Chapter 10 - Enter Tucker of Planet Earth
The boy stirred, but didn't get up. "Urgh... Wh... What the hell happened..."
Moments ago he had been in his bedroom, studying for a calculus test, when a wormhole opened in the middle of his room and he blacked out.
A wormhole.
In his bedroom.
And he knew it was a wormhole, too... Twelve years of reading, watching and playing science fiction and video games of all kinds was more than enough experience in knowing a wormhole when he saw it. He believed in wormholes, true, but he also believed that the chance of one opening in his bedroom for no reason was less than one in billions and billions.
He lifted his head and looked around at his surroundings. To his left, a tree with a treehouse in it. Beyond that, clouds. Apparently it was a cliffside. He heard waves crashing nearby so he assumed it was an ocean cliffside. Forest and trees to the right, not too dense but getting denser with distance. Ahead of him, a dirt road leading to buildings in the distance, buildings that looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on them...
He didn't see Molly standing nearby.
"Ugh, my head hurts..." He slowly reached up to take off his glasses, and looked at them. They were fine. "At least my glasses are intact..."
He felt his jeans. "Still intact... Looks like... I'm all here. But where the hell am I...?"
Molly continued to watch the teenager, extremely curious but not daring to speak to him. He still didn't see her. She didn't know if he was dangerous or not... She thought she could probably defend herself with Blizzaga, but she wasn't sure.
The boy sighed. "Better get moving... Find out where in the bloody heck I am..." He got to his feet, almost falling over again due to dizziness, but he found his balance. "Whoa... okay. There." He shook his head like a dog, shaking the dizziness out of him. "Woo-hah. Okay... Hoo. Alright. I feel better. Off to the forboding city of doom," he laughed, still feeling like he was in some surreal dream but secretly even doubting that. He began to walk towards central Baguba. Molly began to follow from a distance.
"Someone's there..." Apparently he heard her footsteps, turned around and spotted her. Molly froze, her hand gripping the broken Stardust Rod at her belt in case she needed it.
Neither side moved or spoke for an indeterminable period of time. They were about 20 feet apart, yet the boy almost couldn't believe what he was seeing... An actual, real live Moogle girl, three or four feet tall at a guess, the signature fur pom-pom hanging over her head, the tiny wings on her back... Everything pointed to the answer Moogle like a big flashing sign. His heart began to race.
"I don't believe it," he said aloud.
Molly said nothing.
"You're... You're a Moogle, right?" he hoped.
Molly slowly nodded, still not sure what to make of the situation.
The boy grinned, breathing harder. "Wow... I'm speechless, really... Holy shit..."
Some of Molly's courage returned. He seemed friendly enough... She took a few steps closer, still not speaking.
"...You can talk, can't you?" he asked.
Molly nodded again, slowly.
"Hey. You don't need to be afraid of me," he said. "I think Moogles are tight. Dude, I never thought I'd actually meet one." He suddenly laughed heartily. "Shit! A real Moogle!"
She didn't know what he meant by 'tight', but... who hadn't seen a Moogle? Curious...
"You've... never seen a Moogle before, kupo?"
Her 'kupo' thrilled him, sending a shiver of delight though his whole existance, but he hid it in case it might scare her. He couldn't afford to scare her off. Not for the world. "No," he said, doing his best to contain himself, "not in person..."
"Who... Who are you?" she asked.
"Tucker," he replied, finally able to control himself. "That's my name. Tucker. What's yours?" He still couldn't believe he was talking to a character from one of his favorite video game series. He was having to play this by ear and it was harder than he ever dreamed about.
"I'm Molly, kupo. It's nice to meet you, I suppose..."
"You've seen a human before, haven't you?"
"All the time, kupo! But... none that looked anything like you..." It's true what she said. Nobody had glasses like that or, for that matter, a shirt that said "l p0wn n00bz" in computer-font. For that matter, this was probably the first true T-shirt she had ever seen. Other short-sleeved shirts were more mellow and made out of different material...
Tucker frowned. "Okay, where am I, exactly?"
"This is the port city of Baguba, kupo. The country is Ivalice."
Tucker was thoughtful. He hadn't heard of a city called Baguba before, yet here was a Moogle, so by deduction he assumed he was in some kind of Final Fantasy world... Molly or anyone else here, however, probably wouldn't realize what the term 'Final Fantasy' met if he had asked them. Next he had to figure out how he got here.
"Right. Another question, Molly... Do you, like, know how I got here?"
"Not really, kupo..." Molly explained. "I was practicing magic in this big open space, and the Rod overheated and made this big black overload explosion, kupo. And there you were."
"Ohhhhh, so YOU brought me here," he reasoned. "That's heavy..."
"Kupopo! I... well, yes... But it was an accident!" Fear started to return to her as she thought he might be angry with this news. But he wasn't.
Tucker sighed. "Look, I'm not mad or anything, I swear it. It's okay, really. I could use a vacation, anyway... School was getting hectic..."
"Vacation?"
"Yeah. What I think happened was that, like, you warped me in from my world when you were practicing your magic and it went wrong... I mean seriously, a freakin' wormhole opened in my bedroom for god sakes. In my bedroom. And all I was doing was studying for a calculus test..."
"Calculus?"
"Yeah, you know, calculus. Advanced math."
"Oh." Molly found herself beginning to smile. She liked this boy Tucker... She didn't really know why. He was so different than anything she's ever seen before... She wanted to know more about this boy and this 'world' of his he spoke of... What was happening right now was something she never thought was possible.
Voices behind them. "There he iss!"
Tucker whirled around to see two Bangaa approach, specifically a Dragoon and a Templar. Both carried a Dragon Whisker spear and wore Mirror Mail, but Tucker didn't recognize either item. He just saw that the Bangaa were big, scaly and lizard-like.
"Holy shit! Lizard men! This is insane!" He backed up. Molly gasped.
The Bangaa stopped in their tracks, infuriated. "Human sscum! That'ss OUR word! You can't USSE that word!" the Dragoon said. Still shaken, Tucker cursed himself silently for not thinking first... How would a black person from his world react to the N-word? Same deal here with the Bangaa and the word 'lizard'. He was just fortunate to not call them 'salamanders', a word about 10 times more derogatory than lizard.
"We ssaw a black explossion in the distance. Iss everything alright?" the Templar asked, suspiciously.
Tucker didn't really know what to say... Here he was, a little furry thing behind him and two intimidating humanoid lizards staring him down with spears. It's not like this has ever happened to anyone he'd ever met in his life. "Uh... What do I do?" he pleaded to Molly.
Molly stepped forward. "I apologize on this human's behalf, kupo. He's probably never seen a Bangaa before in his life, at least not in person..."
"What do you mean? Everyone'ss sseen Bangaa before, foolissh Moogle."
Tucker shook his head. "No... I'm not from around here, let's just say. She has a point." Thinking, "This is so weird, this is SO WEIRD..."
"Let'ss bring them down!" the Dragoon exclaimed. "Sshe'ss lying! Sshe'ss probably the one who caussed the exxplossion! Witch! Witch!"
The Dragoon crouched, the air flashed around him, and in one bound he was so high in the air he looked like a little black inkblot splashed onto the blue sky overhead. Tucker just stared. "Whoaaaaa..." He didn't see the Templar rush forward to attack, so Molly had to grab Tucker's hand and yank him out of the way, knocking him back to his senses.
"Quick, kupo! Get in the treehouse!" she commanded. Tucker didn't ask questions-- he rushed after her towards the ladder into the treehouse. Molly made it first, but the Dragoon's attack was almost finished, coming right down towards the ladder with such speed his spear was engulfed in a cone of shining wind. Tucker dropped from the ladder and half-stumbled backwards to get out of the way, missing the Jump attack as the Dragoon came crashing into the ground in front of the ladder, the force of the impact throwing earth in all directions and creating a crater.
Tucker looked around. The two Bangaa stood on either side of him, circling him slowly with their spears poised. He clenched his teeth. "This isn't real... There's NO way this can be real..."
"Call uss a lizzard, will you?" the Templar yelled. "Die!!"
The Templar rushed forward, and Tucker ducked out of the way... almost. He took the attack in the side, but it didn't hit him deep, though it stung. He clutched his side, which was stained red through his green shirt.
He stared up at the Bangaa in awe. "Son of a..." he stammered. He knew now this was no dream. He could die if he wasn't careful. The two Bangaa came for him again, and he scrambled back, running to the other side of the tree. They followed him. "You're insane, both of you! Get the hell away from me! Moogle, where are you!?"
Hatches in the tree's trunk opened, revealing cannons. The Bangaa turned, surprised. Molly's voice spoke out of the treehouse through a speaker.
"Leave him alone, kupo, or you're having Explosion Soup for lunch!" It was the best she could come up with, though even Tucker thought it was kinda funny and chuckled a little. At least he was saved... Thank God.
"Thosse look powerful..." the Dragoon stammered. "Grr... Fine, Molly, but thiss issn't over. Mark my wordss." The two backed up, then took off running.
"God damn... Glad that's over," Tucker breathed, sighing in relief, still in shock that he was actually stabbed with a spear, even if it was just a nick... With difficulty, he finished climbing the ladder and Molly let him into the treehouse. She was horrified.
"Omigosh, kupokupo, you're bleeding!!"
"Yeah..." Tucker laid down on a wooden bench, sweating. "And I feel ill... Hope that wasn't poisoned..."
Frantically Molly searched through the HQ storage crates in the corner for items that would help Tucker. She assumed there was a bit of poison in the wound, so she fished out an X-Potion and an Antidote and headed to Tucker's resting spot.
"Drink," she commanded, handing him the glass bottle as she examined his wound, breaking open the leaves on the Antidote and rubbing the blue, gooey substance over and around the wound opening. Apparently it stung, and Tucker winced as she applied the Antidote. "Ssh, ssh, just drink your potion, kupo."
"Potion..." Tucker sat up and drank the blue liquid all at once. Almost instantly, he felt his strength start to return... "Oh wow, I feel better... Niiiiiiice. This is... whoa, this is NICE. Never woulda thought these things work so well. ...Tastes kind of like Powerade."
"Powerade?" she asked curiously.
"It's, um... a kind of potion from my world."
"I'd love to know more about this world of yours, kupo," Molly said sweetly. Meanwhile she began to examine her broken Stardust Rod.
Tucker slowly sat up and folded his hands, thinking. How would you go about explaining what life was like to someone who lived in another universe? He knew lots about this universe, apparently, if it was like Final Fantasy... He had played tons of the more popular Final Fantasy titles in the series, being into gaming as much as he was. "Well... For one thing, we don't have Moogles or Bangaas or Chocobos. Only humans, and other animals like bears, dogs, fish..."
"Kupopo, no Moogles? What about Nu Mou or Vieras?"
"Nope. Humans are the only intelligent life out there. And we don't have magic either."
"No magic... Wow..." The concept was a hard one for Molly to grasp. No magic at all? Tons of things in Ivalice required magic, or at least were benefitted by it. "How do you fight powerful beasts without magic, kupo?"
"Well... actually, most of the fighting is done against other humans."
Molly grew wide-eyed. "Against each-other!?"
Tucker nodded solemnly. "Yeah. It's a violent world. And we don't have magic, so we use guns and technology. You guys have airships, right?"
"Baguba is actually the airship capital of Ivalice, kupo," Molly declared, feeling proud to live where she did.
"We have those. And boats, and tanks that roll along the ground. And in far away countries, these machines blast the crap out of each-other to solve their differences. It's awful, really."
"It sounds like it... I couldn't imagine living in a world like that. What about Jobs, kupo? Do you have those?"
"Thousands of them. And each one is unique."
"Thousands... Wowww..." Molly had stars in her eyes. "What's yours, kupo?"
"I don't have one, yet. But I was looking to get into a college-- err, school, so I could become a game designer."
"And what do they do?"
"Design games, of course. Video games." He saw her puzzled expression and sighed, thinking of how he'd explain this one to her... "You guys don't have television, do you?"
"No..."
"In my world, we have this... box, with an image on it that changes... It's like reading a book, except instead of reading words you're watching a picture. Does that make sense?"
She nodded, fascinated.
"That's called "TV". Now video games are the same, except you're making the characters do stuff by pressing buttons and moving levers on a little device. It's interactive. Books can't do that, I'm afraid." He grinned.
"Sounds complicated, kupo." Molly was still slightly puzzled.
"Sometimes it is. It depends on the game. And there are thousands and thousands of games around the world."
"And game designers make these video games?"
"That's the premise. I love video games." Tucker smiled. "In fact I have trophies for competing in worldwide tournaments. There's this one game where you have to step on these giant arrows in time to the music... Man, if I could show you some videos of people playing that one..."
Molly was fascinated beyond words. She tried to picture it. And here was a young man who had come from such a place that could only exist in books... That she had brought here by accident...
"That's actually how I knew you were a Moogle," he said next.
Molly gasped. "Wh-what do you mean by that, kupo?" she asked, her heart racing.
"Well... How can I explain this? These expert game designers made this game called Final Fantasy that has Moogles in it, Black Mages, Dragons, Chocobos... All that jazz. In fact they've made games all about Ivalice too. It's almost like everything here is just like in the game..."
"That's crazy, kupo! So they knew everything about this world already and made a video game about it!?"
Tucker bit his lip. "I'm not sure how that works... That might've been it, either that or the world was created when they made the game, either that or it was pure coincidence. There's no way to know for sure, but I wouldn't say it's anything to worry about..."
Molly was silent, still fascinated by this other world, unable to fully grasp its complexity.
"So," Tucker said, standing up and stretching, "now it's your turn. How does this world work?"
Molly began explaining everything from Laws to Engagements, the Clan Wars, clan activities and about her own clan, the five dominant races and the different job classes available to each one... She was amazed how quickly Tucker was able to grasp each concept, and blown away entirely when he started correctly predicting what she was about to say before she said it. It was as if he had subconsciously known all the ins and outs of how Ivalice worked and it was coming back to him or something.
"Kupopo, how do you KNOW all this stuff before I even say it!?"
"Comes naturally to me. I'm a gamer." He paused. "...Hey, I'm not freaking you out at all, am I Molly?"
"N-no..." She smiled. "I think it's amazing, kupo. Really, I'm speechless..."
"It's kind of a bummer that only Moogles get guns, though..."
Molly laughed heartily. "Humans get Illusionist, Ninja, Hunter, Paladin, Blue Mage... Besides, kupo, Moogle Gunners give a lot of Moogles a bad name. Mainly the poachers prowling about, kupo..."
"Ah yes, poachers. We have those too. I guess no world is perfect," he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess not..."
"Say Molly, I need to know... What job class do you think I should go with? ...I mean if I'm gonna be here a while I'm gonna need a job class, right?"
"Oh my, kupo..." She sat down, contemplating the matter. "I... I don't really know, kupo. I'm not so good at that sort of thing. Job classes are based on either Physical or Magical aspects, and about three-quarters of the folks in Ivalice have a strong liking to either one or the other, kupo."
"That makes sense."
"But the main decider for many people is the discipline of each lifestyle, kupo. For example, a Bishop has a strong religous background, and a Black Mage is raised to respect the elements."
"Ah yes, religon... The cause of many wars back in my world."
"Seriously!?"
"Oh yes. But that's fine anyway, seeing as how only the Bangaa get to be Bishops in Ivalice and I'm clearly not... What about the other clan members?"
"Well, Yinns, the clan leader, is a Gadgeteer, and that means, well..."
"Gadgets. Technology. Inventions. They're probably the ones who create other Moogle weapons like guns, right?" He spoke it like it was his first language.
Molly was thrilled. "Kupopo, correct as usual! And you have the physical classes like Alastor, who's a Defender... Defenders value the protection of other beings as their lifelong purpose."
"But that's another Bangaa class. What about the human classes?"
"Well, the most basic one is the Soldier, who is basically like a combat trainee, kupo... Soldiers can either become Fighters, who live for the art of combat, or Paladins who live to protect justice and chivalry."
"And I'm guessing Fighers are offensive while Paladins are mainly defensive."
"Wow, kupo... That's correct, furthermore very insightful. I never thought of that before, kupo."
Tucker smiled. "Like I said, I eat this stuff up. It's my first language, what can I say. Please continue." He hoped he wasn't coming off as rude.
"Okay, kupo... Well, next you have the Thief, who believes in using cunning and craftiness to win, and the Ninja who believes in honor and discipline. Then the Archers, which value courage, and the Hunter who believes in the art of the hunt and the catch of the quarry."
"So Hunters naturally excel in defeating wild monsters, such as Malboros."
"You got it, kupo! Then the magic classes, White Mages who believe in helping others, Black Mages who believe in respect for the elements, Illusionists who believe in magic as the ultimate answer, and, kupo... Blue Mages, who believe in the importantce of learning and education."
"That last one sounds like a good one," Tucker commented, lost in thought about the eleven Human job classes and which one would be best for him. They all sounded good.
"Blue Mage? Yes, kupo, Blue Mages are usually very insightful."
"Which one do you think I should pick, Molly?"
"Kupo, you asked me that already and I still don't know..."
"And you said I can have one main class and one secondary class?"
Molly nodded.
"Hard descision. Now I can change at any time, right?"
"Any time you're in a city and not in battle, kupo."
"What other Human jobs do you have in the clan?"
"Well, we... don't really have any Humans in the clan, kupo."
Tucker raised his eyebrows. "Well, that doesn't help me narrow it down... Maybe I'll remain jobless for a while. Get a feel for just being here."
"That's probably a good idea, kupo." She stood up. "I should go do something about this Stardust Rod. Care to come with me?"
"Sounds like a plan. Maybe we can me some different clothes while we're at it so I don't look like a freak."
Molly frowned. "Hmm... Alright, but we'll have to stop by my Mom's place first to get some money, kupo."
"No problem." Tucker followed Molly out of the treehouse and the two walked towards the buildings in the distance, which marked central Baguba. "That reminds me, Molly. How old are you?"
"Only 10," Molly replied. "But that's about 17 in Moogle years. You?"
"Just became an adult. I'm 18."
"Wow, kupo, over here the adult age is much lower."
"That doesn't surpise me," Tucker replied.
"Really? How come?"
They talked the whole way, really connecting and having a good time. Tucker was incredibly insightful to the workings of Ivalice, with perspectives on things Molly never would've imagined. Molly had good values and an outstandingly kind and compassionate heart, something Tucker didn't get to see much from where he came from, living in a tougher section of New York.
"Back at my world, we live in this building called an apartment, and there's this crazy old guy who lives underneath us who's always talking about things like dragons and monsters and magic..."
"Oh, so he knows about this world too, kupo?"
"No he doesn't... He's just making it up. But he doesn't know he's making it up. That's why they say he's crazy. His house is full of all kinds of weird artifacts and gadgets that don't do anything... Man. He would FLIP... OUT... if he saw a world like this. Damn!"
"Your world sounds better than ours, kupo. Except for the humans killing each-other part."
"You really think so? ...Nah, I dunno..."
Both of them knew this was the start of a glorious friendship.