Anyone watching Marcine's actions might have been slightly puzzled by what
they had seen.  Sitting in one of the upper cabins of the Excelsior, poring
through her tomes in an attempt to help get the ship airborne, she would
occasionally set her book aside, stand up, then cross over to the window and peer
outside.  After a moment she would return to her chair and resume her research...
until, after a short period of time, she would repeat the same sequence of events
again.  The length of time between each incident grew shorter until, abandoning
all pretense, the young mage brought her tomes with her and sat on the
windowsill.  Even then, however, she spent more time looking outside than at her
books.

     As it turned out, there *was* someone watching her; two people, in fact,
shadowy figures observing her from the dimly-lit hallway outside her room. 
Finally, as Marcine let out an unconscious sigh as she stared into the distance,
the figures nodded to each other.

                     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                   FINAL FANTASY LEGACY
                   Knights of the Round

     Begun (and herein continued) by Brian Stricklin 

               Chapter 52: Wings and Horns
                     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Having returned to its former location once again, one mountain among many,
the Manakyr base was once again inconspicuous, and its inhabitants took the
opportunity to rally their forces and regain their confidence.  The defeat at
Tienne had lowered morale, especially since many Manakyr had suspected the attack
came before they were ready, but Darovan's charismatic speeches had renewed their
hope for an eventual and complete victory.

     At the moment, however, the ancient mage appeared to be in a rather sombre
mood.  In a darkened room deep within the mountain, he sat at Madonna's bedside,
his well-worn face betraying no emotion as he stared down at her weakened,
slumbering form.

     The Knights had an unbreakable bond with their Heartstones.  They could
give them away with little danger... but Madonna's had been taken forcibly. 
Phoenix had revived her from beyond death, but her link with the Stone was
disrupted, so much so that she couldn't be truly whole until it was returned to
her.  And that was truly a pity...

     A sudden presence behind him rose the hackles on his neck, but he relaxed
as he recognized the visitor's voice.  "My lord."

     Darovan stood, turning to stare at the wizened old man kneeling before him. 
"I wondered when you would show up," he said with a frown.  "I was beginning to
think you had forgotten our agreement."

     "Never that, my lord," Blight replied smoothly.  "My people have been
weakened by the passage of centuries, a state only recently corrected.  I am glad
to see you again, Master Darovan."

     The mage snorted, unconvinced, and looked down at Madonna.  "Have you any
news of my Legacy?" he asked.

     "She is still under the watchful eye of the Church, lord.  Not even we can
reach her under such protection; we are no longer as strong as we once were."

     "And... what of the Heartstones?"

     Blight sounded puzzled.  "Lord?  I was under the impression that you did
not seek-"

     "Not all of them.  Just the Stone of Air.  If my plans are to ultimately
succeed, I need it."  He stared at the Knight again, his face unreadable.  "I
need *her*."

     "As you wish.  I believe that Heartstone is currently in the possession of
Siegvin."

     At this Darovan looked at the demon sharply, his eyes widening.  "Siegvin? 
But..."  He stopped, then smiled grimly.  "Of course.  I should have guessed;
only he could have defeated Madonna so easily."

     His gaze turned toward an ancient tapestry on the far wall, one detailing
his own rise to power.  It displayed his apprenticeship to Clea Manakyr, his
dismissal thereof, and her death at his hands... and there, always in a
subservient position, was an armored figure astride a six-legged horse.  "So," he
mused, "my old teacher is still on his fool's errand.  Even now, he thinks he
can..."  Darovan shook his head, then glanced at Blight.  "Do you know where he
is?"

     "I'm afraid not, lord.  He has hidden himself well."

     "Find him," Darovan whispered, his eyes fixed on the tapestry.  "Find him
and recover the Stone, and your people will be richly rewarded."

     Blight bowed again.  "As you command, my lord."  He vanished into the
gloom, disappearing as abruptly as he had arrived.

                    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Aye, th' runes'll keep it stable," Tharlo promised.  "O'course, had ye
gone with runes from th' start, ye'd have had th' beastie aloft long before."

     "With all due respect," Bolgan replied stiffly, "I find it difficult to
believe that a few scrawled letters would keep something as big as the Excelsior
in the air."

     "I agree fully, Master Valecrest," Edrin added from the next seat over.

     "Thank you."

     "Obviously you should have used Floatstones from the beginning."

     A small vein pulsed in Bolgan's temple.  "Bah!  Unholy tricks and deviltry! 
Machinery is the only thing that can be truly relied upon!"

     "Aye?  Then why couldn't ye get the thing flyin' before now?  Dwarves have
a talent fer engineerin', aye, but we know when ta use th' right tool for th'
job."

     "Oh, really?  And how many airships do the dwarved have, may I ask?"

     Tharlo shrugged calmly.  "We be a cave-dwellin' folk.  What need have we of
airships?"

     "Isn't that conven-"

     "*Enough!*"  The shout rang through the meeting room, and all eyes turned
toward Kyle.  As the highest-ranking officer present, it was his duty to keep
things moving... though the entire conversation was giving him one tremendous
headache.  "We're not here to debate how everyone *would* have made the
Excelsior.  We're here to get it off the ground.

     "Tharlo, you said the runes you've put on the wings will keep it stable?" 
As the dwarf nodded, Kyle turned toward Edrin and Kayla.  "What about the
Floatstones?  Will they be up to the job?"

     "Yes, indeed," Edrin asserted with a nod.  The rough edges of his accent
had been worn smooth by his interaction with more modern speech, but his
enthusiasm for all things aerial was undiminished.  "Now that the Excelsior
doesn't have to devote power to its stabilizers, it can provide maximum lift with
its engines.  That, plus the Floatstones, should give us impressive speed and
maneuverability.  In fact, I think we won't even need the engines if we can
collect-"

     Kayla coughed warningly.

     "...but we're probably better off with what we have," he finished.

     "Good.  Bolgan?"

     After glaring at Edrin for a moment, the Chief Engineer looked down at his
notes.  "The fire potion boosters are ninety percent complete; they should be
finished well before your friends return.  Per the girl's instructions," and at
this he couldn't quite keep the irritation from his face, "we've prepared a large
quantity of base potion; once the pollen is added, they should provide enough
lift for at least three dozen takeoffs."

     "That should last for a while, anyway," Kyle agreed, and examined the
meeting's agenda.  "All right... what about defenses?  We'll probably get hit
with magic in the next battle."

     Each representative began to speak at once.  "A modified GOLeM elemental
capacitor-"

     "Wide-dispersal Shell and Reflect spells-"

     "Runes o' Wardin'-"

     Kyle sighed and left them to it, then turned to the other occupant of the
room.  "I'd almost rather be facing Darovan," he commented wryly.

     "Hmm?"

     He blinked, then looked closely at the young mage.  "You okay, sis?"

     Marcine sighed.  "I'm all right.  I'm just... a bit out of sorts, that's
all."

     "You sure?"  He placed his hand on her forehead, holding it there despite
her efforts to dislodge it.  "Well, you don't have a fever... maybe you should
get some rest anyway, though.  You've been travelling a lot more than you're used
to."

     She hesitated.  "Maybe you're right.  I feel a bit-"

     Her sentence was cut short as the door to the meeting room burst open,
causing Kyle to instinctively reach for his lance... only to realize he'd left it
in his room.  Two women stormed in, striding purposefully toward Marcine, and
without a word lifted her bodily between them.  She struggled.  "What are you-"

     "What's going on here?" Kyle demanded?

     With a wink, Jil Fallensand grinned at him.  "Don't ye worry about it,
boyo."

     On Marcine's other side, Pearl nodded.  "We just need a chat.  Girl talk."

     After they escorted a protesting Marcine out, Kyle exchanged glances with
the other occupants of the room.  "What was *that* all about?"

                        -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     The small group, led by Stine, made their way across the plains, seeking
the whip grass pollen they had come to collect.  Situated in the valley between
two tall mountain ranges, the plains possessed excellent soil, made evident by
the long and lush grass that stretched from one end to the other.

     As they passed through the valley, their movement scared up numerous small
creatures, who either fled or attacked the group viciously.  For the most part,
they were little challenge for the seasoned adventurers... though the most recent
attack was something extraordinary, and left them winded at best.

     Mika glared at the dead monster before them.  "Okay," she said finally,
"would someone explain to me how a thirty-foot tall *turtle* can hide in
three-foot grass?  I mean, *one* of us should have spotted it, right?"

     "The Habarm Valley is home to many strange and exotic creatures," Stine
informed her solemnly, "and their ways are mysterious."

     "It's a stinking *turtle*," she insisted.

     "An Adamantoise," he corrected her.  "'Tis rare indeed that they ascend
from their subterranean burrows this late in the season."

     "Lucky us," Mika muttered.  "Oh, well... I'm getting plenty of potion
ingredients, anyway..."

     "Can we hurry this up, please?"  Davin looked around.  "The sooner we can
get back to La Verde, the better."

     The young alchemist peered at him curiously.  "What's the rush, Big
Brother?  Siegvin can't do whatever he's planning without the Heartstones we
have, and since Darovan still needs Marcine-"

     "We don't know when he's going to try something again," he insisted.  "I'll
just feel better when we're back with the others."

     She shrugged.  "Whatever you say."  As the group started off again, Mika
glanced at Stine mischievously.  "Are we there yet?"

     The beastmaster scowled.  "It doth not MATTER whether we have arrived yet!"

     "...forget I asked."

     In fact, it was only a short while before the group arrived at a purple-
tinged patch of vegetation, its fronds standing nearly upright despite the slight
breeze.  Stine pointed it out to the others as they approached, warning them of
the danger.  "'Tis how it feeds," he explained.  "It waits for prey to pass
through, then it strikes all at once, surrounding the hapless creature."

     "Nasty," Mika noted.  "But not a problem.  Shizuka, could you get me... oh,
call it six stems, please?"

     "At once, Mistress Mika."  Before the alchemist could object at her
phraseology, the Ryukin girl had already sped through the grass, approaching the
purple weeds in utter silence.  Drawing her knife, she began to harvest the whip
grass; the plants didn't respond in the slightest as she cut the fronds down at
their bases.

     Davin looked over Mika's shoulder as she produced the pressurized canister. 
"How long will this take?"

     "Just a couple of minutes; once I get the grass in the can, the process
will begin, and it'll be ready by the time we get back to La Verde."

     "Good.  So we'll be headed back soon?"

     "Well, yeah.  As long as we're not interrupted."

     Stine scoffed.  "Interrupted?  Out here?  The Valley of Habarm be a safe
and quiet place!"

     And that, of course, was when the giant cow attacked.


                         -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "You didn't have to pull me out of there," Marcine insisted, though without
much rancor.  The other two women had escorted her to Jil's room, ignoring the
stares of the various engineers in the building, and sat her down on a
comfortable couch.

     Pearl chuckled.  "You should be thanking us.  Never get between a boy and
his new toy; they'll talk your ears off given half a chance."

     "Aye," Jil agreed, pouring three glasses of wine at a nearby table. 
"Besides, we thought 'twould be a good time ta have a little chat, just between
us lasses.  With no wee alchemist ta muddy th' waters, I might add."

     "Oh, Mika's not that bad..."

     "Nay, but she's still young, and doesn't quite understand adult matters."

     Marcine blinked, puzzled, as Jil pressed a wineglass into her hands. 
"Adult matters?  What do you mean?"

     The other two women exchanged glances, hesitating, then Pearl looked at
Marcine seriously.  "Look... Marcine.  How long have you known Davin?"

     "What?  I've only known him since he rescued me from Tienne, two months
ago.  Why?"

     "And in all that time," Pearl pressed, "how often have you two been
separated?"

     "Well, there was... um..."  Marcine hesitated, trying to remember.  "He was
Petrified for a little while in Yahl Russa, but other than that..."

     The shopkeeper grinned.  "I suspected as much.  I know we don't exactly
know each other very well... but even *I* can spot the signs."

     "'Tis written clear as day," Jil added.

     "What is?  What signs?"

     "Just the fact that you sit around all day..."

     "Sighin'..."

     "Moping..."

     "*Pinin'*."

     With a slight flush, Marcine looked away.  "That's nonsense.  Only silly
girls in romance novels 'pine'.  I, I *miss* him, I won't deny that, and I hope
he gets back safely, but I'm hardly *pining*."

     "Oh, aye?"  Jil took a sip of wine.  "Well, ye know yer own mind, I'm sure. 
We just thought ye might like ta..."  Glancing up, she lifted her head to look at
the slightly ajar door.  "Well!  Ye be back early, Highwater.  How was the trip?"

     Marcine swiftly rose, almost spilling her wine, and her heart raced as she
spun around...

     Then she slowly say back down as she realized what had just happened. 
"That was a very nasty trick," she told Jil accusingly.

     "Sorry, lass," the captain said semi-contritely.  "Just provin' a point."

     Marcine sighed.  "I've just gotten so used to him being near me... it feels
like my strings have been cut."

     "You'll be all right," Pearl assured her.  "It can hit you like that, the
first time."

     "Aye."  Then Jil laughed.  "And th' second, and th' third, and..."

                          -=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Okay!" Mika shouted angrily.  "Giant stealth turtles?  I can handle that! 
Giant walking *houses* that spit skulls?  I can handle that!  But who came up
with a giant, fire-breathing, spell casting COW that can turn invisible?!"

     "[MOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]"  The demonic lowing came from a spot of apparently
empty air before them.

     "Stine didst tell you the Habarm Bull was formidable!  But didst thou
listen?"

     "Save it for later," Davin called as Mika bristled, then glanced at the
still form nearby.  The young ninja had been struck by the Bull's hoof as it
charged in, knocking her into the whip grass patch; she had managed to pull
herself free, but the pollen contained a paralytic toxin.  "Shizuka's down, and
we need to take care of this thing *fast*."

     "But how, Big Brother?  You two can't hit it, and my fire potions don't
seem to do any damage!"

     Davin scowled, then looked at Stine.  "How did your people manage to catch
it in the first place?"

     "We generally wait 'til the beast is asleep."

     "Swell."  As the Bull lowed again, the elementalist raised his left hand
into the oncoming breeze.  "He's there somewhere; if I can't hit him with my
sword, let's see how he likes this!  Blade of wind, shear the threads that bind
spirit and flesh!  Kamaitachi!"  At his command, the air before him sharpened to
a knife-like edge, blasting toward the empty space before him.

     At first, he seemed to have missed... but then the wind knife slashed
against something.  The Bull bellowed in pain... then it suddenly appeared before
them, visible once again.  It was a huge and terrible beast, with reddish purple
flesh and a pair of obsidian horns riding over a fiery maw.

     Davin grinned.  "All right!  That-"

     But the Bull was still angry, and charged forward, seeking vengeance for
its wound.  Before Davin could react it had slammed into him, hitting his body
with tremendous force.  He sailed far, far across the plains, vanishing from view
over a low hill.

     "Big Brother!"  Mika glared at the Bull; it was unimpressed.  "Okay, you
walking burger!  You're going down!"  She quickly loaded her launcher with a
concussive bomb and fired; it exploded against its shoulder, causing the Bull to
roar angrily.  As she began to reload, however, it charged once again, and it was
clear she wouldn't get out of the way in time...

     There was a tremendous thudding noise.  After a moment of panic, Mika
realized that it hadn't come from her, and looked up.

     Braced in a seemingly impossible deadlock, Stine held the Bull by its horns
mere inches from Mika's body.  It strained against him, but against all
probability he held his ground.  His rapier lay at his feet, partly hidden in
the grass.  "Move aside, girl," the beastmaster said between gritted teeth.

     Without pausing to argue, Mika scooted away from the Bull, then reached for
her satchel.  "I'll get my-"

     "Nay!"  To her surprise, he shook his head vehemently.  "This... be...
Stine's... fight!"

     "You're nuts!"

     But Stine stared into the Bull's dark eyes, resisting it with every ounce
of his willpower.  His entire life had been building to this moment; the day that
he would face the Habarm Bull.  He glared at the beast, his face set in
determination... then slowly, very slowly, raised one eyebrow.

     The Bull blinked.

     Stine swivelled his head slightly, keeping his gazed locked on the Bull,
staring it down.  Puzzlement slowly began to overtake its perpetual rage and,
before it realized what it was doing, the Bull had taken a step backwards.

     "Girl," he said, watching the bull as it nervously retreated, "get Stine
his sword."  Without thinking about it, Mika scampered over and picked up the
beastmaster's rapier, handing it to him.  The sight of its enemy holding a weapon
shook the Bull from its stupor, and it prepared to charge...

     But as his will and his determination to protect his people flooded from
Stine into his blade, the rapier began to glow with a brilliant yellow light. 
With a flash, spheres of energy erupted from the blade, surrounding and orbitting
the beastmaster.  They spun around him as he lifted his blade above him... then
he gestured sharply toward his foe.  "CITIZEN'S FELL BLOW!"

     In a rapid barrage, the orbs lanced toward the Bull, slamming into it with
incredible force.  The beast stumbled backwards, pummelled by the golden spheres;
as the final one struck home, the Bull fell to its knees and stayed there.

     Using all his remaining energy to stand, Stine approached the Bull, glaring
down at it.  "Thou shalt trouble us no more," he informed it.  "Return to thy
pen."

     The Bull got to its feet, towering over him... then meekly turned and
trotted away, clearing a path through the grass as it made its way toward the
distant corral it had so recently escaped.

     Stine mopped his brow, then turned around to see Mika staring at him. 
"What?" he demanded.

     "Uh... that was..."  She scratched the back of her head, and grinned. 
"That was pretty cool."

     He blinked at her in surprise, then returned her smile.

= = = = = = = = = = =
AUTHOR'S NOTES

     Late, short, and not very good.  But better than a skip, I guess.  Thanks
to Delfina in particular for helping me out with a tricky scene. ^_^



###END###