Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Star Ocean.

Title: End of Time Series: Here There Be Dragons.

Chapter: 1 of ?

Author's Notes: So I meant to collect a few loosely connected one-shots together into a bigger work and work in some post game chapters here and there. But writer's block can be a bitch. So I'm just going to post what gets done when it gets done. Plus I'd like to add another chapter to this one down the road.

Sorry, still no beta.

"I shall crush your soul."

As over the top as that was, Cliff had to give Vox some credit. The man fought tirelessly, his lance an extension of his arm. Even as he threatened them, Vox came at him with another flurry of lance thrusts. Cliff dodged when he could, gave ground when he couldn't. Vox's moves were like any of the other dragon riders they'd faced. But it was becoming painfully apparent, literally, why he was the commander of the Dragon Brigade.

Vox was better with his lance, his combinations faster and tighter. More than that was his control over his dragon. Said dragon, Tempest, easily dwarfed every other dragon they'd fought or seen. The pair moved as one unit, never off balance, and their speed (dragon and rider) was impressive. The openings were there. After every missed swing or thrust. Cliff just couldn't exploit them. Tempest was constantly moving, either laterally or rising into the air, opening up to much ground for him to cover.

They'd scored a few hits. They'd taken a few as well. Cliff was as confident as ever. They could win this. They would win this. But the progress was slow. Vox was making them fight for every inch, forcing them into more conservative attack patterns.

Also, Cliff hated southpaws.

Cliff backed off as much as he could and drew on his inner reserves. As Vox closed the gap the Klausian formed a glowing sphere of destructive energy in the air above him. The energy pulsed in his veins, took shape, and grew.

Too slow. Before the attack was fully formed the dragon rider had wheeled away from him, avoiding the worst of it.

Fortunately, Cliff wasn't alone.

As Vox edged around his failed attack, Fayt was airborne and delivered a vicious two handed slice with his bastard sword. The blue haired swordsman, having abandoned any thought of hitting the rider, drove the end of his sword into the dragon's side. The beast roared, whirled on the new enemy, and for the first time in the battle Vox had to regain control over it.

Cliff burst forward with a quick combo, doubling down on the beast's injured flank. They'd fought and killed enough dragons to have a rough idea of their anatomy. Fayt's plan was a no brainer. They'd used it on plenty of other dragon riders. Focus on the trunk of the animal. Damage its wings, shoulders, or lungs. Anything that might limit its mobility.

Take the dragon out of the equation.

Cliff landed four solid blows but had to abandon his attack before doing any major damage. Again, Vox recovered quickly. A swipe of the dragon's tail forced him back. A series of lance thrusts forced him away. The combined reach of dragon and rider was putting him at a serious disadvantage.

The dragon reared back its head. Cliff was expecting another round of dragonfire when Vox pivoted, weapon raised protectively. Cliff saw a stream of ice shards slam into him. But the Captain of the Dragon Brigade was ready and blocked most of the projectiles with his lance. The few that got through only enraged him.

"Tempest rise", he roared and the dragon understood, breaking away from Cliff and charging across the battlefield directly at Nel. Whatever hatred he felt towards the two off-worlders was nothing compared to the hate he felt for the Aquarian.

Cliff raced to catch up. Fayt was in front and pulling away. The kid was quick. Although he could hit the weight room a little more often. But the dragon was closing far too fast.

Nel sidestepped one strike cleanly. Then another, not so cleanly. She backpedaled. Vox bore down on her. Nel threw herself forward and underneath the dragon's snapping jaws.

Fayt was six strides ahead when he suddenly stopped. There wasn't time to question it. Tempest was already turning, tracking Nel as she rolled. Cliff barreled past Fayt just as he felt the telltale hum of symbology in the air. (Klausians had such a poor grasp of symbology he practically had to be on top of the spell to sense it.) Vox must have felt it too, ignoring Nel for the moment and bracing himself against the newest threat.

A stream of electrical energy tore across the battlefield. And where Vox had hoped to parry the attack, much like Nel's earlier barrage, he found himself with a lightning rod in his hands. He grit his teeth against the assault, hunching over awkwardly as every muscle in his left side seized at once. Not a fatal blow or even a major one. But it hurt him, bought them time.

And there was an opening.

Cliff launched himself into the air with all his considerable strength. At the peak of his flight, nearly level with the rider, he drove both fists into the dragon's back in a focused explosion of spiritual force. He felt scales tear and bones break under his might even as the dragon's screams drowned out the sound.

Tempest screeched then lashed out at him with its tail almost faster than the eye could follow, landing squarely against his chest. But Cliff's last strike must have taken something out of the beast. He'd taken harder punches. The dragon screeched again and then like all wounded animals fought back ferociously.

Unlike most wounded animals it was capable of breathing fire in every direction.

The dragon thrashed wildly, its wings fanning the already intense flames, and he lost sight of Nel. The heat and the smoke stung his eyes. Cliff backed off and waited for a chance to drive Vox away from her. For first time in the entire battle Vox wasn't pushing the attack, content to let the dragon rampage. Allowing the flames keep them at bay while he dealt with the Aquarian.

Fayt, as he often did, charged ahead. Slicing through the flames with his blade covered in a sheet of ice, the supernatural cold dispelling the dragonfire in his wake. He never knew Fayt could do that. But no one was more surprised than Vox. Fayt made two quick cuts into the dragon's side, ripping through the scales with surprising ease. Tempest roared and lunged for him awkwardly. Fayt dodged the clumsy attack and managed a defensive slice before Vox finally regained control of his mount.

Cliff felt the wave of symbological force before he saw it. Another burst of electricity arced towards Vox. Fayt was busy fending off the dragon's gaping maw, meaning that at least Nel was alive. The electrical attack, once again, proved effective. But Vox wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Knowing he couldn't block it, he was already pulling on the dragon's reigns. As the second bolt hit him, he forced Tempest up and back, opening up the distance between them.

Cliff didn't give chase this time, taking the opportunity to regroup. He was fine. A few bumps and bruises but nothing that would slow a Klausian down. He gave the others a quick once over. Fayt, as scrawny as he was, was holding up well. Wearing heavy armor and using a longer blade, he was the best equipped for this kind of scrum. Although there was no way to tell how much spiritual energy he had left.

Nel was the worst off. She was lucky to be alive after that close call. As skilled a fighter as she was Nel was more fragile than she wanted to admit. (She was exactly as fragile as a normal Elicoorian wearing light armor would be against a dragon. And she would never admit it. Typical female ego, Cliff supposed.) The young woman was favoring her right side, something she normally wouldn't reveal to an enemy. But she was still standing, both weapons drawn. Hurting but still in the fight. Fayt was next to her, his hands glowing with symbological energy.

Vox looked no worse for wear but his dragon definitely did. Tempest hovered at eye level but looked unsteady and its last attacks had lost their edge. They'd definitely gotten the better of that exchange. What's more they'd forced Vox to withdraw first. They knew it. And he knew it.

Not bad at all.

Vox dragged the back of his sleeve across his mouth. "You put up a nice fight. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Something told Cliff that wasn't just empty bravado. He wasn't about to start underestimating Vox now. In his peripheral vision he saw Fayt and Nel moving apart, flanking the dragon rider.

Time for a witty one liner.

"Go screw yourself", he shouted.

Perfect.

Whatever pathetic retort Vox had was forgotten as everyone found themselves cast in shadows. Cliff looked skyward just as the distinct silhouette of a Vendeeni battleship emerged from the clouds. Then as if it knew exactly where to find its objective (for all he knew, they did), it took position directly over their battlefield.

Then it was just a massacre.

Him and his big mouth.

"I know what they're after."

Nice one Cliff. At least he hadn't spelled it out for the kid.

"They'll catch you!"

Until he went ahead and spelled it out for the kid.

In retrospect, he could have handled things better. He just never expected Fayt to flip out. Okay, not entirely true. He sorta had. A lot had happened to him lately. The Vendeeni attacks, crashing landing on a primitive planet, crash landing on another primitive planet, a round of torture.

But then Fayt had met Mirage, Nel, and Clair, some seriously hot chicks. So, definite upside. Anyway, he'd figured Fayt might have a breakdown at some point. Especially once he met Maria (add one more to the hot list) and all the cards were on the table. But not in the "rip a starship out of the sky with your bare hands" kinda way.

He knew what Maria could do. She'd taken out a Federation warship herself. But she needed the Diplo to do it!

Which explained why Cliff was staring at Fayt's unconscious body, dumbfounded, in the middle of a battlefield that was now essentially a mass grave. Funny, a few minutes ago he was worried how much the kid had left in the tank!

Should anyone, any one man, have that kind of power?

Deciding that there were better ways to use his time than standing around with his thumb up his ass, Cliff tried to take stock of the ruin all around him. The immediate area was mostly empty, of the living at least. They'd made it back behind the Aquarian forward lines, close enough to the city to smell the burning husks of the runological weapons.

They needed to get the hell out of dodge. But where to go? They couldn't just walk back to Aquaria without an explanation. Cliff shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mirage was back in Aquios. Couldn't be helped. They'd just have to regroup somewhere else. Time to get moving.

He glanced at the… bluenette. Hmm, had a nice ring to it. Better trademark that. Cliff glanced at the bluenette™. Fayt was face down on the ground, right where he'd left him. No way he would be up and moving under his own power. Of course that wouldn't be a problem for a big strong man such as himself. Not only that but he was a Klausian. And a prime example of one to boot.

A flash of red caught his attention and cut his impromptu pep talk short.

He turned.

Nel. Pale faced. Green eyes wide.

She was staring at them. No. Not them. Fayt.

Well, shit.

Who knew how she would react? Nel was a comrade. He'd go as far as to call her a friend. But after what she'd just seen… Were they too dangerous to let go? She'd promised to kill them if that's what it took to protect Aquaria. A lot had happened since then. But how could anyone witness that display of power and not see a threat?

In the back of his mind, he'd always known he might have to fight her, kill her, if their missions came into conflict. And he knew he could. Not an easy fight but the odds were definitely in his favor. Fighting Vox had taken a lot out of both of them. Nel had had the roughest time of it. She'd relied heavily on her magic both fighting at a distance and supporting him and Fayt.

Of course, after seeing Fayt's not-so-little stunt she'd be on her guard. Still, she had no idea what the upper limits of a Klausian were in either strength or stamina.

He bent his knees, just enough. Shifted his weight without being too obvious.

Nel rushed forward, making a beeline towards Fayt's prone form. Cliff cursed. Straight for the target. He tried to intercept but Nel was going all out. He was going to be a half second behind. She crouched over Fayt, reaching out slowly.

Cliff raised a fist.

Then something in her body language made him pause. Maybe it was the way she hesitated before touching Fayt, like she was scared of what she'd find.

But he had a hunch.

He skidded to a stop, hands lowered but ready. Nel had already rolled Fayt onto his back, laying his head in her lap. The naked concern on her face made Cliff feel more than a little guilty. (He'd meant for that first blow to end it.) But he wasn't about to lower his guard just yet.

Even his hunches were only 99% accurate.

Nel laid a hand on his forehead, closed her eyes. "He's alive." But her voice was so low he wondered if she wasn't just reassuring herself. A familiar green glow enveloped her hands. The energy pulsed then slowly faded from view. When Fayt didn't respond, she frowned. "We need to get him inside."

"Just what I was thinking." Except by "inside" he'd been thinking "the hell off this rock". Now was not the time for that conversation. If they had any luck (all signs pointed to no) that conversation would never take place.

Cliff scooped up Fayt, armor and all, easily. "You go on ahead." He tried to sound nonchalant and didn't come close. He'd hoped she'd take the bait and give him some room to think of his next move. With both armies in chaos there had to be other places for her to be.

Only Nel didn't go on ahead of them, choosing instead to lead the way. Truth be told her staying close wasn't a bad thing. If they ran across any hostiles, as unlikely as it was, he'd have to drop the kid in order to fight them off.

So he made his way to the mansion in the center of town, dreading every step. Soon there were going to be a lot of people demanding answers. Most likely, Nel would be leading the charge.

A/N: Anyone interested in reading more? Did Cliff's perspective feel like he was in character? I had another chapter in mind through a different perspective. Any guesses on the perspective I plan to use?