"We'll never catch up to them. Let's go up to the Crusher, and scan
the planet from there." said Myes, trying to catch his breath.
"I agree... for once." said Scroop.
The Crusher, was a large ship that was floating just outside Gaia's atmosphere. There were several others on the ship. There were four of them.
The first, a small little six-eyed alien named Onus, came up to greet Scroop and Myes as they boarded. He was three feet high, with a large pirate captain (although he was not) hat, and his clothes were too big for him. He had no feet, just a end like a slug, although he was pretty fast. "You are finallee back!" he said. He had a French accent.
The next was a strange creature called Magrino. He had only one eye that was on the end of a crooked antennae thing. His large, gaping mouth was on his stomach, as he had no head. His teeth were jagged and he needed major dental help. His arms started on either side at the top of his mouth when it was open. He was rather chubby, and he wore brownish pants. He wasn't very tall, and he looked rather stupid.
Then there was Greedy. He a long tail that ended like that of a fish. His hands were suction cups, and so were his feet. His legs started above the hip area. He wore a white jersey and a brown vest. He had several spikes running along his spine (the spikes are on the outside). He was a dark grey color except for his lips, which were a dark maroon, and the spikes, which were really dark grey, almost black. He also had shifty yellow eyes.
"Yessss. That boy is very good. We still haven't caught him. So listen, we're gonna trap him, and then he's ours for the taking." said Scroop with a evil smile.
"But what about Vincent? Didn't you say he was here?" asked Greedy.
"Vincent has... been taken care of." answered Scroop.
Then they all congratulated Scroop on killing Vincent.
"So, teell us about theese plan of yours. How are wee supposed to capture theese boy?" said Onus.
The monster keeled over with a screech and lay there, unmoving. "That big monster just shows up from time to time. I usually just run away." said Eiko.
"But you're a pretty good fighter, Eiko." said Donald.
"Tee-hee. Thanks." smiled Eiko. Then she looked over at Vivi, who was staring at something. "Hey, that's not the way to my house! That's the way to the Iifa Tree! This way to my place!"
"I was only looking at the mountains..." said Vivi, turning around. "The Iifa Tree? I thought it was called Sanctuary."
"Huh? Oh, that's what the black mages call it. Everyone else calls it the Iifa Tree." said Eiko.
"The Iifa Tree...?" said Garnet.
"Let's go!" cried Eiko.
"Wait! Do you guys see something? In the sky?" said Goofy, pointing up and over at the Iifa Tree.
"I-it's Kuja! At least... that's the dragon I saw him ride at Burmecia!" said Zidane. "We've gotta go there first! We have to see what Kuja's up to!"
"Fine. But I have to come along. There's a eidolon seal for anyone going on foot to get in." said Eiko.
They ran along until they finally got to the Iifa Tree. "Wow. It's bigger than it looked from back there." said Rai, wide-eyed. Then Zidane walked forward, but then bounced back, as if he had hit an invisible wall. Which indeed he had.
"That was the seal. It shouldn't hurt you, but are you alright?" asked Eiko. Eiko seemed to be taking a liking to Zidane.
"Yeah, it didn't hurt. Hmm... Did you say they used the power of an eidolon to seal this place?" asked Zidane back.
Eiko nodded and then said, "Yes."
"Amazing. How do you break it?" said Zidane.
"I'm going to ask the eidolon to come back. The summoner's horn allows us to communicate with eidolons and wild animals. I'll break the seal now. Watch! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! By the light of our spirits! I call upon thee! Answer my call! Wherever your soul may be!" called Eiko, waving her arms around. "Finished! We can go inside now."
"Was that the spell to break the seal?" asked Vivi.
"Nope. All I do is focus my thoughts into my horn." answered Eiko.
"Then why were you...?" asked Donald.
"That was just for show! The spell is actually much longer, but the eidolon asked me to hurry it up." said Eiko.
"Alright! Let's go!" said Rai. They walked for quite some way, always walking on huge roots that stuck up from the ground. "Where is he!?" yelled Rai after they had gone quite a way. He thought he had to yell because of all the mist surrounding them.
"There! There he is! He's heading towards that part of the tree!" yelled Donald, pointing upwards.
"Oh, how I've longed for this day. ...the day I might finally cast away this mask to reveal my true self. Mwahaha... The tree is so beautiful! Its beauty becomes the great mother tree that lives among the stars! Silver Dragon, let us watch the drama unfold from the trunk of Iifa. No one shall interrupt us there." said Kuja, riding his Silver Dragon through the sky.
Zidane and company were now even further up the Iifa trunk. "We'll pass the trunk if we go farther. Kuja went down that trunk." said Zidane, pointing.
"Say, Zidane... How are we gonna get up there?" asked Eiko nervously.
"Can't we climb there?"
"Not me!" cried Eiko.
"M-me neither." said Vivi.
"I'll carry them." said Rai. "I'm pretty strong, when it comes to upper-arm strength. Rai flexed one of his arms.
"Fine." said Zidane.
Rai picked up Vivi and Eiko, and then climbed up really fast. "He sure has spirit. Alright, Dagger... I'll just carry you piggyback." said Zidane, smiling.
"Huh? Hey! Zidane! Wait just a..." started Garnet.
"The weak lose their freedom to the strong. Such is the way of the strong. And it is the providence of nature that only the strong survive. That is why I needed strength. I learned of powers that would daunt even him...over ten years ago. Such a long time... Now my forces are ready to strike! Ahh... The suspense is terrible! So they've come this far, have they? Perfect. I'll warm up on them until the elephant-lady shows up." said Kuja, smiling an evil grin. He and his Silver Dragon were now perched on a root of the tree higher up than Zidane's group.
The group was now up the great roots, and were now almost to Kuja's level. "There's Kuja!" said Donald, pointing up at him. Kuja was two roots above and behind them.
"Kuja... Maker of black mages..." said Vivi quietly.
"Any enemy of Zidane is an enemy of mine!" said Eiko.
"Okay, let's go!" yelled Zidane. The group approached Kuja so that he was only one root above them, and they could easily talk with him.
"You are Kuja, correct? My name is... ...Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. I wish to ask you something. Was it really you who persuaded my mother to start the war..." started Garnet.
"The war that threw the entire Mist Continent into chaos?" interrupted Kuja.
"And you made everyone...the black mages into instruments of war!?" cried Vivi angrily.
"Oh, dear... The princess has such a bloodthirsty little puppet. I don't have the power to do such a thing. I just gave them a little recipe. Begin with broth of Mist, add fermented souls, and boil... Then, pour genuine black magic into a mixing bowl and heat to..." said Kuja, grinning.
"Stop it!" yelled Vivi.
"I'm not done telling how to make soulless toys out of the dregs of souls!" said Kuja.
"Dregs of souls? You mean mist!?" said Rai.
"First, you don't want to listen, now you start asking questions? Oh, brother... But you're not ready yet!" laughed Kuja.
"Why.. Why don't you... don't you feel anything!? Taking the lives of so many..." said Garnet.
"Spare me the lecture. Lives come and go all the time. What's the big deal? Speaking of warmongers, why...what about that mother of yours, Princess? She said she won't feel alive until she has everything! It breaks my heart to see such greed! The war was my fault? No, no! Your mother wanted it! All I did was give her a little push!" laughed Kuja.
"Liar! My mother was sweet and kind. You changed her!" yelled Garnet angrily.
"Mwahaha... So the curtain rises! Perfect, my canary. Let me show you the truth about your mother! First Act: The End of the Ugly Desire. It's showtime!" yelled Kuja, gesturing towards the sea beyond the Iifa Tree.
The Alexandrian battleships had arrived.
"Bwahahaha! Kuja! So you finally decided to show your girly face here! You're all that stands between me and total domination! Gehehe! But I haven't forgotten all you've done for me! In return, I will show you the ultimate power!" laughed Brahne. She then radioed all the other ships in the fleet. "Attention, all hands! Order the black mages to focus all their magical energies into a single spell! Lay suppressing fire upon Kuja until the casting is finished! Fire! Fire at will!!!"
"I agree... for once." said Scroop.
The Crusher, was a large ship that was floating just outside Gaia's atmosphere. There were several others on the ship. There were four of them.
The first, a small little six-eyed alien named Onus, came up to greet Scroop and Myes as they boarded. He was three feet high, with a large pirate captain (although he was not) hat, and his clothes were too big for him. He had no feet, just a end like a slug, although he was pretty fast. "You are finallee back!" he said. He had a French accent.
The next was a strange creature called Magrino. He had only one eye that was on the end of a crooked antennae thing. His large, gaping mouth was on his stomach, as he had no head. His teeth were jagged and he needed major dental help. His arms started on either side at the top of his mouth when it was open. He was rather chubby, and he wore brownish pants. He wasn't very tall, and he looked rather stupid.
Then there was Greedy. He a long tail that ended like that of a fish. His hands were suction cups, and so were his feet. His legs started above the hip area. He wore a white jersey and a brown vest. He had several spikes running along his spine (the spikes are on the outside). He was a dark grey color except for his lips, which were a dark maroon, and the spikes, which were really dark grey, almost black. He also had shifty yellow eyes.
"Yessss. That boy is very good. We still haven't caught him. So listen, we're gonna trap him, and then he's ours for the taking." said Scroop with a evil smile.
"But what about Vincent? Didn't you say he was here?" asked Greedy.
"Vincent has... been taken care of." answered Scroop.
Then they all congratulated Scroop on killing Vincent.
"So, teell us about theese plan of yours. How are wee supposed to capture theese boy?" said Onus.
The monster keeled over with a screech and lay there, unmoving. "That big monster just shows up from time to time. I usually just run away." said Eiko.
"But you're a pretty good fighter, Eiko." said Donald.
"Tee-hee. Thanks." smiled Eiko. Then she looked over at Vivi, who was staring at something. "Hey, that's not the way to my house! That's the way to the Iifa Tree! This way to my place!"
"I was only looking at the mountains..." said Vivi, turning around. "The Iifa Tree? I thought it was called Sanctuary."
"Huh? Oh, that's what the black mages call it. Everyone else calls it the Iifa Tree." said Eiko.
"The Iifa Tree...?" said Garnet.
"Let's go!" cried Eiko.
"Wait! Do you guys see something? In the sky?" said Goofy, pointing up and over at the Iifa Tree.
"I-it's Kuja! At least... that's the dragon I saw him ride at Burmecia!" said Zidane. "We've gotta go there first! We have to see what Kuja's up to!"
"Fine. But I have to come along. There's a eidolon seal for anyone going on foot to get in." said Eiko.
They ran along until they finally got to the Iifa Tree. "Wow. It's bigger than it looked from back there." said Rai, wide-eyed. Then Zidane walked forward, but then bounced back, as if he had hit an invisible wall. Which indeed he had.
"That was the seal. It shouldn't hurt you, but are you alright?" asked Eiko. Eiko seemed to be taking a liking to Zidane.
"Yeah, it didn't hurt. Hmm... Did you say they used the power of an eidolon to seal this place?" asked Zidane back.
Eiko nodded and then said, "Yes."
"Amazing. How do you break it?" said Zidane.
"I'm going to ask the eidolon to come back. The summoner's horn allows us to communicate with eidolons and wild animals. I'll break the seal now. Watch! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! By the light of our spirits! I call upon thee! Answer my call! Wherever your soul may be!" called Eiko, waving her arms around. "Finished! We can go inside now."
"Was that the spell to break the seal?" asked Vivi.
"Nope. All I do is focus my thoughts into my horn." answered Eiko.
"Then why were you...?" asked Donald.
"That was just for show! The spell is actually much longer, but the eidolon asked me to hurry it up." said Eiko.
"Alright! Let's go!" said Rai. They walked for quite some way, always walking on huge roots that stuck up from the ground. "Where is he!?" yelled Rai after they had gone quite a way. He thought he had to yell because of all the mist surrounding them.
"There! There he is! He's heading towards that part of the tree!" yelled Donald, pointing upwards.
"Oh, how I've longed for this day. ...the day I might finally cast away this mask to reveal my true self. Mwahaha... The tree is so beautiful! Its beauty becomes the great mother tree that lives among the stars! Silver Dragon, let us watch the drama unfold from the trunk of Iifa. No one shall interrupt us there." said Kuja, riding his Silver Dragon through the sky.
Zidane and company were now even further up the Iifa trunk. "We'll pass the trunk if we go farther. Kuja went down that trunk." said Zidane, pointing.
"Say, Zidane... How are we gonna get up there?" asked Eiko nervously.
"Can't we climb there?"
"Not me!" cried Eiko.
"M-me neither." said Vivi.
"I'll carry them." said Rai. "I'm pretty strong, when it comes to upper-arm strength. Rai flexed one of his arms.
"Fine." said Zidane.
Rai picked up Vivi and Eiko, and then climbed up really fast. "He sure has spirit. Alright, Dagger... I'll just carry you piggyback." said Zidane, smiling.
"Huh? Hey! Zidane! Wait just a..." started Garnet.
"The weak lose their freedom to the strong. Such is the way of the strong. And it is the providence of nature that only the strong survive. That is why I needed strength. I learned of powers that would daunt even him...over ten years ago. Such a long time... Now my forces are ready to strike! Ahh... The suspense is terrible! So they've come this far, have they? Perfect. I'll warm up on them until the elephant-lady shows up." said Kuja, smiling an evil grin. He and his Silver Dragon were now perched on a root of the tree higher up than Zidane's group.
The group was now up the great roots, and were now almost to Kuja's level. "There's Kuja!" said Donald, pointing up at him. Kuja was two roots above and behind them.
"Kuja... Maker of black mages..." said Vivi quietly.
"Any enemy of Zidane is an enemy of mine!" said Eiko.
"Okay, let's go!" yelled Zidane. The group approached Kuja so that he was only one root above them, and they could easily talk with him.
"You are Kuja, correct? My name is... ...Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. I wish to ask you something. Was it really you who persuaded my mother to start the war..." started Garnet.
"The war that threw the entire Mist Continent into chaos?" interrupted Kuja.
"And you made everyone...the black mages into instruments of war!?" cried Vivi angrily.
"Oh, dear... The princess has such a bloodthirsty little puppet. I don't have the power to do such a thing. I just gave them a little recipe. Begin with broth of Mist, add fermented souls, and boil... Then, pour genuine black magic into a mixing bowl and heat to..." said Kuja, grinning.
"Stop it!" yelled Vivi.
"I'm not done telling how to make soulless toys out of the dregs of souls!" said Kuja.
"Dregs of souls? You mean mist!?" said Rai.
"First, you don't want to listen, now you start asking questions? Oh, brother... But you're not ready yet!" laughed Kuja.
"Why.. Why don't you... don't you feel anything!? Taking the lives of so many..." said Garnet.
"Spare me the lecture. Lives come and go all the time. What's the big deal? Speaking of warmongers, why...what about that mother of yours, Princess? She said she won't feel alive until she has everything! It breaks my heart to see such greed! The war was my fault? No, no! Your mother wanted it! All I did was give her a little push!" laughed Kuja.
"Liar! My mother was sweet and kind. You changed her!" yelled Garnet angrily.
"Mwahaha... So the curtain rises! Perfect, my canary. Let me show you the truth about your mother! First Act: The End of the Ugly Desire. It's showtime!" yelled Kuja, gesturing towards the sea beyond the Iifa Tree.
The Alexandrian battleships had arrived.
"Bwahahaha! Kuja! So you finally decided to show your girly face here! You're all that stands between me and total domination! Gehehe! But I haven't forgotten all you've done for me! In return, I will show you the ultimate power!" laughed Brahne. She then radioed all the other ships in the fleet. "Attention, all hands! Order the black mages to focus all their magical energies into a single spell! Lay suppressing fire upon Kuja until the casting is finished! Fire! Fire at will!!!"
