Innate Prowess

After hearing Andrew's story, Zidane was disappointed but still managed a smile as he said, "Well, don't worry. I'll need to talk to the Boss, but I'm sure we can find a place for you in our troupe. Got anything you're good at, or have you forgotten that too?"

Feeling touched and a little bit guilty due to Zidane's concern, Andrew's somewhat nervous expression softened as he answered, "I can't say with certainty, but I should be a decent cook. Beyond that, my reflexes should be pretty good..."

"Oh?" responded Zidane, arching his eyebrows as he got a better look at Andrew. "Now that I get a good look at you, you've got a good build," he added.

Seemingly having decided something, Zidane bounced to his feet, smiling as he said, "Right! Let's try this, then!"

Drawing the fairly long dagger from his hip, Zidane tossed it into the air, the silvery blade spinning several times before landing on the tip of his finger.

"Tantalus is always looking for escorts and people willing to get their hands dirty," said Zidane. "If you can hold your own against a monster or two, you should have no trouble being accepted into our troupe."

Flipping his dagger over and catching it by the blade, Zidane presented it hilt-first toward Andrew, asking, "So, how about it? It's pretty early in the day, so if we head out now, we should be able to exit through the Hunter's Gate, hunt a few monsters, and return before sunset."

Accepting the nearly 35cm long dagger, Andrew felt a mix of excitement and trepidation as he replied, "I'm not sure how well I'll perform, but I'll give it my all."

"That's the spirit!" shouted Zidane, punching his right fist into the palm of his left hand. He also had incredible reflexes, enough to become the 'ace' of the Tantalus Theater Troupe even as a kid, so if Andrew were even half as talented as he was, they would be gaining a powerful ally...

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With Zidane footing the bill for an Air Cab, Andrew got to experience Lindblum's breathtaking aerial view much sooner than he expected. The cabin shook quite a bit, and it was a little stuffy due to the inexistence of air conditioning, but he still enjoyed it, earning him a few teasing remarks from Zidane.

Shortly after disembarking in the Business District, Zidane and Andrew made their way south, down a long flight of stairs guarded by dozens of Lindblum's soldiers. Then, after inscribing their names in a logbook, they passed through a heavily guarded checkpoint leading out to the plateau surrounding Lindblum, elevating it above the mist that gave the continent its name.

"Are you familiar with the mist and the fiends it produces?" asked Zidane, walking relaxedly with his hands behind his head.

"I've heard of them, but this is my first time experiencing either..." replied Andrew, feeling increasingly tense as he scanned their surroundings. The plateau was relatively safe compared to the plains accessed through the Dragon's Gate, but there were cloudy wisps of what he correctly assumed to be mist floating about and 'crawling' around the area. He didn't see any monsters, but he had the distinct impression they were being watched...

"Relax," said Zidane, removing his hands from his head and thumping his chest as he assured, "So long as I'm around, nothing bad will happen to you. As for how the mist works, it's easier to show than explain."

Pulling out his spare dagger, Zidane approached one of the clouds of mist, causing it to move toward him as if attracted by a weak magnetic force. When the two got close to each other, a 'vortex' appeared at the mist's center, rapidly congealing into a small, bulbous creature with a wide mouth, short arms, frog-like legs, and several poisonous-looking spines on its back. Its skin was a deep, reddish-purple color, and its eyes, resembling emeralds, exuded violence as it charged toward Zidane with feral intensity.

As the creature, known as a Hedgehog Pie, lunged at him, Zidane casually raised his left foot, his heel meeting the monster's bulbous stomach and repelling it like a soccer ball. Then, when the monster was still in flight, he charged forward, his figure almost appearing to teleport as he sped past the Hedgehog Pie, slicing open its stomach and causing it to burst into a notably thinner plume of mist.

Waving Andrew over, Zidane waited until he was near before bending down to pick up a gold, two types of silver, and a variety of copper coins as he explained, "No one really knows how it works, but if you defeat the fiends formed from the mist, they drop Gil and a variety of useful items. But don't let that blind you. Fighting fiends is dangerous work, and the overhead often exceeds what you can safely earn."

"Look, over there," said Zidane, pointing to another cloud of mist slowly gathering nearby. "Once you're ready, just walk over and kill whatever comes out. If multiple fiends appear or something dangerous pops out, I'll jump in immediately."

"Right..." replied Andrew, swallowing hard as he approached the vapor-like cloud. His body felt full of energy, but as he had never been hunting, he had no experience killing animals, much less literal monsters. Zidane made it look easy, but if the Hedgehog Pie had managed to impale him with its bright purple spines, that was equivalent to being stabbed with multiple poisonous spears...

Leaving Andrew no time to think, a vortex formed within the center of the mist, sucking it in to form a bipedal reptilian with a large beaked mouth, a thick, crocodilian tail, and two sail-like wings protruding from its back. Its body was covered in yellow scales, but its head was predominately green, vaguely resembling a velociraptor with red markings around its eyes.

As the monster, known as an Axe Beak, released a high-pitched scream and stampeded toward him, Andrew felt like the entire world had slowed down. Other than the Axe Beak, which appeared to become even more vibrant and well-defined, to the point he could see its muscles tensing in slow motion, the rest of the world seemed to dim.

'This is amazing...' thought Andrew, side-stepping the Axe Beak's charge and marveling as his movements left behind a visible trail. His limbs felt paradoxically heavy and weightless simultaneously, but Andrew didn't mind the incongruous feeling as everything that was happening indicated he had super speed.

Flipping the dagger in his hand in slow motion, Andrew brought it down on the center of the Axe Beak's head, his exhilaration reaching its peak as he observed the tip of the blade penetrating the monster's head, producing a slow-moving crack that spread through its beak. Then, just as quickly as it slowed down, Andrew's world sped back up, the monster's momentum carrying it forward for a few seconds longer until it collapsed, dispersing into particles of mist and leaving behind two gold coins, two silver coins, and four copper.

"Wow! Not bad, Andrew!" exclaimed Zidane, clapping his hands with an approving grin. He was a little worried when he saw how nervous Andrew was. Now that he knew the latter was nearly as fast as he was, Zidane was thinking about how they could polish his skills in preparation for their upcoming operation.

Though it felt awkward receiving the praise of someone much younger than himself, Andrew managed a smile, rubbing the back of his head as he replied, "My body just kind of moved on its own..."

"That's called talent," said Zidane, adopting a thinking pose as he added, "Or maybe instinct?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Zidane smiled wide enough to show off his teeth as he expressed, "Well, regardless of what it was, if that was really your first time fighting a fiend, you did amazingly well. Not as good as me, but you don't get skills like mine without years of practice."

"I'll be sure to work hard," replied Andrew, returning a smile of his own before retrieving the dagger and his spoils. Afterward, he looked back to Zidane and asked, "Are we going to continue...?"

"Sounds like a plan," replied Zidane, crossing his arms as he added, "It's clear you've got the ability, but your confidence is lacking. We also need fare for our return trip, so let's find a few more clumps of mist and kick the asses of the fiends within."

Following Zidane's suggestion, he and Andrew went around fighting a few dozen fiends. Most were relatively weak, like Axe Beaks, Hedgehog Pies, and a horseshoe-crab-like monster called a Clipper, but there were a few outliers, such as Bombs, that required considerably more effort to defeat. The latter was a unique monster formed almost entirely of flame, but what made it especially dangerous was that it became increasingly unstable as it sustained damage, growing larger and eventually exploding if you didn't kill it fast enough...

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"So, you're the lad our Zidane wants to join Tantalus?" asked a stocky man with grey skin, a bushy purple beard, a handlebar mustache, and distinct, bat-like features that included a stubby, upturned nose and large ears. He was Baku, the leader of the Tantalus Theater Troupe, and though he was pushing 45 years old, his arms and legs looked like they could fell a tree in a single blow.

Staring at Andrew through his goggled eyes, Baku caressed his chin and remarked, "I'll admit, the resemblance is uncanny. But even if you are one of Zidane's relatives, that doesn't make you one of ours. Tell me, kid, why should I trust you?"

"Come on, Boss, don't be such a hardass," pleaded Zidane, looking a little concerned as he hadn't thought about what he would do if Baku refused to let Andrew join them.

"Let the man speak for himself!" barked Baku, directing a warning look at Zidane from the corner of his eyes.

Waiting until Baku returned his gaze to him, Andrew shook his head and said, "Even if I wracked my brains, I doubt I could think of something to convince you right out the gate. But if you give me a chance, I'm certain I can prove myself worthy of your trust."

Snorting through his bat-like nose, Baku remarked, "Well spoken, this one. It makes you wonder if ours was dropped on the head when he was a lad. Or maybe it was my fist that did the trick?"

Holding up his meaty, scar-covered left hand, Baku gave Andrew the impression he was about to taste the man's fist. Fortunately, Zidane didn't take too kindly to that, shouting, "Hey, cut it out! I'm the one who invited him, so I'll look after him to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble! If you got a problem with that, then..."

Adopting a serious expression that didn't suit him, Zidane threatened, "Then I'll leave the crew..."

Snorting a second time, Baku growled, "Don't get your knickers in a twist. But, fine. Have it your way. I'm willing to give the kid a chance, but does he even know what he's getting himself into? Have you explained to him the kind of troupe we are?"

"Not yet..." admitted Zidane, unsure how to explain to his amnesiac friend that he was a career thief. He wasn't a bad person, but Andrew might not trust him if he knew the truth...

Surprising both Baku and Zidane, Andrew asserted, "The 'truth' doesn't matter. Zidane is my friend, and I can tell that most of the people I've met in Tantalus are good people, including you. Even if you told me you were a band of thieves, I would happily join and do my best to contribute to the troupe's success."

"Gwahahahahaha~!"

Hearing what Andrew had to say, Baku burst out laughing, his booming voice echoing throughout his private, incredibly cluttered office. Then, as Andrew and Zidane stared at him as if he had lost his mind, he abruptly stopped, grinning wide enough to show off his predominately gold-plated teeth as he said, "Welcome to Tantatus, my boy!"

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