FF:CW Chap. VIII

[DragonSphere]

For those who don't know, FF:CW stands for "Final Fantasy: Cross World", a fic that I have been writing for the past 8 months. It is not based on any video game from the series, although they do share a few similarities. For past chapters, you can view them here (http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/ffknights/fanfic/main.html).

I now present to you, Chapter 8. Enjoy!
(Oh, and since it is too long, I have to divide the Chapter into two parts.)


Part 1
Chapter VIII:

The Temple Knight



After the dust from the explosion settled, the being that was once known as Drake slowly reopened its wings. "Is everybody OK?" it said in an echoing voice. Everyone nodded in agreement. "That was a lot of energy you channeled back there Drake. How were you able to gather such power to transform?" asked Ured.

"Ura…Ura helped me…" it muttered.

"You mean the planet itself? But how can that be? It does not possess such massive power."

But before he could answer, he collapsed onto the ground. "Yet another mystery is presented upon us…..Come, we must get Drake to close shelter. The transformation has clearly drained him of almost all his energy."

"I agree. It will be good for the guardians and me. We really took a beating from Caspin." said Cain.

"Then we must go back to Yzodia and rest at the Inn once more." suggested Sion.

They all started to head back to the Inn until Willy Bob approached them.

"Gosh darn' it son, what in the name of Yzodia has happened here!?" he cried.

"Not now Willy Bob, we are drastically tired after that last fight." replied Sion.

"A fight? Yeehaw! Did you give 'em a good 'whoopin?"

"Not exactly. But Drake here was able to get rid of them."

"That'll show 'em! So, where you guys headin'?"

"To the Inn to rest up. As you can see, many of us are both tired and wounded."

"No can do son. During the explosion, them town's people left for a secret hideout in the mountains, afraid that they were going to be targeted next."

"What! Oh great! Do you know any other Inn near by?"

"Not for another 120 miles, in Blue Orb Harbor. I reckon it'd take about 2 weeks by foot or 6 days by chocobo. I'd let you stay in this here barn, but the explosion decimated it to shambles. Luckily though, none of the chocobos were hurt."

"Thanks, but I don't think we'll last that long, even by chocobo. Isn't there another nearby town or something?"

"Well…..There always is that forest village, 'bout 10 miles south from here, called Falgabird. But be warned: The reason that I din't mention to you folks about Falgabird earlier is because there some demon roaming that part of the region. I suggest you stay away from there as much as possible, but in your current condition, I guess you have no choice."

"Demon? That is simply absurd!"

"I'm seldom serious Sion. And this is one of 'em times I actually am. So listen. Falgabird has been haunted by a strange demon these past few years. And with this came a great fog, covering the forest along with the village itself. Ever since then many monsters and fiends have been lurking throughout the area, attacking any passer-by. It's so dangerous that the villagers have taken refuge in the temple at the edge of the forest."

Sion became silent. Then he said, "I am sorry for not taking you seriously Willy. But we must go to Falgabird. If not, Drake and the others will die of their wounds. All I ask is to borrow new chocobos since the previous ones has scattered about."

"Sure nothin' to it! There are some behind the barn. But heed my warning, watch out!"

"Thank you. And yes, we shall be cautious. But what about you, your barn is dilapidated. So where are you going to stay?"

"Don't worry 'bout me! I'm gonna take the rest of the chocobos and me up North, where my brother lives. He, too, owns a chocobo establishment, Philly Bob's Chocobo Farm. So I guess I'll see ya guys later!"

He hopped onto a chocobo and waved farwell to the adventurous group. Then, with Drake over his shoulders Sion leapt onto the remaining chocobos, as did the others.

"What shall we do about the demons and monsters in Falgabird?" asked Cain to everyone.

"We surely can't defeat them in our current condition. That's for sure." answered Goji.

"We have no choice but to stick together while in the fog and make haste to the temple." suggested Ured.

For hours, they rode through the plains, questioning themselves of what to do once they get to Falgabird. Their chocobos, unaware of their conversation, gracefully sped towards the forest, not knowing about the demon or the fog. Faint sounds of moaning could be heard from Drake, clearly showing his dire need of medical attention. "Don't worry Drake, we're almost there." Sion muttered. Suddenly, the chocobos made a screeching halt. One by one, they started yelling "Wark! Wark!"

"Huh? What's happening?" cried Cain.

"The chocobos……..They sense danger nearby." Eris replied.

"But we're not even near Falgabird yet. It is still a couple hundred yards off."

"Still, they are unusually disturbed by an unknown presence……Wait, look!"

Eris pointed north from their position. There a great monster emerged from the ground, roaring madly. It had two great horns protruding from its head. Its body was the color of a darkish purple and it stood on all fours.

"What the hell is that!?" Sion cried.

"That is a monstrous creature bearing the name 'Behemoth'. Come, we must all reach the forest as fast as we can. If we stay here too long, it will chase us down." Goji said

Everyone forced their chocobos to run as fast as they could without stopping. But it was to no avail since the Behemoth was gaining on them quickly. "Wark! Wark!" they cried again. Soon, they were just some feet away from the foggy forest.

Ured, Cain, Goji, and Eris made it inside successfully, but the same could not be said for Sion and Drake. They were still in the fields, trying to reach the forest. The Behemoth was only inches away from them; Sion could feel its warm breath down his neck. "Almost there…"he whispered. Cries of "Hurry up!" and "It's right behind you!" were heard from the rest of his friends. Suddenly, the Behemoth leapt high into the air and landed right in front of the chocobo, interrupting its pathway. But the chocobo did not stop; it kept on running as Sion has commanded it to do so. With a great amount of luck, the chocobo jumped into the air, landed on the back of the Behemoth, and quickly ran across it, thus leading it into the forest.

The monster was enraged of his escaping prey, he roared in anger. Then it ran away, back to its underground home. "That's strange." inquired Ured, "How come it did not follow us into the forest?"

"Perhaps it is afraid of something that lurks here. The demon…."said Sion.

"We will soon find out. Come; let us go to the temple. It shouldn't be too deep into this forest." commanded Goji.

As they were walking along with their chocobos, they came across numerous pieces of debris; most of them being made of wood. Cain and Sion both found weird pieces containing words that were broken up, but when they put their pieces together, it read "BEWARE: A demon roams this forest every night. If one seeks help, go to the Falgabird Temple. 450ft north from here and-" the rest of the directions were still unable to read on account of some pieces still missing. So they curiously looked through every piece they find, hoping to complete the message.

After about an hour of going through the forest, everyone was becoming tired. The wounded were especially exhausted, growing weaker every second unless they are treated with the right medication. Sion and Cain gave up finding the missing pieces to the warning sign and they just threw the pieces that they had away. Soon, the party stumbled upon a disturbing site. Dead soldiers laid on the ground. Their armors were all heavily tarnished and rusted, including their swords, spears, and shields. Many were just bones now, with cobwebs strung all over their bodies. "Seems a great battle was once fought here long ago……with evil winning." said Ured.

"Simply horrifying…" Eris whispered.

Despite their pity of the dead soldiers, they continued onward. Sion kept complaining of how it's tiring to reach the temple, while the others just ignored him. Strange rumbling sounds could be heard around them, the kind of sounds that sent a chill down their backs. At first, they all ignored it, but as they got deeper into the forest it grew even louder than before. "What is that noise?" asked Cain.

"Spirits, evil spirits also known as monsters and fiends." replied Eris.

"Oh great, it's already bad enough we had that Behemoth and this fog! Now we have to deal with monsters roaming around near us. What do you suggest your Majesty?"

"While I'm aware that we cannot fight them off, we have to do our best to avoid them. We must also stick together."

But before they could continue their journey, large and eerie shadows quickly surrounded them.

[DragonSphere]

(Correction, make that 3)Part 2:

Indeed, they were monsters of fallen souls. Some carried weapons like swords, while others were so hideous that they even had wings to float with. They closed in on the party, ready to destroy their trespassers. Goji took out his two swords once again and tried to fight some of them off, but his weakness from the last battle with Caspin led him to easily be overtaken by the monsters' evil power. Cain, too, tried with his weapon but also failed.

"It is no use! We cannot defend them off by ourselves."

Just as the monsters were about to eliminate them, a shadowy figure appeared.

The fog made it hard for the friends to tell if the figure was a man or a woman, all they could conclude was that it was riding on a chocobo. It wore a long dark cape with a hood concealing its countenance. The body was equipped with a thin layer of chain mail and cloth. The hands were covered with battle gauntlets and its legs with armored braces. The monsters became distracted by the stranger and started to head towards him. In response to the herd, the figure pulled out a sword from its sheath and brandished it high into the air.

The fiends came screeching loudly at their new prey, but this didn't seem to bother it too much. As the monsters came, it slashed them one by one with the sword. Unfortunately though after each one was killed, more and more enemies came; thus making it seem like an endless sea of evil. The party could not believe their eyes, what kind of human could withstand this armada? Finally, after slashing hundreds upon hundreds of fiends, it called to the others, "Come fellow travelers, follow me!" it said in a masculine voice. "Do you think we should trust him?" asked Cain.

"That does not matter, we have but little choice left." said Ured sternly.

Quickly they hopped onto their chocobos and pursued the heroic warrior, staying close to his trail as much as possible. They sped through thorn bushes and tress, with the monsters not far behind them. Rather than ask where they were heading to, the team just stood silent, only concentrating on enduring the rough ride caused by the thick forest growth. The patter of the all the chocobos' running feet echoed throughout the area. Suddenly, the stranger yelled, "Sharp left up ahead. Be ready!" The reason for this message was that a large, dark 'bottomless' hole covered with gnarled branches that was positioned in front of their path and therefore could not be seen if it were not for a warning. The others heed his words and were able to avoid it, while some of the monsters did not.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of a large structure. "Huh? Why are we stopping?" asked Sion, but the man just ignored him. Instead, he got off his chocobo and knelt down. "What're you doing? Hordes of monsters are just 20 yards away from us!" Again, Sion was ignored. The man then started chanting in a weird language. "How can you be chanting at a time like this? Look, they're coming! What are we going to do? We are nothing but sitting ducks here!" As the ghouls and goblins came closer, the chanting of the man became louder. When the monsters were just about to attack, a huge spherical light surrounded the party, which the fiends could not penetrate. "Whoa! What did you just do?"

"I'll explain once we get inside, come."

As they entered the building, everyone but the man stood in awe. Throughout the room were beautiful statues and stain glass windows, depicting ancient stories and figures throughout Ura's history. At the end of the room stood a rather big altar, containing a red jewel. "Welcome to the Falgabird Temple." he greeted.

"So this is the temple. Interesting, we were just looking for it too." commented Ured.

"Were you? Well, I have to inform the High Priest of your arrival. Please, stay where you are." The man then walked down the hall and soon disappeared from sight.

During their waiting period, the party decided to investigate the surroundings. They hopped off their chocobos and started to look around. Sion, with Drake on his shoulders, curiously studied the statues; most of them being old and rusted. Cain carefully examined the torches that burned on both sides of the entrance. Their composition was especially peculiar to him. Ured scanned the different types of pictures that were shown through the stain glass windows, each one reminding him of an earlier memory from his past. Meanwhile, Goji and Eris went to the altar, discussing amongst themselves of the jewel. "This looks rather familiar…" she said, "Haven't we seen this before Goji?"

"Not that I recall." he replied, "Maybe it's just a coincidence.

"Yea…but, oh never mind. Look, here comes that man."

Coming from the alcove beside the altar was the stranger that had brought them here. Behind him was an old man, wearing a white vestment and scarf. "Everyone, please gather around the altar. You can leave your chocobos at the entrance." The others quickly followed his order. As he got closer to the old man, Ured was baffled. "Why, Sigmund! What in Ura are you doing here!"

"'Ured, Ured Raidus…is that you! It has been many years since our last meeting, my friend."

"Yes, indeed. But I would never have thought you to end up here as a High Priest."

"Well, things change Ured. And for me, it is probably for the best. Now, Beowulf here told me about you and your friends' condition. How can I be of aid?"

Sion came up and showed Sigmund the body of Drake. "This here's Drake. Recently, we were involved in a battle. Luckily though, Drake saved us and destroyed the enemy. But it drained so much energy from him, which would explain his state of unconsciousness. We came here to seek medical attention to not only Drake but to a few of my friends as well."

"I see. Everyone, please follow. Beowulf, introduce yourself to them before we go."

The man took off his hood and turned towards the others.

"Sorry for my rudeness earlier during the chase. My name is Beowulf, the Temple Knight of Falgabird. I serve here under High Priest Sigmund and have sworn to protect this sacred ground with my life. There is no need to thank me for rescuing you all. It was merely my duty."

"Yes. Everyday, he goes out into the forest and searches for either survivors or stray travelers. Now let us go." Sigmund added.

[DragonSphere]

Part 3:


Everyone followed Sigmund into the alcove from where they came from. Inside was a long narrow staircase leading deep underground. Everything was dark except for a lamp that Beowulf carried. As they descended the steps, Sigmund briefed the party on the story of the underground passage. "It all happened 4 years ago," he started, "In the days when Falgabird was at it's highest peak in prosperity. Then one cloudy night, a terrible storm occurred, nothing that has ever been seen in this region before. It forced the villagers to take shelter in this temple, since it had the strongest foundation. During this tragedy, a strange demon appeared, causing havoc throughout Falgabird. With him came legions of monsters, which gradually inhabited the forest and the village. It was a very dark time for the inhabitants. Everyone was even afraid to just stick their foot outside because of the dangerous monsters. It was like a punishment sent from the gods. Since then, the people have stayed here in the Temple."

"If it has been that long, then why don't the monsters or the demon itself destroy the Temple?" asked Cain. Sigmund gave a long sigh. "Remember the red ruby you saw upstairs in the main hall?"-Everyone nodded- "Well, it is actually one of the ancient Goshai relics; of Carbuncle. It is said that its gem provides a shield of light over its bearers, protecting it from anyone or anything."

"Where'd you find such a rarity?"

" 'Twas a gift from a very brave warrior named Leo. Who was Beowulf's father."

Beowulf gave a grunt.

"Ya, ya. My old man." And started mumbling.

"Here we are. The Underground Refuge of Falgabird." Sigmund announced as they ended the staircase, "It may not be much, but it was the best we could do." Throughout the entrance were many tunnels and passageways, linking to other rooms. The walls were merely plastered with straw and the ground was just pure soil. "Amazing!" Ured complemented, "This complex network of underground passages is very impressive Sigmund. It must stretch on for miles!"

"Indeed it is Ured. About 6 miles to be exact. Took us around 2 years to complete. Come let me show you to the medical rooms."

They followed the High Priest into a rather large room containing various medical tools, medicine, and even small beds for patients to lie on. "Just lay the wounded here. I shall fetch the nurse and the doctor." And with that, Sigmund left, leaving Beowulf for supervision. Sion approached the first bed and took Drake off his shoulders and laid him on it. "Finally, he was getting a little heavy back there!" Cain, Goji, and Eris followed accordingly, choosing a bed to rest upon. A little while later, Sigmund returned with the doctors.

The doctor and nurse examined each person, starting with Eris, then onto Goji and Cain. Each of them checked out with the possibility of having their wounds cared for. Then, they came onto the unconscious Drake. "Hmm…This is strange." The doctor murmured.

"What is it?" asked the nurse. The doctor turned towards the others.

"Well, your friend here is in rare condition that through all my years of medical science that I have never seen before. There is neither pulse nor heartbeat whatsoever, yet you can still see faint signs of breathing. I'm sorry, but I literally can't do anything to treat him. All we can do is wait and see what happens."

This news disappointed the party very much, but in the end, they could do nothing. Little did they know however, is that Drake was fighting a battle that no one could have ever dreamed of. A battle that would decide his very own chance of survival……in his mind.

Stay tuned for Chapter IX: Shattered Dreams, coming in early March.