Chapter 2: Inspector Setzer


Setzer sat down for an early lunch. He was looking forward to a night of good food and good wine. If he was lucky enough, there'd be a woman or two in his future, too. Just as he was about to take a bite out of his Leafer sandwich, Terra burst in through the door.

"Terra, haven't espers ever heard of knocking? Really, it's only polite to--"

"Setzer, he wants to die!" Terra interrupted, obviously disturbed.

"Woah, woah, calm down there," Setzer said, his tone instantly softening, "Who wants to die?"

"Shadow! I can tell that there's something in his past that's bothering him, but he won't talk to me! You've got to do something." Terra exclaimed.

Honestly, Setzer couldn't say he was that surprised; Shadow seemed even more morose lately than usual. Setzer had just assumed it was the guy's natural disposition, but maybe there was more to it than that.

"What makes you think I can do anything about it?" he asked.

"You know what he's going through. You had a difficult past too, right? You got over it... maybe you can help him with his problem. I'm not sure... for some reason I just know that you're the right person for the job." Terra replied, ending with an exasperated shrug.

Setzer took a sip of wine and considered that. He did have some experience in getting over some traumatic events, but so did most of the Returners. Still, he had to admit, he was curious about Shadow's life. Maybe Terra's hunch wasn't so wrong. Most importantly, he knew deep down that he couldn't resist helping sweet, innocent Terra. She seemed so upset about this. It just wasn't right.

"Intuition, huh? Okay, if you think I'm the right man for the job, you can count me in."

Terra let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks! I just know you can do it!"

Setzer sighed. So much for his night of wine and women.

* * *

Setzer decided to pay the Strago a visit first. The old man knew something, and Setzer was determined to find out what. After asking around a bit, Setzer found out that Strago spent a lot of time in Figaro's library, and sure enough, there the geezer was, poring over some dusty tome. Setzer wondered of the old sage ever noticed how weird his hair was; right now the white mohawk was standing up at the strangest angle.

Setzer had never been completely at ease around Strago Magus; the man seemed to know everything and then some, which was disconcerting. Even worse, Strago had always refused to gamble. Even the more uptight Returners had at least humored him on occasion with a game of blackjack.

Luckily, Relm didn't seem to be around. Setzer had a feeling that her presence would only complicate matters.

"Strago."

Strago wasn't paying much attention. He turned the page in his book, apparently not having heard Setzer.

"STRAGO!" Setzer yelled impatiently.
This time Strago looked up. "Fascinating... some of the migratory habits of the Rhodox. I really must read more of this author's work. Thasma doesn't have nearly such an expansive library, you know, and I've read all the books there anyway. I'm not deaf yet, sonny. There's no need to yell."

"That's... er... great. Um, actually, I came here to ask you about something--" Setzer began, but was cut off by Strago.

"Let me guess. Shadow? I may be old, but I'm no fool. You'd never come talk to me just for the pleasure of it. Some of the others would, but not you; we've never exactly seen eye to eye. What's with the sudden curiosity?"

"He's suicidal. That's what Terra says, at least. She convinced me into doing something about it, and I need information if I'm to talk some sense into him."

Strago shook his head sadly. "Wants to kill himself, does he? I can't say he deserves less, but where would that leave young Relm? That's just like the man, never thinking about the consequences of his actions."

"Relm? What's Relm have to do with it?"
Strago sighed. Gesturing to a chair, he said, "Here, you'd better sit down. I suppose I'm going to have to start from the beginning."

Setzer sat and motioned for Strago to continue. The old man looked around the room for a moment, as if making sure that nobody else was there to listen. Seeming satisfied with what he saw, Strago began his tale.

"It was a little less than thirteen years ago. My daughter, Encia, discovered a man bleeding to death in Thasma's town square. How he made it all the way to Thasma was beyond me; he'd obviously traveled a long distance despite his wounds."
"Your daughter? Wouldn't that be Relm's mother?" Setzer interjected.

Strago looked at Setzer in annoyance. "Yes, yes, I'm getting to that. Just shut up and listen already. That's just like you young people, always in such a hurry."
"Sorry," Setzer said, feeling chastised.

"Anyway, Encia brought him back to the house, and of course I let him stay. Thasma was paranoid about its secret being discovered, even back then, but I couldn't turn down someone in need. He was injured badly, much as he is now, and he didn't wake for several days. He slept restlessly, always mumbling incoherently to himself. His ramblings were quite jumbled, so we were never able to make sense of it."

"My daughter patiently nursed him back to health. He woke, and we finally learned his name: Clyde Arrowny. He grew steadily better, and his relationship with Encia grew as well. Unfortunately, I was too blind to see her fall in love until it was too late."

"I had never much cared for the man. Something about him seemed... unwholesome. It's hard to describe it. Still, Encia was in love. She had a hard life with only me to raise her. I tried my best, but she had often suffered from a deep depression. When Clyde was around, all that sadness vanished. He was like a light to her, shining brilliantly in her darkness. In the end, they married. Despite my misgivings, I decided that he would be good for her in the long run."

Strago clenched his fists in frustration. "I was wrong. One day Encia came to me with tears in her eyes; she was pregnant. She had told Clyde, and he hadn't taken the news well. Clyde vanished. The pregnancy was hell for her. After losing Clyde, her depression returned, only much worse. She seemed to live only for her unborn child, the last legacy of that man. Relm was born, and Encia died shortly after of labor complications. She just... gave up on life. My magics could do nothing."

Strago paused. Setzer had never seen the old man look so... defeated. Even in their darkest hours against Kefka, the man always seemed to have a spark of hope within him, but talking about his daughter, Strago seemed hopeless. While Strago was normally like a child in an old man's body, his age seemed to weigh on him as he spoke. It was obviously an emotional subject, even now.

Still, Setzer had to know the rest of the story.

Setzer gently laid a hand on Strago's shoulder. "I know this is difficult to talk about, and I thank you for having the courage to do it. What about Clyde... did he ever come back?"

The hopelessness drained out of Strago's demeanor, only to be replaced by smoldering anger. "Yes and no. The coward never came back as Clyde. A mysterious stranger visited the town from time to time, clad only in black, often asking various citizens about Relm. Shadow, he called himself. I should have known his identity, but once again, I was too blind to see the truth. All the knowledge in the world is useless if you don't use it."

"Relm doesn't know, does she?" Setzer asked.
"Of course not! How could I tell her? 'Sorry honey, but your father abandoned you to become an assassin'? No, the one to tell her should be Clyde himself, but if what you say is true, that may never happen now."

Setzer thought for a moment. Shadow obviously cared about Relm somewhat, since he had asked after her. So what was stopping him from revealing himself? Fear? Guilt? Setzer had a feeling that there was more to this story. Luckily, he still had at least one more lead.

"Strago... thanks. I'll do what I can to help Shadow and Relm. Maybe I can somehow talk some sense into the guy."

Strago rolled his eyes. "Humph. Not likely. That man's nearly as stubborn as I am. Good luck," he added as an afterthought.

Strago promptly returned to his book, grumbling all the while about curious youngsters. Setzer couldn't help but notice that he seemed less focused on his reading than he had before. Talking about Shadow had obviously conjured up unpleasant memories. Setzer was determined to make things right.

* * *

"Thrust! Recover! Thrust!" Cyan barked, demonstrating as he gave orders.

A group of young Figaro soldiers stood lined up in the sand, hastily obeying orders. To Setzer, most of them looked like they were about to pass out at any moment. He was glad that he'd never been in the military, if this was the training soldiers had to put up with.

Although there weren't any wars going on and Kefka had been defeated, it still paid to have a functional military. Better safe than sorry, Edgar had said, and Setzer had to agree. The Returners with military training were often called in to help train new recruits, which was undoubtedly what Cyan was doing.

Cyan Garmonde himself was decked out in full battle armor despite the sweltering desert heat. He wore his armor and his samurai sword as if they were a part of himself. Setzer shook his head. He wouldn't be surprised if Cyan slept in the damn things.

Setzer waited for a good opportunity and then quickly pulled Cyan aside. "I need to talk to you. It's about Shadow."

Cyan sheathed his blade. "What makes ye think I knowest anything about the man?"

He had expected this. Setzer grinned. "I've played a lot of poker in my time-- enough to gage most people's reactions by looking at their face, anyway. You never did have a good poker face. I saw how you reacted after seeing Shadow when we pulled him up from the tower."

For a moment, Cyan looked as if he was about to deny it, but then he sighed and turned to his men. "That be enough, for the moment, men! Give thyselves a rest."

"This be a serious matter, Setzer. Were it anyone but thyself, I wouldst be reluctant to speak. However, this matter concerns thee as well."

"Huh? Concerns me? How so?" Setzer was baffled. True, he had been asked to investigate the matter, but he couldn't see how it directly concerned him.

Cyan looked uneasy, as if harboring a secret he didn't want to share. "All in good time, my friend. Come, let us talk in more hospitable environs."

While they walked, Setzer shared what he had learned from Strago. A short time later, the two were in Cyan's room.

"You said this concerns me. What did you mean my that, Cyan?" Setzer asked.

"Setzer, didst thou ever have a sibling?"

Setzer frowned. "Well, yes, but it's not something I usually like to talk about. What the hell does that have to do with... wait. Don't tell me... he was somehow involved with Shadow?"

Cyan nodded. "It was thirteen years ago, when Doma still traded with the Empire. Money and food were often exchanged betwixt the two nations. Two men tried to rob a train with a million GP on it."

"Let me guess, Baram Gabbiani and Clyde Arrowny?"

Cyan nodded again, seeming slightly relieved to have shared his secret. "Both men were wounded by Doma's guardsmen. Thy brother was caught, but Clyde somehow escaped. Still I can recall the wanted posters. I shalt never forget Clyde... Shadow's visage."

Setzer wasn't sure how he should feel. He had never been that close to his older brother; Baram had run away from home at an early age. His brother had been a scoundrel, so Setzer had always suspected something like this. How many people knew about this?

"Cyan, you haven't told anyone about this, have you?"

"Worry not. You are the first to know."

"So... in the end, what happened to my brother?"
Cyan suddenly looked uncomfortable again. "Dost thou knoweth Doma's law concerning thieves?"

Setzer shook his head.

"Normally, the punishment is not severe. Baram killed several train guards and nearly stole a million GP. He was executed. It had been decades since Doma hadst resorted to an execution, but in Baram's case, naught could be done."

Setzer sighed. "Don't worry. I knew long ago that he would meet his end at the hands of the law. I have a feeling that Shadow's the real one suffering from this. Between this and his wife, he must be burdened with enormous guilt."

Cyan nodded. "I shall officially pardon Shadow as soon as I return to Doma. His valor in combat was unmatched, not to mention his deeds of bravery at the floating continent. A man like that can't be executed, especially if he hath a daughter."

Setzer thanked Cyan and departed to mull things over. Shadow had known Baram. Did he blame himself for Baram's death? Maybe he thought that he needed to die to even the score. It didn't make much sense, but Setzer knew firsthand that a depressed mind wouldn't think logically. The beginning of a rough plan began to form in Setzer's head.