Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The chronicles of Four! ❯ Growing up and learning new lessons! ( Chapter 21 )

DISCLAIMER: One day, I will work for Squaresoft. So, will this mean I own Final Fantasy?

 

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Black Belt had slumped through the mountains behind Cherry Town for hours, but he somehow managed to find Fighter, though Cloud was nowhere to be seen. Fighter swore he'd gone after a yeti they found, but Black Belt was pretty sure he'd died.

 

“I still can't believe you got lost up here! Fighter, how could you not know you were in the mountains!?” Black Belt asked, dragging Fighter down the lightly frosted path.

 

“Well, it's kinda hard to focus on current destinations when you're busy fighting off the elements. It's a never-ending war between us and the elements.” Fighter replied, sounding uncharacteristically smart for a second. Black Belt merely rolled his eyes.

 

“Oh really? It sounded like you were discussing swords when you left. So, who won the war?” Black Belt asked, though he didn't really sound the least bit interested. But Fighter either didn't notice or didn't care as he answered cheerfully.

 

“Well, of course, the elements won. But I would've beaten them if I had some Flame Mail and the Masamune!” Fighter exclaimed proudly. Black Belt sighed until he saw something over the edge of the small cliff. It appeared to be a large crowd of people, but what really caught Black Belt's attention was that Sabin was in the middle!

 

“What is going on down there?” Black Belt wondered aloud, and ran down the rest of the path, dragging a bewildered Fighter with him. When he got down there, all he could do was scream, “WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE!?” Sabin put down his microphone and turned around.

 

“Oh, hey guys! Did you like who I invited to help us?” he asked. Fighter looked excited when he saw a blonde swordsman in front, and immediately ran to talk to him. Black Belt looked like he saw the destruction of Elfland itself.

 

“Sabin, who are they!? And why are they all robots?” Black Belt asked.

 

“Well, I was lucky enough in that my old buddy X remembered me from Blitz school! So, I told him about our cause, and he said he'd bring a few friends to help!” Sabin said happily. A large sweatdrop rolled down Black Belt's head as he took another look through the large crowd.

 

“This is more than a few friends, you know.” Black Belt mumbled, “Oh, fine. At least we have some more people here. Okay, let's get some things straight...”

 

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Meanwhile, our heroes were sailing through the sky on the Highwind. Red Mage had been chosen as pilot, in honor of his father, and considering that they hadn't crashed, everyone thought he was doing a good job. Even Black Mage was in a lighter mood as he laid on the couch in what was the living room.

 

“I have to admit. Red Mage might be a weirdo, but his family does know how to live large. And he's a pretty good pilot.” Black Mage said, as he lazily took a sip of his beverage. White Mage nodded as she read a newspaper article from a long time ago. It featured an old band named the Imp Sisters, but more importantly, it mentioned Red Mage's father.

 

“White Mage, what did you find?” Thief asked, noticing that White Mage had turned a bit paler. She put the article on the table so everyone could take a look.

 

“According to this, Red Mage might actually be descended from a genius! Look. It says right here that a warrior named Cid Highwind built this very airship and sent it in for the International Gizmo Creations contest they used to hold in Lufeinia, AND he won first prize too!” White Mage explained, excitement in her voice. Thief was very impressed, but Black Mage didn't seem to care as he rolled off the couch.

 

“WM, we don't even know if this is the same ship, or if that's the same guy RM was talking about.” Black Mage yawned.

 

“But it has to be. They said he named it the Highwind, and Red Mage said his father used to own a ship named the Highwind. Do you have any better explanation?” White Mage argued insistently. Black Mage got up off the ground and stretched out.

 

“Yeah. It's called coincidence. Look, WM. There's too much difference in age. This guy looks only a tiny bit older than ourselves, and he doesn't even look like RM.” Black Mage asked, until Thief snatched the article away.

 

“I know an easier way to solve this.” Thief mumbled, “We just ask RM.” He opened the door into the pilot's room and found Red Mage steering the ship. The sunlight blared through the windows, shining all over Red Mage. Thief thought he had a very majestic look to him.

 

“You look really official, RM!” Thief said cheerfully, walking into the room. Red Mage jumped a little, and turned to face Thief.

 

“I didn't think anyone was in here. I figured you all were talking. Is something wrong?” Red Mage asked, “If it's about Cardia Islands, we'll be there soon.” Thief let go of the ornament he'd been examining and walked over to the desk, beckoning Red Mage to follow. He then slapped down the article.

 

“RM, is this your father?” Thief asked bluntly. Red Mage looked carefully at the article, and soon Thief saw tears form in the corner of his eyes.

 

“Yes. He's a bit younger in this picture, but that's definitely him. Wow...” Red Mage read through the article, a smile crossing his face, “I didn't know he won a contest for this ship! No wonder he took such good care of it.” At that moment, Black and White Mage fell through the door, as they'd been leaning on it to listen. Red Mage ignored them though.

 

“How old was the picture?” Thief asked, tilting his head.

 

“This has got to be a good twenty to thirty years old.” Red Mage replied, “Man, no wonder I'm good at mechanics. My dad was a legend according to this! It's a shame he's gone... he could've done some real good things...” White Mage got up and sat in the chair.

 

“What happened to him?” she asked. Red Mage sighed and leaned against the wall.

 

“Well, it happened so long ago, I can't really remember. But it had something to do with the town of Onrac. This was back when people were really talking about the fiends, not just the occasional complaints we hear now.” Red Mage began, “I think my mom told me that Onrac was flooding because of the Fiend of water. Dad went to try and stop the flooding, but that was the last we ever heard from him. I don't even know if he got to Onrac.”

 

“But if he did, maybe there are some clues as to where he went there.” White Mage concluded, “And if we find him, maybe he could help us!” Red Mage didn't look so gung-ho about the idea.

 

“WM, it's been nearly twelve years since he disappeared. If he hasn't come home yet, where could he be? I doubt he'd still be in Onrac unless he forgot about mom and I.” Red Mage replied, “But maybe we would find something there. That'd be a nice relief to know at least what happened.” Black Mage took a look at the old notebook on the desk, and flipped the page with interest.

 

“Huh. It's a good thing Onrac is our next destination after we see the Dragon God.” Black Mage said, smirking.

 

“What? Why is that? Why are we going to Onrac?” Thief asked, raising an eyebrow. Black Mage held up the notebook.

 

“I think this is some kind of log from your dad, RM. According to him, Kraken was the third fiend, and we've already gotten two orbs relit. It can't be much clearer than that, can it?” Black Mage asked, as Red Mage took the notebook and read through it quickly.

 

“According to the last entry, he was going into the Water Shrine near Onrac...” Red Mage said, though it was more to himself than to the others, “That means he's there...” Out of concern for tears, Black Mage slowly walked out of the room, silently gesturing the other two to follow. When Thief slid out, he gently closed the door and sat down in a chair.

 

“Do you think RM is going to be okay?” Thief asked. White Mage had put down her magazine, but it was really Black Mage who answered.

 

“I don't know. I never even knew he had a father. I thought he was an orphan.” Black Mage replied a tone of worry in his voice, “I just hope he can pull himself together though. I understand how he feels, but we have to be even more cautious than we already are. Honestly, the only way we won the last two orbs was because Lich was an idiot and Kary was actually on our side.” White Mage looked out the window at the ocean they were currently flying over.

 

“I know. Kraken sounds much worse than anything we've ever faced. He flooded an entire town in a very short time.” White Mage added.

 

“Who knows if and when he decides to do that again? Kary must've known what happened. I think that's why she told us to go to Cardia Islands.” Thief stated, even though that was obvious, “But would the Dragon God really help us?” No one knew what the answer was, so for a while, the trip to Cardia was silent from that point. It wasn't until Red Mage shouted, “We're at the islands!” that the silence was broken. Red Mage had docked the ship at what looked like the biggest island of them all, and Black Mage made a point of that as the four hopped off the ship.

 

“I hope the Dragon God can help us.” Thief said, as the group walked through the small grove of trees into a large cave. The tunnel seemed to go on and on, but thankfully there were torches so everyone could at least see where they were going. But it didn't help stop Black Mage's whining.

 

“Man, why can't he have a conveyor belt? Or a smaller tunnel? My feet hurt!” Black Mage complained as they came to a large, old-looking door, “Finally! It's about time we found you!” Before Red Mage could check to make sure the door wasn't trapped, Black Mage swiftly opened the door and waltzed inside. Right in the middle of the room was a dragon. He looked rather old, but his scales were a shining black. His wings shone like stained glass, and a halo was sitting above his head. He certainly looked like a god to the warriors.

 

“Who dares to enter the Dragon shrine?” he asked, and even though his voice echoed and reverberated off of everything, it was very gentle and without malice. White Mage knelt to the ground, and the other three followed suite.

 

“Dragon God, we need your help.” White Mage replied, “The third Fiend is perhaps the most dangerous enemy we've faced, and we fear we haven't the strength to stop him.” The dragon flapped his wings thoughtfully.

 

“Yes, Kraken is quite dangerous, but you are young. How do you know of the power he has?” the dragon asked, as he closed his old eyes. Thief looked up.

 

“Kary, the fiend of Fire, suggested we visit you. Those were her dying words.” Thief answered. The dragon turned his head very quickly, as though he was in shock. But then he cleared his throat and settled back down.

 

“I see... yes, the fiend of Fire has wanted to put a stop to Chaos's plans. She was no fiend in her heart. I'm not surprised she would send you to me.” the dragon said, “I can help you gain the power you need to defeat Kraken, young ones. But be warned, it isn't the power that dictates the victory, it is the will and hearts of the ones fighting that controls the tide of battle. This new power will do nothing if you do not have the heart for fighting for what is right.”

 

“Trust me, we have plenty of reasons to fight Kraken.” Black Mage mumbled, “So, how do we obtain this power?” The dragon huffed as he brought out a miniature dragon statue.

 

“I will need the tail of a rat.” he said. Thief brought out the Rat's Tail and gave it to the dragon, who began to recite a spell, “Oh ancient warriors, we ask you to bestow your power and wisdom on these four youths to protect the world as you once did. We offer you the tail of the Dire Rat as a symbol of how determined these youths truly are, as a bonding rope to their vows of protection. Please deem them worthy, as I, Lord Bahamut, have.” As the dragon spoke the last word, mysterious light emitted from the statue until it grew so bright that no one could see. Everyone, everything, was bathed in the warmest light they'd ever felt. Each of the warriors could feel the strength of Bahamut enter them, even as the light died down and the cave came back into vision.

 

“Did it work?” Thief asked, his eyes tightly shut, “I don't feel too different.”

 

“Oh, but you are stronger. Take a look, warriors of Light. You are no longer just children.” Bahamut said. The warriors opened their eyes, and were both shocked and impressed.

 

“I... I'm a ninja!” Thief exclaimed, checking out his new katana, “And you guys are different too!” He looked at his friends carefully. White Mage no longer had a hood, and neither did Black Mage. Red Mage, however, looked the same.

 

“Why didn't RM change!?” Black Mage asked, trying to smooth out his messy brown hair. Red Mage looked around, embarrassed that he was no different than he was before, but Bahamut remained calm.

 

“Red Mage does not need to change. His heart is as strong as ever, and he knew no amount of power would truly help him in what he's searching for.” Bahamut replied, “As I've said, it isn't power that dictates victory. It is will, and Red Mage already had that.”

 

“So... you mean I will find my father?” Red Mage asked, “Do you know where he is? Do you know him?” Bahamut chuckled at Red Mage's sudden enthusiasm, but he patted Red Mage with a claw.

 

“I do not know your father, nor do I know what happened to him.” Bahamut replied, “But I do know that Onrac, and the third fiend, have the answers you seek to your father's disappearance.”

 

“But how do you know he disappeared if you don't know him?” White Mage asked.

 

“Because I am the Dragon God. I watch over everything. I have seen the past, and I can only glimpse the future that could be. Onrac, and the Water shrine, holds many secrets to many things, some of which cannot truly be understood. I am certain that you will at least find out the origins of the orbs and crystals there, and why the fiends must feed on the light.” Bahamut explained, “As for your father, Red Mage, you will find the conclusion of his story. Those are the glimpses I have caught.” Red Mage looked down thoughtfully, processing what Bahamut just told him. Finally, he looked up into Bahamut's eyes.

 

“Thank you. We will never give up the orbs, and I will never give up on my father.” Red Mage said, and turned to his friends, “We should go. Onrac isn't far from here.” Black Mage, who'd given up on his hair, looked shocked.

 

“That's it? But shouldn't we make an offering because Bahamut helped us?” Black Mage asked, and that moment showed everyone what class evolution could do. Normally, Black Mage would never offer to thank someone for their help. Bahamut laughed, seeing White Mage's shocked face.

 

“Saving our planet is your offering.” Bahamut said, “Red Mage is right. You must hurry on. Good luck, young warriors.” With that, everyone bowed and walked back out of the cave. They boarded the Highwind, and Red Mage immediately set off for the control room, leaving the other three to talk freely in the living room. Thief sat down on the couch next to White Mage, and Black Mage sat in the chair, picking up the magazine White Mage had been reading.

 

“BM, you do know that's a book about white magic, right?” White Mage asked. Black Mage looked over the top and nodded.

 

“I know. I don't understand why, but I suddenly feel the need to help the world and to learn all I can about every type of magic I find.” Black Mage replied, flipping through the magazine slowly, “And I should tell you, WM, I find white magic very intriguing.” Thief tugged at his hood thoughtfully.

 

“It must be the class changes Bahamut gave us. They must've made us more mature somehow.” Thief concluded, “But does that mean we'll never be the same anymore?”

 

“Bahamut said that a class change can never truly change a person. Underneath it all, BM is still annoyed with this mission and I'm still praying we find the third fiend soon.” White Mage said, and Black Mage put the magazine down.

 

“WM is right. But I think somehow the power of the ancient warriors is helping us deal with our feelings of rage or worry a bit better.” Black Mage agreed, looking at a chart in the guide, “But that leads me to another question. Did we actually get any stronger? Or are we merely able to cope with our stress, which was holding our true power back?” Red Mage came out of the room as Black Mage put his thoughts into words. Quietly, he walked to a chair.

 

“That's a good question, BM.” he replied as he sat down, “But we'll never know for sure what's really going on, and maybe that's how it should be. After all, if it wasn't for Kary, we probably wouldn't have gone to Bahamut, and thusly never known about this anyway.” Black Mage seemed a but dumbstruck as he drank some tea out of a glass he'd conjured earlier. Thief suddenly realized something as he saw Red Mage sitting down.

 

“RM, if you're here, who's driving the ship?” Thief asked, and Red Mage heard his voice become shaky and nervous. Red Mage chuckled lightly.

 

“Calm down, Thief. I set the plane to autopilot so I could talk to you all. According to the radar, we should be in Onrac soon.” Red Mage replied, and they continued to talk about the mysteries of class changing.

 

Soon was a bit of an understatement for how far away they were. Just as their conversation was really heating up, the Highwind had landed, signaling that they made their destination. But as soon as Black Mage hopped off to take a look around, his old self came back for a minute.

 

“RM, I thought you said we'd be in Onrac! This looks like a clearing.” Black Mage stated, kicking a branch to the side. Red Mage walked off the ship, and it looked like he was tying part of the ship to a tree to keep it from flying off without them.

 

“I must've forgot to mention that the ship can only land on a meadow.” Red Mage replied, taking out a map, “But not to worry. Onrac is just northeast of here, past the forests of Kan.” With that, Red Mage walked into the forest as White Mage began to follow. Before following himself, Black Mage nudged Thief in the ribs.

 

“Let's hope he's not holding the map upside-down.” Black Mage joked, and ran ahead to catch up. Inside the forest was very dark. Absolutely no sunlight could get through the nets of branches that the trees had created, so the group had to rely on Black Mage, Red Mage, and now Thief with their Fire2 spells. Thief was very shocked when he was able to throw a fireball.

 

“Whoa! Check it out! I can use magic now!” Thief exclaimed happily, though he didn't try to light another fireball for fear he'd accidentally burn the forest down. Red Mage smiled and jotted that down on a small notepad he kept in his pocket.

 

“Well, that's not something you see everyday. That's another key element in class change, I guess. The ability to use magic...” Red Mage said, putting the pad away and continuing through the forest. Soon he, and everyone else for that matter, began to notice that the ground was slowly becoming soggier and damper, and that movement was becoming increasingly difficult. Black Mage tried an Ice spell to see if that would create some footing, but the ice was quickly melted by the mud. Red Mage thought Fire might dry out the earth enough to climb onto, but it fizzled out as soon as it touched the water.

 

“This must be the work of Kraken.” Thief growled, trying to free his katana from the muck, “We're close.” He managed to pull the katana out, but he also fell into the mud by the kickback he created with his strength. Black Mage tried to pull him out, but he wasn't strong enough.

 

“Geez! Kraken must be more of a threat than I thought if he could manipulate water up here while he's in the ocean, in the Water Shrine.” Black Mage huffed and Red and White Mage came to help. With their efforts, they managed to free Thief, who was covered in a thick blanket of mud.

 

“Well, at least we can take comfort in the fact that I might just be the scariest thing in this forest now!” Thief laughed, as he saw his reflection in the puddle, “So that'll save some time trying to get to Onrac.” Red Mage raised an eyebrow and pointed to a short path where a small amount of light shone through. Black Mage chuckled when he saw a small house in the distance, followed by a garden and a stand. Thief mumbled something unheard as they walked out of the path towards the small house. But if they were expecting a nice town, they were mistaken as they took a closer look at the house. It was destroyed on the front, and White Mage lifted her robes as she saw that the ground was still very wet.

 

“So, Kraken's still at work, huh?” Black Mage asked, “Well, I guess we're going to have to find out how to get to the shrine.” White Mage coughed and sat on a rock.

 

“Can we rest a bit? The forest took a lot out of me.” White Mage sighed, wiping her forehead. Black Mage sat down without argument as Thief scraped some of the mud off of himself. Red Mage leaned against the destroyed door of the house.

 

“Yes, let's rest. We don't know what we'll find here, so a fresh mind is wise... I just hope Kraken doesn't strike us now...”

 

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Well, we all knew this chapter would happen! Our heroes have a class change now! But are they strong enough to face Kraken? Is anyone even in Onrac to help them? And will Fighter and Black Belt even recognize them anymore? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button! And also, I won't update as quickly because of the holidays! So, Merry Christmas!