Well, here's another story. I hope this one is better then my other story; if not, don't be afraid to flame me.
Warning(s)- I rated this Teen for violance and maybe a few curse words.
Disclaimer- I own neither the rights to the game nor the rights to the characters I did not create. These belong to Nintendo and Square Enix. I only own Manarak, Rayne and Raskuita.
The Final Judgement
Chapter 1: The Experimenting
Manarak and Rayne quietly walked through the streets of Cadoan. Everywhere around them, Nu Mou discussed laws and magic. The stores around them stocked all kinds of things but focused on staves and magical books. The duo came to a stop outside the Cadoan Academy and watched for a minute as students walked in and out. The duo smiled and passed the Oasis Armory. As they did, Rayne coughed a little but hid it.
Coming to a stop outside The Sleeping Frog, the only pub for miles around, they entered. As the crowd talked and frogs croaked in the oasis, they sat down and watched as a waitress walked up. "Hello, what can I get you two?" she asked. "Two beers." Manarak nodded and smiled. "Sure, coming right up." The waitress turned and walked off. Manarak sat back as Rayne grinned and leaned on him.
Suddenly, she coughed and tried to hide it. Manarak looked at her in concern. "What is it?" he asked the assassin, looking worried. "It's nothing." She smiled wanly and nodded as the waitress returned with their beers. "Thanks." Manarak nodded and got up with the drink in his hand. "I'm going to check out the message board, be right back." Manarak walked off and Rayne stopped smiling.
"I…don't want him to worry…but I am…very…" She stopped talking and coughed. Playing with her katana, she got up and walked over to where Manarak stood. "Hey, anything new?" she asked. Manarak slid some gil to the bartender and caught the scroll of paper tossed to him. "No…" He sighed and sat down at their table. "Rayne, something is wrong and I need to know what. Recently, you've been tired and coughing a lot."
Rayne looked down and sighed. "Well, I'm…very sick. I found out that I have a…" She coughed again and nodded. "I could die from it…there is medicine that could help but it's very expensive." Manarak nodded and tossed he roll of paper. "I figured that you were sick. But, unfortunately, we don't have the money to buy the medicine. So, I signed on for a job to make the money." Rayne looked worried.
"What was the job?" she asked. "Simply put, it's for this clan that seeks to make the ultimate warrior." Rayne nodded and hugged him. "Okay, you go take care of it and I'll be back in Cyril." She got up but smiled and laughed. "And be careful, okay?" Manarak nodded and got up. Heading for the door, he smiled at Rayne. "You got it!" he then ran out. Rayne grinned and then left.
Outside, Manarak opened the paper. Nodding, he left Cadoan and headed for Jagd Ahli. As he walked there, he found himself facing a few monsters but he easily took them out. Soon, he was standing outside the Jagd. He noticed a bunch of human soldiers wearing black and red. "Halt! Who are you?" One of them walked over and pointed his sword at Manarak. Manarak nodded and held out the paper.
The soldier read from the paper and nodded. "Good, come with me." Manarak followed the soldier through the ruined streets. All around, humans, bangaas and nu mou milled around, performing experiments or reading books. The soldier walked over to the biggest of the ruined buildings and opens the door. "Enter." He ordered, waving in. Manarak gulped and entered as the door swung closed after him.
Inside stood a group of figures wearing red, their faces hidden by shadows. They were clustered around a pentagram, where a viera was tied down. Before she could move, they raised five silver orbs and sent five rays into her. As she screamed, there was a flash of silver light. When it faded, she had vanished and nothing remained. "…Another failure. Raskuita, you are trying our patience." One of the figures muttered. An alchemist turned and glared at the others.
"Don't blame me, I told you to get a strong subject. But no, you keep getting me weaklings." Manarak cleared his throat and the figures turned. "How'd you get in here?" Raskuita demanded, walking over. Manarak handed over the paper and Raskuita read it. "Come, then. Stand in the pentagram." Manarak handed over his weapon and stood in the symbol. Raskuita pointed one hand out and sent a silver light into the ground.
Instantly, the light surrounded Manarak and formed an aura. The group gasped and stepped back. "Uh, what's going on?" Manarak asked. "You are the perfect subject!" Raskuita smiled widely and nodded at the others. "Ready, go!" The five raised their orbs and sent five silver lights into the aura. Manarak gritted his teeth and tried not to scream. The aura formed itself into five shape, one for each totema.
Manarak couldn't resist anymore and he let out one of the loudest screams of his life. The light glowed brighter and brighter and Manarak felt his skin burn. He could see the five totemas floating around him. Finally, the light died down and Manarak collapsed to one knee. As he sank down, he was suddenly aware that he was seeing nothing. He opened his eye as wide as he could but still, all he saw was nothing.
"Did it work?" Raskuita asked, peering into the pentagram. The group saw the boy kneel, then struggle to his feet. "It seems to have worked. But are you okay?" Raskuita asked, holding a hand out. Manarak grabbed it and, without reacting, he flung Raskuita into a wall. "What…what happened?" he asked, clutching his head. The group separated and Raskuita walked over.
"Well, I can explain. We, Clan Underground, is one of the biggest clans around. Our mission is to create the perfect warrior." Raskuita nodded and raised a mace. "We tried to fuse the spirits of the totema with a warrior to allow them to summon the totemas at will. Every time though, they vanished before we could finish." Manarak nodded and felt his way over to Raskuita.
"How…did you take the spirits of the totemas?" he asked. Raskuita smiled. "We took the spirits of each species and extracted the totemas from those." "So, now what? Can I be paid?" he asked. Raskuita nodded and tossed him a bag of gold. Manarak missed the catch, though, and felt around for it. Grabbing it, he felt around until he found Raskuita's hands. "Send it to Rayne in Cyril." He said simply, tossing the gold back, and started feeling for the door.
"We're not done with you. We need to train you and maybe use you for a while." Raskuita cut him off. The boy nodded but warned him. "Try to abuse my "power" and I will make you regret it." Raskuita nodded and walked off. "Come." He said, waving. Manarak shook his head but followed him. "My blade?" he asked. One of the other figured grabbed it and tossed it to him. This time, he managed to catch it and he continued to follow Raskuita.
A few months later, Manarak was back on his feet. He had become much more used to his blindness, which had become less of a hinderance. He just simply relied on his hearing and other senses, which formed what he called "second sight" that created an image in his head. His already decent fighting skills as a mercenary were aided further by the power coming from the totemas inside. He was faster and stronger then ever before. That's not to say that he was invincible; he wasn't a weightlifter by any means and he knew it wouldn't take a lot to damage him. Even a basic fire spell did damage to him.
Thanks to Raskuita's training, he could now summon totemas at will and command them to protect, attack, transport or heal him. He was also no longer bound by species; he could summon any species totema despite being a human. This power came at a cost; he had to sacrifice some of his life to summon each totema. Yet, it was worth it as he managed to win battle after battle in the headquarters.
Finally, after fighting a series of soldiers one day, Raskuita informed him that he was ready for his first job. "You are to go to Muscadet and attack a city of rebels accused of plotting against Queen Remedi." Manarak nodded but as he started to walk off, he came to a stop. "Say, why are we helping Remedi?" He asked. Raskuita looked away. "We need recognition as a full-fledged clan or else we'll be hunted down as bandits." He answered. Manarak sighed and headed for the door. Tying a red headband over his eyes, he unsheathed his blade.
"Addramelech! Help me!" he yelled. There was a flash of light and Addramelech landed. The Bangaa totema spread its wings and nodded. "Please, fly me to Muscadet!" he asked. The totema nodded and Manarak hopped on. Flapping its wings, it took off and flew away. Raskuita nodded and headed for the door as well. A chocobo sat there and he hopped on, following the boy.
Within an hour or so, Manarak had landed outside Muscadet. Dismissing Addramelech, he headed for the town. As he walked through the woods, he was aware of two people following him. He continued walking but laid one hand on his blade. Suddenly, an arrow flew at his head. He unsheathed the blade and quickly blocked it. A viera sniper leapt out of the trees and opened fire.
Knocking each one aside, Manarak leapt forward and slashed at her. She blocked with the bow and leapt back into the trees and Manarak saw a red mage hiding behind another tree. Manarak raised the sword and flung it at her. "Boomerang Blade!" he screamed, watching as it flew at the foe. She was barely able to dodge and it returned to his hand. He watched as they dashed off and Raskuita rode over.
"What happened?" Raskuita asked. Manarak nodded at him and started down the path. "Expect company." He remarked, sheathing his blade and dashing away. Raskuita rode after him, looking around. Soon, they stood on top of a hill and stared down at the town, which was bustling with activity. Raskuita rode up and tossed a red gem to Manarak. "What's this?" he asked.
Raskuita nodded and motioned to it. "When you wear it, you can transform into a totema known as Apocalyptica. Powerful, we want to see you use it on this town." Manarak put it on but shook his head. "Wiping out the whole town won't help you become a true clan. Let's just go get the rebels." He turned and entered the town. Raskuita dismounted and walked after him.
Once inside, the duo looked around and saw the crowds of people. A viera walked past, chatting with her friends. Manarak tried to keep tabs on all the people, trying to identify the rebels. An elementalist wandered over and winked at him. He blushed a little but nodded at her and she ran off, laughing. Manarak looked at Raskuita, who pointed at a girl with a star on her arm. Looking around, she dashed into a building. Manarak followed her and Raskuita watched with a smug smile on his face.
Manarak stopped outside the door and listened. Inside, he heard voices and the unmistakeable sounds of weapons being drawn. He then opened the door and stepped inside. He sensed people of all races staring at him with their weapons ready. "Hm, who are you?" A ninja pointed his two katanas at Manarak. Manarak unsheathed his Totema Blade and readied himself. "I am Manarak Dunhart and I'm here to-" He came to a stop as he saw Rayne in his second sight.
"Manarak!" She ran over and hugged him. "It's really you! But something's changed…" She looked worriedly at him. Manarak laughed and sheathed his blade. "Well, how to begin…" He explained what had happened and Rayne and the others sat, completely intrigued. After he had finished, Rayne got up and hugged him. "Oh, Mana…you didn't have to do that…" She started crying softly. "And now you're blind…"
Manarak turned and nodded. "I'm glad you're healthy again." He smiled as she stopped crying. "Yes. Well, these are the members of the Reistance." She pointed to the various species standing around and they put away their weapons. "Why are you after Queen Remedi anyway?" Manarak asked. "Some stupid has-been clan called Clan Underground seeks to eliminate all other clans. Including us as well." Manarak jumped and unsheathed his sword. "Cl-clan Underground!" He turned and fled the room, anger beating in his heart.
Outside, Manarak saw Raskuita leaning on a wall. "Did you-argh!" He took a step back, with Manarak's blade pointed at his throat. "I warned you not to use me." He said, angrily advancing towards Raskuita "You needed me to destroy the other clans, right?" Raskuita's face contorted in anger and he whistled. Seven human soldiers ran up, swords ready. A judge rode up and Manarak stepped back.
"I'm sorry, but you know too much." Raskuita ran back to the entrance to an alley. "The laws for today are No Stealing and No Hunting." The judge read. Manarak nodded; none of the laws affected him. Rayne ran up, unsheathing her bow, and stood next to him. "Mana! I'm here to help!" She smiled as Manarak winked at her. "Great, I could use the help! Here we go!"
The judge whistled and Rayne moved first. Dashing forward, she ended up behind a soldier. "Last Breath!" she cried, sending a hand right into the soldier. The soldier took one last breath and then died. The judge awarded her a judge point as the body collapsed. Laughing, she watched as Manarak stared at four soldiers. "Neo-Necron Cross!" he screamed, sending a cross of light into the four foes.
When the light faded, three collapsed to the ground. One knelt on the ground and he seemed confused. The judge awarded Manarak his judge points and the foes took their turns. The confused soldier turned and attacked one of his friends. As for the others, they moved closer to Manarak but couldn't act. Raskuita moved forward a step and pointed one hand at Manarak.
"Meteor!" he yelled, sending a meteor flying at Manarak. Manarak evaded just in time. "Nice one." Raskuita grunted in anger. Rayne dashed over to the wounded soldier and finished him off. Manarak then dashed over to where the remaining two soldiers stood. "Resonate Edge!" He slammed the ground with the blade, sending a sonicwave out that blew the soldiers into a rock, knocking them out. As they vanished, Manarak and Rayne glared at Raskuita.
Raskuita grinned and raised both hands into the air. "You both will perish, Giga Flare!" he screamed, sending a huge explosion at both friends. Both friends knelt on the ground as they struggled to recover. Pulling herself up, Rayne dashed at Raskuita. "Ultima Masher!" she screamed, raising the katana above her head. Bringing it down, she unleashed a deadly explosion.
Raskuita pulled himself up and laughed. "Is that all?" he asked. Manarak shook his head, then sighed. "Much as I hate to do this, he's too strong to take out ordinarily. Now, hopefully, this will work…" Red lightning flew from the gem and surrounded him, forming an aura. He glowed bright red, unleashing a powerful flash of light that blew the others back. When it faded, Manarak hovered there. He looked totally different though, and his new look shocked everyone there.
He had appeared inside a huge suit of floating black armor. Spikes stuck out everywhere and huge gauntlets and boots accompanied the armor. A helm, decorated to look like a dragon's head, covered where the head should have been. Instead of a headband over the eyes, the eyes were now red circles, glowing in the shadows of the helm. Two black angel wings popped out of his back. These two were armored as well; chains and small iron tips decorated each feather.
Reaching back, he grabbed an extremely long katana and a heavy blade. Readying each weapon, he glared at Raskuita, who shivered. "Uh…it worked!" Raskuita jumped up and down, laughing. Rayne stared and then walked over, totally stunned. The judge just stared, silent and impassionate as well. "Apocalyptica is my name." Manarak laughed and pointed the weapons at Raskuita. Rayne nodded but looked a little scared.
Raskuita shook his head and then, realizing what was going on, began backing away. Turning, he retreated and raised his mace. "Death!" he screamed, sending the spell at Manarak. Laughing, he watched as the spell bounced off. Rayne nodded and dashed behind the alchemist. Raising her katana, she began dancing. "Luna Blade Dance!" she yelled, slashing as she danced.
Raskuita took heavy damage but the worst was yet to come. Manarak landed and raised his weapons. "You don't deserve to live." he said. Raising his blades, he dashed at Raskuita. "Hellish Temper!" he screamed, slashing furiously. Raskuita screamed and collapsed to one knee. "Enough." Manarak stopped. "You do deserve to die, but I'm not the one to decide if you do. Run, like the worm you are." Manarak landed and returned to his human self. Catching his headband as it fell, he tied it back on.
Rayne supported Manarak as they both watched Raskuita run off. Raskuita turned and glared. "This isn't over! I'll kill you!" He ran off into the shadows and the judge rode off as well. The other people emerged from hiding and stared in shock at the duo. Then, they all broke out in applause and cheering. Rayne waved at her comrades and Manarak just nodded. They two then began to walk away when a viera ran up with a book. "Please?" she said, grinning.
Manarak was soon surrounded by people, all asking for signatures. As he signed them, he noticed Rayne looking slightly annoyed in the doorway of a building. Sighing, he managed to free himself and ran over to her. "Hey, Manarak! Where to?" she asked with a wide smile. "Hm…Where's the resistance headed?" he whispered. "Nowhere. They don't have enough troops yet." Manarak stood silent for a second, then smiled. "How about Baguba Port?' he asked. Rayne smiled and the duo started off.
As the crowds dissipated, one viera watched from a roof. "Huntress Tierna?" She spun to where Raskuita stood. "Hmph, nice one." She remarked. "Shut up. Do you want the job or not?" Raskuita growled. "Yeah, keep your hat on. We're talking 30,000 alive, 20,000 dead, right?" He nodded. "Try to bring him alive. And bring his friend to me, she reminds me of someone." Tierna snorted and played with her bow. "Idiot." She said under her breath. Pulling on thin, black gauntlets and a headgear of similar material, she hopped off and followed the duo. Raskuita laughed and walked inside.
And there you have it. Another crappy story from my mind. -- Anyway, please read and review and I'll get more up! I promise!