Ninja Caterpie
AAAAAAAAAAAAA
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- Seen Oct 18, 2021
So, this is my second FFTA2 fic in a few days. I'm on a roll!
This one is about Adelle trying to find a way into Luso's "real" world.
Enjoy! C&C!
Oh, just remember, there's a second part to this fic.
-----------
There was a quick rapping, five successive knocks, on the door and Lezaford turned around. His wizened yet lively eyes darted across to the door at the other side of the room.
"Who is it?" he called out, quickly sliding the book he was holding back onto his shelf and picking up his staff.
"It's me," came the voice from outside.
"Ah! Adelaide! Come in, the door's not locked," Lezaford said as he hopped down the small staircase towards the door.
It opened to reveal a slender, white-haired girl. She gave a wan little smile and sat down in one of the large green armchairs by the fire. Lezaford sat on the other.
"You seem troubled," Lezaford noticed, furrowing his brow. "What is the matter?"
Adelle went straight to the point. "Do you know where the Grimoire of the Rift is?"
Lezaford's eyes widened at the mention of the Grimoire that Luso had once possessed. Luso...Luso Clemens. He was a funny kid, always in the mood for adventure. He came from another world, and Lezaford had an inkling of an idea what Adelle wanted to do with his diary Grimoire.
He gave a reassuring smile as he spoke. "No, I honestly have absolutely no idea where the Grimoire is. It disappeared when Luso left, remember?"
"Ah."
"You wanted to go to his world, don't you?"
Crestfallen, Adelle nodded sadly, "But it looks like I can't now, doesn't it?"
Lezaford thought for a while and answered with what Adelle detected as a hint of uncertainty. "There is one thing that I think would work."
"What is it?" Adelle asked quickly. "However dangerous, I'll do whatever it takes to get it."
"The Gran Grimoire."
The words obviously had some meaning to the other, as her eyes widened and a little gasp escaped from her lips.
"And you know where this Grimoire is?" she asked, amazed at the Archmage's knowledge.
"More or less, yes," Lezaford smiled. "But before we start planning anything, I need to tell you something. You do realise that when, or if, you do go over to Luso's world, you'll lose your powers as a Gifted One, right? You'll be a normal hume, prone to disease, to death; a mortal. Even if you come back, you'll not get back your powers."
Adelle considered what Lezaford had said for a moment, and decided upon an answer. "What's the point of living life if there's nothing to live it for?"
Lezaford was about to answer when Adelle giggled and added quickly, "You must be thinking I'm crazy, don't you? Giving up all this for a childish crush." She sighed.
Lezaford answered with surprising sincerety. "No, not at all. The path of a Gifted One is a long and arduous journey. Often, one does not have the strength to carry onself through it. No doubt you have heard of such members of the Gifted family; ones who were destroyed by their power?"
Adelle nodded. "But I have the strength to go through. You told me yourself."
"Ah, yes, that is true. Still, you are not at all foolish, or crazy.. Some can't deal with the power, some don't want to, and others simple want to be normal."
"Normal?" Adelle's laugh was piercing, and Lezaford flinched. "Lezaford, you know that no matter where I go, even if I'm not a Gifted One, I'm still far from normal."
Lezaford nodded in agreement. "Shall we go then? To the Gran Grimoire."
Adelle nodded and Lezaford tapped the ground with the end of his staff. The blue magicite crystal on the top of his staff exploded into light.
When the light cleared, the two people who had previously been standing there had disappeared.
***
They reappeared in some very far away cavern – one which Adelle had never seen in all her years of exploration. The strange grey rock covered in moss seemed awfully familiar, however. When Adelle looked up, she realised with a start that there was no ending to the top of the cavern. The walls just went on forever.
"Where are we?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
"Jagd Zellea," Lezaford replied simply. "But don't worry, there aren't going to be any rifts opening here. I've simply taken us to where the Gran Grimoire is kept well hidden."
Adelle nodded and pointed at the opposite end of the large cavern. There stood a large red chest, plated with gold. "Is that where it's kept?"
Lezaford laughed. "My, my, no! You wouldn't think the most powerful magick tome in all of Ivalice would be put in a large, conspicuous treasure chest, would you? No, no, no. It's hidden somewhere else."
Adelle nodded and looked around. She noticed something, and was about to speak when a group of warriors appeared from nowhere.
"Ah, Lezaford. Come to betray our secret, have you?"
Lezaford grinned. "Not particularly, old chap. I'm just here to help this lass here with a request."
The leader of them, a young-looking man with a faded brown cap, stared at Adelle and she gasped, "Lennart?"
"Adelaide," he muttered. "You're have so much power. Join us. We're all Gifted and we guard the secrets of Ivalice. Come!"
Adelle gave a wry smile. "Nah, I think I'll show you my power from the other side of the battlefield."
She reached for her scabbard, only to find it had disappeared. "H-hey! Where's my dagger?"
"Ah, that would be my fault," Lezaford answered, looking slightly ashamed. "I didn't think we would have to fight, so I left..." He trailed off as Adelle glared at him.
"Oh well, that's no matter," Adelle said. She reached down and pulled two matching knives from her boots. She slashed them against each other, creating a spark, and readied herself for battle. "Bring it on, Lennart. I've beaten you before, I can do it again."
"Your modesty, or lack thereof, is rather perturbing," Lennart said with as little expression as possible.
Adelle gave a little curtsy. "I try."
Lennart shook his head. "I can't bring myself to fight you though. None of us can. Not when you have part of us in yourself."
He lifted his bow and summoned a group of monsters before teleporting away. Each of the other Gifted Ones followed suit, apart from one of them.
"Ldja..." Adelle murmured. "Aren't you going with them?"
The viera smiled and nodded, her long brown ears bobbing up and down. "It has been many a while since I have seen you, Adelaide, yet you have not grown at all in charm as you said you would."
Adelle laughed. "I don't need to. Too much charm can break hearts rather than make them. Anyway...I don't need charm. Not anymore."
The Viera smiled and simply nodded as she held up her rapier and disappeared in a flash of light.
Adelle looked around and took in all of the monsters that Lennart had summoned. They looked strangely familiar – then Adelle realised.
"These are monsters that we've fought in the clan! Ones that were on wanted notices!"
Lezaford couldn't help but be impressed by her sharp eye and nodded. "Indeed they are. It appears Lennart is trying to strike you where it matters – in your memories."
Adelle grinned. "Well, it sure isn't going to work. I've beaten these monsters before, I'll do it again. Even without the clan."
Lezaford nodded. "Adelle, I must leave you for a short amount of time. This is not my battle to fight, it is yours. Just call, however, and I will come."
Adelle nodded as he teleported away. She surveyed the battlefield and took in the monsters. Two large blue Bloody Orbs, a deep red Mutadragon, a werewolf and a Tonberrion King.
She slid up to the nearby royally-clad purple Tonberrion King alluringly with a strange smile on her face. She mouthed a kiss and blew it away, forming a strange pink heart-shaped bubble, which hit the Tonberrion squarely on the head. It swayed and its eyes, which usually showed only a deep bloodlust, now showed nothing but adoration for the girl.
The beguiled creature turned around, ready to sacrifice its life for the girl it loved.
Adelle, however, showed no such mutuality. "Never again," she spat, wiping her mouth of the odd feeling Ldja's power had given her.
"Now," she said, readying her daggers. "It's time to fight!"
Adelle threw one of her knives at the nearest Bloody Orb, striking it straight between the eyes, killing it instantly. She dashed forward, leapt up and struck the second in the same place before it could react.
Pulling two bloodied daggers from the Bloody Orbs, she looked around. "Well? Come and get me!"
The death of the Bloody Orbs had caused the other monsters to drive into a frenzy. The great red Mutadragon roared, "Insolent creature!" The werewolf howled and lunged directly at Adelle.
She crossed her daggers, raising them in defense and caught the purple beast's claws in them. She smiled and flicked.
The werewolf roared in surprise and in pain as the petit hume girl smashed him into the ground. Angrily, it swung its sharp, blade-like claws down and was blocked by Adelle's daggers. Roaring, it tried again and was once again deflected by the Heritor.
Meanwhile, the deluded Tonberrion King was fighting the Flaresky Mutadragon. Adelle turned to see it repetitively stabbing the screaming dragon. No wonder they were described as heartless, methodical killers. The Tonberrion was doing just that.
This minor distraction was what the werewolf had been looking for and it struck Adelle in the back of head. She gave a yelp as she was thrown a metre through the air and came crashing down heavily on the rocky grey floor of the cavern.
"That's it," she muttered as she picked up her daggers. "No more nice girl."
She swung forwards heavily and landed a glancing blow on the werewolf's head. An idea flashed into her mind and she lifted her blade, charging energy into it. The blade crackled with electrical charge and she brought it down on the werewolf.
Electricity coursed through its body and sparks leapt from every hair. It roared in pain and crumpled to its knees, immobilised by the intense electric shock it had recieved.
Once she was satisfied that the beast was unable to move, Adelle began to tend to her wounds. The werewolf had ripped a deep gash into her weaker arm and she began to heal it with magick. She held her right hand over the wound and blue sparks twinkled down onto the gash, sealing it almost immediately. She looked towards the Tonberrion. It had defeated its prey and was now proceedingto attack its next target.
What she didn't know was that, as its final act, the crimson Mutadragon had casted dispelling magick, causing the Tonberrion King to snap out of its delusions. Adelle didn't know that the Tonberrion king wasn't targetting the werewolf – it coming for her. Even Lezaford didn't notice until it was too late.
Adelle suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back and looked down to see the pointy end of a Tonberrion's deadly knife sticking out of her chest. Pain coursed through her body and she screamed in agony as she crumpled to the ground. As a fleeting thought, she remembered that she had left the clan – there was no longer a judge to protect her.
Luso...I've failed...
This one is about Adelle trying to find a way into Luso's "real" world.
Enjoy! C&C!
Oh, just remember, there's a second part to this fic.
-----------
There was a quick rapping, five successive knocks, on the door and Lezaford turned around. His wizened yet lively eyes darted across to the door at the other side of the room.
"Who is it?" he called out, quickly sliding the book he was holding back onto his shelf and picking up his staff.
"It's me," came the voice from outside.
"Ah! Adelaide! Come in, the door's not locked," Lezaford said as he hopped down the small staircase towards the door.
It opened to reveal a slender, white-haired girl. She gave a wan little smile and sat down in one of the large green armchairs by the fire. Lezaford sat on the other.
"You seem troubled," Lezaford noticed, furrowing his brow. "What is the matter?"
Adelle went straight to the point. "Do you know where the Grimoire of the Rift is?"
Lezaford's eyes widened at the mention of the Grimoire that Luso had once possessed. Luso...Luso Clemens. He was a funny kid, always in the mood for adventure. He came from another world, and Lezaford had an inkling of an idea what Adelle wanted to do with his diary Grimoire.
He gave a reassuring smile as he spoke. "No, I honestly have absolutely no idea where the Grimoire is. It disappeared when Luso left, remember?"
"Ah."
"You wanted to go to his world, don't you?"
Crestfallen, Adelle nodded sadly, "But it looks like I can't now, doesn't it?"
Lezaford thought for a while and answered with what Adelle detected as a hint of uncertainty. "There is one thing that I think would work."
"What is it?" Adelle asked quickly. "However dangerous, I'll do whatever it takes to get it."
"The Gran Grimoire."
The words obviously had some meaning to the other, as her eyes widened and a little gasp escaped from her lips.
"And you know where this Grimoire is?" she asked, amazed at the Archmage's knowledge.
"More or less, yes," Lezaford smiled. "But before we start planning anything, I need to tell you something. You do realise that when, or if, you do go over to Luso's world, you'll lose your powers as a Gifted One, right? You'll be a normal hume, prone to disease, to death; a mortal. Even if you come back, you'll not get back your powers."
Adelle considered what Lezaford had said for a moment, and decided upon an answer. "What's the point of living life if there's nothing to live it for?"
Lezaford was about to answer when Adelle giggled and added quickly, "You must be thinking I'm crazy, don't you? Giving up all this for a childish crush." She sighed.
Lezaford answered with surprising sincerety. "No, not at all. The path of a Gifted One is a long and arduous journey. Often, one does not have the strength to carry onself through it. No doubt you have heard of such members of the Gifted family; ones who were destroyed by their power?"
Adelle nodded. "But I have the strength to go through. You told me yourself."
"Ah, yes, that is true. Still, you are not at all foolish, or crazy.. Some can't deal with the power, some don't want to, and others simple want to be normal."
"Normal?" Adelle's laugh was piercing, and Lezaford flinched. "Lezaford, you know that no matter where I go, even if I'm not a Gifted One, I'm still far from normal."
Lezaford nodded in agreement. "Shall we go then? To the Gran Grimoire."
Adelle nodded and Lezaford tapped the ground with the end of his staff. The blue magicite crystal on the top of his staff exploded into light.
When the light cleared, the two people who had previously been standing there had disappeared.
***
They reappeared in some very far away cavern – one which Adelle had never seen in all her years of exploration. The strange grey rock covered in moss seemed awfully familiar, however. When Adelle looked up, she realised with a start that there was no ending to the top of the cavern. The walls just went on forever.
"Where are we?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
"Jagd Zellea," Lezaford replied simply. "But don't worry, there aren't going to be any rifts opening here. I've simply taken us to where the Gran Grimoire is kept well hidden."
Adelle nodded and pointed at the opposite end of the large cavern. There stood a large red chest, plated with gold. "Is that where it's kept?"
Lezaford laughed. "My, my, no! You wouldn't think the most powerful magick tome in all of Ivalice would be put in a large, conspicuous treasure chest, would you? No, no, no. It's hidden somewhere else."
Adelle nodded and looked around. She noticed something, and was about to speak when a group of warriors appeared from nowhere.
"Ah, Lezaford. Come to betray our secret, have you?"
Lezaford grinned. "Not particularly, old chap. I'm just here to help this lass here with a request."
The leader of them, a young-looking man with a faded brown cap, stared at Adelle and she gasped, "Lennart?"
"Adelaide," he muttered. "You're have so much power. Join us. We're all Gifted and we guard the secrets of Ivalice. Come!"
Adelle gave a wry smile. "Nah, I think I'll show you my power from the other side of the battlefield."
She reached for her scabbard, only to find it had disappeared. "H-hey! Where's my dagger?"
"Ah, that would be my fault," Lezaford answered, looking slightly ashamed. "I didn't think we would have to fight, so I left..." He trailed off as Adelle glared at him.
"Oh well, that's no matter," Adelle said. She reached down and pulled two matching knives from her boots. She slashed them against each other, creating a spark, and readied herself for battle. "Bring it on, Lennart. I've beaten you before, I can do it again."
"Your modesty, or lack thereof, is rather perturbing," Lennart said with as little expression as possible.
Adelle gave a little curtsy. "I try."
Lennart shook his head. "I can't bring myself to fight you though. None of us can. Not when you have part of us in yourself."
He lifted his bow and summoned a group of monsters before teleporting away. Each of the other Gifted Ones followed suit, apart from one of them.
"Ldja..." Adelle murmured. "Aren't you going with them?"
The viera smiled and nodded, her long brown ears bobbing up and down. "It has been many a while since I have seen you, Adelaide, yet you have not grown at all in charm as you said you would."
Adelle laughed. "I don't need to. Too much charm can break hearts rather than make them. Anyway...I don't need charm. Not anymore."
The Viera smiled and simply nodded as she held up her rapier and disappeared in a flash of light.
Adelle looked around and took in all of the monsters that Lennart had summoned. They looked strangely familiar – then Adelle realised.
"These are monsters that we've fought in the clan! Ones that were on wanted notices!"
Lezaford couldn't help but be impressed by her sharp eye and nodded. "Indeed they are. It appears Lennart is trying to strike you where it matters – in your memories."
Adelle grinned. "Well, it sure isn't going to work. I've beaten these monsters before, I'll do it again. Even without the clan."
Lezaford nodded. "Adelle, I must leave you for a short amount of time. This is not my battle to fight, it is yours. Just call, however, and I will come."
Adelle nodded as he teleported away. She surveyed the battlefield and took in the monsters. Two large blue Bloody Orbs, a deep red Mutadragon, a werewolf and a Tonberrion King.
She slid up to the nearby royally-clad purple Tonberrion King alluringly with a strange smile on her face. She mouthed a kiss and blew it away, forming a strange pink heart-shaped bubble, which hit the Tonberrion squarely on the head. It swayed and its eyes, which usually showed only a deep bloodlust, now showed nothing but adoration for the girl.
The beguiled creature turned around, ready to sacrifice its life for the girl it loved.
Adelle, however, showed no such mutuality. "Never again," she spat, wiping her mouth of the odd feeling Ldja's power had given her.
"Now," she said, readying her daggers. "It's time to fight!"
Adelle threw one of her knives at the nearest Bloody Orb, striking it straight between the eyes, killing it instantly. She dashed forward, leapt up and struck the second in the same place before it could react.
Pulling two bloodied daggers from the Bloody Orbs, she looked around. "Well? Come and get me!"
The death of the Bloody Orbs had caused the other monsters to drive into a frenzy. The great red Mutadragon roared, "Insolent creature!" The werewolf howled and lunged directly at Adelle.
She crossed her daggers, raising them in defense and caught the purple beast's claws in them. She smiled and flicked.
The werewolf roared in surprise and in pain as the petit hume girl smashed him into the ground. Angrily, it swung its sharp, blade-like claws down and was blocked by Adelle's daggers. Roaring, it tried again and was once again deflected by the Heritor.
Meanwhile, the deluded Tonberrion King was fighting the Flaresky Mutadragon. Adelle turned to see it repetitively stabbing the screaming dragon. No wonder they were described as heartless, methodical killers. The Tonberrion was doing just that.
This minor distraction was what the werewolf had been looking for and it struck Adelle in the back of head. She gave a yelp as she was thrown a metre through the air and came crashing down heavily on the rocky grey floor of the cavern.
"That's it," she muttered as she picked up her daggers. "No more nice girl."
She swung forwards heavily and landed a glancing blow on the werewolf's head. An idea flashed into her mind and she lifted her blade, charging energy into it. The blade crackled with electrical charge and she brought it down on the werewolf.
Electricity coursed through its body and sparks leapt from every hair. It roared in pain and crumpled to its knees, immobilised by the intense electric shock it had recieved.
Once she was satisfied that the beast was unable to move, Adelle began to tend to her wounds. The werewolf had ripped a deep gash into her weaker arm and she began to heal it with magick. She held her right hand over the wound and blue sparks twinkled down onto the gash, sealing it almost immediately. She looked towards the Tonberrion. It had defeated its prey and was now proceedingto attack its next target.
What she didn't know was that, as its final act, the crimson Mutadragon had casted dispelling magick, causing the Tonberrion King to snap out of its delusions. Adelle didn't know that the Tonberrion king wasn't targetting the werewolf – it coming for her. Even Lezaford didn't notice until it was too late.
Adelle suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back and looked down to see the pointy end of a Tonberrion's deadly knife sticking out of her chest. Pain coursed through her body and she screamed in agony as she crumpled to the ground. As a fleeting thought, she remembered that she had left the clan – there was no longer a judge to protect her.
Luso...I've failed...