Note and disclaimer: "Final Fantasy, Zenosaga, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Secret of Mana" are all properties of Squaresoft. Evangelion belongs to Gainax. All the rest, well... to their respective owners... I'm sorry, but it can get crazy at times I tend to lose track of who is popping in and out...
The World is Square
The End of a Quest - part one
Lynx:"You are pathetic! You expect me to believe you!"
He turned his back on the two men, then shot them a look of contempt from over his right shoulder.
Lynx:"You, the one with the tail. You don't look like a squire. No, the clothing you wear suggests something of a privelaged youth... and your friend, the 'knight' here... he's too small for the armor you claim as yours."
Maak:"Then you say these two are theives?"
Lynx:"...I think these two are out here in search of a good time. Maybe stealing from sleeping guards is their idea of fun."
Zidane:"Just so ya know, the 'knight' we attacked was awake. We took him on, and we bested him..."
Locke:"Shut up, Zidane!"
Lynx:"So, you're a couple of big boys... killed your first knight. Impressive! This calls for a celebration."
Lynx tosses back his dark purple cloak, lifting his left hand out towards the young adventurers palm side up. He takes his hand into a fist and, with a slight struggle, pulls his arm low at his side. As he does this, the wind around his arm seems to part and tug like a vacuum. In that vacuum the spark of magic begins to flow. It forms in a ball of red and orange with flashes of white sparks.
Tor and Maak look at each other then look back at Lynx.
Tor:"Are you centain this is..."
Tor didn't have time to finish his sentence... Lynx lifted the ball of fire over his head and hurled it towards Zidane without so much as a thought. Immediately, Tor and Maak leaped into action, Tor slams his right fist into Locke's chin and Maak circles around Zidane, the flames from the fireball only warming Maak's scaley hide. Locke staggered back from the blow, shook it off, and readied a yellow wide-bladed knife in his right hand. His left hand held a surprise... a little yellow ball that, when it strikes its target, bursts and unleashes a powerful explosion of lightning magic. Tor sneers at his opponent... he lets loose a gutteral growl, shaking the nerves of the young Locke. Tor charges headfirst into Locke's chest, knocking him back. Locke dropps the Lightning ball he was holding and falls back into a rock, bending himself backwards over it. The lightning ball erupts hitting both Tor and Locke with its power. Locke is knocked out by the blast. Tor is thorwn back but lands on his feet. Tor turns around just in time to see Maak tackle Zidane from behind. As they fall to the ground, a smirk crosses Zidane's face as Maak dissapears from reality.
Maak is standing alone in a space of black. A dim spotlight from an unseen lightsource lights the ground surrounding the large reptile. An arc of lightning lights up a newly-formed sky of turmulous clouds. Now seen is the landscape, a land of harsh mountains surround the valley which in Maak now stands, looking around half in awe and half in horror. Almost immediately afterward, the clouds tear apart, spinning out of the way of the long, huge spear that came hurdling down towards a terrified Maak. He looks up in time to see the spear slam into him.
Flashing back into reality, Maak's body lay in back of Zidane, blood pouring out of the lizard's mouth forming a pool in which the lizard now lies. Zidane pops the top off of a healing potion and gulps it down, healing the burns he sustained a few moments ago. Seera, who had been standing back all this time rushed to the fallen reptile, hoping to get to him in time to heal his wounds. Lynx gathered his magical energies once again and this time it was Zidane who blinked out of reality.
Zidane knew this feeling. The feeling of being alone in a dark, empty, cold world devoid of all distractions. This is the plane of existence that all who are the target of a summon spell go to recieve their punishment. Once inside, the target cannot defend himself, he cannot do anything to stop what is about to happen. This realm is the construct of the deities or guardian forces. Everything in it is theirs to control. Zidane spins around, looking for a clue, no matter how futile of an act it may be, for what may come at him... to find out who's realm this is. His answer comes to him with a pair of glowing purple eyes. First, only one set. Then two, three, six, twelve, and so on until it is pointless to attempt to count them all. They come at him directly, rushing like a wind of needles, with a howling that announces their feline intent. Left and right, the beasts tear at the flesh and bone of Zidane, who stands upright and helpless against the onslaught. He looks upon his skin, which is now stripped like a tiger with the deep red gashes inflicted upon him. He has enough time to fall to his knees before blood explodes out of those wounds forcing a cry of pain echoed by a mocking howl from the storm of cats.
Flashing back into reality, Zidane scrambles back, falling to the ground, his arms wrapped around his abdomen as if he was attempting to hold in his innards. He curls into a ball on his left side, breathing deeply, and pats himself down noticing that the scratches were all just part of the magic and that he is once again whole.
Tor and Seera encircle Zidane with Lynx standing at the fallen theif's feet. Zidane hops to his feet, looking to continue his match with Lynx, but when he notices that he is surrounded by the monk and the priest... he takes a knee and surrenders.
Lynx:"Tor, bind him. Seera, revive Maak."
Seera:"If I revive him here, I won't have enough magic to heal us later. Shouldn't I wait until we get into a town first?"
Lynx:"We don't need everyone to be burdened with carrying someone. If we are attacked, we will not be in a position to much of anything, let alone heal. Do it now."
Seera:"Yes sir."
Seera casts a Life spell on Maak. She is still a young priestess, and being a priestess of the Black dragon does not grant her the power to revive others lightly. It drains her energy physically and mentally to call upon such powers, leaving her virtually defenseless for the few hours left before they entered the city of Treno.
Maak awakens to find his party gathering up the wounded Zidane and the stolen merchandise, preparing to set out to the next town. Lynx is showing off a few pieces of elemental magic to Zidane, warning him not to run away. Zidane is allowed to walk with the group, although his hands are bound behind him and he is followed closely by Tor and Seera. Maak carries the armor, looks at the former owner on the ground, still unconcious from the lightning ball and the fight with Tor, and then looks towards Lynx.
Maak:"Shouldn't we do something about him?"
Lynx:"What's there to do? You want to finish him off? We don't have any way of healing him and we cannot afford to carry anymore dead weight; leave him."
Maak:"I don't know if that is wise..."
Lynx interrupts impatiently:"Leave him!"
The small group plus one head to the north, into the mountains to the town of eternal darkness, Treno.
As they enter the bustling city forever trapped in night by some powerful spell inflicted upon the town hundreds of years ago for some reason unknown to even the best of the city's historians, Tor and Seera exchange looks of tension.
Seera:"He's here isn't he?"
Tor:"Yes. The son of mine and my first wife, Gara."
Seera:"Will you see him?"
Tor:"He may not even know me. He hasn't seen me since she died. Besides, I sent him away. I don't think that he would even want to look at me."
Seera:"You sent him to live a better life. He knows that. It's not like you did a bad thing."
Tor:"I sent him away because he was a reminder of her. I counldn't bear seeing her in his eyes."
Seera:"He did look like her. But, maybe after all these years, you could just sit and talk. It's been 6 years, I bet he's grown up alot and matured."
Tor:"We need to get a room for the night. We shouldn't bother ourselves with my past mistakes now."