Prelude, Part II

Jake looked around the small room, his brow furrowed in frustration. "Did he leave it in here?" Aeria asked timidly.

"Oh, I'm sure he did," Jake replied sarcastically, which caused Aeria to wince and then frown. "God damnit…his is probably a fake…the bastard tricked us." Aeria just watched as Jake ran his mouth in a string of mumbles and searched the room. He finally shook his head and walked to the doorway where Aeria was standing. "Well, ship hasn't set anchor in Elfland yet, so he must be somewhere on the ship," Jake said. It was obvious to Aeria that he was trying to keep himself calm.

"Unless he jumped off the ship?" Aeria asked. Timidly, she apologized when Jake shot her a harsh glare.

"C'mon, let's go look," Jake said, walked out into the narrow hallway of the lower deck.

"Where on earth are we going to look?" Aeria asked, only turning towards him.

"I don't know, but I'm certainly not going to let him get away with the crystals!" Jake shouted back, quickly becoming irate.

"Well…" Aeria found herself beginning to protest. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"What?" Jake asked, his frustration level increasing drastically. "You're going to trust the guy who just stole your precious family heirloom and not the guy who protected you from the pirates?"

"I never said that!" Aeria shouted back.

"Useless!" He muttered under his breath and dashed up the stairs to the deck above, leaving Aeria standing there, incredibly confused.

Aeria bit her lip and brought her hands up to her chest where her crystal would normally be lying. Moments after she watched Jake run up the stairs, she knew what she had said was not only silly, but absolutely stupid. She sighed quietly, knowing that she should have just stayed home, that she was no where near ready to actually be in the real world. Eyes roaming around, she found herself looking for a place to hide from embarassment. The young girl found herself weary, and with good reason for she had been up since sunrise that morning, and the sun had been away from the sky for quite some time now. A tear came to her eye, as she stood at the doorway, still frustrated and confused. Useless? Was she really that useless? "Oh! This adventure isn't going right at all!" She exclaimed, finding herself throwing a small temper tantrum. More tears threatened her eyes.

Jake dashed to the top deck, where the rain was still pelting, or was it hail? The fighter had difficulty and identifying whatever was falling from the sky. Either way, it was cold and he did not want to stay out in it long. "Aye lad, ye be here wit' oot yer lassie?" The second in command asked as he approached the younger man.

Jake snickered. "She's hardly my girl. She's a bumbling idiot who found the farm to be too small for her and thought she could survive an adventure. She's so naïve," Jake replied in frustration.

"Be it th' case o' not, Ay recall a young'un calle' Jake yea's back aye?" The sailor replied, looking at Jake.

"But…but…" Jake began in frustration. "Not THAT bad!"

The second in command smiled. "Aye, tis time fo' a story young'un."

Aeria stood in the doorway for a few more moments, biting her lip, trying so hard to hold back her tears. In her own mind she yelled at herself for her stupidity, knowing full well that although Jake had been a jerk to her, and she did not know him completely, he was sincere and honest and surely would have given her the crystal back. Weariness was beginning to overcome the new adventurer, and since she had no idea what she should do, she found herself returning to her room.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her, and brushed her drying hair back. A shower would be due first thing in the morning. She would much prefer a bath, but unless she was planning on bathing in the toilet, a shower would have to suffice until they reached Corneria. "Ahh, there she is," a familiar voice said.

"What?" Aeria asked in shock, her head darting up. Lying on her bed was none other then Varick. As Varick lept off her bed and slowly advanced towards her, she could see all three crystals hanging around his neck. "G…Give them back!" Aeria stammered. The only thing that came from Varick was a smooth seductive grin.

Jake folded his arms and chuckled a bit. The second in command, Flannar, had known Jake for years and years now. Even as the rain and hail pelted them, Jake could not help but find himself amused by the story that Flannar told him of Jake when he was younger. True, he had been no different then Aeria was, though he dare not say it aloud. That was years ago, and Aeria was no more then a year younger then him, so she had no excuse he insisted. Flannar simply laughed, and Jake knew that he had no argument. Still, she was so frustrating, he explained to Flannar.

"And ye be no dif'rent," Flannar replied.

"God damn you," Jake replied with a slight laugh, not sure of what else to say.

"If ye be th' Light Warriors as ye believe, ye have li'l choice, aye?"

To this, Jake sighed. "Aye," he replied dryly.

"Go be finding' yer lassie now, eh boy?" Flannar said, nudging him.

"Hey, hey c'mon. I'm not planning on getting a girlfriend, especially if I have to travel with her all the time! Especially if it's a naïve idiot like her." Flannar simply smiled.

"Varick…give them back!" Aeria screamed, her cry hardly being forceful. Varick found himself laughing at the white mage. He began advancing towards her, and she stepped back. This continued for a few moments, until Aeria found herself backed into the bathroom, her knees hitting the rim of the toilet.

"I'd like to see the crystal on you," Varick said slyly. "And only the crystal. On you."

Aeria's jaw dropped at Varick's words. No one had ever spoken such perverted things to her.

"Which room is hers then? She's probably in there, and I probably should…well…you know," Jake stammered.

Flannar held his hand up, telling Jake he understood. "1st deck here, last on th' left lad." Jake nodded in appreciation, and dashed back downstairs, walking tiredly towards Aeria's room. Walking, that was, until he heard a scream. Immediately he found the energy to dash and swing open the door. He did not see anything at first, until he looked into the bathroom. As Varick's hand rested on Aeria's shoulder, Jake grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him so hard that he flew against the wall. Aeria's jaw was still dropped, and she simply sat down on the toilet cover, her hands attempting to hide the shocked look upon her face.

Jake's gaze turned from Aeria to Varick standing up. Varick opened his mouth to say something, but swiftly, Jake's fist connected with Varick's jaw. Varick clutched his jaw, taking a few step backs. "What the hell is your problem?!" Jake asked. He found himself somewhat amused by the fact that a few drops of blood dribbled down Varick's chin.

"Jake! Stop!" Aeria exclaimed, dashing from the bathroom. She squeezed in between him and Varick, her right side to Varick and her left to Jake.

"You're telling me to stop…when this guy was about the rape you? Or did I interrupt something? Oh, I'm so sorry!" Jake said sarcastically, throwing his hands up. This caused Aeria to scowl at him for reasons he was unable to understand.

Aeria slowly turned her head towards Varick, her expression still much the same. "J…Just give us…the crystals? Please…?" Aeria cursed at herself after she spoke for her weakness. How much more pathetic could she have come across?

"Oh, good job Aeria," Jake added in sarcastically. "That'll get us our crystals back for sure!"

"Look you!" Aeria suddenly cried out, spinning around.

"Don't-!" Jake attempted to yell back. But no sooner did he finish the word and Varick was out the door. "And there he goes with our crystals! Smooth Aeria!"

"Oouu…You're so…so…so…" Jake watched as Aeria suddenly trailed off. Her eyes shut and she began to fall.

"Damn it…" Jake muttered, catching the girl as she passed out from weariness. He checked her temperature to make sure she wasn't running a fever, and then decided that she simply needed sleep. He picked the small girl up and placed her on her bed. Still irate, he stormed out of Aeria's room, slamming the door behind him. "I'll just make sure to be up early enough so he doesn't escape into Elfland when we set anchor…" He said to himself as he walked down the hallway to his room. Once inside, her dried his hair, changed into some lighter clothes, and quickly fell asleep.

His eyes opened slowly and Jake groaned as consciousness swept over him. He attempted to pull the covers up around him, yesterday's events running through his head. As the day continued to run through his head, he became more and more awake, and it suddenly dawned on him that the ship was no longer moving. Jake's eyes snapped opened and sat straight up. "Shit!" He cursed as the realization came upon him that Varick was probably already loose in Elfland pawning off their crystals. He pushed the thin white sheets off of him and clumsily changed into his clothes and armor. As he was running out the door he attempted to put his sword's sheath onto his belt. It was only once he reached Aeria's door did he finally get it to stay on. Jake pounded on the door and bit his lip, hoping she was awake and not about to scream at him.

Aeria opened the door sleepily. "What do you want…?" She mumbled.

"Uhh, Gaia to Aeria, we landed at Elfland and Varick still has our crystals," Jake said with a voice so rude that had Aeria been more awake, she surely would have yelled at him for being rude to her. Instead, Aeria's eyes simply widened. She walked back over to pick up her staff and then walked back to the door. She simply nodded at Jake, and Jake pushed the door open more for Aeria to exit, and then shut the door behind her. They both walked with a quick pace to the upper deck where they could exit to Elfland's port.

Making it a point to avoid any monsters on their way to Elfland, the white mage and fighter quickly dashed toward the Elven village. As soon as they reached the beginning of the town, they both took a deep breath of relief. "So…umm…just look for a guy with a green tunic and green bandana, right?" Aeria asked timidly.

Jake crossed his arms. "Yes, let's look for a guy in a green tunic; that'll be our best bet!" He paused for a moment to let the sarcasm sink in with the white mage. "Look around, in case you didn't notice, we're in Elfland, and the most common color that Elves wear is well, green." Aeria flushed red with embarassment upon this realization and was unable to think of anything to say. Jake sighed. "C'mon, let's go."

"Well hey there, you seem like a fine young gentleman!" Varick exclaimed, attracting the attention of a black mage nearby. The black mage did not speak, but simply looked up. Varick gulped, finding a harsh stare from the yellowish eyes which were all that could be seen from the shadow of the black mage's pointed hat. He stopped and turned towards the Thief, motioning with his gloved hand to continue on. "Well," He continued, slipping the red and blue crystals from around his neck, still keeping his green one hidden beneath his shirt.

Though Varick was unable to see it do to the shadow of the broad hat, the black mage's jaw dropped. "Are those genuine?" The black mage asked with a low, raspy voice.

Varick flinched and nearly lost his nerve. "Why…Yes they are!"

"Let me see," The black mage commanded, holding his gloved hand out. Varick dropped the two crystals into the palm of the black mage's hand, clutching onto the cord. After a few long moments, Varick watched as the black mage reached at his neck to pull on a cord. At the end of the cord was a brown crystal. Varick's jaw dropped.

"Jake! Running around in circles isn't going to help!" Aeria cried out, trailing behind Jake.

"Well it's certainly better then your plan of 'Let's wait until he gets back on the ship!'" Jake countered.

"Hey! It was a start!" Aeria cried back. Jake shook his head and continued to run on the beaten pathes. Aeria stopped to catch her breath and to take in her surroundings. Squinting because of the rising sun, she noticed a glimmer of a blue crystal. "Jake!" She cried out.

"I'm not turning around!"

"But Varick-!"

Varick looked over seeing the white mage calling out Jake, who was farther down. "Shit!" He cursed to himself. "Uhh…" The thief looked around, attempting to find a way out of the situation.

Aeria ran towards Varick and the black mage. "Shit!" Varick cursed again. He pulled the crystals out of the black mage's hand and dashed off.

"Don't let him go!" Aeria cried out, holding her hand out. By the time the black mage realized what was going on, Varick had already gotten too far away. "Shoot…" She muttered to herself, stopping.

The black mage walked up to Aeria. "He stole something of yours?" He asked.

Aeria nodded, still attempting to catch her breath. "He took my crystal…"

"Ahh, I figured those were not his."

"How could you tell?" Aeria asked.

The black mage shook his head. "I'll explain later. Let's get your crystal back."

"O…Okay," Aeria replied. "Oh, umm…My name's Aeria. What's yours?" She asked timidly.

"Zuriel," The black mage replied in an even darker voice then he had to Varick. Without another word, he turned and followed Varick. Aeria watched Zuriel for a moment, and then followed.

Jake stopped running to take a breath. He looked around the ground, trying to find any sign of the thief. After that he scanned the roof tops, as he had no idea what levels Varick would stoop to, or climb to, pawn off his and Aeria's crystals.

"Up there!" Aeria cried, pointing up to the roof of the white magic building. Zuriel looked up just as Varick looked down at the approaching mages. Jake looked around, watching as Varick jumped into a tree. Aeria and Zuriel stopped to watch as Jake climbed the tree next to the one Varick was hiding in. He motioned for Aeria and Zuriel to walk towards the tree Varick was in. Slowly the mages walked towards Varick's tree, as Jake steadied himself on the thinner branches of his tree.

"Give it to me," Zuriel whispered to Aeria as they walked towards the tree.

"Huh?"

"Your staff. Give it to me." With a confused okay, Aeria handed Zuriel the staff she had been carrying the entire time. Clutching the staff with both hands, Zuriel ran towards Varick's tree. He began swinging it into the high branches, hoping to chase him out of the tree.

Zuriel's plan worked. As soon as Varick saw the staff being swung around, nearly knocking his feet out from under him, he turned and lept into the other tree. As Varick was jumping, Jake lept up to intercept Varick. Both men yelled as they fell towards the ground.

Varick landed hard, and it did not help that Jake was on top of him. Dust flew up around them, making it difficult for Aeria and Zuriel to see what was going on. Within a few moments, Jake and Varick rolled out of the dust, pushing each other, both trying to find some sort of dominance. Jake finally pinned Varick down, but just as he did, Varick pushed Jake off of him. Varick stood up as fast as he could, though he found it difficult since he had landed on his back so hard. Varick attempted to run, but found Aeria and Zuriel blocking his way. Swiftly, he turned around, only to find that he met once more with Jake's fist. He cursed and fell down on his knees. Jake muttered a few words under his breath, kicking Varick hard in the side, which caused him to sprawl out onto the ground.

"Jake!" Aeria exclaimed. She rushed to the fighter and pushed him a few steps away from Varick. "He's down Jake! He's down!"

Jake watched as Zuriel placed Aeria's staff on the ground and moved towards Varick. From a bag obviously underneath his robes, he pulled out a small bottle. He uncorked it and handed it to Varick. "Is it poison?" Varick joked. Zuriel shook his head and Varick reached out to accept the bottle.

As Varick was allowing the contents of the bottle to drip down his throat, Jake stared at Zuriel. "Just who's side are you on anyway?" He attempted to move towards Varick, but Aeria kept him back, still pushing on his armor.

Zuriel rose to his feet and stared back at Jake. "We're all a team," He replied in his low, raspy voice.

Befitting for a black mage, Jake mused to himself. "What the hell are you talking about? All a team? He's nothing more then a thief."

A small smile slipped across Zuriel's face, and he took great pride in the fact that no one was able to see it. "But we all have crystals."

"Not us," Jake countered. "He has ours."

"Don't be stupid Jake," Aeria scolded. Their eyes met, and nothing was resolved.

There was a small chuckle from Zuriel as he knelt down and removed the red and blue crystals that were now lying on top of Varick. He moved to Aeria and Jake, extending his gloved hand, offering the crystals back to their rightful owners. Aeria took hers, and slid it over her head and underneath her hood. She smiled a little seeing the crystal back on her chest. Jake stared at Zuriel's yellow eyes before snatching the crystal back. He continued to stare until Zuriel turned his attention back to Varick, and then put the cord back around his neck.

"Now come on," Zuriel began. "I believe we all have a ship to Corneria that we need to catch, yes?"

"How do you know we're all going to Corneria?" Aeria asked, rushing up beside the black mage, after picking her staff off the ground.

"We're all Light Warriors."

"How do you figure?" Jake asked.

"We all have crystals."

"His is a fake," Jake countered, pointing to the thief who was beginning to rise to his feet.

"And you know this for a fact?" Zuriel asked.

"Well…why else…would he…" Jake feebly began to ask.

Now on his feet, Varick held out his crystal, holding the green crystal in the palm of his hand. "Mine looks exactly like yours, the only different is its green," He said plainly to Jake.

"Mine's a family heirloom," Jake said, walking past Varick.

"As is mine," Varick countered.

Jake stopped in his tracks. He was about to open his mouth to say something else when Zuriel interrupted him. "Give it up Jake. We're all Light Warriors."

"There's no way someone like him could be a Light Warrior!" Jake countered, watching as the other three began to walk back to the town entrance.

"Why do you say that?" Zuriel asked, continuing to walk.

"He's dishonorable, a liar, a scumbag. He's evil!"

Zuriel stopped and turned around. "And what do you consider me? I'm a black mage?" He replied forcefully. "Don't even say anything," He continued before Jake had a chance to say anything else. "Let's make sure we don't miss the boat to Corneria."

Jake caught up with the rest of the group, watching Varick out of the corner of his eye.

"Umm, Zuriel?" Aeria asked. Zuriel didn't answer, but instead moved his hand signifying that he acknowledged her. "Why are we all going to Corneria again? I mean I know Jake and I are for our own reasons but…"

"His Majesty the great King Estevan of Corneria has put a request for the Light Warriors. He wishes to see us."

"But, how do we know it really is us?" Aeria asked.

Once again, Zuriel was glad that the shadow of his hat hid his grin. "You ask too many questions," he mused loud enough for Aeria to hear. She blushed and apologized, causing the black mage to chuckle.

The four dashed north to the port, running from any monsters with the knowledge that they did not have the man power to fight off Elfland's monsters. Jake stubbornly tried to fight one, but Varick had the smarts to pull him away. This caused yet another fight between them, though Zuriel quickly broke it up.

"They're boarding now!"Aeria exclaimed, rushing up towards the sailors. The three guys followed the white mage on board. Shortly afterward they learned that they were the last boarders and barely made it on. "We made it," Aeria sighed of relief, leaning on her staff a little.

Varick looked at the three others, and without a word walked downstairs.

"Probably going to rob someone else," Jake snipped.

"Probably going to get some rest since you landed on him when he fell out of the three," Aeria scowled.

"Why are you always in his defense?"

"Because whether you like it or not, we're a team."

"You're so god damn gullible!" Jake shouted back before going downstairs.

"Oooh he's so stupid!" Aeria cried out as Zuriel walked to the railing. He leaned on it, watching the water beneath them. After a moment, Aeria joined him. "So, if we're Light Warriors, what is our duty?" Aeria asked meekly.

Zuriel sighed softly. "Essentially we're to bring light back to the crystals, which in theory should save our dying world."

"Dying?" Aeria asked.

"You haven't noticed? The wind blows less fierce, fire is less powerful, water no longer provides as much use, crops are dying at a rapid rate…"

"That is true," Aeria replied. "My grandpa's farm has been dying now. Our last few harvests haven't been that good…"

"Exactly," Zuriel said. "We have a special connection to these crystals…We'll need to see Sarda…I'm sure he can aid us…"

"Sarda?" Aeria asked.

"A great wizard," Zuriel answered. It became clear to Aeria that Zuriel was not planning on elaborating any further.

"Your name really isn't Zuriel, is it?" Aeria suddenly asked.

This caused a slight chuckle from Zuriel as he turned to face Aeria. "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that Zuriel is such a weird name and it seems way too fitting for a black mage…"

Zuriel simply laughed. "Girl, you ask far too many questions." With that, he left Aeria standing on the deck as he walked downstairs.

Aeria held onto her staff with her right hand and moved her left hand to the crystal. A small smile spread across her face. "I did it," She whispered to herself aloud. "I'm on an adventure. Just like grandma!" With that she turned towards the sea, enjoying the breeze that attacked her. Excitement coursed through her veins as she was completely unaware of the hardships that would come along with such an adventure.

- - - - -

(For all the 8-bit theater fans, I would have named him "Steve" but, I felt like that was TOO much. Don't worry, there will be more subtle 8-bit theater references.)

A/N

Okay, now that I'm done with the prelude and I've introduced you guys to my characters, I'll be following the Final Fantasy story. If there's anything that you want to see more of/less of, or any twists you'd like to see just let me know. I'm writing this because I love Final Fantasy, but I'm writing this too for you guys, so I want to have fun with it. I'mpretty sure this will finish, because now I'm going to start my own game of Final Fantasy, and I won't go far enough to pass a chapter until I write it. And I am not a girl to leave a Final Fantasy unfinished! Thanks guys!