Final Fantasy

The Last Ship of the Sun

Marcus Cowell waited in the dark afterglow that gleamed in the city of Muscadet. He was waiting. For what? Someone would have asked. The answer was: anything. In his career Marcus had learned that the only way to do anything was to watch. Muscadet was not home to any major centers of commerce, but it was still very popular for travelers. Across the sea of landing platforms and hotels and lay a center of the arts, including a museum, an opera house, and a multi level amphitheater. Keeping an eye on everything took good eyes.

Two good pairs of eyes to be exact. The Cowell siblings were up and comers in the seedy underworld and they liked it like that. He stayed on top of his watch post, while his sister shook hands with doorknobs. She appeared from the background, her cloak hiding her knives from the moonlight.

"Did you find anything, Max?"

She smiled, "Get a load of this," she pulled out a bag, and revealed its contents. Two small pieces of sivril.

Marcus was impressed. "Where'd you find it?"

"Some house in the rich section, there is more still there but I need you to help get me in there."

"What's wrong, extra security, or something unpredictable?"

"The house has two weirdoes hanging around. Inside there's a magic sweep that happens once every ten minutes. We have seven before the next sweep and it realizes these are missing.

The two were down into the rich quarter in two minutes. The house where she got the sivril from was one of the best on the street. Two men were outside menacing any pedestrians that got close. Max had left a window open and they got in that way. The house was real nice, with fancy curtains and everything. The two found the safe and started unloading. Gold, papers, and fancy jewelry, even some crusite.

They were finished quickly. "How much time left?" asked Marcus.

"More than two minutes," said Max. "Let's get out of here." Their exit was interrupted by the two goons. They came in and went straight for the safe.

"What the hell!" Said the first one.

"Where'd it go?"

"She must have taken it with her to the opera house! Screw orders, we're taking her out!" They left at once through the front door.

As soon as the Cowell siblings were outside they looked at each other. "What are we going to do?" asked Marcus.

"What do you mean?"

"That girl, I think they want to kill her."

"Well?"

"We should help her out."

"Why?"

"Those guys look pretty rough. If she's got this kind of stuff here, maybe there's more where it came from."

"What, just run up to her, say: Presto! We saved your life; but we robbed your house and we want to know where the rest of it is?"

"We'll work on that after we save her life."

"Allright. I'm only doing this because my big brother thinks it's a good idea."

"Whatever. I have an idea."

In the shadows above the whole thing had been watched. A vierra had been waiting, she had been watching, and now she knew exactly what to do. Taking her bow, she went towards the opera house.

The opera house was packed that night, but it was intermission. Marcus and Maxine arrived with the crowd, disguised. They had found some fancy dresses at the house and Max was wearing one. Marcus was wearing a night robe he'd found which looked formal enough. "Allright, which one do we snatch?" said Max.

"We'll have to wait for the two goons to pick her out. If we find them, we find her." The two goons were not far off, pushing their way through the crowd. The siblings stayed close on their tail, not wanting to lose them.

The goons made their way to a young girl looking out at the city. "Hey Eska," said the first one, "Where'd you make off with the sivril huh?"

She looked frightened. "I don't have it with me, it's back at the house!"

"That's too bad," said the second one, "Because it ain't there anymore."

"So now we have to rough you up till you talk." They dragged her off.

"Now!" said Marcus. Max walked up behind them and bumped into them.

"Hey!" said the first one, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," said Max innocently, "but you should see what he's up to." They turned around and Marcus was there, with his knightsword in hand. He drove it into the guy that was holding onto the girl. The man fell down, screaming. The other man pulled out his sword, but Max blocked him. "Let's split!" she said, and grabbed the girl.

"What are you doing?" asked the girl, still frightened.

"Long story, ask later!" said Max, with the guy following on their heels. The girl tripped as they were running down an alley.

"You're finished!" yelled the man, standing over her. He raised his sword up, and stopped. An arrow was protruding from his stomach. A second one punched through and landed inches away from the girl. Max spotted a vierra sighting again, aiming for the girl.

"Let's get out of here!" she picked up the girl as another arrow narrowly missed her.

They kept running until they reached the twins hiding spot. Marcus was there already, and the three caught their breath for a while. "Who the hell are you two and what are you doing with me?" said the girl.

"Marcus and Maxine Cowell, at your service," said Marcus, giving a mock bow, "But who exactly are you?"

"My name is Eska, that's all you need to know. I guess you want me to thank you for rescuing me."

"That would definitely be a start." said Max.

"Is that my dress?"

"Not anymore. You should also explain these." she pulled out the sivril.

"Oh no," she said, "We are so screwed."

"Why?" the two said as one.

"Those two would have told somebody they were missing. That means we're going to be hunted down until they find us and kill us."

"We have ways around that." said Marcus.

"How?"

"Put this on," Max through her a bundle of white mage's robes. "The perfect disguise."

"We'll hide out on the airstrip tonight, get some materials to last us a while, and then we'll stow away on the first ship we find going out of here."

Author's Note: More mystery! More action! But because I'm leaving for Germany you won't find out what happens until mid-July! Muahahahahahahahahahaha!