Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 21:03:56 -0000 Subject: [ffml] [MW] The wanderings of Tojo: The Mojodussy. From: "Tojo Mojo" Tojo walked into South Figaro. His mood was pensive. It was clear that the others didn't give a damn about him, nor did anyone else. "It's only right," he spoke softly to the shadows. He was, after all, born in a way such that two entire races shunned him... And all the expectations of a universe rested on his shoulders. He had run, he had hidden, he had masked himself. And through it all, he had succeeded beyond some people's wildest dreams. He ruled a vast populus. Millions of people bowed to him, served him, would die for him. But he hated it. The people did looked to him for decisions, but he didn't want to decide. They looked to him for answers, but he didn't understand the question. And through it all they followed him, no matter how much he waved them away. _Up and leave_, he often thought. But he couldn't. His people were attached to him. Leaving them would only hurt them, which in the end would hurt himself. His empire... Such a grand thing to give up so easily. And now, communication cut off, he found himself yearning for at least one person from his realm. What had happened? He found himself hesitant to speculate. He should return. He had to return. His people once again needed him. "No", he once again spoke to the silent shadows. If there was something wrong, a takeover, a rebellion, a disaster, he could get killed by walking into it, and he didn't know if that would inspire too much despair among his people. He was seen as god-like, and, if he were to fall, the people might loose hope and be plunged into grief and despair. Pessimistic? Inhuman? Tojo could often be called these things. But he knew what the right word for it was; "Logic". Tojo knew he wouldn't find anyone in the forsaken town. He knew it would be abandoned. He knew his men would be dead. He would pray to a god, but he knew of too many. He had seen to many planes of existence to believe in any god. He even doubted Gilean, the god he had spent years working for. Tojo was suddenly struck by a realization, a mere coincidence. He dismissed it and continued. He saw only a very few moogle bodies. This suddenly saddened him. He already was hurt by the loss of his men in such a foolish, pointless battle, and now he could see the scores. Tojo:10, Mog:500. He continued to walk the streets. Growing tired of all the heavy thoughts, he headed back to camp. Perhaps he could get a little drunk and have some fun. As he approached, however, he saw an apparition approaching the camp and emitting eerie howls. Could it be? A ghost of one of his men? Come back to haunt him? "Only one way to find out." Tojo walked through the camp, slowing to hear the conversation between Bacca and a few of his commrades. He saw Kaitlin walk off towards the ghost. "Umm, sir?" "Hmmm, you again?", replied Bacca. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd also like to go with Kaitlin to see this ghost. I may, after all, know him, although I hope I don't. However, if I do know the man, I must speak with him. I will stand back and allow Kaitlin to talk otherwise." "Alright." "Oh yeah, and, um, nice c-", Tojo was cut off by another of the ghost's wails. Tojo walked off hesitantly, feeling mixed emotions on whether he wanted to know the man he was about to see. <> MISSING POST: The one in which the next post responded to. The missing post goes BEFORE the prior post by Tojo. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 22:25:47 -0400 Subject: [ffml] [MW] Interview with the Ghost From: druidkaitlin@juno.com (The Druidess Kaitlin) > "I will go," said Kaitlin. > Checking her staff and other possessions, the druidess >walked forward to speak to the undead figure. Kaitlin shivered despite the heavy robes she was wearing. She hadn't talked to a real ghost since . . . since--well, never. Unless you counted the shade of Allanon, but she was with Walker at the time, and he had done nearly all of the talking, Kaitlin fearing making a fool of herself in front of the wise old Druid risen from the waters of the Hadeshorn . . . whatever the case, she *was* the most experienced for such an endeavor; however, would that be enough? . . . would she be safe? She approached the specter, her staff warming slightly in her hands. She hadn't yet called upon magic, knowing it would give her power away too soon. In her time, she had found it was easier talking to a being that thought it was superior to herself--which there was quite a chance of being true! It had retreated toward an abandoned tent; Kaitlin looked around to see the surrounding area had been all but deserted . . . she could have barely make out the forms of Bacca, Schala and the others in the distance behind her if she had bothered to turn around, but the Druidess felt it wise to keep her eyes on the phantasm. It stopped, and looked at her. It had known she was there for some time now, but it hadn't paid her any attention; now its cold, icy eyes penetrated her own. She stood there for a moment, waiting. When it did nothing but sway a little, she examined it. It seemed to have a blazing aura of magic. Very, very OLD magic, naturally created and centered into this one spirit form. It was dark magic, black magic. Kaitlin wasn't afraid. "Hello," she called out softly. It just looked at her. "May I ask who you are, my friend?" The ghost turned away slightly, staring at something she could not see, then turned back. It lifted a willowy arm and pointed stiffly at her. "Druidess. Kaitlin." "That is my name . . . what is yours?" "Names are . . . for the Earthly. But if you must know, I have been dubbed PhelPhaen--in your tongue, the *KinSlayer*." When he said that, his aura flared wildly, and Kaitlin brought up a hand to block the heat. It relaxed a little, still swaying slightly as if by some wind from the land of the dead, and so Kaitlin relaxed as well. But she sensed the evil building--the anger, the darkness, and she readied herself to take measures of protection. "Tell me about yourself, my friend. Why are you wandering this town so restlessly?" "Earthly woman, do not be a fool. Run now. I want nothing to do with you!" A bit of flame spat forward just above her head. He turned around again. "Wait!" she called, and took a step toward it. Despite the aura, she could feel that it was so cold, colder than ice, colder than most death. "Hey, I said wait." She almost tapped it on the shoulder, almost forgot the possible consequences. "What are you doing here? Look, there's a lot of people who need to rest in this city, and we need to know if it's safe. So I'm asking you, are you a safe one to be around?" It turned around again, so slowly, and stared straight into Kaitlin's eyes. She had never been this close to something so strange and powerful before. There was less than a two feet between the tips of their noses--just far enough for the Druidess to avoid the aura. "There is danger all around here," it said slowly, darkly. "But I have love for no being of the corporeal world . . . I was born by death, I was nurtured by pain, and I live by the hatred and clash of betrayal and the restless, wandering souls of too many people . . . " "How did this happen?" inquired the Druidess gently. "A very long time ago . . . before this place was this place, another place was . . . and was attacked by an army!" The ghoul flared angrily. "A man by the name of Alborard DuKerque was a cowardly and greedy man, a man of noble blood, a man who was driven to betray his family and his people for the promise of wealth beyond his wildest dreams. "They tried to stop him . . . they tried to keep him from his evil ways . . . they were destroyed. DuKerque cared not for his family--his father and brothers died at his hands . . . people slain by their own blood kin . . . "His fair younger sister Lalyss knew she could not let such treachery continue--most of the people of the town were dead, the rest were wounded or prisoners, and she could not stand it any longer. She pretended to be on his side, hoping he would trust her. He did; after all, no man is incapable of remorse, and he felt he could still retain his honor if at least one of his own kin trusted, believed in him . . . she slew him the minute she got the chance . . . but not without the subsequent loss of her own life by the invading army." KinSlayer stared at Kaitlin. "Does that help, mortal Druidess?" Kaitlin nodded slowly. "And if I understand correctly, you are those people--you are Alborard DuKerque and his sister Lalyss and the slain family. You are the people who died at the army's hands, and you are all the pain and death and suffering . . . am I correct?" "You are correct . . . " Kaitlin thought for a moment. "And so you were called KinSlayer because of the betrayal. "That is correct." "Why are you awake now?" The KinSlayer laughed. "I am free of the ground prison that was kept for me because of the accursed white piggish things that were digging around here. Bah." He seemed to spit. Kaitlin tried not to giggle. White piggish things. The demonic being flared up more brightly than before. "Are you laughing at me, Druidess Kaitlin?" It grew in size, and Kaitlin was thrown back by the sheer force of his power. "No! It's just . . . " Damn! she thought. I had to be a fool. Now what? She pulled up a protective force field about herself weakly. "Please, we only want to leave you in peace if you will do the same for us during our stay here." "NO! Armies cause pain and destruction . . . greedy conquest, too. This is my home, and I will stay here for eternity, or until the wrongs are rectified." "But that's impossible . . . that happened so long ago, you're the only one who even remembers anymore!" "YOU know now, Druidess. And you can tell your friends that they ARE NOT WANTED HERE!" It was screaming at her, flames gusting forth wildly, and she forced herself to a standing position, holding up the force field, terrified. She raised her staff over her head, but in a quick moment, the creature grabbed the end. Instead of pulling it away from her, the staff became cold . . . so cold . . . Kaitlin nearly dropped it, but put the cold out of her mind. It was edging its way into her heart now. She felt an explosion somewhere, then hit the ground hard, still clutching her staff. Tears came with the pain, and for a moment she could not move. She could not see, either. She curled into a ball. Unthinking, unfeeling, submerged in the icy cold by now, she could do nothing . . . nothing. In the distance, the sun began to rise above the horizon. A thought flitted through her mind as she wondered at the fact they had been conversing so long . . . were Bacca and the others still alive? The sun rose a fraction higher, then suddenly she felt the hold on her lesson, and she sat up, shivering. She opened her eyes just in time to see KinSlayer melting away. For now, Kaitlin thought bleakly. So cold . . . her staff was so cold . . . her body, it was cold to. From far off, she could hear the sounds of several pairs of booted feet rushing toward her. Help was on its way. Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 23:44:18 -0000 From: "Tojo Mojo" Tojo silently approached across the camp to Kaitlin and the ghost. His ability to walk silently was one he regretted learning. He got closer and closer, even though he realized this ghost was a complete unknown to him. The ghost appeared to be telling some sort of tale to Kaitlin. As the ghost continued, he saw Kaitlin raise her staff. Tojo could feel the fear as the ghost touched the staff. The beauty and horror of the ghost captivated him, and he didn't flinch as he heard the explosion. He saw the ghost fade away. He noticed Kaitlin still in fear. As he ran forward to help her, he could see others running from the camp. Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 20:52:48 -1000 From: Sky H Ainsworth Bacca and the others had stood still and not moved while Kaitlin and ghost had their dialogue. Even while the two moved away, Bacca kept everyone in their position, not wishing to antagonize the ghost. When the last had taken place, Bacca realized that he had to do something. The other followed his lead and rushed to Kaitlin's side. Bacca came to Kaitlin's side and kneeled down. "Are you okay?" asked Bacca, concern in his face. "Yes," gasped Kaitlin. Bacca touched the druid's arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He then stood and faced the ghost. "I am the High Lord of That Ass, I...," said Bacca, trailing off. He and Lady Paladin shared an embarrassing look. Returning his gave to the ghost, Bacca regained his composure. "Who are you? What have you done to my friend?" The ghost did not stop, but continued on. Bacca was tempted to chase after, but the specter seemed to dematerialize in the growing dawn light. Bacca shook his head, unhappy with what had just happened. Turning around, the warrior saw Kaitlin being helped to her feet by Lady and Schala. She looked pale and tired. Walking up, Bacca looked into Kaitlin's eyes, they seemed glassy. "Are you okay?" Bacca asked again. "Yes," said Kaitlin. She closed her eyes and swallowed. "Of course I am." She regained some of her strength, but still seemed weak. "Help the druidess to her tent and have someone watch over her," said Bacca. Lady and Schala helped the woman along. Bacca looked about, taking in the looks of astonishment and concern from his comrades and soldiers. "Lieutenant, report," said Bacca. The man, a little stunned by what he had seen, shook his head. "Yes, sir," said the Lance Henriksen. He quickly did a round and returned. "One man is dead," said the clone. "He was the closest one to the ghost when it arrived and I think it took his life and that was the cry we heard." "Dammit," said Bacca. "Another loss...." He sighed. "Okay, the ghost is gone now and from what I know of undead, will not return till sundown. Hopefully the Druidess will be well enough to relate what she found out and we can plan accordingly. "I think this may explain why no one is here." Bacca walked backed to the center of the camp and took in his surroundings. Everyone had followed him, hesitantly. Looking at those who followed, Bacca lost his look of deep concern. "Do not worry. The ghost will probably return tonight, so we will be fine while the sun shines. Tonight, all the soldiers will load themselves onto the airships while the rest of us will remain here." Surprised and worried glances flew at Bacca from Tojo-Mojo, Lorinan, Chaos, and Siran. "We have a responsibility," said Bacca. "If those moogles unleashed this demon, then we need to reseal it, or destroy it. Do not worry, I will be here to protect you." Bacca smiled and everyone relaxed a little. "Just for now, get some rest and relax. Get ready for tonight." Everyone walked off. But before too much could be done, a cry was heard. Bacca had his swords unsheathed and rushed in the direction of the scream. The High Lord of All That Kicks Ass sat on a stone that was once part of the foundation of a house in South Figaro. On the ground a ways away, lay a body wrapped in a shroud. It had been found in a frozen state, its arms up in defense. The color of the man was all in greys, though, as if the essence of life, along with his soul, had been sucked out of him. Bacca looked over to a canopy that had been erected and the two men that had been either very close to death or in fact dead that morning. They were tired and lightheaded from their ordeal. Schala walked up to Bacca, slowly. "May I speak with you?" she asked lightly. Bacca, who had a scowl on his face, looked up and smiled lightly at the mystic. "Yes, of course," answered the swordsman. "What can I do for you?" "Well, I actually thought I could do something for you," answered Schala. "You seemed to be pondering things in your mind over and over again and not making sense of them." Bacca furrowed his brow, losing his smile. "Were you reading my mind, Schala?" The mystic immediately felt ashamed. "I am so sorry. It is just that you have sat here for such a long time and I was wondering what you were thinking about. I did not probe your mind, just got some general moods and impressions from you. I only thought to help you." Schala was looking down in shame. "It's okay," said Bacca. When Schala looked up, she saw that he had his slight smile on his lips. "Thank you for caring. But do not worry. One thing I find is that things usually right themselves and make sense in the end. All we can do is be prepared for them." "You speak like a wiseman. Almost like me." Schala said the last under her breath. "War and life has made me wise, you can say. I have been the commander of more then a few armies in my time and have had my losses and wins. The thing I have always found is to be prepared for any circumstance or event that may arise. I may not be the master tactician, but I am not foolhardy. I also take the time to observe other commanders and how they command and lead." "That sounds a lot like me. I have often had the opportunity to observe many a powerful magician or sorcerer and have discovered never to turn down the opportunity." "That does sound wise," Bacca said, his small smile broadening a little. "Schala, please, sit down." The mystic did as she was bid and sat down on another large stone facing the warrior. The two continued their conversation for some time. (I would write more, but I have a general purpose for this post. Schala this is all you. :> ) [NOTE: SCHALA NEVER REPLIED] As the sun set, the soldiers boarded the corvettes and lifted away from the haunted South Figaro. In the main plaza, Bacca and the heroes sat and awaited. Kaitlin had recovered from her shock and had told them all what had happened. "It seems obvious to me that we need to lock away this spirit," said Lady Paladin. "I do not know," said Bacca, rubbing his chin. "If the ghost is here, then that means the moogles will not come here. This will give them one less town to occupy. There is no one here, or nearby it seems, so I see no reason for posting a garrison here." "Bacca, you do not seem to understand something," said Schala. She immediately stopped, unsure of what she was saying. She cleared her throat and continued as everyone looked to her and waited. "The moogles only seek to destroy mankind. They destroy every town they come across and murder all of the citizens there. If we remove this ghost, then those people that need shelter can come here and live in peace. I am sure that the moogles have forgotten this place and will not return." Bacca looked about, uncertain of what to say. "Very well. We will remove this threat to South Figaro. I will not post a garrison here since there is no one to protect. But I see what you mean, Schala. If there are survivors out there, they may come here for shelter, and a ghost that takes their lives will not be a good start in rebuilding civilization here. "Kaitlin, can you scan and tell us the moment that this Kinslayer appears or comes close?" "Yes. I can sense his cold presence quite well," answered the druidess. "It is like a wave of cold that emanates from the ghost." Bacca nodded. They waited. "That direction." The heroes followed Kaitlin's extended finger and moved to intercept the ghost. There was no light among the group. Bacca lead the way, his night vision helping him to pick his way through the debris. Chaos, Lady, Kaitlin, and Schala were able to cast night vision and see where they went, while Siran and Lorinan followed them by holding onto a magic user's hand. Bacca entered the remains of a large room and stopped. The heroes followed and spread out behind him. In the center of the room, the ghost stood peering at the ground. A faint glimmer could be seen from its eyes. "If the pain is too much," began Kaitlin. "We can make it go away." The figure looked to Kaitlin. "You know how the pain can be stopped," the spirit responded in a hollow voice. "Do not taunt me with things you have no control over." The dark aura surrounding the ghost expanded. "I told you all to leave this place. You have not, therefore meet your fate." *Insert some battle music. Nothing too heavy, though.* The creature shuddered as if in pain and curled over. When it stood back up, the ghost seemed to have increased in size. The facial features were more distinct, of a face, once noble, but now eroded with age and pain. The arms grew longer and the hands became more like claws. The spirit also developed a curve to its back, taking on a decrepit look. Raising its arms, the creature seemed to summon energy and then threw it at the party. Bacca raised his swords in defense, Kaitlin her staff, and Lady her wazachi (sorry if I misspelled it, I'll get it right next time ;> ). A cold wave of pain and fear hit at the heroes, but was absorbed or deflected by their weapons. Bacca's white magic sword repulsed the evil magic, while his black magic sword absorbed some of the energy, it's flame grew a little brighter. "Lorinan, we need light!" ordered Bacca. The chemist lit a torch and then created some more and set them up around the ruins they stood in. Chaos readied his staff and charged, swinging at the being. His staff met a wave of energy the creature threw at him and the warrior was knocked back. Siran readied some fire claws and rolled forward, taking a quick swipe at the figure's legs. The claws caused some flame to lance out from the contact and the undead creature moaned in pain. With flaming red eyes tracking Siran, it swooped down with his claws. The karate master dodged, barely, and rolled away. Tojo came forward with his sword and sliced along the back of the spirit. The sword had no effect. However, the ghost did turn and take a swing at the knight. "Your weapon needs to be fire based or holy," called Lady Paladin. To emphasis her point, she casted white on the ghost. The white spheres struck the undead and emitted a shrill cry of pain. Schala had been watching this and finally decided to act. Summoning her power, pieces of rubble came together from the ground and formed a human shape. Pointing at the ghost, Schala commanded the golem to attack. The two beings met with swinging arm movements and struggled. Neither creature showed exertion as they struggled. However, the dark aura that enveloped the ghost slowly grew to encase the golem. Quickly, the stone being collapsed. Bacca came forward, the initial shock from the ghost's first attack wearing off. The ghost looked to the warrior, as if tempting Bacca to try his human weapons against his undead being. Bacca lunged forward with his short black sword, the light flames grew bright as they ate into undead flesh. The spirit howled in pain. Taking several swings, Bacca barely managed to avoid the things touch. However, he did stick out his white long sword and the creature touched it with its hands. Sparks flew from the contact and the undead quickly released. Kaitlin casted Fire2. A quick updraft of flame erupted from the ground, engulfing the undead's legs. Lorinan noticed this attack and threw in a fire chemical attack. The flame surrounded the floor that the undead stood on. Struggling, the undead made it out of the flaming ground. The creature then raised it's hands and summoned a earthquake. The ground shook, knocking all except Bacca, Siran, Tojo, and Chaos to their feet. Siran had grabbed a torch from the wall and threw it straight at the ghost. The torch handle penetrated the body, but the flame stopped the progression and erupted as it came into contact with the undead tissue. The undead struggled to pull the flaming brand from its body. Tojo had pulled a holy based dagger out and stepped forward, taking a swipe at the creature's legs. The ghost made a counter swing, opening himself to a staff strike from Chaos. Faced on two sides, the ghost summoned its unholy power, encasing itself in a black ball of flame. The humans could feel the intense cold and fear that the ball generated and cowered back. When it subsided, the undead creature had changed into a demon looking figure. Wings with rotting material for its support sprouted from the back. Horns protruded from a chocobo shaped head. A stub tail also poked out from the creatures rear. "Death!" called the demon. "Death to all those who oppose me!!!" The unholy sound echoed in the heroes heads. The fear created was intense. Bacca, who steeled himself against the artificial fear created, came forward and held his swords at the ready. The lanky arms of the undead began swinging about, though swifter then before. Bacca could only parry and block. Sparks and flame flew from the contacts, but the undead did not seem to mind. Bacca took notice of what looked like bracers on its forearms. Lady Paladin stood ready and cast Life1 on the undead creature. A small angel appeared and gripped one of the half composed wings of the creature, another appeared and gripped the shoulder. While the undead creature struggled with these two, another two appeared and gripped his leg and tail. Slowly pulling the figure up, the demon struggled like a wild animal. As the angels continued their pull, tears appeared on the body of the creature. The tears showed like red on the dark body. The tears grew and increased and soon split its body into four sections. With a loud crack and small explosion of flame and light, the undead creature and the angels disappeared. A wave of cold and fear swept through the heroes. Siran looked about. "Did we kill it?" "No," said Kaitlin. "I have discovered something. Come, quickly." The druidess ran from the battleground and everyone followed. Going to one ruined building, the druidess led the way down. From a stairway to a basement to a tunnel, the party descended. Finally, they arrived at a chamber. Lorinan and Chaos carried the only two torches. It was a large circular room, carved from rock. A dias was in the middle, with what looked like an altar sitting atop of this. A stone covered in ruins had been placed atop this altar and had a huge crack in it. "This is the seal that held the demon," said Kaitlin. "I discovered this from where the ghost approached us from. This also makes sense in how the spirit was able to summon more power and could not be destroyed by the Life1 spell. This is an anchor to the spirit. Much power was used to create it, I think. And either the spirit drew upon the stone's power for itself, or it had deposited the power in this stone and withdrew what it needed. "It seems clear to me that what we fought was some more ancient spirit. It may have come in contact with the wandering ghost of the original Kinslayer and engulfed it, using it as a guise. We destroyed the Kinslayer, but not the demon. We must seal it back in the stone." "I know how to do this," said Lady Paladin. She stepped forward. "I think." The stone began to glow and an aura surrounded it. "The spirit is reforming in the stone," said Lady. "It has made its home in it and so this is its anchor." Raising her hands, Lady summoned her knowledge, power, and guidance. Her mind went to the master healers and white wizards back at the academy and they responded. Schala also lent her assistance. She went into a trance and her mind connected with Lady's. Power and knowledge flowed from her mind to Lady's. The stone glowed and began to vibrate. What looked like a small human shape tried to crawl away from the stone, reaching out from the crack, but a power held it back and sucked it in. The two pieces of stone came back together and a white light formed where the crack existed. The light faded away and the crack disappeared. "We are safe now," said Lady. "The demon has been locked away." Lady faltered and Bacca quickly caught her in his arms. In his grasp, Lady slowly opened her eyes and looked into Bacca's. She smiled and Bacca returned it. "Rest, my darling," said Bacca softly. Lifting the healer up in his arms, Bacca surveyed the room. "Look around here and see if there is anything of interest in here. Kaitlin, I am leaving you in charge down here. If there is something we can bring along, go for it. Otherwise, make sure that stone remains undamaged. When you leave, seal the entrance and make sure no one will discover it again, unless they are specifically looking for it." Bacca then headed to the tunnel and carried Lady out.