As promised, here is Chapter 2. This chapter was written by LarxenetheFireFly, who has written stories for Final Fantasy XII. I also have a map of Gera on deviantart. Just type .com/gallery into the URL bar. There are two versions: an older one and a newer one.
Anywho, enjoy this latest installment in the Gera Chronicles!
Matteo awoke with a start, staring about in confusion. He was standing in the middle of a slightly decrepit room, something that looked fresh out of a history book. What's more, he was standing in nothing more than boxers and socks. Though he just assumed that he was having a very vivid and very strange dream, what made him suspicious was that Jet and Cid were also there, looking as though they were sleeping, and Kaiya was watching them intently from a window seat.
Jet and Cid came to nearly at the same time, Cid looking about in mild fascination, Jet in downright confusion- Matteo hid a smirk when he finally noticed the young man's flannel pants decorated with planets and cartoon aliens. Cid, at least, had the dignity to wear a simple white shirt and black shorts. "What happened?" Jet asked.
"You are in Gera," Kaiya said simply. All three stared with different levels of shock. Matteo was the first to recover. "How did you get us here?" He demanded, realizing all too keenly he was practically naked…in the presence of a female, albeit a furry one. She waved a dismissive hand. "I called to you. You came here of your own will."
Jet blinked. "You mean we travelled to your place dressed like this?" He asked. Matteo let out a delicate snort. "I'm pretty sure you startled some people in that get-up," he said. Jet flushed. "My mom sends me clothes, and if I don't wear them, she gets upset," he muttered. "Still, I'm not the one without pants." Matteo winced, hastily changing the subject. "So, what now?" He asked. "Do you have clothes, or are we to suffer humiliation in this?" Personally, he would rather have avoided this scenario altogether- he rubbed the strange tattoo that had burned into him last night, knowing that somehow, fate had dealt him a rather mean-spirited deck.
Kaiya stood, motioning to a few packs by the door. "You will find a change of clothing in there," She said, "Though from now on I'd advise you to sleep in your clothing whenever you get the chance to return to your home world. Though I did take the liberty of taking a few of your things while you were adjusting to the travel. Teleportation takes some getting used to, and the only reason you aren't passed out is because you did so in your sleep." She regarded them for a moment, the turned to enter a small room. "Call for me when you're done. I will be planning our route." The door closed softly behind her.
The three men regarded each other for a moment. "I'll take the bathroom, seeing as I'm smallest," Jet finally sighed. "I have no intention of changing in front of complete strangers."
"I think," Cid said amicably, "We'll have to get used to it eventually." He shrugged out of his shirt, shifting through the bags until he found the one that belonged to him. Silently, Matteo followed his lead, tossing the remaining one to Jet and pulling out his shirt, jacket, and pants- the exact outfit he had been wearing when Kaiya had met him. Thankful that he had had the mind to do some laundry before bed last night, he slid into the shirt, noticing that Kaiya had also packed his comb, though had neglected everything else. Then again, she was a cat-girl…thing… so she probably didn't know what half the stuff in his apartment was. "My fish are so going to be dead by the time I get back," He sighed regretfully, folding the now-empty pack. Turning to Cid, who was staring at the grease-stained shirt in his hands in obvious amusement, he asked, "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a mechanic," He replied, finally deciding that the shirt was better than nothing. "I work on cars, motorcycles, and the like, as well as buy and renovate old motorcycles. I inherited the shop when my dad died, and have been doing it ever since. Not that I minded-I love the work. But business has been slow lately." He upended the bag, shaking it to see if anything fell out. "What about you?"
Matteo shrugged. "I do odd jobs here and there. I'm good with my hands, but I've never really found something that fit me, you know? Mostly I just wander- I love hiking, camping, and all that nature stuff; probably why I never stay in the cities and towns for too long." He rubbed the back of his neck, watching as Jet came out of the bathroom. "What about you, kid? What do you do?"
Jet scowled. "I'm not a kid. And I'm training to be a black-belt; martial arts is my passion. Hopefully one day I'll run my own dojo; until now, I'm still advancing in the ranks." He tossed his empty bag into the corner, knocking on Kaiya's door. "We're ready!"
The door instantly opened, and Kaiya's green eyes ran over them to ascertain that they were decent. "Come it," She said, gesturing to a table strewn with maps. "I have plotted our course."
"Shouldn't we know what we are doing before we start?" Matteo asked. "I don't want to go traipsing across an unknown world without knowing what's going on."
Kaiya blinked slowly. "Not here. There are too many eyes; too many ears. That is a tale for the road." She pointed to the map. "Right now we are here, in the town of Farside. We will travel this road, here, to get to Rivervale. If we leave soon, we will reach it in three day's time."
"What about supplies?" Jet asked. Kaiya produced a sack of what sounded like money. "That, of course, will be our first step, now that you are dressed. I already have sleeping gear; each of you will need to divide the money and supply us. I will deal with the transportation." She studied them for a moment, the without another word left.
"Quiet, isn't she? She puts more faith in us than we deserve," Matteo grumbled. "Alright, Jet will handle the food, I'll see what we have in ways of weapons, and Cid will ask around for more details regarding this place."
"Who made you leader?" Jet demanded. Matteo narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't see you offering to take the post," He said, voice low. "Do you have a better suggestion?" When he didn't respond, Matteo nodded curtly. "Fine. We'll meet here in two hours."
Unbeknownst to them, Kaiya had been watching the whole ordeal, disguised and hiding in the next room. She nodded to herself- Matteo had the makings of a leader. With Cid's innocent looks and inconspicuous outfit, he would be the perfect person to gather information. Jet, with his child-like tendencies, would fit in well with the stereotypical city boy looking for some adventure out in the open. And Matteo, who was clearly a rough-and-tumble guy, would fit right in with those getting weapons. She had chosen well when she had picked them.
The three reluctant companions headed out, splitting at the doors after making sure they knew the name of the building. Jet ambled off in the direction of the market, Matteo began to look for a forge, and Cid joined a group of natives as they exited a bakery. Jet, who was instantly lost, wandered for ten minutes before he found a food stand- he approached it, eyeing the wares with a mild wariness.
"Need anythin', sir?" the vendor asked, cocking his head. He hadn't seen this particular man before, though 'man' was stretching it- the kid looked no older than eighteen. Still, travelers came through here all the time.
Jet cleared his throat. "I'm, ah, looking for supplies. My friends and I are going to be travelling, so I need food that won't spoil, and that'll sustain us for a day or two walk until we can stock up at the next town. What do you recommend?"
The vendor looked at Jet thoughtfully. "You clearly don't travel, do you?" he asked. Sheepishly, Jet shook his head. Laughing, the vendor said, "Then no wonder you came here! Son, this is a fruit stand- sure, they are good for you, but they spoil quickly- and I highly doubt you know how to dry and preserve them. I'd suggest getting bread from the bakery across the street, and there's a booth three down from mine that'll have what you need. Bread takes a long time to spoil if you keep it out of the air, and goes great with cheese, which when kept wrapped, also lasts longer."
Jet, highly embarrassed, thanked the vendor. He waved his hand. "No no, just helpin' out another. It's the least I can do." With a wink he tossed Jet a few apples. "Take that, with my luck. You'll need it on the road."
Jet put the apples in his pack, then went to the bakery. The owner, a chubby woman with red hair streaked with dough and flour, was more than happy to give Jet several loaves of 'Traveler's bread', a hard, brown brick studded with dried fruits. However, as the baker cut off a sample, he discovered that though the outside was hard, the inside was soft, nutty, and warm. He bought four loaves with relief, thanking her once more as she wrapped them carefully. Sliding them into his pack, he left to go find the booth the vendor had talked about.
He arrived back at the inn with a full belly, a smile, and a bulging pack. Matteo and Cid were already waiting for him, though Kaiya was nowhere to be seen- they hardly noticed. As Jet began to divide the provisions he had obtained, Cid told them all about what he had heard from the natives- mostly local news, but he had heard a few tidbits of information that troubled them.
"See, the land's been dying," Cid said, flexing the hand that had the strange glove on it. "The farmers are hard pressed to feed themselves, not to mention the hundreds of others in the cities and towns. People are thinking that the mages are the cause of it- their overuse of magic has begun to seep into the ground, changing the earth. And there's this one mage, who calls himself Leo- kinda like the constellation, I guess. Anyways, he's an evil guy. Said he killed the guild master of Magic, so he could be in charge. They fear him, that's for sure- they also mentioned something about a Behemoth, though I don't know what that was about."
Jet frowned, looking up from his packing. "So, this Leo guy is corrupting the land?"
Cid shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I heard. Kaiya'll know better; we'd probably wait until she gets back."
Matteo nodded. "I agree with Cid. She knows what's going on better than anyone." He began to open the bundle he was holding. "I got our weapons. Cid, I didn't know what weapon you preferred, so I hope a short sword will be good enough for now. Jet, I got you one of those swords the dojo has- though it's metal, not wooden."
Jet's eyes lit up. "A real sword?" He asked, scrambling over to where Matteo was crouched over the weapons on display. He instantly picked up the long, slim blade, wonder in his eyes. "It's beautiful," He said at last, pulling it out of its sheath to admire it.
Matteo had a broadsword, and was already adjusting the strap that he would wear across his back. Picking the weapon up easily, he swung it around before sheathing it, attaching it to the belt and adjusting to the new weight on his back. Cid picked up his weapon dubiously. "I don't think I'm going to be able to use this," he said, clumsily trying to strap it to his belt as well. "I'm more of a hands-on type of guy."
Matteo looked apologetic. "I'm sorry; I just couldn't find anything that would fit. I thought about daggers, bombs, bows, staffs… nothing seemed to work." Uncomfortable, he added, "I'm sure we'll find out before too long."
Cid nodded, though he wasn't entirely convinced. He wasn't able to voice his doubt, however, when Kaiya arrived. "Are you equipped…? Good. We are leaving now." She picked up the pack that Jet handed to her, and stared at them impassively. Realizing that they really were leaving, they scrambled to get their items, racing out the door a moment later.
What they found wasn't entirely what they expected.
Instead of horses, a car, or even a bike, they found a strange, yellow-feathered animal that resembled an overgrown chicken than something to ride. Dubiously, Matteo asked, "What is that?"
Kaiya looked at him, eyes glinting with something resembling laughter. "This," she said, "Is a chocobo. Farside is a rural town, unfortunately, so I wasn't able to get anything more advanced- but these animals will suit our purpose well enough." She climbed into the saddle gracefully after strapping her pack to the saddle. Her three recruits copied her clumsily, holding on to the reigns awkwardly. The handler, a short man with a protruding belly, teased them for their mount, and after giving a few pointers patted each animal and left.
"We'll ride these to Rivervale, a bigger city that will provide us with more supplies. But keep an eye out- though the road we take is well-travelled, the fiends we will see may attack us. They do not like humanoids any more than we like them." With a soft whistle, she kicked the bird into a trot, and the three other birds followed after obediently. Bouncing in the saddle, Jet was already wishing that they would reach Rivervale soon. Looking up at the sky, he gasped as a beautiful Aurora wound over their heads.
"What IS that?" he asked; his voice full of wonder.
Kaiya turned in her saddle to look at him, and gave a sad smile. "That is the Ethersoul. It is what keeps our land vibrant and healthy. Lately, however, it has been vanishing. We believe that it is tied to our land's destruction. What you see is only a shadow of its former beauty."
Jet looked mournfully at the sky, and then lurched as his chocobo went over a small rise, almost causing the fifteen-year-old to fall out of his seat.
The first few hours passed peacefully enough. They still saw the occasional native, either tilling fields or carrying their goods into town. Kaiya nodded respectfully to each one, and though they spared curious glances at her companions, they were not confronted. Only after they left behind the signs of civilization did their journey take a turn for the worse.
They were on a forest path, winding throughout the trees at a slower pace, but still making good time. Matteo, who knew the dangers that lurked in the trees, was keeping a sharp lookout- Jet was beside him, concentrating on staying in the saddle as Cid followed uncomfortably behind. Kaiya seemed to be meditating, her eyes closed and sitting perfectly still.
A flash made Matteo turn his head, and he found himself glimpsing a strange, wolf-like animal before it faded into the brush. Nervously, he reached one hand behind him, unsheathing the sword.
He didn't do it a moment too soon. As soon as he had the hilt comfortably in his hands, the wolf-like thing attacked, snarling. His ride squawked, panicking- Matteo nearly fell out of the saddle. His sword swinging wildly, he hit the wolf-like thing entirely on accident, scoring a shallow cut along its side, which exuded black smoke. Instead of warning it off, however, it only seemed to enrage it more.
Jet had scrambled out of the saddle and, bravely dodging Matteo's panicking mount, attacked the creature with a vengeance. He was clearly skilled at using the sword- unlike Matteo's wild swings, his were controlled and planned, and soon the wolf-creature had evaporated into dust. Breathing hard, his eyes wide, Jet stared at it in shock.
Kaiya calmly walked over to him, her mount trailing after her. "You did well, Jet. Thanks to you, we are still alive." She bent down to examine the pile, and then her hand swept through it to pull out several small objects. She also picked up a fang that had somehow come loose. "We can sell these at the next town," She said. "Whenever you defeat a fiend, make sure you search the remains. Items that others might find useful will commonly be found on them."
Jet seemed to be in a daze. "I…I killed it." He whispered. "I wasn't thinking and I…"
Matteo laid a hand on his shoulder. "Better it than you," He said. Jet stared up at him. "You saved my life, Jet; if you hadn't acted, I could be seriously wounded."
Uncertainly, he nodded; then he slowly began to walk back toward his chocobo.
"Are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to get going?" Cid announced from somewhere behind them.
Jet gave a weak smile. "Lead on, Kaiya," he said. Their guide nodded.
No one mentioned the dead fiend for the remainder of the short trip.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. We have now entered Gera, and the Final Fantasy-ness has been revealed in the form of *drumroll* Chocobos!
Please, review! It's hard to write with no critisism!
No flames - this is a FAN-FICTION, and is not connected to other Final Fantasy works other by title, chocobos (currently) and a character named Cid.
I own only the plot (50%) and the characters. (not the chocobos! the chocobos aren't mine!)
See you on the next chapter!
