Disclaimer: Ain't mine, don't sue.
Chapter 4: Pinnacle Rocks - Ramuh
Windmills.
All around little Vivi were these tiny little windmills about the size of a Gysahl Pickle. They all had tiny hands swinging and tiny legs running. The little windmills gyrated around Vivi's head like they were at some mad party. Each danced wildly like there was no tomorrow.
Vivi felt like he was in wonderland. There was something about windmills that captivated his attention. Something about the past. The continuous circling and spinning. And just when he was about to join his windmill friends in the drunken dance, that scary snake thing at least ten time the size of Vivi showed up!
Immediately, the tiny walking windmills scurried out of sight. Many of them ran right behind Vivi's baggy leggings.
"Um..." Vivi looked around for anyone to help him. The snake slithered neared the mage, rose itself to an incredible height and opened its fanged mouth. Vivi's eyes enlarged, darting between the snake and the windmills. The snake was ready to strike while the windmills shook in fear.
"Ah! Don't hurt me!" With eyes closed, a fira spell formed in Vivi's palms and with all his might, he flung the fira spell at the scary snake. The ball struck the ground right beneath the snake's belly and spiraled upward into a column of flame, toasting the snake. Tears formed near the snake's eyes as its charred form lowered and fell to the ground like a wet rope.
"Ha! Take that!" said Vivi, obviously quite satisfied that he had single-handedly defeated a scary monster like that. Normally, during combat, he was too afraid to do anything other than what Zidane asked him to do. Vivi was naturally shy and meek. Hurting animals, even if they were savage beasts, was not something he enjoyed.
For now, Vivi turned his attention back to the tiny windmills. The little gyrating things were still cowering behind his baggy pants.
"What's wrong?" asked Vivi.
The stick fingers of the windmills pointed to two lights in the distance. One was a pleasant blue-green tint, burning like the fire of a wise wizard. The other one, however, was a deep blood-red color. Curiosity bit Vivi hard. There was something about that red fire. An odd familiarity that predated his birth. He walked closer, with the tiny windmills close behind him.
When he got close, he was blasted in the face by shouting from an old voice.
"And what of your sworn vengeance against the Summoners, Lord Zidane? What guarantees will you give that you will not harm this child?"
Vivi felt an awe at that voice. It was old, and infinitely wise, echoing endlessly into the back of his mind. Yet, even in his innocent mind, he could detect an urgency. A type of impatience that came from disappointment.
Another voice spoke up.
"And if I do hurt her, Ramuh, what can you do?"
Now that was a voice that Vivi could barely recognize. The tone that was normally energetic and full of mischief was now dispassionate and serious. And it was above all, powerful. The tiny windmills cowered and buried themselves in the folds of Vivi's baggy overalls.
"You wouldn't dare. Unlike that monster of a brother of yours, you wouldn't kill her." growled the old voice.
"He isn't a monster, Ramuh.
Ramuh scoffed. "Not a monster? He has destroyed the Summoners, burned countless cities, and manipulated life and death on the Mist Continent as he pleased. Millions upon millions of lives were and will be lost because of him. He is a monster. Why can't you cut off your ties to him?
"He...is...no...MONSTER!. The blood-red flame suddenly brightened into a bonfire, almost too bright for Vivi to see. Then, just as soon as it flared, it dimmed to a tolerable level. You, most of all, have no right to say such things.
Vivi was getting very confused. Was this Ramuh person talking about Zidane's Tantalus brothers? Vivi could not think of any that were "monsters." Sure some of them could be a shock to see in the morning. Cinna with his ugly beard and Blank with his patched skin, but Vivi knew they were all nice people. The old man's tone, however, told Vivi that the 'brother' he referred to was none of them.
Ramuh spoke again. "Understand this, Lord Zidane. This Guardian Summoner will retaliate if his plans are for ill of Gaia. We will kill him if necessary."
"If you do, I will bind you to Iifa myself!"
The green light that was Ramuh dimmed.
"So your first alliance is with him?" asked Ramuh.
Zidane's response was incriminating. "Where was your alliance when you struck down my sisters?"
Sisters? thought Vivi.
"The tiny spirit hears us," said this Ramuh person, "Wake up, little one
The windmills and the lights started to fade...
Vivi blinked. It was dark, wherever he was. He felt around the ground, a bit surprised to feel the soft fur underneath and blankets on his tummy. The place smelled strangely of familiar leather.
I'm in a tent! he realized with relief. This must meant that he was in a safe place with a Moogle somewhere. Vivi learned from experience that he should never underestimate the little guys. Those cute weak looking creatures were astonishingly sturdy, flourishing in places where bloodthirsty monsters roamed.
Vivi then tried to move, but immediately thought better of that idea. He could feel the sores and bruises from the tip of his hat to his toes. Being thrown off the Gargant sure wasn't pleasant. What did happen to that Gargant anyways? Vivi hoped that it was okay. Vivi himself was so frightened by Ralvuimago, he could only imagine what it was like for the poor Gargant. That flower-chewing insect must've been scared out of its wits to scurry so fast.
The tent opening flapped. A furry little thing with a bouncing red pompom swaggered in. Under one arm was a big leather-bound book. On the other hand was a lollypop receiving plenty of attention from a tiny red tongue.
"Monty?" asked Vivi.
"Kupo! You remember my name, Kupo!" said Monty the Moogle as he took another lick of the lollypop.
Vivi nodded as much as he could while laying down. Vivi was always good with names of creatures. Many people had told him that all Moogle looked the same, but Vivi somehow could always tell the difference between them. Besides, Monty was one of the special ones. That Moogle was one of the few friendly creatures that had lived in the evil forest.
"Was the flute useful, kupo?" asked Monty with a hopeful look on his adorable furry face.
It took Vivi a while to answer, "Ye...Yeah." He could vaguely remember how Monty was kind enough to give them a Moogle Flute.
"We used to make a lot of them, Kupo," said Monty. His red pompom bobbled excitedly from the lollypop sugar high. "We had so many people using them that Moguo had to call in other Moogle to help. But these days, not many people travel by feet anymore. They all use airships now, kupo."
"Oh," was Vivi's only response to that as he didn't really know what to say.
"You know, that kid Zidane has a really really old flute, kupo! They say it was the one that was made by the first Moogles! Kupo!" By now, Monty's tiny little mouth was running a mile a minute. "I saw it too! It was really red and shiny like the red-moon. He used to play it nonstop and Moguo kept on swearing that he'll smack Zidane if he hears it again. Kupo."
Vivi blinked some more. He seemed to remember how Zidane would play pranks on anybody. Like that time he dumped flour all over Steiner in the Grand Palace. How Zidane could ever set up the device to do that Vivi would probably never know, but Vivi did learn that nothing could keep Zidane from doing what he wanted.
"Do you know Suzanna, the most beautiful Moogle in existence? She lives on the outer continent. Do you know about the outer continent? They say that these two angels from..."
The tent skin door suddenly flapped opened again and a humanoid burst past Monty, spinning the Moogle dizzy, and bearhugged Vivi. "Vivi! You're awake!" cried Zidane. "Thank goodness! I thought you were a goner!"
Zidane happily squeezed Vivi like he was getting orange juice out of him.
"HI..hi..." Vivi only blinked some more to ward away the pain from the cracking of his bones. "Where are we?" he asked.
"Um...I think we are at Pinnacle Rocks," answered Zidane as he released the black mage. "Do you remember where that is?"
Vivi shook his head. He had heard about the place during the Festival of the Hunt from the shop owner Amy. Something about it being the a haunted place in which lost travelers often found themselves. But that was as much as he knew about it.
"Pinnacle Rocks is about four miles away from Lindblum," explained Zidane, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I guess we went a little further than Treno."
"Yeah..." agreed Vivi, though he honestly had no concept of where they were in respect to anywhere.
"Listen, I gotta go look around since I haven't gotten the chance with you two unconscious. Would you stay around here and watch Dagger? She hasn't woken up yet."
Vivi nodded. "Where is she? Why isn't she in here?" It was an honest question.
"Outside." Zidane stood up.
"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Vivi.
"Don't you know? This is Pinnacle Rocks. Nothing will attack us," said Zidane as if it was common knowledge.
Zidane proceeded to step out of the tent, leaving Vivi and Monty behind.
Monty massaged his small furry noggin, trying to fend off the nauseating feeling in the bottom of his stomach from that short spin. Somehow, the sugar high was not good for the incipient headache he was feeling. He scooted himself toward Vivi who was just sitting up.
"Wow! That was one of the last two angles, Kupo!" commented Monty out of nowhere. "I thought they never leave their Sandy House."
"Wha?" Vivi was quite confused.
"Now, where was I. Kupo! Suzanna. As I was saying, the most beautiful..." Monty continued to chatter nonstop about the Outer Continent and Suzanna. The female Moogle must be quite a sight to see as Monty talked at least ten minutes about her 'baby-soft fur.' After the description of fur was done, Monty moved on to the very pink nose of Suzanna.
Vivi still wondered about the angels though. In his mind, angels were handsome and tall beings with pretty wings. Angels would watch over people and make sure they were healthy and happy. Grandpa used to talk about guardian angels, the ethereal spirits that was assigned to each life form to care and bless them. Vivi was certain that he had a guardian angel too. Otherwise, he would not had met Zidane and the crew.
Oh well..now, where's Dagger?
In the many gorges of Pinnacle Rocks, where the thick roots of a mysterious tree entwined and shaded the river bottom, a princess of Alexandria laid on her side. Her eyebrows furrowed, dreaming of strange and confusing happenings.
"Mother...?" Dagger's eyes cracked open. "Ugh..."The light hurt her eyes. That was not surprising, considering that she had not seen the sunbathed landscape for nearly a week. She squinted until her pupils adjusted. Next, she moved her languid limbs, feeling the stiffness in her joints. A queasiness in her stomach threatened to come back up. She took a moment to suppress that feeling. Standing up now, she took a good look at the landscape.
She was in a low area of a gorge surrounded by wildflowers. Moss-covered log bridges were soft on the feet. The shades of the sheer cliff wall surrounded her like a benevolent spirit. Expanding in the distance were huge trees so old and undisturbed that they seemed eternal. Sounds of rushing water were all around her, telling her of rivers nearby. An ever-present Moogle, licking a red thing, was scribbling down in his great book of travels.
"That Moogle...where had I...?" thought Dagger, but then a sense of urgency came to her. Where is everyone?
Just then, she saw the tip of a bent steeple hat behind some shrubs. Relief overcame her as she calmly walked toward the mage.
"Vivi..." called Dagger.
The short mage, who was looking at the mangled Gargant cart, turned. The same innocent yellow eyes blinked in recognition.
"We made it?" Dagger was rewarded with a nod. "Where are we...?"
"We're at Pinnacle Rocks," answered Vivi. "It's supposed to be near Lindblum Castle..."
"Pinnacle Rocks...? Lindblum...?" parroted Dagger. She recalled her hour-long geography lessons when she was little. "The Gargant took us this far!" If memory served her right, the gargant went twice as far as it should have. Immediately, her worries resurfaced.
"Where's Freya? Steiner? And Beatrix?" she asked in quick succession.
Vivi said nothing. He wished he knew the answer to that question, but frankly, he had no idea what had happened to them.
"And...Zidane?" Dagger's voice trailed off. She had never expected someone like a thief to stay with her for as long as he did. Freya, Steiner, and Beatrix were trained as honorable knights. It was expected of the knighthood everywhere to aid the weak and uphold righteousness. But Zidane was a scoundrel, a penniless street rat who stole for a living. All her private teachings were telling her that he should be put to death. Yet...
"He went to check out the area," provided Vivi.
As if on cue, someone from above spoke. "Dagger, you're awake!"
Vivi and Dagger looked up. On the ledge of the fifty foot waterfall was Zidane. He took a step off the ledge as if he were strolling, and landed lightly like a cat in front of them. "Do you feel okay?" asked Zidane with concern, disregarding the lightly amazed look in his companions' eyes.
Dagger was less aware of her own health but of others. "Where is everyone, Zidane?"
"I don't know..." said Zidane. His arms were akimbo and he looked up to the sky, thinking. "We're really far from Alexandria." Truth be told, he was worried about Freya and Steiner too. For some reason, those who grew up in the streets had a better grasp of survival than those with standardized education. He was, though, at ease knowing that Lady Beatrix and Blank were with them. Blank was from the streets, he knew how to avoid most dangers of mass mania. Lady Beatrix...well, no one could dispute her authority. Alexandrian rule usually had the royal family member as the figurehead while the general controlled the actual army.
Dagger still sported a frown.
"Hey, don't worry." Zidane wanted to appease her troubled thoughts. "The Tantalus guys are with them, too. They're probably in Treno by now."
"Do you think we can borrow an airship in Lindblum?" asked Dagger. Her goal was to keep all those around her safe and to be with them, even if it meant danger to herself. "Treno is only steps away if we can reach South Gate."
"Yeah..." Oddly, Zidane stepped back and looked away. He muttered some strange words, too soft to be heard.
I have an estate in Treno. Go there if you need anything.
Dagger was about to say more when a strange light over the cliff appeared.
It was an old man with a hunchback and an unkempt beard. His form was ethereal, faintly clear like a passerby in the Mist . A deeply tanned wizened hand held a simple gnarled cane. On him was a regular peasant smock and knee-length trousers. His features were so wrinkled and weathered that it was impossible to see the color of his eyes. He did vaguely smile, much like one would imagine a kindly grandfather would smile to a favorite grandchild.
Oddly enough, Vivi felt a strange chill. He knew this old man. Even stranger was Zidane's greeting.
"Are you our enemy? or not?"
The old man looked at Zidane. Vivi could have sworn there were electrical sparks between the two. "That is up to you..." it clearly enunciated every single word. Then it turned to Dagger. "My name is Ramuh," it introduced itself.
"I've heard your name somewhere..." Dagger flinched. "you must be Ramuh, the Thunder God."
Ramuh nodded. He never expected someone who had never been taught in the ways of the Summoners to know him. She would had made an excellent Summoner had she stayed in Madin Sari...had she knew ways to keep her magic to herself. "Do you know that your summon magic destroyed Cleyra?"
Dagger shook her head. She only had bits and pieces of what had happened to her. It was only a day ago that she learned that she was a Summoner.
"An eidolon follows its Summoner's orders," explained Ramuh. "It responded to the orders of a woman filled with greed this time.."
The realization dawned upon Dagger immediately. "Mother!" But why? Sure, Brahne had acted out of character the past few weeks, but Dagger refuse to believe all that. Her sweet mother would never have done any of this. "I was confined..while Cleyra was destroyed..."
"It wasn't your fault, Dagger," said Zidane. He probably understood her feeling better than anyone else. To be so weak and so angry at oneself for being so powerless while everyone else fought to the death was not a pleasant feeling. "They knew. That's why they stayed behind."
Ramuh looked at Dagger critically. The girl looked very much confused and distressed of her situation. "It is true that you were not the one who caused the destruction. But I must ask you, what will you do now?"
"If I were more powerful..." Dagger muttered to herself. "If I could use summon magic..." A light bulb went off. "I beg of you, please help me!"
"And cause more destruction?" countered Ramuh. Some powerful Summoners, proud of their capabilities had used their talents without discretion. They abused their summoning magic for more control, convinced that a world under their complete ruling was the best way to protect it, even if it meant elimination of certain tribes. The result was the near destruction of everything.
"I was afraid of my summon magic, but not anymore!" The determination in Dagger's voice was firm.
The thunder god smiled. His shimmering form brightened until it was unbearable to look at. When he dimmed, he was different looking. The hunched-back old man was gone and in his place stood a tall figure that looked to be a king of kings. His white beard was flowing and smooth. The robe he donned was fit for lords. A highly decorated staff of a bluish color replaced his gnarled stick.
Dagger and Vivi shrank away from the wondrous form. Ramuh was no longer a midget old man, but a true mighty God of Thunder. They were staring at him with so much awe that they did not see Zidane cross his arms and tap his foot in irritation.
"Many years have passed since I last served a master..." said Ramuh, his voice boomed deeply like the thunder from the skies. "I must test to see whether you are truly fit to be my master. I will hide five manifestations of myself in this forest. each one will carry a piece of the 'Hero's Story.' Collect all five pieces and tell me the story. If you put together the story to my satisfaction, I shall become your eidolon." With that, the thunder god vanished.
Dagger and Vivi stared for a few second before they became self-conscious.
"I'm sorry," apologized Dagger to no one in particular. "I know we must hurry..."
Zidane gave her an encouraging smile. "It's okay, Dagger. You gotta do what you gotta do."
"I'll help you, too," piped Vivi.
Dagger's look was grateful as she nodded. "Thanks, you two." Once again, she felt fortunate to have these friends in the most troubling of times. She recalled the days of her youth, when the noble children she played with would run away whenever they did something wrong, leaving her with all the blame. It was different now. She had friends she could depend on. The next thing she had to do was get her summoning magic back and maybe, just maybe, she could set things right. She proceeded to look for the spirits of Ramuh.
When Dagger found all the pieces of the story and committed them to memory, she requested to speak with the Thunder God alone. Vivi and Zidane did not mind, this was her task after all. The two did found themselves in the comfortable nook between a tree and a root, resting and listening to the story.
Vivi sat with his short feet spread out in a u-shape. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, partially propping himself up with his short arms. Vivi listened intently for the story for he loved great tales of adventure. It was like having grandfather tell him stories again. Vivi could just imagine Joseph's expression when the troops came and asked him for aid and his daughter's melancholy when her father never returned.
Zidane closed his eyes as Dagger's soft recital of the story drifted into his ears. He actually knew the story very well. Back during the time when there was no Gaia, no Mist, when he was even smaller than Vivi, a woman named Linetha Lesvi would often tell him stories like this. Her stories were never about princesses and kings in their indulgence of happily ever afters, but about the people and their daily struggles to make the best of what little they had. She would often tell tales of steadfast friendship, sacrifices to uphold a value, and of lost love. The woman would always tell him to reflect upon it but never give it a direct meaning. To reduce the complexity of their actions to mere words was not only disrespectful but profane.
"Let's go to Lindblum!" cried Dagger, bringing Zidane out of his reverie.
"...Hey, old man!" called Zidane. He wanted to have a word with Ramuh. "You've gone already?" Zidane sounded more harsh than he intended.
"What's wrong?" asked Vivi.
"I wanted to ask why he made Dagger play such a silly game." The thief looked down, remembering some of Linetha's words. Thinking about it made him sad and mad at the same time. Though he had forgiven the past wrongs, deep in his soul, there was still an unmitigated anger toward all Gaian eidolons. "Heroic? Human? Those are just things people say after the fact. Why try to give meaning to what the main character of the story chose?"
"...I think the old man would've become her eidolon either way," said Vivi. He could detect the slight grudge in Zidane's voice though Vivi could not understand why. "That's the impression I got."
"You're exactly right..." The deep voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Vivi and Zidane looked upward to the sky. They knew who was talking to them.
"It's not what the people say afterward...What's important is being true to oneself. She may not have realized it, but when she wished to learn how to use summon magic, the summon power returned to her. Summon magic can be used for good or evil. She is still young, but there is room for growth...So I chose her as my master. I'll be watching over...I hope you two will also protect her."
Vivi was still in a bit of awe, but he could not agree more. "Y-Yeah!"
Zidane glowered to himself. Ramuh wanted a promise, one that will protect his precious little Summoner against all danger, including the Dark Messenger.
"Will you protect her?" Ramuh questioned again privately to him.
Zidane relented. "Of course..."
The pieces of the story... (AN: included for those who haven't played the game for a while.)
'Beginning' "Once upon a time, 33 small countries fought together against an empire. One day, a rebel troop visited a man named Joseph, who lived with his daughter. Owing a debt to the troop, he gladly accepted their plead for help. They headed for a cavern in the snowfield.
'Cooperation' "With Joseph's help, the troop defeated the adamantoise in the snow field cavern and acquired the Goddess Bell they needed to enter the empire's castle.
'Silence' "On their way home, they fell into a trap set by a traitor. Joseph gave his life to save the troop. The troop left without telling Joseph's daughter, Nelly, about the tragedy.
'Hero' "Historian's explanation: Although Joseph's death was not reported to his daughter, the manner of his death speaks for itself. This is the story of a true hero.
"Human' "Historian's explanation: The fact that they didn't report Joseph's death to his daughter was indicative of their guilt for failing to protect him. In the end, heroes are also human."
The three had left Pinnacle Rocks around mid afternoon and made way towards Lindblum Castle. They crossed the vast grassland of the Lindblum Plateau. The Lindblum breeze made an entire ocean of grass sway like sea anemones. The city of Lindblum was clear in the distance, rising out of the ground like a giant engine. The three walked in a staggered line with Zidane leading the way and Vivi guarding the rear. The two talked about the events since their separation in Lindblum, trying to fill holes in Dagger's memory.
Dagger was so full of questions. She asked about the conditions of Burmecia, how the city was in that rain-soaked land. There were many questions about Freya, the Dragoon Knights, and the musin royal family. When she exhausted the questions about Burmecia, she asked about Cleyra. The topic of Cleyra took a good while to describe as Dagger had a lot of questions about the priesthood and their holy tree. Cleyra had the mysterious people that never liked contact with the outside world, yet Zidane seemed to know everything about them. Still, at the end, the approximate situation was gravely simple.
"To sum it up, Burmecia is in ruins and Cleyra is gone ," said Zidane. "Their citizens are either dead or in hiding. We don't know about the small towns and what will happen to them. We do know that most of the border Gates are closed and guarded."
None of them said much after that. Their situation was more complicated than most would ever experience. A regular mage and thief had no reason, no inherited responsibility to end international conflicts. Garnet was a princess, she was to be the head of a nation someday. But she was only sixteen and hid behind the curtains of regality by her mother, becoming protected yet deceived. Each of the three was silent in their own thoughts, wondering where their paths would take them.
The sky was dark now, an ugly yellow and tan hue covered the skies. Large clouds, the color of red, threatened to storm but no rain ever came down. A northerly wind started to blow, causing the grass to thrash violently. As they strode closer to Lindblum, an ominous feeling creped over Zidane's spine. Something was about to happen, he knew it.
"What role do you play in this, eldest brother? thought Zidane. He knew Kuja had always been in the middle of catastrophic events ever since they came to Gaia. The elder brother was an erratic contrast of personalities. He refused to live his life as a tiny insignificant speck and at the same time, wanted nothing more than hermitage away from all. Zidane could not blame him though, Kuja was the only person who lived through the Perishing. To be alive but completely alone and forgotten was much more terrible than the fate of their people.
"Terra...that feels so far away now" thought Zidane to himself, putting him in a bad mood. He normally did not allow himself to brood about the past, but he could not help but think, "I wonder..what would had happened, if they never came..."
"Zidane," called Dagger suddenly, breaking their silence and Zidane's thoughts.
Zidane stopped in his tracks. Vivi, who brought up the rear, also stopped. Both eyes looked at Dagger expectantly.
"I want to use summon magic...to protect everyone..." said Dagger. Her words were slow but full of determination. She understood the destructive powers she could wield and what she could do with it. The simple three words of "Cleyra is gone" had clarified exactly the potency of her powers. If she learned to use it to protect people, then maybe she could stop her mother from doing these atrocious acts. And when that happened, she would talk her mother out of her insane ideas and everything would be alright again.
Zidane's sky-blue eyes glittered at Dagger's declaration, like they had seen the same expression from elsewhere. It was Dagger's favorite look. Out of everyone, Zidane was probably the person who understood her the most.
"You can do it!" he encouraged. "I know you can."
The princess gave Zidane a grateful look. Even if the confirmation was from a thief, Dagger's confidence inflated at his words. There was just something about Zidane that made her feel safe around him, even if he tried to be a womanizer and tried to kidnap her and tried to touch her ass...Dagger forgave him all of that. His actions were more in keeping with that of a knight than the bandit he claimed to be.
"Um..." voiced Vivi. Dagger and Zidane were still gazing upon one another.
"Zidane," called Vivi.
Unwillingly, Zidane tore away from Dagger's eyes and turned to Vivi.
Vivi pointed to a rapidly enlarging spec in the sky. "Look..."
All three turned toward the sky. That spec had turned into a fully decorated and gaudy airship.
"That's...the Red Rose..." whispered Zidane. The ship's significance quickly struck a chord in his mind. "She's after Lindblum!"
"Wha?"
An explosion took their attention to Lindblum. Airships, hundreds upon hundreds of airships closed in on the massive mountain that was the city. Breeching pods were shot out of the ships into the main corridors of Lindblum. Fires, originating by magic, started bursting in various places like a patchwork of napalm. Even in their distance, they could hear the screams of people as more blue lights from the ships trickled into the city.
"Telepods," said Zidane. He looked confused and angry. The sensations he had not felt for years were raising thousands of alarms. "They're sending back mages directly inside the castle..."
Vivi just stared at Zidane dumbly. Anything about Black Mages caught Vivi's attention.
"...and she'll use summon magic afterwards," finished Zidane.
Dagger just looked at Zidane for one second. Her entire body grew tense and her heart beat like a butterfly in a storm. "No!" She did not want to believe it. The sweet woman who had raised her since childhood would never do war with her brother-in-law. "Mother would never do that!" In a burst of speed, she sprinted with all her might toward Lindlbum, hoping that her mother would somehow see her and cease her madness.
"Dagger!" called Zidane. If the summoning began with Dagger nearby, she would be killed. Zidane knew this very well, he had seen it happen many times. Once an eidolon was under the service of a master, depending on the eidolon's nature, the eidolon's will became the master's will. In Brahne's insanity, there was no telling what the eidolon would do. He sprinted after her, with Vivi hot on his heels.
"Stop!" Zidane shouted as he caught Dagger's hands. Just then, a worm-like eidolon burst out of the ground. A large mouth, opening wide like the black abyss, started a windy vortex of air, sucking in everything. The monstrosity took anything that was not bolted down. Pieces of building, the Lindblum guards, black mages and squealing townspeople all flew into the mouth of the monster. The sounds, the screams of terrified humans and the stifled groans of the black mages surpassed the deafening wind roar from the eidolon.
The scene before them made Dagger put a hand to her mouth. She emitted a gagging sound, too horrified at the atrocity before her. All those people, gone in a matter of minutes, leaving not even a trace as the eidolon shimmered and disappeared. Dagger fell to her knees, feeling a sensation of helplessness gnawing at her heart. She wanted nothing more than to cry for all those people who had just perished.
Zidane placed a hand on Dagger's shoulders. The girl took the hand instead, taking whatever comfort in that simple gesture. Prudently, Zidane said nothing, but only turned to gaze upon the invasion by Alexandrian airships upon Lindblum with his pale blue eyes.
Wow...that took a while...Might have to wait a long while for the next one as Spring is officially over.
Suikorin