"She just vanished?"
"She was screaming and wailing like Bahamut himself. I don't think she knew what she was doing. She looked like a hologram of some kind, slightly translucent. Whoever she was talking to was probably with her real body."
"What puzzles me," said Demeyra, "is why this person didn't want the message to be delivered in the first place."
"Maybe we should concentrate on the actual message first." said Beatrix. "Do you know what exactly you are supposed to remember, Kuja?"
Kuja shook his head. "It could be anything. And my mind is like a morning marsh- fog. Parts of my life I cannot remember at all, especially early on." Kuja shook his head again, but this time to clear it. "I recall only fragments of my childhood, and between leaving Terra and creating my first black mage..." Kuja massaged his temples with one hand. "Nothing."
"It must be something from that time!" said Steiner, his brow furrowed.
Zidane opened his mouth, possibly to say a sentence containing the words 'Sherlock', 'Shit', and 'No'. However, he wisely decided to keep this observation to himself.
One of Beatrix's soldiers entered the meeting room and saluted. "Ma'am," she said, "The city is under attack!"
"What?!" Beatrix and Garnet said together.
"The city is being attacked by people in a red ship, ma'am." the soldier explained.
Kuja's eyes widened. "Phiran had a red ship."
Beatrix was quick in issuing orders. "Recall all the troops. Get them in the city, protecting the civilians. Get someone firing at the ship. Do not injure any civilians. Is this clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier saluted and left.
"We need to get down there, see what's happening." said Freya. Fratley
"I agree." Said Zidane. He turned to Garnet. "You stay here, in case anything happens."
"They're my people!" Garnet flared. "It is my duty to protect them!"
Under his fiancée's ferocious glare, Zidane wilted. "Fine. But stay with me, yeah?" He looked at Demeyra. "Are you coming?"
Demeyra nodded. "I will try to be of use."
Zidane smiled. "Kuja...?"
He didn't need to finish the question. Kuja understood, and pulled the hood of his cloak firmly over his head, obscuring his face.
Zidane smiled grimly. "Let's go and see what the hell this is all about."
The city was in chaos. Screaming Alexandrians ran in all directions like headless chocobos. In the midst of the confusion, the group stood, waiting for the army that was attacking their town. Suddenly, Zidane saw a very tall, fair man throwing Firas at a group of small children. "Hey!" he shouted, but before he could make a move, Vivi had torched him with a Thundaga.
Zidane laughed. "These guys are easy!"
Without warning, dozens of tall, fair people swarmed the square.
Zidane made a noise akin to a mouse getting squashed under the sole of a farmer's boot.
"Meep."
The group battled furiously through the mêlée, hacking and splicing at their assailants. However, the strange pale people just kept coming. There seemed no end to them. They surrounded the small group, offering no means of escape or reprieve. After a long continuous battle, the party began to tire.
"I can't go on much longer, Zidane!" cried Eiko.
Zidane looked at her worried, but was also aware that Garnet was almost collapsing on his shoulder. And without their healers, the group was doomed.
"Try and hold on, Eiko! There can't be many more of them! You're doing fine!"
Freya leapt down from the sky, landing neatly next to Eiko and managing to slash through the stomachs of several of the attackers in the process. Then she did something unexpectedly motherly. She picked the small Eiko up in her arms and lifted her onto her back. "Don't worry about fighting, Eiko," she whispered. "Just concentrate on healing the rest of us."
Zidane flashed her a grateful smile.
Next to Demeyra, Vivi flopped onto the floor from sheer exhaustion. "Zidane!" she called.
"Just manage as best you can, Demeyra!" Zidane's voice came over the crowd. Zidane's eyes flickered towards Vivi, but he was busy fighting off two of the intruders who had attacked Garnet.
Kuja was fighting like a demon. Flare Stars were sending bodies flying; even so, not even Kuja was making much of a dent in the seemingly infinite numbers of attackers.
"Go, Kuja!" shouted Lani joyfully. This was what she enjoyed doing; fighting. She swung her axe like a scythe, cutting people down like wheat.
Beatrix and Steiner were fighting back- to- back. Beatrix thrust Save The Queen into the heart of her opponent, whilst Steiner fought another. He parried and countered until his foe swung up his short sword. This was too much for Steiner's sword. It had battled too long, and too hard. It snapped.
The crowd went silent as they watched the glinting steel fly through the air to clatter on the pavement. Beatrix quickly turned and defended her love, but Steiner himself was defenseless.
"Oi, Rusty!"
Steiner turned to see Zidane waving at him. "Catch!"
Zidane tossed one of his daggers to Steiner, who caught it gratefully. "Thank you, Zidane!" he called.
The battle had been going on for what seemed like hours, although Zidane had no way of telling the time.
The party was tiring. Eiko and Garnet were desperately trying to share out the last of their white magic between the crew. The mages, Vivi, Kuja, Demeyra and Lani, had barely any power left, and even Beatrix and Steiner were tiring.
Zidane brought his attention back to the person he was battling. Parry, cut, dodge, thrust-
Garnet shrieked as a blade came slicing down her arm. Zidane turned. However, his attacker, taking full advantage of the reprieve, disarmed Zidane with a skilful flick of the wrist. Zidane's dagger spun away, out of his reach. Soon Zidane found himself flat on his back with a sword at his throat. Grinning, his foe lifted his sword up high, ready for the death blow.
The blade swung through the air-
"Stop."
The attacker's blade halted instantly, stopping just inches from Zidane's face.
A man dropped from the sky. He had huge red claws replacing his right hand and green dragon- scales distorting half of his face.
Kuja gasped silently.
"I am Phiran." The man said. "Doubtless some of you already know me."
He smirked at Kuja.
"And I see you have also met my Soroyans. They come from a land far in the north. Oh, don't worry, I didn't create them-"he said at the looks on Zidane's and Kuja's faces, "that would be truly ironic, don't you think? However, I do control them, and I do want them to kill you."
"What do you want from us?" said Eiko, hands on hips.
Phiran thought the matter over for a few moments. "Shall I tell you? No, I think it would be much more fun for you to figure it out for yourselves, don't you? In the meantime, however, I must see a genome about a soul." Phiran walked away, back to his ship, summoning his Soroyans after him.
"Mikoto! She went back to the Black Mage Village!" Zidane whispered urgently.
"How can we ever get there in time?" whimpered Garnet.
Kuja's eyes lit up. "I may know a way. Follow me."
Kuja led the group out the gates of Alexandria to the open land. The others waited anxiously to see what he would do. Kuja breathed deeply. He mumbled something under his breath, and his brow was creased slightly. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind howled past the crew. Eyes shining, Kuja turned, and the others followed him. Behind them was a huge Terran silver dragon.
"Kuja, is that your dragon?" Beatrix asked, eyes wide with wonder.
Kuja nodded. Zidane laughed. "Nice one, bro!" He slapped Kuja on the back.
Kuja ran forward to caress his dragon around the neck. It nuzzled him in reply. Kuja leapt onto its back. "There is only room for two more people, and they must be able to hold on well."
Zidane walked forward. "I'm coming. Mikoto is my little sister and I will protect her."
Kuja reached down and helped Zidane up. "Who else?"
Beatrix looked left and right. "If no- one has any objections, I would like to come with you."
Zidane looked around. No- one had. "Alright then, let's go."
Kuja pulled Beatrix up and helped her and Zidane to find places they would be able to hold on. He spoke to the dragon telepathically.
I have not seen you for such a long time.
Too long, the dragon replied.
I have need of your services yet again. I must go to the Black Mage Village, in Magrathea Forest. You must fly with all speed.
Very well.
Kuja stood up. "Hold on tight!"
A/N: My longest chapter so far! Coming in at 5 pages! Woo! And the dragon is back! If any- one knows anybody over the Internet called Kuja's Silver Dragon, then it's probably me. Does anyone know about any Cosplay conventions in Britain? No, I'm not very hopeful...
"She was screaming and wailing like Bahamut himself. I don't think she knew what she was doing. She looked like a hologram of some kind, slightly translucent. Whoever she was talking to was probably with her real body."
"What puzzles me," said Demeyra, "is why this person didn't want the message to be delivered in the first place."
"Maybe we should concentrate on the actual message first." said Beatrix. "Do you know what exactly you are supposed to remember, Kuja?"
Kuja shook his head. "It could be anything. And my mind is like a morning marsh- fog. Parts of my life I cannot remember at all, especially early on." Kuja shook his head again, but this time to clear it. "I recall only fragments of my childhood, and between leaving Terra and creating my first black mage..." Kuja massaged his temples with one hand. "Nothing."
"It must be something from that time!" said Steiner, his brow furrowed.
Zidane opened his mouth, possibly to say a sentence containing the words 'Sherlock', 'Shit', and 'No'. However, he wisely decided to keep this observation to himself.
One of Beatrix's soldiers entered the meeting room and saluted. "Ma'am," she said, "The city is under attack!"
"What?!" Beatrix and Garnet said together.
"The city is being attacked by people in a red ship, ma'am." the soldier explained.
Kuja's eyes widened. "Phiran had a red ship."
Beatrix was quick in issuing orders. "Recall all the troops. Get them in the city, protecting the civilians. Get someone firing at the ship. Do not injure any civilians. Is this clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier saluted and left.
"We need to get down there, see what's happening." said Freya. Fratley
"I agree." Said Zidane. He turned to Garnet. "You stay here, in case anything happens."
"They're my people!" Garnet flared. "It is my duty to protect them!"
Under his fiancée's ferocious glare, Zidane wilted. "Fine. But stay with me, yeah?" He looked at Demeyra. "Are you coming?"
Demeyra nodded. "I will try to be of use."
Zidane smiled. "Kuja...?"
He didn't need to finish the question. Kuja understood, and pulled the hood of his cloak firmly over his head, obscuring his face.
Zidane smiled grimly. "Let's go and see what the hell this is all about."
The city was in chaos. Screaming Alexandrians ran in all directions like headless chocobos. In the midst of the confusion, the group stood, waiting for the army that was attacking their town. Suddenly, Zidane saw a very tall, fair man throwing Firas at a group of small children. "Hey!" he shouted, but before he could make a move, Vivi had torched him with a Thundaga.
Zidane laughed. "These guys are easy!"
Without warning, dozens of tall, fair people swarmed the square.
Zidane made a noise akin to a mouse getting squashed under the sole of a farmer's boot.
"Meep."
The group battled furiously through the mêlée, hacking and splicing at their assailants. However, the strange pale people just kept coming. There seemed no end to them. They surrounded the small group, offering no means of escape or reprieve. After a long continuous battle, the party began to tire.
"I can't go on much longer, Zidane!" cried Eiko.
Zidane looked at her worried, but was also aware that Garnet was almost collapsing on his shoulder. And without their healers, the group was doomed.
"Try and hold on, Eiko! There can't be many more of them! You're doing fine!"
Freya leapt down from the sky, landing neatly next to Eiko and managing to slash through the stomachs of several of the attackers in the process. Then she did something unexpectedly motherly. She picked the small Eiko up in her arms and lifted her onto her back. "Don't worry about fighting, Eiko," she whispered. "Just concentrate on healing the rest of us."
Zidane flashed her a grateful smile.
Next to Demeyra, Vivi flopped onto the floor from sheer exhaustion. "Zidane!" she called.
"Just manage as best you can, Demeyra!" Zidane's voice came over the crowd. Zidane's eyes flickered towards Vivi, but he was busy fighting off two of the intruders who had attacked Garnet.
Kuja was fighting like a demon. Flare Stars were sending bodies flying; even so, not even Kuja was making much of a dent in the seemingly infinite numbers of attackers.
"Go, Kuja!" shouted Lani joyfully. This was what she enjoyed doing; fighting. She swung her axe like a scythe, cutting people down like wheat.
Beatrix and Steiner were fighting back- to- back. Beatrix thrust Save The Queen into the heart of her opponent, whilst Steiner fought another. He parried and countered until his foe swung up his short sword. This was too much for Steiner's sword. It had battled too long, and too hard. It snapped.
The crowd went silent as they watched the glinting steel fly through the air to clatter on the pavement. Beatrix quickly turned and defended her love, but Steiner himself was defenseless.
"Oi, Rusty!"
Steiner turned to see Zidane waving at him. "Catch!"
Zidane tossed one of his daggers to Steiner, who caught it gratefully. "Thank you, Zidane!" he called.
The battle had been going on for what seemed like hours, although Zidane had no way of telling the time.
The party was tiring. Eiko and Garnet were desperately trying to share out the last of their white magic between the crew. The mages, Vivi, Kuja, Demeyra and Lani, had barely any power left, and even Beatrix and Steiner were tiring.
Zidane brought his attention back to the person he was battling. Parry, cut, dodge, thrust-
Garnet shrieked as a blade came slicing down her arm. Zidane turned. However, his attacker, taking full advantage of the reprieve, disarmed Zidane with a skilful flick of the wrist. Zidane's dagger spun away, out of his reach. Soon Zidane found himself flat on his back with a sword at his throat. Grinning, his foe lifted his sword up high, ready for the death blow.
The blade swung through the air-
"Stop."
The attacker's blade halted instantly, stopping just inches from Zidane's face.
A man dropped from the sky. He had huge red claws replacing his right hand and green dragon- scales distorting half of his face.
Kuja gasped silently.
"I am Phiran." The man said. "Doubtless some of you already know me."
He smirked at Kuja.
"And I see you have also met my Soroyans. They come from a land far in the north. Oh, don't worry, I didn't create them-"he said at the looks on Zidane's and Kuja's faces, "that would be truly ironic, don't you think? However, I do control them, and I do want them to kill you."
"What do you want from us?" said Eiko, hands on hips.
Phiran thought the matter over for a few moments. "Shall I tell you? No, I think it would be much more fun for you to figure it out for yourselves, don't you? In the meantime, however, I must see a genome about a soul." Phiran walked away, back to his ship, summoning his Soroyans after him.
"Mikoto! She went back to the Black Mage Village!" Zidane whispered urgently.
"How can we ever get there in time?" whimpered Garnet.
Kuja's eyes lit up. "I may know a way. Follow me."
Kuja led the group out the gates of Alexandria to the open land. The others waited anxiously to see what he would do. Kuja breathed deeply. He mumbled something under his breath, and his brow was creased slightly. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind howled past the crew. Eyes shining, Kuja turned, and the others followed him. Behind them was a huge Terran silver dragon.
"Kuja, is that your dragon?" Beatrix asked, eyes wide with wonder.
Kuja nodded. Zidane laughed. "Nice one, bro!" He slapped Kuja on the back.
Kuja ran forward to caress his dragon around the neck. It nuzzled him in reply. Kuja leapt onto its back. "There is only room for two more people, and they must be able to hold on well."
Zidane walked forward. "I'm coming. Mikoto is my little sister and I will protect her."
Kuja reached down and helped Zidane up. "Who else?"
Beatrix looked left and right. "If no- one has any objections, I would like to come with you."
Zidane looked around. No- one had. "Alright then, let's go."
Kuja pulled Beatrix up and helped her and Zidane to find places they would be able to hold on. He spoke to the dragon telepathically.
I have not seen you for such a long time.
Too long, the dragon replied.
I have need of your services yet again. I must go to the Black Mage Village, in Magrathea Forest. You must fly with all speed.
Very well.
Kuja stood up. "Hold on tight!"
A/N: My longest chapter so far! Coming in at 5 pages! Woo! And the dragon is back! If any- one knows anybody over the Internet called Kuja's Silver Dragon, then it's probably me. Does anyone know about any Cosplay conventions in Britain? No, I'm not very hopeful...