FFIX Fanfic: NAMESAKE

[Kuja]

Writer's block sucks...but here's the new chapter.



Chapter 4: Breakaway

Serena released Daren and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Daren. I certainly missed you."

"I missed you, as well," Daren replied, his smile equally broad.

"Yeah, great," Frey mumbled under his breath. He took a gulp of his drink.

Serena took no notice. "You've certainly grown."

"Give me a break, Serena. I was only eighteen when you left, remember?" That one stopped Frey cold. He turned to look at the two Burmecians, who were now taking the barstools next to him.

"So, uh, how do you two know each other?" he ventured.

"Remember the guy I told you about?" Serena asked.

"Yeah?"

She reached over and affectionately ruffled Daren's hair. "This is his little brother."

Daren's smile slowly dissolved. "Serena, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure thing, kid. What is it?"

Daren hesitantly glanced over at Frey. "I'd really prefer to do it in private. No offense, of course," he added to Frey.

Frey shrugged. "Hey, none taken. You two run along and do your catching up. I'll wait up for you here."

"Thanks Frey," Serena said. She leaned in close. "Behave yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," he said. He watched Serena and Daren leave, then quickly summoned Corri.


The sunlight was dying, but still cast a warm glow over the city. Daren and Serena wandered the streets for some time, with her pointing out this landmark or that. Daren was uncharacteristically quiet, prompting Serena to wonder what was wrong. When the two Burmecians finally came to Circle Square (so named because the small plaza was shaped like a rough oval) she decided to find out. "Something's bothering you, Daren," she said. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Let's sit down." They found a carved bench and took it. Serena scanned Daren's face as he gazed off into nothingness.

"Talk to me, Daren," she prompted.

He rubbed his temples. "It's about Allen," he said.

Serena hesitated, but then set herself. "What about him?"

"He's gone."

There was a long pause. "Dead?" Serena asked, her voice quavering a bit.

"No, just…gone. He disappeared about two years ago." Daren's voice suggested that he was speaking in spite of a deep anger.

Serena narrowed her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Daren," she hissed. "Don't you even think about it."

He laughed uselessly. "I knew it wouldn't work. I told them you would see right through me." He laughed again and met her eyes for the first time since they'd left the bar. "All right, the truth. Allen didn't disappear. He turned traitor."

"What?!" Serena nearly shrieked. Almost immediately, she checked herself. Despite the falling darkness and crowded festival, a pair of arguing Burmecians would make for quite a spectacle. She lowered her voice. "You're lying again."

"Serena, I swear I'm not," he said evenly. "I swear upon the Dragon's Crest that I'm telling the truth this time."

Serena considered. The Dragon's Crest was a massive engraving of a Grand Dragon set into the wall of the palace. Dragon Knights were knighted before it, and all the Knights considered it sacred. Serena sighed. "All right, I believe you. Now, tell me everything."


Frey looked over the crowd from his position against the wall, but didn't really see them. His mind was too busy sorting through what he'd just heard Daren say. The wall against which he stood was perfectly positioned behind the bench to keep him hidden, yet allow him to hear everything Serena and Daren said. A traitor, huh? That's gotta hurt, he thought. "All right," he heard Serena say. "I believe you. Now, tell me everything."

"Well," Daren's voice replied, "it all happened during the Summer Equinox. Allen and a trio of Dragon Knights went to the palace on some pretense and tried to kill King Simon. I don't know why, I wasn't there. They failed, got captured, and were exiled." Ouch, Frey thought. He wondered what had really happened.

"Is that it?" Serena asked.

"Well…no," Daren admitted. "I saw Allen once more before he left. He and his companions were being escorted to the main gate of the city and a crowd had gathered to watch them go. I managed to fight my way to the front and grab hold of his shoulder. He turned and looked at me, and…Serena, for a moment, there was nothing, no recognition in his eyes at all."

"Then what?" Serena prodded gently.

"Then, he smiled. He smiled the most evil smile I've ever seen. And he said 'Don't worry, little brother. You'll have your turn someday.' Then he pulled away and walked out of the city. I haven't seen him since." Daren sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Serena."

Serena's voice was even. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Daren."

Frey decided that he had listened in long enough. He pushed away from the wall and turned to walk down the street. Night had finally covered the sun, but lamplights glowing a pretty orange kept the street well lit, and the action of the Festival of the Hunt hadn't slowed much. That was when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Frey turned and was immediately struck with something metal. He fell backwards, already reaching for his sword. He hit, rolled and came to one knee, but faltered when he saw who had struck him. Serena's eyes glittered with a cold fury. Behind her stood Daren, who looked none too pleased himself. Frey felt his heart slowly sink into his guts.

"How did you enjoy the conversation?" Serena hissed, her voice full of venom. Frey could think of no reply. When Serena saw that he wasn't going to answer, her eyes narrowed. "Why did you follow us?" he asked.

"I thought it would be the right thing to do," he replied dumbly.

"The right thing to do?" Serena repeated. "I ought to slice your head off for listening in on that."

"If you're going to slice his head off," Daren said, "you should probably do it in a less public place." Daren's attention was on the few people who had stopped to look at the confrontation.

"I'm not finished with this yet," Serena replied, her eyes still fixed on Frey's.

"Serena," Frey began, "I-"

"I don't want to hear it," she snapped.

"Serena," he pressed, "I just wanted to see if I could help."

"By eavesdropping?"

"No, that's not it. I mean, I wanted to look out for you, the way we've been looking out for each other since we became partners."

"I see," she said curtly. "Then I suppose our partnership is at an end."

Frey felt a rain-cold shock. "No," he said softly.

Serena turned away from him. "I'm going home with the envoy, Frey," she said. "Don't try to follow me." She began to stride away, then abruptly turned and walked back. She pulled something out of her purse, grabbed Frey's hand, and slapped the objects into it. "Here's your half of the pay," she said. Then, she turned and left. Daren offered a curt nod before turning to follow her. Frey found himself unable to speak.


Frey aimlessly wandered the streets for some time, not really seeing or hearing anything around him. All he felt was the gaping hole that seemed to have opened within him. When a part of your life deserted you so quickly, it was far from easy to patch things up. Frey had just begun to realize that the crowds were thinning out when a hand caught his sleeve. The hand was attached to a young man with solid black hair and icy blue eyes. "Tell your fortune, wanderer?" he asked.

"No thanks," Frey said automatically.

"Ah, but you have such a strong aura," the younger man said. "It would be a pity not to.

What the hell, Frey thought. "All right," he said. "Tell me my fortune."

The young man smiled mysteriously and retrieved a small stack of cards. "These are Tetra Cards," he said. "They are used to play the card game Tetra Master. But these cards are different. Each of these thirteen cards has a role to play in your fortune. Each of these cards bears the visage of an eidolon, the immortal protectors of our world. It is they who determine the fates of men, and it is the cards here that shall show what they intend for you." He shuffled the cards with great skill and laid them out in a long line. "There are thirteen cards before you, Frey. Choose three."

Frey flinched at the use of his name, but set himself and turned over three of the cards at random. "Ramuh, the Lord of Thunder. Leviathan, the Sea Serpent. Atomos, the Guardian of Hell," the fortune teller intoned. "These three represent your early life. Ramuh tells me that you faced hardship, Leviathan indicates that there was much of it, and Atomos declares that it was unjust."

Frey stared at the younger man as he removed the three cards, a creepy feeling crawling over him. "There are now ten cards," the young man said. "Choose one." Frey hesitantly reached out and touched one, and the fortune teller flipped it over. "Phoenix, the Mother of Life," he said. "This signifies your adult life. Despite the hardships in your past, you overcame them to become one who cherishes life and all it offers, but you are not afraid to fight and die if the cause is right." Frey shivered.

"There are now nine cards. Choose two." Frey considered turning around and leaving, but decided to go ahead and finish this. He flipped over two of the cards in rapid succession, revealing a horned creature and a blue-skinned young woman. "Ifrit, the Fire-Born, and Shiva, Mistress of Ice. They signify the recent past. You have joined yourself with someone, have become close to them, have shared much with them."

Serena, Frey thought sadly. "But-"

"Quiet. There are now seven cards. Choose one." The card Frey turned over was that of a man upon a horse, a massive spear clutched in one hand. "Odin, Warrior of the Dark," the man said softly. "There has been betrayal in your life recently, both of you and by you. Sometime during the last week, I suspect."

"It was today," Frey said tonelessly.

"I see. This completes the tale of your past, Frey. Now comes that tale of your future. There are six cards remaining. Choose only one." Frey did so to reveal a bizarre creature. "Madeen, the Bearer of Light. There is a victory coming soon, Frey. Of what kind, Madeen is not clear, but it will most certainly a joyous one. Five cards, now. Of them, select two." Frey did so, and found himself staring at an winged image he actually recognized. "Bahamut, the Dragon King, and Ark, Bringer of the Shadows," the fortune-teller said gravely. "A battle, and a violent death. But they do not say for whom. All I can say with certainty is that you will be involved somehow."

Great, Frey thought.

"Three more cards. Choose one of them." Frey reached out towards one, then changed his mind and selected a different one. "Alexander, the Winged Bastion of the Heavens. He speaks of an event farther into the future than the others, but what it is, I cannot tell you. Alexander is the highest of the eidolons, and his prophecies are rarely clear. He may signify anything from death to marriage to the crowning of a new king." The fortune teller looked up into Frey's eyes. "This completes the tale of what is yet to come. The final two cards represent your spirit, Frey. Flip them over."

Frey did so. "Fenrir, the Father of Wolves, and Carbuncle, the Divine Protector. An unusual combination. Fury tempered with understanding, power focused by love. You are not a man who seeks glory or fame. You are not a man who would use others for his own gain. You are a man who sees the best in everyone and urges them to live up to their potential, even when you are rejected."

The fortune teller gathered his cards. "It has been a pleasure, Frey," he said. "I wish you well." The young man stood and walked away, leaving Frey alone in the crowd.


Corri had just decided to close up for the night when Frey walked in the door. He looked like he had aged ten years in the past few hours. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Don't ask," he said tonelessly. He sat down at the bar and Corri quickly handed him his usual. He sat still, staring at the glass while she finished cleaning up. Once she had completed her routine, she came back to him and noticed that he hadn't even touched the glass.

"All right, Amethyst," she said firmly. "Out with it." He sighed in defeat and told her what had happened. When he was done, she wished he hadn't. She rested her hand on his and said "well, I guess you’re just not perfect, Frey. We all make mistakes. Besides, the Grand Hunt is tomorrow. You'll see Serena there, I guarantee it. And when you do, apologize to her. If you're honest about it, she'll forgive you. You know she will."

"I suppose," he said. Then his hand tightened on hers. "But that fortune teller's still bothering me."

"Frey, calm down. He's just a guy with a deck of cards and a silver tongue. That's it."

"Oh really?" Frey said. "Then tell me, Corri. Why didn't he charge me for our session?" Corri could think of no answer. "Thought so," Frey declared after a moment's silence. Corri opened her mouth to reply, but only yawned. "I'm sorry," Frey suddenly said. "I shouldn't be keeping you here." He stood. "Thanks-"

"No," she interjected. "I don't mind, really." She came around the bar and took him by the shoulders. "You've been gone for two months. Don't leave so soon."

He looked at her and smiled slightly. "Okay."

[Singular Quartet]

Writer's block sucks...but here's the new chapter.

Amen to that.

Chapter 4: Breakaway

<very well-written angst snipped>

Very good. *thinks for a moment* can't really see any problems with it, although I'd have to say that the fortune-telling scene was an intresting one. Good titles, although I do beleive that the game called Ark "The Bringer of Darkness" or the "Great Beast of the Dark"

I'll go back and check the game for you.

[Kuja]

Very good. *thinks for a moment* can't really see any problems with it, although I'd have to say that the fortune-telling scene was an intresting one. Good titles, although I do beleive that the game called Ark "The Bringer of Darkness" or the "Great Beast of the Dark"

I'll go back and check the game for you.

It's "Great Beast of the Dark" but I wanted something a bit more sinister and less blatent. Besides, "Beast of the Dark" was a little close to "Warrior of the Dark" (Odin) and I wanted variety.

EDIT: In addition, I wanted a title that would make a counterpoint to Madeen's "Bearer of Light". Since Holy (Madeen) and Shadow (Ark) are at the opposite ends of the magical spectrum, I wanted their titles to make them appear as though they were the same type of creature (one who delivers) only having one good, one evil.

[Singular Quartet]

Very good. *thinks for a moment* can't really see any problems with it, although I'd have to say that the fortune-telling scene was an intresting one. Good titles, although I do beleive that the game called Ark "The Bringer of Darkness" or the "Great Beast of the Dark"

I'll go back and check the game for you.

It's "Great Beast of the Dark" but I wanted something a bit more sinister and less blatent. Besides, "Beast of the Dark" was a little close to "Warrior of the Dark" (Odin) and I wanted variety.

EDIT: In addition, I wanted a title that would make a counterpoint to Madeen's "Bearer of Light". Since Holy (Madeen) and Shadow (Ark) are at the opposite ends of the magical spectrum, I wanted their titles to make them appear as though they were the same type of creature (one who delivers) only having one good, one evil.

True... however Odin dealt, if you picked up "Odin's Sword," wind damage, so I'm not sure if he counts as a "Warrior of the Dark."

[Kuja]

True... however Odin dealt, if you picked up "Odin's Sword," wind damage, so I'm not sure if he counts as a "Warrior of the Dark."

I suppose, but if you remember when Zorn and Thorn removed the eidolons from Garnet, they said:

ZORN: Come forth,
THORN: Odin, warrior of the dark!

Which makes "Warrior of the Dark" Odin's proper title, as far as I can tell.

[Singular Quartet]

True... however Odin dealt, if you picked up "Odin's Sword," wind damage, so I'm not sure if he counts as a "Warrior of the Dark."

I suppose, but if you remember when Zorn and Thorn removed the eidolons from Garnet, they said:

ZORN: Come forth,
THORN: Odin, warrior of the dark!

Which makes "Warrior of the Dark" Odin's proper title, as far as I can tell.

*nods* alright. Forgot about that.

[Captain Cyran]

Good chapter Kuja. Liked the fortune teller thing that happened. Very nice.

[Kuja]

Chapter 5: The Betrayal


The early morning mist caught the sun and refracted it, creating thousands of miniature rainbows in the ocean air. The wind whipped clouds about the sky. It also caught her hair and sent it rippling through the air and across her face. Not that Serena Crescent cared; her mind was on other things. She stood on a balcony very close to the top of Lindblum Grand Castle, her hands resting lightly on the railing. The cold wind helped to wake her up after an unpleasant night's sleep.

"You didn't sleep well last night," a voice said behind her. She heard a soft tapping of claws on stone as Daren emerged from the room behind her. She didn't answer. If she did, he might feel encouraged to keep talking. He only partially took the hint; walking up beside her and looking out over the vista, but mercifully saying nothing. He stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity, silent, but also refusing to back away.

"I wasn't used to it," she finally said.

"What was it?"

"The room."

"Oh." No 'I see' or 'I understand' or 'Keep going', just 'Oh'. What's that supposed to mean? Serena thought.

"My mind kept wandering. I kept thinking about the last time I stayed in a place like this."

"Burmecia?"

"Yes."

"Bad memories?"

"Good ones."

"Perhaps staying here wasn't the best idea," Daren said. Serena turned to glare at him, but he held his ground.

"You assume that I'm so used to staying in some shabby place for the night that I'm no longer fit to stay with other Knights?" she said.

"That isn't what I meant and you know it," he returned sharply. She winced and turned back to the railing, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise within her. "But that's not the crux, is it?" Daren continued. "I heard you speak in your sleep."

"I had a nightmare," she whispered.

"What happened?"

"I saw Frey. And Allen." Her voice threatened to break, and she stopped.

"And?" Daren pressed.

Serena trembled and clutched the railing tighter, unknowingly putting gouges into the stone. "I saw them fight. And Allen killed Frey."

She half-expected Daren to put his arm around her shoulders, but he kept his distance. "Perhaps this is a message," he said.

"For what?"

"I don't know. To reconcile, perhaps? I can't believe that you could have severed your ties with a such a close friend so quickly."

She continued looking out at the water, the better to avoid Daren's penetrating gaze. "Maybe you're right," she finally said.

He remained silent for a moment. "Registration for the Grand Hunt is today," he finally said. "Frey will be there."

Serena stood straighter. "You're right. Let's go." She turned, then stopped and looked Daren up and down. "What's with the get-up?" she asked. Daren wore a cloak of dark green, so dark it was nearly black. A hood hung from the collar, ready to be pulled up. Beneath the cloak, all his clothes were black. "you look like you're ready to go to a costume ball."

He smiled slightly, then brought his hands up. He clapped once, then twice, and then a third time. The third time he pulled his hands apart, a small ball of flame ignited between them. "You forgot what I was studying when you left, didn't you Serena?" he asked.

Serena's eyes widened. "You're learned Black Magic?"

He nodded. "They say I'm even stronger than Allen was." He made a waving gesture, and the small flame disappeared. "Now, let's go." The wind gave another gust as they left the balcony, as if nature herself wanted them to hurry along their way.


The wind might have been cold, but it couldn't penetrate the window that the way sunlight could, and it was that warmth that woke Frey from his tortured sleep. He looked out at the sun as though it were some kind of angel that had delivered him from purgatory. Even so, a part of him wondered if he would ever see another sunrise. Beside him, another source of warmth and comfort yawned and blinked herself awake.

"Morning," Corri said with a smile that melted away as quickly as it formed. "Frey, what wrong? You look terrible."

"Nightmare," he said shortly, looking back out the window.

"A bad one?"

"Yeah. Kind of a replay of my argument with Serena, only this time…" he trailed off.

"You had a fight?"

He nodded. "I killed her."

Corri shivered and huddled closer to his side. "That's pretty bad," she agreed.

"I wish I hadn't followed her," he said suddenly. "I wish I'd just stayed at the bar and minded my own business."

"There's nothing you can do about that now," Corri whispered in his ear, her breath playing across his skin. "Just apologize to her once you get the chance."

"Right," he said. Then it struck him. "Oh no! The Grand Hunt! I've still got to register!" He tried to jump out of bed, but his legs got tangled in the sheets and dumped him on the floor. He hurriedly kicked them off and scrambled over to his pile of clothes. Rough canvas pants, an undershirt, a tougher overshirt, socks, boots, gloves, and sword all went on in a hurry. The only thing Frey paused with was his single gauntlet. It fit over his right hand, and after all the years he'd worn it, it was still mostly shiny except for the palm, which had long since been charred black. He slipped it on and headed for the door.

"Hey!" Corri said. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Frey hitched, then turned and darted back to her. He kissed her fiercely before whispering "thank you." Then, he was gone.

Corri let herself fall back to the bed. "You're welcome," she said to the empty room.


As was traditional, the organization of the Grant Hunt took place within a large church at the end of Medal Lane in the business district of Lindblum. As happened every year, the place was filled with people, from armor-clad knights to cutthroats to wanderers. Frey found himself in the middle of the crowd, pushing to get closer to the registration tables. At the same time, he tried to keep an eye out for Serena, which was tougher than he thought.

"Name?" the man at the table asked.

"Frey Amethyst." He continued to scan the crowd.

"Weapon?"

"Sword." Was that her? No, just a tall woman with gray hair.

"Preference?"

"Huh?"

"Which district do you want to start in?"

"Oh, uh," there she was! Frey spotted her at the other end of the crowd. Now, he just had to get to her. "I don't care."

The man huffed and wrote something down. "You'll start in the Theater District."

"Sure, sure, fine." Frey began to leave.

"Wait a moment!"

"What?"

"You need to specify a reward!"

"Gil! Is that it?"

"Yes, now go on." Frey had turned and left before the man had even finished his sentence. "Kids these days," he grumbled.

Frey shoved his way through the crowd, trying to get to Serena. He saw her approach the desk and begin speaking with the man seated there. Suddenly, Frey's path was blocked by a cloaked figure. He looked up into the hooded face of a Burmecian. "Daren?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Daren asked, his voice low.

"I just want to apologize to Serena, that's all," he said. Daren's eyes bored into his, and the cloaked knight didn't budge. "Can I go now?"

"Serena doesn't want to see you," Daren growled. "She's finished with you."

Frey felt blood drain from his face. "What?"

"You heard me. You two are over, done with, finished. Serena's not going to waste her time with a fool like you anymore."

Frey's mouth twisted down. "You're lying."

"A Dragon Knight of Burmecia does not lie. Such would be a mortal offense. And I offer proof." He reached into his robe and withdrew a folded piece of paper. "Read it for yourself."

Frey took the paper. Written in Serena's handwriting, it said, Frey. I spent last night thinking, and I think I've reached some conclusions. I don't want to see you any more. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you to come find me. Our time is over. So leave me alone. Frey read it twice, feeling his shoulders slump. Daren leaned in closer.

"Now, if you can't be bothered to get it through your thick head that she's decided to rise above your level-" Daren's hand took hold of Frey's shirt and pulled him forward so that Daren could hiss in his ear, "-no one will ever find your body."

For an indeterminate time, Frey stood stock-still, digesting the words. Then, he brought his arm up and hit Daren in the wrist, forcing him to let go. "I don't take well to being menaced, Daren," he said acidly. "Threaten me again, and I'll make you put your gil where your mouth is."

Daren smiled without humor. "I think that you would find such a battle a well beyond your ability."

"We'll see."

Without replying, Daren turned and moved off into the crowd. Frey watched his back. He wondered if Daren would try to pull anything. Frey shook his head, finding it difficult to believe that he'd misread the Burmecian so thoroughly. Daren had seemed like such a straight shooter...but that had certainly proven false. And the note...Frey slowly crumpled it. "Fine," he said under his breath. "If it's closure you want, you've got it." He threw the note into a trash bin. "Can't even be bothered to tell me to my face. Go to hell." He stalked out.


Out in the middle of Medal Street. Serena found Daren leaning up against a wall. "Did you see him?" he asked.

"No," she said. "It's packed in there. Are you registered?" He nodded. Serena sighed. "Dammit, this was the perfect-" Then she saw Frey emerge from the church, hands clenched and a scowl on his face. "Later," Serena said, and quickly strode to catch up with him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Frey-"

He spun. "Get away from me," he snarled. "If you're going to say we're through, then follow up on it. I'd expect that much courtesy, at least."

"Frey-"

"Just back off," he snapped. "You know what, Serena? I don't want to see you any more, either. You can just go on back to where you came from, you lousy, backstabbing...rat!"

He turned and stalked off without giving her a chance to reply. Not that she was going to. She stared at his retreating form in openmouthed shock. Daren came up beside her. "That was unexpected," he said.

"To say the least," she finally managed. "What happened? I didn't anger him that thoroughly, did I?"

"I don't know," Daren said.


In a dark chamber below ground, a trio of men met. A heavy breathing permeated the air. "I don't know about this," the oldest of the three said. "The centerpiece of the hunt has traditionally been a Zaghnol."

The youngest of the men waved the comment off. "Don't worry. My father and I spent a long time picking out a specimen and taking care of it. He'll be spectacular."

"He had better be," the last man said. "Otherwise, we'll have a lot of unhappy spectators."

"And are you sure you can control him?" the oldest added.

"He'll no danger to the onlookers as long as the hunters keep him busy," the youngest said. A deep growl silenced them for a few seconds. Chains rattled.

"We've gone out on a limb for this, Tacks," the middle-aged man said once silence had fallen. "If anything goes even the slightest bit wrong, we'll have your hide."

"I know," the youngest man said. "But don't worry. Nothing will go wrong." He smiled and looked down at the creature, which was anchored to the stone floor well below their platform. It glared up at him and growled. "Absolutely nothing."

[Shroom Man 777]

Story's good. Neat! Frey and Corri had fuck.

[Singular Quartet]

"I know," the youngest man said. "But don't worry. Nothing will go wrong." He smiled and looked down at the creature, which was anchored to the stone floor well below their platform. It glared up at him and growled. "Absolutely nothing."

Can we say "monster munchies"?

[Kuja]

Chapter 6: Desecration


"So what happened next?" Vivi asked. Freya had fallen silent and was staring at the dying fire. Hours had passed since her tale had started, and she had proceeded almost without interruption for the entire time.

"Well," she started to say, but she had to stop to yawn.

Zidane suddenly shook his head, as though he were coming out of a trance. "Hold on," he said. "We've stayed up late enough. If we don't get some sleep, we'll never get to the grotto tomorrow."

Freya nodded, her eyes tired. "Zidane's right. I'm so tired, I could drop off right now."

"I want hear more story," Quina interjected.

Freya yawned again. "I'll tell you more when we have time." She blinked slowly. "Who's got the first watch?"

"Better let Vivi take it," Zidane said.

"W-why me?" the black mage asked.

Zidane grinned. "Because I know you. Once you're down, you sleep like a rock, Vivi. It'd be easier for you to just stay up a little longer instead of sleeping, getting up, and sleeping again."

"Oh, okay." Vivi stood, then bent and retrieved his staff, which he'd laid on the ground after setting the fire.

"I'll wake you up when it's my turn," Zidane promised. "Don't worry, I don't think anything's going to happen."

"Sure thing," Vivi said, looking out into the darkness. Freya was already asleep, stretched out on the ground, her head resting on her arm.

"Me not tired," Quina said. "Me stay up and keep Vivi company."

"Thanks, Quina."


The time passed slowly. Every sound seemed magnified a hundred times. Vivi clutched his staff so hard, he wondered if his fingers were leaving permanent marks. He suddenly wished that he'd stayed in Lindblum instead of going off on this insane crusade. A more rational part of him argued back, saying that whatever the cost, he had to find out just what was going on in Burmecia. His train of thought was interrupted when Freya muttered something under her breath and shifted in her sleep.

His thoughts suddenly drifted back to her story, calming him somewhat, but at the same time, raising some questions he'd rather not have ever considered. He wondered if his little group were like Frey and Serena. Were they bound to fall apart if enough time passed? Would Zidane desert him as quickly as Frey and Serena had split paths? Wait...what if it had already begun? After all, Dagger and Captain Steiner had separated from him and Zidane and disappeared, even going so far as to drug them to make sure they had enough time to get away! Vivi shivered and turned off the thought, but a new and even uglier one raised its head.

Daren...Freya had said that he was a black mage. He had been kind enough to Frey at first, but then had turned on him. Vivi thought back to several days earlier, when they'd fought the Black Waltz aboard the cargo ship. The Waltz had wiped out a whole group of black mages tying to protect Vivi. Even when Steiner had confronted it with the information that he was going to take Dagger back to Alexandria, the Waltz had still treated him as an enemy.

Vivi looked down at his staff. Was black magic inherently evil? Were those who wielded it destined to become monsters, hated by those around him? Or was it that only evil people could learn black magic? Would that make him an evil person? Vivi shuddered at the idea. He would never willingly turn on his friends, ever. Or would he? He shook his head violently, as if to dislodge that idea. No, never. Maybe Daren had had some ulterior motive, something that justified what he did? Vivi didn't know the answer to that, but he knew who did. He resolved to make Freya tell the rest of the story as soon as possible.


Before the next day was over, stories were the last thing on Vivi's mind. He and the other three stood in the middle of a rock path through an underground chamber partially filled with water. In the air above them hovered a massive creature. With scales of midnight blue, glowing red eyes, and a massive, barbed tail, it looked the very epitome of evil. But Freya approached it with her hands out in a gesture of respect. "Master Gizamaluke," she said, but she never got any farther. The creature threw its head back and bellowed, revealing two rows of teeth like steak knives. The sound seemed to fill the room and make the air itself vibrate. As it faded, the dragon-like monster called Gizamaluke again fixed its eyes on the group. Then, it reared.

"Scatter!" Zidane shouted. They did, and just in time. Gizamaluke charged, slamming itself into the spot where they had stood moments before. "I thought you said this thing was friendly!" Zidane snarled in Freya's direction.

Freya kept her eyes fixed on the creature. "Master Gizamaluke," she said again. "Please-" but she was again cut off as Gizamaluke swung its massive tail, slamming the bone weight just above the hooked end into Freya's midsection and sending her flying backwards until she hit a wall.

"To hell with this," Zidane said, drawing his daggers. "Let's get him!" Before Zidane could even move, Gizamaluke swept one of its expansive wings and knocked him to the floor with ease. The master of the grotto once again began to levitate, bringing itself into the air and towering over them. "Vivi, do something!" Zidane shouted.

"Um, um, um, thunder!" Vivi finally said. A bolt of blue electricity leapt from the end of his staff and slammed itself into Gizamaluke's chest. The mighty creature howled, in rage or pain, Vivi couldn't tell. Tendrils of lighting arced from scale to scale, dancing around its body and framing it in a halo of bluish light.

"Host not nice. Host should make guests feel welcome!" Quina shouted. He began to wave his arms in a bizarre pattern, and Gizamaluke's body suddenly began to glow. The creature twisted and howled a second time. "You heat up!" Quina shouted. "Heat, heat!"

But Gizamaluke, for all his terrible looks, was not some stupid beast. He dropped himself into the pool below. Vast quantities of steam rose from the water as his hot scales touched it. Vivi cut off his attack as he lost his target. For a long moment, all was silent. Then the grotto master exploded from the surface of the water on the other side of the path and again rose into the air. It breathed in deeply and launched a new kind of assault. This time, instead of might bellows, it uttered a high-pitched scream that reverberated in Vivi's ears and pounded at his brain. He dropped his staff and clamped his hands over his ears, screaming.

In the meanwhile, Freya had crawled to a precipice high above the water. Her ribs hurt with every breath, but she ignored it and clutched her lance. "Forgive me," she whispered. Then she threw herself from the cliff. As she did so, the triple blade of her lance began to glow white-hot. Then, it suddenly exploded with energy, the Lancer technique turning Freya into a white comet falling from the heavens. Gizamaluke saw her coming a moment too late and tried to dodge, but the spear impaled it just behind the head, Freya's momentum smashing him into the path. The mighty creature roared in pain. Zidane seized the opportunity and rushed forward, driving both his blades into Gizamaluke's right eye. The master of the grotto shrieked

"Taste this!" Quina shouted, and charged forward like some ridiculous performer in a farce, oversized fork clutched in one hand. Vivi, freed from the terrible sonic attack, picked up his staff and rushed to help. Quina shoved his fork into the roof of Gizamaluke's mouth. Vivi called up another thunder spell and released it just as he reached the tangle, firing the blast directly into the creature's open mouth. Gizamaluke, twitched, shrieked, spasmed, and desperately tried to shake free. Freya shoved her lance even deeper into the neck of the black monster to keep it from rising. The spear sliced into Gizamaluke's delicate spinal cord, severing the nerves from the brain to the rest of its body, and Gizamaluke went limp. Vivi cut off his attack and they all stepped back. Freya leaped away and landed next to Zidane. Gizamaluke coughed, whimpered, and finally died. The red glow slowly faded from its eyes, leaving only a massive corpse, its torso resting on the chamber's path.

"Well, Zidane announced smugly. "That wasn't too hard. Right, Freya?" Freya didn't answer, and they all looked over at her. Freya's jaw trembled and she closed her eyes, but not quickly enough to stop a flow of tears. She lowered herself to one knee, very nearly sobbing. "Freya, what's wrong?"

"Forgive me," Freya said to nobody in particular. "Please, please forgive me..."


Some time later, Zidane, Vivi, and Quina stood outside the north end of the grotto, looking out at the foggy plains they had to cross. "Why we wait?" Quina asked.

Zidane shrugged. "I guess Gizamaluke was someone important. Let Freya do whatever she wants, and we'll go when she's done." Vivi kept rubbing his ears until he felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"That noise. It hurt. It really hurt."

Zidane clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be good as gold soon." He looked off towards the sun, which was already more than halfway below the horizon. "I wish Freya would finish whatever she's doing and get out here," he muttered. "I want to get away from this place."

"Me too," Vivi said. "I don't like it here. I feel nervous."

"Not a happy place," Quina agreed. "Place feels nasty."

"It wasn't always that way," a voice came. Freya stood at the yawning entrance to the cavern. "Once, this place was like a work of art. Even just three years ago, my people considered it one of their greatest treasures. And Gizamaluke wasn't always the creature we fought." She began to walk towards them. "He was always dragonish in appearance, but never so hateful or murderous. That's what Alexandria has done to this place." She clenched her fists and looked at a small pile of loose stones. "That's what Queen Brahne and her toys did to this place." She suddenly caught herself and looked guiltily at Vivi. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I know," Vivi said, not wanting to hear any more.

"Come on," Zidane said firmly. "I want to get away from here before it gets dark, even if it's only for ten minutes."

Freya acquiesced and they set off at a slow pace. "Freya?" Vivi asked.

"Yes?"

"What was Giz- Giza-"

"Gizamaluke."

"What was he like before they...changed him?"

Freya pursed her lips. "Well, I can't rightly say. I only came to the grotto twice in my life and I only saw him once. But my mother used to tell me stories about him. If...once we find her, she'll tell you all about him. But I remember his voice; it was a voice as smooth and friendly as a flowing stream. When he lifted himself into the air, it wasn't a terrifying sight; it was a beautiful and majestic one. And Gizamaluke was very important to the Dragon Knights, because..." she trailed off.

Vivi waited for a short time. "Because?" he finally tried.

Freya thought for a moment. "Would you like to hear more of my story?" she asked. "Maybe I can answer your question that way."

"Giza...Gizama...he's in the story?"

"He is."

Vivi pretended to hesitate, masking the urge to jump up and down and shout 'yesyesyes!' at the top of his lungs. "Okay."

"I listen!" Quina said from in front of them.

"I will too," Zidane said. "But let's sit down and build a fire first." They did so, and Freya resumed her tale of Serena, Frey, and Daren.

[Kuja]

I know I don't update this fanfic very often, because it's not as easy to write as Groove. Even so, I am putting a lot of effort into it, and I am going to finish it. I hope you like the newest chapter, and please comment.

Chapter 7: Deadly Games


Rage. Pain. Hate. Fear. Darkness. That was all it had ever known. Bones crunched and delicate tissues ripped as it sank its jaws into its food. Chains fastening it to the floor rattled as it devoured the meat that had been tossed to it like some offering to a barbaric god. Unexpectedly, something hard and sharp thrust its way into its leg. With a snarl, it turned to face its antagonist, only to find that it had already moved to far to reach. The beast growled and settled to the floor again, knowing that lunging was useless. The chains were simply too strong to break. Above, a trio of figures watched it. "He's ready," one of them said.


The Air Cab lurched, and Frey's stomach lurched with it. He grimaced. "Pilot likes his fancy moves, don't he?" the tall man said, receiving more than a few chuckles from the others. All of the other hunters were wearing looks of mixed amusement and pity as they watched Frey's predicament. Frey kept one hand wrapped around the support pillar he'd clutched as soon as the cab had taken off and grinned weakly.

"Flying's just not my thing," he said. "Put me on the ground where I was born and raised, thanks much." The others chuckled again.

"Don't you worry, green boy," the tall man replied. "I can see the Theater District already."

"Music to my ears," Frey said. The air cab dipped its nose a bit before coming in for a landing, and Frey swayed. The hunters nearest him slowly eased away, probably afraid of him throwing up on them. The cab's touchdown was mercifully gentle and Frey was the first one out the doors, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.

"Feeling better?" one of the others asked as they walked by him.

"I could've done without that," he admitted.

"Come on, green boy. You're gonna be late."

"Right, right."


Despite his queasiness, Frey was at one hundred percent by the time the group had reached the starting area. They were surprisingly relaxed, chatting and pacing aimlessly as they waited for the signal to begin. He looked up into the air and saw dozens of small airships hovering over the city. Frey knew that they contained the Hunt's judges. Their engines buzzed faintly, not quite loud enough to cover the howls Frey heard as the various predatory animals were released into the streets. Hope everyone's locked inside, Frey thought. At least, everyone who's not stupid enough to join the hunt. He grinned. Suddenly a bright red flare shot up from the center of the city. "Hunters, go!" a voice yelled. The group scattered instantly.


Serena and Daren began their hunt as any Burmecian would. Instead of dashing off like the others did, they launched themselves into the air and came down on a nearby roof to survey the area.

"Hey! That's cheating!" one of the human hunters yelled.

"All's fair in love and war!" Serena shouted back.

"Look there," Daren said. He pointed to the street on the other side of the building. A pair of mus, male by their purple fur coats, were wandering down the lane. One of them stopped to sharpen his claws on a bench. "Shall we?" Daren asked.

Serena grinned. "Of course." They leaped together. Serena came down first; her spear breaking the mu's back before it even knew she was coming. Daren was flashier. He dropped from the sky and landed in a crouch, his cloak swirling and pooling around him like some hero from an ancient tale. The mu at the bench looked up with a noise of surprise just in time to see Daren jerk his spear forward into its chest before withdrawing it equally as fast. The creature collapsed to the ground as Daren rose to his full height.

"Showoff," Serena commented.


"Damnit, why are we getting all the trick sparrows?" One of the hunters complained. Frey felt equally frustrated. The whole area was awash in the blue-feathered screeching birds, but they were only worth two points each, and were irritating to bring down when all you had was a sword.

"I'll bet that guy with the crossbow is laughing his way through the whole district," one of the others muttered.

"Screw him."

"Hey, does anyone else hear that?" Frey asked. The loose knot of five or so men fell silent. Very faintly, they all realized that they could hear baying.

"Fangs!" someone said.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" said a man carrying a cutlass.

"Twenty points a pop!"

"Sounds like a lot of them," Frey said. His spine was tingling the way it did every time he heard those barks. They had been howling the same way that fateful night.

"So what, we can handle them," one of the others said. That was when a Fang charged around a corner far down the street, legs pumping. It was followed by another...and another...and another, and another, and another, and another until there were nearly twenty of the beasts stampeding their way down the street.

"Um...what's that saying about too much of a good thing?" one of the hunters said nervously. Then, they all turned to see Frey striding forward. "Hey, green boy, are you out of your mind?"

"Just watch," Frey said as the Fangs continued to close the distance. "The trick is to kill the alpha male first." Frey held his sword out at a 45-degree angle. For a long moment, it seemed like nothing was happening. Then, the air around Frey seemed to begin trembling. A moment after that, the sword itself began to tremble. A blue-white light began to coalesce around the blade. Frey grasped the handle with both hands as the tremors became more and more pronounced. The blade began to crackle with energy and a humming filled the air.

"Wow," one of the others whispered. Frey suddenly lifted the sword over his head, then stepped forward and swung it down. A whirling beam of electricity erupted from the blade and shot down the street, flying a full two blocks before reaching the leading fang. The tendrils wrapped around the animal, stopping its forward motion and lifting it off its feet. The powerful beast writhed as its pack came to a halt, staring and yipping fearfully. Without warning, the electricity dissipated and dropped the smoking carcass to the ground.

It seemed that an eternity passed with nothing but the fangs' yelps filling the air. Then, Frey inhaled deeply. "COME ON!" he yelled. As one, the ragtag group of hunters charged down the street, with roars to match exactly what their bestial enemies had been doing mere moments before. Disorganized and leaderless, the fangs chose to run from this sudden threat, and the hunters chased them back towards the way they had come.


High above, three men looked down from one of the airships. "There!" one of them said with a broad grin. "That's what I like to see! Man at his very best, pitted against the most ferocious beasts nature has to offer!"

"You're entirely too enthusiastic about this, Tacks," the much older man said.

Tacks was about to reply when a smaller aircar came to a stop beside their ship. "Master Breeders!" the man on the ship called. "The Hunt organizers want you to release him now!"

"Tell them that we will!" said Stub, the last of the three. The man nodded and his aircar pulled away again. Stub turned to the pilot of their own airship and nodded. "Take us back to the grounds," he said. The pilot nodded and spun the wheel. The three men felt the airship begin to turn and point its nose higher into the sky.

"A pity we won't see what becomes of that group of hunters," Tacks said. "It looks like it's going to be an interesting battle."


"Well now, there's something you don't see every day," Daren commented.

"Hmmm?" Serena looked to him from where she had been surveying the streets. "What?" Daren pointed to where a massive pack of fangs had just burst from behind a rise in the street. Serena stood and joined him. "I wonder why-" but she silenced herself as a tiny knot of men crested the hill and ran down, clearly chasing the pack. Serena began to chuckle, then to laugh outright. The sheer absurdity of the image of five or six men chasing a group of dangerous animals that outnumbered them nearly four to one, and yelling their heads off while doing it, was simply too much. She silently wished them luck and turned to go back to her previous position.

"Is that Frey?" Daren said.

In a flash, Serena spun around and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning as far forward as she could. Emerald eyes narrowed to green slits as she tried to pick out the figure of her old friend. One of the hunters was a tall man carrying a spear...not him. Another held a cutlass and had a bandana holding back a mane of blond hair...also not Frey. The man in the lead held his broadsword in his left hand and had it resting on his shoulder, ready to bring down on an unsuspecting opponent. His other arm pumped furiously, and Serena's eyes caught bright flashes as the sunlight winked off the gauntlet he wore. "That's him!" she said.

"Should we help him?" Daren asked.

Serena straightened, a bit of a smile tugging at her mouth. "He seems to be handling himself fairly well."

"But look where they're heading." Daren turned to point. Serena's eyes followed his outstretched arm. Suddenly, she realized that the street Frey and the others were chasing the fangs down was a dead end leading to a small cul-de-sac. With such a huge pack trapped and agitated, things would turn very bloody, very quickly.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Serena said, her voice wavering. "He might get angry again."

"Better angry than dead," Daren pointed out.

That seemed to flip a switch in Serena's mind. "Let's go!" she said, and without hesitating, launched herself from the building and sailed through the air towards where Frey was heading.

"Hey, wait a second!" Daren spouted. Then, he quickly braced himself and leaped after Serena. That was when a trick sparrow flew up from where it had been hiding and attacked him. Daren yelped in surprise and lost his concentration. He felt himself reach the peak of his jump and begin to fall, and simultaneously struggled to fend off the maddened bird and right himself before he crashed into the ground.


Serena hit the ground running. The street was dusty after the wild stampede of the fangs and their pursuers, and she charged through it in an attempt to catch up before time ran out. Her legs pumped furiously and her claws caught the ground and helped her move even faster. The first hunter she caught up to was a huge man with tree trunk-like arms and legs. He carried no weapon, but had heavy metal claws affixed to his gloves. As Serena caught up with and began to pass him, she noticed him glance in surprise. He yelled something, but it was lost in the wind, the fangs' baying, and pounding feet. The next man was the one carrying the cutlass. His limber frame looked positively delicate. On the other hand, his feet seemed to barely touch the ground as he ran. He did a double take as Serena came alongside him, then kept his gaze on her.

"Aren't you...ndering Bur...agon Knight?" she caught. She nodded.

"Nice...et you," he said, and turned his head back around. Serena picked up the pace. Time was running out, but Frey was right in front of her. She pushed herself even harder, and was soon next to him.

"Frey, you have to turn around!" she shouted.

He glanced at her and a shadow seemed to pass over his face. "Almost got 'em now!" he shouted. "Another minute-"

"Fray, you're heading into a trap!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You're-" but time had run out. Serena saw the fangs pour into the cul-de-sac and run along the walls before slowing and stopping. At the mouth of the square, the hunters slowed as realization dawned, but were nearly in the middle by the time they managed to stop. By then, some of the fangs had gone around the whole circle and cut off their escape route. A tall spearman, a youthful swordsman, a burly fighter, a heavyset axe-carrier, and two wanderers found themselves completely surrounded. Frey quickly counted up the fangs and realized that it was the five of them against twenty-two of the beasts. Frey didn't like those odds. "I tried to warn you," Serena said. His hackles instantly hit the roof.

"Good job of it. While you're playing philanthropist, why don't you go find someone else to help?" He turned away before she could reply. The fangs began to close in, jaws dripping saliva. One took a run at the group, but turned and ran back when the axe-carrier took a swipe at it. Even so, the group of hunters still found themselves closing into a tiny knot, weapons pointed out.

"Wh-what do we do now?" said the tall man.

The young man with the cutlass held it steady. "We do what hunters do. We kill."

"Big words, kid," the fighter said.

Frey finally began to realize the gravity of the situation when he suddenly found his back pressed against that of the man with the cutlass. "Serena!" he said. "You can jump out of here and get help! Go!"

"I'm not going to leave you!" she said, equal parts shock and determination. Frey stared into her eyes and something inside of him relented.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Hey, broadsword man," the youth with the cutlass said. "Haven't you got any more of those sword tricks to pull out?"

Frey winced. "I might be able to pull off one or two, but if I do, I could end up killing all of us along with the fangs."

"Great."

Frey grinned. "What's your name?"

"Kelus. Yours?"

"Frey Amethyst. You ready, Kelus?"

"Ready to die? No. Ready to kill some fangs? You bet."

Frey set himself. "Glad to hear it."


The huge reptile was more agitated than usual. It smelled blood and combat in the air, and it rattled its chains with wild abandon. It inhaled and bellowed in a way it hadn't done for years. The three breeders watched it. "It's finally time to see what you can do," Tacks said.

"We'll have to be careful," Rove said, tapping the handle of his cane thoughtfully. "He's hungry."

"We can open the door first and then release the chains all at once," Stub replied. "He'll be so eager to get into the fight, he'll fly right out."

"Good point," Tacks said. "Let's do it." But as Stub turned to carry out his plan, Tacks reached into his jacket and withdrew a small dagger, then promptly stepped forward and planted it between the older man's ribs. Stub fell, gasping. The creature looked up and sniffed the air.

"Tacks, what's the meaning of this?!" Rove shouted.

"Nothing you need to know, old man," Tacks said. The dagger flashed once and the old man fell, already dying. Tacks turned to face the beast and let the dagger fall. He stretched his arms out and uttered a few nonsensical words. The chains released all at once. In an instant, the massive creature was right in front of Tacks. It bellowed a second time, but Tacks didn't flinch. Instead, he held out one hand, palm down. The best quieted and inched its head forward, letting the scales on its snout slide against the man's palm. It panted quietly. Tacks patted the beast once or twice, then turned to walk along the walkway, keeping his hand on the beast's nose. At the end of it, he reached a switch. He threw it with his free hand and a massive door opened at the end of the room. Daylight shone through, and the city of Lindblum stood on the other side. The beast, however, took no notice. Tacks stroked its nose one final time, then whispered. "You've waited long enough. Go. Kill to your heart's content." The creature growled and turned away from him, then spread its wings and launched itself out of its prison. Tacks smiled. Everything was going perfectly.


Daren leaned against the building's wall. His leg wasn't broken, thank the Crest, but it did feel like his ankle might have been sprained in the fall. He pushed himself away from the wall and limped into the middle of the street, heading towards the place Serena had gone. Serena. He had to help Serena. And Frey.

[Zaia]

Just read the whole story. It's quite good, very compelling and, romantic that I am, I love that what drives the story is love and battle. Good stuff!

Since there are so many characters, some of whom get only get a small segment of a given chapter, I think it'd be slightly easier to read if there was some sort of visual seperation between the different plotlines you have going on at the same time. Other than that, though, I think it's excellent.

And who cares if it takes you a while to write up each chapter? It's well worth the wait. We'll keep reading.

[Singular Quartet]

Keep going, man. It's good.

[Kuja]

Chapter 8: Closing Jaws


Krox was normally a very levelheaded man. He'd served in the Lindblum Army for three years and the City Guard for two more. He'd seen creatures that would send most men fleeing in terror. He'd fought nightmares that could tear a soldier apart in seconds. He'd fought the Alexandrians and their soldiers' rudimentary, but still deadly, understanding of combat magic. He'd fought Burmecians, an enemy that could seem to drop straight out of the sky and vanish just as quickly, leaving anarchy in their wake.

But Krox had never faced a nemesis as unnerving as the wall of fangs that faced him now. They snarled and snapped, their jaws slavering as they howled for his flesh and blood. He felt his shoulder brush against that of the huge man with the false claws. They exchanged a quick glance, each knowing that the other would only confirm how bad the situation was.

Krox kept his fear clamped down. He knew that if he lost control now, the fangs would tear him limb from limb. He kept his heavy war axe out in front of him, making it trace various patterns through the air. The flashing steel forced the fangs to respect the distance between them. However, Krox knew that the axe wouldn't keep them at bay forever. The fangs had every advantage, and worse, they knew it. They pressed ever closer, probing for some weakness in the hunters' little knot.

"Anyone got any ideas?" asked the tall man with the spear. His tanned skin shone with panic-sweat, and Krox knew he might lose control very quickly if the fighting began.

"Start praying?" suggested Kelus, the youngest out of all of them. Krox cleared his throat, a deep, phlegmy rasp.

"That's enough, both o' you," he said.

"You sound like you've got something to say, old man," said the man with his back pressed against Kelus.

"Aye, lad. Don't make yerself a target. Don't step away from the circle, even if they snap at you. If you do, they'll be on you in a second." Krox spoke calmly, years of experience helping him to ease the fear he felt. "Don't look at me, either!" he snapped as he saw the fighter watching him. "Don't look at anyone! If they see everybody gawking at one person, they'll think that's the pack leader and attack him all at once." Krox let his eyes waft over the pack. "That's why they're confused," he said. "They don't know who they should attack first."

"So if they can't decide who's in charge, will they leave us alone?" asked the spearman.

Krox chuckled grimly. "Nay, lad. They'll attack sooner or later. But y'see, fangs're smarter than most folks'll give them credit for. They want to make this as easy as possible." The fangs continued circling, pressing ever closer.

"Well then, are we stuck?"

"More or less," Krox said with a shrug. "The best we can do is stay together. Make 'em charge a wall of sharp steel. Lass," he said to the red-clad Burmecian on his left. "Put yer spear up higher. If they leap at you, ye'll want to catch 'em in the chest, not the foot."

"Got it," she whispered as she did so. Suddenly, the fang pack all retreated a few paces. Krox felt his fear spike.

"Watch out!" he shouted. "They're going to-" the fangs leaped all at once.

---------------

The gargantuan beast flew between the massive, colorful cliffs that surrounded its former prison, and it smelled prey. Its sharp eyes darted back and forth, seeking the source of the tantalizing scent. Prey came in the form of a creature much like those who had tormented it for so long. Gleefully, the beast lowered its head and snapped as it flew past, taking off the prey's entire upper half. It tore at the meat for a moment, then gulped it down. It wanted more.

----------------

Corri had closed, locked, and braced the bar door when the hunt began. Now, she was using the time to catch up on some of her cleaning. As she swept, she suddenly heard a pounding noise. She looked up to see a hunter fearfully hammering on the window. The look in his eyes was that of a hunted animal. Then, she looked past the man and understood why.

A hideously familiar creature had landed in the middle of the square outside. Its pink scales made it look like a demon straight from hell, an image to which the crescent-moon wings only added. The dragon-like creature closed the distance between it and the hunter with surprising quickness, and before Corri could even think of running to the door, its mouth closed around the screaming man. The beast lowered its head and one maddened eye peered into the bar. Corri didn't dare move a muscle. If she did, the thing could very well tear the wall apart. After a few heart-stopping moments, the head raised again and the beast disappeared.

Corri exhaled slowly. As if drawn by some outside force, her gaze went to one of the old paintings that hung on the far wall of the bar. One of them depicted a monster exactly like the one she had just seen outside. It was attacking an airship in the middle of a thunderstorm. Corri's lips moved as she pronounced the thing's name.

"Ironite."

-------------------

High over Lindblum soared a different kind of leviathan. This one was not made of flesh and blood, but rather, steel and iron. Painted green, with gold trim, the massive airship commanded the attention of anyone who looked in its direction. Massive cannons were mounted at its bow and stern, for this was no mere airship, but a warship in the service of the Lindblum Air Force. And right now, its cannons were pointed at the city it had been built to defend.

The bridge of the warship Runic Blade was a study in the contrasts between functionalism and elegance. In the center of the bridge was the ship's wheel and the radio operator's station. Just behind them was the captain's table, which bore a heavily detailed map of Mist Continent. This particular map had been marked time and again by those who used it and would soon need to be replaced.

On the other hand, the windows provided the crew with a wonderful view of the sky and the airships around them. The back wall of the ship also bore an oil painting of Phoenix, the adopted patron saint of the sky. Many airship crews paid fealty of some kind to Phoenix, whether it was a whispered word of thanks for a safe flight or a snarled invocation used to spur a frightened crewman to action.

"Mother Phoenix take your eyes, Grent!" Captain Darius roared, providing the perfect example of such a threat. "You right this ship or I'll have your head! And don't tell me it's not listing!" he snapped, cutting the younger man off. "I can feel it! Now, get down to the engine room and tell them that if they can't get number four fully operational, I'll throw them off the ship myself!" Darius had been an airship captain for over fifteen years. When he said the ship was listing, it was listing. Grent nodded, snapped off a quick salute, and darted off the bridge.

"Hold her as steady as you can, Parthas," Darius said to the wheelman, who nodded silently. "I'm going to speak with the Regent." Darius walked to the front of the bridge and went through a small door that led to the outer platform. Leaning against the railing there was Regent Cid Fabool himself. He stared down at the city below, shaking his head. "Sir," Darius said to catch his attention. "Our cannons are loaded and ready to fire-"

"Are you mad?!" the regent snapped. "Do you have any idea what that would do to Lindblum?"

"Sir, that creature is out of control and-"

"And if you open fire, those cannons of yours are going to do much more damage than it ever could! And I'm not just talking about buildings." Cid leaned in close. "There are people down there, Captain. People you've sworn to defend, and I won't have a massacre on my hands because someone chose to get trigger-happy!"

"Yes sir," Darius said flatly.

Cid sighed and looked back out. "We'll wait until it moves out of the city and into a less populous area." He fell silent for a moment. "How on Gaia did it get so big? I've never seen an Ironite grow so huge."

"Good, breeding, I would guess, sir."

Cid snorted. "Good breeding, my foot. There's something unnatural about that creature." He fell silent again. "Keep your men ready, captain. It looks like it's heading for the Theater District."

"Yes sir."

---------------------

The fangs' charge was so ferocious, Frey almost didn't react in time. He ducked out of the way of one flying beast and drove his sword up into its midsection. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the spearman jab out, once, twice, and a third time, killing one fang and wounding another. Krox's massive war axe swung and came down on a fang, nearly cleaving it in two. On the other hand, the fighter was in much more trouble. His lack of a more conventional weapon, while immaterial against one or two opponents, proved to be a poor choice when up against an enemy like this. Frey saw one fang take the man's arm in his jaws as another moved in. "Kelus! We have to help him!"

"I'm right with you!" the younger man shouted. The two of them leaped together just as Serena's spear swept through where they had been a moment ago, almost as though their moves had been choreographed . The flashing blade took down three move fangs. Kelus and Frey landed on either side of the fighter and skewered the two fangs threatening him.

"Help me!" The spearman's scream cut off any sense of victory. All three spun to see the man down on the ground. A fang had him by the throat, another by the midsection, a third gripped his spear arm in its jaws. Kelus started towards him, but Frey stopped him.

"He's already dead!" he shouted. "Watch after yourself!" Without waiting, Frey leaped forward, rolled, and wrenched the man's spear from a hand that had already ceased struggling. Frey whirled, creating a tornado of flashing steel around him. He felt both blades hit targets, but didn't stop to see if he had inflicted lethal wounds or not. He reached a bench and leaped onto it. Before dropping back into the fight, he took a quick look around.

The fighter spun and delivered a crushing kick to one fang, probably breaking its jaw. However, before he had even finished his move, a fang leaped onto him from behind and sank its teeth into the back of his neck. He fell, and Frey knew it was only seconds before he joined the spearman in death. Kelus' limber frame writhed and arced as he nimbly dodged the leaping fangs, slashing back and forth with his cutlass. Serena's spear wove a deadly pattern in the air in front of her as she rapidly gave ground to the attacking fangs. The real sight to witness, though, was Krox. The huge axe man stood nearly stationary, but his powerful arms whipped the axe through the air so quickly it could barely be made out in the sunlight. One fang leaped at him only to be completely decapitated by the impenetrable cage of steel Krox had created around himself.

Frey had just estimated that roughly half the fangs were dead when his instincts suddenly blared an alarm. He leaped backwards from the bench just as a fang's jaws closed on the spot where his knee had been a moment ago. Frey tucked in midair and spun, then landed in a crouch, blades out and ready.

---------------

Kelus' heart pounded in his chest as he threw himself into ever-greater feats of agility. Without warning, a fang slammed into him from the side. Although the animal failed to sink its teeth into him, its heavy body knocked them both sprawling. Worst of all, Kelus lost his hold on his cutlass. He sat up just as the fang scrambled to its feet. He made a dive for the sword, but knew he would never make it. The fang leaped, but suddenly, a massive fireball slammed into its body. The fang's flesh and sinew was incinerated in a split-second, and only a smattering of scorched bones dropped to the ground at Kelus' feet. The young man snapped his gaze over to where the fireball had come from and saw a cloaked Burmecian leaning against a wall. Despite being in obvious pain, the Burmecian wore a ragged smile of victory.

Kelus opened his mouth to thank the mystery man, but instead uttered something very different. "Look out!" he shouted, and simultaneously threw himself into a forward roll and caught the handle of his sword. As he came up, he threw the cutlass with all his might. The weapon glittered in the sunlight and sank itself into the midsection of the fang that had been poised to attack Kelus' rescuer.

"My thanks," the Burmecian said.

"Sure." Kelus said. In the deepest recesses of his mind, a voice that both was and was not his own wondered if he would get to kill the rat now or later.

------------------

Frey's muscles sang, his limbs cheered, his mind celebrated. He had never felt so good, so perfect, so right. His body twisted and snapped back and forth as he drew every ounce of his abilities out of himself. His sword and spear carved the air and the fangs with equal simplicity. The blood of the wild animals spattered him, but he didn't care. This was the way to kill, the way to hunt! A part of him that he nearly always kept sealed, a black, hateful part, was now out and on the surface, and with each swipe, it was fed and renewed. It was a part of him that had been born early on in life, had grown through the years of pain and humiliation, and had spent Frey's life silently howling for revenge. Revenge. Revenge for Cara. Revenge for the beautiful soldier who had traded her life for that of a miserable young wretch. And now, now it felt that revenge! The fangs deserved this! They deserved to die as she had died! Let them come! Frey's mind screamed. Let them come! Let them come and be slaughtered as they slaughtered her! Let them die in pain, crawling through the pools of their own blood as their lives leak away!

"Frey, help me!" a voice cried out. Frey snapped back to reality and saw Serena. She was on her back, a fang straddling her. Its jaws were less than an inch from her face, and only the shaft of her spear was stopping them from tearing her muzzle off. Frey stepped forward and the world seemed to shift around him. He no longer stood in the city of Lindblum, but on the edge of a drop into the misty plains the bordered Alexandria. He did not see Serena lying on the ground, but Cara. It IS Cara! his mind yelled. There's no such person as Serena! This is Cara, this is her, you've got to save her! Stop her! Stop her from dying again! Don't let her perish the way you let her perish the last time!

Frey took a step forward, dropping both his weapons as he did so. "You filthy animal," he whispered. "You hell-sent, filthy," his voice rose in an unnatural anger, "disgusting, lousy, destructive, stupid animal! GET YOUR STINKING CARCASS OFF OF HER!" He lost his senses completely and charged at the fang that held Cara down. Out of his mouth came a scream that was certainly not human, yet laced with a pain and rage that no animal could ever match. The fang looked up just in time to see Frey leap. His tackle knocked the fang off of Cara and they both went rolling over and over.

They finally came to a rest with Frey atop the animal. His left hand shot out to pin the fang by the throat. The creature struggled and yipped in terror, prompting a feral grin to rise onto Frey's face. "It's too late to beg for forgiveness," he gloated. His right hand slowly curled into the tightest fist he could manage with the gauntlet on. Then, he pulled his arm back and slammed his armored fist into the fang's jaw. The creature shrieked as its jaws crashed together, breaking teeth and tearing flesh. Frey struck the fang again and again, his grin fading to be replaced by a look of ugly hate. Frey beat the creature until blood covered his gauntlet and spattered across his face, then simply continued beating, continuing even long after the animal had ceased resisting.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly shot to his feet, spun, and saw Cara there, her expression one of concern. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. "It's alright," he said, breathless. "It's alright, it's all over, it's alright," he kept talking, babbling, just stumbling in the dark.

"Frey, she said gently. She caressed the side of his head with one hand. Her palm felt odd, rougher than he thought it would be. "Look at me," she said. She pulled herself away from him a bit, though not completely. "Look into my eyes," she said gently.

"Cara-" he started, but she pressed her fingers to his lips.

"No, Frey. Look at me, and this time, I want you to see me." He stared at her face for a moment, then the world seemed to detach itself and swim before him. His legs suddenly seemed to give way, and he dropped to his knees. Cara knelt before him, her face fading in and out of his sight. He felt her slip an arm around his shoulders to keep him upright. "Stay with me, Frey," he heard her whisper in his ear. "I'm here for you, just like you've been here for me so many times." She lowered her voice further. "Don't leave me, Frey. Don't leave me now. Who am I?"

"You...you're...you're..." Frey's world continued to swim around him. The rock outcropping was replaced by a building, then reverted to rock.

"Who are you, Frey? What's your whole name?"

"Frey Amethyst."

"Good." She took his chin and tilted his head back to look her in the face. "Now, who am I? Take a good look, Frey."

Her stared at her, his eyes threatening to glaze over. Her face melted, shifted, and reorganized itself as he watched. "You're..." but he didn't know.

Her hand gently traveled down over his stomach to touch the scar there. "Who gave you this, Frey? How did you get it?"

His mind blanked. "S-Serena Crescent!" he finally blurted. "She did!"

"Now, who am I? Come on Frey, I know you can do this."

He continued to gaze at her. Her features flowed and rolled, but now, they did so more slowly. The background became steadier, recognizable as a street in...Lindblum! Cara's face continued to change, graying, hair moving from blond to a shocking white. His hand suddenly stretched out to touch her jaw. "Ser-Serena," he finally said. "Serena, is that you?"

A smile broke out on her face. "Yes. Yes, it's me." She draped her arms around him and held him close. "I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Serena," he said. "For everything."

"So am I, Frey. So am I."

They stood together. Frey turned to look at the Fang he had killed. "What happened, Serena? What happened to me?"

She spread her hands. "I don't know, Frey. That's a question you'll have to answer yourself." A shout from nearby caused them both to turn. From one corner of the cul-de-sac came Krox. The big warrior was red-faced and breathing hard, but looked otherwise unharmed. From another direction came Kelus. The lithe young man had Daren's arm across his shoulders and was helping the Burmecian walk. Frey's eyes met Daren's and the Alexandrian's expression instantly cooled a hundred degrees. As calmly as he could, Frey walked over to where he had dropped his sword, wiped it on his sleeve (he was so heavily spattered with blood now that a little more would hardly make a difference), and sheathed it. His mind began to wander back over what had just happened, but he slammed off that train of thought before it got too far. He could contemplate later. Turning back, he went to join the others, who had now gathered in the middle of the square.

"Well," Krox said. "I s'pose that could've gone much worse. My thanks to ye, lad," he said to Daren. "Without ye, both me and the boy would've been food fer these beasts."

"It was nothing," Daren said courteously. "Serena, are you all right?"

She smirked. "It looks like I fared better than you did," she said. "What happened?"

"Call it a bad landing." Daren turned to face Frey. "I'm glad to see you made it, Frey. I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help."

"I'm sure you are," Frey said coldly. Daren blinked, as though he were surprised by the reply. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even get a sound out, a massive roar shook the air. Despite their weariness, the hunters drew their weapons almost as one and turned to face the direction from which the sound had come.

"Now what?" Krox muttered.

[Singular Quartet]

Very good, Kuja. I think I sorta understand, vaguely, what's going on, but not the why's. I won't make any comments as to what until I'm sure I'm right.

[Zaia]

Ok, now that I'm not as tired as I was last night when I read this the first time...

I think it's a bit clearer and flows a better than I originally thought, but I do still think it's a lot of characters doing a lot of things, which makes it feel a bit segmented, for those of us who don't know where the story's going. Or for me, anyway.

Overall I think it's excellent--the characters are drawing me, the fighting is described very well (as usual), and since I'm a sap, I love the romantic tension between Frey and Serena. And I want more of it! ...Please.

[Kuja]

Chapter 9: Monsters and Demons


The man known as Tacks was breathing hard. He had been sprinting to keep up with the Ironite during its rampage towards the Theater District. Now, he crouched on a second-story balcony overlooking the courtyard where his former pet was heading. A smile touched his lips and a soft chuckle escaped from his mouth as he looked down on the group of hunters standing in the circular area. Perfect, perfect, perfect! He thought. Oh, how perfect! He stared down at the group as they drew their weapons and snickered. Useless, my little friends, totally useless. Then he realized that he recognized one of the figures and hissed in vexation. Leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes and concentrated. Look up! Look up! Look up, you big louse! Slowly, the one he was glaring at seemed to notice something odd and slowly turned his head left and right, brow furrowed. Tacks grimaced. Up here, you fool! Finally, his target looked back over his shoulder and locked eyes with him. The other man raised his eyebrows. Tacks shook his head and mouthed a few words. The other nodded and turned away. Tacks scrambled away from the rail of the balcony, then began giggling and couldn't stop.

------------------

Frey was unaware of the exchange that had just taken place behind his back. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned. "Sere-" but it wasn't Serena who had touched him. Daren's hand rested on his shoulder as the Dragon Knight limped up to stand beside him. "You."

"Me." The one brown eye Frey could see burned into his own. "Would you like to explain to me why you're suddenly treating me like some plague?"

Frey tried to pull away. "We don't have time."

Daren gripped him so hard that he winced. "We make time."

"Stop playing innocent," Frey hissed. "You know damn well what this is all about."

"I do? I must have forgotten to inform myself!" Daren shot back.

"Come on, don't insult my intelligence. How many brown-eyed, black-haired Burmecians wearing black cloaks who want to threaten my life do you think are running around here?"

Daren blinked. "My cloak's not black, it's green." Frey looked at it. Sure enough, the cloak he wore was a dark green, even though it was now covered with a thin layer of dust. A note of doubt entered Frey's mind. The Burmecian who'd confronted him at the church had been wearing solid black…hadn't he? Frey narrowed his eyes. Now that he thought about it…the memory was growing fuzzy. He was tempted to put it down to the bizarre episode of a minute ago, but instinct told him that wasn't the case. In fact, the more he concentrated, the more the clarity of the memory faded. All he remembered for certain was that he'd spoken to...Daren?...and the Burmecian had threatened to kill him if he ever spoke to Serena again.

"Hey, are you awake?" Daren's voice dragged him back to reality.

Frey looked at him. "All right. There's something going on here. I don't know what, but once this is over, we're going to find out. Deal?"

"Deal." Their conversation ended at the right time, because at just that moment, they heard another roar and the creature that was its source came around a distant corner. Frey recognized it as an Ironite almost immediately, but was astounded by its sheer size. The creature had to be nearly twice the height of any member of its species that Frey had seen before. He turned to face the others.

"I guess there's no way out but to fight this sucker," he said. "Everybody with me?" Krox hefted his axe, patted the blade once or twice, and nodded. Kelus tapped the ground with his cutlass, eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching monster. Serena's eyes, on the other hand, stayed on Frey as he approached her. He looked her over once. Dust and sweat were mixed into her fur from the battle, as well as her hair. Strangely enough, this only seemed to accentuate her natural beauty, rather than cover it. As he got to within an arm's reach, he noticed a musky, earthy scent that only added to her arresting figure. He looked up into her eyes, the same emerald pools that had captured him five years ago. "Are you still going back home after this?" he whispered.

"We'll see," she whispered back. "I'll go home once I know you'll be alright, and not one moment before."

He smiled. "So, what do you say to one last battle?"

She returned his smile and hefted her spear. "I'm ready."

"Good to hear." He winked and turned away from her again. "All right, here's how we'll do this," he said aloud. "Kelus and I'll stay in front. Krox, Serena, you've got the longer weapons, so keep behind the two of us and take a swipe whenever you get a chance. Daren," his voice hitched, "you're injured, so stay in back and use your magic. We'll need you if we're going to beat this thing." Daren met his gaze and nodded.

"Well, if I wanted to live a hundred years, I would'na signed up fer this contest anyway," Krox rumbled. He stepped forward to get behind Frey, but without warning, he suddenly gasped and jerked. A shining blade suddenly protruded from his chest. It withdrew and Krox fell to the ground to reveal Kelus, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Kelus, what are you doing?" Frey shouted. The blond man looked up to meet Frey's eyes, then raised his hand and wiggled his fingers.

"Have fun, everyone," he said. Then he turned and bolted across the cul-de-sac. Frey watched, feeling rooted to where he stood, as Kelus jumped and drove his cutlass into one of the balconies overlooking the place. The wood crunched, and Kelus used his cutlass to scramble up onto the balcony itself. A quick kick threw the door open, and Kelus vanished. Frey turned to see Serena kneeling beside Krox's huge frame, hands delicately moving around his neck. She looked up at Frey and sadly shook her head.

Frey felt his blood boil. He'd been forced to trust Kelus with his life, and had done so…yet now Krox was lying on the ground, a survivor of who knew how many battles felled by a blow from behind, dealt by a man he'd thought was on his side. Frey clenched his fists and silently vowed to hunt Kelus down, no matter how long it took.

"Frey, look out!" Daren shouted. Frey snapped his head up just in time to see the Ironite spread its wings and rise into the air, ready to attack.

"Daren, get behind-" but it was too late. The Ironite struck.

------------------

"Sir!" The Runic Blade's radio operator called out.

"What is it, mister?" Darius said.

"Message for the Regent, sir!" The operator hastily scribbled down a note on a piece of paper and tore it, handing off to Darius. The captain immediately read it and went back to where Regent Cid was still standing on the outer deck.

"Sir," he said, holding the scrap out.

Cid took it and read it quietly. "Theater District evacuated...recommend firing as soon as...oh, for Heaven's sake." He tossed away the scrap. "Everyone's telling me to fire on my own city," he muttered.

"When faced with two evils, sir, one must choose the least," Darius quoted.

"Haste makes waste," Cid shot back without hesitating. "Don't presume to quote the books at me, captain. I've had far more time to study them than you."

"Yes sir."

Cid sighed deeply. "But, it seems I have no other options. Are the gunners ready?"

Darius snapped to. "Ready and waiting, sir!"

"Then tell them to open-" Cid cut off when a bright flash caught both men's attention.

"What was that?" Darius said.

"Cancel that last order, captain," Cid replied. "We might have an ally we didn't realize."

-------------------

As the Ironite descended, it attacked the closest target, Daren. Instead of running, the injured Dragon Knight brought his free hand up. The air above it gave birth to a ball of flame that rapidly grew and expanded. With a word, Daren launched the fireball, sending it straight up at the monster's head. Surprised, the Ironite jerked its head back and dodged the attack. Daren fell backwards as he instinctively shifted his weight to his injured leg and it gave way.

Frey drew his sword and charged. "Serena, do something!" he shouted.

But Serena was already in motion. She darted forward, her spear glowing white. As she came abreast of Daren, she crouched and then leaped upwards, not towards the creature but onto a balcony. By now, her entire body was glowing white.

Frey reached Daren, whipped an arm around his neck, and began pulling him away from their foe. His eyes, however, were on Serena. To him, she looked like some kind of avenging angel straight from the old fables. "Get him, Serena," he whispered. Serena raised her spear and suddenly shot forward like a cannonball, aiming for the Ironite's heart. For a moment, Frey thought she would end the battle then and there. But as Serena closed the distance, the Ironite suddenly spun and lashed out with one massive claw, batting her out of the air. Serena careened downwards, striking the ground with incredible force before bouncing and sliding to a stop less than fifteen feet away from Frey and Daren. Her spear rang on the ground and slid to a stop next to her, but she ignored it. Her body arched once, and then Serena did something that Frey had never in all five years of knowing her seen her do. She screamed. The Ironite bellowed, its powerful roar drowning out her ragged cry of pain as if she didn't even exist. Something inside Frey snapped. He let Daren drop, then spun and drew his sword. With a yell of his own, he charged forward. The Ironite swiped at him, but he tucked in and rolled forward, dodging the massive claw. Without bothering to rise to his feet, he jammed his broadsword into its foot. The creature let out a bark of pain and Frey grimaced. "Don't go to pieces already, big guy," he said. "I haven't even started with you."

------------------

Tacks had to bite down on his hand to keep himself from laughing aloud when the rat-woman's pitiful wail reached his ears. His entire body trembled as he reined in his excitement. That was when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned his head to see a blond young man who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him let himself down on all fours next to him. "I expected them to last longer," Kelus said.

"Who cares, who cares, who cares?" Tacks sputtered excitedly. "They'll die and then the Regent will make his move and we'll win, we'll win!"

"Shut up and take control of yourself." Kelus said. Tacks did, both surprised and ashamed of his behavior.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Enough. Be quiet, I want to watch." Tacks remained silent as he turned back to the battle, but even then, he couldn't keep the maddened grin off of his face.

---------------------

Daren rolled over. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing him in the leg every time he moved, but he had to do it. "Serena!" he rasped. Only another ragged moan answered him. Blood tricked from the corner of her mouth; it was possible she'd broken ribs and one of them had punctured a lung. With the force with which she'd hit the ground, it was well within the realm of possibility. If he did nothing, she would very likely die before Frey managed to kill the Ironite. Fortunately, however, Daren was a Dragon Knight. And for a Dragon Knight, there were always options. He grasped his spear and pointed it at her. With a deep breath, he began to recite. "Though I was born of earth-" he suddenly cut himself off as he unconsciously shifted his weight, putting pressure on his injured ankle. Stars exploded before his eyes, but he violently shook his head and concentrated. Again, he began to speak. "Though I was born of earth," he inhaled to continue and sucked in a lungful of dusty air, setting him to coughing and breaking the rhythm of his incantation a second time. No! he screamed to himself. I'm not losing Serena, damn it!

He heard her call out to him. "Daren," she said. He looked up to see one beautiful green eye looking at him weakly. "I know...you can...do it, Daren," she said weakly. "Believe in...yourself..." she exhaled heavily, the strength almost visibly flowing out of her. Daren clenched his jaw. He would not lose her. He would not lose Serena Crescent. He would not lose the woman his brother had loved. He would not lose the woman he, too, had fallen in love with before she had vanished from their lives. He grit his teeth and spoke.

"Though I was born of earth,
my soul yet does thirst
for the freedom of the sky.
The freedom to fly,
higher than high,
and soar away
from home. And I
now find that I must fly
with the aid
of the Winds of Reis."

No clap of thunder or ball of fire marked the execution of the technique. Instead, the dust on the ground just in front of Daren's lance was gently blown to the side by a silent gust of air. The invisible breeze made a beeline for Serena, marked only by the dust it blew up. When it finally reached her, she was enveloped by a soft blue light. Once again, her body twisted and she groaned audibly, but Daren knew that this time, she was healing.

-----------------------

Frustrated, the Ironite let out a fearsome bellow. Frey was too close for it to really use its size to its advantage and he continued to hack away at its legs, adding more and more to the pain with each blow. It whipped its muscular tail around, trying to knock him away, but Frey leaped over the deadly blow and landed right on top of the appendage. Before the Ironite could fully understand what had happened, Frey was running up its spine towards its neck. The creature tried to shake him off, but to no avail. Frey reached the back of its neck, grasped his sword with both hands, and brought it back to deliver the finishing blow. Before he could bring the blade down, a massive claw closed around him. The Ironite plucked Frey off of its back and squeezed him. He gasped for air and beat on the creature's scales, being careful not to lose his grip on his sword. It relaxed its grip somewhat and he gasped, sucking in greedy lungfuls of air. The Ironite glared at him, an inhuman gaze that chilled Frey's bones. The creature opened its mouth and Frey saw a dark gold light glowing in its gullet. He froze. The glow got brighter. No, he thought helplessly. It can't end like this. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye-

The Ironite inhaled and the glow became almost dazzling. Flames rushed up from the creature's throat. Frey closed his eyes and braced himself for the end as he felt a searing heat touch him. Without warning, the heat was replaced by a bitter cold. He snapped his eyes open just in time to see a blast of ice fly upwards and intercept the fireball. The two magical attacks curled around each other, dissolving into thin air as they flew higher into the air. Frey looked down and felt his heart stop. Daren was on his feet, his weight supported by a lamppost. Just a few feet away from him stood Serena. She looked a bit unsteady, but obviously wasn't dying. She held her lance in an ironclad grip, and a fire burned in her eyes that suddenly made Frey feel very sorry for the creature that held him.

"Frey, can you get clear?" she shouted. Frey grimaced, attempting to twist himself out of the claw that held him.

"No," he finally said. "Serena?"

"What?"

"I know what you've got in mind. Do it."

"But-"

"DO IT!" he thundered. "Or do you want more people to die?"

She grimly shook her head. Then she drew herself up and began whistling a fast, cheery tune. The Ironite stopped growling and stood still to listen. Serena continued whistling, and Frey felt a light breeze on his face. He braced himself, knowing what was coming. Without warning, a hole opened in the ground, and the wind intensified. Full of a pinkish light, the magical opening widened until it was nearly ten feet across. Serena continued whistling. A massive swarm of pink-colored petals erupted from the hole and began forming themselves into a shape familiar to many Burmecians. A leg formed. A wing. A misshapen head that jutted forward from the soldiers. A tail. "Grand Dragon," Frey whispered. The cherry blossoms that made up the creature's body continued to swirl to and fro, almost at random, but the dragon's body never dissolved. Instead, it threw its head back and bellowed. The Ironite bellowed back. Frey realized that he was trapped in the middle of the clash of the titans. Maybe telling Serena to go ahead had been a-

The Ironite suddenly glanced down, remembering the morsel it held. Then, with a powerful jerk of the arm, it tossed Frey away. "Oh, this is bad," he muttered as he flew up into the sky.

-----------------

Gregory Dolnz was a proper gentleman. He had grown up in one of the rich, affluent families of Lindblum. At twenty-five, he had entered the family printing business. At thirty-six, he had taken over. At forty, he had bought his own airship. And now, at nearly sixty, he had invited a large group of his friends and associates aboard his ship to enjoy the hunt from a comfortable distance.

Although not as expansive as a Lindblum warship, Gregory's Skyrider was certainly no life raft. It was thirty-five feet long, lovingly crafted out of the sternest wood available and carefully painted over with an eye-catching blue-gold paint scheme. A railing ran around the uppermost deck, which was currently studded with tables and chairs for Gregory's guests. A small band situated on the forecastle played music to help pass the time.

"Well, Gregory," said a friend of his as he joined Gregory at the railing. "This was certainly a splendid idea. We'll have to do it again next year on White Lightning."

"I look forward to it, Marko," Gregory said with a smile. "So, how goes the business of the theater?"

"It couldn't be better. Just two days ago, we had a capacity crowd for 'Wishing Upon a Star'. And of course, that doesn't count the young'uns who scramble up the sides of the building." Both men laughed.

"Say, what's that?" said one of the female guests. Gregory looked in the direction she pointed to see a small black speck rise above the Lindblum skyline. It seemed to be heading in their direction.

"I haven't a clue," Marko said. That was when a scream reached the ears of both men and Gregory realized that the speck was a human. His eyes widened.

"Look out!" he shouted, but even as he did, the airborne warrior slammed into the band. With a resounding crash, nearly every single musician was knocked to the ground.

"Oh god, that's gonna leave a mark," Gregory heard someone say. That was when a blood-spattered man heaved himself to his feet, sword in hand. One of the guests shrieked, and the man looked around. "Oh, um, sorry about that," he said. "I'll just be leaving." Something caught his eye and she sheathed his sword, then rushed over to Gregory's lifeboat. The small airboat lashed to the Skyrider was small and quick, despite having only one engine.

"I-I beg your pardon!" he sputtered as the man leaped aboard the smaller ship and examined its controls.

"Green lever to turn it on, right?" he said. Without waiting for a response, he threw it. The engine coughed, sputtered, and finally caught with a resonating thrum.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Gregory shouted. "That's mine!"

The man frowned and reached into a pocket, then tossed Gregory and handful of gil that scattered all over the deck. "I'm just renting it!" he shouted. Then he drew his sword and slashed the ropes holding it. With that, he returned to the wheel and pulled the small airboat away from the ship. With the toss of a lever, he accelerated away, leaving Gregory to attend to the mess.

-------------------------


"Frey!" Serena yelled as she watched him vanish.

"Serena, concentrate!" Daren shouted. Serena snapped her mind back to her creation. Indeed, without her guidance, it had already begun to come apart. Serena resumed whistling and it re-formed as it closed with the Ironite. The flesh-and-blood creature swiped at Serena's dragon, but succeeded only in scattering some of the cherry blossoms and slicing its own hand in a dozen places. It roared in pain and frustration as Serena's dragon swiped back. The cherry blossoms swooped over the Ironite, cutting into its shoulder and neck. Then, Serena's dragon dissolved completely and swarmed over the Ironite. The beast roared as it felt the sting of cuts all over its body. For a moment, Serena thought the fight was over. Then the beast inhaled and belched another gout of flame. The Ironite turned its head, burning the cherry blossoms to ash wherever it looked. Finally, there were too few for Serena to keep up the attack with any effectiveness. She ceased whistling and let them drop.

With its skin torn and oozing blood, its wings tattered, and its strength depleted, the massive Ironite still presented a dangerous threat. Although her wounds had been regenerated, Serena was now exhausted from the effects of Reis' Wind. Using her Cherry Blossom technique had driven her to the point where she could barely stand. Daren's condition was no better. He had depleted much of his magic fighting the fangs and the Ironite to this point, and he couldn't even stand without aid. Serena knew the situation looked bleak, and she couldn't think of anything she could do to rectify it. Cementing the whole thing was the fact that Frey was gone and probably dead. She sighed deeply, muttered a quick prayer, and resigned herself to being a nasty snack.

----------------------

Tacks began giggling again, and this time, Kelus joined him. "Ironite's going to make hash out of them, hash!" Tacks said. "Our plan's gone perfectly, totally perfectly!"

"It's almost too bad," Kelus said. "I wanted to kill them myself."

Tacks giggled. "That's because you're a bloodthirsty psychopath."

"Look who's talking." Tacks covered his mouth with both hands to keep the sound of his laughter from carrying. Suddenly, Kelus stopped chuckling and narrowed his eyes. "What's that?" he hissed.

-------------------------

A broomstick held the wheel of the airboat steady as Frey balanced at the prow. The boat was traveling down the street at a height almost even with the rooftops. Windows seemed to blur by, the boat was going so fast. Frey knew this move was insane, even suicidal. But to saver Serena...and Daren...he'd do it. He drew his sword with his left hand and placed the blade in his right, curling his gauntleted hand around it. Taking a deep breath, he growled. The sword almost immediately began glowing a bright blue-white, and he felt the warmth of the blade through his gauntlet. "Serena," he muttered. "Please see me coming. Please..."

---------------------------

Serena saw the bright blue light streaking down the street and instantly recognized it. "Daren, get out of the way!" she shouted. Fortunately, she acted as she spoke, dropping her spear and tackling Daren. Frey launched himself from the boat and streaked down towards the Ironite. When his sword made contact with the back of the creature's neck, the powerful Stock Break attack released a massive burst of energy that tore right through it. However, it did nothing to check Frey's progress. He continued on his wild descent until he slammed into the street. Pavement shattered and Frey bounced back up into the air, coming back on his chest. His sword fell from his hand and clattered to the street. The airboat glanced off the top of a building at the end of the cul-de-sac and spiraled out of control to crash some distance away.

Serena rose to see the Ironite's massive corpse fall to the street, its head almost completely decapitated. "You did it, Frey," she whispered. Then, she spun to see him lying on the street. She rushed over to him, horrified by what she saw. Frey's legs had been shattered, not merely broken but shattered by his impact. Bits and pieces of bone jutted through the skin at angles that were not even remotely normal. Frey had also scraped the side of his head bloody and broken his left arm on his second impact. He breathed weakly. Serena knelt, hesitantly touching his back. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled a bit.

"Hey there," he whispered.

"Hang on, Frey," she said. "I'll get...some help," she trailed off, knowing that any help she could get would come too late.

He coughed up some blood. "I guess...that wasn't...the best idea...huh?" He closed his eyes again and Serena felt the strength go out of him. She couldn't help but think of how peaceful he looked.

[Ghost Rider]

Good story within a story.

Keep going .

[Zaia]

*crinkles brow* Oh, Frey...

Now I'm all sad, Kuj...

[Sarevok]

Good chapter.

[Singular Quartet]

Oh... nice... now post more.

[Kuja]

If you like head trips, I think you'll like this chapter. I sat down just the other day and it practically wrote itself. Enjoy.


Chapter 10: To Myself


Where am I? I don't know. I can't hear anything. I can't see anything.

What's happening? Nothing.

Who am I? I don't know that either. I can't remember.

Am I dead? Is this heaven? Hell? The afterlife? I suppose it could be.

Is there anyone else? No, I'm alone.

Is this really happening? I don't know...it doesn't feel real. Something seems out of place, but I don't know what. I'll think about it.

------------------------

I can hear voices. "Is he going to be alright?" one says.

"I don't know," another answers. "He's in bad shape." I move my lips to answer, but I have no lips. I inhale, but I have no lungs. I try to sit up, but I have no body. I am nonexistent.

The voices continue. "Well, can you do anything?"

"I've done all I can. The rest is up to him."

To me? But who am I? What happened to me? How can I fix something if I don't know it's broken? In this non-life, I stir. One of the voices sounds familiar. I feel that I should know it. Is it my own? No, that's not it. Someone close to me? That seems more likely.

"Will you keep an eye on him?"

"I'm sorry, I have other patients to attend to."

Others? Like me? Why can't I sense them? Why can't I sense anything at all?

"But you have to-"

"Serena, we'll watch him."

Another familiar voice. And...Serena? Do I know this person? I think I do. Do I love her? A resounding yes. That takes me by surprise. Can I love someone that I'm not even sure I know? For that matter, who is the other familiar one? And above all that, who in the gods' names am I?

-------------------------

Familiar voices.

"Here, I'll switch with you."

"I don't want to leave him."

"You've been by his side since the hunt ended. Serena, you need some rest."

Rest? Rest would be good. I can't rest in this plane, or level, or whatever it might be. I feel a thousand years old one moment, and a newborn the next. But always tired, always out of energy.

"I can't stand to see him like this. This isn't the way he's supposed to be, Daren. He's not supposed to be lying in a bed, helpless. He should be out there, out in the world, wandering, fighting monsters, helping people, that's the Frey Amethyst I know."

Frey Amethyst? Is that my name? It doesn't sound right. It doesn't fit. It feels like it was slapped onto me without my consent.

"There's nothing you can do right now, though. Stop worrying yourself and get some rest. I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Thank you, Daren."

Daren...I know that name, too. But not the same way I know the name Serena, I can tell that much. My mind speaks the name to me with equal parts admiration and distaste. Why? I can't answer that.

"You're a real hero, you know that?"

Who's he talking to, me? Why? Doesn't he know I can't answer? No, he's talking for it's own sake. For himself.

"They say you won't survive. By every right, you ought to be dead. How you lived is beyond me. Are you just that lucky, Frey? Are you just that tough? Are you just that dedicated?"

Stop asking so many pointless questions.

"And for some reason, I feel like I should hate you. The way you spoke to me before everything came apart...I felt like I was talking to a chunk of ice."

You might as well be right now.

"But like you said...there's something else at work here. That's why I hope against all hope you'll pull out of this, Frey. I have the feeling I'm going to need your help."

My help? Someone needs my help? Why my help, out of all the people in the world to choose from? Does someone really need me?

"So prove them all wrong, Frey. Pull through this. For me...and for Serena. She loves you, you know. Damn it, but I'm jealous of that. I had a crush on her before she left Burmecia, even though my brother asked her to marry him. Now I find her again and she's in love with you even though it's hopeless."

Yeah, sounds like one of those two-gil story operas they sell every week.

"But still, I understand why she does."

You do? I don't. I don't understand anything anymore.

"You a good man to have around, Frey. Crest, what am I babbling about? I'll leave you in peace for now. Take care, Frey."

I like the way he speaks my name. It sounds wonderful, like music. Almost as though he's...proud to speak it. Take care, Daren. Take care of Serena, too.

-------------------------

Unfamiliar voices.

"Keep quiet. Here he is."

Who's that?

"So, this is the one who killed you beloved pet?"

"It wasn't-"

"Quiet."

I don't like that voice. It sounds menacing. Where's Daren? I wish I could open my eyes.

"So, are we going to kill him?"

"No. I just wanted to take a look at him. He looks rather submissive to be a warrior, don't you think?"

I hear nervousness. "I saw what he did. He's dangerous. We should kill him."

Calm. "I already told you, we're not."

Petulance. "Why not?"

Anger. "Because I said so, maggot!"

Fright. "Yes, sir."

Calm again. "That's better."

They're arguing over killing me. Why am I so calm, then? Probably because the one with the dangerous voice has control of the other two. But who are they? They sound vaguely familiar, but that's not good enough.

"Someone's coming!"

"Come on."

Silence.

----------------------------

I'm getting angry. Why can't I wake up? What's wrong with me? Is there something I have to do, something I have to fix, before I can just open my eyes and sit up?

Wait, maybe that's the key. But what do I need to repair?

Alright, first thing's first. Who am I?

No, no, that's irrelevant. It's not who I am but what's wrong with me that I need to fix. Yes, that feels right. But what do I need to fix, dammit? Someone give me an answer!

Wait a second. Now it feels like there are two of me. I can't see my other self, but I can sense him. He's ugly. Cold. Dark. I don't like him. But he's part of me, isn't he? What, do I need to accept him to be whole again? OK, I can do that. I accept it, I'm human, I can deal with not being perfect. Come on now, come back to me. Come on. I accept you, come on.

-----------------------

This isn't working.

------------------------

Voices again.

"Ready to switch?"

"Sure."

"Has anything...happened?"

"No. See for yourself."

Silence.

-------------------------

Why do I carry such hate? I don't understand. I've never thought of myself as a particularly hateful person. I'm not an angel, I know that, but I'm no devil either.

Well, I doubt there's any gods rushing to help me, so I'd better figure this out.

--------------------------

My other self is still here. I can feel him, like some silent golem, ever watchful but never forward. He refuses to speak with me. All my attempts are met with silence.

I can feel his hate. It feels like soft ice brushing up against me. It's sickening. I wonder if he's equally disgusted by what he senses from me?

---------------------------

Voices.

"So, is this the man I've heard so much about?"

"S-sir?"

"Now, don't jump like that, I'll only be a minute. How is he?"

"Sir, um, Minister, he's asleep."

"I can see that, Miss Crescent. But how is he?"

A sigh. "He hasn't woken up since the hunt ended."

"I see. Well, keep your watch. I'll speak to you later."

"Yes, sir."

"And Serena, it's good to see you again."

"Thank you, sir."

-----------------------------

I wonder what old Gareth would do if he were here? Slap me until I woke up, I'll bet. I laugh, then stop as my other self suddenly moves closer. The icy feeling grows worse as he does, the malevolence at its core pulsing. I pull back. Is this what they mean by confronting your fear? I've never heard of anything like this.

Wait a minute. He moved. He actually did something. Why? Because I laughed? Did he hate that? Or maybe it was because I thought of Gareth. I think of him some more. How he used to beat me, abuse me, neglect me, mock me.

My other side comes at me again, faster this time. When he touches me, I feel more than just the icy blackness of his touch. Deep within him is a well of heat, a vast source of anger. I can feel that heat along with the coldness, and neither is pleasant. I attempt to fend him off, but he closes with me before I can. I feel his breath. It's a noxious, rotten stench.

I feel like I'm going to black...

----------------------------

Time has passed, I can't tell how much. He has retreated again, but I know that he is watching me. I don't understand. How did he overpower me so quickly? I attempt to pull myself together, but I feel exhausted, as though I've endured years without rest. On the other hand, he seems stronger, more sure of himself. Is it because he thinks he's won?

There's something I'm missing here, I'm sure of it. But what?

----------------------------

Cairn, Dock, I wish I could see you both one last time. I could use your help right now. When I was growing up, I had no father. When my mother died, I was adrift. Then I found you, as though you were a gift from the gods. Most children can be proud of their father. I was proud of two.

Cairn, if you were here, what would you do? Wrestle that sucker to the ground and teach him what's what? Would you sit him down and talk? I wish I knew. Do you remember the night I refused to eat my dinner, so you sat down and refused to let either of us leave the fire until I'd acquiesced? You were so tough when you needed to be, and then you hugged me when it was all over. You taught me a lot when I was growing up with you, but I think even this is out of your field, father.

Dock, if you were here, what would you tell me? To be calm, at peace? To reach out and touch him, make contact? To allay my fears and sooth my anger? Oh, Dock, you were such a willing teacher, even if I didn't always get what you said. I remember the day I tried to kill a fang and you stopped me. You healed it and let it go before giving me a real talking-to. I leaned a lot that day, father.

My other is moving again, circling me. He seems unnerved. Why? Do these memories upset him? But it was the memories about Gareth that set him off...

Wait a minute. If he's all my hate, all my rage, all my loathing, wouldn't negative thoughts only make him stronger? Was he...feeding on me? Only one way to find out.

Gareth wasn't always cruel. I remember one sunny day when he took me for a walk down Main Street while a carnival was in town. We stopped at all the different shows and even went to see a play. I spoke to one of the local girls and when I went back, he had a twinkle in his eye and called me "a handsome young lad."

He's agitated. I can sense it. He approaches, then backs off, unsure of himself. I was right, I was!

I remember Cara before she died. I'd never even met her before, and yet she was so kind. She knew I was a frightened kid and reached out, even though I threatened her. I remember how she called me "sweetie." I remember how she took my hand. If that fangs hadn't intervened, would she have walked with me all the way back to Alexandria? I think she would have.

He suddenly retreats. He's running! He's afraid! I chase after him. If I let him get away, will I spend eternity in this netherworld? I don't want to find out.

The first time I took Serena to Treno. It wasn't long after we met, and we were still getting used to each other. She was nervous, switching between chattering rapidly and clamming up. I took her to see every little thing there was to see, letting her get used to everything at her own pace. Finally, she relaxed and I knew she would be alright when she turned to me and said "you know, you're not so bad."

I catch him and bring him down. He fights my grip, but he's growing weaker by the minute. I feel his rage and his hatred, but they aren't so difficult to stand now. I pin him down and hold him. I speak to him.

This is how it's going to be. You're a part of me and I'm not going to be divided in such a way, do you understand?

YOU'RE ALWAYS IN CHARGE! I'M ALWAYS RELEGATED TO THE DARKEST CORNERS TO WANDER AROUND, USELESS!

I'm in charge because it's right for me to be in charge. I could never conscience letting a person like you wander around in the world toady. Accept it.

NO!

Listen to me. You can either accept this graciously or I'll take you back kicking and screaming if that's what it takes. It's your choice.

I WANT FREEDOM!

Freedom. What would you do with such a gift? You'd run us both to ruin.

IT'S MY RIGHT!

No, it's not.

LET ME GO!

Don't make me take the next step.

I SAID LET ME GO!

I remember the day Dock taught me about life. I saw a fang with an injured leg and went after it with my sword. It couldn't get away.

NO! STOP!

I wanted revenge for what they did to Cara. Then, Dock was beside me. He took my sword, healed the fang's injuries, and let it run off to rejoin its pack.

I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS!

I demanded to know why. Dock told me that the creatures of the world are not a curse to be endured, but a gift to be cherished. We must always respect them, and if we do, they will do so in return.

LIES! POISON!

The fangs didn't attack Cara because they were evil. They just wanted food. They were hungry, and they wanted food. It's all that animals understand. They have needs and they do what they must to satisfy them.

ENOUGH! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!

"It's truly sad when people die," Dock said to me. "But you mustn't hate the fangs for what they did. In nature, they must kill or be killed. I think humans seem to have forgotten that."

NO MORE!

I can feel his strength fading. He lashes at me, but each blow is weaker than the one before it. He seems smaller, thinner, emaciated. I can feel his fear. He's afraid to die, I can understand that. Were our positions reversed, I'd feel the same. The catch is that he wouldn't feel sorry for me. He'd be lapping it up, enjoying every moment of my death, savoring the taste. I can't let a monster like that control my life.

He fades. I grow.

He lashes. I endure.

He snaps, howls, and squirms. I hold firm.

He fears. I feel confidence flow.

He heaves against me in one last attempt to shake me off...

...I lean down and kiss him gently.

I feel the last of him fade away to nothingness. He evaporates beneath me, leaving nothing more than emptiness and bad memories. It's over. I've won.

------------------------

I feel like I'm flying. It's a truly wonderful sensation. It is as though I've been born again, and I'm ready to take another shot at life. Life. It's a wonderful thing, a precious thing. To waste it or cut it short is unthinkable. I feel like I'm slowing now. I can feel myself settling into my body, like a comfortable old jacket. I feel my fingers twitch - my real fingers. I can feel my breath - my real breath. I feel at home, as though I've come back from a long journey. And I know my name now. Not just the letters and the sounds, but everything it means to me. Everything it truly is. My name is FREY AMETHYST.

------------------------

Frey blinked his eyes open. Sunlight shone through a window onto an elaborately decorated bed. He was in a room somewhere that he didn't recognize. Wherever it was, it was certainly well-appointed. He sat up and took a breath. It felt fresh. He felt no pain from his legs, or in fact, anywhere else. He felt like he was in perfect condition. He wore a simple white sleeping-shirt that reached down to his knees.

At the foot of the bed, a form stirred. A head was lifted off of a pair of arms and a gray-furred hand scooped trails of jet black hair out of brown eyes. "Oh, you're awake," Daren said.

"How long was I asleep?" Frey asked. "It feels like it's been...weeks."

"About a day and a half."

Frey gaped. "That's it?"

"The Grand Hunt ended yesterday afternoon. It's tomorrow morning. Serena and I have been-"

Frey threw the sheets off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Switching off and watching over me. I know."

It was Daren's turn to gape. "You...know?"

Frey turned to face the Dragon Knight and took Daren's right hand in both of his. "Daren...I wasn't just a slab, even though I looked like one. I heard things while I was gone. I saw some things. And I want to say," he met Daren's eyes. "Thanks for everything."

"Of...of course, Frey."

"So, where is this?"

"Lindblum Grand Castle. Regent Cid watched us right the Ironite and had medics waiting. They were there almost right after you lost consciousness. Good thing, too. Much longer and you would have been beyond help."

"I know." Frey turned to look at the other bed in the room. Laid out on it was his usual outfit, as well as his sword. Next to that was another outfit laid out in an identical fashion, complete with a light rapier that looked ornamental. He frowned. "What's this get-up?"

Daren smirked. "Well, Frey, you wrecked a fairly affluent courtyard, crashed a well-to-do man's airboat, killed the centerpiece of the Grand Hunt, and got three people killed-"

"Uh-"

"So naturally, everyone thinks you're the coolest Alexandrian around since the Three Knights of Pluto."

"Really?"

Daren nodded. "You're even invited to the celebratory banquet tonight. The Regent, the upper class of Lindblum, the envoy from Burmecia, they'll all be there."

Frey slumped. "Oh, great."

Daren clapped him on the back. "Don't worry. Serena and I will let you know how to conduct yourself. We'll make sure you don't make an embarrassment out of yourself."

Frey ignored the friendly jibe. "Where is Serena?"

"She's with Minister Golde and Captain Leon from the Envoy. We'll see her tonight."

"What about bef-"

"Sorry, Frey. She's busy and I've got to give you a crash course in behavior patterns of the erudite."

Frey blinked. "The huh?"

The smirk crawled back onto Daren's face. "Get dressed. We've got work to do."

[Ghost Rider]

Cool headtrip.

To further clarify...I enjoyed both the confusion the guy had, and as me as the reader.

Also giving voices to everything was very cool. All in all a nice way to bridge points for an overall story.

[Zaia]

Absolutely beautiful.



And I was never confused.