#'but fox we already had moogles-'

[sezja]

I think Mognet Central should show up for tribe quests in FFXIV.

Edit: Wait no I've got it

CUSTOM DELIVERIES: ARTEMICION

[zenithlux]

EOA 10: Divine Intervention

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated this beauty. But now that I’m finally able to write more again, expect more updates on more stories (and more drabbles as always... but maybe not all Devil May Cry xD)

Catch up on the story here!

Carbuncles are small fox-like creatures that can help fulfill various roles depending on which version is summoned. Emerald Carbuncle casts spells, while Topaz Carbuncle can tank. However, there are rumors of much stronger Carbuncles that can be summoned based on the power of the summoner. Only a few of these variations are known…”

-Y’mithra’s Research Journal, “Of Summons and Carbuncles”

---------------

After nearly an hour of little progress, Aymeric accepted that, in this lifetime at least, he may never actually summon a carbuncle.  Y’mithra had tried to be encouraging. “It takes time,” She said. “And you’re showing great promise. Just practice whenever you get the chance.” And while he appreciated the sentiment, Aymeric wasn’t sure where she got that notion from, as nothing had happened since he attuned to the aetheryte. He hadn’t even seen the shimmer of a Carbuncle, something that Y’mithra had called a promising sign. And while she had also claimed to see it herself, Aymeric didn’t believe it. 

It was difficult for Aymeric to not think of his failures as a potential burden. They still didn’t know what effect Aymeric’s sudden “absorption” of Z’iyanna’s power had on her. And if he couldn’t use this newfound magic, then what was the point? Why was he given this power if he wasn’t capable of using it? 

On the bright(?) side, he could still see Moogles, which was good for his new companion. 

Puklia Pachu, or Puklia as she preferred to be called, had been waiting on the airship before Aymeric himself got there. And once she’d announced that “Sir Aymeric said I could come, kupo!” he knew any attempts to dissuade her would be for naught. Now, she was on top of the world, thrilled to be going on an adventure, excited to meet her hero, and mesmerized by the airship itself. Aymeric could feel her enthusiasm as if he were the one about to meet his idol for the first time. And that, at the very least, was a feeling he could relate to. 

“Is she as amazing as the stories say, kupo?” Puklia said. 

“I don’t know which stories you speak of,” Aymeric replied.

“I’ve heard them all, kupo!” Puklia said proudly. “Did you know she even defeated our king? He was big and scary and she fought him and the Moogle guard all by herself! And I heard it was more graceful than our dancers, kupo!”

“Moogle have dancers?” Aymeric said, trying to imagine what such a thing would look like. 

“Is she that amazing?”

“I think so.”

“Is she as beautiful as they say too?”

Aymeric choked, and he swore he heard Cid chuckle somewhere behind him. “Well traditionally speaking…”

Puklia’s arms flayed in irritation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Many would likely refer to her in that way.”

Puklia paused as her paw touched her chin. “But do you, kupo?”

Aymeric’s face felt warmer than a 1000 suns. “I… Yes I… suppose I would,” He was suddenly grateful that Haurchefant had gone elsewhere, as he couldn’t imagine answering such a question in front of a man clearly pining for Z’iyanna’s affections. Of course, Haurchefant would likely be answering these questions himself. In fact, Aymeric was certain the Moogle would be far more entertained with Haurchefant than Aymeric himself. 

“Aymeric,” Cid said as they drifted toward one of the islands. “It seems Haurchefant has beat us here.”

“What?” Aymeric practically flew from his seat as he reached for the railing. On the ground was a Haurchefant, but he was more furious than Aymeric had ever seen him before. His voice practically pierced the heavens, even though Aymeric couldn't quite tell what was being said. The boy in front of him - Emmanellain, Aymeric recalled - was cowering as if Halone himself was standing before him. The page boy next to him was quiet and clearly avoiding Haurchefant’s wrath. 

“Oh no, kupo!” Puklia said as she waved her hands around in a panic. “Z’iyanna’s missing!”

Aymeric’s heart plummeted as Cid brought them in for a landing. “What else has he said, Puklia?”

“She went to save that boy, kupo,” Puklia said. “But the boy came back without her!”

Aymeric didn’t want to believe her, but the pain on Haurchefant’s face when they landed. “Z’iyanna’s missing,” He said, eyes flickering to Puklia for a brief moment before meeting Aymeric’s gaze again. “And the temperature is dropping by the minute.”

“Hypothermia?” Aymeric said. 

“That is my greatest worry, at the moment,” Haurchefant said. “Even if she had access to Ifrit, I fear she would not last the night.”

“My crew and I can scout the area,” Cid said. 

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” The page boy said. “The storms up here are very dangerous for airships.”

“But surely if we know which way to go…”

“My brother cannot recall where they were,” Haurchefant said through gritted teeth. “But we know she rescued him from the Vanu, so she has to be near there.”

“She dropped to a much lower island,” the page boy said. “I couldn’t see which one, but I can try and lead you there.”

Zephyr kwed beside them as he pressed his forehead to Haurchefant’s cheek. “You know where she is?” He said. The bird chirped a second time, more urgently than the first. “I’m so sorry,” Haurchefant murmured. “I should have asked you sooner.” He grabbed a set of blankets from a knight, and filled a backpack with small bits of food. Then, he leapt onto the Chocobo’s back. “Please take the Lord Commander home and return to us in the morning. I swear on my life that I will bring Z’iyanna back.” 

“I can’t abandon…” Aymeric began.

“I will find her,” Haurchefant said. “But we cannot risk the archbishop blaming you for her disappearance, or declaring you missing as well.” And before Aymeric could respond, Haurchefant took off into the skies, Zephyr leading the way. And for the second time that day, Aymeric was left painfully aware of his own weaknesses. 

“Mr. Aymeric?” 

He glanced at Puklia as she slowly hovered up towards his face. “Is Lady Z’iyanna going to be okay?”

Slowly, Aymeric nodded. “Lord Haurchefant will bring her back. Of that I am certain.”

----------------

It is cold.

Oh so very cold

Why did these treacherous mortals try to fight the likes of me? Why did they work so hard, and struggle for so long, to contain me in that failiable prison? They should have known that I am unstoppable. I am inevitable. My rage will consume them all. My fire will scorch the earth. My fury will annihilate all life and hope in its wake. 

But she gives me pause. The goddess among mortals. The fight who has destroyed the lives for hundreds of soldiers, beasts, dragons and primals in her wake. SHe stands before me. Unafraid, Unflinching. And she tells me the words I never wanted- n, never thought I would hear.

“You’re not alone.”

The Warrior of Light they call her, come to save a murderous, ruthless monster like me.

But this doesn’t change anything. My rage only simmers, buried deep within her consciousness. Our power is intertwined- two unstoppable aethers feed off of each other. Growing. Shifting. Changing until neither are recognizable… or until only one is left.

So I wait. I bide my time and watch until one or the other claims this body. My rage may consume her. There are already signs that it is beginning to. Her righteousness may undo me, but I feel nothing. 

She has no idea of the turmoil within her… but she will soon.

That elezen… is more interesting than I thought. I wonder if he realizes the potential he now holds within him. But it is of no consequence to me. If he does not grab what is now rightfully his, then he is of no use to me.

Humans are all the same.

Except for her.

She is the only one to have proven herself to me.

We’ll see how long that lasts. 

For her death, will be my beginning.

----------------

It was cold. 

Oh so very cold. 

Z’iyanna knew she was dying. Her robes could only retain so much heat. Her healing magic couldn’t stop the impending hypothermia. Her shield couldn’t block the frigid winds. And as the sun lay low on the horizon, she was left to wonder if which version of her the search party would find; a proud Warrior of Light or a forgotten corpse adrift in this sea of death. 

At least the whale hadn’t come back. Though she had yet to decide if freezing to death was better than being eaten alive. 

No, she chastised herself. I will not think that way. She had survived far worse than something like this. And while Haurchefant might not have made it back in time, Aymeric surely would have. Which meant Cid and the others had to be close. Zephyr had found her before. He could certainly find her now. But she was painfully aware of the fact that the islands had shifted over the last few hours. Some had risen. Others had lowered. The island where she’d met the Vanu was so far away she had to squint to see it with any amount of clarity. And with the wind picking up.

“You’re right you know,” the voice from before whispered in her ear. “It’s all hopeless.” 

A small piece of Z’iyanna wanted to lash out in a blind rage. This person. This thing that could only exist in her head had no reason to berate her. But the majority of her didn’t, as it was too consumed by shivering behind a rock that offered very little comfort. 

“Pathetic.”

Z’iyanna snorted. “I’ve heard that one before.”

“But you’ve never believed it.”

“And I don’t now.” 

“So you’re a liar too?”

“And you’re not even real.”

The voice sighed. “I am as real as you are, child. And you’re the reason we’re stuck in this bloody mess to begin with.”

“Heaven forbid I try to be a hero.” 

“You’re no hero, Z’iyanna.”

Her head snapped up in protest, but she was alone. Great. She thought. Either the hypothermia was kicking in quicker than she thought, or she had finally lost her mind. Either way, she’ll be making her enemies’ day. 

Haurchefant…

Z’iyanna was not blind, nor was she ignorant of her own feelings. The two had been close companions for over a year now- far closer than she had been to any of the Scions. Haurchefant knew almost everything about her. He’d never judged her or expected anything more than who she was. Not as the Warrior of Light, but as Z’iyanna. His comrade. His friend. Maybe his something more. She wasn’t certain exactly where they were in that regard… but it wouldn't matter much if she died here. 

Then there was Aymeric. What would happen to him if she were to disappear? Would his people blame him for her death? What about the new, unknown aether within him? She had hoped to read the inevitable letter from Y’mithra with all of her theories and findings to ponder over while Z’iyanna tried to figure it out herself. And she wanted to know what was happening to him. She was also terrified that her death could kill him just as quickly.

Then there was Bahamut, Midgar and Twintania. Tataru, Alphinaud, and the other missing Scions… So many lives depending on her survival. So many people expected her to pull through any adversity, death included.  

“Because they are worthless without you,” The voice said again. “And I say good riddance. Maybe you’ll finally get some peace when everyone else isn’t piling the world on your shoulders.”

“Lady Z’iyanna!”

Of all the times she had heard Haurchefant’s voice… it had never brought her such visceral relief. And Zephyr’s panicked “kweh!” almost brought her to tears. “I’m here,” She whispered, her dry throat unable to produce anything louder. But Haurchefant landed by her side anyway, sliding off of Zephyr’s back the second he could. A moment later - when had he ever moved this fast? - a blanket was wrapped around her as Haurchefant pulled her close to his chest. 

“Zephyr,” He said. “Behind her.” The chocobo moved without a sound as he plopped down behind her, pressing his body as close to her back as possible. And Z’iyanna, weary from the day and exhausted by the lingering voice, succumbed to the newfound warmth. 

----------------

Alphinaud was exhausted by the time he returned to Ishgard, and he quickly decided that a nice long nap was in order. 

Unfortunately, he stepped into a manor full of solemn faces and a Count whose first words were “I’m afraid we’ve encountered a problem.”

Alphinaud did his best not to crumble at the thought. “What kind of problem, Count Edmont?”

“Lady Tataru has been arrested for heresy.”

The quote “no rest for the weary” had never felt so real.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Swallow Part 2

My idea for a Kingdom Hearts IV���that will eventually have all that entails, like Shibuya and Verum Rex and Sora’s PoV–but that deals with the idea of a dark Kairi after everything she’s been through, because this girl deserves to be allowed to feel things. First chapter is from the TV show “Angel the Series”–as it’s Fox and Disney owns Fox now–but you don’t have to know Angel to get it.

Madness Surprisingly enough, it hadn’t been Kairi’s idea for her to train like it was the only thing she had left in the world. It had been Riku’s—as many things in her and Sora’s life had started out with him—as he had thought that she should actually try and do something and have less reason to hate herself that way. “But is that… really a good idea?” Kairi had asked him when he’d suggested it, as she’d sat on the paopu tree—the stupid place she had lost Sora at—and worked on making more lucky charms for him and letters, on the off-chance that one of them would work and bring her boy back to her. “Riku… maybe I just was never cut out for fighting. Sora paid a high price in bringing me back. Do you really think I should dishonor his sacrifice by putting myself into even more danger that I can’t handle?” Riku had looked like he wanted to push Kairi into the water beneath them then—and honestly, she could have hardly blamed him even if he had; she’d been so weak then, and she was ashamed to think of it now—and got right into her face as he said, “That’s not the girl who said she wanted to fight like me and Sora, so we wouldn’t be the only ones getting hurt… or who said that she was tired of getting left behind and that ‘wherever one of us goes, the other follows’. Kairi… you made all of these promises to Sora before the Keyblade Graveyard. Do you really want to go back on them now?” No, she hadn’t. That was the last thing in the world that she would have ever wanted. But the person she’d been a few months ago—who had said so much of that stuff—was so different from the girl she was now. That Kairi had gotten a Keyblade into her hand for the first time and had thought that with just a little training, she would easily become as strong as Sora and Riku were. That wasn’t the part of her that had gotten training and still couldn’t get her body to cooperate… and had had to realize that most of her worst nightmares might actually come true, as Terra-Xehanort had charged at her. And they had come true after that. Oh, how they had. Kairi had had one brief moment of peace and pride in herself—when she had kept Sora from fading away, that had then allowed him to save everyone else—but then it had all gone to hell, like so much of Kairi’s life had, and she didn’t know if she wanted to go there again. “Kairi, the problem is we had you train with someone who isn’t a Keyblade wielder at all… And is actually someone who uses his magic to stay away from enemies, when you—in pretty much using a sword—would be in close contact with people. That was our fault, not yours… I’ll properly train you now, so you never have to feel so horrible again. Just let me.” And that was what started it. Many hours a day—eight or more, as if they were working a full-time job and in Kairi’s eyes they were—Riku was training Kairi in the hours that they weren’t looking for any hint as to Sora’s whereabouts. And while it started out rough, and Kairi had continued to think that maybe she should just work on her light magic because of it, she steadily got better and better and even she could see it—it was nothing like what she had encountered with Merlin and Lea. It was actual tangible progress that she could see in her scars and feel in her muscles. And Kairi took it even further than that. She didn’t tell Riku or anyone about this because she didn’t want to worry them, but in the hours when she should have been sleeping or resting, she would do the familiar drills again until they were completely beaten into her. And then she was taking the gummi ship that Mickey had thankfully left for her and Riku out into the ocean between worlds, to find Heartless or Nobodies to fight: something that didn’t help her that much, because Kairi had been able to handle these just fine in the Keyblade War, but every little bit of actual experience helped. And she’d just hoped against hope that on her journeys she could run into some Darksides or Twilight Thorns, and how happy she was—the first time she’d been remotely that in ages—when she did, and began handling them better and better: with little injuries and destruction to her hair and outfits. And at one point—when Kairi had unintentionally taken a page out of Roxas, Xion, and Lea’s book—and had bested five giant Heartless in one night, she had finally felt good about herself… and that nothing could ever happen to her again. She wouldn’t let it. And that furthermore, she knew that she was going to find Sora and bring him home. But it was just when she was beginning to feel great, that such a feeling of euphoria didn���t last. Kairi heard a Corridor of Darkness open from behind her in Twilight Town—a sound she’d made certain she always knew now, as not being able to recognize it with Xemnas before had led to her death—and who would come out of it but someone cloaked in an Organization robe? Of course. Kairi had backed away from her assailant, growling at them as she prepared to send Firaja after Firaja after them. But first, she’d had to berate them a little bit. “You have got to be kidding! I thought the lot of you had been defeated in the Keyblade War. All that we did—which- which led to Sora’s death—was so we could defeat any of you who would survive to try and get the X-Blade again. So, who are you?! And are you at all connected to Sora’s fate?! Do you know where he is?! Tell me!” “Tsk tsk, little princess,” the attractive voice of a man replied—as he motioned with his hands that Kairi should calm down, in the way that Master Yen Sid often told the Keyblade wielders of the new generation to sit down. “It’s… good that you’re so strong now. Go, you! But don’t you know you’re killing yourself? So much sleep deprivation isn’t a good thing. And I know you’re not eating or drinking much, either. You’re going to be dead as a doornail soon, and your boyfriend’s going to come back to see that he sacrificed himself for you for nothing… or worse. That you’ve become a different person from the girl he loved… There’s blood on your hands now, isn’t there Kairi?” Kairi had wanted to deny this, of course. After all, she’d only been fighting Heartless and Nobodies and that was something that needed to be done! But at the same time… she knew that they had once been human, and the thought made her violently sick on the inside. But even more than that… she was hunting the things as sport now, whereas everyone else had only ever fought the beasts when they’d attacked them on their adventures… and she enjoyed killing them too much. And she kept score, the way Sora and Riku once had with their fighting. Every injury she got was a point against her, but each hurt she gave them was a point for her: especially if she could give them many of those without being touched at all. Kairi wasn’t trying to be quick or end their suffering fast at all, but to just use them as target practice as long as she could. And while Kairi hadn’t yet fought another human since the War, she worried that she would do the same when she faced them because it was such a routine now. Sora had only ever told her stories about how Clayton had wanted to kill the gorillas, but Kairi thought that if she herself ever run into him somehow… she’d fight him the way she was now Heartless, and be thrilled for it—that the fear he’d struck in Terk’s heart she could put in his. So, she was falling. Falling into darkness, it seemed… and this man had known this, and it had been only the start for her. “What do you know about it?!” Kairi had demanded then, furious. Throwing her hand out to the side in a way that Sora had used to when he glared at his enemies. “You know nothing. You don’t know me at all! You’re just a forgotten relic from a cause that’s already seen its best day. Now just tell me what you know and get lost, before I-” “Before you what, Kairi?” the voice had cut her off. And there was a sweet cadence in his voice that she hated, as if he’d talked to someone like her before and was trying to be a friend since he’d  apparently cared about this other person. “Do something unseemly to me and make Sora hate you even more that way? He loves his little light princess—that’s why he fights for you so much—so what do you think he’s going to do when he comes back and sees you aren’t like that at all anymore? Do you think he’ll stay the knight in shining armor, or will he move onto something bigger and better? “You’re also angry. So angry. And, hey: I applaud you for it—you’re entitled to those emotions, and I may even have use of them—but Sora preferred the sweet and loving little girl, not the one who’s going to get called to many worlds because of her fury now.” Furious? Was she really furious? Kairi had asked herself. She hadn’t felt it at the time—if torn between “bloodlust” and “fury”, she definitely had thought she was more bloodlust at the time—but the Kairi of the present could recognize how her blood had boiled back then, and continued to do so now. But having not liked what this man had said about her getting pulled into an adventure all about her madness—because that wasn’t her at all—Kairi had tried to backtrack a little. “Maybe… maybe I’ve been a little hard on you. You haven’t really done anything to me. Perhaps if anything, you’re just giving me some… helpful advice. And I guess you don’t have to be with Organization XIII... I know a Moogle has worn the coat before, I mean, and clearly they weren’t one of Xehanort’s vessels. So can you just tell me who you are, and what you wa-” “And how easily you fall back into the Naminé routine. Kairi, did you ever think that maybe the two of you were split for a reason? You may be the Princess of Heart… but you have far more fire to you than your Other did, and there’s a reason for it and you should relish it—you must do so—even if it means you can’t have Sora. You must let him go. Can’t you see that?” This had put Kairi in a horrible mood, and she’d cried. But not because she was sad, but because she waslivid—maybe this man was right about that—as it hit the nail on the head too much on how she’d been feeling lately: that fate was keeping her and Sora from being together. So Kairi made a decision. “Perhaps… perhaps you’re right. Perhaps I should go back to just barely training from now on, and be who I once was. And I will. I won’t fall into your plan, and I’ll be what Sora wants me to be.” And partly to spite the man, Kairi had opened a Corridor of Light—something Master Yen Sid had taught her how to do—and left the guy alone. And she did try to make good on her promise to herself. But it never could’ve worked.. For far too long, Kairi had repressed her feelings… and she was done with that. And she had no idea that trying to force herself to do that again, would send her spiraling over the edge. Author’s Note: I was originally going to have more than just a flashback in this chapter… but since it ended up pretty long, I think I WILL cut it here. Maybe it’ll even work better to have flashbacks and present stuff in different chapters. IDK. But I hope you all enjoyed!

[yutikyis]

Heroes and Foxes

It was Trader’s Day on the island. It wasn’t necessarily a holiday or even a consistent day. It was just the day that some group of sailors, traders, mercenaries or pirates decided to unload their goods, good or ill-gotten, in exchange for the trade goods and coin of the small island.There was enough hunting, fishing and farming to keep the traders coming by and so it was always a bit of a celebration. Still, when Trader’s Day came, it was like a visit from another world. The goods of Othard and Eorzea and Thavnair were so bewildering. Cloth made of material she’d never seen. Toys and dolls in the shape of animals she couldn’t recognize. Books printed in all sorts of languages depicting stories so amazing and fanciful she couldn’t tell what was real from what was make believe. Tall intimidating Roegadyns and willowy graceful Elezens and even the rare Au Ra were a distinctive sight among the almost exclusively Miqo’te population.  Yuti found herself, as normal, visiting one of the less-populated stalls. Books were not exactly great sellers for the traders. Most of the island had little interest in the outside world and favored oral storytelling over written word. The few that did tended to favor cookbooks or practical instructions. Yuti’s attention was caught by a worn old book depicting a brightly colored Moogle in a robe of some kind, fluttering to and fro wildly. She was remarkably tempted to reach out and take it... “Oy! Yuti! Get yer arse o’vr here before I yank ya by yer tail!”  Yuti jumped in surprise at the sound of her mommy’s voice, stepping back quickly from the bookshelf and looking over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and worried, but her mommy barely seemed to booking towards her. “C’mon girl, we ain’t got all day. Yuti nodded her head quietly and darted forward to join her mommy and papa, leaving the book behind.  Nahtu’to grinned down at her as she approached and ruffled her hair as she quickly slipped behind him, holding onto his pants leg with one hand and his tail with the other, hiding behind him as they walked together. Reri rolled her eyes slightly and elbowed him. “Ya know some day she’s gonna have ta stop hidin’ behind ya, Natu. Yer gonna make her a milksop if ya keep it up.” “Aw, c’mon Reis, you know it isn’t like that. She’s just shy.” “Shy? What the hells she got ta be shy about. She’s got my looks, she should be flauntin’ it.” “She’s just a few summers old Reis...” “Yeah, and I killed my fir--” Yuti tuned out the conversation as she always did. She kept close behind her father, resting her head against him and watching the traders pass as the family walked together towards one of the stalls. She couldn’t imagine how big the place they came from must be. The island already seemed like the biggest place in the world to her but the place they came from was as big as a dozen islands put together. Her mommy always spoke of it as a mix of savage and boring. She liked to imagine how it would be to walk around the big city and... OW! She yelped slightly as Reri’s hand hit the back of her head. “Ya’d be dead right there if i I wanted it, Yuti. Keep yer wits about ya,” Yuti nodded her head sullenly and buried her face against her father’s leg. Always that. She did have her wits about her. She just was thinking about something else was all. She wished her mommy could see that. Natu rubbed her head again and shook his head in amusement. “Hey, hey, my two favorite ladies need to cut it out. It’s a fun day. No fightin’.” 

Reri scoffed softly but seemed to let it pass as they arrived at the stall. This one was an eclectic mix. It belonged to a trader and hunter who favored selling tools, skins and the occasional trinket. Reri’s attention was instantly drawn towards a bow and she quickly began to question the Hyur who owned the stall about its make and quality. Natu drifted off to study a set of carving knifes, picking them up and testing the blades.  Yuti’s attention was drawn however by one of the small collection of random trinkets sitting on the table. They were a mix of various objects, seemingly mostly just things the Hyur had gotten tired of and was getting rid of. A few pieces of jewelry, a couple of pipes, a number of small handmade stuffed animals and... a book. A single lone book that seemed like something the seller probably had never touched. Yuti looked at the book with wonder. On the front was a beautiful, if worn, illustration depicting a brave armored knight with sword and shield standing between a fierce fire-breathing dragon and a Miqo’te woman in an ornate and fanciful dress. The flames bounced from the knight’s shield as if by magic, forming a fountain of flames that spread to the edges of the book and surrounded the simple gold lettering of the book’s title: “Legends of Heroes.” She looked over at her mommy for a moment but the woman was busy arguing with the Hyur over the bow, seemingly ready to get into a fight. She picked up the book and began to look through it. The writing was simple but joined by beautiful illustrations. A brave Hyur wielding magic against a terrible demon. A tiny but determined Lalafell climbing a mountain while harpies surrounded him. A noble-looking Elezen woman in a lovely dress sitting atop a tall tower, looking out onto a mountain kingdom. With each page she fell deeper and deeper into the spell of the book. She couldn’t read every word but she recognized some. “Hero” and “Knight” and “Princess” and “Courage” and “Hope” and.... “Whadya got there, noodle?” Natu said over her shoulder and she jumped in surprise. She held up the book to him with a nervous smile. “A book, eh? What’s it say?” her father asked kindly. She was quiet and gave a little shrug. “C’mon, sweetheart. You gotta learn to speak up at least a little.” Yuti hesitated for a long moment before she spoke in a tiny voice, trying to avoid her mother overhearing. “S’about h-heroes,” she said with firm emphasis on the second word. “Heroes! Well, that’s a really good thing for a book to be about!” Natu said with a bright grin. “Tell you what. You promise to help me out with my carving this evenin’ and I’ll loan you a little gil to get it. Just don’t tell your ma, okay? Say.. I don’t know, you found it. She’ll be okay with that. Deal?” Yuti hesitated for a moment before she offered up her pinkie to him. Natu leaned down and took her pinkie with his own, giving it a little shake. A few moments later a small sack of gil was handed over and Natu made his way over to Reri. The older Miqo’te was almost yelling at the Hyur who was red-faced and seemed moments away from punching the smaller woman. “Hey, Reis, c’mon. You’re not gonna win this argument. If he can’t recognize quality, it’s all on him, right?” the Miqo’te man said, slipping his arm over Reri’s shoulder and trying lightly to guide her away from the argument, giving the Hyur an apologetic smile. “Damn right it is. Ya bloody idiot, this string ain’t gonna last a week out in the wild. Tryin’ ta pawn off inferior shite on--” as about as far as Reri got before Natu distracted her with a long deep kiss. When it was done the older Miqo’te’s eyes sparkled and she got a mischievous look on her face. She reached up and grabbed Natu by the collar, dragging him away from the crowd, leaving Yuti behind to browse. The Hyur’s mood was sour enough that Yuti didn’t want to approach him until he calmed down, just in case her resemblance to Reri was enough to make the man angry at her. She settled for poking around some of the stuffed animals. A cactaur, a moogle, a coeurl... none of them really interested her. Yet there was one. A tiny, beat-up, ragged looking little fox. The poor thing looked like it had been through the seven Hells and back and the sight of it made Yuti feel oddly lonely. She picked it up, studied it for a tick and the set it lightly atop her head.  “Hey, girly, ya better not be plannin’ to walk away with that or I’ll tan yer hide!” Yuti jumped and squeaked and almost dropped the book she was holding against her chest. She looked up at the man with wide and terrified eyes and shook her head so quickly the fox almost went flying. The Hyur’s expression suddenly looked guilty and he held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Hey, hey, re~lax. Nobody’s gonna hurt ya girly. You lookin’ to buy those?” he said, kindly. “How much ya got?” Yuti nodded her head and and opened up the bag of gil, taking each coin out one at a tiny and counting them in a soft voice, the way she’d been taught. “One, two, three, four...” she said, lightly putting each coin on the counter, until a total of fifty were there. She was proud of herself for getting to fifty without messing up and she smiled, her tail swishing behind her as she looked up at the Hyur. “I-is t-that e-enough?” she said, forcing her way through her stammer.  The Hyur tapped his chin for a moment, giving her a grave look, before he nodded. “Well, what’dya know. Happens to be exactly the right amount,” he said, slipping the gil into his pouch. “Enjoy the book, girly, and take good care of that little guy. He’s been with me a while.” He gave her a bright smile and a wink. Yuti fidgeted a moment before she returned the smile quickly and even gave a tiny bow. Then she ran home. She knew she had to hide both of her prizes quickly or else her mommy would get upset. Fortunately she had her hiding place and it was all hers. Not even mommy knew about it. It would be all hers and she could read as much as she wanted. Maybe she’d get upset later but at least for today it was all Yuti’s. The Miqo’te happily clutched the book to her chest, running through the crowds as fast as she could, the small plush fox riding atop her head as the duo approached his new home.

[ohgodsnowwhat]

Fantasy in Metal

Yes; I am posting my first fanfic after my second fanfic. I'm a rebel like that. I have also come to the conclusion that I suck at endings, which may be why I don't always finish what I start. Oh well. Please feel free to offer concrit. I'm not used to writing stuff that isn't one-on-one smut. Thanks to @neko-otaku13 for her encouragment on this!

The light had returned to Lucis – to all of Eos, for that matter. King Noctis and Lady Lunafreya, the Oracle, had passed over into the realm of much-deserved happily-ever-afterlife.

Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis, however….

Look, not even Astrals are perfect. Clerical errors happen.

****

“What do you mean, they’ve been reincarnated into another universe?” thundered Bahamut at the little fennec fox. “For their service, they should have been transported to the same region as King Noctis and Lady Luna!”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine; those guys always manage. Nothing to be too concerned about, but when their time is up here maybe, um, you can take a more personal interest to see that they get to the right place? I was supervising the moogles in charge of reassignment, and with the chocobos on strike there were some issues getting everyone to the office. We are lucky that there aren’t more souls floating around in Limbo!” Carbuncle looked up at the Draconian Astral, gulped nervously and said, “But of course I will supervise their next reassignment myself.”

“If they had been born into their new roles it wouldn’t be so bad,” offered Shiva, “but they have been, well, stuffed into pre-existing personas! This is a DISASTER!”

“At least they will be worshipped as gods in that realm,” put in Ramuh.

Titan sighed and poured himself another whiskey-and-soda.

****

Charles Offdensen pushed up his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He had been going over the band’s financial statements when he was hit with the idea for a new recipe. This was odd because he didn’t cook; Jean-Pierre was more than adequate to fulfill his nutritional needs. “I must be working too hard,” he thought; when he was interrupted by another thought, this one in a more refined tone of voice: “Nonsense! It is a duty and privilege to serve one’s liege! And furthermore… One moment, where am I?”

****

Nathan Explosion was busy, working on the 67th of his hundred beers and putting the final touches on “Go Forth and Die”. Except… those weren’t the words he originally wrote, were they?

Trapped inside a crystal Ten long years Hiding from the world Forgotten by your peers

“Huh,” he growled, “sounds more like the plot of a video game. Well, these beers aren’t gonna drink themselves. New song idea: Self-drinking beer.”

****

Toki Wartooth was in his room, happily working on his model planes when a little voice in his head told him that he should see if there were any new pupper videos. Toki was okay with this, and hummed happily to himself as he flipped on YouTube. After about a half hour, the voice asked about video games, to which Toki replied, “We amsk gots a room full of video games! Is you my new friends in my heads, little voice? Is yous gots a names?” “Well,” the voice answered back, “I’m Prompto, but where am I and how did I get here?” “I don’tsk knows Promptos but let’s go play DDR! Yous is Toki’s friends now!”

****

Pickles noticed that there seemed to be something a little off about his manager and bandmates. Nathan was doing a lot more reading than drinking; although he still churned out songs unnaturally fast, now they were more about crystals, lost kings, and something called “chocobos”. The latter made Toki ecstatic and he would go on for hours about them. This was puzzling as Toki was known to have had an austere and abusive childhood, and whatever these “chocobos” were, Pickles was sure they weren’t native to Norway. Skwisgaar, as self-centered as he was, had mentioned that to Pickles. Sweden was practically Norway anyway, but Pickles knew if he said that, the blond guitar-slinger would retreat to his room for a week to get over his sulk with the assistance of various GMILFs. Normally that wouldn’t bother Offdensen, as he didn’t have to worry about paying for abortions or child support (Skwisgaar was SO. MUCH. CHEAPER in that regard than the rest of the band), but Pickles had noticed that Offdensen was now more prone to lecture the band about personal responsibility, hygiene, and the need to be cost-efficient. Well, he WAS their CFO, but he hadn’t minded before… Were they in financial trouble? Even countries went belly-up from time to time, and Dethklok’s income when ranked beside the GNP of other countries was at a healthy and respectable 7, so maybe…?

Pickles decided then and there to visit Charles Foster Offdensen in his office.

****

Murderface didn’t care. He drank another beer, belched, and scratched his belly over the “Pobody’s Nerfect” tattoo. That had been some night when he got that – too bad, he thought, that he didn’t remember it.

****

“Yo, Robot!” exclaimed Pickles as he burst into Offdensen’s office. “I been meanin’ to talk to you about how you’ve been acting lately and-” He came to a sudden stop as he took in Toki and Nathan already seated across from their manager, heads close together conspiratorially. “What is this? I know something has been going on, but this better not be fucking with our bread and butter here.”

“Ah, yes… Pickles…maybe it is time to explain,” came the odd cultured voice that had been emanating as of late from Offdensen. “From my observations, I believe you would have a better grasp of the situation than, say, Mr. Skwigelf or Mr. Murderface.”

“Yes, that is true,” came the more typical Offdensen voice. “Pickles does have a greater intellect than he lets on, despite the mass quantity of chemical substances he indulges with.”

Pickles was taken a bit aback and tried to recover as best he can. “This better not be some touchy-feely type of intervention, ya douchebags. Because that is so not metal.”

****

“Ignis”, as the cultured voice called itself, launched into an epic tale of kingdoms lost, love lost, Hell even daylight lost; lots of attacks from every angle, deep and mysterious dungeons filled with monsters and demons beyond imagination, and eventual redemption at the price of a blood sacrifice. When it came to drug-induced imaginings, no one – hands down – could come close to Pickles, which is what finally made Pickles realize that he was being told the truth. It also accounted for, he thought, a greater element of story-telling in Nathan’s lyrics recently (although he could do without the gothic romance stuff – so not metal).

The “Gladio” voice that resided in Nathan chimed in… well, more like “contra-bassooned” in - with “It’s not all bad; I think this could be fun for a bit. I’ve always liked writing poetry and I feel I am good at this songwriting. Not entirely sure what you and your resident blondie mean by “metal” but I’m sure I’ll pick it up. And women! And beer! I don’t have to stay sober and celibate all the damn time to watch over everyone else’s dumb asses!”

Toki’s resident “Prompto” piped up, “Yeah! It would be like totally cool to be rock stars! I…” and here the sunshine voice faltered and whispered, “I just wish Noct was here with us.”

The tone was so heartbreaking that even Pickles wanted to comfort Toki, much like Nathan and Offdensen were doing, even though he knew it was really the three specters within his friends that were engaged in a cuddlefest at the moment.

After a while, Pickles grew visibly uncomfortable at the snuggly intimacy before him. He cleared his throat. “Um, hey… so…like… Is there anything we can do to get you back to where you belong?”

Offdensen qua Offdensen shook himself loose from the huddle and said “Well, if Ishnifus were still with us, he would probably be able to help. I am the new High Holy Priest, but not all avenues are open to me yet. Right now, though, the only person who could possibly assist is the one person we are absolutely unable to turn to for help. Nathan, Toki – I am referring to Mr. Salacia. “

“You means the big creepy fella?” asked Toki. “The ones who tried to haves us killed?”

Nathan perked up. “Yeah, that guy is bad news. Probably at least as bad as if not worse than that Ardyn fellow you were telling us about.”

Here is where Pickles felt he could shine. “I have a better idea – Nathan, remember that tribe you are related to in South America? Honey Mangoes or something like that?”

“Yaneemango. Chief Otoe is my grandfather, but yeah, why – Oh. Yopo. That released our spirit animal forms, but – “

Here the “Ignis” voice jumped in. “What? That may be the answer. How can we best achieve this? I have noticed geography is vastly different than what we are used to, but I believe we can make it there from this Mordhaus of yours in a matter of 4 days, including stops for curatives and provisions. Prompto, Gladio, we must confer with our host bodies as it will be them bearing any physical discomfort caused by this experiment.”

Nathan qua Nathan softly growls “Close your eyes and become the animals that you once were… Yeah, I’m down for this. It was cool becoming an alligator. But we have to bring Murderface and Skwisgaar – you too, Pickles.”

“Like I would turn down a chance to be an octopus again? I could play drums and guitar at the same time.”

****

Ignis had no problems with traversing a rainforest. Neither did his fellow Crownsguard really; Prompto just liked to complain about his feet hurting and question if they were there yet with a whine in his voice. Quite the trouper, he was. But despite sharing hotel rooms and tents around Eos and being accustomed to the sight of each other’s bodies, at least while they had corporeal bodies, nothing could have prepared Ignis for Murderface splayed out on deck completely nude. It was a small relief that rest of the band felt the same way, since the retching noises did nothing to deter the bass player from sprawling naked on a lounge chair while reverentially whispering “Ah, freeballing”. Ignis supposed he should be grateful the man refrained from urinating over the side of the boat, after it was relayed to him by Skwisgaar how a fish called a “Candiru” managed to lodge itself in Murderface’s urethra the last time they made this journey. While Ignis respected Skwisgaar’s talent, he had a limited tolerance for the man, as aspects of his personality were too similar to Loqi Tummelt for his taste. He felt that in Charles Foster Offdensen, he found a kindred spirit. They would often have silent conversations about the importance of lighting, and what separates the good lamps from the cheap lamps.

Gladio-within-Nathan thought this was a fine adventure; very few critters were trying to kill him, and the resident large, spotted cats kept to themselves and didn’t throw lightning bolts with the wrath of Ramuh at him. He was also silently communing with Nathan, and wishing he could stay a little longer – beer, booze, women, fame, money, lack of people trying to murder you just for being associated with royalty – yeah, a guy could definitely get used to this.

Prompto liked Toki and could relate to the child-like nature of his host body; they had much in common. Animals, video games, models of aircraft (even though what Toki worked on was nothing like the aircraft Prompto was familiar with), not to mention a brutal and lonely childhood – Toki, much like Prompto himself, often exhibited a warm and cheerful exterior to hide the small, scared child inside. At least Toki had parents, but Prompto reflected that maybe having no parents was better than having parents that were outright cold and abusive. That clown, though… Prompto admitted to himself that Dr. Rockzo was on the creepy side, even for a clown; and that was saying something.

Offdensen genuinely liked and respected his spirit resident; he wished he had an army of Ignises around. He just wanted his body back with himself as the sole occupant.

Nathan thought Gladio was a bit of a tyrant with his extensive exercise regimen, but Nathan could appreciate the results in himself. For one thing, it extended the time he could go between liver transplants; for another, it gave him new perspectives and topics for writing songs. “Battle Coeurl” had gone quadruple platinum overnight! Dick Knubbler had practically came in his boxers when he heard that, and Abigail…. Nathan smiled slightly at the memory of Abigail practically dragging him to the floor for that one.

Toki was happy to have a new friend that liked the same things he did and could relate to a bad childhood. He felt sad at the prospect of losing Prompto, but he was excited to see if he would become a shamanistic bunny again.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf was completely unaware that anything had changed with either the robot or his bandmates. He continued running scales and arpeggios on his custom Thunderhorse and gloating to himself over how superior it was to Toki’s Snow Falcon. He experienced mild disappointment when Toki didn’t play “Stops Copies Me” at the gear library, something Pickles called “sporting goods store, ya douchebag – and now my blood sugar’s low again.”

Pickles was at a bit of a loss. He kind of wanted to have a spirit buddy to talk with, but at the same time he didn’t think he was ready for that kind of intimacy. He was actually pleased; he had been looking for a reason to go back down for another dose of Yopo, but it would have been awkward dropping in on his bandmate’s relatives without Nathan in tow. If he’s gonna die, might as well die high!

Murderface napped, occasionally belching and scratching himself in awkward places in his sleep. He was looking forward to being a white tiger again; as a bass player he didn’t get a lot of respect, but as a tiger? Wow! No one would dare turn a tiger down in the mix, or have the lead guitar player (that damn Skwisgaar!) record new notes over a tiger’s bass leads!

****

Both Offdensen and Ignis thought having hordes of Klokateers drag their boat over a mountain and through the jungle was a bit excessive, but not a single member of Dethklok showed any inclination of making the final trek under their own power. Gladio was fuming and silently berating Nathan for this lack of industry, and Prompto and Toki were too caught up in playing “I Spy” to pay attention.

They knew they had reached their destination when they found themselves surrounded by spears, which were lowered as the Yaneemango tribe recognized the faces on the mountain. Offdensen found he was able communicate their issues to the shaman, having briefly studied the tribe’s language after the last time the band ran off to experience Yopo. The shaman had recognized quickly that there were foreign spirits residing within, and agreed to perform the Yopo ceremony to attempt to free them.

****

“BOSS!” yelled a moogle to Carbuncle, “You gotta come here, Kupo! This realm where Noct’s entourage ended up is going to try to separate their souls, Kupo!”

Carbuncle scurried to the moogle viewing device as fast as his four furry feet could carry him. “Quick! Patch me through to Bahamut!” The communication device crackled to life. “This had better be important,” came the deep voice over the speaker. “Sir! The primitives are going to try separating their souls from their bodies! Can you please lend your assistance?”

In less than the time it took to blink an eye, Bahamut was in the control room. He didn’t feel there was anything he could do, but it would let the moogles feel as though everything was in order. He wondered for a moment if it was blasphemous on some level for an Astral to pray.

****

The fires were lit, the chanting had begun. The shaman blew Yopo into the faces of Dethklok and their manager/CFO/legal advisor/High Holy Priest of the Church of the Black Klok. From their bodies rose the form of a hawk (Skwisgaar), white tiger (Murderface), octopus (Pickles)… and instead of an alligator and a rabbit from Nathan and Toki, there were the ghostly figures of a mountain of a man with long dark hair, glowing amber eyes, and chiseled abs; a fluffy-headed blond with eyes like a sunny afternoon and a smattering of freckles, and drifting over from Offdensen was the figure of a tall, lean man with glowing green eyes and medium brown hair; although they could see remnants of massive scarring around his eyes, he had the most beautiful smile and he gazed peacefully back. The three linked hands, slowly dissipating into small blue glowing orbs, then a sudden flash of light as –

****

The moogle crew, Carbuncle, and even Bahamut were whooping it up in the control room. It was a success! Souls retrieved and Bahamut made a mental note to add a paycheck bonus for all those involved. Even himself.

****

The three Crownsguard found themselves abruptly in what looked like the throne room of the Citadel, before Niflheim attacked. Prompto was the first to recover, yelling “NOCT!!!!” as he barreled up the stairs and was met by a charging King Noctis, wrapping their arms around each other, swiftly followed by Ignis and Gladio. Tears were shed, and no one spoke – or could speak – for the longest time. There was no need. They were home.

[mozillogames]

Finally, Every The-Fantasy Is Achieved In World of Fantasy

(That video is quite the fun one)

I think most people at this point have played at least one Final Fantasy game in their life, and if not, why? They’re wonderful games! Let me give you a suggestion, play Final Fantasy IX, it is fun but at the same time has a delightfully dark story that tackles concepts of life and death and what it means to be alive and also die, so go do that now, I’ll wait.

You done? Wasn’t it great? Good.

If you’re like me and you greatly enjoy Final Fantasy games, which you will by now, whether it be their deep and engrossing stories, their interesting battle systems and the leveling structures that run alongside that or just the goofy characters that can fill the games and make them enjoyable experiences that we know and love to this day and retain so many fond memories of.  World of Final Fantasy plays off this nostalgia in spades but takes it with a heavy spoonful of comedy to add to that golden glow of childhood memories.

Remember that time when Celes did that opera scene and how it was so beautiful? There’s a quest or skit that involves Celes and Cloud preparing for an opera. Remember that time Tidus did a laugh? One of the main characters does just that when in the Final Fantasy X town. Or what about that annoying jail in Final Fantasy VIII where you can’t use any magic  and just have to run up an annoying spiral staircase of sorts? Well, that’s sadly also in this game, with similar limiting mechanics, it’s not all good nostalgia. World of Final Fantasy can run a mile a minute with its energy and lust for references to the franchise and it’s a real treat. I think even if you’re not familiar with the characters there’s still a lot of enjoyment to be had.

Final Fantasy characters turn up from all sorts of games, except XII and II as it’s almost like those two games weren’t very good, and their pretty fun. They’re mostly simplified and boiled down versions of their game counterparts, but this just means that if there’s a character who you may not be familiar with you can find yourself with a good grasp of who they are as a small adorable person. Within moments of Edgar turning up you realize he’s a womanizing, self-styled ladies’ man with all the regality of a king, but with the cunning and scheming that was essential to his character in Final Fantasy VI and it works surprisingly well. With all the references and characters that turn up in the game I found myself with a constant childlike grin stretched out across my face, like the giant man child that I am.

This game isn’t just a never ending reference montage of everyone’s favorite moments from their favorite Final Fantasy, instead the new characters introduced for the game itself are wonderfully colourful and full of vigor that there’s always a wry smile that’ll pop out of you, from somewhere at least, ew. It may be a little odd that the two main characters and their adorable fox companion, Tama, seem to be in the middle of a plot that could result in the destruction or subjugation of the world, or just something really bad happening, and yet they still find time to run around without a care in the world, Lann and Tama will always find the time to get involved in some terrible word play joke with Reyn to act as their straight man for them to constantly bounce jokes off of, even in boss battles they’ll still be spouting “kupo” to finish their sentences, because why not? It’s funny, to them at least.

I can’t emphasise enough how enjoyable the writing is in this game, whether you like the story or not, I felt that just the weird and quirky scenes that await you were more than enough reason to push on through the game. Although, the story is still pretty decent and had it’s heart breaking moments as well, it still is primarily comedy focused.

I also don’t know what it is with Final Fantasy and their creatures with speech impediments, whether it be moogles and their adorable “kupo” or the new fox, Tama, and her rather interesting placement and inclusions of “the” in sentences and words, although she is another one of the major strong points of the game. She’s adorable. The cute style of just about everything in this game is a visual delight. You’ll find iconic monsters notably smaller and looking significantly cuter than their other universe beastly counterparts, but I constantly found my heart melting throughout the game at these adorable creatures, all of which are trying to desperately end your life, while you’re just scooping them up and enslaving them for your Pokemon adventure!

I’m getting lost in the enjoyment of how the game presents itself again.

Sadly, there are some issues I have with the game, the combat being the main one, which is a bit upsetting as it’s something that you’ll find yourself doing a lot of. It’s too slow. Even with the speed up function that they include from the start, which raises the question as to why it’s not that speed already, the combat ticks over at a snails pace. It’s turn based, but in a way that involves watching a bar slowly fill, and I mean slowly, slower than most games with this style, and you could easily just skip this and have it so that the little speed and turn timer sum is just automatically worked out, remember how great that was in Final Fantasy X? This is genuinely one of the biggest annoyances in the game, the combat can rapidly become a chore. Random encounters are numerous and with the combat being slow, but still simple enough that you can beat most encounters before they even act it can really slow the game down at times.

That said, outside of a few extra bosses that are intentionally harder than the rest of the zone, I rarely found myself struggling at all throughout the game, up until the final boss as well as the extra dungeons, which decide to just be unreasonably difficult with no sensical progression outside of several hours of grinding. The dungeons can sometimes feel a little long and laborious as well, the Big Bridge being a notable one as it’s literally a long straight line, at least you can ride atop your shark mirage and go a little bit quicker.

Running around and capturing mirages can actually be rather engrossing at times in a way that throws back to catching Pokemon as a child, although here you’ve got mirage boards to get lost in as you unlock various skills for each mirage and even higher or alternate transformations for them.

Overall though, I did spend a pretty decent chunk of World of Final Fantasy with a smile blasted across my face with genuine guffaws of laughter at some of the proceedings that take place in this game. There’s a bunch of extra content that give the characters you come across more time in the spotlight and more entertaining bits of writing to witness, and the game is just that, funny and entertaining. Also adorable.

[kaze-no-miko]

Hey, look Agnès! It's a Braixen! I hope it doesn't try charging you with that stick of its...

Agnès knew it was childish but she still wanted to scream in frustration. At least back home things did not move around the way they did here! Her sense of direction was already poor, but the moogles certainly seemed to make it a point to laugh at her and change things to confuse her even more.

A noise distracted her and she turned around to see a fox-like creature standing at the entrance of the alley she had ended up in. It was clearly a pokemon like Eurus, so despite her irritation, she pulled out the pokedex and pointed it forward. Braixen, the Fox Pokemon. When the twig is plucked from its tail, friction sets the twig alight. The flame is used to send signals to its allies.

“Perhaps you could get me out of here,” Agnès suggested, coming closer to it.

“Braixen!”

“Mareep!” Eurus butted in.

“Shush,” Agnès scolded, patting her sheep on the head. “It is not as if you can get us out of here either.”

“Mareep,” Eurus sulked.

She really had no choice but to trust the Braixen with guiding her out of here. Hopefully it wouldn’t be pulling any tricks. “I needed to get to the library,” she said, not knowing if it even knew where that was. “Or I suppose we could go find the moogles, so you can go home.”

“Braixen!” It seemed to agree that going home was best.

“Very well. I suppose Eurus and I shall find our way back home from there.”

Agnès followed after the Braixen and its signal fire, and to her surprise, they made it to the moogles fairly easily. “I wish I had your sense of direction,” she sighed, and nodded to the Braixen in thanks.