Akfek pretended to smile and replied, "Hello, Connor. I see you have found a few number of our old companions."

"And who is this young lady?" asked Connor.

Akfek quickly stopped Connor from proceeding any further, "Careful, Connor, she could rip you in half if she wanted to." Sascha looked at the mere weakling - the next person to touch her would die a very *unhappy* death.

Connor then spoke loudly, "Everybody, please stop your converstations now. We are gathered here as former soldiers of Geshtal's army. Our leader has perished now - possibly killed by that slimy clown, Kefka." Anger began to rise in Akfek but control was extremely significant at a time like this. Connors continued, "That clown didn't even beleive our assistance would be valuable. But today, we are powerless and I don't want to see all of us live through this land without reaching our goal - to conquer this world together. In two weeks from now, we will meet again at the coliseum. There, we will select a new leader to lead us!"

"Hoorraayyy!" yelled the soldiers.

Connors raised his voice again, "From now until two weeks' time, I want all of you to go and seek all our former friends of Geshtal's army. They are scattered throughout the world. We will meet at the coliseum in two weeks' time where we will select our new leader."

It was time for Akfek to speak up. "I WILL BE YOUR NEW LEADER," announced Akfek in an authoritative and chilling voice.

One soldier, near the corner of the room, bickered out loud, "And why should you be our new leader? You were a weak soldier before and did nothing for us. I'd rather have my head on a plate then see you as our leader."

Akfek laughed a most heineous laugh. "Haa haa ha haa ha... So, you want your head on a plate, eh? Your wish has been granted." Sascha looked away from the foolish soldier standing in the corner.

Akfek raised his fingers and at once opened a gate to the X-Zone. The gate surrounded the soldier's body from the toes to the neck but did not surround his head. The gate closed and the soldier's body was swallowed into the X-Zone but his head remained in the normal world. In effect, the gate only swallowed the soldier's body but did not swallow the head, leaving the head in the present world. There was a short loud shriek and the soldier's head dropped to the ground with blood seeping through the floor.

Sascha looked back again and gazed upon the head laying on the ground. Upon the soldier's remarks, she had expected this to occur. The outcome was *too* obvious. Sascha scanned the room and noticed the room was dead silent. Everybody had their eyes fixed upon the head with the blood flowing from it slowly into the ground.

Akfek roared with laughter. "Anybody else who contradicts me will suffer the same fate. Now, are there any objections to me being your new leader?" Everybody else in the room trembled with fear; they were also curious as to how Akfek possessed magic. Akfek resumed, "When we meet at the coliseum in two weeks, I will challenge anybody who seeks to be the new leader. I do not need to fight, for I have magic now, but do not question where my magic abilities originated from. Connor will organize you and send you to your destinations. Go at once and do not arouse any suspicion from outsiders. You must also listen to Sascha. She is my assistant and anybody who disobeys her will suffer a most painful death, although she has the ability to kill you herself. Also, somebody come and get a plate for this head."

When the meeting ended, Connor gave the soldiers a location of their former comrades and they left immediately. When the soldiers had exited, Connor commenced a converstation with Akfek. "Akfek, you will be a great leader indeed. But this is beside the point of my conversation with you. I've heard that Vector survived the day the World of Balance split into the World of Ruin but its location is still hidden. I've already sent a group of my assistants to search for Vector. They will report to you at the coliseum in two weeks."

"You have done well, Connor. Do you remember Cid?"

Connor nodded. "Yes, I remember him. I don't know his whereabouts, though."

"I want you to find Cid or a student of his. We will need a person familiar with technological applications. I will be waiting for you at the coliseum in two weeks. Do not fail me." As Connor departed, Afkek turned to Sascha and said, "Sascha, Shade has informed me of another elemental nearby on the Veldt. Our task now is to find him."

"Yes, another elemental would surely help our cause," replied Sascha. So Sascha and Akfek left for the Veldt.

Shade continued to direct Akfek and Sascha towards the direction of the next elemental upon the Veldt. They reached the location but there was nothing in sight. "He must be in the ground" remarked Shade. Suddenly, the groud began to shake and a peculiar brown creature with large feet and an oval face with a green took jumped out of the ground. "I'm Gnome," announced the elemental, "the elemental of earth. Who are you?"

"Greetings, oh Elemental of Earth," said Akfek in his most charming voice, while Sascha smiled winningly. "We have come to -"

"Eh? What's that?" the elemental interrupted, "can't hear. Hold on a second." The creature bent its neck, and whacked itself on the side of the head, dislodging a trickle of sand from its ear. 'Boy, Shade,' thought Sascha to herself, 'some of your relatives are really strange...'

"Oy!" the elemental continued. "That's the trouble with travelling underground! It's cheap, it's fast, but you can never get the sand out of your ears! Now," it clapped its hands together and looked directly at them, "what were you saying?"

Sascha paused for but a second before jumping in. "We have journeyed from afar to seek your help and guidance in amatter of great import." 'Boy, what dialogue,' she thought, 'I impress myself...' The little creature looked skeptical.

"Eh? Who are you anyways?" it asked suspiciously, glaring at them from beneath bushy eyebrows, "how'd you find me?" Sascha could see that a _sane_ elemental might be a little harder to convince...

"Perhaps," began Akfek, "you would care to hear the story from some of your own kind." The air behind him shimmered, and Shade and Luna appeared.

"Shade! Luna!" the Earth elemental exclaimed. "What is going on here? Why are you travelling with these humans?"

Shade said nothing, and seemed a bit distracted, but Luna began jumping up and down and babbling incoherently. "Magic destroyed! Pelicans saying Ni at will to extinct Moogles! World in uproar of hermaphroditic mosquitoes! Nature is FOOBAR! Ack!" Despite her confused speech, Gnome seemed to understand.

"What? Destroyed magic? And these two younguns are going to restore it? Hm," He tugged at his beard thoughtfully. "Well, I guess you really _do_ need me... And I can't allow the Earth to be harmed further... So, I'll help you." The elemental waved its hands, and the transfer was completed. Sascha and Akfek would now be able to use Earth magic.

Sascha breathed deeply as the energy flowed through her, and wondered when she would get to try out her magic. So far, Akfek had hogged all the fun. 'I sure would've liked to experiment with Dark Force on that brat who knocked me over...' she thought, and had to fight back a cruel grin. In the meantime, Akfek had convinced Gnome to travel with Shade, as Luna did. Sascha looked up just in time to see the three of them disappear.

"Well, there's one more for our collection," she said smugly. Soon, no one would be able to stand against them. She stared out across the Veldt. 'Soon,' she thought, 'all this will be ours...' Which reminded her...

"Have you figured out how we're going to infuse this magic into that armor?" she asked. If they could get those things to work, well, they would be truly unstoppable! 'Imagine,' she mused, 'a whole new Magitek Army...'

"I'm working on it," Akfek said vaguely.

"Well, why don't we camp here for the night?" she inquired. "That'll give you lots of time to think about it." 'And it'll give me lots of time to try out my magic!' she added silently. Akfek considered this for a moment, then agreed. He _did_ have a lot to think about... such as what he would do when he controlled the new army.

Some time later, just as the stars were appearing, Sascha left the camp. She'd been dying for a chance to try out her new power, and she didn't think Akfek would mind. After all, he'd been pretty liberal with his own.

Sascha walked briskly, breathing the pleasant night air. She was no longer afraid to walk alone. She cast her eyes about, wondering how exactly she would carry out her experiment. Then, she spotted a large tree. "Target practice!" she grinned capriciously. Now, which magic to use? Gnome? Why not? She felt the power within her and drew upon it. Almost subconsciously, she uttered the words to the spell. Suddenly, a score of crystalline missiles appeared and shot towards the tree, splintering it to bits. Sascha looked on in amazement. She tried a different spell; a hucge ball of mud fell from the sky and covered what was left of the tree. This was incredible! She tapped into Shade's magic next, and the whole mess disappeared into a dark gate. Sascha was practically giddy. She'd never had so much fun! She decided to try one more before returning; something from Luna. 'Let's make this a _big_ one,' she thought, and chanted a few words. For a moment, nothing happened. "Well, that was a waste of -" she began, but was interrupted when all hell broke loose.

The sky seemed to rip open, and the area in front of Sascha was engulfed in a blinding golden light. A crack like thunder magnified a thousand times was heard across the Veldt. When the light dissipated, she saw that everything in its range had been completely destroyed. Plants, trees, even rocks had been reduced to dust. She stood staring, dumfounded.

"What was _that_?" she heard Akfek's voice behind her.

"Moon Power," she replied reverently. "Luna's magic." Akfek smiled evilly.

"This elemental magic is even more powerful than I'd hoped. There is nobody who will stand in our way now! Nobody! Haa, haaa, haaa!" At this Sascha smiled, and began to laugh too.

* * * *

Within the Cloak of Darkness, Shade was perplexed. HE could sense something strange, but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He looked over at his fellow elementals. Gnomwe was asleep, and Luna appeared to be knitting a... something. No, it wasn't them he was feeling... What then? It seemed like a foreign power. He'd first noticed it yesterday. Perhaps something sent to kill his proteges? No, he didn't think it meant to harm them, just to... watch. Shade didn't know what to make of this, but decided to keep his eyes open too.

He put Rhiannon from his mind; that was not why he'd come here. There was another new type of magic, very concentrated, that he'd felt. His position demanded that he discover the source of the new magic, and master it as he had the others. Even the Gold magic had not eluded him. He briefly smiled, contemplating the addition of the sixth and seventh runes to his circlet. Star magic, and... this.

This place was not where he would expect to find a concentration of such powerful magic. It was run-down, in polite terms. The kind of place he, as an Archmage, had always avoided as beneath him. When he found the source of the magic, he would burn it, he decided. Flare, Nuke, Fire 3, Megaflare, Merton, Devastator... the wonderful possibilities ran through his mind as he searched...

There. A tall, white-haired man, and a young red-haired girl, both dressed in dark colors. Would-be Black mages, no doubt. Well, soon they would give away the source of their powers. Hidden by his Vanish spell, he had no fear of discovery. He stood carefully out of the way and prepared to watch this pair. Perhaps with the power he would gain, he would no longer need "The Master" as an ally... although that one's legions of wraiths had their uses. Perhaps...

He smiled again to himself, and waited.

The next morning, as Sascha and Akfek woke up, Gnome was digging a hole to test his "digging skills." Then, over the sky, an airship approached above and Akfek sensed danger. The elementals would need to be hidden to prevent any suspicion of their plans, so Akfek turned to Shade and asked, "Shade, do your powers encompass the possibilities of concealing the other elementals? We cannot let strangers know about their existence, for this would prove to be dangerous to our plans."

"Yes, I can conceal their appearance. I will do it immediately," responded the dark elemental. Gnome, Luna, and Shade vanished into thin air, leaving only the hole dug by Gnome as the only evidence of their existence before.

* * * *

As the airship landed, a young lady and a young man ventured towards Akfek's and Sascha's position. Both had their weapons drawn and Akfek sensed the young lady was strong with black-magic. "Who are you?" asked the young lady.

"My name is Akfek, and this is Sascha. Why do you have your weapons drawn? We mean no harm. We are only innocent travellers." Akfek knew they were no match for him; both could not even move within ten meters of Sascha unless she allowed them, since they now had the power of three elementals. Akfek pondered, "But I do not want these two to die yet. They have friends and their friends will search for them if I kill them. This will cause us difficulties. Perhaps, we can befriend them. Their assistance would be valuable indeed..."

The young man searched for the "dwarf" digging in the ground. "Before we arrived, I sensed a strong magical field around here and there was a 'dwarf' digging in the ground. Where is he now?"

Akfek motioned to Sascha to answer and Sascha replied, "It wasn't a dwarf. What you saw was a rare type of 'mole', but they are uncommon. Perhaps you should check for that magical field you claimed existed before you arrived." The young lady pulled out what seemed to be an orb and scanned for any magical force but there was an interference with the reading.

The young lady spoke, "Why is there mass destruction near here? We saw it from the Falcon."

Sascha answered again, "The destruction was present when we had arrived here. We are only innocent travellers. You two look like strong fighters and we wish to do you no harm. We are just farmers and are looking for a method to improve our crop production. Would you be able to help us?"

She yelled over to Edge, "Hey! I think there's someone down there. She pulled a quick mental scan, using a small piece of orb she had retrieved when Celes had been X-Zoned, and "saw" heavy magical concentration. Edge landed the airship.

The two disembarked, and saw two people pulling out a little thing out of the earth. "Looks like a dwarf," Rydia thought to herself. She and Edge both drew weapons and closed in.

* - * - *

Rydia thought clearly as Edge introduced themselves to the farmers. "We have no time to be with these people... and how would they know about the fall of magic?" She motioned to Edge.

"Edge... we should be going soon. There's Golbez to attend to, and we must be looking for people." She sent a telepathic message to Edge right after. "Let's get out of here."

Edge looked at her, quizzically and nodded. They headed towards the Falcon, waving goodbye to the farmers. "Good luck with your crops!" she shouted.

Edge now looked up at Rydia, and spoke with such a serious tone, it startled Rydia. "They did not look like farmers."

Akfek and Sascha boarded the ship where the sailors were ready to set sail. There, Akfek found Pukcus and demanded, "Pukcus, set sail for the forest south of Mobliz now."

The ship sailed for the forest south of Mobliz, and on its arrival, Akfek and Sascha departed the ship. After a short journey, they arrived in the middle of the forest, where a small tree was standing in a clearing in the center of the forest. They approached the mini tree and heard a yawn. It was not a tree but a treelike figure. The treelike figure opened its pointed eyes and shook the leaves among its head and two small arms extended from its body. "I am Dryad, the elemental of trees and plants. Who are you?"

"We are here to study plants," lied Sascha, "and we have never seen a plant like you before."

"If you are here to study the source of all beauty and the greenery of this planet that provides life to..." Dryad went on similarly for a while, and concluded, "... then you are my friend. I would like to come with you, for my powers with the green may prove useful for your studies."

"We would be most grateful if you journeyed with us," acknowledged Sascha and then pondered, "this elemental is a sucker indeed."

"Dryad, your presence may scare people and animals when you travel with us," Sascha continued. "Nobody has ever seen a moving plant before. Fortunately, I have a way of disguising your appearance. You wouldn't mind if I turned you invisible for the sake of safety, would you?" questioned Sascha.

The elemental of trees' response was, "If my appearance compromises our safety, then I have no objections to that idea." At once, the elemental's figure disappeared into the thin air.

Meanwhile, Akfek was telepathically conversing with Shade. "Shade, continue to cloud the other elementals' minds. Do the same with Dryad. She will be a very significant asset in the future."

Then they departed the forest and boarded the ship again. Aboard the ship, Akfek questioned Shade telepathically, "Shade, where is Connor now?"

"My senses tell me Connor is on an island south of Maranda."

After Akfek was notified of Connor's location, he issued his next order to Pukcus, "Pukcus, there is an island south of Maranda called the Solitary Island. That is our next destination."

The ship headed south-east to the island south of Maranda. Time passed slowly but they eventually arrived at the Solitary Island. Again, when the ship arrived at the Solitary Island, Akfek and Sascha left the ship with the crew remaining on board.

"Hey! Who're you?" he exclaimed, his sunburned face indignant. "What are you doing here?"

'This can't be the Cid person we're looking for,' Sascha decided. 'He's much too young.' In fact, the man looked to be a couple years younger than herself... but if he wasn't Cid, then what was he doing here?

"We are looking for the great scientist, Cid," said Akfek smoothly. The man looked somewhat appeased. He sat down and poked forlornly at his food.

"He's not here."

"What do you mean?" asked Akfek. By all reports, this _was_ the island where Cid had last been seen.

"I am, or, I _was_ a student of his," the man said unhappily. "I heard rumors that he was still alive, here on this island. But when I got here it was deserted. Then, a storm came up, and destroyed my raft. I've been stranded here for days. Boy, what a rotten week..."

"That's _awful_!" exclaimed Sascha, trying to sound as though she gave a rat's ass about his petty problems. What really mattered was, would they be able to use him?

Akfek stepped forward and shook the man's hand. "I am Akfek, and my companion is Sascha. I worked with your mentor, under the Emperor." The man smiled broadly at this.

"I'm Kromm," he said, "Rokeg Kromm. Pleased to meet you! What _were_ you looking for Cid for, anyway?"

"Well, there is an important project that we need his help to finish. It was kind of a pet of his, and we thought he'd want to see it to completion..." said Akfek, sounding rather sorrowful.

"Oh..." said Kromm, seemingly at a loss for words. "Wonder what happened to him, anyway..."

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Sascha eagerly. "Could _you_ help us?" she asked hopefully, as if the idea had just occurred to her. "Surely a student of _Cid_ would have the necessary skills!"

"Hmmm. I don't know..." said Kromm hesitantly, looking from Sascha to Akfek.

"I'm sure," put in the latter reassuringly, that he would be proud to have you continue his work."

"Ah, what the heck!" Kromm stood up abruptly. "I haven't done a decent experiment in ages! My scientific method might get rusty if I just sit around moping! Besides, Cid _would_ want his project to be finished... What _is_ the project anyway?"

Sascha lowered her voice and said with an air of great secrecy: "Come back to the boat. We can't talk herre; you never know what some unscrupulous scientists will do to get their hands on someone else's ideas..." 'Nothing piques someone's curiosity like a little intrigue,' she thought to herself. She was right. Kromm took the bait.

"Ah yes," he whispered knowingly, "of course. Let's go now; there might even be spies in this house!" He darted his eyed from left to right to emphasize his point. Akfek smiled.

'For a scientist,' thought Sascha, 'he sure is gullible!'

They left the house and headed back to the boat. There, Kromm was introduced as an 'associate'. The crew were told to treat him well, and the vessel got underway.

* - * - *

Shortly after, Sascha accosted Kromm as he was lecturing a somewhat dazed-looking Pukcus on the physics of aquadynamics. The old sailor looked distinctly relieved as she led the talkative scientist away.

"Come with me to the cargo hold," she whispered. That was where the shipment had been moved to, and it was time for Mr. Kromm to learn what he would be working on. Sascha was confident he'd go along with the plan; he didn't seem like the suspicious type. Actually, it didn't really matter, since it had already been decided that he would work for them whether he wanted to or not. 'But still,' thought Sascha, 'it will be easier if he is willing...'

Akfek was waiting in the hold.

"Good, you're here," he said in a businesslike fashion as Sascha led Kromm in. "Now, come take a look." He lifted a corner of the material that covered the precious cargo.

"Magitek Armor!" gasped Kromm.

"Yes," replied Sascha. "We need _you_ to find a way to re-infuse it with magic. Won't you _please_ help us?" she continued sweetly, pouting just a bit.

"But," be began, more than a little muddled, "there _is_ no more magic!"

"Ah, but suppose there _were_..." Akfek said. The newcomer took the cryptic statement at face value.

"Well, hmm." he began, calming himself. "Originally, the magic was 'built in'. These things weren't meant to be rechargeable... but," he continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "I just _might_ be able to, if I..."

Kromm began to talk in what to Sascha and Akfek was gibberish. He talked faster and faster as he picked up enthusiasm. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped in mid-sentence. "Hey, wait a second! What is all this _for_?"

'Ah, the inevitable question,' thought Sascha. Good thing they'd been prepared for it.

"We're rebulding the Empire," said Akfek, "for a bigger and better purpose!"

"Yes!" agreed Sascha. "We're going to overthrow the Figaran oppression that is crushing our world, and restore peace and harmony!" She clapped her hand patriotically over her heart, and appeared to fight back tears. Actually, what she was fighting back was an attack of nausea.

Kromm looked at Sascha, then at Akfek, and smiled, thoroughly convinced. 'Another satisfied customer,' she thought to herself.

"Well then," he was saying, "I'll be _proud_ to help you! Just leave it to me!" Sascha smiled gratefully. Another sucker...

* - * - *

Later, she and Akfek were standing on the quarterdeck.

"Where are we headed now?" she asked. Everything was proceeding so well; she was eager to know what was next.

"To the coliseum," he replied. "The 'rally' is in just a few days, and it will probably take almost that long to get there."

"Yes," added Sascha with a devilish grin, "and we must prepare for your landslide victory!" she laughed. No one would dare to oppose Akfek, not after that display back at the old man's house.

"But of course!" he said, and smiled maliciously. Sascha reflected once more on how lucky she was to have met him.

* - * - *

As soon as Akfek had arrived at the Solitary Island, Connor was there to meet him. With a soldier's tone, Connor notified Akfek in a heavy voice, "Sir, Cid does not reside here any longer. A student of his, Rokeg Kromm, lives here. Would you like me to accompany you to the house?"

As Akfek closed his eyes and concentrated upon his meditation, he motioned Connor for a moment of silence. He then opened his eyes and replied, "Connor, Cid is situated in the northern part of Figaro Desert. You will go to Figaro Desert and use Rokeg Kromm as a *token* to convince Cid into helping us. Do not accompany me to the house. I will grant you the power of darkness for this mission but ask for nothing more. You will keep a low profile and ensure Cid says nothing else of this matter to his friends. Do not fail me."

Upon receiving his new powers, Connor departed at once for the Figaro desert.

* - * - *

The ship had been sailing south for many days to the Figaro desert, and now the desert was within their view among the distant horizon. The ship landed to the northern part of the continent. Connor, unaware that he was using Shade's power, cloaked the ship and left while the rest of the crew remained onboard. His latest powers enabled him to seek Cid's location within a short span of time. *There* lay an airship in the form of a whale, half buried in the sand. He was able to reach the door and knocked. What luck! Cid answered the door and both greeted each other with a friendly hug.

"Connor!" bellowed Cid, who was excited to see an old comrade of Gestahl's Empire.

"Cid! My dear old buddy! I see you still dress in that obnoxious yellow raincoat even when you're in the desert! It has been a while since we last saw each other!"

The two chatted for an hour and exchanged their stories of the old days, when both served under Emperor Gestahl. "Yes, the good old days, eh, Cid?"

Cid chuckled as he recalled the old days with Emperor Gestahl. "So what brings you here, Connor?"

With that remark, Connor remembered his mission. "Cid, I don't have good news for you."

"What is the matter, Connor?"

"A student of yours, Rokeg Kromm is sick and he would like to see you soon."

"Rokeg is sick? My favorite student? Hurry, we'll use this whale to reach him!" exclaimed Cid, who worried for his favorite pupil.

"No - Cid. You will not use the airship. If you want to see Rokeg alive, you will come with me."

The confusion began to settle on Cid. "What does Connor mean? I don't understand him. He has changed dramatically," thought the naive scientist.

"You are thinking," affirmed Connor, "what do I mean? That you don't understand my response, that I have changed dramatically, right?" Cid was bewildered. Connor had read his thoughts completely. The power of darkness began its control of Connor.

"You are an idiot, Cid. I have never had the honor of talking to Emperor Gestahl, but every soldier knows Emperor Gestahl never liked you. You were only selected because of your 'scientific' and 'technological' knowledge. Emperor Gestahl must have disliked you deeply but only left you alive because your knowledge and expertise was priceless. Now, if you want to see your pesky student alive, then you will follow me. I know what you are thinking, Cid. If you attempt to inform your friends in any manner, I'll ensure that you will see Rokeg - that is, Rokeg's corpse." A smirk appeared on Connor's face.

Connor continued, "Now go back and tell your friends you have met an 'old' acquaintance and that you'll have to detour from your present activities. I am following your thoughts and if you attempt anything suspicious, Rokeg will become very sick, very sick indeed."

Cid entered the Big Whale, said farewell to his friends, and returned to Connor. Connor and Cid departed to the ship waiting for them, boarded it and the ship began to sail.

It did not take them long to find the building; they could hear it long before it actually came into view. The raucous shouts and other assorted noise from within reminded Sascha of the tavern, back at the port. But now, she did not feel intimidated as she had then. Now, any who insulted her would pay dearly... She could feel the power of the Elementals' magic flowing through her, and sighed quietly.

While she and Akfek were contemplating the building, a small, rotund man poked his head out the front door. He glanced at them briefly.

"Oh good!" he said, sounding rushed. "You're here! Now we can begin..." He motioned for the two to follow him, and led them onto the floor of the arena, where two other people stood waiting behind a podium.

One of the men looked to be about fifty, and was dressed in full armor. He seemed to be a seasoned combat veteran. The other was tall and quite thin, and wore the uniform of the now-defunct Magitek Research Facility. He looked, ah, dorky.

Presently, the man who had shown them in stepped up to the podium. The noise abated.

"Greetings fellow soldiers of the Empire!" The audience cheered. "We all know why we're here. Today, we shall choose a new leader, to take us once more to glory! Three among us are vying for this honor: Akfek, Plactus, and Wesley Crusher. Each shall have his turn. First, Akfek."

Akfek stepped forward. In the dim light of the coliseum, his dark figure was quite imposing. The crowd hushed.

"Fellow soldiers," he began confidently, "there should be no question as to who should lead this new army! Witness this! _I_ now have the power of magic!" He called forth the Evil Gate, and the podium in front of him promptly vanished. Gasps of amazement were heard all around. "With this," he continued, gesturing wildly with his hands, "we will be unstoppable! My comrade and I," he said, looking at Sascha, "will lead this army to its rightful position in this miserable world!" The soldiers cheered wildly.

Then the older challenger stepped forward. "You should not be so easily convinced by these parlor tricks!" he yelled at the audience. "This man has little combat experience! He bears no scars of battle!" Sascha smirked. She could see that Akfek was getting annoyed. This was getting interesting... The sergeant was still speaking.

"Do not be swayed by this imbecile and his slut!" Sascha bristled at this, but said nothing. She knew that Akfek would take care of this. "It is _I_, Plactus, who will lead you! I even know of a base!" Murmurs were heard throughout the room. Plactus picked up speed. "Yes! After the fall, Vector was pushed underground, all the way to the mountains north of the Veldt! We--AAAAARRGH!" His speech was cut off as hundreds of Gem Missiles ripped into his flesh. He fell to the ground in agony, spraying blood everywhere. Sascha laughed out loud. She kicked the man's prone body. "Call _me_ a slut, will you?" she said cruelly. The man had gotten what he deserved.

"This is what will happen to _any_ who oppose me!" Akfek shouted, motioning toward the moaning Plactus. He turned to the other challenger, who had become quite pale. "Now, what were _you_ going to say?" The little man was trembling from head to toe.

"Ah, ah, n-n-nothing, sir!"

"Oh, I'm sure you were going to say _something_," Akfek sneered, "now, what was it?"

"Ah, um, M-my n-name is Wesley C-c-crusher, and I thought th-that, what with m-my intellect a-and all, I-"

"Wesley, shut up," said Sascha. "Your voice bothers me." Crusher's eyes went wide. He started shrieking and sobbing hysterically.

"Please don't kill me! Please! Pl-AAHHHH!" He hadn't noticed Akfek's lips moving. Wesley Crusher disappeared under a one ton ball of mud that came crashing from the sky.

"It's not polite to ignore a lady's request," he said, wagging his finger condescendingly at where the man had stood. He didn't notice that behind him, Plactus was getting up. Bloody, but not beaten, the old sergeant was drawing his sword. But he was too late. Sascha spotted him, and a cantrip later, Plactus was a very unhappy chocobo. The soldiers laughed.

"I feel like chicken tonight," Sascha said theatrically, and lopped off its head with her knife. The audience roared in hysterics as the headless chocobo ran around the arena, then finally fell. Akfek looked at Sascha with satisfaction.He faced the crowd again.

"It seems," he began, "that I win by acclamation. I trust there are no more objections?" There were none. "Very well then. As my dear friend, the late Plactus, was kind enoiugh to inform us, Vector is now buried in the mountains north of the Veldt. It is well hidden, and will make an excellent base of operations. We will begin preparations to go there immediately. You are dismissed." The soldiers had been suitably impressed by the preceding display of Akfek and Sascha's power, and thus were pleased with their new leader. They obeyed his orders willingly, and left the auditorium.

Akfek then turned to the man who had first met them.

"What is your name?" he asked the porcine soldier.

"Kale, sir. Torin Kale."

"Where is Connor? I didn't see him here." 'If he's skipped out,' thought Sascha, 'he's even stupider than I thought...' But Kale told differently.

"He was detained, and couldn't make it. But he said to tell you that you had his full support." Akfek nodded.

"Very well. Have word sent to him of what has happened here." Kale saluted and left, leaving Sascha and Akfek alone.

"That went well," she commented. Actually, it had gone better than "well"; more like "fantastically".

"Yes," replied Akfek, "it was no challenge. Most of these fools aren't all that bright, and actually prefer having someone to make their decisions for them. Take Connor for instance." He smiled a vicious grin, and Sascha laughed musically. Then, suddenly, they both heard Shade's voice.

"My friends," the elemental said, "your talk of battles and bases has reminded me of something from my own world. Listen; I think you will find this most interesting..."

They certainly did.