People were screaming, running past you in a frantic panic. Luca wasn't being invaded, just the arena, which wasn't very good since it was packed to the brim of previously cheering fans. You and Auron were at the top levels, clearly able to see fish monsters being slaughtered in the giant water ball.
"Ahead!" Auron announced as something large shambled forth. Like a turtle on two legs surrounded by thick armour plating. A hedgehog with no spikes, only protective shell and hate in its eyes. Something flew over it, two angry red wasp monsters the size of small dogs.
"Handle the pests. I'll take the armoured fiend," Auron instructed and took off without seeing if you'd listen to his orders.
"Very well. That works nicely with my newly discovered displeasure with insects," you announced and pointed your book at them as it appeared in a swirl of silver energy and darkness.
In this form, you felt that urge to melancholy talk down to the wasps.
"Let all you sought be reduced to nought in a flash," you intoned as lighting struck down from the heavens, arching between each wasp with a dangerous crackle. The insects twitched on the ground for a moment, barely alive... well held together. Life did not course through these fiends. Just like it didn't with Auron.
Wasps HP: 121
Wasps in critical condition. All rolls suffer -10!
"They still linger. How unfortunate. For them, that is." you commented.
Auron moved in with a swing of his massive katana, slicing into the armoured fiend.
Damage: 31
Fiend HP: 200
What a monster. His form... his strength... the unflinching timing of ending the fiend. This was a master of the blade and yet... he seemed to be holding a lot of his power back as if to conceal his strength.
You buzzed in wonder for a moment, almost a wasp yourself for a second before you deftly avoided the two wasps desperate to kill you. Their forms were so slow that you easily smashed your tome into both of their heads, causing them to explode into beautiful lights.
"Odd. I was expecting more of a splat," you admitted.
"Fiends are the dead, unable to hold on to anything more than their hate and despair. Therefore, their forms become twisted and forget who they once were.," Auron said as he approached.
"All you did was send the newly dead on their way to the Farplane or caused the old ones who cling forever to this land to reform in a different place and time," the man finished. You picked up two long needles left behind.
"So, they are lingering resentment? I know of something similar, but they aren't just that specific emotion," you admitted.
"Death has become murky since 1000 years ago. Souls are easily lost," he agreed
"Each time they are defeated, a little bit of their hate is left behind... their humanity," Auron added and walked off again.
"We're going to be late," he insisted.
Gained 2 Poison Needles:
Chance to inflict poison on foes if used. DC depends on the enemy.
Gained: 14 exp(2 wasps) and 5 exp(same party kill armour)
You followed Auron through a tunnel and quickly invested your untapped power into the Bastion class. It had been slightly neglected.
Bastion banked exp 5 +26 exp from general = 31
Bastion levels to 3!
Bastion gained:
General: 3 HP
General: Ice-Cold: Ice magic inflicts +2 damage and has +1 magical accuracy.
Bastion: Hunker: Reduce ice and physical damage by half for one turn. Damage over 50 ignores this ability. Restore 1 NP on conclusion.
Bastion: Flurry: Increase dodge by damage taken last turn up to a max of 10. Cost 1 NP.
Feeling a chill of science fill you... you felt more confident... stronger too.
The inner ring of the arena was in chaos and Auron walked up to meet a giant lizard on four legs, its scaled body dark as it chose to ignore the screaming people to focus on Auron, something screaming at its instincts.
Auron got into a stance, freeing his arm from where it rested inside his jacket.
You eyed the lizard, sensing its energy.
Flame Drake: 50/50 HP
That thing would be tough to fight alone so you could be support for Auron by cast-
Auron moved in with more speed than shown before.
Damage: 70
You stared as it fell to the ground, decapitated into pretty lights.
Gained 12 exp from same party.
"I am starting to realize just how fortunate I am to have you as an ally rather than an enemy," you announced and Auron's stony expression managed to smirk ever so slightly.
"Auron!"
"Sir Auron!"
You nearly winced. What was that hideous accent?!
You turned to see some blonde teen of vague gender until you stared at his chest long enough to guess. It reminded you of a movie when you were alive... the name long was forgotten, but the actress on it bore a striking resemblance to the teen.
"Meg...Ryan," you said, rattling the chain of memory for the name.
The other man was loud and garish, but you supposed colourful characters could have their charm. Why, you just had to think of the Wonder Chef and his gift of the Alchemist class. The man with deep orange hair and yellow clothes ran up followed by the teen. The orange one looked in awe.
Meg Ryan looked angry.
Perhaps this world was a Hallmark romance movie... with monsters? They only noticed you after a second but words fell short when a massive shadow fell over you all.
You looked up to see something quite unwelcoming.
A giant slobbering flabby bird thing.
Garuda: 100 HP
Well... while everyone was staring, you fired off a blizzard at the open mouth.
Accuracy: 98(+13 bonus)
Dodge: 32 fail!
Ice crawled down the Garuda's throat and up to its eyes before it shattered painfully across its flesh.
"Stay frosty. Less staring, more fighting," you said and the teen turned.
"Who the heck are you? Why are you with Auron?!" he demanded and you wanted to stare at him.
Was... this really the time to act jealous?
"Something to discuss when there isn't a massive monster bird flying overhead. Unless you wish to provide the most valuable service that is 'being a distraction,' for us," you insisted and the orange one looked furious at you.
"Was this you, eh? First taking Yuna and now releasing monsters? What's wrong the Al Bhed, are they that desperate to win?!" the man demanded as he threw a... ball?
The thing soared towards the Garuda with deceptive power.
The ball was moments from hitting when the thing swung its neck out of the way. The ball soared out sight and you wondered what the man would do now since he was now weaponless...
He focused and the ball just return to his hand in a silent flicker. It was some form of recall magic but for balls?
You wondered if all warriors on this world had learned such a skill for their weapon?
Meg Ryan went next and the boy was obviously a few classes short of a Garment Grid because he leapt off the walkway wall and jumped at the bird, blue sword swinging.
The bird slapped out with one of its wings and smacked Meg Ryan hard into the wall where he was forced to cling to the surface or fall, blue sword limp in her other hand. He looked daze and confused at the impact.
Tidus HP: 2519
Auron focused on the bird and moved but you could see his arc of the blade would propel Auron towards the panicking boy. The blade dragged itself across the Garuda's stomach, drawing a scream of pain from the fiend.
Garuda HP: 88 66
Auron kept going, clutching Meg Ryan's wrist before he completely fell to his death.
"Not much has changed," Auron said briskly. Now, the bird looked pissed after being frozen, had a ball thrown at it, Meg Ryan flying at it, and Auron basically ignoring it.
It held up its wings, straining them far back as they would go. Whatever it was doing would hit Auron and Tidus the hardest, then Wakka, and you would get the tail-end being the furthest back... if it hit.
The fiend flung its wings forward and a truly horrible blast of wind and force impacted Auron and Meg. Wakka dodged behind a row of seats and you were just at the wrong angle to be hit.
Meg gave a yell of pain and Auron just grunted.
Tidus: 1910. -5 on all rolls.
Auron: ?
The bird looked tired and you had a chance to move now. While you could set the bird on fire or freeze it again... you had a feeling Auron wanted Meg alive for some reason. Plus, helping people was how the universe went around.
Look at all the friends it got you already.
You focused and cast the pale green sparks over Meg, aiding him as Auron pulled him up. Not only was your aim impeccable, but your aid was also appreciated it seemed.
Crit bonus: Tidus affection grows for you. +5 experience for the Sorcerer class.
"Woah! Thanks, kid!" Meg called as his wounds stitched themselves up.
Tidus hp: 1018, malus removed.
"This 'kid' is not the one who flung himself at a giant drooling monster, but sure... you're welcome," you said dryly as the orange one took aim again, his ball becoming coated in darkness.
It was magic but not the element of darkness, some sub-sibling of poison if anything. The effect seemed to deaden nerves around the eye and cause a cloud to surround the face. In your current form it looked easy enough to mimic...
DC of 50 to learn blind... 62!
You held up one noodle arm and a plume of shadows surrounded it with ease.
Sorry, orange one... your days of usefulness were one day shorter.
Learned Blind!
Blind: Inflict one foe with blind, causing them to suffer -10 on all physical accuracy and -5 on dodging rolls for D2+1 turns. Cost 2 NP. Doesn't affect magical accuracy. Foes may have innate bonuses or out right immunity to it.
Wakka threw his ball with perhaps more concentration than before.
The ball smacked hard into the head with impressive accuracy and the darkness seeped into the skin of the bird, causing its vision to become utterly fouled by black smoke.
Blind last 2 turns.
Damage: 10
Garuda HP: 6656
Meg was up next and he looked ready for some revenge, glowing in fact. His form rippled with the same light of those souls, but this light was the teen's own light. He began to flip forward, his body gaining speed and height with each move.
Meg was going to throw himself off the edge again... with a twirl. He surprisingly not only managed to land on the Garuda but slice deeply into its wing joint. It buckled as Meg flipped back onto the walkway with a nimbleness that spoke of extreme sports.
Or a predilection to having things thrown at him.
Garuda: 5642. -5 to all rolls but damage.
You watched as Auron took advantage of the creature limping closer to the walkway, swinging his sword.
Auron landed on its head, diving his blade deep into the head of the monster where anything with biology should have died instantly... not so with these fiends. It was so confused and blinded that Auron got a second stab in for good measure.
The blade went clean through before Auron's body exploded with that same light as Meg, his sword glowing as it pulsed energy into the Garuda, causing explosions to erupt all over its body.
The only word you could think of was... Overkill.
Garuda defeated! 60 Exp gained!
Powersphere gained!
Powersphere: Use to give physical damage across all classes +1 damage.
The red sphere you held seemed to melt into your form, filling you with a tiny... but an important surge of power.
You looked around as the orange one and Meg let out cries of frustration. Fiends came in at all angles. Wolf ones, shelled ones, slime ones, cyclopean flying ones, more drakes, and... three garudas.
They all bore down on you and even the tunnel which you came from had fish like lizards skulking about now.
"Hey, gimmie a break!" Meg cried out as if complaining would make them leave.
You waved your arms in concern and worries, trying to join in with the others. That was when a massive flow of dream energy hit you and a chain fell from the sky.
The sound of some sad hymn flowed out and you heard a heart crying out in sorrow.
'Enough... no more... please you must stop!' the woman cried at the same time the chain rose to reveal something you were not prepared to deal with. The chain pulled a massive demonic creature encompassed into fly-trap wings. Chains bound many arms across its mottled grey body as a single eye moved in the head above a fanged maw.
You heard 'maester' Seymour called out.
"Anima... save the people," he commanded, his heart closed off from the woman's cries. Closed off to everything.
Despite her words and pleas, the woman in the form of the creature did not want to disobey... or leave Seymour. Her form was like a fiend. Twisted, but unlike a fiend, this was the opposite of a heart filled with remorse or anger.
This was willpower and determination. Pushing her beyond any fiend in terms of power... on top of that, she was empowered by the dream that suffocated Spira.
There was magic there, powerful binding and summoning magic that made you sit up and take notice.
Your very being noticed the magic.
Perhaps under layers of much dream and pain... there was a special magic... a special...
Form.
Yet, when you reached for it, you couldn't understand it... it felt complex with emotions you couldn't understand! It rushed back like an ocean, tugged by a master.
Your self felt raw and the sense of the magic became all confused.
HP: 1714
Summoner class locked until further lore and understanding is personally learned.
Then the creature began to do something very strange.
It began to fire eye lasers that auto-locked onto fiends, exploding them into pretty lights of the panicking masses.
"Wow... good thing fiends don't explode into gore or this be far less impressive," you said casually.
"Who is this... child?!" the orange one demanded.
"He's not wrong..." Meg admitted.
"Nobody of importance, though I would prefer if you call me Eraqus instead of just 'child' or anything else like that," you interrupted.
"Nice to meet ya, I'm Tidus and that's Wakka... um... why were you hanging out with Auron and do you know a girl named 'Rikku'?" Tidus asked brightly, getting a frown from Wakka.
"Riku?" you echoed.
"Rikku!" Tidus repeated excitedly, not letting Auron out of his sight.
"I know a grumpy cookie by that name, though he is not a girl. He does have the hair for it though." you admitted and Tidus sagged.
"No, Rikku is definitely a girl," he said before perking up.
"You a mage like Lulu or a summoner like Yuna? You used really strong magic," Tidus asked as those balls of light filled the air. The creature Seymour called forth fading away with a sight.
Her lights floated past and one of them hovered near your head.
"For the moment, I am a mage. Though I do have some surprises, especially with my attire," you said and the light flowed around you.
"Strange an Al Bhed knowns magic. I heard they gave it all up for forbidden Machina," Wakka said, the word sounding both bizarre and hostile. He turned to the scene of people calming, cheering for Seymour as he gazed down in what he must have thought was a kind gesture.
"To each their own. Something I've learned is that limiting yourself can be rather pointless or result in something less than ideal. Always something to be learned or gained, you just need to be looking," you said easily and the man turned with a snarl.
"Poking about got us into the mess in the first place. Using forbidden machina, sitting around as machines did all the work, living in sin and starting wars caused Sin to appear. Some things are better off not known. We'd all be happier that way," he said caustically before Tidus put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wakka... he's just a kid," Tidus insisted, looking uncomfortable.
"A kid throwing magic about. No different than waving a sword about. He's just as dangerous as Lu or you," Wakka insisted.
"And yet willfully choosing ignorance causes it's own share of problems. What's done is done and it cannot be changed. Though, I will concede that I am a bit lacking in life experience. Being a few weeks old has its disadvantages," you admitted. Wakka was quiet for a long time before he seemed to let go of something.
"Years... not months. Your accent isn't bad and time phrases can be hard if you're not used to it in Spirian, ya?" Wakka said with a sigh as he really took you in.
"Listen... Al Bhed just... with Yuna being kidnapped and..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Knowing things isn't bad, you know? Just Al... a lot of people rush into things and it comes back to bite us when some faith and patience would work as well. If some Machina came out from under Bevelle and destroyed Sin? I'd be the first to bow my head but I haven't seen Machina do anything but ruin things," Wakka said as he bent down.
He tried his best to smile, though it was clear his mind was turmoil.
"Maybe seeing the world be good for you, ya?" he said and stood, looking around.
"Where's your parents? I'll escort you back... no kid should be alone during this," he said, looking around with a scowl as if ready to berate irresponsible parents. Auron was suspiciously keeping quiet, enjoying the show it would seem.
"I'm on my own at the moment. I have some friends, but I don't think I'll be seeing them anytime soon," you said honestly. This got you a look from both Tidus and Wakka. Levels of sympathy.
"I know how that is. Come on, we'll find you somewhere people are gathering to be united. Someone there... an Al Bhed even, might know what to do," Wakka insisted, though it was clear he was then infused with that last part.
"If it is alright, I'd rather stay and see where I can help. Auron was so kind as to offer me some help just before all of this went down. It would be rude to separate us before he has that chance, no?" you said innocently, turning to Auron who grunted, clearly seeing the benefit of an off-healer.
"The kid is with me for the moment," he announced, causing Tidus to frown again and then turned to you.
"The mage as well," he added.
How lovely.
-
"Your father is Sin," Auron said bluntly.
How not lovely.
"Jecht is Sin," Auron drove in the point and Tidus backed away.
"That's impossible! Jecht can't be... Sin," Tidus rejected the motion and Auron merely went on, flatly.
"You know... you felt it when you came into contact with Sin. It is why the toxic that he is so infamous for hasn't touched you. Jecht transported you here... don't believe me? Come with me and find out," Auron insisted.
"...and if I say no?" Tidus responded sullenly. Auron didn't even bat an eye.
"Every story has an ending," he said simply. It was true, but also a bit odd to say when you accused someone's father of being evil moral actions made manifest.
This Sin had been mentioned quite a few times and you wondered why...
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STORIES!" Tidus screamed back, pushing Auron with little effect.
Tidus stood there before he turned to look at you, standing on the pier edge.
"Why is he here?" he asked after a moment.
"I thought you didn't care about my stories?" Auron retorted before turning away.
"Eraqus is different. Not from your Zanarkand or from Spira... he might have a unique perspective," Auron said after a moment.
"Where... did you come from then? If not from my home and not here... where else is there?" Tidus asked a little sadly and any annoyance you had him paused as you saw him crumbling slightly.
He looked distraught... angry, confused... scared.
Tidus looked liked he wanted to cry a little and it wasn't funny even if you could felt amusement.
"I am... an outsider of sorts. A drifter. I've been many places, but I don't think I've had a place I call home just yet. Still, if you wish to ask me for advice, then I will offer what I can," you bowed and Tidus swallowed hard.
"Can you take me home?" he asked, small like a child. You just gave him a sad look before speaking.
"I'm stuck here like you. I don't know where your home is or how to get there. I know less about this world than even you do. But..." you said and Tidus looked up with a forlorn look.
"We can look for answers together. I believe our issues might not be so separate. Where your home is and what is keeping me here. I can offer assistance and together we shall bear this world on our shoulders. If my company as a fellow lost traveller doesn't quite make you feel better... I have healing magic and some odd talents," you offered honestly.
This managed a weak smile from Tidus.
"Thanks... it'd be nice to have that since Auron here is as supportive as a broken leg," he glared at the swordsman who merely looked back, unimpressed.
"I've saved your life twice now. Cheering you up is not in my list of duties," Auron reminded stiffly.
"Auron can also murder things and tell evil-looking maesters to shove off. He's quite useful," you said in his defence.
Auron turned his scowl to you.
"I'm never going home... am I?" Tidus said, cutting the mood down again. Auron merely shrugged.
"That... is up to Jecht," he said and something about the way he said made you feel like he wasn't being honest.
For the first time since you met him... Auron lied.