The Wheels of Fate Turn

With a month passing in the blink of an eye, Andrew had more or less acclimated to his new life as a member of Tantalus. Zidane's teachings and his natural abilities allowed him to fit seamlessly among the group that specialized in infiltration and combat, and as his confidence grew, so did his prospects for the future.

If there was one thing Andrew struggled with, two things, actually, it was the hygiene standards of his new world. Baths, showers, and even toilets existed, but pumping water was expensive. Soap and shampoo even more so. As such, it wasn't uncommon for people to go weeks, sometimes even months, without a proper bath. As for the toilet situation...well, there was a reason there was so much 'greenery' in Lindblum...

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Interrupting Andrew's usual duty of wiping down wooden surfaces with an oil rag, a young man with spiky auburn hair, multi-toned skin, and patchwork scarring across his body that made it look like he had been stitched together from multiple different people appeared to say, "Oi, Andrew. The Boss says he wants everyone in the back ASAP. Hop to."

"On it!" responded Andrew, setting aside the rag and hurrying past the 164cm tall man, Blank, prompting the latter to follow behind him. Soon after, he found himself in Baku's office with four others: Baku himself, Zidane, the ever-hideous but surprisingly kind Cinna, and a well-built man who resembled a pirate, Marcus. He had a light red bandana around his head, veiling the upper half of his face, a sharp nose, two orc-like teeth protruding from his lower jaw, pointed ears, and green tattoos covering much of his body, visible due to his sleeveless shirt and penchant for wearing shorts.

Raising his hand in greeting, Andrew smiled and remarked, "Hey, Zidane, Cinna, Marcus. This next job must be a big deal if the Boss needs all of us."

"That's an understatement," quipped Baku. "Now, take a seat and open your ears. If all goes well, this will be the biggest job Tantalus has ever pulled off. If you want to walk away, now is your only chance. If you stay and hear what I say, your only options will be to participate or warm a cell until the mission's been completed..."

Having some idea about the job Baku was referring to, Andrew became nervous and excited. It was mid-December when he first arrived in Final Fantasy 9, specifically on the 11th. Now was early January, but the most important thing was that the Princess of Alexandria, Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th, turned sixteen in less than a week, January 15th.

Seeing no one get up to leave, Baku nodded approvingly before pulling out a doll that vaguely resembled the Princess, explaining, "During this year's rendition of 'I Want to be Your Canary,' we'll be kidnapping the heir to the throne of Alexandria, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. That old whale of a woman, Brahne, has been stoking the flames of war lately, so some big wigs in Castle Lindblum want to 'expatriate' the Princess before things get out of hand."

"You serious, Boss?" asked Zidane, staring at Baku as if the latter had lost his mind. However, as the self-titled 'ace' of Tantalus, he was also excited as it was virtually guaranteed the most important assignment, kidnapping the Princess, would be left to him.

"Serious enough that if I catch you blathering before or after the mission, I'll snap your neck like a twig," threatened Baku.

Undaunted by Baku's words, Zidane spurred the bat-like man to continue, the latter detailing how they would use Tantalus's Theater Ship, the M.S. Prima Vista, an 8,235-tonne marvel of engineering, to venture to the heart of Alexandria. Once there, much of Tantalus's crew, unaware of the plot to kidnap the Princess, would perform their stage play as usual while Zidane, Blank, and, much to his surprise, Andrew would infiltrate the castle. Once inside, they would disguise themselves as Knights, and while Blank made preparations for a secondary distract, Zidane and Andrew would team up to locate and secure the Princess...

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Amidst the sounds of creaking wood and the distant humming of a mist engine, Andrew found himself staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, unable to sleep.

"You nervous...?" asked Zidane, sharpening his dagger in the hammock swinging beneath Andrew's. It was a two-day journey from Lindblum to Alexandria via airship, but it simultaneously felt like an eternity and just a few hours to those who would be actively involved in the kidnapping.

"A little..." admitted Andrew. "But I'm more excited than scared. All of this is so...surreal? I'm not really sure how to put it..."

"Well, when the time comes, just follow my lead," said Zidane. "I'll do all the heavy lifting. You just need to watch my back. Sound good?"

"Sounds good..." parroted Andrew, closing his eyes and smiling. Zidane had treated him like family from the moment they met, so as an only child who lost his parents in a car crash at an early age, Andrew was grateful to Hydaelyn and whoever else was responsible for allowing him the chance to find a new one in a world that had shaped his childhood and influenced him into adulthood...

"Hey, what kind of girl do you think the Princess is...?" asked Zidane, breaking Andrew out of his reverie.

"How would I know...?" countered Andrew, indirectly reminding Zidane that his memories only dated back to a month prior. In truth, he had a decent understanding of Garnet's character, but he would only know for certain what she was like after meeting.

"Well, they say she's the most babelicious babe in all the lands," remarked Zidane, adopting a somewhat perverted smile as he added, "We're also pretty close in age, so, who knows? If I play my cards right, this could be the start of a new legend, the tale of a dashing young rogue who kidnaps the Princess and ultimately steals her heart~."

"It's certainly a possibility..." replied Andrew. "Just be sure that if you aim for her, you don't flirt with other girls. It would be pretty awkward if you made a promise with someone other than the Princess and then mistook her for that person..."

Kicking Andrew from below, Zidane protested, "Hey, what kind of person do you take me for!? I mean, I might flirt with lots of different girls, but if I had someone like the Princess, I wouldn't need to fish around! I'd become a proper gentleman...!"

"Then, I wish you both the best of luck," said Andrew, and he meant it. He might have aimed for the Princess if he had been reborn/transmigrated as Zidane, but since he hadn't, Andrew sincerely believed the two were fated to be together. Garnet would doubtlessly be gorgeous, but as he had just turned 34 in his previous life, Andrew figured he could find love with a girl closer to him in age. If not in the world of Final Fantasy 9, then one of the fifteen others he had access to...

Thinking Andrew was teasing him, Zidane became a little annoyed but didn't continue kicking him. Instead, he deliberated for a few minutes before asking, "What kind of girls are you into, Andrew? You're not a bad-looking guy, but I've noticed you keep your distance and refuse any girls who invite you for a night on the town. Are you shy, or are you just waiting for Ms. Right to appear?"

"I'll let you know once if and when I figure it out," replied Andrew. "For now, I just want to focus on increasing my strength and taking things one day at a time..."

With a thought, Andrew manifested his Menu and Status, smiling as he looked at his progress. His stats hadn't increased much, but his maximum AP had increased, and he had acquired Abilities that should prove useful no matter what world he traveled to.

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Andrew Ashford

AP: 0/23

Speed: 18->20

Strength: 23->25

Magic: 21->22

Spirit: 28->31

Attack: 22-26

Defense: 18

Evasion: 11

M. Defense: 13

M. Evasion: 10

[Equipment]

WeaponR: Iron Sword

WeaponL: Dagger

Head: None

Body: Adaman Vest

Hands: Leather Wrist

Legs: Linen Pants

Feet: Leather Boots

Shield: None

AccessoryEar: Diamond Earring

AccessoryNeck: Yellow Scarf

AccessoryRight: None

AccessoryLeft: None

AccessoryBelt: Leather Belt

[Abilities]

Active: [Body Temp(4)], [Insomniac(5)], [Millionaire(5)], [Protect Girls(4)], [Jelly(4)], [Distract(5)]

Inactive: [Bird Killer(2)], [Stone Killer(4)], [Undead Killer(2)], [Beast Killer(2)]

[Body Temp]

Effect: Immunizes against the Freeze and Heat Status Effects. Also helps to regulate body temperature in even the most extreme environments.

[Insomniac]

Effect: Immunizes against the Sleep Status Effect. Reduces fatigue as a result of staying awake for long periods.

[Millionarie]

Effect: Increases the amount of Gil dropped from fiends by 1.5x. Has a moderate chance to increase payouts while gambling.

[Protect Girls]

Effect: When an allied female is present or in the same Party, the user's speed is greatly increased when intercepting blows intended for them. Blows sustained this way greatly increase Spirit.

[Jelly]

Effect: Immunizes against Petrify and Gradual Petrify Status Effects. Keeps the user's flesh springy and supple.

[Distract]

Effect: Makes it easier to draw attention to oneself while also decreasing the accuracy of physical attacks. Enmity increases if the enemy is a male, but females who find you attractive are less likely to try and harm you.

[Bird Killer(2)]

Effect: Increases damage against Aeriel foes by 1.5x. Does not stack with other Killer Abilities.

[Stone Killer(4)]

Effect: Increases damage against Stone foes by 1.5x. Does not stack with other Killer Abilities.

[Undead Killer(2)]

Effect: Increases damage against Undead foes by 1.5x. Does not stack with other Killer Abilities.

[Beast Killer(2)]

Effect: Increases damage against Beast foes by 1.5x. Does not stack with other Killer Abilities.

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Though Andrew wasn't able to Level up, he was able to acquire various Abilities by defeating a certain number of fiends in specific gear. He had tried to get his hands on a Reflect Ring, a pair of Feather Boots, Running Shoes, and a Rebirth Ring, but they were ungodly expensive and typically only appeared in the Treno Auction House. Andrew was determined to get his hands on them, as they should grant him the Auto-Reflect, Auto-Float, Auto-Haste, and Auto-Life Abilities, but he didn't have the time or money to do so. Not yet, at least.

"Why are you so obsessed with getting stronger?" asked Zidane, freeing Andrew from his thoughts.

"Because I'm greedy," replied Andrew, adopting a smile as he added, "I don't want to lose anything, so I'll keep getting stronger until nothing can take away the people and things I deem important..."

"Does that include me?" asked Zidane, wearing a cheeky smile.

"Without question," affirmed Andrew. "We may not truly be related, but so long as you regard me as family, I'll do my best to protect you and all the things you hold dear..."

"Geez, man, you're giving me goosebumps," teased Zidane, rubbing his forearm for extra emphasis. Then, after sheathing and setting aside his dagger, he kicked back with his hands behind his head, expressing, "As far as being family, it doesn't matter if we're related by blood. You, Baku, and everyone else in Tantalus...you're all my—we're all family."

"Well said," muttered Andrew, feeling similarly. He didn't get along with everyone in Tantalus, but since Zidane regarded them as family, Andrew wouldn't let anything bad happen to them if he could prevent it. He was still unsure of how best to make use of his foreknowledge, but so long as Garnet's kidnapping went off without any significant hitches, they should be able to prevent a lot of bloodshed. He was secretly worried that doing so might restrict the growth of Zidane and the others, potentially making them too weak to defeat the 'final boss,' but that was a bridge he would have to cross when it came. For now, he needed to get at least a little rest before their big day...

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