Start Date: April 13, 2024
Windwillow
Final Fantasy IX: The Reason and Right to Exist
Chapter Seven: To Cross the Continents
The time of Cleyra's reckoning was now. Having extracted the Eidolons from her daughter, Princess Garnet, the greedy despot Queen Brahne now held in her hand a jewel called "Dark Matter." It was tied to the Great Knight Odin, one of her daughter's Eidolons, and by sending her greedy heart deep into the stone a great darkness came over Cleyra. From the darkness there came a light, and from that light emerged a warrior riding an eight-legged horse.
The sound of hooves clapping pierced the dark night and signaled the end, as the Great Knight held onto the legendary spear Gungnir... the instrument of Cleyra's destruction. As he approached Odin hurled his Gungnir towards Cleyra, and with a great thundering the weapon penetrated the great tree and embedded itself deep into the earth. Unsatisfied with being tied to the ground the spear rose up through the roots and burst from Cleyra's tree.
It was utter decimation, with the tree of Cleyra and all inhabiting it lost to a thunderous jolt of lightning that swallowed the tree and engulfed it in a deadly light that broke apart Cleyra, shattered its people, and cast them to the four winds. As Odin departed back into the sky the greedy queen stared out at the devastation she had wrought, and a sinister smile crossed her face. General Beatrix, who had stolen the Desert Star just moments earlier, stared out at the cataclysmic apocalypse with horror and dread, bit her lip, and tasted the blood that dripped from her mouth.
"To think..." Beatrix murmured weakly. "I did that... Dear God."
Scene One
Zidane, Vivi, and Freya narrowly escaped Cleyra's destruction by making use of the black mages' telepods, which spirited them through the sky and up into the black mage depot where they exited just in time to watch the final cataclysm unfold. Zidane and Vivi stared in mute shock, but Freya's emotions were much greater. She stared down at the devastation, fell to her knees, and slammed her fists on the deck of the Red Rose as tears began to drip from her eyes. Vivi moved to console Freya as Zidane stumbled back, grabbing onto the railing to catch himself from falling.
He couldn't believe that she'd done it. She'd taken a mark on a map and swiped it clean, erasing thousands of innocents in a single swoop, and the feeling was overwhelming. "That stupid, fat witch..." Zidane muttered weakly. Zidane angrily bit his lip and turned his attention to other matters. "That stupid general has to be aboard..." he growled menacingly. "And she's the one who made it possible."
Before he could act any further Zidane heard the sound of footsteps and dashed towards his friends, gathering them together to hide behind the telepods where they wouldn't be seen. Beatrix exited her cabin, the Desert Star clutched between her fingers, and was met by an Alexandrian soldier who saluted her. With what little resolve she had left, Beatrix returned the gesture.
"Lady Beatrix, the queen requests your presence on the bridge," the soldier reported.
Beatrix saluted again and as the soldier scampered off she gripped tightly onto the Desert Star and felt her fingers tremble around the jewel. It was all so much. "My troops could have taken Cleyra..." she murmured, shaking her head. "What happened was just senseless sadism. And I had a part in it..." She turned and found three black mages, prepared to escort her, and the general muttered a curse before leaving the deck and allowing the three would-be heroes the opportunity to leave their hiding place.
Zidane was surprised at Beatrix's regret, having never thought to see her as anything but a cold-hearted soldier. He certainly hadn't received much mercy at Burmecia, at any rate. As he departed the nook Zidane carefully followed Beatrix at a safe distance, making sure not to allow her to detect him. He ended up outside of a door leading further inside the Red Rose, and watched as Beatrix entered the bridge where Queen Brahne awaited her. Zidane grit his teeth and growled out a foul word as he watched Beatrix approach and salute her sovereign.
Brahne gestured and Beatrix reluctantly handed over the Desert Star. The queen snatched up the stone with great glee and carefully examined it, taking in its beauty and relishing in the fact that she'd committed mass murder to obtain it. Beatrix could only watch in disgust as her sovereign celebrated the genocide of the Burmecians and Cleyrans. Although it tore at her heart, she still reasoned that everything had been done for the betterment of Alexandria. She had to believe that. "Now all I need is the Falcon's Claw..." she cackled. After clearing her throat Brahne turned back to Beatrix and gave her a sinister smile, one that the general didn't appreciate. "When we return, prepare to execute Garnet."
"I... I can't have heard that correctly!" choked Beatrix. "The princess... Your own daughter?!"
"She's nothing but a nuisance, and besides that she stole the pendant. When we arrive I'll have her beheaded," Brahne said coldly. She turned to Beatrix and smiled again. "You have your orders," she sneered. "Go fulfill them."
Beatrix's composure had nearly cracked. To think that her queen would execute her own daughter, for whatever reason, shook her to her core. She was well acquainted with the princess, and had talked to her quite often on her hours off. Her breathing quickened, slowly returned to her, and she solemnly saluted Brahne and prepared to leave the bridge. Before she did so she cast a look of scorn on her sovereign, grit her teeth and stormed away from Brahne indignantly. She was right on the cusp, but... Not yet.
Upon hearing Brahne's order Zidane had nearly vaulted over the side of the ship in an attempt to get to the queen, but at the last moment Freya grabbed him and restrained him. Though he struggled, the Dragoon's will had returned to her and she held him fast. "Calm down," she snapped. "Fighting the whole Alexandrian military is just suicidal... and you won't help Dagger that way. You'll just kill yourself and her. We need to hurry back to the pods."
"W-What do you mean...?" Zidane breathed.
Freya released Zidane from her grasp and snatched up her Mythril spear, laying it to her shoulder and turning to leave. "Their next destination is Alexandria. That means the pods will lead us there," she said plainly. She jabbed her thumb back at the telepods, a weak smile on her face. "Let's go save her... I can salvage at least one life."
Zidane dashed away from his friend and brushed by Vivi, who approached Freya nervously and adjusted his hat. "Do you really think we can save her...?" he asked quietly. "Do we even have a chance?"
"I won't let that disgusting sack of blubber kill one single person more..." Freya growled. As she remembered the destruction of both countries her teeth grit and she nearly cracked a tooth open from grinding them so strongly. True, she hadn't known Dagger for long... but helping her to live would spite Brahne outright. "First Burmecia, and then Cleyra..." she said through gritted teeth, feeling them grind and cursing her weakness. "I'll be damned if they take her, too."
Scene Two
It was a dangerous plan. At best they had half an hour before the fleet returned to Alexandria. Even with the odds stacked against them the trio hopped inside the telepods and prayed for deliverance. They passed through the aether, crossed through a cacophony of colors and lights, until finally reaching a small underground chamber. There they were met by a visibly distressed Steiner, with Marcus standing several paces behind him. As Zidane manifested the knight quickly turned to him in particular.
Steiner drew his sword and stormed towards Zidane, prepared to apprehend him. The tailed thief brushed the sword away and smacked the knight hard in the face before grabbing his shirt and dragging him for them to meet eye-to-eye. "I don't give a damn about you right now," he snarled. "We have less than half an hour to keep Dagger from being executed by your queen. And if you wanna argue," he declared, "then I'll kick your sorry ass and go myself! Are you in or not?!"
Steiner startled, never realizing that Brahne had ordered the princess's death. Despite all his doubts, despite his pledge, he had that nagging doubt - that she really was in danger. The knight quietly bowed his head, allowing Zidane to drop him from his grip before the party hurried away from the telepod depot. They were pursued by a throng of Alexandrian soldiers, though when they passed through a gate and Marcus flipped a switch the gate closed and he turned to Zidane with a wicked gleam in his eye. Seeing him was more welcome than Zidane had ever felt.
"I got the goods," Marcus said proudly. "Go save her and I'll grab Bro."
Marcus quickly ran towards a side exit and the rescue party dashed through the entryway to the castle, where they were met by a group of four Alexandrian soldiers. When they charged them both Zidane and Freya angrily drew their weapons, engaged them, and disarmed them before Vivi knocked them unconscious with a minor thunder spell. Steiner watched as the soldiers went down, and though the damage wasn't lethal he couldn't help but feel guilty for betraying his own country.
"There must be a misunderstanding!" protested Steiner.
"The only 'misunderstanding' is the concept that you think that you grasp what's going on," Freya growled as she bopped Steiner over the helmet with her weapon. He was just so damned stubborn. "We either go in and do it or Dagger dies. Make your choice."
Without further protest Steiner followed his allies into the castle. They fought their way through the halls, careful not to inflict any lethal wounds, while searching for the throne room. Steiner guided them there and they found it empty, though with a conspicuous purple candle lit in the corner of the room. Zidane, who led the charge, yanked on the candle and opened up a secret passage that they quickly crossed into.
They dashed through the hidden passage with soldiers licking their heels. As they proceeded and the threat became more and more lethal Vivi pivoted on his heel and threw out his hands, creating a huge wall of ice that blocked the soldiers from pursuing them. Upon reaching the end of the road they entered a large room, the one where Dagger's Eidolons had been extracted.
Zidane saw the jesters guarding her, noticed the chains holding her, and immediately erupted into Trance. As he rushed forward he clapped a hand to the floor, sending a shock wave of energy soaring at the jesters. The clowns ran away from the oncoming attack, and when they reached Zidane he backhanded them both, knocked them senseless, and charged through the room until he finally reached where Dagger lay bound. He quickly dashed for the princess and grabbed onto the shackles, using the last of his Trance to shatter them to bits before moving to cradle her in his arms.
"Oh, princess, why?!" Steiner lamented weakly as he sunk to his knees and began to sob. "I deserve death and nothing less!"
"She's still alive, you idiot," growled Freya. She took her spear and bopped him over the head again, which broke his concentration and brought him back to reality. "We need to take her and get her out of here ASAP."
Taking Dagger in his arms Zidane dashed out of the room, with his friends close behind him. When they reached the barrier of ice Vivi blasted it with fire to melt it. As the ice melted Steiner and Freya took their weapons and disarmed the soldiers who stood in their way, and as the party continued on they finally reached the throne room and Freya threw the switch to seal up the hidden passage and keep their enemies from pursuing them.
Zidane gently laid Dagger on a nearby couch, turned to Steiner and drew his daggers. "Get ready to cut through 'em!" he shouted brusquely. "Even if we don't kill them, this is going to be a nightmare!"
Steiner quietly tightened his fingers, felt the steel that held them begin to tremble and shake, and angrily bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed. "The truth was there, and I disregarded it," he growled, swiping the blood from his face. "I'm such an idiot."
"Duh, genius. I've been saying that for ages. We need to get her out of here now!" Zidane insisted. He turned and looked at the still-sleeping princess, stared into her emotionless face and his own slowly twisted into a grimace. He'd promised that he'd protect her... and he didn't. Whatever the circumstances, however far away he was, he broke his promise to the girl. "This was all on me. I wasn't there to protect her... It's on me."
As Zidane grieved the jesters arrived with Beatrix in tow. With her sword drawn the general brandished it and slid into a fighting stance. "Steiner! Why are you siding with them?" she growled. "I expected better of you."
Steiner wordlessly shut his eyes tight and broke open in a flash of light. The resolve to protect Dagger shattered his tin-plate armor and replaced it with gold and silver plates that only a Paladin is allowed to wear. His boots and gloves became gold and across his chest the royal crest of Alexandria was emblazoned on his breast. He breathed out a haggard breath before lunging at the general with his sword drawn, but Beatrix effortlessly parried and disarmed him, and though his Trance faded Steiner continued to stare at her with weary sympathy. She still didn't realize it.
"This is enough," Steiner sighed. "This has to be the limit, Beatrix. No more."
"Worry more about your princess and less about that bloated tick of a queen!" Zidane growled, sheathing his daggers and pointing to the sleeping princess beside him. Now was the time to tell: Was she a heartless puppet, or a proud Paladin? "See? This is what's happened. Make your choice whether you follow Dagger or Brahne. Now."
Beatrix stared down at Dagger and quietly choked out a nasty word. The queen really had meant to kill her. That, finally, was her answer. After staring the jesters down with enough malice to make them retreat the general hurried over to Dagger and laid both hands over her chest, a thin film of light coating both their bodies. As she realized that her white magic wouldn't be enough she broke through her limits and forced as much power into the princess as she could, and slowly Dagger began to regain consciousness.
When Zorn and Thorn returned with Brahne in tow Beatrix pivoted on her heel and walked towards her, clicked her heels and saluted. Brahne was pleased, but wasn't for long when the general drew her sword and slid into position, separating the queen from her daughter. "Steiner's right," she sighed. With a gleaming sparkle of determination, she lifted her sword and tightened her grip on the hilt. "This is enough."
"Dispose of all of them!" Brahne snarled, stepping back just behind Zorn and Thorn before fleeing like the coward that she was.
The jesters nodded and summoned a monster to them, a Bandersnatch. Large, shaped like a pink dog with a curled up tail, the Bandersnatch was a ferocious predator and was capable of doing as much damage as any wolf, tiger, or lion - except it was much larger. Before it could attack Beatrix lashed out and cut it in half, then turned to Steiner and gestured towards Dagger. "As far as you can, as fast as you can!" she shouted before returning to her enemy. "Get her out now!"
Zidane guided Dagger to her feet as Vivi flipped the switch to open the hidden passage, leaving Steiner to follow close behind. The jesters summoned two more Bandersnatches, both of which leapt at Beatrix. The general saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye and watched as an entranced Freya skewered one of the monsters, soon followed by Beatrix slashing the other in half. Beatrix stared in mute amazement at the Burmecian, though she quickly turned back to the oncoming onslaught of monsters that the jesters were unleashing.
"Let me fight with you!" Freya shouted, turning a gleaming eye to Beatrix. Despite it all, they shared a mutual respect for one another. Now was the time to show it. "You owe me no less." Beatrix returned her smile and they both turned back to find that the Bandersnatches continued to manifest, with Zorn and Thorn summoning them en masse. Freya lifted her spear and brandished it, positioning herself parallel to Beatrix. "You realize this is a losing battle, right?"
"Ha!" scoffed Beatrix. "A hundred knights at once is a losing battle. This is nothing."
Scene Three
It would be a mad dash to the finish line to escape Alexandria. As the party dashed through the corridors of the secret passage the four of them were ambushed both behind and in front by two Bandersnatches. Zidane quickly entranced and dispatched one of them with a single blow, while Vivi and Steiner's Magic Sword attack cut down the other. They hurried through the corridor, finally stopping when Steiner grabbed hold of Zidane's shoulder and held him tight. A wry smile etched itself on Zidane's face; he finally got it.
"Keep her safe, even if it costs your life!" Steiner shouted as he turned and ran towards the fray with the Bandersnatches. Dagger desperately reached out to stop him but Zidane grabbed her by the arm and tugged her further down the road. Eventually the group ended up in the space near Gargan Roo where they'd been trapped by Zorn and Thorn. Unfortunately, it happened again.
Parallel Perspective: The General, the Dragoon, and the Knight Captain
While Zidane's group met with the jesters again Freya and Beatrix engaged in a running battle against a stream of Bandersnatches that steadily forced them back further and further down the hidden corridor as they attempted to keep the jesters from following their princess. They slashed and stabbed at the onslaught, Bandersnatch after Bandersnatch coming at them from their summoning point. As they continued to retreat Beatrix slid back and her shoulder met Steiner's hand, and with a smirk she lifted her sword in unison with his, swung down, and in a flash of blue light two Bandersnatches vanished.
"You realize what you're doing, Steiner?" Beatrix asked coldly. When Steiner quietly stepped up beside her with his sword at his side the general smirked and returned to the fight. "I guess I did read you right..." she said smilingly.
Scene Four
"Trapped, they are!" gloated Thorn.
"They fell for it again!" cackled Zorn.
The battle seemed to be over, but the war wasn't yet lost. Zidane in desperation summoned the light to his body again but before he could Trance the two jesters fell flat on their faces and his two Tantalus brothers emerged from behind them. "Blank?!" Zidane croaked. When he was met with the same grin that he'd received the first time he'd lost him Zidane scowled and tugged harder on Dagger's wrist as the cage was lowered. "Next time I see you, I'm going to give you two black eyes!" he growled. Blank said nothing, but did give a two-fingered salute that only stoked Zidane's rage. He was so damned cocky.
Leaving behind the rear guard the group led by Zidane hurried into Gargan Roo and leapt inside the Gargant's carriage just before it roared and began to skitter towards Treno. During the trip Dagger remained solemn and silent, though Vivi tugged at her jumpsuit in an attempt to reassure her. It seemed to work, as she smilingly patted him on the head and began to giggle. The princess was stopped cold, however, when the Gargant halted and her friends departed the trolley to fight it and angrily bit her lip. She knew that without her racket she was helpless...
The grownup version of the Ralvularva was much more of a mature snake. Its two tusks, which had become true tusks rather than the two suckers that it previously boasted, seemed sharp enough to pierce human flesh without effort. The Ralvuimago roared and jabbed its tusk at Zidane, who parried with his daggers. Though the monster continued to force its way through Zidane deftly jumped back, which allowed Vivi to blast it with a huge lightning bolt that seemed to fry it, allowing the duo to return to the Gargant's trolley.
Again the Gargant began to move. Again it flinched when Ralvuimago got up and began to chase it, charging through the underground tunnels in a desperate attempt to shake the beast. "We're going to blow straight past Gargan Roo at this rate!" hacked Zidane, just as they did indeed reach and pass the route to Treno. As the Ralvuimago finally caught up and reared back to strike Vivi's body erupted in light and he nuked it with a huge sphere of fire that totally incinerated its head. That wasn't enough to make them stop, though.
Parallel Perspective: The Queen's Orders
Inside the royal box Brahne stewed, her greedy heart beating with hatred and disgust. Not only had they lost the pendant, but Dagger remained active... leaving open the possibility that she would find a way to fight back against her Eidolons. Zorn and Thorn entered the box, prepared to inform the queen of her guests' arrival, but were met by an Alexandrian soldier who barred their path. They quickly moved to the other side and were greeted by the same situation, and as they stewed the soldier checked in with Brahne and came to report back to the jesters.
"The queen says that you're dismissed," the soldier said curtly. "That's the polite way of saying it. I won't repeat her exact words, as they're quite vulgar."
"B-But we cannot survive without the queen's backing!" shrieked Zorn.
"Arrived, her guests have! Outside they await, her orders to take!" protested Thorn.
"Good, let them in," smiled the soldier. "And then get the hell out of the castle."
The jesters left the royal box in tears, while two figures emerged from the doorway. One was a young woman. Wielding an axe that was almost as large as she was, the dark skinned young woman was dressed in a cropped orange top and black shorts with a patterned orange duster. The other was a tall, redheaded man. Tall with long red dreadlocks, the man that was appropriately called 'Red' wore a green vest and trousers with a red belt, red bands on his upper arms and a matching green on the lower arms.
They were both met with opposition from the queen's guards. While the young woman brandished her axe to offer her invitation the tall man simply brushed past the soldier and the duo quietly stepped up to greet Brahne. The axe-wielding woman bowed her head in deference, though the tall man simply stared back at the queen with a look of indifference. He had no interest in the witch's workings, only his own motivations.
"You have two objectives: first, retrieve the pendant that the princess stole. Second, assassinate the black mage doll traveling with them," Brahne ordered coldly. "And before you ask, lethal force is authorized. Kill her if you need to in order to get the jewel," she snarled. The young woman simply sneered and bowed her head, then turned to leave. The other bounty hunter, however, lingered.
"Is it true," the bounty hunter said in a deep, menacing voice, "that a boy with a tail is following them?" The queen nodded and the bounty hunter quietly shook his head and tightened his fists. His quarry was finally in reach. As he turned to leave, his boots clomping against the hard stone beneath the soft carpet, the bounty hunter finally cracked his first smile. "You won't get away twice, you little monkey. I'll settle our argument by beating the living daylights out of you."
Scene Five
The darkness had seized her. Her despair was great, grief at her mother's betrayal and the sacrifices that her friends had made for her. Eventually Dagger regained consciousness and opened her eyes to find herself on a large cliff face with pieces of the Gargant's trolley crushed and scattered around the landscape, with Vivi staring down at her from above. It didn't take long for Dagger to piece the situation back together, that the Gargant had either fled or been killed during the attack, and she silently lamented that she'd caused even more suffering.
"We're at Pinnacle Rocks... It's near Lindblum," Vivi said sadly.
Dagger weakly dragged herself to her feet and began to look around, and on finding that they were alone her worst fears were confirmed. "None of them are here..." she gasped. "They're all-"
"-All fine and dandy somewhere we can't see 'em," interrupted Zidane, who had returned from scouting the area. The thief softly stroked his princess's hair and plopped down on his seat. "We're talking Freya, Rusty, and Beatrix, and they have my brothers with them. If anyone's going to survive, it's them."
"All I do is create misery and suffering..." lamented Dagger, taking her hands and burying her face in them in distress. "No matter what I do, all I am is a caged canary. I don't have even a semblance of control over my own life."
It was difficult to watch, but Zidane forced the pain from his mind and held a hand to his head to stifle his aching migraine. "It's a nice place, plenty of forest, a couple waterfalls, and a river that surely leads to Lindblum," he sighed. "We even have a moogle. Everything's going to be okay, alright?" He immediately saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, lifted himself to his feet, and drew his daggers, brandishing them at the source of the noise. "And who the hell are you?!" Zidane roared.
Bald and mustachioed, the old timer wore a tan robe with green trousers and carried a distinctly unique staff. The staff was actually longer than he was, and because he was levitating he was able to actually hold it; it was multi-pronged, like a trident, but made of wood and decked out with gold and silver runes. "I am Ramuh, Lord of Lightning and Eidolon of Thunder," said the old man in a soft, gentle voice. "And before you say anything else... You must realize that the Great Knight Odin obliterated an entire community just a short time ago."
"Yes... I destroyed Cleyra..." murmured Dagger sadly.
"But, you weren't even there!" Vivi protested.
Dagger shook her head and bit her lip. It wasn't a direct responsibility, but it was still her Eidolon that committed the genocide. "It's... just my opinion, I suppose... Sorry, Vivi," Dagger said apologetically. "I guess there wasn't anything any of us could do to make Mother stop."
"What do you intend to do next, girl?" asked Ramuh. "Do you want to find peace, or seek to engage in war?"
"I... I have to fight. But I need an Eidolon to do it, so..." Dagger looked up at Ramuh desperately and tearfully stretched out her hand. "Please! Become my Eidolon! I won't let anyone else die!"
Ramuh shook his head sadly and laid his staff against his shoulder. The girl carried so much weight that it was difficult to see her struggle against it. "That old bag has all of your Eidolons to draw from, even the Dragon King. I daresay it's a certainty that she'll commit more murder with them," Ramuh said plainly. "Do you want to fight, even against an unbeatable foe?"
"Anything I can do... anything... It's my responsibility!" insisted Dagger.
The Eidolon slowly faded away and was replaced by a far more intimidating figure. Ramuh was a wholly different being in his true form. Now bearing a stature that would befit a higher being, his long beard now reached his feet and his mustache was almost cartoonishly long and curled. His staff, similar in shape to the one he had in human form, now pulsed with lightning and thunder that crackled around it and made its runes shimmer in a field of bright white light.
"You have no such responsibility, only the limits and conditions you set on your own shoulders," Ramuh said in a booming voice, causing Dagger to flinch from the intensity of his words. "I shall hide five manifestations around the area, and each will tell part of a story," he said brusquely. "Complete it to my satisfaction and I will become your Eidolon. Fail, and you'll remain here for the rest of your life in penance for your sins. Acceptable?"
"I... I accept your challenge," Dagger said resolutely, just as Ramuh faded away.
"There's something wrong here," growled Zidane. "Something he isn't telling us... Damned old codger."
Scene Six
Further down from where they started the party encountered a familiar face: Monty the moogle, who had helped them at Evil Forest. He greeted the group with a hearty 'kupo!' and stretched out his hand, and this time Dagger took and shook it. "I'm glad you all made it out, kupo!" he tittered. "I was so worried for everyone."
"How did you make it out?" asked Zidane.
"I followed a strange bunch of folks, kupo," Monty said cheerfully, something that brought a smile to Zidane's face. "Did I say something funny, kupo?"
With a soft chuckle Zidane stretched his neck and clapped his hands together. "I knew he'd figure something out, that wily old bastard!" he laughed. "That son of a gun really is a piece of work."
"Oh... and I have a letter for you from this guy, kupo," said Monty. He fished out a sealed parchment and handed it to Dagger, while Zidane's face immediately dropped to his knees. Now that he remembered what he'd written, all of a sudden it seemed to be a worse idea than he'd thought at the time. "I haven't read it, but when Artemicion delivered it he was laughing."
"D-Don't open it!" pleaded Zidane. "It was just... I mean..."
As Dagger unfurled the letter and read it her expression changed from happiness to fury, and she angrily shot Zidane a glare that chilled his soul and moistened his shirt. "How could you?" Dagger hissed. "Who gave you any right to speak to me this way?"
"I-It was in the heat of the moment! It wasn't anything... I mean..." Zidane stammered. With a frustrated groan he scratched the back of his head and sighed. It wasn't like he was the only one who needed to apologize. "Oh, screw it. You were the one who made the stupid decision to run off head long into a war zone," he growled. "We both made bad decisions. Let's call it even."
Dagger's face changed from angry to sympathetic, and as Zidane thought he was finally out of danger she wrapped the letter up and bopped him over the head with it. "Fair enough," she said with a smirk. "I guess I can let it go..."
With the issue resolved, Zidane produced the Tent and handed it to Monty. "We'd like the express, please!" he said briskly, and after Monty nodded he manifested the campsite and the party took a break inside the tent. When they emerged Zidane returned the Tent to his vest and patted the moogle on the head, then lifted himself to his feet and looked around the area. "Any idea where we can find an old thunder god loitering around?" Zidane asked slyly.
"Kupo... You'll need to look yourself," replied Monty. "I ain't making the boss mad at me again."
Although Zidane scowled the group began their search, and pored over the whole of Pinnacle Rocks in search of Ramuh's avatars. They eventually found all five of them, learned the contents of the story (which wasn't in order), and eventually made their way to the exit of the area. There they were met by Ramuh in his human form, who tapped his staff on the ground and crossed his legs in preparation to hear the story from Dagger, who cleared her throat and explained what she'd learned in order: first, fourth, third, second, and fifth.
Part 1, Beginning: Thirty three nations, locked in conflict with an evil empire, found themselves in a losing battle. Within a month's time most had fallen, and the others struggled to survive in a world dominated by the mad dictator. A band of heroes, guided by the Wild Rose Rebellion, sought out a man high in the north named Josef, who knew the secret to finding the legendary Goddess Bell, essential to enter the Keep of Kas'ion.
Part 2, Sacrifice: Having been indebted to the heroes Josef agreed and they departed to the Snow Cavern. There they fought and defeated the Adamantoise that guarded the treasure, and then the heroes reached the entrance to the cavern but were met by the traitor Borghen. In his final death throes he flipped a trap that threatened to kill them all, but Josef sacrificed himself to save the other three.
Part 3, Deliverance: In mourning after the death of their comrade, the heroes returned to their homeland and used the Goddess Bell to find the Sunfire at Kas'ion Keep, leading to the devastation of the Great Dreadnought and marking a vital turning point in the war. When the evil emperor was finally slain and his undead counterpart erased, the world entered a new epoch of happiness and peace.
Part 5, Hero: With their victory won, yet their mission having ended in defeat, the heroes returned to Josef's daughter and told her of her father's valiant sacrifice. With tears in her eyes the young girl thanked the heroes for saying to her that her father was a hero. In the end, heroes never let the fallen remain forgotten.
In addition she recited Part 4, Human: Despite their victory the heroes never returned to Josef's young daughter to tell her of Josef's sacrifice. It was better for her to find peace in her own way, they reasoned. In the end even heroes are only human. "There were two endings to the story," Dagger said quietly, "but both of them actually had merit. The reason I told you both endings was because I thought it was important to clarify what the story meant."
"So... What exactly does that mean?" Ramuh wondered.
"I chose Hero because doing what is right, however difficult, is what humans do to remember the ones they've lost. However, they're also nothing more than humans in the end... The answer is that human nature doesn't have only one interpretation," reasoned Dagger. "Humans need heroes... and I happen to have one in mind."
Ramuh threw back his head and laughed. "All heroes are human... but not all humans are heroes... is it?" he chuckled. Slowly he withdrew a small gem and handed it to Dagger, quietly assuming his true form. "Excellent choice. You've earned my loyalty. Call me whenever you need to fulfill your wishes... like helping your hero," Ramuh said smilingly, shortly before he vanished in mid air.
Satisfied, Dagger moved to leave with Vivi. Zidane lingered, however, and lifted his head to the skies with a grim scowl on his face. "And what was that all about?" he asked warily. "You would've become her Eidolon no matter what she said."
"I wanted to gauge whether she had the compassion to fight for the right cause. As her champion, I trust that you'll help her grow."
"Heh heh heh... Ha ha ha! Mission accepted, old man," Zidane smirked, finally departing Pinnacle Rocks with the others.
Departing Pinnacle Rocks meant jumping off of the roots there are moving onto the solid gravel beyond, with a large open plain separating the party from Lindblum. Before they could leave the rocks, however, Vivi sighted something in the sky that made him nearly fall over, and when he pointed it out to Zidane and Dagger they felt the same trepidation... and Dagger immediately broke out into a mad sprint towards the city with Zidane trailing close behind.
As Queen Brahne's airship, the Red Rose, began to approach Lindblum a second attack was launched from the sea. The Alexandrian navy began to bombard the city from the coast, their deadly payload striking and devastating Lindblum. Several sectors were damaged, others destroyed outright. To fight back the Regent sent out his Rooks and Bishops to attack from below, but when they opened the gates they were met by an army of black mages. The black mages proceeded to wreak unholy havoc on the city, killing and decimating everyone and everything that stood in their way. With the black mages doing the attacking the Alexandrian military spread out to consolidate their conquests.
Even then the Lindblum Air Force would have been able to turn the tide. They never got the chance, however. Even more black mages warped inside the hangars and delivered their barrage of death. They ripped through and ruined the Viltgances, the pride and joy of the Lindblum Air Force, and left no force remaining to hold them back from finishing their assault on the city. Brahne watched in morbid fascination at the destruction she'd wrought, though she triumphantly lifted an Amethyst into the air to finish the fight.
Dagger tore through the grass, desperate to reach the city and end its suffering, though when she watched a portal open to reveal a gigantic figure she stopped cold. The Eidolon Atomos was a massive creation of destruction, more a mouth than a monster, that began to inhale in the ruins of Lindblum. Inside its belly went buildings, soldiers, and citizens. The devastation continued to accelerate until finally, mercifully, the Eidolon vanished in a flash of light and the Red Rose soared inside Lindblum Grand Castle.
All her will and hope drained Dagger's arms fell limply to her side and she slumped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Zidane cradled the inconsolable princess tightly, with Vivi quietly mourning the destruction as well. As Dagger began to break down and lost all composure Zidane held her down to keep her from running into the war zone, all the while shrieking out for her mother to stop. Slowly, silently, as Zidane watched the cataclysm he made a solemn vow.
You're gonna pay, you fat, bloated sack of pus.
Scene Seven
As night turned to day the trio hurried towards Lindblum. They arrived too late, however, to accomplish anything. By the time the party arrived in Lindblum the Red Rose had already departed and left a swath of destruction in its wake, with multiple casualties and the total decimation of the Industrial District. When they entered the city through the lower gates they were greeted by flaming steel and sizzling corpses, several Bishops and Rooks having attempted to defend the city and having paid the ultimate price.
Zidane advised Vivi to hide outside of the city, where he wouldn't be mistaken for a black mage. With the ill will of the people, they might just execute him on the spot. He and Dagger entered the city and found the whole of the Business District in ruins. Bodies lay strewn in the streets, buildings still set alight, while the Alexandrian soldiers consolidated their conquests by securing the city block by block. When he approached one soldier Zidane angrily drew his daggers and prepared to attack, but Dagger held him back and, after shaking her head, he silently sheathed his weapons and looked at the Alexandrian soldier with sheer contempt.
"You got what you wanted," he spat bitterly. "I hope you and your fat queen are happy."
The soldier sighed and bowed her head. Zidane paused, not expecting the kind of regret he was witnessing. "This is... too much to bear. With the general missing in action all we have to guide us are the handlers for the black mages," she said sadly. "I can't do anything but gather the bodies and prepare them for burial. If you want to know, none of us are proud of what happened last night..." muttered the soldier. "But I know that the queen will always have the best interests of Alexandria in mind. For that reason, all I can do is try to protect my country."
"'Protect'...your 'country'..." Zidane hissed under his breath.
"Leave her be," Dagger said coolly. Despite Zidane's disgust he quietly bit his lip and left with the princess. In the end he knew that not only was he outmatched, but the soldier wasn't the one who'd ordered the killing - she was just the pawn that Brahne sent to take over the castle.
Leaving behind the soldier the pair walked further into the Business District, and watched the devastation unfold. Dagger sadly pointed out Grandma Pickle, who had been blinded in the attack, and admitted that the only reason she and Steiner had passed through South Gate was because of her generous donation of Gysahl Pickles. As they moved forward Zidane and Dagger saw that dozens of homes had been razed, the wood still sizzling. Dagger bit her lip to hold back her emotions and was pleasantly surprised when Zidane wiped the blood from her mouth.
The center of the Business District had been hit hard. Alice's Item Shop had been totally destroyed, and she barely made it out of the store with her life after hiding from a black mage that had come to attack the shop. The local armory had been appropriated by the Alexandrians and the Synthesis Shop had sustained horrible damage, including severe burns on the hands of the lead synthesist. When she saw Minister Artania directing the reconstruction Dagger immediately broke away from Zidane and threw herself into his arms.
"Uncle Artania! You're alive!" gasped Dagger breathlessly. As Artania embraced her back she turned her puppy dog eyes to him and desperately asked the question she dreaded asking: "Is Uncle Cid alright?"
"Yes... and thank you for bringing her back safely, Zidane," beamed Artania. "The castle wasn't damaged during the assault."
"Because they wanted what was inside it, right?" Zidane asked bitterly.
"Yes... They wanted a couple of things," explained Artania, sighing. "I'll take you to see the Regent. He's been expecting you."
Scene Eight
Looking out over the destruction in a royal box, Cid sat on his throne with a deep, throbbing migraine and a piercing pain in his heart. The fact that he'd been unable to protect his own kingdom was humiliating, far more so than being stuck in the body of an Oglop. When Artania brought Dagger to Cid she immediately moved to hug him, but stopped when she realized that he didn't have a body she could hug. She quietly shuffled up next to the Oglop king and bowed her head in deference.
"It's Princess Garnet, Your Majesty..." sighed Artania.
Despite his despair Cid fervently popped out of his chair and skittered towards the princess, with what passed as a smile on his insectoid face. "I thought that Brahne had you in custody!" he gasped. The Regent turned to Zidane and bowed his head to the thief, something that somewhat irritated Artania. "Thank you for ensuring that she wasn't harmed, Zidane."
"It wasn't for lack of trying... That old hag pilfered Dagger's Eidolons, used them to destroy two countries, and tried to have her beheaded," Zidane said bitterly. "If I could have beat her senseless, I might feel better right now..."
"Were I to have hands, I would love to use them to thrash that woman as well," sighed Cid. "-Gwok, Gwok- But for you to have escaped Alexandrian custody there must have been sacrifices." Dagger immediately seized up and her eyes averted, prompting Cid to mutter an obscenity under his breath. "My apologies. Who was it?"
"Freya, Rusty, and that crazy Amazon lady - Beatrix or whatever her name is - the bad ass that she is... All three of them and my Tantalus brothers helped us escape," explained Zidane. He stretched his limbs and scratched the back of his head, wholly unconcerned. "They'll be fine. Dagger's freaking out about it, though."
Dagger bit her lip and angrily grabbed Zidane by the collar, dragging him to face her eye-to-eye. "They sacrificed themselves for me! How do you think it makes me feel knowing that the people I care about are in danger?!" she snarled. "I'm totally helpless, totally useless! I'm nothing but a doll on a shelf!"
"If they're with Beatrix, they'll be fine," Cid said flatly. He quietly shuffled back into his throne and reclined in it, finally somewhat relieved at the news that he'd heard. Knowing that the indomitable General Beatrix was on their side made him feel much better. When two Bishops escorted Vivi up to the royal box Cid's eye twitched and he quickly pivoted in his seat to face the soldiers before they said anything untowards. "Master Vivi is an undercover agent," Cid said curtly. "You'll treat him with respect."
When freed of the Bishops' grip Vivi immediately dove into Zidane's arms. He tightened his embrace and fought back his tears, having seen the damage that the other black mages had done to the city. Knowing that he was in any way related to those instruments of death was a hard burden for the young boy to bear, a sentiment that Zidane understood as he picked Vivi up and hugged him tightly. He didn't see his friend as a menace, at least.
"-Gwok, Gwok-... I've learned where Brahne got the black mages: a weapons dealer by the name of Kuja," Cid said bitterly. "An eyewitness we found from Treno claimed he came from the north riding a silver dragon."
His teeth gritting, Zidane set Vivi down and angrily tightened his fists. "It's that same bastard from Burmecia! So he was behind it!" he snarled. "I'm going to go shove my boot up his sorry ass."
"That is the idea, -Gwok, Gwok-. Coming from the north suggests that he lives on the Outer Continent... meaning he's far outside of our reach. If we take him out Brahne loses her supply of black mages and we can begin our counter attack," stated Cid.
"He was also the one who helped Zorn and Thorn extract my Eidolons..." Dagger said sadly. The news seemed to send Zidane over the edge and he angrily turned to leave, only to be restrained by Dagger. "All that matters is that I'm safe, right?" she insisted. "If you get angrier and angrier all you'll do is kill yourself from a coronary before we actually beat the jerk." When Zidane finally stopped struggling Dagger patted him on the back and rubbed his shoulder. "He must be the one who corrupted my mother. Now, all we need to do is rescue the others."
"Afraid not... We don't have the manpower to spare, and even if we tried they're smack dab in the center of Alexandria," explained Cid. "Trying to grab them would only make Brahne angrier, and it isn't like we could pull it off in the first place."
"B-But... Uncle Cid!" Dagger choked. "We can't just leave them!"
"Beatrix is with them, remember. -Gwok, Gwok- This is a woman who slaughtered a hundred knights by herself. Assuming they try and seize her, they'd need their whole entire army to fight against their general, and I don't see that happening," Cid said plainly. "Relax. All you're doing is going against your advice to Zidane..." he said gently, something that irked Dagger and only stoked her disappointment, but she knew that he was right. "You know that. Stop worrying and start preparing to defeat Kuja."
"C-Can I come with you...?" Vivi asked timidly. "Everyone here just wants to kill me. And if I can find out a way to stop the black mages, I wanna do it."
"Now that that's decided," Zidane said brightly, "Give us your fastest airship and we'll take that sucker out in no time."
Cid groaned and plopped back down in his seat in despair. "They took the only airship that would be able to do it, the Hilda Garde II. Normal airships run on Mist, and since the Outer Continent doesn't have it all you'd accomplish is to crash yourself into the sea," he said sadly.
"Fine, whatever! A ship, then!" insisted Zidane.
"-Gwok, Gwok- Serpent's Gate's been seized. No ships are allowed to sail," Cid sighed.
"Then are we supposed to swim or something?!" Zidane shrieked.
"No. There is an old excavation site in a marsh north of Lindblum. Monsters not native to the Mist Continent gather there," explained Cid. "Assuming they come from the Outer Continent, there must be a way to get there from there."
Vivi tugged on Zidane's pants leg and sadly shook his head. "Quina's from there, but... s/he died when Cleyra went down..." he said weakly. "I don't know if we can make it through without them."
While Zidane teetered between anger and despair, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Artania holding a piece of parchment that he handed to him. "That World Map is a treasure from Lindblum's ancient past," he said. "Use it to get your bearings. When you reach the Outer Continent, look for a settlement of some kind."
"I'd like to ask for something... a racket. Without it I'm just a burden," sighed Dagger.
Artania nodded and patted Dagger on the shoulder reassuringly. "We have a national treasure that will do the job just fine," he said softly. "You'll all need to leave through Dragon's Gate and go below the Mist to reach the excavation site."
After taking in a few deep breaths Zidane stashed the World Map inside his vest, silently bit his lip, and slowly a more relaxed expression crossed his face. This wasn't where it was going to end. "I'll bring her to the Outer Continent... find Kuja... and beat the living hell out of him!" Zidane vowed, a wry smile crossing his face. "The people he's hurt won't be left unavenged, I guarantee it. Let's go put that bastard out of commission."
Scene Nine
It would be a long and arduous journey, but the preparations to leave by Dragon's Gate took only about an hour. Dagger was provided her new, upgraded racket and Zidane's potion supply was bolstered to six. On the lift ride down to the Base Level, Dagger expressed her concern for her friends. Zidane replied that since they'd all fought their way through one continent, another would just be more of the same. Secretly, however, Dagger's real concern was that she wasn't strong enough - that she couldn't pull her own weight and would only be a burden to the team.
After leaving from Dragon's Gate, Zidane filled Dagger in on everything that had happened at Burmecia and Cleyra. Dagger remained silent as she listened to the story of the multiple casualties before relating her own adventures at South Gate and Treno. Her stories of fighting with Marcus bolstered Zidane's resolve and he again reiterated that their friends could take care of themselves. Though Dagger continued to be reluctant Vivi chimed in and reassured her that everyone would be alright.
While traveling to Qu's Marsh the party would be forced to traverse the same abandoned city that they'd crossed during their travels to Gizamaluke's Grotto. Zidane, knowing that he was the only close-combat fighter they had, insisted on taking point, with Vivi agreeing. Dagger's emotions were more muddled; as much as she wanted to dread the fighting, with her new racket and Ramuh she knew that she wasn't going to be the dead weight that she'd feared she would be.
As they crossed the ruined city Zidane bid that they watch out from attacks by Vices. Fortunately, for most of the trip they didn't encounter a single monster. That changed when they reached a four-way crossroads, where they were met by eight Vices - two each from north, south, east, and west. Zidane at first muttered a curse and ordered Vivi and Dagger to stay close to him, but quickly realized that he couldn't do that, because they were being attacked from every angle. They all would have to fight. Zidane drew his daggers and positioned himself at the junction between north and west. As he prepared for battle he eyed Dagger and attempted to reassure himself that she could still fight.
"I'll take two directions, and each of you take another!" Zidane barked.
"And what about me, Zidane?" asked Dagger timidly.
There wasn't much choice. It was going to be a baptism by fire. "You take care of yourself," Zidane said brusquely. "I believe in you, Dagger. Give 'em hell."
Vivi's two Vices came from the east and quickly moved to surround him, which they were successful in doing. As they slowly circled him Vivi had a sudden flash of inspiration and when the monsters leapt at him he simply ducked and they smacked their heads against one another. The Vices quickly recovered and swung their swords at the black mage, but Vivi swiftly erected a dome of ice around himself that caught the blades and held them firm. When the swords had penetrated enough he blasted the ice away and peppered the Vices with fire and lightning that finally eradicated them.
Zidane had the hardest battle, facing four Vices at once. He first clashed with the two from the west using each dagger, then was forced to fend off the two from the north at the same time. It seemed to be a losing battle, but with steel flying he managed to separate the quartet into two groups. Once he'd isolated two he cut them down and turned to deal with the others, who took their swords and swung them like boomerangs at him. Zidane smirked and waited for the blades to come back, and when they did he simply ducked and the blades decapitated their own wielders.
Dagger opened her racket and launched a projectile that the Vice easily evaded, then snapped her weapon shut and caught one of their swords' edges with the steel head of her racket. She held firm, struggling as best she could against two close combat veterans, but was finally forced to step back. As the Vices swung at her and she only narrowly evaded Dagger switched her racket to her left hand and withdrew the Peridot that she'd received from Ramuh.
Offering a prayer, Dagger shut her eyes tight as the two Vices converged on her, but they never made it there. Instead, Ramuh manifested before Dagger and caught the blades with his rod. The Vices struggled but were unable to force their way through and were knocked back, and when the monsters staggered Ramuh rapped the butt of his rod on the ground and erected a huge field of electricity that struck and fried the Vices with a massive amount of lightning.
As the Vices dropped to their backs, charred and burned, Dagger fell to one knee and managed to catch herself by slamming the butt of her racket on the earth. Panting in exhaustion from the first summon she'd performed in ages, Dagger watched Ramuh fade away with a smile on his face and one of her own crossed hers. Zidane and Vivi, who had finished their fights, moved towards Dagger wearing their own smiles.
The fight had taken a significant toll on the princess, however, as the close-quarters combat was nothing she'd ever experienced before. Dagger stumbled and fell into Zidane's arms, and he then guided her to a safe location. He uncorked a potion and she took and downed it, which bolstered her stamina and gave her more will to fight. Dagger shared a smile with Zidane, but suddenly her face went white when she watched a Vice appear behind him, ready to strike. By reflex Dagger thrust out her right arm towards the enemy, unknowingly activating the secondary condition of her summoning's effect. Lightning burst from her fingertips and both struck and electrocuted the Vice. This left her to stumble back, staring at her hand with shock and surprise.
"I-I shouldn't be able to use black magic!" Dagger gasped.
"You didn't use it."
"W-What...? Ramuh?" Dagger mumbled weakly.
"You haven't mastered my summoning yet, and can only call on me sparingly. In times of great stress, after summoning me you might manage to release an after image of my magic, which is what just happened. However, until you can regain your magic you won't be able to properly summon me. Give it time. The more you summon me the more attuned you'll become to my powers."
"Just great, Grandpa has to take bathroom breaks... Bodes well for us, don't it?" Zidane groaned. Apparently Ramuh both took offense to that and was able to respond, because he manifested behind Zidane and rapped him on the head with his rod before fading away. Zidane angrily gripped his injured cranium and spat out a nasty word, but knew better than to push his luck. Instead he uncorked another potion and chugged it to regain his own strength, stress from both the Vices and the Eidolon having taken their toll.
Scene Ten
After much exhausting travel and a few more violent altercations, the party finally reached Qu's Marsh. They worked their way through the reeds in search of Quale, but instead they found Quina relentlessly pursuing a large frog that she'd cornered in the pond. While Dagger stared in confusion as she saw Quina for the first time Vivi jumped straight into Quina's arms, embracing them tightly in gratitude that his friend had survived. However, because Vivi's actions allowed the frog to scamper away Quina smacked him over the head with their fork and dropped him.
Returning their fork to their back, Quina slurped their tongue across their face and extended a hand to Zidane, who took and shook it. "So hard coming from Cleyra! Me fight through desert, and Gizamaluke, and beat many monsters coming home!" boomed Quina. "It okay though. Master Quale give feast when me get back."
"We want to find an excavation site that leads to another continent," Zidane explained. "Do you know where to find it?"
"Find tasty apples there? Me go with you!" croaked Quina. "Talk with Master Quale, he know." With their traveling party expanded by a member they hurried to leave the area. When Quina caught sight of a particularly juicy frog and jumped at it, however, Dagger grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and began to drag them towards Quale's house. "Hey! Me just hungry!"
"Oh, hush," Dagger scolded. "Just deal with it."
"You mean..." Quina mumbled weakly.
The party worked their way through the marshes and finally reached Quale's cabin. There they found him munching on some sort of meat on the bone, and as they approached he ripped off the last of the meat and downed both it and the entire bone. The Qu swallowed, gulped, and let out a massive belch that shook the entire room and left the party staring in shock at his poor manners.
"We can trust this guy?" droned Dagger. "He's so... vulgar."
Quale wiped the meat from his face and scowled at Dagger. "Me very cultured," he said curtly. "Me gourmand of gourmands."
"What you are is a glutton and a slob!" Dagger spat back.
"You too kind," Quale said as he bowed his head to Dagger.
Gritting her teeth in disgust Dagger's fingers flexed into a fist and finally loosened. "We're looking for an excavation site here," she said through closed teeth. "It's supposed to lead to the Outer Continent. Do you know where to find it?"
"Best frogs come from north," said Quale plainly. "Want tasty frogs, go north."
That seemed to be the best clue that they were going to get out of the glutton. The party exited Quale's cabin and, when Quina caught sight of a fat frog s/he charged after it with their friends in close pursuit. S/he made several failed attempts at catching the frog, but as s/he chased it around the marsh s/he eventually barreled through a chained gate that seemed to lead downwards. Quina sadly marched back with their head hung.
"Me lose frog..." s/he muttered weakly.
"But you found the excavation site!" Dagger praised. "Thank you, Quina!"
Quina scratched the back of their head and slurped their tongue, a faint blush tinting their face. "Me happy help friends. But frog get away, so me not happy too..." s/he sighed.
Fossil Roo was indeed an excavation site, one that supposedly held a vast amount of buried treasure to those who sought to look for it. The party traveled through several underground staircases and a couple of dungeon-like rooms until they finally reached another door that led further in. Unfortunately there was another gate, one that opened to reveal an unholy abomination that seemed determined to maim them.
What seemed to be some sort of a robot, the Armodullahan's limbs floated just to either side of its strange, carriage-like body. Notable was the fact that both limbs were armed with swords and there was a second set of claws extending from its torso. One's natural reaction would be to run like hell, which is what the party did indeed do. Upon crossing through a small corridor, however, they found themselves in a hellish nightmare filled with swinging guillotines that blocked their escape.
Zidane muttered a curse and drew his daggers, pushing Dagger towards the guillotines. "You and Vivi proceed... carefully!" he ordered. "Quina and I will hold that thing off!" Dagger quickly moved to protest but the thief pivoted on his heel and screamed at her: "Go! How long do you think I can hold this thing off?! Go!"
While Dagger and Vivi cautiously made their way across the bladed hell-scape, Zidane turned back to the Armodullahan and quickly reconsidered his earlier decision when it swung its blade at him. He quickly somersaulted away from the blow and nimbly slipped past the guillotine, only for the monster to simply rush right through it and continue on. Zidane let out a shriek and tugged on Quina's sleeve, pulling them to turn and run. There was no way they could fight that thing.
As Zidane and Quina desperately dodged and weaved out of the path of the blades the Armodullahan casually crashed through the guillotines as it continued its pursuit. The beast eventually came within a hair's breadth of striking Zidane, though Quina breathed out a huge blast of water and wind that knocked it off kilter long enough for the duo to escape. To their horror, however, Zidane and Quina watched as Dagger and Vivi lingered by a huge hole that blocked their escape.
Quina picked up speed and fell forward, spreading their body over the gap. This allowed their friends to move over their body and made possible the defeat of the Armodullahan by retracting Quina and dropping it into the hole. The party ended up stumbling into a large chamber, barely making it out with their lives, and they immediately dropped to their knees to catch their breath. Further down was a stairway that led below.
"T-Thank God you thought quick, Quina!" Zidane hacked.
"Me hungry again now..." whimpered Quina.
The sound of boots clacking pierced the team's ears and they watched as the same bounty hunter who had been hired by Brahne, the sturdy young woman with the axe, steadily approached them from the chamber below. "For an ancient defense mechanism," she said sadly, "it didn't defend against you folks very well." When the party immediately braced for an attack the bounty hunter put a hand to her hip and gave a two-fingered salute. "I'm Lani the Executioner. Now, hand over that thing around your neck before you end up in two pieces."
"I won't return to Alexandria!" Dagger shouted, jumping back with her fingers gripping her pendant.
Lani shook her head and smirked. "Sorry to tell you, girl, that your safe return wasn't in the contract," Lani sneered. Dagger seized up in shock and stumbled back, into Zidane's arms. She couldn't believe that her mother would order anything of the sort. "All I was hired to do was bring back that jewel and chop off the head of that little fellow following you," she said snarkily. "Give me both and I'll let you folks go... but then again, that would be really boring. Try resisting. My axe is hungry for blood."
Placing himself between his friends and the bounty hunter, Zidane swiftly drew his daggers and slipped into a fighting position. "I won't let you hurt them, you little punk!" he snarled. Lani happily lifted her axe from her back, brought it up, and then slammed it down on the hard ground with enough force to create a crack in the floor, and Zidane's face immediately fell to his knees. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have called you a punk..." Zidane mumbled.
The bounty hunter heaved her giant axe over her shoulder and lunged at Dagger with the intent to chop her in half. Zidane barely intercepted the strike and held her back with both daggers, but it was a narrow defense and Lani's axe nearly chopped through his daggers from its sheer weight alone. As Zidane struggled Lani attempted to force her way through, but she lifted her head just in time to watch Dagger sling a bullet of air at her face that smacked and knocked her head back.
This allowed Zidane time to push her away, and though the bounty hunter staggered she refused to fall. Zidane immediately went on the offensive and charged Lani. Instead of retreating or moving to parry the assault Lani lifted her left hand and a blast of water erupted from between her fingers that struck Zidane and shoved him deep into the far wall. Lani again tried to attack Dagger, this time being parried by Quina. This gave Vivi enough opportunity to sling a lightning bolt in her gut and force her to retreat as Dagger hurried to heal Zidane's injury.
Scene Eleven
Once Zidane had been healed and everyone had regained their breath the group continued on, finally reaching a large chamber with a gigantic root sticking out of the ceiling that led further down the path. They heard a shrill shriek and watched as a naked Gargant skittered through the passage, heading further down into the bowels of Fossil Roo. To get any further they would need to ride the Gargant, but the question was how? None of them but Zidane and Quina could grab onto it long enough to actually travel on its back.
"We can't all fit on that thing's back!" Dagger screeched. The Gargant began a return trip and with a small hop Quina clapped onto its back. The Qu's body began to lower and stretch like rubber, dropping down to form a carriage not unlike what the Gargant from Gargan Roo used to carry passengers. "That... will probably work..." mumbled Dagger. "Well, isn't that ridiculous."
It may have been ridiculous, but it worked. The party rode the Gargant (or rode Quina?) through the hole in the wall and were deposited near a large chunk of rock that was being hammered at by a squat man in orange. The excavator turned to see them and immediately stopped working. "Welcome to Fossil Roo. You here for the treasure too?" the miner asked brusquely. "Well, you can't have it. It's mine."
"You have tasty treasure?" panted Quina. Dagger took her racket and whacked them in the knee with it, which sent them tumbling to the floor. "Why you hit me?!" s/he shrieked.
Dagger shouldered her racket and smiled. "We have business here," she said curtly. She turned to the excavator and gave him a beaming smile. "Is there a way to the Outer Continent from here? We need to get there as soon as possible."
"Outer Continent? Maybe. The Roo is designed as a huge network of roots that Gargants ride on. If you press that plunger," the miner said as he pointed to a large switch in the distance, "then you'll redirect the water and guide the Gargant where you want to go. They hate water, so they won't go where there's water."
"I'll go grab the plunger," volunteered Zidane. When he turned to go for it, he saw a moogle standing a good ways down and guided his friends there, where he used Mogki to rest in a Tent. After they were finished resting Zidane beckoned the moogle to open the Moogle Diary so that he could send a letter to Baku and the other members of Tantalus. The message read as follows:
"We're headed a good ways out, so man the fort for us. Dad, I'm sorry but you won't get chance to beat me up for quite a while. Beat Cinna up instead."
After finishing the letter Zidane rode the Gargant to the plunger, which he pushed. Then he returned to the rest of his friends and rode Quina to another route, where he again branched off and used the plunger to redirect the Gargant to the next path. They repeated this several times until the bright shining sunlight peeked out from outside of a large cave, and when they followed the light they ended up in a huge wasteland, a totally alien environment devoid of Mist. This had to be the Outer Continent.
Author's Notes
You might expect this already, but the reasoning for Dagger's pseudo-summoning is a reference to the game itself, where she only rarely summons the full Eidolon. Given that this is Dagger's only Eidolon for a good chunk of the game and I have no clue what I'm doing, expect BS and you'll likely discover it. The Gargant was something I was dreading since I first played through the game, and I had to truncate it quite a bit because I couldn't justify dragging it out. It makes no sense, same as the Armodullahan battle... Dagger and Vivi would never have been able to jump that huge hole, so I used Quina. This is the kind of thing I had in mind when I made them flexible and rubbery, actually... nonsensing my way through this sort of garbage that the game shoehorned me into against my will. It'd be nice if the game designers took into account that they weren't just dealing with one acrobatic fighter as opposed to a thief, two mages, and a whatever-the-hell Quina is.
