#Centra Ruins anyone?

[lesbianneopolitan]

Commission for @fadedneonzzz of Neopolitan hugging a FF Tonberry!

Stab stab stab 🔪🔪🔪

[starfirewildheart]

Chapter 2

The Wolf and the Flame

Summary: Geralt had just found Ciri and was headed to Kaer Morhen when something drew him into the woods. He found a woman near death and things changed for them all. (I suck at summaries just read please!) Yennefer is bad in the start of this but she and Geralt work on their friendship. Eskel is a dick at first but there is a reason and it works out. Will have a happy ending. Ciri is younger here than in the netflix show. She is about 12.

Warnings: abuse history, injuries, hurt comfort, no one under 18 to be safe, will add when I need to 

Words: 3,233

Naurel heard soft muted sounds around her. A crackling fire, water being dipped out of a bucket, the sound of something being placed on a hard surface. An astringent smell stung her nose and she absently wondered who’d been injured and if she was needed to help. She was on a hard surface but was warm with a soft pillow under her head. Then the pain registered in her mind and all the terror she’d experienced flooded back with a vengeance. She gasped a deep, wheezing breath and sat bolt upright. Searing pain shot through her body and her ribs protested both her breathing and movement so much that she nearly vomited. 

Geralt had been crouched down adding more wood to the fire when he heard the gasping breath. As quick as he was, the woman had already sat up by the time he got to her. He gently pushed her back down. “You are safe here.”

Her eyes locked with the giant man’s again and she remembered seeing them before and some of the panic ebbed. “W..Where am I?” Her voice was scratchy and her throat hurt but nothing like it had before when she was awake. 

“You are in the town of Lakeside, at the home of the healer,” he answered. “What is your name?”

“Naurel,” she answered. “How did I…? I was dying..” she trailed off, confused. 

“You were nearly dead when I found you and brought you here,” he affirmed. “Triss worked for hours to bring you back from the brink.”

“Who are you?”

“Geralt of Riva,” he nodded to her. “We were traveling and saw your encampment. Were you traveling with the Nilfgaarians?” 

A shiver ran through her. “No.” She was afraid to tell him she had been their prisoner. She didn’t know anything about him or where his loyalties lay. 

He could sense her hesitation and didn’t push. She’d been through hell and he knew it would take time for her to trust him. Still, he felt drawn to her.  There was something there that he didn’t understand. “What happened?”

“I..I’m not sure,” She hedged. It was partly true. She didn’t know exactly how things had happened in the end. “My dress?” she gasped and tried to set up again but his hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“It’s ruined. We will get you something else to wear.”

“But I need it!” 

Her eyes were panicked and he could smell the stress coming from her. “I don’t think it can be saved but I will put it in my bag to be cleaned.”

“No,” she shook her head. “The skirt has a hidden pocket on the inside.” She watched Geralt go to the pile of rags that was formerly her dress and search the pieces until he found what he was searching for and returned it to her. She clutched the gold locket against her chest with trembling hands and relaxed against the pillow. “Thank you. It’s the only thing I have from my birth family. The only clue to who I was before I became nothing.”

“Where are you from?” He continued with the questions, keeping them simple so she didn’t feel threatened, although he wanted to argue with her about being nothing.

“I.. I don’t know where I was born,” she told him honestly. “I was sold as a slave in Centra when I was three. I remained there, though I was sold to a few different families over the years.”

A frown crossed his stone features. “I had no idea that Calanthe allowed slavery in her kingdom.” He knew she was not the great Queen some pretended her to be. While she wasn’t as prejudiced as Nilfgaard and its leaders she still did not like elves or anyone different in her eyes. She just wasn’t as open about it. “Is that who did this to you? The person who owned you?”

“No. I mean yes.” She sighed and tried again to explain, “some of it,” she corrected. “I was accused of taking something from the market but I didn’t,” she insisted. Panic was starting to bubble up in her chest. Why the hell was she telling him about her accused crime? What if he took her back there so they could punish her more? She would end up back in the hands of her torturer?

Geralt could hear her heart starting to race and her breath hitching. “Easy, you are safe. I will not let anyone else harm you Naurel. I promise you. Relax and slow your breathing. It will only aggravate your ribs.”

“You are a witcher.” It was a statement, not a question. Geralt nodded. “Why are you helping me? I have no coin to pay you or anything to give you in return.”

“I am not asking for anything.” He had to bite back a frustrated sigh at the damn witcher stereotypes. “I’m not the monster.”

“I.. I didn’t mean to imply that you were. I just.. I know witchers kill monsters for coin. It’s how you survive.” She stumbled over her words.  “Thank you, for everything. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

He was about to speak when Triss and Ciri came barreling in from outside. “Good, you’re awake,” Triss sighed breathlessly. “The villagers have heard about what happened to the girl. How she was found among the dead and they think she's a death omen. They are coming here. You can’t stay here Geralt.”

“She can’t travel like this,” he growled. “I’ll talk to them.”

“They are in no talking mood. I tried. They are afraid that whatever killed all the soldiers is still after her. If she stays here then they think whoever or whatever it was will come looking for her.” Triss paused. “I can’t say I disagree with them either. She poses a threat to the village and Lakeside is a peaceful place.” 

Naurel pulled herself to a sitting position, noticing for the first time that she was naked under the sheet as it pooled around her hips. Her face flamed red as she quickly covered herself. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”

Triss nodded at her and started gathering some herbs. She handed them to Geralt along with some other supplies and a jar with flowers and a white milky liquid inside. “This is milk of the poppy. A drop of this under her tongue for pain when she needs it. It’s fall and the herbs and flowers are getting hard to come by. I don't know if you will be able to find much on your journey. Traveling will not be easy on horseback but she would never survive a portal. Take her to Kaer Morhen. I will go ahead and let Vesimer know you are coming. We will prepare for your arrival.”

He didn’t like it at all but he knew Triss was right. He would have to kill the entire village if they stayed and he couldn’t risk exposing Ciri like that. By the time he packed the saddlebags and got the horses ready Triss had helped Naurel into a dress and some shoes. The poor girl was still so weak she was shaking like a leaf blowing in a windstorm. Scooping her up in his arms he placed her on Roach before climbing up behind her. The villagers were running toward them with pitchforks and torches as they rode out of town. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Geralt kept the pace as slow as he dared to try and lessen the strain on Naurel’s battered body. Even though Triss healed all she could there were still many injuries that remained. He could feel her start to lean against his chest, body exhausted but then she would quickly straighten up again and try to support her weight. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and carefully pressed her back. “Rest, I’ll keep you steady.”

She sank back against him, no match for his strength. Hell, she was pretty sure a slight breeze could knock her over right now. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she argued even though she didn’t try to set back up. 

He grinned at her. “I assure you that your weight is no burden.” It was like her body fit to his perfectly. It felt right. “How is your pain? Do you need something for it?”

She shook her head as she curled to his chest.  His skin was so warm and she was so cold. One of the many experiments that the evil sorcerer had performed on her made her feel like her blood was ice. “So warm,” she sighed. Geralt pulled his cloak so that it was wrapped around her as well. There was barely a chill in the air and he wondered if an infection was starting to sit in on some of her wounds.  

“Do you want some water?” Ciri wanted to talk to the woman, to find out more about her but she was unsure. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the woman was sent to kidnap her. She knew it didn’t make sense but still, she was leery of the newcomer. 

Naurel forced her eyes open and smiled at Ciri. “No thank you, Princess.”

“You know who I am?”

“Yes,” she rested her head back against Geralt’s shoulder. “May I ask why the Lion Cub of Centra is traveling with a witcher and not the guard?” 

Ciri bristled, “is that some sort of cruel joke? How do you know who I am?” she demanded.

“I meant no disrespect,” she said as she sat up straight. “I know who you are because I was a slave in your city. When I would go to the market I would often see you playing knucklebones. Members of the guard would always be lurking nearby to keep you safe.”

“Then you know well that all my family was slaughtered by the same soldiers you were found with! How dare you be so cruel!” Ciri shouted.

“Easy,” Geralt said as he held a calming hand out toward Ciri. “She was a captive not a member of their party.” 

Ciri backed down slightly but was still angry. “Fine but why be so cruel to ask why I’m not with my dead family?” she demanded. 

“Dead?” Naurel gasped. “How?”

Geralt was shocked that she didn’t know about the sacking of Centra. “How long were you held captive?”

“I.. I lost track. I was kept chained in the dark. No sun or moonlight ever filtered down to the depths of hell I was a part of.” A shiver ran through her at the memory. “I’m very sorry about your family princess.”

Ciri huffed and trotted her horse ahead a bit. She didn’t like this woman at all. Geralt was ready to stop Ciri when she rode ahead but she didn’t go far so he let her have some space. He could feel the anger coming off his young charge and the sadness and disappointment coming off of the woman in his arms. This was going to be a long trip. 

“I didn’t mean to upset her,” Naurel said as she forced herself to set up again. She always seemed to say the wrong thing. “I don’t think I can walk very far but if you could find a place near the water to leave me. I will be fine.” She squirmed attempting to free herself.

“You think I am going to leave you alone in the woods, injured?” Geralt asked. He was angry that she even suggested it. 

“If I’m close to the water I’ll likely survive.” She shrugged then flinched at the pain the simple movement caused her. 

“And when something or someone attacks you?” he growled.

She shrugged again, hissing at the movement. She really had to stop doing that. “Then  I die.”

Her answer was so blunt and matter of fact that it caught him off guard. “If I was willing to let that happen I would have left you in the woods where I found you. Ciri is in pain right now, just like you, only her’s is emotional pain.” He put his large hand on her stomach and pressed her back against him before wrapping her in his cloak again. “And you will listen to me when I tell you to do something. It is not up for debate.” Geralt didn’t know why he felt so possessive of her but he did. It was like she was meant to be a part of him.

A wave of desire ran through her and she wanted to bare her neck to him and submit but that wasn’t in her nature, ever. It’s like the words that came from Geralt went straight to her soul. Like he was meant to command her and she was built to be his to command. What the hell had that sorceress done to her? She’d never felt this way before. She let him push her back and settled in but gave him a grievous pout in return and she was sure she saw the corner of his mouth turn up in a grin. That was the last thing she remembered until they came to a stop a few hours later. 

“We need to make camp for the night,” Geralt said. Ciri, who had fallen back to ride beside him again, pulled her horse to a stop and hopped down grateful to be out of the saddle for a bit. Geralt handed her his bedroll. “Put that down over there so I can put Naurel on it while I set up camp.”

“I can do it,” Naurel said from the crook of his neck. She felt him chuckle. “I can,” she huffed.

“Uh huh,” he agreed as he climbed off of Roach and pulled her into his arms. “I know you can.” She was fucking adorable. 

“You know, I’m not going to be weak forever witcher.” Her growl was tiny and soft but a growl non the less. 

“Oh I’m counting on that,” he smirked as he put her on the blanket. “Now do you think the two of you can stay out of trouble long enough for me to gather some wood for a fire?”

Naurel and Ciri both gave him indignant huffs as he walked away. Ciri sat down next to Naurel and offered her some water. “That’s the first time I’ve seen him smile,” she told the redhead. 

Naurel took a sip of the water. “He isn’t anything like the stories I’ve heard of witchers. They are said to be feral, emotionless beasts whose only thoughts are to kill monsters, seek pleasure, and make coin. Geralt seems to be the opposite of that really.” She looked at Ciri, “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s alright. I overreacted. It’s just still all so fresh in my mind that anything seems to cause a flood of memories and thoughts.”

She nodded in sympathy. “How long have you known Geralt?”

“Four days.” She smiled at the surprised look on Naurel’s face. “Before I was born the law of surprise was invoked. My grandmother told me to find him as she lay dying. That he was my destiny. I still have no idea what that means,” Ciri confessed.  

“What does he have to say about it?” Naurel asked. 

“I haven’t asked him,” Ciri confessed. “Since I found him people have been trying to take me or kill me and then he found you so there hasn’t been time to talk about it.”

“About what?” Geralt asked as he strode back to camp with his arms full of wood.

Ciri bit her lip. “What any of this means. What I am to you?”

He continued to set up the wood for a fire as they spoke but Naurel caught the tightness that flashed in his eyes momentarily. “It means that I will protect you with my life. We will find out why all of this is happening.”

“Why would my grandmother keep all of this from me?” She was hurt and angry to have been kept in the dark so long.

“I assume she thought she was somehow protecting you. We never realize our time is short until it’s too late.” He looked up at her with sympathetic eyes. “I don’t think she did it with malice. I think she wanted to hide you from the evils of the world and protect you but all she managed to do was to leave you unprepared for what was to happen. She left you with more questions than answers but I promise you, I will do all in my power to help you.”

Ciri nodded, happy with that answer.  She was relieved that she wasn’t to be his wife. Gods Geralt was hot of course but he was far too old for her. Appeased for now she watched as Geralt flirted with Naurel. It was funny to watch, really. You could tell it was completely foreign to the witcher but still, he was so damn cute.

They all talked for a while before Ciri fell asleep near the fire. Geralt checked all Naurel’s bandages before bundling her in a blanket close to his side under the lean-to he’d built to block the wind. “You should rest,” he told her. 

“No, you should rest. You have been going for at least forty-eight hours Geralt, you need sleep.”

“I will be fine,” he argued.

“When you sleep are you easy to wake?” she asked.

“Of course but I won’t fall asleep. I will keep you safe,” he reassured her. 

“I know you will.” She gently pushed at his shoulder until he let her readjust his position and pull his head against her chest. “You sleep. If I hear anything I promise I will wake you. When I get sleepy I will tell you and you can take watch.” When he opened his mouth to protest she put her finger to his lips to stop him. “No arguing witcher,” she scolded. “It’s your turn to let me take care of you for a while.” She felt his shoulders slump in defeat and knew she’d won. 

Geralt was going to continue to argue but he let her win this one. He would rest his eyes for a few minutes so that she felt like she had helped him some. He laid his head on her chest and sighed contentedly as she started carding her fingers through his hair. Her soft, pliant body against him, her fingers massaging his scalp and back, her sweet scent, and the warmth of the fire lulled him to sleep and for the first time in a long time, he didn’t have a nightmare.

Tag List

@kneelforloki

[irishais]

Yeah hi I'm interested in your Ultimecia headcanons. :D

Send a character’s name to receive four different headcanons

Headcanon A:  realistic

Ultimecia was created in the 1700s, because a blonde teenager got lost in the caves of Centra long before they were ruins, and stumbled on a fading, banished sorceress eager to teach someone her magic. 

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Her insane horns are horns, but she absolutely puts in the effort to style her ridiculous hair around them in elaborate styles. 

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

She has had hundreds of knights over the years, men picked up and used and discarded like so much trash, and because of how fast she forms the knighting, it destroys their brains, and anyone who survives a knighting ends up with horrific lingering after-effects forever, magic that shows up on MRIs like tumors. 

Seifer is not exempt. 

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

She spends a fair amount of time trying to break the time loop and murder Squall when he’s like two. Turns out, infanticide isn’t possible when she’s stuck in a time loop of her own creation, and it infuriates her to no end. 

It results in far too many scenarios where she gets close enough to touch him and Squall either rolls away, toddles off after a butterfly, gets distracted by snack time, etc, etc, etc.

[cleverfoxhound-writes]

Four years after the defeat of Ultimecia, rumors of her power and Adel's power are resurfacing, another unknown sorceress waits in the darkness, will she stay silent or will she act? 

To prevent another disaster Balamb has been called in to take care of the issue, but what happens when the SeeDs themselves are targets? 

Chapter One.

Balamb Garden, Headmaster's Quarters

"Yes…I understand…we will move accordingly,"

A woman lounged one of the two plush chairs in front of a large dark cherry wood desk, her attention focused on the phone in her hand the string of messages that seemed to have no end as she scrolled through the messages. Annoyed a bit at the number of messages but it was the duty of a SeeD commander to answer and read every single message that came to her even if she received messages from the man she waited on in real time.

She glanced at the man and shook her head, he was on one cell phone and had another in his hand as he sent messages to her and to others. Seconds later the man ended his phone call and shoved his cell phone into his back pocket.

"You could have just told me in person, I'm sitting right here," she began.

"It was faster," the man replied as he took off his worn bomber jacket and tossed it on to the desk. The woman crossed her legs and placed her phone into her lap as she focused all her attention on to the man in front of her.

"What are your orders, Headmaster?" the woman seemed to sneer at the man, in turn, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Don't," The man replied as he leaned on the ornately decorated desk chair.

"I have to keep up formalities somewhere. She may be listening," She replied with a small laugh and looked up at the man.

"You know that she isn't, stop," He replied.

"Fine...now what is it Squall?"

"We've officially received approval from the President of Esthar," Squall began. "With that being said, you are my first witness. I hereby pardon his actions against the students of Balamb Garden and myself. Please bring him back to Balamb Garden,"

"It's escalated to that type of situation that we need his help…" The young woman commented.

"I'm sure he's matured during his time of solitude…but you know this is important Akira. The president is adamant about Seifer's part in this situation," he continued. Akira shifted slightly at the mention of the President of Esthar and just how serious the situation had become.

"Besides…if the information you got from your sister is true…then we're going to need all the help we can get," Squall said as he sighed and ran a hand through his chocolate colored hair.

"But how do you feel about this Squall?" Akira questioned.

The man's icy blue eyes focused on Akira for a moment before they fell on to the papers sprawled across the man's desk. The papers belong to a file of a man he once fought alongside with, a friendly rival, a sorceress knight, Seifer Almasy.

"My feelings on this situation…or him doesn't matter. This is for the safety of the world, I think I can get pass old rivalries," Squall replied as he pulled out the chair from the desk and plopped down into it. Akira crossed her arms as she looked down at the man who seemed to be deep in thought.

"You're so cool," Akira quipped.

"Enough," Squall shook his head at the woman's joke, she snickered.

"I suppose, I'll see how you really feel once I bring him back," Akira replied. Casually he looked over Akira and smirked. He knew that she understood the seriousness of the mission that he gave her, he wouldn't have given it to anyone else.

He trusted her and she knew that.

She was one of his best SeeD Commanders, Akira Nishidake, who arrived from a Garden and city that had been overtaken an earthquake and the golden sands of the Bikanel Desert.

"It seems like you're deep in thought��I'll take my leave then," Akira commented. As if he was broken from a trance he realized he had been staring at the woman, lost in thoughts that were no mission related.

"Akira," Squall began. Akira glanced over her shoulder as she reached for the door.

"Good luck," Squall said curtly with a small nod. With a grin, the woman shrugged.

"Save it for those who need it,"

"I feel like you played me Aki. The way you explained this mission made it seem completely different than what it actually is, why would you torture me like this?"

"Zell. Honey, please. Relax. You've been at this for nearly an hour," Akira said as she tried to focus on the road in front of them. The two had traveled from Balamb Garden and to the Island of Centra for nearly two hours, they had recently arrived on the island thirty minutes ago and were now on their way towards their target.

Seifer Almasy

"I just wanna know why?" Zell questioned as he slumped in his seat.

"You could have said no but you didn't so why are you still complaining?" Akira asked. The man in the seat next to her immediately became silent and sighed.

"Two reasons. One, you know I can't say no to a SeeD Commander, that looks bad no matter how close you are with them. The second one I can't exactly….say," Zell replied.

"I guess I should have just asked my sister if I knew that you were going to complain," Akira scoffed.

"Listen…" Zell began.

"I know, I know, you want me to put in a good word to Shizuka," Akira sighed.

"Hey—"

Within their small group of SeeD members, the group knew that Zell had eyes for Akira's younger sister. She was nearly identical in appearance but in personality, they were on the opposite ends of one another. Kind, sweet, and feminine compared to Akira's blunt, calm and coolness that she exuded.

"You're so easy to read," Akira replied as she maneuvered the car to in front of an old and weathered building.

"When you word it like that you make it seem like I'm easily gullible," Zell replied as he looked out the window and at the old building.

"There is no seem. You are," Akira replied.

"This is…," Zell started.

"The Orphanage," Akira completed.

"Is he here?" Zell asked as he got out of the vehicle and looked at the ruins, this is all that's left of his childhood home.

"That's what Cid and Edea said. Shizuka followed confirmed that information that there had been signs of someone living here," Akira said as she too exited the vehicle.

"Wonder why he could come back here. It's so far away from Balamb," Zell muttered under his breath

"We'll never know how he thinks. Let's just find him ok?" Akira said as she walked into the most stable looking building, Zell followed after her.

"Seifer!" Akira called out as she walked into the building.

"Yo Seifer, you here?" Zell called out after her.

The two were greeted by the soft breeze of the wind, the sounds of birds and the soft chirps of crickets. There were no signs of the man. Zell looked at her then looked around.

"Where could he be?" Zell asked. Akira quickly examined the area before her eyes zoomed in on the old worn stairs and then to the open walkway above.

"Aki-" Zell started as he noticed the woman as she looked around the area.

"Stay down here and look for him, I'll look upstairs," Akira said as she began up the stairs. Zell stole a quick glance at the woman before he turned and began his own search on the lower level.

Carefully, Akira walked the empty halls of the old orphanage, it looked to be as if Mother Nature had just begun to worm and work its way into the building to reclaim it back to the lush greenery. Silently, Akira moved through the halls and occasionally stole glances in the abandoned rooms. Majority of the rooms remained intact but showed no signs of life

The floors looked to be fully intact and so did all the rooms she passed as she looked for the man. He must have preserved some of the rooms as he stayed here. As she continued, the footsteps of Zell could be heard downstairs along with the cheerful serenades of the birds masked the footsteps behind her.

Her senses suddenly flared to life and she quickly turned around ready to strike but bumped into someone.

"Nice one girly," a deep voice echoed through her ears. She recognized the voice, it was their target, Seifer Almasy.

"Seifer," Akira said as she stepped back calming herself down from the adrenaline that shot through her body. Seifer quickly looked over Akira and smirked.

"A SeeD…you're pretty far from Balamb…," Seifer said with the smirk still plastered on his face.

"We came looking for you," Akira replied. Seifer quickly looked the woman from head to toe and sighed heavily.

"We?" Seifer questioned as he turned to look around in search of the other person she spoke of.

"Zell I found him!" Akira called out to the man on the lower floor. Seifer looked towards the stairs as he heard heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs, Zell tripped but caught himself.

"Well, Well, Well, never thought I would see your face again," Seifer commented lowly. Zell stood at the top of the stairs as he looked at the man, Akira could see the wave of emotions that flooded the younger man's face. She knew that they all have their grievances, gripes against one another but knew that this mission was important and integral to world peace.

Zell scoffed at the man and cautiously began to approach the man.

"I'm upset that I had to see your ugly mug so soon," Zell commented bitterly.

"Aw, I missed you too Zelly," Seifer teased. Akira could see anger shoot through the younger blond and spoke up before it escalated.

"Relax," Akira began as she focused on Zell and then back to Seifer, Seifer sneered at the man and then focused back on her.

"Why are you two here, what do you want?" Seifer began.

"We came to get your sorry ass," Zell replied bluntly, Seifer began to scratch gently at the stubble of his beard.

"Uh huh,"

"Shouldn't you be more excited about that?" Zell questioned

"I dunno," Seifer replied. "Why? What happened?"

"We can explain all of that on the way back to Balamb," Akira added.

"So then I was your mission target then," Seifer commented.

"No, we just decided to take a walk and we ended up here," Zell spat sarcastically.

"Cute, but you're clearly not her type," Seifer replied.

"You know what-" Zell started.

"Enough, I'm getting a headache from you two. Get your stuff and let's go. We can explain in the UMV," Akira said as she pushed past the two men.

"Get yer shit a let's go," Zell added.

"You expect me to be all willy nilly and return to Balamb Garden that easily?" Seifer asked. Akira stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at the man. "I left for a reason,"

"He doesn't wanna come back, let's go," Zell said as he took one look at the man and turned his back to him. "I'll call Squall and let him know,"

Akira stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at the man as Zell passed her and down the stairs. The woman crossed her arms and stepped back from the stairs as she looked at the silent man.

"You know what I did, you know they don't want me there. I've been gone for three years, why now?" Seifer began. Akira sighed softly.

"News hasn't reached you yet if you're not aware of it," Akira began, Seifer arched an eyebrow as the woman spoke.

"Everyone needs help, Squall needs your help,"

"Oh really? He should have come himself instead of sending his little soldiers to find me," Seifer scoffed

"It's complicated. But as an Ex-Knight…" Akira trailed off.

Ex-Knight

A word, a title he thought he would never hear again but it rolled off her lips just as easily as a shiver shot through him. Four years later, it still affected him.

"We remember what you did…but you've been pardoned by the President of Esthar and Squall," Akira continued.

"I'm sure you have some emotional baggage but if you would please gather your things so that we can arrive back at Balamb before the evening…that would be great,"

A tension-filled silence settled between the two, deep emerald green eyes locked with pale jade. There were things that he wanted to say but the words wouldn't come. Akira sighed softly before she turned again and descended down the stairs.

"Are you fucking serious?" Seifer murmured to himself as he watched the woman descend.

Akira and Zell stood outside the building and by the vehicle, Akira sat in the passenger seat while Zell leaned on the open door. Zell fidgeted with his cell phone as did Akira, it was only a few moments of silence before Zell spoke.

"You think he's gonna come?" Zell questioned.

"I don't know…he still has some emotional baggage still," Akira replied.

"Ah…" Zell trailed off. Akira quickly stole a glance at the man and noticed his once annoyed look had melted away into a thoughtful expression. She knew that Zell had a history with the man, he and the others had been in this same orphanage with one another before they went their separate ways and met up with one another again at Balamb Garden. Herself and the others had gone through the hell of Ultimecia's power trip and control over Edea and Seifer.

She knew that many people had not fully forgiven the man but there were others that moved on with their lives and allowed for time to heal their wounds and scars.

"I hope he does…" Akira trailed off. "You didn't call Squall did you?"

"No…I didn't," Zell replied.

"I figured you weren't going to call him," Seifer commented as he stepped outside of the building. Zell scoffed at Seifer's comment. Akira sighed as she hopped out of the vehicle and placed a hand on her hip.

"I take it you have all of your things?" Akira asked as the man stopped in front of the two and looked at the vehicle.

"It's not like I have much…is this a new model?" Seifer questioned as he slung his small duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah, It's a new prototype for a slim model utility truck," Zell replied. "Since Akira is a SeeD Commander she gets to test out all of the new toys and gadgets,"

Zell got into the passenger side as Akira had already walked over to the driver side and got in. Seifer took one more glance at the vehicle before he opened the back door and got in.

"A SeeD commander huh," Seifer said as he began to strap himself in. He stole a glance at the woman in the front seat, her jade green eyes met his emerald green ones through the rearview mirror before she started up the vehicle.

"Are you sure you got everything?" she asked.

"Yeah…"

Akira nodded and began to drive to their extraction point, the beginning of the drive was mostly silent until Seifer spoke up

"Sooo Zelly ol-boy," Seifer started.

"Oh god, don't start with that," Zell said firmly.

"It's a term of endearment," Seifer chuckled.

"Endearment my ass," Zell scoffed and frowned. Seifer smirked at the man's comment.

"It's been a while…and truthfully I missed you," Seifer confessed. "Stop being such a hard ass," Seifer leaned towards the front seats.

"Don't give me your shit already," Zell retorted, Seifer laughed slightly.

"You haven't changed at all," Seifer sighed. Zell turned in his seat to face the man in the backseat of the vehicle, Seifer, unperturbed by the frown on the younger man's face turned his attention to the silent woman.

"So what's going on in Balamb that you all…need my help," Seifer began

"It's more of what's to come if it's not dealt with," Akira replied as she felt the man's eyes on her.

"And that is? Wait…were you always at Balamb?" Seifer questioned.

"I was there four years ago," Akira replied and glanced at the man through the rearview mirror.

"Can't say I remember you…" Seifer trailed off.

"I'm not too surprised," Akira replied, her attention focused on the road ahead.

"I'm surprised too, she nearly broke your nose when you put your hands on Shizuka," Zell commented.

"Oh…it's you…" Seifer grimaced.

"My name is Akira Nishidake, use it," Akira replied, Seifer, scoffed.

"You're the girl that came from the Garden that was destroyed by that earthquake…The Bikanel Garden was it?" Seifer asked.

"That's right," Akira grimaced at the thought of the Garden being destroyed.

"Hmph…I'm surprised you're still here…I guess your sister is still around too huh," Seifer added.

"That's right," Akira nodded.

"But she's not the same person you think she is," Zell began.

"I hope not…I assume she grew up," Seifer added.

"I was more so talking about her being bullied by you," Zell commented.

"I would assume she would have grown up into a wonderful woman," Seifer said bored.

Four years ago when Akira and Shizuka had just arrived at the Balamb garden after being transferred from the now-defunct Garden, it took some adjusting before the two young women would settle in with their new surroundings.

Unfortunately, the two had a run in with Balamb's Disciplinary Committee gang and the all the 'disciplinary actions' that they handed out to the students of Balamb. Seifer and his crew tried to make an example out of the two women and quickly began to butt heads with one another.

"That was so long ago…" Seifer sighed softly as memories of the time before he—before everything that happened, happened.

"Anyway…" Seifer began. "You two are both SeeDs right?"

"Yeah…Akira here is a SeeD Commander, I'm damn near reaching that level," Zell replied.

"Well, now look how much you've grown Zell," Seifer smirked.

"Shut up," Zell frowned. "Just know that I have more authority than you,"

"Want a gold star?" Seifer replied casually.

Seifer knew that that younger man was for once in life above him and knew that he couldn't look down on him. Seifer also knew that the man was going to use every chance he could get to remind him of that, but Seifer for sure was not going to make it easy for him.

"Sounds like someone still hasn't grown up yet," Seifer replied nonchalantly as he leaned back in his seat.

"Fuck you," Zell hissed at the blonde haired man, Seifer chuckled.

Quietly Seifer admitted he enjoyed the squabble between him and Zell, it masked the uncertainty and the plethora of questions he had in the back of his mind. He knew that wasn't in exile, he left Balamb on his own will, the Garden held too many painful memories for him and the people reminded him of that.

"So back to my initial question…What's going on in Balamb that you require my assistance," Seifer questioned again.

Zell glanced at Seifer for a moment before he turned to face the front, Akira remained silent as she continued to drive.

"Balamb is still standing…I can assume that much because you two are here…" Seifer began.

"Yeah, it's great," Zell replied, his brows furrowed as he faced forward.

"Squall will go into more detail once we get back. Don't worry," Akira replied.

"You two made it seem like someone died or something," Seifer commented.

"No…Squall asked us to find you and bring you back," Zell started. "I guess he figured it would better if someone you knew were to welcome you back,"

Seifer looked at the man's reflection in the rearview mirror, the man was too focused on the sights outside to notice him.

"To put it simply, we just wanted you to know that you were welcome back. We don't know why you left in the first place," Zell said as he looked out his window.

"Squall…wants you to come back…start over-" Akira started.

"—and to actually live your life…not in hiding," Zell added.

The man was silent once again as if he needed time to digest what the two had said. The man, Squall, wanted him to come back? He had to admit that he was a bit surprised, he assumed that everyone hated his guts, wanted him dead for everything that he had caused, the sorceress.

"It just sounds like you all want something from me…so what is it?" Seifer asked bitterly as he looked out his window.

Zell glanced at Akira as if he was asking for permission to speak. Whatever he was asking permission for it had to be something serious that they didn't talk about without hesitation.

"What?" Akira asked as she looked at the man next to her.

"Squall won't get mad will he?" Zell questioned

"Squall isn't going to be upset…him and I are…friends," Akira said with a smile.

"…friends?" Seifer muttered under his breath. Zell scoffed.

"Do you know how hard it is to be friends with you and Rinoa? She told me she feels threatened by you," Zell said.

"That is not my problem. I've done nothing and I know my limits," Akira replied with a short shrug. "Anyway"

"Well, to start remnants of Adel's and Ultimecia's powers have surfaced, there are rumors going around that there's another sorceress around and there seems to be a violent pro-sorceress group spreading propaganda," Zell began as he counted on his fingers the problems that seemed to plague the world.

"What?" Seifer said in disbelief.

"Yeeeeah…that pro-sorceress group is a problem…especially with all of that propaganda. It's gotten some of the officials worried…" Zell trailed off.

"I hope that you can see where this is going," Akira added.

"I don't," Seifer replied bluntly. "I am not a SeeD, member and I haven't been attuned to any magical items in years,"

"Stop playing dumb. You're an Ex-Knight, I'm sure you have some hidden sleeping power that you need to unleash or something like that," Zell commented as he glanced over his shoulder at the man.

"Real funny chicken shit. The joke's on your dumb ass because I have no such power," Seifer replied.

"Listen—"Zell began.

"Enough. There are things that have yet to be discussed about the entire situation and as I said before," Akira sighed. "So until then, this topic is no longer up for discussion. Understand?"

"Yeah," Zell replied.

"Sure. Whatever, "

[lunamanar]

On Galbadia Garden...or Not, as it Were

ssnakey-b reblogged your post and added:

Oooh, that’s actually a lot more interesting! I got confused because I wasn’t sure why Galbadian Garden would have info on B-Garden’s junction techniques, though I guess Squall just expects them to be spying on them?

Either way, very curious to see where this goes, especially since I always assumed Galbadia Garden would have gone back into regular operation once Edea was defeated. So I’m guessing it was bought by the Galbadian government?

The game isn't clear about what happens to G-Garden after the battle of the Gardens. It’s on of the holes in the game’s plot that drives me a little bit crazy. 

There are a few clues, but nothing even approaching concrete. If you revisit Deling City on disc 3 and talk to all the Galbadian soldiers there, they inform you that now that Edea is gone and Caraway is “out,” Seifer is the one leading them. At least one of them is aware that a sorceress named Ultimecia is guiding him. They also say that there is a “large scale operation” to find something in some “strange ruins,” but will not divulge anything else. 

Either Galbadia Garden was taken back by SeeD, in which case Seifer and the Galbadian military are stranded on Centra at least until someone can come get them (in which case... why didn’t anyone arrest him?), OR Seifer maintained control of Galbadia Garden and immediately traipsed off to gather more troops and search for the Lunatic Pandora (in which case...especially knowing Ultimecia was in Rinoa at that time, why didn’t anyone arrest US?).

There really aren’t any clear-cut answers to either possibility, in my opinion. When Ultimecia!Rinoa tells Seifer to go find the Lunatic Pandora, he wanders off-screen alone and we don’t hear from him again until the end of disc 3. This would be the perfect place, while we’re all still immobile, for Ultimecia or Seifer himself to have some soldiers come capture us, or at least try, but that never happens. OK, so why?

The easy/obvious reason for is that G-army is in retreat...but if that’s true, where to? We’re out in the middle of Bumbleduck, Centra. And maybe more importantly, how would anyone find them if they did fall back to ground level? Adel is still in orbit, so there’s no radio with which to call for help. No one on the mainland even knows that there’s been a defeat. And their sorceress? She’s exhausted, stuck inside a comatose girl.

So it begs the inverse question: if G-Army was so declawed, so defeated, why didn’t we hunt Seifer, Fujin and Raijin down and capture them? They had nowhere to go and Garden had plenty of reason to subdue and mine them for information if possible. 

The only functional answer to that is that Galbadia Garden as a whole was not actually beaten, and that Seifer’s orders sent him, ‘his’ troops, and G-Garden too on a quest for Lunatic Pandora. I mean, hell, a flying mobile base would make the “large scale operation” to “some strange ruins” much simpler, and it would explain why Galbadia Garden simply vanishes off the face of the map (convenient for Game Design purposes; not so much for the plot).

As for why we weren’t captured...I’d have to say that’s because Ultimecia needed to remain with us, to make sure Rinoa wound up in Esthar and shot off into space, so she could be there in the right place at the right time to release Adel. ...I don’t like this last part of the answer, mind. It feels kind cop-out-ish, a bad plot twist to patch a bad plothole. But it’s better than trying to explain it the other way around: why, if Balamb Garden really had control of things, wasn’t Seifer captured or at least run off into the wilderness? How the hell did he get back to Galbadia and get all his troops together to rove around (and on what?) looking for the Lunatic Pandora?

And, finally: if we did indeed recover Galbadia Garden, why does none of the post-battle NPC dialogue reflect that? The students in every branch of Balamb Garden speak of “fighting off” the enemy and that “both sides” suffered casualties, but they spoke of no victory except the fact what Balamb Garden was still here to tell of it. Even the SaaaaaDs in the cafeteria mention nothing of Galbadia Garden’s fate. 

So to put this all together: Galbadia Garden was huge, and chock-full of students half of whom may have been planning on going into the Galbadian military, anyway. Balamb Garden was designed to train elites and “gifted kids,” and defacto, by location and by trade, had a much smaller, younger population. No matter how well-trained those kids were, no matter how good you think Squall and the others were at leading them, they were outnumbered and outgunned. That battle was unexpected, and certainly not meant to be a struggle to reclaim their “lost” Garden. It was a fight to simply survive, to break even for long enough that Squall and everyone qualified could find and defeat Seifer and Edea specifically. The absolute best they could hope for was to get the job done and get out of there with their lives. A prolonged fight was a death sentence no matter what. 

In conclusion, and in my opinion, Balamb Garden did not “win.” They simply were able to make life difficult enough for Ultimecia that they changed Ultimecia’s plans and stopped the fight. They certainly did not have the troops or the resources to conquer a Galbadia Garden that was fully manned and armed to the teeth. So they did what they came to do, and got out while the getting was good.

I realize that’s not an eloquent timeline. However, the backflips you’d have to go through to explain why and how Galbadia Garden remained in SeeD’s hands after that battle are, again in my opinion, more acrobatic than the ones you already have to go through to explain why and how it didn’t. I’m not saying it isn’t possible--you can do it and have it make sense, but you have to add even more to the story to explain it.  If you just assume Seifer, Fujin, Raijin, the Galbadian Army, and Galbadia Garden were all ordered away to wherever best suited Ultimecia’s purposes, while she stayed behind inside Rinoa to ensure they made it to Esthar, it works just fine. It’s just simpler that way, and I prefer simple explanations over complicated ones. 

Not that I’m terribly happy with any of it, in the first place. I dislike saying Ultimecia hocus-pocused G-Garden away in that it still begs the question why, if Lunatic Pandora was Ultimecia’s primary goal to begin with, she allowed the Centra battle to take place at all. At least you can skirt that speedbump with any of several small excuses: she was looking for Ellone at the orphanage and didn’t find her; she wanted to get hold of Rinoa again and Seifer knew just where to park (my preferred); the Lunatic Pandora was still in/around Centra somewhere (possible, maybe even probable, as it was said to be “hidden beneath the ocean,” but the fact she tell Seifer to find it indicates to me that she doesn’t actually know where it is so it’s not my favorite)...etc. And it’s still simpler than trying to figure out how to get all of those leftover Galbadian troops home and on their way to finding the Lunatic Pandora without the aid of a military campus on a flying saucer. 

So, for *cough* simplicity’s sake, I go with the assumption/headcanon that Seifer and G-Army remained in control of Galbadia Garden even after their defeat at Centra. And Galbadia just decided to keep it once Seifer was done with it. If they didn’t, I can’t tell you who the heck did, but as hand-wavey as “because Ultimecia said so” is as a theory, it makes more sense than any explanations to the contrary I was able to come up with. 

And believe me, I did try. Because I was as “ennngh” about the idea as I imagine many of you are. 

[ramajmedia]

FF8 Triple Triad Guide: Where to Find Rare Cards & Easy Wins

FF8 Triple Triad is one of the series' best mini-games, featuring rare cards, diverse mechanics, and main story relevance. Few of the mini-games integrated into a Final Fantasy's core experience have as significant an impact on gameplay as Triple Triad does - it can easily be manipulated from the beginning of the game to give players access to extremely powerful abilities, items, and cards that will make winning rarer ones later in the game much easier.

In fact, FF8 Triple Triad is so good it was resurrected before the game that spawned it. Square Enix brought the card game back in FFXIV as a mini-game there, and it has become an integral part of that title's ecosystem, weathering several years of play and remaining a beloved pastime for residents of Eorzea. Although the game was changed somewhat in its FFXIV iteration, it mostly remained intact, so players familiar with the FFXIV MMORPG offering - and that game comes highly recommended by modern JRPG fans at this point - will have a leg up if they're jumping back into FF8 now that it's been remastered on modern platforms.

Related: FF8 GF Guide: All Locations & Abilities Explained

FF8 Triple Triad is pretty simple to pick up, and the game has an excellent tutorial that explains everything players need to know about the way the game can change rules based on region and player. This guide won't be introducing players to the basics, but will instead help those who have fallen into the long spiral of Triple Triad addiction find the rarest cards in FF8 - and offer suggestions on how to get the less rare but useful cards that will make acquiring those rare cards, which look great in FF8 Remastered's drastically improved graphics, easier, too.

Rare cards are only available from select characters in the world of FF8 Triple Triad, and some of them can be missed if players aren't careful. They're character cards that represent powerful cast members, and they're by far the most powerful in the game. Once players acquire a decent number of them, winning at Triple Triad becomes much easier, which in turn makes acquiring the rare FF8 Triple Triad cards in the late game a lot more doable, too. Here's a rundown of each card, alongside where to find them.

Quistis Card - Can be acquired from any Trepie; there are a few in the 2F Classroom of Balamb Garden, and one in the Cafeteria (challenge the two boys at the table and choose the one sitting in the back)

MiniMog Card - Can be acquired from the young boy doing laps in the main hall of Balamb Garden; can be reacquired after losing it to the Queen of Cards from the boy in the painter's house in Dollet

Zell Card - Can be acquired from Ma Dincht, Zell's mother, in Balamb, after completing the SeeD Exam

Diablos Card - Obtained by defeating Diablos after acquiring the Magical Lamp from Cid after being given the mission in Timber but before leaving

Seifer Card - Can be acquired from Cid; the best opportunity to do so is when he presents the player with the Magical Lamp

Angelo Card - Can be acquired from Watts in the Forest Owls base

Kiros Card - Acquired from a man in all black across the street from the Junk Shop in Deling City; only available if the player loses the MiniMog Card to the Queen of Cards in Disc 1

Minotaur Card/Sacred Card - Acquired by completing the Tomb of the Unknown King and unlocking Brothers as a GF; Sacred can be won back from the boy in the painter's house in Dollet

Rinoa Card - Acquired from Caraway in Disc 2 while on Selphie's team in Deling City by first losing the Ifrit Card

Leviathan Card - Acquired from Card Magician Joker, who randomly appears on the bridge going right from the first screen of Balamb Garden's Training Center; if he doesn't show up, re-enter the screen until he does

Quezacotl Card - Acquired from Dobe in the Mayor's House in Fisherman's Horizon

Irvine Card - Acquired from Flo in the Mayor's House in Fisherman's Horizon, provided the player lost the Sacred Card to the Queen on Disc 1

Carbuncle Card - Acquired from Card Queen Heart during the CC Group Quest; cannot be challenged until leaving Fisherman's Horizon; located in Balamb Garden's bridge and is a female SeeD member

Gilgamesh Card - Acquired from the Card Master King, who can only be challenged after beating all other members of the CC Group. Keep resting in Squall's Dormitory in Balamb Garden until the King finds him and challenges him. After the initial challenge, he can be found in the bridge.

Chicobo Card - Obtained by completing all the Chocobo Forests; can then be won back after being handed to the Queen of Cards from the boy in the painter's house in Dollet

Odin Card - Obtained by defeating Odin in the Centra Ruins

Pandemona Card - Obtained from the Balamb Hotel Owner after liberating the city (only available in Disc 2-3)

Chubby Chocobo Card - Obtained from the guy on a bench near the Library in Balamb Garden, only available after losing the Chicobo Card to the Queen of Cards

Selphie Card - Acquired from Selphie's friend near the fountain in Trabia Garden during Disc 2 after arriving

Cerberus Card - Obtained after beating Cerberus in the main hall of Galbadia Garden in Disc 2; this is unavailable after the end of Disc 2

Edea Card - Acquired from Edea in Edea's House at the beginning of Disc 3

Shiva Card - Reward for giving Zone the Girl Next Door for free on the White SeeD Ship in Disc 3

Ward Card - Acquired from Odine in Esthar as Squall in Disc 3

Alexander Card - Acquired from Piet in Lunar in Disc 3

Laguna Card - Acquired from Ellone in Lunar in Disc 3; must be won from Ellone before speaking to her normally

PuPu Card - Obtained by feeding PuPu 5 Elixirs after his UFO crashes

Doomtrain Card - Acquired from the Timber Pub Owner in Disc 3

Phoenix Card - Acquired from Esthar's Presidential Aide in Disc 3

Bahamut Card - Obtained by beating Bahamut in the Deep Sea Research Center

Eden Card - Obtained by beating Ultima Weapon in the Deep Sea Research Center

Squall Card - Acquired from Laguna in Ragnarok

There are some opponents early on in FF8 Triple Triad that will offer up some powerful Level 5 cards. Cards are sorted by level in terms of their relative strength, so Level 5 cards are typically more powerful than 4 or lower - although the differences between ranks within one of each other is less pronounced, and some Level 4 cards can be contextually and strategically better than 5, and so on. With that said, though, Level 5 is definitely what players should be shooting for. Here's a quick rundown of Level 2, 3, 4, and 5 players who are accessible in Balamb Garden from the beginning of the game and can help build up a player's deck so they can win rare cards more easily when the time comes.

Level 2: Trepe Groupie #2, girl in 2F Hallway, girl and male student in Library Hallway

Level 3: Generally most people in Balamb Garden play Level 3 cards, so challenging anyone who isn't on this list is a safe bet

Level 4: Trepe Groupie #3, Cafeteria Lady, girl in 2F Hallway, girls in Dormitory Hallway, all students in Library area except the girl behind the desk

Level 5: All Trepe Groupies, Gatekeeper, Cafeteria Lady, male student in blue in Library, girl in Library reading area

There's obviously some overlap here, so plan accordingly. Completionists will want to play the girl who resides in the Library's reading room, as she plays all cards across levels 1-5 and can help build out a collection quite easily.

In general, All is the best rule to play under once a player is confident in their Triple Triad deck - winning with All means the defeated player gives up all of the cards they took into battle. It's a great way to amass cards. Eventually, rules degenerate into different ones, with All progressing into One, which is much less desirable. This can be reset with careful rules manipulation, but it's a lot of hassle, and it's only recommended for players who are adamant they will be collecting all cards in the most efficient way possible. Otherwise, just try to avoid Random as a Special Rule, which is a devastating one to allow to spread throughout a region, as it will often make a player's hands way worse in the late game while opponents will have predictably high card quality no matter what.

Next: Don't Expect A New Final Fantasy MMO Soon

source https://screenrant.com/final-fantasy-8-triple-triad-rare-cards-guide/

[natt-exe]

.