Well, another chapter is up and running. Thanks u.k Owen for reviewing the previous chapter. Okay, this is gonna get a little sad, but here goes nothing. I might be going a bit out of order in the events of the Bloomingdale arc, but oh well.

Here is a refresher, thoughts are ', " indicates dialogue, and - represents change in character point of view and/or lapse in time.

Disclaimer: DQIX and it's locations, characters, etc are all Square Enix's work.

Chapter XIII: The Tragedy of Marion Bloome

The trip from Bloomingdale was filled with silence for the most part as the heroes and their guest headed on to the Bad Caves, where the supposed members of F.I.C.K.O awaited with their captive, Marion Bloome. Arianna's mind was in a formative state as she thought'There sure is something suspicious going on about Marion, but that will have to wait until we save her from the kidnappers'.

Trent addressed Conrad"Hey, remember what Buster of the B-Team said about there being a monster at the Bad Caves that took a mystery item called Tycoon's Trove? We might be able to get it while we're here."

The thief thought for a moment"Hm, you might be right about it, Trent. But we can't just scream into Bad Caves like a banshee, we don't know what we're dealing with. Maybe in our freetime we can retrieve the treasure."

"F.I.C.K.O, whatever that bandit group is, likely made that cave their quarters. It will likely not be as simple as to simply go spulunking like we could in Tywll cave, but I think I have a plan" said Arianna.

The group moved on until they came to a cave with not one, but two entrances. The entrance to the right entrance was blocked, so Arianna and her group went left.

The cave's interior was a muddy brown, with a puddle of water here and there. The purple haired warrior turned to her comrades"This looks like a dreary place, so here's the plan: Conrad, you, Raymond and Sasha will team up to hunt down the Hunter Mech. Ashlynn, as discourteous as this sounds, would you mind helping out a bit?"

"You don't have to ask, Arianna. You're a good hostess, but you don't have to worry about coddling me. Give 'em heck" smiled the red haired sorceresss.

Conrad shrugged"Don't know much about F.I.C.K.O, but I am unsure if trusting them is wise. Okay, how will we go about hunting the Hunter Mech? The thieves likely would've locked the doors ahead."

Arianna replied"Simple, the rest of us will negociate with F.I.C.K.O, rescue Miss Bloome, hopefully making a distraction in the process. Obviously, Trent, Aisha and I will form the rescue team. Conrad, you may need to use stealth to hunt the Hunter Mech without possbly being seen by F.I.C.K.O."

As Conrad, Sasha, Raymond and Ashlynn went to hide in the shadows of the cave, the spirit of a woman with blond hair and red dress appeared.

"Huh?" Arianna gasped.

The woman spoke"You're a Celestrian, aren't you? My name was Marion Bloome."

"You've gotta be kidding! If you're Miss Bloome, who the heck was the other girl?" said Trent, who was listening nearby.

Marion replied"I am sorry, but please allow me to explain. No one knows but myself, but the Marion Bloome you saw is in fact a doll called Marionette. She was the only friend I had since I was bedridden with illness."

Arianna was shocked"So if you're dead, and that girl was your doll, what happpened to you?"

The ghost responded"I was greatly ill, but one day I recieved a shining yellow fruit. I had wished to have a friend, one who would stay by my side. I was dying, but when I made my wish, the fruit disappeared and Marionette came to life."

"What happened after you died?" inquired Alicia.

"My body is buried in the yard outside my chamber, Marionette took my place as Marion Bloome. But I can see that this ruse has gone on long enough, please tell Marionette that she must now cease to live, I'll be with her. Arianna, right? I am counting on you" said the spirit, vanishing.

"So the Marion Bloome we met was really an animated living doll. That fruit the real Marion described must be one of the sacred fruits, so now we simply must find Marionette and talk to her about what we learned and all" frowned Alicia.

"But F.I.C.K.O dosen't know that, we'll just go along with their ransom demand untill we can talk to Marionette about the fruit. Silly thieves, the letter said they were expecting her father. One way or another, we'll confront them" said the purple haired warrior.

Arianna's group proceeded to the inner quarters where the men who took Marionette waited. Conrad, Raymond, Sasha and Ashlynn began snooping through the caverns after Conrad picked the lock of the nearby door.

Conrad looked around"Looks like there is nothing there."

"Don't bet on it, monsters may be waiting in ambush. But let's just hurry, we can't keep the others waiting when they save Marion" replied the Martial Artist.

Trent, Arianna and Alicia walked on until they met with a man in nothing but trousers.

"Hey, did you come to pay the ransom?" inquired the man.

Arianna replied"That's what I'm here to discuss, were you expecting someone else?"

The man shrugged"Er, yeah, but this may work out. Follow me".

The man led Arianna, Alicia and Trent to a nearby small room with a table. The Priestess addressed him as they sat down"You are part of F.I.C.K.O, right? So if we make an exchange, will you let Marion go?"

"Hm? Yeah, I am part of F.I.C.K.O, but that's not the point. The note my partner and I left demanded a thousand gold from the girl's father" said the man.

Trent sighed"You have one thing comeing, you're a fool to think we'd cough up the gold. Besides, we have not seen Marion Bloome's father, so why don't you just release her already before we get mad and speed you to the afterlife?"

The kidnapper sighed"Let's not be too hasty, boy. Now, if you would be so kind as to give us the gold, we will let her go."

At that moment, another man entered"Hey, the girl's escaped. What's more, there are monsters on the loose!"

"What? How'd she get out of her cell?" exclaimed the man.

Trent slowly drew his sword"Not you're lucking day, huh? It's out of your hands, now. Arianna, what's the plan now?"

As the two inept thieves left the room, the purple haired warrior replied"We can't wait for the others, we have to find Marionette. If there really are monsters, we must hurry, let's move."

The three got up and filed out of the room.

In another part of the Bad Cave, Conrad and his group marched on until they encountered some bird-like Weakon Beacons and some hooded demons called Shamen.

"Bring it on" said Sasha, taking a battle stance.

Conrad and Sasha battled the Weakon Baeacons, while Ashlynn fried the Shamen with a Boom spell. It didn't take long before the monsters fell.

"That was too easy" remarked Conrad.

The three moved on until they encountered a Riptide. Conrad and Sasha dueled the monster, which swung it's blade mercilessly. Ashlynn kept out of it as best she could, until the Riptide swirved around it's oppenents and attempted to stab her.

"Big mistake" said Ashlynn, brandishing a whip and yanking the sword out of the monster's hand with it. Conrad took the opprotunity to stab Riptide in the back.

"Never a dull moment with these monsters" remarked the sorceress.

Arianna, Trent and Alicia rushed to the very back of the Bad Cave, where they found Marionette. The doll was standing in front of a red, black, orange and gray creature with deadly fangs, and heedless of danger, spoke"Oh? Who are you?"

The monster responded by lunging at the living doll. Marionette was struck and fell unconcious to the floor.

Alicia was astonished"It can't be."

"What?" said her brother.

The Priestess replied"That spider is a Tyrantula, a legendary monster that has gathered so much poison and such that it became a man-eater. I read that it preys on unsuspecting travelers, and feeds them to it's babies. It may not look like much, but Tyrantula could be a difficult opponent."

"Hey! Egghead!" Trent threw a nearby rock at the spider.

Annoyed at being interrupted, Tyrantula dodged and spewed poison at the heroes. Alicia cast Sqelch, while Trent swung at the spider with his sword. Tyrantula bit the Gladiator, while Arianna thrust at it's eyes with her weapon. The spider dodged and spewed more poison, which Alicia countered with another Squelch spell.

"You weren't kidding, sis" said Trent, aiming a kick at Tyrantula.

"Keep that spider off my back while I check on Marionette" said Alicia, rushing to the doll's prone form.

Conrad and his group trudged on towards the back of the caverns until they came to a grayish monster with a sword and bow in it's hand. A Shaman and a Riptide accompanied it.

"Looks like I found my quarry" said the Thief.

I'll keep the Shaman and Riptide off your back" said the Martial Artist.

Hunter Mech fired an arrow at the Martial Artist, who jumped over and slammed it with her battle stave. Conrad spotted a glowing item in it's possesion and snatched it.

"What did you get?" Raymond asked as he cast Boom on the monsters.

"The Tycoon's Trove, now let's wrap this up" said the Thief.

Sasha blocked the Riptides attacks and it slashed at her. Eventually the Martial Artist put it in it's place with a Knuckle-Sandwhich. Conrad stabbed the enemy Shaman, while Ashlynn and Raymond faced the Hunter Mech. The Mech slashed at the two mages, which they dodged.

"I've had enough, MAGIC BURST!"

The blast destroyed the Hunter Mech and blew a hole in the wall. Raymond was astonished"How'd you do that?"

The red haired sorceress shrugged"Magic Burst is a potent technique that deals heavy damage to monsters. I learned it back in Sorceria, but look, over there!"

"What are Arianna's group fighting against?" gasped Raymond, seeing a mutated spider and the rest of their teammates.

"We have to get in there" said Sasha.

Arianna healed her allies, while Trent kept on his toes trying to slay the Tyrantula. But the spider was nearly too quick, the two were getting exhausted.

"Ka-Crack!" Raymond had suddenly intervened with a ice spell. Annoyed, Tyrantula turned to see Conrad's group enter the fray and spewed more poison.

Arianna healed her teammates, while Conrad rushed at the spider monster with his battle dagger. Tyrantula dodged, when suddenly it met with the full force of a slam attack by Sasha's battle stave. The Tyrantula's shell took most of the blow, as it spat a web at her. Trent took advantage of the distraction to deliver the final blow with his sword. The vanquished spider collapsed into the dust.

"Finally got that bug out" shrugged the Gladiator.

"Tell me about it" said Sasha, removing the webbing from her body.

Nearby, Marionette began to stir as the two bandits entered the room.

"Cricky! It's a ghost!" gasped one of the men.

The two so-called F.I.C.K.O members ran for it, just as the living doll stood up onto her feet. Alicia addressed her"Are you okay?"

The girl nodded"Yeah, thanks, but why are you here?"

Just then, the real Marion Bloome's spirit appeared"Marionette, I think it's about time you returned to being a doll."

"Huh?" said Marionette.

Marion replied"I am sorry, you came to life on my account, I am responsible for your suffering. I was so sick, that I wished for a friend. In fact, nobody but myself and you knew I succombed to the sickness, but you were taken advantage of before Arianna showed up."

The living doll sighed"You're right."

She then turned to Arianna"I thank you again for saving me, and I am sorry for taking my friend's death out on you. I will go back to Bloomingdale and inform everyone that I will be going on a trip, the ship: The Pride of Bloomingdale, is yours."

Marionette fled the cavern while Marion spoke to Arianna before leaving"Thank you for everything."

The six heroes and their guest left the cave and returned to Bloomingdale. Alicia sighed"I feel so bad for Marion's death, should we tell the people about it?"

"Its too far-fetched for anyone to believe us if we told them about Marionette. I have a hunch they'll figure it out, at least partly anyway if Marion dosen't come back to Bloomingdale for long enough. Now, let's go back to the mansion one more time" said the violet haired warrior.

The group entered the mansion, entered Marion's room and went through a door to come to the grave. There they found Marionette, who had reverted into a lifeless doll. In front of her was another yellow fruit with a green top on it. Arianna retrieved the fruit and murmered"Rest in peace, Marion Bloome."

Arianna and her group zoomed back to Stornway, just as an old woman spotted the doll"Hm? What are you doing here?"

The woman took the doll back into Marion's room and put it onto the bed.

Back at Stornway, Ashlynn addressed the team"I had a lot of fun, Arianna. Sure if was dangerous, but I am glad I could help."

Arianna smiled"Same to you, Ashlynn. Will you be going back to your world, now?"

"No, I might hang around Stornway a bit longer, I will eventually fade back to King Zenith's castle anyway. Maybe I can contact my friends in that world's real world and continue to investigate the dimensional rifts caused by the Rapportals" said the sorceress.

"Good luck with that" said Trent.

Ashlynn smiled"Thank you, everyone. Oh, and here's a little tip from me."

Arianna was surprised"I can't take your money just like that!"

The sorceress shook her head as she handed some coins over"It's okay, besides you're helping with the inn, right? So what are you going to do now?"

"My friends and I are on an important mission, we still have three more fyggs to find. Ashlynn, sorry I got you too involved in it" said Arianna.

"It's okay, I will pray to the Almighty for your success" said Ashlynn.

Arianna and her group bade farewell to Ashlynn before zooming to Dourbridge. As they got to the pub there, Buster greeted them"Hey, how did it go?"

Conrad handed the Trove to the noble thief, who whistled as he recieved the treasure"Not bad, guy. Consider yourself a part of the B-Team, don't forget that we're buddies, now."

"Thanks, Buster" said the male brunette.

Arianna and her group zoomed once more to Bloomingdale and went to the inn for the night. "It's been a long day, tomorrow it's off to sea, right?" said Raymond.

The Priestess nodded"Now that we have Marion's, or Marionette's, permission, we have access to the Pride of Bloomingdale. Hm, it's going to be our first time sailing the ocean, I bet it will be pretty."

Arianna rearranged her things as he responded"The next major town on the map is Gleeba, right? The desert's going to be hot, so we should buy some cooler outfits before sailing off. Don't ask me anything else, I know about it because Gleeba is labled on the map as a desert kingdom."

"I heard about it from my father, so I am not surprised" said Sasha.

The heroes went to bed and went to sleep. Raymond snuck a kiss to Alicia. The Priestess kissed back.

"Heh, lovebirds" whispered Conrad from his bed.

Arianna shook her head as she got into her bed"Good night, everyone."

Alicia and Raymond had squeezed onto the same bed as they made love before relaxing. Alicia pulled away"No, we shouldn't do that now."

"Why not?" whispered the mage.

"Never mind. Let's just keep our lips to ourselves, I know you love me, but now wasn't really the best time. I'm not exactly in the mood anyway" sighed Alicia.

Raymond flushed as they went to sleep.

Another chapter is up and ready. Bloomingdale probably had one of the most tragic side stories in my opinion. Hm, I tried to make the paragraphs even longer, but I guess I'm not really that good at it. I must apologize if I wasn't too accurate with Bloomingdale's events in this chapter and the previous one.

Again, I might have to change one of the genres, because the next few chapters won't have much fluff in them. Oh, and I made up a bit about the Bloomingdale arc, because even post game it seems that none of the NPCs in Bloomingdale realize the true fate of Marion Bloome. I know that part of the game was a bit sad, but I don't know what to say.

Please feel free to review.