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OK, I got this idea. It was for FFVI, the game, to be made into a novel, or fanfic. I thought that this might be a good idea, so I started from the beginning. The first part doesn't have a whole lot of room for creativity, and hopefully, I'll get some good character interaction by the time that Locke and Terra head for Figaro Castle. Anyway, I finished the first chapter, so please, tell me wht you think. Oh, and if it sounds familiar, then it probably is familiar.

Chapter 1

Long ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and magic simply ceased to exist.
1000 years have passed… Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns…
But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dread destructive force known as “magic.”
Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake?

***

The bitter cold nipped at the noses of three of the Empires finest soldiers. There were two men, clad in brown armor. The other was a young woman, around the age of 20. She was not dressed in armor or rough, military garb. Instead, she wore normal, high-class women’s clothing.
The trio marched up the face of a cliff near a town called Narshe. All three used Magitek Armor, a type of walking magic-powered machine. Once they reached the highest point of the cliff, one of them, named Vicks, spoke up.
“There’s the town…”
The other soldier, who went by the name of Wedge, responded, “Hard to believe an Esper’s been found intact there, 1000 years after the War of the Magi…”
“Think it’s still alive?” Vicks asked his partner.
“Probably, judging from the urgency of our orders.”
They turned around and looked at the girl. Vicks inquired, “And this woman, this… sorcerer. Why’s she here? I heard she fried fifty of our Magitek Armored soldiers in under three minutes.”
Wedge looked at Vicks and replied, “Not to worry. The slave crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She’ll follow orders.” He then took a few steps back down the face of the mountain and paused. “We’ll approach from the east. Move out!”.

***

The soldiers approached the town from the east, and turned right into the main gate. Wedge said, “Let’s put her on point. No sense taking any risks.”
They ordered the woman to led them. She did as she was told. They had barely gone ten steps into the town when two local soldiers ran towards them and yelled, “Imperial Magitek Armor? Not even Narshe’s safe anymore!”, and they charged.
It was hardly even a fight. Wedge cooked one with a Fire Beam from his M-tek armor, and the woman shot a TekMissile at the other one. They were down instantly.
The soldiers moved on. Not much farther ahead, some more soldiers came in at them from their right. One said, “Narshe’s freedom depends on us!” These resisters had two dogs of the Lobo breed to fight with them, which attacked before their masters. It did no good. The dogs were down almost immediately with beams of Ice-magic spewing from the M-tek armors. The human soldiers attacked, only to be confused at a sonic blast that came from the woman’s machine. Because they were so confused, they attacked each other with their scythes, and one of them got killed. Right before the live one was alert and unconfused again, he was fried by a Fire beam coming from Vick’s M-tek armor.
The woman led them further into the town, and through a narrow street. It was in this narrow alley-like road that one Lobo and two guards came at them, one guard in front of them, and just another guard and a Lobo coming from behind. The one on front taunted, “We’ve got ‘em trapped, now!” Wedge matched his tone and yelled back, “I think not,” at the moment he made a barbecue of the guard’s flesh. The woman took care of the Lobo using her Fire spell. The living guard came up yelling from behind and slashed at Vicks with his scythe, but that’s the last thing he remembered. He was quickly put to eternal sleep by Wedge’s Bolt Beam. The woman used Cure, a white-magic healing spell, on Vicks, and his wound immediately vanished.
They continued. As they had almost reached the mines, two guards and two Vamammoths came upon them. One of the guards yelled, “We must defend the mines!”
“Watch out for the tusks on the Vamammoths. They really pack a punch!”, warned Vicks.
It was too late. One of the Vamammoths charged straight toward the woman and slammed into her armor. A brilliant flash exploded right before the Vamammoth, and he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. One of the guards jumped over the mammal’s limp form and ran straight for the woman, but Wedge snapped a Bolt Beam shot right off to the guard, who dropped right to the snowy ground. The woman cast Fire on the remaining Vamammoth, and Vicks shot a Bolt Beam at the last guard.
Vicks and Wedge were elite. They had trained for years to get where they were today. These two soldiers were not even short of breath. They knew what they were doing, and they knew what they had to do. The woman, however, was now panting heavily. They took no notice of this. Instead, they moved forward to the mouth of a cave.
Wedge spoke up, “According to our source, the frozen Esper was found in a new mine shaft. Maybe this one…”, and he gestured toward the cave.
They enetered the shaft. It was dark, but not entirely. They moved further on into the cave. This mine shaft was plagued with creatures called Were-Rats, basically, half-man half-rats. They were hidious, but sizzled nicely under the scorching of M-tek Fire-Beams.
Up ahead were a conglomeration of mostly vertical steel bars blocking the next passage. Vicks stepped forward and declared, "I'll handle this. Stand back!", and he proceeded to slam his M-tek machine into the bars, which broke them almost immediately. They were about to enter into the new passageway when a guard approached from behind the broken bars and yelled, "We won't hand over the Esper!" He turned around and walked a few paces. "Whelk! Get 'em!"
There then emerged a hideous creature. He looked like a large snail, but, unlike the common snail, Whelk bore a spiny, purple, moster of a shell. This beast had glowing green eyes, eyes that seemed to bore right through them.
Vicks seemed to have a flash of recognition, and yelled to Wedge, "Hold it! Think back to our briefing..."
"What about it?" Wedge said.
"Do you recall hearing about a monster that eats lightning..."
"...And stores the energy in it's shell!" Wedge finished.
"Right. So whatever you do, don't attack the shell!"
"Alright already!" Wedge replied impatiently. He jumped forward and shot a fire beam right at Whelk's head. It burned him badly. Unfortunately, Vicks was not as good a marksman, and he accidentaly shot an Ice Beam onto Whelk's spiney shell. Whelk retaliated with a devastating lighting attack, which wounded Vicks to the point of near-death. The woman then cast Cure on Vicks, healing him completely. Whelk's head then retreated to the inside of his shell.
Vicks just about stepped forward to give the shell a beating, but Wedge jumped in front of him. "Forget already?". Vicks was about to give a witty retort, when Whelk decided that he was safe enough, and emerged from his shell. Before he could do anything more, the woman shot a TekMissile right into face. It exploded, along with Whelk's face,
"Whoa. Nice shot!" said Vicks, ever the skeptic.
They said nothing more as they approached the frozen form, which was on a rock platform. As they got closer, they could see the outline of what looked to be a large bird. Yes, they could see it very clearly now. It was a large, brightly-colored bird. "This is the frozen Esper..."
The Esper started to glow an ominous blue color. The rest of the cavern became mysteriously dark. They stood there, staring at it. The woman appeared to have a look of familiarity on her beautiful face. Wedge noticed it, and spoke to her, "Hey! What's the matter? Do you know something we don't...?"
She approached the Esper, but still said nothing. The frozen creature began emitting an eerie light; a light which seemed to surround them all. Vicks and Wedge were never more confused in their entire lives.
"Where's that light coming from?" Wedge asked, frightened. He gave out a blood-curdling scream, and with a flash of light, he vanished.
"Hey! Wedge... where are you? W...what's happening?!" he stammered.
And with another bright flash of light, he vanished too.
The woman still stood there, but also, still said nothing. Both she and the creature were glowing now, and their spirits seemed to coalesce with each other. A lighting blot of energy passed between each of them, and she seemd to be encased in ice, just like the creature. Many small explosions went off all around her, and nothing more is seen.


Please, comment and criticize to your heart's content.

This post has been edited by Figaro on 18th February 2004 04:33

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Nice recreation have fun with the interactions once you got 12 characters to handel!

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

It and your writing style are very promising, for one so young. I say keep at it. =)

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~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

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Nice recreation have fun with the interactions once you got 12 characters to handel! -MogMaster

Oh, believe me, I WILL.

Quote

It and your writing style are very promising, for one so young. I say keep at it. =) -Zephir

Much thanks.

Chapter 2

Augh, what a terrible headache. Can't remember how long it's been since since I slept in a comfortable bed like this. Come to think of it, I can't remember anything... How did I get here? And, who is that man over there?
The woman got out of bed and walked toward the old man, who was standing just a few paces away. "Where am I...?" she asked, her headache throbbing very painfully in her skull.
"Whoa! And I only just removed the crown!"
"...head...hurts..." the woman said as she knelt there on the floor, for the throbbing in her head had reached new heights of pain.
The old man turned around, walked a few steps, and reached down to pick up a strange, metal device, which looked somewhat like mechanical headgear. "Easy! This is a Slave Crown. The others had complete control over you while you were wearing it." So it was a sort of mechanical headgear...
"I can't remember a thing..."
"Don't worry. It'll all come back to you... in time, that is."
The woman said nothing. This was a mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic...
"...my name is... Terra...
"Impressive! I've never heard of anyone recovering this fast...!
Terra and the old man then heard some dogs barking, and there was a brusk knocking at the door. A Narshe guard yelled out, "Open up! Give us back the girl and the Empire's Magitek Armor!" The old man rushed closer to the door. He's probably hard of hearing. thought Terra.
"Open this door! We want that girl! She's an officer of the Empire!"
Terra was confused. She approached the old man and stayed a few feet behind him. "Empire...? Magitek Armor...?"
The old man turned around and rushed to her. "Look, I have to get you out of here! I don't have time to explain!" He ran over to the back door. "Over here!"
Terra walked over to him. "Make yourt way through the mines! I'll keep these brutes occupied!" he said.
She exited throuh the door, which led from behind his house, behind another building, and onto a catwalk-bridge that passed over the main streetway. Funny, that street looks vaguely familiar.
As she walked over the bridge, Terra heard someone yell, "She's up there!" Startled, she looked left, and turned around to look on the other side of the bridge. There were two white-clad guards on either side of the bridge. They quickly realized that they couldn't reach her, and turned and ran quickly away, presumably to find the stairs that led up here. I hope I'm not a criminal or anything... I sure wish I could remember something, anything, besides my name. She then realized that there was a sword, sheathed in a scabbard, hanging from her purple-colored belt. Where did this sword come from...?
She walked across the remaining piece of the bridge, and she saw the entrance to, what appeared to be, a mine shaft. No where to go but in.
The dimly-lit cave was rather frightful, but as she wasn't quite sure what she could be afraid of, she moved on. Probing the dephths of the cave was not difficult. The ground was fairly flat, and there were lamps hanging from the walls every few meters apart.
After pushing on a little further, Terra came to an old wooden bridge, which crossed a steep ravine. The bridge had no handholds, so she was nervous at first, but only at first. She crossed the bridge, not wanting to think about what might happen to her if those guards caught up with her. Upon reaching the other side, she heard a strange squeaking noise. Probably just a small animal. She walked a few steps further, and saw the source of the squeaks.
It was not a small animal. It was a large, ugly, rat-like creature, with snaggly teeth and... red hats? Maybe it won't hurt me if I don't hurt it. It looks familiar, like so many other things here. I'll try to just pass it by. But the creature did not think too much of that idea. It charged straight at her, baring it's teeth. Reflexively, she drew out her sword and cut down the beast before it could touch her.
Where did I learn to do that? Maybe I was a warrior before I lost my memory. No matter, at the moment. Hey, what's that? Terra spied a treasure chest on top of a small rise in the cave. She went up close to it and opened it; it was not locked. Inside was a strange glass orb, filled with glowing red feathers. I wonder what this is? Oh well. It probably won't harm me. I'll just keep it, for now.
She went back down the stairs and further into the cave. A few steps further, and she came to another rickity wooden bridge. Except, this one was different. After you went a few feet onto it, it made an abrupt right turn, and also one that kept going forward. Terra decided on the path straight ahead first, so she went across, and there was another treasure chest on a small platform. She opened the treasure chest, for this one wasn't locked either, and she saw a small blanket, like a blanket-bag or something. It could be useful. I'll keep this, too.
She went back across the bridge, this time turning, and went got onto the other side. There was another beast-rat there, and she cut him down with her sword. Terra pushed on further until she came to some stairs. She walked up these stairs, and saw a door to her left.
"Got her!" a voice cried out from the deep. She turned around in time to see two guards ascending the stairs that she herself had just climbed. Time to run.
She ran towards the door near her, but then two more guards jumped out of the door. Terra was cornered, with no way of escape. She backed up to the corner of the wall, and the floor broke up beneath her...

This post has been edited by Figaro on 18th February 2004 04:34

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Hey, that's pretty good, keep it up :-)

Tip: It's easier on the reader if you hit enter between paragraphs, and before starting dialogue. That way, when you're reading, it's not as easy to lose your place.

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I had an old signature. Now I've changed it.

That's really good Figaro, a great retelling of the entire game. It would take a lot of skill to cover such a great FF game in detail, but you've proven you can do it. Looks like it's gonna be long, but I can't wait till the next part.

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"Luck is my middle name. Mind you, my first name is Bad." - Rincewind

You can be as self-assertive as you like, just so long as you do what you’re told.” - Granny Weatherwax

"When Mr. Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend" - Sam Vimes to Detritus

Quote

Tip: It's easier on the reader if you hit enter between paragraphs, and before starting dialogue. That way, when you're reading, it's not as easy to lose your place. -Elena99

Good idea. That's how I laid it out in this next chapter.

Quote

That's really good Figaro, a great retelling of the entire game. It would take a lot of skill to cover such a great FF game in detail, but you've proven you can do it. Looks like it's gonna be long, but I can't wait till the next part. -Iggy

Yes, it will be VERY long. probably take a few years or so, but I'm willing to stick with it. I hope.

Here, have another chapter:

Chapter 3

Hmm...? Where am I? Why is everything so...

"My sweet little magic user...! Uwee, he, he! With this slave crown, I'll practically OWN you!"

That voice... I've heard it before... where... this must be a dream... but, who is... that's... HIM! No, don't put that on m...

MUST... KILL... BURN... DESTROY...

"Uwee, hee, hee! Good! Burn up everything!"

POWERFUL... EMPEROR...

"We stand on the brink of a major breakthrough! In the days to came, we'll witness a total revival of magic! It is our destiny, and our's alone, to take this mystic force and claim what is rightfully ours! With our new-found power, nothing can get in our way!"

"Hurrah! Long live Emperor Gestahl!"

PRAISE... THE EMPEROR...

***

The old man waited on his house, the guards long gone. He assumed they left to look for the girl. They had not harmed him, for he was a respected mamber of his community, and now they weren't even sure that he was really hiding her anyway.

He heard the back door open, and his friend walk into the room. "Took you long enough! How goes the robbing and plundering trade?" His friend seemed angry. He was a treasure hunter and trail-worn traveler, searching the world over for relics of the past...

Locke told the old man, "I PREFER the term treasure hunting!"

"HA! Semantic nonsense!" he replied.

"There's a HUGE difference!" Locke waggled his index finger. "Anyway, were you the one who sent for me?"

"Yeah. There's a girl I'd like you to meet."

Locke moved closer to the old man, "This better not have anything to do with that Magitek-riding, imperial... witch!"

The old man nodded. "Imperial troops are pursuing her even as we speak. This town is no match for the Empire. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners, an underground resistent movement. That girl wasn't responsible for her actions. We must get her to understand our dilemma!"

Locke nodded in return, "All right... I think we'd better help her..."

"Agreed. Make your way first to Figaro, and talk to the king," the old man said.

***

Locke looked through a hole in the ground of one of the western mine shafts. He could see the faint outline of a young woman. He jumped down through the hole, and landed right next to the girl.

He gave her a once-over. She's pretty cute. Can't think about that now, though. I gotta get her to Figaro. Locke looked towards his right, straight through a large cavern. What he saw made him wince out of surprise.

As he watched, there appeared a Narshe guard and five groups of one Lobo and one Vamammoth each. The guard yelled out, "Now we gotcha!"

"Wonderful... there's a whole bunch of 'em," breathed Locke.

"Kupo..." The sound came from behind the treasure hunter. He turned around just in time to see two moogles jump through the cave opening behind him. "Moogles...!" They looked at him, then at the limp form of the woman, then back at him. One of them jumped around right in front of him, as he was trying to say something. What do they want?

Moogles were small, white, fluffy animals. They had small red wings, and little a fluffy ball on their single antannae, coming out from the middle of their heads. Moogles were the kind of animals that you wouldn't want to be fighting against. But these didn't seem hostile... in fact, they seemed like they wanted to help...

"Are you saying you want to help me?" They seemed to nod agreement, and they both jumped and spun once. "Kupo!" 'Kupo' seems to be their only form of communication...

Just then, nine more moogles entered from the top of the cave, where the other two had entered. "OK, moogles, here's our strategy. There's twelve of us in all, so lets split up into three groups, and four of us in each. We'll make our way towards the other side of the cavern, taking out all the enemies in the way. My team will take on their commander. If they reach the girl, then it's over."

They all nodded their agreements, and many a 'Kupo' was heard.

"OK, let's move!"

As it turned out, the moogles were escpecially good warriors. Most of them used different weapons, though a few used the same class of weapon. Locke and his three moogle friends moved along the cavern a little bit, and found the first group. Locke immediately ran up to the Lobo and slashed at him multiple times with his dirk. One of the slashes sliced right through the Lobo's neck, and he was down, cowering with pain. The Vamammoth charged at one of the smaller moogles, but his companion was very quick. He held his spear firmly and drove it right into the Vamammoth's chest. It staggered with pain, then fell over, lifeless.

The second group of moogles was commandeered by a moogle named Mog. He seemed to be the strongest of the moogles, Locke decided. Mog and his team raced through the cavern and slashed, poked, and flailed another of the groups of monsters, without even getting harmed themselves. Impressive.

The third team was, unfortunately, not quite as powerful, but they were still fair warriors. They, too, charged around the caverns, but they were not quite as quick as Mog or Locke's team. As the rounded a cavern wall, one of the moogles got stabed in the shoulder by a Vamammoth's tusk. "Kupo..." One of her team member's probably her mate, had his sword in hand and plunged it through the Vamammoth. The beast was wounded, but not mortally. One different moogle, of the same team, saw this and threw his boomerang at the Vamammoth. It was a good throw, and it cut the monster's chest deeply. It fell over dead right on top of the Lobo, killing it unstantly. The injured moogle was taken back and laid down near the woman, for it was too weak to continue. Her mate , and the rest of the team, continued on.

Mog's group ran through the caves once more, hardly even stopping to catch their breath. They saw another Vamammoth in front of them, but they saw no Lobo. They held their weapons in ready position, and they all faced the approaching Vamammoth. The Lobo was there, however. He attacked from behind. The moogles did not see, hear, or even smell him. The Lobo jumped on Mog, and opened his mouth menacingly. Another one of Mog's team grabbed his flail, which he had dropped when the Lobo surprised them, and clubbed the Lobo very hard on it's side. It fell over to the side, hardly breathing. The Vamammoth was charging fast, and another moogle, apparently skilled in the art of throwing knives, threw his dagger at the Vamammoth, and it stuck in the foul beast's throat. The big mammal wimpered for a second, but fell over, and was silent forever.

Group number three was back on the battlefield now, and ran through the caves like there was no tomorrow. They could see the last group ahead of them now, the Lobo was leading. One moogle, who had a spear, raised his spear while running straight towards the group of monsters. The Lobo opened his mouth and roared threateningly. The moogle with the spear jammed his spear right through the Lobos' gullet, and the beast whined for one second, and was dead. Another of the moogles, who was equipped with a sharp rod, bashed the Vamammoth very forcefully on his skull. The Vamammoth was severely dazed, and the moogle with the spear took this opportunity to spear the Vamammoth right in his large stomach. The animal was alive for only a few seconds longer.

"OK, moogles, their commander is defended by two Lobos, so we should try to take them out first," Locke explained as they advanced toward the guard. "Kupo", was the moogles' reply. They all charged towards the Lobos at once. Not exactly what I said, but, whatever works. Amazingly to Locke, the moogles had quickly disposed of the two Lobos, and were starting to turn on the commander. This is where I step in and help. Locke rushed at the commander, who hadn't so much as flinched yet, jumped over the progressing moogles, and slashed once violently at the guard. The guard blocked it with his scythe, and shoved Locke backwards with his booted foot. Locke stumbled back, only to watch one fof the moogles swipe at the commander with his three-clawed weapon, which was held firmly in his right paw. The commander screamed in pain, and was hushed for the rest of eternity.

Locke got to his feet again, and started walking by himself back to where the woman lay. He yelled back to where all eleven of the moogles had vanished to, "Thanks, moogles! We're in your debt!", and he scooped up the woman in his arms and carried her to a dead-end at the end of one of the cave tunnels. He set her down on the ground, and walked over to a strange skull that had been stuck into the wall.

"I think this switch'll... He reached both his hands up to push it to one side, and a wall slid back to open up into a chilly Narshe night. The cold wind woke the woman up, and Locke walked over to her. "Eh? You back with us now?"

"You... saved me?" the woman asked.

"Save your thanks for the moogles." replied Locke non-chalantly.

"Uhh... I can't remember anything, past or present..."

The old man didn't say anything about this! "You have amnesia!?"

She nodded to Locke. "A man said my memory would come back."

"Give it time. You're safe with me. I give you my word." The woman wasn't expecting that, and she took on a quizzical expression. "I won't leave you until your memory returns! By the way, this secret entrance might be useful some day. Don't forget about it!" She's still looking a bit confused. Locke quickly pulled a muscular pose to show her that he meant what he said, and then they both exited into the night. The cave closed behind them, and Locke led her to the left, back to the front gate of the city. "This is the pits. We'd better hightail it southward, to Figaro."

And they turned their backs to Narshe and headed south.

_________________________

Comment and criticize, please.

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

I'm pushing two chapters a day, and I hope I can do this for a while still...

Chapter 4

Terra and Locke started south away from Narshe in silence. Locke was not very tired from his battle with the commander, for the moogles did most of the fighting. Terra, on the other hand, was rather exhausted, having just woken up from having a mild concussion.

"You know, I don't believe I know your name yet." said Terra. She extended her hand in greeting, "My name is Terra."

Locke looked at her hand for a brief moment, and then took it. "They call me Locke."

"Locke..." she said, seeming to try and fathom the very depths of the word. "Mr. Locke, you...

Locke interrupted, "Please, just plain 'Locke'. 'Mr. Locke' sounds too weird."

"I'm sorry. Locke, you said we were going to Figaro. Where's that? I'm quite sure I would have forgotten about it, if I'd known of it before."

"Figaro castle governs the whole desert region of Figaro, which is to the southwest. The castle's where we're going, to see the king of Figaro. He is a very good friend of mine, and I know he will help us. I'm sure of it."

"Hmm... Do you know how far away it is?"

Locke replied, "It's not very far. Maybe four more hours on foot. Are you tired? You banged your head up pretty badly."

"No, I think I'll be fine for a while."

They walked for a while longer in silence. Then, Terra spoke up, "Have you... traveled... very far in this world? I don't know about anyplace other than here where we're walking and that town back there."

"Yes, I suppose you could say that I've traveled around. Truth is, in my line of work, there's not much else to do but travel around."

"Oh, really? What do you do?"

"I prefer the term 'treasure hunting', although most people would call me... a thief."

"Well, since you've traveled around, you might say you have worldly knowledge?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Why? What's on your mind?" Locke questioned.

"When I was running away from those soldiers in the mines, I got some things from two wooden boxes. Can you please tell me what this is?" Terra pulled the crystal orb out from her pouchel. "I try to think, but I cannot think of any logical explanation."

"Huh... there's something I've not seen in a long time. Probably 'cause I travel alone most of the time. These only work if there are two or more people traveling together. It's called a Fenix Down. See those feathers inside the crystal? Well, those have, what some call, 'magical' healing powers. If a person traveling with you and is severely wounded, I'm talkin' to the point of near-death, you shatter this crystal on the nearest hard object and sprinkle the feathers over the person, and they will heal him or her to a cureable point of health. Clearly, very useful. They sell these at shops around the world. I guess I've just never gotten around to ste... er... I mean, buying, one before."

"Oh, I see. I picked up one other item on my walk through the mines... this..." She pulled out the blanket-bag from her pouchel.

"Aaahhh... now there's something I know more about. It's very simple, really. Did you notice that the blanket is about the same length of your body?" Terra unfolded it and held the top up to her chin. It dragged about three of four inches along the ground. "Well," Locke continued, "people use these bags, or, sleeping bags, for warmth and safety whenever they want to rest."

"OK. Thanks." She gave him a small smile, and they continued on to the castle mostly in silence for about an hour. At that time, Terra could see a speck on the distant green hill. As they approached it closer, she could see that it was moving around.

"Locke, what is that thing moving over there?" she asked as she pointed to the object.

"Probably just a Leafer. They're these little animals with glowing red eyes and long ears. They're quite abundant in this area. Some may intend harm, but most will just shy away. See, look. That one is hopping away already."

"What if one might attack us?" Terra asked, a bit frightened.

"I said I wouldn't leave you, didn't I? These little coneys are nothing to be scared of. Although, sometimes you may see a couple of Leafers and a couple of Dark Winds accompanying them. We may have some difficulties fighting four monsters, but even then, not very much. They are all pretty weak."

They said nothing for a while, until they came to the edge of a forest. Terra seemed reluctant to go in, but Locke assured her, "You'll be safe with me. Trust me, please." She trusted, and together, they made their way through the forest. When they were almost out, and could see the light at the end, Locke's acute ears picked up the sound of leaves rustling and birds' wings flapping. "Do you know how to use that sword?" Locke asked as he gestured downward towards her belt.

Terra replied, "It seems I do, but only reflexively. I think I might have been a soldier or some sort of warrior before I lost my memory."

"Good. I don't mean to alarm you, but draw your sword. I can hear some Leafers and possibly some Dark Winds," Locke said as he pulled his dirk from his belt. Sure enough, they could see them now very clearly on the path. Two Leafers were blocking their way on the path, and two Dark Winds were perched in trees above them. Locke and Terra approached slowly, seeing how close they could get before either group attacked. They walked closer, closer. Finally, there was only about one foot between the humans and the beasts. With no warning at all, Locke charged at the rightmost Leafer, slicing it's head off with his small knife. He turned left, hoping to kill the other one whie he was there, but it was too quick. It had already circled around behind him and was gnawing at his back. Locke stood upright with pain, screaming to get it off. Meanwhile, a Dark Wind had swooped down to get Terra, but just then, her warrior instinct kicked in.

She jumped up and cleaved the bird in two pieces, from beak to talon. She ran over to Locke and stabbed the Leafer in the side. It gave a screech and fell off his back onto the ground, where it did nothing more.

What Terra hadn't seen is that the second Dark Wind was now diving right for her. She winced, dropped her weapon and covered her face, but right before it could scratch at her face, Locke's dagger decapitated the bird. Both parts fell to the forest ground. Terra uncovered her face, stooped down to pick up her weapon, and resheathed it.

Both stood there panting heavily for a few seconds, until Locke suggested that they move on. They exited the forest, and Terra told Locke, "You might have just saved my life. I'm not sure if anyone's ever done that to me. And whatever my past may be, I'm pretty sure that no one has ever saved my life twice in one day."

Locke shrugged and said, "I guess I owe you one, too. You're a pretty good warrior."

"I'm not sure wether I'm grateful for that trait or not."

"Well, I can certainly see where it can be useful," Locke said.

Terra needed to think about this some more, so she said nothing. They walked on.

After about a half an hour, they reached the edge of a desert. There were signs, reading: 'Figaro Castle: 2 miles'.

"Looks like we're almost there. Another hour or so, and we're there," Locke stated cheerfully.

"Hmm...? Oh, good. I'm getting really tired... are there any enemies in the desert?"

"Yes, and we may meet one or two. I'll keep a sharp eye. The enemies here are fairly weak, according to our standards of combat. They're about at the same level as the Dark Winds back there."

"That's good news, I suppose." and they continued. Locke seemed to be light on his feet, and showed hardly any signs of fatigue.

After about a quarter of an hour, Terra was getting uncomfortable under the heat. She was wishing she had some shade, or some water, or...

Just then a scorpion-like creature, called an Areneid, approached fro behind the duo and dug his sharp tail-stinger right into Terra's right leg. She fell to the sand in pain, and Locke pulled his dagger out of his belt and thrust it right into the Areneid. "Here, take this," Locke handed Terra a small vile with some green liquid in it.

"What is it?" Terra asked.

"It's a healing liquid called a 'tonic'. You'll feel better after drinking it." Locke responded. She took it, popped off the cork-lid and drank the whole vile full. She felt better immediately.

"Ahh... Thank you, Locke. I feel the best now than I think I've felt since waking up and realizing I remembered nothing."

"No problem. I have a few of these on hand in case anyone needs one."

They walked along the scorching desert, but now, both of them seemed to have found new energy. After about one half of an hour, they could see a large grey figure in the distance.

Terra inquired, "Is that..."

"...Figaro Castle." Locke finished for her.

This post has been edited by Figaro on 19th February 2004 19:23

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Really good dialogue between Locke and Terra, especially when Locke explains the uses of the Phoenix Down. I would have like to hear more from Mog, but that's just me.

And it's not that much outside the plot, but after Locke rescues Terra doesn't he take her back to Arvis' House? That's what I've got on my webcomic.

--------------------

"Luck is my middle name. Mind you, my first name is Bad." - Rincewind

You can be as self-assertive as you like, just so long as you do what you’re told.” - Granny Weatherwax

"When Mr. Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend" - Sam Vimes to Detritus

Im giddy with Awe. I f i wasnt in school right now sneaking around.... Well you should wrte a book!

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote

Really good dialogue between Locke and Terra, especially when Locke explains the uses of the Phoenix Down. I would have like to hear more from Mog, but that's just me. -Iggy

Oh believe you me, if I hold on to this project long enough to get Mog, then you'll read a lot from Mog.

Quote

And it's not that much outside the plot, but after Locke rescues Terra doesn't he take her back to Arvis' House? That's what I've got on my webcomic. -Iggy

No, he just rescues her, leaves the caves, and you can't go back into the town (aside from the Beginner's Hall, that is.)

Quote

Im giddy with Awe. I f i wasnt in school right now sneaking around.... Well you should wrte a book! -MogMaster

Naughty, naughty, sneaking around school! Well, maybe if I finish it, or at least a sizeable chunk, I'll make some crude copies and give 'em to my friends.

Here's the Figaro chapter:

Chapter 5

They circled around and approached the castle from the south, arriving at the main entrance. There was a guard there, standing off to one side, watching the entrance. Locke and Terra walked up the steps and were about to enter the castle when the guard put himself between the duo and the door. "Wait!" He told them. He seemed to take on a look of recognition. The guard looked at Locke, then said, "Oh, it's you. Proceed." He stepped back to the side, and they entered into the castle. Locke led them.

The main foyer itself was rather interesting. There were stairways to their left and to their right. A red carpet on the floor led them straight ahead to a door, which presumably led to the king. The exited the foyer through that door, and were back out in the burning sun. But instead of sandy ground, it was made of the same materials of the castle. Terra quickly realized that this was part of the building as well. They continued straight ahead, and Terra noticed there was a door to the left, and a door to the right. Both of them were guarded. They climbed a few stairs and entered another door, back into the castle shade.

In this, the throne room antechamber, there was a red carpet, again leading straight ahead, and suits of armor lining the carpet. This carpet led to yet another door, the door to the throne room. Locke opened it, and they strode in.

The throne room. It was a beautiful stone-built room with pillars, tapestries, and two identical thrones at the far side of the room. In the left one sat the king.

Locke walked up to him, and Terra started to fall back a few paces. Locke whispered something to the king that Terra could not hear. The king stood up from his throne, and then spoke, "You mean, THIS young woman...?!" He walked over to her, looked her from top to bottom, turned around and took a step back to his throne, and stood there for a few seconds.

Terra inquired, "Who do you think you are?"

The king lowered his head, "Oh... sorry!" He turned back around so fast, his royal robe and his long ponytail nearly whipped Locke, who was standing beside him. He stuck his index finger in the air, as if he was scolding himself, "How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He was the young king of Figaro Castle, ally to the Empire, and a master designer of machinery...

He took a step closer to Terra. "I am Edgar, King of Figaro."

Locke quickly questioned, "Surprised someone like me knows a king?" Edgar and Locke both looked at each other, whispered something softly, and Locke stated, "Talk to you later!", and he walked out of the room.

Edgar walked a little down the red carpet, and turned his head slightly in Terra's direction, "So... you're an Imperial soldier! No problem. Figaro and the Empire are allies! Please, relax while you're here. It's not in my blood to harm a lady."

Terra seemed confused yet again. "Look, why are you helping me? Is it because of my... abilities?" Wait, maybe he doesn't know about those yet. I feared using them on the trip south so I wouldn't scare Locke, so he might not know. Man, I should have kept my mouth shut...

"I'll give you three reasons," Edgar held up one finger, "First of all, your beauty has captivated me!" He let another finger ascend upwards, "Second... I'm dying to know if I'm your type..." He lowered his hand and walked further down the carpet. "I guess your... abilities... would be a distant third." So he DOES know.

Terra blink a few times, confused, and asked, "What's with you, anyway?"

"Guess my technique's getting a bit rusty..." he replied with chagrin as he walked down the rest of the red carpet and out of his throne room.

Terra stood there for a moment, thinking. I suppose a normal girl would have found him dashing. But I'm hardly... normal... She looked around her and noticed one of the attendants standing beside her. She approached him and asked, "What do I do now?"

"Feel free to wander about."

OK, I guess I can... walk around.

She was about to exit the throne room, when she overheard two guards talking right outside the door. "I heard the Empire is using something called 'magic'..." the other replied, "Gestahl has harnessed the power of magic. Who can stop him now?" Gestahl? Why do I get the feeling I used to know him... magic... how can I use it? How is it possible?

One of the guards was about to say something to his partner, when Terra exited the door and walked out. She looked to the right, and saw an open staircase leading up. She went over to the doorway and started up. She could see that the room where she was headed was also connected by another staircase along the opposite wall of the throne room foyer. She noticed another treasure chest at the top of the stairs, and reached over to open it. Inside was another familiar crystal feather-filled orb. She reached down, picked it up, and slid it into her satchel. I suppose it's OK to take this. It's in a chest sitting right out in the open... She headed up another staircase in this room, and she saw some light coming in from the top of the staircase. As she came out of it, she found out why.

The staircase led her to the highest tower of Figaro Castle. The sun was burning down on her, but she stood atop this tower for a small while to enjoy the marvelous view of the vast desert. When she was finished, she headed back down the stairs, into the small room, and back down the same flight of stairs she first ascended. Terra was now back in the throne room foyer. She walked down the royal plush to the outdoors room, and again, she looked around to see where she could go. She decided on turning right again, and opened the door on her right. As Terra entered this room, she saw a door straight ahead and a descending staircase to her right. She decided against going into the closed door, so she walked down the stairs. All there was downstairs was a door leading to the outside, so she stepped again out into the desert sun.

As she walked along the sand, she noticed there were some guards making their rounds on large, yellow birds. She didn't want to seem ignorant, so she just gave a curt nod to a guard as he passed. When she had walked some more, she saw another building that was connected to the main castle by overhead walkway. There was a small door at the base of the building, and she entered into it without a moment's thought. Once inside, she turned left and headed up some stairs. This must be Edgar's room, but... where's Edgar? He's probably taking care of kingdom business, I suppose.

Terra walked over to where the matron was standing. She looks bored. Maybe she'd like to talk for a while; I have nothing to do.

"Hi there!" greeted the matron cheerfully. "I don't believe I've seen you around. Did you just recently arrive?"

"...yes... I did..." Terra replied, a bit taken aback by the woman's cheerfulness.

"Is there anything I can do for you? Make your stay here in Figaro more... enjoyable?"

"No, I don't think so. I'd like to know some things about King Edgar, though."

"Well, anything that you want to know, just you go right along and ask."

"OK..." Terra hesitated. "Why... I mean... what..." Terra didn't really have a question she wanted answered. "Does he have any family?"

"Why, yes. Edgar has a twin brother. He was such a nice boy..."

"Where is he now? Shouldn't he be ruling beside King Edgar?"

"Well, ya see, there's a story in that. You wanna hear it?"

I don't have anything better to do... "OK."

"Ya see, it goes like this," the matron recounted. "The old king of Figaro, that is, Edgar and his twin brother's father, had become very ill. One day, Edgar was in the library when his brother walked in..."

"Brother," said the twin, "what's wrong with father? What's all this talk of his successor?"

Edgar responded harshly, "Are you blind? Look how thin his face has become!" Edgar tried to hold back his sorrow, but to no avail.

"...What is it?" the youth questioned. Edgar stood up from where he had been sitting, and started towards the door, but was halted for a brief moment by his twin, who called to him, "Brother!" Edgar lowered his head and walked away, down the staircase. The brother still stood there for a few seconds, then queried to himself, "Tears...?!" The youth was Edgar's twin brother, who traded the throne for his own freedom...

"Yes..." explained the matron, "His name is Sabin. Oh, he looked so like his father! When he ran away, he was a sweet little child. I wonder what he's like now?" The matron said no more, and Terra wasn't going to pester her with more questions. She backed away, and proceeded to walk down the stairs, and exit the room. I wonder where Locke is? Maybe I should be heading back to the throne room... maybe Edgar's back, too.

Terra made her way to the throne room, not stopping anywhere along the way. As she opened the double doors that led into the large room, she noticed that Edgar was sitting on his throne. Very well. She approached him, and he asked her, "Well? How do you like my castle?"

Before she could respond, one of the guards opened the door and rushed in, "King Edgar! Someone from the Empire to see you!"

Edgar looked aside in disgust. "Probably Kefka!"

--------------------

Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

AWESOME! Write more and ill blow off 4th period CAD to look at it! if i fail i blame You!

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote

AWESOME! Write more and ill blow off 4th period CAD to look at it! if i fail i blame You! -MogMaster

Meh. Just so long as you don't sue me.

Chapter 6

Three solitary figures could be seen approaching Figaro Castle from the south. One was dressed in a bold green cloak with a red tunic underneath. He also wore a feather poked into his blonde hair right behind the top-most part of his ear. There were two brown Imperial soldiers with him, one walking on each side. The green-clad figure stooped down from boredom and exhaustion.

"Phooey! Emperor Gestahl's stupid orders!" He jumped up and shook his fists wildly in the air. The two soldiers looked quizzically at each other. "Edgar, you pinhead! Why do you have to live in the middle of nowhere? These recon jobs are the pits!" continued the green-clad man. Kefka shaded his eyes, and declared, "Ahem... there's SAND on my boots!" The soldiers quickly ran over to their chief. One of the soldiers brushed off the sand on his right boot, saluted, and then the other soldier brushed off the other boot, and he, too, saluted. They awknowledged together, "Yes Sir! All set, Sir!"

Kefka gave a curt nod, and laughed maniacally. "Idiots!" he scolded the two men, and they continued on to the castle.

As the trio ascended the steps right outside the main entryway, the door guard stepped in front of Kefka, "Sir Kefka!? What on earth do..."

"Outta my way!" Kefka tossed him aside and entered the double doors. He walked up through the center of the castle, and met King Edgar at the outside walkway. Edgar walked over to the troop on Kefka's right. "You've been busy down south! Looking for more cities to destroy?" The trooper retorted, "That's for us to know!". King Edgar took two steps to his right, and told the soldier on Kefka's left, "I thought we were allies! What are you doing in my domain?" The soldier said nothing.

Edgar stepped once to his left and looked straight at Kefka. "What brings Kefka, humble servant of Emperor Gestahl, into our lowly presence?" Edgar asked politely.

"A girl of no importance recently escaped from us.We heard she found refuge here." Edgar turned around and took a few slow steps. "Hmm... This wouldn't have anything to do with this 'witch' everyone's been whispering about, would it?"

Kefka's response was clearly masked with fake innocence. "Lies! She... merely stole something of minor value. Is she here?"

Edgar turned and looked at Kefka's rightmost troop. "That's a tough one!" He took a step closer to Kefka and stared right through his mask of deceit, "You see, there're more girls in here than grains of sand out there. I can't keep track of 'em all!"

"I'd hate to be you if we find out you're lying." Kefka let out a short burst of an evil laugh, and added, "I truly hope nothing happens to your precious Figaro...!" He turned and left, and the two guards followed him out.

The king turned around, too, and headed for Locke, who was waiting at the door. "I'd say that guy's missing a few buttons..."

Edgar had no time to discuss Kefka's sanity. "Where's Terra?" Right on cue, Locke stepped to the side and Terra poked her head out into the sunlight. The king led Locke down a few stairs, so that Terra might not hear. "Take her to her room..." He turned around and walked up to Terra, "I'd love to chat with you, but the Chancellor and I must plan our strategy. Sometimes I hate being a king! If you'll excuse me." He walked around her and went back into the door that Terra had come out of.

Locke approached her, "Follow me." She followed Locke out the eastern door in the castle courtyard, through the library, down some stairs, out onto the desert, into the eastern wing, and u a flight of stairs. He was waiting beside the bed. She went up closer to him. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing! I'll take care of everything." Locke walked over to the staircase. "On the surface, Edgar pretends to support the Empire. The truth is, he's collaborating with the Returners, an organization opposed to the Empire. I'm his contact with that group." He looked over at Terra. "The old man you met in Narshe is one of us."

Terra though this over for a second. "Empire... but I'm a soldier of the Empire...!" She hung her head in shame.

Locke quickly replied, "That's not true! They were using you! Things are different now."

Terra shook her head, "I don't understand... What should I do?"

Locke walked up close to her. "I can't tell you what to do. You don't have to decide right now. You'll soon find your way..." and with that, he walked down the stairs and out of the room.

Terra lowered her head again, not out of shame, but out of thought. "But how will I know which way is right..."

***

Zzzzzzzzzzz.... mmph... huh...? What is that smell... smoke?!

Edgar jumped out of the bed in his royal bedchamber, and ran over to the curtains, where the matron usually was. I just took a small nap... where's the matron? He smelled smoke even stronger now. "What the...?" He ran out of his room, and entered the castle courtyard. The vines which had grown on the ground were on fire and the Figaroan royal banners were aflame, also, and Edgar could see that great flames were leaping out through windows everywhere. Presently, one of his loyal subject was running around trying to extinguish some of the flames, to no avail. Edgar asked him, "What's happening?"

The soldier replied, "It's the Empire! It's Kefka!"

Go figure. Edgar heard booted feet approach; he turned towards the door at the exact moment that Kefka walked through it. "What are you doing?"

"Bring me the girl. Now!" Kefka commanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Edgar shot back.

"Then... welcome to my barbecue!" Kefka tossed his head back and laughed maniacally.

OK, now for the hard part... Edgar lowered his head submissively, turned around, and walked up the courtyard steps. His commander was standing there. "Get ready!" the king commanded. "Yes, sir!" the soldier whirled around and ran into the door.

Kefka approached Edgar from behind, "Changed your mind?" Edgar looked to one side and answered, "I guess I have no choice..."

Without warning, Edgar ran to one side of the courtyard, gave a shrill whistle, and jumped... right onto one of the three chocobos that had answered his call. "Or maybe I do!"

As Edgar circled around to the other side of the courtyard, Kefka yelled out, "Ackk! Shameful that a king should flee, leaving his people behind! How utterly delightful!"

When Edgar had almost reached the other side if the courtyard, he yelled, "Jump!" and as he did, Locke and Terra each jumped onto one chocobo from the overhang above. The three chocobos and their riders ran around to the front of the castle. Edgar yelled to his people, "OK! Dive now!" Kefka was standing dumbfounded on the front steps. Locke ran his chocobo ahead a few steps, "Yahoooo!" he yelled, and the three ran off into the desert.

Kefka still stood there. Then, the castle began to rumble from the deep. The side wings were pulled in closer to the whole of the castle, and the guards everywhere ducked inside wherever they could. Doors were bolted, hatches were locked, and only Kefka and his two soldier didn't understand what was happening. One of the Figaroan soldiers was heard to yell, "Figaro Submerge Mode engaged!" just before he shut himself in the castle. The chancellor was standing atop the highest castle tower, watching his king, the king's friend, and the young fugitive woman escape across the desert. "No one can touch the people of Figaro!" and he, too, entered the stairway and bolted the hatch. Then, the entire castle submerged under the desert.

Kefka yelles to two waiting Magitek Armor soldiers, "Go! GET THEM!" The two machines chased after the threesome galloping across the desert.

As they were running, Edgar turned to look behind them at the soldiers on M-teks. He yelled to Locke, "You did bring it didn't you?" "Of course!" was his reply. Locke passed a large machine-like object over to Edgar. He took the machine in one hand, looked behind him, pointed back towards the approaching soldiers, and let loose a fury of small, sharp objects. They found their marks, and both soldiers slumped over in their seats. The M-tek armors stopped dead. The machines apparently had an automatic shut-off mechanism for just in case their riders died in the middle of a battle.

They were now galloping across the sand dunes, when Edgar congradulated, "Bravo, Figaro!" They turned around and started heading the other way, when they passed Kefka. He just watched them pass him.

"Son of a submariner! They'll pay for this..." the Imperial screamed as he hopped up and down with rage.

They ran their chocobos across the white sand, Locke leading, with Edgar and Terra about one pace behind him. "This is great!" Locke yelled with excitement.

Terra innocently asked,"Was that a bad person? I... I'm scared..."

Edgar rode his chocobo right up beside Terra. "Terra, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Locke pulled back a few paces and explained, "We're members of the Returners."

"Our mentor, Banon, would certainly like to meet you. 'Magic' is going to be the key to winning this war."

"Magic..." Terra repeated pensively.

Edgar continued, "Terra has magical powers. That Esper seemed to... react to her. Can there be some connection?"

"I haven't the foggiest!" Terra now exclaimed confusedly. "It just seems natural to me that I have the use of this power..."

Edgar stated, "But no human is born with the powers you seem to have, and..."

With the thought of not being human, Terra gave a light pull that slowly halted her chocobo. Edgar and Locke both circled around and ended up right next to her. Edgar came close in on her left. "I apologize."

"What should I do...?" Terra questioned.

"I'm sure the Empire is going to come after you. If they get their hands on you again, the world's finished. Terra, you want to understand your own powers, right?" He wheeled his chocobo around so he could look straight at her. "Then I think we need to consult Banon."

Terra was silent. Locke asked her, "Please..." She seemed to silently agree.

Edgar took her silence this way and took a few steps away from them, "OK! To the south there's a cave that leads to South Figaro."

They rode in silence for two hours. Terra noticed Edgar kept flipping open a small device, rotating it slightly, then shutting it and shoving it back into his tunic pocket. She made a mental note to ask him about the devices he seemed to keep on hand all the time, such as the one he used to iinstantly kill those soldiers, and the one he seemed to be using now, for what reason she couldn't tell.

As they rounded a cliff on the left, they came to a small cave, with a guard and his chocobo watching them.

"Here we are. This is the cave to South Figaro." Edgar pointed to the cave.

--------------------

Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Run! Run! Or you'll be well done! U'wee hee-hee hee-hee hee! xD

You already know how I feel about your writing, so I'll just say that I got goosebumps at the Kefka parts. >=)

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~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

You know my feelings as well. Im Giddy Again ARGGG I love the Pirate Face! Im stoped for the next one. Ok its Monday and if Im gonna Take the Time to Sacrifice my grade for this i want a STORY.LOL.Back To school.....

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 23rd February 2004 15:27

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Great job Greg--I mean Fig. Real Sorry hope no one notices. How many chaptes are there gonna be? oh also...

Quote

Ahh... Thank you, Locke. I feel the best now than I think I've felt since waking up and realizing I remembered nothing."

I thought you told me you'd change that . You said it yourself , it did sound awkward. Actually we were laughing our heads off at how stupid it sounded.
Also

Quote

Quote
Im giddy with Awe. I f i wasnt in school right now sneaking around.... Well you should wrte a book! -MogMaster

Naughty, naughty, sneaking around school!

As if we don't sneak around and go on these websites at school while somebody is pretending to help me with math. I failed on that page too .

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koasssssscpm;zdurbygudoybzxhrjgtxykegrxyuereuergueygrziyrgeixyexygrixyegrxiyrgeicrgnrsgizegndyznvizy
nvgeiruyrgvnzeignviezsuyvnyeisnyvesizygesnveiyznvuiyvneyzveizvnivnirnayviyg-that is how people on my planet speak. Yes I know I'm crazy. Please send all hate mail and threatening letters to [email protected]

Oh yeah just so you know im failing CAD. Update. And Ill work!(trys to guilt Figaro Into Writing)

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

PUT UP SOME NEW FANFIC!!!!!!!! I'm getting bored waiting here for you to make anew chapter. I thought you said you were gonna do achapter a day. What, did you get lazy? Why you little #$@%$!#$@!@$@#!!!!! And I mean that in the kindest possible way.Also when is Terra supposed to use magic? And get ready for some hate mail and threatening letters in your mail box. ha ha! I'm send ing my little ninja to take you out.

--------------------

koasssssscpm;zdurbygudoybzxhrjgtxykegrxyuereuergueygrziyrgeixyexygrixyegrxiyrgeicrgnrsgizegndyznvizy
nvgeiruyrgvnzeignviezsuyvnyeisnyvesizygesnveiyznvuiyvneyzveizvnivnirnayviyg-that is how people on my planet speak. Yes I know I'm crazy. Please send all hate mail and threatening letters to [email protected]

Oh PLEASE post some more! I have been waiting 4ever for anoter chapter

Argh... I haven't written this for a while... please don't smite me.

Thanks for all your comments. It's what kept me going to finish this chapter.
Enjoy!

Chapter 7

They dismounted their chocobos near the mouth of the cave. As soon as they dismounted, the chocobos 'wark'ed, and sped away. Locke started to try and stop them, but Edgar held him firmly by the shoulder. "Let them go. They're scared of this cavern, and with good reason. They'll run back into the wilderness, and live where they were meant to live; in their natural habitat. They were never meant to be kept and ridden by humans." Edgar could feel his friend's muscles loosen, so he released his grip and gracefully strode over to the Figaroan guard at the mouth of the cave.

The guard looked at him in surprise, then at his two companions. "King Edgar! Where are you headed?" he asked unmilitaristically.

"Through the cave, and eastward to South Figaro. Return to the castle, and tell the others we're safe." Edgar replied.

"Yes, sir! Take care!" The guard skillfully hopped up onto his chocobo and sped away.

The trio watched him ride off, and then simultaneously turn and look at the mouth of the cave. It was barely large enough for one person to walk without slanting his shoulders.

Perfect. Another cave. thought Terra.

Edgar entered first. His machine, which was now held in his right hand, was propped against his shoulder. A sword was sheathed and strapped to his belt. Terra followed, and Locke brought up the rear. "I apologize for again turning my back to a lady, and for not being gentlemenly and letting a woman go first, but under the circumstances, I believe that it's necessary for me to lead." Edgar explained, as Locke rolled his eyes.

"Just what are these 'circumstances', King Edgar?" Terra asked. Why do I get the feeling danger is near?

Edgar turned his head around to face her, "Please. Just Edgar will do. And I'm only sating that this cave is not all that safe. By traveling together, I believe we'll be safe enough, though." As Edgar uttered 'though', two giant large centipede-like Crawlys skittered toward them. Edgar's head snapped towards to noise reflexively to view the monsters. They were heading straight at him from ahead. With a slight hesitation, he lifted up his tool, pointed his machine in the general direction of the beasts, and a fury of bolts flew forward. One of the beasts dropped dead in his tracks, but the other one kept on scurrying towards the trio. Its pinchers snapped from side to side as it crawled up closer. A split-second before it was about to take a large bite out of the king, he pulled his sword out of its sheath, spun it around once in the air, and slammed it down into the Crawly's exoskeleton, right between the eyes. It yelped out in pain, and was silent.

"See what I mean?" Edgar added matter-of-factly as they continued onwards. As they walked a small distance forward from the mouth of the cave, they came to a spring. There was a single turtle floating serenely on the surface of the waters. As they walked up closer to it, the small corridor opened up into a medium-sized cavern. Edgar started to feel a strange sensation as they approached the small pool, as if his entire body was being refreshed. Terra, who was just a few paces behind, felt the sensation as well, although it seemed to refresh her soul, too, and not only her strength. Locke was the final one to walk up closer, and he felt much stronger, as well.

"Did anyone else feel that?" Locke asked.

"Yes." replied Edgar. "This pool seems to have a strange force about it. It's been here ever since this cave was made a route from Figaro to South Figaro. We call it a 'Recovery Spring'."

Feeling much refreshed, Locke encouraged, "Let's go!"

As they through a small, snaking passageway, Terra wondered about the strange mechanical object that Edgar was holding, and now, he seemed to be taking small, slender objects from the inside of his satchel and loading them into place in the object. As they rounded a corner that led into a larger cavern, Terra asked Edgar, "What is that?" The cave seemed to make the question echo forever.

"This, milady, is called an Auto Crossbow. You know what a crossbow is, right?" he looked back and could see her lower her head in deep in thought, and then remembered. Idiot!, he scolded himself. I forgot she lost her memory. He hastened to apologize, "Oh, I forgot for a second. Please forgive me."

"That's OK. I'm sure most people don't regularly converse with amnesiacs, huh?" Terra assumed, and Edgar smiled at her. She asked again, "What is it?"

This time, Edgar responded, "The Auto Crossbow is a mechanism I invented which, with the pull of a trigger, shoots a spray of crossbow bolts towards a target. That's the technical definition. You see, I can find these bolts anywhere I go. I can use animal's teeth, claws, horns; I can use old metal, copper, iron, railroad spikes, anything long and sharp. The bolts I'm using now and will be used by me for a while are manufactured in my very own castle. They're made out of iron, and are branded with the insignia of Figaro. Here, take a look at one." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a slender iron object, and handed it to Terra. She held it in her hands for a few moments, and then handed it back to him. "I think I see now. So basically, the Auto Crossbow will shoot a few of the bolts..."

"...It'll shoot twelve bolts, to be exact, in a spread," Edgar interrupted. "I'm sorry. Go ahead"

She continued, "It'll shoot twelve bolts in the direction of the enemy or enemies, and hopefully, one of the twelve will hit them."

"Correct," Edgar affirmed. "You learn pretty quickly. I'm sure you'll have your memory back in no time at all."

There was a break in the path. "If I remember correctly, we go left." Locke stated. "That should lead us through some small twisting caverns, and then to the outside." They all turned left, and there was room here so they didn't need to walk single file anymore. They rounded one of the twists, and Terra could see two small, furry creatures with one large eye. The threesome halted, and stared at the cyclopcian monsters.

"Those are Blearys," Edgar whispered. "They’re usually rather aggressive. They can't hear us yet, and if they become aware of our presence, we may be in trouble." He pulled the AutoCrossbow into a firing position, and pulled the trigger. It made a loud clicking-grinding noise, but the bolts were still inside the gun. The Blearys both looked at them and started moving towards them fast. Edgar stepped behind Locke and Terra, who had now drawn their weapons, where he fiddled with his tool. "It's jammed!" he yelled.

Terra and Locke advanced slowly towards the quickly moving Blearys. She held her sword in a low defense position, and Locke's dagger was pointed straight at the monsters. Both monsters jumped up to attack Terra. She sliced one in half, but was unable to kill the other before it latched onto her stomach with its sucker, which was hidden underneath its fur. Terra started gasping for breath and dropped her sword. Locke held up his dagger and stabbed the attacking cyclops right in its eye. It released its hold on the woman, and fell to the floor in a pool of yellowish blood.

“Thanks… thank you, Locke.” Terra said gratuitously.

Locke nodded. “Hey Edgar, what happened?”

The king had still been looking down and fidgeting with the AutoCrossbow. He stopped, glanced up to them, and raised his head. “I was afraid this would happen, but I was hoping it wouldn’t. It jams every now and then, unfortunately. We’re just going to have to hope it doesn’t happen again. I think it’s working now, though.” He walked right in between Locke and Terra, raised the tool into firing position, and pulled the trigger. A dozen bolts flew from the machine and ricocheted multiple times off the cavern walls. Edgar turned his head around to face the other two. “Yep. It works now.” With a new air of confidence, he straightened his head and resumed walking, taking care not to step on the dead creatures.

They met with no more complications along the way. They also met with no more conversation, as it seemed that everyone had their own things to ponder. Edgar and Locke both knew their way around this cave, so they navigated it quickly, and were once again out in the sunlight and on their way to South Figaro.

This post has been edited by Figaro on 14th March 2004 01:07

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Hmm.... A new chapter so quickly, says you? Yes, says I.

Chapter 8

As the trio exited the cave, wide open fields and hills expanded almost as far as the eye could see. A faint outline of blue could be seen in the distance, and there were some mountains far off to the east, and even more closer by on the west. They traveled south again, towards South Figaro.

"You guys want something to eat?" Locke said after they'd walked a few yards from the mouth of the cave. "I don't know agout you, but I'm kinda hungry." He rummaged through his satchel for a few seconds, and pulled out a small leather pouch. He tossed it to Edgar, who reached inside and pulled out a piece of brown meat, which he then ate. He passed the pouch to Terra, who looked at the pieces of meat.

She asked, "What is it?"

"It's called Jerky. I always like to have some on hand for a snack. It tastes good. Eat some." Locke explained.

So Terra picked up a small piece of the meat, and put it in her mouth. It was chewy, and tasted good. She took another piece, ate it, then handed the pouch back to Locke, who put it back into his satchel.

They walked on for a few minutes, chewing the meat. When they reached the top of the next hill, they could see that standing on the next hill was a creature of some sort. Locke had very keen eyes, and noted, "It's a Rinotaur. Hope we don't have much trouble." As soon as he'd finished the sentence, the monster turned towards them and charged.

It was a hideous beast. The biped had sharp, pearl-white teeth, two horns protruding from its muzzle, and natural armor plating. It also was very muscular, and very fast. It raced towards them with incredible speed. Locke drew his sword, and Terra pulled her sword from its scabbard. Both stood in ready positions. Egdar stepped forward from between them, his AutoCrossbow raised, and pointed directly at the approaching monster. He let loose a flying squadron of bolts, but since he was still a few dozen feet away, most of the bolts stuck in the hillside, or flew off into the air. Two of the bolts hit the the beast. One hit his spiked right side shoulder armor and bounced away, but the other one hit under his left armpit, which slowed him down for about a second. But, he was back and charging at them again. Edgar stepped back in line with Terra and Locke, who were still in their positions, lightly tossed his tool a few feet away, and drew his sword from his scabbard belt. He, too, took up a ready position.

Terra, with a new look of determination, resheathed her weapon. Locke and Edgar looked at each other, then turned to look at her. She moved her mouth up and down, mumbling in a low voice. She took a few steps forward, still mumbling. Terra quickly gave off a flash of red light, then fire appeared out of nowhere. Right on the monster.

The flame flared quickly, and then died out just as quickly, but it was a heat so intense that the trio felt the intense, split-second heat. The monster roared out in pain, and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Terra fell down, too, but out of sheer exhaustion. She sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Edgar's eyes widened with sheer amazement at what he'd just beheld. He started acting somewhat crazy at what he'd just seen.

Locke walked over to Edgar, for, in his crazed state, Edgar had made a single, long, jump, and was now a few feet away. Locke asked his comrade, "Edgar, what's the matter? You look positively spooked!"

Edgar regained part of his composure, and asked, stuttering, "D-d-d-d-d you just see what I saw...?"

Locke turned around and glanced at Terra, then replied back to his friend, "Yeah... this kid seems loaded for bear."

"That was amazing! That was magic! MAGIC!"

Now it was Locke's turn to lose composure. His eyes widened so wide, you could see the entire front part of his eyeball. "M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-MAGIC!? She used magic?" Edgar and Locke walked a few steps away and whispered a bit. Terra stood up. She was waiting, embarassed that she was causing so much confusion. Edgar walked away from the conference, and asked, "Terra, where on earth did you learn that?"

Terra looked down with even more embarassment. "Sorry... I... um..."

Locke regained composure and walked softly over to her left side, "Look, I didn't mean to make such a big deal of this."

Egdar walked over to her right, "Me either... it's just that I've never actually seen magic before. Where did you...?" But she said nothing.

"Edgar, Terra can use magic, and we can't. That's the only difference between us. The fact is, we could use her help!"

All the chagrin left her. She turned her head to the left, "Thank you, Locke." She turned it to the right, "Thank you, Edgar." She turned her back to them and started walking. She felt a bit of her femenine side returning to her, so she turned around and winked at them. The two grown men hung their mouths open with smiles of youthful bashfulness. "Stop swooning...!" she commanded, and they walked towards her, both grinning slightly. Edgar scolded himself by snapping his fingers. He turned around and started a brisk walk in the other direction.

Terra turned around, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just retrieving my crossbow, milady," he replied without turning. Now it was her turn to grin, for they had almost left it laying there.

This post has been edited by Figaro on 14th March 2004 05:00

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Bravo. Ive been waiting for that. You write like a book!

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 14th March 2004 08:20

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote

Bravo. Ive been waiting for that. You write like a book!

Books write?
Thanks.

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Sorry that the chapters have been so short lately. It's just that there's too many good stopping points...

Chapter 9

As they walked, Edgar reloaded his AutoCrossbow. Because of this, clicking sounds could be heard every now and then. He finally finished, and slung the weapon over his right shoulder, and held the handle with his right.

When the next hill was topped, they could faintly see a mass of small buildings, across a wide open plain. "That's South Figaro," Edgar explained. "We'll stop there for the night. Tomorrow, we'll rent some chocobos and ride to the base of Mt. Kolts. Once on the other side of the mountain, we'll need to head north through a valley. Unfortunately, we're going to have to walk, as there's no towns along the valley. Once north, we'll be at the Returner's hideout." Locke and Terra nodded comprehensively, and they all continued their walk across the field. They met with no more monsters, so they were quickly at South Figaro.
_______________________

They entered the town from the west. Presently, Egdar noticed a figure moving quickly through the buildings. He started a brisk walk, and followed him. Locke and Terra also followed, but they knew not what the young king was doing. "Edgar, what are you..." asked Locke, but Edgar shushed him quiet. They walked along the buildings where the figure had gone, and finally, they came to a cafe door.

"This is where he went." Edgar stated, and pushed open the door.

Inside the cafe, it was dark. A light tune was playing off in the distance. The figure was not in sight on the lower floor, so they walked up a flight of stairs. There was one single figure that seemed out of place: a man, shrouded in black clothes, with a mask, and several small throwing knives attached to his belt. Edgar led them over to an empty table, and after they all sat down, Edgar nodded in the general direction of the black clad man, then softly said, "He looks strangely familiar. Wait a minute..." He put his hand to his head pensively.

This black clad man owes allegiance to no one, and will do anything for money. He comes and goes like the wind. Edgar finally remember who he was, and affirmed, "That's Shadow! He'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel!"

"Better steer clear of him, I guess." Locke declared. They ordered some drinks, and sipped them in silence. After they finished their drinks, Edgar stood up, walked over to the counter, and paid for their drinks. He gestured towards the Inn, which was attatched to the cafe. Terra and Locke got up and followed him to the Inn. Once inside, Edgar walked over to the inn keeper.

He asked, "What are your rates?"

"Eighty gil per night. Whaddya say? You want a room?"

"Yeah, sure." Edgar pulled out a pouch from his satchel, and pulled out a fifty gil piece, a twenty gil piece, and a ten gil piece, and handed them all to the inn keeper, who thanked Edgar. The threesome then went over to the door that the inn keeper had gestured towards, and opened it. The room had four beds, a clock, a table with four chairs, and a fireplace. They all gave the room a once-over, and then Locke walked over to one of the beds and layed down.

"I'm gonna get some sleep," he stated. He walked over to his bed, unfastened his belt and dropped it, and let his satchel drop, as well. "Good night." he said as he fell over onto the bed, closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

"Good night." Edgar responded. He and Terra both unfanstened their scabbards from their belts, and their satchels, and dropped them by the beds they had chosen. He cleared his throat, and turned to Terra. "Well, it's still pretty early. Wanna go and walk around for a while?" he asked, smiling.

He's asking me out... She beheld him with a resignated look, and said, "I'm sorry... maybe some other time. I'm pretty tired after traveling from your castle." She sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at him. "Good night, Edgar." and she lay down on her bed, and turned over, so she was facing the wall.

Rejected. "Good night, then." Edgar replied, still standing. He walked over to his satchel, pulled out his gil pouch, which he attached to his belt, and walked out the door, which he shut quietly.

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Wheee.... I kinda made me a site for my fanfic: FFVI: The Novel

Catchy title, no?

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Nice to see you're still at this. Though you've mentioned it in chat, so I did know. Anyway.

Mogmaster, you mean novelist, right? >_>

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I had an old signature. Now I've changed it.

Heh You Know What I meant. Novelist, Author, Writes like a book Its all Good . Anyhow Keep Em coming so i can fail school somemore!! . Btw Your Site Is in My Favorites

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 15th March 2004 05:04

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Oooohhh.... another short-like chapter. Ah well. At least this one wasn't prescripted, like most of the others. I like the Terra-Edgar interaction here.

Chapter 10

"Terra? Terra..." Edgar grasped her shoulder and shook her lightly. "C'mon, wake up, milady." She stirred around for a second, then opened her eyes. The young king was down on one knee beside her bed. She stared at him through weary eyes. "It's already ten o'clock. We need to get going soon, and I thought you might like some breakfast. The cafe next door makes superb coffee. It'll wake ya up. C'mon." She stirred again, but lightly tossed back the sheets and raised herself to a sitting position. Edgar stood.

She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and stretched. She looked up. "Good morning, Edgar." she said as she stifled a yawn. He protruded his hand out, palm up. She laid hers in his, and he gently pulled her onto her feet. She walked over to the table, where her boots lay. She sat down in one of the chairs, and slipped them back on. Ten, she walked over to the mirror and straightened her hair. "OK, I'm ready," she declared at last. She walked over to the door, where Edgar was waiting patiently. "Wait, where's Locke?" she inquired as she looked about.

"He was gone when I woke up. He went to bed early, so I suppose he was up early, too. He's probably out... checking out the stores." he added with a slight grin and a wink. He opened the door and nodded towards the hallway. "Shall we?" She smiled and walked out. Edgar emerged from the room, closed the door, and locked it with a key. They turned left, and then right, back into the cafe. The place was relatively empty, save for a barmaid wiping one of the tables, a few patrons, and the bartender. They walked towards the bar, and sat down at the nearest table to it.

Presently, the barmaid walked up to their table. "What can I get for ya?" she asked.

"I'd like the house coffee, please."

"And for you, madam?"

"...same, please." Terra said. The barmaid then walked away and behind the counter. Edgar and Terra looked at each other for a few seconds, then a familiar face ascended the stairs.

"Mornin'," Locke greeted as he sat down. "How's everyone doing today?"

"OK, I suppose." Edgar said, and Terra nodded her agreement.

"Hey guys, I got us somethings." Locke said in a now-hushed voice. "Check it..." he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out... "A Star Pendant." He handed it to Terra, who fondled it gently. "There's a relic shop on the base floor in this very building, thats where I got 'em from." Terra tried to hand it back to Locke, who shook his head and nudged her hand away with the back of his own hand. "It's yours. What it does is simple: it protects you from poison. You can't be poisoned while you're wearing this." He smiled.

"Thank you, Locke," she said, returning the smile. She pinned it on her lapel. It was a pretty little thing: about one inch across, with a little green gem, cut in a star shape, placed in the middle.

"Hey, it matches your hair." Edgar said, smiling, and pointing in the general direction of her lapel, then at her green hair. "I like it." He looked back over at Locke. "I don't suppose you have anything for me then, would you?" he asked jokingly.

"Actually, I do." Locke pulled a small trinket out of nowhere. He held it out to Edgar. "This is called a True Knight. When you wear it in battle, it will, mysteriously, give you quick reflexes to defend others who are wounded."

"Well, that certainly is interesting," the young king pondered aloud. clasped it to the right side of his belt, as the left side usually wore his scabbard and sword. At the moment, though, no one was carrying a weapon. Asides from Locke, of course, for his dagger was always concealed behind his coat. "Wait a minute... where did you say you got these?" Edgar inquired with a sudden air of harshness.

"The local relic shop," Locke replied cheerfully. Edgar glared at him for a moment, until Locke understood his ridgidity, then added, "Oh, no, don't worry. I bought them legally." Then Edgar's face blossomed into a wide grin, and they all had a much-needed laugh.

Presently, the barmaid walked in with three drinks. "I saw you walk in, Mr. Cole, and so I brought you the usual."

Locke smiled politely, "Thank you." She set all three of the drinks down to their respective patrons, who lightly sipped at them, for they were all scalding hot. As they cooled, all three people drank them down in silence.

After they had all finished, Edgar broke the silence. “OK, Locke, you’ve given everyone else your treat, so now its my turn to give everyone something.” He stood up, tossed a coin over the counter, and walked down the stairs and out of the building. Terra and Locke followed close behind.

They walked for a few minutes along the town buildings, streets, and bridges. Finally, they came to a shop that had the silhouette of a large sword on the front sign. “This is the place.” Edgar confirmed the thought that was on everyone’s minds. He pushed the front door open, and held it open for his two companions. He walked over to the counter, and said to the man tending it, “OK, Roy, bring ‘em out.” The man nodded, reached down beside the counter, and pulled out two beautiful weapons: a sword and a dagger. They were sheathed in scabbards that matched the weapons. “These are for you. Here…” He reached out and pulled the sword from the sheath. “The finest sword made in Figaro, South or the castle.” He handed it to Terra, who took a few steps to one side and swung it through the air a few times, then walked over to the counter and resheathed it.

“It’s a good blade.” She said, turning to Edgar. She chewed her bottom lip for a second, then said, “Thank you, Edgar,” and she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

“Best thanks I’ve ever received.” He replied, gazing into her eyes. He heard his friend cough interruptingly, then he suddenly remembered. “Oh, and this is for you, Locke. Also the finest.”

He handed the weapon to Locke, who quickly jerked it out of its scabbard. He held it up to the light, then put it back in his sheath. “Thanks, friend.” he returned with a slight smile. Edgar nodded at Roy, then the new owners of their new weapons attached them to their belts as they walked out and back to the Inn. Once there, they prepared for their journey up Mt. Kolts.


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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;

Soooo Book quality/ Get It Published and i'll buy it like that.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

I wonder when the next update for this FanFic is going to be, I really like the fanfic, I wonder how many chapters there are going to be.