Back by popular demand. (Though it never really went anywhere). It was a bad joke. This story is far from finish. So you can stop emailing me. Anyway on to a lighter note. I actually have a dedication for this chapter. Spenlin of the Goonies Linkshell on Titan server. He had given me a boiled crab to assist my battle against titan. With it I was able to defeat him. And on with chapter
A warm breeze. The ocean wasn't normally this nice. This area had never been this nice before. Angel sat on a beach by Zanu. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Why did I ever leave?" She asked
"Don't worry about it. You're here now and I'll never let you go again." Zanu said to her
She closed her eyes and fell asleep on his arms. She sat and dreamed. The ocean stopped. The birds didn't caw. The wind didn't blow.
"This isn't real. Where am I?" Angel asked
The landscape disappeared and she was sitting propped up against Zanu, and then he left as well.
"This can't be real."
All that was around her was coldness and darkness. Angel sat in the middle of absolute nothing. She cried out for someone to hear here but no one answered. She huddled up in place. She silently sobbed into her arms. Hopeless she was alone.
"Why am I here?"
"Because we called you here."
Through her eye she looked up to see a fuzzy blue figure. It stepped closer to her and nudged at her side.
"Please stop crying." It said. "I am truly sorry for all that we have done to you. It must have been horribly painful."
She wiped the tears away from her eyes and her vision focused. Carbuncle stood before her and spoke again.
"I sincerely apologize for what we have done."
"What do you mean?" Angel asked
"I tried to reason with them, but it was to no avail. The avatars that you have collected have only used you for their own needs." Carbuncle spoke. "I have brought you here on the ethereal plane to confront them all."
"But why? What is going on?" Angel said confused
"Your pact with us all was incomplete. The seal you wear is not finished. You must find them all again and get your answers. But you will not be alone. I shall be with you and shall give you all I can."
Carbuncle flashed his ruby and dissipated. Angel could feel her muscles regenerating. She regained her strength again.
"It has been years since I have felt this way." Angel said
She put her hands on her face and pushed them through her hair. But she felt something odd. A hard jewel was protruding from her forehead.
"This is my power I will give to you. I have healed you. But now I will send you to your first opponent."
A veil covered her as she felt herself displace. In a sharp tug she moved and yet her body did not. She reappeared next to a very large earth crystal. A pathway leads up to an even larger crystal. Thunderous pounds resounded out through the ground. The crystal shatters. A huge beast steps out.
"Titan." Angel said. "Why are you doing this?"
"Hah ha ha. You puny girl. I agreed to your original request. But now you will have to prove to me again that you are more than a weak child." He bellowed
She was angry. Angel did not have a weapon to use. But she wasn't going to let this be the end of her. She ran up to him. Titan stood vigil laughing at her. Angel was gaining speed running up the pathway. She moved with such agility Titan stopped laughing. She jumped and collided with him. She landed a flying kick sending him backwards. Down he crashed.
"You creatures are the reason I am so weak. I had it all. I wanted to finally get stronger and be able to depend only on myself. So I could be with my friends in battle and not have them keep a constant eye on me and worry that I don't get in trouble." She said angrily
Backing up she took a fighters stance in front of Titan.
"I'm going to win. I wont let this last chance be in vain!" Angel yelled
Titan got up and raised his arms. Over his head he sent them crashing down on her. As they collided with the ground he laughed.
"She was just all talk."
A blow came from the back. She run up his back and slammed a fist into his thick head.
She kept running around him throwing punches and kicking him to the ground.
"There must be some way I can finish him." She thought to himself.
"Use my power." Carbuncle said
"What power?"
"Call forth my name and it will come to you." He said
Confused she continued to fight. Leaping about Angel kept picking at him. This continuous movement began to wear her down as well.
"I need to finish this." She said
Thinking back to what carbuncle said she had to think quickly.
"Call upon his name. What did he mean by that?" She asked herself
Then it clicked. She stood with her arms coupled.
"I hold before you my own heart."
The ruby began to glow.
"Used for my own arcane arts."
The ruby was collecting the light around her.
"For my power I use this mark."
The light in the area dimmed
"I summon your power and fulfill your part!"
Her hands pushed forwards and glowed. She held her head high and moved her hands out to the side. The ruby flashed and carbuncle jumped up from behind her and both of the rubies synchronized. With a brilliant flash she yelled.
"SEARING LIGHT!"
It flared out engulfing Titan with a massive wave of light damage. It cracked his body and he dissipated with the overwhelming force of energy from the two.
It settled down again and there Angel stood in the dust. Titan was nowhere to be found. An echoing voice rang through the room.
"You have more fight in you than I thought. Maybe I did underestimate you child. I wont let you run amok with the rest of us without any more help."
His aura appeared in front of her.
"You have beaten me twice. I shall bind myself with you again. But I will give you more in your battles. Call forth my name in the beginning next time. An you wont be pushed around anymore." Titan spoke
He clashed with her and Angel felt genuinely stronger.
"You have my strength and my protection. Your next battle will determine you ability to overcome wind."
Again she was teleported to another crystal. This one wind blew everywhere. It blew so strong that she was almost blown off of her feet.
"You there. Why do you think you deserve our powers? We fulfilled our end of our bargain and we shall take what we need."
Angel stood trying to watch Garuda. She put her arms over her eyes to block the blowing winds. Garuda flew down to her and flapped her wings. Gusts of air were pushing her back. Sharp winds cut her flesh and drew blood.
"Child. What makes you think you can defeat me if you cant stand up against air?"
Garuda looked at her and blinked. "No it can't be."
She looked down at Angel and saw the ruby on her head, and a strong earth aura behind her.
"So you tamed Carbuncle. Big deal. But where is your fight if you just pacify your opponents?"
"I am done being nice." Angel spoke in a serious tone
The aura behind her formed. Titan grew from the ground and pulled up earth. He created a barrier from the wind. Garuda sent more and more gusts of wind trying to knock the wall of earth down. Titan stood tall behind her.
"What do you command of me now?"
Angel turned to him. "Get her on the ground."
"Will do."
Titan walked back away from the wall. He looked up and Garuda and shook his head. He slammed his fist into the ground pulling up a huge rock. Throwing it at her the boulder collides with her and sends Garuda to the ground.
"What the hell? Why do you side with that weakling?" She yelled at Titan
"Because she is not weak." He said
Angel took her chance. She jumped over the earth wall and ran at Garuda. While she was on the ground it would be easy to take her out. Garuda saw her coming and got to her feet. Brushing the sand and dirt out of her wings she tried to create another lethal gust of wind.
"Not this time!" Angel cried out
She jumped at her coming down with full force titan was behind her. Her arm was collecting power. Titan's arm shrouded hers. She hit Garuda grinding her into the floor. The impact sent a shockwave about the room. A giant crater formed where she had punched the floor. Angel stood over Garuda's body.
"So I was wrong about you after all. I had never seen an attack like that. If you have made that stubborn fool titan agree to work with you then maybe I was a bit to hasty to do what I did." Garuda spoke
Her body faded into a green aura. The winds in the cavern stopped blowing, there Angel stood facing Garuda.
"I will see to it that you are successful in your battles. I have some use after all that I can give to you."
Her aura combined with Angel. She could feel the wind and see the air drifts around her.
"I have for you a gift that none other can grant. Call for me and you shall be given a second or third chance."
Angel stood feeling the wind around her. From her back grew heavenly wings of white feathers.
"Your trail has passed, your fight is now with fire."
Once again she was teleported from this area to another.
Flames, fire, heat. It was unbearable.
"Its so hot," Angel said
From above her came a fireball. She looked up to see it coming down on her, running out of the way she just dodged it. The explosion sends her flying hitting a rock.
"How nice of you Ifrit. The moment I get here and you don't even say hi."
"What are you doing here in my domain?"
"I just came to talk." Angel said
"There is no talk between the two of us child."
"So much for that approach."
Angel gets to her feet and sees Ifrit standing at the top of a tall pass way.
"I can't get to him if I just run up there. He would get me with his fireballs before I could even get close."
"We stand behind you through your trials. Let us assist you."
"Well you three what do you propose?" Angel asks
Ifrit gathers more fire energy and launches a second attack at the standing mithra. It climbs in the air and comes down on her. Another explosion and a direct hit.
"Ha, I knew I could take that girl out quickly. Fenrir will be pleased."
The smoke cleared at Angel could not be found.
"What? Where did you go?"
From above Angel was soaring on the air drifts with Garuda's wings.
"Got to get in closer."
Ifrit looked around and saw the flying mithra.
"Ha! You think you can beat me?"
"Titan now!" Angel yelled
From beneath Ifrit titan pushed the earth up sending him off of his feat. Off of his feet Titan took a large chunk of earth and smashed him with it.
"AHHH. DIE YOU WHENCH!"
"Garuda now!"
Garuda appeared behind her and flapped her wings sending gusts of wind down at him. It stopped him from collecting enough energy for another fireball for the time being. Garuda disappeared but Angel was still coming closer to Ifrit. But this time there were three of her in the sky.
All spoke in unison.
"Attack now!"
Each one swooped down. Ifrit slapped two aside with his open hands, the vanished once touched. But he couldn't get his guard up for the third attack. The real Angel came crashing down on him. The force from the wind around her created an invisible wall that she used at a battering ram. It sent him backwards from the impact. He slammed into the wall behind him. Angel landed and took a fighting stance facing him waiting for him to move. In the wall he stayed.
"Well. You have beaten me twice. I never thought I could be beaten in my own home." Ifrit said
From behind Angel he could see the three auras of the other avatars she had collected.
"So you have started your quest to regain our abilities."
"I want to know why you have done what you did."
"I cannot give you that answer."
"Before our battle you said something about Fenrir. What does that wolf have to do with this?"
"He started the rebellion. Once you acquired him he convinced us to leech off of you. If you want your answers then go ask him."
"Fine. I will have to go get him now."
"Wait before you go. You can't go find him yet. You were lucky to defeat him before. But we are in our own domains now. He wont be that easy. You will need the help of all of us once again to stop him."
"Where are the rest?"
"I will send you to Shiva. She will be able to send you to another. Before you go, I must fulfill my part in this."
Ifrit dissipated into a red aura and was absorbed into Angel. From her arms grew great claws.
"I will give these to you. With this Shiva should be a push over. Now get ready."
Ifrit sent her to a much colder place. Ice crystals hung in the air. She tried to keep herself warm but the dead frozen air around her stiffened her muscles and numbed her skin.
"Blasted avatar." Angel said
"Oh dear me. Did I make it too cold in here?"
"Damnit Shiva. Why did you do this?"
"I have my reasons as anyone else would. But I wont tell you a thing."
"Why are you all so stubborn. Do I have to beat you all senseless to answer a simple question?" Angel muttered
Shiva collected ice energy and sent a wave of ice shards down at her. Angel put up a guard and Titan pulled up a shield of earth. The ice froze the ground solid. Shiva snapped her fingers and the wall shattered. Again Shiva sent a wave of ice energy at her. This time Angel stood her ground. Putting her arms towards the coming wave of energy she caught it. Ifrit's claws caught the ice wave. Upon collision the ice melted to water.
"I wont be pushed around that easily anymore." Angel said
Calling on Garuda she took to the skies again flying at Shiva. With both arms out she had the combined strength of Titan and the fire energy of Ifrit to make a force cutting though her ice. She hit Shiva burning her and crashing her to the floor. Angel landed and took what energy she could from her surroundings. The cold made it hard for her. Shiva got back up and prepared her strongest attack.
The two let loose a wave of strong magical power at each other. Shiva's Diamond Dust was and equal match for Ifrit's Hell Fire blaze. The power was being pushed from side to side. Angel was getting tired and could not push forth anymore energy. There just want any heat left in the ice cavern. The two stopped with their attacks. The two-stood face-to-face waiting for the others first move. In the coldness Angel was shivering. She was growing tired. The cold was putting her out and Shiva saw it.
"Why do you continue to fight when you should have died hours ago?"
"Because I have my own agenda."
An image of her friends flashed through her mind. Angel blinked. She could barely stand.
"Yes that's it. Sleep. You are so tired why don't you rest your head down on the ground." Shiva said
"WAKE UP!" Carbuncle called
Angel's eyes widened as a red aura enveloped her. Ifrit materialized behind her and covered over her. His fiery body kept the cold out. He was weakened from the cold. Shiva saw this and stopped.
"Why are you sacrificing yourself for her?" Shiva asked
Ifrit looked up to her and spoke.
"We have been tricked by Fenrir. This child has proven herself in our trials. We were too stupid to see we were killing our master."
Shiva starred at the cowering mithra in Ifrit's arms. She put her arms out and settled to ice in the air.
"What have we been doing?" Shiva said
Shiva walked to Angel and bowed to her.
"I am sorry I didn't see it myself."
She put a hand on Angel's head. She vaporized and mixed with Angel's Spirit.
"Please forgive what I have done. I shall give my protection as wall. We will go see Ramuh. He will set this straight."
Shiva sent Angel to a dark arena. Unlike the others this was a large observatory. Lightning crashed in the sky above her. She walked but stacks of books and looked as a large comet flew by overhead.
"So you have come to face me now have you?"
"Yes. I want to know why you all did this." Angel said
"Fenrir was quick to judge. He gathered all the avatars and set them against you. But he could not convince two of us." Ramuh spoke
The rest of the avatars Angel had accumulated all summoned themselves. Once they come out the bowed down before Ramuh and apologized.
"Please get up. If you are all here then you have learned your lesson and I don't need to lecture you."
He moved over to Angel and put his hand on her head.
"You have battled your way through almost all of us. But there is one left who holds the passage way to Fenrir."
He walks over to a large standing chest. Waving his hand over it the lock pops off and the door swing open. He pulls out a large black staff. The bottom was as sharp as a sword and the top held an elaborate metal design that twisted around an ever changing colored orb. He walked back to Angel and handed it to her.
"With my power and this staff there won't be a thing on this plane that can stop you."
She takes the staff and Ramuh combines with her spirit.
"This will be your last trial before Fenrir. Give him hell."
Angel was teleported out of Ramuh's home and to a cavern full of water. The floor had a foot of water covering the floor. She stood looking around holding her staff.
"Where is that bloody lizard?" Angel said
From the water below a wake inched to her. With a quick whip it snapped around grabbing on to Angel. Leviathan held her by a leg in the air.
"What are you doing here?" He asked
"I could ask you the very same question."
"So quick to wit, but your ideals for self preservation won't last long." It hissed
Holding tightly onto Ramuh's staff she spun it around and stabbed him with it. He hissed and threw her across the cave. Hitting the wall she got to her feet and stood guard waiting for Leviathan to attack again.
Watching the water she saw a small wake in the water. She raised her new staff.
"I hope this works." She says "EARTH!" Angel yells
She brings the staff down and the ground swells. A pillar rises from the ground lifting her out of the water. Holding the staff he dips it into the water.
"LIGHTNING!" she called again
A charge snapped in the air. It flew down the staff's hilt and hits the water. The current catches pool and electrocutes everything in the area. Leviathan jumps out of the water screaming in pain. Angel stands there with the staff in the water.
"Are you done playing around?" Angel leers
"How dare you attack…"
Ramuh materializes next to Angel.
"I know that last attack hurt. But compared to his power. It was a static spark. Now I am going to ask nicely. Why did you side with Fenrir and where is he?" Angel said sternly
"You, you're a devil."
She put the head of the staff back in the water.
"I won't ask again."
Leviathan looked at her, trying not to look intimidated. He was stalling and Angel knew it.
"Ramuh." Angel said
"Yes mistress?" He asked
"Fry him." She answered
"WAIT! Wait… fine I'll talk." Leviathan says
Angel sits down and takes the staff out of the water.
"Ok. Why did you side with Fenrir?" Angel asked
"He said that you were imprisoning us as your slaves. That you would just summon us and make us do all of your work for you."
"Have I?"
He floated there looking at her.
"No. No you haven't."
He lowered his head in shame. She put a hand out for him.
"Now look. If you can come back and help me take care of Fenrir I will forgive you. And if you still feel that you don't want to be one of my avatars I will let you go."
"Agreed."
Leviathan coiled around Angel and soaked into her.
"As a final gift of us I shall give you a suit of armor that cannot be pierced by anything. My scales repel all that can make it through Titan or Shiva's aura."
Angel stood with silver and blue scale armor. It is light but the scales are infinitely tough.
"I have the last seal to take you to Fenrir. But I am not so sure if he wishes to see you."
"I don't care. I have questions that need to be answered. And he will answer me."
Leviathan teleports her into darkness. The arena is pitch black. She stands wielding Ramuh's staff. She calls out light to illuminate the room. For all that can be seen there is only darkness. Then came a howl.
Legal Notice. I do not own FFXI. It is property of Square-Enix. All I own is the main character. All other npc's or pc's have their respective owners.
