A Thrilling Descent and a F(l)ight to the Death!

Alex checks his remaining HP and MP, trying to come up with a plan.

HP: 55/130, MP: 52/110

He considers running to Garnet for healing, but she's busy steering the ship toward the rapidly approaching South Gate, and the rest of the group looks shaken up.

"Forget it," he mutters, pulling out his [Freshly Baked Pumpkin Bread], [Navalia Wolf Jerky], [Potion], and the generic [Healing Potion].

He starts devouring the food and potions, watching his HP rise by 35 immediately and another 10 over the next 10 minutes, in addition to boosting his HP regeneration.

You have recovered 5HP

You have recovered 10 HP

You have recovered 20 HP

"Damn, I missed with that last grenade! I don't have enough MP for another Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, and Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0"

"It's not the best move, but I don't have a choice!" Alex decides to use his only [Ether], even though it and the [Potion] from before are only two-thirds as effective outside of battle.

You have recovered 10 MP

HP: 90/130, MP: 62/110

Alex feels a slight regret at having used up five items, worth at least 2,000 FC, not gil, but he values his chance to take down Black Waltz No. 3 more than the resources. As he slowly recovers, his half-destroyed ice armor finally collapses.

He notices Vivi staring blankly at the hat of one of the fallen black mages.

Meanwhile, Zidane, Steiner, and Garnet are desperately working to keep the cargo ship on course.

Alex spots Black Waltz No. 3 in the distance, speeding toward their ship.

Using the moment, Alex conjures a single Annihilation Grenade lvl 1.

"One is all I've got… I better make it count," he tells himself.

"Damn, this feels as close as it was in the game. Is this just fate, or is the game recreating the exact same scenario?" He shakes his head. "No, it isn't! Black Waltz No. 3 is flying even more erratically, trying to close the distance. His return to his ship took longer than it did in the game because he's more damaged than he was at that point."

Alex wonders if he can even catch up at this point. He already sees the impressive-looking South Gate, a marvelous airship gate that feels completely out of place compared to everything else he's seen over the past few weeks.

"Lindblum's engineering and construction skills are far beyond Alexandria's, it's not even a comparison. It would take decades for Alexandria to build something like this!"

Alex can't help but stare at the massive gate and the fast-approaching Black Waltz No. 3.

The gate is just a few hundred meters away, but to Alex's shock, Black Waltz No. 3 pulls up alongside their ship, flying dangerously close.

He pulls out his [Mr. 5's .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] and begins firing at him, shot by shot. "Damn, I wish I could fire faster! Damn world limitations!" Alex complains, frustrated as he shoots.

After a few shots, he finally sees a notification that gives him a small sense of hope:

You have dealt 18 damage to Black Waltz No. 3

It looks like the distance is reducing the revolver's firepower somewhat. Unfortunately, it's not enough.

Alex watches in horror as the crazed Black Waltz charges up a massive thunder spell, steering his ship toward the cargo ship. Though Alex can't make out the words, he hears the sickening sound of his maniacal cackle.

At that moment, Vivi unleashes his most powerful fire spell yet, striking Black Waltz No. 3 and his small airship, sending it spinning and falling behind again!

Vivi collapses, and Zidane rushes to protect him, ensuring he doesn't fall off the ship.

Steiner sprints toward Alex. "Get inside the cabin and hold on tight! Stop shooting already, you're risking your life!"

Despite the chaos, Alex is deep in thought. "Everything's happening just like in the game. If this keeps up, I'll fail my secret mission!"

He sees the cargo ship flying directly above the cable car, which runs across the Aerbs Mountains and through South Gate itself.

"I… I need to board Black Waltz No. 3's ship! He crashes, but I know the crash is caused by his own maddening thunder spells and he will survive it."

They fly into the gate, which leads to a small station with several buildings etched into the mountain itself.

Alex activates Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0, barely having enough mana to do so, thanks to the few minutes it took for the wounded enemy to return.

Steiner jumps up and down, shouting, "What are you doing? Are you mad? Hold on to something, stop this madness!"

Alex responds calmly, "Steiner, I'm the only one who can survive what I'm about to do. It may look suicidal, but these wings aren't just for show!"

He takes a final look at Garnet, Zidane, the unconscious Vivi, and Steiner. "You handle the rest, Steiner!"

Alex then leaps onto the side railing and climbs onto the cabin itself. He grabs a nearby rope tied to the upper part of the cargo ship, which is essentially a vertically shaped balloon—the element that allows it to float, similar in appearance and function to the giant balloon of a Zeppelin.

He swings toward the approaching airship piloted by the final Black Waltz.

"STOP! Don't risk it!!!" he barely hears Steiner screaming behind him.

Using his wings to glide, Alex crashes into the airship, colliding with the half-mad black mage!

"Kiiiiiillllll!" is the only thing the deranged puppet screams as Alex slams into him, nearly causing both of them to fall off.

They immediately get into a physical struggle over the steering wheel. Despite being a black mage, Black Waltz No. 3 possesses tremendous physical strength, but Alex is no slouch either. His icy armor, with its sharp ice spikes, continuously pierces into his enemy, hindering him.

Instead of casting spells, the two combatants focus solely on trying to gain control of the steering wheel.

Alex notices that the gate on the other side of the mountain is almost fully closed!

The cargo ship barely makes it through, but Alex, on the smaller chasing airship, is too far behind. Black Waltz No. 3 finally can't take the struggle any longer and charges a massive lightning spell, igniting the ship's internal components and sending it drifting to the left, directly toward the nearly closed gate.

In that critical moment, Alex realizes he must make a choice. "I'd rather survive and lose my equipment than die crashing into the gate." With that, a spontaneous idea flashes through his mind. He pulls out his [Sword of Pluto] and pierces it straight through Black Waltz No. 3. Holding onto the sword, he jumps to the right, dragging himself and the impaled enemy through the barely open gate just as the airship crashes into it, causing a huge explosion!

As Alex plummets downward, he feels the heat and shockwave of the explosion behind him. The blast nearly reaches them, causing severe damage to South Gate, but even in the chaos, Black Waltz No. 3 doesn't stop casting chaotic thunder spells. Alex feels his HP and the durability of his frozen armor rapidly declining.

They don't glide so much as plunge toward the ground, descending rapidly over the hills to the east of the cable car route, with only cliffs, rocks, and trees beneath them.

Just a few meters above the ground, Alex feels a sharp pain as his winged armor, after enduring so much, finally snaps. Desperate, he pulls out his sword and maneuvers his assailant, forcing Black Waltz No. 3 to take the brunt of the impact as they crash into the earth. Alex uses the enemy's body to shield himself as they tumble across the ground. He feels the black mage's body split into two large parts, with the bottom half completely gone.

They hit the ground hard, rolling violently. Alex feels faint, his vision blurring as he teeters on the edge of unconsciousness.

HP: 11/130, MP: 3/110

He barely manages to grab another [Potion] and uses it.

You have recovered 15 HP

HP: 26/130, MP: 3/110

Alex looks around, shocked to see that the mad Black Waltz No. 3 is still alive! It has lost its entire lower body but is charging up a barely functioning thunder spell. It's weak, but still dangerous.

Too hurt and surprised to react, Alex takes the hit!

You have taken 14 damage

HP: 12/130, MP: 3/110

Alex stumbles, collapsing to his knees. Enraged, he screams, "JUST DIE ALREADY!" He ignites the fuse on his only remaining Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, carefully aiming it at Black Waltz No. 3, and throws it as accurately as his badly injured body allows.

HP: 12/130, MP: 2/110

Black Waltz, completely broken, uses his one barely functional arm to try crawling away from the grenade but only manages to move a few meters.

The grenade explodes about four meters away from the dying Black Waltz No. 3. He narrowly avoids the fire radius but is still caught in the explosion and shrapnel blast. Finally, the mad puppet feels the full impact of the blast as two shrapnel shards tear into him. "NOOOOOOO….ooooooo…oooooo" is all Alex's hears.

You have dealt 25 damage to Black Waltz No. 3

You have dealt 6 damage to Black Waltz No. 3

You have dealt 8 damage to Black Waltz No. 3

You have killed Black Waltz No. 3 

You received Large Chest (Blue)

Special Quest completed:

Mission: Gain the recognition of Pluto by killing the following 3 enemies:

Black Waltz 1 - 1/1 Black Waltz 2 - 1/1 Black Waltz 3 - 1/1

Reward: Acknowledgment of Pluto - permanent possession of Pluto's ancestral armor "Spirit of Pluto", [Sword of Pluto], and [Shield of Pluto] + [Pluto's Ceremonial Blessing].

[Pluto's Ceremonial Blessing]

World: Final Fantasy 9

Type: Special (Blessing)

Quality: Deep Purple

Required Stats: SPR - 15 (Only your permanent attributes count, temporary enhancements through items or equipment do not count towards this requirement).

Required Skills: Basic Meditation lvl 5

Required Items: Soul Crystal (small) x5, Soul Crystal (Medium), 100000 FC, possession of: Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)

Effect: Awakens the hidden potential of Pluto's ancestral armor set "Spirit of Pluto" and permanently binds it to you making it untradeable.

Note: This item contains a small trace of divinity, requiring a significant amount of resources to manifest. Can't be traded or sold.

Alex, despite his pain, smiles at the reward he's just received. It looks like this item, at the hefty cost of 5 small Soul Crystals, a medium Soul Crystal (which he hasn't even seen yet and assumes isn't obtainable during the tutorial phase of the Fantasy Realm), and a whopping 100,000 FC, can upgrade his blue-quality armor set.

"This is insane! If I can gather the necessary Soul Crystals and FC, my armor set will be upgraded! 15 SPR... that'll easily take me another four or five missions though, perhaps longer... damn!"

He decides to lie down, his body aching all over. Alone in the mountains, he gazes into the distance, spotting a group of airships. His eyes focus on a familiar cargo ship flying unsteadily toward Lindblum, which he can barely make out on the horizon.

"I wish I could've seen majestic Lindblum myself... too bad. Hey, at least I get to live and can always see it inside the game, can't I? Hehe."

He then checks his inventory. "Well, at least I've cleared some inventory space, and I still have those two chests. Can't wait to open them! Looks like [Pluto's Ceremonial Blessing] and [Baroque Works Invitation] don't show up either. I'll need to tweak my inventory to include them… I just wanna go home now..."

Alex Kerber: Lvl 1

HP: 12/130, MP: 2/110

STR: 7 (+1), AGI: 7 (+1), PHY: 7, SNS: 7 (+1), CHA: 7 (+5), MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7 (+5), LUK: 7

Available Stat Points: 3

Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX

Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8

Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1

Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0

Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0

Fantasy Coins: 3500 Soul Crystals: Small x2 Gil: 0

Current Weapons: Mr. 5's Revolver (Downgraded) (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue) Barbed Dagger (Light Green)

Current Equipment: Commander Shepard's Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion's Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)

Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x3 (Gray), Potion x3 (White), Antidote x3 (White), Eye Drops x3 (White), Various cards x10 (Mix) Jack's Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green) Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White) Solid Marine Saber (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green), Steepled Hat (Green), Dagger (White), Rod (Light Green), Mage Staff (Light Green), Silk Shirt (Light Green), Wrist x2 (White), Iron Sword (Light Green)

Suddenly, he hears another system message!

[Main Mission...]