Act Fifteen: On My Honor
Rosa was the first to leap from the floor, running to Rydia and practically crushing her in an embrace. Rydia just continued to smile serenely, hugging Rosa back.
"Rydia!" Rosa sobbed. "You saved our lives!"
"But…" Cecil shook his head in disbelief. "What happened to you?"
"I saw you get swallowed by Leviathan…" Yang trailed off.
Rydia let Rosa go as she cleared her throat, the corners of her eyes tinged with tears of her own.
"When we were attacked…Leviathan did indeed swallow me. However, I did not die. Instead, he carried me to the land of the Eidolons."
"The land of the Eidolons?" Something rang very familiar about that to Cecil. Where had he heard that before?
"It's also known as the Feymarch," Rydia explained. "The Feymarch is the place all phantom beasts – or, Eidolons, as they call themselves, call home. I lived among them, befriended them. The King and Queen of the Eidolons took me in like their own daughter, trained me too. I can't use white magic anymore…but my black magic and summoning powers have grown much stronger." She paused, looking down at her own body for a moment. "Time flows differently in the Feymarch, however…"
"Is that why you've grown up so much?" Rosa asked. Rydia nodded.
"Who is she, Cecil?" Kain asked, utterly confused. Cecil turned to him.
"This is Rydia, of Mist," Cecil said. Kain's eyes flickered with remembrance.
"That…that child!?"
"The very same."
Kain looked like he was about to fall over in shock.
"My mind and my body have aged about nine years in your…I mean, our time," Rydia explained. "It's very hard to explain, other than I truly feel like I have mentally and physically lived the full three thousand days of those nine years, even though I know in reality we parted merely weeks ago."
"This is a happy surprise indeed," Yang smiled.
"I confess that something is bothering me about this," Cecil sighed. "Why would you come to save us? If it weren't for us, your mother – "
"Do not say another word!" Rydia said in a surprisingly commanding tone. She crossed her arms over her chest. "The Queen of the Eidolons told me this: The wheels of a fate greater than us all are turning now. She told me we must stand against it…and we must stand together." She reached up, taking Cecil's hand into her own.
"Cecil…you were my protector until what you thought was the very end…and for that, I will forever remain grateful. You and I are tied together by fate, and let me say it once and for all – I forgive you. I…know it doesn't seem like it, but I promise you I have had a lot of time to think about this." Cecil nodded, his heart flooded with relief.
"Rydia…thank you."
Rosa clasped her hands together, her tears threatening to return. To see the anxiety wash away from Cecil's features as Rydia comforted him…she thought her heart would burst from happiness. Kain looked away, not sure what to think. He was grateful Rydia was at peace, but why did everyone forgive Cecil for his transgressions so easily, and not him? It gnawed away in his gut, giving him heartburn.
"Let us alert King Giott of our success and make a plan to return the other crystals to their rightful home," Yang said. "Once Cid repairs the airship, the whole world will be open to us again." Everyone nodded in agreement, and proceeded to exit the now unlocked room. Cecil, the last to leave, turned back to take one last glance at his nemesis' defeat. However, he was shocked to see that Golbez's body had disappeared, and a gnarled black hand was creeping up the stairs, toward the crystal.
"The crystal!" Cecil cried, and Rosa, who was in front of him, whirled around and screamed.
"Death…will claim NO dominion over me!" Golbez's voice echoed from the ceiling. Cecil ran for the crystal, but it was too late. The inching hand took a flying leap, swiped the crystal, and disappeared in a black portal, all within seconds. Cecil's steps faltered and he fell to his knees before the crystal's throne, words failing him.
"I'm…sorry…" Cecil looked to his feet, his fists clenched. "Forgive us…Golbez escaped…with the crystal."
King Giott leaned back on his throne, thoughtfully stroking his beard. There was no malice in his eyes, and his tone remained steady, optimistic, even.
"There was little any of us could have done to stop that, it seems." He leaned forward again, and Cecil looked him in the eyes, ashamed as he was. "But now only one Crystal remains. We must guard it with our lives."
"Where is the final one hidden?" Rosa asked tiredly. Her yet-unhealed shoulder ached, and her boost of energy from seeing Cecil happy and Rydia joining them again had quickly been squelched by the gravity of the situation before them.
"In the Sealed Cave to the southwest. My men have informed me that Golbez left in that direction, but have no fear. The entrance is warded, and cannot be breached without the proper key. And so I have a favor to ask of you."
Cecil bowed. "It is our fault your Crystal was taken. If there is anything we can do to be of aid, we will most certainly cooperate."
"I have a plan," Giott began, "While Golbez makes for the Sealed Cave, this is the opportune moment for us to turn the tables. While he is chasing after the final Crystal fruitlessly, you can enter the Tower of Babil and reclaim the other seven."
"The Tower of Babil?" Kain asked. "We didn't think there was a way to enter it. I know Golbez said that was the key to activating the way to the moon, but…surely he has not managed to find a way in?"
"The way in is as simple as a door, not too far north of here," Giott chuckled. "Perhaps in the surface world, there is no discernible entrance. But I assure you it can be entered down here, and I assure you Golbez has made it his base of operations. My men's intelligence is as sure as I am standing before you."
Yang sighed, a rare, uneasy feeling overtaking him. "You would have us march into the enemy's own fortress!?"
"Yes - while our tanks create a diversion. The enemy's forces will be drawn out to fight. While they are occupied, you will have a chance to slip in and retrieve the Crystals. Wait until Golbez returns, and that chance is lost."
"What do you think?" Kain turned to the group. Rydia barked out a strange, high laugh.
"About walking willingly into an enemy stronghold?"
"It would be dangerous, to be certain," Rosa sighed.
"But to risk nothing is to gain nothing," Yang offered, not very enthusiastically.
"And King Giott speaks true. We must act now, while Golbez is away, if we are to act at all," Kain slammed his fist against his hand. "That bastard must pay for…well, for everything," Rydia looked at Kain, pursing her lips. She would definitely have to get from someone (probably not Cecil, she figured) the story of how Kain had found his way on their side of the fight. The last time she saw him, he had a lance on the throat of his best friend.
Cecil did not hesitate. Hearing his friends' reluctant agreement, he knew he was in Giott's debt and could not really refuse. "Very well. We will do as you ask."
"Excellent!" Giott exclaimed. "In the basement of this castle is an entrance to a tunnel that will lead you near the tower. And of course, anything in the castle that can be made of use to you is yours. Please go as soon as you've made read – I will command that our inn is cleared out so you have a place to rest before you leave. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Cecil said, and bowed before turning to make his exit. Kain, Rosa, Yang and Rydia trailed behind him.
In the antechamber, a guard advised Cecil to wait momentarily while the inn was made ready for them. Everyone stood around uncomfortably, not exactly sure what to say, when Luca, the little dwarven girl who had approached them before, came back up, this time to Cecil.
"Father says you had to kill my dolls," she said matter-of-factly. Cecil turned red. The accusation hit home, not to mention he was still deeply uncomfortable around children anyway. To that effect, it had almost been a relief to him that Rydia was suddenly a young adult.
"I'm…I'm so sorry," Cecil stammered. He wondered how quickly word spread in this damn castle and who her father was that ratted them out.
"It's ok," Luca said. "However, it would be nice if you bought me a new one sometime."
"We certainly will, dear," Rosa said, swooping in to the rescue. "In fact, we will do so before we depart tomorrow. Is that ok with you?"
"Oh, but of course," Luca smiled, and did her signature courtesy. "Good evening, then." And with that, she disappeared, again, in the crowd of dwarves milling about.
"Evening?" Rosa blinked. "Oh dear…no wonder we feel a mess. Time has escaped us."
Once their rooms were ready, they were given a short tour of the castle by the dwarf that had been assigned as their escort. While pointing out the various sundry shops, Rosa made a point to ask where she could purchase a doll.
The inn consisted of several beds, all in one shared chamber. There were enough for each person, with one extra. The dwarf explained that if they needed anything, that they just needed to contact the front desk right outside their door, and bade them goodnight.
Looking at the clock, Cecil saw it was nearly midnight.
"I'm going to pass out," Cecil declared, and claimed the bed he was closest to. He pulled off the maximum amount of armor and clothes he could without being indecent, and crawled under the blankets. In mere seconds, he was out like a light.
"Good-night, everyone," Kain said dryly, following suit. Pulling off his dragoon helmet first, he set it on the floor at the foot of the bed next to Cecil's, and stripped from his armor to leave him in simple padded undergarments, which left a lot less to the imagination than Cecil's remaining paladin clothing had. Rydia turned red and whirled around, marching straight for the door.
"I, uh…need a glass of water." It was moments like this that she admitted that maybe there was a small part of her that still had child-like reactions. She noticed that Rosa had not even blinked at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"I will get a drink as well, for my body is not ready for rest yet," Yang bowed to Rosa. "I'm afraid there is too much on my mind to quiet it down right now. If I may, I would be happy to purchase that doll for you as well. You look exhausted."
"Oh Yang, thank you," Rosa smiled. "I'm sure little Luca will appreciate it." She handed him all of the GP she had on her person, and he left after Rydia.
Rosa decided to take the bed that was on the other side of Cecil. She sat down upon it, taking the ornaments out of her hair and the earrings out of her ears, in her own world. Kain stole a few glances at her as he climbed into the bed, but she had not even looked over at him once. Finally, right when he was about to roll around to face the wall, Rosa pulled a hairpin out of her mouth that she had been keeping pursed between her lips, and smiled, kicking off her boots.
"Good night, Kain."
"Sweet dreams, Rosa."
"How can I not after such an awful day? Surely my imagination can't be any worse than real life." Her smile weakened, and the look of sadness in her eyes nearly compelled Kain to fly from his bed to be by her side. He knew that Cecil's failure to rescue the crystal was weighing heavily on her psyche. He also knew she was finding some way to blame herself for it as well. Without further comment, Rosa immediately flipped over, turning her back to Kain. Her hair spilled out over her pillow, and moments later, the rising of the covers over her body settled into the slow, regulated rhythm of sleep. Kain looked over at Cecil, and sighed. He blew out the remaining torches, and darkness fell.
Meanwhile, Rydia had settled at a small bistro table a few feet away from the inn entrance, sipping the glass of water the dwarf innkeeper had kindly retrieved for her. She had watched Yang exit the room, but he walked past her, a man on a mission. About fifteen minutes later, he came back, holding a brightly-wrapped package under one arm.
"What's that?" Rydia asked, curious. Yang took a seat across from her at the table.
"I wanted to buy the doll for Rosa so she could rest," Yang explained. "The shop was closed, but when I mentioned to the dwarf running the sundry shop next door that the doll was for Luca and that we would be gone too early in the morning to retrieve it, well, he leapt right up and unlocked the store himself! She must be a popular young lady."
"Must be," Rydia smiled. She pushed her glass of water toward Yang. "Have a sip. You look parched."
"Thank you," Yang took the glass, and swallowed back a long, satisfying drink. "Ah…much better."
"Yang…" Rydia looked up at him, turning red. "I…just wanted to thank you, for trying to rescue me…back when I fell in the ocean on the way to Baron. Your face…it was the last thing I saw before waking up in the Feymarch. It made me so happy that someone out there cared enough for me to do that. I was wracked with guilt for the longest time after…praying that you had made it back safely." Yang put the glass down, and sighed.
"Dear Rydia…you don't have to thank me for that. You were an innocent child who had been through so much, and I was all too happy to try to rescue you. I too, was wracked with guilt after the incident as well. I actually ended up washing up on the shores of Baron, with amnesia." Rydia gasped. "But Cecil rescued me, and we went on to rescue Rosa. So everything worked out, in the end."
Rydia wanted to keep talking about what happened while she was gone, but Yang kept going, to her surprise.
"And the truth is…the short time I did know you, I was very happy to have your company. You see, it's been mine and Sheila's dearest wish for many years now to have a daughter of our own. However, for whatever reasons there may be, the gods have not seen it fit to bring us that blessing quite yet. It's discouraging, after trying for so long…but I try to keep my spirits up and I thought that perhaps meeting you was the gods' way of trying to appease me in some small way. After all, what were the chances of a dark knight, a white mage, a bard and a little girl stumbling upon my training during some nondescript summer day? As you would say, it was fate."
"Oh Yang…I am so sorry," Rydia shook her head, tears forming. "You would be…I mean, you will be a wonderful father. There has to be a reason this has not happened for you yet. Maybe you just need to kick a few more bad guys' posteriors into shape before you retire to fatherhood." Yang threw back his head and laughed.
"You're right, of course. You've always been disturbingly wise at times, Rydia!"
"Well…" She blushed and shrugged. "Being orphaned will do that to you real quick. Along with aging rapidly in the span of less than a month."
"Cecil mentioned to me that he was an orphan as well," Yang said. "So you two have even more in common than I thought. No wonder you were brought together."
"Is Cecil…OK?" Rydia asked. "Since Kain came back? I'm sensing a different aura from him now…but there is still a lingering sadness."
"I think he is as OK as he can be right now," Yang said. "He has suffered tremendously since you left us. For a while, he believed that you, myself and Edward were dead. He climbed Mount Ordeals in search of redemption from his bloodied past, but the companions that joined him on the journey all ended up perishing…murdered by Golbez. The latest fatality was a kind sage, named Tellah. He gave his life to summon Meteor, and it barely ended up scratching Golbez."
"Tellah…is dead…?" Rydia felt her voice crack. "The old man that escorted Cecil and I to Damcyan…?" The tears that had been threatening to release themselves now spilled over. Rydia didn't really know Tellah all that well, but he had been comforting to her while she was mourning the loss of her mother, and now he was yet another person who had made an appearance in her life that was now gone forever.
"I'm so sorry… I didn't realize you knew him," Yang bowed his head. "Forgive me."
"No, no…I'm glad you told me," Rydia sniffled. "But you mentioned Edward…did he…"
"Edward is alive, although it would be a stretch to call him well at this time," Yang said. "He is holed up in Troia, recovering with the best care in the kingdom. I do fear he will never fight again, but I think in time he will be able to lead a normal life."
"Thank god," Rydia sniffed. Her nose was running, but she really didn't care.
"Kain made an appearance, and told Cecil that he would exchange Rosa's life for the Earth Crystal," Yang sighed. "The decision to take the Earth Crystal weighed heavily on his heart. But even when he broke down and made the exchange, Kain and Golbez lured him into a trap. Rosa was nearly murdered, but he got to her just in time. It was when Tellah cast Meteor that Golbez's hold was destroyed over Kain, and he returned to his senses. However, Kain made some confessions that may not have helped with the love lost between them."
"Let me guess…he tried to take Rosa for his own, right?" Rydia raised an eyebrow.
"Astute as always."
"More like obvious. I saw the look on his face the moment his eyes fell on Rosa in the crystal chamber when she was kidnapped. He is in love. Or at least, he thinks he is. I saw the way he looked at her just now…" Rydia squirmed. "There was something in his eyes."
"After rescuing Rosa, that's when we came to discover the Crystals of Darkness, and that's where you came in," Yang said, desperate to change that particular subject. "So after all that, you can see how it was a blow to Cecil to lose the one hope he's been holding on to since handing over the Earth Crystal."
"I understand now," Rydia frowned. "I'll do my best to support him. And Rosa, and you…and even Kain, I guess. After we take back the crystals, I want to take Cecil to the Feymarch. I think the King and Queen will be a great help to him for defeating Golbez once and for all."
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Yang said, and suddenly, a yawn slipped out. "Oh…guess my body is now finally ready to sleep."
"I'm beat," Rydia sighed. "Let's rest up…tomorrow is going to be hell." She and Yang both got up, and walked back into the inn. It was completely dark, and Kain, Cecil and Rosa were all fast asleep, their breathing nearly synchronized. Yang and Rydia nodded a silent "good night" to each other, and Rydia crawled into bed, not even bothering to remove her boots. Suddenly, her limbs felt like they weighed a ton. She had mastered the ability to summon more powerful eidolons, like her mother's Mist dragon, but it still took a lot out of her.
Before she laid upon the pillow, she looked at the three Baronians who had changed the course of her life forever. Now that Rydia better understood the turmoil of what had occurred, she felt pity for the three of them. When she has listened to Cecil's stories about his two best friends, she had been slightly envious over the bond they seemed to share – Baron's golden children. Now she knew better.
She knew, deep down inside, that even those three were also tied together by fate, it wasn't necessarily going to be a happy one.
The next morning, Cecil awoke from a rare, dreamless sleep. He looked around the room, which was still dark. He found it very strange to not wake up to the sun, or a blue sky. It was rather disorienting.
Looking to his left, he saw Kain, sprawled out awkwardly with a leg hanging out of the blankets. His face was twisted in a grimace, and Cecil wondered if he was having a nightmare.
To his right, the bed was empty, and made perfectly. Had Rosa slept there?
Across from him, he saw Rydia curled up in a tight ball, having kicked off all her blankets in the night. Yang was missing as well – probably up for his daily morning meditation.
Cecil quietly got dressed and left the inn. He saw Rosa sitting at a bistro table that he seemed to vaguely remember passing last night. She was sipping from a huge mug (everything the Dwarves made seemed to be huge) that had steam coming out of it. Her skin was bright and her shoulder wound appeared to have been healed. Her hair was tied back in an oversized French braid that ran down the curve of her exposed back.
"You look happy," Cecil said, sitting across from her. Rosa laughed.
"Good morning. You can thank the dwarves for that. I got up early to present Luca with her doll, and she must have thought I looked a little haggard. She told me I should visit the hot spring they have in the infirmary wing of the castle. While I was soaking, someone washed and mended my clothes. I felt so amazing after…everyone should try it!"
"Is it just for women?" Cecil asked. Rosa shook her head and took another sip of her drink.
"Oh no, there were men and women soaking with me. I chatted a bit with a woman dwarf, and she had the most luxurious beard."
"Oh…well, that is nice."
"Mmmm-hmmm…" Rosa closed her eyes and sighed. "If it wasn't for the lack of sun, I could probably hide here forever. Everyone has been so kind."
"We'll make it up to them by getting the crystals back. Then we can use the airship to visit whenever we want."
"Sounds like a promise."
They sat together in silence for a few minutes, relishing in the final moments of peace they had before diving back into what was starting to feel like an endless cycle of battle. They didn't even notice when Rydia stepped outside, and she watched them for a few moments, her heart fluttering in her chest. She remembered how Cecil tried to keep pushing Rosa away once they found her in the Kaipo oasis.
I hope he finally realizes what he has.
"Good morning," Rydia said, finally deciding to break the spell. Rosa and Cecil stopped staring at each other, and looked up at the interloper.
"Hi, Rydia!" Rosa smiled. "Did you sleep OK?"
"Yes," Rydia nodded. "It was kind of nice knowing that I wasn't going to wake up today half a year older."
Rosa and Cecil laughed, and Rydia joined in. It felt really, really good to laugh again. It's not that she didn't love the King and Queen of the Eidolons, but they weren't exactly jokers. Also, they weren't fellow humans.
"Is Kain still asleep?" Rosa asked.
"Yes, but he's tossing and turning now," Rydia frowned. "I think he's having bad dreams."
"Oh…we should wake him, then," Rosa said worriedly, and stood up. Rydia thought about what Yang had told her last night about Kain's little confession, and moved to block the door.
"Ah, actually, Rosa…I was hoping you would go with me to the stores in the northern tower." The lie rolled easily off Rydia's tongue, much to her distaste. "The Queen told me the dwarves make beautiful protective rings, and I thought you and I could uncover some. Giott said we could take whatever we wanted, so…"
Rosa paused for a moment, but if she was suspicious of Rydia's intentions, she didn't show it.
"I'd love that. Cecil, maybe you can help Kain."
"Of course," Cecil said, totally oblivious to what was transpiring before him. Rydia practically dragged Rosa away, and Cecil went back inside. He lit a few torches, and found Kain in the same state as Rydia had described. Cecil stepped up to him and shook his shoulders.
"Kain…wake up!"
"No…you can't…"
"WAKE UP!"
Kain suddenly bolted up in bed, sweat pouring down his face. His long blonde hair stuck out in every direction, and his eyes were wild. It took a few moments before his eyes focused on Cecil.
"Oh god, it's just you. I was having a nightmare…"
"Just me, friend," Cecil said, sitting down next to him.
"Just let me get my bearings," Kain groaned, burying his head in his hands. "Thank you…for waking me."
And they sat together in silence, listening to the clock above them tick on.
The basement exit Giott had directed Cecil and the others to had taken them underneath one of the masses of raised rocks that had blocked their path earlier, which meant a new route was now open. As they traversed the rocky, barren landscape, Petrifying Lizards and Armadillos would skitter across their paths, but most of them were hesitant to pick a fight. The ones that were brave were made quick work of by the crack of Rydia's whip or a kick from Yang into the magma.
Occasionally, the ground would quake from the cannons that had gone ahead of them to attack the Tower of Babil to act as a distraction for the monsters who were guarding it. Cecil felt the tanks before they could be seen, but once the group crested the top of a small, crumbling hill, they could see five golden tanks firing, the tower only half a mile away. It looked the same as it had above ground, with the notable exception of a large pair of steel doors being blown open by the canons. The only thing that stood between them and the entrance was a long drawbridge to cross over the magma, slanting up on an incline since the tower itself sat on elevated ground.
"I never thought the Tower of Babil would be entered in our lifetime," said Yang. "But Golbez has been hiding the crystals from us here all along."
"I pray the seal King Giott told us about keeps Golbez distracted long enough to not catch us on his home turf," Rydia said shakily. "I don't know if my Mist Dragon is going to buy us enough time this round."
"It will be OK," Rosa assured her, taking her hand.
Observing the cannon firing pattern, they would move a few yards at a time, wait for the cannons to demolish any new enemies that had been drawn out, and walk forward again. Eventually, they made it to the long bridge and quickly ran inside, slamming the doors shut behind them. That was to be the signal that the cannons could stop firing.
Inside the tower, four of the five party members were met with an unfortunately familiar sight. Once more they were surrounded by white, smooth glass walls and floors, and blazing neon lights that lit and dimmed in a continuous pattern, like a heartbeat. The main difference between the Tower of Zot and the Tower of Babil was that the floors were much more open, and twisted into different pathways going off to different doors, or sets of stairs. Looking up, Cecil could see the other tower levels above them, and the winding stairs and walkways that linked each level to the next made him dizzy. Flying above them between the various levels were mechanical eyeballs, about the size of a man's head. Unlike the Tower of Zot models, they were not suspended on doors and could float and flutter about as they pleased. Cecil was sure that as soon as one of them spotted their group, something bad was going to happen.
"Do you think Golbez modeled the Tower of Zot after Babil?" Rosa asked.
"Or was the Tower of Zot provided to Golbez by the same people who built Babil?" Yang offered.
"You are both implying dangerous scenarios," Cecil said dryly. "Either Golbez is powerful enough to build a floating headquarters filled with monsters, alarm systems and guillotines, or he's in touch with people who have access to incredible technology that are funding his little crystal campaign here."
"Golbez never explained the origins of Zot to me," Kain said. "All I remember is that after Cecil and I were separated, I woke up there."
"You've been to a place like this before?" Rydia asked, her voice shaking.
"Kain and I were holed up in a tower like this for a while," Rosa said. "A floating fortress in the sky."
"Oh," Rydia replied, and left it at that. She knew that was Rosa's nice way of saying "That was where Golbez and Kain tortured me."
"Let us explore each level thoroughly," Yang suggested. "If there is an elevator, it has most likely been disabled to delay escape. I suspect the crystals are near the top, but we shall leave no stone unturned to be sure."
"Good plan, Yang," Cecil agreed. "Everyone, be on your guard. Rydia, if our experiences in the Tower of Zot are any indication of what is to come, I'd ask that you keep your best Thunder spells ready at a moment's notice. Rosa, if you have Thunder arrows, they can also possibly disable the alarms floating above."
"I do have a couple," Rosa dug around in her quiver. "We'll use as a backup for Rydia's magic. Otherwise, I shall remain on point for healing and disabling magic."
The climb was slow and meticulous due to the immense number of enemies patrolling. They were caught by several mechanical eyes before Rydia or Rosa could disable them, which would let off an ear-shattering alarm that would draw out armored centaurs and their "pet" Flamebeasts that Cecil, Kain and Yang would then need to destroy. They also encountered many of the patrolling monsters the tanks had been trying to distract, Dark Imps. On the surface world, Imps were annoying but relatively harmless monsters that had begun to multiply rapidly in areas that had a lot of open fields, like the outskirts of Baron. They usually carried around dull little daggers that they stole off unsuspecting travelers or from each other when they died off, but even a child could be taught at a young age how to easily destroy an Imp that attacked them.
Dark Imps, however, seemed to be a different story. Bred in tougher environmental conditions than regular Imps, they carved their own weapons out of the horns of Petrifying Lizards and used what they could steal from the dwarves. Their stamina was much higher than their soft overworld brethren, and they were better at coordinating larger group attacks and could even speak a little bit of human language, so they could surround the party quickly if they wanted to and shout commands to each other. It was a distraction to have to pick them off at the same time as trying to disable an alarm, so Rosa would try to cast Slow and Hold on the Dark Imps when they ambushed in large groups to buy them some time to retaliate, leaving Rydia alone to disable the alarms herself.
About twenty floors up, the monsters seemed to be thinning out, which never meant anything good. Cecil tried to open the door to what looked like a large chamber, but it was locked. He cursed and struck it with his blade, but it still didn't give.
"Do you think that's where the crystals are?" Rydia asked hopefully.
"Could very well be. Let's see if we can find a key."
As they were ascending the stairs to the next floor, Cecil was startled to hear voices. Motioning for everyone to be quiet, they slowly crept upstairs, coming into a large room with a spread of panels that wrapped around the room and large monitors hanging from the ceiling. All of the monitors were currently blank, and stationed below them was a strange platform suspended between four metal walkways. The platform consisted of four glowing blue orbs, each positioned north, south, east and west. Standing in the middle of them were two figures. They were enraptured in a conversation with each other and didn't notice when Cecil and the others snuck behind panels on the southern side of the room.
The taller of the two figures, who appeared to be even taller than Golbez, had his back to them. He was dressed in a long, flowing red and purple cape, with tattered ends that brushed against his bare feet. What skin he had exposed was as pale and transparent as cream spread thinly across a pastry. Red veins and scars crisscrossed his muscular legs in no discernible pattern, and climbed up to where the tatters became a full cape again and could no longer be seen. A matching red and purple cowl was wrapped around his neck and head, the tops of it torn and hastily re-sewn in a clumsy way that made the corners stick up, almost like crooked horns.
The man in front of him, who was roughly half the size and three times as skinny, had frizzy white hair flying in every direction from the top of his head and chin, and large glasses that were so thick, his eyes appeared large and distorted. He was swimming in an over-sized lab coat that dragged on the floor and had pale, almost purple-tinged skin. His pink shirt was torn and stained underneath the jacket, covered in something that looked suspiciously like blood. His long, many-times broken nose poked out a mile from his face, and the tip was pink and shiny. He was the one speaking in a high, strained voice as Cecil settled in to spy.
"Do be careful, Rubicante, my lord."
"There is no need for concern," the man in red replied in a deep, soothing voice. "Eblan's castle has already fallen, and its ninja forces with it. I trust matters here to you until my return."
"Eblan!" Kain whispered softly. "Rubicante was behind that?"
Rubicante wrapped his cape tightly around him and disappeared in a pillar of flame. As soon as the last lick of flames had dissolved in the air, the man in the lab coat began to do a weird little dance, clapping his hands and twirling around in circles.
"Wee hee hee! Lord Golbez and Rubicante both gone, and only I at home!" He sang. "I'm lord of the tower noooooow!"
"That's a strange one," Rydia snorted, but she said it a little too loudly. Rosa whirled toward her and pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shhhh!"
The man suddenly stopped dancing and turned around, looking directly at the panel of which they were all hiding behind.
"Who's there?!"
"Uh-oh…" Cecil cringed.
The man pulled a remote control out of his pocket and hit a few buttons. The panels jerked and began to slide apart in opposite directions, and Cecil could see that a small metal track had been underneath them. The panels slid to join others on the east and west portions of the room, leaving Cecil and the others completely exposed. The man's face turned a deep purple as he started to scream.
"You're that Cecil louse, aren't you? When in toadspittle did you squirm your way in!?"
Cecil was so surprised by the colorful vocabulary that he couldn't even muster a response. Kain, however, was itching to pick a fight, and immediately leapt up, landing in front of the man and thrusting the lance toward his abdomen, stopping short of just millimeters before cutting him open.
"Rubicante's not here to help you. Are you sure you want to press your luck against us?"
"Press my luck!?" The man laughed so hard that he started to wheeze. "Gah…the outrage! The belittlement! Do you have any idea to whom you're speaking? I'm Dr. Lugae! I may not be one of…them, but Golbez made me his chief strategist for a reason! For starters, I can keep this tower clean of vermin like you!"
"I'd love to see you try," Kain hissed, pressing the lance in just enough that it tore a hole in Lugae's shirt. "Spill what you know about the crystals, or I'm going to be spilling you all over the floor."
"Oh ho ho ho!" the doctor laughed. He gripped the lance and with a surprising show of strength, pushed it away. "You will. My beautiful little boy will have your heads for playthings!" He pushed a few more buttons on his remote, and smirked as he slipped it back into his pocket. A door slid open on the right side of the room, and the floor began to shake.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A thick, squat figure wrapped in mythril with wires poking out of his head and arms began marching out of the doorway and toward the party. He appeared to be made out of metal from top to bottom, no flesh or fur to be seen, with humanoid arms the size of small tree trunks and legs that were as thick as a man. His head was rectangle-shaped, with broken bolts sticking out of it and two red, glowing eyes. When he opened his mouth, rows of razor-sharp metal teeth were jammed together haphazardly.
"Hrrrrrr!" the monster growled, swinging his fists and accidentally smashing a console. Sparks flew out as the lights inside it burned out.
"Er, Barnabas, a little to the right!" Lugae called out. "Over here, my son!" Barnabus turned in an awkward ninety-degree angle and corrected his course. Lugae smirked and adjusted his glasses.
"This is my most prized invention – my robot son, Barnabas. Out of all of my experiments, he is the most beautiful, don't you think? Much cuter than those ratty dolls I had to work with."
"You are the one that cursed Luca's dolls!" Rosa exclaimed. "Unforgivable!"
"They may have fell easily in combat, but their spy work was top notch!" Lugae fled beside Barnabas, and started jumping up and down. "Go, Barnabas! Crush everyone to bits!"
"Cecil, what do we do!?" Rosa cried. "If we get close to him, he'll knock us through a wall!"
"I don't know…" Cecil swallowed. "There is nowhere for us to run!" Their only option would be to retreat back to the floor they came from – there didn't appear to be another door they could enter in this room without Lugae's remote control. And they could only run so far before they would be attacked from the rear by the monsters still milling about downstairs.
"Uhhhngh!" Barnabas grunted, and swung his fist at the next closest object – Lugae.
"Ahhhh!" Lugae cried, flying through the air and smashing into one of the monitors. The monitor shattered, glass falling from the ceiling along with Lugae. He fell to the ground with a violent "thump!" and groaned, immediately reaching up to feel if his glasses were still on his face.
"Not me, you big oaf! Them! Over there! Got it?"
"Uhhhngh!" Barnabas grunted, his eyes fixated on Cecil. The shattered monitor suddenly collapsed, and fell on top of Lugae's twitching body. Lugae's eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he passed out cold. Barnabas started marching yet closer, crossing over the walkway that would take him to the party's hiding place.
"Neeeeeed oiiiiil…" Barnabas groaned. When Kain swung at him with his lance, Barnabas reached up, grabbed it, and promptly snapped it in half like a twig.
"Wha…what the hell?!" Kain cried, leaping backwards just in time before Barnabas lunged at him.
"I have an idea!" Rydia cried. "Everyone stay close to me!" She closed her eyes and pressed her hands together, starting to mutter under her breath. The others huddled behind her, and the room started to grow dark. Thunder crashed in the distance, and an ancient man wrapped in ivory robes with white hair and a beard both several feet long materialized, clutching a metal staff.
"Ramuh!" Rydia called. "Cast your judgment on those not worthy of the light!"
The old man raised his staff in the air, and it was struck by a bolt of lightning so blinding that Cecil had to close his eyes. Pointing his staff at Barnabas, a lighting storm erupted, crashing into all of the equipment in the room and short-circuiting most of the lights. Barnabas was struck several times and let out a pained cry as a panel on his back lit on fire. Yang took the opportunity to strike him with a roundhouse kick, which knocked Barnabas over like a turtle on his back. Twitching as more of his panels caught on fire, Barnabas uttered the same phrase over and over:
"Oil…oil…oil…oil…oil…"
Ramuh disappeared in a shower of green bubbles just as smoke erupted from Barnabas' neck. A few moments later, in a loud explosion, his head popped off, sailing over the ledge of the walkway and falling to the floors below. There was a beeping noise, and his body's twitching stopped.
"Rydia, thank you," Cecil said. "The power you now command…it's staggering."
"Ramuh is just cranky most of the time," Rydia smiled. "He might have overdone it a bit…"
The entire room was trashed, with sparks still spurting from the ceiling where the monitor had hung, along with all the lights Ramuh blew out. When Rubicante came back, he was not going to be happy.
"But we still have no key…and this appears to be a dead end," Kain said. He walked over to the platform between the four glowing orbs, and pressed a button on the panel that was still standing. However, nothing happened. "In the Tower of Zot, something like this acted as a transporter. However, this one doesn't appear to work."
"Gah…!" A sudden wheeze emitted from underneath the collapsed monitor, and everyone watched with horror as Lugae dragged himself out from underneath. His legs had both been brutally crushed and were as shapeless as wet noodles, but he was managing to pull himself out of the wreckage with just his arms. He sighed as if something like this happened to him every day, and reached up to adjust his glasses - but the lenses cracked when he touched them. Turning purple with rage again, he started to scream.
"NOW YOU'VE DONE IT! Enough of this foolishness! Prepare to see true terror's face…Look upon the face of FEAR!"
He reached into the lining of his coat, and pulled out what looked like a small bottle of green liquid. Popping the cork, he quickly swallowed back the contents, and started laughing manically. As if he were a puppet getting his strings tugged, he jerked back up to his feet, despite his broken legs. Metal limbs and ribs began to stretch and rip through his pants and shirt, leaving his clothes shredded on the floor as a metal exoskeleton emerged, tearing his flesh and muscle asunder. Rosa covered her mouth and Rydia looked as if she were about to vomit. The exoskeleton began to stretch out and flop forward, hunching over so that his arms were dangling right above his feet. A long-barreled gun was strapped to his back, with various jars of liquid sticking out of it.
The only body part that remained somewhat human was his head, but Lugae took care of that by reaching up with his new, metallic fingers, and ripping the flesh from his face. Underneath was a mythril skeleton head, with a red laser jammed in one eye socket and dead nerve endings exposed in the other. Reaching up to his back and retrieving the gun, he suddenly shot a cloud of red gas at the party.
"Ugh, what is this!?" Cecil coughed. "It smells horrible!"
"Thundaga!" Rydia cried, and a white bolt of lightning shot into Lugae. He simply laughed, his head twitching and spinning on his neck.
"That felt good! Give me another one!"
"Huh…?" Rydia trailed off. "He's a robot, so…that should have fried him?"
"Slow!" Rosa tried, but instead of making Lugae slow down, he suddenly began to speed up, clicking a new button on his gun that made flames shoot out of it and running right toward them. Rosa gasped and quickly cast Shell before the blast could hit them. The green magic shield defiantly blocked the flamethrower as Lugae swung it back and forth.
"This gas must have made every attack we do have the opposite effect!" Yang cried. "What should we do?"
"If that's true, then I have an idea," Cecil said. "Rosa, can you keep up Shell?"
"I'll do my best!" Rosa cried. "But please hurry!"
"Kain, with me!" Cecil ordered, and Kain nodded. Cecil took a running slide and dove underneath the flames of the flamethrower, reaching out with his sword and striking Lugae's legs. There was no damage, but the intended result occurred: the force of the strike caused Lugae to lose his balance and stumble backward, crashing to the floor but still gripping the flamethrower. Cecil knew it would only be a moment before Lugae would jump back up again, so he dove on top of him to buy some time and tossed a bottle to Kain. Kain caught it easily and read the label.
"An Elixir?"
"Force it down his throat!" Cecil cried, struggling to keep Lugae pinned down. "If everything has the opposite effect, this should kill him!"
"Got it!"
And if our theory is wrong…we'll completely heal him, Cecil thought, keeping that part to himself.
Kain and Cecil just barely dodged an errant flame that spurted out of the gun. Popping the cork on the bottle, Kain jammed the glass in Lugae's mouth, whose metal teeth crunched into it erratically and shattered it. Kain winced as glass buried into his palms, but he held steady until all of the liquid appeared to have been forced into Lugae's mouth.
Lugae began to convulse violently, throwing both Cecil and Kain off of him onto the dead transporter, and gasping for breath as he tried to get back up, his limbs failing him.
"No…no…!" He fell back onto his spine and writhed as he started to giggle, the red laser in his eye socket flickering. "You still lose…This tower reaches beyond the surface, you know! Rubicante has already moved the crystals to the spire above. All that remains is to annihilate those accursed dwarves with this tower's cannons! Wee hee hee…"
With a final effort, Lugae rolled over, tossing himself off the side of the walkway. Cecil and Kain watched him fall down the twenty floors below and heard the inevitable crash.
Rosa released the Shell spell and ran over, helping both of them up. "Are you two ok?"
"Yeah…" Kain cringed as he stood. Rosa took his hand in hers and cast a Cure spell over it. He let it linger just a second longer before pulling away. "…Thank you."
"Cecil, are you hurt?" Rosa looked him over worriedly.
"No, I'm fine," said Cecil. "And I managed to get this." He held up a single silver key. "Swiped it off of Lugae when he was fighting me."
"We have to hurry and save the dwarves!" Rydia cried. "Where are the cannons?"
Yang tilted his head toward the door they had originally entered the room from. "They have to be in that locked room if Lugae had the key."
"Let's get down there and destroy them!" Kain took off running, and the others hurried behind.
When they reached the twentieth floor, Cecil jammed the key into the lock, and was relieved when he felt the click of the lock disengaging. Kicking open the door, the five of them came face-to-face with four Dark Imps, all of which were grumbling among each other.
"When is Dr. Lugae going to give signal?"
"I wanna hurry and raid that castle! There's lots o' goodies there!"
"Wah ha ha! Die dwarves, DIE!"
They paused when they saw Cecil before them, panting for breath and raising his sword.
"Step away from the cannons!" Cecil barked.
"You!" One of the Dark Imps pointed, his hand shaking with anger. "How did you get in here?! SLAUGHTER!"
Cecil made quick work of them, since they foolishly had no weapons. But as the last Dark Imp fell, it flung itself onto the console the imps had been standing around, and smashed into the cannon launch button. Alarms started ringing, and the Dark Imp giggled as he slumped down to the floor, leaving a green-black blood trail over the launch button and down the console.
"You can't stop us…there is no halting the cannons now…" It crumbled into dust before hitting the floor.
"No…NO!" Cecil cried, rushing to the launch button and trying to reverse the sequence. However, it was firmly locked down, and there was nothing else on the console that seemed to act as a release. Kain joined him, trying everything Cecil tried and getting increasingly frustrated as he pushed random buttons.
"Is there nothing we can do!?"
A cold, indifferent voice bleated out over a loudspeaker. "Countdown to launch…sixty seconds…"
Yang approached slowly, looking everything up and down in his usual calm manner, his brows furrowed while Cecil and Kain scrambled. Finally, he took both of them by the arm, and effortlessly dragged them to the doorway, where Rosa and Rydia were waiting.
"What are you doing!?" Cecil cried.
"I'm going to destroy the cannon with my claws," Yang said, strapping on a Thunder Claw and a Fire Claw as he spoke. "I believe the cannon is actually housed within, since we did not see an apparatus sticking out of the tower when we first arrived. If I destroy the mechanism, it can't launch."
"Countdown to launch…thirty seconds…"
"It's too dangerous!" Rosa protested.
"I just need the rest of you to get out to safety," Yang said, his voice deadly serious. His mouth was in a straight line, the warmth vanished from his eyes.
"Are you mad!?" Ryida cried. "What about what you told me…what about…"
"It's too late, Yang." Cecil tried to push Yang with him out the doorway, but Yang grabbed him more roughly this time, shoving him so hard that he slammed into Rosa, Rydia and Kain, knocking them out of the threshold.
"Forgive me," Yang bowed, and slammed the door shut.
"Countdown to launch…fifteen seconds."
"Yang!? Yang!" Cecil threw himself against the door and tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge. He realized with horror that when Yang grabbed him, he must have snagged the key as well, because it was no longer in his hand.
"If you should see my wife again…tell her to live enough for us both!" Yang shouted through the door.
"Don't be a fool! Open the door!" Kain begged, slamming his fists harder.
"Yang…" Rydia sunk to the floor and covered her face.
"Please Yang, don't throw your life away!" Rosa sobbed, leaning her head against the wall. "Please…"
"It has been an honor fighting with you…" His voice sounded disjointed between the muffled sounds of flesh clashing with metal.
"Open the god damned door, Yang!" Cecil cursed, slamming his fist down for the final time.
"Countdown to launch...5...4…3…2…"
"GAHHHHHHHHH!"
"Yang!"
There was a massive explosion, so powerful that the metal doors bloated out from the strain and became hot to the touch. Cecil backed away, clenching his eyes shut to quell his tears. He knew that a contained explosion meant that Yang had achieved his goal.
Kain cursed and kicked the door repeatedly, ignoring the throbbing pangs that would shoot up his leg each time. Rosa buried herself in Cecil's arms and wept into his shoulders. Cecil was still so stunned that all he could do was gently rest a hand on her back. Rydia wailed from her spot on the floor, wishing she could go back to last night and tell Yang not to be such a fool.
How are you going to realize your dream now, Yang!? She wanted to scream. Was everything you told me a lie?
"We…we need to go back to Giott and report on the crystals," Cecil finally said. He hated to interrupt their mourning, and inside he was screaming, but they were now in more danger than ever. They had raised way too much hell to be ignored for much longer, especially if Rubicante had been planning on a return trip.
The trip back down the tower was silent except for the occasional hiccuping sob from Rydia. When they reached the draw bridge outside, she marched on ahead silently, reaching up to wipe her tears with her fists.
"Rydia, where are you going?" Cecil asked.
"I…I need to go back to the Feymarch!" Rydia sniffled. "The King and Queen will surely know a way to…to…"
"Rydia…" Rosa trailed off. "Even the King and Queen of the Eidolons can't bring Yang back."
Rydia whirled around to face them. "Why do you want to give up on Yang!? He didn't give up on me…when…" She shook her head and threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, forget it. I'm going to the Feymarch, and that's final!"
"You are even more meddlesome than I had thought."
Rydia froze in place. Cecil drew his sword and immediately stepped forward, blocking Rydia with his arm. Her outburst forgotten, she slipped closer to Cecil and clung to his cape.
"Golbez!" Cecil called. "Show yourself!"
"Mice are wont to play while the cat is away. But I am afraid our game of cat and mouse is at an end. The time has come for us to part ways."
The bridge began to shake beneath their feet, and a wall of flames sprung up behind them. The flames devoured the portion of the bridge by the entryway to the tower, and quickly advanced toward Cecil and the others.
"Farewell!" Golbez chuckled, and then there was silence.
"Run!" Cecil cried, but it was a fruitless command. The fire was coming too hard and fast, they weren't far enough across to the other side where they could jump, and the bridge had already been too weakened to stay suspended. Cecil felt everything happen in slow motion: The bridge snapped and fell from underneath their feet, sending them plunging down to the magma below.