Chapter 11
"Do we follow sire?"
Zidane stared at the slate-colored sky. His hand rubbed the butt of his right-side dagger slowly.
"Sire?" asked the pilot.
Zidane turned to face him. He shook his head.
"So, what does all of this mean?" Freya asked.
Zidane shrugged. He honestly didn't know. It was all too fast – there had been very little build-up. It was a bit like a novel that moved too quickly.
"It means…," Mikoto began, sitting in the corner, "…that the cycle of souls was not entirely terminated…merely halted."
The Red Rose lifted up into the sky. Zidane watched a bolt of lightning flash through the clouds, and expected thunder, but it did not come as quickly as he had predicted.
The engine sputtered as the ship tipped over the top of the Aerbs and started its descent to the ocean below. Beatrix felt her stomach lurch – Cid's new ship could not come too soon.
Zidane didn't pay much attention to the problems the Rose presented – he was lost in thought.
So was this why he had been experiencing all of these little feelings lately? His second sight, so to speak? Was it because someone had a new master plan for Gaia? That seemed logical, but at the same time, he had no proof.
The Rose splashed down on the surface of the ocean with a colossal whoosh of water. The wings contracted into the body of the ship with a hum.
The wind was starting to pick up again, and the rain battered against the windows like bullets. Amarant, the only one standing, was nearly thrown off of his feet as the Rose took a large wave head-on.
"The engine is having trouble fighting the wind and waves," the pilot said. "I don't know if we can make it back to port, sire!"
Zidane, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. "Oh! Right. Uh…" He glanced to the west at the Edgecry Coast. "We need to find an inlet or something…anything that can offer the ship a little protection."
Beatrix pulled a map out of a compartment next to the pilot and unfolded it.
"Here's one," she said, pointing to a rather large inlet not too far north from where they currently were.
"Okay…push for that! We'll get torn apart out here if we don't get to the shore."
The pilot nodded and pushed the throttle all the way up. The engine sputtered and kicked into high gear as he turned towards the shore. The inlet in question was now visible.
The wind picked up again and there was a sharp ripping noise as the cloth ship-cover tore open. The waves suddenly rose up and the ship creaked and moaned as it climbed over them.
"Engine's getting mighty hot…," said the pilot, pulling various levers. "Doing all I can, but it'll shut off if we don't reach the shore soon…"
There was a boom akin to what Zidane had heard on the two ships in Burmecia that fortunately no one knew he had been on. Then, an explosion.
"Shit!" the pilot cursed, slamming his fist on a button. "The portside vent just blew. It couldn't expel the excess pressure fast enough."
They were almost to the inlet now. Just another minute.
Zidane glanced at Beatrix, who was actually praying.
A massive explosion followed suit, and the sound of wood splintering reached everyone's ears.
"God damn!" the pilot shouted. "Half of the engine blew!"
A wave slammed the side of the ship and it was thrown to the left. They cleared the entrance of the inlet just as the rest of the engine blew, but at least they were in.
"Okay! Everyone, get off the ship! Round up the rest of the crew! Let's hope no one was injured by the explosions!" Beatrix ordered. The pilot saluted and ran off.
Zidane grabbed his sister and ran for the edge of the ship. With a leap, they were on the beach. Now his thoughts were on finding shelter from the wind and rain.
A particularly thick grove of trees at the base of the mountains looked promising. When everyone was off of the ship, they ran for it.
"Look up there! What's that?!" Freya yelled, pointing up at the sky. Zidane turned.
A very large, very blue airship flew overhead. It looked very familiar…mostly due to the fact that, on the bottom, a giant red orb pulsed on and off.
"Is that…the Invincible?!" Freya shouted, shielding her eyes from the wind and rain.
The ship in question stopped above the Red Rose. The red 'eye' pulsed once more, and then, a purple flash ran from the center out to its edges. An ornate circle appeared around the orb, and another flash lit up in the center.
With a colossal boom, a beam of purple energy crashed down on the Rose, blowing it to bits. Zidane was thrown onto the ground as the shockwave slammed into him. There was a loud swooshing sound and a propeller embedded itself into the earth right beside his head.
Zidane cautiously got up and helped the others up. The wind and rain whipped the trees around overhead like some monster.
What appeared to be the Invincible hovered overhead a few minutes before jetting off into the distance with an eerie whoosh.
"What on earth was…was that the Invincible?" Beatrix asked, watching it disappear over the horizon.
Zidane nodded and sat down against a tree. He rubbed his forehead gingerly, taking note of the fading light.
"I can't believe…the Rose…," Beatrix muttered, collapsing against a tree herself. "Did all the crew get off safely?"
"All present and accounted for, ma'am!" proclaimed the pilot.
"I can't let the Red Rose die like this," Beatrix said. "Tomorrow…we'll salvage what we can. Maybe Cid can use some of it…"
The crew all nodded.
Zidane glanced at Mikoto, who was huddled against a rock. He forgot that she stubbornly refused to wear warm clothes.
"You cold, sis?"
She nodded. "I'll be fine, really."
Zidane shook his head and pulled off his cloak. "Here," he said, tossing it to her.
She looked unsure for a moment, but quickly pulled it on.
Zidane glanced up at the sky, shielding his eyes with his hand. He hoped this rain ended soon.
"What are we doing here?"
"I already told you! I don't know!"
"Well what good are you anyway?!"
Atlas glared at his sister and ran a hand through his long silver hair. His tail bobbed and swayed with the wind coursing across the high walls that surrounded Treno.
He honestly had no idea why they were here in the Dark City. Silas had told them that Veitt had only told him about their mission to prevent their stupidity from messing the whole thing up. That explained why the Mist-man had taken off without telling them.
The minute the trio arrived in the Dark City, Silas told them to wait atop the wall while he went in to negotiate with someone. Atlas saw no reason why he and his sister could not accompany their black-haired comrade, but he did not argue. Silas was the de facto leader of their team.
Arias shivered visibly next to him; she wasn't exactly known for wearing warm clothes – she was generally rather scantily clad.
"Why don't you wear like, a cloak or something? Then you wouldn't freeze your ass off!"
"Shut it. Don't you think I'm kicking myself for that already?" Arias replied.
Atlas grinned. "Just sayin'…"
A figure approached through the darkness, a tail wagging gently behind him. Atlas knew who it was immediately.
"Well, Silas?" he said.
The black-haired genome nodded. "We're good to go. The crystal Veitt wants is at King's Auction House."
"You n-never m-mentioned any c-c-crystal…," Arias muttered, shivering.
"I never mentioned anything anyway," Silas replied. "Now come on. We're going to steal it and get out."
He turned and walked towards a flight of wooden stairs leading to the lower portions of the city where various canals flowed between lakes. Treno's criminal activities always took place down here.
"We're going to sneak into the Auction House from below. We nab the crystal and make for the mountains. Understood?" Silas ordered, not even turning to look at his two peons.
Atlas mock-saluted. "Yessir, sergeant!"
He glanced at Arias. She was no longer shivering viciously down here – it was warm, after all.
They were more closely related than either were to Silas. They were basically fraternal twins, having been created from extremely similar DNA and having been born on the same day. They were seventeen, but Silas was at least a year older.
Atlas glanced up at the wooden flooring overhead, supporting the buildings above them. He could occasionally hear footsteps and speaking.
"How much farther is it?" asked Arias after about five minutes of walking.
"Not much. You'll hear the people and see the lights before we actually reach it," Silas replied.
They passed a bum soon after who looked completely out of it. His nose was broken and he was muttering incoherent babble. Atlas glanced at the jug of whiskey beside him and immediately understood.
The lights were visible first; they swept across the canals like great strobe lights. Silas mentioned that they weren't worth worrying about – no one would see them.
Soon after they passed the sweeping lights, the cacophony of the voices of the patrons reached their ears, and above it all, they could hear the auctioneer:
"Twenty-three hundred oh twenty-seven hundred ah thirty-eight hundred I heard thirty-eight going once, twice…and sold, to the gentleman who bought every item at tonight's auction! We will take a thirty minute intermission and return with more items."
Atlas tapped Silas on the shoulder. "You don't think the crystal would have been bought by now, do you?"
The black-haired genome shook his head. "It's not for auction, actually. The King family owns it."
"But wasn't King…Kuja?" Arias asked hesitantly, as if fearing the possibility of being wrong.
"You don't think Kuja was the only King, do you?" Silas responded as they passed into the dark tunnel beneath the massive King House.
"There were others?" Atlas asked.
"None were directly related to him…he never had a genetic family, per se. He won the Kings over with his personality and magic. I heard he actually had a relationship with a daughter of theirs about his age…the point is, the Kings were around and still are around, regardless of Kuja."
"Huh…," Atlas and Arias muttered in unison.
Silas came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the tunnel and turned to face the wall. Atlas nearly collided with him in the dark.
"Ahah! Here's the back door. Arias…melt the lock, would you?" Silas asked.
Arias nodded and approached the door. She extended a finger and a blue flame shot out of the tip and melted through the lock like magma. Silas pushed the door opened without any trouble.
The room they entered was dimly lit by dying torches in sconces lining the room. Cobwebs hung from the corners, and stacks of boxes surrounded them. A spiral staircase at the opposite end of the room lead up and out of the darkness of the underworld of Treno.
"This is the storage room for items, I think…," Silas muttered. Atlas glanced down at a particularly shiny silver gem-encrusted longsword and confirmed that suspicion.
Arias bent down to inspect a gorgeous platinum necklace, which she quickly pocketed. "So…where's this crystal at? Should we search around here for it?"
Silas shook his head, glancing around the room. "I expect it will be upstairs in the Kings' home somewhere. That's what my contact told me, at any rate."
The black-haired genome made for the spiral staircase. Atlas quickly glanced around, looking for something to take, but found nothing of particular appeal to him. Arias, on the other hand, snatched up a valuable load of jewelry and stuffed it in the pocket of the white sort of robe that covered her back.
The pair quickly followed Silas up the stairs.
The door at the top was unlocked, and Silas pushed it open carefully. He pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and slipped it out the crack of the door – no one in sight.
"Y'know…if you have to kill somebody…go right ahead," he said, slowly making his way out into the dim room.
They must have been in the back room behind the main auction hall, as the muffled voices of nobles could be heard through thick velvet curtains across from the trio. A well-lit flight of stairs led up into what was presumably the Kings' home.
Silas slipped up them carefully, his right hand on the handle of his katana. Atlas cautiously gripped the handle of his glaive.
They emerged into a well-lit hall above and to the left of the auction floor. Curtains were drawn covering the windows allowing a view down into the area; Atlas thought that was probably a good thing.
"My informant said we'd know the crystal when we saw it. It's large and has a slight magical pulse imperceptible to non-magic users. Arias, you should be able to feel it when we get near it," Silas whispered, sneaking along the hall silently. Two big double doors sat in the middle of the hall, and a single door resided at the end, leading out onto a balcony.
Silas pushed the double doors open and quickly entered – if anyone was inside, it wouldn't matter how slowly he opened them.
Fortunately, no one was within the room, which was essentially a common area or living room.
There was a large, marble fountain at the center of the room, surrounded by couches. One of Treno's only electrical systems provided light for this part of the building and the auction floor. At the opposite wall, three doors went deeper into the home; two on each side, and one in the center.
"My gut says center door," Atlas muttered. Silas nodded in agreement.
He made quickly for the door and pushed it open. They were now in a dimly-lit room filled with treasure. The King family crest was emblazoned on the opposite wall.
There, in the center of the room, resting on velvet atop a small pillar, sat a clear, shining crystal. It sparkled without any obvious light reflecting off of its surface.
"Oh yeah, that's it…I can feel a pulse. It's strong…I wonder what it does?" Arias asked, reaching out and grabbing it.
The other two stared at her for a moment, as if expecting an explosion or her to melt or something.
At last, Atlas ventured to speak. "Do you…feel any different, sis?"
Arias shook her head. "No. What were you expecting?"
Atlas shrugged.
"Okay, well, we've got what we came for. Grab anything you like quickly and let's get out of here," Silas ordered.
Arias glanced greedily around and grabbed a huge, shiny diamond. "I'm good."
The trio ran out quickly, exiting the same way they came in. Best get out before they were found out.