Start Date: July 22, 2023
Windwillow
Hope, the essence of Earth. Courage, the essence of Fire. Devotion, the essence of Water. And, finally, Passion, the essence of Wind. The four elements form a delicate balance of power across the world's entire span. Hope pulses the land with life, courage lights the flame of life, devotion swells the ocean with the energy of the sea, and passion drives the winds that carry humanity to all four corners of the earth. Each of these essences is embodied in its respective crystal, scattered across the globe. Humanity, in its endless lust for power, has developed the means to draw more power from these crystals, giving their civilization a great boon to progress their society to the next level. Sadly, the inspiration for these wondrous machines came from a subconscious power that the world trembles before. Unknowing of his folly, the scientist developed the crystal augmentation technology, though now that technology has begun to fulfill its true purpose.
Final Fantasy V: The War of the Crystals
Four individuals, gathered from across the seas of Tycoon, had been chosen. As the wind wavered and finally faded, the influence was shown across all corners of the globe. When the wind begins to die no more ships can sail, and one day the air itself will become stagnant and the world rendered unlivable. Four particular people sensed this danger, though only one knew the importance of its danger. Sailing the seas a pirate captain felt the air begin to fade, a wanderer's campfire began to dim, an otherworldly visitor raced to prevent the apocalypse, and the dragoon king of Tycoon hurried to the Wind Shrine in fear of what would come next. The Wind Shrine housed the Wind Crystal, as would be expected, and was under the direct protection of the Kingdom of Tycoon.
As he stepped into the morning sunlight, it reflected on the sturdy, silver helm that signified his role as both a king and a dragoon. He wore long, flowing blue robes that were joined by armor of a matching color, and on his shoulder were two golden pauldrons that supported his rather lengthy golden cape. He could feel the wind begin to wane, a sense of dread in his bones that he could not dismiss. Alexander Highwind Tycoon ascended the top tower of his castle with great reluctance and fear, his mighty lance placed at his back. At the peak of Tycoon Castle was a monstrous beast: a mighty, winged silver-scaled dragon. King Tycoon hurried towards the wind drake and laid a hand on its head, caressing its scales with a gentle touch. Before he could mount, however, he heard a sharp cry behind him and he turned to find a young girl staring back at him with trepidation in her eyes.
"Father... What is going on?" asked the lass.
King Tycoon shook his head and took his place atop the wind drake, and as it spread its wings the young woman hurriedly charged forward with her hand outstretched. Before she could reach the king, however, he had already lifted off and made haste to the Wind Shrine. Princess Lenna Charlotte Tycoon could only watch helplessly as her father departed the kingdom of Tycoon for the Wind Shrine. The wind drake made haste, soaring through the ever-deadening winds until it reached its final destination and King Tycoon hurried through the shrine to its summit. Along the way he was forced to defend himself, though when he finally threw open the doors to the final chamber his wounds meant nothing to him.
What he saw chilled his soul and made his blood run cold: the sight of a glorious crystal reposing in the center of a beautiful, crystalline chamber. As the king approached he wiped the blood from his lips and quickly hurried towards the crystal. First one crack occurred, then a second, and with an onrushing burst of light the crystal shattered into a thousand shards. Engulfed by the searing light, Alexander Tycoon could see only a single image in his mind's eye: the essence of evil incarnate.
Chapter One: Assembly of the Four Lights
Scene One
Deep within one of the forests of Tycoon, a small fire was lit around which two figures huddled, one a human and the other a chocobo. The man tending the fire was young, only twenty. He wore a blue tunic with a shirt and trousers that matched each other as white. At the side of his chocobo was a long sword, steel-bladed and with a blue hilt, his second partner and a treasure inherited from his father. He could tell that the fire had begun to wane, though before he could even open his mouth to speak he heard a tremendous rumbling from high above.
What he saw beggared belief: a titanic, flaming stone that pierced the sky and zoomed through the atmosphere, descending with incredible speed and force. The mighty rock split the skies and crashed deep into the earth beyond, and without a word spoken the young man mounted his chocobo and rushed towards the crash site. There he found three figures: two goblins and a young girl, being dragged from the site of the crash by the arms. Accosted by the two goblins was a beautiful, youthful maiden with light pink hair whose bangs hung across the front of her face. She wore an orange sort of tunic, latched by a brown belt and two sturdy sandals on her lower body. Notably, she wore a strange collection of jewelry: gold bracelets, a silver necklace, and on that necklace a lovely, red jewel that sparkled in the autumn sunlight.
While the young woman struggled against her captors, she found that she didn't have the physical strength necessary to resist the goblins. Even so she fought with all the strength in her body as the two monsters pulled her towards their nest in the forest, though when she closed her eyes and screamed she felt her arms become loose again. She opened her eyes to find the wanderer, sword outstretched, with two dead goblins at his feet. Lenna's breath quickened, then quietly returned to normal as the wanderer stretched out his hand towards her and she shakily took hold of it.
"Goblins tend to eat up pretty young girls out here," said Bartz with a smirk. He dragged Lenna to her feet and patted her down to clean the dust from her tunic, though he brushed against a few sensitive places that painted a bright red flush on her cheeks. "It isn't pretty what happens when they get back home, so consider yourself lucky I found you..." he said smilingly. Lenna, stunned, could say nothing but silently her hand inched towards the dagger at her belt. Bartz caught her hand and wrenched the weapon away from her. "Relax! I don't bite, miss! But if you stab me I might tend to bite back," said the wanderer with an uncomfortable grin.
"I-I... I apologize..." croaked Lenna. She tentatively reached forward and snatched the dagger back, then quietly returned it to her side. Even if he had saved her, this didn't seem to be the kind of man she could fully trust. "My name is Lenna. I must hurry to the Wind Shrine, so I haven't the time to dally here..." she stammered. Bartz tilted his head. She certainly spoke strangely. Lenna's eyes quickly averted and laid claim to a figure laying prone on the ground by the meteorite and with a sharp cry she hurried towards it, brushing Bartz aside.
The figure was an old man, seemingly having emerged from nowhere. As he lifted himself from the ground, the old man brushed his bruised forehead, hidden under a bed of messy auburn hair. He wore a simple orange tunic with a red sash tied around his waist, with a pair of simple boots on his feet. He choked out a foul word and stumbled backwards, gripping onto the asteroid to keep his balance.
"Hey, you alright, old dude?!" asked Bartz frantically. The older man shook his head to gather himself, coughed a few times, and stared strangely at Bartz, as if he saw someone he'd met before though his memory quickly faded again. He shook his head and laid a hand to his face, then muttered a few more nasty words before wiping the sweat from his brow. "You got a name, old-timer?" wondered Bartz. The old man smiled and stretched out his hand.
"Name's Galuf," said the old man gruffly. He paused and laid a hand to his face. Somehow, all he remembered was his name. He vaguely recalled being inside some sort of vessel before he woke up, but was unable to remember where it was or what it looked like.
"Nice to meet you, Galuf. What the heck are you doing out in the middle of nowhere under a giant piece of rock?!" groaned Bartz. "People don't generally crawl out from under meteors without having a good reason for being under one."
"Stuff it, you little twerp. I ain't got the time to screw with you. I've got to get to the Wind Shrine ASAP, and I don't wanna deal with some smart-ass kid before I do it!" snapped Galuf brusquely.
"The Wind Shrine?! What are you doing going there?" wondered Lenna. Galuf laid a hand to his face and shook his head. Everything was still foggy. He vaguely remembered that he'd come here for an important reason, but beyond that all the memories he had left were of a young blonde girl, begging him not to leave for some reason. What was her name? Who was she? He had no idea. All he knew was that she was... important.
"Hell if I know," muttered Galuf. As he rose he held a hand to his face, gathering his thoughts, such as they were. What the bloody hell was he doing here under a damned meteorite, of all places? "All I know is that I gotta get there as soon as possible, which is the same as ASAP if you didn't understand the abbreviation," he said snarkily.
"I knew what it meant, you old fart!" snapped Bartz. He grabbed Galuf by the scruff of the neck and dragged him in towards his face. When Galuf stuck out his tongue, that was the last straw. Before the two could come to blows Lenna put herself between the pair and separated Bartz from Galuf with both arms outstretched. "And your problem is?" he muttered.
"He and I have business together! We both need to get to the Wind Shrine! Both myself and Sir Galuf!" insisted Lenna. Galuf tilted his head in confusion, unsure of what the young lass meant. Even if he couldn't remember his motive, what was hers? Lenna turned to the old man with a smile and stretched out her hand. "Shall we go together, Sir Galuf?" she asked cheerfully. Galuf shook his head but still took her hand.
"Knock it off with the Sir crud and I'll happily join you," grinned Galuf. He turned to Bartz with a snarky smile. "You wanna come with us? I can tell you wanna feel the little lady up, rig-?" Before Galuf could finish his sentence Bartz smacked his mouth shut and the two nearly came to blows again. Lenna immediately separated them again and shot a nasty glare at Galuf.
"Even if I don't call you Sir, I expect that you'll carry yourself with more respect than this!" scolded Lenna. She turned to Bartz with a warm smile and stretched out her hand to him. "What about you, Sir... um..." she stammered. He'd never told her his name.
"Call me Bartz, Bartz Klauser! And drop the Sir stuff for me, too," tittered Bartz. Upon the mention of his surname, however, Galuf's eye twitched and he laid a hand to his face. Something about the name seemed to resonate, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Bartz shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "'Fraid I'll pass on the offer, though. We wanderers... um... wander?" he stammered. Lenna couldn't disguise the smile on her face. Somehow, she was really beginning to trust this man.
"Ha ha... Well, then Galuf and I shall be off, right?" asked Lenna as she tilted her head towards Galuf, who nodded. She gave Bartz a smile that swelled his heart with fire, waved goodbye, and hurried with Galuf from the scene. As she did, Bartz's face flushed bright red, though he then hurried to return to Boko. She was so beautiful, so vulnerable... Part of him wanted to help her. The other part just wanted to be next to her, for as long as he could manage to do so.
Scene Two
The road to Castle Tycoon had been blocked by the meteorite, so there was no choice but to travel north. Galuf and Lenna conversed the entire way through, with Lenna speaking of her father as being both a king and a dragoon. For his part Galuf paid little attention, although what he'd chided Bartz for he was also guilty of: she was so damn cute. While engaged in debate, however, the two felt a great rumbling beneath them as the ground began to split open. Although they hurried forward Lenna tripped and nearly plummeted to the bottom of the chasm before she felt a strong hand drag her up and on top of a chocobo.
"Bartz?!" gasped Lenna. A quick look from Bartz prompted Galuf to join the two atop Boko and the three of them vaulted past the cataclysm to safety. Once everyone had settled down, Lenna brushed off the dirt from her clothing and smiled again at Bartz. "I thought you said you didn't want to come?" she said inquisitively. Bartz shook his head and smiled.
"The wind is calling me," shrugged Bartz. Galuf tapped his shoulder from behind and whirled him around to face him with a sinister smirk on his face that Bartz didn't appreciate. He had a vague idea of what the old man was about to say, and it pissed him off.
"Admit it: You just wanna feel her up!" cackled Galuf. Bartz quickly battered the old man and nearly gave him a black eye before Lenna again separated the pair. With a sinister smirk on his face Galuf wiped the blood from his mouth and patted Bartz on the shoulder. "Sorry, won't happen again," he beamed. Bartz narrowed his eyes, knowing that it would happen again.
The three newly minted adventurers proceeded through the path that remained open, only to find that the only way left to proceed was through a dank cavern. Bartz, against his own better judgment, dismissed Boko and told him to have a good life, find a wife, and produce a few kids before the next time he saw him. Boko squawked happily and skittered away, though Lenna could have sworn she saw a tear in Bartz's eye. They proceeded through the cavern and explored it, though they were quickly set upon. It was a large, thick black bat nearly half the size of Lenna. The Steel Bat had vicious claws and fangs, certainly strong enough to rip open a human being.
Before Bartz could draw his sword to strike, Galuf reared back and slammed his fist into the bat's head, immediately dropping it to the ground unconscious. Although even Galuf was amazed the trio continued on until they reached a small opening in the cave. What they saw ahead was a large ship arriving from the north, sailing a flag with a skull-and-crossbones. Lenna, oblivious to the flag's meaning, hurried off to greet the ship and was surprised as a large monster dropped from the ceiling. The creature was bizarre, sort of a mixture between a mutated plant and a slug. Although it was large, it didn't seem to be terribly intimidating.
This time it was Bartz who slew the beast with a single slash of his sword. As the Stroper's remains dropped to the ground Bartz turned to watch as Lenna gave him a warm smile, and he only barely managed to keep himself from blushing. Before Galuf could say anything Bartz shot him a death glare that clearly said, "talk and you die," so the old man clammed up. The three travelers hurried through the cave and emerged in a large cove, where several pirates were departing from their ship. Forced to flee, the trio frantically hid behind a wall and counted their blessings that they weren't discovered.
"The hell do they have a ship without any wind?!" croaked Bartz. Lenna put a hand to her chin in thought, then smiled and nodded. They'd need a ship to reach the Wind Shrine, but without any wind they had no shot. If these fellows had a way to cross the sea without relying on the power of the wind, then that might be the only hope she had left.
"Think they'll let us ride?" asked Lenna cheerfully. Bartz's jaw dropped to his knees at the audacity, but she seemed to be deadly serious. After a bit more thought, Galuf smiled and rubbed his hands together fiendishly. Bartz immediately suspected what he was about to say next. He wasn't pleased with Galuf's idea at all.
"I say we steal it!" cackled Galuf.
"That's even more outrageous!" snarled Bartz. He looked back behind the wall and peered at the now-empty ship, and the idea didn't seem terribly stupid. At least not as stupid as it actually was. "Fine, whatever... Let's make it quick," he muttered darkly. He gathered up his courage and peeked out again, and was presented with the face of a pirate with half his teeth left and a gold ring in his nose. "Oh, come on!" shrieked Bartz as he was taken hold of and dragged away from their hiding place.
In short order the trio was bound and tied with rope and led to the front of the pirate ship, where they found what they assumed was its captain. Fitting for the leader of a band of pirates was a captain dressed in a traditional captain's coat, a long, sleeveless black coat that he wore over a pale blue tunic and a simple pair of trousers. His hair was a deep purple, tied around in the back by a ponytail. His weapon was an ornate cutlass, decorated with the scales and heads of a dragon, and around his neck was a very familiar jewel. All in all, he fit the stereotype of a pirate captain to a T.
"Not much in the way of brains, eh?" chortled the pirate captain. He leaned against the mast and smiled, a smile that was actually disturbingly heartwarming. "From what I overheard, the addled old man was the one that came up with it, so kudos to old age overtaking logic!" he laughed. Although Galuf fiercely resisted and even stuck his tongue out at the pirate, the captain paid closest attention to Lenna. "Bet we could make a pretty penny on this one!" hooted the captain. Lenna defiantly shook her head and narrowed her eyes. Over her dead body would she be sold to some old slave master.
"I am Princess Lenna Charlotte Tycoon of the nation of Tycoon," Lenna said sharply and to the shock of all present. She stared at the pirate captain with a look of utter contempt, and narrowed her eyes at him. "I must make haste to the Wind Shrine. If you assist me, my nation can be of some worth to you..." she said softly. When the pirates burst out laughing, Lenna angrily snarled at them. "And what's so funny?!" she snapped.
"You've just gone from slave to ransom bait, you daft little girl!" chuckled the pirate captain. As he turned his eyes to around Lenna's neck he saw the jeweled red pendant she wore and suddenly stopped cold. The captain silently grit his teeth and turned to one of his men. "Throw them in the brig," he said coldly. The pirates obliged and the trio were taken down below and into captivity.
"Call me addled, will he! When I rearrange his face he won't be such a snappy fellow!" snarled Galuf as he struggled against his bonds. Bartz narrowed his eyes at the old man and immediately silenced him with his glare. This old man was out of his God damned mind!
"If you recall, you did say we should steal the ship!" spat Bartz.
"Oh, dear! My poor memory..." lamented Galuf dramatically. Bartz saw no humor in the situation and angrily stuck out his tongue at the old man. Lenna, who alone remained stoic, quietly turned her eyes to Bartz and grimaced. It wasn't that she was trying to hide anything, but the idea that she might have misled Bartz filled her with a fair amount of regret.
"I apologize for not telling you my name... I just never had the right opportunity to do so," said Lenna apologetically. Bartz shook his head and smiled, something that filled Lenna's cheeks with a bright red blush. He soon joined her in the red flush club, and though Galuf wanted to say something naughty he thought better of it.
The captain had ordered the pirates to leave her in her cabin, where she quietly stared at the ceiling with her hands behind her head as a pillow. Faris had seen her fair share of jewelry, stolen a few thousand Gil's worth and sold an equal amount, but the sight of Lenna's pendant immediately silenced her greed and reawakened her own self doubts. She'd been only a child when the pirates dragged her from the sea, muttering "Farfa, Farfa" over and over again. To join the crew she'd concealed her gender and, when she formed her own crew, she kept herself firmly apart from the men when they bathed. None of them knew that she was a woman, at least no one that had spoken up.
"I learned to use a cutlass by fourteen... and had my own ship by nineteen..." murmured Faris idly. She withdrew a familiar ruby red pendant from her jacket and stared at it intently. She remembered next to nothing before she'd been taken in, only having the red jewel to prove she had a past in the first place. As Faris examined the jewel she quietly lifted it to her heart and said a prayer. "Farfa..." she whispered.
Scene Three
The night passed without incident, and as morning dawned Faris emerged solemnly from her cabin, wearing the red jewel around her neck. She'd barely slept, spending hour after hour staring at her pendant and pondering why a princess would have the same as she did. As she stepped onto the bridge of her ship, Faris quietly folded her arms over her chest and thought for a moment before ordering that the trio be brought up from the brig. When she ordered that they'd be freed the crew was astonished, and even more so when she announced that they were setting sail for the Wind Shrine.
"But, Captain..." One of her men protested, only to have a cutlass placed at his throat. Although he'd seen Faris act sternly before, never once had she been violent to her own crew.
"A captain's orders are cast-iron law," said Faris testily. She narrowed her eyes at the crewman and flashed an angry glare. "I run a tight ship. Don't make me force the issue," she growled. The pirate immediately assented and hurried to prepare for the ship to set sail. Once the trio had been freed they were brought to the bridge, where Faris awaited with her arms over her chest. She turned to the three and smiled softly. "We're headed to the Wind Shrine," she said smilingly, to the astonishment of all three adventurers.
"What?! What by the briny beard of Neptune's wrong with you?!" choked Galuf. He paused and put a hand to his chin. "Did I do the pirate talk right, or do I need to mention barnacles and keel-hauling, or-" He was promptly punched in the face by Faris, who grabbed hold of him by the throat and pulled him in towards her face, her eyes narrowed.
"Don't push your luck. I have no obligation to explain myself to you. If you'd prefer I could slit your throat and toss you overboard. Which would you prefer?" she snarled. When Galuf quickly retreated, Faris sighed and turned to Lenna and glared at her. "Do you intend to question me as well, lass?" asked Faris testily. Lenna shook her head and smiled.
"Whatever your motivations may be, I greatly appreciate them!" beamed Lenna. When she bowed politely to Faris, the pirate captain's fist clenched but she said nothing and dismissed the three of them. The four adventurers eventually left the cabin and stood atop the deck of the ship. Lenna, curious, couldn't help but wonder something. "How will we move the ship when there's no wind?" she questioned. Faris scowled and gave a sharp whistle, prompting the sea serpent Syldra to lift its head from the bottom of the boat. While Lenna and her friends began to panic, Faris put a hand to her hip and sighed.
"Syldra and I have been together for years. When I ask her to pull the ship, she pulls the ship. We'll dock at the town of Tule to resupply before we go to the Wind Shrine, so prepare to head into town as soon as we drop anchor," said Faris sharply. She sighed and laid a hand to her face. "Stop asking questions and find somewhere to sit. It'll take a day before we reach Tule..." she said, much more quietly.
With that Faris' ship departed from Pirates' Cove to the village of Tule. Along the way Lenna was approached by one of the pirates and asked why they'd been given safe passage to Tule. Although Galuf attempted to throw in a nasty comment, Bartz promptly whacked him in the face and silenced him. When Bartz then questioned where Syldra came from the pirate was unable to answer, and only knew that they'd been together since Faris had left her original pirate crew. Galuf, for his part, could only wonder what her previous crew had been like if they'd hauled along a sea serpent. Once they'd docked at Tule the party and the pirates split up, with the former heading into town to shop and the latter to get drunk. They used what money they had to purchase various sundries, mostly potions and a few ethers, and also looked through the weapon and armor shops. Although none of the village's weapons interested them, they did buy leather bracers and boots to outfit their armor.
Lenna was uncomfortable with Faris possessing the same pendant that she did, and Bartz volunteered to suss things out. He sneaked inside her room in the Inn to speak with her, but when he saw that she was asleep he nearly left. Curiosity got the better of him, however, so he turned Faris over in bed to look at the pendant. To his amazement he found not a pendant, but a series of thick bands around Faris' chest to restrain her breasts. Astonished, he smuggled Galuf inside the room to investigate, and when Faris woke up she beat the two to within an inch of their lives before tossing them out of her room.
While in town Lenna suggested that the three of them visit her friend Zok, who built the Torna Canal. Galuf questioned what the Torna Canal was, and Bartz explained that it was an artificial waterway that connects the seas of Tycoon and Walse, and that it had been sealed because of recent monster attacks. Although they knocked on the door Zok seemed to not be home, so the trio left. On Galuf's suggestion they attempted to sneak out of town to steal Faris' ship, only to be met onboard by a disgruntled captain and her crew, the former of which laid her cutlass at Galuf's neck.
"Did you honestly think you could trick us, you old codger?" snapped Faris. Galuf shivered and stumbled back, then patted Bartz on the back and pushed him forward. He wasn't shameless; he'd gladly use Bartz as a scapegoat.
"It was his idea, not mine," said Galuf plainly. Lenna, unsatisfied with Galuf's lie, reared back and smacked him over the head hard enough that he almost regained his memory. Although Galuf reeled, he said nothing and unlike what he would have done with Bartz he didn't stick his tongue out.
"Please don't lie! It doesn't become you!" insisted Lenna fiercely, fiercely enough that Galuf quickly backed down and apologized. Lenna shared a soft smile with Bartz, which quickly flushed both their cheeks and prompted Bartz to wonder if he was already scaling the gallows for romancing a princess.
Scene Four
Their arrival at the Wind Shrine was a full day later, after Galuf had healed up from where Lenna had bonked him. If anything happened to the king, it would have been in the distant past. Leaving behind the crew of pirates, the four adventurers entered the Wind Shrine and were greeted by Tycoon's chancellor and a band of soldiers. The chancellor glumly admitted that they'd left the king and remained on the lowest floor, and that monsters had already begun to infest the temple. Horrified, Lenna turned to rush upstairs but was restrained by Bartz, and she quickly slapped him for it.
"My father is upstairs in a nest of monsters! Don't you dare tell me not to follow him!" declared Lenna fiercely. Bartz massaged the wound he'd received for a moment before his hand began to inch towards his weapon, and the implications were clear: Lenna wouldn't be going alone. Galuf confirmed that he would be joining them and so did Faris, leaving Lenna to breathe a sigh of relief and smile warmly enough that the crew nearly swooned. "Everyone... you have my thanks..." she breathed softly.
There was nothing else to do but head upstairs and face whatever came next. The four brave men and women began to scale the Wind Shrine, and sneaked through the eerily abandoned chambers of the temple. A dank sickness seemed to be in the air, which might have been from the Black Goblins that ambushed them. Tall and lanky like their lesser cousins, Black Goblins were armed with long, slick daggers in addition to their natural tools. Bartz and Faris deftly withdrew their weapons and slashed at the goblins, clashing with their iron daggers while Galuf attacked with his bare hands. It was a fierce melee, though as the last goblin fell Bartz had the sickening realization that Lenna was nowhere to be found. He and the others charged upstairs and found Lenna desperately attempting to wrench open a large door, the door to the crystal chamber.
Although she was unable to do so the combined efforts of all four somehow managed to open the door. Unfortunately, they weren't alone. Massive was a good word to describe the beast. The Wing Raptor's wingspan was twice the length of any of their own bodies, thick feathers and sharpened talons that surely weren't for show. Terrified and with no other choice the four hurried through the door and shut it up behind them. As the doors clanked hard, sealed by the sheer force of the steel that bound them, Bartz dropped to his seat in exhaustion. Between the Black Goblins and being chased by the Wing Raptor, he was severely exhausted. How would they actually escape? Before he could think any further Bartz heard a loud shriek and turned to find Lenna further inside the crystal chamber, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. As he approached he discovered why: what should have been a grand crystal no longer remained, only shards remaining of the Wind Crystal. Lenna sunk to her knees in shock before charging the crystal's remnants, but was restrained by Galuf.
"We have to search for him! We have to search for my father!" screeched Lenna madly. The more Galuf held her back, the hotter she became until she finally slapped him and turned towards where the crystal should have been. As she did so a blinding light broke through their senses and a shrill shriek rent their ears asunder. Faced with overwhelming brightness and a loud, wrenching screeching noise, they quickly fell to their knees and dropped unconscious to the ground face-first.
Some time passed before they regained consciousness. First Lenna, then Bartz, and then the other two groggily opened their eyes to find that the light had passed and the noise was gone. They quietly ambled to their feet, though as they did so they realized something: there was something grasped between each of their fingers. A quick glance revealed that four shards of crystal were now between their fingers, shards that quickly began to resonate with a sharp pang of pain. As they stumbled back the four shards shot forward and began to rotate in the center of the room, each glowing a different color of the rainbow.
"We crystals contain the spirits of warriors, men of renown and mighty deeds. Each of us calls out in pain, pain of separation from the source of all the wind of the four corners of the earth."
"What the bloody hell is going on?!" snarled Faris, beset with both fury and confusion. In a blinding flash of light she felt a warmth on her palm, and realized that she again now held the crystal shard. She stared into the shimmering light and watched as words began to form on the face of the crystal.
"Courage, the essence of Fire."
The light continued to resonate, and each of the others found that there were also words etched on their own crystals: "Devotion, the essence of Water" for Lenna, "Hope, the essence of Earth" for Galuf, and on Bartz's shard were the words: "Passion, the essence of Wind."
"What... in the world... is going on?" breathed an incredulous Bartz. Nothing made sense, not even remotely. He vaguely realized that the figure of a man had begun to form in the center of the crystal chamber: King Tycoon. Lenna, both horrified and relieved, dashed towards the king and leapt into his arms, only to fall flat on her face. She slowly turned about and watched as the spectral image of her father began to solidify from a blue blur to a full manifestation of the king. Against all her understanding Faris' hand reached around her neck and clutched her pendant tightly. Something about that man was... affecting her.
"You four who hold the crystal shards are the Warriors of Light. It is too late for this blessed creation, but three crystals remain," spoke the king in a low, hesitant voice. He lifted his head towards each of them in turn and laid a hand over his heart. "There is a great evil that threatens the remaining three! Please, search them out! Protect the crystals!" he boomed, desperation in his voice.
"Father! What do you mean?!" Lenna shrieked, her hand reaching for the spectral form just as the manifestation fizzled into nothing. As she began to cry out in agony Lenna found that she had been taken into two strong arms, and lifted her head to watch as Bartz stared back at her with eyes full of compassion and understanding. "Bartz... You..." she breathed. Something in his eyes made her want to trust him. The blush on her face proved that she appreciated it.
"The guy looks sturdy to me. He'll be fine, don't you worry!" assured Bartz. Before Lenna could rise to her feet, however, another loud screech filled the air and the four of them fell unconscious again. The light of the crystal shards began to shimmer again, and as it faded the room fell into a deep, deep darkness...
Scene Five
A short while passed before they again regained consciousness. As they groggily came to they realized that they were again holding their crystal shards. They could no longer see the etchings on them, but the words that they'd read remained strong in their hearts. Lenna was the first one to realize what had happened, and her eyes immediately widened like saucers. She'd heard a voice while she had passed out.
"Did... you three hear what I did...?" murmured Lenna. Bartz unsteadily staggered to his feet and stared at the shard, then his eyes turned towards his sword and he narrowed his eyes, partially in confusion and yet partially in a very disturbing awareness of what had just happened.
"If by what we heard being that we're now superheroes... then, yeah..." moaned Bartz. Faris finally rose to her feet and staggered about, and ceased holding onto her pendant. Her breath was haggard and her pulse quickened, as the whole affair seemed to be madness.
"We... have to escape from here as soon as possible..." muttered Faris. Lenna, who by now had regained her senses, frantically shook her head.
"But that beast is waiting for us! How will we get past it?!" breathed Lenna desperately. She felt a soft hand clutch her shoulder and she turned to see Galuf staring back at her, more solemn than she'd ever seen him, but then he cracked one of his usual smiles.
"If we all heard the same whispers... then we'll be A-Okay..." grinned Galuf. From what he'd been told by the crystal shards, they had nothing to be worried about. From here on out, they had a whole new bag of tricks.
Outside of the crystal chamber the Wing Raptor waited, preparing to feast upon its prey. The door opened and four figures walked out, but they were four humans who had long since surpassed human capabilities. Bartz stepped up first and drew his sword, prompting the Wing Raptor to spread its wings and lash out at him with its talons. To the monster's shock, however, when Bartz threw out his hand his empty palm stopped it cold, and the Wing Raptor only narrowly avoided his follow-up slash before retreating to the back of the room. Bartz couldn't help but crack a very cocky smile; he'd never been this bad ass before in his life, and it felt damned good.
"My right hand is a sword, and my left hand is a shield! By controlling vacuums and folding together pockets of air, the power of the Wind Crystal allows me to strike with the talons of an eagle and defend with the shell of the tortoise! This is awesome!" cackled Bartz. He cockily tapped his sword to his shoulder and prepared to attack, but was battered over the head by Faris and stumbled about. "Hey, I was just about to do something cool!" Bartz protested.
Faris shook her head and smiled, drew her cutlass, and placed herself in front of her companions. Now having regained its senses and gathered its courage, the Wing Raptor lifted its mighty wings and flapped them, then sent a wild wave of wind towards the four heroes. Faris was undaunted, and held out her left hand palm open. As the gale force winds approached fire licked her fingertips and a massive wall of fire burst from her hand, the sheer force and heat of it dispelling the Breath Wing attack. Faris couldn't help but widen her smile. She was just as proud of her new capabilities as Bartz was of his.
"Fire, frost, and lightning! Now I can control all three natural elements and bend them to my will! The boon given by the crystal shards has given me the swordsmanship of a pirate and the sorcery of a spell caster! I'll gladly take over from here!" said Faris proudly. She shouldered her cutlass and smiled even wider than Bartz had. This time her smile wasn't quite as deranged, however, just confident.
"Hey, I said I was going to do it! Let me be cool!" protested Bartz. While he and Faris nearly came to blows, the Wing Raptor flapped its wings and flew forward, though when Galuf stretched out his hand and clenched his hand tightly together the ceiling began to quake and then fell on the Wing Raptor, dropping several tons of solid steel and stone on top of it that immediately crushed it to death. As Bartz and Faris stared on in fury, Galuf clapped his hands together and cackled.
"Magnetism! Earth Magic! Telekinesis and gravity! I ain't no slouch either, folks!" laughed Galuf. Bartz and Faris jointly bashed him over the head and sent him face-first to the floor. When he recovered and produced his middle finger, he angrily stuck out his tongue and scowled. "What, jealous? Just 'cause I got the best power doesn't mean you have to hit me, you little nincompoops!" growled Galuf. Although the three of them nearly got into a fist fight, Lenna suddenly stepped in and separated them.
"Enough!" she boomed, loud enough that her companions immediately stopped fighting. She threw up her hands and sighed, disgusted by their actions. "We have a job to do now, and I expect us all to carry through!" snapped Lenna. Bartz smiled and sheathed his sword, then stretched out his knuckles. The four of them similarly stretched out their arms and tightened their fingers, then threw up their hands and cheered.
"Warriors of Light, baby! We have some crystals to protect and some asses to kick!" laughed Bartz. The contract was made, the covenant sealed. They'd been chosen by the crystal, and they would do their duty - not just protecting the crystals, but they all agreed that they'd find Lenna's father as well. The journey was on, and whatever happened from there on out, this was the start of their fellowship, the beginning of their bonds.
The war had just begun!
Author's Notes
Here we come to yet another novelization. This one is written in a slightly different style, though, as I'm trying to experiment and make sure that every story isn't just the same thing. As usual I've given everyone their own unique powers, and I'll take some time to explain each of them.
Bartz: When I role played way back in the distant past I created a character who used shields. Not physical ones, though... he folded pockets of air together to create "shields" of wind pressure that he could use as whips, blasts, ripples, etc. I've been waiting for the right time to reuse it, and I couldn't help but take this opportunity. He also has a few similar abilities - projecting his slashes, acrobatics... Since he was based on the Wind Crystal I wanted to make him the most agile and versatile.
Lenna: Pretty much a pure White Mage. Her encounter with the Water Crystal's shards will give her a power-up, but I'll leave it at that. Still, don't expect her to wreak unholy havoc at any point in the story.
Faris: Being so... ambiguous I tend to associate her as a mixed physical/magical character, the epitome of that being the Red Mage. Like with FFZ I'm going to use the party's respective crystals to power the team up. Technically speaking Faris' upgrade comes from an earlier crystal, but to BS my way through all this I wanted something unique and so I came up with... what I came up with. You can read it yourselves in a later chapter.
Galuf: Bit of a hybrid between classes as well as characters from other games/animes. Not only does he control magnetism and manipulate natural matter, he's also the party's summoner. What does he summon? Ifrit and Shiva are givens, and I think I'll include Ramuh. If I overdo the number of summons it might get overwhelming, so don't expect summons like Carbuncle and Catoblepas. Bahamut HAS to show up, I know that... I've also come up with a couple of other abilities, one of which isn't fully available for the majority of the first world. Instead, Galuf more or less goes Kuwabara at one point... piecing together particles using magnetism to create a Spirit Sword kind of thing. But that comes later, of course. Then comes the Earth Crystal... I won't say any more than that. Feeble as it is, I'd like to keep some secrets to myself. Not very many and not very well, though...
