Separation Anxiety
By FlowerPower1o1
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 5: The Best Laid Plans Of Eidolons And Men
"I've heard of the Black Waltzes," Beatrix said as she unsheathed the Save The Queen. "They were made by Kuja six years ago to kidnap the Princess. Extremely powerful Black Mages that would stop at nothing to get what they wanted."
The Waltz seemed to bow in midair. "Stop. You flatter me."
"Blank, get your sword out," Beatrix said from between clenched teeth, but Blank already had pulled his thief sword out.
"Little toy soldiers all in a row," the Waltz almost sang. "I guess I'll just have to play with them!" It raised its hand, there was an explosion, and Beatrix and Blank went flying off the deck of the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Amarant, Eiko, Quina and Vivi were walking towards the village of Dali.
"Do you really think Kuja is back?" Vivi asked, looking at Eiko.
"It makes sense," Eiko said. "He was the one that created the Black Waltzes for Queen Brahne in the first place, remember? He may have survived the incident at the Iifa Tree."
Amarant shook his head. "Zidane went back to rescue him," he said. "Did he ever say anything about whether or not he get Kuja out too?"
"Not around any of us, apparently," Vivi said after a moment of silence.
"I HUNGRY! When we get to Dali?" Quina moaned.
It was then that they heard the sound of an explosion coming from near Dali.
"I think we better get there soon!" Eiko said, breaking into a run. The others followed her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blank jumped into the air, swinging his Thief Sword, but the Black Waltz laughed and disappeared. Blank's sword swung through air.
The Waltz reappeared and lashed Blank across the face with its claws, sending him flying across the field.
"I'm depressed," the Waltz admitted as it watch Blank crash to the ground. "I was hoping I'd find the summoner in the group. My master has great plans for her."
Blank staggered to his feet and jumped forward with his Thief Sword again. "What does your master want with Eiko?"
The Black Waltz smiled again as it cast Drain, taking Blank's physical strength and transferring it to himself. Blank collapsed again. "Why, her eidolons, of course. Granted, he was hoping for Bahamut, Odin, and maybe Atomos, but an eidolon is an eidolon after all. They can destroy enough property no matter who they come from."
Revelation hit Beatrix. "Your master is trying to start another war, isn't he? Like six years ago, when Brahne extracted Garnet's eidolons. He needs creatures of power and destruction."
The Black Waltz snorted. "Please," it said. "A war? My master wants the entire world, not some petty squabbling between the nations."
Beatrix reversed the blade of the Save The Queen and pointed it at Black Waltz 2-2. "Thunder Slash!" she shouted, making a swiping motion with the blade.
Lightning leapt down from the sky just as she leapt forward, slicing the blade across the Black Waltz's chest. The Black Waltz stumbled back, and then laughed. "You call that a thunder attack?" he sneered. "I've mastered fourth level spells, something no Black Mage or Black Waltz was ever able to do." He raised his claws to the sky.
"THUNDALA!"
The sky instantly turned black, and an infinite number of lightning bolts began to rain down on Beatrix. The general dodged as many of them as she could, but still ended up crouched on the ground, doubled over in pain, smoke steaming off of her armor. "That's . . . impossible," she gasped.
"Nothing is impossible, my dear Beatrix," the Waltz said. "Haven't you figured that out by . . ."
Energy crackled around Beatrix as she stood up and swung her sword around her head. Her armor grew spikes and became lighter, yet stronger. Her hair turned a metallic blue color. Even her Save The Queen sword became longer, curved, and sharper. General Beatrix of the Alexandrian Army leveled the sword at her opponent, in a state of Trance for the first time in her life.
"And now," she calmly said to the surprised Waltz, "I'll be kicking your ass."
Beatrix's Shock attack was not as strong as Steiner's, normally. Steiner's was strong because he had the aid of the mystical Ragnarok sword to increase his strength. Beatrix's Shock now, however, blasted Black Waltz 2-2 across the field, smashing into a fence, and landed in the middle of Dali's small farm.
She turned to Blank and held out her hand. "Curaga," she said, healing Blank completely.
"Well," Amarant said as he and Quina ran over. "We were going to lend you a hand, but it looks like you're okay on your own."
The farm exploded as the Black Waltz 2-2 flung itself into the air, encased in an aura of fire. "You've made me very angry now, General," it snarled.
"Where did Eiko and Vivi go?" Blank said, keeping an eye on the Waltz.
"They went to go get the Hilda Garde 4. I take it that Zidane is not in Dali?" Amarant said.
"No," Beatrix said, raising her sword for another devastating attack. "But they are."
Beatrix was referring to six Black Mages, who had come out of a trap door in the ground and were advancing to help the Black Waltz.
"So production of the Black Mages has started again," Amarant muttered. "Looks more and more like Kuja is still behind this. Zidane, you simpleton, you should have let him die."
"Climhazzard!" Beatrix yelled, jumping impossibly far forward and slashing her sword on the ground between the mages. The energy from her attack released in a circle of orange energy, knocking the Black Mages back and killing them.
"You killed my pets," the Black Waltz said. "Time to die, General."
And then he was slammed to the ground by the force of a landing airship.
"Are we late?" Vivi shouted over the deck.
"Good time!" Quina yelled back. "We board now!"
The ship's gangplank lowered, and Blank, Amarant, and Quina rushed on. Beatrix stayed behind. "Beatrix?" Amarant said. "It's time to go now."
Beatrix shook her head, still Tranced. "I have to finish off the Black Waltz 2-2. I'll meet you at Lindblum's Dragon Gate, and from there we can continue the journey."
Amarant was about to ask her how she was planning on getting to Lindblum when the ship started rocking back and forth. Blazing white light shone from underneath the Hilda Garde 4. "Go!" Beatrix shouted. "I'll catch up! Keep Eiko safe!" she said as an afterthought, remembering the plan that the Black Waltz had admitted to them.
The Hilda Garde 4 had been partially designed by the impatient Eiko, who had learned about engineering from her adoptive father. Eiko had built the ship for a fast vertical takeoff, and the ship could go almost twice as fast as its predecessor, the Hilda Garde 3. It went almost as fast as the Invincible had. So when Eiko pulled a lever down, the Hilda Garde 4 was up in the air like a shot, making its way toward its home of Lindblum.
Black Waltz 2-2 stood up, blazing with power. "Now, I'm really angry," it said.
"What a shame," Beatrix said. Normally Beatrix wasn't one to make jibes during her fights. Normally it was all business; defeat the enemy and move on. But her Trance gave her more confidence. She knew that she could beat this creature easily.
Black Waltz 2-2 soared higher in the air. "Would you like another sample of my fourth level spells?" he shouted. "FIRALA!"
The ultra-powerful fire spell exploded around Beatrix. Unfortunately for the Black Waltz, she was wearing an enchanted ring that absorbed fire magic. The last thing the Black Waltz saw was Beatrix's sword glowing with a bright white light. The last thing it heard was Beatrix's voice yelling "Shock!"
Then its body erupted in pain, and with one final scream, Black Waltz 2-2 plummeted to the ground and exploded upon impact.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Beatrix felt the power of Trance drain out of her, but her work wasn't done yet. She had seen Black Mages emerge from beneath the town, and that meant one thing. The Black Mage Factory, which she had made sure was closed after the destruction of Brahne's fleet at the hands of Bahamut, was running again.
General Beatrix marched through the town of Dali, walking right into the Mayor's house. "I've seen Black Mages here," she said to the Mayor, who had immediately recognized her and was bowing to her. "I can only assume that the Black Mage Factory we shut down is operating again."
The Mayor turned pale. "Please, General. It's not my fault this time. This time he just appeared . . . He said he was taking control of it again."
"Who?" Beatrix said. "Who is taking control of it."
The Mayor looked as if he was about to pass out. "It . . . it was . . ."
It was just then that a Black Mage teleported in. "Traitor!" it shouted, pointing at the Mayor and casting Firaga at him. The Mayor screamed in pain, even as Beatrix jumped forward, loping off the Black Mage's head with the Save The Queen. Beatrix turned around, but already there was nothing left of the Mayor but a pile of smoking ashes.
Outside, the Black Mages began to follow the directions of their master; if their factory was discovered again, they were to burn Dali to the ground and head to the north.
Beatrix only hoped she could make it down to the factory in time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Hilda Garde 4 was stuck in traffic. The Festival of the Hunt was in a week, and the South Gate was jammed with airships wanting to pass through it. Security had been tighter ever since Kuja's army of Black Mages had brought the Mist Continent to its knees, so ships were floating in the air or landed on the ground as officials went to each one, inspecting it for any suspicious items or people, then assigning the ship a number for the order in which they could continue through South Gate and on their way.
The Hilda Garde 4 was next to be inspected, but Eiko had no worries. She was the Princess of Lindblum, after all, and she had the Court Mage of Alexandria with her.
So imagine her shock when the inspecting official boarding the ship was immediately blasted with lightning and thrown over the edge by the newly arriving Black Waltz 2-3.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 5: The Best Laid Plans Of Eidolons And Men
"I've heard of the Black Waltzes," Beatrix said as she unsheathed the Save The Queen. "They were made by Kuja six years ago to kidnap the Princess. Extremely powerful Black Mages that would stop at nothing to get what they wanted."
The Waltz seemed to bow in midair. "Stop. You flatter me."
"Blank, get your sword out," Beatrix said from between clenched teeth, but Blank already had pulled his thief sword out.
"Little toy soldiers all in a row," the Waltz almost sang. "I guess I'll just have to play with them!" It raised its hand, there was an explosion, and Beatrix and Blank went flying off the deck of the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Amarant, Eiko, Quina and Vivi were walking towards the village of Dali.
"Do you really think Kuja is back?" Vivi asked, looking at Eiko.
"It makes sense," Eiko said. "He was the one that created the Black Waltzes for Queen Brahne in the first place, remember? He may have survived the incident at the Iifa Tree."
Amarant shook his head. "Zidane went back to rescue him," he said. "Did he ever say anything about whether or not he get Kuja out too?"
"Not around any of us, apparently," Vivi said after a moment of silence.
"I HUNGRY! When we get to Dali?" Quina moaned.
It was then that they heard the sound of an explosion coming from near Dali.
"I think we better get there soon!" Eiko said, breaking into a run. The others followed her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blank jumped into the air, swinging his Thief Sword, but the Black Waltz laughed and disappeared. Blank's sword swung through air.
The Waltz reappeared and lashed Blank across the face with its claws, sending him flying across the field.
"I'm depressed," the Waltz admitted as it watch Blank crash to the ground. "I was hoping I'd find the summoner in the group. My master has great plans for her."
Blank staggered to his feet and jumped forward with his Thief Sword again. "What does your master want with Eiko?"
The Black Waltz smiled again as it cast Drain, taking Blank's physical strength and transferring it to himself. Blank collapsed again. "Why, her eidolons, of course. Granted, he was hoping for Bahamut, Odin, and maybe Atomos, but an eidolon is an eidolon after all. They can destroy enough property no matter who they come from."
Revelation hit Beatrix. "Your master is trying to start another war, isn't he? Like six years ago, when Brahne extracted Garnet's eidolons. He needs creatures of power and destruction."
The Black Waltz snorted. "Please," it said. "A war? My master wants the entire world, not some petty squabbling between the nations."
Beatrix reversed the blade of the Save The Queen and pointed it at Black Waltz 2-2. "Thunder Slash!" she shouted, making a swiping motion with the blade.
Lightning leapt down from the sky just as she leapt forward, slicing the blade across the Black Waltz's chest. The Black Waltz stumbled back, and then laughed. "You call that a thunder attack?" he sneered. "I've mastered fourth level spells, something no Black Mage or Black Waltz was ever able to do." He raised his claws to the sky.
"THUNDALA!"
The sky instantly turned black, and an infinite number of lightning bolts began to rain down on Beatrix. The general dodged as many of them as she could, but still ended up crouched on the ground, doubled over in pain, smoke steaming off of her armor. "That's . . . impossible," she gasped.
"Nothing is impossible, my dear Beatrix," the Waltz said. "Haven't you figured that out by . . ."
Energy crackled around Beatrix as she stood up and swung her sword around her head. Her armor grew spikes and became lighter, yet stronger. Her hair turned a metallic blue color. Even her Save The Queen sword became longer, curved, and sharper. General Beatrix of the Alexandrian Army leveled the sword at her opponent, in a state of Trance for the first time in her life.
"And now," she calmly said to the surprised Waltz, "I'll be kicking your ass."
Beatrix's Shock attack was not as strong as Steiner's, normally. Steiner's was strong because he had the aid of the mystical Ragnarok sword to increase his strength. Beatrix's Shock now, however, blasted Black Waltz 2-2 across the field, smashing into a fence, and landed in the middle of Dali's small farm.
She turned to Blank and held out her hand. "Curaga," she said, healing Blank completely.
"Well," Amarant said as he and Quina ran over. "We were going to lend you a hand, but it looks like you're okay on your own."
The farm exploded as the Black Waltz 2-2 flung itself into the air, encased in an aura of fire. "You've made me very angry now, General," it snarled.
"Where did Eiko and Vivi go?" Blank said, keeping an eye on the Waltz.
"They went to go get the Hilda Garde 4. I take it that Zidane is not in Dali?" Amarant said.
"No," Beatrix said, raising her sword for another devastating attack. "But they are."
Beatrix was referring to six Black Mages, who had come out of a trap door in the ground and were advancing to help the Black Waltz.
"So production of the Black Mages has started again," Amarant muttered. "Looks more and more like Kuja is still behind this. Zidane, you simpleton, you should have let him die."
"Climhazzard!" Beatrix yelled, jumping impossibly far forward and slashing her sword on the ground between the mages. The energy from her attack released in a circle of orange energy, knocking the Black Mages back and killing them.
"You killed my pets," the Black Waltz said. "Time to die, General."
And then he was slammed to the ground by the force of a landing airship.
"Are we late?" Vivi shouted over the deck.
"Good time!" Quina yelled back. "We board now!"
The ship's gangplank lowered, and Blank, Amarant, and Quina rushed on. Beatrix stayed behind. "Beatrix?" Amarant said. "It's time to go now."
Beatrix shook her head, still Tranced. "I have to finish off the Black Waltz 2-2. I'll meet you at Lindblum's Dragon Gate, and from there we can continue the journey."
Amarant was about to ask her how she was planning on getting to Lindblum when the ship started rocking back and forth. Blazing white light shone from underneath the Hilda Garde 4. "Go!" Beatrix shouted. "I'll catch up! Keep Eiko safe!" she said as an afterthought, remembering the plan that the Black Waltz had admitted to them.
The Hilda Garde 4 had been partially designed by the impatient Eiko, who had learned about engineering from her adoptive father. Eiko had built the ship for a fast vertical takeoff, and the ship could go almost twice as fast as its predecessor, the Hilda Garde 3. It went almost as fast as the Invincible had. So when Eiko pulled a lever down, the Hilda Garde 4 was up in the air like a shot, making its way toward its home of Lindblum.
Black Waltz 2-2 stood up, blazing with power. "Now, I'm really angry," it said.
"What a shame," Beatrix said. Normally Beatrix wasn't one to make jibes during her fights. Normally it was all business; defeat the enemy and move on. But her Trance gave her more confidence. She knew that she could beat this creature easily.
Black Waltz 2-2 soared higher in the air. "Would you like another sample of my fourth level spells?" he shouted. "FIRALA!"
The ultra-powerful fire spell exploded around Beatrix. Unfortunately for the Black Waltz, she was wearing an enchanted ring that absorbed fire magic. The last thing the Black Waltz saw was Beatrix's sword glowing with a bright white light. The last thing it heard was Beatrix's voice yelling "Shock!"
Then its body erupted in pain, and with one final scream, Black Waltz 2-2 plummeted to the ground and exploded upon impact.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Beatrix felt the power of Trance drain out of her, but her work wasn't done yet. She had seen Black Mages emerge from beneath the town, and that meant one thing. The Black Mage Factory, which she had made sure was closed after the destruction of Brahne's fleet at the hands of Bahamut, was running again.
General Beatrix marched through the town of Dali, walking right into the Mayor's house. "I've seen Black Mages here," she said to the Mayor, who had immediately recognized her and was bowing to her. "I can only assume that the Black Mage Factory we shut down is operating again."
The Mayor turned pale. "Please, General. It's not my fault this time. This time he just appeared . . . He said he was taking control of it again."
"Who?" Beatrix said. "Who is taking control of it."
The Mayor looked as if he was about to pass out. "It . . . it was . . ."
It was just then that a Black Mage teleported in. "Traitor!" it shouted, pointing at the Mayor and casting Firaga at him. The Mayor screamed in pain, even as Beatrix jumped forward, loping off the Black Mage's head with the Save The Queen. Beatrix turned around, but already there was nothing left of the Mayor but a pile of smoking ashes.
Outside, the Black Mages began to follow the directions of their master; if their factory was discovered again, they were to burn Dali to the ground and head to the north.
Beatrix only hoped she could make it down to the factory in time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Hilda Garde 4 was stuck in traffic. The Festival of the Hunt was in a week, and the South Gate was jammed with airships wanting to pass through it. Security had been tighter ever since Kuja's army of Black Mages had brought the Mist Continent to its knees, so ships were floating in the air or landed on the ground as officials went to each one, inspecting it for any suspicious items or people, then assigning the ship a number for the order in which they could continue through South Gate and on their way.
The Hilda Garde 4 was next to be inspected, but Eiko had no worries. She was the Princess of Lindblum, after all, and she had the Court Mage of Alexandria with her.
So imagine her shock when the inspecting official boarding the ship was immediately blasted with lightning and thrown over the edge by the newly arriving Black Waltz 2-3.
