Act Eleven: The Whispered Song
[Dedicated to G.]
It felt like Cecil had been crouching in the brush for an eternity.
The sun was at its highest point in the sky, and the ale Cecil had been nursing when Cid brought news of how to cross the sea to reach the Lodestone Cavern had long since evaporated into a scratchy thirst that cracked in his throat every time he swallowed. Despite the density of the forest protecting them from the direct impact of the rays, the humidity from the storm that was starting to build was getting sweat in Cecil's eyes. But he dared not move, because their bounty had finally appeared before them – one of the largest chocobos he had ever seen, with plumage that was ebony with deep violet undertones and shining deep blue eyes that were the size of a grown man's fist. It was so large that it could easily sit five men or several more children, and when it snorted into the gysahl greens Yang had gingerly tossed out when they first heard its stomping footfalls, its hot breath rustled the bushes hiding Cecil's face.
However, at Yang's insistence, none of the four men had moved an inch since it had appeared ten minutes ago, watching it peck at the greens hesitantly. Not breathing a word, Yang had made several hand motions that everyone somehow managed to interpret as "Don't move!" (Tellah had fallen asleep).
Yang's gaze was laser-focused on the black chocobo, and if Cecil wasn't mistaken, Yang's breathing had even seemed to align with the bird. Cecil looked over at Cid, whose goggles had filled up with steam, and they exchanged the subtlest of shrugs. As former captain of the Red Wings, Cecil had of course spent much more time in their air than on the ground, but his experience with chocobos was limited to the birds already domesticated in the stables of Baron, or in a pinch, being able to catch the slower of the wild yellow chocobos in the local forests. There was also the teenage contest with Kain about who could stay on a wild chocobo the longest… Cecil mentally squashed that last thought.
He was alarmed that his heart rate would aggressively raise the more he thought about Kain, rather than recoil in sadness like it had been until Kain's little "proposal" for them to work together. He was trying to temper the rage that had started to build toward his former best friend, but the struggle was immense right now.
Suddenly, Yang leapt from the brush and in an elegant mid-air somersault, landed on the black chocobo's back. The chocobo let out a startled "WHARK!" mid-bite of greens and bucked around, but Yang held to its neck steadfast with one hand and calmly stroked the spot between its eyes with the other, chanting some sort of mantra Cecil didn't think was of their language. In only a few moments, the chobobo regained its composure, snorted loudly, and bent down again to eat as if nothing had happened. Yang gestured for the others to come over, and Cecil stood up while Cid shook Tellah awake.
"That was incredible," Cecil breathed out appreciatingly. "But how in the world…?"
"I merely tried to align my chakras with the chocobo so that he would become trusting of my presence," Yang smiled, stroking the bird's massive neck. "He will trust you three as well, since our chakras are also aligned."
"When did that happen?" Cid asked, scratching his beard. "Recently, right? I have been feeling a little different."
"That took no time at all," Tellah laughed, and pulled himself up onto the chocobo with Yang's help. "Good job, Yang!"
"Because you were sleeping the whole time, old man!" Cid blustered, climbing up after him.
"Who is the old man here?!" Tellah shook his staff menacingly toward Cid, and the chobobo skittered a bit menacingly. Cecil couldn't help but let a sigh escape. He hoped the trip across the sea would be quick, as this was a lot closer quarters than The Enterprise.
"Let us all focus on the objective at hand, shall we?" Yang, ever the peacekeeper, made room by scooting backwards. "Cecil, take the metaphorical reigns!"
Cecil climbed aboard in front of Yang, and the chocobo looked back at him, blinking once. Cecil gently stroked the bird's beak and looked ahead toward the wall of trees in front of them.
"I'm not exactly sure of what direction to go," Cecil told the chocobo. "Any ideas on how to get to the Lodestone Cavern?"
"Whark!" The chocobo cried, and took off running. Its big, wobbly stride nearly caused Cecil to fall backwards into Yang. He clutched at the chocobo's neck as the chocobo's wings spread and began to flap wildly. Yang in turn grasped Cecil's shoulders, and Cid and Tellah in a temporary truce, grabbed onto each other. The awkward bouncing up and down gradually smoothed out as the chocobo lifted off the ground and began to soar into the air, several yards above the tallest trees of the forest. The chocobo began to head east, and in the very far distance, Cecil could make out a collection of small mountains that made up an island.
"This is a little different than being on The Enterprise!" Cid guffawed. "I rather like it! More intimate."
"I wonder how many people used to traverse to the Lodestone Cavern before the dark elf took possession?" Yang inquired. "After all, this chocobo seems to know this is our destination."
"Lodestones are basically magnets, so I'm sure it was popular to mine there for compasses and the like," said Tellah, pushing up his glasses to keep them on as they flew higher. "But for a dark elf to find its way here and use magic to intensify the magnetic field…Well, it's unusual for a creature like that to show that much intelligence, let alone brazenly approach a town as populated as Troia to steal a crystal."
"One of Golbez's minions?" asked Cecil. He wouldn't be surprised at this point who else Golbez had teamed up with.
"No…I don't think so," Tellah replied. "Surely if he was a minion, he would have just brought the crystal directly to Golbez and Kain would not have taunted us. I think this is another example of monsters running amok in the absence of the crystals. We've lost all but one, and technically the last one is not where it belongs. There are tales about how monster behavior is associated with the phases of the twin moons, and tales about how crystals keep the monsters at bay. I'd say it's not a stretch that these three elements - crystals, the moons and monsters – are related even further. But I'm a sage, not a scholar, so it's just a guess."
"It's an excellent theory," said Yang. "And I fear we're going to see a lot worse as we work to retrieve the other three missing crystals." Cecil stared ahead, not saying anything. He thought about the Antlion going feral and attacking Edward, and Leviathan swallowing Rydia whole. He thought about the malice in Kain's eyes, where he looked a moment away from running his lance through Cecil's chest.
How could he possibly see anything any worse at this point?
About a half-hour later, the chocobo began its descent, drifting over a final stretch of smaller mountains before plunging down into another thick forest. Through the trees, Cecil could barely make out the dark entrance of a cave a few feet in front of them. The chocobo kneeled down, and the four men hopped off. Yang reached into his pockets and pulled out another handful of greens, feeding them directly to the chocobo.
"Wait here until we come back, ok?" Yang smiled. The chocobo nodded, swallowing back the greens and giving a sudden shudder as it fluttered all its feathers and began the meticulous process of grooming itself. Yang accepted that as an acknowledgment of his request.
"I'll take point," said Cecil, approaching the entrance of the cavern and reaching down to his scabbard. Grasping at air, he remembered he had left his sword in The Enterprise, and groaned. This was going to be a long trek.
"Let's do a quick experiment, shall we?" Cid reached down, pulling a metal wrench from his belt.
"Cid, we were supposed to leave any metal back in Troia!" Tellah wagged his finger.
"Keep your puffy pants on," Cid waved the wrench dismissingly at Tellah, and turned to heave the wrench toward the entrance of the cave. Instead of sailing through the air as one would expect, as soon as the wrench crossed the threshold of the cave, it stopped, as if smacking into an invisible wall, and slammed to the rocky floor with a loud clatter. Cecil knelt down in the cave entrance and tried to pick up the wrench, only to find it glued to the floor with no give.
"What the…?" Cecil gritted his teeth, and pulled harder. The effort overwhelmed him and he fell backwards on his now leather (and not armor)-clad backside.
"The magnetic field is NOT a myth, then," Yang sighed. "Well, good try, Cid. It would have been delightful if Cecil could use the sword of legend from Mt. Ordeals. However, my claws do not seem to be affected." He had reached in the cool air of the cavern and moved his hand around freely.
"And we have my magic as well," Tellah waved his wooden staff in the air. "We have nothing to fear!"
The cavern looked long-abandoned, making Cecil wonder if its mining days were further behind them than they originally guessed. Rope bridges were rotting and crumbling beneath their footsteps, and there were some that were so far gone that Tellah had to cast Float on the party to safely cross.
There was a chill in the air that cut through Cecil's thin armor and a familiar, but unusual scent seemed to only grow stronger as they descended.
"What is that?" Cid sniffed, slamming his wooden hammer down on a Naga that had slithered up to him from the side, trying for a sneak attack. The Naga somehow managed to let out an ear-shrieking cry as its skull was crushed in by the hammer.
"It almost smells like…" Yang paused at the edge of a cliff, and took a deep breath. "…Electricity."
"Like before a storm," Cecil nodded. He spotted a Vampire Bat fluttering toward them and pulled taunt the string of his bow, letting a holy arrow release and strike the bat in the wing. It wasn't a direct hit, but it was enough to take it down, and it fell down the cliff with a gentle "thump".
"Oh, that's right…there is the theory that Lodestones are magnetized by the energy from lightning bolts," said Tellah. "With the storm that is coming…we may yet witness that phenomenon for ourselves."
"Or the dark elf is making a little lightning of his own," Cecil frowned. "Is that what he is using to intensify the field?"
A long bridge stretched ahead of them after another descent – the longest one yet. Treading gingerly, Cecil could see at the end of the bridge a most unusual sight – a doorway. It was crude, and looked like it was built up in haste – random scraps of metal that looked to be pilfered from a shipyard were nailed in no particular pattern, and only one of the hinges appeared to be secured into the rock wall it had been jammed in. Because of the metal, Cecil was sure the door was ready to collapse in on itself.
"I sense something…the dark elf must be in there!" Tellah hissed, coming up behind Cecil. "Let us proceed with caution…maybe we can sneak up on him!"
"I'll get the door," Yang offered, leaning against it and pushing slowly. The door creaked open under his strength, and gratefully did not make much noise doing so. Cecil saw before him a beautiful mirrored chamber, just like the crystal rooms he saw in Mysidia and Fabul. Someone had lovingly recreated them down to the carvings in the ivory pillars. It was such a stark difference from the dank darkness of the cavern, that Cecil's eyes narrowed from the sudden light that emanated from the center of the room – the earth crystal, shining beautifully above them!
But below the crystal sat a crude throne, which looked like it was made out of mirror shards and all the scrap from constructing the room. Sleeping on it was a large, lanky, hideous creature that was a sickly shade of blue (like a suffocating child) – it had long, whippet-thin appendages that ended in gnarled, swollen-knuckled feet and hands. A stout abdomen was flanked by long, white frizzy hair, and a face that looked like it had been smashed by one of Cid's hammers was curled in a permanent grimace, a long, pink tongue hanging out between chapped lips. His bulging eyes were closed. This was most definitely the dark elf.
"I'll retrieve the crystal," Cecil mouthed. His steps still wrapped in Tellah's Float magic, he slowly approached the side of the throne and reached up. Just as his fingers were about the brush the cold crystal, a yellow eye with a drooping pupil cracked open on the sleeping dark elf, and his tongue briefly slithered back into his mouth. A low, barely audible voice emitted.
"I applaud your perseverance. But the Earth Crystal is mine, and I will not surrender it. Your journey ends here."
With a sudden thunderclap, Cecil was thrown backwards and slammed into the back of the chamber, shattering a mirror with his body.
"Ahhhh!" Cecil cried, his normal armor not there to absorb the shock of the blow. Shards of the mirror cut through his leather, and blood began to pool down his arms.
"Cecil!" Cid cried running over to help him up, and Tellah immediately began to chant a spell.
"Blizzaga!"
Shining, dagger-sharp ice crystals poured down on the dark elf, who merely pulled himself up from his throne during the onslaught and took a swipe at Tellah. Tellah stumbled back, and Yang leapt forward, kicking the dark elf in the gut and raining blows upon him with his claws at blinding speed.
"Do you truly think those pitiful weapons of yours are any match for my spells?" the dark elf asked, his tone indicating boredom.
"Ugh…thanks Cid," Cecil groaned, leaning on his bow for support as Cid pulled him up. "Is it bad?"
"It's kind of bad, kiddo," Cid blanched, having not seen Cecil covered in this much blood since his training brawls in the Red Wings. "Can we get a Cure spell here?"
"Firaga!" Tellah roared, gesturing his staff toward the dark elf to guide the fire balls. He looked back at Cecil mid-incantation. "Cecil, you are a Paladin now! You should be able to cast Cure!"
Cecil closed his eyes (involuntarily, as the pain was starting to inflame his nerves), and tried to picture the calming green light of a Cure spell. He had seen Rosa do it millions of times, and Porom before they fought Cagnazzo…he felt it at the tip of his tongue, when suddenly another blast hit him, this time a burst of fire. Whatever Tellah had dealt the dark elf had been thrown right back at them. Cid, who had taken the brunt of the attack for Cecil, fell to the floor, defeated. Cecil's bow slipped from underneath him and he fell as well.
Yang and Tellah were on the floor, panting for breath. Unrelenting, the dark elf cast yet another spell – Blizzara – followed by Thundara. It was devastating, and no one moved after the spells crashed upon the party in quick succession.
"FOOLS!" The dark elf cried, climbing atop his throne and reaching up for the crystal, embracing it so closely to him that the light in the entire chamber dimmed. "Behold the power you face!"
"He is…pure darkness…" Cecil moaned, feeling the last of his strength drain from his body. "If only I could wield my sword…" He gagged on the taste of blood in his mouth, and passed out.
Evening was beginning to fall in Troia. The sky was a pink-tinged purple and the forest surrounding the castle and town was turning black with shadows, the moon not making its appearance quite yet. The nurse in the medical wing of Troia Castle was turning a page in the novel he was reading when he heard a sudden crash and a deafening cry. He shot up out of his chair and burst into the room of his only patient, Prince Edward. To his shock, Edward was sitting up in bed, but also draped over his nightstand, which had contained a metal tray of medication and a small notebook containing progress notes before he made it crash to the floor.
"Your highness!" The nurse cried, rushing to the prince's side and prying him off of the nightstand. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"They're…in danger…!" Edward gasped, clawing at the nurse's cloak with surprising strength.
"Prince Edward!" The nurse pulled Edward off of him. "What's come over you? You're in no condition to be moving!"
"I'll…l…I'll be fine," Edward protested, and took a step out of bed, shaking violently as his foot hit the cold floor for the first time in weeks. "I…I need only reach my harp!"
"Please!" The nurse cried, trying to gently take hold of Edward even as he put another foot on the floor. "You must return to your bed! You've not regained the strength for such exertion!"
"No!" Edward suddenly shoved the nurse off of him with a burst of vigor, and stumbled a few feet forward, collapsing to his knees in front of the harp that was stored beside his nightstand and clutching it close to his chest. He was perspiring so heavily that his hair clung to his cheeks and neck in dark, dull clumps. Closing his eyes, he began to play as if he were the picture of perfect health. The nurse stood in awe, not even moving as the door slammed open and the doctor rushed in, hearing all the noise.
"I am the only one…who can save them…"
Cecil felt warm all over, as if he had slipped into a hot spring. A beautiful song had filled his ears where there had previously just been deafening silence, and it was very familiar. A lullaby from when he was a child, perhaps?
No, that couldn't be right...it was something someone would play for him when he was wounded in a battle.
Cecil opened his eyes and sat up, unobstructed. His wounds were totally healed, and the music was reverberating throughout the chamber. He felt a small vibration in his chest. Reaching underneath his leather protective vest, he felt the blade of grass Edward had gifted him before they left Troia, and the music suddenly got louder as he pulled it out.
"Oh…" Yang moaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.
"That beautiful sound…" Tellah gasped, standing up.
"It's…Edward's harp!" Cecil stood up too and hauled Cid up along with him, holding out the grass blade. "This is one of his healing songs!"
"WHAT IS THIS TORTUROUS NOISE?!" The dark elf wailed, covering his ear holes with his claws and wailing inconsolably, falling to his knees. The crystal dropped from his grasp and rolled away with a gentle "ting".
"No…NOOOOOOO!" The dark elf curled tighter in a ball and began rocking back and forth. "Cursed Whisperweed!"
"Strike now, Cecil! He will not be able to maintain the strength of the magnetic field while I am playing." Edward's voice reverberated from the now-identified whisperweed in Cecil's hand. "Take up your sword! You will be able to wield it now."
"But…" Cecil stammered, not sure if whisperweed was a two-way communication channel. As if Edward knew what he was going to say, a soft white glow appeared before Cecil's hands, and the sword of legend burst forth. Cecil grasped it with one hand and tucked the whisperweed away against his breast.
"Right!"
Cecil ran forward and struck the dark elf in his neck as he rocked back and forth. He screamed and fell back against the throne, a sudden crackling noise emitting as the magnetic field fell permanently. The dark elf hissed and jumped away from Cecil, pointing with a shaking finger.
"Gah! How dare you destroy my magnetic field? It seems that this form will no longer suffice…I WILL kill you all!"
"Prepare yourself!" Yang called out. The dark elf curled into itself once again, but this time, became surrounded by a putrid purple mist that emitted from his pores. When he burst forth from the mist, he was now an off-white, slinky dragon, with flowing whiskers and two little claws emerging from his chest. He slithered toward the party, who jumped back in surprise.
"Attack from all sides!" Cid commanded. Tellah cast Bio from the rear, green amoeba clinging to the dark elf and starting to eat away at its flesh. Yang delivered a punishing roundhouse kick to the left and Cid pummeled him with his hammer from the right. Seeing his opening, Cecil slid forward on his knees and drove his blade up and into the dark elf's chest above him, purple-black blood pouring out over the crystal room floor. The dark elf let out one last wail and collapsed, quivering and gasping out curses as the last of Tellah's spell ate away at it.
"No! How did that cursed sound reach this place with whisperweed? With the Crystal...I was to have life...eternal. Urgh..."
Cecil got to his feet and scooped up the earth crystal. He pulled out the whisperweed and held it out.
"Thank you, Edward!"
There was no reply, and the room had fallen silent – there was no more music. He turned worriedly to the others.
"Let's get back as soon as possible," Tellah said. "We can teleport from here and hopefully our black chocobo friend will be waiting for us."
"Yes, let's." Cecil nodded, and everyone gathered close for Tellah's spell. In a flash of light, they disappeared, and the false crystal room fell dark.
Outside of the cavern, the black chocobo was waiting, stomping his foot as if he were becoming impatient. It kept looking up at the sky, as if it were also anticipating the storm everyone sensed earlier.
Cid bent down and picked up his metal wrench from the entryway, tucking it into his pocket. "I missed you, baby!"
"Carry that on in your room in the castle," Tellah rolled his eyes, hoisting himself up on the chocobo with Yang giving him a boost.
"To Troia!" Cecil commanded the bird after everyone had climbed on. He immediately obeyed, letting out a loud "WHARK!" and taking a running start before ascending into the sky. In the distance, the storm's first flash of lightning illuminated the far horizon…close to Baron.
"We're close, Rosa…" Cecil whispered. "Just hold on a little longer."
The guards hardly seemed fussed when Cecil and the party arrived to the castle gates in a hurry, dirty from tromping through the forest to make their way back and having just caught the first drops of rain from the incoming storm. Perhaps they saw the gleam of the earth crystal under Cecil's cape, but they merely stepped aside and let the party pass. Instead of going straight to the Epopts, Cecil lead the group up the tower that held the infirmary and nearly smacked into the doctor as she was leaving Edward's room.
"Is he…" Cecil began, but she cut him off. Another crack of lightning ripped through the sky outside the tower window.
"Whoever you are…" She shook her head and sighed. "You are very special to Prince Edward, for him to risk his life like that. He's OK, just exhausted. If you need to see him, make it quick. I mean it. Five minutes, tops, and then I don't want to see your face here for a good, long time."
"Understood, doctor," Yang bowed slightly, and she rolled her eyes and left the door open a crack as she left. Cecil pushed it open and stepped inside. The room was still dimly lit with candles, and Edward was laying down with his eyes closed, white as a sheet. But upon Cecil's entry, he opened his eyes slowly and a smile crossed his lips.
"You…you did it…didn't you?"
"It was thanks to you, Edward," Cecil kneeled at his bedside, trying not to concern Edward too much with a major outburst of emotion. He was trying to remain as calm as possible, but the truth was that the crystal was burning against his breast, and his fingers were shaking with anxiety. Now that he saw with his own eyes that Edward was OK…that he was going to be OK…he was getting worried about what would be waiting for him outside the castle doors once the Epopts granted him use of the crystal.
"You needn't thank me," Edward said gently, reaching up and placing a hand on Cecil's. He felt the shaking and frowned slightly. "It was the only thing I could do."
"How did you know the song would break his spell?" Cid asked, stepping up next to Cecil. Edward chuckled a little.
"I learned that tune some years ago, while traveling as a bard," he looked up sheepishly at Tellah, who was standing at a further distance than the rest of them, when he said that. "It is a melody used to ward off evil fey. I thought perhaps it might serve to disrupt his concentration."
"We owe you our lives," Yang said, bowing deeply. "Sir Edward of Damcyan…"
"No, no…" Edward blushed and became nervous, not used to being praised for bravery of any kind. "I…only…" He coughed violently and let go of Cecil's hand.
"Edward…?" Cecil frowned. Edward continued to cough and Cecil handed him a glass of water that was at his bedside.
"Tellah…" Edward coughed between sips. "I must tell you something before I…"
Tellah stepped forth from the shadows. Cecil was worried there would be a deep frown etched into his features, but instead, he was barely smiling. You couldn't tell behind his glasses, but there was a hint of warmth in his eyes.
"Dwell on it no more. Anna was happy to have been loved by a man as brave as you."
Edward's breath caught in his throat. "Tellah..."
Tellah pushed his glasses further up his nose and shook his head. "All you need concern yourself with now is your health. Rest, and grow strong again. I will see the debt for Anna's death repaid - with Meteor. And I shall do it for the both of us, Edward."
Edward nodded and sank down into his bed a little more, visibly relieved. "Thank you."
Cecil stood up and took the glass back from Edward, setting it down. "You have more courage than you realize, Edward."
Edward sighed and looked upon his friends…his former comrades in arms. He knew there would never be another time they would battle together again, at least not for a long, long time. Deep down, he had a nagging feeling that the worst was still to come, and unfortunately, his intuition was one of his few strengths. He knew something truly evil would come to pass, and he would yet remain here, worthless to them.
"I believe I understand now what Anna was trying to tell me, friends. Thank you."
Cecil nodded, and with that, they turned to leave the room. Cecil was the last to go. As he was about to close the door, Edward weakly called out.
"And please...save Rosa..."
Cecil closed his eyes and cursed under his breath as he shut the door behind him. He would save Rosa…but he still was not sure at what cost.
Outside of the infirmary, a guard was waiting for the party. She looked bored, as if Troia experienced this much activity every day.
"Excuse me, Sir Cecil…but the Epopts are anxious to hear from you and the rumors are spreading to them that you have returned. Were you successful?"
"We were," Cecil replied, and showed her the crystal. Again, she was not entirely impressed by this, which would have made him laugh if he wasn't becoming sick over what was to come next.
"Please follow me, then. The Epopts would normally not entertain such an audience at this time of night…but they have made an exception for you."
"Thank you," Cecil said. "Please lead the way."
In the Epopts' chamber, Cecil and the others immediately became swarmed by eight boisterous women no sooner than when the guard shut the door behind them. Their chatter was so animated, he could hardly tell who was talking, and they were a blur as they fluttered back and forth, passing around the crystal that had been yanked from his outstretched hands by one of them.
"The Crystal! The Earth Crystal is returned! You truly managed to reclaim it!"
"At last!"
A tremendous thunderclap sounded outside, so powerful that a porcelain decoration that was on a shelf over a seating area crashed to the floor. Moments later, all of the candles blew out in the room, as if a gust of wind had ripped through. However, none of the tall windows were open.
One of the Epopts shrieked, and another hushed her. There was laughter, and then a familiar voice booming from above.
"I see you have the Crystal."
Cid hissed. "I know that voice!"
So did Cecil, unfortunately. He looked up into the empty darkness and shouted back. "Kain!"
"Now now, no need to yell…I can hear you just fine. Exit the castle and board your airship. I will take you to the tower where Rosa is held."
"What tower!?" Cecil cried. However, silence was his only reply. A moment later, all of the candles lit up again, and Cecil was being stared down by eight stunned Epopts.
"My word…" One of them shook her head. She was the one holding the crystal.
"We…we made a promise," another Epopt said, reaching up and nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears. "But remember…you can only borrow it, OK?"
"Wait…" Cecil trailed off. This could still be stopped. The promise meant nothing…there had to be another way to get Rosa back.
"Here," the Epopt holding the crystal said, and handed it over to Cecil. As if to seal the bargain, she clasped her hands over his, pushing them roughly against the crystal's warm glow. "Troia will be OK for a while without the crystal…she has us eight, after all." Cecil couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"I know you will figure it out, Cecil Harvey of Baron," another Epopt said, smiling gently. "I can tell by the agony in your eyes that this is very important to you, and that you have endured many painful trials to get to this point."
Finally, Cecil lowered his eyes and relented. "…Thank you." He wasn't positive, but he wondered if Edward had said anything to the Epopts prior to their return, considering he had never actually given them his name.
Outside of the chambers, having been escorted out by the guards for the night, Cecil turned to his three friends.
"If I don't go now…I'll lose my nerve."
"Cecil…" Yang placed his hand on Cecil's shoulder. "I know time is of the essence, but…you must be exhausted. We are in a rare position where we hold the bargaining chips. I think Kain is willing to wait until morn. He will be refreshed then as well."
"No, no, no, we must avenge Anna and Rydia!" Tellah huffed, slamming his staff on the floor. The guard standing behind him gave him a vicious side-eye that he ignored.
"I understand, but…"
"Yang, I know what you are trying to do here," Cid said gently. "But I've practically raised Cecil as one of my sons, and I know that if he is like this, there is no talking him down from the ledge. He's anxious to see Kain and Rosa again. These two were…I mean, ARE his best friends." Yang nodded. He could appreciate this perspective and to Cecil's great relief, there was no argument.
"I will support you Cecil, no matter what. That promise still stands."
"Thank you…" Cecil's frown did not falter, but inside, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. "Let's go."
On The Enterprise, the party fully equipped themselves with their most powerful armors and weapons, now no longer having to worry about the Loadstone Cavern – but having no idea what they were actually in for. What kind of tower was Kain talking about?
As soon as the airship lifted off into the air, a familiar chugging sound of a fellow airship rang in Cecil's ears. Whirling around, he saw Kain's ship quickly making gains on them. How closely had he been watching this whole time?
Same as before, a drawbridge extended out toward The Enterprise. Cid, with less reluctance than last time, extended their bridge as well. As before, Cecil stepped out to meet Kain in the middle. Kain smiled as he walked toward Cecil, but there was something twisted about it, like he could barely contain his laughter and that this was all just a horrible joke that had gone too far.
"Where is the Earth Crystal?" Kain queried in his usual cool demeanor. Cutting right to the chase…
"Right here," Cecil frowned, pulling back his cape to reveal the crystal nestled safely within. "And Rosa?"
Kain looked away, as if he was already bored with this little game he had concocted. "…She is at the Tower of Zot. Follow our ship. We will lead you there."
"The Tower of Zot…?" Cecil began, but Kain raised his hand to shut him up. Saying no more, he turned around and left. Cecil felt the drawbridge shake a little as Kain's ship began to withdraw.
"Cecil, get back here!" Cid cried. Cecil turned and fled, the bridge pulling up behind him as quickly as Cid could manage so he could raise elevation and follow Kain. As they ascended higher in the clouds, Cecil clutched at the side of The Enterprise's deck, his knuckles turning white under his gauntlets.
"I have no idea where he is taking us," Cid muttered. "He's zig-zagging all over the damn place, and this storm is making it impossible to navigate otherwise."
"Trying to disorient us, I'm sure," Tellah sniffed. "We go to this ridiculous tower, get Rosa, and get out. I don't care if we never see the likes of this scum again. I can take on Golbez whenever I want."
"Shhhh," Cid hissed. "I'm not happy with that bastard either, but watch your tongue in front of Cecil."
It wasn't more than an hour before they broke through some particularly thick clouds and came upon a tall, spiraling ivory tower. The only way you could possibly see it in the thick of the storm was the glowing blue lights that were etched all over the outside, something none of the group had ever seen in their lives. It looked almost…alien.
"Is that magic?" Yang asked suspiciously.
"Not any magic I've heard of!" Tellah blinked. "Who could possibly maintain a spell like that?"
As they got closer to the tower, they could see that what looked like grooves etched into the tower from far away were just rows and rows of windows and doors blocked by thick white metal sheets that were bolted shut. Following Kain to a non-distinctive row of grooves few stories up from their approach, two large white doors slowly swung open from the inside, and Kain made a gesture for them to go inside. Cid eased the ship into the opening, which turned out to be some sort of makeshift airship dock. Parking the ship and anchoring it to the dock, Cid released the gangplank for them to descend. Despite all of the lights outside, they were completely surrounded by darkness, save for the light outline of a door a few yards away.
Leading the charge, Cecil pulled open the door and was staggered and what was before him.
While the outside of the tower had looked ancient and weather-worn (with the exception of the lights), the inside of the tower looked blindingly shiny, metallic, and blazed with hundreds of blue, red and white lights embedded in the walls, floors and ceilings. When Cecil stepped onto the floor, it clicked loudly against his boots and echoed, the lights in the floor blinking on and off like a heartbeat as he walked. Because the walls, ceilings and floors were polished to such a high sheen, Cecil could see his reflection everywhere. Dead ahead there was a lone door with a giant, mechanical eye sitting above it, occasionally sweeping its gaze across the room. The eye closed and the metal door shot open vertically with a beep, sliding up into the ceiling seamlessly. A few seconds later, the door slammed back down and the eyeball began to move again. However, Cecil hadn't seen anyone pass through on either side.
A crackling noise burst from the ceiling, and Kain cleared his throat. Cecil, not sure where to look, stared up at his reflection in the ceiling. His eyes were wild and the bags that had left his eyes once he became a paladin were making a triumphant return.
"KAIN!" Cecil shouted. "Where are you?"
"Where have you hidden yourself?" Cid growled.
"You need not concern yourselves with that," Kain giggled. "Golbez would like to extend his personal gratitude for your cooperation in obtaining the crystal."
"Golbez!" Tellah roared, slamming his staff against a wall (with nary a scratch).
Another crackling sound, and a new voice emerged…deep, ominous, and more enraged than ever, despite the absolute calm in which he spoke.
"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain…and for that, I am grateful," Golbez drawled, sounding very far away.
"SHOW YOURSELF!" screamed Tellah. Cecil was worried that at this rate, Tellah would pass out from lack of oxygen.
"I understand your desire to hasten our meeting," Golbez replied, allowing himself a chuckle. But first, there is the matter of your…reward."
"Reward?" Yang blinked.
"Your dear Rosa waits with me on this tower's highest floor. Should you succeed in reaching us, I will exchange her for the Crystal as promised."
Cecil felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. What was this madness?
"There was nothing said of this before!" Cecil hissed, not able to temper his rage much longer. "You were to take me to Rosa and the deal would be made!"
"Nonetheless…" Golbez continued, not listening to a word Cecil said, "You would do well to hurry. I cannot guarantee her life should you choose to do otherwise." Suddenly, an image projected on the wall to the right flickered on, and as it came into focus, Cecil could see Rosa, her eyes closed and her body slumped against a chair she was tied to with her arms tied above her head to a hook. Above her, glinting ominously as it swung gently, a silver blade positioned over her neck. Her hair was limp and greasy, and it was hard to tell from the poor quality of the image, but her pale skin appeared to have various bruises from where she struggled with her constraints. The room was otherwise empty.
Cecil felt like his head was about to explode. Running toward the projection, he screamed Rosa's and Kain's names and slammed on the walls to no avail. The image flickered and disappeared. Cid covered his eyes, not able to bear the sight of Rosa abused so, and Yang and Tellah looked away. Cecil pulled out his sword and slammed it against the wall repeatedly, only to shoot off a line of sparks. The crackling returned once more, and Golbez tried not to laugh manically as he watched Cecil from his floor of the tower, and spoke into his loudspeaker, looking back at Rosa as she started to stir awake:
"We will be waiting."