From Giant a treatise on politics by Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the III
The trader caravan entered the city as dusk fell; the city with its normally short day came alive at dusk and dawn. And the thieves and thugs that swamped its streets tended to do the most business. Not that the came near Aramant or Lani, hired as guard by the traders. Thieves know their limits and the two heavily armed bounty hunters had no trouble making a route for the caravan through the chaos of the streets. As the trail master called halt at the market square the wagons and beasts milled around, men began to unload. Hawkers and beggars rushed forward showing their wares and asking for alms respectively.
The Wagon master an oily man who Aramant felt was far to free with the whip when dealing with man and beast smiled slapping him on the back.
"I’ll offer you the trouble free bonus no problem, even those money grapping lay-a bouts who work for me didn’t grumble much."
"Knock yourself out." Aramant muttered.
"What my associate means to say is thank you very much and be sure to tell your business partners." Lani said turning to glare back at Aramant.
They left the wagon master bellowing at his men.
"Try to keep that kick ass attitude for anyone who crosses us."
Aramant merely grunted. "And who’d be stupid enough to do that."
***
Vapour rose from the steaming pools of the Qu marsh, now teaming with tadpoles and frogspawn. Frogs by the hundred had followed ancestral urges to return to their birthplace to breed. They were not the only ones embarking on a journey in a stilt cabin in the heart of the marsh Quale master gourmand was preparing to leave.
"Master why you have to go? You know every thing about food?" Demanded Quina Quale’s student.
"I once thought I know every thing but last year I learn I follow wrong path time I start over." Quale said plainly.
"But that the path Qu’s follow since start of time!"
"I taught you that but I wonder if you still believe it after all you seen."
The student looked down miserably. "But master…"
"You no need call me that again I just Quale is way it should be. Now I start journey I will tell every member of our tribe what I learn. Quan was right. We will always be hungry if we follow old ways."
Quina nodded its tongue flopping up and down miserably. With that Quale turned and left fork in hand he had relinquished the gastro fork the sign of a true gourmand for a simple novices fork.
Quina watched him go until he was lost in the reeds.
"Now I hungrier than ever! What I do now?" He spent the evening cleaning the cabin during the task it found a small empty book and was struck by an idea.
"I know! I write down the recipes for all the tasties in the world then every one can taste them if they want." Fetching a pot of ink and a quill Quina sat down.
"What I write first." Quina wondered licking the nib of the quill. " Hmm is good ink."
Dipping the quill in the ink again Quina began to write.
***
Blank wanted to be any where else than in Treno the city had limits, the appearance of a lone outsider thief was not going to be unnoticed by the city gangs and if word got out he was part of Tantalus he would probably end up as one of the many suicides on the Treno water front
He was therefore rather relieved to see some familiarly attired Lindblum guards standing in his path.
"Hey am I glad to see you this isn’t a safe place…" He never finished one of the guards felled him with a vicious blow to the back of the head with his hammer.
"Is this the one?" Asked one.
"Matches the description we better take him to the examiner." Said another.
***
Aramant and Lani were lounging at a dockside bar where customers kept themselves to themselves. For the sake of peace and quiet Aramant kept his hooded cloak over his head as they ate.
"I thought that with all your friends in high places that you’d have a full pardon instead of skulking around in dump like this a wanted man." Lani said cutting herself a generous slice of bread and honey for dessert.
"Typical of you! What if you started showing support for some low life like me in Garnet’s position, People watch you every move when you’re in power." He grimaced at the watered down ale he was drinking.
"I think you like being a wanted man!" mocked Lani. "Is the glamour of being a fugitive a help with the girls? It didn’t hinder you with that maid in Alexandria." To her delight Lani saw what might have be a blush colour on Aramant’s cheeks.
At that moment a woman walked over and handed Aramant a note.
"A love letter?" speculated Lani.
"Hmph I hope not it’s from that old man doctor Tot. Must be a mistake the old man says he want the information I have?"
"Whose it addressed to?"
"It says the red haired man."
"No mistake there. Should I grab that woman and question her?
"Nah lets get to the bottom of this, the bishops tower that’s where he’s staying isn’t it?"
***
Weeks had passed since Beatrix’s discovery but Garnet had decided to wait for Steiner to return from Lindblum to deal with the situation. The knight had taken the Red rose to the newly repaired airship docks to be properly fitted for non-mist flight.
Unfortunately it left him with out transport to get back to Alexandria, several weeks of trekking had brought him footsore and weary back to the castle. Garnet would have liked to let him rest but the situation had been let lie long enough.
"Impossible!" Steiner gasped staring at one of the six items. Each of the egg shaped objects was chest height the outer layer composed of a thick rubbery blue membrane. It was what was inside that alarmed everyone each contained suspended in a clear jelly like fluid an exact replica of Vivi right down to the clothes.
"These are the other prototypes." Fade explained. "Kuja chose not to give them life when he realised they would not grow to maturity."
"He expected master Vivi to grow?" Steiner asked peering at the figure immersed within the egg.
"I believe so then in callous disregard he went on to mass produce fully grown black mages whose life spans were limited."
"Fade I think there is life of sorts in them." Protested Garnet.
Beatrix looked up. "Our affinity for white magic makes us more aware of life energies."
"Could you bring them to life Fade?" Asked Garnet the grey genome sighed.
"I have no idea if I studied Kuja’s notes I might be able to replicate the original process but it would require mist."
"We are forgetting one thing that if we bring these to life their lives will not be extended in any way besides it is a issue that concerns the black mages we will have to wait for the Red Rose to return before we can reach the outer continent." Steiner warned.
Beatrix nodded. "We will have to give this a lot of thought."
***
"Do come in and sit yourself down." The doctor turned from the books he was stacking. "I doubt regent wrote it in code…Wait your not Blank!" The doctor backed away. Then peered over his reading glasses. "Oh you used to be a member of the princess’ companions. Mr Corel if I’m not mistaken, and who is you lady friend."
"Lani." Lani curtseyed to the doctor "Few people call me a lady, kind of a novelty."
Don’t get used to it the way you act." Chided Aramant, Lani pouted at him jokingly
"Ah yes! "The Conquers of the forbidden" continent. And what brings the two of you to my humble not to mention messy abode."
You don’t know? I thought you invited me?" Aramant handed the note back to the doctor
"Oh that Mary! I should have guessed that she’d get things mixed up, she my part time housekeeper. I apologise this was meant for a Blank of Tantalus."
"Yeah I know him one of Zidane’s cronies." Aramant frowned. "We’ll be going then."
"Well you could help while we’re waiting for him, I could do with any information on the Terra incident last summer I’ve been drafted to write a report on it, the regent was having Tantalus deliver some information to me. But I’ll happily put the two of you up for the night if you’ll help me with the details."
"Is that all"?
I’m also compiling a eulogy for Sir Tribal the princess asked for one, a biography of sorts."
"Sir!?" Exclaimed Aramant
"A posthumous knight hood awarded to him…" Explained the doctor
Lani laughed, "Sorry Red looks like you’ll only get a posthumous pardon."
"So you want to pick our brains concerning Zidane and this Terra incident? In exchange for room and board." Aramant ignored Lani’s mirth.
"It’d give you a refuge from the law." informed the doctor quickly.
"Aramant leaned against the wall of the tower while Lani sat on a pile of books. "Go ahead doc." she grinned. "Pick away."
***
The reports on last year had reopened a lot of history for Aramant. Unable to sleep he found himself wandering the waterfront of his childhood.
Might as well call the place Memoria. Everywhere he looked there was a place that reminded him of his short and brutal child hood in the slums. Eventually he stumbled into his old neighbourhood, fate had paid a cruel joke this particular slum was completely refurbished. The old inn the Hag’s Heart was now the Hog’s Hearth the dried piece of leather that was allegedly a real witch’s heart was now replaced with a sign showing a grinning pig the old landlord Arful Flephem would have turned over in his grave if he wasn’t actually resting resentfully in the river. Still in the hope of shutting up the inner voices Aramant ambled in for a few half gallons of beer. As he nursed his half gallon tankard he looked at the patrons; a few movers and shakers of the black market rubbed shoulders with more successful thieves and here and there the odd noble slumming it. Aramant reflected how much he disliked the crowding the stench and deceit of the city looking at the people who traded grins while wishing murder on their neighbour.
Suddenly he grinned had he not been complaining about how much he disliked the country every day on the wagon train, he guessed that he wasn’t the kind of person who was ever comfortable anywhere, unlike Zidane who wore every place he went to like a skin.
A loud snort brought him out of his reverie; a young noble trying to look like a thug was starring up at him in anger.
"Eugh spilled meh drink!" He brayed.
"I did no such thing." Aramant tried to ignore the man who was obviously drunk.
"Are eugh calling me a liar?" Demanded the man.
"I just want a quite drink." Aramant muttered darkly.
"Eugh insulted me eugh coward!" Yipped the noble drawing with his sword. "I’ll cut eugh to pieces."
No one saw Aramant’s arm move there was a blur a loud meaty smack and the noble hit the ground.
Aramant tossed the sword to the pale-faced bar tender. "He’ll live I pulled the punch. You might want to have patrons leave their weapons at the door."
He drained his mug and left the tavern. Already he could here the guard’s whistles in the dark on of the young braggart’s friend’s must have run off, the last thing Aramant wanted was the law to know he was back in town, he set off at an easy pace into the slums. Two minutes later they were still after him! Where did they learn to be so good? He doubled back and leaned back into the shadows of the Duchy aqueduct.
A voice rang out in the night. "There he is near the Aqueduct."
Aramant cursed, this meant trouble they must know every inch of the slums but he still had an ace up his sleeve. He pulled up a manhole cover.
Twenty minutes later he was still running the sewers were lit now, not the dark refuge of five years ago when every one was on his tail. At a turning he almost ran into a night patrol, which had complicated matters even more. Still one last place to go turning toward the river he saw what he was looking for an entrance revealing a deep drop. Aramant couldn’t make out the other side in the dark. Trusting his memories he jumped. The pursuers halted at the drop, one man threw a stone down the splash took ages to be heard.
"Poor bastard! Not even flaming Red could have survived that."
***
Blank came to bound to what felt like a bed in a darkened room, he could make out voices from behind the door.
"It was as you said Inquisitor Darnel he was carrying confidential document belonging to the regent."
"I knew we couldn’t trust them Tantalus thieve who do you suppose their working for?"
A lower voice spoke. "I do not know, but I possess the means to extract that information the four of you guard the outer chamber do not disturb me while I work understand."
Blank felt a cold sweat run down is spine what the hell was happening?
***
Aramant nursed his bruised rips he didn’t want to risk a spell in fear of alerting the guards instead he swigged a potion and ignored his injuries. He felt a little embarrassed he was lost, technically he was in the ancient system of storm drains that stopped the city flooding but even as a child when he had sough refuge here he had not known every in and out of the place.
No one came down here, chance of any one even knowing the existed was unlikely. Suddenly he smelt something a deeper harsher scent than the organic decay all around. He followed it to a dead end, which was an apt name for what he found there.
Tracing his steps back carefully he made his way to Tot’s residence.
"Red? Where the hell have you been you smell like shi-?" Lani started when she opened the door.
"No time wake the doctor get you gear there’s something I need to show the two of you!"
An hour later they arrived at the dead end.
"What is it?" Asked Tot curiously.
"Look for you selves." suggested Aramant.
Lani held a lantern aloft in the dark, what she saw made the bile rise in her throat. Some one had taken some old man and practically ripped him apart, the sight was enough t o make even the hardened bounty hunter a little queasy.
"My word! Who would do such a thing?" Tot grimaced behind his moustache.
"Some one who didn’t want the body found, only luck brought me to the storm drains tonight."
The corpse (most of it) was curled up on the ground. No person could survive with such terrible mutilations the clothes were shredded, worst of all the head was gone.
"We’ll never know who it was." Lani said refusing to look away from the corpse, it reminded her of the night her father’s body had shown up on the beach.
"His name was Lucien Darnel, a Lindblum Inquisitor." Aramant stated matter of factly.
"Impossible Darnel is alive I saw him this afternoon talking with a group of Lindblum soldiers." Tot paused.
"The body has been here about twenty four hour minimum." Aramant looked at Lani who nodded.
Perhaps we should pay this Lucien a visit I have never liked torturers." She said grimly