Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ First Mission: SUCCESS! ( Chapter 6 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier or any Final Fantasy reference. Squaresoft does.

 

“Ciato, come down here this instant!” Orlouge called once again, and he genuinely seemed very angry, “Respond to thy lord or perish as punishment!” Blue looked around very cautiously, but no one new entered the room. Whoever Ciato was, he obviously wasn't planning on showing up, and Orlouge was outraged at the lack of response. He got up from his throne and stepped down majestically, his brown hair flowing out behind him. Blue took note of how the wind stirred angrily as Orlouge moved, and shivered.

 

“Very well then. Ciato wishes to die, and I will grant it,” Orlouge said, but White Rose spoke up.

 

“Sir, perhaps there is no need to be so harsh,” she said gently, “Ciato is one of your most loyal subjects, surely there is reason for his disrespectful silence?” Orlouge seemed to consider this as he stroked his chin to think. He could see very little reason as to why Ciato would disregard his orders. He called Asellus over, and she ran to his side.

 

“Yes, sir?” she asked, tilting her head. Orlouge looked down at her.

 

“Dearest Asellus, did Ciato happen to have left the castle?” he asked. Asellus shook her head.

 

“No, sir. I talked with him briefly outside his room, but I haven't seen him since,” Asellus explained, “Though I haven't sensed any loss of mystic energy in this castle, it is possible he's fallen asleep.” Orlouge seriously doubted that was what happened, but at any case, he knew the first place to look was Ciato's room.

 

“Very well. I doubt he'd sleep in the dark of night, but we must search his quarters anyway,” Orlouge started, “If anything...” Just then, Rastiban burst through the door. A pale young man, dressed in fine orange and brown silk with green hair, he could not be mistaken for anything other than a Mystic. And the scared expression on his face only added to it. He held onto the doorknob as though he was trying to support himself, and his breath was raspy, as though he'd seen something so horrifying, that he had run over 3 miles to get away from it.

 

“Lord Orlouge! I'm sorry for the intrusion, sir, but we have a problem!” Rastiban exclaimed, nearly falling over when he let go of the doorknob, “Ciato is missing, sir!” Everyone's eyes widened as Rastiban spoke, and Illdon caught him as he nearly passed out from exhaustion. He set Rastiban on the floor and Orlouge practically glided across the floor towards him. As Illdon ripped off one of his sleeves to use as a cloth, Orlouge spoke gently to Rastiban.

 

“Rastiban, I know you are tired, but this is an important matter,” Orlouge spoke, and Rastiban nodded slowly, “Have you gone into his quarters, and have you seen anything in there?” Rastiban let Illdon wipe his forehead before answering, and his response only made things worse.

 

“No, sir. But Princess Rei heard a commotion from around the southwestern tower, near where Ciato sleeps,” Rastiban replied weakly, “I'm sorry, my lord... I'm too tired... to remember much else...” With that, Rastiban closed his eyes, and Blue was sure he'd just died, but as Illdon picked him up, it was obvious he'd simply fallen asleep. Blue looked to Orlouge, who seemed very concerned with Rastiban's news, as well as his current state of health. And to tell truth, Blue was just as worried.

 

“Illdon, bring Rastiban to his quarters, as well as White Rose, and tend to his growing fever,” Orlouge ordered, “Do not leave his side.” White Rose curtsied and Illdon bowed respectfully, though how he managed to do so and still carry Rastiban was a mystery.

 

“Yes, my lord,” they both said, and left the throne room. Orlouge looked over at Lion, and then over towards Blue, Rouge, and Fuse. Then he looked down at Asellus, who seemed pretty shaken up with seeing her friend's condition.

 

“As for the rest of us, we will see to Ciato's quarters,” he said, hugging Asellus gently to reassure the girl. She smiled, and stepped back.

 

“You're going with us, sir?” she asked, and Orlouge nodded.

 

“Yes. This concerns me very much, the activities going on within my own castle. I feel guilty with Rastiban's current state, and I will see as to why Ciato hasn't yet responded,” Orlouge replied, “Come quickly.” He led the small group out of the throne room and outside into what was supposed to be the courtyard. Rain had begun to fall, making the already-tedious trek even more unpleasant. They ran through the courtyard, down towards the southwestern tower, and without a second to stop, Orlouge blew open the door and rushed inside. A few other Mystics popped their heads out of their rooms to watch as the group shuffled up the long spiral staircase into the upper hall. And, it was a mess. Paintings had been slashed, lights had been destroyed, and roses were burned all through the hall up until just past one room. Orlouge glided towards the doorway to that room, and looked down. A single dark feather laid on the floor, confirming his fear. He picked it up and turned solemnly to the others.

 

“Something has happened to Ciato...” he whispered grimly, putting the feather into his pocket. Asellus covered her mouth out of shock, and Princess Lion growled angrily. Fuse shivered as thoughts came to him as of how this happened. Only Rouge seemed to be overly calm.

 

“Think we'll find something inside the room?” he asked, and Blue nudged him harshly in the rib.

 

“Rouge! Now isn't the time to go through the rooms!” Blue hissed, hoping no one could hear them. Rouge looked over at Blue.

 

“I meant something to figure out why that Ciato guy isn't here. Like a letter or something,” Rouge said. Blue blinked, and felt bad for accusing Rouge of wanted to steal. He nodded, and looked up at a distraught Orlouge, who seemed to be looking into Ciato's room out of melancholy.

 

“Sir, would you mind if we looked for clues in that room?” Blue asked, snapping Orlouge out of his sad thoughts. Orlouge looked at him, and then moved aside to let them through.

 

“Yes, but be careful,” Orlouge warned, “Ciato is a mysterious man, and he has many magical artifacts, all of which display a certain amount of evil.” Blue nodded with acknowledgment as he walked with Rouge into the room. It was even worse than the hall. Books had been thrown messily about, some of their pages ripped out and scattered around. Bottles of liquid had been either smashed or knocked over, their contents filling the room with a horrible smell. The dresser was in ruins, and the large mirror by the door had been smashed to pieces. The veil around the bed had been knocked down, and the bed itself was messy and unmade. One wall, which had a blackboard scrawled with formulas, was now smeared with what looked like blue blood. It made Blue feel very feint to see the room in such a state.

 

“Well, we'd better start searching,” Rouge mumbled, and walked towards a messy bookcase. He rummaged through the books, occasionally accidentally causing one to lose its contents due to damage, but nothing looked out of place there. Blue searched the bed, but found nothing except the stabbing marks of a dagger. Whatever happened, it was obvious someone tried to kill Ciato.

 

“It looks like Ciato put up a good fight...” Blue said, picking up a pillow as the feathers from it leaked out of another dagger stab. He set the now empty pillow case down, and decided to look around the desk and blackboard for any clues. Unfortunately, the blackboard was covered with too much blood and black feathers for Blue to risk wiping down without accidentally erasing any clues Ciato might've left, so he set to the messy desk instead. He took a bottle that had been thrown about off the desk and discarded it. A note now sat on the desk, but it was written in a language Blue couldn't understand. Underneath it were two dates, and two different hours, all four of which had been circled. Rouge noticed Blue's interest and walked over.

 

“Did you find anything, bro?” Rouge asked, and Blue pointed to the note.

 

“Rouge, I think this means something,” Blue replied worriedly, “But I can't read it. Do you know what it says? You studied a bit of Mysticism, right?” Rouge nodded, and took a look at the note. The penmentship was sloppy, as though whoever wrote the note was in a huge hurry, and Rouge could barely make anything out.

 

“The only word I can understand is 'night,” Rouge told Blue, “But what do the dates mean? Are they for some kind of plan?” Blue looked once more at the dates. One, September 21, at 2.36, had already passed. The second one, September 23, 12.43, had about five minutes before it was expired.

 

“Whatever that plan is, the one for tonight won't happen unless we find him in a few minutes,” Blue stated, putting the note in his pocket, “I'll show this to Orlouge, but you should talk to Asellus and Lion. They must've sensed something going on.”

 

“Good thinking! Yeah, they must have!” Rouge said, as they walked out of the room and into the hall, where everyone else had stood waiting. Blue immediately went to talk to Orlouge, and Rouge called Asellus and Lion over. As they walked towards him, he noted they looked concerned.

 

“What's this about, Rouge? Did you find anything?” Asellus asked, as Lion rubbed the back of her own neck. Rouge nodded, and pointed to Blue, or more, what Blue was holding.

 

“Yeah, but we can't read it,” Rouge replied, “But that's not important. Look, we think Ciato might've been planning something, but we don't know what he's up to. Did you two notice anything different about him?” Asellus and Lion both looked at each other, as if they were trying to figure out what the right answer was. Finally, they both shook their head.

 

“No, he seemed pretty normal to me,” Asellus replied, “Or at least just as obnoxious.”

 

“He did get into a fight with Rastiban about something, and Rastiban started becoming very nervous about it, though,” Lion added, and Rouge arched an eyebrow as she explained further, “I asked him, and he tried to avoid the subject.” Rouge nodded, and thought about it as Asellus and Lion discussed their worries to each other. Now that he thought about it, Rastiban was in pretty bad shape back in the throne room. It was possible that he and Ciato had gotten into the fight that obviously happened in Ciato's room, though now wasn't exactly a good time to ask him about it. He looked over towards Blue again. Blue had just finished explaining the note to Orlouge, and now seemed to be just waiting for Fuse to stop inspecting it. Rouge smiled, and walked over to his twin. When Blue saw him coming, he half-smiled too.

 

“Blue, we've got another problem,” Rouge whispered, and Blue looked pretty confused, “I think Rastiban might know what's up. Did Orlouge say anything?” Blue nodded.

 

“Yes. Those dates? The first one was clocked only ten minutes before a theft in the castle was reported,” Blue whispered in response, “But we can't figure out what the second one is for. I don't think the first one's a coincidence, do you?” Rouge shook his head.

 

“No. I'm smelling foul play here, but what do we do?” Rouge asked, “Ciato's missing, so we can't ask him what the dates mean, Rastiban's injured, so we can't ask why he's involved, and...” Blue blinked, and then asked a very awkward question. Or, at least awkward to Rouge.

 

“Wait... Rastiban's involved? How so?” Blue asked, “He was in terrible condition when we saw him.” Rouge leaned in closer.

 

“Don't you wonder how he got that way?” Rouge asked back, and then said, “Listen, according to Lion, Ciato and Rastiban were fighting, and then all of the sudden Rastiban starts acting really weird. I'm pretty sure Ciato intimidated him into covering something up, but the question is, what was it?” Blue thought about all of this. It made sense, and it did seem odd that Rastiban was injured even though he didn't report the alleged fight. But what was Ciato hiding? Blue slid the thought to the back of his mind, though, because right now they still had Nomad to contend with, and they were going to have to settle her first. He turned to Orlouge, who seemed quite bored with listening to Fuse.

 

“Lord Orlouge, I understand that Ciato is an important member of the castle, but we must find Nomad and stop our biggest worry before moving on,” Blue stated, and snapped Orlouge out of his bored daze, “Is there any other way into the tower?” Orlouge nodded, and led them towards Ciato's balcony, which had a good view of the tower. Orlouge took off his cape to reveal giant green wings, and told everyone to hold hands. Then, he took flight towards the tower and landed on a balcony almost exactly across from Ciato's room. As everyone let go, Orlouge turned and faced the large crystal door, which although was clear, it showed no reflection.

 

“I command this tower to open immediately!” Orlouge boomed, and as Blue handed him the key, he shoved it into the small keyhole in the middle. But rather than open like any normal door, the crystal actually shattered into pieces and blew away like snow. Orlouge stepped into the tower, with everyone close behind. Inside the tower looked more like an old attic than any creepy cemetery that Blue had expected, Although there were no real lights, the crystals around the room lit the tower perfectly. Old pieces of furniture and old works of art cluttered the large room, and Blue saw it was no better on the staircase in the middle, which seemed to spiral up for miles. Rouge looked at a painting, and jumped back as it fell over.

 

“Yeah, this looks like a place Nomad would like,” Rouge mumbled, as Blue helped him up, “I mean, look at this stuff! Some of these pieces could go for over 10,000 credits easily!” Orlouge laughed as he passed both boys.

 

“10,000 is such a small number compared to reality, boy,” Orlouge chuckled, “That painting you moved alone is worth over 2 million credits.” Blue smiled warmly, and Rouge's mouth nearly dropped to the floor. He could understand 10,000, but over 2 million was simply ridiculous for a piece of art!

 

“Where'd you get the money!?” Rouge asked, snapping around to look at the Mystic. Orlouge shrugged, but didn't look back as he spoke.

 

“It isn't hard when you rule over an entire kingdom,” Orlouge replied bluntly, “But that is another story for another time. Right now, we must find Nomad.” With that being said, everyone agreed, either silently or aloud. Blue looked around the tower again. Although it looked like nothing had been disturbed, he still had a feeling that something was in here. But there was no sign of anyone even entering, and Blue began to wonder how Nomad got in, or if she was even in the tower at all.

 

“There doesn't appear to be any sign of life at all,” Blue stated, gently lifting an end of a couch to look behind it. Nothing was there, so he moved it back as it was. Fuse, who was looking behind a tall mirror, poked his head out.

 

“Looks are pretty deceiving, soldier,” Fuse said, and went right back to the mirror. Blue nodded to himself, and looked even more closely. Now that Fuse had said something, more clues pointing to Nomad's presence became so much more obvious. There was a dagger on the crate that everyone was overlooking, and Blue recognized the blade type. Its shape was exactly the same as the dagger stabs on Ciato's pillow. Then he saw some threads of bleached blonde hair, and a few threads of white hair. And now that bothered him. He rushed over quickly and plucked the white hair up.

 

“I only remember him briefly... at the ceremony in the Magic Kingdom... but Ciato's hair was white,” Blue mumbled, and then noticed that Rouge was looking at him quizzically.

 

“What, Blue?” Rouge asked, knowing that whatever Blue was mumbling about was pretty important. And unfortunately, now that everyone began to stare at him, Blue felt pressured into telling them.

 

“Ciato's here,” Blue said, and held up the hair, “His hair color matches this.” Although it was a thin strand, it was still visible. Orlouge took it, and then he sighed. Blue could feel his suspicions grow, whether it was about Ciato himself, or his actions.

 

“What bothers me most is how he's here with Nomad,” Orlouge stated grimly, “I do not think this was a mere coincidence, but where could he be?”

 

“I could try to sense his power,” Asellus said, but Lion stopped her.

 

“That'll do no good! I've already tried, but his power is too weak to be of any recognition,” Lion said sharply, and drew her sword, “I have a feeling, though, that something was going on between them. Now to just find them.” Blue looked up towards the upper level, and found where they were at. Although the lights up the stairs were out, and nothing seemed to be moving, Blue saw a shadow, and it looked human. Without another word, and with scaring everyone else to death, Blue stormed up the stairs.

 

“Blue!? Where the hell are you going!?” Rouge hissed, as Asellus, Lion, Fuse, and Orlouge rushed up almost immediately after him.

 

“Nomad's up here! Hurry!” Blue called, and Rouge cursed. Rouge scrambled to catch up to everyone else, and when he did, he saw Nomad standing right out in the open.

 

“Nomad! You're under arrest!” Fuse screamed, taking out his laser and aiming it at the crafty thief. However, Nomad simply smiled, and walked forward. Fuse loaded his laser, preparing to fire, but it didn't stop Nomad.

 

“Ha! Your silly little toys don't scare me one bit, baby,” Nomad said seductively, and then harshly added, “So, I see you all caught up to me? Well, it won't do you any good, I'm afraid.” Lion and Asellus both drew their swords.

 

“Thief! Tell us where Ciato is now!” Lion roared, but Nomad scoffed.

 

“That fool? I don't see what use you have for a traitor,” Nomad replied calmly. Orlouge stepped forward majestically, his wings stiffening as though he was preparing for flight just in case something went wrong.

 

“Traitor? How is Ciato a traitor?” he asked, just as calmly as Nomad had been. Nomad chuckled, and didn't hesitate to show any disrespect she had for the Mystic.

 

“You truly are a stupid race. Don't you get it!? Ciato was AGAINST you, Chump Lord!” Nomad laughed, “He's the one who got me into the castle, and he's the reason you never found out about us.” Suddenly, it all made sense to Blue. Why Ciato had been attacked, why Rastiban was in such poor health, and why Orlouge never knew about the thefts until recently. And as he thought about it, Blue became very angry.

 

“You simply used him, Nomad!” Blue yelled right back, and everyone turned to him now, “I've finally figured out all of the pieces. You made a deal with Ciato, which is why Lion was locked up for hours. He ambushed her as you lured Asellus away from the castle. You thought you had everything going well, until Rastiban stepped in. He knew what was going on, so he confronted Ciato, didn't he? And when he threatened to report you, you had Ciato try to kill him!” Asellus and Lion were both shocked to hear this theory, and even Orlouge seemed unable to believe it. Rouge, however, wasn't surprised. Nomad's face turned a very angry red.

 

“Not bad, boy. Seems you're the only one with a brain around here,” Nomad said mockingly, “But tell me something. What does that have to do with me? I didn't personally have anything to do with your Mystic friend. I've never even seen him before.” Rouge had a feeling that Blue's point was lost, but it wasn't. Blue simply smirked.

 

“No, but you had everything to do with Ciato. When he told you what happened, you knew you weren't safe,” Blue said darkly, and held up a strand of the blonde hair he'd found, “I found one of these in Ciato's room, and it matches the ones in the lower tower. The dagger you left hidden near the crate? I saw it, and it matches the dagger marks in Ciato's room. The dates we found in his notes? They matched the time you struck the castle.” Finally, anything anyone had trouble understanding was cleared up immediately. And even better, they had perfect reason to arrest Nomad. But she still didn't want to go down without a fight.

 

“Oh, really? So you found my trail. You still don't have Ciato, so you can't actually tell if I'm the one who attacked him. It may have been his friend, Rastiban,” Nomad said, but Blue shook his head and walked behind Nomad, towards a thick curtain.

 

“No, see, that's where you're wrong,” Blue stated, “Ciato's right here. I thought it was odd that you were right out in the open, simply waiting for us, and then it hit me. You weren't waiting for us to catch you. You were trying to hide where Ciato is. He's...” Blue ripped down the curtain to reveal an unconscious, yet vigorously healthy Ciato, and said, “Right here!” Orlouge clenched his fists and glared at Nomad.

 

“Why would you do this!?” he asked, but Nomad didn't answer. Nor did she have to. Blue grinned even more, and when he saw that Rouge was laughing, he continued.

 

“It's a simple reason, your majesty,” Blue said, amused, “She thought that by hiding her only accomplice, and disabling her only threat, she'd be able to escape. But what she failed to take into consideration was that you'd have two highly skilled magicians with you, who can easily make heads or tails of her pathetically obvious wiles. Fuse, if you will...” Fuse grinned as he brought out a pair of handcuffs and walked behind Nomad. She scowled angrily as she felt him slip the cuffs around her, but she also noted he had a laser and it was uncomfortably close to her. Any sudden moves would kill her.

 

“You have the right to remain silent,” Fuse said characteristically, “Anything you said, do, and feel can, and will, be used against you. If you're any smarter than you look, you'll actually use this right.” As he dragged Nomad out of the castle, Rouge simply grinned, rushed over, and hugged Blue, not caring what anyone thought.

 

“Dude, you did it! You actually caught Nomad!” Rouge cheered frantically, jumping up and down, “Man, Fuse is so lucky to have you around. Our asses would've been fried without you, literally.” Lion and Asellus seemed just as pleased as Rouge, and bore no hesitation to say so.

 

“Way to go, Blue! Congratulations!” Asellus exclaimed, patting Blue on the back. Rouge let go and let Lion hug Blue. She practically tackled the poor magician over.

 

“YES! I knew you could do it! You sure showed her!” Lion roared, as Blue picked her up. He set her down gently as Orlouge flew over. He looked genuinely thankful, and the smile could not have possibly been false. As he advanced, Orlouge held out his hand to shake Blue's, and then he spoke.

 

“Thank you, Blue. You've saved many lives, and many possessions. We are truly in your debt,” Orlouge said, “If there is anything you ever need, please ask.” Blue saluted, and turned to Lion.

 

“I have to go, Lion,” he said, and she slumped a bit, “I'm sorry... maybe when I'm off work, I'll visit.” Lion whimpered sadly, and hugged Blue again.

 

“Good luck, though it's sad when you only see me because you have to arrest someone,” Lion said. Rouge laughed as he passed her.

 

“Hey, think of it this way! Every time you DO see Blue, he'll be a hero!” Rouge exclaimed, and opened the door, “Come on, Blue. Fuse is probably waiting for us, and I don't need to be yelled at today.” Blue nodded, said another goodbye, and ran out with Rouge. As Rouge thought, Fuse was waiting in front of the plane.

 

“Said all your goodbyes already?” Fuse asked, and the twins nodded, “Good. Let's go. Nomad's inside, and we should get her to HQ as fast as possible.” With that, all three cops hopped into the plane. Blue saw Asellus, White Rose, and Lion had all run into the garden to wave until the plane was out of view. Rouge saw Illdon and Rastiban looking at them from inside, and for now, everything felt fine. Well, until they'd get back to HQ. But for now, Rouge knew better than to spoil the peaceful moment.

 

“After all, it's not like we get many good moments like this...” he said, kicking his feet up for the ride back.

 

------------------------------(One mission done!)

 

Well, the twins completed their first case! YAY! But, there will be more adventures in store for them! What awaits them back at HQ? Will Fuse still work with them? And what kind of hearing will Nomad get? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!