Trials of the Valiant Chapter 25
By The RPGenius
Though they were hard to win the trust of, the moogles were very helpful and courteous once they knew that Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 were not there to hurt them. Magop had led the three outsiders back to the moogle village, where the moogles had treated their guests to a large meal of mushrooms and an interesting variety of nuts that the moogles called, not surprisingly, Kupo Nuts. Interestingly enough, the Kupo Nuts grew in the light of the Spirit Crystals just as well as they would have in the sun’s light.
Once Ramza and Agrias were done eating a much-needed meal, their first since getting stuck in the cave, Magop offered them the moogles’ services as guides and escorts to the surface entrance.
And so it was that Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 were now traveling with about thirty moogles, including Magop, along the path leading to the way out of the cave. The occasional patrol groups of Syldreth’s were no match for Ramza, Agrias, Worker 8, and a large horde of spear-wielding moogles. It looked like this little adventure was drawing to a close.
And while this fact naturally relieved Ramza, he could not help but feel a bit saddened by it. Try as he might to figure out why, though, the reason eluded him.
"Well, Ramza, it looks like we’ll be out soon," Agrias remarked to him.
Ramza nodded his head.
"You look as though something is bothering you," she prodded.
Ramza sighed. "I don’t know. I guess I was just worrying about Alma and our friends. I hope they managed to fare well against Duegran and his soldiers," he said.
"I wouldn’t worry too much, Ramza. Our allies have survived worse odds before. I’m sure they’re alive," Agrias said.
Ramza smiled. "Such confidence in others is unlike you, Agrias. When you first joined us, you only trusted yourself to get things done."
Agrias allowed a small smile to creep across her face. "It’s all your fault, Ramza. Journeying with you has changed me. You’ve taught me that I can trust others, that I can trust you, to help me when I need it. Until I met you, I trusted and relied on no one. Your trust and faith in your allies and friends rubbed off on me, I guess."
Further conversation was cut off as Magop squeaked, "Worker 8 not walk."
Ramza turned and saw that Worker 8 had stopped moving and was standing a few feet behind. His eyes were glowing a strange light purple color.
"Worker 8?" Ramza questioned. He received no response. "Worker 8, let’s go. Walk, Worker 8! What’s wrong?"
Worker 8 continued to stand in silence. Some moogles threw a few rocks at him, and even prodded him with their spears, but nothing provoked a reaction from the large robot.
Magop turned to Ramza and said, "Kupo! Surface-light entrance soon. Ramza, Agrias walk on. We catch up, find way get Worker 8 there, kupo."
Ramza looked doubtfully at the immense metal giant. "You’re sure you can handle him?"
Magop waved his paw dismissively. "Kupo, find way. Ramza not waste time."
Ramza and Agrias continued down the tunnel, leaving Magop to deal with Worker 8.
***
Magop regretted his offer. He and his moogles had been pulling and pushing Ramza’s huge pet for a good ten minutes now, and there was very little progress, if any. Magop had no idea how they were going to move this thing.
Worker 8’s eyes suddenly turned back to their typical reddish-orange color. Without warning, he began to clamber forward, knocking a few moogles aside. Seeing that he had done this, he paused long enough to utter a "Excuse me, sorry," before continuing forward. Magop watched as he began to run down the tunnel that Ramza and Agrias had entered.
After a moment, Magop signaled for his moogles to follow.
Unfortunately, the giant robot’s rapid, large strides caused him to easily outdistance the small, stubby-legged moogles, and Magop and his friends soon lost sight him down the tunnel.
***
Finally, after so long, Ramza and Agrias had reached the cave entrance. Agrias could barely suppress her relief. Soon they would out.
Or would they? She turned to Ramza. "Do you have a plan to unblock the entrance?" she asked, surveying the wall of rubble blocking their exit. She suspected that she already knew the answer.
Her suspicions were confirmed as Ramza walked to the rubble and answered, "Well, I had planned to Worker 8 to drill through here, but since he isn’t here, no, I don’t know what to do."
Agrias sighed. Now what?
A large clanking sound caught her attention. She turned and saw Worker 8 walking towards Ramza.
Ramza walked toward the robot saying, "Great! We were just talking about you, Wor…"
Worker 8’s arm shot out and grabbed Ramza by the throat. It was then that Agrias saw with horror that, rather than an 8, the number printed on the head of this robot was 9. This was the robot following Syldreth.
Agrias yelled and ran forward, swinging her sword. Her Holy Explosion barely touched the hulking robot. Agrias began hacking and slashing, but the robot’s armor seemed different than Worker 8’s. This robot’s body seemed nigh impervious to physical damage. Worker 9 simply ignored Agrias and tightened his grip around Ramza’s throat, choking him.
Agrias desperately tried every power she had, from her normal Holy Knight abilities to the Divine Knight abilities that she had learned recently from Meliadoul, but none seemed to even draw the steel giant’s attention. She was horrified to see that Ramza’s struggles were becoming weaker and weaker, but she could do nothing to help!
This went on for about two minutes. Ramza was unconscious by now, yet Worker 9 would not relinquish his hold on him. Agrias felt tears forming in her eyes as she continued to use every skill and power she knew over and over, trying desperately, vainly to save Ramza.
Suddenly, Worker 9 hurled Ramza’s limp body against the cave wall.
"Ramza!" Agrias cried out, running to him. Before she got more than two steps to him, though, Worker 9 picked her up and began to choke her in the same way as he had Ramza. Agrias gasped for breath and struggled to escape his grip, but she knew it was no good. She was going to die, too. She had failed. She hadn’t been able to save Ramza, and now she was going to die as well. It was Ramza’s death, though, that left her grief-stricken.
Then, before her eyes, another Worker robot appeared. Worker 8!
Worker 8 delivered a Destroy attack to Worker 9 that sent the enemy robot stumbling back. Worker 9 relinquished his grip on Agrias as he turned to fight this new, dangerous foe.
Agrias ran over to where Ramza was lying. Perhaps she wasn’t too late. Maybe there was still a chance to save him.
When she reached him, she knelt down and checked him. He wasn’t breathing, and worse, he had no pulse. Agrias had been trained, as part of her bodyguard training, what to do in such a case. She just hoped and prayed that it would work.
She quickly knelt down and, placing her mouth on his, gave him two breaths. She then placed her hands on his chest and compressed it ten times.
"Come on, Ramza…breathe…wake up!" she pleaded.
Getting no results, she repeated the process.
"Wake up, Ramza, please! Don’t die, don’t die, live! LIVE!" she screamed.
Still nothing happened. She tried again. And again. And continued to get the same result.
Agrias slowly stood up. It hadn’t worked. She couldn’t believe it. This couldn’t be happening…Ramza couldn’t be…this just wasn’t possible…
Agrias lowered her head and did something she hadn’t done since she was a child.
She cried.