Chapter 3

Adapt or Die

Eddie slowly opened his eyes and began to process the pictures they were sending to his brain. Grass? Why am I in grass? Eddie pushed himself up with his arms and propped up on one knee. He reached down and pulled up some of the grass with his hands. He was surprised to see his hand covered with fingerless gauntlets. He looked down and saw that all his cloths were different. Boots, black pants, a red sleeveless shirt, and a sword strapped to his back. Standing up he reached behind him and pulled the sword from its holster. It was about three and a half feet from handle to the tip of the blade. It's not exactly light. Eddie thought as he swung it around. He put the sword back in its holster with surprising ease. Well…I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore Todo… Eddie chuckled to himself at the joke and started walking. He looked around and nothing seemed familiar. The world was beautiful, fresh even. The grass was green, the sky blue, and the river he was coming to was almost crystal clear and was running gently. A river. I bet if I follow this I'll find some kind of civilization. A sudden rustle from behind made him turn around to his left. At first Eddie couldn't believe his eyes. There, standing in front of him, was a cat-like creature with light pink fur. It wore a pink robe, blue cloak, and a leather strap across its chest. Weirdest of all a floating red fur ball was suspended from the top of its head. It reached into one of its bags and pulled out a glass bottle with a cork plugging the hole. It popped it open, drank what was left in the container, bent down, put more water in it, placed the cork back in the opening, and put it back in its knapsack. It finally broke the silence between the two.

"Lovely day isn't it, kupo?" It spoke clearly except for the word Eddie never heard before. Its voice was higher pitched and almost seemed squeaky to Eddie. Eddie just stood there, looking the creature from the top of its fur ball, down to its little feet. "What's wrong with you? Haven't you ever seen a moogle before?" It responded sharply to Eddie's rude stare.

"Um…no…" was all Eddie could manage to get out.

"Are you okay? You look like you're confused, kupo." The moogle asked. "Are you traveling alone?"

"Yes." Eddie said answering all the questions. He decided to play along and accept this 'moogle' as a fact of reality. "I'm not sure where I am or how I got here."

"Well, kupo, can you at least tell me your name?"

"My name is Eddie."

"Well Eddie, my name is Kristin, and I don't know how you got here but you're on the outskirts of Costel Port."

"Costel Port?" Eddie stood there. He knew this must be irritating Kristin. She just looked at him and cocked her head slightly, causing her fur ball to tilt.

"Kupo, are you sure you're okay?" Kristin inquired again. This strange hume was getting to be rather troublesome. Part of her thought he was playing games with her, but the look in his eyes told her different. He was really confused about everything. "You weren't mugged or something?" She eyed his person. "I don't see your money purse or an item bag on you. Most people carry them on their waist, kupo." She tapped hers with her hand to emphasize her point.

Eddie looked down and realized she was right. He didn't have either of them on him. Of course it's not like he was used to carrying them, but obviously everybody else was.

"I don't remember. I guess it's possible." Eddie stared blankly at her.

"Well, I guess they knocked you out and took your stuff." Kristin said. "You can stick with me if you'd like, kupo. At least until we get to Costel."

Eddie weighed his options, and the obvious choice was to follow the moogle. "Okay, thanks, that would be great." Eddie saw the moogle extend out its little hand. Eddie clasped it carefully and shook.

"Pleased to meet you, kupo. Now let's be on our way." She started walking by the riverside.

Eddie followed the moogle. He thanked his lucky star for meeting Kristin. They walked a little further in silence until it was again broken, but this time by Eddie. "Well, what is Costel like?"

"You've never been to Costel?" Kristin asked. "Wow, are you from another world?" She said jokingly. "It's one of the biggest port cities in Ivalice."

Finally a name. Ivalice, huh? Wonder where that is. Kristin seemed friendly enough and Eddie was thankful for it. "Hey, are you traveling alone too?" Eddie said.

"Yeah, I just came from my brother's house. He invited me over for lunch." Kristin answered.

"Well that's nice; I have a brother too…" Eddie started but was interrupted by Kristin holding up her hand and shushing him. She stopped and her ears started twitching.

What is that noise? Kristin thought. It seemed familiar yet it wasn't. It was getting closer now and she could make it out more distinctively. She could make it out now. They were footsteps. Six pairs of footsteps and they were moving rather quickly. Must be Chocobos, but it sounds too close together to be Chocobos. There was only one thing that it could be, and that meant trouble.

"Ready up. Were about to have a bit of kupo fun." Kristin said pulling out a staff that was hidden behind her cloak.

"Kupo? Fun? Okay I'm lost, what's going on?" Eddie said turning toward Kristin. The wind was at his back now and he waited for a response.

"I suggest you pull out that sword and get ready, kupo," was the only response Eddie got. He didn't know what was going on but Kristin seemed to know her stuff, so he did as he was told.

"What skills do you know?" Kristin asked.

"Skills?"

"You're a Solider class right?" Kristin said more like a statement than a question. "What are your skills?"

"I…don't have any." Eddie didn't know if he was telling the truth or not, but he wasn't sure what she meant by skills.

"Great, a newbie. Just what I needed. I know Fire, Thunder, and Ice, so here's the plan, you swing that thing in your hand and I'll cast spells. And try to use the sharp end."

Eddie was a little hurt at the remark. It was true, but he still didn't like being called a newbie. The last comment was just enough for Eddie to get upset. "Now you listen here, that was just…" he stopped his sentence short and his attention was turned to three red animals starring at him and Kristin. He hadn't even noticed them before and he held his sword tighter now. "What are those?"

"Those are Red Panthers." Kristin noticed the saliva dripping from their fangs. "And I think their hungry. I declare an official engagement!" Kristin yelled. A man on a Chocobo clad in armor appeared in a bright light and held up his hand. "Free Agents Kristin and Eddie versus three Red Panthers! Begin!" As soon as he yelled the last word a Red panther jumped at Eddie and the other two jumped to the side, creating a crescent in front of them. Eddie brought his sword up broadside and blocked the attack, sending the panther back in front of him. The panther to his left blindsided him and it sank its fangs into Eddie's left arm, causing it to let go of its grip on the sword. Eddie let out a yelp and could feel the fangs tearing through his flesh. The panther pulled and knocked Eddie off balance. The panther in front of him pounced and aimed for Eddie's exposed neck.

"Ice!" Was all Eddie heard when he saw an ice shard, about half the size of his sword, slam into the side of the panther. It fell on its side and skidded on the ground.

Stupid Hume. He's going to get himself killed. If Kristin hadn't of shot and Ice spell at that panther Eddie would have been done for. Kristin turned quickly and slammed her staff into the side of the panthers head. It had tried to get her while she was turned towards Eddie. Come on Mr. Panther. Give me more credit than that. The attack made the panther stumble into the river. "Thunder!" Kristin shouted. She sent an electric bolt from the end of her staff and it connected with the panther, shocking it relentlessly while it was in the water. The panther could only handle so much before it disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Kill verified! One Judge Point for Kristin!" The judge again raised his hand and a star formed above it and flew towards Kristin. It came to a stop and hovered over her head, disappearing in a flash.

Eddie planted his feet and swung his sword over his head. He was satisfied when it landed across the panthers back. The panther howled in pain releasing his arm. Eddie brought his hand back to the handle and kicked the panther in its throat, causing it to gurgle. Eddie stepped back to distance himself from the panther and set his stance up again. The panther regained its composure and jumped at Eddie again. He sidestepped as the panther landed where he was just standing.

Kristin watched as Eddie brought his sword down on the panther and sliced through it, causing it to disappear in a cloud of smoke. A little rough start but overall not bad. She thought as a Judge Point was awarded to Eddie. The last panther stood up in time to see his comrade disappear into a cloud of smoke and decided to run away.

"Victory is Kristin and Eddie's! All injuries will be healed and 400 gold will be rewarded for the killing of two Red Panthers." And with that the judge disappeared in a flash and was replaced with a bag in his place.

Eddie was the closest to the judge and he walked over to the bag and looked inside. It was full of gold pieces. "That was pretty good, kupo," Kristin walked over to his side, "at least for a newbie without any skills." Eddie contemplated saying something in his defense to Kristin but instead started to divide up the money.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm dividing up the money. You killed a panther too."

"Don't worry about it," Kristin shook her hand and put her staff back behind her back, "you need it worse than I do, kupo."

"Really? Thanks." Eddie smiled at Kristin as she started walking again.

"Come on!" She shouted. "I don't have all day!"

Eddie shut the bag and ran towards Kristin. This day was getting better by the minute. Fighting monsters, getting gold, Judges, moogles. It was like a dream world.

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"Princess! Princess, please wake up!" A voice urged from behind a door. The room was furnished with the highest quality furniture, cloths, and accessories that the land had to offer. "Alright then I'm coming in!" The door open and in stepped a woman, walking frantically towards the window. As she pulled open the curtains to reveal the daylight one could see she was aged by time. The wrinkles on her face and gray hair showed her wisdom. The way she carried herself was dignifying and respecting. She went over to the bed and pulled the covers off, revealing a young girl in a white silk night gown. "Princess it's time Wake! Up!" She said loudly. The body in the bed only shifted slightly.

"But Sharon…" the voice mumbled, "today is Saturday. I don't have any studies or lessons today."

"Princess Rebecca it's time to get up." Sharon emphasized again. "King Nathan does not want you to sleep away the morning."

"And if I refuse?"

"The King will send Prince Jonathan to wake you, again."

"Fine. I'm getting up." Rebecca recalled last time Jonathan had flipped her mattress over, with her on it, effectively waking her up. She stood up out of bed and stretched. She would have to do nothing to the bed or herself for that matter. She never made her bed, never dressed herself, and never did much of anything. She was, mind you, a princess. Everything was taken care of for her and everything she wanted was hers. Rebecca yawned as her maids came in to dress her. Today would be like all the others, boring. She looked at her reflection in a mirror one of the maids placed in front of her and turned away.

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"Well that almost sounds like a fairy tale, kupo." Kristin said. She had listened to this Hume's story about how he used to live in another world the entire walk to Costel. It sounded farfetched yes, but she couldn't shake the fact that he was telling the truth. She had always been good at telling the difference between a lie and the truth, and he seemed like he wasn't lying. "Well, we're here." Kristin said as they reached the gate of Costel.

"Really?" Eddie turned and looked at the city in front of him. He was so busy telling Kristin his story that he didn't even notice the city in front of him. "So what now?" Eddie turned back towards Kristin.

"Well I'm going to the Spitting Lizard Pub." Kristin said. "And I suggest you use that gold to buy you some travel gear." Kristin said as she started walking in the gate.

"That's it?" Eddie yelled out, expecting something a bit more.

"If you have any problems, I'll be in the pub! You'll be fine. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders!" Kristin yelled without even turning around.

Eddie stood in his spot and watched as Kristin walked out of sight. He was overwhelmed at his current situation and was, even though he hated to admit it, afraid. He took a deep breath and decided the only way to deal with it, was to jump in and do it. Eddie walked into the city, paying no attention to the people, and focused on the buildings. Very primal to say the least. He noticed that the buildings were still made of bricks and there didn't seem to be any electrical wires running to and from them. Eddie bumped into a sign that read 'Erwin's Travel Goods'. This seems like a good place to get what I need. Eddie walked inside with nobody else in sight except a man standing at a counter.

"Welcome to my shop! The name's Erwin, what can I do fer you?" He said.

"Yes, I need some travel gear." Eddie responded back.

"Well then you've come to the right place. What can I get fer you?"

"Um, I need a travel cloak, money purse, and an item bag."

"What class are ya?" Erwin asked walking to a door with a curtain covering it.

"I'm a," Eddie tried to remember what Kristin had called him earlier, "a Solider."

"Very good." Erwin disappeared behind the curtain.

Eddie stood there for a full minute, whistling a tune. Erwin popped out from behind the curtain with the items Eddie asked for and something he didn't. All the items were set atop a wooden case.

"Here you go." Erwin set the items on the counter. "A scarlet travel cloak, a leather money purse and item bag."

"What's this?" Eddie said pointing to the wooden case.

"This," Erwin said opening up the case revealing a beautiful sword, "is the Fenix Saber," it had a mixture of a silver and gold metal around the handle and the hand guard. The handle was wrapped in a mixture of black leather and red cloth, and was big enough for two hands, while the metal of the blade was mixed with something that gave it a reddish hue, "and it's yours if you want it."

"I don't think I can afford it." Eddie said, looking at the sword in awe.

"Just pay for the gear and trade me the sword you have on your back and it's yours."

"Really." Eddie saw Erwin nod slightly. Eddie unstrapped his sword and handed it to Erwin who set it under the counter.

"Let's see that's 300 for the cloak and 50 for the money purse and item bag. Just call the sword a promotion. Just tell anyone who asks that you got it from here and it was made by Alex from Alexandria."

"Sure thing." Eddie counted out 350 gold for the items and handed them to Erwin, who in turn placed them underneath the counter. Eddie strapped on the sword, and the bags. As he put on the travel cloak he heard a commotion from outside.

"Must be a fight brewing." Erwin said propping his head on the counter. "Probably Clan Kaiser."

"Clan Kaiser huh?" Eddie said more to himself than to Erwin.

"Yeah, Costel is their territory and somebody must be trespassing."

"I'm going to check it out. Thanks for everything!" Eddie said as he ran out the doors.

"Weird kid." Erwin muttered under his breath and turned to continue working.

"So you think you can recruit one of my Clan members do ya?" A man said holding Kristin up by seam on her cloak. He had on a blue robe, a blue turbine with a large white feather on the front, and a sword hung by his side.

"You don't have to worry about it." Kristin managed to sputter, holding on to his arm with her hands. "I don't want any trash, Kupo."

"Trasssh!" Hissed a lizard-like being. His outfit suggested that he was a Defender class. "Leon, let me eat the moogle for lunch. My ssstomach achess for food."

"Maybe I will, Bruster." Leon said bringing Kristin closer to Bruster's now salivating mouth.

"Let her go!" Eddie shouted and slid to a stop just in front of Leon and Kristin.

"Well, what do we have here? A knight in shining armor? Leave before you get involved." Leon tightened his grip on Kristin.

"I said let her go!" Eddie drew out his sword and pointed it at Leon. Leon's mood changed with the move.

"Stupid boy." Leon said tossing Kristin like she was a doll. "Bruster take care of this punk for me."

"I declare an official engagement!" Bruster shouted as the Judge appeared. The crowd moved to the sidelines and started to bark out random words; Kristin and Leon were in front.

"Clan Kaiser's Bruster vs. Free Agent Eddie, the law prohibits the use of items, begin!" The Judge shouted and blew his whistle.

As soon as the whistle blew Eddie charged Bruster, who in turn drew his sword and blocked an overhead strike that Eddie threw. He raised his foot and kicked Eddie in the stomach sending him backwards. "Ssstupid boy. You don't russsh a Defender!" Eddie regained his composure and threw another overhead attack. Bruster blocked again and tried to kick Eddie again. Eddie turned and did a sweep kick but Bruster jumped over the kick and brought his sword down, in hopes of pinning Eddie to the ground. Bruster missed by inches as he saw Eddie roll away and set up his stance. "It'sss ussselesss boy. You can't beat me!" Eddie tried to attack again but as he got in close Bruster grabbed him and threw him into a crate. Eddie sat in the pile of wood, breathing hard.

"Eddie!" Kristin shouted from the sidelines. "He's a Defender! Try something else!"

Thanks for the words of encouragement. No 'Eddie I believe in you!' or 'you can beat that Defender!' I'm sorry I even helped you… wait. Eddie stood up and held his sword in his left hand. He hasn't attacked me once. He's waiting on me to attack. Eddie picked up a chunk of wood and tossed it at Bruster who swatted it away with his sword. I get it now. "Hey Bruster!" Eddie shouted loud enough that the crowd could hear. "What are you? Chicken? I'm right here! You talk bad when it's just a moogle! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size you, you, lizard!" That last remark was enough to get the Defender's attention.

"What did you just call me?" Bruster said.

Kristin noticed the shift of some of the crowd as a hush fell over them. That stupid Hume is going to get himself killed.

"You heard me!" Eddie said preparing for the inevitable attack. He's not sure what set him off but whatever it was, it was making his scales change from a light orange to a deep orange.

"I'll kill you!" Bruster yelled as he ran in full speed towards Eddie, his guard totally broken.

Eddie stood still and focused all his energy on his sword. Just as Bruster raised his weapon to swing, time stopped. The wind was no longer blowing and Eddie stood up from his stance and walked up to Bruster who was now suspended in the air, the look on his face a mixture between hate and power. A voice caused Eddie to turn around. He saw a woman with Red hair, a pure white silk dress, and skin to match. Her voice almost seemed to echo in Eddie's mind.

"I am Fenix." The being said. "I am here by the command of Mateus to guide you through your time in this world."

"So this is a new world?" Eddie answered back as if he knew this being his whole life.

"Yes. This world was created by the desires in the hearts of you and your friends as an escape from reality."

"But why? How?"

"Those questions are not known to me. I am only the servant to Mateus and the protectors of the races. I can teach you only survival."

"Well then teach away."

"The sword that was given to you has a special ability. The ability of the long forgotten class of the Rune Knights. A class that grew so powerful that the kingdom passed laws suppressing their power. Eventually it became a lost art and now you are the only one left. I will grant you the power to use the elemental magics of this world. The power of Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Earth." She held up her hand and four orbs left it and converged on Eddie's sword. "Use these spells, and survive Rune Knight."

"How will I know how to use them?"

"The only way to learn it is through battle." And with that she disappeared in a flash causing Eddie to blink his eyes shut. He opened them again and saw Bruster land, finishing his swing. Eddie moved in closer and blocked his wrist with the handle of his sword. Eddie could feel the fire burning trough his body to his right hand as he placed it hand against Bruster's chest.

"Heaven's cleansing flame, burn through the darkness. Fire!" The fire condensed in Eddie's palm and he cast the explosive spell, sending Bruster to the ground, his armor and flesh smoldering.

"KO verified! Victory goes to the Free Agent Eddie! One thousand gold with be paid to the victor by Clan Kaiser." The Judge healed Bruster and Eddie and awarded Eddie a Judge Point. He stayed long enough to watch Bruster pay Eddie the gold, and then he was gone. Leon walked over to Eddie.

"Don't think just because you beat him that you're a match for me. Remember, this is my turf and I don't want to see you messing around in it." He kicked sand on Bruster where he was laying. "Come on useless. You have to work off the thousand gold you owe the clan."

Kristin ran up to Eddie and jumped up to hug his neck. "Kupo! Thank you!" She landed back down to the ground. "I thought you didn't know any skills? Or spells? And where did you get the stuff and sword?" Kristin said in an excited manner, not really wanting a response. "It doesn't matter, kupo, thank you!"

"No problem, I owed you one." Eddie said sheathing his sword. He scratched his head and let out a laugh.

"You know what? I think it is fate that we met. I think we should form a clan together!" Kristin said jumping up and down.

"Really? A clan? That would be awesome! If only I knew what that was…" Eddie said causing Kristin to miss a beat in her jumps and fall on her butt.

"Just meet me at the Spitting Lizard Pub at sundown and I'll explain everything!" Kristin got up and started to skip away. "And try to recruit somebody!"

Eddie laughed as he watched her prance away. He started to walk towards the pub when he felt a claw grab his shoulder. He turned quickly to see one of the lizard people looking him dead in the eyes.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Eddie said in a forceful tone. The creature just stared at Eddie. If he didn't know any better he thought he saw the things eyes water with tears.

"Eddie?" It finally said.

"That's my name."

"Edward Cole."

The use of his last name and the familiarity of the voice threw Eddie off. "Yes."

"It's me Eddie…" It said as a tear rolled down its scaly face. Eddie stood their speechless. "It's me, Eddie. It's Ronney."