Without further adieu may I present the prologue of Final Fantasy Zero . Enjoy!
xxxxxxxx Prologue xxxxxxxx
Ala Mhigo was once a prosperous city, its markets overflowing with exotic spices, silks, fine gems and works of art. The streets were alive with the sounds of music and laughter. People were happy.
One of the six independent city states, it was known as one of the strongest militaries in Eorzea, for hundreds of years it stood firm against invaders time and time again, its stead fast walls never once being breached.
That all changed when they came, the Garlean Empire. While they were by no means the most magically gifted people, they were talented inventors. To make up for their lack of magic they turned to technology and Magitek was born. Magitek, a fusion of science and magic, with it they built an army the like of which the world had never seen. An army of towering suits of armor fueled by magical energies and massive warships that dwarfed even those of the Barracuda.
With these mechanical monstrosities they laid seige to Ala Mhigo, the defenders put up a valiant fight but were unable to stand up to the onslaught of the Garlean's machinations. The city fell, its warriors scattered like dust before the wind.
Ever since that fateful day ten years ago the city has remained under their control. The presence of the Garleans slowly began to poison the once beautiful city, like a disease festering in an open wound. Trade all but ceased to exist, the once overflowing markets reduced to merely a whisper of their former glory. Many of the craftsman and merchants chose to leave for the other cities, leaving hundreds of people without a means of employment. What was worse was that a terrible famine had stricken the land, a combination of terrible weather and forced conscription had lead to many starving in the streets. Ala Mhigo was nothing more then a husk of its former self.
Down in the slums of Ala Mhigo, a cloaked figure was making his way through the desolate streets. Few people were out this late, fewer still with it raining like it was. Dressed in a grey woolen cloak the figure wiped the mud off of his feet before entering a tavern.
Looking around the smoke filled room, the figure thought that this place might have been quite nice at one point, but the occupation meant hard times for everyone.
Spotting what he had journeyed here for the figure crossed the dimly lit room and sat down at a rather decrepit wooden table tucked away in a corner. Seated across from him was a Hyur wrapped in a dark green cloak that hid most his face in shadow.
Looking up from his meal, the man eyed the new arrival. "Something I can do for you stranger?" he asked in a rough voice.
"I was wondering if you would know any decent fishing spots, I hear the catch is excellent this time of year." the figure replied as he pulled back his hood. His mid length brown hair was combed back revealing the short, rounded ears that marked him as a Hyur. He was of a lithe build, with an angular face, tan skin, and piercing blue eyes. He couldn't have been older then seventeen.
"Not much fishing left in these parts, although there's a few big fish left to fry, if you know where to look." the hooded man replied evenly.
Nodding, the brown haired man discreetly scanned the room, finding it empty except for a few sleeping drunks and a rather cross looking barmaid he turned his attention back to the hooded figure. "Do you have it?"
"Aye, took a few bribes and twice as many slit throats but I managed to get it through those damn customs houses." the man spoke, producing a leather satchel which he handed to the man. "Might I know your name?"
"Kendrick Mordren." the brown haired man absent mindedly replied as he quickly rifled through the contents of the satchel to make sure everything was there.
"Y-your him?! The leader o' the Fire Fangs?!" the smuggler asked in a frantic whisper.
"Shhh! Not so loud! Do you want to bring every damn Garlean soldier down on top of us?!" Kendrick replied in a hushed tone, handing the smuggler a bag of Gil. "Here's part of the payment we agreed upon, the rest will be waiting at a dead drop. I'm going to leave now, you will wait thirty minutes then leave as well, I suggest you get as far away from this city as possible."
With that Kendrick pulled his hood back up and with the satchel firmly secured over his shoulder walked away leaving the smuggler alone with his meal.
xxx
Kendrick once more hurried through the slums of Ala Mhigo, he was en route to the area of the city the occupying force had appropriated as their base.
The reason he was in this hell hole of a city was simple, he was here to steal an airship.
The Garlean's had launched another invasion into Eorzea. The combined might of the Three Grand Companies had held them back so far, but their spies had learned of an airship that was due to depart from the Vector region heading for the front lines. Reports were sketchy but from what they were able to ascertain they were transporting prototype weapons and armor. The Grand Companies needed to get those weapons out of Garlean hands.
That's where he came in. Or more specifically him and his Free Company, the Fire Fangs. Despite being only seventeen years old, Kendrick was already an exceptionally skilled mage, excelling in all three schools of magic. His company had proven to be quite capable, despite their small size, and had earned a reputation for doing the impossible.
So naturally when the Grand Companies were faced with a job deemed impossible by everyone else, he got called in.
The airship was going to be making a single stop for fuel in the Ala Mhigo Military Quarter, tonight. The plan was simple really. When the ship docked he and a small team would infiltrate the ship and disable the alarms, then they would clear the ship hold by hold, secure the bridge, take off, then haul ass for the border.
Of course Kendrick wasn't stupid enough to believe his team was skilled enough to clear an entire Garlean dreadnought by themselves, nor could they pilot one. So once the alarms were dealt with he would activate a portable Athernet link.
He had to admit those Elezen knew what they were doing when it came to crystals, the Link Point worked as a teleporter much like the other Athernet Shards except it was a one way trip. It would allow the rest of the Fire Fangs to warp aboard and storm the ship.
The only problem was that the Link Point was rather conspicuous, getting it past the Garlean custom houses and checkpoints with out raising an alarm would have been difficult. The Garlean's may have been dumb, but they weren't that dumb. In fact, most of his gear would have been confiscated if he tried to go through the checkpoints. Thats where the smuggler had come in.
With the Garlean's placing such heavy restrictions and taxes on imports, a thriving smuggling community had risen in Ala Mhigo. Through his company's contacts it was easy to arrange for a skilled smuggler to deliver a package.
Ducking into a nearby alley a few hundred yards from the airshipyards where the ship was docked, Kendrick opened up the satchel and removed two items, his Linkpearl and Armoury Chest.
Kendrick couldn't count how many times his Armoury Chest had saved his life, the small box was no bigger then his hand yet it could hold nearly anything. He withdrew his cudgel. It didn't pack as much of a punch as his staff did but it was easier to conceal. Slipping his Linkpearl into his ear he contacted his team. "This is Fang Leader, I am in position. All Fangs check in."
"Fang Leader this is Fang One, in position." came a smooth voice.
"Fang Two in position." said a childish voice
"Fang Three in position." came another voice, this one feminine
"Fang Five in Position." a deep baritone voice said.
"Fang Six in position." a calm voice stated.
"Where's Fang Four? We cant afford to mess this up we only got one shot at this!" Kendrick nearly shouted.
The sounds of a struggle began to echo through the Linkpearl, fists hitting flesh followed by a loud snap. "Sorry Cap, had to take care of a soldier that choose a bad time to take a piss. Fang Four in position." said another feminine voice.
"Alright, is everything ready?"
"Everythings set Cap, at eleven bells the local resistance groups are gonna stir up a bunch of trouble over on the south side, making one hell of a headache for our good friends." Fang Two responded.
"Alright, you all know your jobs. Get it done quickly and quietly. Most importantly watch yourselves out there, if any of you go and die on me I'll kill ya. Clear?" Kendrick said jokingly.
The clock tower struck eleven, it bells ringing out over the quiet city. On the sixth strike, a series of thunderous explosions shattered the peace, large clouds of fire shooting into the air near the south of the city. A few minutes later the gates to the shipyards few open and hundreds of soliders spilled out, running past Kendrick's hiding spot, rushing to go combat the blaze and repel any invaders.
"Relax Captain, they were uninhabited targets, I made sure of it." Fang One spoke.
"Alright, let's get to work." with that Kendrick dashed from his hiding spot, the soldiers having gone past. Scaling the gate he began to make his way through the complex.
xxx
Making his way across the shipyard was surprisingly easy, with most of the guards off fighting the fires and the freedom fighters who had started them meant very few were left on base. He had only encountered two patrols so far, and they were dealt with easily enough by casting a Sleep spell knocking them out. Kendrick snapped their necks to make sure they stayed down, he couldn't afford to take chances afterall.
"This is Fang Five reporting in. I have completed my objective and am en route to the rendezvous point."
"Acknowledged . I'm approaching the last security station now." with that Kendrick knelt before a large steel door, it was locked so he began to work it open with his lock picks. He was so glad he took the time to learn lockpicking, such a useful skill.
A snapping twig alerted Kendrick to someone's presence, then he felt the blade of a sword press into his neck. "Drop you weapons and put your hands in the air!"
Grimacing, Kendrick stopped his lockpicking attempt and unhooked his cudgel from his belt, letting it drop to the ground. Placing his hands behind his head he turned and saw a patrol of three Garlean soliders with their gunblades leveled at him, the one who had been holding the blade to his neck having back up after picking up his cudgel.
"Orders sir?" one of the soldiers asked his commander.
"You know the drill, anyone who gets caught trespassing on base is executed, no exceptions." the leader barked.
Kendrick began to sweat, this was not good. He didn't have his cudgel so he couldn't cast a Protect to shield himself, he would be shot before he could reach them if he charged and tried to take them in hand to hand, and to top it off he wasn't wearing his armor. Just great.
"Close your eyes!" the officer ordered.
Kendrick didn't budge.
"Fine then have it your way." the officer growled, taking aim at his head with his gunblade. His finger moving to the trigger.
But the shot never came. Instead the three soldiers crumpled to the ground, arrows embedded into the back of their heads.
Standing up, Kendrick gave a two finger salute in the direction the arrows came from before retrieving his cudgel and resuming his work on the door.
"Got you covered Cap. Finish up so we can get to the rendezvous." Fang Three's voice issued from his Linkpearl.
"He he, did the great Kendrick Mordren get caught with his pants down? Oh this is rich." Fang Five laughed in his deep voice.
There was the sound of someone hitting someone over the head. "Shut up and stay focused you big oaf." Fang Four growled.
Kendrick smiled as he listened to their banter, unlocking the door he gripped his cudgel tighter for a second before kicking it open and flinging a Sleep spell into the room. Now normally Sleep only affected one person, but Kendrick had trained himself to the point where his Sleep affected multiple people within a certain area depending on how much mana he pumped into it.
Stepping through the door with his weapon at the ready he was confronted by three guards asleep at their desks. Making quick work of them, he proceeded to disable the alarm. Raising his hand to his Linkpearl he sent out a message to his team. "This is Fang Leader, I have disabled the last security station I'm en route to the rendezvous."
"Copy that Cap" Fang one replied.
A short jog later, Kendrick found himself at the base of a large anchor chain holding the airship in place, standing before him was his team.
Johnson Deckard aka Fang One was a Hyur like Kendrick. He was a Paladin by trade and stood equipped in heavy plate mail with a white tabard hanging from his shoulders, his weapon of choice being a large warhammer and shield. His face was obscured by a helmet but Kendrick knew he was smirking. This man was Kendrick's second in command.
Fang Two, or Miriam Tennan sat atop a nearby crate, her staff clutched in her hands. She was clad in the iconic white robes with red trimming that marked her as a White Mage. She could have been mistaken for a child seeing as she was a Lalafell, but he knew better. She was a demon in combat despite her kind nature and Twelve help anyone who commented on her height.
Perched atop a nearby stack of crates was Hyur Jessica Pond, her bow in hand as she scanned the parameter for threats. Her codename was Fang Three and she was the one who shot the guards who cornered him. She was dressed in mix of brown leather and green cloth armor with a large feathered hat atop her head, fitting seeing she was a Bard.
Fang Four was bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet as she hummed a happy tune, her cats ears and tail twitching every so often. Her bright yellow fighters gi complemented her shoulder length silver hair nicely. Koneko Tanja was a Miqo'te and a monk, preferring to use her claw like blades to strike at her opponents with lightning speed and brutal efficiency.
Fang Five was like a living mountain. Standing tall in his grey plate armor, the Roegadyn Varic Ventar was an intimidating sight to behold. In his hands rested a large two handed axe befiting a Warrior of his status. Kendrick couldn't see his face as it was covered by a large horned helmet decorated with red warpaint.
The final member of his team, Fang Six, was leaning against a nearby wall, a large cross spear straped to his back. He wore a mix of black leather and plate armor to allow for greater mobility. His eyes were covered by the visor on his helm but the lower half of his face was exposed. His pointed ears marked him as an Elezen. He was Silvaire Menthas, the Dragoon.
Each wore the Fire Fang crest somewhere on their person, a white wolf howling at a blood red moon on a field of black. These people were the most skilled members of his company, and his oldest friends.
"Why aren't you wearing your armor?" the Paladin asked as he saw Kendrick approach.
"I, uh, forgot to put it on." he replied sheepishly.
His team gave him incredulous looks.
"What?! I got held up at one of the checkpoints and had to meet the smuggler, I didn't have the time!" Kendrick said trying to defend himself.
The stares didn't subside.
"Ahem, anyway. We have a job to do. It's time for phase two, lets get climbing." with that Kendrick walked over to the anchor chain and began his ascent, climbing up the chain hand over hand towards the ship.
Johnson and Varic followed suit and began their slow climb. Koneko and Jessica merely leap atop the chain and began running up with their enhanced agility. Silvaire offered his hand to Miriam, the little White Mage climbing onto his back. Nodding he began his ascent, using his Dragoon training he leapt twenty feet into the air where he landed on the chain, repeating this tactic he quickly made headway, the diminutive mage clinging to his back for dear life.
"Show offs." Varic grumbled as he climbed.
Kendrick couldn't help but agree.
xxx
Twenty minutes and four hundred feet later, Kendrick clambered aboard the dock of the dreadnought, breathing heavily.
"So glad you could join us."
Looking up he saw the others standing nearby smirking.
"Ya bloody show offs, you didn't have to climb up here in full plate armor." Varic grumbled as he tried to climb over the side of the ship.
"Can somone give them a hand?" Kendrick asked, nodding his head towards the struggling Warrior and Paladin.
Silvaire nodded and went over to the struggling men, lifting them both up onto the ship with one hand where they promptly collapsed on the deck. Damn he was strong.
After catching his breath Kendrick turned to Miriam who was leaning on her staff. " Has there been any activity?"
"None so far." she replied, shaking her head.
"Okay, once we catch our breath I'll activate the Link Point, it will take a few minutes to sync up with its twin back at base so be on guard. After that you each take a group and secure a section of the ship. Varic you take the barracks, Jessica you got the engine room, Koneko the armory. Silvaire your in charge of clearing the deck, make sure we're ready to cast off. Miriam your job is to find and secure the prototypes, they will most likely be down in the cargo holds. Johnson, you and your group are with me, we're taking the bridge. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" the group said in unison.
"Okay Cap, I'm ready to go." Johnson said as he hauled himself to his feet before helping Varic do the same.
Nodding, Kenrick opened up the satchel and removed the warp point. It was just like a miniature version of the normal Athernet Shards. Placing it on the ground he rested his hands upon the crystal and began channel his mana into it. The Link Point began to glow with blue energy, pulsing every few seconds signifying it was syncing with it's twin.
"Okay, now we just have to wait while I charge the Link Point, shouldn't take more than a few minutes as long as I'm not interrupted."
"You there, halt! INTRUDERS!" a Garlean watchmen shouted out before blowing on a whistle letting the entire ship know of their presence.
" I just had to say something..." Kendrick muttered to himself, his team readying their weapons as soldiers began rushing out onto the deck.
They were surrounded within a few moments."Surrender! Drop your weapons now!" one of the soldiers shouted.
"I was just going to say the same thing to you!" Miriam retorted.
" Aww, look at that, the little pipsqueak is trying to act tough, what are you going to do midget? Kick us in the shins? I'm so scared!~" the soldier mocked, laughing.
Kendrick only paled. This was not going to be pretty. She looked like she was about to explode.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET!? AEROGA!" Miriam shouted as she slammed her staff into the ground, summoning a mighty wind that blew half of the soldiers over the sides of the deck to their deaths.
"Cover me while I charge the Link Point!" Kendrick shouted as he poured more of his mana into the crystal trying to speed up the synchronisation, his team rushing forward to meet the enemy. It wasn't a battle...
It was a slaughter.
Varic charged forward with his axe, each swing cleaving through four or five soldiers at a time. Roaring he swung his weapon in a circle, easily bisecting another ten Garleans who had the unfortunate luck of being within arms reach of a Warrior in the mist of a bloodrage. However a lucky bullet shattered his helmet making him clutch his head in pain.
At this point Johnson entered the fray, he cast a Protect spell on Varic before activating his Hollowed Ground technique. Hollowed Ground was one of a Paladin's most dangerous abilities as it rendered them invulnerable to most attacks, combined with their formidable weapons skills it made for a terrifying opponent. Johnson charged at the soldiers who had shot at Varic, slamming his shield into one before striking out with his hammer. By this time Varic was able to remove his shattered helmet and down a HI-Potion before renewing his assault.
Jessica and Koneko worked together as a team. The Monk nimbly danced through the lines of enemies, hacking and slashing with her claws. She hadn't a single scratch on her, her impressive agility making her near impossible to hit. Any Garlean that escaped the whirlwind of steel was put down by an arrow through the heart courtesy of the Bard.
Silvaire leapt high into the air with his spear in hand before coming crashing down on a cluster soldiers, engulfing them in a cloud of fire with Dragonfire Dive. He would strike quickly with his spear killing four or five Garleans before leaping away to attack another group who had the misfortune of standing too closely together.
"I'LL TEACH YOU TO CALL ME SHORT! DIE!" Miriam shouted in a fit of pure unbridled rage. She rained giant stones and cutting winds upon any unfortunate enough to catch her eye. She even made it a point to kill the one who insulted her, bring him back to life, then crush him with a giant rock, repeatedly. This is exactly why you never piss off a White Mage.
Kendrick could only laugh as he watched the battle, if it could be called that, from his spot next to the Link Point. It had been charging for a few minutes now, any second..
With a bright flare of light the crystal's glow stabilized, signifying it was synced. Quickly digging in his satchel he withdrew a second Linkpearl. Slipping it into his ear he spoke."This is Fang Leader, the Link Point is secure! All Fangs, Charge!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, numerous bright flashes of light erupted around the crystal, each one bringing forth a soldier bearing the Fire Fang crest. They clashed with the Garleans and began to push them back.
"Forward! Secure the ship!" Varic bellowed as he ripped one grunt's arms off before throwing him over the side.
"Johnson! With me!" Kendrick called out as he fired off a Thundara, the lightning arcing from soldier to soldier, causing them to spasm before dropping to the ground smoking opening a path through the swarming marines.
"You heard him men! CHARGE!" the Paladin bellowed as he charged forward, his large shield held out in front of him to act as a battering ram.
The men under the Paladin's command gave a rallying cry, charging forward to fight for their leader. Johnson slammed into the doors leading to the bridge, easily tearing through the wood despite it being heavily reinforced. The men rushed into the breach with Kendrick leading the way.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thirty minutes. Thats how long it took for Kendrick and Johnson to fight their way to the bridge. Thirty minutes of brutal fighting, hold by hold they clawed their way through the Garlean defenders. It was slow going though, even if Kendrick could eliminate ten to twenty of soldiers with a single spell there just wasn't an end in sight, for every Garlean he cut down another would seemingly take his place. Johnson had to swap out his hammer for his short sword as he couldn't swing his hammer as effectively in the enclosed space.
Looking past the swarming soldiers down the dimly lit hallway he noticed a bulkhead door, next to it was a sign with the words command bridge written in red. "Come on men! The end is in sight! Press on!" Kendrick shouted over the din of battle. His men gave a rallying cry and their fighting intensified.
Lobbing a Fira spell, Kendrick engulfed a large number of Garlean reinforcements in flames. It was enough of a pause in the endless waves of enemies for his troops to push forward and secure the hallway.
Stepping over the burnt corpses of his fallen foes, Kendrick approached the bulkhead, Johnson stepped up beside him, placing his hand on the door. He focused his mana into a Sleep spell, giving a small nod Johnson opened the door before ducking behind cover as Kendrick hurled his spell into the room.
Johnson and Kendrick both charged forward, followed closely by their men. As it turned out the bridge was actually the easiest room to capture, Kendrick's sleep spell had rendered roughly a fifth of the men unconscious, and the rest were only pilots armed with light weapons. They must have assumed that Kendrick's forces wouldn't have made it past the onslaught of marines.
"Bridge secure Captain!" one young Fang called out, his face hidden behind a mask.
"Alright let's get this hunk of junk airborne people, lets move it!" Kendrick called out as his men scrambled about getting the ship ready to depart, Johnson took his place at the helm at he had actually piloted an airship before.
Raising his hand to his Linkpearl, Kendrick sent out a message to his team. "This is Fang One, we have taken the bridge. Status report."
Silvaire was the first to respond, his voice calm despite the sounds of clashing swords in the background."We're just mopping up the last of the stragglers Captain, I've personally seen to it that the ships mooring lines have been cut. We can depart as soon as the engine room is secure."
"Engine room secure Cap, ready when you are." Jessica sounded off.
"All hands full speed ahead! Adjust heading by thirty degrees North Northeast, begin ascent!" Johnson called out from his post at the helm. The crew complied and the ship began to move, climbing into the night sky.
"Koneko here, the armory is secure, looks like they were transporting supplies for the front. I've got a lot of weapons here, there was even an entire hanger just for Magitek Armor." The Monk reported.
"This is Varic, barracks secured. Minimum casualties, over." was all the gruff warrior said.
"Excellent work guys. Miriam, have you found where they are keeping the prototypes yet?" Kendrick inquired.
"Not yet Cap, there's a lot of different places to check, it could take... wait a minute here it is! Part of a cargo hold is sectioned off by a large steel door. It's on the bottom deck, cargo hold G. Shouldn't take more then a few minutes to... LOOK OUT!" There was the sound of whirring metal and an explosion before the line went dead.
"Miriam? Miriam come in!" Kendrick shouted into his Linkpearl only to be meet with static. "Seven Hells! I'm going after her. Johnson keep us moving towards the border, don't stop for anything. That's an order!"
Johnson merely nodded as Kendrick ran out of the bridge.
xxx
Kendrick rushed through the bowels of the ship, his way was clear as most of the Garlean marines had been dealt with except for a few isolated pockets of resistance.
Rounding a corner he encountered one such pocket of resistance, two or three dozen Garlean marines squaring off against a handful of Fangs. Thrusting his hand outwards he fired a Thundara and electrocuted most of them. His men were able to finish off those few who remained.
"Thanks for the assist Captain, I-" one of them tried to say only to be cut off as Kendrick raced past him.
Reaching a stairwell, Kendrick leapt over the railing and plummeted a good twenty stories, using a combination of Protect and Aero to lessen the impact. Not to say that it didn't hurt like a bitch, he quickly cast Cure to fix himself up before racing off once more.
"This is Fang Leader, I am en route to cargo hold G, I need any available units in the area to converge on me. Over." he shouted over his Linkpearl.
"Fang Leader this is Raptor Team, we are enroute to your position. Over." came a replie.
"Acknowledged Raptor Team. Over and out." Kendrick said as he rounded a corner.
'J,I,H, come on where are you Miriam.' he thought to himself.
Kendrick continued his frantic sprint through the maze of corridors as he search for his target. However a sudden eruption of hastened footfalls caused him to spin about, the incantation for a Fira spell halfway from his lips.
"Whoa! Easy there sir! It's just us." the startled leader of Raptor team spoke, waving his hands to and fro trying to calm the frantic mage.
"Cargo hold G?! Which way!" said mage shouted.
The squad leader merely pointed down one of the many dimly lit hallways and Kendrick took off once again with his men close behind.
The cargo hold was easier to find after that, and a short sprint later Kendrick found him self outside of cargo hold G. The sounds of battle could be heard on the other sides of the door, explosions and heavy objects being thrown about being the predominant noises.
Bursting through the bulkhead Kendrick was taken aback by the sight.
Small fires burned throughout the large room, chunks of stone were embedded within the walls and his men lay scattered about in varying states of injury. And in the center of it all was Miriam, who was currently squaring off against a Magitek Juggernaut.
Out of all of the Garlean's Magitek weapons, none struck fear into the hearts of hardened warriors like the Juggernaut. Standing at over twenty feet high the large draconian machine towered over the battlefield, it was armed with a massive set of metal claws longer then Kendrick was tall and a cannon that fired balls of condensed magical energy which would explode, killing dozens of men in an instant. To top it all off they were covered in head to toe in thick armor plating. All in all they were incredibly difficult to defeat, but not impossible if one has the know how.
However the petite White Mage was clearly outclassed. Her talents lay in the art of restoring life, not taking it. While this wasn't to say she was defenseless, her spells lacked the destructive power needed to deal any real damage, her Stone and Aero spells bouncing off the mechanized menace's thick armor, unable to attack she was forced on the defensive. Whats worse she was beginning to tire, the signs of mana depletion evident on her sweat drenched face, the constant onslaught preventing her from recovering or using an Ether potion.
The machine swung it's large steel claws down upon the Lalafell, shattering her rather weak looking Protect and knocking her back several feet where she lay unconscious.
Taking a two monstrous steps forward, the construct raised its foot over the fallen mage, intent on ending her life...
Only for it's armored foot to crash into a dome of magic, courtesy of Kendrick. His Protectaga holding firm against the Juggernaut's weight, the hardened dome of magic not budgeing an inch.
With a flourish of his hand Kendrick encased the machine in a thick coating of ice, restraining it momentarily.
"That's not going to hold it for long, hurry and get the wounded clear!" Kendrick shouted to his men who quickly complied. A groan caught his attention, moving aside a few fallen crates he found one of his men clutching his side in pain. Casting a Cura spell on the man he spoke. "It's okay, I got ya. Now what in the hell happened here?"
The Hyur tried to sit up groaning in pain as he did, his wounds stitching themselves together thanks to Kendrick's magic. "It attacked shortly after we entered, *Gah* Must have been a security measure. ..."
The sound of shattering ice filled the air as theJuggernaut began to break free of it's prison, it's legs now unbound. Helping the injured man to his feet he quickly handed him to one of Raptor team's men who picked him up in a firemen's carry. Looking around the room he saw that all the wounded had been removed except for Miriam who still laid unconscious beneath the magic dome of his Protectaga. He felt a pang of guilt when he noticed some of the bodies had been left behind, the ones who had been past saving.
The sound of cracking ice shook him out of his revelry, the construct had broken the ice restraining it's arms and began clawing at its head to free its cannon. "Everyone fall back, get the wounded to the medics and leave this to me."
"But sir!" one of his men tried to protest.
"Thats an order soldier!" Kendrick shouted, leaving no room for arguments.
"...Yes sir." the soldier spoke in a defeated tone. With that they cleared out of the room leaving Kendrick to face the automaton.
A sharp snap pierced the air, signaling the machine had managed to free its head, which gazed around the room as it's pilot scanned for any threats.
Kendrick meanwhile was going through different strategies in his head, there were two sure fire ways to defeat one of these things, and that was either to kill it's pilot, or damage it to such a degree that it can no longer function. So basically, hit it a bunch of times until it stops moving.
As the machine's malicious orange glowing eyes landed on him, Kendrick felt a familiar rush of energy as he triggered Swiftcast, an ability that allows him to forgo the need for an incantation to cast a spell.
As the construct took a rumbling step forward, Kendrick leveled his cudgel at the monstrosity, "Firaga!"
A giant ball of fire erupted from the tip of his weapon as he unleashed one of his most powerful offensive spells. The spell soared through the air and impacted the draconian automaton in the chest causing it to falter in it's advance.
However Kendrick didn't relent as he let lose another Firaga. The spell leapt from his weapon, only this time it was far larger then it's brother as it was strengthened by the power of Astral Fire.
This time when the spell struck it forced the contraption to it's knees. But before Kendrick could utter the words for yet another Firaga, the machine raised it's head, a large cannon extending from its mouth. The only warning the young Hyur had was the glow emanating from the barrel and the whirring of metal as it fired a large ball of energy.
Yet it was still enough of a warning for him to cast a rather hasty Protect. It absorbed the blast, but it shattered his protective dome and knocked him several feet back.
Exploiting his situation the Juggernaut used this time to close the gap between them and bring it's large steel claws crashing down on Kendrick intent on killing him.
Kendrick barely managed to roll out of the way before the wooden floor was smashed to bits. He barely managed to get to his feet before he had to duck another swipe of the construct's claws.
"Blizzara!" he shouted, encasing the machine's legs in a thick layer of ice, stopping it in it's tracks.
"Come forth, Topaz Carbuncal!" A runic circle appeared on the floor, and a small fox like creature burst forth. It's fur was the color of gold and gave off a soft glow, it had three long tails, and set in the center of it's head next to it long ears was a small red gem.
The Carbuncal leap atop the machine's head at began clawing at it's face, a rumble filled the air as the Carbuncal brought down a bolt of lightning to strike the construct.
The construct stopped clawing at the ice encasing its feet and turned it's attention to trying to rid itself of it's unwanted passenger. However it's arms were having trouble grasping the small creature.
Kendrick took this opportunity to place some distance between him and his foe. Drinking down a Potion to heal what few wounds he had suffered as the soothing cold of Umbral Ice replenished his mana.
However this peace was short lived as a yowl filled the air. The automaton had managed to snare his Topaz Carbuncal and flung it into a stack of crates where it lay still for a moment before disappearing in a flash of light. Rid of it's attacker the machine shattered the ice holding it's legs in place and began stalking towards Kendrick once again.
The Juggernaut was in rough shape, the combination of Kendrick's spells and the Carbuncal's assault had left it's armor dented and smoke was beginning to bellow from various vents across it's body, it was nearing the end. Lowering it's head and extending it's cannon, the suit took aim at Kendrick.
Seeing that his opponent was on it's last legs he cast Transmute, feeling the icy relief of the Umbral Ice being replaced by the burning intensity of Astral Fire. Kendrick began to gather his mana for a final attack, the incantation for his spell rolling over his lips.
At the same time the construct began charging it's cannon, a ball off energy forming in the back of it's mouth.
Kendrick struck first. His Firaga flew through the air and struck the machine in the mouth. This in turn caused the machine's cannon to malfunction, the ball of energy it was building up destabilizing and exploding, tearing it apart in a brilliant ball of fire and scrap metal.
Having no time to cast Protect, Kendrick dropped to the floor shielding his head with his arm as shrapnel flew everywhere from the explosion.
After a few seconds of laying there after the explosions subsided he carefully got to his feet an looked around the room. Large pieces of shrapnel were embedded everywhere, the walls, floor, and ceiling were all adorned with foot long shards of metal, although the large steel door sealing off the other half of the hold was still intact. The creates that lined the room previously were all smashed, their contents spilled everywhere, and even more fires were burning, but the Juggernaut stayed down, and with no other threats apparent Kendrick made his way over to Miriam who still lay unconscious beneath his protective dome.
Disperseing the Protectaga spell, Kendrick knelt next to the diminutive White Mage and rested a hand upon her forehead. A white glow enveloped the pair as Kendrick channeled his mana into the young Lalafell as he prepared to cast Raise. Raise was a Conjurer art that allowed the user to revive a person from a near death or unconscious state, when even a Curaga would not suffice.
However while Conjurers are miracle workers, only the strongest of White Mages could bring back the dead and even then the person had to be recently deceased.
As the spell finished it's work Miriam's eyes shot open in a panic. "Kendrick! What's happening!? Where's that monster?! My men they-"
"Miriam! Calm down, everything is alright. I took care of the Juggernaut, your men are fine. They should be with the medics by now. Your safe." Kendrick spoke soothingly, trying to calm his panicked friend. They both may have been hardened adventurers but they were still only seventeen afterall.
"Come on, let's get you up to the medics." Kendrick said as he pulled her to her feet.
"Kendrick, I am a White Mage, I can take care of myself." Miriam grumbled as they walked towards the bulkhead. "Besides I still need to get that door open and secure the prototypes."
"Hey I just want to make sure your alright. Humor me for once." Kendrick laughed as he tussled her hair making her pout."And as for the prototypes just leave that to me okay? Look, the ship's secure, there's no more giant killer robots, it will be smooth sailing from here on out mark my-"
*CRACK*
The duo froze in place as a sharp snapping noise broke the silence. Turning around they saw a large crack had appeared in the floor from underneath the corpse of the Juggernaut.
"The explosion must have weakened the flooring. Miriam, we are going to slowly make our way to the door." Kendrick spoke calmly. "Whatever you do, don't-"
*CRACK* *CRACK*
The fractures began to spread out, forming a large spider's web pattern as the floor began to sag.
*CRACK*
The fractures began spreading towards where they were standing at an alarming rate.
"RUN!" Kendrick shouted, grabbing Miriam's hand as he turned and bolted towards the door, the little mage running along as fast as her tiny legs would carry her.
The cracks in the floor continued to spread, if anything they were accelerated by their running.
The bulkhead door burst open, standing at the threshold were a pair of Fire Fangs from Raptor team. "RUN CAPTAIN! RUN!" the squad leader shouted as he waved his arms for them to hurry up.
The cracks were beginning to out pace them now. Glancing over his shoulder Kendrick saw the floor collapsing, swallowing up everything and exposing the thousand foot drop below them.
They were within twenty feet of the door now. Looking down at Miriam, Kendrick realized one thing. They weren't going to make it, the floor was collapsing too quickly.
Making a snap decision, Kendrick scooped up the Lalafell in his arms.
Fifteen feet from the door.
"Kendrick?! What are you-" the mage tried to protest. But he didn't listen.
Ten feet.
"CATCH!" Kendrick called out to his men. Stopping his sprint, he summoned up every bit of strength he possessed. Kendrick hurled Miriam to the soldiers standing at the bulkhead.
The petite White Mage tumbled through the air. The squad leader lashed out and snatched her up, pulling her to safety.
Miriam wrenched herself from the man's grasp and turned to look at Kendrick, their eyes meeting. He gave her a small nod and a faint smile before a resounding crack bellowed through the hold and the floor fell out from under him sending him tumbling into the darkness.
"KENDRICK!"
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Johnson Deckard stood at the helm of the warship. He had lost contact with Kendrick and Miriam some time ago and was unable to raise them over the Linkpearl.
"Kendrick? Kendrick? Can you hear me? Respond!" he spoke into his Linkpearl, only to be met with static. Growling in frustration he tried to hail Miriam again.
"Miriam, are you there? Respond!"
"Johnson! Thank the Twelve you have to do something!" Miriam shouted hysterically.
"Miriam!? Calm down. Tell me whats wrong!"
"I-It's Kendrick! He f-fell. The floor collapsed out from under him and he fell!"
Johnson just stood there, frozen in shock. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't.
"Sir! We've spotted incoming Garlean warships off the port bow. What are your orders?" one of his lieutenants spoke up.
Johnson for his part merely stood there silent, rooted to the spot.
"Orders! Sir!"
This seemed to knock him out of his trance. Now was not the time to grieve, he thought to himself, he had men to get to safety.
"Full speed ahead, all hands to battle stations." Johnson commanded, his men hurrying about to relay his commands.
"What are you doing Johnson!? We have to help Kendrick! He-" Miriam ranted hysterically, only to be cut off by Johnson.
"Miriam, listen to me. We are over two thousand feet in the air, there is no way he could survive a fall like that." Johnson spoke softly.
"How can you say that!? There still a chance he-"
"I'm sorry, Miriam. But he's gone. There will be a time to grieve later. For now we have to focus on getting this ship and the rest of the men out of here safely. I'm sorry." With that the paladin shut off his connection to Miriam as she broke down in sobs.
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"OH SHIIIIIIIIIIT!" Kendrick shouted at the top of his lungs as he tumbled wildly through the night air.
'Ok Kendrick, you need to level out. Calm down, you can do this.' he thought to himself.
Angling his body, Kendrick managed to pull himself out of the chaotic fall so that he was level with the ground below him, which was approaching at an alarmingly fast rate.
"Ok, think Kendrick, think! There has to be a why out of this.." he muttered to himself, his voice nearly drowned out to his own ears by the whistling of the wind rushing past him and the flapping of his cloak.
His first thought was to slow himself down by casting Aeroga over and over again, using the high powered wind to at least minimize the speed at which he hit the ground at, then he would cast the strongest Protectaga he could muster and hope it would be enough to absorb the impact.
However he had lost his grip on his cudgel during the initial fall. He had his staff stored away in his Armory Chest but by the time he would be able to get to it and withdraw his staff he would be reduced to a bloody smear upon the ground.
So Kendrick did the next best thing that came to mind, he began to channel his mana into his hands, tapping into the Aethernet he tried to use one of the few wandless magics he knew, Teleport.
His hands glowed a bright blue as a magic circle began to form around him, and for the briefest of seconds it felt like his fall was slowing.
However his hope was dashed as the circle shattered and he began to fall again, seemingly faster then before.
"Dammit, come on, come on." he muttered as he tried again. Once more he was met with the same result, the crystals unable to lock onto his position because of his rapid fall.
"Seven Hells! Work!" Kendrick shouted desperately. He tried again.
And again.
And again.
Each time he was met with the same result. The ground was growing closer by the second.
One thousand feet.
Eight Hundred feet.
Six hundred.
Four hundred.
Despite his spell's repeated failure he kept trying, his desperation growing by the second. The ground wasn't more than one hundred feet away now. In his panic he didn't notice the bright green portal open up beneath him before he plunged head long into it upon which it collapsed in on itself, swallowing the mage whole.
And with that Kendrick Mordren, leader of the Fire Fangs, vanished.
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A/N
Hello everyone! I hope your enjoying this fic, I just wanted to clarify a few things about my story, mostly little details, character levels and that I've altered from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's game mechanics. Little things like that.
First off, I am sticking with the old style naming system for the spell, the -ra, -ga, and -ja suffixes (with the limit break spells being the -ja lvl spells). Also I have changed it so that Raise only revives someone from near death ( for example the person has had their heart ripped out.) or unconscious state, only White Mages can bring back the dead, this is mostly to provide some sense of balance. Secondly, I have removed the cross class skill limit, and using a soul crystal won't prevent its wearer from casting certain spells but it is necessary to cast that job's spells ( Flare for a Black Mage for example) and only one may be used at a time.
Finally heres Kendrick's stats.
Classes -Lvl. 45 Thaumaturge -Lvl. 40 Arcanist -Lvl. 40 Conjurer -Lvl. 40 Gladiator -Lvl. 30 Marauder -Lvl. 30 Archer
Unlocked Soul Crystals -Black Mage -White Mage -Summoner -Scholar -Paladin -Warrior
Well that's all for now. Don't forget to follow and reveiw.