Author's Notes

Hello! First of all a nice big thank you to all the people who reviewed, added this to your favourites or are keeping tabs on it with alerts!

To answer Katreda's question: yes, I made up the blizzard spell myself. I probably won't bother doing it for every spell, just every now and then or maybe with Espers.

Disclaimer

I don't own Final Fantasy XII. I do own Edie, my OC.

Chapter X: McFearless

I was still coming down from the high of what I had managed to achieve this afternoon when we entered the nomad camp. This camp was slightly larger than the one that took refuge at the foot of the Estersand's mountains. It had a few tattered tepees and a small pen where a gaggle of Cockatrice walked tirelessly in their confines, pecking at the cracked ground. There was also a strange, large rock that rose from the ground like a twisted dagger blade. Its dark slate shade broke up the cheerful blue sky. Penelo seemed to pay no attention to the fierce looking flint as she headed towards an old woman who sat outside a tepee.

"Hello Elder Brunoa." She beamed in her usual natural exuberance.

"Penelo, it's good to see you my child." The old woman nodded. Her cloudy eyes then regarded me for a moment.

"This is Edie. She helps Migelo out now and then."

We both exchanged greetings and the Elder scratched her nose as she said,

"I see.. is that Vaan shying away from his work again?"

"No more than usual." Laughed Penelo. She placed her bag of supplies on the ground before her. I once again mimicked her actions. "I brought you everything that was on the list you gave Migelo."

"I hadn't been expecting that, what with that banquet taking place today."

"Well, you know how Migelo is, long time customers come first."

"Then do send him my gratitude, won't you?" She said as her withered hand offered Penelo a coin sack.

"Of course."

With our job done, we decided to hang around for a bit. Penelo knew a lot of the nomad families and we stopped to talk to some of the children. They quickly recognized her and crowded round her like excited puppies. She laughed at their enthusiastic greeting.

"Hey Penelo!"

"Whatchya doing here?"

"Did you go to that parade today?"

"Did you get to see the Consul?"

"Where's Vaan?"

"Who's that?"

"Where's Kytes?"

"Did you bring us a present?"

Their little voices whirled around her in a burst of energy. Each one was craving her attention, like she was their big sister.

"Actually I do have something for you guys."

She plucked a pouch that somehow she had managed to attach to her clothing and emptied its contents into her hand. Two wooden spinning tops tumbled out into her palm. They were painted in bright colours. One sported primary colours, the other secondary. A chorus of excited chattering rose as they all moved to huddle closer to Penelo and get a better glimpse of the toys.

"They used to be mine and Vaan's but we haven't used them in years. Here, I'll show you how to make them spin." She skilfully wrapped a length of string around the small pole that jutted out from the body of the spinning top. It was then arranged in her hand in a similar way you would hold a pebble to skim it across a lake. The flock of children hurriedly made room for Penelo, their eyes glinting with delight. Penelo then flicked her wrist and the spinning top gracefully landed on the ground and began performing a never-ending pirouette. She then repeated the process with the remaining spinning top and as it began its own dance, it collided with the other. This caused them to swirl away from each other only to circle back and crash together again in a violent ballet. The children squatted, hands on their knees and were leaning forward slightly due to them being so engrossed in the mini battle. Eventually one of the spinning tops lost its momentum and its spinning came to a halt.

"The first one to stop spinning loses." She told them. "You can have a tournament. See which one of you can become champion of the Giza Plains!"

"Yeah, let's!" A girl grinned.

"No, we should wait for Jinn to come back first." Said another, slightly older girl.

"Naw, he'll be ages, he's gone to make some sunstones." A sandy haired boy informed.

"But he'll be mad with us when he finds out." The older girl moaned.

"That's his problem." Retorted the boy.

"Who's going first?" Another boy questioned, hopping from foot to foot with impatience.

"That should keep them out of trouble for a while."

Penelo smiled as she rose from where she had been squatting to observe the spinning tops' performance. As she turned towards me I noticed she paused, her fair brows rising up into her fringe in a look of intrigue. I followed her stare to see a very familiar figure making his way to us in his usual easygoing manner. Vaan.

"Penelo? What are you doing here?" He asked in a puzzled voice. As usual he didn't even acknowledge my presence.

"I could ask you the same. Though the answer's pretty clear: no good."

"What? I'm being good."

"At the moment." I mumbled. His eyes flickered from Penelo to me. The look he gave me clearly showed he was still riled up from our earlier spat.

"Hmm is that right? So then you wouldn't mind if we, say, tagged along, would you?" She asked in a tone that wasn't a far stretch from suspicion. It seemed she was also pretending not to notice our tight gaze at one another. "Oh don't worry. Migelo's busy with the preparations for the fete up at the palace. Why, I'm free for the whole day and Tomaj let Edie have the afternoon off."

"I bet he did." He smirked.

"Well? Let's get going!" She interjected before I could verbally assault him for his goading.

We didn't move far when one of the children who had been playing with the spinning tops dashed after us. The girl had been the one who had insisted to the group to wait for Jinn to return before launching into their tournament.

"Penelo! Are you guys going to make a sunstone?"

"I don't know, are we?" She questioned Vaan.

"Yeah." He answered her, he then turned to the girl, "Don't worry, Masuya asked me to find Jinn-"

"Guess what? I saw Jinn off in the south part of the plains- in the Crystal Glade. He was right by a small crystal. I asked if he wanted to come back to the camp with me, but he said he still had some work to finish up. We take breaks in the glade, since the monsters seem to stay away from it. I was a little worried because Jinn looked like he might have been hurt, but I was afraid to push him too hard to come back. Now I'm wondering if I did the right thing.." The whole thing came out in a long sentence. The girl hardly paused for breath.

"It's okay, Camina, we'll find him and bring him back." Reassured Penelo, with a warm smile. This seemed to calm the girl somewhat and she toddled off to join her friends once more.

We headed south. As we pressed on through the sun bleached terrain a flash of light caught my eye. It was the sun's brilliance ricocheting off the polished scarab of a small sword. It hung from Vaan's belt, moving in time with his steps. He was obviously expecting his conquest to be treacherous and that made my stomach clench into a fist with apprehension. It would seem he wasn't going to easily be deterred from his quest.

"So we're making a sunstone, huh?" Pried Penelo.

"It's the only way to get into the palace's treasury." He shrugged.

"And just how are you planning to get into the palace?" I asked, my eyes not breaking from the sword.

"Through the Garamsythe Waterways." Vaan answered offhandedly as if it were common knowledge.

"The waterways that have rats the size of Moogles?"

"Yeah. Why? You want me to check if one of them has eaten your dog?" He questioned, his tone brimming with sarcasm.

"No, I was just wondering maybe if that was why you've got that sword with you. It looks new."

"Did you buy that?" Penelo snatched at the sword and freed it of its sheath to inspect its blade. It was of a simple design and appeared light due to the way she was able to effortlessly hold it up and scrutinize its form.

"Yes, I did. Now gimme it back!" His swiftness came into good use as he darted forward and grabbed at the sword.

"How much did you spend on that?" She asked in an irritated tone. It was obvious from her face that we probably had no leftovers from the Boscobel Oak fiasco.

"I did a hunt for Tomaj this morning, the money I gained I spent on this."

"You did a hunt?"

"Well if I can't steal the money I had to find another way to get it."

"I can't make up my mind which of your two get-rich-quick schemes is the more dangerous!"

"Oh Please, it was a cinch!"

"I'm sure it was, just like you wading through the waterways is going to be hassle free also."

There was a glimpse of anxiety present in her demeanour, although it was too slight for Vaan to see, I caught it. It made sense now. Penelo was playing it cool and not outwardly showing her annoyance and apprehension towards Vaan's seemly self-destructive mission. She was smart enough to know that her disagreeing or forbidding him to try such an idiotic idea would only push him further into actually doing it. I decided to follow her lead and also be somewhat indifferent in helping Vaan.

"Any way, you need to carry weapons when you're in the deserts or plains. Did either of you think to bring any?" He asked as he sheathed the sword and continued trekking onwards.

"I have my dagger and Edie has been taught how to conjure a blizzard spell."

"Oh yeah? I bet that's amusing to watch."

"Well then, allow me to show you" I growled, positioning myself into my magick caster's stance.

"That won't be necessary." Penelo hindered my concentration before I could even think of the spell's words. "Besides you haven't cast it upon a live target yet."

Vaan snickering only made me want him to indeed by my first live target. I'd freeze his lips together so he couldn't speak.

A different snickering caused me to be pulled from my thoughts of revenge. It was deeper, gruffer and most defiantly not that of a human. A desert hyena was hesitantly making its way towards us. The creature had no need to fear us, after all, it was adamantly equipped with its own weapons: long, razor shape incisors and a horn that would rival a rhino's. It was merely measuring our evasiveness and defence. It was also doing what all predators did when they hunted, looking for the easy target. Vaan drew his sword, his body already in a swordfighter's stance. Penelo copied his motions.

"Edie, you stay behind us, okay? If it gets past either of us, run to the Crystal Glade." I nodded dumbly. My mouth suddenly felt like it was made of sand. Was this really going to happen? Were they really going to fight this savage animal?

Vaan met the animal head on in an impressive display of bravery. The two were worthy rivals as they were both accustomed to using a medley of swift attacks that didn't contain much momentum. Penelo hung back from the commotion and would only strike when the animal's defence dropped for a split second. It was clear that their battle plan had been tried and tested before, because they knew their roles well, Vaan was the antagonist and Penelo the defence.

I may have been a safe enough distance from the scuffle but I was terrified. My heart thrashed against my ribcage as if it wished to escape, I could feel its feverish beat pounding in my throat and stomach. A metallic taste crept into my already dry mouth and coated my tongue, sending it numb and useless. My skin felt like it was as sticky as tar due to the prickling sweat covering it in a slick layer. If I were in any other situation I would have thought I was having a panic attack.

Calm down you idiot! You're not going to be any good to anyone unconscious! I scolded myself, annoyed by my own cowardliness.

Meanwhile, my suddenly oversensitive hearing could hear the clash of metal against bone, the feral cry of the beast and my friends shouting to one another how to proceed. This whirlwind of sounds ripped my attention from my panic-stricken symptoms. I watched with my eyes a wide.

They had changed their strategy. Penelo, who was probably the weaker fighter, was distracting the hyena. She gained its attention by deliberately letting her guard down so that it would think of her as an easy target. It charged at her, jaws snapping, and just as I thought my nerves was going to knock to the grown I saw she gracefully outmanoeuvre it, like a matador. It was as if she wasn't fighting, she was dancing a violent ballet, just like those spinning tops.

Vaan took advantage in the deliberate distraction and thrust his sword into the hyena's fur. It yelped in a mixture of pain and revelation before turning to retaliate. He quickly withdrew and while he was now the one who held the foe's attention, Penelo slashed at the animal's back before darting away again. Despite of how well they were doing I still felt uneasy, surely it would figure out their pattern.

Then why aren't you helping them? They're your friends.

But how could I help? I was a novice, I didn't even have a weapon and the only magick I could cast had only been used against stoic rocks. I could see why Penelo had mentioned how tricky pushing the magick onto a live target could be. It was constantly moving.

Stop being a wuss and give it a go!

I did want to do it, but I was apprehensive of Vaan or Penelo's safety. What happens if I accidentally cast the blizzard spell on one of them, the results would be dire. I stood their deliberating whether or not I should get involved. Would I be of help or hindrance?

Venga ya, inútil! Hacerlo! (Come on, useless! Do it!)

I nodded in agreement to my subconscious' urging and strode forward a few shaky steps. Once I was sure I was close enough to cast the magicks but far enough away not to be a nuisance, I began to sink into my mind. After the afternoon of practice I had endured, I managed to summon the Mist quite quickly.

Wintry wrath I summon thee.. Use thy shards to thwart the enemy!

The mist pulsed through my being, rattling my bones in an almost euphoric energy and I opened my eyes. Vaan and Penelo continued their onslaught and even though the hyena did seem weaker, its evasiveness had greatly improved. I focused on its quickly moving form. Its fur was matted with its own blood, its teeth was stained a sinister pink- had it bitten one of them? Its dark eyes were wild and scheming. It was my target.

I forced the Mist from my being, my attention transfixed on the hyena as it lunged forward to snap at Penelo. A long second passed but then, abruptly, deadly sharp splinters of ice crystallized above the fiend, before plunging down upon it. I was ecstatic, it had worked, I could now finally cast a magick spell well enough to be worthy in a battle. Best of all, I hadn't injured the two teenagers. The hyena snarled in annoyance and whirled around in my direction. It was galloping towards me before I was even aware that I was in danger. It broke past Vaan and Penelo's attempts to bring to a halt it. It no longer was interested in them because its easy kill had been located.

"Edie! Run!" Penelo cried as her feet took flight.

The distance between the beast and I was closing fast. I turned and burst into a sprint. The thud of my sandals against the ground matched the thud of my already quickened heartbeat. The terrain was full of obstacles. I faltered many a time, stumbling and tripping, but always moving. It was still behind me. I had to get away. Gasping for breath, I push on, hurtling headlong. It followed relentlessly. A sob of terror burst from my chest. My lungs were going to explode if I didn't stop soon.

Then there was the abrupt sound of pain riddled howl that cut through the dry air. I skidded to a stop and turned around, fearing the worse- had it doubled back and attacked them?

A gruesome sight assaulted my eyes. Vaan stood over the hyena, which was suspiciously still now. Its mouth was agape, giving me a better view of its large fangs. Vaan's sword had skewered the hyena's body, entering through the back at an angle so the sword's tip protruded from its stomach. Seemingly unaffected by the gore before him, he firmly placed his shoe onto the corpse and used it as leverage to help him yank his sword free. It came away with the audible crunch and the beast slumped further to the ground, its body resting in an unnatural position. Blood pooled around it and its scent was upturned by the almost non-existent breeze. The heady metallic smell made my stomach churn warningly, although I paid it no attention. My attention was still focused on the blood slick sword that Vaan held. Its deep crimson shade painted the entire length of the blade and thick, syrupy droplets fell from the sword's tip onto the dry plain.

"Edie? Did you hear me? It's okay, you're safe now." Penelo's soft girlish voice swam into focus, as if it had been muffled before.

Vaan wiped his blade with a rag before sheathing it again and made his way over to us. From the small smirk that was causing a corner of his mouth to curl up, I could tell I probably looked as bad as I felt.

"She okay?" He asked in an uninterested tone, his hands on his hips.

"I'm fine." I mumbled.

"It's always rough, the first time you have to fight a fiend." Penelo reassured. "And I can't believe you managed to cast blizzard magicks upon that hyena! You must be gifted! It took me longer than a day to do such a thing!" I could tell she was trying to cheer me up, make me feel better about stupidly putting myself in danger, but I played along anyway. I smiled and nodded and once my legs were steady enough, we soon continued walking.

It was only a small stretch of plain, but the Crystal Glade had one of those strange black rocks squatting on its ground. Slumped up against it was a young boy. His appearance was similar to all the other nomad kids. He was dressed in dusty clothes made from light, breezy fabrics and had tanned skin due to his exposure to the sun. He perked up when he saw the three of us walking towards him, but didn't rise from his sitting position.

"Are you Jinn?" Vaan questioned.

"Yeah, my name's Jinn… what's it to ya?" He peered up at us suspiciously. It was obvious we didn't look like nomads, so it was a bit strange we would know his name.

"Masuya sent us, she's wants you to come back to the village."

"Really? Hmm, that could be a problem. Let's see maybe my leg's better now."

He pulled himself up from the ground only using his good leg and the rock to steady him. He then gingerly attempted to take a step forward with his injured leg. His face scrunched up as he winched in pain and quickly transferred his weight back to his good leg, before crumbling back down to the ground. It seems Camina had been right to worry.

"Nope, no good-still hurts. I tripped running from some monsters...guess I pulled something. I'm never gonna get any sunstones made like this. I just needed to make one more to be finished for today. I didn't want to head back short, so I thought I'd give my leg a rest and try again." He sighed heavily, downtrodden by his misfortune. His light brown eyebrows pulled together into his previous look of mistrust and he asked, "Why are you out here looking for me, anyhow?"

"We came to the village looking for a sunstone, but you hadn't returned with today's batch yet, so Masuya sent us out looking for you." Vaan explained, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So you need a sunstone, huh? Well, if Masyua doesn't mind, I'll give you a shadestone. But I'm still not sure I can walk yet-you'll have to turn it into a sunstone, okay? Don't worry, I'll tell you how. You do know that we use dark crystals and shadestones to make sunstones, right?" He said as he rummaged in a small rucksack that had been resting at his side. Vaan shook his head and Jinn sighed, probably annoyed at our ignorance. He pulled a smooth, oval stone from the bag and extended his hand, offering it to the older boy.

"There's your shadestone."

Both Penelo and I moved closer to Vaan so we could have a look at the strange object that was now nestled in his open palm. It looked like an oversized, black pebble except when the light caught it you could see all manner of dark colours rippled in its form: violet, midnight blue, grey, burgundy and forest green. It was beautiful. I was surprised they didn't sell them for making into jewellery.

"As for the dark crystals," Jinn informed, interrupting our gawping, "you'll find them all over Giza Plains. This stone right here beside me is one of the smaller ones." He gestured to the stone behind him. Its charcoal grey form protruded from the ground like a bad tooth. "The bigger crystals have something inside that soaks up sunlight and shines really bright. See that one over there?"

We all craned our necks to see what he was pointing out with his dirt encrusted finger. A stone similar in shape to the dark crystal in the Crystal Glade broke up the scenery of the plains. Its jagged form was slightly larger and radiated a strange hue that I couldn't really identify. It looked as if it were made of molten gold due to the swirl of different golden colours and the fact that it seemed to radiate light.

"If you take that shadestone I just gave you and bring it near one of those shining dark crystals, it will absorb the energy from it. There are four shining dark crystals in Giza right now. If you have trouble finding 'em, just stop and scan the horizon. There's no way to tell how much energy you can draw from any one crystal without trying. You shouldn't need to use all four, though." He extended his hand once more to Vaan and gave him something that looked like a thermometer.

"This gauge will show you how much energy the shadestone's absorbed. When it's full, you'll have yourself a sunstone! Once you've made the sunstone, bring it to me. I'll make sure it's up to snuff. See you back here when you're done!"

It was going to be a long afternoon.