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year 5, quarter 3
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You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are.
❞
Zidane was, for the most part, happy. Uproariously happy. Everything had turned out perfect, Or, at least, this was the lie he had reserved to tell himself. He had returned home to Garnet, had a happy reunion with his friends, as well as mourned the loss of Vivi, his little brother and best friend. They had barely known each other, yet his heart felt heavy with the weight of the loss, knowing that Vivi didn't blame Zidane for not being there, but Zidane blamed himself plenty for not being there. Garnet had assured him that Vivi passed peacefully, with nothing but love for his friends, including Zidane, but the feeling that he was responsible for Vivi had been too much. Perhaps this was why he had volunteered to make the trade run between Alecandria and Lindblum. Maybe it was because of this that he declined allowing Freya or Amanrant to accompany him, as well as decline Steiner and Beatrix's offer for a double date with him and Garnet. Even Eiko, who Zidane looked at like a little sister, looked crestfallen when he declined to have lunch with her (though, it was obvious that she was still crushing on him, hard, the kid.)
Whatever the reason, Zidane found himself enroute to Lindblum. He planned on maybe stopping by the old Theater to see if any of Tantalus was still there. Despite his little exit interview with Baku in the Forbidden Forest, Zidane was still considered to be a vital and permanent part of their family, and, though he wouldn't tell anyone, he really missed his adoptive father. Sure, he never really harbored a father/son relationship with Baku, but after the events on Terra, Zidane couldn't help but believe that maybe he should be more thankful for Baku's care and time spent raising Zidane. Maybe Zidane needed to express this gratefulness, even once, before he someday decided to ask for Garnet's hand. Maybe this way, he could forgive himself for being such a problem for Baku all those years.
Zidane took a breath of fresh, cool air from the deck of the airship, grinning at the crew members as he walked across, patting the Captain on the shoulder as he passed before leaning over the edge, looking down at the green fields and steppes below. Zidane felt refreshed, despite his depression, but, he knew it would pass. Soon, he would see Tantalus again, then return home to hold Garnet in his arms. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to push the images, the words Garland said to him, the Angel of Death, before trying to rip his soul from his body. Zidane had never known such pain, both physically and mentally. He woke up, feeling like an old man, ready to die and leave everything behind. The darkness begging for him, needing him to collapse with his last breath...
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gust of wind, strong enough to make the airship wobble slightly, much to the alarm of the crew members. Zidane wobbled slightly, but caught his balance, looking around as clouds began rolling in. Zidane grit his teeth as he turned to the Captain.
"Turn this thing around!' he shouted, and the captain was more than happy to oblige, spinning the wheel to try and turn around and put some distance between them and this storm. Zidane watched as the clouds collected, and began forming something, his heart nearly stopping as the sight of what he could only describe as some blackened mass of darkness coming straight at them. Zidane backed away from the rail and dove, shouting as the darkness struck the ship, blowing away nearly every crew member of the ship to their deaths below. Zidane's heart pounded as he looked up, standing slowly before turning and running to the wheel, grabbing hold of it and making an attempt to steer himself out of the storm. He turned around and saw the black mass just... floating there. His bones chilled, his mind racing, his heartbeat drowning every sound out as he caught his breath.
Garnet, I'm so sorry...
The darkness advanced suddenly, rendering the airship to a mere half, the rest of it vanishing in the air with Zidane on it, his eyes closing as his impending doom neared, a prayer that Garnet could forgive him barely escaping his lips before the darkness took him. Then all he knew was black.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Zidane felt the rush of wind, as well as a rush that he was falling, as he woke up, tangled in the ropes that were tied to the ship's cargo. He was tangled, and looked around in time to realize that the ship was falling- rather, half of it? Confused, Zidane acted, taking out a dagger and slicing up the ropes as the ground rapidly approached, dark clouds surrounding him as he broke free. He saw the ground after breaking through the stormy clouds, climbing around to the highest point of the falling aircraft. Zidane counted under his breath, eyes squinted from the wind whipping around him.
3...
2...
1...
Zidane pushed off of the ship as it crashed into the ground, the steam tanks within exploding finally, pushing Zidane away from the wreckage, sprawling onto the ground some fifty feet away from the point of impact, the wind knocked out of him, his body limp from the sudden shock of the landing. He squinted his eyes, grit his teeth, and grabbed a tuft of grass as he pushed himself up, forcing himself to draw another breath as he looked around. Zidane pushed himself up to a knee, and spied signs of civilizations in the distance, in the form of large buildings.
"... Where... the hell am I?...." Zidane muttered, looking around him again.
965 WORDS ● OPEN ● Re-using a tweaked version of my prior opening
Post by Caius Dragelion on Apr 13, 2018 15:23:43 GMT -6
Having just finished a job, Caius found himself looking forward to a soft bed, good food and some time to consider his next move. He still constantly found himself thinking about his life back home, but the former Glaive knew that by now... That life was gone. And it was something he despised thinking about. Part of him didn't want to give up, didn't want to give up hope that he could get back! But he'd been here a year now... Where was the line where he finally said that he had to fully move on? He knew he had to. He knew it was time, but... He just couldn't. What if there was still a chance?
But there wasn't. And deep down, he knew this. But it still bothered him and likely would for a very long time. All he could do was just keep doing jobs until he got over it and became properly accustomed to his life here. This land had it's charms, of course, but... He still couldn't help but miss home. Regardless, Caius could spy civilization not far from where he was walking, and the warrior would crack his neck and stretch out as he could just smell the food - figuratively of course - that he was going to have tonight! He hadn't had a decent meal since he'd last been to this neck of the woods, and he couldn't help but look forward to it!
But his view of the sky was suddenly obstructed, and Caius would look up to see...
Was that a ship?
No, it was half of one!
Brown eyes would widen as Caius would take off at a run. That ship was falling toward HIM! If he didn't get out of here quickly, then he wasn't going to make it back to town! Caius would take off as fast as his long legs could carry him, but the ship would continue it's descent. As the ship would come down upon him, Caius would leap upward, kicking his feet off the deck of the ship to launch himself off before drawing his blade. Throwing it as hard and as far as he could, he would perform the Warp-Strike needed to get him just barely out of harm. With the energy it took to pull it off, and the close shave that it was as the ship would crash to the ground, the Glaive would collapse in a heap and free-fall toward the ground, promptly crashing hard.
"Uggghhh..." Caius would groan as he would sit up, gritting his teeth from the pain of the descent. But... At least he was alive. Struggling to his feet, he would look around the site of the wreckage, when he would sight a boy that was struggling to his feet as well. While a bit sluggish from the fall, Caius would walk toward the lad, his better nature taking over in that moment.
"Oi! You alright, kid?" Caius would inquire as he would make his way toward Zidane with a curious eye. Had he been on that ship? He hadn't seen him before the ship had gone down...
You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are.
❞
His ears were ringing. The only things he could properly hear were the muted sounds of his own breathing, and someone's voice. Whether it was distant or not was beyond him, because the adrenaline from the fall, coupled with the shock of the impact, had essentially knocked Zidane down for the count. He opened his eyes, his vision blurry, but still acute enough to make out an approaching person. Reaching a hand up to his head, he ran his fingers through his hair, only to pull it back and see blood on his glove. A knee was as far as he could get, so, there he stayed, until the other person had reached him.
"I'm good, I'm good." Zidane said, still woozy, but recognizing the man as a blonde male, obviously friendly (who else would run into a burning wreckage to check on someone?). He stayed on his knee, taking another breath before trying to stand. Deep in the back of his mind, he would once again appreciate his resilience. Years of scuffling with Blank and Marcus, taking beatings from Baku while training... he could take some punishment, and for that, being a Genome wasn't so bad. What was bad, was that Zidane couldn't think of a single person that he really didn't know or hadn't seen before in his travels, and, if the man's outfit wasn't enough of an indication, these weren't the plains surrounding the cliffs where Alexandria resided on.
No, this was a different place.
Looking up, Zidane's eyes widened. The sky... it was different. This wasn't the same sky as before, and this most certainly wasn't the same crisp, clean air that he grew up on. His senses went into overdrive as he rushed his last step into standing, losing his balance and falling backwards onto his ass.
"Wh... Where is this? Where am I?" he said, a bit more panic seeping into his voice than he recognized, or even cared to admit, at later days. His breaths, shallow and quick, distracted him from the blood that now dripped down his brow. He didn't feel pain, all he felt was fear, the sudden shock of realizing that you were somewhere you shouldn't be, and that feeling that something, or someone, was inside of your head, picking at your memories. Zidane looked at the man, and ripped a dagger out of his sheath, letting out a shout.
"Where am I?!" his voice echoed across the wreckage, but the sudden exertion caused him to drop the dagger, sway, and fall back completely, eyes to the sky, letting out a groan.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 11, 2018 15:12:15 GMT -6
Well, the kid was alive. That was good, at least. He didn't know where the hell he had come from, nor why a ship had suddenly crashed as it did. He had a thousand questions for this kid, either way, though he seemed to be rather bewildered at first so maybe he should wait a bit before he started asking. He didn't want to overwhelm them after all, after a near clash with death like that. The kid said he was good, that was... Good, probably? Who knows what "good" meant these days. For him, it might mean "passable" depending on the person.
"Well, fair enough" He spoke as he would hold out a hand to help Zidane up when Zidane would try to get to his feet. But as he got up, the kid suddenly seemed panicked. He looked up at the area around him, and even seemed bewildered by the sky! But it was the sudden screams of where he was that hit him hardest. Oh. Ooooooh. Ooooooooooooh. Oh boy. Well, it would explain the ship popping up out of nowhere. Where did he even start to explain where he was?
"Well..." He began, happy that the kid had at least dropped the dagger. He'd seen it, though wasn't sure if he was about to try to stab him or not. He had kept on his guard up until the moment that he'd dropped it and fell back again, though this time he was at least a bit more apprehensive. Caius would take a deep breath as he considered a moment where to start on this.
"Seeing as even the sky seems different to you, it's very possible that you have been brought to another world entirely - one separate from your own" Caius would explain as he would hold out a hand to help him up again even if he'd gotten up by himself last time, though back on guard this time as he did in case the kid went for the dagger again. "Granted, it might not be, I don't know whether you're native to this world or not. But judging by your reaction... It's a pretty solid guess.
My name's Caius. I was from a world called Eos before I was sucked into a portal and brought here. Been here... Awhile, to say the least" He would add. "If you could tell me a bit of what happened, and how you ended up here, maybe we can figure out whether you've gone and ended up like me - and countless others by folks I've met - or if we can just arrange transport to get you home" Caius would suggest.
You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are.
❞
The other man had offered comfort and understanding, understanding that threw Zidane for a loop. From what the man said, he wasn't the only one to just show up out of the blue, and he was from a world called Eos…? Definitely not Gaia, if his attire and mannerisms were enough to go by. Zidane sat there, eyes closed for a moment, realizing that about the only thing he could remember was the name of the planet. Gaia… and… Terra. Blue light. And a voice.
You were programmed better than this.
His eyes opened, and he saw an aged man clad in black staring down at him.
Your mind and memories are your own. You're too strong to have anything taken away…
The one who folds time is here…
The memories came back to him, not in a rush, but as if they were handed to him by… her. He saw her, the reason he survived Iifa, the reason he came home in the first place, handing his dagger to him, right after they first met…
"My name… is Zidane. Sorry about that, I freaked out there, for a second." he took a second, and picked himself up to his knee, grabbing his dagger and sheathing it at his side before standing completely, turning and looking at the wreckage behind him with a frown.
"Did you see anyone else come through with me? Any other people?" he asked, turning and looking back at Caius, before having his own question answered by what he saw. The pieces of the ship, the wreckage, were specifically the part he was standing in. Whatever dragged him here, dragged him specifically. His tail twitched as he turned back to face the man. "If you don't mind, maybe I could join you to the next town over. If being pulled to different worlds were a new experience for me, I think I'd be worse off, but… I believe we were called here, and seeing how I hadn't met you yet, and there appear to be a larger scale of people…" his eyes narrowed. "We're in it deep."
The cycles. He remembered them as a dream, but, upon showing up to this land, and his visions of Garland and Garnet bringing him back, he knew this wasn't just a mere 'calling of the Gods' situation. No, that was over… and this was a new situation entirely. If he could get to the bottom of the why he was here, he could get moving on the how to get home.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 27, 2018 13:44:40 GMT -6
His response made it pretty clear that Caius had been right on the money about whether he was from another world or not. He recognized his mannerisms and responses from when he too had found himself here without much rhyme or reason as to how or why. "Good to meet you, Zidane" He spoke as he would tilt his head when Zidane would inquire as to if anyone else had arrived with him. Looking back at the ship, it was pretty clear to the both of them in that moment that no, definitely nobody had come into this world with him. If they had... Well... They probably weren't in this world anymore, to say the least. But it seemed that Zidane had been picked to come here, since he was with others... And come to think about it, that assassin hadn't been dragged into the portal with him either... It'd been just him...
Hmm... Were these portals picking specific targets? Interesting... Did that mean he had a purpose here? A reason he had been sent here? Zidane seemed to think so, it sounded like as well, and he seemed to be under the impression that the portals had called him here for a reason. Odds were, the same went for Caius. "Of course" Caius would answer when Zidane would ask if he could join him to the next town. Caius had nobody to guide him when he first came here, nobody to help him to the nearest town. He'd wandered for days with no food or water, and no resources except for the clothes on his back and his sword, before finding a town. He'd really rather not have to allow Zidane to have the same experience. He'd suffered enough, just from being pulled into his own world and being dragged here.
"If we're lucky, maybe we'll run into some people from your world while we're there" He would try to encourage. "I recently met a woman from my world, though weirdly enough, she looks a decade younger than I thought she'd look considering I hadn't seen her for over a decade before... Either way, it seems we are not the only ones from our worlds being pulled in. You may be reunited with the people you were looking for, though it may take time. Took me a year to find the one" Caius would explain in turn.
"Regardless, I'm ready to head out if you are. Offer still stands, free drink on me" He spoke with a light smile as he would begin to head onto the open road again, looking back here and there to ensure that Zidane was keeping up.
You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are.
❞
The man described the situation further, before the started to move towards the city in the distance. Someone being younger than he remembered? Maybe the jump between worlds messed with his memory? Zidane knew of the whole “cycles” business from before, but, when he was called to fight in those conflicts, he was met by some shiny, blonde goddess for the first 13 times, then a different, but still shiny blonde goddess the last time. Considering there was no shiny goddess to meet him, he knew that something was amiss, at least with the whole coming to this world to fight bad guys shitck.
He silently considered this, before looking over at Caius.
”Hey, when you got here, was there a shiny lady that greeted you? Well, she’s a Goddess, anyways, one of two. I kind of feel like she would be here, but…” he looked ahead at the city ahead. ”I don’t really feel like this is the same place we were all brought to, before.”
In the next moments, Zidane would recount the basics of the cycles, telling the story of Cosmos, Chaos, and then Materia and Spiritus. How many warriors had gotten pulled from multiple worlds to fight a conflict with a predestined fate, and how all of the Warriors of Harmony banded together to put an end to the Cycles not once, but twice, the second time teaming up with the Warriors of Discord to draw out the dragon, Shinryu. It probably sounded pretty fantastical, but, considering that they both ended up here, spreading as much knowledge about what might be happening as possible seemed like the right thing to do.
Last thing Zidane wanted to do was leave a potential ally in the dark about things. Zidane was surprised enough that he had gotten to keep his memories this time around, but was also perturbed at just how different everything was. He was sure that the man, who seemed to be a seasoned warrior, himself, could detect this unease, but Zidane was comfortable with not hiding it. In a way, he knew that the man was kindred, at least in ideals, and could tell that he was Harmonious by his mannerisms.
Currently, the issue that nagged at Zidane’s mind was at what these differences meant.
A slow rumble sounded from behind them as Zidane stopped, and looked over his shoulder, eyes widening as a large beast, a Behemoth, came charging at them, it’s nap disturbed by the half of airship hitting the ground. All Zidane could think to do was to launch himself at Caius, tackling him out of the way before springing to his feet, drawing his daggers and looking at the large beast that would have them for supper.
”Well, I hope you know how to take one of these down!” Zidane said, eyes narrowing as he prepared for battle.
Caius stared long and hard at Zidane after his explanation. Something about a shiny lady who was also a Goddess who should be here. He would recount some kind of cycle, talking about something about... Cosmos? Chaos? Materia and Spiritus? Warriors from other worlds that were all fighting against something? Caius liked stories. He liked telling stories too, but he enjoyed hearing stories of adventure and whimsy so he listened carefully. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if he was pulling his leg. At the same time, he couldn't deny that half of a ship had just nearly killed him after falling from the sky, and there had been no evidence of battle. He also noted it was likely this wasn't the same place as before.
Once it was over with, Caius would let out a sigh. "I've never met a "shiny lady" or a "Goddess" or anything of that sort, but I'm definitely not from this world either" Caius would admit, scratching his head in response. "Sorry, man. It sounds like you've ended up in unfamiliar territory. Which would make two of us if not for the fact that I've been here for over a year."
But then he realized something from his story, and Caius would turn to look back at Zidane with a perplexed look.
"Wait... You said you've gone to different worlds before?" Caius would ask. "Was this involuntary or voluntary? Is there a way to trigger it? Was there a way to get back to your world?"
Caius had been here a long time, but he had not given up on returning home. Returning to the Kingsglaive. Returning to his belonging. He did not belong here, he was not supposed to be here, and if he could get home somehow... Get back to his family, the Glaives.. He would do anything to go back.
But Caius never got a chance to continue to question him, as the rumbling would stop him dead in his tracks. "Wait, I know those sounds..." Caius would muse aloud, as his pupils slowly began to shrink as the slow realization hit him of what was to come.
The Behemoth wasn't as big as he had imagined though, and Caius would only stare up at it in shock at how different it looked before Zidane tackled him down, bringing him back to his senses. Quickly springing to his feet, Caius would hold out a hand as Lonoaw would materialize back in his hand while he took stance.
"Nothing new!" Caius would respond. "No bigger than the ones at home!"
You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are.
❞
Zidane had already been moving before Caius answered, running full tilt at the beast before leaping above it's head, twirling and spiraling as he slashed at the beast's back, kicking off of one of it's spines. He landed several feet away, turning to slash at the beast's side, but was caught by surprise as it's hind leg came up and kicked Zidane. Considering the foot's length matched Zidane shoulder to knee, it flung him backwards, tumbling to a stop before recovering and springing back to his feet, catching his breath.
A grin played on his face as the beast had taken it's attention completely off of the other man, and began charging at him. His distraction worked, and now, he had to play a game of cat and mouse with the Behemoth while his ally worked to strike a vital. Zidane hoped Caius was as efficient of a tactician as he sounded, and began to duck and weave through the Behemoth's claw swipes and bites. All he needed now was to angle the beast in such a way that Caius could land a decisive blow, before the rumbling roars attracted any friends or family lying in wait in the distance.
It had never come to conversation between him and the others, why he was so agile, why he was so athletic. Tantalus was a band full of efficient thieves, but Zidane was the one they sent to work through the tight spots, the rafters of huge cathedrals, or even the tall, thin outcroppings on tall towers. All he knew growing up was how high he could go without a net, acting more like a Carnival performer than a thespian.
He ducked a swipe, wrapping his tail around the beast's ankle, which caused the beast to recoil back, allowing Zidane enough momentum to bring his foot up and kick the Behemoth back, his foot planting squarely in the middle of it's nose. It roared in frustration, and Zidane, laughing excitedly, pushed off of it's face, putting some distance, before giving Caius a Go for it! look.
Alright, Behemoth, nothing new... Caius would take a deep breath as he would begin to size up the Behemoth that was heading for them. Zidane though, had already chosen to get moving. He watched as Zidane would duck and weave and earn small shots on the monster. Curious about why he wouldn't wait and try and attack together with Caius, he began to see the method to his madness when he noticed that the beast had begun to attack Zidane exclusively. Realizing what monkey business that he was playing at, Caius gave a small, curt nod of his head as he would spin his blade in his hands once it had materialized.
Zidane's tail trick drew Caius' attention to the fact that... Well... The guy had a tail. As odd as that was though, Caius didn't really have time to think too much about it if he intended on surviving this encounter. Once Zidane gave the go-ahead, Caius would dash forward, tossing his blade into the air and using the Warp Strike to zip through the air in a brilliant flash of blue light. Landing on the Behemoth's back, Caius would navigate up toward it's neck while it was reeling from the blows from Zidane and watching the monkey man in front of it. Caius would bring Lonoaw down into the beast's neck, and begin to drag the blade as he would take off at an upwards run on it. He could hear the beast roaring as he would continue his slicing act. The beast would begin moving it's head once he made it up there, and Caius knew that he wouldn't be able to hold on for very long without being thrown off. So instead of letting it throw him off, he would remain on it just long enough to climb on it's head. As it would jerk it's head, Caius would leap, using the momentum from the jerk and the jump to sail into the air.
Knowing it would be focused on him for a moment, Caius hoped that Zidane would see the opportunity to strike while the opening was there. If the two could continue to outmaneuver this monster, then they could dispel the disadvantage they held in size and power. Having it outmatched was an advantage, but it was Zidane's speed that was truly making the difference here.
As Caius came back down, he would aim the tip of the blade toward the Behemoth's head, hoping that Zidane had done a well enough job of keeping it busy as he would pull the trigger, unleashing a shotgun-like blast heading straight for the monster's face. He could feel his energy ebbing into the gunblade just before it fired, and hoped he wouldn't have to use this trick too often. Energy bullets piled up and took their toll, after all.
Caius would take a deep breath, before dropping his blade and allowing himself to warp backwards at the last second before he would have hit the ground, catching the blade in mid-air and landing on his feet.
