Yume Daughter of the
Creator
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Rurouni Taikai: The Eternal Dream - Round
Two
Chapter 2: Diverting the Path of a
Goddess
Mishnu gazed out the window, looking
on the tranquil city below. It’s elegant architecture,
magnificent gardens and beautiful waterways had never failed
to bring joy to her heart when she looked upon them... until
now. A dark menacing cloud now drifted over the city, and it
was a fitting metaphor for the darkness that had fallen over
Mishnu’s heart. She sighed. “I honestly don’t see this coming
to a good end...”
“Well, then perhaps we should give
up and let her do as she wishes, if you feel we are doomed to
fail?” Mishnu turned back to her chamber, where only Keir
could sit in a chair of the finest craftsmanship and be
uncomfortable. As she watched, he got up and began to fiddle
with the bandage wrapped around his head. “I mean, I was
thoroughly trounced by the girl, and you don’t see me going
around saying, ‘We’re all gonna die!’”
“Yes, but that
is because you are unnaturally optimistic,” Darius replied. He
had forgone the chair altogether, and now sat cross-legged on
the ground. “Look at this way, my friend: she is a goddess.
No, she is the goddess, more powerful than any other
being. Even if we seek to stop her plans, how can we? Can
Mishnu stand up against her? No. Can I? No. Can you?”
“No, I don’t believe I could. But it’s not like we
have to fight her or anything. All we need to do is show her
that she is the only one that can handle the power that she
wields, and that it is selfish to force such a responsibility
into the hands of another.”
“Do you think that those
thoughts have not already been through her head a thousand
times?” Mishnu asked. “She knows that what she does is selfish
and wrong, but we don’t know what having this power is doing
to her. This may very well seem like the only way to her, and
what then?” She turned back to the window, and gazed at the
brewing storm. “How do you convince someone that the only path
is not the right one?”
A uneasy silence fell over the
room. The only sounds were that of the storm starting outside.
The rain pattering against the window, the fiercely-howling
wind, and the occasional crack of thunder were the only things
that reminded them that time still passed.
After a few
minutes, Keir spoke up. “But why are we even discussing this?
Shouldn’t we wait for Saint to arrive, so we can fill him in
on the details? Because you know that he knows Yume better
than anyone...”
“Of course. He is her guardian, her
protector. The only one who could know more about Yume than
him is Yume herself.” Mishnu again turned from the windows,
and looked straight at the door to her chamber. “And he is
here.”
“What...” Keir began, but just then the door to
Mishnu’s chamber burst open and in walked Saint, looking very
wet and very concerned.
“Mishnu, where is Yume? What
had transpired that you could not tell me through the Ethereal
Net?” Saint asked in a commanding tone.
“Much has
happened, Saint, and since we needed you anyways for the task
at hand, I felt that it would be best if we told you the story
in person.” She gestured to the chair that Keir had vacated.
“Please, take a seat.”
Saint reluctantly sat down.
“Who are these two men, and what is their purpose here?” he
inquired, gesturing at Keir and Darius.
“These two men
were the last people to see Yume. They shall tell most of this
tale, though I do have a few pieces that I would like to add.
Darius, if you would please.”
Darius began to tell the
tale of what had happened two nights earlier. Occasionally,
Keir would switch with Darius and continue the tale, and twice
Mishnu interrupted to add her own little bit. As Saint
listened, his heart grew more and more uneasy, until finally
he had been told the entire story. After a moment of silence,
he asked Keir, “How did you know that Yume was the daughter of
the Creator? Only the highest members of the Eternal Council
and myself knew of that secret.”
“When one is
ethereal, secrets are a lot easier to get a hold of. I know
many things that the Council would reveal to nobody else.”
Keir responded.
“Ethereal?”
“Saint, this is
Keir, the man who stopped his brother from destroying the
Multiverse two years ago. He has a body now, but before he
existed only as a ‘ghost of reality,’ able to do anything he
pleased.”
Saint’s eyes widened. “This... is
Keir? I always expected him to be a lot bigger...” He turned
back to Mishnu. “But you see, the main problem I have is that
I have yet to tell Yume of her heritage.”
Mishnu was
taken aback by this. “What? You didn’t tell her? Then that
means...”
“Yes. Somebody else must have told her.
Which means that someone else must know what she is...”
“...and wants to take advantage of her powers.” Mishnu
finished Saint’s sentence for him. “Well, that settles it. We
must begin our search for Yume immediately, before whoever set
her on this path takes advantage of her. Septerrus!” she
called, and through the door came a most beautiful woman. Her
long green hair seemed to glow with life, and she walked as if
she wasn’t touching the ground at all.
“I knew you
would call me, Mishnu.” Septerrus spoke in a voice that was as
pure as crystal. “And I knew what you would want from me.
Vicers!” She stood aside, as four soldier came through the
door and stood at attention in front of Mishnu’s desk. “We are
ready when you are,” Septerrus replied to Mishnu’s unspoken
question.
“Very well, then. Keir, Darius, you do not
need to come with us if you do not wish.”
“I know
that, Alpha, and though I do not know how much help I may be
in this journey, I still wish to come with you and do my
part.” Darius bowed low to Mishnu, sealing his fate.
Keir also bowed. “’The Company of the Ring shall be
Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine
Riders that are evil.’”
Everyone stared at Keir
blankly. Then Saint let out a laugh in spite of himself. “Your
memory of Tolkien is excellent, Keir, but I fear your quote is
out of place. We seek not to destroy a great power, like the
Fellowship did, but to save one.”
“Hey, I’m just glad
to find somebody else around here who has read Earth
literature.”
“Silence!” Mishnu commanded. “My spell
needs concentration.” She raised her arms above head, and
white light began to form into a sphere between her hands. The
light grew slowly at first, but then Mishnu dropped her hands,
and the light expanded violently, engulfing everyone in the
room. When the light dissipated, they were gone.
---
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---
Round Two Location: The
Gold Saucer (Final Fantasy VII) Begin Time: 10:00
PM MST, Tuesday Night Ending Time: 8:00 PM MST, Wednesday
Night
The Gold Saucer is a giant amusement park rising
out of the desert. From the outside, it looks like a large
golden tree, with various branches sticking out in all
directions. Inside, there are eight main areas, each one in a
different branch:
- Station Square: This area
has the main entrance to the Gold Saucer, and a trolley to
North Corel that you aren’t actually allowed to take, since
you can’t leave. Occasionally, a man appears here, willing to
sell people GP, the official currency of the Gold Saucer.
- Event Square: This is the area that you started
in. It’s essentially just a large amphitheatre, with a lot of
seating and a stage. - Ghost Square: A large
haunted mansion, run by a group of employees dressed as
various spooky creatures. Contains an item shop and an inn,
both of which are headed up by the hilarious Mr. Hangman, who
drops from the ceiling as soon as somebody wants something. Be
warned, though; the inn portion only accepts GP. -
Speed Square: A long hallway from the entrance leads
you to the Shooting Coaster, an attraction that only accepts
GP. On the coaster, you try to earn points by shooting targets
in various themed areas. If you get a certain amount of
points, you win a crappy prize, which could be a toy soldier,
a fake sword, or a tissue. Do really well, however, and you
could win a new weapon. - Wonder Square: One of the
most popular places in the Gold Saucer, Wonder Square is
filled with different arcade games. These accept normal
currency to play, and should you do well, you can earn various
amounts of GP, as well as other prizes. Among the attractions
are an arm-wrestling game, a basketball game, several of those
claw machines, an automatic fortune teller, a boxing
simulator, a virtual-pet-like game involving a moogle named
Mog, a submarine battle game, a snowboarding simulator, and
G-Bike, in which you try to protect a truck from enemy
motorcycles by attacking them with a sword and your own bike.
There is also a person who will exchange GP for various useful
items. - Chocobo Square: Here, you can either bet
on chocobo races, or you can race one yourself should you own
one. The track itself runs around the outside of the Gold
Saucer, and use holographs to create a virtual environment for
the chocobos to race in. You can either win items or GP in
Chocobo Square, after betting normal currency. - Battle
Square: Your battling skills will be tested here, for
after paying 10 GP, you will be put in battles against
increasingly harder monsters. The longer you stay in without
dying, the more Battle Points you’ll earn, but you keep
getting more handicaps as you fight. Battle Points can be
exchanged here for some of the greatest items in existence.
You can also visit Dio’s trophy room, where there’s a variety
of historical artifacts that relate to war and battle. -
Round Square: Here, you can pay to take a gondola ride
above most of Gold Saucer, where you’ll be able to see down
into most of the squares. Highlights include a close-up look
at the chocobo races, passing through the Shooting Coaster,
and a view of the cat statue at the top of Gold Saucer.
All these areas are connected by a tubular transport
system; jump in one tube and arrive almost instantaneously in
another square. Throughout the Gold Saucer, you’ll encounter
patrons, employees, and mascots dressed as fat chocobos. Also,
the eight heroes of Final Fantasy VII may show up for a
well-deserved break from saving the world, and they may take
offence to you being so violent and intervene. So expect to
see Cloud, Tifa, Barrett and the rest running around the Gold
Saucer as well. But don't expect Aerith. You know why.
---
Okay, and a quick note before we go: There
are three things that can heal characters in the tournament:
Prayer, Aura, and R-Votes. None of these can be cast on
your own character, so the 20 of you that tried casting an
Aura with yourself as one of the targets last round, don't try
it again.
---
~ I am
you, and you
are me ~ This defies reality ~ Whether this is false or true ~ You are me, and I am you ~ Rurouni Taikai: The Eternal Dream ~ The Massive Insanity Has Begun! ~
Now, Cross Your Fingers And Hope For The
Best!
Last edited by Yume
on 01-30-2002 at 05:04 AM |