier. "What are you even doing out here? Don't you have someone you need to go back to? Don't you have someone you care about? Where's the most important person to you?"
"You're both cracked," Balthier said. "How do you connect whilst rebelling against the Light?"
"Ignore that! Come on, come on! You came from Ivalice and you traveled the skies! I remember! You care about your freedom more than anything else and you'd rather die than give that up! What changed?"
"For the King!" came a cry from above. "For Sasune!"
Rufus grabbed Krile again. "We're out of time!"
"Remember!" Krile screamed as Rufus dragged her away. "Please, Balthier! If we can do it, then you can, too!"
The last they saw of Balthier, he disappeared with a quick stop by Amarant.
Rufus picked Krile up despite his sore arms and ran. With how his body fared, he couldn't afford to port them anywhere, but those men would catch up soon. And he would rather die than let them take Krile.
He broke and formed a portal to take them both to another part of the planet. Someone bellowed for them to stop. Rufus caught sight of a roughened kid chasing after them. Rufus took Krile and disappeared.
They met the Turks in an antic shop hidden away from the main roads. Cloud kept the kids behind him, but Tifa wouldn't let him go before her.
Tseng spoke with the shop owner while Reno and Elena got to business.
"We have a way to get you out," Elena said. "There's a way to another world from this one through the Lifestream, but Cloud will have to use his magic to get through it."
"What magic?" Cloud asked.
Reno shoved at Elena and she shoved back. Reno pulled out a device. "This will take you through without all the crazy infection you would get from the stuff. If you make it quick, then you can get through without dying of mako poisoning."
"But Cloud is immune," Elena said. "Or… he probably mostly is."
Tifa pushed Cloud back. "You haven't tested it?"
"We only have the one."
"Aerith will get us through," Denzel said. "She knows we have to go."
Quiet. Rude grabbed Denzel and pulled him off to the side. Tifa moved to stop them, but Cloud took her by the arm. Marlene hid behind him.
Rude used gestures to communicate with Denzel and Tifa flushed hot at the thought of them hiding their words from her. "You're not sending him alone," she said.
Rude and Denzel paused their communication and adjusted for Tifa's words. In what way, she wished she knew.
"You're all going together," Elena said. "Rude and Denzel are just clearing up some stuff they left unsaid last time. It's… kind of personal, though, so…"
Tseng joined them. "Never mind that. Our time runs short and we cannot trust the slipstream. Go with Aerith or technology but get going. We'll want a full report when you return."
"Return with what?" Cloud asked. "A quick fix?"
"Not quite. I'll give you the information once we get closer to our destination."
Tifa let Reno and Elena move ahead. She joined Rude and Denzel in the back and talked to him about that communication of theirs.
Irvine stumbled. Paine and Leonora both looked far more comfortable with this method of travel, but he doubted he'd ever feel the same.
At least, he hoped this whole situation wouldn't last that long. Or that he'd settle on some world or another and live a whole new life away from everything he ever cared about.
"What is this place?" Damn him, he tried so hard to keep a pleasant tone. It came out as barely more than a nervous squeak.
Paine took in the surroundings with all the concentration of an operative and Leonora said something about a developed planet with strange energy. She grew more coherent after they found her, but she still struggled to speak calmly.
They stood among old, barely standing wooden buildings set around an actual street, not even an empty one. A few people wandered outside their homes and set off on walks. In the distance, taller buildings sat at towering heights, indicating a thicker development. But despite the modern technology in the lights and poles, ravished debris littered the ground and monster remains laid scattered through the streets.
"I heard something," Paine said. "Sounded like someone I know."
Leonora tensed. "Like a friend?"
Paine's walk had a subtle prowl to it. She tensed like a cat and twitched at every movement about her. "No. Just someone with common ground."
"Does that make this a rescue mission?" Irvine asked.
Paine shot him an icy look. "Only if we kill them."
The wind grew cold, but the women didn't seem to notice. Irvine wished he brought thicker clothes. Nothing bothered Paine despite her tension and Leonora's shock clearly hid a well of experience. With all the lust for this thing's blood, why did he bother tagging along?
He was happy in Balamb when he didn't need to pick up his sniper. He was happy to be back with his friends from the orphanage. Happy to play in the band and help the younger students figure out their lives. … Not that he was a good example for that.
Paine relaxed as they approached the skyscrapers. Irvine only felt worse with the thickening crowds and growing noise, but he pretended he still had a scrap of dignity left to him.
"Kinneas!"
Damn it. Irvine turned to face Seifer, who looked him up and down. "Seifer. I'm dreaming."
"I'm flattered, wuss. But I'm not here to make out."
"I didn't say it was a good dream. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to see you. In a way."
"Your stupidity is a reassuring constant. Idiot."
"Do you know this man?" Leonora asked.
Irvine forced himself to swallow. "Unfortunately."
Paine joined Irvine. He braced himself, ready for that old talk about no distractions when you're trying to kill someone, how that will get you caught and killed faster than anything else, how…
"You're another traveler," Paine said. "What are you doing here?"
Seifer pulled his lips thin. "Hunting. Looks like you're doing the same."
Fujin found Seifer and gave Irvine a flat look. "Where's Raijin?" Irvine asked.
"More importantly," Paine said, "how did you find out about this one?"
"Breadcrumbs," Fujin said.
Seifer caught Paine's eye with a scowl. "We've been tracking this thing long enough to know."
"How?" Paine asked.
"None of your business, punk."
"You found my friends!" A woman with a fat shotgun-esque weapon joined them. "Leonora, long time no see!"
"Lebreau!" Leonora clung to Irvine to stay standing. "How've you been?"
"I'm lost," Irvine said.
The woman gave him a grin despite a gaunt face. "You a newcomer to the resistance?"
"It's more of a guild," Leonora said.
"You with these guys?" Paine asked.
Lebreau grimaced. "I caught their trail when I left the Guild. Latched onto their portal and ended up here."
"Parasite," Fujin said.
"Better than a parasite," Seifer said.
Irvine felt a flutter of dread. "This can't be a coincidence."
"Evidence," Fujin said.
"What about the rest of you?" Lebreau asked. "Did you meet up out of nowhere?"
Leonora looked between Paine and Irvine. "Sort of."
"Who cares about that shit?" Seifer asked. "Are we working for me or not?"
"No," Irvine said.
Fujin raised an eyebrow at Irvine. "Useless."
Seifer snorted. "Fine. We'll pretend I'm not in charge."
"We're all here to take this cosmic tumor out," Paine said, "so let's talk plans."
"All I've got is finding and shooting it." Lebreau adjusted her firearm and Irvine wondered how they didn't attract more attention for their weapons.
"Sounds good to me," Seifer said.
"The kid," Lebreau said. "Hope. I almost trailed him here. If we find him, we find our target. And if we find our target, we kill it."
Leonora stilled at that and Irvine meant to ask her before the rest lapsed into arguments about where, when, and why.
"Screw the rest of you," Seifer said. "I'm gonna start looking. Fire if you need anything."
"I'll stay here." Irvine gestured to a bench by a fountain and got a nod of agreement from Leonora. "Anyone have anything they want to report, I'll be right there."
Seifer shook his head and said, "Chicken." Then he split from the rest and everyone left to do their own thing. Leaving Irvine and Leonora.
Leonora breathed hard and she kept her eyes on the ground. Irvine guided her to the bench and sat her down. He took a spot beside her and said, "You don't have to talk. But let's take a moment to breathe."
"We don't know if we'll find anyone here," she said after a moment. "We don't know if we should stay, or if we'll have to look somewhere else."
"Your friends are probably still here somewhere. If we find this Hope, we'll probably find them too."
What people remained milled about with purpose, likely trying to gather things before making a trip to the countryside. Screens played out political and social responses to the panic, as well as suggestions for hunkering down.
"I should look for him." Leonora moved to stand. "Will you come with me?"
Irvine thought of getting lost again. "Let's both stay here. You need to recover."
"I really should go."
"You're hurt."
"And my magic is making it better. I'll find you after, okay?"
Once she left, he imagined Selphie sitting with him. He wondered if she'd cuss him out for leaving or if she'd be too busy taking in the new city. He kept telling himself this was better than being stuck in a prison cell, but it rang hollow. Instead of being stuck there, he was stuck on a world not his own and swept up in someone else's crusade.
Selphie made the choice to leave home and join him in his exile. He knew she didn't take it well when they tried to stop her. Selphie was the spearhead of the band, too. The one that kept it alive and going and pushed the others to practice and learn. No chance of that surviving without her. It would be fine without him, but not her.
So, he stayed in the most crowded part of the city and waited for Bhunivelze to catch up.
