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Fanfiction: Final Fantasy - Chaos After Chaos Chapter 1

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Xero
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« on: July 01, 2009, 07:50:28 pm »

Final Fantasy – Chaos After Chaos
A Fanfiction by Xerors

-

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, though some of the appearances, histories, and personalities of several characters are either expanded on from the original, or entirely of my own invention. This also borrows a few Final Fantasy I related elements from Dissidia, but ignores that game otherwise.

Quick Note: This WILL contain spoilers. So if any poor, forsaken soul hasn't played the always fun classic Final Fantasy I and somehow made it this long without knowing the plot already and doesn't wish to be spoiled until they get a chance to play, you probably won't want to read this. In fact, don't even read the rest of this note.

That said, this takes place in the alternate timeline created by the breaking of Chaos' Time-Loop, and as such will be quite different. Further, Final Fantasy I is a blank slate when it comes to many details, so things will be pretty much made up as I see fit. I will, however, try to follow in line with what is actually established as best I can. Whenever I can't, or feel like taking liberties, I will conveniently hide behind creative license like the hack I am.

One more thing, is that this chapter is almost entirely establishing characters and such, so not much action. If this bothers you, try to bear with it as it should pick up in terms of action in the next chapter. So, without further blathering, enjoy this first chapter.

-

There are heros who are only myth or legend, stories told on rainy days to entertain oneself and others.

-

Four figures stood their ground before a terrible demon, each brandishing a weapon of legendary power. Excalibur, the sword of legendary knights in times forgotten. Masamune, the blade wielded by lone ninja throughout history. Razer, the cursed blade that eventually killed all who wielded it. Finally, the Sage's Staff, lost from an age where magic was extraordinarily potent.

However, even with these weapons, the demons strength far outweighed their own and they all knew it. Still, they did not back down, and held their ground. This was the only battle that actually mattered now, and if it was lost, then the world would be doomed for all of time to endless death and destruction.


-

Other heros are the inspiration for myth and legend, with their stories being told over the ages again and again, though many of the details are lost to time amidst the retellings.

-

A fierce battle ragged, the four combined barely able to match the demons strength. The demon would strike, one of the four would counter by creating magical defenses to shield them from its might. The others would then strike, blasts of black magic bombarding the fiend from places unseen thanks to invisibility enchantments, while the powerful blades slashed across its body. Far from outmatched, the demon lashed out at each, striking them despite their magical aid, and forcing them to their knees before it.

-

Then there are the heros who are not known, who's deeds go unsung and upraised because none know of it.

-

The four stand again, and the fiend laughs at the futility of their efforts. Knowing it was now or never, the blades of three mythical weapons all strike the demon as one as the most powerful spell white magic has to offer is unleashed. A final blow is struck...

-

This could be for several reasons. The hero may not have survived to tell the tale, quite literally, or the hero's quest took place away from the eyes and ears of witnesses behind the scenes.

-

The demon cries out in unfathomable rage, and its unholy power collapses inward on itself. The chaotic churning and twisting of the fiends power rending the area around it asunder, tearing the fiend apart before the eyes of the four. In its last moment, it laughs at their futile attempt at victory...

-

In a world nearly destroyed by a diabolical plot, four warriors only barely managed to save the world.

-

A shockwave resounds through the passages of time, resonating from a point far in the future...

-

The world was saved, and balance restored.

-

Page after page of history is rewritten, the people and even the land itself altered...

-

However, all memory and mark of their adventure on the world and its people had been erased.

-

The wave in time reaches the four, distorting the flow of time before their very eyes...

-

Only the four warriors were spared from this erasure.

-

A brilliant light appears, shielding them from the distortion...

-

Perhaps the fate or god that guided them protected them from it, or perhaps it was simply because they were far enough back in time to avoid the effects.

-

The shrine shook violently, the power that sustained it dispersing...

-

Regardless of the exact cause, the result was the same:

-

The four disappeared just as the walls began to crumble, the place no longer able to sustain itself without the fiends demonic power.

-

The Warriors of Light now found themselves in a world in which they did not exist.

-

Lucretia snapped awake, blue eyes wide open as she sat up stiff as a board, before recognizing her surroundings and relaxing. Golden-yellow wooden boards, purple curtains, and the relatively soft purple bed she was currently sitting in was what greeted her line of sight. The wood was from a rare tree - Kaya or something if she recalled - the ceiling and floorboards and walls all made of it, while purple was a rather expensive dye to create and therefore considered extravagant. It was the bedroom of the house in Pravoka she'd bought nearly a year ago.

Rubbing a brown-skinned hand across her face, pushing a strand of light blue hair aside in the process, the young woman let out an annoyed sigh. She'd had the same dream that occasionally plagued her over the last year, of that final battle with the Archfiend Chaos. The entire ordeal had been incredibly difficult, especially near the end, and the aftermath was no better. The world was saved and relative peace restored, and while that was motive enough, something more would have been nice.

At the very least recognition, if not actual rewards, for the sacrifice and effort put forth to accomplish that goal. Suffice to say, Lucretia wasn't a very altruistic person.

Throwing the purple sheets off of her, the former warrior of light swung her legs off the side of the bed and yawned before pushing herself to her feet. Shivering slightly at the cool morning air on her bare skin, the brown skinned woman hurriedly dug through a large dresser nearby and pulled out several articles of clothing. Everything in the dresser was basically the same style, just various different colors, though she did possess a few fancy outfits for blending into the rare rich crowd. Those didn't see the light of day very often, though, as Pravoka was a middle-class port town. Not poor, but not rich either.

In fact, she was probably the richest person there – Though, that was only by robbing the greedy merchants blind and she didn't actually possess a fortune or anything, she just had a lot of really expensive stuff.

She slipped a sleeveless undershirt over her head, which hung lightly against her nearly flat chest - something that was a mild annoyance to her. The undershirt was followed by a shimmering set of mail armor – made of mythril, a powerful material that was much stronger than normal – that made her wince slightly at the contact with the cold metal. She wore the mail everywhere, as a just in case measure, since it wouldn't do to die because she had decided to not wear it one day. Pulling on a long sleeved black shirt, she picked up a pair of slacks from the pile of clothes she had gathered.

She slipped the ordinary black pants on over her wide hips and muscular thighs – though, she admitted privately to herself, her rear wasn't entirely muscle. When she was younger she had been a twig of a girl that one couldn't even be sure was a girl at a glance. However, over the course of time – years of running and jumping and other acrobatics – she had built up her lower body to the point that she had definite womanly curves. They were pretty much the only physical features she had that stood out, so naturally she took pride in them.

Finally, she deftly slipped on a pair of black socks followed by plain black shoes to complete her outfit. Normally she wouldn't wear such suspicious clothing, the woman thought as she looked over the outfit in a nearby mirror, but today was a different day than usual.

Running her fingers through her short blue hair to untangle some knots, cut in what many would describe as a boy's cut, Lucretia examined her unfortunately androgynous face. She wasn't ugly or mannish, just not very feminine. Everything about her face was ambiguous, from her pointed nose to her sharp eyebrows to her cheekbones and jawline. Even her eyes or lips weren't particularly “girly” looking!

Patting herself on the hips to remind her that she had some more than redeeming features, Lucretia picked up a plain sack containing a few things – A helmet, a pair of gauntlets, some items, and her weapons – and headed to another room of her house. Unlike every other day, she actually had something to do today. Fortunately, that wasn't until sometime around noon, so she had plenty of time to whip up some breakfast before setting out. Some warm, buttery pancakes drenched in syrup sounded nice for this particular morning.

At least, she thought, that adventure had granted one “reward” to her. She didn't really have to plan and take risks just to barely survive with her thieving anymore, her skills now so great she could steal whatever she wanted on a whim to the point that she pretty much had more money than she knew what to do with. Of course, she was careful not to amass a lot of it at once, instead only taking it as she needed it. After all, it'd be suspicious if she had mountains of money sitting in her living room.

Not that anyone ever actually got the chance to see her living room, since the ninja hadn't bothered to even acknowledge the other residents of Pravoka. They returned the favor in turn, which suited her just fine.

-

Viviana finished strapping on her armor, which had a dragons face carved into it, and frowned slightly as she adjusted it for a few moments to get it into the correct placement. It wasn't too restricting, not even distracting once she got it on right, but it was nonetheless an annoyance that it had to be worn just right in order to get it to fit. Such was the downside to having a large chest – earning her a derisive nickname based on that from one of her old comrades - she supposed. At least her proportions were reasonable, the knight mused, and not like that turkey-legged ninja.

Putting that train of thought aside, which had been something of an unusual line of thought in the first place for her, the knight slipped on her gauntlets and backless helmet – both coated in diamond – that allowed her hair to poke out the back in all its messed up and spiky wonder. That was something that gave her constant trouble, though she was rather fond of it no matter how often it would get tangled in her helmet.

Her blue eyes scanned the room for the next object, spotting it leaning up against the wall. Picking up the sheathed sword, she attached it to the belt around her waist. Despite the weapon, even when sheathed, looking ancient and trashed – mainly due to the fact that it was ancient – it was really a rather powerful weapon. She never felt quite safe without it in hands reach, which was only natural considering the things she had fought not entirely long enough ago.

Satisfied that all was in order, Viviana set out for the day. Later, she had a important meeting to be at, but for now she had various knightly duties to attend too.

-

Aurelius paused in his travels as he wiped a red-gloved hand across his pale forehead, the only really exposed part of his body, as he noticed the fuzzy image of the gate of the town come into view. He'd been traveling for several days now, and was glad to finally be within sight of his destination. It was particularly hot during noon-time this past week, and sunny, which was a rather big annoyance to the red-clad wizard. His wide-brimmed hat helped to shade him, and the rest of his covering clothing protected his sensitive skin.

The man was literally covered from head to toe. A hat on his head, a mask covering the lower half of his face, long sleeved shirt and gloves covering his arms and hands, and pants tucked into a pair of boots. All of it was the same shade of red, as well, which clearly marked him out as a red wizard – a special mixture of warrior, black mage, and white mage. A talented eye would note that, underneath the clothing, he was rather muscular despite the frailty his clothing would indicate.

How he longed for the cold and shade of winter, or at least the relative coolness of spring or fall. Summer was, in his opinion, the worst of the seasons. But then, he was slightly biased on the matter.

His albino skin had long made it so he was always more of an indoor person by necessity, while his red eyes had granted him poor long-distance vision, and his shoulder length hair had always been a naturally snow white color. Luckily, most of his childhood problems had faded away through persistence. At one time, he'd been a frail child, weak and with bad coordination. His parents had seemed content to let this continue, but he was determined to be as good as everyone else no matter what.

That determinism had eventually led to him becoming the great red wizard he was today, master of the sword and magical arts, but his eyesight and skin were still problems that no amount of determination would fix. But such was life, and he was grateful enough for what he had managed to accomplish. In fact, he had done more than nearly anyone in the world could even dream to accomplish.

Resuming his trek, the man looked forward to arriving, he was meeting old friends again today – people he hadn't seen in a year now. He was also looking forward to getting out of the blasted sun and heat.

-

Euclid cheerfully walked along the winding dirt road that travelers and merchants often used to get from one town to another. Patrols often swept up and down the streets, so it was much safer from monsters or bandits than out in the wilderness. Not that he had anything to worry about in that regard, as he was a great healer. The thought that a sneak attack would prevent him from using that healing power never occurred to him, which was why he was now humming obliviously as he traveled, hardly paying any attention to what he was doing.

His white cap sitting on top of his short blonde hair giving him a moderate amount of shade, brown eyes admiring the scenery, and his white robe that was too big for his skinny body that conveniently reflected the heat and sun left Euclid looking for all the world like your average youth. He was enjoying the weather immensely, too. It was bright, it was cheerful, and it was nothing like the dread and woe that had filled the world previously. Life was good indeed, in his opinion.

His thoughts were turned elsewhere moments later, focusing on things in the past. Particularly, friends who had parted ways after a grand adventure. Bravery, terror, close calls, brilliant saves, it had everything. It was a shame nobody else remembered it...

He'd always wanted to be a renown hero, a legend. A person known far and wide as a great and benevolent healer, that could treat nearly anything. Injury, disease, even those that had recently died – though that last one required him to cast his reviving magic within an hour of their death, much like a Phoenix Down – were within his power to treat.

The young white wizard's thoughts shifted, as in his field of vision he recognized a familiar red shape. Instantly excited, the youth took off, staff in hand, and sprinted down the road towards the figure off in the distance.

-

A year had passed since that day, Lucretia mused as she helped herself to another slice of chicken and took a drink of Cornelia Rose Rum. She had managed to catch the first ship out of Pravoka, and since travel by sea was a lot faster than travel by foot, managing to arrive in Cornelia in only a few hours. Now all she had to do was wait around for the people she was meeting to show up, and figured some lunch was in order. She was, she admitted to herself, rather in love with Cornelia Rose Rum – which was made with a rare rose flower found only in Cornelia.

Unlike most inn-slash-pubs, the lighting in this one was bright and the decor wasn't cheap or cheesy. Paintings of famous patrons lined one wall, the royal family of past and present as well as several heros. One particular painting stood out, of a knight with fierce looking armor and a long cloak. The patrons were mostly the wealthy, knights or merchants or those that had money to spare, so her own presence was paid only brief attention – Mainly just leering stares when she had walked by before taking a seat at a table in the corner away from everyone else.

Lucretia flipped a golden gil coin effortlessly into the air, catching it without looking, as she took another long drink from her mug. The coin was actually part of a recent theft of hers, having stolen several thousand gil from a corrupt store owner that charged far too much for items. Although said store owner hadn't done anything to her technically, at the start of that adventure over a year ago she recalled being forced to scrape and scrounge just to afford enough items – potions of varying effects – to safely traverse the monster-infested lands. So she considered it a type of vengeance to torment the greedy merchant as best she could without leaving any clues to who was doing it.

Anyway, she was getting sidetracked in her thoughts again. Finishing off her drink with one last impressively large gulp, the blue haired woman set the empty mug down just as the small jingling of a bell sounded the arrival of someone new entering the establishment. The ninja's honed senses immediately locked in on the source, tensing slightly before she dismissed the interruption. For a moment there, she'd thought it was someone that had come to investigate the theft she'd performed earlier.

Not that anyone could have actually done anything about it if they were.

-

Viviana briefly looked around, green eyes scanning the room. After a moments sweep, the tan skinned woman located the person she had come to meet, and strode over with slow, casual grace. As she walked, several men “discretely” leered at her, which she skillfully ignored. While she didn't particularly like it, there was no law against looking and it'd be wrong of her to use her strength to scare the men into not not doing it.

As she got closer, the red haired woman mused for possibly the fiftieth time just how much she towered over the thief-turned-ninja. At six feet, the red haired woman was far taller than the blue haired womans own height of five feet, six inches. Viviana had been the tallest of their group, back when they were a group that is, and Lucretia had been the shortest. She and the ninja had often bantered back and forth with height-related insults, if she recalled, among other things.

Viviana frowned as she sat down in a chair opposite her former companion, noticing the empty mug and plate on the table. “I see you started without us, Lucretia.” The red head commented, though there was no malice in her tone despite the chiding words.

Lucretia waved off the comment, quite literally, and smirked. “I'd thought it'd take you a few hours to break yourself away from your job as the King's lapdog, so I figured I'd go ahead and grab something for lunch.”

“I'm sure you mean that quite literally.” The knight commented off-handedly. “I doubt you've paid for anything willingly in your life.”

“Not all of us are blessed to have perfect little childhoods on nice moral farms.” The ninja snorted.

Rather than get mad, having long since grown used to the banter, Viviana chuckled lightly. “I almost missed that smart mouth of yours. Almost.”

“Don't get soft on me, Cow-Knight, save it for when Aurelius and Euclid get here.” The ninja replied, though there wasn't any real malice behind her words.

At this point it was more a ritual between them to banter this way than anything else. True, they didn't particularly get along, but they were nonetheless old comrades – If not outright friends. The nicknames had started out as insults, but now they were more odd terms of endearment. One could tell, because when they really were insulting each other it wasn't nearly so tame.

“Well, look who has just arrived, Turkey Legs.” Viviana commented in an amused tone, motioning towards the door as two more figures entered the building with another sounding of the bell chime. “Seems there might be something to that saying “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” after all.”

-

Relieved at being out of the sun and heat as he stepped into the establishment, Aurelius peered around the room for the people he and his companion were meeting. After taking a few seconds, he spotted the knight and ninja, pointing them out to his companion. He started to move over to them when Euclid took the initiative and jogged over – nearly hitting several customers with his staff in the process - with that stupidly large grin of his plastered across his face. The red wizard sighed, following after him at a much more reasonable pace.

“Viviana! Lucretia!” The youth cheered, patting a friendly hand on each womans shoulder, a bit louder than need be. “So good to see you two again, its been far too long!”

Viviana briefly felt embarrassed at the scene the young man was making, but shook it away and greeted him in return. “Yes it has, Euclid.”

Lucretia, on the other hand, leveled a blank stare at the approaching Aurelius. She was just now remembering just how annoying this group could be. But, it was nostalgic nonetheless. Odd how things that annoy you can grow on you anyway.

The red wizard simply stared back at her for a few moments before commenting. “Don't look at me like that, you didn't get tackled at the town gate by that bundle of hyperactive robes calling itself a wizard.”

The ninja chuckled at the mental image of Aurelius being flying tackled by Euclid, believing it far more than likely that the white wizard would actually do that instead of give a normal greeting. In fact, she suspected that the only reason that Euclid had not tackled them as well was because Aurelius had prompted him not too. “Well, since we're all here, lets order some drinks then. I recommend the Cornelia Rose Rum, its a tie for that Elfheim Cherry Wine you like so much, Aurelius.”

The Red Wizards stoic disposition broke away at that comment, and with a loud snort the man sat down across from Lucretia, Euclid taking the last seat to his right. “I really doubt that.”

-

“So, what'd I tell you?” Lucretia prodded as Aurelius analyzed the taste of the mug of rum in his hand. “It's just as good as the stuff Elfheim makes, right?”

Aurelius studied the drink seriously, comparing the taste of the rum to the memory of the wine he so loved. After several moments, he took another drink and shrugged. “Not bad... But not as good as Elfheim Cherry Wine.”

“I prefer the Duergar Mountain Stout, myself.” Viviana commented after taking a drink of her own mug of the rose rum, wishing it had as much kick as the aforementioned alcoholic beverage. Duergar Mountain Stout was a special stout that could only be found in Mount Duergar, and rumor had it could only be brewed there, that had enough flavor to keep you tasting it for hours. Rumor claimed it was either named for its “mountain of flavor” or some ingredient that was from the mountain, but it was a closely guarded dwarven secret.

“Bah, you two have no taste.” Lucretia pouted.

“I like it, Lucretia.” Euclid offered, sipping at his drink.

“Well, at least one of you has some working taste buds.” The ninja smirked, the knight and red wizard rolling their eyes.

“So then, who should start first?” Viviana asked, changing the subject.

“Well, I don't really have much to tell.” Lucretia shrugged. “Unlike you all, I've been living the good life.”

“There's many different ways to live a good life, Lucretia.” Aurelius retorted, before considering his own response to the knights question. “I don't have much to tell either. I started traveling again, pursuing the scholarly arts. As you know, nobody remembers us. Not even... family.”

There was a brief moment of silence as the four each mulled over that, though they all had dealt with it in their own ways long ago. Lucretia had been an orphan - and as such was mostly unaffected in regards to lost family - while Viviana and Euclid were only children who's parents had died several years ago. These three were hit harder by being wiped from the world than any closer bonds being erased. Aurelius, however, still had possessed a family to lose – and what was being forgotten by the world compared to being forgotten by loved ones?

“Anyway, thats really all there is for me now.” The red wizard concluded, breaking the awkward silence.

“I've been traveling to become a legendary healer again.” Euclid spoke after a moment, seeming more serious than usual. “It hasn't been easy, since theres a lot less problems to fix than before. Not a bad thing... But it certainly makes finding people to heal a lot harder. Nothings happened that would make a good story, though.”

“Then I suppose I am the only one with a tale, then?” Viviana asked, the other three shrugging in response. “Well, I came back to Cornelia to become a knight of the kingdom...”

-

“Wait, what?” Was the confused spluttering of three of the four people at the table, Viviana looking surprised at her companions confusion, before Lucretia skeptically clarified in a hushed tone. “You're friends with Garland?”

Realization set in, and Viviana dismissed their concern with a shake of her head. “Garland never turned evil in this... world, timeline, whatever it is. He's still a hero. I was just as surprised as the rest of you when I came face to face with him, almost killed him by reflex...”

-

Viviana entered the King's throne room, an extravagant room with gold and velvet decorations filling the room, kneeling in the customary fashion of knights of Cornelia with her head bowed. A moment later, she looked up to her left in surprise, having noticed another person standing off to the side and was unable to stop the surprise at seeing the unique horned helmet of someone she never thought she would see again. “G-Garland!”

The armored man tilted his head in her direction at being addressed, shadows obscuring his eyes from view behind the slits in his helmet. He was exactly as she remembered, towering over everyone else in the room – and likely everyone else period. The man was significantly taller than her own impressive height of six feet, and she guessed him to be around half a foot taller than her. The King seemed briefly surprised by the outburst as well, before chuckling to himself.

“I see you know of Garland, no surprise there. He is quite the hero in Cornelia.” The King commented in an amused tone, misinterpreting her shock as being that of one meeting a famous person.

Garland just stood still as Viviana kept her eyes locked on him, the large Great Sword he wielded held over one shoulder, the red haired woman trying to tell if the man recognized her at all. His body language didn't seem to indicate it, and it was impossible to see his eyes or expression thanks to his helmet. There was no hostility either, not unless it was being hidden. Not wanting to seem suspicious, Viviana nodded at the Kings assessment, trying to keep herself from striking the knight before her down. “Yes, I was just... Surprised... To find a... Hero like Garland summoned at the same time as one such as myself.”

“Don't sell yourself short, Viviana.” The King chuckled again. “You are one of my best knights, and I'm certain that if you'd been given the same opportunities as Garland here, you'd be just as much of a hero.”

Garlands head tilted towards the King, the woman getting the feeling he was still watching her from the corner of his eyes, and the King waved a hand quickly before adding another comment.

“Oh, don't misunderstand, Garland. I'm sure your experience and abilities would make you young Viviana's superior, but she is quite talented.” The King clarified, and the blue-gray armored knight seemed to accept that explanation, before continuing. “Now, the reason I have summoned you two here. Two former knights of mine went rogue, guardians of my daughter Sarah, and they kidnapped her while doing so. Now they are demanding a heavy ransom. I want you two to rescue her, as unharmed as physically possible. As for the men... I will leave that to your capable judgment.”

-

“This is the place.” Viviana stated as the two knights reached the entrance to the Chaos Shrine, an ancient temple.

Garland's helmet barely moved to indicate that he'd even heard her, and the horned knight proceeded into the shrine with Viviana cautiously following after him. It'd taken a few hours travel to reach the temple, mostly because of the forests they had to cross through and the occasional weak monster. She had gotten to see the other knights giant sword at work, and he was brutally efficient. A short walk in silence later, and the two found themselves in the Altar Room of the shrine.

Two men in generic knights armor turned at the sound of their footsteps, the tied up princess visible behind them, and drew their swords.

“Have you come to negotiate?” One of them asked tensely.

“Traitors to the kingdom of Cornelia.” Garland finally spoke, his voice as deep and menacing as Viviana remembered it. “I, Garland, will be your executioner.”

“What is this...” One of them stepped back slightly in fear. “Garla-”

He never got to finish, as Garlands great sword came forward and in an impossible display, the weapon disconnected in several places and lashed out in an diagonal arc towards the ex-knight. The knight wasn't inept, however, and managed to bring his own sword up to block, halting the whip like attack. Garland pulled his arm back, and the sword reconnected – Viviana briefly saw that it had chains running through its inside – before moving forward and slamming his weapon down with both hands on the traitor. Once again, the great sword changed and its shape bent until it resembled a large axe instead of a sword.

Though the man managed to block again, Garland's superior strength meant the traitorous knight soon found himself on his knees as he tried to maintain the block. The other knight moved to strike at Garland, and Viviana shook off her shock at the obvious magical display Garland had just shown in order to intercept.

“Why you...” The second man growled as he thrust at Garland's head, only to have his sword cut clean in half by Viviana's own enchanted blade. He stumbled backwards in shock, before growling in frustration and drawing a second blade and striking at the female knight. Viviana blocked, and in a single fluid motion, disarmed the man and had her blade point barely an inch from his throat.

Meanwhile, Garland's great sword – or was it an axe now? – was slowly cutting deeper and deeper into the kneeling knights blade, and would soon cut straight through it. Desperately trembling out of a combination of fear and from trying to hold back Garland's attack, the man cried out a surrender. “I-I yield!”

Garland pressed on, as if he hadn't heard the man, and with a terrified cry the traitor flung himself out from under the powerful weapon, which impacted heavily with the ground and cleaved a large cut into the ancient stone.

“Traitors cannot yield.” Garland replied as he strode forward, raising his large blade – back to its great sword appearance – to finish the man off.

“Wait!” Viviana shouted, drawing the other knight's attention. “Don't kill them unless necessary!”

Unfortunately, both of the traitorous kidnappers took the distraction as a chance to act. The one Viviana was holding at sword point drew a knife in a flash, and threw it towards the surprised woman's face. The red head was able to move to the side, the blade grazing against her cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. The man used the chance to tackle her, catching her off balance and forcing her to the ground. Luckily for her, the female knight had a lot more strength than that of even a trained knight, easily throwing him off of her where he impacted with the ground in a groaning heap roughly ten feet away.

While that brief tussle occurred, the one Garland had been advancing on scrambled to his feet, grabbed the tied up princess and drew a knife.

“Don't move any closer!” The man shrieked, and the horn-helmed hero pausing in his advance momentarily before continuing forward. “I said don't!”

Still, Garland did not heed the warning, and in a fit of desperation the man pulled his arm back before thrusting the blade towards the princesses exposed neck. The princess screamed and shut her eyes tight in fear. Viviana shouted and leapt to her feet in order intercept, Garland dashing forward the remaining few feet with an outstretched hand. Metal hit metal, followed by the sound of a blade piercing through flesh.

Garland had somehow blocked the knife with his own gauntleted hand, the blade piercing through and into his hand but thankfully stopping there. Ignoring the pain of a knife being embedded in his hand, Garland struck with the hilt of his great sword, hitting the man in the forehead with enough force that the blow made a loud cracking sound on contact, the man's eyes rolling up into his skull as he collapsed to the ground like a limp doll.

The other traitorous knight took a final chance to flee, jumping to his feet and sprinting for the exit. In a motion that took less than a second, Garland  turned, reversing his grip on his weapon while doing so, and hurled it at the fleeing man. The blade hit its target, burying itself deep in the man's back – gruesomely piercing straight through his chest – and dropping him to the floor like a sack of rocks.

-

“I thought you said he was still a hero.” Lucretia blinked, interrupting the story. “That just sounds like a brutal maniac to me, even if he did get his hand impaled to save someone. And whats up with that sword? He couldn't do that before...”

“Let me finish the story, first.” Viviana chided. “It was after that where he seemed different...”

-

“Garland... You're hurt.” The princess worriedly reached out to clutch the mans injured hand, the hero having just finished untying her.

“It's nothing.” Garland dismissed the girls concern, ripping the knife free without even a hiss of pain, though his words seemed to conflict with his actions as he pulled his hand back from her touch, his tone somewhat softer than the threatening one it had been earlier. “Are you unharmed?”

“Yes, I'm fine...” The princess nodded, still worriedly watching Garland as he moved over to pick up his weapon with his good hand. “Garland... this is the second time you've been hurt because of me...”

“It is my duty, Princess.” The knight replied in an even, neutral tone.

Viviana blinked as the girls cheeks tinged pink, looking up from checking the other traitor that Garland had struck in the head – who, unfortunately, was dead as well – to the knight Garland and princess Sarah in confusion before a look of realization dawned on her face. The princess had a crush on Garland! Well, if this is the second time he's saved her, then it made a sort of sense since there was that heroism thing a lot of girls were fond of... But, the idea of it was just plain weird.

What was Garland's own feelings on the matter? Did he have feelings for the princess, or was he merely loyal to the kingdom? Did he even notice that Princess Sarah had a crush on him? Was he just ignoring it, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings?

“It's nearly sunset.” Garland commented, breaking the silence. “We should hasten to return before nightfall.”

-

Viviana mulled over everything that had happened in the past few hours, walking alongside Princess Sarah – Garland was walking along the young princesses other side, making it so that she was guarded from both directions. Not only had Garland not kidnapped the princess, but someone else apparently had instead. Eying the princess from the corner of her eyes as she scanned the area to make sure no monsters or bandits were approaching, the knight noted that the young girl was occasionally looking at Garland and then blushing before looking away. Classic crush behavior.

“Princess Sarah.” Viviana spoke abruptly, causing the addressed princess to look over at her in surprise. “You mentioned earlier that Garland was hurt because of you before... If you don't mind me asking, what happened?”

“Oh... Well...” Sarah glanced at Garland, though the other knight seemed to not be paying attention to the conversation – despite which, Viviana got the inexplicable feeling that he was listening – before continuing. “A few months ago... There was an assassin. I was in the Royal Garden with my sister, and Garland happened to come by. It was... The first time I saw him without his armor on.”

The princesses blush deepened ever so slightly at that, and Viviana blinked at the thought of Garland without his armor. That concept seemed very strange, as she literally couldn't imagine what he might look like. He was obviously tall, and muscular, but beyond that he could look like anything. She shot Garland a curious look, before returning her attention to Sarah.

“He didn't explain why he was there, he seemed a bit surprised to find someone else there too. My sister and I started a conversation with him, and after a few minutes thats when the assassin appeared. Garland must have heard the bow creak, because he pushed us both out of the way of an arrow and... He was hit in the shoulder. After that, a man burst from the bushes and he had a long hooked dagger. Garland, even though he was injured, grabbed the man by the forearm and wrestled him to the ground.” Sarah continued, pausing to take a breath before resuming her story. “I... I'm not sure what happened next, but the assassin never let go of his knife and he must have accidentally impaled himself. I think the knife was poisoned, because he got upset and started digging through a pouch.”

Viviana processed the story quietly, mulling over the details. It seemed perfectly reasonable... Royalty often had to worry about assassins or kidnappings or any number of things, and any halfway loyal knight would do their best to protect them...

“Garland stopped him, he knocked him out in one blow. He asked us if we were okay, before he went to lock the assassin up, but the man must have woken up because I heard later that Garland had to defend himself again and the man was... killed... in the process.” The princess finished, looking uncomfortable at the mention of the man dying.

“I see...” The female knight nodded. Other than that last bit, the entire story wasn't the least bit suspicious, and even then just because there could be something more didn't actually mean there was anything beyond what apparently happened.

“Garland... He's a very loyal person.” Sarah added after a moments silence, and for a brief moment Viviana worried that the purpose of her question had been discovered. “Thats why I think he's so... Thorough... about defending the kingdom.”

-

“Okay, so he's not a total asshole like he was before.” Lucretia conceded. “But that hardly makes him good or anything.”

“Trust me, I watched him like a hawk for months. After that initial team up, the king sent us on a lot of missions together. He does little things, while still acting all silent and direct. He's brutal, and cruel to his enemies, but he's very loyal to the kingdom. I think something must have happened to him a long time ago, and then the influence of the fiends drove him over the edge.”

“Man, its weird to think of him as a good guy...” Euclid mused, tilting his chair back until it was balancing on two legs in a rather hazardous manner.

“Indeed.” Aurelius nodded in agreement. “Considering all of the things he was responsible for... I can hardly believe he didn't turn evil regardless of the lack of the fiends influence.”

“Hey,” Euclid perked up. “What does Garland look like?”

“I actually don't know.” Viviana blinked at the sudden question. “Now that I think about it, I've never seen him when he wasn't in the middle of something. We haven't even met off-duty.”

“Huh, thats a little weird.” The white wizard shrugged. “You'd think working with a guy for a year, you'd at least see his face.”

“It's probably a coincidence.” Aurelius pointed out. “If they have a purely work-based friendship, then its only natural that she wouldn't see him without all that armor. Besides, it's not like she can just ask “Hey, Garland, can you take off your armor so I can see what you look like? I'm really curious.” without looking odd.”

-

A man with a grimy, knotted black beard peered through a looking glass – he didn't know what the technical name for it was – at the capital of Cornelia, located at the base of the Royal Castle of Cornelia. On his head was a dark blue captains hat, worn and faded from exposure to the elements, with several sword nicks in it. His clothing was equally worn dark blue leather, the shirt having the sleeves torn away and showing off his muscular and hairy arms. At his side was a battered black cutlass, a rather intimidating weapon between its blade's pitch black color and jagged appearance.

Over all, the man looked every bit the Pirate Lord he was.

Lowering the looking glass, he turned with a wide toothy grin to his men and gave a loud shout to get their attention over the loud sound of the waves. “Men! We be only a few moments away from one of the finest towns in the land!” The man cheered, his crew cheering back at him. “We strike hard an fast, before the castle knights can mount a defense. The town guard won't be trouble for the likes of us, an we make off with all the goods we can carry – 'Specially if its food or drink!”

“Aye, Captain!” The crew shouted back before scrambling into their positions as the ship drew ever closer to land.

They were roughly fifty men strong, and each worth two town guards. Even combined, they couldn't stand up to the knights, but that was why they were striking hard and fast and not sticking around to fight it out. Of course they would succeed without any problems. After all, they were the strongest pirate crew in the Aldean Sea, the Black Cutlass Raiders!

-

End Note: So that was the first chapter, ending with a bit of not-really-subtle-at-all foreshadowing! Like I mentioned, the next chapter will have quite a good bit of action.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2009, 10:13:27 pm by Xero » Report Spam   Logged

I'm on your side you fucking idiots! How many of you do I have to kill before you understand that?

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