Title: Final Fantasy XII: The Unofficial Novelization Preview
Author: MHunterG (name changed from WyvernOne)
Series: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy (obviously)
Rating: T
Main Pairing: N/A – there are relationships between certain characters in-game, but are downplayed to make room for the actual story
Originally uploaded on: FanFiction (Dot) Net
Author's Note: Apart from all the usual legal trappings ("I don't own Final Fantasy XII," "I cannot and do not profit from this fanfiction," etc.)... This is a test chapter, to see how it would fare; as such, it will be far from perfect. There will be mistakes, either obvious or not, mostly in the necessary weasel that is self-conceived filler. This chapter takes place during a very important plot point late in the game, so SPOILERS AHEAD!
I have no immediate plans to do a full-on novelization of Final Fantasy XII, but I have recently been seriously thinking about it. Perhaps later this year, I will get around to it. At this point, I just wanted to do something for my 6th anniversary on this website, since I missed my 5th and 4th. (EDIT 3/15/12: The full novelization is going to happen. See the link to my WordPress blog in my profile for further details.)
For those uninitiated into Final Fantasy XII:
– Magic is always spelled "magick", and technique = "technick" (I would suppose).
– "Mist" is basically ubiquitous, airborne mana, magicite is Mist-infused stone with various properties, and skystone is one such variety of magicite, used to power most airships.
– Nethicite is magicite with Mist-absorbing properties. Two varieties exist: manufacted and deifacted; the former artificial, the latter made by the gods.
– Jagd is pronounced "YAHgd". They are areas of Ivalice with unusually high concentrations of Mist, which render skystones inoperable; therefore, airships can't fly in jagds.
– Cid is pronounced "Sid", as with all other Cids of the Final Fantasy franchise.
– Judge Drace was completely wasted as a character. ='(
Test Chapter 1: "The Treaty-Offering"
Many thousand years ago, all-powerful beings looked down upon the land, and their rule was absolute. They commanded all things on the earth. All was done according to their will. Then one day they withdrew behind the walls of a great city of their own making, disappearing from history's stage. In the vacuum left behind, Ivalice fell into chaos, until the march towards a new age finally began.
—Sage Knowledge 01: "The Age of Gods"
In a flash of light, the party entered the Round of the Undying, via the Empyrean Way Stone. In this plane which was located in the skies far above Giruvegan, higher than any jagd-resistant airship could hope to reach, there were massive, ornate platforms scattered about. The light, from what may be the sun, reflected off the floating structures in the most wonderful way. This place was the empyrean, the highest heaven, as suggested by the Way Stone.
Ashe found herself awestruck by the sheer, albeit eerie, beauty of this realm. She turned to look around...
But she was alone.
"Where is everyone?" she called out, to no immediate answer...
"Fear not, Princess of Dalmasca." came a powerful, and strangely omnipresent, voice. "We Occuria have chosen you, and you alone." From one of the altars came the image of a ghostly figure, surrounding itself with copious amounts of Mist, very similar to that of the enigmatic figure which protected Doctor Cid against Reddas' assault. Its body resembled an elegantly-wrought suit of armor, of a bluish-platinum color. Where its face would be, there was only a black void, save for two piercing yellow eyes.
This voice belonged to Gerun, the leader of the Occuria, though it did not introduce itself as such.
"Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca." the Occurian spoke."We see your heart desires power, and power most holy shall we grant. Seek you the Sun-Cryst, slumb'ring star. In tower on distant shore it dreams. The mother of all nethicite, the source of its unending power. The Dynast-King, his fallow shards, coarse trinkets cut from Sun-Cryst's light."
At this revelation, Ashe's eyes widened; this would mean that the Dawn, Dusk, and Midlight Shards were only small fragments of this Sun-Cryst! "Such power exists?"
"In times that are long passed away, we thought to save this Ivalice, and chose Raithwall the Dynast-King. He took the sword and cut the Cryst. Three shards he took from its gilt grasp, and so became the Dynast-King. His words and deeds run through your veins."
"That's why I was given it—the Sword of Kings!"
"The treaty held with kings of old is but a mem'ry, cold and still. With you we now shall treat anew, to cut a run for hist'ry's flow. Now take this sword, this Treaty-Blade. Occurian seal, mark of your worth. Cut deep the Cryst and seize your shards." Within the Mist that surrounded Gerun, the Occurian materialized a beautiful blue and platinum greatsword, similar yet dissimilar to the Sword of Kings, its Occurian-wrought twin.
"Wield Dynast-King's power! Destroy Venat!"
Something about the Occurian's imperative seemed wrong. Her path would run parallel to her ancestor Raithwall, and she might restore Dalmasca as a Dynast-Queen; neither Archadia nor Rozarria would dare challenge her claim to rule then. But everything she was told by her entourage, and the mysterious Reddas, was that the nethicite was genocide in the palm of a hand.
What was most puzzling was Venat's role in all this. It seemed that Venat had done something to draw the ire of its fellow Occuria.
"But Venat," she said. "Venat is an Occurian. A being like you—"
"Venat is a heretic!" interjected Gerun angrily, shocking Ashe into alert. Even the name seemed to be taboo for the Occurian.
In the Round of the Undying, more Occuria entered, as if beckoned by their shared contempt for the rogue Venat.
"The nethicite is ours to give, to chosen bearer or to none! The heretic trespassed and set the rose of knowledge in Man's hand. With imitations they profane, it is anathema to us! We give you now the Stone and task. Administer judgment: destroy them all!"
Ashe could not believe her ears. "Judgment?" Suddenly, Prince Rasler's ghost appeared before her, as beckoning as all times before. Her voice began to quiver. "Destroy them all? The Empire?"
"The humes ever skew hist'ry's weave," continued Gerun. "With haste they move through too-short lives. Driven to err by base desires, t'ward waste and wasting on they run. Undying, we Occuria light the path for wayward sons of Man. Oft did we pass judgment on them, so that Ivalice might endure. Eternal, we are hist'ry's stewards, to set the course and keep it true. The chosen is our hand, our fist; to let live some, and crush the rest. Princess, you have been chosen. Take revenge against those who stole your kingdom. Fulfill your role as savior."
Ashe, against all reason imploring her not to do so, felt her arms reaching for the Treaty-Blade, her thoughts in total disarray.
"Attain to your birthright!" Closing her eyes, Ashe took the sword in her sweating, trembling hands. She immediately felt its weight, and opened her eyes. When she did, the Occuria had vanished, and much of the surrounding Mist with them.
The ethereal lords of Ivalice, the Occuria, had chosen her, the last living of Raithwall's blood, to inherit the Dynast-King's legacy. The Dawn Shard, after detonating over the Jagd Yensa and obliterating Archadia's 8th Fleet, displayed to Ashe exactly the devastation just one shard of deifacted nethicite was capable of. After retrieving the Sword of Kings from the Stilshrine of Miriam, she had intended to cleave the now-useless Dawn Shard with it, but her husband's image implored her against it.
Venat, it seemed, was responsible for Doctor Cid's entire ardor over the nethicite, and through it did Cid succeed in its manufacture. The "rose of knowledge" was knowledge of the nethicite, and it was mere fortune that Cid was a scientist of the Draklor Laboratory, who had visited Giruvegan six years ago in search of such knowledge. Venat was thus the catalyst for the entirety of Archadia's belligerence since then, and therefore responsible for all the lives and kingdoms destroyed in the process.
Her feelings for final revenge were completely at odds with reason, and not since her father King Raminas' murder was she so close to breaking down in a weeping mess. If only her prince Rasler were alive, holding her in his arms right now...
"Ashe!"
Ashe looked up, stirring at Vaan's voice. He and the party had finally arrived to her at once, and her composure began to return. "What's with these Occuria? What gives them the right to tell you what to do?"
"Will you take revenge, as they ask?" said Fran. Ashe gasped at her matter-of-fact question – was she not really alone in her conference with the Undying Ones?
"We could not see them, but we heard the Occuria speak," said Basch, clarifying Fran's intent. "They may be gods, but we are the arbiters of our destiny. Your Highness, I am against this. The Empire must pay, but destruction?"
Still shaken with the revelations and new task put upon her, Ashe could not answer Basch. The party seemed to share his sentiment, but no one wanted to pressure the princess into a choice.
"Um..." said Penelo, breaking the silence. "Does anyone know what happened to Doctor Cid? Wasn't he saying he'd be here?"
"He should have arrived by now." said Basch.
Balthier suddenly furrowed his brow, a crucial problem coming to mind. "And I should have realized by now," he spoke up, suspicions confirmed. "He's not coming. He laid out the bait, and we bit." The party looked to Balthier for clarification.
"Remember what he said?" he continued. "He wanted Ashe to get the stone – he wanted that all along. That's why he flaunted his nethicite, and reeled us in with his stories about Giruvegan. All to bring Ashe to the Occuria."
"But wait," said Penelo. "If we got a hold of the nethicite, wouldn't that be bad for the Empire?"
"Maybe he wants to see what happens when foes with nethicite collide?" Balthier mused. "That would be just like Doctor Cid."
No matter which path led to which event, Ashe now knew where the point at which they diverged was located. "I will search out the Sun-Cryst," she finally spoke, regaining her royal composure.
Vaan, Penelo, Fran, and Basch returned to the Way Stone. Ashe motioned to follow, but was interrupted by the stationary Balthier suddenly speaking.
"'History is built by our hands,'" he said. "That's his favorite line. He'd never stand by and watch the Occuria's Stones shape things." He looked to the Occuria's altars, having come to another realization.
"So, he was talking to Venat all along. He wasn't mad at all then, was he?"
Ashe said nothing. Both she and Balthier followed the party back to the Way Stone.
In the Imperial City of Archades, the throne room witnessed a discussion between autocrat Vayne Solidor, and his only remaining family, his younger brother Larsa. Doctor Cid was also present, but he was off to the side, ostensibly muttering to himself, and paying heed to no other matters.
"Restore Dalmasca's sovereignty, and make our amends with Lady Ashe," Larsa implored. "It is the only way to avert war!"
Vayne merely shrugged off his younger brother's request. "It is a war of necessity. Your Lady Ashe herself is bent on it – she desires it above all else. She will not rest until her revenge is full-wrought."
Larsa was not convinced. "I fear you misread her intent. She would sooner shun war than embrace it."
"You are young, Larsa."
"And you presume beyond your ken!"
"Then let us look closer. Judge Gabranth!" Gabranth, who was already in the chamber, stood ready for an order. "I would have you seek after the Lady Ashe, and adjudge whether she makes overtures of peace, or war. Yours shall be the eyes of the Empire."
Gabranth's expression, if he gave one, was hidden behind his custom-wrought Judge Magister's helm. "And should I espy war, I am to put her to the sword. Is that your wish, Excellency?"
Before Vayne could answer, Larsa spoke instead. "It will not come to that, I am sure. I have faith in her – faith in you both. On you, Gabranth, shall I wager all our fortunes."
"As you will." Gabranth took his leave, and Larsa followed him.
Cid then turned around; while engrossed in his own private conversation with Venat, he still could well hear the Solidor brothers' debate. "That so sweet a child could be your brother is hard to believe."
"Larsa is as he should be."
Internally, something caught Cid's attention. "What's that, Venat?" He turned his head slightly aside. Naught but his own voice could be heard, thus did Cid usually come across as possibly schizophrenic.
"Ah, taken the bait already, have they?" said Cid. "Splendid. The Occuria have given the Princess her Treaty-Blade."
Vayne knew there was more to Cid than met the eye. "The gods have chosen their scribe, to write history as they deem fit. Yes, and she with fresh nethicite to aid her."
"Bah! To hell with the Occuria and their stones! What good a power that cannot be harnessed? Baubles best-suited for study, no more."
"We conquered two kingdoms," Vayne interjected, sensing a bit of ungratefulness from Cid, "that you might study these 'baubles'."
"Oh, I am grateful for the sacrifice. Without it, manufacted nethicite would have eluded us – an unrivaled weapon, I warrant you." Cid looked to his side. "Tell me, Venat. Have I not been an apt pupil?"
Were anyone else but Vayne present to witness the scene, their illusions of Cidolfus Demen Bunansa being insane would have been shattered at once: a ghostly, otherworldly figure materialized out of nowhere, a pair of eerie yellow eyes within it. Venat had made itself visible.
"My counsel did but guide your able hand." the rogue Occurian spoke openly for the first time. "Through power of Man, the Stones did you perfect. Yes. So much accomplished in six fleeting years. Man's fervor o'er all obstacles prevailing."
"Our lives are much too short," lamented the otherwise proud Cid. "You Undying might waste long centuries away, but we, I fear, cannot."
"Just so." added Vayne. "Had we more time, we might have availed ourselves of more prudent measures."
"Your greatest work still lies before you," Cid assured Vayne. "Not lightly will the Occuria allow you to wrest the reins of History from their grasp, back into the hands of Man."
"Indeed," added Venat. "What claim does Gerun have on hist'ry's reins, seated on throne immortal, rent from time? For your ascendance, Vayne, I offer prayer. May you attain all that which is your due."
Vayne smiled at Venat's offer of goodwill. "Attain it, I shall." He then looked to the Archadian skyline, his following words chosen carefully, and spoken with a great weight behind them.
"For too long have my deeds gone unrewarded..."
The party found themselves back within the Gate of Wind, their business no longer to be in the Round of the Undying.
"'In tower on distant shore dreams the Sun-Cryst.'" said Basch, reflecting on those words. He turned to Fran: "Do these words mean aught to you?"
Fran shook her head; those words, and what they meant, lying beyond her knowledge.
An idea had suddenly struck Vaan. "Didn't Reddas say he was going to follow some 'other course'?" he spoke up. "Maybe he found out something that can help."
Balthier was quick to disagree. "I'd rather stay out of that sky pirate's debt, thank you."
"What's wrong with Reddas? I mean, if you can't trust your own kind, who can you trust?"
"You're an expert on pirating now, are you?" Vaan shrugged, but could not give an adequate answer. The party was now set to return to Balfonheim; whether Balthier liked it or not, Reddas would provide invaluable assistance to their new objective.
In the time it took the party to decide their next destination, the Way Stone behind them automatically stirred, the timeworn words inscribed on it magickally changing, and then it went silent once more. It seemed that it could no longer take anyone back to the Undying Ones' realm – perhaps it was by Their will to have the device transport the party there in the first place, and now was no longer necessary. Upon the device, the words now read:
By this, return ye to the Gate of Earth.
By other means, return ye back to this place.
Everyone remembered that the nearest Gate Crystal was in the Gate of Earth, and all breathed a heavy sigh of relief. This saved the party a very long foot-trip all the way back, and not a one of them wanted to cleave their way through any more monsters – especially if a Diakon Entite happened to show up just as Fran or Penelo began casting any healing or other magicks (which elementals as a whole seemed to have a nasty habit of doing) – and everyone was still exhausted from the Shemhazai battle. If anyone wanted to be so bold as to steal a Halcyon gem from the holy apparition, it would have to be on their own time.
The party touched the Way Stone, now renamed "Tellurian", as one, and the device activated accordingly. The next thing anyone remembered was seeing a sudden, ubiquitous brightness when the device settled down, along with the smell of damp, ancient stone. A quick look around confirmed the small presence of a glimmering orange light in the distance. As inscribed on the Way Stone, this was the Gate of Earth.
Not a single moment was wasted in rushing to the Gate Crystal. Everyone knew not to take for granted the strange, wonderful magicks each crystal worked on those who touched them. As they were fortuitous in that Giruvegan's Gate Crystal was near the gate to the Feywood, it could prove advantageous later.
All six touched the orange crystal as one, with a Teleport Stone used as its cost. Their return to the Port at Balfonheim was instantaneous.
Reddas would indeed prove instrumental in their new objective.
The biggest reason why I wrote this chapter when it covers a late-game event, is mostly because I love how the Occuria talk. It definitely has that altum videtur thing going for it—you'll notice that each time Gerun spoke, his/her/its sentences or sentence breaks were (mostly) eight syllables each, also known as iambic tetrameter. Venat, however, speaks with ten syllables each. What, was that its reason for going rogue?
Again, this chapter should not be considered perfect. There are things in there I may not be aware of cluttering up an otherwise smooth narrative. I would consider this practice for a full-on novelization.
Anyway, you know the drill: Read and Review!