Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
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“So…Balthier where exactly is our way? Where were you two love birds heading?”
"What?! No! We're not--"
Lovebirds? Balthier smirked to himself, tilting his head as he waited from the bank’s edge. In truth, the situation was less than ideal. Stranded on the riverside with no means of transport, forced to travel on foot through the territory of monsters. Balthier had, in fact, seen better days though it was pointless in dwelling on what couldn’t be changed. It was equally pointless to dwell on their less than hospitable environment. Already, he heard the noxious hum of mosquitoes hanging from the undergrowth. His neck dripped with sweat. He suspected he’d field more than his share of complaints by day’s end.
”Don’t lose step now.” Balthier examined his cuffs, rolling them above his elbows one at a time. The boy recovered his balance just in time to avoid an unfortunate fall. “This mud makes a nasty habit of sinking when you least expect it.”
Balthier uncrossed his arms, swaggering upright as he pulled his gun and brought it before him, eyes closed in focus. He felt power swell from his feet in swirling motes of wind, and then it was done. He reholstered his gun and glanced to them from the side.
”Libra,” he explained. ”It's wise to take caution.” Once they’d both found their bearings, he pushed on, shouldering his pack as he did so. ”I never bring more than I can carry,” he said. ”For exactly this sort of sticky situation. Though I’ll take an eventual tradeoff if you wouldn’t mind.”
Quistis, it seemed, would be of some use on their way. She was collected, thoughtful, and her abilities -- well, they were unique at any rate. Zell on the other hand didn’t seem the sharpest tool in the box. He supposed he had his fists.
”Another pairs of travelers from Nowhere, I see. It’s become quite popular as of late.” Balthier trudged forward, glancing down in faint disgust as his sandals squished against the foul and fetid water. He would grow used to the sensation, but that didn’t mean he had to find it favorable. ”I wouldn’t hold out hope for the Divider. If someone knew their way then word would have spread. Though I’m loathe to believe anything secondhand.”
Or to hold his breath. The Divider would most certainly end in disappointment. Though even he had to admit…
Well, the idea would have its allure for anyone, he supposed.
He pushed aside a stray length of vines and ducked under, glancing behind to make sure the others hadn’t lost their balance. ”You’re well-traveled, I hope.” He let them loose and started forward again. ”I suspect we'll have quite the time ahead of us.”
Well, this was better than running across desserts. Or nearly pummeling into small fishing towns with a giant Garden. She brought her fingers to her lips as she chuckled mischievously at Zell’s overreactive response to her jest. It was part of this immaturity that had landed her without a teaching job. Though, she watched as he nearly fell into the river. Though she gave a breath of relief as he came out fine at the end.
“And…what makes this Crystalus Divide so promising?” She did not need to ask about home. By the way Zell spoke, it sounded like they were no longer on their planet anymore. She wondered if she was simply in shock at not being more surprised. Laguna had told them that what would bring them home from time compression was imagining a time and place amongst those they were close to. Perhaps…she did it wrong? Or perhaps…she did it right? She found Zell didn’t she? He was one of the few people she grew comradery with from the Garden. But perhaps her imagined location was all wrong or unclear?
She blinked and she found herself back in the forest. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on what went wrong. They still needed to find a safe place to take shelter before dark. Her eyes looked up pass the branches. The sky felt different, but she could only make an educated guess how much daylight they have left. “We’ll proceed cautiously then. Don’t worry about Zell and I. We’re SeeDs. We are trained in traveling and hoofing it when necessary.” Then she remembered that Zell’s memories were not quite right, “Err…Sorry. I don’t mean to speak for you, Zell.”
She cleared her throat as she moved past shrubbery. She knew Balthier’s words would weight heavy on Zell and she tried to calculate a way maybe take their minds off the heaviness. What would she return home to? She did not have a special someone waiting for her there. She shook her head. “My apologies. I’m still disoriented. Tends to happen when you accidentally fall into a time warp hole.” She gave Balthier a playful grin as she tapped her cheek. “I am unsure how far we are from our destination, but it might be well to find a spot to settle prior night fall. I can help set up a temporary shelter.”
She stepped through the vines and her eyes lit up with excitement. “Actually, how are your chocobo riding skills?” She paused for a moment and then looked taken aback, “Those are here… on…wherever this is right?” She looked down and opened pouch on her leather belt. She took a pair of silver glasses out and slid them over her face. Then, she pulled out a sonar-like device and began trying to turn it on. It chirped at her and she began to play with the scanner. “It’s called a ChocoWhis. Perhaps we can find and catch a couple of chocobos. It should help us save more time?” It was better than being on foot.
[attr="class","kdahdr"] Alright, partner. You know what time it is!
[attr="class","kdatxtgrad"]
[attr="class","kdatxtbox"]
[attr="class","kdatxt"]
Zell slowed his pacing while the other two talked so that he would not interrupt the conversation. He had so much to take in from the flood of information that Quistis had provided. And while she did help explain some of his backstory, the blonde male’s memories did not immediately return. Perhaps in time, but he was still happy that he now knew where he came from.
"The Crystulus Divide seems like it has some kind of religious significance to this world. If there's religion, then there's gods or some sort of higher power that might be able to give us some answers." As he gave his explaination, Zell followed Balthier’s suggestion about the mud and made sure to walk more carefully as they progressed through the swamp. The smell of the place was so off putting that an occasional cough came from the SeeD. It almost smelled like the sewers of Sonora, only not as septic. Maybe part of it was from the ghouls that seemed to stalk the area. Whatever it was, he trailed behind Quistis and Balthier closely. He wouldn’t want a surprise attack to separate him from the others.
“Err…Sorry. I don’t mean to speak for you, Zell,” Quistis said at the end of explaining their story to Balthier.
“No, it’s alright,” Zell said in response to Quistis’s apology. In fact, she probably was more suited to speak on his behalf given his mental state since arriving on Zephon. If Zell was to be unsure about anything or slipping out of character, he now had someone to help realign him. It was a comfort to the young man.
Unfortunately, her question about chocobos triggered an unwelcome memory in the fighter’s head. Not from his homeworld, but of his visit to Provo where he nearly fell face first into a pile of chocobo droppings. Since then, Zell has tried to steer clear of them.
“I’ve seen them around in other places. If we find any, just be careful…” Of course, no one else knew of his experience which made his comment seem ominous, especially since he chose not to clarify. “More than just one would probably be good too. Unless we can find a way to fit the three of us on a single chocobo.”
Balthier raised an eyebrow, as curious as he was confused. She said it like a proper noun though he had no idea what it could mean. He shrugged it off with a shake of his head and continued on. Their business was as much theirs as his business was his. So long as they could keep up, it hardly mattered.
”That would seem the wisest course of action,” Balthier agreed. He glanced at her with a smirk of his own. Quistis had her own kind of wit about her. He could have been saddled with far worse company. ”It’ll be a day’s journey east to the next outpost if we keep pace. A shelter sounds like the more favorable option. I’d prefer we not wander into a ghoul’s clutches in the night.”
She pushed through the vines and then paused. Balthier slowed to a stop in front of her, turning to glance over his shoulder. Nothing was wrong. On the contrary, she looked absolutely thrilled. Once again, he raised an eyebrow. Something had clicked into place -- though as to what he couldn’t guess.
“Actually, how are your chocobo riding skills?”
Balthier’s eyebrow pricked higher. ”Chocobos? I can manage well enough.” He crossed his arms, hip cocked to the side as he waited for whatever she had in mind. Zell watched her cautiously, shifting with his nerves. Apparently his chocobo skills left something to be desired.
Quistis rummaged through her pouch and pulled out something that looked like eyeware. Balthier’s other eyebrow raised. Her next device told him equally little. His interest was thoroughly piqued.
”A ChocoWhis?” His eyes pricked over the machine. ”A kind of radar, I presume?” He stepped towards it and leaned forward, looking over it closer. He knew radars well enough, and he had no idea how hers was supposed to work on something as small, flighty, and organic as a chocobo. Had someone suggested it to him, he would have scoffed. But with her confidence…
”A chocobo would be a welcome sight. If that tool of your works that is.” Balthier straightened again, arms crossed and waiting. ”Even one would be a marked improvement over nothing.”
Quistis absorbed Zell’s information on the Crystalus Divide. Religion? Higher powers? She saw the power a sorceress could have. Could it be possible a similar being of power could throw them back to where they belong? Did she want to return? Her eyes lowered and she said nothing more on the matter for now. It would bring down moral to talk about it currently.
Quistis took note of Zell’s tone and somber behavior. He always seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Even now, she felt herself frown on the inside. It must be hard not remembering, especially when you knew you were forgetting. And this would be the second time that Zell had his memories taken from him. She wished there was something she could do for him, but right now they needed to focus on getting to civilization. One thing at a time. She hoped that maybe the hunt for chocobos would distract him in the meantime.
Quistis cracked a smile at the idea of three people riding a chocobo. She could not help but let out a joking tone of, “Ok. We’ll catch two chocobos.” She would let Zell puzzle out who would share, as she tried to get the ChocoWhis to work. Whatever was making Zell nervous about chocobos probably had an awesome Zell story about it. She’d keep an eye on him to keep him out of trouble regardless.
She held up the palm-sized device and powered it on. When it took a little longer, she was afraid she might have damaged it during her misadventure. She turned a little red when Balthier leaned in a little closer to eye the devices screen. Perhaps it was just that weird flustered feeling you get when someone leans over your shoulder when you’re working on the computer, despite not doing anything secret. Quistis pressed it down and answered his questions, “It is a radar. It puts out sonar waves and when you are near enough, you can send out a small whistle that baby chocobos respond to. Then, its only a matter of waiting for one of its parents to come by. It will work. I’ll show you.” She smirked confidently for a moment, feeling a little challenged by Balthier’s words. She pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
Her fingers pressed along the glowing screen. Then, a gentle electronic beeping was heard, and a red line slowly pulsed with the beeping on the screen. She held the device out in front of her and turn in each direction. When the beeping became more vigorous and faster, she followed it in that direction. She pushed aside brush with the end of her whip. She stepped over bramble and tried to not slip on the muddier parts. But eventually, she found the perfect spot with the machine lightly trilling and vibrating in her hands.
She pressed the ChocoZiner button on the screen, and down and it let out a slightly different electronic sound. Then, down fell a young chocobo from what appeared to be the tree tops. “Now we wait", she whispered gently to the other two companions. She found the leather pouch with gyshal greens and handed it to Zell. “Try to entice the adult chocobo with this when it arrives.”
[attr="class","kdahdr"] Alright, partner. You know what time it is!
[attr="class","kdatxtgrad"]
[attr="class","kdatxtbox"]
[attr="class","kdatxt"]
Zell watched Quistis do her thing with the ChocoWhis. It was kind of intriguing to the SeeD to watch someone call chocobos at will, making him wonder if there was something like is tool on Zephon. He had seen quite a few chocobos in Provo and couldn't help but think how much easier it would be for the chocobo farmers and breeders to run their businesses if they had a ChocoWhis at their disposal. These off topic thoughts distracted him long enough that he wouldn't notice Quistis's other actions until she handed him the Gyshal Greens.
"Okay," the teen said, eyeing the baby chocobo when it fell from the trees. Part of Zell hoped that the momma chocobo wouldn't be too angry when seeing humans with her young, although he did have two allies present to help him if this kidnapping was to go horrifically wrong.
A rustle in the nearby bushes caught his attention as two fully grown chocobos arrived in response to the chirps of their youngling. A third appeared moments later, although it was a bit smaller than the first two. This brought Zell to the conclusion that it was possibly another one of their offspring and has been growing for some time. Regardless, the party found their three chocobos, but now Zell had to step up and successfully convince them to help.
“Heeey, guys,” he said in a slightly higher pitch, “are ya hungry?” Cautiously, Zell approached the larch birds with the Gyshal Greens in each hand and held them towards their beaks. He had fought armed guards, the ravenous undead, and even punched a shark in the face. Yet the presence of the chocobos left the SeeD’s hands trembling. The pressure of failing the group and the chocobos fleeing definitely did not help him in this moment.
“Please don’t run, please don’t run…” The two larger birds began to slowly back away as the human approached. Just like Zell, they were also cautious. However, the younger of the three saw the food and moved in for the free meal. It took some of the vegetables from one of his hands and seemed happily pleased with the offering. After seeing the first chocobo tamed, the other two moved closer to take their share of the food, too. As they ate, Zell let out a sigh of relief before signaling his two companions over.
Sonar waves? Well that didn’t tell him much. He knew how a radar operated, and he knew that sonar waves would do much better than their eyes in such cramped quarters. Still, he watched with a close interest as she tapped at her screen and turned it first one way then another like a game of hot and cold. Quistis had confidence, and she didn’t seem the type to carry it needlessly.
The machine pulsed a quiet rhythm as she worked, and Balthier glanced to the boy instead. He proved a stark contrast to his companion. Though curious, his nerves wracked him until he could hardly stand still. Balthier wondered briefly if her plan was for naught. If the boy couldn’t ride then she wasn’t like to leave him.
Balthier on the other hand had no such qualms.
After a moment, the woman’s eyes lit and she pushed her way into the foliage. Balthier trailed a safe distance behind. She pressed a button, a whistle sounded, and then something fell with a soft thump from the trees.
A chocobo chick. Balthier’s eyebrows raised. He whistled.
”Color me impressed,” he said. She pressed a pack into Zell’s hands and told him to handle the rest. Quite the bold move if Balthier could say so himself. Still, he thought not to question the pair as he watched and waited for their plan to unfold. The limits of machinery never failed to astound him.
”I don’t suppose you know how that operates?” He glanced towards the radar in her hand. ”It’s quite the handy trick.” One that he wouldn’t mind replicating himself. If he could only dismantle it…
More chicks followed. They seemed as nervous as Zell, but the treat enticed them to action. After a moment, they’d swarmed him and happily taken the offering off his hands. Zell waved them over, and Balthier drifted closer. The chicks were certainly cute. Not that he particularly cared for such things.
The bushes rustled. Out of the thick foliage pushed a curved beak, thin legs, and yellow feathers. It was a chocobo just as Quistis had predicted, and if Balthier had been impressed before, he was nearly astonished now. Was chocobo hostage taking a common practice in their country? Balthier couldn’t argue with results.
”It’s wild, I presume,” he said. The chocobo shot Zell a dirty look and strutted towards the chicks, brooding over them. They squeaked at their mother’s attention and scurried into her shadow. Balthier glanced at Quistis expectantly. ”I don’t suppose you could quarry its favor?”
Lips cracked into a rather pleased smile at Balthier’s compliment. “You know, I never had the opportunity to pick it apart. Perhaps we could do it together some time. At least after we get a ride.” She tilted her head toward the chocobos. She noticed Balthier picking apart the engine earlier, and she wondered if he had the mind of an engineer. Either way, Quistis’s interest was piqued.
Quistis could sense Zell’s nervousness as he took the gyshal greens. If she could sense it, then the chocobos for sure could sense it. It might be enough to make them run. Her eyes turned to take in the three chocobos as they entered the scene. She stayed crouched behind the brush and watched Zell’s performance unfold. Come on, Zell. You could do it. She slowly slid the ChocoWhis back into her belt and was getting ready to aid now that Zell had tentatively gained their attention and trust.
Zell gestured for them to come over, and Quistis was quite content with the performance. He still had his skills, just not his memories. And he still wore his emotions on his sleeve, which was not a good combination with amnesia. Someone could easily use that against him. Quistis felt a form of protection well up.
Before Balthier could finish his sentence, Quisits was already moving up pulling out another handful of gyshal greens. She moved toward the second adult chocobo, while Zell occupied the other. She gingerly and slowly moved forward. She showed the creature a tenderness as she held out the gyshal greens. When it finally moved towards her to eat, she placed a hand on its cheek and spoke softly to it to soothe it. She finally rubbed its neck and it gave a contented, “kweh.” However, the youngest of the chocobos finished eating and bolted for it, no longer interested in them.
Quistis watched as the chocobo bolted and gave a shrug. Shaking her head, she coaxed the chocobo to lean down and moved to mount it. “Looks like the boys are sharing,” she stated devilishly.
[attr="class","kdahdr"] Alright, partner. You know what time it is!
[attr="class","kdatxtgrad"]
[attr="class","kdatxtbox"]
[attr="class","kdatxt"]
Although Zell's actions originally seemed to have been successful, an unexpected event occured. Two of the chocobos were satisfied and stuck around to aid the humans. However, the younger one of the three bailed before the blonde teen could make another attempt at satisfying its hunger. The outcome wasn't perfect, but it was still something.
"Oh crap," he muttered after the bird turned and fled the area. Quistis remarked on the overall success, making it clear that she had no intention of sharing a ride with either of the two males. It wasn't like he had an urge to share a ride with her, but Zell did glance back over at Balthier before realizing how awkward this was about to become. He could do nothing more than slump his shoulders forward and let out a sigh of defeat.
The boat may have been gone, but the three did find a new means of transportation. Zell waited for Balthier to mount the yellow bird before he would do the same, trying to find a way to latch onto the older man's back without making it uncomfortable. His attempts would likely fail.
"I guess we keep following the river banks, right?" Zell remembered most of the world map and knew that the rivers got awfully close to their destination. Traversing through the terrain would still take some time, but Balthier likely knew the most effective route for them to take. He hoped, at least.
Quistis did indeed quarry their favor. For their rather brutish methods, the chocobos seemed remarkably unbothered by the situation. Their loyalty cost nothing more than a stroke of the cheek and a handful of greens. Effective. Balthier glanced towards Quistis, thoroughly impressed. He wondered as to her interests and her relative free time.
She took to one of the chocobos, mounting it easily before turning to them with a mischievous glint in her eyes. ”Looks like the boys are sharing.”
Balthier raised an eyebrow. ”If it’s all the same, I’d rather it be the two most familiar.” The two of them more specifically. Balthier wasn’t keen on the idea of cramming himself onto one of the birds with a relative stranger, let alone the excitable boy beside him. Said boy looked no happier about it than Balthier, but he said nothing on the matter, merely slumping his shoulders submissively. After a moment, Balthier sighed.
”Though I suppose it’s the lady’s choice.” He patted the chocobo’s side before pulling himself easily onto its back. It wouldn’t be a comfortable ride, but it was far preferable to the miserable alternative. He offered the boy a hand and helped to heave him onto the bird behind him. For a long time, he seemed unsure of what to do with his hands. Eventually, he braced himself and took the plunge, wrapping his arms around Balthier’s back.
Balthier’s brow pricked with irritation. It seemed he’d spoken too soon. “Not comfortable” was far too light a descriptor for the experience.
”I guess we keep following the banks, right?”
Balthier glanced in the direction of the water. ”I’d memorized that route. We wouldn’t want to lose ourselves to the wilds, would we?” He clicked his heels on the chocobo’s side and started her trotting in that direction, glancing over his shoulder as he went. ”I’ll take the lead. You’ll want to keep pace.”
Somewhere lost along the banks was a boat and an engine with a single bolt missing. Such a little thing. His eyes drifted towards the sky as the chocobo bobbed beneath him. ”An ephemeral sight.” He shook his head. ”Well, there’s only one way forward, I suppose.” He uged the chocobo along the bank. There was no way to predict disaster. The real test was in its adaptation.
