Finally starting my Final Fantasy IV: The After Years novelization back up. I'll cover Edge's Tale in two separate chapters, starting with this one. This might be a long chapter because I'm covering each of the Eblan Four's respective segments.
I'll be changing character P.O.V at least four or five times in this chapter. When you see a - below this author note, it usually indicates a change in point of view. Oh, and at this point, I might deviate a bit from the game script and throw in some scenes and scenarios that aren't in the game.
Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy franchise is the creation of Squaresoft.
Edge Tale-The Pulse of Babil Part 1: The Eblan Four.
A few days earlier, in the kingdom of Eblan. The blue-haired ninja master and king of Eblan, Edge was training four apprentices in the castle courtyard. One was a quiet man in red and black garments, another was elderly with an orange cape over his shirt and pants, one was a brunette young woman in blue, the youngest of the four had a green shirt and mask with black shoes, purple hair and a red bandana.
Edge readied his blades for their four-on-one sparring match"Ready when you are."
The youngest ninja, Tsukinowa, hurled a boomerang, which Edge gracefully jumped over as it almost hit him and brought the back of his katana down upon the wind ninja. Izayoi, the female ninja, cast a Flood spell which Edge countered with a light Blitz, knocking her down. The oldest ninja, Zangetsu had used a kite jump technique around the same time and almost landed on Edge, who dodged and countered with a swift kick. Gekkou swung his axe, which Edge blocked with his katana before hitting the quiet apprentice with the back of his sword.
The four were knocked down for a moment before getting back up. Zangetsu smiled at his master, who was younger than him"You are as skillful as always, my master."
"Even with the four of us put together, we were like mere children before your assault" praised Gekkou.
"Oh, cut that out. I've gotten far more out of shape then I care to admit, you flatter me too much" shrugged Edge.
"Master... Were you holding back to protect us from injury?" asked Tsukinowa.
Izayoi glanced reproachfully at the younger ninja"Tsukinowa, mind your tongue."
"Its okay, I'd rather you give it to me straight than sugarcoat it" smiled the ninja king.
"Yes, master. Tolerant as always, you sacrifice time for yourself to offer us training" said Zangetsu, bowing.
"Only because you practically twisted my arm into doing this" Edge retorted.
Gekkou shook his head"We can't afford to let our nation's ninja arts die out."
Edge shrugged as he replied more gently"Don't you guys think we'd be better off without those lethal weapons we call 'arts'?"
"But your arts can be used for more than the taking of a life, master" piped Izayoi.
Edge gave a small smile"Wouldn't you rather do what you wish with your lives? We have our whole lives ahead of us, especially for a woman your age, Izayoi."
Tsukinowa bit back a snicker as he looked away"Aww. Master understands a young woman's heart."
Before anyone could say anymore, Izayoi's eyes widened and stifled an audible gasp as a second moon in the sky began to seemingly materialize. Tsukinowa looked in the same direction as he fellow ninja and gasped"Huh? What's that?"
Edge turned to face the direction Tsukinowa and Izayoi were facing, spotting the moon as well'What the heck?'
Before their eyes, a second moon appeared in the sky. Edge, Tsukinowa, Izayoi, Gekkou and Zangetsu were stunned into a brief silence at the sight: Was this a sign that the horrors of the past were to return?
Without hesitation, Edge adjourned their session and went to the throne room to think upon this. Tsukinowa, Izayoi, Gekkou and Zangetsu returned to their guard duties. The people of Eblan were alarmed at the news of the apparent return of the Second Moon.
The Seneschal, Edge's advisor, was feeling most particularly panicked as he paced the throne room anxiously"What could this all mean? Have the horrors of the past come to haunt us, again?"
Edge, who currently sat on the throne, addressed the Seneschal"Calm down, you'll give yourself a heart attack. No use worrying too much over it."
The Seneschal protested"B-but!"
"Enough, what would the people and soldiers think if they saw you like this?" said Edge.
The Seneschal bowed his head"My apologies, I bow to your wisdom, you truly are the son of the late king and queen."
Edge acknowledged as he stood up"Well, take care of the castle until I get back, okay?"
"You planning on going out?" asked the concerned Seneschal.
The Ninja king nodded and headed out to the castle courtyard and headed through the open castle gate. Before he could get a little further, a voice addressed him"Where might you be going?"
The red and black-clad ninja had jumped from the roof to meet up with Edge"If there is something-"
"That needs to be done..." continued the orange-clad ninja, joining the other two.
"Then please let us handle it" The two younger ninjas finished as they joined the group.
Edge frowned for a moment"What do you mean?"
Gekkou replied"You were going to investigate the tower, were you not?"
"Feel free to make use of us for reconnaissance" spoke Zangetu"We can't afford having our ruler away from his country."
Edge hesitated"I have yet to decide whether you are ready for such a mission."
"Then let this be a test of our readiness. We await your orders" insisted Izayoi.
"Hm. All right then, just promise me one thing" relented the Eblan king.
"A Promise?" inquired Gekkou.
"Yes master?" spoke Izayoi.
Edge replied"Don't throw your lives away, they're too precious for that. Try and survive if you can."
"Yes, master" acknowledged the four apprentices.
Edge then assigned each of the four a mission"Gekkou, why don't you check on things near Mount Hobbs? Izayoi, go to Troia and disguise yourself to get information, there. Zangetsu, you scope out the underworld for anything suspicious. Tsukinowa, go check on Mysidia."
"Understood" responded the Eblan four.
Izayoi's Mission-Troia
Three days passed, Izayoi snuck into Troia, obtained a disguise to make herself look like a Epopt Trainee by convincing one of the Epopts she was there to enlist, and joined the same Epopt and three others in a training session near Troia's local lake.
"As you know" The Epopt spoke solemnly"One of our order has fallen ill, and one of you must become a suitable replacement for her in the meantime, we cannot operate properly without all eight of us on duty."
The disguised Izayoi and the three trainees nodded in understanding.
"Therefore, for today's training, we will submerge into the cool water ahead and cleanse our minds and bodies as we become one with the water. Now, come along" the Epopt walked ahead.
One of the trainees addressed one of her classmates"Relena, have you heard? They say history is to repeat itself. War is upon us."
Another trainee, who was in truth a bit frail, shrugged.
"Truly?" Izayoi addressed her.
The Trainee who had spoken nodded"Apparently, if rumors about strange activity from Baron Kingdom is to be believed."
"Rumors?" inquired Izayoi.
Another of the trainees shrugged"They say that the wars from the past are to begin anew, so Mysidia has sent a black mage to train one of our fellow trainees in the ways of Black Magic."
Annoyed, their instructor called"Girls! Hurry up!"
"Sorry!" Relena called and went ahead with her two 'real' classmates, they had no idea of Izayoi's identity.
The Water Ninja looked down for a moment as she pondered what she had just heard momentarily before following the three apprentices into the nearby lake. The strict Epopt sternly focused her eyes on her"You're the last one in."
"Sorry" whispered Izayoi.
The Epopt spoke, addressing all four younger girls"Now, close your eyes and concentrate, cleansing your inner spirit. Do not move until all four of you have achieved full concentration."
The four 'trainees' and the Epopt closed their eyes and began to meditate. Barely a minute into their meditation, the frail trainee began to cough, interrupting her and Relena's concentration.
"Mia, you okay?" asked one of her classmates.
"Sorry" shivered the frail girl"I-I'm not feeling well right now."
Relena addressed their instructor"Ma'am, can we take a break?"
The Epopt frowned"If you cannot achieve full concentration, you will not advance into the next stage of your training."
Relena persisted"Please, ma'am. Mia is a frail girl, she gets sick easy."
The Epopt relented"Very well, that is all for today."
Izayoi and the trainees left the pool, the frail girl shivering from the cold water. The brunette kunoichi walked away from town after picking up a bit more information and went north to the nearest Chocobo Forest.
The forest was peaceful as usual. Izayoi walked up to a Yellow Chocobo, got onto it and urged it to take her to the tower to the southeast of Troia, which she heard was a training ground for apprentice Epopts. Reaching a greyish tower, Izayoi dismounted the chocobo and approached the tower entrance. Reaching a hand to open the door, she found it wouldn't budge.
"Locked" Izayoi muttered, observing the tower exterior to see some out-of-place bricks she could use to scale the exterior"No matter, I'll just scale the walls, its no problem for a ninja."
Izayoi leapt onto the tower walls and climbed until she reached a platform. Ahead was another stretch of wall with a door at the bottom. She went to open the door and fond it was unlocked, unlike the main entrance doors. The door Izayoi her into a room with a set of staircases, which she climbed and found herself on another floor. She went out the exit and climbed higher, pausing as she sensed the presence of monsters somewhere in the tower.
'If this is a mere training ground, why are there monsters within the walls? I feel their presence' pondered Izayoi as she climbed to the top of the tower's exterior. There, she was in for a surprise as a monstrous Zu flew from the sky and attempted to beak her. Izayoi was surprised, but dodged and fired an arrow, she had bought a weapon before leaving Troia.
The Zu screeched and tried to claw Izayoi, who dodged and retaliated with Flood. The creature was slowed a little, but it knocked Izayoi back. Biting back a squeak of pain, Izayoi readied another arrow and shot the monster in the chest. The Zu went down while Izayoi healed her injury with a Heal Pill spell. Putting her bow and arrow away, Izayoi went ahead to the edge of the top and was surprised to see the Tower of Babil glowing in the distance.
'This bodes ill, I have to return to Eblan' Izayoi thought, glancing down to see a ship docked at the east coast of Troia. Heading down the tower the way she came, she ran to the ship to see if she can catch a ride.
Coming to the ship, which was about ready to take off, Izayoi caught up, got on board and addressed the ship's captain"Excuse me, but where is the ship headed?"
"We're headed for Mysidia" replied the gruff-looking man.
"I'm headed in that direction, will you take me with you?" inquired the Kunoichi.
"Where are you headed?" asked the captain.
"To the land of Eblan. If that's no trouble" replied Izayoi.
The ship captain smiled"Its no problem lass. What man of the sea would turn down such a beauty? All right, let's shove off."
The crew of the ship got to their stations and steered the ship. The trip was quiet when the captain freaked out"Blimey! That tower's sure glowing. That sure isn't a good sign."
Izayoi stood at the front most part of the deck, frowned for a moment then turned to the captain"Put me close to the castle, at the south coast. I'll walk from there."
"Okay, as long as we don't have to get too close to that tower" nodded the captain, whose face had gone slightly pale.
Izayoi stood facing forward as her homeland drew closer'Hang in there, Master Edge. Izayoi's on the way.'
Tsukinowa's Mission-Mysidia
In the mage village of Mysidia, the Wind Ninja Tsukinowa was posing as one of a group of younger mages who were studying under the tutelage of a Black Mage who they referred to as the Professor.
At the end of a two-hour study session, the Professor said"That's all for the day, be sure to study up on what you've learned so far on Spell Transcription."
"Yes, professor" chimed most of the students who dispersed to their homes.
"Lapin" The professor addressed Tsukinowa, who had his headband off and was using an alias to make himself not too conspicuous when inspecting Mystidia"You were spacing out, again. Are you certain you are even interested in learning our magic?"
"Yes, sir. Really" piped Tsukinowa.
"Hm" grunted the professor.
"You don't believe me at all, do you? And its because I'm not from here" said Tsukinowa, feigning disappointment.
The Professor thought back to when he and his white mage girlfriend found the purple-haired boy. He looked to be unconscious, so the White Mage healed him. The boy, who said his name was Lapin, was invited to study magic as he had shown interest. The professor found his voice after a moment"No, that's not what I had meant."
"Professor" a pink-haired White Mage approached"You're needed at the Prayer Hall. The elder requests your presence."
"Understood, Lady Porom" acknowledged the Professor.
Porom smiled"You don't have to call me 'Lady', you know."
"Very well, ma'am" said the black mage, heading to the Prayer Hall.
Porom then caught a whiff of something and turned to address 'Lapin', a neutral expression on her face as she said"Are you hiding something?"
"Does It look like I am?" said Lapin, innocently.
"I hope not..." sighed Porom.
"No, really. Just got a toad in my pocket" said Lapin.
Porom blinked"Is that all?"
Lapin shrugged"Well, aside from some ghysal greens I stole from the field, that's all."
"Is that all? I hope so" asked Porom, making sure.
Lapin nodded"Yes, I swear. That's it!"
"You sound just like him" mussed the White Mage.
"Huh?" The disguised ninja asked.
Porom shrugged and turned to return to the Prayer Hall, addressing him one more time"Never mind, just make sure you give back those vegetables. Okay?"
Tsukinowa shrugged as he watched Porom walk away'Better not mess with her. That White mage is not to be trifled.' Feeling that he should go to the Prayer Hall and find out what the Professor and Porom are meeting with the Elder for, but thought it best to disguise himself further, Tsukinowa went to find one of the Black Mage Professor's Students.
One of the boys was by the item shop, studying up. He beamed when he saw Lapin"Hey, want me to try out a spell on you?"
"Sure" replied Lapin.
The boy cast Toad, turning the green-clad youth into a frog. In his frog form, Tsukinowa went towards the Prayer Hall, scaring off a black mage guard in the process. When he arrived, Porom, an elderly man who could only be Mysidia's leader, and other mages were in the middle of a discussion.
"So if its true, then the horrors of the past are to repeat themselves?" quivered one of the Black Mages.
"Settle down, we mustn't think hastily. However, as the second moon has reappeared, and the Lunar Whale vanished, we must call upon the powers of the Dragoon" spoke the Elder.
"Kain? I thought he severed all ties with Baron" said Porom.
"Regardless, we'll require his aid" said the Elder.
The Black Mage professor protested"But surely, Mysidia's army of mages would suffice should anything happen. Where has Palom gone during such a crises?"
"Black Magic is not a panacea for all of our problems. Have you forgotten what the elder taught us?" responded Porom before addressing the Elder"I will go to Mount Ordeals to speak with Kain."
"Very well, but be careful" said the Elder.
Porom nodded, then left the elder's residence. Tsukinowa discreetly followed, taking the time to ask the boy from earlier to turn him back before following Porom all the way to a mountain surrounded by a thick forest. At that point, Tsukinowa donned his ninja mask and headband before climbing the mountain, checking around for monsters along the way.
Coming to the midway point up the mountain, Tsukinowa spotted Porom and rushed to hide beneath the slope.
"Palom?" Porom looked around for a moment, squared her shoulders and continued her ascent.
'The White Mage is not to be trifled, I better keep my distance' thought Tsukinowa, continuing to follow Porom in secret.
By the time Tsukinowa reached the top, he didn't see Porom anywhere. He went across a bridge to the left of the summit and saw nothing but what looked like a stone tablet'Huh. What could this be? I sure hope Porom's okay.' Looking across the way, the Wind Ninja spotted the tower glowing in the distance. Fearing the worst, he descended as fast as he could back to Mysidia.
The town still looked normal, so Tsukinowa disguised himself one more time and went to the Prayer Hall. The professor was still there. Tsukinowa pulled the greens he had stolen before out of his pocket and went to hand it over"Here. I took this from the vegetable gardens this morning."
The Mage's eyes widened as he took the goods"You stole this!? You know you're not supposed to do that. Here, take this, just promise me you won't steal anymore."
Tsukinowa accepted a boomerang that the black mage forcibly slapped into his hand and ran out. Heading to the west coast, Tsukinowa quietly bid farewell to Mysidia and the mages, using a water-walking technique to make his way back to Eblan.
Zangetsu's Mission-The Underworld
In the underworld, the elderly Thunder Ninja disguised himself as one of the dwarves, and had worked alongside them in the castle for a while. Work was done for the day as the dwarf king, Giott addressed him and the four real dwarves"Well, that's all for today. Everyone feel free to relax, party like there's no tomorrow. But don't forget there's more work to be done in the morning."
"Lali-HO!" The four dwarves cheered and jumped. Zangetsu, in his dwarf disguise, jumped only a little. The king took no notice of this and walked away.
One of the guards, however, addressed the odd-looking dwarf"That wasn't much of a jump, are you feeling okay?"
"Nari-HO!" said the 'dwarf,' leaping up better.
"Its Lali-Ho" corrected the guard"You'd best take care of those legs, a dwarf who cannot jump is hardly any good."
Zangetsu waited until the coast was clear before going to the throne room. The king was asleep at his throne, and the dwarf princess was occupied with her two dolls, so he walked over to the guard who stood next to what looked like an ordinary wall.
"Come to pay your respect to the crystal? Nice to see a dwarf with respect" remarked the guard, pulling a lever to reveal a hidden passage behind the wall.
The disguised Thunder Ninja walked into the passage to a crystal chamber. Seeing there was nothing out of the ordinary, Zangetsu walked out of the chamber after a moment and headed upstairs to the terrace. As soon as he got there, he heard two guards who were stationed there exclaim"The tower!"
"So its finally happened" muttered Zangetsu, heading to the center of the roof terrace and seeing the glowing structure.
"You there! Go report this to the king" said one of the guards.
Zangetsu turned"Sorry, but I shall be going. Tally-ho!" He leapt off the castle roof.
"Whoa! What a jump!" exclaimed the guards.
The Thunder ninja landed a good distance away near an old mine which had a passageway to the surface. Staggering from a long fall, he turned back for a moment"Didn't anticipate how much of a landing it would be..."
He entered the mine, ready to fight monsters as he moved along the tunnels of the mine. The passageways were more of a maze, but Zangetsu calmly found his way to a set of stairs leading upwards. As he was about to leave, a Belphegor ambushed him.
"Wha-?" surprised, the elderly ninja barely managed to dodge as the monster swooped at him. Taking his lance out, Zangetsu also readied a floating pillow and used his Kite Jump attack on the Belphegor, knocking it dead.
"Monsters are growing hostile, I must hurry" muttered Zangetsu, rushing up the stairs on his way back to the surface.
Gekkou's Mission-The Impact Crater
Near Mount Hobbs, the mountain passage between Damcyan and Fabul, the quiet, middle-aged ninja was investigating an extremely putrified section of a impact crater. He mentally took note of the crater's unusual atmosphere and proceeded through its lower section.
Eventually, he spotted five Fabul Monks and what looked like a teal-haired young woman standing on a slightly higher platform.
"You there! Who are you?" One of the monks spoke to the woman.
"I've no reason to tell you" she replied.
"What!?" The monks assumed a fighting stance.
The mysterious girl cast a spell, killing two of the Monks before climbing the slope. The remaining monks climbed after her in pursuit. Surprised at the girl's display of power, Gekkou followed them for a bit and checked on one of the fallen monks.
"Urgh... Please, help my companions... For Fabul's honor..." gasped the monk as he let go of his life.
Gekkou looked away and closed his eyes'Forgive me'. After a moment, the Fire Ninja climbed up the slopes of the crater after the remaining monks and the girl, cutting down some skeleton monsters and blasting a few zombies with fire magic.
The trek took Gekkou all the way to the top of the crater, which is where the monks pursued their target. At the Crater Rim, Gekkou hid behind a large stone as he listened in to the monks and the mysterious girl's conversation.
"Why do you insist on following me?" questioned the girl.
"We're going to avenge our fallen comrades" challenged the leader of the remaining monks.
"Avenge?" questioned the mysterious girl.
"That's right, on our honor as Fabul's monks" said the three remaining fighters.
'Don't provoke her' Gekkou wanted to say to the monks, but he had to stay hidden, the mysterious girl would be too powerful for him to fight by himself if he was discovered by her.
"And throw your lives away?" demanded the girl.
The monks lunged at the Mysterious girl, who merely zapped them with Thundaga. The monks collapsed, dying from the spell.
Gekkou clenched his fists, he wanted to help fight this strange enemy, but again, he knew it would be suicidal. He listened as the Mysterious Girl said something about an interdimensional elevator and waited until she left before coming out of his hiding place.
The monks were all dead, so Gekkou took their bodies one by one and buried them in a spot out of the way in the bottom part of the crater'Forgive me, I have my own honor to uphold, my honor as a ninja of Eblan. But rest assured, you shall be avenged' thought Gekkou, staring for a moment at the gravestone he made for the fallen monks.
Gekkou headed out of the crater and began to head back to Eblan.
Finally, I was able to get another chapter up. I know I keep using Zangetsu and Tsukinowa's aliases along with their names, but that was to keep the story from getting confusing. I will try to post another chapter, soon. It will wrap up Edge's Tale.
Please feel free to review.