She knew something was wrong, and when he didn't come back that night, or the next morning, Aerith was certain Balthier had not evaded Piaget's men. If her suspicions and the grim faces of the crew were any indications, they were going to need help.
The next two days passed in a rush of movement, finding Aerith dispatching crew members to gather information while she took the Strahl to a port she knew was friendly, seeking out the woman they had run into one afternoon. Balthier had said she was a great adventurer, and while Aerith still felt a little inferior in comparison to someone so ready, able, and worldly, that was the kind of person she needed help from now.
Zeda, thankfully, was willing to not only lend a hand, but call in a few favors as well, so when word finally reached the Strahl that Balthier was in custody, being held somewhere in the sprawling rigs over the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, they could move out straight away.
The informant - who made sure to mention that Aerith owed him one at least ten times during the conversation - explained that from what it looked like, Balthier was being held as part of some kind of exchange with a foreign kingdom.
Aerith didn't need to hear any more than that. They reached the Sandsea by the end of the day and cloaked the Strahl before heading out, with Zeda telling her the plan as they fought their way through the landscape.
Since they were outnumbered, a diversion was the best way - and when the first of the explosives they'd set close enough to where Piaget was staked out to be unnerving for him - they went into motion.
There were a few explosives rigged to timers throughout the area, and while they went off, causing Piaget and his men to go running to investigate, certain the Urutan-Yensa were behind it and waiting in the wings to attack. It allowed Zeda and Aerith to slip through their campsite and straight to Balthier, and while Zeda kept watch (helping herself to a few of the spoils Piaget's goons had left laying around), Aerith dashed to Balthier.
"I'm here, you're safe now," she said, eyes full of tears as she reached for his restraints and hastily began to undo them.
– kidnapping 2 piaget is still an asshole
The next two days passed in a rush of movement, finding Aerith dispatching crew members to gather information while she took the Strahl to a port she knew was friendly, seeking out the woman they had run into one afternoon. Balthier had said she was a great adventurer, and while Aerith still felt a little inferior in comparison to someone so ready, able, and worldly, that was the kind of person she needed help from now.
Zeda, thankfully, was willing to not only lend a hand, but call in a few favors as well, so when word finally reached the Strahl that Balthier was in custody, being held somewhere in the sprawling rigs over the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, they could move out straight away.
The informant - who made sure to mention that Aerith owed him one at least ten times during the conversation - explained that from what it looked like, Balthier was being held as part of some kind of exchange with a foreign kingdom.
Aerith didn't need to hear any more than that. They reached the Sandsea by the end of the day and cloaked the Strahl before heading out, with Zeda telling her the plan as they fought their way through the landscape.
Since they were outnumbered, a diversion was the best way - and when the first of the explosives they'd set close enough to where Piaget was staked out to be unnerving for him - they went into motion.
There were a few explosives rigged to timers throughout the area, and while they went off, causing Piaget and his men to go running to investigate, certain the Urutan-Yensa were behind it and waiting in the wings to attack. It allowed Zeda and Aerith to slip through their campsite and straight to Balthier, and while Zeda kept watch (helping herself to a few of the spoils Piaget's goons had left laying around), Aerith dashed to Balthier.
"I'm here, you're safe now," she said, eyes full of tears as she reached for his restraints and hastily began to undo them.