Final Fantasy IX - The Twin Sons

Ah the world of Gaia, such a humble place. A world that was on the  brink of extinction thanks to a mysterious entity, driven to rid all  life from it. However, a small group of friends have stopped this man  from completing his goal and now have given the world a time to relax  and reverend what life really is. Unfortunately not as it seems for strange happenings have, once again, stirred beneath her soils. Me? Well… I Uh…never witnessed the events. Until I stepped through that portal. As  for the aforementioned friends…the circumstances, that were building at  this point, will put friendship and family to the test. What happened next...? Well...You're about to find out.

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It all started a while ago, when I was unconscious. My vision was blacked out, locked in the deepest bowels of my sub-consciousness, adrift like a figure floating underwater. Then, through the drowsiness came a voice calling out my name. My eyes flit open to this angelic light projecting through the inky mist.

Robi?

Robi!

Robi, wake up!

Then the light took over the darkness and saw it overcoming my sight, and that voice became clearer and apparent. I made a sharp gasp as I shot up in shock, looking around rapidly before turning to the one person who called out for me.

“Good shiva, Robi, I thought I almost lost ya, You ok?” They asked, looking somewhat concerned as I rubbed the back of my head.

"Urgh...it felt like a ship crashed onto my fucking head…!" I groaned in response.

That figure turned out to be my accomplice, a woman dressed in white and red garbs, her rosy cheeks projecting a smile as she looked at me in a blooming gaze. I somehow was able to recognise her in my foggy memory… she went by the name of ‘Polly’.

"Well at least your bad language hasn't broken, let me help you up." She said and felt my left arm being tugged.

“You…you’re…Polly…right?” I asked in a stammer, my head was still pounding from that rather impactful landing, I must’ve felt earlier.

“Oh sheesh, yer mind’s all fuddled with what’s happened… c’mon, let’s get you on yer feet.” She groaned in a mood, hoisting my entire frame until I was able to find my two feet. I had this tail swaying behind me and it gave some form of balance; A trait that didn’t feel natural yet it was?

I had no idea how I wounded up here, all I saw was a tunnel of light and then there was nothing, a sooty black which brought me here to this stage. I was also wet and cold, feeling the apparent rainy weather that was falling onto where we stood. Taking the time, I looked at the surroundings and I realised that we were in some shut off plateau. Everywhere was flanked by towering cliffs, propped by a lot of trees, the grass here looked in a deepened green, while a large stone plinth caught my eye.

“Where are we?” I asked Polly.

“I have no clue; my memory is all faded as well and it seems that we’re thrown here intentionally.” She responded.

I crouched and noticed some writing etched on the foot of the tombstone. Using my skinny hand, I tried sweeping some soil aside and read the inscription.

The who came forth from the stars begin their adventure here…

The stars…? I looked up into the sky… which was tricky since of the raindrops would hit my eyes.

“The stars… do you think we just landed here from above?” I quizzed.

“I dunno but the best thing, I recommend, is that we get out of this place and find some civilisation. I doubt this world would be totally uninhabited.” She suggested, pointing my attention towards some ominous portal, some way in the walls of the rocky cliffs, with two stone doors which proved impossible to budge; I tried to test that by using my strength nor found anything to open them with.

“These doors must be the way out but they seem way too heavy for us to pull apart. There must be some mechanism for it. Let’s look around.” I asked her.

We then explored, looking into every nook and cranny for any way to open the doors. We could try scaling the cliffs but with this rain, it would be damn near impossible to scale and they’re way too high for us to even consider it. We thought we’d be trapped here but, as I leaned myself onto a portion of the walls to catch a breather, when all of a sudden, the rocks began to move and I was thrown into the maw of this cave.

“Shit!” I cried out as I fell down with Polly rushing over to the commotion.

“Robi! You almost gave me a heart attack!” She hissed as I was helped back onto my feet once more.

“Well, I seemed to have found something worth checking out.” I went as we looked into the welling darkness.

“It looks awfully dark… you got something that’ll help us see?” I asked.

Polly went into deep ponder, scouring through her remnant thoughts until she clicked her fingers and, sure enough, a soft, glowing ball of light was held above her open palm.

“Well, would you look at that, let’s go inside, shall we?” I smiled as we ventured into the cave.

Inside was a cold, uninviting chill as we progressed further into the cavern, Polly’s light being the only thing guiding us through the tunnels as glistening rainwater sneaked their way in from the roof. My clothes were absolutely drenched at this point so I was literally shivering from the cold as we progressed, teeth chittering and my bones rattling as we looked, we need to get out of here, and find out more about this world. I may not be the best at fighting with my hands but I have no other way.

Gulping air, I slowly put my foot into the cave, with Polly not far behind.

“I-I think I can remember now… my clothes… I might be able to…if I can…ugh…” She clenched her head.

“Let’s not focus on ourselves right now and more on getting out of here…” I stated.

Just as we were only a few metres into the cave, I heard a loud squeal and something knock me onto my back.

“What the fuck!?” I said, grunting when I felt something sharp slice into my skin. Then all of a sudden, a mighty flash of light illuminated my attacker and blew it straight off me.

“Robi! Are you alright?” Polly asked me.

“Ok… what was the fuck was that?” I snapped at her.

“I have no idea! All of sudden, it came to me. I just had my hands out and then this mighty blast just tore that thing off you.

I examined my wounds, using the light from inside, I noticed that I had some deep wounds from the creature.

“Here… I might have remembered to do this…” Polly said and gently held my arms.

She began to chant and a white light began to glow around her hands. Whatever it was, it was warm and numbed the pain. Within minutes, my wounds were all closed, sparing from the scars, as a grim reminder of that savage attack.

“There… I seem to harbour some form of healing magic. I can remember now… I am…I am… ugh… stupid head!” She grunted in a frustrated manner, stomping on one foot.

I walked over to see the creature. On closer inspection, it looked to be some kind of giant bat. With its furry body, tattered bony wings and these terribly sharp claws.

“That must have been protecting its nest… wherever it was.

Right… stick close… that magic is seemingly light so see if you can try casting that light magic.”  I asked her.

“I’ll... try… just feel around for now…” She suggested and wrapped her arms around one of my hands as we navigated the pitch-black tunnels, guided by me literally feeling my way around.

Thankfully, for being in the dark for so long, our eyes began to adjust and the faint shapes of the cavern faded into view.

“Damn… there’s no torches for miles…” I huffed when the darkness became less apparent, with an orange hue illumination flickering the walls of the tunnel.

“Oh, did you finally remembered how to cast that light? That was quick.” I hummed.

“Uhhhh… Robi… that wasn’t me…”

I slowly looked around to see the source of the light and in our horror was this giant fireball with this ghastly face. It began to cackle and grow in size… rather quickly.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!” We both yelled.

Then we instinctively dived, before it grew big enough, avoiding this giant explosion and a swathe of fire filled the corridor. The shockwave quaked the cave however, causing stones and gravel to fall from the roof.

“Bloody hell! That thing nearly brought the whole place down!” I barked as we stood up, seemingly unscathed from the attack.

Then, I noticed something that it dropped and went over to check it out. A great big pile of strange dust had accumulated from where it detonated and I scooped it into my hands. It felt rough and abrasive but it sounded quite useful.

“That big pyromaniac left some of this residue behind… I think that’s how it detonates.” I smiled as I looked at the white mage. “Well… we better find a workshop, or something so you do something with it.” She hummed as she fished inside her cloak and brought out an empty satchel. “I think I use this to store things for whatever I had in mind but, you can use it to carry that stuff.” She insisted as I reached out to take the pouch and pour the powder inside, tightening the strap to seal it.

With my new material secured, we progressed further into the cave as this voice began to echo in my skull once more; Only this time it was more demonic than angelic of Polly’s.

Your presence… soon everyone will know…

The voice left me a parting gift as a minor headache began to surge before my forehead and caused me to groan, kneeling over in agony.

“Robi? You alright?” Polly asked.

“Augggh…!” I gasped, holding my head until the pain subsided. I got up to look at Polly with a wince in my grin. “Yeah, I’m fine… I think it was some minor headache… probably from that teleport…” She gave a concerned sigh afterwards.

Around the corner and we finally get some light peering from an opening in the cavern. In the middle, bathed in the daylight, was a rusty old lever. Bingo!

“Hey, that might open up that door! Let’s give a shot!” I spoke, happily going over to give it a yoink. “Don’t you think that it’s a good idea to watch your back for any monsters once we pull it?” Polly asked me. “Nah, we’ll be outta here once we got the door open.”

I walked to the side, where the rickety old rod was facing away, and took it with both hands and pulled. Time was definitely been cruel as the lever was stuck firmly in position, so it proved to be more troublesome than I thought. To get more grip, I rubbed my hands, dug my heels into the dirt, and pulled at it once more, grunting and groaning as I gave the thing all of my might.

“YEEEEAAAAGH!!! THIS THING WON’T FUCKING BUDGE!” I yelled in frustration and kicked it as a result… which only made me stub my toe. “Holy motherfucking, cuss punt of a lil cock!”

The commotion caused another of those explosive monsters to come into the room, its fire lighting up the darkened sides of the cavern.

“Oh no, it’s one of those guys again…!” Polly pointed as it began to float towards us. Seeing it how it was able to shift the caverns gave me an idea so I tried to bring its attention to me. “Hey! Why dontcha blow your fuse on me! You hot headed ball of ass!” I slagged.

That insult seemed to have done the trick for it began to inflate in anger, rushing towards me, hoping to take me out once it was on top of me. I quickly dived and avoid the imminent explosion after, causing more of the cave to suddenly fall down, a large chunk of rock crashes down and hits the lever, with enough force to dislodge the stick and force it to shift into the other position. Result!

I got up and gazed upon my success, with a proud smug on my face until more pebbles hit my head. Ow! “Nice work, Einstein but you’ve totally ravaged the cave now, it’s going to collapse!” Polly yelled. “Shit, yer right, we better get outta here.” I answered and wasted no time in sprinting straight out of the cave, dodging stressed bats and falling rocks until we rushed out of the opening, just as the whole cavern collapsed in on itself, and burying anything beneath; We were lucky to not be amongst those.

“Phew, you alright Polly?” I asked. “Never better but a bit shaken after that damn stunt, you pulled off.” She huffed. “As long as it got the job done, that’s what matters.” I answered when a loud clunking brought our attention to the door nearby. Sure enough, those old stones began to shift apart, revealing a passageway beyond.

“We made it and finally the way is clear!” I smiled proudly. “We definitely made quite the team in there. Shame we couldn’t do much with our hands…” Polly spoke. “I’m sure we’ll find a weapon shop of sorts someday…” I answered as we walked into the tunnel, which was relatively untouched with its lit torches illuminating our way through.

“So… do you have any memories of this place? I can vaguely remember that we were here for a purpose…” Polly asked. “Not really… I haven’t gotten the foggiest idea on who I am or was… but I still remember my name at least. We might go find someone who knows a bit about me… and some new clothes. These are absolutely drenched.” I sighed as we came to the other side of the door.

Only this time, they were opened from our side. By pulling a not-as-difficult lever, they began to creak and groan, revealing the world beyond the one we have already seen.

A rolling green emerald field, beyond the likes I have ever seen, with swirling cloudy skies above and a murky fog beneath, stretched over yonder what seems to be endless. Yet it seems this world looked less picturesque than I thought it’d be. It was more dreary, and devoid of life, yet something tells me that this world isn’t as welcoming as we might think.

Fortunately, this planet does seem to be inhabited when I caught the glimpse of a lonely village by some cliffs, with a tall light-house structure, not far from here. We could possibly go over to ask whoever owns the towering beacon.

I looked at Polly, and she looked at me, and we shrugged our shoulders, electing on heading to the hamlet and went on our journey. As crossed hills and passed woods, we started to hear sounds of a struggle nearby. I looked over to see flashes of light inside the smog. Curious, we headed over to investigate and, upon closer inspection, it turns out that a fight was taking place.  There, we encountered someone fighting monster; Strange red skinned goblins, armed with knives, were attacking this small lad, who was a rather quite young lad, clad in a blue coat and pointy hat obscuring much of his face; It was big and drooping over to one side, quite a distinct feature.

We couldn’t see his face but only these bright glowing yellow eyes distinctively pierced out from the blackness that concealed his true visage. At the moment he seemed to be keeping the blighters at bay until one of them manages to get the jump on him and landed a lucky blow.

I jumped in on the action and began using my fists on the attacker. The goblin tried to slit my throat but I promptly grabbed its arm and had it thrown up and over, before slamming it into the ground. Another charged at me yet only to receive a flurry of mighty blows and a forceful uppercut sent my foe flying.

Unable to compete with me, the rest scarpered into the mist as we tended to the kid. Despite his form, he seemed to be out of shape until Polly started casting her magic on him.

“You were lucky that we were passing… you gotten pretty beat up.” Polly warmly smiled. After the kid was healed, he tried to cast a ball of fire at us but we ducked in time. “Hey! Watch it!” I hissed, flinching in reaction. “Oh… you guys aren’t monsters… I got a bit carried away… sorry!” The lad grabbed the hem of his hat and pulled it firmly down, to try and hide his face in apologetic manner. “There’s no need to get worked up about it… I’m sure he was helping…” Polly explained and huffed. Eventually, he lets go of his hat and blinked those two glowing eyes at us. “Th…thank you for helping me… I suppose I owe youse one for getting’ me out of that pickle. I would have no idea what’d happen if someone didn’t come help me.” He whimpered.

“Well, it’s a good thing we did. What’s yer name kid?” I asked him. “H-Herder…” He stammered, fixing his hat as we exchanged introductions. “Well, my name’s Robi and this here is Polly, we’ve been looking for a way to find civilisation. Any chances on how we can get there?” I asked him.

“I su-suppose we should st-start by heading to this lo-local village called Dali. I-It’s where my family is set-setting down their Airship for one last time be-before they head to the city.” The boy answered dutily.

Airship? What in the name were those? I never seen them but I feel familiar with then; I tried to remember but all I had was drawing up blanks.

“What’s that?” I asked the kid, who gave me a blink in surprise. “You don’t even know what an airship is? You guys must be from beyond these lands. I guess… well, its these massive wooden boat-like things that fly through the sky.

My father flies one to the big cities so maybe, if you can bring me back to him, you can hitch a ride and take you to Alexandria that way.” He suggests. “In that case, we got a means of getting there and that village is our best bet.” I answered and we continued trekking across the plains and towards the hamlet.

When we arrived, it became more apparent to what became of this settlement, as we neared. There were hardly any walks of life and the overall vibes made it feel like a ghost town. I scratched my head with concern.

“The village is empty… are you sure there’s people living here?” I asked Herder, whom was happy to explain. “Not long ago, there was a mighty big war and this village served more as a cover for Alexandria’s factory. It’s hard to explain but since the war ended, the people of Dali got up and left; Likely moved to the city in order to find more work.”

As we looked around, I examined the run-down buildings and the state of the local farm; Rotten plants and discarded tools littered around the plot as the windmill slowly churned and rattled, despite its owners seemingly abandoned it. After Herder told us that the airship isn’t due to arrive tomorrow morning, we saw it as a chance to settle in for the night and fully explore the place before night falls. Polly found some books worth studying as I explored the empty houses. Most of the furniture had been tossed and turned, the fireplaces cold and without any wood, they surely left in a hurry. I propped up a chair and sat down to think.

My head is clearly incomplete, all of my memories thrown around like some sort of jig-saw puzzle. I can’t vaguely remember who I was and only by name. Only the stark feelings that I was used to the things, that were happening here so maybe I need something to kickstart the process of remembrance. I saw an airship model, knocked off the shelf and went to hold it in my hands. I stared into the machine for a good while until eventually.

Click.

“Hey Robi, what’s up?” Came in Polly.

“Oh! Sorry, I’m just trying to remember who I was.” I explained as she sat on the floor next to me. She looked down with a sigh before laying a hand on my knee. “It must be hard being without your memories. Do you know of anything, since you came here?” She asked me. “Uhhh, the only vision was me meeting a woman up in a castle, do you think it’s telling me something, when we get to Alexandria?” I asked her. “Yeah… I suppose but let’s just focus on getting some sleep first, I’m sure you’ll feel better when the airship comes but here, I did find something, you might be interested.” She said and I followed her out and into the orange tinted village, as the sun began to disappear amongst the hills, and into some backstreet. There sat some kind of discarded artillery.

“I don’t know what this is but maybe this could help you unlock a memory.” She suggested as I approached it. As I investigated the mysterious object, I felt its metal casing while my hand skimmed across the surface but then there was a white flash and another brown and white flashback began to play in my head. I was atop the battlements of the castle and saw these hulking weapons lining the walls. Then I heard myself say.

The castle’s cannons appear to be the defenses against a probable air assault but maybe I could make them portable and carry this sort of firepower in battle.

Then scenes of me making a weapon started with depictions of a long, gun like apparatus being assembled… and then it ended, causing me to gasp in shock.

“R-Robi, what did you see?” Polly asked in concern as I gasp and pant, trying to get my grasp back on reality again. “I-I-I can remember these now… they’re cannons and they use a lot of fi-firepower. I saw myself making a smaller version. How it worked and everything.” I explained as I looked at her. “I need wood, some metal and a fireplace. Can you do that for me?” I asked the White Mage, whom blinked in response. “Uh, sure.”

I quickly hurried back into one of the houses and arranged the furniture into some makeshift workshop as Polly gathered materials for me.

“Thanks Polly, I’ll take it from here and when I’m done, I’ll show you what I’ve made.” I smiled. “Well, good luck Robi. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.” She answered and left me to my devices.

Well into the night, flames and light flashed from that abode while I worked. By copying the design of that cannon, I was able to put together my idea. My first few prototypes weren’t successful as they either backfired or didn’t even look even like the real thing but eventually, through trial and error, my first weapon finally took shape.

Weighty in my hands, I held and wielded the thing, working out the best way of holding it. In my hands was a long thin-barrelled cannon like apparatus with an ingenious new mechanism. Rather than using a long string as a fuse, the hook below operates a hinged flint that struck the Bomb powder, which then launched a steel ball.

“Just like the one in my memories… now to give it a test run.” I said proudly to myself and marched out of the house and into the wilderness. There, I caught my eyes on some goblins wandering near some random woods. When the fiends spotted me, they rushed towards me. I felt my heart beat as they closed the distance, and pulled the trigger. A loud explosive bang erupted from the barrel of the weapon, causing me to jerk in shock but it didn’t do anything to my chances of a hit but I did hear a whined cry in pain as I saw one of the monsters topple over in defeat, causing the others to look at their fallen comrade. This bought me time to reload. Shoving another small bag of powder, followed by another ball, I took aim and fired. The bright fiery explosion illuminated the darkness as the shot struck down another… one more left.

I was hoping to smite that final fellow but the goblin sees sense and ran off into the woods, leaving the other two to perish. I wiped my brows as I exhaled sharply on the conclusion of a successful test. Then I heard Polly rush in from behind.

“What in Shiva’s name was that? I heard this massive bang outside and it got me thinking that we were under attack!” She hissed at me. “Oh… sorry Polly but I was testing out my new weapon.” I explained and showed my work to her.

“Well… I never.” She went and took it off my hands to examine it. “This is well made… did you seriously built this yourself?” She asked, causing me to feel a bit prideful. “Yup, with my own hands.” I answered briskly. “Well, it’s good, now that you have something to fight with but you should come to bed now. Firing this off, in the dead of night won’t do the neighbours any good. We’ll think of something in the morning.” She said. “Yeah, you’re right. All that building and firing this gun made me quite tired.” I agreed and started to head back into the inn, where we’ll be sleeping for the night.

“So, do you have any names for this thing? It definitely doesn’t look like a cannon of sorts.” Polly asked me. “I suppose I’ll just call it a Musket. It seems quite different enough than ‘sword’ or ‘long hand cannon.” I answered. “Hmmm, a musket, quite appropriate for this day and age.” She hummed in response before we settled in for the night.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Robi.”

“Goodnight.”

As the oil lantern was put out, I laid in bed and looked up to the ceiling to ponder.

I wonder what I’ll be doing once I meet this woman in the castle.

Are there any more memories worth remembering?

What can I do to improve the weapon by my side?

I brushed these assumptions aside and finally drifted off to sleep…

You may rest for the wicked but the wicked never rests.

In this dream, I found myself in some dreary wasteland. I looked around to see the environment looking tacky and run-down, like the village we settled in for the night.

“Hello, anyone there?” I cried out.

Then a figure caught my eye and I turned to look at it.

“Uhh, who are you?” I asked it, where came no reply only for it to get closer and closer with a slow walk. “You’re creeping me out… Uhhh.” I went, my heart audibly pounding against my chest as the silhouette extends a furry claw and two piercing silver eyes appeared from the blotchy darkness, enshrouding this individual. Then I felt this horrible headache ravage my skull as the thing touched me and all sorts of horrifying images ran through me; Depictions of bloodied corpses and a world bathed in hellish fire bore the landscape as I kneeled in agony.

This planet is doomed, and you’ll be the one held responsible. No one will trust you!

Then I saw the figure again, only brandishing, what looked to be a scythe and a cannon. The latter of which was raised to my face and a bright yellow light flashed before me. It was so sudden that it snapped me out of my dream and back into life. I gasped and instantly shot up, going through what felt like a panic attack.

“GAH!” I cried out, seemingly startling the other two, especially Polly. “Another migraine?” She asked. “…Yeah but I had a horrible dream too…” I groaned, clenching my head desperately. “I don’t think I do. We’ll see if we can find any relief in that city when we get there.” She responded as I explained my dream to her. “Oh my… that sounded really bad. You sure, you’ll be ok with the trip to the city? You don’t seem in a right state of mind.” She suggested. “No, it’s fine… I’ll manage. Just need to go out for some fresh air.” I answered and stood on my feet, wobbling over into the foyer and looked around. In the corner was a bookshelf and I helped myself, glancing at the various titles emblazoned on their spines:

How to earn a quick Gil.
10 Ways to escape bankruptcy
How to earn a Million Gil.
Makin' Crazy Money.

"Somethin' tells me that these books are written by the Innkeeper." I muttered to myself, scratching my head before the sounds of the bedroom door opening brought my attention. It was Herder, who blinked and stared at me before gazing around the lobby. M-Morning, sir Robi… how did you sleep?" He asked. “I uhh slept fairly ok… despite having a horrid dream.” I answered truthfully. “Oh, well I hope you’re ok after that. I sometimes get bad dreams too but father was always there to comfort me.” The little one responded with a giddy gait in his step and trotted out into the inn.

I followed him outside and we strolled around the village, waiting for the supposed airship to arrive.

“So, where exactly did you come from? You don’t seem to be around here.” The mage asked. “I dunno, all I remember was that I was in this little clearing surrounded by cliffs. I don’t remember anything at all, except the weapon on my back. “Polly told me about it. It sounds really cool to use. How does it work?” Herder asked. “Well, it’s this long cannon but I can hold it in my hands.” I started to explain and brought it into my hands. “It has this special mechanism that goes down, whenever I pull the trigger here. That then causes the powder stuffed inside to explode and propel a steel ball out and to the target, much like how a cannon works.” My explanation seems to arouse the mage’s curiosity as a ‘woooow’ came from the guy. “That’s so cool and there’s no need for magic? I was only taught how to use magic and cast fireballs but you can do the same without having to know it!” He spoke as we found a good tree stump to sit on.

“I know you’ll become a great inventor for this world. I know someone who brought many great things to Gaia. He invented the airship and built this great city where he does these great things.

You should go check it out, after we visit Alexandria, the man himself would appreciate seeing someone as clever as you.” Herder suggested as his little brown boots playfully swung in suspense. “The city of Lindblum, that’s what father told me. They do great food there and their plays are amazing.

I heard that their top travelling theatre group is going to visit Alexandria to celebrate the Queen’s first year of reign. Ever since the last one passed away, this younger one ushered in an era of peace between the two nations. She’s even the niece of the city’s regent. Small world, innit?”

Lindblum… sounds like a great place to check out next… perhaps I can go visit this man and he’ll help me unlock more of my memories at the same time.

Then a loud engine roar saw the long-awaited airship to land by the village, which caused the giddy little Black Mage to hop off his seat and rush off towards it.

“Father! Father, I’m he--! “He went on before goofily tripping over in his desperate gallop, causing me to sigh and help him up.

“S=sorry… I get a little carried away.” He laughed giddily and we both approached the wooden dirigible. There more of his kind were scaling down the ladder, mounted behind it and turned to see the two of us approach. He held out his arms to let the little one into a big hug.

“Herder! Oh my shiva, we were looking for you everywhere! I thought the monsters would’ve gobbled you up but here you are, safe and sound!” He chimed happily until he brought his attention to me.

“So, you must be the one who brought him here safely. Thank you so much! I was so worried about what might’ve happened to my son. He fell overboard, during a terrible storm and we spent all day looking for him but since you brought him to Dali, and made sure he was fine… is due for payment.

I’m Ingrid by the way and I run this logistics business.” The elder one introduced himself, bowing as he touched the brim of his hat as a greeting gesture. “Say, what’s your name kid. You don’t seem the sort from around here.” He asked me.

“The name’s Robi, sir.” I briskly answered.

“Well know, that’s a brilliant name to have… I must say that you’re looking for a ride back to the city. This village is due to be demolished soon and we’re here to gather all the remaining supplies before the trip back to Alexandria. It’s a good thing you made a home here for the night… it gets really dangerous at night. I tell you what: For getting my son back to me safely, I’ll let you on board my ship and we’ll drop you off in Alexandria for no charge.

Normally, we pay a transport fee for weary travellers but for good uns, like yourself, it’s on me.” Ingrid offered.

“Sure, we don’t have anywhere else to look to.” I said, as Polly came in to my side.

“Oh, who do we have here? You got yerself a fine maiden. Is she your wife or-?” Ingrid suggested.

“Companions… we’re just partners in travelling. I’m Polly by the way.” She asked.

The black mage fell silent as he stared at the garment for quite a while before he blinked back into reality. “Oh sorry… it’s just I never seen that gown for years… the white and red trim… you remind me of som- oh it doesn’t matter. Come aboard, my dear, we’ll get you settled in… you two sir Robi.” Ingrid gestured to us to board when another one of his kind came down to whisper to his ear.

“Oh! He didn’t come? Ugh, what a waste of money… uhh…

Robi, do you know how to control an airship?”

Now, I may have just seen an airship, like this one up close but how to control one? That, I had no idea. “Uhhh… I don’t think so. Why?” I asked.

“Well, it just so happens that we ran into some trouble, on the way here. This crew of pirates began causing havoc on the airways and we hired a mercenary, to protect our cargo from then. But, my friend told me that he cheaped out so I’m left with an empty fighter craft for which to defend us with.

You seem to the sort who knows their way around it but if you don’t know how, then it’s fine and we’ll just resort to our own weapons on board… but it’s often better to have someone watch your back… if you’re inclined that is. We’ll pay you the fee, that mercenary asked for.” Ingrid asked.

Maybe I could take up flying as a career choice in a later stage of life and this might be a great idea for me to try it out. Plus, I could do with some cash to get started around this world. “Uh… sure, so where is it?” I asked, having made the black mage hop in delight. “Y-you do?! Wow, you have no idea how grateful we are for you. It’s right this way!” The elder said and led me to this small craft, seemingly set dragged out from one of the empty houses and passed me a pair of goggles and a leather hat to put on, as well as a cosy, fur lined jacket to zip up.

“Put these on and I’ll help you get settled in.” He asked me as I slipped into the cockpit of the ship. It felt really comfortable as I wiggled my rear end into the cushioned seat. Two leather straps were pulled up and over my shoulders before they clicked in over my pelvis. With two silver buckles, I felt the snare of them pull me deeper against the back rest as I felt my feet rest on these metal switches.

"Now, this thing is rather simple: There’s these two pedals and a stick to control. Push the pedals if you want to turn left or right.

Move the stick aside to tilt the thing but don’t go too crazy or you’ll roll around like a pencil down a hill. Pulling it back will make you go up and vice versa and if you’re feelin’ extra gutsy, then you can try pulling off some stunts once you got the basics dotted down.

The stick to yer left is your throttle, pull that towards you to go faster or away to slow down. I don’t know if this thing has any weapons but I’m sure you’ll think of something creative when those thieving bastards come for us.

Now, is that simple for ya?” Ingrid asked me.

I gulped as I looked at the various knobs and gauges, that seemed to litter the dashboard ahead of me. This seems well advanced for the likes of me but as the saying goes:

“You don’t know until you try.”

“I g-guess I got it… I’ll get familiar with this thing while you guys get packed up.” I answered, causing the black mage to hop with glee. “Great! Good luck, Robi! We’re counting on you!” He said and left me to get acquainted with this thing.

I tied up the chinstrap of my leather cap and looked around at the various things. There were all simply fascinating as I set my rifle next to me in the cockpit. Like Ingrid said, this machine seems to lack any capacity to fire on its own so my musket will probably be the only thing I can use to defend the airship with and to use the damn thing, while airborne is going to be tricky. The Polly approached me to check me over.

“How are you feeling about this Robi? Ingrid told me that you’re going to be doing this on your own? You sure you can do this? This seems like jumping into the deep end of the pool.” She asked concerningly. I looked up with a smile. “I’ll be fine, this might just be a piece o’ cake, once I work out the controls. “Well, be careful cos these ships can end up killing ya if ya don’t know how to fly them. By the way, the goggles suit ya. I think you should keep the gear when we’re back in Alexandria. Well, I wish you well, Robi.” She said and headed back to board the airship.

When the crew have gathered everything in Dali, now was the time for us to set off. As the mighty airship’s engine once again roars into life. I worked out how to start mine and felt the vehicle rattle and churn into life. A warm fuzzy vibration rummaged my bones as I grabbed the two sticks in both hands. Taking deep breaths, I left one stick to pull the spectacles over my eyes and watched as their dirigible make way for the skies.

“Here we go.” I muttered to myself, drowned out by the deafening churning of the little airship as I pushed on the throttle, causing my engine to growl even louder and the whole thing began to slide across the grass and I didn’t expect the thing to sway left and right so quickly.

“Oh shit! Oh shit!” I went as I swiftly grabbed the control stick. To crash, even before I took off, would be terribly embarrassing and fatal, if I ended up in the base of a mountain.

As I picked up speed, I quickly jerked the thing against the opposing direction as the forces tried to pull me from my seat but my seat belts kept me in secured and it wasn’t long until I felt the whole thing push me upwards and there I was well and truly in the air. I briskly looked to my sides to see the village of Dali shrink further and further into the distance.

What was once fear turned into sheer adrenaline and I sighed in glee. Is this what it feels like to fly? To embrace the freedom that these ships offer?

As the wind rushed past my rosy cheeks, I practiced using the stick to tame my Pegasus for the day. She responded very quickly though and it would take one wrong move for me to spiral straight into the ground but it all felt natural to me as I guided my ride along its merry cause. Along the way, I could see winding paths snake across the landscape and above the swirling clouds that obscured the morning sun from below.

With the transport ship now chugging along its route, I can finally relax a little and enjoy the sights for a bit. Adjust the tightness of my goggles, I swerved my ship alongside Ingrid’s and saw Polly looking out on the top deck, waving at me as I waved back as I rushed on forwards to show off my newly learned flying skills; When I was in a safe spot, pulled up on the stick; The ship rose up into the sky and felt my world turn upside down momentarily as I complete a vertical loop in front of the airship. I must’ve impressed the captain very well from that stunt.

I truly did enjoy my experience at first hand flying but I got back to work with keeping an eye out for trouble. I had no idea on who or what these pirates may be as the crew of the cargo ship seem to have a good idea otherwise.

Then, as I looked behind, a suspicious looking vessel was coming astern. Looking like it was flying quite close to our route. I initially dismissed it as some lost merchant but, from the way it was flying, it definitely didn’t feel like it.

I signalled to the crew as they send someone to the back to check it out and sure enough one of them gestured to me.

It was the pirates.

With our foes now apparently out for us, I had to come up with a plan. I pondered briskly and veered away to examine the encroaching vessel. My small size made it quite hard for them to pick me out so I can get away with some sleuthful recon from a distance. I veered away and positioned myself to have a good look at the pirates.

With flags of an inky black with skulls all over, this was no doubt the hostiles, I was told about and examined how the machine works. The propellors seemed to be too large to sabotage and the airbag looking to thick to puncture but there’s a large deck that might seem suitable and open enough for a landing.

Maybe, once the majority of the crew has been wiped out, I could land on their ship, get out and take on the captain… or head to the bridge and force the entire beast on a collision course; Hurtling it into the side of the valley and I’ll be soaring off back into the heavens.

With my plan now fully designed, I watched as their vessel came side by side with the other and a mighty big air battle begins. The pirates composed mainly of rogues wielding swords of various types while others held sticks that casted various spells at their prey. Some of the transport crew also carried swords into battle while Polly bravely kept their spirits up with healing spells.

With my musket by my side, this is a great chance for me to try and use it. It’s naturally hard to fly and shoot with two hands so I rested the musket above the dashboard, using the tip of it was a makeshift sight. Lowering my airspeed, I was able to make it ‘float’ behind the ships safely and pulled the trigger. The recoil though made it jump out of my hand as I pulled it in to reload which, mind you, is actually very hard. To keep the thing steady, while you’re shoving a packet of gunpowder and shot, is no easy task but it didn’t waver me from my mission. With much of the pirates now successfully fended off, the cargo ship kicked off the planks and the malicious vessel began to veer away; Likely to return to their base to get new deckhands but I wasn’t going to let them get away to fight another day.

I follow them and manoeuvred my ship to the deck of the pirates and just managed to squeeze it on top. I swiftly turned off the engine, freed myself of the harness and pulled up my goggles before grabbing my rifle and headed into the captain’s quarters, where their leader lurked.

“Yar! Who in the devils’ are ye and whit are ye doin’ on mah ship!” He barked angrily.

“Ingrid sends his regards!” I answered and fired a single shot, narrowly missing my mark and hitting the glass windows behind him. Ugh, this airship’s motions were not helping my aim a bit.

“Well, ye have pluck on ya, and that’s some fine treasure, ya got there! I’ll be than willing to take it off ya grubby hands! Have at ye!” The captain barked as he hopped the table and pulled out this massive sword, loud clunking from his pegleg strikes the floorboards as he approached me.

“Tis be the last time, you make a fool of I, Captain Skybeard!” The leader barked and swung his blade at me. I had little to fight back at his blade chimp!” He hissed and swung at me with his sword.

I ducked and rolled swiftly, to avoid those blows. Mind you, I seemed pretty agile giving to my frame even with a large rifle on my back. Though this guy seems to overestimate his own momentum and trips embarrassingly. I seized this opportunity to plug a hole in the poor guy’s ass but, halfway through our duel, a loud woosh came in from outside and in came the little Black Mage.

“F-Father told me to help Robi kick your butt so here I am!” Herder squeaked.

“Herder? Jesus man, I got this!” I protested.

“No, Skybeard is a dangerous bad man and I’m here to help you stop him.” The mage insisted.

I guess it’s two against one so we fought the pirate captain effectively but without a melee fighter to back you up, this’ll be tricky and we gain the upper hand. As the rogue swung his blade once more, I hoped along it and struck him in the face, with the butt of my rifle, causing the oaf to fall over and stare down the barrel of a gun.

“Agh! You win! Please, we’re poor and we needed the Gil to keep us going!” Skybeard squeaked in defeat.

I have the guy’s life by a thread but, just as I was about to make my decision, the whole ship shook; Causing us to topple over. It turned out that no one was steering the vessel and, without a helmsman, the collision broke the engines and now it was bound for an emergency landing.

“Use this as a lesson to chase dreams that don’t involve hurting anybody.” I said and we left him to go down with his ship; A true testament to the old pirate saying and I hopped into my craft, strapping myself in as Herder clung onto the side.

“Hang on tight.” I said as I brought the little plane’s engine back to life and took off. Just as we started sliding towards the aft of the big ol airship, clearing it just as it exploded in a cloud of fire and wood.

“Well, he sure went down in a blaze of glory.” I cracked as we soared into the sky.

“Robi, I have to say, you were brilliant back there. Father would be joyful to have someone like you working for him. He always ran into trouble, during his runs, and having you would greatly benefit his business.” Herder said as we caught up with the cargo ship.

“I guess but I have bigger fish to fry first. I still need to unlock my memories first and find out who I was.” I answered as I dropped the little guy off with the crew as we complete the final leg of our journey.

Ahead, we could see the apparent destination. Perched above a wanning forest, the great city of Alexandria was in full view. A monolithic castle stood amongst acres of town. The citadel itself bore a strange structure, in the form of a glistening silver obelisk in the centre. It’s unique feature? Perhaps but as we snaked around, we landed at the city’s airstrip. Lifting my goggles, but remaining strapped in, the owner runs up in a gleeful manner.

“S-sir Robi! You gave those pirates a real good hiding and I made it back in one piece. Those bastards got what’s coming to him but here’s your payment.” He said and dumps a sack on my hand.

“What’s this?” I asked him.

“It’s Gil, it’s the currency here. You use it to exchange for gifts and services. Spend it well, you earned it. Anyways, I gotta unload the cargo and I wish you luck on your adventure. You can keep the gear and ship; I doubt we’ll be running into the likes of those pirates again.” Ingrid spoke and left me be as I rose from my seat and stared into the castle.

Alexandria… so this is the city, people were talking about…

As I pulled off my hat and coat, Polly walked up to me looking pleased herself.

“I saw you take the fight to pirates and got away without a scratch. Man, you always seem to get into trouble.” She huffed as I got out.

“Well, it did earn me this ship and all this gear.” I laughed as she crossed her arms. “Well, maybe you can take it to Lindblum, when you’re ready to move on but I gotta go take care of a few things but I’ll be more than willing to fly with you to the city. Beats having to pay a fee on another ship or risk it through the roads in the plains.

I’ll see you later, Robi.” She said and I was finally left to explore this great city on my own and as I pushed the vessel into the hangar, which Ingrid had paid for me. I walked into the streets and looking around could see kids running up and down the walkways, housewives dangling towels and clothes from the windows and people going around their business in corners, shops and the likes. It all seems to be bustling with townsfolk but my getup didn’t seem to do me any favours; Sticking out like a sore thumb compared to the medieval clothing, they wore.

I walked into the city plaza, where it was dominated by this large booth with ‘TICKETS’ painted in bold yellow. Maybe I could ask the ticket-master who looked less of a human and more of an animal.

“Ah, welcome to the ticket booth, sir. How may I serve you?” The figure greeted with a kind gesture. “Hi… I am here to ask about this city. Who or what runs this place?” I asked. “The city? Oh, ya must be new around here but I am more than willing to.

This here be the city of Alexandria, ruled by the great Alexandros monarchy. Queen Garnet is the current ruler and her kingdom stretches towards the walls. We used to be a war-faring civilisation but a great war had amended our ways and thus peace had finally settled on this fair world.

The castle behind me is guarded tight, after a fiasco of assassins trying to rout her from power. It seems that not everyone were not too happy about the queen’s new policies, fair see. But I can always point ya to some of the finer establishments so you can settle in. Will ye be staying long because I got tickets for an upcoming show to celebrate Garnet’s new cometh to power.

They come from the great city of Lindblum aboard a mighty theatre ship and often do royal performances for our majesty. Tickets are at a premium though so, if yer more than willing to book a seat at the auditorium then I’ll be more than willing to shave off the extra zeroes so ya can get a taste of the action first time, horhor, what do you say to that, sir?”

Hmm, it does seem alluring to check out the local culture so perhaps seeing this show, don’t seem too bad.

“Alright, how much?” I asked.

“200,000 Gil.” The man straight up spoke, and that almost gave me a heart attack. “200,000 FUCKING GIL?!?!” That curse word had definitely shook some heads around me and I covered my mouth in shock. “Sorry but I can’t pay that much, that’s more of a rip-off than a profit, mate.” I answered quietly. “Well, apart from that mud-tongue you just done… which I believe is unintentional but since yer new, I’ll knock it down to 200 gil. Sounds reasonable?” He answered. “Sure, that’ll do, and pull out the satchel of Gil for the man to count.

“100… 200! Yup, that’s about sums it up. ‘Ere ya go and enjoy the show… which starts tomorrow night so ya best go find a bed to sleep in. Can’t go sleeping on the cobbles since that’s when curfew starts.” The tender said and handed me a slip of paper, assuming to be the ticket.

With that in hand, and the remaining money in my pocket, I set out upon exploring the city; Looking through the winding alleys and streets where old man huddled up in old blankets while others fished in a canal of sorts. Then I came across this mini-theatre, supposedly a taster from Lindblum and, curious as I was, ventured inside.

As I went inside, the lavish of the bar became apparent, the place looks well done up, with tables, chairs, a bar and, of course, a great stage at the back. Patrons hum and bumble in conversation as a waft of smoke from burning cigars poisoned the air as I walked in. My first course of action was to of course walk to the counter to order a drink, maybe sample some of the beverages they had on offer. Couldn’t be simple right?

Not when this burly brute of sorts trotted on other and leaned onto the surface next to me.

“Ey, my pal over there dinnae like ya kind.” He snorted.

I ignored him, as I waited for the bartender to come over, and that probably weren’t a good idea when I felt his thick finger jab into my arm forcefully.

“Oi, I’m talkin’ to ya. Ya think ye so big with not listening to folks who speak to ya?” He gruffed. Towards him, I simply said. “I ain’t hurting anybody so let me have a drink and I’ll be on me way.” I swear I could see a nose hair twitch on him as his fellow walked on over, joining me on the other side. “Ya bozo, I swear ya could’ve ejected him from this here palace by now… how come’s he still ‘ere?” The man intimidatingly said and felt him invading my personal space. They really didn’t want me here.

“I know but he ain’t budgin’ so we’ll throw ‘im out by that funny lookin’ tail of us.

There was no way, I was gonna let them pull me by my appendage so I slowly got up and, just as they reached for me, I struck and sends a firm fist plunging into the slim man’s johns, causing him to squeak and squirm.

“Why ya little, c’mere!” The muscle man barked and I ran around the room, hopping over tables and watching as my aggressor crashed through a warring party of drinkers. “Ya little scamp!” He barked when the group rose up around him. “Who do ya think ya can barge in and ruin our pints. Let have at em, boys!”

Then the whole thing escaladed. What started as acute racism turned into an all-out bar brawl. Chairs become missiles as glasses smash on impact towards their receivers. It was this cacophony of violence that I decided to quietly sit out by sitting by the bar and asking the barman for a drink.

“Just a whisky.” I went and as I sipped the alcohol, this stern woman of sorts marched into the room.

“OI! PIPE IT DOWN WITH THE VIOLENCE OR I’LL KICK YA ALL OUT MYSELF!” She hissed loudly, which had quickly defused the situation as fast as it started. “Shiva’s sake… now I have to go ‘round’ clearing the mess again.” She groaned while the patrons returned to their seats. “I guess it was unintentional… those two had a good look at my tail and wanted to throw me out.” I said to the woman. “Is that so? Well, the only throwing out will be me.” She huffed and, by dragging out the instigators, she threw them out with a warning. “Come back here again for a fight, and I’ll make sure you stay out for good!” She barked before returning to her stool. “So much for being a bar owner, it’s tedious, lemme tell ya.” She groaned as she sipped on some wine. “Well, ya look awfully familiar but I can’t put mah finger on it. What’s your name, kiddo?” The woman asked me. “The name’s Robi, I just arrived here not long ago.” I answered as I swigged my tankard once more.

“Robi huh and new ‘round here? Well, I suppose ya can have a good time here, if you catch me drift, aha… but say, do you happen to see a black-haired girl lately? I saw her come in and then but never seems to pay off her tab. If you do come across, remind her to swing by to pay it off… I can’t run this place fo’ free ya’know.” She spoke. “I’m Ruby by the way and I opened this shop when my gang ran off without me. S’pose it brings in legal cash rather than pinchin’ off the rich… honest earning, so they say.

Anyways, I’ll see you ‘round Robi. If ya be needing a room to stay in for the night, I’ll have me barman give yo a key. Be sure to come in before 9pm before curfew; There’s been some shifty goings on as of late and everyone’s been told to stay in at night while the soldiers figure out what the problem is.” She said as I was handed the key to my room.

Finally, a place to rest my weary head but maybe I should break curfew and find out what the fuss’ about. I suppose a brave adventurer like myself couldn’t do a bit of investigating; Let alone remind that debtor to pay up. I spent the remainder of the day out in Alexandria: Exploring the sights, checking out the shops and asking the ticket-master more about the city. One of them was this 'Synthesis' Shop, where various materials and things were on offer.

“This here be the many trinkets that one could do to their sword, staff ‘n‘ rods, like ya ‘appen to have two of  the same thing. You can come into mah shop and fuse em together.” The owner explained as I pondered. Maybe I could make more use of my Bomb Powder and make my rifle even better. While he was used to customers working with swords and spears, improving a new weapon like a gun is probably gonna be new to him. Despite this, I headed inside after paying the meager fee and got to work. The shop had all the equipment I’d need to smith and upgrade my musket.

I had it reconfigured that, instead of shoving a powder packet and ball from the muzzle, it could swing upon from the back. All I had to do was unclick the rear so I could put both propellent and shot. With that reduced the time it takes to reload the damn thing. I also cut corners with the metal and wood to reduce weight and make it much easier to carry.

After tinkering the new upgrades to my weapon, I walked out with pride, the smith looking real baffled after seeing what I’ve been doing. "You have a rather strange weapon on your back. I have never seen anything like it; Is it a special kind of spear that does magical properties like shoot magic missiles or something?" The man asked curiously. "You could...say that, in a way." I snorted at his vague guesswork before leaving onto the streets but, just as I ventured onto the square, I heard a cry for help. "Someone help! That crook stole my purse!" Screamed a woman.

It turned out that a mugger had robbed an elderly woman of her purse. I focused my attention on retrieving the satchel and gave chase, following through back streets and darkened street corners until I got him against a wall.

“This is the end for you, hand over that woman’s purse.” I warned but all the guy did was smile bitterly. “Oh really, looks like it’s the end for you.” He chuckled and took out this old looking knife. “Oh boy, a knife… where the hell did you drag that from, your gran’s kitchen drawer?” I said in a sarcastic tone. “Don’t patronise me boy, I’ve been robbing old ladies for these years and this knife had seen me through so are ye goin’ to let me go or do I have to skewer ye first? It’d be wise that ya think especially on the former.” The rogue hissed, thrusting the air in front of him to put his point across… which didn’t sway me a single bit. “There’s an old saying, that a lotta people say…” I went, which confused my foe a bit. “What’s that?” He blatantly asked. “Never bring a knife to a gun fight.” I smiled with a snicker and pointed my new cannon at the poor man’s head. “Now, I’ll count to three and if I don’t see that wallet in my hand, you’ll find that your head lacks shoulders… 1…” I warned again, starting to pressure him with counting.

I could tell that this man had saw his world turn upside down, now that he was staring at a weapon, he never saw in his life.

“2…”

Eventually, he comes to his senses and surrenders the bag and throws it at my feet. “Alright, you win, just don’t hurt me with whatever you got there!” He whimpered and, with a winning smile, I reached out to grab the purse. “It looks like you thought wise on the first option. Thanks.” I cackled but, as I turned my back, I heard the man run towards me. “Shouldn’t turn ya back on me!” He cried out but he was too slow.

With my pre-loaded rifle, all it took was one loud snap and the gun had a single shot plunged straight through his arm, causing him to drop the blade and cry in pain. “GAAAAH!!! THAT EFFIN’ HURTS!” With that I continued onwards. “You’ll find a white tent with red trimmings near the airpad, go see my friend there for treatment. Let this be a lesson not to pick on vulnerable people.” I spoke and headed back into the main street where, surprisingly, I encountered Herder and Polly.

“Robi? You alright?! You looked like you’ve been attacked.” The white mage asked with concern and casted more of that healing magic upon me. “Yeah… just had to commit an act of vigilance." I chuckled. “Good thing I was nearby when I heard gunshots and knew you were up to something. What happened?” She quizzed, putting her hands on her hips. “Some mugger stole a woman’s purse and I chased him to some back alley and solved the situation. Lemme tell ya, as much as I hate pulling a weapon on another human being, that guy had some death wish but, rather than kill him, I shot him in the arm as a lesson.” I explained, which seemingly left Polly unimpressed. “That was a bit unethical to use your weapon against another person, you should’ve left it to the guards to deal with it. Crime fighting isn’t for the common folk.” She gruffed which, when I looked around, none of them were even noticing the odd pickpocket in plain sight. Seems these guards don’t take their role seriously. “But at least you have the moral grounds and didn’t execute him, where is he?” She asked as the wounded man limped into view. “Are… you the doctor?” He asked and she walks over to heal him. “Sorry about my friend’s bluntness, he tends to take actions way too seriously but let this be a lesson to pursue a life of honesty.” She explained. “Yes ma’am...” The thief dutily answered and rushed out of sight. “So do you got any plans lately?” She asked me. “Well, I just booked myself a ticket for this play from a travelling theatre troupe but the guy gave an extra two and I was wondering if you guys can come join me to watch it.” I asked. “A play?! From Tantalus?! Father always dreamed of going to see their infamous show but to actually bag three tickets?! I wanna come along!” Herder squeaked in excitement. “Well, I suppose I could do with a break, when’s the show?” Polly asked. “It’s tomorrow night but since we got time to kill, I was proposing on staying past curfew to chase down some debtor. The local bar is complaining that she’s refusing to pay her tabs and they say that she hangs around in the dead of night.” I explained.

“Past curfew?! You’re mad, if the soldiers catch you, you’ll be thrown into the dungeons and executed and I am not the one for bribery. If you want to keep your head on yer shoulders, you should go to bed before that.” She protested. She really is a stickler for rules…

“Fine… I guess you got a point but the light’s fading and I haven’t eaten ever since we got here. The mini-theatre’s sounds like a great place to eat in.” I commented, which is something she agreed with and thus we headed back into the establishment and had a great meal together for once. As night fell, we retreated back to our room and I settled in for the night… or so they thought. Once the pair were fast asleep, I quietly grabbed my rifle and creeped out of the room and out onto the streets.

Moonlight kissed the darkened streets as a cold air billowed in through draughts. The guards were still in their usual spot but were probably now allowed to arrest people sneaking around after dark. Though, the design in their armor might not have considered vision into perspective so the darkness was perfect sneak by unnoticed though the orange glare of the lamp-posts would offer a different challenge.

I hoped to find this sneaky debtor at this time of night but there seems to be no luck but as I crept through the backstreets, I heard another scuffle. A hooded figure stood in the corner, seemingly doing an exchange with one of the people still lurking about.

“Please inform them quickly…” I heard them spoke until the guy ran off into the pitch black. I focused my attention on the person remaining and spoke sharply. “Hey you… I’m the debt collector and here to force ya to owe up to the bar.” And held my gun out in full view. The figure gasped and tried to run but ended up crashing over some bins, causing one heck of a ruckus. Worried that the guards may have noticed, I pulled the woman to her feet and ran her into some deeper streets before muttering my instructions again. “You gotta pay the bar for the drinks ya owe them. Do you have that sorta cash on you?” As it turned out, when I looked at her, the fall must have dislodged her hood and it was there that I noticed that I was staring at someone… very…particularly important.

Queen Garnet herself.