Chapter Text
The Western Keep was similar to how Zauver remembered it; A large, dilapidated manor with the occasional room that was in surprisingly good, albeit still ruined condition. It had been a minor point of interest in the Warriors of Light’s journey: The Warriors had arrived to find naught but a king who demanded that they get a crown from a nearby cavern. After wallowing through undead and other monsters, they retrieved it and brought it back to the king, who revealed himself to be the Astos: the king of dark elves. Not much thought was given to the place after Astos’ defeat and the recovering of a certain witch’s magic eye. Never did Zauver expect it to function as his base of operations.
The first several days were spent coordinating with Baron to rebuild the place. Leonheart took charge in this regard and the resulting aesthetic was one that Zauver and Ingus recognized from the hideout where they had initially encountered Leon. When asked if he was modeling it after somewhere familiar, Leon would only respond with a rather curt “yeah” and refuse to speak further. The way he looked further discouraged Zauver and Ingus from asking him about it.
The highest priority was creating a chamber to keep the crystal in. Once that was completed, other portions of the keep got work done, primarily the living quarters and the walls. It was through this that it was discovered that the Keep was more spacious than the Braves had realized, including Zauver. This would prove to be more of a blessing than it initially seemed: It was also during this time that Zauver, Leon and Ingus learned that Baron had provided a supply of troops and citizens, mainly those whom had been affected by the war between Palamecia and Gestahl or otherwise had reason to hide.
Leon welcomed this responsibility with open arms. Ingus and Zauver, less so.
A short time after the Keep was considered functional enough to run, Zaalbag arrived to deliver numerous tomes and a vase of flowers.
“As you have requested, these are all of the tomes that we could procure that speak of the crystals. Some of these are quite few in number, but the severity made procuring them far easier than they would be otherwise. May these aid you in finding the resting place of the Wind Crystal.”
“And the flowers?” Leon asked.
“A present from Lord Brother. He is quite busy, so he requested that I deliver them.”
“Thank you, Sir Zalbaag.” Ingus said.
“It is of no concern! We of House Beoulve shall do all in our power to aid the Zodiac Braves in their endeavors!” The middle Beoulve brother knelt in reverence. Ingus and Zauver were uncomfortable, but Leon merely waved him away.
“We’ll keep it in mind.” Leon said. “You’re dismissed.”
Zalbaag left. The Warriors turned their attention to the tomes that lay before them, each a great size and perhaps a bit too wordy.
“Sheesh. You’d need a Rosetta Stone to read some of these.” Zauver mumbled as he took quick looks into the tomes. “Didn’t think I’d be a Librarian of Light.”
“It’ll certainly be a while before we figure out where the crystal needs to go.” Leon mused, lying back in his chair. “Still, we’ve got House Beoulve at our beck and call, and other places will be lining up to throw their lot behind the Zodiac Braves.”
“Not that we’ll need it. We’re just looking for wherever the crystal is supposed to go.” Zauver said in a mindful tone.
“You never know. If we are given this power and these responsibilities, then it is our duty to use them effectively.”
“But we’re not from here. We’ll help as much as we can, but we have our own problems.”
“But surely we can’t turn a blind eye to those who are in need.”
“And yet, I think that you want us to do more than just help.”
“These people are living in turbulent times! They can’t save themselves! We are a beacon to them! And yet, you want us to ignore their plights?! Are we not Warriors of Light?!”
“I have found something of interest.”
Leon and Zauver paused in their argument. Ingus moved his book to the central table and pointed at a particular section. This section included an image of a mountain, the top of which was covered in dense clouds.
“Windia: A town close to the foot of Mount Gale; a mountain range in the southern portion of the world. It is compared to the volcanic Mount Gulg of Cornelia, being a mountain with a persistent snowstorm and chilling winds.”
“Sounds like exactly what we were looking for.” Zauver said confidently. “And Mount Gulg was where the Fire Crystal was in my world.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Leon acknowledged. He stood up and nodded at his fellow two warriors. “Start making your preparations. In a few days, we’ll set out for Mount Gale.”
The mountain was far too cold.
Wind tore into the heat of those unfortunate enough to find themselves on the frozen trail. To climb the mountain without some sort of fire spell or some way to generate heat was to tell the world that you had given up and intended to never be seen again.
Yunita shivered as she kept the Flame Rod close. Her reason for climbing the mountain was one that she herself could not explain. It was bad enough that she had found herself in this strange new world, far away from her fellow Heroes. But the urge to climb the mountain, alone, was inexplicable. As if something were drawing her there.
It did not help that her track record was not the most encouraging when traveling on her own.
Still, without Aire, without Hourne, without her allies, it was the only direction that she had. Thus, with a sheltered heart, she pressed on.
“This mountain is too damn cold.”
Leon glared around the cavernous mountain, shooting glares of annoyance at anything he could see. The chill may not have compared to the depths of Pandemonium, but to Leon it was damn near close. He turned to his fellow Braves only to be met with disappointment: Ingus showed no signs of complaining in his Red Mage getup and Zauver practically taunted him by wearing the exact same light clothes that he usually wore.
“What? Miss lounging around the keep already? We’ve got a crystal to return.” Zauver teased. “The sooner we find where it is, the sooner we can get back to our own worlds.”
“You don’t know that.” Leon shot back.
“It’s gotta be. The Warriors of Light-”
“Zodiac Braves.”
“We are usually connected to the crystals.”
Ingus walked in silence, trying to ignore the argument. There were only so many times one could try to keep the peace before giving up.
The argument was broken up, however. It was broken up by a loud sound that none of them recognized.
The three Zodiac Braves instantly drew their weapons and looked around. The sound of footsteps and grunting grew closer and closer, yet the enemy remained unseen. Even once the sounds grew loud enough that the presence of others should be obvious, there were no signs. Then, voices from close by called out.
“It seems the intruders have vanished, sir! Shall we pursue?”
“No. Remember, our goal is to find the altar. Right now, we have no reason to waste time chasing after them.”
“Understood, sir!”
The noises grew quieter and quieter. The Warriors looked around wildly, trying to figure out where those sounds were coming from. Despite their frantic searching, however, there was no sign of an enemy.
“What the hell was that?” Leon asked.
“Were we being pursued?” Ingus looked behind the group and saw nothing.
“If we were, they weren’t putting in much effort.” Zauver mumbled. “We didn’t even move.”
The trio continued to scan their surroundings, but found nothing suggesting the presence of other people. Then Leon noticed something on the side of the path. He gingerly approached what appeared to be a blanket of flowers.
“Huh. Never knew flowers could bloom in places as cold as this.” Leon mumbled. There was something about the flowers that nagged at him however-
“Who’s there?! Show yourself!”
Leon backed away as the flowers barked at him. The noise caught Zauver and Ingus’ attention and they hurried over. They looked around while Leon remained fixated on the flowers.
“...Ramza?”
The flowers remained silent. Then, quietly, a voice could be heard.
“I thought I heard someone speak my name. Perhaps I have not yet recovered fully.”
“Ramza? Is that you?” Zauver sprinted over to the flowers. He almost felt the act absurd, but sure enough, the flowers responded.
“That voice! You were one of the ones from the Cyclone, were you not? But, where are you?”
“We could ask the same thing! Why is your voice coming from a bunch of flowers?!”
“Bunch of flowers? Oh! This must be…” The sound of footsteps came through clearer and clearer. When Ramza spoke again, he could be heard much more clearly. “Can you hear me?”
“Much better.” Leon answered.
“Then this must be Whisperweed. It is a plant that is said to carry sound across distances.”
“What, really? So you’re probably somewhere far away?”
“It is quite possible. Whisperweed is said to be an incredibly rare plant. In Ivalice, it only blossoms once every millennium. What fortune that we would find some.”
“Where are you, Mr. Beoulve?” Ingus asked.
“My company is currently scaling Mount Gale. Lord Brother had been informed that the Gestahl Empire was searching the mountain. Perhaps they are unaware that Palamecia had seized the Wind Crystal.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding.” Leon gritted his teeth. “We’re on Mount Gale! What are the damn odds?”
“Then perhaps we can be of service? We shall do whatever is in our power if it can aid you on your quest.”
“We’re looking for the shrine for the Wind Crystal. We suspect it’s somewhere here.” Zauver explained.
“There were voices that mentioned an altar. It seems Gestahl’s forces are searching for it too.” Ingus added.
“Very well then. Take some of the Whisperweed with you. If it is necessary, we can keep in contact with each other.”
Plucking some of the flowers and storing them elsewhere, Zauver and Ingus continued forward. Leon, however, lingered as he looked at the flowers once more.
“What are the odds, indeed?” Leon mused before following after.
The mountain trail continued onwards. The smaller, claustophobic tunnels gave way to larger caverns. Some even had large ice-crystal bridges, connecting peaks and cliffs to each other.
The trio maneuvered their way through the paths. The occasional monsters were laid-way easily due to their weakness to fire; Ingus used fire spells to dispatch groups while individual foes were run through by Leon’s Flame Sword. Zauver found himself relying on his speed to strike multiple times. Not helping Zauver’s mood either was that the treasure found in the cave was disappointing, outside of an admittedly nice Light Curtain.
It was during this time that a conversation started.
“So.” Zauver began. “You said before that you knew the kingdoms that were at war with each other.” Leon’s gaze darkened.
“Palamecia was a brutal, power-hungry nation. It was a region that coveted strength above all else. In the eyes of Palamecia, those who are strong are fit to rule, and those who are weak deserve to crushed under heel. In a way, it reflected the man who ruled it.” Leon explained before shaking his head. “Gestahl, I don’t recognize. For the brief period that I was with the Palamecia of this world, it seemed that they were an engineering powerhouse. They apparently use several machines, including ‘magitek’.” Leon looked over to Ingus, but Ingus responded by shaking his head.
“I have heard of no such kingdom in my realm.”
“So we don’t even know what forces we may be up against.” Zauver said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
“Did you and your pals know about the enemies you’d be facing?” Leon asked.
“No, but I was hoping things would be different.” Zauver toyed with a knife in his hand. “I’d prefer it if we weren’t lead by the nose so often.”
“Well, a situation is rarely as simple as it appears.” Leon answered back. “Even the most straightforward of quests no doubt have machinations going on in the background.”
“I guess you’re right. Still, is it too much to not feel like a pa...” Zauver paused. Voices and footsteps could be heard in the distance. The group ventured forward cautiously. It could simply be the result of more Whisperweed, but one could never be too sure. Their caution proved justified as the sound seemed to be remaining in place rather than fading away like before. Then, the sound of a Fire spell and a blast of heat convinced them to investigate.
The commotion was the result of a crowd of soldiers. They wore green and brown armor that none of the three recognized. In the midst of the soldiers was a girl, clad in armor and holding a sword and with a fire rod on her back. She stood firm against the soldiers, but the way her sword shook betrayed her tension.
“You’re one of the Braves, aren’t you? Why else would you be climbing this mountain?!” One of the soldiers barked. The girl said nothing. The soldier stepped forward. “Well? Where are the rest of your allies?!”
“Right here!” Zauver shouted as he tossed a knife at one of the grunts, catching their attention. The thief charged into battle, using his agility to weave through the tide of soldiers and utilize some well-placed knife slashes. Leon and Ingus wasted no time in joining the fray themselves, flinging dark power and fire, ice and lightning magic. While Zauver and Leon largely focused on the rabble, Ingus fought his way over to where the girl was fighting.
“Are you alright?” Ingus asked the girl. For a moment, her features turned to shock before settling back into grim determination. As she parried another blow, she turned back to Ingus.
“Run! Save yourself!”
Alas, her warning was too late. She and Ingus were blasted by lightning spells and left paralyzed. Quickly they were surrounded by soldiers who began to tie them up.
“Ingus!” Leon yelled. He gritted his teeth with anger, but the soldiers were beginning to look in his direction. Had all four of them been up, he might’ve continued the tussle, but with Ingus and the girl compromised...
“Book it!”
“What?!” Zauver shouted in shock as Leon took off in the other direction. He gave one last look at Ingus and the girl, flinched, and then followed. Some of the soldiers began to move after them, only to be halted by their superior.
“Let ‘em go. Our top priority is the shrine.” He reminded them. The soldiers nodded and continued on. However, the superior stopped two of them and meaningfully looked to the subdued fighters. With a nod from the superior, Ingus and the girl were carried off.
Leon and Zauver dashed through the caverns, both men alternating between looking back towards the soldiers and forward along the route they were taking. It was during one of the former looks that-
“OOF!”
“OW!”
Zauver fell backwards and landed on his back. He picked himself up and looked at who he had run into; It was a man decorated in armor and banners and wielding a large sword.
“Oy! Watch where you’re-!” The man took a look at who he bumped into and took a moment to process what he was seeing. He frantically shifted onto his knees and bowed before the warriors, cowering as he did. “So-so-sorry for my clumsiness dear Zodiac Braves! It will not happen again! I promise!”
Zauver put his face to his hand and was about to tell the guy to relax when Ramza arrived on the scene.
“I am glad to see that you are doing well.” Ramza looked around and frowned. “Was there not a third companion with you?”
“Ingus and some girl got captured by Gestahl.” Leon explained. Ramza was shocked for a moment, but quickly grew lost in thought.
“The Gestahlian forces don’t seem to have found the shrine yet. If they realize that Ingus is one of the Zodiac Braves, they may try to use him to find it.”
“Yeah, but there’s also the girl. They seemed to believe that she was also one of us.” Leon explained. “They did have a point. What was she doing on this mountain...?”
“Let’s ask her when we find her.” Zauver said, pointing a dagger back the way they came. “If Gestahl hounds that shrine, we’re gonna have a harder time putting the Wind Crystal back.”
Leon and Ramza both nodded and followed after the thief. In turn, Ramza’s company progressed onward.
Yunita and the man in red were brought before the commander of the enemy forces: A dark-skinned man in a more regal uniform compared to the grunt soldiers. Despite the intimidation of Gestahl’s forces, Yunita was surprised to find that the general did not give a cruel impression. On the contrary, something about him gave her hope that they could reach an understanding.
“This area is under investigation by the Gestahl Empire. State your business.” The general commanded.
Yunita argued with herself whether to tell the truth or to lie. Finally, she made her decision.
“We are merely travelers. We came simply to explore the mountain.”
“Odd. This mountain is a designated holy area. Normal travelers cannot go as far as you two did.”
Yunita’s eyes darkened. The man in red spoke up.
“We are from a far off kingdom. We had heard rumors that the Wind Crystal had returned. My associate and I had been sent to investigate.”
“A far off kingdom? What is its name?”
Ingus hesitated for a moment, prompting Yunita to speak up.
“Horne! The Kingdom of Horne, sir! Hourne had been experiencing gusts of wind. The king wanted to believe it was possible, and so he sent us to confirm it. Please allow us to reach the crystal’s altar to see for ourselves!
The general did not seem to completely buy that story. He stepped forward and looked at both of the prisoners. Before he could ask them further questions, a woman in a yellow outfit suddenly ran in.
“Leo! Pull the unit out now! We need to leave!” She shouted.
“What’s wrong? We haven’t found the-”
“The Emperor has changed his mind! He wants to bury this site! He’s deployed the Death Machine!”
The general, Leo, looked shaken.
“The Death Machine?! So close to a populated area?! What is he thinking?!” He growled, but his eyes fell upon the two prisoners, who were looking increasingly tense at the mention of a “Death Machine”. He looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking, making no attempt at masking his voice. “Celes. As you are aware, the Death Machine is an advanced Lufenian war machine. It could single-handedly destroy this mountain by itself, and if it were to escape into the surrounding area, the damage could be catastrophic. Is there any chance that we could sway the Emperor otherwise?”
“No. It is already en-route.” Celes said, slight uncertainty in her voice.
“Then there is nothing we can do. Prepare to pull out our units.” Leo paused for a moment before adding. “And make sure to secure every magitek armor. They’re quite powerful, especially for those innate with magic. So make sure not a single one is left behind.”
Celes seemed to pick up on Leo’s suggestion and nodded. She ran off, leaving Leo with the prisoners once more. Leo paced across the room, past the prisoners, and Yunita felt something fall into her hand as he walked by. Leo scanned the room one last time, nodded, and ran off. For a moment, the two were silent.
“...He gave me-”
“-a dagger.”
Yunita used the dagger to free herself and the stranger. They shared a look and came to an understanding. They darted out of the room.
The path forward was littered was Gestahlian troops. Whether it be patrols, squadrons or machines that seemed to grant magical power, it was clear that the mountain was under Gestahl’s thumb. Luckily, Zauver and Leon were skilled in the ways of combat, the former utilizing his speed and the latter using his darkness-induced powers. Ramza too, along with a company that he can rally that would even the tide of battle. Still, there was a constant visible presence of Gestalian soldiers to fight through.
Which made it all the more ominous when, abruptly, they stopped.
“Perhaps it’s because they didn’t get this far.” Ramza suggested as the group continued further. Leon did not respond immediately but looked along the ground. Bolts, empty clips and other miscellaneous pieces of metal littered the floor.
“They were up here. Now they’re not.” Leon answered.
“Any reasons why they might’ve ran?” Zauver asked. “Do you think it was the shrine?”
“No.” Leon said, folding his arms. “If anything, security would be higher. I can think of only two reasons why they would suddenly pull out entirely.”
“And of those reasons...?” Ramza asked tensely.
“Either they found something they shouldn’t have found...” Leon took a quick look around, prompting Ramza and Zauver to do the same. No blood, wounded soldiers or frankly any signs of a significant struggle. “...Or they’re up to something that they don’t want their soldiers to be a part of.”
“Zauver! Leonhart! Ramza!”
The voice of their missing companion cause Leon and Zauver to jolt. Ramza had a stroke of realization and pulled out the Whisperweed that he had picked earlier.
“Ingus! You escaped?” Ramza asked.
“There are far graver matters at hand right now! The general of the Gestahlian forces has confirmed that something named the “Death Machine” will be deployed on this mountain. Whatever it may be, the Gestahlian forces are evacuating the mountain!”
“Death Machine…” Zauver repeated.
“Mr. Beoulve, Yunita and I shall stall the beast. You and your forces should escape. Warn the villagers of Windia!”
“But what of-”
“Do not concern yourselves with us!”
“Very well.” Ramza stowed the Whisperweed away once more and turned to his company. “Are there any of you willing to retreat back to Windia to warn them?” Sheepishly, some of the members lifted their hands. Ramza nodded. “Go! Alert the people of the town!”
“Try taking some Whisperweed. We can vouch for you.” Zauver recommended.
As Ramza’s men left, he turned to the remainder, Zauver and Leon.
“I know not what Ingus and his ally are planning, but we cannot leave them to struggle against this threat alone.”
“But didn’t he say-” Leon began to say
“Ingus does not expect to destroy the machine. In fact, it sounds as if he and his ally may try to sacrifice themselves should it come to that. I refuse to leave them behind without at least trying to support them.”
“It’s noble thing for you to do Ramza, but something about this supposed ‘Death Machine’ doesn’t sit right with me.” Zauver said.
“I would assume so, if it is named the ‘Death Machine’.” Leon responded dryly.
“Not just that. It feels like a bad memory, you know?”
Ramza was prepared to discuss further, but was quickly silenced as a new noise grew louder and louder.It sounded somewhat familiar. Almost like propellors on an airship.
Above, four machines hovered overhead. Each had a cable that connected to something in the middle. They carried it until they settled in the vicinity of Ramza’s company. Then, the cables retracted and the object fell onto the mountain with a monsterous thud and an exposion of snow, dividing Ramza’s group in half.
It was a device of some sort. A machine in the shape of a monster. It was bipedal and had an odd face that glowed with red and green lights. It had two weapon turrents on either side of it. It stood in place, motionless, almost as if it were thinking.
Leon looked towards his allies. Ramza seemed cautious of the machine, but showed no signs of recognizing it. Zauver, on the other hand, looked as if he was staring death in the face. He was colorless, eyes wide with horror.
“Zauver?”
“RUN!”
The Thief immediately fled in a panic. Ramza and Leon stared in shock as one of the Zodiac Braves ran off.
On the other side of the machine, the cut-off soldiers were beginning to grow restless. They knew not what their foe was, but seeing one of the Zodiac Braves flee for his life did little to quell their concerns. Finally, one took action.
“Do you think we are afraid of you! Damned golem!” One of them shouted before tossing a large rock. This caught the machine’s attention.
It fired.
Leon, Ramza and the remnants of Ramza’s forces watched as the trapped soldiers were erased. They fled in the same direction as Zauver. The machine slowly followed.