Chapter 14: A Dying Wish

Day 2, 6:30 PM

Lightning roamed back through the industrial sector of Luxerion and headed towards the Bazaar. Before she resumed her search, she decided that it would be appropriate to stop by the restaurant district to grab something to eat. After a dinner of some strange barbeque concoction which only appeared remotely edible she decided to get back to it.

She had only briefly passed through the Bazaar earlier, but taking the time to properly appreciate it she noticed an odd assortment of shops and stalls dedicated to everything from hobbies and games to the occult. Based on comments from a few jaded passerbys however, this was nothing compared to the selection they had in Yusnaan.

She made her way up the large set of stairs that lead to the upper section of the Bazaar when she noticed a young man wearing a set of thick-rimmed glasses. He had a plain face, with short brown hair and a goatee to match, but what set him apart from the crowd was that he was leaning against the wall pouring over a large portfolio of what appeared to be news clippings.

"Something on your mind there?" Lightning asked casually.

The man set the portfolio down and rubbed his hands on his side. "No, not really... Just... lost in my thoughts."

He noticed that Lightning was still sticking around and waiting for more than this vague response and continued.

"Thinking about an old friend."

"Oh?"

"He passed away, unfortunately, a while back."

"I'm sorry," Lightning replied, hoping she sounded sympathetic.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Armand. I, uh... Would you have some time to spare? I have quite the story to tell about him."

More time than you know, she thought as she nodded. "Sure. Tell me about him."

"He-he was a reporter, a firm believer that the pen was mightier than the sword. A do-gooder, believed he could save people by exposing the evils and hypocrisies of society," he sighed with pent up regret. "Naive, maybe, but full of determination."

"Being naïve's better than having no ideals at all," Lightning said, once more painfully reminded of her sister.

Serah had always been so damned optomistic even in the worst possible of circumstances. Still, it was this trait that Lightning secretly envied about her. Was it better to be a realist with no morals, or a fool fighting for what they believe is right?

"Agreed," Armand nodded. "At first, he was just a regular beat reporter for a local paper."

Lightning pointed down towards the portfolio and Armand nodded in reply.

"His articles were mainly about the local stores and great discounts they were offering that week. You know, little tidbits to help people out in their daily lives. As you can tell, nothing worthy of the front page. But one day, a great opportunity fell into his lap."

"He got assigned a big story," Lightning said, folding her arms.

"You're one step ahead of me. But you know... that's enough storytelling for one day. The rest will have to wait for another time."

"You just got started," Lightning said.

"I don't like to talk about it too much. If you want to know more come back and visit me sometime," Armand replied.

I might not be able to, Lightning thought in frustration, but she turned about and headed back down into the Bazaar. On her way down the stairs, she noticed a young girl sitting on the first landing. She seemed to be sobbing and yet no tears were coming. Then again, this girl wasn't Luka, maybe normal people had been living so long that tears were no longer possible for most of them.

Making a mental note to be less judgmental of Luka if they spoke again she sat down beside the girl.

"Hey are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lightning asked.

The girls voice was gravelly, as though she had no energy to speak. Her long blonde hair covered her face and by the looks of things she hadn't slept in days.

"If only that were my problem. I would gladly take that over this."

"Tell me what's wrong."

"My father's fallen ill. It's bad. He might not make it. I came to the city looking for a remedy I'd heard about... but it's sold out everywhere."

"You checked all the merchants?"

The woman brushed her hair away from her eyes and glanced over her shoulder towards a stall being manned by a woman in a familiar looking chocobo outfit; though it wasn't Chocolina.

"Well, I found one shop that could make what I needed... but only if I brought them the ingredients... if only it were that simple. But I don't have a gil to my name. I spent all my money on the journey. I can't get my hands on them."

"Let me help you," Lightning said.

"Really? You're going to help me save my father?" She asked.

"Really. Let me go talk to that merchant. I think I can work something out," Lightning explained.

The girl thanked Lightning profusely even as Lightning made her way down the stairs towards the stall. The merchant in the chocobo outfit was busy beckoning customers to her store.

"I was told about a special medicine that only you can make," Lightning said.

"Ah, yes. Say no more. You want a flask of our super special, is that it? No problem!" The girl turned around and looked through the stall. She sighed loudly and then turned back to face Lightning. "Actually, there is a problem. We're all out. I'm really sorry! I just remembered. You're the second person we had to break the bad news to today."

"What if you had the ingredients needed?" Lightning asked.

"I can make more, but I can't get my hands on them. I wish I could've helped that poor girl. She needed it for a family member that took a turn for the worse."

"I'm here for her, actually. What ingredients do you need?"

"Mandragora Root, Thunderclap Cap and Shaolong Gui Shell. They're all incredibly rare ingredients so I don't know how you'll find them. But if you do, I'll make a batch for free! Anything to help a fellow resident!"

"Thank you," Lightning nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Lightning walked away from the stall and headed over to the nearby North Station Plaza. The sun had already begun to set and darkness would soon be upon the city. The golden light that shone just beneath the far off bridge cast an eerie glow throughout the plaza.

"Hope, any ideas?" Lightning asked.

"Hmm... Well, I can provide you with all the gil you need, but unfortunately I can't just make supplies appear out of thin air, especially rare herbs and reagents. You might try asking around town."

It was then that Lightning noticed Chocolina sitting beside the clock tower, chatting with Solandra. And then an idea struck her.

"Well hello again, Miss Mighty Savior," Chocolina smiled. "We seem to be seeing a lot of you today!"

"Hello, Chocolina, Solandra," Lightning nodded. "I was wondering if I could ask your help again."

"Anything," Solandra nodded. "How can I help?"

Lightning explained to the two women about the medicine and the ingredients required.

"Thunderclap Cap? I know exactly where to find some!" Solandra nodded. "It makes a great remedy, so we would always find its patches. If you're lucky you can find a few solitary patches along the riverbed, but it's tricky!"

"And I can get you the Mandragora Root!" Chocolina smiled. "I have a hookup with the Grocer in the south side of town. I'll go find that for you."

"What about Shaolong Gui Shell?" Lightning asked.

"That'll be an ancient one. Probably the trickiest to find. I'd check out Old Town. Lots of strange folk there who can probably hook you up," Solandra explained.

"Okay. I'll go searching for that. When you get the incredients meet me in front of the Chocobo Emporium in the Bazaar okay?"

The women nodded and the three split up to go find their respective ingredients.

The search was long. The sun had set and now the nearby clock tower rang 9:00 PM. Soon it would be midnight, and she would have to divert her attention away from this chore. However, as luck would have it, she finally found a man who carried the shell.

"This is used for only the finest medicines," The man said. "I was afraid I'd never be able to sell this baby! Thank goodness you came along to change that. It's a little rich for most folks."

That was true enough. It hadn't come cheap at 1500 gil, but once again Hope had made sure that all of her funds were taken care of.

Lightning made it back to the Chocobo Emporium just in time for their closing at 10:00 PM, however the merchant agreed to stay open to make the potion. Chocolina was already there and Solandra showed up at around five past.

"You all managed to get everything on the list? That's incredible! Now give me a few minutes while I work my magic."

A few minutes turned into half an hour, but considering she was staying late to do the job pro bono, Lightning had no complaints. When she was done, she handed Lightning a small flask with an spectral green liquid.

"Here you go! The greatest man-made remedy of all time! I hope this works." The merchant then laughed and raised her arms triumphantly. "What am I saying? I know it'll work! Hurry on back to the poor girl so she can help her father!"

Solandra stood up from where she'd been resting against the side of the stall and yawned. "It's past my bedtime. You deliver the good news, I'm going to get some sleep."

"Thank you, Solandra," Lightning said, patting her shoulder.

"Don't mention it," she smiled tiredly. "Glad I was able to help."

"I think I'll be heading to bed too lovely," Chocolina smiled. "You'd better hurry up though. It's almost midnight."

Lightning looked at Chocolina who seemed to be wearing a knowing glance that did not match her chipper voice. Lightning could not remember telling Chocolina anything about her plans for midnight.

Before she could question Chocolina further, she disappeared back into the Plaza.

Lightning shook it off and returned to the girl who was still sitting where Lightning had left her.

"I have something for you. Here."

The girl reached out her hand for the green flask and gasped. "Is this really what I think it is? Are you absolutely sure that I can have this?"

"I said you could, didn't I? Now go and take it to your father."

"Oh, I-I will! Thank you! You know you may have just saved his life! You're one of the good ones. I didn't think there were many of you left. I don't know what to say. I'd just about lost faith in everyone."

"Did you tell other people about your situation? If they knew..."

"I tried, but no one even bothered to hear me out. And it wasn't even about the money. They just didn't want to get involved. I can't blame them for avoiding a poor girl from the Warren. I'd about given up when you came by. You were the only one who bothered to ask if anything was wrong, you know that?

I guess there's still a bit of light in this city, after all."

"Of course there is. It took a while, but you ended up getting what you needed to help your father, didn't you? Even though the world is consumed with darkness, people are still willing to help others. Have some faith."

"You're right. So what are you, some kind of angel sent from the heavens or something? I know the world is ending soon, and there's little time to do much else, but I pray the rest of your days are bright and full of bliss for you and your loved ones."

Even as the girls soul flew safely into Lightning's chest, Lightning was once more preoccupied with the other souls that worried her. Hope, Sazh, Vanille, Fang, Noel Kreiss, even that damned fool Snow. And, of course, Serah.

The clock struck 10:30 PM. She decided it was time to head back to her hotel room. She would take a brief rest, and prepare for what came next. She had to stop the Children of Etro from carrying out their ritual. It would all end tonight.