CoWR – Reclaiming Tycoon

Oneshot

DISCLAIMER: If it doesn't look original, it probably isn't.

Agrias rubs her head "It was a dream?"

Darius folds his arms "Some dream. I was talking to two random people. Nice folks I suppose."

Donovan coughs "If you two are done napping, we're" ready to mobilize.

"I don't think that was a dream...Anyway, ya, lets get ready." Link exits the tent.

Bartz rubs his eyes as he wakes up and hears the others talking. "Dream...? Wait a minute...Um. What exactly did you guys dream about?"

"Cosmos spoke to us. I'm pretty sure I saw you there too."

Bartz takes a moment to absorb this information. "Either that wasn't a dream, or we're all crazy. Or both." He considers this. "Well, if it wasn't a dream, we're likely to get reinforcements soon. I spoke to Faris in the vision."

At that very moment, Faris and her pirates are searching for information about how to enter the Void even though the Rift is closed. Krile, who was also in the vision even though I didn't NPC her, is leading some soldiers towards wherever Bartz may be, and is coincidentally going in the right direction.

Darius folds his arms, "I'm sure there were two others... did they say their names? Bah, I'm over-thinking it."

Agrias steps outside "Right, we'll be 100 percent ready in an hour or so."

"Alright. I'm ready when ever. I can scout ahead if you want."

Krile approaches Cornelia on her Wind Drake, going ahead of the soldiers to inform Bartz of the reinforcements.

Bartz frowns. "A couple of hours..."

Alexander woke, disoriented. "Ugh... what... what is going on?" Alexander stirred, and peeked out from his tent, and saw the man from before. 'I remember him! I saw him from that other place...'

Claire slowly crawled out of her tent, looking around. She was silent, as usual. 'Huh. Truly drifters...' She then saw Alexander, and brought him to his feet. "The tides change again."

Alexander nods. "Yes, you're right. We're in a predicament now, we are..." Together, they look around them, seeing others. However, they don't seem hostile. Alexander then decides to approach Darius. "Excuse me, my good man. But... what exactly is going on?"

Darius looks at Alexander and says, "We're about to attack and reclaim the city of Tycoon, you two are welcome to join if you so..." He stops and looks closer at the two. He grins and looks at Claire. "Hey you two were in that dream. Are you an angel, milady?" He frowns. "Now that was a dumb thing to ask."

Bartz looks to the skies just in time to see a wind drake flying across Cornelia. The drake descends in front of him, and Krile climbs off. "Bartz! Gee, how've you been?"

Bartz brightens up. "Krile!" He then looks somber again. "Lenna, she..."

Krile nods. "I know. Faris asked me to come here. She's gonna be off searching for the entrance to the Void. I just came here to tell you that Bal is sending you guys reinforcements! They ought to be here by tomorrow. I'm going back to where they are now. See you in a bit!" She flies off on the wind drake.

Bartz turns to Agrias and grins. "Looks like we're delaying the attack until tomorrow..."

Agrias folds her arms and scowls, "Delaying the attack is not delaying the march. We just packed and we will not unpack until I say so, got it?"

Alexander looks slightly disheartened after hearing what he did. 'Dragged from war to war. Will conflict never end? Fate truly is cruel...!' He then hears what Darius says to Claire, and chuckles slightly, looking at he as he does.

Claire looks at Darius and gives him an evil glare, folding her arms. "Diamonds have no allegiance with Coal."

Alexander then spoke. "Now Claire! I'm sure the gentleman was only expressing his admiration for you!"

Claire then slowly turns to Alexander, and glares at him too. "…"

Alexander ceases to chuckle, and turns to Darius again. "Well, I guess we have no choice. We'll move when everyone is ready."

Bartz smirks. "Sure, whatever you say. I just hope you aren't planning to set your soldiers out at dawn. Sleep-deprived soldiers against ExDeath? Not a pretty sight."

Darius glares at Claire "Well I guess some people don't take compliments. Diamonds and Coals, indeed." He shrugs exaggeratedly. "Anyways, we are about to move out."

Donovan interjects "Sir? We're soldiers. Since ExDeath's last attack, we've trained from dawn till dusk. Your concern is of course noted. ... Can't wait to see you fight, sir."

Agrias starts walking to the front "Move out."

Alexander nods. "Alright." He then turns to Claire. "We must be careful against this... ExDeath!"

Claire nodded in approval. 'Let's hope these soldiers aren't afraid to shoot strangers...'

Bartz starts heading out with the other soldiers. Around halfway to Tycoon, they meet up with Krile and the soldiers from Bal.

Agrias looks at Bartz "Wait for a day, huh?"

Donovan sighs "Schutta."

Agrias looks at the colonel acquisitively "What?"

Cassandra speaks up "Ask a wolf. Not pretty."

The army stops as night falls outside Tycoon. Darius shouts, "Unpack." The soldiers begin to set up camp. "Tomorrow we attack."

Bartz and Krile look at Tycoon from where they sit, on a cliff near the city. Krile looks down. "Lenna..."

Bartz grins. "She'll be alright, you watch her. Faris is gonna find her in no time."

"...We ought to be getting to bed."

Krile nods, and leaves. Bartz looks towards the ruins of Tycoon for a few more minutes, then goes to his own tent. "Busy day tomorrow, Boko. Best get some rest."

The young man goes to sleep, as does his Chocobo.

Agrias assembles the troops "No time for speeches. We'll win, because we're prepared and because I SAID SO!"

Darius mutters "Huzzah."

Bartz rolls his eyes. 'Who does she think she is...?' Nevertheless, he prepares with everyone else.

It was that moment that Tycoon's gates exploded leaving Agrias grinning. Darius frowns. "We didn't have expl..." He stopped. "You blew up my Artifact Materia!"

A PFC runs up, grinning like a madman. "Private First Class, Samuel reporting." He coughs ash and salutes.

Agrias looks pleased "Why do you think I said we'd win because 'I said so'? Did you think I was boasting or full of hot air?"

Bartz charges in on Boko. "Come out and get some, ExDeath!"

Krile follows him, flying on her wind drake.

The Bal soldiers look to Agrias. The commander of the soldiers coughs and asks "Permission to charge, ma'am?"

Alexander sees the gates blow open. "A-ha! Be ready, Claire!" He draws both Babylon and Macedon.

Claire nods, and draws her hand dagger, and carries it behind her back, and lowers her posture somewhat. "You've got to watch them closely, and be quick. Else you'll be dead."

Alexander smirks, and laughs. "Of course! We await the signal to attack, and then..." 'Fathers and forefathers of Igetis ton Andron... aid us in this war!'

Agrias watches the two and sighs "Fine. Forget all real strategy and tactics." She and Darius draw their swords and charge with the Tycoon Remnants. From within Tycoon exits a host of beasts who all charge at the human forces.

The Bal Commander nods, then yells "CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

Which is exactly what the soldiers do.

Inside the city, Bartz cuts down a Manikin as he passes it, but finds his path impeded by a Behemoth. Krile fires a Flare at the Behemoth from on top of her wind drake.

Monsters roar and Manikins charge, but the two do a pretty good job defending themselves and taking out the enemy.

Alexander and Claire charge along with the army. They then meet the enemy, and they engage the beasts. "Argh! Feel this!" Alexander spins and elegantly takes out some beasts, whereas Claire is very swift, and jabs the jugular of the beasts to secure a quick death. "Claire! We must get forward! We need to reach the stronghold!"

Claire acknowledges this, and shouts to Alexander. "Understood." They both force their way very slowly through the crowds of bloodshed.

Link spin slashes several monsters and jumps up, bringing down his sword on more enemies.

Agrias and Darius dance across the battle field, fighting as one and slaying the beasts that approach them. Samuel and Joshua stand back to back as they are surrounded by monsters. "Well sir, it was an honor."

"Y-you too, Jo-Joshua." The two were overtaken and slew by beasts.

The Bal soldiers are similarly taking casualties. Boko, going full-speed, jumps completely over a group of Manikins as he races towards the palace. Bartz holds on for dear life. 'If ExDeath is anywhere here, it might as well be there...'

Krile scouts ahead on the wind drake. Landing on the roof of the palace, she uses Scan.

Link stares at the monsters that slew his comrades for a moment and goes into a frenzy, slashing at the monsters.

Alexander turns to see his comrades mauled to death. "No! How could we...?" Filled with emotion, he continued to battle on.

Claire saw an open space, and charged towards it, slicing the throats of wayward beasts, dragging Alexander along with her. They then stopped and regrouped in a small alcove section. "The numbers are many, we cannot be reckless."

Alexander nodded. "You're right there, Claire. I think I know what we could do." The two then discussed the use of formations, and both retreated backwards. Now, instead of battling right in the middle of the field, they attacked alongside the groups, and push back the enemy. "Yes! Let us drive them back!"

ExDeath fires a Vacuum Wave at Krile as she uses Scan. "See me now, worm?"

Darius and Agrias charge to where Joshua and Samuel were literally torn to pieces. "No one should die like that." Darius says.

Cassandra simply says "Soldiers die."

Agrias and Darius say, "Cold hearted bitch."

The three return to battle.

Link staggers as several attacks get through. 'Ngh...I can't keep this up much longer...' He moves the best he can out of harms way, and collapses, utterly exhausted.

Krile dodges the Vacuum Wave just in time, but falls of the castle roof in the process. The wind drake quickly moves to catch her. "ExDeath! You are back! Well go back to the Void you like so much!" 'Grandpa, protect me...'

Bartz, meanwhile, rides up to the palace on Boko, but doesn't stop. With a crash and a kweh, the Chocobo kicks its way through a dilapidated door and continues riding towards ExDeath.

Alexander notices Link collapsed in another place. "Claire! That elf has fallen!"

Claire steals a glance at Link, and speaks quickly. "I'll keep well here. You must aid him."

Alexander nods, and with a swipe of his blades, he cuts the kneecaps of two monsters, causing them to fall. He then dashes to Link, and raises his head. "My friend! Are you alright? Come, we must get you to safety!" He then lobbed Link's arm around his back, and dragged him to camp.

"I know you will, child, but it will not be to save the girl you and Bartz care for so!" ExDeath casts Flare at Krile.

Agrias runs over to Alexander. "Need any help?" She went under Link's other arm and aided Alexander's endeavors.

Darius replaces where Alexander was near Claire. "Oh hi there, thought you might need help. After all, you don't look strong, you look dainty like a princess." 'During battle? Hell. What am I doing? Having fun. Yeah, yeah, just gotta watch my back now.'

Alexander welcomed the aid, and the two carried Link off back to camp. "Thank you, kind sir. The poor fellow is exhausted from the heat of the battle. I blame him not!"

Meanwhile, Claire was holding her own until she received help from Darius. "Heh! Well now, Aren't we living on a razor's edge? You'd best watch yourself, friend."

Agrias glances at Alexander's "kind sir" and writes it off as she thinks he meant "sir" as in "leader". Anyways, she turns Link over to the Medic at the camp. "Right then, Alexander, why don't we sally back to battle?"

Darius grins. "I happen to have eyes everywhere, ball queen. And I always walk on the razor's edge, life is far more fun that way."

Bartz runs onto the roof as Krile's Wind Drake takes the hit for her. "ExDeath!"

The mighty mage looks at his eternal foe. "Hurahahahaha! I shall finish you off like I should have done in the beginning!"

"Look around you ya stupid tree! Almost all of your monsters are gone! The rest of the forces will come up here, and I know you can't take on all of us!"

The mighty tree...uh...may be scowling under his helmet? Of course, scowling does not make Bartz' words any less true. "Ha! You may have won this round wanderer, but you will not win this war!" And thus ExDeath enters a portal and leaves the field of battle.

Krile stands up and dusts herself off. "I guess we won."

"But we still don't have Lenna!" Bartz pouts.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back!"

And thus, Tycoon was reclaimed.

Link: Link,

Jonah: Krile, Bartz,

Goblim: Darius, Agrias, Cassandra, Joshua, Samuel, ExDeath,

Neil: Alexander, Claire,