Kenshin: How long has it been since you've written something for this one?
Draconis: Stow it. I needed to catch up on some requests and I started a new story.
Celes: (sips tea) He has a point.
Draconis: Anyway lets get started before I put this off any longer. (epic failed)
Final Fantasy VI A Retold Tale
Chapter 10
The Slums of Zozo.
Draconis: Begin!
(start)
The group of four strode into the town of Jidoor where they already heard whispering. "Do we really look so strange?" Cyan asks.
"Well think about it Cyan." Locke replies. "We're a party that consists of a knight, a king, a deserter general and a thi- Treasure Hunter." He quickly corrects himself before he says thief.
"What was that Locke?" Edgar says. "Were you about to call yourself a thief?"
"Shaddap!" Locke shouts. "Dammit Kenshin you got me almost doing it now."
On the way back to Zozo Kenshin sneezed. "Ugh." "Damn that hurt."
"Anyway." Edgar says. "Let's gather some intel."
The four walk up to the side of town that each of them immediately labeled the 'rich side of town' because everyone was dressed fancily like they were heading out to a social gathering.
Celes grabbed the back of Locke's shirt as he walked up behind one of the rich men. "Don't."
"Aw come on!" "They aren't gonna miss it!" Locke says.
"You even talk like a thief!" Celes says her eyes narrowed dangerously at him.
"Excuse me." "What are you four doing?" The man asks turning toward them. "You aren't from Zozo are you?"
"Zozo?" Edgar asks. "No we aren't." "Why?"
The man let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness." "I was afraid I was going to get robbed again."
"So it's a thief town?" Celes says. "Locke you'd fit in perfectly there."
"Don't start!" Locke shouts.
The man sighed. "But then again there was this young man who came from up there."
"What happened?" Cyan asks.
"Well I was about to get robbed when this fellow wearing a dark red vest and a sleeveless gray shirt and gray jeans. He had blue eyes and a scar on the left eye. His hair was red and hung down past his neck.
Celes' eyes widen fractionally. "That sounds like Kenshin." She thought.
"Could you tell us where he said he was going?" Cyan asks.
"Well he asked that I give him some food in return for his protection of me." "It was no problem." "As for where." "Well he said his lady friend passed out in Zozo and needed to be getting back." The man says. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"Yes he is." "Both of them actually." "Thank you." Edgar says.
"Well what are we waiting for?" "Let's go!" Locke says.
(break)
Hours later.
Zozo.
The party of four made it to the thieves town only to hear a loud ruckus from the middle of town. "Huh?" Locke says.
"ROAR! !" A loud voice shouts.
"Yeah yeah rawr rawr right back at ya titan bitch." "Jeez I just had to get hungry didn't I?" A familiar voice says. "God I hope she'll be fine up there by herself for a bit."
Celes Edgar Cyan and Locke walked forward to see Kenshin staring up at a HadesGigas. The gigas gave another roar which Kenshin returned by merely smirking. "You gonna bark all day little doggie or are you gonna bite?"
The gigas' arm lurched toward Kenshin who grabbed his staff and slammed it into the titan's elbow causing him to recoil in pain. "Come on." "Drop your purse and hit me!"
Celes narrowed her eyes at Kenshin's obviously cocky nature.
"You bastard!" The gigas shouts. Kenshin sighs and tosses his staff into the air in a spin jumping up and grabbing it. "Rolling Moon!" He says pressing the button to transform his staff into a chain. "Chain Choker!" Kenshin shouts swinging it at the gigas's neck wrapping it around. Kenshin fell back to the ground yanking hard on the chain forcing the gigas to his knees.
"Nice execution." Edgar comments.
"Wait he's not done yet." Celes says.
Celes was proven right as Kenshin back flipped over the gigas driving his right knee into it's head knocking it to the ground as Kenshin landed on it's back.
Kenshin set his hand on the gigas' back and chanted. "Ice!" A column of blue freezing light shot upward and Kenshin punched downward as a crunching sound was heard. The gigas's body jerked before falling back down to the ground...dead.
"Kenshin wins...fatality." Kenshin says hopping off the giant corpse.
"Kenshin!"
"Hm?" Kenshin says turning his head. He barely had enough time to react as Celes caught him in an embrace. "C-Celes?" "And Locke Cyan and Edgar too?"
"Hey Kenshin." "Wasn't expecting you find you so soon." Edgar says.
"You were...looking for us?" Kenshin asks.
"Yeah." "Why wouldn't we?" Celes asks.
"Well Celes I knew you would, but Cyan Locke and Edgar?" "What's your reason?" Kenshin says as Celes lets him go.
"Simple." "We're friends aren't we?" "Comrades in arms." Edgar says. "And we want to make sure Terra's alright."
Kenshin shrugged. "I guess." "Terra's fine at least I hope she is." "She's asleep in the tallest tower of this place." "I've tried to fly up there only to get knocked to the ground by some martial artist prick."
Cyan nods. "You need some assistance taking him down I see."
"Not necessarily." "The last time I tried taking him on he had the scumbags of this town jump me." "Titan mitts here was the last one he sent." Kenshin says. "He says he has no shortage of goons to send after me so I'd get run ragged eventually."
"Huh." "Martial artist ya say?" Locke asks. "Man we shoulda brought Sabin." "He'd love to kick that guy's teeth in."
"Heh heh yeah." Kenshin says grinning.
"But there is...also a question I wanted to ask you personally Kenshin." Edgar says cutting back to the previous subject.
Kenshin stared. "What is it?"
"Are you from this world?" Edgar asks.
"..." Kenshin says nothing.
"Nemesis?" Cyan says somewhat stunned at his silence.
"Kenshin?" Locke asks.
"What tipped you off?" Kenshin asks.
Edgar explained what he had done before coming here. "I researched all the census papers...not one entry showed up of anyone with the surname Kuroshi...much less the name Kenshin." Edgar stared at him.
"Well I would be shocked if there was an entry." Kenshin says stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Your assumption is right." "But I don't necessarily have time to go into the details." "So what're ya gonna do Edgar?" "Ya gonna alienate me because I'm not from this world?" "Because I have no business here?" "Well your wrong." "My 'business' here just so happens to be laying unconscious in a bed in this town's tower."
"Kenshin...?" Celes says seeing the cold glare in his eyes directed at the King of Figaro.
"Hm." "You're kind of quick to jump the gun there Kenshin." Edgar says. "No." "We aren't going to do that." "We need your help and you are a friend you have proven that much."
Kenshin closed his eyes sighing. "I apologize for my rash behavior." "It's just...I am used to that sort of thing happening." "It happened in the Vectorian Army and in my homeworld."
Locke's brow went into his hairline. "Hm?" "But you can't be any older than 18." "Care to elaborate a bit?"
Kenshin sighed. "Alright then." "You see this left eye of mine?" He says pointing at the aforementioned part of his body.
"Yes?" Cyan says.
"Well when I was eight or nine years old the leader of a large city whose population numbered in the tens of millions led a mob attack on me." "There were thousands of people chasing me through the streets while onlookers pelted me with random objects." "The entire city...wanted me dead." This cues a gasp from Celes while Edgar, Locke and Cyan stared in shock at him.
"But anyway back to the subject at hand." Kenshin says. "They eventually cornered me in the slums of the city where the leader of the town slashed my eye out with a poisoned dagger." "You see...there is a reason behind me being called the 'Demon of Vector'." "Because...I really am a demon." "Without the poison the eye would have been able to regenerate, but thanks to it...it did not."
"But if it were not for the selfless acts of two of the city's officials and two unknown strangers and a nurse that day...I am all but certain I would have died." Kenshin says. "That enough elaboration for you?"
Locke nodded numbly as did Edgar Cyan and Celes. Kenshin sighed. "Alright then." "Let's go."
Edgar watched as Kenshin retreated from them. "My god...if that is true...where was his parents?"
"K-Kenshin!" Cyan says.
Kenshin turned as the three ran up to him. "What now?"
"Dude if that's true where the hell were your parents? !" Locke asks.
"Due to circumstances beyond her control my mother could not be there for me even though she desperately wanted to be." Kenshin says. "And at the time I thought my father was dead." "Now enough questioning." He goes to turn around only to find a Harvester and another HadesGigas behind him. He narrowed his eyes. "Oh boy...you guys again." "There's a lot of you bastards in here aren't there?"
Kenshin sighed and stretched his arms out. "Ugh if I had my nodachi and kodachi you two fools wouldn't stand a chance."
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Locke says running up to him. "Dude you aren't thinking of taking these two on solo are you?"
"Why not?" "You've all just made me recall some very troubling memories." "Now I want to take my frustrations out on these two." Kenshin says.
"At least let us help." Locke says. "You look exhausted."
"Tch." "Fine." Kenshin says. He takes out his staff and looks at it. "Son of a bitch." "This thing's about to break too." "They are both quite old and the additions I put this thing through didn't help matters."
He looked up and saw Locke jumping back from the Harvester holding a pair of boots and some goggles. "Ha ha!" "Stole your swag!"
Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "I know you mean the old meaning, but I'm going to ignore the fact that you just said swag."
"What doth he mean Nemesis? !" Cyan shouts holding the HadesGigas back with his sword.
"Don't worry about it." Kenshin says wrapping his staff's chain around the Gigas's right wrist.
"Would you three knock it off." Edgar says loading arrow bolts into his crossbow. "We're in a battle right now!"
"And you're only adding to the conversation Lord Figaro." Celes says going into a spell incantation.
Kenshin jumped onto the Gigas' arm. "Hey big guy." "Over here." He ran up the Gigas' arm as it punched at him. "Aw dude ya barely got me." Kenshin says standing on it's right shoulder.
"Pay attention foul titan!" Cyan says jumping backward. "Swordtech No.2!"
Kenshin slackened his chain but kept it on the titan's wrist. It roared and launched a punch that Cyan fluidly dodged.
"Counter!" Cyan shouts disappearing from sight and reappearing behind the titan his shins and calves shooting blood.
"Whoa!" Kenshin says as the titan fell to his knees. "Alright!" "My turn!" He tightens the chain's grip and moves behind the Gigas' head and yanks the chain backward.
"? !" The titan grunted in confusion as his fist began struggling against his movements.
"Dammit." "Gotta activate Avarice." Kenshin says closing his eyes feeling out the power of the dragon god in his body. He opened his eyes back up reveal the whites dyed black save a single gray slit for the pupil. His arms and legs had transformed into limbs of a dragons. "Ahh much better!" He says effortlessly yanking the chain backward sending the Gigas's fist sailing into it's own face.
"Come on!" "Stop punching yourself!" Kenshin says yanking the chain backward a couple of more times until the Gigas' fell flat on his face. Kenshin took back his chain and walked forward stopping at it's neck and stomping down as hard as he could.
(crack!) (snap!)
The Gigas' body twitched a couple of times before it stopped cold. Kenshin closed his eyes sighing as Ryuujin's Avarice canceled. He looked over to find Locke rushing by the Harvester slashing a gash into it's shoulder. "Celes now!" Locke says.
"Right!" "Ice!" The temperature of the air around the Harvester dropped drastically as blue light rushed upward freezing it as the light went by.
Kenshin turned his head seeing Edgar aiming his crossbow's sight down. "Edgar wait!" He walked up to the Harvester as Edgar lowered his crossbow. Kenshin stared at it for a few minutes before walking away. "Leave him." "He'll thaw eventually." He finished putting his staff on his back.
The group shrugged and followed Kenshin to a building with a clock on it. "Hm..." "Any of you know what to make of this?" "I've been getting clues from the people around town, but none of them make sense to me."
"Can I try?" Celes asks.
"Go nuts." Kenshin says as he steps backward pulling out a cigarette and lighting it taking a drag.
"Hmmm." Celes says taking out a small pocket watch. "Hm...six..." She points the hour hand at the six on the clock. "Ten..." She angles the minute hand over to the two. "Fifty." She pointed the second hand over to the ten. She pressed the button at the center down. Not only did the clock start working again, but a wall to the right shifted over revealing a set of stairs.
"No..." Edgar says in astonishment.
"Fucking..." Kenshin continued the cigarette slipping out of his mouth.
"Way..." Cyan finished his face dropping in shock.
"Ha ha ha!" "Nice one Celes!" Locke laughs.
Celes remained turned around as she laughed quietly into her hand. "Coming?" She says walking up the stairs.
"Right behind you." Locke says following her.
"Edgar." Kenshin says.
"Yeah?" Edgar asks.
"You got some rope?" Kenshin asks.
"No why?" Edgar says.
"Because I was tinkering with that thing for the past day and a half." "And she solves it in a few minutes." "I feel like hanging myself."
Edgar shakes his head as Celes walks back down the stairs. "Edgar I think this is more your thing." She says handing him a chainsaw.
"No way!" Edgar says. "I've been looking every where for one of these, but they were sold out!"
Kenshin walks toward the south end of town and walks into the relic shop. Perplexed the group followed him.
(crash) (bang!) (smash!)
They make their way past the first guy and find a bunch of bandits laying on the ground writhing in pain. Kenshin sighed a bored look on his face. "Man you guys are weak."
"What happened?" Celes asks.
"I was walking over here to begin climbing the tower and these assholes." Kenshin kicked one of the bandits making him groan in pain. "Tried to jump me."
"Damn." Locke says. "Kicking a lot of ass?"
"Sorry." "Outta chewing gum." Kenshin says grinning. "Anyway lets keep going."
And so the group ascended the tower. "Hey lets look in here." Locke says.
"Nah man lets keep climbing." Kenshin says standing at the window ready to hop across the buildings.
Locke had already walked into the door he wanted to look into and walked back out with a glove. Kenshin looked back and shook his head laughing. "A thief's glove." "How fitting."
Celes covered her mouth to giggle, Edgar and Cyan both laughed as Locke's eyes bugged out. "TREASURE HU-"
"Semantics." Kenshin says hopping across the building.
Locke muttered about stupid demons who need to button their yaps as the group followed Kenshin up the building. Along the way they found a tincture, a potion and a claw Kenshin called the 'fire knuckle' for the burns it left on the wall when he used it. He commented it would be useful for Sabin. As they made their way up the final set of stairs Kenshin held up his hand stopping. "Hold on." Kenshin says walking up the stairs where a muscled, black male wearing orange fighter pants waited for him.
"Tch." "Don't you learn kid?" "Get lost." He says.
"I told you already." "I'm not leaving." Kenshin says taking his staff out and pressing the button for the blade. "I'm taking a more direct approach this time." "Let's settle this Dadaluma."
Dadaluma cracked his knuckles. "Alright." He lurched forward punching at Kenshin's chest. "IF YOU INSIST!"
"!" Kenshin's eyes widen dodging to the left dropping his elbow on the man's head.
"!" "Little brat!" Dadaluma snarls turning to roundhouse kick Kenshin's head off.
(shoot!)
"AARGH!" Dadaluma shouts an arrow bolt tearing through his flesh.
Kenshin looks back to see Edgar holding his crossbow at the ready. "Kenshin just go and make sure Terra is alright!" "We'll handle this guy."
"But-"
"No buts Nemesis!" Cyan says ramming the butt of his sword into Dadaluma's ribs. "You have a responsibility to Miss Terra do you not? !"
Kenshin bit his lip. "Fine." "Thanks you guys."
"Oh no you don't!" Dadaluma shouts roaring toward Kenshin. "I'll kill ya boy! !" He roared punching at Kenshin who raised his staff to defend.
(Snap!) (Break!) (Rattle)
Kenshin's eyes widened holding his now two pieces of staff having jumped back to avoid. "Son of a bitch ripped right through the chain." He threw the two pieces away and transformed his arms and legs.
"Oh?" Dadaluma says. He grunts in pain as Kenshin's leg buried into his sternum. Kenshin grabbed his arm and rammed his elbow into Dadaluma's stomach before raising his fist into the martial artist's face. Kenshin used both hands to throw him backward to the others. "Dragon Short Strike Flurry!" He reverted the transformation. "He's all yours!" Kenshin shouts running up the stairs.
Dadaluma rose back up glaring. "Damn that boy!" "I'll kill him!"
"Yeah." "Sure you will." Locke says jumping off the wall and slamming his knife into Dadaluma's trap muscles in his right arm rendering it useless.
"Swordtech Ichi!" "Dispatch!" Cyan says rushing forward in the blink of an eye and slashing a gash across Dadaluma's chest.
"Rrrgh!" "Damn you!" Dadaluma says.
"Ice!" Celes shouts freezing him on the spot.
Edgar revved up the chainsaw he just got and brought it down slicing Dadaluma in half. Locke Cyan and Celes looked away as the blood and gore shot out and oddly enough missed Edgar completely as he dumped both halves of the now bisected martial artist over the railing.
"Dude was that necessary?" Locke asks.
"That man was responsible for many many murders across the globe." Edgar says disdainfully looking at the halves of his corpse on the ground. "If anything he got off easy because he couldn't feel it."
"But should he not have been judged?" Cyan says.
"So he can attempt to manipulate the system and get off completely?" Edgar asks. "No." "Sometimes a king needs to take matters into his own hands." "I don't like the way I did it, but at least the people he killed will be able to rest in peace."
Edgar begins walking up the stairs and enters the room Terra and Kenshin were located with Celes Cyan and Locke not far behind.
Kenshin stood over Terra. Her eyes were open, but she refused to move or speak. They each took a side of the bed and looked down at her. Terra made a few unintelligible sounds.
"Terra?" One of them said, but none of them were paying enough attention to distinguish who.
"She's scared you know."
"!" Everyone barring Terra began to look around.
An elderly man wearing blue robes and carrying a staff appeared behind Kenshin. "Who are you?"
The elderly man looked over at Kenshin. "Ah." "You are the one they chose..." "But that is beside the point." "Is this girl your friend?" "This is a question directed at them and not you boy."
Kenshin nods as Locke walked past him. "Of course we are." "Is she...Terra OK?" Locke asks.
"You call her Terra?" "How odd." The elder says.
Terra's body begins twitching before letting out a frightened roar rushing past Cyan and Edgar. Then Celes and Locke and finally toward Kenshin who caught her in an embrace.
"Shh...Shh." "Just relax Terra." "It's alright." "Nothing's going to hurt you." Kenshin whispered in her ear as she shook in his arms.
Locke walked toward them only for Kenshin to look up at him. He shook his head slowly. The elder sighed. "She is undamaged, but it seems young Kenshin is the only one here who can fully understand her." "Understand just how scared she is." "As for me." "My name is Ramuh." "The esper Ramuh."
"Esper? !" "But don't they live in another world? !" Locke says.
"No." "Think about it." "There is an esper in Narshe." Celes says. "Most of the espers live in another world, but not all."
"The woman is right." Ramuh says. "We can live here or there." "We can take on a variety of forms and even live as humans." "You have nothing to fear from us."
"Why hide the fact?" Locke says.
"Why not?" Edgar says. "It's not like esper/human relations have been good." "Terra being a shining example of that."
"He is right." "Esper and human cannot survive together." Ramuh says.
"But my grandparents said that there was a time the esper and human did live side by side!" Locke says. "Was that bull or not?"
"No that was true...at one point." "We started out as friends." Ramuh says. "Then along came the War of the Magi."
"!" Everyone's eyes, Kenshin's included widened.
"The War of the Magi." Edgar says.
"It was long ago." "Espers fought against humans who were infused with energy extracted from espers." Ramuh says. "Fearing...that our power would be targeted again we fashioned a new realm and relocated. "About twenty years ago however...humans stumbled upon it." "Humans who knew of espers and the secrets of the magitek." "And so the hunt for the espers began again." "Just so Emperor Gestahl could create his invincible army."
"In response we sealed the door shut and threw the humans out." Ramuh says. "Even now my people are being trapped in the Vectorian magitek research facility and being drained of their powers." "I fled here to avoid a similar fate."
Terra's legs gave out and Kenshin carried her back to bed. After he laid her down he placed a light kiss on her forehead.
"Yes." "Relax." Ramuh says. "You see Kenshin there is a reason you brought her here."
"I brought her here because I thought the increased amounts of magic in this room would help revert her transformation." Kenshin says. "She thinks she's a monster."
"She isn't." "She is actually quite different." Ramuh says. "Her own existence now that she remembers everything strikes fear into her own heart."
Kenshin looked over at Terra. "She looks like she's in pain." "Tell me Ramuh." "How...How can I help her?"
Ramuh taps his staff against the floor. "If she accepts this aspect of herself." "She should be alright."
Cyan walks toward him. "That could take years!" "We need to do something now!"
"Then free my people imprisoned in the research facility." Ramuh says. "One of them will be able to help her."
"If we go there." "Are you sure we'll find them?" Locke asks.
"...they'll be there." Kenshin says.
"Like a coward I escaped while they suffered." Ramuh laments.
"What do you mean?" Edgar asks.
"Gestahl's method is incorrect." "You cannot drain a live esper of all it's power." Ramuh says. "It is only when we are reduced to magicite that our power can be transferred in full."
"Pardon? !" Locke says.
"When we become magicite our power can be relocated...it is what is left behind when...we die."
Kenshin's eyes immediately went to Terra as the others stared at Ramuh in shock. Suddenly a flash of light blinded them all and three green stones with names in red lettering inscribed on them appeared. Then a second flash of light went off and Ramuh disappeared and left behind another of the green stones.
Locke and the others looked around as Kenshin walked toward Ramuh's magicite. "..."
"Kenshin?" Celes says.
"The guilt for leaving his comrades behind must have consumed him." Kenshin says. "Death was his only recourse for his actions." He looked off to the side and noticed a chest that hadn't been there before. "Huh?" He walked toward the chest and opened it. "!" Kenshin was shocked at what he saw.
Inside was a black nodachi with fire decorating the blade as well as a matching sheathe along with a white handled kodachi with a sheathe that looked to be segmented to look like the breaks in clouds.
"No way." Kenshin says taking them out as the others gathered the magicite.
"What is it?" Locke says.
"How did the old man get his hands on my old weapons?" Kenshin says giving both a couple of test swings.
"These landed near me a couple of years ago before I was captured." Ramuh says in his mind."I looked into your memories and saw them with you." "So it's fitting they be returned to their rightful owner."
Kenshin nods. "So when are your all heading out?" He asks.
"You aren't coming with us?" Cyan asks.
"I need to stay here." "As you saw this place isn't exactly the safest place on earth." "I can't leave Terra here alone." Kenshin says.
"What if you didn't have to." A voice called out from the entrance.
Kenshin looked up ahead and saw Sabin and Gau. "?"
"Sabin?" "What are you doing here?" Edgar asks.
"The empire turned tail and ran back to South Figaro." Sabin says. "Narshe is safe." "But I overheard the conversation there." Sabin says. "It's clear that three of you have a reason for wanting to go to the Empire."
Locke Celes and Kenshin looked away. "So why not just leave Terra to two of us and take someone else along." Sabin says.
Kenshin stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm."
"Don't worry." "Who ever you leave here will make sure Terra's alright." Sabin says.
"Fine." Kenshin says. "Now...Cyan...I'm sorry, but if we took you, you'd probably want to wreck stuff up there rather than just free the espers." "Plus it will put my mind at ease if your here with the other man I'm leaving here."
"I understand." Cyan says.
"Edgar." "No matter which way you slice it." "Your still the king of Figaro." "If you are found in Vector doing this who knows what Gestahl will do." Kenshin says.
"You leaving Cyan here to make sure I don't make a move on Terra?" Edgar says.
"Yes." Kenshin says pointedly as he turned to Gau. "You mind doing Papa a favor and watching over Mama for me?"
"Yeah yeah yeah!" Gau says excitedly.
Kenshin smiled. "Alright." "I promise I'll do something fun with you when I get back ok Gau?"
"OK!" Gau says.
Kenshin turns to Sabin. "You came up with the idea so lets hoof it."
Sabin nods and looked down at his waist. "Did you get some new weapons?"
"Nope." "Been reunited with some old friends." Kenshin says resting his hand on his nodachi's hilt.
"Alright you two lets get moving." "We need to actually find a way to Vector." Celes says.
"I think theres a guy in Jidoor that can give us a hand actually." Kenshin says.
"Then lets go!" Locke says as the four rush out the door making their way toward Jidoor.
(chapter end)
Draconis: Oh...my...god. I apologize in advance for this taking so long.
Kenshin: Dude...you suck at being consistent with your updates.
Draconis: Tell me about it. Anyway I'm gonna end this now and get this posted.
Draconis678 out.