Ripples in a Pond
Chapter 6
Rating:PG-13
Warnings:Violence. Yaoi in further chapters (beware, there is one definite pairing and one threesome)
Summary: All bearings are lost when SeeDs experience an unfortunate crash that sends them on a planet where technology is at its beginning and monarchs stillrule. Theonly thingthey can do is try and keep their heads over the water and go with the flow, less they drown.ff8-ff9
Notes: Please do not ask me how Black Mages can have kids. I don't know, and I won't try explaining, ever. Just have fun making up your own theories.
"I thought you were going to meet a trade ship? Doesn't that mean lots of people coming?" Selphie questioned curiously as she walked beside Vivi.
The Black Mage shook his head. "They left a little earlier. Big parties are hard to manage in the forest, and they're slow," he explained with a smile in his voice. "Captain Gale doesn't like delays. Besides, the Black Mages are also going to go to Conde Petie for some more trading before coming back, so they have a long way ahead of them," he explained further. Since the village's position meant for long travels whenever they wished to trade, the mages always left for long periods of time, first to meet the ship and then away to the dwarf city and back to meet another trader, instead of doing too many time-wasting smaller trips.
"What's Conde Petie?"
"A small town to the north-west. It's the only other settlement on this continent."
Selphie whistled at that. "Wow, you guys sure are all alone out here. But won't Captain Gale wonder why you're not with them?" she asked next, pausing before scrambling over a trunk that had fallen across the path. After the relatively wide trails of the inner forest, these ones were a challenge to follow and manage.
"Yes," Vivi answered simply and truthfully. Captain Gale would certainly wonder, and be more than a little upset when Mister 110 explained the reasons of his delay. He was a temperamental man, prone to sudden decisions, but he was also very curious. Vivi was hoping that the latter would overrule his anger and make him stay, if only to see those strangers fallen from the sky.
"And he won't mind extra passengers?" Selphie, Vivi had discovered, was an unending well of questions. So far, he'd enjoyed talking to her. She was friendly and open, with overflowing cheerfulness, and he found it refreshing after the gloomier Squall.
Vivi played with the brim of his hat, a little uneasy with the answer, yet he didn't want to lie, either. It would be utterly pointless. "Probably, but he might make an exception with you," he answered with a nervous laugh. There were too many 'maybes'.
"I'm sure he will!" Maybe Selphie had caught on to his hesitation, cheering him up in her usual bubbly manner. Vivi couldn't help but let it work. He preferred not to think of how he'd go back to Alexandria in time for the wedding if he missed the ship. Going through Fossil Roo was one thing, but then he'd have to cross almost the whole continent, back north to Alexandria. He was sure to be too late.
They took a short break once they'd finally exited the forest, the sun not that high yet in the sky. The trek had been an easy one, with their numbers convincing the monsters to stay away. They weren't in the habit to attack much during the day, and certainly not in large groups like they would have to. The Zemzelett was a lone monster, rarely appearing in teams.
As they rested a bit, Zell walked a few paces back, craning his neck as if to see over the tree tops and beyond. The only visible thing from his position would be the top of the mountains against which the Black Mage forest rested.
"Did you have to make the village in such an isolated spot? It must be annoying having to cross that forest all the time," he remarked, finally sitting back down and grabbing his water skin.
"It's complicated, but yes, the Black Mages had to hide," Vivi answered, looking down at his hands to avoid any further questions. That was all he'd say on the matter.
"They chose a damn good hiding place, then. I don't know who would go in there looking for a village," Zell added. Vivi was immensely glad that he did not question him more, that he accepted that simple statement, for now at least.
"Um, guys? What's that?" Irvine suddenly interrupted, standing up slowly with his strange weapon in both hands, ready to be used. Vivi hadn't seen it at work yet, and could only guess at what it could possibly do.
All eyes turned to search the border of the forest, but what had alerted Irvine really wasn't hard to spot. Big, brightly colored and hardly inconspicuous, the group gaped at the overgrown ladybug hovering slowly out of the forest.
Vivi knew what it was, but he gaped with them all nonetheless. Never had he seen the Color Ladybug venture out of the forest, or even this close to the tree line. Ever.
"Put away your weapons," he finally said, recovering his senses. "It's a friendly monster, it won't harm us."
They all looked skeptical and obviously wanted to do anything but lower their weapons, but Vivi insisted urgently and moved forward, his Mace of Zeus discarded for now, placing himself between the Color Ladybug and Squall's party. He wanted to know why it had left the forest, even if it was only a foot away from the tree line.
He heard the warnings behind him but paid them no heed as he drew the Ladybug's attention to himself. The monster focused its glowing eyes on him, and Vivi was taken aback by the look of terror he found there.
"Can you spare some Ore?" it pleaded, moving forward hesitantly. It appeared to be reluctant to leave the forest, yet too afraid to remain.
Vivi knew that part well, and he fished the desired Ores quickly, throwing them. The Color Ladybug caught the gems easily, but it didn't appear to ease its fear.
"Can you spare some more?"
Vivi frowned as he threw two more Ores. The Ladybug normally only required two, but now it was as if it was stashing them away for emergencies.
"What's wrong?" Vivi couldn't help but ask. He didn't expect an answer, but maybe the Ladybug would drop some hint to what was causing this strange behavior. It was deeply unsettling, as this friendly monster was a sign of stability in the forest, a sign that all was as it should be. He didn't want it to leave and rid the Black Mage Village of that assurance.
"Flee!" it answered in a low, urgent and terrified voice.
"What...wait!"
But the Color Ladybug did not linger, zooming away suddenly, definitively abandoning the forest that had been its home for so long. Its colors faded on the horizon, leaving behind a very, very worried Vivi and a few flabbergasted humans.
"What was that all about?" Zell was the first one to speak again. Squall turned his hard stare on Vivi.
"Yes, what was that?" he repeated, his tone clearly demanding answers and demanding them now. But Vivi was too shaken to care.
"That was the Color Ladybug, a friendly monster. There are a few of them around the world, but you rarely see them. They just pop out sometimes when they need some Ore. They're said to be good luck." Vivi moved slowly, taking his staff and pack, clearly indicating that their rest was over. Captain Gale was waiting.
Flee.
"From what I saw, it looked like the demon was on its tail," Seifer remarked. His hand was still clutched around his blade.
Vivi swallowed painfully. "That's the problem. They cohabit with monsters easily, none of the usual beasts scare them." So then, what had been chasing it to push it to leave the forest? There was something amongst the woods, and Vivi was worried for his fellow Black Mages, and for the Village.
"Let's move, then. I don't want to know what it was and miss the ship," Squall declared, voicing everyone's thoughts. The group started walking again, the traces of the recent crash becoming more frequent as they neared the wrecked Ragnarok.
Vivi was unable to stem the worry that curled into a tight, painful knot in his chest. The others might have understood to an extent what dangers the Ladybug's flight meant, but they ignored the full length of it. It meant that there might not only be one beast on the friendly monster's tail, but a whole upheaval that now rendered the forest so dangerous even it couldn't stay.
And his Village was back there, in the middle of the throng. Completely isolated, like Zell had pointed out, so much that if the forest became too dangerous to cross, it would be almost impossible to receive aid. Or flee.
Only Vivi's knowledge that he might be overreacting prevented him from turning tail and running back to the Village to arrange an evacuation. He was aware that he did not know everything about the Color Ladybug, that there could be a reasonable and harmless explanation to this. With Squall and the others, Zidane and Dagger's wedding and the consequences of everyone abandoning the Village, he just couldn't bring himself to make the decisive move without more tangible proof.
The Ladybug's eerie voice echoed in his head, preventing him from fully convincing himself that he was making the right decision.
Reaching the trading ship took a while longer than he'd anticipated. He'd miscalculated the time it would take to skirt the crash site until they found the closest area of ground flat enough for a landing. By the time the vessel came into view, Vivi could already hear Captain Gale ranting and raving a distance away.
"…wait until I catch that sorry excuse for a mage! Making me late on my next shipment and forcing surprise passengers down my throat! The gall of him! I'll skin his sorry hide!"
Vivi winced, though not faltering as he walked straight towards Captain Gale. The man was tall –though not as much as most of the outsiders. He'd adjusted his definition of 'tall'-, with flamboyant clothing and the voice to go along. He was rubbing a knuckle against his bushy mustache and glaring down at him with unsettling clear blue eyes. Vivi braced himself.
"Vivi Ornitier! What is the meaning of this? The cargo has been loaded since the break of dawn! An honest trader such as I cannot afford such delays!" he boomed, gesticulating widely.
"I'm very sorry, Captain Gale. It all happened so suddenly, I would have sent word if I'd been able," Vivi apologized nervously. No matter how many times he dealt with the trader, he could never get used to that stare and presence.
Captain Gale harrumphed loudly and looked at the company standing behind the Black Mage. His eyes fell on their respective weapons and his brows furrowed deeply in disapproval.
"You understand that I can't afford exposing my crew and cargo to any unnecessary risks," he warned, his voice lowering to a more comfortable level, taking on a bargaining edge.
Vivi nodded and played with his hat. Although Captain Gale appeared to be more inclined to allowing them onboard –his curiosity had won out, apparently-, Vivi was still on slippery ground. A false word could destroy everything.
"I understand, but I swear that they won't cause any trouble. In fact," Vivi lowered his voice slightly, taking on a conspirator's edge, as if he was revealing a secret that would put the weight in Captain Gale's bargaining scale. "They're very powerful, and if anything, could be very helpful."
Captain Gale's eyes narrowed, staring intently at Vivi as he tried to decipher the truth behind his words. He knuckled his moustache as he thought, alternatively eyeing the others and the Black Mage.
"They're warriors, then? Mercenaries?" he asked gruffly. While haggling, you never showed any emotion except distaste.
Vivi nodded. "They know their way around a fight."
Captain Gale considered that for a moment. "Very well!" he finally agreed. "Get on that ship on the double, I was supposed to be across the ocean yesterday!" he boomed, making a few jump at the sudden increased volume. "Move it!"
The remarkable man turned and strode towards his ship as crew members already started to work on the mooring lines. Vivi hurried after him, not wishing to be left behind. Just as he was putting a hand on the first rung of the rope ladder, a hand landed on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Why did you tell him we were warriors?" Squall asked with an edge to his voice.
"I'm sorry, but that's because that's what he wanted to know," Vivi replied urgently. "I had to convince him. Now please," Vivi stressed, starting his ascension up the ladder. "Captain Gale is the type that will leave us behind if we don't get aboard in time."
Vivi knew that Squall was far from happy with that, but he couldn't spare the time to care. He wanted to do anything but ruffle the Captain's feathers a second time, or be left behind. He would not miss Zidane and Dagger's wedding because of Squall's edginess.
Predictably, by the time everyone had climbed the ladder, the crew members had prepared the ship and were taking her off. Vivi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the landscape roll away under him, and as he held on the balustrade and looked beyond, he couldn't help feeling as if he was with Zidane and Dagger and Steiner again, fleeing from the Black Waltz. This ship was almost identical.
He saw Squall walk up to him and stand a pace back, his face tightly closed in what looked to be annoyance.
"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, before Squall could speak. "But I needed to tell Captain Gale, or we might not have been able to come on the ship."
Squall took a deep breath and looked away a moment, as if gathering his patience. "You don't even know if we're really that good."
The brown-haired man had just admitted that they were, but Vivi would not be the one to point it out. "Maybe, but Captain Gale doesn't know that either." And he had been part of a fighter's group long enough to recognize a skilled warrior when he saw one.
"We don't want to be tagged as dangerous –," Squall cut off with an angry glare when Vivi played with his hat nervously.
"You had weapons, and though it's nothing unusual, on you people it is. He was worried, and it was the only thing I could say to make him change his mind. I'm really sorry, but I didn't have any time to think of anything else," Vivi explained quickly. He understood how Squall could be edgy, but what he'd said was true. He would've avoided that topic if possible, but with time and an angry captain on his hands, he'd had no choice.
"…Whatever. How long is this trip going to be?"
Vivi paused to consider that question. These ships were surprisingly fast, though of course they couldn't match anything like Cid's Hilda Garde or the Red Rose. From past experience, if everything went smoothly…?
"More or less eight hours." Luckily, Alexandria was on the north coast of the main continent. Going to, say, Lindblum by airship took nearly a day and a half. Nonetheless, they had a long trip ahead of them.
"Thank you," Squall muttered halfheartedly before turning to join his friends.
Vivi watched him go, spotting at the same time one of his children coming to meet him. That had been one of his greatest relief, knowing that his kids were going to Alexandria with him for the marriage and not staying behind in the village. The Ladybug's warning still echoed ominously in his head.
"Dad! Captain Gale says he wants to see you! He looked a bit angry…" the little Vivi said, mumbling to himself at the end and playing with his hat just like his father did.
"Then I won't keep him waiting. Thank you for relaying the message. I'll go see everyone after we've talked, alright?" Vivi offered, his voice soft and indulging towards his child. It had surprised so many, yet they were his pride and joy.
The mini-Vivi exclaimed his agreement loudly, turning to run back to play with his brothers. Vivi could understand his excitement; they didn't get to fly on airships very often. His own good mood, however, was quickly spoiled by the task laid before him. He didn't fancy getting hollered at by Captain Gale. Yet he still made his way to the cabin, if it could be called that. With only one wall made of glass and two wide spaces at the sides, it looked almost out of place on the deck.
"Anything wrong, Captain Gale?" Vivi asked, preferring not to let the man start and gain momentum in his speech.
"Did you notice anything weird, Vivi?"
Vivi blinked, surprised, and it's only then that he noticed the peculiar situation. Captain Gale was alone, for one, steering the ship himself despite his usual habit of letting one of the crew do it. Secondly, his face was serious, yes, but not angry. He appeared worried, in fact.
"Anything weird? Like what?"
Captain Gale seemed to be searching for the right words. He wrinkled his moustache a little and hesitated before answering.
"There has been an increasing number of reports from other ships and traders that work on the far routes. They say that the monsters are getting agitated, attacking ships completely randomly. And apparently they're powerful."
The Ladybug's warning was almost painful to him now, the one word bouncing in his skull madly.
"Well, I don't think I know anything that could help…" Vivi hesitated. He didn't know how much Captain Gale knew of the friendly monsters, if it would mean anything to him.
The large man harrumphed and knuckled his moustache in a nervous gesture. "We're on one of those far trading routes, so we enlist in the potential victims. I want to know everything, even if you don't think it's related," he declared, fixing him sharply.
Vivi felt the brim of his hat, uneasy under those unsettling eyes. "What do you know about friendly monsters?"
"Enough," Captain Gale replied quickly.
"There's --was one in the forest around the village. We saw it leave, and it told us to flee."
For one of the few rare times in his life, Vivi heard Captain Gale curse. The man did not lose his composure, but he'd seemed to have aged considerably in the last few moments. He knuckled his moustache again.
"Let's just hope that we don't run into trouble, then."
Vivi understood now why he'd so easily allowed them onboard after he'd learned that the outlanders were strong fighters; he'd believed all along that he might be attacked.
"Yes, let's hope so…"
Fate was rarely so kind, however, and neither was luck. Just as Vivi's words trailed away, a deep guttural roar erupted through the air, shaking the very planks under their feet.
"There goes our luck! Vivi, grab your fighters, and I hope they really are good ones!" Captain Gale yelled before hollering for a crew member to come replace him as he ran on deck, bellowing orders.
Vivi followed suit, running outside on deck, only to find Squall's group already assembled with their weapons at the ready. Upon seeing him, Selphie perked up and gestured widely.
"Your kids said not to worry and that they're hiding inside!" she reported.
Vivi nodded his thanks, but he was not completely relieved. Of course, he was happy that they had had the sense to stay hidden and not come out in the open where it was even more dangerous, yet the fact still remained that if the monster crashed the ship, they would still be in danger. But there was nothing to do about that, except kill whatever was out there.
'What was out there' soon made its appearance. Flying on broad bluish wings, the monster had a lithe body covered with oily scales of the same color, with a long neck and a gaping maw dripping saliva of a greenish tint. Its two tails wiped about angrily, shaking its legless lower body while its two front legs displayed impressive muscles and claws. Vivi had never seen such a monster, yet he knew instinctively that it was very powerful. A gust of wind brought to him the smell of sulfur and the air crackled with electricity.
The monster –Vivi dubbed it a dragon, as it definitively fell in the category- opened its jaw wide, emitting another bone-jarring roar, and its saliva sprinkled dark dots on the wooden deck that slowly hissed and sizzled and released a foul smell of decay.
There was no time for talk between the fighters. Vivi automatically held a position in retreat, his Mace of Zeus dancing before his eyes as he concentrated his magic. The dragon was flying too far for hand-held weapons, and Vivi noted how Irvine now held the main attack position, with Selphie and Quistis at his sides. Still, the women's weapons were limited in range. Vivi felt his blood run cold; they were at a sad disadvantage.
Still, Vivi didn't waste a second and released a Water spell on the dragon. Its howl turned to a gurgle in the liquid that pressed around its head with such force that normally broke bones, and its wings lost their grip on the wind, caught in the gelatinous bubble. The dragon disappeared below the rail of the ship, but they all knew it was only a momentary relief.
"Please be careful!" Vivi yelled, using the moment to focus his energy and strengthen his magic. "My magic might reach far!"
Irvine sent him a thumbs-up and shouldered his strange weapon better. "You just hang in there!" he called back with complete confidence tingeing his voice.
The dragon's replying roar pierced through their eardrums. It shot up suddenly, scales still moist and mouth generously foaming its hissing poison. Vivi had hoped that the Water spell would have that effect; the poison looked to be disabled for the moment.
Fast as a snake, the dragon reared its head and brought it down to attack. Quistis' whip caught it sharply on the temple, but the monster's scale easily deflected the blow. The dragon's attack continued unhindered, and though Irvine dodged the blow, it still hit his side, smearing him with foam. The cowboy was sent sprawling back a few feet with a groan.
Zell was beside him in a flash, his body gathered together as if to receive a blow and his arms crossed before him in a defensive position. He didn't look down at Irvine, instead keeping his eyes on the monster.
"You ok?"
Irvine propped himself back on his elbows with a grimace. The foam was sizzling through his clothes. "Enough that you don't need to worry about me," he replied, moving as quickly as he could to get the clothing off before the poison reached him. Not fast enough, however, and Irvine obviously held back a scream when the foam hit his skin, filling the air with the smell of burnt flesh.
"Selphie, we need a Treatment now!" Zell bellowed, worry filling his voice. The girl was still standing before the dragon, trying to distract it, though it was obvious that her weapon would be just as unsuccessful as Quistis' in affecting it. When she heard Zell's voice, however, she did not waste a second before running to his side.
Although Vivi was deadly curious as to what she was about to do, he forced himself to keep his focus on the monster despite the flashes of what could be magic dancing at the corner of his eye. The dragon curled its head back again, and energy suddenly flowed through the air with crackling pops. Recognizing the signs of a thunder spell, Vivi did not waste a second and released the Flare he'd readied.
The powerful spell hit the monster square in the face, sending it reeling back with a howl. It trashed, its two tails whipping about wildly and hitting the sides of the ship with dangerous force. The deck tilted and bucked under their feet, and Vivi could hear Captain Gale in the background, ordering his crew around to try and save his ship and their necks.
The dragon came back as soon as the spell had ebbed away, its scales sizzling yet appearing alarmingly unharmed considering the force of the spell just used. Its defense was too powerful, attacking its body was virtually useless. If he hadn't been safely caught in his fighting trance, Vivi might have panicked then.
With all long range weapons having proved useless, Vivi could only cast his hopes on Irvine's mysterious weapon, but the man was curled on his side with poison that had proved to be not at all neutralized eating at his skin. His magic was still there, of course, but seeing as how it only served as momentary distractions, he didn't know how they'd be able to bring this beast down.
Still, he readied another spell when the dragon suddenly gathered itself, raising one powerful arm for an attack. However, the limb never completed its sweeping arch. The dragon's head suddenly snapped back and it roared in pain, blood dripping from its now destroyed left eye.
He'd almost forgotten Squall and Seifer. The leader held his sword strangely, similar to how Irvine held his own weapon, and smoke was rising from the hollow in the blade just over the hilt. Vivi was confused; how had he managed that? Magic? He'd felt nothing of the like. Seifer raised his own sword, and a sharp but small explosion sound resounded, the blade recoiling against Seifer's shoulder and smoke puffing about the hilt. Vivi ignored exactly what had happened, but when he looked back, the dragon's other eye was gone.
Needless to say, the monster was rightfully pissed. It writhed and howled and hit randomly with tails and arms, transforming the fight into complete chaos. Vivi retreated quickly, out of reach of its long limbs, but one of its tails found Zell where he was still protecting Irvine. However, the boy managed to catch it with his crossed arms, his face contorting with effort as his body trembled and buckled against the powerful limb pushing at him. He did not relent, however, and the tail soon retracted to find another prey.
Considering how it could still keep up with the ship despite being blind, Vivi had to assume that its hearing was very sharp.
Vivi had another Flare charged, even though he knew it would take more to kill this monster, but it was all he could do short of casting Doomsday, but that was out of the question so long as he ignored how the others could defend themselves against that particular spell. Squall and Seifer were still attacking in that unknown way, with Quistis trying to distract it with the small sting of her whip, but none achieved much. Zell caught a few other blows, the strain more and more obvious on him, while Selphie still worked on Irvine's injury.
Something needed to be done, and now. The ship itself would not stand so many hits without crashing. Thankfully, the dragon didn't seem inclined on using any thunder spell in its fury.
Vivi hurried to Irvine's side, and shot his Flare, the monster rearing back and whipping its tails in vain.
"How he is?" he asked urgently, standing beside Irvine.
Selphie looked up at him, and Vivi was astonished to see the warrior's look in her eyes, contrasting so sharply with her usual childish demeanor. "He'll live," she replied succinctly. Vivi looked at the trashing dragon, its hits random and furious and mostly failing to find their targets but dealing damage to the ship instead. No one would live if they didn't bring that thing down.
"Of course I will," Irvine groaned, pushing himself up. His face was white and sweaty. "Zell, drop the Cover, I need a clear shot." He brought himself to his knees, shouldering his weapon with unwavering hands. "You guys, I need you to make it open its damn maw wide."
"Alright!" Selphie piped up and ran back in the fray. Zell hesitated but stepped out of Irvine's way, though he remained close. His fists were useless right now, but defending the one who seemed to have a plan would serve just as well.
Having the dragon open its jaw wasn't so hard. It seemed to enjoy roaring and howling, whether it was hit or not. Squall and Seifer danced together, alternatively using the blade and creating those small explosions like miniature canons, successfully annoying the monster. Vivi shot a few more spells, but he mostly watched Irvine. The young man had his eyes fixed on the dragon, waiting. Waiting for what? The monster had its jaw wide open more often than not.
And then it happened. Making noise like a canon, Irvine's weapon spit out something that reached inside the dragon's mouth and exploded, sending smoke curling up from its jaw. Deprived even of the ability to roar and with blood flowing from its mouth along with the poison, the dragon stood frozen for a second, neck arched skyward, before gravity claimed its dead body and it plummeted to the ground. Nobody dared to breathe until they heard the sound of its fall.
Zell let himself fall back on his heels, sighing deeply and knuckling knots out of his shoulders. "Well shit, that was one tough bastard," he declared, and the tension in the air evaporated with those first words, everyone shaking themselves back to life.
"It was like being on the Island Closest to Hell again!" Selphie agreed, coming back to check on Irvine.
Vivi didn't know what that island was, but he was in full agreement with Zell. It had been a while since he'd fought such a tough monster in the wild. He did not relish the idea.
TBC