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The Man on the Wanted Poster; Zereal's prequel stories
Topic Started: Apr 24 2008, 05:56 PM (689 Views)
AmuroNT1
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The man who destroys worlds and creates worlds
Museum Refugee
Part 1: Piracy

Smoke and flame issued from the Antian ship as it rocked in the waves. The sails, ripped to shreds by chain shot, flapped uselessly in the breeze. Another ship, this one with black sails, sat alongside it with grappling irons holding the two vessels nearby one another. The pirate captain strode up and down the line of the captive crew, a smirk on his swarthy, bearded face. "Don't take it personal, gents. Just business is all."

"Cap'n! Got a prisoner here!"

Several heads turned to see the first mate leading a crimson-haired, long-cloaked man out from the lower decks. The captain looked the man over and nodded. "What's your story, sonny?"

The redhead shrugged. "The casinos in Banzon were a little hot for me. Next thing I know, I'm in irons and they're talking about dropping me in a debtors' prison near Shurna. I really owe you guys one, you know? I'm certainly not averse to repaying the favor by helping you sail broad beam, or whatever..."

The pirates growled to one another, muttering in discussion. "We don't want another hand taking our share of the gold!" cried one voice. "Yeah, come on Captain Kibbe, throw this lubber in a lifeboat and let him paddle for his freedom!"

"Quiet, you dogs!" Kibbe yelled before turning back to the man. "Are you any good with a ship or a sword, mate?"

Now he walked over to a pile of treasure, picking up a shield and sword. "I ought to be. I am the Crimson Blade, after all."

That got the pirates' attention, and made the captive Antian crew grimace. Kibbe laughed heartily. "The great and terrible Crimson Blade got caught playin' a bad hand of cards? That's a laugh."

"Don't believe me?" Zereal said with another lazy half-shrug. "That's fine. Just ask these guys." He crouched down to the Antian captain and smiled. "Go ahead. Tell them."

The captain spoke harshly, though clenched teeth. "If you let this man go, you're bigger fools than you look. Armies of monsters couldn't stop him...the fiercest mercenaries and assassins couldn't stop him...but he finally overstepped his bounds in our casinos. If you let him go..."

"Thank you!" Zereal interrupted, standing back up. "Convinced yet?"

"By the Powers..." Kibbe muttered as he gave the mercenary a visual once-over. "Wouldn't mind having an enforcer to deal with the guards on the blasted payroll ships..."

Zereal smiled. "Do we have a deal then?"

***

The Saucy Sue pulled into a cove off the coast of Delfa, heavy rocks and the remains of one or two ships wrecked against them disguising the entrance to the cave. Inside, torches enchanted with Light spells stood at regular intervals, lighting a series of makeshift houses and buildings, with only a few people around working on them. As soon as the ship was docked, the crew began to disembark.

"That was a hell of a fight, lad!" Kibbe said as he slapped Zereal on the shoulder. "Never seen a man use Breathtaker Powder like that before."

"Hey, you've gotta have a way of dealing with spellslingers," replied Zereal. "On the deck of a ship there's not a lot of cover to get behind, so they can bend you over their knee real easy. Taking out a mage is also a big hit to the enemy's fighting spirit. You saw how fast they gave up after losing their heavy artillery."

The captain nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed they did. I think you've earned a little bonus today. C'mon back to the plunder room."

Before anything else could be said, the sounds of cannon striking stone and explosions rocked the cove. "What the thunder?!" Bikke yelled.

A bucaneer ran up to the pair. "Cap'n! Ships flying the Antian colors have entered the cove!"

A dark grimace crossed the captain's face. "All hands to arms! This one's the big one, lads, let's show 'em what we're made of!"

"...Actually, cappy, you may want to reconsider that."

Kibbe turned to see Zereal just as the red-haired man ignited a length of slow match and let it fall to the ground. The fuze ran along the ground, to a curve in the walls of the cavern which was packed with black powder and ammunition of every variety...and was levelled at the Saucy Sue.

"By the Powers, a traitor!"

Zereal smirked. "I prefer 'mole'. Sounds cooler."

Kibbe drew out his cutlass. "Get 'im! Stop that blasted match before it goes off!"

Several pirates rushed forth, half intent upon taking down the traitor, the other half attempting to snuff the fuze as it ran along the ground. Zereal rolled to keep with the flame and thrust out his sword just in time to stop a blade from snipping it. The pirate started to react, only to receive a shoulder to the face. Another came up behind him with a pistol, but the mercenary grabbed the weapon, directed it under his arm, and forced the pirate to fire at one of his own. With the weapon spent, an elbow to the face dealt with the third man.

Now three came to fight him at the same time, raising their own firearms. Zereal ducked behind his shield, letting the bullets embed themselves in the reinforced structure. He took a hop-step forward before lashing out with a spinning kick that struck all three across the face and sent them to the stony floor. Before any more could advance, however, the soldiers from the Antian ships rushed onto the scene, weapons drawn. "Freeze!"

"Took you guys long enough," Zereal said as he stomped out the fuze. He walked over to the commander, who was personally holding Kibbe at sword's point. Reaching into his cloak, he drew out a rolled-up piece of paper and handed it over. "It's just like your bosses suspected, chief. These guys are privateers for Delfa, and here's their letter of marque."

"Very well done," commented the commander as he took the letter. "Not that I'd expect anything less from the Crimson Blade, of course."

"Of course," he responded with a wan smile.

Kibbe growled, but quickly deflated. "Ye played us for fools this whole time...and to think, I was gonna give you the Sue when I got too old to keep piratin'."

Zereal patted his former commander on the shoulder as he pulled the plunder sack from his belt. "Don't take it personal, cappy. Just business is all."

As the pirates were lead off, the commander turned to watch. "Asking for leniency in exchange for uncovering these pirates...I'd heard you were a fool, but apparently those were just rumors." Now, a dark smile lit up the man's features. "However, it doesn't excuse the fact that you've spent the last several months raiding ships from several nations, including Antia..."

"I figured you'd try to find an out like that," Zereal said with a sigh. "That's why I lit the fuze again."

"..Wha-"

The massive explosion rocked the cavern, the light and sound stunning all nearby as a mass of super-hot metal rocketed through the air and ripped through the Sue, shattering her hull and setting her alight. The Antian commander struggled to his feet, his ears bleeding, and saw that the mercenary was gone. "Find him! NOW!"

By the time the guards got down to the plunder room, the door was shattered and a good portion of the treasure missing. When they discovered the secret dock on the other side of the island, Kibbe's hidden pinnance was already far enough away that any attempt to follow would be fruitless.

Zereal leaned over the steering wheel and shook his head. "Well, that was a fun diversion," he said to himself as he looked over the clear blue sea. The escape ship had plenty of food, and he had packed a good amount of treasure onto it. Not as much as he would have liked, but with soldiers chasing you you can only do so much. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a small book and flipped to a page with a good bit of writing on it. One entry read "17 Aquus 169: Sighted ship." Pulling a pencil from his pocket, he added a note next to it: "5 Umbrus 170: Sank same."

"Now...how in Hades am I going to run a ship with just myself?"

~Fin~
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AmuroNT1
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The man who destroys worlds and creates worlds
Museum Refugee
Part 2: Kidnapping

The resounding noise of wood over packed earth echoed through the dark woods. The full moon was the only light along the path, which was occupied by only a single Chocobo cart. The driver slowly pulled the cart off to the side, petting the Chocobo's flank as the giant bird started grazing, then turned around to face the rear of the cart. He pulled off the sheet covering the bed, revealing a pretty young woman with ice-blue hair, tied and gagged. As soon as she saw the light, she looked up at the man and scowled.

"Yeah, hi there," Zereal said with a faint smile. "Alright, we're miles from civilization, nobody around to hear any screaming. If I remove the gag, do you promise not to scream?"

The girl nodded. Slowly, he went to remove the gag.

*CHOMP!*

"Owowowowowo...Oh, real mature!" he said, nursing an injured finger. "You know, I expected better out of the daughter of Sasun Academy's Professor of Black Magic."

"Go to the demons!" the girl snarled at him. "Why should I be nice to the man who kidnapped me?!"

Zereal let out a faint sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Because it makes things a lot easier on all parties. Look, I'm not doing this for my health here. All I know is, an old friend offered an insane amount of money for me to abduct you." He looked off to the side, thinking out loud. "Dammit, Darrek..."

"Wait...Darrek?"

Zereal looked back at the girl. He was about to ask "You know him?" when he noticed the twinkle in her eyes. He had seen it many times before, and instantly knew what it meant - and it made him facepalm. "Don't tell me, let me guess. 'I Want to Be Your Canary'?"

"Well, sort of. It's a bit embarassing to have things get summed up that easily," the girl said as she sat up.

Internally, Zereal wondered if he should have seen this coming. Darrek had been very vague when he hired Z for this kidnapping; after all, who pulls the kidnap-a-daughter-and-blackmail bit with a mere university professor? But there he had it from the kidnapee herself, the perfect explanation: his old buddy was in love with a girl well outside his social circle.

"I love it when they don't tell me all the details," he said aloud. "Look, now that you know the situation, can we be a bit more friendly? I hate this snatch-and-run stuff anyway."

The girl nodded. "I'm sorry about before. Look, if you take me to him, I promise I'll be good."

"Well, at the very least that makes things easier..."

***

"Here's to you, buddy!"

Zereal clinked his wine goblet against Darrek's as the two sat across the table from one another at his hideout. Despite being a mere bandit, the hideout was well-furnished in large part due to his trading of stolen Sasun artifacts to other nations in return for big sacks of Gil. It also allowed them to afford excellent food, like the roast pig sitting between them.

"So," the mercenary said after he took a sip, "when were you going to tell me what this was all about?"

Darrek stopped in mid-chew, looking up at his old friend, then sighed and swallowed. "If I told you from the start, would you have taken the job?"

"You ARE a friend, but you really should know better than to pull stuff like this."

The bandit leader stood up. "Well, what am I supposed to do?! Sara and I are in love. I know how you feel about people turning into idiots over girls, but trust me, this isn't some kind of horny teenager love. I know her and she knows me. We just can't do anything because her hoity-toity family wouldn't let me get anywhere near her. That's why I needed your help."

Zereal took a long sip of his wine so he wouldn't have to say anything. He'd known Darrek since the two attended the same knightly training academy; they both realized rather quickly that it wasn't for them and went AWOL together. Zereal, who picked up more of the techniques, became a sellsword, while Darrek, with his natural inclination for stealth, became a bandit. This was the first time they'd met in years, and the first thing that happened was Darrek hiring him to kidnap the girl he had the hots for. It made him want to...

The door to the room burst open, thrown aside by one of Darrek's subordinates. "Boss, they found us! There's gotta be fifty spell-slingers out there, and they are PISSED!"

"Son of a..." Darrek grabbed his shortsword and headed out into the main part of the hideout. Zereal grabbed his weapons and joined the group. The hideout was a rough, stone-hewn fortress disguised as an embankment of earth in the east of Sasun. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be doing a lot of good, as blasts of every type of attack magic conceivable slammed into the exterior of the fortress. The bandits gathered, weapons drawn, as Sara ran up and hugged herself to Darrek.

"Hey, look," the bandit leader said to his friend. "You get out of here. You already did your part, the rest is mine."

"You know how I feel about abandoning friends," Zereal replied with an askance look.

Sara looked over at him. "This is something we have to do. If we don't, they'll never accept us." She walked over and hugged Zereal. "I really want to thank you for bringing us together, but you shouldn't get caught up in this."

Zereal sighed. He knew they wouldn't accept this answer, and that they wouldn't listen to reason. That was what love did to you. But maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to hold the mages off long enough to force a negotiation. And beyond that... "Alright, I'll go. But I'm clearing out the escape route so you can run if things get hot."

"Just go!" Darrek said, waving his free hand. Zereal ran out of the room, back into Darrek's room where they had eaten dinner before. He shifted the bookshelf, revealing the hidden passageway, and ducked inside, pulling it fast behind himself. The corridor was long and lined with torches, leading to an exit several hundred yards away from the main entrance. He climbed out of the opening, which was disguised as a tree stump near the edge of the woods. A quick glance revealed that nobody was around.

Just as Zereal got on solid ground, the air exploded outwards with a burst of incredible energy. Looking over to the source, he saw a massive sphere of crimson energy with blue shockwaves, bursting out of the fortress. He jumped behind a tree as shattered fragments of rock and other debris flew by, smacking into the woods and scarring the ancient trees. When the torrent finally ended, Zereal peeked out from the tree, and instantly wished he hadn't.

What little remained of the fortress was a shattered ruin, looking like nothing so much as a trampled anthill. Adding to the image were the countless mages swarming over them. Every few seconds, he saw them unleash blasts of magic; it took him only a second to realize what they were doing. Part of him wanted to run in and stop them, but as much as he wanted to try and save his old friend, Zereal knew it was a waste. He knew Darrek and his men were already dead, and probably Sara with them. And none of this would have happened if he hadn't taken that damn job...

The Gil in his backpack jingled, an incongruously cheerful noise in the blood-stained night. The Crimson Blade started walking, the forest screening his view of the destroyed bandits' hideout, but not soon enough for him. Reaching into the pack, he pulled out his journal and turned to the first open page. At the top, he scribbled Ignis 14, and at the bottom, United in heart and soul and eternity.. And then he started sketching, an image two figures holding hands.
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