Chapter 17: Black Death
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  Banon sighed as he walked among the wounded.  He was getting too old for
sort of thing.  The energy he used for healing seemed to seep out of him,
though in the past, he had always felt rejuvenated when he used his gift.
Now...
  "Maybe I've outlived my usefulness," Banon mumbled to himself.  "Maybe it's
just time for me to..."
  "I'll say, old man!" shouted a voice from behind him.  "You probably can't
even remember where you put your dentures every morning!"
  Banon whirled to face the black-shrouded figure.  "Probably because you
assassinated them, scum!  At least they would be SOMEthing you could defeat!"
  They glared at each other angrily for a moment, before Scarecrow extended a
hand.  Banon clasped it, grinning.  "How did you get here so fast?" Banon
asked.  "I only sent the pigeon half an hour ago!"
  "My... sources... informed me that the attack was coming.  I figured we
could make some sort of deal."
  "The first good news I've heard all day.  So... does half a million GP
sound adequate?"
  "Actually, I'm interested in something else, this time.  I need a favor
from Setzer.  There's something I'd like to have him build..."
  "An airship, maybe?"  Banon pursed his lips.  "Sorry, but Setzer's not..."
  "I know.  He's not here.  But I'm sure that he would be willing to do it
if you asked him... and when he finds out what part I will play in this
skirmish."
  Banon shook his head.  "I suppose I'll ask him... what are you planning
today, anyway?"
  "I have an idea to get some of the women and children..."  Scarecrow
trailed off, looking up into the sky.
  "What is it?"
  "I'm not sure... it just feels like there's something up there."
  "Well, there was a dragon up there a while ago... it just dissappeared,
though."
  "Odd..."  Scarecrow shook his head.  "I'll have to figure it out sometime.
Until then, I have a plan... but I'll need twenty of your best men, suited
up with Magitek Armor."
  Banon looked at Scarecrow quizzically.  "Oh," Scarecrow continued, "and
I'll need them to be volunteers.  I don't want anyone with me who doesn't
want to be.  And they have to know that their chances of survival are
minimal."
  "None of my men are in this because they want to stay alive.  You should
know that, Scarecrow."
  "Yeah, yeah...  So, anyway, is there some chance you could call a quick
meeting of a few of your men?  I'll also need some of your normal soldiers
to round up all the citizens of Jidoor who haven't been able to get out
through the tunnels.  And if any of your men are interested in hitting enemy
forces from behind, they can get out too."
  "What are you planning?"
  "Just a little breach in what Sascha and Akfek thought was 'surrounding'
us..."

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

  Scarecrow smiled as he looked down on the battle from his vantage point
high in the air.  His forces were even now getting into position.  Just a few
more seconds...
  Scarecrow whooped as he skyrocketed down toward the ranks of archers and
Magitek soldiers.  Raising his autocrossbow to eye level, he let out a stream
of arrows.
  Many died before they even got the chance to look up.  Those who did look
up died as he swooped into them, sword swinging wildly.  As the remainder
struggled to bring their weapons to bear against him, he pulled back, hard,
sending the chocobo up again.
  Archers aimed weapons toward his retreating figure, intent on finishing
this menace...
  And then Scarecrow's small band of Magitek warriors sprung from nearby
buildings.  The Imperials, who only moments before had been intent on stopping
any attack from that direction, were now concentrating on Scarecrow.
Scarecrow's band of twenty slashed into their opposition, overrunning them
in no time flat.
  Scarecrow smiled in satisfaction.  There was now a gap in the Imperial
ranks, enough to get the women and children out of Jidoor.  As his small band
of warriors--the Knives, they had chosen to call themselves--split in groups
to defend the gap, he alighted on a rooftop.
  "Die, Returner scum!" shouted a voice from behind him.  A single Magitek
warrior suddenly appeared on the roof, cutting loose with a spray of needles
as he did so.
  Scarecrow dove to the side, though some of the needles connected with the
armor he wore under his cloak.  Only a few of them actually pierced his
armor, but it was enough to worry about.  His chocobo took the brunt of the
attack, and dropped to the ground seriously wounded.
  Scarecrow raised his autocrossbow, letting fly a flurry of arrows.  The
arrows merely bounced off the Magitek's armor plating.
  Scarecrow could see the soldier inside the suit smile.  The soldier sent
another wave of needles hurtling toward him.  This time Scarecrow dropped to
the ground.  The needles whizzed by over his head.
  "Damn!" Scarecrow shouted.  The Knives were all busy keeping the gap open,
and not one of them had even noticed his plight.  Meanwhile, the Magitek
soldier raised his needlegun again, still smiling.
  "You're finished, dog!"  As the soldier foolishly took time to speak,
Scarecrow hurled two knives.  One went off target, but the other sunk into
the barrel of the needlegun.
  The enemy soldier, oblivious to the fact that there was a knife in his gun,
opened fire.  Nothing could have been more damaging to the gun.  It exploded
in a shower of sparks.
  The soldier swore.  Scarecrow drew two swords.  The soldier raised up one
of the suit's arms, and a blade slid out of it, black as darkest night.
  "You'll need more than magic swords to defeat me, boy," Scarecrow shouted.
  "I have more, scum!"  The soldier leveled his darkblade toward Scarecrow,
as if daring him to try something.
  Scarecrow began to slowly circle his opponent, despite the lack of space on
the rooftop.  "Good... Well, boy, I like to know the names of those who I
kill.  What is it?"
  The Imperial's eyes narrowed.  "Rasmaine!  Remember it on your way to hell,
dog!"
  Scarecrow cocked his head one direction.  "That's an interesting name.
Rasmaine.  Perhaps I will..."
  In mid-sentence Scarecrow leaped, hoping to catch Rasmaine off guard.
Blades whirling, he came down hard against the Magitek armor.  Twin swords
cut deep into the heavy steel plating.  But not deep enough.
  Scarecrow hopped backwards, barely escaping Rasmaine's black blade.  Then
Scarecrow moved in again, scoring a minor wound with his weapons.  As Rasmaine
swung his sword down again, Scarecrow raised both blades to block.
  "Rust!" shouted Rasmaine.  Scarecrow's blades suddenly fell to pieces in a
light shower of red flakes.  Rasmaine's dark sword slammed down unimpeded.
  The blade slashed through Scarecrow's armor, cutting deep.  Scarecrow
dropped to the ground, presumably dead.  Any normal man would be.
  The imperial soldier sneered.  "What a waste."  He raised the sword again,
preparing to make sure Scarecrow was indeed dead.
  The blow never landed.
  Scarecrow's foot swung up, hard enough for Rasmaine to feel the blow even
inside the armored suit.  Before Rasmaine could make a counterstrike,
Scarecrow rolled back out of the way.
  He was bleeding badly, but Scarecrow managed to stand.  He drew a sword...
and found that it, too, had rusted apart.
  Rasmaine smiled.  "You were a decent opponent after all, scum.  Too bad..."
  Rasmaine charged.  Scarecrow readied the one weapon he knew would not rust:
the Guardian sword.
  The blade swung out, glowing white with power.  It crashed against
Rasmaine's black blade, filling the air with a howling shriek.
  And then the Guardian blade cut Rasmaine's sword in half.  The top of the
weapon dropped to the ground.  With two quick strokes, Scarecrow disabled the
Magitek suit Rasmaine was driving.
  While Rasmaine struggled, attempting to get his suit to function, Scarecrow
grabbed him and lifted him out of the Magitek.
  For the first time since the battle began, a trace of fear shone in
Rasmaine's eyes.  He had no weapons.  No escape.  No hope.
  Still bleeding profusely, Scarecrow carried Rasmaine to the edge of the
roof, and swung him over the edge, holding him only by the collar of his
spotless uniform.
  "NOW, punk!" Scarecrow started.  "Talk!  I want to know how you can show up
out of nowhere, and I want to know NOW.  Believe me, I can tell when a man is
lying, and that could be VERY painful for you.  Answer me truthfully, and I
might let you keep SOME of your limbs."
  And then the screaming began...