PART XI
Olose sat back and looked out over the sea. Seblina was quickly becoming fortified. In the previous day, everything had gone to hell. The attack on San D'Oria prompted huge reactions from the other three nations, who in turn instantly began to prepare themselves for war. In turn, the elvaans had sent off three messengers to relay the true information and warn the nations of the true nature of the battles that were to come. Olose had stayed behind, originally mobilising the defences of Seblina, but now he was busy preparing the ships to leave. They had come to a decision, under the guidance of Arcane, to retreat. They knew Lich would find them, and decided that retreating across water would at least buy them some time.
The small town of Seblina fell into view for the Light Warriors. They were exhausted from running and the battles of the previous day. Vivli had passed out, her body still drained from the exorcism. This left her being carried in the hands of the rather unfriendly galka.
"Lich let her do it and it still almost killed her." Bootus had grumbled. "Some white mage." This had led to Cruth hitting him in the face. In turn, this left Voldos and Zinkata in hysterics. At least there was still some humour left in the increasingly dark world the heroes found themselves in.
The five wondered into town, arriving at a poorly (i.e.: quickly) constructed gate. Guards from above drew bows and pointed it at the heroes.
"Urm." Zinkata mumbled. "We're good guys?" He offered.
"We're not taking risks!" One elvaan called down. "Who are you?"
"They'rrrrre frrrrriends." Dedji was the other guard. "Let them in!" The gate swung open and the five wondered in.
Dedji instantly ran and hugged Cruth.
"Father! You'rrrrre alive!" She screamed happily.
"Thanks to Vivli." Cruth replied, smiling.
"Vivli? What happened to herrrr?" Dedji looked over her unconscious body.
"Just exhaustion." Zinkata explained. "From the exorcism."
"You succeeded?" Dedji cried desperately.
"No." Came the crushing answer. "Well, yes., but it isn't over."
"What Zinkata is trying to say," Bootus began, "Is that Vivli here managed to free Lich so now he has his body back. She walked right into his trap."
"We walked into his trap." Zinkata reminded him.
"I blame her." Bootus grumbled.
"You would!" Remarked Voldos. Arcane ran over and hugged Cruth, before turning to the heroes.
"I assume your plan has not succeeded?" She inquired. Zinkata sighed. He decided to gather everybody and explain before attempting to continue.
After the explanation had been given to the assembled crowd, they all sat back in murmurs.
"The Light Warriors have betrayed us!" One cried.
"Yeah! We trusted them! Now we've lost our homes!" Another cried.
"How could we have trusted you?" A third yelled. "You've brought death to us all!"
"How darrrre you?" Spat Arcane far louder than anybody thought possible. "They've risked their lives for us more times than you dare to dream!"
"So what now?" Another called out. "If they're so great, what do they propose?" Here Olose stepped forwards.
"Our scouts report the land around San D'Oria is beginning to die." The crown booed and roared with disapproval. "If this is happening, Lich must be drawings its power. I theorise he has rebuilt the Earth Crystal, and is using it to drain the land and give power to his troops." Olose paused as the irony gripped him. "The original Light Warriors fought with everything they had to save the crystals. We must fight to destroy them."
"Them?" Somebody picked up. "There's more?"
"I can only theorise." Olose reminded him. "But it seems likely that Lich is planning to rebuild all four crystals to effectively finish off the world."
"So what do we do?" Someone else in the crowd asked.
"We have to destroy the Earth Crystal. We have to attack San D'Oria." Olose explained.
"San D'Oria will not fall! It's a fortress of a city! We built it that way!" An elvaan yelled.
"We launch a covert strike. The Light Warriors and myself." Olose told the group. "My immortality puts me on evens with the skeletal troops of Lich, and the Light Warriors can destroy the crystal."
"And just how will you get into San D'Oria to achieve this?" Another sceptic asked.
"Assistance has arrived from Bastok." Olose turned to someone just out of sight of the crowd. "Cid, please take over."
Cid, a bald man in his late forties, stepped forwards. An expert at working machinery from Bastok, Cid pointed to the gigantic sheeted object behind him. Most people had assumed this was some weapon under construction for the defence of Seblina, and so had paid it little attention.
"I present to you the latest in flight technology." He began, pulling back the sheet. "I give you, the Raven!" A small black airship sat there. It's hull had the look of a small boat, but it was entirely black. The front of it had a spiked golden beak, with golden patterns weaved back across the walls at the edge of the airship. A small cabin sat proudly at the back. Two propellers reached into the sky from the top of it, two smaller ones were placed on the back and tiny ones were lined along the side. "The fastest and most nimble airship to ever have been constructed. Armed with two cannons, capable of rotating to fire in any direction, it can easily penetrate an occupied city, land, and then fly out again in mere minutes." The audience (and the Light Warriors) were stunned. "It was designed to be Bastok's ultimate display of their supremacy in the air, but it appears it is far more needed now." Olose stepped forwards to take over again.
"Using the Raven, we can penetrate San D'Oria and destroy the crystal." Olose explained.
"You make it sound easy." Zinkata muttered under his breath.
Suddenly a wounded mithra ran into the crowd.
"Listen!" She yelled. "Listen! Kazham has been attacked!"
"What?" Vivli, Dedji, Arcane and Cruth all cried together.
"It has been attacked! Invincible skeletons!" He ranted.
"Why would they attack Kazham?" Dedji cried in disbelief.
"Oh no." Olose stated as he figured it out. "Oh no. This is very very bad."
"We know!" Cruth yelled.
"I mean, Kazham was not the target. No. It was in the way. The Temple of Uggalepih is near. They wanted the Temple of Uggalepih!" Olose's mind was racing, figuring out the puzzle. "No! This is bad." He grumbled.
"What is it?" Bootus asked irritably.
"Don't you see? The Temple of Uggalepih had inside the orb Chaos used to go back in time!" Olose ranted. "The same orb he used a million years in the past to regenerate the orbs that led to Lich's resurrection."
"So?" Bootus laughed. "It's lost a million years in the past."
"No." Olose stated. "It's here. Now. In the present. Chaos used it to propel himself back in time, but the orb he used still exists now. Lich must have acquired it. He must be planning to use it to resurrect the other fiends! And when he does, we are all doomed!"
"But the Temple of Uggalepih has been sealed tighter than a vault since the battle there." Vivli pointed out.
"Our troops are no match for Lich's invincible soldiers." Olose paused. "There's something we've overlooked!" He suddenly cried. "We have another ally! Someone who must know more!"
"What?" Zinkata asked. "Explain!"
"The bandits. Why would they want the orb? Why were they trying to steal it?" Olose questioned quickly, getting more passionate as his brain raced.
"Presumably the Shadow Lord manipulated them into freeing Lich." Zinkata guessed.
"No. Lich could free himself. We saw that." Olose paused. "Someone was trying to get the orb to keep it safe. Whoever was manipulating the bandits is on our side, not theirs. And whoever it is, they know more than we do. A lot more. We need to find them."
"What's the plan?" Voldos asked, deciding he had been too quiet for too long.
"We have to stop Lich, whether we know what's happening or not." Olose decided. "Right. We split up. Dedji, Vivli and Bootus head to find these bandits and their leader. Dedji and Vivli are mithra, so that'll get their attention, and Bootus can protect them."
"I can prrrrotect myself!" Spat Dedji.
"Yeah, but Vivli can't." Olose explained.
"And you have no idea what kind of trouble she gets in." Zinkata input.
"We'll take the Raven and try to stop Lich through any means necessary." Olose turned to the crowd. "The rest of you, retreat to Mhaura via ship. Set up defences there. That should slow Lich's attack down if he has to cross the ocean to get to you."
After the outline of his plan, the six heroes involved had gathered to sort out and replace their lost equipment.
"You can't do this." Vivli advised. "You'll all be killed."
"What?" Olose asked.
"This. Going off to confront Lich with no plan or strategy. It's insane!" She cried. "Let us plan. Let us contact the bandit leader and find out what he knows."
"We can't. No time." Olose told her. "You're our backup. If we die, you've got to take over."
"What? You're not going to die! You can't!" She was almost crying just considering losing her friends. "Don't! Be careful! Don't do anything stupid! If Lich is too powerful, run away. Just don't die. I need you." Zinkata turned to Vivli.
"I've got a feeling we're all going to need each other to get through this one." He admitted.
"We'll see what we can find out, at least." Voldos said. "Think of us as a scout party. We'll be fine."
"You'd better be." Vivli growled warningly, actually sounding angry.
"So how arrrrre we going to find the bandits?" Dedji asked, trying to draw attention away from her upset sister.
"Last they were seen around Windurst." Zinkata said. "If we use the Raven to drop you off, then we can go on our separate ways."
"I hate this plan." Vivli grumbled.
"Don't worry," Voldos smiled, "Bootus is going with you. He'll keep you safe." Vivli pondered this.
"I hate this plan." She grumbled again.
The Raven tore through the air at speeds unheard of for a manmade airship in Vana'diel. The flight was a little rough, however, and this led to Vivli spending a large amount of the time throwing up.
"This is worse than a ship on the sea." She commented.
"If all you can complain about at a time like this is feeling sick, then consider yourself pretty luck." Bootus said in response.
"I'm complaining about being sick, not feeling sick." She countered smugly. Then she threw up, which kind of ruined her smug look.
"She does have kind of a point." Zinkata sighed. "Olose! Can't you keep this thing stable?"
"We traded stability for speed!" Olose shouted back. "Plus its never been tested."
"That is not what you tell someone who gets airsick!" Vivli cried back.
"Isn't it more generally travel sick?" Bootus inquired.
"This
is no time to be picky!" Vivli snapped.
"There's always time
to be picky!" Came the irritating response. Vivli groaned.
"How do we get into these situations?" She found herself asking.
"I thought about that." Bootus admitted. "And I noticed a reoccurring theme. It's always your fault."
"My fault?" Vivli protested.
"Yeah!" Bootus cried back. "Think about it. You were being hunted, so we protected you. Turned out you were a Light Warrior, so we helped you, becoming Light Warriors ourselves. Then you went in search of your parents, and we found out about the orb, which in turn led to us freeing Lich which in turn led to you freeing him from his body and dooming the universe. Always your fault." Bootus crossed his arms, proud of his point. There was a silence, and he heard Vivli sobbing. "Oh come on!" He cried, feeling more guilty than he'd admit. "I was only joking."
"But you're right." She sobbed. "It is all my fault."
"Sure it is." He joked. He'd be dammed if he was going to be compassionate. "But if we didn't get to clear it up we wouldn't be the heroes we are today now, would we?" He paused. "Not to mention I'd have nobody to insult, and where's the fun in that?"
"Dunno. Sounds pretty appealing sometimes." Vivli grumbled. The ship lurched again, and she struggled to keep what little food she had left inside of her on the inside.
"I think we're landing." Zinkata said. The ship lurched a second time. "Or crashing."
"Don't
say that!" Vivli moaned.
"We're coming in to land!" Olose
cried.
"Told ya." Zinkata beamed. The ship touched down with a lurch. Vivli, who had attempted to stand up moments before, had lurched forwards and threw up over Bootus. He growled.
"Viv, you won't take offence at this, but at times you seem pretty feminine. You had better hope that extends to washing clothes." Vivli paused, pondering this.
"Wait a second, did you just call me girly again?" She cried as she interpreted the insult. Bootus roared with laughter, and even Vivli found herself smiling.
Zinkata and Voldos watched, laughing.
"Is it a bad thing that she seems to cheer up when mad?" Zinkata asked.
"I knew we kept Bootus around for a reason." Voldos joked.
"Ya know, this might be the last time we see them." Zinkata said suddenly.
"Like hell." Voldos smirked. "If Chaos couldn't keep us down, Lich sure won't. And as for them, Vivli's too annoying and Bootus is too stubborn to die. We'll be seeing them again."
"Since when were you the optimistic one?" Zinkata asked.
"I read that one of the four fiends was a woman. She won't resist my charms. I'll just pull a Voldos and she'll be in my arms, and the world will be safe." Voldos explained.
"Voldos, that's Kary." Zinkata told him. "She's half made out of snake."
"Oh." Voldos sadly muttered. "Which half?" Zinkata groaned.
After the landing ramp had been placed down, Dedji, Vivli and Bootus all wondered from the ship. Bootus had changed into a convenient spare gi he had, and Vivli had been forced to put his sick covered one in her own satchel to clean it later. She wasn't too happy about that. The three turned around.
"You guys had better stay safe." Vivli warned.
"Yeah, I'll be dammed if I'm being stuck with her for the rest of time." Bootus joked.
"We'll be fine." Zinkata called down. "We'll be careful too."
"And you do the same!" Voldos instructed.
"We will, Mom." Bootus sarcastically grumbled. "And I'll eat my packed lunch, and make sure I'm in bed before eight."
"Just go, would you." Zinkata grumbled.
"Bye!" Dedji called.
"Goodbye!" Vivli yelled, feeling slightly sad. They turned away as the airship began to beat its rotor blades and lift into the air.
The three departed adventurers watched sadly as the ship flew away.
"Damn that thing's windy." Bootus, of course, ruined the moment.
"Guess we had betterrrr get moving." Dedji growled.
"I guess so." Vivli mumbled sadly, watching as the Raven sped away.
The
three wondered across the deserts of Windurst, soon coming to a
bandit camp. Bootus marched up first, and a bandit stopped him.
"What
do you want?" He asked.
"Urm. Long story." Vivli gulped from behind.
"Those two had better be for us, or you're in trouble." The bandit warned. Vivli and Dedji glanced to each other.
"Say something!" Vivli prompted Bootus.
"Okay, look, I know how corny this sounds." Bootus began. Indeed, in Vana'diel, it was still a very corny line. "But, here I go anyway. Take us to your leader."
