As Sascha watched the soldiers embarking, she contemplated the journey ahead. The cruise east to the mountains would not be, in itself, difficult. The hard part would be discretion. At this stage, it would not do to be discovered by some wandering Paladin. But, if they were careful, and with a little help from Shade, Sascha was confident they'd be able to pull it off.

"Um, excuse me." She heard a voice behind her, Kromm's. She turned to face him, and Akfek, who had been standing beside her, did likewise. "We're ready to leave," the scientist was saying.

"Has the armor been secured?" asked Akfek sternly.

"You bet!" Kromm smiled widely. "Even if we ran into a monsoon, those things wouldn't come loose!"

"Excellent," he replied. "In that case, we will depart immediately." Kromm scampered off to deliver the message to Pukcus. When he had gone, Sascha turned to her companion.

"When we get to the mountains, how are we going to find Vector?" she asked. She was curious, but not worried. She was certain Akfek would take care of everything.

"One of the soldiers in whom Plactus confided was wise enough not to withhold its location," he replied, and smiled.

"Fabulous," Sascha purred. She turned to look out at the ocean as the boat began to move.

* * * *

Some time later, the boat reached its destination. It would take a few hours' walk to reach the mountains from the inlet where the boat was docked, but the land was fairly flat, so the going would be easy. As the soldiers unloaded the vessel's precious cargo, Sascha conferred again with Akfek.

"Could Shade conceal our party as we travel?" she inquired. If there were any annoying do-gooders around, an army of Imperial soldiers toting Magitek Armor would be bloody hard to miss...

'Of course...' Shade's voice echoed in her mind. 'You didn't even have to ask.' Akfek nodded. He'd heard it too, of course.

"Very good," he said. And the merry band of outlaws was on its way, cloaked by the powers of Darkness.

* * * *

Later still, they found themselves outside a small crack in the mountainside. The opening would be large enough to accommodate the armor, but just barely. Sascha peered skeptically into the darkness. Somewhere in the distance she heard the sound of a small rock falling.

"Maybe we should scout it out," she suggested, "to make sure it's not going to collapse or something." Travelling underground couldn't have been too great for the castle's structural integrity.

"A good suggestion," agreed Akfek. He motioned at three soldiers; Lupo, O'Reilly, and McKnight, if Sascha recalled correctly. "You three will accompany Sascha and myself. Shade will conceal the rest of you." He lit a torch, and the group headed in.

It only took about half an hour to reach the end of the tunnel. At its end was an opening barely large enough to let one person through.

"Ah, nuts!" exclaimed McKnight. "Now what?"

"Allow me," said Sascha. "Stand back..." The soldiers complied immediately. Having seen what this new magic was capable of, they weren't eager to have it turn on them. Akfek merely observed bemusedly as she held out her hands and mouthed a few words. A golden burst of Lunar magic exploded from her palms, shattering the rock wall in front of them. The soldiers were suitably impressed. When the dust cleared, they could see a large doorway before them.

"It's the main entrance to the Imperial castle," said Akfek. Sascha, who was the closest, stepped forward. She pushed open one of the heavy doors, and peered inside.

"It doesn't look too bad," she reported. Actually, it seemed completely undamaged. The lights were out, but hey, the ceiling wasn't caving in, and that was a good sign. Akfek brushed past her and scanned the interior. He seemed satisfied with what he saw.

"O'Reilly, Lupo, go to the basement and see if you can get Main Power on line," he ordered. The two scurried off obediently, like good little grunts. "McKnight," he continued, "go back and tell the others to proceed." Meanwhile, Sascha was looking around. She'd never been in a room so large, and this was only the entryway! She couldn't wait to see the rest.

* * * *

By the time the rest of the troops arrived, power had been restored to Vector. Sascha was supervising the delivery of the armor to Rokeg Kromm's new laboratory when Akfek approached her and drew her aside.

"Everything is going smoothly," he began. "The castle is undamaged, as are its defenses."

"Is Shade going to conceal the entrance?"

"Of course." Elementals were such handy things... "Now, if you'll excuse me," he continued, "I must check on the progress of our dear friend Mr. Kromm." With this, he stepped into the laboratory.

Sascha decided this would be as good a time as any to explore the fortress. She wandered about its many hallways, taking in everything - including the well-stocked armory, where she procured some new equipment. She also passed by the barracks, where the soldiers were settling in to their old quarters. One nameplate in particular caught her eye, however...

"General Celes Chere," she read aloud. Wasn't she the one who had torched Maranda? The one who had carried the day for the Empire at the battle of Movar? 'Wonder what I'll find in here...' Sascha thought. She opened the door.

The room was quite luxurious, and very large. 'I could get used to this,' she mused. 'After all, _I'm_ a general now, of sorts. All I need is to look the part...' She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror on the dresser: a young woman with a mop of auburn hair. She was pretty, but not regal, not imposing, like Akfek. 'I still look like a waitress!' she thought disgustedly. 'But I'll just have to rectify that.' She sat down at the dressing-table and opened one of the drawers.

"Now, let's see what we have here..."

Sascha stood there in a Dark suit with the black cape covering her body. Her hair had been pulled back to accentuate her cheekbones, and the headband stood on her head. Over her belt, she was carrying two daggers and a whip that was tied against the belt. This was the new Sascha - yes, now she no longer looked like the waitress she once was. Sascha left the room and strolled down the hall and heard echoes of a conversation of Akfek speaking to Rokeg Kromm.

"Your teacher Cid will be here soon, Rokeg. As we await his arrival, you will fix the remaining machinery left in Vector. The day the World of Ruin formed, Vector suffered damage, and some of its production line has been damaged as well. We need all the machines ready and available as soon as possible. Work diligently and do not waste time, Rokeg. I will be monitoring your progress."

Sascha heard Rokeg leave, and after his departure, she could slightly hear Akfek talking to himself - the echoes were partially vibrant and could be heard in the hallways if she listened carefully. "The thousand injuries I have borne in the army as I best could, but when they decimated my brother, I will vow revenge." Sascha pondered, "Brother, Akfek had a brother?"

Suddenly, a loud voice jumped across the hallway. "Sascha, you are there, are you not?"

Akfek had noticed her presence so she replied, "It is me."

Sascha ceased her meditation on the subject of Akfek's brother immediately for she feared Akfek's mind-reading abilities. She continued down the hallway until Akfek appeared within her view. Akfek glared at her new appearance and commented, "I see you have a new appearance, Sascha. It is fitting for you. Perhaps later I will alter my appearance too."

Akfek continued, "Sascha, Shade has informed me of the other missing elementals. Shade is unable to detect their locations at present. One of the other elementals appears to be Shade's nemesis and is able to counter Shade'sabilities. Soon, we will seek the other elementals. These creatures have untapped powers. Even I am unaware of their maximum potential which leads me to a person who may aid us in untapping their potential."

Akfek paused and meditated. He then resumed, "Sascha, an old server of Geshtal's army is approaching Vector. His name is Cid and he is Rokeg Kromm's teacher. He will prove useful to our future plans. His knowledge of machinery and the sciences is a valuable asset to us. Perhaps he will unlock the elemental's true power. I would like you to greet him personally and bring him here. Connor is with him. They will arrive at the northern dock soon. That is all."

At once, Sascha departed for the northern dock. On her journey there, she thought, "Cid? He would be a valuable asset indeed. He sounds like a man who is knowledgeable on technology. We need an airship now - perhaps he could help us."

"Wounded soldier... amnesiac... giant fish in space...?" She read the somewhat garbled letter out loud. "Hmmm..." Curious. Perhaps Akfek would be interested in this. She pocketed the paper, and, turning around, saw that she was just in time. The ship had docked, and lowered the gangplank. Connor and an older man she assumed to be Cid were walking down it. Screwing her courage to the sticking-place, she flashed them her friendliest smile and stepped forward.

"Hello!" she chirped, and held out her hand to the scientist. "I'm Sascha DelAubre. I'm here to welcome you to our home." The man returned her friendly look.

"I'm pleased to meet you, dear," he said. "Connor here has told me all about you, and your noble cause."

"I take it you two are old friends," she said, still smiling radiantly. 'Hope my face doesn't freeze this way...' she thought.

"Oh yes!" Cid was saying. "We go way back. 'Fact, I was so excited to see old Jim again that I forgot my favourite yellow coat..."

Sascha laughed as if she gave a damn. "Well, why don't you tell me all about it on the way back?"

* * * *

Two hours and about a zillion 'amusing' anecdotes later, they reached the underground castle. This was a good thing, because Sascha was certain that if she heard one more story about General Celes' childhood, she was going to throw up. Connor wasn't helping much either, being his usual idiot self. So she was rather relieved to see Akfek standing just inside the door. He stepped forward to meet them.

"Connor," he exclaimed, as if this were the best thing to happen all day, "and you must be Cid." He shook the scientist's hand. "I believe we have a friend of yours here," he continued, and motioned towards a darkened door. Out strode Rokeg Kromm, pupil of Cid. The old scientist's face lit up.

"Rokeg, m'boy!" he exclaimed.

"Cid! It's so good to see you! Isn't this place great?" the student said, his enthusiasm boiling over. "Have they told you the plan yet? We're going to use Magitek to overthrow the Figaran oppression!" Kromm was practically jumping for joy.

"Yes, I know. I'm glad my work will finally be used for good..." 'Oh, if only you knew,' thought Sascha with amusement, fighting down a smirk.

"We're almost ready to begin work on the project," put in Akfek. "Mr. Kromm has just finished repairing the production line, and the armor is nearly done being refitted for infusion. We're even thinking of plans for an airship..."

"That sounds wonderful!" exclaimed Cid. "When can I get started?"

"Kromm will show you to the lab," said Sascha helpfully. The two scientists left together, chattering technobabble. Akfek turned towards Sascha. She could sense that he was pleased with the latest turn of events.

"The greatest Magitek scientist on the planet," he said with a vicious grin, "and he's fallen right into our lap! Sascha, this world cannot stand against us..."

She smiled. "How long till the armor is ready?"

"I'm not sure. That depends on Cid and Kromm."

"Hm. That reminds me. I went hunting today," she said slyly.

"And what did you catch, my dear?"

"This." She held up the letter, which still had a feather stuck to it. Akfek took it and scanned it quickly. She could tell it had captured his interest. "I thought you might find it... intriguing."

"Indeed I do..." he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Sascha, you'd make a good spy..." She was very good at seizing opportunity. "This 'giant fish in the sky' the man spoke of *could* be the legendary Big Whale, the same one where Connor found Cid..." he continued. Sascha nodded.

"And if he was on the Whale, then he must be one of... the Light Warriors!" her eyes widened.

"And if he has amnesia..." Akfek led on.

"Then... we can *use* him!" Sascha smiled evilly, looking like a panther about to pounce. Indeed, if they could manipulate him as they had Kromm and Cid, he would be a most valuable asset.

"Very good, Sascha. We will speak further," Akfek said. "But now I must see to our... guests."

When he had gone, Sascha sighed happily. Such compliments from a master equivocator like Akfek meant a lot. But speaking of equivocation... she was still curious about Akfek's mysterious brother. 'A thousand injures I have borne,' he'd said, 'but when they decimated my brother, I will vow revenge...' What did all that mean? She had to conceal these musings around Akfek, of course, but left alone with her thoughts, she found it hard to suppress her curiosity. 'Oh well,' she thought. 'He'll tell me, or he won't tell me. Either way, I'll find out sooner or later.'

"Cid, I found you in a strange-looking airship. What do you call that thing?" asked Connor as he pressed a glass of wine against his lips.

"It's called the Big Whale," answered Cid.

"Describe this 'Big Whale,' Cid," Sascha demanded.

Cid gave his opinion on the subject, "The Big Whale is a maginificient piece of technological work. Whoever built it used a digitized harmonic oscillator..." Sascha began to tune out the details. "... and paralleled the quantum stasis with an electrical propulsion unit... and uses an electrostatic synapse as... The remarkable thing is it utilizes dilithium crystals to induce an energy... but more remarkable is the ion repulsion versus barion attraction conductivity of the... possibly, a warp bubble could be generated to reach... and I think the anti-matter containment field... It is a prominent and remarkable machine."

Cid's lecture ended three hours later and Sascha and Connor had fallen asleep while Akfek was partially dazed and sleepy himself. Rokeg Kromm had taken interest in the lecture and had listened carefully to his teacher.

"Would you like me to describe it in more detail?" continued Cid.

"Your previous description was sufficient," repied Akfek. "Now, we must go on to other matters. Rokeg has assembled enough Magitek Armor for our present needs. Nevertheless, we will continue our production. At present, we have a problem of transportation. I will find a servant to manage the Magitek Armor production line while you, Cid, and Rokeg begin your work on airships."

Sascha awakened but was still a little groggy. She then listened to the conversation.

"Do you have an airship here?" questioned Rokeg.

"No. You will manage without one. We have the necessary equipment for you to build one," responded Akfek.

"We'll have to build a prototype first if there is no other airship available and reproduce this later on. It may take some time to build the prototype so Rokeg and I will start tommorrow," said Cid.

"Very well. You will rest now and commence on your work tomorrow. That is all. You may leave," asserted Akfek and the two scholars left for their rooms.

After Cid and Rokeg's absence were complete, Akfek motioned for two nearby guards. "Carry this drunken fool to his quarters," and the two guards lifted Connor and dragged him to his room. Connor, who was very drunk and was still asleep, drooled upon the ground as the guards carried him down the hallway.

Akfek resumed, "Sascha, I will assemble an intelligence unit soon to bid our deeds. I have yet to select a candidate to lead this unit. I will inform you later on this subject. Also, I would like to hear your comments about the warrior."

"He could be a very strong fighter. Our forces could use a fighter like him. His knowledge and past experience could greatly add to our goals. Should we seek this person?"

"Yes. We will find this 'warrior' tomorrow. Go and rest for now, Sascha."

Sascha departed for her room and Akfek remained, drinking to his delight. "Soon, they will face terror," he pondered, "soon..."

They reached their destination shortly after noon, and anchored the boat just out of sight of the town itself.

"There is the possibility that more than one message was sent," he said, the first words he'd spoken all day, "and that its intended recipient is already here. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves... yet." Sascha agreed, and they departed.

When they entered the ruined settlement, they could hear voices from one of the buildings.

"He was sick for almost a week before you came. I don't know how..."

"This doesn't look good," muttered Akfek, glowering at the house.

"We should check it out," whispered Sascha. "I'll go in."

"Why you?" he asked somewhat incredulously.

"Because," she retorted, winking at him, "I'm cuter!" She removed her cape and weapons, and put them in Akfek's pack. She then took off her headband, and shook out her hair. "Voila!" she exclaimed. "Instant farmgirl!" Akfek smiled slowly. He withdrew into the shadows, out of sight. Sascha took this as a vote of confidence. She approached the building. She knocked on the door, and it swung open. Inside, she could see four people: a young couple, a blond man sitting on a bed, and another man talking to them.

"He really doesn't remember _anything_?" the latter asked.

"No, Cecil," the woman replied.

'Damn,' thought Sascha, taking in the situation. This was not good, not good at all. She had recognized one of the men from etchings in a history book: Cecil the Paladin. There was no chance of getting that other warrior now...

It was at this point that Cecil noticed the interloper. "Can I help you, my lady?" he asked, looking her over.

"I'm supposed to visit my uncle Jed in Tzen," she replied in her best hick accent, "but I'm *sniff!* lost!"

"Well, you're not _too_ far away," put in the woman, and she proceeded to give Sascha directions. Meanwhile, Cecil was still looking at Sascha intently, making her extremely uncomfortable. 'He knows something's up,' she thought. Her mental powers were giving her an _extremely_ bad vibe. She noticed that he was carrying some kind of orb. She could sense its magical energy. She wondered what it was for... Sascha wanted out of here more than anything right now. Then she realized that the woman had finished speaking.

"Thank you _sooooo_ much," she replied, with a big goofy smile. She then turned and left. She could still feel the Paladin's gaze on her. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she ran to where Akfek was concealed in the shadows.

"Well?" he inquired.

"We have to get out of here," she said, pulling her things from the pack. "Unless we want to change our minds about drawing attention to ourselves. I just saw Cecil the Paladin." Akfek nodded grimly. It would not do to have a confrontation just now.

"Let's go," he said. Sascha re-armed herself, put her cape back on, and fixed her hair almost as quickly as Captain Janeway. The two walked briskly out of Mobliz.

The ship docked a little east of the town, and when Sascha and Akfek departed for the town, the ship's appearance vanished and the view of the open sea existed once more. As they neared the town, two other strangers appeared among the horizon. Sascha felt something strange about the strangers... yes, the feeling was mutual - it was Cecil and Kain. The strangers caught a glimpse of Sascha and Akfek and altered their previous course. Perhaps one of them recognized Sascha?

Akfek lifted his hood and covered his head - now only a dark shadow lay across his face - and Sascha altered her image too by letting down her hair so that hair covered half her face. They would arouse suspicion if they detracted from the path so they continued towards Nikeah. The two men drew closer until they were within normal speaking distance. The one named Kain yelled, "Hey, I recognize you. What were you doing in our house?"

Sascha replied, "You must be mistaken, sir. I have never seen you before."

The one named Cecil glanced at an orb like object and whispered to Kain, "It's as if there's a cloud of some sort that's hindering me from penetrating their true nature. I suspect magic is involved."

Kain inquired of Sascha again, "Your face looks too familiar. No, I'm sure it was you who entered the house."

Then, Cecil drew his sword and said, "Who are you two? You do not speak the truth and I sense your intentions are not all that well."

Akfek knew it was pointless to continue to further conceal their identities. He knew Cecil and Kain would not relent and would follow them until they had revealed his and Sascha's identities. "Ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaa. Begone! You have wasted enough of our time and your presence is unwarranted. So be it. You are pests and I will crush you like man who steps on an insect." Akfek's and Sascha's appearance dissapeared into thin air while Cecil and Kain scanned around their locations. Akfek reappeared behind them and two cone-shaped rocks with knife-sharp ends lifted and surged upwards underneath Kain and Cecil. Both flew to the side and evaded the rock which resembled the shape of a stalagmite, and the rock continued to rise.

Kain was still rolling along the ground and Cecil was recovering his balance when the ground began to tremble violently. Just as Kain was rising from the ground, he lost his balance from the earthly tremble, but Cecil was barely able to stand. Cecil adjusted to the shaking and streaked clumsily towards Akfek with his sword gripped in his hand. He swung his sword at Akfek but as the sword approached Akfek, Akfek's image disappeared. The sword continued its path, but the target had vanished.

Kain had moved over to the huge cone-shaped rock, pulled himself up upon a jagged edge extruding from the rock, and then jumped up into the sky. Akfek reappeared again but this time, the distance from his counterpart increased. "I shall have fun toying with you," a voice murmured. Cecil dashed towards Akfek again who was standing further away than last time. He fumbled a little due to the trembling but regained his balance and continued his dash. With his sword lifted above his head, he sprinted towards Akfek but this time, a second image of Cecil began to appear.

Suddenly, Kain's appearance emerged from the sky and like a falling stone, he pummeled towards Akfek's location. Sascha reappeared, hovering in the air and with a motion of her hand, the gigantic rock resembling a stalagmite discontinued its trek upwards, instead swerving and aiming at Kain. Kain attempted to dodge the cone-shaped rock, but it was too late - the pointed end sliced through the side of Kain's right leg and he dropped like a wounded bird to the ground screaming in pain. "Arrrrrggghhh!"

Akfek eyed the falling Dragoon and uttered, "Ha ha ha haaaaa, you scream like a pesky fly!" He lost sight of Cecil who was getting closer through each stride. By the time he turned towards Cecil, there were two Cecils and Akfek decided to cloak himself again. In a quick move, Cecil stopped his dash at Akfek, leapt into the air towards Sascha and swung his sword at the unprepared girl. It was too late for Sascha to cloak herself. She pushed backwards away from the swing but the sword slightly grazed her arm. Sascha grabbed her arm in pain and the blood poured forth. Akfek directed his hand towards the air bound Cecil and the rocks that layed upon the ground flew towards Cecil.

At first, Cecil defended himself against flying stones that only gave him minor scratches, but as he hit the ground, more and more stones began to fly towards him. It was as if he was being attacked by a swarm of bees except the bees were heavy stones. Sascha laughed and exclaimed, "You will perish now, oh ancient warrior!" The stones continued to increase in number, and Cecil was bombarded by the flying rocks which came from everywhere.

"Damn!" This was not going as planned. The combat had gone on too long already. They had wanted to keep this operation a secret...

At this moment, Kain came screaming out of the sky. Fortunately, Akfek disappeared into nothingness just in time, and the jump attack hit only air. He hit the ground with a loud thud, and Sascha turned at the sound. Behind her, Cecil was getting to his feet, his face streaming with blood. As she began the motions for a spell that would thoroughly incapacitate the newly fallen Dragoon, Cecil lifted his sword for a killing blow. But he did not have time to strike, as he was hit with yet another rain of stones.

'Sascha!' She heard Akfek's mental projection. 'We are attracting too much attention! We must leave, now! Use Dryad...'

She was only too willing to comply. Her arm was throbbing, and all this casting had left her feeling somewhat drained. She chanted a spell that put Kain immediately to sleep. Akfek did likewise for Cecil, although it seemed to take a little longer. When it was done, Sascha looked over the horizon. She could see people coming in the distance; they would have to make haste lest they be discovered. She looked down at the slumbering Paladin.

"We will finish this another time," she whispered, then gave him a kick for good measure before dashing off behind Akfek for the ship.

* * * *

Later, Sascha sat in the infirmary at Vector while a field medic bandaged her arm. The cut was not deep; it would heal soon, and would cause her no further pain. As the doctor worked, she listened to Akfek speak.

"The confrontation at Nikeah was one I would rather have avoided," he was saying, pacing back and forth. "The people there will now be on their guard, and those two impertinent knights know of our existence..."

"But they don't know our identities," put in Sascha, hopping off the table and rolling her sleeve back down, "and even if they had the slightest clue where to look for us, they wouldn't be able to penetrate Shade's cloak."

"That is true, of course," said Akfek. "And once those warriors are gone, looking for us... Nikeah will be defenseless. All the suspicion in the world can't save them from us! Ha ha ha haaaaaa!"

At this moment, Rokeg Kromm came rushing in, out of breath and visibly excited about something.

"Come quickly!" he gasped. "The laboratory... Cid... has something to show you..."

Sascha and Akfek looked at each other, then hurried to the laboratory. When they reached it, they found Cid standing in front of a large object, which had been covered with tarps. He was checking things off on a clipboard, and mumbling to himself.

"Fan jets... check. Air brakes... check. - Ah, good! You're here!" He clapped his hands in excitement when he noticed his employers' arrival. "This," he went on, motioning to the covered object, "is possibly the greatest thing I have ever created! It combines technology and magic in an entirely new way! It will surely smite the Figaran oppressors!"

"What is it?" asked Sascha. Akfek eyed the thing skeptically. Cid stepped forward, and with a dramatic flourish, unveiled his creation.

In the large laboratory sat... an airship, unlike any ever built before. It was somewhat smaller than Setzer's prize, but looked a hundred times more powerful. It was sleek and aerodynamic, and its hull was plated with a black substance that seemed to suck up all light. The new ship was menacing indeed. It even sported structures that looked somewhat like gun turrets... Sascha and Akfek both looked at it in awe. This would be a welcome, no, _fabulous_, addition to their army. Across the bow, they could read the name of their new prize... Defiant.

Akfek motioned to Sascha and Sascha approached him immediately. Akfek began, "On our absence, an acquaintance of mine assembled a simple team of spies and infiltrated Kohlingen on my orders. He is presently in Kohlingen and awaits our arrival." He paused and continued, "Inform Connor to gather our senior officers and to ready our units."

The senior officers gathered in the throne room before Akfek with Sascha beside him. Akfek spoke out, "The time has arrived! It is time to revive the Empire!" A cry of "Hooraayyy!" was emitted from the officers. Akfek resumed, "Our attack will begin at Kohlingen. Our intelligence unit, the 'Black Hand,' has informed me of Kohlingen's present status. The town is unprepared for an attack and our assault will begin immediately. Garek, you will lead our main airship squadron - Gamma 1. Commence bombing at... McArthur, your ground unit of Magitek Armor will be deployed by our naval unit, Delta 3... Perry, proceed after Alpha 2 has cleared the way and seize all guards and any other potential threats..." When Akfek had finished his briefing, the officers departed to their posts.

The next day, blasts and sounds of explosions could be heard in Kohlingen as the airships flew past the town, bombarding everything in sight. Their attack was a complete surprise as they were cloaked and appeared from the sky suddenly to bomb the town. The Magitek units were deployed from Akfek's naval unit which was cloaked too and marched through the town with pathetic resistance. Then, Akfek's soldiers entered Kohlingen and attacked all guards and with the help of the Magitek unit. The town was in flames and the townspeople could be heard crying once more...

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She turned abruptly, and saw Akfek standing there. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't sensed his presence.

"Yes," she replied. It _was_ beautiful. This was the fruit of her power! No one would _dare_ mock her again...

"The attack was extraordinarily successful," her compatriot was saying. "Almost all the buildings were destroyed. We didn't lose anybody, and civilian casualties are minimal." Normally, this last item would have been of no concern, but this operation had another purpose. "Have you completed your tasks?"

"Yes. The perimeter has been secured," she reported, "and no communication will be able to get in or out. Also, the fields have been inspected; our scouts report the crops are in satisfactory condition."

"Excellent. We will put the citizens of this *smirk* pathetic town to work immediately..." His speech was broken off when sounds of a scuffle erupted from below. A young man had broken away from his group and was running at one of the troops, screaming in fury. His charge was halted, however, when the soldier drew his sword. The would-be hero was promptly escorted to the holding area. Sascha turned away from the scene, growing pensive.

"You know," she began, thoughtfully, "it would be much easier to control them if they believed that we were their protectors, instead of their attackers..." An idea was forming in her head, and Akfek picked up on it immediately. An evil grin spread across his face.

"Shade?" he said, calling on the Elemental. The craeture of Darkness appeared instantly, in a swirling cloud of black smoke.

"How may I be of service?"

* * * * *

Somewhat later, in the house where they were being detained, the populace of Kohlingen was wondering what the heck was going on. That morning, forces calling themselves the 'New Imperial Army' had invaded their town, destroying everything in sight. They had all been herded here, in Zwalen's house. About an hour ago, a messenger had arrived and had spoken to one of the soldiers guarding them. Then, a few minutes ago, most of the soldiers had left the building. Silence hung over the room like a noxious cloud as the citizens looked about nervously, terrified of what was going to happen next... As they fretted amongst themselves, they did not notice that the room suddenly got a little darker.

It was at this moment that the soldiers returned. They cleared a space at the front of the room, and two more people entered. A smattering of whispers rippled across the hall. (Not even the fear of death can dampen small town nosiness!) These were the two who had led the assault! But the woman - wasn't she Sascha, the innkeeper's daughter? Apprehensive curiosity grew in the room as the populace eyed the newcomers.

* * * * *

Akfek and Sascha looked right back at them. Akfek stepped forward to address the crowd, confident that the plan would succeed. Shade hadn't failed them yet...

"Good people," he began, adopting an air of great chagrin, "something terrible has happened here today, my friends..."

"Friends! Hah!" a particularly fearless (or particularly stupid) youth cried out, "you're no friends of ours!" But the two strategists had been prepared for such an outburst. Sascha looked at the ground in (seeming) utter shame, and Akfek allowed a single tear to fall from his eye.

"Please," he said haltingly, "just hear me out..." There were murmurs from the crowd. Resentment... confusion... but mostly, curiosity. Good. "We have all been victimized," Akfek continued. "Once again, the dogs of Figaro have fooled us..."

"Figaro?" someone from the crowd said. They were all listening intently. Living so close to the castle, they were all too aware of its change in alignment. What could this have to do with Figaro?

"Yes. Our intelligence reports told us that this town had been evacuated, and turned into an army base. There must have been a spy among us... we thought this was a military target! This is more horrible than anything I could ever have imagined..." The house was silent. Akfek could tell that they were unsure, despite Shade's help. But it wouldn't take much more. "I know," he went on, "that nothing we could ever do could make this up to you, but we would like to try..."

"I don't believe you!" came a voice from the back. It was the same impudent teen as before. The little swine was really starting to get on Akfek's nerves, but he kept his temper in check. Then, Sascha stepped forward.

"Look at me!" she implored. "You all know me. Why would I do this to my friends, my family? Surely you can see this isn't a ruse?" She turned her face to the boy who had spoken. She recognized him as her cousin. "Jeremiah," she said soflty, "I would never have let this happen if I only knew..." She burst into tears, quite convincingly. A matronly woman in the front row spoke up.

"Now, Jeremiah! Look what you've done! Gone and made the poor girl cry... Can't you see they only want to help us?" There was a general murmur of assent. Even the boy seemed placated. Akfek said silent thanks to Shade, and continued his oration.

"We will begin helping to rebuild your town immediately." 'With a few additions, that is,' he added silently. 'Say, oh, a couple of factories, nothing _really_ extravagant...' The townspeople clapped loudly. They seemed to have forgotten that these were the people who had just destroyed their homes "We can also help you fortify your town, so that nothing like this will happen again!"

At this, the people cheered wildy, as if Akfek and Sascha had just saved their town, not torched it. Shade had done his work well.