Start Date: August 5, 2023
Windwillow
Final Fantasy V: War of the Crystals
Chapter Five: The Library of the Ancients
The Fire Crystal had been shattered, and the Warriors of Light hurled into an unknown abyss. When they awoke to the scent of sulfer and the heat of raging flames, they hurriedly gathered themselves and checked their bearings. They'd ended up in Castle Karnak, which had been freed of the flames licking its floors. Unfortunately, the castle was exploding, so to be honest the whole castle being on fire thing wasn't that bad. Bartz quickly rallied his allies and dashed up from the catacombs they'd ended up in, and were promptly confronted by a group of Fire Elementals that had been drawn to the hellish heat.
Bartz and Faris drew their weapons and Galuf manifested his magnetic blade, and Lenna quietly hung back to provide support. The Fire Elementals charged them with all the speed of burning flames, though in the end the party emerged victorious and Lenna quickly healed their injuries, and they continued through the castle. Unfortunately, there were Fire Elementals at seemingly every turn, so the fight to escape the burning castle drained them of their stamina. So, when they found a lone Karnak soldier confronting them, they were naturally a little testy.
"Get the hell out of our way or I'm going to kick your ass from here to oblivion!" roared Galuf, charging at the soldier. The soldier sneered and his entire body began to convulse as his flesh ripped open and, to the party's horror, a monster emerged. What emerged from the trooper's body was almost like half an octopus put on its side, four thick limbs protruding from a human torso with a warped head in the center of its chest. "I am so over fighting monsters at this point..." groaned Galuf wearily.
As the Iron Claw charged them Bartz and Faris used their weapons to clash with its hard-as-steel limbs, and found that their steel had met its match in the monster's own. While Bartz and Faris struggled with all their might against the monster, Lenna quickly stomped her foot and sent a slithering wave of liquid the Iron Claw's way. When the monster slipped and his two allies disengaged, Galuf quickly formed his weapon, cut the Iron Claw in half, and hurried with the others just in time to escape the castle's destruction.
Scene One
The destruction had been more or less absolute, with only charred stone left standing as testament to Queen Karnak's once-glorious castle. As the smoke cleared and she slowly awakened, Faris lifted her head to find a series of crystal shards scattered around her. She grit her teeth, disgusted that they'd failed a second time. Her left hand inched towards one of the shards, and it suddenly flew towards her and embedded itself into her left arm. By the time she got her bearings again, Faris found that she now had a crystal bracelet around her left wrist. As if it were a whisper Faris heard a voice, so she put it to her ear and listened as the crystal shard shared its power with her, and it etched a smile on her face. The idea of "Time Magic" had its appeal...
Back in the city of Karnak, all the world had gone to rot for the citizens there. On the plus side the multitude of fires that had dotted the town had gone out. Unfortunately, the after effects were much more distressing than simple clusters of fire. The city's ovens and engines had suddenly ceased functioning. This had the effect of leaving them with only backup generators to fuel their civilization. In a month, when the generators died, they would be left without indoor heating, indoor plumbing, and their ovens would die. Without fire to heat their ovens and homes the winter freeze would afflict them, leaving only an uncertain harvest to sustain a population long-since accustomed to comfort and leisure. Political chaos was sure to follow, along with an economic disaster of unprecedented magnitude.
In the aftermath the Warriors of Light had managed to escape with their lives, though they suffered such severe burns and other wounds that they had to be tended to by the city's finest doctors. Fighting wave after wave of elementals, in addition to fleeing an exploding castle, had nearly been the end of them. Eventually the party was restored to sufficient health and given free room and board in the city's Inn, though the circumstances were glum.
"The queen's still unconscious... and Cid's drinking himself to death out of guilt. He's locked himself up in some corner of the pub and keeps knocking down barrel after barrel to try and keep him from harming himself... Everything's gone to pot, the ovens don't work, and there isn't anything to eat. The whole country's in chaos..." groaned Galuf.
"This is so damned insane! There's nothing we can do to help Cid? Doesn't he have someone that can talk some sense into his damned drunk skull?!" roared Bartz, slamming his fist on the table hard enough to crack it. His drink quaked and toppled, spilling its contents over one of the maids tending to the party in the pub. "Aw, crud. Sorry, ma'am!" Bartz moaned sheepishly. The maid brushed the liquor from her apron and shook her head, as even though she was miffed there was someone who could convince Cid to recover.
"Cid has a grandson named Mid, who works down south at the Library of the Ancients as a researcher. No one's been there in quite some time... the queen sealed off the entire area because they got all uppity over the crystal. Seems those guys got proven right, huh?" said the maid glumly. She hurried away, leaving the four Warriors of Light with nothing to go on but an idle clue from someone who might not even know what she was talking about.
"One in a million's better than zero. We'd better get to this Library of the Ancients, find Cid's grandson... and beat some sense into the old codger's drunken head..." sighed Faris. The other three quickly came to the same agreement.
Scene Two
Getting to the library took three days of traveling. Three miserable days of crossing treacherous, monster-infested territory. Even if they'd been given camping supplies and other sundries, fighting monsters and braving the autumn heat took its toll on them all. By the time they'd reached the Library of the Ancients, they were running on fumes, caffeine, and idle hope.
"God! I need water!" croaked Bartz, his mood having crossed the thresh hold from irritation to desperation. He'd given most of his water to Lenna in a strange display of chivalry, and he certainly lived to regret it.
"We might be able to find something inside... so we'd better hurry," said a weary Lenna. True, even if she had been given the most supplies she was nearly dehydrated, exhausted, and covered in dust and dirt. "At least... I really hope so..." she moaned weakly.
Upon their arrival they found that the entire complex was rocked with chaos. The library's scholars and sages, desperate to find a solution to their country's woes, had pored through nearly even text and tome they could find to divine a solution to Karnak's difficulties. Even in the wild free-for-all, however, the Warriors of Light were greeted by one of the head librarians. They were given cups of water to drink from, which they thought would only parch their thirst, but instead the holy elixir filled their stomachs and returned strength to their bodies. Now relaxed and relieved, as her friends relaxed in the library's resting rooms Lenna turned her attention to finding the solution they came for.
"Excuse me... Can I talk to Mid?" wondered Lenna politely. The librarian shrugged and clapped the book he was reading shut.
"He's holed himself up below ground, researching God-knows-what," the librarian said idly.
"Then all we need to do is go get him, right?" asked Bartz. When the librarian averted his eyes, Bartz began to get irritated. "What aren't you telling me?" he moaned. The librarian dropped down into a chair and put his face in his hands. It wasn't quite that simple.
"The way down is guarded by the Eidolon of Flame, Ifrit. He's tasked to protect the underground library and allow no one through..." the librarian sighed.
"How do you know this kid made it past the Eidolon?" wondered Galuf.
"Librarians and scholars are granted full access... which you folks won't have. You'd need to talk to Ifrit if you want to pass through," explained the librarian. Even if he said it so simply, however, Bartz could tell that they wouldn't just have an interview with Ifrit; they would have to fight.
"We don't have another option. Off to see Ifrit we go, I guess..." sighed Bartz, resigning himself to another unpleasant journey.
Scene Three
It was unpleasant. Not only did they have to search through the catacombs, filled with texts and tomes, but they also came across a strange figure floating behind one of the shelves. It looked undead. Beyond that it was hard to describe, other than by saying it was a head with its tongue extended through its skull. It was when the tongue lashed out and slapped Bartz hard in the face that it became clear they'd have to fight their way to Ifrit. After fighting several Poltergeists, the Warriors of Light reached the final door in the underground repository, one that they found themselves unable to open.
"Just great... We came here for nothing?" muttered Bartz idly.
"You came here... but you won't be advancing, or leaving..."
All the blood in their bodies ran cold when they heard the booming voice. While at first they weren't able to tell where it came from, when a column of fire opened in front of them they got their answer. Horned and clawed, the Eidolon Ifrit was a monstrous ogre wreathed in flame. Its size was comparable to their own, though it was far more muscular. Bartz weakly wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered a few nasty words under his breath. He so didn't sign up to fight that thing.
"Leave. Or die. Whichever appeals most to you."
"Don't wanna do either... but if you want a fight..." moaned Bartz as he wearily lifted his sword, but he was stopped when Galuf put himself between the Eidolon and his friend. "Do you have some plan that I'm not aware of?" he groaned.
"Only an Eidolon can fight another one... We'll try Shiva!" Galuf said smilingly. He took in a deep breath and made the sign of the cross over his heart, closed his eyes, and began to pray. He was answered when a storm of snowflakes appeared to reveal Shiva in all her glory, though when she saw Ifrit, Shiva's face took on a very... odd expression. "Anything you wanna share with me?" he muttered. Shiva shook her head and put her hand on her hip.
"Ifrit... You stupid moron. Why do I have to see you again after so many centuries of respite from your idiocy?" boomed Shiva, her voice icily cold.
"You're serving a human? I expected better of you, Shiva," snarled Ifrit. Shiva folded her arms over her chest and sneered at Ifrit, a cloud of frozen air leaving her lips when she breathed out her disgust.
"Stuff it. I've got a good reason to come with these four: three of the four crystals have been shattered. We need to talk to the little imp inside if we want to make any progress..." sighed Shiva.
"That little brat? What can that stripling do?" growled Ifrit.
"You know, what? I kind of expected you guys to be... nicer..." Bartz muttered. "Whatever. He can't help us, but we need him to talk some sense into the person that can. We have to talk to him," explained Bartz. Ifrit seemed taken aback and retreated into quiet contemplation. If three crystals were destroyed and only one tiny little human stood between the world and oblivion, what could four humans accomplish? That is, without help?
"Fine, you can pass. As long as I come with you," Ifrit growled. Galuf, taken aback, patted the back of his head in shock. That certainly wasn't expected.
"You mean I get two Eidolons now?" asked Galuf eagerly. One dark look from Ifrit chilled his soul and set that question to rest, however.
"I'll do as I please. We aren't equals, and I'll only do what I feel like doing," roared Ifrit. Shiva groaned and hung her head, shook it a few times, and resigned herself to her companion's stupidity.
"You've always been grumpy, Ifrit... but try and be cordial for once..." muttered Shiva.
Scene Four
With Ifrit now (somewhat) in their camp, they were granted access through the sealed door. They found there a vast collection of books, both read an unread, littering the floor of a dank and dirty chamber. At the back was a single youth, who they assumed to be Mid. Bartz wearily stepped forward, but before he could move further he was forced into a defensive position and he drew his sword as a creature manifested. It was a warped abomination; that's the best way to describe it. The creature was huge and hulking, hunched over with a twisted maw filled with vicious fangs.
"You will go no further," snarled the creature. None of the Warriors of Light really wanted to force the issue. When Ifrit and Shiva began to manifest, however, the demon's expression turned even fouler. "You two? What do you two have to gain from fighting these children's battles?" it growled.
"Pull your head out of your ass, Byblos. Step aside now," ordered Ifrit. This clearly wasn't something that Byblos wanted to hear. The demon's fangs twitched and its face became (somehow) even more twisted and it snapped its fingers, causing the two Eidolons to vanish. As the four Warriors of Light stared in mute shock, Byblos assumed a defensive position.
"My master is greater any any Eidolon. I'll repeat myself: You will go no further!" barked Byblos. Despite her friends' doubts, Faris quietly stepped forward and drew her cutlass defiantly. "And you intend to fight me?" cackled Byblos. It was when Faris flipped it off that Byblos blew its top and gave out an unholy shriek. "Stupid human! You'll die before you touch me!" it boasted.
Faris seemed undaunted and took a soft step forward before launching herself at Byblos with incredible speed. Just as she swung her cutlass, however, Byblos' form became transparent and the slash passed straight through its ethereal body. It quickly returned to solid form and lashed out at Faris, though she managed to parry its claws and leapt back before the demon could strike her.
"My intangibility is too fast for you feeble mortals to overcome!" gloated Byblos.
"Let's test that statement..." grinned Faris.
"It doesn't matter what you try!" roared Byblos.
As she lifted her cutlass, the bracelet on Faris' wrist began to shimmer. When it released an explosion of light she struck, faster than lightning. Well, it was faster than Byblos, anyway; before the demon could turn intangible Faris disappeared from view. Byblos vaguely caught sight of a shimmering cutlass placed at his throat, but never got to respond before Faris sliced its head off and caused its warped body to disappear in a mass of black flames.
"What... in the world... just happened?!" choked Lenna. Faris simply sheathed her weapon and turned to Lenna with a smile. This may have been the first time she had the opportunity to use it, but at least the crystal's whispers hadn't been simple lies. She lifted her left arm and tapped her crystal bracelet, creating a sharp ping when her fingers touched it.
"Time Magic. By controlling time, I can manipulate the space around me. I just needed to accelerate myself with a hastening spell, and then I could do that. Well..." Faris groaned, and clutched her arm tightly, in great pain. "It takes a big toll on me. Can you heal me, Lenna?" she croaked, exhausted. Lenna quickly honored her request and laid both hands on her sister's shoulder, pulsing cooling energy through her body that soothed her aching muscles and knitted her weary bones.
"Hmm? Anyone there?" asked the young boy. When he turned around he came into full view. Unlike his grandfather, Mid still had golden blonde hair, neatly trimmed into a bowl cut. Like his grandfather, however, he saw the world through a set of thick rimmed red glasses that seemed almost comically stereotypical of a scholar, and was dressed in a long purple cloak with red shoes.
"Uh... Did you not see the whole battle with an evil... demon... thingy?" groaned Bartz. Mid tilted his head and shrugged. "Oh, come on! We just killed evil incarnate and you never noticed?!" Bartz roared.
Scene Five
"Whoever you are, get lost! I don't want no sympathy!" growled Cid, who had one hand on his head and the other on a bottle of liquor. Mid promptly took the book he had taken from the library and whacked his grandfather over the head, hard enough to both shatter the bottle and sober Cid up. Cid moaned and gripped his aching head, and slowly came to the realization that he knew his assailant. His eyes widened in shock, but when he bowed his head and sighed Mid smacked him again. "Stop doing that!" ordered Cid frantically.
"Then stop giving up, dummy! Science calls!" scolded Mid sharply, with enough force to both catch Cid's attention and lift Galuf's hands into his face, as a deeply held memory returned. Calling Cid a dummy had somehow sparked something deep inside his mind. Mid angrily slammed down the book and opened it to a bookmarked page, then pointed at a certain passage. "I found technology that can make the Fire-Powered Ship work without the crystal!" he announced. Cid shook his head.
"We'll never find the final crystal..." muttered Cid. When Mid slapped him again, the old scientist angrily snatched Mid by the shoulders and shook him. "I told you to stop doing that!" he croaked.
"You're a stupid old dummy! I expect better from a genius like you!" barked Mid. As Cid slowly came around, Mid gave a sheepish smile and adjusted his glasses. His grandfather had always been stubborn, but not quite this bullheaded. "We have work to do, Grandpa. Let's hop to it!" he chirped. This seemed to be enough for Cid, given that he and Mid hurried to the Fire-Powered Ship to refit it.
The Warriors of Light were welcomed to join the two scientists aboard the ship, and so when they gathered in one of the cabins they made themselves at home. Faris glumly took hold of her mug of beer and swigged it, then slammed it down onto the table.
"So we have a ship, great. We don't have any ideas where to go... or even who we're fighting! Let alone where the final crystal is!" lamented Faris. The mood inside the cabin may have been gloomy, but when Galuf quietly folded his fingers over his head and leaned back in his seat, Faris quickly took notice. "And do you have anything to contribute, old man?" she asked testily. With a sigh, Galuf closed his eyes and nodded. This was going to sound insane, but it was the truth...
"Allow me to clear up one of those points. We're fighting an evil warlock named Exdeath who, like myself, comes from a different world. Now we have one point cleared up..." muttered Galuf. Bartz angrily grabbed Galuf by the collar and lifted him into the air, anger apparent on his face, but Galuf seemed strangely tired, apologetic.
"Hold the flipping phone. Warlock? Other world?! What the hell are you talking about?!" snarled Bartz. Galuf testily grabbed Bartz by the shoulders and shoved him back, something that Bartz took clear offense to. "I want an explanation! Now!" he growled.
"Oh, hold your water, I'm working up to it. Thirty years ago I came here from another world with three other folks... the Warriors of Dawn. We brought some evil son-of-a-bitch named Exdeath with us... kicking and screaming, literally. Because we couldn't kill the guy, we sealed him in your world with the power of this world's crystals... Now, with three crystals down, all that stands between us and Exdeath's revival is the Earth Crystal, which we need to find. Now," explained Galuf.
"You mean to tell me you brought an evil warlock here and pawned him off on us?!" Bartz roared angrily. "Don't bring your problems with you and dump evil incarnate on our doorstep, why don't you!" he snarled. As he watched the clear, troubled emotions form on Galuf's face, Bartz quietly began to backpedal. "This is really eating you up, huh?" mused Bartz. Galuf solemnly nodded.
"This is some serious guilt... I don't take it lightly. When everything is all over, you can slug me, but we have work to do until then. The world's an awful big place... If we have to search every corner of it to find the Earth Crystal... then I don't see an alternative..." muttered Galuf. When he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder, Galuf whirled about to see Lenna staring back at him grimly. "Does that mean you have an alternative?" he asked incredulously.
"I suggest we sail south, to the island of Crescent. Several mysterious, ancient inscriptions have been found there lately... so perhaps if we're searching for the ancients, we need to retrace the ancients' footsteps," said Lenna.
"And you know this how?" wondered Faris.
"My studies at the castle include both history and medicine... and I've listened to a few conversations that no one knew I was listening to..." explained Lenna. The idea slowly began to sink in: they had their clue, and now all that they needed was a ship to get them there! Which was promptly answered as Cid and Mid barreled inside the cabin, both excited and exhausted from all the work they'd done on the Fire-Powered Ship.
"It's done! The Fire-Powered Ship is up-and-running and ready to go at a moment's notice!" boasted Mid. "Where do you folks think you'll be going?" he asked excitedly.
"I suppose it'd be Crescent... You two coming with us?" wondered Bartz. Cid shook his head and Bartz sighed. Having those two along would have been perfect if they were going to be researching ancient ruins.
"We're returning to the Library of the Ancients! There are plenty of sealed tomes for us to research!" tittered Cid cheerfully. Lenna smiled and reclined in her seat, prepared for the journey ahead. Even if it was an unknown one, it might even be sort of fun. They were delving into the realm of the unknown and the mysterious... and along the way they might even find a clue to finding King Tycoon.
"To Crescent, then!" cheered Lenna.
Author's Notes
First off, I didn't intend for Shiva and Ifrit to be so grumpy when I first starting writing them... it just sort of happened. I don't think they'll be as obstinate as Bahamut was in FFVII, but it seems clear that they aren't as... nice.
And then we come to Faris' crystal upgrade: Time Magic. Like I said earlier this is sort of strange given that the Time Mage job was given by the Water Crystal, but when I searched for a new mechanic I settled on Time Magic for Faris because it was something I hadn't ever done yet. The original idea for Faris' bracelet was for it to be a gauntlet, but I figured that was too unwieldy and... if you pardon me... unladylike? If Faris were an actual person she'd maul me for saying that...