Here's the first chapter of my long planned-out fan fic based on Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles! I hope you liked it. I like to spend a lot of time on little details because I think it gives a depth to it. You can really see what the clothes look like; not just how they look, but also the materials are explained to give it authenticity. Wasn't the story of Manna sad? ;.( Anyway, look for more chapters to come soon, and please review and comment on stuff. I really appreciate the input. More than anyone will ever know.
Chapter 1: Veterans
Out in the countryside of the Iron Mine Downs, a caravan of six were slowly approaching the Marr Falls, beside which rested their crystal and their families. It was in the warmth of spring after a mild, but white winter and the plants were springing up around the Adre River. This river flowed from the falls that came from the summits of the Kutliema Mountains that form the eastern border of the known realm. The caravan followed this river on their way home from a long nine month trek for myrrh in far-flung areas of the world. They had traveled so far abroad in order to keep the closer myrrh trees ready for the fledgling caravanners that were to replace half of them. Every village knew of different trees from which they could draw myrrh. Some of these were commonly known while still more of them were kept secret. This wasn't to hide them from other caravans out of greed, but out of the necessity to have a stock of exclusive trees that the different villages could count on likely having myrrh undisturbed. In this way the villages wouldn't become rivals and argue over who would go to which trees.
The returning caravan was composed by two Clavats, one Lilty, two Selkies, and one Yuke. The senior member of the group, an aged Clavat with a care-ridden face, was named Arthur. He had dark green eyes that shone with a deep wisdom of the years. He was also tall, having grown so in his proud youth when he was a very imposing and stout fighter. He had short hair that was once dark brown, but lately had begun to fade with graying hairs dispersed among his darker hair. He wore a cloak to warm himself from the chill of morning. This cloak also concealed from unfriendly eyes his gleaming set of armor plated with carved diamond with narrow seams in between the plates. He wore on his left hand an ornate ring with a crystal shard mounted onto the untarnished silver band. That crystal would project its own small miasma-warding aura around his body for a period of time outside the aura of a myrrh-enriched crystal, such as the one on a crystal chalice or one protecting a town. On his other hand he wore another ring, one with a small orb of green magicite with a white core. Such rings as made by the ancient Yukes would allow the wearer to cast the spell contained within the magicite. Normally a magicite orb would crumble into dust after several uses, but magicite used in the construction of these magic rings was treated with a long forgotten spell while being bound into the ring. Furthermore, runes of power were carved into the ring itself to enhance the potency of the magicite so that the smaller orbs used in the rings would work as effectively as the common magicite orbs which tended to be the size of a large marble. The only piece of combat armory he bore besides the armor was a shield of steel on his left arm, although at the time he wore it on his back as he did between moments of danger.
The other Clavat, a middle-aged woman with a cold demeanor, was named Manna. She wore the countenance of a fierce, perceptive creature with which few would willingly reckon. She had hazel eyes and long blonde hair that always fell to the bottom of her back. She wore a necklace with a golden tag hanging from it. This tag bore what people commonly referred to as an angel's tear, a smooth, smoky-white stone that always formed into the shape of a teardrop. Angel's tear was said to have the virtue of granting all nearby resistance to the elements, whether it be fire or ice. Those who wore it were granted resiliency to most forms of magic, save for holy or curative magic. She bore no plate armor but wore a light mail of mythril chains. On her left hand she wore a magic ring with a fiery magicite bound to it, a yellow core within a red shell.
The Lilty, who bore himself with much visible esteem, was named Guss, head of the Stade household. His orange eyes meshed well with his yellow hair. He was stocky and filled out his clothing with muscle. He proudly wore a complete suit of mythril plate armor, into the breast of which was embedded a crystal fragment that, like Arthur's ring, would ward off miasma allowing him to venture out of the protective aura of the crystal chalice for periods of melee combat. He carried on his shoulder, never relinquishing it to be carried in the papaopamus-drawn wagon, the mighty lance Hydre, an heirloom of his sires. It had a magical gem encased in the large head of the lance, which was wrought of pure orichalcum. No lance was its equal in all of the Downs, and only in the hands of the high guards of Alfitarian royalty would any find lances of similar craft, that being of the greatest smiths in history of the former Liltian Empire before it dissolved.
The two Selkies were betrothed to marry before the caravan's next journey. After that they too were planning to retire along with Arthur to leave the new caravan to fend for itself. The Selkie man, named Da Keh, wore a jovial expression most of the time when they weren't battling. This was to the credit of his fiancée Momo Zi, who played with him constantly. Da had short blue-green hair and bright red eyes, and was tall like Arthur in stature, only he still had youthful, strong legs for jumping around quickly while fighting. Da wore a large mythril belt fringed with white fur. The Selkies usually wore this in place of heavy armor, and it protected his vital organs below his sternum from blows. The Selkies always wore very light protective garments because they relied mainly on their agility in battle, rather than their defenses and strength. This isn't to say that they are weak, Selkies being the only near rivals to Lilties in sheer strength of sinew. Da fought with a magic racket that harbored the ability to send forth great gust of wind that could send enemies sailing through the air. The racket also bore sharp points on the end for cutting deeply into an enemy. He also wore a talisman on his blue tunic that was made of the beak of the giant bird known as a zuu. The talisman was carved with runes that granted the wearer enhanced speed and agility.
His fiancée Momo wore no armor at all. She wore a yellow corset for abdominal support, much like a weightlifter's girdle, so as to help her with acrobatic maneuvers. She also wore a pink skirt of Selkie fashion, but cut at an oblique angle. She had long red hair that she almost always kept in a ponytail, since it enticed her fiancée so when she let it down to its full length. Having it pulled back gave great emphasis to her light blue eyes. She was short, only about five feet in height, and she had tone legs and arms, although she would not be counted as skinny by today's standards. This only served to give her a curvier figure. Her clothes had been imbued with the oil from a gigan toad's skin, which had the property of defending against binding spells that would stop time for the victim. She also wore a light belt with a pair of griffin feathers attached to it and with mythril studs embedded throughout the circumference. She wielded an elemental cudgel, made of bronze and tipped with three long Cerberus fangs. She wore earrings smelted with pixie dust so as to lend partial resistance to the elements much like the angel's tear that Manna wore.
The Yuke, whose name was Dio, was of the race gifted with natural skills in magic. Even so, he hefted the hammer Mjollnir, forged by his father who was one of the few Yukish blacksmiths. It had the ability to grow very heavy in mid-swing in order to inflict grievous injury to all who fell under it. His age showed in his light red feathers. He was at least fifty years old, married to a wife only thirty-six years old, but his hammer and knowledge of magic made up for his age. He wore a red tunic enriched with gigan toad oil that covered a mail of mythril links. His helmet had a crest upon the top, within which resided a worm antenna. The antenna of the giant worms was said to hold the power to prevent the slowing of time.
The caravan walked now within a three day journey to their homes in Adriosc, the village at the base of the Marr falls. They came to the edge of the nearby forest as it grew nearer to the river when a small white moogle came drifting up to them from the woods and into their aura before he said anything.
"Kupo! I finally found you! It's good to see you all well and returning safely again, kupo! I was sent out here to keep watch for you and bring word of your return to Adriosc. Not to break with the pleasantries, but I'll be off to give word for you! I'm sure the villagers can hardly wait any longer for news of you. How long do you think you will be in getting home, kupo?" He was one of the mail carrier moogles for Adriosc. Since moogles were impervious to the miasma, they were used frequently to ferry messages between villages. This one seemed very giddy indeed at the return of the caravan since he was friends with the townsfolk of Adriosc.
In response, Arthur climbed up into the wagon and began to compose a letter to be delivered ahead of their arrival. The moogle sat resting on the wagon for the time being while the letter was written. After finishing, Arthur folded it up and gave it to the moogle. "We should arrive home within the next three days. We expect things to be in order when we get home, for much hardship have we suffered this year and we wish nothing more than to relax and enjoy a good meal with friends. Tell them that along with this letter."
"I most certainly will, kupo!" With that, the moogle took the letter and sprung off of the wagon and sped away calling behind him, "KUPO KUPOOOOO!" as he faded away in the distance.
"They must be magical creatures, being able to not only keep aloft but also to fly so swiftly upon such small, featherless wings," remarked Guss. "It is funny to watch them go!"
All seemed quiet and at peace with their journey home as they continued onward. The only one of the group who was the least bit troubled was Manna. As she walked along, her mind drifted back to a time before she came to Adriosc.
It was back when she and her husband and son lived in a village about four days journey to the northwest from Adriosc. The village was fair and the grounds were bountiful. Her husband was a merchant of odd items and tools in their shop. One year, however, their caravan fell to monsters and never returned. On top of the caravan failing, orcs from the mines to the north had come to raid the town, apparently following the scent of the offending caravan who dared to enter their lair. The orcs waited until the time when their crystal would go out for the time to attack. The crystal went out weeks after the caravan's projected time of return, just 8 days since the orc blockade was established. Their numbers were so large that the forces within the town weren't enough to drive them off. With no refuge from the miasma, Manna and her family fled to the southeast. Shortly after leaving the village, the family happened upon a traveling merchant with a crystal and a wagon. They told him of their town's demise and that they needed him to take them to Adriosc. The merchant had no choice but to help them, but he feared that the crystal wouldn't last much longer since it was suppose to recharge within the aura of the now dormant crystal of Manna's village. After three days of travel, the aura of his crystal was finally exhausted.
The miasma closed in and they had to try and walk the remaining distance to Adriosc. Nearly five miles from town, the family and merchant were waylaid by a group of four goblins. The merchant was the first to be slain, and after valiantly felling three goblins Manna's husband was killed. Only she remained to fend off the goblin, so she took the fire ring that later she would wield with such skill and used it to kill the last goblin. The strain the spell put on her inexperienced mind put her to sleep, leaving her son to weep over her thinking her dead.
Soon afterwards, a moogle came flapping up the road to find the young boy laying atop his mother, trying to wake her to no avail. He told the moogle of their plight and the moogle hurried back to town to fetch people who could carry Manna and her son back with him. After being taken into the care of the town's elder, Manna awoke to find that her son had died while she slept. His exposure to miasma was irreparable. She then swore that she would take part in the caravan of Adriosc in order to do as much as she could to repay the town that couldn't save her son, but did save her. She didn't want her new home to fall to miasma, and the only thing she could do is to see to it herself that it wouldn't.
Seeing the very same moogle fly away so fast, but this time in glee made her think about such a painful memory. The others took no notice of her grief, save for Arthur who began to walk even closer to her, almost daring to put his arm around her to comfort her.