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The Legacy of Shadow

Posted: 8th August 2002 03:12

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Joined: 27/6/2001

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Author's Note: This author's note is attached with chapter ten of "Final Fantasy VI: A World Changed", which was never finished.

*****

Chapter Ten

"Please," Cossack laughed, "call me Dragonfire. Cossack was my alias. Isn't that one of the reasons you found the dragons in the towns of those infidels?"

Shadow kept his temper near calm as possible. "So, this will be it?"

"Oh yes, this will, after what happened between us and Sakura, this will be it."

Dragonfire made a very evil grin as his hand inched closer and closer toward his Max Sword.

"We've trained under Invincible," Dragonfire continued, "we've separated under Invincible, we'll fight under Invincible."

"Use the term Master," Shadow growled.

"Master?" Dragonfire echoed, "I have no master. See this sword?" He pulled out his Max Sword.

"The Max?" Shadow gasped. This sword belonged to Master Invincible. If Dragonfire had it, that would mean…

"Disturbed?" Dragonfire laughed, "don't worry, you'll be joining him soon."

"Try finding another quote for the next time," Shadow muttered, "although I won't let you have another chance to do that!"

With a motion so undetectable and invisible to the naked eye, a silent dagger flew from his belt toward the head of Dragonfire. Dragonfire merely grabbed it in midair and threw it back as he ran up a tree. Shadow grabbed the dagger while jumping, threw it, and kicked off another tree to send him propelling toward the boulder. Dragonfire caught it again, and threw it hard, but without accuracy, into the boulder Shadow was headed for. As Shadow was flying toward the boulder, he saw dust rise from two points of the boulder, which could only mean that the dagger went through the boulder. The entire thing took no more than one second.

"So," Dragonfire sneered, "both of us have improved."

"Improvement is inevitable," Shadow remarked, "even for you."

"Both of us have been being cold to each other," Dragonfire mocked, "why not try to aim for respect?"

Again, both of the drew daggers and threw, but both were threw with such accuracy and speed that both of them hit each other and cut the very middle of the blade for both. Shadow and Dragonfire lunged for their daggers, only to find them kicking and punching each other above both daggers. Again, both of them split apart.

"You're pretty fast," Dragonfire said, "but not fast enough."

"Only if you can talk as fast," Shadow teased.

This time, Dragonfire threw a round shield like a Frisbee at Shadow. Shadow jumped and landed on the spinning shield as he used his body to maneuver it like a snowboard. Dragonfire had thrown it so viciously that Shadow could guide it back at him. Leaning in one direction, Shadow focused on his skill as his feet skidded on the shield, touching it but not with enough friction to send him flying.

Dragonfire was shocked to see Shadow guide the shield back, but not stunned. He jumped out of the way as the shield sliced three trees in its way. Shadow jumped and lunged for Dragonfire, who dodged and blocked Shadow's advancing slices.

"Give it up!" Dragonfire screamed as he summoned a fire spell. Shadow merely casted an ice spell to freeze the advancing flame. Shadow dashed again at Dragonfire, but Dragonfire jumped over him and ran up a mountainside. He jumped and flipped as he started throwing daggers at tremendous speed. Shadow skillfully dodged the daggers as he reached for his own.

Setzer had never seen anything like this as he came up the staircase to the deck. They were there, but weren't. They were travelling faster than a blur, hardly visible to the human eye even as a blur. Suddenly, Shadow was in front of Setzer, grabbing a knife that was pointed as Setzer's face. Setzer never saw Shadow coming, Shadow was just suddenly…there. Setzer knew that he must have moved, but it seemed that he just existed there or teleported. In a few seconds, Setzer knew that Shadow had just saved him from stopping a knife that would've stabbed his head and speed through it.

Shadow disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, and by that time, Setzer had been trying to work something with his Slot skill. It was easy to cast it, but not easy to hit something that was moving this fast. He could only summon it by random, and when he did, both Shadow and Dragonfire already saw the first rays from the ground,  and avoiding them was like avoiding a crash into a building.

Again, their throw skills were at work as knifes pierced every part of the plain. Knifes flew and charged and crashed into others. The knives themselves became sharpened by the wind created by the speed that was cutting it.

As the rest of the team came and saw the battle, the two speed devils, Lance and Agile, had joined the fight to stop Dragonfire. As both Setzer and Leo tried to hit Dragonfire from far range, Agile was fencing with Dragonfire in midair.

Agile had never been in a battle this fast. He couldn't believe how far he was pushing himself from the limit, and fought ferociously.

"Not bad, little kid," Dragonfire laughed as he challenged Agile's blade, "You remind me of myself when I was your age." Agile didn't answer.

Suddenly, "Aura Bolt!" Dragonfire cried as a beam of blue flew from his sword. The beam hit Agile as he was blasted toward the sky.

He was flying up, but not before he could cast, "Thunder Beam!" A bolt of lightning stripped from his hands and flew toward Dragonfire. Dragonfire was able to block it, but it wasn't enough  to stop Agile from lowering his health.

"Curses," he muttered to himself. Lance, who had been watching from a distance, was suddenly distracted at the move Agile did.

"It was so similar…" Lance whispered.

Dragonfire obviously saw Lance distracted and headed his way. Lance was shocked as he pulled out his two javelins and struck.

Dragonfire looked at the javelins and said, "How about giving me those javelins back for your life?"

"These were yours?" Lance asked.

"Gee, do you think?"

"Finders keepers, losers weepers," Lance muttered as struck harder.

The javelins seemed to be working against its original owners as even Dragonfire was having a hard time keeping them away.

"You remind me of myself three years ago," Dragonfire grunted, "and I was a failure then. So are you!" Dragonfire had found an open spot in Lance's blanket of strikes and struck. Lance closed his spears on the sword and blocked it. But it was unintentional. Lance was closing his eyes and gathering his energy.

It didn't take more than a millisecond. Lance's spears flew like an entire flock of eagles as he struck from every angle with his spears, foot and fists. Dragonfire disappeared from the blanket, but suddenly reemerged, cut in many places, as Lance flew and skidded to a halt on the deck of the Falcon, dagger in his chest.

Shadow could not worry about Lance as he finally caught up with Dragonfire. Seeing Dragonfire's cuts, however, impressed him.

"This will do you some good!" Shadow cried as three daggers flew from his belt. Dragonfire twirled his sword and not only hit the three daggers, but spun his sword in circles, allowing the three knives to be trapped in a funnel of blade. He threw his sword at Shadow with the three knives soaring with it also. Shadow took out his own sword and knocked the sword and knives to the ground. However, this distraction allowed Dragonfire to deliver a roundhouse kick. Shadow, although hurt, made a stunning recovery as he lunged back at Dragonfire in midair, tackling him to the ground.

They were speeding like two bullets, as they fumbled together in midair. They knew that inertia was driving them, and they had no hope of stopping unless the crash into something.

Shadow was able to cut Dragonfire a few times with his sword, but Dragonfire always got the better. Not only was he attacking him, but also counterattacking. Shadow unleashed all the moves he knew, only to find them counterattacked by Dragonfire.

However, both of them crashed into a tree, and Dragonfire, forgetting that they had to crash, spun crazily as he went through the tree, spinning like a gyroscope. Shadow had stopped his speed enough so he could simply bounce off it. Both of them felt pain, but not intense pain, as they shot together and battled again.

At last, Agile had recovered himself from the Aura Bolt and was speeding toward Dragonfire again, eager to seek for revenge. "Thunder Beam!" he cried as a jolt of lightning flew from his fingertips. It missed Dragonfire, but managed to keep Shadow and Dragonfire apart only for a moment.

Immediately, swords clashed as Shadow and Dragonfire jumped into the air. At this time, Agile finally placed a well-aimed shot, and lightning shrieked its way toward Dragonfire. However, Dragonfire, aware of the blast, used his sword and merely knocked his bolt aside as though it were a stick. Agile, watching the countered beam come closer to him, fired another beam, countering it. No one was sure what happened, but lightning seemed to erupt from everyplace of where the two beams hit. Shadow, who had Dragonfire's blade in his arm, was completely shocked when a lightning bolt hit the sword like a spire. Dragonfire, holding on to the sword, was jolted as well. Agile, who was having trouble keeping himself alive, was knocked unconscious when a bolt of lightning struck a stone and the stone bounced right into his forehead.

The sky cleared again as the lightning faded away, but that did not stop the two fighters. Shadow and Dragonfire were leaking crimson blood, and it wasn't going to end either. The two had again started raining blades of silver, and the rest of the team had no choice but to take cover in anywhere they could. Even to Shadow and Dragonfire, the knives seem to fly from their belts instead of from their hands. Blades tasted skin as knives cut each other. It wasn't long until the grassy plain was covered in a coat of sharpened metal.

"This battle is going to end right now!" Dragonfire screamed as he hurled the Max Sword at Shadow. Shadow lunged at it and tried to hit it aside with his own sword, but found his mistake. Dragonfire had threw it too hard, and too hard meant that Shadow's sword cracked and the Max pierced his arm.

Screaming filled the ears of others as Shadow held onto his arm, now engraved with a shining blade. Dragonfire smiled as he drew another sword to deliver the finishing blow. However, one lone blade blocked the Max, and as both Shadow and Dragonfire looked up, they had stunned looks on their faces.

There stood a calm man, only in his early thirties, with long silver hair and red eyes. He wore fancy robes of black and gold and inside was tucked with a white shirt and a red vest.

"(Master) Invincible?" both Shadow and Dragonfire cried. Invincible unleashed a barrel of attacks against Dragonfire almost immediately, and Dragonfire could block every one of them, although with difficulty, until Invincible twirled his blade and struck him in the shoulder.

To Shadow, he attacked too, jabbing right and left as Shadow somersaulted, flipped and jumped, all while fencing Invincible. As Shadow managed to flip away from one swing of the blade, Invincible suddenly dashed up and threw his sword at Shadow. His sword cut into his leg, and he as it shot past, Invincible seemed to teleport where the sword was as he caught it in midair and kicked Shadow to the ground. With that, he turned into a beam of light and shot toward the sky.

No one could reply to that. Everyone wondered if they had seen holy hell, but within a moment of time, blades were unleashed again as Shadow and Dragonfire brought the fight between each other.

Nobody looked back, but only Setzer suddenly turned as saw Melody began to…pray.

Suddenly, the clouds opened as a heavenly gate and light poured into the field. A hawk appeared from the sky and released a large ball of thunder toward Dragonfire. The effect was devastating. No one was able to see, feel or hear anything by the time it was over, there was a large crater in the ground, Dragonfire was lying, unmoving, and Melody had opened her eyes.

Shadow approached Dragonfire, sword drawn, as he kept a wary eye on both the occupants on the airship and the downed fighter. Then, his sword flicked like a snake. It missed Dragonfire as he suddenly sprang up and exploded with flying blades. He had not seen Dragonfire get up, but he did see a dagger suddenly engraved in Melody's stomach.

Dragonfire was in a rage. Shadow had only fought him once when he was this angry. When they were in hatred of each other. All because of Sakura.

Blades have never struck so hard, and even though both swords were cracked and about to break, they attacked each other ferociously. There was not a thought in both warriors mind except to hurt either warrior. Shadow kicked Dragonfire in the stomach although Dragonfire would have the chance of implanting his sword in his knee. Dragonfire dashed forward with his Max as he went into the direct slashing area of Shadow, blade drawn.

If only Shadow had fought this hard against Kefka, they would have been victorious in a matter if seconds. But this fight was far from ferocious. It was beyond that.

He didn't know what made him, but Shadow suddenly calmed down. His brain suddenly looked at Dragonfire as it produced plans on how to attack him like a football play. Every plan was disappearing as Dragonfire made his every move. Each strategy disappeared as Shadow figured that Dragonfire would block it.

And when he had made his next step, Shadow had only one plan in his mind he thought would work.

He flipped.

Fast! He had never done anything as fast before, but according to the plan he had in mind he would have to flip faster. He was falling! No, Shadow thought, I can't fall yet. Just a little more, just a little more…

He made it behind Dragonfire. But he flipped up again. Dragonfire, who had looked back and saw Shadow flipping back again, knew that he was trying to trick him by making him think he was behind his first state.

But Shadow merely flipped up, not back in front of Dragonfire. Virtually, he was still behind him.

Dragonfire gasped as a long blade dug through his stomach. Blood rushed out of his wound as he started dropping toward the ground.

He seemed to attempt to curse at Shadow, but nothing came out. Suddenly, he became calmer, and calmer, and calm. Shadow knelt down next to him as he looked at the doomed warrior.

Dragonfire, putting much effort, managed to smile and say, "Well, this is it."

Shadow wanted to say something else, such as, "Damn, Dragonfire, you are dying and you're acting like a damn hero?"

But instead, Shadow said, "You will be seeing her, won't you?"

"Yes, I will. I'll give her your regards."

Both seemed to smile at each other for a while until Dragonfire said, "I have been foolish. Stubborn. And now, it's over."

Sounding stupid, Shadow said, "We'll meet again."

Dragonfire smiled, and slowly, ever so slowly, closed his eyes.

Shadow stood back up, and a tear mixed with blood. He stood up with Dragonfire in his arms.

Shadow flew. No one had seen him fly before, but he flew. He was aiming for the clouds, out of sight, out of civilization.

Setzer yelled, "Shadow, where are you going!?"

But Shadow didn't answer. This was enough. He was going to bring rest to his partner, his enemy, his rival, his friend.

The story would've ended here. But I knew I couldn't leave them. I could only bury Dragonfire, as any righteous assassin would do. It was called tradition, destiny, I don't care what you call it, I had to do it. But as I was engulfed by the white blanket of clouds, I could only look down at Dragonfire and see that smile on his face that would stay there forever, as he smiled long ago…before Sakura…

*****

This fanfic revolves around Shadow's past, including the characters Dragonfire (Cossack), Master Invincible, and the mysterious Sakura. After all, with a battle that took up an entire chapter, something must have happened before…

Final Fantasy VI: The Legacy of Shadow
By Alex Owens

Prologue

It was a treacherous climb, climbing a mountain with the angle of eight-seven degrees; almost perpendicular to the ground.

Had the person been anything else, there would've been a difference. But this man had gone through enough. He had left his friend, his wife, his original destiny. He had enough with his "original destiny". Now, he wanted things his own way.

And if he wasn't going to get it, he'd face death. Namely, a seven hundred-foot drop from the sky to the ground.

But the clouds pushed him, they urged him, and he climbed.

There's got to be more to life than stealing, the man thought, more than stealing. There simply has to be something else…something…better…

Only a few feet left…

The man continued his climb, holding on rock after rock. Sweat dropped through his black mask, but he didn't mind. It was often that he wore this, and that uniform was his only identity now.

No one knew Clyde Arrowny anymore.

Suddenly, he slipped. A scream cut through his masked mouth as he desperately tried to grab on to something to stop his fall. A vine. Perfect.

With a swift grasp, he held tight onto the vine. The vine shook, and dust came from the roots, but it held firm, no doubt. Clyde sighed with relief and continued the climb up the stoned wall.

Finally, with a heavy heave, his hands made it to the edge. The top of the mountain. New hands were swift to give Clyde a hand up. As Clyde let out a choke of exhaustion, he looked at the two people who lifted him up.

The male was a man about Clyde's age, with spiky blue hair and blue eyes. He carried a double golden spears on his back, a well few ninja stars tucked onto his belt, and dressed in a few layers of cloaks. The female was again about Clyde's age, with neatly combed black hair and tied well with a bandana. She was dressed in a red and black ninja-like outfit, carried several daggers on her belt, and had a katana attached to her belt.

The male smiled. "Well," he said, "You made it. Welcome to Raven Temple."

Clyde gasped for air again, then smiled proudly. "Yeah," he said, "I made it."

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Nine-hundred ninety-nine billion nine-hundered ninety-nine million nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand nine-hundred ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall...
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