Chapter 15
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Most (if not all) of the characters appearing within this story don't actually belong to me, but rather, are creations of the brilliant minds of Square Soft / Square Enix. I don't claim any of them as my own.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Delia Dunes, a vast desert region
"Where is this guy? That brat said he'd be here by now..."
A Duelist muttered. He wiped his fore head with the back of his arm. It was around noon time in the desert, so the sun was beating down on him and his clan.
"Calm down and don't let the heat affect you too much. That tip we got was extremely detailed so it's impossible to be a false lead. Patience is a virtue, okay?"
A Bishop told him, handing him a small water canteen. The Duelist took it and drank a little bit to wet his mouth before returning it to the Banga. Soon a Thief ran up to the two.
"Hey, he's coming here! Our Money Maker!"
The Thief said excitedly.
"Finally, man. It took him long enough, let's get this over with."
The Duelist got the rest of his clan ready as they all waited in their hiding places amongst the sand.
"Since Judges have broken away from the Royal Court, their appearance to watch over an Engage has been made optional. Alright everyone, we don't need to hold back. Kill Marche and his clan then call the Judge to have him revived in the custody of Spurom and collect the bounty."
The Duelist told his clan.
"Hey, he's here, but he's alone now...where's the rest of his clan?"
The Thief asked. The Duelist turned to him.
"What, he's alone now?"
The Duelist checked to see that it was true. Marche walked alone, his massive blade slung on his shoulder as he walked casually. Marche had left the battle with the last Divine Beast with only his sweater torn off, so now he had a steel gray colored one which was a shade darker than the light battle armor he wore. Marche already knew that their were bounty hunting clans out for him and he knew one was here now.
'Good thing that Thief wasn't hard to pick up on and I sent Montblanc to investigate. My clan has them all surrounded and they don't even know it.'
Marche thought. He would have grinned, but kept his face neutral of any expression.
'3...2...1...'
He counted off in his head. back to where the opposing clan was hiding...
"You don't think he's on to us, do you?"
The Bishop told the Duelist.
"No way...He can't be."
The Duelist told him, but doubts filled his head.
"Actually, we are."
An unfamiliar voice called to them. With the Duelist's clan in shock, Marche's clan attacked, fast and hard. Back to where Marche was, once he heard the clashing of weapons, he broke into a sprint to get into the fray. The opposing clan was decimated before he even got there, though.
"What took you so long Marche?"
Asked Rooty, as he sat on top of the Duelist's body, restraining him. The rest of the Duelist's clan was dead.
"Sheesh, you guys are sure efficient, or maybe I'm just too slow."
Marche said with a sheepish grin. His face went serious again as he regarded the Duelist.
"You and your clan knew I would be coming here. Who was your tipster? Answer me."
Marche said in a threatening voice that left the Duelist shaking in fear.
"Some guy dressed in green...He had brown hair and blue eyes...he seemed to know a lot about you."
The Duelist said. Marche's eyes narrowed. Even though the description was vague, an image of his younger brother popped into Marche's mind. He knelt down lower to the Duelist.
"Tell me one more thing before I let you go. This tipster of yours, did he travel in an odd contraption? Like a seat with wheels?"
The Duelist looked at him strangely.
"No...he was walking like the rest of us."
Marche sighed, releasing a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. He allowed the Duelist to be freed and told him to call a Judge to get his clan fixed up. Now that Clan Ruglia was back on it's journey, Marche was filled with both relief and dread.
'If the tipster was walking, then it couldn't have been Doned...but if this is what my mind thinks, why does my heart tell me otherwise...could this Ivalice's magic really affect Doned and enable him to walk? I'll know soon enough...'
Little did Marche realize just how much his journey would be affected when he actually ran into this tipster.
------
Much further into the Delia Dunes...
Marche and his clan walked about. The Duelist, before finally being released told Marche that the tipster was headed further into the desert.
"Hey, someone's further up ahead...it looks like the tipster!"
Celine said excitedly, getting Marche's full attention. What he saw started him.
"Doned..."
He said. The tipster turned around and confirmed it. Marche's eyes widened in shock.
"It is you...your walking."
Marche looked on in disbelief.
"That's your brother, kupo?"
Montblanc asked. He was sickened at the sight of Doned, mainly because Doned was obviously the tipster.
"You betrayed your own brother, kupo?!"
Montblanc yelled towards the boy. He narrowed his eyes at Marche before turning towards some hills in the desert and running off. He talked to a Clan leader on top of the hill.
"That's him! The bounty you've been searching for, Marche Radiuju!"
He told the clan leader, pointing his finger at Marche.
"Good, now if we can only take him down, the bounty is ours."
The leader said as the rest of his clan came into view. Marche gritted his teeth in rage, feeling a familiar feeling deep in his heart, feelings of betrayal. His body shook with fury as he held his head low. The hand that held the Defender clenched the hilt so tightly, his knuckles went white. Cloud whispered something in Mustadio's ear. Mustadio nodded, before resting a hand on Marche's shoulder and whispering in his ear.
"Doned has run off further in the desert. Let us take care of this clan while you go after him. Don't let your anger get the best of you and ask him what he's planning. Now go."
Mustadio said. Marche nodded. He turned to face his clan.
"Take them on while I find Doned. You all know what to do!"
Marche said with a steely gaze of his azure eyes. His clan roared in approval as Marche ran off. The opposing clan was about to go after him, when they heard the sound of a giant sword hit the dirt.
"You fight us before you fight our leader."
Cloud said menacingly.
------
Even much further into the Delia Dunes...
"Doned, wait!"
Marche yelled as he saw his brother running. Doned cursed his luck, but kept running, knowing that he'd be able to make it to where he was suppose to before Marche caught up to him. Marche kept on going until he saw a black blast of energy coming at him from the corner of his eye. Using his reflexes, Marche jumped high in the air as the blast exploded where he used to be, kicking up sand in it's wake. Marche turned towards where the blast came from, seeing a man who looked familiar somehow.
"Mewt...no...who are you?"
Marche said as he narrowed his gaze on the man dressed in red. He only smirked at Marche.
"I am Llednar, the one who will crush you like the bug you are under my heel."
He said in a gentle, yet threatening voice. Marche's eyes narrowed even further.
'He's not normal...somehow I know...even with my new power, it won't be enough...will I be able to escape...'
"Llednar...I can tell your here directly from the palace and your objective is obviously not for the bounty..."
"I'm only here to eliminate you, Marche. Here lies the portal to the fifth and final Crystal, so obviously, I can't let you pass.
Llednar stated. Marche's eyes looked to the sand at Llednar's feet.
"So if the portal is here...I can see that you have no intention of letting me escape, even if it's in my best interest to, because I know at my current strength I'm no match for you...so..."
Marche got into his fighting stance. Llednar raised an eyebrow.
"So you will battle with me anyway, fully knowing this is a losing battle? May I ask why you feel this way?"
Something about Marche intrigued Llednar, but he'd never show it on his face.
"You told me where the Crystal is, knowing I'd be immediately drawn to it. That was your plan, to tell so that I couldn't escape, knowing that I would still fight so that I could have any chance to reach that portal. Plus I know a barrier has been erected to further prevent my escape. Did you really think I couldn't feel it? You've planned everything accordingly, and I was just stupid enough to fall into your trap."
Llednar's eye widened slightly. Marche had pinpointed his entire plan and even knew about the barrier.
"Let me test one more thing..."
Marche said before rushing towards Llednar. Llednar expertly brought his wide saber out to guard the attack of Marche's sword, but Marche used the weight to throw Llednar slightly off balance before striking Llednar in the face with his left fist. When Marche's fist made contact a small circle of light appeared on Llednar's face where Marche had struck, protecting him.
"...as I thought. You also have a barrier. I doubt this could be easily removed by normal means, right?"
Marche continued. Llednar chuckled slightly.
"You are indeed in possession of a superior analytical and strategic mind. It seems almost monstrous. With that mind you could easily take over all of Ivalice of you wanted to. All I have is a godly powerful barrier that can halt any offensive maneuver and the power to slaughter armies."
Llednar said. Using his immense strength, he pushed Marche's sword aside easily, before quickly thrusting out with his saber. Marche, using his free left hand, grasped the flat of the blade and halted Llednar's thrust just shy of a few centimeters before it would have torn into Marche's chest. The two grunted, Llednar trying to pull the blade further from Marche's grasp and into Marche's body, while Marche kept holding the blade stiffly in place. He left eye was closed, as he switched his power to it with the crimson eye, adding to his ancient power.
"Your getting tired, Marche. I still commend you for holding out this long, though. You truly are an amazing human. It's time I ended this game, however."
While Marche still grasped the blade, he saw it go black. Marche grunted, before quickly jumping to the left of Llednar, releasing the black sword. Llednar anticipated the move, and kept his blade locked on Marche before letting loose with a beam of black energy. In a near inhuman motion, Marche swiftly went from his jump into a roll as the beam cut a tear into the back of his sweater, and a thin cut on his back.
"Impressive. At point blank range and you still find a way to escape with nothing more than a scratch I see."
Llednar said, his eyes showing his surprise while his voice stayed deadpan. Marche smirked, though not out of confidence. He was already aware he couldn't win.
'If I can stall him enough, maybe my clan can get help. I'm sure a judge could use a Law to break the barrier around here somehow...speaking of which, where is my clan? They should have made quick work of the enemy by now.'
Marche thought as he side stepped right from another blast. His attention had been on Llednar for the whole time, not allowing himself to be caught by surprise, since Llednar's attacks were as precise as they were powerful. He knew going on the offensive was just pointless since Llednar had the barrier on him, and he would not be so foolish as to remove in a battle with someone just as dangerous as himself. Marche was sure enough pressure on the barrier could destroy it, but with that currently being unknown, he'd have to test it without getting killed.
"This is pointless."
Llednar said, dropping his long range attacks for the close range ones as he sprinted quickly towards Marche, keeping his sword at his side as it's blade barely touched the ground. When he was in close, he let loose with a swift uppercut of the blade. Marche swayed to the right, as Llednar anticipated, and so Llednar shifted his weight, swinging his blade to follow Marche as he evaded. It would have made a deep cut in the surprised Marche's chest, but when he first felt the blade cut through the side of the sweater and into his skin, he quickly spun 360 degrees with it, evading the rest of Llednar's swipe. Llednar, not expecting Marche to evade the attack so quickly, brought his blade back and prepared to thrust when Marche faced him again. That had been a mistake. To further surprise the barrier protected man, Marche thrusted out with the hilt of his blade. The slight groove within the pommel of Marche's sword caught the tip of the blade as Llednar thrusted.
"What...?"
Llednar began in disbelief. Marche, having gained more momentum in his thrust from his spin, had successfully jarred Llednar off balance with the pressure behind it. While Llednar remained in this stunned state, Marche did another 360 degree spin on the ground, as he switched his blade from his right to left hand. When Llednar just regained balance, Marche attacked with a powerful swipe of his left handed attack, while his right hand held the flat of the blade as it pushed the blade faster. Before Llednar could bring up his guard, the flat of Marche's sword crashed into his chest, sending Llednar tumbling down the small hill of sand they were fighting on. To an ordinary warrior, the impact behind that attack would have killed him or her. With his barrier, not even Llednar's clothes got dirty as he went rolling downward off the hill. Llednar got up quickly to face Marche.
"That was not normal. How could you accurately strike and get my blade caught in the groove of your pommel like that?"
Llednar asked him. Marche didn't answer immediately, putting his now free right hand to his right side of his sweater, where he'd been cut.
'That attack got deeper than I expected. Not too bad but still more than expected.'
"Sometimes running on pure instinct is the best way to pull off the best offensive maneuvers, Llednar."
Marche said slowly. Llednar grunted in displeasure as he got up. Since he wasn't dirty, he didn't even bother dusting himself off.
"This is fun, Marche. I'll enjoy this epic battle before killing you slowly...hmmm..."
Llednar lifted his head slightly as if hearing something. Marche quirked an eyebrow in suspicion.
"What's wrong?"
Marche asked him. Llednar kept his head up a little longer, before lowering it and shaking his head, and then giving Marche his attention.
"Seems I can't enjoy this after all...oh well, orders are orders, and since I find you to be so powerful, I'll even erase you from this world with my ultimate attack. Prepare yourself, though I doubt you be able to withstand this..."
Llednar said. Marche's eyes narrowed as he spied the sky getting darker and darker.
"What are you up to, Llednar?"
Marche asked. Llednar's eyes glinted dangerously.
"Killing you of course. OMEGA CRUSH!!!"
With a swing of his sword, Llednar casted Marche in complete darkness.
------
Back to where Marche's clan was...
"Wow, that took longer than expected."
Victory said, cracking his knuckles.
"Hey, why is the sky so dark over there?"
Celine pointed out to the rest of them.
"Didn't our leader go that way?"
Rooty asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, Montblanc, call a Judge over here."
Mustadio said to Montblanc. The Moogle nodded.
"ENGAGE, KUPO!!"
As usual, a Judge emerged.
"What...Judge Master, kupo."
Montblanc said in disbelief. Cid looked at him strangely.
"You were the clan with Berbier...so you must be Marche's clan."
Cid said as he peered at them.
"Can you teleport these people back to Spurom?"
Mustadio asked Cid as he pointed to the dead bodies of the opposing clan they just fought.
"It's been done already."
Cid announced. Mustadio looked back, to see the bodies gone.
"Whoa, I can see why your the Judge Master."
Mustadio stated.
"What is that darkness over there?"
Cid asked as he narrowed his eyes at the distant sky.
"You don't know either then..."
Cloud said, lowering his head. Montblanc flew close to Cid's head.
"Please Judge Master, Marche went there, kupo."
Montblanc stated in a panic. Cid's eyes widened briefly.
"What? Marche is there. What could be going on...?"
Cid rushed over on Chocobo back while the rest of the clan ran as swiftly as they could through the desert sands.
------
Back to Marche and Llednar...
"Impressive..."
Llednar stated as he stood over Marche's body. The Defender was stuck in the sand near by Marche's head. Marche's body was free of all clothing as he lay face first in the sand, unmoving. Llednar kicked Marche's body over, so that Marche was facing him. Marche's eyes were closed. Llednar knelt to Marche's body and brought his fingers to Marche's bare neck, feeling for a pulse.
"Seems you didn't survive me after all, but somehow you come back dead with only your body and sword still intact..."
Llednar said as he placed his head on Marche's chest. He held his sword against Marche's throat in case Marche may be tricking him into believing he is dead. Llednar doesn't feel his heart beat.
"So then, you really are dead?"
Llednar questioned. He opened Marche's eyes to find them lifeless and dull, as any normal dead person. Standing up, Llednar kicks Marche hard in the side a few times to see if there is any reactions but produces the same results. Marche remains unmoving. Llednar turns his head up towards the sky.
'Well, the job has been completed, mother. I've checked for any signs of life and it all came up negative. He is dead. What should I do with the body?'
Llednar questioned in his head, before a voice came to answer him.
'Leave his remains to be feasted by the wild life. Return back to the castle, my son.'
With a grin, Llednar turns to Marche's dead body.
"As much as I would love to mare your body relentlessly, mother knows best, I suppose. It was nice knowing you, Marche Radiuju."
With a laugh, Llednar teleported from the scene, leaving Marche's body alone.
"That was Llednar..."
Cid muttered lowly, before he came to Marche's body. The rest of his clan came up soon after Cid got off his Chocobo and rush towards Marche's body.
"He isn't dead is he, kupo?"
Montblanc said as he flew over Cid's head. All the other Clan members looked towards Cid as he inspected Marche's body in much the same ways Llednar had, minus the kicking in the sides.
"Yes, It would appear he's dead. Good thing you all were in Lawful territory. I'll have him revived in a little while. Let's go some place safe for the time being."
Cid stated, picking up Marche's limp body, and Cloud picked up the Defender. Everyone nodded. Cid pulled out a Judge card and used it to teleport off the scene.
***TBC***
Note: Well, here's the fifteenth chapter. Just to clear up some things: Unlike in the actual FFTA game, Llednar does not send Marche to the next portal, but instead guards it so Marche can't go in a defeat the Divine Beast and break the final Crystal. Plus, Cid is a little late in halting Marche's death in this story, which doesn't even happen in the game anyway. Also thanking Feral Claws for telling me about my wrong use of grammer on some words. I tend not to proofread my chapters since I'm usually too busy to do so. I try to get the chapter up whenever I can spare so please just bare with me on that. Well, That's enough of my rambling. I'm not sure when the next update will be, but don't expect it for a while. Well, until then...
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Most (if not all) of the characters appearing within this story don't actually belong to me, but rather, are creations of the brilliant minds of Square Soft / Square Enix. I don't claim any of them as my own.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Delia Dunes, a vast desert region
"Where is this guy? That brat said he'd be here by now..."
A Duelist muttered. He wiped his fore head with the back of his arm. It was around noon time in the desert, so the sun was beating down on him and his clan.
"Calm down and don't let the heat affect you too much. That tip we got was extremely detailed so it's impossible to be a false lead. Patience is a virtue, okay?"
A Bishop told him, handing him a small water canteen. The Duelist took it and drank a little bit to wet his mouth before returning it to the Banga. Soon a Thief ran up to the two.
"Hey, he's coming here! Our Money Maker!"
The Thief said excitedly.
"Finally, man. It took him long enough, let's get this over with."
The Duelist got the rest of his clan ready as they all waited in their hiding places amongst the sand.
"Since Judges have broken away from the Royal Court, their appearance to watch over an Engage has been made optional. Alright everyone, we don't need to hold back. Kill Marche and his clan then call the Judge to have him revived in the custody of Spurom and collect the bounty."
The Duelist told his clan.
"Hey, he's here, but he's alone now...where's the rest of his clan?"
The Thief asked. The Duelist turned to him.
"What, he's alone now?"
The Duelist checked to see that it was true. Marche walked alone, his massive blade slung on his shoulder as he walked casually. Marche had left the battle with the last Divine Beast with only his sweater torn off, so now he had a steel gray colored one which was a shade darker than the light battle armor he wore. Marche already knew that their were bounty hunting clans out for him and he knew one was here now.
'Good thing that Thief wasn't hard to pick up on and I sent Montblanc to investigate. My clan has them all surrounded and they don't even know it.'
Marche thought. He would have grinned, but kept his face neutral of any expression.
'3...2...1...'
He counted off in his head. back to where the opposing clan was hiding...
"You don't think he's on to us, do you?"
The Bishop told the Duelist.
"No way...He can't be."
The Duelist told him, but doubts filled his head.
"Actually, we are."
An unfamiliar voice called to them. With the Duelist's clan in shock, Marche's clan attacked, fast and hard. Back to where Marche was, once he heard the clashing of weapons, he broke into a sprint to get into the fray. The opposing clan was decimated before he even got there, though.
"What took you so long Marche?"
Asked Rooty, as he sat on top of the Duelist's body, restraining him. The rest of the Duelist's clan was dead.
"Sheesh, you guys are sure efficient, or maybe I'm just too slow."
Marche said with a sheepish grin. His face went serious again as he regarded the Duelist.
"You and your clan knew I would be coming here. Who was your tipster? Answer me."
Marche said in a threatening voice that left the Duelist shaking in fear.
"Some guy dressed in green...He had brown hair and blue eyes...he seemed to know a lot about you."
The Duelist said. Marche's eyes narrowed. Even though the description was vague, an image of his younger brother popped into Marche's mind. He knelt down lower to the Duelist.
"Tell me one more thing before I let you go. This tipster of yours, did he travel in an odd contraption? Like a seat with wheels?"
The Duelist looked at him strangely.
"No...he was walking like the rest of us."
Marche sighed, releasing a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. He allowed the Duelist to be freed and told him to call a Judge to get his clan fixed up. Now that Clan Ruglia was back on it's journey, Marche was filled with both relief and dread.
'If the tipster was walking, then it couldn't have been Doned...but if this is what my mind thinks, why does my heart tell me otherwise...could this Ivalice's magic really affect Doned and enable him to walk? I'll know soon enough...'
Little did Marche realize just how much his journey would be affected when he actually ran into this tipster.
------
Much further into the Delia Dunes...
Marche and his clan walked about. The Duelist, before finally being released told Marche that the tipster was headed further into the desert.
"Hey, someone's further up ahead...it looks like the tipster!"
Celine said excitedly, getting Marche's full attention. What he saw started him.
"Doned..."
He said. The tipster turned around and confirmed it. Marche's eyes widened in shock.
"It is you...your walking."
Marche looked on in disbelief.
"That's your brother, kupo?"
Montblanc asked. He was sickened at the sight of Doned, mainly because Doned was obviously the tipster.
"You betrayed your own brother, kupo?!"
Montblanc yelled towards the boy. He narrowed his eyes at Marche before turning towards some hills in the desert and running off. He talked to a Clan leader on top of the hill.
"That's him! The bounty you've been searching for, Marche Radiuju!"
He told the clan leader, pointing his finger at Marche.
"Good, now if we can only take him down, the bounty is ours."
The leader said as the rest of his clan came into view. Marche gritted his teeth in rage, feeling a familiar feeling deep in his heart, feelings of betrayal. His body shook with fury as he held his head low. The hand that held the Defender clenched the hilt so tightly, his knuckles went white. Cloud whispered something in Mustadio's ear. Mustadio nodded, before resting a hand on Marche's shoulder and whispering in his ear.
"Doned has run off further in the desert. Let us take care of this clan while you go after him. Don't let your anger get the best of you and ask him what he's planning. Now go."
Mustadio said. Marche nodded. He turned to face his clan.
"Take them on while I find Doned. You all know what to do!"
Marche said with a steely gaze of his azure eyes. His clan roared in approval as Marche ran off. The opposing clan was about to go after him, when they heard the sound of a giant sword hit the dirt.
"You fight us before you fight our leader."
Cloud said menacingly.
------
Even much further into the Delia Dunes...
"Doned, wait!"
Marche yelled as he saw his brother running. Doned cursed his luck, but kept running, knowing that he'd be able to make it to where he was suppose to before Marche caught up to him. Marche kept on going until he saw a black blast of energy coming at him from the corner of his eye. Using his reflexes, Marche jumped high in the air as the blast exploded where he used to be, kicking up sand in it's wake. Marche turned towards where the blast came from, seeing a man who looked familiar somehow.
"Mewt...no...who are you?"
Marche said as he narrowed his gaze on the man dressed in red. He only smirked at Marche.
"I am Llednar, the one who will crush you like the bug you are under my heel."
He said in a gentle, yet threatening voice. Marche's eyes narrowed even further.
'He's not normal...somehow I know...even with my new power, it won't be enough...will I be able to escape...'
"Llednar...I can tell your here directly from the palace and your objective is obviously not for the bounty..."
"I'm only here to eliminate you, Marche. Here lies the portal to the fifth and final Crystal, so obviously, I can't let you pass.
Llednar stated. Marche's eyes looked to the sand at Llednar's feet.
"So if the portal is here...I can see that you have no intention of letting me escape, even if it's in my best interest to, because I know at my current strength I'm no match for you...so..."
Marche got into his fighting stance. Llednar raised an eyebrow.
"So you will battle with me anyway, fully knowing this is a losing battle? May I ask why you feel this way?"
Something about Marche intrigued Llednar, but he'd never show it on his face.
"You told me where the Crystal is, knowing I'd be immediately drawn to it. That was your plan, to tell so that I couldn't escape, knowing that I would still fight so that I could have any chance to reach that portal. Plus I know a barrier has been erected to further prevent my escape. Did you really think I couldn't feel it? You've planned everything accordingly, and I was just stupid enough to fall into your trap."
Llednar's eye widened slightly. Marche had pinpointed his entire plan and even knew about the barrier.
"Let me test one more thing..."
Marche said before rushing towards Llednar. Llednar expertly brought his wide saber out to guard the attack of Marche's sword, but Marche used the weight to throw Llednar slightly off balance before striking Llednar in the face with his left fist. When Marche's fist made contact a small circle of light appeared on Llednar's face where Marche had struck, protecting him.
"...as I thought. You also have a barrier. I doubt this could be easily removed by normal means, right?"
Marche continued. Llednar chuckled slightly.
"You are indeed in possession of a superior analytical and strategic mind. It seems almost monstrous. With that mind you could easily take over all of Ivalice of you wanted to. All I have is a godly powerful barrier that can halt any offensive maneuver and the power to slaughter armies."
Llednar said. Using his immense strength, he pushed Marche's sword aside easily, before quickly thrusting out with his saber. Marche, using his free left hand, grasped the flat of the blade and halted Llednar's thrust just shy of a few centimeters before it would have torn into Marche's chest. The two grunted, Llednar trying to pull the blade further from Marche's grasp and into Marche's body, while Marche kept holding the blade stiffly in place. He left eye was closed, as he switched his power to it with the crimson eye, adding to his ancient power.
"Your getting tired, Marche. I still commend you for holding out this long, though. You truly are an amazing human. It's time I ended this game, however."
While Marche still grasped the blade, he saw it go black. Marche grunted, before quickly jumping to the left of Llednar, releasing the black sword. Llednar anticipated the move, and kept his blade locked on Marche before letting loose with a beam of black energy. In a near inhuman motion, Marche swiftly went from his jump into a roll as the beam cut a tear into the back of his sweater, and a thin cut on his back.
"Impressive. At point blank range and you still find a way to escape with nothing more than a scratch I see."
Llednar said, his eyes showing his surprise while his voice stayed deadpan. Marche smirked, though not out of confidence. He was already aware he couldn't win.
'If I can stall him enough, maybe my clan can get help. I'm sure a judge could use a Law to break the barrier around here somehow...speaking of which, where is my clan? They should have made quick work of the enemy by now.'
Marche thought as he side stepped right from another blast. His attention had been on Llednar for the whole time, not allowing himself to be caught by surprise, since Llednar's attacks were as precise as they were powerful. He knew going on the offensive was just pointless since Llednar had the barrier on him, and he would not be so foolish as to remove in a battle with someone just as dangerous as himself. Marche was sure enough pressure on the barrier could destroy it, but with that currently being unknown, he'd have to test it without getting killed.
"This is pointless."
Llednar said, dropping his long range attacks for the close range ones as he sprinted quickly towards Marche, keeping his sword at his side as it's blade barely touched the ground. When he was in close, he let loose with a swift uppercut of the blade. Marche swayed to the right, as Llednar anticipated, and so Llednar shifted his weight, swinging his blade to follow Marche as he evaded. It would have made a deep cut in the surprised Marche's chest, but when he first felt the blade cut through the side of the sweater and into his skin, he quickly spun 360 degrees with it, evading the rest of Llednar's swipe. Llednar, not expecting Marche to evade the attack so quickly, brought his blade back and prepared to thrust when Marche faced him again. That had been a mistake. To further surprise the barrier protected man, Marche thrusted out with the hilt of his blade. The slight groove within the pommel of Marche's sword caught the tip of the blade as Llednar thrusted.
"What...?"
Llednar began in disbelief. Marche, having gained more momentum in his thrust from his spin, had successfully jarred Llednar off balance with the pressure behind it. While Llednar remained in this stunned state, Marche did another 360 degree spin on the ground, as he switched his blade from his right to left hand. When Llednar just regained balance, Marche attacked with a powerful swipe of his left handed attack, while his right hand held the flat of the blade as it pushed the blade faster. Before Llednar could bring up his guard, the flat of Marche's sword crashed into his chest, sending Llednar tumbling down the small hill of sand they were fighting on. To an ordinary warrior, the impact behind that attack would have killed him or her. With his barrier, not even Llednar's clothes got dirty as he went rolling downward off the hill. Llednar got up quickly to face Marche.
"That was not normal. How could you accurately strike and get my blade caught in the groove of your pommel like that?"
Llednar asked him. Marche didn't answer immediately, putting his now free right hand to his right side of his sweater, where he'd been cut.
'That attack got deeper than I expected. Not too bad but still more than expected.'
"Sometimes running on pure instinct is the best way to pull off the best offensive maneuvers, Llednar."
Marche said slowly. Llednar grunted in displeasure as he got up. Since he wasn't dirty, he didn't even bother dusting himself off.
"This is fun, Marche. I'll enjoy this epic battle before killing you slowly...hmmm..."
Llednar lifted his head slightly as if hearing something. Marche quirked an eyebrow in suspicion.
"What's wrong?"
Marche asked him. Llednar kept his head up a little longer, before lowering it and shaking his head, and then giving Marche his attention.
"Seems I can't enjoy this after all...oh well, orders are orders, and since I find you to be so powerful, I'll even erase you from this world with my ultimate attack. Prepare yourself, though I doubt you be able to withstand this..."
Llednar said. Marche's eyes narrowed as he spied the sky getting darker and darker.
"What are you up to, Llednar?"
Marche asked. Llednar's eyes glinted dangerously.
"Killing you of course. OMEGA CRUSH!!!"
With a swing of his sword, Llednar casted Marche in complete darkness.
------
Back to where Marche's clan was...
"Wow, that took longer than expected."
Victory said, cracking his knuckles.
"Hey, why is the sky so dark over there?"
Celine pointed out to the rest of them.
"Didn't our leader go that way?"
Rooty asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, Montblanc, call a Judge over here."
Mustadio said to Montblanc. The Moogle nodded.
"ENGAGE, KUPO!!"
As usual, a Judge emerged.
"What...Judge Master, kupo."
Montblanc said in disbelief. Cid looked at him strangely.
"You were the clan with Berbier...so you must be Marche's clan."
Cid said as he peered at them.
"Can you teleport these people back to Spurom?"
Mustadio asked Cid as he pointed to the dead bodies of the opposing clan they just fought.
"It's been done already."
Cid announced. Mustadio looked back, to see the bodies gone.
"Whoa, I can see why your the Judge Master."
Mustadio stated.
"What is that darkness over there?"
Cid asked as he narrowed his eyes at the distant sky.
"You don't know either then..."
Cloud said, lowering his head. Montblanc flew close to Cid's head.
"Please Judge Master, Marche went there, kupo."
Montblanc stated in a panic. Cid's eyes widened briefly.
"What? Marche is there. What could be going on...?"
Cid rushed over on Chocobo back while the rest of the clan ran as swiftly as they could through the desert sands.
------
Back to Marche and Llednar...
"Impressive..."
Llednar stated as he stood over Marche's body. The Defender was stuck in the sand near by Marche's head. Marche's body was free of all clothing as he lay face first in the sand, unmoving. Llednar kicked Marche's body over, so that Marche was facing him. Marche's eyes were closed. Llednar knelt to Marche's body and brought his fingers to Marche's bare neck, feeling for a pulse.
"Seems you didn't survive me after all, but somehow you come back dead with only your body and sword still intact..."
Llednar said as he placed his head on Marche's chest. He held his sword against Marche's throat in case Marche may be tricking him into believing he is dead. Llednar doesn't feel his heart beat.
"So then, you really are dead?"
Llednar questioned. He opened Marche's eyes to find them lifeless and dull, as any normal dead person. Standing up, Llednar kicks Marche hard in the side a few times to see if there is any reactions but produces the same results. Marche remains unmoving. Llednar turns his head up towards the sky.
'Well, the job has been completed, mother. I've checked for any signs of life and it all came up negative. He is dead. What should I do with the body?'
Llednar questioned in his head, before a voice came to answer him.
'Leave his remains to be feasted by the wild life. Return back to the castle, my son.'
With a grin, Llednar turns to Marche's dead body.
"As much as I would love to mare your body relentlessly, mother knows best, I suppose. It was nice knowing you, Marche Radiuju."
With a laugh, Llednar teleported from the scene, leaving Marche's body alone.
"That was Llednar..."
Cid muttered lowly, before he came to Marche's body. The rest of his clan came up soon after Cid got off his Chocobo and rush towards Marche's body.
"He isn't dead is he, kupo?"
Montblanc said as he flew over Cid's head. All the other Clan members looked towards Cid as he inspected Marche's body in much the same ways Llednar had, minus the kicking in the sides.
"Yes, It would appear he's dead. Good thing you all were in Lawful territory. I'll have him revived in a little while. Let's go some place safe for the time being."
Cid stated, picking up Marche's limp body, and Cloud picked up the Defender. Everyone nodded. Cid pulled out a Judge card and used it to teleport off the scene.
***TBC***
Note: Well, here's the fifteenth chapter. Just to clear up some things: Unlike in the actual FFTA game, Llednar does not send Marche to the next portal, but instead guards it so Marche can't go in a defeat the Divine Beast and break the final Crystal. Plus, Cid is a little late in halting Marche's death in this story, which doesn't even happen in the game anyway. Also thanking Feral Claws for telling me about my wrong use of grammer on some words. I tend not to proofread my chapters since I'm usually too busy to do so. I try to get the chapter up whenever I can spare so please just bare with me on that. Well, That's enough of my rambling. I'm not sure when the next update will be, but don't expect it for a while. Well, until then...