The next morning Delita met his party outside
the Monastery setting up provisions for the journey ahead.
"We must head
east for Murond Holy Place and then take a ship towards Alexandria, the other
stones will be found there." Azmar said matter-of-factly.
Beowulf once
again called a flock of chocobos as he had before and they rode across the great
Ivalice Plateau.
As they reached the great Cathedral of Bervenia, Delita
was given unbidden thoughts of his friend who paid a great price to be a hero
when everyone he ever knew betrayed him.
He bit his lip, “How many
people have I misled to get where I have in life? The one moment when I could
have been a hero instead of a selfish bastard.......Teta. She always loved me no
matter what, but she was innocently killed right before me.” Delita
remembered the helplessness he felt.
“From that moment on I never
trusted in anyone else, the fool I was, but then there’s Ramza. He was my
opposite in every way. And he had every right to be angry at the world for
having his only family destroyed and....then he...”
As these thoughts
bombarded his mind, a fiery guilt spread over Delita's body as if he was
drowning in a sea of blackness.
"Ovelia, she was just like Teta, I
saved her life for...what, just to be used like a rag doll for a game of
politics, she was my ace and I used her frequently. Then I killed her, even
though she tried to kill herself, bloody fool I was to bring flowers and a
sword. Why? She did nothing except live her life as a princess ought to, we even
played mind tricks with her to make her think she was never even a princess at
all, she was the true heir to the throne. Even the little two-year-old boy was a
ploy of Larg's to gain power. But I killed both of those hyenas didn't I? In
fact Goltana wasn't even related to the royal family at all. Everything the
people believed in was a lie. I believed a lie!”
“That I could
truly be a righteous king found in the history books, and the church silencing
permanently that loudmouth Durai. But perhaps he was telling the truth? Was
Ramza really alive? He may still be, but will I ever face him
again?”
Delita grimly smiled, “I'm bloody glad I gave up the
crown, now I see clearly...I am the fool Ramza, I was corrupted by my own hate
for Ivalice and the dumb selfish bastard sheep that live in it. I was the fool
thinking I would make right a world so pompous it was filled with pustules and
parasites. But the blood I meant to shed spread forth onto innocence and now I
am just a monster like all the others I killed. Teta forgive
me....”
An idea struck Delita as he pondered his fate,“And
yet....perhaps I may redeem myself with Azmar. I will protect Amla, Azmar, and
all my allies if I must--they are my only friends left. Zodiac Brave or not, I
promise you, Ramza, Alma and...Teta, I will not abandon these friends I've been
given."
A thunderstorm broke out high above the large Cathedral in
Bervenia snapping Delita from his grim thoughts. Lightning pealed across the
black sky exposing a large black figure with demonic wings unfolded standing at
the top of the Cathedral Steeple.
"Up there! Is that an Archaic Demon?"
shock filling Agrias’ voice.
"I think he has been summoned to seize one
of us, perhaps one of us Braves," Beowulf was grim.
"We must destroy this
being, even if it means one of us gets killed," said Amla quickly, and then
without hesitation she chanted out.
Warriors of Light
make Haste!
Take off in Flight! Float!
Immediately the
entire party shot up in the sky to the roof of the Cathedral to fight the dark
being. Its wings and muscles were ripcord and caused a strong wind to blow
across the roof, making it difficult for the party to remain on their feet. The
sad rain started to pour in rivets making visibility nearly
impossible.
The demon croaked, "So you're the Zodiac Braves eh? I'm here for your leader, him! The
Hooded one! I sense you have the most courage! I'll take
you!"
With one swift swoop the demon dove at Azmar. Azmar rolled
causing the monster to miss, but the second swoop left Azmar with a torn cape.
Delita looked to his sides for his allies, but they were already in the fray
trying to catch the demon when it wasn't moving about.
Beowulf swung his
magick sword just within range to cast Slow on the demon, making its swoops more
predictable. Reis managed to get the pounce on the demon driving her spear into
its lower back, but this didn't slow down the black monster much.
Agrias
hit the being with Stasis Sword only to be swatted away like a rag doll. Slow
wore off and the demon picked up surprising speed. Such speed that it snatched
up Azmar in its massive claws like those of an eagle. Azmar plunged his sword
into the demon's side several times struggling for a release.
It didn't
look as if the demon was even reacting to any sword strikes at all. It even
seemed as if the monster was merely distracted by the pokes and drives of the
sword. It was nearly off the roof when Delita saw it. Only a few more seconds
and the demon would escape beyond their reach, with Azmar in its deadly
clutches.
Delita snapped.
Ignoring the slippery shingles of the
roof he ran, jumping from ledge to ledge along the top of the Cathedral, blinded
by rain and brandishing a gleaming black sword, Death.
He screamed,"I
MADE A PROMISE!!!"
He dove right to the edge of the roof and drove the
sword expertly into the heart of the demon. Biting and clawing, the demon gasped
out its last desperate screech. Then the creature plummeted down to the floor of
the Cathedral, but not without releasing Azmar.
In frantic desperation,
Delita plunged his sword in the side of the roof as an anchor and reached out
trying to grasp Azmar.
Barely.
Just
barely he managed to grasp him by the ankle.
A stiff, cold wind blew
suddenly, but Delita didn't care, he made a promise to protect his new allies
and he was going to keep it.
Incidently, looking down at Azmar he noticed
that the hood had blown away, revealing not a scarred knight, but oddly enough a
scruffy blonde warrior, hardened by war, but not a blemish on his face. Not
borne of hatred or mistrust either.
Another surprise, the face reminded
Delita of someone he knew....Then the face changed to an old smile that Delita
knew and loved dearly.
"RAMZA!"
It was all Delita could do not to
laugh for joy and let go of him, but with a great effort and some help from his
friends he hoisted him back up. It was then that Delita recognized the face of
the priestess who helped hoist he and his long lost friend back
up.