Same disclaimer. (Isn't this a little redundant?)

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If we had any doubts that Beatrix was no longer in charge of the army, the situation in Lindblum quickly dispelled them. Not only were the troops behaving in a manner that she would never have permitted, but they hadn't even taken the elementary step of guarding the Hunter's Gate. Thanks to that amateur slipup, we were able to enter Lindblum undetected.

Vivi had stayed behind, just inside the gate. He'd wanted to come with us, but Zidane had pointed out that since the city was swarming with Alexandrian soldiers, that was a very bad idea. The young mage would have been recognized for what he was, and that would have meant trouble.

Zack shook his head at the carnage. "Man, what a mess. Is Brahne insane?"

The Crown Prince once again demonstrated his facility for understatement. From what we had heard thus far, the Industrial District was little more than a pile of rubble. The Theater and Business districts hadn't fared much better, though they at least were still almost intact. So far as I could tell, Lindblum Castle itself had been spared, though I had no idea why.

This is too much. Some people might think that my ability to maintain a cool exterior even in the face of this sort of disaster means that I'm heartless, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It is simply that I long ago recognized that losing control of my emotions in such a situation will only compound the disaster. So it proved here; had I lost it and cut loose with a display of power, the results would have been catastrophic.

Dagger, for her part, appeared to be on the verge of total collapse. Suddenly finding out that her mother truly intended to kill her was bad enough, learning of the destruction caused by her own summon magic was far worse.

She snapped out of her funk when we got to the square. "Uncle Artania!"

Minister Artania was standing with a couple of soldiers, inspecting what was left of the district. "Princess! You're safe!"

"Minister, what's the situation?" I asked, getting right to the point as usual.

He sighed. "Look around. Alexandria has gained complete control. I have heard of at least one resistance group, but I fear there is little they can do." Artania waved a hand. "Brahne's cannons destroyed the Industrial District, and severely damaged the rest of the city."

"Can you take us to Uncle Cid?" Dagger asked.

The minister nodded. "The castle was spared. Come this way."

Lindblum Castle hadn't changed visibly since our last visit, but at the same time it was very different. There was something in the air, something I found all too familiar. It reminded me of my childhood in Seles, before everything was rebuilt.

"This is horrible," Dari whispered.

I glanced at her. "What is it?"
She shivered. "Rose used to tell me stories of the Dragon Campaign. This is a lot like Kadessa, before it was destroyed. It looks magnificent, but the air feels just wrong."

"I know what you mean." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It took a long time for Seles to recover from the Sandoran attack." I snorted. "Don't worry about Lindblum. Once we've taken care of things, they shouldn't have any trouble rebuilding."

She pressed against me. "I hope you're right."

Cid, to no one's surprise, was still an oglop. Even with his handicap, he managed a relatively cheerful greeting. "Garnet, you're safe."

"Yes, thanks to Zidane," Dagger said softly. "But Freya, Steiner, and Beatrix…they stayed behind."

I laid a hand on her shoulder. "Remember, those three are among the greatest fighters in the world. I highly doubt that they had much trouble."

"The young man is right," Cid said. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Which reminds me…" He turned to me. "There was no sign of the evil Dragoon you told me about. Would you happen to know why?"

I snorted. "I know exactly why. Derrick attacked us over Pinnacle Rock, and died at my hand. He won't be bothering you anymore."

"That is certainly a relief." He turned back to Dagger. "We have learned the cause of this madness. An arms dealer named Kuja is behind the attacks."

"That's the guy we saw in Burmecia," Zidane said.

"He has been supplying Brahne with powerful magical weapons," Cid continued. "The Black Mages are just a sample of this."

"Hey! We've got a live one!"

Two guards walked in with Vivi sandwiched between them. "Should we kill it?" one asked, shoving Vivi to the floor.

The young mage stood, straightening his hat. "I told you, I'm not with them!" he protested.

"Then why are you dressed like a Black Mage?" the guard countered.

"Let him go," Artania interrupted. "Master Vivi is not with Alexandria. It is just a disguise to deceive the enemy." Not precisely true, but we had no time for lengthy explanations.

"Oh. My apologies, sir." Looking somewhat chagrinned, the pair made a swift retreat.

I shook my head. We need to put an end to this, and soon. Derrick was dead, true, but he was little more than a pawn, despite his power. I knew all too well that Kuja would be a far more dangerous adversary. What does he want? It's clear he isn't from Gaia. There has to be something more. "Sire, do you know where Kuja is operating from? If we can track him down, we can end this insanity, and possibly save Brahne as well."

Cid shrugged, or tried to; an oglop body wasn't made for such a motion. "We don't know exactly. The first time he was seen, he was coming from the north, which suggests he started from the Outer Continent."

Outer Continent? Could they be any less original? "So that's where we start." I frowned. "My group shouldn't have any trouble getting there, since we can fly, but Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi would pose a problem."

"Can you give us an airship?" Zidane asked.

"I'm afraid not." The regent sighed. "When we surrendered, there were two conditions. The first was that we turn over the new steam-powered airship, the second was that we give them the Falcon Claw."

Zidane frowned. "The airship I can see, but why would they want a pendant?"

"I wish I knew," Cid grumbled.

"What about going by sea?"

Cid grimaced. "The harbor was seized as well."

The thief threw up his arms in despair. "What do you want us to do!? Swim!?"

"There is a way." The regent produced a map. "There is an excavation site in Qu's Marsh. Rumor has it that it leads to a series of caverns known as Fossil Roo, which in turn lead to the Outer Continent. If you can find the entrance, then you should have easy going from there."

"An underwater tunnel. Farfetched, maybe, but we don't have much choice." Zack ran his fingers through his blond hair. "Do you think the Alexandrians know about it?"

"Unlikely. With Beatrix in hiding, they'll be sloppy."

Indora grunted. "No kidding. We got here with no discernable effort."

The meeting broke up at that point. Zidane and Dagger returned to the city to get supplies; Vivi stayed behind due to the hazards. Zack and Laura also remained, talking with Regent Cid. Our resident Giganto took Chris and Seria down to the bottom level, apparently to make sure we could leave when ready.

Dari and I accompanied Zidane and Dagger. I wanted to get a better feel for the situation; Dari tagged along because she was afraid to let me out of her sight, owing to my habit of going one-on-one with homicidal maniacs.

I hid a sigh. This is going to get worse before it gets better. While we were more than capable of defeating Alexandria's army in a straight-up battle, that would have done more harm than good here. Sure, they'd lose, but a lot of innocent people would die in the meantime. We'd win, but at the same time, we'd lose.

"This is crazy," Dari muttered.

I glanced at her, trying not to seem worried (I didn't want Zidane to find out about our…relationship, lest he start making his trademark wisecracks). "You okay?"

She shivered, almost imperceptibly. "I will be, but I can't wait to get out of here."

Yeah, before you go nuts. Sometime in the past two days, I had acquired what amounted to a very lethal shadow, and I had no desire to see the results if she lost it. If she goes berserk, it'll be the Black Monster all over again, except without any focus. "You and me both." I kissed her on the cheek. "We'll make this fast."

"Thanks."

Zidane, of course, saw my little gesture. "Oh, so the Iceman's in love?" He grinned slyly.

I glared. "Don't call me that; it reminds me of Sands. And mind your own business." I added a few choice epithets in Wingly.

Zidane looked puzzled, then glanced at Dari, who of course understood me. "What did he just say?"

The Dark Dragoon winced. "You don't want to know."

We finished our errands without further conversation and returned to the castle. Getting in was trickier than last time; the Alexandrians had apparently decided to…question Regent Cid about local resistance factions. This, in my opinion, was a waste of time; no resistance leader with the I.Q. of a brick would be so stupid as to communicate with the regent directly. The chances of Cid having any useful information regarding such groups were best described as minimal.

Dagger looked more worried than ever as we took the elevator to the ground level. "Zidane…are you sure about this? Can we get to the Outer Continent?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What's this all of a sudden? I thought you wanted to go."

"Well, if something were to happen to you, then I'd…"

"Oh, I get it." Zidane grinned. "You're worried about me."

Dagger blushed slightly. "Well, a princess can't be without her elite guards."

Zidane's grin widened. "Are you flattering me by calling me your elite guard?" He laughed when Dagger put her hands on her hips. "Don't worry. I'll protect both you and Vivi."

I hid a smile. Zidane was clearly head-over-heels for the princess, and if I was not mistaken she reciprocated the sentiment; she simply hadn't realized it. I shrugged mentally; I knew from experience that such things usually took time. I never believed in love at first sight. Good luck, Zidane.

Vivi was waiting for us at the ground level. "Finally."

"Vivi, where's Uncle Cid?" Dagger asked.

He shrugged. "He just said, 'Gwok gwok, wait here,' and left. I don't know what he's up to."

The answer came soon enough. "Gwok gwok, I did it!" Cid hopped into view. "I jammed the trolley leading to the Serpent's Gate! That'll teach them to mess in my castle."

"You may have bought more trouble for yourself," I said. "The Alexandrians want to…question you about resistance groups in town. This will only add fuel to the fire."

"Gwok, don't worry about it." He hopped again, his mustache looking ridiculously out of place against his insect body. "I'm tougher than I look. You're the ones going into danger." Cid looked from me to Zidane. "Please protect Garnet."

Zidane nodded. "You got it."

I saluted with my blade. "She will be safe, I give you my word." Then, glancing at Zidane, "I'd better give you some lessons along the way. You'll need to learn about Dragoon warfare if you want to succeed here."

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Fortunately, Zidane learned fast. Already a skilled fighter, he was a natural in the air; he even managed to outfly me, much to Dari's amusement. His physical attacks weren't particularly strong, with one notable exception: since his primary weapons were a pair of knives, Zidane would occasionally get in a one-hit kill by stabbing a vital spot.

His armor was like mine in shape, but the color was unusual. Most Dragoon armors are a solid color, with the unarmored portions in black, and a green gem in the center of the breastplate. Zidane's, however, was slightly different: jade green predominated (he was primarily a Wind elemental), the gem in his chest was light blue, and his knives were inlaid with amethyst.

"Whoa!" Chris leapt aside, narrowly avoiding Zidane's Thunderstorm attack. "Careful there, Zidane! You almost zapped me!"

Zidane grinned. "Sorry." His voice held no remorse that I could detect.

Chris turned away, muttering to himself.

Not surprisingly, Qu's Marsh had escaped the war completely. Neither Brahne nor this Kuja had anything to gain by attacking the Qu, so they were pretty much left alone. I was still wary, however; given that Dagger still had the Royal Pendant, I would not have been at all surprised if Brahne had sent bounty hunters after us.

"Another trek through the swamp," Zack muttered.

Zidane started to say something witty, but cut himself off when he saw a familiar face. "Quina! You're safe!"

The Qu smiled. "Long time no see, Zidane. Long journey from Cleyra. Climbing mountains, fighting monsters…"

"Typical," I said under my breath. "Dagger, meet Quina. He helped us out on the way to Burmecia." I looked at the Qu. "Quina, we're looking for an excavation site, supposedly in the swamps nearby. We need to get in there in order to reach the Outer Continent. Can you help us?"

"The Outer Continent…" Quina appeared to consider. "Sounds yummy. I go with you."

"Dragoons, a thief, a princess, a Black Mage, and an amphibian," Zack grumbled. "This is turning into a circus."

"Oh, come on, Zack," Laura said. "I think it's fun."

"You would," was the Royal Smart Aleck's reply.

Ironically, it was Quina's endless appetite for frogs that led us to the excavation site. Quina tore off without any warning, breaking through an old chain in the process. The rest of us followed him down cautiously; one never knows what one will run into underground.

"This isn't so bad," Zack commented.

As if his words had been a signal, a gate opened behind us, revealing a very large and very ugly monster. I thought at first that it was headless, then I saw that it carried its head in what passed for a right hand. Its left hand held a shield, and it moved on wheels.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Zidane groaned. "Run!"

There was only one way to run, implying that whoever had originally built this place had wanted intruders herded in a specific direction. We had to cross a hazardous bridge, and by hazardous I'm not just referring to big holes. Huge blades crisscrossed the path; I was almost bisected twice.

Tiring of the chase, Dari transformed. "I've had enough of you! Demon's Gate!"

Seria fell to her knees, gasping for breath. "That was close."

"Too bad."

I spun, drawing my blade in an instant. A young woman came around the corner. Aside from needing lessons on how to dress, her most noticeable features were flame-red hair and a giant axe. She carried the weapon easily; I sensed at once that we were dealing with a professional. Not a good sign.

The woman smiled thinly at Dagger. "So here you are. Hand over the pendant, Princess."

Dagger backed away. "Did my mother send you?"

"That's right." She leaned on her axe. "The name's Lani. Queen Brahne wants that pretty jewel of yours, and she wants him dead." That last was directed at Vivi.

I finally spoke. "I've heard that bounty hunters are good at assessing risk. I would suggest that you do so, and realize what you're getting yourself into. We are all highly skilled warriors, and you are, shall we say, outnumbered. Back off and I'll let you live."

Lani laughed harshly. "You think you can stop me!?" She slammed her axe to the ground. "Last chance, Princess. Hand it over!"

"I think not." Moving faster than most people could even see, I swept the blade of Burning Dragon in a horizontal arc, neatly slicing the axe in two. "Buzz off."

Lani gaped at her weapon. "This isn't over! I'll let you go for now." She turned and ran the way she'd come.

"Idiot." I sheathed my sword. "Come on, let's go."

Despite the fact that there were monsters seemingly every few feet, we had little trouble navigating Fossil Roo. Most of the difficulty came from crossing large open areas. We finally had to lure giant insects, gargants they were called. Luring them was simple enough: grab a plant, hold it up, and wait for the big bug. Hop on, hold on tight, and you're off.

This is getting weirder by the minute. I was barely able to keep from getting dizzy during some of the trickier turns, mostly because we were hanging upside down. Zidane, predictably, was unfazed, since he was used to odd positions. He even waved at me.

I responded with a string of Wingly curses, making Seria wince.

After what seemed like an eternity of gargant riding, digging, monster fighting, even some Moogle mail delivery, we finally made it outside. I blinked; it had been a long time since I'd seen the sun at ground level, so I was no longer used to it.

Indora stretched; he'd been cramped during our underground journey. "Rugged," he remarked, surveying the terrain.

"At least there's no Mist," Dagger said. She looked at Zidane and me. "Where do we go now?"

I shrugged. "North, I guess. Zidane?"

He shrugged in turn. "Sounds good to me."

"It's settled, then." While we didn't know it right then, our journey was about to get a lot more complicated.

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Author's note: Sorry if this one seem a bit awkward; I was running dry on ideas. Sword Master Jeff and Story Weaver 1, I'm glad you liked the "fluff". Also somewhat surprised; I usually find writing love scenes rather awkward.

If anyone's wondering, I didn't duplicate the Divine Dragoon for one simple reason: however powerful it may be, it is just plain HIDEOUS. The Golden Dragoon's bad enough, with its poorly proportioned wings, but the Divine Dragoon is worse, much worse.

I apologize for taking so long, but things have been a little crazy of late. (Stifling heat and power outages are not conducive to good writing.)

Next chapter should introduce Eiko. Thanks for reviewing, and keep it up.