Chapter Twenty-Three- King of the Moogles and Master of Dance, Mog
"Miss Terra!"
"Huh?" Terra blinked and narrowed her eyes, trying to see who was calling her name. The snow and wind in Narshe's mountains was particularly bad that evening, and the Returners could barely see a foot in front of them as they approached the gates of the town. Terra ran ahead of the others, her red boots crunching in the snow. How wonderful it was to be somewhere familiar again! Terra smiled to herself as she ran closer to the voice. She felt as if she had been reborn ever since she got her memory back, as if every sense had been heightened and sharpened. While she was not completely carefree, as there was still the Empire to worry about, Terra still felt happier than she could ever truly remember.
"Oh, hello!" Terra exclaimed when she saw who had been calling to her. It was one of Narshe's soldiers at the gate, waving frantically to her and the other Returners.
"We've been waiting for you!" The soldier exclaimed. "Please, this way!"
"Coming!" Terra said, and looked back, waving for the others to follow her. Locke gave her a nod and a wave back through the snow, and Terra felt her heart drop at his melancholy face.
Locke has done so much for me... I'll think of something I can do to make him feel better later... It's my obligation...
The soldier led the Returners to the Elder's house, where Banon, Arvis, and Narshe's Elder were waiting in the parlor. At the sight of Terra, Banon jumped up immediately and ran to the doorway, giving her a big a hug. Terra laughed a little and hugged back as much as she could, pulling back some so that she could look Banon over.
"Banon, you're safe!" Terra exclaimed, and Banon tried not to laugh.
"I should be saying the same for you!" He smiled, and the other Returners filed inside. "It's good that you are all here though... There are many critical things that we need to discuss now. Terra's smile faded a little, but Banon patted her shoulder in reassurance. "The people of Narshe have finally decided to battle the Empire. How did things go in Vector? Do we know any more about them that would be useful?" Cyan stepped up for this question, and began to explain to Banon about everything they had seen in the Magitek Research Facility, and how they now knew how the Empire got it's magic. He also explained that the Magitek Research Facility was now basically destroyed, although that would only slow the Empire down for a little while. He left out everything about Celes and Cid...it wasn't necessary to drag up the more painful part of the mission.
"We can take advantage of them by using Figaro's machinery." Edgar added. "Now that their own supply will be crippled for a while yet."
"Hmm, I see." Arvis nodded, finally speaking up. "Your plan would combine Narshe's money with Figaro's machinery to storm the Empire...not enough man power though..."
"We have to open the sealed gate." Banon suddenly interrupted, and Terra gasped as everyone turned to stare at him.
"To the Esper World...?" She trailed off.
"We'll never be able to beat the Empire without them." Arvis reasoned. "They've had the power of Espers on their side this whole time... How can we compare?"
"When the gate has been opened, we'll have the Espers attack from the east...and we can storm in from the north at the same time." Terra gulped and felt her knees sinking a little. The Espers...they wouldn't understand their need for help...after what had happened the last time humans traveled to their realm...
"There is no way around it." Locke suddenly said, and Terra looked up at him in surprise.
"We MUST get the Espers to understand." Banon began. "We have to establish a bond of trust between humans and Espers. Only one person can do this..." Banon looked to Terra, and she blinked. She felt ice line her stomach when she realized the true situation that they had fallen into... There was no way to attack the Empire without more power...and the Espers held that power... If they couldn't get the Espers to help, they would be doomed. All of their sacrifices, pains, and efforts would go down the drain. Now was not the time to be selfish with fear or doubt.
...Half human, half Esper... My existence is proof that such a bond CAN exist...
"I'll do it!" Terra suddenly cried. "I'm the only who can!" Everyone looked relieved at Terra's burst of confidence, and Locke smiled a little, giving her a playful punch on the arm. Terra turned her attention away from him to Banon, who looked excited and nervous at the same time now.
"Get the Espers to understand, and we can bring this war to a screeching halt. I know you can do this Terra..." Terra nodded, and Banon pressed his hands together. "Our battle lies before us. We must make ourselves ready. Tonight we will send a few of you into Narshe's shops to purchase any armor and weapons you might need for the trip."
"The sealed gate stands at the eastern edge of the Empire." Arvis explained. "There is a base there, but somehow you will have to slip through..."
**********
"Are you sure you want to come, Locke? You didn't look so well back at the house."
"Yeah, don't worry about it Edgar. I'm just really tired...tonight will be the first night in a long while that I'll actually get to go to bed at a normal hour in a normal bed. It's been a long week."
"Yeah..." Edgar sighed a little, and nearly jumped in the snow when someone squeezed his shoulder from behind. Edgar blinked and turned around, only to see Terra, smiling some, and bundled up in a rich, crimson- colored cape with soft white fur lining the collar and the hood pulled over her head.
"I'm coming too!" Terra announced, and Locke laughed a little.
"Alright, but you're doing all the shopping. You are the girl and all."
"Fine by me." Terra said, and managed to get in between the two men as they started walking towards Narshe's shopping square. The snow crunched underneath their feet, although their footsteps were quickly replaced by the snow that was beginning to flurry down from the dark, moonless sky. The streets were lit up by the soft yellow light of lanterns hanging from every house and shop, and large, copper belly-like tanks were resting outside on some street corners, bursting with warm steam as they worked to warm the buildings they were attached to. A few men accompanied the tanks, shoveling in coal every once in a while to help keep them fueled. This was the extent of Narshe's technology.
"This kind of feels like old times." Locke remarked. "Just the three of us." Terra nodded, and Edgar smiled a little.
"Yeah...can't believe we met so many people willing to become Returners since we left Figaro together. I didn't think anyone cared."
"People can be surprising, I suppose." Terra added. "Do you think there will be anyone else...?"
"Oh, I don't know." Locke replied. "Although we may not need anyone else... If we manage to convince the Espers to help us, then the Empire will surely be decimated... And then this war will be over..."
"Ahhh...Peace, it's so close and yet so far away..." Edgar sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "....I hope Sabin will stay with me in Figaro when it's all over..." Terra and Locke both turned to him, surprised.
"Of course he will, he's your brother!" Terra exclaimed.
"Yeah...we may be twins, but Sabin and I are like two totally different spirits...While I worry over the state of the kingdom, he worries over the state of his soul... I think of the present, and he thinks of the future... I want women, he wants total Nirvana..." They all chuckled a little at Edgar's last remark, but turned serious as Edgar opened his eyes again and looked to Locke and Terra. "I think Sabin assumes that I don't need him...but that's not very true at all."
"You had better tell him how you feel." Locke said. "Before the war does end and he decides what to do with himself."
"You're right." Edgar nodded. "Maybe I'll do that sometime soon."
"HELP!! THIEF!!!"
"What?!" Locke suddenly cried, turning red. "Who said that??? It's TREASURE HUNTER!"
"I don't think they were talking to us!" Terra cried, and looked around to see where the voice had come from. There was a small commotion coming from the rather large treasure storage shed just a few yards away, and the shattering of a window as a tall, cloaked figure flew through it and tumbled into the snow. Before anyone could approach it though, the figure jumped up and started running, manically laughing as he shoved something shiny in his pocket.
"G'whoa! I've been made! I am Lone Wolf, the pickpocket!!!" With that, he disappeared around the corner, and the Returners looked at each other.
"We should stop him!" Terra cried, and Locke and Edgar nodded in agreement. With that, they took off running also, plowing through snow and people to catch up with Lone Wolf. The snow began to come down harder, making it difficult to see for the Returners as they struggled to spot the thief. Realizing someone was following him, Lone Wolf turned around for a moment and saw the Returners, and tried to stifle a laugh as he continued running north.
"G'heh!" He coughed, and Terra felt her heartbeat skyrocket as she pumped her legs harder to go faster. She, Locke, and Edgar practically ran in a straight line through the center of town until Lone Wolf took a quick turn left and leapt off a small ridge, disappearing amongst the caves and mines of western Narshe. Terra started gasping for breath as she, Edgar, and Locke came to a screeching halt at the edge of the ridge, not wanting to take the chance to jump, as it was fairly dangerous.
"Where....do...those...mines...lead to?" Terra gasped, and Locke jerked his thumb backwards.
"To the Northern Snow Fields! Where we battled Kefka! There's a shorter way, so lets cut him off!"
"Right!" Edgar exclaimed. "Lead the way Locke!"
So this time, it was Locke who took point and lead the team back a few roads from which they had already came until they reached Arvis' empty house. Locke threw open the door and let Terra close it behind them since she was the last in line, and the team tore through the house to Arvis' backdoor, which Locke threw open also and ran through onto the small catwalk Arvis had that led to another part of the mines.
"I remember this now..." Terra trailed off as they ran into a new mine shaft. Their footsteps echoed loudly off of the cave walls, only to be outdone by the large puddles they stepped in every few feet. A few moments later, they had emerged into the cold Narshe air once more, at the southern point of Narshe's snow fields. However, when Locke, Edgar, and Terra separated in the fields to find Lone Wolf, there was no trace of him anywhere to be found.
"What the hell?!" Locke demanded.
"He could not of beaten us here!" Edgar tried to reason, although he was doing it quite loudly and angrily.
"Oh my, you're rather persistent!" A snarling voice suddenly exclaimed, and Terra screamed as a shadow leapt out from her side and gave her a hard shove into the snow before running further up north, disappearing in a gust of snow-filled wind. Terra groaned and stood up, brushing the snow off her cape as she tried to recover from the surprise of being attacked by Lone Wolf.
"Are you ok?" Locke asked worriedly, and Terra nodded, the snow that had gotten on her face stinging her terribly as she wiped it off.
"I'm going after him!" Edgar called, and disappeared in seconds. Locke walked over to Terra and helped her get cleaned up, trying to get chunks of snow out from her hood.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yes, lets hurry!" Terra said, and grabbed Locke's arm to lead him away. "Lone Wolf...he was running towards the Esper!"
**********
"Geeze, what's taking them so long?" Setzer asked boredly as he dealt another hand of cards to Cyan, Sabin, and Gau.
"Well, this is Locke we are talking about..." Sabin trailed off as he looked over his hand, trying not to look too thrilled at having a full house. "He gets excited about anything involving money and shiny things...so he's probably having way too much fun shopping."
"Shiny shiny shiny!" Gau declared as he stuck his cards in his mouth.
"Gau!!!" Setzer shrieked, yanking the now chewed and half-moist cards from Gau's mouth. "I told you to stop doing that!! I've got teeth marks all over my precious Ladies of Figaro deck! I will NEVER forgive you!" Cyan grunted in embarrassment as he tried to use his fingers to cover the revealing pictures on the front of his cards, and Sabin laughed, knowing it was probably Edgar who helped authorize the trashy cards.
"Ok, Gau stop playing with ladies." Gau said sincerely, making everyone chuckle a little at his expense. "Gau hope Locke, Edgar, and Terra come home soon, so they can play too!"
**********
"I've got you cornered Lone Wolf, so don't even think about escaping!" Edgar growled, as he slowly drew his sword. Lone Wolf, who had stopped at the edge of the very same cliff the Esper was on, was busy with something else though, and didn't pay much mind to Edgar.
"Give back what you stole right now!" Edgar demanded, at which this point Lone Wolf turned around, and in his arms was a squirming white ball of fluff with a little pink ball dangling from the thin antenna on it's head. It's little eyes were squinted shut as it cried out and waved it's ridiculously short arms and legs helplessly. It was a Moogle, a rare creature that lived in the depths of Narshe's mines, and were not known to be found anywhere else in the world. Lone Wolf cackled evilly and suddenly thrust out his arms, letting the little creature dangle over the edge of the cliff by it's delicate wings.
"G'heh, this here's a wild one!" Lone Wolf laughed, and Edgar turned pale. "Don't move, or this one's dust!" At that moment, Locke and Terra burst in on the scene, gasping at what they saw was happening.
"A Moogle!" Terra exclaimed brightly. She remembered that those were the types of creatures who had helped save her back when she was out cold in the mines. Locke remembered also, and narrowed his eyes a bit. Yes, it was true that all Moogles looked nearly the same...but this one, for some reason, was very familiar to him. Of course, now was not the time to ask questions. He drew his knife and glared at Lone Wolf.
"Let it go, now!" Locke growled, and Lone Wolf shook his head as he shook the poor creature back and forth tauntingly over the cliff.
"KUUUUUUUUUPO!" It cried, and at that moment, there came a low rumbling, which appeared to be coming from the Esper! The cliff began to shake violently, and Terra gasped as Lone Wolf stumbled and fell over the side of the cliff, releasing the little Moogle so that he could grab onto the edge and try to save his own life. The Moogle squeaked and rolled violently from Lone Wolf's rough toss, tumbling over the opposite edge of the cliff itself! It cried out louder as it clung to the edge, beating it's legs and wings frantically to try to give itself the power to climb back up. Terra looked between the Moogle and Lone Wolf, who glared at her hatefully.
"GRRRR, you'll never get this Gold Hairpin!" Lone Wolf snickered, and Terra narrowed her eyes at him.
"Forget you!" She snapped, and ran over to grab the Moogle, easily making her decision on whom to save. As soon as Terra had scooped the Moogle into her arms, the cliff began to rumble again, and Lone Wolf lost his grip, screaming wildly as he tumbled over the side of the cliff and disappeared down, down, down into the darkness. The rumbling stopped, and Terra gently set the Moogle down, kneeling to it's level so that she could admire how adorable it was. Locke and Edgar both let out shaky sighs of relief and walked over to the Moogle as well, Locke patting it's head playfully.
"Thankupo!" The Moogle suddenly burst out, and Terra nearly fell over in shock. Locke and Edgar both looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"You can talk!?" Locke stuttered, and the Moogle turned towards him, chuckling a little.
"Well, of course I can, I'm Mog, King of the Moogles!" He declared. "And you're Locke, and you're Terra! I saved you guys, remember?" Edgar looked a little left out as Terra nodded seriously.
"I do remember, thank you very much!" She smiled, and Locke nodded.
"So you were one of the Moogles that saved us. I knew I had seen you somewhere before." Locke smiled as well, and Mog suddenly took a leap into Locke's arms, cuddling against him and making Locke turn bright red.
"That old psycho, Ramuh, came to me in a dream and told me to be expectin' you!" Mog declared, and Locke raised his eyebrows. "And now I'm gonna.....join your party!!!"
"You're kidding me!" Edgar stuttered. "A Moogle in the Returners?! Listen buddy, I don't think you quite cut it..." Mog blinked and glared at Edgar, hopping down from Locke's arms and poking Edgar in the chest.
"You don't think I cut it, KUPO?!" Mog screeched, and Edgar gulped, crawling back a bit.
"Er...umm...I mean..."
"Come on, Mog!" Terra exclaimed happily, and Mog turned away from Edgar to leap into Terra's arms, using them as a ladder to climb to her shoulder. "We can always use more help!" With that, Terra began to walk away back towards Narshe, and Edgar looked up at Locke with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I wouldn't piss him off too badly." Locke said half-jokingly as he helped Edgar to his feet. "I've seen that guy fight, and it's not pretty."
"......Well I'll be a Moogle's uncle." Edgar shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "I hope Terra doesn't think that that little ball of laundry lint is cuter than me!!!"
"OH! So THAT'S what this is about..." Locke began to laugh as he led Edgar away from the cliff, their voices fading. "Well, maybe Mog isn't even a boy..."
"Of course he's a boy, you can't be a King of the Moogles unless you are a boy!"
"Well maybe things work different in the Moogle world..."
"...Don't give me that, thief!"
"WHAT?!!!!!!!?!"
**********
That evening, was the first in a long time that the Returners actually got to sleep for a full night without any threats of attacks or missions to accomplish late in the night. The different team members were all sprawled about on the floor of Arvis' parlor, with the exception of Terra, who had been given the privilege of using the bed since she was the only lady among them. Mog slept comfortably at the foot of Terra's bed, worn out from his adventures for the day and from being fussed over when brought back to the others to be introduced. Edgar and Sabin slept side by side on the floor under the same wool blanket, both with identical grins on their faces as they had sweet dreams about women and meditating, respectively. Cyan snored lightly in his own little corner of the room, wincing every once in a while from a bittersweet memory of Owain or Elayne. Gau was curled up in a ball, drooling happily in his sleep at the thought of a big breakfast in the morning, and Setzer was nearly swallowed up in all the blankets he had requested, mumbling lines from Maria's different operas in his sleep. Locke himself was in a deep sleep, still as a statue in his sleeping bag as his aching heart and body absorbed the peace around him, racing to make him well again. Just this one night, there were no dreams of Rachel or Celes, or of any future missions.
Perhaps the Gods up there had a little mercy for him after all.
"Miss Terra!"
"Huh?" Terra blinked and narrowed her eyes, trying to see who was calling her name. The snow and wind in Narshe's mountains was particularly bad that evening, and the Returners could barely see a foot in front of them as they approached the gates of the town. Terra ran ahead of the others, her red boots crunching in the snow. How wonderful it was to be somewhere familiar again! Terra smiled to herself as she ran closer to the voice. She felt as if she had been reborn ever since she got her memory back, as if every sense had been heightened and sharpened. While she was not completely carefree, as there was still the Empire to worry about, Terra still felt happier than she could ever truly remember.
"Oh, hello!" Terra exclaimed when she saw who had been calling to her. It was one of Narshe's soldiers at the gate, waving frantically to her and the other Returners.
"We've been waiting for you!" The soldier exclaimed. "Please, this way!"
"Coming!" Terra said, and looked back, waving for the others to follow her. Locke gave her a nod and a wave back through the snow, and Terra felt her heart drop at his melancholy face.
Locke has done so much for me... I'll think of something I can do to make him feel better later... It's my obligation...
The soldier led the Returners to the Elder's house, where Banon, Arvis, and Narshe's Elder were waiting in the parlor. At the sight of Terra, Banon jumped up immediately and ran to the doorway, giving her a big a hug. Terra laughed a little and hugged back as much as she could, pulling back some so that she could look Banon over.
"Banon, you're safe!" Terra exclaimed, and Banon tried not to laugh.
"I should be saying the same for you!" He smiled, and the other Returners filed inside. "It's good that you are all here though... There are many critical things that we need to discuss now. Terra's smile faded a little, but Banon patted her shoulder in reassurance. "The people of Narshe have finally decided to battle the Empire. How did things go in Vector? Do we know any more about them that would be useful?" Cyan stepped up for this question, and began to explain to Banon about everything they had seen in the Magitek Research Facility, and how they now knew how the Empire got it's magic. He also explained that the Magitek Research Facility was now basically destroyed, although that would only slow the Empire down for a little while. He left out everything about Celes and Cid...it wasn't necessary to drag up the more painful part of the mission.
"We can take advantage of them by using Figaro's machinery." Edgar added. "Now that their own supply will be crippled for a while yet."
"Hmm, I see." Arvis nodded, finally speaking up. "Your plan would combine Narshe's money with Figaro's machinery to storm the Empire...not enough man power though..."
"We have to open the sealed gate." Banon suddenly interrupted, and Terra gasped as everyone turned to stare at him.
"To the Esper World...?" She trailed off.
"We'll never be able to beat the Empire without them." Arvis reasoned. "They've had the power of Espers on their side this whole time... How can we compare?"
"When the gate has been opened, we'll have the Espers attack from the east...and we can storm in from the north at the same time." Terra gulped and felt her knees sinking a little. The Espers...they wouldn't understand their need for help...after what had happened the last time humans traveled to their realm...
"There is no way around it." Locke suddenly said, and Terra looked up at him in surprise.
"We MUST get the Espers to understand." Banon began. "We have to establish a bond of trust between humans and Espers. Only one person can do this..." Banon looked to Terra, and she blinked. She felt ice line her stomach when she realized the true situation that they had fallen into... There was no way to attack the Empire without more power...and the Espers held that power... If they couldn't get the Espers to help, they would be doomed. All of their sacrifices, pains, and efforts would go down the drain. Now was not the time to be selfish with fear or doubt.
...Half human, half Esper... My existence is proof that such a bond CAN exist...
"I'll do it!" Terra suddenly cried. "I'm the only who can!" Everyone looked relieved at Terra's burst of confidence, and Locke smiled a little, giving her a playful punch on the arm. Terra turned her attention away from him to Banon, who looked excited and nervous at the same time now.
"Get the Espers to understand, and we can bring this war to a screeching halt. I know you can do this Terra..." Terra nodded, and Banon pressed his hands together. "Our battle lies before us. We must make ourselves ready. Tonight we will send a few of you into Narshe's shops to purchase any armor and weapons you might need for the trip."
"The sealed gate stands at the eastern edge of the Empire." Arvis explained. "There is a base there, but somehow you will have to slip through..."
**********
"Are you sure you want to come, Locke? You didn't look so well back at the house."
"Yeah, don't worry about it Edgar. I'm just really tired...tonight will be the first night in a long while that I'll actually get to go to bed at a normal hour in a normal bed. It's been a long week."
"Yeah..." Edgar sighed a little, and nearly jumped in the snow when someone squeezed his shoulder from behind. Edgar blinked and turned around, only to see Terra, smiling some, and bundled up in a rich, crimson- colored cape with soft white fur lining the collar and the hood pulled over her head.
"I'm coming too!" Terra announced, and Locke laughed a little.
"Alright, but you're doing all the shopping. You are the girl and all."
"Fine by me." Terra said, and managed to get in between the two men as they started walking towards Narshe's shopping square. The snow crunched underneath their feet, although their footsteps were quickly replaced by the snow that was beginning to flurry down from the dark, moonless sky. The streets were lit up by the soft yellow light of lanterns hanging from every house and shop, and large, copper belly-like tanks were resting outside on some street corners, bursting with warm steam as they worked to warm the buildings they were attached to. A few men accompanied the tanks, shoveling in coal every once in a while to help keep them fueled. This was the extent of Narshe's technology.
"This kind of feels like old times." Locke remarked. "Just the three of us." Terra nodded, and Edgar smiled a little.
"Yeah...can't believe we met so many people willing to become Returners since we left Figaro together. I didn't think anyone cared."
"People can be surprising, I suppose." Terra added. "Do you think there will be anyone else...?"
"Oh, I don't know." Locke replied. "Although we may not need anyone else... If we manage to convince the Espers to help us, then the Empire will surely be decimated... And then this war will be over..."
"Ahhh...Peace, it's so close and yet so far away..." Edgar sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "....I hope Sabin will stay with me in Figaro when it's all over..." Terra and Locke both turned to him, surprised.
"Of course he will, he's your brother!" Terra exclaimed.
"Yeah...we may be twins, but Sabin and I are like two totally different spirits...While I worry over the state of the kingdom, he worries over the state of his soul... I think of the present, and he thinks of the future... I want women, he wants total Nirvana..." They all chuckled a little at Edgar's last remark, but turned serious as Edgar opened his eyes again and looked to Locke and Terra. "I think Sabin assumes that I don't need him...but that's not very true at all."
"You had better tell him how you feel." Locke said. "Before the war does end and he decides what to do with himself."
"You're right." Edgar nodded. "Maybe I'll do that sometime soon."
"HELP!! THIEF!!!"
"What?!" Locke suddenly cried, turning red. "Who said that??? It's TREASURE HUNTER!"
"I don't think they were talking to us!" Terra cried, and looked around to see where the voice had come from. There was a small commotion coming from the rather large treasure storage shed just a few yards away, and the shattering of a window as a tall, cloaked figure flew through it and tumbled into the snow. Before anyone could approach it though, the figure jumped up and started running, manically laughing as he shoved something shiny in his pocket.
"G'whoa! I've been made! I am Lone Wolf, the pickpocket!!!" With that, he disappeared around the corner, and the Returners looked at each other.
"We should stop him!" Terra cried, and Locke and Edgar nodded in agreement. With that, they took off running also, plowing through snow and people to catch up with Lone Wolf. The snow began to come down harder, making it difficult to see for the Returners as they struggled to spot the thief. Realizing someone was following him, Lone Wolf turned around for a moment and saw the Returners, and tried to stifle a laugh as he continued running north.
"G'heh!" He coughed, and Terra felt her heartbeat skyrocket as she pumped her legs harder to go faster. She, Locke, and Edgar practically ran in a straight line through the center of town until Lone Wolf took a quick turn left and leapt off a small ridge, disappearing amongst the caves and mines of western Narshe. Terra started gasping for breath as she, Edgar, and Locke came to a screeching halt at the edge of the ridge, not wanting to take the chance to jump, as it was fairly dangerous.
"Where....do...those...mines...lead to?" Terra gasped, and Locke jerked his thumb backwards.
"To the Northern Snow Fields! Where we battled Kefka! There's a shorter way, so lets cut him off!"
"Right!" Edgar exclaimed. "Lead the way Locke!"
So this time, it was Locke who took point and lead the team back a few roads from which they had already came until they reached Arvis' empty house. Locke threw open the door and let Terra close it behind them since she was the last in line, and the team tore through the house to Arvis' backdoor, which Locke threw open also and ran through onto the small catwalk Arvis had that led to another part of the mines.
"I remember this now..." Terra trailed off as they ran into a new mine shaft. Their footsteps echoed loudly off of the cave walls, only to be outdone by the large puddles they stepped in every few feet. A few moments later, they had emerged into the cold Narshe air once more, at the southern point of Narshe's snow fields. However, when Locke, Edgar, and Terra separated in the fields to find Lone Wolf, there was no trace of him anywhere to be found.
"What the hell?!" Locke demanded.
"He could not of beaten us here!" Edgar tried to reason, although he was doing it quite loudly and angrily.
"Oh my, you're rather persistent!" A snarling voice suddenly exclaimed, and Terra screamed as a shadow leapt out from her side and gave her a hard shove into the snow before running further up north, disappearing in a gust of snow-filled wind. Terra groaned and stood up, brushing the snow off her cape as she tried to recover from the surprise of being attacked by Lone Wolf.
"Are you ok?" Locke asked worriedly, and Terra nodded, the snow that had gotten on her face stinging her terribly as she wiped it off.
"I'm going after him!" Edgar called, and disappeared in seconds. Locke walked over to Terra and helped her get cleaned up, trying to get chunks of snow out from her hood.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yes, lets hurry!" Terra said, and grabbed Locke's arm to lead him away. "Lone Wolf...he was running towards the Esper!"
**********
"Geeze, what's taking them so long?" Setzer asked boredly as he dealt another hand of cards to Cyan, Sabin, and Gau.
"Well, this is Locke we are talking about..." Sabin trailed off as he looked over his hand, trying not to look too thrilled at having a full house. "He gets excited about anything involving money and shiny things...so he's probably having way too much fun shopping."
"Shiny shiny shiny!" Gau declared as he stuck his cards in his mouth.
"Gau!!!" Setzer shrieked, yanking the now chewed and half-moist cards from Gau's mouth. "I told you to stop doing that!! I've got teeth marks all over my precious Ladies of Figaro deck! I will NEVER forgive you!" Cyan grunted in embarrassment as he tried to use his fingers to cover the revealing pictures on the front of his cards, and Sabin laughed, knowing it was probably Edgar who helped authorize the trashy cards.
"Ok, Gau stop playing with ladies." Gau said sincerely, making everyone chuckle a little at his expense. "Gau hope Locke, Edgar, and Terra come home soon, so they can play too!"
**********
"I've got you cornered Lone Wolf, so don't even think about escaping!" Edgar growled, as he slowly drew his sword. Lone Wolf, who had stopped at the edge of the very same cliff the Esper was on, was busy with something else though, and didn't pay much mind to Edgar.
"Give back what you stole right now!" Edgar demanded, at which this point Lone Wolf turned around, and in his arms was a squirming white ball of fluff with a little pink ball dangling from the thin antenna on it's head. It's little eyes were squinted shut as it cried out and waved it's ridiculously short arms and legs helplessly. It was a Moogle, a rare creature that lived in the depths of Narshe's mines, and were not known to be found anywhere else in the world. Lone Wolf cackled evilly and suddenly thrust out his arms, letting the little creature dangle over the edge of the cliff by it's delicate wings.
"G'heh, this here's a wild one!" Lone Wolf laughed, and Edgar turned pale. "Don't move, or this one's dust!" At that moment, Locke and Terra burst in on the scene, gasping at what they saw was happening.
"A Moogle!" Terra exclaimed brightly. She remembered that those were the types of creatures who had helped save her back when she was out cold in the mines. Locke remembered also, and narrowed his eyes a bit. Yes, it was true that all Moogles looked nearly the same...but this one, for some reason, was very familiar to him. Of course, now was not the time to ask questions. He drew his knife and glared at Lone Wolf.
"Let it go, now!" Locke growled, and Lone Wolf shook his head as he shook the poor creature back and forth tauntingly over the cliff.
"KUUUUUUUUUPO!" It cried, and at that moment, there came a low rumbling, which appeared to be coming from the Esper! The cliff began to shake violently, and Terra gasped as Lone Wolf stumbled and fell over the side of the cliff, releasing the little Moogle so that he could grab onto the edge and try to save his own life. The Moogle squeaked and rolled violently from Lone Wolf's rough toss, tumbling over the opposite edge of the cliff itself! It cried out louder as it clung to the edge, beating it's legs and wings frantically to try to give itself the power to climb back up. Terra looked between the Moogle and Lone Wolf, who glared at her hatefully.
"GRRRR, you'll never get this Gold Hairpin!" Lone Wolf snickered, and Terra narrowed her eyes at him.
"Forget you!" She snapped, and ran over to grab the Moogle, easily making her decision on whom to save. As soon as Terra had scooped the Moogle into her arms, the cliff began to rumble again, and Lone Wolf lost his grip, screaming wildly as he tumbled over the side of the cliff and disappeared down, down, down into the darkness. The rumbling stopped, and Terra gently set the Moogle down, kneeling to it's level so that she could admire how adorable it was. Locke and Edgar both let out shaky sighs of relief and walked over to the Moogle as well, Locke patting it's head playfully.
"Thankupo!" The Moogle suddenly burst out, and Terra nearly fell over in shock. Locke and Edgar both looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"You can talk!?" Locke stuttered, and the Moogle turned towards him, chuckling a little.
"Well, of course I can, I'm Mog, King of the Moogles!" He declared. "And you're Locke, and you're Terra! I saved you guys, remember?" Edgar looked a little left out as Terra nodded seriously.
"I do remember, thank you very much!" She smiled, and Locke nodded.
"So you were one of the Moogles that saved us. I knew I had seen you somewhere before." Locke smiled as well, and Mog suddenly took a leap into Locke's arms, cuddling against him and making Locke turn bright red.
"That old psycho, Ramuh, came to me in a dream and told me to be expectin' you!" Mog declared, and Locke raised his eyebrows. "And now I'm gonna.....join your party!!!"
"You're kidding me!" Edgar stuttered. "A Moogle in the Returners?! Listen buddy, I don't think you quite cut it..." Mog blinked and glared at Edgar, hopping down from Locke's arms and poking Edgar in the chest.
"You don't think I cut it, KUPO?!" Mog screeched, and Edgar gulped, crawling back a bit.
"Er...umm...I mean..."
"Come on, Mog!" Terra exclaimed happily, and Mog turned away from Edgar to leap into Terra's arms, using them as a ladder to climb to her shoulder. "We can always use more help!" With that, Terra began to walk away back towards Narshe, and Edgar looked up at Locke with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I wouldn't piss him off too badly." Locke said half-jokingly as he helped Edgar to his feet. "I've seen that guy fight, and it's not pretty."
"......Well I'll be a Moogle's uncle." Edgar shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "I hope Terra doesn't think that that little ball of laundry lint is cuter than me!!!"
"OH! So THAT'S what this is about..." Locke began to laugh as he led Edgar away from the cliff, their voices fading. "Well, maybe Mog isn't even a boy..."
"Of course he's a boy, you can't be a King of the Moogles unless you are a boy!"
"Well maybe things work different in the Moogle world..."
"...Don't give me that, thief!"
"WHAT?!!!!!!!?!"
**********
That evening, was the first in a long time that the Returners actually got to sleep for a full night without any threats of attacks or missions to accomplish late in the night. The different team members were all sprawled about on the floor of Arvis' parlor, with the exception of Terra, who had been given the privilege of using the bed since she was the only lady among them. Mog slept comfortably at the foot of Terra's bed, worn out from his adventures for the day and from being fussed over when brought back to the others to be introduced. Edgar and Sabin slept side by side on the floor under the same wool blanket, both with identical grins on their faces as they had sweet dreams about women and meditating, respectively. Cyan snored lightly in his own little corner of the room, wincing every once in a while from a bittersweet memory of Owain or Elayne. Gau was curled up in a ball, drooling happily in his sleep at the thought of a big breakfast in the morning, and Setzer was nearly swallowed up in all the blankets he had requested, mumbling lines from Maria's different operas in his sleep. Locke himself was in a deep sleep, still as a statue in his sleeping bag as his aching heart and body absorbed the peace around him, racing to make him well again. Just this one night, there were no dreams of Rachel or Celes, or of any future missions.
Perhaps the Gods up there had a little mercy for him after all.
