Amarant headed through a couple busy streets, the racket of
construction work filling his ears. Everywhere around him, people worked
dilligently to restore the ruins of their homes and businesses. As he
headed into the main square, a small child ran right into his legs, almost
knocking him over.
"...Watch it kid..." Amarant said to the child.
"S..s..so sorry sir...Uhm...uhm...i'll be going now!" The kid responded, and dashed away. Amarant shook his head and stepped into the inn.
* * *
"Great..." Zidane muttered, in response to Freya's report.
"That worthless filth! And don't you go defending him either!" Steiner said angrily, pointing at Zidane, throwing his usual air to the wind.
"Woah. Calm down Rusty...It's not like he's the deciding factor in saving the world or anything. Don't worry about it. Besides that, noone really even got a chance to tell him." Zidane said assuringly to Steiner.
"What're the chances he would've come anyway?" Steiner said under his breath. Noone heard him though, for at that moment, the airship's engines had started up, and everyone rushed into the craft.
* * *
The moment Amarant stepped in, he instantly saw her. She sat upon one of the chairs, holding a large battle axe within her hands, her red hair flowing over her shoulders. He also noticed the inn-keeper staring nervously at the axe.
"Hmmm...Figured you would've been here."
"Hey there Red. Ready?" Lani said as she stood up, balancing the axe handle upon her shoulder. Amarant however, said nothing, and walked out the door.
"I'll take that as a yes..." Lani said to noone in particular, as she dashed out the door after him.
* * *
Zidane leaned over the railing of the airship, holding out his hands and allowing them to cut through the clouds. Vivi's children had flanked him, also staring in wonder at the clouds. Their father however, remained in the cabin.
"Say...I can't really recall your guy's names...what were they again?" Zidane asked the children, trying to cover up for the fact that noone had really bothered to tell him.
"I'm Pao!" One of the children piped up. "And this is Mark, Devin, Rei, Barin, and Enkidou!" Pao pointed to each of them in turn.
"Enkidou...that name seems familiar..." Zidane thought aloud.
"Enkidou isn't a black mage like the rest of us. He specalizes in Blue Magic instead." Mark proclaimed.
"Blue Magic? Isn't that what Quina uses?" Zidane continued to think aloud.
"I however, am not the only non-black mage here. Pao is very skilled in the ways of healing magicks and sorcery." Enkidou stated.
"This is quite interesting...I never knew you guys could learn anything other than black magic...anything else you guys can do that's special?"
"I can conjur up illusions of the mind and body. I do not know a specific name for my magic though, I am still studying up on that." Rei said, casting a small blue flame, and shaping it into a beast with his mind.
"Amazing..." Zidane said.
* * *
The two stood several feet apart from each other, looking each other in the face, slowly circling. After about 5 minutes of this, Amarant got bored of it, and drew back his fist behind his body, and shut his eyes. Lani gave him a funny look, wondering what he was trying to do.
After but a few seconds though, she could see a bright white light emanating from his drawn-back fist, and before she could do anything, the gathered energy flew forward and slammed into her stomach, causing her to drop her axe. Lani got back up and picked up her axe, and rushed forward, a look of determination on her face. Amarant buckled his knees getting ready to jump out of the way, but before he knew it, Lani jumped over him, slightly throwing him off. Upon landing Lani slashed at his ankles, knocking him to the ground. His ankles were wounded, but luckily for him, his boots had absorbed most of the attack, allowing him to at least walk.
Amarant got up off the ground, ignoring the sharp pain in his ankles. He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a large, 4-bladed object. He threw it at her in a parabola, knowing she'd try and destroy it before it got to her. However, her axe missed, and the Wing Edge had imbedding itself into her leg. She cried out and reach for her wound, as Amarant began to slowly limp forward, gritting his teeth.
"Urgh...let's call it a draw..." Lani said to him, wincing as she pulled out the powerful shuriken.
"Whatever..." Amarant said, looking at his wounds. He closed his eyes, and lets his arms relax at his sides, and slowly began to bring them upwards, his neck relaxed. Slowly, his ankle-wounds began to close up and heal, and so had Lani's. After doing this, he turned around and headed back for Alexandria.
"Red! Hey...wait!" Lani called out as she got up and went after him.
"...Watch it kid..." Amarant said to the child.
"S..s..so sorry sir...Uhm...uhm...i'll be going now!" The kid responded, and dashed away. Amarant shook his head and stepped into the inn.
* * *
"Great..." Zidane muttered, in response to Freya's report.
"That worthless filth! And don't you go defending him either!" Steiner said angrily, pointing at Zidane, throwing his usual air to the wind.
"Woah. Calm down Rusty...It's not like he's the deciding factor in saving the world or anything. Don't worry about it. Besides that, noone really even got a chance to tell him." Zidane said assuringly to Steiner.
"What're the chances he would've come anyway?" Steiner said under his breath. Noone heard him though, for at that moment, the airship's engines had started up, and everyone rushed into the craft.
* * *
The moment Amarant stepped in, he instantly saw her. She sat upon one of the chairs, holding a large battle axe within her hands, her red hair flowing over her shoulders. He also noticed the inn-keeper staring nervously at the axe.
"Hmmm...Figured you would've been here."
"Hey there Red. Ready?" Lani said as she stood up, balancing the axe handle upon her shoulder. Amarant however, said nothing, and walked out the door.
"I'll take that as a yes..." Lani said to noone in particular, as she dashed out the door after him.
* * *
Zidane leaned over the railing of the airship, holding out his hands and allowing them to cut through the clouds. Vivi's children had flanked him, also staring in wonder at the clouds. Their father however, remained in the cabin.
"Say...I can't really recall your guy's names...what were they again?" Zidane asked the children, trying to cover up for the fact that noone had really bothered to tell him.
"I'm Pao!" One of the children piped up. "And this is Mark, Devin, Rei, Barin, and Enkidou!" Pao pointed to each of them in turn.
"Enkidou...that name seems familiar..." Zidane thought aloud.
"Enkidou isn't a black mage like the rest of us. He specalizes in Blue Magic instead." Mark proclaimed.
"Blue Magic? Isn't that what Quina uses?" Zidane continued to think aloud.
"I however, am not the only non-black mage here. Pao is very skilled in the ways of healing magicks and sorcery." Enkidou stated.
"This is quite interesting...I never knew you guys could learn anything other than black magic...anything else you guys can do that's special?"
"I can conjur up illusions of the mind and body. I do not know a specific name for my magic though, I am still studying up on that." Rei said, casting a small blue flame, and shaping it into a beast with his mind.
"Amazing..." Zidane said.
* * *
The two stood several feet apart from each other, looking each other in the face, slowly circling. After about 5 minutes of this, Amarant got bored of it, and drew back his fist behind his body, and shut his eyes. Lani gave him a funny look, wondering what he was trying to do.
After but a few seconds though, she could see a bright white light emanating from his drawn-back fist, and before she could do anything, the gathered energy flew forward and slammed into her stomach, causing her to drop her axe. Lani got back up and picked up her axe, and rushed forward, a look of determination on her face. Amarant buckled his knees getting ready to jump out of the way, but before he knew it, Lani jumped over him, slightly throwing him off. Upon landing Lani slashed at his ankles, knocking him to the ground. His ankles were wounded, but luckily for him, his boots had absorbed most of the attack, allowing him to at least walk.
Amarant got up off the ground, ignoring the sharp pain in his ankles. He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a large, 4-bladed object. He threw it at her in a parabola, knowing she'd try and destroy it before it got to her. However, her axe missed, and the Wing Edge had imbedding itself into her leg. She cried out and reach for her wound, as Amarant began to slowly limp forward, gritting his teeth.
"Urgh...let's call it a draw..." Lani said to him, wincing as she pulled out the powerful shuriken.
"Whatever..." Amarant said, looking at his wounds. He closed his eyes, and lets his arms relax at his sides, and slowly began to bring them upwards, his neck relaxed. Slowly, his ankle-wounds began to close up and heal, and so had Lani's. After doing this, he turned around and headed back for Alexandria.
"Red! Hey...wait!" Lani called out as she got up and went after him.