Enjoy.

Black Mage Dilemma

It was quite clever of them actually, shielding their new village from any prying eyes, choose a location far from any civilisation that would know them, build everything from scratch, learn to build it to begin with.

Kuja looked over at the tops of the straw roofs of the huts he could see just through the trees and felt fairly smug and proud of himself for creating such things as they. He had had plenty of time to contemplate how to manipulate them into joining, normally he wouldn't have bothered but since that pesky 'brother' of his stopped the mist from the Iifa Tree he couldn't make any more black mages.

Well he could create mist but it was difficult and frankly would be more effort and strain than it would be worth.

Mr 111 was walking the chocobo egg around the village to show him the sights and explain what was where so when the tiny bird was born he or she would know everything, he turned to point out the inn when a shadow grew next to his own, a distinctive and obvious human looking shadow.

He tensed and turned slowly to look.

"Do you actually have a leader here or are you all one big governing force now?" Kuja asked with a nice big smile.

Poor Mr 111 nearly dropped the egg as he let out a screech that rattled Kuja's eardrums and he raced back to the egg hut without a backward glance. Several other mages poked their heads out their windows and doors to see what the commotion was about.

Rather comical to Kuja who stood smiling as though it were a lovely day in the sunshine as black mage heads (from at least three different huts) gaped at him in shock for a few seconds before they actually reacted. One mage banged his head on the window frame in his hurry to escape and it made the genome snort, though he tried to stifle it.

"Anyone here who would like to speak to me?" He called out as he started to meander up the wooden steps to walk past the inn, he glanced inside and saw the feet of a mage poking out from under a bunk bed.

Kuja came across a little pond with a few flowers around it, he glanced up at the makeshift canopy they made from some wheat which shielded the harsh sun from him.

He looked over and saw two mages stood near a scarecrow mage and what looked like a grave memorial place. He knew they'd be dying off by now and since they had apparently sprouted free will out of nowhere then they'd be easy to persuade, no one wants to die.

"And here I thought you would want hear me out!" Kuja glanced back at the empty windows but not empty shops and spoke loudly so all could hear. "Looks like some of your friends life spans have already run out!"

He took a few steps backwards and lifted his arms. "I can make sure yours does not!"

A creak from the hut behind him but he purposely did not look as he addressed his audience.

"If you want to live forever, I can do that for you!" Three mages from the shops poked their heads out cautiously through their doors and Kuja knew he had them. "All you have to do is follow me, do as I say and I shall not let you die!"

There was a few seconds of silence and the genome paused to let his words sink in and then-

"Really?" A small voice asked behind him. "Can you make sure we don't just stop?"

Oh how cute, it cannot think of the word 'death'. Kuja thought as he turned slowly and flashed the cowering mage a reassuring smile.

"Yes," he said with such confidence that he won Mr 32 over immediately and he opened the door fully so both he and Mr 132 could edge out carefully.

"You really mean it?!" Mr 132 asked in disbelief.

Mr 263 called over to the two that stood near the egg hut near the gate. "You hear that?! He can help us!"

"What? Really?"

"We don't have to stop and go underground!"

"I'm so happy!"

"No more of us stopping!"

About six mages had huddled around Kuja all chatting excitedly much to the latter's steadily rising annoyance, he fought the urge to snap at them to be quiet. He needed some more puppets and that was that.

Mr 288 stood in silence near the graves, he had no moved nor uttered a sound about their creators appearance nor this newfound information he had brought with him.

Not stop? Be free of this worry and fear of not knowing? He wasn't sure but he didn't want to die and put underground and yet…he didn't want to leave.

He looked over at Kuja and saw the unkindness in his eyes, the cruelty and anger and he doubted his creator. Mr 288 looked over each and every mage to see their happy reactions until he saw Mr 111 and Mr 33 looking anxiously towards the hut where the door lay open, showing the egg they had cared for so well for the past month.

Okay, he thought. If any black mages wish to stay then I will stay with them.

He nodded fairly and with resolve and thought about Vivi seeing the village bare.

His brothers serving Kuja.

"I don't want to go," Mr 111 whispered rather loudly and just like that the choice was made for him.