Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The woman let out a rather dramatic gasp, her iato halting Savayna's sword. As Mateus trident aimed directly for her face, she let out a scream, though a scorpion's tail would appear, parrying Mateus' strike. Lola let out a fake sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a moment, though when she opened them, the aura of an esper surrounded her. "You really have improved!" She conceded as she gave Savayna a half-assed swing, though it was more to get her to get back rather than an actual attack. As she was pushed back, Lola would let Savayna see her scorpion's tail, a wicked smile on her face as she straightened up.

"Too bad for you, though--I've improved as well!" Lola stated, one hand on her hip. "You're a lot more attuned with your esper, but you haven't quite completely awakened yet, have you?" She asked as she charged forward, swinging her iato several times.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Lola wagged a finger at Savayna, though that same hand came up, her iato forming as she would block Savayna's strike. It seemed like an all too-normal parry, and it was then that Savayna would see that Lola had effectively cancelled the mist behind the strike. "Oooo! Scary!" Lola chuckled, winking at Savayna. "Did you forget who you're dealing with? Why, I nearly broke all of you into pieces mentally in Nabudis," She would cheerfully remind Savayna, pushing her sword back with what seemed like little effort. "But, since you insist on fighting, I'll just have to punish you, too!" Lola stated, her iato bursting into flame. As the flames flickered, it would melt Savayna's ice. "All I really need to do is hold you off, but...breaking you more would be so much more fun. I wonder how Grant would respond if I tore you limb from limb?"

Meanwhile Emiri was struggling to stop herself from moving, biting her lip. Slowly, her resistance would start to show some results as she slowed herself down considerably. Keiran raised his eyebrows, somewhat impressed. "So you've been working on severing our connection? Not bad, not bad," He outright told her as she came to a complete halt, fighting his command. "I suppose I'll have to take you the rest of the way myself." He said as he approached her.

Emette put herself between the pair, glaring at Keiran still. "You would doom us all over your own petty crisis?" She demanded to know, trying to buy Emiri time. "How pathetic. Instead of wasting time searching for a master that has clearly abandoned you, learn to think for yourself!"

"And you choose only to crawl out of the woodwork now, of all times. Convenient, no?" Keiran replied rather cheerfully. "I'm not an idiot. Your power wanes more and more, your seals here severely weakened. Your reign is finished, and your time on Ivalice limited." Her eyes widened, though she raised her hand, as if to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist, a powerful darkness emanating from it. Emiri let out a gasp, mentally screaming at her body to move, and as Keiran moved to hit Emette, Emiri's body sprang forth, grabbing Emette and pulling her out of harm's way. "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" He asked Emiri bitterly.

The brunette shook her head, this time stepping in front of Emette protectively. "I'm not the same as I was before, I won't let you pray on me again!" She declared, Chaos' sigil glowing on her hand as several swords would materialize behind her.

"Wait, please! Take the chance and run away!" Emette pleaded with her. "You're too close to it, at any moment it's going to call you again!"

"Even if I wanted to, I'm sure both Keiran and Lola would give chase," Emiri pointed out as Keiran emitted a rather dark aura. "So right now, I'm going to tell you to run. If what you said is true, then find Jaakuna. I'll hold off as long as I can--but his magicks...they're enhanced somehow..." Emiri noticed right away, squinting at Keiran as he would mimic her, several swords appearing behind him. "Tapping into my powers as well? You truly have no mind of your own, do you?!"

Emette bit her lip, though she nodded as she turned around, running away. Keiran scoffed, focused entirely on Emiri.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri hadn't seen the monsters, though admittedly she was still more occupied with her still moving legs. She half-wished Savayna had actually hit her with the ice--it was terrifying to see her own body non-responsive to her own commands. It was then she realized she couldn't see Emette, though she had heard her voice. Which...in itself was comical, considering Emette had essentially thrown herself in Emiri's path to try to put a stop to her. How exactly was she going to go about explaining this? A foreign presence would catch all other their attention, Emette narrowing her eyes as two figures approached them.

The brunette cursed herself as she watched Keiran approach them with a wave, a small smile on his face. "Yo!" He called out, stopping a few paces before them. To her surprise, Emiri stopped at well, though the realization then dawned on her. "Hm, I wasn't expecting Mateus' Scion to show up. And..." His eyes fell on Emette, who glared at him. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go on ahead with Emiri. Don't think me a rude host, however; I made sure to bring you some entertainment~" He winked at Savayna as the second figure stepped closer to them.

"Honestly, you drag me all the way out here, and then I don't even get the chance to play with my little pet?" Lola scowled at Keiran, clearly displeased at the situation. She was still in those odd clothes that Emiri had seen, though she was more recognizable this time, even with her red eyes. "But I suppose I'll participate in whatever crazy plan you have this time."

Emette looked between the pair, though she let out a gasp, her efforts on stopping Emiri fruitless as Keiran would beckon to her, Emiri moving forward once more. "Keiran! Stop!" Emiri yelled at him.

"Right now, you'll find I'm the one giving orders," He replied quite coldly, turning as he would walk with Emiri deeper into the mines.

Lola would use the toe of her boot to draw a line, and then step over it, smiling at Savayna. "I'd offer you the chance to run, but I think you and I share that wonderful bloodlust for battle. Unfortunately for you, this is the one time I have the advantage, Savayna Glacie, you'll find trying to break through with force to be at your disadvantage," She said as the earth behind her would rise, effectively forming a wall behind her. "Let's make this fun, okay? ♥"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Uh...oh.

It had been a left turn, wasn’t it? No wait, to the right. Or the middle? Lorenzo squinted as he jogged in what seemed to be a circle, only stopping to scratch his head, slightly confused. He could have sworn he was right behind Savanna and Grant, but he must have gone the wrong way. He went back to see if going the other way helped, but it did not. So he went back to go the other way again, which accomplished one thing: he had no idea where he was. Not that he knew the layout of the mines, but he certainly hadn’t a clue where to go.

Uh...oh, let’s try this way, He decided, his right hand on the wall as he walked. He had heard once that you could get out of a maze by staying on the right hand side. He continued, looking around, though he let out a scream at the same time a woman did. He jumped back, seeing a very surprised Grant, though he would then burst out laughing.

“Damn it, Lorenzo! Why did you run off like that?!” Grant yelled, getting annoyed.

“You know, in the name of science, I couldn’t bring myself to make fun of your voice, but did your scream really have to come out so girly?” Lorenzo laughed, though he would calm himself. “I only started running ‘cause Jaakie did!”

Grant sighed. “I wasn’t able to keep up, either. I think Savayna did...which leaves you and I.”

Lorenzo nodded, and the pair would continue on the path. And to his delight, he spotted Jaakuna up ahead. Before he could approach him, however, Jaakuna had his blades at the ready, eliciting a yell of surprise from Lorenzo.

“Oi, oi,oi! Calm down there, Jaakie!” Lorenzo exclaimed, his hands in the air. “It’s your old buddy Larry--I mean, Lorenzo!” Why did he say Larry?

“What in the--”Jaakuna squinted his eyes, seeing both Lorenzo and Grant. “What on earth are you two doing here? Did something happen at Rabanastre?” Not that Jaakuna would know; he was asleep the entire day and had left with Emiri when the coast was clear.

“No, or at least, if Reia hasn’t murdered Cassandra, things should be fine,” Lorenzo told Jaakuna, frowning.

”If you ask me, she’d be doing us all a favor.” Jaakuna noted, his two swords fading from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the hilt in glistening mist.

“We went to the Zertinan Caverns to get some Sonosis Magicite to help Grant talk again.” He nudged his brother to speak. Grant flat out refused, shaking his head. “It uh...didn’t completely work.”

“What does that mean?” Jaakuna asked, curious eyebrow raised.

Lorenzo nudged Grant again, but said nothing. Grant nudged him back. Lorenzo responded with an elbow. Grant glared at Lorenzo, outright punching him. Letting out a warcry, he leaped onto Grant, the pair wrestling for a moment before Lorenzo was essentially clinging onto his younger brother, his hands pulling on his face. “Talk, damn it! I went through all the trouble to make that thing!”

“Oww! Stop it!” Grant retorted, though Lorenzo would finally release him and get off, slapping Grant’s back.

“Yeah, like I said, it didn’t work as well as I had hoped,” Lorenzo said, ignoring Grant’s scowl. “Too much interference, but hey, at least it matches his whininess, am I right?”

Jaakuna blinked at Lorenzo and then to Grant. “You’re right, it doesn’t work. Grant sounds like whiny, self-entitled little cuntbitch.” Jaakuna commented, his atention on Grant. “To be honest, you sound like a mix of Nadeline when she pouts and Cassandra.”

“That’s just hurtful,” Grant visibly winced as Lorenzo cackled next to him. “More importantly than that, what are you doing here?”

So he wanted to play like that, did he? “Listen, I was going to spare your feelings because I am trying to be a bigger man here, but you asked for it,” Jaakuna coughed, clearing his throat.

Letting out a sigh, Grant hung his head, though he gestured for Jaakuna to get on with it. Might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.

“You sound like some chick in those stories who is like ‘save me, save me, oh strong knight! Help me from this fearsome beast! Please!’ and then when they do, you’re all like ‘What took you so long’--yappity yapp yapp.” Jaakuna said, his hands in the form of continuous talking that got to the point of being unbearable.

Lorenzo burst out laughing, clearly unable to control himself. Grant had a mind to turn around and run back to Rabanastre, though he remained in place. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Mind answering my question now?” He asked, ignoring Lorenzo’s howls of laughter. “What are you doing here?”

“Who am I here with?” Jaakuna almost forgot. “Oh, I came here with Emiri. We’re here following a...feeling she had in a dream that may or may not have to do with the real Zodiark.” He told Grant, recalling the dream Emiri had.

Lorenzo stopped laughing long enough to come to a realization. “So that really was Elizabeth? Are you sure? She looked hella different!” He said, confused.

Grant had to put that thought to the side, more concerned with the latter part of his explanation. “The real Zodiark...and you chose to come alone?” Grant was in disbelief, and...he felt offended. “What, we can’t be trusted to help you out? Clearly this is big. Why didn’t you tell us?”

”Oh, I’m sorry your highness, who was it again that decided to take off on a trip just so she could speak again?” Jaakuna’s face got real close to Grant’s.

Lorenzo continued to laugh, having clearly lost it. “I’m being serious!” Grant insisted, though it came off much whinier than it should have.

“There’s no proof that it actually is him. Even if the dream had her seeing a statue of Zodiark, for all we know it could be Venat playing tricks on her and sending her on a wild goose chase. That being said,” Jaakuna let out a sigh, “we had to at least check it out. You guys were gone, so it was on us.”

“Getting Sonisis Magicite isn’t comparable to what is potentially the strongest of all Espers,” Grant couldn’t help but point out. “And what if it is here? What if it is a trap? Then what? Right here, right now is a perfect example--you came in with Emiri, but you have no idea where she is, do you?”

“Look here, missy! Emiri is a lot taller now and a lot…fuller, so she more stamina. As if that’s bad enough, she took off faster than Savayna runs when she’s at full speed.” Jaakuna glanced at Grant. “You of all people should know how fast that is.” He let out a sigh.

“Fuller? You mean her boobs got bigger?” Lorenzo would interrupt the conversation, a curious expression on his face.

“Nowhere near Shion’s size, but pretty damn close!” Jaakuna said, appearing to be drooling somewhat.

Grant stared at Jaakuna, incredulous to his expression. Lorenzo, on the other hand, seemed more sympathetic, clapping Jaakuna’s shoulder. “The dream is real my friend, congratulations,” He told him, a shine in his eye.

Oh for the love of all that was good in this world! “Will you two focus?!” He couldn’t help but yell.

“Don’t get jealous Grant, a man’s very being depends on the breast size of his woman!” Lorenzo declared.

Does that mean Wesley is shit out of luck? Grant couldn’t help but think, though he immediately tried to get back on topic. “Let’s...if that’s the case, Savayna was with us, so I’m sure she can keep up with her speed. We should look for them together.”

“If anyone can, it’s the speed queen herself.”

---

Emiri would finally come to a halt, her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Shoot, where had she gone? As she stood straight to look around, she caught a glimpse of the girl. Turning back to Jaakuna, it was then she realized he wasn't behind her as she had thought. Crap, she had run ahead of him. Which was actually really weird now that she thought about it; Jaakuna was usually the faster of the two. Hell, everyone was faster than she was. She turned back, as if to retrace her footsteps, but she would see the girl. The young girl hadn't seen her, though she would continue deeper into the mine. Why did she continue to follow? She should have turned back to look for Jaakuna, but it was as if something was beckoning her, calling her.

The brunette continued, coming to a stop before a wall of mist. As she approached it, a powerful wind came, dissipating it entirely. It had reacted to her presence--very much how the other espers did. Feeling more confident, Emiri continued, and suddenly it felt like deja vu. The pathway looked so familiar, and she realized that she was moving exactly like she did in her dream. Her footsteps hastened, her heart beating faster against her chest. Just a little further...!

As Emiri turned the corner, she would stop, spotting the girl once more. This time, the girl looked back at her, disappointed. "You shouldn't be here," She said, shaking her head once more. "Why? Why have you come?"

"Who are you?" Emiri asked. "And what do you mean, 'why'?"

"It doesn't matter," She replied sharply. "Ignore it. Do whatever it takes to ignore its call...going any further will only result in pain for everyone."

"If it's so important, then tell me why," She said adamantly. "Who's to say trusting you is safe?"

She huffed, displeased at Emiri's insistence. "I am Emette. I know who you are, Emiri--and I am here for the same reason you are."

She knew her name? How? She had never met this girl before, and absolutely nothing about her seemed familiar at all. "Are you now?" She asked. "Then, that means..."

"I know you've seen it. I know it's calling you, but you have to listen to me. The last thing this world can handle is your awakening. I know it doesn't make any sense, but the longer you stay here, the more in danger you and everyone else with you is. It's not just Jaakuna--Savayna, Grant, and Lorenzo followed you here. Please, turn around and go," The girl had decided at a different approach, pleading with Emiri. "There's only so much I can do for you, but if you continue..."

Was that why she felt so uneasy about this? Emiri hesitated, though after a moment, she nodded at the girl. As she did however, she would feel her legs moving without her input. The girl gasped, running up to Emiri and taking her arm, attempting to pull her back. "Wh-what's happening?!" Emiri exclaimed, alarmed that her body was moving of its own accord.

"He's here! Fight it, Emiri! Fight it!" The girl told her as she tried to stop her, but to no avail.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The atmosphere around the mines was eerie, as if haunted. The mist was rather thick, a telltale sign that an Esper lurked around the area. And yet, as they traversed, it was different. They had visited many places like this, seen the mist with their own eyes like so, but something was...off. Was that the word Emiri really wanted to use, though? With sword in hand, the only thing that was heard were their footsteps one after the other. Once in a while, the sound of water could be heard, but other than that, it was silence. It was completely unsettling in a way, making it harder to continue at times. Emiri followed Jaakuna closely, her eyes scanning the area. There was nothing around them, but every fiber of her being told her to be alert. It was as if the absence of anything was the very thing putting her on edge. There was no way she could relax, feeling as if something would jump out at her at any moment.

But said silence was what really bothered her.

"Why aren't there any monsters?" She couldn't help but ask outloud, her voice bouncing back and echoing slightly back at them. "With this much mist around, you would think we could get attacked around every corner we turn," She muttered as they came to a crossroads. Emiri stepped forward to see what direction to take, trying to see if any way looked familiar. As she looked at the leftmost passageway, she nearly let out a scream of surprise as she spotted something white moving in the distance. Her hand immediately went to her sword, though she saw it disappear. What was that? Overcome by curiosity, she squinted as she would move forward slightly, peeking around the corner.

In the distance, she could make out the white shape to be a young woman, younger than she was, anyway. Her hair was colored a dull gray, though it looked more like silver against her rather pale skin. She was willowy in her stature, the whiteness of her dress giving her an ethereal look. She was staring off at something in the distance, a concerned look on her face. She would look towards Emiri's direction, giving her a glimpse of pale blue eyes. She shook her head at Emiri, though she would continue to walk.

For some reason, Emiri felt compelled to follow. "Wait!" She found herself calling out, immediately giving chase.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Of course she wasn't entirely certain about this. Chaos' silence nor his unhelpfulness didn't assuage her, but something else was bothering her. Emiri nodded at Jaakuna's question, a hand on her hip. "Before we left, I did a little research of my own--and by that, I mean that I stole Naddie's book," She told him, frowning. "If what Michel said is true and the guy we've been fighting isn't actually Zodiark, then where is the real Esper? According to Naddie's tome, a long time ago, the gods had sealed Zodiark away here in the mines. That isn't to say I'm fully confident that he is here, but...if the statue is here, it must mean something. If there's any place to start looking, it would be here."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"No need to get jealous," Emiri replied rather simply as she would pat the chocobo's beak. As searched herself to see if she had any more greens, a rather unsettling laughter could be heard. For a moment, she thought her worst fear had been confirmed, though as she turned around,s he spotted Jaakuna. Flames aloft, and an uncanny expresison of hunger--was that drool?! The chocobo was rather offput by Jaakuna, riling itself up as if to attack. Emiri gave out a squeak of shock, though firmly planted herself between the chocobo and Jaakuna, holding her hand out. "Oh, don't you even think about harming a feather on this chocobo!" She immediately put a halt to his intentions. "Instead of putting that energy over a chocobo, how about you save it for the monsters in the mines?! Did you forget why we're here?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

She had to hold back her giggles as she watched Jaakuna try (and fail) to get back on the chocobo. The chocobo let out a rather innocent sounding 'kweh' in response to Jaakuna's statement, as if smugly indicating that it had zero interest in letting him ride. Emiri let out a laugh, petting the chocobo's neck. It was finicky when it came to him, it seemed. Perhaps it was because Jaakuna was holding it wrong? It seemed fine with her riding it. "Be nice, I know he looks rough, but he's a good guy at heart," She assured the chocobo.

The chocobo didn't seem convinced--or rather, it didn't seem to care. Letting out a small sigh, Emiri would jump off, letting out a small cry of surprise as the chocobo would immediately nuzzle her, as if asking her to get back on. "It's not fair to let him walk by himself, now, is it?" She asked the chocobo, letting out a small giggle. "We're over the hole, so we may as well walk the rest of the way."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"I'm slightly more concerned about the interference," Lorenzo outright admitted as Grant stared at the sky. "I made some slight adjustments to counteract it, but its a lot more extreme than I realized. Whatever's blocking your voice is determined to keep you mute for a very, very long time. I'll put it this way: without my adjustments, you still wouldn't have been able to make a peep." Grant groaned once more. This couldn't be happening. The humiliation was too much. He followed Lorenzo and Savayna, sulking, though he was quite alarmed when Savayna would suddenly yank him behind the rocks. As he was about to question it, he noticed Jaakuna as well, with a familiar looking woman with him. Lorenzo squinted at them, a small frown on his face as he scratched his chin. "Who's that chick with Jaakie?" He asked quietly.

"Probably Emiri?" Admittedly, Grant hadn't gotten the same look the other two did--only spotting their hair colors. Considering the only other dark haired person in their group was Wesley, it was safe to reason this.

"Was it? She looked older than Elizabeth," Lorenzo seemed lost in thought. "Am I losing my mind...? I thought she was only slightly older than Nadeline, but..."

It was then the pair realized that Savayna had gone ahead, the brothers quietly following suit. Grant watched Jaakuna, noticing that they were in quite a hurry. Where were they going? It was then he got a better look at Emiri. He now understood Lorenzo's confusion--she really did look older. How? Putting the possibilities to the side, he seemed to realize the direction they were headed. The Golmore Jungle was in the other direction, and considering they had just come from the Zertinan Caverns, it was safe to say that wasn't where they were going. "It looks like they're headed towards the Henne Mines," Grant informed the two quietly.

Meanwhile, Emiri found herself quite enjoying their escapade. Considering that nearly every other time they're split from the group, it was hardly just her and Jaakuna. It was quieter, sure, but it was easier stealth-wise, at least. Her uneasiness seemed to rise the closer they got to their destination, though she managed it well. Jaakuna had believed to hear something in the wind, but she had assumed it was likely a stray monster. As they approached the gorge that separated them from the mines' entrance, she would dig into her pocket. Signaling for Jaakuna to follow suit, she approached the tall grass, waving around the Gyshal Greens.

A soft 'kweh' was heard, Emiri letting out a small squeal as it promptly gobbled the greens. Seeing their chance, she managed to climb onto its back, and once Jaakuna would get on behind her, they would guide the chocobo through the thickets. It seemed to know where they wanted it to take them, and in a moment, the large opening to the Henne Mines was in sight. There was definitely something in there--though as to what it was, who knew.

"Do you feel that?" She asked, shuddering.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"That's Sonisis for you, Lorenzo said in a hushed voice, rummaging in his bag for the unfinished device. He would take the magicite from Grant, plopping onto the ground. After placing the magicite where it needed to be, he would charge the device with his mist. Taking a few tools out, he would adjust the device and fine tune a few things. Grant watched him, slightly nervous. As much as he wanted Lorenzo to hurry up, he couldn't help but feel that this had better be worth it. He wasn't usually impatient, but being voiceless for so long was getting the better of him.

Lorenzo would cough, though as he would beckon Grant to come closer, he would show off the finished product. It looked more like a choker than anything, though he didn't care what it looked like. Fastening it around Grant's neck, he signaled for Grant to speak. "If all goes well, you should be able to speak. In theory." He told the pair. When Grant gave him an incredulous look, Lorenzo dismissed his concern with a wave. "Go on, say something."

Grant opened his mouth slowly, bracing himself. "H-Hello...?" As he spoke, and much to Lorenzo's surprise, his voice was...ah...rather high pitched. "Wh-wha--why does my voice sound like that?!"

"it's a workaround, not an actual solution," Lorenzo seemed disappointed, though understanding the situation. "Whatever is blocking your voice from speaking is Mist related, it's causing interference. I had a hunch, but..."

Lorenzo was taking this well all things considered. Grant groaned, his hands on his head. He didn't know what was worse, being mute or sounding very much like a teenage girl.