It's been a while since I last posted anything for T-Sauce...I wrote this in three days, so despite being fashionably late with this submission, at least I finished it within an acceptable timeframe! ...but I guess that isn't a very good excuse.

This was my first time writing for FFXII, and it was fun and tricky at the same time. Trying to keep the characters believable was an interesting challenge, and I still can't be sure whether this will make sense to people outside the fandom. But I'd like to think this was a reasonable attempt. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXII or its characters.

Great Power

"It is…a spear," Basch declared, examining the weapon closely.

The salesman nodded eagerly, exited to have finally chanced upon customers with gil in their pockets, unlike the penniless refugees that usually passed through Mount Bur-Omisace. "Yes, indeed it is," he grinned. "And it is one of the finest weapons I have on-hand, if I do say so myself."

Basch weighed the heavy weapon in his hands, feeling the cold steel against his fingers. "I know my way about a sword, as I am a swordsman by birth, but I cannot say the same for spears. They are unfamiliar to me."

"Ah, but you see, this is no ordinary spear." The salesman's grin grew wider. "It is imbued with the element of lightning, and the fiends that lurk in the Paramina Rift are powerless against it."

A hand was placed against Basch's shoulder to push him aside, and Balthier stepped forward to examine the weapon, placing a hand under his chin. "A Storm Spear, eh? Can't say I've seen one of these before. It could be quite handy in a pinch, if what you say is true." His eyes darted upwards to observe the merchant, who placed his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture.

"I'm just here to sell my goods and make an honest living," he insisted. "I can assure you – you will not find better weapons anywhere else nearby." Dropping his friendly façade, he whispered, "That Seeq sitting across from me can sell you healing items and equipment; nothing more. So you can take it or leave it."

"It's not like we have a choice," Vaan piped up from behind them. "If we're going to head towards that Shrine or whatever it is, we need stronger stuff, don't we?"

"That is true," Basch agreed. "And if buying this spear may aid me in battle, so be it."

A few paces to the left, Balthier examined a lean crossbow, staring down the stock. "It might do us all good to try something different. What say, Vaan?"

Thy boy nodded. "Let's do it!"

It was with this attitude that the ragtag group found themselves back in the midst of a blizzard in the Paramina Rift. According to the map they had purchased beside the Chocobo Rental stall, the Stilshrine of Miriam lay south of their current location, and they made their way through the winding mountain paths, on the lookout for fiends. Despite his unfamiliarity with his new weapon, Basch took the lead, and Balthier and Vaan followed not far behind him, equipped with a new crossbow and bag of hand-bombs respectively.

"Can't see anything…" Vaan grumbled, shivering as he walked through the snow. The bomb-bag at his side was the only thing keeping him relatively warm, and beside him, Balthier smirked.

"You should try wearing a proper shirt every now and then, my boy," the sky pirate quipped, earning him a sour glare from the boy. But before he could retort, Basch let out a shout of alarm as two White Wolves materialised from within the blizzard.

Now alert, the two of them readied their new armaments. Balthier pointed the end of his crossbow at one wolf, while Vaan pulled out a Hornito, prepared to strike the other. He raised his arm, prepared to throw it-

With a cry, the wolf collapsed in the snow. The boy blinked in surprise, watching as its carcass slowly faded from view, and looked up only to see Basch pulling his spear back triumphantly. A confident smile was stretched across the man's face – it appeared that he had finally realised the worth of his weapon.

Beside them, Balthier shot a bolt at the second wolf, but it seemed to do no damage. "Damn this weather…" he muttered, reloading his weapon and preparing another bolt, but Basch beat him to his kill as well. With a well-placed blow to its belly, the creature collapsed, and Basch towered over its corpse triumphantly.

"It appears that I was wrong – my skill with weapons may well extend beyond swords, after all," the bearded man declared. Balthier and Vaan shared a sidelong glance and grimaced in unison.

Without waiting for an acknowledgment from either of his comrades, Basch rushed off towards the next area, eager for a challenge. The sky pirate adjusted his cuffs. "Put a sword in a warrior's hands, and he won't want to back down until he's the last one standing," he sighed, switching out his crossbow for his trusty gun, Altair. "Come on, Vaan. We'd best not get left behind."

They found Basch atop a frozen brook, battling with a toad-like creature, which he felled in two quick blows. A quick glance around the area implied that he had killed every other fiend in the area, but his uncharacteristically smug expression was solid proof.

"There isn't much left for us to do here, huh?" Vaan voiced a thought that did not need to be spoken out loud. Balthier simply shrugged in response.

"Makes our job easier," he replied, jerking his thumb in the direction of a mountain slope in the distance. "Let's get going."

Just then,they heard the soft sound of magic being used to cast a protective barrier. Instantly alert, they glanced around the area and watched as an Ice Elemental slowly emerged from behind a large boulder. It paid them no attention as it drifted through the area, swaying teasingly every now and then.

"I've heard bad things about those things from the people in Rabanastre," the boy whispered. "We should just leave now...while we still can."

He shuddered, and Balthier nodded, already beginning to move stealthily towards their destination. "As long as we don't draw its attention by using magic...we'll be safe," he said calmly.

The two of them had just barely taken a few steps in the right direction, when suddenly-

"For Dalmasca!" Basch cried out, charging at the Elemental with his spear. Balthier and Vaan could only watch in pure horror as he stabbed the creature right in its crystalline centre. It paused in its actions, seemingly fazed, but within moments it was readying a spell, no doubt directed at all three of them.

"Run!" Balthier yelled over the howling winds. He and Vaan struggled to scramble up the small, icy incline just as the Elemental cast a Blizzara spell. They flinched as the additional cold froze them right down to the bone, but managed to reach the top of the slope nonetheless.

They cast a glance in their comrade's direction, only to see that he was lying on the ground, defeated. The Ice Elemental was already starting to move towards them, and Balthier uttered a string of curses under his breath.

"He took on all those fiends on his own, and a fat lot of good that did us."

Ignoring him, Vaan sent a Raise spell in Basch's direction, knowing that it was no use holding back now. "Basch, come on, we gotta go!" he called out, but the warrior was having none of that.

"I must defend...Dalmasca's honour," he growled, readying his weapon again. Balthier placed his hand against his forehead and shook his head, groaning slightly.

"Incorrigible," he muttered. "Vaan, we should just-"

He raised his head only to see the boy tossing a Hornito at the Elemental. "Over here!' he called in a mocking tone, running back down the hill. Then, quickly turning back to meet Balthier's frustrated gaze, he cried, "We can't just leave him behind!"

"Don't get cocky! You're supposed to do the right thing and follow the leading man!" Balthier yelled back, placing a hand on his chest to indicate just who was in charge, but they paid him no heed. Vaan cast Raise spells every time Basch fell, and in kind, the bearded man depleted their precious stock of Phoenix Downs whenever Vaan was struck down.

Balthier glanced back at the path that led to their destination. The exit was so close…a few paces backwards, and he would be out of harm's way. Then, he observed his relentless comrades, both equally determined to finish the fight without letting the other die. With a defeated sigh, the sky pirate pulled out his gun and shot the creature right in its centre.

Its attention now sufficiently drawn away from his companions, the Elemental began to advance on him, and Balthier crouched behind a boulder to stay out of its line of sight. After taking a moment to reload his weapon, he turned around and aimed his gun at the Elemental, just as Vaan readied yet another Hornito, and Basch struck it again with his spear. The three men grinned at each other, finally united under a single goal.

"We're in this together now, are we?"

"I assure you, my spear will do most of the work."

"We won't go down that easily!"

A coat of freshly fallen snow covered the peaks of the Paramina Rift, now silent after the passing of the blizzard. The only sound to be heard was that of soft footsteps, making their way towards the entrance to the Path of the Firstfall.

The Viera made her way past two of the fallen bodies that lay on the ground, covered in a thin layer of snow, and towards the man collapsed behind a boulder. She stopped short and kneeled down, looking for signs of life, her long ears twitching as they latched onto the sound of an Ice Elemental casting protective spells upon itself. It was the only monster left alive in the area, making it clear that her Hume allies had just fought a battle, and lost. Badly.

Then, she saw the hilt of a spear peeking out from underneath the snow. With a minimal amount of effort, she picked it up and hefted it over her shoulder. Standing there armed with a more powerful weapon than she had ever dared to use before…it filled her with a sense of power, and she suddenly felt like she could defeat any fiend that crossed her path.

But right now, she had a more important job to do. Her other companions were worried about these men, who had senselessly wandered off into the blizzard and split up their party. Their journey would only get harder from now on, and it was important that the six of them stayed together for as long as they could.

And so, she piled their bodies on top of each other in an unceremonious fashion, and began dragging them up the slope towards the next area. A few soft groans of protest were heard – proof that they were still alive, at least. And amidst them, she heard a single voice mumble: "I…was the one…who dealt the most damage."

Shaking her head, she let out a soft, impassive sigh.

"Male Humes…I will never begin to understand them."

This fic is based off a personal experience! Once I got the Storm Spear for Basch and realised I could kill the fiends in the Rift easily, I decided to try my luck against a stray Ice Elemental. Obviously it didn't go well. I also took a lot of liberties with this fic, as I often do, so feel free to point out any blatant flaws. (and since I haven't beaten the game yet, I don't know or remember whether Basch was born a swordsman or not. Please excuse me if that isn't the case!)