Forsaken Journeys
By Otakuprincess
Author's Note: I began this fic when I first bought the game. I've used some of my actual characters in the making of this fic. I will update as I progress in the game, so if I appear to not be writing anymore, assume that I am stuck in the game LOL. And now we begin.
PS: I know there are so many fics, but plz read mine! Also, I have a plot figured out. I don't know if there ends up being a plot in the game, but this is FANFICTION! Lol.
Chapter 1
Two white suns rose over the green fields and thatched-roof cottages of Larïdan, lighting up the horizon. Clouds of picked cotton floated lazily overhead while the villages awoke to a new dawn.
Cows grazed and workers headed out to prepare for the harvest. The blacksmiths set out upon their day's work, hammering bronze and iron into deadly weapons and elaborate armor, while scarfing down a measly breakfast.
The family of Alchemists were up even before dawn, grinding ingredients to create potions, experimenting with new artifacts from the trail, and adding elemental magic to metal ore. Zöe, Zen Gatt's daughter, lay on the roof, her back facing the sky, pulling threads of grass from the weave. Her long Selkie hair flowed graciously about her shoulders, and her snake like eyes could pierce hearts as well as minds with one glare.
Hidden by locks of blue, crystal tears fell down her face like leaves from a tree in the autumn. Unknown from the outside, Zöe's thoughts were not focused on the family profession. They were directed at the Larïdan Myrrh crystal. 'It is the sorrow and salvation of us all,' Zöe mused.
It was the day that Larïdan's crystal caravan would be departing in search of Myrrh. Zöe had been chosen as the leader of the caravan, While she was extremely honored by this position, she was also worried,. In the village, Zöe was regarded as one of the few experts on Myrrh trees, as well as the miasma-filled world. Any one of the villagers would have said that Zo would be the first person to brave the outer cities. The truth was, however, she was deadly afraid.
Ten of the fifteen years of Zöe's life, she had prepared herself with vigorous sword fighting, lessons in magic, and basic knowledge of the land. Now, she was close to getting cold feet at the last moment.
As Zöe wrapped up her thoughts, she crouched and sprung into the air, doing a complex mid-air flip before landing on both feet in the grass.
"Zöe! That was awesome!" Selena, another Selkie from the village, sprinted up to Zöe's side. They had been best friends ever since Selene had been born. She was a year younger than Zöe, and the two were practically inseparable.
"Oh my gosh! I can't wait until tonight. We're going to be caravaners!" Selena said with glee.
"Yeah." Zöe answered softly as she and Selena wandered down to the Crystal.
"Oh come on, Zöe, you cant actually be nervous can you? We've all been waiting for this moment ever since the Eldar announced that the Tida village caravaners were lost."
"Did anyone find out what happened?" Zöe asked, changing the subject.
"Well, rumors say that Tida lost all their caravans in the Miasma stream. All of their chalices stopped functioning halfway through."
"But...that could only happen if the elements changed, or the myrrh simply stopped resisting the miasma flow." Replied Zöe.
"That's not the only thing. Tida kept sending out more villagers, but none of them came home. They finally let the last of their children leave. At the end of the year, they all stood waiting for the last caravan. But the caravan never came. They didn't even try to escape, the poor people. Could have fled to Alfaitaria. But no, they just stood there."
"Well, its just a haunted town now. I'm glad we won't have to go there."
"But we will!" exclaimed Selena, "A Myrrh tree grew there. It happens to be the sixth stop on our journey."
"Oh..." Zöe commented, turning white. "I should have known. Myrrh tress always grow in the miasma-infested towns."
As they reached the Larïdan crystal, Zöe and Selena kneeled and said a prayer. After standing up again, Zöe ran up and placed both palms on the surface of the crystal. It helped calm her nerves. Selena walked up and did the same. The myrrh would pulse through her veins and make them feel clean again. At least for another day.
As Selena's fingers connected with the smooth surface, a single image flashed through her mind.
She saw a great Myyrh crystal, encased in darkness. Something was trapped inside, encased in the Myrrh that filled the blue structure. As Selena looked closer, the image blurred and she was thrust back into the real world.
"Selena! Are you hurt?" Zöe stood beside Selena, grasping her hand tightly.
"Um..I don't think so. I had a vision!"
"Really?" Zöe replied. "All I saw was you standing with your hand on the crystal. You went rigid, and you wouldn't answer me. I entered your mind to get you out. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, I'm fine. Why don't we get ready for the ceremony?"
Zöe nodded and the two girls went off the change for the evening's ceremony. Hair was washed, clothes were cleaned, and weapons were polished and sharpened. After a few hours, the girls were ready. The rest of the day was spent in meditation, as the caravaners prepared for the long journey ahead.
As the suns began to set, the caravaners were called to the Myrrh crystal. Their belongings had already been loaded, and all that was left was to say goodbye. Four caravaners stood on the staircase surrounding the crystal: Zöe, Selena, Rikku (A clavat boy), and Terran, a lilty. Zöe's mother Ran Sie stood in front of the four, facing the crowd of people.
"Families of Larïdan!" she spoke loudly, "We have come here today to witness the first generation of caravaners from our peninsular village. A perilous journey lies ahead of them, full of enemies and lonely nights. They set out to keep our town safe, and for that we honor them."
Zöe's father Zeh Gatt, and sisters Floo Koo and Momo Phiy walked up as Rah Sie turned to face Zöe.
"Zöe, my dear daughter," she spoke, grasping Zöe's hands in hers. "Stay safe, and protect the others. You will come home soon."
Rah Sie walked away to join the crowd, and Zeh Gatt came forward. He handed Zöe a chunk of Iron as large as her palm. Strange lines ran down the crevices.
"This is thunder-infused iron ore. Unless I have a rival somewhere in the world, this is the only piece in existence. During your journey, look out for weapon plans. Take them to the blacksmith and have him use this Iron. I love you, Zöe. Be safe."
Zöe hugged her father and placed the Iron in her pocket. Next came Momo Phiy, who simply said, "Please be careful out there. I don't want to lose my little sister."
"I promise," Zöe replied. Last of all was Floo Koo, who ran up and hugged Zöe around the waist.
"Zo, I don't want you to go."
"I know, Floo, but it's my duty. I'll write to you."
Floo's face lit up. "Okay! You have to watch out for the scary monsters."
Floo looked around as if she didn't want anyone to see, then pulled out a small relic from her pocket. Its gold edging shone in the firelight, and a blood red feather was encased within. A fiery glow emerged from the core, and Zöe suddenly felt a warm feeling.
"This is my gift. It's pretty, but Mommy said it's very powerful."
Zöe took the relic and immediately recognized it as Phoenix Down. She felt herself blown from her body, then returned in a flash.
"Wow, what happened?" Floo asked.
"I was enlightened in the ways of spirits. Thank you, Floo."
Zöe kissed Floo's forehead vefore sitting cross legged and stretching her chest to the ground. She retained this position, listening to the world's many wonders while the other caravaners said their goodbyes. After all were bent down to the earth, Selena's mother, Wam Soo, came up. Behind her were Rikku's mother Julia and Terran's mother. They bore a bright silver chalice in their hands.
"Rise, protector of the Earth." Wam Soo placed her hand on Rikku, and he was bathed in a yellow light. He stood and saluted the crowd.
"Rise, protector of the Wind." Wam Soo placed her hand on Selena's head and she was bathed in green light as she rose.
"Rise, protector of Fire." Terran was bathed in red and stood.
"Rise, protector of Water and leader of our caravan." Zöe was bathed in blue light and stood.
After all four were standing, Julia carried the silver front and handed it to Zöe. "Choose your element."
Zöe closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I choose water."
The chalice glowed bright blue and formed an arch over the caravaners. They walked solemnly to the awaiting caravan. The villagers watched as Zöe, Rikku, Selena, and Terran existed the village. As they left, Zöe hugged a large book to her chest. It would be a diary of their journey: The Crystal Chronicles.
Author's Note: I began this fic when I first bought the game. I've used some of my actual characters in the making of this fic. I will update as I progress in the game, so if I appear to not be writing anymore, assume that I am stuck in the game LOL. And now we begin.
PS: I know there are so many fics, but plz read mine! Also, I have a plot figured out. I don't know if there ends up being a plot in the game, but this is FANFICTION! Lol.
Chapter 1
Two white suns rose over the green fields and thatched-roof cottages of Larïdan, lighting up the horizon. Clouds of picked cotton floated lazily overhead while the villages awoke to a new dawn.
Cows grazed and workers headed out to prepare for the harvest. The blacksmiths set out upon their day's work, hammering bronze and iron into deadly weapons and elaborate armor, while scarfing down a measly breakfast.
The family of Alchemists were up even before dawn, grinding ingredients to create potions, experimenting with new artifacts from the trail, and adding elemental magic to metal ore. Zöe, Zen Gatt's daughter, lay on the roof, her back facing the sky, pulling threads of grass from the weave. Her long Selkie hair flowed graciously about her shoulders, and her snake like eyes could pierce hearts as well as minds with one glare.
Hidden by locks of blue, crystal tears fell down her face like leaves from a tree in the autumn. Unknown from the outside, Zöe's thoughts were not focused on the family profession. They were directed at the Larïdan Myrrh crystal. 'It is the sorrow and salvation of us all,' Zöe mused.
It was the day that Larïdan's crystal caravan would be departing in search of Myrrh. Zöe had been chosen as the leader of the caravan, While she was extremely honored by this position, she was also worried,. In the village, Zöe was regarded as one of the few experts on Myrrh trees, as well as the miasma-filled world. Any one of the villagers would have said that Zo would be the first person to brave the outer cities. The truth was, however, she was deadly afraid.
Ten of the fifteen years of Zöe's life, she had prepared herself with vigorous sword fighting, lessons in magic, and basic knowledge of the land. Now, she was close to getting cold feet at the last moment.
As Zöe wrapped up her thoughts, she crouched and sprung into the air, doing a complex mid-air flip before landing on both feet in the grass.
"Zöe! That was awesome!" Selena, another Selkie from the village, sprinted up to Zöe's side. They had been best friends ever since Selene had been born. She was a year younger than Zöe, and the two were practically inseparable.
"Oh my gosh! I can't wait until tonight. We're going to be caravaners!" Selena said with glee.
"Yeah." Zöe answered softly as she and Selena wandered down to the Crystal.
"Oh come on, Zöe, you cant actually be nervous can you? We've all been waiting for this moment ever since the Eldar announced that the Tida village caravaners were lost."
"Did anyone find out what happened?" Zöe asked, changing the subject.
"Well, rumors say that Tida lost all their caravans in the Miasma stream. All of their chalices stopped functioning halfway through."
"But...that could only happen if the elements changed, or the myrrh simply stopped resisting the miasma flow." Replied Zöe.
"That's not the only thing. Tida kept sending out more villagers, but none of them came home. They finally let the last of their children leave. At the end of the year, they all stood waiting for the last caravan. But the caravan never came. They didn't even try to escape, the poor people. Could have fled to Alfaitaria. But no, they just stood there."
"Well, its just a haunted town now. I'm glad we won't have to go there."
"But we will!" exclaimed Selena, "A Myrrh tree grew there. It happens to be the sixth stop on our journey."
"Oh..." Zöe commented, turning white. "I should have known. Myrrh tress always grow in the miasma-infested towns."
As they reached the Larïdan crystal, Zöe and Selena kneeled and said a prayer. After standing up again, Zöe ran up and placed both palms on the surface of the crystal. It helped calm her nerves. Selena walked up and did the same. The myrrh would pulse through her veins and make them feel clean again. At least for another day.
As Selena's fingers connected with the smooth surface, a single image flashed through her mind.
She saw a great Myyrh crystal, encased in darkness. Something was trapped inside, encased in the Myrrh that filled the blue structure. As Selena looked closer, the image blurred and she was thrust back into the real world.
"Selena! Are you hurt?" Zöe stood beside Selena, grasping her hand tightly.
"Um..I don't think so. I had a vision!"
"Really?" Zöe replied. "All I saw was you standing with your hand on the crystal. You went rigid, and you wouldn't answer me. I entered your mind to get you out. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, I'm fine. Why don't we get ready for the ceremony?"
Zöe nodded and the two girls went off the change for the evening's ceremony. Hair was washed, clothes were cleaned, and weapons were polished and sharpened. After a few hours, the girls were ready. The rest of the day was spent in meditation, as the caravaners prepared for the long journey ahead.
As the suns began to set, the caravaners were called to the Myrrh crystal. Their belongings had already been loaded, and all that was left was to say goodbye. Four caravaners stood on the staircase surrounding the crystal: Zöe, Selena, Rikku (A clavat boy), and Terran, a lilty. Zöe's mother Ran Sie stood in front of the four, facing the crowd of people.
"Families of Larïdan!" she spoke loudly, "We have come here today to witness the first generation of caravaners from our peninsular village. A perilous journey lies ahead of them, full of enemies and lonely nights. They set out to keep our town safe, and for that we honor them."
Zöe's father Zeh Gatt, and sisters Floo Koo and Momo Phiy walked up as Rah Sie turned to face Zöe.
"Zöe, my dear daughter," she spoke, grasping Zöe's hands in hers. "Stay safe, and protect the others. You will come home soon."
Rah Sie walked away to join the crowd, and Zeh Gatt came forward. He handed Zöe a chunk of Iron as large as her palm. Strange lines ran down the crevices.
"This is thunder-infused iron ore. Unless I have a rival somewhere in the world, this is the only piece in existence. During your journey, look out for weapon plans. Take them to the blacksmith and have him use this Iron. I love you, Zöe. Be safe."
Zöe hugged her father and placed the Iron in her pocket. Next came Momo Phiy, who simply said, "Please be careful out there. I don't want to lose my little sister."
"I promise," Zöe replied. Last of all was Floo Koo, who ran up and hugged Zöe around the waist.
"Zo, I don't want you to go."
"I know, Floo, but it's my duty. I'll write to you."
Floo's face lit up. "Okay! You have to watch out for the scary monsters."
Floo looked around as if she didn't want anyone to see, then pulled out a small relic from her pocket. Its gold edging shone in the firelight, and a blood red feather was encased within. A fiery glow emerged from the core, and Zöe suddenly felt a warm feeling.
"This is my gift. It's pretty, but Mommy said it's very powerful."
Zöe took the relic and immediately recognized it as Phoenix Down. She felt herself blown from her body, then returned in a flash.
"Wow, what happened?" Floo asked.
"I was enlightened in the ways of spirits. Thank you, Floo."
Zöe kissed Floo's forehead vefore sitting cross legged and stretching her chest to the ground. She retained this position, listening to the world's many wonders while the other caravaners said their goodbyes. After all were bent down to the earth, Selena's mother, Wam Soo, came up. Behind her were Rikku's mother Julia and Terran's mother. They bore a bright silver chalice in their hands.
"Rise, protector of the Earth." Wam Soo placed her hand on Rikku, and he was bathed in a yellow light. He stood and saluted the crowd.
"Rise, protector of the Wind." Wam Soo placed her hand on Selena's head and she was bathed in green light as she rose.
"Rise, protector of Fire." Terran was bathed in red and stood.
"Rise, protector of Water and leader of our caravan." Zöe was bathed in blue light and stood.
After all four were standing, Julia carried the silver front and handed it to Zöe. "Choose your element."
Zöe closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I choose water."
The chalice glowed bright blue and formed an arch over the caravaners. They walked solemnly to the awaiting caravan. The villagers watched as Zöe, Rikku, Selena, and Terran existed the village. As they left, Zöe hugged a large book to her chest. It would be a diary of their journey: The Crystal Chronicles.
