Chapter Eight- Magitek Knight, General Celes
Pounding footsteps could be heard in what was otherwise a rather silent South Figaro. They belonged to a desperate young man who was fleeing for his life, his breathing deep and troubled. Finally, when he reached a corner, he rounded it quickly, plastering himself up against a stone wall. The brown-uniformed Imperial Soldier appeared a few seconds later, but in haste, only took a quick glance around the corner to see if the man he had been pursuing was anywhere near. However, all he saw at the end of the road ahead was a large Magitek Armor unit, stationed with a pilot inside.
"Hmm...there is no way he could have gotten past him." The Imperial Soldier reasoned, and turned back around, retreating back to his post. Once the coast was clear, the young man stepped out of hiding and let out a huge breath of relief.
"This is no good." Locke Cole said softly, and brought a hand to his chest, instantly being able to feel the beating of his racing heart. "I gotta get to Narshe on the fly!" He had done everything in his power to slow down the Imperial Soldiers, to the point of trying to steal supplies from them. (Ok, so maybe that was out of habit, but that wasn't the point.) Locke realized that there was a lot more of them than he could handle, and he decided the best thing he could do was just to return to Narshe and meet up with his friends. Perhaps by then, Terra would have been able to 'speak' with the Esper, and they would all be saved.
However, getting out of South Figaro would be difficult. Not only was Locke a semi-wanted man now for causing a ruckus with the Empire's soldiers, but all entrances and exits in the town were being blocked my Magitek Armored guards so that none of the townspeople could escape or leak information to anyone else of South Figaro's occupation. If any of the other nearby towns found out about this, they would prepare themselves and try to fight the Empire. The only people who seemed to be accepted in the streets of Figaro by the soldiers without too much harassment were the merchants who fluttered from soldier to soldier, trying to take advantage of their presence and make a few good sales. Locke sighed and turned, climbing the stone staircase he was nearby, and crept into an item shop.
Inside, the only people were the store's owner and a merchant, who was admiring the beauty of a grandfather clock in a corner. Locke stepped up to the merchant, hoping he might know something that could help Locke escape. Merchants usually knew a lot of trade secrets about these cities, including secret passages that slaves would use to escape from their masters in the ancient days.
"Hey..." Locke began, trying to be as friendly as possible, despite his troubling situation. The merchant turned around, and snickered behind his blue and tan hood.
"You're that thief Locke Cole, aren't you?" He asked dumbly. Locke blinked and turned red, balling up his fists.
"Call me a treasure hunter, or I'll rip your lungs out!" Locke bellowed, and dove on top of the merchant. The person behind the counter of the store blinked and looked away, pretending to be occupied with something else.
"Ahhh!" The merchant shrieked, and suddenly, Locke got a brilliant idea. Instead of brutally beating this jerk, he could use him for something else! With a quick un-buckling and un-buttoning of a few articles of clothing, Locke jumped up and pulled the merchant's robes off with him. Locke quickly tugged them on over his own clothes, and pulled up the hood that would hide his face from the glaring noon sun...or from Imperial Soldiers, in this case. The freshly-stripped merchant, horrified, looked down at himself only in boxers and shrieked.
"These are a little tight, but the price was right!" Locke exclaimed, and did a little victory dance. the merchant jumped up and took off running out of the store, shouting "Sorry!!!!" on his way out. Locke looked after him only briefly and turned to the woman behind the counter. She didn't refrain from laughing and put her hands on her hips.
"Surely, you must have a reason for your actions." She said. Locke nodded and leaned over the counter.
"I need help getting out of here." He confessed. "I have to meet a few friends up in Narshe soon."
"Hmm...you should see what Master Duncan's wife has to say about that." The woman said. "She's been living here longer than I. She might know something. Her home is just south of this shop."
So with that, Locke left and traveled back down the stone staircase to a small house he had passed before. The door however, was wide open, and he could see an elderly woman standing on her staircase and sweeping dust away with her straw broom. She looked up at Locke and offered a warm smile.
"Hello young man, can I help you?" She asked.
"Are you Master Duncan's wife?" Locke asked in a somewhat sensitive tone. If she was, she would surely be upset considering the fact that Duncan was recently slain.
"Yes sir, I am." She said and stopped sweeping, looking up at him.
"Oh, great!" Locke exclaimed quickly. "Do you know anything about secret passages that can lead out of town?" She looked up for a moment in thought, and then nodded.
"I'm sure there is a hidden passage under the richest man in town's house." She said. "Find the room in their home that is drafty."
"Thanks a lot!" Locke said, and gave her a charming smile. She chuckled and waved him off, returning to her chores.
She actually didn't seem too upset. Locke thought to himself silently. I wonder what has got her so cheerful? He shook his head and begin to think as he wandered the streets of South Figaro. So, there is a passage that may lead out of town under the rich man's house.
Locke looked up from the streets and blinked. He could easily tell which house that was...right up north of town, there was a huge mansion that was surrounded by uniformed Imperial Soldiers. Locke was sure that they were using that home as their base, which did not make things for him any easier. Suddenly, a little kid with blonde ringlets ran out in front of Locke, causing Locke to run right into him. The kid yelped and crashed to the ground, rubbing his bottom.
"Ahhh...sorry." Locke said quickly, as the kid pulled himself up.
"You'll pay for this!" The kid grunted, and dusted off his green overalls. "My grandfather was once a servant for the richest man in town, and..."
"Wha...Really?" Locke exclaimed, and grabbed the kid by his shoulders. "Let me see your grandfather, immediately!" The kid blinked and shrugged.
"Ok, whatever." The kid said, and jerked a thumb back towards a small home behind them. He led Locke inside, and up to a small room where an old man was crouched over a small table. The boy gestured for Locke to go further in, and walked away. Locke gulped and cleared his throat. But before he could say a word, the old man beat him to it.
"Bring me some cider, and I might talk to you."
Locke blinked and opened his mouth to reply, but however...
"Go on. Bring me some cider."
"......Riiiiiight." Locke trailed off, and swiftly turned to leave the room. He was surprised to see the blonde boy right behind him.
"You're a merchant, right?" He asked. Locke almost said no, but he then realized he was still in his merchant garb and nodded.
"Well, then it will be easy for you to pick up some cider at the cafe." The boy said, and stepped back, his hand pointing to a backdoor of the house. "Since you're a merchant, you may proceed." Locke thanked him and walked out the door, finding himself in a part of town that had been blocked off the soldiers in Magitek Armor. He immediately went over to the cafe, deciding that the sooner he got this cider, the better. As soon as Locke stepped in, he was hit with the scent of smoke and alcohol. Apparently, this was a hotspot for Imperial Soldiers. As Locke walked about, looking for someone who could possibly assist him, he could hear a lot of the drunken soldier's loud conversation.
"That clown, Kefka, is on the verge of invading Narshe."
"Yeah, I know, it's our detached force that is making it's way up there. We'll be linking up with them soon."
God... Locke thought, resisting all his urges to pull out his knife and do a number on them. Narshe was definitely in danger....
"You know what?"
"Huh?"
"I heard they locked up one of our generals! She turned traitor! She's somewhere in town, I think."
"It was a she? That probably means it's..." Their conversation died out as Locke made his way down a flight of stairs and into the merchant's quarters of the cafe. Inside was a single man, stuffing a ton of merchandise into his sack. Locke spotted a bottle of cider on the table, and reached out to take it.
"HEY YOU!" The merchant squealed, glaring in Locke's direction. "You come to steal MY cider? You THIEF!" Locke's face turned an angry shade of red as he reached for his knife and....
"Swoosh!"
In blinding speed, Locke raced past the merchant and did a quick swipe of his knife. When he regained his normal composure and slid the knife back in it's sheath, the merchant's clothes promptly fell into a shredded pile on the floor, leaving the merchant in his birthday suit. Locke chuckled to himself as the merchant squealed again, and took off running, shouting "Sorry!!!!"
Locke grinned and took the cider, running as fast as he could manage back to the old man's house. When he arrived, he delivered the bottle of cider to the old man, which immediately seemed to get him talking as he reached out for his cup on his desk to pour himself a cup.
"My grandson told me what you wanted." The old man said. Glug Glug. "This secret passage? Well, there is one here that lead's to the rich man's house, and there is one there that leads out of town. Just give my grandson the password." Glug glug glug! "The password is...." He paused for a moment and hiccupped. "I forget!"
"Great..." Locke muttered, and left, feeling slightly disappointed. Once again, he was immediately confronted by the strange little boy.
"If you're a merchant, you should know the password!" The boy squeaked. Locke looked as blank as Edgar's weekend date list.
"Give me a hint?" Locke asked hopefully. "I uh...haven't been back here in a while, you know." The kid looked skeptical, but shrugged.
"Well, you did manage to get cider with no problem." He said. "Ok, here's your hint. It's one of these three words: Courage, Rosebud, or Failure. All three of them are passwords for South Figaro, but which one is correct...?" Locke sighed and thought for a moment. It was a wild guess, but...
"Courage?" Locke suggested in a tiny voice, hoping that he could judge by the boy's face whether he was right or not. He could quickly deny his answer if he was wrong.
"CORRECT!" The boy exclaimed. "It was really obvious, wasn't it?"
"Yeah...?" Locke said dryly, feeling a sense of relief run through him. The boy kept smiling as he scuttled away to what seemed to be a small switch on a wall. When he pulled down on it, a door seemed to magically appear behind Locke. Locke entered, and began a short journey through a dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, Locke spotted a ladder and climbed up it quickly, pushing open a trap door that was above his head. When he emerged, Locke found himself around the corner of a very large home. He soon realized that this was the mansion that held the underground route for him to escape! Walking around the corner, Locke came to a door and immediately slipped inside the mansion before anyone could spot him. But to his horror, he found a group of soldiers waiting for him inside! Locke gulped and was about to take off running when one soldier looked over at him briefly and merely shook his head.
"We're not buying anything." He snapped. Locke blinked and realized he was still dressed as a merchant. Playing it cool, he gave a slight smile.
"Oh, I'm here by appointment to see the master and mistress of the house." Locke said. One of the soldiers pointed up the staircase that was nearby, and then they all proceeded to ignore Locke, going back to their conversation. As Locke approached the staircase, he accidentally bumped into a woman dressed in a crimson maid's uniform with long blonde hair in a ponytail.
"Don't mind them." she said softly. "The imperial troops have turned this house into their headquarters...I think it has something to do with Mr. Muyo." Locke realized this must be the owner of the home. He nodded a little and continued up the stairs, entering a hallway with three doors. He could hear children laughing and playing in the last two, so he entered the first to see if he could find this Mr. Muyo. The door already being ajar, Locke kicked it open with his foot a little and found a man and a woman in a nicely kept bedroom, the man weeping and crying on the bed by the woman's side.
"Oh, what have I done!?" He cried, as the woman handed him her handkerchief. "I betrayed the town, and I didn't even need the money!" Locke didn't say a word as the woman looked up at him and seemed to make a face that said "I just don't care anymore."
"Are you the repairman?" She asked. "Well, you must be...but why are you dressed as a merchant?" Locke smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, getting used to being everyone else now except himself.
"Well, the town in a little rough right now." Locke explained. "I have a little more flexibility this way."
"I see!" The woman said, and jumped up, clapping her hands together. "You see, there is always this nasty draft in our bedroom. Do you think you could find a way to prevent it?" Locke tried not to grin too hard when he remembered that this was what Duncan's wife had instructed him to search for.
"Sure, no problem." Locke said, right as the man began to wail louder. This must have been Mr. Muyo. Locke slid past them and did indeed feel a very cool draft. However, there almost seemed to be a moistness to the air as well. Pressing his palms against the wall, Locke felt about and tried to see if this draft was from a crack or perhaps a secret door. However, he didn't get any impression of there being a secret entrance until he reached the bookcase in the room. The draft was strong here, and when Locke inhaled, he good smell the very, very subtle hint of a perfume of some sort. He also noticed that the bookcase wasn't even pressed directly up against the wall. The space was big enough for a man to slip through. Cautiously, Locke slipped in between the wall and the bookcase and let out a short gasp as he stumbled backwards and onto his rear into a much darker and colder area.
"What the heck?" Locke said to himself as he stood up and looked around. He was in a short stone hallway that turned a corner and was dimly lit by a few candles on the walls. In the distance, he thought he heard the echoes of voices, but he wasn't sure. He was either in one of those secret paths or a basement! The extra layers of robes were too hot and heavy for Locke in the humid basement, so he immediately shed them and left them in a heap as he walked forward cautiously. The perfume scent was stronger now. It definitely wasn't a cologne, like a man would wear. It was light and almost...rosy. Locke turned the corner and came to a doorway that was made of heavy wood, but had a small window in it that was covered with jail bars. Now that he could hear better, Locke realized that there were definitely voices, and they were coming from this room. He nearly hit the ceiling when he heard the echo of a hand flying across something that let out a moan of pain. Locke stood on his tiptoes and peered through the bars on the door.
Inside the room was three people, and a chair. However, two of those people were Imperial Soldiers, and the third was a young woman in what looked like a green combat leotard and a white cape that was stained with blood chained to a wall. Her head was hanging, so all you could see was her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders and face, along with a blue bandana that was tangled in it. Her long, pale legs were also covered in bruised, blood, and scratches, and looked as if they would collapse from under her at any minute. When she looked up, Locke thought he had almost been spotted. Her ice blue eyes seemed to peer directly into his, sending a chill down his spine. However, he realized that she was not looking at him, but at the soldier in front of her. Her complexion was pale but twisted into a glare full of hatred and bitterness. Locke let out a slight, startled breath as she parted her soft pink lips to speak, and he just couldn't figure out what his problem was. It was then that he realized who she was.
"I've seen her before!" Locke mumbled to himself. "Of course, she's one of the Empire's generals...." When the woman began to speak, the soldier in front of her hauled back and slapped her across the cheek, sharply making her head snap to the side. Locke cringed, but silence remained on her lips.
"That's what happens to traitors!" The soldier exclaimed, and Locke raised his eyebrows. The other guard cackled.
"And the mighty Celes has fallen!" He grinned, and put his hands on his hips. Locke didn't say a word as they carried on.
"How can you serve those cowards...?" Celes asked, her voice small and weak. For some reason, Locke just knew it wasn't like that normally. He was almost positive that she was not just an elite General of the Empire because of her pretty face. She was up there in the ranks of Kefka, and she was quite famous for various mass invasions and massacres that she had led as a young girl. In fact, she was still young, as far as Locke knew, not even an adult yet.
"Hold your tongue!" The first guard bellowed.
"Isn't it TRUE that Kefka is planning on poisoning the people of Doma to the East?" Celes pressed on, but was interrupted by the other angry guard.
"SHADDUP!" He yelled, and pulled out his sword. Locke gasped and did all he could not to dive into that suicide zone as the guard took the hilt of the sword and smacked it against the back of Celes' head. Her eyes widened for a second before quickly closing, along with her head dropping down and her legs collapsing completely from underneath her. Her chains made a loud jangle as her body pulled down on them violently. The chains were the only things holding her body back from completely slamming into the stone floor.
"I'd HATE to be in your shoes tomorrow!" The guard that made the final strike smirked, and looked to his partner. "Keep a close eye on her!"
"Yes sir!" The other one exclaimed as he saluted. "I can go for days without sleep sir!" the other soldier nodded and turned to leave. Locke gulped and suddenly leaped up into the rafters before he was caught. The soldier left the cell and slammed the door behind him. When Locke was sure he was gone, he climbed back down and peeked through the bars again. Loud snores hit him as soon as he did, for the other guard had promptly fallen asleep in the chair in the cell. Locke sighed and put his hand on the ice-cold steal handle of the door, tugging it open. What was he doing? What was this...that he was feeling? the feeling was foreign and yet so familiar...painfully familiar... Locke walked into the cell and pulled a pin out of his pocket. He took each one of Celes' shackles around her wrists and picked them open. On the second one, Celes fell forward, but he managed to catch her in his arms just in time. He was suddenly shocked though when Celes lifted her face and gave him an icy stare fogged with confusion.
"Ahhh..." Locke gulped. Celes blinked and the sudden confusion was gone and replaced with 100% pure ice.
"And who might you be?" Celes questioned coolly. She made an indication with the look on her face that she did not want to be touched, and Locke promptly let her go, letting her back away slightly and rest on her knees.
"I'm with the Returners." Locke replied in a serious tone. "My name is Locke Cole. I...I didn't expect you to be awake."
"I faked it." Celes said calmly. "They were beginning to annoy me..." Locke widened his eyes, but Celes continued on. "I used to be General Celes Chere..." She trailed off and looked away, the first time she had averted her eyes from his since their meeting. "...But now I'm just a common traitor..." Locke smiled a little and held out his hand to her.
"Lets go!" He exclaimed, and Celes looked up at him sharply.
"!?.....You'd take me along?" Celes asked, hesitantly and then suspiciously. "Thanks but no thanks... I can barely walk as it is..." Celes stood up shakily and took a step, and then another. She looked troubled when she realized that she was not fooling him, and quickly returned to her knees on the floor to return to his level of sight.
"I'm grateful, but..." Celes sighed. "Even if you got me out, you would never be able to protect me. No, I think I'm better off here..." Locke stopped her by pressing a finger to her lips, much to her surprise. The young general was not used to being silenced by anyone.
"I'll protect you!" Locke exclaimed. "Trust me....Celes, you'll be fine!" Locke winked and Celes blinked in return. "Now, lets go!" Celes reached up, taking Locke's finger from her lips and dropping his hand quickly.
"Wait." She said. "This soldier has something important on him..." Celes nodded her head in the sleeping soldier's direction, and Locke stood up, instantly spotting what they needed. Clipped to the soldier's belt was a shiny silver key, one that looked ancient in design. Locke reached out and swiped it quickly, but suddenly, the soldier leaped up at Locke! Locke gasped and Celes clasped her hands over her mouth.
"....'n some bread too..." He moaned in his sleep, and suddenly flopped back in his chair. Locke nearly burst out into laughter and looked back to Celes, who didn't crack a smile at all. Instead, she stood up and brushed off her clothes, ignoring the blood that remained on her uniform. Looking to Locke, she nodded and allowed him to lead the way. Locke turned and left the cell, going in the direction Celes pointed by his side.
"This passage leads out." Celes said quietly, and so, they began their way down the rest of the deadly silent hall. Locke looked back to Celes when they reached a new doorway, and they stopped for a moment.
"Is something wrong...?" Celes asked. Was he going to leave her behind after all?
"No..." Locke smiled weakly, a wave of painful memories suddenly rushing through him. There was something about Celes... something that reminded him of...
"We'll need this key inside here." Celes said, dropping the subject quickly. "Shall we go?"
"Yes, lets!" Locke exclaimed, and finally, Celes broke into a tiny smile.
Pounding footsteps could be heard in what was otherwise a rather silent South Figaro. They belonged to a desperate young man who was fleeing for his life, his breathing deep and troubled. Finally, when he reached a corner, he rounded it quickly, plastering himself up against a stone wall. The brown-uniformed Imperial Soldier appeared a few seconds later, but in haste, only took a quick glance around the corner to see if the man he had been pursuing was anywhere near. However, all he saw at the end of the road ahead was a large Magitek Armor unit, stationed with a pilot inside.
"Hmm...there is no way he could have gotten past him." The Imperial Soldier reasoned, and turned back around, retreating back to his post. Once the coast was clear, the young man stepped out of hiding and let out a huge breath of relief.
"This is no good." Locke Cole said softly, and brought a hand to his chest, instantly being able to feel the beating of his racing heart. "I gotta get to Narshe on the fly!" He had done everything in his power to slow down the Imperial Soldiers, to the point of trying to steal supplies from them. (Ok, so maybe that was out of habit, but that wasn't the point.) Locke realized that there was a lot more of them than he could handle, and he decided the best thing he could do was just to return to Narshe and meet up with his friends. Perhaps by then, Terra would have been able to 'speak' with the Esper, and they would all be saved.
However, getting out of South Figaro would be difficult. Not only was Locke a semi-wanted man now for causing a ruckus with the Empire's soldiers, but all entrances and exits in the town were being blocked my Magitek Armored guards so that none of the townspeople could escape or leak information to anyone else of South Figaro's occupation. If any of the other nearby towns found out about this, they would prepare themselves and try to fight the Empire. The only people who seemed to be accepted in the streets of Figaro by the soldiers without too much harassment were the merchants who fluttered from soldier to soldier, trying to take advantage of their presence and make a few good sales. Locke sighed and turned, climbing the stone staircase he was nearby, and crept into an item shop.
Inside, the only people were the store's owner and a merchant, who was admiring the beauty of a grandfather clock in a corner. Locke stepped up to the merchant, hoping he might know something that could help Locke escape. Merchants usually knew a lot of trade secrets about these cities, including secret passages that slaves would use to escape from their masters in the ancient days.
"Hey..." Locke began, trying to be as friendly as possible, despite his troubling situation. The merchant turned around, and snickered behind his blue and tan hood.
"You're that thief Locke Cole, aren't you?" He asked dumbly. Locke blinked and turned red, balling up his fists.
"Call me a treasure hunter, or I'll rip your lungs out!" Locke bellowed, and dove on top of the merchant. The person behind the counter of the store blinked and looked away, pretending to be occupied with something else.
"Ahhh!" The merchant shrieked, and suddenly, Locke got a brilliant idea. Instead of brutally beating this jerk, he could use him for something else! With a quick un-buckling and un-buttoning of a few articles of clothing, Locke jumped up and pulled the merchant's robes off with him. Locke quickly tugged them on over his own clothes, and pulled up the hood that would hide his face from the glaring noon sun...or from Imperial Soldiers, in this case. The freshly-stripped merchant, horrified, looked down at himself only in boxers and shrieked.
"These are a little tight, but the price was right!" Locke exclaimed, and did a little victory dance. the merchant jumped up and took off running out of the store, shouting "Sorry!!!!" on his way out. Locke looked after him only briefly and turned to the woman behind the counter. She didn't refrain from laughing and put her hands on her hips.
"Surely, you must have a reason for your actions." She said. Locke nodded and leaned over the counter.
"I need help getting out of here." He confessed. "I have to meet a few friends up in Narshe soon."
"Hmm...you should see what Master Duncan's wife has to say about that." The woman said. "She's been living here longer than I. She might know something. Her home is just south of this shop."
So with that, Locke left and traveled back down the stone staircase to a small house he had passed before. The door however, was wide open, and he could see an elderly woman standing on her staircase and sweeping dust away with her straw broom. She looked up at Locke and offered a warm smile.
"Hello young man, can I help you?" She asked.
"Are you Master Duncan's wife?" Locke asked in a somewhat sensitive tone. If she was, she would surely be upset considering the fact that Duncan was recently slain.
"Yes sir, I am." She said and stopped sweeping, looking up at him.
"Oh, great!" Locke exclaimed quickly. "Do you know anything about secret passages that can lead out of town?" She looked up for a moment in thought, and then nodded.
"I'm sure there is a hidden passage under the richest man in town's house." She said. "Find the room in their home that is drafty."
"Thanks a lot!" Locke said, and gave her a charming smile. She chuckled and waved him off, returning to her chores.
She actually didn't seem too upset. Locke thought to himself silently. I wonder what has got her so cheerful? He shook his head and begin to think as he wandered the streets of South Figaro. So, there is a passage that may lead out of town under the rich man's house.
Locke looked up from the streets and blinked. He could easily tell which house that was...right up north of town, there was a huge mansion that was surrounded by uniformed Imperial Soldiers. Locke was sure that they were using that home as their base, which did not make things for him any easier. Suddenly, a little kid with blonde ringlets ran out in front of Locke, causing Locke to run right into him. The kid yelped and crashed to the ground, rubbing his bottom.
"Ahhh...sorry." Locke said quickly, as the kid pulled himself up.
"You'll pay for this!" The kid grunted, and dusted off his green overalls. "My grandfather was once a servant for the richest man in town, and..."
"Wha...Really?" Locke exclaimed, and grabbed the kid by his shoulders. "Let me see your grandfather, immediately!" The kid blinked and shrugged.
"Ok, whatever." The kid said, and jerked a thumb back towards a small home behind them. He led Locke inside, and up to a small room where an old man was crouched over a small table. The boy gestured for Locke to go further in, and walked away. Locke gulped and cleared his throat. But before he could say a word, the old man beat him to it.
"Bring me some cider, and I might talk to you."
Locke blinked and opened his mouth to reply, but however...
"Go on. Bring me some cider."
"......Riiiiiight." Locke trailed off, and swiftly turned to leave the room. He was surprised to see the blonde boy right behind him.
"You're a merchant, right?" He asked. Locke almost said no, but he then realized he was still in his merchant garb and nodded.
"Well, then it will be easy for you to pick up some cider at the cafe." The boy said, and stepped back, his hand pointing to a backdoor of the house. "Since you're a merchant, you may proceed." Locke thanked him and walked out the door, finding himself in a part of town that had been blocked off the soldiers in Magitek Armor. He immediately went over to the cafe, deciding that the sooner he got this cider, the better. As soon as Locke stepped in, he was hit with the scent of smoke and alcohol. Apparently, this was a hotspot for Imperial Soldiers. As Locke walked about, looking for someone who could possibly assist him, he could hear a lot of the drunken soldier's loud conversation.
"That clown, Kefka, is on the verge of invading Narshe."
"Yeah, I know, it's our detached force that is making it's way up there. We'll be linking up with them soon."
God... Locke thought, resisting all his urges to pull out his knife and do a number on them. Narshe was definitely in danger....
"You know what?"
"Huh?"
"I heard they locked up one of our generals! She turned traitor! She's somewhere in town, I think."
"It was a she? That probably means it's..." Their conversation died out as Locke made his way down a flight of stairs and into the merchant's quarters of the cafe. Inside was a single man, stuffing a ton of merchandise into his sack. Locke spotted a bottle of cider on the table, and reached out to take it.
"HEY YOU!" The merchant squealed, glaring in Locke's direction. "You come to steal MY cider? You THIEF!" Locke's face turned an angry shade of red as he reached for his knife and....
"Swoosh!"
In blinding speed, Locke raced past the merchant and did a quick swipe of his knife. When he regained his normal composure and slid the knife back in it's sheath, the merchant's clothes promptly fell into a shredded pile on the floor, leaving the merchant in his birthday suit. Locke chuckled to himself as the merchant squealed again, and took off running, shouting "Sorry!!!!"
Locke grinned and took the cider, running as fast as he could manage back to the old man's house. When he arrived, he delivered the bottle of cider to the old man, which immediately seemed to get him talking as he reached out for his cup on his desk to pour himself a cup.
"My grandson told me what you wanted." The old man said. Glug Glug. "This secret passage? Well, there is one here that lead's to the rich man's house, and there is one there that leads out of town. Just give my grandson the password." Glug glug glug! "The password is...." He paused for a moment and hiccupped. "I forget!"
"Great..." Locke muttered, and left, feeling slightly disappointed. Once again, he was immediately confronted by the strange little boy.
"If you're a merchant, you should know the password!" The boy squeaked. Locke looked as blank as Edgar's weekend date list.
"Give me a hint?" Locke asked hopefully. "I uh...haven't been back here in a while, you know." The kid looked skeptical, but shrugged.
"Well, you did manage to get cider with no problem." He said. "Ok, here's your hint. It's one of these three words: Courage, Rosebud, or Failure. All three of them are passwords for South Figaro, but which one is correct...?" Locke sighed and thought for a moment. It was a wild guess, but...
"Courage?" Locke suggested in a tiny voice, hoping that he could judge by the boy's face whether he was right or not. He could quickly deny his answer if he was wrong.
"CORRECT!" The boy exclaimed. "It was really obvious, wasn't it?"
"Yeah...?" Locke said dryly, feeling a sense of relief run through him. The boy kept smiling as he scuttled away to what seemed to be a small switch on a wall. When he pulled down on it, a door seemed to magically appear behind Locke. Locke entered, and began a short journey through a dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, Locke spotted a ladder and climbed up it quickly, pushing open a trap door that was above his head. When he emerged, Locke found himself around the corner of a very large home. He soon realized that this was the mansion that held the underground route for him to escape! Walking around the corner, Locke came to a door and immediately slipped inside the mansion before anyone could spot him. But to his horror, he found a group of soldiers waiting for him inside! Locke gulped and was about to take off running when one soldier looked over at him briefly and merely shook his head.
"We're not buying anything." He snapped. Locke blinked and realized he was still dressed as a merchant. Playing it cool, he gave a slight smile.
"Oh, I'm here by appointment to see the master and mistress of the house." Locke said. One of the soldiers pointed up the staircase that was nearby, and then they all proceeded to ignore Locke, going back to their conversation. As Locke approached the staircase, he accidentally bumped into a woman dressed in a crimson maid's uniform with long blonde hair in a ponytail.
"Don't mind them." she said softly. "The imperial troops have turned this house into their headquarters...I think it has something to do with Mr. Muyo." Locke realized this must be the owner of the home. He nodded a little and continued up the stairs, entering a hallway with three doors. He could hear children laughing and playing in the last two, so he entered the first to see if he could find this Mr. Muyo. The door already being ajar, Locke kicked it open with his foot a little and found a man and a woman in a nicely kept bedroom, the man weeping and crying on the bed by the woman's side.
"Oh, what have I done!?" He cried, as the woman handed him her handkerchief. "I betrayed the town, and I didn't even need the money!" Locke didn't say a word as the woman looked up at him and seemed to make a face that said "I just don't care anymore."
"Are you the repairman?" She asked. "Well, you must be...but why are you dressed as a merchant?" Locke smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, getting used to being everyone else now except himself.
"Well, the town in a little rough right now." Locke explained. "I have a little more flexibility this way."
"I see!" The woman said, and jumped up, clapping her hands together. "You see, there is always this nasty draft in our bedroom. Do you think you could find a way to prevent it?" Locke tried not to grin too hard when he remembered that this was what Duncan's wife had instructed him to search for.
"Sure, no problem." Locke said, right as the man began to wail louder. This must have been Mr. Muyo. Locke slid past them and did indeed feel a very cool draft. However, there almost seemed to be a moistness to the air as well. Pressing his palms against the wall, Locke felt about and tried to see if this draft was from a crack or perhaps a secret door. However, he didn't get any impression of there being a secret entrance until he reached the bookcase in the room. The draft was strong here, and when Locke inhaled, he good smell the very, very subtle hint of a perfume of some sort. He also noticed that the bookcase wasn't even pressed directly up against the wall. The space was big enough for a man to slip through. Cautiously, Locke slipped in between the wall and the bookcase and let out a short gasp as he stumbled backwards and onto his rear into a much darker and colder area.
"What the heck?" Locke said to himself as he stood up and looked around. He was in a short stone hallway that turned a corner and was dimly lit by a few candles on the walls. In the distance, he thought he heard the echoes of voices, but he wasn't sure. He was either in one of those secret paths or a basement! The extra layers of robes were too hot and heavy for Locke in the humid basement, so he immediately shed them and left them in a heap as he walked forward cautiously. The perfume scent was stronger now. It definitely wasn't a cologne, like a man would wear. It was light and almost...rosy. Locke turned the corner and came to a doorway that was made of heavy wood, but had a small window in it that was covered with jail bars. Now that he could hear better, Locke realized that there were definitely voices, and they were coming from this room. He nearly hit the ceiling when he heard the echo of a hand flying across something that let out a moan of pain. Locke stood on his tiptoes and peered through the bars on the door.
Inside the room was three people, and a chair. However, two of those people were Imperial Soldiers, and the third was a young woman in what looked like a green combat leotard and a white cape that was stained with blood chained to a wall. Her head was hanging, so all you could see was her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders and face, along with a blue bandana that was tangled in it. Her long, pale legs were also covered in bruised, blood, and scratches, and looked as if they would collapse from under her at any minute. When she looked up, Locke thought he had almost been spotted. Her ice blue eyes seemed to peer directly into his, sending a chill down his spine. However, he realized that she was not looking at him, but at the soldier in front of her. Her complexion was pale but twisted into a glare full of hatred and bitterness. Locke let out a slight, startled breath as she parted her soft pink lips to speak, and he just couldn't figure out what his problem was. It was then that he realized who she was.
"I've seen her before!" Locke mumbled to himself. "Of course, she's one of the Empire's generals...." When the woman began to speak, the soldier in front of her hauled back and slapped her across the cheek, sharply making her head snap to the side. Locke cringed, but silence remained on her lips.
"That's what happens to traitors!" The soldier exclaimed, and Locke raised his eyebrows. The other guard cackled.
"And the mighty Celes has fallen!" He grinned, and put his hands on his hips. Locke didn't say a word as they carried on.
"How can you serve those cowards...?" Celes asked, her voice small and weak. For some reason, Locke just knew it wasn't like that normally. He was almost positive that she was not just an elite General of the Empire because of her pretty face. She was up there in the ranks of Kefka, and she was quite famous for various mass invasions and massacres that she had led as a young girl. In fact, she was still young, as far as Locke knew, not even an adult yet.
"Hold your tongue!" The first guard bellowed.
"Isn't it TRUE that Kefka is planning on poisoning the people of Doma to the East?" Celes pressed on, but was interrupted by the other angry guard.
"SHADDUP!" He yelled, and pulled out his sword. Locke gasped and did all he could not to dive into that suicide zone as the guard took the hilt of the sword and smacked it against the back of Celes' head. Her eyes widened for a second before quickly closing, along with her head dropping down and her legs collapsing completely from underneath her. Her chains made a loud jangle as her body pulled down on them violently. The chains were the only things holding her body back from completely slamming into the stone floor.
"I'd HATE to be in your shoes tomorrow!" The guard that made the final strike smirked, and looked to his partner. "Keep a close eye on her!"
"Yes sir!" The other one exclaimed as he saluted. "I can go for days without sleep sir!" the other soldier nodded and turned to leave. Locke gulped and suddenly leaped up into the rafters before he was caught. The soldier left the cell and slammed the door behind him. When Locke was sure he was gone, he climbed back down and peeked through the bars again. Loud snores hit him as soon as he did, for the other guard had promptly fallen asleep in the chair in the cell. Locke sighed and put his hand on the ice-cold steal handle of the door, tugging it open. What was he doing? What was this...that he was feeling? the feeling was foreign and yet so familiar...painfully familiar... Locke walked into the cell and pulled a pin out of his pocket. He took each one of Celes' shackles around her wrists and picked them open. On the second one, Celes fell forward, but he managed to catch her in his arms just in time. He was suddenly shocked though when Celes lifted her face and gave him an icy stare fogged with confusion.
"Ahhh..." Locke gulped. Celes blinked and the sudden confusion was gone and replaced with 100% pure ice.
"And who might you be?" Celes questioned coolly. She made an indication with the look on her face that she did not want to be touched, and Locke promptly let her go, letting her back away slightly and rest on her knees.
"I'm with the Returners." Locke replied in a serious tone. "My name is Locke Cole. I...I didn't expect you to be awake."
"I faked it." Celes said calmly. "They were beginning to annoy me..." Locke widened his eyes, but Celes continued on. "I used to be General Celes Chere..." She trailed off and looked away, the first time she had averted her eyes from his since their meeting. "...But now I'm just a common traitor..." Locke smiled a little and held out his hand to her.
"Lets go!" He exclaimed, and Celes looked up at him sharply.
"!?.....You'd take me along?" Celes asked, hesitantly and then suspiciously. "Thanks but no thanks... I can barely walk as it is..." Celes stood up shakily and took a step, and then another. She looked troubled when she realized that she was not fooling him, and quickly returned to her knees on the floor to return to his level of sight.
"I'm grateful, but..." Celes sighed. "Even if you got me out, you would never be able to protect me. No, I think I'm better off here..." Locke stopped her by pressing a finger to her lips, much to her surprise. The young general was not used to being silenced by anyone.
"I'll protect you!" Locke exclaimed. "Trust me....Celes, you'll be fine!" Locke winked and Celes blinked in return. "Now, lets go!" Celes reached up, taking Locke's finger from her lips and dropping his hand quickly.
"Wait." She said. "This soldier has something important on him..." Celes nodded her head in the sleeping soldier's direction, and Locke stood up, instantly spotting what they needed. Clipped to the soldier's belt was a shiny silver key, one that looked ancient in design. Locke reached out and swiped it quickly, but suddenly, the soldier leaped up at Locke! Locke gasped and Celes clasped her hands over her mouth.
"....'n some bread too..." He moaned in his sleep, and suddenly flopped back in his chair. Locke nearly burst out into laughter and looked back to Celes, who didn't crack a smile at all. Instead, she stood up and brushed off her clothes, ignoring the blood that remained on her uniform. Looking to Locke, she nodded and allowed him to lead the way. Locke turned and left the cell, going in the direction Celes pointed by his side.
"This passage leads out." Celes said quietly, and so, they began their way down the rest of the deadly silent hall. Locke looked back to Celes when they reached a new doorway, and they stopped for a moment.
"Is something wrong...?" Celes asked. Was he going to leave her behind after all?
"No..." Locke smiled weakly, a wave of painful memories suddenly rushing through him. There was something about Celes... something that reminded him of...
"We'll need this key inside here." Celes said, dropping the subject quickly. "Shall we go?"
"Yes, lets!" Locke exclaimed, and finally, Celes broke into a tiny smile.
