13)----------
In Which, Leviathan meets the Moogles.
The next day, Rydia made her
farewells to those in Baron, reminding them that she had been away from home
for far too long, and Asura and Leviathan were probably getting antsy.
Edge did much the same - he had to
return to Eblan and try to find a new cook. After the AMNSA was cast, and he'd had a moment to recover his senses,
he'd been much as they'd always known him. Whatever knowledge had possessed him so was removed from his memory,
allowing him to continue his life as he pleased. So, being himself again, he had work to do.
He and Rydia also retrieved Masamune
and offered their extensive apologies to the Yokel below.
Rydia got past the City Walls and,
as she normally did, Summoned Chocobo to give her a ride home.
He appeared in the customary green
magical burst.
"About time you Called!"
he admonished. "Leviathan was
starting to pace again. He hates it
when you stay away so long. It bothers
him."
"I know," Rydia
replied. "But with things going
the way they've been, I couldn't have left." She vaulted up onto the bird's back, and he began the journey
back. "Bahamut taught me a new
spell. Using that, I managed to release
Edge, and we managed to intervene before Eblan conquered Baron. Then we just had to put everyone back
together. So here I am."
"What kind of spell could he
have taught you that would let you come out over Masamune?" Chocobo
exclaimed, astonished.
"DRAIN9."
"Ah yes. That would do it."
As they drew near to the ocean which
Chocobo normally took her across only by using the powers granted during a
Summon, he stopped rather than going on.
"What is it?" Rydia asked.
"I think I should let you off
here," he replied. "Leviathan
needs to talk to you."
She cringed and slid down off his
back.
"Yeah, I figured he would. I just thought he'd wait till I got
back."
"Well, there's also something
you two need to do up here as soon as possible. So I'll catch you when you get back."
"Okay . . . I guess. Hey, are we still on with Jinn and Shiva for
cards tomorrow?"
"As far as I know. We just weren't sure if you'd make it back
in time!"
"Oh, I wouldn't miss
that."
Chocobo waved a wing and vanished in
a flash of green light, drawn back to the Land of Summoned Monsters.
With a sigh, Rydia began her
incantation to Call Leviathan.
As she finished, the sea before her
churned for a moment as the great Sea Serpent broke the surface of the ocean.
"Hello, Leviathan," she
greeted formally.
He nodded.
"Hello, Rydia."
She gritted her teeth, knowing he
wasn't going to make this easy.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper and
made a big scene. And I shouldn't have
Called Bahamut down inside without asking you first."
He nodded again.
"But you're right - you've been
calm all the years you've been with us. I understand that you were frustrated . . . but you have to keep a lid
on things like that. Bahamut has never
taken very kindly to being brought into our land - at times, he's been
downright bitter about it, and he can easily make life very miserable for
us. In fact, I think he would have, if
anyone other than you had Called him."
Rydia frowned.
"Why does it seem he has a
special interest in me?"
Leviathan shrugged, lowering his
head and allowing her to climb onto his back.
"Why do we all? A human has never lived among us, Rydia. You're a very special case for us all. Just be careful not to push your
limits."
She grinned.
"Push my limits? And just what are my limits?"
"You're pushing them right
now."
Laughing, she asked about what Chocobo
had said.
"He told me that there was
something we had to do," she explained.
Leviathan pushed away from the shore
and glided easily through the water, keeping his head and just enough of his
neck to hold Rydia above water. She
sighed and, lulled by the swift and yet gentle motion, finally felt herself
unwind and relax from everything that had taken place. There was a pause before Leviathan answered,
and she just took this moment to look around at the ocean that surrounded them
and reflect.
It was nice to not be running
frantically to save the world. Yet, she
had to admit, she rather enjoyed the thrill of it all. In retrospect.
"Bahamut has left a task for
us. We need to make contact with two
small animals who were released when your friend Cecil destroyed Masters."
"Masters?" she repeated,
blinking, trying to remember exactly how the story they'd told her had
gone. "You mean those two little
white things that helped Kain find Cecil?"
"Yes," Leviathan
replied. "Their race was sealed in
such creatures thousands of years ago by . . . well, by one very sour
Mage. At one point, one of the Masters
was defeated and the two Mogs within were set free, and they set about trying
to resurrect their race. Unfortunately,
they met with an ill fate. No one knew
that there was another of the monsters . . . one would roam the Earth every
thousand years, no one knows how many there are, or what other races may be
sealed within. But now, with the
release of these two, we must meet with them and see what they require."
"Why?" Rydia
inquired. "Why not let them
rebuild their society without us?"
"Because at one point, before
they were sealed, there were certain Mogs which lived among us as Summoned
Monsters. In fact, there was one who
was partnered with Chocobo for a time. Then they broke free to join regular society, and had their run-in with
that very sour Mage."
Rydia was about to say something,
but had the words shocked out of her as they shot into the air.
"Leviathan - I didn't know you
could fly!!"
"I can't," he
replied. "In the same way that
Chocobo can cross the ocean when transporting you, any Summoned Monster can
call on powers that are not their own during a Summon to complete their task. You know that."
Rydia shook her head.
"Yeah . . . I knew that. It just startled me."
"Yes, at one point, it startled
me, too."
After flying for only a moment, they
set down near Mt. Ordeals.
Rydia's first impulse upon seeing
the two Mogs was to gather them up in her arms and cuddle. They reminded her of a stuffed toy she'd had
when she was little. (C'mon – who didn't
have stuffed Mogs when they were little?) But some instinct told her not to tick off these two.
"Kupo kupo!!" one of them
snapped, jumping up and down.
Leviathan glanced at Rydia.
"He wants to know what took us
so long." Turning back to the Mog,
he replied, "We came as fast as we could."
"Kupo kupo?"
"Yes, Cecil's recovered from
fighting Masters."
"Kupo?"
"Yes."
"Kupo kupo kupo?"
"No, I don't think so."
The other stepped forward.
"Kupi kupoppo?"
Leviathan frowned.
"Yes, he's still with us."
"Kupi?"
"No, he doesn't have a new
partner."
"Kupi."
Rydia blinked at the three of them,
having no idea what was going on.
"Rydia," Leviathan
introduced, "these are the creatures Cecil and Kain told you about. They are known as Mogs."
"Kupo kupo!!" came an
angry snap.
Leviathan blinked.
"Hm . . . if you say so."
"Kupi kupoppo!"
"Yes, I know they did! I just didn't know if you felt the same
way."
"Kupo."
"Fine." He shook his head. "Scratch that," he told Rydia. "They no longer wish to be known as
Mogs. Now they are called
Moogles." He frowned again. "They think it's cuter."
"It is," Rydia agreed.
"Kupo!"
"All right," Leviathan
told the Moogle. "They think this
will lead the enemy into a false sense of security, and give them an upper hand
in battles that may come. Battles
which, I might add, I am not waiting around to witness. Let's go, Rydia."
Without objection, she vaulted up
onto his back, and they sped back to the Land of Summoned Monsters.
"They're going to begin their
new village," Leviathan explained. "And they want to be left alone and kept a secret until their
numbers have grown. Do you think your
friends can keep this somewhat quiet?"
"Somewhat," Rydia blandly
answered. "The story's already
been spread throughout the Kingdom."
"Hm. Well . . . no one will find them if they don't want them to."