I got inspired by reading Yuki Minamoto's FF Type-0 story. I've been planning to write one out since ages ago but was unable to do so because of time constraints, school work, lack of info, yaddayaddayadda and all (I am such a dolt). Reading her work gave me a push at it and since I (kind of) had a plot in mind already, here it is. And there aren't many stories about the game and it's due release summer in JP, so thought that I'd give it a go.
I still suck at giving vivid descriptions (for this instance, the battle scenes are absolutely a bore) when writing so I do hope you bear with me ^_^''
This is intended to be a sort of 'prologue', thus the title is Ante, latin for 'before'.
Final Fantasy Type-0 belongs to Square Enix.
"ANTE"
Before
…
Bella horrida, bella.
A blood-stained battlefield with mutilated cadavers lying everywhere; the corpses disfigured by the horrendous war that took place in that area. Fires spreading across the whole land, the skies tainted with a dark shade of crimson that matched the sick colour of blood.
Traces of an unspeakable tragedy took form in that zone.
At first glance, you wouldn't recognize that the place was once a peaceful ground, a place bustling with life and tranquillity. It was free from any form of troubles and conflicts. It was a place that never wished for bloodlust and bloodshed. But as it currently is, it would be futile to imagine such portrayal.
It was once the flourishing region of Rebrum. Now, it was in utter disarray and chaos.
…
Tired and breathless, yet this youth still struggles to move on in search of someone in the midst of the on-going pandemonium in the outskirts of town.
"*pant* He's… *pant* not here. We'll… have to keep on… looking."
KWEH! KWEH!, his chocobo cried, a gesture which he took that his pet agreed with him.
"Thank you, Boko", the youth stroke the giant bird's beak, grateful for the comfort. "Now we have to move faster. We need to find him quick! "
Hey, has anyone seen-
Oh that kid who's always with you? He got sent out to the front line an hour ago.
WHAT- WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!
The defences in town eventually got thin due to the relentless attacks by the Milites. He and the others belonging to the same unit were ordered to dispatch to help by headquarters.
That guy- TCH!
H-hey! What're you going to do?
I'm going out to find him and bring him back!
There's nothing we can do to help, and we were instructed to take cover until further notice from HQ.
TO HELL WITH THAT! I'm not just going to stand by here and just receive news saying that he's dead. I'm not letting anyone go dying on me again! If I can still do something, then I'll take my chances!
Stay calm, he'll be alright.
CALM? How can I be calm knowing it's his first time on the battlefield? HE'S JUST A KID, DAMNIT!
You may be right but-
I can't stand this. I'm sorry but I'm going!
ALUCIO! It's dangerous out there! Come back this instant!
"I'm going to get screwed after this", Alucio sighed when he remembered the faces of his colleagues as he left to start his search. He scanned the area rapidly and briefly looked at the dead bodies that passed him by as Boko sped up, hoping that none of the faces he'd see would belong to his friend that he was looking for. His thoughts were wandering off thinking of what would happen if this war continued. Would everyone be alright after all this? What does the future hold after this cold conflict? What he wouldn't give or do for this kind of situation not to occur at the present...
"GAHHHHHHHH!"
A sudden shrill scream of pain rang and disrupted his thoughts; he heard consecutive gunshots that followed.
"What was that? Boko, you stay put!" His instincts immediately led him to rush to the area where it was heard.
"Hey are you guys-!" His eyes widened in horror at the sight.
When he got there, Alucio saw three young fellow students from Peristylium Suzaku heavily wounded and surrounded by four Milite soldiers. One of his colleagues was lying helplessly on the ground with blood gushing out from wounds at the rear of his abdomen; maybe it was already late to save him now.
"We were evacuating the civilians in the vicinity when they came! He—he—took the shots that were meant for me and—and—"
One soldier spat on the earth near the stuttering student. "Shut up brat. Enough talk, you're gonna die anyway."
"Oh, another one of those magic wimps!" A Milite soldier who noticed his presence exclaimed, trying to sound sarcastically surprised. The three other Milites boisterously laughed at the former's failed attempt.
Alucio glanced at one student. "If you still have some power left, try and patch up your buddy there."
"But-", the girl hesitated with tears streaming down her eyes.
"JUST DO IT. There still might be a chance that he'll be okay, or would you rather regret letting him die because of your indecisiveness?" the dead serious tone was relevant in his words. Without any further delay, the student rushed to the dying man's side and started casting cure spells to close the wound.
The hostile forces started to become serious. "And you think we're going to let you get away with that after all the trouble they caused us?" they pointed their arms at Alucio, who was guarding the three youngsters at his back.
"And what makes you think I'm going to allow you to interfere?" he took up a battle stance, his arms at a position ready to cast a spell. His eyes were full of rage and determination.
The enemies laughed his action. "It's useless you know. What makes you think you can take us on when we left those three losers at the back for dead? You've got some guts to-"
AEROGA!
The soldier's sentence was cut short when he and his company were blown by a strong gust of wind which in just seconds later turned to a miniature hurricane that ravaged the proximity at contact.
"What makes a difference? I just happen to be studying two years older from them. This means, I'm their senior. Which means, I'm a hell lot better at spell casting, dopes." He turned to look at the acquaintances behind him. "You three get out of here! I'll hold these bastards off."
The two conscious ones widened their eyes. "What'll happen to you—"
"HURRY! You two support the injured guy and run away as fast as you can, find somewhere safe to hide."
"But—"
"I SAID GO, DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?"
Although reluctant, the two students had no choice, they carried their unconscious comrade with their shoulders and hastened their pace, fleeing away for dear life. Alucio made sure they were far from any danger that may come within the area and when they were, he turned his attention back at the goons who were already on their feet.
"YOU ANNOYING RUNT! THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?" they taunted.
"C'mon, were you tickling us or something? I've had enough laughs for one day."
Tch! This is bad. I don't think I can win this one. I need to devise a plan.
BANG!
OH SHI—
He barely dodged a bullet aimed at him, but it managed to wound his right arm.
"DANG! MISSED!"
The wounded Alucio kept his composure despite the stinging pain and blood running from his arm. "HAH! You idiots blind? I guess I wouldn't expect much from airheads like you", he taunted them.
At this rate, it'll be hard for me to be on the offensive. I'm going to need to focus power on a strong spell… that's it! This'll be a shock for them.
He intensely started to focus the flow of energy in his right hand, taking form in electric currents, but he was interrupted by a soldier who was enraged by his taunting.
"Take this you son of a—!" one pissed soldier shouted, aiming his crosshairs at Alucio.
Another round of shots came next. He ran away from their range and managed to block the bullets off with Reflect using his free left hand, but one bullet hit one of his limbs. He fell to his knees, but still struggled to stand up. He tried to strike them with a brief Blizzara spell, but the huge chunk of ice shattered into tiny shards as they countered with gunfire. He stopped in his tracks, seeing that moving around would do him no good in his wounded state. He closed his eyes and continued to concentrate.
"That all you got brat? Then we'll just have to end your pain right now."
Harder…focus!
Static shocks started to appear in his hand, but the power still wouldn't suffice for the attack, he needed just a little delay. He needed a few more seconds
Just… a little more time…
"Get ready to die." Just when they were about to pull the trigger, a large creature ran past them and knocked them to the ground. When the dust cleared out, the silhouette formed a bird. It was—
"BOKO!"
KWEH!, it cried happily to see its master. Alucio felt the charging was complete and wasted no time to release the enormous surge of electrical power.
I cast down upon you, the judgment of the heavens!
Ramuh, hear my plea, help me conquer my foes!
"Wha-what's that?"
Dark storm clouds formed overhead the surprised soldiers. He looked at them in the eye as some sort of mist started emanating all over him.
Rain down from the skies, divine thunder! Rid all those who commit evil—
A white aura surrounded his body; the electric currents became more and more wild around him. The skies rumbled and echoed; a blurred figure of an old man with a staff appeared behind the clouds.
"This is the end for you lot."
JUDGMENT BOLT!
Without even giving them a chance to react, an enormous flash of lightning struck down from the dark clouds in a split second to where they were lying. Electrifying sparks of light were scattering everywhere, the soldiers screamed in pain as they were consumed by the ravaging thunder which kept on raging down from the skies.
Alucio gazed the scene from afar with his right hand extended out to the heavens.
…
After all had been clear out of further trouble, the exhausted Alucio collapsed on the solid ground. "That spell used too much of energy." He took a few minutes to take deep breaths. Boko immediately ran to where he was lying.
"Thank you, Boko. If you hadn't come, I would've been a goner by now."
The chocobo snuggled to his master's side, gently budging the wounds he got from battle. It looked like it wanted him to heal himself. But Alucio declined to do so and instead, stood up from the ground and rode on his pet's back. Smiling, he assured Choco that he'd be alright. "Right now, finding him is our top priority. We shouldn't waste any more time here." That said, they quickly rode off to scout another area in hopes of being able to catch up with his friend.
Scattered debris from buildings.
More dead bodies lying everywhere.
He reached a place of ruin which was located in a local town and thoroughly searched the area for several hours, but still couldn't see the familiar face that he was searching for.
"He's not here. We better move on Bo—", he stopped at mid-sentence when a dark figure overshadowed the whole area. His eyes widened in horror.
Fleets of Milite airships hovered above the skies. There was a multitude, too much for such a small place such as theirs.
Boko became restless and started to move around, panicking. KWEH! KWEH! KWEH!
"To go this far with that number… just what are they planning to do? Wait, are those things headed for the Peristylium?"
Alucio whistled for Boko to come near. "We better leave here now—"
STAGGER
He froze where he stood. He wanted to move but was unable to. He fell to the ground and started gasping for air, he felt that all of his stamina was draining; was he losing his strength?
!
What's—what's happening?
STAB
His head started to feel heavy; he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
No…they wouldn't…to go far as to do that…would they?
That's when it hit him. They did something to the crystal of the whole Rebrum. It was in pain, he felt that the there was something wrong with the crystal as if, it was suddenly broken into tiny fragments.
It had been rendered useless by the technology used by the Milite forces and with it gone, all the magic users in Rebrum, most especially those under the wing of Peristylium Suzaku, are powerless. They had been told that if the crystal was damaged, they would also be affected.
But that didn't stop him from moving on. He rode back on Boko and strutted further to the area.
I'm not giving up. Please, be okay dude. I have to tell you something—
Too preoccupied in thinking of other matters, it was too late that he realized he had wandered near enemy lines. A cannon fired off and exploded near to where they were running. Although the blast didn't come at direct contact, it was enough to blow him and his chocobo away and create significant damage.
This—can't… be….
He was thrown up into the air like some piece of trash and he landed on the ground with a loud bang. It was too much. He had more gashes, most bones in his body were broken, and he was losing blood fast. It hurt a lot, but he tried his darnest to move his body. He was looking for Boko and when he did, he was in a state the same as him. His heart raced with anguish and pain, Boko was lying there, crying in agony. Alucio crawled towards the bird, he felt his existence slowly fading away but still fought back, clinging on to precious life.
He couldn't die here. Not yet. He still hasn't found him.
He tried to force out a cure spell on Boko, but the last traces of power has left him.
"A…Ace…", he uttered his friend's name.
He heard footsteps approaching. It didn't surprise him anymore that the realized they were Milites.
"A Rebrum dog's here?"
The Milite soldiers pointed their arms at him. "Doesn't matter, we'll just have to kill him off."
Not until I see him.
"Damnit…Ace…"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!
Suddenly out of the blue, a blazing Firaga spell came past him and burned the Milites to ashes.
"I'm… I'M HERE!"
Alucio knew that voice. He stared at the shadow in front of him and when the smoke cleared out, he was finally relieved to see that it was finally him.
"…Ace." He uttered, then collapsed.
"Alucio!" Ace ran as fast he could to his side. He freaked out to see his friend in such a condition. "YOU… YOU IDIOT! Why the hell… what the heck do you think you're doing?"
"D…duh. I… came to save… your sorry ass… stupid…" his voice was getting hoarse, but he put on a smile.
Ace started to tear up; fighting them back to stop from flowing from his eyes was useless. "Look whose ass got whipped up big time."
"Stop…crying… you're still… a brat after all… these years…heh… I'm… going to die laughing if you'll… keep that up…"
"Screw you. Shut up so we can—"
"Nah…it won't… work anymore."
Ace creased his forehead. "C'mon, don't give me that crap."
"Are you dumb? Even you…" Alucio cringed for a second. "…can see I'm beyond all hope. So before I turn off the lights… listen up kid."
"…" unable to refuse his friend's dying request, Ace gave in to silence.
"Hey…I'm…sorry about the argument we had earlier…"
Ace shook his head. "It was yesterday. And dude, you're still worrying about that? All's good."
"Cool then…" Alucio coughed up blood. Ace started panicking again but was held back by Alucio's expression. He was smiling.
"Y'know, I wanted to see… if you were okay…even if it was for the last time…"
"Dammit! Stop saying those things!"
"Ace of Class Zero… cocky brat… hurry up and become Agito soon…"
Clenching his fists, Ace was trying to hold back the tears inside. "Don't- tell me you came all the way out to the battlefield just to tell me these things?"
"Heh. Maybe…", he chuckled. "And Ace…"
"What?"
Alucio's breathing became faint; his skin grew cold and pale. "Please… take care of …Boko for me… I leave…him under… your… care…"
"You really like chocobos, don't you?
And for the very last time, he brightly grinned at Ace reminding him of the first time they met and how he answered him the very same question.
Drawing his last breath, he replied with that optimism Ace knew he had the day they became friends. "…Yeah."
…
"Alucio?"
"…", no answer. Alucio's eyes were closed.
"Alu…cio?"
Ace received no response. He was gone, Alucio was dead.
Queen was observing the scene nearby; she's seen a lot of people dying from this war but this was something that pierced through her feelings. She walked up to Ace and found the youth staring at the lifeless body of what was once his dear friend.
She averted her eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do here."
"I know." Ace stood up. "Miss Queen."
"?"
"I'd like to request you and Nine to please… stand down. I'll take care of this mission."
"Are you crazy? There's no way—"
"Leave the kid alone this one time, Queen." A voice spoke in front of them.
"Nine!"
"If he wants to take care of the shitload himself, I wouldn't mind."
Queen strongly disagreed. "I'm not letting him alone, we'll stick through this mission toge—"
"Please." He pleaded with a demanding voice. Queen saw his determination was strong.
"Don't… die out there." She told him.
"I won't. And please do me a favour. Heal Boko there." He pointed to the chocobo who was mourning on Alucio's body. Queen walked near to Boko and started to use Curaga.
A dozen of soldiers suddenly arrived at the area. "THEY'RE HERE! GATHER UP THE OTHERS!". Nine appeared in front of them and blocked them off, turning to look at Ace. "Hurry up. We'll take care of these small fry."
Ace nodded and hurried off to the enemy commander, with the smiling face of his friend in mind and his words lingering in his thoughts.
Hurry up and become Agito soon.
His cards glimmered in an azure blue aura, surrounding him as he went head on to the enemy base.
"I will. Just you wait."
...
"Machina, is this okay?"
"They carve their own path, Rem. We will intervene at the opportune time."
Two others, presumably students from Peristylium Suzaku, watched the battle wage on at a far distance.
This story takes form nearing the last parts of the recent trailer shown at Square's Premiere event held last January 18th. It focuses on the supporting (minor) character I assume is Ace's close friend (I decided to name that character since it wasn't given). I'm calling this a one-shot because I'm not so sure if I write another chapter after this. Lawl.
If you're familiar with the name 'Boko', it belongs to Bartz Klauser's beloved chocobo. I would've like to go with another name but I really liked how it sounded. And I'm pretty awful at naming pets. XD
If you'd like to leave a review, I'd be very grateful. :D