Subj: [ffml] [MW] Sun Gods of the Desert Date: 00-06-01 22:51:29 EDT From: darklord@compusmart.ab.ca (His Dark Lordship) Reply-to: ffml@egroups.com To: ffml@egroups.com (ffml) Ussracts sat in his tent. He felt the desert wind blast the entrance back and forth. The army had been detained here for six days. After the failed assault on Vector, Ussracts had his wound patched up, and, despite everyone's recommendation of returning home, turned his sites north to Figaro. His reasoning was simple. He refused to return to Tyrell and admit defeat. Rather, he called up another set of soldiers from the kingdom, and headed north. The odd thing was, despite the sources that dietrified the South Figaro Navy, they managed to sail a literal armada to the Figaro coast without being harassed. Ussracts gathered that South Figaro was at dissent with Figaro. Elsewhere in the camp, however. Azala and Nizbel sat near the river. Thier soldier's gear hid the articles that proved thier identidy. A few of the priesthood that ressurected them waited around, handling errends for the various soldiers. "It is time." Azala said, finally. Nizbel nodded. The pair got up, and, almost as if the same, stripped thier armour off. A priest handed them each the robes of the ancients, and they strolled through the camp as soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched. They were legend. Parents told thier children of the Great Azala, and his eventual return. Children fantasized about being there when he did, or serving him. As a result, all knew who he was, even from his walk. His aura. It attracted even Ussracts. Ussracts and Azala stared at each other long and hard at that point. "Ssso, you are him." Azala nodded. "I believe, as tradition states, you have a right for the throne still... should you oust me." said Azala coldly, almost as if he was challenging him. Ussracts chuckled. "The only king of the Reptiliusss Macrosssisss, but the Royal Family has alwaysss possssessssed your ssstrength. I will fight you." Azala held out his hand. A priest placed a blade of black metal, pure drium, the last to be held by the Reptites, in his clawed hand. Ussracts drew his large broadsword, and the two blades met. Then, as per tradition, they backed away, and bowed. "To the death." "Est de Mortum." And the blades met. Azala quickly ducked a swipe to his head. He countered this with a quick feint to Ussract's heart. That was all it took. The Drium blade pierce the armour and Ussracts scales. Ussracts gasped. He then took another swipe to Azala and nicked him on the shoulder, causing blood to trickle down his shoulder. Azala made another quick slice to Ussracts neck. He needed to cut off the brain. The Reptite body was much slower to react to pain than the human body. Often times a Reptite could be basically dead and still be fighting. The slice connected. Ussracts' head flew off. Blood sprayed across the sand and the body jerked frantically. Finally, it fell to the sand, spraying a cloud of age old rock to the air. "Et tu Brute." spat Azala as he turned away. -- The eternal lord of darkness... Subj: [ffml] [MW] How the Mighty Fall Date: 00-06-09 19:12:45 EDT From: darklord@compusmart.ab.ca (His Dark Lordship) Reply-to: ffml@egroups.com To: ffml@egroups.com (ffml) The sandstorm was intense. Under normal circumstances, the castle of Figaro would have burrowed under and travelled to it's alternative area across the mountains, but today that wasn't an option. The sand was too thick, due to the storm. King Sabin II was rather anxious as a result. Not only was the castle a sitting duck for an attack in this situation, but his scouts had reported that a relatively large Reptite host was sited in the southern part of the desert. According to the tales, the Reptites conquered Figaro once before. Azala managed to secretly sneak a covert force into the castle, then force a main assault. The olde castle's instinct was to hide underground, but due to the covert force, the Reptites managed to take the capital with little trouble. Oddly enough, most of the people were set free. Edgar relocated further north, just south of Narshe (which had previously been taken by the Reptites, who then bombed it and left it as a huge pile of rubble, a pile of rubble that still was there today.) They had lived in exile. Azala, meanwhile, refit the castle with new gizmos that allowed it passage through rock, rather than sand. Using this new weapon of stealth, the Reptites became the most awesome force in the first Moogle War. Sabin sighed. The Figarons relocatted a few decades later. They had been there ever since. He had the triple the patrols he normally had on duty. He wanted to know if someone was coming. He knew it was a longshot, since one couldn't see five feet ahead of oneself in this storm. So, naturally, when the soldier burst into the throne room screaming "They're here!" the Reptites were already forcing thier way over the wall. And so the battle began. Sabin watched from his tower, a wave of robed warriors, armed with shining black blade, charging over the walls, slicing through a soldier's gullet, spilling his blood over thier robes. They continued, not caring. He saw one warrior in paticular slice a soldier across the chest. As the soldier slowly dropped, gasping for his last breaths of air, the Reptite sunk his teeth into the soldier's forehead. A rather sick mercy-killing. Sabin stood there, watching the fight. From behind him he heard a voice scream "Barracade the doors!" Finally, when he realized that the only of his people alive were in the tower, Sabin pulled his eyes away from his castle. He called for his Squires. "Fetch me my armour." he said gravely. He went to his closet. Fetching his finest Katana, he examined it, running his thumb across the blade. This same blade was used by King Edgar I to slay the villain Kefka. He sighed. He knew the Reptites had a strong sense of honor. This was his only chance. Suited up, he stormed down to the front gates. Pushing a guard out of the way, he threw open the eye holes. "Tell your king I challenge him." he said to one of the Reptites that was ready to swing a battering ram. The Reptite stared at him, then, almost as if he understood, yelled to someone else in his archane language. The yell passed through the force, then, finally, silence. THe battering ram was pulled away, and the Reptite forces split apart. Slowly, the image of a heavily armoured Reptite came into view. Sabin looked to his General, Kaneshiro. "What has happened to the civilians?" "Most of them fled the first chance they had." "Take what is left of the soldiers out the back passage and meet them up there. I have a feeling if you leave the desert you will not be pursued." Sabin sighed. "And tell my son that I love him." Kaneshiro blinked. "Majesty..." "GO!" Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Kaneshiro turned away and gave the order. Sabin sighed. How could he be so stupid? Most of Figaro's force was in the navy, but the navy was busy protecting the frontier from the Moogles, and keeping watch on the southern continent. They had never suspected the Reptites coming, and, with the conditions on the sea, knowledge of Figaro's defeat wouldn't reach the sailors until they ported, which they weren't due for some time. And all this time, he was planning on defeating the Moogles. He was so prepared to fry the Moogles the moment Doma finally gave up that he forgot about his own national defence. And offense is only good if you know who your enemies are. He gripped the katana. "Cyan, you were right. We should have stopped them when we had the chance." He looked out the eyehole, a tear flowing down his cheek. Azala was waiting. The Tower was empty. He heard no commotion so the Reptites must have been letting them leave. He should have listened to Cyan. Even if Doma was so old fashioned, they were stupid. Why didn't he see that before? He wiped the tears flowing from his eyes. He didn't want to die, but the one thing Cyan said that he would listen to was that even Kings must make the ultimate sacrifice for thier country. * * * * * * It was morning. The people had fled northeast, to the edge of the desert. Not much had been said the whole time. Once reaching the edge, the people simply stared at the flame in the distance. The flame of the castle. Gone was the great nation of Figaro... again. Soon, the people would begin building huts. Hopefully they could rebuild. * * * * * * The Reptite host was slowly marching back to it's kingdom. Azala and Nizbel, on the other hand, were going the other way. "Azala..." inquired Nizbel. "Aye?" "Why the destruction of Figaro?" Azala chuckled. "About four thousand years ago, a great Reptite force marched through that desert, to combat a group of human soldiers. The battle was fought where that castle stood, and not a single man from either side walked away alive." "Quite frankly, I'd rather no one lived on that desert, much less *BURROWED* through it." Nizbel nodded. Azala was indeed for his kingdom. Now, the next challenge was to stop the Lizard God before the obvious occured. -- The eternal lord of darkness... "And if our dreams sometimes come true, then what of our nightmares?" -GM of FF2c -Member in good standing of Sky's Posse ICQ UIN# 23424269 IRC Nicks: TheDarkLord, GannondorfDragmire, occasionally Blackthorne System: Amiga 4000/040 Cybervision64 & Opalvision ---INTEL/MICROSOFT FREE---