Same disclaimer.
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It happened the night before Dagger's scheduled coronation. One moment everything was calm, the next Alexandria was burning, and there were monsters roaming the streets. I knew immediately that Kuja was behind it; the monsters were the same kind that Zidane and company had faced at the Iifa Tree, and the presence of the eidolon Bahamut gave me all the proof I needed.
Even now, more than a year later, I can't help thinking that I, that we, could have done something to stop the disaster, to save all those lives. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way, as I know all too well…
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"So what do we do now?"
I glanced briefly over my shoulder. "What we do, Chris, is wait and watch. Dagger's coronation is set for noon tomorrow. Kuja will almost certainly strike before then."
"How can you be so sure?" Laura asked.
It was Zack who responded. "Kuja knows Dagger's a summoner, and he almost certainly knows about Alexander. We, on the other hand, know what he's up to, but not where he is." The prince shrugged. "It's his move."
"Zack's right," Dari said. "He'll come for Alexander; we'll just have to stop him then."
"I almost hope he does it soon, just so we can get it over with," Indora muttered. "Patience is usually my strong point, but this waiting is beginning to grate on my nerves."
"I hear that," Seria put in.
Further conversation was cut off by an ear-shattering roar. Dashing for the nearest window, I saw what I had unfortunately expected: Bahamut, the Dragon King. There was no mistaking it, not after the events at the Iifa Tree. This is not a good sign.
I drew my sword. "Come on, people, let's move!"
Dagger and Beatrix were waiting in the main hall, along with Steiner and his knights. I exchanged a brief nod with the Pluto Knight; we had our differences, but neither of us would dream of having it out in this sort of situation. For the moment, we were in complete agreement.
Beatrix, of course, was clearly ready for action, her sword Save the Queen sheathed at her side. "Your Highness, everyone is here."
I said, "I'll split my team into two groups. Laura, Zack, Dari, and I will accompany Steiner and Beatrix in the city proper, making sure the people are safe. Meanwhile, Lloyd will take Chris, Indora, and Seria and give Bahamut something to worry about."
Dagger nodded, visibly relieved. "Thank you."
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Alexandria was in flames. Bahamut had scored at least five direct hits on the city, burning a good-sized area to the ground. The bar was badly damaged, the synthesist's place was completely gone, and a nearby chapel was missing its bell.
I had only a brief glimpse of this, however. We soon found ourselves swept up in a sea of monsters. I dodged to one side, chopped one in half, and then shrugged off a fire spell another sent my way. Transforming, I destroyed two more with an Explosion spell.
"Spinning Cane!" For a wonder, the Prince actually seemed to be enjoying himself. "Hey, Jason, you wanna bet Kuja's behind this?"
"Who else would it be?" I returned. "Bahamut's all the proof I need." Another foul beast fell to my sword.
"Watch out!" Steiner impaled a monster that had somehow snuck up on me. "The question is, what do we do about it?"
"Whatever we can."
The next two hours were a blur. Most of that time was spent hacking away at Kuja's vermin. We were holding our own, but they had the advantage of numbers; for every one we killed, two more would appear in its place. At least twice I was nearly killed, only to be bailed out by Dari and Beatrix.
My friends' confrontation with Bahamut was a stalemate. They kept him from any further attacks on the city, but that was all they could do. I was swiftly coming to the conclusion that, while Bahamut was unlikely to take us, there was only one Dragoon with a realistic chance of actually defeating him: Dart, Dragoon of the Divine Dragon.
Is there no end to this insanity? I snarled a curse and bisected yet another mist monster. Can this get any worse?
"Nice show, eh, Iceman?"
I slowly turned, my face twisted in disbelief. "What the… how did you get here!?"
Steiner saw him, too. "Who is that!?"
"Ben Sands, Derrick's younger brother," I said tightly.
"That's right," the other said. It was easy to tell he was related to Derrick; he looked very much like a younger version of the onetime Dragoon I had so recently killed. "And I got here the same way you did."
The chaos surrounding us suddenly seemed distant, as if it no longer mattered. "What do you want?" I demanded in my coldest voice.
Sands drew his sword. "I'm here to avenge my brother. That's all I care about now." He waved an encompassing arm. "Well, that and having some fun with these subhumans." He nodded at a fleeing Alexandrian, who looked to me like a humanoid anteater.
"You smarmy, apple-polishing little bastard," I growled. "So you're a racist, on top of everything else?" I glanced at my teammates. "You guys keep going. I'll deal with this idiot."
Dari looked like she wanted to protest, but stopped herself. "Be careful."
Steiner and Beatrix raised their blades in salute, but only the Pluto Knight spoke. "Good luck, Sir Jason."
"Sir Jason"? Where'd that come from? Shrugging mentally, I turned back to Sands. "Just you and me now, Ben. Let's see what you've got."
"Gladly." He lunged, aiming a thrust at my chest. I parried with ridiculous ease and countered with a slash to the face. He blocked, then fell back a step, trying to catch his breath. "You…can't beat me…that easily." Sands lunged again, feinted to his left, then jumped back, raising a hand. "Water!"
I found myself having flashbacks to the battle with Master Gizamaluke. My one worry about the structure of magic on Gaia was the separation of water and ice spells. That gave me two different elements to worry about, and Derrick's little brother had apparently been taking lessons.
"Nice move, Ben," I commented sardonically, pushing myself to my feet. "I take it Kuja taught you that move?"
He flashed a shark's grin. "That's right! He said that if I helped him, he'd give me the power to avenge Derrick's death!"
"Then he lied to you," I said coldly, "for there is far more to me than you realize." For the first time since my arrival on Gaia, I sprouted wings of light. "In my veins courses the blood of the ancient Winglies! Dark Mist!"
The darkness attack sent him flying across the street and into a wall. He slumped to the ground gasping for breath. "Do you have anything else to say, vermin?"
Sands glared at me. "You…murdering…bastard! This isn't over!" He fled, staggering slightly but otherwise in control."
"Jason, forget about him!" Zack's voice called. "Look!"
I joined him in the skies, slightly out of breath from my duel. My eyes widened as I followed his gaze. Eiko must have somehow met up with Dagger, for there above Alexandria Castle stood the Holy Eidolon, Alexander, his enormous wings folded protectively over the castle. Easily half again as large as the building, he looked almost like a magic fortress.
"What is that?" Chris breathed.
"It's the Holy Judgment," Zack replied in an awed voice. "The summoner is being called. Alexander's judgment has come."
What was meant by holy judgment became clear almost at once. Beams of pure light erupted from Alexander's wings, spearing Bahamut, whose rampage had come to an abrupt halt. Mere seconds later, the mighty Dragon King had vanished without a trace.
Even Beatrix was visibly shocked. "I had no idea…that those jewels contained such power." She twitched her wings, still a bit uneasy in Dragoon form. "So the castle's secret…is an eidolon."
"The most powerful eidolon in existence, so far as is known," Zack confirmed, quickly regaining his usual aplomb. "As you saw, he even transcends Bahamut, and…holy fright!"
His outburst was prompted by an unpleasantly familiar sight. The air above Alexandria castle seemed to open, revealing the same eye-like image we had seen at the Iifa Tree. This time, however, much more of it was visible, despite the darkness. Even from a distance, I could tell that it was artificial, rather than some supernatural force.
Indora got it first. "Dear Soa, that's an airship!"
Steiner, clinging to the big Giganto to keep from falling, agreed. "I saw some vaguely similar designs when we visited Lindblum," he said.
Dari swore. "If Kuja gets Alexander the way he did Bahamut…" She trailed off, unwilling to finish that deadly thought.
It appeared, however, that her worries were groundless. The airship just sat there, making no move one way or the other. It almost seemed paralyzed, as if something had taken over from the inside. Kuja just made someone very angry, I bet. I was right, but I didn't find out until much later.
"What's it waiting for?" Laura asked, sounding more than a little confused.
She got her answer just seconds later. Instead of the dark cone, the airship surrounded Alexander with a brilliant spiral of light. Immediately, the eidolon began to wilt, as if its life force was being sucked out. The feathered wings quickly disintegrated, leaving Alexandria Castle defenseless.
Seria moaned. "Oh, no. Dagger…Eiko."
Another blast struck, and the castle started to collapse. I felt a stab of fear for my summoner friends, but it was short-lived. Eiko swung away from the rubble on what I think was a leftover decoration from Tantalus's last play, and then Zidane swooped in from above, his tricolor armor gleaming in the moonlight. He snatched Dagger at the last instant and took to the sky again.
The Princess hugged her rescuer and whispered something in his ear. The young thief grinned in response.
Looks like I was right. I looked at Steiner. "Still have a problem with Zidane?" I asked, grinning.
He shook his head. "I do not know if he is the right man for the Princess, but I see no reason to separate them." He exchanged a glance with Beatrix. "It is at least clear that he does not with to harm her."
I started to say "Good," but stopped in mid word. The airship was powering up its weapon again, and this time it clearly meant business. The next attack created a huge fireball, engulfing the center of the city. It was worse than when Brahne had struck Lindblum; at least she had wanted it more or less (mostly less) intact. Whoever was in control of that airship just wanted destruction.
Zack clutched Kamikaze so tightly thought the shaft would snap. "Whoever is responsible for this will die. I swear it on my honor as a Dragoon and as Crown Prince of Serdio."
The two Alexandrians just stared in horror at the conflagration. I didn't blame them; they had just seen their home, which they had sworn to defend, virtually annihilated in a matter of seconds. The destruction, what I could see of it, was beyond belief. Looking off to my right, I saw Dagger clinging to Zidane for dear life, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Zidane caught my eye, and I saw my own thought reflected in his gaze. The one who did this is doomed.
I sighed and turned south. "Snap out of it, people. There will be time to grieve later; right now we have to stop Kuja and whoever was in that airship. We'll regroup in Lindblum."
And then end this once and for all.
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Author's note: A little short, I know, but there really isn't much to that area.
That bit about Derrick's brother wanting to avenge his demise is something I'd planned on for a while, I simply hadn't found a good place for it yet. It makes sense; a gang leader wouldn't exactly be a lone wolf. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say this: Ben Sands will meet his end in Mount Gulug.
That's all for now. Tell me what you think.
