Final Fantasy Story Chapter 11

Sanity's Decline

By Nathan Jones

Relm stopped to rest for a short time before setting off again. She had been racing through the Dark Woods for what seemed like an eternity, and it would do her weary legs some good to finally get some rest. She found a nice spot near a rather large tree, and nestled underneath one of its many roots to take a short nap. She lay there peacefully, and before long the young teenager fell into a deep sleep.

“Relm…”

Relm stirred as her name grabbed her attention.

“Relm…” the strange voice again spoke her name, and this time Relm sat up with a look of fear in her eyes.

She strained to see through the dark of the forest and before long she made out the shape of a white figure, which seemed to be literally floating above the forest floor. Thinking her eyes were just playing tricks on her, she shook her head and lay back down in hopes of getting back to sleep.

“Come Relm…” the voice said again, “Please come…. there is much you must see…”

Relm was now frightened and she clutched the small dagger she had brought with her tightly in her hand as she slowly stood up.

“Who are you?” she called into the dark, “What the hell do you want?”

Once again she saw the figure, and by this time she could tell it wasn’t human. Still, the mystery of what this creature could want drew the young girl towards its location. She slowly made her way through patches of evergreen and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right leg.

“Ouch!” she yelped. She bent down and pulled a small thorn from her ankle and watched as the blood flowed freely down the rest of her leg. “Gotta be more careful.” She said to herself. “

She looked up to see the mysterious figure floating into the brush not too far from her location and as she pushed the branches aside, she realized that she was in a small clearing. Although it looked somewhat normal, something about this place, its aura seemed a little strange and at the same time, magical. She surveyed the clearing and noticed a small pool of water encircled by many small stones. There, right next to the water, sat the strange figure she had been following for so long.

“Welcome Child of Destiny.” The ghost said, “Come…sit here…. I have much to show you.”

Relm did as she was told and watched as the ghost swirled its bony finger in a circular motion inside the pool of water. As he did so, Relm began to make out buildings, people, and other objects in the water. It was strange though, for they all looked familiar. The view shifted to the sky and then into the very outreaches of space. Relm saw the earth as a tiny sphere in the vast blackness of the universe. What she saw next troubled her more than anything. A large explosion suddenly erupted on the far side of the earth, on what she knew as the continent where the Imperial capitol of Vector was located. The explosion spread throughout the rest of the earth like a wild fire and clouds of black swirled around the once peaceful planet. The perspective then changed yet again to familiar towns like Mobliz, Thamasa, and even the castle of Figaro. Relm could barely believe her eyes. These once peaceful towns were now nothing more than rubble, scattered with bones and ash. Amongst the ruin was a lone figure. The view zoomed in and Relm noticed the man was laughing at the destruction before him. His face came into full view and Relm gasped. It was Kefka! Suddenly the water stopped swirling, and the vision was gone as fast as it had appeared.

“So you see child…” the ghost said in a soft voice, “You see what will become of the world if Kefka is not stopped….”

Relm nodded and looked at the apparition with a look of fear.

“Go Child of Destiny…” the ghost said, “The fate of the world is upon your shoulders.”

Relm awoke breathing heavily. What was this? Surely it couldn’t have been a dream. It all seemed so real. She shook her head and scrambled to get up.

“I must hurry!” she said to herself, “If I don’t, and if what I saw WAS truly real, then the world will be nothing but a pile of rubble unless I do what I was ordained by destiny to do. May the gods give me speed.”

**************

Jonathon breathed a hefty sigh of relief. The castle had been spared, and there were only a few casualties. He looked around the engine room where he had remained for the length of the long trip through the underground. As he gazed upon all the dead bodies of who had once been some of his closest friends, he couldn’t help but feel deep sorrow. He wept there, for only a little, before a servant came running into the room. He too saw the carnage and with a soothing look in his eyes gently placed a hand on Jonathon’s shoulder.

“Um….Master?” Jonathon, a little startled, quickly arose and wiped the tears in his eyes on his sleeve. “Yes…what is it?” he asked.

“Sir a few of the warriors of light have just arrived, and they wish to speak with you immediately.” The servant replied.

“Thank the gods.” Jonathon said, a little relieved, “Tell them I’ll be with them as soon as I can.” He glanced at the dead engineer’s bodies. “First I wish to bury these poor souls.”

“As you wish sir.” The servant replied.

With that the young man turned around, and headed back the way he came. Jonathon was alone now, and unable to fight back the tears any longer, he wept again as he buried the bodies of his comrades one by one.

*********

Kefka and his men made the long trudge over the hill and looked with disappointment as they realized yet ANOTHER large hill awaited them. Kefka looked around and it was decided.

“Men,” he said as he stabbed his sword into the ground, “We make camp here for the night.”

Kefka could hear satisfied sighs throughout his army. He couldn’t help but smile. Although his men were usually much more in shape, he knew they needed some rest. After all, that last fight had taken its toll on some of his best warriors. It didn’t take long for the tents to go up, and the men were soon hustled beside their temporary huts laughing and talking of the previous battle. Kefka walked the length of his camp, making sure to note any possible landmarks in case he and his men got lost. For you see, as vast as the Empire was, never once had they attempted to settle upon these lands. The Dark Woods to the north, combined with strange stories of demons and horrible beasts, had kept any villagers from amassing enough courage to produce a colony. He stopped when he noticed some tracks on the ground. They looked fresh, and Kefka bent down to inspect them.

“Aha.” He said proudly to himself, “Looks to me like someone has an agenda at the temple as well.”

He rose to his feet, and with a smile on his face, turned back to his tent. It would be a long night, and Kefka needed an ample amount of time to plan his next move. It was one the citizens of the world would never forget.

*********

Edgar had been walking for quite some time, and his legs were beginning to feel the same way. He stopped to rest for a minute, but noticed something on the ground.

“Hmm…” he thought to himself, “Looks like a footprint.”

He bent down and examined it closely. His assumptions turned out to be correct. It was indeed Relm’s footprint. Although slightly eroded, he could tell that Relm had been there in the not too distant past. However, even with Mog’s explanation of why Relm went to Mortheius, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what would compel the young girl to seek the old sage so fiercely. He would have to ask Mortheius himself what exactly he told Relm, and why she was traveling all the way through the Dark Woods. He would get his answer soon enough, although it would not be a happy one.

****************

Mog too had traveled as fast as his legs could carry him. Once again, the warp spell would do him no good this time, for he had never visited the Dark Woods before. Especially not alone. He did have one thing going for him though, his ability to communicate with some of the creatures he spotted. He used this ability to ask them various shortcuts and he found that this did him a lot of good. It wasn’t too long before he reached the mountain overlooking the valley where the Dark Woods lie. He surveyed the area and noticed a small cave where he could camp for the night. He was exhausted, and he didn’t want to risk going the rest of the trip without any rest. He nestled in for the night, and before long he fell into a deep sleep.

He woke up to the sound of a large thud somewhere inside his cave. He quickly grabbed his spear and with battle hungry eyes looked the best he could into the dark cavern for whatever had made the sound. He had no luck. There was no way he going to be able to see what was in the cave with him unless he found some way to light it up. Suddenly, he remembered that Edgar had taught him a very useful Fire spell. Although this spell was mainly used for battle, it was also very useful if you needed to light up a dark room. He chanted the necessary incantations and before long the entire cave was bathed in light. That is when he noticed the small hole that he had failed to notice when he first made his way into the cave. It looked like any normal cranny, however with closer surveillance he could now see that the “cranny” went much deeper underground. Although he as a moogle was accustomed to living in caves like this one, the thought of going down THIS hole didn’t excite him. Yet, if he wanted to cast his fears aside, and enjoy a good night’s sleep, he felt he needed to investigate whatever made that noise. He positioned himself properly, grabbed his spear, and let himself fall into the hole. Thankfully, it wasn’t but only about 10 feet deep. The strange thing though was that when he landed on the bottom, it felt as if the cavern had somehow expanded. Once again he cast the fire spell and to his amazement, the light revealed that that little hole had opened up into one of the largest caverns he had ever laid eyes upon.

“Now to explore this place.” He said to himself.

So, with spear in hand, and courage in his heart, he set out into the cavern.

******************

Day broke over the vast desert surrounding Figaro Castle. Amidst the sand, a small beetle scurried in search of food. It spotted a smaller insect, and right as it was about to pounce, a large boot squashed the poor bug in one fatal swoop.

“Damn I hate bugs.” Cyan grunted.

“Relax Cyan.” Gau said, “It was only a small beetle.”

“Small or not,” Cyan retorted, “I hate em nonetheless.”

Gau shrugged, and the two resumed their trek of the desert to the small village of Kohlingen, which lay not too far from their present location. Even though the desert seemed so similar to the previous one that had surrounded Figaro Castle before Jonathon burrowed, the warriors knew that it wasn’t quite as harsh. Still, the ever-rising heat, and the lack of sufficient winds made this desert just as unbearable as the last.

“What do you plan on doing once we reach Kohlingen Cyan?” Gau asked a little puzzled.

“Well,” Cyan replied, “All I want right now is the largest glass of whiskey that the bartender there can offer. Better to stick to milk for you though kid.” Cyan put in.

Gau laughed out loud and the two continued the hike to the village. Last night had been a long one, and the warriors felt they needed some relaxation before their next move.

*********************

Jonathon had finally finished with the burial of his companions. He had wept and dug for so long, his body was in dire need of rest. He dropped the shovel where he stood, and slumped down against one of the stone walls of the engine room. “Such hatred…” he said to himself as he thought about the atrocity Kefka had committed against Figaro Castle.

“Why was he so bent on destroying this place?” Jonathon said out loud, “What have we done to deserve this?”

“Absolutely nothing.” He heard a voice say in the darkness.

“Who’s there?!” Jonathon shouted as he raised the shovel he had used to bury his friends, “Show yourself!”

“It’s alright Jonathon.” He heard the voice say, “Its me Locke.”

Jonathon turned around to see Locke standing on the steps leading to the engine room. “By the Gods!” he shouted, “I had thought you and the others were lost to us!”

He ran over and the two companions embraced. “Haha.” Locke laughed, “Not quite lad. In fact, all of the others are in the great hall. We await your arrival to plan our next move.”

“Next move?” Jonathon asked, “You mean there’s more?”

“This is Kefka we’re dealing with.” Locke replied as he began to make his way back up the stairs. “There’s always more.”

With that, he motioned for Jonathon to follow him back up the stairs, and the two made their way to the great hall.

************

Mog wasn’t having much luck determining the origin of the sound he had heard earlier.

“What could it be?” he said to himself, “At the rate I’ve been searching, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was morning already.”

He took a careful step over an unusually large rock and began to feel a bit woozy. “Oh my.” He said, “I think I should rest for a bit.”

He placed his spear beside him, and sat down on the rock. For some odd reason though, it was almost impossible to get comfortable. He pounded the rock like a pillow and finally was able to get situated when just then, the rock itself began to move!

“By the gods!” Mog yelled as he was thrown off, “What on earth is this?!”

He hit the ground hard and felt a sharp pain go through his left shoulder. As he clutched his injured shoulder, the “rock” which had just before been nothing but a natural stool, began to take on the shape of what looked to be somewhat human. Legs, arms, feet, hands, and even a small misshapen head appeared out of nowhere. Mog could scarcely believe his eyes. He had seen fantastic creatures in his travels, yet this was the first time in his entire life that he had ever encountered anything of this magnitude. Shaking in fear, he grabbed his spear with his good arm and tried to slowly creep away from the monster. He didn’t make it but a few feet when he felt himself being lifted into the air. Screaming and chanting, he tried to break free.

“Fira vescuiehsimon, nectu, aramu, firaga!” he shouted at his foe.

As the last of the ancient words left his lips, a swirling ball of fire took shape in his right hand and Mog sent the ball like a projectile straight into what he thought best to be the rock giant’s eyes. The blast hit its target and as the fire shattered part of the giant’s face, its grip on Mog loosened just enough for Mog to break free. The moogle didn’t miss this opportunity to run for his life. He quickly picked up his pace and ran to the nearest hole in the large cavern. It turned into a long tunnel and as Mog pondered whether or not he should go in, he heard the rock giant growl and looked to see it barreling towards him with a fiery gaze in its eyes. Mog didn’t even think now, he simply darted into the cave and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. As he ran, he turned his head ever so slightly to see if the giant was still following. His questioned was quickly answered when he saw the giant pick up a large boulder and hurl it at the moogle with incredible accuracy. It barely missed taking off Mog’s head and instead, wedged itself into the tunnel blocking Mog’s escape. Mog desperately tried to go around it, but there was no way he could fit through a hole that tiny. Just then he saw another hole, bigger than the other, yet a little harder to reach. He didn’t waste any time. He tossed his spear into the opening and was satisfied when he heard it go all the way through. He quickly positioned himself to go through but was stopped short when the giant finally caught up with him and knocked the moogle right into the cavern wall with its massive fist. The blow nearly knocked Mog unconscious and he lay there on the tunnel floor limp, and bruised. His first thought was to protect himself with his spear, but then he remembered it was on the other side of the boulder behind him. Dazed, and in pain, he watched as the golem took a long look at the moogle. As he did so, Mog could have sworn he heard the golem speak, but couldn’t quite make out what the creature was saying. The golem looked again at the moogle as if puzzled. A deep rumbling came from what appeared to be its throat and this time, Mog heard a word.

“Master…” The golem croaked.

“What the hell?” Mog asked himself, “Why is he calling me master?”

He tried to figure it out but couldn’t think of any reason that a monster, which had nearly killed him, would call him master. He heard the giant speak again, this time a full sentence or at least, a partial one.

“Master…me…take you.” He said it again and as he did so, he picked up the moogle in his enormous hand and began to carry him into the darkness.

“Wait!” Mog cried, “Before we go, please allow me to retrieve my spear. Its right under that rock.”

The golem looked at Mog’s face and then the rock, but did not loosen his grip on the moogle. “No.” he said, “If me let you go, you escape. Master wouldn’t like that much.”

Mog tired to protest but decided it best to just keep quiet until he could think of another plan. “Very well.” He said, “I guess I have no other choice but to go with you.”

So, with Mog in tow, the golem made its way through the darkness. Where he was taking him though, Mog was not certain. His only hope was that he would get out of this ordeal alive.

***********

Edgar reached Morthieus’s cabin a little before the sun began to set in the vast horizon. He took a deep breath as he placed a foot on the porch. Thought of what questions he should ask raced about inside his head. The king couldn’t even think straight. What was Mortheius going to tell him? What had he told Relm? Why had she made such a mad dash to the Dark Woods of all places? His questions would be answered in due time, however somehow he knew that whatever Mortheius was going to tell him, was not going to be to his liking. He knocked at the door a few times and waited for a response. He heard nothing. He knocked again, this time with more force.

“Mortheius!” he called through the large wooden door, “Mortheius if you are in there, the king of Figaro wishes to speak with you!”

The door opened ever so slightly and Edgar could now see a weary and very old man in front of him with a look of puzzlement on his little face. “What does the King of Figaro want with an old coot like me?” Mortheius asked a little annoyed, “I’ve already had one visitor in the past few days, and she was quite the handful. I don’t care to have any more company. I don’t care if you ARE a king. Just leave this place at once.”

He then began to shut the door to his cabin, but Edgar placed his broad and massive arm and blocked it from closing. “It’s about the girl.” He said, “The girl that visited you a few days ago. I need to know what you told her.”

“Why do you care?” Mortheius asked, “What does the king of Figaro want with a teenage girl?”

“I am one of her closest friends.” Edgar replied, “I fought alongside her as a warrior of light against Kefka six years ago. Surely you remember that great battle.”

Mortheius could hardly believe his ears. “You mean to tell me you too are a warrior of light? Just like the girl?”

“Yes.” Edgar replied, “And I have a bad feeling that whatever you told her will put her in danger. Please I must know what business she has within the Dark Woods.”

“It’s not the Dark Woods she seeks lad.” Mortheius replied, “Tis the trials beyond those woods that she is bound by destiny to forego. Come inside lad. I have much to tell you.”

With that, the door to Mortheius’s cabin was opened, and Edgar took a step inside. As the door shut behind him, a chill ran down his spine.

“Trails beyond the woods.” He said to himself, “I hope that she knows what she’s getting herself into.”

************

As Jonathan and Locke made their way to the great hall, Jonathon began to think to himself just how Locke and the Warriors of Light would ever vanquish a foe such as Kefka. He knew that they had done it once in the past, yet the fact remained that Kefka was much stronger now than he was back then. He knew in his heart that if Kefka did really want to destroy the world, that there was nothing that would stand in his way of achieving that goal. His conscious however, saw differently, and Jonathon scorned himself for thinking of such failure. It didn’t take long for the two to reach the great hall, and Locke swung open the doors and made his way to his side of the large table, which filled the center of the room. Jonathon too took his seat, and the meeting was commenced. Chancellor Fazra was sitting at the head of the table, and opened up the meeting.

“Warriors of Light.” He called across the room, “As you very well know, Kefka is much more powerful than he has ever been before. He has killed thousands in his attempt to condemn this world to darkness. I’m sure you all also remember very well how close he came to destroying this world atop his tower all those years ago. It is of the utmost importance that all of you listen very carefully to what I have to say. The world is at a standstill. Every village from Figaro to the Veldt has been ravaged, burned, and terrorized by Kefka and his armies. He has even grown as bold as to attack us at our home base here in Figaro. Surely you can see that no village is safe from this madman. His sanity has declined to the point that the Gods themselves pose no threat to him. It is imperative that we strike him at the heart of all his evil. Through reports from my spies around the world, I have learned that Kefka has even taken the lives of many of the citizens of the Imperial City of Vector. Where there was once a city of boundless foliage and technology, there now lays a city in ruins and swarming with demons from every dimension. He has turned many of its residents into vicious monstrosities, bent on doing his will and his will alone. Within the heart of Vector, he has erected a new tower of evil. Although similar in appearance to the last, it poses an even bigger threat. Not only can it decimate villages from far distances, it can even decimate entire landmasses. Sadly, the ruins of the village of Thamasa were its first target. When Strago learned of this, he was bent on going after Kefka alone for what he had done to his people. It took much of my effort to convince him this was folly. I will tell you what I told him. In order to defeat Kefka once again, and restore peace to the world, you must all work together to invade Vector and Kefka’s tower, and destroy him once and for all. It will be difficult, and it’s not certain that all of you will return alive. I know you must be anxious to get underway, however it is important that each of you prepare for this battle and clear your minds over the next few days while the preparations for your departure are made. If none of you has anything to say, which I’m sure you do, I would like to end this meeting with a chant for victory. Hail Figaro! May the Warriors of Light pass swift judgment on all evil!”

“Here here!” the warriors shouted.

With that, the meeting was called to an end, and each of the warriors went back to their rooms to contemplate on what they just heard. The task before them was a great one. Each of their lives was at stake, as well as the fate of the world. Little did they know that far away, beyond the Dark Woods, a young teenage girl was also preparing for the decision of her life. All they could do was sit and wait.


Chapter 12

Final Fantasy 6 Fanfic