Author's Note: (THIS IS RATHER LONG AND ENTIRELY ABOUT MY LACK OF FFXI UNDERSTANDING IN RESPONSE TO A REVIEW, SO FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT) Well, Someone (literally) gave a review who clearly has a much better knowledge of FFXI lore than I do. I, quite clearly, know very little of FFXI lore. Hell, I'm level 27 in game, you can't expect me to know that much. As far as things go however, I can defend certain things. This is me spinning utter crap to excuse my own ignorance, but could work as an excuse: Vana'diel's existence is legend. Myth. What is believed by the majority of Vana'diel is almost like a religion. The belief in a 'mother crystal', the belief Vana'diel only came into existence 120 years ago, it's all a myth/religion (please note: I am not saying all religion is not true, but they can't all be true either). Hence it is not real. In fact, Vana'diel is old and what is believed by many is false. In turn, an alternate religion was the belief in the Light Warriors, Chaos and Gaia, which for the convenience of this story, is true.
The alternative is to believe that Gaia only died 120 years ago (or however long it was, since you said a few hundred years afterwards I can't figure out what number it was supposed to be. Presumably '1200'), when it compacted and was reborn as Vana'diel. Either way, I apologise for the inaccuracy, and simply don't know enough about Final Fantasy XI lore to stick true to it.
As for Kazham never having a King, I don't know if you mean they never had royalty, or they never had a King because they're a female dominated race. If it's the latter, you can believe that 'King' was an honoury title bestowed to the Queen's husband. If it's the former, then….well….crap. I suppose if its that, I can say two things. I can either say that the royal family did something that disgraced them in the eyes of most mithra, so most do not know about it and it is not officially recorded, or I can just ask you really nicely to overlook it.
Please note: I freely admit the above is total, for lack of a better phrase, bullshit. I have spun it as an excuse despite the fact I am clearly wrong. This is just so if you really like lore you can hopefully still enjoy the story because I am so totally ignorant of it. I apologise for the inaccuracies, but decided to spin my own story in Vana'diel.
To be honest, I'm a little upset it came across as me just using place names. This isn't "Final Fantasy XI The Story', so it's an original story set in Vana'diel, but I had hoped I had created the impression it was an original adventure taking place in the FFXI world, as opposed to me hijacking FFXI place names for my own story. So in that aspect I've failed. I'll see what I can do to improve it, but I'm doubtful it will work.
Well, that's my defence I guess, which involved a lot of making up lies to cover for my own mistakes. If you're a lore fan and notice I've made these mistakes, I sincerely apologise. I am not ignoring FFXI lore, I simply don't know it. Also please don't take this as a hostile reaction to your comments, it isn't. I simply feel the need to show I appreciate your comments (which I do, I'm extremely appreciative you've read the story) and explain these mistakes. I once said I'd go back and change anything for valid points, but unfortunately, changing it to fit what appears to be true FFXI lore is nigh impossible without writing a whole new story, which would be fairly pointless and a lot of effort. But thank you for pointing that out, and I apologise for making so many mistakes.
One final point, it is not the FFI plot in the FFXI world as much as a resurrection of the FFI themes. In this, Final Fantasy I is but a background history that happened a million years ago (which was pointed out impossible). The inspiration from this came from Final Fantasy IX, which implied that the world in which the Final Fantasy games take place is always the same world. (Gaia in FFIX is very much implied to be the same world from FFI, hence why I named it Gaia). In Memoria they mention the world was once covered by a great sea, that washed away what ever had been there before and so when it receded the new world was born. Garland also mentions once having tried to take over Gaia by force (an obvious reference to FFI). So I rather ignorantly tried to extend this to Vana'diel, imagining Vana'diel was also the same world. The actual idea of Chaos returning and there always being Light Warriors was very Legend of Zelda inspired (Ganon always returns and there is always a Link to fight him), so not even that was original. Thanks for the critique though, and I'm sorry I can't correct it within the plot of the story.
PART XIII
It was almost strange walking into Jeuno. The city was perfectly normal. As if the population were completely ignorant of the fate that awaited them.
"So we're headed to Quifim then." Bootus said proudly.
"We can't go now!" Vivli cried, worried. "It's dark."
"Look, we all know you're scared of the dark, but it really shouldn't stop our quest." Bootus grumbled.
"She was rrrrrreferrrrrrring to banshees." Dedji pointed out.
"Banshees?" Bootus questioned. "Sounds like some kind of airship."
"They'rrrrre ghosts." Dedji explained.
"Yeah, undead monsters that roam Quifim and make mincemeat out of groups of adventurers." Vivli added. Bootus turned to Vivli.
"Since when did you know anything about adventuring?" He asked, a little surprised.
"Fiorel used to tell me ghost stories about Quifim to scare me." She shot back.
"Besides," Bootus laughed, "We're Light Warriors, no ghost is a match for us."
"I'll carve that on your tombstone." Vivli muttered as they wondered towards the tunnel leading to Quifim.
Zinkata slammed into a wall, hard.
"I feel the need to point out I blame you for this." Zinkata grumbled in pain. Lich walked towards him, but a rifle bullet tore through him. This made him turn to Celphie. She shot him a few more times, and the fiend advanced on her. Zinkata attacked from behind, and he blocked, turning to face the hero. More bullet shots hit him in the back.
"Urm, little help?" Andrew requested. Voldos ran over, breaking his bonds. Andrew flipped up on the table he was strapped to. "Hey, sis!" He called. "I don't suppose you brought another gun?"
"Sorry!" Celphie yelled, firing. "Just the one!"
"Damn." Andrew muttered. "You really failed to plan ahead." He ran at Lich, hitting him in the back. Lich turned around, grabbing and throwing Andrew back across the room. Zinkata swung his sword, and Lich blocked with his own bone blade. Their swords locked.
"What are you planning Lich?" Zinkata snarled. "What are you up to?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lich laughed. "When the four fiends are born again, so shall be Chaos. We will yet achieve his dream. You may have saved the past, but the war for the present is just beginning." Lich pushed Zinkata back.
"Chaos?" Voldos laughed. "I hate to break it to you pal, but we kicked his ass last time."
"There are no crystals to save you this time!" Lich laughed. It is a slight coincidence that the heroes here discovered the exact same information from their mortal enemy as Vivli, Bootus and Dedji had found from their greatest friend.
Vivli shivered, deciding her robe was far too thin to keep her warm. Unfortunately, this was one thing she couldn't complain about, as Bootus was in a gi and Dedji in light armour, so both had it far worse than she did. They walked along the snowy path slowly, being careful to avoid angering anything. A frozen lake fell into view.
"According to Fiorel, the banshees won't come onto the lake." Vivli explained. "That's why adventurers can hide there until day comes or they freeze to death."
"You got scared of stories like that?" Bootus laughed. "What a wuss."
"Hey! Stop calling me names!" Vivli protested.
"It isn't verrrrrry nice." Dedji agreed.
"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me Princesses." Bootus said with a smirk. Vivli angrily grumbled.
"So, there is an orb beneath the ice here somewhere?" Vivli decided to get the group focusing on their task. "Any idea how we might find it?"
"We could throw you in the lake and see if there's anything underneath." Bootus suggested.
"Let's not do that." Dedji said. Bootus paused.
"Actually, there is plenty of water in that lake. Not all of it is frozen. Go wash my gi." Bootus ordered.
"What?" Vivli gasped. "But it's freezing. I'll freeze!"
"Do
it, or I'll call over a banshee and see if they're as tough as
you make out. I reckon I could take one." Bootus smirked.
"Fine!
Fine! I'm going! I'm going!" Vivli ran down to the edge of the
freezing water and began to wash the gi of the galka.
"I am of the opinion that this isn't going too well." Andrew groaned, lying on the floor in pain. Celphie shot at Lich again.
"I
have to agree with my bro there." She cried.
"We found out
what we needed to know!" Zinkata yelled. "Fall back!"
"Running again?" Lich asked with a smirk. "I should have expected as much. Run cowards! Run!" Lich hurled electricity, taking Celphie out.
"SIS!" Andrew turned about, pulling her to her feet. More lightning flew at them. Voldos unleashed arrows, hitting Lich and slowing him down.
"Do I have to give you another display of Nuke?" Lich asked. "Do I?" He fired a lightning bolt, and the archway for the exit caved in, blocking off the four heroes. "Well, well, well. Trapped." Lich paused. "Throw down your weapons and you will not harmed."
"I won't surrender to you, fiend!" Andrew cried.
"We had better do it." Zinkata advised. "It's easier to escape when you aren't dead." He added in a whisper.
"Excellent. Surrender." Lich's skeletal face seemed to twist into a smile. The heroes threw down their weapons with a sigh.
Vivli's teeth chattered. She was covered with freezing water.
"It's
c-c-c-c-clean." She managed to say.
"Good." Bootus replied
as he folded his arms. "Now dry it."
"W-w-w-what?" Vivli stuttered in response. "With what?"
"I dunno. Use your robe." Bootus suggested.
"No! No! Screw you! I'm not taking off my robe! Not here! It's freezing!" She shivered.
"I can call the banshee over." Bootus threatened. Vivli threw his gi at him, and the freezing wet gi splashed around the galka's face. Bootus angrily removed it. "That's it! We're fighting a banshee!" He snapped.
"Wait!" Vivli suddenly cried. He paused. "There's something glowing down in the lake."
"What?" Bootus suddenly said.
"If that is the orrrrb, you arrrrre the luckiest adventurrrrerrrrrs in the worrrrld." Dedji commented. The light grew, and suddenly a transparent tentacle shot out of the water, wrapping around Vivli's neck and throttling her. She screamed in horror.
"HEEELP!"
"Definitely not the orb." Bootus muttered. Out from under the water a gigantic ghostly octopus type monster emerged, with multiple tentacles and a fat body, complete with a big monstrous head full of fangs.
"Almost looks like a Krrrrraken." Dedji purred.
"It's not a Kraken, it's the Kraken!" Bootus yelled.
"The? I thought Kraken were just big sea monsters." Dedji said in confusion.
"The original Kraken was the fiend of the water." Bootus told her.
"SAVE ME!" Vivli bellowed.
"Oh right, forgot about that." Bootus grumbled. He ran at the Kraken ghost, but was swatted away.
"I must thank you Light Warriors." It boomed. "Without you, my spirit was nothing. But as you approached, I was drawn to you. I could manifest myself. And I could get my revenge for my defeat by your predecessors over a million years ago!"
"Yes, yes." Bootus said. "Very nice. Do you know where your orb is?"
"So you seek the orb?" Roared Kraken.
"Getting a bit scared here." Vivli whimpered. Kraken continued on regardless.
"Yes. I have found it. It is with me. I shall take it to Lich and we shall all be reborn into the world physically! Once again I shall rule the oceans!" The ground shook with its roar.
"That will neverrrrrrrrr happen!" Dedji spat, drawing her scythe. Bootus drew his claws. Vivli kicked wildly and screamed a little.
The jail door slammed shut behind them.
"Very nicely done!" Snapped Andrew. "Now he's going to torture the location of the rebels out of us!"
"We had to surrender." Zinkata said calmly. "Sometimes it's better to be given an opportunity to think your way out of a situation than fight."
"Although that is what was recommended last time." Came a voice. "And look what happened." The King of San D'Oria emerged from the darkness. The assembled heroes dropped to one knee.
"Your majesty," Zinkata began, "I'm sorry. We didn't know-"
"Spare it." The King waved his hand. "And get up. This isn't the time for this rubbish. I presume you have an escape plan?"
"I'm working on it." Zinkata remarked.
"You may have to work harder." Celphie suggested. "We don't have long before Lich comes to do whatever he plans to do to us."
"Okay! I'm thinking!" Zinkata cried. "Maybe we could use the linkshells to call for help."
"Yeah, then Vivli could get heroically kidnapped to save us." Voldos said sarcastically.
"She's not that bad." Zinkata countered. "Besides, Bootus is with her."
"Yeah, maybe he'll insult Lich enough that he'll go home." Voldos laughed at his own joke.
"I pray to the gods something is distracting them so they don't hear this on linkshell." Zinkata grumbled.
Of course, the others were sufficiently distracted.
"As
much as I hate to scream damsel in distress style lines
continuously," Vivli said as calmly as she could, "SAVE
MEEEEEEEEE!" She suddenly kicked up screaming so loud her own
throat hurt.
"We're working on it!" Bootus cried as Kraken
sent him flying.
"You know, he said he has the orrrrb." Dedji pointed out. "You arrrrre the luckiest adventurers alive."
"I'm
not feeling very lucky!" Vivli screamed, being waved around in
Kraken's mighty tentacle. Kraken slammed its tentacle down at
Dedji, and it passed right through her.
"Hey! I'm not
hurrrrrt!" Dedji cried.
"Of course not!" Kraken snapped. "Stupid girl! I can but harm my mortal enemies, the Light Warriors, or else I would have taken the world in this ghostly form."
"Just on the basis of theorrrrry, can I hurt you?" Dedji asked.
"I suppose it's possible." Kraken replied. He paused. "Uh oh."
Voldos was tapping the bars of the jail cell confidently.
"I'm telling ya, one of these is fake." He said.
"I'm the King!" The King protested. "I know my jail cell!"
"Exactly why they'd try to keep it from you!" Voldos's comment made no sense, but nobody felt like pointing this out.
"We need to do something productive." Celphie sighed.
"Hey!" Voldos cried. "This is productive! I'll have us out of here in minutes and then me and you can get together, if you know what I mean."
"She's my sister!" Andrew protested angrily.
"Yeah, all the more reason she's available. I mean, you're not exactly gonna be chasing after her, are you?" Voldos barely had time to finish before letting out a gurgled scream. Celphie had kicked him in the groin again.
"Let's listen on the linkshell." Zinkata suggested. "Maybe Vivli and Bootus can help somehow."
"PUT ME DOWN!" Vivli screamed as Kraken waved her around. Dedji brought her scyth down on the ghostly tentacle, and Vivli fell, landing with a thump. "OW!" She whined painfully. Dedji went to swing her scythe again, but Kraken picked Bootus up and hurled the galka into her, knocking the two down.
"You can never defeat me!" Kraken bellowed.
"Kraken, your physical form." Bootus began to ask. "You say you're carrying the orb. You must be using it to project yourself, correct?"
"Well, yes." Kraken remarked. "Very smart for a galka." He added to anger Bootus.
"So, in one way, you're possessing the orb." Bootus guessed.
"You could say that." Kraken smirked.
"I said he's possessing the orb!" Bootus cried to Vivli. Vivli looked at him blankly, and then figured it out.
"Oh no. You don't want me to-" Bootus nodded. Vivli sighed.
"They sound busy." Remarked Andrew.
"Wonder what they've got themselves into now." Zinkata sighed, putting away the linkshell.
"I wonder what you've got yourselves into now." Came a voice from outside. The five rushed to the jail door. "Can't leave you alone for a moment, huh?" Olose was slouched against the wall outside.
"Olose?" Cried Zinkata. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you. Obviously." He replied.
"I mean how. Where did you leave the airship?" Zinkata asked.
"Outside the city walls, hidden." Olose answered. "I'm a werewolf. I can jump the walls and ran to here. I figured you would be in trouble."
"He's a werewolf?" Gasped Celphie.
"This day has been very strange." Sighed Andrew.
"Let me get you out of there." Olose told them. "Stand back." With a howl and roar Olose began to transform into a gigantic half wolf, bending back the bars.
"-power of Altana compels you!" Vivli continued to cry. "Unclean spirit, I CAST YOU OUT!" There was a gigantic display of light and Kraken exploded into mist. A black orb rocketed down into the snow, slamming down and spraying snow everywhere. Vivli collapsed as she had done before. Dedji rushed to her side.
"Is she alrirrrght?" Dedji quickly asked Bootus.
"Yeah, she's fine. Did that last time as well." Bootus replied, showing very little care.
"Well, shall we help her?" Dedji asked.
"Just leave her. Get the orb." Dedji shot Bootus a strange look.
Back in the sewers of San D'Oria, The King stood before the gathered crowd.
"Tonight, we shall break out." He explained. "Olose has agreed to bring their airship down into the city. It shall fall under heavy fire, so we'll have to be quick. We will run and board the airship, using it to escape." Andrew walked up to him.
"Those of us with combat experience will delay the advancing skeletal troops of Lich." He told the crowd. "The rest of you, get to the ship as quickly as possible."
"Remember guys," Celphie input, "This is a mission to simply escape. Do not fight unless you have to. These things won't die." The gathered crowd nodded.
"Wow," Zinkata whispered to Voldos, "They really follow whatever those say. I can see why they were the rebel leaders."
"I wish she'd follow what I say." Voldos grumbled.
Dedji examined the black orb. Vivli was slung over Bootus's shoulder as they walked back towards Jeuno.
"Interesting." Dedji observed. "It's black."
"Of course it is!" Bootus laughed. "That's because it was never charged with Kraken's soul."
"So why was Kraken there?" Dedji asked.
"Probably drawn to the orb anyway so his spirit could attempt to return it." Bootus guessed. "Either way, it worked out well for us. We got the orb without that much effort." Dedji glanced to Vivli.
"I think it was a lot of effort for one of us." She said.
"Vivli's a bit of wimp. She can't do anything without passing out." Bootus told Dedji.
"That's not very fair." Dedji shot back. "She collapsed performing a difficult task for us."
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard this all before." Bootus grumbled.
"I wish you'd be a bit a nicer to her. She is my sister." Dedji told him.
"I seem to recall you weren't exactly nice to her." Bootus said back. Dedji paused, unable to think of a response. "Besides, she's far too dependant on others. If I treat her like this, maybe she'll learn to stand on her own two feet."
"I don't think insulting her all the time works to build up somebody's confidence." Dedji told the galka.
"Maybe not, but it is an awful lot of fun." Bootus smirked. Dedji rolled her eyes with a sigh.
Meanwhile, the rebels of San D'Oria put their plan into action. Lich's troops rushed to confront the Raven as it flew down and the citizens of the great city poured onto the streets rushing for the airship. Battle quickly engulfed the streets as the final survivors in San D'Oria turned their back on the nation to escape and bring hope to future victories.
