Chapter 7: In Jidoor
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   Alcan decided to approach Jidoor - what was left of it, anyway -
straightforwardly; if he was stopped by the soldiers, he thought, he
could come up with an excuse for being let through.  /Surely they'll let
a simple traveller through to purchase supplies./  And if that didn't
work, he could always fall back on magic...

   /Not unless absolutely necessary,/ he reminded himself.  Killing
monsters with magic was one thing, but he did not use it to harm
innocent people if he could help it.  And the soldiers probably were
innocent, just following orders from some higher malevolent authority.
Besides, if that malevolent authority learned he could use magic, it
might decide to come after him.  It was bad enough that he was already
being pursued by one; two would be far worse.

   As he reached the entrance to the town, Alcan was indeed stopped by a
soldier.  "What is your business in Jidoor?" the soldier asked.

   "I am travelling, and I was going to stop here for supplies and a
night's rest before continuing," Alcan replied.

   The soldier nodded.  "All right.  Proceed."  He gestured into the
town, and Alcan entered Jidoor.

   The town looked as bad on the inside as it had from the outside.
There were at least as many soldiers inside the town as outside it, and
the town's inhabitants all walked around with downcast faces.  At the
north end of the town stood a ruin that must have once been a large,
impressive mansion.  It was the only building that had been completely
destroyed, but the rest had all taken damage as well, some more than
others.  The inn, at least, had not fared too badly; perhaps the
invaders had recognized the need for nightly shelter.  Of course, that
led to the possibility that the soldiers were running the inn as well...
not a pleasant thought.

   Alcan walked slowly through the town, affecting the same downcast
look as everyone else - not too difficult, given the state of the town -
but keeping a sharp lookout for anyone out of the ordinary.  Surely
someone who had accomplished such an apparently major feat as killing
Kefka would not let something as "simple" as an invasion get them down.
Of course, they were more likely to be going after the mastermind of the
invasion... but still, it couldn't hurt to look.

   Then he noticed what he was looking for: two men stood next to a
shop, conversing intently, apparently unaffected by the general mood of
the town.  One was middle-aged, and although physically unassuming, he
had a sense of command, of leadership about him.  The other was younger
and well-muscled, and wore his hair in a ponytail.  Alcan slowed and
thought to approach them, but then decided that if they were plotting
against the invaders, it would be unwise to draw attention to them.

   At about the same moment, another man approached the first two, then
stopped and gave a startled look of recognition when he reached them.
As they exchanged introductions, Alcan slowed again.  /This might be
important,/ he thought.  /But they don't know me, and might suspect
me.../  He decided once again to remain unnoticed, but rather than
continuing to walk on, he turned around, trying to keep them within
earshot, and strained to hear what they were saying.

   "... glad I found... recreate the Returners..."

   "... Maranda... rumors... attack... fought it off... troublesome..."
Did that mean an attack on another town had failed?  Alcan hoped so.

   Suddenly a woman from the crowd leapt at the newcomer, who jumped out
of the way with surprising agility and quickly had a knife in his hand.
The woman started mumbling something impossible to make out, and then
the man said, "Slow down!", startling several people nearby.  He spoke
again, more quietly, and again Alcan had to strain to hear the words,
but it sounded like he thought the woman had been sent to kill him.
Then the man leaned down, apparently trying to hear her words - /stupid
thing to do with someone who's supposed to be putting a knife in your
back,/ Alcan thought.

   "I have to!" the woman cried suddenly.  "The Master..."

   /Master?  Does she mean the mastermind of the invasion?  Maybe this
man is important./

   A moment later, the man stood back up, apparently about to address
his two friends again - but then he stopped, and began scanning the
crowd.  Alcan was certain he had been noticed, but continued his slow
stroll, trying not to stand out; to his surprise, the man's gaze passed
right by him, eventually coming to rest on a pair of women in front of
the window of another shop.  He stared at them for a moment, then
called out, "DRIEL!"  The other two men looked at him and the women,
surprised, as did Alcan and much of the surrounding crowd.

   /A reunion of friends?/ Alcan wondered.  /Important people, anyway.
And the "Returners"... a resistance group of some sort?/  He continued
watching the group of now six, and when the town's citizens stopped
paying attention to the scene, he continued to do so, ignoring the
occasional passerby who bumped into him.  /If they notice me now, fine.
They've got to be on the good side.  And if they don't, I can always
catch them later./