Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 22:32:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [ffml] [MW] The Army Marches to On (thought I was going to say forth, huh?) From: Sky H Ainsworth It was dawn, and the camp was a flurry of activity. Bacca stood near the entranceway to the camp watching the men work on the guymelefs. Lady Paladin strode up and wrapped her arms around Bacca, holding onto him for warmth. Bacca wrapped one of his arms around her and held her. Lady stood, resting her head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" asked Lady. "About what Shadow did last night," said Bacca. "About his motives and those of his client. "I figured this much out: whoever wanted those three dead was worried about something. Shadow would not have killed any soldiers last night unless he absolutely had to. He is too good to get caught. "Normally, Shadow would have snuck in, waited for his chance, killed the three, then disappeared without a trace and no one knowing they were dead until they were looked for. Whoever hired him, wanted those men dead right away, before they got to the dinner. He was afraid of what they might tell me or say to anyone else. "Shadow was also in a rush. That is why he accidently dropped the star. He would not have left a trace of himself behind so boldly, unless it is a plant by another assasin. That is all I can figure out." Lady sighed. "All this death, all this destruction," she trailed off. Bacca hugged her tighter. "I know, it is all terrible. I am just glad it was not you or me that was targeted. When set to a mission, Shadow accomplishes it, by whatever means necessary. If fifty men stood between Shadow and his target, Shadow would kill all of them to get to the final man." Both were silent for a while. Bacca spied the nearest mech about to be readied. "Ho there!" yelled Bacca. He released Lady and ran towards the guymelef. Turning to Lady, Bacca called, "I'll be right back." He smiled at her and Lady noticed happiness in his look. The pilot for the mech stopped as Bacca appraoched. "Let me have a joy ride in this thing first," said Bacca. The pilot descended and offered Bacca a helmet, but he waved it off. Jumping on top of the extended arm, Bacca nimbly leaped to the floor of the cabin, which was in the center of the torso of the mech. Leaning back, he switched on the machine. The hatch closed over Bacca and the sound of gears moving and humming could be heard. Fitting his arms into the restraints and his legs into the stirrups, Bacca was suspended from the floor by the tension present. The mech then stood up. Looking like a heavily armored warrior, the mech was a menancing looking thing. A little shorter and wider in comparison to a man, the mech did seem like a living thing. Bacca tested the hand controls, clutching and releasing his grasp. He kneeled, swung his arms around, and pivoted his waist. The mech had no "head" though it did have a highly armored section that poked out like a helmet, but allowing vision to the pilot in almost all directions, while at the same time providing protection from projectiles and weapons. Walking towards the forest, Bacca jumped in the machine and side crawled. He pulled forth the axe from the back-sheath and tested it in each hand, swinging about with murderous strokes. Approaching some trees, Bacca swung once, twice, and several more times at a tree. Taking off the top branches, then five feet below that, and another five feet below that, Bacca swung faster and faster, sending logs flying the air. A forty foot tree was near the edge of the forest and Bacca raised up the axe and swung down. The blade caught the tree about midway, but sliced straight into and threw and down. A gaping hole was left in the tree. Bacca then swung at a tree that was at least four feet in diameter and sliced clean through it. Using his left hand, Bacca reached in back and pulled out a metal rod. This he attached to the end of the staff of the axe and turn-snapped it into place. The short handled axe was now a long-staffed axe with twice the range. Raising the axe up and behind him, Bacca held onto the blade with both hands. He then swung. Leveling out at about ten feet above the ground, the axe swung in a huge arc and cleared away the trees with almost no difficultly. Ten trees once stood tall and fine in the forest, but in one swoop, Bacca had cut them down. Returning to the camp, Bacca replaced the weapons. He kneeled at the spot where he had left the crew gaping, and opened the hatch. Turning off the guymelef, Bacca climbed out and nimbly jumped down. He was not sweating, only a little out of breath. "That was amazing, sir," said the pilot. "Whenever you get a chance today, try that on your own," said Bacca with a smile and a wink at the pilot. Once on the road, the army resumed its three corp marching order. This time, mechs and airships were distributed to each. The airships were really used to scout ahead and so would regularly fly off to check on different places. One airship had returned from the recon and dropped a note near the column. A soldier picked it up and gave it to his officer. It quickly passed to Bacca's hand. Reading the note, Bacca smiled, slightly. "It seems that the moogles have no use or need for South Figaro," he said. "They destroyed the town and left it abandoned. No moogles or any other troops can be seen." Bacca paused. "Then this means we can go there now and not worry," said Lorinan. "Yeah," said Bacca. He thought a moment. "Okay, we will do this. I want to take an airship there and establish what has happened to South Figaro. The moogles normally leave a garrison of some kind at the captured cities. If no enemy is in sight, then we might be safe. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 02:22:09 -0700 Subject: [ffml] [MW] Bad News as the Army Moves Out From: "Beth Davis" > "Who wants to go with me?" > "I do, of course," said Lady Paladin. > "I will go," said Druid Kaitlin. Lady Paladin headed to the privacy of her tent. There were a few spellbooks she was still in the process of studying, and she thought that this venture to South Figaro would be a good chance to practice. She sat down on her cot and sighed. Everything seemed routine again now that they left Crystal Peak, and she guessed that she should be glad of that. Somehow, inside, she felt empty, defeated, and she couldn't figure out why. "Shiro madoushi!" called a voice from Lady Paladin's pouch. The white wizard practically leaped out of her robes and had her wakazashi half-unsheathed by the time she realized who it was. "Yes, I am here!" she replied, pulling out a communication's globe. Inside of the globe shone the face of a wizened old man, a member of the Board of Healers in Sasindar. He was a good friend of Lady Paladin's, and had promised to let her know when word came from the Board. "Good friend, Makal, what is the news for me?" She cupped the globe eagerly in her hands. The old man sighed and seemed to wilt in the shiny surface. "Lady, I'm sorry, but you've been turned down." Her face crumpled. "What?" she cried. "How can this be? The senator of the Board himself told me that I was one of the best healers she had ever worked with. Why can't I be a Master Healer?" Makal cast his eyes downward, unable to meet her distraught gaze. "The Board feels that it is wrong for our two schools to cross. There have always been conflicts between magic-users and traditional healers, even though the two arts overlap in many respects. They think that it is enough for you to be a Master White Wizardess; to be a Master Healer and gain access to the secrets of our guild would give you far too much power. We must keep in mind the deeds of Raistlin Majere and Sephiroth." "I'm a healer in a war here, Makal." Lady Paladin's tone had abruptly become icy and calculated. "I wear the white robes of my arts, and I save people's lives. Being a Master Healer would enable me to completely heal people even when all of my magic power was drained. I would be able to heal thousands to full health in a single battle. Now, because of the Board's pride, millions of lives are at stake." She leaned forward, peering into the globe. Her brown eyes glinted like blazing sparks. Makal visibly flinched. "For every life that passes through my fingers from now on, I will forward every detail to your Board. And I will tell them, 'What could I have done to save this person? What knowledge that you denied me could I have used?' Ignorance is a sin, Board Member Makal." She spoke his name as though it made her very mouth bitter. "And this ignorance means Thanatos will be able to take life after life, and I won't be able to do everything possible to prevent that." She suddenly leaned back, overcome by weariness. "I don't have time to put up with this. I have better things to do than snap about Mog's puppets. Tell the Board everything that I have said, Makal. I'm sorry to have taken this out on you...I know you tried to help me." Lady Paladin cradled her forehead in her hands and rocked herself back in forth on the cot. "I understand, Lady." Makal's voice was compassionate. "I did my best, and I'm sorry I failed you. The board refuses to even reconsider your approval, so I doubt they will change their mind by the end of this session." The white wizard sighed. The next session of the Board was in 7 years. "Very well. Thank you for trying, my friend. I release you of your life-debt to me." Makal's bowed his head. "Thank you, Lady," spoke the Master Healer. "I wish you luck on this treacherous path you tread. May your Potions be True, and your healing Hands Steady." With the Oath of Healers, he closed the link. Lady Paladin sat there for a few minutes, letting the disappointment sink in. "Oh Bacca, I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping tears from her eyes with her long sleeves. She then attempted to regain her composure. With quick hands, she washed off her face and checked her appearance in the mirror to see how she looked. She knew Bacca would sense something was wrong. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 12:25:07 EDT Subject: [ffml] Re: [MW] Bad News as the Army Moves Out From: L: "Lady, What's wrong? And don't say nothing. i can tell something is bothering you. You can talk to me if you need a listening ear. I'm always willing to listen and talk, Even though I don't have a lot of inteligence. I can tell when people are hurting. It's a curse I have from my past." Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 11:24:00 -0700 Subject: [ffml] Re: [MW] Bad News as the Army Moves Out From: "Beth Davis" Lady Paladin smiled tenderly at Lorinan. "Thank you for caring, even if you are cursed in this way. You always seem to notice when I'm down, which, unfortunately, as been too often as of late." She took in a shuddering breath. "I was turned down by the Board of Healers. They thought being a master white wizard has already given me too much power." She spoke bitterly, and then glanced over at Bacca. Her features softened. "He depends on me so much to care for his army, and I know he was so happy when I received word from Mysidia. I told him it was almost certain I would be accepted as a Master Healer. This is a major blow to my ability to heal the troops, Lorinan." She sighed. The Master Chemist nodded. "I understand. You'll manage, though. You always do. Bacca seems to have noticed us talking...he's heading this way." Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 10:09:05 -0000 Subject: [ffml] [MW] The Army Marches to On (Where is On? Is it a town?) From: "Tojo Mojo" "I'll be going too", added Tojo, "I believe that South Figaro may be the town where I was stopped on my way to Crystal Peak. If it is, there may be knights there who survived Mog's men." "What did you see when you were there?", inquired Bacca. "Well, there were an awful lot of Moogles and this rubber weapon, and as you know, Moogles and Rubber are a bad combination. I spent most of my time looking away, however, as it was a very gruesome fight." "Oh..." "My magic should have been able to save us, but, alas, It didn't.", Tojo spoke pensively. He had disgraced his path, his lineage. His father, his great-uncle... Tojo <> NOTE: This next post has been corrected for inconsistencies Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 07:16:17 -1000 Subject: [ffml] Re: [MW] The Army Marches to On (thought I was going to say forth, huh?) From: Schala Schala had stood from the dying funeral pyre last night at some distance. She closed her eyes briefly, sickened at the thought of all this death... She had been unable to get the image out of her mind... Now, today, suddenly the rest of what Bacca had been saying filtered through to her consciousness. She faced Bacca. "I, too, will go," she said. Bacca looked at her and nodded curtly. "Anyone else?" he asked. > Others assented and they loaded onto a corvette and set off > for South Figaro. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 22:26:22 -0700 Subject: [ffml] Re: [MW] South Figaro From: "Beth Davis" Bacca approached Lady Paladin and Lorinan. The Master Chemist looked back and forth between the couple, and then bowed to Bacca. "I just remembered I had to ask Kaitlin something. I will leave you two to talk alone." Lorinan scurried off. The warrior arched an eyebrow, and turned to Lady Paladin. "Well, if he were going to talk to Kaitlin, he could at least head in her direction." Bacca grinned, but then noticed the slight redness around the white wizard's eyes. The grin faded from his lips. "What's wrong? I've noticed you've been quiet since we boarded." "What's wrong? Everything's wrong," she sighed. Out of nowhere, she pulled Bacca into a tight hug. Surprised, he put his arms around her. "I was contacted right before we left by the Board of Healers in Sasindar." Her voice dropped off. "And...?" prodded Bacca, his tone grim. "They turned me down. After all, being a master in two arts would make me too powerful," she said in a mocking voice. "They won't even reconsider my admission into the guild." "Damn." The High Lord sighed. "That knowledge could have given us an extra edge over our enemies. To be able to have the ultimate abilities in healing..." Lady Paladin stiffened, and Bacca paused in surprise. He had never seen her angry in this strange way before. "I am well aware of the advantages being a master healer could have given you, Bacca. You don't have to rub it in." Her fists were tightly clenched behind Bacca's back, and he could feel the tension in her body. "I'm sorry, Lady," he said, regretting his tactless error. It was obvious now that her pride was sorely wounded. "If there's anything I can do to help, comfort..." Bacca stroked the back of her head and down along her hair, something he knew she loved. Her grip relaxed, and she buried her face against him. "Just be with me tonight, Bacca. I need to be close to you." Lady Paladin upturned her face to gaze into his eyes. "Please?" Bacca smiled. "Certainly. Just remind me later...don't let me forget." Lady laughed, a sparkle appearing in her eyes. "Believe me, I won't." She let go of him, still smiling. "I know you have other things to do now, so don't let me hold you back." > As the corvette carried the heroes to South Figaro, Bacca paced the deck, watching > the terrain pass beneath him. > Schala stood on the aftdeck, looking out over the railing. Bacca walked up to her. > There was little wind as the corvette raced through the air. The floater stone, the > source for the airships ability to hover, also generated some sort of field that helped > to reduce air friction on the deck. A light breeze would continuously blow, but was never > strong enough to actually blow someone overboard. > "Schala, may I speak with you?" asked Bacca, standing next to the woman. > "Why yes you may, sir," replied the woman. > Bacca sighed. "Please, don't call me 'sir.' We are equals here. Just call me Bacca > like everyone else." > "Okay, Bacca. What is on your mind?" > "Well, I have noticed that you sometimes seem apprehensive around me, or nervous, I > wonder if something is wrong." > Schala thought a moment. "Oh no, it is just that when we first met, you seemed rather > suspicious of me and stand-offish. I guess I still feel this way." > "There is no reason, you know," said Bacca kindly. "You proved yourself at Crystal > Peak to be one of us and aided us in our confrontation. I trust you now. You have no > reason to fear me. Besides, you are Jaana and Kaitlin's friend, and any friend of theirs > is a friend of mine." Bacca smiled. > Schala looked at the warrior and warm expression he had. > "Thank you," answered the mystic. > "Good, I hope that no misunderstandings come between you and me again." > "I hope not," said Schala. You continued to stare into Bacca's > eyes. They both stood there a moment and looked at each other. A soldier > walked up. > "Sir, South Figaro in sight." > Bacca turned away and walked to the front of the airship. Lady Paladin stood and watched Bacca as he made his rounds. She enjoyed simply watching him move with his almost roguish grace. Her rejection as a Master Healer was forgot ten as she simply gazed at Bacca with adoring eyes. She smiled when she saw him talking with Schala. "I still haven't gotten to talk with her," Lady Paladin reminded herself. Strangely, the white wizard felt almost as though Schala was a kindred spirit, but she had no idea why. She and Schala seemed like opposites in many respects, like the sun and the moon; Lady Paladin having golden hair, and Schala having silver tresses. Lady Paladin being schooled in specific arts while Schala seemed to still be finding her ground as a mage. "Maybe I could tell her how I am a dreamseer," she thought. "Maybe she would understand." Deep inside, the white wizard felt an aching loneliness for more friends. She had fought beside Jaana and Kaitlin for months, but barely seemed to know them. All she had was Bacca for human companionship. "Maybe when we get back to the main camp, I can invite her for dinner. She needs to feel more welcome in this army." Lady Paladin nodded, and knew that was the right action to take. A messenger approached Bacca, and the warrior turned and headed to the front of the ship. "Ah, we must be there," said Lady Paladin, talking to herself as usual. Her blonde hair lightly blowing about in the gentle breeze, the healer hurried to join him. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 20:30:20 -0000 Subject: [ffml] Re: [MW] South Figaro From: "Tojo Mojo" > From: Sky H Ainsworth > > After dusk, the heroes enjoyed a small meal and then sat around a large fire, enjoying > the warmth in the cold town. Some of the heroes wandered off. "Sir Bacca", Tojo spoke. "Yes? And don't call me sir, we don't need formalities." "I would like permission to go off and see if any of my men are left alive. I'm sure I will be okay. I will return in an hour." "Okay, but you don't really need my permission. You can do as you please." Do as I please, Tojo thought. He'd been doing as he pleased for the last century, and frankly was growing tired of it. Lady Paladin approached Bacca. "Well, I'll leave you to your lady now... Romeo", Tojo spoke under his breath. Bacca heard the comment, but chose to ignore it. Lady finished approaching and spoke. "Bacca, I think I will turn in early," said Lady. "I feel real tired." Bacca looked up from the fire at Lady. "Okay. You have a good night's rest." He smiled. Tojo turned and left to wander in the city. He doubted he would find anyone, but he could always hope. Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 08:48:50 -1000 From: Schala The warmth of the fire was a welcome thing. Schala sat closer to it as she finished off her meal. She ate so hungrily that it seemed she had been fasting for a month. But that was what she had been doing. She'd been starving both her body and soul...In her quest to seek understanding, she had nearly forgotten about the basics of life, like food and water. When she saw Tojo speak briefly to Bacca and then walk away, Schala raised her head and looked after his retreating figure. She didn't know him well, but she had sensed that he had been through much. What had happened before his arrival at Crystal Peak, she didn't know, but since his arrival he had been restless. She bowed her head and said a quick prayer for Tojo's safe return. A small shudder ran through her, and she crept closer to the fire. Schala held her hands towards the flame and rubbed them, then repeated the process several times. Through the flickering light, she saw Bacca and Lady in close contact. Lady was whispering something in the High Lord's ear, while Bacca seemed to be ignoring her. Bacca. Schala cocked her head, thinking. What was it about this warrior that heightened her senses when she saw him? Something was telling her not to trust him, to keep away from him. But it was difficult, especially with the small gesture of friendship he had shown her while on board the airship. If she avoided him after that, he might think she was conspiring against him somehow...And it was very kind of him to talk to her personally, especially since she knew he had other more important matters... A hand on her shoulder suddenly made Schala jump, breaking her reflections. "Is something wrong?" came Kaitlin's voice. "You've been sitting there so long, your face is red. You'd better get a little further from the fire." Schala nodded and moved a little way back. She put her hands up to her cheeks. They were so warm that she shook her head and turned to Kaitlin. "Thanks for warning me," she said with a smile. But Schala did not see what Kaitlin saw now as she looked into the Mystic's face. Could she be mistaken? No, that wasn't possible...But what could have caused it?...The druidess simply smiled in reply. The red color had been a deep blush that had spread over Schala's entire face.