Final Fantasy Frontier 104 (Patreon)

Though he should have been satisfied with the 30 AP/LP he acquired, Vaan couldn't help picking up some of the sand left in the wake of the Demon Wall's demise, complaining, "I thought only undead turned into sand when you killed them. What a letdown..."

"If you're worried about money, don't be," said Penelo. "Once Dalmasca has been restored, you'll have no trouble acquiring an airship. Isn't that right, Andrew?"

"Sure," replied Andrew, adopting a teasing smile as he added, "So long as he doesn't annoy me too much, I don't mind sponsoring the commission of an airship or two."

"That's not why I'm annoyed," said Vaan, rising to his feet and smacking his hands against his pants as he explained, "On the day I was arrested, I registered as a Hunter. In order to increase my Rank, I need to keep track of the number and type of fiends I kill, as well as bring back proof of their defeat."

"Mmm...it's probably for the best that you don't report your findings here in the tomb," expressed Balthier, standing with his arms crossed.

"Agreed," said Basch, slapping Vaan's shoulder and adopting a supportive smile as he stated, "As your fame grows, those who aspire to become like you will look back on your past acts and attempt to emulate your success. If it becomes known that you ventured here and discovered rare game or valuable treasures, others will come in droves."

Nodding his head, Balthier appended, "Most Sky Pirates and Treasure Hunters have given up exploring Raithwall's Tomb, believing it a death sentence. The moment a single person reports to have ventured inside and explored successfully, that sentiment will change. With our incursion weakening the tomb's defense systems, it won't be long before this place becomes plagued by tomb raiders, researchers, and opportunists seeking to study or exploit ancient Galtaen technology."

"I won't allow that," asserted Ashe, her expression and tone as grave and solemn as the tomb's ambiance.

"Then I suggest we move forward with your original plan," said Balthier, elucidating, "Once you've proven your identity to the Gran Kiltias, return the Dawn Shard to its resting place and never tell anyone where and how you found it. The fewer people that know of its existence, the better."

"That was my intention..." responded Ashe, adopting a slight frown as she stared at Balthier in suspicion. He was, after all, a fairly famous/notorious Sky Pirate. If he decided to steal the Dawn Shard after she returned it, he could potentially do so without anyone noticing.

"We shouldn't tarry for too long," said Andrew, gesturing to the stone doors at the end of the bridge. "We're likely to encounter another Demon Wall beyond those doors. Once everyone is ready, we should push forth. The Marquis is like to have discovered the Princess missing by now, and I can't imagine the Empire being silent after one of their Dreadnaughts was forced to perform a sea landing. If they catch up and attempt to seize the Dawn Shard, I could conceivably level their entire fleet, but I'm not overly fond of indiscriminate slaughter..."

"That's impossible," argued Vaan, crossing his arms and smugly pointing out, "Skystone doesn't function properly in Jagd, and there's no way they could deploy enough troops to block off the Westersand."

Rolling his eyes, Andrew revealed, "Your information is outdated. Archadia has developed Skystone that functions in Jagd; they simply haven't made it public. The 8th Fleet, in particular, has been vested this capability down to their smallest fighter craft."

"That information would have been handy when we still had access to the Atomos," said Balthier, frowning. Had he known the tiny transport ship had a Skystone capable of operating in Jagd, he would have taken the time to disassemble and steal it for use on the Strahl.

"That's not really relevant at this exact moment," said Andrew, turning his gaze to Ashe. In response, she gave a curt nod and said, "Right. For now, we should press onward. The sooner we can acquire the Dawn Shard, the sooner we can flee this place and pursue other courses."

Punctuating her words, Ashe took the initiative to approach the doors at the end of the bridge. Opening them revealed an even larger bridge, the end of which was, in fact, blocked by another Demon Wall.

Before Ashe could give the order to proceed with the same strategy, Vaan shouted, "Leave this one to me!" while thumping his chest. He hadn't said anything, but he was a little salty about Andrew appearing and teleporting him away. Now that he had a second opportunity, he wanted to prove he could defeat the Demon Wall alone.

"Knock yourself out," said Andrew, giving Vaan a light push that sent him forward onto the bridge. Ashe didn't approve of this, saying as much via a private message, but Andrew assured her and Penelo that he would step in if it looked like Vaan's life was in danger.

"Right! Just watch me...!" exclaimed Vaan, psyching himself up before throwing himself over the side of the bridge, crawling along it as the rest of the group made their way through the doors. Once they had, the doors slammed shut behind them, followed by the ruby eyes of the Demon Wall emitting a murderous light as it came to life and began its slow, menacing crawl toward them.

Just to be safe, Andrew directed a thin, laser-like beam of Holy through the Demon Wall's core, destabilizing its energy flow but not killing it. Holy was the creature's weakness, but it also had the notable characteristic of dispersing and interfering with other types of energy. Andrew didn't want the Demon Wall casting Doom or some other troublesome Spell that could potentially one-shot Vaan, so removing its ability to cast Magick was the safest course.

As he hadn't exactly concealed his actions from anyone but Vaan, who was still climbing along the bridge's exterior, Ashe asked, "What was that light? It felt...familiar..."

"That's because you have an affinity with Holy Magick," replied Andrew, lowering his right hand and the index finger he had used to discharge the extremely fine, fast-moving, and penetrative beam of energy.

"Then, can I learn to perform a similar Spell or Technick...?" asked Ashe.

"Of course, you can," answered Andrew, smiling as he met the Princess's gaze and added, "Once we have the time, I'll teach you a few tricks that will help you refine and manipulate energy. I stored some of the magicite-infused sand from the Sandsea for that exact purpose."

Tilting her head slightly, Ashe asked, "How will sand from the Sandsea help...?"

Instead of Andrew, Fran, recalling the mesmerizing scene of him creating a whirl within the sand, explained, "The magicite in the sand makes it both resistant and receptive to external Magicks. Manipulating it freely requires masterful control..."

"That's right," affirmed Andrew, exchanging a smile and glances with the white-haired Viera. Instead of returning a smile, however, she crossed her arms and stated, "It begins..." in reference to the Demon Wall reaching the halfway point and Vaan emerging to attack it from behind. There wasn't a crack in its back like the previous Demon Wall, but it didn't matter as there was a tiny, smoking hole about the width of a nail he could widen with his dagger...

...

..

.

While Andrew and company were exploring the Tomb of Raithwall, the Leviathan, and its escorting fleet were fast approaching them by flying directly over the Ogir and Nam-Yensa Sandseas. Judge Magister Ghis was set to receive a court-martial upon his return to Archades, but Vayne had promised him that all would be forgiven if he could recover both Ashe and the Dawn Stone. As such, he stood on the bridge of the Leviathan with a grim expression while a tanned man with sunkissed skin and dark, mane-like hair knelt behind him, severely injured and bound in chains.

"You're certain that the Dawn Shard is located in Raithwall's Tomb...?" asked Ghis, prompting the injured man to respond, "I heard it from the late King's lips directly..."

"Then, let us hope, for both our sakes, that you heard correctly..." said Ghis. However, the look on his face didn't improve. The power Andrew had demonstrated was still fresh in his mind, so he wasn't sure how they would take the stone if it were in his possession.

"Just kill me and be done with it..." groaned the man, attempting to put strength into his arms but finding it impossible due to the stakes driven into his shoulder blades.

Regaining a bit of his sadistic glee, Ghis smiled as he turned to look down at the severely injured man, musing, "Oh, come now, Captain Azelas. Your contemporary, Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg, managed to endure torture and confinement for two years without begging for death. So long as Lady Ashe is willing to hand over the Dawn Stone, not only shall you be released, but Dalmasca will be restored."

Balling his right hand into a fist, Ghis's smile became contemptuous as he added, "To think...an entire Kingdom for a stone. That's quite the bargain, wouldn't you agree?"

Instead of responding to Ghis's question, the captive Captain, Vossler York Azelaz, hung his head in thought. He had been disguised as a Judge when Andrew and the others were taken captive and brought before Ghis. He planned to free them after the meeting so they could free Ashe from her cell, but Andrew had knocked him out alongside every other Imperial on the bridge. When he eventually came to, he was already dangling from chains, his tendons severed, and Ghis standing before him with a bullwhip and other instruments of torture...

"To what end does Archadia seek Raithwall's legacy...?" asked Vossler, understanding there was a good chance he would be beaten or have his jaw broken for asking such a question.

Raising his head, Vossler added, "Only those descended from Raithwall himself should be able to make use of his treasures..."

"Do not misunderstand, Captain..." said Ghis, backhanding Vossler with his gauntleted hand before flatly appending, "Your survival is predicated on Lady Ashe relinquishing the stone. Should she refuse..."

Adopting a sadistic grin, Ghis grabbed Vossler's face, holding him by the chin as he declared, "You and I are going to become very well acquainted until my return to the Capital..."

Unable to resist the urge, Vossler tried to spit in Ghis's face, but the latter saw through his intentions, squeezing his mouth and jaw tight enough to fracture the bones. A loud, bone-chilling pop filled the bridge, but despite the pain he was experiencing, Vossler's obsidian eyes remained firm as he glowered at his tormentor...

...

..

.

Following Vaan's vanquishment of the Demon Wall, the group advanced through the double doors it protected, finding themselves in a spacious chamber filled with bridge-like stairs. Its overall structure resembled a stepped pyramid flipped upside down with four distinct levels, each lit by torchlight.

Though the initial stairway led to a pale blue teleportation contraption, Andrew, peering over the edge to find it was only around 100m to the bottom floor, suggested, "It's not that far down. With Float, we should be able to descend to the bottom without having to solve puzzles or bypass traps."

Emulating Andrew's actions, Ashe peered over the edge but immediately felt a sensation similar to vertigo, causing her to step back. Despite this, it only took her a few seconds to muster the courage to nod, responding, "I believe that to be the best, most expedient course..."

Seeing Ashe extend her hand to him, Andrew smiled before picking her up in a princess carry and promptly leaping over the railing without activating Float. He expected Ashe to scream as he did so, but she just clutched the fabric of his shirt and nestled closer to him with her eyes closed, unwilling to let her voice out until they reached the bottom...

...

..

.