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Ch. 11: Return to Narshe
Fleeing the Empire's troops, Banon, Edgar and Terra rode the rapids toward Narshe. But the going wasn't easy. After Sabin had been lost, the other two joined in controlling the raft. But the rapids were rougher now, their poles snagged on rocks.
So intent were they on their work that they failed to notice the shadows that followed them from high above. Blending in with the shadows from the clouds, they were almost indistinguishable. Finally, Banon looked up, suddenly alert. "I think..." he began, but was interrupted by two screeches in rapid succession.
Edgar glanced upward. "Duck!!" he shouted, and the three hit the deck. Two Pterodons swooped in, their talons reaching out and clutching the air just above their heads. Terra's hair whipped into her eyes as they whooshed by, but she jumped up nimbly and drew her blade.
The first creature made a sweeping U-turn and dove again, centering on Banon. Terra pushed the old man aside and slashed, severing the thin membrane of the Pterodon's wing. It screeched and flapped vigorously to keep in the air, but it couldn't maintain its flight. It lost altitude and dropped closer to the raft, its claws extended threateningly in a final attack against Banon while trying to keep Terra at bay with its good wing. The woman thrust upward quickly into the monster's soft underbelly. With a wail, it splashed into the water.
Seeing its companion defeated, the second Pterodon moved to strike. It divebombed Terra, knocking her flat against the raft. "Ugh...oof!" she grunted, the wind momentarily knocked out of her.
"Terra!" Banon crept over to her and worked his magic, healing her. Just as he finished, he looked up to see the monster's deadly claws striking out at his face. The old man fell back with a cry.
"Banon! Stay down!" Edgar yelled. The Pterodon screeched a battle cry and swooped in a third time. Edgar rolled over, but he wasn't quick enough. The monsterÍs razor-sharp wing edge sliced into his arm. He yelled in pain and lunged for his crossbow. He shot off his first two arrows just a spasm racked his arm, sending his arrows wide of their mark.
Gritting his teeth, Edgar shifted the bow to his other arm and fired again. One arrow ripped through the Pterodon's wing; the other buried itself in the creature's neck. Its screech died away as its body plunged into the water.
Shivering a bit from the Pterodon's wound, Edgar dropped his crossbow and sat beside the other two. Terra finished her ministrations on Banon, and the old man chanted his spell, reviving them all again.
"I'm surprised we weren't flung against some rocks during that little encounter," Edgar mumbled, still in some slight pain.
"It's because the river's slowing down," Terra observed. "I think we're near Narshe."
They traveled around a large island in the water, rounded a slight bend, and Edgar and Terra sped up the raft now.
They approached a grotto. The river crashed against the walls, the sound echoing throughout. The rays of the late afternoon sun slanted in, reflected off the water's surface and tinted the inside of the grotto with a pale orange light.
After leaving the grotto, Edgar steered the raft to the bank. He beached the raft, and the others got off. "We still have a bit of a walk ahead of us. It'll probably be dusk before we get to the town," Edgar said.
The Lete River flowed into a small lake on the outskirts of Narshe that was just beginning to ice over. Narshe wasn't very far from Figaro, but the varied terrain created extremes in climates. The town, north of the Sabils, was always cold, even in summer. But the land of Figaro, situated in the lee of the mountains, suffered from hot and dry weather.
Keeping near the shores of the lake, they traveled north to Narshe. It had gotten colder since Terra had last been here, and she couldn't help from shivering. Edgar gallantly wrapped his cloak around her.
"But what about you?" she protested. She knew Edgar must feel as chilly as she did, especially since he was used to warmer temperatures.
He waved it aside. "The comfort of a lady is my first priority," he said with a slight bow. Banon raised a brow and shook his head slightly.
The feeling of tension grew. Now that they were so close to their destination, they felt nervous. They were more on the alert now, jumping at any little noise, staying closer to Banon to protect him. But the old man just laughed when he saw the younger ones' actions. "Don't worry, I'm not about to pop off just yet," he said, the amusement evident in his tone.
Terra and Edgar glanced at each other. Had he known all along that they'd been sworn to protect him? Whatever the case, they didn't have the heart to tell the resistance leader that, with his low endurance and experience in battle, he *had* been nearly killed several times on the journey!
But the worst was not over yet. Cautiously they walked up to the high stone archway into town. Terra, leading the way, suddenly stopped when three militiamen marched up to meet them, blocking the entrance. Two of them hung back slightly, while the third stalked straight up to them. They were armed to the teeth, their sharp blades glinting from where they hung at the men's sides.
The leader looked over the woman, and his eyes narrowed. "Hey lady...didn't you just bust in here wearing Magitek armor?" he snarled.
Banon walked forward. "Wait a sec!" he protested.
The other two guards moved forward threateningly. "Get out of here! If you don't..." With a swift whack, Banon was thrown back, landing in a heap. Terra gasped and ran to him, helping him sit up.
Edgar stepped up. "Hold on. I'm King Edgar of Figaro!"
"Liar!!" the leader spat out and hit him also, catching him off guard and flying him back a good ways also. Edgar got up and moved his jaw around carefully. Nothing seemed to be broken, and really, his vanity was bruised more than his body. What an undiginified position for royalty! He knelt down to speak privately to the others. The guards left, satisfied that they had taken care of the strangers.
"He won't even listen!" Edgar exclaimed. "That kind of attitude is deadly!"
Terra sighed and hung her head. "It's all my fault..."
The king shook his head. "It's not your fault. Don't even think that," he said fervently. "If anything, it's the townspeople. They're just too afraid to trust anyone...and they're not even trying to play a lone hand in guarding the Esper. They're just trying to protect themselves..."
Banon stood up with difficulty. "There has to be another way..."
Terra shook her head as she thought all the way back to her awakening in Narshe. Just what had she been plunged into? And the confusion, the unanswered questions, the hurried escape with Locke through the mines...She suddenly remembered. "Wait...there's a secret passage here,î she announced.
"Show us."
They stopped off first at the school to revive their weary selves. "These scholars...bah!" Edgar exclaimed suddenly, with distaste. Terra remembered the scholar in the Figaro library, how the man had said something about the Empire forcing scholars to research magic. It was funny, though...Edgar was surely a scholar himself, if he truly were a designer of machinery. So why the bitterness?
She shrugged it off and led them along the base of the rocks. "When Locke first helped me, he fiddled with something right around here," she said, gesturing to the general area.
Edgar nodded. "Knowing him, there's probably some secret switch in this rock wall..." He poked his hand in and carefully searched the crags, occasionally uttering a yelp of pain when his skin scratched against the sharp rocks. Finally, he felt a smooth knob and strained to push it. The wall opened with a boom. "Got it!" he said. "Let's go."
They entered the mines. Terra rememberd the darkness, the faint torches, the squeaking of the pulleys and mill systems as they were disturbed by the creatures roaming the mines. It was deja vu.
They came out of the short tunnel onto a cliff overlooking a small part of the town. No one seemed to be about. "You think the Empire got here already?" Banon asked, worried.
"It's a possibility," Edgar said, his heart freezing as he said the words. God, how could he even think such a thing? But the Empire could move fast when it wanted to. They'd never considered that the Empire just might reach there before they did. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he said with conviction. "Those soldiers who threw us out weren't Imperial forces. But the town knows they're coming. Everyone's on edge now...I think that's why they gave us such a hard time."
Banon nodded. "I can understand that." It was for that reason that they knew it would be hard to convince the town to side with the Returners.
They climbed up two flights of wooden stairs and entered the next shaft. Here, lanterns swung from ropes stretched across the ceiling, flames flickering as their oil supply slowly ran out.
Loud, ugly scuffles and snorts sounded behind them, and three First Classes sprang to the attack. Hunchbacked, half-droid creatures wearing metal face masks and ugly golden armor, they were more powerful -- and more crafty -- than their Repo cousins, which Terra had encountered during her initial escape.
Surprised, the party turned quickly to meet these new enemies. But all of them were slow on the take, enabling the monsters to nearly bludgeon Terra with the heavy wrenches they used as weapons. Terra retreated, raising her arm to protect herself while fumbling for her blade. Banon brought out his staff and whacked the creature on the head. Edgar, a little faster than the rest, finished off the job, shooting his crossbow and hurtling each monster hard against the rock wall, lifeless.
"We really need to be careful," Edgar warned. Terra nodded, a bit shaken.
They passed through a tunnel into another section of the shaft and were faced with a maze of rocks.
"I don't remember this," Terra said with a frown.
They walked slowly forward, prepared in case of attack. A light suddenly popped up in front of them, startling the party. It hovered before them, then shot off through the rocks in a strange pattern. Edgar followed it with his eyes and saw the light disappear at the far end, just before the door that was their goal.
He blinked and shook his head. "Uh oh..." he murmured.
"What was that?" Banon asked.
"I think this is a security checkpoint," Edgar said. "I've come upon this before in Vector, but they were outdated years ago. Anyway, if we follow the light exactly, we'll probably be okay. If we make a mistake, the light'll surround us. To proceed safely, we must 'tag' the glimmering light."
"Seems complicated," Banon commented.
"Not at all. I was watching where the light went," the king said with a grin. "Just follow me."
Edgar took the lead and they traveled in a tight group. He wound around one tall rock, walked up a narrow path, swiveled around another rock, then stalked confidently down a long tunnel.
But Terra frowned. "Wait...I don't think the light went *this* far," she said, somewhat uncertainly.
"Sure it did." Edgar continued walking, unconcerned.
But he was wrong. He stopped suddenly and the other two banged into him. "Uh oh...this isn't the right way. We'll have to back track."
The old man raised a brow. "Is it safe to do that?"
"Sure, why not?" But at the slightest step backward, they were immediately surrounded by humming lights.
Banon threw his hands into the air. "Oh...you *saw* where the light was going, did you?!" he exclaimed.
"Cut me some slack! I SAID it's been some time since I came across something like this!" Edgar retorted.
Terra shook her head. "Look...there's the light we have to tag!" It was just a brief flash of gold among blue, but she squinted slightly and was able to make it out. Terra timed the pauses, then on the fourth revolution, reached out quickly. It worked! With a flash, the lights dispersed.
They got caught once again, but this time, they weren't so lucky. Terra felt an unfamiliar tingle when she touched the lights. "Uh oh...trouble!" she warned. They drew their weapons as black mists oozed from the walls and surrounded them.
Two Darksides formed from the mists. Although their outer build was strong and muscular, they were actually in frail health and lost more and more of their short life with each second. But the party was prepared and dispatched them quickly.
Unfortunately, they became so disoriented after that, they were forced to start over. "And THIS time, I'll look more carefully," Edgar promised.
"Forget that!" Banon grumbled. "We're ALL gonna look!"
But even three pairs of eyes weren't infallible, and the next fight they encountered in the checkpoint was a whole mob. Three Rinns and one Spectre joined the Darksides. Large blue floating blobs, the Rinns enveloped Terra in their substance, making her limbs cling together and slowing down her movements. "Ewww...ugh!!" the woman screamed, thrusting through the slime with her sword. When she finally killed them, the blobs melted away and disappeared into the floor.
The Spectre was a cunning magic user, flinging icy gusts so chilly they burned the skin. Banon attacked it at a distance, shooting a weak bolt through his staff. The monster managed to blow another ice wind before Edgar finished it off with his blade. Then he shouldered his crossbow and killed the Darksides.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the wooden door at the other end. With a sigh of relief, they slipped through.
Banon shook his head as Edgar closed the door quietly behind them. "'Trust me,' he says!" the old man exploded. "With your leadership, young man, I'm surprised your kingdom is still standing!"
"Hey, get off my back, will ya?!"
"'No problem,' he says! 'Follow me,' 'Don't worry,' he says! It's a good thing there were three of us, or you would've been mincemeat after the first try!"
Terra couldn't help but laugh at the men's bickering. She only hoped that Banon wasn't *really* upset at the young king's fallacies. She walked slightly ahead of them in these darker corridors, her hand stretched out, lightly touching the wall beside her so she could follow its contour. Then she unexpectedly felt her hand slip. There was no wall. She stopped suddenly and peered to the side, barely making out a dark passageway.
The men, just about to pass her, were arrested when she called out, "I think there's something here."
"But there's light straight ahead," Edgar protested, seeing the flicker just around the upcoming bend. But Terra had already plunged into the pitch black. The men hurried to catch up with her.
They reached a dim chamber and found themselves faced with what looked to be another checkpoint. They walked forward hesitatingly, but to their surprise, no glowing light appeared. They made their way through, and passed through a tunnel to another part of the cavern.
Faint mumblings reached their ears. Finally Terra stopped, realizing a bit belatedly that she might have led them into more trouble. "Do you think..." she began.
But now Banon was the one who laughed and walked ahead. "This time, you really DON'T need to worry. This is the home of the Moogles!"
No more than half human height when adult, Moogles lived deep in caves, but were nevertheless carefree creatures. They were great lovers of dancing and nature; in fact, they had special ritual dances that embodied the power of the vast terrains and landscapes of the world. Only those Moogles who were truly brave would venture out of their cave home on a journey to learn those dances. There were two steps involved. First was meditating, which would give them intimate knowledge of the terrain and the wisdom needed for the dance. Second, vanquishing an enemy within the landscape would give them the power.
For the dances were more than just learning steps. They were also about knowing where and how to draw power from the land. So important were these dances that the Moogle hierarchy was arranged according to it. Although a great many never learned any dances, a good minority learned at least the Cave Requiem by meditating and battling within caves. Since that was their natural habitat, it was easy for any Moogle to learn it. Those who learned all eight sacred dances belonged to a group known as the kalp'her, from which the chief of the Moogle tribe was chosen.
The chief, the kualp'in, was usually the oldest male kalp'her. When the old chief died, leadership was passed on to the next kalp'her. If the next in line felt he was too old or otherwise unable to take control, he could name the next successor, which was usually a much younger Moogle. In such a way was prevented the confusion of having so many new chiefs in so short a time span, especially if the next few kalp'hers were close in age.
The Moogles that had helped Locke save Terra had been a mix of younger kalp'hers, those who had learned a few dances, and a few who had learned no dances. One particular Moogle named Mog had been among that last group. Mog had been meditating in the caves over the past week to learn the Requiem. When the kualp'in had called for volunteers to help defend a human girl, he had leaped at the chance. Here now was the battle that would fill him with the power of the sacred dance! And so he had marched with the rest.
But Mog was also curious, and he spoke with the kualp'in. "Why must we help this girl, O Great and Wise One?" he asked, speaking in the Moogles' language. "We usually don't interfere with humans' affairs."
The kualpÍin had looked grim. "I sense something different about this girl," he replied. "When we first discovered the Esper, before the humans unearthed it, I felt power emanating from it. It was a frightening power, one that can destroy even the very land from which we draw our own. And so for everyone's safety, I forbade anyone from approaching the Esper, lest they accidentally awaken it.
"However, I felt that power again...and it was coming from the girl. She and the Esper are somehow connected. I might have forbidden anyone from helping the girl. But she is more than that...She, I think, has a great destiny to fulfill...one that could change the balance of this world forever..."
The kualp'in fell silent. Mog, seeing the look on his face, decided to keep his counsel. But the young Moogle's mind was made up: Somehow, he would join this girl and know just how the threads of Fate were woven in her tapestry.
Banon, Edgar, and Terra entered a well-lit chamber, filled with dozens of Moogles. Soft reed carpets were strewn across the floor. The creatures walked around happily, busily, and the room was filled with squeaks of "kupo!" as they spoke to each other in their language.
As they walked through the busy Moogles, Terra noticed one Moogle standing apart from the rest. He sat still, his eyes closed, but he suddenly came to life as they approached. He looked up at them with wide blue eyes and squeaked, "Ku....po!!"
Terra returned the creature's exclamation with a smile. For some reason, she was puzzled by the frank look of curiosity in the Moogle's face. Perhaps it was because the others were going about their own business and seemingly paying no attention to her or her companions. Whereas this Moogle, not only was he not moving about, he was also interested in his tribe's unexpected visitors.
That recalled to her her fall in the mines. The Moogles had come to help her then. Why? And now here was this one, taking an intense interest in her. Did even the Moogles, as innocent as they seemed, know something about her that she didn't?
They made their way through the wandering creatures and finally exited through another tunnel. Terra glanced back as they left. She saw the Moogle looking straight at her, his gaze intent, curious, and also very sympathetic.
Edgar led the party again, managing to steer clear of the monsters. But now they mostly encountered pairs of Wererats and other smaller vermin, and they knew they were getting out of the depths of the mines and closer to town.
They traveled south for some time, then came out of the tunnel on a cliff again. Ahead of them stretched out the wooden bridge on which Terra had taken her first steps to escape. They walked over it cautiously, on the alert for any guards below them. They ran the last few feet and reached a door. Edgar knocked. After an eternity, the hard thumping sound of boots on a wooden floor reached them. They glanced at each other, holding their breaths in anticipation. Was this who they thought it was? Or was it the Empire, lying in wait, hoping to ambush them?...
The knob turned. Edgar stood with his blade ready.
The door opened...and Arvis stood there. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Banon! King Edgar! And Terra!! You're safe!" Arvis exclaimed happily. "Come in, quickly, before anyone sees you."
The three tumbled in. Terra suddenly felt all choked up. Banon, sensing her distress, gently led her to the fire in the next room. She stood there, sobbing quietly, so utterly relieved that they had reached the end of the journey. It had been so stressful, to constantly live in fear and uncertainty. She knew what the people of Narshe must feel like, to know that any day now, the Empire might come to destroy them. The stress of knowing you were just one step away from possible annihilation was enough to give anyone a breakdown. Edgar comforted her as best as he could as the two other men talked.
"What's happening here in Narshe?" Banon asked.
"The town's neutral. I've tried to get the people to side with the Returners, but..." Arvis shook his head. "Anyway, why on earth have you come here? I told Terra to go to Figaro because I thought she'd be safer there!"
The king glanced at him. "Figaro came under attack," he said succintly. "Kefka came under Emperor Gestahl's orders. They were looking for Terra everywhere." His jaw clenched involuntarily, then regained his composure. "But that doesn't matter now. How are your people doing?"
Arvis sighed. "They all went...slightly berserk when the Esper was first discovered. And when they found out the Empire wanted it, that just riled them up even more. The Elder doesn't want the Esper here, but neither does he want to simply hand it over to Gestahl. But even with this sentiment, they're worried about joining the Returners...they think it will bring Gestahl's wrath down on them even more. As if that matters now!" He shook his head. "I don't know what to do now..."
Banon looked over at Terra, then walked up to her. He squinted, studying her face. Terra, gasping for breath after her crying spell, was surprised at this scrutiny. "The Esper might be of use to our cause," the old man said softly. "We believe this young woman is our only hope of reaching out to it..."
Arvis nodded slowly. "If she can control it, maybe Terra can help restore some order to our town."
The king paced the room slowly, shaking his head. "It'll be a big chance, but it's a chance we have to take. We're down to the wire..."
He suddenly stopped and turned to the others, his cape sweeping widely. "We have to do it...and soon. That Esper is either going to save us...or dig us an early grave..."
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This chapter last modified Jan. 29, 2000