The Age of Fairy Tales:
World of Remnant:
Gilgamesh II
The legendary warrior known as Gilgamesh.
Among the few people aside from Keyblade Wielders who are capable of traveling to other worlds, none are more famous and fiercer than the warrior Gilgamesh, a warrior who is seemingly immortal and has fought countless warriors. With each victory, he takes the weapons of those he has bested and uses them as his own. Despite his fearsome reputation, Gilgamesh is still hailed as an honorable warrior and expects his opponents to have as much honor as himself. He will not attack a helpless opponent, nor does he target innocent civilians.
This is a small comfort given that as previously stated, he is capable of traveling to other worlds outside of his own.
No one knows where he came from, and it is unlikely he himself even remembers.
All that he does remember is that as a warrior he will continue to find those who are worthy and challenge them to honorable combat…
And may the Hearts grant mercy to whomever he challenges.
"And here you go." One by one, the Master of Masters handed a book to his apprentices, the Foretellers. "A copy of the Book of Prophecies."
All of the Foretellers beheld the books in their hands, awed by what they were holding and the knowledge written in the pages.
"Oh, there is one other thing." He walked back to his desk and picked up his book, placing a bookmark on a specific page. "This one is for an old friend of ours."
He slowly approached her and open the book for them to see. "Remember her?"
Ava looked down at the book and gasped when saw the drawing of a familiar blue haired woman. "Aqua?"
The other Foretellers were silent as they each looked at their page, showing Aqua in what looked to be a mural, likely forged from her own heart.
"Surprising huh? I wasn't fully sure or expecting her to become than what we all thought in the beginning, especially the seven she'll meet down the world in the future she is helping to create." The Master closed the book. "There was a reason I said to test her, not eliminate her, Aced."
Aced shifted a bit but remained composed.
"I wasn't kidding when I said she might be special. So special," The Master of Masters turned, his hands folded behind his back. "She could even change the course of history and prevent the darkness from succeeding."
The Foretellers, especially Aced were stunned to say the least but the Master held up a hand, silencing them before they could ask any questions. "Ira, I have got a job for you."
Ira cleared his throat. "Yes, Master."
"I want you to give this to her." He handed the book to the Unicorn themed leader. "The first pages will lead you to her."
Ira carefully held the book. "The book knows where she is?"
"It doesn't matter where she's at. It's a matter of when she will appear." The Master answered, confusing the Foretellers. "Somehow, she is walking through the passage of time, even changing the course of history within that world to make sure it becomes a much brighter future later one."
Ava gasped. "Walking through time?"
"Bingo." The Master snapped a finger. "The book holds a certain spell that can locate her through time. And when you do, the spell will be important. Her final test."
"A test?" Ava questioned.
"You've all challenged her to a duel to test her skills, right? Oh, wait." The Master brought a hand to his chin. "We forgot someone."
"Me." Ira stated. "Am I to finally challenge her, Master?"
"Well, I instructed all of you to test her so it seems only right to finally finish that." The Master turned back around. "The final Foreteller and leader to boot."
"What will happen if she…If she fails?"
"Oh, nothing." The Master shrugged. "It's not a life or death, so don't worry about it too much. I wouldn't dream of trying to kill someone you consider a friend, Ava. No, this is to answer a question."
Ava sighed in relief. "And what question is that, Master?"
"The question…If our dear friend, Aqua is worthy to be granted…Her own book of prophecies."
(Final Fantasy V - Battle on the Big Bridge(Gilgamesh Theme) Begins)
Raven barely had the chance to blink when Gilgamesh moved so fast, she didn't see the foot slam into her back after she was kicked in the ground. The pain was so great that Raven was left in shock as she hit the ground, barely able to move at all, let alone focus as she coughed up a great deal of blood and saliva.
"Damn it." She cursed as she looked upwards to see Gilgamesh slowly approaching.
"This is it, Team STRQ." He said as he held up his sword. "Time for grand finale!"
He swung it down to finish Raven off, but a golden blur shot in and with his own hands, caught the sword before it struck.
Taiyang Xiao Long grunted, his hair shining gold while an aura of fire seemed to surround him as he struggled to hold the sword and its owner back.
"Oh?" Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow.
"Earth Dragon!" Summer Rose's voice shouted from behind the pair who reacted on instinct.
Raven slid her sword back into its sheath as the Dust chamber and she pulled it back a second later. Her sword was now a dark brown color as she plunged it into the ground. Tai grunted and jumped back, releasing the sword he was holding as the earth beneath them exploded.
Gilgamesh blinked, finding himself encased in a stone prison. "Huh?"
Tai brought his fists together as his hair began to blaze and a fiery aura surrounded him. He quickly bent his knees up and down, causing more energy to gather in his legs and produced more fire around his body.
This was the power of his Semblance: Blaze.
Through constant and repetitive movement, he built up kinetic energy as well as heat that increased his speed and strength drastically. He was the most skilled in hand-to-hand combat out of all of Team STRQ and was physically the strongest as well.
As Gilgamesh would soon find out.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" When he was ready, Tai shot at Gilgamesh who was still trapped in stone, angling one fist back until he was in range and sent it forward.
POW!
SMASH!
CRASH!
Tai's fist smashed through the rock prison, striking right in the abdomen with such force that Gilgamesh was sent flying and crashing down onto the ground several yards away.
Just as Gilgamesh was about to bring his sword down on Aqua, a golden glowing star shaped glyph appeared under her, and golden aura surrounded her as she reached up with her hands and actually caught his sword.
"Huh?!" Gilgamesh stuttered before Aqua pushed the sword aside and pointed her Keyblade at his chest.
"Thunder!"
CRASH!
There was blast of lightning and Gilgamesh let out a stunned and pained cry as he blasted away by the lightning, crashing into the ground several yards away.
Aqua stood up, taking a relieved sigh as the golden aura around her faded. 'I can only hold Hercules' Aura Guard for about thirty seconds even though I spent years training to master it.'
She looked at Gilgamesh's smoking body and thought for a second it was over.
"Bravo."
And then he got up, showing that while his armor was smoking Gilgamesh wasn't injured in the slightest.
"Bravo!" Gilgamesh clapped his hands. "As expected from a former ally and a skilled warrior as yourself, Aqua."
"And to think I was almost disappointed."
Team STRQ all watched as Gilgamesh stood up as if he had not been injured at all and clapped, despite the smoke coming from his armor.
"Normally I would expect fights to be one on one, mano a mano. A clash only between two great warriors but since I issued the challenge to the entire team, I cannot find it in myself to call you cheaters. In fact, you are wise and bold to work together against a superior opponent."
Raven's eye twitched. "Superior…"
"But that only means I have to up the ante!" Gilgamesh held up Gae Bolg as it was engulfed in darkness and replaced by long nodachi, even longer than Raven's Omen, with a blue handle. "Muramasa!"
He held this new sword in both hands as it began to glow bright red. He then began swinging it in graceful arcs, releasing a barrage of crescent shaped energy waves at Team STRQ, forcing them to scatter to avoid being hit. The crescent shaped energy waves spun and curved through the air, even seemingly homing in on their targets no matter how fast they ran or the many times they suddenly changed directions.
Summer scattered into a few torrents of white petals, her Semblance allowing to her dodge or even allow the attacks to pass through her. Raven in the meantime swung her Omen at the incoming energy arcs, her Aura enhanced Dust infused blade cutting through them, breaking them apart and causing the remans to shot past her and hit the ground, creating small explosions around her.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Tai twisted his body through the air, firing his gauntlets and using the recoil to increase his speed, even using the crescents as steppingstones. Qrow was in the same boat as Tai, running, twisting, and even flipping through the air to avoid being hit.
"Don't miss a beat, Team STRQ!" Gilgamesh shouted as he swung his sword, releasing more crescents their way.
Having enough, Raven sheathed her sword, the Dust chamber in her sheath spinning until it settled on the Dust she wanted. She pulled Omen back out, her sword a mix of red, green and icy blue as she swung, releasing a blast of mist that covered the entire area.
"Hm?" Gilgamesh paused mid-swing. "So now you seek to hide in the mist? Cowardly! A warrior never needs to hide!"
Raven appeared behind him; her sword posed to pierce him through his back…
Only for Gilgamesh to spun around and block her strike.
"Did you think I would not be prepared for such tactics?" Gilgamesh grunted, pushing Raven and swinging again.
Raven ducked under the first slash, stepping forward and attempting to stab him but Gilgamesh countered. He went on the attack, swinging his sword at Raven who surprisingly did not block but resorted to dodging instead. It was likely because she knew Gilgamesh could directly overpower her in a simple one on one fight. She waited for the chance and tried smashing the hilt of her sword into his face, only for Gilgamesh to duck and snap put his knee.
Raven used her sword to block his knee, but then Gilgamesh spun and delivered a kick directly to her face, his armored heel striking her in the cheek. Raven flew back into the mist, letting out a grunt following the sound of her hitting the ground. With a simply swing of his sword, the mist was blown away and Gilgamesh could see Raven getting up and rubbing her chin.
"You fight well, Raven Branwen of Team STRQ but you are still lacking in some areas, and I cannot prolong this engagement for much longer."
He held his sword up once again, preparing to swing it.
Only this time instead of red energy, a miasma darkness circled around the sword and was absorbed into it, becoming a dark purple color.
Raven's eyes widened but she heard Summer's voice calling it out to her just then. "Game Over!"
With that, Raven pulled out her sword and swung It down at the ground. A red and black glowing portal appeared, and she fell into it…
Not before she gave a certain finger gesture to Gilgamesh as she vanished.
"Huh?" Gilgamesh paused. "Running away, are we? Are you warriors or cowards?"
Just then, a white blur shot around him in a circle and more red and black portals appeared around Gilgamesh from all sides as Summer called out. "Neither! We're Huntsmen and Huntresses!"
A white blur shot out of the one of the portals, forming into Summer as she swung her axe, Sundered Rose at Gilgamesh who easily blocked.
BANG-BANG!
BOOM!
Only to be hit in the back as two Fire Dust shells shot out of a portal from behind and hit him in the back. "GAH!"
Summer disappeared into a swirl of white pedals that dashed into a nearby portal. As she vanished inside, Qrow shot out of another portal with his weapon, Harbinger in its scythe form as he spun through the air straight towards Gilgamesh who jumped up and managed to dodge. As Qrow vanished into another portal, Tai came rocketing out of another while Gilgamesh was still in mid-air.
"HA!" Tai aimed a fist back and sent it forward.
This time Gilgamesh was ready as he crossed both arms in front of his face, blocking Tai's fist but the force still propelled him into the air. Gilgamesh uncrossed his arms and prepared to swing his Muramasa down but he then heard something and looked up. More red and black portals appeared around him in mid-air…
And then came the dozens of projectiles out of all of them.
BANG-BANG-BANG!
BANG-BANG-BANG!
BLAST!
BOOM!
Raven lowered her Dust-Chamber sheathe, having been firing the Dust blades inside through her portals as Summer landed next to her.
Game Over was a tactic that Summer had come up with that combined her Semblance with Raven's. Summer would dash around the battlefield and Raven would create a portal using her link to Summer. Only because Summer didn't stay in one place for more than a second, she ended up creating more than one portal. It was difficult but doable and the results more than spoke for themselves.
The smoke cleared…
And Gilgamesh landed on the ground with a loud thud, kicking up dirt everywhere.
"Ugh…Good thing I was wearing a helmet." Gilgamesh slowly got up, wiping the scorch from his now pitch-black armor.
An armor that showed no signs of being damaged beyond the soot now covering it.
"Hm…" Gilgamesh mused, looking down at his armor and then back up at Team STRQ as they regathered. "It's been a long time since I've had a fight that lasted this long, even if it is not one opponent."
"Who sent you?" Summer asked suddenly.
Gilgamesh froze. "…Huh?"
"When you first showed up, you mentioned our description. So that means, someone who knows what we look like sent you." Summer clarified. "So, who was it?"
"Hm…Sorry." Gilgamesh rubbed his head and shrugged. "Who would hire me if I gave up their name at the first question? Now are you all ready for round two?"
He summoned a new sword, only this one was glowing blue.
"Zantetsuken!" Gilgamesh declared, holding his sword with both hands.
And before Team STRQ could react, Qrow had a knee buried in his stomach before the owner spun and slammed a fist into Tai's face, sending both of them flying in opposite directions.
"Summer-!" Raven shouted, grabbing the hilt of her sword but froze…
She felt something wet staining her chest…and then blood splattered across the ground as she fell to her knees.
"RAVEN!"
Gilgamesh spun, blocking a strike from Sundered Rose while its owner shot an enraged look at him. Despite her efforts, Gilgamesh pushed her back with his superior strength and pursued her but that was fine.
At least his eyes were not on Raven.
Speaking of which, Raven was grunting in pain, gritting her teeth as she pressed a hand down on the slash wound across her body. Gilgamesh had managed to blitz her, and she hadn't even seen it coming. She looked up to see Summer contending with the warrior, her speed and agility allowing her to remain one step ahead even though it was very close.
Raven knew it wouldn't last.
Gilgamesh simply did not get tired, not even after all the hits he took from them. His reflexes were enough to allow him to take on the entire team and even with their teamwork it was still a struggle to even land a single hit. Summer utilized her Semblance as Gilgamesh struck again, scattering into white petals that shot all around him before solidifying herself behind him, her weapon in its sniper form and aimed at his unprotected back.
BANG!
She pulled the trigger…but at the last second, Gilgamesh spun and blocked with his sword.
Gilgamesh then summoned a second sword in his free hand, going for two overhead strikes and then sent both blades in quick succession towards Summer's feet. Summer backflipped over it and Gilgamesh charged after her. Raven in the meantime was focusing on breathing and staying conscious as she tried to get back on her feet.
"Raven!" Tai came up and knelt down next to her, having recovered from Gilgamesh's blitz attack. "Are you okay?"
Raven threw a harsh look over her shoulder. "Do I look okay?"
"Here." Tai reached into a pocket and handed a crystal to her. "This should help."
Raven looked at the crystal, noting the bright green color and noticed it wasn't a Wind Dust crystal. "Healing Dust?"
"Helps to be prepared." Tai shrugged with a smile.
Rolling her eyes, Raven clenched her hand on the crystal, flaring her Aura and a green glow settled over her, healing her wound at an astonishing rate.
This was the power of Healing Dust.
A rare Dust crystal produced by the Schnee Dust Company but were rather limited in numbers. Only people in high stations could get their hands on this rare type of Dust outside of a hospital or Huntsmen Academy.
How in the world did Tai get his hands on one?
Raven shook her head as she stood up, knowing they needed to focus on the fight. "Let's move."
Summer blocked two strikes with a swing to the chest. Gilgamesh charged forward again with an upwards sweep that sent Summer's arms upwards and she barely managed to block the downward strike that followed. Gilgamesh then feinted to the side with one blade and spun to send Summer's arms swinging upwards again. Summer had been unprepared and lost her grip on her weapon that was sent flying out of her hands.
Summer froze, stunned by the sudden action and Gilgamesh followed up with an immediate backhand that sent her sliding backwards.
"An impressive skill, Summer Rose." Gilgamesh admitted as he walked after the downed Huntress. "A few more years of training and you would be skilled enough to perhaps give me a worthy battle. Unfortunately, I carry out my contracts without hesitation."
He raised his sword to finish Summer off when spikes of ice erupted from the ground around him, impaling him before he could even react. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Summer turned to see Raven holding an ice Dust blade in her Omen now, having swung it and created dozens of ice spikes along the ground. She used her Semblance to shot towards her discarded weapon, retrieve it and appear next to Raven and Tai as Qrow regrouped with them.
"You think that got him?" Qrow asked warily.
"Nothing can survive that." Raven retorted.
Aqua was panting heavily, a few scratches on her outfit and body were shown with even a bit of blood having dripped from the wounds she healed immediately with a Cura.
Before her was a literal iceberg, created from an Absolute Zero spell.
Gilgamesh had pushed her very hard in this fight.
He didn't let up.
He didn't stop for a breath.
He didn't falter when struck.
And he didn't seem to even feel any pain.
It took a few lucky seconds for her to trap him in the ice and hopefully halt him.
CRACK!
Aqua's eyes widened in shock as the ice shattered.
Or not.
"No way!" Tai and Qrow gaped.
Raven's eyes had gone wide as Gilgamesh emerged from the field of icy spikes, holes in his armor shown but he didn't seem to be bleeding all that much.
"Impressive. You show no hesitation to end my life, Raven Branwen and you recovered quickly. It appears, I underestimated you." Gilgamesh admitted. "Perhaps you are worthy of the special treatment I give to all who impress me."
"Special treatment?" Tai muttered.
And then it happened.
Aqua watched in stunned awe and slight horror as Gilgamesh activated his next stage of power as a dark aura surrounded him and his appearance changed to acquire eight arms holding multiple types of weapons of warriors he had defeated.
Which leaves Aqua surprised seeing his very familiar appearance.
This brings her back to the memory of the book that she read long ago of Warriors without Keyblades traveling outside the worlds. She is witnessing one of these warriors right now and she is facing one too.
'Thanks to me coming to this world and journeying through the past to the present Gilgamesh is now becoming the greatest legend throughout the worlds and keyblade wielders.' Aqua realized to herself as she prepared to continue the fight.
A fight she was not sure she could win.
"Prepare yourself now…" Gilgamesh's voice had grown deeper as a result of his transformation. "For-"
"-now we fight like men! And ladies! And ladies who dress like men! For Gilgamesh...it is morphing time!" Gilgamesh declared, brandishing six weapons with six arms and his eyes blazing bright.
Team STRQ could only stare in horror, eyes wide, jaws gaping and Qrow could only sum up their predicament with two words. "Oh Fu-"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Gilgamesh charged at them with a full battle roar.
