>Final Fantasy Legacy #13 Exposed! By John Evans, jevans@alum.mit.edu. >Beware the Radish >http://www.chaoseed.com/btr/ >4/7/01 Kyle walked through a darkened hallway below the Church, listening to his footsteps echo off the stone walls. He reached for his pocket, then scowled and grasped the Tri-Fan amulet around his neck, instead. Somehow, it wasn't that reassuring. >This was the whole thing where Kyle had the Guardian Egg (which turned out to >be Tritoch...more on that later), and it was exerting some sort of influence >on him. He kept rolling it in his hand without realizing, and it seemed to be >prodding him to do various things. The young Dragoon turned the corner and noticed a guard standing listlessly next to a heavy wooden door. At his approached, the guard seemed to rouse himself from a daze and snap blearily to attention. Kyle nodded crisply. "At ease," he peered at the guard's uniform, "Corporal." "Er...yes, Captain." The guard saluted. "But...may I ask what you're doing here? Sir?" "Oh, Father Lambert got it into his head that there was an object we found some time ago, that might shed some light on the whole situation, with everything's that's occurred in recent days." Kyle resisted the urge to breathe deeply. >Breathe deeply because he's lying. "Oh! Well, that's all right then, sir." The guard slid back a bolt, and pushed the door open for Kyle. "Although, I can't think of what possible use anything in here could be. Just a lot of junk, if you ask me..." The guard took a torch from a holder in the wall. >This was a vaguely end-of-Raiders of the Lost Ark plot device. Kyle smoothly appropriated the torch. "Thank you, Corporal." He walked into the room. "Oh, uh...yessir." Kyle let the guard's word fade, as he half-closed the door, and turned to examine the room. 'Junk' was a very, very good description. The room was cluttered with wooden chests, suits of armor, statues, shields, weapon racks and what seemed to be ancient siege equipment. However, the pull (*inspiration*, he thought, scowling) was very strong. In fact, it was strongest over by the chest stacked on top of a ballista... >Okay, the bit about the "inspiration"...Kyle doesn't want to believe that the >Egg is influencing him, or that he's feeling a "pull" to do things. So he >tries to convince himself that it's just an "inspiration". I suppose I could >have gotten that across in a different way, maybe with better wording, but >somehow I couldn't figure out how... Kyle walked over to the chest and swept his arm over the surface, producing a huge cloud of dust. After sneezing a few times, he managed to pry the chest open with a rusty knife that was lying nearby and opened the lid. Kyle blinked. "What in the hell..." And unseen in his pocket, the orange sphere gleamed. >He got the curved sword from the chest. ===== FINAL FANTASY LEGACY Knights of the Round An ImproFanfic Started by Brian Stricklin >This fanfic hosted by ImproFanfic, http://www.improfanfic.com Chapter Thirteen: Fire and Ice >Now, the thing about the title...It was supposed to refer to Shiva and Ifrit, >the two Guardians featured in the story. Shiva gets summoned, and Ifrit is in >the Egg that's influencing Kyle. >...Except that in #15 it was revealed that Tritoch was inside the Egg. >Whee. ===== >Now...the whole purpose of this chapter was to do a sort of "side quest", >because I thought that everyone wanted the brewing of the Soft to be drawn >out. And I try never to cut off plots before they have a chance to develop. >Therefore, I gave the later authors a chance to spend as many chapters as >they wanted on little side quests to find other ingredients. It could have >gone on for quite a while. >And yet, just next chapter the Soft was brewed and used. >Huh. Syeira ducked under the monster's claw, lunged in and thrust her dagger forward. The creature howled in agony, then slumped and fell over in the snow, steaming dark ichor spurting from the wound. Syeira brushed some hair back from her face. "Well, that takes care of that. How are you doing, Marcine, Mika?" She turned, and blinked. "Uh... Marcine? Mika?" Marcine swallowed. "That was, um, very impressive, Syeira." Mika edged behind the taller girl. Syeira rolled her eyes. "Do you know what they call this thing?" she asked, gesturing at the cooling corpse. "No..." "A Death Claw." Syeira spun the dagger in her hand, then sheathed it with a smooth motion. "You know what that means, right?" >I looked over the Final Fantasy Compendium that Aaron mentioned in the #14 >Author's Note, and I noticed that Death Claws were a "species" of monster >that had appeared in several Final Fantasy games. And since I love recurring >story elements like that, I decided to put the Death Claws in here. This one >is basically based on the Final Fantasy 8 Death Claw (that does, in fact, >hang around cold climates). Marcine sighed. "I know. It was it, or us. Like you keep saying. Still, I can't help..." She looked at the monster, brow furrowed. >This is the continuing plot with Marcine not *quite* being willing to kill >monsters. Syeira sighed. "It's the law of the forest, remember. Now, Mika." Mika blinked, and then stepped forward. "H-hai!" "Do you see that flower anywhere around here?" She swept her arm to indicate the entirety of the snowy clearing. "Or anything like it?" "Um. I'll check." Mika scampered over to the edge of the trees and began examining the roots. Marcine watched Syeira as she paced about the clearing. There was something about the thief...In the city Syeira had been restless, never standing still, always looking around for heaven knew what. And out here she was just as nervous, at first glance. But the more Marcine watched her, the more she realized that Syeira *fit* out in the wild. There was something wild about her as well...something that, Marcine realized, scared her. >Okay, from that paragraph on it should be clear that we're in Marcine's >viewpoint for the rest of the story. Syeira was *enjoying* being restless in the forest. As Marcine came to this realization, Syeira turned to look at her. "Marcine." Marcine started, feeling guilty for some reason she couldn't name. "Yes?" "We'll find this flower. And we'll cure Davin. Don't worry." Syeira's eyes gleamed. Marcine swallowed, then nodded. "I know." Syeira nodded curtly and turned to Mika. "Well?" "Um...well." Mika walked slowly back to them. "Well, it's...not here." Syeira sighed. "All right. Marcine, do you have that map?" Marcine took out the parchment map, unfolded it, and began to examine it. "Okay. Um, the next clearing is--" Marcine blinked, and turned the map the other way. Then she turned it back. "Uh--" >Fairly obvious and well-worn joke, I know, but...that's what stories get >built on. "Oh, for--*Give* me that." Syeira snatched the map, and looked at it. "All right, *this* way." She strode off into the forest. Marcine and Mika scrambled to keep up. Marcine took the opportunity to look at the forest as they marched to the next destination. The path they were following had been trampled flat by many feet, most likely animals or monsters. The snow was now packed hard and gray. Trees crowded close around them, vines tangled confusingly among their bare limbs. And snow clung to every surface, glittering under the afternoon sun, enough to make Marcine's eyes hurt as she looked around... "Marcine." Marcine blinked and looked down. "Hm? What is it, Mika?" Mika looked up at her. "How do you feel about bi--about Davin?" Marcine hesitated. Strangely, she was starting to feel warm, even though the air was cold. "Well, um...I mean, he saved me." She looked at her feet as they crunched along the path. "Lots of times." They walked on in silence for a few moments. "I see," Mika said finally. "But what about--" >This was my attempt at contributing to the semi-love triangle between Davin, >Marcine and Mika. (Since, after all, Mika is an adoptive sister of Davin, and >her true age is never *truly* nailed down.) "Hsst!" The two girls blinked and looked up, as Syeira stopped in front of them. She waved her arm, motioning them back. "It's all right," a melodious voice called out from in front of them. "Please, approach." After a moment, Syeira began to walk slowly forward. Marcine and Mika followed close behind as they entered another clearing. Marcine drew in a breath. The clearing was small, almost cozy, and the snow gleamed even brighter as she looked around. Across from them, on the other side of the clearing, was a large white rock, free of snow. And seated on the rock was a woman. She was clad in a shimmering white robe with a furred ruff around the neck, and her light blue hair was bound up in a series of gold ornaments. In one hand she held a long golden staff with a bluish- white globe on the end. She smiled serenely at them. >Astute Final Fantasy Legacy readers will have perked up at the mention of a >"globe". "Greetings, travelers," she said, in the same lyrical tones. "It's not often that we get visitors this deep into the forest." "Aren't you cold?" Mika asked. Marcine shushed her. "Yes and no," the woman said, smiling to herself. "My name is Titania. Might I ask your names, travelers?" >Yes and no meaning...she's a winter faerie, so her physical body doesn't have >much heat to it. But she isn't "cold" in the sense that the cold bothers her. >Titania, of course, was the name of the Queen of the Faeries in Shakespeare's >"A Midsummer Night's Dream". He might have gotten the name from somewhere >else, but I don't feel like researching that far. "Syeira," the thief snapped. Marcine blinked. "Oh. Marcine Cavanaugh." "I'm Mika Gilchrist!" Mika proclaimed. Titania laughed softly, the sound echoing in the forest around them. Marcine saw Mika turn her head wildly, trying to find the source. "Well, >I like that little bit about Mika turning her head. It makes things eerie, I >think. then. There's only one reason anyone comes into *this* forest." Titania leaned forward and rested her chin on one hand. "And that would be...the iceblossoms, yes?" "Yes!" Mika piped up. Syeira nodded. "That's right. I don't suppose you'd know where we could find some?" "But of course," Titania replied. "We do know where they can be found. However...you won't be able to find them without our help." She smiled. Marcine blinked in confusion, but Syeira chuckled and reached for her belt. "All right, then. How much?" Soft laughter again. Mika clapped her hands over her ears. "We have no need for money," Titania said. "Instead, we require that you pass some tests to prove that you are...worthy." She tapped a finger against her chin. "Now, how does that sound?" >Now, it's important to realize that Titania is not exactly telling the whole >truth. She manipulates the three heroines to see how they react. In reality, >she wants to see if they're really worthy of being the Legacy and doing >whatever quest it is the story will eventually focus on. "Bring it on!" Syeira proclaimed. "Yeah!" Mika chimed in, running forward and posing next to Syeira. "We can handle anything!" "...Oh. Right," Marcine said, after a moment. "So be it." Titania straightened on her seat. "Lysipsyche!" As her >Lysipsyche, meaning, "mind-breaker". Analogous to "Lysistrata", a play I was >supposed to read for a class but never really did... voice rang through the air, clear and strong, another woman stepped out from the forest. Marcine saw Syeira's head snap in the woman's direction. "The first test is that of Passion," Titania continued. "It is a test of storytelling. The test shall be Lysipsyche against..." Her eye roved over the party. "Mika Gilchrist." As the party stared in surprise, she waved her staff in a grand gesture. "Lysipsyche, begin." "Yes, Mistress," the woman said. She wore a tunic, breeches and boots, which would look ordinary except for the fact that they were all made of the same diaphanous white material as Titania's robe. "There was once a great hero," Lysipsyche began. "So great was he, that he spent all his time wandering the land and slaying vicious monsters. So it came to pass that one day he was tracking a particularly vicious monster, which had slipped into a forest to hide. Through the forest he went, with his great horse and his huge spear and his army of knights trailing along behind. And they scoured the forest, shooting game, clearing trees so horses could pass, and damming rivers in order to pass by without getting their little footsies dirty. So, after many days of tracking, the army decided to sit down and rest in their camp. While they were all sitting there, there was a strange noise in the forest. The hero sent the lowest-ranking soldier to investigate the strange noise, as he didn't want to be bothered with it himself. So the soldier went, and after a while, there was another strange noise. At which point, the hero sent the second-lowest-ranking soldier to see what was going on, as he still didn't want to be bothered with it himself. This went on for a quite a long time, until finally the hero called for someone to investigate the noise, and realized that he was the only soldier left. And as he realized this, the monster came stomping into the camp, looking very full, but still angry." "And as he reached for his spear, he realized that the bunnies had run off with it..." >Okay, I wanted to accomplish several things with this story. First, I wanted >to create a story that was kinda fun, and sounded fairy tale-ish. I also >wanted to have it seem like a "faerie viewpoint", where the humans lost and >the forest creatures won. This served to unnerve and confuse the heroines. >Also, just because I'm me, I wanted to have the ending be bizarre and >unexpected. And finally, I wanted to bewilder anyone who was reading this >chapter and wasn't expecting to find a fairy tale stuck in the middle. >I like to think I did well on all these counts. Lysipsyche bowed, and Titania applauded. "Oh, what a wonderful story, dear." Marcine, Mika and Syeira stared. "Very well done. Now let's see...Mika!" Titania smiled at Mika, although for some reason it seemed more like a grin. "It's your turn, dear." Mika blinked. "Um...right!" She stepped forward. "I just have to tell a story, right?" "That's correct, dear. Take your time." Titania brushed at her hair delicately. "Okay." Mika squared her shoulders. "Mika--" Marcine began. "It's okay, Marcine-san." Mika folded her arms, and stared at Titania. "Good luck, kid," Syeira muttered. "Okay. Once...there was a little girl. Who lived with her big brother. Only, he wasn't really her brother, because he'd--well...they'd...lost their parents and so, they lived together. And they were very happy." Marcine heard Mika's voice trembling and started to reach out, but then caught herself. "And...and he always took care of her, and got her money for food and stuff, and always came...back...but..." Mika's shoulders started to shake, and she put her hands to her face. "Davin...Davin!" Marcine stepped forward and put her arms around Mika, who buried her face in the other girl's stomach gratefully. >Now there are a couple of important points here. First, this works as >characterization for Mika, and explores her feelings a bit more. And also, >the point is that Mika actually *passed* the Test. Because it was a Test of >Passion, and Mika proved how passionate she was. After a moment, Titania cleared her throat. "A good effort, young one. Perhaps the next test?" >Of course, Titania doesn't actually let Mika *know* how well she did... Marcine saw Syeira glance at her, then step forward. "Whatever it is, I'll do it." "So be it. The Test of Skill, then." She waved her hand, and a man, dressed as Lysipsyche was, stepped from the forest. Lysispyche began to attach some pieces of wood to a tree, at about head height, as the man walked over to them. "Now, you and Phyllon stand right there," Titania directed. "This shall be a knife throwing contest." >Phyllon, Greek for "leaf". Syeira snorted. "Well, I hope you're prepared to lose." Phyllon raised an eyebrow as he took a gleaming white blade from a scabbard. "I could say the same." "Syeira--" Marcine began. "Quiet," Syeira snapped. "This is something I know better than any of you. So just let me do it." Marcine bit her lip as she watched the two prepare. She looked over at the targets and noticed that they were actually pieces cut from the trunks of trees, so that the trees' rings formed natural bullseyes. And they were so far across the clearing... "I shall go first," Phyllon said. "Whatever." Syeira stared at the targets. Phyllon smiled. He weighed the dagger in his hand, drew his arm back and let fly. The knife hit the exact center of the target and stuck there, quivering. Titania clapped lightly. "Oh, well done, Phyllon." The man bowed, then turned to smirk at Syeira. Syeira growled and stepped up. "Good luck, Syeira," Mika said. "Thanks," the thief replied shortly. She took a stance and raised her hand behind her. For a long moment Syeria just stood there, quivering just a little. Then she suddenly hurled the knife through the air, her entire body going into the throw. The dagger struck off-center, but with such force that the piece of wood split in two. Murmurs echoed around the clearing. "Well, a very good effort, Syeira," Syeira," Titania said. >Hm, small editing glitch there. Well, anyway...In this case, I suppose >Syeira didn't *win* over Phyllon, but I think she *did* pass the Test. Syeira ran her hand through her hair, scowling. "Yeah. Thanks." Titania tapped her chin. "I feel sorry for you all. Hmmm...you, back there." She gestured at Marcine. "Perhaps you can redeem your comrades?" Marcine's head jerked up. She took a step forward, then another. "Of course," she said, throat dry. "What's my test?" "The Test of...Faith." Marcine felt a chill run through her, that had nothing to do with the wintry air. Titania smiled, her eyes gleaming. "Now then. What does the Church have to say about magic?" >The real point here is that Titania is making Marcine think that "Faith" >means devotion to the Church. But in fact "Faith" means Faith in yourself and >your principles. Titania wants to see if Marcine is really committed to the >cause of truth/justice/etc.. Marcine froze. She tried to speak, but couldn't find her voice. After a few moments, she finally managed to ask, "Magic?" "Yes..." Titania leaned forward, drawing the word out in her beautiful voice. "Magic. What does the Church of the Three Gods have to say about it?" Marcine swallowed. Then she swallowed again. "Magic," she began, "Is...a sin." "M-hm. And *why* is it a sin?" Marcine looked helplessly at her companions. Mika looked like she was beginning to tear up again, and Syeira's face was stony. "Magic...is a sin because...it destroyed Tienne once, and caused terrible wars." "I see," Titania said. "But surely terrible wars can occur without magic." "Yes, but Magic..." Marcine tried to concentrate. "It causes one person to have...so much power." Her head was spinning. "One person can destroy so many--" "But it wasn't one person, was it?" Titania asked. "It was that monster that was summoned?" "The Sleeper, yes," Marcine said. "Not a monster--" "I would say anything that powerful is rather monstrous," Titania replied. "Wouldn't you?" "No, but--The Sleepers--" Marcine blinked. "It was--" "Hm. All right, you've convinced me. Magic is evil." Titania leaned back on her rock. >The point, of course, is that you have to test principles with adversity. In >this case, confusion and self-doubt. That's why Titania is trying so hard to >screw with Marcine's mind. >Bear in mind that I'm not exactly condoning Titania's actions. I'm simply >trying to make her believable. And I think she does well as a faerie. That >is, the way I always saw it, faeries were wild and unpredictable. They're >spirits of nature, which is good, but they're uncontrollable...In fact >they're the personification of wildness, of the Other. So all that underlay >my characterization of Titania. And to be honest, I'm rather proud of her. >And of course Titania doesn't actually think magic is evil. "No! It's--it can help! I believe it can..." Marcine trailed off. "But..." She bowed her head. Mika walked over and gave her a hug, and even Syeira patted her on the shoulder. "Interesting...very interesting," Titania said. The three looked up to see her tapping the end of the staff against her cheek. "I'm not quite sure if you three are worthy or not. Perhaps there will be more one test." She rested her hand on the globe set on the staff--and it came free. Then she tossed the sphere to Marcine, who managed not to drop it. Marcine looked up. "What--" "The Test of Magic." Marcine stared. "But...you just--" "Trust me," Titania purred. "If you are truly worthy, you will know what to do." Syeira stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Now just a minute!" Titania raised an eyebrow. "Do you have something to say?" "Like hell I do!" Mika looked up at Marcine. "Marcine-san, are you all right?" Marcine wiped at her eyes. "I--I guess. Thank you, Mika-chan..." Mika bit her lip. "Do you know--I mean, what about this Test?" Marcine shook her head. "I don't--" ~From thy eternal slumber...~ Marcine blinked. What was... ~From thy eternal slumber...I call...~ "Marcine-san?" Mika's eyes were wide. "What's wrong?" "I don't...What did she say?" Marcine shook her head. "Mika, what did that woman say about this test?" "Um...if you're worthy, you'll know what to do." Mika blinked. "Do you know?" "Well--" ~Voice of the north wind...~ Marcine felt a strange peace wash over her. She stepped forward, and held the globe out in front of her. Mika blinked. "Um, Marcine-san?" "I think...I know," Marcine said. "From thy eternal slumber...I call to thee." >I'd just like to say that I really, really enjoyed writing this magical >invocation. ^_^ It was just...fun. Syeira stopped arguing with Titania and turned, blinking. "Marcine, what--" "Voice of the north wind, dancer of frost!" Marcine raised the blue sphere into the air. "I conjure you, I invoke you, in the name of the Manakyr!" Mika stepped back, her face pale. Titania was watching Marcine closely. "Let the air and earth be sown with the crystals of winter!" Marcine shouted along with the voice in her head. "I call upon you, Shiva, Mistress of Winter! Diamond Dust!" The globe shattered, pale fire burning from inside to cover the whole world... ===== >Now Marcine kinda went unconscious, or was in a daze, or something. This >wasn't exactly like the normal Callings, and that was one of the reasons I >liked writing it. "Marcine! Marcine! Snap out of it, dammit!" Marcine blinked. Then she blinked again and squinted. Everything was white... "Marcine! Ah, she's coming around. Okay, you can do it now, Mika." A shock of cold hit Marcine's face, and she spluttered and started to struggle. "H--hey!" >The point being that they threw some cold water in Marcine's face. ^_^ "Heh. I knew that would do it." Marcine's vision finally cleared, revealing Syeira and Mika peering intently at her. "What--what happened?" Marcine asked. "Uh...good question." Syeira looked over her shoulder. Marcine followed her gaze, and her eyes widened. Shiva hovered above the clearing. She looked much like Titania, but more vibrant, somehow. Her white gown shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, while her multicolored hair waved gently in the winter breeze. Marcine noticed that Titania and her cohorts were kneeling humbly before the Sleeper. Shiva turned in the air, and her deep purple eyes locked onto Marcine's. "You are worthy," she said, the wind whispering the words into their ears. "All of you." She waved her hand and a soft white dust fell to the ground. Where it touched, Marcine saw delicate white flowers sprout from the snow. "Take what you need, and leave in peace." >This was one of the indications that the heroines had done really well on the >tests. Mika immediately scrambled forward and began stuffing flowers into her bag, eliciting a chuckle from the still-hovering Shiva. Syeira exhaled, then slipped beside Marcine. "Come on, girl," she said, hauling Marcine up. "Time to get movin'." >...And this, I'm afraid, was a gratuitous Blast Corps reference. ^_^; Marcine blinked. "Does...does that mean--" "Yep. We did it." Syeira grinned. "Now let's get out of here before they change their minds." ===== "All right, but double-check the food supply," Cheney said to the novice. "That's what's most important." As the novice rushed off, the former Monk turned. His eyes widened as he saw Kyle approaching. "Greetings, sir." >The food supply is important because of the problems they had in Atlantea, >stuck without food. "Hello, Cheney," Kyle said, keeping his face emotionless. "Everything ready?" "Just about, sir," Cheney said, nodding. "We're just double-checking our preparations." "Good, good. I'm quite pleased. Carry on." Kyle nodded. "Yes, of course, sir." After a moment, Cheney frowned. "If I might ask, sir...What is that?" He indicated the scabbard at Kyle's waist. "Just something I thought would come in handy," Kyle snapped. "Is there a problem?" Cheney stiffened, then saluted. "No, sir." "Good! Carry on." As Cheney left, Kyle's hand wandered to the hilt at at his waist. Funny, he'd never seen a sword curved like this one before. And yet there was something familiar about it... >Another of Ashura's curved swords. The one he got from the storeroom earlier. ===== >And a final scene with Shiva and the faeries, after the heroines have left. "It has been a long time, has it not?" "Yes, Mistress." "Yes. If they truly did as well with the tests as you say...it has been a long time since we've seen any like them." >This was the other indication that the heroines did very well on the tests. "They might be..." "They might be the ones, yes. To put right the old wrongs." Shiva sighed. "I am tired. It was the right thing to do, but...still, I am very tired." "As you wish, Mistress. Be well." A soft wind swept through the clearing as she faded away. ===== To be continued... ===== Author's note Ho hum. Not much to say, except that this was a very busy week for me, so this chapter was...shorter than others I've written. Oh well. And I suppose I should have tried to do something special for #13...after all, it *is* my lucky number...but I'm rather proud of the way it turned out, anyway. Many thanks to Ardweden and ravi for quick and useful prereading jobs. Wai! John Evans johne@mit.edu 3/12/00 >This is my old email address. My current address is up at the top of this >fic. >That's all for that one, then.