In The Name of Love

~Lesalia~

<I could kill a meager group of thieves with ease. But it does make my job easier if you simply keep your heads down & appreciate my efforts to keep you alive. In spite of your friends' wounded pride, I bear them no ill will.>
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~Limberry~

*While he does that, Lilith uses Kiyomori on herself, Zac, & Meliadoul, who are now loosely bunched together.*

~2, 0, 0, 0~

"See, you say you could, but, and correct me if I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure a group of five was able to beat down the substantially larger group you were a part of, and all I was doing was dancing... and all Iliad was doing was flirting now that I think about it," Noct said. She then began to make her way towards the door, "Doesn't matter though, take your fancy shin guards and lets leave."

"You know, you never asked why the dragoon was with us," Mortal said.

"I didn't really care... and she is really just reinforcing the stereotype about nobles being assholes, so I don't want to ask and find out she is here to stay or something."

--

Zac, assuming he is in position, uses a barrage on Zelara.

~Limberry~

*Zalera tanks each shot & then spreads his arms wide. Red-orange gas gathers around Agrias & Orlandeu before exploding violently, releasing a ring of superheated vapor & shaking the walls of the undercroft. Lilith takes up position beside Zac & points a katana at her. Several red-orange spokes emerge from it before firing through Zalera in an almost invisible ray.*
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~Lesalia~

<As I already said, I'm your bodyguard. It is my job to see to it that you are not attacked while wandering around town, before Celebrant Zeit can eliminate this assassin of yours.>

Zac shoots another barrage.

--

"Oh, is that what's going on?" Noct asked.

Mortal nodded.

~Limberry~

*Zalera flies over to the sleeping Orlandeu, where he backhands the Count, taking him down with one blow. Lilith runs up & stabs him in his emaciated ribs. Meliadoul attacks him with a giant ethereal steel razor blade from below. At that moment, 3 of the dead skeletons return, with 2 being fully healed. The ghost knights also take up position in front of Zalera.*

~3, 1~
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~Lesalia~

"Apparently, he's the head of the Department of Inquisition now. And Vanessa has been fired."

Zac shoots a barrage at one of the resurrected skeletons.

--

"I'm sure she won't hold that against us," Noct said.

Mortal frowned, "Or, more specifically, me..."

"You take her opinion too seriously, Mortal."

~Lesalia~

<"I am inclined to agree, what concern is it of yours?">

*Euryale & the Dragoon give each other kind of a "Fuck is wrong with you" look.*
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~Limberry~

*The bullets blow through the skeleton, smashing most of its rib cage, a few of its vertebre, the shoulder, & pelvis. It then raises its arms, hurling an orb of lightning at him. Lilith is much too far away to give a damn, so she just keeps hacking at Zalera, who backhands her & casts Nightmare on her. At this point, Roatha & Ramza wake up, & each eliminates a skeleton with a Phoenix Down, before making their way towards Orlandeu. The last dead skeleton also gets back up, fully healed.*

~3, 3, 2~

"Well... She... I don't know, I just don't like that she is doing badly," Mortal folded her arms.

Sab looked at Euryale, and felt kind of bad.

--

Zac shoots the newly revived skeleton with a barrage.

Clyde: <Well we should go then. How do we get out?>

~Warjilis~

*Suddenly, an explosion goes off at the cellar door, destroying the lock & blowing it wide open.*
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~Lesalia~

"Yes, very unfortunate for her. Didn't you tell her that you hated her the last time you met?"

<Hey, I offered her a job, she can't complain about lack of Gil after refusing the hand that offers it.>
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~Limberry~

*It has much the same effect as last time. This time, he is pelted with an orb of water. Roatha & Ramza gangstab another skeleton, taking it down, before finally reaching Orlandeu. Zalera responds by raising a trembling fist in front of him, gathering magickal energy.*

~3, 2, 2, 1~

"I... may have been speaking in anger."

--

Having quite enough of that Zac runs up and uses a phoenix down on the skeleton.

~Limberry~

*Ramza administers a Phoenix Down on Orlandeu, while Roatha begins fighting a ghost knight. Since their weapons & armor were removed when they were interred, it goes down practically without a fight. Now up & mad, Orlandeu pushes past the other one & uses Shadowblade on Zalera, instantly healing most of its injuries. The Lucavi then spreads its arms, creating a green mist that sweeps over Ramza & Roatha, turning them both into frogs. Agrias awakes & she & Meliadoul attack the Lucavi with ethereal swords.*

~3, 2, 1, 1~
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~Lesalia~

"Well, it isn't wise to fuel a grudge, if you don't want it to be held. In any case, don't worry about it. It's out of our hands now, we'll probably never see her again."

*Now that they're back at the house, it has begun to rain, causing the sky to darken early.*

That last sentence didn't really make Mortal feel any better, but she shrugged, "I suppose you're right."

--

Zac moves to get a clear shot on Zelara, and shoots a barrage at him.

~Limberry~

*The Lucavi lets out a death wail. Once it does, the ghosts fade away & the skeletons fall into a pile of useless bones, purplish-black wisps emerging from where they used to be. Zalera begins shaking as his victims return to normal.*

Zalera, the Death Seraph<Hashmal...bring order here...where I have failed....>

*The Lucavi explodes, leaving behind the Stone. After a few seconds, it falls to the ground & gleams mysteriously, a groaning wind passing through the castle.*
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~Lesalia~

E"You're not going to follow us around the house, are you?"

<I will be nearby. There is no need for us to share the same room.>

Zac lets out a long sigh, "Thank god that is over..." He then looks at Lilith to see how she is doing.

--

"Good," Noct said, "I doubt you'd want to."

"Are you implying something?" Sab asked.

"Not at all."

~Limberry~

*Ramza walks over & grabs the Gemini Stone. Following him, Meliadoul pulls the Sagittarius Stone from the breast of her robe.*

Meliadoul<I trust the auracite to you. But I ask a favor in return. Take me
with you. I must know what made my father as he is. And...there is another thing I would know as well.>

Ramza<What is that?>

Meliadoul<My father did a puzzling thing. He gifted the Capricorn Stone to
Lord Dycedarg. But I cannot begin to fathom why.>

Ramz:<He gave a Zodiac Stone to my brother?>

*As Meliadoul makes to give Ramza the Stone, the Ydoran Knight appears between them. He grabs each Stone, then pushes them into the aqueduct. By the time Orlandeu & Agrias notice, he has already teleported away, & their blades clink uselessly against the rock of the undercroft.*

Marach<Who the devil was that?>

L"I fear we may have bested the Lucavi, only to awaken a new monster."

The battle is won:

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~Lesalia~

*Euryale is sitting on the bed, staring out the window at the lightning, unable to sleep.*

"Mortal, do you believe in premonitions?"

Mortal shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've never exactly had much experiences with them." She moved closer to Euryale, "Why, are you having any?"

--

Zac frowned, "Well, this is bad... At least the battle went in our favor."

~Lesalia~

"I just...well, I don't want to worry you, but I get the feeling that something really bad is about to happen."
==================================
~Limberry~

R"And whoever that was, he apparently didn't think he could wrestle more Zodiac Stones away from all of us. He has limits. Perhaps even more than the Lucavi."

Rapha<Mayhap you are being TOO calm. Ivalice has been struck by one catastrophe after another. And now most of its provinces are without stable leadership. Not to mention the Kingdom as a whole. The last thing we need is to lose track of the auracite.>

Mortal wrapped her arms around Euryale, "Whatever it is I'm sure we'll be fine, now that we have each other."

--

"Agreed, but as you just said, that is just the most recent in a long line of problems," Zac said.

~Lesalia~

*Euryale gives a weak little smile as they hear a crash in one of the lower rooms.*
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~Limberry~

Ramza<We must go to Eagrose straightaway. It is time to confront Dycedarg.>

L"I have to stay in Limberry for a while, & make sure it gets a new Marquis."

*Clyde tries to look and see what caused it.*

~Warjilis~

Monk<...It's dynamite, idiot. Hey, Count guy, I think you need to include an intelligence test the next time you hire guards.>

*Clyde just shrugs.*

~Warjilis~

*And so our intrepid heroes are walking through the town. The monk & archer are at the lead, while the Dark Knight walks stiffly a few feet behind everyone else. Slight heat waves can be seen radiating from his armor.*

Archer<Balias Swale isn't far from here. But we will be approaching from the water's side, which makes it difficult to pursue him. He is a very clever thief.>

Monk<Tch. You sound as though you wish to lie with him.>

Archer<Should we ever succeed on this mission, I would not mind if there were one less share. Should your mouth gape ere too long, you might find drown yourself in the Swale.>

Dark Knight<This gets us nowhere.>

Clyde: <Are you sure? Seems like some nice, friendly bonding to me.>