DISCLAIMER: I'd like to acknowledge the fact that I do not own any of the worlds, races, spells, techniques, weapons, armor sets, religions, cults, or schools of magic in this fanfic. All of that crap belongs either to Square Enix or Blizzard Entertainment. Please read and review this fanfic, but please do not flame me for it. Constructive criticism is cool, but flaming will NOT be tolerated. Now, on with the story!
Of Ivalice and Azeroth
Several months had passed, and the three Azerothians had proven their worth to Serina. They were given membership into the clan and they fought in many Engagements. Clan Shadowear had become more powerful and was taking on more difficult missions, but no one expected what was going to happen the day Clan Shadowear took what would be the most difficult mission they had ever faced.
"Clan Shadowear! Front and center!" Serina barked. The clan assembled in front of her and stood at attention. "Morning, all," Serina said. "I've bought a mission for us that's going to be quite a handful, but I trust we can complete it. Apparently, there's a cult rising in Ivalice, a violent one. They've taken people and children for sacrifices to their god, and the Crown is unable to stop them, what with freedom of religion and all. Plus, they have no incriminating evidence that points to them as the cause of the disappearances. Word on the street is, however, that they're planning on summoning their god into Ivalice. We have to infiltrate the ritual and make sure that doesn't happen. We leave after breakfast. Dismissed!"
The clan made its way into the Jeraw Sands, where the cult would (supposedly) be performing the ritual in some ruins. "Alright," Serina began, "we'll go in two teams. Lightsworn, Polly, and Angeline will lead a party of three others. You're team one. Team two will consist of myself, the Runekeepers, Chico, and Lotte, as well as everyone else, will be team two. Team one, your main objective is to soften them up for our arrival. We'll come in in fifteen minutes. Good luck." With that, team one entered the dark, foreboding ruins.
Inside the ruins, the cultists had splattered blood and animal entrails all over the walls and floor. They were chanting madly with one person in a black robe in the middle of the floor. "Alright," Erich began, "I'll charge in and distract them while you all go around to the back and take out who you can." The rest of the team nodded and broke off. After whispering a prayer, imbuing himself with a Seal of Command, and activating an aura that would protect him from the shadow magic of the cultists, Erich charged in with a mighty battle cry.
Erich was thankful that he had been able to take the cultists by surprise. He tore into them with his hammer like a starving man tears into food, smashing their bones and making them realize that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. The rest of the team was no small affair, either; they ripped apart the cultists like there was no tomorrow. However, everyone noticed one thing: the person in the middle of the floor hadn't budged and wasn't affected by anything they threw at her. When the rest of the cult was lying in shambles, Erich healed the wounds of the rest of the team and, together, they went to confront the leader of the cult.
"Give up, moron! You've lost!" Polly shouted at the immobile figure.
"Have I, now?" the figure responded. All of a sudden, there was a flash of steel and a scream of pain. The woman now had a bloody scythe in her hand, and Polly was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. "Die. There is no Judge here to save you," the woman said. Erich healed Polly with the last of his mana and turned to face the woman in black. She chuckled darkly and swung the scythe again, hitting Angeline this time. "She's so fast!" Erich thought.
Erich and the rest of the team tried to fend off the woman's attacks, but to no avail. One by one they fell, waiting in desperation for Serina and team two to come. Over time it boiled down to a badly battered Erich and the leader of the cult. Erich released the energy of his Seal, but it seemed to have no effect on this evil woman. He swung with his hammer and hit nothing but air. All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His left arm was gone. He shrieked in pain and fell to the floor. "This is what you get for interrupting my ritual," the woman said, pointing her scythe at his throat. "I hope you enjoy the pleasure of bringing my glorious lord into this-" she was cut off as a dagger was plunged into her back.
"It's the others!" Erich thought. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the battle cries of the rest of the clan. The woman in black was constantly pelted with spells, arrows, and sheer melee force that she quickly fell. "So you think you've won, do you?" the woman asked. "Feast your eyes upon my true form!" Everyone who was still conscious or alive watched in horror as the woman began to turn into a giant, hideous demon. It was the color of blood, with giant, batlike wings, talons like giant butcher knives, and fangs like those of a shark. With one sweep of its mighty claw it killed three people.
"This is bad," Gyram thought. "Everyone's going to die because of that thing!"
The clan had made little progress on killing the demon. It seemed to get stronger over time, and the clan was wounded and tired. Gyram desperately searched for some sort of weak point, but to no avail. It wasn't until L'lura launched a lucky Fireball that the clan found out that its heart was stored on its back, in between its two wings. "Everyone!" L'lura shouted, "Aim for its back, between the wings!"
The demon didn't like L'lura giving out that bit of information one bit. Its attacks doubled in speed and ferocity. Soon, everyone was unconscious, dead, or dying except for Serina. The demon's rage was building, and it came at Serina with all it had. Serina, however, was dodging everything the demon threw at her. Finally, she was within attacking range of its weak point. The demon, however, caught her and began to crush her in its fist.
"Dammit!" Erich thought. Using the last of his energy, Erich stood up and shouted, "Divine Intervention!" A shield of invincible light formed around Serina, killing Erich and forcing the demon to drop her. The demon, howling in pain from the Holy nature of the light, bent over. Serina took this opportunity to run behind the demon and stab it between the wings. The demon, defeated, crumbled to ashes. The battle was over.
"My friends," Serina began, "we are gathered here today to remember our brother and sisters who have fallen in combat. I know that the five of them are with us in spirit, and their sacrifices shall not be forgotten. We bid farewell to you this day Polly, Chico, Lotte, Angeline, and Erich. May the spirits be with you and your ancestors receive you."
Many tears were shed the day after the battle with the demon. Everyone had lost someone they had known in the clan, and all were sorely missed.
L'lura and Gyram said goodbye to the clan and went back to Azeroth that day to bury Erich outside of Stormwind City, as per his final wishes. Gyram published his findings in Ivalice in a book, and soon there was talk of opening trade with Ivalice and going there for further studies. L'lura and Gyram lived very happy lives together and, with every anniversary of Erich's death, they would go to his grave with a bouquet of flowers to leave there.
As for Clan Shadowear, they gained renown throughout Azeroth for saving the world from the evil cult and its god. They continued to adventure throughout Ivalice, Serina leading them all the while. They never forgot the brave sacrifices of those who had perished, and held yearly memorial services for them.
This has been the story of two colliding worlds. Even though cultures may be different, the value of courage is universal.
The End.