The Last Good Time
by Jason Glick
Prologue:  New Things, Old Things
	Evening.  The sun was setting on the town of Kohlingen, sending its many inhabitants scurrying toward their homes, or places they found equal respite in.
	The Treasure Hunter's Bar was one of these places.
	Named so, in an obvious attempt to cash in on the name of one of its most famous residents.  The bar had, and was currently enjoying a long run of prosperity with many people coming in of late to celebrate the five -- year anniversary of the defeat of Kefka.  A grand storm of people were toasting, cheering and proclaiming that "I shook the hand of Locke Cole," or "I'm Edgar Figaro's third cousin, twice removed."  The commotion was so great that they did not notice the arrival of Maddrox Sire, aspiring scientist and inventor at large.  He walked over to the bar and buried his face in his hands.  Rubbing them across his face he clasped them together and called out to the bartender.
	"Give me the strongest thing you have!  I want to forget that this day ever happened!"
	The barkeep and owner of the establishment, Gilder Mackie, a balding man in his fifties with the graying hair, gut, wrinkles and slow manner to prove it, walked over to Maddrox and said, "Well Madman, it seems your appointment with the King of Figaro didn't go over quite as you planned it."
	"Madman, huh?  That's a new one," Maddrox replied dryly.  He was a brown --haired man in his mid -- thirties with a mustache and the expression of a man who has been up all night trying to achieve something only to have it all for naught.  "I've been called Maddie, Mad Ox, Hydrox, even Madelyne.  But this, this is only spawned from my current work, and a rather obvious and uninspired name at that.  I'm only curious at why I wasn't called it sooner."
	"You have.  Only not to your face," and Gilder put Maddrox's drink down on the bar.  Hidonian Ale, there was nothing stronger.
	"HAHAHAHAHA!  People feared calling me a madman!?  	They thought so highly of me that it was only uttered where I could not hear it!?  People, listen!"  and all those whose rejoicing was not stopped by his laughter now focused his attention on him.  "I am honored by your respect!  Here I thought I was simply a mad scientist of little consequence to you townspeople, but the fact that you had to go behind my back to..."
	"Oh shut up ya crank!"  A rather vocal member of the crowd yelled.  "If you ever took one foot outside of your laboratory you'd hear all sorts of things about yourself.  Like.. we've been wondering about all those machines you make in there.  The current consensus is that they're used to satisfy your sexual urges.  Oral, anal and otherwise.  So what's the deal?"
	"Those machines I make are not for my own gratification, they are for the benefit of mankind you ignorant slug!"
	"Sex machines for the gratification of the world, sure doesn't sound like something I want.  But I bet you test 'em out for me just to make sure they're safe!?  Riiiiight!"
	"Just... shut up," Maddrox replied.
	"I thought so!" the man replied, "Hey everyone!  I propose a toast to the sexual degenerate Madman Sire, may his machines provide him everlasting gratification!" and the crowd replied in a loud and boisterous manner to the man's proposal.
	Maddrox just drank his ale.
	"You know.  This is good stuff, I can't remember what just happened," Maddrox replied and he continued to down his ale.
	Time passed, growing foggier with Maddrox's ales.  Soon the party had died down and most people had gone home, leaving Maddrox alone.
	"Maddrox!" Glider yelled, jolting Maddrox awake, "I have to close up, and you gotta go."
	With his glazed eyes wide in attention, Maddrox nodded.  He got up off his stool and wobbled out the door.
	He had not gone a few feet from the bar when he encountered the loud man from the bar, with two hardy looking friends.  The man grabbed Maddrox and slammed him against the wall.
	"I knew what you went to show Edgar, and I didn't like it.  So you're going to take us to your house so we can get rid of it.  I hope you have no objections."
	"Juuust oneee... bluuuaaarrrgh!" he spewed over the man.
	"Aaaargh!  You bastard!" and as he reeled up to punch Maddrox, an arrow suddenly exploded out the front of his skull, spattering Maddrox with bone fragments and blood.  Two more shattered the skulls of the accompanying men, splattering Maddrox further.  Crouched down, covered with an expression of astonishment (among other things), Maddrox slowly looked up to see the faces of his saviors.  There were three men, standing side by side, of middle height, distinguished by their red hoods and pale yellow robes.  The center one stepped forward and spoke.
	"I have heard of your invention as well.  And unlike King Figaro, or this man, I want to use this machine to better the lives of men everywhere.  If you agree to work for my consortium you will have access to things that will make your wildest aspirations come true, and you will be paid handsomely for it as well."
	Was this the ale talking?  Maddrox couldn't believe it, it was everything he'd wanted to hear today.  "When can I start!?" he replied with all eagerness.
	"As soon as you can..."

Chapter 1:  So it Begins...

	"You know," one guard said outside the main door of Figaro Castle, "if King Edgar didn't serve lemonade to his desert guards, let us wear casual clothes, and didn't provide us with autocrossbows to guard this castle, I might be inclined to complain about this job."
	"But he does," the second guard replied.
	"Quite true, and I'm enjoying ever minute of it," the first guard said with a self-satisfied grin.
	Scanning the far reaches of the desert, the second guard spotted a dark figure on the horizon and remarked, "You might want to get your crossbow ready, someone suspicious is coming."
	Seeing the figure, the first guard remarked, "Oh yeah?  What's he gonna do.  Rape our women, steal our treasure, and set fire to the castle?"
	Scanning further at the approaching figure, the second guard stated, "He won't set fire to the castle, but I don't know about the other two."
	"He won't?" the first guard asked.  He scanned the now identifiable figure further and remarked, "Ohhhhhh..."
	As the figure, fitted out in a white tee and beige shorts and sporting a backpack, came up to the door the first guard remarked, "Hello Mr. Cole, how goes the robbing and plundering business?" expecting to get a rise out of Locke for that.
	"Just fine.  Thank you for asking," Locke replied in a cheerful manner with an equally pleasing smile and walked right into Figaro Castle.
	"I thought that would really get to him?" the first guard said wistfully.
	"So did I," the second guard replied.  "Say, what time is it?"
	"Oh its...," the first guard fumbled around for his watch, "Hey!  My watch is gone!"

	"Locke Cole!  How good to see you after all these years!" Edgar exclaimed as Locke walked into the King's Chamber.  He took off his backpack and walked over and embraced his friend.  Edgar was glad to see him after nearly three years scouring the land for more treasures forgotten by time with his wife Celes, the last time they had seen each other was at the Colosseum when Edgar's brother, Sabin, faced off against the monster with bad allergies named Chupon and his cunning cohort, the octopus named Ultros.  Ultros came away missing a few tentacles and Chupon lost his allergies, among other things.  Separating from the embrace, Edgar asked, "So, what brings you back to Figaro, and how is Celes these days?"
	"A treasure beyond words, and... expecting," Locke casually replied.
	"Wait a minute -- come again?  She's expecting!" Edgar was quite surprised at this and a wide smile broke out on his face, "That's incredible!  I must admit that the urge to settle down hasn't gripped me yet. With all these beautiful women prancing around the castle, I am quite happy being a bachelor."
	"You haven't changed a bit," Locke remarked
	"I rarely do," Edgar replied,  "But what's this about a treasure beyond words, and how are you sure it's genuine?"
	Locke walked over to his backpack, opened it, and pulled out a small gun.  I resembled most in appearance, except it had a more slick, streamlined appearance to it.  Edgar walked over and took the gun from Locke, stating, "Interesting.  Figaro has been trying to develop a handheld projectile launcher for defensive purposes, but it seems that we have been beaten to it."
	"In ways you could not imagine," Locke replied eagerly, "Point it at something and pull the trigger."
	With a perplexed look on his face, Edgar pointed the gun at a particularly ugly tapestry and fired.  Instead of a blurry projectile, a beam of light shot out, vaporizing a good portion of the tapestry.
	Stammering, hardly believing what he could see, Edgar stated, "I-I-Incredible!  Is it magic?"  Edgar's eyes were wide with fear and disbelief.
	"Nope.  That right there is what's left of Gestahl's empire.  You see, one of Gestahl's top scientists knew that eventually Magitek would run out; and in case of that, he started to develop weapons such as this so that the military might of the empire would remain unequaled."
	"So how come we never heard of this before?"
	"Gestahl didn't see eye to eye about Magitek with the scientist and had his experiments ceased.  However, the scientist, along with several disgruntled soldiers escaped Vector with the weapon prototypes and enough money to make weapons ten times as great.  The men then fled to the mountains north of the Veldt where no one would disturb them.  Unfortunately, the sudden loss of funds for the empire prompted Gestahl to expand his operations and take over Maranda, Tzen and Albrook."
	"Ten times as great as this!?" Edgar said, mystified, "That must have been a lot of money.  So what happened?"
	"As they were testing one of the prototypes, it malfunctioned and exploded.  The blast sealed all but one man inside the mountain.  That man, grievously wounded, managed to catch the attention of a passing ship and wound up in Nikeah.  I came upon him a few miles outside of the city, under attack by some Buffalaxes.  After I dispatched them, he thanked me and gave me that gun and told me how to get to that laboratory in the mountains."
	"It all becomes clear to me now," Edgar brooded, "You want myself and the manpower of Figaro to come with you and unearth this place in order to find and utilize these weapons, to what purpose?"
	"Frankly, I just want the money.  I would like one of the weapons, but I realize the hell that would break loose if someone other than you got their hands on those weapons.  You can use them to your own ends or destroy them, I trust your judgment."
	Edgar thought on this for a while.  Locke was right, even though this cache of incredible weapons was hidden, odds were that eventually someone would unearth them and who knows what that person might do with them.
	Besides, Edgar thought, I might be able to use the technology behind these weapons for the good of mankind, everyone could benefit from this, or they could be destroyed... HA! Edgar let out a small chuckle at this, I wonder how many other civilizations were destroyed because of thoughts like this?
	"All right, I'm in.  I'll gather a crew of my finest men and we'll head out as soon as we can to find these weapons of unimaginable power," Edgar remarked with all the bravado of a king.
	"That's great, those hidden weapons and that hidden money won't stay hidden for long after we start after them!" Locke replied, with all the confidence of a thief.

Chapter 2:  Figaro's Finest

	The next morning Locke rose from his bed at Figaro and prepared himself to go down to the throne to meet Edgar and the men the king had selected to join them on their quest.  On the edge of his bed, a thought of sadness occurred to him, I wish that she were here right now, by my side... but with where I'm going, it's best that she's not.  Dressing himself and freshening up, he opened his door, and walked down to the throne room.

	"Good morning Locke, I trust you slept well?" Edgar, clad in a regal blue, light armor, jovially asked Locke.
	"Never better.  Are these the men that will be accompanying us?"
	"Actually they're here for the free ale," at this, Locke shot the smiling Edgar a questioning glance, "Of course they are.  Locke I want you to meet the greatest and most trustworthy men in the kingdom:  Alex Britan, Joseph Magnus, Sam Steward, Robert Scott, and Jason Gaius.  You will not find a more worthy cadre of warriors to assist us in our quest."  Edgar was beaming, "Go ahead, ask them anything you want."
	Locke's expression became an inquisitive one and he faced the silent soldiers, "I'm curious, what exactly enticed you men to accompany the king and I on this treacherous journey.  Alex, let's hear from you first," and he turned and faced the man.
	Alex, a man of medium build, height, and brown hair, wearing a light red tunic and brown jeans replied, "As unlikely as it may sound, I abhor violence.  So I believe that we should find these weapons before they can bring a great cataclysm down upon the kingdom."
	"Interesting," Locke stated, and he turned to face Joseph.  
	A man of great height, yet slim build, noteworthy silver hair and wearing a red and blue colored light armor and red pants, Joseph replied, "I agree that we must find these weapons before anyone else can, but I also believe that we can utilize the technology behind them for the greater good of man."
	"A noble motive," Locke replied, and focused his attentions on Sam.
	Sam, a man of average height, dark black hair, wearing an equally dark set of shirt and pants and a mischievous grin said, "A ton of money and weapons of mass destruction, I hope to get my hands on a sizable chunk of both, and utilize them to kill lots of people," at that, he flashed a wicked smile.
	"It will be interesting to get to know you," Locke replied as calmly as he could, noticing that the other soldiers had taken little notice of Sam's remarks.  Locke then turned to face Robert.
	Robert, a fairly short, red -- hairdo man, with green leather armor and pants said, "Frankly, I've always wanted to see more of the world, and the famed Brachosaur," as he said these last words,  a mischievous smile spread across his lips.
	"If we're lucky, you won't get your chance," Locke replied, uneasy  memories of a thundering saurian mage thundering over himself and his friends.  Then he turned to face Jason, noticing something odd about him.  Aside from Edgar telling him that he was the youngest of the group (twenty -- one), he had a partially blank stare emanating from his eyes, giving the impression that the blonde haired boy who wore a long sleeved white shirt, a brown tunic and blue jeans was not all there.
	"So tell me Mr. Gaius, why did you choose to accompany..."
	SNAP!
	In an instant, Jason had grabbed Locke's hand and was giving Locke quite a bit of discomfort as he was holding it.  In Locke's hand, though, were several gold coins.
	"I believe that those belong to me, and to answer your question, I am coming because King Edgar wanted the best to accompany him and his friend on this journey," he said all these with a certain fire in his eyes and malice on his breath as he released his grip.  Upon that, Locke returned his coins to him, "I believe that answers your question."
	Jason then assumed a calmer disposition.
	"It certainly does," Locke replied, more than a little agitated.  Rubbing his wrist, he turned to Edgar and said, "Well, I can see why these are the finest soldiers in your kingdom," he shot a glance at Jason, "now, shall we be off?  We have a treasure to find."
	"Of course, I have made reservations for one of South Figaro's finest ships to be used in our quest," Edgar boisterously replied.
	"Ships?" Locke said, under his breath, an uneasy look crossing his face, "Damn, I hope I can get some seasickness medicine in South Figaro."

	At the main door to the castle where the two guards were stationed, Edgar, Locke and the soldiers marched out onto the sands to begin their journey.
	"I just know that Locke stole my watch, I just can't prove it," the first guard said wistfully.
	"Ah, don't worry about it.  He may be a bit unscrupulous, but I'm sure that even if Locke did steal it, he would return it," the second guard said, matter of factly.
	"And you're right," Locke said gleefully, and he tossed the watch to the first guard who promptly caught it.  Upon doing that, Locke turned around and walked away.
	The first guard looked at the watch, and then at Locke.  "Well I'll be damned!" he stated in a mystified tone.

Chapter 3:  Sailing... Among Other Things

	Once the party got to South Figaro, they procured the ship with no trouble (along with Locke's seasickness medicine) and headed toward the island north of the Veldt.  The sun was setting as Locke walked up to Sam who was stretched out on the bow, facing the back of the ship.
	"May I ask you something?" Locke queried.
	"Ask away," Sam replied.
	"How serious were you in your reasons for going on this quest?"
	"Ha!" Sam let out a chuckle, "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that.  It's all part of my personality, I'm that kind of person who says things just to get a rise out of you.  Now while other people might dislike what I do, I feel it's important to bring out the anger in other people, just for their own sake," he smiled as he said this.
	"So it must bother you that your comrades don't seem to be antagonized by your character any more, or else they would have said something about your motives back there."  
	"They have gotten used to it, but it doesn't bother me.  After all, there are thousands of other people who have yet to experience me.  Such as yourself, for example."
	"It thrills me to know that," and with that Locke walked away.
	"Oh!  And have you heard that pregnant women are more likely to be mutilated by monsters these days?" Sam asked with a wicked smile.
	THONNGG!
	A knife suddenly sprang up below Sam's crotch.
	"I wouldn't know," and Locke walked away.

	"So, what do you think of Locke?" Joseph asked Alex, who was steering the boat.
	"You've heard of the thief with the proverbial 'heart of gold'?" Alex stated.
	"Yes."
	"That's the kind of man that we have here, but he still seems like a good man.  Yet Joseph, what are your impressions of him."
	"Not only did he help defeat Kefka, he's leading us to possibly the greatest technological discovery ever!  What's not to like about the man?"
	"True, yet he still has an air of disreputedness about him.  That's what bothers me."
	"He's a 'treasure hunter' of course he's going to be a bit disreputable, you can't expect everyone to be up to your high standards.  Besides, he's gone through a lot of hardship in life."
	"Why, was there one lock that he couldn't pick."
	Undaunted, Joseph continued, "His first girlfriend suffered amnesia due to a bad fall and was put in suspended animation until Locke revived her with the Phoenix esper.  Then she died."
	"Tragic," Alex responded, staring straight ahead.
	Joseph took this as an indication that there was something simmering beneath Alex's impassive exterior.  "You know," he started to say, "I heard that the reason that Celes is not here with us now is that she's pregnant."
	Alex tensed further and gritted his teeth as he steered the ship.
	Noticing his comrade's change in demeanor, Joseph stated, "Of course, she could be secretly dissatisfied with Locke and be yearning for a gallant young man to sweep her away from this misery."
	"Really?" Alex turned to him and asked.
	Eyes wide, in mock honesty, Joseph said, "Really."
	Alex, with a smile on his face, turned his head back to the sea and Joseph just rolled his eyes in silent patronization.

	Underneath the ship, where the crew slept, Robert was intensely studying a map of the island north of the Veldt when Jason came down the stairs.
	"What are you doing?" Jason asked, intrigued.
	"I am studying a map of where we are going, in order to familiarize myself with the surroundings for my benefit and the group's," Robert replied nonchalantly.
	Jason mouthed an 'aaahhh.'  Then he asked, "About your reasons for going, why do you want to see the world, and the Brachosaur?"
	Robert replied, "I grew up in Vector, surrounded by machinery and mechanics.  While some may disagree, I found the entire scene boring after a while.  I was much more intrigued by what lay beyond the city gates, the snow capped mountains, the green valleys, and the life that inhabited them.  However, I kept putting off exploring these things since I was stuck working on Magitek armor in Vector in order to support my family.  By the time I finally got to leave the city, Kefka had shattered the land, and the images I held in my heart.  Still, this land does present its own mysteries, and many of its more attractive elements lie in where we are going."
	Jason nodded his head in understanding.
	"So what about you?  There wasn't any other reason for you to go besides Edgar's request for the best?"
	"No, there wasn't."
	"Oh.  Okay," and Robert went back to studying the map.

	"Edgar, I just gotta know.  Where the hell did you find that guy Sam?" Locke asked quite loudly.
	Edgar and Locke were inside the captain's cabin where Edgar had been reading a novel for the past hour.  He knew that Locke would ask this question (or some variation of it) at some point.
	Edgar closed the book and spoke, "While I was wandering around the land after Kefka started his rule, I wandered into a bar one day and happened to overhear a shouting match between some of the patrons.  The antagonizer was none other than the man in question; and, while I would have seen nothing wrong with him getting roughed up for his comments, the antagonized were fixing to slice him open.  In order to make sure everyone got away with as little injury as possible, I used my noiseblaster and while everyone was stunned, I came up to Sam and got him out of the bar.  He was grateful and he thanked me before leaving.  I met him again after the defeat of Kefka when he showed up at my castle, willing to go into my service as a guard, for free if that would be sufficient enough payment for myself saving his life."
	"Interesting, but what about Jason?"
	"Not much to say.  He showed up on my doorstep one day asking for a job and proved himself to be a brilliant swordsman.  He has no past that I can speak of."
	"Just one more question and then I'll go.  Why do you trust these men so implicitly?"
	"Because whenever there is an invention at the King's Fair that I know will bring hardship on the land, I can trust them to get rid of it and make sure the owner keeps quiet about it," Edgar said with a look of grim seriousness on his face.
	The King's Fair was a festival organized by Edgar for the entire countryside to come together and show off its creativity.  While the bulk of the festival was made up of booths with frivolous things, the more serious and important showcases went on in Edgar's chambers where the inventor would show off his invention to Edgar in hopes of the king putting it into production.  Things like hovercrafts, super -- fertilizers, and a device that could open metal cans, affectionately called a can opener, had been put into production by Edgar.  "To date, there have been three instances where I have had to employ their services.  One involved the splitting of an atom to make a cataclysmic explosion, another involved an electrical generator that ran on the blood of moogles (I heard that they left that man in the mines of Narshe), and the other... Damn!  It was some complex thing that I must have forced out of my mind.  All I can remember of it is that it could have made Kefka seem insigni!
ficant.  I'm sure it will come back to me in time.  In the meantime, get some rest, we should be landing near the home of Gau's father in the morning."
	"That was the only suitable place to dock with the land?  Why couldn't we have borrowed Setzer's airship to get there instead?"
	"Because he's up cruising god knows where and he hasn't agreed to let his airship be duplicated by me.  See you in the morning."

	Later that night, Edgar crept down to the ship's cargo hold, and opened the door that led into there.  Laying on a cot, with a lamp illuminating the darkness, was a figure reading a book.
	"Glad to see you.  I almost thought you forgot about me."
	"How could I forget about you.  You're the ace in the hole for this group if something should go wrong.  Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we'll be docking with the mainland tomorrow around eleven a.m.  So be ready for someone to come down here to pick up some supplies."
	"No problem, I'll be long gone before that time."
	"That's good to know.  Good night."
	"G'night."

Chapter 4:  A Dead Man and Some Big Woodland Creatures

	It was around noon when the group landed on the island.  Since much of the island was uncolonized by man, each member had to strap on a pack containing the supplies that they would need for the expedition.  Once they had done that, Locke addressed the men with news that they were expecting to hear.
	"Attention all men, women, and children in this group!  I expect that you're wondering where we're heading to on this island."
	"You might say that," Sam remarked.
	"We're headed to the mountains on the far side of the island.  The scientist wanted a place where no one would disturb his work, and if you take a look at the most accessible path to the mountains, he found a good one!"
	"We will be passing through the forest, home to the meanest critters on the face of the planet.  I have good and bad news on that subject."
	"The good news is that the population of Tyrannosaurs has been declining steadily since Kefka's defeat.  The bad news is that the decline is attributable to the fact that the Brachosaurs have been eating them!  It gets worse, with the decline of the Tyrannosaurs, the Brachosaur population has been steadily increasing over these few years.  Fortunately they can't use magic anymore; unfortunately, we can't either.  So, are you ready to find that lost laboratory?"
	The crew each voiced their individual remarks of consent to continue.
	"Well then," Edgar said, "Shall we be off?" and the group left to find the laboratory.
	
	They walked for a few miles, taking in the scenery as they went until they came across the house of Gau's father.  Or rather, what was left of it.
	"What the hell!" Locke had been expecting the man to rush out and ask them if they were here to fix his clock and harass them with his tales of a demon child he tossed onto the Veldt.
	It goes without saying... he hadn't expected this.
	The house had been burned to the ground, only a few half burned support structures remained.  Making their way to investigate for any signs of Gau's father.  They found only his charred remains to mark his passing.
	The group gathered a few feet away from the house and Edgar said, "Does anyone have any suggestions as to what could have caused this?"
	"Lightning?" Joseph proposed.
	"Someone probably came to the island and didn't want anyone to know that they were there?" Jason queried.
	"Probably looking for the weapons and wanted no witnesses," Alex resolutely stated.
	"In any case, it would seem that we might not be alone on this island.  Keep your guards up men," Edgar stated, in a kingly manner.
	
	The men had gone several more miles and reached the forest.  It was mid afternoon when they reached the rim and it was early evening when Sam walked over to Robert to ask him, "So, is this island the most fantastic place you have been to yet?"  His voice dripping with sarcasm.
	"Not the most fantastic, certainly the most bleak and desolate place I have encountered, yet I am sure that seeing the Brachosaur will make up for it," Robert responded nonchalantly.
	"What is it with you and this dinosaur?"
	"This magnificent beast is said to be the most awesome creature ever to grace the planet.  A hundred feet tall, fifty of that being attributed to its neck, three rows of razor sharp teeth, and a fearsome roar that could make the bravest man wet his own pants.  Now if that isn't a sight to be seen, then..."
	"SHHHHH!" Edgar violently whispered.
	Robert stopped talking and Alex whispered, "What is it?"
	"Sleeping baby Brachosaurs, with several adults nearby," Edgar whispered back.
	"What did we do, stumble into some dino sleepover?" Locke remarked quietly.
	"Probably a herd going to bed early.  This goes without saying, but don't make a sound." Edgar implored.
	"Noooo problem," Sam answered, and the group crept silently by.
	Until...
	BOOM!
	A large crash resonated across the sky, startling the Brachosaurs awake.  The adults were drowsy and might have gone back to sleep if they hadn't heard the infants' cries of unrest.  Sniffing the air around them, the adults noticed  several unfamiliar scents (an two familiar ones) and let out a mighty roar that deafened the party.
	They swore in unison and ran like hell was coming behind them.
	As they were sprinting, Locke ran in front of the party and yelled, "I have a plan!  Everyone follow me!" and he took off and ran towards the nearest Brachosaur.
	"That seems so crazy it just might work!" Sam yelled and he took off towards Locke.
	The remaining men looked at each other and ran off towards the two men.
	Locke, meanwhile, was almost upon the Brachosaur.  Then, he leaped up onto its leg and began climbing.
	The Brachosaur sensed his presence and craned its neck down to chomp on Locke.  Fortunately, Locke's natural agility assisted him in outmaneuvering the Brachosaur's sharp teeth.  As it was gnashing after Locke, it failed to noticed the six other men climbing their way onto the dinosaur.  Once he was on the dinosaur's back, Locke whipped out his sword and said, "Now for the coupe de grace," and he plunged his sword down into the back of the Brachosaur.
	It cried out in rage and pain, and since it wasn't able to get at its antagonist, it blindly charged through the forest.
	By now the rest of the party had climbed onto the dinosaur and Locke called out, "Come on and join the fun," and he plunged his sword down deeper into the Brachosaur.  At this, the men pulled out their swords and started to hack at the dinosaur.
	The Brachosaur blindly charged on, but was starting to slow down, due to the many wounds the men had inflicted on it.  Then, past the edge of the forest, out of energy, mad with pain, and not willing to go on, the Brachosaur started to sway, and then fell over on its side with an earth shaking crash.  The men fell of as it hit the ground, suffering little injury to themselves.  They dusted themselves off and Locke remarked, "That was certainly a lot of fun, and as luck would have it, we've arrived at our destination," and he motioned to the mountains behind them.  "It's these little coincidences that make life grand."
	
	Up in the mountains, two men each wearing a red hood and a pale yellow robe were watching the proceedings down below.  They both observed the men below through their spyglasses.
	"It seems that these are not your ordinary men that we are facing right now.  After we set off that explosion that woke up the Brachosaurs, they should have been eaten long ago," one man observed.
	"They certainly aren't.  Locke Cole and Edgar Figaro are down there, we must alert the others.  Let's get going," the other man said, and they made their way through the mountains.

Chapter 5:  The Villains of the Piece

	Night had fallen and the group had made camp for the night.  They feasted on the remains of the dead Brachosaur.
	"You know," Joseph said, "with the dead man in the burnt house, and the explosion that roused the Brachosaurs, I'm beginning to think that we are not alone on this island," with that, he took a piece of the Brachosaur meat off the stick he had been holding in the fire and proceeded to eat it.
	"Maybe it was just lightning," Sam sarcastically replied.
	"It could have been, but only and idiot such as yourself would see it like that," Joseph retorted.
	 "Children, children, It's pretty obvious that whoever is on this island has it in for us.  The only question is why would they?" Edgar asked.
	"I guess we'll have to ask them when we meet them," Locke stated, "In the meantime, we should get some rest, we've got a mountain to climb tomorrow."

	Climbing the mountain was a truly arduous task.  Aside from being weighted down with their packs, the face of the mountain was a steep (close, but not quite vertical) climb, but with many grips and footholds.  What was probably worst is that the higher they got, the colder the rock face grew, causing much pain to their hands.  However, they eventually reached a point on the mountain where it leveled off, forming paths in three different directions.  Each a valley with mountain peaks on each side.  Locke said that the middle one was the one they wanted.  No sooner had they started down that path than...
	THWACK!
	"Aaaaaugh!  My shoulder," Robert screamed.
	"Everybody, get the hell back!" Edgar commanded.
	Everyone made a hasty retreat as arrows started to rain down upon the group.  Retreating to where the path branched off, Robert bandaged his shoulder and Edgar started to assess the situation.  He said, "Okay, it seems that we have met the mysterious forces behind our misery and now's our chance to get some answers," at this, he whipped out his autocrossbow and stated, "You men try to keep them occupied while Locke and I try to circle around behind them," and they started off down around the mountain.
	"It's a good thing you keep that thing with you all the time," Locke remarked, referring to Edgar's autocrossbow.
	"I never leave home without it," Edgar replied.
	As they made their way around the mountain, they could hear Alex say, "We know you're behind all of the evil happenings around here, so why are you doing them?"
	Silence answered back.  Utterly inevitable.

	After a while Edgar and Locke had made their way around to a position behind their attackers.  As Edgar took out some binoculars to take a look, they heard Sam say, "Hey you guys up there!  I've got pictures of your mothers doing the nasty with Kefka, at the same time!  If you don't give yourselves up, I'll show them to everyone in the world!"
	"He certainly knows how to get a rise out of a person," Locke remarked; and at this, Edgar cursed under his breath.  "These guys might take that as a compliment, take a look for yourself," and Edgar handed him the binoculars.
	Peering through them, Locke cursed to himself as well.  He saw that the men that were firing at them wore red hoods and pale yellow robes, the unmistakable attire of...
	"The Cult of Kefka," Locke morosely remarked, "What are they doing up here?"
	"I do not know, but I am going to find out," Edgar forcefully replied, and taking careful aim with his autocrossbow, he fired at the cultists.  Edgar had targeted debilitating spots on their bodies (arms, legs, etc.) and the cultists went down.  As Locke and Edgar went down to check them, the cultists fumbled in their garments and popped something into their mouths.
	Edgar and Locke saw this, and they weren't truly surprised to find the cultists dead when they reached them.
	"Come on up! They're both dead!" Edgar yelled down to the men in the ravine.  After a time, they made their way to Locke and Edgar's position.
	"Who're these two fools," Sam remarked.
	Before Locke or Edgar could open their mouths, Jason said, "Members of the Cult of Kefka, a truly despicable lot deserving a slow painful death for each member."
	The party was fairly shocked, only Locke and Edgar knew who these men were and Jason's hate towards them was fairly surprising.
	"What's your deal with them?" Edgar asked.
	"A few years ago, they came to my house one night and killed my parents.  I have dedicated my life since then to seeing them suffer.  I would have killed them all if I knew where they went after their tower collapsed," his head rose to face the group with his stare of hate and determination, "Now I do."
	"I see," Edgar said, "These men must be dealt with, but we must find the weapons first.  If the cult is up here looking for them, then we have a big problem on our hands."
	"You got that right," Locke said, "Come on, let's get back on the trail."
	They all started down the mountain, except for Jason who continued to stare at the bodies.
	"Coming Jason?" Edgar asked.
	"In a moment," he replied, and Edgar left.
	When Edgar left, Jason knelt down to the nearest cultist and removed a small dagger from his body and placed it up his sleeve, where he could use it later.
	With a smile, he said, "Sorry about this, but everything will turn out all right in the end," with that, he started down the mountain

Chapter 6:  The Plot Thickens

	After their little encounter with the cult, the group gathered together to assess the situation.
	"So what can we assume now that we know that cult is here, besides the fact that they want us dead?" Edgar stated, with a hint of grim urgency in his voice.
	"Well, we don't know for sure that they're here looking for the weapons," Alex suggested, "Most likely, they're here to pick up where their maniacal messiah left off."
	"Maybe they're just afraid to rejoin society after what they had done?" Joseph offered up.
	After hearing Joseph's explanation, Sam replied, "Hm, maybe they're also engaging in deviant sexual practices with your mom as well!"
	Before Joseph could respond, Edgar interjected, "Whatever the reason, they are here and they have it in for us as well," he then raised his autocrossbow and lowered his eyes as he said,  "Be on your guard, men."  With those words, the group moved out.

	The hours passed as listlessly as the scenery.
	Their journey was decorated by the tall gray mountains on both sides of the party while a gray sky hovered over them.  The only colorful things about their trip were the green grasses that they trodded over and the occasional patch of snow, a reminder of the cold climate they faced at these heights.  (Needless to say, while the party trudged along with dour looks on their faces, Robert took this all in stride, marveling at the beauty of it all.)  A small gust of wind had started to gather as the adventurers came to a cave, and turned to face Locke, as if to say What now?
	"Yes, he did mention a cave.  I hope you all brought a light," Locke remarked.  At this, all the men fumbled around in their packs for the flashlights Edgar had given them.  Out of his pack, Edgar pulled out a fairly larger one, drawing questioning (slightly accusatory) looks from his men.  Edgar merely shrugged and said, "I asked my men to make this up for the trip.  On such short notice, they only made this one."
	"Right," Locke flatly said, and the men proceeded into the blackness of the cave.

	Despite the bright light that the party's flashlights provided, illuminating every part of the cave in their foreseeable path, the men still felt ill at ease.  Part of it was attributable to the cave's climate, which was exactly like every other cave:  cold, damp, and quiet.
	Almost too quiet.
	While most caves carried the echoes of faraway creatures that inhabited it, this cave did not.  All the men could hear was the sound of their own footsteps resonating against the cave walls.
	"How much further?" Edgar whispered to Locke.
	"The man said to keep going until we reach a large cavern.  Then we..." Locke started to say as his attention was suddenly distracted.  "Wait.  Here it is!"
	The group walked into the cavern.  The room was fairly large, probably thirty feet high, and possessed many rock outcroppings along its walls.  There were two other passages leading out of the cavern besides the one they entered from.
	"So what do we do now, 'O great and wise leader?" Sam asked.
	"You surrender to our mercy!" a loud and thunderous voice resonated throughout the cavern.  Stunned, the men whirled their heads to the source of the sound and saw a solitary cultist looming high above them.
	"HA!," Sam yelled, "I knew you people were losers, but it looks like you're stupid as well!"  As if to answer him, a sea of red hoods and pale yellow robes  poured out from behind rocks and out of passageways to encircle the party.  The cultists sported a wide and motley array of weapons ranging from swords, bows, crossbows, sickles, to long metal rods, eagerly awaiting a chance to put them to use.
	"Funny," the lead cultist said "I was going to say the same thing about you."  Jason then sprang up from the party and charged the cultists.  One struck him with the broad side of a sword while another smacked him with the butt of a crossbow and he was unceremoniously tossed back to the party.
	"A feisty fool," the lead cultist said coolly and evil.  In the same tone, he said, "Surrender your weapons and gear, follow us to your cell, and maybe, you'll live to see our greatest accomplishment!"  Staring straight at Locke and Edgar, he said, "I am honored to see that two of our most famous heathens have decided to witness this event," from underneath his hood, an evil grin spread across his face.
	
	High above the action, in one of the cavern's shadowed recesses, a lone figure was observing the action below.
	"Treasure hunting seems to bring out all the weirdoes," the figure remarked, "it's a good thing I'm here to bail out the good guys."  With that, the figure slipped away along the shadowed cave walls.

Chapter 7:  Revelations Bringing Evil

	As they were being escorted to their cell, the thoughts of the men were on one of two things, either:  How were we so stupid as to walk into that trap, or How many people can I kill as I make my escape.
	Only footsteps were heard, a slow monotonous bead droning on and on.  Locke broke the monotony by asking, "What are you people doing here anyway?"
	As a response, a crossbow butt was slammed in his stomach.  Locke doubled over, out of breath, but he did not fall down.
	"You'll find out soon enough," the lead cultist said.
	Within the ranks of the captives, Robert leaned towards Jason (who was in front of him) and whispered, "You've obviously spent some time tracking these guys, so what can you say about that lead guy up there?"
	Jason hesitated before he responded, "His name is John Rickmore.  It goes without saying that he is a vile and insidious creature.  What isn't said is that he is an incredibly smart man.  Not only has he managed to keep the cult underground for these past few years and train them into a formidable fighting force."
	Robert pondered these words before asking, "How do you know all this?"
	"I have my ways."
	The small caravan proceeded towards a yellow light at the end of the tunnel.  At the end, the captives were amazed to see a huge cavern with many cultists scurrying about.  They were speechless as they gazed upon eating places, armories, and sleeping enclaves that had been carved into the wall.  The party also noted a twenty -- foot metal sheet on one wall, as well as a small door at the bottom of the wall.
	Needless to say, the captives wondered what was behind that wall.
	As the group was further escorted through the cultist encampment , various cultists turned away from their duties to watch the procession.  As they spotted Locke and Edgar, the two most recognizable and hated people in the procession, they started to cheer, loudly.  As the cult cheered, John stopped the procession and addressed the populace.
	"Fellow believers!" he gallantly yelled, "As we stand poised on the brink of our greatest triumph, two of the most vile of all heathens have been delivered into our midst!  Locke Cole and Edgar Figaro!" he paused as the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.  When it died down, he continued, "As the fated hour approaches, these heinous beings shall pay for their most wretched crime!" as he spoke, he stretched out the last few words into a gutteral snarl.
	Speaking the mind of the group, Sam yelled, "Go blow it out your ass!"
	In response to that, a crossbow wielding cultist slammed him in the gut and then brought the butt of it up again to slam it in his face.  Sam slumped to the ground, his nose bleeding, and two cultists scurried over to drag him along when the procession started to move again.
	With the applause still resonating in the cavern, John started off to a decently lit tunnel with twenty cultists following behind him and many breaking off to go about their duties in the camp.  After a few minutes, they came to a door which was swiftly opened.  Beyond the door was a large room, cut in half by prison bars.
	"This is where you shall stay until we have further use of you.  Please enjoy your stay," John stated to full sarcastic effect.  With that said, a cultist opened the prison door and the six men were promptly shoved in.  Sam, however, was thrown onto the floor.
	Five cultists with swords stayed to guard the prisoners as John and the rest left.
	After the other cultists had retreated, Edgar whispered to the group, "So how are we going to get out of here?"
	
	The figure observed the captives' passage through the cultist encampment from his vantage point on a shadowed wall.  He felt that he could rush across the encampment without being seen and free the party; but, something nagged at him.
	Their greatest triumph.
	What was it going to be?
	He knew that Edgar and his friends would be safe for now.  During that time, he would utilize it to find out what the cult was up to here.
	John and fifteen other cultists came out of the tunnel.  John waved off all of them, save two, and proceeded into another tunnel.
	It was time to make his move.
	He leapt down stealthily and silently from his point on the wall and followed John into the passage.  Creeping after John and his escort in the dimly lit tunnel, he saw the head cultist open a door and go inside with his escort.  The figure was about to enter the room and find out what he needed to know, when he heard footsteps come galloping down the tunnel.  He sped across the doorway and hid in the darkness at the end of the tunnel, invisible to anyone who passed by.
	(All this time he was feeling extremely grateful to the ninja ,Shadow, who had taught him the basics of concealment during their time together.)
	The man who came galloping down the tunnel was not a cultist.  The figure saw he did not have the usual attire of a cultist; instead, he wore a white shirt, a worker's coverall and his face (with  brown hair and a brown mustache) was smeared with grime.  He sped into the office and John said, "Well, if it isn't the great Maddrox Sire, harbinger of our destiny, how may I help you?"
	Maddrox eagerly replied, "Is it true that Edgar Figaro is here in the encampment jail right now!"
	John turned away from the papers at his desk and said, "Yes, he is.  And I bet that you wand to go see him and gloat over your newfound success with us.  Don't you?"
	Maddrox shook his head eagerly.
	John thought for a moment and said, "Yes, you may.  And as a matter of fact, I would like to be there when you do," that said, the men left the room and shut the door on their way out.  After they left, the figure got up, opened the door, and went in.
	For an instant, he wished he had not.
	While the torches that lit the rest of the encampment bathed it in a yellow glow, the torches that lit John's room had red glass around them, giving the room a flickering, reddish hue to it.  Adorning the wall opposite the door was a large portrait of Kefka.  The madman was atop his tower against a blackened stormy sky, casting his Light of Judgment to demonstrate his superiority to the world.
	The unease passed and the figure looked around the room.  Aside from the mood, it was rather plain.  It was decorated with bed, a bookcase, and a desk... with a locked metal box on it.  The figure had a feeling that whatever he was looking for was in that box (it was locked, after all) and he walked over to it.  
	Strapped to his hands were three -- pronged claws, forged from the teeth of a legendary tiger.  Razor sharp and ultra -- lethal, he sliced off the lock off the box, opened it up and looked inside.
	"Oh damn..."
	Inside the box were the plans for the moogle machine and the megabomb, two of the three machines that Edgar had killed.
	But where is the third and how did these get here!? he thought.  He remembered that the third was the most dangerous, but he could not remember what it was.   Maddrox had something to do with it, though.
	I've spent enough time here, the figure thought, Time to go save Edgar.  He then set out for the prison.

	Inside the prison, Jason told the rest of the party what he knew about John and they all agreed that he was bad news.  Since then, the men were either pacing around the cell to figure a way out, or sitting down to figure a way out.  Locke was pacing, Edgar was sitting. Both men had thoughtful looks on their faces.  Edgar motioned to Locke to come over and Locke sat down next to the king.  Edgar said, "I know how we can get out.  The bars not built into the cave floor or ceiling .  If all of us charge at them, then we can knock them out."
	"Good idea, but how do we deal with the guards?" Locke replied.
	"We lured them close to the bars and we'll take them out as well," Edgar remarked with all confidence.  As he finished, the cave door opened and John stepped in .
	"You have a visitor, King Edgar," John said malevolently and Maddrox Sire stepped through the door with a huge smile on his face.
	Excluding Locke, fear gripped the faces of the men inside the cell at the sight of Maddrox.  Edgar lost it completely a moment later and charged screaming at Maddrox.  He slammed against the prison bars, arms outstretched, millimeters from Maddrox's face.
	Maddrox simply laughed and said,  "Yes King Figaro.  Kefka is coming back into this world thanks to my Genomeic Template Replication machine.  Don't you wish you hadn't destroyed it earlier?" and Maddrox let out a loud wicked laugh.

Chapter 8:  Escape... And Then Some

	"What the hell is a Genomeic Template Replication machine!?" Locke stood up and yelled.
	With a look of utter dread and desperation on his face, Edgar turned to face Locke, "It is a device that can replicate any living thing using a sample of their skin, blood, hair, bone, or any other body part.  It was the third invention that I had destroyed... or thought I had," he then turned to face Maddrox, "Not only did they destroy the prototype that you brought to the castle, but my men went to your house and destroyed the blueprints.  How did you recreate this!?"
	Maddrox smiled and replied, "I have my ways," he paused and said, "One thing still vexes me, why was my machine destroyed in the first place?"
	Edgar's face went blank with surprise for a moment and then he said, "You really don't know?  I ordered it destroyed in case someone tried to bring HIM back!" Edgar practically yelled, "How could you do this after what this madman has done!?"
	Maddrox thought for a moment and replied, in a soft voice, "Yes he was a horrible and vicious man, but without magic he is an ordinary man an thus, easily dispatched.  Besides, this was a chance to prove the worth of my invention and make a lot of money in the process," he smiled as he said those last words and then stated, "Well, I must be going now.  Duty calls," and he walked out the door.
	John started to walk out the door and then turned to face the prisoners and flashed a wide, sinister grin at them before he left the room.
	"I get the feeling that he knows something that we do not," Joseph stated.
	"Nooooo!" Sam replied with scathing sarcasm, and he continued to pick away the blood on his lip.
	"So what do we do now?" Locke asked.
	"We wait," Edgar replied.

	The figure loomed in the shadows above the encampment.  He had seen John and Maddrox go into the prison tunnel and he was patiently waiting for them to return.  He was perched on the wall on the opposite side of the prison tunnel and needed to make a break across the encampment since the other walls were occupied by cultist activities.  There were few shadows to mask his movements across the camp, so he would have to improvise on his concealment training.
	Then he saw John and Maddrox stroll through the encampment.
	Time to go, he thought.
	He leapt down and ran crouched across the ground and he hid behind a rack of crossbows.  He dashed again and hid under a table in the eatery.  He dashed again and...
	"INTRUDER!" a voice yelled out across the encampment.  The figure looked up and saw five cultists running towards him.  He charged towards them, ready to slice them to ribbons.
	SHUKK!
	SCHLACK!
	Two cultists impaled themselves on his claws, rendering them useless.  He struggled to remove them from his claws as the cultists tried to wrestle him to the ground.  Six more cultists ran over to the scene as the man got one claw free and started to slash at his attackers wildly.
	This does not look good, he thought as more cultists piled upon him.

	The prisoners inside the prison were not unaware of the commotion outside as faint echoes reached them.  It was just what they needed.
	Edgar motioned to Sam, who had gotten most of the blood off, and he got up and yelled at the cultists, "Hey you fanatical pussies!  Kefka had to use a vacuum pump to get it up for Gestahl every night!"
	The guards started to walk over to the bars.
	"Now!" Edgar yelled and the men screamed and charged the bars.  Sparks flew as they scraped the cave ceiling and floor and plowed right into the cultists.  They knocked them unconscious and took their weapons, though Locke and Jason were left empty handed in this area.
	"What do you know.  It worked!" Alex remarked.
	"Of course it did!" Edgar responded, shooting Alex a questioning glance.  "Now come on, I have a pretty good idea who's causing those problems out there," with that the men exited the prison.
	Once in the main encampment, they saw roughly a dozen cultists in  a huge dogpile.  Almost at once, the five men with swords started to peel the men off, killing them as they went.  After a time, they revealed...
	"SABIN!" all the men, except Edgar, yelled as the spiky blond haired bodybuilder, clad in a gray shirt and pants, emerged bloodied and bruised from the pile.
	"I knew I'd wind up saving you," Sabin quipped.
	"Likewise," Edgar replied with a grin and he turned to address the group, "In case you are all wondering, I had my brother follow us in case of such a contingency as this.  Now let's get the hell out of here!"
	"Wait!" Locke said, "I need a weapon!" and he and Jason ran towards the armory and returned with Locke carrying a sword, several explosives, and a lamp, Jason carried a sword and a crossbow with a quiver of arrows which he handed to Edgar.
	"Thanks," Edgar said and he sheathed his sword and took the crossbow and arrows.  "What are those for?" he asked Locke, pointing to the explosives.
	"You never know..." Locke replied with a grin.
	"Right!  Now let's move!" at this, all the men ran out of the encampment, back towards the cavern where they had been captured.
	A few seconds later, a sea of cultists swarmed out of a tunnel and charged after the fugitives.

	"Well, they've escaped," John remarked, "But not for long."
	John and Maddrox were behind the large metal wall where Maddrox's machine was set up.  There was a huge glass cylinder filled with amniotic fluid and surrounded by various machines set up to monitor and assist in the resurrection process.  Old, decaying bones rested on a metal pan which Maddrox picked up and dumped into one machine.
	"How long will this take?" John asked.
	"About two to three hours," Maddrox replied, "Normally it would take nearly a day, but due to Kefka's mental state the process will be greatly accelerated."
	"Good.  Is it time?"
	"Yes."
	"Then let's begin."
	Maddrox walked over to a control panel and flicked a switch.  The fluid in the cylinder bubbled and the process had begun.

Chapter 9:  Lost Treasure Found

	"Run!  They're right behind us!" Locke yelled as he was bringing up the rear of the fleeing party.  Suddenly the party emerged into the cavern that they had been captured in only a few hours ago.  The trod of many footsteps was growing louder upon the cultists' imminent arrival.  
	"Give me some of the explosives!" Sabin yelled and Locke threw him two of the explosives.  He rushed over to the mouth of the passage and placed them in little nooks on opposite sides of the passage.  He then stretched out his clawed hands and scraped them along the cavern walls.  The sparks produced from the action lit the fuses of the explosives.
	"Move!" Sabin yelled and the party took cover as the first cultist emerged from the passage.
	BLAMM!
	The resulting explosion sealed the passage (and the cultists) underneath a ton of rock.  On the other side, the cultists could barely be heard as they tried to did their way through.
	The party stood around the cavern with weary looks on their faces while the light from the lantern flickered and danced around the cavern.
	"So now what?" Alex asked.
	"We find what we came here to find," Locke said, "And then we send all these bastards to hell."
	"Good plan," Sabin remarked and then he turned to his brother, "Edgar, may I have a word with you?" with that, the brothers moved away from the group.
	"What is it?" Edgar asked.
	"I stopped off at that lead cultist's room before I ran into trouble.  Inside I found the plans for two of your 'canceled' projects," Sabin whispered these words with the utmost urgency.
	"What!" Edgar nearly yelled, "But that would mean..." his voice trailed off as the dawn of realization crept over him and he brought a hand up over his face as his features sank into despair.  "Jason," he muttered, "I thought that his encounters with the cult and his 'information' about them were suspicious, but I was told each time that he was the one that disposed of the plans for each machine," he removed his hand and faced Sabin, "So what should we do with him?"
	"We confront him now," Sabin sternly stated and he marched over to the party and grabbed Jason's shirt collar and put his claws under his chin and said, "Any last words, traitor!"
	"I don't know what you're talking about?" Jason pleaded.
	"I found the plans for the machines that you had 'disposed' of !  So give me one reason as to why I shouldn't gut you right now!" Sabin snarled.
	"I guess there's no avoiding it..." Jason sighed.  While he said that he straightened out his arm with a jerk and the knife he got from the cultist fell into his hand.  He jerked his head away from Sabin's claws and slammed it into the man's stomach, jerking it upward as he yanked it free.  While the party was stunned and Sabin fell to the floor, Jason escaped down a passageway.
	Edgar and Robert rushed over to Sabin and tried to stop the profuse bleeding from Sabin's chest with their limited first aid knowledge.
	"After him," Sabin whispered.
	"No problem," Locke said, "He just ran down the tunnel that leads to the treasure."
	
	Jason was tearing through the darkness, spurred on by death, who was following right behind him.
	He had been positioned perfectly by John.  With his exceptional skills, he had found his way into a place of trust with the king, and, even better, a position in which to procure valuable information for the cult.  Then that damn bodybuilder showed up and sent everything to hell!  Now he was running...
	SMACK!
	straight into a dead end!
	He felt around and noticed that it was a wall of rubble, much like the one that the party left for the cultists back there.  The mound was sufficiently big enough to crush the hopes of escape for an ordinary man.
	Of course, Jason was far from ordinary.
	He tore at the top of the pile of rubble like the fanatical madman that he was.  He had displaced a significant amount of rubble before he heard the men approaching and saw their lantern closing in on him.
	Muscles aching, he moved faster and had opened up a small passage into the sealed off cave when Locke, Alex, and Sam saw him there and started to run towards him.  He squeezed into the small passage and was nearly through when he heard Sam say, "Oh no you don't you traitorous bastard!" and he felt Sam grab his leg.  He strained with all his might and managed to slip free, leaving Sam with only his shoe and he tumbled into another realm of darkness.
	
	"Damn!" Sam yelled and he threw the shoe away.  As he did that, Edgar and Robert emerged from the passage carrying the wounded Sabin.
	"Would another bomb clear this out?" Alex asked.
	"Yes," Joseph responded, "and bring another ton of rubble down to block our passage."
	"So its time to start digging," Locke stated and the party (save Sabin) started to clear away a passage for themselves to pass through.
	While they were digging, Sam asked Robert in his usual tone, "Have your scenic desires been thoroughly sated by this trip?"
	"Not quite.  I would still like to see the vast cavernous regions that inhabit your head," Robert responded with a wide smile.
	This elicited a chuckle from the other members of the group.
	Soon, a passage large enough for the men to comfortably fit through was opened.  As they prepared to journey onwards, a distant crash resounded throughout the cavern.
	"It sounds like we're going to have some company," Alex stated and the adventurers picked up the pace and hurried down the corridor.
	Seconds passed as they made their way down the passage, each anticipating the inevitable discovery of their hunted treasure.

	KONK!
	Jason's knee had slammed up against something hard and metallic and it took all of self -- control not to scream out.  He knew that he was in the place that his group had sought and he was still running (now limping) frantically away from his ex -- party.
	He moved as quickly as he could around the metallic things as he sought some escape.
	"Ooof!" he grunted as he ran into a wall.  He quickly felt around for some sort of passage in it and soon found one.  Limping as fast as he could down the passage, he intuitively felt his way down the passage...
	"Aaaargh!"
	until he tripped.
	He fell on something that crumbled as he fell onto it, realizing quickly to his revulsion that it was a skeleton.  Scrambling forward on his hands and knees, he felt many cold metallic objects that felt like... money?

	"Now if the man was right about that switch, then it should be right... got it!" Locke said and light flooded the room before them.
	It would have been a magnificent sight, had they arrived before the accident.  It was a huge rectangular room with a long conveyor belt snaking towards the back of the cavern with parts of the weapons still on them.  There was a system of lamps (some flickering, a few burnt out) lighting the place and cables running across the ceiling that indicated that other parts of the cave were lit.  Aside from the fact that most of the tread was in disrepair, and several gaps in the conveyor system, the source of the explosion appeared to be near the beginning of the conveyor, indicated by the blackened beginning of it.  There were two other passages, one at the opposite side of the room, another on the right, and a third that was sealed with rubble due to the explosion.  Several skeletons were present in the room as well, adding to the room's sense of decay.
	In the right corner of the room were several racks of the weapons that had been the prize of their long and arduous journey.  There were two types of weapons there, a small pistol shaped one that Locke initially had, and a longer, rifle -- shaped one.
	"All right men," Edgar stated in a kingly manner as his comrades turned to face him, "Arm yourselves and search the rooms for Jason.  Sabin will stay here and watch for the cult.  Move out!" the men moved towards the weapon racks (depositing Sabin, out of sight, behind a row of conveyors) and proceeded to arm themselves with these weapons of mass destruction.

	Armed with both small and large weapons, Edgar, Alex and Joseph started to explore the right hand room.  It turned out to be the sleeping and recreation chambers, indicated by the cots and bookshelves containing books, cards, and various other things.  To the right was a desk with a decayed skeleton slumped over it, pen still in hand.
	Edgar walked over to the skeleton and had a look at what the skeleton had written.  Gently pushing the remains aside, Edgar picked up the dusty paper and read out loud, "'To whom it may concern:  I, Nester Phillips, regret nothing that I have done in my life.  Especially to that rat bastard fool Gestahl!  I hope he rots in hell!'" Edgar and his company smiled at that, "' The money my men and I took is in the back chamber and the plans for the weapons I call 'hellbringers' are in this desk.  If you decide to bring these weapons into the world, I only hope that hell does not follow...' and the rest is a scrawl," Edgar put down the paper and spoke to the skeleton, "I shall do my best to ensure that I do not bring hell with me when I return to my castle Nester," that said, he moved the remains and set them on the ground.   Then Edgar started to open the drawers of the desk methodically, finding the plans quickly.
	"We have what we need. Now let's go," Edgar stated.
	
	While Edgar and company had been searching their room, Locke, Robert and Sam were searching the rear room.  The room that contained the plundered riches of the empire.
	"Money!" Sam exclaimed, "And lots of it!" he stared agape at the heaping mounds of gold pieces, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls and other unrecognizable gems that lay spread out before him, worth more than he could imagine.
	While Sam greedily started to scrape up anything that he could find, Locke went about it more methodically.  Years of treasure hunting had given him a keen jeweler's eye that allowed him to recognize the most precious gems that would bring him much more money than Sam.
	Robert did not take part in this greedy grabfest.  His attention was turned towards the skeleton on the ground in front of him.  The more he studied it, the more he became convinced that it had been disturbed, recently.
	"Hey guys," Robert started to say.
	"The man is dead," Locke said, not turning his head, "Let him rest in peace."
	"It's just that-"
	"Landscape boy!" Sam interjected, "Shut your yap and start filling your pockets- er, don't.  That'll leave more for me.
	"Will you listen!?" Robert yelled, but he was interrupted by Sabin's cry of, "Hey guys!  We've got company!"
	This attracted the attention of all of the men as they left their rooms and prepared to face the cult.

Chapter 10:  The Coming Storm

	Sabin could hear them coming.
	The cult was on its way to do them in.
	What could he do?
	Nothing.
	All Sabin could do was warn them and hope that he didn't start coughing up blood from the wound in the chest.
	The six other men emerged from their respective rooms, each brandishing the two types of the hellbringer.
	"I hope you brought one for me," Sabin said.
	Edgar tossed him the smaller one and said, "They're called hellbringers.  Use them wisely."
	"Will do," Sabin said as he caught it, "Say, do these things still work?"
	The cultists started to mill through the passage, brandishing all sorts of weapons and bent on the utter destruction of these heathens.
	"Only one way to find out!" Alex exclaimed as he raised his long hellbringer at the cultists and fired.
	BZHEW!	
	One cultist flew back into the others, a flaming hole in his chest.
	"They seem to work fine," Alex said with a smile and the others took up positions and opened fire.
	It was a veritable massacre. As the cultists streamed through the opening, they met their demise in numerous ways.  Some hollered as their eyes were burnt out.  Others screamed as their skulls were set on fire.  More gasped out choked gurgles as their throats were blackened.  Then there were the few who were shoved backwards as holes were unceremoniously burnt in their chest and stomach.  As the cultists suffered many brutal deaths, the remainder of their forces pulled back.
	Loud whoops of joy came from  the party as the cultists pulled back.  "And if you ever think of trying that again, we'll send you all down to hell!" Sam yelled and cheered again.
	Suddenly there was a faint commotion from the tunnel as some excited voices were heard.  The party quickly took up defensive positions behind the conveyors.
	"What are they saying?" Edgar asked.
	"I have no idea," Locke responded.
	It happened in a blur.
	A white bolt streaked out of the passage.
	It flew across the room.
	Alex went down with a gurgled choking sound as a hole was burned in his throat.
	"What the hell!" Edgar exclaimed with a look of bug -- eyed surprise.
	Locke cursed and said, "They must have gone through my pack!  Good thing that -- Look out!" and he raised his hellbringer at the cultists swarming from the passage.  Taking advantage of the confusion that they sowed, the cultists now pressed their newfound advantage.
	"We nailed thirty of them!  How many more can there be!?"  Robert exclaimed.
	"Many more.  Many, many more," Edgar muttered.

	Meanwhile, behind the metal wall of the cultist encampment, the resurrection process was proceeding quite well. The Kefka -- clone had already reached puberty and its physical state was excellent (as for its supposed mental state, it was normal, for Kefka).  Maddrox was busy checking the readouts and scans from the machines monitoring the clone while John sat by an watched.
	"So what are your plans for when Kefka is revived?" Maddrox asked, "The eradication of all life on this world, for a start?"
	"Among other things," John said cryptically.
	"Am I to be eradicated as well?"
	"Yes, but we'll give you your pay as well as a running start," John said with a smile.
	Maddrox said, "As long as I get paid...," and went back to his work.  As he did, a strange sensation passed over both men.  It felt as if a great power had been bestowed upon them, enough to take over the world.  Maddrox stood around with a puzzled look on his face as he tried to figure out what had just happened while a maniacal look of glee formed under John's hood.
	Is it happening, he thought and he muttered the word, "Fire," instantly, a ball of flame appeared in his palm.
	"It worked!  Oh yes it worked!" John yelled as he thrust the fireball up to the ceiling where it dissipated when it hit the top.  Maddrox saw this and his eyes went wide with fear; but, before he could respond, John yelled, "Silence!" and Maddrox could not respond at all.  John walked over to Maddrox with an evil grin on his face.
	"I was hoping that this would happen," John said to the petrified Maddrox, "You see, when Kefka drained the three stone goddesses of their magic (a little known fact that I picked up), he became the focus, or rather the anchor, of magic in this world.  So when he died, magic left.  Now that he's back, magic has returned.  I hope this doesn't affect your decision to work with us, though."
	Maddrox mouthed, "...won't."
	"That's too bad," John said, frowning.  The new mage then raised a burning finger to Maddrox's throat, browning the skin, "You see, since you are in this up to your neck, you are too valuable to let go.  Yet, if you do decide to leave," John closed his eyes and his face clenched in concentration.  Maddrox felt cold tendrils of magic snake through the crevices of his mind.  John opened his eyes, "I will take the information needed and dispose of you, painfully," he drew the last word out to emphasize his point and then he removed his finger.  "Now what do you say?  Oh that's right, you can't say anything, can you?" John's features twisted into an evil mask, "Now get back to work."
	Maddrox stumbled away, the fear written on his face.
	
	While that episode was taking place, like Maddrox, the adventurers were having problems of their own.
	In their second charge, aside from acquiring Locke's old hellbringer, the cultists had picked up the bodies of their fallen comrades and used them as shields against opposing fire.  With the bodies absorbing the party's fire, the cultists were able to close in on their adversaries behind the conveyor belt.
	Suddenly Sam yelled, "I can't take this anymore!" and leapt over the conveyor and threw himself against one of the cultists, knocking him down. He pointed his hellbringer at the fallen man and blew his brains out.  More cultists started to close in on him and Sam did his best to knock them away; but, it was not good enough as they started to swarm over him.
	Edgar told Locke an Robert to go help out Sam, and they bounded over the conveyor to his aid.  They raised their weapons and fired at the people covering Sam and frantically tore them off their comrade.  Just when they reached him, a bolt flew out and scorched Locke's left shoulder.  He spun around and went down, still clutching his hellbringer and able to fire.
	The cultists rallied again.  This time they swarmed over Locke, Robert, and Sam (again) who each tried to fight them off.  Edgar spoke as he and Joseph leapt into the fray, "At least we went down fighting," Joseph nodded and the tried to free their friends.
	Through this, Sabin sat firing his small hellbringer at the cultists, nearly driven mad by the fact that he couldn't use his skills to help.  Suddenly, the sensation that John and Maddrox had experienced came over Sabin.  Sabin sat up and muttered, "Cure," when he cast the enchantment, his wound was healed and he was ready to kill some cultists.
	Sabin let out a mighty roar and charged, arms and claws outstretched, headfirst into the swarming cultists.  While Edgar and Joseph were trying, and failing to free their friends Sabin leapt in and started to hack at the cultists that were swarming over his friends.  He stabbed, slashed, swung, and skewered the cultists until he uncovered his friends.  "Fall back!" he bellowed at them.
	Not about to question the wisdom of the blood -- soaked, bug -- eyed man above them, the party beat a hasty retreat.
	Sabin fell back a few steps as well and got up on a conveyor and started to dance.
	The cultists stopped.
	They did not stop due to the sheer lunacy of a man shaking his hips in the middle of a battle.  They stopped because Sabin's dance had produced several fiery copies of himself, mimicking his movements.
	Then Sabin let out a fierce battle cry and the flames took off.
	His flaming dopplegangers seared the cultists.  Flesh burned and blackened and bones charred.  The fire flew and danced about the room, incinerating the opposition under an orange glow.  Sabin watched as the cultists flailed about, watching the skin melt off the cultist's bones (and burn as well).  While the cultists were normally a silent lot, they screamed and begged for mercy from their fiery demises in wailing, plaintive tones.  Sabin felt a slight pang of guilt at this, yet he easily shrugged it away.  As movement in the chamber ceases, Sabin extinguished his fiery dopplegangers with as simple thought.
	"I think that's all of them," Sabin turned to say.
	In response, a bolt from the cultist hellbringer singed his hair.
	The muscleman whipped around and out of his cupped hands flew a blinding white beam down the corridor.  The explosion that sounded indicated that the cultist had been dispatched.
	As he turned to face his comrades, Sabin noted that there were all astonished looks of surprise on their faces.  Sabin's blitzes were an extension of magic, after all, so how had he done it!?
	"Locke," Sabin said, his face grim, "Cast Cure," Locke did, and his shoulder was healed.
	Sabin then addressed his friends, "I know what this means and so do you.  We need to get going.  We have a meeting with madmen in these caverns."

Chapter 11:  A Meeting With Madmen

	Kill them!
	Kill all those bastards!
	I hatehatehatehatehate HATE them!
	They killed me once
	But now I'm back!
	Now they're going to pay!
	And the world will be ruined again!
	
	Maddrox was doing his best to retain his sanity as he monitored the now adult clone in the tank.  John merely looked at the tank with a look of ecstatic rapture on his face as he awaited the moment at which Kefka would be reborn.
	Suddenly, a tink sounded against the tube.
	John flashed an intense look at Maddrox, who merely shrugged his shoulders as he wore an exasperated look on his face.
	"Speak!" John yelled as he wore his face in a look of anticipation and dread.
	It took a moment for Maddrox to collect himself before he spoke softly, "I forgot to plan for this.  He'll have to get out on his own."
	John's face contorted into a mask of rage and hatred.  He bared his teeth in a snarl and raised his hand, bolts of electricity already gathering around it.
	Then, Maddrox's salvation made its presence known.
	With a small application of lightning and brute force, Kefka smashed his tube and came spilling out with the amniotic fluid that birthed him.  John lost all interest in his quarry and rushed over to see if Kefka was all right.
	"Great one!  Are you all right!?" John asked in a pleading, submissive tone.  Kefka was busy spitting out fluid, but he managed to say,  "Where...how?"
	"You are in the camp of your most devoted soldiers and your body has been replicated by that man over there," John said enthusiastically.
	Kefka, still on all fours on the floor, got up and looked Maddrox over.  While he was being observed, Maddrox looked at what he had created.  Upon observing the infamous magical madman, he found him to be quite normal in most regards.  He had fair skin, long blond hair, and a nice smile.
	Then he saw the eyes.
	Bloodshot and black within black, they projected a sense of fear and insanity onto Maddrox.  They gave his nice smile an evil, malicious quality to it.
	Kefka spoke as John hurried over with a red cloth and robe, both streaked with white and yellow, which the madman wore around his waist and shoulders, respectively.
	"I thank you for bringing me back.  For that, I will not kill you outright," Kefka said in a low, slightly cackly voice.
	Maddrox relaxed slightly at this.  Kefka's eyes then went wide and his smile widened.  Maddrox was lifted several inches off the ground and his throat constricted and his eyes bugged out.  Moments later, he slumped to the floor, dead.
	"I wouldn't have killed that poor fool at all if he hadn't forgotten one little detail in recreating me," Kefka stated.  He then closed his eyes and concentrated, dark angelic wings sprung out from his back a moment later.
	John was in awe of this magnificent sight and said with a wicked smile, "You know, I don't think that he knew that you had wings in the first place."
	"You know," Kefka said, "You're probably right!"
	WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

	The party had just finished paying their last respects to Alex when Kefka's infamous laugh rang throughout the cavern, sending chills up the spines of the party.
	"Sounds like someone left the gate open at the funny farm," Sam said listlessly.
	"Damn straight," Sabin said.
	"Listen," Edgar said, "He's just come back from the dead so he's probably not up to full strength yet.  If we get him now, we'll have an easier time of it."
	"Of course we're going to face off against him now," Sam said, with uncharacteristic sincerity "What else are we going to do, run away and let that madman regain control over the world!"
	"Exactly," Edgar said and he continued his speech, "When we face off against Kefka only magic will matter so put your weapons someplace safe," and the men tucked their hellbringers into unobtrusive places on their bodies.
	"Now there's the matter of magic," Edgar said, and he turned to face Sam, Joseph and Robert.  "There are four spells that form the basis of most magic.  Ice, Fire, Lighting (or Bolt), and Cure.  There are more destructive spell available, but we don't have the time to teach them.  The last thing you need to know is that the power of a spell is limited only by the will of the spellcaster.  This concludes my crash course on basic magic, and I hope that we all survive to teach you more."  The men nodded and the party left the cavern... signaling to Jason that it was okay to come out.
	He hid in the mountain of money during the firefight formulating his plan of action.  He contemplated grabbing a hellbringer during the fight and attacking from the back, but he could have been picked off easily once he had been noticed.  Instead, he decided to wait until it was all over and then put his plan into action.
	He looked for a sheet, and once he found one, he walked over to the rack of weapons and started to put both short and long hellbringers on the sheet.  Once he had enough, he wrapped the sheet over them and tied them with some string and slung the pack over his shoulder and left the cavern, laughing Kefka's laugh under his breath.

	The party walked dutifully back towards the cultist camp, grim with their forthcoming destiny.  They noted the point where they had sealed the passage to the encampment and the cultists hat blown it open again.  Soon they emerged into the encampment and saw Kefka hovering above the ground with John beneath him on the ground.  Both had evil looks on their faces.
	"Ah!" Kefka's cackly voice spoke, echoing inside the chamber, "Some familiar faces at last.  You know, since I am such a kind and benevolent GOD, I shall give you back a hundredfold what you gave to me."
	"Like hell!" Sabin yelled and a white beam flew out of his cupped hands.
	Kefka raised a hand and simply absorbed it as it hit his hand.  He then raised his other hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.  "How trite," Kefka said, "Let me show you how it's done!" he enunciated each word as he raised his hand and sent an amplified version of Sabin's Aura Bolt back at them.
	Before the huge beam crashed into them, Locke, Edgar, and Sabin put up magical shields to block the huge beam.
	"Very good," Kefka said, "Now, let's begin," and he put a hand on John's shoulder, sending pure magical power to the cultist.  John had an astonished look on his face as Kefka said, "I need backup," then, the madman flew up to the ceiling and let fly his Light of Judgment.
	The blinding white light sliced apart the ground beneath the party.  Locke and Edgar retaliated by hurling tongues of fire at the demonic angel, singing him and his wings.  Then the madman started to hurl bolts of lightning at Locke and Edgar, who did their best to put up a counter offensive.
	The rest of the party was busy squaring off with the newly empowered John.  The cultist shot out chains of lighting at the group while Sabin merely deflected them.  John then let out a great gale of wind, blowing away the three beginning mages, but not Sabin.  With his martial arts training, Sabin withstood the gust and then let out his own, resulting in a stalemate.
	While Sam, Joseph and Robert were recuperating, Robert said, "I have a plan," and he told it to the others.  Once they heard, they conjured up large chunks of ice and sent them towards John.  The cultists saw them and melted them with a fire spell, turning them to water.
	"Now!" Robert yelled and the three sent bolts of lighting towards the water which was still flying towards John.  The cultist's eyes went wide as the water and electricity collided, and then collided with him.  The cultist screamed as the electrocution spread over him charring his skin and blackening his bones.  As his eyes bulged out of his sockets and his lips burned away, Sabin blew him off the ground and...
	SKCHLURK!
	impaled him on the ceiling.  Blood didn't drip down, baked bits of bone and skin did.
	Sabin smiled at his comrades and then they turned their attention to Locke and Edgar who were holding their own with Kefka.  When the demonic angel saw the cavalry coming he said, "It's time to take this outside!" and then he threw a sphere of pure magical energy into the ground that grew bigger, and bigger, until it filled the entire room.  Then it...
	BA -- WHOOOM!

	The blast removed the ceiling of the encampment and the walls around it.  This revealed a swirling stormy sky punctuated by blasts of thunder and flashes of lighting.
	"Now!" Kefka yelled, flying high in the sky, "Vengeance from heaven!" and the sky opened up to reveal the heavens.  Then they started to fall, with meteors crashing onto the battlefield and sending the tiny members of the party scurrying for cover.
	WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
	"I really hate that laugh," Sabin muttered.
	"I have a plan!" Edgar yelled at everyone through the fury of the storm.  "Ice," he yelled and everyone followed suit, catching the momentarily drained Kefka off guard.  The angel of destruction was trapped in an icy prison, at the mercy of his enemies.
	The men's hands started to blacken and peel with the intense cold generating not only ice, but frostbite as well.  "Now Fire!" Edgar yelled and the intense cold became a hellish inferno, melting the ice around Kefka's prison.
	"Sabin," Edgar yelled, "Break the ice!"
	"No sweat!" he yelled and he started to focus his energies on his most powerful blitz, the Bum Rush.  In  a blinding flash, he leapt up in the air and flew around the ice, shearing it away and racking it in a million places.  Suddenly, with a mighty crack, the ice shattered.  As did Kefka.
	The intense heat generated by the men caused the frozen body to vaporize, from the millions of atoms expanding and zooming off from Kefka's body .  All that was left was his head which fell to the ground with a thud.
	Sabin walked over to the head and picked it up by its hair.
	Then the head spoke.
	"This isn't over."
	"Yes it is," Sabin said, and the head dissolved into nothingness.
	Using the last vestiges of magic in the world, the men healed themselves and surveyed the battlefield.  The mountain had been drastically changed with the battle leaving a huge crater where the encampment was, equipment from the camp strewn everywhere, and dead cultist bodies everywhere.
	They saw the dead body of Maddrox Sire as well.
	The storm, which had died with Kefka, seemed to start up again; but, when the men looked towards the sky, they saw the world's only airship landing in the crater.  A ramp was extended from the entryway on the hull and Setzer Gabbiani walked out.
	Clad in his usual lavish brown and white coat and his white hair blowing about his pale face, Setzer said, "I noticed the fireworks from a distance and I decided to check it out," he paused before he continued with a puzzled look on his face, "That wasn't Kefka I saw in the sky, was it?"
	"I'll explain everything on the way back to Figaro," Edgar said as the party boarded the airship, thankful that their long quest was finally over.

Epilogue:  The Heroes Return... Bringing Hell With Them

	As the airship lifted off from the huge crater, the party looked down at the scarred mountains that caused them so much grief.  Thinking about them, Locke asked Edgar, "What about all of the other hellbringers we left down there, shouldn't we go back and get them before scavengers come?"
	As if to answer him, a huge explosion erupted from the mountains.
	"I don't think so," Edgar said.

	As the heroes arrived at Figaro castle, they were greeted by the chancellor who had an urgent message for Locke.
	"Mr. Cole!" he shouted, "Your wife is here and in labor!"
	"Here!  And in Labor!" Locke shouted.
	"She came here looking for you a day after you left and the sudden return of magic triggered her labor!" the chancellor explained, "You must hurry now!"
	As Locke, Sam, Joseph, and Robert took off, Edgar hesitated a moment.
	"Setzer," he said, "are you sure you won't reconsider?"
	"Not a chance," Setzer said firmly, patting the rail of his ship.

	"Aaaaaargh!  Locke, why did you do this to me!" Celes yelled as here seventeenth hour of labor commenced.
	"It's okay!" Locke yelled in an effort to comfort her, "I brought something to relieve your stress," he turned to Sam and said, "Hey, Sam, what did you say to me on the ship a few days ago?"
	"That monsters are more likely to mutilate fat pregnant walruses like your wifeeeeee!" Celes leapt up and started to strangle Sam.
	"Now just think of Sam as your little stress release toy right now," Locke said with a wide grin on his face.
	"Rat... bastard... get... you...," Sam gurgled at Locke.
	An intern monitoring Celes said, "Here it comes!  It's a... it's... a boy!"
	Locke cheered and a look of relief spread over Celes' face as she let Sam slump to the floor.  The baby was wrapped in a blanket and placed in Celes' arms as Locke looked over at his new son.  A look of pure joy came over his face as he saw the wrinkled face of his son and asked Celes, "What should we name him?"
	"How about Paul?" Celes suggested.
	"Paul Cole," Locke said, his voice dull with awe, "That is a great name," and with that, he kissed his wife.

	A few cultists escaped the adventure in the mountains and made it back to civilization to preach the good word of Kefka.  They have not been heard from for quite some time.

	Evening.  The setting of the sun meant it was closing time for many of the stores in the town of Kohlingen.  One store would be open a little longer today.
	As Jules Silver was closing up his weapons shop, a blond haired man with a dirty face and equally dirty clothes and a large pack walked into his shop.
	"Sorry," Jules said, "I'm closed."
	"But I have something that will change the face of the world and I'm going to let only you have it," the stranger said.
	"Well braggart, you have intrigued me," Jules said, "What do you have?"
	The stranger opened his pack and pulled out two strange weapons.  One had a long metal barrel with some strange machinery at the end.  The other was a smaller version of the long one.
	"What are these?" Jules said, mystified.
	"Let me show you," the stranger said, and he picked up the smaller one and pulled its trigger.  A bolt of light shot out of it, incinerating a piece of the wall.
	Jules became ecstatic, "Incredible!  How much!?"
	"Five hundred thousand gold pieces, deliverable to this address," the stranger said and he handed a piece of paper to Jules.  As Jules took it, the stranger said, "We'll make the exchange in two days," and he bundled up his wares and left.
	"You can bet on that!" Jules said, and he went back to work, ecstatic about what the future might hold.
	
	Five days later, the man walked to Jidor and sold two hellbringers for a million gold pieces.
	Five days after that, he walked to Zozo and sold two more hellbringers for two hundred and fifty thousand gold pieces.
	As he walked to Maranda, Jason Gaius thought, By doing this, I will bring untold amounts of death and destruction to the landscape and make a killing for doing it, just what Kefka would have wanted.  Life is very, very good.
	
	WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!