Final Fantasy VI – The Magitek Tales
Locke's 1st Tale – Rise and Fall of the Phoenix
In a style conceived from the Canterbury Tales, each character will have two stories, starting with my personal favorite, Locke. There will also be four bonus stories strewn in, to make a complete set of 30. Enjoy.
Kefka had long been vanquished, and the World of Beauty, as it had been nicknamed, was still slowly being rebuilt. Where the Tower of Kefka once stood, a new structure was being built by a secretive group. The group of heroes had mostly split up and gone their own ways, still keeping hold and protecting their Espers.
Locke decided to return to Kohlingen. He had rebuilt Rachel's old home and made it his own, including a secret basement for all his treasure, and a small shrine to Rachel.
At the moment, he sat at the Inn, having himself a cool glass of his favorite spirits. Nothing much was happening today. The town was quiet, and most of the villagers were going about their own business. Even the Inn was fairly empty, housing only Locke, the bartender, the innkeeper, and a few others lounging around having a drink.
He hadn't been on many treasure hunts lately. He had made enough money off his last hunt to sustain him a while. After the events that sent the world into the World of Ruin and everything that followed, he felt he deserved some time to relax. If only he was able to.
There was a sudden commotion outside. The familiar sound of marching chocobos filled the air even inside the inn. Finishing off his drink, he tossed a GP to the bartender and went outside to see what all the fuss was about.
To his surprise, the chocobos, as well as the men riding them, bore the crest of Figaro on them. The man on the chocobo nearest to the front dismounted and approached Locke.
"Locke Cole. King Edgar has requested that you join him at Figaro Castle at your earliest convenience."
"Did he say why?" Locke asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He didn't, but he did seem excited when giving us our orders to tell you."
"An entire cavalcade just to summon me? He never ceases to amaze me. I guess I could make it tonight."
"Excellent!" The soldier said proudly.
"We have brought along an extra chocobo for-"
"Save him. My legs work just fine. I'll walk."
"Alright…if you insist."
The soldier waved his arm and the others turned their birds around, heading out of the town. The lead soldier paused, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh yes! The King has also requested that you bring your magicite. The one called Phoenix." And with that, he joined the others, heading back to the castle.
Locke watched them disappear over the horizon, wondering why Edgar suddenly wanted to see him, let alone why he wanted the Phoenix magicite. He had traveled to South Figaro just a few months back and visited Edgar, but not much had changed.
He walked around the inn towards his home, waving to the villagers he passed by. His bandana fluttered slightly in the breeze behind him. As he entered his home, he prepared for the journey to the castle. Wild beasts and monsters still roamed the world, and Locke felt there was no way that would ever be stopped. They were just a part of life.
First he looked over his weapon, spotting his Wing Edge, an extremely sharp, blue-tinted steel boomerang. Attaching it to his belt, he then picked up his Aegis Shield, strapping it to his back. The last item was the most important.
He touched a sequence of books on the bookcase and it slowly moved aside, revealing what looked like a regular wall. He felt around for just a moment before feeling the soft spot and pressed it in. This made the wall fall into the ground, revealing a staircase down to his basement.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he looked among the many locked treasure chests, approaching the one in the very middle. Finding the right key, he unlocked the chest, opening it slowly.
Inside was a velvet cushion with an item wrapped in silk on top of it. Slowly unwrapping it, he revealed a glowing, smooth grey stone with a red diamond in the middle of it. It was the magicite Phoenix.
Slipping the piece of magicite into a pouch on his belt, he bounded back up the stairs, closing up his secret passage and exiting the house. After locking the door, he exited Kohlingen and headed across the landscape for the southeast desert, where he knew Figaro Castle would be waiting.
It didn't take him long to cross the plains and into the desert. Although it was still far off, he could already make out Figaro Castle. Crossing the desert didn't turn out to be as easy as the plains, though.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he stopped momentarily, taking a deep breath. The sun beat down menacingly, even though it had already began to set. Stopping, he discovered, was something he shouldn't have done.
Behind him, three giant brown and green scorpion-like creatures exploded out of the sand, circling and surrounding Locke. Their exoskeletons were more like rock than bone, and Locke knew right away that his Wing Edge wouldn't be enough.
He examined the three creatures closing in on him as they hissed and made guttural noises.
"Damned maligas. Oh well, at least I get some action."
Locke grinned, slowly removing his boomerang. The closest maliga scuttled toward him. He threw the Wing Edge at the creature's right leg joint, and it managed to sever all four on the right side. The maliga screamed, or at least something close to it. Catching the boomerang, he put it back quickly and jumped up to dodge the second creature.
Landing on top of it, he dodged as it tried to strike with its' tail. Unfortunately for the maliga, it wasn't immune to it's own poison, and the second one fell. As Locke leapt from its' back, the third rammed him, sending him flying into the nearest sand dune. He quickly reached for the magicite, holding it above his head as the maliga closed in.
"Firaga!" Locke screamed.
In a flash, the maliga burst into flames. Locke could feel the heat of the flames amidst the heat of the desert. Although the maliga was used to such high temperatures, these were too much. It fell to the sand, smoking and smoldering.
Locke managed to get to his feet and brush off, looking over the dead and dying maligas. He shook his head and started towards the castle again with a grin. Oh yeah, he thought. He still had it.
---
As Locke finally reached the castle, it was almost completely dark outside. The entrance guard stepped aside and gave him a salute. Locke patted him on the shoulder as he proceeded inside.
He followed the long straight path through the levels of the castle, passing guards standing at attention in every corridor. As he entered the throne room, he spotted Edgar and the Chancellor discussing something. Locke approached them, holding out his arms.
"You called for the master treasure hunter?" He said in his trademark cocky tone.
"Yeah, I called for you, you old thief!" Edgar laughed, giving his friend a gentle hug.
Edgar nodded at the Chancellor, and he left the room. He then turned back to Locke.
"I have an adventure for the two of us to embark on."
"That does sound like fun, but I've been taking a little…vacation, lately. Besides, why not ask Sabin? You did promise you'd spend more time with him."
"He's on some expedition with Duncan at the moment, and besides! You're one of my best friends. And furthermore, Locke, the great treasure hunter extraordinaire, take a vacation? Come on!"
"Well, I suppose I could make some time."
"That's the spirit!" Edgar bowed slightly to him, smiling from ear to ear.
"One question though." Locke began, moving to sit in the throne next to Edgar's. Edgar moved to sit in his own, looking over at his friend. "Why did you ask me to bring Phoenix?"
"That's where the entire plan starts! The Chancellor has informed me that the cave just west of here houses a beast that can only be defeated by the Phoenix esper.
"Are you a monster hunter all of a sudden?" Locke asked, slightly confused.
"No! No no no. There's more, you see. This beast is said to be guarding the most beautiful angel of a woman, not letting any man ever touch her."
"I should've figured there was a woman behind this."
Edgar couldn't help but smile at that comment.
"So, you're here. You don't have anything else scheduled. What do you say?"
"Alright, I guess. As long as-"
"As you get to keep all the priceless treasures we find. I understand!" Edgar smiled, standing up.
"We'll leave tomorrow morning."
---
Locke met Edgar the next morning out on the sand in front of the castle. Edgar, along with the Chancellor and a few soldiers were readying two chocobos. Edgar already had all his tools either on him or the giant bird, along with a crystal sword and shield. As Locke approached, Edgar handed him a heavy set of armor.
"A dark hood and crystal mail. You may need them once we get to the cave."
Locke secured them on the chocobo and climbed on.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Edgar mounted his chocobo, and the two headed for the cave.
---
As they arrived to the cave southwest of the castle, they dismounted and tied the chocobos to nearby boulders. They both approached the entrance of the cave, pausing to look inside. There were lanterns strewn along the walls, but none were lit.
"The Chancellor told me the miners discovered this beast. Some died, and some escaped. You can use the Phoenix magicite to light the torches, though."
Locke dug out the magicite and held it up, chanting softly. The torches throughout the cave came to life, adding a dim light to the walls.
"I hope you're right about all this, Edgar."
"I'm always right about women, aren't I?"
"Heh, you wish." Locke said before proceeding into the cave.
They moved slowly through the corridor, looking for any monsters that may have been lurking. The lanterns provided just enough light to see, but didn't provide much else. As they followed the twists and turns of the cavern, Locke noticed it was growing colder.
"Why is it getting so cool? We're not even that deep into the cavern yet." Locke asked.
"It may have something to do with the beast." Edgar responded as they came to a small hole in the rock wall. They both noticed a light, cool mist emanating from it.
"What is that?" Locke asked, kneeling next to the hole.
"I'm…not sure. Only one way to find out, though!"
"You know, you're going through a lot just to rescue a pretty girl."
"Didn't I do the same thing for Terra?"
Locke smiled, getting down on his stomach.
"I think we can both fit through here."
As Locke crawled through the hole, Edgar followed. Soon, Locke nearly disappeared as he stood up. Edgar, only seeing his feet, paused.
"Locke? What's out there?"
There came no answer, and Edgar scurried to exit the tunnel, standing beside Locke. Although the cavern was filled with a thick mist, Edgar could make out what made Locke go silent.
There before them was a huge, misshapen, white-furred creature. It was at least twenty-feet tall, with several arms on each side. It's most prominent feature were the three, giant orb-like blue eyes. As it saw the two humans, it let out a roar that made the entire cave shake.
"I'm…not…seeing any pretty damsel in distress, Edgar!"
"Nonsense! It must be hiding her!"
Edgar pulled out his auto-crossbow and aimed it towards the beast's head. Unleashing the set of arrows, the creature easily swatted the arrows away like flies. It then began to approach the two, letting out another roar.
"Locke, use the Phoenix. Right now would be a good time to use the Phoenix."
"Yeah, good idea, Edgar." Locke replied. He began digging around for the piece of magicite as the creature slammed its' fist into the ground. The cave shook and a gap began to form in the rock floor. Locke was unable to hold onto the magicite, and it fell into the hole that was continually getting larger.
"No! Edgar, I have to get that magicite!"
"We've got other problems right now, Locke!" Edgar said as he finished reloading his auto-crossbow. He fired again, this time at the monsters' legs. All four arrows imbedded into the fur. In the end, they did nothing but make the beast angrier.
As it grew closer, Edgar traded his auto-crossbow for his giant drill. Locke still stood near the gaping pit that had been opened.
"Locke! Get back!" Edgar screamed.
The beast grew closer, knocking Locke off balance. The treasure hunter fell screaming into the pit. Edgar screamed, running to do further battle with the beast.
---
Locke awoke in darkness. He had no idea how long he'd been out, or how the battle above had turned out. Either way, everything seemed quiet now as he struggled to his feet.
Brushing himself off, he straightened his bandana and began feeling along the wall, following the outline of the cave. He went on along the cave wall for what seemed like a mile before he finally started to hear what sounded to be a waterfall.
His eyes failed to adjust in the total darkness, so it was not completely a surprise what happened next. He took one step too far, and all of a sudden, there was no cave wall, no ground beneath him. He fell only a short distance, but landed with a splash.
After a few confusing seconds under water, he managed to surface and felt himself being pulled down a steam. He tried hard to grab at any one of the rocks he went by, haplessly bumping into them, suffering various cuts and bruises.
Light began to shine as he approached the end of the waterfall. He desperately tried to keep his head above water. He had been through too much to let a stream take him now. No matter how he tried, Mother Nature won, dragging him out of the cave and down the waterfall.
Once again, he was rendered unconscious.
---
Locke's body lay on a small, barren island just east of the Veldt. By some miracle, his lifeless form had floated all the way to this island. By another miracle, the Phoenix magicite had followed.
The magicite glowed, flickering on the sand. It ignited in a blaze of blue and red flames, taking the form of the giant Phoenix. Flying through the sky, leaving a trail of flames behind it, it dove down, slamming into Locke. It seemingly vaporized into the thief's body, and suddenly Locke sat bolt upright with a jolt.
Surveying his surroundings, he stood up, still soaking wet and covered with sand. He could see the shore of the Veldt miles from the island he was stranded on. He felt the Phoenix within him, but wasn't sure if he could ever use the magicite again. He knew that the same Phoenix that had brought his beloved Rachel back to life long enough to murmur her final thoughts had just saved his life, possibly even resurrected him.
But was the mighty Phoenix now gone? The esper with powerful curing and fire magic, gone? Then it hit him. Edgar! Had the beast gotten Edgar back in the cave? Locke slowly sat back down in the sand, watching the waves caress the beach. Hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind.
He began to think he never should've taken Edgar's proposal. It had been so long since he went on a treasure hunt, since the days of saving the world from Kefka. Maybe he was getting rusty. He could try to swim for it, but for the moment thought against it. He sat there, thinking of everything that had happened in he last few years.
The Phoenix had guided him, had risen from the ashes and burst into flames. It seemed his life would never be the same. He rose from a lowly thief to a hero, and now he felt doomed to die alone on an island.
If only he had an airship, he thought.