Chapter 10-The Fallen Leader and Flashback #1-The New and Exciting Evil

Please Note-This is the Chapter where the plot really starts getting going. So it's an important chapter.

While Largo found his inner Angel, something sinister was happening at Doctor's surgery.

Doctor was a Nu Mou White Mage who was experimenting with using Technology to aid medicine. This was scorned by other White Mages, but it had proved surprisingly popular. He was also a Chief Loremaster in the Magical Fold, and right now, he had a patient to see

"You may not want to see this, Doctor," the Nurse said.

Doctor turned to him. "I think I can handle one assault case."

"Err...that's just it, sir. It looks like he'd been ganged up on. And this wasn't something random. This person had been targeted!"

Doctor allowed himself a pang of sorrow, before he was ushered through to the room.

"Oh...oh god."

Doctor was looking at a man who practically had no face anymore, so scarred it would be. The clothes made him look like a Hunter. But this boys eyes, they were the worst...

Instead of eyes, he had two carvings. One was a hand holding a hammer, which was making something, the other was a battle. Quite a vicious one at that.

"The scariest thing of all, Doctor, was that he was conscious the entire time."

"Oh...that poor man!" Doctor exclaimed. "What's this boy's name?"

"David, sir. I feel so sorry for him. He led Clan Dip to greatness, and now he'll never be able to fire a bow again."

"Please, Nurse. I'd like to speak with the boy for a moment."

The Nurse nodded, and left. Doctor sat down.

"Ok, this may be quite traumatic for you son, but could I ask you, do you know who did this?"

David looked up at where he thought the voice was coming from. "They got at me with the carvings. The carvings, the carvings! God I hate the carvings, they remind me of what will happen!"

"Woah, slow down!" the doctor said as soothing as possible. 'God, they took his mind with his sight!' he thought. Then something happened which surprised him.

David suddenly smiled. "I heard what you thought I did, and I don't like it much, I don't! Nasty things to think, very nasty! Thinking I'm crazy, I'M NOT CRAZY! All through the carvings, THE CARVINGS!!!" He calmed down suddenly. "Oh, oh god. I'm sorry, Doctor. It's quite traumatic. But there's something about the carvings. It's what they mean. The hammer, making something that's new. The excitement of the Battle. I know what they mean, Doctor."

"What is that, son?"

"Have you heard of the New and Exciting Evil?"

"...oh. OH!!! I need you to come with me to see someone!"

Doctor ushered David through the double doors of the ward, round the corner, and down the stairs. As he got to the bottom, he muttered a few words and a door appeared. A flap at the side opened, and a moogle peeked out. "Password, kupo?"

"The End of Days is coming. LET ME IN!!!" the Doctor yelled.

The moogle faltered, then relented and opened the door, and Doctor came staggering through with David. David smiled. "People are here, people I know, people like...THEM!!!"

Thenardi stepped out. "Whoa. David?"

"Thenardi, you've survived so far!" David ran up and hugged him. Thenardi looked uncomfortable, and even more so when Madeline stepped out.

But she looked terrified. "D-D-D-David? Oh...oh god! Ar-ar-are you ok? What happened?"

David stopped hugging Thenardi, and ran up and hugged her. Madeline, unlike Thenardi, returned the hug, smiling. "Madeline...they came at me, with knives. They said, the End was coming, and I was going to be a major player in it. They told me I would have riches beyond my dreams if I sided with the New and Exciting Evil. But I said no, as it's wrong, so they...they...they left their mark to remember me by."

"Oh god...who's they?"

David looked even sadder. "My friends, my clan. They killed Gillian, and blinded me. This isn't good, is it?"

"Oh, but it isn't!" said a voice.

"Wha? Who said that?" Doctor yelled. Then they looked up.

Above them shone the most beautiful thing they ever saw. A man was there, carrying a Viera, which looked like a Summoner. This man had massive Wings, and glowed with power.

"Oh my god! It's Largo!" David yelled. "But, it isn't in the same stead. He's all shiny, his souls like an open book to me, for some reason. It's strange, very strange, but Largo's in the ring and the Angel is now Largo. And he's carrying Eldana!"

Thenardi tore his eyes away from the Angel Largo to look at David. "How do you know all this?"

David smiled and pointed at what were his eyes. "These. The c-c-carvings! They took my sight and gave me telepathy. It's just going slightly crazy!"

Madeline looked pitifully at David. He'd done nothing wrong, and because of that was punished by his eyes being replaced with a strange prophecy. And by those he trusted! 'Damn, this should be a play...' she thought.

Then Largo landed. The wings contracted back into his body, and he collapsed. "He's not dead, they're just switching bodies." David noted. Madeline could only hope he was right.

"Isn't...anyone...going to...help me!!!" Eldana screamed.

- - -

"Woah...that was weird."

Tim stood up, and brushed off the dust. Then he looked around.

It was a literal bloodbath. It was lucky that only 4 members of the Fold had turned up, but they were bloodily slaughtered, except for one. Not including himself.

"Ow...my head."

"Babus...I mean Divine Leader! You're ok!"

Babus stood up as well. "Those poor, poor people. They've been slaughtered!"

Tim nodded, then remembered something. "Babus?"

"Yes?"

"Where's the rest of the Mage Clan?"

"Behind you," said Quin, before bashing Tim over the head with his Mace.

"YOU!!!" Babus shouted, before Kenneth whacked him over the head with the butt of his gun.

"Let's get them somewhere safe," Viola said. "Don't want anyone to find us."

- - -

While Largo was being shackled to a table and Eldana was being seen to by Madeline, Thenardi and Doctor were talking to David. He was telling them what happened the previous night, which happened a bit like this...

- - -

David was still seething about losing the Clan Battle, when Gillian came through to speak with him. "Listen, fourth is good too! At least we're still in the top 5!"

David turned round and stared at her. "We were the BEST! And now look at us! We just can't keep losing! We need to do something, fast!"

"We will. But stop worrying, ok?" she replied.

"...yeah, you're right. I'll see you later."

Gillian smiled and left the tent David was in. David smiled to himself, and decided that he should lie down.

Then he heard a voice from somewhere say, "Hello David."

David started, and turned round. There, in front of him, was...

"Largo?"

The Largo-Thing smiled. "No, not really. I'm sorta something you can't really comprehend."

"Oh?"

"Ever heard of the New and Exciting Evil?" David shook his head. "The End of Days?"

David shook his head again. "What are they?"

The Largo Thing sighed. "Yo mama."

"That was uncalled for."

The Largo Thing grinned, and transformed suddenly to Gillian. "Like I said, I'm something you can't comprehend. Like a New and Exciting Evil, for example."

"Oh...OH!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" David screamed.

The New Evil grinned. "No-one can hear you, so ha! Anyway, I have a proposition for you."

"...go on?" David was intrigued. The New Evil's grin grew more so, and he transformed to a Viera, someone who held a bow.

"Much better to use a form that works with me. Now, this proposition. There is a Clan called Clan Destiny. Do you know of them?" David nodded. "Good. Now, there is one person travelling with them there which can screw up my plans good and proper. His name's Largo."

"Why's he such a threat?" David asked. The New Evil whispered in his ear. "Oh...really?"

The New Evil nodded, then continued, "Now, what I need you to do is get him, and kill him! I'd send Shara...the girl I am just now," he added, noticing the blank look on David's face, "But she wouldn't stand two minutes against him. I'd send myself, but I don't want to reveal myself yet."

"But why me?" David asked.

"Your ring. That's why."

"This old thing?" David pointed to the ring he wore. He was given it as a present from his mother on his 18th birthday. This was only a year ago. "It's just a Fortune Ring isn't it?"

"Guess again, child, guess again!" the New Evil said. "This is an Angel Ring."

David started again. "An...Angel Ring! Wow! I didn't know that!"

"Yes, well there's only three of them, and you were lucky enough to get one of the two without the possessing Angel in it. Largo is a whole different story. Now, he'll be hard, but you'll need to focus on him. Also, whatever you do, DON'T harm the Black and White Mages. I have big plans for them."

"Wait...you want me to hurt them?" David asked.

The New Evil frowned. "Didn't you listen to the first part of the conversation?"

"Not really. I heard something about ultimate power being yours."

"I didn't say...that..." The New Evil said. He thought it, but didn't say it. "You're...you're telepathic?"

David grinned. "Nah, I was just messing with you. I just made that up."

The New Evil grinned. "I like your attitude. Just, kill this one person, and you could have everything."

David was about to agree, thinking of the flesh wound he had gotten from Largo in /I battle, when he had a sudden flash. He saw the consequences of the two actions.

On one of them, it saw him, on a throne, commanding thousands to do his bidding, killing people at will.

On the other one, it saw him with no eyes, but standing triumphant.

He realized, "This decision is the one that fates Ivalice, doesn't it!"

"What?" the New Evil looked stunned. 'How did he figure it out?' he thought.

"Because you know you can't kill me because of the ring, but you know that if I say yes, you've won!

"And I know that if I help you, I'll be powerful beyond my dreams. But that's not me. I don't want to destroy thousands of people just for power."

The New Evil grinned. "I was hoping you would say that," he said, before whistling. At once, Adelaide, Kent and Kilov came through, with Gillian tied up. Adelaide had a hunting knife pressed against her neck.

"RUN, DAVID!!!" Gillian screamed.

"So, David, you have a choice. Join me, and she lives. Disrespect me by declining, and she dies. Pretty easy choice now, you think?"

David took out two hunting knives. "David! I saw what would happen! Just, don't do it! It's you, or the world! Just, run!!!"

David smiled. "I can't let you die like this," he said, before hurling the two knives at his friends, the people he'd travelled with for ages. The first knife hit Adelaide square in the throat, and she collapsed, gurgling to the floor. The second hit Kent in the face, and he was knocked dead as well.

The New Evil chuckled. "Well DONE, David. You ARE impressive. Kilov, kill her."

David turned, and saw, horrified, as Kilov lifted his blade, and sliced carefully across Gillian's throat. She gurgled in pain, and slumped forward.

"Sorry, David. Now, time for some torture!" the New Evil said, before chanting. David was hurled across the floor, where great snaky tendrils snapped up and rooted David to the soil.

"AGH!!!" he yelled.

"Hush now David. You won't feel a thing. After the first few hours..."

David looked up, terrified, as Kilov stood over him, with the blade poised over his eyes. "Let's start with the prophecy, kupo!" Kilov said.

"Kilov, WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM!!!"

"He's under my spell now," the New Evil said, before turning to Kilov. "Yes, the prophecies, let's start with those!"

Kilov carefully lowered the blade.

And David saw no more.

- - -

As David finished his story, Babus and Tim crashed through the door, closely followed by the rest of Clan Destiny. "Ow! Easy on the poor Morpher here!" Tim yelled as he was shoved through the door.

"Is everyone here?" Quin asked.

"Yup," Eldana replied. Madeline had finished patching her up and she felt a lot better. "Err...where's Largo?"

A groan at the table answered that question, and Largo tried to sit up. "Err...why am I strapped to a table?"

"Because you found your inner possessing Angel," David replied.

"David?" Largo asked.

Thenardi answered"Yup. He's just been telling us how he got blinded and tortured by this thing called the New and Exciting Evil. And how it wants you dead."

Largo stammered. "B-B-B-But why would it want that?"

"Your ring, dumbass. Of course, it doesn't help with the fact that the New Evil told me your Dramatic Secret."

"...err, what secret is this?" Quin asked.

"Yes, David, you never told us what that big dramatic secret was. Spill." Doctor said.

"I KNOW IT!!!" Tim yelled. When everyone looked at him, he hung his head and said, "Not really...I just have a hunch."

David smiled. "I know what you think. You're exactly right."

Largo became very shifty. "No-no, no need to tell anyone that. Not at all!"

"Thenardi?" David asked. "How did he get that ring?"

"He said he got it for casting Night on the village...but now I think about it, how is that possible? I mean, he was a White Mage, for crying out loud!"

David nodded. "Exactly! That ring of his, it's a family heirloom. His big secret is..."

"DON'T!!!" Largo yelled. Everyone looked at him. "Err..."

"As I was saying, his big secret...is that he's not exactly human."

"What? He's part Bangaa? Cause that would explain the intelligence." Tim piped up with. Everyone had a good laugh about that one.

"Hehehe...no, but a good guess!" David chortled. "Nah, he's actually part of a family filled with incredible magical power. He's actually one of a kind for his species. That's because he's part Viera. And just to make this even more dramatic, this family has two members in the room. That's right, everyone's looking at Eldana's twin brother."