Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 11: Thinking Mindset
- Blake -
I could hear a deafening noise. A ringing bell.
A roaring crowd. A battalion of feet pounding against the ground.
It's all familiar...
Even behind closed eyes, a bunch of random flashing lights made me flinch, making me open them.
It took a while for my eyes to focus and it finally dawned on me that the familiar feeling was there for a reason. The flashing lights were a combination of cameras and spotlights from the rafters. The noise was from the hundreds of people sitting behind me along with the separate crowd across the room. At the center were two teams fighting for possession of a single orange ball, all of them dressed in two distinct colors of blue and red.
This is a basketball game. What am I doing in a basketball game?
My eyes blinked furiously, trying to discern if this is actually real or not. I pinched my arm and slapped both my cheeks. All of the pinches and slaps hurt but it seemed like a stable reality. Even the fabric of the blue outfit I am wearing was somewhat similar to the jerseys of the players, the towel on my knee or the sweat gathering above my brow felt real. Even the surreal feeling of of having a crowd chant 'defense' behind me was off-putting. But the energy they put in their shouts as well as their claps felt real.
Then if it's all real then why does it feel wrong?
Just as I came to that thought a buzzer rang throughout the court. The action stopped temporarily. Each team's players started going back to their respective sides of the court. Time to talk strategy with the coaches on how to improve their chances of winning. I had to look up to the digital scoreboard on the wall to check if we were winning or not.
"Skylark! Get your ass over here and help refresh these guys!" I hear the coach of our team shout over the crowd's chanting and the music playing in the background. Even with all of those noises mixed in together, his voice made me flinch the moment I heard it.
"...Uh, sure." What a lame reply. Someone bounded over to me and clapped me on the shoulder. He grinned at me, nodding over to the blue cooler beside the bench. I shrugged off the hand and only realized it was my friend, Andrew, when he made a face of mock disappointment. Wait...what was he doing here?
"C'mon, Blake. Get some of the Gatorades in there. Don't want to disappoint me after going through all that hard work getting you this little job."
"Sure, Andrew." I said.
Both of us started handing out bottles of Gatorade to the team, the players thanking us before setting their focus back to the coach and their next strategy. One of them looked very familiar, especially when I felt his large hands pat me on the shoulder. I shrugged off that thought and kept doing what I had to do. With our part of the timeout finally done, though I still felt off about everything, Andrew pulled me back to our bench. A few seconds later the buzzer blared and the game continued. I couldn't keep my attention on the match in front of my. My eyes felt like they were going in and out of focus and any attempt to blink them back to normal would only be a temporary fix. I wish someone had some eye drops.
Suddenly things got a bit antsy. The players were too tense around each other. One of our players as glaring a hole at one of the bigger center guys on the other team. The problem was that this guy towered over him. And I wanted to say he was on something, but I can't prove that. Innocent until proven guilty, you know? I think I missed something like time had fast forwarded to a specific event. Even the audience was starting to get riled up. They've started to divide to two sides, booing the other team instead of cheering for cool shots and wonderful offense.
Then like montage started to happen. Our guy started fouling the other team's main player. A minute later, he retaliated. It seemed subtle without fault at first, but it escalated into tripping. And then THAT escalated to pushing. They were THIS close to just going to a bare-knuckled brawl when our guy got plowed through by their titan of a center. Our guy would've let it go, but when he heard him talk shit when he saw down. Plus, the referee didn't call the foul.
I felt chills run down my spine. My left hand rubbed my right arm, as if trying to comfort myself. When I felt the skin on skin contact of my palm on my forearm, I figured out what that feeling I had earlier was all about.
I didn't have a cast on my right arm... I'm not crippled. Not yet…
The moment this sunk in, things started going crazy. Our player had an argument with the ref for a minute, which lead to him marching up to Titan by the benches and shoved him. Both teams struggled to separate the two to the point that some of the concerned members of the crowd began to help. I found myself blinking blankly when my body automatically ran to my team's aid beside Andrew. The more hostile portion of the audience threw food and cups of bear at our team. I've felt more alcohol hit me than my sister had even drank in her entire life.
Of course, this lead to the game being cancelled. With the hostile crowd and the extremely tense atmosphere, things inevitable had to escalate. And things certainly came to a head. One massive brawl started from the top of the bleachers that rolled down to the court, engulfing both teams in the chaos. Men, women, children, coaches, and basketball players were scattered all over the place. Some had the bright idea of just fleeing the gym while security tried to get the place on lockdown. Unfortunately, there were too many angry fans and players for them to compete against, rendering them almost useless as their forces could barely maintain any shred of decorum.
I found myself sprawled over our cooler, my attire wet from the spilled water and ice from the container. I shivered as I tried to get up. My eyes instantly went over to the exit. Shit had gone down and the last thing I wanted was to be at the center of it when the cops arrive.
"Little water boy...Should've run away when you got the chance." I heard this deep, growling threat despite the panicked screaming in the air. At the center of the court was the Titan of the other team, looking more and more like a Monstar from Space Jam as he loomed over Andrew. My friend was visibly frightened at the sight of the basketball player, trying to crawl back with every step the player took.
"Run, Andrew!" I shouted over to him. That snapped him out of his panic, scrambling off the floor with the nearest exit as his destination.
But the Titan was faster than he looked, snatching Andrew from the ground and held him up by his jersey. He shook my friend as if he was a lifeless doll, existing only for his amusement alone. My concern for Andrew's condition made every bit of common sense leave me as I grabbed the nearest object I could get in my hand.
"Leave him alone, you oversized, steroid-junkie freak!" I yelled. It wasn't my voice that got his attention. It was the half-empty bottle of Gatorade that impacted against the side of his skull. His head craned over to look at me, his eyebrows flaring madly, his mouth twisted in an angry sneer.
"What did you say?" He said, his deep voice carrying across the gym. Police sirens could be heard outside. Even then I didn't expect them to save me from what I'm about to do.
I threw another bottle, this time filled to the brim and its cap tightly covered. I hit him square in the face. My next move was to not wait for a reply and just run up to him equipped with a basketball and a full bottle of my team's chosen refreshment. He tried to use Andrew's body as a bat, swinging sideways at me, but I was already inside his personal space before Andrew could hit me. I hopped and dropkicked him in the balls as retaliation for the abuse he's put on my friend.
I felt my feet collide with two objects that might as well be two small animals because they were roadkill by the time he was howling in pain. Andrew fell to the ground, an immediate groan coming out of him when he landed alongside the giant basketball player, who fell on his knees with both hands around his junk probably thinking he picked on the wrong water boy on the wrong day. I threw the basketball on his face just to further emphasize my point.
"C'mon, just fucking get up!" I was desperately trying to drag Andrew to his feet, an intense feeling gripping me in my gut with every second he struggled to get to a vertical base. "We have to get out of here now!"
"Thanks for saving me, man." Andrew said, relieved that he was free.
That intense feeling made me panic. It was very strange. Everything felt so misty and unreal despite the very real weight of my best friend leaning against me. The closer we got to the door, the colder things seem to be for some reason, like a chill blowing against my neck, despite my forehead and back covered in sweat. I had to make sure Andrew wasn't putting his face against my neck, only to see him looking blankly ahead.
Then I felt something grab my foot before I could assure Andrew that things are going to be okay. I stumbled, accidentally sending both of us to the ground. I looked over my shoulder and see a hand larger than my own leg hold on to my ankle. A terrified yelp slipped out of me when he pulled me towards him.
"You're gonna pay for that!" He growled at my face after he lifted me off the ground by my shirt. The two knees he applied to my gut and an elbow to my back made sure that he didn't appreciate rescuing my friend earlier. Then he simply threw me over his head like yesterday's trash.
I easily sailed through the air and landed a few feet behind him with a horrid crack punctuating my landing. My wailing voice could have filled the entire gymnasium, but the air was filled with a tense and profound silence despite my crying. I didn't even notice it then that the noise surrounding us started to wane down until silence enveloped the entire area. Tears flowed from my eyes in reaction to the pain my body felt. I tried to blink them out, to clear my sight and in between the blinks I could see a portion of the court.
Instead of the chaos stemming from angry fans and athletes, I could see everyone frozen in place just standing there not doing anything anymore. Each blink of an eye made them move. Some of them used to be facing each other just a moment from hitting each other, only to drop that and stand there looking lifeless. Even the ginormous basketball player stood over me with this dead expression on his face. A few more feet past him had Andrew sharing the same look. I couldn't make sense of it all as the pain was starting to be too much combined with the entire place starting to feel like a freezer.
Just before my eyes started to drop, my tear ducts having enough of it all and exhausting their reserves, I could see an unfamiliar person starting to walk over to me. A brown cloak followed their every movement, worn out boots soundlessly padded towards where I lied on the floor. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I could see this person take a knee in front of me and put a hand on my arm, a lucid yet comforting touch. A soft voice spoke just moments before my eyes fully closed:
"Change your fate."
Blake -
I sat up and pulled my face out of the snow faster than a blizzard could knock me out. My sudden movement surprised someone around me, but I wasn't able to take note on who it was. I found myself crawling over to the nearest wall in a panic. I clutched my right arm immediately when my back hit the frozen wall. It's broken, but it already has a cast on it, meaning everything's fine now. The sight of the protective cement plaster around my forearm never looked so comforting in my life, assuring me that this is the right reality.
"Blake? Blake, are you alright?" A hand squeezed my shoulder, instantly making me look up. It was Alyssa. Her presence, once again, though I'm never going to admit this to anyone ever, was something I would never have thought to put me at ease.
"I-I-I…" I stammered, trying to get my brain working again by looking around. I remember now. Black Waltz No. 1 assaulted us with a blizzard and knocked us out. Zidane must have fought and killed him, taking the icy spell he put in the cavern with him. I swallowed the lump gathering in my throat and finally answered the concerned girl. "I think I'm fine."
"Thank goodness." She caught me off-guard when wrapped her arms around me. I felt colder the moment her body touched mine. Why is she so freaking cold!?
"The Sealion nearly drowned me," she answered, her voice slightly muffled by my shoulder.
What was that supposed to mean? Didn't the blizzard knock her out? Did the Sealion's attacks with the water get into this portion of the cavern?
"No. I helped Zidane beat it and the Black Waltz." Alyssa pulled back, slightly shivering at the loss of the assisted body heat.
I stared at her as she stood. "What—How—Wha—Why?" I guess the blizzard did a number on me if I couldn't say anything properly. The girl noticed my confusion and offered an answer as well as a hand.
"I dunno." She shrugged her shoulders. I noticed that the material of her clothes had stuck against her shoulder blades, causing me to look past her just in case my eyes wandered anywhere. "I just woke up to the sound of a bell, you know like how Zidane does in the game. So I stumbled into the middle of Zidane's fight. The Black Waltz was probably too distracted with him that the spell lost power."
A likely explanation! Not that I can poke holes in her answer as if it was a testimony in court. Not that I have the license to do so. There just wasn't enough proof in this cavern or in the world to provide any concrete explanation to it so I'm forced to take her word for it.
Zidane had just finished climbing up from where Vivi and Steiner fell. He probably went and woke them up before going to where Garnet was recovering from her forced sleep. And of course, the knight and thief were arguing with each other about what had just happened and what form of indecency Zidane committed while we were all unconscious. Alyssa had to defend our blonde protagonist from any blame since she was with him during that time.
While they were trying to resolve their little conflict I was still at a loss as to what happened to me. Sure the blizzard knocked me out like everyone else when I hoped I would be able to help Zidane and Alyssa with the fight, providing some strategy or a distraction here and there. Even getting the extra layer of clothing on us didn't matter since it still knocked everyone out with the sole exception of Alyssa. The reasoning behind that is still a mystery. Not being able to assist Zidane is disappointing for sure.
But that dream… Can I even call it a dream? It was the basketball game where I broke my hand. Why did I even dream about it while under the influence of the blizzard? Did it have some sort of weird specific effect that I didn't know? I mean its magic! I know blizzards have the tendency to debilitate most people, but 'magic blizzards' might have different effects. And I'm wondering all about this even though I'm not an expert on it.
"So do you think you're still fine?" Alyssa had just walked back to me after defending Zidane's honor. A raised eyebrow prompted her to continue talking. "When I was checking on everyone after the fight, something weird was happening to you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Everyone else was sleeping peacefully, but you were all fidgety and twitching." She explained, leaning in closer to me. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You were even groaning in pain. I thought the Black Waltz had done something to you and tried to wake you up. Your breathing even picked up like you were having a panic attack! And then you woke up."
I had a panic attack mid-sleep? I'm pretty sure that all of my check-ups with my doctor were all in the positives and that any change would have them notify me of it. And I'm sure I'm a sound sleeper. I'm perfectly healthy, which means she must have been seeing things! On the other hand, I did have a weird dream. That could have made my brain go haywire and react wildly. Maybe I should go see a doctor…
"Were you having a bad dream?" Alyssa wondered.
I felt my eyebrow twitch. Hopefully, she didn't see it. "No. It was a dreamless sleep." I lied.
"You know you can just tell me the truth, right?" She looked at me and analyzed my face as if she was trying to determine if what I just said was untrue. I kept a straight face and just glared at her. "You can trust me."
"I don't want to talk about it," My lips couldn't help but mumble out. I had to turn around to avoid her intrusive gaze.
"So you did have a dream."
"Look, it's nothing to worry about. Let's just focus on getting out of this place and to the next town." I told her, shaking my head as the thought of the dream started crawling up into my brain. I felt her cold hand rest on my shoulder and squeeze it slightly.
"I'll be here if you need to get it off your chest, okay?" She said in an attempt to comfort me.
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, though it was just something I had to say to get her off my back. I could see the rest of our crew start to move towards us; Garnet and Vivi calmly leading a bickering Steiner and Zidane. Their arguing is adding to the headache that dream gave me. Please make them stop…
"Is everything in order?" Garnet asked the two of us. I looked over to Alyssa and saw her checking the tent bag we were carrying if our supplies would last us until the next town. "If any of you still feel the need to rest we can stop here for a minute or two."
"The blizzard may have stopped for some reason, but that does not mean the monsters within the cavern will not attack us." Steiner interjected.
"Well, I'm feeling pretty good. Everyone looks like they're doing well." I directed a smile at the inquiring princess before pointing a thumb over to the girl behind me. "Alyssa seems to want to get away from this nasty cold cavern as soon as possible. Let's take our leave then."
Garnet and Zidane nodded, turning around and leading the group to the exit above the next part of the cave. I followed them, Alyssa keeping pace with me, all the while trying to remove this blasted jacket off of me. When I did manage to get it off, I handed it over to Alyssa.
"Here. Dali might have some clothes up for sale, but this might do for now."
"Thanks." She accepted the jacket, probably feeling glad to finally have something not drenched covering her, and swiftly put it on. I made a mistake of waiting for her as she made a glance at me once she was done. Why was it a mistake? Well, for one, I didn't like that smile she had on her face as she tried to walk past me. "Are you blushing?"
That was one hell of an accusation and it came out of nowhere!
"Wh-Wh-What's that supposed to mean!?" My sudden outburst caught the attention of the group. "Look I'm just giving it to you because you're cold and your shirt is clinging to your skin a bit too much! Your overalls are barely managing in covering you up! C'mon, have you no shame around the princess?"
The moment she was made aware of this fact her face went so red she nearly became a tomato. Zidane couldn't help but chuckle while discretely trying to peek while Steiner turned the other way around in case he suffer the consequences of being branded as a pervert. Vivi, as young as he is, was a bit slow on the draw and had Garnet turn him to where Steiner is facing now as he tried to figure out what the commotion was all about.
"All right people, move along! We have a cave to get out of. Come on, get walking." I walked past everyone in the hopes they'll follow without argument and any added comment.
- FF FF FF -
It did not take us long to find the exit out of that cavern. The setting sun greeted us once we had made our first steps back in the outside world. We must have spent majority of the day under the spell of the Black Waltz if I were to judge the time difference now. We're going to have to make camp and use the rest of tomorrow to get to Dali then.
I chose not to take part in the group's squabble about Garnet changing her name to Dagger. If I did take part in it I would say that it would be a huge leap of logic that just changing her name to a basic weapon-type that it would effectively hide your identity. If people had any intelligent thought in their heads then they would be able to know what the princess of Alexandria looks like or at least recognize her if they get a good look at her.
Anyways, I let them have their argument. Alyssa, on the other hand, encouraged Garnet's chosen name change. Not that her part would have mattered since the events of the game are going along smoothly without our presence affecting it yet. I just hope it stays that way.
Within a few hours we managed to make it down the cavern exit and decently close the gap between us and Dali, however we all decided to make camp now right as it was getting dark. No need to have monster attacks while we journeyed under the blanket of darkness at night.
Even with the passage of time, the dream I had earlier still lingered in my mind. Why did I have to dream that whole thing up again? Experiencing it once is enough, but going through it again? That is too much. It also felt too real for it to have been a dream! I could still feel my arm tingling afterwards. And this is the first time I've had a dream about that. After all those weeks in school and at home when I had a normal life and this is the time my brain decides to put me back in that scenario. Why?
I know that the basketball game was a pretty traumatizing time. I accept that. The other school even sent a formal letter, apologizing for what happened and even covered my hospital bill to make things right. And also I think I heard that the guy who did this to me was suspended.
Getting my wrist broken during all that commotion got me recognized for a bit in campus. I didn't need that in my life though, but it was pretty nice for a while before it got annoying, answering the same questions when a curious person came around to ask about it. It did, however, give me an opportunity to have fun with it by changing things up in the story or giving it a bit of flair. But it really did get annoying.
When people have dreams it often means there's something significant in it. Maybe that's why I had it in the first place. Okay, let's think about it. What else am I missing…
"Thanks for saving me, man."
Oh yeah, the most obvious thing about it. The whole reason why I even have a cast in the first place: I tried to be a hero.
I would still have an okay arm with less plaster on it if I didn't step in. I could lose all that recognition I had because of it, but that's an okay trade for some peace and quiet. And perhaps I wouldn't be in this mess if my sister thought to cheer me up by bringing me with her on that cursed beach trip. Maybe if I didn't act on instinct and let myself be a hero.
The what-ifs and could haves of the consequences of my actions. Being a hero didn't end up being all it could have been though. Here I am not physically a hundred percent in a foreign land, unable to do anything or contribute anything to the group, wishing for my same old, lousy normal life. What a hero.
"Been a while since we heard a peep from 'ya.." I look up from the fire Vivi had already made for our camp. Zidane was standing on the opposite side, looking at me with a hint of curiosity and concern.
"Oh…I was just thinking." I replied, surprisingly honestly. My mind must still be occupied and unable to think of a better lie.
"Yeah? What'cha thinking?" Zidane took a seat beside me, warming his own hand close to the fire. Even his tail wanted a bit of heat from it. I couldn't help but look at him warily.
Maybe I was too tired from the walk, despite the sleep I got in the cavern, or I was just being too paranoid but I'm really hesitant to talk to Zidane. Most likely that I will say something that will give away my secret. I looked around as subtly as I could, hoping for someone to whisk the sly thief away or to drag me into the woodlands near our camp in an attempt to kill me. Unfortunately, in regards for the former, everyone else is busy in securing the tent and the perimeter while we seem to be safe enough for the latter matter.
I sighed. Guess nobody is gonna save me from this. Quick! Make something up! "Just the whole thing at the cavern, you know? I know the place's cold and all, but wasn't it unusual for it to blasting with ice right where the exit is? It's like we set foot in a trap right then and there."
"When you say it like that it kinda doesn't make any sense." Zidane started rubbing his chin. His eyes went over to the princess. "Something didn't feel right with it."
"Nothing would feel right if you were freezing with three layers of clothes on," I tried to joke. That got a chuckle out of him.
"Wish it worked though." Me too. I would have been able to help out with that boss fight if it did.
"It might've allowed us to get out of that cave and in to the nearest town sooner."
Zidane shrugged as he stretched his arms and lied down on the grass, careful to move his tail away. He closed his eyes, resting them for a bit. "Might've, would've. We're here now. Don't need to think hard about it. All that matters is that we're all okay."
"Didn't know you care so much for a bunch of strangers. Sure you may be in a mission to take the princess somewhere, but I'm sure you didn't plan on adding some stragglers to your party to get there."
"Plans change. I can't do everything on my own. Tantalus was supposed to get Dagger out of the kingdom. We just didn't expect them to shoot us out of the sky."
"And that she wanted to come without a fight." I added. Zidane nodded.
"Besides, we're all pretty much friends now," The blond said. He opened an eye and looked at me, seeing me shake my head at his naïve use of the word 'friends'. "What?"
I leaned closer to the fire a bit, laying my cheek into the palm of my left hand, trying to hide the annoyance building up in my head. "Let's be honest. People become friends because they've hung out with each other for weeks and stayed with each other for months. We've only known each other for at least 3 days and we all barely know each other's history." Now that's not true. However, they don't know my history except for the fake background story I've told them. "By that definition, we have yet to be friends."
"That's your definition. Friends don't have to be physically around each other to be friends. People become friends because they help other people, they offer advice, stick with each other through thick and thin, and accept other people for who they are. Sure we've been walking around in the Mist for a few days now, but I'm sure we've started trusting everyone here since we met in Alexandria. Except for Rusty, I think."
We both glanced at the older knight, who had stood near Garnet/Dagger as she pulled up Vivi after he accidentally tripped on the rope holding the tent together. He must have noticed us looking at him as he quickly directed his attention to us and glared at us for some reason. I looked away before he could stare a hole into my forehead while Zidane chuckled.
"Plus, even if you don't trust me or Vivi or Dagger, you still have Alyssa, right?" What was that supposed to mean?
"Zidane's got a point." I almost jumped when someone dumped a bunch of firewood near the fire the moment I wondered who said that line. It was actually Alyssa who said it. She put a hand on my shoulder, I think it was to apologize for somewhat surprising me like that, as she sat down. "Well, the first part about friends, I mean. You should know that since you've already experienced what Zidane's said."
Looking back, what she said is true. Garnet/Dagger has given me advice after my diatribe of being useless, Steiner (even with his grumpy attitude towards me for my actions against that soldier back in Alexandria) helped me out the other day, and even I've done the same to Vivi by offering some direction when it came to fighting. I guess I've been wrapped up in my own definition of friendship that I never managed to look at it in another way.
Before I could even thank the two of them, we hear this sudden cry coming from the woods near our camp site.
"Wh-What in the name of Gaia was that!?" Steiner exclaimed, putting himself between the woods and Garnet/Dagger and Vivi in case they get attacked by whatever made that noise.
"It sounded like a girl…" Vivi added as he fixed his hat after jumping in surprise from hearing the scream. It didn't help that the bush seemed to be swaying as if something is ready to jump out.
Alyssa and Zidane started to gather near the knight with their own weapons out, preparing to face whatever entity that would come out at us. I know that screams from the woods never bode well to anyone bold enough to investigate, and it doesn't matter how many of us are here if this pans out like a horror movie. And what sucks about this is that the game never had an event like this happen during this time. It was all random encounters with monsters and the occasional friendly monster.
Hmm…what would be the chances of this encounter having a friendly monster?
"Help! Please help!" A woman crawled out of the bushes, her sudden appearance almost making everyone attack her. She was wounded, her attire had been torn a bit and we could see some bites on her arms and shoulders. Zidane was the first to be on her side, holding her up before she could drop to the ground.
"Alyssa, get a potion! She's seriously hurt!" She was already pulling out a blue vial just as he finished saying it. When she had her fill of the potion, she coughed but started to look better than she initially was.
"Please help…I got attacked by Pythons in the woodlands. My chocobo eggs won't make it to Treno if I leave them!"
"Chocobo eggs?" That was the only takeaway I had when she finished speaking.
Steiner put his sword down and knelt beside the lady. "It is my duty as a knight to protect those in need of help. How many of those pesky Pythons are there?"
"There were a dozen of them!" I think even Steiner blanched a bit at the number she gave him. I nearly choked on my own saliva when I heard it. Zidane, on the other hand, didn't let the amount of Pythons get to him.
"That's too much of them!" Vivi said, also sharing the surprise number of predators.
"Don't worry. We'll make sure your chocobo eggs are safe." Zidane told him, patting the black mage on the shoulder. He let the woman up and helped her stand. "Just hang out at our camp and we'll bring them over to you."
The chocobo lady was about to say something as Zidane made his way to the woodlands for a peek. He parted the bush and looked with the rest of us peeking over his shoulder. I frowned when I saw the amount of Pythons as well as the brown trolley carrying what had been double the number of monsters along with a single black feathered chocobo beside it.
"Are you kidding me?" I couldn't help but say. I felt two things nudge me at my sides and the sight of Garnet/Dagger and Alyssa's displeased faces at my statement welcomed me. "Fine. If you guys want to play hero, be my guest. I'll escort her to our camp and wait there."
I didn't wait for their approval as I guided Miss Chocobo past our tent. However, she had other plans. She grabbed my wrist, and thank goodness it was the good one, and turned me around.
"Wait! We need to get my chocobo out of there. She'll get hurt!" She said, pointing to where the others have charged off to.
I waved off her worries nonchalantly. "Don't worry. They're good fighters and they'll make sure your chocobo is safe."
"But I can't take that chance! You have to help me!"
I hung my head and breathed, trying to stop the urge to shout at her. It's not my place to just tell her to buzz off when we're already fighting her battle for her, but it's not really my responsibility either—
"If you're not gonna help then fine!" Her sudden cry snapped me out of my brief thoughts. She turned and ran towards the woodlands. The only thing I was able to do at that moment was to reach out and stop her, but that didn't work since I instinctively reached out with my right arm and my fingers weren't able to grab anything with the cast impeding such movement.
Before I knew it, I was after her. My mind had only kicked into gear when I was in front of a large black bird secured to a light-brown trolley with a handful of eggs under a tarp.
"Blake, what are you doing here?" Vivi piped up, attacking with fire on one of the Pythons trying to get a bite out of us.
"I have no idea," I honestly answered. When the Pythons hissed at me for my arrival, I pointed my knife at them. "Stay back!"
The bird was actually an adult chocobo and it wasn't even an ordinary one at that. I've only read up on the different kinds of chocobos and from what I could remember the ones with black feathers were really special. It was panicking, flapping its black wings in an attempt to threaten the Pythons. The Chocobo Lady was trying to calm it down, but it knew that having these predators around wouldn't help.
One of the Pythons slipped past Zidane and tackled the trolley with its head, knocking one of the wheels off. This sent three of the shelled cargo to drop, causing immediate concern for the Lady and her feathered friend. It managed to grab one egg with its beak, but the two were open and easy prey to our scaled enemies. Steiner had managed to cut down one slithering to the egg, however another one had wrapped itself on the other.
Seeing something so little be so defenceless made a part of my brain tick; Its mouth was ready to swallow the thing whole. The sight reminded me of that damned basketball game, Andrew being on the receiving end of who-knows-what from that guy. My best friend…so defenseless.
I didn't even realize my knife impaling that Python's face for reminding me.
"No breakfast for you." It wasn't my wittiest line, but it did the trick for me.
"Look out!" Alyssa had tackled me to the ground for two Pythons tried to bite me for interrupting their meal. It didn't take long for them to receive the business end of her sword.
"You want me to help. Fine. Then I'll help. Hold this for me." I gave Alyssa the egg in my hands before punting at one of the dead Pythons and going at it, knife leading the way, towards another.
"Wait up! You need back up!" She called after me. I saw her hand Vivi the egg we saved as she helped me out.
The fight only lasted for a few minutes with all of our combined efforts. I managed to get two more Pythons with my small weapon. It wasn't a big feat but it did earn me a few harsh bites and bruises from them, which was nothing with Garnet/Dagger's white magic assisting us. Plus, Alyssa kept watching over me in case I broke another important bone doing all these heroics.
On a side note, I noticed the others juggling that one egg we gave to Vivi to protect. Steiner actually took it from him since he thought it was impeding his casting. He didn't notice a Python get behind him and attempt to take a bite out of his armor, but Zidane was there to save the day and the egg from the attack. It caused him to get surrounded by the remaining monsters, however, which made him toss the egg to Gar—Dagger. The Chocobo Lady didn't like the egg being treated like a game of hot potato so she took it from the princess before it got cracked in the shuffle.
When it was all said and done, every Python looking for food was lying on the ground in their own respective pool of green blood. I was breathing harder than I could ever remember like my lungs were ready to collapse. Alyssa had to take away my knife just in case I jumped on another already dead Python. Double-checking if they were really dead probably made me look crazy.
"It definitely does." I heard Dagger comment. Thanks a lot, Dagger.
The trolley was assisted out of the woodlands near our camp so we could get the wheel fixed. Afterwards, the Chocobo Lady had faced us with a hearty smile after she covered her cargo with a fresh tarp to protect them.
"Thank you so much for protecting our precious eggs!" She exclaimed, holding the one egg that nearly fell victim in the attack closely to her chest.
"No problem! I'm just glad none of them got cracked or anything," Zidane said, scratching the back of his head nonchalantly. All I could do was shrug.
All while this was happening, I barely noticed the adult chocobo stalk behind me and rub its beak on my hair. I stiffened, not knowing what to do. I didn't want to make any sudden movements since large animals tend to take a bite of things that move suddenly. Well, that's what I remember from my time at the zoo anyways.
"Oh, she likes you." The Chocobo Lady remarked. Its black beak could easily bite my brain out from where it's going.
"Y-Yeah. T-Tell her the feeling's mu-mutual." I was nervous, okay! I don't know how chocobo's act so this is all new to me.
She giggled as she tried to lead it away from me. But as that was happening, they shared a silent moment before both turning to me. The chocobo nudged her master over to our group again, causing her to giggle.
"You know I just can't thank you enough for helping me over there that I'd like to give you something. Here." She presented the egg she had in her arms to us. We just looked at her for a second, unsure if she really wanted to do that. "C'mon, take it! Just promise me that you'll take care of the little thing when it hatches, okay?"
"We appreciate your kindness and accept your reward," Steiner bowed as he said this. The egg was handed over to the young black mage, who offered his own thanks.
One minute later, she was waving at us from a distance, walking alongside her chocobo as they travelled to the gate leading to Treno. Her gift made us just a bit more happy for doing what we did. Zidane had this proud grin on his face, Vivi was giddy at imagining what the baby chocobo would be like, causing Dagger to enlighten us about newly hatched chocobos from her studies when she was younger.
I, on the other hand, was still shaking. All the adrenaline running through my system after a fight like that, aside from feeling just a bit threatened by the adult black feather chocobo, just made gave me a realization of how real things were. I guess it didn't register from that boss fight in the Evil Forest since I was too focused on game details. Just jumping in like that between the Pythons put things in perspective to me.
I'm not a hero, and I don't want to be, but even someone like me has something to fight for and that's something I can't avoid in this world. Whether for self-defense or for the sake of someone or something else, I have to fight and it doesn't matter if I know how. If not knowing how and just acting helped me save Andrew then I guess that'll be my main forte. Just take what I have and roll with it. I guess even heroes have times when don't know what they're doing.
But I would know what I'm doing. I'm a thinker after all. With all the information I have on the game, I can still use that to my advantage. I can go ahead and use what I have to avoid suffering any major damage. Use any boss information and character weaknesses against them until Alyssa and I can go home without changing the course of the game's history and events. Can't have an advantage if you change what happens.
Home…when will I ever see my home again…?
"Hey, you feeling alright?" Alyssa asks me. I close my hands and put them down.
"Yeah," I answer truthfully, smiling. "I think everything will be all right."
