Final Fantasy IX - Chronicles of Gaia - Chapter 2
Final Fantasy IX - Chronicles of Gaia
Chapter 2 - Failure to Launch
The light drizzle that washed the city the following morning soon grew into a mild shower that day, as rain pelted the stone streets of Burmecia. Declan cursed under his breath for not bringing a waterproof coat with him as he was showered with rainwater -- the young Burmecian had to pick up the pace and rush home before he got too drenched. Luckily for him, his home was only a short distance from the Dancing Chocobo where he (used to) work - about ten minutes at his quick pace.The route was fairly simple and straightforward, consisting of a simple trek down the main road and past all the shops, then a quick turn to the right and through the open market, the stalls of which only opened during nice, sunny conditions. Sadly, today was not one of those days. Past the empty stalls was a turn left down to the warren-like buildings that represented the residential structures down there. It wasn't much farther from this point before Declan reached the three-storey apartment block that he resided at.
It was a fairly old building: a relatively small stone and timber structure that was once built as a mansion to house the noble families of Burmecia, its worn rocky surfaces now showing its age after lasting a few hundred years. Following the war, the mansion was rebuilt and converted into a block of apartments for lower-class residents, thanks to the owner Lord Dartmoor making some sizable investments into the mansion after he acquired it a few years ago.There was no time for Declan to marvel at the apartment block, though, as more rain continued to pelt against his face. Besides, he'd seen his home enough times to know how it looks from memory. Quickly, he rushed to the building's front door and let himself in, stepping inside the atrium. The building's warm air and dry interior was a better change of scenery compared to outside, as it allowed the young Nezumi a chance to shake off all that excess rainwater and dry himself quickly, before he sprinted upstairs to the top floor.The usual sounds of daily life could be heard from behind each door as Declan passed by, from children playing and laughing to bitter couples shouting at one another over money. Nothing to hold his interest for long though, as Declan neared his own apartment. Reaching into one of his back pockets, he rummaged about for his door key, pulling it out just as he stepped outside his door and unlocked it.
The young Nezumi stepped into the warm confines of his home, and closed the door behind him as he leaned back against it and sighed in relief. Whew... finally home, at last! Didn't expect the rain to get this bad, or I would've brought my coat with me - a five minute warning would've helped, at
least.Declan's apartment was a sparsely, but adequately-furnished studio apartment, consisting of a main living room/bedroom area, and a separate bathroom through the door at the back. The living area had all the usual amenities: a small bed, a wardrobe, a few cupboards, a bookshelf that's chock full of fiction from numerous genres (and a growing collection of graphic novels along the bottom shelf), a small desk used for eating and writing at, and a stove that was built into the corner of the room. The walls themselves were adorned with a frameless mirror above the desk, and prints of numerous abstract paintings dotted around the apartment. There was also a small, frosted glass window; and light was provided by a lantern that hung above the bed, and a candle on the desk.
The apartment itself was kept reasonably clean, but not very tidy, as noted by the clutter that was scattered across the cupboard tops, and a small pile of books that leaned next to the bed. The bed itself was still unmade since Declan woke up that morning, the crumpled bed sheets showing no signs of any attempt at being remade. On top of that, his laundry hamper was overflowing with dirty clothing, some of it was even carelessly discarded on the floor next to the hamper. Tidying up, however, was not on this Nezumi's list of priorities right now - he walked over to the mirror, so he could get a glance at how badly soaked he got on the way home.When he glanced into the mirror, Declan's nose wrinkled with disgust as he was greeted with the sight of something that looked like what the cat dragged in - his hair and fur were horribly matted from the rainwater, the mud and grime on his face clashed against the whiteness of his fur. His clothes were just as wet and muddied, his once-white shirt had taken a greyish-brown hue - a consequence of the fight with Biggs earlier.
Ugh! Is this how I look? There's no way I'm going out there looking like I just had a fight with Swamp Thing. Better go fix that up with a shower and a change of clothes, right away. Not wanting to stare at the dirtied Nezumi in the mirror any further, Declan marched his way over to the bathroom and stepped inside. The bathroom was surprisingly kept very clean and tidy, in contrast to the main living area which showed signs of disorganization. The bathtub, shower, toilet and sink were all sparkling clean and almost free of any grime; The shelves and cupboards were all stacked with numerous cheap toiletries, all neatly organized, and the towels were all stacked on a nearby shell in order, the larger ones sitting at the very bottom with the smaller towels stacked on top, each one alternating between red and white. In addition, it was where Declan did all of his laundry, as there was a
separate clothes basket for storing washed clothing in, while an ironing board rested against the wall, with a cheap clothing iron placed on the shelf next to it. While Declan could easily make an effort to keep the rest of his apartment this tidy, the bathroom was only done regularly out of necessity and not just to make it look pretty.
Turning on the shower head, he gave the running water a chance to heat up as he wasted no time removing his clothes, the damp fabric almost literally peeled off of his body as he stripped. Declan's body was well-toned, even for his age - the Nezumi's athletic frame barely hid under his short fur as it showed off his muscle definition. Once nude, he stepped under the running water, a deep relaxed sigh escaping from him as the hot water bathed him, soaking him from head to toe as it went through his hair, fur and the skin beneath. With the water rushing over him, Declan lifted his muzzle to face the nozzle, letting it wash over his face and through his silky hair as his fur slowly regained its natural color, the once brownish-tone turned to white as the mud and grime washed off of him and down the drain. Satisfied, the Nezumi grabbed a bar of soap and started lathering himself all over, starting from his chest and working his way down, and then back up to work on his neck, face and hair.As he showered and washed himself, Declan checked his left collarbone - it wasn't broken, as he suspected, though it did suffer from some bruising, and stung a little under the touch. There wasn't much point in worrying about it, though, as the Nezumi had just finished up washing himself. Standing under the shower head, he let the hot, rushing water rinse the rest of the soap out of his hair and fur before he shut it off, the hot water stream was soon reduced to a mere drip as Declan stepped out of the shower and rubbed himself dry with a fresh towel.
Now that he was content with looking fresh and clean, the Nezumi picked up the dirty clothes he left on the floor and went back into the main living room, and added those to the ever growing laundry pile. Now it was just a matter of finding something suitable for traveling to wear, he thought to himself. First things first, the obviously most important item of clothing he needed was a pair of underpants. He rummaged through his chest of drawers to find a pair, not really caring about design as long as he had something underneath, at least. Success was on his side as he retrieved a pair of briefs, and immediately slid them on. There! That was one problem solved... for now. He still had to find some fresh clothes to wear.He opened the wardrobe doors and glanced inside, the armoire was stacked with a small collection of shirts and jackets all hung up, with a pile of trousers stacked on one
of the lower shelves beneath. He looked over each article, quietly thinking to himself as he inspected each one.Lesse what we got, uh... Nope, those won't do. Maybe... Nah. No, these won't do. Oh what am I getting ready for, a hot date with a Behemoth? Nope, definitely not that! ...Aha! Gotcha!
With a satisfied grin, Declan pulled out a few appropriate articles of clothing as he began to dress: the first couple of items he put on were a simple black t-shirt, followed by a pair of black leather pants. After those, he grabbed a distinctive black tunic with gold trimming, and put that on as well. The tunic itself extended down to his hips, its collar turned upright and a zipper running down the middle like a jacket, finishing off with small slits along its cuffs and hem for mobility. And finally, he pulled out a red cape and threw that on - just to give the outfit that bold, daring adventurer look.Once dressed, he went to check himself out in the mirror - yep, it was a definite improvement from earlier, and yet the Nezumi felt that something was missing. It didn't take long to figure out what that was, however, as he knelt back down to his drawers, and rummaged around for a belt... a utility belt, to be more specific. He pulled a brown leather belt out, with four adjustable pouches, a canteen flask holder, a map band and a sword hanger attached to it, and wore it on the outside of his tunic. He wasn't finished, however, and reached in again to fish for a pair of black fingerless gloves. Declan wasted no time in slipping those on, and closed the drawer as he took one last glance in the mirror. Perfect, he thought to himself, a satisfied grin curling across his face.
His gaze was broken, however, by a loud knocking at the door. Declan ignored it, thinking it was a salesperson of some sort. Until it came again, this time louder and more formal. The Nezumi grew aggravated, and quietly made his way over to the front door, his breathing kept at a slow, quiet level as he peered through the spyhole.Oh great... It's Donald Duck, he thought to himself as he recognized his landlord, Lord Dartmoor. The duck-man was dressed in a manner that seemed like he was an important person. Or, at least, that he thought himself as important. He was a bit plump, with a number of plain markings that he tried to make up for by wearing flashy clothing and a gold monocle. He knocked on the door again, startling Declan again as he looked through the spyhole."Hello?" Dartmoor called out. "Is there anybody home?"Taking a deep breath, Declan's hand reached the doorknob and turned, opening the door to greet his
landlord. "Ahh, there you are, my boy," the duck-man responded. "I was beginning to wonder if anyone was still alive in there."
"Mr. Dartmoor, sir," Declan responded in surprise. "I thought the rent's not due for another week.""Oh, it's not about rent, my boy." Dartmoor then invited himself into the apartment, his face wrinkled with disgust as he saw the state of the living room. "Goodness, but this place is a pig sty. Those bed sheets are hideous. And those drawers, such a disgusting sight! When did you last tidy this place up, boy?"Declan's cheeks felt hot as they turned red in embarrassment, turning his face away from the duck. "W-well, I was gonna get around to it...""Did you not listen to a word I said during our last conversation?" Dartmoor then produced a small notebook and flipped through the pages, adjusting his monocle as he got to the right page. "Ahh, here we go... It says in here that your apartment was well-below the acceptable level of health, safety and cleanliness, after a routine inspection two weeks ago. I distinctly remember informing you, that if this apartment wasn't in tip top shape within twelve days, then I will be forced to, ah... take control of the situation, so to speak."
He then snapped the book shut and placed it back in his inside pocket, the duck-man gave Declan a somewhat smug smirk as he spoke again. "...So there."Declan was stunned by the news, shaking his head in disbelief. "But-But I didn't get any reminders or anything!""Oh?" Dartmoor raised an eyebrow in confusion, and stepped back outside to check the front door. The landlord was flabbergasted, until he looked down to see a small pile of papers out on the corridor floor. He hmphed to himself loudly, bending down to pick up those discarded papers and walked back into the apartment to present them to Declan. The Nezumi took the papers and glanced at them, the contents of which varied from inspection reminders, to serious threats, and even one with an eviction notice that was posted yesterday. Whoever tried to post these on Declan's front door was not doing a good job of doing so."So as you can see," Dartmoor continued, in his usual formal tone. "I'm afraid that, effective immediately and lasting until it gets a thorough good clean and redecorated, that this apartment is no longer yours. I'm terribly sorry it has come to this, my boy, but it appears that I've run out of options, it seems. Though I must also apologize for the boy who tried to post these, too."
Declan just glanced at the notices again, his eyes
focusing on the eviction specifically. Could this have been a coincidence, he thought to himself. The day he chose to leave Burmecia and find his father, and yet his landlord was planning to evict him from his apartment, anyway. Not that it would have made much difference - had he found out about the eviction notice early, he would've went out into the open world on his quest anyway. With a brief shrug, he simply tossed the notices onto the bed and looked at Dartmoor again with a wide grin."Y'know what, that's fine by me," he responded. "I was getting bored of this place, anyway."The duck-man was left baffled by Declan's surprise response, his monocle almost fell off as he stumbled back a little. Until he realized what the Nezumi was playing at, judging by his attire."Oh. I see, now. So that's why you're dressed in a rather... odd manner. And here I was thinking you were getting ready for a fancy dress party." The landlord cackled heartily, as Declan groaned and planted his palm into his brow at his remarks. His expression soon returned to his usual formal demeanor, adjusting his monocle slightly. "Well, in that case, that works fine for the both of us. There's just one more thing I need clearing up, first..."
Dartmoor held up a hand to forestall a reply, and glanced around the apartment once more. Not so much as surveying the mess again, but rather assessing the value of the furniture as he pulled out his notebook to scribble down some notes. "Well, since you're already vacating these premises anyway," the duck-man spoke again as he wrote. "I'm assuming you'll no longer be needing all these... 'trinkets', for a lack of better term, is that correct?""Actually..." Declan rubbed his chin for a moment. "Do me a favor and put all my stuff in storage for me? Who knows, I might need it again someday."Dartmoor stopped writing for a moment, and glanced at the Nezumi, looking rather annoyed. "...Fine," the landlord responded. "But you will have to foot the cleaning bill, among other expenses. And I do hope, should you ever return, that you'll promise to keep this place more tidy, will you not?""Of course," Declan responded quite flatly, with a hint of satisfaction in his tone. "I suppose I gotta thank you for this. You've just saved me some time and bother from having to pack my own things. Carrying all that around would've been a right pain in the ass." Declan turned his heels and headed for the door. Before he left, he turned to face Dartmoor again. "Well, I'll leave you to it then - see you around." And with that, Declan left the building.
Dartmoor shook his
head and mumbled a curse to the Nezumi under his breath, as he went back to surveying the apartment. As he looked around making more notes, his eyes caught sight of a small photo frame among one of the bedside tables. The duck-man picked it up for a closer inspection - it was an old, worn photo of a Burmecian husband and wife, and a young Nezumi barely older than five or six years, all dressed in standard civilian clothing. The wife had blond hair that was tied back in a braid, while the husband bore a somewhat uncanny resemblance to Declan - the only differences were the darker, more unkempt hair and the beard. And the child was an exact lookalike of Declan today, but with much shorter hair.It was an old family photo of Declan's, Dartmoor deduced, and seeing it had no other purpose than collect dust, the duck-man placed it in his inside pocket, making a mental note to himself to return it the next time he ever bumps into that kid. Assuming if he ever comes back, that is.
"Whaddaya mean I can't pass through?!"
Declan was engaged in a heated argument with... what can only be described as the most obstructive city gate guard in the history of Burmecia. "What, are you deaf or something," the guard rudely replied. "I'm sorry, but it's like I told ya - you can't set foot out of these gates, unless you got a guard or a mercenary to accompany you."The young Nezumi groaned and sighed in frustration, and rubbed between his eyes, as if here were having a migraine. "Look - it's one thing for a city to be put under martial law, but now you're telling me I need a soldier to babysit me around the Daines-Horse?""Listen, kid," the guard fired back, placing his hand on his hip. "There's been an increase in bandit raids 'round the countryside, and I'm not gonna be held responsible for any of Burmecian's citizens getting mugged or killed outside these walls.""What about the farmers who live outside the city, then? Or-Or any merchant caravans?""Then Gods help them." The gate guard grunted loudly and shrugged at Declan. "Like I said, the only way you're gonna get past is if you get one of our guards to go with you, or learn how to use a sword, or something. I don't like to do this, keeping everyone trapped inside, but it's my job, y'know?"
Of course you hate it, that's why you're doing your damned hardest to keep me from passing through. Declan rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back as he was about to leave. "Well in that case, I'll be having a few choice words with the captain of the
guard, then. Let's see what he's gotta say, huh?"The gate guard just huffed at him. "Fine by me, kid. You know he's gonna go and agree with me, right? His jurisdiction, after all." He then just leaned back against the gate, arms folded. "So if you feel like wasting your time, and ours, then be my guest."Declan sighed again in frustration - it was becoming clear that he was not going to get past the gate guard, his obstructive and unhelpful nature made the situation more difficult on the Nezumi's part. Without saying a word, he simply turned on his heels and left, the Nezumi soon began to string together a few... less than pleasant comments about the gate guard as soon as he was out of earshot."Hmph. Suit yourself, then," the gate guard muttered, and went back to idling at his post, sniffling as he rubbed his nose and leaned back against the gate, arms crossed.
About fifteen minutes later, he was wandering down one of the side streets closest to the city wall, hands in his pockets as he strolled along the cobblestone road. As he walked, his mind wandered back to the events of that day; the brawl he had around the back of the bar, his landlord evicting him, and now the city militia was refusing to let citizens outside without a chaperone from the army - something that he was dead set against. The Nezumi felt disheartened just by the thought of it all - this was meant to be his first day adventuring, and he hadn't even left Burmecia yet. He didn't even have a weapon, for that matter. The rain pelting against him didn't help improve his mood, either.As he strolled along the street, something out of place caught his eye - along the wall, there was a hole that had been made in one section, large enough for an average person to fit through. It was difficult to tell whether this was done during the night or just a few hours ago, since no-one was around to report it. But judging from the debris that was strewn around on this side, it can be assumed that the damage was being done outside the walls.
"Huh... Wonder how that got there," Declan mumbled to himself, as his curiosity got the better of him. The Nezumi walked up to it slowly, peering through the hole as he saw the plains outside of the city - a perfect opportunity for him to leave, at least, but it also raises the question as to why a section of the wall was knocked down in the first place. He soon got his answer, though.As Declan popped his head through to take a look around, he saw a small campsite not far from his location. The campfire was still lit, so it's likely that it's inhabitants were still around. Wanting to take a closer look, he
quietly slipped through the hole, careful not to make any sudden movements so that his toeclaws didn't make any sharp scratching noises as he climbed across the rubble. All too easy, he thought, as he stepped through, and out into the wilderness on the other side.Just as he stepped outside the city, however, the Nezumi saw some figures moving around at the campsite, and a cold sweat ran down his neck - what if it were a patrol team working the perimeter walls taking a break? Without thinking, he quickly hid behind a nearby tree and peered out to take a look. It turned out that the campsite wasn't occupied by Burmecians, like he had thought - instead, it was a Vice camp.
The Vices - native enemies of Burmecia, were easily distinguished by their green skin and bird-like talons, and the cheap clothing and leather armor that they often wore. Their appearance alone may not be enough to intimidate anyone, but the huge, crescent-shaped cutlasses they carried certainly looked threatening. And if that wasn't enough, their mages packed enough fire power to incinerate a small army. Certainly not the kind of foe any inexperienced adventurer, such as Declan, to take lightly.This camp in particular was occupied by two standard Vice bandits and a mage. Around the camp site dotted numerous tools, some of them looking like the kind one would use to demolish a wall - a sledgehammer, some explosive powder and a large, solid oak beam used as a battering ram. There was no further doubt in Declan's mind that they were the ones who put in that hole he just crawled through. The trio of bandits were busy gearing up for a skirmish, when one of them spoke up."Hey boss," came the voice of one of the lesser bandits. "Ya think those stinkin' rats ever found out 'bout that hole we were makin' last night?"
"Doubt it," the Magic Vice replied. "If they did, we would've been rottin' our asses off in a cold, damp cell by now. Hell, we made enough noise t' wake even Bahamut up. I'm surprised nobody came t'investigate.""Hmph. Mebbe they wanted us to break down that wall," The second bandit spoke up, sounding a little unfazed."And leave it like that? Y'know, I 'spected them t' be a bit more careful since they got invaded by them black mages a couple o' decades ago, but... That's just careless.""Well, it's better than crawling through th' sewers like last time. Who'd have thought rats would made that much waste?""Yeah, you'd think that one weird rumor 'bout them would've been true. That one 'bout... Y'know...""Alright, that's enough," The Magic Vice grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Let's get back to th' job at hand before y'all make me lose my breakfast. We all set for our li'l raid?""Yes, boss!" The first Vice replied with much enthusiasm. "We're ready t' hit those rat bastards so hard and fast, they won't see it comin'!"
"Good. Now we just wait for Scout t' give the signal... Assumin' he's not starin' at rocks in a funny way again."The Magic Vice had just finished talking, when one of his subordinates glanced over at Declan's direction - A cold sweat ran down the Nezumi's neck, as he quickly flattened himself against the tree. Panic ensured, as he wondered whether the Vice squad had spotted him or not - if they have, then Declan would be at a serious disadvantage in a straight fight; at worst, he'd be slaughtered.He was expecting the trio to be charging in his direction, weapons drawn and shouting vulgarities as the sound of footsteps grew louder as they ran towards him. He waited, arms tingling with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his breath becoming shallow and shaky.He waited. And nothing happened.His breathing returned to normal, and the tingling in his arms subsided shortly after. As he began to relax a little, Declan peered around the tree again to the Vice squad - They didn't seem like they were glancing at his direction or converging on the tree; they were busy still preparing for their raid. He let out a silent thanks to whichever deity he could think that the bandits didn't spot him. Or at least in his mind, they didn't.
Suddenly, Declan felt uncomfortable, like someone or something was invading his personal space. He was about to turn around and investigate, when somebody grabbed hold of his right wrist, and held it against his back. He began to struggle, when a crescent-shaped blade appeared under the Nezumi's jaw, the sharp edge pressed firmly against his neck. Declan was terrified - he could feel his captor breathe heavily against his ear, which started twitching nervously as he whispered down it."Well, lookie what we have here," came the low, growly voice of his captor. "We got ourselves a li'l party crasher."Declan slowly turned his head around to come face-to-face with another Vice, the "Scout" that the others, his friends, had mentioned. The Vice grinned sadistically and marched him toward the Vice camp, his teeth bared as he kept his sword against the Nezumi's neck, reminding him of his current predicament."Yo, Boss!" Scout called out as he neared his friends. "Looks like we got ourselves a wannabe hero here!"The rest of the gang turned to see Scout approaching them, with the Nezumi prisoner inbound. The Magic Vice in particular grinned widely with glee, glancing over Declan as if he was inspecting the newfound prisoner. "Well, well," he began. "Ain't you sumthin' special... you come all this way out here wit' no weapon, and still, you wanna challenge the Vice Squad? You got serious balls, kid."
Declan struggled again, as he tried to break free from Scout's grip, but it proved to be futile - the Vice just gripped his arm tighter and sneered down his ear more threateningly. "Nuh-uh! You ain't goin' anywhere, rat boy - you already know too much."The Magic Vice continued, his growly voice echoed down Declan's ear as he spoke. "Y'know... we were getting' a li'l bored from puttin' a hole in that wall b'hind us. No guards, or anybody, came t' investigate. B'tween you an' me, I always thought a robbery ain't fun if there's nobody around t' try an' dissuade ya. But now that you're here... this changes things!"As he swallowed hard, Declan glanced back at the Magic Vice quite nervously. "Wh-what are you gonna do to me?""Th' question you should be askin' is, 'What aren't we gonna do to you?'" As the leader continued, the Nezumi looked around for a solution for his current predicament... preferably one that didn't end with him losing his head in the process. "Hmm... Maybe we could use you as a shield, in case some rats try t' play hero. Nah, too obvious. How about we cut you up an' send all your parts all over th' city? That'll surely get their attention! Or does that sound too brutal for ya? Aww, who cares? Not like you'll be complainin' afterwards."
Oh, come on Declan, think! He's too busy yammering away to anything to you right now, and you're running out of options! Ugh... Now I really do wish I had a weapon of some kind, then I could at least have a chance at a surprise attack on these guys. Wait a second... That's it!Somewhere in the Nezumi's head, a lightbulb went off as he realized something - he still had a free hand. And if he could enchant a weapon with lightning to give him an edge in battle, maybe he could also use it to shock an opponent - with their own weapon. It was just a matter of finding the right moment to strike."Oh! I got it!" The Magic Vice gleefully proclaimed, at last. "We'll strap enough dynamite to blow a buildin' in half to you, then we'll walk right into th' Bank
of Pandora with you as our prized hostage! If they take us down, or don't do as they're told, we drop th' stick, and they'll be pickin' you up with a sponge. How's that sound, boys?""That sounds awesome, boss!" came Scout's voice, as the other two Vices cheered in agreement. Declan saw his chance as Scout lost focus on him, and immediately swung his hand up to grab onto the Vice's blade.
"So, are you ready to die, ki-"The Magic Vice was cut off as he saw what Declan was up to, but it was too late for anyone to react. The Nezumi pressed his fingertips into the blade and an arc of electricity shot right through it, passing through to its carrier as Scout was stunned and electrocuted on the spot. While the Vice was smoking and disoriented, Declan snatched the blade off from his captor, and struck him in the face with the hilt, the blow immediately knocked the Vice onto his back as he soon fell unconscious shortly after."You li'l brat!" The Magic Vice spat out, turning purple in anger. "You think you can mess wit' the Vice Squad and get away with it?!" The remaining two Vices drew their blades, their vengeful gazes fixed onto the lone Nezumi as their leader pointed towards him. "Kill 'im! Rip 'im to shreds!"The two bandits grinned widely with glee, their battle cries echoed out as they charged towards Declan, who had only just enough time to hold up his sword in a defensive position - and to utter a panicked "Oh, crap!" as they were about to land their first blows.
The sounds of steel clashing against one another echoed out as Declan blocked each coming blow, each strike from the Vices was met with a parry of his own. The Nezumi's movements were clumsily executed at first, from the weight of the Vice's sword holding him down, and from having to fend off two opponents at once. The two bandits eventually had Declan pinned down on one knee, sword still raised as he tried to block each blow."Ha! We've got you now," one of the bandits shouted, as they both readied their swords to strike Declan down at the same time. In spite of his exhaustion, the Nezumi saw an opening for an attack - mustering what strength he could gather, he gripped the hilt of the sword tight as another surge of lightning ran through it, and swung it at the two Vices before they brought their own blades down on him. The electrified blade cut through their leather armor and tore into both targets. The cuts weren't deep enough to decapitate either or pierce their vitals - what they did however, was leave behind a smoldering, smoking cut on both Vices.
The two bandits winces in pain and
shock, the acrid stink of singed Vice skin filled the air as they glared at Declan in surprise. "Th' hell are ya, some kinda freak?!" one of them shouted as he nursed his wound. Declan didn't answer, the Nezumi panted hard as he stared down his foes, not once breaking focus."I don't care what he is, this bastard's goin' down," the other responded, and leapt at Declan again. But the Vice was in for another shock, as a cloud of black smoke covered the Nezumi's blade, as he swung it at the oncoming bandit. The Vice ducked back, narrowly missing the blade's edge as it breezed over his neck. What he didn't miss, however, was the black fog seeping from the blade and getting into his eyes, blinding the Vice as he thrashed around in complete darkness. "AAAUGH! I'm BLIND!"His partner watched the whole scene unfold, his eyes narrowed under his visor (assuming that anyone could see under there), as did his teeth bare. "Sonova..." he muttered under his breath, the Vice's grip tightened around his sword hilt as he approached Declan. "So you wanna play it that way, eh? Fine by me."
He was just within striking distance when his blind companion bumped into him, the force of impact sent the two bandits flying in opposite directions. One of them crashed into the camp site's tent, knocking it down and destroying it as it's wooden supports all snapped under his weight. The other Vice tripped over the log beam, and landed in the pile of explosive powder, sending bags of gunpowder flying and spilling their contents across the camp site.The Magic Vice watched the whole battle unfold, his expression didn't change as he saw his subordinates beaten by the lone Nezumi, in such a comical fashion, and with no real combat training whatsoever."Ugh! C'mon, what's the matter with you two! Can't you dispose of ONE stinkin' sewer rat?!" The Magic Vice was clearly annoyed by the level of incompetence being shown in front of him - he growled lowly, staring at Declan with daggers in his eyes, an expression Declan equally shared. The boss's face hardened, and slammed his staff into the ground. A sudden elecrtical current suddenly rose from the ground where the tip hit, crackling blue bolts spiraling upwards towards his body and honed into his free hand. The mage began to put his concentration into his hand, shaping the currents into a far more potent form of volts; his arm now bristling with webs of lightning.
"Here, lemme show you how it's done!" he arrogantly shouted out. The Magic Vice aimed and fired his electrical creation in Declan's direction. Much thanks to his reflexes, the Nezumi managed to dodge out of the way of the attack. Though he landed hard on his stomach with a loud grunt,
he could feel body working overtime to fight off the fatigue that washed over him. He knew he had to end this fight quickly before his enemy takes advantage of his weary state. The Magic Vice growled with annoyance, and spat out a stream of curses as he began to assault him with another bolt at the nimble Nezumi continuously. This had proved too much even for Declan, who was now nearing collapse under exhaustion; sweat dripping down his face as he can no longer burden himself with the heavy Vice sword around with him.With renewed resolve to defeat his foe, he slowly and painfully rose back to his feet, wiping his brow of sweat that began to assail his vision. Those few moments to do so proved fatal, as it has given the Magic Vice enough time to aim and fire another volley at the exhausted Burmecian. Declan screamed in agony as lightning mercilessly coursed through every inch of his body, effectively sending him flying several feet opposite onto his back. The Nezumi was now left a helpless, smoking mess as he struggled to catch his breath, half paralyzed as all four of his limbs tingled madly to the point of numbness.
Declan groaned weakly, his head lifted to see the Magic Vice slowly approach him. The gang leader was accompanied by his two subordinates, who recovered while the Nezumi was dodging lightning blasts from their boss. He smirked wicked at Declan, staff slung on his back as he reached down to his hip and drew his sword. It was remarkably different from the ones the other Vices carried - it was a silver longsword with a gold cross guard, and a bright red jewel for the pommel. Certainly not the kind of weapon that was standard issue for the Vice Squad."Heheh... You're mine now, kid," the Boss cackled, and stood over the helpless Nezumi, sword in hand. Declan could only watch as the Vice glanced down at him, raising his sword high as he was about to bring it down on him. He felt completely helpless, and closed his eyes accepting the inevitable truth that befell him before he was about to die;He had failed his quest to find his father, before it even began.Before the Magic Vice could deal the finishing blow, he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his back as something struck him from behind and knocked him forward; dropping his staff in the process. The Vice winced in pain as he turned around to locate the cause of his sudden spasm - a move he regretted instantly, as he was greeted with the source; an arrow. The projectile struck his right eye, ending the bandit leader's pitiful life in an instant.
The mage, shaking violently from his fatal wound, struggled to see with his one good eye for the attacker that dared to finish him in such a way. The last
thing he saw was a humanoid figure setting another notch into its bow and released it into his final eye, then he knew no more. The remaining two Vices and Declan turned their sights to the Magic Vice's executioner, the bandits' eyes widened in terror as they recognized who their attacker was, someone they know better not to take lightly - She was a strange sort of creature, a rare sort - a bantam dragon, to be exact; human-like draconic creatures as tough as a tank, and just as big as well. Of course, no self-respecting bantam dragon would refer to themselves as such; they just simply called themselves dragons. Any such creature would've stood out like a sore thumb, but this one in particular stood out than most, with her fiery orange scales and flowing blonde mane, both accented by her large, muscular physique, clad in leather and iron armor."It's that stinkin' dragon again!" one of the Vices exclaimed as both of them turned their attention onto the dragoness, swords at the ready as their battle cries rang out once more. The dragoness smirked widely, her golden eyes narrowed as she swapped her bow for the large, hefty battle axe she carried on her back. She swung her axe with enough force, that she sent the two Vices flying as they tried to block with their swords.
The two bandits landed a few feet away from her, but that didn't deter either of them from bringing down their longtime foe as they charged again. This time the dragoness warrior was ready, taking another hefty swing as one of the Vices raised his sword to attack. Her axe's blade clove right through the bandit, splitting him into two as his innards spilled all over the ground.His surviving partner, despite witnessing his death, was lucky as he saw an opening, and went for it. "Ha ha! Oh, you're gonna get it now, ya big ugly lizard," the Vice barked, and thrust his sword forward towards a gap in the dragoness' armor, along her left flank. The tip went through, and sunk into her side, but it only served to anger her, rather than cause injury.A wave of panic ran down the Vice's spine as the dragoness turned her head to face him. Her glaring was enough to intimidate him, but that wasn't what froze him in place - she inhaled deeply, and bathed the Vice in a stream of scorching hot flames from her mouth, lighting the bandit up like the mechanical utopia Lindblum Castle. The Vice screamed in agony, running around with his arms flailing before he finally collapsed to the ground in a ball of fire, completely burnt to a crisp.
As the burning Vice rolled around, he inadvertently set off the gunpowder that was spread around the campsite, as fire spread all over the gang's belongings to create a
bonfire. The warrior took a few steps back, preferring not to get caught in the imminent explosion as fire washed over the remaining explosives. A few moments later as they went off, the explosion ripped through the campsite and destroyed what's left of the Vice Squad's wall breaching operation, killing the burning bandit in the process.Around the same time, Scout was slowly recovering from being knocked out by Declan. His vision blurred as his eyesight gradually returned, as did the rest of his senses. When he came to, Scout looked around the burnt campsite, and saw that his three comrades had all been brutally killed in a number of ways. His eyes soon trailed over to the dragoness, a deep chill ran down his spine as the Vice saw her looking in his direction. Not wanting to suffer the fate of his fellow bandits, Scout quickly jumped to his feet and dashed out of sight, screaming in terror as he ran as far away from the camp as possible.
Having dispatched the group, the dragoness removed the Vice sword that stuck out from her side, and tossed the weapon away like gum from under her footclaws. She took a moment to survey her handiwork, a wicked grin appeared on her face as she looked at the mangled remains of each of her "victims"... Until she caught a glimpse of the lone Nezumi, as her expression quickly changed to disgust and contempt.I bet I could hue a rat neck with one stroke, she thought to herself. Stinkin' rats think they can stick their noses into everyone's business like they own this continent. Think they can go and do whatever they want, like those thieves who broke into my home some while ago. Hefting up her battle axe, she marched over to Declan, who had been watching her take on the whole Vice Squad single handed. Even as he still sat down, she easily towered over him, her heavily muscled frame made him look puny by comparison."Who are you," she demanded. "And what are you doing interfering in my business? And you better answer quick, 'cause I've little enough love for your kind." As if her tone and aggressive stance weren't enough, the steam that came from her nostrils with each breath was enough to intimidate Declan enough to crawl back a few feet, away from her.
"W-w-wait, wait a minute," the Nezumi protested, his hands raised in front of his face to defend himself as he spoke. "I-I didn't mean to intrude or anything, I swear! These guys jumped me when I got here!"The dragoness wasn't buying it, however. "Hmph. A likely story." Look at 'im stutter. He's greener than the grass growing 'round here. She shifted her grip on her axe, and planted the head into the ground as she rested her arm on the pommel. "Lemme tell you
something, kid - those bandits just now? They're part of a group called the Vice Squad, and they got themselves a rep for being the most dangerous bandit group 'round Burmecia. Robbery, kidnapping, extortion, murder... that sort of thing. You're either very ballsy, or one very stupid rat to take 'em on without knowing who they are."Seeing that the dragoness wasn't going to do any harm to him at this point, Declan slowly got back up to his feet, still keeping his distance in case she decided to hue his neck, too. At the back of his mind, he cursed himself and admitted that the gate guard was right all along... but he also had some questions to ask the dragoness, too. "Hold on one second," he began, his tone carried a sense of curiosity - and irritation - to it. "H-How do you know all this? Who are you, anyway?"
The dragoness smirked widely, her grip shifted again to casually rest her battle axe against her shoulder."The name's Serylis Fireheart. I'm the law enforcement around these parts."