One more chapter up! I'm on a roll, I didn't expect to get another up so
soon. Not that I'm complaining.
And a note to all Freya fans. Sorry if she seems a little OOC. I haven't really had her in my team during FF9, but I wanted Zidane to meet her, so I've improvised best I could.
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GIZMALUKE'S GROTTO
"Head west? Why didn't I ask which way was west!" Zidane moaned, trudging through the wet plains. He was running out of potions fast after meeting one too many monsters, and he needed to find somewhere to stay.
He'd found the marsh easy enough. Mene was right, there were frogs. He'd picked one up; deciding that if he got hungry enough, it might be useful. Just then, a strange white blob dressed in pink had ambushed him, waving a fork. Screaming, Zidane had dropped the frog and ran as fast as his legs could carry he. Now he lost. And to make things worse, it had started raining.
Zidane stamped his foot, and looked round. Somehow he didn't think Lindblum was around here. He couldn't even see the sea any more. All there was was a cliff, some grass, a door cut into the cliff, some bushes . . . wait a sec!
The young thief did a double take. Sure enough, there was a door! Finally his luck was looking up. Hastily avoiding a monster ready to jump him, he ran to the door.
* * *
When he entered the chamber, he hastily shook himself dry, and looked round. There were markings on the wall, and a small room to the right. But another door seemed to be the centrepiece.
Walking towards it, he couldn't find a handle, so pushed as hard as possible. The thing didn't even move. So he tried knocking. But nothing happened; the bell on the door didn't even budge.
Sighing, he headed towards the small room. Maybe there was something there. Some food at least.
* * *
His hopes weren't in vain. The room was obviously a storage area, and soon he was eating his fill.
"Burmecian . . . munch . . . bakery . . . chomp" slobbered Zidane, reading the box's label. "Nice . . . mmph."
As he moved another box towards him, another box that had been balancing on top, crashed down, creating an out-of-tune jangle. He didn't notice it then, but the bell on the door broke seconds afterwards.
Swallowing the last mouthful of pastry, Zidane moved to the box, and lifted it upright. The lid had been loosened in the fall, and the young boy gasped at the contents.
It was filled with bells. They were pretty big to the boy, but he didn't need to be a thief to recognise quality. They were finely crafted, and covered in ornate markings of strange creatures in unusual robes.
A strange sound drew his attention away from the bells. Running to the entrance of the room, he realised the other door had unlocked, and was opening thanks to a draft coming through the cliff entrance.
Smiling, Zidane took his bag, and started loading the bells, taking care not to crush the food he'd already stolen. Now he had somewhere to go . . .
* * *
Zidane's jaw dropped open, and remained so for a good few minutes as his body ran behind walls and statues, hiding from the inhabitants of the cave.
The room had been impressive enough, and there were few inside, but those that were, looked like large white rats!
'So I wasn't imagining things' Zidane thought. 'I DID see rats crossing the plains just before I entered Treno. They must be Burmecians.'
Just then, Zidane heard a cry come from the entrance. As most of the burmecians ran towards the door, Zidane seized his chance, and ran out, looking for an exit.
* * *
Lady Freya and Sir Fratley of the Burmecian Dragon Knights were near the entrance to Gizmaluke's Grotto, so naturally were two of the first to reach the Burmecian who had cried out. She was standing outside the storage chamber, her face frozen.
"Nina, what's wrong?" asked Freya, standing by her friend.
"I . . . I was only gone a minute" the Burmecian stuttered. "When I got back, the . . . the . . ."
"The what? What has happened" persisted Fratley.
"The Holy Bells are gone!" Nina cried.
Whispers erupted through the Burmecians that had followed. The Holy Bells were the keys in both the grotto and Burmecia. If they were stolen, many were locked out, and the thief responsible could get anywhere!
"He cannot have gone far," Fratley said to the crowd. "It is most likely he went outside. Guard the doors, and search outside. Freya and myself will search the chamber."
Normally the Burmecians would have been annoyed at being ordered around, but Fratley was a highly respected Dragon Knight, and this was an emergency.
"Well Freya" he started. "Let's check inside."
Freya nodded, and jumped over the remaining Burmecians, and into the hall.
* * *
"Open, Open, OPEN!" shouted Zidane, slamming himself against the door. He hadn't figured out how the last door had opened, and unfortunately, all the doors in the place were in the exact same make.
Just then, he heard voices. The Burmecians were coming back through. Whirling his head round, he darted behind a statue, not noticing the bell hanging from his bag.
* * *
"None of the doors have been opened. That means he is either outside, or in this room" Freya stated.
"We must check everywhere Freya. He or she could easily be hiding" answered Fratley.
As the two started searching the room, Zidane had to run from alcove to shadow, just to keep out of sight. However, on a planned leap, the bell, that had been desperately hanging in, fell from his bag, clanging at his feet, surprising the thief mid dash, making him crash into plain sight.
* * *
Freya's head whirled at the sound of the crash. Near the three doors that entered into the next room, a small figure lay by a shattered bell. He had a mop of long blonde hair, way past his shoulders, and a tail, which was definitely unusual in Freya's book. Humans did not have tails. At least none she'd met.
Seconds later, the main door's bell shattered also. This time, Zidane spotted it.
'So that's how it works' he realised. The Burmecians were almost on him, but slowly advancing, believing he was hurt. Their mistake.
Mustering all the speed he had left, Zidane jumped up, and bolted to the newly opened door, and, before the two Dragon Knights had realised what had happened, ran inside.
* * *
"Its just a child!" exclaimed Freya.
"Yes. But still, we have to catch him" Fratley supplied.
Freya nodded.
"I shall alert those outside. Freya, I'm sure you can apprehend him yourself."
"Of course I can, Sir Fratley."
Fratley smiled. "You know I asked you to just call me Fratley" he said, and jumped out of the chamber, leaving Freya alone. Smiling, the Burmecian ran through the door.
* * *
When she entered, she gasped in shock. Apparently the boy had figured out how to use the bells. The left door was open, and that led to . . .
"Master Gizmaluke!" she gasped, and raced to the door.
* * *
"Jeez, this room could use some work" muttered Zidane. He didn't really have time to sight see, but after the last three rooms, he was a little surprised at the décor of the last. It was green, but mainly filled with water. However, the tiles on the ground were starting to crack. Along a pathway over the water, there was . . .
"The exit!" he shouted, and sprinted towards it. However, as he ran towards the door, he tripped on an upturned tile, and went flying across the ground. Again.
As the bells in his bag stopped jangling, Freya reached the door. Groaning, he lifted himself up, only to nearly lose his balance again, when the chamber shook. Suddenly, a huge creature lifted itself out of the water, obviously maddened.
'Master Gizmaluke' thought Freya. 'He must have heard the bells.'
* * *
The creature's eyes scanned the room, and finally locked onto the tailed boy. Screeching, he dived into the water, creating a tidal wave over the path, and slamming the boy into the water, ignoring Freya's cries.
* * *
As Zidane slowly began to black out after the impact, his eyes caught a strange coloured blur above him, swimming to catch up.
'The big guy must be comin' to finish me off' he thought. 'I guess, this is it . . ."
To be continued . . .
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Yes! My best cliffhanger yet! Next up, Burmecia obviously!
Just a note. My friend (and loyal reviewer) Ravyn Crescent, has started writing a great 'original' fanfic called 'Predator turned Prey' about a half human, half cat hybrid called Hunter. However, it's gotten very few reviews. Knowing how frustrating it is to write something original, yet have no one read it, I'm asking you to check it out. Anyway, R&R!
And a note to all Freya fans. Sorry if she seems a little OOC. I haven't really had her in my team during FF9, but I wanted Zidane to meet her, so I've improvised best I could.
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GIZMALUKE'S GROTTO
"Head west? Why didn't I ask which way was west!" Zidane moaned, trudging through the wet plains. He was running out of potions fast after meeting one too many monsters, and he needed to find somewhere to stay.
He'd found the marsh easy enough. Mene was right, there were frogs. He'd picked one up; deciding that if he got hungry enough, it might be useful. Just then, a strange white blob dressed in pink had ambushed him, waving a fork. Screaming, Zidane had dropped the frog and ran as fast as his legs could carry he. Now he lost. And to make things worse, it had started raining.
Zidane stamped his foot, and looked round. Somehow he didn't think Lindblum was around here. He couldn't even see the sea any more. All there was was a cliff, some grass, a door cut into the cliff, some bushes . . . wait a sec!
The young thief did a double take. Sure enough, there was a door! Finally his luck was looking up. Hastily avoiding a monster ready to jump him, he ran to the door.
* * *
When he entered the chamber, he hastily shook himself dry, and looked round. There were markings on the wall, and a small room to the right. But another door seemed to be the centrepiece.
Walking towards it, he couldn't find a handle, so pushed as hard as possible. The thing didn't even move. So he tried knocking. But nothing happened; the bell on the door didn't even budge.
Sighing, he headed towards the small room. Maybe there was something there. Some food at least.
* * *
His hopes weren't in vain. The room was obviously a storage area, and soon he was eating his fill.
"Burmecian . . . munch . . . bakery . . . chomp" slobbered Zidane, reading the box's label. "Nice . . . mmph."
As he moved another box towards him, another box that had been balancing on top, crashed down, creating an out-of-tune jangle. He didn't notice it then, but the bell on the door broke seconds afterwards.
Swallowing the last mouthful of pastry, Zidane moved to the box, and lifted it upright. The lid had been loosened in the fall, and the young boy gasped at the contents.
It was filled with bells. They were pretty big to the boy, but he didn't need to be a thief to recognise quality. They were finely crafted, and covered in ornate markings of strange creatures in unusual robes.
A strange sound drew his attention away from the bells. Running to the entrance of the room, he realised the other door had unlocked, and was opening thanks to a draft coming through the cliff entrance.
Smiling, Zidane took his bag, and started loading the bells, taking care not to crush the food he'd already stolen. Now he had somewhere to go . . .
* * *
Zidane's jaw dropped open, and remained so for a good few minutes as his body ran behind walls and statues, hiding from the inhabitants of the cave.
The room had been impressive enough, and there were few inside, but those that were, looked like large white rats!
'So I wasn't imagining things' Zidane thought. 'I DID see rats crossing the plains just before I entered Treno. They must be Burmecians.'
Just then, Zidane heard a cry come from the entrance. As most of the burmecians ran towards the door, Zidane seized his chance, and ran out, looking for an exit.
* * *
Lady Freya and Sir Fratley of the Burmecian Dragon Knights were near the entrance to Gizmaluke's Grotto, so naturally were two of the first to reach the Burmecian who had cried out. She was standing outside the storage chamber, her face frozen.
"Nina, what's wrong?" asked Freya, standing by her friend.
"I . . . I was only gone a minute" the Burmecian stuttered. "When I got back, the . . . the . . ."
"The what? What has happened" persisted Fratley.
"The Holy Bells are gone!" Nina cried.
Whispers erupted through the Burmecians that had followed. The Holy Bells were the keys in both the grotto and Burmecia. If they were stolen, many were locked out, and the thief responsible could get anywhere!
"He cannot have gone far," Fratley said to the crowd. "It is most likely he went outside. Guard the doors, and search outside. Freya and myself will search the chamber."
Normally the Burmecians would have been annoyed at being ordered around, but Fratley was a highly respected Dragon Knight, and this was an emergency.
"Well Freya" he started. "Let's check inside."
Freya nodded, and jumped over the remaining Burmecians, and into the hall.
* * *
"Open, Open, OPEN!" shouted Zidane, slamming himself against the door. He hadn't figured out how the last door had opened, and unfortunately, all the doors in the place were in the exact same make.
Just then, he heard voices. The Burmecians were coming back through. Whirling his head round, he darted behind a statue, not noticing the bell hanging from his bag.
* * *
"None of the doors have been opened. That means he is either outside, or in this room" Freya stated.
"We must check everywhere Freya. He or she could easily be hiding" answered Fratley.
As the two started searching the room, Zidane had to run from alcove to shadow, just to keep out of sight. However, on a planned leap, the bell, that had been desperately hanging in, fell from his bag, clanging at his feet, surprising the thief mid dash, making him crash into plain sight.
* * *
Freya's head whirled at the sound of the crash. Near the three doors that entered into the next room, a small figure lay by a shattered bell. He had a mop of long blonde hair, way past his shoulders, and a tail, which was definitely unusual in Freya's book. Humans did not have tails. At least none she'd met.
Seconds later, the main door's bell shattered also. This time, Zidane spotted it.
'So that's how it works' he realised. The Burmecians were almost on him, but slowly advancing, believing he was hurt. Their mistake.
Mustering all the speed he had left, Zidane jumped up, and bolted to the newly opened door, and, before the two Dragon Knights had realised what had happened, ran inside.
* * *
"Its just a child!" exclaimed Freya.
"Yes. But still, we have to catch him" Fratley supplied.
Freya nodded.
"I shall alert those outside. Freya, I'm sure you can apprehend him yourself."
"Of course I can, Sir Fratley."
Fratley smiled. "You know I asked you to just call me Fratley" he said, and jumped out of the chamber, leaving Freya alone. Smiling, the Burmecian ran through the door.
* * *
When she entered, she gasped in shock. Apparently the boy had figured out how to use the bells. The left door was open, and that led to . . .
"Master Gizmaluke!" she gasped, and raced to the door.
* * *
"Jeez, this room could use some work" muttered Zidane. He didn't really have time to sight see, but after the last three rooms, he was a little surprised at the décor of the last. It was green, but mainly filled with water. However, the tiles on the ground were starting to crack. Along a pathway over the water, there was . . .
"The exit!" he shouted, and sprinted towards it. However, as he ran towards the door, he tripped on an upturned tile, and went flying across the ground. Again.
As the bells in his bag stopped jangling, Freya reached the door. Groaning, he lifted himself up, only to nearly lose his balance again, when the chamber shook. Suddenly, a huge creature lifted itself out of the water, obviously maddened.
'Master Gizmaluke' thought Freya. 'He must have heard the bells.'
* * *
The creature's eyes scanned the room, and finally locked onto the tailed boy. Screeching, he dived into the water, creating a tidal wave over the path, and slamming the boy into the water, ignoring Freya's cries.
* * *
As Zidane slowly began to black out after the impact, his eyes caught a strange coloured blur above him, swimming to catch up.
'The big guy must be comin' to finish me off' he thought. 'I guess, this is it . . ."
To be continued . . .
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Yes! My best cliffhanger yet! Next up, Burmecia obviously!
Just a note. My friend (and loyal reviewer) Ravyn Crescent, has started writing a great 'original' fanfic called 'Predator turned Prey' about a half human, half cat hybrid called Hunter. However, it's gotten very few reviews. Knowing how frustrating it is to write something original, yet have no one read it, I'm asking you to check it out. Anyway, R&R!