Start Date: August 10, 2023
Windwillow
Final Fantasy V: War of the Crystals
Chapter Seven: Globetrotting
The Catapult had now become the Warriors of Lights' home base. Decked out with both a living area and a library for their two scientist friends, it was now the anchor point for their journeys. Now, with the Enterprise they also had control over the skies, and they exercised that mastery by lifting up and departing for the western lands of Gohn, where Lenna's father had been seen just before they'd discovered the Catapult. According to Mid the Earth Crystal reposed there. That meant that it was their next - perhaps final - destination. As they traveled through the blue, windless skies Faris navigated their airship and Lenna sat at the front of the ship with Bartz, prepared to finally catch sight of her father's whereabouts.
"Do you think he'll be glad to see me...?" wondered Lenna idly. Bowing her head, she shook it and dismissed those feelings as daring to dream. Ever since they'd parted at the Wind Shrine the king had always been beyond her reach. Now, with everything coming to a head, she wondered whether he even wanted to be found. "Bartz, do you... do you think... he'll be proud of me?" she murmured. Bartz clapped a hand to her shoulder, startling her, and turned her around to gaze into his shining smile, one that painted a blush on both their cheeks.
"Children shouldn't doubt that their parents are proud of them. When we see him we'll clear up this whole mess and figure out what's been happening for the last couple of weeks... Believe it!" Bartz said with a toothy grin. This seemed to assuage Lenna's doubts, and ever so subtly she nestled in between his arms, feeling his tight grip. Bartz immediately took notice, but didn't have it in him to push her away. So, he simply smiled and embraced her back. When a great rumbling knocked them off-kilter, Bartz frantically stumbled towards the helm, cursing all the way. "Faris, what the hell is going on?!" he croaked.
Faris wordlessly pointed to the ruins of Gohn, which had begun to shake. To Bartz's amazement and horror the town started to fall apart, shaking with such intensity that the ground itself began to swell. That swelling continued to lift up until the very earth itself broke open to reveal a mass of steel, rising high into the air. It was a gargantuan fortress, so highly developed that no one - even Cid and Mid - could have designed it, built it, or set it aloft. As the Ronka Ruins continued to fly higher and higher, far past where Bartz could see it, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped as low as his knees.
"I... I think... we ought to talk to Cid and Mid..." Bartz muttered weakly.
Scene One
Upon returning to the Catapult, the party hastened to meet with Cid. The genius professor had seen what had just unfolded through a periscope, and was just as distressed as the rest of them were. Their research was incomplete, and so Mid asked that they be given time to investigate the Catapult's ancient texts in search of an answer. In the meantime, Cid suggested that they investigate the possibility of an Eidolon in the northwestern village of Istory. Bartz, however, asked that they return to his own home town of Lix so that he could reconnect with his loved ones, a request that was granted.
The village of Lix was highly isolated, with only a mountainous trade route leading from its walls and into the wide, wide world. Even then visitors were few and far between; who would have a good reason to come to the village in the first place? The Enterprise found a tiny patch of grasslands nearby that the airship could land in, and the four Warriors of Light entered the quaint little town to find it just as sparse as Bartz had said it would be. There were a few dozen houses, an Inn, and a few shops. There really wasn't much more to it.
"Pretty bare bones..." muttered Galuf. Bartz nodded and folded his arms over his chest. If anything the town had become even more empty than it had been when he'd last seen it. His eyes turned to the nearby Inn, and Galuf caught his gaze, smiled, and turned towards the establishment. "I'm guessing they have some rooms open, right?" he said with a toothy grin.
Bartz left the party to reminisce with a few old friends, leaving the others to retire to the Inn to rest. Once at the Inn, Lenna asked the foolish question of whether they had an open room, which the Innkeeper confirmed. Excited, Lenna tittered that they could wait for Bartz in the Inn, which caught the Innkeeper's attention. He was an old acquaintance of Bartz and his father, and welcomed the Warriors of Light to stay for the night free of charge. During the night Faris found herself restless and left the Inn to stretch her legs. When she saw Bartz pass by her she followed him into a fairly large graveyard, where he stood in front of a solitary grave marker. As she approached, Bartz quietly turned his head to Faris and she could see the tears in his eyes.
"My mother, Stella Klauser, rests here. She'd always been weak, so when she died it wasn't much of a surprise. After she passed, my father Dorgann and I left Lix and traveled all around the world... Tycoon, Walse, all of them. We've been in some pretty far-flung places..." sighed Bartz.
"What about your father?" asked Faris. She watched as Bartz's eye twitched, and as he turned back to his mother's grave it didn't take long for her to deduce that he was also dead. As Bartz silently wiped the tears from his eyes, Faris quietly approached and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry... I didn't mean to pry..." she murmured. Bartz shook his head and drew his blade, a long sword that was rather plain. As he stared at it, however, he saw more than a piece of steel.
"This belonged to Dad. He'd had it for as long as I'd known... It's my greatest treasure," said Bartz softly. He turned his eyes to a second gravestone, and Faris turned to read the inscription. "'Here lies Dorgann Klauser, husband of Stella Klauser'... He never told me what to write on the stone, but I already knew what needed to be done..." Bartz sighed. Gripping his sword tight, Bartz laid it over his heart and bowed to his father's grave. "I haven't been back since I buried Dad..." he muttered.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Faris asked softly. Bartz nodded.
"Seeing the both of them together... it really sparked me, you know?" Bartz chuckled. After a few moments of thought, he lifted his sword and sheathed it, then turned to Faris with a stern grimace on his face. "Something's been bothering me... Dad always talked about the crystals, too... about protecting them..." he said softly.
"Are you serious?!" choked Faris. "What does that mean?!" she gasped.
"Beats me. Whenever I brought it up, he changed the subject," Bartz shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder what the connection is... but then I remember them and it all stops mattering..." he sighed. Bartz slowly turned to leave and walked past Faris with an uneven gait. "I've made my peace. If Dad wanted to protect the crystals, and we have to do it anyway, then I'm in. I'm ready to help my Dad rest in peace..." murmured Bartz as he stumbled away. Faris slowly turned her attention to his parents' gravestones, laid a hand over her heart, and bowed to them. Then, she turned back to join Bartz at the Inn.
Scene Two
Bartz and Faris said nothing to their companions about their night-time discussion. Instead, they supplied themselves with a few free potions and ethers and departed Lix. Their next destination was Istory, a far-flung village in the northwestern corner of the world where rumor had it that an Eidolon resided in. Upon arrival they were welcomed by the locals, and spent the night in the local Inn before they launched their expedition. Their travels took them deep into the woods, far to the east of Istory. There were more than a few tussles with vicious monsters, powerful enough to pressure the Warriors of Light and forced them to their limit on several occasions. By the time the party reached the abandoned cabin in the woods, they were haggard and exhausted; if anything more potent than a Goblin showed up, they would be in trouble.
The cabin was simple, made of plain wood and tied together with iron and steel. Bartz cautiously approached and knocked on the door, but received no answer. Another three knocks produced similar results. Now believing that they'd wasted their time, they quickly turned from the cabin and were met by a violent thunderbolt that struck the ground before them. Appearing as a large old man, the Eidolon Ramuh was twice the size of a normal human and carried a wizened staff emblazoned with the mark of a lightning bolt. As exhausted as they were, the Warriors of Light knew that they couldn't take on an Eidolon at full strength. Things were quite grim.
"Welcome to my cabin. Now get out."
"E-Excuse me... C-Can you possibly... j-join us, Sir Eidolon?" squeaked Lenna. Ramuh angrily lashed out with a lightning bolt that leveled a significant portion of the forest. Lenna, trembling, dropped to her seat in terror. "Or... not..." she muttered.
"Only summoners can control Eidolons. They're all dead. So, beat it."
"I beg to disagree, Ramuh..." boomed Ifrit's voice. There was a great rumbling, then Ifrit and Shiva manifested in a flash of light, their full power creating a field of aura that toppled several more trees. Ramuh seemed shocked, if his open mouth was any indication.
"You two?! What brings you guys out in the sticks, man?!" gasped Ramuh.
"Got anything to do?" growled Ifrit. Ramuh shook his head, prompting Ifrit to lean up against a tree and smile. "Good. Come with us," he said smilingly. Seeing Ramuh's reluctance, Ifrit's eye twitched and he incinerated the tree he was leaning against with a burst of flame. "Let me rephrase: You're coming with us!" snarled Ifrit angrily. Irritated, Ramuh lifted his staff and slammed it down to the forest floor, creating a storm of lightning that toppled still more trees.
"You know that I need a summoner to best me in battle before that happens. Assuming your brain hasn't rotted like the books you guard..."grinned Ramuh. Although Ifrit stewed, Shiva held him back from causing any more destruction. "Fine, whatever. Summoner! Step forward!" boomed Ramuh. As a trembling Galuf slowly walked towards him, Ramuh's eyes widened like saucers and he began to laugh. "You want a half-dead old codger to summon me?! Ha!" laughed Ramuh.
Having taken offense to being called an old codger, Galuf clapped his hands together and a thin wave of light split from his body, creating a field around Ramuh. He then used his Earth Magic to create a wall of pillars all around Ramuh, creating a small mountain that he then collapsed onto Ramuh. While at first it seemed to have worked, a flash of light and a bolt of lightning proved that wrong. The thunderbolt shattered what remained of the mountain, leaving scraps of soil and a very dissatisfied Eidolon in its wake.
"You call that an attack? Beat it,"growled Ramuh.
"And if we told you that three of the crystals have been shattered? Would that pierce your thick skull, or do I need to remind you the meaning of the crystals breaking?" Shiva said darkly. Ramuh seemed to startle at that, a much more serious look crossing his face. Shiva folded her arms and sighed, then stared Ramuh down with a vicious death glare. "Well, they have been shattered. These four call themselves the Warriors of Light... and they alone have been ordained by the crystals to protect them. We need all the power we can get... So, please, get ready to leave. Now," boomed Shiva.
Ramuh seemed taken aback. Apparently, learning of the crystals' plight had affected his way of thinking. After a brief period of thought he stormed towards Galuf and raised his staff over his head, as if to strike him. Galuf flinched, but when he opened his eyes he saw that Ramuh had bowed to him. That was partially rewarding, but...
"I wish you guys would stop scaring me like that!" spat Galuf. In response Ramuh smacked him hard over the head, immediately dropping him face-first into the forest floor. The Eidolon, whose expression had significantly changed, angrily flipped Galuf off and began to quake with energy.
"Don't push your luck. If you step out of line, I'll make sure you regret it!" roared Ramuh, shortly before he turned into a lightning bolt and disappeared in a flash of thunder. With a weak groan, Galuf staggered to his feet and, holding his aching head, turned to Shiva with a weak grin.
"Does that mean he's on our side now?" Galuf croaked.
"Correct. You can now summon Ramuh," stated Shiva.
"That's fantastic!" cheered Lenna. The more she looked at Ifrit and Shiva, however, the more it occurred to her that there was something that the two Eidolons weren't telling them, and it made her quite cross. "You... aren't telling us something, are you?" she asked flatly. Ifrit simply grinned and disappeared in a column of fire, but Shiva stuck around long enough to shake her head in sympathy.
"He's... known to cause collateral damage. Think carefully before you summon him."
"C-Collateral damage?! The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Bartz hacked.
Scene Three
With their new Eidolon in their possession (for better or for worse), the Warriors of Light hurried back to the Catapult to meet with Cid. The wily old scientist intimated that they'd discovered a way to outfit the Enterprise to reach the elevation of the Ronka Ruins, but that it would take an exceedingly rare mineral called Adamantite, which is not naturally occurring. Galuf, fortunately, remembered that he had a supply inside his meteorite. When Bartz questioned his memory, Galuf angrily whacked him over the head, and Bartz whacked him back. Before the two of them broke out into fisticuffs Lenna separated them and ordered that they prepare to join Cid and Mid at the Tycoon Meteorite.
Cid and Mid rode their Black Chocobos and the party used the Enterprise to travel to the meteorite that Galuf had used to arrive on the planet. They carefully opened up a way in by way of a hidden switch, then dove into the depths of the meteorite until they reached a large chamber with a dull white tile in the center. At the back was a large chunk of a strange, multicolored material that they assumed to be Adamantite. Galuf quickly moved to collect it, but was forced back when a monster dropped from the ceiling. The beast was a massive, stone-shelled tortoise that stood on its hind legs and was armed with both nasty claws and a mean set of fangs.
"Crud! There's no way my sword can break through that thing!" Bartz hacked.
"How 'bout we try frost magic?" wondered Galuf. He turned to Faris first, then slyly shot a glance at Lenna. "Wanna double up on the elements?" he asked wryly. Although the Adamantoise gave a roar and charged, Lenna quickly doused it with a burst of rainwater that stopped it cold. When it attempted to shake off the water Faris stretched out her hand and released a pulse of ice magic that encased the monster inside a huge chunk of frosty ice.
"And how do we actually kill it?" wondered Bartz. After a bit of thought Galuf clapped his hands together and Ramuh appeared in a flash of light. Almost immediately Shiva's words pulsed through his head, but before Bartz could react Ramuh lifted his staff and zapped the Adamantoise with a bolt of lightning that not only blew up the monster but also launched everyone - Ramuh included - into the rocky walls of the meteorite. As Bartz slowly dragged himself from his crater, he angrily (and weakly) produced his middle finger to Ramuh. "You nearly killed all of us, you crazy old bat!" Bartz croaked. Ramuh simply shrugged.
"Weren't you warned about the collateral damage?" chuckled Ramuh, shortly before he disappeared in a bolt of lightning. From where she had been thrown into the stony interior, Faris weakly managed to drag herself from her crater, glared at Galuf, and gave him such a vicious look that he nearly wet himself.
"Never do that again. Ever," heaved Faris, shortly before she fell flat on her face unconscious.
Author's Notes
Short chapter... Originally this was part of the previous chapter, but I decided to split them up. There aren't really that many notes to add... but I do like how grumpy all the Eidolons are in this fic. Compared to Ifrit and Shiva from FFVII, it's nice to add in some more... rough and tumble personalities. Next chapter is going to be the Ronka Ruins, and Galuf will receive his upgrade... but it'll be a chapter or two before it comes into play, obviously. We're approaching the end of the first world, and the second world will consist of around four chapters before we transition to the final world, which is a bit harder to write because it's so open-world that it's hard to decide when to do what and what to even do.