Subj:	 [ffml] [HD] Jailbreak
Date:	01-02-03 00:49:12 EST
From:	dshumate@bbtel.com (Shumate)
Reply-to:	ffml@yahoogroups.com
To:	ffml@yahoogroups.com (Final Fantasy Mailing List), HillionDynasty@egroups.com (Hillion Dynasty Mailing List)

 "C`mon! Let us outta here, kupo!" Kenaron said angrily, rattling the bars
of the crowded jail cell. The passing guard turned
to view those contained within the cell with considerable distaste. A big
lizard thing named Ladaku, an annoying moogle called Kenaron, some freaky
elf with green wings called Lia, an odd half-moogle named Junior, a little
boy, apparently under the half-moogle's protection, named Gage, a human
woman named Celeste, a dwarf named Burdock, some guy whimpering on the
floor, and some decidedly odd talking cat riding on a robotic stuffed
moogleboar.

 "Yeah right, like I'd let a freakshow like all of you out. You should have
disappeared, like your little clown buddy," the guard spit in disgust. There
*had* been some guy dressed like a clown passed out in the cell, but he had
mysteriously vanished over the night. The warden wasn't too happy about
that.

 "Hey!" the man on the floor said, getting up. "You can't keep me in here
with these freaks! Do you know who I am!? I am
the Northern Paladin, Master of Technology, and I know martial--oof!" the
main cried out in pain as eight people, plus the guard, hit him
simultaneously, and crumpled to the ground again.

 "You freaks'll be lucky if they ever let you see the light of day again,
filling a diner up with crossbow bolts like that. In case you didn't know,
at *this* particular jailhouse, we have a special little room at the back
for those in our custody," the guard gestured towards the torture room in
the back of the corrupt jailhouse, "and no-one has EVER left our custody,
heheh," noted the guard with an evil smirk, reaching for the door leading
back towards the reception area of the corrupt jailhouse, in which the city
guard tended to send those that they decided didn't need to see the
courtrooms to. The guard pulled open the door, as stared in shock.

 All the guards, which were in actuality all the malcontent and sadistic
soldiers that the city didn't particularly want roaming the streets, in the
small jailhouse were neatly pinned to the wall by icicles, their weapons
still clutched his their hands. A few burnt corpses littered the ground, and
a nondescript, grey-cloaked man was tapping his foot in irritation at the
fat warden, who was in a state of mortal terror, hovering above the ground
about a foot in front of the man.

 The strange man finished saying what sounded like some type of scolding
against evil ways to the warden, and the warden shrieked as he flew
backwards to be dashed up against the wall by an invisible force. The guard
edged back as the grey-cloaked man turned to him, before drawing his sword
and charging. The strange man gestured, and the guard skidded to a stop,
falling down with a howl. His sword glowed white-hot, the metal melting over
his hand. Electricity crackled around the grey-cloaked man, and the guard
vaguely noticed the keys lifting off of his belt, plucked by some invisible
force, before he was slammed against the wall by a wave of electricity.
Arcanis grasped the floating set of keys and strode into the jail cell
corridor.

 "M-Master Arcanis?" Lia asked, coming up against the bars as she saw his
blood-streaked face. Not his blood.

 "Hello Lia," Arcanis sighed, fumbling with the keys before he finally threw
them down and blew the lock apart with a quick blast of energy. He finally
looked up to view the strange entourage in the cell. "I see your day hasn't
been going any better than mine."

-Arcanis


Subj:	 [ffml] Re: [HD] Jailbreak
Date:	01-02-03 02:59:09 EST
From:	darklord@compusmart.ab.ca (His Dark Lordship)

Ladaku cut in front of her.

"We have no time to waste. We must find Kefka immediately."

Arcanis blinked.

"Kefka... you've seen him-Who are you?" Arcanis, even in his morbid mood,
felt his spine shiver just in the presence of this lizard. There was
something about him... something...

Ladaku snickered.

"I am Ladaku, a traveller."

"He's more than a traveller..." thought Arcanis to himself.

"Where are the others?" blurted out Lia.

Arcanis blinked. The question had almost flown right past him. He was trying
to figure out the source of Ladaku's aura, but somehow it was shielded.
This Lizar knew some tricks apparantly. He pulled himself away from it and
looked to Lia, who was standing cautiously behind Ladaku.

"Everyone's here, though Pyxie is..."

"What happened to Pyxie!?!" yelled a child from the crowd that was sitting
around the jail.

Arcanis blinked. That was the little runt he had seen at the harem... what
was he doing here?

"She had an accident." Arcanis blurted out. He didn't know why he said that.
Normally he would have explained it fully, since there was no harm in
knowing. It must have been that aura... it was driving him nuts.

"Lali..." muttered Burdock as he stumbled towards the lockers. "I gotta find
me axe so I can lay a cold one to that fruity bastard."

"Where is this Pyxie now?" asked Ladaku.

Arcanis looked at him somewhat nervously.

"She's at the inn."

"Any paticular one?"

"The... bah, I'll lead you there, if you really must see her..."

Mentally, Arcanis slapped himself. He had no idea who any of these people
were, and while he was now Pyxie's guardian, something was biting him in
the back of his mind about this Ladaku.

Fuck it, he didn't seem to have any cruel intentions.

Ladaku chuckled and looked to the throng.

"Follow the cloaked man."

Arcanis sighed in his mind. He would have sighed physically, but it would
have challenged the foundations of the already ricketty building.

* * * * * *

"FUck, Kefka, what are you trying to do? Blow this entire operation?"
grumbled Aracalen as his chocobo raced up a path. Kefka, riding aside him,
grumbled something in return.

The pair stopped when they found a stream. Chocobos were fine steeds for
getting to various areas quickly, but they didn't have the stamana that
horses did.

"Aracalen..." spoke up Kefka as he drank some riverwater. Aracalen's ears
perked up. This was the first time Kefka had any sort of concern in his
voice. Something was up.

"What?"

"The last two days have been a real wakeup call. People know what we're
doing, or at least, they're determined to find out. I hadn't expected the
reception I've recieved."

"What happened with the brawl, Kefka?"

"Alright, let me put it this way, Ara." Aracalen winced at the nickname
Kefka just bestowed upon him. "In the last two days I've felt the presence
of an esper that I used to wear around my neck, a fairly deadly bounty
hunter has announced he is after me, some crazy red mage bitch almost
killed me, and there's another fellow whom I'm getting the creeps about
too."

"That being?"

"There's a Lizar, and quite frankly, in the many lives I've had I've only
seen about four of them. The fact he's this far north and knows who I am
really, seriously scares me."

"Kefka, the destroyer, scared?" Aracalen laughed.

"It's not funny. The other thing is that I've felt something else. Something
in the mana."

"And THAT would be?"

"We're about to get some competition."

Aracalen laughed again.

"You get into a brawl and all of a sudden we have so many hidden forces
working against us that we might as well kill ourselves. Great. Look,
Kefka, we're fine if we get the damn map and get to crystal peak. The
arsenel of the gods is a few days north of here."

"Fine, but let's rest for the night. I'm too fucking old for this shit."

Aracalen laughed again.

* * * * * * *

Ladaku examined the young girl, while one of her so called servents kept a
steady eye on him in case he tried anything.

She was a beautiful specimen, both in looks and in her inner strength. She
was a seductionist, and a summoner, and... a power that was still yet
untold. More importantly, it appeared the esper had done good in his
healative procedures, especially considering what he had done just a day
before. She was going to be fine, provided she got rest.

He looked to the man watching him closely.

"She will be fine as long as she's left to sleep."

"I will not wake her."

"You should leave the room. You're consuming oxygen that is quite valuable
to her."

"I will guard her side."

"Devoted..." chuckled Ladaku. "I like that. Suit yourself."

Ladaku strolled out of the room. Outside were two other men, both stout and
rowdy, and almost identical in appearance. The said nothing as Ladaku
walked past them. He headed to the tavern where just about everybody he had
encountered in the past two days was congregated. He already was feeling
like he was being placed in charge of something he didn't neccesarilly want
to be placed in charge of, but destiny was a fickle thing.

"So how's my handywork?" snarled Arcanis as he walked in. The esper was
rather irate about how Ladaku had insisted on checking Pyxie's condition.

"You're a well trained archmage." muttered Ladaku.

"Thanks."

"So what are we doing, kupo?" asked Kenaron rather annoyedly.

"Alright..." began Ladaku. "I cannot spend any more time here, we need to
catch up to Kefka and his comrade, and find out what they are up to. Kefka
disapeared from the cell last night, and I'd say it's safe to assume that
he has left the city and is heading for his destination."

"So we're going after him?" asked Kenaron.

"Not so fast. There is a maiden in there that will need protection,
especially from here on in. She is important in the scheme of things,
though how I'm not sure, it's just a sense."

The Northern Paladin spat in disgust. Ladaku ignored him.

"I'm going to make this very simple. I am going after Kefka, Lia will
accomany me."

Lia winced at hearing the Lizar announce her name and suddenly clued in that
she hadn't been rescued yet.

Lakadu looked to Arcanis.

"I would appreciate your coming too."

Arcanis nodded. He had almost forgotten his mission.

"Ah.." cut in Burdock. "Kefka has slighted me honour, and I dunna think I
canna continue my travels until it is returned, lali."

"Very well."

"I want to go to..." cut in Celeste.

"Cait Sith?"

The cat shook his head.

"I've been around. If the Gyro Bandits went after Pyxie, something big wants
her out. I'm gonna get to the bottom of that."

"Likewise..." cut in Kenaron.

"I-" cut in the Northern Paladin "Am going along to kick Kefka's ass."

"No you're not." muttered Ladaku.

"Why not? I'm the Master of Technology and I know Martial Arts."

"To be perfectly honest..." began Ladaku. "You just suck."

"Fuck you! I'm coming along, whether you like it or not!"

Ladaku slapped his forehead and dug his claws into his face.

"Fine."

"I am going too." said a voice.

Ladaku raised an eyebrow.

"Saaldor?" he asked as if not talking to anyone.

A smoky apparation appeared.

"Aye."

"Me too!" yelled Gage.

Ladaku sighed. This group was getting too large.

"Very well. Alright, the rest of you stay and protect the girl."

Ladaku gathered his group together at the exit and lead them out.

And so their journey begins...

-- 
The eternal lord of darkness...

"And if our dreams sometimes come true, then what of our nightmares?"

-The undisputed Master of Final Fantasy 2

-GM of FF2c

-Lord of the FFML

ICQ UIN# 23424269

IRC Nicks: TheDarkLord, GannondorfDragmire, occasionally Blackthorne

System: Amiga 4000/040 Cybervision64 & Opalvision

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