Chapter 7: To Kohlingen
                          -----------------------

  Scarecrow laughed as the wind whipped past him.  It was good to be back,
riding a chocobo at breakneck speeds through a deserted forest.  At the
thought, Scarecrow grinned.  Not many men could catch a wild chocobo, much
less ride one.  He recalled the first few times he had tried.  All those
countless failures, only to get back up and try again.  Those were the good
old days.
  With a start, Scarecrow realized that no, those hadn't been the good old
days.  Hours and hours of training, with nothing to look forward to.  All
the pain came rushing back in waves, threatening to crush him.  The
loneliness, the terror...
  Scarecrow forced himself to remember he had something to look forward to
now, a goal he could reach.  *I have to tell him,* Scarecrow decided.  *I
can't go on like this.  No matter what, this time I'm going straight to...*
  Scarecrow lost his train of thought as the chocobo was suddenly out of
the forest.  He had reached his destination.  Kohlingen.

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

  Things had changed since Scarecrow had last been to Kohlingen.  Almost
all of the buildings had vanished, with only small piles of debris to mark
their previous existence.  In the place of the buildings were fields of
grain and such, and massive factories.  Scarecrow briefly wondered what had
happened.
  "Excuse me," a guard began.  "This town is off limits."
  Scarecrow looked down.  "Indeed.  By whose orders?"
  The guard raised one eyebrow.  "Sascha and Akfek, of course."
  "I see.  And what has happened to this town?"
  "The mighty sword of Sascha and Akfek has triumphed over the evil Figaran
invaders, liberating this town in the name of justice."  The guard's voice
was filled with fervent zeal.  "Kohlingen has chosen to serve Sascha and
Akfek, that they may bring peace to the entire world."
  Scarecrow couldn't keep himself from laughing, which earned him a dark
stare from the guard.  Scarecrow quickly sobered up.  "I'm sorry.  I just
had no idea that Sascha and Akfek had any followers that fanatical.
Especially ones who get paid as little as guards."
  The guard's expression continued to darken, and some others nearby
stopped to glower at Scarecrow.  "Are you implying that they are not worth
following?"  The guard quivered with rage.  "Because if you are..."
  Scarecrow abruptly switched gears.  "No, no, friend.  In fact, I have
been sent by the Lady Sascha herself, to test the loyalty of her followers.
You have passed.  Congratulations."
  The guard was dumbfounded.  "But... but why didn't she send someone in
uniform?" he asked, grasping at straws.
  "You would have known it was a test immediately if I had shown up in
uniform.  You don't think she is that STUPID, do you?"  Scarecrow managed
to put an edge of zealous anger into his voice.  "Perhaps you didn't pass
after all!"
  "No, sir, I didn't think..."
  "Exactly," Scarecrow responded, cutting him off.  "You didn't think!  I
ought to have you court-martialed for incompetence!"  Scarecrow paused
before lowering his voice.  "But, as Sascha and Akfek are merciful, so will
I be merciful.  All praise to their names!"
  "All praise to their names!" the guard echoed.  "And good day to you,
sir!"
  Scarecrow smiled as he dismounted his chocobo and walked toward what was
left of the village.  It had almost been too easy.  Now, all he had to do
was find Jad and get out of here.

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

  Once in the village, it was a simple process to find Jad.  He was out
working with the other farmers.  What bothered Scarecrow was that Jad
wasn't a farmer.  Gut instinct told Scarecrow that there was something
wrong with this whole scenario, that he should run while he still could.
Still, Scarecrow needed to know what had happened in his absence.
  "We have to talk," Scarecrow whispered as he came to stand beside Jad.
He motioned toward one of the few standing buildings.
  "Who...?" Jad began, then broke off as he saw the pendant Scarecrow was
holding up.  "Scarecrow?" Jad shouted, loud enough for the entire town to
hear.  "You're alive?"  Scarecrow grimaced.  Jad knew better than to
broadcast his presence everywhere.
  "I have to tell you I serve Sascha and Akfek now, Scarecrow," Jad
continued.  "I can't help you anymore.  As your friend, though, I ask you
to join them.  I know your services would be useful, and your life would be
far more fulfilling."
  Scarecrow blinked.  He had always told everyone he had no friends.  Jad
ought to understand by now.  A chill crawled up his spine, the same chill
he had felt when Kefka had sent an elite legion of his best Magitek pilots
after him.  The instant before the battle, Scarecrow had known he was
trapped.  Only luck had gotten him out of that one. What was going on?
  "Look, Jad.  You don't have to pretend with me.  I'm Scarecrow.  I don't
serve them. You don't have to give me that kind of garbage."
  "Garbage?" Jad snorted.  "You dare!  I ought to kill you myself for what
you have said.  Instead, as Sascha and Akfek are merciful, I will give you
a choice.  Swear yourself in service to them, or die here!"
  Scarecrow glanced around, knowing that Jad wouldn't make threats if he
couldn't back them up.  Sure enough, an angry mob of farmers and guardsmen
had gathered, forming into a loose circle around him.  Judgin by the
numbers, it was... the entire town.
  It suddenly clicked.  The fanaticism in everyone he had spoken to, Jad
working as a farmer, the angry mob... it could only mean one thing.  Mass
mind-control.  The trouble was, Scarecrow had learned a moment too late.
  Scarecrow turned back to Jad, a grim smile on his face.  Serve them or
die.  This situation seemed to be becoming a common occurence.
  "I serve no man save one.  You know that."
  The mob began closing in, slowly.  Jad just stood there with arms folded,
a dark glare in his eyes.
  Scarecrow suddenly whipped out a small box, and flicked the lid off.
With a quick motion of Scarecrow's hand, a tiny, continuous jet of flame
leaped out of the device.  The mob suddenly ground to a halt, wondering
what he was up to.
  Scarecrow lowered the artifact to one of the nearby stalks of wheat.  It
burst into flame.  The crowd stood for a moment, mesmerized, as the flames
began to spread across the field.
  Then the mob suddenly erupted in panic.  Desire to destroy the infidel
suddenly had to compete with desire to save the field.  Not knowing what to
do, individuals rushed first one way, then another.  Chaos ensued.
  Lost in the roaring of the flames, Scarecrow quickly knocked Jad out, and
heaved the man onto his shoulder.  Smoke filled the air around him, but
Scarecrow could cope with smoke.  Turning, he walked toward the nearest
exit, straight through the crowd that only moments before had been bent on
killing him.

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

  There was one guard left at Kohlingen's perimeter.  Having already
strapped Jad onto the back of his chocobo, Scarecrow was about to ride
past, when a thought occured to him.  He had set the fire as a diversion,
but perhaps it could be put to other use.
  Half-blinded by the glare of the fire, the guard didn't even know what
had hit him.  One moment he was staring off into the night, the next he was
face-first on the ground, with someone's foot pinning him down.
  "My name is Scarecrow."
  "But... but you're supposed to be dead!" the guard managed.
  Scarecrow grinned.  "Perhaps.  As you can see, I have returned.  But that
is not important.  I have a message that you will give Sascha and Akfek.
Tell them that in what they did to this town, they... ah... hurt one of my
friends.  For that, I burned a field.  Tell them that if they do not
un-'liberate' this and any towns like it, I will do far, far worse than
burn a field.  That is all."
  With that, the weight lifted from the guard's back.  He leaped to his
feet, but Scarecrow was gone.