Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Into Facinaturu: The land of Chaos ( Chapter 5 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. Squaresoft does.

 

Blue peeked into the second car as Fuse was trying to fly the damaged plane into the nearest town. He saw Rouge had managed to find a TV and was now enjoying the Baccarat Poker game. But more importantly, he was looking to see if the back thrusters had any damage to them from the flight. He couldn't even see from there, though.

 

“Fuse, I'll be right back. I'm going out onto the deck,” Blue said, but if Fuse had heard over the engine, he didn't respond. Blue sighed and walked out of the pilot's room. Rouge noticed him out of the corner of his eyes as he passed, looking very nervous.

 

“Hey, bro. What's wrong?” Rouge asked, “Did Fuse yell at you again?” Blue looked at Rouge in surprise, not expecting him to really speak to him, and shook his head.

 

“I'm worried about the plane, and wondering if we'll actually be able to catch Nomad,” Blue replied quietly, sitting down for the moment, “I mean, we're probably way off schedule, so she must've skipped town by now.” Rouge felt bad, seeing the guilty look on his brother's face. After all, there was nothing Blue could've done, and technically it WAS Fuse's fault they were running behind. He put a hand on Blue's shoulder.

 

“Don't worry so much. We'll be fine,” Rouge assured, “Knowing Asellus and Princess Lion, they're probably putting up a good fight. And even if Nomad skipped town, any other branch of cops would be after her.” Blue smiled slightly, feeling a little better, but something still didn't seem right. He simply nodded at Rouge, and then got up and went onto the deck. Rouge looked out the window and saw that Blue was inspecting the thrusters. He also saw smoke billowing out of them, and got out of his seat as well. When he walked outside, he said, “Wow, they look seriously busted up, don't they?” Blue turned around and nodded grimly.

 

“I know... I hope Devin's close by. There's no way we can hold up for more than a few miles,” Blue stated worriedly, and dragged Rouge over, “See how the smoke's coming out? If we keep pumping fuel, the plane might ignite into flames.” Rouge's eyes widened as Blue began to explain the scientific formula for creating such an explosion, and cut in when he could.

 

“Shouldn't we tell Fuse, then?” Rouge asked, arching an eyebrow. Blue nodded.

 

“Yeah, but I can't leave. I put up a Psychic Prison to keep the gases in for now, but if I leave, the prison's gone,” Blue explained. Rouge snapped his fingers, because now he'd have to deal with Fuse himself. But he shrugged.

 

“I'll tell him then,” Rouge said, and then called, “Keep cool, sparky!” He rushed into the plane, and through the car towards the pilot's room. He practically jumped over the busted door and skidded to a halt before the controls. Fuse took off his helmet and looked over at the panting magician.

 

“What's wrong, soldier?” he asked, though he turned back to the windshield to keep his eyes on the road. Rouge caught his breath.

 

“The thrusters are becoming overloaded, boss. If we keep flying, we're going to crash! And the plane might even catch fire!” Rouge exclaimed. Fuse blinked, and grabbed the radio next to him. He clicked it on, and Rouge heard Blue on the other end as Fuse asked Blue to confirm Rouge's fear.

 

“Sir, Rouge is right,” Blue was saying, though the roar of the wind made his voice small and fuzzy, “Right now, my magic is keeping the gases from spreading, but any more activity from the engine and I won't be able to control it! Sir, I urge you to land now!” Rouge was relieved when Fuse actually agreed, and started to descend the plane. Blue ran into the plane, letting the prison die as the plane slowly touched the ground. It landed quickly, but everyone was safe and the plane didn't ignite. Blue rushed out of the plane and onto the ground, with Rouge and Fuse following close behind. Although they didn't land in the city's airport, they were pretty close to the city limits. In fact, they could see a few of the taller shops, and the shrine of the Space Lord from where they were. Fuse stepped forward.

 

“All right... I'm going to go and talk to the airport crew. They probably have some spare parts to help us fix the plane. I want you both to stay here. Someone needs to make sure the plane doesn't get hijacked,” Fuse ordered. Blue nodded, but Rouge raised his hand.

 

“But why keep both of us?” Rouge asked, as Fuse put on a pair of sunglasses.

 

“You both are stronger when you're together. Simply put, if you're here, no one can take anything from the plane,” Fuse replied, “Now, do not leave the plane for anything!” With that, Fuse walked towards the city, leaving Blue and Rouge alone. Blue sat down on a rock, and Rouge joined him.

 

“Well, now what?” Rouge asked, “Wanna head inside and watch TV?”

 

“No. I doubt we'd get good reception here, anyway,” Blue replied, and then his face lit up, “But go get the laptop in the control room. We can check in with local Facinaturu news.” Rouge grinned and ran inside the plane, coming out a minute later with a laptop. He handed it to Blue, and Blue instantly logged onto Moogle. Rouge watched from behind his shoulder. According to Moogle, Nomad was still in Facinaturu, but it was still a tough battle for Asellus and Princess Lion. According to the news, Asellus was chasing Nomad towards Rootville, and Princess Lion was currently locked in one of the rooms, having been ambushed by the crafty thief. And if that wasn't bad enough, most people were too terrified to report the problem to Orlouge himself, who seemed completely unaware of what was happening. Rouge whistled as Blue read aloud.

 

“Okay... well, the situation isn't hell, so there's a plus,” Rouge said, trying to keep on the lighter side of the obviously worse news, “Maybe Asellus will luck out and catch her?”

 

“And then what, Rouge?” Blue asked, his gaze still fixed on the computer screen as he looked for any other news concerning Facinaturu, “She doesn't have the forces to keep Nomad contained, and without Princess Lion, it'll be harder to catch her. Still, I wonder why Orlouge doesn't know about this?” Rouge arched an eyebrow suspiciously.

 

“I was wondering that too. And if he does know, he obviously doesn't really care,” Rouge replied, looking at the plane for a second, “Should we tell him once we get there?” Blue tried to hold back a laugh, and it came out as a snort. Rouge asked again, and Blue decided to answer this time.

 

“We're going to help Asellus and Lion. We can let Fuse use his words of sublime idiocy to tell Orlouge about the situation,” Blue answered, a smirk crossing his face, “But before we can plan that out, we need to get the plane running. I just hope Fuse can get the parts we need...” Rouge sat down as Blue's voice trailed away, and for the next half hour, nothing was said as Blue continued to surf the Internet for more clues. So far, nothing pointed directly to the Facinaturu case, but by the time Fuse was visible along the city limits, Blue had a sturdy list of charges they could bring up against Nomad if she botched in Facinaturu. When he saw Fuse walking towards them, he shut down the laptop and saluted. Fuse tried to do the same, and nearly dropped the large rocket-shaped package in his arms.

 

“I see you finally followed my orders and stayed with the plane,” Fuse said proudly, “I knew you would! Now then, did anything interesting happen while I was off?” Blue nodded, and reported his findings to Fuse as he unloaded a large box he'd been dragging from Devin.

 

“Sir, I've found countless criminal acts we can arrest Nomad on in case she comes up with nothing in Facinaturu,” Blue stated firmly, “For instance, there were over 15 reported cases of theft in Yorkland, grand larceny in Nelson, resistance to armed forces in Shrike, reports of a stolen vehicle in Scrap, an assault in Shingrow, and four assaults and a murder in Koorong.” Fuse put down a piece of large metal and listened carefully, all the while being amazed at what Blue found. Rouge snickered again.

 

“Wow, this woman works fast! So, which charge do we use first?” Rouge asked, grinning and rubbing his hands together greedily. Fuse asked for the list Blue had written, and looked at it carefully.

 

“Whichever charge is the most recent,” Fuse replied, “Although the assaults and murder in Koorong happened in the same day, and in the same hour as well. So, in this case, we'll charge her with Murder 1 and attempted manslaughter in 3 - 4 times, though I'm guessing the murder was of someone she had previously assaulted then. For now, that's a good offense. Blue, go into the plane and see if there's any welding tools in the cargo.” Blue nodded and went into the plane. Rouge looked over the large package, and the crate full of seemingly useless metal fragments.

 

“What do you need a welding tool for!?” Rouge asked curiously, looking over at the damaged wing of the plane. It creaked as the wind hit it, and then fell off completely. Fuse nodded his head to the wing.

 

“We need to create a new wing so the plane stays balanced, and the only way is by melding the metal I've brought into the right shape. Then we need to weld the wing into the plane itself,” Fuse explained, laying the fragments out and arranging them to get a general idea of what to put together, “As for the other package, that's a thruster set. We might as well replace the thrusters instead of the gas.” Rouge seemed pretty confused, as metalsmith was not one of his strong points.

 

“But didn't that cost more money?” Rouge asked, looking at one of the thrusters, which seemed just as ready to fall off as the wing was. Fuse looked over at him and grinned.

 

“Yeah, but we're not the ones paying for it. It's considered a corporate expense, so we're trouble-free,” Fuse replied with a gleam in his eye. Rouge's eyes widened at the thought of Fuse being even more greedy and disrespectful than he was.

 

“Yeah, because that's a mature thing to do,” Rouge mumbled, right as Blue came out of the plane, holding a large iron, a prod of some sort, a mask, and something that looked a little like a fire extinguisher, except it started flames, not put them out. He handed it all to Fuse, who'd finished his wing blueprint.

 

“Those should do it. Good work, Blue,” Fuse said, strapping on the mask and picking up the firestarter, “Okay, this is important. Blue, I need you to use a Psychic Prison to imprison me in a bubble.” Blue nodded with understanding, but Rouge looked very concerned and confused.

 

“What!? But why!? I know you hate your job, but you don't need us to kill you to get out of it!” Rouge exclaimed, throwing his arms up in a frenzied panic. Fuse looked at him with amusement, and Blue let out a hysterical laugh.

 

“Rouge, the prison will protect Fuse as he works,” Blue replied, though Rouge still looked skeptical, “Listen, in order for the wing to be done correctly, it needs to be on a flat surface. We don't have that here, where there's a risk of attack or a small tremor. But if Fuse is in a magic bubble, he won't be subjected to any of it.” Rouge nodded slowly, though the idea still seemed pretty stupid to him. But he didn't stop Blue as he conjured up the spell and yelled “PSYCHIC PRISON!” Immediately, an orange net of magic trapped Fuse and the metal in a bubble, and Fuse gave the thumbs-up and set to work. Blue paced around the plane, as to keep a sharp lookout, and Rouge simply watched. He watched as Fuse mended, melted, hammered, stitched, merged, and bent the metal fragments together until the shape began to resemble the wing completely, even down to the finest details. If Rouge didn't know Fuse, he'd have mistaken him for a metalsmith or an artist. As Fuse put the last piece of the wing and cooled it off, the prison began to wear off and disappear completely. Blue ran back as he felt the magic slip away, and gasped when he saw the beautiful replica.

 

“It's... it's beautiful!” Blue exclaimed breathlessly, “Fuse, you did an amazing job! Where on earth did you learn to weld?” Fuse took off the mask and wiped his forehead, which was indeed covered in sweat. He smiled as he shook his hair.

 

“When I was 18 years old, I had a small summer job as a welder's apprentice, and for two years he took me on as his partner,” Fuse explained happily, “You tend to pick up some things when you have a good mentor.” With that, he lifted one end of the wing up, and Blue took the other end. Rouge held the middle, and together they fit the wing onto the plane. Fuse quickly took the firestarter and melded it into the side as Blue and Rouge held it up, then used another capsule to cool it into place. He slid the empty crate under it to support it until it was done drying, and beckoned the two twins towards the back set of thrusters, where the package laid. He ripped it open, and four thrusters sat there.

 

“Okay, we've got to replace these fast, because we're on tight time, boys,” Fuse said, picking up a thruster, “Blue, you're going to unhinge all four thrusters as Rouge and I replace them. There should be a crowbar and a wrench somewhere in the paper, so grab it and get to work.” Blue rummaged through the paper from the package quickly, and set to unhinging the first thruster as soon as he found his tools. It came apart pretty easily, though it shattered on impact with the ground. Fuse told him to ignore that and keep going, so he set to the second thruster, which also shattered due to heavy damage. The third thruster, which was right next to the plane's entrance, was harder to undo. It wasn't nearly as damaged, so Blue had to pry it apart with the crowbar. But he managed it. The fourth, however, was the toughest. It took almost no damage at all, and was determined to keep onto the plane, even when Blue resorted to using an Energy Chain. All the while, Rouge and Fuse managed to just finish the third thruster, and Fuse went to help Blue out when he saw that Blue was getting nowhere. With their combined strength, the thruster unwillingly fell off, and the three men patched the new thruster on in no time. Without a word, they ran into the plane, cleaning up their mess as they went, and started it up. The engine sounded wonderful, and the thrusters were working smoothly. Fuse turned on the auto-pilot for the second seat, and took to the first. The plane was off the ground, and had no trouble with keeping balance. Rouge sighed and fell into a seat.

 

“Whew! We actually managed to fix a plane!” Rouge exclaimed happily, “I say we celebrate!” However, neither Blue nor Fuse seemed as eager. Blue pulled on Rouge's sleeve.

 

“Rouge, we can't celebrate until we actually solve this case,” Blue said calmly. Fuse nodded, and reached into a drawer, pulling out a pile of papers and handing them to Rouge.

 

“Besides, we need to fill out some things before we can pass into the Facinaturu and Mosperiburg borders. So, get those done and then you can enjoy a soda,” Fuse ordered. Rouge moaned as Blue took the stack and began to drag Rouge out into the passenger car with him, and sat down to start their work. Blue handed Rouge a pen and they both went reluctantly to scribbling information onto the forms, all the while Rouge prayed something would cause him to have to ditch the filing and fight. And judging by the look on Blue's face as he quickly filled form after form, Blue was hoping the same thing. Though it seemed a bit cruel, Rouge somehow felt better knowing that his own brother was willing to skip work at this point, but neither said anything.

 

“Rouge, are you bored too?” Blue asked suddenly, after what seemed like centuries had passed. Rouge, who'd scrawled out a messy phone number, looked up at his brother and nodded grimly.

 

“Of course I am. And is it me?” Rouge asked, holding up a form, “Or are all of these forms exactly the same?” Blue nodded absentmindedly, though he had no intention of actually checking if he was right, nor did he even care. He looked back down at his stack of slowly dwindling forms and began to write again. If he kept up diligently, soon he'd finish this menial task and enjoy a nice cola. Soon, he...

 

“SHIT!” Rouge yelled, snapping Blue out of his daydream. Rouge stood up and threw his pen down, and Blue instantly saw what was wrong. Rouge's pen had exploded, and his pants were stained heavily. Thankfully, nothing had run onto the forms, but Rouge was sourly enraged. He kicked the side of a seat and screamed, “I HATE PAPERWORK!”

 

“Rouge, calm down,” Blue urged, grabbing napkins out of the snack cart's drawer and handing them to Rouge, who began to wipe the ink off, “This'll be fine. It's no big deal.” Rouge, however, didn't share Blue's calm. He turned sharply to Blue.

 

“Fine? FINE!? I have INK running down my pants!” Rouge yelled, though he didn't even seem to realize how angry he actually was, “And on top of that, I have to do some cruddy paperwork that no one except a moron in a cheap suit even CARES about!” Blue begged Rouge to settle himself down, and after Rouge breathed deeply a few times, Blue ushered him towards the small bathroom.

 

“It'll be fine. Go clean off your pants, and I'll finish the paperwork, okay?” Blue suggested, as Rouge stormed into the bathroom. Rouge poked his head out before slamming the door.

 

“You'd do that for me?” Rouge asked, and Blue nodded, “Thanks, Blue. I owe you a billion.” With that, Rouge closed the door, and Blue walked back and continued to scribble down forms. It was a dull thing, really. And Blue was beginning to see what Rouge meant about the forms being the same. As he started to pay more attention to everything except his job, Blue noticed that, with the exception of a new question here or there, the forms WERE basically the same. So, then why did they have to fill so many out?

 

“Is Fuse messing with us? Or do we actually need this many forms?” Blue asked, though he continued to fill out questions. Even if Fuse was playing tricks with him, Blue knew it'd be better to simply do his job and complain later.

 

Meanwhile, Rouge was in the bathroom, scrubbing his pants. The ink had stained pretty well, but it didn't have enough time to set. A small amount of soap would get it off, though in some areas it just didn't want to leave. Rouge angrily dumped more liquid soap on his pants.

 

“Stupid forms! Why do we have to fill them out, anyway!? That's what secretaries are for!” Rouge ranted, twitching as he scrubbed harder and harder on one particular spot where the ink was stained for good, “Ugh... RINSE OFF, DAMN YOU!” Even with yelling, the ink proved to be pretty stubborn, but Rouge wasn't about to give up. Besides, the more time he spent on his pants, the less work he'd have to do when he was done. In his mind, he won no matter how long he took. But just as that thought managed to cross his mind, the ink rinsed out perfectly, and his pants seemed to dry magically so he could set out and finish his job. And, this definitely didn't make Rouge happy, if not confused.

 

“What?” Rouge wondered, holding up his magically repaired pants, “But you were stained a second ago! UGH! Now I have to go out there and work!?” Rouge angrily shoved his pants on and stormed out of the bathroom, prepared to be faced with a somehow larger pile of those blasted forms than he started with. But, by the time he'd gotten through the door, Blue was already done with the forms and had brought them all to Fuse. And now Blue was sitting in a seat, watching the clouds roll by lazily as the sky slowly turned from a deep blue to a dark purple, signaling their arrival into Mystic territory. Rouge sat down next to Blue.

 

“Looks like we've gone through the border. It's about freakin' time, too,” Rouge said, kicking his feet up. Blue nodded.

 

“Fuse said we'll be in Rootville in less than ten minutes as long as nothing stops us,” Blue replied, and sighed, “I'm just worried about Lion and Asellus. Moogle's reports weren't promising at all.” Rouge looked over at Blue, who seemed pretty upset, especially when he mentioned Princess Lion. But he patted Blue on the back.

 

“Lion can take care of herself, bro. And Asellus probably has Rastiban and Illdon following not too far behind,” Rouge assured, “Plus we're getting pretty close ourselves. I can already see the towers of the castle.” As if on cue, the loudspeaker blared on, and Fuse's voice boomed over it, warning the two brothers to hold on for the rough landing. And it was a very rough landing as Fuse quickly turned the plane and sloppily circled the central tower before finally descending into the garden and parking. Illdon, who'd been sitting on the bench, practically had to dive out of the way to avoid being run over. He cursed angrily as the doors opened up and Fuse hopped out.

 

“Good job. Couldn't you try just a bit harder to kill me?” Illdon asked, offering a bitter hand to greet the cop with. Fuse shook his hand respectfully, and nodded.

 

“Well, yeah, I probably could,” Fuse replied, unknowingly pissing Illdon off, “But it's against policy to kill innocents. Besides, that's what suicide is for, though the police doesn't recommend that either. It's considered a grand offense.” Blue gulped as Illdon twitched uncontrollably, and relaxed only when he saw White Rose run down from the steps to greet them with the kindness she usually represented the castle with.

 

“My goodness! Is everyone all right?” she asked, leading Fuse and the others up the steps into the dark castle, “It's a good thing you came so quickly! Nomad's confined to the northwestern tower, but neither Lion nor Asellus can get in. Orlouge won't allow anyone to go in there, though we've sealed up the breach Nomad committed until we can tell Orlouge of this.” Blue blinked nervously.

 

“Wait, so Orlouge doesn't even know!?” he asked frantically. White Rose shook her head and pointed towards the northeastern tower.

 

“Oh no, sir Blue. Orlouge is a busy man, and such a thing is menial to him,” White Rose explained gently, as they walked up the rose-filled staircase towards Asellus's room, “But if the crimes continue to rise, and reports continued to be made, Orlouge will certainly know about this. Such a thing brings discomfort to us, but it can't be helped. We must confront him in order to gain entrance into that tower, but we need your proof in order to get in. Without a solid reason, Orlouge will simply ignore the problem.” Blue and Rouge looked nervously at Fuse as White Rose and Illdon opened a huge, vine-covered door into a long hallway that led up towards a throne. Fuse nodded with courage, and they all walked into the room. Asellus waved as they came closer to the throne, and they saw that Orlouge was sitting there, high and mighty under the watchful eyes of three portraits, no doubt ancestors to his lineage. And off to the side was Princess Lion, who looked exhausted, but determined nonetheless. She smiled when she saw Blue, and he blushed slightly. But as Orlouge tapped his scepter onto the ground, Blue returned from his thoughts and looked up at the Mystic lord.

 

“State your unwelcome business in my realm,” Orlouge said sternly, “I do not take to humans well, but it seems we have a common problem, so tell me what assistance you can offer.” Blue glanced at Rouge, but both seemed to have little clue as to what they should say, and even littler time to respond as Fuse stepped up to explain their desperate situation. And both seemed just as worried that he'd screw up.

 

“Deepest gratitude, Charm Lord,” Fuse started, and Blue was sure Orlouge took it as an insult, “We are here merely to catch a criminal by the name of Nomad. Perhaps, between your busy schedule, you've heard of her?” Orlouge ignored any bitterness intended and nodded solemnly, pointing his scepter to Asellus.

 

“Yes. My dearest Asellus informed me of this dangerous woman, and I understand that she entered a forbidden area to you and my kind alike,” Orlouge stated, “And I also assume you would like me to open this area for you to investigate?” Fuse nodded.

 

“Yeah, that'd be nice,” Fuse replied casually, and Blue was definitely sure Orlouge took offense. But rather than scowl or boom in an angered tone, Orlouge replied in a rather amused manner.

 

“Well, then I hope you understand that I am unwilling to let you in,” Orlouge continued, a gentle smirk crossing his lips, “Such a forbidden area has unseen forces of dangerous magic at work, and as Lord of Facinaturu, I am simply unwilling to let any harm befall my people or my princesses. Unless you have sound reasoning, my answer is no. As for Nomad, she is contained until I decide to open the chamber, so regardless, all is safe and well.” Fuse seemed taken back by this, and considered it for maybe thirty seconds before simply shrugging and turning to leave.

 

“There's no arguing that logic!” he exclaimed. Rouge stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless, and silently told Blue to do something. And Blue did so.

 

“Sir, stop!” Blue called, and Fuse stopped leaving for a second, “Nomad is a danger, and we cannot simply let her remain here! Contained or not, we need to see that she is locked tight!” He turned to Orlouge, praying that his next move didn't cost him an early grave, “Sir Orlouge, Lord of Charms, please forgive my directness, but I'm afraid your containment isn't enough. The people of the other regions and cities fear for their lives, with grand reason. This woman has assaulted countless innocents already, who knows what she's planning as we speak of this moment! I beg of you, let us investigate that tower!” Orlouge seemed determined to keep them out, but he knew they had a point. He contemplated Blue's plea, and sighed.

 

“You are a brave human to speak up like that,” Orlouge said, “I give you credit. We share a problem, and for that, it must be corrected if it puts both sides in danger. I am reluctant to let any enter that tower, not for the dark secrets kept within, but for the mere danger itself. Beasts of shadows, and the dead lords haunt that tower.” Blue breathed in deeply and stepped forward.

 

“Regardless of the dangers, sir, it's my duty to protect the greater populace,” Blue said firmly, and both Rouge and Lion cheered silently. Orlouge smiled genuinely, and took a pendant from his neck.

 

“You have the courage of a Mystic, boy,” Orlouge stated kindly, “I believe that it is no mistake allowing you into that tower. It is a dangerous place, but it cannot be helped. This key opens the rusted gate into the chambers. Normally, I would send Asellus to help you, but for this tower, you must fly up in order to reach the first floor.” Rouge opened his mouth to object, but it was Princess Lion who spoke the first words.

 

“Who will you send, my lord?” she asked, setting her sword down. Orlouge seemed to hesitate, as though even he had trouble convincing himself this was a good idea, but he managed it out.

 

“I will send Ciato to fly these men to the tower,” Orlouge stated, and shouted, “CIATO!” There was no response.

 

“Ciato!! Come forth, now!”

 

------------------------------(Why not just send Illdon?)

 

Well, at least our three favorite cops are in Facinaturu, and at least they have Orlouge's aid... or do they? What hides in that haunted tower that Orlouge wants to keep so desperately hidden? Why is he so hesitant about his own servant? And why won't Ciato respond, despite the summoning from Orlouge, the Lord of all Mystics? Find out the answers next chapter, so click that Review button!