PART V

"And so, it's coming to town."

"So what? There's no way we can get it."

"Yeah there is. It's simple."

"Simple?"

"Kinda."

"You want to steal Uggalepih's crown?"

"It's a piece of cake. We just need somebody who wont be spotted by the town guards."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah, that means you."

Zinkata flung on his dark blue t-shirt and black trousers without even taking in the surrounding area of his mog house. His armour rested in the corner, but he didn't see the point in wearing it for another lazy day in town. He didn't even notice the small envelope lying on his floor.

"Sir!" Buzzed the moogle. "Look!" He fluttered around with the letter. Zinkata snatched it and walked out the door. "How rude." Muttered the moogle.

Dear Sir,

The President of the Republic of Bastok has heard of your deeds and requests the presence of you and your party. He has a mission of the utmost importance that he has considered you appropriate for. He orders you to report to him as soon as it is possible. This is not optional.

Yours Faithfully,

Lord Grathak

Zinkata blinked once. Twice. A third time. Had he read that right? The irritating fancy writing made it difficult, and he couldn't quite come to terms with what he had read. The president? They hadn't done that much to deserve an audience with the president. Either way he decided to relay this information to the others instantly.

They met around the auction house as per usual. This was what they usually did. Bootus was sat glumly on the edge of the gigantic fountain, staring off into the distance. Apparently thinking about how bored he was, or the lack of tarutarus in the area. Voldos was trying to barge his way to the auction house itself, but failing miserably. Vivli looked unusually pale. White even. She swung on her feet as if she barely had enough energy left to stand up. Gigantic black rings under her eyes suggested she was suffering from a lack of sleep. It was perhaps odd then that Zinkata didn't actually notice any of these factors and just announced rather loudly for the party to gather round.

They assembled, getting strange looks from all around.

"Look." Zinkata stated, holding the letter out. Voldos pondered it as Bootus bent down for a closer look. Vivli jumped once or twice and gave up, waiting for him to lower it to her height.

After he had done so and it had sunk in, the party just stared blankly.

"The president." Vivli repeated blankly.

"Wow." Muttered Voldos. "We must be doing something right."

"Or it's a suicide mission and he needs some foolish adventurers." Zinkata pointed out.

"Well, we don't have choice." Bootus grumbled. "I suggest we head to the president's office right away. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

The unlikely crew stood awkwardly assembled in the office of the most powerful man in Bastok. He stood before them, surveying them like they were prisoners. He was a bald male human, and slightly shorter than Zinkata. He walked up to the party, making sure he was stood before Vivli to give the affect of status through height differences, and began to speak.

"Ahem. My comrades from San D'Oria," The word 'comrades' was said bitterly enough to let the adventurers know he despised them (a veiled insult to Voldos as well), "Have alerted me that they have fallen under attack from the beastmen." Voldos was taken back by this. "For this reason, I have agreed to send a party out to offer aid to maintain relations. This party is to be you. You are to journey to San D'Oria, and offer aid in anyway you can."

"That's all?" Zinkata asked. "Then we return?"

"You will address me as Mr President at all times!" Snapped the President. "And no, you will not return, by continue directly to Windurst. You're official mission is to offer aid and improve relations, but I want a full report of their status when you return."

"So we're spies?" Voldos asked angrily, adding a bitter: "Mr President." On the end.

"Not exactly. I just want to know where we stand compared to the other nations." The President turned about. "That is all." The party looked at each other uneasily and exited the office.

They were sat around on the steps outside. The guards did their best to ignore them.

"San D'Oria!" Cried Vivli for about the fifth time. "I only got here a week ago."
"How do you think I feel?" Asked Voldos. "I left there to come to Bastok for the very reason I have to return there."

"What?" Asked Bootus curiously.

"I was supposed to assess Bastok's standing as a city before returning, but I found myself registering here as an adventurer and working instead. I suppose I'll be seen as a rebel when I return, having betrayed them."

"But San D'Oria!" Vivli cried again. "And then Windurst! Windurst!"

"What about Windurst?" Asked Zinkata, only so she would stop repeating it.

"It's my home." She stated.

"So?" Bootus said, barely interested.

"So what am I going to say to my parents? They sent me away and then I come crawling right back!" The others laughed. They were a band of hardened mercenaries and Vivli was worried about what she was going to tell her parents.

"Your scared of what your Mummy might say?" Bootus asked patronisingly. "We're adventurers. I don't think the opinions of your parents come into it." Vivli folded her arms irritably as the others sniggered.

"You don't understand!" She tried to argue, but the others just laughed louder so she fell silent. Her 'parents' weren't the real problem at all. She had no idea who her real parents were. She was referring to her monastery that had sent her away, but found it easier just to use the word 'parents'.

"Well, I suppose we had better get ready to leave." Zinkata stood. "The President didn't set us a deadline, but I'm sure he doesn't want us hanging around here."

"Yeah, we had better grab our equipment." Voldos agreed.

"San D'oria!" Vivli cried again, and the others rolled their eyes.

They were soon equipped and on the road, walking through the desert. Vivli swung a small paddle around in her hands, her new staff.

"Wow. This thing is really light." She said aloud for no other reason than to be irritating. Or make conversation.

"With you, it would have to be." Bootus commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She gasped.
"Oh, I was calling you weak. Didn't realise you were stupid as well." Vivli fumed silently, and the others tried desperately to repress a laugh. At least Bootus and Vivli were back to normal.

"I'm guessing I'll get insulted further if I ask where we're going." Vivli said, hoping they wouldn't insult her and tell her anyway.

"Yes. Yes you would." Bootus enjoyed annoying the little White Mage.

"We're heading through the Highlands to the Dunes. Remember Seblina? You must have come from Windurst that way." Zinkata was surprised she had forgotten the way she had come from.

"Oh, the little fishing town? Yeah!" She seemed a bit more confident now she knew what was going on.

"Figure it can be our first stop." Zinkata told her.

"Sounds good. Let's keep moving." Voldos decided to say something because he was feeling very left out and lonely. That happened sometimes.

"My lord, our assault on San D'Oria failed. We were repelled by their troops." Signot explained.

"Failed?" Boomed the voice. "Sometimes you surprise me, Lord Signot. It was not a failure. Oh no. It was the beginning of the ultimate success. It will lure her to San D'Oria, and then further to the orc camp. There she will become ours."

"You trust Vatgit?" Signot asked sceptically.

"No. I trust you. You will handle this personally Lord Signot. I want no failures."

"Yes, my master." Signot bowed and left the cave.

"I hate goblins." Voldos commented casually as one stabbed at him. He parried it aside and sliced it in the face. It staggered back before throwing its tiny blade. The blade lodged into Zinkata's armour. Apparently the slice in its face made it hard to tell who was who.

"OUCH!" The newly turned warrior yelled.

"Hold still!" Cried Vivli as she began to cast a cure spell. The goblin ran towards her. "Get that thing away from me!"

"Hey fugly! Over here!" Yelled Voldos, and the creature turned around. It ran at Voldos, but Bootus leapt in and knocked it over with a firm punch. Voldos drove his sword through it and it died. Vivli reached up to the dagger lodged in Zinkata. She took hold of it and pulled on it.

"OOOOOOOOW!" Exclaimed the human.

"Oh, stop complaining." Vivli pulled on the dagger and yanked it out. Zinkata screamed girlishly. Vivli landed on the floor with the bloody dagger. She quickly cast another cure spell to shut the warrior-cum-thief up.

"Thank the heavens." Cried Bootus. "You are good for something after all."

"Shut. Up." Vivli made sure each word was expressed clearly. Zinkata observed his armour.

"Well, crap." He muttered, removing it. The large hole around the shoulder made it structurally weak, and pointless to still wear. He had a huge cut where he had been stabbed, and blood oozed all over his now bear body. A gigantic scar was on his other shoulder.

"How'd you get that other one?" Vivli asked, trying to avoid embarrassment at the fact she was now staring at Zinkata half naked.

"Long story. Quite dull. You don't want to hear it." Zinkata summed it up neatly.

"You can't say that then not tell us." Vivli complained.

"Yes I can." Zinkata stated, digging his t-shirt out of his satchel of collected items and putting it on.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" Vivli protested.

"She's not going to shut up. Please. Tell her." Bootus seemed to speak through gritted teeth. "I am not putting up with this all the way to San D'Oria."

"Fine." Zinkata sighed. "A few years back, an expedition unveiled an interesting artefact. They took it back to Bastok. The crown of Uggalepih."

"Wow. What a name." Laughed Bootus.

"He's an evil deity." Vivli shouted. "Don't you know anything about religion?"

"I try not to." Bootus replied.

"Anyway, we agreed to try and steal it. It was worth millions of gil after all." Zinkata continued to explain.

"We?" Voldos managed to pick up on this.

"I was raised by a street thief. I was about eighteen at this time, and he's the one who came up with the idea. But he was too well known by the guards to pull it off. So I did it."

"And you got caught and wounded?" Vivli guessed.

"Oh no. Got away with. Pissed a lot of people off." He paused. "But I was betrayed. The man who had raised me for eighteen years turned on me and tried to kill me, stealing the crown."

"Ouch." Voldos involuntarily said.

"He stabbed me with a dagger in my shoulder and hurled me off a cliff. I was lucky enough to be found by another squad of skilled adventurers. Their White Mage saved me." He finished with a painful look on his face.
"I can't believe he betrayed you after eighteen years." Vivli gasped, seemingly struggling to understand betrayal.

"Oh, I can. Signot was a crafty one."

Signot stood proudly beaming over the assembled orcs. They would give a challenge, but he hoped that they wouldn't kill the adventurers. Well, they could kill the elf and the galka. It was Zinkata he wanted to see again. To see the built up rage. To see them confront each other again and battle. It would be beautiful. Of course, he was more powerful than Zinkata could possibly imagine now, but it would be fun to toy with him again. To watch as he continues to try futilely for revenge. He laughed manically at the thought, much to the surprise of the orcs.

"Frackin' goblins!" Cursed Voldos. "Do the beastmen have no originality?"

"I'm sure they'd send some orcs after you if you asked nicely." Bootus patronised.

"I blame Vivli. They keep attacking her." Zinkata commented.

"Not my fault! They hate me for some reason!" She protested.

"I hate you for some reason." Bootus pointed out.

"I noticed." She grumbled.

"Probably all the healing." Zinkata mumbled.

"Yeah, I can see that annoys them, over, say, you guys killing them brutally." She was being heavily sarcastic.

"Monster. We should be fighting." Voldos pointed a finger at the tiny goblin. The goblin was waiting patiently.

"Oh, fine." Grumbled Zinkata. He swung his sword at the goblin and it jumped back. A large white temple was in the background, creating a nice dramatic backdrop. They had made the highlands at least.

Voldos swung his sword at the goblin, but the tiny creature deflected it with his own blade. Dramatic sparks flew everywhere.

"Wow. Sparky." Vivli commented, before going into what appeared to be deep thought.

"Wow. What were the chances of that?" Voldos said with a laugh.

"Can we get around to killing the goblin?" Zinkata asked with a sigh.

"I think we should protest until we fight something more original." Vivli suggested, earning an angry look from Bootus.

Of course, killing the goblin didn't take too long, and they were soon victorious.

"I suddenly think getting to San D'Oria won't be a problem." Voldos commented.

"I agree, Sparky." Vivli said, deciding to test out her new nickname for the elf.

"What did you just call me?" Was his response.

"Sparky. Well, you made sparks. I think it fits." Vivli nervously explained.

"It makes him sound like a character from a children's story!" Bootus pointed out, pausing. "So yeah, it fits." He added with a sly smile.

"Hmm. It's getting late." Zinkata observed as the sun began to sink behind the hills.

"Why don't we set up camp then?" Vivli asked.

"We could cover a lot of ground by nightfall." Zinkata pointed out.

"Yeah, and we could run into ghouls and ghosts and things." Vivli whimpered. Of course, this wasn't some kind of bizarre fear of the supernatural, they were a very real threat.

"I hate to say it, but she's got a point." Bootus conceded. "Goblins we can handle, but I've heard some nasty stories about what ghouls can do. One once attacked Seblina, and every adventurer there battles for hours to kill it. It just kept draining their energies to stay alive. Quite a few people died I believe." Vivli shivered at hearing this. "Wuss." Bootus added under his breath. The others tried there best to look like they didn't care.

Despite this bravado, they soon found themselves setting up a tent, although not a single one was willing to admit they were actually scared. Vivli found this hilarious, mystifying the others by continually giggling to herself.