Final Fantasy: Rise of Despair
Sorry that this is late, I got a little distracted with the Nintendo Wi-Fi. Anyways, we are now going to take a different perspective on this story. You'll see whose perspective it is in a moment.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance, I do own the characters and plot.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Council of Nine
The capital of Ivalice, Bervenia, has not been the same since the Black King took over. Hardly anyone lived there anymore. The nobles were either killed or driven out and since then the houses have been used as quarters for the Black Soldiers. The few citizens that did live there were treated like slaves, or perhaps even worse than slaves.
The citizens had to clean the messy quarters, they had to prepare meals, they had to do all sorts of disgusting stuff receiving no payment and they were constantly beaten or killed each day. It was truly a living hell.
Bervenia palace had hardly changed, except now for the exuberant amount of black soldiers marching about and training. The towers were reserved for the generals and the Marshall of the army himself. Like every day, it was dark and cloudy, as if an evil magic had pervaded the very sky itself.
"Are you sure we should be doing this sergeant Doof?" A Viera archer asked a nu mou Beastmaster.
"Come now… there is no harm that will be done. The Marshall is absent right now." The Beastmaster assured his junior officer. The two scaled the tallest tower near the back of the castle and entered a room close to the top. It was a rather neat and well-kept bedchamber, especially impressive since servants weren't allowed up here. The purple carpeting had blood red roses arranged so that the carpet looked perfectly even in its design. The bed had silk curtains and white covers and pillows with gold supports. The drawer was fine oak, and the end tables beside the two doors and balcony window door were black with a bouquet of dead roses in each one that somehow seemed the compliment the overall dark room.
"I really don't think we should be in here sergeant." The Viera said.
"Relax, the Marshall isn't here." The Beastmaster said.
"Then who is that…?" The Viera asked, her voice quivering in fear while pointing to the outer balcony, where a figure was standing.
The figure was now a good 6'0" in height, he had silver hair that was combed neatly so that it didn't get in his face and hung down to his shoulders with a ponytail that reached down to his neck. He wore black chest armor, black armored gauntlets on his forearms and black knight's boots that reached up to his knees, all of which had gold lines swirling weaving intricately on it. His red clothing was tucked neatly in to the armor, and his sword was sheathed behind him almost horizontally around his waist. The sword handle was black and adorned with two red rubies.
"It… it… it's the Marshall!" The Viera stammered.
"No no no… that's only his body." The nu mou assured her.
"Hm?" She popped her eyes wide open as the nu mou walked right to the Marshall.
"Come here and look." Sergeant Doof told her. The viera walked up and saw that the Marshall's eyes were closed.
"Huh?"
"You see, his soul is not in his body right now. The lights are on, but no one is home." Doof explained.
"I don't get it." The viera out of curiosity was about to reach for the Marshall's glove, as if wanting some of his glory to rub off.
"Don't touch him." The nu mou hissed. "His soul may not be in there, but if the body feels threatened it will still act and kill you." Sergeant Doof warned. She quickly withdrew her hand.
"Let's go." She begged.
"I can't believe a coward like you is in the army." Doof said. As he said that, a black raven was flying toward the balcony and it landed on the edge of it. "What's that bird doing?" The raven opened its mouth, and a thing string of purple energy of some sort drifted towards the Marshall's body and entered in through the bodies' nose. The Marshall's purple eyes then opened up.
"You do know that this room is off limits correct?" The Marshall asked, still as emotionless as ever even after ten years.
"M M M M Marshall Agon… I didn't realize you'd be back so soon." The nu mou stammered.
"F F F F F Forgive me Marshall." The viera stammered.
"You…" Agon looked at the nu mou. "You are this soldier's senior correct?" He asked, once again completely emotionless.
"Yes sir." He said humbly. The Marshall nodded his head for the door and the two made their way, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Black consuming." The Marshall said as he pointed his palm at sergeant Doof.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The nu mou screamed as a swirling black portal opened up beneath him and several tentacles came out and wrapped themselves around him. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" One tentacle wrapped itself around his mouth as the tentacles slowly dragged him in to the portal.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa…" The viera gasped in fear, not screaming, she was too terrified for that. Finally, the tentacles completely dragged him in to the portal and the portal closed.
"A senior of any kind should set an example for their juniors." The Marshall stated, completely unaffected by what he just did. "And that was an example of what may happen if you step out of line in this army. Now go resume your training."
"Yes sir." The Viera saluted and left the tower as quickly as possible.
"Now then… I have a report to deliver." The Marshall said.
As the Marshall walked out of the tower and past all of the training soldiers, the soldiers would stop and salute him as he walked by. The Marshall then opened the large double doors at the front of the palace main hall. He walked further on to the red carpet, passing the white marble tile and the red and golden furniture. The Marshall opened another set of doors and stepped on to the only thing in the red room. A single magical circle that had ten additional magic circles surrounding it that were glowing blue in color. However one of them was glowing red in color.
"It seems as though… my report truly is correct." The Marshall said as he looked at the red magic circle. He stepped in to the large magic circle and disappeared.
The throne room. A long red carpet extended from the entrance doors and then traveled up the stairs to the golden throne. On either side of the stairs, egg-shaped perches rested so that two green wyverns sat on one. In the throne was none other than the Black King, still in the same blood red robe that made it impossible to see under and hard to even discern his height. The Black King heard a loud knock on the door.
"… Enter…" The Black King moaned sinisterly. The doors opened slowly as Marshall Agon entered. The Black King pointed a red sleeve that was much longer than his arm at the Marshall and the two Wyverns flew over toward the Marshall roaring.
"Roooooooooaaaaaaaaaar!" Wyverns flew in for the kill. Without even looking, the Marshall drew his sword and the thin silver sword slashed through the air and killed those wyverns quickly.
"Hmmm… your skills… are as sharp… as ever my Marshall…" The Black King said. "I need… other creatures to test… your skills… I can't have you… killing all of my… wyverns now can I?" The Black King said.
"Whatever is necessary in your eyes my master." Marshall Agon said taking a deep bow.
"So… what business… do you have… with me?" The Black King asked slowly.
"A report my master. Unfortunately, none of it is good news." The Marshall said.
"Regardless… read it… to me…" The Black King said.
"As you wish." Marshall Agon pulled out a small scroll and read the contents he had written down. "Clan Falcon members; namely the clanmaster, the second in command, and the three strongest elites are out forming alliances with other clans. So far they have met with clans Forest, Laura, and Phantom. The clanmaster of Clan Forest, the clanmaster of clan Laura, and clan Laura's second in command have joined with the group as they travel and it seems as though clan Phantom's clanmaster will join them as they travel as well."
"I see… so that troops we sent to Clan Falcon, Forest, and Phantom have all failed correct?" The Black King asked.
"Not only that… but Colonel Chief died in battle against Clan Falcon's clanmaster during the failed attack on Clan Phantom." Agon said.
"Hmmmm… interesting… it seems as though Chief was useless after all." The Black King said. "But then again… it is still disturbing that they could even kill one of the colonels." The Black King stood up from his throne and walked toward a window to the right of the throne. "What is this group's next move?" The Black King asked.
"They seem to be making plans right now." Agon answered.
"Very well… gather the remaining members… of the council of ten… or I should say… the council of nine." The Black King said.
"As you wish." Agon said while taking a deep bow. Agon raised a hand above his head and eight black orbs of mana flew through the walls to unknown destinations.
In the room right before the throne room, there was a long table, one large chair at the head of it, and five chairs to each of the long sides, making a total of eleven seats. The magic circle Agon used last time was at the other end of the room from the door and long red carpet.
The magic circle glowed, and a bangaa dragoon in black armor and red clothing wearing a red gem on the helmet walked in. He stood 5'10" in height, and was carrying his lance on his back. It was then that a nu mou sage appeared in the magic circle, he had on mostly black robes, but the hat and the lower robes matching the hat were red. He had black eyes, stood 4'7" and looked at the dragoon disinterestedly.
"Oh how humiliating… the buffoon beat me here." The nu mou said.
"Still your tongue Colonel Ical. I could not have the same rank as you if I weren't intelligent." The bangaa argued back.
"You can't give me orders Colonel Shawn." Colonel Ical hissed threateningly.
"Jeez, you two just got here and you're already arguing?" Asked a human male's voice. The magic circle flashed and a human and a viera appeared.
The viera vaguely resembled an assassin, but in addition to the shorts that were much tighter than usual, there were two drapes at her front and rear that almost reached to the floor. The mask that was usually over the face was instead replaced by a transparent veil, and it revealed her sinister smile. She stood 5'8" in height, and she had blue eyes.
The human was a blue mage that had a black coat and red clothing underneath. The hat was also black with a red feather and gem on the front. He had brown eyes, brown hair, and stood 5'10" in height.
"Oh you might as well let them argue Colonel Ize. After all, it shows just how petty those two are." The viera told the human.
"You have a point Colonel Cious." Ize responded.
"You dare mock us?" Ical asked angrily.
"Don't try anything Ical, you know that I'm stronger than you are." Ize threatened.
"How about stronger than the both of us Ize?" Shawn threatened.
"That hardly seems fair unless you're willing to deal with me as well." Cious said.
"That's enough out of all of you." Came a high-pitched moogle voice. Four figures suddenly appeared from the magic circle.
One was a moogle, He wore a smaller version of Marshall Agon's outfit so that it would fit him. He stood 5'6" in height, making him a real freak among moogles.
Then there was a bangaa who was dressed similarly to a Defender, although he didn't have the blindfolds and he wore more armor on the arms and legs and was carrying a pole-arm of some sort on his back. He stood 6'5" in height.
The third figure was a nu mou that was a full 5'1" in height. He dressed similarly to an illusionist, although the hat and outer robes were black and the robes you could see from the front were red.
The fourth was a viera. She didn't even look like any class known to vieras. Her outfit consisted of a tight red top that left her belly and lower back exposed. Her lower body had black drapes on her front and back adorned with black vine designs and what looked like a black bikini bottom. Her head had some kind of weird looking helmet on it that reached part of her cheeks and forehead. She stood 5'11" in height.
All of these four figures had purple eyes and rather disinterested faces on them. "You four should learn your place." The moogle said.
"Grrrrr… of course General Mis." Ize responded to the moogle.
"We may all be part of the same council, but we are on different power levels than you four." The bangaa said boastfully.
"I understand that General Agres." Shawn said.
"How does general Mali do today?" Cious asked.
"Hmph… bored." The viera that was Mali answered.
"General Diabol. I assume that your studies are going well?" Ical asked.
"Yes very well indeed." The nu mou said.
"Good… you're all here." Agon said walking in from the throne room. "Everyone take your seats." Agon said. Everyone did, although Ize seemed to cringe angrily at Agon as he sat down. "Remember… do not speak out of turn when in the presence of his majesty. And most importantly do not question any orders of his unless you want to live a very short life." Agon reminded them emotionlessly as Agon took his seat to the right of the chair at the head of the table. To Agon's right in order are Mali, Diabol, Agres, and Mis.
Ize sat to the left of the head chair, while to Ize's left in order are Cious, Ical, and Shawn. After a few minutes of sitting silently, the Black King came down the steps slowly, the air growing colder as if his presence were all about the room. He slowly took his seat, breathing heavily. He paused for a moment and then spoke.
"My council of nine… as you may have noticed, there is an empty chair among us." The Black King said. "Colonel Chief shall no longer be joining us, he had died in battle. Anyone have anything to say… on his behalf?" The Black King asked.
"Hmph… that cocky little rat got what he deserved." Agres said.
"That moogle is a disgrace to the title of colonel to have died in battle." Ical said.
"Even so… to think that someone is on par with the colonels." Mali said.
"Alright… enough…" The Black King said. "Marshall Agon has reported that the second most wanted clan in Ivalice, Clan Falcon, has been… uniting with other clans…" The Black King said. "Marshall Agon…"
"Of course my master." Agon said. "Clan Falcon has so far united with the third most wanted clan, Clan Laura, along with the fourth most wanted clan, Clan Forest, and the fifth most wanted clan, Clan Phantom." Agon said.
"Any input…?" The Black King asked.
"Pft… even so, they won't be a threat to us." Agres said.
"Although I can't say the same for you colonels." Mis said.
"They can't possibly threaten you my lord. They couldn't match your strength with every fighter in Ivalice." Ize said respectfully to the Black King.
"True… although… if they continue to build their might… it may only be a matter of time… before they find… them…" The Black King said. Everyone then showed signs of going in to deep though. Except for Agon, although he was thinking about it, he sure wasn't showing it. "So then… discuss what you… all believe… our next… plan of action… should be…"
"I have nearly ascertained the location of the rebels." Shawn said. "Once I do, may I have your permission to dispatch 10,000 soldiers to their base?"
"Granted." The Black King said.
"Marshall, who does this group mostly consist of?" Mali asked.
"People that are high on the wanted list." Agon said.
"I have an idea, most of these bounties are several years old, so let's raise the bounties so that more bounty hunters are attracted to them and increase our chances of killing them." Cious said.
"…Very well…" The Black King said. Agon slipped the Black King the scroll of the group and the Black King looked at it for a moment. "Let us discuss… this one first…" The Black King waved his hands and a transparent image of Monty appeared before them. "This is Monty, one of the elites of Clan Falcon, though weak in close combat he is a superb marksman. He is also a deserter of the Black army, who deserted on the day he had a chance to rise in rank." The Black King said. "Any proposals?"
"I've seen him drill his men before. 1,000!" Mis said.
"No one will even look at the poster for that much. 3,000." Diabol said.
"Too high, I second the 1,000 gil bounty." Ize said.
"He deserted us roughly three years ago right? Well to have evaded capture that long is impressive, I vote 5,000 gil." Shawn said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"Next…" The Black king created an image of Mendoza. "… he's a former member of… the rebels… and a… skilled swordsman…" The Black King said.
"I've heard that he's about equal to that Monty person… I suggest 5,000 gil for him as well." Mali said. No arguments on that one rose up.
"Now then… Gilbert the coin…" The Black King said.
"He's that guy who was making money illegally. But that's not a major threat. I say the bounty should stay the same." Shawn said.
"But to be an elite of Clan Falcon, his magic has surely improved. I vote for 4,000!" Agres shouted.
"10,000." Agon said simply. Everyone looked at him. "That should be his bounty." Agon said again. Everyone decided it was best not to argue.
"Let us move to the Clanmaster of Clan Falcon…" The Black King said as he created an image of Harris.
"That last bounty was from almost nine years ago, I say he needs to be bumped up to 90,000 Gil." Mis said.
"He was the one who killed Chief in battle." Agon pointed out.
"Forget 90,000 then, make it 100,000 gil. Although I hated that little rat he wasn't a pushover." Ize said.
"100,000 gil it is then." Cious said.
"Now then… his second in command…" The Black King created an image of Heidi.
"That bounty was from eight years ago right?" Agres asked.
"Yes, so it should be 64,000 gil." Mali said.
"My report indicates that she's stronger than even some of the clanmasters there." Agon said.
"I still believe 64,000 gil is enough." Mali said.
"If she's trained under that Harris guy then she's surely more of a threat than that." Mis said. "I propose 80,000 gil." Mis said.
"I agree with Mis." Ical said.
"Fine then." Diabol agreed.
"Now how about Laura the queen of Espers." The Black King said while creating an image of Laura.
"Her bounty is how many years old?" Shawn asked.
"I believe its five years old." Ize answered.
"Time hardly matters though in her case, if she's capable of summoning and controlling espers then she should receive quite a high bounty." Cious said.
"Let's not forget, she's rumored to have trained with one of them." Agon pointed out.
"Yet that Heidi girl beat her in battle. I suggest 72,000 gil for her bounty."
"How about these two…" The Black King created images of Syack and Hunter.
"That Hunter guy seems, kind of careless." Diabol said.
"You're forgetting why he has his alias. Anyone with a strategic mind is certainly dangerous." Ize said.
"Yet that Syack man, he is stronger than he is I can tell just by looking at them." Ical said.
"65,000 for the old man, and 55,000 for that hunter." Agon said. Everyone knew better than to argue with that.
"And Laura's second in command." The Black King said creating an image of Kyle.
"Let us give him 50,000 gil for his head!" Mis said.
"Bangaas won't go down that easily, 70,000!" Shawn said.
"Even so… he's not tougher than Syack… I have it, 56,000 gil." Agres said.
"Say… what about that Adam the Liberator?" Cious asked.
"He has been driving the rebels in to more activity, Let us give him a 72,000 bounty." Ical suggested. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"I just have one question." Mis said.
"Speak then…" The Black King told him.
"What of Matt? We all know that he is stronger than any one of these people we've mentioned. Faaaaaaaar stronger than any of them. Shouldn't we raise his bounty?" Mis asked.
"General Mis… these bounties are not always a representation of strength, we base them on the threat they are to this army. Despite Matt's strength, he had done nothing else that would lead to an increase in his bounty. Did you forget?" Agon asked.
"Of course not Marshall." Mis said.
"Alright… action had best happen soon. If this group finds them. Things could become problematic. So… dismissed!" The Black King said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, there you go guys. I hope you'll let me know what you think.