Subj:	 [ffml] [MW] The Thief
Date:	98-09-17 05:22:04 EDT
From:	uainss00@umail.ucsb.edu (Sky H Ainsworth)
Reply-to:	ffml@onelist.com
To:	ffml@onelist.com

From: Sky H Ainsworth 

	A figure sneaked around in the darkness, a ghost in a world of
shadows.
	Bacca wore a black cloak and stealthily made his way around the
moogle encampment. The last, pitiful screams of human soldiers could be
heard occasionally, followed by torturous sobs of pain.
	The screaming ate away at Bacca, creating a painful fire within
him that he feared would not be quenched.
	Seeing an important looking tent, Bacca snuck up to it and crawled
in through the opening of the side of the tent on the ground. Inside,
Bacca looked about and in the darkness saw a figure lying on the ground,
wrap in bedrolls. Bacca was about to leave when he heard the figure speak
in a soft voice.
	"No... no.... Stop it...."
	Bacca recognized the voice of the Druidess Kaitlin and crept up to
her.
	Peering around, he saw that she was not bound and that there were
no booby traps. He gently shook her awake.
	"Wha...?"
	"Kaitlin, shhhhh," said Bacca, puting a hand over the small
woman's mouth. "It's me, Bacca. I've come to get you out of here."
	Kaitlin looked up at Bacca and breathed a sigh of relief.
	"Thank you, Bacca, but I have to stay, we have to stay."
	Bacca could not hide the look of astonishment that appeared on his
face. "What?!" he asked in whisper.
	"Schala and I have a plan. We need to remain here for it to work."
	Bacca shook his head.
	"No, I can't let you two. I need to get you guys out of here.
You're not safe."
	"Don't worry," said Kaitlin. "Our magic will protect us."
	Bacca hardened. "Like it protected the fortress?!" he demanded. "I
thought you had placed enough spells and counter-spells on the walls to
protect against any type of magic. And yet one creature is able to defeat
all of that and destroy half my army in the process."
	Kaitlin swallowed then spoke. "Bacca, you must understand. The
Watcher holds power equal to a god. He cannot be beaten. All our magic did
was to keep him from totally oblirating the fortress and us with it. You
must understand that that is the way of magic."
	Bacca shook his head. "No matter. Kait, you are coming with me.
We'll get Schala and Lady Paladin and leave her to Vector."
	"No, we must remain. Schala and I have figured out a way to deal
with the moogles and the rest of the Dark Alliance. Don't worry, we will
succeed. You must go now and rescue Lady. Schala believes that they may
move her to some other place soon."
	"Move her? Where?"
	"I don't know, but someplace far away. You must go. Don't worry.
I'll be safe."
	Bacca shook his head. "You had better be. I'd hate to loose you."
Bacca leaned over and kissed Kaitlin's forehead, then snuck back out of
the tent.
	Searching around, he saw movement and a familiar figure.
	"Lady!"
	A group of moogles and moogleboars stood around while a human
overseer, Cid from FF7, arranged them. Bound and gagged, Lady Paladin was
being held by two boars. A few boars wore harnesses on their backs, a few
with moogles riding in the harnesses and armed with bows. One empty
harness waited on a boar.
	At the cry, Cid turned to the caller, and quickly readied his
spear.
	"So, if it isn't the High Lord of All That Kicks Ass," said Cid.
	"The same," replied Bacca as he strode forward and drew his
swords. "She is mine. Give her back to me or die!"
	"Not so fast, warrior. You have to go through me to get her." Cid
smiled evilly.
	"Very well, then you die."
	"Load her up, boys," said Cid. The moogles hoisted Lady Paladin
onto a harness and strapped her in.
	Seeing this, Bacca paniced and raced forward. Cid blocked his
path.
	"Ahhhh!" cried Bacca as he swung his swords around and brought
them down on Cid.
	The engineer brought up his staff to block and then quickly
followed with a low swing. Bacca leaped back, but countered with his long
sword driving in from high and the right, and his short sword from low and
the left. The cleaving motion caught Cid a little off guard and he brought
up his spear to block the long sword while taking a step back. Bacca
scored a hit on Cid's right thigh, though, and the mechanic grimaced in
pain.
	Bacca caught a glance of Lady being secured to the harness and the
moogles making ready to leave.
	"Damn you!" cried Bacca.
	Swinging his swords around, Bacca connected the short sword from
high and to the left, while luning with his long sword straight. Cid
seemed ready for the unusual and twirled his spear, knocking Bacca's
swords in different directions. Bacca took a step away and followed the
twirl and turned his back to his opponent, but Cid was busy trying to stop
his spear from spinning. Bacca then finished his spin with a step towards
Cid and his long sword aimed at low body.
	Cid blocked the sword strike barely in time, but did not see the
short sword coming high. As the spear slanted one way from one sword
strike, it angled the other way from the other. But this sword swipe took
Cid in the throat and the engineer dropped his spear and clutched his
throat.
	Bacca did not stop to look at the gasping man, but charged past
him to the moogles. But it was too late.
	Lady Paladin was finally lashed to the moogleboar and the
struggling woman was carried away. The moogles remaining turned their
attention to Bacca and charged.
	"No!!!" cried Bacca as he took out one moogle by slicing it's head
in half. He strode forward, intent on the retreating form of Lady while
his swords acted on their own, killing and maiming moogles all around him.
	Bacca chased after and gave a loud, piercing whistle blast. After
running a short distance, Golden Melody trotted up alongside the warrior.
Bacca pointed and Goldie neighed in assent. Placing his hands on Goldies
back, Bacca hopped on and rode the horse, not bothering with the stirrups
of the saddle.
	The alarm was raised though and moogles began appearing out of
tents everywhere. Bacca paid them no heed and chased after his love.
	Leaving the moogle camp, Bacca groaned as the retreating moogles
carried Lady through the orc camp. The alarm was not raised in that camp
though, as Bacca took note of the several sleeping orcs. But some were
awake and Bacca was shocked to see Drugga walking around with a towel
wrapped around his waist with a few orc females around him. Bacca also
took notice of one of his former female commanders.
	"Eh! Wad de hel is this?" Drugga inquired as he saw Bacca ride up.
"Cant a fella take a bad widout bein haggled?"
	Drugga told his servants something and they scurried into his
tent. Walking a few steps in Bacca's direction, the orc looked determined.
	"Let's take him out!" said Bacca to Goldie and the horse whinnied
assent.
	As the paso fino closed in, Drugga cocked his fist and slugged the
horse in the muzzle. The horse gasped and collapsed to the side. The
momentum of the two through Bacca from the saddle and slammed Goldie into
the dirt.
	Stunned from his fall, Bacca tried getting up, but wandered over
into Golden Melody's flying hooves. The horse was panicing and shooting
out it's hooves in all directions.
	Watching Bacca take a hoof to the stomach, Bacca laughed.
	"Eh, youz got one dupid horze, Bacca," said Drugga.
	The orc's servants ran out of his tent carrying a large club.
	"Now dis time to take youz out, wuzzy boy."
	Bacca drew his swords and stood at the ready. "Oh yeah?"
	"Yeah!" said Drugga and he unleashed a powerful downward slam.
	Bacca side-step, but staggered back as Drugga's slam shook the
ground he walked on.
	Stepping forward, Bacca started swining his swords, but the orc
general step back and blocked lightly with his club.
	Drugga then countered with a step forward and brought his club
upwards. Bacca was going to feint his long sword, but this was deflected
by Drugga's move and Bacca had to duck and roll away as Drugga tried to
jab his club forward then bring it down.
	The orcs in the camp started waking up because of the noise and in
the darkness of night, came forward with their torches. Golden Melody had
recovered enough that he had limped away and watched what happened to
Bacca.
	Bacca clutched his stomach as he stood up from his roll. Goldie's
hoof strike had injured him and he wondered if he was bleeding internally.
	Drugga saw and advantage and came forward swinging. Bacca was
nimble enough to dodge the first six swings with varied moves, but was
swept off his feet by Drugga's low swing. Bacca barely rolled away to
avoid a thunderess pound on the ground.
	Bacca tried standing up, but the pain in his stomach caused him to
double over. This left him open and Drugga swung from the side and knocked
Bacca far with his club. The warrior landed a few feet away with a loud
gasp and lay on the ground.
	Bacca lay dazed and thought he was sleeping. He could hear in the
background someone laughing and he thought he heard dancing. He was
dreaming he was at a party. But then a large, wet, coarse face pressed
itself against his and a large tongue ran across his face.
	Opening his eyes, Bacca saw Golden Melody standing over him.
	"Get up, Bacca. We must flee."
	Bacca barely understood. Goldie had to nudge the warrior in the
chest and arms for the High Lord to understand. Sitting up, Bacca saw
Goldie waiting. Reaching up, Bacca barely touched the saddle horn with his
unharmed right arm. Pulling himself up, Bacca lay against Goldie. The
horse reached over and grabbed the sleeve of Bacca's chain mail shirt and
bodily pulled the swordsman up and over. Bacca then lay doubled-over on
Goldie, only one sword clutched in his left hand.
	Golden Melody did not delay but rode out of the camp. Archers then
started taking shots at the retreating pair.
	An arrow struck Bacca in the left thigh, and he groaned. Another
arrow took Bacca in the back, but the warrior felt nothing.
	Leaving the camp, Goldie was releived to see an airship swoop down
and land before his path. A net was quickly lowered and a few men clung to
the ropes of the net as well. Without missing a beat, the horse jumped
into the net, which rested on the ground, and collapsed. Bacca fell over
and lay there, unmoving. The net was quickly raised and the warrior and
his horse carried away.
	Another airship, a short distance away, hovered in the air. On
it's main deck, General Scotts surveyed the scene.
	"You damn fool, Bacca," said the old general.
	"Sir, I think our Lord is safe," said an officer next to Scotts.
	The general cleared his throat.
	"Sir?" asked the officer.
	"Release the Unholies," said Scotts.
	The officer signaled and the messaged was passed.
	Fifteen airships hovered over the area occupied by the Dark
Alliance armies. On each corvette, a man stood, holding a cloth covered
object. Each man removed the cloth and exposed a glowing stone. The
materias were then used and all hell broke loose.
	A giant dragon swooped out of the air and started blazing fire
over whatever looked like it could burn. Rumbling was heard as a group of
large, magical chocobos ran across the open fields and trashed all in
their path. The earth rumbled as a peak arose and a mystical wizard shot
out lightning bolts in all directions. A small pond near the encampments
suddenly exploded and expanded with water, a leviathan arising out of it
and sending out waves of tsunamis. A horned figure flew down and spazsmed
as it emitted showers of flames. A silver creature flew about and blew an
ice breath from it's mouth. Several golems appeared out of the ground and
started wreaking havoc and all they encountered. And thirteen knights
appeared and started cutting down whatever moved.
	The lights from the pyrotechnical show played over Scotts face. He
could see that the amount of damage done would not be enough to destroy
the Dark Alliance, but it would be enough to weaken them and make their
leaders think twice about any future assaults.
	"Let's go to Vector," said Scotts. "We need some time to recover
from all this death and destruction."
	The corvettes veared and flew south, away from the plain of bones
and death.


Sky H Ainsworth
uainss00@umail.ucsb.edu

"Let's write the tales of war and make heroes out of fools."


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Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 02:21:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sky H Ainsworth 
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Subject: [ffml] [MW] The Thief