[IC] Final Fantasy: Awakened Souls

[Blaze Gamma]

The sprawling metropolis of Xenon truly was a paradise. It was a safe haven from the hordes of monsters that inhabited many of the other parts of the island, thanks to the tireless efforts of the city guard and the Hunters, and there was never any risk of going hungry, thanks to the farmers and breeders of Miris, who provide a steady supply of wholesome meats and vegetables. The people even have plenty of entertainment to keep them from getting bored with their lives. Truly a paradise.

And still, nothing is perfect. Xenon's Omega district often finds itself besieged by a group known as Barke, and there are the ever present rumors of a dark underbelly to the city. That is also compounded with the fact that the industrial district of Gamma is filled with innumerable thieves and homeless, some can be led to wonder if groups like Barke are correct when they say that Xenon's government is corrupt.

Of course, that really made no difference to Red as he got up that morning. It was Friday, which meant he was going there whether he wanted to or not. He dressed himself in the loose shirt he wore every Friday, as well as a pair of comfortable cargo pants, then went outside, where a few others from the farm were already working on filling up the wagon that he would be taking to the city. He sighed, not understanding why he was the one who had to go down across the straight. The ferry always made him sick.

He decided to get away for a little bit, heading for the nearby Chocobo Ranch while he had the time. He'd have rung the bell if he'd had half a chance at all, but he was immediately accosted by one of the farm's friendlier residents, a red chocobo by the name of Comet. "Woah, easy, easy!" He exclaimed while the bird attempted to say hello by walking all over him. "Can you give me some air here?" He begged. "I don't have a lot of time, you know!?"

[Shurikai]

With a yawn, Annabel stretched as she got up. Another early morning. She got up earlier than most other breeders and went to bed after them too. There was almost nothing she loved more than going out with those birds. Annabel snuck a peek into the next bedroom. She always tried to include Elizabeth in everything so she could spend more time with her little sister. However the mischievous girl seemed more content to snooze away the morning. This didn't bother Annabel, she just wished Elizabeth showed more interest in the family business.
What a cutie, all tucked away in her bed. With a grogy smile, she closed the door again.
Annabel quickly made a small breakfast for herself. Elizabeth wouldn't be awake for a few more hours, her food would be cold by the time she woke up. Once she was done, it was time to get started on her chores. As always, the first thing she did was give her chocobo some gysahl greens followed by a light brushing. It was about time for the bugs to come back and they would become infested if Annabel didn't keep them clean.
Before she cleaned out the stable, she let the birds outside to get some exercise.

"Whew!" Annabel slumped down on a chair. The stable was nice and clean. It had only been a couple hours. Now she had the rest of the day to herself with another brushing later. Elizabeth would take care of the chicks. Her sister was always adamant about what the chicks needed. Annabel wasn't about to argue and the chicks were happy too.
With her morning chores done, Annabel returned to the house to make her sister's breakfast. On the way back she heard some commotion by the front and saw Comet being overly friendly with someone again.
"Agh, will that bird ever learn?" she asked herself with a smile. There were only a couple people aside from herself and Elizabeth that Comet actually liked. One was the mail collector and the other was the young man that worked at a nearby farm. Her childhood bestie, Red. He was the one that has named Comet and that was that.
As she got closer, she could see it was the latter and smiled. Perhaps he would stay for breakfast this time?
"Good morning!" Annabel called out to him, "Staying for breakfast?"

[Silver Carrot]

Rena arrived at the forest, and looked around. Nobody. That was good. She could take her time setting up. She didn't like to be rushed. She took the bag from her shoulders, and opened it. It always made her smile, seeing her very own crossbow. She had been using her father's up until very recently, when she was given her own as a birthday present. She took it out, and examined it for damages and loose parts. One of the screws wasn't fully tightened, resulting in a slight wobble. She took a driver and tightened the troublesome screw. Apart from that, her crossbow was fine. She put her foot in the stirrup, and heaved, until her crossbow was cocked. Finally, she reached into the bag, took out her quiver, and put it over her shoulder. She wouldn't load an arrow into the crossbow yet. That could be dangerous.

Sh was glad she got here early. She didn't like Mal seeing her struggle cocking the bow. It was hard enough getting him to stop offering help. If she couldn't cock it, she couldn't shoot it alone. Despite that, he didn't judge her for being a young lady who likes shooting things, as a lot of people who lived near her did, as well as her friends. Neither did her father, but then again, he's the one who got her into it. She practiced every day. She's a better shot than him now, but she still feels she needs to learn. That's how she met Mal.

...Where was he?

[Muttonhawk]

Hmph, all I need now is a stalk of grass to suck on.

The chocobo Sara rode rocked her back and forth, almost as if it was trying to lull her into a sleep. With a leisurely stride, it carried her down the dirt road between a couple of fields in Miris. She looked back to her patrol group for the day who rode behind her. The first, Brandt, was fairly green, but far more enthusiastic than he needed to be. Nevertheless, he appeared tough enough for the city guard. The second, Harry, was a flake in every sense of the word. He had a sharp mind, but he was in the guard to get paid, not to catch criminals. There were certainly worse people to be assigned with in a patrol around Miris, it wasn't as if much was going to happen. Apart from the very occasional monster appearance, Miris had probably the most amiable populace of all of Xenon's holdings. Sara couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

She knew why she was here though. It was a punishment for arresting a certain narcotic dealer in the Gamma waterfront, one she had been on the heels of for a while. How was she supposed to know that it was the son of a prominent bureaucrat? He could take a few bruises like anyone else, not to mention he was breaking the law. Regardless, even past a session of yelling with her superiors, they didn't have the grounds to suspend Sara, so here she was in patrol purgatory until she learned to respect nepotism. Oh well, at least people weren't sneering at her here.

Sara was snapped out of the trance that the trot put her into by Harry's voice behind her. "Heh, look over there," Sara turned to see Harry pointing down the road with his spear, Sara turned again and squinted her eyes to look to the commotion. "I'd heard the rumours about these country types, but..." Harry's humour was always crude, it made Sara roll her eyes. Some kid was getting a bit too much attention from a chocobo on a ranch down the road. It didn't look like an attack from this distance, the creature was just being playful. As they passed the gate to the ranch, Sara slowed down and looked down at the young man. She kept her halberd lowered, nonthreatening. "Are you alright there?" Sara asked with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

[Little_ninja]

Waking up to another day in the lower class of Alpha, Fuyuto yawned and rose from his bed. The apartment he had been staying in for the past three years was dreary, and cramped. In it's entirety, it was only enough to fit a bed and a small set of drawers. But he was fine with this, he only came here to sleep. Showers and the toilets were found at the end of the building of each floor. And there was no food given. This place was a dilapidated apartment complex, which only a few residents resided in, most times it was used as a hotel to sleep in for a night by random travelers. As he put on his clothes, and his necklace, the last memento of his parents, he went to quickly wash his face and brush his teeth.

In his three years in Xenon, Fuyuto has tried many times to apply into the army, but rejected each time. For some reason, he is never told why he is being rejected. Exiting the complex with his swords on his back, he sighs, thinking about what he should be doing for his future. If he can't get into the army, and returns home to Miris, then these three years would all be for nothing. But before he gets lost in any thought. *Rumbling growl* His stomach calls. "I guess it's time to head out to the forest and to find some monsters."

Without a job, Xenon has been going out to the forest, meadows and plains near the city to hunt for some monsters. To make his living, he would collect the gil and body parts. For example, skin, horns, teeth. Most of these weren't worth much, but it would let him live and get him some money to eat. He would also collect meat and cook it himself. Leaving the city gates and into the open fields, Fuyuto makes his way into the forest. While, in the forest, he hears an odd sound. One that no monster he knew makes. As he approached the direction of the sound, he could see a girl ... with what looks like a crossbow. Peering at her, he was trying to confirm what he saw. Slowly approaching her. As he was getting closer, he could see it was a charming girl, of age similar to his own, and she did have a crossbow with her. As she was put her quiver over her back, that's when he suddenly tripped and crashed into a tree. Oddly enough for the speed he was approaching at, the tree's trunk had a massive crack in it, where his head crashed. The sound was enough to be heard across the entire forest, there he lied, next to the tree unconscious, blood trickling from his forehead.

[Blaze Gamma]

"Hm, ah!" Red exclaimed, pulling himself free from the chocobo and looking to Annabel. "I don't know how much time I... Have..." He looked over when Sara approached him, a bit puzzled by the question. "Uh... Yeah, I'm alright." He said, looking at her. She had the air of one from the city, and he took a moment to gather himself. "Are you a ferry guard or something?" He asked before shaking it off. "Yeah, Bel, I'm gonna be heading into the city to sell some vegetables for the old man," he explained. "And got a big shipment, so I'm going to have to be leaving early." He frowned at the prospect, rubbing his right leg.

Annabel and Comet would both know why he rubbed his leg. After all, they knew about his accident crossing the straight ten years prior. The deep scars that wouldn't go away on the leg. It was an injury he was often reminded of. "Erm, right, but I just wanted to come over and say hello before I got off." He said, a twinge of nerves in his voice.

[CrimsonWarrior55]

(I know it's weak, but my intros always suck eggs)

Malachi Stanton was silent as he moved through the obstacle course, testing all the traps and making sure all the targets were set. He had decided to test his apprentice on a new course. Rena has successfully passed Mal's requirements and now it was time to see where she stood in a new environment. His protege was getting quite good and although he'd never admit it, she was starting to close the gap between their skills. Today's test was designed to test her spacial awareness. It was one thing to hit a moving target. It was quite another to hit one while maintaining a sense of what the hell was going on around you.

Only once everything had checked out, Mal began to head back to start, where he was supposed to meet up with Rena. Aaaabout 10 minutes ago. "Damn..." Mal cursed, picking up the pace. At least until he saw something up in the trees. "Monster?" he stopped dead and pulled out his pistol "Where are you, you bastard?". Following the general direction the blur was headed, he quickly realized it was headed in the direction Rena was supposed to be! Running as fast as he could, he reached into his coat and pulled out the barrel, stock, sight, and magazine attachments for his gun, turning it from pistol to rifle. He was almost there when a loud CRASH reverberated through the whole forest. Gaining a sudden surge of energy, he burst out the forest, looking around for the source of the noise and the monster, but only spotting his protege messing with her crossbow. Taking a step to her, he accidently kicked something. Looking down he saw an unconscious young man, blood trickling from his head and a large crack in the tree next to him. "Huh... So that's what that was"...

[Shurikai]

When Annabel reached Red she crossed her arms and scowled at him.
"Breakfast is important!" She chided, just like she did every time he came by but couldn't stay. Annabel had taken to keeping simple foods out for if he ever did check in. Usually breads and cheese.
She raised an eyebrow when some guards happened to stop by. At least they weren't here to make lewd comments. Annabel had simply started to ignore the guards and this moment was no different.

Annabel noticed Red had started rubbing his leg. She felt bad for him, but it really was his fault for riding a chocobo that didn't know him. Still, he could probably use some help if this was a larger than normal load.
"I could go with you, if you want. You sound like you could use some help. Elizabeth will be fine on her own with the chocobo to protect her. You know Fury will scare anyone away." Fury was a particularly protective black chocobo that Annabel's parents raised and trained to keep their daughters out of trouble.
As if summoned, Elizabeth burst through the door, a cloth sack of food in her hands.
"You guys should just get married already!" She shouted before throwing the bag at Annabel and running toward their hatchery, "I already ate!" Seeing Elizabeth, Fury squawked and ran after her.
"Well, I am immediately free. What do you say?"

[Muttonhawk]

Sara nodded. The kid was fine after all. Most of the chocobo on the ranch seemed tame enough as far as Sara could see, and the apparent owner of the ranch had a handle on things, so there wouldn't be any trouble. What. A. Surprise. She thought. "Ferry guards protect the ferry, kid. We're just on patrol. Speaking of..." Sara pulled out a large silver pocket watch with her free hand and flipped it open. Time to report in. She turned her head to her partners, "... we're done for today, boys, let's get back to Xenon and tag out the next set of bored fools." Sara held rested her halberd on her shoulder and tugged on her chocobo's reins, turning it around. "Ma'am!" Brandt and Harry replied, falling in behind her. They left the farm boy and his lady-friend to their exchange as they headed down the road at a slow to moderate pace.

There was no need for an inhabited guard post on the island, so the guards normally switched out at the ferry. Despite the open air, Sara was glad that the patrol was almost over without her getting cabin fever. This damn day.

[Silver Carrot]

(Sorry it's short. I haven't really been feeling it these past few days.)

Rena looked up when she heard Mal's voice, and was about to speak when she saw the injured guy next to him. She dropped her crossbow and rushed over to the man and crouched beside him, panicking a little.

"Oh my god, he's hurt! What do we do? What do I do?" Rena didn't really have any first aid knowledge. She didn't know what was good to do and what was bad, but she still wanted to do something. She stood up and turned to Mal. "Do you know first aid?"

[Little_ninja]

(Sorry if it felt like I forced you to reply. if you didn't want to reply, that would of been fine.)

Fuyuto started to awaken from the noise the girl he saw before was making. "Huh?" he started to get up. Feeling his forehead, and feeling some blood. He guess he looked very uncool, so he felt a little embarrassed. Slowly getting up, his stomach started to rumble, his embarrassment was going through the roof, as he started to curl up hiding his face in shame. "I am fine now, sorry, for causing trouble" he apologized, his face becoming bright red due to his embarrassment.

The girl in front of Fuyuto was very beautiful, the black hair and hazelnut eyes, however, the man dressed all in black, his face covered and with a hat, was intimidating. He decided to introduce himself, "My name is Fuyuto, I came from Miris, but moved to Alpha a few years ago. I am here to hunt some monsters to earn some gil and get some food ..." his stomach rumbled again, or so he thought. He heard the rumbling of a monster, similar to a boar, it was a fairly weak monster, quick drawing his right sword, he cut it down with a blade of wind caused by him cutting the air. The boar split in half, it was quite a way away behind the man, slightly to the right. His aim was accurate, only cutting the boar-like animal. However, this left him more hungry, so he could not stand.

[CrimsonWarrior55]

Mal was bemused as Rena started panicking over this total stranger "Meh, I know a little" he responded to her question as the boy stirred. He seemed struck by Rena's looks, but then his eyes landed on Mal. He could tell the kid was intimidated a bit, but it was alright. Mal was used to it by now. He introduced himself as Fuyuto, from Miris (now Alpha), and he was hunting monsters for food and gil. Mal was about to return the gesture when the kid attacked the air right next to him, sending a blade of wind to slice a nearby boar in half. Looking back at the kid, he seemed even more exhausted by that one move. "Interesting" Mal mumbled, hefting his rifle as he went to examine the corpse. Suddenly he turned left and fired a shot and then right and fired another, taking down two more boars. Heading back to Rena and Fuyuto, he disassembled his weapon, but kept the pistol in hand "That was a nice shot, Kid, but you shouldn't underestimate Boars because they're weak. BECAUSE they're weak, they always hunt in packs, usually of three, but up to six. Name's Malachi, by the way. Malachi Stanton. This is my protege, Rena Gulley. Now come on, that's a nasty bump you took and by all means, you should still be unconscious. Rena, help him up. We're getting you to a hospital" and with that he started to head back to Xenon, keeping an eye open for any more monsters...

[Muttonhawk]

When Sara reached the ferry, she sighed not in relief, but in exasperation. Why is he here? Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse. She thought. Over by the ferry dock, come a little early to greet them, was the next patrol team headed by a strongly postured man that wore a feces-eating grin upon spotting Sara. He was in a guard uniform, mounted on a chocobo as usual, but he was a large muscular man with short brown hair and an angular face. His hair conjoined a beard that curtained his jaw and chin. The next ferry could be seen int the distance approaching them, so Sara would have to suffer this man's presence for a few disgusting minutes. Sara approached the ferry dock without looking at him directly, and with a look of utter contempt on her face.

"Arnaud." He said in greeting, his smile still wide.

"Mulligan." Sara returned, still contemptuous.

"Did you enjoy your patrol, sweetling?"

This caused Sara to turn her head slightly to him, her eyes boring a hole in his face. "You call me 'sweetling' one more time-" Sara pointed the end of her halberd towards Mulligan, "-and this will go so far down your throat that you'll be passing that retched tongue through your soil for the rest of your life."

Mulligan simply chuckled lightly pushing aside the point of Sara's halberd with one gloved finger. "You always had a way with words, Sara-"

"-Don't you call me by my first name." Sara interrupted, looking at the ferry again, "not after you dobbed me in to the captain and let that dreg son of a bureaucrat off to sell more narcotics to those people on the docks."

"Hey, I'm just doing my job," Mulligan replied non-chalantly, enjoying every moment of it.

With that, Sara glanced at him, fuming. She wanted nothing more than to beat him black and blue and throw him into a pond, but that would earn her a suspension she didn't need right now. With an exhale through her nose so intense it almost breathed fire, Sara held back. "I have nothing to say to you," She said under her breath, focusing on the very slow ferry. Sara's team behind her knew better than to get involved. It wasn't just how sensitive the matter was politically, but 'disciplinary action upon subordinates' was within Sara's rights.

[Silver Carrot]

Rena watched both of them kill the boars. She was in awe. She was fairly certain she wasn't that good yet, then gain, she was always getting told she was far too modest about her skill. She put her crossbow back in the bag and put it over her shoulder, before helping up Fuyuto. She didn't want to leave her crossbow here in case it got broken or stolen. "That was impressive! Where did you learn to fight like that?" She asked. "Also, can you walk?" She flushed a little. She...probably should have asked that first.

[Little_ninja]

Fuyuto was impressed Malachi shot the other two boars so accurately and swiftly. "Well, I knew they came in packs, I am just more hungry then I thought." he replied to Mal, smiling. As he could see Rena was somewhat impressed by Fuyuto's skill, before he could answer, he was interrupted with another question. "Not quite yet. I probably can if I had some food." he said, attempting to get up, but proving impossible for himself with so little energy. He smiled, although he was exhausted, he was going to get some help by these Malachi and Rena, and he made a good impression on them in terms of his ability. These were the first people he had actually spoken to in a while. "I'm sorry, but could you either help me up or could I ask for a little food?" he smiled, with a loud grumbling from his stomach. He decided he would explain himself later about Rena's initial question and just get some help first.

[Blaze Gamma]

Red practically jumped at Annabel's words, barely even noticing the fact that the guard had left. "R-right..." he mumbled, looking down at his feet, as if he were a child whose mother had just caught him stealing cookies. "I'll eat, but I have to take it on the road."

As he saw Elizabeth, he gave her a small wave, right before she made her comment on him marrying Annabel. He frowned a little. "Come on, kiddo, you know it's not like that..."

Red tried to shake things off, then thought on Annabel's offer. "I don't think I need help, but if you want to come along, I won't complain." He said with a nod.

[Krinos Solstice]

Tyme watched his mentor carefully, studying every step he took as the two circled each other, both in different stances. His mentor held his gunblade on an angle in front of himself, while Tyme held his own behind him in his right hand, his left hand held forward with the palm open. The pair had been at a stalemate for the last ten minutes, just circling. Tyme knew what this spar meant, either he would be allowed to go out into the world as a real trained mercenary, or he would have to spend another year training even harder than before. He didn't want that, staying here another year would only delay things even more, he had to be free again. This was a fight...for his future! Narrowing his eyes, Tyme ran forward, the tip of the gunblade dragging across the stone floor, making a screeching noise. As his mentor swung his gunblade, Tyme blocked with his own, then pushed it away, placing a hand on the mans shoulder and vaulting over him. The man turned, raising his weapon to block Tyme's own, seeing he had pushed off the wall after the vault. He skidded to a stop a few feet away, "You've improved, Tyme, you're starting to learn how to use your surroundings to your advantage. However, it'll take more than that to gain your freedom. If you cannot beat me, then you do not deserve freedom." he said, charging the boy. Tyme evaded the first swing, then parried the second, finally blocking the third one. The two remained locked together, their gunblades pressing against each other, "Come on, boy! Is this all you have? Seven years of training, and this is all you've got?!" the man said, pushing Tyme back.

He lowered his gunblade and pointed at the boy, "Start taking this seriously! No more holding back, you hear me?! Come at me like you're going to kill me, because if you don't, I'll kill you myself." he said, slowly lifting his gunblade. Tyme stood from where he had been pushed, taking in a deep breath and calming himself, changing his stance. He now held his gunblade like a fencer would hold their rapier, holding his left hand behind him with the palm open, facing the ceiling. He moved quickly, his mentor barely having time to block the first and second strikes, winding up taking a hit from the third one. The man felt blood trickle down his arm, looking at Tyme, who was a few feet away again. "I see you've improved with that stance, good, I think it suits you better. Very well, Tyme, you've made it clear to me that there's nothing more I can teach you. Keeping you here would only hinder your growth." he said, sheathing his gunblade. Tyme sheathed his own and removed the strap, knowing that he would have to return it, "Thank you, master." he said. As the man took the weapon, he grabbed Tyme's shoulder, "Before you leave, I have a gift for you, something that will help you as you travel." he said. He turned to the locked glass case behind him and unlocked it, carefully pulling out a larger, sheathless gunblade, turning back to Tyme and handing it to him. "It was the first gunblade I ever got, back when the technology was still brand new. I want you to take it, Tyme, so it will remind you of who you are when you doubt yourself." he told him. Tyme looked at the weapon before taking it, hoisting it over his shoulder, "Thank you, master, I'll take good care of it. Hopefully we'll see each other again." he said. The man nodded with a smile, watching as the boy walked out of his home, "Good luck, my boy." he said after he was gone. Tyme looked around for awhile, finally deciding to head left, hoping to find someone looking to hire him.

[Shurikai]

Annabel knew how the straight made Red feel. If he was feeling particular about it, it would be a good idea for her to tag along.
"Whether you like it or not, I am going with you." She told him, at least she would be able to help him keep his nerves while they crossed. Annabel rarely went to the other islands. Any time she did, it was with Red. The city was paradise, sure, but Annabel preferred Miris. The grass felt better under her feet than the stone. She knew the chocobo hated it too.

She also knew they weren't going to be able to make the next ferry unless the the ship was delayed by some miracle. However, she didn't know if he needed to make the next ferry.
"We should get going or we will miss the ferry."

[Muttonhawk]

The ferry was exceptionally slow today. In fact, it seemed as if it was getting slower with every metre it putted through the air. As the ferry edged into the port and was moored to the dock, all of a sudden one of the stern propellers made a ear-twinging snapping sound followed by a bang and a plume of black smoke. Sara was positively grinding her teeth.

Next to her, Mulligan leaned his head back and bellowed out a peel of deep laughter. It made Sara's eyelid twitch. "Oh, this is rich! I suppose you'll be here for a little while longer, Arnaud!" Mulligan spurred his chocobo down the road with his partners in tow, "I'll see you at the barracks, my dear!" Mulligan waved a hand to send Sara off. She just kept her eyes on the ferry. How could this day get any more annoying...

No matter, they dismounted their chocobos and lead them onto the vessel as a few mechanics fussed over the engine. Sara walked up to one of them while they worked. "How long is it going be?" She asked.

"She blew a gauge seal on the boiler, now the pressure's shot, I'm afraid." The moustachioed mechanic replied, "We don't have any spares on us, so one of us is headin' down to the mechanic shop on the island. Might be something 'bout a half-hour? Maybe more?"

"If you like, you can borrow one of our chocobos if it'll speed it up."

"Nah, cheers, but the man's already left, he'll only be about five minutes. It'll be fixing the thing that'll take most o' the time"

Sara looked away, sighed through her nose and bit at the inside of her cheek. She could suffer another half-hour. "Alright." With that, she informed her team, then found a pillar of sorts on the main deck to lean against, cross armed.

[Blaze Gamma]

"Ah, right," Red spoke with a nod. The two quickly grabbed the food, then Red went back to the farm to grab the baskets of goods he was meant to sell at the market. It wasn't long before he was all loaded up and had made it to the ferry docks. A shiver ran down his spine. He could see Xenon across the expanse of open air, but that wasn't what bothered him. It was the idea of the trip. He preferred to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground, and he wasn't going to get that luxury today. In fact, he was going to have to go through it twice. The blood drained from his face slightly, and he sat down in the grass.

"Why do I have to be the one who does this?" He mumbled to himself, trying to shake it off before Annabel arrived.

After 30 seconds of it, he realized he was just going to have to suck it up and deal with his nerves.

Yeah, right. Even that wasn't feasible. Here he was, stuck sitting there, doing all he could to not vomit from the nausea oncoming from just the idea of crossing over that giant expanse of nothingness.