Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Tactics Advance, Grimoire, Or any other words associated with the title. Yet. I'm stilling trying to win the rights for "of" and "Rift". *Cough* But yeah, all rights go to Square, like so much of my money does. Stupid awesome games :|
Author's Note: Another day, another story idea I just had to write down. Le sigh~ So, I was playing FFTA2 again (I started over. Again.) And got an idea I THINK is okay for a story, so I'm working on that now. As usual, progress on other stories moves to sporatic/whenever I feel like it status for the moment while I work on this, but if history has taught us nothing else it's that I'm anything but consistant. Anyway, a few notes about this story before you begin; Luso is not the main character and PROBABLY won't even be included in this story, unless I toss him in as a cameo. I dunno, but don't count on it. As for other main characters, some will be in, others maybe not. I haven't actually BEATEN the game yet, so expect some details to be off, or just completely plucked out of the air as... Well, I dunno what the actuality of it is. Finally, as I do with my Pokemon story, expect me to take certain liberties with characters from the game you're familair with - But if my reviewers of that particular story are to be believed, I'm pretty good at not screwing them up! ^^
-- Chapter I: Hunt Gone Awry
"Karras!" Cid called back to the straggler of his group, his deep-set Revgaji voice carrying quite well across the forested terrain they crossed. "Do hurry up, hmm? You're falling behind… Again."
The fighter huffed out a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow, letting the various belts and holders upon his back run slack a bit while he gazed on ahead at his friend and leader, "Wouldn't be so bad, if I wasn't hauling weapons enough for the rest of us, wouldn't you agree?" he shot back with a mock sneer, the good natured lack of subtlety a common trait the two shared frequently, "Perhaps you'd have a care to take one or two yourself?"
Cid stroked his whiskers for a second, as though in thought, before giving the blade at his side a gentle pat, "I think not, my friend, this one'll do just fine for me. 'Sides, you wouldn't want your dear friend to hurt his poor, old back, now would you?" He gave the Hume a smile before quickly adding, "And don't think you've anyone fooled – You know as well as I; every last one of those swords are yours and yours alone."
He had a point, and a good one. Why should the burden be shared when it was Karras who chose to dredge out every one of his blades for a mission? Be they two or the six he carried, they were, in fact, his own – And it was the fighter's job to carry them all. With a smile and a sigh, Karras pulled on the straps and tightened the slack, before rushing to catch up with the others. Their mark was just ahead, and Clan Bowen would not be long in their own arrival – Klesta had avoided the two clans for the last time. 'Tonight you're dinner, you overgrown drumstick.'
The farthest of the group, Cwartz, gently pushed aside the braches and oversized leaves with his katana, remaining silent as a shadow as he led the others into the clearing that stretched before them. Targ woods had a quaint serenity about it, one that ninja rather enjoyed when Clan Valuk wasn't on a mission – Sadly, today he would gain nothing from such beautiful scenery. Giving his headband a gentle push upwards, out of his eyes, Cwartz signaled for the others to follow. According to the sources he'd uncovered in town, the great Crushatrice they hunted should've been close by.
A polar opposite to the ninja's innate stealth, the Gria Senna was anything but silent. While her companion chose to move forest's blockade with precision, silence, and care, the impatient half-dragon chopped away whatever got in her path. With an angry huff, she grabbed the ninja by the shoulder and spun him around roughly, "Where IS this thing Cwartz!?" she screamed, positively fuming at the lack of excitement the clan had run into since departing from the town limits.
Brushing off her abrasive gesture, Cwartz urged his friend to silence before moving on ahead without a word. No doubt it would only anger the Gria more, but such was the way with Cwartz. If he could not convey his meaning without words, then it simply wasn't worth his time. Flint started to come up behind the woman, when she released a long branch she'd been holding. With unexpected swiftness, it swung back, and knocked the tiny, white Moogle onto the grassy earth, giving the poor creature a small, but still smarting bruise upon his head. "Kupo!" the creature squeaked out in indignation, "Watch what you're doing!"
Senna hissed at the Moogle and moved on, leaving Flint to pick his own self up. He adjusted his hat with his meager, furred paw-like hands and tightened the scarf around his neck, before plucking the long rifle from the ground beside him. It was almost a laughable scene, the fusilier wielding a weapon that, when held up against him, was taller than even he was! But such was the way of things. Flint turned about, and waited until; at last, Cid and Karras came into view. "Kupo, why'd we bring the witch again?" he inquired, with every bit of irritation and cynicism that he could muster.
Cid merely waved it off and gestured for the creature to move ahead and keep the group together – No sense in getting more separated then they already were, after all. "We've fought with Klesta before, lest you forget. We'll need the ravager's raw power if we're to put that menace down for good this time. Just worry about your own duty and we'll get through this just fine." He instructed, turning to give the fighter a quick nod before waving him forward, taking up position at the rear of the clan.
Karras gazed upwards, trying to see the sky from between the treetops, and failing. The forest was just too thick up above them. 'This has been the first time we've gone giant chicken hunting now, and every time that damn bird gets away somehow. Even with Bowen and his crew, I just don't see how we're going to take it down. I wish Kyne and the others had come with us, maybe with all of Valuk, we'd stand a chance of knocking it off.' He thought to himself, resting one hand on the hilt closest to his right while the other kept the straps stabilized.
While he couldn't quite predict what his clan mates we're thinking, Cid knew well enough there was doubt heavy in the group… Well, all save Senna, of course. She was impetuous, and lacking any negativity that would've plagued a normal person. Karras was rational, Flint a tad too pessimistic, and Cwartz entirely too self absorbed – But when they worked together, they were all a solid group. He had chosen to bring them, specifically them, for a reason, out of the others. The request for this quest had been for a small group, one that could, hopefully, catch Klesta off guard with tight formations and swift tactics, as opposed to simply trying to overrun the beast with sheer numbers. 'I do regret leaving Kyne behind, for his wisdom is often more sound then my own, but leaving home in the care of Vargas or Flint would've been little more then madness.' He thought with a small shudder.
Of his group, those two were the biggest troublemakers, often getting into far too many situations around town – The pubs in particular – With their womanizing and frankly embarrassing goings-on. It was little mystery why Clan Valuk had only one female in its midst; the Moogle and Seeq had effectively chased off any others. The only reason Senna remained immune to their flirtatious ways was… Well, neither really had a death wish, and thus simply left her alone. Outside of those two, the only real problems that arose were when Senna broke something that she wasn't supposed to, or when Cwartz was caught meditating up on something he shouldn't have been on.
A great screech pierced the air, catching most of the group off guard and causing Senna to cry out with glee. She ripped a blade from both sheaths upon her back and started to rush forward when Cid called to her, "Hold Senna!" he cried, "Stay with the rest of us or it'll flatten you!"
Had it been any other who called, she'd have kept right on running, but Cid was different. He had brought the group together, and what's more, he'd KEPT it together even when times were tough. No one else could've brought them together like he had, and so for him, she stopped. Begrudgingly, but nevertheless. "Klesta is close." Cwartz spoke quietly, yet loud enough for the others to here, before gesturing over his shoulder, "He's just up ahead."
Karras shuffled with his blades, trying best to determine which he should use, when something unexpected happened; they'd gone in search of but a single, large Crushatrice, but instead something else found them.
Bursting out of the foliage behind the ninja, a great group of cockatrices raced headfirst towards the group, clucking and squawking for the entire forest to hear. By themselves, the tiny bird-like creatures were no threat at all, but with such numbers… Karras tore a great, two-handed sword from his back and let the rest fall free. Finally free of the burden, the fighter spun his shoulders – First the right, then the left – Before grasping the hilt in both hands and taking a stance. Cwartz had completely vanished into the trees while Senna, grinning ear to scaly ear at the prospect of bloodshed, screamed and raced towards the enemies diving headfirst into the frontrunners and hacking away.
Cid gave a nod to Flint, who took aim and fired, catching one of the monsters nearest Senna's rear hard in the side and sending it tumbling. The bullets could kill, most assuredly, but only of one's aim was straight and true, otherwise it was best to employ the standard "More bullets more damage" tactic; one that the Moogle employed more often the naught. The Revgaji leader stayed near the Moogle, cutting down any bird that dared close in too much, while Karras flung back three with one mighty swing. The attack left him winded, but at the same time, it gave him room to breath.
Cwartz appeared with a puff of smoke, and ran one of the fiends through with his blade, before giving a swift glance to his leader. "We've a problem; Klesta is gone!" he exclaimed, hi voice showing signs of panic for the first time in a long while.
This posed a problem indeed; Klesta was a monster, in every sense of the word, but stealthy it was not. There was no way it could've hidden well enough for the ninja not to detect it, and had it flown away – An act that, by all rights, made no sense considering it's massive girth – Someone would've seen it, Cwartz or otherwise. Cid ran a hand along his chin and shook his head, "Bowen'll be here soon, we'll leave the tracking to him. We've enough to deal with already – Here come some more!"
As though at his very words, even more cockatrices burst out of the trees and underbrush and lunged at the Gria, who was already up to her arms in bodies and feathers. Karras dropped his great sword and hooked his foot under another blade on the ground, flipping it up and catching it, rather flashily, in his hands. It was an odd kind of style for a sword to have, for the hilt was longer then the blade itself. In truth, the weapon more resembled a spear then an actual sword, but still somehow functioned as both rather easily. The fighter plunged the weapon forward and swung low, swiping at the legs of an approaching foe before spinning, and cutting down yet another. While Senna chose to dive headfirst into the madness, Karras had, ultimately, managed to keep every enemy at a safe distance away from him.
Yet all at once, he stopped fighting. Cid noticed first, but Flint was quick to catch on as well, "What're you doing, kupo!?" the Moogle cried, firing another shot off before giving his friend a confused glance.
Karras nodded his head off to the side, "A few of'em are running away – Look." He replied, pointing with his blade.
From somewhere in the great crowd of corpses and bloody feathers came Senna's voice, "COWARDS!"
Cid was quick to ignore the needless anger, "If they're retreating, leave them be. There's still more then enough…" The warrior swung his blade in an arc, cleaving his clucking foe in two, "…To deal with here."
But Karras could only shake his head as he broke into a run, scooping up another weapon – A short, arm length scimitar – Racing off to follow the fleeing birds. "No… No, they're after something. There's too much direction to be a mere retreat; cockatrices scatter when they're afraid." The fighter stopped at the edge of the clearing, closest to where the birds vanished, staring wide eyed at his friend and leader, "Can you hold things here?"
In truth, they could, but Cid didn't like the idea of Karras venturing off alone with Klesta still at large; he waved for Flint to follow, then ran to help the rampaging Gria. With no further hesitation, the warrior darted after the monsters with the Moogle hot on his heels.
With one arm holding the spear-like blade behind his back, Karras used his scimitar to swipe at the branches in his way, cleaving both high and low for Flint behind him to easily follow. They didn't need to go very far, for the duo came along the escapees rather quickly. It was another clearing, but not one as big as the first; the cockatrices, numbering around five or six in total, squawked and hopped around some darkened object on the ground, circling it… As though celebrating some ill-gotten prize.
Karras urged his companion to silence and quietly approached. Whatever it was they had found, the birds had not yet chosen to attack yet… It was weird. One moment, the animals were nearly insane, attacking left and right, and the next… Nearly docile, hesitating even to take a peck at what could potentially already be dead. Such a drastic change in mere seconds left much to be questioned, but like most things concerned beasts, Karras could only assume the mist had something to do with it; after all, that was usually the cause.
Flint began to take aim, but hesitated to actually fire. When Cid wasn't around, it usually fell to Karras to take command – Much to the latter's disagreement. He was the newest addition to the clan, after all, a mere novice with only a few months experience; who was he to lead such a group? "Wait for it…" The fighter whispered, ignoring the gnawing feeling of doubt he always felt when forced to make decisions beyond what affected him.
The moment the first bird took a step forward, Karras nodded for Flint to fire. The cockatrice dropped before it's barely left the grass, and instantly all eyes fell upon the pair. The fighter raced into the clearing, threw his short blade to the ground and brandished the other, taking a hard step forward and spinning about, holding the lance-like blade outwards and cutting down two others as the lunged. The remaining birds, numbering a mere pair themselves now, needed no further cajoling, and fled on their talons, vanishing into the forest with impeccable speed.
Exhaling, and falling to his knees, supported only by his blade, Karras flashed the Moogle a thumbs up before looking at what the birds had prized… And gasped.
It was a girl.
--
Well, thoughts? As you might've noticed, the clan members all fall into certain class-types, which are stated rather obviously. And likewise, it's clear this is not the entire class either; I felt it was unwise to include so many characters right off the top, and bombard you all with that much key info to remember so... Here's hoping the moderation was well founded.