บท 93: Infiltration
As it was common for people in positions of power to have bedrooms or offices that provided an overview of their domain, Andrew spent a few minutes observing the fairly lax security of Ondore's manor before flying up to what he initially believed to be a simple balcony. Instead, he found a spacious, open-air office with an expensive-looking wooden desk, a sofa lined with golden leather, various plants, and a polished marble floor with a complex pattern.
Directing his gaze at the desk, a frown marred Andrew's face as it wasn't centered with the rest of the room. The desk had clearly been designed to seat seamlessly between the white lines flanking the marbled pattern on the floor, but some absolute psychopath had moved it around a meter to the right. He supposed this was to create a sense of 'balance' with the golden sofa, but with how far it was from the desk, Andrew felt it could be removed as it didn't appear to serve a purpose.
Making his way over to the desk, Andrew took a moment to ensure it wasn't rigged with explosives or something similar before searching the drawers to find they were mostly filled with stationery, envelopes, and wax seals. Thus, after deliberating for several minutes, he moved the desk to align it with the pattern on the floor before tossing the golden sofa into his Item Box and replacing it with a three-piece lounge set he had on hand.
Feeling satisfied with his work, Andrew sat at the desk, linking his fingers together as he stared at the entrance nearly twenty meters away. The contents of the drawers made it clear he was in something like a drawing room, not a proper office/study, so he enjoyed the breeze flowing in from the spacious balcony while deliberating his next course of action.
"I need to get my hands on the Vanish spell..." muttered Andrew, opening his Status to look through the various Skills, Spells, and Abilities available to him. It had become cluttered after Etro's knowledge transfusion, but there was a little gear icon he could 'click' on to filter between worlds and types of abilities.
In Final Fantasy XII, players used a system known as the License Board to unlock everything from Magick Spells, Technicks, and the right to wear certain weapons, armor, and accessories. The remastered version of the game, known as the Zodiac Age, revamped this so that characters fell into specific roles rather than having the exact same Licenses available.
Perhaps as a result of his being more experienced with the Zodiac Age version of the game, Andrew was able to choose between thirteen Jobs based on the Western Zodiac. Penelo only had three options available to her, White Mage, Shikari, and Monk, so Andrew assumed the list updated based on a person's inborn capabilities, raw stats, or proficiencies. What made him uncertain was that her Jobs corresponded to the Aries, Pisces, and Virgo Zodiacs. In his case, Aries was represented by Samurai, Pisces by Blue Mage, and Virgo by Black Mage.
Fortunately, unlike FFIX, which required you to get ahold of specific items to learn certain Magic Spells and Abilities, all Andrew needed to do in the world of FFXII was acquire enough 'License Points,' similar to Job Points, and he could pick and choose from those available to him. He had initially chosen the Machinist Job, represented by Gemini, but while it eventually gained access to the Vanish and Warp Magicks, he would need to butcher a few hundred monsters to gain access to them. If he wanted to acquire it expediently, he would need to transition to a Time Battlemage, requiring a mere 90 LP to obtain the Slow, Immobilize, Reflect, Disable, Vanish, and Balance Magick Spells.
"Hopefully, we get an opportunity to grind in the near future..." muttered Andrew, feeling a strange 'draining' feeling in his head when he switched his Job from Machinist to Time Battlemage, resetting his License Board and refunding the 318 LP he had acquired assailing the Ifrit. Others were stuck on the path fate had decided and had to develop knowledge and skills through trial and error, but his system allowed him to know the exact path to follow, remove the guesswork, and even transition to a completely different Job on a whim. It was a truly broken ability.
Feeling knowledge flow into his head as he invested his License Points, a smile developed across Andrew's face. With his understanding of Magic, he could presumably emulate the spells just by knowing how they were used, but he decided to save experimenting for later as he cast Vanish on himself, becoming invisible to the naked eye...
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After wandering the sizeable estate for nearly an hour, Andrew eventually found himself outside a well-guarded room, heavily shielded by Magicks. There was even a majestic Griffin statue outside the entrance, periodically releasing a pulse of magical energy that negated/dispelled enchantments in the hallway proceeding the room.
Fortunately for Andrew, he could both 'see' and sense the flow of magical energy, allowing him to discern how it dispersed through the hallway as a faint Mist. The interval between pulses was too short for him to bolt down the hallway and place the statue in his Item Box, but by being able to see how the energy flowed and interacted with its surroundings, Andrew was confident he could redirect or counteract it.
'No time like the present...' thought Andrew, stepping out into the hallway and unleashing counter pulses of Dispel as he unhurriedly approached the Griffin statue and the armored guards standing lackadaisically at its sides. Their primary duty was to answer the Marquis' call and pass his orders to other servants if he required something, so their vigilance was practically non-existent, allowing Andrew to walk right between them.
Since Sleep Magic would be dispelled by the Griffin statue, Andrew took a moment to consider his options before stepping past the guard on the left and simply knocking on the door. This caused both guards to stare back in confusion, but they didn't have much time to think as the aristocratic-sounding voice of a man promptly emanated from the interior, calling out, "Yes, what is it?"
Exchanging glances, the two guards attempted to will the other to be the one to respond with their eyes. Due to their delay, a tall man with tammy-brown fur, cat-like features, and a body garbed in robes settled the affair, opening the door to ask, "What is the meaning of this disturbance?"
By using the Mini Spell on himself, reducing his height to less than twenty centimeters, Andrew slipped past the cat-like man and into the office, a stone chamber with a second Griffin, this one facing a triangular-shaped desk. Behind it sat a slender, somewhat elderly Hume with neatly styled silvery-white hair, grey-blue eyes, and gaunt features weathered by time and the burden of authority. Half his body was concealed behind his desk, but as Andrew grew to his full height, he could make out the man wore a long saffron-yellow coat with a high open collar, grey vest, and pure white sides over fine black garments accented by a black bowtie, the center of which was set with a large, spherical, turquoise-colored piece of magicite.
As the man leaned forward at his desk, fingers linked together patiently, Andrew joined him in waiting to hear why the guards had knocked on his door. Unfortunately for the two guards and the attendant that went out to ask the reason for the disturbance, they had absolutely no idea what had caused the knocking sound.
Returning with a discomfited expression, the cat-like man, known as a Rev, explained, "According to the guards posted outside, the knocking emanated without source, Excellency."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, the elderly man asked, "And what say your senses...?"
Raising his head, the Rev closed his eyes and began sniffing the air, quickly discerning an unfamiliar scent within the room. Before he could reveal this, however, Andrew placed his hand on the man's shoulder, still invisible, as he whispered, "Let's not make a fuss..."
Though his pupils contracted to the size of pinholes, the man, Marquis Ondore, forced himself to appear calm, adopting a faint smile as he made a dismissing gesture and said, "No matter. Please arrange tea for two."
"As you will, Excellency..." replied the Rev, bowing his head before raising it and staring directly at Andrew. He then departed through a door at the side of the room, leading to a brief silence before Ondore calmly inquired, "So, the Empire now possesses the means to bypass Dispulsion Magicks? Magitecknology is truly terrifying..."
Releasing Ondore's shoulder, Andrew allowed his Vanish spell to dissipate and replied, "If they do, I'm not aware of it. I just happen to have a knack for the magical arts."
Turning to meet Andrew's gaze, Ondore raised his left brow ever so slightly and remarked, "I do not believe we've had the pleasure of being acquainted, Sir...?"
"For now, Andrew will suffice," replied Andrew, punctuating his words by pulling out a chair and sitting down. Ondore noticed this, but he was too politically minded to pry. Instead, he asked, "Is there some way I can be of service...?"
"Most definitely," replied Andrew, clarifying, "First and foremost, I came here to deliver a message and arrange a meeting between you and an old friend, a pillar of Dalmasca's Resistance. Second, I came to inquire about the location of Larsa Ferrinas Solidor. I believe you are either entertaining him or will be shortly."
Nodding in affirmation, Ondore revealed, "Lord Larsa and his cortege are scheduled to arrive in Bhujerba tomorrow evening, escorted by Archadia's 8th Fleet. If vengeance against the Empire is your purpose, your blade is better suited for the young Lord's brother."
Shaking his head, Andrew stated, "I have no personal feelings or vendetta against the Empire. I'm a third party in all of this."
To emphasize his point, Andrew raised and waggled his tail, drawing a slightly confused gaze from Ondore. The man was very well educated, so if there were a Hume sub-species with a tail, he would have at least heard of them.
Continuing where he left off, Andrew relaxedly explained, "I believe Larsa is the key to the restoration of Dalmasca and lasting peace. As for what I stand to gain from all of this, that's up to your niece."
Furrowing his brows, Ondore muttered, "So, it's true...the person recently captured by the Empire, this 'Amalia.' She is the daughter of the late King Raminas..."
Shrugging half-heartedly, Andrew said, "You'll have to ask our mutual acquaintance for the specifics. I mainly came here for the reasons I mentioned previously and to get a feel for your mansion's layout and security. Now that you've been apprised of our presence within the city, I'll leave it to you to arrange our next meeting and the method by which we board the Leviathan."
Seeing Andrew rise, presumably to leave, Ondore rose after him, saying, "One moment, please. It occurs to me that you are a man of extraordinary means. I'm curious to know who you represent and why you have decided to involve yourself in this matter."
"For now, I represent myself," replied Andrew, adopting what he believed to be a mysterious smile as he added, "If you want to know the full story, we must first thwart Vayne's ambitions and see to it that war between the Archadian and Rozarrian Empires are avoided. Everything after is a matter of course."
"I see..." muttered Ondore, additional questions appearing in his mind, but he suppressed them. In the end, it didn't matter where Andrew came from or what his ultimate goal was. So long as he was helping them, they could address the matters of his origin and motivations later. If he turned out to be an enemy, at least they wouldn't have to deal with him and the Empire simultaneously...
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