Chapter #2

I kept on walking after he'd said that to me, thinking over just whether I had made the right choice in embarking on this expedition. I didn't regret doing something with my life… but to think that I might've just unknowingly made myself into a killer…

"It's a daunting prospect, isn't it?"

I heard his voice, but it caught me very off-guard. I hadn't expected him to be able to make it any worse after what he'd just said to me. Of course, that wasn't how it went… it got worse.

"Now, people don't usually take much conscience into mind when they're killing monsters… you know that as well as I do—if it threatens your life and does not resemble you, you can easily dispose of it, right?" I wasn't sure whether to nod, so I let him go on. "Nature is cutthroat enough without us interfering… but still, we interfere. Can you honestly keep your word that you can slay a dragon when you're staring one in the eye? And can you slay a dragon, knowing that a dragon is your ally?"

I couldn't actually respond to that… he was making me utterly heartbroken, right from the get-go. There was nothing I would've liked better for him to have simply ended it there and left me with my thoughts… but to my dread, there was still more.

"So do you know, now, why I've chosen you to join my team?" he questioned again, his mood delving away from that former misery, but still sounding somewhat serious.

"I'm afraid I don't," I admitted. "I'm not really sure how what you've told me ties into why I was picked."

He seemed the most harsh with these words: "I chose you… because if I hadn't, then no one else would have."

What? You mean this was just a very long-winded, roundabout way to insult me? I couldn't believe the GALL of that rapscallion! I mean, he could've let me off lightly, but rather than allowing me my peace of mind and blissful ignorance of his sharp tongue, he blatantly tells me right-out that I'm no good! Ohhh, if it weren't for that massive bodyguard of his, I would've taken that man down, Chocobo and all…

"Because someone else might've asked you the same question… and taken your pause as a weakness." …What? "Instead, I see it as intelligence." I… I was stumped. You mean… he… he wasn't trying to insult me? He was… complimenting me? "A man who says that he can kill without conscience before he has actually committed the act is a fool," he stated outright. "A man who takes into consideration his morals has the makings of a wise man."

So… so he had been telling me this because he had seen potential in me? How had he known before he'd really even spoken to me? Had he sensed it? Was he some kind of mind-reader? God! The ambiguity of that man had me in a whirlwind of questions! Hell, I didn't even know his name yet, and already he'd evaluated me as an asset to his means!

And yet… through all of this, he laughed.

"Riles, I believe you will, one day, make a fine soldier—but every man has his beginnings… so perhaps you would like to sit back and observe a real battle before you participate in one, right?" he asked. "Now that I've prepared you emotionally, Bingx here will prepare you mentally—and once you're sure you're ready, we'll all prepare you physically."

"Y-yes, sir!" I answered him eagerly, looking to the man he'd pointed out. Oh, so this Scottish man's name was Bingx, was it? Well, I wasn't sure what he really looked like, but he was in the distinctive garb of a destructive Magic-User… so he wouldn't necessarily be hard to pick out of a crowd.

"Oh, and from now on, don't call me 'sir' if you can avoid it," he told me welcomingly. "Despite my status, I do hate formalities—simply call me Hannibal."

"Yes, sir!" I ejected without even meaning to. It'd just become habit by now… and I flinched back in apology afterwards, even though he still seemed to laugh. He… was an unusual fellow, he was. So very cheerful with his inviting smile, but able to uphold a stoic seriousness with the utmost respectability. Perhaps… this wouldn't be as bad as I'd first thought…

Especially since I heard the others beginning to laugh, themselves.

I actually broke a smile for the first time in what'd seemed like ages with these people. Against all the blonds and that poignant redhead, I felt a little left out with my scraggly black mane—I had to wonder what each of them must've felt like at their own initiation… and whether they'd been put to the same test as I had. Maybe I'd ask Bingx later—or even Hannibal, himself.

"Alrigh'," Bingx began, finally slinging an arm around my shoulders and giving me a rough, somewhat playful slap on the back that nearly sent me staggering forward. "Here's the fac's, lad: Hannibal? He's an odd one—never try'n get on his bad siede if y'can help it. Hell hath no fury like tha' tiny li'le redhead." I could almost feel the small man glowing with either embarrassment or pride—whichever, it was well-hidden. "Yamaru (we call 'im Adrian) is an impor' straigh' from Japan—bu' he speaks th'language so well tha' no one doubts he's from aroun' these par's when we tell 'em so." He pointed out the lanky Knight seated atop the dark-feathered Chocobo, who issued me a solemn bow of the head and a tiny "hai" that was scarcely loud enough to be heard. "Noew, Charlemegne over there's an ol' travelin' par'ner a' his," he quickly pointed out the Oracle, "so no one really as'ed him any questions abou' whether he was up to i'. An' Azrael? He's Hannibal's ol' man." I suddenly found myself transfixed by the massive, mummified rider of the scarlet Dragon. That man was the leader's father? Such a gigantic specimen, the predecessor of someone so very… small? It was positively boggling! "F'e had 'is wraps off, ye'd be able t'tell the similarities qui'e easily," Bingx continued. "Unfortuna'ely, 'e's go' a condition tha' forces him ta' stay ou'a the sun… so a' nigh', you'll be able t'see an' hear 'im properly."

Looking toward the man atop the Dragon's back again, I could almost sense a sort of frustration in what was visible on his face. A pair of cold grey eyes stared forward doggedly at the passing terrain of grass and forest, narrowed almost angrily… but he could've simply been squinting, now that I think about it. It really was hard to tell beneath the black rags over his face. Perhaps it was partially empathy that I was able to feel sorry for him… but to think that he was still fighting with all his disabilities was… unusually noble. I got a strong sense of dignity from him, if nothing else. Whereas he might be useless to someone else, his own son accepted his handicaps and invited him to travel. Already, I was liking the sounds of it. A bunch of collected vagabonds and other various riffraff all fighting in the name of some justice… likely making a mockery of more professional units with better training. Again, I could feel that smile creeping up on me.

"Th'Red Chocobo's Kenji—'e's th'younges' onea' the bunch. The other two're Kanta an' Korin—o'course, Nihon-wha's-his-name gave 'em all their ti'les, an' they won' respon' ta' anythin' else…"

"Oh, you could pronounce my name before, but now it's not even 'Japaneseman', it's Japanese-what's-his-name?" the Knight jeered down at him, his Chocobo offering a similar protest in a colorful squawk.

"Can y'er pie-hole!" the Scotsman bantered back, making me chuckle just a little. "Ye've called me much worse, if Ah do recall!"

"I told you to ignore them," Hannibal's voice stated in exasperation.

"Well, you wanted to steal Shiro from me!"

"GUYS!" the small one announced, a bit of flush accenting his pallid face. "Cut it out… alright?" he suggested, shrugging a bit in accompaniment. "We're supposed to be working on the same side here—get it?"

"Gomen nasai…" the brunette told him.

"Feh," Bingx replied sharply, though he did look properly repentent.

From then on, it seemed as though the rest of the trip might be silent. Besides those two bantering, no one seemed to want to talk—but Bingx eventually did get back to explaining to me just who everyone was.

"Th'Behemoth's name is Shadow—a li'le joke, since 'e's a Dark varie'y." As he said this, the creature nudged up against him, and I realized that he had been the one the beast had originally been so friendly with before. "Luves me like some keinda' starved animal, 'e does," he murmured afterwards, stroking the beast's fiery mane. "Th'Vampiere's name is Alucard—Dracula backwar's, in case ya' haven' heard tha' one. 'E doesn' seem ta' like people all tha' much, so don' expec' him jus' ta' warm up t'ya, righ'?" He continued on to the final two beasts trailing the team and carrying one member. "Th' Sacre's Minue'. A female, an' the only one on our team, really. She's a fair lass, though—made th'warrior's cut, anahow." He pointed to the dragon. "An' las', but cer'ainly no' least, we 'ave Xexxe. E's a bi' friendly, so Ah hope you're no' afraid a' Dragons—especially no' goin' inta' this business."

"No sir!" I told him. "I've never been afraid of dragons. Never really seen one in real life (especially not one trying to kill me), but he doesn't scare me."

"Lieke th'man said: stop callin' us 'sir'," he pointed out. "While I'm jus' a bi' less modest than he is, Ah still don' like th'sound of 'sir'."

"Oh… yeah, yeah, sure." I nodded in response to this, offering a nervous little chuckle at the fact. "Bingx is your name—and does anyone else just go by their name?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Charlemegne'll sometiemes le' ye call 'im 'Charie', bu' tha's abou' it."

"'Charie'?" I repeated, glancing back to the elderly Mediator for a moment or so.

"Aye," Bingx confirmed.

Well, it seemed almost as though yet another awkward silence might ensue, but I spoke up after only a few moments of it. "So I hear it takes days to actually get from one city to the next… that's truth, I'd presume?"

He offered a sort of 'tsk'ing noise. "Ye' don' ge' out much, do ye, lad?"

"Truthfully, this is the first time I've left my hometown… I almost feel a little hesitant to break the border."

"Wha'd tha' man say y'were, a Cancer?" he queried rather coldly, a bit of a reprehending look in his eyes. "Ah suppose ye wouldn' be too hasty t'leave y'er home, bu' tha's what travelin's abou'," he reassured. "Believe me—if y'want t'leave on an adventure so badly, ye'd bes' be willin' t'leave behind the life y'once had." His words were rather solemn, now—not laced with that sarcastic accent. "Ah c'n understand i' migh' be a li'le harder for ye, bu' all soldiers face i' a' one tieme er another." Sympathy? Boy, was that out-of-character. "Ah'm a Capricorn, m'self—so i' was no thorn in mey side t'start over again… bu' Ah know y'water-goers are a li'le more sensitive'n us earth-types."

Well, that was a little condescending… "Oh, so you're some kind of buff on the subject, are you?" I asked of him. "How good are you at divining personalities?"

"Well, Ah c'n tell ye things abou' the resta' these braggar's tha' they don' even know Ah know." A smile was surely plastering his face—I could see it in those eyes. "Righ' noew, we have a Scorpio (tha's Azrael) or two (if ye coun' the Behem'th), you, a Pisces (th'Dragon), m'self, a Virgo (Charlemegne), a Taurus (th'Red Chocobo), two more Capricorns (the other two Chocobos), two Sagittarians (the Sacred an' the Vampiere), a Libra (Adrian), an' an Aquarius (our marvelous leader). I's mos'ly Earth-signs, bu' we've go' a' leas' one from every elemen'."

I nodded in understanding, trying to memorize all this. It wasn't difficult—I had an unusually good memory for these kinds of things—but he moved along rather quickly, and some of it seemed a little excessive for someone to know. After all, wasn't he supposed to be busy learning his trade as a wizard and not fiddle-faddling with Astrology in the meantime?

"Tha' gives us an advantage in one way—if there's ever a figh', we've go' a' leas' one unit tha' can do higher damage'n the rest of us." As he explained this, the Behemoth again nudged him almost needily. "Bu' tha's also why we have him," he credited the creature, regaining his swift, sure step rather quickly. Gleefully, the beast offered a bit of a purr, nuzzling up against him again. Well, he was right about one thing—that beast did love him.

"Right," I answered, to make sure that he didn't think I'd trailed off at all. "But I've heard all this talk about Bravery and Faith, and I'm not quite sure what they mean, even if I know what it's supposed to do to help." Well, alright, I felt somewhat stupid asking him that question, but I had to voice that thought. Otherwise, I'd never get it.

"Y'er Bravery's how much will ye've got," he assured. "How willin' y'are t'charge inta' battle when y'er wettin' yerself on the inside." Though he'd laughed a bit when he said that, I doubt that he'd meant it about himself. All the Capricorns I knew had a lot of pride in their fearlessness. "Faith is somethin' tha' usually is left up t'debate—bu' Ah'll tell ya' the truth, here an' now," he assured. "Faith ain' y'er belief in some God er nothin' like tha'," he explained. "Faith is y'er ability t'trust in somethin'. Anathin'." He turned toward his leader. "Ah've had faith in mah companions—no' some God—so regar'less, Ah'd be considered a person a' high Faith."

"I see what you're saying." Despite the fact that he was a little long-winded, I actually liked listening to him speak—his dialect gave him an interesting voice, and it never seemed to get tiring to hear. That, and he was straight to the point—though he explained the matter thoroughly, he didn't give me any excess information; I knew about what I had asked about. Perhaps that was one thing I had liked about a Cap… they certainly didn't seem to waste time.

"Anathin' else b'fore Ah teach y'a few skills?" he questioned airily. He seemed as though an all-knowing sort of fellow, but it really could've just been that he was the master of his trade, like the proverbial Sea Goat was. That Aquarius had been nothing short of the mysterious, mind-trapping entity they were made out to be. Yes, they taught us a bit about our fellows in the classess—especially since they had to explain to us the advantage of a hit to another sign of your element or quad. They'd pick examples out of the room to make fun of, and there were quite a few Capricorns in this business—as well as quite a few Leos and Arians. I wanted to look sophisticated and noble like them, but I was the only Cancer in my class… and it made me feel kind of pathetic.

"Can't think of anything… but I can ask if I do, right?"

He seemed to laugh a bit—perhaps at the question itself, or even at the fact that I was asking him a question as though he might tear my head off. He'd been that way before… I simply had to make sure that that former personality had not been my future companion. Really, he actually seemed kind of… lenient. "S'what Ah'm here for," he replied assuringly.

The more and more they actually started talking to me, the more I felt like I'd finally have some friends. It's hard being the odd man out; never belonging, never knowing exactly how the blissful people find their so-called 'bliss'. Back then, I would've given anything to have someone I could trust… and it almost scared me, how good they'd been at giving me the cold shoulder. Of course, once I'd gotten past the practical joke, they were… surprisingly easy to become friendly with. Sure, they were a tightly-knit pack, but they'd welcomed me as though I was some kind of newborn pup. I'd finally gotten that break in life and found the people I could forever count on.

It's a shame good things like that never last.