Subj: [ffml] [HD] Calm Before The Storm Date: 01-03-14 18:33:28 EST From: jaypyx@yahoo.com (Jaymie) Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: ffml@yahoogroups.com *********** Sunlight sifted through the tree branches, creating playful shadows upon the figure beneath it. Gray lay sprawled on his back, his paws tucked under his head as he contemplated the past few days. Ever since his banishment from his village, he had felt so alone and frightened. He never knew that the world he lived in was so large...and filled with so many different types of races and creatures. Joining the harem party had been intimidating, before long he had been able to relax in their company. Pyxie had listened patiently to him during the lonely nights, paying him attention throughout the day so he didn't feel like an extra wheel in the party. For once in his life, he felt himself as being a part of things...rather than being apart from everyone and isolated. He smiled as he remembered their arrival to AGSOSA. As the dragons approached the island, he had observed the tall mountain standing proudly in the middle. Below them a tiny village came alive as the news of their lady's arrival spread throughout town. He had been confused at first, since they kept going up the mountain rather than going down to where the people where. As far as he could see, the only thing on top of the mountain were white cottony clouds. As they approached the peak, he felt a strange tingling all over his body. "Kenaron!" Hortian shouted, maneuvering his Wyvern closer to the moogle. "Grab onto Ruby's tail! Hurry!" The moogle hesitated for just a brief second before he reached out and latched onto the Wyvern. Sparkling light soon enveloped everyone, causing Gray to shut his eyes from the brightness. When he opened them again, the view left him breathless! A small valley of streams and rolling hills lay atop the Calypo Mountain. Willow trees swayed with the breeze and colorful flowers dotted the area. A castle...no...a harem made completely out of white marble stood protectively in the center of the valley. He felt like he had come home. Gray sighed happily as he basked in the sun, his tail swiping lazily against the tall grass. [I sense not a single animosity towards me or anyone else around. And it's so peaceful.] The loud banging of a door and a muted explosion interrupted his musing. "Ok," he corrected himself, sitting up to watch the smoke coming out of a bedroom window. "Maybe not so quiet or peaceful. I wonder what that strange lady is up to now." *** "Crapiola!" Aryun threw her goggles against the wall. "How the hell am I suppose to concentrate with all this quietness going on?!?!?!" Emprss looked up from her yoga exercises and stared blankly at her friend. Aryun had stomped into her room, a whirl of energy and irritation. After the rambunctious welcome the Pyxie's party received, it had been unanimously agreed that their mistress needed some quiet time to sort out all the problems going on. "You're the one who suggested it," Emprss pointed out. "And besides, aren't you almost done with that toy of yours?" Aryun let out an exasperated sigh, pacing back and forth in front of the window. Ever since the bad news arrived, she had been too busy to work on the teleportation device. "Yea yea," she grumbled, "it IS almost done. But perfection is the key here. All this silence is getting on my nerves!!" Emprss just chuckled, turning back to her exercises while Aryun whirled out of the room and back to hers. They both silently hoped their mistress makes her decision soon. *** What to do? What to do?!?! Pyxie let out a weary sigh. She had retreated to her private pool in hopes of washing away her troubles. "Ha! Like it's that easy." Coming home had been a great help in easing her mind, seeing that everyone was safe and well. But hearing the news about the village had really put a damper to their homecoming. "Why would anyone want the Crystal of Chaos?" Her echoed mockingly back at her. When she first marooned on Calypso, she had discovered two crystals hidden amidst the foliage. It wasn't until months later that an old priest explained what they were. The Crystal of Chaos she left in the village under the care of that priest. That the crystal should be the cause of his death and to others was just too ironic. "At least the other one is still hidden safely. If they came to take one, maybe they'll come back to take the other!" Pyxie bit her lip, quickly putting pieces together in her head. The harem had already been preparing for defense when she had arrived. The villagers will have to be brought up to the harem also. She climbed out of the pond to discuss her plans witht he others when a gut-wrenching ache caused her to crumple to the ground. [W-what's happening? ...not again!] She felt as if someone was draining her of her powers, taking everything from her soul. Pyxie squeezed her eyes tight, concentrating on that connection between her and this force. [I ... will not ... give in!!!! Damn you!] Sweat dripped off her face as she focused with all her might in taking back her energy. The tightness inside her stretched taunt, as if she'd snap in half if she didn't succeed. Her arms shook with effort to keep her body. A frightened sob escaped her as with one last mental tug, she released herself from the bond. Gasping for breath, she knelt upon the cool marble, gathering her bearings together. She felt the floor shake violently and looked up to see the potted plants crash to the ground. Water splashed out of the pool and the windows rattled. "What now? An earthquake?" Struggling to her feet, she made her way to the door when a sudden burst of wind slammed her against the wall. A dark portal appeared by the pool, crackling with electricity. Shading her eyes from the light, Pyxie turned around to see Arcanis and Lia emerge. "ARCY!!!!!!!!!" Pyxie dashed forward and hugged the disoriented esper. "I'm so glad you guys arrived! There's so much I need to ask you!" She turned to give Lia a hug, but as before, the winged woman hastily stepped back. Pyxie shrugged and turned back to Arcanis, who was staring at her with a glazed look in his eyes. "Are you ok, Arcy?" Pyxie stepped closer, waving her hand before Arc's face. "Lady Pyxie," Lia interrupted, chuckling to herself, "the poor man can only handle so much." Pyx tilted her head in question. Lia pointed to what the harem mistress was wearing...or shall we say...what she WASN'T wearing. "Oh!!!" Pyx quickly grabbed her robe and put it on. "Heh, sorry. You caught me unaware." Arcanis shook himself for acting so immaturely. As if he'd never seen a naked woman before! Hadn't he seen Shiva on a day to day basis? Sheesh! "Are you ok?" Arcanis quickly scanned the room for danger. "You're not hurt are you?" "No no, I'm fine...now." Pyxie quickly told them what she went through right before they arrived. She was puzzled as to what was going on and she was sure Arc would have an answer for her. **** Subj: [ffml] [HD] Of Gods and Espers Date: 01-03-14 18:58:36 EST From: dshumate@bbtel.com (Shumate) Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: HillionDynasty@egroups.com (Hillion Dynasty Mailing List), ffml@yahoogroups.com (Final Fantasy Mailing List) Arcanis stumbled clumsily out of the unstable portal, putting his weight on his staff to help keep his balance. The considerable more graceful Lia, still somewhat disoriented from her slowly recovering mana poisoning, practically fell out. "ARCY!!!!!!!!!" A female voice cried jubilantly. The next thing her knew, there was a naked woman wrapped around him in a hug. Arcanis only had time to gape in surprise before the woman, who he vaguely recognized as Pyxie, released him and tried to hug Lia as well, who hastily stepped away. Arcanis was somewhat disoriented, and not just by the naked form of Pyxie. His thoughts were mostly focused on being pulled from the battle. He had been caught by surprise so, that he wasn't even thinking when he let the power of the Cataclysm spell fill his being with destruction. If Pyxie hadn't summoned him, and he had cast that spell, Kefka and Aracalen would be dead... but then, so would his friends... Even so, could they defend themselves against the likes of Kefka without his aid? The power of the Cataclysm was awesome... and the ease with which it came to him, combined with it's power, terrified Arcanis. "Are you okay, Arc?" Pyxie was saying, waving her hand in front of his face. "Lady Pyxie," Lia interrupted, mirth in her voice, "the poor man can only handle so much." Arcanis shook his head to clear his thoughts, blushing slightly as Pyxie hastily pulled on her robe. He shouldn't be so shy, many espers in Abterrus went without clothes at all, and it never bothered him. Well, not usually. "Are you okay?" Arcanis said, glancing around at the room. Shattered pottery and dirt littered the floor; it looked as if the room had been picked up and heartily shaken. "No no, I'm fine... now..." Pyxie went on to explain what had happened to her before Arcanis had appeared. "So..." she concluded, "What happened, Arc?" "You summoned me," Arcanis said, blinked in surprise. "What in the world are you talking about?" Pyxie asked in confusion. "Didn't you know...?" Arcanis asked incredulously. "When you summoned me back when the bandits captured you, I was bound as your guardian esper when I used... when I eliminated them." Arcanis finished, swallowing. He didn't really care to recount the effects of the frightening spell he now possessed. "Err..." Pyxie spoke eloquently, absorbing the information. She shrugged and smiled weakly. "Okay... so... your my guardian esper, then? Right?" Arcanis nodded. "Yes. Just... don't summon me when your naked, unless you really have to, okay?" he said. Pyxie and Lia giggled, and Arcanis blushed. The door to the small room burst open, and Arcanis turned to stare incredulously as a Moogle, a Lithe, a Firecat, and an apparently sentient cat piloting a Moogleboar bounded into the room. "Pyxie!" They all spoke simultaneously, before breaking into a furious mess of words and exclamations. Pyxie motioned for them to stop. "Okay, okay," Pyxie said when they all quieted down. "Now, one of you, what happened, Kenaron?" The Moogle stepped forward, and Arcanis absently filed the name away in his memory. "Kupo! There was just a huge blast of light above us! I don't know what it was, but it looked like a big ball of energy," Kenaron spoke. "It looked like it'd kill us for sure, kupo, but when it was almost here, it looked like it hit some kind of invisble wall above and dissapeared!" "The forcefield," Arcanis spoke without thinking, realizing that the Cataclysm spell had appeared above the harem and struck the barrier that protected it. Since both were magic wrought by Arcanis, the barrier had snuffed out the other spell. Everyone's gaze snapped to him, and he instantly felt uncomfortably. "I, um, put a barrier around this place a while ago," Arcanis said uncomfortably. "It makes this place invisible to any who cannot see magical auras, and only the good of heart can safely pass through it, and only if they are accompanied by someone who belongs here." "Who is this?" the Firecat asked, turning to Pyxie. Arcanis flushed in embarrasment. "Oh, I forgot introductions," Pyxie said. "This is Kenaron, Gray, Cait Sith, and Gooshaki," Pyxie said to Arcanis and Lia, motioning to the Moogle, Lithe, Cat/Moogleboar, and Firecat respectively. "As for you guys," she said, turning to the four, "this is Lia, who looks like she is high, and Arcanis, who is apparently now my guardian esper," she giggled, winking at Arcanis. The other four nodded, except for Gray, who mouthed the word esper with widened eyes. Arcanis groaned inwardly as the Lithe dropped into a reverant kneel towards Arcanis, his face averted. "Um, get up, please, Gray," Arcanis said akwardly. He had forgotten that most Lithes, like Avariel, worshipped Espers. Unlike Avariel, though, Lithes tended to regard Espers as the only true gods. "G-g-great M-master," Gray stuttered under his breath, his eyes squeezed shut and his face averted towards the floor. Arcanis flushed in embarrassment again. "Er, um," Arcanis muttered akwardly. The others were exchanging incredulous glances between themselves, except for Lia, who reddened from the embarrasment of memory. Arcanis turned to Pyx. "In case you don't actually have any use for having summoned me right now," he said to Pxyie, who was struggling not to laugh. "I think I need to take our Lithe friend out to explain a few things." Pyxie nodded with barely contained mirth, and Arcanis practically pulled the worshipful Gray from the room to explain a few things about Gods and Espers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Arcanis Subj: [ffml] [HD] Of Firecats, Espers, and Avriel Date: 01-03-18 23:40:42 EST From: lwoodruf@iastate.edu (Laurence H Woodruff) Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: ffml@yahoogroups.com This occurs Right before and concurrently with "Of Gods and Espers." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- The four of them: Kenaron, Gray, Cait Sith, and Gooshaki had been relaxing in the garden. As Gray lay looking up at the sky, Gooshaki sat next to him looking out, across the mountains and valleys. Kenaron flew to the top of a tree so he can increase his ability to observe the cleavage of the many beautiful women that walked on the path under him. Cait Sith enjoyed casual flirting with a set of twins near a fountain where water flowed down the chest of a shirtless man and his scantily clad female counterpart. All was peaceful. All was calm. Then all of a sudden all was shaken. Water from the fountain splashed the twins, making their white, standard harem issue, linen robes cling to their skin. They scurried inside as the ground beneath them shook and rumbled. Kenaron was blinded by the light, and jostled out of the tree he was in. He plopped down to the soft path under the tree. "Kupo earth quake. Kupo light. I need a drink." With that he fluttered into the harem after Cait Sith. Gray saw the sky flash an amazing white. He tried to say something to Gooshaki, but he couldn't get the words out. He wondered if Gooshaki had seen the same thing, this brilliant flash of white. Just as soon as Gray's sight returned to normal, however, he felt the vibrations. The movement of the earth disturbed him, in a greater sense than it disturbed Cait Sith and disrupted Kenaron. He brought him memories of an episode of his life that he'd rather forget. Being uncomfortable, he decided he'd go inside and look for the humans. What Gooshaki saw, though, horrified him. The others were scared, but the blast apparently didn't HURT anybody. Gooshaki saw something different. As the dome grew, it extended beyond that area which was protected by the invisible field. As it spread away, Gooshaki's jaw dropped. He saw so much life decimated. Each blade of grass, gone. Each tree or bush, terminated. The insects, the rodents, the small flightless birds. All destroyed. A giant area, left completely baron. The harem was a circle of vitality in a concentric circle of death. About 15 yards past the hidden barrier, every living thing was gone. Gooshaki was angered. This destruction of life. This disrespect of nature! This was clearly a magical attack on the area, though there were no apparent attackers, Gooshaki was upset. He new no one had been in the dangered area, but that did not comfort him. Gooshaki was working an internal frenzy. His tongue of flame flared for a brief moment as he felt the ground change from an unnatural influence. The crystal he wore around his neck pulsed flashing quickly. He slowly turned around, put into a bitter mood by this random act of destruction. He followed the others into the harem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Gooshaki entered the room, he saw Kenaron, Cait sith, Gray, and Pyxie. Standing across from them were 2 figures. One, a man, currently speaking of some force field, and a winged woman. Gooshaki took a double take. A WINGED woman. A WINGED woman with GREEN hair! He locked gazes with her. After but a moments hesitation, she looked away. "Who is this?" Gooshaki spoke to Pyxie. Arcanis flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I forgot introductions," Pyxie said. "This is Kenaron, Gray, Cait Sith, and Gooshaki," Pyxie said to Arcanis and Lia, motioning to the Moogle, Lithe, Cat/Moogleboar, and Firecat respectively. "As for you guys," she said, turning to the four, "this is Lia, who looks like she is high, and Arcanis, who is apparently now my guardian esper," she giggled, winking at Arcanis. Gray seemed to be taken with the Esper. Gooshaki was not. Gooshaki had many conflicting thoughts at this time. He thought poorly of Espers due to their marriage with magic. It was NOT that magic is "BAD" in any sense. It is instead, that those beings that use magic excessively tend to have a general disregard for NATURE! Nature was a beautiful thing. The distribution of power, control, life, death, fate, conflict, and peace, are distributed in a harmony and a sort of symmetry with chaos. There was order, and chaos at the same time. Balance within nature was key. Nature was a mystical order in and of itself that shouldn't be dismissed! But magic was another story. Was magic natural? Gooshaki tended to think not. He would prefer if it was never used again, but he new that was excessive. He just wished magic users would look for the greater impact their spells might have, outside of their isolated, and sometimes petty intentions. Espers he thought, were a bad lot, disregarding most of their surrounding as they bring havoc to the area. Gooshaki immediately came to the conclusion that the beam of destruction was caused by this Arcanis. Had the others not received him so well, he would have initiated some sort of conflict. In fact, despite the others, Gooshaki would have started something, except for the Avriel in the room. His question, "Who is this?" was really solely intended for Lia. As Gray and the Esper walked out of the room. Gooshaki approached Lia. She tilted he head, and looked back. A smile spread upon her lips, and she spoke. "I've seen you in my dreams, kitty." "I belive I've seen you in mine as well. Please, follow me to the garden, I would like to speak with you." "And I with you." -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Gooshi Subj: [ffml] [HD] Lucid Dreaming Date: 01-03-19 13:30:34 EST From: larathia@mcs.net (Larathia) Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: ffml@yahoogroups.com CC: hilliondynasty@egroups.com The devastation was incredible, but in her unusual frame of mind this didn't bother Lia as much as it might have done. Elves were connected to the life of the world, and it was painful to feel so much of it snuffed out, but the overload she had recently suffered had distanced her from it. Well. At least for a few moments. When a firecat came into view, she felt her mind clear. As it did, she recognized the firecat from her...dreams? He must be important. He looked right at her, right in her eyes...she remembered seeing him caged in her dream and looked away. "Who is this?" she heard him ask, and suspected he meant her. However, thank the Lady, he'd asked the question of Pyxie. "Oh, I forgot introductions," Pyxie said. "This is Kenaron, Gray, Cait Sith, and Gooshaki," Pyxie said to Arcanis and Lia, motioning to the Moogle, Lithe, Cat/Moogleboar, and Firecat respectively. "As for you guys," she said, turning to the four, "this is Lia, who looks like she is high, and Arcanis, who is apparently now my guardian esper," she giggled, winking at Arcanis. High? Lia blinked. Yes...she supposed that would be how a human would look at it. Though a seducer should be familiar with the signs of sensory overload. However, just at this moment, she felt as fine as any avariel could who was standing in the middle of a death zone. She wanted to move, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. They already thought she was odd enough when she wouldn't shake hands with the seducer. Telling them how she felt about the blast zone wouldn't help. She remembered from her history lessons that humans simply didn't feel life the way elves did. She wondered how Espers felt about it. Or the firecats. Glancing around, her power told her this devastation was magically induced. *She* hadn't caused this, had she? Her memory of the past few days was very fuzzy. She kept her face serene, but if she had caused this devastation it would be even odds on whether her people would kill her before she committed suicide. Well. She supposed her chance to find out was at hand; the firecat was approaching her. Someone in this godsforsaken mess had actually noticed her amid this company of heroes. She couldn't manage to feel afraid. Fear had been lost somewhere on that mountainside she had been on...only a few minutes ago? She must be thinking clearly now...but where had she *been*? Besides in this cat's dreams. She tilted her head and looked at him. Yes...this was definitely the same one. That could only be a good sign. So she smiled, and said "I've seen you in my dreams, kitty." "I belive I've seen you in mine as well. Please, follow me to the garden, I would like to speak with you." Both ways? He'd seen her too? Not a prophetic dream, then. She'd have to hope the gods were not playing practical jokes. "And I with you, " she replied, grateful that they would leave this field of death before her skin started to crawl. Larathia http://www.mcs.net/~larathia ICQ: 22170253