A/N: I swear the fights in this game and any other RPGs are the reason why I take too long with these damn chapters. I'll just either shorten or skip them entirely as I'm not good with fight scenes, and besides FF4 probs have been done to death with numerous novelizations anyway so I'm not gonna stress over them than I already have.
The next day after resting up and getting their fill of breakfast, Rosa, Edward, Yang and Rydia left the inn and made their way to the king's chambers inside in one of the castle towers. Once there, Yang asked the king for a boat to take them to Baron to which he agreed.
"Very well," the king said. "I will see that a ship is readied for you without delay. Yang, you will go with them and aid them in any way you can. There are no words of gratitude for such a sacrifice as you have made, young lady of Baron. You defended my people selflessly, and lost Lord Cecil for it."
"Please, I want you to have this sword. It belonged to a dark knight who once visited these lands. Consider it a token of my thanks, for your valiant efforts in the defense of my kingdom. You should know, however, that a dark sword will never avail you against true evil. It is, after all, a weapon of darkness. Beyond this, you will have to rely on the strength that already lies within you. Please, stop Golbez."
He reached around his bedside and pulled out a sword that was as black as night with a matching sheath called the Deathbringer and gave the sword to her.
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Rosa accepted the blade then fastened it to her hip, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall use it to the best of my ability."
"When you've made ready, head to the eastern pier. A ship lies at anchor there, waiting to bear you onward. Should Golbez obtain all the Crystals, this world will face catastrophe such as it has never known. I trust you will not let that happen."
They left the king's chambers to make some last minute preparations such as buying new equipment and provisions, etc. Once they were stocked up on supplies, Rosa, Rydia, Yang and Edward leave the castle for the voyage back to Baron. At the pier the party is greeted by Yang's wife Sheila and a few monks to send them off.
Sheila hugged her husband, "Be careful. And make me proud! Show them what you're made of!"
"I will," Yang replied as he hugged her back then broke the hug as Sheila turned to Rosa.
"You, too, Rosa!"
Rosa nodded, "Of course."
"I trust you'll handle things here while I'm away."
Sheila waved a hand dismissively at her husband, "Oh, don't you worry about that! Take care of yourself, you hear!"
All four nod then make their way to the ship where they are greeted by the captain who saluted them, mainly Rosa as the party boarded the vessel.
"So you're Lady Rosa, then, eh?" The old sea dog spoke. "Heard all about ye! Rest easy. We'll be laying anchor in Baron before you know it! Best not linger any longer. Anchors aweigh, boys!"
"Aye-aye, Captain!" The sailors said before hoisting up the anchors from the water.
A nice sea breeze was blowing along which helped move the sails as the boat departed from the harbor. Fabul Castle became smaller and smaller as the ship sailed over the ocean on its way to Baron. Edward and Rydia stared at the sea while Yang and Rosa talked.
"What do you mean to do when we reach Baron?" The grandmaster asked as what their next move was once they hit landfall.
"First we must find a man named Cid, the engineer of Baron's airship fleet," Rosa replied. "He should be able to help us."
"Then let us hope he is still safe."
Rydia's gaze had wandered over to Edward in the meantime, who was pursing his lips together and shivering noticeably beneath his clothes.
"Are you cold?" Rydia asked softly. "You're shaking."
"No, it's nothing," Edward shook his head.
Indeed, it wasn't very cold at all even in the shade. It was still warm out with the sun still high in the sky. Suddenly, clouds darkened the sky as the ship began to tremble and violently shake with some of the sailors stumbling and falling to the deck.
"What is that?" Rosa asked as she braced herself against the ship's stern.
A loud roar came below the water which made the ship lurch ominously while cacophony of confusion rang though the air. Just then a mighty serpent appeared from the waters leering at everyone on the ship. It was massive in both length and height which shocked the sailors as they began muttering.
"Impossible... The tales were true."
"It's him! The Lord of All Waters!"
"Leviathan!" The captain gasped audibly while his crewmates desperately tried to flee from the beast and he barked orders at them. "Don't stand about! Reef the sails, ye witless dogs!"
The shaking became too much for Rydia to keep hold before she was eventually thrown overboard, screaming all the while.
"Rydia!" Yang yelled before he dove into the water after her to bring the girl to safety.
"Rydia! Yang!" Rosa screamed, her voice swallowed by the roar of the ocean as the ship began to tilt dangerously sideways from the rough waves. Leviathan was circling the ship silently, his glowing golden eyes were the only part of him Rosa could see while the creature moved effortlessly through the water. Just as she looked to see where Yang and Rydia were in the water, she heard Edward give off a startled cry as he was also thrown aside to the deck.
"Edward!"
Rosa ran to check on Edward but was attacked by Leviathan as he attacked the ship again. Suddenly her vision faded and everything went black.
Sometime later, Rosa awoke on a distant shore, alone. It seemed that Leviathan did a number on the ship as there was no sign of the others anywhere. There might have been a chance that the captain and his crew survived the ship wreck unless the Lord of All Waters had sent them all to a watery grave. So much for going back to Baron by sea now. Had Leviathan not attacked, Rosa and her comrades would have made it to Baron safely without any interruptions by now.
Rosa groaned as she sat up before looking around for her missing companions, "Where am I? Rydia! Edward!? Yang?"
When there was no sign of them, she sighed and shook her head.
"I'm alone, then."
She scanned the environment until she eventually spied a town in the distance - the same town she visited days earlier was none other than Mysidia, the land of mages. Deciding that there was no point in lingering around here anymore Rosa decided to head there instead. The moment she stepped foot within the town, the villagers threw her dirty looks and turned their noses up in the air, refusing to interact with her. Some had begun gossiping about the dark knight whether it was behind her back or in front of her face, even whispering loud enough of her to be within earshot but they didn't care and neither did she although it did kind of hurt a little bit. Met with resentment from the townsfolk, Rosa attempted to see the village elder who also harbored disdain for the young woman but not as much as the villagers did. And honestly, she couldn't blame them for feeling that way. She did raid their village after all so of course they would be mad at her for what she did to them.
"You are the dark knight who came before," the Elder said with narrowed eyes. "Why have you returned to this hallowed hall?"
Rosa stepped forward to plead her case, hoping the Elder would at least hear her out, "My name is Rosa, and until recently I served as Lady Captain of Baron's airship fleet. When I came before, I did so at the orders of my king – orders I lacked the courage to disobey."
"You've come to apologize, then? Words do not heal wounds, dark knight, nor do they restore life's flame to those whose candles you have doused."
Rosa was downcast at this as she knew he was right. She had taken lives in her conquest for Mysidia's Water Crystal, lives of those who never raised a hand against her and/or her company of soldiers. Lives of which who possibly had families that she and her comrades had ruthlessly torn apart in cold blood whether they were fathers, mothers, children, even grandparents, etc. Blood that was needlessly spilled that should not have been to begin with – all under the orders of a mad, avaricious king who lusted after another nation's crystal like it was some rare jewel to be snatched away from a tomb or ancient ruin, and displayed later to all who would dare gaze upon it.
The Elder continued to speak, "But I do see a glimmer of light in you that did not show itself before. I will hear your words."
"I seek to stop a man named Golbez who has taken control of Baron. I was on my way to rescue a friend he holds captive when Leviathan struck our ship. I do not know what became of my companions."
"That was no doubt a part of the test that has been ordained for you. As long as you lean upon that dark sword for strength, you have no hope of defeating the evil foe you face. You hunt a monster, but in so doing you become one. Slowly but surely, the darkness will taint your soul as well, until one day nothing else remains. If you truly wish to cleanse yourself of darkness and face this man of whom you speak, then you must go to Mount Ordeals in the east. Destiny awaits you there."
"But, my friend – he is in danger!" Rosa desperately exclaimed.
The Mysidian Elder's gaze softened at her words, albeit still stern, "This friend means much to you, doesn't he? But you must not let fear drive you to haste. The fate that hangs about your shoulders is one far greater than you know. First you must ascend the mountain, and trade your dark sword for one of light. Should the hallowed light deem you worthy, you will be made a paladin – a warrior of virtue."
"But know it will be no easy trial. Many are the men and women who have scaled the mountain, but not one has returned. Will you try where all others have failed?"
"I will," the Dark Knight nodded determinedly.
The Elder nodded back, "Good. But you will have little chance with that dark sword alone. I shall provide two mages to accompany you. Palom! Porom!"
A young girl presumably Porom rushed in. "Did you need something?"
"Where is Palom?"
Porom looked around then rolled her eyes when her brother didn't show up with her.
"Oh, that brother of mine...!" She grumbled before Palom finally presented himself before the others.
"So you're that filthy dark knight girl from Baron!" Palom said, looking up at Rosa. "I'm only helping you because he told me to. You'd better be thankful!"
Palom tried to size Rosa up which she would've found cute if he didn't have such a bratty attitude. She looked at the children before turning her gaze back to the Elder.
"These are the two mages?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Twins – Palom and Porom. They are young, and still in their apprenticeship, but I can vouch for their abilities."
"What he means is that I'm Mysidia's most esteemed magical prodigy, and you're incredibly lucky to have me along!" The black mage boasted, apparently full of himself.
The Elder scolded him, "Palom! This is for your training as much as it is for her."
"Your name is Rosa, right? Pleased to meet you." Porom greeted before turning to her brother, "Palom!"
Palom let out an annoyed grumble, "Right... Nice to meet you."
"Go now! The trials of the mountain await. Palom, Porom... I trust you will not fail in this task."
The group now consisting of Rosa, Porom and Palom now head to Mount Ordeals to the east. It took about a day's trip to the mountain, filled with much black mage wrangling. Palom and Porom were a handful but Rosa dealt with it regardless. She was the only adult responsible for their safety and wellbeing after all. Palom with all the stubbornness of a bull decided to dive headfirst into trouble with no thought in mind, leaving his sister and the dark knight to run after him so he wouldn't get himself killed by his own foolishness. After a day of walking and toting the young mages along, they grew tired and found themselves in a small forest area south of their destination.
Inside the forest were chocobos both yellow and white which didn't stop Palom from exclaiming in delight when he saw them before running over to one. Of course like clockwork, Porom had to chase her hardheaded brother down from doing anything stupid that could otherwise get himself or both of them hurt. Rosa in the meantime sighed at the twins' antics then walked over to a white chocobo and called the kids over. She scratched it under its beak before giving it a few pets and told the twins to do the same as it will restore their magic. They followed her instructions without any fight before Rosa finally released the bird.
"I know, Palom's a handful," Porom said, placing a reassuring hand on Rosa's armored hip.
"Hey!"
"That's why the Elder sent me with you, to keep him in check in case he gets out of hand." Porom continued.
Rosa didn't have the heart to tell little Porom that she's not much easier to deal with when her first thought to anything Palom does is to keep him out of trouble.
"I don't need this, I'm going to be a great sage one day, and then you'll see." Palom huffed before walking away, not straying very far this time then stood with his back to them with his arms crossed.
Rosa couldn't help but sigh then walked over and ran a hand through Palom's hair.
"Come on kids, let's set up camp."
"But Mount Ordeals is right there!" He whined.
"And we're not climbing it at night when skeletons are at their most nasty."
Rosa set up the tent while Palom started a campfire and Porom searched through their supplies for something edible for dinner before turning in for the night. In the morning they made their way to the mountain, blocked by a wall of flame which prevented them from going forward.
"I believe this is your area of expertise," Porom said which got her brother excited.
"As if you needed to tell me that!" The black mage snarked then put out the fire with a Blizzard spell. All that remained was a mountain trail with a light dusting of snow.
"And that, my friends, is how it's done!" Palom boasted before his sister whacked him upside the head.
"Palom! How many times has our elder said you mustn't be so arrogant?"
She huffed then turned to Rosa while Palom nursed the newly made sore spot on his head.
"Well then! Let's continue onward!"
Meanwhile, Golbez and Kain held Cecil captive in a mysterious location that looked like some kind of tower. Cecil was tied to what supposedly resembled a guillotine of sorts that was connected to a wall, the wickedly sharp blade hanging precariously above his head as if threatening to fall and slice him in two. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not free himself from his tight bindings and moving too much might dislodge the blade but not in a good way. So the mage held still as possible to avoid getting cut and drawing attention to himself.
"Scarmiglione!" Golbez bellowed and a brown hooded figure appeared hunched over at his feet.
"Ever at your ssservice, my lord," Scarmiglione said in a tone that resembled a snake hissing then bowed.
"This... Rosa. I fear we can ignore her no longer. Let us clip her wings, before she flies beyond our reach. The young woman is a dark knight. Her blade will be useless against your legion of undead – at least for now. She ascends Mount Ordeals even as we speak."
"She meansss to become a paladin?" The archfiend questioned curiously.
"Yes," the armored man replied. "And I mean to see that she does not. The manner of her passing I leave to you."
"Worry not. It shall be as you wish."
"Then go!"
"My lord."
The archfiend bowed and left before Golbez turned to Kain. "Things have grown interesting, haven't they, Kain?"
"Yes, my lord," the dragoon said obediently. "But you had best not underestimate Rosa's strength."
"I understand your respect for her. She was once your friend. And that is why I precisely sent Scarmiglione instead of you. He is one of my four elemental archfiends. Such a match would provide ample entertainment."
Golbez then turned to Cecil who helplessly hung to the wall, still terrified of the blade looming over him and possibly Golbez himself.
"Would you not agree, Cecil?"
Kain was indignant at this that Scarmiglione was going to kill Rosa instead of him doing it and protested loudly about not being able to go.
"I should be the one to slay her!"
"As you so skillfully did before?" The taller man asked sarcastically before pointing to the mage. "No, you place is here, guarding him."
"Yes, my lord," Kain said reluctantly even though he was spoiling for a fight.
"Rosa, be careful," Cecil whispered quietly to himself, hoping that Rosa would make it up the mountain alive and out of Scarmiglione's way.
During the climb the group came across Tellah, as he was currently searching for powerful magic.
"Tellah!" Rosa called out to him, prompting the old sage to turn around.
"Rosa?" Tellah blinked behind his glasses then walked up to her. "So, you came seeking Meteor, too?"
"Meteor?"
Porom butted in, "You know Meteor? Then you must be–"
Before she could get another word out, her obnoxious brother cut into the conversation.
"You're that old sage Tellah, aren't you?"
"Palom! Show some respect!" Porom scolded him. She cleared her throat before addressing Tellah politely. "It's truly an to honor to meet you. We've come here at the request of the elder of Mysidia."
"To keep an eye on–"
*bonk*
"Pardon me. As I was saying, we've come to guide Rosa to the top of the mountain. My name is Porom."
"I'm Palom!" The black mage greeted while holding his hands behind his head. "So, you really are that old wizard. You're famous in Mysidia, you know. Never thought I'd meet you in a place like this!"
Tellah looked at the twins then to the dark knight, "Mysidian children... I see. Where have Edward and Rydia gone?"
Rosa tilted her head downward to the ground, "Our ship was attacked by Leviathan as we sailed to Baron. They were... they were lost to sea."
Tellah shook his head, "So, they both died."
"I'm afraid so. And Cecil has fallen into Golbez's hands."
"That must be her boyfriend!" Palom said to his sister, prompting her to hiss at him.
"Hush!"
"Weren't you planning to go after Golbez?" Rosa asked as she looked back up at the sage.
"Yes," he replied, "but my magic is no match for a man of his strength. I've been search for the legendary magic of Meteor. It has long lain sealed away, and I know not where. But I feel a powerful aura radiating from this place. I believe the spell I seek may well rest within this mountain."
"But that spell is dangerous!" The young white mage protested. "If a man of your age were to cast it–"
Tellah turned to her, "I am well aware of my age, and of the dangers! But I would gladly lay aside my own life, if it meant the end of his. I will defeat Golbez!"
He clenched his fist at this to prove a point, causing Palom to scoff.
"Hmph! Grownups... Always have to be so pigheaded."
"Well, you're not in danger of growing up any time soon, so why don't you just keep quiet?" Porom retorted.
Not wanting to get involved into the twins' antics, the old sage turned back to Rosa.
"Why have you come here, Rosa?"
"To become a paladin," she replied. "A dark sword cannot slay Golbez, and I've no love of the loathsome thing as it is. I'll be glad to be rid of it."
Palom, although he wasn't following the conversation was curious about Golbez as his name had popped up more than a few times already.
"Who's Golbez?"
His sibling couldn't help but huff at his obliviousness, "You really don't know anything, do you? He's the one manipulating Baron!"
"Yes," Tellah agreed with her, "the root of all this foul madness!"
He turned back to the dark knight, "A paladin, you say? It seems my hunch was correct. There is more to this mountain then appearances betray. Why don't we continue on together?"
Tellah took the lead as the others followed behind him with Rosa keeping a sharp eye out for any enemies lying in wait to ambush them. He shepherded them through the entire base of the mountain in silence. There weren't that many enemies on the way towards the top, mainly because the old sage had cleared a path for them to traverse Mount Ordeals unscathed. It wasn't long before the collective sound of moaning and wailing reached the party's ears, that Rosa stepped forward just as Tellah stepped back to let her lead. Rosa's sword and shield were drawn while the mages' armed themselves with either staves or rods.
Porom delegated herself to being the team's combat medic, and healed any injuries she and the others sustained in battle. The little white mage even healed status ailments such as poison, confusion and curse. Although Porom was patient, not even her magic alone was enough as Tellah assisted her with his own spells. Rosa quickly realized that her darkness skill wasn't as effective against the undead and couldn't keep relying on both Porom and Tellah or potions to keep her alive, and just opted to use only her sword instead so she wouldn't constantly drain her own vitality. The undead were resistant to darkness and their only weaknesses were Holy, fire and restorative white magic which was a good thing as the three mages could make due on two of those.
Especially after Palom learned that most of the undead were susceptible to fire, but had to improvise with ice against the soul like enemies since they absorbed the former, even going so far as to watch Tellah so he could learn how to cast spells faster to match the sage's speed. Of course due to Palom's hardheadedness and inflated ego, he didn't listen to anyone and did whatever he wanted much to the others' annoyance. There was one incident where he nearly gotten both himself and/or his sister killed which led to him getting chewed out by Tellah for being so reckless and not mindful of the people around him. The air had become tense as the group travelled further up the mountain.
Halfway up the mountain however, they heard a hissing sound. It was loud enough to annoy Porom as she thought that Palom did it, given his impish nature and tendency to pull pranks as usually the main target was his sibling or someone else.
"Palom! Stop making noises!"
"I didn't make any noises!" He protested.
She rolled her eyes at him as if he was lying to her before continuing on with the adults. As they neared the top, the sound could be be heard again. The white mage whirled around ready to tear into her brother.
"I told you to stop that!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
"An evil presence is drawing near," Tellah remarked just as they all heard a third hiss.
Suddenly, a disembodied voice could be heard around the mountain peak, "Such pleasure I will take in delivering you to the gatesss of hell!"
"Who's there!?" Rosa demanded as she and the others looked around for the source of the voice before a cloaked figure appeared. He was hunched over in a tan cloak draping over the ground with only his arms visible. His face was shadowed by the hood and a pair of beady, glowing eyes peered out of it at the party.
"I am the oarsman who will ferry you beyond the veil," the figure spoke. "The Blighted Despot, Scarmiglione – archfiend of earth, and first of Golbez's circle of four! My undead children hunger to feassst upon your flesh!"
A few ghouls stumbled towards them from the left and right sides. Tellah pulled Porom towards the center, waving his staff threateningly at them. The ghouls continued forward, ready to consume the party. Rosa ordered them to cross the bridge to avoid getting boxed in while making sure the archfiend stood a good distance away from the mages. Tellah and Palom used fire spells to burn the undead while Porom focused on healing anyone who got hurt or afflicted with ailments.
While the archfiend was distracted with the others, Rosa stabbed him with her blade. Scarmiglione wheezed before collapsing to the ground, still as a statue.
Rosa sheathed her blade and then looked at the stairs. "Golbez must have known we were here and sent Scarmiglione after us. There's something here and whatever it is, is reason enough for him to keep us away."
"Rosa look over there, a safety ward!" Porom said.
They looked over at Porom, who waved at the others as she moved towards the ward.
"Sweet!" Palom said, running after his sister. "I told you guys we should've gone right instead of forward."
Rosa rolled her eyes and followed while Tellah felt his blood pressure rise. They set up a tent inside the ward, finally relaxing before settling down to eat.
About an hour later, the twins settled in for the night in their sleeping bags while Rosa and Tellah stayed up around the fire. Rosa brought the sage up to speed on everything that had happened ever since they split up at Damcyan. She told him that she, Rydia and Edward met a monk from Fabul named Yang on Mount Hobs to helping said monk defend Fabul but eventually lost both the Wind Crystal and Cecil to Golbez, to Leviathan attacking the ship with her, Yang, Edward and Rydia on it and finally washing up ashore at Mysidia alone. Sometime later she eventually grew tired and fell asleep herself although she did trade shifts with Tellah to keep watch through the night.
Once morning arrived, the party ate some breakfast and put away the camp supplies before continuing onwards. Heading back up the stairs, they saw another bridge connecting the peak of Mount Ordeals to the rest of the mountain. A small mausoleum with broken pillars sat at the peak which seemed to be the only landmark as there was nothing else on the mountain.
Just as Rosa was about inspect the mausoleum however, a familiar cackle rang through the air, prompting the dark knight to draw her blade. She and the others turned around and saw Scarmiglione again.
"Impressssive..." the Archfiend said. "But my true sssstrength lies in death! And now, you shall join me in it! Those who see this face must die! I'll sssmite your ruin upon the mountainside!"
One of the twins gasped as Scarmiglione stood up to his full height, completely devoid of his hooded robe. He looked absolutely hideous like a rotting corpse with four tusks growing out his back as he hunched over on all fours.
Rosa didn't hesitate to draw Scarmiglione's attention to her and swung her sword at him. In retaliation, he moved his body violently and smacked Rosa away with a crash. He turned his eyes towards Porom who bawled her own eyes out which was something the archfiend didn't expect. It caught him off guard that's for sure.
"Hmph," Palom sneered at the archfiend. "Looks like dying made you an even bigger coward than before. You're only going after the smallest of us because you're afraid that I could beat you in a heartbeat!"
That seemed to work as Scarmiglione growled in annoyance, Palom's insult got under his skin(or lack thereof). The little black mage smirked then raised his Lilith rod above his head, magic gathering within it. Once charged, Palom unleashed a powerful Fira spell at the archfiend which burned a good portion of his body. Porom stood and pretended to wipe her eyes, a small smile adorning her face. Scarmiglione screeched like a banshee after he got hit, his shrill voice echoing around the mountain.
Scarmiglione stood and released a noxious gas from his body, nearly incapacitating the party. Rosa leaned on her sword for support as she stood up to her full height. Despite being slowed down from the gas, she was still able to move and fight. Tellah took advantage of her distraction to heal the mages with remedies and potions. Both he and Palom went back to using Fira and Firaga spells on the archfiend while Porom healed everyone up and made sure to avoid getting hit by Scarmiglione.
Lunging forward Rosa pierced Scarmiglione through his chest with her blade then withdrew it before Palom hit the archfiend with another Fira. Scarmiglione backed away from the party in disbelief that he had been defeated not once, but twice in a row.
"No... I will not be defeated by the likesss of you."
Unfortunately for the archfiend, he eventually lost his footing and fell off the mountain screaming to his death. The party looked on for a moment but otherwise continued to the mountaintop. Rosa found herself at a monument, where she was greeted by another disembodied voice.
"My daughter..." The voice spoke to her. "At last, you have arrived."
Rosa was confused at this, "Daughter? Whose voice speaks to me?!"