Heart of an Assassin
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
I don't own FF9...
Chapter 1: Chance Encounters
*Somewhere on Gaia*
Zidane crashed through the portal with a loud thud. He stood up and
brushed himself off surveying the landscape. Everywhere he looked was green.
There was no crystal; no palaces; and no civilization in view.
'Wow this is so much different from home. Ah crap...I don't know where
the hell I am.'
Zidane tried to sense a power nearby that was "Holy" and found it facing
the sun. He picked that way and started walking through the thick forest. A
few minutes later he approached an open area by a running river. Aware that he
was being followed, Zidane spun around to see a few goblins surrounding him,
emerging from various hiding positions. Without hesitation, Zidane pulled out
his Soul Daggers and begin attacking. With the increased agility and stamina,
the Zidane turned into a fierce monster of destruction and mayhem. Using
inhuman speed, he stabbed a nearby goblin in the eye and slit another's neck.
Within seconds 6 goblins lay dead and one was left cowarding in fear.
Zidane approached for the kill but his mind reeled from an unknown presence.
The distraction was enough to give the last goblin a chance to attack as it
sliced Zidane in the arm.
Taking the pain, Zidane mentally cursed himself and quickly killed the
last goblin. 'What the hell is wrong with me? I've never been so preoccupied
before.' The goblins were carrying some gil and he took it.
After the battle, Zidane continued the way towards what he sensed as Holy.
Almost immediately he was ambushed by a giant owl.
"This is not my day!"
Zidane tried using the same technique he used against the goblins but the
owl just slapped him away with it's giant wings. Using a wind spell, it threw
Zidane against a nearby tree and started to close in.
"You bastard!" Zidane shouted at his attacker. The owl just cocked his
head to one side and seemed to chuckle as if understanding what it's prey was
saying. Then it froze and stared in shock.
Zidane began glowing as light appeared deep within him. Power radiated from
his body and he jumped up full of renewed strength. He did the first thing that
came to his mind.
Solution 9. Shadows appeared from all directions and converged at the owl.
It seemed to be torn from the inside out as bright explosions took place all
around it. With a brilliant light, all traces of the gigantic owl disappeared.
As Zidane's anger faded so did the light surrounding his body. The battle
took it's toll as he stumbled a few steps before collapsing and unaware of a
form approaching him.
*Alexandria Castle*
"Your Highness! Where are you? Please answer!"
A huge armor wearing man was running down the royal halls of Alexandria
Castle screaming at the top of his lungs. He was Adelbert Steiner, captain of
the Knights of Pluto and protector of the queen. Now, however, all he was
worried about was the location of Her Majesty. She hadn't shown up for a
diplomatic meeting and he was worried.
In another part of the castle, Queen Garnet, or Dagger as her friends
call her, lay hidden behind a life-size statue of her late mother Queen Brahe.
This was an excellent place to avoid detection as Brahe was quite overweight
and extra marble had to be shipped in to complete the statue. Even from there
she could hear Steiner's voice.
'Why must he continue to track me down. Doesn't he have the slightest idea
that I don't want to be bothered with royal matters?' Garnet thought to herself
and suddenly an idea popped into her head. 'Why don't I just leave? The kingdom
is basically run by Steiner, Beatrix, and Dr. Tot. I can just sneak away for
a few weeks and Alexandria would never know! If I can just make it to the harbor.'
As soon as the nearest guard turned the other way, she bolted to the stairs
and ran to the basement. A ship was about to set sail and she sneaked aboard.
The captain of the ship waved goodbye to the dock workers and turned to the
steering wheel. He navigated out the harbor and into open sea before letting some
of the crew take over. He went to the cargo hold to examine the items of trade he
was delivering. Suddenly he spotted a figure in the dark corner and was even more
shocked to find out it was Queen Garnet herself.
"Your Majesty! What are you doing here?"
Dagger sighed and explained her situation.
"I'm running away." she said simply.
"But why? What about Alexandria?"
"I'm sick of the traditions they forced on me simply because I'm royalty. I
just want a few weeks off and then I'll be back renewed and ready to serve my city.
I want you to keep my whereabouts an absolute secret. That's an order. Do you
understand?"
"Yes, of course Your Highness. This ship is heading to the outer continent.
Is that ok with you?"
"I guess it will do. I can spend time with Vivi in the Black Mage Village."
"I understand. You can have a living quarter all to yourself if you like."
"No. I'm sick of being pampered. That's one of the main reasons I have for
running away. Now just let me stay here and forget I'm onboard." Garnet ordered the
captain. As soon as he left, she breathed a sigh of relief.
'I can't even act normal around these people. They expect me to be queenly and
I'm sick of it. I just want to be a commoner for a while.' Feeling tired from all
running around and hiding, she laid down and fell asleep.
*Black Mage Village*
Zidane's eyes slowly cleared as he opened them. He stared into glowing yellow
eyes that stared right back at him. The face was hidden by a pointy hat and an
oversized jacket.
"U-Um I see you're awake."
"Who are you? I don't remember getting here." Zidane replied not knowing what
else to say.
"I'm Vivi. You're in the Black Mage Village." the figure said shyly. "Number
126 brought you here after you were attacked by the owl god. Thanks for killing it
for us! We've been unable to do it ourselves."
"Number 126? Why do you refer to him as a number?"
"We're black mages created by Queen Brahe, the former queen, to use as a weapon
but Garnet freed us and let us live on our own will." Vivi explained. "I'm different
though. I have feelings that the other mages don't and I won't shut down like a
robot. It's always hard to see a fellow mage deactivated."
"You refered to the queen of Alexandria. Is this place close to the city?"
"It's across the ocean to the south. We trade with them periodically and
another ship should arrive tomorrow afternoon. If you want to go there, just talk to
the captain of the ship and ask if you can get a ride."
"Ok I will thanks. Is there any place I can buy items?"
"Yes. Just go outside and to the left. There should be an item shop."
Zidane waved goodbye to Vivi and hurried outside. To his surprise, the entire
village was made of straw huts. As he wandered around town, Zidane noticed that
every mage looked exactly alike. They all looked somewhat like Vivi with their straw
hats and dark blue jackets which hide their face. After getting the necessary items
Zidane went searching for Vivi feeling anticipation at finally going to Alexandria.
*Cargo Ship*
"We've docked Your Highness." The captain said as he entered the cargo hold.
"Thank you. I shall be leaving now. Remember to not tell a soul about my
whereabouts." With that Dagger stepped off the ship onto the outer continent. She
started towards the familiar forest of the Black Mage Village in hopes to find her
friend Vivi.
Suddenly an ear piercing growl shook her away from her thoughts and made her
jump. Dagger stood face to face with a grand dragon.
"Grr..just my luck to run into one of these." She mumbled through gritted
teeth. Dagger barely managed to dodge the massive thunder attack that the dragon
hurled at her and landed face first in the sand. She tried to cast stop but the
grand dragon had some sort of resistance to the spell.
"Great...just great!" Dagger exclaimed sarcastically as another attack sent her
flying off her feet.
"That's it! I've had enough! BAHAMUT!"
*Black Mage Village*
Wave after wave of powerful blasts shook the small village.
"What the hell is that?" Zidane exclaimed as he rushes outside and towards the
direction. Vivi notices him running out of the village and follows him. Another boom
shakes the forest and causes Zidane to run even faster. Seconds later, he comes
across a woman being attacked by the biggest dragon he's ever seen. What surprises
him the most is that she is holding out on her own against it.
"Wow she's tough. I wonder if I can convince her to help me on my mission..."
Zidane quickly snaps out of his thoughts and throws himself into the fray eager to
help a potential ally.
The battle isn't going so well for Dagger. So far she hasn't been harmed but
her magic ability is running out. She began to regret running away when suddenly a
man jumps onto the back of the dragon. He had honey blonde hair and deep green eyes
and...a tail!?
'Wow. There are really odd people in this world I've never met before.' She
thought to herself as she watched the mysterious man continuously drive his daggers
into the spine and neck of the dragon. Finally overcome with pain, the dragon gives
out one final roar and falls to the ground shaking the proximity in the process.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she falls to the ground in weariness.
Breathing heavilly, Zidane wipes his weapons off on the creature and starts
towards the unknown woman. For a moment he forgets his mission and is genuinely
concerned about her well being after seeing her collapse. He hurries over and helps
her up. Little did Zidane know that his daggers recorded every moment of the battle.
They were now dark grey.
End of chapter 1. Please r/r :)
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
I don't own FF9...
Chapter 1: Chance Encounters
*Somewhere on Gaia*
Zidane crashed through the portal with a loud thud. He stood up and
brushed himself off surveying the landscape. Everywhere he looked was green.
There was no crystal; no palaces; and no civilization in view.
'Wow this is so much different from home. Ah crap...I don't know where
the hell I am.'
Zidane tried to sense a power nearby that was "Holy" and found it facing
the sun. He picked that way and started walking through the thick forest. A
few minutes later he approached an open area by a running river. Aware that he
was being followed, Zidane spun around to see a few goblins surrounding him,
emerging from various hiding positions. Without hesitation, Zidane pulled out
his Soul Daggers and begin attacking. With the increased agility and stamina,
the Zidane turned into a fierce monster of destruction and mayhem. Using
inhuman speed, he stabbed a nearby goblin in the eye and slit another's neck.
Within seconds 6 goblins lay dead and one was left cowarding in fear.
Zidane approached for the kill but his mind reeled from an unknown presence.
The distraction was enough to give the last goblin a chance to attack as it
sliced Zidane in the arm.
Taking the pain, Zidane mentally cursed himself and quickly killed the
last goblin. 'What the hell is wrong with me? I've never been so preoccupied
before.' The goblins were carrying some gil and he took it.
After the battle, Zidane continued the way towards what he sensed as Holy.
Almost immediately he was ambushed by a giant owl.
"This is not my day!"
Zidane tried using the same technique he used against the goblins but the
owl just slapped him away with it's giant wings. Using a wind spell, it threw
Zidane against a nearby tree and started to close in.
"You bastard!" Zidane shouted at his attacker. The owl just cocked his
head to one side and seemed to chuckle as if understanding what it's prey was
saying. Then it froze and stared in shock.
Zidane began glowing as light appeared deep within him. Power radiated from
his body and he jumped up full of renewed strength. He did the first thing that
came to his mind.
Solution 9. Shadows appeared from all directions and converged at the owl.
It seemed to be torn from the inside out as bright explosions took place all
around it. With a brilliant light, all traces of the gigantic owl disappeared.
As Zidane's anger faded so did the light surrounding his body. The battle
took it's toll as he stumbled a few steps before collapsing and unaware of a
form approaching him.
*Alexandria Castle*
"Your Highness! Where are you? Please answer!"
A huge armor wearing man was running down the royal halls of Alexandria
Castle screaming at the top of his lungs. He was Adelbert Steiner, captain of
the Knights of Pluto and protector of the queen. Now, however, all he was
worried about was the location of Her Majesty. She hadn't shown up for a
diplomatic meeting and he was worried.
In another part of the castle, Queen Garnet, or Dagger as her friends
call her, lay hidden behind a life-size statue of her late mother Queen Brahe.
This was an excellent place to avoid detection as Brahe was quite overweight
and extra marble had to be shipped in to complete the statue. Even from there
she could hear Steiner's voice.
'Why must he continue to track me down. Doesn't he have the slightest idea
that I don't want to be bothered with royal matters?' Garnet thought to herself
and suddenly an idea popped into her head. 'Why don't I just leave? The kingdom
is basically run by Steiner, Beatrix, and Dr. Tot. I can just sneak away for
a few weeks and Alexandria would never know! If I can just make it to the harbor.'
As soon as the nearest guard turned the other way, she bolted to the stairs
and ran to the basement. A ship was about to set sail and she sneaked aboard.
The captain of the ship waved goodbye to the dock workers and turned to the
steering wheel. He navigated out the harbor and into open sea before letting some
of the crew take over. He went to the cargo hold to examine the items of trade he
was delivering. Suddenly he spotted a figure in the dark corner and was even more
shocked to find out it was Queen Garnet herself.
"Your Majesty! What are you doing here?"
Dagger sighed and explained her situation.
"I'm running away." she said simply.
"But why? What about Alexandria?"
"I'm sick of the traditions they forced on me simply because I'm royalty. I
just want a few weeks off and then I'll be back renewed and ready to serve my city.
I want you to keep my whereabouts an absolute secret. That's an order. Do you
understand?"
"Yes, of course Your Highness. This ship is heading to the outer continent.
Is that ok with you?"
"I guess it will do. I can spend time with Vivi in the Black Mage Village."
"I understand. You can have a living quarter all to yourself if you like."
"No. I'm sick of being pampered. That's one of the main reasons I have for
running away. Now just let me stay here and forget I'm onboard." Garnet ordered the
captain. As soon as he left, she breathed a sigh of relief.
'I can't even act normal around these people. They expect me to be queenly and
I'm sick of it. I just want to be a commoner for a while.' Feeling tired from all
running around and hiding, she laid down and fell asleep.
*Black Mage Village*
Zidane's eyes slowly cleared as he opened them. He stared into glowing yellow
eyes that stared right back at him. The face was hidden by a pointy hat and an
oversized jacket.
"U-Um I see you're awake."
"Who are you? I don't remember getting here." Zidane replied not knowing what
else to say.
"I'm Vivi. You're in the Black Mage Village." the figure said shyly. "Number
126 brought you here after you were attacked by the owl god. Thanks for killing it
for us! We've been unable to do it ourselves."
"Number 126? Why do you refer to him as a number?"
"We're black mages created by Queen Brahe, the former queen, to use as a weapon
but Garnet freed us and let us live on our own will." Vivi explained. "I'm different
though. I have feelings that the other mages don't and I won't shut down like a
robot. It's always hard to see a fellow mage deactivated."
"You refered to the queen of Alexandria. Is this place close to the city?"
"It's across the ocean to the south. We trade with them periodically and
another ship should arrive tomorrow afternoon. If you want to go there, just talk to
the captain of the ship and ask if you can get a ride."
"Ok I will thanks. Is there any place I can buy items?"
"Yes. Just go outside and to the left. There should be an item shop."
Zidane waved goodbye to Vivi and hurried outside. To his surprise, the entire
village was made of straw huts. As he wandered around town, Zidane noticed that
every mage looked exactly alike. They all looked somewhat like Vivi with their straw
hats and dark blue jackets which hide their face. After getting the necessary items
Zidane went searching for Vivi feeling anticipation at finally going to Alexandria.
*Cargo Ship*
"We've docked Your Highness." The captain said as he entered the cargo hold.
"Thank you. I shall be leaving now. Remember to not tell a soul about my
whereabouts." With that Dagger stepped off the ship onto the outer continent. She
started towards the familiar forest of the Black Mage Village in hopes to find her
friend Vivi.
Suddenly an ear piercing growl shook her away from her thoughts and made her
jump. Dagger stood face to face with a grand dragon.
"Grr..just my luck to run into one of these." She mumbled through gritted
teeth. Dagger barely managed to dodge the massive thunder attack that the dragon
hurled at her and landed face first in the sand. She tried to cast stop but the
grand dragon had some sort of resistance to the spell.
"Great...just great!" Dagger exclaimed sarcastically as another attack sent her
flying off her feet.
"That's it! I've had enough! BAHAMUT!"
*Black Mage Village*
Wave after wave of powerful blasts shook the small village.
"What the hell is that?" Zidane exclaimed as he rushes outside and towards the
direction. Vivi notices him running out of the village and follows him. Another boom
shakes the forest and causes Zidane to run even faster. Seconds later, he comes
across a woman being attacked by the biggest dragon he's ever seen. What surprises
him the most is that she is holding out on her own against it.
"Wow she's tough. I wonder if I can convince her to help me on my mission..."
Zidane quickly snaps out of his thoughts and throws himself into the fray eager to
help a potential ally.
The battle isn't going so well for Dagger. So far she hasn't been harmed but
her magic ability is running out. She began to regret running away when suddenly a
man jumps onto the back of the dragon. He had honey blonde hair and deep green eyes
and...a tail!?
'Wow. There are really odd people in this world I've never met before.' She
thought to herself as she watched the mysterious man continuously drive his daggers
into the spine and neck of the dragon. Finally overcome with pain, the dragon gives
out one final roar and falls to the ground shaking the proximity in the process.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she falls to the ground in weariness.
Breathing heavilly, Zidane wipes his weapons off on the creature and starts
towards the unknown woman. For a moment he forgets his mission and is genuinely
concerned about her well being after seeing her collapse. He hurries over and helps
her up. Little did Zidane know that his daggers recorded every moment of the battle.
They were now dark grey.
End of chapter 1. Please r/r :)