CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: PIECES OF THE PUZZLE

Though Catherine did not know exactly why, Rost had asked to speak with her shortly after they had all recovered from drinking the strange remedy that had removed their amnesia. The after effects were minimal, at least from the drink, the actually events that had been brought back left lasting damage. All of them had forgotten Raogrimm's death that allowed them to escape with their lives, and the Zilart brothers turning on the allied forces to put their plans into motion.

They knew now that time truly was against them to put a stop to the Zilart brothers plan, but they had to wait for Zeid's return from the ancient temple he had heard about from Kazham's Chiefteness. Now that they knew where Dynamis fitted into the plan (at least to a certain degree) that confirmed there was still at least something slowing the enemy down.

Whatever blocks were put in place by the spirits of those who died with Raogrimm on the Northern Expedition were still hindering the Zilart, and that had to be why armies of Mammets were interloping in them in order to purge the memories. Though Francmage's memories locked inside San d'Oria had been destroyed that still left the expedition members that had come from Bastok, and Windurst.

It was late in the evening so the main cavern in the centre of Norg was deserted, except for some guards at the gate. Most of the inhabitants were inside their rooms or drinking at the bar. Rost stopped on a wooden walkway that run down a short distance and out over the water. During the day Catherine had seen someone fishing from the spot, but now it was vacant.

"I wanted to speak to you about what we saw a few hours ago," he said as he stopped at the platform edge and peered into the bleak waters.

"Yes?"

"Your faith as always has been firmly with what you were taught during your childhood in the cathedral of San d'Oria, correct?"

"Well…yes, but…what does that have to do with…?"

He turned to face her, "Kam'lanuat spoke of opening the Gate of the Gods and that is the way to paradise. Is that not what those who studied under the cathedral are taught? Is the holy blessing not that the gates may open to you?"

Though she was not sure why Rost was asking such things, she could only confirm that it was true. The church firmly believed that in a mythological sense beyond a divine gate lay the sublime paradise, a utopia free from decay, war, and death, and it was their goal to forever search for the gates.

"The Zilart are searching for a way to open the gates, confirming both the existence of paradise and that it is within the reach of mortal men. I was taught just as you were in my youth to believe these things and now that I have heard them to be true I cannot clear my mind of thoughts of paradise."

"A divine paradise, a place of tranquil undisturbed peace on a different plane to Vana'diel… Yes, the thought that the gate truly exists makes my heart skip a beat. However, Kam'lanuat and his brother only wish to open the gates for them and them alone, to preserve the Zilart race and condemn the rest of us. Who is truly to know what would happen to this world if the gates were to open?"

What he said next concerned her greatly.

"…So then, are you saying that you have lost your faith?"

At first she was not sure how to answer. Did she still believe in the gates and the paradise beyond them? Of course she did, even more so than before since it seemed to be the goal of the Zilart, but she had a feeling that was not what he spoke of. Was he really asking her if her faith in her religious beliefs were gone or did he mean something else?

"May the gates open themselves to you…" the Samurai muttered, "are those who pass through the only ones to be blessed? What of the Dawn Goddess? Are the rest of us to be left behind on a dark world? I cannot believe that if there are such dangerous consequences of someone opening the gate that they would not know about…so then, have they hidden facts from parishioners? Have we all been lied to? Does Papsque Muchavatte know?"

"Rost…I do not know what to say to you."

He sighed solemnly and then walked past her.

"Forgive me, I should not speak of such things, but I knew that you had been taught these things just I had and was curious what you thought. Think nothing of it; there are more important things for us to be concerned about. Good night, Catherine."

She watched him leave.

"…Good night, Rost…"

Alain awoke with a pain in his neck. The small bunk that he had been given to sleep in for the night was far too small, he had to bend his head awkwardly and pull his legs up just to fit into the thing. Though no one would confirm it; he was sure that they had been given a room meant for children. Across from him in a similar bunk was Nokum-Akkum, still sound asleep, and obviously not hindered by the small sleeping area at all.

"Hey, its time to get up, Nokum-Akkum," he called as he carefully manoeuvred out of bed.

His friend's ears twitched as the Tarutaru rolled onto his back and then sat up. He was able to almost stand up straight without even touching the top of the bed alcove. He grinned and leaped down onto the floor to find his things.

"How can you be so cheerful this morning?" he asked with narrow eyes.

"I'm a morning Tarutaru!" was the loud reply. "I'm happy-wappy every morning!"

He chose not to mention anything about hangovers.

"Yes, but even after remembering everything that happened you're still…"

"No pointaru being sad! You should stop being such a moopy-woopy baby."

He began gathering his things. Once they were both dressed and ready to find their friends they headed for the door. As he walked he felt his friend tug on the side of his leg to get his attention.

"What is it?"

"I wantaru mithkabobs for breakfastaru."

"And?"

"No money! Go buy me mithkabobs!"

"I have barely any gil left, I don't see why I should."

The Tarutaru paused for a moment and scratched the side of his head as he thought hard and fast for reasons. He hopped up and down and tugged on his leg again a few seconds later.

"Because I saved your life twice, and I am your besty-westy friend in the whole mega huge unlimited world. Besides…my tummy-wummy makes angry noises when it doesn'taru getaru fed."

After visiting the restaurant of the bar area and ordering some food they ate their warm meat mithkabobs on the go and searched for their friends. It was not exactly a healthy breakfast, but Alain could not say that they did not taste good. Nokum-Akkum walked along by his side completely silent and happily chewing on his stick getting every last bit of food off of it.

The first person they found was Hanaa, up and about early like them. Though she did not say it, he guessed that she was on her way to the bar they had just left, but he quickly asked her to come along to avoid any more drunken antics with so much for them to do.

"Fine, fine," she purred. "If my men want my attention, I guess have to oblige."

Next they found Rost, who was standing out in the open for once, by the water edge next to a fisher with a bucket filled with fish. He saw them approach and met them half way. Something seemed a bit different about him to Alain, though he could not put his finger on what. It was as if the confidence in his stride was missing.

"Are we ready to begin our planning?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alain replied. "We're all going to go see Gilgamesh."

They found Catherine buried in books again, though this time she seemed to be reading up on anything she could find in regards to the Zilart and the crystals that the Shadowlord had drawn power from.

Last was their leader, Gerdinus, who was still in the room that had been given to him. Much to Alain's annoyance it seemed at least three times the size of the one that he and Nokum-Akkum had been given. Still, he knew it would have been impossible for a Galka to sleep in the same sized bunk as he had to. With their party gathered they headed for Gilgamesh's room.

"Arrr, ye all be up with the sun this 'mornin?" the Pirate King said from behind his desk. "Well, that works out well. Over night we got a delivery from Aldo for ye. Lion left in the evening to help Zeid investigate those weird old ruins, so hopefully they'll be back soon, arrr."

"What is the delivery that you speak of?" Gerdinus asked on all their behalf.

"Let's see here… Hey! Send him in!" he called to the guards outside.

The doors to Gilgamesh's chamber opened and a figure clad in black entered. At first Alain's heart skipped a beat as he thought it was a Mammet or the assassin from the day before. However, he soon saw that it was actually a Ninja wearing the pure black garb they favoured. Unlike the Ninjas around Norg this one did not wear the facemask however and instead wore a wrapped around black turban that concealed all but a small slit that showed his eyes.

"I'm afraid that I do not understand," the Galka Paladin said as the stranger greeted them with a polite one handed bow.

"This 'ere is the hired help," Gilgamesh said. "Aldo sent him, arrr. Ye there, tell them what ye are being paid for."

"The Tenshodo has hired my services indefinitely. My mission orders are to ensure the safety of the Six Champions and successful completion of their goals. I have also been offered a bonus if I complete the writ for the life of the Blue Mage assassin known as Vessel."

The strange Ninja that had been sent by Aldo, leader of the Tenshodo, spoke succinctly in a muffled emotionless tone. After rising back up from bowing he looked at each of them, as if examining them from top to bottom, gauging their strength. Alain felt instantly uneasy and disturbed that without their consent an assassin had been brought in to protect them.

"You believe that you have a better chance of defeating Vessel than any of us?" Rost asked, somewhat arrogantly.

"Assassins work in ways different to any that you would have seen on a battlefield. They strike at precise moments and never relent from going for the kill. They are blood thirsty, but in a subdued way. They lurk in the shadows until the time is right and then approach when you least expect. They are not normal opponents. While I do not doubt any of your fighting ability… it takes an assassin to kill an assassin."

"Are you stronger than the Blue Mage?" the Elvaan asked insistently.

"We will find that out when I meet her in battle."

Alain felt a tug on the side of his leg. Looking down at Nokum-Akkum he watched the Tarutaru's lips silently say that he did not like the assassin. He frowned and nodded in agreement. The idea of having a hired killer with them made his skin crawl.

"We don't need a murderer with us," he said out loud.

The assassin placed a hand on his hip and sighed out of sheer amusement. Alain was going to say more, but stopped as Gerdinus raised his hand in front of him, signalling to halt.

"When one can count their allies on their fingers it would be wise to accept any help offered to them," the Paladin said. "Assassin, we welcome your protection. Do you have a name?"

"Call me Shadow."

The assassin then spoke a recited message from Aldo. It had not been written down to avoid the possibility of spies finding it so he asked not to be interrupted until the whole thing had been said.

A large part of the message was to do with Jeuno and the reason that warrants had been issued for their arrest. Originally, it had been in order to recruit their help in secret, as it appeared from what Aldo was able to ascertain that the Archduke and his brother had simply vanished without a trace leaving the city in confusion. Along with the Zilart brothers a number of members of the Armathrwn Society also vanished, taking a considerable amount of equipment with them in the process.

After rumours of murders and kidnapping spread the arrest warrants then became real. Aldo was doing what he could in order to prove that the accusations were false, but as of yet had made no head way with Captain Wolfgang of the Jeuno Military, who was for all extends and circumstances the one currently in charge of the city and all its assets.

The recited message then spoke of the Kindred. The numbers of Demons in the Northlands still seemed to be increasing and San d'Oria was under a great deal of pressure defending its boarder. Though the kingdom had not asked for it, help was now on the way from Jeuno and the other nations, but because they were all still weak from the last war numbers were thin.

The end of the message was of a short report that had come into Aldo's possession written by the musketeers of Bastok detailing numerous sightings of multiple black cloaked figures. With that the message had been recited completely and Shadow did not say anything else.

"The sightings in Bastok may mean that they have already destroyed the remnants of Raogrimm's memories trapped inside that Dynamis. We should assume that we cannot stop the destruction of the realm there and concentrate on the remaining city," Catherine stated.

"So we must consider protecting the realm inside Windurst to stop their plans," Gerdinus mused. "However, I doubt we can fight off an army of disposable puppets when even one can prove so dangerous. Let us stop this meeting for now until Lion and Zeid return, hopefully with information that we can use."

One-by-one they left the Pirate King's chambers.

As Alain walked past Shadow their eyes met and somehow he knew that the assassin was aware that he hated the very idea of him being near them. Despite that, the assassin showed no other sign other than the look in his eyes.

He and Nokum-Akkum went back to their small, cramped room and Hanaa decided to come along. Gerdinus decided to stretch his legs while Catherine returned to her books to do more research and Rost went back to the spot they had found him at without speaking another word.

"Did you two notice anything wrrrong with Mr Samurai back therrre?" she asked as they all sat in the middle of the room in a semi circle.

"I was more interested in thataru scary-wary Ninja! Does he really have to come along with us now? We don'taru need him to fightaru the too weak Blue Mage!"

"Gerdinus seems to think we do and he's our leader," Alain sighed.

"Hey," Hanaa said and snapped her fingers to get his attention. "He was our boss durrring the war, not now. We technically don't have to do anything… but I guess we've got to… Saving the worrrld and all that? Yup. Thought so. Good."

Alain thought back, "Now that you mention it, I did sort of notice something was different about him. He didn't seem as confident or cocky. Maybe being around someone as powerful as Zeid has made him realize he isn't as strong as he thought he was?"

Their Tarutaru friend scratched his head and crossed his legs, taking up his heavy thinking stance. He declared that he would immediately work out what was wrong with the Elvaan. Alain looked over to Hanaa to see that she had a sly grin on her face. While Nokum-Akkum thought hard with scrunched up eyes she leant forwards, out stretched one finger, and poked the Tarutaru in the forehead, giving him a fright and causing him to topple backwards. Alain could not help but laugh.

"Now you'll never-ever know!" he blurted out as he got back up in a huff.

Some time later word reached each of them that Zeid and Lion had returned from the temple and that they all had to immediately return to Gilgamesh's room. Inside, they found them waiting along with Shadow and a Pirate.

Lion greeted him, "Alain, use your communication pearl to contact your airship and then pass it to this Pirate, he will give your crew directions how to find the opening down by the dock so we can get picked up."

We? He thought inwardly, as he nodded to Lion and did as she asked.

Zeid walked forward and placed a small black sphere on Gilgamesh's desk for them all to see. He was not sure what it was made of at first; one moment it seemed like a dull stone and then the next it glistened like a crystal.

"What is this?" Catherine asked, looking at it intently.

The Dark Knight replied, "The result of my search in the temple. It was a retched place consumed by deep rooted evil, but spirits of the long dead inhabitants still existed. I spoke with the spirit of a Kuluu that had been warped into a Tonberry by the Zilart's lust for power. He gave me this stone and called it one of the eight prayers."

Catherine seemed amazed at the humble looking stone, clearly knowing something deeper about it then the rest of them from reading so many books on ancient lore. Alain had no idea what a Kuluu was either. She muttered something about the eight prayers and them being part of a seal. She then turned to Zeid and asked if the spirit he had met with said anything else.

"Many things, though most had no meaning to me," was the reply. "The spirit said that its name was Graviton. He spoke of a time ten thousand years ago when the Zilart tried to find a way into paradise, and the Dawn Maidens tried to stop them. He then uttered words regarding the brother's race; The Zilart are ancient and they are the ones behind the creation of the crags, the spines, and the dormant technology around the world. They were the ones that caused so much destruction long ago that it caused the Dawn Goddess to cry."

"…The tears of Altana…amazing…" Rost whispered.

Alain spoke, "Who were the Kuluu?"

"Another long living race that was outcast by the Zilart, if the texts I have read is to be believed," Catherine answered. "The spirit that spoke with Zeid was one of them… one of them that were alive to see the Zilart's first attempt at opening the gates…"

It seemed obvious now to him that opening the gates would bring about some terrible destruction on their land and they had to be stopped. It would not be easy, if the Zilart brothers were putting a plan into action that had been brewing for thousands of years, but they had to try. That led his line of thinking back to the strange black stone; it had to have been given to Zeid because the spirit he spoke with had suggested some course of action for them to take.

"Before the spirit vanished, he told me to go on a pilgrimage to collect the eight prayers and that with them, take them to the Chamber of Oracles and then the way to Zilart would open. After that he vanished and where he had been standing was this black stone. Do these words mean anything to you?"

Catherine thought for a moment and said that she had read something about a pilgrimage in one of the books. Quickly, she left the room to go and find the specific book to bring back to them. She returned soon after, cradling a bound thick red book in both hands. Placing it down on Gilgamesh's cluttered table, she swung it open to a page depicting a drawing of a strange chamber and began reading the text next to it.

"…One who travels to these holy sights and collect the blessed prayers may be granted an audience with the Dawn Maidens. This audience can only be granted inside the ancient Chamber of Oracles. Then it lists eight locations, one being the temple out in the jungle."

The rest of the locations were places dotted around all four corners of Vana d'iel ranging from Behemoth's Dominion to Cape Terrigan. Subsequent pages in the old tome took the time to list detailed directions for anyone wanting to go on the pilgrimage and a scribbled drawing of a pedestal bearing an elemental colour. If they wanted to summon the spirits of the Dawn Maidens to find some way of permanently stopping the Zilart then their path was clear; they had to go on the pilgrimage.

"Going to each of these places in turn would take weeks even with an airship…" Lion stated, gazing over the list.

"So we split up and collect the stones separately," Zeid said confidently.

"What if our enemies try to attack us while we are separated?" Gerdinus asked.

"They could not possibly know of our actions."

Shadow spoke from the back of the room, "It is safer to assume that your enemy knows your plan than assume they do not. Is it not logical to say that the Zilart would be aware of this course of action?"

There was a moment of silence, save for Gilgamesh muttering to himself quietly, while everyone thought about the situation. To Alain it seemed best to split up, but one person to one location was dangerous. The subject of going in pairs was then brought up, but because of the diverse locations it would still take to long. Shadow walked forward to look at the book and then asked if he might make a suggestion to them all. Since no one asked him to be quiet, he spoke on;

"Some of these locations are reasonably close to get to, or are reachable through the teleportation crags. Avoiding any enemies around them should be easy enough. We also must consider there are those in this group that would not be able to defend themselves as well as others. Further, the location in Fei'Yin is deep within land currently held by the swelling number of Kindred, making it the most dangerous."

What are you getting at? He wondered silently.

"I suggest that I accompany the White Mage to the stones located in the Sanctuary of Zi'tah and La Theine Plateau and protect her. We can move freely via teleportation magic. The Warrior should ensure the safety of the Red Mage and visit the nearby volcano, assistance from Norg is nearby should the need. The rest of you should be capable of handling the others alone, and two people can go after Fei'Yin. We can then meet back here and travel to the chamber."

You didn't even take the time to learn our names?

Rost stepped forward, "I will go after the prayer in Quicksand Caves and await your arrival there with the other stones."

Lion was next, "I know Cape Terrigan well; I can navigate it with zero chance of danger, so that ones mine."

"The undead of the dominion should prove little trouble for me," Gerdinus said.

That left him and one other person. He looked over to his mentor.

"So be it," Zeid said. "The airship should be able to drop us safely without drawing attention from the Kindred. Catherine, can you move Rost and Lion to the desert and then travel with Gerdinus to the crag of Mea and split up there?"

She nodded and replied that as long as there was no interference around the crag from Jeuno or the Zilart it should go smoothly. They did not have time to wait on the Highwind so Alain could make more communication pearls from the shell, so he handed Gerdinus his as he could make one while they travelled.

Their Paladin leader gathered around Catherine, as did Shadow, Rost, and Lion. The others watched as a magical circle of light appeared at the White Mage's feet and enveloped them all in a bright flash of light, illuminating the dull room for seconds and then subsiding back into darkness. In an instant they were gone faster than the speed of light to the crystal located in the middle of the desert where they would split up, teleport again, and go after their targets.

"The airship should be here soon, we should go," his mentor said and left the room.

As he followed Zeid he felt a tug on his leg. He turned to look at Nokum-Akkum who had an angry look on his face mixed with being quite upset about something. His bottom lip was quivering slightly and his cheeks were red. He bent down to look at his friend in the face and smirked.

"Try not to be so moppy-woppy while I'm gone, ok? I'll see you back here in a few days. Take care of Hanaa."

Unable to reply, the Tarutaru just nodded.

A short time after Zeid and Alain had left they were still inside the Pirate King's private room.

"Buck up, kid, arrr," Gilgamesh laughed in an unhelpful manner from behind his desk.

Hanaa sat down right on the middle of the floor with Nokum-Akkum and gave him a tight hug while resting her chin on the top of his round head. She asked why he seemed so upset, as it was not the first time he had been away from Alain and Catherine at the same time.

"I have a bad feeling!" he sniffed. "I only getaru those once in a blue moon…and when I do they are always rightaru… I think something bad is going to happen to someone…"

She pinched his cheek, much to his annoyance. The Tarutaru was not used to being alone, unlike her. One of the two he lived with was always around for a large amount of the time and she knew full well that he considered Alain to be his best friend. The companionship was the one thing she missed from staying in the mansion back in Bastok, but staying in one place just was not meant for her. It only took a month before the road called like a siren.

How the two actually met was a mystery to her. During the war it was normal for troops from opposite factions to mingle but even before their squad had been formed they seemed friends. That probably meant they had known each other before the war when they were much younger, which seemed odd to her. Nokum-Akkum rarely spoke about the past (possibly because he forgot most of it) and Alain never did like revealing secrets. It made her all the more curious suddenly, which was a side of her she indulged in from time-to-time.

Wait! There's only one way I know of to make Nokum-Akkum loosen his tongue and talk about things he'd prefer to keep secret or not remember…

"Hey, since when did the mighty Warrior worry so much? They can take care of themselves. You should be worrrying about this volcano we've got to find our way thrrrough! You know Alain, Gerdinus and Rost are strong and Cathy has that Ninja to protect her. I'm sure Lion is strong as well."

"I know…butaru…"

"Look, since it'll take them a few days that means we have time to kill. Yes? Ok. Good. What do you say to a little visit to the bar down the hall for some food and drrrink? Come on, it'll make you feel better," she purred.

"Well…." He said coyly and with a half smile on his face.

"You can get as many mithkabobs as you want."

The Tarutaru bent backwards to look up at her with a big grin and agreed. His sudden mood swing did not surprise her; it was another trait to the extremely complex psyche of the tiny race.

"Arr, touching moment and all that…but could ye get off my floor now?"