The usual disclaimers apply.
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Normally I enjoy floating hundreds of feet above the ground, but my reasons for being airborne that day left little room for sightseeing. With the sandstorm gone, Cleyra was vulnerable to attack from both the ground and the air. Knowing that Alexandria possessed both a crack force of ground troops and a respectable airship fleet, I was expecting an assault from both directions.
Strangely, though, the expected attack had thus far failed to materialize. We'd been watching for two hours without seeing any sign of enemy activity. I found this more than a little troubling; given Queen Brahne's current state of mind, Cleyra should have been crawling with Alexandrian soldiers and Black Mages.
I glanced at my team. Dari hovered a few feet away, gazing down with a disturbed expression on her face. Indora seemed his usual self, but I could see the flesh around his eyes tighten, a sign that he wasn't as calm as he appeared. Chris and my beloved "little sister" Seria flew together at a somewhat lower altitude, nervous but at the same time ready for anything. Zack's familiar green-clad form drifted off to my right, with Laura behind him and slightly to his left.
Seeing the Light Dragoon's proximity to Zack, and the Crown Prince's subtle yet blindingly obvious protectiveness toward her, I had the sudden thought that I was looking at the next Queen of Serdio. Laura's Tiberoan origins wouldn't be a hindrance, given that Zack's mother, Queen Emille, was the heir to the throne in that country, thus making the union of Tiberoa and Serdio inevitable. Nor did the fact that Laura was a commoner matter in the least; Shana was a princess of Mille Seseau, and yet she and Dart had been married for almost two decades. True, she hadn't learned of her royal heritage until a month or so before the wedding, but the fact of it remained.
I grinned at the thought, but it was fleeting. Before any of that could happen, we first had to complete our mission in Gaia, and hopefully live through it. The Alexandrians didn't worry me; no conceivable number of common soldiers could possibly defeat seven Dragoons, and Beatrix of course had no intention of doing us any permanent harm. The Black Mages could be a bit more of a challenge, what with their stronger than normal magic, but even they would ultimately fall.
The joker in the deck was, of course, Derrick Sands. With the Blood Dragoon having joined forces with Brahne, I was far from certain that we would prevail. That bastard's probably become even stronger since our last meeting. This isn't going to be easy, but I will kill him. I have no choice. The only thing that gave me any confidence at all with regard to that encounter was the Dragon Buster. It could kill a Dragon with one hit in the right place, and go through Dragoon armor like butter. I had no reason to believe Derrick's armor would be any different in that respect. The problem would be getting close enough to strike.
Dari's voice jarred me out of my gloomy thoughts. "Hey, Jason, you okay?"
I gave myself a mental shake. "I think so. It's just that…" I shook my head. "Brahne's up to something, I can feel it. We've been up here for two hours, and we haven't seen so much as a single soldier. That just doesn't feel right. Whatever else she may be, Brahne is anything but stupid."
"So you think something nasty is going to happen soon," Dari said.
I nodded. "It reminds me of something Commodore Puler said to me, some years ago. 'Watch for trouble where the water is smoothest.' If we haven't seen any sign of enemy troops, that tells me something very bad is imminent."
"He's right," Zack put in. "It's pretty basic: expect the unexpected. In combat, if you're not very careful, wham! Checkmate." The chess metaphor was something of a private joke of ours; when we weren't sparring or digging through the Indels Castle library, we'd often play chess. Usually I'd win, but Zack had been known to pull off an occasional come-from-behind victory.
"At least Beatrix is on our side," Laura added. "Maybe she can find a way to stop this."
I sighed. "There isn't much she can do at this point, Laura. One thing you have to understand about Beatrix is that she is fiercely loyal. She'll obey orders, even if she disagrees with them."
"Always?" Seria asked in disbelief. "What if what she's doing is wrong?"
"For the most part, that isn't for a soldier to decide," I told her. "Beatrix isn't stupid, far from it. The problem here is that so far her orders have involved military campaigns. Whether Brahne was right or wrong in launching those attacks is in this context irrelevant. Beatrix's job is to carry the war to a successful conclusion, even if she doesn't like it."
The young Wingly still wasn't convinced. "Can't she do anything to stop it? Surely her troops would support her."
"It's not that simple, Seria," Zack said. "Military rebellions are always dicey; they usually succeed, but it almost always ends up as a case of the cure being worse than the disease."
"Listen to Zack," I said. "He knows history in general very well, few better. Now, you're right that Beatrix's troops would probably support her, but that doesn't matter, because the chances of her pulling a stunt like that are somewhere between microscopic and nonexistent. Don't get me wrong; if she's given an order that would directly threaten Alexandria as a whole, or the royal family, particularly Princess Garnet, she wouldn't hesitate to disobey. That, however, is an extreme case, and unlikely to occur here."
Seria sighed. "You're right. It's just that---" She broke off, staring incredulously at the tree trunk. "Look! Alexandrian soldiers!"
"Forget them!" Chris snapped. "Black Mages have entered the city!"
I made my decision in an instant. "Chris is right, the Black Mages are the greater threat. Come on!"
Seven Dragoons descended on the city of Cleyra like the wrath of an enraged deity. And enraged was precisely the right word; my first sight upon getting into range was of a Black Mage incinerating a pair of Burmecian children. Those vermin! They will pay for what they have done this day!
"Leave the kids alone, you freaks!" Seria screamed, slamming her hammer into the ground. "Diamond Dust!"
I landed a few yards away, amid a squad of foot soldiers. Out of deference for Beatrix's position, I refrained from killing any, but I made sure they were too scattered to be effective. They prudently ran, having no desire to take on an enraged Dragoon.
"KILL!"
I turned, glaring. "You're mine." I may have avoided killing soldiers, but I had no such compunctions about Black Mages. I flapped for altitude, then dove, driving my sword into the golem's chest. Instead of blood, some sort of black ichor spouted from the wound. The mage fell over and simply disintegrated.
Nearby, Indora was tangling with no fewer than five mages. "You are nothing but mindless killing machines," he snarled, "and you do not belong in this world. Meteor Strike!"
Watch for falling rocks, I thought sardonically, watching the mages get pounded by Indora's massive Earth spell.
Chris bared his teeth in what might charitably be called a grin. "Don't look so shocked, pal. Atomic Mind!"
Zack and Laura, meanwhile, fought close to Zidane and his friends. This was due to the fact that Zidane was escorting a group of survivors to higher ground; Zack's Rose Storm and Laura's healing magic were more useful there than in the sort of melee the rest of us had to deal with.
"Demon's Gate!" Dari appeared next to me.
"Smooth move," I commented, watching three mages bite the dust. I struck the ground with my sword, hard. "Explosion!"
"Wing Blaster!" Zack swooped in. "Come on, Jason, we've gotta move! There's only one safe place in the whole city!"
The next few minutes were a blur, broken up by brief confrontations with yet more Black Mages. I quickly grew tired of it; kill one, and another would teleport in. They would usually be flanked by Alexandrian soldiers, who were easily dealt with. They had us surrounded at the top, when…
"Minions of evil, you have gone too far!" A male Burmecian leapt into the fray. "You shall scatter like leaves on the wind under the force of my blade!" Without further comment, the mysterious warrior executed another flying leap, and suddenly we were in the clear. "Run!"
Once inside, we got an even bigger surprise: the man was none other than Iron-tail Fratley, Freya's lost love. Apparently, he'd lost his memory at some point during his world tour; he didn't even remember Freya, the King, or his time as a Dragon Knight.
"If you don't remember any of that, then why did you come here?" Zidane asked.
"I'll tell ya!" Puck scurried in, nearly colliding with Vivi. "I ran into him while I was traveling around the world. And you guessed it, he didn't know who I was, or even who he was!"
"So Puck knew something nasty was going to happen, and he arranged for you to be here, is that it?" I asked.
Fratley nodded. "He told me of the danger, and in doing so stirred some of my memories. I know I was once a Dragon Knight, but nothing beyond that." He grasped his spear. "I must go." And then he was gone, Puck following at a distance.
Well, that was interesting. Freya's boyfriend is still alive, but he has amnesia. I shook my head; things were getting way too strange for my tastes. He certainly helped us out, but I'm certain it's not over yet.
I was right, it was far from over. A scream from one of the Cleyrans alerted me to a new dilemma: Beatrix was standing near the harp, her sword aimed at a hapless Cleyran. "Please, spare me!"
The general snorted. "Foolish Cleyrans, you fail to recognize the true power of this jewel!" She casually knocked the stone loose with her blade, catching it one-handed.
"Our magic stone!"
"Now that I have this, I am through with your city!" With that, Beatrix turned and left at a dead run.
Freya chased after her. "Halt, villain!"
"Jason, what do we do?" Dari asked in a low voice.
I sighed. "We have no choice. We follow."
Beatrix skidded to a stop just outside. "Think you'll get away!?" Zidane snarled.
"Get away?" The general gave a disbelieving laugh. "Have you forgotten how badly I beat you in Burmecia?"
"Then you are a fool for not finishing what you started!" Freya growled.
"I find no yummies here, so we cook you instead!" That was Quina's idea of a battle cry.
Beatrix drew her sword. "Then allow me to shatter your delusions of grandeur!"
I drew my sword and set myself. As I said, Beatrix had no intention of doing us any permanent harm; the trick would be to make it look genuine. Zidane as yet still had no knowledge of our meeting in Burmecia, and now was definitely not the time to reveal it. If I was seen to do less than my best in this fight, the young thief would quite possibly turn on me, with disastrous results.
Vivi made it a moot point. "Thundara!"
"Mighty guard!"
I lunged forward, locking blades with Beatrix. We stared at each other past our crossed swords, neither willing to yield. I could feel her straining, trying to break the deadlock. Here we go.
It ended abruptly when Zidane charged in from the side. Beatrix spun, kicked Zidane away, then spun once again and knocked my blade from my hand before I could react. She followed up with a swift kick to my armored chest, knocking me sprawling. "Oof!"
"Jason!" Zack shouted. He attacked, swinging his spear wildly, only to be countered by a well-placed Shock move. He fell next to me.
"Zack, calm down," I hissed. "She's on our side, remember? She won't do any permanent harm."
"I know, but I had to make it look real," Zack hissed back. "Zidane knows you're my best friend, and he saw you get hurt. He'd have been suspicious if I didn't flip out."
I had no answer for that, having been distracted by Freya's war cry. Seeing Zack and me both taken out, she moved in with a jumping attack, nearly impaling the Alexandrian. Beatrix nimbly dodged, and retaliated with a nasty-looking strike. Freya was down for the count.
"No more games. Stock Break!" The general's attack crushed everyone still on their feet. "I shall leave with the Jewel now." She sheathed her blade and moved for a teleporter. As she passed me, she whispered, "Cleyra will be destroyed soon. Please hurry." And then, in a voice even I could barely hear, "I'm sorry."
I gave her a fractional nod. "I understand. You did what you had to do." I watched Beatrix vanish, then hauled myself upright. "Zidane, don't worry about us. We can get out on our own."
He nodded. "Be careful."
"Thanks." I transformed, the others right behind me. "Come on, guys, let's move."
Within moments, we were back in the air. Zidane, Freya, and Vivi followed Beatrix through a teleporter; Quina opted to take the long way down, citing a fear of heights. I had no time to dwell on Qu peculiarities; I was focused on the flagship of the Alexandrian fleet, Queen Brahne's Red Rose, about half a mile distant. In spite of the distance, I could clearly see the Queen's corpulent form on the upper deck. What is she doing?
Seria saw it, too. "Jason, I sense…she's holding something with incredible power."
Indora frowned. "Could it have something to do with the eidolons Sands mentioned in Burmecia?"
"Whatever it is, I can guarantee it's going to be unpleasant," Zack said grimly.
What happened next rivaled Dart's descriptions of the destruction of the Moon That Never Sets. A jet-black beam lanced out from the airship, creating a vortex about a hundred feet above our position. Out of it came a gigantic warrior, riding atop a six-legged horse and carrying an equally huge spear. His eyes glowed redly as he hurled the weapon down, striking Cleyra in the very center. The result was a titanic explosion, more violent than anything I had seen before. In less than a minute, there was nothing but a crater, where once had been a thriving city.
"What in the name of Soa?" Chris gasped.
Laura's normally tanned face was white as bone. "You were right, Indora. That must have been an eidolon," she breathed.
I was speechless, staring at the rubble with a mixture of horror and rage. Burmecia was bad enough; this…this is beyond the pale. I turned my gaze east, towards Alexandria. Kuja, Derrick, you were behind this madness, of that I have no doubt. I will personally destroy you, I swear it.
Seria's sharp eyes spotted something I'd missed. "Guys, Quina made it. I can see him."
Dari sighed with obvious relief. "That's something, at least."
You're right. "Come on, people. We need to find a place to rest." I scanned the horizon. "Those cliffs. We can make it in less than an hour."
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It was a ragged crew that touched down on the cliffs. We were all battered and bruised from the fighting in Cleyra, and we needed time to recover. I was relatively uninjured; Beatrix's kick had left little more than a bruise. Zack wasn't so fortunate; the general's Shock attack had left him barely able to stand. The others had escaped the majority of the fight, only to be hammered by Stock Break.
Laura was still in shock. "Why? Why did they have to destroy the whole city?"
"I was because of Kuja and that bastard Derrick," I said flatly. "That silver-haired wacko clearly has no respect for life, and I can tell you from personal experience that Derrick Sands has the conscience of a Virage. I will just bet he was somewhere within sight of Cleyra, enjoying the show."
"Jason's right," Zack said. "I don't know Sands as well as he does, but what I do know I definitely don't like. That lunatic is capable of anything."
"So what do we do about it?" Dari wanted to know.
"We get some rest," I said, clenching my fist around the hilt of the Dragon Buster, "and then we're going hunting. Tomorrow we put an end to the 'Scourge of Seles'." The blade flowed into view, as if emphasizing my statement. "Tomorrow, Derrick Sands will die."
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Author's note: Next chapter will feature the final confrontation with the Blood Dragoon, and then the Dragoons will reunite with Zidane and company.
Now for some replies. First, to Red-Eyed, Divine Dragoon (I can never get the number straight), Solid Shark will update "The Second Story of the Diamond Dragoon" once he gets over a serious case of writer's block. In the meantime he has something else in the works, he having a penchant for what-ifs. To Ye Say Ye Fool, Cleyra is on the second disc. To Sword Master Jeff, you're exactly right. Jason and Dari will wind up together; I'll expand on that in the next chapter. To Emily, you obviously didn't read the notes at the beginning of the bio chapter, so I'll explain it again: this is an A.U. story. For my purposes, Lavitz, Lloyd, Rose, and Zieg are all still alive, and Shana has regained her Dragoon powers.
I think that covers it. Please keep reviewing.
