Hello Dear Readers,
Yes, I probably copied someone's work without their approval. No, I don't care.
As I read JAGA03's book, Final Fire Emblem, I saw many good concepts behind his story. However, I will not sugarcoat this: his writing skills are atrocious. I believe that they were worse than those of a third grader. The punctuation and grammar mistakes almost made me want to vomit in horror and disgust—enough to make me want to quit reading entirely.
I'm sorry for any offense I have caused; I only speak truthfully. It's just the kind of person I am.
So, just like JAGA03 had the urge to write his version of Tan90's Rising Again, I have this heavy urge to fix his tasteless, janky chapters while integrating a few of my ideas. I don't want to create an exact carbon copy of his creation. So, the tone and situations will be more severe and accurate to the games/film while having more action-packed sections than before. Consider it 20-35% similar to JAGA03's work. Heck, it will most likely be 5-10%.
I present my version of JAGA03's Final Fire Emblem, 'Awakened Fantasy.'
(P.S. – If you're wondering what is happening with my other title, Double Edged Situation, I'm still working on it. I just decided to take a break and write this story to refresh my mind.)
Chapter 1 – The Blazing Horseman
As Cloud opened his eyes, the last thing he remembered was hazy; he knew the war with Deepground had finished. But still, he couldn't figure out where he had been before waking up here. "Last thing in my memory… Damn, I can't recall what it was." Cloud could not recall what happened after Vincent emerged from the crystal cave. He had his Fusion Sword, which was his central blade combined with his hollow blade, in his hand; holding this weapon proves he had been in combat before waking up here.
He shook his head. "Standing here won't do me any good." Studying his surroundings, he could tell he was in some snowy forest, though he could not recognize it. "Well, I must get going until I find any civilization nearby."
Due to the weight on his back, he acknowledged that he had the other four Fusion Blades strapped securely. At least I have my other pieces. Cloud looked at the sun and concluded it was still early. Pulling out his cell phone, he opened it; to his dismay, he saw no signal. "Even in the Forgotten Capital, I had a signal. …Ugh. Vincent would be laughing at me if he found out."
He recalled battling the remnants in the Forgotten Capital during the geostigma crisis. But due to his arm being infected with the geostigma, he almost lost to them until Vincent Valentine rescued him. Although he did not look it, Vincent was old enough to be Cloud's dad.
"Whatever…" Cloud placed his phone back in his pocket and began walking through the chilling woods, hoping for an exit. He remembers how he used to travel around the world with his friends, but he is trying to recall if he has ever since this place, nothing came to mind. He saw some hills in the distance, the perfect place to scope out the unknown area. Spiriting toward the steep hill, he passed many familiar animals, such as deer and white bunnies. Nothing that was wildly out of the ordinary. However, he did find something strange: his motorcycle in the middle of nowhere, Fenrir.
Strange. Cloud halted and walked over to his three-wheeled vehicle. Is this where I parked Fenrir? …How could I forget? Is my memory that messed up? He shook his head and hopped on. "Glad to see you." Opening the bike's storage compartment containing spare necessities such as his clothes, snacks, and a few spare flip phones, he stored all six blades into the weapon slots and took out his shaded goggles. Placing them on his head, he turned on the powerful engine and drove through the snow.
Reaching the top of the hill within three minutes, he noticed a fortress-like structure. He stopped, turned off his bike, and hopped off. Walking up to the gate, a lance came flying his way. Casually, he sidestepped with slight to minimal effort. He looked up to see a woman in heavy armor, a new design he had never seen before. "Sacrificing your only weapon?"
She now held another lance and looked down at him. "You there! What kind of loud monster have you brought to Regna Ferox?!"
Cloud was confused by three things: one, why she was attacking him; two, what is Regna Ferox; and three, what monster? "Come again?"
"You heard me the first time. I know you're a Plegian scum pretending to be Ylissian." She pointed to his bike. "And bringing a monster no less! You bastard…"
Has the cold weather blinded her eyes? "Fenrir is no monster. It's my motorcycle."
"What the hell is a motorcycle?" She hurled another lance at him.
Cloud saw that other guards were joining her. He considered driving away for a moment, but where would he go? He knew that he never learned how to prepare proper meals in the wild, and hunger would get the better of him. "Let me in. I'll pay the price."
Every soldier threw their spears at him, yet he successfully dodged all of them. The commander shook her head. "You Plegian dog, your death is enough!"
They were not letting him in any time soon. Fine. I'll do it myself.
Returning to his bike, Cloud turned on the gear, generating a roaring noise. Everyone above the fort was tense, unsure, and afraid of what this stranger was about to do. Pushing the pedal, he drifted his Fenrir a three-sixty and charged ahead at maximum speed, forcefully opening the iron gate with a loud bang.
The commander shouted in panic. "He breached the border! Arrest him!" Every guard positioned ran after him.
Cloud stopped Fenrir and opened its storage system. The soldiers surrounded him within seconds. "Hands in the air!" They were equipped with various melee weapons, and among them were archers, ready to fire.
Bow and arrow? No one uses such weapons anymore. Unless this place is no longer Gaia… No, too soon to assume.
Taking out his short blades, arrows rained towards him. Cloud easily cut each arrow in half, surprising everyone around him. "I only ask for a place to stay," he said.
"Stay? Not after you broke through our gates without our permission, Plegian," the armored commander sneered.
Cloud grunted. "I'm not Plegian."
The commander studied the man. "Prove it with your strength. Defeat us the Feroxi way."
Annoyed, Cloud took out his central blade and activated it. Soon after, he magnetized all his other blades as one, creating the completed form of his Fusion Sword. Dismounting his ride, he leaped out to the middle of the field. "Fine. Let's dance, asshole." Charging up his blade, Cloud spun around with every ounce of his strength, creating an intense whirlwind that tripped everyone down to the ground.
The commander remained standing, yet stunned. "Magic?!"
"No." Cloud pointed his blade at her, threatening her life. "Is this enough?"
She stood there in thought. "Not Plegian… Why are you here?"
"I'm..." Cloud thought for a moment. "Lost. I need shelter and food first and foremost."
Placing her lance to the ground, she huffed. "Forgive me; we became wary of any who demanded access beyond these walls due to recent events. But your gear does not look like it is from Plegia. It seems we've mistaken you as the enemy."
Cloud gave her a nod. "Apology accepted."
"What's your name and affiliation?"
"Cloud. Affiliated with… no one."
"I see. A homeless wanderer then… If you need a place to stay, you should go to the capital," she pointed towards the far left of the white mountains.
He nodded and hopped on his bike.
"Wait! Take this." She handed over a unique gold-silver plate. "Once you enter the capital, show the recruitment center this medal. They'll provide you with what you need and more."
Cloud grabbed the medal and stored it inside his bike along with his separate blades. "Thanks."
Arriving at the capital of Regna Feroxi, the streets were mostly filled with muscular men and women, with some children running around. Yet this did not stop Cloud's momentum as he honked at the people to move out of the way. Everyone backed away in surprise and horror as they saw his black vehicle.
A few strong-looking fighters braved their way against Cloud. "Hey, hey, what do you have here?" He tapped Fenrir's metal plate as he looked at the driver. "Are you asking for a fight with this metal junk?"
Cloud opened the storage compartment without hesitation, smacking the guy downwards with its sudden opening mechanism. "Mind your own business." The others with him drew out their weapons. Cloud grabbed his gold-silver medal. "Tell me where the recruitment center is."
Suddenly, they all froze. "It's that dome," one of them pointed.
Closing his storage, Cloud continued his drive through the streets. Upon reaching the dome with blue banners, he looked at one of the guards at its entrance. "Got a place to keep this safe?"
The guard was perplexed. "What is that?"
"A bike…"
Wait. I have yet to see any advanced machinery from these people. No way I just traveled back in time…
Cloud observed reaction. "Ever heard of robots? Cars? Guns?"
He shook his head. "No? Are you just here to mess with me?"
Cloud closed his eyes for a moment and showed his medal. "Never mind. This is my hand-made carriage. You understand?"
It took a while, but he realized what Cloud was showing. "Oh, then it goes there." He gave directions to a nearby structure with a few wooden and iron carriages.
Parking it slowly between the two carriages, Cloud placed all his weapons behind his back, dismounted from his Fenrir, and headed inside the building. Walking through the small room, a woman with battle scars across her face, black clothing, and long dark hair was sitting behind the front desk. "Need something?" she grunted.
Cloud placed down the unique medal. "This."
Picking it up, her whole demeanor flipped. "A worthy candidate, eh?"
"Candidate?"
"Yeah! You're worthy to become one of the champions of the Khans!" She closed her blue eyes, moving her body in a trance. "I wish I was strong enough to be chosen."
Cloud was confused. "I'm not following. Wasn't this the place where you get food and shelter?"
"That's a bonus… Wait, you never heard?!"
He nodded. "I'm not local. First time hearing that Regna Ferox exists."
"Oh… Then let me explain. Here in Regna Ferox, there are two rulers called the Khans. But only one can govern this land."
"One?"
She nodded. "That's where champions, such as yourself, come in. The Khans have their own chosen champions who will battle against each other every few years. The winner will determine which Khan will rule over the land." She gleefully smiled. "Not only that, you get to personally stay by their side as their training comrades! Siiigh. You are so lucky right now."
Cloud frowned. "Seems like a hassle… Is there any other way to earn my lunch?"
The woman slammed her desk. "YOU'RE REFUSING?!"
"Of course. Who would want to spend their time with a complete stranger?"
"…What's your name?"
"Huh?"
"Give me your name, and I'll give you information about your lunch."
He eyebrowed at her. "Cloud."
She gripped Cloud's collar with both her hands. "Cloud. You WILL participate in the Champion's tournament."
He grabbed her hand. "No thank-"
"In return, I will let you stay over with free food and housing. No. Strings. Attached."
Cloud stared at her.
Why is this girl so persistent… I should turn her down. "You—" No, wait. If this insistent girl is offering me 'free' stuff, I better take this chance.
"You win. I'll take your offer."
She released him. "Good. The name's Fortune. Looking forward to seeing you fight, champion."
When the mechanical clock struck 22:00, Fortune closed her doors and rushed back to check on Cloud, who had already gone to her house. Arriving at her place, she found a black metal thing with a bunch of cut wood and many small trinkets beside it. Wanting answers, she entered her house. Closing the door behind her, Fortune walked over to Cloud, sitting at the table in her bedroom. She noticed he seemed lost in thought, his blue-green eyes shimmering through the dark.
Shaking her head, she lit up her lantern and stood before him. "Cloud, how's the place so far? Getting used to it?"
The ex-SOLDIER snapped out of his thoughts. "It's all right."
"I see… By the way, what is that black thing outside my house?!"
Cloud stood up. "It's my way of transportation."
Fortune placed her arms against her waist. "Well, this transportation of yours is causing lots of attraction on my property!"
"Not my problem."
"It is your problem! Thieves around here don't take long naps under the moon," she hissed. "Once they find something new and flashy, they will come knocking on my door."
Cloud huffed. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it tomorrow."
"I'm starting to regret this."
"You did this to yourself."
"…"
Cloud placed his sword down and lay on the floor. "Anyways. I'll go to bed. Night."
"Right." She jumped on her white bed. "Goodnight…"
As the light shined through the cracks of the wooden hatch, Fortune rubbed her eyes, waking up to a new day. She opened the hatch, revealing a bright, sunny day outside her window. The same old capital greeted her awakening, yet there was something new: a makeshift wooden box connected to the side of her brick house. "What in the world is that?" Grabbing her silver blade, Fortune opened her front door and entered the new structure. Inside, Cloud sat beside his black vehicle, viewing its internal components. "Cloud, what is the meaning of this?"
Standing up from his maintenance, Cloud clapped the dirt off his gloves. "You said that my bike was disturbing the neighbors."
"Yeah, I did." She shook her head. "When did you even have the time to make this, um…"
"Garage," Cloud answered. "And I don't require long naps."
Fortune nods as she sees that his eyes are wide awake. "Sure, superhuman. Anyway, the Champion's tournament doesn't start until a week from now. So help yourself while I am at work, okay?"
"…Thank you. For yesterday."
She grinned. "Well, I do want to see your skills out there."
Cloud let out a sigh. "I still don't understand you." He mounted his cycle. "Get on Fenrir."
"Fenrir?"
He opened his bike and took out a pair of black goggles. "It is this bike's name. I'll drop you at your place. That's the least I can do, seeing I'm staying here rent-free."
Taking his eye-wear, Fortune glanced at the bike. "I don't know... It will draw attention, and is it even safe?"
"I don't care what others think of it, and as long as you hold on to me, you won't fall off."
"Hmm. Give me a sec. I'll get my stuff ready." She ran back and quickly returned with her pouch attached to her belt.
Cloud pointed behind him. "Wear the goggles I gave you and sit here."
Strapping her goggles over her eyes, she hopped on and held him. Cloud started the engine, causing Fortune to stagger herself in surprise. "This power, I never felt it before in my life." Cloud didn't say anything as he accelerated forward. Reaching the dome where they first met, Fortune got off Fenrir immediately. "Thanks, I'll see you later… Uugh. I don't feel so good," she quickly ran inside as her face turned green.
Cloud looked at his fuel gauge meter as she disappeared into the building. He recalled meeting up with a red-haired woman around 18:00, according to his FOMA P900iV, which soon after Fortune boldly gave him her keys to her house. Her name was Anna, and she was some 'secret seller' who had an interest in Fenrir. Apparently, she offered him financial support, starting with five hundred gold coins, if he started a transportation business, which she claimed would help her boost her business.
At first, he denied it since this world had no gasoline. He knew his bike wouldn't last longer without it. Yet he suspected Fenrir was acting strange and decided to take the offer. Now, Cloud is confident after confirming his doubts.
As I thought. The fuel hasn't decreased at all. It's still full despite using it for a day and a half, just like the situation with my flip phone. It's strange, but I suppose this way, I can resume my work in the 'Strife Delivery Service.'
With his newly earned cash in his pockets, he bought wood and tools to set up a temporary garage on Fortune's property. A place to hide Fenrir. All that is left is to promote his services.
Cloud roared his engine as he drove past the bustling marketplace filled with blacksmiths, weapons, and produce sellers. There was a vast empty spot right in the far corner, just as she told him. Reaching the area, he spotted Anna from yesterday. "Cloud!" She waved her hands. "I knew you're not the kind of person to run away with my money. Still have some remaining?"
Cloud stopped his vehicle and took off his goggles. "I do. So, where do we start?"
"Do you know your geography?" She smirked. "Well, with your Fenrir, I bet you-"
"Zero clue," Cloud monotonously interrupted.
This made Anna's jaw drop. "Come again?"
Cloud folded his hands. "You heard me. I can't seem to remember anything about this place."
Anna placed her hand against her forehead. "That's unfortunate." She took out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Does this map bring back any memories?"
Definitely not Gaia.
Cloud shook his head. "Sorry. I need to re-learn it."
She sighed. "Okay, I'll just explain the basics. First things first, the place we are at is Regna Ferox, a cold region ruled by one of the two Khans. As you can tell, this place values strength. You will usually never find any formalities and diplomacy around here. It's the Feroxi way, as they say."
"For what I've seen so far, it makes sense."
"South from here are two separate nations. The Halidom of Ylisse is far southeast. It's a lush green land where they worship the Holy Dragon, Naga. The ruler is none other than the Exalt. The Exalt and her royal family all have this mark on their bodies called the Brand of the Exalt." Anna showed a drawing of said mark. "It looks like this."
Cloud nodded. "So, Ylisse worship some, quote on quote, special lizard. Great."
"I wouldn't say that in front of them. Especially when they consider them as gods," Anna whispered. "Ahem. Next," she continued, "the southwest nation is the Theocracy of Plegia, a barren, hot land where they worship the Fell Dragon, Grima. If they heard you call their god a lizard of doom, they would chase you till the ends of the earth. I'm warning you because there is a reason why Regna Ferox and Ylisse are on bad terms with them; they're all crazy fanatics. Especially their current king."
"Sounds awesome, more lizard zealots. What about Regna Ferox? Any more giant lizards to worship?"
Anna shook her head. "I don't think you've got the memo about lizards. You sound just like a Feroxi because nobody cares about dragons here."
"Good."
Placing down her bag, she handed him a few papers. "I lied when I said we were setting up your transportation business in this marketplace. In reality, I just wanted to test your commitment. You wouldn't be alive today if you fled with my money."
I highly doubt it, Cloud thought. "So, what do you want me to do with these papers?"
"They are requests from people all over this continent that I've yet to fulfill. I'm a busy person, so it's hard to keep up with all of this." Anna tapped his bike. "But with this revolutionary, unique contraption, I can see getting things done much faster."
"Okay, what happens when I complete them?" he asked.
"What is your estimation between here and Ylisse with this bike of yours?"
"Judging from the map, about two or three hours."
"Hours?!" Anna almost yelled. "That fast?!"
"Yes."
"Gold!" The secret seller began to gleam in pure joy. "If this is true… I can become filthy rich!"
"Filthy rich?" a strange hooded man asked.
"Shit," Anna cursed as she drew her steel blade. "I've spoken too loud."
Ten more thief-like hoodlums surrounded them. Cloud glanced behind him. "Not your friends, I assume?"
"Yep. Looks like they won't go down that easily."
Acknowledging that they were not friendly, Cloud backflipped over the thief behind him and opened Fenrir's storage compartment, taking out all his Fusion Blades to their completed form.
One of the thieves pointed at Cloud. "He's getting away!"
"No, I'm not." Pushing his shoes against the pedal, Cloud drove forward, knocking him in the air. He stopped by Anna as the enemy froze. "Sit behind me."
Since the situation was dire, Anna quickly obeyed.
"Hold on tight!" Slamming his giant sword against the ground, Cloud held on to the pommel of his blade with one hand as he accelerated and lifted his entire motorcycle in the air with only his two gripping legs. He spun his heavy vehicle around mid-air with momentum, knocking out everyone who initially surrounded them.
With the empty path open, Cloud plucked out his weapon and drove away to a safer area.
"Cloud?" Anna leaned her head against his back. "Can you stop… I-" Stopping their ride, Anna quickly jumped down, vomiting her last supper.
"Are you okay?"
She took out her waterskin and gulped it all down. "Do I look okay? …Never mind. Thanks."
"So," Cloud began, "Where were we?"
Anna clapped her hand. "Right! Since you can travel so quickly," she reached in her bag, taking out more papers than before, "you can complete all of my requests."
"Sure." Cloud took her request forms and stored them inside his bike.
"Once you're done with the requests, meet me where we first met around 18:00. If you're successful, I'll hand out more work."
"Will do. Also, I will call my services the Strife Delivery Service, if you don't mind."
Anna nodded. "That would be better for me. I don't want many to know I'm directly involved. I'll just promote your service and act as your application collector."
"Thanks."
"Out of curiosity, why are you calling it strife?" she asked.
"Strife is my last name," he answered.
"Cloud Strife?" Anna whistled. "I didn't know you came from a wealthy family… But I never heard of such a surname before."
"…Because I'm the only survivor," Cloud half-lied.
She frowned. "Oh, sorry."
"Pay no mind to it." Pulling out his phone, Cloud flipped it open and twisted the screen sideways, entering camera mode. "Look at this black center," he said, pointing at his side camera.
Anna stared for a moment.
*Snap*
"What did you do?"
Cloud showed her his screen. "Just created an instant photograph."
"Photograph?" She observed his bright display. "Is that me?"
"Yes. It's just for memory purposes." He closed his phone, took out his spare one, and handed it to her. "Take my backup phone. I won't explain the mechanics behind it, but we can communicate with each other with this over long distances."
Anna looked at it and flipped it open. "A phone…"
"Let me give a quick rundown of how this thing works." Cloud then proceeded to give her the basics of its functions. "…and that's about it."
"Wow. I've never seen something quite so useful. It's strange, but considering the things you have, I shouldn't be surprised."
Cloud stared at her new phone. "Just keep it safe out of water, high voltage, and anything crushing. It's not as durable as it looks, and I'm sure this world has nothing similar. If possible, keep it in a safe hidden location before battles." He crossed his arms. "I'm saying this because I lost mine once before, resulting in a sticky situation."
"Noted."
"Anyways. I'll work on these requests starting tomorrow."
Anna nodded as she placed her black phone in her bag. "I'm sold. Expecting you to finish everything before next month. We'll split the money, and I'll hand you even more requests."
After saying their goodbyes, Cloud drove back to the marketplace to scope out what was available. There wasn't anything eye-catching to him. However, he did find a small stall selling books. Only one woman searched for something in the store, which makes sense since this isn't a bookworm city. Cloud needed more information about this world, so he drove, surprising the owner and customer of the bookstore.
Stopping his engine, Cloud dismounted with his bag of coins. "Are there any books on history?"
"P-please! Spare me!"
"Sir. Please don't scare Olivia. She's a good customer of mine," the seller politely told him.
Cloud glanced beside him. This customer, Olivia, had pink hair and a leather-robed coat to protect herself from the cold. Despite her timid appearance, she was carrying a sheathed blade.
I guess even a soft girl like her has to carry a sword around this battle-ready nation.
"I'm Sorry for any trouble I've caused," Cloud apologized, "but I only came here to buy some books. I hope you can understand."
He nodded and adjusted his glasses. "Thank you. Here are a few books that you might be interested in." He laid out a stack of books in front of Cloud. "What do you think? You can borrow them if you'd like."
The language was mostly similar to the one in Cloud's world. So, he did not think he should have trouble reading any of it. "I'll borrow all of them."
The owner smirked. "Oh, ho. Good. The fee is ten gold. You will owe me a hundred gold if you cannot return or rebuy it in twelve days." He revealed a purple-tinted knife. "Understand?"
"Understood." Giving his ten coins, Cloud stored all his temporary books inside his bike and drove away. He spent his remaining time driving around the capital, noting places that seemed important. The sun was about to set as soon as he finished driving everywhere he could. On a cliff that overviewed the capital, Cloud sat on his bike as he reviewed each paper, confirming two things.
First, most of these requests that Anna gave him involve moving one object to another location, which is simple. Yet there are some special ones that require him to do more work. Those special requests include finding a missing item from a particular location, delivering it back to them, or escorting someone from one place to another.
Second, these requests have all been pending for quite some time. It seemed Anna desperately needed help and coincidentally found him at the right time. Why did she even have those requests in the first place? Cloud didn't care. Whatever happened happened, and now he can rerun his business because of this. So, to start with, the first request he will take is the oldest one. As luck would have it, Cloud's first client is Fortune, his roommate.
Cloud placed the papers back in Fenrir except for Fortune's, which he folded and placed inside his pocket. "This sure is something…" He drove again, returning home as it became dark. Entering her house, he found Fortune sitting at the table.
"Oh, you're here." She stood up. "It was getting so late; I thought you ditched this place."
He shook his head. "No. I just went to find a job. Don't want to sit around and do nothing."
Fortune nodded. "I suppose a man got to do something, or else they would become restless for the whole day. That's a good thing. In any case, I'm glad you didn't break your promise."
"Yeah…" Cloud showed her the paper. "Take a look at this. My work involves helping you retrieve your stolen item."
Her eyes opened wide. "My old request paper?!"
"Yes. Are you free tomorrow morning?"
Smiling, Fortune nodded. "I am. Someone else is filling in for me. Initially, I wanted to spar with you, but this can work too."
"Good. Then I'll see you in the morning."
Fortune opened Cloud's garage as the sun rose, finding him reading a thick book on his bike. "Morning Cloud. Didn't know you were into books."
"Just gathering information. Are you ready to hit the road?" he asked. "Or if you don't feel confident, we can walk on foot."
She remembered what happened yesterday, yet she stood tall. "No, let's use Fenrir again. I can handle myself."
"Okay. You said that you lost this sword of yours in some remote village?"
"Yeah. Just head east, and you'll eventually find it."
"Sure." Cloud nodded. "Get on."
As soon as Fortune climbed on, Cloud drove towards the village as she instructed. It didn't take too long to reach their destination. Cloud settled his bike inside an open cave to shelter from any upcoming snowstorm.
Unfortunately, Fortune leaned against Cloud in pain. "At least… I didn't eat…" Slowly pulling out her brown bag, she pulled out water and food, consuming at her pace.
Cloud pulled out his four Fusion Blades and placed them behind him. Only his central blade with the hollow one attached was held in his hand. "You know where to go from here?"
"Yeah." She pointed at the run-down village. "It used to be my home, but a group of brigands destroyed it. They took away my family, my friends."
"…Did you ever think of getting revenge?"
Fortune looked down at the glimmering snow, clenching her fists. "I thought about it, but I never could bring myself to do it. And even if I did, those bastards are already gone."
Cloud gazed at his cold silver sword. "I see… So, this lost or stolen sword, where is it?"
"It's not actually lost. I just buried it underground before they attacked us. I just… never had the guts to go back again." She shook her head. "But that's ages ago. Let's get going."
Cloud nodded and followed her lead. That is until some hooded stranger tripped their toes.
"Ow," he hissed quietly.
Cloud pointed his sword at him. "A thief?"
"No. What would a thief be doing in this abandoned place?" she said.
The stranger saw us and quickly placed his finger against his lips. He waved his hands, signaling to come over to his side.
Cloud glanced at Fortune for a possible explanation, but she shrugged. "I'll go first." As Cloud went ahead silently, Fortune followed behind.
Reaching five feet away from the hooded man, he whispered. "I need your help. There is a sour group who stole my stuff in this village."
"Sour group?" Cloud asked in a low tone.
"Plegia," he answered.
"Plegia? Didn't Longfort ban them from crossing in?" asked Fortune.
"I don't know, but these are no ordinary Plegians. They're dark mages." He looked at them with green eyes. "You're here for a reason, too, right?"
Fortune nodded.
He grinned. "Then let's work together. These dark mages are hard to deal with, but I think you guys can handle them pretty easily. So, what do you say?"
"…Sure. More allies are better," Cloud agreed. "But if you do anything funny, you better pay."
He raised his hands in the air. "I swear I won't. Anyways, who has higher resistance against magic here?"
Resistance against magic. I read that magic is basically the same as using Materia in my world. I want to see this for myself. Cloud manually fused all his swords together. "I'll go."
He glanced at Cloud's enormous blade. "Are you sure? They're magic users, and you're just a sword fighter with a heavy Armorslayer-like weapon, no less."
"Don't worry. I dealt with magic before."
Fortune nodded. "I want to see how you fight, Cloud. Go for it!"
The hooded man stood up. "If you say so. Then, I'll ambush the rear group. You take the front. Sound sweet?"
"Sounds like a plan. Fortune?"
"I'll back you up, Cloud," she said.
Nodding, Cloud stepped forward.
"By the way, the name's Gaius. Pleasure working with you."
"Likewise." Walking over the ruins, Cloud scouted ahead while his partner followed behind him. He spotted more hooded men in the field, but they had lizard-like skulls sticking out of their heads. "Hey, Fortune. Do you want to find your sword first while I distract them?"
"Okay. I'll be back."
As she ran in the opposite direction, Cloud approached the Plegians. "Come out and show yourselves!"
"Damn, we've been found out?" one of the skulls mumbled.
"Shhh! Don't reveal yourself, you idiot. Wait for the right moment."
*Thunk*
A long, razor-sharp sword struck through the stone walls. "Don't keep me waiting."
Five mages revealed themselves. "You fool!" As they opened their dark purple books, multiple rings of light were summoned around them, accumulating electrifying, bubbly magic. Releasing their darkness, Cloud stood still, not moving at all.
"Hahaha. I bet he pissed himself after feeling the wrath of Grima!"
The third voice pointed. "No, wait. He's still alive!?"
Cloud glanced at himself. He did feel a slight sting through his body, yet it wasn't as bad as he thought. "Pathetic."
The Plegians backed away. "What?! Why didn't it work? He should be screaming in agony by now!"
"You call that shit magic?" Cloud's thrown blade magnetized back to his Fusion Sword. "I'll show you real magic." He held his sword before him, focusing with his eyes closed.
"Don't let him do what he wants. Fire!"
As they barraged him with dark spells, Cloud simply ignored the pain and kept focusing. Finishing his charge, his body strength boosted. Cloud instantly propelled himself straight towards them with a single hop.
"Wha-!"
The mages didn't have enough time to process what Cloud did as he used one of his Limit Techniques, Cross Slash. Slashing in an 'X' formation, downward, wide horizontally, and finally, twirling around to perform an upward slash, he cut them down to size. "And that's how it's done," he said, flicking their blood off.
"Wow. Cloud, that was amazing!" Fortune complimented as she came running. "Your skills are definitely fitting for the next champion."
"Found what you were looking for?"
"Yeah." She showed him her blade. The edges were sharp like a standard steel blade; however, the inside was primarily hollow, with only a few blue pieces of metal connecting between the gaps.
"Interesting design. What kind of blade is that?" Cloud asked.
"I can say the same for your blade." Fortune lifted her weapon. "This is a Brave Sword. They are hard to come by since only a few can make them. But once you have it, you can swing it as if it were nothing."
"Huh."
"That's why I wanted to retrieve it. Because it pretty rare, expensive, and… well, it holds a special memory of the past."
"Can I see it?"
She handed him her blade. "Sure. In return, let me try yours."
Cloud itched his cheeks. "Ah. It's heavy in this form… Okay, you can take it. I'll just leave it down here." He dropped his Fusion Blade, causing it to sink into the snow.
Giving Cloud her Brave Sword, she went down to pick it up. "Ngh!" Fortune tried her hardest, but she only moved his blade about one centimeter off the ground. "What the hell? How are you able to swing this monster around?!"
"I'm just built differently, literally." Cloud swung her weapon. "Your sword is super light but also unexpectedly heavier than I thought. It's a good balance… for normal people, that is."
"Huh?"
Cloud shook his head. "…Never mind. Let's check on Gaius. I need to see him."
She nodded as they returned their weapons and sprinted to where Gaius last went. Arriving at the scene, Gaius was hunched over some dead bodies.
"Where the heck did they put my sugar?"
Cloud approached him. "What sugar?"
"Oh, you're back." Gaius kept searching for his stolen item. "I'm still searching for my candies."
"Candy?" Fortune eyed him curiously. "You killed them because they stole your candy?"
"Yep, no one messes with my snacks."
Cloud folded his arms. "Talk about serious addiction."
"…Why did you come here anyway? I mean to this ruin."
"To fulfill a delivery job," Cloud answered.
"Deliver? To who? The dead?"
Cloud shook his head. "No. I was delivering a lost weapon to its owner."
Fortune nodded. "Yep, I'm that owner. In addition to becoming one of the champions of the Khans, Cloud just started running his own transportation business, which I believe he called it, the Strife Delivery Service."
Gaius didn't respond for a moment, still rustling through their bodies. "…Is this it? Yes… YES! They didn't get to eat my favorite sweets!"
"Did he even hear me?"
"Fortune, keep an eye on him for a second. I have to check something."
"Cloud? What are you-" She looked at him, but he was already gone. "Sigh."
Gaius stood up. "We did he go?"
*VROOOM*
Smashing through the brick walls, Cloud, with his Fenrir, scared the crap out of Gaius. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Cloud pulled out his paper. "Is this your request form?"
It took a while for Gaius to get his bearings, but when he did, he nodded. "Yeah, I almost forgot about it."
"You want it canceled or delivered now?"
Gaius stared at the paper, Cloud's bike, and his unique sword. "You know what? Let's do it."
