After the Fall Part 7: Figaro
Miranda Shadowind
It was dusk of the next day when the Crimson Robbers' ship reached South Figaro. Gerad and his cronies got off and headed for the inn, Sabin and Celes at their heels.
(Soon, inside the inn..)
"Let us in!" Celes yelled at the robber in front of Gerad's door.
"No one's allowed to see the Boss but us Crimson Robbers!" the robber snapped back.
Celes was about to draw the Atama Weapon, but Sabin pushed her aside. "Have it your way then!" Sabin pummel Blitzed the robber so hard he went flying into the far wall. Celes cringed, then quickly followed Sabin into Gerad's room as the robber slid down the wall into a heap.
Gerad, who had heard the scuffle outside, glared at them. "You two again?!"
"Enough with the cherade, Edgar! Fess up!" demanded Celes.
"For the last time I have no idea who you're talking about! My name is, always has been, and always will be Gerad!" He then left the room in a huff and headed downstairs, followed by the recovering robber.
Outside of town, the Crimson Robbers and Ziegfreid entered their "secret cave."
"Secret cave nothing! This is Figaro Cave!" Sabin thought out loud as he and Celes slipped in after them.
"Hush or they'll know we're here!" hissed Celes, a finger on her lips.
Ziegfreid noticed them, but although he knew nothing of their arguements with Gerad, he half-recognized Sabin as the muscle-bound man who had clobbered him on the Phantom Train. He would extract his revenge later though. First and foremost on his mind was that treasure...
"There's a lot of monsters up ahead. I'll clear 'em out, you wait here," Ziegfreid told them, and ran to catch up with Gerad and the others.
"Riiiiight!" Sabin said sarcastically, tailing the ignoramous.
Little resistance was found as he and Celes made their way through the decrepit and reformed cavern. "This is more like Locke's sort of thing.." Sabin thought to himself.
He'd purposely not told Celes that the sneaky treasure hunter was still alive since he (Locke) was Godesses only knew where now. That and the familiar dark blue bandana around her neck, which told him she already knew.
Gerad turned to his second in command as the group came to a room with a recovery spring. To its left was a rather large gaping hole that only Celes recognized as the way the Imperial Tunnelarmor had entered and attacked her and Locke over a year ago. "You there, you know of the secret passage do you not?"
"Yes sir Boss!" The robber went over to the edge of the spring and held out a handfull of food. "Here boy!" A big turtle swam over to him and began to eat the food greedily. "Good boy!" With that, the robber dropped the rest of the food onto the shore, leaped onto the turtle's back, then to the opposite side of the cavern.
"I had a turtle once..." Edgar quietly reflected as he and the other Crimson Robbers followed suit and headed into the room beyond. Sabin and Celes lept across just as the turtle was finishing its snack.
Celes looked back for a moment before continuing on. She could almost see her younger self and Locke drinking from the spring to heal their wounds after the Tunnelarmor had been defeated. Stroking the bandana around her neck in an effort of self-comfort, Celes turned around and ran to catch up.
The passage beyond was a small maze of tunnelwork with a bright light coming from the other end. Further investigation proved the light's source to be the torchlit dungeon of Castle Figaro. Sabin and Celes stayed hidden in the cell leading back to the cavern, listening in on a conversation between Edgar and a guard.
"Are you all right? You were hit pretty hard," they heard Edgar ask.
"I-it was awful.." the guard moaned before passing out.
Edgar nodded and headed upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Celes and Sabin came out of hiding and followed him. The main door leading to the courtyard was sealed shut, by sand no doubt, so they ventured down to the control room.
The man who controlled the castle's submerge/travel mode was out cold, so they quietly slipped past him and down more stairs to the castle basement. Celes let Sabin take the lead at this point, given he knew the castle inside and out from childhood.
In the engine room, Gerad and the Crimson Robbers surveyed the situation. Hundreds of little tentacles and 4 large ones had entangled themselves in the machinery.
"Go in there and get that treasure!" Gerad ordered, pointing to the door that lay beyond the mess.
"But Boss, you'll be killed!" yelled a robber.
"Nevermind me, get in there while I handle this thing!" The Crimson Robbers were more than happy to obilge. Then, Sabin and Celes came out of hiding.
"Edgar!" yelled the latter, panting.
"Well, what are you waiting for Celes?" Edgar asked with a slight smirk. "Let's beat this thing before it beats us!"
Before she or Sabin could respond, Celes was snatched up by one of the tentacles. "LET GO OF ME!" She struggled to free herself, only to be squeezed tighter.
Enraged, Edgar pulled out his chainsaw and started spinning around, hacking at the vile thing. It finally released Celes as it crashed to the floor, dead. Sabin managed to catch her before she could land on top of it.
"Thanks," she said as he put her down. The remaining 3 tentacles were dispatched by a series of slices, dices, and Blitzes. The smaller tentacles then disappeared with them.
"So what happened, Brother?" Sabin asked.
"I heard that those bandits had escaped from the dungeon and that the castle'd had an accident. I used them to get here and solve the problem," Edgar explained. "Shh, here they come!"
The trio hid behind some machinery as the Crimson Robbers came out of the treasure room, sacks loaded. The second-in-command looked around. "Guess that thing got the boss after all..." The robbers looked at each other, then ran off in a panic. Celes and the twins came out laughing once they were all gone.
"Aren't you going to stop them Edgar?" asked Sabin.
"Nah, that treasure's not worth crap. They missed the really good stuff," Edgar replied as they entered the looted room. All that was left was several empty chests surrounding a suit of armor. Edgar pulled the Soul Saber free from its grasp.
Back at the control room, Edgar had taken off his thief's jacket, revealing the royal robes of Figaro underneath. "Going up!" yelled the recovering controlsman. He grunted and threw the switch. Within minutes, Figaro Castle resurfaced.
A small feast was prepared in honor of the twins' return and the vanquishing of the terrible tentacle. The next morning, the castle went underground again. Its destination: Kohlingen.
Miranda Shadowind
It was dusk of the next day when the Crimson Robbers' ship reached South Figaro. Gerad and his cronies got off and headed for the inn, Sabin and Celes at their heels.
(Soon, inside the inn..)
"Let us in!" Celes yelled at the robber in front of Gerad's door.
"No one's allowed to see the Boss but us Crimson Robbers!" the robber snapped back.
Celes was about to draw the Atama Weapon, but Sabin pushed her aside. "Have it your way then!" Sabin pummel Blitzed the robber so hard he went flying into the far wall. Celes cringed, then quickly followed Sabin into Gerad's room as the robber slid down the wall into a heap.
Gerad, who had heard the scuffle outside, glared at them. "You two again?!"
"Enough with the cherade, Edgar! Fess up!" demanded Celes.
"For the last time I have no idea who you're talking about! My name is, always has been, and always will be Gerad!" He then left the room in a huff and headed downstairs, followed by the recovering robber.
Outside of town, the Crimson Robbers and Ziegfreid entered their "secret cave."
"Secret cave nothing! This is Figaro Cave!" Sabin thought out loud as he and Celes slipped in after them.
"Hush or they'll know we're here!" hissed Celes, a finger on her lips.
Ziegfreid noticed them, but although he knew nothing of their arguements with Gerad, he half-recognized Sabin as the muscle-bound man who had clobbered him on the Phantom Train. He would extract his revenge later though. First and foremost on his mind was that treasure...
"There's a lot of monsters up ahead. I'll clear 'em out, you wait here," Ziegfreid told them, and ran to catch up with Gerad and the others.
"Riiiiight!" Sabin said sarcastically, tailing the ignoramous.
Little resistance was found as he and Celes made their way through the decrepit and reformed cavern. "This is more like Locke's sort of thing.." Sabin thought to himself.
He'd purposely not told Celes that the sneaky treasure hunter was still alive since he (Locke) was Godesses only knew where now. That and the familiar dark blue bandana around her neck, which told him she already knew.
Gerad turned to his second in command as the group came to a room with a recovery spring. To its left was a rather large gaping hole that only Celes recognized as the way the Imperial Tunnelarmor had entered and attacked her and Locke over a year ago. "You there, you know of the secret passage do you not?"
"Yes sir Boss!" The robber went over to the edge of the spring and held out a handfull of food. "Here boy!" A big turtle swam over to him and began to eat the food greedily. "Good boy!" With that, the robber dropped the rest of the food onto the shore, leaped onto the turtle's back, then to the opposite side of the cavern.
"I had a turtle once..." Edgar quietly reflected as he and the other Crimson Robbers followed suit and headed into the room beyond. Sabin and Celes lept across just as the turtle was finishing its snack.
Celes looked back for a moment before continuing on. She could almost see her younger self and Locke drinking from the spring to heal their wounds after the Tunnelarmor had been defeated. Stroking the bandana around her neck in an effort of self-comfort, Celes turned around and ran to catch up.
The passage beyond was a small maze of tunnelwork with a bright light coming from the other end. Further investigation proved the light's source to be the torchlit dungeon of Castle Figaro. Sabin and Celes stayed hidden in the cell leading back to the cavern, listening in on a conversation between Edgar and a guard.
"Are you all right? You were hit pretty hard," they heard Edgar ask.
"I-it was awful.." the guard moaned before passing out.
Edgar nodded and headed upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Celes and Sabin came out of hiding and followed him. The main door leading to the courtyard was sealed shut, by sand no doubt, so they ventured down to the control room.
The man who controlled the castle's submerge/travel mode was out cold, so they quietly slipped past him and down more stairs to the castle basement. Celes let Sabin take the lead at this point, given he knew the castle inside and out from childhood.
In the engine room, Gerad and the Crimson Robbers surveyed the situation. Hundreds of little tentacles and 4 large ones had entangled themselves in the machinery.
"Go in there and get that treasure!" Gerad ordered, pointing to the door that lay beyond the mess.
"But Boss, you'll be killed!" yelled a robber.
"Nevermind me, get in there while I handle this thing!" The Crimson Robbers were more than happy to obilge. Then, Sabin and Celes came out of hiding.
"Edgar!" yelled the latter, panting.
"Well, what are you waiting for Celes?" Edgar asked with a slight smirk. "Let's beat this thing before it beats us!"
Before she or Sabin could respond, Celes was snatched up by one of the tentacles. "LET GO OF ME!" She struggled to free herself, only to be squeezed tighter.
Enraged, Edgar pulled out his chainsaw and started spinning around, hacking at the vile thing. It finally released Celes as it crashed to the floor, dead. Sabin managed to catch her before she could land on top of it.
"Thanks," she said as he put her down. The remaining 3 tentacles were dispatched by a series of slices, dices, and Blitzes. The smaller tentacles then disappeared with them.
"So what happened, Brother?" Sabin asked.
"I heard that those bandits had escaped from the dungeon and that the castle'd had an accident. I used them to get here and solve the problem," Edgar explained. "Shh, here they come!"
The trio hid behind some machinery as the Crimson Robbers came out of the treasure room, sacks loaded. The second-in-command looked around. "Guess that thing got the boss after all..." The robbers looked at each other, then ran off in a panic. Celes and the twins came out laughing once they were all gone.
"Aren't you going to stop them Edgar?" asked Sabin.
"Nah, that treasure's not worth crap. They missed the really good stuff," Edgar replied as they entered the looted room. All that was left was several empty chests surrounding a suit of armor. Edgar pulled the Soul Saber free from its grasp.
Back at the control room, Edgar had taken off his thief's jacket, revealing the royal robes of Figaro underneath. "Going up!" yelled the recovering controlsman. He grunted and threw the switch. Within minutes, Figaro Castle resurfaced.
A small feast was prepared in honor of the twins' return and the vanquishing of the terrible tentacle. The next morning, the castle went underground again. Its destination: Kohlingen.