I released two chapters today, chapters 23 and 24, make sure you don't miss either!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Over the Westersand
Year 706 of the Old Valendian Calendar

"Let's be on our way then," Balthier said, staring up at Strahl anchored at the jagd's edge. No visible marker indicated the cloud of dense myst other than the increase in desert cacti, but Strahl had been quite keen to warn Balthier when they got too close for her comfort. They set sail from Rabanastre's aerodrome only a short time after noon, headed west towards Jagd Yensa. The Sandsea was located beyond the Westersand, the expansive desert to the west of Rabanastre. In such fair weather, the flight took only about half an hour; a lot quicker than the day it would take on foot.
"We'll barely make any progress today," Vossler said, frowning at the desert ahead. "But yes, you're right; we should get going."
"Hey, uh… Why can't we just fly straight to Raithwall's Tomb?" Penelo asked, glancing up at Strahl, anchored above them.
Balthier sighed. "Haven't you ever heard of jagd?"
"That's where the myst is really thick, right?" Penelo replied.
"Yeah," Vaan said. "And airship engines don't work if there's too much myst."
"Well, what do you know," Balthier said. "You do know something after all, Vaan."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vaan asked. Balthier didn't reply. He turned to address everyone; it looked like Ashe and Fran were talking, but Vossler had interrupted and was talking to Ashe.
"Come on, everyone," Balthier said. "The Sandsea's a big place, I hear, so we've got a lot of ground to cover."
Everyone murmured their agreement. Except Vossler. He stepped out front and said, "You heard the pirate. Let's move."
Balthier struggled not to say anything at that. Yes, he knew Vossler wasn't a bad person at heart. He'd seen him risk life and limb for Ashe, and, despite his claims, Balthier didn't think he'd sit back and watch any of the rest of them die. But Vossler jumping up and acting like he was this leader of this group was really starting to annoy Balthier. However, he managed not to say anything.
"Hey, good luck out there," Strahl's voice interrupted Balthier stream of irritation.
"Thanks," Balthier replied as he followed the others and Vossler, who annoyingly took the lead.
"Oh, I wish I could help," Strahl continued. "Anything…"
"You got me here, didn't you?" Balthier said.
"Oh, sure," Strahl said with a sigh. "And now you'll go off into deadly peril and I won't even know if you're dead or alive until you get back, much less do anything about it. I promised I'd be there for you, but I can't even be there at all. I can't even get you all the way to Raithwall's Tomb!"
Balthier bit back an audible sigh. "Strahl, if there was anything in the world you could do to help me, you'd do it in a heartbeat. I know that, and… I appreciate it."
Strahl let out a weak chuckle. "Balthier, that you'd try and be sentimental for me is very touching, but you're no good at it, so… you can stop now."
Balthier chuckled. "Thank you."
"Oh…" Strahl sighed after a moment's pause. "I wish I was a squirrel."
"A… squirrel?"
"It'd be better than being an airship!" Strahl replied. "At least I could go with you! At least I could be there! Even if I couldn't talk anymore, at least I could do something! Now… all I can do is watch from the audience."
"Well…" Balthier tried and failed to find some way to console his airship.
"No, no, it's alright," Strahl said with a sigh. "Don't worry about me. You get out there and play the leading man you were meant to, and I'll just… cheer you on."
"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm the leading man," Balthier said with a scoff. "And certainly not if Vossler has anything to say about it."
"Yeah, well, don't too carried away in your little competition," Strahl said. "You might miss something important."
"Still going with the life lessons?" Balthier asked with a smirk.
"Oh, you betchya," Strahl replied. "Now you get going! See ya when you back!"
"Mm. Right."
Then Strahl's presence vanished. Balthier glanced over his shoulder, catching one last glimpse of the airship anchored above the Westersand far behind. The cheerfulness in her last words had sounded far too forced. But he couldn't worry about that now; they had a lot of ground to cover.

…

For the first couple hours of walking, the Sandsea looked a lot like the Westersand with more cacti and shrubbery. It was still a desert, to be sure, with sand and hot, dry air, but Balthier figured the heavy myst sped the growth of the usual desert foliage. Balthier remembered how warped and vicious the creatures in the Barheim passage had been; he could only imagine what effects such a dense myst would have on the creatures out here, under the sun. Quite frankly, he was eager to find out, as long as it didn't involve a detailed tour of their digestive systems.
Balthier got no such chance that day to prove his theory about Jagd Yensa's wildlife on that first stretch of their journey. The desert was surprisingly calm, and they made good progress. At around four in the afternoon, judging by the sun, they entered a canyon path that carved its way through a large ridgeline. This rather narrow gorge was the only way west, where Ashe claimed Raithwall's Tomb resided. At the end of this gully, a grand sight awaited that made everyone freeze in their tracks.
The sands stretched forever off into the horizon, glowing golden under the low sun. Massive oil rigs rose up out of these flat plains, their images rippling in a haze of heat. The magnificent sands seemed to move and ripple like ocean waves. Balthier had heard of this; in the places where the grains were finest, the sands of Jagd Yensa actually flowed like water, an effect of the thick myst's constant flow. It was a common rumor, but not one Balthier had ever believed. Until now, that is.
Vaan broke from the stunned group and rushed to the water's, or sand's, edge, kneeling and reaching out to touch the churning waves. He scooped up a handful of liquid sand, mouth falling open. Balthier wasn't close enough to hear the shocked "wow…" that must have drifted out. The sight of Vaan's wonderstruck face was enough to pull Balthier from his amazement.
"Welcome to the wide world, Vaan," Balthier said with a chuckle. "There are always some things left to surprise you."
Vaan glanced back over his shoulder, tearing his gaze away from the sandsea.
"Did you know this was here, Balthier?" he asked.
"Ah, well…" Balthier replied. "Like I said, there are always some surprises left."
With the spell of wonder broken, everyone came forward to the waves' edge. Penelo crouched down next to Vaan, and while everyone else simply stared over the view. Balthier resisted the temptation to kneel down with the teenagers and touch the miraculous sand-waters. Instead, he stood on the banks, letting the hot wind rush over his face.
"Oh, it's… beautiful," Ashe breathed. Balthier hadn't noticed she stood right next to him. Her eyes were wide, shining like pure gemstones in the brilliant desert light.
"It's just a desert," Balthier said. "Haven't you seen one before?"
"Well, yes," Ashe said. "I suppose so. But it just… goes so far. It's… pretty."
"I suppose," Balthier said with a shrug. "But it's really just sand once you get down to it. You won't think so highly of that view once we've spent weeks walking across it."
"I guess." Ashe replied with a sigh.
Vossler stepped forward, planting himself between Balthier and Ashe. He gave Balthier a withering glare for no reason he could think of, then set a hand on Ashe's shoulder.
"You ready to go, Highness?" Vossler asked. Ashe nodded. Vossler removed his hand, then turned to address the whole group. "Come on, everyone," he said. "We'll go over those oil rigs to cross the sea. It's late, and I doubt we'll make it far, but we should make what progress we can."
"Agreed," Balthier said, joining in. "Let's move."

…

The oil rigs provided an excellent view over the sandsea, and the party made good progress in the last few hours before sundown. The rigs were old, abandoned by the Rozarrian Empire several years ago, according to Balthier, and they were in disrepair. Luckily, nothing decided to collapse on them.
With a gorgeous sunset bleeding crimson light over the expanse of the sandsea, the party settled down for the night on one of the larger oil rigs.
After a while, Vaan noticed Penelo was missing. That rig, like the others, had one massive central column encircled by a walkway, bridges to the adjacent rigs running off on each side. Vaan figured she'd gone to the other side of the column for some peace and quiet. He decided to go see how she was before turning in for the night. Sure enough, he found his little sister on the other side, practicing her dancing. Penelo never let a day go by without some practice, not for as long as Vaan could remember. She'd picked up a metal pole to use as a staff; perhaps it had been a lever once, or maybe some sort of support. Now, it served to swing through the air as part of Penelo's display. She was so lost in her routine she didn't even notice Vaan's arrival. He leaned against a stack of crates nearby and watched her for a good long while. Eventually, he called out to her.
"Hey, Penelo."
Vaan's voice broke Penelo's concentration, and she ground to a halt in the middle of a spin, barely managing not to lose her balance.
"Oh. Vaan." Penelo said. "What's up?"
"Oh, I was just wondering where you were," Vaan said with a shrug. "I can't believe you're still practicing, even out here. Aren't you exhausted after all that walking?"
"We'll walk even more tomorrow," Penelo said. Vaan didn't reply. Instead, he turned and stared out into the distance. The sun peaked just barely over the horizon, the last of its rays staining the sands with a red like dying embers. Clouds floated over the drowning sun, stained brightest scarlet on the bottom and fading to a nighttime grey on top.
"Are you glad to be out here, Vaan?" Penelo asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Of course," Vaan replied.
Penelo chuckled. "You're finally having an adventure, huh?" she asked.
Vaan chuckled too. "Yeah, I guess. But…" He'd always wanted an adventure. A sky pirate's adventure… Balthier's words from Lowtown sounded again in his mind, and Vaan let out a sigh. "But I'm really here to help the princess, you know?"
"And go with your new hero?" Penelo said.
"What do mean by that?" Vaan asked, snapping his gaze to Penelo.
"Balthier?" Penelo said with a teasing grin. "Come on, Vaan, you worship him! I know you've always wanted to meet a real sky pirate. He given you any good tips?"
Vaan let out a sigh, tipping his head back to face the darkening sky overhead. It took a lot of effort to say what he wanted to say. "Penelo… I'm not so sure I want to be a sky pirate anymore."
"What?" Vaan couldn't see Penelo's face, but he could hear the surprise in her voice. Her footsteps approached, and she rested her arms on the stack of crates beside him. "But Vaan," Penelo continued, "that's all you've ever wanted. What happened?"
"I guess…" Vaan sighed, still staring up at the sky. "I wanted to run away. To not worry about all those problems, to forget and start over. That's what I wanted. I…" Vaan sighed and turned his gaze back to his sister. "Penelo, now I can do something about it. I want to help fix things, not throw it away and start over."
Penelo was silent for several moments. "Why'd you change your mind?" she asked at last.
"Just… something Balthier said," Vaan replied.
"But… Balthier is a sky pirate," Penelo said, tilting her head and frowning.
Vaan let out a light chuckle. "Yeah. He said…. He said running away is a hard mistake to fix. And he knows."
"He said that to you?" Penelo said, eyes wide. Vaan laughed at that.
"We were in the disused Lowtown tunnels. Those people who kidnapped Fran had tied us up down there. Balthier said he was sure we'd survive, but…"
Vaan laughed again, and Penelo laughed with him. She sat silent but smiling for a few moments, then spoke.
"Well… I'm proud of you, Vaan. You're actually growing up."
"Hey!" Vaan said. "I'm older than you, you know!"
Penelo giggled. "Yeah, I know. But I can dance better."
"You sure can," Vaan said. "But I'm older, and faster, and stronger, and I can use a weapon."
"Well, I can, too," Penelo said, hoisting up the rusty pole she'd been dancing with. "I'm gonna use this as my weapon."
"Hey, I thought you were joking when you said that!" Vaan said. "And you think that old thing'll hold up against monsters?"
"I'll clean it up and practice a bit, then you'll see," Penelo replied. "And I doubt you're faster than me, either."
"Wanna bet?" Vaan said, smirking. "Race you back to camp!" He took off before Penelo could reply, leaving her in the dust.
"Hey!" Penelo shouted. "That's cheating!" Vaan could hear her footsteps clanging over the metal platform behind him, but he didn't look back; laughing as hard as he was, he needed to focus to beat Penelo back to the others.

…

Balthier woke to the sound of popping sparks and the smell of burning tinder. He hadn't slept well that night; the hard metal floor of the oil rigs was hardly comfortable, and images of nethicite and that ghostly myst-creature spun in his head. According to Fran, Balthier's father had succeeded at freeing that thing, whatever it was, and that meant it was free to… do what, exactly? The creature had dropped some vague hints on that day at Nabudis all those years ago, and Balthier spent the sleepless night pondering those. He came up completely empty. Frankly, he was glad to open his eyes as Fran relit the fire and be free of the past's phantoms.
And then there was Fran… Balthier watched her from his bedroll for a few moments. The sun was barely rising in the background; it was probably a good thing she'd risen early to get them all moving. But what she'd said back in Barheim, and then in Lowtown… What was she hiding?
Oh, I've already thought that one to death, Balthier thought, rolling onto his back. A better use of my time is getting up and getting going.
That decided, Balthier sat up, banishing sleep's haze.
"Good morning, Fran," he said. "Up early as usual, I see."
Fran just nodded. She left the fire and walked over to the pile of travel packs heaped against the rig's central column, crouching to fish something out. Provisions, Balthier guessed. Oh, he'd have loved to know what she was hiding and why it was so important. Maybe he'd finally be able to trust her again.
Balthier climbed out of his bedroll and rolled it up, banishing the thoughts he'd already deemed unproductive. He deposited the roll with the rest of the cargo, then walked back to the fire. Everyone but Fran was fast asleep, even annoying Vossler, leaving the camp wonderfully still. A chorus of insects blended with the fire's crackling made a musical backdrop, melding perfectly with the bright sunrise. Everyone slept on. But not for long.
"Come on, everyone, wake up," Balthier called, loud enough to disturb the sleepers. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, and we'd best get started."
Vossler stirred, but that was the only response. Balthier waited a few moments as Vossler sat up, shaking his head.
"Oh, good, someone's awake," Balthier muttered to himself. Vossler said nothing, and Balthier left him to clear his cobwebs away. Penelo had woken, too, and she sat half in her bedroll, rubbing her eyes. After a few moments, she climbed out and knelt down next to Vaan, shaking him by the shoulder.
"Vaan, get up!" she said. Vaan rolled over, muttering something incoherent, and Penelo sighed. Balthier chuckled.
"I'll leave him to you." Balthier turned to Ashe, who lay in her sleeping bag. Her golden-blond hair splayed around her face, frizzed from a night of tossing. Whatever troubles she'd had sleeping before, she was still as a corpse now. All the stir around hadn't even affected her. At that moment, asleep and vulnerable, she looked no less a little girl than Penelo, though there were some years between them. Balthier felt almost bad about waking her, but they had to get moving. He was about to call out when he remembered Vossler's anger over his taking Ashe, and the man's vehement instructions to stay awayfrom her. Balthier figured it was best not to get on Vossler's bad side again; besides, he had no burning desire to try and get that sleeping princess awake.
"Vossler!" Balthier called. Vossler looked up from rolling up his own sleeping bag.
"What is it?" he said, frowning.
Balthier nodded to Ashe. "This one is all yours. Good luck."
Vossler glanced at Ashe, then Balthier. He sighed, then nodded, leaving his bag and going over to the sleeping princess.
Balthier glanced back over at Penelo and Vaan. Vaan was awake now, and they were both rolling up their bedrolls.
"You two ready to go?" Balthier said.
"We get breakfast first, right?" Vaan asked, looking up from his sleeping bag.
Balthier rolled his eyes. "Yes, but eat quickly. I want to be off before the sun is fully up."
Vaan glanced at the horizon, where the sun was just pulling itself from the sea of sand.
"Whoa, that soon?" he said, eyes wide.
"Yes, that soon," Balthier replied. "So I'd hurry if I were you."
"Roger," Vaan said, nodding. He returned to rolling his sleeping bag with renewed vigor. Balthier chuckled, then turned to the rapidly brightening horizon. He knew the sandsea became solid ground again at some point, but wherever that was, it was far out of his sight. They had a lot of ground to cover.

…

"Are we stopping soon?"
Balthier let out a long sigh at Vaan's complaint.
"You're the one who volunteered to come on this quest, so don't start whining when things get tough. It's best just to grin and bear it."
Vaan sighed, squaring his slumped shoulders and trying not to look exhausted. He was silent after that, and Balthier was glad for it. Frankly, the kid was doing better than Balthier thought he would. It was almost noon and Vaan had only asked that twice. The sun beat down without mercy, letting its searing rays wash like ocean waves over the party of travelers. The oil rigs provided little shade, even less now with the sun directly overhead. Everyone looked tired. Thoughts of a break flitted through Balthier's weary thoughts, so he really couldn't be annoyed with Vaan. He was just a kid, after all.
After they left the campsite, Vossler took the lead, just as Balthier expected. They ran into a group of rather large lizards sunning themselves soon after; they proved Balthier's hypothesis that the creatures of Jagd Yensa were both large and unfriendly. Unfortunately, he also learned that they scratched hard and bit even harder. The hot sun slowed reflexes, and after that fight they were all glad for Fran's healing magic.
"So, are we?" Vaan asked again. "Stopping soon. You said we'd break around noon, and it sure looks like noon to…"
Balthier made no attempt to keep his annoyance from leaking over his face, fixing Vaan with a sharp glare. It worked. The kid trailed off, giving him a nervous half smile.
"Uh, well, we don't have to," Vaan said, redoubling his effort to look less exhausted than he was. Balthier sighed and shook his head. The heat was making him irritable and he knew it, and that was the only reason for his short fuse.
"No, it's probably best if we do. Keep pushing under this sun and we'll fry ourselves."
"I agree." That came from Vossler, up at the front of the group. "Come on, everyone. Let's stop for now."
The band of weary travelers responded with an affirmative murmur. There was no decent shade anywhere in sight, so they settled in for water and a quick breather near the central column of one of the many oil rigs. Every one of the rigs looked exactly the same, and Balthier didn't think he'd have noticed if they'd gone in a completely circle; this could be the very same rig they slept on the night before and no one would know. The network of abandoned drills stretched for miles, all monotonously the same. Balthier felt sorry for whatever company spent the money to put in so many rigs, only to leave them rusting under the desert sun.
"Whew." Vaan sat down with a blustery sigh. He leaned back against the rig's column, his head hitting the metal with a loud thunk. If it caused him any pain, it didn't show. "We have water, right?" he said, eyes closed. Honestly, the kid looked pathetic.
"Yes, we have water," Balthier replied as Fran broke open the pack containing their waterskins and passed them around. Vaan grabbed his with wide eyes and guzzled it down like he was dying. Balthier refrained from such an undignified display. However, while he was restrained on the outside, Balthier couldn't help but think how glorious the cool liquid was as it drained down his throat.
Ashe opened her skin slowly, staring down into it like she'd never seen water before. She raised the flask to her lips with great care, closing her eyes in deep satisfaction when she finally tipped it back.
"Five minutes," Vossler said when he finished his water. "We'll take five minutes then move again."
"And you'll know when five minutes is how, exactly?" Balthier said, quirking an eyebrow.
"I have a good internal clock," Vossler replied.
"Oh, well, I'm sure that's awfully convenient for you," Balthier said with a scoff. Vossler gave him an unfriendly look but said nothing. Everyone had sat down by now, resting comfortably as they drank their water.
"So…" Vaan said after a few moments of silence. "How far away is Raithwall's Tomb, anyway?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Ashe replied, lowering her flask from her lips. "The legend says it's in a valley, beyond the sandsea."
"Dry ground can't be that much farther away," Vossler said. "That in mind, the journey should take… a week, at the very most."
"Then a week back, and off to your master plan?" Balthier asked.
"Don't talk about it like that," Ashe said, looking quite hurt. "Archadia took everything from us. Our home, our families…" Ashe sucked in a shaky breath. "We just want it back! We'll fight the Empire, and… take back what's ours."
"Yeah!" Vaan thumped down his water skin, voicing his approval with bitter resolve. "The Empire'll get what's coming to it! All those blasted Archadians had better be careful!"
"Mm," Vossler nodded, less verbal in his agreement but not less firm.
It was hard to just sit back and listen to that. Sure, Balthier had his own distain for the Empire; he could see and remember so clearly every battle of the war, every innocent citizen that fell to the Archadian juggernaut, and just as clearly he remembered the haughty nobles living in luxury in the heights of Archades. But he also most of those had no idea what went on in Dalmasca, and if they did, would have no desire to see it continue.
"Archadia certainly isn't faultless," Balthier said, careful to sound fully indifferent to the matter, "but I doubt everyone of Archadian blood is blood-thirsty and power-hungry."
"Yeah! What about Larsa?" Penelo said, turning imploring eyes to Vaan. "He was very kind to me! He said he'd do his best to help."
"Penelo!" Vaan said with a fierce frown. "Remember Reks? What about your parents? Archadia killed them! They died because of the Empire! And Larsa said he'd help? Then why are there still imperial guards in Rabanastre and Nalbina? Why do they still beat up us orphans for fun? Why do they take produce and never pay for it? Why do they lord over us, like they're so much better, just because they killed our families, destroyed our homes and ruined our lives? Larsa's a prince; he could change it! But he doesn't! You know why? 'Cause he's just another Archadian!"
Silence. The buzz of heat bugs and splashing of sand-waves all sounded very distant, and the party of weary travelers was swamped with silence. Penelo stared at the ground, looking like she might cry. Vaan's face was a picture of bitterness and anger, brow drawn together and mouth fixed in a firm frown, eyes set with resentment. Everyone sat in somber silence, save the echo of Vaan's words resounding in all their minds. In that silence, old, hated memories flooded Balthier's mind. The sight of that little girl at Lemahl, tangled blond hair sticking to her sooty, tear-stained face, crying among the ruins of her home, pleading for help. Daddy took Grampa's sword off the wall and said he'd be back soon… Balthier had said a thousand times he'd had no choice in any of that, that he hadn't wanted to fight it that battle, to kill that little girl's father, but however many excuses he made, he couldn't shake that fact that it happened. He did it. And the whole war began because his father had the nethicite. Balthier was as aware now as ever that he could have prevented the whole war, just by finding the courage to confront his father. All because of that, so many had died; Vaan's brother, Ashe's father and husband, his Reina…
Just another Archadian. He probably deserved that.
"Wait." Fran's voice broke the stifling silence. She stood, rabbit ears perked and brown eyes narrowed. "Listen. Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Balthier said, standing to face Fran. He greatly welcomed relief from that maze of memories and guilt. Fran held a finger to her lips in reply. Balthier said nothing and focused on listening. At first, he heard nothing but the rippling of sand far below. The sounds of insects drizzled in, along with the occasional bird call. Finally, a low creaking trickled through to his ears.
"Oh, I hear it," Penelo said. She rubbed the start of tears from her eyes with one arm, then stood. "It's like… a door hinge, sort of."
"Metal," Balthier said, growing grave. "Old, rusty metal, and it's not too happy about being disturbed after years in the desert. I suggest we get a move on to the next rig. I assume you agree, Vossler?"
Vossler nodded, standing. "Yes. We-"
Vossler broke off a loud groan split the air. The section of platform they stood on jerked, and the sound of snapping cables echoed off the rig's scaffolding.
"Go! Everyone run!" Vossler shouted. He grabbed Ashe by the hand and jerked her to her feet, then took off towards the edge of the platform. A bridge connected this rig to the next, the closest safe ground, and that was what he made for. No one needed any further prodding to follow; Fran, Vaan, and Penelo raced after Vossler. Balthier took the rear, trying to make sure Vaan and Penelo didn't lag behind. The ground shook again, the metal grating underfoot surging with a force that made Balthier wonder why it hadn't plunged into the sand below already. He raced along with the others, wishing that the Rozarrians hadn't abandoned their oil rigs, that he wasn't a hundred feet above the ground, and most of all, that he could run just a little faster. His relief at distraction was entirely replaced by desperation for survival. The ground shook one more time, then fell. With the floor dropping away, Balthier made one last leap for safety.
Balthier caught the bridge's edge by the tips of his fingers and dangled there over open air. A few moments he just hung there, trying to breath and get his bearings. He wasn't falling, he was still up above the sandsea, and solid ground was within reach. Vossler, Vaan, and Penelo stood safe just inches beyond his fingers. Glancing sideways, Balthier found Fran dangling next to him in similar fashion. With a jolt of panic, he realized Ashe was nowhere in sight, then spotted her with both hands clasped around one of Fran's ankles, eyes glued on the waves far below.
"ASHE!" Vossler knelt down, reaching over the edge and shouting the princess's name. The absolute horror in his eyes lessened as he spotted her. He breathed a sigh of relief, then called out. "Highness, are you alright?"
"Uh, for now!" Ashe called back, forcing her gaze back up towards her guardian.
"Yes, pleasantries are well and good, but could we perhaps focus on doing something?" Balthier said. He strained to pull himself up towards safety, his bad arm protesting with sharp pain at bearing his full weight. Balthier could see Fran's grip on the edge loosening; obviously Ashe's weight was dragging her down. But he couldn't help them until he was up on solid ground himself.
Vossler snatched Fran's hand just as her hold slipped. The two girls' weight combined nearly dragged him over the edge, but he managed to hold his ground. Unfortunately, Vossler's position, kneeling on the ground bent half over the edge, didn't give him enough leverage to haul Fran and Ashe back up to land. Balthier pulled harder, almost getting his arms over the edge. If he could just get up there to help Vossler…
"Hold on!" Vossler shouted, bending farther over the edge. Balthier could see Fran's hand sliding out of his.
"I… can't…" Fran gasped, glancing between Vossler and the sandsea far below.
"Fran, hold on!" Ashe cried. Balthier gave one last yank to get himself up. So close…
Fran lost her grip, and she plunged into open air. Balthier had no time to think; he ripped one hand away from the bridge, snagging Fran's as she fell by. The sudden increase of weight jerked on Balthier's one remaining grip, his bad arm, of course. Pain surged up his arm, and he gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on. It was a vain attempt. Balthier lost his grip, and all three of them sailed into empty air. Balthier vaguely heard Ashe screaming and Vossler shouting, but the sight of fast-approaching sand-waves below claimed his full attention. He thought for a moment that this was a horrifically anti-climactic way to die, and how frustrating it was that he would never put an end to nethicite or stop his father, never fix his mistakes, never right the wrong of that terrible war he could have stopped.
Then he hit the water.