Start Date: March 23, 2024

Windwillow

Final Fantasy IX: The Reason and Right to Exist

Chapter Five: Fallen City, Falling Rain

Dagger... Why? Why did you...? Dammit...

Even if he wasn't conscious for it, the half-hour was excruciating. Knowing that Dagger had betrayed and drugged him seemed to drag Zidane's heart down into an abyss filled with despair. When he finally came to and struggled to lift himself to his seat Zidane groaned and held his head. He looked around the room to find that all his friends, Cid included, were standing over him. They were still inside the banquet room, having taken thirty-some minutes to awaken from Dagger's betrayal.

"Poison...?" muttered Freya weakly.

Zidane shook his head and groaned. "Sleeping weed... I gave it to her because she said she was having trouble sleeping... Rookie mistake..." he mumbled.

"You idiot!" Freya snarled.

"Hey, it's not like I anticipated her drugging us all and taking off for Burmecia!" retorted Zidane. "She did that all on her own! But... ugh... She and I are going to have to have a talk about this when we meet again..." he moaned.

With a sigh Freya dropped to her seat, still exhausted from the sleeping weed, and yawned as she fondled her spear. "We underestimated her... She might be smarter than the lot of us combined... What a remarkable girl..." she muttered. "I can see now why you're so infatuated with her..."

"I ain't infatuated..." groaned Zidane. Unable to suppress himself any longer, however, he burst out laughing. "I am, aren't I? God. I'm such an idiot..."

"Where is she going...?" Vivi asked weakly.

"Burmecia," Zidane said bitterly.

"Damned girl... It's suicide to run head long into a war zone! Is she really that impulsive?" Freya snapped. After a bit of thought she laid a hand to her face and muttered an expletive. "Ugh... Don't answer that..." she sighed.

"I won't let her. I won't let her put herself in danger! I'm going to Burmecia and that's that! If you try and hold me, I'll beat the snot out of anyone who gets in my way!" declared Zidane. "She is not going to go to Burmecia alone!"

Cid sighed and shook his head in disgust. "Please don't injure any more of my men... That Rook still hasn't woken up... The Dragon's Gate will be open by now," he said with a low moan. "Don't let any harm come to her, I beg of you..."

"We need to head to Gizamaluke's Grotto," Freya said plainly. "It's the only way to Burmecia from here."

"So it's decided? Great. Let's go wrangle a runaway princess... again," sighed Zidane. He had just now regained function in his limbs, though he was still shaken from Dagger's betrayal. Dagger clearly had grown more than he'd ever thought she would, and even in the abysmal circumstances that they found themselves in Zidane couldn't help but be a little bit proud of her. Proud, yes. Pissed off? Definitely. "I never signed up for this garbage..." Zidane groaned.

Scene One

Lindblum Grand Castle was divided into three levels: Base, Mid, and Upper. The Upper level included the Regent's quarters and throne room, while the Mid connected the palace to the city proper and the Base level led to below the Mist. From there visitors had two destinations: Dragon's Gate and Serpent's Gate. While Dragon's Gate led to below the Mist in the Eunorus Plains, the Serpent's Gate led to the seldom-used Lindblum harbor. With the advent of airships, of course, Lindblum's navy had been severely diminished. And, of course, who would want to go below the Mist in the first place?

The party rode the lift from the Upper level to the Base level, escorted by two Bishops. Zidane resented the implication that they needed to have a babysitter, but Cid had overruled him. Upon entering the Base level Vivi quietly asked why there were two paths but only one shuttle. Freya responded that Serpent's Gate and Dragon's Gate are typically sealed off, and access to either is strictly forbidden under normal circumstances.

"I wanna ride a ship someday..." Vivi mumbled.

"You probably won't get a chance, with the prevalence of airships," responded Freya. When this seemed to depress Vivi she quietly put her hand on her hat and pressed it down affectionately, which seemed to calm the boy down. On the bottom level they found both a moogle and a merchant, who had been sent by Cid to provide sundries for their trip. Zidane gravitated towards the moogle and tapped it on the shoulder, prompting it to produce the Moogle Diary.

"Tell the boys they don't have to come back right away. The Nook's in good hands," Zidane said. As Moonte finished writing Zidane turned to the merchant and sized up his goods: mostly potions, but also a few antidotes and eye drops. "Got any items for a long trip? I could use some potions."

The merchant shook his head and sighed. "You already have three potions and an antidote, right? That ought to get you through," said the merchant. After a bit of thinking he withdrew a fourth potion and a set of eye drops, then handed them to Zidane. "The Regent told me to give you folks a discount, so they're on the house."

"Why would we need eye drops?" Vivi asked quizzically.

"There are monsters that can blind people, and eye drops cure that," explained Zidane.

Freya, meanwhile, had already scanned the merchant's equipment selections, and she saw something that she couldn't live without... though Zidane wouldn't appreciate who was going to pay for it. "I'll take that Coral Ring," Freya said plainly. She'd taken it upon herself to examine the merchant's wares a tad more closely than Zidane would have liked her to.

"Wait, what?!" Zidane croaked.

"Twelve hundred Gil," said the merchant.

"Good. Pay him, Zidane," said Freya coolly.

"The hell with you! Why should I pay a grand for a stupid ring?!" snarled Zidane.

"You're the one who took it from me. I wanted it as a reward for the Festival of the Hunt," explained Freya coolly, a wicked grin on her face. He was coming along of his own volition, yes, but that didn't mean that she couldn't pinch out a little bonus. "We're going to Burmecia and you wanted to come along, right? Consider this my payment for letting you tag along."

"Greedy rat..." mumbled Zidane. He still exchanged the Gil with the merchant and Freya happily slipped the ring on her finger, examined it carefully, and flashed a smile at Zidane, which the thief distinctly did not appreciate. "You don't have to rub it in, you know," he grumbled.

"Gizamaluke's Grotto is our destination, and naturally it's occupied by a throng of monsters. To get there we cross both the Eunorus Plains and then the King Ed Plains. There is a certain monster that you'll need to leave to me, however... The Ironite is a dragon-type monster, and as such only Dragoons like myself can deal with them," Freya explained. "Neither of you will be able to scratch it."

"My new dagger can cut through anything!" protested Zidane, brandishing his new right handed dagger. Its blade was colored a deep, flaming bronze and its grip fiery red with orange flames etched onto its hilt. The dagger he'd received from the Synthesist was even sturdier than his other dagger, though he'd wanted to upgrade that one as well. Not only did he lack the funds at the time, but there wasn't any real front runner on how to redesign it. Half of that problem had disappeared when he raided the Nook's treasure chests, though. "I've even named it: Rune Tooth! And the other one's-"

"Oh, spare me the bravado," growled Freya. Not that saying it would likely make much of a difference, of course. She put her hand to her chin and sighed, knowing well the dangers that they would soon face. It was bad enough that they'd be fighting normal monsters. Were they to come across a dragon, such as an Ironite, she would be their only hope of survival. "Name your weapons all you like. You'll see if we run into one. I repeat: Leave the dragons to me. Dragoons are called Dragoons for a reason, you little twit."

Scene Two

As one might expect, the land below the Mist wasn't occupied by any humans. When the trio exited the Dragon's Gate they walked into a seemingly endless plain, darkened by the Mist and almost certainly caked with the blood of the people who had once lived there. They did find as they proceeded, however, the indications of civilization: a bunch of ruined buildings, with a broken village far in the distance.

"Before the three great nations formed... Civilizations existed here, below the Mist. Unfortunately, they were all decimated by a series of wars between countries. The reason, of course, is the Mist; it confounds and corrupts humans and spawns monsters, and once the people of the Mist Continent learned of its nature two of the three nations moved above the Mist. Burmecia alone remains beneath the accursed Mist," explained Freya.

"Um... Why didn't they move?" asked Vivi timidly.

"I suppose it would be because they loved the land they were born in. Even with the threat of constant monster attacks, the Burmecians decided to protect their home," explained Freya. She sighed and held her face in her hand. "And not all of them stayed, technically..."

The ruined city ahead was the only way to proceed safely, so the party cautiously inched towards the gate of the city. They were met, however, by a group of Vices. A Vice is a mutant humanoid wearing a soldier's armor and carrying a long, curved sword. They were well known for their efficiency at the art of war and were sometimes contracted for military service. Most unfortunate of all were the number of them: a full ten monsters stood guard before the gate.

"Why the hell are there so many?!" gasped Zidane, drawing his daggers.

"Fool. The Mist multiplies monsters like ants!" Freya scolded. She deftly drew her spear from her back and smacked its bottom onto the ground, creating a tiny indentation in the bottom of the ruined stone. "We're lucky we didn't run into a hundred." When only three of the Vices remained there, however, with the others scattering inside the city, their strategy became clear and it brought a scowl to Freya's face. "Damn... They intend to ambush us as we move through the city! It's going to a long, agonizing road to the Grotto at this rate..." she muttered.

Vivi, who had begun to shake violently, wanted to turn tail and run, but the determination to proceed and discover the nature of his origins steeled his resolve and the black mage quietly assumed a defensive stance. The three Vices charged, but only two of them came from the front; one leapt onto a nearby roof, prepared to assist its comrades from above. As the Vices approached Zidane and Freya lifted their weapons and clashed them against the monsters' crescent blades, though as they began to take the upper hand the third Vice bounded from the roof and turned its blade on Zidane. Before it could reach, however, it burst into Mist when it was punctured through the gut with a lightning bolt. Zidane quickly turned to Vivi and smiled, and the black mage sheepishly adjusted his hat while the others finished off the two remaining Vices.

Even if it was foolish, there wasn't any other choice but to take the main road through the city and cross the dangerous terrain on foot. Proceeding through the streets, Freya noted that the design of the town was against them: To cross through they'd need to navigate around walls and walk narrow streets, a perfect chance for the Vices to ambush them. There were seven left... How many would attack, and when? Vices were well known for their martial prowess and keen intellect, and with that kind of wily determination and sinister intentions there was only one way things could go from there on out: bad.

As they proceeded to an intersection of four roads a Vice leapt out from behind a wall and brandished its curved blade at Vivi, managing to cut a deep wound in his shoulder before Zidane's Rune Tooth struck and reduced it to Mist. Vivi cried out in pain and his friends hurried to his side. As Freya cradled the black mage in her arms Zidane withdrew a potion, uncorked it, and poured it on Vivi's wound. Although he flinched Vivi fought through the pain and realized that something amazing had happened: the potion had stitched his wound together as if it had never even happened!

"W-What the heck just happened?" Vivi asked frantically.

Freya, who was still alert for another attempt on their lives, patted Vivi on the head and ruffled his hat affectionately. "Zidane used a potion on you. Potions are special concoctions of both medicine and special white magic effects that can heal injuries. By applying them to a wound the injury heals, and by ingesting it the drinker's fatigue and stress will diminish," said Freya. "We have three left."

Stumbling to his feet, Vivi quietly nodded his head and they continued on until they reached a bottleneck with only one way in and one way out: straight ahead. Houses rimmed either side of the street and were ideal for ambushes. Zidane softly patted Vivi on the head and the black mage quietly steeled himself for an attack. They proceeded in order: Zidane in the lead, Vivi in the middle, and Freya guarding their backs from a potential pincer attack.

While they proceeded carefully one of the doors quickly slammed open and a Vice emerged with its blade drawn. Before it could reach its target, Vivi, it was swiftly skewered and reduced to Mist by Freya's spear. Two more Vices descended from the roofs and engaged both Zidane and Freya in combat. Like their earlier brethren the monsters were capable fighters and steadily began to wear the two down. As they struggled a fourth Vice leapt from a roof above, but it was quickly incinerated by a blast of fire from Vivi. The other two hesitated just long enough for Zidane and Freya to fell them. Zidane was shocked, but quietly continued to lead his friends forward.

I've never heard of monsters caring about other monsters... They have to have been related...

Finally the trio came to the gate of the city, where two Vices were already waiting to block their path. Freya took note that there were actually three left, meaning that the final Vice was hiding somewhere waiting to attack their flank. Zidane and Vivi slowly inched towards the two Vices, Freya carefully guarding the area behind them. The Vices took no action but seemed ready to fight all the same. It was when they hurled their crescent swords like boomerangs that Zidane realized his trick wasn't an exclusive one.

Zidane quickly blocked the sword aimed at him with his left dagger but was forced to throw the Rune Tooth to keep the second from maiming Vivi, then caught his weapon and engaged with the two monsters along with Freya. With both warriors tied up in mortal combat the final Vice jumped out from behind an alley and slung its sword at Zidane, but Freya quickly parried it and skewered it to death with a single stab of her spear.

This seemed to anger the two remaining Vices as they intensified their assault on the two. Both suddenly broke away from their melee with Freya and attacked Zidane at the same time. Zidane narrowly parried their swords, but as they continued to force their way through he realized that it was only a matter of time before they broke through and maimed him. He suddenly felt a hand touch his back, however, and with a smirk on his face Zidane forced his way through and cut through both the Vices and their weapons with two lightning-charged blades, leaving him to turn back to Vivi and etch another smile on his face.

"Magic Sword doesn't need to be one type of weapon!" Vivi said slyly. "We have Magic Dagger and Magic Spear, too!"

After sheathing his daggers Zidane affectionately reached down and ruffled Vivi's hat, rubbing it fondly. "Looks like Rusty came up with one good idea..." he muttered with a smirk. "Looks like you might be our new ace in the hole."

"We still have a wide area to cross," Freya scolded. "Celebrate once we're out of danger."

Scene Three

The trip after leaving the ruined city was just as hair raising as their time in the town itself. From there until they reached a small forest they were ambushed multiple times, not just by Vices but tiny little twerps called Hedgehog Pies that were even more aggravating. By the time they reached the mid point of the forest, both Zidane and Vivi called for a time-out and against her better judgment Freya agreed. Zidane plopped down on the forest floor and leaned against a tree, with Vivi soon joining him.

"How many times did we get attacked...? I lost count at six... God, what a hell hole," groaned Zidane. "I can see why everyone moved above this garbage..."

"I'm tired..." Vivi whined.

"Fools. All you're doing by sitting here is making yourselves into immobile targets..." muttered Freya. She kept her spear drawn, her attention carefully locked onto the many avenues where they could be attacked, and there were several of them. "Monsters live in forests too, you know..."

"Oh, hush... I'm beat..." sighed Zidane. He was exhausted from the multiple ambushes and his better sense of judgment had been so compromised. As he settled in, laying against the tree, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut and looked down to find a large stinger embedded in his belly. He quickly pushed away and, upon seeing his attacker, kicked it hard in the face. It was hard to classify this, but it resembled a large serpent mixed with a canine's body with a long, barbed tail. Gripping his wound, Zidane coughed up blood and wiped the red from his face with a contemptuous growl. "Okay, so you were right... dammit..." he groaned weakly.

As Zidane drew his daggers the full extent of the threat they faced became clear when three more Serpions emerged from the brush, surrounding them from all four cardinal directions. One of the monsters, the one that had impaled Zidane, attempted to do so again. It never got a chance, as Freya skewered it through the middle, lifted it up, and tossed it at another Serpion. The beast, to her horror, simply stuck its stinger through its comrade and tossed it back at her. Although she dodged, she was outright enraged at the callousness of the Serpion.

"When it comes to monsters, apparently loyalty is selective..." growled Freya. The Vices had shown at least some concern for their brethren, a sentiment that the Serpions clearly didn't share. Perhaps it was because they were more bestial than humanoid, but regardless it made Freya sick to her stomach that they would skewer their comrade and toss it back as a mere projectile.

The second and third Serpions, which flanked Freya, quickly jolted towards her with their jaws stretched. She thought quickly and simply stepped back at the last moment, allowing the two to ram into each other head first. With a sudden jolt she pushed off against the ground and laid her feet on a far tree, then vaulted forward and slashed the Serpions to death with a single stroke. The final Serpion loomed above her with its stinger extended, but two swift blows from Zidane severed both its head and its tail.

Zidane sheathed his daggers and dropped to his back, clutching the badly bleeding hole in his chest. He managed to withdraw a potion and applied it to the wound, and slowly the injury stitched back together and his body recovered. With a low moan he dragged himself to his feet, dusted off his pants, and turned to Freya with a smile. She promptly took the blunt end of her weapon and smacked him over the head with it, a punishment that he accepted for his stupidity.

"A-Are you okay?" Vivi asked timidly.

"I'll be fine... But we have a problem... We have two potions left to cover the three of us... We need to cross quickly," Zidane groaned. He patted the hole in his vest and tightened his fist, cursing his own foolishness. They soon crossed a bridge and entered the King Ed Plains, which would lead them to Gizamaluke's Grotto. This time he was careful to keep his guard up, but when he was suddenly dive bombed he narrowly jumped out of the way of the attacker. "Hey! Back off!" he snarled.

The Ironite was a large, floating pink dragon. Its wings were curled in a crescent shape, but otherwise it resembled a typical serpentine dragon. It slashed with its mighty wings, sending shock waves of compressed air at the trio. Zidane and Vivi narrowly managed to dodge, while Freya nimbly side stepped the attack with effortless skill. She crouched down, pausing only a moment to gather her strength, then vaulted up high above the Ironite. Freya descended with even more force than she jumped with, and with a mighty thrust she stabbed the Ironite through the back of the neck and reduced it to Mist.

Freya deftly swept the blood from her blade and shouldered it, turning to her friends with a mixture of pride and contempt. She'd warned them. Any more of the Ironite's shock waves and they would have been easily overcome. "Ironites are classified as dragons. They possess a scaled body that is resistant to both slashing and magic, meaning that only piercing attacks are effective. If it weren't for me, it would have eventually eaten you," Freya said plainly. "And, you're welcome."

Zidane smiled and stretched out his arm, and Freya proudly bumped fists with him. "It's almost night..." he muttered. "We need to set up a Tent."

"But... you didn't bring one...?" mumbled Vivi. From his vest Zidane produced the miniature Tent, and set it down on the ground where it neatly sat in an open area. He rustled around and withdrew the Moogle Flute from his belt, put it to his lips, and played a quick melody. Suddenly, a moogle dashed out of nowhere and let out a 'kupo!' before enlarging the tent into not only a tent, but a camp site complete with a fire and a jug of water. "Whoa...! What the heck just happened?!" he gasped.

"Yeah, I want an explanation as well," grumbled Freya. "I've never seen anything like this."

"The moogles have always had a good relationship with the Troupe ever since we saved one from a bunch of monsters... so, they let us use their special tents whenever we want," explained Zidane. He grabbed onto the jug of water and lifted it to his lips, took a chug, and then handed it to Freya. With a smile he patted his stomach and prepared for the night to come. "When we wake up, the hole in the vest will be fixed just like the rest of us. Don't ask me how it works, it's just some sort of weird moogle mechanic..."

"I don't even have a come back," Freya groaned. "This is just stupid."

Scene Four

The night passed as was expected. Like Zidane claimed their wounds were healed, and astonishingly enough even the rip in his vest, the one that had been caused by the Serpion, was wholly stitched back together as if no damage had ever been done to it. Zidane happily dismissed the moogle and retrieved the Tent, and though Vivi continued to question the situation and Freya was outright baffled, the next day their journey began again. To get to Gizamaluke's Grotto they would have to pass through a large expanse of swamp known as the Qu's Marsh.

They traveled through sickeningly dirty conditions, crossing simple planks of rotting wood, until finally they arrived at an area with a small pond that was filled with frogs. The frogs hopped and jumped as frogs do, but it was what was hopping after them that confused them the most. In the common tongue the first (printable) word that came to mind when looking at the creature was 'WHAT?!' It wore a chef's hat and a white apron, and around its neck was a blue napkin doubtless used to wipe up what its monstrously long tongue could not. As it chased around the frogs, failing miserably to do so, its long tongue flapped to and fro like a loose necktie.

"Me can't concentrate today..." it lamented weakly. The creature suddenly perked up and swiveled around to meet an increasingly puzzled Zidane and grabbed hold of his shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "Catch frog for me! Me hungry!"

The earnestness with which the creature begged for its lunch was oddly endearing. Zidane turned his attention to the pond filled with frogs and his eyes narrowed in on the slowest, fattest one. He carefully watched it and noted its movements, calculated accordingly, and then snatched it up like a ninja would catch a fish. He smilingly turned to the creature and offered it the frog, but was startled when another, similar creature dressed in orange and white emerged from the reeds and the first thing recoiled in fear.

"Quina! You no let people catch lunch!" admonished the larger creature.

"But, Master Quale... Me so hungry!" the first creature insisted.

"We have guests, Quina," Quale snapped. "Prepare food for them."

"Y-Yes, Master!" stammered Quina, strangely waddling from their place and plodding through the marsh towards an unknown destination.

That unknown destination was a small shack with two levels and a large central dining area as the focal point of the entire structure. Its kitchen was oddly well stocked and elaborate, filled with all the latest cooking tools and covered with cabinets containing cookbooks. Once settled Quina and Quale offered the party a feast of meat and edible reeds, both of which they tore into as if they were savage beasts pouncing on their latest prey. They certainly ate as messily as they looked, chomping meat off the bone and munching on reed snacks.

"This is... uh..." Zidane stammered. He was at a total loss for words even as Quina shoved a leg of boar into his hands. "You think I'm going to eat this whole thing?!" he croaked.

"You not eat, me eat," Quina said. S/he snatched up the leg and ripped off a chunk of meat, munched on it, and after swallowing it downed the entire bone as well. The strange creature seemed satisfied, so s/he dropped to its back and let out a low groan. "Me feel better! Need guests more often!"

"What you here for?" asked Quale gruffly. "We not get guests much."

Freya, who had declined the meat and instead accepted a glass of tea, quietly set the cup down on the floor/table and cleared her throat. "We're heading to Burmecia, via Gizamaluke's Grotto," she explained as she reached for a smaller leg of meat. "A war seems imminent, and we seek to stop it."

"You know of legendary Burmecian apples?" Quale grunted. "Great apples, never eat. Want eat."

"Me want eat too!" growled Quina. Quale angrily snatched up his oversized fork and whacked them over the head with it, leaving a bright red welt on the top of Quina's noggin. "What you hit for, Master?!"

"Stupid Quina. It obvious. Go with them, eat apples," said Quale.

"Okay! Me go!" tittered Quina.

"Wait a second, don't we get a say in this?!" choked Zidane. When Quale smacked him as well, he angrily stumbled to his feet and drew his daggers in preparation for a battle. The creature didn't look terribly menacing, but Zidane couldn't dismiss the fact that it had a noteworthy battle aura around its body... it could fight. "Why the hell would we take this big thing with us?! Can it even fight?!"

"Quina is Qu. Qu fight good, fight special. Me show you. Fight rat woman," Quale said eagerly.

That was too much for Freya to stomach. She angrily took a bite out of the chunk of meat she was eating, chewed it, and spat the bone out at Quale's feet. The gourmand didn't seem to care much, even with the radiating blood lust in the Burmecian's eyes. "Rat woman? You apparently want me to make you suffer..." Freya snarled. "I'll puncture your sorry ass and hand it back to you as a skewer."

The gauntlet had been thrown down and all that remained was for Quale to walk the walk. He and Freya faced off on a large platform of wood outside of Quale's residence, Quale wielding an oversized fork and Freya bearing her trusty spear. Believing that this was all nonsense Freya quietly and carefully approached her enemy, noting his movements and weak points. For his part Quale was unconcerned and mostly remained stationary. Upon finding what she believed was an opening Freya jabbed her lance at the Qu, only for it to dodge and slam its fist into her gut. What was odd was that Quale hadn't moved... his arm had.

"He just... his arm stretched?!" Zidane croaked.

Freya staggered back and nearly dropped her spear, winded from the sheer force of Quale's blow. As she righted herself she spat saliva to the side and held onto her new wound, fondling what she felt were bruised ribs. The attack really had been powerful. "What the hell did you just do?!" she screeched.

"Qus have special bodies, move like rubber or jelly. We stretch, we bend, we wiggle like caterpillars," explained Quale. "But, that not all Qus do."

The party startled upon hearing a rustling in the marsh behind Quale, and were shocked when a large creature emerged. It was a large frog. That was the best way to describe it, with bulging, googly eyes on either side of its head. It let out a monstrous croak before slowly turning to Quale and opening its huge mouth, prepared to consume him. Quale was totally unafraid and simply took in a deep, heaving breath before expelling a monstrous column of what looked to be a contained hurricane from his mouth. The blast not only killed the Gigan Toad, it actually crushed it into tiny specks.

"T-That's just ridiculous...!" gasped Zidane.

"Qus are ridiculous. That greatest strength, unpredictable. We avid gourmands, look for rare recipes and sample rare ingredients from around world. We seek cook as many exotic foods as possible," explained Quale. "You take Quina now? Show Quina world, many wonderful foods, and Quina be your friend. Quina your friend, you be strong."

Wiping the spit from her face, an incredulous Freya turned to Zidane for advice and found, to her horror, that he seemed to be onboard. She shook her head and retrieved her spear, placed it on her back, and shifted her eyes towards Quina. S/he certainly came highly recommended. If Quina could fight half as well as Quale, s/he might be invaluable during the battles to come. However, there was one thing that had to be made clear from the start.

"We'll take Quina," sighed Freya, "but s/he doesn't steal our food, understood?"

"Me never take food from friends! Only when give!" insisted Quina. "We go 60/40, okay?"

"Everyone gets an equal portion!" Freya boomed.

"Me have stingy new friends," muttered Quina. S/he rustled around in a cabinet and withdrew their weapon, a large steel fork, and attached it to their back. "Me find many new foods, start with Burmecian apples. You give, me fight."

Freya's eye began to twitch in horror, though when she shot a glance to Quale and received no help or hope, and Zidane similarly offered nothing, she tightened her fist and stomped her foot onto the rotting wood plank. While she quaked in anger she felt Quale poke her in the back with his fork, and though she turned and hissed at the beast, Freya finally relented and extended her hand to Quina, who took and shook it. This had just become a three ring circus of a journey.

Scene Five

Traditionally, Gizamaluke's Grotto served not only as a bridge between Burmecia and Lindblum but also as a marriage pilgrimage site for the Burmecian people. Its architecture was more than a little creepy in places, but much of the site, especially the central marriage chapel, was designed to invite Burmecians from one world to another, be it from Lindblum to Burmecia or from single life to married bliss. Traditional Burmecian wedding ceremonies took place before the lord of the grotto, Master Gizamaluke, traditionally a wise if stern overseer of its domain.

Unfortunately, however, the place now lay in ruins. The outside structure was badly damaged, several pillars displaced and the once grand entryway soiled with blood. When Zidane and the others arrived there were already two gravely wounded Burmecian soldiers propped up against the pillars. A desperate Freya hurried to the side of the soldiers, and upon finding that they were expired, she quietly laid them on their backs to rest before stumbling to her feet in an almost drunken stupor.

"What are they...? The black mages...?" she breathed.

Vivi reluctantly stepped up, adjusted his hat, and bowed his head in regret. The regret wasn't just for Freya or the soldiers, but also for the black mages that had been used as tools of mass murder. "Back in a village we visited a few days ago, we saw them being... made... from Mist," explained Vivi sadly.

The Mist. Of course. No matter where you went on the entire blasted continent you couldn't get away from the stuff. Still, the idea of manufacturing murder machines from the Mist was a concept that was altogether more horrifying than the idea of dealing with the Mist's monsters themselves. "The Mist isn't just a threat... it's a curse..." hissed Freya. "We have to hurry to find the king as soon as possible. I fear the worst."

After entering the Grotto the passed through a series of blood-soaked chambers until they reached a large steel door emblazoned with the image of a bell. Zidane slammed his fists on the door, pushed against it, yet nothing he did seemed to move the damned thing. Before he could try a body blow he felt Freya tug on his arm, directing him to a nearby nook where a dying soldier lay propped up against the wall. His chest was badly burned, clearly evidence that he'd sustained damage from a black mage's fire spell.

The soldier, with blood dripping from his mouth, stared at Vivi with quiet contempt, though he was too far gone to actually curse him out. Vivi timidly stepped away, but Zidane patted him on the back and held him in place. Stretching his bloody fingers into his armor the soldier produced a small, yellow bell and handed it to Freya before finally taking his last breath. As he passed on to the next world Freya wordlessly swept past Zidane and began to ring the bell, which caused the door to open and the bell to shatter.

In the next room, the party was horrified as they watched a pack of black mages corner a Burmecian soldier on a far ledge. Without emotion they thrust their hands at the poor man and, in a flash of fire, burned a hole in his chest that ended his life. Two figures emerged from behind a nearby wall, the two jesters Zorn and Thorn. Zorn sneered at the dead man before turning to leave, only to narrowly avoid being beheaded by Zidane's Rune Tooth. He let out a shriek and fell to his seat as Zidane caught the boomerang.

"They're bloodthirsty!" screeched the jester. He weakly stumbled to his feet and gestured to the black mages, and two of them jumped from the ledge next to the jesters before the two clowns beat a hasty retreat.

Freya was the first to draw her weapon but was stunned when one of the black mages slung a lightning bolt into her gut and winded her. Despite her injury she pushed through the attack and thrust her spear into the black mage's chest, then slashed a gash in its body that caused it to fall to its back dead. As the second black mage charged up a fire spell Quina breathed out a blast of water and wind that extinguished it and doused the doll with water. Reluctantly, Vivi threw out his hands and used a bolt spell to electrocute the black mage, who dropped to its back with no visible signs of life.

Vivi hurried over to the black mage and desperately examined it in the hopes that he would find it still alive, but was horrified when he saw that the doll was totally inert. He shut his eyes tight and bowed his head in prayer, though when Zidane patted him on the hat he quickly returned to the situation at hand and looked at a distraught Freya swiping the blood from her spear. The black mage shivered but hesitantly followed his friends as they progressed past the corpses.

The next chamber held danger: four black mages, seemingly prepared to ambush them. Zidane angrily muttered a curse just as the four wizards blasted him with a massive fire spell. Through the smoke and fire he emerged in Trance, and by digging his daggers into the floor he sent a large tidal wave of energy that swallowed them whole and burned them to death. Breathing heavily, he returned to normal and dropped to one knee in exhaustion. Vivi quickly rushed up to him but Zidane waved him off and sheathed his daggers.

"I tranced just in time to offset the damage..." sighed Zidane.

Upon hearing a weak moan Freya realized that there was still a living victim and looked to the ledge above, where she found a soldier covered in blood and breathing heavily. She vaulted up to where the soldier lay and cradled him in her arms as he finally expired, then silently laid him on his back to rest. From his pocket she took a second bell, and after biting her lip to restrain her emotions she vaulted down to the next door, rang the bell, and watched in silence as the door opened and the bell shattered. Although the others hurried through the door Freya held back for a moment to bow her head in prayer.

Scene Six

The next room contained the wedding steeple traditionally used in marriage ceremonies. In this case, however, it had dropped down to the floor and encased a newlywed moogle inside its massive bell. The party arrived to find a moogle in pink desperately attempting to overturn the bell, though with no success. She quietly lifted her teary eyes to the saviors that had arrived, and shook her head in grief.

"Those two clowns did it! They trapped my husband inside this bell, kupo!" lamented Mogmi. Her teeth grit Freya drew her spear and reared back to strike the bell, but Mogmi quickly put herself between Freya and the bell. "If you strike it, you might hit my husband!" protested the moogle, causing Freya to reluctantly back down. Nearly succumbing to despair the moogle suddenly began to sniff the air. She shoved Freya aside and pounced on top of Vivi, rabidly clawing at his robes in search of something.

"Hey, hands off!" snarled Zidane, dragging Mogmi off of his friend just in time to notice that she had pilfered something from the black mage. "Give that back!" he growled. Mogmi desperately shook her head and produced her prize: the Kupo Nut that Alice had given Vivi back in Lindblum. Zidane shook his head in disbelief and turned to Vivi for some sort of answer. "Any idea why she stole that?" mumbled Zidane.

"I-It's a Kupo Nut..." muttered Vivi.

"Well, that explains that..." moaned Zidane. "Moogles go nuts for Kupo Nuts."

Mogmi hurried over to the bell and lifted the nut into the air. "Darling, I have a Kupo Nut for you, kupo!" she crooned. At first there was no reaction, though slowly the bell began to tremble until finally it flew into the air to reveal a rabid moogle who jumped on top of Mogmi and sniffed at the Kupo Nut. "Darling! You're alright, kupo!" Mogmi trilled. The two quickly departed the altar and hurried into an adjacent room, where the party followed to find Moguta and Mogmi waiting for them. Moguta took a small bite of the Kupo Nut, then ravenously swallowed the rest of it whole. "Darling, you have to chew, kupo!" she admonished.

Hurrying over to a nearby statue, Moguta pressed a button on the statue's shield and caused the entire sculpture to spin around to reveal its treasure, another bell. He handed the bell to Freya but when she turned to leave he tugged on her cloak and pulled her back. "Things are dangerous from here on out, kupo!" he warned. "Use a Tent!"

"We don't have time!" Freya snapped.

"No, we do... We can take the express," said Zidane with a crooked grin, beckoning Freya and his other friends inside the Tent produced by Moguta. After a few moments they popped back out of the tent, fully healed and refreshed to prepare for the battle to come. Zidane smilingly retrieved the Tent and stuffed it in his vest. "See? Plenty of time!" he trilled.

"That makes no sense, dammit!" growled Freya. She quietly put a hand to her face and shook it off. "Fine, whatever. You can take your game mechanic and stuff it. We need to hurry on!" she insisted. After using the Holy Bell to open up the next door they entered a large waterway, a chamber filled with water and a dying Burmecian soldier. Freya quickly dashed towards the poor sap but was shoved back when he desperately shook his head.

"Master Gizamaluke has gone mad!" hacked the soldier. "Those clowns are controlling him!"

Zidane quickly unsheathed his weapons and moved into a defensive stance, though as he looked around the chamber he saw nothing. He was still unwilling to let down his guard but turned to Freya with a quizzical look on his face. Freya quickly gestured to a nearby pipe just as a large form slithered from it and dropped into the water. It swam through the polluted waters and finally broke out of them, then began to hover in place. Master Gizamaluke was a large, floating serpent colored mostly blue with a long, barbed tail and a massive wingspan.

Master Gizamaluke hissed, then let out a booming roar that spewed saliva on the party's faces. As Zidane and Freya brushed the gunk out of their eyes and Quina lapped it up, Vivi quickly charged and released a lightning bolt at the beast. Unfortunately, the lightning seemed to be repelled by an invisible barrier that sent it back at Vivi, who narrowly avoided being nailed by the spell by stumbling to the side.

Gripping onto both daggers tightly Zidane vaulted at the boss and dug his weapons into the beast, only to be repelled by the same barrier that had stumped Vivi. He struggled for a few moments but was eventually propelled deep into the water behind the party. Vivi quickly jumped in to assist his friend, then regrettably found that he couldn't swim and began to flail around wildly in the dirty waters.

"Does taste fishy...?" mumbled Quina. The Qu stretched out their arm, wrapping it around the back of Gizamaluke's neck, then dragged it straight into their wide open jaws. The barrier naturally bit back before Quina could eat it, leaving Quina to bounce back a few feet. "Me no want eat now!" s/he roared. Quina drew their massive fork, reared back, and stabbed at the boss, and astonishingly enough the blow was strong enough to shatter the barrier completely. "You no tasty!" Quina scolded as s/he stuck out her tongue at the monster.

With a low hiss Gizamaluke took its tail and slapped Quina backwards into the same water that their friends now struggled to escape, leaving Freya alone to battle the beast. It gnashed its teeth and bit at Freya, who easily dodged. A follow up tail swipe was also evaded and after only a moment's pause Freya bounded high into the air. Gizamaluke lifted its head and opened its maw wide to catch her. Instead, Freya took hold of her spear in both hands and, using the simple force that is gravity, dug the weapon deep through Gizamaluke's throat. The strike skewered it from tongue to tail, and in a large gaseous burst the entire creature dispersed into Mist.

Freya landed gracefully and swept the blood from her spear, then turned to her struggling friends and sighed. Eventually all three were rescued from the water, and Freya turned her attention to the soldier that had warned them of Gizamaluke's danger. She was there to hold his hand as he took his last breaths. When the Burmecian expired Freya quietly bowed her head in prayer and held the soldier's head close to her heart. Eventually she broke away and laid the man to rest, took hold of her weapon, and shouldered it as she turned to leave.

"You gonna be okay...?" Zidane asked warily.

"I will be... When I take the head of that wretched queen," hissed Freya.

"But, killing Dagger's mother won't bring anyone back!" protested Vivi. The Dragoon swiveled around to find Vivi, tears in his eyes, as he threw his entire body onto Freya's leg. "If you hurt her, you'll hurt Dagger too! Please, don't hurt Dagger!" he begged.

It was an emotional moment for Freya. True, she had nothing but hatred for the woman, but taking vengeance wouldn't return any of the fallen back to life. She quietly relented, taking Vivi in her arms and holding him to her heart tightly. "Not vengeance, then..." she whispered. "Tempered justice."

Scene Seven

South Gate, traditionally the gateway between Alexandria and Lindblum, had been badly damaged during the cargo ship's pursuit by the Black Waltz. Because of this there was an influx of workers from all across Lindblum to help repair the structure. Among those volunteers were two who didn't intend to volunteer at all: Dagger and Steiner. They had fought their way from Lindblum to South Gate, but still had to enter somehow... and they were wanted by the Lindblum military, so caution was necessary. Were the soldiers to capture them Dagger would be returned to the castle and Steiner might just be jailed outright. Dagger's idea was to hide inside a large bag of Gysahl Pickles, which Steiner would sling over his shoulder and pretend to be his worldly belongings.

There were two guards at the entrance to South Gate, one tall and one short. Steiner approached with Dagger hidden in the sack of pickles and was stopped by the shorter one. Steiner, who had been thoroughly drilled in what to say, tried his best to remain calm and quietly gathered his courage before smiling and beginning to lie his way through. Everything depended on his acting skill, so there was a very serious concern on Dagger's part that this would even have a chance of working.

"State your business!" barked the short guard.

"Ahem," coughed the knight. Sticking to the script, Steiner adjusted the sack of pickles and did his best to keep it from toppling. He knew that jostling it too much would cause Dagger to fall out, and was well aware that she'd warned him not to do so, on pain of retribution. "I have come to repair South Gate, and have brought my worldly belongings for an extended stay," Steiner lied. "Please allow me in."

"Eh? Cool," muttered the tall guard. "Let him in."

"Hold on there! I want to search that bag of yours!" insisted the short guard, to Steiner's horror.

There was only one way this would work now. Steiner reluctantly (and gently) set down the sack containing Dagger and stepped back. "We're looking for a fat middle-aged man and a girl who looks like Alexandria's Princess Garnet," said the tall one. "You look kind of porky..."

"I-I resent your implication, Sir! I've simply had bad luck dieting! And do you see a princess here?!" Steiner balked. Now not only was the plan in danger, he'd been outright insulted. "If you want to make an accusation, I'd suggest you come with more than dirty words."

"Fair enough," shrugged the tall guard. "Sorry, man."

The short guard began to tug on the rope holding the sack together and, to Steiner's horror, jumped back and grabbed his hammer. "I've found contraband!" he snarled. As Steiner began to sweat the guard wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped back. "You're smuggling Gysahl Pickles! You vile fiend!"

Under his breath Steiner muttered a prayer of thanks. "I love these pickles, and cannot start my day without them!" he declared adamantly. "I've brought as many as I could carry. If you want one-"

"Oh, hell no!" yowled the short guard. "Take your stinky pickles inside and get lost!" The short guard gestured to the tall one and the second guard pulled down a lever that started a machine. The machine's gears turned and creaked, finally opening the gate to reveal the inside of South Gate, which Steiner quickly carried the sack inside and, when the gate closed, he nearly had a heart attack from the sheer amount of stress that he'd been put under by the princess.

"You're a genius, princess," Steiner whispered.

From inside the sack Dagger prodded him with the butt of her racket. "Stop calling me that and find somewhere to drop me off," she scolded. "It smells like I've landed in a trash can." Steiner quickly assessed the situation. There were several people in the area, ranging from a tapir fiddling with a machine to a plump older lady blocking the way into a nearby alley. To get there he'd need to distract both her and the man running the operation, who was nearby looking over reconstruction plans. He began by approaching the plump woman and engaged her in conversation.

"Hello, ma'am! What seems to be troubling you?" Steiner asked politely.

Mary shook her head and sighed, then pointed to a sad-looking man wearing a cap. "Jeff over there just lost his business and everything he owned..." she lamented. "I can't help but wonder if I can do anything..."

"Like get out of the way?" mumbled Steiner, shortly before Dagger kicked him in the back of the head which jostled his brain and brought him back to the mission at hand. "I-I mean, you can surely perk up his spirits, r-right?" he stammered. Even if he sort of expected it, divine justice from his princess was murder on his neck. "You seem like a cheerful little lady..."

"You know what? You're absolutely right!" Mary declared. "I'm going to go give him a good dose of sunshine!" With that Mary left the alleyway, leaving only the chief engineer. Steiner quietly contemplated a way to distract him and found only one avenue: the tapir fixing the gate to the left of the entrance. He slowly inched up behind the tapir and found that he was only flicking two switches and doing nothing else. Steiner saw his opportunity and shuffled over to the chief engineer.

"Sir? Does that man work for you?" asked Steiner.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" wondered the engineer.

"He doesn't seem to be doing anything over there... just fiddling with some switches," explained Steiner. "From what I can tell all he's doing is making a fool out of you and slacking off."

"Dammit! I'm gonna go give that joker a piece of my mind!" snarled the engineer.

The job seemed to be done, so Steiner slowly approached the alleyway. He was suddenly stopped when he heard a sharp whistling and turned to find the short guard inching towards him holding a piece of paper. "You need a Gate Pass to get through, and I'm sure as heck not gonna smell your pickles! So," resolved the guard, "I'm leaving this here! Take it and go!"

With a smirk Steiner retrieved the Gate Pass and hurried inside the alley. After verifying that there was no one present, he carefully set the sack down and cleared his throat. "'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!" he crooned.

This was the code Dagger had been waiting for. First the sack moved slightly, then an arm broke through it and Dagger emerged from the package, looking very much displeased. The trip had been quite unpleasant. Not only were the pickles smelly, but Steiner's hold on the sack had left something to be desired in terms of stability, so she wasn't very comfortable. She angrily took a pickle and tossed it at Steiner's head, which knocked him back a few paces.

"I've never smelled anything so foul in all my life!" she growled.

"Remember, Princess, that it was your idea," responded Steiner.

A slight smile formed on Dagger's face and she dragged herself fully out of the sack of pickles, retrieving her racket and storing it on her belt. "And in the end, it'll be worth it!" she tittered. Now free of her prison Dagger stretched her limbs, savoring the taste of fresh air, and quietly turned to Steiner with an eager smile. "Now we can move on!" Dagger trilled. Steiner saluted only for Dagger's glare to send a chill down his spine. "And please, stop doing that. Remember: My name is Dagger."

"Y-Yes... Miss Dagger..." Steiner muttered weakly. It seemed inconceivable that he would refer to the crown princess by such a pedestrian name, but he knew that if he didn't she would whack him again. "I know nothing of a princess named Garnet Til Alexandros-"

Dagger quickly lifted her racket and bonked Steiner on the head. "Don't overdo it," she groaned. "For a while there I was optimistic, but if you keep doing that everything's going to go to pot..." she sighed. She quietly returned her weapon to her belt and patted Steiner on the shoulder. "But you make a fine protector!" she beamed. "I'm lucky to have you!"

Although Steiner swooned, he was quickly led away from the alley by the princess and they both proceeded to the area where the cable car to Treno would take off from. Once they'd passed through it they'd be in Alexandrian territory! Noticing a moogle off to the left side, Dagger quickly broke away from Steiner and patted him on the head, which pleased him greatly.

"Can I help, kupo?" Grimo asked cheerfully.

"I'd like you to send a letter to someone named Zidane-" Dagger began.

"Y-You'll ruin it all if you do it!" protested Steiner. "Think about the plan!"

With a sigh Dagger smiled and patted Grimo on the head. "I'll give him the message myself. If you see a man with a tail, tell him to get lost," she said smilingly. She and Steiner proceeded up the stairs until they reached the cable car, where the engineer stood awaiting his passengers. Dagger produced her Gate Pass and, after checking it thoroughly, the engineer allowed the two through. They quickly found a place in the back to sit, and Dagger choked out a sigh and fell into her seat, leaning her head back as far as it would go. "At least that's over..." Dagger mumbled.

"I thank you for lending your white magic to our escape, pri-... Miss Dagger," Steiner said as he shuffled into his seat.

"If you recall, I did some of the fighting too, remember?" chuckled Dagger, to Steiner's consternation. With a disgruntled moan Steiner plopped down in his seat and laid his sword on the ground to let it rest. She really had contributed, with her racket racking up almost as many kills as Steiner's sword had. Even if Dagger wasn't a trained warrior, her fighting spirit was just as fiery as the volcanic spark that beat through her heart. She was no pushover.

"But it's more than that... You managed to smuggle us out of Lindblum, and after fighting our way here it was your idea to sneak inside in a bag of Gysahl Pickles. You are quite ingenious, pri-... Miss Dagger," Steiner said quickly. Dagger shot him a short glare that quickly melted his resolve, however, and he reluctantly backed down.

"I wonder what Zidane is doing now..." Dagger sighed.

"We're better off without that stupid monkey!" insisted Steiner. "However," he relented, "I do appreciate all the help that he gave us... without his help, we'd never have gotten to Lindblum."

"So, you're grateful to a thief?" chuckled Dagger.

"I-I didn't... I-I mean-" choked Steiner.

"Ha ha ha! I'm kidding, God..." giggled Dagger, slowly staring down into the lands far below. "If he didn't treat me the way he did, we'd be doing this together... and we'd probably be in Burmecia by now..." she sighed.

"Then it's a good thing you decided not to follow him," Steiner said resolutely. "It's better off this way."

Dagger sighed and held a hand to her face, attempting to rationalize everything that had happened. Even if she didn't want to admit it, he was probably right. But despite that, being treated like a child wholly enraged her. It seemed like everyone was dedicated to treating her like some sort of porcelain doll on a shelf, too fragile to move, and it made her angry. She intended to prove them all wrong, that she had it in her to do more than act as a piece on a chessboard. It wasn't that she wanted to use anyone... But, she didn't want to be used, either.

I wish everything turned out differently, Zidane... If we meet again, I suppose I owe you an apology...

Scene Eight

Leaving behind Gizamaluke's Grotto, the party next entered the Daines-horse Basin, where Burmecia awaited them. Freya explained that here the Mist was particularly thick and monster attacks were common. However, Burmecia's proud martial traditions and the spears of its Dragoons kept the citizens of the nation safe. It was for that reason that Burmecia was treated as the equal of Alexandria and Lindblum. As they crossed they briefly passed through a large expanse of desert, and Freya explained that it led to a place that no one had been in for over a century.

What awaited them after they'd passed through the desert was a wasteland, not one of sand but of wasted lives and broken dreams. When the party first reached the gates of Burmecia they found only emptiness and blood smeared on the gate. Zidane and Vivi stared at the scene silently, and Quina found a batch of Burmecian apples to eat. When s/he did they munched on it for a few moments before spitting it back out.

"Taste good... but taste like blood, too..." sighed Quina. "No want eat when people hurt."

Staring at the gates of her homeland, the kingdom she had forsaken for years, Freya quietly whispered a prayer to the gods. She wordlessly drew her spear and laid it to her shoulder before leading her friends further into the city. Inside the city they found nothing but chaos and misery, with corpses scattered across the streets - men, women, and children. Everything had been upturned, and what little wasn't covered in blood was dripping with the tears of the heavens instead. As she proceeded through the city, Freya bit her lip and choked back tears.

It should have been me... I should have been here to protect Burmecia. The fact that I wasn't gnaws at my very soul... Such a waste of life...

As the party passed through the city they continued to find bodies, covered in blood and caked in soot. It was almost as if their bodies had been charred, as if to the bone. The fire magic of the black mages was sickening powerful, effective enough to easily burn through the shallow skin a human wears as its hide. Although Freya struggled with all her might to contain her emotions she finally let out a shriek and punched a wall, which summoned four Magic Vices. A Magic Vice was essentially the same creature as a Vice, except differently clothed and carrying a long staff instead of a sword.

They converged on the four from both front and back, two on each end. An incensed Freya disregarded her better judgment and charged the two in front, and was promptly blasted with a combined fire spell that charred her cloak and brought her to her knees. She didn't stay down for more than a few moments, however, and with blood lust in her soul Freya pushed through and massacred the two Magic Vices before finally dropping to her knees, breathing heavily and caked in soot.

"You okay?" Vivi asked cautiously as he approached Freya, who remained on the ground still recovering from the trauma.

"She isn't hurt physically..." mumbled Zidane. They'd dispatched the two from behind with minimal effort. "Her emotions are numbing the pain. She doesn't feel anything right now."

Quina suddenly patted Freya on the shoulder and brought her to her feet. "Better apples ahead," s/he said gently. "We go, eat good... fight good, too."

Despite her anger and grief Freya couldn't help but smirk as Quina attempted to make her feel better, and the quartet continued on through the streets. By the time they reached a home with two buildings, and upon seeing the scores of bodies propped up against the walls and laying prone on the ground, Freya finally lost her composure and shrieked out an expletive. This brought attention from above, and the two jesters emerged from the upper balconies with smirks on their faces, something that finally pushed Freya over the edge.

"Come here, you bastards! So I can kill you!" shrieked Freya. Staring up at the emotionless clowns, her heart began to beat even harder and her knuckles tightened. She'd seen the devastation, seen the bodies, and the idea that those jokers were laughing in the face of Burmecia's suffering was almost more than she could bear. As she continued to pant, a thin film of light began to form around Freya's body. "This is just too much!"

The jesters wordlessly retreated inside the house and were replaced by two black mages, who leapt down onto the streets. Two more joined them and another two followed, and together they prepared to fight. Freya, whose breath had come quicker and quicker, shut her eyes tight and bit her lip to suppress her pain, though she finally gave in and light emerged from her body in a violent flash. As the light dimmed Freya emerged a changed woman. Her red robes had become armor and her cap a full helmet, and even her spear had changed into an ornate silver trident.

Freya silently lifted her trident and swept it to her side, cutting a small circle through the air as she did so. Her eyes, filled with tears, locked in on the six black mages and her hatred became too much, and with murderous intent in her heart she darted forward and skewered one on her weapon. Without pausing to stop she quickly stabbed and slashed all six dolls into ribbons, ripping into their bodies and tearing out their clay innards, before finally falling to one knee as she exited Trance. Now held up only by the butt of her spear, Freya tried her best but finally threw up to her right side. The rain quickly dissolved her lunch, and as Vivi stared at the scene he began to sweat.

"It... was a massacre..." he murmured.

"She didn't hurt you," Zidane said as he clapped a hand to Vivi's head. "All she did was destroy a few dolls... Don't let it get inside your head."

"R-Right..." sighed Vivi.

Zorn and Thorn quickly re-emerged from the balconies and did a short jig. "The general will destroy you!" vowed Zorn. They only narrowly retreated inside just as Vivi blasted the balconies with a violent pulse of lightning, leaving Vivi to silently breathe out a few haggard breaths before he stumbled and dropped to his seat.

"Thank you, Vivi..." heaved Freya.

The black mage remained silent, lifted himself to his feet, and quietly gestured to the balconies. Upon entering the room with the balcony they found that access to the second one was too difficult for Vivi and Quina to reach, so Zidane and Freya jumped from one balcony to the next and entered a large bedroom. There they found a Burmecian soldier on the cusp of death. Though Freya desperately reached out to him the poor unfortunate simply held up a small bell. Freya quietly took it from him and laid his head to her chest as he died, leaving her and Zidane to depart.

Everyone backtracked until they reached a large gate with a bell door inscribed on it. Before Freya could ring the bell Zidane grabbed onto her shoulder and brought her into a tight hug, though when they'd finished embracing Freya rang the Protection Bell and caused the door to open. Vivi and Quina quickly followed Zidane's example, and the four of them combined into a single unit, united in their grief, before finally proceeding further in.

Scene Nine

Further up ahead was a long staircase. As Freya started to fall behind Zidane grabbed hold of Freya's shoulder and turned to meet her. "What's wrong? You don't look well... even less than you have been..." murmured Zidane.

"I just... don't know if my heart can bear to see the palace in ruins..." Freya sighed. "What would Fratley think...?"

Four Burmecians, a man, a woman, and their two children suddenly emerged from up above where the stairs led to. The Burmecian soldier, Dan, upon sighting Vivi took up his sword and lashed out at him, though Zidane easily parried his attack and shoved him backwards. As he stumbled Dan again drew his sword and prepared to attack, but when he caught sight of Freya his anger turned to stunned silence and he wordlessly sheathed his weapon.

"You're back..." gasped Dan. "But, the black mage-"

"-is my friend," Freya said resolutely. "He has no blood on his hands."

"Regardless, we have to evacuate!" Dan insisted.

"Go. Get your family away from here," Freya said coolly.

"But you-" Dan stammered.

"I have business upstairs..." growled Freya, quietly shouldering her spear. This wasn't his fight any longer. All that Dan needed to worry about was evacuating his family to somewhere safe, like Lindblum or Cleyra. Unfortunately for the small family, they would end up choosing the wrong one. "Please, take your family and go."

After passing by Dan and his family they entered a building with two routes, forward and up towards the top. They decided to try the lower way first and entered the building to find a soldier and his wife, the former sagging in pain and the latter delirious with fear. It was clear to Zidane that he'd taken a bad blow, but he also would survive if his injuries were treated in time. As the two bickered a large statue began to fall from the ceiling. Zidane acted quickly and tugged the two out of the way just in time, dragging the both of them to safety and laying the soldier on his wife's chest to rest.

"You need to leave. Now," Freya said forcefully.

"When we reach Lindblum," Kal vowed as another soldier took him under his arm, "you have to meet our children. Please, do not die before then."

Up ahead was a ruined plaza with a huge fountain in the center. Freya guided her friends to the armory that lay in the upper northwest of the place, and when they opened the door they found several dead Burmecians clutching their swords. Although she bit her lip Freya led them to a statue of a Dragoon and, snatching its Mythril spear, switched it with her own weapon before continuing on. They next went to the northeast room and encountered a moogle. Zidane gratefully withdrew a Tent but before he could use it the traveling moogle Stiltzkin entered the room.

"W-What the heck..." croaked Stiltzkin, sweat dripping down his face.

"You see what we see..." Zidane said coolly. Stiltzkin nodded and tossed Zidane a sack of six potions, which he took and stored on his belt. The party rested in the Tent with Atla's help and continued on until they reached a grand building with a large statue and a blocked door, the royal palace of the kingdom. Zidane exchanged glances with Freya, who vaulted high up above, and he turned to Vivi and Quina with a grim expression on his face. "You two try and find a way through here," he ordered. "Freya and I will go up top."

Zidane and Freya entered the palace from high above and continued on until they reached a large throne room, where three figures stood: Brahne, Beatrix, and a third man that they'd never met before. Pale and almost feminine, the mysterious man wore a violet mantle with white sleeves and his midriff was bare. Even if they weren't aware of his intentions, both Zidane and Freya could feel the malice oozing from the man's slim frame. He was clearly something far from benevolent.

Watching Brahne fan herself, nonchalantly as if the slaughter was nothing but good fun, nearly made Freya retch and tightened her grip on her weapon, though she had enough sense not to leap on top of the disgusting creature, rip her to shreds, and feed her remains to the scurrying rats that alone remained in the city of Burmecia. "It's all her fault..." growled Freya, her teeth gritted.

"Don't act rashly," Zidane whispered.

The unknown man, who seemed to be quite cool and collected, breathed in a deep scent of the blood-soaked rain, tasting the fear and the suffering of the Burmecians and relishing in it. "Ah, are the tears of heaven not a lovely sight? Just as the tears of the Burmecians flowed while we butchered the lot of them?" crooned the strange man. He seemed to be enjoying himself, a sick pleasure that chilled Zidane's soul, fired up Freya's, and simply disgusted Beatrix. "It was a symphony of misery... quiet, beautiful."

"Hold your tongue, knave," Beatrix growled bitterly. The whole mess turned her stomach.

"The black mages did their work well," remarked Brahne.

"By committing mass-murder..." muttered Beatrix, her fist tightening. "My soldiers alone could have taken the city at far less loss of life..."

"Be silent, Beatrix," Brahne admonished her general, who silently grit her teeth and gave her queen a solemn salute. She turned to the strange man and, while fanning herself, a twisted smile crossed her fat face. "We have to find the king, Kuja. It's imperative that we exterminate those rats once and for all," she said wickedly.

"They've already made haste for the sandy tree house," Kuja shrugged.

"Cleyra? Their sandstorm makes the attack more or less impossible," sighed Beatrix.

"For every closed door is an open window. We'll find a way in to smash the rats," Kuja said with a sinister grin. Beatrix bit her lip and tightened her fists, but said nothing. Referring to the Burmecians in such a way was horrible, but she knew that her first duty was to Brahne and Alexandria. "The impossible is always possible when enough effort is given to the endeavor."

"What's Cleyra?" Zidane asked softly.

"Do you remember the desert we crossed? Cleyra exists cloaked in a sandstorm, void of threat for a hundred years," explained Freya. "So long as the sandstorm remains, they have no recourse." Freya suddenly caught sight of what she dreaded most: a lone Burmecian soldier approaching Brahne with the intent to kill her. Muttering a curse she tapped Zidane on the back and they quickly moved to his aid.

"You will pay in blood for your sins!" snarled the soldier.

Beatrix quietly stepped up and moved between Brahne and the soldier, her fingers inching towards her Save the Queen sword as her own heart began to burn hotter and hotter. Even if Brahne had committed horrible acts, Beatrix believed that the queen acted in the best interests of Alexandria. Add to that the fact that she'd sworn an oath to protect the kingdom and its sovereign, and all that remained was one thing: cut down the intruder, with extreme prejudice.

The soldier quickly lost his nerve and moved to run. Beatrix similarly moved to attack and drew her blade, only to be parried by Freya's spear. The two held fast in their struggle, allowing the soldier time to escape just as Zidane, Vivi, and Quina joined the fight and Brahne retreated like the coward that she was. When Beatrix put actual effort into her attack Freya was brutally shoved back, and her spear was brandished with murderous intent.

Freya bit her lip to contain her outrage. She'd heard rumors of the great General Beatrix, the unstoppable god of the sword that had slaughtered a hundred well-trained knights in an hour's time. Her lover Fratley had cited her very existence as the reason why he left to train, and Freya couldn't help but blame Beatrix for the simple fact that she hadn't seen him in years. "Move aside," she growled. "My spear hungers for your queen's wretched blood."

Unwilling to back down, Beatrix kept a firm grip on her holy sword. She'd served Brahne for her entire life, fought in the wars for both she and the King and shed her own blood in defense of her kingdom. All of that would not be wasted on the vermin that now threatened her sovereign. "I am the Sword of Alexandria," warned Beatrix. "Put everything you have into your fight. And trust me... You'll need it."

In unison Freya and Zidane moved to attack, but Beatrix effortlessly parried their double attack and shoved them both back several paces. Gesturing to Vivi, Zidane swiftly charged his daggers with lightning and jumped at Beatrix, ready to puncture her to death. Instead Beatrix easily disarmed him and slashed him down the middle, severely injuring him and dropping him to his back, bloody and nearly unconscious. Her sword, Save the Queen, was unmatched in its sharpness just as its wielder was unparalleled in the art of battle.

As Zidane fell unconscious Vivi desperately stepped back as well but was similarly struck and downed. Beatrix turned to a distressed Quina, who weakly lifted their fork before it was removed from their hands. Two consecutive blows put Quina out of the fight, leaving Freya as the only remaining combatant. Everything rested on her next attack... but when Freya thrust her spear at Beatrix she connected only with the general's after-image, and Beatrix swiftly downed her with three deft slashes that ripped into Freya's chest and rent her flesh asunder with disturbing ease. Freya fell to her back, barely conscious, and dropped her weapon as she fell, though she fought through her pain and remained awake to stare down the woman who had damned her people.

"They never had a chance..." Beatrix murmured. She reluctantly sheathed her Save the Queen, turned to Brahne, and saluted her. Regardless of anything else, what mattered most was Brahne's well being, even if she was acting erratic. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. "The enemy is dispatched," she said coldly. "Are you unhurt, Your Highness?"

"Prepare your forces for an assault on Cleyra," ordered an emotionless Brahne.

"Yes, Your Highness..." sighed Beatrix. Under her breath she muttered: "By your order I shall murder the Burmecians... God save my soul..." She shot Kuja one last contemptuous glare before moving to leave with Brahne. The fat queen simply fanned herself again and left the palace with Beatrix, leaving Kuja to stare down at the wounded with what passed as a mixture of contempt and pity.

Kuja slowly stepped towards a half-way conscious Zidane, who was desperately applying a potion to his massive wound. The sinister sorcerer quietly turned to his steed, a Silver Dragon, and climbed atop his mount. He watched as Zidane struggled to remain awake, casting a disgustingly satisfied grin at the thief, and as he soared away from the scene on his Silver Dragon he left four people to suffer and die. They wouldn't, but Freya's tears could not be washed away as she began to sob and cry out in agony. Vivi and Quina were simply unconscious, Zidane barely awake, but she remained cruelly lucid to suffer through her pain.

Final Fantasy IX: The Reason and Right to Exist

Part One: Runaway Princess

COMPLETE!

Author's Notes

A good chunk of this is split between world building and bestiary completion. I'm trying to include as many monsters from the bestiary as possible, as with my previous works... so expect some more unique monster encounters. The world building is probably half my own nonsense and the other half is actual canon. The names of the locations - the Euronus Plains, the Daines-horse Basin - are the actual names from FFIX's script. I didn't make them up. This is going to be the norm, as I want to at least TRY to stick to SOME sort of canon.

Quina... Yeah. The walking WTF character. I guess I'm exaggerating them a bit more than in the game... I thought for a while about their battle style and decided on two things: elastic body and wind/water manipulation (possibly earth elemental as well) to reference their Twister and Aqua Breath Blue Magic spells. There's also a good reason I made them elastic, but that comes later. It's going to be a serious pain to remember to use gender neutral pronouns, because I never really have had to do so in my writing... So if I screw up, sorry. I don't have a stance on that kind of thing and don't intend of politicizing anything.

Tents and potions showed up here quite prominently. Tents sort of came to me over time, and potions seemed most plausible if they could both be drank and applied as a topical to wounds. Or not, just my nonsense? Yeah, it's probably just me...

My depictions of Dagger and Beatrix might be controversial, but I stand by them 100%. I don't want the Dagger I'm portraying to be a dumb, passive pawn in the greater game - she deserves better than how she's portrayed in the game, in my opinion... Or, it's just my nonsense, which is more likely. If you've read my other works you know that spewing out non-canonical BS is more or less my job. But, until we get to Eiko I want a strong, spirited woman leading the charge. Even then I want my saucy little princess still staying strong in the face of adversity. She isn't going to be an idle observer like in the game, passive and reticent to fight.

Beatrix might be a problem with some people, so I want to justify my depiction. In the game she's a coldly efficient soldier, dedicated only to her duties as a general of Alexandria. To be perfectly honest I don't want a robot as a character. So, if showing her in a more human light is a problem to some people I apologize... but it's going to continue like this. Just as with Dagger I intend to customize a few characters to my own design, like I did with Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie in FFVII. As a role-playing veteran I want to put my own stamp on my works... so if this all offends you? Sorry, but it won't change. I intend on portraying the characters that I want to portray. Dagger and Beatrix both deserve to be humanized from what they're shoehorned into in the game itself. Starting in Chapter 8 she starts having badass moments, so please hang on until then. For that matter, so does Steiner. I'm basically using him for my own enjoyment though, but that's a different matter.