Hero

Final Fantasy VIII: Tempus Veneficarum [7/10 Slots]

Lennon79 said
There's not a lot for people to post aside from jumping on the birds and heaving a sigh of relief, so I'll give you guys til Thursday night to get what posting up that you'd like. Then it's time to get yelled at.

Straight A Student Charlotte may just cry at this.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant had taken Emiri back to the Ifrit, seeing as how it was probably for the best. If Jaakuna were to come back, he would go through Rabanastre. Hopefully. Maybe. He did inform an attendant if he tried to take a flight, so for now they would wait. Emiri had not been hurt too badly, nothing an X-Potion couldn't fix, but he noticed that she would not wake up. Sure, it had been a short time, but he was more than sure that the potion would heal and awaken her. He watched her, her body completely still. She was barely breathing as it was.

He covered her with a blanket; her clothes had been torn in various places, and he was not going to undress her (no way) though he did take her sword and bag, as well as a souvenir from her conquest. Letting out a sigh, he left the Medic Bay. Now if Jaakuna came back, he would see Emiri in her state and he'd definitely get blamed. Damn it, Nadeline was going to kill him for sure now. He found himself in his room and let out a long sigh. Damn it all.

The prince would close his eyes, and when he opened them a familiar sight would be before him. His own Esper, Zeromus was right in front of him. "This troubles you deeply." He stated rather obviously.

"Of course it does. Everyone trusted me and I failed. Emiri was hurt." Grant replied. "I shouldn't have trusted Lola. If I hadn't..."

"The girl will be alright. Chaos has seen to it." Zeromus informed him. "It would be quite an issue if Chaos lost the most compatible host in Ivalice...who better than the inheritor of his power, really?"

It sounded too good to be true. There had to be a catch. "Is this true, Great Condemner? How could you be sure?"

"Give her time. She will awaken. You will see."

Grant closed his eyes and opened them again, looking at the ceiling. The only thing he could do now was wait. He closed his eyes again, attempting to get some rest as well.

---

The viera watched Jaakuna's frustration. She had slightly hoped that he would realize what he needed to do, but as expected (and previously mentioned) this was probably the biggest obstacle. His anger was justified, as were his words and actions. Still, time was of the essence. She reached out and stopped one of his hands, managing to grab his attention, if only for a moment. The green lights shook around them, symbolizing his wavering will. "I will repeat myself once more, Jaakuna: it is not a question of can or cannot, it is a question of will or won't." She would remind him, her dark eyes starung right into his green ones. "You have the will. You have your motivation. You have the tools needed to continue. The only thing you have left to do is to move forward. Will you or won't you?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The fight with the Ring Wyrm was not going well. If she could just use her power and actually see, it would probably go better. It took every ounce of willpower not to use it, which in turn made her unfocused. It was bigger than she was, her attacks were doing minimal damage, and she could not heal her wounds. Her shirt was torn, blood running down the side of her abdomen after the stupid thing managed to catch her off guard. Her knees were quaking from a close encounter with its dragon flames. Her vision was severely impacted by both the weather and her weariness. Her shoulder ached from its tail smacking her. Much time had passed and while she managed to hold her stance, she just did not know how much longer she would last.

Emiri was fighting a losing battle.

She was probably tired. She wouldn't know, her fingers were numb from gripping the blade so tightly. As the wyrm spewed its flames she ran, forcing her legs to keep going. At this point, even if she decided to use her powers, she was in no condition to use it. It would have been best to run, but she had no idea where she was and ran the risk of running into more monsters. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the heat of the flames getting closer. Looking back she threw up a Reflect, protecting herself from the heat, though she shot forward. As she held her blade above her head, only when it was too late did she notice its claw coming at her again.

Her body went limp and she landed face down in the sand. Her body ached in protest as she made the attempt to get up. What was the point? She wasn't going to beat it no matter what she did. Was she going to die here, alone, in the middle of nowhere? Had the same thing happened to Jaakuna? Was he lost out here too? That thought alone got her to her feet. No, she wasn't going to die here, she refused to. She needed to see him one more time, she needed him. Emiri looked at the Ring Wyrm, not even bothering with her sword.

What will you do? Chaos' voice asked her. At this point, you will die.

I won't. I refuse. I will survive. Jaakuna, I will find you, I swear it! That thought alone was enough for her. The winds stopped around them, the sand hanging in the air. Slowly but surely they began to move round and around, forming a cyclone around them. She refused to let it end here. She would not lose. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She held her hands out in front of her, looking at the wyrm before her. It was all or nothing at this point, and she was determined not to lose. Slowly but surely, the Ring Wyrm froze in place. It then let out a roar of pain. It started with its claws and tails, and soon spread over its entire body. It aged considerably and showed it. The Ring Wyrm collapsed on the ground, and as it did several scales flaked off of it. Her arms trembled and she stopped, clearly out of breath. The sandstorm came to a halt and the sand and winds began to fall.

Foolish child. Chaos reprimanded her as she held her head. She writhed in pain, every cell in her body screaming out. She flickered in and out approximately twice and she dropped to her knees. She didn't want to, but it had been the only way, didn't he understand that? Now, now...you knew this would happen. Pain is physical, as is your body. You realize now that you can no longer rely on it, yet you use the power anyway. Still, it would be troublesome if you faded now with Zodiark on the loose. I would be free, of course, but that isn't what we want...Lie still, Scion of Time.

The sandstorm had died down completely at this point, and she spotted a familiar face approaching her. Jaakuna. It was him. Was she dreaming? She reached out for him and he approached her, dropping down next to her. "Emiri, what's wrong?!" He asked, clearly panicked.

She smiled weakly, placing both her hands on his face. "Jaakuna..." It was the only thing she could muster before her vision blurred in front of her, and she fell onto him.

As the unconscious brunette was held, it was not Jaakuna who she had seen. It was Grant and he didn't understand. Why had she called him Jaakuna? He looked at her, bruised and bloody, clearly exhausted from fighting. He looked at the deceased Ring Wyrm in front of him. Had she done this? He let out a whistle, and his chocobo wandered on over to him. The important thing was that he found her, but for some reason he was sure that whatever happened in the time they had been separated was not a good thing. He got on the chocobo, Emiri in tow, and they headed back to Rabanastre.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Aloa would listen intently to Jaakuna's woes. As with most problems, it seemed to have originated and taken root in many years in the past. It was curious how much one's past could shape a person. Still, the life of a hume was rather short compared to that of a viera's, as thus they simply did not have enough time. This much they recognized, and thus would go about their daily lives in a rush. "It has become a habit, becoming so dependent on others, has it not?" She asked him. "Still...one of the first steps is recognizing this. By doing so you have done much more than most others have in your position. Understanding the reason is just another step in overcoming it." She continued.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

It would seem that Wesley's family shared Nadeline's opposing view of including Clyde on their trip. She managed not to flinch when they all began yelling, though she admitted it rightfully frightened her half to death. For a few seconds she had gone deaf as well much to her chagrin. When her hearing and will did return, Wesley then yelled, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. The man was hardly the type to raise his voice, but seeing how his family was, she should not have been surprised at all. Still, he had quieted down the room, though before they left, Wesley excused himself to speak to his mother in private. She watched him go, though she turned to Savayna and their new party member. If it was for the sake of her love, she would tolerate him. Erasing every ounce of negativity, Nadeline instead approached Clyde with an air of neutrality.

"Well then, I suppose we will be relying on you for travel. I hope we can also depend on another fighter." She would say rather simply.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The lights then turned green. Aloa nodded knew that now the more difficult parts had to come. Jaakuna was determined, that much was clear. He could do this, she believed in him. Not that she would ever admit that little piece of information. "It is never a matter of whether someone deserves it or not. It is merely a question of will or won't...albeit I will admit everything is subjective. Power is also subjective. You can compare myself to Empress Reia, as we are both people with power. Some will say that as a person, Reia is more powerful than I; a woman with an army is much more powerful than a former leader. Yet she herself could not last in a fight."

She would then take a deep breath, continuing the process. "The next step is facing your dependancy. This is probably the most crucial part for you, as right now, it is your biggest problem. You depended on Zodiark's power and gave into the temptation. What you fail to realize is that you are strong, whether you recognize it or not. To overcome your dependency, you must remember the your independence and your own will." She stopped, watching him. "This step is quite the bump from the rest, as it is probably the sole factor in your being here. Tell me, what exactly was it that caused you to go down this path?"

---

Nadeline gave Wesley a very displeased look. She really, really, really wanted to have nothing to do with Clyde, much less actually rely on him for...well, anything. She could already see it; they rely on him for this one thing, and then he would force it over their heads that they owed him. She really wanted Wesley to take her side, but she knew deep down that if there was really another way Wesley would not even bother with this man. After a few seconds she pouted at Wesley, as if she had to show him another sign that she was displeased with this situation. "For you." She informed him with a small smile, giving him a very quick peck on the lips. "However I will make it my personal mission to make him pay if he so much as steps a toe out of line." She warned, pointing at Wesley.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant and Lola clashed several times, with Grant shooting at her, though it was a lost cause. The wind and sand kept messing up his shots, otherwise Lola would have had six bullets between her eyes by now. She was also very, very fast. Still, he noticed that often she would end up slipping in the sand at some points, though she recovered quickly. She was like an annoying wasp he wanted to smack but just could not and it was getting annoying. Lola dug her blade in the sand and lifted it, effectively spraying Grant with sand. He instinctively raised his arm to block, though he realized this was her intention.

She charged, intending to stab him and he shot at her. The bullet grazed her cheek and he couldn't help but curse. That would make seven bullets that should have been between her eyes. Still, it did make her flinch slightly, so it did accomplish something. He raised his fist and punched her, sending her back. She looked like she was about to retaliate, but a flock of feathers intervened. Grant's jaw dropped as his chocobo attacked Lola. He was almost afraid that she would attack it. Still, Lola ended up falling backwards and down a cliff.

"Good boy..." Grant murmured as the chocobo came back, nuzzling him. He mounted and decided to keep going, looking for Emiri.

---

Nadeline's eyebrow raised rather dangerously when Clyde mentioned that the information was not free. What exactly did he want, anyway? He was getting on her nerves--no, he was already on them and she just wanted to finish and be done with him. He was so not invited to the wedding, though she predicted he would show up anyway, the asshole. She placed her hands on her hips, awaiting his words. As he mentioned that what he wanted was to go with him, the first thing she did was look at Wesley. Why the hell was she going to put up with him? No way. "You can go yourself on your own time. We have a way to get there." She snapped quite curtly, though she couldn't help but throw a glare at Wesley for simply accepting this. She knew the type of person Clyde was. "I would rather only worry about the enemies in front of me and not have to constantly look over my shoulder for the knife to stab me."

---

The lights then turned yellow. Aloa nodded in approval. Things were going well. They would surely finish soon. "The next step is facing your rejection. What I mean by this is your rejection to things or events that have happened that you did not understand or could not accept. We tend to reject ideas, reject our own emotions...but by doing so we shut out the very thing that we need: compassion. To overcome your rejection, you must remember the passion and unconditional love you feel inside."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant stared at Lola in clear disbelief. She had slain Harris and had taken his place all this time? No, it couldn't be. As if reading his thoughts, Lola raised her left arm, and a brief flash of light revealed Cúchulainn's symbol on it. "You didn't kill him. There's no way a man of that calibur lost to someone like you."

"You could always go and visit his grave in Stigma." She chided him lightly, withdrawing her wakizashi. "I'm not here for you. I have one boss that is no Empress, and her orders are to eliminate Emiri." She informed him. "Didn't think you would lose her in a sandstorm, though."

She was bluffing. He refused to believe she had taken down one of the strongest men he knew. Still, this wasn't a good situation. Emiri was nowhere to be found and this nutcase was after her. He wanted to think it was a good thing that Lola was before him, but as she had proved before this could easily be a duplicate. He glared at her, though he knew exactly what he needed to do. On cue, Lola lunged forward, and Grant copied, shooting several times at her.

---

Nadeline huffed at Clyde's remark. Of course she was bossy, she was groomed and raised to become the future ruler of a country. What did Clyde expect? Still, she held her tongue for the sake of not wanting to make things more difficult. She listened carefully as Clyde would explain that the Espers would pretty much bond with their wielders that bested them. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at this. Everyone in the group had their Espers, it seemed she was the only exception. Savayna would mention that her Esper, Mateus, hadn't reached out to her. She found that odd; who better for the Ice Esper then the Ice Queen herself? As Clyde concluded his lecture and would address her, she raised her nose at him.

"It was satisfactory at best." She scoffed. "Now are you going to tell us where Hashmaal is or not? Time is of the essence."

---

Things were proceeding well. The lights turned orange, signaling that the cleansing was going well. Still, they had just started. "The next step is facing your fears. Regardless of who we are, we are all mortals who fear one thing or another. Sometimes we live in denial or ignorance of these fears, but they do exist. It is difficult, even strenuous, but overcoming these fears takes strength. Even I have my own things that I am afraid of, things in my own personal darkness." She would admit to him. "Such is the nature of mortal beings...we fear that which we do not understand. To overcome your fears, you must remember the determination you once had."

---

Emiri opened her eyes slowly, only to nearly get blinded. She sat up sputtering and trying to shield her face, though she noticed she was nearly buried in the sand. What happened? Where was she? She blinked a few times trying to see. Where had Grant gone? The last thing she remembered was falling off the chocobo. That's right, they ran into a monster...but where had Grant gone? He just left her? She struggled for a moment as she wrenched herself from the sand, and a sharp snap was heard followed by a hit to her back. She let out a cry of surprise mostly, though she knew exactly what it was. She pulled out her bow from underneath her. Not only had the string broke, but the shaft had snapped under her weight.

Getting to her feet, she left it where it was and saw that her quiver was gone as well. Great. By whatever miracle she at the very least still had her Diamond Sword, though. Her hair was all over her face, and she brushed it back with much annoyance. Why the hell was her hair so wild, anyway? The realization came over her, and both her hands shot up to the back of her head. It was gone. Her clover hair tie was gone. "No...no, no, no." She repeated, immediately dropping to her knees and running her hands through the sand. No, it just couldn't be gone, she has had that scrunchie for as long as she could remember, there was no way she could lose it like this. No, it wasn't gone, it was too important for her to lose, no, no, no!

After a few minutes of frantic searching, Emiri very bitterly accepted that it was gone. Her precious hair tie was gone, Grant was gone, the love of her life was gone...everything she cherished in her life was just gone. Perhaps it was because of her missing Jaakuna, but the girl felt entirely hopeless. What had she done to deserve this? Why was she now losing everything she held dear? She looked around at her surroundings, or at least as far as she could see. She had no idea where she was, nor which way would lead back to Rabanastre.

A roar informed her that she was not alone. Getting to her feet, Emiri held her Diamond Sword, peering through the wind to try to see what monster she had the luck of running into. Her eyes widened as a rather large shadow appeared before her, and as it got closer it revealed itself as a wyrm. Not just any wyrm, of course, but one of the more notorious Ring Wyrms. Every hunter and resident of Rabanastre knew of them; every now and then they would appear, causing a vicious sandstorm to appear in the Westersand. Normally the royal family would dispatch soldiers to take care of them or a bill would be posted, but it would seem this one had yet to be slain. Someone did try; she spotted a sword imbedded into the Wyrm's back.

It let out another vicious roar, and Emiri held one hand out to it. "Stop!" She cast her spell. The Ring Wyrm stopped for all of three seconds before flapping its wings at her. The wind was no problem but of course she didn't want to get sand in her eyes. She shielded herself with her arms, though when she put them down she saw that the Ring Wyrm decided to swing its tail. She was sent flying, and apparently it saw this as an opportunity to try to roast her. "Reflect!" She called out, erecting a light barrier, and its flames bounced off it. She managed to land on her feet, and she ran forward, striking its head. It roared and swung its claws, to which she jumped back. She hadn't even scratched it. Still, she raised her blade as it eyed her.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant just couldn't believe it. Not only had he lost Emiri, he had also been sent on a wild goose chase. What fucking luck. Gods he was just so angry and in such disbelief. How could he have let this happen, really? Still, something was off about this whole situation, really. He stopped his chocobo and dismounted, watching Harris do the same. The blonde general looked at him curiously. "My lord?" He asked him.

"Something bothers me, Harris." He told him as the wind whipped the sane around them. "You said you have been everywhere. Last I heard you had gone to Eruyt to rescue Reia from the viera. Now you're in Rabanastre looking for Aloa. That would mean that either Aloa had left Eruyt at some point to go back to Stigma...so why would you need to look for her?" He raised his gun at Harris. "Tell me, what was your true purpose for leading me here? Does my sister still want me dead? Is Emiri's disappearance your doing?"

The two men stared at one another, though Grant did not put down his gun. Harris stepped forward so that even with the weather, Grant could still shoot right through him. "Grant...I suppose..." He stopped for a moment and then looked away. "How many years have I dedicated myself to Rozarria? How am I supposed to react when my Majesty orders the death of her brother and niece? I thought about it for a long time. I traveled to Jahara in order to find wisdom. The Garif are very wise...suggested that I confront my Empress with my hesitation. Little did I know that upon my return to Stigma and inform my Empress she would become very displeased with this news. And so instead she hired an assassin. To protect you, I challenged this assassin."

Grant's eyes widened in disbelief. "No..."

A rush of sand blew in front of Harris, and the man no matter stood in front of him. Instead a woman took his place. "He lost.' Lola stated as the wind continued to pick up around them.

---

How utterly rude. Nadeline would cross her arms, clearly displeased with this riffraff in front of her. There always was one bad apple in the bunch, it seemed. Still, she found herself rather surprised when he would let them know there was no price for the information. They would speak, obviously hinting at some sort of connection between Wesley's father and Hashmaal. The Sword of Order was of great interest to Clyde, it seemed. Still, she found herself raising an eyebrow at a term he used. A Chosen One? Chosen for what? "Care to clarify?" She asked him.

---

Aloa nodded at him, and Jaakuna would see that the white lights were now a deep red. "The next step is facing your solitude. No man is an island, no matter how much we try to shut out others. Friends, lovers...we are all connected to one another, we are all beings under the shadow of the sun." Aloa explained to him. "No matter how much you believe you need to be alone, you must know that the relationships you have had over the years--those of family, those of friends, those of lovers--every single one of those creates the delicate lines that connect yourself to people. To overcome your solitude, you must remember your bonds with people."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant could not believe what had just happened. Even after he had remounted his chocobo and began backtracking and retracing his footsteps, he just could not believe it. How the hell did he manage to lose Emiri? The group was going to kill him for sure. Nadeline spoke about doing something idiotic: this was it. This was definitely fucking it. How the fuck did he lose a five foot three brunette in a sandstorm?! Nadeline was going to kill him. Savayna was going to kill him after laughing hysterically. Jaakuna would find him and kill him. Wesley was probably just going to watch as the others killed him and be disappointed in him. How the hell could he have let this happen?!

The desert seemed somewhat endless, and soon Grant was not sure where they were headed. Harris sensed the prince's desperation, though even he had to admit that trekking through sandstorms was not one of his strengths. Come on, Emiri, I need a sign, anything. Dear gods please don't let anything happen to her... He thought, feeling desperate. "Damn it, Jaakuna!" He yelled out in frustration.

"Jaakuna? The sky pirate?" Harris asked, somewhat confused.

"Yes, Jaakuna...the entire reason we had come out here was to find him." Grant informed him. Harris became somewhat silent, though he did avoid Grant's gaze. He raised an eyebrow, and a realization came over him. "You did see Jaakuna, right?"

"You asked for a man matching a description." Harris replied rather reluctantly. "I had no idea he was the one you were searching for..."

Grant almost fell off his chocobo.

---

The arrival of this so called uncle of Wesley's seemed to halt the festivities. As Wesley jumped up, Nadeline turned to watch their interaction. Truly the mood following Clyde's entrance had turned things sour. He seemed very full of himself, and what was more, Wesley seemed uncharacteristically upset and angry towards him. Upon revealing the intention behind Wesley's visit--Hashmaal--his family seemed surprised. Of course this Clyde person was also the one that knew of his location. Great. As their conversation continued Wesley made it clear that he was not happy with Clyde at all.

As the very smug Clyde was enjoying Wesley's discomfort, Nadeline found herself standing up as well. She didn't appreciate Clyde's attitude towards her fiance. She also stepped forward, finding herself summoning every ounce of royal blood in her as she stepped in front of Wesley, effectively getting between the two men. "The reality is that I will be the one requiring your assistance." She stated quite curtly. "The Espers are something of great importance that need to be found immediately. I can tell you aren't the type to give away information for free, so have at it. Jewels? Treasure? Gil? What do you want?"

---

The trio walked out of Eruyt in silence. They would lead Jaakuna through the jungle, Ryua and Mtra easily felling whatever Malboro and Coerul would cross their paths. They would reach another seemingly barren dead end. Ryua would step forward with her hand raised. It was as if she had pressed her hand against a wall, for magicks would spring up and reveal a door. With some creaking and groaning it would part open, revealing a path to what looked like the inside of a small tree. It was very dark, only a few specs of sunlight peeking through. As they would walk in the doors would close behind them, effectively sealing all the light out. The viera would continue on walking, and when Jaakuna would step forward several white lights would flutter down the path.

Once they all reached the center, Aloa would hand the vial over to Ryua and the staff to Mtra. She and Mtra would place their bows on the ground, motioning for Jaakuna to lay down his weapons as well. A sense of calmness would soothe Jaakuna as the little lights would glow around them. Aloa would motion for Jaakuna to join her on the ground sitting. Once he was seated, Aloa nodded at the viera pair. The two nodded, and Ryua would take the top off the vial of Dream Power. The substance would glow, and Mtra would put the staff over the bottle. She then stepped back, the staff glowing and the powder would start coming out in small puffs. They would solidify, appearing much like the little white lights, and as Mtra walked they followed her. She circled the room, Jaakuna now being surrounded by orange and white lights.

"I will not bore you with unneeded information." Aloa told Jaakuna as she sat across from him. "We will be going through seven steps, cleansing each one. When we are finished, you will not only become detached from the darkness, we will be unlocking whatever it is that truly lies in your heart." She looked at the white lights. "The lights will tell us when you have gotten to each step. We will begin now." The dream power would shimmer, and the white lights would surround Jaakuna, landing on the ground and glowing dimly. "The first step we will be facing will be your hesitation. As intelligent beings, our minds dictate our actions. So much that we put ourselves above the animals and monsters, yet we forget that we too, have our own instincts. You need to shut out what you know and rely on your instincts. To overcome your hesitation, you must remember your potential."