Start Date: April 20, 2024

Windwillow

Final Fantasy IX: The Reason and Right to Exist

Chapter Eight: Traversing the Outer Continent

They'd crossed one continent and arrived at another. Upon their arrival on the Outer Continent, Zidane's group found a huge wasteland of rugged mountains and dry forests. Even the soil was different, a darker color than that of the Mist Continent. The air itself was crisp and clean, totally devoid of Mist and empty (so far) of monsters. On the other hand there didn't seem to be much life period, not even birds or insects. Instead the party arrived in a low silence, with even the sun seemingly being positioned differently.

It was horrifying for him to look at, having been so used to the lush forests and deep, blue rivers of the Mist Continent. Everything just looked... dead. "There isn't much of anything here," Vivi mumbled. "Are there even people?"

For Quina it was an unmitigated disaster, with neither forests to scavenge or rivers to fish in. "No lakes... no forests... no rivers... Where me get food?!" Quina shrieked, holding their head in their hands. "No fish, no boar, no anything!"

"The air is so much lighter... There really isn't any Mist here..." murmured Dagger. "Does that mean that we won't have to deal with all the Mist monsters that we've been fighting for so long...?"

That was too much to ask for. Even above the Mist there had been monsters. Just because they lacked Mist it didn't mean that there weren't vicious beasts prepared to rip and tear them into shreds. "I... doubt it," Zidane said flatly. "Anywhere you go on Gaia, there will be always be monsters. They'll just look different than what we're used to..."

Scene One

The Outer Continent was, indeed, a new world, one devoid of life and filled with nothing but misery. Zidane quickly noted the existence of several strange, gigantic tree roots and theorized that they belonged to some sort of massive tree like Cleyra. He wondered, however, why the roots would be so far from the tree itself. It was over an hour before the party reached its first forest, and it was here that they met their first opponents on the Outer Continent.

These Goblins were far better dressed than their normal counterparts, and wore dark red robes with pointy shoes and carried a long pole arm kind of weapon. The Goblin Mages were an advanced race of Goblin unique to the Outer Continent, capable of using both basic elemental and certain other unique magic that only they could perform. The party encountered a group of five Goblin Mages just as they exited their first forest, and the battle to come would be just as intense as any on the Mist Continent.

Zidane swiftly hurled Rune Tooth at one of the mages, only for the monster to disappear into thin air before it hit. Noticing that the monster's staff remained visible Zidane caught his dagger and charged at the Goblin Mage, though as he approached the monster reappeared, stretched out its free hand, and blasted him with a large jolt of lightning magic. He narrowly managed to keep himself from dropping and as the Goblin Mage disappeared again Zidane swiped his foot beneath the staff, which caused the goblin to reappear and gave him the chance to skewer it to death.

Three of the monsters engaged Dagger and Vivi at the same time. The two facing them swung their staves at the black mage and narrowly avoided hitting him. When they tried to follow up Vivi encased one of them in a prison of ice, though its partner simply melted it with fire magic by laying its free hand on the igloo. Vivi attempted to attack with fire and lightning but the two Goblin Mages struck him with a frost spell that froze his body solid from the chest down.

Dagger opened her racket and slapped one of the goblins in the head, though it quickly returned by smacking her in the face with its own staff. As Dagger fell back injured the three Goblin Mages loomed above her, only for one to be decapitated by Zidane and another knocked back from a hard strike to its chest. Zidane fell back from his injuries, still wounded from the first Goblin Mage's lightning spell, and staggered to his feet as the two remaining Goblin Mages prepared their counterattack.

"Dagger! Now!" Zidane shouted haggardly.

As she palmed the Peridot Dagger shut her eyes tight in prayer. The resulting light revealed the aged form of the Eidolon Ramuh, who manifested between his summoner and the two monsters. Ramuh lifted his rod and then beat the butt of it on the earth below, which caused a field of lightning to erupt that swallowed and electrocuted the two Goblin Mages. The Eidolon slowly faded away as Dagger hurried to heal both her injuries and Zidane's, leaving Vivi to shiver as a statue.

Quina, whose fork now impaled the fifth goblin, swung its prey high behind their back and they jabbed it into Vivi's prison, which shattered the ice and freed him. Once everyone had been restored to fighting shape the group continued on in their path until Vivi spotted something in the distance, something high above and far to the north. It certainly looked artificial, at least.

"Zidane, look!" Vivi shouted, his finger pointing to the structure. "Is that a village?"

Zidane unfurled the World Map and slid his finger onto the mark on the map. The map was indeed as useful as Artania had suggested it would be, as the map was marked with the name of the settlement. "Conde Petie..." muttered Zidane. "That definitely sounds like a village of some sort. It'll be nice to find a warm bed after all this garbage."

"Ooh! Ooh! Me see marshland nearby!" tittered Quina as s/he gestured towards what appeared to be another Qu's Marsh. "Me catch frogs!" s/he said, slurping their massive tongue across their face.

"No," Zidane droned, to Quina's dismay. "We're here to find a village, not catch frogs."

"But... Me hungry..." Quina whimpered weakly.

Unfortunately for Quina, Zidane's argument carried more weight and the group departed for the settlement called Conde Petie. It would be a long trip, however, across dangerous plains and threatening forests. The worst surprise came when they circled around the mountain, when a Zaghnol - the same monster that Zidane and Freya had fought during the Festival of the Hunt - ambushed them from behind the rocks.

Vivi swiftly charged a lightning spell and blasted the Zaghnol, but because it was a lightning-elemental creature the Zaghnol simply absorbed the magic and shot it back at Vivi, knocking him to the ground injured. That was enough for Zidane to Trance, his emotions surging as he saw his friend go down. Zidane flipped Rune Tooth right-side-up and made a slashing motion high into the sky. A small light broke through the sky, a basketball-sized orb of Trance energy, that struck the Zaghnol and continued on high into the air once more.

Even that wasn't enough, however. The Zaghnol didn't falter and struck Zidane with a similar electric field. As it continued to approach Quina lashed out with their massive fork, their arm stretching long from their body as the spear punctured the Zaghnol in the chest. S/he dragged the beast towards them, opened their jaws impossibly wide, and with a single gulp consumed the entire creature as if it were a normal piece of meat. As their friends stared in shock Quina belched out a tiny bit of lightning from their mouth, leaving a mortified Dagger the task of healing the others.

Scene Two

After eight exhausting hours of travel, during which they were assailed by still more monsters, the party eventually crossed the wastelands and plains until they reached what the map referred to as Conde Petie. The settlement was a large stone structure built into a mountain, with several roots connecting it to the mountain proper. To reach the village they would need to carefully navigate over a massive root until they reached the entrance to the building. Even worse, the map was hundreds of years old; who was to say it was even still occupied?

Although he was relieved to see civilization after hours of exhausting battle, Vivi suddenly realized something pertinent that they hadn't encountered. "We didn't see a single cloud of Mist the whole way here..." remarked Vivi breathlessly.

"Which is a good thing," Dagger said curtly as she stretched her neck to work out a kink in it, "because it stimulates negative emotions and spawns powerful monsters. Without Mist our chances of survival certainly seem to be higher."

Quina shook their head and adjusted their apron. "Still fight monsters. Many powerful ones," s/he sighed. "No Mist, still monsters..."

"Yeah... We aren't safe in any sense of the word. The monsters we fought to get here actually seem to be more brutal than the ones we're used to," Zidane grumbled. He shook his head as he examined the large structure, still unsure if they would even find people there. "We need to hurry inside. If they do have beds, I'm definitely going to take one."

Seemingly unable to contain themselves Quina charged up the root first. This left their friends only the choice of following them. With Quina leading the way and Vivi and Dagger close behind the party hurried inside the village and were met by three bizarre, green humanoids. They certainly looked primitive, dressed in archaic garb and squat like they'd been beaten down from a hammer to the head.

With Quina having slipped past the three guards barred their entry inside the village, each of them confronting the party members with a bizarre greeting of "Rally-ho!" Although confused Dagger and Vivi quickly returned the greeting and were allowed inside, though Zidane's path was barred by the third creature. "Rally-ho!" it repeated. Finally, with no other option Zidane returned the greeting and was allowed inside.

"And what exactly is going on with all this 'rally-ho' crap?" Zidane groaned.

"Ye've arrived at Conde Petie, home o' the dwarves," the guard said in a gruff, primal growl. "Rally-ho is oor signature greetin', and ye'd do well ta remember it!"

"Just swell..." moaned Zidane, hanging his head in despair. "I need a translator ASAP..."

Parallel Perspective: Vivi's Exploration

The black mage Vivi traveled north from the gate, carefully examining the building that they'd reached. He was amazed by the quality of the stonework that comprised the village, crafting of such high quality that it almost seemed superhuman in how they'd quarried and cut the stones that made up Conde Petie. "But the people are all so... so... uncultured..." muttered Vivi.

"Ach! Explain yerself!" snarled one of the dwarves as she approached Vivi, clearly dressed as a female. Vivi recoiled in shock and threw up his hands but quickly realized that the dwarf was speaking to the person behind him.

"All ahm doin' is walkin' aroond, woman!" spat Granin Miller, the husband of the female dwarf who had approached Vivi. "Is it a crime all o' a sudden?!"

Margaret Miller stormed past Vivi and got straight up in her husband's face, with an intensity that moistened both his and Vivi's shirts. "All ye are is a drunkard and a fool!" she retorted. "Ye can't do a damned thing withou' me, ye cretin, and ah've half a mind to leave ye behind in the dust!"

"Ye're right, ye're right! But ah cannae live withou' ye!" Granin whimpered as he fell to his knees and bowed his head to his wife. "I beg of ye, dinnae leave me! Ah'll change, ah swear it!"

The female dwarf thought for a bit and, as a smile crossed her face, she lifted her hand and smacked her husband hard over the head before throwing her arms around him. "Ach! Ah cannae stay mad at mah greatest love!" swooned Margaret. "Ah'll take ye back, ye damned fool, but if ye cross me again ah'll beat ye senseless!"

"Thank ye, thank ye!" Granin sobbed.

"Um... What... just happened...?" Vivi mumbled.

"Mind yer own business!" the dwarves shouted in unison, with such intensity that Vivi immediately took off running.

Parallel Perspective: Quina's Exploration

Quina, having slipped past the guard without reciting the greeting, wandered throughout the village in search of something to eat. S/he finally found it when s/he reached the general store of Wendy Grocer, with a display filled with nuts and berries that s/he'd never seen before. As s/he scanned the selection with drooling lips Quina finally decided on one of the berries and pointed to it.

Wendy Grocer withdrew the berry and laid her hand on the counter flat. "That'll be ah thousand Gil!" she crooned.

"Me have to pay?" Quina said quizzically. "True gourmands not barter for food. Is primitive."

"So ye're a thief, are ye?!" Wendy snarled. "Thievin' women like ye deserve nothin' but justice!"

With a tilt of their head, Quina licked their lips and gave Wendy a wily wink. "Me not woman," Quina grunted. S/he slurped their tongue over their mouth and wiped the saliva from their bib, brushed away the dust in their eyes, and the expression on their face quickly turned hopeful. "That mean me get berry?"

The grocer slammed both her hands on the counter and let out a wild shriek that frightened Quina half to death. "So ye're in league with yon hellion, are ye?!" she roared. "The one who's been stealin' mah food?!"

"Me not thief," Quina said curtly. "Me leave now. You horrible salesperson."

Parallel Perspective: Dagger's Exploration

Like her friends Dagger's luck in finding anything useful was as successful as theirs: zilch. Eventually she did find the Inn, however, a small establishment with four beds arranged in a diamond shape, and she quickly moved towards the Innkeeper in a desperate attempt to secure a bed for the night. She and her friends badly needed rest. Even if it would be in a tiny, probably unsanitary bed it was going to be more than welcome.

Just as she was about to requesition a room, however, Dagger overheard a brash voice shouting out over the din of a loud conversation. "Ah've a need tae find mah son William a bride," yelled Walter. "He's ah real fine young lad and ah dinnae know why he has nae found ah bride yet!"

Barbara shook her head and took a drink of her tea. "He isn't much of ah looker, for one thin'," she said flatly. "He looks like ah giant otter dressed up as a dwarf."

"He ain't none o' the sort!" Walter roared. As he and Barbara continued to bicker Walter caught sight of Dagger out of the corner of his eye and turned around to face her with a wide, toothy smile. "Oy, lass!" he called out brashly. "Will ye marry mah son?"

Dagger was utterly taken aback and remained silent for several seconds. First off, she didn't want to get married. Second point, she certainly didn't want to marry one of these lunatics. Still, tact seemed pertinent and so she calmly lifted her hands and smiled. "I may not be taken, but I'm also not available," she said curtly. "I'll decide who I marry, and no one else will tell me otherwise."

"Ach... Fine," spat Walter as he turned back to his tea. "Begone with ye, and go find another workhorse ta ride. Mah William can do better."

"E-Excuse me?!" Dagger snarled angrily. "I do not need to marry your son to make me feel like a woman!" she hissed. "If you want to try me, then go ahead and-" The Innkeeper tapped a finger to Dagger's shoulder, causing her to turn around, her face ashen. She hadn't intended on making a scene. "I-I mean... It's just..." stammered Dagger.

"Come stay in bed, lass," crooned the Innkeeper.

"I am not getting into bed with you!" Dagger spat. When she slowly realized that she hadn't been propositioned, and was simply offered a bed for the night, Dagger apologetically raised her hands and sighed. "T-Thank you..." she stammered weakly. "I... accept..."

Scene Three

During Zidane's wanderings throughout Conde Petie he narrowly missed seeing his friends during their own adventures and just hearing the dwarves and their ridiculous speech patterns made his head spin. When he finally did find a familiar face it was Vivi, who was talking with two dwarves on a bridge near where the grocery store was. Zidane approached with a smile on his face, though when he saw the confusion on Vivi's he tilted his head and came closer much more slowly.

One of the dwarves was the stonemason, Derek Stonehammer, who was in charge of stonework for the quarries of Conde Petie. "Many thanks for the hen ye cooked for me a day or so ago!" he said cheerfully. "It was right juicy and crispy, it was!"

Vivi, confused, scratched the back of his head and adjusted his hat. He had no idea what the dwarf was talking about. "I... didn't cook anything," he said quickly. "I can't even cook. Grandpa did all the cooking for me."

Kelley Fingerwaver interrupted, waving her finger as you might expect. "Ach! Yer so modest! I bet you used yer magic to fry it, right?" she said brightly. "All of ye folks have such wonderful spell-craftin'!"

It didn't take long for Zidane to put the pieces together, and so when he beckoned Vivi to join him aside the two dwarves his face was more than a little shaky. The idea was outlandish, but there didn't seem to be any other interpretation. "You heard what I did, right?" he asked shakily.

"Heard what?" Vivi chirped.

Zidane groaned and put a hand to his face, knowing that he probably shouldn't have expected Vivi to figure the idea out in one go. "Let's review: someone who looks like you cooked with magic..." he said warily. "Who looks like you and uses magic?"

"N-No way!" Vivi gasped. "There are black mages here?! And... they aren't killing people...?"

"Aye, the Pyntie-Hets are always pleasant when they come to do their barterin'," Derek Stonehammer interjected. "Nice n' polite, all the time they are."

The idea was mindblowing. The black mages that they'd encountered on the Mist Continent were soulless killing machines, but the only way that they could barter with the dwarves was if they could talk. A talking black mage? Up until then they only knew of one very noteworthy example. Vivi exchanged a nervous glance with Zidane and turned to leave, only to meet up with Dagger, who had just come from the Inn.

Dagger stretched her limbs and cracked her neck, the relief she'd found by laying in the dwarves' beds having warmed her aching muscles. Even if the beds looked small, they were actually quite comfortable. "Do you two want to take a few minutes and rest?" she asked cheerfully. "There's an Inn, a hundred Gil for a bed... Why do you two look so spooked?" Dagger wondered warily. "You look like you've seen a ghost..."

The trio retreated back to the Inn, where they took Dagger's offer and cashed in with the local Innkeeper for a night's worth of rest. Before they could take the full night, however, their discussion turned to the information that Zidane and Vivi had uncovered, the idea that there were black mages who could speak and act peacefully. Dagger was shocked, having heard mention of new trading partners during her stay at the Inn. Zidane, reasoning that there had to be more information, decided to keep the group together from then on to search for more clues.

Eventually, after speaking with several dwarves and being told of "Pyntie-Hets" dressed in black, the party ended up at Wendy Grocer's store. They found, to their shock, a black mage engaged in a discussion with the grocer, seemingly expressing gratitude for selling at such reasonable prices. When Vivi let out a cry of joy and the black mage saw the three, however, it turned tail and ran with the party in hot pursuit. When they ended up getting lost Zidane and Dagger returned to Wendy Grocer for more information.

"Who was that?" Dagger asked shakily.

"A Pyntie-Het. They live in the sootheastern forests," Wendy said plainly.

"And there's more than one...?" asked Zidane warily.

Wendy nodded and stretched her neck. "'Boot fifty of 'em," she said. "They're all quite nice."

Vivi, who had kept after the black mage until he lost track of it, ended up in front of the gate guardians, who greeted him with the usual "Rally-ho!" and he weakly returned the greeting. Zidane patted a disconsolate Vivi on the head and turned his eye to the gate guardian. "Any idea where we can find the pointy hats?" he asked quietly.

"Pyntie-Hets," the guard corrected. "They live in the sootheastern forest, where the owls don' go. Ta get there ya have to go 'round yon cliff n' follow the woods until ye reach a dead forest. No idea how they live there," he shrugged, "but a fellow o' mine saw 'em head that way once."

Dagger exchanged a glance with both Zidane and Vivi and, as Quina approached from behind them she cheerfully saluted and said, "Rally-ho!" to the gatekeeper, who gave a squat smile and waved back. They would have to find the black mages before they could determine anything else. Whether they were actually peaceful or not? Judging by the descriptions given by the dwarves for the first time they dared to hope.

Scene Four

The "Pyntie-Hets," black mages of unknown origin who supposedly were sentient and able to speak, lived inside a dead forest to the southeast of Conde Petie... allegedly. Vivi only vaguely dared to hope that he would find others like him. The party departed Conde Petie and made a turn around the cliff until they reached the entrance to a massive forest. Given that they were attacked multiple times by Goblin Mages, when they saw one being assailed by a Griffin most of them were content to let it be eaten. The Griffin, the same monster that Steiner had fought in Treno, was a large avian beast capable of controlling wind magic. Against its speed and power the Goblin Mage put up the best fight it could, slinging spells and feebly whacking at it with its staff, though eventually it was cornered at the edge of the woods. When the Griffin reared back to deliver the finishing blow the monster was shocked when a bullet of air smacked into the Griffin and blasted it away from the other monster.

The Goblin Mage turned in shock to find Dagger, her racket opened, standing up to defend it. It wasn't the only one surprised, either; the others were confused and Zidane was outright outraged at the idea of saving a monster. Dagger's iron will and gentle heart, however, won the thief over to her side and he swiftly drew his daggers to stand next to his friend. Zidane drew back Rune Tooth as Vivi clapped his hands together, the black mage sending a fiery aura to the dagger that coated it in flames before Zidane hurled it at the Griffin. Zidane's attack never connected, due to the Griffin simply flapping its wings and flying high into the air to evade it. As it ascended the Griffin's eyes glowed and it stretched out its claw, sending a violent burst of wind magic at Zidane and Vivi that knocked them clear to their backs. Before the monster could follow up Quina blasted at it with a burst of water and wind, but the Griffin easily evaded, swooped in, and disabled them with its claw.

With Dagger the only fighter remaining she prepared to summon Ramuh. She never got the chance, however, as the Griffin exploded in a concussive explosion of feathers. Dagger looked around for the source of the spell, expecting Vivi to have done it, but found him still off balance and instead eyed the Goblin Mage that had been the Griffin's original prey, its staff smoking from a powerful fire spell. Dagger shared a look of satisfaction with the monster and a wily wink before it jolted off past them and far away from the forest. After healing themselves and upon entering the forest Zidane immediately spied a black mage escape out of the corner of his eye. He chased it as quickly as he could but ended up losing it, so he returned to his starting point and found a sign with two panels: "Where the owls live" and "Where the owls don't live." Remembering the gatekeeper's clue he dashed down the path where the owls don't live and promptly found himself back at the same crossroads.

Zidane muttered a curse and prepared to try again but reread the sign and found that the words had been switched, that the direction where the owls don't live had been reversed. He gathered his friends and hurried down the path, where he found a black mage standing in front of a large, dead forest. There didn't seem to be any life in the woods at all, not a single leaf nor a single woodlands animal. Nevertheless, the black mage raised its arms and ten lights formed on each of its fingertips. It swung down and the ten motes curled up and down, twisting and bending space and to Zidane's amazement the dead forest opened up to reveal a lush settlement, filled with houses and other buildings. As the black mage slowly plodded inside the village Zidane and the others followed closely behind it, finally managing to slip through the barrier just as it closed.

When they passed through the barrier the party found themselves inside a small, quaint village. The buildings were sturdy, though simple and designed and built of well-worked wood though without the bells and whistles one would expect from a human settlement. The buildings were all marked with the same star symbol as the barrels that had contained the black mages back on the Mist Continent, and the central building was designed to look like a giant jack-o-lantern. Upon entering they found a group of three black mages loitering, talking amongst themselves in the center of the village. Vivi watched as they spoke casually, and as his excitement overtook him he let out a loud cheer. This alerted the black mages to their intruders, and the trio immediately broke up in all directions and fled, leaving the rest of the party to scatter around the settlement to explore the Black Mage Village.

Parallel Perspective: Meeting at the Graveyard

Desperate for answers Vivi charged after one of the black mages that had scattered, chasing him throughout the village until he finally reached his final destination: a large mound decorated with the same pointed hats and circular staves that the black mages themselves wore and used. He found two black mages there, one being the one he'd followed and the other a more mature looking model carrying a large rounded staff. As he approached the first black mage recoiled and covered its face with its hands.

The older black mage tapped his staff on the ground, catching the attention of the other black mage, and quietly laid a hand to his shoulder. "You have nothing to fear from him," the black mage said in a mature, booming voice. "He's aware, just the same as we are. Just because he came with humans doesn't automatically make him our enemy, Mr. 56."

No. 56 slowly lowered his hands and blinked his eyes at Vivi, eventually relenting and breathing a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness, Mr. 288!" gasped a breathless No. 56. "We haven't found one that looked so... small until now."

No. 288 tilted his head towards Vivi and stretched his neck, adjusting the sleeves of his robes before turning and bowing his head. "One day all of us became 'aware,' sentient and living beings that spurned the murder that we'd been forced to carry out," No. 288 said in a deep, almost soothing voice. "We sought out a place without humans, so we used our magic to make our way here and established our own village, far away from the killing that the Mist Continent so cherished. When we found these woods they were dead, but..." No. 288 began with a hint of satisfaction in his voice, "our powerful magic healed rather than harmed, and once we'd rejuvenated the woods we settled in here as its keepers."

"You've reached the Inn! Welcome!" No. 56 chirped, his head bowed and what would be a smile on his face, if he had a face. He startled and looked at No. 288 and turned back to Vivi with a more quizzical expression. "Sorry... Mr. 288 calls this a 'cemetery.' Our friends are here, down in the ground... A strange place to be, if you ask me. I'm still waiting for my friend to come out of the dirt."

Vivi stared in shock and with more than a bit of horror as No. 56 spoke. The inference was quite clear: not only did the black mages speak, they also lived and died as humans would. His breath came quickly as he turned to No. 288 with a soft gasp, and the elder black mage shook his head and bowed it. Being the only one in the village knowing what he did, No. 288's task was to educate Vivi on the misconceptions and misplaced hopes his villagers labored under.

Parallel Perspective: Inside the Black Cat Synthesis Shop

When Dagger split up from the others she chased after a particularly slender black mage and followed it inside a tall, narrow hut. When she entered she found two black mages, one a normal black mage and the other a slimmer model, each positioned at the top and bottom of a small room bridged with a ladder. Upon realizing that they had an unwelcome visitor the black mages immediately balked and, rather than attack, threw up their hands in self defense.

"You want us to commit more murder, don't you?! Away with you!" spat No. 192.

"We will never kill again!" resolved No. 32, who stood next to the door and attempted to shove Dagger out. His attempts failed, however, when Dagger simply pushed back on its hand and caused it to stumble backwards. "Go away!" it shrieked.

Dagger quietly gathered herself and cleared her throat, then bowed her head to the black mages, which shocked them to the core. "I want nothing more to do with murder either," Dagger said resolutely. "You have my sympathies for the pain you're enduring... I know what it feels like to be responsible for a person's death," she said sadly. Deciding to rip off the band aid, she quietly raised her head and gave a fragile smile. "My mother used us all, you and I," said Dagger softly. "I am Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, the daughter of Queen Brahne of Alexandria. She was the one who ordered the attacks on Burmecia and Lindblum."

"You're the daughter of that beast?! Leave! Now!" ordered No. 32 desperately. When Dagger remained silent and stood firm, the black mage's eyes widened and it quietly stepped back. "W-Why don't you attack us...?"

"I'm ashamed of my mother's actions... and I was used as well. My own responsibility is great and I don't expect forgiveness, but I've come to end the madness that my mother started," Dagger said firmly. "We've come from the Mist Continent to hunt down the man pulling my mother's strings, a weapons dealer named Kuja. Our intent is to find him, speak with him for a bit, and then put a dagger through his wretched heart."

"Y-You know the name? B-But you must have an ulterior motive!" insisted No. 192. When he saw Dagger's resolve, however, the black mage relented and bowed his head in deference to the woman who he now saw sought redemption for them all. "What can the Black Cat Synthsis Shop do to help you?" he asked. His attention fell to the racket on Dagger's belt and he quietly gestured for it. Dagger handed it to him and then the black mage traded it off to No. 32, who began to fidget with it.

"Hey! Give it back!" Dagger growled. No. 32 handed the tool to No. 192, who handed it back to Dagger, though when she received it she saw that it wasn't the same as it had been before. The petals curled down farther and were slimmer. She quizzically opened the racket and revealed a slim, trident-like blade that the petals formed into, with the usual workings of the racket also just the same as they had been when she first handed it to No. 192. "Wait, what the-"

No. 32 gestured from up above and caught Dagger's attention. "As a Synthesist I saw that your racket was an inferior model, so I upgraded it. Now it can be used in close combat. As well as rather than being made totally of wood, its petals are solid steel and can repel bladed weapons," explained No. 32. He sighed and shook his head, then settled back into his seat up above. "I can see the gentleness in you, now, and I trust that you're different from your mother," he said warmly. "Please, use that to make sure that no one else suffers."

Though Dagger turned to leave No. 192 grabbed hold of her sleeve and tugged on it. "Did I see you with a small person that looked like us back at the entrance to the village?" he asked.

"Yes, our friend Vivi," smiled Dagger.

"He has a name?!" No. 192 gasped.

"Yeah, of course he has a name," Dagger said flatly, a hand on her hip. "He's human."

"I... thank you for your kindness, Miss... and I hope you take care of your human friend," No. 192 said with a strange tone in his voice. "For all of our sakes..." he murmured. Dagger smiled warmly and again bowed to the black mage, and No. 192 began to chuckle. "You know what? I like you. You're the first human I've ever liked, Miss. Thank you!"

Parallel Perspective: Chocobo Eggs are Off-Limits!

Quina's wanderings took them to the far eastern part of the Black Mage Village, where s/he found a small hut with a moogle standing outside. S/he entered to find two black mages nursing a large chocobo egg, and as s/he stared at it greedily s/he reached out to grab it, but the black mage knocked their hand down and attempted to stare them down as best he could. It wasn't working terribly well, partially due to the black mage's warm soul and partially because Quina was too hungry to give a damn.

"Why you hoarding chocobo egg?" asked Quina. "Is yummy."

"We're waiting for it to hatch!" insisted No. 111.

"It's our first time raising something that's alive," No. 33 said curtly. "You can't have it!"

"You not eat, me eat," Quina said flatly, their tongue wildly flopping. "Me hungry."

No. 111 reached out to Quina as s/he approached the chocobo egg and zapped them with a violent thunder spell that charred them and made their bones rattle. "Hands off!" No. 111 spat. "Get lost!"

"You mean," mumbled Quina. "Not worth meal if you be asshole."

"A-And there's more where that came from!" insisted No. 111, in an (unsuccessful) attempt to be intimidating.

Scene Five

After the group split up Zidane entered the town's Item Shop and, to the shopkeeper's shock and amazement he went about scanning the rows of goods, eventually narrowing in on a thick, curved blade called a Gladius that he took a fancy to. He approached the shopkeeper and offered him the money for the weapon, and though the black mage was wary he traded the Gil for the Gladius and as Zidane left the store he stashed the Gladius on his left hip instead of the normal dagger he'd been using.

Zidane next traveled around until he reached the Black Cat Synthesis Shop and entered to find Dagger talking with its two Synthesists. Before he could say anything Dagger looked him in the eye and shook her head curtly, the signal to leave. He next visited the Inn and found Vivi pensive, staring out the window with a blank expression in his eyes. Zidane reached out and ruffled his friend's hat, but his enthusiasm faded as he watched Vivi stare out into the blank emptiness.

"Me hungry! Give food!" Quina demanded as s/he entered the Inn with Dagger close behind.

"Have you found Vivi, Zidane?" Dagger asked, approaching Zidane and Vivi with a smirk on her face. Upon seeing Vivi's expression and felt the weight of the world that he carried on his shoulders, Dagger sighed and put her hand on her hip. "We'd... better go to bed," she said flatly, and the Innkeeper directed them to their beds, gave them a set of warm blankets, and they drifted off to sleep. During the sleepless night Dagger noticed Vivi leave the room and reached down to tap Zidane on the shoulder, waking him. "Something's wrong..." Dagger murmured. "Should we-"

"Leave him be," Zidane said flatly. "We both know that one of them said something to him that made him start thinking, but he needs time to himself... he might even stay," he shrugged, "if he decides he's found a home."

"Home... Like you have with Baku?" Dagger asked briskly.

Zidane couldn't help but chuckle a bit, amused at Dagger's naivety, though he finally sighed and put a hand to his face to stifle his laughter. "Let me tell you a story... Once, there was a man, and he had a home but wanted to find his birth place. All he had to go on was a strange blue light, so when he left to find it he naturally failed," Zidane sighed. He put his arms around his head and smiled. "All he could do was go home and ask his father for forgiveness."

"He said yes, right?" Dagger chirped.

At first Zidane chuckled but then he burst out laughing. "Oh, he took him back, alright," he smirked, "after beating the living daylights out of him."

"He did what?!" Dagger choked. "Why, for God's sake?!"

"He never said anything to his son about it. But the more the man thought, the more he realized the answer... He already had a home. When he left he spurned his father, so when he came back he had to face the consequences," Zidane said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But it was strange. After his father beat the man senseless he reached out his hand and pulled him to his feet. The man realized that he'd found a place to call home... and shook hands with the one who'd just beaten him," he smiled. As Dagger remained silent, Zidane's expression changed from a smile to a scowl. "He needs time. That's all we can do for him... give him time."

Parallel Perspective: Returning to the Cemetery

Vivi's destination upon leaving the Inn was the graveyard where he'd met No. 288. There he found the same black mage staring out at the graves, and Vivi could feel the sadness that he was feeling - the same sadness that he was feeling. He timidly approached No. 288 and the black mage asked, "Have you come to talk more?"

"H-How many have... stopped?" Vivi asked softly.

No. 288 shook his head and sighed. "Thank you for using our words, but you already know what it means to live... and die. Our friends are buried here for now and forever, and will never return," he said sadly. "I've formed the theory that our lifespans are limited. When the Mist that makes us up wears out we'll stop functioning... and die."

"H-How long... do they-" Vivi stammered.

"About a year on average... then we seize up and pass away," No. 288 said. Seeing Vivi's horror he turned to face the black mage and shook his head. "I can already sense that you've lived your life separate from what we have, no violence and no slaughter. You're something special," he said warmly.

"A-And how... do you feel about it all?" wondered Vivi.

"Me? I'm ambivalent. I know that now I am alive and that one day soon I will die. Even if it frightens me, by living here with my fellows I feel a different emotion: joy," No. 288 said proudly. He sighed and laid a hand on Vivi's shoulder. "Live... for all of us. It's a lot to ask, but I'll ask it regardless. Prove that we have a greater purpose, and my joy will have true meaning," he said warmly. "You are, after all... human."

Parallel Perspective: After a Long Night

In the morning Dagger broke away from the others and returned to the Black Cat Synthesis Shop to thank the black mages again. No. 32 said that she had nothing to thank them for, that they thanked her for giving them the emotions that she had shown, that she called them human and gave them Vivi's name. No. 192 let Dagger know of a rumor that a man riding a silver dragon resided in the northwestern part of the Outer Continent, beyond where the dwarves called the Sanctuary. She quietly bowed her head, thanked them, and left the two black mages to bask in a new sort of satisfaction.

Dagger caught up with Zidane outside of the Item Shop, where he showed his new Gladius to her. She explained to Zidane what she'd learned about the man riding a silver dragon, and her friend immediately took notice of the importance of the information. The princess timidly asked whether Vivi would be joining them again, though Zidane remained tight lipped and simply shook his head.

Vivi arrived from further inside the village and bid his friends hello, saying that the others had asked that he bring back stories from the outside world to tell them. Dagger questioned whether that was the whole truth, but Zidane quickly shut her down by saying that Vivi had made his decision, that they'd follow him anywhere he wanted to go. Vivi remained silent and Dagger quietly assented to Zidane's words, also suggesting that they find Quina before s/he caused any more havoc.

Scene Six

After again dragging a drooling Quina away from the chocobo egg, the party departed the Black Mage Village and made the long trek back to Conde Petie. All along the way they fought multiple Goblin Mages, Zaghnols, and Griffins, and were forced to rest in Zidane's Tent multiple times before finally reaching the gates of the dwarven city. They paid their money to spend a relaxing night at the Inn and in the morning gathered to discuss their itinerary.

Dagger confirmed her research that the dwarven "Sanctuary" was located on the root opposite to the village itself, leading further to the west. To get there they would need to get past two dwarven gatekeepers, who were quite adamant that only those who had undergone the "ceremony" would be allowed to pass. They were told to search for "His Holiness," but never given any clues on either where to find him or what he looked like. Outside of the Inn the party found an old dwarf dressed in regal green robes that they deduced was "His Holiness," David Heavenguard, and they inquired about what task they would need to undergo to complete the "ceremony."

"We need to get through, Pops," Zidane said brusquely. When David whacked him in the shin he immediately staggered and stumbled to his feet with fire in his eyes and fight in his heart. "What the hell did you do that for, you grubby old gremlin?!"

"The only way ta reach the Sanctuary is ta be married in wedded bliss," David said gruffly. "Yoo'll need ta be man an' wife to pass through the gates! Ya cannae go otherwise!"

Zidane groaned and nearly smacked David, but restrained himself at the last moment and let out a frustrated shriek. "Then we're screwed?!" he croaked. "The only way we can get through is if I marry Dagger, and she would never-"

"I'll do it," Dagger said plainly, to Zidane's utter amazement (and joy).

"Only dwarves can undergo the ceremony, but... Ach, we've but ninety-nine couples left here an' we're runnin' low on youth... Ah'll do it," David said proudly. "Ah'll go prepare the ceremony, soo wait here."

"T-This is marriage!" gasped Zidane.

Dagger shrugged and put her hands on her hips. "What? It's just a ceremony..." she sighed. A gleam formed in her eyes and she folded her arms over her chests with a satisfied smirk. When she leaned towards Zidane and her eyes changed shape he clearly got the feeling that she didn't see things the way he did. "Besides... Once we get through, I'll just divorce you," Dagger chirped. "No harm, no foul, and if you try anything funny I'll make you'll regret it! We good?"

Knowing that it was pointless to argue with his friend Zidane simply hung his head in shame and whimpered out a weak "Yes, ma'am." Once the preparations were made Zidane and Dagger were brought onto the ceremonial boat, where David began to read the rite of union. All the while Zidane pondered his fate. He legitimately wanted to marry Dagger, to spend the rest of his life with her. But, since it was an act it would just be a hollow ceremony. Even so, he had the distinct impression that the saucy young princess would be more than willing to carry out her overt threat, so he simply kept his head bowed during the ceremony and squeaked out "I do" when prompted.

After the ceremony Zidane and Dagger were guided down from the boat and were greeted by Vivi and Quina. Zidane cheerfully (and foolishly) tittered that he was married to Dagger now, but when she kicked him in the shin he feebly apologized and slinked away from his one-time wedded wife. Zidane suggested that Vivi and Quina undergo the ceremony as well, so that they could pass through with he and Dagger, a thought that Vivi found horribly terrifying.

Regardless, Vivi and Quina were also given the rite of union and brought together in wedded bliss (?). When the quartet reassembled after Vivi and Quina became one and the same, they departed for the dwarves guarding the gate to the Sanctuary and presented themselves (cheerfully in Dagger's case, solemnly by Zidane) as man and wife, and were given clearance to pass through to the Sanctuary. Before Vivi and Quina could be confirmed, however...

"Thief!" Wendy Grocer shouted, the voice shattering the party's wedded bliss as she moved to chase a small shadow that darted away from her store. Richard Watchman and Matthew Watchman hurried to catch the thief, but when the girl passed through their barricade Wendy Grocer groaned and stomped her foot. "Ach! Now we cannae chase 'er!" she growled. "Only a man an' wife can go there, an' ah still cannae get Joseph tae marry me!"

Zidane and Dagger exchanged a brief glance before charging past the watchmen with Vivi and Quina close behind. They crossed over the large root and entered a small canyon, where they found two figures flailing around up on a cliff above. One was a moogle. The other, however, was human. The blue haired little rascal wore a red turtleneck and a pink bodysuit, with both yellow pants and a similarly colored chest plate that ended in a short pair of wings on her back. Oh, and there was a horn on her forehead. That was also noteworthy.

"Get me down, Mog! Get! Me! Down!" the girl shrieked. The moogle fidgeted around before locking eyes with Quina and quickly zipped away from the scene with the Qu in hot pursuit, leaving the girl to let out another frustrated shriek and mutter a nasty word under her breath as her struggles intensified. "Sweet grief! I can't let my moogle get eaten by some freak in a bib! Help, God dammit!" she roared. When Zidane plucked her from the branch where she'd been caught and brought her down, however, the girl stared into his eyes and immediately began to blush.

"Um... What is your name?" Vivi asked timidly.

The girl dusted off her bodysuit, adjusted her turtleneck, and patted the dust from her horn before extending her hand to the black mage. "My name is Eiko Carol, the last summoner of Madain Sari!" she chirped. Her expression changed and the girl put her hands on her hips, leaned in, and stuck out her tongue. "Now, who the hell are you?!"

"Y-You just said..." Dagger stammered, a chill going through her heart. "Repeat what you just said!"

"What, 'who the hell are you?' Question still stands, folks. And my name is Eiko Carol of Madain Sari, last summoner of the tribe," Eiko said proudly. She tilted her head and saw the quickened breaths that Dagger was taken and folded her arms over her chest with a huff. "You have a strange look on your face, lady! Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?" she huffed.

Dagger wiped the sweat from her brow and cleared her throat, which had immediately become dry. "Madain Sari is the name of the summoner's village that Doctor Tot spoke of years ago..." she murmured. Upon gathering herself Dagger put a hand to her face and choked out a weak word of thanks. "Can you take me to your home, Miss Eiko?" Dagger breathlessly asked.

"Huh? Yeah, fine, whatever," mumbled Eiko. "Dunno why you look like that, though. I think you need some water..."

The new party proceeded past the cliff where Eiko had been caught and wandered into a large wasteland, which was covered in the same strange roots that they'd been seeing all across the Outer Continent. Before they could move down through a cliff face, however, two large monsters jumped up from below and let out a loud bellow. The ogre-like beasts were twice the size of a normal man, with sickly green skin and were dressed as a sort of berserker warrior. They wielded both a long spear and a shield fitting of their size.

Zidane nervously drew his daggers and put himself between the monsters and his friends, though he doubted what he could do to put up a fight against the massive beasts and their equally large weapons. As he hesitated Eiko plodded up behind him and laid a hand to her heart, causing a tiny blue light to shine at the tip of the horn on her head. "Wait... what the heck-" he choked.

"Don't worry," Eiko chirped. "I'll take 'em out."

As the Trolls continued to charge Eiko inhaled a deep breath and exhaled sharply. From her feet a grouping of flaming green orbs began to rotate around her body and circled her before flying into the center of her chest. When they did the ground in front of Eiko cracked slightly, then gave way to a mighty stone fist and the bestial creature that followed it. The monster was a huge, hulking brown ogre seemingly made of stone, and though the Trolls hesitated they quickly moved to resume their charge.

The summoned beast lifted its arms high over its head and, in an instant, its hands ballooned almost cartoonishly into two large palms that it took and slammed down on the Trolls. When it retracted its arms the Trolls, who had been crushed flat, slowly began to writhe before the creature took its foot and kicked them far into the distance. As the monsters' crumpled bodies soared high into the sky and over the cliff the summoned creature turned and flashed a toothy grin to Eiko before vanishing in a flash of light.

"What... just... happened?!" Dagger croaked.

"I summoned Golem, duh. He's one of my two Eidolons," Eiko groaned. "You never see an Eidolon before, lady?"

"D-Dagger...?" Zidane muttered.

"I've... never seen anyone else perform a summoning before..." murmured Dagger as her hand went to her mouth to stifle her shock. "So... what she said about being a summoner really was..."

"Don't all summoners summon, dummy?" Eiko huffed. "Anyone with a horn can summon Eidolons."

Dagger desperately took Eiko's hand in both of hers and, with an almost crazed look in her eye, swallowed her doubts and forced a smile onto her face. She had to know more. "Can you take me to Madain Sari...?" she whispered. "Please?" She turned an eye to Zidane and bowed her head in desperation. "And can you come too, Zidane?"

"Obviously!" Zidane said boastfully, taking his fist and rapping it on his chest. "I'll follow my dearly wedded wife to the ends of the earth!"

"We're divorced now," Dagger said curtly, to Zidane's horror as he hung his head as low as his knees. Even if he'd expected it, actually hearing it was hurtful.

Scene Seven

The Trolls had been trounced, and all that remained was to advance. After climbing down the rope ladder that led to the ground below the party continued to travel, noting the presence of several large, moss-covered roots that seemed to be embedded in the ground and mountains. Eiko was unable to explain other than that the roots belonged to a sacred tree. As they advanced they reached a large, circular plane with a series of large roots high above.

Zidane heard a rustling from up above and pushed his friends back as an unwanted guest dropped in from above. Monstrous was the first word to describe it. The next few would include: 'plant,' 'tendril,' and most of all 'angry.' Its tentacles were barbed and its mouth wide and twisted into a horrific screaming face. Immediately Zidane drew his daggers and hurled Rune Tooth at the Ochu, but the monster simply knocked it away and smacked Zidane in the process.

As Zidane went down Vivi charged and released a powerful fire spell that struck the Ochu's other tendril. Unfortunately it only lit the limb on fire, and then the monster whacked Vivi with the flaming tendril and knocked him down. While Eiko hurried to provide first aid to the others Dagger lifted the Peridot and a thunderclap signalled the entrance of the Eidolon Ramuh. The Lord of Thunder lifted his staff and released an unholy amount of lightning at the Ochu, but it pushed through and lashed out its flaming whip at Ramuh, crushing him to pieces and causing him to disappear in a flash of light.

Dagger stared in horror as Ramuh was defeated, and turned to see Eiko tending to Zidane and Vivi while the Ochu moved to attack them. The idea that Zidane was in danger and that she'd lost her only remaining Eidolon struck her like a dagger to the heart. That was too much for her to take, too much for the princess to endure, so in a blinding flash of light Dagger became encased in a field of white lightning and from the light a new form emerged. Garnet's crystalline pendant remained, though her jumpsuit had changed into a white leotard and her hair had turned blonde. More than that, her eyes seemed almost swelled with rage, or at least a healthy amount of determination.

With her friends staring in shock Dagger threw her hands out to her sides and shut her eyes tight, then slowly her boots lifted up from the ground and she took flight to meet the Ochu. In each of her palms she formed a tiny sphere of air, resembling a vacuum, and hurled them both at the monster. While one passed right by the other stopped right in front of the Ochu's face, and with a single flick of her fingers Dagger's attack converged on the monster and blasted its head to shreds as Dagger faded from Trance and dropped to the ground, panting and exhausted.

Zidane, who by now had recovered thanks to Eiko's white magic, hurried towards his friend and cradled Dagger in his arms, holding her head close to his chest. He'd never seen Dagger that angry, and certainly never thought that she could unleash the kind of havoc that she wreaked on the Ochu. "What... in the hell... just happened?!" Zidane shrieked.

Folding her arms over her chest with a huff, Eiko tapped her foot on the ground and groaned. "It's obvious, right? She became entranced, and then beat the living daylights out of the monster," shrugged Eiko. "She used her summoning powers to become one with her element of Wind, just like all summoners do. It isn't that impressive."

"Ugh... I did what, now?!" heaved Dagger as she lifted herself to her feet and laid a hand on Zidane's shoulder to stabilize herself. She quickly came to the realization that, not only had she become entranced, but she'd watched Ramuh die right in front of her eyes and immediately her heart jumped out of her throat. "Oh, God! Ramuh!" she shrieked.

"I will return... All Eidolons retreat to their home plane when damaged... But I'll need to rest for quite some time. Do not fret, my summoner. I shall make a complete recovery."

"Well, whatever!" Eiko scoffed. "We have a ways to go yet. Let's keep going."

Putting aside her apprehension Dagger followed her fellow summoner through the end of the path, where she found herself on top of a gigantic root of a size that she'd never seen before. When Zidane looked to his left he saw a remarkable sight far in the distance: a large, mushroom-shaped tree, made up totally of the same vines as the one that they were on now, and he quickly reasoned that the roots that they'd seen all across the Outer Continent originated from... whatever that was.

"What in the high holy hell is that?!" Zidane yowled, his eyes wide as his body began to quake in fear. "It's freaking massive!"

"That? It's the Iifa Tree. The dwarves call it the Sanctuary, but everyone else calls it the Iifa Tree," Eiko said briskly. She adjusted her sleeves and stretched her neck, more than a bit of irritation bubbling through her body. "Now, let's keep going!" she screeched. When she saw that Zidane remained firmly in place Eiko rustled through her pack and withdrew a small, handheld object that resembled both a slingshot and - astonishingly - Dagger's racket, then whacked him in the knee with it. "What part of this don't you guys get?!" Eiko growled.

"You have a racket?!" Dagger gasped while Zidane desperately tended his injury.

"Duh, genius. All summoners use rackets," Eiko growled impatiently.

Dagger's fingers drifted to her new racket and she swiftly snapped it open, revealing its new form as both a racket and what passed as a pole arm weapon. She marveled at the new weapon, and as she stared back at Eiko's smaller model Dagger quietly snapped it shut and tilted her head in confusion. "Have you... ever seen a racket like this before?" she asked timidly.

Eiko nodded and stashed her racket back behind her back. "I've seen lots of rackets," she said proudly, tapping her chest with her thumb. "I'm sure there's a couple that look like that somewhere." When she watched Dagger return the racket to her belt and turn to leave, Eiko grabbed hold of her sleeve and tugged at it. "What lit a fire under your butt, girl?" Eiko growled.

"I have to go there... to Madain Sari!" Dagger rasped.

With that Dagger turned and began to run down the path, her friends in hot pursuit. Were she any more distracted she might not have noticed what she did, but when she saw the monster jump out of the brushes she immediately stepped back and grabbed her racket. The beast was green and looked like a massive humanoid of some sort. Twice as tall as Zidane, its right arm was armed with a claw-like weapon.

As Zidane prepared his daggers Eiko swung her racket and an air bullet nailed the Hill Gigas in the eye. All she managed to accomplish was to enrage the beast, however, and with a loud bellow it swung its arm blade at a very frightened Eiko. She flinched and prepared to take the blow but her eyes widened as she watched Zidane catch the blade with both daggers, holding the Hill Gigas' powerful fist back long enough for them both to escape. Eiko stared strangely at her savior, and as her heart began to beat louder a red flush covered her cheeks.

Vivi's fingers summoned a slim blue light, and with a single thrust he hurled a frost spell at the monster. The Hill Gigas simply cut through it with a single punch and hurled its arm at the black mage. Zidane quickly intercepted the blow, held it back briefly, but then was rocketed deep into a nearby cliff. As the monster let out another bellow he emerged in Trance, put his daggers together, and unleashed a large blade of light that dug a hole deep into the Hill Gigas' chest.

The Hill Gigas was still alive, however, and immediately pushed through towards Zidane. Before it could reach him Eiko shut her eyes tight and a green light surrounded her, followed by the flaming green orbs. As the monster continued to charge a column of light emerged between it and Zidane, and with a loud bellow it shattered to reveal a strange creature. It was a regal, blue-and-white colored wolf of some sort, crested with strange ridges and marked with a slim blue plume on its chest. While the monster continued on the wolf breathed in deeply and, with a loud bellow, a monstrous burst of compressed wind blasted from its fangs and shattered it to bits with a single attack. Zidane reverted back from Trance and dropped back into Dagger's arms as the creature disappeared in another flash of light, and as the princess tightly embraced him a nasty scowl crossed Eiko's face and she huffed out a nasty word.

"What... just-" gasped Vivi.

"Mind your own freaking business!" Eiko roared, startling Vivi and nearly knocking him over from sheer terror. While he staggered and the other two recovered from the battle, Eiko slowly crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Looks like getting my man is going to take a battle..." she growled. "Dagger and I just became rivals."

Author's Notes

I hope I never have to write those dwarves' dialogue ever again. God, that was a chore. On another note, the monster was actually named "Hilgigars" in the game, but like Ralvahuarva I think it was a mistranslation so I changed it. I can't remember if there are any more corrections like that, but I suppose it's possible...

Eiko. I like her now. She became so much more sassy than I was originally expecting, but it's fun to write her that way. It's more than a little unnerving that a six-year-old wants to marry Zidane, though. No western author would even think to try that.

The Gladius was a total improvisation from the original notes. I needed for Zidane to start somewhere for his scene, and on the spur of the moment I threw him into the Item Shop and crap happened. So now he has two unique daggers, Rune Tooth in the right hand and Gladius in the left. Whether it actually makes any sort of difference? Hell if I know. I guess now I can stop referring to it as his other dagger as a normal one and call it Gladius from now on. This is all totally improvised anyway, so why not?