Negotiations

“But you’re not a demon, you’re a moogle.” Apocolipse said in disbelief. He managed to say what we were all too shocked to utter.

“Yes I am. My name is Ursula. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The moogle witch said with a bow.

“I thought your race all preferred to be called Moogle.” Foxx said suspiciously.

“I am a unique individual like you. I think it is only fair that I have a unique name. Don’t you think?” She said. “In the spirit of my race I only live to serve though I don’t feel compelled to call everyone Kupo. Why must they always finish everything they say with Kupo, Kupo, Kupo? It’s so annoying. Don’t you agree? And all that happy chirping with no real emotion. I am more honest, more real than that.”

I take service a step beyond what other moggles dare. Moogles are very powerful. We are capable of much more than storage and house cleaning. Where my counterparts will fetch your mail I will fill your mailbox with something that will make all your comrades green with envy. If your heart is empty, I can fill it. Whatever your desire, I have the power to give it to you. I only desire to be the most successful moogle of all time in advancing the success of you adventures. I only wish to help out the poor unfortunate souls who can not achieve their full potential without my help. Those in pain, those in need, I am more than willing to share my gift with them. For a fee of course but do I help them? Yes, indeed.

“We’re not here to rub the genie’s lamp. We are here to take Orabu home. Where is he? We want him back.” Willowkarr demanded.

“He is home. He’s with me and quite comfortable. He could not fulfill our agreement so he is paying off his debt. Justice demands it. I am bound by our contract.” Ursula replied.

“The question is what can I do for you?” I heard the moogle witch say to me.

I startled as I realized the question came from within my mind instead of through my ears.

“I heard your wish, a truly pure and worthy desire. You would be doing the world a great disservice to keep it to yourself.” The voice cooed sweetly.

“Enough!” Ryger shouted. “Get out of my head before I slice yours into pieces”

Ryger drew his sword and stood ready to charge but just as suddenly he yelled in pain and dropped his blade. Clutching his forearm he fell to his knees.

“Now now. Moggles are not a violent race. Why would you be so rude as to draw a weapon in my home? Please, make yourselves comfortable. There is no need to worry about your friend. He has simply retired from adventuring. It was his choice. I am always honest in my dealings.” Ursula said.

“Then you won’t mind if we see him.” Brodie said.

“I can see this is the only thing that will satisfy you.” Ursula said with a sigh. “Orabu, please bring your friends something to eat and show them that you are doing just fine.”

“Yes my Lady.” Orabu said as he came into the room with a platter of grapes.

Marrcus took the platter from him tossing it on the ornate tile floor just in time to keep Willowkarr from running head long into it as she charged Orabu tossing her arms around his neck and weeping with emotion. “I was so worried you might be dead.” She cried.

Others came forward to greet him but I just stood there filled with dread. I walked up to him slowly looking him over. I knew it was him but something was terribly wrong. I cupped his face in my hands and looked deep within his eyes looking for some glimmer of my friend. His eyes were blank and expressionless. He was clearly under Ursula’s spell.

“Restore him back or we break your black magic by spilling your blood.” I said angrily.

“Why does everyone assume that I am a villain? He came to me you know. He wanted the most powerful linkshell there ever was. He wanted his group to be widely known not only for being capable of accomplishing tremendous tasks together but for a strong brotherhood they would to enjoy. A real family bond. Beautiful don’t you think?” Ursula chirped.

“He doesn’t look very happy to me. He doesn’t look like he feels anything. What did you do to him?” Petru demanded as he rubbed his tiny Taru hands together in preparation for any spell needed in the impending conflict.

“Your friend couldn’t fill his end of the agreement. All I asked was that he prove his leadership abilities by having fifteen people equip his linkshell at once within one month without mentioning our agreement ofcourse. He couldn’t do it.” Ursula explained. “It should have been so simple.”

“I think we have had enough talking. I like the blood spilling idea.” Dominuse said standing ready to pound the tiny white fluff ball of a witch with his large fists.

The moogle leaned back and laughed loudly. “Galka always prefer brute force over good reason. I think Beldin understands that I only want to help. Don’t you Beldin? He knows that only I can grant his heart’s desire. Is that something you really want to give up?”

“I’m not stupid enough to try to make deals with you. Find yourself another victim.” Beldin growled as he reached back for his lance.

“You can stroke your lance and ready your weapons all you like. They will not serve you here. I’m so hurt by all of this hostility. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you can’t be nice.” Moogle said in a slightly sharper tone.

“Not without Orabu.” Garness said.

“I want to kill him myself most days but I wouldn’t leave him here in that state. He’s ours. Hand him over or we see just how tough a moogle can actually be.” Doma said as she tightened her white gloves and reached for her weapon.

“Well if you insist on making me prove my point.” Ursula said.

We didn’t need a second invitation. We rushed in to chop this little fur ball into bite sized wyvern snacks but we didn’t get far. We bounced off an unseen barrier like rain off a window pane. The stronger party members continued to try to force past it while the mages worked earnestly to find a spell that would deteriorate it. Foxx circled the wall to see if there was any other way to enter. Doma, Kammy, and Willowkarr tried to dig under the unseen force but it seemed to circle the evil witch moogle in an unpopable bubble.

Meanwhile Ursula flopped down in an overstuffed chair propping her feet up on the arm rests and started to read a book, ignoring our efforts. After about twenty minutes of struggle she looked up at us with a rather annoyed expression. “Must you be so loud? Can you not see I’m really getting into this book. I just adore a good love story. I’ll read aloud if you promise to quiet down.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Martin said exasperated.

“Fine. I won’t share.” Ursula said and with that she peered over the book at Martin and the Paladin fell helpless to the floor a breath away from destruction.

Marrcus cast a raise spell on him and healed him as well as he could but other party members started dropping in quick succession until only I was standing.

The moogle put her book down and flew over to me looking me in the eye and speaking to me in my mind. “I wanted to talk to you alone. I can see in your heart you can save your friend. I do leave room for mercy but at a steep price befitting of the reward. Only someone who loves him can break the spell he is under. It will not be easy. Are you willing?” Moogle asked.

I felt a tide of panic well up at the thought of negotiating with this notoriously deceitful creature but I didn’t see any other way. “Tell me what you want and then I’ll tell you if I will pay.” I replied as coolly as I could muster.

The Demon Witch

“I’m here. We can go save the helpless Hume now.” Beldin announced as he brushed the snow off his Dragoon armor.

Dominuse came in quietly behind him. “I’m sorry we are late. How can we help?”

“We saved room for you both in Foxx’s party. If you don’t need a rest I think we’re ready to go shake this witch out of her hiding place.” I said

The demons in Castle Zvahl Baileys look like they were cut out of the castle itself. Both are roughly cut and black as onyx. It makes it easy to be caught off guard by a large group of them and be overwhelmed if you don’t pay attention. If a demon sees you attacking his comrade he will waste no time in coming to his friend’s aid by attempting to remove your head from your shoulders. A task with which you really don’t want him to have success.

We wasted enough time killing our way up to the castle so we opted for speed by way of sneaking around as many of the locals as possible though in a group as large as ours we did have more than one, “Oops I think he spotted me, and oh by the way he has friends.”

“Not to doubt your sense of direction but I think we’ve passed this way already.” Marrcus said.

He was right. The map didn’t make sense to me. I couldn’t see how I was supposed to get down to the floor we needed. “I think you’re right.” I admitted. “Can someone else make sense of this maze?”

“Give that to me. How do you get so many people willing to follow you when you have no idea what you’re doing?” Foxx blurted out in frustration. “I’ll get us there. Just show me where you are trying to go.”

I handed the map to the Taru and he bounded off without another word in long Taru leaps as he held the map close to his face. We followed him closely as we could until we reached a room with a cavernous hole in the middle. Foxx circled the edge until we reached the far side and stopped. Looking down and then checking his map again he nodded to himself and said, “Yep, we jump down here. See that ledge. We want to land on it. You miss the ledge and I leave you there to die and maybe we’ll pick up the bodies later” he sneered. Without hesitation he leapt down nimbly and walked out of sight.

The two Dragoons followed quickly behind without a problem but when Jumpingtaru took his turn he hit the ledge hard and rolled. Garness reached out and grabbed Jumpingtaru by his boot before he tumbled over the edge. “Ouchie.” Jumpingtaru whimpered. “I didn’t like that.”

“Bend your knees when you land.” Beldin called up.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I said. “You are telling me the only way in is a fifteen foot drop to a ledge I may or may not be able to land on? This is crazy. What kind of person designs a castle like this? I know a king is not expected to leap down there like a rabbit. There must be another way.”

My fellow party members took turns jumping down with perfect success but I was not so sure this was a good idea. It’s not that I have a fear of heights it’s that that I have a fear of a painful death where my lovely face may be smashed by large pointy rocks.

“Are you ready to go?” Brodie asked me as he stood behind me at the edge.

“I’m not sure. Another minute maybe.” I said timidly peering down below.

“I’m afraid we don’t have another minute to let you decide. I think that pack of demons coming this way would like to use us as welcome mats for future visitors.” With that he picked me up in his arms. “Sorry sweetie.” He said as he tossed me over the edge.

I hardly had time to gasp in disbelief before Gurok caught me in his massive Galkan arms and shook with laughter. “Do you need me to carry you the rest of the way or do you think you can handle the remainder of the trip on your own two feet?” he mocked.

“Stop messing around.” Foxx commanded. “We’re here.”

With that I squirmed down not even pausing to give my usual look of death appropriate for such occasions. “Which wall Foxx?” I asked.

“Humm…” he said as he ran his hand along the wall without touching the stones. He stopped as a faint purple glow emitted from a barely visible crystal shard embedded in the rock. As Foxx took his hand away the light dissipated. “Here.” He stated confidently.

“Everyone ready?” I asked.

“Of course.” Kammy said as she reached out and touched the wall. Nothing happened. In what can only be described as a Mithra temper tantrum she started clawing at the wall wildly. “Foxx broke it! Fix it, Fix it!!” she shrieked.

“I can fix it.” I reassured her and she stopped and perked her ears to listen.

“To open the door, and I quote, you must have a ‘heart aching with a burning desire." I told her.

“But I do. I want to save Orabu!” she said as she went to work on the wall again. Her fingers started to bleed and Moltov reached around her holding her arms down tightly against her sides and whispered something to her that calmed her down.

“Maybe it needs to be something bigger though by your determination I’m surprised you didn’t qualify. Something you would be willing to give everything for. Think of it clearly and try again.” I told her.

“I think I should go in first. Hard to say what is over there and I’m sure I have something that will open this portal.” Siegg said. With that he reached out and touched the wall. The crystal burned a blinding purple to white light and Siegg disappeared.

“Lets not waste time.” I said. “We don’t want him in there alone. I’ll go last to make sure we all enter.”

The light burned almost continuous as hero after hero reached out with the one thing they would give anything to have secretly expressed in their minds until it was only me and Garness.

“I can’t get it to work.” Garness said with frustration. “I’m having a bit of trouble thinking of anything.”

“Isn’t there something you crave above all else?” I asked.

“Darn you woman if there was I wouldn’t be out here with my friends in there!” he shouted.

“Ok, easy big guy.” I said. “I have an idea.” I reached my arm around him.

“I don’t feel that way about you Alison.” Garness said as he started to step back.

“Don’t be silly. Trust me for once.” I said as I pulled him near me and touched the crystal.

With that we were in. We all stood silently with shocked expressions. What we saw we had not been prepared for. A pack of fifty demons would have been less shocking to see.

“Welcome adventures.” It said. “So many customers at once I have not had before. All with such noble desires too. It must be my lucky day to be of service to such a fine group. What can I humbly do for you?”