Chapter 9
Sitting outside the halls of Halatali, crouched low and quiet so as not to alert
the enemy of their position, Ruby, Alphinaud, Ardbert, and a man named Hozan
she had just met, were awaiting the order to charge in and put a stop to the
execution of a man called General Raubahn who was, in Alphinaud's words, a man
of great import to Eorzea.
Ruby had to admit that this was all a bit over her head. The political turmoil
and machinations were more than she could really understand, but it all seemed
important to Alphinaud and Ardbert so that was all that mattered to her.
If an innocent man was going to be put to death and there was something she
could do to stop it, she was going to make every effort in the world to do so.
The main thing was that she wished she'd had a change of clothes to wear.
Even if it was the middle of the night the desert air was dry and warm, as opposed
to the frozen, heavy snow-laden winters of Ishgard. She had managed to leave her
heavy winter jacket back where it would be safe, but her usual black and red outfit,
complete with a battle skirt, was stifling in the rapidly evaporating heat.
She was going to sweat right through this and was going to need a shower, a
laundry machine, and a refreshing drink when this was all over. If they even had
showers and laundry machines here, she got the sinking suspicion she was going to
have to hand wash her outfits.
Ruby was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly shrieked when
suddenly a figure appeared from out of nowhere and landed before them. She
managed to slap a hand to her mouth before she could audibly squeal, but that
didn't stop her from falling to her butt in surprise.
"Pray, forgive my lateness," spoke a surprisingly beautiful, pale skinned
woman with long black hair and a dark-blue outfit. The first thing Ruby noticed,
after how smooth and beautiful her face was, was the jagged white bone that laced
her face and led into thin horns on either side of her slit-like eyes.
Alphinaud had mentioned this woman before, but had failed to truly impart
how jarring it was to see her in person.
"Lady Yuigiri!" Alphinaud spoke quietly but lively, glad to see his friend
again.
"Master Alphinaud. I am pleased to see that the light of resolve shines in
your eyes once more." Yugiri said with a smile, clearly glad to see Alphinaud was
in good health. Alphinaud, though, lowered his head in shame at the mention of it.
"Ah, yes... How pathetic I must have seemed to you when we last met. I am
ashamed to recall it. For a time I was well and truly lost." He spoke with a soft
sigh, clearly still taking what had happened in his past hard, not that Ruby had
been there to see it. "But with the aid of my comrades, I have since refound my
purpose, and I shall take care not to misplace it again."
Alphinaud turned his head to look at Ardbert with a smile, who nodded his
head in return before he turned to look at Ruby. She gave an awkward smile and
waved a little, Yugiri taking note of the girl and nodding at her as well before
continuing.
"Since your escape from Ul'dah, my fellow shinobi and I have shadowed the
Crystal Braves' every step in hopes of learning the Scions' whereabouts." Yugiri
explained, before lowering her own head in shame. "Regrettably, our investigation
has yet to yield any useful information. Pray, forgive us."
"You need not apologize, my lady─we are grateful for all that you have done
on our behalf." Alphinaud replied, doing his best to cheer up his friend. "Besides,
Raubahn is no less a friend, and we cannot well abandon him to his fate."
Yugiri nodded again and it seemed the time for formalities were over as she
looked at the man named Hozan very seriously.
"Hozan─the three of us shall attend to the Flame General's rescue. Pray
draw away the guards by the entrance. Take Doware and Higiri with you." Yugiri
ordered and the man nodded his head.
Then, with a flick of his wrist there was a cloud of smoke and the man was
gone, as quickly as he had joined them. Ruby tried desperately not to cough at the
smoke.
In a matter of seconds the sounds of battle filled the air, the clashing of
blades and the cries of the enemy, the Crystal Braves, being pushed back by the
attack.
In the next moment the sound of weapons clashing was growing distant, as if
the enemy was being pulled away from the entrance to Halatali, just as had been
planned from the very start.
"Wow, those guys work fast." Ruby spoke up in admiration.
"With me!" Yugiri spoke up once the final clash of steel could be heard in
the distance, standing up and motioning for the others to follow her.
It was times like this that Ruby wished she still had Crescent Rose. The
gloves she wore may have been sharp and pointy, and sure the job crystal was
giving her a boost of knowledge that let her use them effectively, but she'd feel so
much more comfortable heading into battle with her preferred weapon.
Alas she was going to have to make due and followed behind Yugiri,
Alphinaud, and Ardbert.
Yugiri's crew had done their job spectacularly, there wasn't a soul in sight
which made entering Halatali a breeze. Stepping inside she followed close after the
others who seemed to know the layout already while she glanced around the decor.
It was clear the place had been built out of a cave and had been set up for
what looked like training pits and animal cages. She hadn't been given much time
to really get a history lesson on the place, but it was clear that despite all the work
that had gone into building this place it must have been abandoned for some time.
Which made it all the more curious why it was chosen as the place to keep a
prisoner…
"Not a soul from the Coliseum to be seen. This bodes ill." Alphinaud spoke
up as we moved, clearly taking in the empty scenery as much as Ruby was.
Ardbert led the way, spear extended and ready for battle, charging straight towards
the open area to find-
-A large man being kept within a blue bubble-shield, held at one end of what
had to have once been a fighting arena.
"The General!" Yugiri spoke up, looking around frantically, "but where are
his captors? I mislike the look of this."
"They left him all alone?" Ruby added, creasing her brow in confusion.
Something didn't feel right, but they couldn't just leave the General alone now that
he was within their sight.
With little choice left the four of them made their way towards the large
man, Alphinaud speaking up first.
"General!"
"You… came…" The man spoke up, clearly weak with fatigue. Had they
even been feeding him?
Yugiri knelt near the machinery that was erecting the shield, examining it
closely before turning to Alphinaud.
"He is bound by some manner of magitek device. Yet I dare not force it
open- it may well be booby-trapped."
"I have heard of such devices." Alphinaud put a hand to his chin as he
explained. "The Crystal Braves will possess the key. Let us split up and look for
it."
"That will not be necessary."
Before any of them could act, they all turned to spot a Lalafell in a familiar
Crystal Brave's uniform standing near where they had entered, crossing his arms
with a confident smirk on his face.
"Yuyuhase!" Alphinaud spoke up, to which Ruby was grateful because she
had no idea who this could possibly be!
"Pray do not take it personally, my friends. You are the victims of harsh
economic conditions." Yuyuhase shrugged his tiny shoulders and shook his head, a
smile staying on his face. "Happily, you will not suffer for long. This poison will
convey you swiftly unto the bosom of Thal, where I hope to join you, after the
passing of many prosperous years."
It was then that a large, metal gate came slamming shut just in front of the
small man, sealing them within the room. The sound of hissing and rattling pipes
suddenly filled the room as a green mist began to spill in from everywhere.
"Farewell, friends. Oh, and do try to relax. They tell me struggling only
makes it worse." Yuyuhase laughed, before turning and running off.
"What?! They're filling the place with poisonous gas!?" Ruby cried out in
horror. "Won't they get caught in it too!?"
"We have not the time to worry about such details!" Alphinaud grit his teeth,
"we must make our way through!"
"Ardbert! Can you break through the door!?" Yugiri asked, turning to look at
the man who simply nodded his head.
A powerful surge of aether suddenly surrounded Ardbert, sparking and
shimmering as her lowered his stance, bending his legs and getting his spear into
position. The light shined around him before he burst forth with his legs, jumping
straight up to the ceiling of the cave, planting his feet against it, and using it as a
platform to rush straight at the closed gate-
-A huge eruption of energy blasting out from where his spear struck the
ground. A veritable geyser of power and explosion energy, striking the gate all at
once and causing it to rattle and shake from the sheer force of it all.
The gate was old and brittle and could not stand up to the power of such an
explosive attack. In but a single strike the gate shattered, falling to the ground in
crumbling pieces and opening the way forward.
"Holy cow!" Ruby cried out, unable to believe that had just happened. "How
did you do that!?"
"I was saving up our limit break for just such an occasion," Ardbert said,
placing the spear against his shoulder. "Won't be able to do that again for a while,
but we need to stop this gas."
"Our limit what?" Ruby asked in confusion, however even she knew this
wasn't the time for answers.
"The source should be nearby, there's no way they'd be able to fill this place
up from a distance," Yugiri explained, channeling magic into her daggers. She then
thrust them forward, channeling the magic into Rabauhn's cage where the man was
coughing. "I shall stay and tend to the General! Pray see to the mist and the key!"
"Got it," Alphinaud nodded his head before turning to Ruby and Ardbert,
"let us make haste before the poison becomes too much for us to bear."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Ruby said, already covering her mouth
with a spare cloth from her pocket. The gas wasn't just starting to burn her lungs,
the scent was absolutely atrocious.
"Let's go." Ardbert said with a nod, turning and leading the way.
The three of them raced through the caverns, the rock and wood melding
together under the green haze in a veritable maze to Ruby. All she could do was
follow behind closely, hoping to rid this place of the miasma that was slowly
choking the life out of them.
"Beasts!" Alphinaud cried out, pointing to some living gelatinous slimes that
were slowly making their way towards them and getting in their way. "The mist
must be drawing them in!"
"Oh for the love of-" Ruby cursed under her cloth. She quickly pocketed it
and channeled the aether within her, feeling herself unlock her chakras. With a
powerful cry she rushed forward past the two of them and shoulder tackled the
large slime.
The creature shook and jiggled from the impact, stunned for a moment as
Ruby turned towards Alphinaud and Ardbert.
"I'll handle these guys! You two find the source!"
"Understood!" Alphinaud replied, the two of them rushing past her as she
turned back to the pair of slimes that were recovering from her attack.
"You two! Stop making life difficult for us!!" Ruby cried out, channeling her
aether hard and slamming her foot into the side of one of the slimes. The aether
exploded into a wave of energy on the other side of the creature, the damage
clearly having affected it-
-But it jiggled in place before pulling its entire mass back and slamming it
into her body.
"GAH!" Ruby cried, skidding back from the blow. Some of the slime from
the creature's body was sticking to her and she felt so gross on top of breathing in
the noxious fumes around her. "Eeeew, ew ew ew!!" She desperately scraped the
slime off of her, hoping it wasn't going to stain her favorite outfit.
The exertion, however, irritated her lungs and she couldn't help but loudly
cough and sputter, feeling the pain of the poison in the air attacking her.
Meanwhile the slime creatures were drawing closer, looking to attack again.
Ruby hated all of this.
"Okay you two, that's it! I'm taking you down NOW!" Ruby's anger peaked
as her foot swept behind her, her stance locking into place as power surged through
her. The chakra building inside of her burst forth, striking the first slime with a
powered hit before she switched to the second and began a flurry of punches.
In her mind she could feel the job stone working, switching between the
different martial stances needed to slam the slime with each decisive blow. One
punch to its core, one punch to its mid section, one punch to its weakened head,
one fast punch to disorientate it, slam both fists its its sides to demolish it-
-And doing all of this back to back to back made her feel faster, like her fists
were practically flying from her body. The slime shuddered and writhed as each
blow slammed into it, its body buckling to the pressure again and again.
And in this she felt the energy surge through her body, down into her feet-
-Where she let out another war cry, the power of a dragon flowing through
her mind as her kick exploded into the slime's body, an eruption of aether striking
the creature as its body was struck a deadly blow. The slime exploded out from
behind the creature as it let out a warbling cry and slopped to the ground in a
puddle of its own goop.
The other slime, however, didn't even seem to register that its 'friend' had
just perished. Instead it wriggled and began to make its way towards Ruby next.
"Oh no you don't!" Ruby cried!
What followed was another flurry of blows, the sounds of her fists bouncing
off the walls, before letting out a loud cry and a final blow. The second slime
exploded into a burst of goo and fell to the ground dead.
Ruby panted, taking in heavy breaths as she finished her combo, wiping at
her face. While it wasn't her first real fight in this world, it was her first real fight
on her own. On top of that she was just feeling gross from the enemies in general.
It was then that she noticed that the air seemed to be a little clearer, a lungful
of fresh air filling her body. This caused her to cough again, a cloud of leftover
noxious gas escaping her body as she did.
"Did they do it?" She asked her, panting as she wiped her mouth again.
Looking at the air it was clear that the gas was slowly dissipating, rising up into the
air and out of the cave wherever it was being vented from.
At the very least she was sure Rabauhn wouldn't suffocate from the poison
like they nearly had.
"Ruby!" Alphinaud's voice called out, Ruby turning to see the young man
racing up to her with Ardbert in quick step behind him. "We managed to get the
key, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright," she said with a slight cough, still expelling small buffs
of poisoned air from her lungs.
"Here," Alphinaud reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial for her, "this
should nullify any remaining toxins. Drink it quickly, it's clear the Crystal Braves
know we're here and plan to stop us."
"Right," Ruby said with a nod and chugging down the potion. Instantly she
felt its healing effects washing over her and any lingering pain from the poisonous
air seemed to vanish in an instance.
Magic was wild, she thought to herself.
It didn't take long for them to reach Rabauhn and Yugiri again, Ardbert
using the key to free him from his prison.
"My… thanks…" Rabauhn spoke, coughing as he spoke. Even with Yugiri
there to tend to his wounds it was clear the man was very weak.
"Slowly, General. You are yet weak from your ordeal." Alphinaud spoke
calmly, moving to one side to try and help the general get to his feet.
"Nevertheless, we must quit this place." Yugiri spoke urgently, turning to
look in the direction of the exit-
-Only to find it blocked by three Crystal Brave members. Ruby recognized
the small Yuyuhase, but not the other two.
"I should have known. What are clever contrivances to the Warrior of
Light?" The large man in the middle spoke, slowly clapping his hands and looking
straight at Ardbert. "...Well done, hero."
"Ilberd…" Alphinaud growled angrily, pulling out his book, ready to fight
the man.
So that was Ilberd, Ruby thought, taking in the face of the man she'd been
told about on their way here. Yugiri and Ardbert soon followed, drawing their
weapons, and Ruby realized this was only going to end in a fight.
"You mean to struggle on, then? Very well. If you would stand in my way, I
will cut you down like all the rest." Ilberd spoke tauntingly, clearly trying to goad
their anger into launching an attack. He then drew his sword and shield, his allies
doing the same. "Come, Scions- let's get this over with!"
Ardbert let out a cry as he jumped into the air, diving down to attack Ilberd
directly. Yugiri in turn flashed forward, aiming her daggers straight to Yuyuhase
down in a single blow.
That left the unnamed man charging up magic for her. She let out a cry and
rushed forward, striking down at the man and his stick. He let out his own
surprised cry, his magic fizzling out as her fist came crashing down and he moved
to avoid her attack.
"When fighting a magic user, never relent on your attacks," Ardbert's words
echoed in her head, "they have to concentrate to cast their spells, so if you can
keep them moving they won't be able to cast."
It seemed he spoke true! The man was clearly trying to reposition himself to
cast again, but she wasn't going to give him the chance. She rushed forward, fist
raised to clean his clock-
-When a sharp pain struck her in the arm, causing her to stumble.
"Gah!" She cried, turning to look at her arm and seeing an arrow jutting out
of it. That couldn't be good at all!
She looked up at where it had come from, seeing a crystal brave she hadn't
seen before smirking, readying another shot of the bow.
She wasn't about to stand around and let him get more shots in. She grabbed
the arrow and ripped it out, gritting her teeth in pain before charging him this time.
An arrow flew as he fired at Ruby, but she managed to dodge it this time,
racing up and slamming her fist into his stomach. He let out a pained cry, unsteady
on his feet and nearly doubling over from the pain. She didn't let up though, she
instantly followed the first punch with another, and another and another!
One to his torso, one to his jaw, another to his stomach, smashing both fists
to his sides, filling each punch with as much aether as she could muster-
-And finishing it all with an explosive burst of aether the man was sent
flying across the room and straight into the wall, a pained cry escaping his lips as
he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Ruby wasn't given a moment to breathe however, as something hard and
heavy struck her in the back.
"GAH!!" She cried out, crashing to the ground. Her back cried in pain from
the damage and suddenly she wished her aura still worked in this world because it
hurt like Hell!
She struggled to lift up her torso, turning to look back and spotting the man
with the stick channeling magic again, aiming it straight at her. She didn't have
time to lay there, she had to attack!
As a vicious rock flew through the air she managed to roll out of the way,
before springing back onto her feet. She could take it easy once the fighting was
over, until then, she had to take this guy down!
He looked scared, channeling his magic for one more attack-
-But he never got the chance as her fist came flying, striking him in turn
much as she had done to the last man. Punch after punch, aether flowing through
her, until she raised her leg and kicked him, her aether burst forth and sent him
flying as well.
She took a moment to pant, trying to catch her breath. She felt so weak, so
woozy. Was this what real fighting was like? Fighting against other foes without
your aura to help keep you standing? It was a lot more intense than Ruby had been
expecting.
"This… changes… nothing!" Ilberd spoke up, causing Ruby to turn and look
at the fight that had been going on behind her.
It seems Ilberd and his crew were on the back foot, slowly stepping towards
the exit door as Ardbert, Yugiri, and Alphinaud were facing them down.
"It is over, Ilberd!" Alphinaud barked. "Lay down your arms and surrender
yourself to justice!"
"Justice!? Justice for what exactly?" Ilberd practically spat through grit
teeth, "'Twas not I who assassinated the sultana, boy!"
"Ere we debate who is responsible for the assassination, I would ask whether
an assassination took place at all." Alphinaud retorted!
Right, Ruby thought as she managed to stagger her way back towards the
others, that was a theory they'd gone over when talking to the Admiral, that the
Sultana might yet still be alive.
"Clever little shite…" Ilberd spat under his breath. "If you think you fight
for justice, lad, you'd best wake up. The truth is, you fight for whoever bloody well
tells you to. Can you not see you're being used!?" Ilberd pointed at Ardbert directly
as he spoke. "By the Scions, the city-states, even the Crystal Braves. They, none of
'em, care a whit what you want- only what you can do for them.
"And how do I know this? Because I'm the same- a pawn to be used as my
masters see fit. All I ever wanted was to liberate my homeland, and I ate dirt to
make it happen. But what have I achieved after all these years in servitude?
Nothing! Not a bloody thing." Ilberd continued his angered rant, though most of it
was going over Ruby's head.
"If we ourselves are not free- free to think and to act- how are we ever to
reclaim our homeland? Know this: there is nothing I would not give to take back
Ala Mhigo! NOTHING!"
Then, in that moment, Ilberd threw something to the ground-
-And emitted a bright light that promptly blinded everyone in the room.
Ruby desperately covered her eyes until the light passed, and when she was
able to see again-
-Ilberd and what remained of his crew were fleeing as quick as they could
towards the exit.
"You'll not get away!" Alphinaud yelled, fully intent on chasing after them,
only to be stopped by Yugiri's outstretched hand.
"No, Master Alphinaud. Now is not the time."
It was clear that Alphinaud wanted to give chase but she was right, for now
Rabauhn took priority. Every turned and moved to the man's side, the man sitting
on the floor and resting from everything that had happened.
He then spoke, his voice strained and weak.
"I'm but a cripple and a fool, and still you came for me... I'm in your debt."
"We are all of us fools of fate, General," Alphinaud offered in comfort,
kneeling down to look him in the eyes, "but even fools have a part to play."
"On your feet, gladiator," Ardbert said with a smile, "this fight is not over."
"Rest assured, I was not planning to die till I'd avenged the sultana…"
Rabauhn said solemnly, turning to look at Ardbert with a smile. "Still, your words
are welcome, lad."
Rabauhn then turned to look in the direction Ilberd had fled off to. "Know
this, Ilberd... There is nothing I would not give to see you pay for what you've
done. My wealth, my arm, my life… nothing."
"Hey, guys?" Ruby asked, still feeling a little woozy on her feet, "would it
be okay if we continued this conversation once we got out of here?"
"Ah, yes, we should get the General somewhere safe to recuperate, then we
can inform him of what's been going on outside." Alphinaud said with a nod. Him
and Ardbert then got to his sides and helped the man to his feet, helping him then
make his way towards the exit.
Ruby quickly followed after them, more than ready to take a nap after all of
this was over.
This is what Ardbert got himself up to regularly, huh? She thought to herself.
I might be in a little over my head.
Still, this is what she had signed up for and she was going to see it through
to the end now. But one thing was clear from her fights…
…She was going to need a lot more training if she was going to hold a
candle to the others there.