Final Fantasy: Rise of Despair
I'll give you four words to describe why this chapter is late.
1.) Final
2.) Fantasy
3.) VI
4.) Advance
Which might I add is, in my opinion, the greatest Final Fantasy game of all time! Now for the recap…
After traveling for by chocobo and running in to a few bounty hunters, our fairly large group reached Sprohm and then encountered a mysterious figure and they are now preparing to battle.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance, I do own the plot and characters
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Liberation or Destruction?
The cloaked figure sighed as he watched Laura step up while the others got, what they felt, was a safe distance from the two of them. "Why must it always come to a fight?" Monty asked.
"It's the way the world works now." Harris said.
"Will she be alright?" Hunter asked.
"I'll be better than you would have been weakling!" Laura yelled at Hunter
"I'm starting to consider cheering for that guy…" Hunter growled.
"Hmmmm… well I still think that Laura will be alright." Syack said.
"Don't take it personal." The pulled out a pearl blade from under the cloak, judging from his hands he must have been human. "But this city can no longer afford to take chances with travelers."
"Hmph… it'll be your loss for challenging me." Laura said as her lips turned to a hard frown and her eyes got a focused look in their eyes.
"Come then." The cloaked fighter challenged.
"You asked for it!" Laura dashed for the fighter ready to thrust her rapier.
"That… stance… why do I get the feeling I've seen it before?" Mendoza asked while looking at the fighter.
"You say something Mendoza?" Gilbert asked.
"Naw…" He said.
"Hiyah!" Laura thrust her sword forward rapidly while the fighter dodged left and right and finally rammed her in the abdomen.
"Rush!"
"Gr…" She groaned as she went skidding backward.
"Air Render!" The cloaked fighter jabbed his forward with incredible force. Laura dodged to the side, but a boulder that was close behind her shattered to pieces as the concentrated blast of air hit it.
"Yipes that was strong!" Monty squeaked out.
"She'll be alright I'm sure." Heidi said.
"Fira!" Laura caused a medium-sized fireball to fall from the sky toward the fighter.
"Hmph." The fighter rolled under the fireball toward Laura, unfortunately for him, that was what Laura was hoping for.
"Try this!" The next thing that fighter knew, Laura was in front of him with her rapier ready to thrust forward and he was unable to avoid getting a rapier thrust in to his shoulder quite brutally.
"Augh!" The fighter's cloak was starting to turn somewhat red at the shoulder, but he ignored it and held on to Laura's rapier tightly around the blade, ignoring the fact that it was cutting in to his hand somewhat.
"What are you doing?" Laura asked.
"Backdraft!" The fighter threw a flaming fist at Laura and hit her square in the chest.
"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHH!!!" Laura went skidding backward in flames that extinguished as she rolled on the ground. "That… hurt…" Laura said.
"Hm… not many can survive that punch." The fighter said.
"And guess what… not many can survive this." Laura said quite devilishly. "I call upon thee! Ramuh!" Ramuh then appeared "Thundara!" She then hit Ramuh with a medium-sized lightning bolt.
"Oh crap…" The fighter muttered out. Ramuh gathered lightning at the tip of his staff and pointed it at the fighter.
"Now!" Laura commanded Ramuh.
"I doubt he can survive this." Kyle said. A humongous lightning bolt flew toward the fighter and once it struck a bright flash occurred.
"Dagnabbit! Couldn't you dull it down a bit you whippersnapper!" Syack shouted as he shielded his eyes.
"Too bad for you that I was already prepared for your backdraft attack." Laura said as her barrier spell wore off.
"Wait… when did she cast barrier on herself?" Mendoza asked.
"What? You didn't notice?" Harris asked, almost surprised.
"No…" Monty said.
The flash was finally dulling down, but instead of a barbecued fighter, a bangaa defender stood in front of him, completely unharmed.
"What!" Laura gasped.
The defender was a good 6'3" in height, he had silver armor plating and light purple clothing, he also wore the traditional blindfolds that defenders wear. He had brownish-yellowish skin, and was a bit more muscular looking than most bangaa defenders. "Are you alright John?" The defender asked the fighter.
"Clanmaster Adam!" The fighter that was apparently John gasped as he removed the hood of his hood. He wasn't wearing the usual helmet of fighters and had brown eyes and blonde hair.
"I'll thank you not to kill my second in command." Adam said to Laura.
"What! You're mocking me!" Laura shouted.
"He shouldn't have done that…" Kyle moaned.
"Shiva! Ifrit!" Laura summoned Shiva to Adam's left and Ifrit to the guy's right. Ifrit threw a larger fireball at Adam while Shiva sent a wave of icicles towards Adam.
"Expert Guard." Adam held his Nagrarok sword back-handed and looked at the fireball. He slashed upward and caused the fireball to disappear and then used the momentum of the swing to slam the ground on the other side of him and caused a slight tremor to shatter the icicles that were about to hit him.
"Amazing…" Everyone minus Harris and Laura gasped. Harris because we all know how reserved he is about this kind of stuff, and Laura was too busy trying to suppress her anger at seeing this.
"Now please… I don't want to keep fighting." Adam said.
"But… clanmaster Adam… what if these are more bandits?" John asked.
"John… look at them again." Adam said. John looked up and looked at each one of them carefully, and then his face changed to a shocked expression. He then hit his knees and took a deep bow.
"Please forgive me! I was quick to make assumptions." The fighter said.
"It's alright." Harris said. He walked up to Adam and John and then outstretched a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Adam the Liberator." Harris said respectfully.
"Likewise, Harris the White Paladin." Adam reached out his hand and shook hands with Harris. Everyone decided to run up to Laura and make sure she was okay.
"Hey Laura! You alright?" Hunter asked while Syack used curaga on her.
"Hmph… mind your own business weakling." Laura said a bit more hatefully than usual.
"Well fine then!" Hunter said.
"Laura!" Heidi gasped. She sighed and figured it was best to go see Harris.
"Laura, that was a bit uncalled for wasn't it?" Kyle asked.
"Hang on a moment." Mendoza said. He ran over toward Harris and the others with Heidi. "John-sensei."
"Hm… Mendoza… you're alive?" John asked.
"You know him Mendoza?" Heidi asked.
"He was the one who first taught me how to use a blade." Mendoza said.
"Mendoza… it is good to see that you are well. So you joined Clan Falcon." Adam said with a relieved smile.
"Please forgive me for that, but I owe this man a debt of gratitude." Mendoza said to Adam with a deep bow.
"As long as you're alive everything is alright." Adam said. "What of Will?"
"He's watching over the base, I'm sure that he is perfectly fine." Harris said.
"That's good to hear." Adam said. "Well, enough standing out in the open, let us move inside, I am assuming that you're here to see us." Adam said.
"You are assuming correctly." Harris said.
A few minutes later…
"Here we are." Adam said. The group stopped at a cliff wall. Adam then knocked on a part of the stone cliff as if it were a door. A panel in which you could see a pair of viera eyes.
"Oh! clanmaster Adam! Who are these people behind you?" The viera asked.
"Guests Abby… please show your respect." Adam said.
"Very well." Abby said and the cliff wall opened up to allow the party to walk in single-file.
"Come this way." Adam instructed. After a few minutes of walking.
"Gah… so much walking around… I'm too old for this." Syack complained.
"Hold on." Adam said. The group stopped in some circular room. "If you wish to explore, feel free to do so." Adam said. "If you do wish to talk with me then please follow me." Adam said.
"I do have something very important to discuss." Harris said. "Heidi, Syack, I would like you to come with me." Harris said.
"I will." Heidi said.
"I suppose you'll need me." Syack sighed.
"Very well then." Adam said. So the three followed Adam while everyone stood there wondering what do next.
"Uh… now what?" Hunter asked.
"I guess I'll go see what kind of weaklings are in this clan." Laura said with a shrug.
"Wait… Laura please don't start anything…" Kyle said with a worried tone of voice.
"Oh this ought to be good." Hunter said.
"Oh this brings back memories… I have to go explore." Mendoza said.
"Hey wait I want to come with." Monty said.
"Monty…" Gilbert started.
"What?"
"Don't mention your background." Gilbert warned.
"Wh… oh… right." Monty said before following Mendoza. Gilbert just stood where he was.
"Well… now what?" He asked as he looked around.
Laura walked down a set of stone stairs and walked through a drape over an opening in the wall. "Now this… is interesting…" Laura said.
"Oh no…" Kyle sighed. They were in a room similar to Laura's stadium/throne room at the Clan Laura base, minus the throne and the stadium was notably larger and the stone was more clay in color. It had a very very large number of clan Liberation members training vigorously.
"What's in here? Whoa…" Hunter just walked in and gasped at the sight. He then noticed that a few archers doing target practice. "Augh… they're doing that all wrong." Hunter said.
"Excuse me… who are you?" A nu mou morpher asked.
"Guests." Kyle said respectfully while taking a bow.
"Another question… what are your companions doing?" The morpher asked.
"What?" Kyle looked around and then slapped the side of his face in embarrassment. "Oh no…" he groaned.
"What did you call me!" A human soldier shouted at Laura.
"Weak." She answered.
"That's it! You're going down!" The soldier shouted.
"Guys that's not how you hold a bow…" Hunter said.
"Hey! Don't try and tell us how to hold a bow!" An archer shouted.
"Augh…" Kyle groaned.
Meanwhile…
"Where is this?" Monty asked.
"This is the mess-hall." Mendoza said. The mess hall was impressively neat for such a large clan. Part of the stone wall on the opposite side had an opening in which soup was passed to the members that came up to it. One of the members noticed the two standing there.
"Mendoza! You're alive!" A fair number of clan members stopped eating and ran over to Mendoza. "How've you been?"
"Who's that guy with you?"
"Where have you been all this time?"
"We thought you were dead!" The various members were pestering Mendoza with questions and comments and pushing the two back a little bit.
"Whoa whoa! Slow down." Mendoza said.
"Sheesh! What's with these guys?" Monty asked. "Were you an elite or something?"
"No… but I was… augh… pretty strong for a normal member…" Mendoza groaned.
Meanwhile…
Harris, Heidi, and Syack had followed Adam to a small room that was pretty much like an office with the desk made out of stone. Adam sat down behind the desk and gestured for the three to take a seat in one of the five seats in front of the desk. "So… what brings the clanmasters of various clans here?" Adam asked.
"Well… where to begin?" Harris thought for a moment. "Heidi…" Harris started.
"Me? Alright…" Heidi sighed. Heidi closed her eyes for a moment in thought and then opened them. "Ah-hem… Adam… have you ever heard the legend of the five Racemasters?" Heidi asked.
"The Five Racemasters? Hmmmm… well I might have heard something about that… but I can't say I know the legend." Adam replied, cool as a cucumber.
"But…" Syack started to say. Harris quickly looked at Syack and shook his head. "Right…" Syack said.
"The Five Racemasters are five warriors, one from each race, that are said to have mastered every skill that their respective races can learn." Harris said.
"Hmmmm… that would make them quite powerful." Adam said with as much awe as you would expect him to respond with.
"Yes… and quite frankly… we will have no hope to defeat the black king without them." Harris said.
"I… beg your pardon?" Adam asked, clearly surprised.
"This young man…" Syack started to say.
"Uh… Syack…" Harris started.
"Oh right… well regardless of his age he has seen the black king right before he took the throne and has analyzed that this whole clan, and all of our clans put together will be unable to fight him." Syack said.
"Please tell me that you're kidding?" Adam asked. "I mean… I've heard rumors to that effect from a few of my clan members, but never something so grim." Adam said.
"I'm only telling the truth… if you had felt his mana yourself you would know what I mean." Harris said.
Adam sighed heavily and then spoke up again. "I am really a bangaa of peace… but I fight anyways because this threat of the black army is bigger than all of us." Adam started. "But… I don't want to send my clan members to their deaths. They all have lives to return to someday." Adam said.
"That's why we need the race masters." Heidi said somewhat forcefully.
"…" Adam paused and sighed. "I'm started to think that you're implying something." Adam sighed.
"Well then, I guess I should just cut to the chase." Harris said. Adam looked up at him. "We've heard rumors that you've been in contact with the Racemaster of the bangaas."
Adam raised his head up in surprise. "Where would you hear something like that?"
"From me." Syack said. "I know I promised your master not to mention something, but when a greater good is at stake, promises must be broken." Syack said.
"What?"
Harris and Heidi couldn't help but drop their heads down in embarrassment. "You probably should have been a tad more subtle than that…" Heidi sighed.
"Ah-hem…" Adam cleared his throat. "Listen, I understand the severity of this now, and for that I thank you. But you have the wrong person. I haven't really even heard of this legend until I met you right now." Adam said.
"Adam… please… surely you know something." Harris said. Adam shook his head, keeping his cool quite well where most people would have exploded by now.
"I'm sorry, but you really have the wrong bangaa and I don't know where I could help in that respect." Adam said.
"Very well then." Harris sighed.
"But I…" Syack started to say when Heidi looked at him holding a finger over the part of her mask where her lips are. "…right…" Syack sighed.
"If there is anything else I could do to help, please don't hesitate to ask." Adam said.
"Actually…" Heidi started to say. Harris put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he shook his head. Though a little surprised, she nodded her head. "…nothing else for now." Heidi said.
"Well, I insist that you stay for a little while." Adam said.
"Very well." Harris said. "Let's go meet up with the others." Harris said. The other two nodded and followed Harris out the door. When Adam was alone, he pulled out two necklaces. We merely felt them since he wouldn't be able to see them due to his blindfolds. One was a mindu gem, the other seemed to be a white glowing vial of some sort.
"… I am keeping my promise…" Adam said to no one.
Meanwhile…
"Laura…" Kyle groaned.
"What?" She asked, in front of her were about ten dozen unconscious, burnt, or fried bodies that were being treated by white mages with everyone else backing off in fear.
"Good gravy that girl is strong…" A moogle mog knight said.
"And that other guy is hitting all the bull's-eyes we couldn't hit." An archer groaned as Hunter just hit another bull's-eye on a target.
"Ah… I finally found you guys." Gilbert said walking in. "Har… what happened in here?" Gilbert started to say something before he noticed all of the defeated bodies.
"Don't ask." Kyle said.
"Well either way… Harris would like to see us." Gilbert said.
"Oh really? Okay then." Hunter stopped hitting targets and walked toward the stairs.
"Finally… he's gone…" One of the members sighed in relief.
Later…
The party was a little ways away from the base entrance they took and were apparently getting ready to discuss something. "So… what did you want to talk to us about?" Mendoza asked.
"Well I'll tell you as soon as the moogle and nu mou behind that rock over there stop trying to eavesdrop." Harris said.
"Dang… how'd he know we were here?" A moogle animist asked.
"Well we're already busted so it's best we leave." A nu mou beastmaster responded. So the two headed back for the base entrance and disappeared in to it.
"So then…" Laura started to ask.
"I believe Adam is hiding something." Harris said.
"What would give you that impression?" Heidi asked.
"He seemed perfectly honest to me." Syack told him.
"Yes he would make an excellent actor wouldn't he?" Harris asked.
"I don't know… would he?" Monty asked.
"That was a rhetorical question Monty." Harris sighed.
"Oh…"
"Well would you tell us?" Hunter asked.
"I stayed behind a little bit and heard him say something through the door." Harris said.
"Aaaawwww… that's not cool or mysterious at all…" Hunter whined. "I mean… anyone could do that, it should be something more amazing or… something…" Hunter said as he noticed that everyone was giving him an odd look. "… okay I'll be quiet now."
"Good thing, my ears were getting stained by a weakling's words." Laura sighed.
"What was that!" Hunter yelled.
"Uuuuhhh… everyone, perhaps we had best let Harris continue." Gilbert said.
"Thank you Gilbert." Harris said. "So… while we're here we are going to keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
"How so?" Kyle asked.
"Find out more about the elites, be subtle, yet try to find out if they know anything." Harris said.
"Hmmm… that might be our best course of action right now." Heidi said.
The next day…
Harris and Heidi were walking through Sprohm, Harris wearing his white veil and Heidi with longer robes and a blindfold so that they could travel through without their identities being revealed. Harris was holding Heidi by the hand to complete the disguise. "Halt! Who are you?" A human soldier from the black army stopped them.
"Oh… I'm just leading my cousin through Sprohm, as you can see she is blind." Harris said smoothly, in fact if you were trying to tell if he was lying you likely wouldn't.
"Cousin? Who are you talking to?" Heidi asked, also playing her part quite well.
"It's nothing to worry about dear cousin." Harris said.
"What are your names?" The black soldier asked.
"Harold." Harris told him.
"And I'm Heather." Heidi answered.
"Hmmmm… what town are you from?" The black soldier asked again as a few more started filing in behind him.
"We're travelers. We don't have a home any longer." Harris told them, keeping perfectly calm.
"Harold… what are those footsteps?" Heidi asked.
"Pay no mind to it." Harris said.
"Do you even have proper documentation?" He continued to ask when. "ACK!" An arrow shot the soldier in the back of the neck. The black soldiers looked up at a building quite surprised while Harris looked up, passing off an equally surprised look.
"Liberation attack!" John commanded the archers behind him.
"The rebels! GAH!" In a few short minutes, all the black soldiers had been killed off and the regular members quickly made themselves scarce.
"I have to say… if I hadn't met you the other day your act would have fooled me." John said to Harris and Heidi. "What are you doing walking out here anyways?"
"We felt like we had to see the devastation ourselves." Harris said looking back at the streets.
"It… was really sad." Heidi sighed.
"Yeah… Sprohm sure has gone downhill." John said.
Meanwhile…
"Why hello there." Hunter said walking up to a viera elemantist. Hunter was in a lounge of sorts for the elites.
"Hm? Oh… you're that guy that was hitting all those targets yesterday." The viera said.
"Yes, I'm Hunter, clanmaster of Clan Forest. And you are…" Hunter started, even though he was sure he knew the answer.
"Jade, I'm an elite in this clan." Jade said. "I have a question for you?" She asked.
"Yes?"
"What is your partner doing?" She asked.
"Huh?" He looked over to find Syack exchanging glares with the morpher from yesterday. "Oh man…"
"Who are you calling old you old coot?" Syack asked the morpher.
"Old coot? Well if I'm an old coot then you're an old gargoyle!"
"You've got a lot of nerve you old windbag…" Syack said.
"Ugh…" Hunter and Jade sighed.
Meanwhile…
"Now Laura, just because these two elites were being friendly enough to let us talk with them doesn't mean that we insult them." Kyle said. They were in the mess hall in a section reserved for the elites and above.
"I know I know…" Laura sighed. A moogle juggler and a bangaa bishop came up and sat down in front of them.
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Molo…" The moogle said.
"And… I'm… Felix…" The bangaa said rather distrustfully.
"Hmph… well you don't seem that polite." Laura said. "Or that strong for that matter." Laura said.
"What!" Felix shouted.
"Not again…" Kyle moaned.
"You have that problem a lot don't you?" Molo asked.
"You have no idea…" Kyle said.
Meanwhile…
"Alright men, you have all improved. Now go do your individual training for the day." Adam ordered to a large number of Clan Liberation members that he had just drilled.
"Yes clanmaster Adam!" They all shouted before dispersing. The room was like a large dojo, only made of stone with Adam standing at the top of a small set of stairs at the head of the room.
"Master Adam." Mendoza said as he walked up to Adam.
"Hm? Oh, Mendoza… you know I'm no longer your master, you don't need to call me that." Adam said humbly.
"But… I still respect you quite highly master Adam." Mendoza said.
"If there is anyone that you should show respect to in this clan it should not be me, John was the one who taught you to wield a blade after all." Adam said.
"But… still asking me not to call you master Adam…" Mendoza started.
"I guess I can't stop you from doing that can I?" Adam asked with a slight chuckle.
"Nope, you probably can't. Clanmaster Harris couldn't stop him or me from calling him clanmaster if he tried." Monty said as he walked in with Gilbert behind him.
"To what do I owe the honor of Clan Falcon's elites coming to visit me?" Adam asked.
"Please… you don't have to refer to us that highly." Gilbert said.
"Boy… humility must be a virus now." Monty thought. "Although apparently some people like Laura are immune to it." He continued to think as he rolled his eyes.
"Is something wrong Monty? You look as though you're dying to say something." Mendoza said.
"Uh… nothing." Monty said.
"So… this clan has been running for several years now hasn't it?" Gilbert asked.
"Nearly the full ten years since the Black King took over." Adam said. The four finally sat down on the steps before resuming talking. "As much as I don't like fighting, I saw the suffering the Black King was causing and I knew that I had to fight for this country's liberation."
"Say who taught you how to fight anyways? That was amazing what you did yesterday with Laura's attacks." Monty asked.
"A… great man." Adam replied simply.
"This is going to be hard." Gilbert thought.
A long while later…
"Come on! Let me at him! Let me at him!" Laura yelled angrily as Kyle was dragging her out of the mess hall with extreme difficulty.
"Don't get in my way Molo!" Felix shouted while Molo was pushing Felix desperately to keep him from Laura
"Calm down big guy…" Molo said.
"Laura… let's… not get… carried away…" Kyle moaned.
"Grah!" Laura then broke free of Kyle's grip while Felix broke away from Molo and they were about to strike each other when Harris suddenly appeared between them, grabbed Laura's wrist and thrust his palm so that Felix slammed in to it.
"Do you mind explaining?" Harris asked.
"He insulted us!" Laura shouted.
"What! You insulted me!" Felix shouted.
"Regardless, we are allies here aren't we? There is no need to fight." Harris said.
"You're not clanmaster Adam! I don't need preaching from you!" Felix shouted.
"Felix! Show more respect to our guests!" Adam shouted as he walked in with Harris' elites.
"But… clanmaster Adam… you can't really let these people dictate their own mannerisms among this clan can you?" Felix asked.
"Like us they are opposing the black king and we must not have enemies among ourselves." Adam said. Felix bowed to Adam, and then left the room a little disgruntled. "You must forgive Felix, he can be… rather aggressive."
"No… you don't owe us an apology, it is rather someone among us who needs to apologize." Harris said.
"Uh… I…" Laura breathed in for a moment to swallow her pride. "I'm… sorry…" She said.
Later…
"Anything?" Heidi asked.
"No… that girl didn't know anything." Hunter said. "And SOMEBODY was too busy arguing to get information." Hunter said while looking at Syack.
"Don't chastise me you whippersnapper!" Syack shouted while he slapped Hunter in the back of the head.
"Well, Molo seemed to not even know anything." Kyle said.
"Hmmmm… John certainly didn't know anything." Harris said.
"And we didn't have any luck with Adam." Gilbert said.
"Well this is just great… now what?" Laura asked.
Elsewhere…
"There they are… finally, after so many years of alluding us, we've finally found you." Said a familiar voice.
"Is this really the location of them?" Another voice asked.
"Yes… now tell me, have the majors moved to their designated positions yet?"
"Yes sir! They are prepared to attack from the other three fronts while we attack the main front!"
"Good good."
"They only await your signal to attack Colonel Shawn!" The black soldier finished reporting.
"Send a message to the other three majors that we begin the attack at dawn." Colonel Shawn said as he drew his lance and stuck in to the ground as a show of strength.
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How will our heroes fare against this upcoming threat? Especially one that they aren't even prepared for in the least? And will Laura ever lose the superiority complex? Until any of these questions are answered, be sure to read and review.