Final Fantasy: Rise of Despair
Man I can't keep myself away from the keyboard tonight. Now we join Cole and Syack in some desert yet to be identified.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance, I do own the characters and plot.
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The Dunes in the night
"Curaga." Cole cast Curaga on Syack. A white aura covered him and then disappeared. "There, that will get him out of critical condition." Cole said as he picked up Syack and hoisted him on to his back. "I suppose I better figure out which desert I'm in first." Cole said to himself as he started walking.
Cole had been walking through the cold desert night for a long time now. Hours maybe, occasionally he would use a fire spell to create a small fire for Syack to keep warm next to and check his pulse to make sure he's still alive. But otherwise Cole continued to walk along tirelessly. Well, almost tirelessly. "Whew… I must say… I haven't traveled like this in a while."
A short ways away, two pairs of eyes were peaking out from underneath a dune of sand, watching Cole as he trekked along. "I must say, someone has some gald to be traveling the desert at night." A bangaa voice said.
"Indeed." Replied a nu mou voice. The two figures rose out of the sand slowly, the nu mou was a beastmaster, and the bangaa was a dragoon. "Let's report to our leader."
"Why? It would be so much more fun to attack him now." The dragoon said.
"No. You know how she gets when she's not informed of these kinds of things." The beastmaster sternly told him.
"Hmmm… you have a point." The dragoon said. The two dug themselves back in to the dunes and tunneled through the sands away from Cole.
"…" Cole kept on walking, even though every step he took was causing the uneasy feeling inside of him to grow. "Why does it feel like I'm being followed?" Cole asked himself. "I'd best keep my senses about me. Usually these feelings are spot on." After about another hour or so. Cole finally stopped and made sure that Syack's heart was still beating despite the cold temperatures. "Good, we'll keep moving then." Cole said.
"I must say… for a nu mou you don't tire easily do you?" Came a female voice.
"No I don't." Cole said calmly. "Now are you and your friends going to come out of the sands or am I going to have to force you out?"
"My my… hasty aren't we?" The first figure to rise out of the sands was a viera. She was pretty tall for a viera, reaching a full 6'0" in height, she also wore a full body black suit and a blindfold over her eyes. Her hair was wrapped neatly in a bun, and her katana was sheathed behind her. "Now then… will you hand over anything of value, or will I have to kill you to get it?" The viera asked.
"Hmmmm…" Cole looked around and noticed other people rising out of the sands, along with one of each kind of dragon. "Well…" Cole started. "My answer is…"
"I'm waiting… and I don't like waiting." The viera said.
"You can forget it." Cole said. He looked at the three dragons and pointed his hand in their direction. The dragons seemed confused for a moment, but then they turned to face the beastmaster.
"Huh? What are you doing? Attack him!" The beastmaster ordered, but the dragons advanced on the beastmaster.
"Charge!" The dragoon shouted. He and two Mog Knights charged at Cole with their weapons raised.
"Hmph…" Cole did nothing, but while he left the Ice Drake to maul the beastmaster, he had the other two dragons charge at the other three and use their breath attacks.
"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"He's overridden my control of the dragons!" The beastmaster shouted.
"You four can't do anything on your own can you?" The viera asked. "Fire whip!" The viera created a whip made from flames and snapped it at all three dragons, causing flames to encircle their arms and mouths, preventing them from using any techniques. The viera then drew her katana and rushed at Cole with such speed that most people wouldn't even be able to see her. However 'most' is the operative word now isn't it?
"Please." Cole drew his staff and easily blocked the katana. "Hmmmm… I guess this spell will do nicely."
"What spell?" The viera asked as she started swinging her katana rapidly at Cole. Cole however would block each katana swing with his rod.
"Thunder." Cole cast a simple thunder spell that caused a lightning bolt to strike the viera.
"Gah!" The viera cried as a lightning bolt sent her flying backwards.
"CHARGE!" The other lackeys shouted.
"Esuna." Cole relieved the dragons of their status ailments and thus they went back to mauling the lackeys.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" The lackeys shouted.
"ENOUGH!!!" The viera shouted.
"Hm?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the viera in curiosity, Cole only looked at her with disinterest. To everyone's surprise, the viera bent down on one knee and bowed her head to Cole.
"What! But but… Lady Toxin…"
"There was far more than average power in that thunder spell. Now unless you want him to kill you all with the wave of his hand I suggest you bow to him as well!" The viera that was apparently Lady Toxin told them.
"Yipe…" They squeaked. So everyone hit one knee and bowed to Cole.
"Now if you don't mind… I need to get my friend somewhere where he'll be out of danger." Cole said as he released his control on the dragons.
"We can take him to our hideout. He'll be safe from the desert cold and heat there." Toxin said.
"But but… Lady Toxin…" The beastmaster stammered.
"Quiet! He has bested us in combat fair and square and thus he shall have his reward." Toxin hissed at the beastmaster.
"Yes ma'am." The beastmaster uttered out.
A little while of walking later, Cole and the rest of the group stopped at the top of a particular dune. Suddenly the sand started to sink in to the ground. "A hidden entrance." Cole surmised.
"Yes, used by thieves long ago, I rediscovered it quite by accident and have used it since." Toxin explained. The platform started sinking deeper and deeper underground until it finally stopped at the mouth of a cave. "Be sure to shovel any incredible amount of sand you knock off of the platform back on to it. We wouldn't want the platform to be revealed now would we?" Toxin asked rhetorically. After they did so, the platform rose back up after Toxin pressed a button on the wall.
"Lady Toxin?" One of the Mog Knights asked.
"Take the illusionist to the bunker and make sure he is taken care of. If he is in worse condition than he is now I'll see to it that you are put in to an even worse condition." The viera threatened.
"Yes ma'am!" The others saluted before running off.
"My apologies, those four have to be ruled by fear. I don't do it out of spite, but they can get to be very… very unruly." Toxin said.
"Very well then. So… I assume you wanted to speak with me then?" Cole asked.
"Yes… follow me please." Toxin said as she walked towards an opening in the cave.
"Is Toxin your real name?" Cole asked.
"I don't know my real name or if I even have one. I merely adopted this name that I have now." Toxin explained.
"I see. And why wouldn't you even have one?" Cole asked.
"…" Toxin sighed as they entered a room, apparently her room. However the only furniture was a bed. "Before I answer that question… tell me. Are you who I believe you to be?"
"That depends on who you believe me to be." Cole said.
"Are you one of the masters?" Toxin asked.
"Yes… Cole, Racemaster of the nu mou to be precise." Cole said.
"Very well… tell me master of the nu mou… have you ever heard of… what is called the others?" Toxin asked, putting emphasis on 'others'.
"Yes… they are born to one race, but blessed by the totema of another race." Cole said. "They are shunned because such an anomaly is hardly seen. Their birth race shuns them because they feel they cannot coexist with someone who is not protected by their totema, and the other races simply see them as far too unnatural to come in contact with." Cole continued.
"Correct on all counts." The viera said. "Do you fear the unknown master of nu mou?"
"No. Although I and the other Racemasters were raised in a time when the others were far more feared and despised than they are now… we felt that they were still as innocent as anyone else, and deserved our protection." Cole said. There was a pause for a moment, then Cole turned around and faced Toxin. "Tell me then… what totema protects you?"
"You are very perceptive indeed master of nu mou." Toxin said. She removed her blindfold and revealed that she had green eyes. However looking at her pupil you could see lines forming the profile shot of a dragon's head.
"You are blessed… by the bangaa totema Adremmalech then?" Cole asked.
"Yes." Toxin said. "My caretaker, a nu mou other protected by Exodus, told me that my birth parents left me to die on Roda Volcano when he found me. Since then I have adapted to life in many ways, hiding my eyes so that they do not fear me for what I am, but rather for my skill."
"Do… your companions know of this?" Cole asked.
"Yes, none of them are among the others like I am… but they have still been left behind by society and thus they share similar feelings that I do." Toxin told Cole.
"I see." Cole said. "I can tell that you are quite skilled, you have adapted your other senses quite well."
"Hmph… one trait I share in common with the bangaa is poor eyesight and an enhanced sense of smell, however my hearing still has the superior viera sense to it." Toxin said. "Now then… I am curious as to why someone like you is traveling through the Deila Dunes at night." Toxin said.
"That… is a long story, but I'll try and shorten it." Cole said.
Meanwhile…
"Well he's certainly warmer than before." A Mog Knight said.
"Yeah but we need him to wake up or Lady Toxin will kill us." The dragoon said.
"Oh wait! His breathing is back to normal!" The beastmaster pointed out.
"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…" Syack snored.
"Wow… he's a heavy sleeper. That's one hell of a snore." The other Mog Knight said.
"You know, I bet that he sleeps heavily, but is a gentle old man when he's awake." The beastmaster said.
"Hmmmm…" Syack slowly started waking up. "Whuzzat… HUH?" Syack snapped to life and looked around with a start. "Who the heck are you whippersnappers!" Syack shouted loudly.
Meanwhile…
"How intriguing… so you and two of the other Racemasters battled the Black King and now here you are." Toxin said with interest.
"Yes, now I need to reach Materia woods, but you've made that a lot easier now that you've told me where we are." Cole said. "I'm going to go check on Syack."
"Confound it all! Who are you people! Where have you taken me! What have you done with those other whippersnappers and twits I was traveling with!!!" Syack's voice echoed through the caves.
"Yes it sounds like he's fine." Cole sighed. Cole moved faster towards the source of Syack's voice, Toxin following him.
"Lady Toxin! This old man's crazy!" A Mog Knight shouted.
"Hm? Cole with all due respect! Where the heck are we!?!" Syack shouted.
"Syack… let me explain." Cole said sternly.
Later…
"Oh… well that makes perfect sense then." Syack said. Cole had just explained everything, minus Toxin being one of the others, to Syack. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's head for Materia Woods."
"Hold for a moment." Toxin said. "Just how much excitement… will there be?"
"Hmph… more than this old man can handle." Syack grumbled.
"Perfect…" Toxin said.
"How do you mean?" Cole asked.
"I wish to come along." Toxin said.
"Huh? But Lady Toxin!" All of her lackeys shouted.
"I must say, this is a surprise." Cole said.
"I have always been intrigued by you Racemasters, even more so after our little chat. And… well…" Toxin then got close to Cole and whispered in to his ear. "One other thing I share in common with the bangaa, I have a hard time resisting excitement."
"I don't know…" Cole sighed.
"Oh don't be so stiff. I am a highly accomplished assassin and elemantist." Toxin said.
"Well…"
"If I may add something to this…" Syack said clearing his throat. "This woman scares me to death. We could use someone like her." Syack said.
"Oh why not. I suppose if we're going to be fighting the Black Army, we'll need all the help we can get." Cole sighed.
"Excellent." Toxin laughed. "Well then. Shall we get going?" Toxin asked.
"Very well." Cole sighed.
"Just one more question." Syack said.
"What is that?" Cole asked.
"Why not just use that teleport spell to send us to the Materia Woods?"
"Because even if I can control the spell, I certainly wouldn't be able to prevent you two from being rendered unconscious." Cole said.
"Oh. Good point." Syack said.
"Lady Toxin… we need you here…" The Dragoon whined.
"Shush. I will be back, and who knows, your assistance may be required in the future." Toxin told them before turning to follow the other two out. "Well Toxin, this has been most fortunate. These people, will be able to help you obtain your revenge after all." Toxin thought.
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Well, read and review people.
