Chapter 14 Bhujerba
In a dark and dirty warehouse, Penelo sat in chains. It had been days since she had been
brought here but she already knew some details from frequent interogations. She
was being held as bait for a man called Balthier, no such name was in her memory but
the Bangaas who were holding her spent long hours trying to convince her she
was his girlfriend or something. She froze as the unmistakable sound of the key in the
lock echoed around the room.
"You've seen to her feeding yes?" Came a disgruntled, raspy voice. This she recognised as
Ba'gamnan, he had made quite a show of introducing himself to her the first day.
"I have my brother, she feeds well." Came a softer voice. This was Rinok, the little band's mage.
She was the one who had captured her, she kept threatening to eat Penelo if she didn't eat the
meals she was presented.
"See that she does." Spat Ba'gamnan. "We need her alive, Balthier's bait must be fresh."
Penelo struggled in her chains, she had had enough of all this.
"I keep telling you I don't know who the hell Balthier is!" She shrieked at the Bangaas.
"My brother, a message." Came a new voice from the door, startling Penelo. This was Gijuk,
the espionage and torture expert. Often when he had nothing but time on his hands he would
regail Penelo with tales of his victims, much to her disgust.
"The Strahl," He grunted. "She set sail, and makes straight for the sky city of Bhujerba." Ba'gamnan
turned back to the girl with a triumphant grin on his ugly face.
"You don't know him yet at a trice he goes bounding off after you. Now why could that be?" He asked,
grinning barbarically.
"That's what I'd like to know." Penelo protested. "I don't..." With a lightning movement Ba'gamnan reached
down and caught Penelo's toungue right out of her mouth with two fingers, she tried to pull it back but the
bangaa held firm.
"Does that toungue never stop flapping?" He said dryly. "What if I plucked it from your head?" He gave the
tounge a sharp tug and it's owner squealed, causing the other occupants of the room to burst out laughing.
"As for you." Said Bagamnan, addressing his comrades. "We need Balthier alive, his corpse fetches but
half the bounty." He gestured them all to leave, but stopped as he reached the door.
"You'd better hope he gets here tommorow missy," He said quietly to his prisoner who scowled at him.
"And what if I'm right and he doesn't?" She asked defiantly, her captor shrugged.
"Who knows? If we're in bad moods tommorow we'll probably kill you, if not you'll probably be sold. I'm sure
someone can think of something to do with you." He smiled suggestively as he shut the door.
Through an ocean of clouds making waves and tides, the Strahl cruised. It had taken them the best part of
the night to cross the eastern ocean to reach the floating isle, the source of all skystone, an island that flew
independantly. And on it, the sky city of Bhujerba. Vaan gazed in awe out the window at the great natural
spires of skystone and the city nestled among them. He had never set a foot outside Dalmasca before
and had never seen any other form of architecture, Bhujerban buildings with their curious bulbous roofs and
rustic colours were alien to him.
"Why don't they just use white rock?" He asked Balthier.
"Probably because it isn't mined here." Said Balthier, wryly amused. Vaan pressed on eagerly.
"So you've been all over the world?"
"Most of the world, yes."
"What kinds of thiings did you see?"
"All kinds of things."
"Are the people much different?"
"Not really."
"Would I stand out here?"
"You would stand out anywhere."
"Do you suppose we'll meet many girls?"
"I have a question of my own."
"What's that?"
"Are you ever going to stop questioning me?!"
The four of them walked out of the aerodome discussing what to do, well almost all of them.
"Do you often meet head hunters? I bet thats why you learned to fight isn't it? Perhaps you could
teach me a few moves?" Vaan's questioning was brought to an abrupt halt when he found himself
staring down the barrel of Balthier's gun. He smiled sheepishly and backed away. All four of them
looked up as they saw Imperial troopers patroling the streets.
"Your a dead man." Balthier hissed to Basch. "Don't forget it." The knight nodded. "And no names."
The pirate added. "Don't worry, the Lhusu mines are just up ahead, though I hear there's not much left
these days."
"Excuse me." Balthier looked down to find a child of around 9 or 10 tugging at his cuff. "You're heading
to the mines?" asked the boy politely. Balthier simply stood there bemused at being addressed in such
a way by a child. "Then please allow me to accompany you." the boy continued. "I've an errand to attend
to there." Vaan laughed.
"No offence kid." He gasped through laughter. "But a 10 year old's not going to last too long where we're going."
The boy lost a little of his smile but was not disuaded.
"For your information." He said, never abandoning his courtesy. "I am 12 years of age, and I can take very good
care of myself." He finished, stroking the rapier on his belt.
"Then what do you need an escort for?" Said Balthier suspiciously.
"As your friend pointed out." The child explained. "The mines are no place for children at the best of times."
"What manner of errand are you doing there?" Basch asked. The boy smiled back at him.
"What errand? I could ask the same of you." He said slyly. Balthier sighed.
"Fine, come along. But only stay where I can keep my eye on you." The boy nodded.
"Excellent." He said happily.
"So what's your name?" Vaan asked dully, not really caring.
"I'm... Lamont. My name's Lamont." Lamont said, only Balthier noticed the slight faltering of his speach. Vaan didn't.
"Don't worry Lamont, I don't know what's going on but you're in good hands. Right Basch."
Balthier and Basch simultaniously whinced at the use of their names with Imperial patrols not ten steps away. This
was going to be a long trip.
The Lhusu magicite mines were always in buisness being one of the richest sources of both magicite
and skystone. However with the number of monsters growing in the caverns the miners who had the
strength and nerve to mine in the deepest parts were becoming rare. Vaan gazed in awe at the cavern
looming up to meet them.
"Dhurm, they call it." Piped up Lamont suddenly. "It means mouth in Bhujerban, I think I can see why." Vaan
silently agreed. It looked like a giant mouth of the earth, ready to swallow them all whole.
"Mouth or not," Basche growled. "It will certainly be under Imperial guard."
"Actually no," Said Lamont. "With but a few exceptions the Imperial army is not permitted in Bhujerba." Basch
was stunned at this childs knowledge of politics. "Well then. Shall we proceed?" He said pleasantly. Fran and
Balthier exchanged looks as they entered the mouth of Lhusu. As the shadow of the cave smothered the sunlight
outside Fran's ears twitched, Balthier saw.
"What is it?" He asked sharply. Fran answered by dragging him behind a pillar and gesturing the others to follow.
The entire party hurridly made an effort to conceal themselves from whatever it was Fran was hearing, for
a few seconds nothing happened. Then round the corner came a group of ten men. Seven of them were Imperial soldiers,
one was a Rev, dressed in fine silk. One was hume, old, dressed well and carrying a golden cane. What had startled
Fran however was the last figure. Vaan peeked from his hiding place to see shining gold armour backed with red velvet,
an odd pair of weapons, a cloak with the crest of house solidor upon it and an elaborate helmet. No doubt about it, this man
was a judge magister.
"Forgive me for asking," The judge said through his helmet, "But you are diverting the purest of the magicite?" His voice was
different to Gabranth, more like an aged senator than a hardened warrior. The old man nodded.
"I can assure you it reaches lord Vayne most discretely." He said calmly. The judge laughed.
"You wear your saddle well." He chuckled. The old man stared coldly at him.
"Be that as it may, I have no intention of being bridled, your honour." The judge shrugged.
"Then you prefer the whip?" He asked sarcastically. "Your stubbornness will see not only you broken but Bhujerba
as well." The old man bowed his head as the group left the mines.
"Halim Ondore the fourth." Lamont explained from their hiding place. "The Marquis of Bhujerba. He served as mediator
for Dalmasca's surrender. It would appear he is somewhat less neutral now." He finished sadly.
"They say he's been helping the resistance." Balthier said thoughtfully.
"They say many things." Said Lamont quickly. Balthier turned to face the boy.
"Your very well informed I must say. Who did you say you were again?" Before the boy could answer Vaan interupted them.
"What difference does it make, we have to find Penelo." Lamont followed Vaan, relieved to have escaped being questioned.
"And Penelo is...?" He said, eager to pursue the subject.
"A friend." Vaan said grimmly. "She was kidnapped and taken here." With that he walked on, leading the group.
"Umm, do you know your way around down here?" Balthier asked lightly. Vaan shrugged.
"I can figure it out." Fran shook her head.
"The fates say we will not survive this." She grumbled.
"Watch out!" Basch roared as the slaven charged them. Vaan was the first to jump out of the way, he had met a slaven once
before and it didn't go well, in fact the only one who didn't move was Lamont who stood there calmly, sword drawn. At the last
second he leapt aside quickly striking four points on the slavens leg.
"Your trying to kill it not ventilate it." Balthier snapped at the child but he held up a hand to silence him, sure enough the slaven
took a few staggering steps, then fell to the floor, fast asleep. Vaan raised an eyebrow.
"How did you do that?" He asked incredulously. Lamont cleaned and sheathed his sword.
"Oh a simple matter of knowing how it's body works." He said pompously.
"Well, here we are." Said Balthier. They had left the shafts and entered a cave, a brilliant glittering cave where
all the walls were magicite. Vaan had only seen shards of it, he had no idea so much could exist in one place.
"Lamont, are their more places like this?" But he got no answer. Lamont had already crossed the room to where
the magicite glowed brightest. He knealt to the floor and pulled from his pocket a fist sized bottle made of crystal
with a tiny shard of rock inside it.
"This is what I came here to see." He said quietly holding it to the magicite. Vaan stared at the bottle.
"What's that?"
"Nethicite." Said Lamont. "Manufacted nethicite." At the mention of the word Balthier's body stiffened.
"Nethicite?" Asked Vaan. Lamont sighed.
"Unlike regular magicite, nethicite has no elemental value but absorbs all the magickal energy around it,
making it the most promionent and usefull stone in existance, see look!" As he held the stone up to the magicite,
Vaan saw a stream of light flowing from the crystal into the bottle, and with each passing second the bottle glowed brighter.
"They can now make a faster but less powerfull version of nethicite at Draklor." Lamont explained.
"Errand all attended to then?" Balthier asked cheerily.
"Thank you," Said Lamont. "I will repay you shortly."
"No, you'll repay us now." Said Balthier, suddenly deadly serious. "We have too much on our hands to continue
holding yours." For the first time Lamont seemed lost for words as the pirate advanced upon him. "So, where did you
hear this fairy tale about nethicite, and where did you get that sample you carry? How do you know so much of politics,
and fight well trained at the age of twelve? What do you know about the Draklor laboratory? Tell me, who are you?"
Lamont stammered for a moment, but before he could answer a cold laugh filled the room. The entire group turned round to see the entrance to the cave was blocked by four figures.
"You kept us waiting Balthier." Chuckled Ba'gamnan.