Chapter 52

The Necropolis

After their impressive cross-country, the White SeeDs were resting in an open area in the outlying suburbs of the ruined capital. The ground was firm and flat here, long since reclaimed by the earth, the awnings of the ruined roofs providing them with some respite from the sun. Observing the ruins from afar, the crew had also sighted the tonberries and the Wraiths of Zefer through their lenses.

The wraiths marched stalwartly, moving two by two, their spears and round shields at the ready. Their reunions with their loved ones and the wonders of the Netherworld remained forever denied to them. The White SeeDs observed them from a safe distance, not ceasing to be fascinated by them, Rhodry included.

'I can't believe they've been wandering here for two thousand years,' Relm said, filming the nearest patrolling pair with her camera zoom on max. 'I wonder if they would let me draw them,' she wondered. 'It's not like they've got anything better to do.'

Noctis laughed heartily, then said, 'They will when the Esthari get here, Relm! You'd better be quick!'

'Don't go anywhere near them!' Kurin warned sternly. 'Not until we've had the chance to negotiate!'

Rhodry still wondered how they would presume to do so. Squall had visited this place before, during a race against the Ultimecia of the future to find Ellone. Back then, a younger Rhodry and Anwen had beheld the Necropolis from Garden's Quad. Odin had implored the wraiths to let the Children of Fate pass, and they had gone on to impress both the Pale Rider and the Tonberry King, even though they had stumbled across the latter by mistake.

The stubby, green toberries still seemingly wandered aimlessly around the tower, looking around vacantly with their lamp-like eyes, swinging those lanterns that glowed with floating amber flames. Some had daggers in hand, others wore them sheathed at their belts. The tonberries were an intelligent, tough, and misunderstood race. They were able to speak the Common Tongue should they desire, but in a patois.

Rhodry fondly remembered the tonberry that had accompanied Squall's party back to Balamb Garden, finding employment in the cafeteria and being affectionately nicknamed Braiser. He and Anwen had been among the first to befriend the 'young' tonberry, even though he had been born before the last Lunar Cry here, and Rhodry had inadvertently junctioned with him when they had met a t-rexaur in the Training Centre. Braiser had resided at Balamb Garden for several years until its fall, and Rhodry had found his and Anwen's bodies together during the battle.

The colonials were still some miles away, marching steadily in their thousands, outnumbering their allied force more than twenty to one. Kurin, Rhodry and Raine had a decision to make. Battleship Island had docked to the north, and a detachment of GF bearers led by Squall were on their way, but would not reach the Necropolis before the Esthari. They laid out their options.

'The way I see it, there are three choices,' Rhodry said to the White SeeD elders. 'One, we can either wait here. Two, leave the tonberries at the mercy of the colonials and head north to unite with Squall, then come back with a much stronger force. Or, we can approach the tonberries and the wraiths directly about an alliance, then attempt to hold off the enemy until Squall and the others get here.'

'Regardless of whether we need the Tonberry King's power,' Kurin said firmly, 'Matron would never forgive us if we left his race at Esthar's mercy!'

Celes nodded. 'Truly said. Furthermore, Gerra said the tonberries are extinct in his timeline! We can't leave them!'

Rhodry had already known what they would say. He only needed a furtive look at Raine and Minwu to know that they agreed. Their course of action decided, Rhodry sent a brief voice note to Squall as the White SeeD elders gathered their people, in addition to a silent Shadow. Kurin spoke clearly to his gathered crew.

'I am taking the cactuars to the tower!' he declared. 'If the Tonberry King is here, we will offer to stand with him in defense the Necropolis!' The captain surveyed them all. 'However, I cannot determine if Squall's SeeD will be here before the Esthari. This could very well be a fight to the last! Are there any objections?'

There were none, not even from Shadow. Each of the fifty White SeeDs had determined looks on their faces and shook their heads almost instantly. They would not show weakness or try to contradict their Captain's decision. The cactuars all raised one arm, in what Rhodry believed was an awkward imitation of their shared SeeD salute. Kurin requested that Raine, Rhodry, Celes and Minwu accompany him. In a single file, the captain led the line of cactuars to the tower and the encasing diamond structure at the heart of the ruins. The building that had once housed the ruler of ancient Centra, of which Sorceress Adel had been the last.

A whole battalion of wraiths swiftly moved to acquire them before they even got halfway, conjoining in a phalanx. Minwu started to glow with an unearthly white as he stepped forward of the White SeeDs.

'Valiant followers of Knight Zefer!' he said sonorously. 'The army of Adel's heir marches upon this sacred city! We are here to aid you in its defense, and presently seek an audience with the noble Tonberry King! Please allow us safe passage!'

The phalanx was so rigid it could have been a permanent fixture. But then the wraiths stood to their full height as one, raising their spears and relaxing their shield arms. They parted as though a flood had come through their line, leaving a small enough space for their single file to pass. Rhodry looked at some of their helmeted skulls as he passed, directly into their empty eye sockets. Had another Sorceress never attempted to reverse Adel's necromancy, or was it simply not possible? He would have to take it up with Rinoa and Selphie.

The tonberries were largely gathered around a crumbling gargoyle statue. The robed, green dwarves were staring at the SeeDs and cactuars as they approached, with a growing number of wraiths at their back, thousands now. Shiva, Mog, and Jumbo appeared physically as their line halted, making all but one tonberry recoil. The unperturbed one was in the middle, and glowed with a jade aura as he lumbered forward, shimmering as he increased five times in size. A rotating crown appeared to hover above his head. Then the cactuars tentatively approached the tonberries, the rest of which were amassing in the square. The cactuars squeaked and jumped into their midst, some of the braver ones scaling the heads and shoulders of the tonberries, who did not seem bothered by them.

The Tonberry King spoke in their race's broken command of the Common Tongue.

'Where is the SeeD that freed me?' he slurred. 'The vessel of the Harp of the Dawn?'

Rhodry answered. 'That would be Nida, Sire. Knight to the fallen Sorceress Quistis. He has journeyed to Shumi Village, bringing a promised force of moombas to join the fight against Ultimecia.'

'The moombas?' The King contemplated. 'The shumi are an alien race, here long before your ancestors shunted them to the far north. The shumi's ancestors came from the stars, and their descendants remain stranded upon a world that is hostile to them.' His lantern jingled as he spoke. The King blinked once as his eyes swept the whole of the cactuars present. 'My race has not met with cactuars for eons, nor the moombas, or even the moogles. Not since the Tools of Hyne sought all of our power to turn upon their Creator. Yet here the whole strength of the cactuars have come to defend us, as we once again share a common enemy.' The King met the eyes of Jumbo, and something passed between the two demi-GFs. The King's gaze returned to the humans. 'And it appears the cactuars are willing to do something that has not been done since the Fall of Hyne, each becoming one with a human. It is a shame there are not more of you, for we can do the same. Still, we gladly accept your aid.'

'Thank you, Sire!' Kurin said delightedly.

There was some noise from the White SeeDs on the other side of the wraith battalions. Celes glanced at her phone.

'It is almost time!' she said. 'Relm informs us the Esthari have reached the city limits!'

'Matron watches over us!' Minwu stated. 'We cannot disappoint her!'

The colonial force was on the horizon. They marched alongside their hovering supply wagons, absent assault vehicles and pods. The former would not be able to navigate the ruins, and likely the latter had been deemed an easy target for GFs. This told the SeeDs that none of the magicite holders were among this force.

As the Esthari reached the ruined city's outskirts, the Wraiths of Zefer drew up in the old forum south of the central tower, one of the only vast open spaces remaining. Their shields each protected the leg and long-decayed torso of the wraith next to them, the old discipline still strong even after two thousand years. They were outnumbered more than ten to one by the Esthari. But, incapable of any emotion that would affect the boldness of their stand, they voicelessly waited for the imperials to approach. Minwu stood in their midst.

The Esthari strode through the ruins confidently with their plasma rifles in hand, some laughing at the skeletal soldiers as they swaggered forward, the general discipline of the colonial troops leaving something to be desired. Many were armed with those 'blasters', or standard issue plaz pistols. Their melee weapons remained sheathed as they spread to fill the old forum, as they expected the wraiths to be helpless before their ordnance.

Their commander, a certain Lieutenant Astinos, called a halt. He then ordered the frontal soldiers to adopt a triple line formation, which had come back to prevalence in their military doctrine while contending with their own Lunar Cry. The frontal soldiers went prone, the second line dropped to their knees, and the third remained standing. All three fired a volley of pale blue plasma balls at the phalanx. They expected their fire to penetrate the iron shields with ease, but it was stopped in midair. Then, Shadow's complete inventory of improvised smoke bombs detonated in unison, quickly obscuring the Esthari within the forum.

The wraiths, their magical phalanx tested, covered the distance to the Esthari rapidly. Astinos called for his men to cease fire, and they began to draw melee weapons, many of them crashing into the lines behind as the wraiths neared spear range. The physical phalanx was relaxed for half a second, and the frontal wraiths plunged their spears into the Esthari line as one, felling many with this united thrust. The Esthari retaliation smacked uselessly against the round shields, and with another synced thrust, more than a hundred Esthari died. The panic was rapid and spreading, and Astinos struggled to keep order, his men backing up and deaf to his commands.

When White SeeD had visited Edea's House, Minwu had visited Matron's holy draw point near where the lighthouse had once stood. The one Alexander had created for her when she had lost her powers. That holy power was still untapped within Minwu, though even that could not hold a candle to the power he was soon hoping to command. Para-magic had its limits, of course. A skilled mage could make their drawn magic last far longer than a novice, but to keep up such powerful barriers for more than a couple of minutes was beyond even Minwu's ability. As he felt the last dregs of white magic leave him, he heard the bolstered jeers of the Esthari as the smoke cleared and their plasma begun to cut down the front lines of wraiths.

Minwu was filled with loathing for their common enemy as scores of the wraiths were blown apart, their valiant sortie faltered. Yet the combination Minwu's of anger and desperation was not enough for him to break through the chasm to the Ethereal, as a Sorceress could at will. Some called what he hoped to achieve a 'limit break'. Matron had once told Minwu that love was the best catalyst for achieving a limit break. Cid had successfully done so during his and Edea's first ill-fated confrontation with Adel, the legendary Knight saving the life of his Sorceress in the process.

Now Minwu pictured Ellone. Not the teenage Elle, with her pale naked curves glistening in the Centran moonlight, but the refined one at the age she was now, along with her three amazing children. The previous night, that Ellone had sent Minwu a single text message that had meant the Planet to him.

I never stopped loving you either, Minwu. Please try to find another way.

Except there was no other way. White SeeD did not have enough artificial shields to defend the wraiths, and even if they had, it was unlikely they could have convinced the ancient hoplites to carry them. Someone had to be that shield, who was also powerful enough to deal a crippling blow to the enemy.

It was ultimately Minwu's unabated love for Ellone that allowed him to reach the Ethereal, and he began to search among the rampant force of the elements as he glowed with a golden aura. The holy para-magic he had stored within his body allowed the most powerful of those elements to find him, and he gave his mortal shell over to that absolute force. With a colossal amount of power at his command, the white mage concentrated holy light in the centre of the Esthari formation. It swiftly multiplied in size, its light blinding the majority of the Esthari that were ever reliant on their headgear.

Matron, Minwu thought, as he passed the point of no return. I just want you to be proud!

There was an enormous explosion, and nigh on a thousand of the colonials were obliterated. Hundreds more were maimed, and the outlying ones were knocked off their feet. The remainder were wholly disoriented as they tore off their now useless headgear and fumbled for their weapons.

The white mage's lifeless body fell to the ground.

The imbued White SeeDs, along with scores of unjunctioned tonberries and cactuars, made their move. They had been hiding amongst the ruins, moving into better position as the Esthari had been occupied with the wraiths. They had also changed back into their iconic white uniforms before the battle, with no more need to blend into the landscape. Edea's SeeD would meet the Esthari wearing their White Berets.

'For our brother!' Kurin cried. 'Don't let his sacrifice be in vain!'

He, along with Rhodry and Raine, would be bringing up the rear while they summoned their GFs to lead the attack. The rest of Edea's SeeD glowed with the gherkin green of a cactuar. They were now effectively super soldiers with their increased speed, strength, and endurance, but were not as powerful as a GF bearer. Though it would make a significant difference against the much larger enemy force.

Edea's SeeD tore into the befuddled rear of the Esthari, dicing dozens before the enemy realised what was happening. Reaper emerged from the ruins of a villa and trampled through the Esthari to join the White SeeDs, the colours of he and Shadow in stark contrast to them. Interceptor had remained by Relm's side, even in advanced age proving no less vicious than a Trabian wolf.

They were swiftly joined by the unjunctioned cactuars, firing their needles to cover the slower tonberries, led by their king. The cactuars hopped to dodge retaliatory plasma rays with ease. The Tonberry King's lantern glowed with fire, and from it shot uncountable narrow rays of energy. His subjects were doing the same on a smaller scale, keen to avenge their fallen cousins from the Empire's last incursion here. At their front, the king leapt into the Esthari lines, his great knife gutting multiple Esthari with sweeping strokes. Shiva, Mog and Jumbo appeared on the flanks of the enemy force, a combination of ice javelins, quicksilver rays and deadly needles making short work of the colonials' light armour.

Back in the forum, the wraiths mercilessly dealt death in great numbers. They were no longer shielded magically, but unable to feel pain, they would continue fighting even if they lost an arm. The few that lost a leg would pull themselves along the ground to get within spear range. They did not die even when decapitated, staring daggers at the one who had beheaded them.

The Esthari were thoroughly routed, as Astinos had been at the centre of Minwu's explosion. They fell into a haphazard retreat from the forum, the continually depleting force running in every direction. The White SeeDs and the wraiths were hot on their heels, wanting to eliminate as many enemies as possible before they could regroup. Still the needles and lantern light tore into them. Though Rhodry could see that despite their great losses, the bulk of the force remained. They would not fall victim to another ambush, either. The colonials would lick their wounds and return, still outnumbering them several to one. He called Squall directly to update him.

'Excellent work, Rhodry!' Squall praised him. 'Send our condolences for the loss of Minwu; he's been with White SeeD since the beginning. We'll be there within the hour! I'm counting on you all to hold out until then!'

'We won't let you down, Commander!' Rhodry vowed.

Before long, the colonials had regrouped in the south of the ruins. Rhodry expected them to come back at any minute, but they made no move to do so. The wraiths, along with the tonberries, were systematically finishing off the hundreds of wounded Esthari left behind. Minutes passed, and they had still not advanced, leading some of the White SeeDs to boast and jeer.

After some time, half a dozen wraiths silently approached the SeeDs with the body of Minwu on their shields, kneeling so that Kurin and Celes could gently lower their old friend to the ground. The rest of the White SeeDs had taken their berets off to their elder.

'May Minwu forever be known as the White Wizard following his sacrifice,' Rhodry commented. 'That had to be one of the most powerful limit breaks ever seen throughout history!'

'No one messes with Edea's SeeD!' Noctis bragged.

The prince's posse had been making particularly obscene gestures toward them. Ignis pulled his combats back to up his waistline, having presented his rear to his former compatriots for the third time in twenty minutes. Prompto had his phone held in the Esthari's direction. Though the quartet's grins rapidly disappeared when they sighted a solitary Valkyr approaching lowly from beyond them. A reinforcement of just one airship approached could only mean one thing. It landed in a small square in front of the waiting Esthari.

'Hynedamn it!' Kurin cursed. 'If Ultimecia is here, we're done for!'

Rhodry raised his binoculars, zooming in on the airship. He recognised General Zebalga leading a small contingent down the ramp, followed by Colonel Vlahos. Rhodry spotted the gargantuan Reinhardt third, with the haft of his huge hammer against a broad shoulder. Next was Mitsuhide Akechi, Murasame in hand, with one gauntlet bigger than the other and Alexander's magicite glowing from within an indentation. At the rear he saw the horn-helmed Gabranth, also known as the Judge and one of Ultimecia's longest serving Praetorians.

Though the absence of the remaining Praetorians told Rhodry that the Empress herself was not here.

'I don't see Ultimecia, nor Christophe,' Rhodry commented. 'But all her other GF puppeteers are there. My guess is she's back in Esthar, waiting for Eden's energy to replenish after what she did to Dollet. Her Knight will be by her side.'

Bolstered, the Esthari advanced as he spoke. Rhodry observed Zebalga and the others as they led the colonials.

'At least if we take one out,' Raine said, 'their GFs won't replace them! If we can destroy just one of those magicite crystals, the odds will favour us!'

'You're right,' he said. 'I'll challenge Akechi, as much as I yearn to settle the score with Vlahos. One of us must be willing to face two.'

'Allow me!' Raine said immediately. 'I can keep them at a distance!'

'Are you sure, Raine?' Kurin asked her.

She nodded. 'I still need to earn my moniker.'

Celes put a hand on her shoulder. 'You already have, Lioness.'

'Too long has Matron gone unavenged!' Kurin said firmly, meeting his adoptive sister's eyes. 'I will challenge Zebalga! Celes, you will face Reinhardt!'

'Gladly,' Celes answered, then turned to the nearby Tonberry King. 'Will you lend me your power, Sire?'

The Tonberry King nodded. 'I would be honoured to.'

The rest of the White SeeDs – along with the hundreds of unjunctioned cactuars and tonberries – were placed on either side of the wraith army, which moved into a wedge formation and backed toward the tower as the Esthari neared. Zebalga's group walked several yards ahead of the Esthari frontline. Rhodry and the other GF bearers detached from their united force.

'Come forth!' the General challenged, raising his sickle sword.

Kurin answered first. 'For Matron!' the captain roared, the whole of Edea's SeeD joining his war cry and charge. The White SeeD leader charged the Zebalgan with tantos in both hands. Celes was close behind, her long blonde hair trailing and resonating with her newfound power, her rune-engraved sword held out before her, and Reinhardt did not hesitate to parade Odin's power as their eyes met, glowing with that pale silver. Perhaps in a predetermined move, Akechi moved to intercept Rhodry, his hair glowing a ghostly white as he channelled Alexander's energy. Rhodry met Murasame on Icefall's edge, initially allowing Akechi to dictate their dance.

Raine approached the pair of Colonel Vlahos and Gabranth without a shred of self-doubt.

'The Slayer of Sepultura presumes to face us alone?' Gabranth sneered.

'Gallant,' Vlahos lauded. 'But we can offer you no quarter, daughter of Raijin!'

'I don't expect any,' Raine answered, then glowed with Mog's quicksilver aura. 'Besides, I'm not alone.'

Around them, the two armies engaged. Raine admiringly held her own, Thunderstroke's length giving her a natural advantage over two gladiuses and a broadsword. Vlahos and Gabranth could not land a single strike on her. Raine even succeeded in sweeping Gabranth's legs when he got overambitious, flustering him as he landed on his back. If their armour were not unbreakable, he and Vlahos would both be in a great deal of pain. Yet they both had valour enough to not summon their GFs for an unfair advantage; Neither would have it said that they could not best a single SeeD, even if it was the niece of the Lionheart.

Rhodry could pay the rest of the fighters no mind as he parried Akechi's blows with deep concentration, waiting for an opening which did not present itself. He sought to strike the magicite rather than the few openings in Akechi's armour. The former Adel Unit leader moved as fluidly between katana disciplines as Rhodry had anticipated, with seamless transitions from parry to strike. The only others Rhodry had duelled with matching skill were Squall and Christophe.

Kurin kept much of the offensive, striking suddenly but boldly whilst trying to stay within Zebalga's khopesh. Though the sickle sword in itself was an unconventional weapon, rarely used outside of the Kakashbaldi tribes. The outer edge could deflect blows from various angles, throwing many traditional blademasters the first time they encountered one. The General was not one for second chances, and Kurin was wielding two daggers besides. In a sudden change of defense, Zebalga's free hand came down to stop Kurin's latest thrust dead. He then swung down, slicing through the captain's forearm. Kurin howled, blind to Zebalga's follow through as a curving upthrust ran him through the chest.

A heartbeat later, Jumbo materialised over Kurin's falling body, his form soon towering high above the General. Though Zebalga had anticipated this, on Tiamat's back in the next instant. Midnight-blue fire swallowed Jumbo's needles and started to consume the upper portion of his body. Jumbo wisely dematerialised with enough stamina remaining to avoid being drawn into magicite, his essence moving away.

Celes held out against the man-mountain that stood almost two heads taller than her. Her swordplay was almost on par with that Rhodry and Akechi. Those two would have been her superior, but they would not have found it an easy duel. The runic blade Sorceress Edea had fashioned especially for her could absorb every elemental power and was effectively White SeeD's portable draw point. Over the years, it had amassed an enormous amount of power. Odin was not an elemental GF, serving only to lend Reinhardt even more freakish strength and ferocity. As a Trabian, the highlander was naturally attuned to ice. He was also learned with earth, in line with his destructive nature. Though every time he attempted to use magic, Celes absorbed the tell-tale emerald light into her sword, countering with a combination of her preferred fire and water that only Odin's metaphorical armour saved him from.

If not for Zebalga, Celes would have prevailed. The veteran White SeeD stopped the Praetorian's hammer dead on her unbreakable blade. She thrust to smite him underarm, but his own impregnable armour stopped it. Sidestepping another titanic swing, Celes moved to hamstring the giant with a tight uncoiling, her sword tip finding a join. Cutting deep and through, Reinhardt toppled sideways with a thunderous crash. Celes readied for a killing thrust, but with a sudden steel flash, Zebalga grabbed her head from behind and cut her from ear to ear. Celes hit the ground before Reinhardt, who forced himself to his knees and brought his hammer down on her skull with a primal roar.

Like Jumbo, the Tonberry King materialised after the death of his summoner, though this time behind the General. He thrust his great knife at Zebalga, who narrowly avoided, though he did not wait from a retaliatory attack from Tiamat.

Rhodry realised what had happened to the two White SeeD elders when he glimpsed the broad form of the Tonberry King behind Akechi. When the king disappeared, Tiamat started flying towards Raine. Now out of desperation, he sought to knock Akechi back before he could take the offense again. Rhodry willed Shiva's power to explode out of him, causing Akechi to reel and lose his grip on Murasame. Rhodry fired a moderate ice spell at him, but he was ready with a counter. It was enough to pause their duel.

He implored Shiva to reach out to Raine and the unseen demi-GFs, telling them to form up on him. Jumbo and the Tonberry King reappeared nearby, and the two SeeDs rapidly moved to stand between them. They would receive no aid from the rest of White SeeD, who had now been wholly surrounded by the colonial force, at a great cost. The magicite holders converged on them, save for the hamstrung Reinhardt, who was audibly cursing from where he had fallen.

'If I am to meet my end here,' Rhodry said, 'it was a privilege to die in defense of the free Guardian Forces.'

The Tonberry King nodded once. 'And it was an honour to fight with SeeD. We shall remember your sacrifice until the end of time. Won't we, Jumbo?'

Jumbo made a low-pitched sound, the black line of his mouth upturning to a smile.

'It's not over yet!' Raine said. 'We stand four on four!'

Zebalga reached them, stopping several yards away from Akechi. Vlahos and Gabranth were behind.

'Surrender your Guardian Forces,' the Zebalgan said, 'and you and the girl will die quickly, Abadon!'

Icefall held before him, Rhodry said, 'You do not threaten from a position of strength, Zebalga! Our GFs will continue the fight if we fall; you cannot say the same for your own!'

Raine remained unperturbed. 'I haven't forgotten what you did to Massey!'

'The Dollean traitor?' Zebalga asked, then shrugged dismissively. 'You know I was pressed for time, then. That was nothing compared to what I have planned for you two! You have both irked the Empress greatly. We'll see if you're still so bold when I'm flaying you alive, Lioness,' he said coldly.

He looked about to step forward, when there were delighted shouts distinct from the incessant steelsong and death cries, giving him pause.

'Bahamut!'

'The Children of Fate!'

'Leviathan!'

'Thalassa is here!'

Rhodry looked north and could see Bahamut leading the rest of the free GFs. Their bearers all rode Leviathan, and Rhodry thought he could see the scarlet cloak of Gilgamesh with them, holding a huge glowing sword.

He heard Zebalga swear gutturally in his own language, then said, 'Fate continues to smile upon you SeeDs.' The General turned to his subordinates. 'Back to the Valkyr!'

Vlahos wheeled on him. 'What?'

'Are we going to leave our soldiers to die!' Akechi snapped.

'The Empress' orders were clear!' Zebalga said simply.

Rhodry knew they had come for the GFs, with the bonus of eliminating White SeeD and the others. But now outnumbered, they faced certain defeat and the loss of most of Ultimecia's GFs to the Allies.

'You two can stay and die with them, if you wish,' the General said. 'You're free to join your disgraced wife, Akechi. Just give me your magicite, first!'

'Never!'

Zebalga shrugged again, summoning Tiamat. He mounted and flew to the grounded Reinhardt, Tiamat picking up the Praetorian with his hind claws. Gabranth also seemed torn, but wordlessly summoned the Golden Chocobo to follow the General. Rhodry looked at Vlahos, locking eyes with his long-time adversary, before glancing at the facial scar he had given her years before.

'We'll settle things in Timber,' he pledged.

The Colonel just nodded.

Mitsuhide sheathed the Murasame. 'Your reputation is well deserved, Abadon,' he commented.

Rhodry nodded. 'As is yours, Akechi.'

There was a brief pause.

'It's a shame the two of you serve Ultimecia,' Raine said earnestly.

'That may be true,' Vlahos answered. 'But it is the Motherland we serve, Lioness, as our families have done so for generations.'

With that, they too departed.

(A/N: Please refer to A Young Adel for more context regarding Zefer and the wraiths.)