Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The World of One ❯ The Mercenary ( Chapter 1 )

Final Fantasy: The World of One

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Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.

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Word - Narrator's script; Story text

"Word" - Character's dialogue

/Word/ - Character's thoughts

*Word* - Telepathic messages

<Word> - SFX

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The Mercenary

"This is it... we're done for... we should have heeded the sage's warning..." said a young man clad in a tattered long dark blue cloak and wearing a rather large wizard's hat. He was leaning against a rock, blood flowing heavily from three slash wounds from his abdomen.

"No... don't leave us yet, Gene... we need you..." said a young woman by her side. Her whole body was cloaked in a hooded white robe that had red stripes on the wrists and held by a red sash at the waist. She then held both her arms over his abdomen and uttered "Forgiving Light, shed upon thee holy energy and mend thine broken soul! Curaga!"

At once, a sacred light engulfed them both, and though Gene's cloak was still torn, blood stopped flowing, and where his wounds were was unbroken skin.

"Thanks, Sarah. Although I think I exhausted most of my energy in the battle. I think I'll just fall back for now..."

"You shouldn't have cast Triple and then cast twenty-seven Blizzagas in succession." Sarah reprimanded him. "You of all people should know that."

Gene said as he positioned himself in a more relaxed manner against the rock, looking at the battle ensuing in front of him. It was three humans against one gigantic dragon. The dragon sported the size of about thirty feet in height and fifty feet in length, colored a deep crimson, with a large ruby jewel encrusted by a crown of horns as a plume on its head. It had humongous wings, of which would stretch to a maximum length of sixty feet from wingtip to wingtip.

"A Ruby Dragon..." Gene sighed. "I should have known that even us Redwings are no match for such a terrifying beast. Still, look at the others fight. As if fear and doom was nothing to them." He said, looking in the way of the three other members of their group, dodging the dragon's attacks and fighting back whenever they had the chance.

Once was a Ninja, very agile, clothed with a black ninja gi, jumping around, confusing the dragon as he lashed out with a kodachi. Another was a Gunner, clad in a long, light brown trench coat, and brandishing a rifle that shot shells that exploded in a cloud of frozen dust as they hit the dragon. The last one was a Myrmidon, a more powerful evolution of the Warrior class, wearing some light armor, which was sturdy enough to last, but light enough for him to be able to execute complicated attack maneuvers. He was wielding a gunblade, a sort of new weapon developed by the Republic of Bastok.

"No kidding." Sarah said. "We sorely underestimated that dragon's capabilities. But, if those three pull this one off even without your Black Magic, the rewards are very high indeed."

"True. But, as of now, I'm more concerned if we even make it out alive..." Gene frowned. "You better help them, or else they'll be char broiled."

"Got it."

As Sarah ran towards the battle going on, the ninja quickly pushed him away, shouting out, "Sarah, are you mad? Stay out of this!" he then dodged a fireball that came his way, and quickly began to chant, "Wood Goton!"

At once, roots began to rise up from the ground, ensnaring the dragon's legs in their tight grip. The dragons tried to break free, but the roots would not let it.

"Thanks a lot, Ryan!" the Gunner called out to the Ninja. "Now that he's a sitting duck..." He loaded a new shell on his rifle, and aimed it at the dragon's head. "Hyper Shot!" he thundered as a burst of energy shot out from his rifle and hit the dragon square in the chest. "Alright, score!" he cheered as the shot caused a small explosion that covered the dragon in a cloud of dust.

Unfortunately, the dragon remained intact after the dust had cleared, and it raised it head towards the sky, roaring loudly.

"Ryan, Cliff, Vincent, Sarah, get out there!" Gene bellowed. Too late, as the sky began to grow dim. Immediately, a burning mass of rock crashed down on the plateau they were on, and threw them off their feet. Meanwhile, the Ruby Dragon's tough skin resisted the attack, and instead burned the roots entangling it to a crisp. It then flew up a small height and began to shoot ball of flame that detonated the same way as a grenade would when they touched the ground.

"Comet..." Sarah said as she struggled to get up. "Hey, guys, is everyone alright?"

"I'm okay." Gene called out. "But, hey, I can't say for the others..."

Both Ryan and Cliff were knocked off their feet, helpless as the dragon neared them.

"Well, it's been nice knowin' ya, Cliff..."

"You too, Ry..."

But, as the Ruby Dragon was about to launch its infamous Flame Breath(TM), something jumped up on its rear and gave it a kick to the head. Dazed, the dragon lost control and fell down on the ground. Swiftly, the figure jumped off and landed in front of the two. They were not too surprised who it was.

"Thanks for saving our hides, Vincent." Ryan the Ninja called out.

"Yeah... too bad we're also outta commission... you're on your own on this one..." Cliff added.

"I've been saving up for a situation like this..." Vincent the Myrmidon mumbled as he pulled out a small, fiery red stone out of his pocket.

"Whoa! Is that what I think it is?" Cliff said in wonder.

"If you're talking about an Aura Stone, then you're right." Gene told him.

"Aura Stone? You mean that thing that boosts all of your powers and drives you to your limit?" Ryan asked.

And, as for an answer, Vincent raised the Aura Stone with his left hand. At once, he felt a fiery energy renewing his vitality. He then tightened his grip on his gunblade and faded in a flash of red. "Let's go."

The Ruby Dragon tried to fire its breath attacks on the Myrmidon, but through the power of the Aura Stone, he ran at uncanny speeds and dodged the foe's attacks. The Dragon was getting confused, and was trying to swipe at thin air to hit him. However, he proved to be a match for even the most powerful of dragons. After a while, when he saw that the Ruby Dragon was getting tired, he began to make his offensive.

He ran forward first, and slashed at the dragon's left side. The dragon's two left legs were hit in precision, causing it to lose its balance. He quickly dodged the dragon's sudden outrage, and then moved towards the head and hit it with the blunt side of the gunblade. Dazed, the dragon was rendered immobile. He then moved to its right side and did the same with the other two limbs. Unable to do nothing but scream in pain, the dragon tried to fire its Flame Breath in a circular radius, desperate to attack the nimble fighter. But, as if all was in the plan. Vincent jumped straight up, and landed a vertical slash to the dragon's head. The dragon's horns broke, and it began to scream more horribly than before. It then raised its head to the sky, roaring loudly.

"Vincent, watch out! It's going to cast Comet again!" Sarah warned.

But, it was unable to. As Sarah finished her sentence, Vincent dashed backward, and stretched out in a difficult stance. His gunblade shone bright red, and then he ran towards the enemy and leaped up vertically before...

"OUGI: ZANTETSUKEN!!!" Vincent shouted out as he brought down his weapon. The force of his attack cleaved the Ruby Dragon cleanly in half, along with the ground underneath it.

As Vincent rose up recovering from his assault, he heard the others clapping.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Sarah said in admiration.

"Yeah... who would have known Myrmidons could execute a Zantetsuken?" Ryan said, who was being supported by Cliff. Apparently, his left leg was injured by the Comet spell.

"It's not your fault. After all, Myrmidons are relatively new here." Cliff added.

"I would stay for small talk, but I want my payment." Vincent said quietly.

"Yes... yes..." Gene answered. "Well, we'll just send the 20,000 Gil we promised you to your Mog Bank Account, okay?"

"WHOA!!! 20,000 Gil? How come he gets a big payment, and he's not even a Redwing?" Cliff complained.

"Chill, Cliff." Ryan said. "After all, if I read this mission right, the reward from the consulate for killing that dragon is 400,000 big ones. We'd be living the good life when we report the end of this mission."

"If that's the case, then, I'm okay... as long as I get 25,000 Gil!" Cliff told Gene.

"Whatever."

"Good. I'm leaving." Vincent said. He then moved away from them and then pulled out a small device that looked like a mobile phone. He then pressed a few keys, and a small hologram of a female fairy figure sans the wings came out. "Do you wish to end your session?" The fairy asked him in a cute, gentle voice.

"Yes, please." Vincent answered.

"Please wait... request in process..." The wingless fairy said. "Request confirmed. Logging off Esthar server..." After this, the fairy disappeared, and so did the mountains and the plateau.

At once, everything became blank, and he felt like being dragged downward in a vortex of darkness. He closed his eyes, and then felt the pull disappear. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself at the local VR HUB Café, seated in one of the VR simulators. He lifted the glass door that covered his simulator, and then stepped outside to the local mall. Glancing at his clock, he found the date and time. It was 8:00 in the evening, August 5, 2009. He needed to get home right away.

He was still quite young, having finished high school just last year. He had dark brown hair which wasn't really very short, but not long enough to reach chin length, and a pair of deep blue eyes. He had an average build, as well as an average height and weight. Basically, he believes average is the best word to describe him. But, he was really tired of the average.

/Life's just plain boring here.../ Vincent thought as he passed a couple of girls drooling over a poster of a famous movie star's new movie.

"Wow, isn't Leo Vance the coolest?" One remarked.

"Keep your hands off him, Kate, you know we're engaged." the other threatened her.

"Yeah, right." the first one answered back.

Vincent snickered and left the two, disgusted by their primitive minds.

/Idiots like them make this world pointless./

/Just the same thing everyday./

He was about to sit down on a bench when he heard someone calling him.

"Hey, Vince, wait up!" a female's voice called out.

Though they were dressed in casual attire, he recognized them as the Redwings members he assisted earlier: Sarah, Ryan, Cliff and Gene. Sarah sat down next to him, while the other three stood up there.

Sarah had a slender build, with neck length flaming red hair and emerald green eyes. She normally wore a denim top over sleeveless shirts, designer jeans and her pair of either red, black or white rubber shoes. She was ranked number one in St. Xavier's the private school he and they once attended.

Ryan had average height and a good, muscular build, mainly because he was once a member of the football team. He had short, light gray hair, which he always kept standing with a bandanna, and crimson eyes. He was half-Japanese like Vincent, and is an avid practitioner of both Karate and Kendo, gaining a black belt and a very high sword mastery level of 9 at his early age of 17. His favorite garments seemed to be large and baggy shirts, and slacks of the same size.

Cliff was the second tallest of the group, with long auburn hair which was tied up in a ponytail, and gray eyes. He was the resident funny man, having thousands of jokes on his vocabulary and hundreds of practical jokes played on almost everyone they know attributed to his name. He would wear long sleeves and jeans as a part of everyday wear. He also happens to be very popular among the ladies.

Gene, being Sarah's elder brother, was naturally older than them. He stood at a height of 6' 2", though he had a very slender figure. He had short white blond hair and Sarah's emerald green eyes. He wore eyeglasses in the real world to support his vision, though her doesn't need them when they play in the virtual world. And, as if intelligence runs in their blood, he was a very accomplished Electronics and Communications Engineer in the short span of 2 years, though it normally took 4 to complete the course. He also happens to be the leader of the Redwings, a small, relatively new clan which had only ten members to this date.

"Hey, man! You care if we join ya for a while?" Clifford asked him.

"Get out of my face." Vincent grumbled.

"Awww... jeez... c'mon, Vince, you're so uptight!" Cliff gawked. "You should stop and smell the gardenias every once in a while, ya know."

"Keep it down, Cliff." Ryan told his friend. "We won't force you our company, Vincent, but if you need us, you know where to call us."

/Like I need your help./ "Yeah, whatever."

"Seriously Vincent, you should consider joining the Redwings." Gene began.

"Yeah, Vince. Myrmidons are still a new class in the Vana'diel continent, and we've seen firsthand what they are capable of thanks to you." Sarah added.

"Yeah... Zantetsuken? I remember that only the avatar Odin can do that one." Cliff followed up.

"Myrmidons are master of both blades and of gunblades." Vincent explained quietly. "Mastery of such skills as Climhazzard, Stock Break, Banishing Blade and Zantetsuken are part of our job. We draw our skills from legendary sword masters, the avatars Odin and Yojimbo being the foremost. However, not too many choose the Myrmidon class, as it is a very difficult job that might tear you apart if you are not prepared."

"I see..." Ryan replied. "Sounds like a very good challenge. I shall look forward to thinking about switching to this class in the future."

"I'm thrilled to hear that. Unfortunately, I don't think I can stay longer." Vincent said. "I'll think about your offer and return with an answer tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Vince." Gene told him. "We'll see tomorrow morning, then."

Vincent walked home that night with not too much events that occurred. When he finally reached home, he was greeted by his parents and his younger sister Saemi.

"Good evening, son." Vincent's dad greeted him. He was Vincent's source of dark brown hair, and was completely of Japanese origin. "Did you have a good day?"

"Sort of." Vincent answered, taking a plate.

"You should take a rest, dear." His mom said. She has Vincent's deep blue eyes, and a long mane of white blond hair. Although she was in her early forties, she didn't look a day older than thirty.

"Hey, big bro, want to play with the ball Auntie Haruko sent us?" Saemi asked him. She had the same dark brown hair he had, but her eyes were shaded in a dark gray, much like his father.

"I'm sorry I can't. Maybe some other time. I'm really tired today." Vincent apologized.

"Oh, alright. But promise you play with me, okay?"

"No problem."

After taking a shower, Vincent then proceeded to his bedroom and dropped on his bed. After a while, he began to fall asleep...

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Author's notes:

A KODACHI, unless you know, is defined as a short Japanese sword. Aoshi Shinomori or Rurouni Kenshin fame or Ayame of Tenchu utilize such weapons. Though it has less range than a katana (the standard Japanese sword), it is preferred by assassins since it is easier to wield.

GOTON is Ninja Magic. If you played FF Tactics Advance, you may recognize them as the Veils.

Okay, I took a break from my Love Hina fanfic and began submerging myself in the world of video games once again. After a few eeks of playing Final Fantasy XI, X-2, Tactics Advance, VIII and Origins, I HAD to write this one down. If some notice, yeah that's Vincent, the character from my Love Hina fanfic. Don't try to think that this is in any way connected with my LH fanfic, since a lot of things will conflict.

Anyway, Domo Alligator for reading this piece, and I shall return in a few days with Chapter Two.