Ch. 8: Sabin
A hut stood just barely visible among the small forest north of South Figaro. Heavily shaded by the trees and partially hidden by the mountains, it was a peaceful retreat. Indeed, one man was taking full advantage of its tranquility to meditate.
He sat cross-legged, with his back straight and eyes closed, against the trunk of a pine. His breath came in slowly and deeply as he concentrated on making his mind as blank as a smooth piece of slate.
But try as he might, he could not clear his mind. He was troubled by the images that came to him, images of hate and betrayal, jealously and envy, violence and death. He shook his head and shut his eyes tightly to ward off the visions, but they would not leave. It was as if the insanity of the world had finally made its way into the deep recesses of his mind, and he thought briefly of them: the fiendish monsters he now fought that he'd never seen before, the reports of strange machines being used to destroy towns, and even rumors of a dangerous new weapon the Empire had captured. Captured? That also troubled him, for the word suggested something unpleasant...
Finally opening his eyes, he was not surprised to see that his meditations had taken all day, and night had fallen. He stood up with a dissatisfied grunt. There was only one reason he could not free his mind of what he had seen, and that was because it must be the truth. If so, he needed to act quickly. He must return to Mt. Kolts, to where the Master and his disciples were in training, and ask the Master what his visions meant. Only then could he achieve complete serenity.
Just then a young man came running up, gasping for breath. "My lord!" he gasped out. "Master Duncan...He..." Tears began flowing down his face.
He grabbed the younger man and shook him ferociously. "No tears!" he shouted. "Tell me what has happened"
"The Master...he..." The man had difficulty forming the words. He dreaded telling his news to this man, whom he knew was the Master's most promising disciple, who had been taught the most secret and most powerful techniques. "He...his son...they were arguing..." His sobs became deeper, more anguished. "He struck so fast that none of us could stop him...The...the Master is dead!" His last word came out as a high wail.
The man released the messenger, shocked and disbelieving. "No...NO!" he yelled. "Tell me it isn't so!"
The younger man's only reply was his continued cries.
He fell to his knees. Was this what his visions meant? The hate of his Master's son, the jealously directed toward himself, culminating in the Maste's death...Had he somehow known it would end like this? Was that why the images had refused to be cleansed from his mind?
He stood up again, with clenched fists and a determined look. He now had one thing to fulfill: to avenge his master's death.
High above the roof of his hut was a small outcropping of the mountain. He jumped to the roof. Focusing his strength, he leaped up to the rock.
Locke noticed a glint among the trees as they started out. "There's something shining in that forest," he said.
Edgar frowned slightly. "It could be Magitek"
The other man shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. " Up until now, you've been allied with the Empire. So there's never been any need to post Magitek soldiers here."
Curiosity was getting the better of Terra. "Let's see what it is," she said, starting off. Locke hurried after her. Outnumbered two to one, Edgar shrugged and followed them.
Fighting Rhodox squirrels and huge Rhinotaurs along the way, the party made their way to the forest, through the trees, and discovered the hut. A well had been dug beside it, and a small garden grew on the opposite side. A sliver of metal hung on an eave, blown gently by the breeze and reflecting the evening light. Locke and Terra ventured into the hut. "Seems to be deserted," he said, glancing around.
The interior was lit by the fading sunlight. The last to enter the hut, Edgar caught the faintest whiff of a familiar scent. He frowned, trying to remember where he had smelled it before. "Hmm...what's that smell?" he said aloud, trying to jog his memory.
Only half noticing where he was, his full awareness was suddenly captured by a bunch of beautiful blue flowers on the table, freshly picked and arranged in a vase with care. Edgar gently ran his fingers over the petals. "Flowers...his favorite..." he whispered in astonishment.
Locke and Terra went further into the cabin, finding lanterns and lighting them with the dying coals in the fireplace. As they did so, more of the furniture could be seen. Edgar's attention shifted to some dinnerware in a cabinet that stood next to the fireplace. "These dishes! They were his favorite..." He opened the cabinet door and studied the intricate designs around the rims of the ware...a pattern possessed only by the royal family of Figaro.
Terra was delighted with the quaintness of the cabin. "Someone must live here," she said. She walked over to the stove and lifted a teapot. "Look, they\rquote ve even brewed some tea. They must be coming back soon."
Edgar jerked his head up. "Tea?" he asked sharply. He went over to the stove and took the pot out of Terra's hands, deeply inhaling the scent. This was what he had smelled earlier.
"And this...his favorite tea..." He closed his eyes as he replaced the pot on the stove.
Locke had gone on exploring the hut, oblivious to Edgar's reactions. Now he said, " We'd better leave before they come. We don't want any more trouble than we've got." Edgar nodded slowly, and Terra had already gone out the door.
Edgar lingered behind, waiting for Locke to leave. He walked to the door and stood there, holding it open. Then he turned around and took a few steps back into the hut, casting a final glance at its revealing contents.
"Sabin...he was...here?!"
Outside the cabin, Edgar noticed a man drinking water from a bucket that sat on the rim of the well. "What the..." He approached the old man. "You know this guy?" he questioned, gesturing toward the cabin.
"Of course," the man replied. "I use the cabin when he's not here."
"Where did he go?" Edgar asked eagerly.
"He left a couple of days ago, after he heard Master Duncan was slain. He headed into the mountains," the man replied.
"The Sabil Mountains?" Edgar asked.
The old man nodded. "I heard Duncan's son, Vargas, is missing as well." He dumped the rest of the water back into the well. "I have a bad feeling about this.." He shut his eyes briefly, then abruptly turned and left.
"What was that about?" Locke asked, coming up to Edgar.
Edgar bowed his head, then faced the other two. "I think Sabin's been living in this hut for some time," he said slowly. "That man said he went into the Sabil Mountains..."
"Your brother?" Terra interjected.
He nodded. " We'll be traveling through the Sabils. We just may meet up with him...after so long..." Edgar sighed deeply.
Locke shook his head. "We don' t have time to think about that right now. We have to get moving"
"It's not safe to travel the mountains by night," Edgar protested. " We may as well stay here."
"But if the Empire is coming, they may find this place," Locke countered. "We can make camp at the base of the mountain."
Edgar thought about that. " All right," he acquiesced. "Let's do it."
The short journey was easygoing, traveling over grassland and with no enemies at such late hours. Locke chose a spot right up against the mountains, so as to avoid back attacks by monsters or Imperial soldiers. They lit no campfire, being careful not to reveal their location. The two men alternated lookout shifts, but no problems arose during the night.
Mt. Kolts was the large mountain that formed the entrance to the Sabils in the east. The paths up the mountain were rough, winding around boulders and small canyons, sometimes passing through dark caves.
It was in one of these caves that the party encountered its first battle. Two humanoid Brawlers jumped from their hiding places in the shadows of the rock and surrounded the party! They were dressed only in shabby red pants, had thick, unkempt hair on both their chests and heads, and came out yelling and beating their chests. They looked so much like primitive humans that it was no wonder Locke took the time to comment, "Looks like these guys are the missing link."
The darkness of the cave would have given the Brawlers the advantage, but their shouting gave them away. Terra raised her blade and struck at the first Brawler as it leaped to the attack. The edge sliced into the creature's chest, drawing first blood in the battle, and the monster fell back.
Edgar opted not to use his autocrossbow this time, seeing as there were only two enemies. He leveled his mithril pike at the first Brawler and, yelling in a similar fashion, ran the creature through, finishing it off.
Meanwhile, Locke had been playing hide-and-seek with the second Brawler. It wasn't that Locke was afraid; he had just decided to have some fun with the creature. He leaped onto a rock and made faces at the Brawler, enraging it. "Rrrrgggghhhh!!" it screamed as it scrambled up onto the boulder. But Locke jumped down and ran to another rock, taunting the Brawler all the way. "Nyah, nyah, can't catch me!" He sounded much like an overgrown child as he easily dodged the creature.
The "fun" would have continued if more problems hadn't suddenly arrived. Drawn by the noises of Locke and the battle, two Tuskers lumbered into the cave. More closely related to mammoths than elephants, they had long, gleaming tusks and shaggy fur. Edgar and Terra pulled out their weapons, but the monsters were much more agile than at first glance. They stomped up to Edgar and slashed at him with their tusks, then went for Terra.
The creatures forced her into a corner and made ready to attack when Edgar, recovering from the earlier blows, shot them with his crossbow. One Tusker gave a cry of pain and suddenly turned back to Edgar and counterattacked! The animal did much damage, but fortunately, Locke arrived just at that moment. Together, the men dispatched the creature, then ran to find Terra.
They found her barely fending off the second Tusker, and she was wounded from several of the monster's counterattacks. Edgar shot the creature again and again, while Locke tried to get Terra out of the corner. Finally, the Tusker fell onto its side and lay still.
"That was not fun," Terra grumbled when the party finally continued on its way. The Brawler that Locke had been teasing ran away when it saw the other creatures dead, and after Locke took the two Soft potions the Tuskers had on them, it was finally safe to go on.
Locke chuckled. "Fighting is never fun," he said, "but the experience that comes with it is invaluable."
She shrugged. "I know," she said. "I just...I just wish there were another way...some nonviolent way..." She gave a deep sigh.
Edgar came to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "You're doing this for the good of all people," he said gently. "It may not be a very pleasant way...but it is the right way." Terra simply sighed and said no more.
As they left the cave and came out into the daylight again, Edgar caught a glimpse of a figure standing on a ledge above them. He shaded his eyes with his hand, but the figure disappeared before he could get a better look.
A frown creased his face as he reported it to the others. "I think someone's following us," Edgar said.
"Could it be Sabin?" Terra asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "If it is, I wonder why he doesn't just approach us, rather than simply follow us."
Locke opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. When he finally spoke, all he said was, "We have to continue."
The outside ledges were no less hazardous. They were often attacked by a particularly dangerous group of monsters, consisting of a Tusker, a Trilium, and two Cirpiuses.
The Trilium was a plant-like mass of green twists. If given the chance, it would wrap itself around a person and use its dreaded Bane Touch, injecting a dose of poison into its victim. Without any Antidote, travelers would surely succumb to the monster.
Cirpiuses were weaker than the other two, but formidable foes nonetheless. They were small red birds, but what they lacked in strength, they made up in agility.
When the party first encountered this group, they were ignorant of the special abilities each monster possessed. They found out the hard way.
As usual, Edgar pulled out his autocrossbow, while Terra and Locke brandished their weapons. One Cirpius led the attack, swooping down and knocking Terra with such force that she nearly fell off the mountain! Luckily, Locke was able to catch her in time, and she regained her balance as her rescuer threw his dirk at the bird. The Cirpius screeched and fell straight to the ground, fluttering helplessly, its wing injured by the weapon. Terra stood over the creature and finished it off with one thrust of her blade. Locke retrieved his dirk and hurled it at the second Cirpius, which was just beginning to dive bomb them! That move soon proved to be its fatal mistake, for the two were ready. Together they defeated it, and Locke found some Antidote on its carcass.
Meanwhile, Edgar was having troubles of his own. These monsters were much stronger than the ones near South Figaro, and he failed to dispatch them with a single round. His arms needed rest between shots, leaving him vulnerable to their attacks. And indeed, the Trilium snaked out a vine and poisoned Edgar in the leg! He dropped to his knees, weakened by the toxin, as the other two came to help.
Terra slashed the vine still attached to Edgar's leg, then bravely faced the creature itself. She had difficulty figuring out which was the monster's head, for it apparently had none. When she finally made out a pair of faint eyespots, it was too late. Another vine shot out, entwined around the woman's wrist, pierced her skin and poisoned her! She gave a cry of dismay. Seeing her in trouble, Edgar, after downing an Antidote to combat the poison, weakly reached for his crossbow and fired at the Trilium, killing it. The vine around Terra's wrist went limp, and she was free.
Locke had gone to fight the Tusker, whose agility matched his own. Already wounded by Edgar's previous attack, the fight went easily, and Locke's next blow was the monster\rquote s last. It collapsed to the ground, dead. He searched its body and came up with a Soft potion.
The three regrouped after the battle, exhausted and weary. Terra looked very sickly and weak, and she gratefully drank the Antidote that Locke proffered.
Edgar slowly stood up. "What a fight,"he said with a sigh. "I'm not used to fighting enemies like these."
Locke watched Terra finish the potion, then offered his hand to help her up, whicfh she accepted. "Feeling better?" he asked.
She nodded. "Much. Thank you." She flexed her wrist, bringing some circulation back into it after the tight grip of the Trilium's vine.
Edgar rubbed his leg, massaging out the pain. "Are we all ready?" he asked.
The other two agreed that they were ready to continue. Already flies had begun to gather around the dead creatures they left behind as they walked on.
Long ago, someone must have decided Mt. Kolts was a safe hiding place for treasure. And treasure did they find. One cleverly hidden pathway led to a chest containing a rare dirk called the Guardian. Slim and light, it was perfect for Locke, who immediately wielded it. Another chest held a useful Tent. Whoever owned the treasure was probably long gone, thinking that the valuables were safe from discovery.
Mt. Kolts had many twists and turns and pathways branching off from each other. None of them knew the area very well, so they often ran into dead ends and had to backtrack many times. However, their efforts were not so much in vain when they stumbled upon those chests filled with treasure for the taking.
The party crossed over a wooden bridge, which was amazingly sturdy for its age, and passed through another cave, quickly so as not to attract more monsters. They emerged into daylight once more.
Just as they went around the bend of the path, Edgar saw the shadow again. This time all three of them saw it, and they ran to where it was. But by the time they reached the spot, the figure had jumped down out of sight.
Edgar looked over the edge, but could see nothing. "This guy really doesn't want us to know who he is," he commented. He fell silent as he remembered his vague glimpse of the person: very muscular, a bandanna tied around his head. Could it be...? He shook his head slowly.
They traveled through a third cave and ran into another pair of Brawlers. Rather than do battle, the three decided to escape this fight. Locke spotted the merest ray of sunlight in a far corner, and he led the other two to the exit. The Brawlers, following closely behind them, shouted in frustration as the party escaped their clutches and ran into the horrid sunlight, which they could not tolerate.
Out on the ledges again, they emerged from the cave to see the dark figure jumping nimbly down several ledges. As they crossed yet another rope bridge, Edgar looked down, but there was no trace of the mysterious shadow.
A soft blue light indicated a safe point in the next cave, and the party took a much-needed rest. The tent they had found came in handy now. Edgar and Locke spoke quietly together outside the tent, while Terra slept inside to recuperate from the Trilium's poison.
"Is that guy following us?" Locke murmured, bringing up the subject that was on their minds.
Edgar shrugged. "I don't know if he's following us or running away from us," he replied. "Either way, he seems to know this region pretty well, if he can keep out of our sight like that."
"I wonder if we can talk him into joining us?" Locke mused. "It might be handy to have someone who knows Mt. Kolts, so someone can delay the Empire if they should pass this way."
"I know. This is the only way to get to the hideout..." Edgar frowned, an idea suddenly dawning on him. "But what if he's an Imperial spy? We could be leading him straight to the hideout."
Now Locke frowned as well. "I never thought about that. We'll have to be on our guard."
"But what can we do? He moves much faster than any of us, and I doubt we'd be able to catch him, even if we tried."
Locke gave a grim smile. "That's the hard part."
The king set his jaw. "We have no choice. Whether he's a spy or not, we have to get Terra to Banon quickly. There's no telling what the Empire may do if we delay even for an hour to try and catch this guy. Even if he manages to get back and tell where the hideout is, at least by then Terra will be out of their reach."
Locke nodded. "You're right," he said. "I guess the best thing is just to go on."
The men heard a slight rustling, and Terra peeked out of the tent flap. "Ready to go?" Locke asked her.
"Mmm...I think so," Terra replied. She yawned and stretched as the men packed up. Soon they were on their way.
Outside the cave, they saw they were on a high ledge, and the path spiraled downward. Edgar carefully moved to the edge. He saw a man walking on a lower ledge, with a purposeful, almost arrogant stride.
Edgar quickly returned to the other two. "That guy we've been seeing around the mountain...he's down there," he told them softly. "We just might be able to catch him, if we hurry."
"I'm with you," Locke said, and Terra nodded assent.
They kept to the wall of the mountain and moved carefully along the path. "He's right down there," Edgar whispered, nodding to where the man was.
"Okay, on three," Locke murmured. The three crept to the edge of the path. "One...two...THREE!" They jumped down, right in front of the man.
To their surprise, the man did not run away. He stopped his pacing and stood stalwart, with no expression on his face. His muscular arms were crossed over his equally built chest. Looking at him, Terra felt almost afraid. She had never seen anyone with so much raw strength and power before. His plain, gray clothing that fitted baggily on him and his long hair, held in place by a red bandanna, served to accentuate his rugged masculinity.
The stranger's eyes lit on Edgar. "Sabin sent you, right?" he snarled.
Before Edgar could respond, the man sprang to an upper ledge. The three ran to the wall of the mountain in hopes of seeing where he had disappeared to. It was a mistake; no sooner had they looked up than he came leaping down on their heads.
They jumped out of his way to avoid him. Edgar fell to his knees and shielded his head with his arms. Terra tripped, fell flat, and lay stunned for a few moments. Locke, much more agile than the other two, landed on his feet in a crouching position and was the first to recover.
Locke stood up. "Who're YOU?" he demanded.
"I am Vargas, master martial artist," the man declared haughtily.
"Vargas?" Edgar questioned. He stood up slowly. "What about Sabin? Is he here?" Vargas looked at the twin with narrowed eyes, but did not answer.
Terra, still rather weak from her earlier poisoning, was the last to get to her feet. When she did, she felt lightheaded. She swayed unsteadily, then dropped to her knees.
Locke was at her side in a moment and helped steady her. As he did so, he turned to Vargas. "You were shadowing us earlier, weren't you?" he accused.
"Brilliant!" Vargas exclaimed sarcastically. "And how unlucky it is that you have run into me!" He put two finger to his lips and gave a piercing whistle. In a moment, two huge Ipooh bears lumbered in, and they charged the other three!
They quickly brandished their weapons and faced the fight. Although they would have liked to concentrate on Vargas, the Ipoohs blocked their way, and so they were forced to get rid of the bears first.
Edgar shot at both Ipoohs as the animals attacked. One growled and snapped at him with large jaws, and the arrow hit it in the shoulder. The other got an arrow in the leg and it yelped in pain. The creatures fell back.
Locke put himself into a more defensive stance. Because his weapon was a short-range one, he could not go up to the Ipoohs directly. He saw that he would have to use stealth techniques. Slowly, he moved away and circled around the bears. The animals were preoccupied with the pain from Edgar's arrows and did not notice him sneaking up behind them. Close enough, Locke dashed forward and plunged his dirk into one Ipooh, and its howl of agony was frightful. The monster swiveled around to face Locke, but he ran back to join the other two.
Meanwhile, Terra had put away her blade and decided to put her magic to use. Summoning up her courage, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mouth opened and closed in a peculiar rhythm, and in astonishment she realized she was chanting a spell. She felt something rise from somewhere in the depths of her soul to the top of her head and come out through her hands. Her fingers began glowing red, and without warning, one Ipooh burst into flames! The creature yelped and ran around, trying to put out the fire, but it was magical. Soon the Ipooh fell onto its side and lay still.
The party used similar techniques to finish off the second bear, and all the while Vargas simply stood there, his arms crossed, eyes slightly narrowed, watching the fight. He neither helped the Ipoohs nor battled the party. He was the picture of the model martial artist. It was only when the second Ipooh fell and the three turned to Vargas that he became animate. He glanced at them with a cold contempt.
"You're not as inexperienced as I thought," Vargas said with a snort. "We shall see how you hold up to my ultimate attack! GALE WIND!"
Vargas raised his arms, and the three felt a disturbance in the breeze around them. The wind began picking up speed, lifting sticks and small rocks and flinging them against the party. It became almost a hurricane, stinging them with its powerful wind.
They bowed their heads and shielded their eyes against the gale. Then, as suddenly as it had come on, it stopped.
The man was sneering at them. Suddenly, Vargas became a blur and Locke felt incessent punches to his chest and face. It was all he could do to stand up. When it stopped, Locke was stunned and dropped to the ground. Vargas reappeared, a smirk on his face.
"Had enough?" he sneered.
"Locke!" Terra exclaimed with concern. Already prepared with her magic from the battle with the Ipoohs, she immediately cast fire on Vargas. It didn't have the effect she'd hoped. He winced, then directed his attacks on her! Again he disappeared, and Terra suddenly felt her legs kicked out from under her. She landed on her chest with a thud, her breath momentarily knocked out. She shook her head and stood up again as Edgar shouldered his crossbow.
Unable to aim his crossbow because Vargas was so fast, Edgar finally saw his chance when the man attacked Terra. He made some quick calculations and aimed at the most likely spot. When Vargas reappeared right in his viewer, Edgar smiled grimly.
"Bingo!" he exclaimed as he shot two arrows. They hit their mark, burying themselves in Vargas's chest and leg.
But Vargas was unruffled. He calmly pulled each arrow out and tossed them over the ledge. For the first time, the other three saw a kind of emotion flicker across his face. "Enough with these childish games!" he yelled. "Off with ya now!" Vargas raised his arms. The three hunched down, preparing for what they thought was coming...
"Give it up, Vargas!" came a man's voice, echoing through the mountain.
They all looked up and around, trying to determine where the voice came from. A heavily built man suddenly landed between Vargas and the party, and the three stepped back in surprise.
Looking from one man to the other, the party could not decide who was stronger. Vargas assumed a posture that was unyielding and very much intimidating. The mystery man's sleeveless shirt revealed muscular arms, and his legs were equally built. His ponytail hung straight down his back, and it struck a chord in Edgar.
The man turned his head. "You guys okay?" he said over his shoulder.
Edgar blinked. "Sabin!" he exclaimed. "What are you..." He moved forward, but his brother's voice stopped him.
"Take Locke and the girl and leave here, you understand?" Sabin said fiercely. "This is between me and Vargas. We have to settle a score."
"Sabin..." This time Locke held Edgar back.
"Look, he'll have time for explanations later, just shut up for now," Locke whispered. He grabbed Edgar by the arm and led them all back a short distance.
Vargas's expression had not changed upon Sabin's arrival. "Is that you, Sabin?" He leveled his gaze on the man, then slowly nodded his head. "I thought you would show up eventually. You knew my power was too great to not be reckoned with. You had to come to destroy me so you could be the unquestioned leader of the school!"
"It isn't like that at all!" Sabin protested. He shook his head. "Vargas, why'd you do it? How could you do your own father in like that?"
The man laughed, a horrible, wicked laugh. "Fool!" he shot out. "He made the mistake of choosing you as his successor! He snubbed me, his only son! He never acknowledged that my power is much greater than yours!"
Sabin closed his eyes and turned away, hoping to make Vargas believe him. "No! You were the one he chose! Of course he knew your abilites were great. That is why you are his intended successor."
But Vargas refused to be mollified. "You're a liar!" he accused.
Sabin, too, became a picture of a true martial artist. He kept calm, kept his fists unclenched, kept the anger and frustration out of his voice as he tried to reason with the man. "Our Master wanted you to be his successor, not me. He appreciated your fine spirit...the way you practiced long and hard even after everyone else quit...He held you up as the model we all must strive for. Even I admired you and tried to be like you, always working to be the best martial artist there could be."
Ch. 8: Sabin (Part 2)