"Baron is usually a lot nicer around this time of year," Cecil said, descending the stone steps into the town.
Baron was gorgeous, much larger than Tellah remembered. Further along its borders, several houses were in the midst of construction across various stages of completion. It simply didn't make sense - if Baron was entering a golden age - no doubt heralded by their advancement in aerial technology - why go to war? Why create hostilities against the literal world, instead of fostering prosperity?
Tellah followed, careful not to trip on the steep stairs with Palom and Porom in tow. The heavy breeze carried the metallic tinge of gunpowder and various booms could be heard behind them - likely the sound of airship cannons.
Baron was training more recruits to replace their losses. Tellah shivered, not just from the recent memories of Damcyan seared in his mind, but from imagining where those new recruits came from, and how willing they were to fight under Baron's flag.
Hurried footsteps came from their left, from around the corner. An older man with a scraggly beard and mussed, tattered clothes came into sight, and he approached the outsiders when he caught sight of them.
"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, eyeing everyone before stopping at Cecil.
Cecil, who hadn't quite dropped his hand from his hilt, responded with similar suspicion.
"Who are you?" Cecil asked.
"I'm Clyde. I used to be the town's spokesperson before His Majesty-" Clyde looked around and lowered his voice. "His Majesty is not the man he once was. After he raided Mysidia, he raided Damcyan and Fabul. I heard rumors that Troia was next, but I don't know if they're true."
Clyde gently guided Cecil by the shoulder to the side of the road, where they were more easily hidden by the bushes in front of nearby houses.
"I was stripped of my title and my belongings, and Baron has fallen under martial law. Any young man older than their thirteenth year is whisked away to war in a faraway country," Clyde said. "If they get one glance at you, or the mages with you-"
"I'm only ten," Palom pointed out.
Clyde shook his head.
"You're a mage, aren't you? A proficient one, by the looks of your equipment," Clyde said. "Mages of any age are taken, too."
"Why are you telling us this?" Tellah spoke up.
If Clyde had been offended by the continued wariness, he didn't show it.
"I suppose I still care about this town, regardless of how the crown has treated me." Clyde looked back at Cecil. "Perhaps if someone had warned Thomas, my son, he would still be here, and not in an unmarked grave in Fabul."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Porom said, covering her mouth with her hands. The rest murmured their assent. Clyde smiled at Porom.
"Thank you, child," Clyde said.
They heard voices coming from the same area Clyde had come from. Clyde turned his head to look, but thought better of it and turned back to the group.
"I must go, and you should, too," Clyde said, starting to walk away. He paused, turned back, and offered a final word of advice. "Avoid the inn, there's a monk captain who has commandeered the pub upstairs and the entire floor crawls with military at all hours of the day."
"Wait!" Cecil called out in a hush whisper, reaching into his pocket and handing the man a fistful of gil. "Thank you, and take care of yourself."
Clyde looked at the coins, his eyes widening as though he were given a massive fortune. Considering the state of the city, it probably was.
"You too," Clyde told them, clenching his fist around the coin and rushing past them, presumably to hide it somewhere safe.
Cecil watched him go, quietly ruminating on what they were told.
"We ought to get out of sight," Tellah prompted, the voices closer than before.
Cecil shook his head.
"We go to the inn. I have a feeling I know this monk," he said, heading south, where Clyde had gone, but taking a right instead of a left at the intersection. "He's a good man - likely going along with everything to keep the peace until he can get back to friendly territory."
The streets remained barren even as they passed through the market. The booths that would have been filled with food, trinkets, and other sundries were empty spaces. It made the largest building on the street market-the inn-stick out like a sore thumb. Cecil led the way inside, and the innkeeper and his daughter stood to greet the weary travelers.
"Welcome!" shouted the innkeeper over the noise coming from the pub upstairs. "Our rooms are a hundred gil a night. Fret not about the noise - the furthest rooms are soundproof!"
A strong stench of alcohol, tobacco, and vomit burned Tellah's eyes. Rambunctious laughter carried down the stairs, and one voice sang a vulgar song about a woman and her livestock. Porom covered her ears.
"Sorry, perhaps another time," Cecil said, looking around the inn.
The innkeeper's daughter sat back down, tears filling her eyes. The innkeeper did better to hide his disappointment. Tellah felt a pang of sympathy as he took in their loose clothes and the child's hollow cheeks. A once stable business was going under, and the gaunt innkeeper's family was suffering.
"How can I help you, then?" he asked Cecil.
"I'm searching for a monk. Is he upstairs at this moment?" Cecil asked.
"And do you have any windows you can open?" Palom muttered.
Porom kicked Palom in the shin.
"The soldiers upstairs have been bad for business," the innkeeper's daughter told Palom. Palom pressed his lips tightly together in a tense smile, likely feeling a little guilty for his snide remark.
"Aye, you'll find him there," the innkeeper said, sitting back down at his stool. He scratched at a stain on the counter with his nail.
Cecil focused his gaze on the stairs - if Tellah had to guess, he was listening for how many voices were speaking up there. Tellah counted at least four men.
"I must ask you two to stay downstairs, no matter what you hear up there," Cecil told the innkeeper and his daughter.
The innkeeper said nothing, but pulled his daughter close and nodded. His daughter watched the group quietly climb the stairs, wide eyed and afraid.
Cecil reached the top of the stairs, the cigar smog heavy against the single gaslamp lit on the bar top. The soldiers had yet to notice Cecil and the mages. Five, Tellah counted. There was a monk seated at the furthest table, his eyes closed as though in prayer. He was undisturbed by the commotion of the soldiers surrounding him, a feat to be admired.
A waitress bustled around the tables, dodging one particular soldier with a heavy glint in his eye as she passed. Another called her all sorts of vulgar names to get her attention - the tankard she'd just brought him was empty and needed refilling.
Anger surged in waves over Tellah. This behavior was unacceptable - never in his life, no matter how drunk he became, did he or any of his companions treat the staff like this. Baron's military did not have the common decency to treat others like people, even in their own country.
"Yang! It is you!" Cecil said, relief in his voice as he rushed past the soldiers to the monk. "I thought you for dead!"
The monk lifted his head and stared at Cecil, analyzing the man who dared to walk into a room full of soldiers fearlessly. The soldiers quieted down, speaking in softer voices to allow for Yang to give clear orders if required. The waitress hid behind the bar top, her eyes peeking over clenched fingers as she watched the scene unfold.
Yang stood, slowly looking Cecil up and down.
"And you are…?" the monk asked, his deep voice confident and authoritative.
Cecil stepped back to let Yang get a good look at his new armor, still pleased enough with his transformation that he hadn't noticed the soldiers completely stop speaking as they heard Cecil's reply.
"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't recognize me like this. It is I, Yang - Cecil!" Cecil said.
Yang's eyes darkened, anger curling his lip up. Cecil tilted his head. Tellah, Palom, and Porom slowly reached for their weapons; by pure chance none of the soldiers spotted them doing so as they focused on Cecil.
"Cecil! I've searched long and hard for you!" Yang gestured with a hand, and the soldiers stood to attention. "This man is a traitor to the king of Baron - seize him!"
The men clicked their heels, a resounding "Sir!" echoed in the room. Cecil's arm flew to his hilt, and in one breath, chaos exploded in the room.
Yang immediately started throwing punches at Cecil, who dodged most of them and took the ones that landed with hardly a stagger. Porom cast Cure on Cecil repeatedly, allowing any bones broken by Yang to heal as soon as they happened.
Palom let loose Fire on the soldiers between the mages and Cecil, scorching the soldiers' searing swords out of their gloves. One was particularly angry and well aware of who had been the cause; he cast Pig on Palom, who commenced to squeal. Palom, now a runt piglet, ran between Tellah's feet to avoid the soldier's stomping steel boot. Tellah furrowed his brow in concentration as he tried to ignore the commotion literally under his feet.
Porom redirected her attention to Palom and reverted him to human form just as he passed between Tellah's legs again. Palom exploded in size, and Tellah straddled Palom for one terrifying moment before they collapsed into a pile on the ground. Cecil's voice was drowned out by the noise, inaudible to everyone except perhaps Yang as Yang yelled something back.
Tellah cursed as he released Fira, and the explosion caused Porom and the soldiers to fly back in opposite directions from the sudden increase in pressure and heat in the room. The soldiers, hit by the worst of it, fell silent. The spectacle was Cecil's saving grace, as Yang was momentarily distracted by the sight. He was unable to dodge Cecil's armored elbow-it slammed straight into his jaw.
Yang stumbled back, collapsing into a seat; he rubbed his chin and groaned. The group remained tense, prepared to keep fighting if Yang stood.
"…Cecil?" Yang asked, his voice softer.
Cecil lowered his arms, squatting on bent knees to look at the blow he gave Yang. Yang kept speaking.
"We….we were attacked by…by Leviathan, weren't we?" Yang asked, looking at Cecil with kind eyes.
Cecil cast Cure, and the swelling reduced on Yang's jaw. Cecil nodded.
"I remember little after that," Yang said quietly.
"Baron must have been taking advantage of your amnesia, using you to its own ends," Tellah said, finding a new layer of gratitude within himself. What if Golbez had found Tellah in the throws of his dementia, and convinced Tellah that Cecil was the one leading the attack on Damcyan?
"Forgive me," Yang said. He moved to the ground and bowed deeply, his forehead touching the floor. "I've betrayed my own kingdom, defied my king's orders…"
"What-what of Rydia and Edward?" Cecil asked, unable to hide his hope. Yang stood and gave Cecil a sympathetic grimace.
"Rydia was swallowed by Leviathan. I do not know of Prince Edward's fate," Yang said.
Cecil turned away and ran a hand through his long, white hair.
"I see," Cecil said, taking a moment before turning back to Yang.
Yang glanced around at the pub, taking in the fallen Baronian soldiers around him, Tellah's Kaipoan desert trekking clothes that he hadn't had time to replace, and the twins' Mysidian robes.
"Where are we?" Yang asked.
"We're in Baron," Cecil said. Remembering where they were, and Clyde's warning, he added, "And we'd best not talk here, lest any guards overhear us. Let's see if we can find a room."
The five of them headed downstairs, where the innkeeper applauded his saviors at the foot of the staircase.
"I saw everything! You've grit, and strength to match! Why don't you spend the night? No need for coin, it's my pleasure!" the innkeeper said, refusing Cecil's gil.
Yang avoided looking at the innkeeper, opting to keep his head down as he walked past. The innkeeper didn't seem to care; he was just happy the soldiers destroying his business had gotten their comeuppance. The innkeeper's daughter gave Palom a flower, a beaming smile on her blushing face.
"Heh…" Palom said, winking at Porom. Porom made a disgusted sound and rolled her eyes. Tellah gently pressed a finger into Palom's back, pushing him forward before he could loiter at the counter.
"Don't even think about it," Tellah said.
Palom grumbled, reluctantly shuffling after Cecil and Yang.
A collective sigh escaped the group as they closed the door to their room, and they set their items down on individual cots and sat facing each other. For a moment, no one spoke. Yang looked at the party, and the party looked at Yang. His eyes finally settled on Tellah.
"Who might this gentleman be?" Yang asked Cecil.
Cecil blushed, his fair skin turning pink down his neck. Ironic that Cecil would be embarrassed at his lack of decorum, considering the bigger picture of his status in the kingdom.
"Ah, this is the Great Sage Tellah," Cecil said. "His daughter and Edward were-"
Cecil paused, unsure how to finish his sentence.
"She loved him enough to give her life for his," Tellah said quietly, letting Cecil off of the hot seat. Cecil gave him a curious, lingering look. It was true, Tellah thought, ignoring Cecil. There plenty of stupid things to die for, but love was not one of them.
"My condolences for your loss," Yang said, bowing his head down slightly. "My name is Yang, and I am a monk of Fabul."
Tellah nodded in gratitude. Yang in his right mind seemed to be an honorable person, and Tellah decided he rather liked the man. Out of the corner of Tellah's eye, he saw Palom straighten up before he cleared his throat.
"And I am the Great Palom, magical prodigy-" Palom gave a glaring Porom a quick glance to make sure he said it right this time. "-of Mysidia!"
Porom smacked Palom on the back of his head.
"Please, forgive my brother's lack of manners," Porom said, shaking her head. "I'm Porom, his twin sister."
There was a subtle note of disappointment in her last remark.
Palom hadn't heard it, for he continued to speak shamelessly. "All that monk training really paid off, huh? Letting Baron brainwash you like that!"
"Palom!" Porom's sharp tone nearly gave Tellah flashbacks to childhood punishments. Yang's mustache twitched as he hung his head.
"I've disgraced myself," Yang said.
Tellah ignored the need to reprimand Palom, too. It's not easy for a young boy like him to understand the severity of such injuries, or the extent to which dark forces would go for their own benefit. It wouldn't have been a far stretch to believe Yang didn't have amnesia until after he was in the custody of the Baronian military, either.
Cecil interrupted the introductions to explain the next step in his plan: they'd need to infiltrate the Castle of Baron for an airship, as he was certain that Golbez would launch an attack on Troia for the last crystal once he recovered the forces lost at Fabul. Yang broke the news that Cid had been imprisoned by the king for treason.
Once completed, Cid hid their newest airship: a top of the line model with improved performance, durability, and speed. Execution was inevitable; fortunately, Cid had yet to release its location. Yang handed them a master key and offered to help them find the stubborn engineer, determined to atone. They spent the rest of the evening planning and resting, for the next day would be spent traversing the waterways into the castle.
Offensive. That was the word Tellah would use to describe the ancient waterway. How could water smell both stale and moldy? They were taking a break along a high rising platform. So few remained that the group had no choice but to wade in water for a majority of the way into the castle. On the bright side, Palom and Porom were tall enough to not need assistance from the adults when they traversed deeper water.
"Sir Tellah," Porom said, drawing Tellah's attention away from his misery. "May I ask you a question?"
Tellah finished straining filthy water out of his socks. He looked up at Porom, who was chewing on her cheek, a habit Tellah noticed she'd indulge in when nervous. She sat beside him, her voice low to keep the conversation quiet.
"I need to ask you about what happened at Mount Ordeals," she whispered.
Tellah took notice of the other members of their party. Cecil and Yang were discussing the layout of Baron's castle and safest routes to the dungeon. Palom was slamming his thunder rod on the ground, admiring the sparks of lightning that spread along the floor like desperate vines searching for sunlight, oblivious to his sister's distress.
"What part?" Tellah asked.
Porom gave him a knowing look. "The affliction you've been hiding since the summit."
"Ah." Tellah said, tapping his foot along the edge of the platform. His calves tingled as feeling came back to his lower extremities. "I haven't had to heal since Mysidia."
Porom hugged herself.
"The elder has a remarkable affinity to the art of white magic. I know he helped you. But I don't think he has completely healed you. Does Cecil know?" she asked.
Tellah bit his tongue, impressed at her assessment and frustrated at her judgement. He shook his head.
"Are you going to tell him?" she asked.
Tellah stopped tapping his foot.
"If I don't, will you?" he volleyed back.
Porom said nothing, but her conflicted expression spoke for her. Tellah sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand.
"I understand, I really do," Tellah started. He gave a quick glance around to make sure the others weren't listening, then continued. "White magic is about helping your friends, and sometimes the best way to help someone that doesn't want help is to tell someone else who might be able to do something about it."
"Like you…" Porom said, her head down. "…to Cecil."
"Yes," Tellah said. "Like me to Cecil."
He tapped his finger on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to Tellah.
"What would happen if someone confided in you-not as Porom the friend, but as Porom the white mage-with the state of their health, and you went behind their back and told someone else?"
A flicker of recognition.
"You speak of ethics," Porom said. "The Elder has taught us this before."
Tellah nodded and reached for his boots, slipping each on and tying the laces.
"Then you understand it's importance," Tellah said.
Porom frowned, her forehead wrinkling in thought. On the other side of the platform, Cecil called an end to their rest. Tellah stood, picking up his pack and staff.
"I will not be upset if you decide to tell. Yet I still have to ask you to keep it to yourself. Trust in me, Porom," Tellah said. "I will inform Cecil myself if and when I must."
Porom picked up her staff and followed Tellah.
"I wish I could help," Porom said.
Palom had said something similar days ago, when Porom was coping with her first death at Ordeals. Tellah felt an affection for the young mage in front of him. She was Palom's opposite, her very nature the antithesis of his. The white to his black magic, the maturity to his excitement.
Yet they were both same to the very core: they had a drive to help those they cared about in the only ways they knew how. It became clear to Tellah that their dynamics were similar to that of his and Minwu's, and he finally understood why Tellah and Minwu were always paired together in missions in their youth.
"I can see you being Elder someday," Tellah said sincerely.
Porom blinked, surprised by his compliment.
"Thank you, Sir Tellah," she said.
Tellah gestured for Porom to go first, the tip of his staff nearly touching the murky water.
"After you," he said.
Porom shuddered, dipping her feet reluctantly into the water, her boot breaking through the slimy film floating on the surface.
"I hate it here," she said. "Foul things lurk in forgotten places."
Tellah agreed, restraining his own expression of discomfort.
"Can I ask you one more question, Sir Tellah?" she asked, her voice now at normal volume.
"Sure," Tellah said.
"Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong with Esuna?"
Tellah smiled.
"Of course," he said.
Tellah shivered; the towering walls obscured the setting sun, and the shade quickly cooled the wet clothes that clung to his skin. Cecil led them through the castle, weaving through endless halls and fortified doors until they reached the dungeons. The party grew quiet as they covered more ground - there was hardly anyone to be seen. Alas, the cells were empty, and Cid was nowhere to be found.
"Where have they placed the prisoners?" Cecil asked Yang.
Yang crossed his arms, his brow furrowed as he thought.
"I was not told," Yang said. "We must continue searching for Cid elsewhere."
"At this rate, we'll likely not run into anyone anyways," Porom agreed.
"And if we do, I'll kick their ass!" Palom said, pounding a fist into his open palm.
Tellah said nothing, instead rolling his eyes as he made his way out of the dungeons with the group in tow. Cecil once again took the lead, guiding them into the main hall. A sea of gray stone and grout greeted them, save for the lush red carpet beneath their feet. Cecil's armor jingling as he moved seemed to echo through the vast, liminal space. Tellah sniffed. How was it that the smell of mildew from the waterway had clung this long to them?
"Lord Cecil!"
Everyone tensed, and a young man in commander's armor stepped into view.
"Baigan!" Cecil said, relaxing as the man stepped closer.
Tellah squinted, uncertain of what he saw. Why did that man's hair look…scaly? Tellah looked over at the rest of the party, but only Palom and Porom seemed to share his confusion.
Cecil asked about Baigan's loyalties, and satisfied with his answer, allowed him to join the group. The mages stayed away from Baigan, who didn't seem to notice. When Palom and Porom realized that Cecil indeed noticed nothing amiss, they stepped in front of the two Baronian men.
"What is it?" Cecil asked, confused by the twins' parallel looks of disappointment and disgust.
"Something stinks," Palom said, covering his nose with one hand and fanning it with the other.
"I smell it, too…" added Porom, wrinkling her nose, "a monster's stench."
Baigan drew his sword, looking this way and that for monsters.
"What?! Be on your guard, my lord!" Baigan cried.
Tellah would've laughed if Baigan hadn't been serious. Palom stepped in front of Baigan.
"Hmph. His acting stinks, too," Palom said, echoing Tellah's thoughts.
Porom followed, blocking Baigan from escaping.
"You would expect him to try a little harder to fool us, wouldn't you?" Porom asked.
"So you have gone over!" Cecil exclaimed, drawing his sword and holding it at Baigan's neck.
Baigan waved a hand as a smile grew across his face.
"Why must you keep accusing me of being some kind of traitor?" Baigan said, his voice warbling more and more with every word. His skin became a grape purple, and his sword dropped with a clang at his feet. Baigan wheezed as his nose grew longer and wider; his hands trembled, and his fingers dropped one by one, where his exposed bones contracted and became sharp teeth and his knuckles sprouted murderous eyes. "I'm merely repaying a great man for the wonderful gift he gave me. Behold!"
One of his arms snapped forward like a violent viper, eager to taste Cecil's flesh. Yang pulled Cecil and Porom back just in time. Cecil regained his balance and covered Porom with his shield from the other arm until she escaped to the backline. Now safe, she cast Libra as Palom warped next to his sister.
"Tellah!" Porom said. "He's weak against ice!"
Porom didn't need to tell Tellah twice. Tellah bowed his head, muttering the words to Blizzara. Yang and Cecil kept Baigan busy until Tellah was able to release the spell. The hall dropped to frigid temperatures, and a shell of magical ice encased Baigan and his autonomous arms. The ice creaked and crackled before shattering and bursting Baigan's frostbitten skin like boiled tomatoes too swollen for their skin.
Baigan growled and cast Reflect on himself. Both Tellah and Palom cursed; Tellah wished he'd cast Blizzaga if he'd known this would happen. Palom released his own Blizzara spell along one of the stone pillars, avoiding Baigan altogether. Cecil swung again at Baigan's torso, and Baigan's right arm took advantage of the opening to grip Porom into submission.
Porom cried, real tears falling from her eyes as she tried to escape. Yang swung hard at the arm, his claws slashing through mutated sinew. Porom fell to the ground, still paralyzed, and Palom pulled her to safety, standing as a guard for his sister while she recovered. Palom caught Tellah's eye and shrugged as if to say, what else can I do? Tellah felt pleasantly surprised to see Palom's change in demeanor.
Cecil swung again, and Yang flew into a devastating kick across all three beings morphed along Baigan's defiled body. Baigan fell; a twisted grimace remained frozen on his snout; he was slain at last. The arms detached themselves from Baigan's torso like a lizard shedding its tail and wriggled closer and closer, but Cecil and Yang were quick to dispatch those. The twins exchanged a glance once all was said and done. Porom crossed her arms and Palom walked up to Cecil and smacked him on the forehead with his rod.
"You shouldn't be so quick to trust people!" Palom chided.
Cecil ignored Palom and stared solemnly at Baigan's corpse. "Even Baigan…"
Tellah walked up to Palom and lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Great job back there," Tellah said.
Palom tried and failed to hide a pleased smile.
"I didn't get to kick his ass," Palom said. He glanced up at Tellah and raised his voice. "I'll get the next one!"
Tellah smiled, shaking Palom's shoulder gently before letting him go. Yang had been staring at the throne room doors, and Porom asked Yang his thoughts.
"Shall we see the king and inquire about the prisoners?" Yang asked.
Cecil looked up, let out a slow exhale, and nodded. Yang pulled open the doors, and Cecil stepped through to to the throne room. A stench of mold blew out to the party, and Tellah followed. His stomach turned. Despite the smell, the throne room had hardly changed in the decades since he'd first visited.
"Getting Mist involved, Elder? That's foolish, even for you," the King of Baron said. He leaned back in his throne, chin resting on his jeweled fingers. His eyes met each of theirs slowly, electric blue covered by a fringe of blonde hair. A rainbow halo surrounded his head, the mosaic window above his throne refracting colorful beams of angelic light on the king.
Tellah was surprised to see that the king was rather handsome, exuding charisma and confidence. It was a shame to find himself on the king's bad side. The Elder of Mysidia stood proudly in front of him, hands clasped in front of her. She smiled sweetly. Tellah shivered. It wasn't enough to deal with Gale as an instructor growing up, but ever since she assumed her new title, he'd had to take missions from her as well. Mysidia had not been as aggressive before she started running the place.
Troia had been the only passive mission, and even that was a suggestion from Minwu.
"You leave us with no alternative, Your Majesty. You gain control of the skies-" Gale shrugged. "-Fine. I'll accept your explanation surrounding economic growth." She started walking, her hands bouncing with every step. "But you start your own magic academy, specializing in battle? Now I can't pretend that you're not expanding your military, and we have a problem."
Lydia sniffed. She'd kept her arms crossed, watching the Gale's theatrical speech with her lip curled. If the Elder of Mist was equally repulsed by his counterpart's behavior, he didn't show it, emotionless next to Lydia.
Tellah snuck a glance over at Minwu. To a stranger Minwu would appear almost bored, but Tellah knew that he was annoyed as well. Minwu was excited for all of the passive uses of magic, of fostering peaceful learnings to improve the lives of people everywhere. While the pilot program of teaching the Troians had been a success, fostering a close relationship with that country and encouraging Troians to send scholars to Mysidia, Gale decided to end the mission and continue her aggressive plan against Baron. The king seemed amused; he turned his attention to the Elder of Mist and Lydia with a near playful smile on his lips.
"I don't understand why you're here. The Elder of Mysidia has given me the impression that you're on her side. Where does Mist stand in all of this? With Mysidia?" the king asked.
The Elder of Mist cleared his throat and shook his head.
"We do not want to be involved. We requested this audience to make it known. Mist and her summoners do not exist as weapons for use by larger countries. We simply want to coexist in our quiet village, away from external influence," the Elder of Mist said, keeping his hands tucked into opposite sleeves, unmoving as he spoke. "We have no interest in the growing development of magical study in the outside world and want to make it clear to the powers in this room: bringing us into this conflict will only make you an enemy of Mist. There is no trade for which we would be interested in sharing the arts of summoning, or our secrets, for that matter, with anyone, either."
"So long as Mist stays neutral, Baron will stay out of Mist," the king said. "You have my word."
The Elder of Mist and Lydia bowed, and the king dismissed them. As the door shut behind them, the king turned to the Mysidians, serious now.
"As for you…." the king said, "You're on thin ice. I do not want war, but I will not stand idly by when threats are made to my kingdom. You said it yourself - Baron controls the skies. Do not encourage me to prove it."
The King of Baron was much older now, and though he sat up straight, his head did not reach the top of the throne anymore. He grinned at the former captain of his Red Wings, and Tellah noted that the charisma the king once had was gone.
"Cecil, you've returned at last!" the king said, extending his arms wide.
The king's eyes slowly drifted down, taking in Cecil in all of his paladin glory.
"And all the stronger for your journey, by the looks of it," he added.
The king sneered in disgust.
"Your Majesty…" Cecil started, sounding hurt.
"You've become a…a paladin, is it?" the king said, standing. "I'm afraid that won't do at all."
"My liege?" Cecil asked, but Cecil was no longer addressing the man in front of him. The king cackled.
"Your liege? Who might that be?" The king dropped a knee and tapped his chin with a finger. "Oh! I think I've just remembered! You must mean that old fool who refused to surrender up this kingdom."
Cecil trembled, his face crimson with fury. This seemed to delight the man in front of him, wearing a crown that was not his.
"Yes, that's it! The king of Baron! It's his part I've been playing all this time," the imposter said as he guffawed more, holding his belly as tears of laughter escaped his eyes.
"What have you done with the king?" Cecil demanded, hand on his hilt. The imposter stopped laughing.
"Would you like to see him, this king of yours?" the imposter asked, slipping out of the royal mantle, letting it pool around his feet. He grabbed the crown off of his head and tossed it aside carelessly. His tone became cold and threatening. "You'd best not mistake me for another Scarmiglione. How one as weak as he came to be crowned an archfiend is something I'll never know."
Cecil drew his sword as his worst fears came true.
"Then you're one of them!" he shouted, grief cracking his voice.
Yang, Tellah, Palom, and Porom readied their weapons as well. The imposter started mutating and rested on his haunches as his upper body continued to swell and shrink, his skin turning a cobalt blue. He dropped forward, exposing a large shell on his back and balancing on all fours as a tail swung out behind him.
"I am the Drowned King, Cagnazzo - archfiend of water and sworn servant of Golbez! Bow down before me!" Cagnazzo gurgled as water rolled down the steps to the throne.
Cecil released a primal scream, swinging at Cagnazzo with a furor Tellah hadn't ever seen from him. Ribbons of Cagnazzo's blood swirled and mixed with the rushing water. Yang hardly moved from the force of the current, but Tellah, Palom, and Porom struggled to find stable footing.
Tellah felt a panic start squeezing his chest as the water rose higher and higher, reaching his chest as the children struggled to keep their heads above water.
The tide turned, and everyone was caught off guard as the water rushed them to Cagnazzo. Palom and Porom held hands as they flew forward, and Tellah held onto Palom's cape with one hand and Yang's shoulder as he chanted. Yang swam against the current, trying to keep the mages from the archfiend's reach. Tellah's fingers spasmed from the strain, accidentally releasing Palom and Porom to the current.
With unfortunate timing, the water disappeared, and Yang used his claws like ice picks to anchor himself and Tellah to the stone floor. Cecil let the water take him to Cagnazzo, taking full advantage of the velocity to swing again.
"Cecil, help us!" Porom cried, nearly within swinging distance of Cecil's blade.
It was a miracle that Cecil heard her. He stopped attacking in time to brace himself from a swing of Cagnazzo's tail, sending him crashing into the twins. The water swirled in a tumultuous sphere around Cagnazzo, and the sight reminded Tellah of the rare but devastating tsunamis that would destroy Mysidia's coast once a decade. He shut his eyes and released Thunder, hoping to break through the incoming attack.
It was a success. The water fell back onto the ground with a splash as Cagnazzo screeched, Silencing Tellah before retracting into his shell. Without skipping a beat, and now able to go on the offensive, Porom cast Esuna, giving Tellah his voice back as she made her way behind everyone once more.
Tellah healed the group, and Palom, who'd taken the brunt of Cecil's weight as he crashed into them, recovered enough to stand. He bowed his head, and Tellah heard him start chanting the words to Thundaga.
Yang and Cecil rushed forward, punching, swinging, and kicking at the shell to offset the healing Cagnazzo was doing in his hibernation. Tellah cast Blizzard, forcing Cagnazzo out of his shell. When Cagnazzo cast Silence on Tellah again, Tellah simply chewed on the echo herb he'd stored in his mouth, spending only seconds with his voice stolen once more.
Cagnazzo glared at Tellah. The water started surging beneath Cagnazzo and all around him, this time a severe undertow pulling Tellah towards him. Tellah futilely tried to swim away, but the current was too fast and neither Cecil nor Yang could reach him in time. Cagnazzo pinned Tellah to the ground, growling as he stared at the last remaining black mage on the field. Palom was chanting furiously.
"You would kill one of your own, young one?" Cagnazzo threatened Palom. Tellah held his breath as he was pushed face down into the water.
Palom hesitated, his arms sagging down even as he nearly finished casting. After the lecture Tellah gave him, he knew Palom would not risk Tellah's life. Sometimes, the risk was worth it. Tellah pried himself up from Cagnazzo's grip long enough to breathe out of the briny water.
"Kick his ass, Palom!" Tellah bellowed, barely able to see the tiny black mage through his dripping hair.
Palom paused, then smirked and gave a mocking salute.
"Aye aye! Commencing ass kicking, Cap'n!" Palom said, and the familiar green light of impending black magic floated around him. Cagnazzo let Tellah go and tried to retreat into his shell, but he was too late. Palom released the loudest Thundara spell Tellah had ever had the honor to hear. Tellah laughed until everything exploded in blinding light and he himself faded to the darkness of death.
Tellah awoke to a very concerned Palom peering over him, the last remnant glow of phoenix down fading from Tellah's body. Tellah groaned, feeling like he'd been struck by lightning, the memories of his last moments slowly coming back to him. Porom cast Cura, and helped Tellah stand.
"Heh…sorry 'bout the lightning to the face," Palom said. Then, before he could resist any longer, he added, "Wasn't that cool, though?!"
Porom groaned, palming her face in embarrassment. Tellah laughed, shuffling Palom's hair.
"It was very impressive," Tellah told Palom.
An abrasive voice made Tellah turn around. A stocky, short man in tight clothing had pinned Cecil's head under his beefy arm, giving Cecil a noogie.
"You had me worried, you…you…you!" the man said.
"What's he doing to him?" Porom asked Palom.
Palom shrugged, equally confused. To Tellah's surprise, Cecil was unbothered by the older man's antics, the top of his head now lifted like a strange, white bird's nest.
"I'm sorry," Cecil said, looking up to the man, who finally let him go.
Cecil straightened up, rubbing his head as the man continued speaking. "What about Rosa? She ran off after you - said she was sure you were still alive. But we haven't seen her since."
Cecil looked down. Fury and pain became him.
"She was…" Cecil clenched his fists. "…taken by Golbez."
The man appeared outraged, swinging his arms in the air in a show of shock and disappointment. Tellah nearly groaned at the theatrics. Was everyone so dramatic in Baron?
"While you were with her?! How could you let that happen?!" the man said.
He crossed his arms, turning his back on Cecil as he paced away, continuing to talk. "Hmph…Golbez, eh? Not enough for him to use my airships like that - has to go and take Rosa, too!"
Tellah lost his patience.
"And she is in danger. So if you wouldn't mind leading us to this flying ship of yours, perhaps we could talk on the way!"
The man glared at Tellah, his eyes small and beady under his aviator goggles.
"Who's this testy old-timer think he is?" the man asked.
"One might ask the same of you!" Tellah said, unflinching as the man approached him, his hammer in hand.
"Me? You're calling me old?" the man cried, raising the weapon. Yang, who had been on the sidelines up to this point, kindly extended an arm across Cid and pushed him away from Tellah. Porom stepped between them, glancing worriedly at each of them.
"Please, let's not argue!" Porom turned to Cid. "You're Cid, right?"
When Cid nodded, Porom pointed at Tellah.
"This is Tellah, Great Sage and wizard."
She then pointed at Yang, who was still holding onto Cid.
"That's Yang, grandmaster of the Fabulian monks."
She pointed at herself.
"My name is Porom. I'm an apprentice mage from Mysidia."
Palom tsked, drawing attention to himself.
"Grown old men, acting like children…" Palom said, inspecting his nails with a cocked eyebrow.
"The one who doesn't know how to mind his tongue is my twin brother, Palom," Porom snapped.
Palom muttered something about suck ups which prompted a new glare from Porom, but Yang let go of Cid and bowed graciously.
"It is an honor to meet you, sir. But I fear our situation does dictate haste," Yang said.
Cid puffed up his chest, pleased at the respect Yang showed him.
"Oh, now there's a man who knows some manners!" Cid said.
Tellah scoffed. Cecil cut through the introductory conversation and struck straight at the heart of the matter.
"Cid, where is this new airship of yours?" Cecil asked.
"Heh…The one place nobody would ever think to look!" Cid started. Cecil's shoulders sagged, but he was too nice - or afraid- to interrupt Cid. "I thought it might come in handy one day, so I-"
Tellah slammed his staff on the ground.
"We don't have time for this blathering! Rosa's life is at stake!" Tellah shouted.
"I know that!" Cid snapped. "No need to be shouting about it, I heard you the first time!"
Cid straightened his shirt and stalked off to the exit. Cecil gave Tellah a thankful smile.
"Well then - follow me!" Cid said.
They'd no sooner crossed into the great hall than the doors behind them slammed shut. Each member of the party glanced at each other, concerned by the buzzing and increased pressure in the atmosphere. Cagnazzo's laugh reverberated throughout the room, enhanced by the dark magic contained within.
"The Drowned King, Cagnazzo, deposed! But the wicked are not wont to fall alone."
Palom and Porom clasped hands, terrified by the voice. Tellah searched everywhere for Cagnazzo, and to his horror, found that he was nowhere, and as such they couldn't fight him off.
"In life, I was terrible - in death, steeped in terror greater still," Cagnazzo's voice continued.
Water poured out from under the doors behind them. Cid strode to the doors on the other side of the hall. Tellah ran to the doors they came from, ready to go a second round with Cagnazzo. Cagnazzo's voice split into two, ignoring their antics, one a demonic whisper right into their ears.
"I'll save a briny pit for you in hell! | Drink long and deep of it, ere you die!" Cagnazzo said, laughing again.
The sound of heavy stone rubbing against heavy stone drowned out Cagnazzo's laughter, and Tellah realized that the room appeared to be shrinking.
"The walls!" Tellah cried, pointing at the approaching stones ready to crush the group. Cid pushed and pulled against the doors furthest from Tellah.
"It's barred," Cid said, panicking. Tellah tried the doors he was at and found that they would not budge.
"This one, too!" Tellah said, his heart sinking.
Cecil and Cid pressed on one of the walls, trying to push it back, and Yang and Tellah tried the other. It was futile, for the walls did not decelerate.
"Palom! Porom?" Cecil said, prompting Tellah to glance at the children.
Palom and Porom were facing opposite walls, unmoving.
"Cecil…We'll miss you!" Palom said, turning to look at him.
Tellah felt a pit open in his stomach, his mind not letting him accept what he thought the twins were doing.
"It was almost like we'd gained an older brother," Porom said warmly.
"What's gotten into you two?!" Tellah cried, afraid of their answer.
Porom shook her head, tears falling from her eyes.
"We won't let you die like this!" Palom said, speaking for her.
"Tellah," Porom finally said, "look after Cecil for us."
Tellah stepped towards them, unsure of what to do but sure he needed to stop it.
"Together, now!" Palom told Porom.
"Right!" Porom said, her voice breaking.
Magic emanated from both of them, and Tellah watched in horror as Palom and Porom exploded in white and green light, their magic mixing in the air and blinding them all.
"Break!" was all Tellah heard, and as the light faded, two smiling statues stood in place of the twins, their hair frozen in an upward arc as though a still frame.
"Palom…Porom…" Cecil whispered.
"They….they turned themselves to stone?" Tellah cried in disbelief. No, he wouldn't allow that.
Not when Minwu was expecting their return.
Not when they were young babes, and they had so much to learn.
Not when Tellah was the one with the impending death sentence.
"Hold on now…" Tellah said, beginning to chant. Cecil grew agitated as his hand brushed each statue, and Tellah tried to ignore the weakness in his legs, the similar horror Cecil felt. "Esuna!"
He snapped his fingers, and the remedial magic exploded across the twins, but the magic did not take hold, rolling off of them and leaving them unturned. Tellah numbly stared at the kids, realizing that he could not save them, because they didn't want to be saved.
"Fools," Tellah said. "If any of us had to die, it ought to have been me."
"They were…only children," Yang said quietly, hanging his head in shame.
"I'll fire up the Enterprise. We'll 'venge them both," Cid said, serious for the first time since Tellah met him.
"You will answer for this, Golbez!" Cecil said, his grip tightening on a stone shoulder.
The survivors took one last glance at the twins, and Tellah couldn't help but remember the epitaph left to his parents in Mysidia.
For Palom, Porom, and their gentle sacrifice, Tellah thought, his fists clenching as they continued on their way, leaving the twins to hold sentry forever more.
A/N: I already miss Palom and Porom :'( I'm hoping next chapter is a bit lighter on the angst compared to the recent ones. Thanks for reading!