Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VI: The Final Judgement ❯ Divide and Conquer ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 6.

"Setzer?" Relm tugged at his jacket sleeve. "We have to stop at Thamasa first. I have to tell grandpa what we're doing and-..."

"No, Relm. We have to stick to the plan right now, we can't make any sudden stops." Setzer stated, obeying Edgar's orders to go straight to Figaro castle to tell his men. "Humph! I always thought you were fun, but I guess you're just an old grump!" The little artist was starting a scene- as she often did- and sadly Setzer fell right into it. "I beg your pardon?" Setzer was saying looking down at the tiny girl.

"Relm, please knock it off," Celes was saying "we have too much to worry about right now." Relm seemed defeated at the moment and let it go. They all were quiet for the rest of the way. 'Like seeing my grandpa and making sure he knows I'm ok isn't important....? Why are they treating me like some dumb kid? I'll show them how dumb this kid ain't.' Relm stood up and walked below deck, no one followed or had even seen her go, because they too must have been in their own thoughts.

When they approached Figaro castle his men were already outside welcoming him as they landed. "How did you all know I was coming, I thought you were all standing down?" Edgar said stepping out of the airship. "We saw the airship from a good distance, sir." One of his guards replied walking beside them into the castle.

"I need all my weapons brought to me right away. And also bring the experimental ones." "Sir, yes sir." The guards rushed away to do as he asked. Edgar turned to talk to some other of his guards, "I need to talk with you." he lead them up the hall into a room. The others waited patiently for him to return to the ship and when he did he wasn't smiling.

"Bad news, I take it?" Sabin asked. "We're gonna have to go it on foot." Edgar answered.

"What?!" They were all baffled by his words. "What does thou mean, sir?" Cyan asked following close behind him for an explanation. "Setzer, your ship is far to noticeable for us to sneak around we'd never get in anywhere un-detected....We're gonna have to leave it once we get to Nikeah for supplies." Edgar said hoping he'd understand. "You're the boss." Setzer replied, though you could tell he was a little hurt by these words.

"Take these," Edgar handed them each a sack to fill with things they'll need when they go through Nikeah, which had become the worlds biggest trading and selling market. "Fill these even past its limits, who knows how long we'll be doing this."

"Yes, sir." They said in a joking voice, to show that he wasn't being entirely bossy. "Away we go." The gambler said, started the engines and headed towards the village, his spirits partially crushed, but, what they had to do was more important than being able to fly his ship, so he set his mind on that instead.

Chapter 7.


The trip there was pleasant everyone began to loosen up once they got to the village. The Returners looked around for food, asked what types of weaponry the merchants there had and the sales people who had taken the job more professionally. "Oh, I'm sorry." Locke said, as he bumped into someone walking by. Gau noticed the thiefs hands slipping a pouch that belonged to the man into his own belt and figured he'd do the same.


"Gau want honey." He said straying from the group and snapping up a jar sucking it down from his fist. "Hey you gotta pay for that!" The sales man shouted at him. "I oughta cut you in half for this!"


"Sounds like there may be a scrap of trouble." Cyan said to the others. They all turned in the direction of the commotion and ran to see what it was. "Gau not mean to steal, just do like friend Locke," the boy said in a shudder.


"Is that supposed to be an excuse!?" The man shouted.


The guy was obviously angrier than they thought because he pulled out a knife and held Gau's hand down, but just as it was coming down on him a dirk clashed against it and knocked it out of the mans hand.


"Mind explaining what you're doing?" Locke asked holding the weapon to the mans neck. "Locke we're not here to fight," Edgar stated while slamming some gold coins down for the honey, he was just as annoyed as Locke but tried to keep it down. "For the honey." The king explained to the man. "That's all I ask." The shop owner said lower, scooping up the coins to count them as the group walked back into the crowd.


"Almost makes you wonder why we're trying to save their lives." Locke mumbled bitterly looking back at the small shop.

"We shouldn't call anymore attention to ourselves," Celes was saying. "there could be eyes and ears everywhere and too many people know us by now." She remained talking in a low voice. Over by the salesman's stand a man covered from head to toe walked over to him. Who could it be? An enemy or another friend?


* * *


"Once we get to Nikeah we'll take the first two boats we see out to the Veldt and back to South Figaro," Edgar commanded. "and you should keep west of that island, take my castle to Kohlingen when you get there. Any questions-...? Good, see you in the middle and good luck." They all bid one another good bye and took the boats to their locations.


Doma castle. "Surely my men would tell me if they've seen anything," Cyan was saying as he, Edgar, Locke, Terra, and Gau approached Doma castle. "They are very loyal." They all nodded as they passed the castle.

"Do you have a Chocobo stable yet?" Terra asked wanting to pick up the pace for the Veldt.


"That we have," Cyan replied. "some of the best birds next to Edgar's." Edgar laughed and shook his head to the thought.


"Why Edgar that's the first time I've seen you smile through this whole thing," said Locke patting his best friend on the shoulder. "Something going on up there that I should know about?" The thief asked lowly, so the others wouldn't hear them.


"Why nothing at all Locke, don't worry about me." Edgar was saying trying to smile.

"I wouldn't worry if you'd give me a better reason to believe you than a half hearted smile..." Locke said looking at his best friend to see if it hit anything. Nothing.


As they walked inside the castle entry they heard the chirp of the birds in the distance. "Geez, how close are those things?" Locke said over the noise.


"You remember that door that lead to nothing?" Cyan was saying and they laughed knowing what he was talking about. "We built the stable over the water, right this way," he steered them through the doors to a marvelous stable for the birds.


"Gau want this bird!" He said running over to one and trying to climb on, the bird let out a loud sound and moved away. "You can ride with me Gau." Terra said with a smile to his innocents.

"Lets saddle up." Edgar said, and they all hopped on a bird and exited through the stable doors and outside. As they herded into the Phantom forrest whispers went up around them but the birds feet were stamping too hard for them to notice. Until- Whiff!


"Look out!" Locke shouted. An arrow flew through the sky towards Terra and Gau, he leaped off of the bird rolling into the under-brush but the arrow grazed Terra's arm knocking her off the bird! "Terra!?" They shouted turning around to go back for her but more arrows came followed by a flood of soldiers they began to attack them with their sword, axes, and bare hands atop their birds.


Edgar knocked a Templer Soldier off his bird but went down with him in the collision, they broke into a savage sword fight and in the end Edgar came out triumphant with a few little cuts. "I can't believe these ruffians are so close to my castle," Cyan was saying. "don't let any of them get by!" He used his swordtech skills slicing soldiers in two with one swing.


Locke blocked an arrow with his shield and knocking it out of the way as he swung his boomerang around the woods knocking soldiers to the ground. One of the armoured men were coming right towards him, and the thief stood up on his bird and jumped on top of the man knocking him to the ground and stabbing him with the assassin sword.


'Why can't I help them?' Terra wondered watching the battle. 'I can't just sit here and watch them all get hurt, but if I reveal my secret ohhh. Why does this have to be so hard?' As she stood up she moved her hand showing that her arm was completely healed.


Battle cries went up in the air as the men disappeared from the fight, when it was all over they froze and looked around. "Is that all of them?" Asked Locke looking around.

"I think so..." Edgar replied. They re-mounted their birds. "Is everyone okay?" The king asked looking at them.

"I'm alright," Locke said then asked. "Cyan?"


"I am fine." He replied then asked, "Terra?"


"Yes, I'm- Gau? Where's Gua?!" They looked around the forest with their eyes. "Gaaauuu?!" Terra shouted.


* * *


With the others they're arriving at Figaro castle once again. "We should take a nice nap," Sabin was saying as they walked inside. "this could be a tiring week." Sabin went down the stairs to the man that will takes the castle to Kohlingen and while he was busy with that Celes and Setzer stood in the hall waiting. 'I really wanna see Grandpa Strago, but, Edgar says no....' Relm thinks.


"Hey Relm," Setzer said cutting into her thoughts. "I'm sorry I was so mean before...I was being a little high strung." He apologed to her but the little artist was lost in thought. "Relm...?" He asked.


"Huh? Oh it's okay, I'm already over it, I mean I'd wanna make Edgar happy too so don't worry about it."


"You're awfully quiet though, is something wrong?" Celes asked her, feeling the girls head.

"Hey, come on, can't a girl just not wanna talk?" Relm replied swatting at Celes's hand. "Sorry." Celes said sadly.


The castle jerked and started to moving. "Guess this starts the first day of hell?" Setzer said. Celes gave him an odd look. Shadow on the other hand watching Relm stare into space and it seemed as if he knew what she was thinking. When the castle came to a brief hault, Relm took her chance and wandered into the prison cells room and disappeared into the tunnel un-detected. As the castle started to move again Setzer and Celes walked down into the control room with Sabin.


"Hey guys," he was saying when he saw them. "we're almost there."


"I think something might be wrong with Relm, she's being too quiet." Celes said to Sabin crossing her arms across her chest. "Oh yeah?" The blitz specialist asked looking around. "Where is she?"


"Probably still upstairs." Setzer replied.


"Maybe she really wants to see her Grandpa that badly and she's kind of down because of it, I'll have a talk with her when we get to the village, you guys can take a rest for a while." And so that was the plan, or so they thought, because there wasn't going to be a talk with Relm, she had already been on her way back to through the tunnels and back to the surface to head to Nikeah.


"Well, we're here," Sabin said when they finally stopped. "see you two later." They walked into the main part of the castle and to the bed room for a quick rest, while Sabin looked around for Relm.


"Relm?.....Hey Kid where are you?" He walked into the kings room remembering how much she adored his brother, thinking she might naturally go to his room, but she wasn't there. "Well where is she?" Sabin walked around the castle searching every room. "Relm? Hey Reeelm? Relm arrowny?" He laughed out until he realized just what was going on. "Hey guys...!"