Subj: [ffml] [HD] Grove of the Fallen (Part 1) Date: 5/19/01 10:52:15 PM Central Daylight Time From: raumkatze2@aol.com Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: ffml@yahoogroups.com, hilliondynasty@egroups.com Aaron was relieved that the confrontation with the sailors was over, and that it did not get to the point where he had to hurt anybody. But at the same time, another part of him wished that he actually had gotten in a fight with them, so he would have had a chance to prove himself as a fighter and lose his insecurity. As he looked back at the standoff, it occured to him that the captain had an advantage with the gun that he would not have had with a sword. The only reason that he did not prevail was that Scott's sword doubled as a gun. Aaron began to wonder why he was searching for a sword when guns were also available in this world. He tried to put these thoughts out of his mind by reassuring himself that he had imagined this sword to be an ultimate weapon against evil, and this world embodied things that he imagined. Besides, he was fairly sure that Scott would not react well to him changing his mind about his objective this late in the game. He did his best to convince himself that being decisive is the best thing he could do right now. It wasn't much longer until the ship reached Wangland. Aaron was glad to be off of the ship, as there was a silent but seething tension between the sailors and the passengers. Aaron was ashamed that he had contributed to this tension's existence. He felt empathy for the sailors. He felt that they were just trying to protect themselves. He hated to be someone else's enemy. He just wanted everybody to get along. But there was no time to think of these things now. He had to concentrate on getting this sword. "So," said Nighthawk, who had by now recovered from whatever was wrong with her back on the boat, "Where is this sword?" "Uh, it's in Southvale... or around it. It's somewhere south of Doma, er, Wangland. I guess that would be southeast of where we are now." "Wait, Southvale?" said Nighthawk, "Whereabout Southvale?" "Okay, remember when you told General Kat to plant an orchard or something in remembrance of your flight captain who she had her men kill? That's where." "The Grove of the Fallen," she said, "and you're going there willingly?" "Er, yes," said Aaron, wondering what she was getting at. Nighthawk just smirked. "Okay, what's... what do you mean?" "The Grove of the Fallen," said Nighthawk, "is where the ghosts of the Avariel who died in the fire attack have resided ever since they were killed." "Oh, I see, so I guess they're still pissed off?" said Aaron. "Wouldn't you be?" she said. "I guess so..." said Aaron, "but we've come this far. With you and Scott with me, I think we'll be able to survive that place. I mean, they know who you guys are. And they might just know who I am too." Nighthawk just let out a sadistic chuckle. Aaron wasn't sure how to interprate this. "Well," said Scott, "before we go anywhere, we should stop and rest." "Okay, there's probably an inn somewhere in this port town," said Aaron. The party booked a room in the first inn they came accross. "Room for three?" said the typical FF innkeeper. "Two, said Nighthawk. I'm not about to spend the night cramped up in a small room." "Okaay..." said the innkeeper, who clearly did not appreaciate the hostile responce to his query. Aaron and Scott went to their room. Once there, Aaron had trouble falling to sleep. This time, it was because he was haunted by Nighthawk's description of the Grove of the Fallen. Again, he questioned whether it would just be better to call the whole thing off. Between self-doubt and fear for his life, Aaron laid awake long after Scott had fallen asleep. The next morning, Aaron wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he was sure that he had gotten far less than the 8 hours of sleep he prefered to have before Scott woke him up. After he got up, used the bathroom, and brushed his teeth, Aaron realized that the train shirt that he was borrowing from Scott was no longer clean. He brought this to Scott's attention, and Scott reluctantly tossed him another train shirt. They went outside, and Aaron looked around. "Where's Nighthawk?" said Aaron. "Right here," came a voice from behind him. He turned around. "Let's go," she said. ---------- Subj: [ffml] [HD] Grove of the Fallen (Part 2) Date: 5/23/01 11:32:09 AM Central Daylight Time From: raumkatze2@aol.com Reply-to: ffml@yahoogroups.com To: ffml@yahoogroups.com, hilliondynasty@egroups.com "Let's go," said Nighthawk. She unspooled the chain from the back of the Bear and attached it to her belt. Scott boarded the bike, and Aaron got on behind him, and held onto him in the most non-intimate way possible. Nighthawk spread her wings and took off. Scott revved up the bike and started to go. It was a fun ride for Aaron. He had very little experience riding on motorcycles. He enjoyed the fast speed and the open-air aspect of the ride. He also enjoyed the sightseeing. Wangland had many interested people and places to look at. There were urban areas, rural areas. The styles of architecture and dress ranged from medieval to futuristic, from mundane to absurd, from American to European to Japanese. But almost every area they passed through had something in common: statues. From what Aaron could tell, they were statues of King Wang I, his descendants, and other nobleman. Aaron wished this journey would never end. It was a combination of the fact that he enjoyed seeing the sites of Wangland, and the fact that he was feeling very insecure about the upcoming moment of truth. Eventually, the party arrived at Southvale, and they soon found an area surrounded by trees that could only be the Grove of the Fallen. Scott parked the bike outside, Nighthawk descended, and Aaron weilded Scott's Katana. "Well, he we go," said Aaron. He lead the way to the edge of the Grove. When they reached it, Aaron heard a voice, which could only be described as a booming whisper. "We are the spirits of the fallen Avariel," the voice said, "We have resided here for one thousand, two hundred years. One of you has a special connection with this place, and may enter. The other two must stay behind." Aaron's heart sunk. He looked over at Nighthawk and said, "Sorry. I didn't know they wouldn't let me in. Would you be willing to get the sword for..." He was cut off by the disembodied voice, "Aaron, we sense that you are kin of General Kat. You may enter and take the sword." Aaron's mood did a complete 180. He grinned at his companions, gave the thumbs-up sign, and walked into the small Grove. It was about as he imagined. Trees lined the perimeter, and inside was relatively short and weed-free grass, and many flowers. And at the opposite end from where he entered was your typical sword-in-a-stone. Aaron confidently approached the sword. He stood before it, admiring its shimmering steel blade and golden hilt. Etched into the sword, with beautiful calligraphy was the name of the man who forged the sword many years ago, "B. Deets." He set down the Katana and grabbed the hilt of the magical sword with his right hand, and with some effort pulled it from the stone which it had been stuck in for over a thousand years. He held it triumphantly above his head, feeling like Link from the legend of Zelda. Then he heard the voice again. "Now," said the voice, "We will test your worth. If you can fight your way out of this Grove, then you are truly worthy to weild this sword." "Damn!" Aaron said. He looked at the sword. It looked a lot nicer than Scott's Katana, but he honestly did not feel any magic power eminating from it. Then again, he didn't know what magic power was supposed to feel like. He did his best to clear his mind and rely on his instincts and brief Bladesong training to survive this situation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy winged figure appear. The figure had a bow and arrows. "Oh shit," said Aaron. Parrying sword attacks was one matter, but dodging arrows was another. Hearing the "fwip" and fearing his death, he held the sword in front of himself. Then he opened his eyes. He had not been hit. The magic sword had deflected the projectile! The Avariel ghost seemed genuinely surprised by this. Taking advatage of this surprise, Aaron ran to the ghost and sliced it in half. The thing faded away, not unlike a dying FF enemy. They shot more arrows at Aaron. This time, he kept his eyes open. As the arrows approached, time seemed to slow down, and Aaron was able to dodge some of them, and knock away others with the sword. Aaron sliced through ghost after ghost as he made his way out of the Grove. When he finally reached his companions, he felt exhausted and triumphant. "Wow," said Nighthawk, "I didn't think you had it in you." "Yeah, me either," said Aaron, "So, what do we do now? I mean, what are you two planning on doing now?"