Magecrafter: Chapter 2
Author's note: Yes, it's been a few months since I wrote the first chapter. I've been very busy with school and all. Well, I'm back to continue this little fantasy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. If I did, I wouldn't be in a high school marching band!
********************************************************************************************************
Chapter 2: Choosing the Correct Tools
********************************************************************************************************
Nexis followed Xu through the corridors of Balamb Garden, his mind striving to recall all he knew about summoning. The two entered a dark room with floating pillars of liquid. Nexis peered into them, and was amazed by what he saw.
" So, you impressed by what we have here?" Xu asked with a slight grin.
The pillars housed fantastic creatures of intrigue and delight. There were creatures of great size and proportions, who looked like they were going to break out of the canisters and rampage the land. There were timid creatures who looked shy and reproached, but a crackling aura of magic surrounded them.
"These are the GFs," instructed Xu. "They are magical creatures that are summoned for battle. Balamb garden SeeDs specialize in GF summoning, and you will find that they play a critical role to your success."
Nexis strolled around each tube, carefulling inspecting their inhabitants. Most of them were empty. Well, of course, since the school year had already started, and many students had already chosen a GF. Still, there were a few left . . . .
"I think I'll take this one," he announced, pointing at a small bluish-green specimen. It looked like a small bunny with a rather large tail. At the center of its forehead, a red gem shown with a humble light. It squirmed around in the canister as Nexis motioned towards it.
"Are you sure?" asked Xu. "Most students prefer a more offensive creature for their first GF."
"Offense is not the most important thing in a battle."
"Well, most students don't have the power to use stronger attacks so early in their training."
"Yes, but a GF is not something to rely upon for every battle. A summon spell is more of a support move to complement the fighter's own skills. The faster a student can realize that, the faster the student will be at discovering what is more important in combat."
Xu looked at him in interest. "That's pretty deep. Since when did you know so much about combat?"
"That's a mystery I'm still trying to unravel."
"Very well then," sighed Xu. "I will register Carbuncle as your GF. It has the ability to cast Reflect on you and your allies."
* * *
After leaving the GF room, Nexis resumed class with his new classmates. Being a small class, the students don't have the luxury of talking to one another while class is in session.
"To summon a GF, a link must first be established between the summoner and the summoned creature. The strength of the link is determined by just how affectionate you are with your GF. The closer you are with your GF, the faster it will respond to your calls," taught Xu. "Now look down at your electronic tutorial menus, and turn to the GF portion of the tutorial. This will teach you how to raise your GFs well. Remember, they have their own experience levels too, so they should be regarded as an ally, not just a spell . . ."
The lesson dragged on for a few hours, then the bell rang for lunchtime. The students went out of the second-floor classroom in a slight rush to get to the cafeteria hot dogs first.
"They should really install another elevator," complained Joseph Cholands as he impatiently waited for the elevator to return. "A building this size deserves more than just one way down."
"You're right!" exclaimed Amy Vandolson. "We should start a petition for the construction of another elevator!"
"Calm down now, Amy," said Marian Zinfry. "You seriously need to cut down on frosted donuts."
Nexis waited quietly, as if patience was an innate characteristic for him. Behind him, more students started to file in, equally impatient to the sluggish elevators. Francis Philman squeezed toward him and sparked another conversation.
"So, what GF did you choose?" he asked in eager curiosity.
"Carbuncle, a support type GF," Nexis replied.
"Really? My GF is Pandemona, a wind-elemental attack GF. You know, most students pick an offensive GF, since GFs can often times deal a lot more damage than students like us. Why didn't you pick an offensive one?"
"I don't know. There's just something about Carbuncle that draws me toward it, like it was an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time."
The two new friends' conversation ended as a small "bing" sound interupted their chat. The students on the upper floor breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator door opened, then all chaos was unleashed as everyone scrambled to enter the doorway.
* * *
After a while of idleness and impatience, Nexis and his classmates finally got down to the cafeteria.
"I'll have a hot dog, please," said Francis to the cafeteria lady.
"Sorry, but we're all out of those. Can I interest you in some meatloaf?"
"Um, no thank you."
Nexis picked up a bowl on the counter, then helped himself to some greens from the salad bar. If he was going to survive at this school, it looked like he was going to become a vegetarian.
Nexis sat down at a table with Francis Philman, Frank Zeshin, and Kenny Escudo. Neither of them managed to snatch a precious hot dog.
"You'd think that with a budget as big as Balamb Garden's, we'd at least be able to order a few more hot dogs," complained Francis. He was easily the loudest one at the table.
"Nah, too much money is currently being spent with the new security measures," said Frank.
"What do you mean?" asked Francis. "Balamb Garden houses many well-trained SeeDs. The native monsters on this island don't stand a chance against them!"
"Yes, but there have been reports of bigger and fiercer monsters appearing on the island," said Kenny. "They say that Toramas, Grendals, and even a Behemoth were spotted along the farther coastline."
"How do you suppose they got here?" asked Frank.
"I don't know," responded Kenny. "They probably swam here from Esthar, following that last Lunar Cry."
"Do you think this recent monster outbreak would affect our training?" asked Frank with uncertainty.
"If they do, they'll surely make great opponents to face!" laughed Francis. "Think of all the experience and stocked magic we could gain!"
Nexis did not share such a feeling. He thought that these monsters were nothing to laugh about, especially to a group of arrogant teenagers.
* * *
That afternoon, class resumed. As it turns out, the entire class was ten minutes late.
"What are your excuses this time?" asked Xu harshly.
"You can't blame us!" protested Amy. "With just one elevator, how could all these students make it to their class on time?"
"You use that excuse every time!"
"Well, that's because it's true!"
"Forget it," Xu said, eager to finish this redundant conversation. "Anyway, tomorrow will be our annual magic-stocking expedition. We are going out to the fields around Balamb Garden to draw ample supplies of spells from the enemies in the surrounding environment. For this afternoon, we will review battle and magic basics."
Xu went into a thorough explanation of battle mechanics and tactics. Nexis paid great attention to the lesson, but for some reason, all that Xu said sounded extremely familiar.
"So, tomorrow we will leave at exactly 800 hours. Get down to the main gate before then." Xu concluded her lesson, and everyone left the room, although not in a rush as before. After all, it was only three o'clock, and dinner time was still a while off.
Nexis went down to the library on the first floor of the Garden to pass the time. Browsing through the shelves of strange books, he looked for a book that could explain to him more about the world that he was in. He had already picked up various pieces of information from Xu, such as drawing magic to increase his own magic reserves, and how GF work to give him access to such abilities. Still, he needed to learn about the other things in this strange land.
"What are you looking for?" asked the librarian. She had short brown hair, and wore round glasses.
"I'm looking for a book on the geography and politics of the planet," Nexis answered.
"That's an odd topic. Most students have no interest in that kind of stuff." The librarian let Nexis to a shelf toward the back of the room. "By the way, I've never seen you here before. What's your name?"
"Nexis," he replied.
"Hmm, well, enjoy your book."
Nexis browsed the shelf for another ten minutes before choosing a book entitled "The Geo-Politics of the Four Major Continents". He left the library, and spent the next two hours reading in his room.
* * *
Nexis strolled into the cafeteria with his book in hand. The cafeteria was already a bit crowded with other students and some SeeD members. He grabbed another bowl of salad before joining Francis and his gang at a table. They had barely started eating when Amy ran up to them.
"Hey, will any of you like to sign this petition to install escalators connecting the first and second floors?" she asked.
"Another petition?" Kenny responded. "Don't you remember what happened to your last request for the fountains surrounding the central pillar to be filled with lemonade?"
"Yeah, how many signatures have you gotten for this one?" chuckled Frank.
"Well, if you four sign, then . . . . 36 signatures," Amy happily answered.
Kenny, Frank, and Francis stared for a while, then Francis spoke up.
"Okay, I'll sign. I suppose you can't screw up on everything."
"I'll sign too," said Frank. "Might as well be on the winning team."
"Yeah, and we really need these escalators, since the elevator is about as slow as a Caterchipillar," said Kenny as he gave in to the request.
"What about you, Nexis?" asked Amy.
"Sure. This place has terrible traffic," Nexis said. He decided that if he was to fit in here, he might as well start getting involved.
"Great! See ya!" called Amy as she ran off looking for more supporters.
The boys at the table resumed eating their dinners while engaging in something that Nexis never heard of, called "Triple Traid". While they were eating, Xu ran up to the table.
"I had almost forgotten," she said. "Nexis, come with me. We need to select a weapon for you."
Nexis accompanied her for the second time today to outfit him with the necessary equipment for survival in this harsh world of slow elevators and hot dog scarcities. Xu and Nexis entered a locked room filled with displays of various weapons. Nexis was quite impressed, surrounded by so many choices for his future tool.
After looking around for a full fifteen minutes, Nexis finally motioned for Xu to come view his decision. He had decided upon a simple double-edged saber. It had a straight blade about an inch and a half thick at the base, and came to a sharp point at the end. Its handle was black with silver lines drawn across it.
"Are you sure you want this one?" asked Xu. She was intrigued by Nexis' rather odd choice in combat tools. "Wouldn't you rather like something a little more high-tech, like a gunblade?"
"No," replied Nexis. "I need a weapon by tomorrow morning, and there's no way I could learn how to use a weapon that I've never seen before by then. I might as well stick with something that everyone knows how to use."
"Okay, but if you wish to switch sometime, just come talk to me."
With that, the two exited the room and rejoined the crowd at the cafeteria.
* * *
After dinner, the students had free time around the Garden. Nexis retired to his room, feeling a little tired after having to absorb so much information in one day. He looked at his weapon choice, the saber laying on his desk. The blade shined with a blazing silver from the light of his lamp. Tomorrow, he will be tested on just how well he had caught up with his new environment.
********************************************************************************************************
End of Chapter 2
********************************************************************************************************
I suppose this chapter didn't answer too many questions, but at least we all know now just why Zell never gets any hot dogs, eh? ^_^
Anyway, here are my thoughts on the fic to date. I regret that I didn't expand too much on Nexis' classmates. For the first few chapters, I just want to introduce and focus on the main character. I can't wait until the other characters start taking a more important role! However, I do wish to give the other characters the personalities that I have already determined. (actually, a lot of the characters are based on friends of mine, whom I have simply borrowed the personalities from) I did manage to start defining Francis' and Amy's personalities, though.
The perspective seems limited right now, but I promise it shall expand as well. And did you see the foreshadowing I used in this chapter? Ah, the wonders of foreshadowing . . .
One of my favorite parts of FF VIII is the concept of a school to train fighters, aka SeeDs. The use of GFs, and weaponry, and magic, and all those other stuff that they teach sounds like an incredible prospect. It may be a bit mundane for a fantasy story, but I shall expand further with each chapter. I wonder how long this fic will take . . . .
Anyway, Please Review!!! I would love suggestions, comments, criticism, flames, and corrections! At least I'll know that some people are reading this story!!!
Author's note: Yes, it's been a few months since I wrote the first chapter. I've been very busy with school and all. Well, I'm back to continue this little fantasy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. If I did, I wouldn't be in a high school marching band!
********************************************************************************************************
Chapter 2: Choosing the Correct Tools
********************************************************************************************************
Nexis followed Xu through the corridors of Balamb Garden, his mind striving to recall all he knew about summoning. The two entered a dark room with floating pillars of liquid. Nexis peered into them, and was amazed by what he saw.
" So, you impressed by what we have here?" Xu asked with a slight grin.
The pillars housed fantastic creatures of intrigue and delight. There were creatures of great size and proportions, who looked like they were going to break out of the canisters and rampage the land. There were timid creatures who looked shy and reproached, but a crackling aura of magic surrounded them.
"These are the GFs," instructed Xu. "They are magical creatures that are summoned for battle. Balamb garden SeeDs specialize in GF summoning, and you will find that they play a critical role to your success."
Nexis strolled around each tube, carefulling inspecting their inhabitants. Most of them were empty. Well, of course, since the school year had already started, and many students had already chosen a GF. Still, there were a few left . . . .
"I think I'll take this one," he announced, pointing at a small bluish-green specimen. It looked like a small bunny with a rather large tail. At the center of its forehead, a red gem shown with a humble light. It squirmed around in the canister as Nexis motioned towards it.
"Are you sure?" asked Xu. "Most students prefer a more offensive creature for their first GF."
"Offense is not the most important thing in a battle."
"Well, most students don't have the power to use stronger attacks so early in their training."
"Yes, but a GF is not something to rely upon for every battle. A summon spell is more of a support move to complement the fighter's own skills. The faster a student can realize that, the faster the student will be at discovering what is more important in combat."
Xu looked at him in interest. "That's pretty deep. Since when did you know so much about combat?"
"That's a mystery I'm still trying to unravel."
"Very well then," sighed Xu. "I will register Carbuncle as your GF. It has the ability to cast Reflect on you and your allies."
* * *
After leaving the GF room, Nexis resumed class with his new classmates. Being a small class, the students don't have the luxury of talking to one another while class is in session.
"To summon a GF, a link must first be established between the summoner and the summoned creature. The strength of the link is determined by just how affectionate you are with your GF. The closer you are with your GF, the faster it will respond to your calls," taught Xu. "Now look down at your electronic tutorial menus, and turn to the GF portion of the tutorial. This will teach you how to raise your GFs well. Remember, they have their own experience levels too, so they should be regarded as an ally, not just a spell . . ."
The lesson dragged on for a few hours, then the bell rang for lunchtime. The students went out of the second-floor classroom in a slight rush to get to the cafeteria hot dogs first.
"They should really install another elevator," complained Joseph Cholands as he impatiently waited for the elevator to return. "A building this size deserves more than just one way down."
"You're right!" exclaimed Amy Vandolson. "We should start a petition for the construction of another elevator!"
"Calm down now, Amy," said Marian Zinfry. "You seriously need to cut down on frosted donuts."
Nexis waited quietly, as if patience was an innate characteristic for him. Behind him, more students started to file in, equally impatient to the sluggish elevators. Francis Philman squeezed toward him and sparked another conversation.
"So, what GF did you choose?" he asked in eager curiosity.
"Carbuncle, a support type GF," Nexis replied.
"Really? My GF is Pandemona, a wind-elemental attack GF. You know, most students pick an offensive GF, since GFs can often times deal a lot more damage than students like us. Why didn't you pick an offensive one?"
"I don't know. There's just something about Carbuncle that draws me toward it, like it was an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time."
The two new friends' conversation ended as a small "bing" sound interupted their chat. The students on the upper floor breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator door opened, then all chaos was unleashed as everyone scrambled to enter the doorway.
* * *
After a while of idleness and impatience, Nexis and his classmates finally got down to the cafeteria.
"I'll have a hot dog, please," said Francis to the cafeteria lady.
"Sorry, but we're all out of those. Can I interest you in some meatloaf?"
"Um, no thank you."
Nexis picked up a bowl on the counter, then helped himself to some greens from the salad bar. If he was going to survive at this school, it looked like he was going to become a vegetarian.
Nexis sat down at a table with Francis Philman, Frank Zeshin, and Kenny Escudo. Neither of them managed to snatch a precious hot dog.
"You'd think that with a budget as big as Balamb Garden's, we'd at least be able to order a few more hot dogs," complained Francis. He was easily the loudest one at the table.
"Nah, too much money is currently being spent with the new security measures," said Frank.
"What do you mean?" asked Francis. "Balamb Garden houses many well-trained SeeDs. The native monsters on this island don't stand a chance against them!"
"Yes, but there have been reports of bigger and fiercer monsters appearing on the island," said Kenny. "They say that Toramas, Grendals, and even a Behemoth were spotted along the farther coastline."
"How do you suppose they got here?" asked Frank.
"I don't know," responded Kenny. "They probably swam here from Esthar, following that last Lunar Cry."
"Do you think this recent monster outbreak would affect our training?" asked Frank with uncertainty.
"If they do, they'll surely make great opponents to face!" laughed Francis. "Think of all the experience and stocked magic we could gain!"
Nexis did not share such a feeling. He thought that these monsters were nothing to laugh about, especially to a group of arrogant teenagers.
* * *
That afternoon, class resumed. As it turns out, the entire class was ten minutes late.
"What are your excuses this time?" asked Xu harshly.
"You can't blame us!" protested Amy. "With just one elevator, how could all these students make it to their class on time?"
"You use that excuse every time!"
"Well, that's because it's true!"
"Forget it," Xu said, eager to finish this redundant conversation. "Anyway, tomorrow will be our annual magic-stocking expedition. We are going out to the fields around Balamb Garden to draw ample supplies of spells from the enemies in the surrounding environment. For this afternoon, we will review battle and magic basics."
Xu went into a thorough explanation of battle mechanics and tactics. Nexis paid great attention to the lesson, but for some reason, all that Xu said sounded extremely familiar.
"So, tomorrow we will leave at exactly 800 hours. Get down to the main gate before then." Xu concluded her lesson, and everyone left the room, although not in a rush as before. After all, it was only three o'clock, and dinner time was still a while off.
Nexis went down to the library on the first floor of the Garden to pass the time. Browsing through the shelves of strange books, he looked for a book that could explain to him more about the world that he was in. He had already picked up various pieces of information from Xu, such as drawing magic to increase his own magic reserves, and how GF work to give him access to such abilities. Still, he needed to learn about the other things in this strange land.
"What are you looking for?" asked the librarian. She had short brown hair, and wore round glasses.
"I'm looking for a book on the geography and politics of the planet," Nexis answered.
"That's an odd topic. Most students have no interest in that kind of stuff." The librarian let Nexis to a shelf toward the back of the room. "By the way, I've never seen you here before. What's your name?"
"Nexis," he replied.
"Hmm, well, enjoy your book."
Nexis browsed the shelf for another ten minutes before choosing a book entitled "The Geo-Politics of the Four Major Continents". He left the library, and spent the next two hours reading in his room.
* * *
Nexis strolled into the cafeteria with his book in hand. The cafeteria was already a bit crowded with other students and some SeeD members. He grabbed another bowl of salad before joining Francis and his gang at a table. They had barely started eating when Amy ran up to them.
"Hey, will any of you like to sign this petition to install escalators connecting the first and second floors?" she asked.
"Another petition?" Kenny responded. "Don't you remember what happened to your last request for the fountains surrounding the central pillar to be filled with lemonade?"
"Yeah, how many signatures have you gotten for this one?" chuckled Frank.
"Well, if you four sign, then . . . . 36 signatures," Amy happily answered.
Kenny, Frank, and Francis stared for a while, then Francis spoke up.
"Okay, I'll sign. I suppose you can't screw up on everything."
"I'll sign too," said Frank. "Might as well be on the winning team."
"Yeah, and we really need these escalators, since the elevator is about as slow as a Caterchipillar," said Kenny as he gave in to the request.
"What about you, Nexis?" asked Amy.
"Sure. This place has terrible traffic," Nexis said. He decided that if he was to fit in here, he might as well start getting involved.
"Great! See ya!" called Amy as she ran off looking for more supporters.
The boys at the table resumed eating their dinners while engaging in something that Nexis never heard of, called "Triple Traid". While they were eating, Xu ran up to the table.
"I had almost forgotten," she said. "Nexis, come with me. We need to select a weapon for you."
Nexis accompanied her for the second time today to outfit him with the necessary equipment for survival in this harsh world of slow elevators and hot dog scarcities. Xu and Nexis entered a locked room filled with displays of various weapons. Nexis was quite impressed, surrounded by so many choices for his future tool.
After looking around for a full fifteen minutes, Nexis finally motioned for Xu to come view his decision. He had decided upon a simple double-edged saber. It had a straight blade about an inch and a half thick at the base, and came to a sharp point at the end. Its handle was black with silver lines drawn across it.
"Are you sure you want this one?" asked Xu. She was intrigued by Nexis' rather odd choice in combat tools. "Wouldn't you rather like something a little more high-tech, like a gunblade?"
"No," replied Nexis. "I need a weapon by tomorrow morning, and there's no way I could learn how to use a weapon that I've never seen before by then. I might as well stick with something that everyone knows how to use."
"Okay, but if you wish to switch sometime, just come talk to me."
With that, the two exited the room and rejoined the crowd at the cafeteria.
* * *
After dinner, the students had free time around the Garden. Nexis retired to his room, feeling a little tired after having to absorb so much information in one day. He looked at his weapon choice, the saber laying on his desk. The blade shined with a blazing silver from the light of his lamp. Tomorrow, he will be tested on just how well he had caught up with his new environment.
********************************************************************************************************
End of Chapter 2
********************************************************************************************************
I suppose this chapter didn't answer too many questions, but at least we all know now just why Zell never gets any hot dogs, eh? ^_^
Anyway, here are my thoughts on the fic to date. I regret that I didn't expand too much on Nexis' classmates. For the first few chapters, I just want to introduce and focus on the main character. I can't wait until the other characters start taking a more important role! However, I do wish to give the other characters the personalities that I have already determined. (actually, a lot of the characters are based on friends of mine, whom I have simply borrowed the personalities from) I did manage to start defining Francis' and Amy's personalities, though.
The perspective seems limited right now, but I promise it shall expand as well. And did you see the foreshadowing I used in this chapter? Ah, the wonders of foreshadowing . . .
One of my favorite parts of FF VIII is the concept of a school to train fighters, aka SeeDs. The use of GFs, and weaponry, and magic, and all those other stuff that they teach sounds like an incredible prospect. It may be a bit mundane for a fantasy story, but I shall expand further with each chapter. I wonder how long this fic will take . . . .
Anyway, Please Review!!! I would love suggestions, comments, criticism, flames, and corrections! At least I'll know that some people are reading this story!!!