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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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FEATURE SERIES: My Favorite One Piece Arc with Daniel Barnes

I love One Piece and I love talking to people who love One Piece. And with the series going on 23 years now, there is a whole lot to talk about. As the series is about to publish its 1000th chapter, a true feat in and of itself, we thought we should reflect upon the high-seas adventure and sit down with some notable names in the One Piece fan community and chat about the arcs they found to be especially important, or just ones they really, really liked.

Welcome to the next article in the series "My Favorite One Piece Arc!"

My next guest in this series is Daniel Barnes, writer for the Aggretsuko comic, and his original graphic novel The Black Mage. For my chat with him, he chose the Marineford arc, in which Luffy drops into a World Government headquarters in a desperate race against time to save his "brother" Ace from execution.

A note on spoilers: If you haven't seen the Marineford arc yet, this interview does contain major plot points. Watch the Marineford arc starting RIGHT HERE if you'd like to catch up or rewatch!

Dan Dockery: Let’s say that for some reason, I get to the end of Impel Down, just before Luffy & Co. drop into Marineford, and I’m like “I’m done. This is it. I can’t handle any more One Piece.” In one sentence, what do you tell me to keep me going?

Daniel Barnes: Why are you stopping before you reach the payoff of everything you’ve read so far?

I like that! How long have you been into One Piece?

When I first started consuming One Piece in earnest, ironically enough, I was in the Navy at the time. It was 2014, and up until that point, my only exposure had been the 4Kids dub on FoxBox.

Nice. I love a good FoxBox reference. Was it recommended to you? Because I know that, when a lot of people start One Piece, it’s like “FINE. I’ll watch One Piece. You’ve convinced me.”

I don’t consume anime as voraciously as I did back then. Back then, I was an anime vacuum, but I was also in this weird spot where I was semi-depressed. But someone told me, “You gotta try One Piece, it’s the best.” And my first reaction was “Umm, the art style’s kinda weird, though.” But they told me “You’ll get over it,” and the thing that made me finally take that leap was Gurren Lagann, which also had an unusual art style and then became one of my favorite things ever. So I figured I should at least give it a shot.

That’s something I’ve heard a few times. Because in other big series like Naruto and Bleach, the character designs are much more proportionate and straightforward. And I felt the same way...until I watched it, and realized the art style is PERFECT for what it is. So, Marineford is pretty much the halfway point of the series, with characters returning from all over the place. Were there any that you were excited to see come back?

There’s a few of them. I always love it when Mihawk shows up, but I think the big one is Whitebeard. Because up until this point, he’s just sitting around and you know he’s a big deal but you’re always wondering why he’s a big deal. And then you find out in Marineford. I enjoy seeing characters that are kind of defined as the “power ceiling” in an anime universe get to do stuff, and it was cool to see him make the entire world quake.

I think I called it in an article a “Be Quiet, The Parents Are Talking” character. You’ll go through Luffy getting new power-ups and increasingly strong villains and these seemingly insurmountable admirals with their elemental powers and then Whitebeard comes in, and he’s leaps and bounds above everyone. And like you said, for the most part, he’s just sitting down beforehand.

Yeah, he’s sitting down drinking a giant gourd of sake. His name is Whitebeard, but he doesn’t have a beard. Got a real Hulk Hogan vibe to him. Who is this guy? But then you finally see him after all this time, and that’s the magic of One Piece. You see all of these things over the years and you wonder what part they’ll play and then it finally hits you and their role and strength becomes clear.

Marineford, obviously, is all built around Ace. And what you get out of the arc probably depends on how much you enjoy Ace’s character. How did you feel about him? Did it make you emotional at all? I know he has the one scene with Garp where they talk about finding your purpose in life, and that really got to me, even though I’m not the biggest fan of Ace.

Okay, I think Ace looks cool and I think he has good powers, but I didn’t really care that much when he died. I didn’t really know him enough.

Were there any characters that you did get attached to or like a lot in Marineford? I know you said you liked Whitebeard and Mihawk, but who was your Marineford MVP? Who shines brightest among all those crazy diamonds?

Okay, so the cop-out answer is probably Luffy. He’s one of the weakest characters there and he manages to survive and he plays such a big role by rallying everyone despite being constantly outmatched. So, objectively, Luffy. But maybe I give it to Coby, because Coby stands his ground against Akainu. He gives you hope that maybe the Marines can change their ways one day and when he refuses to move in front of an Admiral, I thought that was a real stand-out, awesome moment.

So Ace dies, Whitebeard just wrecks Akainu and throws him into a pit, and then, out of nowhere, Blackbeard shows up. Whitebeard beats up Blackbeard and Blackbeard’s forces kill Whitebeard. What do you think about Blackbeard as a villain? Because he’s so unlikeable. He’s underhanded, he whines whenever he gets hurt, he’s super pompous. He has cool powers, but there’s nothing cool about who he is.

He’s super interesting, to me. He has a mystery around him with his two Devil Fruit powers, and he doesn’t really fit into any shonen villain stereotype. He’s an inverse of Luffy, but not in all of the super obvious ways. When you first see him in Jaya, you see him start with basically nothing, and you watch him work through the system and the powers that be, just like Luffy. They’re both trying to achieve the same thing and reach the same goal. But Blackbeard’s methods are different.

Yeah, Luffy will punch you in the face, while Blackbeard will stab you in the back.

And getting to see that evolution is great, because they easily could’ve just said, boom, here’s the next big bad guy and given him to you without context. But it’s like I said about One Piece earlier, where it shows you stuff over time and gets you to look forward to what will happen with it later. That’s Blackbeard’s whole appeal.

You talked earlier about Coby standing up to Akainu, ready to die for his beliefs. And then Shanks comes and stops the war. How did you feel about that? Because we’re all still waiting to see what his deal is (which as you said is a big part of the continuing appeal of One Piece,) but were you hyped to see him show up?

I thought it was cool, because One Piece has done a good job of establishing him as an awesome guy. He’s a lot like Zero from Mega Man X, where he shows up at the beginning, they imply how powerful he is, they make the main character want to be as strong as him, and then they take him away and only show him sparingly. So whenever Shanks drops by, he's been handled so well that you’re just on the edge of your seat wondering what he’s gonna do.

So, after the war is over, Jimbei has to remind Luffy that he still has things worth fighting for. And then, the timeskip. Were you aware that a timeskip was coming?

Oh yeah. It’s kind of hard to exist on social media and not get a bunch of these little hints about what’s gonna happen. But that was my goal with One Piece for a little while: I’m gonna get to the timeskip. I have to get there. It’s coming, I know it’s coming, I don’t know when it’s coming, but I just have to reach it.

There are so many big moments in this arc, but looking back at it, are there any moments that stand out as prime One Piece to you?

The obvious one, for me, is when Luffy goes Third Gear and punches the giant out of the way. That’s so cool and such quintessential One Piece. A giant on an arena made of ice and a rubbery kid inflates his fist to make it huge and knocks him around. It’s so weird and it works.

ONE PIECE LIGHTNING ROUND!

Favorite One Piece character?

Usopp.

Favorite One Piece villain?

Crocodile.

Favorite One Piece arc?

Sabaody Archipelago.

Which Devil Fruit would you eat if you had the choice?

Bellamy’s Spring Spring fruit.

If you had to live on any island in the One Piece universe, which would you choose?

Does the Gran Tesoro from the Film: Gold movie count? That one’s pretty dope.

Favorite One Piece fight?

Luffy vs Blueno, when he first reveals the Second Gear.

One Piece moment that made you cry the hardest?

When the Franky Gang beats up Usopp and Nami finds him and Usopp is like “I’m useless. I can’t do anything.” Whenever Usopp gets beaten up, his nose gets all crooked and he loses teeth. There’s so many cartoon-ey visual indicators for Usopp in pain. It got me.

One Piece moment that made you cheer the loudest?

When Luffy punches the Celestial Dragon in the face. It’s so cathartic.

Stay tuned for the next installment of "My Favorite One Piece Arc" as we speak with One Piece Podcast Co-Host and storyboard artist Steve Yurko about his favorite One Piece arc: Baratie!!

Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daniel Dockery

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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rallis-fatalis · 5 years ago

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The Making of a Monster

The Battle of Dragons changed many things for Rallis. She was seen as a betrayer. She was hunted by bounty hunters and slayers alike. People across the world wanted her dead for one reason or another. She began to hate the world and everyone in it. But her real enemies weren't the people after her life or her newfound power. It was something much more wicked and inescapable, something that began to turn her into the monster the world wanted her to be.

Rallis held a hand out. "Watch your step."

Peg was glad to take it, stumbling down the rocky entrance to Taverley Dungeon. She tripped into Rallis as she hopped over piles of stones. Adam stumbled a bit more gracefully behind her.

As the three steadied themselves, Rallis smiled and held her arms out. "Welcome to my old home!"

Peg had been assigned to look into an issue regarding the hellhounds of Taverley Dungeon and Adam and Rallis tagged along at her request. Apparently the dogs were leaving their normal territory and growing far more aggressive. Someone needed to look into it and report back with findings and the girl was a bit too nervous to investigate the beasts on her own.

Peg rubbed her eyes and looked around. "It's pretty dark in here."

"Don't worry, it gets brighter deeper in. Humans hang up torches and other lights and there's lots of lava that keeps the caves warm and bright," Rallis informed.

Her eyes quickly began to adjust, raccoon-cursed eyesight kicking in. Sometimes her curse was a blessing in disguise, she supposed. Adam meanwhile was blind as a bat. He flicked out his lighter to light the way until they got farther in. Rallis eagerly pulled the girl deeper into the dungeon as Adam followed behind.

"So you've never been in here, right?" Rallis asked Peg. She didn't wait for her answer. "This place is great! There's so many friendly dragons and warm spots to sleep in and lots of small spaces to crawl through and explore! It's great! My momma and brothers live here too. I'm gonna visit them when we're done. Hey, do you guys wanna visit them too?! Momma Blue is the best, you'll love her!"

Rallis continued to gush and narrate as they went, neither of her companions ever able to get a word in. She had stories about everything they walked by, even for the smallest cracks in the stone walls.

"Don't get too distracted," Adam reminded her when she finally paused. "We're here to investigate the hellhounds, not explore your old home."

"I know, I know!" Rallis said with a pout. "But if we get this done fast then we can explore! We're almost in their territory anyway."

She motioned for them to listen and sure enough they could hear savage growling echoing off the cavern walls. The beasts were just up ahead. Peg bristled, Adam readied his shield just in case.

"Try not to start a fight with them," Rallis said. "They're one of the few animals I don't get along with. I won't be able to tell them to go away or that we're not bad."

Adam nodded and motioned to a large pile of rocks up ahead. "We should be able to safely hide behind those and watch the hounds. Keep low and quiet."

The three quietly snuck behind cover and looked into the pit that now stood before them. Their rocky barrier stood on the edge of a rather large ledge that descended into a wide pit full of hellhounds. Large holes dotted the cavern walls, presumably dens for the dogs. Laying around the pit were hellhounds of varying size, and they all looked dangerously underweight. One was so thin all its ribs poked through its short red fur and its skin sagged around its face. Others weren't nearly as bad but it was apparent the entire pack was weak and starved with hardly the energy to stand.

"They're not eating," Rallis whispered. "I've never seen them this weak before. They're normally strong enough to drive dragons out of their dens in a big enough pack!"

"Are they sick?" Adam wondered.

Peg hushed them quickly. "Something's coming! Be quiet!"

On the far side of the pit, three hellhounds growled as they dragged a corpse behind them. The rest of the pack perked up at the noise. The three dogs tossed their kill to the middle of the pit and the rest of the pack staggered over, drooling.

Rallis blinked in surprise. "They killed a human to eat? That's not normal. They should have plenty of food that's far less dangerous to kill."

The three watched as the hounds debated over who could eat. "Red robes," Adam pointed out. "A Zamorakian mage? That's ironic."

"Not a mage, a druid!" Rallis corrected. "The bad druids live all the way on the other end of the cave system. That's not a short trip by any means. Why would they hunt all the way over there?"

"You move to the food when there isn't any nearby," Peg said. "They look desperate enough to risk a fight." She knew she was growing up on the streets. The dogs were no different.

Three small hellhounds, hardly the size of a full grown cat, ran over to the dead man and began to eat. A tired adult dog trailed after them, weakly dragging its feet along the ground. The pack watched as the four of them ate their portion before jumping in to latch onto any scraps left.

"A mom and puppies!" Rallis exclaimed.

"They're adorable!" Peg couldn't help but blurt.

"And they're extra mouths to feed," Adam said. "But three puppies surely can't be enough to make an entire pack of hellhounds thin as sticks. What do they normally hunt, Rallis?"

"Overgrown spiders and the other big bugs and mammals that wander around, usually. They used to eat the lava fish too but the dragons have taken all those spots over since the humans drove the dragons back. Sometimes they'll hunt humans that wander by unprepared and on super rare occasions they'll try to hunt a dragon. I've only ever really seen them actively hunt in the bug and mammal dens though."

"It might be a good idea to investigate there then," Adam said. "Show us the way?"

"You got it! Let's go!"

Rallis continued to lead her companions through the winding tunnels of the dungeon. To Adam and Peg, this new section of tunnels hardly looked any different from the last, but to Rallis it was an entirely new neighborhood. "This is where most of the mammals gather," she said as she motioned to the wide cavern filled with den holes. "Lots of big rats and other huge rodents and the like." She sniffed the air and frowned. "Something isn't right though. Nothing is here and hasn't been for a while. The scents are stale."

"The dogs could have hunted enough to cause the animals to move, perhaps?" Adam suggested. "Or they ate them to extinction down here."

"Nature doesn't do that," Rallis said. "Animals know better and there's a balance that's maintained between all creatures. Which means this isn't caused by something in the natural food chain. It must be a hu--"

An ear splitting screech rattled the walls. The trio flinched and covered their ears as they waited for the sound to pass. Silence followed for a short moment only to be succeeded by ferocious roars.

"There's no doubt that's a dragon," Adam informed.

"And she's in trouble!" Rallis exclaimed. She ran off as fast as she could down the tunnels, leaving her companions trailing after her dust.

The dragon's roars grew louder with every twist and turn, until every growl and snap was punctuated by the sound of metal. 'A human!' Rallis thought with a snarl. She unfurled her whip and ran faster.

One final corner turn led her to a black dragon's nest. A mother was standing guard protecting her three children as a human geared in dragon hunting attire stood her down. One of the three babies had been stabbed by the hunter's lance but luckily it wasn't lethal. The poor thing was collapsed in the nest as its two siblings licked the wound in its leg. The mother had taken a beating as well, sporting stab wounds in her front legs and paws and a deep swipe across her face. Rallis screeched and dove at the attacker, wrapping her icy whip around his neck before he had a chance to react. He choked as he tried to pry it away, and the mother dragon took advantage of the situation. She let loose hellfire onto the hunter, but even under attack by a new enemy he didn't forget his basics. He threw up his shield and the flames bounced harmlessly to the side, nearly burning the two new arrivals on the scene. Adam turned away and covered Peg, protecting her from any stray flames and taking a nasty burn to the back. He winced and pulled her away from the fight, hiding her behind the rock piles of the nearby opening back into the tunnels. Neither of them were equipped to be near a wild dragon fight.

Rallis snarled and yanked on her whip harder. It came undone and lashed back to her side, but not before ripping a hole in the hunter's armor. His neck was exposed now and a prime target for Rallis' fangs. She lunged for the opening but it seemed the hunter was no pushover. He blocked her mid lunge and shoved her away with a bash of his shield. The dragon landed on all fours, snarling and practically foaming at the mouth.

Suddenly, Rallis' vision began to cloud with rage. A wicked voice in her head egged her on. The cries of the baby dragons, the pain caused by this foul hunter, the knowledge that it was people like this that were ruining the ecosystem here and causing the beasts to starve, it was fuel for the fire that voice was starting. She couldn't control herself, her mind went blank save for one simple thought: kill. Rallis shrieked and dashed at the hunter, mouth open wide. He caught her with the pole of his lance, her teeth scraping the metal and chomping down in hopes of breaking it. The hunter kicked her and sent her flying down the tunnel, passed Adam and Peg, out of the dragon's den, and into a clearing farther back. Rallis scrambled up with a snarl and her claws and eyes began to glow the faintest bit blue.

Adam realized what was about to happen and knew it needed to be stopped before it started. "You stay here!" he demanded from Peg and ran ahead with his shield at the ready.

The hunter strode closer to Rallis, cocky and far too confident. He knew she would lunge again, and sure enough she did. Just like before, he blocked her futile attempts to harm him, but this time one of her scratches burned. Her fresh claw marks across his shield had caught fire, blue flames eating away at the protectiveness of the shield. He shouted beneath his helm and dropped the shield before it erupted in a blaze of glory. Rallis struck again, and this time he blocked with his lance. Her teeth caught hold once more, but now the sound of bending metal pierced the hunter's ears. With a mighty crunch, Rallis snapped the lance in two. The hunter cried out and staggered back, staring aghast at the half a spear in his possession. The other half melted away in her mouth, molten goo trickling down her chin.

She smiled and chuckled savagely. "Stupid little human. Your life ends here for your crimes. Maybe I'll make those dogs happy and feed your corpse to them!"

The hunter cried out and threw his arms up in defence as Rallis lunged once more, only this time she didn't make contact. Adam had caught her on his shield and swiftly grabbed and pinned her before she could strike back. He turned to the terrified hunter and shouted. "Get out of here! Now!"

He didn't need to be told twice, running for his life and disappearing into the darkness of the cavernous dungeon. Rallis snarled and thrashed beneath her captor, snapping her fangs every which way in hopes of grabbing something to crush in her rage. He managed to grab her by the snout and hold it shut. "Rallis, you get ahold of yourself right now!" he commanded. He was furious, her rage-filled rampage endangering both him and Peg in what was supposed to be a simple scouting mission. The girl in question was still hiding, watching the scene unfold from a safe distance.

The blue glow left Rallis's eyes, but the fury stayed. "YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!" she snarled.

"Of course! I wasn't about to let you kill him!" he defended.

"Oh but it's fine that he tried to kill my friends?!" Rallis snapped. "And that it's his kind that's ruining the lives of everything here?!"

"No it's not but that doesn't give you the right to murder the man either!" Adam barked back.

"AND WHY NOT?!" Rallis roared, fury burning wilder in her eyes, and shoved her friend off her. "He is a slayer, a monster! He was made to murder and kill and destroy! He deserves nothing less than death!"

That was it. That sent Adam over the edge. He was shaking with a rage he couldn't hold back, a slew of scathing remarks just waiting to burst out. Endangering their lives, nearly murdering someone once more, and now this?! He had had enough of her growing mindless ferality as of late and couldn't stop what wanted to come out of his mouth. "Oh 'made,' huh? I'm sure you know all about that, don't you?" he started, borderline venom dripping from his voice. He was beyond incensed at her outburst. "Tell me Rallis, what were you made for?! And how is that going?! When will you realize you do not have the right to murder someone because of what they are?! PEOPLE CAN CHANGE!" His shouting echoed throughout the cavern, bouncing off the walls to taunt her again and again.

All grew quiet. Adam calmed himself with a huff, Peg stared at the scene in silence, and Rallis stepped back, ears starting to droop and eyes wide. What emotion was that splashed across her face? Anger? Shock? Heartbreak? For a moment, she looked broken, the weight of her friend's words forcing countless emotions to storm inside her. But she caught herself enough to fight back. "You think... I don't know that?" she replied, much quieter than either of their previous yelling. Her fury was gone, replaced by a scared and quiet sadness. "I'm friends with you, aren't I, 'Bull'?" She emphasized the last word with a hiss. Adam's breath hitched in his throat at the title. She turned away from him, couldn't bear to look at him any longer. "Some people can change, I know. But most never will... Not even..."

What sounded like 'me' caught in her throat, trapped by the sound of a cracking voice and the beginning of tears. Without another word, Rallis ran off, leaving Adam and Peg far behind.

__________________________________________________

Adam was about to finish his third beer that night at the Rising Sun Inn. He intended to drink until the rising sun, just like the name said. He even let Peg get a drink of her own, a definitive sign something was wrong and it was time to worry. He slammed the dregs of his drink back and lifted his empty mug to the barmaid. "Wontchu be a dear and hand me another one, Emily?"

The woman thought about saying no, but at the end of the day she needed money and was running low. She slid him another as he dropped more gold onto the counter. He immediately started to drink.

Peg sighed. On a normal day she would be ecstatic to break the "no alcohol" rule. But as she watched Adam drown himself in the golden ale, she just felt sad.

Adam noticed her sad stares after another long swig. "What's got you down? We finished the job! Those mutts had their food supply scared off by hunters and now they're dying. Now we report back and life is peachy. Easy job!"

The girl grumbled. It was most certainly not the stupid job that was weighing her down. "I can't believe I'm about to be the responsible one and tell you to stop drinking and go find Rallis. It's been hours."

Adam sighed through his nose. "She'll know where we are. I'm sure the last thing she wants to be around right now are humans." He said the word in an almost mocking tone but he didn't really mean it. Even he was a bit upset human intervention had begun to ruin an entire ecosystem, even if it was for monsters.

"You should still go find her. You really messed her up."

Adam looked ashamedly into the mug and took another small sip. "I suppose I did."

"What did you say even mean?" the girl asked. "What were you made for, or something? Really freaked her out."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose I never did tell you. I found out a good while after we joined the Myths' Guild, after she came back, so it wouldn't have come up during our trek back to the Guild." He took another sip of beer. "You understand she's an experiment, right? Made by some dragonkin from fuck knows how long ago."

Peg nodded. It wasn't something she actively thought about, but she knew. To her Rallis was just Rallis, her friendly dragon partner. But she supposed when you got down to the facts, it was true; Rallis wasn't a natural being.

"Well, what you wouldn't know is what she was made for," Adam continued. He paused, thinking over whether he should say it or not. He hushed his voice so only Peg could hear. "She's a bioweapon, and a dangerous one."

Peg sputtered. "What?! That's not--! That can't be--! There's no way that's true!"

"Lower your voice," he scolded. "There's a lot of evidence that points to it, a lot of which I've seen firsthand. It's safe to assume that Rallis was created with the purpose of destruction." He stopped Peg from interrupting him. "But that doesn't mean she has to be that way. That's what I believe anyway. Don't you agree?"

"Hell yeah I agree!" she exclaimed. "She's no weapon! She's just... Rallis! She's our friend!" She thought back to what Adam had said during their argument in the caves and realization dawned. "Oh so that's why what you said freaked her out. Don't you think that was kinda low?"

"It did come off that way didn't it?" he asked with a grimace. "I was just so frustrated. She needs to realize that people can change, no matter who or what they are, and that killing them because you don't agree with them isn't acceptable. And she needs to realize that she can change too. No one is 'made' for anything. They choose what they are, and they can always change."

"You should tell her that," Peg encouraged. "I don't think I've ever seen her run off like that before. You really hurt her, you dumbass, and you should apologize."

Adam smiled and finished off his last beer. "How funny to hear you being the responsible one for once! I like it! But you're right. I need to find her. I'll be back in a bit."

______________________________________________________

Adam had been looking for Rallis for what felt like hours, scouring every inch of Taverley and the open area west of Falador. He was regretting drinking so much before going back on a trek in the black of night. He was tripping over everything and his head had begun to ache. He really hoped she wasn't somewhere in the dungeon. If that were true he'd never find her. Luckily a druid by the river managed to point him in the right direction, toward the end of the river as it poured out into the ocean. Sure enough, there she was, sitting in the sandy dirt beside the water as she solemnly watched the waves come and go. She hugged her legs to her chest and rest her head atop them, making her seem even smaller than usual. Adam quietly stepped closer.

"Rallis..." he whispered, sound nearly vanishing on the slow crash of the waves. Rallis jolted to attention, not expecting Adam of all people to visit, but also not willing to turn around and face him.

She sniffled and wiped her face with her arm. "Go away, Adam," she cried, voice hoarse and raw. "Leave me alone."

He deflated. Hearing her of all people choke out through tears that she wanted him gone, it cut deep. He tried to think of what to say, how to even begin repairing the damage done. "... I'm sorry," he started honestly. "I really am. What I said, it wasn't right of me."

Rallis sniffled again, lowering her head back onto her knees. She didn't know if she accepted that apology just yet. She thought for a moment in the silence. "...Tell me," she asked the crashing waves. "What were you made for?"

Adam furrowed his brow in confusion. "Huh?"

"What were you made for?" she asked again. "Your purpose in life, what is it?"

"I... Well, I've never really found an answer to that that I've been satisfied with. Redemption, perhaps. I suppose I don't truly know yet."

Rallis scrunched even farther in on herself. "You don't know because you weren't made. You were born, as all humans are. You're all born, given the ability to do whatever you want in life with no force telling you what to do. You make your own decisions, your own goals, your own path. You live free, without something commanding you behind the scenes, without being a puppet. You have choices, you can change, you have no force pulling you back onto some predestined path, and you can find your own purpose. All because you were born instead of made." Her voice lowered, the sound of the waves swallowing it up. "I'm not like that..."

Adam stepped closer until he was only a few paces away. "How do you figure you're not like that too?"

Rallis growled, more at herself than anyone, and spun to face her friend. Her eyes were red and her face stained with tears. "Because there's a voice in my head that constantly reminds me I was made to kill. It tells me to kill and I have to listen to it. It makes my heart burn with the desire for murder and destruction, like I was meant to feel that way. I feel like I have no choice of my own anymore! I was created to kill and I can't go against what I was made for!" Her voice raised to a shout as she spoke, until she was all but screaming at her friend. "You couldn't possibly know what that feels like! Not someone like you with the privilege of being born!"

Her face looking up at him, lost and confused and scared. It truly hurt. He had never seen her so helpless before and it broke his heart. He sat down next to her. "Oh Rallis... I probably know better than anyone." Her face begged for an answer at that. "Maybe I wasn't some science experiment made in a lab," he continued, "but I still know how you feel. There are times when it feels like I've got a voice in my head too. Sometimes it shows up and tells me I need to kill again, that I need to go back to my old ways and run wild with murderous rage. To let fury and chaos run wild and remind the world who I used to be. But I don't let it control me. I fight back. And I know you can fight back too."

Rallis turned to face the crashing waves once more. "It feels like I can't... It feels like I don't have a choice anymore." Her lips began to tremble and tears began to well up once again. "I feel like I'm going to turn into a monster one day and hurt everyone I love and there's nothing I can do to stop it." The end of her sentence broke down into sobs. She bawled into her hands and howled.

Never in their years as partners had he seen her so distraught over something. This issue ran deeper than he thought and her tormented sobs were heartbreaking. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, less awkwardly than usual. He was finally beginning to get used to this whole comforting thing.

"You'll never turn into a monster like that. You're far too good to be something so cruel. And even if you do slip up for a moment, you've got friends to smack some sense into you just like before. Like I said, people can change, and that includes you." He sat with her and let her cry until her tears ran dry. Her howls turned to sobs and those turned to whimpers then eventually sniffles. Her head fell onto his shoulder and her eyes began to fall shut. The excitement from the day topped with all her crying left her exhausted. Adam nudged her to ensure she didn't fall asleep. "Come on. It's cold out here. Let's go back to Falador and get some rest. Peg is worried about you too."

Rallis chirped in agreement and let Adam help her up. They quietly strolled back to the Rising Sun, dragon holding her friend's arm tight the whole way. She had more she wanted to say, how she was sorry for earlier, how she hoped he would stay with her even though she felt she was slowly going mad, how she wanted to ask for his help to keep her from becoming the destroyer she was meant to be. But no words came. Instead she thanked him with a purr and looked forward to putting an end to this horrid day with a restful sleep with her invaluable friends.

#oc tag #my writes #osrs #runescape

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draginhikari · 7 years ago

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Final Fantasy XIV: Azure and Crimson Section 2: Kari Azuresol, Light Reborn Chapter 3: Una’s Rage, Shadros’ Tragic Legacy

((Artwork featured in this chapter by @fyrielle))

Kari walked through the area of Ul’dah known as the Goblet, a residential area for adventurers that had decided to take up their home in Ul’dah. Kari sighed some as she walked, still exhausted from her confrontation with the Imperial Soldiers in Mor Dhona.

Kari grumbled and scratched at her armor, “I can’t believe how itchy this armor gets. How did Shadros wear this thing all the time?” She’d give anything to take the Paladin armor off right now. The problem was that the makeshift clothes she had made on the island, which were her only clothes underneath the armor for that matter, weren’t exactly designed for public decency. She only had enough material to make covering for her breasts and around her waist and that just barely covered. Not that Kari would be particularly bothered by wearing so little in public as she never gave much thought to how people look at her at least in regards to her femininity. The main thing that stopping her right now was she still trying to be discreet while in Ul’dah and even she knew walking around half-naked was likely not going to do much to allow her to accomplish her current goal.

Kari looked at her gil bag, “I guess I have a little bit left. Maybe I should do something about that.” She stopped by a merchant stand in the center of the Goblet. Kari looked around the merchant’s wares noticing a metallic blue colored Oasis Tunic, Dark blue pants, standard women’s undergarments and a pair of basic sandals. Kari told the merchant, “I’ll take these.” She would pay for them and put them in her bag intending to change into them once she could get some privacy.

As Kari left the Merchant’s wife spoke, “These young girls today…I can’t believe you were able to sell that shirt. Why would anyone wear something that gaudy looking?” The merchant shrugged, “Hey least we’re finally rid of the thing. I mean did ya see the armor she was wearing? It was even brighter than the shirt was.” Kari paid no heed to the merchant’s words, she really liked the shirt. No amount of blue was ever too much in Kari’s eyes. She continued down a side road finally coming upon the sight of the overgrown lawn of Shadros’ cottage. The cottage was tucked into the corner of one of the primary wards of the Goblet. It wasn’t the greatest lot in the world but Shadros wanted as much privacy as he could get. She could recall that he bought it sometime after the Operation Archon conflict but she couldn’t directly remember when. Kari looked up and down the lot before she stated, “Yes, this is the place. This is Shadros’ private cottage and if my memory serves right the coffer he left behind should also be there.” Kari sighed before saying, “Assuming Una didn’t do anything with it after Shadros left her like he did. I really hope it’s still there.”

Kari went up the door and attempted to open it. It appeared to be locked. She could only guess that Una locked it after she left. Kari thought for a moment, “I could probably break the door down but I really don’t think I want to make a scene yet.” Kari glanced over at a bush near the front door and began to reach into it. Kari put her hands through it and grumbled to herself, “I know Shadros put it in here somewhere.” After a few moment she got ahold of metal object deep inside of the bush, “Aha!” She pulled out a hidden key that Shadros had hid there for safe keeping. Kari would unlocked the door and slowly push it open causing the door to creak as it slid open. Kari walked into the house and glanced around. The house was left exactly the way it was the day Shadros had left it and was coated in a thin layer of dust. The bed was still unmade, Kari could only guess when Una awoke from her forced slumber she immediately dressed and went after Shadros. It appeared Una had not been back since. Kari caught sight of the Coffer and began to approach it as her vision suddenly blurred and she stumbled. Kari rubbed her temples, “I’m more exhausted then I thought. I guess since no one else is here this would be a good time to rest then I can deal with it in the morning.” Kari closed the door and grasped her Paladin Soul Crystal. The armor she wore would return to the crystal and she would be in her makeshift covering. Kari remembered that Shadros had installed a bath in the basement of the house. She went down into the basement discarding the makeshift clothes and moved over to the bath. Kari attempted to turn the water on, hoping it still work. To her relief it did. Kari took the time to clean herself up, spending quite a bit of time working the grime, dirt, and sand out of her long hair. Kari grumbled pulling on a section of her hair, “This long hair isn’t good for long distance travelling. I wonder if I should cut it off. Seems like such a waste though.” Kari would spent time scrubbing away at loose scales on her body. Though some sections broke away from her skin while doing so it didn’t matter. Au Ra scales always grew back and she had to maintain them to keep them from growing too much anyway. Chipping some off the damage or loose scales from time to time was simply easier than trying to manage them the normal way, which usually involved a lot of polishing and scrubbing. She stuck her tongue a moment as it always felt weird whenever she had to mess with her scales, “Blah, these white scales always seem to have something stuck to them. They always look dirty.” After Kari was satisfied with the look of her scales she exited the bath and dried herself off before putting her new clothes on. She glanced over her figure in a nearby mirror she had forgotten what she actually looked like in regular clothes giving the horrible shape of her previous outfit and the bulkiness of the Paladin armor. Kari grinned some “Hey, this is not too bad, I could get used to this.” Kari went upstairs and glanced at the bed pausing a moment. Kari’s right eye twitched as she came to a realization, “Wait, if Una left right away and hasn’t been back then these were the sheet that they…” Situation like this reminded Kari why being linked to Shadros wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. Being in Shadros’ head was a scary place especially in this kind of circumstance. Kari had more or less completely blocked out Shadros’ affair with Una that night but looking at the bed brought the images back making Kari shutter. “Gross! Why would anyone agree to do something like that? I don’t get it,” Kari grumbled. Kari didn’t really get relationships of that nature and sex might as well had been an alien concept to her. Though Kari was not naïve enough to not know what sex was, she was completely uninterested in it. Kari carefully rolled up the sheets and threw them into one corner of the room. Before long the spares Shadros kept nearby had replaced the old ones. Only then did she lie down on the bed. Her eyes drifted to different sections of the house, everything seeming so familiar yet foreign to her at the same time. This examination did not last long as her thoughts vanished and she quickly succumbed to her exhaustion, falling asleep. Kari woke the next morning feeling fully charged and alive again. Kari emerged from the bed stretching her back and limbs out, letting out a satisfied moan as she did “Ah, that’s more like it! How long as it been since I got to sleep in a bed like that?” Kari went over to the sink wetting and running her hands through her hair to undo the night time tangles before grabbing a towel. She looked at the coffer as she was drying her hair. The hot desert air would finish the rest and Kari knew there was no reason to put it off any longer.

She knelt down before the coffer noticing several scuff marks along the lid “Una must have attempted to force the crate open before she left. I guess it’s a good thing she didn’t get to it.” Kari didn’t really expect anything foul from Una but in her desperation to find Shadros she may have done something hasty. Kari slid the key into the slot and unlocking the crate. Kari pushed the lid open letting it crash against the dresser behind the crate. The box was filled with various equipment ranging from combat gear to crafting tools. Most of the regular weapons looked to be in excellent shape. “Bows, axes, grimoire, staves. Sheesh, Shadros had quite a collection going didn’t he? Hm? What’s that?” She picked up a hammer that was used for blacksmithing work and it was in worse shape for wear.

Kari tilted her head some, “Sheesh Shadros, were you banging this against a wall or something? You can’t treated tools like these like your sword.” Kari noticed all the gathering and crafting tools had suffered a similar fate, “I guess I’ll need to fix or replace those later.” Kari had not been allowed to fight when she lived in Shadros’ village so she spent a lot of time in other disciplines while Shadros clearly had not. Warrior of Light or not, Shadros seemed to primarily excel when it came to battle but not much else. Kari then caught sight of a jewelry box that was tied to a large stack of letters. “Are those…?” Kari undid the tie dropping the letters before opening the box. She would see different shaped crystals, in different colors, and with different emblems on each, “Warrior, Monk, Dragoon, Ninja, Bard, Black Mage, Summoner, White Mage and Scholar. Yes, these are Shadros’ other soul crystals. They’re all here! How beautiful!” She knew that much like the Paladin Soul Crystal these crystals would grant her additional powers if she could learn how to use them. Kari, however, wasn’t sure how exactly she was going to do that. She noticed one of the letters was addressed to her specifically. She opened up the letter and read it over.

“Kari, if you are reading this then you have found a way into this crate and I already know what you’ve likely decided to do. After all, it was our dream to see the world and have adventurers together for as far as I can now remember. However, that is no longer possible, I can no longer stay by your side. However, you are not alone in this. There are many of those out there that helped me during my journey and they will be able to help you as well. The letters you have found in this crate are my last will and testimony. These will include recommendations to the various instructors, teachers, and allies I have had over my time as the Warrior of Light. Seek them out. Learn from as many of them as you can. You’re a fast learner and I know you can do it. –Shadros” Kari rubbed her eyes a moment with her arm trying to stop herself from crying, “Shadros…”

Meanwhile, for the first time in many weeks, Una had returned back to the Goblet. Una in a foul mood and even the usual merchants were avoiding the angry Miqo’te at the moment, “Nothing. Absolute nothing. I couldn’t find Shadros, I couldn’t even find that idiot shinobi, nor do I have a way to get into that god damn box. Damn it to all seven hells!” Una kept storming her way through the Goblet stopping at Shadros’ house. She only wanted to see if anything had changed and originally had no intention of going inside but the more she thought about that day the angrier she became. Una growls repeatedly running her hands through her hair, “How dare that idiot drug me like that!? After all I did for him this is the thanks I get!? I let him have sex with me and I let my guard down! How could I fall for such an obvious trick!? Damn you Shadros, damn you straight to hell!” Una stopped her rather vocal ravings before as her ears twitched as something caught her attention. It was faint but she could hear small sounds coming from inside of the house. Una glanced at the house seeing something moving through the window, “Could it be Shadros? Has he finally returned?” Una’s completely forgot her anger for a moment before quickly making her way to the door and opening it quickly, “Shadros!?” Kari froze a moment when she heard the door open behind her. Una watched the scene as she saw Shadros’ coffer had been opened but not by force, it had been actually unlocked. Una looked at Kari perplexed, “Who in the hell are you? Where’s Shadros?” Kari slowly stood up turning around to look at Una, this was an encounter Kari had been dreading for some time but knew it was likely inevitable. Una narrowed her gaze peering at the young Au Ra woman, “Wait, I know you. You… can’t be here! How are you here!?” Una hissed out recognizing the Kari’s appearance. This girl could only be Kari, the girl that Shadros had been seeking the entire time, “Kari, you’d best explain yourself right now! Where is Shadros!? What did you do to him!?” Una’s tail arched up as she made her demands.

Kari was taken aback by Una’s aggressive behavior waved her arms some, “Una, Shadros is…” She paused turning her gaze away deciding Una deserved to know the truth no matter how painful it would be, “Una, I’m sorry, Shadros can’t come back.” Una growled, “What are you saying!? Stop rambling and get to the point you scaly bitch!” Kari put her hand to her chest, “Shadros is dead, Una.”

Una frozen in place for a moment in utter shock, she began to shake as she screamed at Kari, “He’s dead!? That can’t be! That’s impossible! A Warrior of Light just can’t die like that! You’re lying to me! Stop trying to play me for a fool!”

Kari shook her head, “I’m standing proof of it. Shadros fought the Hymn Venom Order with everything he had. He beat them but in their last moment their leader unleashed their patron voidsent, Hymn Venom. He won by tricking the beast but he was so severely poisoned that he couldn’t escape. He used what little strength he had to release me from my curse and sent me away. The chamber collapsed due to the attack by said voidsent.” Kari looked down, “There was no way he could have gotten out of there alive. I wish I was lying… he gave absolutely everything. I’m sorry Una, I couldn’t stop him.” Una stumbled back holding her head. Tears began running down her face as she stumbled back and forth for a few moment before she let out a terrible scream that shook Kari to her very core as Una’s despair and anguish cut into Kari’s very soul. Una screamed but it began to shift into snarls as her gaze shifted back to Kari, Una’s eyes were filled with rage and hatred unlike anything Kari had ever seen, “You! This is all your fault!” Kari stepped back, “Pardon?”

Una screamed at her, “This is all your fault!” Kari’s eyes grew wide and she attempted to grab the Paladin Soul Crystal from the table but before she could invoke its power Una was already charging at her and punched Kari directly in the face. The suddenly attack caused the Paladin Soul Crystal to fly from Kari’s hands, bouncing off the floor, and slide under the bed.

Kari had very little time to process what had just happened as Una grabbed Kari by the shoulder pulling her forward and Una would slam her knee straight into Kari’s stomach. Kari cried out and gasped for air as she was struck.

Kari stumbled back grasping her stomach looking at Una, “P-Please… stop…”

Una growled, “Shut up!” Una extended her hand out in a claw position and slashed downward at Kari’s face. Kari brought one of arms up to protect her face which allowed Una to tear through the light sleeve of shirt and tore her skin slightly.

Kari winced and held her arm as the torn spot would slowly stain the shirt sleeve with blood from the fresh cuts on her arm, “Una, I don’t want to fight you, please! Shadros wouldn’t have wanted this please stop!” Una growled, “Don’t you dare talk to me about him!” Una quickly managed to grab Kari’s injured arm and though Kari made an effort to try to push Una back but Una was simply too fast for the inexperienced Kari to keep up with. Una yanked Kari’s arm tightly behind her back causing Kari to cry out once again. It felt like Una was trying to break her arm but wanted it to be as long and painful as possible. Una growled, “What’s the matter!? Does that hurt? You don’t even know pain! I’ve been used, betrayed, and abandoned! You have the nerve to tell me what I should think about Shadros!? It’s your fault he’s gone!” Una grabbed used her free hand to grab Kari by her horn and slammed her head into the tiled wall. Una did it several times putting cracks into the wall with Kari’s own skull. Kari made various sounds such as whimpers, grunts, and moans. Kari’s face was bleeding and heavily bruised at this point. Una growled, “Good thing you have such a hard head because I’m not done with you!” Una yanked Kari by her tail causing Kari to scream before Una swiftly kicking Kari in the back causing Kari to fall forward into the dining table causing it to fall over before Kari collapsed down to the ground. Kari stared at the floor. At this point Kari just wanted more than anything to just pass out and let this whole thing just be over with. Una, however, was uninterested in of granting Kari any such relief. Una put her foot down hard on Kari’s back putting weight down before she grabbed Kari arms pulling them backward causing Kari to scream out again as it felt like her arms were being pulled from their sockets. Una seemed entirely relentlessly and had no intention of doing anything but leaving Kari battered and broken. The pain was utterly unbearable at this point and Kari couldn’t take it anymore and just wanted it to stop. Kari lashed out by swinging her tail back sharply into Una’s back. Una hissed some as the attack stung causing her to let go of Kari’s arms. Kari whimpered and winced as she tried to regain the feeling in her arms. Una growled and kicked Kari again while she was on the ground, “Your absolutely pathetic… this… this is what Shadros died for? This weak, scaly pile of worthless shite! Everything about you makes me sick! Shadros abandoned me for the likes of you? I can’t believe this! You humiliate me simply by existing!” Una grabbed Kari by her horn before lifting her up enough to punch Kari hard in the stomach before letting go again. Kari gagged and sputtered some as she could no longer contain to the contents of her stomach and vomited on the floor mixing the vomit with blood dripping from her nose and mouth at this point. Kari could barely move from the position she was in at this point. Una grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up so Kari would meet her gaze again, “What’s the matter you scaly bitch? Had enough already you twisted freak? I’m not done with you! You understand? I will break you into pieces if I have to!” Kari gritted her teeth when Una called her a freak at this point the pain and Kari’s rage had reach a breaking point.

Kari could no longer tolerate the torture that Una was putting her through, “I’m not a freak! You bitch!” Kari’s hair was long enough that she was able to twist around get ahold of Una’s arm and bit into Una’s arm as hard as she could. Una hissed and let go of her hair backing away from looking at her arm as she was bleeding from the bite. Kari managed to get her second wind and managed to get up. Kari grabbed Una’s head before headbutting her with own scaled forehead hard enough to crack the scales on Kari’s forehead but it was worth it as the hardness of her skull scales was enough to cause Una quite a bit of pain and leave a pretty significant bruise on Una’s forehead. Kari wasn’t thinking at this point as she was enraged. All Kari was thinking was how much she wanted Una to hurt right now for torturing her for the last few minutes. With Una stunned Kari managed to regain enough momentum to give Una a solid hook to the face with her uninjured arm and a straight punch into her chest causing Una to gag and stumble back. Una growled, “You’re going to pay for that you little…” Una suddenly felt a sharp pain her stomach which seemed to stop Una right in her tracks, “No… not now. Not again!” Una had been experiencing the occasional stomach pain but this one was occurring at the worse possible time. Kari growled not noticing Una’s sudden stop, “You’re just a selfish bitch you know that! How dare you pretend that you’re the only one suffering! You know absolutely nothing about what I’ve been through!” Kari punched Una in the face again, “Do you think this makes me happy!? To know that Shadros is gone and now I’m all alone too! I will not sit here and be bullied by someone like you! Never again!” Kari knelt down and tackled Una knocked the two into the bed. A loud crack could be heard when the two landed as the frame cracked from force and weight of the two women.

Kari raised her arm planning to hit Una again when something made her stop. Kari now noticed Una was clutching her stomach. Kari frowned and realized she never hit Una in the stomach. Her attack couldn’t have possibility be causing her stomach pains. Una had her eyes tightly shut and could no longer seem to move.

Kari slowly reached down touching Una’s forehead, “Gods, she’s burning up! Now what do I do?” She quickly move off the bed reaching underneath it. Kari ignored the pain from her injuries for a moment managed to pull out the Paladin Soul Crystal from under the bed and restored herself to her armored state. It didn’t help relieve her injures at all and in fact just made them hurt worse. Kari simply knew it would it would be enough to give her some additional strength. Kari managed to pull Una onto her back and left the house with her. Una had passed out at this point and was no longer fighting against Kari. Kari would returned to streets of Ul’dah to seek out a Chirurgeon to help Una. Kari had no idea why she was straining herself so much to help someone that was physically torturing her mere minutes ago. It just didn’t feel right to Kari to leave Una fevered and helpless like that. Kari grumbled to herself, “How can one Miqo’te be so heavy?” Kari just took the situation one step at a time. Ignoring the stares from people as she carried Una through Ul’dah. Kari wondered for a moment why no one was even attempting to help out at all but then again the people in Ul’dah were not particular known for their charity towards others, most simply just stayed out of the way. Kari just shook her head and kept going finally encountered someone who directed her to the nearest Chirurgeon clinic. The Chirurgeon, an older Elezen gentlemen, had Una taken into the examination ward while a Lalafell Conjurer tended to Kari’s own injures. Kari’s injures were not severe and even as sore as she was she would probably recover in little time. Kari was just relieved that she was not as easy to break as she once was. Though Kari was free to go and could easily leave to avoid any further complication with Una. For some reason, Kari just couldn’t bring herself to leave until Una was awake.

A few hours would go by and the Chirurgeon would finally come out from the room, “Your friend is awake. We’re doing some final tests but she should be fine. You’re welcome to speak to her now if you wish.” Kari wrinkled her nose at the world ‘friend’ as that is the last thing she saw Una as right now. Kari would slowly stand and walk into the room. Una lying in the bed staring up at the ceiling she would not look at Kari. Though she likely knew Kari as there. Kari said, “You have no reason to listen to me but I’m going to say my piece anyway. I never asked for any of this to happen. The whole reason I showed myself that day at Tam-Tara Deepcroft is I was trying to get Shadros to stop seeking me. I wanted Shadros to move on with his life but despise my best efforts and yours we couldn’t stop him from making that decision. If you need to hate me for that, that’s your own decision. I don’t plan to stay here anyway.” Kari paused before continuing, “I am taking the contents of the coffer with me. I need those things in order to move forward with my own plans. However, everything else: the house, his possessions, and everything else is yours to do what you wish.” Una growled some sitting up looking at Kari, “So what? Is this supposed to be the part where we forgive each other and become good friends? Bite me, nothing has changed here. Everything about you disgusts me. Get out of my sight Kari I never want to see your scaly ass face around me ever again. I will never forgive you for what you’ve done.”

Kari turned away from Una and growled, “I’m not looking for forgiveness from you, and I don’t want it. You’re a vile and vindictive woman, Una. You physically tortured me to appease your anger and it’s absolutely pathetic. As far as I’m concerned, I now question what Shadros saw in you, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I’m giving you your part mostly as a peace offering because for whatever reason you were important to Shadros and I wish to honor that. I don’t want anything to do with you, so let’s just do our best to stay out of each other’s way from now on. I will continue where Shadros left off. You can do whatever the hell you want. Just stay out of my way.”

Una turned her head, “You, a Warrior of Light? Don’t make me laugh! You couldn’t even handle me. What makes you think you can do anything of the sort? You’re a delusional little girl who’s been handed power by someone far greater then you ever will be. The only thing I’ll do is watch you as you fail and laugh.”

Kari grasped her Paladin Soul Crystal taking the armored state again ignoring Una’s taunt, “Good bye Una. For Shadros’ sake I wish you the best, but I pray we never meet again.” Kari would leave the Chirurgeon’s office glancing up for a moment. She took a long and deep sigh before continued back towards the Goblet. Her only goal at this point was to retrieve the items in the Coffer and begin her journey as soon as possible. The sooner she healed and moved on from today’s events the better.

Una growled and slammed her fists down on the bed, “That little shite, I should have broken her legs! She thinks she can talk down to me like that? If I hadn’t gotten so damn sick out she wouldn’t be talking so tough right now!” The Chirurgeon came back into the examination room, “Ms. Rela I apologize for the wait, it’s good to see that you’re lively but you should settle down. Such outbursts aren’t good for someone of your condition.” Una growled some, “What condition? What are you rambling about? Speak plainly already.”

The Chirurgeon said, “Ahh… so you weren’t aware after all.” Una frowned at him, “Aware of what?” The Chirurgeon said, “Well, based on our tests you were sick due to your body adjusting to your condition. Ms. Rela you appear to be pregnant.”

Una expression shifted to shock and she grew more pale, “W-What did you just say? Pregnant!? That’s not possible, I’ve never been with a Male Miq’ote for over in year and even when I have I’ve never let one spurt inside me that for sure. Beside since I met… him....” She grew even paler as she came to realization, “… it can’t be…” The Chirurgeon could tell she needed time to process the situation and left her alone. Una gripped the sides of her head. She tried to recall the night she had slept with Shadros trying to remember how their tryst ended. Had she been so caught up that she had taken no precautions what so ever? Shadros wasn’t the only person she had ever slept with, as adventurers were known for their short live trysts, but unlike other encounter she didn’t recall any attempt to stop him from potentially impregnating her. No, she had let him go all the way with her without even thinking about it and she had not slept with anyone since meeting Shadros. Tears began to run down Una’s face as her shock soften into sorrow, “Shadros… it’s his… oh the twelve…” Una had good reason to be concerned children between Hyurs and Miqo’tes were very rare to begin with. Though biologically compatible with each other, the differences were enough that not only was it rare but there was potential for complications not only with pregnancy but very likely the child itself. Una put her hands over her face and began to sob. She was entirely alone. No Miqo’te tribe in Eorzea was going to accept her or the child, including members of her own family. As racial half-breed were rarely accepted in many places in Eorzea, this child would leave her as a black mark. Worse, she had few friends, very little resource, and the father of her unborn child was dead. Una sobbed, “Shadros, I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this alone. Why did you do this to me? Why did you leave me?” Una slid onto the bed wrapping her arms around herself as she cried harder than she ever had in her life. Midgardsormr had been observing the scene from a ledge of the window.

Midgardsormr spoke, mostly talking to himself as no one could hear him there, “Some mistakes are not easily erased. Nor the consequences of thy actions. Such is the cycle of mortal hubris. Thy Shade turned his back on everything for the sake of his own dark tendency and others would also pay his price. This child is no different.” Midgardsormr flew from the ledge flying above Kari too high for Kari to notice, “Will the mother’s chosen make such a reprehensible mistake herself? Or will she overcome thy Shade’s tragic legacy? Tis a story yet to be told.” Midgardsormr once against vanished in another burst of Aether. Kari stopped and looked up seeing the aetheral sparkles hovering down from above her. Kari tilted her head to the side for a moment assuming she was hearing things again before she continued on her way.

Section 2 - Chapter 2: Key to Conflict

Final Fantasy XIV: Azure and Crimson Complete

Section 2 - Chapter 4: First Quest? Kari is wearing what!?

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1wngdngl · 7 years ago

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Daily Reviews - All The Bravest

I haven’t done too much with mobile phone games, aside from a tiny bit of Pokemon Go. I always carry my Nintendo 3DS with me, and that pretty much takes care of my gaming needs while out and about. Plus, phone games usually require the use of data (which I’m a bit cheap about), and take up a lot of storage space.

But recently I downloaded a few Final Fantasy games from the Google Play store, just to see if there were any decent ones in there. Today I’m reviewing…

Final Fantasy: All The Bravest

Game intro

This game is simple and old-school to the extreme. It has no story except for an opening screen of text about evil and how you have to defeat it, etc.

Battle

Gameplay is very simple. You start out on a map inspired by FFI, just south of Cornelia. The graphics remind me of the PSP port of the game, and the main overworld theme plays in the background.

An icon of an enemy on the map represents your first stage. Clicking on it enters the battle. The way battle works is very odd. You are assigned a random assortment of characters in your party, each representing a ‘generic’ class from one of the games, like a White Mage, Black Mage, or Ranger. Characters do not have “skills” or “spells” in the traditional sense. There is no HP or MP to manage either. Just your horde facing down some enemies.

To attack, you tap a character, and they use their one and only attack against a random target. For example, tapping a Black Mage will cause it to use Thundaga, and only Thundaga. After using a character, you must wait for their ATB bar to fill before they can attack again. (You see, ATB can stand for “All The Bravest” or “Active Time Battle”.)

Meanwhile, the enemy waits patiently on their side, doing nothing at first. However, when you attack, the enemy will respond about five seconds later and do a counter-attack (though not necessarily against the same character). Your own characters are One-Hit-Point Wonders, so any attack will take them out. Good thing you have so many of them, then. :) In a way, the number of characters on screen is your Health Points.

So the main point of battle, and your only “strategy”, is to tap on your characters as quickly as possible, to take down an enemy before they can counter-attack.

Your party is replenished when you finish a round of battle, and you might see new types of units join. Though there doesn’t seem to be much functional difference between the types of units…

If you lose a battle, you must wait a certain amount of time for your party to recover (3 minutes for each unit). The battle is effectively paused, and you can continue the battle once your characters start re-appearing. So you don’t have to re-do the battle from the beginning. You don’t have to wait for the full party to re-appear either, which is great if the enemy only had a sliver of health left.

Getting stronger

As you win battles, you get experience and gil. The experience is not assigned to any one character, but to you as a player. Leveling up unlocks more party slots, and makes each unit stronger as well. (Still not sure what the gil is used for…) You can also collect gear that enemies drop, though gear is not equipped to characters but rather provides a passive boost to all units of a certain class.

Exploring the worlds

Each ‘stage’ involves multiple rounds of combat, and finishing one stage unlocks the next on the map. There doesn’t seem to be any exploration outside of that.

If you fight all the way to Cornelia Castle, you can battle Chaos, with his giant health bar.

Once you complete one map, a new one from a different game unlocks. So far the maps I’ve seen are from FFI, FFV, and FFII. Are there multiple maps for a game if you play long enough?

Extras

The game has a basic bestiary/encyclopedia for the units, monsters, and gear. Each entry has just a little blurb explaining what game it comes from, and a sentence of lore (which admittedly does have some wit to it).

You can use the in-game store to buy “Premium characters”, which are actual named characters like Cloud. You can also buy additional maps based on other games.

For those who do need some guidance, ATB has a very good help screen, where a friendly Moogle explains the gameplay in clear terms.

In summary...

I think this game is good for those who want some nostalgia from the early installments of the Final Fantasy series.

Also might be good for people who want to test out a very basic RPG-like experience in a few minutes.

But for someone like me, who can play Pokemon Moon or Dragon Quest on my 3DS, it’s just too simple a game to hold my interest. I’ll probably just remove it to get back a little storage space...

#daily reviews #final fantasy #mobile games #all the bravest

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game-refraction · 7 years ago

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Game Review: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)

If I was to tell you a tale about a young blonde kid, while traveling with a smuggler of sorts and his animal companion, had met up with a princess to thwart an evil empire, you’d probably assume I was talking about Star Wars, and you’d be mostly right in that assumption, but that is still very much the premise to Final Fantasy XII, a game that originally released on the PlayStation 2 way back in 2006 and has since been re-released for the PlayStation 4 as Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

While the Final Fantasy games haven’t been some of my favorite games I’ve ever played, I have enjoyed several of them, but I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan. I’ve tried playing through VII but I only get so far and then quit. I wasn’t a huge fan of VIII or IX and despite liking much of what I saw about X, I never did play it myself. I really enjoyed XI; the online MMO and played it for around two years. I also played quite a bit of XIII and XIV, and you can read my review for XV here.

My main issues with the series, up until XI, was that I was never a fan of the wait and see approach to turn based combat, and this was something that XII changed, as it was the first of the main series Final Fantasy games to do so. While I never fully completed it at the time, and frankly, I can’t recall what made me stop playing it, It was easily my favorite of the series and one that always stayed with me, despite the fact I had never fully completed it.

While Final Fantasy XII was released back in 2006, it was a short time after that it was re-released in Japan as ‘Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System’ and this recent remaster is based upon that version of the game, featuring some changes to the job system, whereas the original release didn’t really have defined job classes. This release also features a wealth of other adjustments, improvements, and some fresh new additions that make this game even better than before, and yes, this time I did fully complete it.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age brings with it a lot of changes to the game while still having a few issues remain, many of which I will talk about near the end of the review. The positive changes that are present are the revamped Job system, a better on-screen map, auto-saving, faster loading times, 7.1 ch sound support, new items, spells, revamped shop inventories and tweaks to the difficulty due to the addition of the job classes. They even moved the secret shop you discover late in the game, it’s still in the same central area, but it has been relocated nonetheless. There is also a Trial mode added that has you face off against 100 floors of enemies while you earn rewards for your group. Those looking to jump right back into the game will notice a new game+ mode added to keep the adventure going.

Lastly, is one of my favorite new additions; Speed Mode. This allows the game to be sped up, making encounters and grinding fly by so fast that you don’t feel almost any of the repetition that comes with EXP grinding or traveling the large sprawling open-world. Thankfully, the music stays at the normal speed, so you don’t have to listen to sped up versions of the fantastic score, which has been completely re-recorded, but you do also have the option of listening to the original music.

Final Fantasy XII is probably one of the least talked about in the series despite Famitsu, Japan’s most widely read and respected game magazine, giving the game a perfect 40/40 score, not to mention being the first PS2 game to ever hit that high on their rating scale, it was still a game that many fans of the series weren’t interested in singing its praises and many just flat out hated it. The game was – is – very different than what had come before and it didn’t follow many of the past conventions of what fans had come to expect from the series. Different doesn’t always mean better, but in this case, at least for myself, it definitely did.

The game takes place in the land of Ivalice, a name that should sound familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy Tactics and the seemingly unrelated RPG, Vagrant Story, as these games all share the same world. The empires of Archadia and Rozarria are at war with one another and Dalmasca, a small kingdom that borders each of these lands is caught in the middle. When Dalmasca is forcefully claimed by Archadia, its princess, Ashe, who is claimed to have taken her own life during this unlawful conquest, secretly went underground and created a resistance movement.

We are also introduced to Basch, a man marked as a traitor to Dalmasca, as well as Vaan and Penelo, two citizens of Dalmasca’s Royal City of Rabanastre. Vaan, while breaking into the Royal Palace, meets up with the Sky Pirates Balthier and Fran, the two best characters in the game and eventually the whole group of freshly made allies then takes the fight to the evil Archadian Empire.

The cast and even parts of the central plot are directly influenced by Star Wars, which is the reason for my intro at the start of this review. You have the young boy who wants nothing more than to fight the Empire, as well as the Princess who shares the same motivation. There are Balthier and Fran who easily fit the mold of Han Solo and Chewbacca and you even have black armor clad Knights and a single green colored bounty hunter than wants revenge upon Balthier.

Before I dive too far into the combat, I’ll need to explain a few mechanics first. Characters can be equipped with Gambits, preset commands that provide instructions on what to do under certain circumstances. You can have characters use certain spells or attacks when a set number of enemies are nearby or use a specific item when under the negative status effect of something like Poison or Petrify. There are thousands of different combinations and how well you set the Gambits to each character and what role they have in the party can make or break your group during difficult encounters. Gambits need to be purchased via shops and you need to be able to use certain attacks or spells, and this is where the License Board comes into play.

Upon selecting your starting job for each character, you’ll need to purchase tiles on the Licence board to unlock the ability to use certain weapons, gear, spells, or boost HP amounts or how fast your Action Bar fills up. You’ll purchase these tiles with LP, which you earn alongside EXP. Where EXP is used to level up and boost central stats like Strength and Speed, LP is used to define your character within their role. When you can eventually select a character’s second job, you’ll be given a second board to unlock more from, so choosing what you want your second job to be may be based upon what you feel is missing from that character’s first job.

The original Final Fantasy XII didn’t have defined job classes and this meant you needed to work your way across a massive license board that had you unlock a bit of everything in order to make your characters fit certain roles within the group. This in some ways made them a Jack of all trades, but master of none. By implementing job classes and changing the License Board to accommodate this, it allows each character to find a role within the group and since that board is then tailored to that specific job, it makes them far more efficient as well. The jobs you have to choose from in The Zodiac Age are Archer, Black Mage, Bushi, Foebreaker, Knight, Machinist, Monk, Red Battlemage, Shikari, Time Battlemage, Uhlan, and White Mage.

As you progress through the game and unlock many of its secrets, you’ll encounter Espers. These are meant to be semi-powerful creatures that you can summon into battle should things get a bit difficult. There are better ones than others but mostly I found them far too weak to really be that great at all. Several of them would die after taking a few hits and their attacks weren’t really anything special. The battles to get them are thrilling, but the prize of then using them in battle just isn’t as rewarding.

Now that I’ve explained the basics of combat, let’s flesh out the structure of how fights go down. Combat is based almost entirely on how you’ve set up your Gambits, and what jobs you have given your teammates. Attacking or being attacked will be indicated by colored lines that flow out to your target, or to you if an enemy is then targeting the character you are currently playing as or the other two members of your group. There are times where you will have a guest character and you can fully control them as well, you just can’t give them Gambits or equip gear or weapons to them, they are generally set up to be helpful but I found them to not be nearly as durable as my fellow party members.

Combat is semi-real time and you’ll automatically attack once your active time bar is filled up. You can set the game to pause while using menu’s or items or have the action continue while you do so. These repeated attacks or actions, like healing or using items, are based upon your Gambits. I usually would roll as Vaan as I tend to get right up in the action, so my healers Penelo and Ashe would chill in the back, along with my range attackers Balthier and Fran, and Basch would be right alongside me on the front lines, depending on who I would have in the group at the time. I would set Vaan to auto attack whatever is nearby and my teammates would then target who I was attacking and the Gambits of casting Protect and Regen would fly out to my teammates once the conditions of the Gambit I gave them were met.

Once I unlocked certain spells and found them in the shops to buy, I found a certain rhythm to how I set up my team. I would set Gambits up in such a way where they would use items efficiently and the better part of my teammates were fairly self-sufficient. You also need to set up Gambits in order of priority so that you are performing the proper actions at the proper times. You don’t want your healers removing poison from a teammate if their health is critical, you want them to use a cure spell and then remove the poison.

As you vanquish foes and explore the various chests and caches around the map, you’ll earn gil and various items to sell. Most of the items that drop from enemies are able to be sold at shops that in turn unlock bundle packs that you can purchase via the Bazaar tab. These are packs of items that are generally cheaper to get than buying them separately. This is also how you’ll unlock the Grimoires; items that increase the chances of rare drops from certain types of enemies. You’ll also need to pay attention during certain weather storms as this will also change the types of enemies that spawn in the zone.

You can earn more items and a wealth of gil through Hunts; rare monsters that you will kill through contacts. At first, these are simple Hunts that you’ll find in Rabanastre (and a few other locations) and eventually through the Hunt Club in the Phon Coast. The Rabanastre Hunts are easy enough and the rewards are fairly low-key, but the Hunt Club is where the real meat of the rewards are but you’ll have to choose what you want to unlock as you won’t be able to earn every single reward. It’s actually designed to be impossible to unlock everything.

FF XII has seen a fairly substantial visual upgrade without the game being entirely remade. It still is very much the same game, it just has far better texturing than before and characters have a more painted look to their faces and characters like Balthier have some incredible detail work done to their hair. There are still some issues of poor outdated textures sneaking their way in and not every NPC seems to have had much improvement given to them. The overall look of the game is smooth, crisp and looks extremely good for a remaster of a game that came out over a decade ago. The way I explain it to friends is this is how I remember the game looking like back then when visuals were what they were back in 2006.

While I absolutely enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy XII, with approaching almost a hundred hours or so in-game, there are still a few issues that not only plague this remaster but that of the original release as well. The camera in small tight spaces isn’t great and even one shopkeeper is out of frame in one awkwardly designed shop. I’ve never been a fan of games that combine the action button with the open a chest button, and this game has that in spades as it’s annoying when you are just not close enough and your action menu pops up instead of that chest in front of you opening. Hunt’s also don’t show up on the regular map and the number of menus you have to navigate to get to them (and subsequently, out of them) is a bit much.

There is also some slow pacing later on in the game that tends to really grind the game to a halt, and characters like Vaan and Penelo can sometimes feel like they don’t really belong there and serve almost no point to the main story. I also didn’t like that you couldn’t bring up your map unless you backed out of every action menu prompt. It’s a minor issue, but one that became a bit of an annoyance with how long the game can get.

Apart from those issues, I was incredibly happy to jump right back into Final Fantasy XII and actually complete it this time. This is a game that has aged remarkably well and is a model example of how you do a remaster. While a few characters and story bits don’t quite hit the highs of everything the game can offer, the overall package of what XII brings to the table is a worthwhile investment of your time. The semi-real time nature of the combat is really enjoyable and the fact that you can speed up the game to bypass that feeling that comes with the RPG grind is one of pure genius on whoever came up with that addition. Final Fantasy XII is easily my favorite of the series, and one of my favorite RPG’s of all time. I still have over a dozen or so Hunts left to do and secrets to explore.

This game isn’t done with me yet.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was reviewed on a Playstation 4 Pro on a retail copy of the game. All Screenshots were captured on a Playstation 4 Pro and altered to fit this review.

Game Review: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4) was originally published on Game-Refraction

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zydrateacademy · 7 years ago

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Review: Final Fantasy X (Remastered)

I’ve recently been playing the Remastered version and while I will talk about some of the extra bits and baubles it has to offer, it has largely remained the same. The textures are of course crisper but the models are unchanged so don’t expect a remake akin to what they’re trying to do with FF7. Some of the NPC’s still have older looking potato-faces, and even the prerendered cutscenes are there in their whole 2002 glory. For the record, I will likely be reviewing X-2 separately, because my experience with it is minimal. Chances are you know about, or have already played, FFX. I remember it being somewhat divisive on the earlier days of the internet but current research tells me that it was, over all, well liked. It charmed people with its story, characters, progression. Almost everything about it is aces and remains solid to this day, and my complaints aren’t even related to most of that. I’ll catch everyone up to speed regarding the story and I’ll move on to how the game works. You play as Tidus, a star player of a Blitzball team which is basically underwater soccer. You spend the first twenty minutes or so of the game in Zanarkand, a remarkable futuristic city that wouldn’t look out of place in a Mass Effect game.

During a Blitzball game, a mysterious creature (quickly revealed to be named “Sin”) attacks the city and completely levels it. Tidus meets up with Auron, the game’s resident badass (which actually translates well into the game itself, as he’s the anti-tank, hardest hitter), who seems to have been with him throughout childhood as a sort of father figure. They fight some growth-like offspring of this giant beast, but eventually get sucked up into a Sin-bourne vortex which transports him a thousand years into the future. His city in ruins, most of it underwater. Now he has to navigate the new social norms of a new world called Spira, with the help of your general ragtag team of misfits. Most of the story is Tidus asking “What is this thing”. To be fair he has some of his own motivations as he is trying to get back home. Since this is an expansive RPG, this proves harder than it seems and he quickly realizes that. Now, some people love their stories with their game but I have found it irritating at my age and gaming experience to have control constantly wrestled for me. Far too many times you’re given control of Tidus to walk a few feet and right into another cutscene or conversation. Most don’t last terribly long, but I still wonder why they gave me control to begin with. Sometimes it makes sense, like giving you a save sphere nearby before walking into the next encounter. Yes, a save sphere. This game was made back when you couldn’t really save anytime you damn well please. Thankfully it does have an autosave if you find yourself needing to leave, but don’t rely on it when you’re on a grind session. It does seem strange to complain about story in a game often revered for that very same story. I just sometimes feel there’s more of a point and click adventure game going on, and I once went a full hour without any actual gameplay. Once on a boat between points in the story, I ran around talking to everyone and couldn’t figure out why the game wouldn’t progress. Only to find some easy to miss stairs up to two characters for Tidus to effectively eavesdrop on them. I do love the story, but I also love the combat and leveling system here and I do get twitchy if the game doesn’t let me kill another Basilisk.

I never liked Tidus as a character, either. That said, I could appreciate that his evolution as a person was actually noticeable. During the Blitzball game, the crowd starts cheering for Wakka, who was wounded the previous match. Tidus himself dips out to let Wakka retake his place as the team lead, stating in a voice over, “This is their show, after all”. This is a far cry from how he was a few hours ago in gameplay, where he was running into forbidden temples yelling “Like I care”, as a damn child would. I can always appreciate character arcs, and everyone here has one. Lulu (resident black mage) warms up to Tidus over time once he proves he’s not useless. Yuna (resident white mage) gets more assertive as time goes on. Wakka matures a bit. Even Kimahri does begin to speak after a while, and has his own side plot that you end up helping with. It’s all pretty much a smooth run as far as stories go, and is some of the best pacing you’ll find in a game. The mechanics are aged but still fairly solid. I mentioned in another review that turn based mechanics fell off the mainstream for a few years, because they’re a bit of a flow-breaker. Encounters can still be fast paced and intense, and I enjoy boss battles the most because it requires you to figure out what they do and counter it. Without a guide, you may not know what they do outright which makes things more interesting. There’s a myriad of stats to focus on and everyone has their own grid to work on (except Kimahri, whom starts in the middle and can delve into other roles as you see fit, but since all roles are accounted for he’s not important and is weaker in late-game), each have specific stats that are clearly focused. Wakka and Tidus have a fair amount of agility and accuracy, while Lulu and Yuna have a lot of magic on theirs.

I once read a guide that tells people to treat it like a board game. Leveling up gives you points that are like dice rolls. You move forward in the grid and you can tap into any stat that is adjacent to your position. In that regard, I usually wait until I have three to five “Sphere levels” to move so I can hit around three upgrades at a time. The game is pretty smooth overall and progression feels constant, giving you just enough challenge without having to grind at all, though some people recommend some grinding at certain points of the game which I am certainly taking advantage of. Know what else I’m taking advantage of? The extra features and parameters the new remastered version comes with. Some of which are game breakers, comparable to downloading an outright hack or trainer for older games.

You can also get full stacks of all basic items, unlock all skills for every character immediately, and max out your gil (money). I took advantage of the “get all items” and “Enemy encounter override”. Having potions helps keep my people alive and I like the major encounter rate because it helps me farm, even the early game. I basically move on when I start one-shotting things. There is no command that gives you gear, though. So I won’t be breaking the damage limit for a little while yet and bosses still take some doing. I am overkilling most basic enemies though, to great hilarity.

I played and beat this game fairly legit over a decade ago, so I’m treating these new parameters to help me get through it to refresh myself on the story, so I can play X-2, which I did very little of. Presumably these mechanics also exist in X-2 which will help my run be a bit more smooth, because I remember not really understanding the leveling system there. That’s an anecdote for another time. If I had one other point of contention, it’s the sound design. The voice acting is hit or miss, and while the infamous “HAHAHA” scene is taken out of context (the characters were force laughing on purpose, it was supposed to sound stupid), I find it to be solid overall. However the sounds itself seem irrelevant in this game, I could practically play it muted. Enemy attacks are practically telegraphed, even in text on the top of the battle screen and there’s status effect icons that pop over your character’s heads if they’re suffering from something. Attacks are flashy with fancy particle effects and sounds but what really matters is the numbers of damage you can do. Other than the rather enchanting music, you can play this game muted and miss next to nothing from the experience. All in all, I just can’t stop smiling while playing it. I don’t give FFX enough credit towards my gaming career, which starts in the 96′s and 98′s with things like Unreal, Quake, and Starcraft. FFX would come into my life a few years later and it just captured my imagination and was able to play through it more than once. Here I am again, enjoying the ride. I recommend anyone who is a fan of the genre to give this one a go.

#Final Fantasy X #FFX #Final Fantasy

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