OMG! I forgot to add disclaimers and all that jazz. Well actually, I don't think they're all that neccessary, because if I did own Final Fnatasy XII and all related content, I surely wouldn't be writing fan fiction for it!xD
Enjoy this new chapter! It's quite captivating...
"Vaan, get up!" Vann heard echo in his ears as he woke up from a night of well earned rest. He opened his eyes to the sight of Penelo looking disheveled, and the others looking suspicious and confused.
"Vaan, they don't believe me! They don't believe that…thing spoke to us! Tell them it did Vaan; tell 'em!" Penelo shouted. Vaan looked up at her, not yet fully awake. He stood up, stretched and yawned, his mouth stretching abnormally wide.
"So, Vaan, is it true that a…what was it? A ghost? Well, whatever it was, did it really talk to you? Penelo's not very convincing…" Balthier asked sarcastically as Penelo gave him a cold look. Vaan shook his head.
"It's true. We were talking and then it was like some…some spirit was talking to us. It told us to take you guys into the Great Crystal where a…dais, whatever that is, will take us to our…terminus, whatever that is…" Vaan groggily answered. He rubbed his eyes and took a quick glance of his companions. Penelo was nodding frantically. Balthier had a tiny, skeptical smirk on his face. Fran looked stoic, but was obviously analyzing Vaan's testimony, probably to provide some ancient myth mumbo-jumbo. Basch looked as tired as Vaan, and had an expression of utter disinterest. Ashe stood alone farther from the group, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
"So this…voice told you to take us to the Great Crystal where a dais, that means platform, will take us to our destination, correct?" Fran asked. Vaan and Penelo nodded their heads simultaneously.
"Well I say we should investigate. This spirit may provide us with something of interest, something that could assist us in the rest of our quest." Fran muttered as Balthier gave a look of disbelief. Had she really agreed with the little ones?
"Can we just get on with it," Ashe interjected, a look of impatience scrawled across her face, "the more time we spend idling around is less time spent saving Ivalice!" The others stepped back. Why did Ashe have to be so snappy during the mornings?
"Whatever your majesty says…" Balthier cooed to Ashe, almost mockingly. She shot him daggers. He cracked a devilish grin.
"The princess is right. We should make haste." Basch groaned as he stepped towards the exit that lead into the area known as the Gate of Fire. Everyone took heed and filed out behind him. After fighting through a small wave of Vivians and using the Way Stone, they arrived in the Great Crystal. No matter how many times they came to this place, Vaan never ceased to be awed by the shimmering walls of this mammoth hunk of champagne-hued gem.
"So, where is this dais thing that leads to our friend the disembodied friend?" Balthier asked sarcastically while loading his Fomalhaut with more Stone Shots. His companions looked in all directions. Where could it be? Then, almost as if cued, the same ominous wing wisped past the group, wrapping its cool tendrils across the nape of Vaan's neck and one of Penelo's cheeks. They both quivered.
"I believe that platform to the left is what we're searching for." Basch said as he pointed off to the far left of their current platform. Sure enough, there floated a strange, almost translucent, platform; a turquoise glyph glowing eerily in the center. The group approached.
"Ladies first…" Balthier murmured as his companions (Ashe at the head, of course) filed onto the ghostly construct. After a moment of ominous silence, the sides of the platform shot forth beams of violet light and the platform slowly made its way up towards the upper levels of the Great Crystal. The platform made a sweet whistling sound as it rose, each party member entranced by the strange melody. After what seemed like days, the platform finally made its stop at the edge of a grand levitating platform, reminiscent of a balcony you'd find in the palace of a king. The six companions made their way off of the ethereal elevator, which seemed to vanish as soon as Balthier took the last step onto the new platform.
"This is what I call high art…" Balthier exhaled as he admired the delicately carved pillars of the platform. He paced over to another column and fondled a large sapphire that was transfixed into the rock. He'd never seen a sapphire that blue before. Balthier then ran his fingertips across the lavender marble walls of the platform, taking in each groove and jag. Balthier then trotted to the center of the room, attempting to inhale all the beauty of this place. The precious gems that adorned the pillars. The colorful stone that made up the voissoirs of the arched doorway. The crystal floor that shimmered like the purest stream.
"This isn't just a platform…It's a temple…" Fran said aloud. Everyone turned to her. She seemed to have stumbled upon a large tablet intricately covered in ancient Galtean calligraphy. Fran ran her fingers over the writing:
"Welcome to this blest place, wielders of nethicite. You've been summoned forth to this great edified place to serve in a sacred ritual. Long ago, millennia before the Dynast-King Raithwall, we Occuria created a set of twelve progeny, the scions of light. They were to be as our servants and assist in governing our Ivalice. Yet, they lacked the true aspects of what we Occurians originally intended. To compensate our first set of creations, we created a second pair, each scion of light having an opposite and corresponding scion of darkness. Blest with great strength and intellect, the scions of darkness, known to you as the Espers, were to serve as even greater attendants than the scions of light. But soon, ill thoughts corrupted their minds, and the scions of darkness, led by the fair Ultima, rebelled against us. The Espers put up an excellent assault, but were ultimately defeated and sealed within glyphs. But every millennia or so, the Espers will seek penance for they're misdeeds, and to prove their worth, they pit themselves against each other to see which is the strongest, and which shall be one step closer to reunion with their former post in the Holy Realm." Fran recited.
"The Occuria!?" Ashe shouts, her voice echoing off of the marble walls. Fran gives Basch a concerned look. They both know what each other was thinking. Could this be another trick of the Occuria? If this fight was between the Espers, why was Ashe and co. needed?
"But Reddas already destroyed the Sun-Cryst! Why do the Occuria want us now?" Penelo exclaimed.
"I don't know, but could that thing have something to do with it!?" Vaan shouted as he pointed behind Penelo. All six of the adventurers turned to a frightening sight. They had just layed their eyes upom a six-winged serpent hovering eerily just a few yards away. Could it be one of the Espers? Everyone stood still as the vermilion snake hissed and flapped its wings, making a ghostly jingling noise that rebounded off of every wall and column. It soon fluttered off into the other direction, disappearing into the corridors of this temple, beckoning Ashe and the others to follow.
Pretty interesting, huh? What could those Occurians be up to? What is it with these Espers fighting?
I know you're all dying to know, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter!P You're all probably dying for some of that thrilling action I promised, but I have to flesh out the plot first, guys! And if you've played the game, you can tell this takes place in between Ridorana and the Sky Fortress Bahamut. You can also deduct that the party hasn't gotten Zodiark yet (cause i haven't in real life...).
I feel like Basch is getting neglected...I gotta try to include him more. And why am I making Ashe look like a beeyotch!? Haha...I really do like her though, I just think she'd be kind of a jerk! El Oh El...
Please Review! It helps my ego, and makes me wanna write more!
