Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Final Fantasy
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rescue Mission!
"Don't blame yourself for this, Neal…" Mirabelle said as the Warriors, now joined by the young dark mage, Lily, departed Isthal on their chocobo.
"I could have done something. I've failed…" He kept saying to himself.
"No you didn't. Come on…" She insisted. "We just need to move forward."
"She's right, Neal." Sevrin said. "Speaking of which, where to next?"
Dammit, they're right… We're travelling down a tough road. I can't get held back by this. It might- No, it will happen again… He thought, and shook his head.
"Should we start looking for Samael?" Midahn thought.
"No, like I said, he's going to come looking for us." Neal said. "I know his type. He longs to find someone who's as strong as he is."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mirabelle asked, confused.
"People can be driven mad from power. If it's what you say it is, Neal, then Samael is probably much stronger than he was before. He probably wants a thrilling battle out of us, nothing more. But its strange though… There hasn't been any activity on Crystals being in danger lately…" Sevrin said.
"All of that's true, but we have gotten stronger too. You guys were incredible in that battle." Neal told him.
"So back to the question." Sevrin said.
"Uh, not too sure, honestly." Neal shrugged. "Wherever you guys think would be our next step."
He seems troubled still… Mirabelle thought. She glanced at the expression on his face. It was grim and solemn.
"Well, I was maybe thinking we could visit my hometown, Magus." Mirabelle said quietly.
"Your hometown?" Midahn raised his eyebrows. "It's in the east, right? That doesn't seem too far. Let's go!"
"Sure, It would be interesting to visit a magical town, I guess." Sevrin agreed.
"Well, it's not exactly a magical town… There are people who live there without any magical powers." Mirabelle informed him.
"Alright, that's fine." Neal said.
"What do you think, Lily?" Midahn turned back toward their new companion. She was riding on his chocobo with him.
"Oh… That's a-okay with me!" She saluted. He laughed.
"That was a joke, right?" He said, laughing. "There's nothing formal about us!"
She giggled. "R-right! It was a joke!" She said quickly.
They branched off the southern path toward Magus. It was just the day of travelling, and they arrived by the next morning.
"Wow, this place seems so… ordinary." Midahn said as they rode up to the entrance.
"Well this is the normal side of town!" Mirabelle said. "Let's go down this way. I'll show you around."
She led them down a few streets, and when they turned a corner, they finally saw it. The colorful, alive, and extraordinary side of Magus. White, black, and red mages crowded the busy streets. Tents with many magical wares lined the marketplace. Children were running around and playing. There were scrolls and spellbooks everywhere you looked.
"Woah!" A group of children ran up to them, examining the birds they were riding. "What are these?! They're so cool!"
"They're chocobo!" Midahn exclaimed. The children ran off.
"Man, what a lively, fun little place, Mira." Sevrin said, looking around.
"Yep, this is where I used to live, that's for sure…" She said, thinking back on her life years ago. Then her eyes opened wide. "Oh! I have to see my best friend Juliana while we're here! She'd love to meet you all! Come on!"
She brought them over to a wide open street. There was a building along the way where she stopped in front of. It was the orphanage that she lived in for thirteen years.
"So this is where you lived?" Sevrin asked.
"Mhm." Mirabelle looked the building up and down. "Lots of memories here. Let's go inside, everybody!" They dismounted from the chocobos and entered the building. Mirabelle approached an old couple inside, who jumped up with surprise and hugged her. They must be the people who run the orphanage. Mirabelle introduced them to her new friends. She then asked where everyone else was. They told her whoever was home was outside in the backyard. She opened the backdoor, and they saw a girl laying down on the ground in the middle of the grass, with her arms folded back behind her head. She was staring at the cloudy, blue sky.
"What are you doing out here all alone?!" Mirabelle said cheerfully, and the girl jumped up in surprise. She turned around, eyes wide.
"M...Mir?! Mir!" Juliana squealed, and ran over to her, hugging her and spinning her around. "You're back already? It hasn't even been that long!"
"We decided to visit for a while!" Mirabelle said.
"We?" Juliana peeked around to see Neal, Sevrin, Midahn, and Lily standing at the door. "Um… Hi." She said, not expecting anyone else to be with Mirabelle.
"These are my friends, you know, the ones I told you about." Mirabelle told her. She walked over to them. "This is Neal, Sevrin, Midahn, and our newest friend, Lily." They all waved to her. "This is Juliana, my best friend!"
"Nice to meet ya!" Midahn said cheerfully.
"How's it going?" Sevrin nodded his head.
"Hello." Lily said nicely. Neal just nodded his head as well.
"Oh, that's Neal? Hmm… I see what you meant by-" Juliana started to say with a smile, but Mirabelle quickly covered her mouth.
"A-Anyways! Let's go find a place to talk, okay?" Mirabelle said very quickly, red-faced with embarrassment.
"So where are you guys from?" Juliana asked, when they sat down on a blanket in a grassy park a few minutes later. Sevrin was just about to say something, but Juliana continued. "Just kidding! I know about you guys from Mir! She's told me a lot about you already! You two are from Alryne, right? I've never heard of it. But I have heard of the Mayweather Guild, where you are from, right?" She said to Midahn. He nodded. "I've thought about visiting that place a couple times, but I keep chickening out. The best of the best black mages live there, so it's no joke! I don't think I'm a good enough black mage to even step inside the guild!"
Ugh… She talks too much… Neal thought.
"You don't have to be a great black mage just to step foot inside the guild, silly!" Midahn said, laughing. "It's full of friendly people, and there are no strict rules like that at all! But, becoming a scholar there is a different story."
"Really? I thought so! Well, maybe I should visit it then! Wow, this is exciting. I bet I'll learn a lot while I'm there then. Wait, weren't you training to eventually become a scholar there, Midahn?" She asked him.
"Yeah, I was. I might still become one, after our duties have been fulfilled and all. It was my dream to become a master like my teacher was…" Midahn said. Juliana was listening intently.
"Who was your teacher? I bet I know who the person is." Juliana asked him.
"Tristan, the great-" Midahn began to say.
"What?! Your teacher was Tristan?! Oh wow… That's incredible!" Juliana shrieked. She looked around and realized that she and Midahn were the only ones talking. "Why are you so quiet, Mir?"
"Oh, I was just listening to you guys for a while." Mirabelle said.
"We should visit your hometown sometime Midahn! It sounds really interesting~." Lily said.
"If everyone wants to go then we definitely should sometime!" Midahn agreed. "But what is there to do around here, you two?" He asked Juliana and Mirabelle.
"Ooh! I know! We should go to Calidus Mountain! It isn't too far, right Mir?" Juliana turned toward her, with an excited expression on her face.
"W-Why do you want to go there?" Mirabelle asked.
"'Cuz the hot springs are there, silly! Wouldn't it be fun!? Especially at night, too. The sky looks so clear!" Juliana tilted her head up to the sky. "The stars will probably be beautiful tonight!"
At the sound of hot springs, Mirabelle's face reddened. She very quickly glanced at Neal to see if he would react the same, but he was still just staring off blankly in the other direction. He really didn't remember that night, after all. For her, it was a relief, but also disappointing.
"Why the face, huh? You don't like hot springs?" Juliana asked her mockingly, leaning in real close.
"It's… not that!" She replied, waving her hands back and forth. "It sounds fun… if everyone wants to go…" She looked away.
"What's a hot spring?" Lily asked, tilting her head. They looked all looked at her strangely.
"Ehhhh? You don't know?" Juliana remarked.
"Well, I've always lived in the barren cold, so I don't know much about anything else like that…" Lily said.
"Oh, then we must go! You're going to looove it~! It's a warm pool of water heated naturally! It's so soothing, I go all the time. Calidus Mountain was actually an active volcano once, many years ago. But it's heat underground warms the waters above. That's why the resort there is very popular!" Juliana explained.
"Wow, that sounds really nice! Do you want to go, Midahn?" Lily asked him. He looked embarrassed.
"Uh…I… Why are you only asking me?" He stammered.
"Well it's only fun if everyone comes along…" Lily said.
"Yeah, I guess that's cool, or should I say, warm, with me." He said, grinning.
"Nice joke, Midahn." Sevrin said with a straight face. Then he bursted into laughter. "Just kidding. That was terrible."
"Okay then, Sev. No more jokes when you're around…" Midahn said sheepishly, shoving his hands in his pockets. The girls were snickering.
"Whatever, let's just go." Midahn stood up, and started walking away.
"Wait, Midahn! Don't be angry, we were only joking!" She called out and ran after him.
"Pshh… I wasn't joking. That was lame." Sevrin said. Juliana laughed.
"Well anyways, let's go! The spring has lots of rejuvenating properties, so it'll be beneficial as well as fun!" Juliana said, grabbing Mirabelle's arm and taking off.
"Woah, why are you going so fast?" Mirabelle said, struggling to hold on as she excitedly ran.
"We have no time to waste! Hurry up, you guys!" Juliana called out behind her.
They followed the ecstatic girl to the mountain, which was very close to the town of Magus. Soon enough, they reached the famous resort which hosted the hot springs. It was very crowded, as it was quite the famous tourist spot. They were lucky enough though to rent a small spring for themselves.
"Ooh wow! We made it in." Juliana said in disbelief. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" She was waist deep, and was facing the others. "Well come on… It's a lot better than you think it is!"
"Do we really have to do this…" Neal said.
"Oh, we went through all of the trouble. It'll feel nice." Mirabelle said. Pulling him into the spring. As soon he entered the water, his somber face changed into surprise. The almost therapeutic water was overwhelmingly soothing, much more than he thought it would be.
"Woah…" Was all he could say.
"See? I told you!" Juliana poked him in the shoulder. She was a little surprised at how strong he was. Then she took a look at his upper body. She leaned over to Mirabelle.
"He's got such a nice body! You have such good taste-" She whispered into Mirabelle's ear, but Mirabelle quickly shushed her. Juliana slowly smiled.
Oh, since when did you become so shy?! Juliana thought. Maybe it's because she's been hanging around only boys for so long. Lily joined them only recently.
"Wow, I'm genuinely surprised." Sevrin said upon entering the water.
"Yeah, me too. This is amazing!" Midahn added.
"Ahhhhh…" Neal said, sinking into the water.
Hopefully it'll ease his stress. He's been like that ever since Isthal… Mirabelle thought.
Juliana noticed Mirabelle's worried look toward Neal. Then she came up with a brilliant idea.
"Hey, I'll be right back!" She said quickly, stepping out of the welcoming water.
"Already? Where are you going?" Mirabelle asked.
"I just have to get this for you two. I think you know what I mean~" She winked at Mirabelle and scurried off. From the tone of her voice, Mirabelle knew what she was up to.
"No! Don't! Come on, Juliana!" Mirabelle called out to her, but she was already gone.
"Jeez, what is she doing that makes you yell so loudly like that?" Neal asked. She looked away, blushing.
"N-nothing." She replied quickly. He shrugged and turned away. One of the resort's most popular drinks. That's what she's running to go buy. That stupid mango smoothie that you drink as a couple. That Juliana… She's going to give to Neal and I and totally embarrass me. She thought angrily. Then she sighed, which turned into a smile. Of course she would jump at the opportunity to get us to flirt with each other. That's so like her…
Minutes had passed. Everyone was silent, just relaxing in the soothing spring. They didn't even know how long it had been since they first entered the water.
"Hey." Neal said, breaking the calming silence. Everyone sluggishly glanced over at him. "We should probably…" He paused, then took a deep breath which led to an even deeper yawn. "... Get out soon. Our muscles will become too relaxed."
"Hngh… You're right." Midahn said sleepily. "But it feels like a dream. I don't wanna get out…" He started to slowly zone out again but Neal snapped his finger, waking him back up again.
"Hm…? Awake! I'm awake!" He said, shaking his head.
"Wake her up." Neal said, referring to Lily, who was dozed off, leaning on Midahn's shoulder.
"Oh, yeah, good idea. Don't want to fall asleep in an area like this." Midahn agreed, and softly shook her awake. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times.
"Eh…?" She mumbled, and then closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder again.
"Aw, come on now, Lily. We're going to get out now while we still can." He said, and chuckled.
"Okay." She said sleepily. "Carry me."
"Fine." He said, lifting her up and carrying her out of the spring. Everyone began to follow.
"Wait." Neal stopped, just before he was about to step out. Mirabelle turned around.
"What is it?" She asked, then yawned.
"Where's Juliana? How long has she been gone?" He asked. She tilted her head.
"Uh… It's been a while since she told us she would be right back. Where could she be?" Mirabelle began to worry.
"I'll go look for her." Neal said, and stepped out of the steamy water. He started to take a few steps, then stopped. "Ugh… We were in there for far too long… I feel drained." He quickly dried himself off and put back on all of his clothes.
"You guys go look around in Magus. I'll look around here and meet you back there in a little while." He said, and walked off.
"Oh… I hope she isn't in any kind of trouble." Mirabelle said, sounding quite worried.
"Is she a trouble-making type?" Sevrin asked her. She shook her head.
"No, she doesn't misbehave. She gets… distracted a lot, and is a little too carefree, that's all." She told him.
"Ah. I see." Then he grabbed her arm. "Come on, we should head back. It's already dark out. I'm sure Neal will take care of everything around here." He said reassuringly.
"I hope you're right." She said, and they joined up with Midahn and Lily as they headed back to Magus.
"Alright, where'd she go…" Neal began looking around the resort area. He jumped at this opportunity to be alone for a while, and to be distracted from his heavy hearted mood.
After fifteen minutes of searching everywhere in and outside of the resort, he was about ready to head down and rejoin the others, but noticed a brief light flash from the corner of his eye. He turned toward it, which was facing outside the resort area, in the brush. He squinted at it.
"Coulda sworn I just saw something there…" He said, leaning over the railing. It was nighttime, so it was definitely a light he saw. "Well, it could be nothing, but a lead is better than no lead, I guess." He hopped over the railing and started walking on the mountainous terrain. He was walking farther and farther away from the resort, and soon enough found himself ascending the mountain. He kept going because of the faint light he saw kept reappearing from a distance. It was moving up the mountain, so it was a creature of some sort.
"Where are you leading me, you little bastard?" Neal thought. But the faint light appeared again around a corner. He crept up to it and slowly peaked around. He finally saw what it was: a small, fiery monster known as a Bomb. It was round, red ball of fire with a scary face and tiny arms.
Yuck. Those little punks always used to try to blow us up… I haven't seen any in a while though… It's probably because the rest of the monsters that those dark mages captured have escaped and returned to their habitats… But why are they so close to that resort? That's dangerous. I'll have to report this to their manager or something… He thought.
He watched it for a few minutes. It wasn't doing anything, just blankly idling around in front of a small opening in the rock. But suddenly Neal heard a small muffled cry from inside the small grotto. It sounded like a female.
I knew my suspicion was right! He thought, and instantly dashed toward the Bomb, reaching for his sword. But his hand passed through the usual spot where his hilt would be on his side.
"Shit! I left it at Mirabelle's old home!" He said. The Bomb noticed his presence, from not being taken out instantly. It flared up, ready to self-destruct. Neal gritted his teeth. He had to act fast. With no more options available, he had no other choice but to use it. He reached for another hilt of a sword that was strapped to his back. Although, it isn't actually there. When he places his grip onto the hilt and pulls the blade out, the sword begins to appear. When it finally materializes, he cuts the Bomb clean in half and runs inside the crevice into the mountain.
"I won't let any more friends die… Just one was enough to set me off." He said, trying to contain his anger and sorrow as he crept through the small, winding tunnel. The muffled cries that he heard earlier, most likely Juliana's, had ceased. He hoped it wasn't too late.
Should I call her name or ask if anyone is here, or should I stay quiet, in case she's in trouble… Yeah, quiet is better. I don't know what I'm up against. He decided. He continued on, but the path didn't branch off in any other directions, just one short, narrow passage. A few minutes later, he was near the end of it.
"Dammit, how far does this go? And it's getting a lot hotter all of a sudden…" He thought. He was drenched in sweat, from both moving quickly and the heat. He froze when he saw blazes of light shimmering in front of him. It was extremely dark the deeper inside he went. When the light illuminated the area, he found himself in a more open cavern. He also found himself surrounded by many different kinds of monsters glaring at him. The lights were created by a large circle of Bombs that activated their flaming bodies at the same time.
"Tch! They led me all the way here to trap me?! The bastards are smarter than I thought." He gritted his teeth, raising his sword. "But toughness is a different story." The hostile creatures closest to him lunged for him all at once. He jumped upwards, kicking off of one's head. When he landed, he cut down three of them at once. Immediately after that, he spun around with his blade like a cyclone, creating a small force of wind doing so. They were dropping left and right, but the larger monsters were behind those inferior creatures.
"What…?! Why are Ochus in a place like this…" Neal noticed the vicious plant-like creatures with sharp teeth snapping at him. "They usually reside in areas with more vegetation… Something strange is going on." He was cutting them down with each swing, but their numbers were overwhelming him. An Ochu snapped at him with one of it's vine-like arms and snatched his blade right out his hand.
"Woah! From behind…" He quickly turned around to see the blade being retracted over ten meters away from where the plant monster sat.
"That son of a bitch has quite a reach…" He said. He swiftly dodged the vines of another attack from behind him, where he was originally facing. "Alright, I don't have time for you trash!" He reached behind his back and placed his hand around nothing, but suddenly appearing to be the hilt of another blade. Pulling the blade out of its magical sheath, he was now wielding a katana forged from the strongest steel on the planet. He gave them all a cold glare. "I don't plan on wasting any more time," and lunging at them with blinding speed, slicing through flesh and fiber, instantly dissolving their foul bodies into ashes. He pierced through the last beast, which gave one final cry before crumbling into dust. Neal sheathed his katana, which then disappeared behind him. He picked up his other sword that the Ochu had stolen earlier, and did the same, but sheathing it in a different position on his back, as if he had many swords.
"Th...that was incredible…" Juliana croaked, and let out a few violent coughs. She was lying on the ground in the corner of the cavern. She was very pale and shaky.
"Juliana! So they did capture you… Those fiends… Are you okay?" He ran over to her and knelt down.
"I-I'm fine… They were a bit rough, that's all… Thank you for rescuing me." She said.
"What exactly happened when you left?" He asked her.
"I...was going to buy you and Mir this special mango smoothie that you drink together as a couple, when I saw this weird light from off in the near distance… I went over to it, and it turned out to be one of those creepy Bomb things... It dragged me here, I think. I must have blacked out earlier or something…" She explained.
"I should definitely let the resort know how close those monsters were…" Neal said.
"But what did you do just a second ago… It was amazing. I've never seen anything like that before…" She said quietly.
"Oh… that wasn't really anything special…" He looked away.
"You know, know that I think about it, there are stories of this guy called the Five Sword Sage who did something like that. He appeared in random places and took care of monster invasions in villages, and he used five different swords that he could summon with his will.. That's what the rumors say…" She recalled. He didn't say anything. She looked directly at him.
"Are… you the Five Sword Sage, Neal?" She asked. He didn't say anything again, but after a few moments, he hung his head and sighed.
"... Yes." He admitted. "I'm known as that name because of the power that I discovered within myself while training as a bounty hunter…"
"Gods… So it's true?! You really are him?! I've heard soooo many rumors about you in the past few years, it's crazy. You're like a cool, mysterious hero to all the kids around here, you know! And did you actually slay a dragon? A dragon?!" She exclaimed.
Jeez, she's already back to normal… He thought. "Yeah. The one that was targeting a small village somewhere in the south about a year ago. This blade is made from its blood." He pulled out another unique sword, which was crimson red and wicked sharp.
"You say that so normally… Hah! You're an incredible guy, Neal." She said. "It's no wonder that Mir is crazy about you."
"Huh?" His eyes widened. Then her's did.
"What? You mean you had no idea?" She asked in shock. She sighed. "Mir, you're so shy…" She shook her head. "But yes, Mirabelle has liked you for a long time. She's probably going to kill me for telling you this but I don't care. She needs to stop keeping everything in all the time."
Neal looked away for a few moments, thinking about what she just said to him. Then he shook his head, and grabbed Juliana, picking her up off the rocky floor. "Come on, let's get out of here… It's so damn hot anyways." He started carrying her out of the dark.
"That's because we're in an inactive volcano… Wait! You don't even react to what I just told you?" She asked.
"What of it?" He replied.
"Well how do you feel about her, dummy?" She said sarcastically.
"Nothing. I don't feel anything." He said, and carried her out without saying another word the rest of the way.
So cold… He started acting so cold after I told him that… Is there something that Mir didn't tell me? No way… Maybe something's happened to him. She thought.
Back in Magus, in a small room in the orphanage:
"Don't worry, Mira. You know as well as I do that Neal wouldn't do anything rash." Sevrin said reassuringly. He had his arm around Mirabelle, trying to comfort her, as she has been crying ever since they left the resort.
"Since he's been gone for so long, he must have found her." He continued. "They might have ran into some trouble or something…" Hearing that made her cry ever harder. She buried her head into his shoulder since she was so loud.
Dammit, why did I say that… That only made it worse. You suck at this Sevrin, you suck… He thought. Midahn facepalmed.
You suck at comforting others, Sev. He thought.
"Neal's a strong guy. He saved my life, so I don't see why he wouldn't be able to save hers…" Lily said. "Besides, saving lives is something you guys do quite often." She looked over at Midahn and smiled. They both blushed. After hearing her words, Mirabelle reduced her crying to only sniffling. She was still shaken up, though.
"I...I can't help it… I just feel so traumatized after the previous incident… I'm sure he is too…" She stammered.
"That's why he won't let it happen again." Sevrin said. As soon as he said that, the door opened, and Neal walked into the room, carrying a limp and shaken Juliana. Mirabelle slowly stood up, and ran over to her friend, smothering her from her hug.
"Oh, I was so worried! S-s-s-so...worried…" She started crying again.
"I'm fine, Mir, really." Juliana said, but seeing her crying so much made her finally realize how truly frightening her situation was, and she began wailing too. The shock of Neal's incredible skills made her forget that they were both in a room full of hostile monsters who would have demolished them if they were successful in baiting them. After they had calmed down, and their tears stopped leaking, Mirabelle turned to Neal.
"Thank you… for saving her from those monsters. I'm so grateful, Neal." She ran over to him and hugged him tightly. But he didn't hug her back. He just stood still, looking down as she embraced him.
"Don't worry about it. It's only what… friends… do for each other, right?" He said.
"Y-yeah." She said. What's going on in his head? I could see for a brief moment there that he wanted to smile or hug me back, but then he just looked depressed and distant again. Surely he isn't thinking about Rhea anymore. He knows what our lives are like. Is he hiding something?
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! We move on to Magus, Mirabelle's hometown. There, everyone finally meets, Juliana, a black mage and her best childhood friend growing up. She ends up captured by monsters and taken into a monster hideout, where Neal fortunately made it in time to rescue her quickly from his intuition. There, he was forced to use his special ability, and Juliana finds out that he is actually the Five Sword Sage, the mysterious warrior who travels from town to town and puts a stop to monster trouble. Mirabelle gets a hunch that Neal's hiding more from them... What could it be?
Neal's ability sounds odd at first. I'll try to explain it here. He has five different blades. He keeps one in its scabbard on the side of his belt, like a usual sword user. It's visible and normal and all. But imagine four sheaths strapped to his back at different angles. Those are basically there, but they're invisible to everyone else, from a certain magical power. He doesn't feel the weight of all five either. I'll explain the reasoning and more detail in the next chapter. I just wanted to make sure there isn't any confusion with swords appearing from nowhere and all that.
Also, I'm not sure how well you can see it, but I updated the cover photo again. This one is the final design. I drew all of the characters and let me tell you: I feel proud of what I drew. It's still not that good, honestly, but waaaaay better than that horrendous one I drew before. Ew... I forgot what it looked like, so I saw it when I was changing it to this new one. I'm surprised that I decided to use that last one. I'm betting on nobody being able to see the characters too well because of the small size limit, so I might give a link to a much larger size later on, if you want to check it out.
