CHAPTER 29

RAFA'S BATTLE

"Suit up, everyone!" Ramza said as he dressed himself in the morning. "We're heading out! Mustadio, get out of bed!"

"Unghhh... Guhhh?" Mustadio asked as he wearily opened his eyes and saw Ramza looking down at him.

"We're heading out," Ramza said again. "Hurry and get dressed."

"Okay..." Mustadio muttered, reaching down to the floor, grabbing his shirt and jamming it on.

"You sound well-rested," Ramza said. "How'd last night go for you?"

"Ummm..." Mustadio started to say.

"Pretty well, I'd say," Agrias said as she slid out from under Mustadio's sheets.

"Gyargh! Errr..." Ramza started to say, his face getting red. "...Oh, dear."

"What's wrong, Ramza? Did you-" Cloud asked as he walked over. He then shot a glance at Mustadio's bed and did a double take. "HOLY- Auuugh. Put some pants on, you two! Sheesh, yer makin' me sick."

"I talked with some of the locals at the feast last night," Cinna said. "They say they've heard there's a temple in the crater about 5 kilometers from town."

"Well, we'd better go there," Meliadoul said. "It sounds like a likely spot."

"Well, here we are, men," Delita said as his battalion of Ivalice troops arrived at the base of Phantom Crater and stood in front of a large, stone structure. "Here it is- the Phantom Waterfall Temple!"

"What do we do now, sir?" one soldier asked.

"We shall take positions at various spots on the terrain and attack Ramza and his friends when they come," Delita said. "Stay hidden and use the camouflage gear provided."

"Sir, may I have a word with you in private?" Admiral Miraz asked Delita.

Delita looked around. Captain Flite had his back turned. "All right," Delita said. "Over there, in the carriage. Go and hide yourselves, men!"

As Delita's troops scattered to conceal themselves, Miraz and Delita entered the red royal carriage that had once belonged to Queen Ovelia. "What is it, Admiral?" Delita asked.

"Sir," Miraz said, kneeling on the floor. "You know that my loyalty to the country of Ivalice is absolute."

"Yes," Delita said. "That's why you became an Admiral at such a young age, my boy. Continue."

"You also know that my loyalty to Queen Ovelia was totally unwavering," Miraz continued.

"Yes..." Delita said. "Get to the point, Miraz."

"When I saw the Holy Stone glow and protect Ramza Beoulve, whom the church has proclaimed a heretic, I wondered if there was more to this than I had been told..." Miraz said.

"What do you mean?" Delita asked, his left eyebrow raising. His left hand fingered the dagger in the hilt on his side (the same dagger that he had killed Ovelia with, mind you).

"I have often heard Count Orlandu's son, Olan, tell stories of how you achieved power while Ramza was battling the Lucavi," Miraz kept talking. "...And Ramza has denied killing the Queen countless times. Though I trust you, the story you tell is a bit contradicting."

"Yes?..." Delita said, his teeth clenched together and his hand on the knife.

"King Delita, Queen Ovelia and you found me in the slums and raised me almost like a son. I hope you'll be truthful to me, as I have always been to you," Miraz said.

"Don't stall like this," Delita snapped. "Talk."

"I want to know," Miraz said, standing up and facing the king. "Did Ramza Beoulve REALLY kill Queen Ovelia?"

"Well, uh..." Delita started to say. Miraz's gaze narrowed. Delita found Miraz's eyes dreadfully unpleasant. Those eyes stared right into Delita's very soul, and even though he knew Miraz didn't know the truth, he felt as if Miraz could feel all the lies Delita had told and see the blood on his hands from everyone he'd murdered. "(Those eyes bother me,)" Delita thought to himself. "(I guess there's no use denying it to him...)"

Delita took a deep breath and stood up to face Miraz in the eye. Since they were of equal height, this was an easy task. "No, Miraz," Delita said. "Ramza did not kill the Queen."

"But then, who did kill her?" Miraz asked.

Delita's lips curled into an inhuman sneer and he laughed through his nose. "Hmmm hmm hmmm. It was me," he chortled.

"What?! You?!" Miraz gasped, stepping backwards.

"Yes..." Delita said, almost towering over Miraz like a badger looking down upon a worm. "I did it. And would you like to know how?..."

Miraz stood silently, his stony gaze turning to an angry and worried one.

"Just... like... THIS!" Delita yelled. As quick as a flash, his dagger flew out and embedded itself in Miraz's stomach. Miraz didn't have time to cry out. He slumped over into the carriage's seat.

Just before he died, he heard Delita whisper into his ear "I'll tell Captain Flite it was an accident..."

Then all went black.

Delita stomped outside and shoved the whole carriage off a nearby cliff. The carriage crashed down the mountainside until it reached the bottom and smashed to pieces. Delita stood up and yelled. "Oh, no!!!"

"What is it, sir?" Captain Flite shouted as he ran up to Delita.

Delita looked at Flite with sorrow in his eyes. "Admiral Miraz was in the carriage when the ledge it was on gave way and it fell off the cliff!!!" he yelled. "Oh, he was one of my best men! How will we ever replace him?..."

"Davis, could you take us to Phantom Crater?" Cinna asked the old pilot when the group arrived back at the airship.

"Well, all right," Davis said. "Get on in."

"Up you go, Worker No.8!" Alma said as she and Rad shoved the robot on. Then everyone else got onto the ship and it flew onwards.

After about two hours, Davis set the airship down. "This is the last stable landing spot before the crater," Davis explained. "The terrain's too rocky to land anywhere closer."

"Thanks, Davis," Ramza said. "We'll take it from here. Thanks for everything."

"Good luck, you guys," Davis said. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for up there."

Ramza and the group disembarked from the airship and started walking towards the massive crater that was almost like another mountain.

"Man, this terrain's tricky," Malak said as he picked his way over rocks and potholes.

"It's wreaking havoc on my old bones," Orlandu groaned as he stumbled a few times and then managed to regain his balance.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Agrias asked as she stomped forward. "Feels as even as a gravel road to me."

"Agrias, wait up!!!" Mustadio called from the back. He ran and fell down a few times and then ran some more to catch up to her.

"Sheesh," Agrias snorted. "If you'd exercise more, you'd be able to handle this stuff better, geek."

"I'll exercise when I want to exercise!" Mustadio retorted. "HMMMPH!"

"What's with them?" Beowulf asked. "I thought once they slept together they'd be nicer to one another."

"Ahhh, they're in training to be an old married couple," Cinna chuckled. "They're pretty good, too!"

"Rafa, try to keep up with us," Reis called back to Rafa, who was slowly picking her way over the rocks.

"Oh, all right," Rafa said, breaking into a sprint across the ragged turf.

"Wait, Rafa, you're going too fast!" Meliadoul called. "Watch out for that hole!"

Rafa's right foot landed with about seven eighths of it hanging over the hole. Her weight caused her to tumble in and land on her foot. A loud CRUNCH was heard- the crunch that one hears when one pops a bunch of air pockets on a bubble wrap sheet at once- and Rafa wailed in agony.

"OWWWWW!!!" she cried. "It hurts! IT HURTS!!!"

"Rafa!!!" Malak and Ramza shouted at the same time. They ran over to her and helped her up. Ramza supported her on one side and Malak supported her on the other.

"Are you all right?" Malak asked.

"I... I think so..." Rafa said, trying to take a step with her foot. When she put it down on the ground, her foot slid to the side of the rest of her leg and she yelped like an upset puppy.

"Don't use that foot!" Ramza instructed. Rafa nodded. Ramza took a handkerchief and dried her tear-stained eyes. "Rad, get over here!"

"This is bad..." Rad (who had mastered his Chemist job) said as he felt the foot. "Looks like you've really pulled your leg muscles to the limit. If you try to walk any more, they may snap and break. You'll be out of commission until we have time to cast a Cure 4 spell on you. Until then, Worker No.8 will carry you."

"I'm sorry, Ramza..." Rafa said as Worker No.8 gathered her up in his metal arms. "I ran to save time, not slow us down..."

"It's all right," Ramza said. "You just worry about getting better. Worker No.8, take care of her."

"As you wish, master," Worker No.8 beeped as he began walking forwards with the other party members.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better in no time!" Alicia said as she and Lavian walked alongside Worker No.8.

"We'll keep you company until then," Lavian added.

"Thanks, guys," Rafa said. "By the way, why'd you decide to escape that chain gang?"

"Ahh, that desert was awful," Lavian said. "Do you know how brittle your pores get when you're out in the sun for sixteen hours a day?"

"Plus we weren't that good," Alicia said. "I kept hitting the foreman with my pickax."

"Are you sure that wasn't intentional?" Lavian asked.

Rafa giggled as she listened to Alicia and Lavian tell their stories of singing into cans and battling while chained up and metal-melting firecrackers. Finally, she yawned and decided to take a nap.

"How far up to the crater do you think it is?" Ramza asked Cinna.

"Won't be long now, dude," Cinna said. "About ten more minutes at most."

"Too bad you won't live that long."

Everyone stopped and looked around. The late-afternoon sky had grown astonishingly dark, and the voice seemed to have come from many places. "Who's there?!" Agrias yelled. "Show yourself!"

"The boss'll show himself when he's ready," a girl's voice said.

"Yeah, don't rush him, or he'll be REALLY mad," another girl's voice said.

"Those voices are familiar..." Mustadio growled. "I know I've heard them before..."

"I remember hearing them when Ramza, Mustadio, Rafa, Agrias and I were in Limberry Castle..." Orlandu said.

"I guess wisdom really does come with age," the first girl's voice said. "I guess we should show ourselves now."

Two devastatingly beautiful girls stepped out of the darkness. The first one wore all black dancing clothes and had two scimitars attached to her belt. The second was dressed all in pink dancing clothes and had two sets of nunchukus in her hands. "Did you miss us, boys?" they said at the same time.

"Celia and Lede," Ramza growled. "Elmdor's Assassins!"

"I take it you've met these lovely ladies before?" Cinna asked.

"Lovely, yes; ladies, no," Reis said. "They're vicious."

"That's not a pleasant thing to say. Well, Ramza, I guess you never forget a face," Lede giggled as she winked at Ramza. "You haven't changed a bit, cutie pie."

"We weren't workin' for Elmdor," Celia objected. "We were workin' for Ajora. That's why we're protectin' the last Mechannite now."

"But we killed you!" Orlandu protested. "You became Ultima Demons and we destroyed you! I picked up Lede's treasure box last time! I still have the Echo Grass that was in it!"

"Pshht," Celia said, waving her hand. "You really thought two voluptuous vixens like us were demons? Think again. That was just a cheap trick we pulled to ensure a smooth getaway. Ajora wouldn't want to loose us on such an easy mission."

"Besides," Lede said. "We didn't wanna die. You guys are too much fun to bug. That's why we thought it would be cool for us to be waiting for you along with the last Mechannite."

"The last Mechannite, huh?" Agrias growled. "Well, Bring 'im on!"

"But of course, Captain Agrias," the dark voice that had spoken before said. Suddenly, a biped, four-winged, mechanical red dragon stepped out between Celia and Lede.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked.

"I am Draco," Draco said. "I am the leader of the 12 Mechannites that guard the Phantom Waterfall Temple for Ajora until he returns. You have all done well to defeat my eleven counterparts, but now you face me. Your pilgrimage ends here."

"Hold on," Ramza said. "Ajora created you? How did he do that? He was just a human being with a lust for power that was able to somehow control the Lucavi. How'd he get hold of twelve robots as well?"

"Ajora had a crafty engineer working for him," Draco said. "An man named Germonik. That turncoat built us to be loyal to Ajora, and we stayed as such when Germonik fled. Ajora sent us here to guard the temple he built for casting his black magic."

"Germonik built you?!" Meliadoul cried. "History keeps getting weirder and weirder!"

"Enough talk," Draco said. "Time is short, and Ajora will rise again within the next cycle of the sun. It's time for us to destroy you. Celia, Lede, get them!"

Celia and Lede jumped in front of Draco and bared their weapons. "If you defeat them, I'll await your challenge," Draco said, fading into the darkness again. "Don't disappoint me."

"Just you and us, Ramza!" Celia shouted.

"We like a man who's flexible," Lede giggled.

"Fine," Ramza said.

"Be careful, Ramza," Agrias said. "No telling what they have up their sleeves."

"I'm hurt," Celia said. "You think we're cheaters?"

"Take a long look," Lede said. "We have nothing to hide."

"THAT'S for sure," Cloud chuckled as he looked at their clothing again.

"HYAAAAHHHH!!!" Celia yelled as she charged at Ramza from the right.

"HAIIIIYEEEE!!!" Lede cried as she flew in from the left.

"Hup!" Ramza shouted as he leaped upwards and Celia and Lede charged towards each other. A split-second before they collided, they leaped upwards and attacked Ramza.

"Taste cold steel!" Celia shouted as she diced at him with her scimitars.

"Eat this!" Lede yelled as her nunchukus smacked him in the chest and legs.

Ramza fell back down to the ground and rolled out of the way as more attacks came. He rolled under Lede as she ran towards him, leapfrogged off of her back and landed in a fighting position.

"Nice..." Celia said. "You're stronger than before, Ramza."

"But Draco gave us some nice upgrades too," Lede said. "Get a load of THIS! STOP BRACELET BEAM!!!"

Lede fired an instant-death ray that would have taken Ramza out of he hadn't slipped on a rock and fallen.

"Ramza..." Rafa whispered as she watched the battle.

"C'mon, Ramza, let 'em have it!" Alma yelled.

"Jab! Thrust! Uppercut!" Malak yelled. "YEAH!!!"

"Oh, those poor girls," Cinna said. "Why don't they go get decent jobs?"

"You're just a big old softie, aren't you?" Meliadoul muttered.

"Energy Star!!!" Celia yelled as she magically generated wave after wave of throwing stars that knocked Ramza backwards until he fell down again.

"What a pity..." Lede said. "I was hoping for more."

"More?..." Ramza asked as he looked up at them. "All right..."

Celia and Lede raised their feet and were about to crush his skull when Ramza pulled out the Monkey Stone and disappeared.

"What?! Hey, where'd he go?!" Celia shouted.

"Awww, isn't that just like a guy to have fun with you and then vanish?" Lede said. Suddenly, Ramza appeared behind them and put them both in a head lock.

"(Sniff) Man, you two smell great!" Ramza said just before he banged their heads together. They slumped to the ground, beaten. "...Just like strawberries in the springtime," he concluded.

"Nice job, Ramza!" Agrias called.

"You da man!" Cinna yelled.

"Urrrgh..." Celia groaned as she sat up. "I've got such a migraine..."

"Maybe the old guy's right..." Lede groaned. "At any rate, a normal job would be less painful than fighting Ramza."

"You won this round, Ramza, but we'll meet again!" Celia said.

"See you later, sweetie!" Lede said, planting a kiss on Ramza's lips faster than lightning. "Relax, there's no poison!"

"Ja ne!" both girls shouted at the same time and then threw down smoke bombs. When the smoke had cleared, they were gone.

Ramza checked his lips; there really wasn't any poison. He blushed for a moment, but then shook it off.

"Excellent..." Draco said as he reappeared. This time, candelabras with blue and purple-flamed candles and a circle with a picture of a dragon appeared with him. "I see why the others fell before you. But your time of reckoning is at hand! You shall regret ever having defied Ajora!"

"Ramza, we're coming to help!" Agrias yelled. She was suddenly stopped by a huge wall of fire that blocked off the battlefield where Draco and Ramza stood.

"I shall deal with your friends later," Draco said as he flapped his wings and began to hover in the air. "Drachen Fire."

Draco blew a huge blaze from his mouth that knocked Ramza backwards against the fire wall, which burned him and knocked him forwards again. Ramza dragged himself up and readied his sword.

"Accumulate!" Ramza yelled, charging his weapon with his own energy. He then ran up and slashed Draco across the face. The dragon fluttered backwards a few paces, but he didn't take a lot of damage.

"Metal Claw," Draco said, taking his claw and slashing Ramza across the chest, destroying his armor in the process. Ramza staggered backwards, but was able to stay upright.

"Yell!" Ramza called, yelling and increasing his agility. He ran forward faster now and slashed at Draco's wings. This caused Draco to waver and lose altitude for a few moments, but ultimately it was a weak hit.

"Tail Slash," Draco said, his scaly tail knocking Ramza back into the fire wall and scorching him again. Ramza managed to get up and face the dastardly dragon once more.

"Scream!" Ramza yelled, screaming as loud as he could and filling himself with new energy. He took another swipe and managed to cut off Draco's tail. Black oil oozed out of the wound, which closed up quickly.

"You are indeed brave and admirable, Ramza Beoulve, but the day is mine," Draco growled. His chest opened to reveal a huge cannon. "Magma Beam."

A deadly wave of hot lava shot out of Draco and covered Ramza. It seared his skin and left horrible burn marks. He fell backwards, out cold. The fire wall receded.

"Ramza... No..." Rafa cried. She started to squirm in Worker No.8's hands. "Worker No.8, let me go!" she said.

"As you wish, master," Worker No.8 said as he let Rafa go. She landed on the ground and howled in pain.

"What did you do that for?!" Alicia scolded as she helped Rafa up.

"I've gotta save Ramza..." Rafa panted.

"She's talkin' crazy!" Cinna said. "She'll just get herself killed!"

"Don't do it, Rafa!" Malak protested. "I've already lost my parents... I don't wanna lose my sister."

"I don't want to lose the man I..." Rafa started to say, and then gasped in pain from the foot again.

"Rafa..." Lavian said. "...I understand. Here, use this."

Lavian pulled out the Rabbit Stone that Rad, Alicia and she had gotten when they had bested Astro Hare. "I don't know if it will help your foot, but it'll keep you safe."

"Thanks, guys," Rafa said as she took the stone. It glittered once, and Rafa was sealed in a set of golden armor. Her foot felt as good as new. "ALL RIGHT!" Rafa cried. "I'm coming, Ramza!!!"

Rafa raced past everyone else and confronted Draco. "Oh, another that wants to die young?" Draco asked.

"It's OK, Ramza," Agrias said as she dragged Ramza into a sitting position. "You're gonna be OK."

"Man, he's burned worse than moth in a candle!" Cinna remarked.

"Dragon Cure!" Reis called, healing Ramza and then fainting. Ramza looked up.

"...Rafa?... What're you doing?..." he asked quietly.

"Leave my friends alone!!!" Rafa yelled. "HEAVEN BOLT!!!"

Miraculously enough, all 5 blasts hit Draco dead on and actually damaged him.

"You are strong, but can you withstand this?" Draco asked. "Drachen Fire."

The flames didn't even singe Rafa's armor. "SKY DEMON!!!" Rafa called, the 7 blasts hitting Draco one after another with pinpoint precision.

"You are indeed powerful," Draco growled, signs of perspiration appearing on his brow. "But not even you can survive this. Magma Beam."

The fiery attack that had beaten Ramza went straight through Rafa, and the armor didn't even get burned.

"You're not going to take away the man I love!!!" Rafa shouted angrily as she grabbed her Octagon Rod and charged at Draco. "HYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

With a quick motion, Rafa thrust her rod straight through Draco's stomach. The robotic dragon floated there for a moment before looking down. "...So that's why Ramza is so strong..." Draco said. "...He has formidable friends. I admire your strength, Rafa. Farewell!"

Draco exploded, spewing shrapnel and other things every which way. The darkness faded and the late afternoon sun shone through again. The Dragon Stone sat in the palm of Rafa's hand.

"That's the Dragon Stone!" Cinna exclaimed. "That's the best stone of all. It allows the user to fire massive volleys of fire from his or her hand! You rock, Rafa!"

Everyone started congratulating Rafa. She just blushed and smiled. Just then, the armor faded away and Rafa landed on her butt. Her foot began to hurt again. Ramza walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

"Rafa..." he said. "What you said in there... Did you mean that?..."

Rafa looked at Ramza with happy tears in her eyes and a smile on her face and threw her arms around his neck. She pressed her face into his left shoulder. "...Every word of it," she whispered.

Ramza put his arms around her as well and hugged her back. "I've loved you for a long time, too..." he said quietly. "Ever since that day I held you..."

"What?" Rafa asked.

"You don't remember?" Ramza asked. "I didn't think you would. You were only a few weeks old..."

(Flashback)

"Hurry up, Ramza," Balbanes Beoulve, Ramza's father, called as he motioned to his son. "We're here."

Ramza's heart raced with excitement. Balbanes was taking him on a trip to visit some friends in Pokte Village, a small town near Riovanes Castle. The people here had darker skin because there was a lot of sunlight and not much natural cover, but they were as nice as anyone else.

"Come along, Ramza," Balbanes said as he opened a door and walked in. "Ah, Ralfak! How nice to see you again!"

After Ramza had been introduced to Ralfak and his wife Malla, Balbanes said he could go and play with their son, Malak. "He should be in the nursery with his sister Rafa," Balbanes had said. "Just be quiet; Rafa's probably asleep."

Ramza walked into the nursery and looked around. The walls were painted blue and had clouds and birds on them, and many stuffed toys were littered about. A little boy of Ramza's age was sitting near a crib and reading a book.

"Hello," Ramza said. "Are you Malak?"

"Yeah, I'm Malak," Malak said as he got off the chair. "Who're you?"

"I'm Ramza," Ramza said. "My dad's a friend of your dad."

"Oh," Malak said. Suddenly, a baby began to cry. "Oh, no!" Malak exclaimed. "I must've woke up Rafa!"

Ramza followed Malak over to the crib, where Malak hoisted out a baby girl. She was sobbing loudly and kicking her legs this way and that. "I dunno what's wrong," Malak complained as he tried to calm her, but to no avail. "She acts like this a lot."

"Can I try?" Ramza asked. "I promise I'll be gentle."

"Well... OK," Malak said, handing the blubbering infant over to the toddler. Almost instantly, Rafa quieted and started gurgling happily. Ramza looked down and saw Rafa looking up at him with big, red eyes. Though he was only three, a blush crept over Ramza's face.

"Your sister's cute," Ramza said.

"Yeah," Malak agreed. "I... uh-oh."

"What?" Ramza asked.

"(SPLORCH)"

Both boys looked down to see that Rafa had just spit up on Ramza's shirt. "Well, at least she's not crying anymore," Ramza laughed. Malak laughed too.

Rafa yawned deeply and fell asleep in Ramza's arms. "Hmmm..." Ramza said as he slowly put Rafa back in her crib.

"Wow, I've NEVER seen anyone get Rafa quiet THAT fast!" Malak exclaimed after Ramza and he had left the room. "How'd you do it?"

"I dunno," Ramza answered. Just then, he heard his father calling for him. "Oh! I gotta go. Bye, Malak," he called as he ran towards Balbanes' voice.

(End Flashback)

"Awwwww," Mustadio chuckled. "They're soooo cute."

"Shut up," Agrias growled, smacking Mustadio across the head. "You're ruining it!"

"Swell, guys," Cinna said. "Just swell. May I bestow a tune upon you?" He grabbed his lute and began to play a romantic melody.

"Quit it, merry minstrel," Meliadoul said. "I hate to break this up, but we'd better hurry. You heard what Draco said. Ajora's gonna be up and about within a day!"

"Right," Ramza said, carrying Rafa back to Worker No.8 and putting her in his arms. "Lavian, start working on a Cure 4 for Rafa. When she's better, we're all headed for the crater and the temple. We must find it and stop Ajora from returning to this world!"

"Don't forget about Ovelia," Cloud piped up.

"Oh, yeah," Ramza said. "I forgot."