"No, but at the rate we're going, it'll be weeks before we get to Figaro," Butz answered while his upper body found its way into the Nautilus's maintainance hatch.

Butz pulled himself out of the panel. "There, it's done." he stated as he wiped some oil off of his brow.

Cyan sighed heavily. "When will I stop putting my life in the hands of others?" he mumbled while helping Butz up. He then turned to Osric. "Alright, let's -"

The Nautilus shuddered for an instant. Before anyone could come to their senses the Nautilus began a rapid descent toward the ocean floor. The speed of the dive was compounded by sharp erratic turns every so often. Eventually Cyan made his way to the helm. Grabbing on to whatever appeared stationary, the king of Doma propped himself up only to see Koro busy with the task of bad driving.

"Hey! King Cyan, isn't this fun?" Koro asked.

As Cyan prepared to chastise the boy his eyes widened at the approach of a coral reef. He dove for the controls, and steered sharply towards the left. Unfortunately, he was somewhat late in his heroics.

* - * - *

Butz got up and tried to shake the little chocobos flying around his head. As Cyan approached, Butz blinked and asked, "What happened?"

Cyan's face looked strained as he attempted to find a suitable reply. "Well, we crashed, and we're deep beneath the ocean. The Nautilus could use some repairs, and you know, you still have some hydraulic fluid on your forehead -"

"Slow down and stop spinning for a second," Butz interrupted. "How did this happen?"

Cyan almost reflexively made an excuse for Koro. "Uh, malfunction, probably a malfunction," Cyan declared, realizing that Butz would probably teach Koro how to throw sharp pointed objects if he knew that Koro had nearly sunk the Nautilus.

As Keyla reached consciousness, she asked, "So where in the ocean are we?"

By now Koro had entered and was jumping up and down in excitement.

"Ooh, ooh, I bet we're in a sea monster lair!"

"We hit a reef, but for some reason it's hollow, and it leads to an undersea cove," Cyan corrected.

Cyan, Keyla, and Butz gathered their gear and set off to investigate the cove. Though Koro protested being left behind, they were quite adamant on the point.

"Heh, well you can't hold back a ninja, especially the legendary Jade Dragon Ninja!" he thought as he returned to his quarters to plan his escape.

The trio walked down the length of the undersea cavern for some time. Eventually a glimmer of light tempted them to follow the tunnel for just a little longer. When the finally reached the end...

"It's beautiful!" Keyla remarked as she scoured the landscape. Before them stood a forest unlike any seen since the World of Balance.

Cyan drew Sky Render and scanned slowly. "This is strange... wait, I see something... looks human... wait... lots of humanlike figures..."

By now Butz had raced ahead to confront the entourage. As he approached the head of the group, memories returned to him. "Oberon!" he shouted out, then he increased his pace further.

A tall, slender, man turned at the sound of his name. "What is it, dear?" asked the woman beside him. Oberon paid his wife no attention. He turned his face, a beautiful human's with only tiny horns to belie his true nature, to the caller. "Butz? Butz Klauser?"

Butz slowed down as he neared Oberon. "Hello, old man, it's been a while," Butz remarked.

Oberon laughed lightly. "Again you call me an old man. Must you remind me that my 300th is so near? A man accumulates a wealth of ugly ties when he lives that long," Oberon remarked.

By now Keyla and Cyan had caught up. Panting, Keyla asked, "Wha... who... what's going on here?" she finally finished.

Butz turned back to his companions. "This is Oberon, the lord of fairies. We're in the land of summoned monsters!"

As the entourage headed to the court of the fairies Butz began his explanation. "We met in my early days as a summoner. I tried to bind something... anything, and somehow the first guy I call up happens to be him. Anyway he pretends to be an infernal demon, and tries to scare me out of it. But being the young, reckless fool that I am, I confront him, by incanting magical sigils. Well, wouldn't you know it, I screw up, but I screw up in a way that's funny - well, at least Oberon thought it was funny; never figured out what I did, and Oberon refuses to tell me. Anyway, he laughs his head off and his magical disguise drops..."

As Butz continued his story, Keyla paid watch to Oberon and his queen Titania. The lord of Fey wore the clothes of a human noble, though the flamboyantly loud colours gave it an air of tackiness. He laughed often and seemed to take little seriously. But he took his queen seriously. Titania was robed in the slightest of cloth which garbed all of the important areas, and left little to the imagination. She herself was of an unearthly beauty that entranced all men who gazed upon her... well, except for her companions, who paid some, but not much, attention to her. Both had lost their true loves, and apparently weren't going to get over it anytime soon.

"I know you, Oberon, you were leering at that girl!" Titania remarked to her husband.

"I, dear lady? Nay, you walk with a man falsely accused," he answered.

Titania began again. "Hmmph, what does she have that I don't?" she asked. Oberon smiled. "Nothing that she could possess would even approach you, my dear Titania. She is but human, my queen. Why should I have even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction invade my thoughts? To gaze upon thee in all of my waking hours, is a gift that even the gods would covet, my Titania. Would I make a comparison, it would be of a drab swallow next to the exquisite plumage of a peacock..."

Titania interrputed, "You've made your point, Oberon. I shall be in the court if you wish to gaze upon me, or something like that," as she left for the throne room.

Oberon smiled for an instant. "... for the peacock sits on her fat rump while sunning herself in her so-called glory, and the swallows sings its sweet song, flying higher than the peacock could possibly imagine." Oberon finished.

Oberon stopped. "Robin Goodfellow!" he called back.

A short brown sprite approached the king of Fey. "What can I do to you, er... for you?"

Oberon cleared his throat. "As you know, humans cannot abide by the food of fairies. Go and fetch some food from some other esper, ah, Gilgamesh, yes, tell Gilgamesh that Oberon requests some food palatable to humans."

"Of course, sir," responded Puck with a rather wide grin on his face.

* - * - *

Everyone was eventually assembled at the fairy's banquet table. Arrayed before them was a feast for kings. Rare and exotic spices covered tender meats and poultry. Fresh breads and vegetables lay before them for consumption. A rack of rare vintages lay behind them to wash down their throats. "Gilgamesh has been eating well!" Oberon thought. Out loud, he said, "Please eat as much as you desire!"

Butz stopped the others. "This is fairy food, you know that it has strange effects on humans."

"Do not fear, my paranoid friend; this is human food acquired from another esper," Oberon replied.

Butz looked down at the sumptuous dishes. "Alright, let's eat," he declared, though he touched nothing for himself, having tasted esper food before. Cyan and Keyla ate heartily. It had been some time since they had eaten a decent meal, and this one rated somewhere near exceptional.

Butz poured himself a glass of water and then inquired of Oberon, "Why do the espers not respond to calls?".

Oberon, while drinking a glass of rum, thought for a moment. "So that's why you're here? Alright, it goes like this. Bahamut, the lord of all, has decreed that none but the highest espers may leave the land of summoned monsters. Because of the wars, and espers being turned into weapons. He decided to preserve his people by keeping them from their favorite activity, visiting the other world. Tunnels and grottos were sealed off physically. Guardians were placed at the major exits to keep others out. Anyway, the espers seem to be getting restless, though Bahamut, Leviathan, and a select few still maintain visitation rights. Still, most agree with his decision, and actively aid in its enforcement. Thus magic is quite close to dead in that particular world. Doughnut?" Oberon offered.

"No thank you... but does Bahamut know that the world is now being filled with evils, because there is no magic to fight them off?" Butz asked again.

Oberon seemed lost in thought for a second, then said, "He's Bahamut, of course he knows. But the esper population as it is has diminished considerably, thus Bahamut's edict stands. No esper may leave."

Butz sighed. "Then we are at their mercy," he conceded.

Oberon flashed his characteristic grin. "Perhaps not. There are those who stand outside of esper hiearchy, like myself. Maybe if you convinced them. They care little for Bahamut and his covenants."

Butz thought for a minute. As he prepared to give his answer -

"Unghh, I don't feel too good," Cyan said.

Keyla appeared to be in some pain as well. She throttled against her chair for a moment, then disappeared.

"Keyla!" Butz shouted as he stood.

Oberon appeared puzzled, then took a taste of a ham. "This is fairy's food."

Cyan approached, looking for Keyla, then all of a sudden everything around him shrank.

Butz looked up to see Cyan now ten times larger than before. Butz shouted, "Cyan! Cyan!... now who the hell is Cyan... come to think of it, who am I?" he mused.

Keyla looked up, but the blades of grass above her eclipsed all but Cyan who was now a hundred times her size. She yelled out, but recieved no response. Oberon stood and looked around. "PUCK!"

In a vale nearby, far from the eyes of others, Puck witnessed the whole affair, while resting comfortably on Gilgamesh's sack of human food. He laughed as he watched the chaos.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

Butz, Cyan, and Keyla quickly made plans to depart and search.

"C'mon! Lemme go! Please?" Koro pleaded.

"Sorry. Not this time, Koro." The three people made their way out.

"I'm goin' too! The Jade Dragon doesn't stop for nobody!" Koro put on his ninja gear and his sword.

* - * - *

"Hey Cyan!" The king couldn't hear him. "Darn. Well, I don't need them!" Koro made his way upon the ocean shore. Decaying wood and coral lay everywhere.

The boy spotted something slimy bunched up in a heap. "Ewwwwwwww..." Prodding it with his sword, it woke up. "Uh, oh."

Above her, Cyan was futilely attempting to adapt to his new size. Fairies scattered at the sight of the giant, and their screams only disoriented him further. He looked around himself as a confused child would.

"Pretty colors," Butz remarked.

"Whew," Keyla thought as she made it under the table. She allowed herself the luxury of catching her breath while trying to resolve the situation. "Get to Oberon!" she thought.

" My dog... his name was... Machiavelli," Butz stated as he picked some flowers.

Cyan treaded as lightly as possible - well, as lightly as a fifty-foot-tall giant could. Fortunately, the instinct to stomp on cockeroaches as they scurried by did not overtake him. "Get to Oberon!" he boomed to himself.

"Wonder if I can smoke these?" Butz thought as he looked at the flowers.

Cyan stepped over the table towards Oberon as Keyla came out from under it towards the King of Fey. Cyan failed to see Keyla, but stopped when Butz leaned towards where Keyla was and picked up another handful of violets. Keyla, seeing her chance grabbed on to one and was pulled up by Butz. "Butz!" she yelled.

"Who's Butz?" Butz answered.

"You are!" she yelled.

Butz appeared lost in thought, then said, "Whoa, that's pretty deep, but in this cold world aren't we all?" he replied, then broke into his rendition of Jailhouse Rock. The frustration on Keyla's face was replaced with motion sickness as Butz started doing air-harp. "Everybody in the whole cell block, is dancin' to the jailhouse rock."

Suddenly everyone was downed by a roving silver mist.

***************************************************************************

Cyan awoke to find himself normal. Keyla still slept, while Butz was speaking with Oberon. Cyan climbed out of the crater he had formed by falling and walked up to the pair. "What happened?" he asked.

Oberon turned to address Cyan. "I knocked you all out with sleep dust and waited until the effects wore off. I assure you that the individual responsible is being taken care of as we speak!"

Cyan thought little of fairy justice, but decided that it would have to do. "So what now?"

Butz stood up and answered, "We attempt to recruit the outcast espers."

"Just let me sleep a little longer, Mom," Keyla mumbled as she gently batted away a hand attempting to awaken her. The prodding did not cease so she finally succumbed to it and woke. "Butz... I had a bad dream... I was tiny, Cyan was huge, and you were plain loony," she said while rubbing her eyes.

Butz decided to let the issue pass and, while helping her up, replied, "We have to go now. There is much work for us to do." Keyla dusted herself off and picked up her gear.

Oberon approached them with a sack. "This foul-smelling stuff we found on the Puck must be human food!" he said with some disgust as he handed the sack to Cyan. Cyan looked into the bag. The food was not nearly as elegant as the fairy's cuisine, but all things considered, it would satisfy his palate quite sufficiently. Cyan slung the sack over his back and declared, "Well then, let us be off!"

As they walked, Cyan asked, "So who do we seek?"

Oberon wasn't sure he wanted to answer for fear of scaring them off, but chose to do so rather than be victim to their scrutiny. "To recruit them all would take time. Our best chance would be to seek their leaders. In this case we seek out the cavern of mighty Typhon, the father of all creatures, and greatest of dragons."

"Typhon? The legends say that he was a vicious destroyer, who wrought quakes and storms! He'll likely kill us rather than help us," Keyla protested.

Oberon laughed lightly. "That's only because you humans slew his mate Echidna. I'm sure Father Typhon's rampage left long scars on your world. Now he lives quietly, and in solitude. Long ago he abdicated the throne to his sons Bahamut, Leviathan, and Terrato. He does little other than sleep."

Cyan, who was still highly unsure, asked, "So how will we recruit him? I'm quite sure that he still holds quite a grudge against humanity."

Oberon answered, "'Twas Father Typhon who created the esper law of duels. Whoever defeats an esper in combat wins that esper's services, though it has been extended to any grouping of five, as long as they meet the esper's moral standing. Typhon still observes the law of one, which is why no one has been able to defeat him. His cavern is littered by those who would seek his services."

Keyla appeared even more surprised. "So only one of us will duel with Typhon?"

"Yes... only one of us," Butz replied.

***************************************************************************

The trek to the cavern was over by midday. Cyan drew his sword and prepared to enter, but Butz stopped him. "No, I would not risk another for the sake of my mad plan. I shall fight Typhon," he said as he drew Ragnarok and Strato.

"Good luck, lad!" Cyan said as he placed his hand on Butz's shoulder, though his face showed concern and fear.

"You don't have to do this!" Keyla protested. "We'll find another way to challenge Edgar." Butz turned towards the cave and entered. "Fool..." Keyla whispered as a tear streamed down her cheek.

As Butz disappeared through the cavern, Cyan walked forward to follow him. Keyla held out her arm. "No, this is something he must do himself."

Butz expected to find Typhon asleep, but instead found Typhon awake and buried in a book. The father of creatures was truly magnificent. His length could easily have been fifty leagues. His great muscular arms were a man's, though his fingers were a tangled mass of serpents. Great golden wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, and looked like they could have blotted out the heavens. His human chest ended in a hundred massive serpent tails. Finally, the great draconian head pulled itself from the tiny volume and faced Butz. "I have been expecting you, young Klauser."

Butz looked up defiantly. "You know why I am here."

Typhon nodded his head. "Yes, son of Dorgan Klauser, I know full well why you come!" With that Typhon pointed to the weapons and armor of Dorgan Klauser, then pulled out the tattered remnants of Dorgan's blood soaked tunic. "Like father like son." Typhon stated.

Butz drew his swords and jumped back. "You know that I hold no evil towards you. My father made his choice, and died with it. This is not for vengeance, great Typhon, but for a higher purpose."

Typhon scoffed, "Of course it is." Typhon's great arm reached out to swat Butz. Butz lept to the side, but still felt the shock waves generated by the impact. Butz quickly turned back to the arm to try to disable it. Without nearing it, Butz met with a swarm of vipers emanating from Typhon's arm.

Butz drew in his chi, then lashed out. "CLEAVE!" he shouted as the air near Ragnarok became part of a far greater blade. Unfortunately, as the blade flew, the arm of Typhon blocked the slash. Butz's most vaunted blow had failed to even hurt Typhon's fingers. Butz drew mana into himself and then unleashed it in the form of fiery meteors. They did little as they struck Typhon's armoured head.

Typhon laughed. "How do you intend to best me, child, how?"

Typhon was right. Butz had only one weapon which could win this battle for him, but the toll to him would be great indeed. Butz planted his twin blades into the hard earth, and clasped his hands together. A golden ray streamed from the earth towards the heavens. The light beam burned through the ceiling of the cave. After a moment the light began to descend to Butz. Typhon, in all of his years, had never seen anything like this, but had no intention of being on the wrong end of it. Typhon hurled his great mass towards Butz. It was the first time in centuries that Typhon had moved himself. The draconian behemoth descended upon Butz who seemed to be deep in a trance. With but an instant before contact, a burst of light struck Typhon square in the chest. Typhon was staggered by the blow. His titanic mass was pushed backwards towards the rear of his cave. No stone was a match for the father of monsters, so Typhon crashed through the back of the cave.

As Typhon got up he saw Butz's tiny figure standing on his chest. In Butz's hands was a blade of light which seemed to illuminate the entire forest. "So, boy, you have mastered Celestias... very well, I yield," Typhon whispered, knowing that the price he paid for yielding would be far less than the one Butz would pay.

Upon hearing "I yield," Butz collapsed. Butz was fully aware that he had burned most of his powers by summoning the heavenly weapon, and it would be a very long time before they came back.

The others arrived eventually, after hearing the great commotion. Before them they saw Butz lying on the soft grass with Typhon looming above him. The worst had occured, and they drew their weapons in readiness to confront Typhon. Before their eyes Typhon metamorphosed into his human form, that of a wild eyed old man, and held up his hands. "You need not fear. Your friend has bested me, but at great cost to himself. Nonetheless, I have lost the challenge. Therefore, my aid shall be granted to you."

From behind him he heard, "My Queen, it's Butz! He has awakened!"

Butz, with considerable effort, lifted himself up from the bed. He was accutely aware that he was far from whole. The strain of using Celestia was great, and he would not be able to do it again without forfeiting his livelihood.

"So the hero finally awakens," intoned the queen's honeyed voice. The queen of fairies approached and sat down at the foot of the bed. Butz had never paid much attention to her, and only now did he notice her. Her emerald eyes fit strangely with her pink tresses, but somehow it was an appealing visage. Butz could have fell into her arms, but then the horror of leaving her behind returned to him, and sobered him.

"Deception does not befit a queen, Titania. You would do well not to pose as my beloved Lenna, lest I be forced to bury you, as I did my memory of her," Butz stated.

With her eyes half closed, Titania smiled. "So your endeavor has not robbed you of sensibility... how unfortunate." Then she shifted back into her true form.

Titania stood up in all of her marble chiseled grace as Butz asked. "How long has it been?"

Titania looked towards the heavens as if answering them. "Days? Weeks? Does it matter?"

"Please, queen Titania, my thoughts are in no mood to be led into a labyrinth," Butz dryly pleaded.

Titania gazed back at Butz with her ice blue orbs. "Five days, son of Dorgan Klauser... five days. You know something, speaking of Dorgan... he desired me... nay, lusted for me... but I... I would give him no favors, despite my anger at Oberon. I told him that I would be his if he could conquer Typhon. I did not think he would actually attempt something so foolish. Now you have done so, and I swore I would belong to Typhon's conqueror. So why do you refuse me? Am I not lovely enough for you? I could be any woman you want... any!"

"No, queen Titania, you could not," Butz replied, but she had shifted into the likeness of Lenna.

In Lena's voice she asked, "Am I what you desire?"

Butz knew it was not Lenna, but was not surprised at his response. "Yes..." Though he knew her not to be Lenna, she was the only other thing he desired, a chance to do something his father had not.

***************************************************************************

Oberon, Keyla, and Cyan returned from a long day. They had to date convinced several of the outcast espers to join their cause. The strength of Typhon's name lent them much aid.

" I think we have marshalled a sufficient amount of strength," Cyan commented as the trio entered the fairy vale.

"Perhaps, but Edgar's power is immense. I'm not sure enough power exists," Keyla replied.

Oberon seemed confident. "There is one other esper who may match the fiend Takar's power... perhaps dwarf it. But it is best if I recruit him myself. I shall make preparations, though I will need time. 'Tis best that you head back first."

Cyan appeared skeptical. "Who is this power that you speak of?"

Oberon thought about his answer. "Best that you do not know, lest you seek me should I fail." Cyan and Keyla pried more, but Oberon would not divulge anything.

They arrived in Butz's chamber to find him awake. Happy to see him up, Cyan asked him, "So how long have you been among the living?"

"Several hours," Butz replied truthfully, though his face was quite expressionless.

Keyla then inquired, "So are you travel-worthy?"

Butz stretched his arm. "I'll survive," he answered with a slight grimace.

Suddenly a messenger burst into the chambers. The messenger had flown far, and had the fatigue to show for it; he was panting as he delivered his message. "My liege... it's... Bahamut, he comes!".

Oberon's eyes widened as he considered why Bahamut would come. Oberon put on a good robe and stepped out to greet the king of monsters.

It had been some time since Oberon had seen the great dragon, but Bahamut was as impressive as ever. Bahamut's great grey mass towered over the tallest trees of the forest. Behind him was the royal family of the land.

"To what do I owe this honor, great Bahamut?" Oberon said with false glee.

Bahamut grunted, then answered, "You know why I am here, lord of Fey. You seek to take espers back into the realms of man? Have you not learned from the errors of the past?"

Oberon had been cornered, but instead of trademark fairy deception, he responded defiantly, "You do not rule the borderlands. We have chosen of free will to exist outside of your rule. If we do not follow any of your edicts, then why should we give this one any more thought?" he said, confident in his hand.

Bahamut scoffed. "Ever flighty and foolish are the Fey. Do you want our people transformed into the humans' weapons of war? Long have I tolerated the rule of others in the outskirts, but if you will not rule your people wisely, then it is apparent that I must! Look at your damned forest! Beyond the few fairies that make up your so-called court, there is nothing else! A direct result of open gates! Not a single bird sings! Not a single bug crawls! Tell me, what wisdom is there in pursuing this course?"

Oberon felt the soundness of Bahamut's arguement, but himself had beliefs in his cause. "So you would allow evil like Livouf Takar and his kind to usurp the otherworld? Tell me, how long after his conquest will he and others like him turn to our world? We must not allow him to establish a foothold! We must aid the humans lest we find ourselves faced with a greater problem."

Bahamut retorted, "Takar is not our problem! My first concern is our people, and so too should yours be!"

Oberon smiled slightly. "Even mighty Typhon sides with us, Bahamut. Would you oppose him as well?"

Bahamut was calm, and apparently aware of this. "My father abdicated the throne. He holds no sway, and I know he will not oppose my will." Bahamut spoke confidently.

Oberon was sure that Typhon would have been his ace, but Bahamut remain unfazed in the invocation of his name. Then a wild card was played.

"Tharses Ganei Kune!" shouted Leviathan.

Bahamut looked back at his brother. "WHAT?"

"You heard me, Bahamut! I challenge you!" Leviathan answered with a cold glare.

Bahamut appeared genuinely confused. "Rethink this course of action. I know you are unsure of what you do."

Leviathan was undaunted " I have never been more sure in my life! Tharses Ganei Kune! Do you accept?"

Bahamut sneered. "Laksha tiele! Name your conditions, as you are the younger brother."

Leviathan did not think for long. "No magic, and in the Sea of Mists."

By now the trio had arrived. "What's happening?" asked Keyla.

Oberon looked down. "Leviathan has challenged Bahamut to a battle to the death."

Everyone headed to the Sea of Mists to witness the battle. It seemed that all of esperdom, what little of it remained, had headed off to witness the grand battle.

The sides seemed evenly divided, though most of Leviathan's supporters were outcasts.

"If you concede now, little brother, there won't have to be bloodshed!" Bahamut pleaded.

"I worry little about my own blood, only yours!" Leviathan retorted. With that Leviathan dove into the sea and disappeared.

"Hmmmph, since there is no reasoning with you, I hope you are prepared to die for your insanity!" Bahamut countered as he took to the sky.

Bahamut scanned the waters for Leviathan. Leviathan had done well in choosing his own element for the arena. In any other it would have been over before it started, but Bahamut was confident. "Come, brother! Face me!" Bahamut yelled.

Leviathan obliged him by leaping behind him from the waters. Before Bahamut could react, Leviathan latched his jaws on to Bahamut's tail and dragged him into the briny deep. As they dove further Leviathan's coils began encircling Bahamut.

"Ingenious!" Bahamut thought. Leviathan was going to constrict him and drag him under where the water pressure would only enhance Leviathan's attack. Bahamut had to think of a way out before they went too deep.

Bahamut reacted with a combination of clawing and mini-SunFlares at many spots to weaken Leviathan's overall grasp. Leviathan eventually relented to the barrage, and Bahamut got loose and went up.

As Bahamut hovered slightly above the water, Leviathan's head popped up before him. "Why do you oppose me, brother?" Bahamut asked.

Leviathan maintained a cold stare. "Because you have forgotten!"

"Forgotten what?" Bahamut asked perplexedly.

Leviathan responded, "You have forgotten who you are! You have lived amongst humans for far too long! Look at yourself! You are a beast, yet you would walk like a man! You think that men are superior so you emulate them!"

Bahamut replied, "No, they are aware of their mortality. They understand that they are but tiny flickers in the grand scheme of things, and thus they strive harder to achieve self-enlightenment and understanding! They should be emulated, but instead I find our people complacent and shiftless. Our people are satisfied without understanding, and thus with all of our powers, we shall achieve far less!"

"You use the term people as if we could be branded as such! We are espers! Beasts! We are not to be bound by rules and edicts. If we wish to sacrifice our lives, then so be it! Why should we invest so much energy in self-enlightenment, when we already possess it!" Leviathan stated.

"You truly believe you understand all?" Bahamut asked sarcastically.

"I understand enough, because I have deemed it so! We are superior because we are not weighed down by a measurer's rule. We set what is necessary for ourselves rather than allow another faceless body to do so," Leviathan answered. With that, Leviathan unleashed an immense tidal wave. Bahamut flew up and barely avoided it.

But it was only a ruse to set up for Leviathan's next attack, a new strike that he had practiced for some time. Leviathan plunged deeply into the sea, then aimed himself towards the sky and jetted upwards with incredible velocity. This masterstroke would pierce even Bahamut's steely scales. Leviathan burst from the waters with Dagon's Harpoon.

The blow found Bahamut above it, but the king of summoned monsters was prepared. "Gigaflare!". Though the massive blast of power did little to change Leviathan's course, Leviathan lost all force as he careened headfirst into the blast. Bahamut picked up the dying Leviathan, and brought him onto the shore.

"Leviathan!" screamed Asura as she approached Leviathan's body. Asura focused much of her power, but saving an esper was far more difficult than saving a human. For countless moments she pursed energy into Leviathan's husk, but Leviathan remained motionless.

" It is over. Leviathan made his bid and lost," Bahamut declared as he tried to hold back his tears.

"No! It is not! I shall take on second brother's challenge, Bahamut!" vowed Terrato as he burst from below the Earth.

"Are you as well eager to die brother?" Bahamut asked solemnly. "I do not wish to take another on this day." Bahamut said tiredly.

"Better to die for what's right than live, knowing that I did nothing about it!" Terrato declared.

"Bahamut!" Typhon screamed, the force of his voice a hurricane wind to all but the largest espers. Oberon created a mystical barrier to keep his friends from flying off. "Now look here, junior! I have had it up to here with your self-righteous ass. I didn't think you would have killed Leviathan, but I was wrong. I'm not going to let you take Terry too!" Typhon ranted.

"Father!" Bahamut pleaded.

"Don't interrupt me, boy! Even after what they did to your mother, I have forgiven them! Not because I like the squishy things, present company excepted, but because our world can no longer fit us. The espers cannot evolve without humanity on the other side to always expose us to their ideas and dreams. We are more their creation then they are ours. Don't question my wisdom. Remember that I was the first amongst espers. Some other power has fashioned us from the dream stuff of men and women. And when men dreamed of magic, we developed it, and brought it to them. We serve some other purpose. Why do you think you are first among dragons? Because you more than any love them, but you think you have some duty to the espers. When their cries call out for you to mete out justice for them, you hear, but you feel that you can't respond, though I know you do sometimes. Your covenant goes against all you love, so why abide by it?"

Bahamut was motionless for an eternity. He looked at Leviathan's battered form, and his weeping wife trying to save him. He looked at Terrato's youthful vigor, and blind readiness to walk beside death, and Leviathan. He looked at father Typhon who, for the first time in his life, chose reason over force. "Very well, but only the outcasts may leave." Bahamut compromised.

"We've won!" Cyan declared.

Butz looked at Asura, who vigorously tried to hold on to what little life Leviathan held. "Did we?" he asked silently.

The doors leading to the lower decks opened and a large, powerful hand extended from the doorway, palm turned upwards. It withdrew, then returned with an umbrella. Butz walked onto the observation deck, cursing as he tried to shield himself from the rain. Keyla ignored him and kept her gaze fixed on the horizon.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Afraid that I might be trying to sabotage the ship? Or signal the Figaro navy?"

"What are you doing out here?" Butz asked. "You could drown in this sort of weather." He cursed again as a gust of wind inverted his umbrella, which wasn't doing much good anyways.

"I needed to get some fresh air," Keyla said. "I can't stand being confined down there with all the metal and machinery."

"At least it's warm and dry. You'll catch your death of cold in the rain."

"No," Keyla said. "It's better to be out here than down below, trapped with all those people and their microbes. Or so my parents said. They were both biologists, so they probably knew what they were talking about."

"Hmm. Are you sure you're not out here for another reason?"

Keyla lowered her eyes to the crashing waves before answering. "I can't blame the people of Doma for the way they treat me," she said softly. "I am the enemy, after all. And I know what it is like to lose loved ones. If... hating me helps them to deal with their pain and grief, then so be it." She turned to look at Butz. "So why did you come out here, anyways?"

"I had a couple of questions and I thought you might be able to answer them. The chocobos of this world...they are quite different from the ones from my world. I was thinking you might be able to tell me more about them."

Keyla shrugged. "My parents were the ones that discovered the purple chocobos."

"Discovered? Sounds like there's a story behind that."

"There is, although it's not all that exciting. Still, it's short, if you'd care to hear it."

"Please."

Keyla's gaze became distant as she recalled the events of her past. "It was nearly thirteen years ago..."

*****************************

"How much longer, Mom?" Keyla asked impatiently.

"Shh. If you want to see a chocobo hatch, you'll have to be patient," Dayne said.

"Just a little longer, Kay," Myron said. "It should be anytime now."

"We've been here for hours," Keyla said. "I'm soooooo bored..."

"This is what scientists do," Dayne said. "Don't you want to grow up to be a scientist like your mom and dad?"

"I don't want to be a scientist," Keyla said. "I want to be a chocobo rider. I want to go riding around the desert and chasing away all the monsters."

"We'll see when you get older," Myron said. "Wait... look, Kay! I think the chocobo is hatching." The chocobo that had been resting in the nest was now standing next to it, along with her mate. Keyla gasped in excitement as the large speckled egg resting in the nest quivered, then cracked with an audible groan. She watched, amazed, as the top half of the egg shattered to reveal the chick inside.

"What? A purple chocobo?" Dayne said. She blinked again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, then looked back at the nest. Sure enough, the chick within the shell was purple in coloration, not the expected yellow.

"This is incredible!" Myron said. "A mutation as drastic as this could mean the beginning of a new species. And to think we were here to observe it... wait, what's going on?" The adult chocobos began to back away from the nest, then turned and fled into the forest.

"They're abandoning the chick," Dayne said. "Evidently the parents are as confused about this as we are excited. I think we'd better - wait, where's Keyla? Kay? Kay!"

Keyla ignored her mother's shouts as she made her way down the ridge and arrived at the nest. The chick struggled, then managed to break out of the remaining shell. It wobbled unsteadily and plopped into the bottom of the nest with a shrill peep. Keyla laughed as she reached down to pat the bird on its fuzzy head.

"I'm going to call you Bork," she said.

**************************

"A mutation of yellow chocobos?" Butz said.

"Yes," Keyla said. "And as we observed Bork grow, we noticed a few remarkable things about him. First, he was highly intelligent. Second, he could fly. And third, he and I began to share some sort of telepathic link, which allowed us to 'talk' to each other. When we converse, we don't actually understand each other's language, but instead the link allows us to convey an idea of what we mean."

"Fascinating," Butz said. "I've never heard of anything like it."

"Neither had anyone else in Figaro. The interest in both Bork and myself was considerable. I guess you could say that most of my life has been one big scientific experiment," she said, with a brittle smile. Butz hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Well, that isn't important," Keyla said finally. "The important thing is that my parents were able to isolate the gene that caused the purple chocobo mutation. Yet they also discovered something more sinister. A different mutation of the same gene would produce black chocobos like the ones you saw back at Doma. They are stronger, faster fliers, and vicious fighters, but there's... something wrong with them. They're... evil. Sometimes they fly into terrible rages, even attacking their riders.

"The military immediately requested that my parents hand over their work and begin breeding black chocobos. However, they didn't want their discoveries to be used for war, especially the black chocobos. In the end, a compromise was reached. A half-dozen of each type of chocobo would be bred, and they would be tested. The type that performed the best would be integrated into the military."

"So you became the captain of the purple wingriders, hoping to prevent the black chocobos from being used," Butz said. "First a test subject, then a soldier... not much of a childhood."

"I suppose not," Keyla said. "Still, I don't regret it. Finding Bork was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Flying is the most beautiful experience in the world. The feel of the air as it rushes by, the peacefulness of the blue sky, the breathtaking view, the sense of freedom... nothing can compare to them. Or to the things I've seen because of flying; the brilliant crimson and orange glow of the sun as it rises over the mountains; the rainbows glittering in the spray of Baren Falls; the snow as it softly covers the mountains in white sheets. All the art, inventions, and constructions of mankind pale in comparison."

"I understand what you mean," Butz said. "I've felt those same things myself, thanks to Boco."

"Sometimes I wish that I could fly forever," Keyla said wistfully. "Just soar away into the sky, leaving my worries and concerns behind. I know it isn't possible; I have too many responsibilities and duties to attend to. Still, I like to think about it from time to time," she concluded, with a genuine smile. Butz smiled back, and they stood there smiling at each other in the pouring rain until Keyla finally looked away, blushing. "So..." she stammered, but was interrupted by the sound of the door to the lower deck opening.

"Butz! The king wants to see you," the boy said as he peered out into the rain. "He says it's important and it can't wait."

"Coming," Butz said. "I guess we can continue our conversation at another time," he said to Keyla, who nodded. He closed his umbrella and disappeared into the doorway. The boy turned to follow him.

"Ah... your name is Koro, isn't it? I... I -" Her words trailed off as the boy turned and gave her a frigid glare filled with hate and contempt. Then he was gone, entering the doorway and slamming the door shut behind him. Keyla stood motionless for a moment, suddenly crushed, then resumed her vigil at the rail. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, knowing that the boy had lost his father in the attack on Doma. She had always thought that she had never killed another person before, but was that really true? She was a member of an organization which had attacked and killed innocents. How many was she responsible for? "I'm sorry..." she said again, then she broke down and wept, her tears mingling freely with the rain. Yet at the same time she realized what she had to do. She would stop Edgar and his madness, even if the cost were her own or his life.

Bahamut knew that Leviathan would die. For all of Asura's power and devotion, the force of Gigaflare left no survivors. "Why did I do that?" Bahamut thought. Bahamut had expected an easy battle, but somehow Leviathan had rattled his composure, and for the first time in centuries, Bahamut had felt anger. Why would Leviathan, of all espers, be the first to turn on him? Bahamut was never truly aware of Leviathan's animosity, and had always assumed that their brotherhood would hold over all else. So much had changed. Bahamut sat down in a corner, lost in his thoughts and questions.

***************************************************************************

"The Outcasts make ready to return, though in deference to Bahamut, the others will stay in the land of summoned monsters," Oberon informed the three.

"How long before they can cross the barrier?" Cyan asked.

"I'm not sure, though Bahamut promises that it will be down soon."

"We can't wait! Who knows what King Edgar may be doing now?" Keyla declared.

"Yes, I actually agree with her, we should return as soon as possible," Cyan concurred "I just hope we have enough to take on Livouf Takar. If we can find my old companions, it would be much easier. What do you think, Butz?"

"Huh, what?" Butz asked. Butz had paid little heed to their discussion. He thought about Leviathan, and his possible death mostly, though his refusal of Titania was also in mind. Butz turned to them and answered, "Well, where would we start? It's been some time, and throughout all of the chaos... well, they may not even live!"

Oberon gave Butz a frazzled stare. "You don't seem very cheerful, my friend... still thinking about Leviathan?"

Butz's returning gaze was sharp and unwavering. "It was my damned fault that he's dying!"

Keyla asked, "What? How could you be responsible?"

"It was I who goaded him into challenging Bahamut. I was expecting some resistance from Bahamut, so I convinced Leviathan to make the challenge of death. I had expected Bahamut to back down rather than kill his own brother. Guess I don't know them as well as I think I do," Butz answered.

Oberon put his hand on Butz's shoulder. "Leviathan would have done so anyway. You know that he has never enjoyed being second among espers. He's as rash and unpredictable as the waves at his command."

Butz did not face Oberon as he answered, "That does not mean that I did not push him over."

Keyla whispered to Cyan, "Perhaps we should pack and leave Butz some time to himself."

Cyan stared at Butz and Oberon then answered loudly, "No!" Cyan stomped up to Butz. "Perhaps you are responsible, and perhaps you are not. One thing that does not change is our duty. Sulking here accomplishes nothing, and does not alleviate the pains felt by Edgar's victims," Cyan stated resolutely. Cyan hoped that his words would not adversely affect Butz, but knew little about subtlety.

Butz picked himself up. "Still much work left to do," he spoke in a low tone.

Cyan smiled on the inside. "Good lad. Let us make haste!" he said as he began picking up his personal items.

***************************************************************************

Everyone assembled outside of the forest. Keyla arrived last with a heavy satchel. Hints of clanging glass emanated from the dull, brown sack. "What's in the bag, Keyla?" Butz inquired as Keyla approached.

Keyla smiled. "Our secret weapon. Oberon was kind enough to give me several bottles of fairy vintages. I've enough to take out the entire sentry garrison."

Butz laughed, "And what, pray tell, will we do, Captain Brillare, should one of these potables turn Edgar's troops into fire-breathing dragons?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe another will turn them into holes for the dragons to fall through," Keyla joked.

"Hmmph, if you are done with your antics, perhaps we can go?" Cyan interrupted. Both nodded their heads, and they went off.

***************************************************************************

It turned out that Osric had considerable mechanical aptitude. When the party arrived, the Nautilus was fully repaired. The party was greeted by Osric, who was smeared all over with grease, and Koro, who was aiding him.

"So how goes everything?" Cyan asked.

"Great! there were monsters and more monsters, but I being the master ninja that I am... well, I kicked their butts good!" Koro beamed.

Osric chuckled. "Well, my time was not nearly as exciting as Koro's, but I believe I have the Nautilus in working order."

"Good man!" Cyan responded with a nod. "Anything left to do?"

" I just have to adjust a few things and make some final checks - no more than fifteen minutes, sire," Osric answered.

"Well then, let us board!" Cyan declared. "Ladies first..." Cyan declared as he stepped aside for Keyla to enter.

"What? I will sorely miss 'Dog of Figaro'." Keyla joked as she boarded.

"Come now, Butz, let us make haste!" Cyan said to Butz.

"In a moment, I wish to make my last goodbyes." Butz answered.

Cyan nodded. "As you wish."

"I owe you much, Obie." Butz began.

Oberon shook his head. "Oh, please don't call me that. You know how much I hate Titania's pet name."

Butz smiled. "At least I didn't use it in front of my friends. Anyway, thank you. My debt to you is great."

Oberon thought for a while. "Save the world and all that rot, and I shall considered it repaid."

"Agreed!" answered Butz as he shook Oberon's hand. "Oh, by the way, there is something I must tell you about your wife... she's a... she's -"

"A tramp?" Oberon finished. "Well, I suppose she feels that she has to be as vengeance. I guess she is in the right considering that I started it... you didn't."

"No." Butz responded. "I refused her outright!".

Oberon burst into laughter. "So, the great Titania... turned down! Oh, what I would give to have seen her expression. You'll have to tell me about it sometime."

"I should be going." Butz said while looking skyward.

Oberon nodded in agreement. "Well then... godspeed, and may the fates smile upon thee, Butz."

"Goodbye, Oberon" Butz answered as he boarded the Nautilus.

Oberon waved back. It might truly be goodbye this time. Oberon made his way back to prepare to recruit the last of the outcasts.

"Set an extra place at your table, Nothingness. The lord of Fey intends to pay you a visit."

"Rough night, huh?" Butz whispered to her. "Nightmares?"

"Something like that," Keyla said. She wasn't about to describe the dream in detail, how she had returned to Figaro to find it ruined and her father waiting there to kill her. What's wrong with me? she wondered. Why can't I let go?

"Now, as I was saying," Cyan continued, "we simply don't have the manpower or equipment to take on Figaro alone. And given the superiority of Figaro's forces, I doubt that hastily trained and equipped militia from other towns would prove effective. Thus, the only recourse appears to be to remove the evil at its source."

"Go directly after King Edgar? That won't work," Keyla said. "It's impossible to approach Figaro without being noticed. There are constant patrols by land and air even at night, and I imagine that Edgar's powers could sense even a small group. It would be suicidal to attempt."

"So what do you suggest instead?" Cyan asked.

"Butz and I have been working on a plan. We think we have found a way to capture South Figaro and then lead an attack on Figaro itself."

"How?" one soldier asked. "We don't have the resources to capture a walled city, much less a fortress like Figaro."

"We'll use the faerie wine we obtained from Oberon," Butz said. "If used correctly, it should be able to put most of the city to sleep before anyone realizes what is going on. Furthermore, the wine should dispel any enchantments or mental control placed on the people of South Figaro. All we need to do is to figure out some way of dispensing it."

"Put it in the water supply?" Cyan suggested.

"No," Keyla said. "That would take too long and wouldn't affect enough people. Instead, what if we sprayed the wine over the city from the air? I imagine that breathing the fumes would produce much the same effect as drinking it directly."

"We'll use Boco and Bork to fly over the city and drop the wine," Butz said. "I imagine we can build a sprayer from the scrap and spare parts aboard the Nautilus. While it might be best to stage the raid at night, it will have to be done during the day to catch the greatest number of people outdoors."

Low murmurs broke out around the table as Butz finished. They quieted as Cyan began to speak. "I think this is a reasonable plan. However, both of you will be out in the open and vulnerable to enemy fire. It could be very dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I owe it to the people of Doma," Keyla said.

"Sounds like fun to me," Butz said, grinning.

Cyan nodded. "Then it's settled. Butz and Keyla will drop the wine while the rest of us stage a diversion to provide them with some cover. We will carry out the plan as soon as all preparations are complete. Good luck to everyone." The council room filled with noise and conversation as the meeting adjourned.

"I don't want to expose anyone to something as chaotic as faerie wine," Cyan stated as he approached Osric, and pointed the sprayer down.

***************************************************************************

Boco was hungry... again. Those last eight turnips just didn't quell his voracious appetite. Then a lovely fragrance caught his beak. It emanated from Osric's other spray cannon. Boco approached it unflinchingly. "Must be a chocobo feeder, yeah, that's the ticket!" thought the bird. Boco locked his beak onto the barrel, but nothing happened. "Hmm, must have some kind of lever. Humans are oft amused by those things!" Boco mused.

This would be one of those times when Boco's genius would be his downfall, similar to the last eight times he accosted something bigger than a house with the intent to feed. "Ah, shiny lever!" Boco discovered, and without a second thought, pulled it. A cloud of carmine spewed directly into his beak.

The chocobo burped. Boco note with extreme displeasure that his body was ballooning with gas, and that he was slowly rising. It was not long before he smacked into the ceiling, and drew the attention of everyone else.

***************************************************************************

Butz looked at the evidence before him, and decided, "It works!" Then he went forth with the unenviable task of bringing Boco down.

As Butz futilely jumped up and down, Keyla stammered, "Wait - since Boco can now technically fly on his own power, we can leave immediately instead of waiting a day for Butz to mix a flight potion."

By now Butz had managed to grab onto Boco's tail feathers, but found himself suspended from the floating bird. "You must be joking!" he said as he attempted to drag himself and Boco down.

"Time is of the essence, lad!" Cyan added.

"Then how exactly will I saddle and ride him?" Butz asked, though he meant it more as a "There's no way in hell this is going to work!"

"We could strap you under him," Keyla suggested as she giggled to herself.

Butz, oblivious to the sarcasm, said, "Okay, what about momentum?"

"Burp him!" Cyan volunteered, though he could not contain himself in the least.

"Okay, I guess that might work," Butz replied.

Keyla and Cyan looked at each other, then waved their hands as if to halt him. "It was a joke, Butz!" Keyla answered.

"We wouldn't send anyone out in something like that!" Cyan said.

"Well, we'd have the element of surprise!" Butz said proudly.

"Surprise? Who's not going to notice an inflated chocobo?" Cyan asked.

Butz promptly pulled out the almanac he had gotten from the opera house, and tossed it to Cyan. "Turn to page 134," Butz said while maintaining his grip on Boco.

"St. Varune's day... I had forgotten in all of this chaos!"

***************************************************************************

The legends say that the sainted chocobo herd Barune, bored with his monotonous life, went out in search of the heavens. He spent many of his years searching futilely. One day he felt his death come closer as he rode his chocobo up Sky Mountain. He fell asleep on his steed, but woke up in the celestial palace. There he lived well, but he missed his family, so he went back down, and lived until his time. 'Tis said that chocobos are the messengers of heaven. Since they can't fly, people make large balloons, and paint them as chocobos. They tie their hopes and dreams to these balloons, hoping that the gods will recieve them as they float to heaven. This is done annually on the anniversary of Varune's death.

***************************************************************************

"I'll make the initial pass, and try to pick off as many as I can, then Keyla will come in and pick off stragglers, since everyone knows that chocobo balloons don't come in purple," Butz explained.

Then Osric entered the war room. "We're at the underground waterway!"

"How far from the town?" Cyan asked.

"Fifteen to twenty minute flight," Osric answered.

"Good enough," Cyan thought. "Alright, make ready to go."

"Before we go off!" Keyla interrupted as she entered with a bottle of wine and glasses.

"A toast?" Cyan asked. "What to?"

Keyla popped the cork, and proceeded to fill the glasses. "To a successful expedition!" Keyla answered as she lifted her glass.

"To a world rid of the evils of Takar and his ilk!" Cyan added.

"To you all returning in one piece," Osric said with a nod then a sniff. "Kabreghan Mead 1345. I did not think a bottle of it still existed!" Then he raised his glass with the others.

Butz looked down and the gazed at the raised glasses. "May those who tell our stories paint us as favorably as we do when we are stinking drunk!" Then he raised his glass. The glasses clanged, and all took a good strong swig.

Bork and Boco were in the air in a few minutes. As Boco floated slowly, Butz contemplated on how to manuever the Boco balloon with some semblance of velocity. Butz patted Boco on the stomach, and the bird let out a massive burp. The force carried the two far ahead of Keyla and Bork.

As the pair approached the city of South Figaro, a sentry yelled, "Sergeant!"

"At ease, son, what is it?" replied the Figaran officer.

"Sir, I think you should have a look!" said the young soldier as he handed the sergeant a spyglass.

The sergeant rotated the front of the glass and focused on the object of the young officer's concern. "Hmm... well, what have we here? It's a chocobo balloon, but..." thought the sergeant. Then he asked the sentry, "Son, what day is it today?"

"The 15th... sir!" responded the sentry.

"Of course! It's St. Varune's day! I had forgotten with the events of late." thought the sergeant. "Don't worry, private. It's just a Varune's day balloon, probably got caught in the updraft," stated the sergeant, unaware of just how much closer Butz was getting.

Butz decided that he was a optimal distance, and that being any closer would reveal himself as well. "Boco... big burp!". The chocobo responded with an enormous blast, shooting him and Butz across the expanse of South Figaro. Butz wasted no time and started spraying. The fumes caught many, and they succumbed to the paranormal fairy slumber.

"What the...?" screamed the sergeant before he fell at the hands of the mist. Over half the city was down before... "Damn, out of spray!" cursed Butz, then noted an even greater problem. "Oh God, Boco, don't tell me you're out of gas!" The chocobo could only chirp in agreement as he began a hasty downward spiral into a stack of hay.

Butz pulled himself from the pile unhurt, though Boco was quite stunned from that nose dive. Already Figaran troops were surrounding him. Butz reflexively went for his double swords, but realized that they were still on Boco. "Oh well," he thought, then rushed the troops. Butz plowed through them with lethal hand strikes, but he knew that they would take him down long before he could kill them all. " Keyla, you'd best hurry," he thought.

Keyla was shackled with her own obstacles. By the time she was in view, the defenders of Figaro had regrouped, and colored the sky above with their autocrossbows. Bork's deft flying left most of the arrows to strike clouds, but even he was taking a fair share of the bolts. "Pull out, Bork!" Keyla ordered mentally, but Bork felt how important this was and refused. Instead Bork let loose a chilling shriek, and dove madly. As the marksmen reloaded their crossbows, an angry chocobo was upon them like some resolute war god. It broke them and they ran to find their companions.

Keyla strafed low and began unloading her cargo on South Figaro. Unlike Butz, she fired selectively, since she was not presented with hoards of scampering people. As people came out to see what the commotion was about, she tranquilized them as well. In the distance she saw a large mob encircling one man, but with few willing to actually go against him. She directed Bork to fly towards them, and made ready with her spray cannon.

"C'mon, who's next?" Butz challenged as he smashed his last assailant with his fiery hands. It was much easier to enchant blades, but he knew that the power would be better used to deter the crowd from running him over. An elephant of a man wielding a oaken club charged at him. Butz sidestepped the blow though he felt the power behind it. Butz drew back his right fist, as his aggressor pulled his club from the soft earth. Then his fist flew into the man's face. The big man screamed, though the reason could easily have been his caved in nose as it could have been the fact that his head was burning to a cinder. In the corner of his eye he saw a purple form approach. "Better late than never," Butz thought as he held his breath. The crowd was unsure of what to do next, and slowly fell victim to the red mist.

"Whew!" Butz thought, as he fell to his knees tired. Keyla landed in front of him. "So, is that everyone?" Butz asked.

***************************************************************************

Leviathan's great eyes opened. Asura's six hands were upon his chest, though she was worn and asleep beside him. Leviathan placed his great scaly claw on her back, and he thought nothing of the event that had brought him here. The darkness had a way of inspiring inactivity. Leviathan gazed up through the skylight at the stars.

Then promptly shut his eyes to sleep again.

"Yes, still much to do." he thought.

Butz rose to his feet and began dusting himself off. "Okay, I should be able to help with that," he said. "Boco, let's go." The chocobo remained where he was, comfortably sitting in the pile of hay. "Boco, I said we're going." Butz sighed, then picked up the large yellow bird and set him on his feet. "I told you that- URGH!" Boco's kick sent Butz crashing to the ground with all the grace of a Veldtan ground sloth. Butz raised his head just enough to see Boco racing down the street as fast as his legs would take him. "Bad Boco! Come back here!" He dropped his head to the ground in defeat as Keyla unsuccessfully tried to stifle her laughter.

"Touchy, isn't he?" Keyla said.

Butz sighed. "We've been together for quite a long time. He knows he can get away with disobeying me once in a while."

"Reminds me of someone else," Keyla said, as she turned to Bork to inspect the chocobo's wounds. She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that his feathers had protected him from most of the crossbow bolts. Bork chirped happily as she finished. "You were very lucky," she chided. "Just a few scratches. What were you thinking of up there? You could have been hurt far worse, maybe killed." Bork chirped decisively. "Yes, you did save the invasion force, but next time listen to me when I say something. Okay? I don't want to be digging your grave anytime soon." She wrapped her arms around the chocobo's neck and gave him a fierce hug. Then her eyes opened wide as her sharp hearing picked out the distinctive sound of combat boots on cobblestone. She turned to find four Figaran soldiers rounding a corner not more than thirty yards away. Butz noticed the danger and jumped to his feet just as the soldiers brought their autocrossbows to bear.

Keyla acted before the soldiers could finish aiming, snapping up her autocrossbow and firing a hail of bolts. The projectiles impaled themselves into the surrounding buildings, narrowly missing their targets. The soldiers squeezed the triggers to return fire, then paused, stunned, as they realized that Keyla's shots had severed the bowstrings on their crossbows.

"Surrender!" Keyla shouted.

"Yeah, what she said," Butz added. The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, then drew their swords and charged. Keyla shrugged and shot them in the legs. Sounds from the city wall above drew her attention, and she turned and fired at two soldiers, knocking the crossbows from their hands with a pair of well-placed shots. The soldiers backed away and fled in panic. Butz gave a low whistle as Keyla reloaded. "That was amazing. Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"I've always been good with weapons," Keyla said. "By the way - if that was a standard squad, which it probably was, there should be another two soldiers coming around the corner over there." She raised her autocrossbow and fired as the two soldiers appeared, this time shattering their crossbows. The soldiers discarded the useless weapons and drew their swords.

"I take one, you take the other?" Butz asked.

"Fair enough," Keyla said. "Want a weapon?"

"Nah." Butz assumed a combat stance as Keyla holstered her crossbow and drew her sword. The two soldiers charged them, slashing ferociously with their swords. Butz sidestepped his attacker, then grabbed the soldier's arm and knocked the sword away. Keyla parried, then snapped her foot into the soldier's face, followed by a spinning crescent kick off her back heel which sent the soldier crashing to the ground at the same time that Butz's soldier flew through the air and collided with a building.

Keyla scanned the area for any other soldiers, then walked over to Bork and disengaged the sprayer from the chocobo's harness. "Time to bring these soldiers back to their senses," she said, as she gave each of the captured soldiers a brief spray.

"What about their wounds?" Butz asked.

"No time to treat them now. Let the search parties deal with them. We need to gather everyone who needs to be sprayed and get them all at once. The wine is starting to run low."

"You know, it's almost a shame to waste it like that," Butz remarked.

"What, do you want to be sprouting poetry again?"

Butz grinned. "Was I really? What did I say?"

Keyla shrugged. "Let's just say that your world must have some strange customs. Okay, time to get to work. We have a whole town to finish subduing."

Keyla entered the inn, which now served as a temporary headquarters for the Doman forces. She found Butz and Cyan waiting in one of the rooms, anxiously studying the angry clouds. "So how did the meeting with the Figaran troops go?" Cyan asked.

"As well as could be expected," Keyla replied. She shivered a little as she walked over to the others and looked out the window. "Something terrible is happening in Figaro," she whispered. A low rumble began somewhere deep in the earth, then the room began to shake violently as the entire town was caught in the throes of the quake. The three companions grabbed for anything within reach as their surroundings buckled crazily.

"This is Edgar's doing!" Cyan shouted, above the roar.

"Wait! Look!" Butz shouted, pointing out the window. They looked out to see bolts of blue-white lightning flashing through the clouds. The lightning annihilated any of the darkness it touched, and with an audible wail that sent chills down Keyla's spine, the clouds began to recede. The quake died down as well, leaving only a shattered vase and a few overturned objects to mark its passing. Keyla jumped to her feet and ran to the window. The clouds were gone, replaced by the beautiful deep blue desert sky that she was so fond of.

"What was that?" Cyan said. "Could it be that... someone defeated Edgar?"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions," Butz said. "That could have been one of his spells. Or something totally unrelated to Edgar."

"Then let us proceed with the original plan," Cyan said. "So," he said, turning to Keyla, "who is the commanding officer now?"

"Me," Keyla said.

"You?"

"That's right. The commander left with the expedition to Tzen, leaving Captain Tesh in charge. I outrank her, though, since I'm assigned to an elite unit."

"That certainly simplifies things," Butz said. "Now you can order the troops to attack, rather than having to convince some higher-up."

"Yes," Keyla said, "but we will need some time to organize and make preparations. I don't think we will be ready to mount an assault for about a week."

"A week, huh?" Butz said. "Hmm...that should be enough time to map out those tunnels you mentioned."

"Tunnels?" Cyan said. "Leading to Figaro?"

Keyla nodded. "Back when Figaro had an accident and had to be abandoned, a network of tunnels was discovered leading from the Cave of Figaro to the west to Figaro. Those tunnels, if they still exist, could be the perfect way to enter Figaro."

"Okay," Cyan said. "You ready the soldiers, and Butz and I will go map out the tunnels. Who knows...we might even be able to take a look at Figaro itself."

"Fine, but be careful," Keyla said. "Don't try to fight Edgar on your own."

"Yes, sir," Butz said jokingly. He and Cyan left to prepare for their mission. Keyla remained in the room, staring pensively out the window. Maybe the evil had been destroyed, maybe Figaro was already free of whatever creature that had possessed King Edgar. Perhaps, but at the same time, she had a sinking feeling that something else had gone terribly wrong.

"Huh? Oh, I see! Darned imports, wish they came with instructions," replied Liupek.

"Wait, wait, we're getting a picture!" announced Ukthas as he waved his feathered wings.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" screamed a human voice.

"Damn, the antenna is acting up again... tell me why we didn't gag it?" asked Yondac as his great insectoid mass approached the "antenna".

Ukthas turned towards his gargantuan sibling. "Well, the last time we did we got that stupid Howdy Doody show... and frankly, that was a disgusting program."

"But I liked it!" Liupek protested.

"What? You must be joking!" Gedron replied with a sneer of contempt.

As they argued Yondac grasped the human in one hand and turned him over. He then planted the human headfirst into the metal ring in the ground. A "bzzt" passed through the air, then Ukthas exclaimed, "Ahh, clarity... we have it, guys!" The four demons turned to the cascade of blood raining from a slit in the ceiling and emptying into an abyss before them.

"Ooh, there's the target!" Gedron pointed out.

Ukthas blinked a few times, then said, "That's it? That scrawny thing is our objective? Have the Kin of Bane fallen so low in status that we get so measly an assignment? Ya know, boys... I am insulted, I am truly insulted. Why, I'll bet the Legion of Perversion set this up... yeah, they've always hated us. We oughtta go to their doorstep and rip their spleens out... then we'll rip out the other... yeah."

Yondac nodded his massive head " I agree. This task, it's below us... I mean, WE ARE THE KIN OF BANE! Give us real work like taking down the Imperial legions or something!"

"Uhh, guys?" Liupek asked half-heartedly.

"Yeah?" the other three asked in unison.

Liupek cleared his throat. "It says here that the target is the bearer of the seed!"

"The seed?" the three asked simultaneously.

Liupek glanced back with a confident air. For once they were listening to him. "Yup, the seed! So this isn't some measly kill the scrawny human mission, this is the grandest exploit of demonkind! We'll be first among demons after this. The Kin of Bane will reassert themselves as numero uno!" Liupek beamed proudly.

"So what are we waiting for?" Yondac asked. Ukthas smiled as much as his beak would allow. "Alright, let's do it! Open a portal, Gedron."

Gedron nodded then shut his lidless eyes as he began an incantation. After numberless moments a cleft of shining black opened. Ukthas looked at the gate, then said, " Set a few more places at your table, because the Kin of Bane are coming for you, Keyla Brillare!"

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Keyla dropped onto her bed, tired. She had been drilling the troops for what seemed like weeks, and the toll to her was obvious. She just wanted a nice twelve hours of uninterrupted rest. Unfortunately, as she finally got comfortable, an obsidian glow scarred the daylight sky. Keyla drew her autocrossbow, and hurried to the window. And though her fatigue tempted her to rest and allow another to investigate, she would not take the chance of allowing the legions of evil to gain an advantage.

"Hey guys, we're here!" exclaimed Liupek. Liupek had always enjoyed visiting the blue planet, even if everything on it either ran in utter fear, or tried to kill the Kin.

"We'll have time to get munchies later. Let's just find this Keyla Brillare and get it over with!" declared Ukthas.

"They're after me." Keyla thought to herself. Butz and Cyan had disappeared into the tunnels a week ago, and without them she was not sure of her chances. It was always better to have them around; it made her feel safer. "Better take advantage of my position," Keyla thought out loud. "Let's see... one reptilian, one avian, one gargoyle, and what must be the biggest bug I've ever seen! The avian looks like their leader, but the big bug is probably the major threat." Keyla considered. She took aim at Yondac's head and unloaded a barrage of bolts.

"Owowowowowowowowowowowow!" Yondac winced.

"What's the matter, bro?" asked Gedron. Yondac plucked an arrow from his porcupined head. "Hey, someone's been shooting toothpicks at me!"

"There!" Ukthas pointed out to the inn. Keyla stood at the window, hastily reloading. Ukthas surged into the air and hovered before the window. The eldest of the Kin drew in his breath and the unleashed a stroke of lightning. Keyla quickly ducked as the bolt singed her mattress, setting goose down to the winds. Keyla, deciding that a small room was a bad place to hold out, rolled towards the entrance spilling quarrels all over the floor. Keyla was through the door as it began to burn from Ukthas' second blast. " I'll burn her out!" Ukthas stated, then fired a storm's worth of lightning.

"She's coming down!" Ukthas warned from the sky.

"I'll get her!" Liupek stated enthusiastically as he positioned himself at the side of the door. Unfortunately, Liupek neglected to pay attention to the fact that he was on the side with the hinges. Keyla burst from the burning. The sudden opening of the entrance caught Liupek off guard, and drove him into the wall.

"Liupek, you fool!" Gedron screamed as he charged at Keyla. Keyla paused shortly to catch her breath, and to see Liupek's collision with the burning inn. Liupek's crash shattered the foundation and brought the inn down. Keyla was relieved that this section of South Figaro was abandoned for the use of the army.

Keyla barely saw the glint of Gedron's claws as he rushed her. Keyla turned to fire on him, but Gedron's speed was nothing if not astonishing. His two claws struck in one motion. His left cleaved the autocrossbow, while his right locked on to Keyla's throat. Gedron blasted Keyla with a cloud of noxious gas. The cloud of green quickly brought Keyla to unconsciousness. "Awright, my demon Gedron did it!" Yondac commented then gave Gedron a gently pat on the back, knocking second brother into the dirt.

"Hmm, that wasn't too much of a chore," commented Ukthas as he pulled Liupek from the burning building.

As if on cue hundreds of arrows bit into Yondac's haunch. "Hey! Someone's been shooting things at my ass!" screamed the demon. The four turned to see the army of Figaro with their autocrossbows drawn on them.

"Hey guys! Lunch time!" Liupek said.

Ukthas flew up to Yondac's head. "I'm in the mood for pancakes!"

Yondac's mandibles drew a wide grin. Yondac shambled towards the imperial garrison with all of the grace of a landslide. The troops fired several bursts at him, but nothing would slow him down. Yondac raised his great claw and brought it down on the front ranks.

His claw dropped before the troops, barely missing them. The marksmen were too frozen with dread to notice that the claw had been severed from its arm. Atop a nearby building stood Cyan, his blade drenched in Yondac's foul ichor. "Huh? What?" asked Yondac as he looked at his arm.

"Hey you! Yeah, stumpy!" Cyan yelled out as he pointed his katana at Yondac.

Yondac turned to face King Garamonde. The thirty foot tall giant faced Cyan face to face, then lashed out with his left claw. Cyan leapt as the claw parted the building he once stood on. Yondac looked towards the heavens to find Cyan diving like some avenging angel. Cyan impaled Yondac between the eyes.

The giant pulled up his claw, and attempted to crush Cyan. But by then Cyan had jumped off of Yondac's head. The Doman king latched onto a rafter to keep himself from hurling to the ground. Nonetheless, Cyan had left a gift. Yondac's claw did not find Cyan. Instead his blow drove Sky Render through his head, and onto the ground below. Yondac's behemoth mass struck the ground, and shook all that stood.

Cyan wiped the dark fluids from Sky Render, and drew it from the earth. He pointed the blade at the three remaining kin." Next?" he asked with an air of confidence.

"Let's just grab the chick and run, guys!" Liupek stammered.

"No way! The old man's gonna get it for what he did to third brother!" Gedron screamed as he charged Cyan.

"Say, where'd she go?" Ukthas asked as he scanned for Keyla, who was nowhere to be found.

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"Rest here, Keyla," Butz said as he put her down a few blocks away from the battle. Cyan's distraction had worked, but even Cyan couldn't take on all of those demons. Butz quickly ran back toards the battle.

Gedron was angry and deadly, not a particularly pleasant combination. Cyan was held on the defensive by the lizard daemon. Gedron's claws constantly flashed, though Cyan's skill allowed him to parry most of the blows. "I just hope he tires soon," Cyan thought.

Butz ran down the alley at the remaining brothers. As he neared, pearls of holy energy drew towards his fists. Liupek turned as Butz approached, but was struck down long before he could retaliate, his chest burned by the power of the white aura. Ukthas reacted far sooner, and was in the sky as Butz reached him. Ukthas seared the earth with lightning bolts, and laughed as Butz dodged around the blasts.

"One chance." thought Butz. He drew into his pouch and retrieved two pieces of Dark Matter. His aim had suffered greatly since the war in the land of summoned monsters. "Have to make this perfect," Butz thought. Butz spread out his arms, then lanced both pieces of Dark Matter into the air.

Ukthas made ready to dodge, but didn't when he realized that both pieces would knock each other off course. "You'll have to do better than that, human!" Ukthas cried defiantly.

As the two pieces collided, they burst into a ShadowFlare. The resultant explosion knocked the insulting avian from the air, wounded but not dead. Butz waited as the avian dropped in front of him, then at the final instant unfettered a pearled uppercut. Ukthas crashed a few yards in front of him, dead.

"Ukthas!" yelled Gedron as he saw his eldest brother fall. The distraction would cost him as Cyan took the opportunity to catch his breath. Gedron turned back to finish Cyan so that he could kill Butz quickly. Gedron lunged with both claws, but Cyan managed to catch him with a stomach roll, sending the demon flying.

Gedron recovered quickly and renewed his attack on the prone swordsman, but was felled as Cyan threw Sky Render through Gedron's stomach. Cyan gazed at the demon loathingly, but stopped to check on Butz before he collapsed from the cuts he received.

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Keyla awoke to find Bork and Boco guarding Liupek. The claw marks all over the demon's hide testified to just how nasty an angry pair of chocobos could be. Keyla stood, though she still felt weak from the gas. The chocobos walked over to her to help. Liupek made his gambit to escape.

Liupek ran as quickly as his legs would allow him towards the site of the gate. Liupek incanted the words to uncover the invisible doorway, only to find Butz and Cyan on the other side. Cyan pointed Sky Render at Liupek's throat. "What the hell are you?"

Liupek could tell from their expressions that they had seen the host of demonkind and laughed. "So now you know you're doomed! Once we have Keyla Brillare, the seed shall allow use to rend the veil between our worlds, and we shall set you blue planet afire!" In truth, he did not want to harm the planet, but he needed that as a touch of drama. It would be his last dramatic act, as Cyan ran him through with his blade.

"We could have used him, he had information," Butz commented.

"I don't take well to seeing my home burned." Cyan answered. "So what now?"

Butz thought for moments, then said, "The legion of demons grows at an absurd rate. If we are to stop them it must be now."

"So how do you propose to do so?" Cyan asked.

Butz looked down from the cliff on which they stood at the hordes below. "Even without Keyla, they may yet break through. Our best chance would to destroy them in their own homes."

Cyan looked at the wavering gate. "Let's go back and plan lest we be trapped here with the foul demons." Cyan started to walk through. As he passed he saw that Butz had not followed. "Butz! Come on, lad, before the portal closes!".

Butz looked back at the king of Doma. "Thank you for everything, Cyan! Please say goodbye to Keyla, Koro, and Osric for me. I shall miss you all, and always cherish our time together."

"Come on, Butz, there's still time to make it through!" Cyan pleaded.

"Good-bye, Cyan. Perhaps we shall meet again someday," Butz answered

Butz sat down on the cliff. How could he possibly drag his friends into this? As he sat, Butz thought back to the heavily guarded prison he had seen as he and Cyan were spying on the daemons. "Lenna, Faris, Kull, you all still live... by the gods, I will set you free from this hell!"

Butz felt the barrier between worlds fade. Yes, Bahamut had kept his word. It was time to bring his legions into play. Butz made incantations, and several of the outcast espers appeared before him.

"Gilgamesh!"

"Samhain!"

"Quetzlcoatl!"

"Syldra!"

"Phoenix!"

"Nereid!"

"Ladon!"

"Amaterasu!"

"Avalokiteshvara!"

"Heng!"

"Shi Da Tien Wang!"

"Oberon!"

And finally "Typhon!"