Subj:	 [ffml] [HD] The Azure Blade
Date:	01-04-05 22:54:36 EDT
From:	dshumate@bbtel.com (Shumate)
Reply-to:	ffml@yahoogroups.com
To:	ffml@yahoogroups.com (Final Fantasy Mailing List), HillionDynasty@egroups.com (Hillion Dynasty Mailing List)

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 A series of loud bangs, caused by rather polite dragon-sized knocking,
echoed throughout the small keep that found purchase on the very edge of the
limited dimension known as Abterrus, and drawing the keep's only inhabitant
from her studies of arcane knowledge.

 The inhabitant of the keep looked up from her book, irritated by the
interruption. She sent out a web of invisible, probing magic, she rolled her
eyes as she it revealed the identity of the unexpected visitor. She willed
the magic that kept the huge wooden double doors below closed to intruders,
stuck and ink-stained bookmark in the tome before closing it, and invoked a
simple teleportation spell.

 Leviathan, coiled before the double doors in the central hall, was becoming
impatient. The water god practically jumped out of his scales as Atma
materialized in a swirl of incandescent blue light. Leviathan really
sometimes wished he had been granted the ability of teleportation that so
many other Firstborn had.

 "Atma," he grumbled in greeting, eyeing the flaring sword of blue light on
Atma's hip, a weapon that no esper but Atma filly understood. Atma was one
of the few espers who retained her original form when she had become an
esper, and a Firstborn at that.

 "What is it, Leviathan? I believed you and the others agreed to stop trying
to involve me into your Firstborn politics," Atma stated, rather irate that
her studies had been interrupted. The pleasant lilt of her voice concealed
the underlying threat, one Leviathan did not care to challenge. Atma might
look like a tender, fragile woman, but she had ground him and other
Firstborn into the dirt of the dueling field any number of times.

 "No, `tis not that," Leviathan spoke hastily, the eloquent Olde English
accent all dragons tried to pass off as natural inflecting his voice.
Leviathan folded his front claws on the ground before him respectfully. "I
assume thou dost keep track of the events unfolding upon Earth?"

 Atma ascended the few steps that led to an elegant, comfortable chair at
one end of the hall, which Leviathan thought looked suspiciously similar to
a throne. "A little," she said guardedly, seating herself in the cushioned
chair.

 "And surely thou hast heard about the Gate crumbling? And Bahamut
vanishing?" Leviathan pressed. Atma made a dismissive gesture.

 "Yes, I'm aware that he managed to get himself killed," Atma said calmly.

 "Then you know who it was that crystallized him... and what that person is
capable of."

 "Yes... actually, I was just studying geomancers before you so rudely
interrupted me," Atma said, sighing in resignation. "I thought he had been
killed back in the War of the Magi. I shudder to think of the experience he
has with his skill now..."

 "Do you know any way to kill him?" Leviathan asked hopefully.

 Atma fingered her flaring sword. "Yes, there are a few ways... this sword
could, as might manaflame, Ultima, a few other things..."

 "Which is exactly why you should be Queen!" Leviathan stated triumphantly.
The triumphant expression quickly withered under Atma's dark glare.

 "And the answer is still no. There are plenty of other Firstborn who can be
King or Queen... yourself, your wife, Ashura, Odin, Crusader, Arcanis,
Tiamat, Eden, Tritoch, Starlet, or any of the others."

 "Arcanis 'tis not Firstborn," Leviathan noted smugly, completely off
subject.

 "Wow, he certainly has all of you fooled, then. He would deny it, of
course, if you asked him. You know he never uses his full power in public. I
should take a hint from him, so all of you would quit bugging me."

 Leviathan wagged the tip of his tail impatiently. "Atma, aside from
Bahamut, you are the most powerful left..."

 "Aside from Bahamut?" Atma smiled deviously, laughing at the disgruntled
expression that appeared on Leviathan's draconian features. Atma lifted her
flaring sword of blue light to examine it speculatively. She peered at
Leviathan as he opened his mouth again. "I said the answer is no. If you
want a leader so badly, go elect and idolize a small stone for all I care."

 Leviathan watched as Atma stood and gestured for him to leave. He and the
other Firstborn still on Abterrus had decided unanimously that Atma should
be the new leader of the Espers... though many voted probably because they
themselves did not care to suffer whatever dire fate had fallen Bahamut.
Leviathan saw that he only had a slim opening left to convince Atma before
she banished him from her keep with a gesture.

 "You're brother is in service of the one that killed Bahamut," Leviathan
said quickly, wincing as Atma whirled to face him. Her blue sword flared in
her hand as she regarded him coldly.

 "Is he, now?" Atma asked, her voice frigid. "And how would you know that? I
haven't even seen him since I was wielded by a member in that band of
heroes, back when Kefka granted him a considerably more powerful form for
the duration that he was useful."

 "I saw... well, Arcanis just recently fought him," Leviathan cleared his
throat when Atma's brow climbed in incredulation. "With the help of some
mortal, and a strange artifact that let him conjure a rather large amount of
manaflame without poisoning him... Atma? Atma, are you listening?"

 "That artifact... what did it look like?" Atma asked, lost in thought.

 "Um, it was some staff he snatched from the Arsenal that was stockpiled
during the War of Magi, I think. It was topped by some kind of crystal...
Atma, where are you going? What about being Queen?"

 A crystal that granted it's holder power over copious amounts of pure
mana... the thought tickled something vitally important in the back of
Atma's mind as she ascended the stairs to her library. Leviathan would have
protested again, but as the memories came to surface, Atma gestured at him
dissmissively, and teleported him out of her demesnes. She had quite a bit
of research to do...

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-Arcanis
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The Last Esper
Head of Development for FFML RPG
Co-webmaster and Chronicler for www.ffml.org
Master of Nonsensical Jokes and Inane Commentary
Author of Extremely Mediocre and Corny Literature