PART XII

The three were surrounded by a group of six bandits. This had been in case they 'tried anything', as the bandits said. It was completely beyond Vivli what they may want to try since all they wanted to do was see who was their leader.

"I wonder how the others are getting on." She decided to say to Bootus.

"We do have linkshells remember." Bootus reminded her, pulling out the little pearl. "This isn't a pretty jewel to put in your hair, ya know?"

"Are you implying I'm girly again?" She asked angrily. Dedji laughed.

"You two arrrrre hilarrrrious." She said. "You should be on stage. You'd make millions of gil as a comedy sketch." Bootus pondered this while Vivli fiddled with the linkshell.

"How do I get it to work?" She asked.

"Well, it might be difficult for you." Bootus began, setting up his joke. "You have to think." Vivli hit Bootus playfully on the arm. It wasn't actually playful, but she couldn't hit very hard and the massive galka felt very little pain at anytime, so it came off that way. Vivli held the jewel, concentrating, and so could hear what was happening on the other side.

"…mask on the floor so I can see, then get the rest on the floor so I can see the rest of ya!" She paused, confused. It was Voldos's voice. She suddenly heard him scream in pain. She figured it out.

"Amazing." She grumbled. "He found someone to hit on in a city occupied by undead unkillable skeletons."

"Shouldn't a mage like yourrrrrself not make up worrrrds?" Dedji inquired.

"Unkillable should be a word." Vivli muttered.

"Well, communicate with them then." Bootus prompted her. "Or are you so incompetent I have to do it myself?"

"Urm, hello?" Vivli said.

"No. Think. Stupid girl." Bootus told her. Vivli shot him an angry glance.

"Well how come I could hear Voldos then?" She asked. "If you have to think to communicate?"

"You can hear background noise through the linkshells," Bootus explained, "But Zinkata won't know you're communicating unless you think to him."

"Wow." Dedji said as if she suddenly had an idea. "This must be the ultimate spy gearrrrrr."

Zinkata felt his link pearl vibrate in his pocket. He held it out, and concentrated.

"Urm, hello?" He heard Vivli think. "Am I doing this right?"

"Yeah." He thought back. "How can you be a mage and never have used a linkshell?"

"Don't we have more important things to discuss?" Vivli asked through thought.

"I guess so. How's it going?" Zinkata questioned.

"We're heading to meet their leader now. Apparently he's in a cave near Jeuno." Vivli said to him. "I hate caves. I'm so scared, of the dark, of spiders, of everything! And it's all in caves! AHHH!" She added, mentally screaming in fear. Then she paused. "Oh frack, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, you have to be careful." Zinkata told her. "You're communicating your thoughts so I can hear whatever you think."

"Oh frack. Oh frack. Oh frack." Vivli repeated. "Okay. Don't think anything except what I want him to hear. Wait, he'll of heard that. Oh frack."

"You swear a lot mentally you know?" Zinkata told her.

"Well, nobody can hear me." Vivli said back.

"I can." Zinkata pointed out.

"Oh frack." Vivli said again. "Urm. I didn't just think that. You imagined it." She quickly added. "So, urm, how's it going for you guys?"

"Bit of a long story." Zinkata began.

It turned out that they had touched down in San D'Oria, and instantly been attacked. Using the cannons to blast away attacking skeletons, they had leapt from the ship and run into the city. Olose had been forced to stay behind to get the Raven away and let them have a means of escape. Bolting down the streets, they had run into more skeletal troops, and it looked like they were in a lot of trouble, before someone opened a sewer hatch and they had jumped down to escape.

They met a hume woman dressed entirely in a tight black suit, masked, and with a rifle. She had a long black braid of hair hanging out the back of her mask.

"Nice assets!" Voldos cried. He quickly paused as he noticed her advancing on him. "Ur, I was talking about the rifle! The rifle!"

"Who are you?" Zinkata quickly asked to calm her down.

"Name's Celphie." She told him. "I'm the leader of the rebel forces here."

"Rebel forces?" Zinkata questioned. "I thought you had all been captured and registered by Lich."

"We set up a rebel alliance down in the sewers, connected to the old dungeons of the Chateau, they stretch far. We're mainly an escape service, helping get the children and non-warriors who were left behind out of here." She paused. "So I'm a little curious as to why you've attacked our city."

"We're the Light Warriors." Zinkata said proudly. "Well, half of them."

"We're here to save the world." Voldos shot in with a wink. She didn't look impressed.

"For the last time Voldos, 'we're here to save the world' is not a chat up line!" Zinkata snapped.

"How can you two be so light hearted at a time like this?" Celphie asked in disbelief.

"It keeps us going." Zinkata explained. "After all we've been through, a good laugh now and then keeps us from going insane."

"You sound like your insane already." Celphie pointed out.

"Then we have an excuse to joke and laugh." Zinkata said with a shrug. "Where are the others?"

"We're a small organisation." Celphie admitted. "But what few of us there are hide in the old sewage maintenance room."

"Nice location." Voldos grumbled.

Celphie led the two in. There were many people gathered around, looking at maps, playing with weapons, generally doing whatever rebels do when they're in such a situation.

"So then, Light Warriors, what's your plan?" Celphie asked.

"Generally stumble around for a bit and save the world?" Voldos suggested. Zinkata sighed.

"Ignore him." He muttered.

"Done and done." Celphie said back.

"We're planning to infiltrate the Chateau, and if we can, stop Lich. If not, we need to find out what he's doing and report back to the other Light Warriors so we can prepare a new tactic." Celphie paused as Zinkata finished.

"Good luck." She said. "I don't think it can be done."

"Has someone tried?" Zinkata asked.

"My brother. Andrew. He tried. He was our ex-leader. Nobody's heard from him since." Celphie paused again. "What's worse, I can't go in and rescue him. I'm needed here to oversee the evacuations and make sure they go unseen." Zinkata paused.

"Come with us." He suggested.

"I can't." Celphie pointed out. "I have to help-"

"Come with us anyway." Zinkata told her. "We have an airship. Once we've saved your brother and found out Lich's plan, we'll fight our way out to the airship and get everybody out of the city in one swoop."

"That sounds ridiculously risky." Celphie grumbled. "I can't risk the citizens that way."

"We may have to." Zinkata told her. "It won't be long before Lich marches on Seblina, and then the other nations. And if he decides his troops aren't strong enough, you know where he'll get some more." Celphie paused again, considering this.

"Okay. I'm in." She said. "But we'll have to wait until night fall. It'll keep us covered."

"Good idea." Zinkata said. "What do we do in the meantime?"

"You know," Voldos began, turning to Celphie. "I bet you have some really pretty eyes. Why don't you put that mask on the floor so I can see your eyes, then get the rest on the floor so I can see the rest of ya!" Celphie did a firm kick to Voldos's groin, and he screamed in pain, falling down.

"And that's pretty much what's happened so far." Zinkata thought to Vivli.

"Well, we're approaching the cave now. Good luck." Vivli wished to Zinkata.

"You too." Zinkata paused. "Oh, and be careful about communicating with Voldos. I don't think you want to hear his thoughts." Zinkata pocketed the linkshell and looked down at Voldos.

"So…..much…..pain….." He groaned, still lying on the floor.

Bootus, Vivli and Dedji walked into the dark cave.

"This place seems awfully familiar." Vivli mumbled nervously. It was in bad shape, as if it had been rocked by multiple cave ins.

"Aw, is the little girl scared?" One of the bandits asked.

"If she's scared now she's going to be petrified in a minute." The second said. Vivli stopped, turning to them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"When you meet our master." The bandit explained. Vivli gulped hard.

"What is this place?" Bootus asked, observing the crates lying around.

"It caved in recently." One of the bandits explained. "We uncovered it and used it as a place to store our 'acquired' goods. Then we met the master."

"Who is he?" Dedji asked, sounding a little on edge herself.

"He is not living." The bandits were having fun scaring the trio. "He died fighting in this very cave. His spirit haunts it, and commands us. We follow him to avoid his wrath."

"A ghost?" Vivli gasped. "I hate ghosts."

"Only because the last ghost we ran into tried to kill us in an epic battle." Bootus mumbled.

"I think that's a perfectly justified reason!" Vivli snapped.

"Hey, we won didn't we?" Bootus shot back.

"Master." The bandit said to the darkness. "These three have requested to speak to you."

"Then let them speak!" Boomed a voice. Vivli recognised it instantly.

"It can't be." She gasped.

The three rebels wondered through the dark sewers of San D'Oria.

"There should be an exit just ahead, comes out near the Chateau's moat." Celphie explained, rifle slung over her shoulder.

"Glad to here the elves keep their moats crystal clear." Zinkata joked. Voldos didn't look happy. Celphie climbed up a rusty ladder and the heroes followed.

The three observed the Chateau. Two guards stood firmly at the entrance.

"How did your brother get in?" Zinkata asked.

"Good question." Celphie gave in response.

"All you two need is a little elvaan ingenuity." Voldos laughed, drawing his bow and arrow. He pulled a length of rope from his satchel and tied it around the arrow.

"Why did you have a rope in your satchel?" Zinkata asked.

"To tie Bootus up and run away if he annoyed me." Voldos answered. He fired the bow and arrow at the top of the chateau. It stuck in neatly. "Now we climb."

"This is stupid." Zinkata grumbled. "It's never going to work."

"You always say that." Sighed Voldos, tying the rope to a nearby post and beginning to climb.

"It just isn't possible." Vivli muttered in confusion. He died fighting in this very cave, they said. It's caved in. Almost as if a battle was here. But it's not possible. Is it?

"Hello Vivli." Fiorel said with a smirk. Vivli took a few steps back as the ghostly blue image of the man she considered a brother appeared before her.

"H-h-h-hello." She managed to say. Bootus stared on in awe. Dedji looked confused.

"Who is this perrrrrson?" Dedji asked.

"Fiorel." Vivli whispered. "He raised me, protected me, died for me." She explained.

"Fiorel? I rrrrremember you mentioning him." Dedji gasped. "It is an honourrrrr to meet you."

"What's going on?" Bootus asked confidently.

"In death you learn much." Fiorel began. "Lich's plan is simple, yet deadly. He is gathering the orbs that Chaos had a million years ago. He originally had the Shadow Lord help him. Now he has two. The one he was in has shattered. If he gathers the third, he can resurrect the fiends."

"We guessed that is what he was doing." Dedji said.

"Do you know where the third orb is?" Bootus asked.

"I do. Hidden in Quifim. Lost to the ice." Fiorel explained.

"Then we have to go there and find it before Lich does." Bootus decided.

"What if it smashes and a spirit gets free like it did for Lich?" Vivli asked, concerned.

"The other orbs are dead, remember?" Bootus said as if Vivli was an idiot. Vivli didn't look pleased with his tone of voice. "They're powerless until Lich recharges them."

"It gets worse." Fiorel warned.
"Why am I not surrrrprrrrised." Dedji sighed.

"The fiends were born of Chaos." Fiorel explained. "And Chaos was born of the fiends."

"What?" Bootus said. "That doesn't make sense."

"It means that if the four fiends are resurrected, they can bring Chaos back." Fiorel told him. "And this time there are no crystal shards to stop him."

"That doesn't sound good." Dedji decided.

"Fiorel." Vivli pleaded. "Come with us. I miss you. Please. We could use your help." Fiorel laughed.

"I can't. As a spirit, I am bound to this place until my purpose is completed." Fiorel's voice began to fade. "And that purpose is to stop Lich. I did everything I could to stop him while he was in he orb, and failed. Now I must help you stop him even though he is free."

"Wait." Vivli suddenly said. "Are you saying if we defeat Lich, I lose you again?"

"I'm already lost." Fiorel told her. "I am but an empty shell relaying information. Now go." Vivli's eyes filled with tears.

"Goodbye Fiorel." She said sadly.

"Remember, your big brother loves you." He told her.

"And your little sister loves you." She said, echoing their final words to each other in life. Bootus and Vivli turned to leave. Dedji stood there firmly.

"Thank you for protecting my little sister." She said to Fiorel. "For when I wasn't there."

"Make sure she stays safe." Fiorel advised.

"I will." Dedji smiled.

A scream penetrated the Chateau. Andrew was strapped to a wooden table. A male hume, now just clad in black trousers with rough black hair. Lich stood before him, hurtling lightning magic at him. He screamed in agony.

"Now, tell me, where are they hiding?" Lich demanded.

"I'll die before I tell you anything!" Andrew screamed in defiance.

"Rest assured you will die." Lich told him. "But first you shall tell me where your rebels are hiding."

"Why?" Andrew laughed. "Worried? Worried if you deploy your troops to sweep the sewers you'll lose control?"

"If I have to extend my troop count by wiping out every last citizen of San D'Oria I will do it." Lich threatened. "Or you can tell me where you are hiding the rebels."

"You'd kill everybody?" Andrew cried in disbelief.

"Oh yes." Lich snarled. "Now, this is the last time I shall ask this. Where are the rebels hiding?" Andrew sighed. He had to answer. He was going to answer.

"Not so fast Lich!" Zinkata cried dramatically. Lich span around to face the trio.

"Well, well, well." Lich laughed. "Look who's back. Up for a second round."

"Release him!" Zinkata ordered.

"Come and free him yourself!" Lich laughed as he summoned a sword made of bone to his hands. Zinkata and Voldos readied their swords. Celphie lifted her rifle. They got ready to do battle.