Final Fantasy Tactics:

Bitter Blood

By King Salad

Chapter One

Rating: PG-13

Reason: Mild Bad Language, Violent Content.
Summary: Five Years after FFT. Ramza and Alma are living on a farm, in the farthest corner of Ivalice, they're happy and have many new friends, but when a Odd Cult kidnaps the newborn princess and injures Delita, he sends for his old friend once more… *SPOILERS*

Author's Notes: Well I'll be damned. My review bot isn't working, or wasn't. So I didn't notice the review I got when I made mine. Sorry about that. Anyway, here's the second episode.

Chapter I Growing Shadows

Episode 02: The Dead of Night

Leo Cyneburga's sneer only grew when Oaks was kicked out. He loved it. Tormenting her was a great thing. She was a hero, a friend of the Queen, and had worked her whole life trying to attain her Holy Knighthood. He on the other hand was no more than a warrior who had some skill and killed some thieves to become her equal in a day to what took her almost twenty years.

"Leonardo, you're report?" Delita said in his cold voice, the same he used on Agrias and Ovelia. Ovelia had left, gone to her room in a huff. Delita didn't care. She'd get over it. She always did, even if it meant she slept the night in the other room with her daughter.


Sarah Hyral, their daughter, was now four years old. The only daughter and child of Delita and Ovelia. Usually when she was mad at him, she'd sleep in their daughter's room beside her crib. Agrias usually came in around midnight to find the young queen bent over her daughter's crib asleep.

"Yes, of course your majesty." Leo spoke with an air of respect but still with a hint of superiority in his voice. "We found the Goblins base, it's the place they call 'Rat Cellar' in the desert by Gariland. The Great Goblin they call Moblin is dwelling there. Two of my best Lancers, Idris Brennus and Roland Bedivere have several Black Sheep outside of it; we have them under siege but can't attack."

 "Why?" The King asked at once. He was sick of these Goblins; the "Lion War" had drained the people of faith in government, if these attacks with Goblins became a war of their own it would be the downfall of his rule, weather they won or not.

"We were attacking, but as we drew near of the main base our Knights were attacked by a group of Wizards. Black Mages, Time Mages, a couple of White Mages too. They lined the inner wall of Rat Cellar and have been throwing spells at us for three days. All of them dressed in black."

Delita paused and reflected on this. Wizards and Priest and Time Mages all working for Goblins? Not only was this odd, it was unbelievable. Goblins ate men, all men, Wizards too, but now they were working together?

"These mages are they--"


Delita began, but the Dark Knight cut him off.

"Lucavi's Hand? Could be. We have no proof, but I wouldn't doubt it."

The same silence followed these words as it had done for three years. Lucavi's Hand. They were a cult. When they started three years ago they were only a small band of Chemist and Squires and a few Wizards, and pretty harmless. Then the Church branded them a heretic cult for donning the symbol of Lucavi*. After they became Heretics, they started wearing mask and became larger. As if all of the thieves and enemies of Glabados joined. Their leader, a man named Thanatodin, had never been seen by any but a few Lucavi's Hand members. The Hand had become dangerous in the last year as well, when they started killing those who denounced them. Three high ranking priest, including Cardinal Romia's understudy, High Priest Zachias. Romia now had the Shrine Knights out in force looking for them. And Heretic catchers were in full force. But The Hand lived on.

"We have to do something about them Leo, we have to. You will never know what I had to do to become King; I won't let them take this from me. I still have a sword, I still have the skills. If they want to see Delita Hyral's fury they will."

The Dark Knight said nothing. The King was a fool. He was wise and strong, yes, but he was a fool. The Hand couldn't be stopped that easy. It would take a war to stop them. Leo didn't mind a war if it came to that.

*****

Agrias was moving now. It was almost four hours since her meeting with Delita. She was on the march with Orlandu on their way to Rat Cellar. It was still the dead of night. She was preparing for bed, already dressed in her night gown and had locked up for the night when T.G. Cid came pounding on her door, saying that there was something going on. Idris Brennus, the ranking Lancer in charge of the siege, had led a squad to raid the back of Rat Cellar, but something went wrong. They vanished. It was a few days journey from Igros to Rat Cellar, but they could make it faster by cutting a line through the wild. With T.G. Cid and Agrias Oaks they had no need to fear the monsters out there. Besides, all of the Goblins (Well most of them) were no longer in the woods.

They were on Chocobos, riding like the wind. The old Holy Swordsman was in front, his long silver blade out in front of him like a lance. Agrias was behind him, her long sword gilded with gold was in her hand as she rode. They'd be there within two days at the most, which was making rather good time.


But even as they did they hadn't seen the Goblins on the hill. Scouts sent out to look for any who'd approach this way. With them was a Bomb, the large red beast, writhed of living flame, was behind them floating above the ground giving off a scorch on the grass. The Goblins prodded it and growled at it in some primitive language that no human could ever speak and it leapt down at the Knights and their Chocobo steeds. The blast exploded on them, about three feet behind Cid and six in front of Agrias. Two Knights who were riding between them and both were killed instantly. Cid was thrown from his Chocobo onto the ground, but he drew himself quickly. His arm had been broken, but it didn't matter, he had a second one. He drew up his sword which had dropped and hadn't done it a moment to soon, a Goblin had charged at him but with a great swipe of his silver blade he stabbed through the Goblin's chest.

Agrias had fallen, he Chocobo was on top of her and her sword was missing, fallen somewhere. Two Goblins were on their way towards her, stopping to check the two knights the bomb had hit. Agrias knew she didn't have much time, but the pain in her chest and shoulders was unbearable. She could feel a sticky cold wetness on the back of her hair. She drew herself up, ignoring the dark red blood that was dyeing her hair and sat up. She couldn't feel her legs, they were still beneath the Chocobo, and she couldn't find her sword. But one of the fallen knights was close by, and his gun had fallen. For the first, and last, time in her life she felt glad of Leo Cyneburga and his order that all Black Sheep should carry the guns Mustadio had built for them. And she was also glad that Leo had planted one of the Black Sheep in her own brigade, because it saved her life. She drew the gun up, it was a struggle to reach it, but she did. One of the Goblins now saw her moving and made his way over her, but she blasted off a round of the gun into its face, knocking it back. It didn't kill it, but it harmed it well enough that it and its partner drew back.

Another Knight with them, who was still alive, stood up with his sword drawn and charged at the Goblins. They turned, one grabbing him by his back and the other breaking his neck. The Knight fell, but not before sticking his sword into the one holding his back.

Agrias let off another round from the gun into the wounded goblin that she shot before, this time it fell down dead. Cid was close by, still in the midst of battle, two more Goblins dead at his hand. Agrias wanted to help, but at that moment it all went dark and she passed out, as she heard Cid crying "Master of all swords, Cut Energy!" and with that everything went black.

*****

His name was Warin Guerino, a guard in Goug Machine City. He was a Black Sheep knight in charge of watching "The Dome" as it was called, where Mustadio and his father worked. Worker 8 was really the guard, but the Black Sheep kept order whenever it wasn't such a big deal that an eight food robot was needed. When the meteor hit, half an hour ago, he had been across town. Now he was here. His bow was at his side, but what could he do? Six guards were already dead when they went to see what happened, Warin could see their bodies. There were many Black Mages. And a few Time Mages too. There was also a gang of thieves, who went into the dome and came out minutes later with odd machines and metal things. Then they carried it off on Chocobo back. Where to, he didn't know.

He quickly scuffled down a path, up a stepladder, and was now sitting on a small mound of rich brown earth, not far above the top of the dome. He could see the hole where the spell hit. The iron was broken and it was still burning with fire and smoke. The metal was melting and falling over. And he could see a body… it was Mustadio, or his father, he didn't know which one. One of them was dead. It was horrible seeing it.

He raised his bow, took aim and thought about it. If he shot at them, they'd find him and kill him. If he didn't, Leo Cyneburga would probably kill him for losing Mustadio's workshop to these thieves. He sighed. At least this way he knew he was doing the right thing.

He aimed it and was ready to fire when a sound caught his ears. He turned and looked into a man's face. Before he had time to even cry out, a sword pierced his side and he fell down the hill with a thud. The man was cloaked all in black; even his eyes were pitch as night. Thanatodin he was, Head of Lucavi's Hand.

"Be careful you fools! You missed a guard." He said in a cold and high pitched voice. "Now hurry and find the forwarder! I want that machine found! And the Zodiac Stone that powers it, as well. Now!"

*****

Aeris, the flower-girl who lived in Zarghidas' slum was walking down the street, selling flowers. She lived in these slums, where flowers were scarce, with her mother. And of course Cloud, her . . . what was he? She could have said friend, or bodyguard, or boyfriend. The man never talked enough for her to really know. But she felt safe around him. Like . . .

She couldn't think anymore about Cloud, she was near the bad area. All of the slums were bad, but she was near the real bad part. And it was nighttime, and it was worse at night. Before he came she never went this way, it was nothing but thieves and murderers and rapist and war criminals hiding out. She hated it. It was a quick way to her house, and now that Cloud was here she could go that way. Yet she never felt quite safe.

As she was walking by she caught sight of a monk, a new one in town, who was eyeing her. She hated it when new thugs moved in. They usually found out that Aeris was out-of-bounds, and some spiky headed freak would show up and cause a lot of trouble if they messed with her, but not always.

"Hey baby."

She caught a smug and cold voice behind him. With a sigh she kept walking, but it came again. The cat calls again. Where was Cloud? She needed him right now. She hated seeing him fight with them, but she needed him.

"Yo' Dav, don'tcho go messin' wi'h her, she got some hell' ova boyfriend."

"Shut up. You t'ink I'm 'fraid o' some sh't like that?"

Aeris started moving faster, and so did the cat calls and footsteps. This new guy didn't get the message yet. He would. Cloud would come save her. He always would. She could feel him behind him, closing in.

"C'mon baby, why don'tcho come over 'ere"

Aeris closed her eyes, afraid of what could happen. She started moving faster, but she could feel his hand now on her shoulder. She stopped moving. The man's hands were now on her back, moving down . . .

"Argh!"

The man fell over, not quite dead, but he was bleeding something awful. Cloud reached down and wrapped one of his gloved fist around the man's bony throat.


"Leave her alone."

He said in a quiet and chilling voice. The man was making gargling sounds and Aeris had enough.


"Cloud, he didn't do anything. Don't kill him."

"He tried to do something."

"But he didn't. Cloud . . ."

The gold haired man let his gloved hand open and drop the man. He turned and look at some of the others sitting around looking at them.

"Get lost."

And Cloud put a protective arm around Aeris and started walking away towards her house, a happy smile on her face. . .

************

Notes: Much shorted than I thought it would be. Sorry about that. But I wanted to finish by tonight so *Shrugs* More coming soon. Also, as much as I screwed with Agrias and Mustadio in the last couple chapters I couldn't end on a sour note, so I added the Cloud/Aeris bit at the end. Anyway, I'll work on Chapter three today, should have it up sometime late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Anyway, next chapter I might introduce a couple of my original characters, so bear with me. I have to have some, too many people died in FFT for me to not use originals. Anyway, have a nice day folks, more coming soon. Oh! I almost forgot, I also have a FF sprite comic, using FF1, 2, 3 and such sprites. I haven't found a host site yet, so if anyone knows some free or cheap hosting sites that I could use to get my comic online, it'd help.

* Symbol of Lucavi, they didn't don the actual symbol of Lucavi, only a large black banner with a blue fist, covered in blood. It isn't the true symbol of Lucavi, but has become one. The reason for this is I don't know Lucavi's true symbol, as it wasn't talked about in Tactics.