Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX. Squaresoft does. If I did own it,
I would be filthy rich and wouldn't need to be writing these stories....
The Fiends hovered above each of the cities. They were waiting for the signal. They would all attack at once. No warnings. No sympathy. Destruction, only destruction. They followed their Master's will.
'Now.' Radali spoke into their minds. Each nodded, a lifeless doll, and plunged into the cities.
"Now." Kuja floated in the stratosphere, calling forth Ultima to his hands. His hair lost it's silver glint, and gained the blood red hues of Trance. His tail flicked back and forth changing also to crimson. Ultima was preparing itself for it's final show. Behind him, the twin moons were forcing themselves into an eclipse. Kuja raised his hands high over his head.
"Act Three."
Below, the city of Alexandria was in turmoil. The black-winged incarnate of evil dropped from the clouds as a blazing comet. His wings spread just before he landed, flicking the heat from his body onto the surrounding houses and shops. People screamed again, and this time Zidane kept his son safe at home. Bearing the Ultima Weapon before him, he settled himself down into a battle stance. The creature's hands twitched with bloodlust, and he charged for the Genome.
Zidane raised his sword over his head, completely oblivious to the world around him.
one.....two.....three.....four.....
He counted in his head, keeping time with the battle. He outlined his moves with grace and planned manuervering. training had given him a focusing point, and didn't dare lose his place in his counting.
one...two...three...four...
The battle picked up pace; parry, parry, dodge, cut. Zidane's dance of weaponry became a struggle for balance as the creature lunged in and weaved out of his reach constantly. Parry, parry, dodge, cut.
one..two..three..four..
Things were getting out of hand. The monster was following his moves with perfect timing. desperate, Zidane picked up the pace more, fearing he would stumble, but wanting to win. He and the creature were now a blur of gold and black and red. His Ultima Weapon was dancing in his hands, singing to him for blood and death, but it would not have a reprieve just yet.
onetwothreefouronetwothreefouronetwothreeFOUR
Caught up in the dance of survival, Zidane's footwork caught up with the Fiend's and he drove his blade hard into the body of the evil creation. Farther and farther in, the silvery blue blade shot out of the thing's midsection. Zidane's blood was boiling now, and the Fiend caught a gleam in his opponent's eyes. Slowly, very slowly, Zidane drew his now-red weapon from the creature's stomach. Blood began to spill violently, and the demon's face became a distorted mask of many emotions: Premonition, Fear, Anger, Hatred, Sorrow, why? WHY?
He screeched as he clawed at his stomach, trying to ease the pain by killing himself. Rid himself of it, oh, that sick feeling. These things made no sense, he came to deal the same death he was now gaining and giving himself. The blade came out a centimeter more. He begged the king of Alexandria, begged for a death, but the Genome didn't listen.
Another centimeter. Little by painstaking little. Slow torture, blood. The blade was all that was supporting the creature now. Bits of flesh and hot, sweet blood poured down to make a lake at his feet. Organs and digestive fluids littered the ground, but Zidane would pay no heed.
"Just a little more now. Shh." He smiled wickedly at the monster.
"Stop it! Stop it now! PLEASE!" The demon screamed and spat blood in Zidane's direction. It missed, but it was the thought that counted. Zidane suddenly tensed his muscles and jerked, a fast, fluid motion that gained him a small gasp of suprise followed by a wet thud as the monster collapsed into the river of it's own blood.
Zidane was breathing heavily now. He forced himself to come down out of his Trance-hungry reverie, to save it for when they would need it. Finally, the dullness came out of his eyes and his heart went back to it's regular pulse. He turned back to gaze at the ruined homes, but at least it wouldn't take long to repair. Tired and weak, he struggled to get himself to an inn, where he collapsed gratefully.
A grinning teenager with a shimmering waterfall of violet hair raised the Angel Flute to her lips and began playing a forbidding song. The dark angel shuddered and looked up. The sky was dark and lightning treatened to strike. A demon that vaguely resembled a gargoyle, like the ones that sat forever in stone in Kuja's desert palace, rode the winds and bore down upon Fiend 2. Taken by suprise, the creature squirmed under Madeen screeching and struggling to get his wings out from under him. He slashed out with his claws violently, catching the eidolon across the eye. Madeen hissed, clutching at it's wound and losing its balance.
The young woman swung her flute low and hard over and over, knocking the Fiend unconcious.
"What...." Eiko gasped, "...was that?"
Eiko Carol bent down and prodded at it with her flute. Satisfied, she grabbed it by the shoulders and rolled it onto it's back. She leaned in for a closer look.
The demon screamed and grabbed Eiko by the throat. It's arm wrapped around her slender neck thoughtfully, as if debating how to strangle her. Eiko shrieked and bit at it's hand, further angering the winged creature. It traced it's claws back and forth along the flesh of her neck, contemplating how long to let her squirm.
It contemplated one moment too long. A Firaga spell hit it from behind, knocking him off balance. Eiko bit hard on her captor's arm, making the demon withdraw it's arm in pain. Then, enraged, Eiko proceded to stomp it to near-death. Vivi appeared behind her, blushing. When she was done, the young summoner threw her arms around the black mage, laughing.
"And I'm here with those kids again because...?"
"Amarant! It's not that bad."
"Whatever."
Freya sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. She couldn't believe she had left Burmecia for this, but credits were due. Amarant did make things interesting. She heard the red-haired man chuckle. It was just another calm night in Treno. For now. The Dragon Knight heard a faint swooping and looked up. Above was a giant bird... no, some sort of winged creature but not a bird. It was....
The building behind her erupted to flames. Amarant pushed the Burmecian to the ground with him to escape the imploding glass and flammables within. When they regained their footing, she hefted her Dragon's Hair as Amarant did his Rune Claws and charged the thing. It saw their advance and parried with it's huge claws. They both pushed it back, attempting to overpower it, but with a burst of the dark wings, they were suddenly on the floor again. This was something neither of the two cared to tango with, and opted for a quick battle. Amarant felt himself pushing farther and farther toward his limits. Freya launched herself into the air.
The next onslaught was quick and concise. As a diversion of attention as well as an attack, Freya dropped from the sky spear first. The Fiend dodged enough that the brnt of the attack went to his shoulder, but the spearhead was well-embedded in the flesh. Amarant charged with a Demi Shock blow to the gut, and succeeded. The demon was thrown into the bilding.
"Let's have an old-fashioned barbecue!"
"I love it when you're devious, Freya."
Amarant fetched some of the airship's supply of gasoline (since Mist no longer could power them) and tossed it into the auction house. It flared up brightly before shortly reducing the building to ashes.
"Now I see why they call you the Flaming Amarant."
The rest of the cities that were to be bombarded still held up, however badly burnt. Mikoto was adept at sensing things like this, and had warned the others in time to destroy the Fiends. Kuja didn't care. It was only a diversion. Now was the time for Terra to come to the surface. The cursed souls of the other world below Gaia would come forth and take their bodies among the experimental Genomes. And Lila with them. He was doing exactly what he would've done, this was his Fate, his destiny.
"It begins."
Ulitma fell to Gaia in fuschia comets. Instead of destroying the planet, it covered it in a thick layer of power. It seeped into the soil and water, down through to the forgotten world. Gaia began to tremble. The planet was splitting into pieces. Soon, it would all sink.
'Clever boy.'
"What?" Kuja looked around, but no one was with him in the air. He heard a chuckle within his mind, "Garland?"
'Thank you. For carrying out my plans. It seems my dog has bitten me, but not turned away.'
Kuja floated, stupefied. What was he talking about?
A pair of thin, frail arms clasped him from the side. A child's laughter. Concerned green eyes.
"Kuja!"
Author's Note: I do so love cliffhangers! SORRY SORRY SORRY! I promised myself I wouldn't let my story drift to the second page..... and it did. The long awaited Chapter 7 is finally here though! I hope you had as much enjoyment reading it as I had in writing it. Please review if you haven't already!
The Fiends hovered above each of the cities. They were waiting for the signal. They would all attack at once. No warnings. No sympathy. Destruction, only destruction. They followed their Master's will.
'Now.' Radali spoke into their minds. Each nodded, a lifeless doll, and plunged into the cities.
"Now." Kuja floated in the stratosphere, calling forth Ultima to his hands. His hair lost it's silver glint, and gained the blood red hues of Trance. His tail flicked back and forth changing also to crimson. Ultima was preparing itself for it's final show. Behind him, the twin moons were forcing themselves into an eclipse. Kuja raised his hands high over his head.
"Act Three."
Below, the city of Alexandria was in turmoil. The black-winged incarnate of evil dropped from the clouds as a blazing comet. His wings spread just before he landed, flicking the heat from his body onto the surrounding houses and shops. People screamed again, and this time Zidane kept his son safe at home. Bearing the Ultima Weapon before him, he settled himself down into a battle stance. The creature's hands twitched with bloodlust, and he charged for the Genome.
Zidane raised his sword over his head, completely oblivious to the world around him.
one.....two.....three.....four.....
He counted in his head, keeping time with the battle. He outlined his moves with grace and planned manuervering. training had given him a focusing point, and didn't dare lose his place in his counting.
one...two...three...four...
The battle picked up pace; parry, parry, dodge, cut. Zidane's dance of weaponry became a struggle for balance as the creature lunged in and weaved out of his reach constantly. Parry, parry, dodge, cut.
one..two..three..four..
Things were getting out of hand. The monster was following his moves with perfect timing. desperate, Zidane picked up the pace more, fearing he would stumble, but wanting to win. He and the creature were now a blur of gold and black and red. His Ultima Weapon was dancing in his hands, singing to him for blood and death, but it would not have a reprieve just yet.
onetwothreefouronetwothreefouronetwothreeFOUR
Caught up in the dance of survival, Zidane's footwork caught up with the Fiend's and he drove his blade hard into the body of the evil creation. Farther and farther in, the silvery blue blade shot out of the thing's midsection. Zidane's blood was boiling now, and the Fiend caught a gleam in his opponent's eyes. Slowly, very slowly, Zidane drew his now-red weapon from the creature's stomach. Blood began to spill violently, and the demon's face became a distorted mask of many emotions: Premonition, Fear, Anger, Hatred, Sorrow, why? WHY?
He screeched as he clawed at his stomach, trying to ease the pain by killing himself. Rid himself of it, oh, that sick feeling. These things made no sense, he came to deal the same death he was now gaining and giving himself. The blade came out a centimeter more. He begged the king of Alexandria, begged for a death, but the Genome didn't listen.
Another centimeter. Little by painstaking little. Slow torture, blood. The blade was all that was supporting the creature now. Bits of flesh and hot, sweet blood poured down to make a lake at his feet. Organs and digestive fluids littered the ground, but Zidane would pay no heed.
"Just a little more now. Shh." He smiled wickedly at the monster.
"Stop it! Stop it now! PLEASE!" The demon screamed and spat blood in Zidane's direction. It missed, but it was the thought that counted. Zidane suddenly tensed his muscles and jerked, a fast, fluid motion that gained him a small gasp of suprise followed by a wet thud as the monster collapsed into the river of it's own blood.
Zidane was breathing heavily now. He forced himself to come down out of his Trance-hungry reverie, to save it for when they would need it. Finally, the dullness came out of his eyes and his heart went back to it's regular pulse. He turned back to gaze at the ruined homes, but at least it wouldn't take long to repair. Tired and weak, he struggled to get himself to an inn, where he collapsed gratefully.
A grinning teenager with a shimmering waterfall of violet hair raised the Angel Flute to her lips and began playing a forbidding song. The dark angel shuddered and looked up. The sky was dark and lightning treatened to strike. A demon that vaguely resembled a gargoyle, like the ones that sat forever in stone in Kuja's desert palace, rode the winds and bore down upon Fiend 2. Taken by suprise, the creature squirmed under Madeen screeching and struggling to get his wings out from under him. He slashed out with his claws violently, catching the eidolon across the eye. Madeen hissed, clutching at it's wound and losing its balance.
The young woman swung her flute low and hard over and over, knocking the Fiend unconcious.
"What...." Eiko gasped, "...was that?"
Eiko Carol bent down and prodded at it with her flute. Satisfied, she grabbed it by the shoulders and rolled it onto it's back. She leaned in for a closer look.
The demon screamed and grabbed Eiko by the throat. It's arm wrapped around her slender neck thoughtfully, as if debating how to strangle her. Eiko shrieked and bit at it's hand, further angering the winged creature. It traced it's claws back and forth along the flesh of her neck, contemplating how long to let her squirm.
It contemplated one moment too long. A Firaga spell hit it from behind, knocking him off balance. Eiko bit hard on her captor's arm, making the demon withdraw it's arm in pain. Then, enraged, Eiko proceded to stomp it to near-death. Vivi appeared behind her, blushing. When she was done, the young summoner threw her arms around the black mage, laughing.
"And I'm here with those kids again because...?"
"Amarant! It's not that bad."
"Whatever."
Freya sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. She couldn't believe she had left Burmecia for this, but credits were due. Amarant did make things interesting. She heard the red-haired man chuckle. It was just another calm night in Treno. For now. The Dragon Knight heard a faint swooping and looked up. Above was a giant bird... no, some sort of winged creature but not a bird. It was....
The building behind her erupted to flames. Amarant pushed the Burmecian to the ground with him to escape the imploding glass and flammables within. When they regained their footing, she hefted her Dragon's Hair as Amarant did his Rune Claws and charged the thing. It saw their advance and parried with it's huge claws. They both pushed it back, attempting to overpower it, but with a burst of the dark wings, they were suddenly on the floor again. This was something neither of the two cared to tango with, and opted for a quick battle. Amarant felt himself pushing farther and farther toward his limits. Freya launched herself into the air.
The next onslaught was quick and concise. As a diversion of attention as well as an attack, Freya dropped from the sky spear first. The Fiend dodged enough that the brnt of the attack went to his shoulder, but the spearhead was well-embedded in the flesh. Amarant charged with a Demi Shock blow to the gut, and succeeded. The demon was thrown into the bilding.
"Let's have an old-fashioned barbecue!"
"I love it when you're devious, Freya."
Amarant fetched some of the airship's supply of gasoline (since Mist no longer could power them) and tossed it into the auction house. It flared up brightly before shortly reducing the building to ashes.
"Now I see why they call you the Flaming Amarant."
The rest of the cities that were to be bombarded still held up, however badly burnt. Mikoto was adept at sensing things like this, and had warned the others in time to destroy the Fiends. Kuja didn't care. It was only a diversion. Now was the time for Terra to come to the surface. The cursed souls of the other world below Gaia would come forth and take their bodies among the experimental Genomes. And Lila with them. He was doing exactly what he would've done, this was his Fate, his destiny.
"It begins."
Ulitma fell to Gaia in fuschia comets. Instead of destroying the planet, it covered it in a thick layer of power. It seeped into the soil and water, down through to the forgotten world. Gaia began to tremble. The planet was splitting into pieces. Soon, it would all sink.
'Clever boy.'
"What?" Kuja looked around, but no one was with him in the air. He heard a chuckle within his mind, "Garland?"
'Thank you. For carrying out my plans. It seems my dog has bitten me, but not turned away.'
Kuja floated, stupefied. What was he talking about?
A pair of thin, frail arms clasped him from the side. A child's laughter. Concerned green eyes.
"Kuja!"
Author's Note: I do so love cliffhangers! SORRY SORRY SORRY! I promised myself I wouldn't let my story drift to the second page..... and it did. The long awaited Chapter 7 is finally here though! I hope you had as much enjoyment reading it as I had in writing it. Please review if you haven't already!