FFO Survivor Tournament VI: The Eternal Dream - Round Three (With A Familiar Locale!)

Chapter 3: Searching

Dio stood on the stage, watching the repair effort in the Event Square solemnly. The theatre had sustained much less damage than most of the other parts of the Gold Saucer, but there were still dozens of seats to fix or replace, not to mention the huge dents in the concrete floor where a white dragon had sat two days earlier.

Looking away from the damage, Dio glanced at the huge list of repairs. Let’s see... Massive overhaul of the Shooting Coaster, fire damage to the Ghost Hotel, a totally new gondola, several arcade machines... I almost wish Setzer were here. He wants the place so badly, he can repair it... What!?

Suddenly, a dazzling white light appeared out of nowhere, causing some nearby repairmen to dive for cover under the very seats they were repairing. When it dissipated, two men and two women stood there, surrounded by a dozen soldiers in elaborate armour. The soldiers immediately scanned the area, keeping their sabres drawn and ready.

“Not again!!!” Dio shouted! “Security! Place them under arrest before they can destroy my beautiful Saucer again!”

Within 20 seconds, the intruders were surrounded by 50 armed guards. The Vicer reflexively drew closer together, determined to not let anything harm the Alpha and her companions.

“Oh, wonderful. Another ambush,” Keir commented bitterly. “This is what, the fourteenth reality where we got attacked?”

“I’d say more like seventeenth,” Saint replied, as both of them drew their swords and prepared for battle. “But I haven’t been keeping the most accurate count, you know...”

“Will you two put those away?” Mishnu hissed. “Let’s try for a peaceful solution first, shall we?”

“Hard to be peaceful with so many guns pointed at you,” Saint commented, but he sheathed his sword anyway. Keir did likewise. “What’s your plan then, oh peaceful one?”

“Septerrus.”

Septerrus nodded slightly, and then began singing. As she sang, her words began to have a effect on the security forces. One by one, they dropped their weapons to the ground and began to sway to the music. Even the Vicer, who had built up an immunity to Septerrus’ offensive songs by working with her for so long, found themselves humming the tune.

Dio was furious. “What are you fools doing? Capture them!” he shouted, but to no avail; the guards were completely ignoring his orders. “Why!? Why must you people ruin my Saucer like this? Why do you all torture me so?” He collapsed to the floor and began sobbing.

“Well, he’s going to be no help,” Saint commented. “Do you think Yume was here for long?”

“Yes. I believe she started her tournament here...” Mishnu paused, looking at the damage all around her. “We must catch up with her soon. There is no telling how much damage she and her contestants could cause in other realms...” She looked around for a second. “I sense her trail over there. Let’s go.”

A bright flash caused Dio to look up from the ground. “Wh... where did they go? Was I just hallucinating from too much stress? Yes, that must be it! I’m having strange visions, and I should go to bed straight away...” Still mumbling to himself, Dio left the Event Square, ignoring all the dazed guards on his way out.

-----

Sponsors - Noble
Angelus - Leo from Lunar: Eternal Blue
BenKenobi - Strago Magus from Final Fantasy VI
Dark Vision - Celes Chere from Final Fantasy VI
Efli - Leo Christophé from Final Fantasy VI
escunid - Link from The Legend of Zelda
Huan80 - Robo from Chrono Trigger
Izlude - Nall from Lunar and Lunar 2
JonJonB - Gogo from Final Fantasy VI
Kellios - Relm Arrowny from Final Fantasy VI
Lutz - Lutz from Phantasy Star IV
Merton Dew - Mog from Final Fantasy VI
Mintaka - Rydia of Myst from Final Fantasy IV
RadiKal_Dreamer - Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI
Rune Walsh - Rune Walsh from Phantasy Star IV
Slipstream - Laike from Lunar: Silver Star
Terra Lockheart - Mia Ausa from Lunar: Silver Star
The Lionheart - Lenna Tycoon from Final Fantasy V

Sidekicks - Noble
FFGnome - Palom from Final Fantasy IV
Shinji - Schala Zeal from Chrono Trigger
Terra_Break - Marle from Chrono Trigger

Fallen - Noble
F Fantasy Fan - Cyan Garamonde from Final Fantasy VI
Golden_ChuChu - Ryu from Breath of Fire 2
Simplistic Hero - Gryz from Phantasy Star IV
Wismerhill - Frog from Chrono Trigger
Zephirus - Gaspar from Chrono Trigger

Sponsors - Rogue
Bloody August - Gau from Final Fantasy VI
Boko Mog - Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV
Cloud Stryfe - Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda
Daigohji - Setzer Gabbiani from Final Fantasy VI
Dobejhe - Ayla from Chrono Trigger
Exeter - Edge from Final Fantasy IV
KyleIII - Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI
Kyo - Duran from Seiken Densetsu 3
Luna - Lemina Ausa from Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Niflheim - Randi from Secret of Mana
Sylphid - Angela from Seiken Densetsu 3

Sidekicks - Rogue
Bombay - Popoie from Secret of Mana
Crystal Sword - Kyle from Lunar: Silver Star
Dark Hyperion - Edgar Figaro from Final Fantasy VI
Maniac Ranma - Hawk from Seiken Densetsu 3
neored13 - Flammie from Seiken Densetsu 3
Renzokuken - Maduin from Final Fantasy VI
Saint7 - Riesz from Seiken Densetsu 3
Sephy - Crono from Chrono Trigger
ShadowRisae - Alys Brangwin from Phantasy Star IV

Sponsors - Shadow
Baka - Driscoll from Front Mission
Curley WEAPON - Umaro from Final Fantasy VI
Magus - Golbez from Final Fantasy IV
Thunder Blossom - Flea from Chrono Trigger

Sidekicks - Shadow
Giga-Deth - Drogan from Final Fantasy V
Shinikaru - Arc from Arc the Lad
Soujiro Seta - Queen Zeal from Chrono Trigger

Fallen - Shadow
Anoat - Bowser from Super Mario RPG
Haze - Kain Highwind from Final Fantasy IV
Seifer Almasy - Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy V
Tenshi Kain - Slash from Chrono Trigger
VJ2k1 - Shadow from Final Fantasy VI
Vormav - Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia

Sponsors - Dark
Darkken - Koren from Seiken Densetsu 3
Lunatic High - Starman from Earthbound

Sidekicks - Dark
HolyKnightWayne - Culex from Super Mario RPG
Munkwunk - Zio from Phantasy Star IV

Fallen - Dark
Benjamin51786 - Chaos from Final Fantasy
Feanor - Odd-Eye from Shining Force II
Kasedo - Kefka from Final Fantasy VI
Netz Ausg - Gannon from The Legend of Zelda
TranceGredge - Boomer from Super Mario RPG

-----

Round Three Location: Balamb Garden (Final Fantasy VIII)
Begin Time: 3:00 AM MST, Wednesday Morning
End Time: 1:00 AM MST, Thursday Morning
Lunar Relics: Bahamut, Diablos, Odin, and Eden
Special Rule: Double The Votes

Balamb Garden is the world’s foremost military academy. Children can enrol from the age of 5 until the age of 15, and they can graduate at any time between the ages of 15 and 19. Alumni are placed in armies around the world. To fund itself, Balamb Garden dispatches SeeD, an elite mercenary organization made up of the most exceptional students.

Balamb Garden has four main floors. The first floor is by far the largest, and consists of a large circular pathway which circles the elevator pillar. The pathway is suspended over a very large fountain. Hallways lead from the main pathway in each of the eight cardinal directions. To the south is the main gate, which isn’t very useful seeing as the Garden is in the middle of the ocean. Clockwise from there, you’ll find the infirmary (resident physician: Dr. Kadowaki), the Quad (a outdoor common area for students, with a balcony overlooking the sea), the cafeteria (the hot dogs are very tasty, but almost impossible to obtain), the dormitory (a large structure containing enough rooms to house the entire school), the garage (there are several cars in here, but they won’t be of much use), the training area (a wild jungle area filled with real monsters, including Grats and the mighty T-Rexaur), and the library. The second floor holds all of the classrooms, and a door that leads to the upper balcony. The third floor holds what was formerly Headmaster Cid’s office and living space, but has since become the cockpit of Balamb Garden. The basement holds the NORG Pod, which is where the former owner of Balamb Garden, Master NORG, used to reside.

The entire campus has been peaceful since the defeat of Ultimecia, and nearly every student enrolled in Balamb Garden is currently present. You’ll encounter a range of students, from junior classmen to members of SeeD, but all of them have at least some form of combat training. Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, Selphie and Zell are all present, and even Seifer, Fujin and Raijin managed to get back into Garden. Headmaster Cid Kramer and his wife Edea can probably be found in his former office. And just about every single one of these people will take offence to 60-odd strangers suddenly appearing and fighting in their halls. Be prepared for the fight of your life.

Special Rule: Balamb Garden is quite a large school, but it’s still rather small for the amount of contestants this tournament has. Also, the halls are swarming with students that aren’t going to be very happy with you being here. You’re likely to be fighting a lot more than you did before, which is why in this round, everybody gets double the amount of votes they usually get in a round, whether they are a Sponsor, Sidekick, Fallen or Spectator. Attack Votes, Reversal Votes, and Special Votes are all affected by this rule, and Vote Burn applies for the new Attack Votes as well.

---


The Survivor Tournament has begun! Guaranteed to be more thrilling than Gladiator!

Ack......


16 vote burn.....


Not fun.....

Sweet Jesus, this is gonna be good!
Lutz appeared in the air, a quick flash of light and a pop and he was there, some 2 foot above a bed. He dropped suddenly and bounced, straight onto the floor.
"Ugn.... My body feels like..." He stated, but continued no furthur, the pain was too much.
"Res! GIRES!" He shouted, though it took all his courage. Small, almost feeble lights surrounded him before vanishing into his body.
He rose somewhat steadily... The pain had subsided, but his body cried out still.
He looked at his surroundings, it was rather dark. Lutz couldn't make out much details, where ever it was it didn't appear to be welcoming.
Looking around him he could make out a door, light was filtering through the narrow gaps in the frame. Looking down to his right he saw a desk, and a lot of jumble on it. And a lamp. Just as Lutz picked it up to study alarms started ringing from outside, and a high pitched voice shouted,

"WARNING! Intruders have broken the perimiter of the Garden!
All SeeDs report to the main lobby. All students retire to dormitories. All students must care for the juniors!"

The door flew open and a man appeared in the doorway, an old man in his 50's

"Stop! Put that down! It conta---" The blast of water that shot forth from the intruders staff knocked the Headmaster back.

Lutz looked at the lamp, and tried an old fairy tale... He rubbed it.
The room vanished in a puff of smoke and he landed on a solid, metalic floor, darkness yet again surronded him.

Outside the Headmaster, soaked through, rushed into his bedroom and grabbed the lamp... but too late.

"Ah well, that one of them out of the way. Diablos will finish him no doubt. Now, to sort out this....."

He headed back out, grabbing a rifle on the way.


Actualy the double votes is a good idea, it gives the dark and shadow characters left a chance to thin the ranks of the nobles! But not me, please? Pretty please? hehehe...
I take it that by putting Diablos, Bahamut, Odin and Eden in this we can use them? Cos guess who I'm going for?
*Points at sig!*

---

FFOS6, I sponser myself!
Hehehe... Let battle commence...

The long battle is over.
We were able to free ourselves from the terrible curse of yore.
To the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for Algo, sleep in peace.

From person to person...
From age to age...
As long as memories last...
We will not forget the sacrifices that have been made.


Thanks to Sepheriel for this awesome pic!

Last edited by Lutz on 12-05-2001 at 09:52 AM

Considering how close I got to being knocked out of the competition in Round two, I fear this may be my last round as a sponsor(espescially with all the extra votes). Oh well.

Aaaaanyway's, I have a question Krizak. You said in the drafting thread that you couldn't use a deathblow on someone you had already used an attack vote on. But in this round, is it possible to use both deathblows on a single sponsor?

If so, that mean's I (and any other shadow type)could unleash FOUR attack votes on a single person! And Dark types (with double their manipulates) could inflict Five votes on one person!

---

Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk.

Sponsoring Umaro in FFOnline Survivor VI!

OOC:

quote:

---

Massive overhaul of the Shooting Coaster, fire damage to the Ghost Hotel...

---

________________________________________________
The last thing Zio remembered was taking the blunt edge of a knife blade to the face. Oddly enough, he felt no pain now. He was suddenly in yet another new locale; no moon threatened to crush anyone.

However, he saw another threat. Dozens upon dozens of armed soldiers -- most of them only children and teenagers -- were running up and down the halls, scowls upon their faces. They didn't look happy to see that the tournament had dropped into their lap. Zio, on the other hand, looked rather pleased.

"This should be childs play! Oh, the destruction we can wreak! Dark Force will surely be pleased with us now!" he cackled.

Before he had much more time to look around, however, Zio found himself suddenly face to barrel with shotgun. The man at the other end did not look amused.

"Deban." Zio quickly spoke; a bluish disc flickered in front of him for an instant before fading. His protective spell had been cast successfully before he was harmed.

"Who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?!" said the man at the other end of the shotgun.

"He shouldn't have given me time to speak," thought Zio, almost amused. "That's the cardinal mistake of anyone with "morals"." Zio responded with a simple word:

"NAWAT!"

Before the teen could take any action, startled by Zio's voice, intense torrents of water appeared above his head and crashed down upon him like river rapids. The man was instantly knocked unconcious, his tan hat washing off his head and to the ground.

With little emotion, Zio pulled back his foot and kicked it forward like a dagger, beating the man in the chest with his boot. Then, an evil grin on his face, Zio nonchalantly walked away, leaving him to soak in the pool of water that was already washing underneath his bed.
_________________________________________________
OOC: Good luck everyone! This should prove interesting enough. I may finally get to kick the asses of the characters I hate most.

---



Visit The Moogle Cafe! If you don't, we'll send a rabid pack of moogles to abduct you, anyway!

Actually, I modified the rules to make the balance between characters better. So now, a Shadow CAN us an Attack Vote and a Deathblow on the same person in a round.

However, a Shadow cannot use both Deathblows against the same person in this round. You must use them on different people.

---


The Survivor Tournament has begun! Guaranteed to be more thrilling than Gladiator!

quote:

---

OOC: Good luck everyone! This should prove interesting enough. I may finally get to kick the asses of the characters I hate most. [/B]

---

Flammie's vision cleared once more on a scene of quiet jungle.

What the...?

The last thing she'd remembered was flying up out of the stairwell onto the roof of the clock tower, under the baleful gaze of the moon. Then, a short flash of light... and she was here.

She stood up to stretch... And was mildly surprised to notice the trees hardly moving in her view. She looked down at herself and noticed she was perched on the branch of a tree. With a shock, and more than a little trepidation, she realized she was still the size of a house cat.

Hurr... Easier to get around, anyway. Air ducts and such.

She spread her wings and lifted off from her perch.

"By all that is Holy, including Alexander's Mystical Crankshaft! What is THAT?!"

She looked to where the voice had come from. Two young men wearing dark blue uniforms were staring at her. Paying them no heed, she began flying straight over them.

"Look out! It's headed this way!"

One of the men suddenly pulled out what appeared to be a large tennis racket, swinging it wildly in Flammie's direction. She easily dodged his first swing, but neglected to watch out for his backswing. The racket caught her on the left wings, sending her spinning out of control and headfirst into a wall.

"OWWRR!" Flammie fell to the ground, little tweeting Battums flying around her head.

"Dude, you didn't need to do that. The thing's the size of a cat. What harm could it do?"

"Tonberries are the size of a large dog. Don't underestimate something because of its size."

Flammie struggled to her feet, shaking her head to clear it.

"Urrr... Should toasst forrrr that. Biggerrr fissh to frrrry."

She winged away, leaving the two SeeD cadets staring after her. "Did you hear that? "It talked!" "What in Eden's great green emitter lens is going on here?" "Dude. Stop with the overly dramatic exclamations."

Flying out of the Training Center, she entered the main rotunda of the Garden. Lofting higher to get her bearings, she took in the carious students hurrying about in response to the calls over the intercom. Apparently, the arrival of the tournament here had caused another uproar. Seemed unavoidable.

Swooping downward, she hovered in front of the Directory. Infirmary... Quad... Library... Cafeteria. A rumblling in her stomach told her she hadn't eaten since the tourney began. She flew off to the northwest, hoping to snag some fish or something.

OOC: I should know the layout of this building by now. I spent about three hours running in circles inside it. "Squall! Go to the Infirmary! Dr. Kadowaki wants you! Squall! Go to the Quad! Rinoa fell off a cliff! Squall! Head to the Parking Lot! Your meter just expired!"

...And OMG, I'm becoming Nall. Five bucks says he heads for the Cafeteria as well.

Oh, just wanna clear something up. Is the Garden mobile or immobile? 'Cause we might not wanna blow it up if it's mobile. That could be bad. Especially if we're at sea.

EDIT: And Lutz, those four GFs are there because they would be summoned by WK Leo's Dragon crests. (Even though I don't know what he'll be able to do in Dragonmaster form) I doubt that means you can use them. But, we've got people wandering around with Materia, why not go for a Junction or two?

Last edited by neored13 on 12-05-2001 at 10:45 AM

quote:

---

Oh, just wanna clear something up. Is the Garden mobile or immobile? 'Cause we might not wanna blow it up if it's mobile. That could be bad. Especially if we're at sea.

---

Lutz stood up, though gingerly. His sides and his legs were still hurting him.
That last round in the moon village had been a rough ride. The Blackhole spell had left him weakened, Koran had hit him hard and that was just the beginning. He’d still survived.
I dread to think what would have happened to those who never made it He thought. And what of this place? What is here apart from a void above a metal floor?

As if something was reading his thoughts a voice boomed out, resonating as though shouted in a giant bell.
“Who dares disturb my slumber?”

And with that a huge demon like creature materialised before the startled mage. Fully 12 foot tall, with a wing spin of even more, the demon hovered before him, gazing down through the most vicious pair of eyes Lutz had seen in a long time.
Even Dark Forces weren’t that bad, they were devoid of emotion. But these… these transcribed pure angry and fury. They were truly terrifying.

”What many of beast are you?” asked Lutz, only slight perturbed by the monstrosity before him.

”Beast!? I!? Hehehe, you mere mortal. I am a guardian, no mere beast. A guardian by the name of Diablos” growled he voice from behind the sharp teeth of the demon

“A guardian? A guardian of what? For I too am a guardian, a guardian of peace”

“Hmph… your petty concerns for peace do not concern me. I am a guardian of something far more elemental than that. I am the guardian of gravity, and I am annoyed. Nobody wakes my slumber without paying for it!” And with that Diablos lunged his hand forward, a ball of darkness hurtled towards Lutz.

Lutz tried to get out of the way, but he was too slow. The ball enveloped him and twisted him, turning him around, crushing his body, then suddenly expanding it.
The ball vanished and Lutz slumped to the floor, his body felt as though it had been smashed against a cliff. Repeatedly.

”Hmph… you can’t even stand the power of a mere Demi spell. What would you do were I to unleash Gravjya? That would be most humorous. I could ki---” Diablos stopped as bright orange flames erupted below Lutz, bathing him in glow that contrasted with the darkened surroundings. With the last of his magic strength Lutz had cast Saner, the spell that increased ability, allowed one to think, act, move faster. But it was at a great price. He had no more power to summon his magic from within.

“But what about without…” Said Lutz faintly to himself.

”Wha?? No matter… Try this!” Diablos raised his hand above his head, and three of the balls shot out, aimed straight at the collapsed mage. But he suddenly wasn’t there, he’d shifted at speed that impressed even the demon. Lutz darted around the winged giant, muttering words constantly, a fine powder pouring from his staff.
Diablos hurled demi after demi at him, but they all missed. Lutz was but a blur, leaving behind a strange design in the floor.

“Wanna play? Play with these… The come from a realm with no gravity, hurt them if you can… EFESS!” Shouted Lutz… his wand glowed a deep blue, shining steadily brighter… brighter and brighter…

Diablos was chuckling to himself,
”Never before have I been attacked by a such a pathetic creature as you…

But below him the powder was glowing too, brighter and brighter, before suddenly

*WHOMPH!!!*

The entire place exploded in a mass of blue light, screeching could be heard from all around. Columns of light dashed back and forth, criss crossing each other.
Gazing around Lutz could see the edges of the place in which he stood.

”Of course, I’m in the lamp…”

The light columns were becoming faster, more of them too. Diablos’ futile attempts to attack them were laughable. But he could see them for what they were. Photonic life forms. Infinitesimally small beings travelling within the light.

“Curses! Gravity can’t hurt ones such as these hurt them, just re-direct them! Damn you mortal! That’s why my demi misses! Even Gravjya is useless!”

The light columns now headed towards Diablos, burning him as they touched the scaly skin. The balls of darkness were helping deflect some, but the onslaught was too much.

”Alright! You win!

“Promise?” Countered Lutz

"Damn you I’m a guardian! I keep my word!"

Satisfied Lutz clapped his hands twice. Two staccato moments later, and the darkness had returned.

Diablos now stood on the floor of the lamp, breathing heavily.

”Never… before… ingenious.. I grant you. What are your three wishes?”

“Three wishes? So the legend is true?”

“As far as you’re concerned, yes.”

“Firstly heal me. I’m exhausted from my previous fights. And restore my magical reserves too. I’ll need them.”

Diablos swirled his hands above his head, muttering what sounded like “Curaga” to Lutz. He missed the second word though as, due to the effect of curaga sweeping through his body, he wasn’t really listening.

”Two down, one to go.”

“Can you here me out there? Said Lutz, to which Diablos merely nodded.

“Then I save it for now. I’ll have need for you later. I assume leaving here won’t cost me anything?”

“No, that right is yours now that you’ve bested me. I will listen for your wish. But be aware that you are not the only one that may call upon my powers.”

“Noted. Now, if you’d be so kind as to return me?”

Lutz was suddenly back in the same room as before, a few tendrils of smoke dissipating from around his feet.
The noise was picking up outside.
Quickly looking out of the window Lutz could see a small encased jungle area, a good place to hide… Taking the lamp he through it out, lest more people find it. Before the lamp touched the ground however a huge head reared up from the trees to chomp the lamp. The thing was huge, an ancient beast of a world long gone.

”What manner of world is this?” He muttered to himself as he left the room for the action outside.


EDIT 1:- vB code. Down side of writing in Word.
EDIT 2:- Added the last paragraph. Down side of computer crashing whilst writing in Word! Thankfully it recovered the rest of the Doc...

Last edited by Lutz on 12-05-2001 at 11:24 AM

..Sigh. Try again, and hope something my ISP doesn't crash again... the burn here kills. Now, I need to patch up the story from last night.

-------

Shaking his head furiously, Duran looked around in bewilderment at the new setting came into focus. Healed cuts and slashes were evident on his arms and legs. He had been in battle beforehand... why? Wasn't he supposed to have met up with Angela earlier?

Fickle memories, once held back, now rushed in as Duran remembered the events of that fateful night.

"Well, this is it. The Central fountain, and I'm an hour early."

The young swordsman paced around in impatience, and waited for Angela to come. He ended up running through his sword techniques, enjoying the cool feel of the night air as his blade whistled through it, nearly silent despite it's generous size. He performed several elegant sweeping slashes, then fell into his parrying defence exercise, whirling the blade into a shimmering steel defense as he moved faster and faster, despite how heavy his sword was. Grinning to himself, he then began to run around the town square as he switched into a bunch of dash-and-slash manuevers,keeping his sword sheathed just in case someone happened by. Finally ceasing the light workout, the young swordsman looked at the moon.

"Wha? 20 minutes left? Geez..."

He was about to relax again and pry himself against the fountain when he heard a small, plantitave cry issue from one of the nearby alleys. Grabbing his sword and scabbard, Duran ran as fast as he could to the scene. ...Angela?

It wasn't her, but the situation for the young boy in the back of the alley might have possibly been a bit more dire, since he had no defense against 5 well armed, zombie warriors. They looked decidedly evil, with their faces and bodies almost rotted beyond human recognition, and their glowing, empty eye sockets Duran glanced at the top of Clock Tower, and noted that music had changed. Was this the work of the Mask?

He let his metal greaves stomp on the floor, and all of the zombie warriors turned. Duran could see that they had impressive armor on, but it mattered little to their decaking bodies..

"Why don't you guys take one someone who can actually fight back? Cowards!"

The zombies looked at one another for a moment, and then all broke into a full dash at him, their speed matching that of a normal humans as the reek of death came with them. Duran unsheathed his blade, and took up a two-handed fighting stance in preperation. Wait for it...

As soon as the first mass of stinking flesh reached him, it lashed out with little temerity. Duran parried the overestimated blow almost subconsiously and slashed at it's arms on the off-stroke. The impressive chest plate might had have withstood the blow, but the shoulder armor did not. The arm came off then with little resistance, thumping onto the ground with a shoulderplate next to it. The zombie groaned in pain, as the next one came to take it's place. Duran posistioned himself perfectly, and completely bisected this one with a horizontal slash. It also groaned in anguish, something that confused the young warrior.

That actually hurt the zombie? Most of them can take any physical damage without blinking an eye... Must be the tradeoff for having human speed.

Two came at once this time, but one actually parried his counterstroke and nearly landed a blow on him. However, Duran had learned his lession from Terius; use your opponent's skill to your own advantage. The zombie groaned in confusion as Duran stood on its blade, helpless as he leaped off and knocked in off-balance. Perfectly open.

"Cross Slash!"

Duran timed the momentum buildup perfectly, as he somersaulted head first at the zombie, bringing his sword with him as it left behind a trail of ionized energy. The unfortunate zombie exploded. As Duran landed in front of it's smoking remains, he noticed that the zombies had surrounded him from all sides. They leaped as one before he could react, dragging him down with their combined body mass and ferocity while he desperately slashed and counterattacked. However, it all was to no avail, as his sword was useless in such tight quarters. He was being subdued...

As he was about to be consumed completely, he saw the boy he was defending out of corner of his eye. He looked like an orphan, the fake rugged expression he whould normally have fallen pray to sheer terror... and something else. A tear formed in the vagrant's eye as he mumbled.. "Don't die... please... Don't let them beat you.."

The sight of one in such torment, hoping against hope even when defeat looked imminent, struck something deep within the young swordsman. His eyes lost focus, and he felt himself rising... Ascending.... He could feel himself lift his sword up and shout something, and everything turned white.

Duran shook his head again. So, what happened to me? I lived... but what happened? How was I able to defeat all of those--

His thoughts blanked out as he finally noticed that there was something... different about himself. He felt a little taller. A little stronger, than usual. And his armor had completely changed...

Did I... change Class back there?!?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sirens blaring to life. Quickly looking at his surrounding, Duran assumed that the tournament had gone to an expensive castle of some sort. As SeeD cadets began pouring out of the halls, readying their weapons and magic, he realized that they had come uninvited. He had better find Angela quickly...

He tightened his gauntlets in anticipation of the oncoming assualt, and chuckled to himself. Always uninvited... Yume isn't much of a planner, is she?

-------

Duran has reached the Knight Class.

1 vote Umaro
1 vote Flea
1 vote Lenna

Nothing personal, just trying to burn off the excess.

---



Sponsoring Duran in FFO Survivor 6

Is the purpose to living finding out what life is for?

Last edited by Kyo on 12-05-2001 at 11:29 AM

"Slash shall continue on as a Fallen." ^^ But, uh, later. Sleep is really essential now. Oh, question- a thousand apologies, but I can't find that many details on Fallen in the Drafting thread. They can't actually win a tournament, either, can they? Now, before anyone bites off my head, keep in mind- I'm a new guy.

double the votes? Sweet.... and lots o-vote burn!



Relm held onto Gau tightly, and then looked up to see what was before her.

"Wow.... each place gets better than the next!" She looked behind her to see if everyone was still there. Gladly, they were... and all were relieved to see one another.
****

*runs away to the dredged place called "school"

---


Sponser Relm Arrowny in the FFOS6 survivor!

Zio treaded slowly, arrogantly, from the room in which he had arrived. For some reason he could not comprehend, he felt a strange sense of renewed vitality; though he had drained all of his power with a single spell what seemed like only minutes before, he now felt twice as strong as ever.

Clomping steadily through the hall of the dormitory, Zio could see dozens of children running around, doing their best to defend their home.

"Some of these children look like they should still be in diapers," he scoffed, noting a particularly young little boy wielding a whip. "This should certainly be amusing for the day."

Just then, Zio felt a small prick at the back of his neck. With the reflexes of a Numan, he whipped around, throwing his foot out and upward in a roundhouse kick; he didn't take chances. To his astonishment, his boot met only air.

Another prick felt at his cheek. The Deban spell he had cast only minutes before was obviously taking the brunt of the force, but he could still feel the stinging sensation as the whip cracked against his cheek. He peered downard, noting the existence of a young lad who couldn't be more than six or seven years old.

"Don't. Toy. With. Me. I'm not one of your little play buddies," Zio snapped, but the child seemed adamant. Peering up at Zio with a ferocity which only one defending their home and family could hold.

"Get out of my Garden!" screamed the kid with a high pitched voice. "You won't get away! You won't!" Another snap of his whip against Zio's cheek. Child's play for the defensive spell.

Without so much as another word of acknowledgement, Zio's eyes began to glow red. He was obviously angered at this point, and the child would not soon forget the lesson he would learn: do not toy with the black magician!

"HEWN!"

Suddenly the corridor was possed by a strong gale. Zio's cape fluttered in the wind, his hair fluttering violently. As Zio continued to stand in place, however, the child was lifted into the air, flung down the hallway and into a group of several students who were witnessing the confrontation from afar.

"FLAELI!"

Fireballs burst from his fingertips, the massive currents of air already in the hall causing them spread; the Fire Storm technique had successfully been pulled off. Swirls of flame cascaded down the corridor toward the group of children, setting their clothing ablaze.

Soon, the wind died down and the fire was out, but the damage had been done. Turning about face, Zio continued in the direction he was origionally heading, toward the main area outside of the dormitories.
________________________________________________
OOC: I'm suddenly glad I'm not Sponsoring Zio. It would be hard to play him as evilly as I would like to without being killed by all the Nobles out there.

I'm heading off to bed to catch about four hours of sleep before I have to get up for work tomorrow. I should be able to post from there, so stay tuned for more of Zio's antics.

Holy crap, I have enough trouble spending 7 votes!

-----

With a stretch and a yawn, Driscoll stretched - and fell out of the bed.

Bed?

He looked around, scrambling to his feet. Now where am I? Some sort of store-room... at least this place looks a bit more technological. Heh. Maybe I can get some better weaponry here. Looking down at his gun, he noticed he was down to his last ten bullets. This ain't gonna take out a fly. And I can't count on el-lightning glove. Guess I'm off to the armoury then. Stepping out of the door, he cursed and swung back in. This place.. full of military people - damn, where am I now?
He looked down again, and realised he was almost out of weaponry. Crap! Just the glove and this stupid glove left!

Behind him, he heard movement, and spun round. A blonde girl crawled out from under the table.

It's too early to waste my energy. Slipping out of the door, he turned and smashed the keypad with his fist.

That should keep her in there for a bit!

Then he realised he was surrounded by soldiers, with almost no weapons, and no way out. He clenched his fist. Oh well, here we go again...

-----

One lock-in attack vote to Celes.

Sorry, none of my votes today will be personal, I just have way too many to use, and less time than normal to use them. Gotta go out in a couple of hours. Poot.

---



Driscoll // FFO Survivor 6 // Front Mission // Evil Bishounen Mastermind

// Baka // Terminal Wannabe // Otaku-in-Training // m00 //

I'd just like to apologize for my lack of participation. I've been studying for my Statistics exam this friday. Plus, I gotta finish up some loose ends for a learnware CD I'm developing for work (which I've been slacking off on) and that's due on Dec 12th.

I would randomly throw my votes around but I don't think that's right, seeing as how I don't want to vote out worthy competitors.

Sorry. I just hope that y'all are having a helluva good time.

Your friend,
Saint7

The moment that Lutz left the room he heard a piercing scream come from his right. Turn around to face it he saw a young child being hurled towards, buffeted through the air by the deadly winds of a Firestorm.

“Nazan! Nawat!” He shouted, his hands moving in quick succession through the air as the two spells combined, blasting the Blizzard down the corridor. The young child feel to floor as the extreme winds hit one another, his arm seemed to be broken.
Through the haze of the vast steam that had appeared Lutz could make out the shape of the black magician he’s encountered what seemed like so long ago.

“Fleali!” He shouted, pointing at the figure.
But he’d gone, and the fireball slammed into the wall, as did another quickly afterwards.

“Damn… I’ll have to sort him out later”
Lutz turned to the child, who was whimpering softly, trying not to cry, clutching his arm protectively to wards him.

“Sar…” murmured Lutz, his wand encompassing the child as the area healing spell took effect. “I’m afraid that’s all I can do for you…”

“How about a little extra?” Came a voice from behind Lutz. “Gires…” Said Rune as he walked around the corner.

Multicoloured light shone around the child, the bone slowly rejoining itself, the burns fading.

“How’s that?” said the mages in unison. They quickly stared at each other…

“It’s OK, a little stiff. I-I lost my whip. I’m gonna go get another. Thank you” He called out as he ran down the corridor, turning sharply at the bottom.

The two wizards turned to each other “Well, this is---“ They both began. Rune held up his hand

”Me first. It’s extraordinary to finally meet you. I always wondered what you’d like” Said Rune as he appraised Lutz

“No! Stop there! Don’t tell me anything! I figured out who you are… you’re me from the future aren’t you? An incarnation of me. You are one who is destined to absorb my knowledge, just as I was destined to absorbed my masters, Mortareus. Listen, you can’t tell me anything. You have the knowledge of my whole life, I only know the first 28 years. Anything you tell me could result in an alteration of the time line for Algo when we go back, it’s too dangerous.”

A smirk appeared on Runes face, “Yeah, I know… I’m not stupid you know Lutz, only the best of the Espers get picked to acquire your knowledge”

“Well, that’s OK then, so long as that’s understood. That doesn’t mean we can’t help each other, we just can’t exchange information from our home.”

“Agreed” Said Rune, holding out his hand, which Lutz shook. “Fair well and good luck.”

“You too” said Lutz, walking away. “We’ll need it!”

“Heh… speak for yourself! I’ve got all your knowledge!” Smirked Rune

“Who said I put everything in the Telepathy Orb?” Retorted Lutz as he dashed around the corner, heading to what appeared to be the centre of this complex.

“Smartass…” Muttered Rune, heading off for his own excitement.


Still no votes yet. They're coming in a couple of hours.

Dodging a sword-swing to the neck, Driscoll swung his fist and punched a SeeD in the face, before kicking backwards and connecting with another. A heavy-looking SeeD barged into him, kncking him sideways towards the balcony. I'm not some kind of martial artist, damnit!

He found himself with his back pressed to the balcony. With nowhere else to go, he took a deep breath and vaulted backwards over it, catching onto a girder below and sliding to the bottom. Looking around, he spotted a small side-path and ducked down it.

-----

That's all for a few hours, back later!

Oh, and today's posts are brought to you by the Vandread - Girl's Serenade OST that I'm downloading. So expect sweetness, kawaiiness and large b- WHOA. No, I'll just be inspired by something with lots of guns, instead.

Last edited by Baka on 12-05-2001 at 01:00 PM

Awesome stage! Let's see what we can do here...

---------------------------------

Strago walked onto the scene, rubbing his eyes. He had no idea what happened after midnight last night, because he was an old man, and needed a buttload of sleep. > He walked over to the center of the circular palace-looking thing he was in, and found an elevator. Up or down? ...Down. If this thing went up in flames, like he was sure it would, it'd be a shorter fall to the ground. Strago walked out of the elevator, and turned a corner...

...Right into a huge machine, seating a nasty yellow blob. ...It looked at him. Two orbs on the side lit up to blue, waiting for an order, it seemed. The creature spoke:

"WHY do yOU waNT to COMe heRE ANd take my GReAT GarDEN from ME?!!!?"

...Strago just looked at him, like a cow stuck in the sweet, sweet glow of the headlights of a semi. "...You, you speak...1337?"

---

Outer Heaven!! w00t!

OOC: 16 ATTACK VOTES? Geez! As if I didn't have enough trouble spending them earlier... though this means 4 Manipulation votes, too, and everyone (who is Dark, at least) knows how fun Manipulation is.

Whoa, Gryz was nailed. I'm going to bet that his spirit will haunt me. ^.^

-----

"Another location, again? Now where would this be..."

Koren moved quickly, flashing in and out of existence, crossing the long, long corridors of the first floor of Balamb Garden. He saw several unimportant-seeming signboards in the walls, including one with the word "Cafeteria", where he was nearly overrun by a bunch of schoolgirls in skimpy Garden uniforms, fighting their way to... well, whatever was in there. Koren didn't want to know.

"The last round wasn't a bad one... it looks like Gryz didn't make it. Shame... he was a fun one to fight with."

As Koren was making his way onwards, a man with blonde hair, and a long, white trench coat with approached him, letting the gunblade on his side openly show.

"Hey! You! That's speeding. Goes against Garden Rules. And improper dressing..." the man said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Who the hell does he think he is?"

"...and uncouth hair style. All male students must keep their hair in such a manner that it doesn't get in the way during combat exercises."

"Hair style? I can't wait to see his face when he meets Setzer..."

"And what kind of clothes are you wearing? RED CAPE? HELLOO-O, hippy-hair! Who are you anyway? Name and code!" the man continued his babbling, seemingly incapable of understanding how he was risking a limb and a liver... and much more.

"Who are you...?" Koren asked him, fighting against a strong desire to stuff the man's skin to a place where sun didn't shine.

"Yo! Fujin! Raijin! The guy's got something against the Disciplinary Commitee! Let's-"

Koren's patience snapped. He had brought enough lunatics with him. He didn't need to deal with this stuck-up moron.

"Hey! Wait, you-" the man with the white coat shouted, as Koren rose his hand to cast a spell, "what do you think you're doing?"

When the remaining two thirds of the Disciplinary Commitee arrived, they were so occupied with the task of trying to carry their shocked and severely spooked-up leader to the infirmary, that they didn't notice a red-caped figure staring at them from the top of the Garden.

"I already hate this place... but it may have its merits. I'll be waiting..."

---

Say hello to iMac.


- Koren of Red Lotus - The Scarlet Magician - FFO Survivor 6

Last edited by Darkken on 12-05-2001 at 01:11 PM

Hey! Yay, a familiar battlefield! i didn't know the last one cause i never played MM. YEEK, i get 10 votes... i had a hard time with the 5!Just like the other rounds, i don't have enough time to post something now (well, nothing decent...) so i'll make it at school and post during my comp. class. So, expect my post in 45 mins!

---

The forums! They're back! Oh, I kiss the sweet, sweet earth!

Er, anyway... Due to the massive amount of time lost due to the forums being down, this round will end at 12:00 AM Mountain Standard Time on Saturday morning. Which pushes the end of this tournament onto Tuesday morning, I'm afraid.

On the bright side, that gives you all plenty of time to use the massive amount of votes you get this round.

Oh, and if your name is William Craddock, you should know that e-mailed votes don't count unless you put your characters name on them. Act now, or suffer massive Vote Burn at the end of the round.

---


The Survivor Tournament has begun! Guaranteed to be more thrilling than Gladiator!

OOC: Woot! They're back! And we have way more than enough time to finish the round now. This should be awesome.

I think I'll wait till a few more people have continued with the story before I post another piece, myself.

Holy crap, we're back online. Time to come up with something to write...hmm...

-----------------------------

“Burn fire! Burn! Brighter than the brightest sun! Hotter than the flames of hell itself! This is the fire of your soul, Golbez. This is the torch of your very being. See it burning? See it glow in the darkness of your existence? It must burn on, becoming more and more powerful. A totally encompassing force, ruling over your every thought, every feeling. It is the truth within you, and now is the time to put down those that would dowse the flame with their false sentiment. Act now, or lose yourself forever…”

Golbez stirred slightly from his sleep, and spoke out to the voice in his head. “No, that somehow seems wrong…these aren’t my feelings, these aren’t my thoughts. Why do they persist?”

“They persist only as you crave their message. This is the path to proving yourself. Show them you can fight, and they will bow down to you. Show them you can win, and earn their respect.”

Golbez awoke, startled by some noise around him. He found himself inside a strange building, teeming with activity. He was unaware of what had just happened on a conscious level. Somehow, he knew what he would have to do.

“I…I must earn their respect. I shall gain their respect through my actions. No, I will force them to see what is within me, that is the only way.” Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he heard a small, snarling voice.

“That’s right my boy. Make them respect you.”

---


So we'll go no more aroving, so late into the night,
Although the heart be still as loving, and the moon be still as bright.

Something had gone wrong with the ebb and flow of time. Zeal had searched for Yume's temporal signature at various intervals, but had only now located it, after a day and a half of astral probing. Must be the way she keeps ripping through time, space, and reality like she owns the place, with all these contestants in tow, thought Zeal.

Who knows...with that kind of power, it's conceivable that she DOES own the place.

The Queen of Zeal, now on the third day of her reality-hopping journey, stepped out of the inky blackess of her timegate into a location full of even more strange things than the first two. Taking a look around, she analyzed the structure of the premises.

"Pastel colors....why did it have to be pastel colors!?" she grubled, bemoaning the somewhat tastless coloration of the third day's chosen arena. Casting her gaze further, she saw soldiers, in uniform. Were they friends of Driscoll, the soldier from the future? Looking more closely, an analysis revealed fighters of a younger sort.

They...they're just children! she thought. What is this place? As she sat in speculation, she was approached - or rather, rushed - by four soldiers, two in blue uniforms, two in black.

"Are you with them?" asked a a girl in a black uniform. "You're certainly not from around here!"

"Marin, I'm not sure, but she's got some sort of magic!" yelled the girl's companion, a black-uniformed man. He turned to the two younger looking soldiers in blue uniforms. "You two stay behind Marin and I; this is a dangerous invasion force! But the SeeD force won't be taken so easily!" He rushed forward and held out his hand. Queen Zeal felt a bit of energy leave her and fly erratically to the man's hand. Upon reception, he fell to his knees.

"What the hell is this!?" he shouted, clutching his head. "It won't take! I've never met a spell I can't draw before! Something's really wrong! Jane, Erin, go to the second floor!" he barked his orders to the two blue-suited soldiers. "Aaah.....head...pain!" he groaned. "Shoat...he's writhing in my mind! I can feel his agony! Uaaaaaooaa...." It was obvious he was becoming delirious.

Really, this is what children get when the skip breakfast; always thinking there's something better to do. Your mind doesn't work right without a healthy meal at the beginning of the day. And what's a 'Shoat'?

"I've got your back!" Marin said as she bent over the young man. "Cura!" A magical force bathed him in a blue light, but he did not stand up.

Well, it's some form of magic thought Zeal, kind of weak, but I suppose it's magic. She had vaguely recalled the Guru Melchior testing out different forms of magic. This seemed similar to one of them, in which magic was quantified in the brain and held by some sort of spiritual force. However, she sensed no innate spiritual force from the two soldiers. How were the able to use this 'para-magic'?

"Well, kids, as amusing as this is, I've got things to do and people to target." Zeal said, yawning and emphasizing the word 'kids'. Oh, and by the way, if you're going to try to learn magic, make sure it's the real deal first, not something taught from a 'do-it-yourself' magic book." Raising her hand, she produced two spheres of energy. "Energy Ball!" She straightened her palm and the balls flew forward at incredible speed. The girl managed to dodge, and the ball careened into a wall behind her, leaving crater of melted and twisted metal. The man was not so lucky. The blast hit him full on, throwing him back like a rag doll.

"Richard!" Marin shreiked as she ran to her fallen comrade's side, casting a curative spell as soon as she reached him. Zeal turned away from the weak children to seek a real challenge, looking around for the competitors. Surely, they wouldn't be difficult to locate. Just follow the blazing trail of mindless destruction.

Richard was wounded badly and Marin needed to get him to the already-overwhelmed Dr. Kadowaki, but before she did, she ran to the nearest comm board. Picking up the handset, she asked for a direct line to the faculty board room, where she knew that Principal Cid and the top SeeD instructors would be planning a retaliatory offense against this horrid army.

"Principal Cid!" she sobbed into the receiver "Richard from squad 6-D...he's in critical.....there's a real live Sorceress down here! She almost blew us away! What's happening here!?"



It's about time! Let's go round 3!

---

"Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man, or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of sashimi?


"The Queen is peerless in both power and beauty..."
FFOSurvivor 6 :: Queen Zeal :: Sidekick :: Shadow

Last edited by Soujiro Seta on 12-06-2001 at 10:18 PM

"SeeDs...atten...SHUN! Preee...seeeent....WHAT THE HELL?!"

Leo looked around at twenty bewildered faces, staring at him behind assorted weaponry. His mind raced, trying to calculate the distance from where he was to the exit from the Quad.

"Erm...Hello. Leo Christophé. Awfully nice to meet you."

The Sergeant glowered at him. "And where did you come from?"

Leo shuddered at the remembrance of the last moments in Clocktown, racing for the tower...and then...

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Hey, look, isn't that Emperor Gesthal?"

"Wha..."

YOINK!

---



Efli Rilvcue - Sponsor of General Leo in FFO Survivor VI
TEH. Typo - no. Way of life - yes.

OOC: Saturday morning? That means this round's going to last all of today and tomorrow?

Krizak: Those votes I emailed you last night don't count now, right? I only sent them as a precaution.

----------------------------

"Nooooooooooo!" Locke screamed, expecting the moon to fall to the Earth. He heard his voice echo, and realized it was silent. The black mage was no longer there, and Locke found himself in yet another unfimiliar locale. "What is this place? Looks like some kind of jungle," Locke thought as checked his surroundings. "Looks like I'm still indoors, though. Seems like the walls and cieling are made of metal. Looks a lot like the Gold Saucer."

"RROOAAAR!"

Locke looked back and nearly wet his pants. "A Tyranosaur! I've gotta get out of here." He took off with a run and used his speed and agility to keep his distance from the lumbering beast. Turning a corner, he heard the monster moving off in another direction. "Whew, lost him." Suddenly a group of twelve armed, uniformed men walked up and surrounded him.

"He looks like one of 'em," an energitic young man who appeared to be leading the group yelled, "Let's take him out!"

"Hold it Zell," one of his comrades responded, "Maybe we should try taking him prisoner."

"Tchh, fine." Zell turned to Locke, "Who are all you people, what are you doing here? Come on, spit it out!"

"Um, er, that is..." Locke stammered, "I hope this works," he thought to himself. "W. Wind!" Locke yelled, and suddenly a huge tornado appeared in the training center, throwing the entire group, including Locke into random directions. Unbeknownst to Locke, the spell also hit a few other contestants who happened to be in the Training Center.

----------------------------------

1 attack vote to Randi
1 attack vote to Lenna
1 attack vote to Nall
1 attack vote to Gogo
1 attack vote to Ayla

Nothing personal anyone.

---

Sponsering Locke Cole in the FFO Survivor Tournament because Locke rules!!!

Like Final Fantasy VI? Agree that Locke rules? Want to sample the best drink GP can buy? Join us at The Moogle Cafe!

Last edited by KyleIII on 12-06-2001 at 10:49 PM

*THUD*
Hmph, round three has started I suppose... thought Gogo.
I suppose I have successfully 'survived'.
Standing up wearily, Gogo took a brief look at his surroundings. Advanced, very. This place was technologically amazing, but full of children.
Gogo was knocked out of his awe by a blue blur crashing into him. It was a girl.
"Oh! I'm so...Gilgamesh!??"

"Huh?!" Gogo grunted "No! I'm Gogo!"

"Oh, sorry," The girl responded in a sing song voice, "You look so much like Gilgy..."

"Where am I?" Gogo knew it would sound strange, but frankly that didn't bother him much anymore.

"Balamb Garden silly! How did you get here without knowing?" The girl stuck her tongue out like a small infant would.

"Survivor Tournament...I don't think you'd understand." Gogo went to leave, but the girl stopped him.

"Try me! I'll show you around if you do, I'm Rinoa by the way."

"Hmph...fine, tell me about this place..."

Together they walked, Rinoa informing Gogo as much as she knew about Balamb Garden, which was not very much...

-------

Yay, 'tis back!

---


---
My LiveJournal - The closest you'll get to seeing into my soul.

Something gives me the feeling that this thread will give a whole new dimension to FFVIII bashing...

Well, nice to be back. I doubt I'll have the time to compose a worthy post just right now, but seeing how we've got a whole new day worth of time, I'll be back. Right now, I've got some sleeping to do... (well, if I feel like it )

---

Say hello to iMac.


- Koren of Red Lotus - The Scarlet Magician - FFO Survivor 6

Ahh, well. I e-mailed my votes just to be on the safe side. But isn't that a little long to leave a round open? I'da thought you'd end it on Friday. That means it would have been open for 4 days.

---

Outer Heaven!! w00t!

“Ca-fe-te-ri-ah.”

Zeal sounded out the familiar yet foreign word lit up on a display in front of a hallway. “Might as well. I haven’t seen a familiar face yet.” Sauntering down the hallway, the smell of various foods wafted by her nostrils, triggering an immediate recognition. “Oh yes, Cafeteria! That’s what the Earthbound Ones call their dining halls!” She hadn’t had a decent meal since her brunch in Clock Town, so anything she could eat - preferably without having to pay for it – would be a welcome experience. Stepping into the room, she squinted her eyes at the rather harsh and gaudy artificial lighting. It made everything look so….sterile. The cafeteria was empty, with the exception of a lean and muscular blue-skinned warrior sitting on the counter, devouring an enlongated piece of meat in a sliced bun. He stopped chewing and just glared at her, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his impressive-looking sword.

“What’s your business with me, human?” he stated flatly, a bit of the bun falling out of his mouth. “My part in this little game is done now; you’ll get nothing by attacking me, but you are, of course, welcome to try. Y’might end up like those guys back there, though” he said, craning his neck to look behind the cafeteria counter.

There was an essence about this inhuman man that seemed almost…familiar to the Queen. However, she could not quite place her finger on it, and filed the matter to the back of her mind for consideration at a later time.

“Out of the game, is it?” Zeal poked, testing the depths of his ego. “Then why don’t you go home? You can’t win your wish from Yume now.” The man sat silent, shoving the rest of the food into his mouth.

“This ‘hot dog’ ain’t half bad” he started. “Sure, I’ve eaten better dog, but it beats the hell outa the crap they were serving at the last two places.”

“I sense the power in you dimished.” Zeal interrupted. “I saw a few like you yesterday, warriors with limited abilities. They live on, but lost their day’s battle. What are they still doing here? What are YOU still doing here?”

“Listen, human” the swordsman spoke up “I don’t know who you think you are, or if you’re tryin’ to irritate me, but I wouldn’t keep it up.” He grabbed another ‘hot dog’ from behind the counter and unwrapped it, taking a little whiff of the smell. “This’s good dog. You want some?”

“Perish the thought; I’m quite alright” the Queen shuddered. The soldiers of this place must be trained to survive any environment, eating the meat of common animals they could kill in the wild. “But as I was saying….your power is diminished. But one fact unites both you, I, and every other warrior like us in this tournament.”

“And that would be?” he querried, pulling at his lone braid as he sometimes did when he pondered important matters. This lady was rather manipulative and devious for a human – at least that was one thing he could reconcile with her. Dunno why, but just looking at her causes me to think of Sir Magus…

“That would be, that we’re both not after Yume’s wish – myself by choice, yourself by circumstance. I’m just here to influence the outcome to whatever extent I can. And now that you have been put into a situation with similar parameters, I have a small proposition for you.”

“I’m listening.” The Mystic nodded his blue head, concentrating on this woman’s face, lest she try any deception.

“As a ‘fallen’ contestant, your power to attack is diminished. However, you’re essentially ‘out’, which means that you can commit acts more freely, without having to worry about retribution or retaliation, or being diplomatic. I joined as a contestant who is incapable of ‘winning’, but is also incapable of ‘losing’.”

“So I can hack people with abandon now” he grumbled. “Get on with it.”

“I see you’re a man who takes the most direct route. I’m fine with that. To the point then. Just as one slash may be overlookable to an opponent, so it may be when we attack. But just as many slashes from a sword can slay even a powerful enemy, so many of our attacks can take out even the most….resilient of foes. The ‘fallen’, which is you, and the ‘non-competing participants’, which is me, can decide the results of this tournament. The only catch is that we must band together, as many as are willing to cooperate.”

“So you’re saying that if we combine powers, even ‘fallen’ like myself can influence the tournament? Hmmm.…I like it….I like it.”

“I thought you might” grinned the Queen. Being the Queen of Zeal wasn’t just about being the most powerful mage in the world – the duties of a queen also involved a lot of politics, sweet-talking, intellectual knowledge, military strategy, and diplomacy; the art of shaking hands with your foe with one hand and having the other behind your back, readying a fireball. “You see, we still have influence. Obviously, as a swordsman, you know the benefits of tactical organization and strength in numbers. We, who do not need to protect our own desire for the prize, can attack certain common contestants between us whom we would not like to see advance closer to the end. Under the damage we can all do collectively, the outcome can be shifted toward our collective favor. I’m glad you see the beauty of this, yet another one of my brilliant plans! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!”

“I didn’t say I was up for it” the swordsman cut her off. “I just said I liked it, and it sounded pretty interesting. If and when I decide to try this, I’ll be sure to let you know. I need time to think about it first. I always think most clearly in the heat of a bloody massacre.” He grinned, baring sharp fangs. “What’s your name? I’ll need to know if I want to find you again.”

“The name’s Zeal. Queen Zeal.” She extended her hand toward the blue warrior.

“I’m Slash, greatest of the Mystic Swordsmen.” He extended his own hand, abeit gingerly, and shook hers. “You’re not bad for a human, Queen Zeal” he said, laughing a little.

“One more thing” Zeal said, holding her index finger up and wagging it from side to side. “If you come across any that are of the same role as you or I, tell them of this proposition. The more, the merrier! Not to mention stronger. I’ll do the same, and let’s see what we can do. How about it?”

“Well, I suppose I can do that.” Slash nodded. With a shove, he jumped from the counter and landed with a heavy ‘tap’ on the tile of the cafeteria floor. He nodded curtly as he walked out of the Cafeteria. "Time to get the lay of the land."

Zeal remained standing in the cafeteria, running possibilities and ideas through her agile mind.

That girl in the black uniform from earlier....she called me 'Sorceress' with a terrified look. Well, I suppose I technically AM a sorceress, but I sense there's something more behind this than just the fact that I can use magic naturally and they need to have some sort of hokey set-up to do it.

Sorceress....hmmmmmm.... She had an idea, but first, she needed to locate the handsome Crimson Wizard she had helped on the first day. The gears were already turning.


-------------------------------

IF YOU'RE A FALLEN OR SIDEKICK or just enjoy a little quasi-evil strategic planning, and you skipped over this section because of the rather large length, you MIGHT want to skim it for the basic idea contained within. An intriguing proposition, from the Queen herself.....

---

"Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man, or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of sashimi?


"The Queen is peerless in both power and beauty..."
FFOSurvivor 6 :: Queen Zeal :: Sidekick :: Shadow

OOC: Good, we're back again...thank God...*sighs with relief*BTW, last round: LMAO, CS!!! You do awesome with Kyle... And Ex and Min: Nice. Very nice....^^;;
---
Hey, this place isn't so bad.

I paced up and down the corridors, peeking into the different rooms. I came upon classroom after classroom, each with students in uniform sitting at desks with some kind of device in front of them.

An academy, perhaps? I like this place far better than any of the other locations so far...it reminds me of Vane. The familiar feeling is comforting...

"A b-beautiful school, Majesty Mia. I am...honored...to attend. I look forward to becoming a member of the Magic Guild..."

I had heard the line so many times before, but now, I feel so stupid. I should have been proud to be the future ruler of the Magic Guild, but I was so...Nash, if only you could see this place...

Turning around to leave the hallway, I saw a blonde in glasses come by. She looked very official, and definitely not like the kind of person I would want to approach after I just intruded on the area. She sighed and made her way towards a classroom, pushing up her glasses. I dove for cover behind a plant nearby, ducking down. She passed by without noticing.

Good...

I ran down the hallway, and came an elevator. I had only seen these in a few of the fortresses like the grindery, and this one was far more impressive. Ha, they must think me an idiot, standing here and gawking at a common machine for them...

I got in, and pressed the "1st floor" button. It lit up, and the doors whooshed closed. The floor rumbled from below me, and when the doors opened again, I was at a new (and much more impressive) floor.

Walking down the steps, I saw something in front of me that a few people were looking at. I stood in front of it and peered at it. It seemed to be a map of the area. It went in a circle, each hall leading to a new area.

There was the library (of course, what academy would be complete without one?), the Training Center (another must have, for a school obviously trained in fighting. Just then I noticed the students carrying around weapons...dangerous weapons. *Gulp*), the Parking Lot (...huh...?), the dormitories (do students live here too? This really is like Vane...), the Cafeteria, the Quad (Another strange one...), and the Infirmary.

Interesting...

Unfortunately, I turned around only to see that I was standing alone, facing a dark haired boy about a year older than me, clad in black. He also happened to be carrying a sword. Oh, great...

"Would you mind explaining who you are, and what exactly you're doing here, along with everyone else...?"

I got killed?
Well, that's not too surprising. I deserved it with my amount of activity. Bad week for me.. -_-

Good luck to those of you who are still going, especially to Shadow sponsors!

---

(OOC: For this round only, I act as EX:Shadow. Dragonmaster powers and Majora's mask are at war inside him, so he's not quite as noble as he usually is. That said...Also note, I'm going to do little actual fighting. It's the GFs I summon that are going to go flying around and do damage.)

Dragonmaster Leo, formerly White Knight Leo, was having a war. Inside his own head. Within him, two powerful forces were fighting for control. Since Althena was gone in his time, Lucia subbed in for her. On the other side, Majora. The winner would gain the soul of the now Dragonmaster Leo.

Convieniently laid flat on his back, still wearing his Dragonmaster gear, with Althena's sword at his side, and paralyzed by the Mask, the latent Dragonmaster lay at the top of the control tower of Garden.

Meanwhile, the first thing Majora did was unleash the mighty GFs the crests commanded. Eden, floating in space, keyed in on Garden. Diablos flew around to terrorrize the weak. Odin, galloping on his mighty steed, slew many with Zantetsuken. And the King of GFs, Bahamut, used his Mega Flare, and many were slain.

Lucia had arrived in Leo's mind too late to stop this. "Call them back! I'll not let you take the soul of the Dragonmaster!"

Majora laughed at her, her who thought she could save the champion of her world from his evil rule, "Try and stop me, little girl! Your creation cannot be used in the mind of another!"

Lucia didn't reply, but instead blasted Majora with Atomic Burn. Within this mental landscape, however, it seemed to do little to the demon. Majora's counter, a black bolt of searing death, did even less to Lucia's energy barrier.

Majora spoke up, "Seems to be a stalemate. While we fight here, the beings outside will cause much death and destruction."

Lucia ignored him, yelling instead at Leo, "Fight him, Leo! I cannot win without your help!"

Leo, locked within his own mind, was yet unable to reply.

And Lucia started to worry. Quite a bit.

(OOC: HA! And you thought I couldn't work Lucia into my story. Hehehe. You didn't think I'd let my favorite goddess get away did you?)

Last edited by Angelus on 12-07-2001 at 12:10 AM

Mog awoke to find himself alone in a small room. He tried, but he couldn't remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was the moon... falling. He stood up and stretched. "I musta been asleep for quite awhile," he said to himself. He bent down and picked up the two pieces of his broken spear. "Won't get much more use out of this," he sighed. He began to contemplate his situation. All right, I've really got to concentrate on winning this thing. I can't be so picky about my targets. But first I've got to find my friends again... Then he opened the door and stepped out into the fray.

---


Sponsoring Mog from Final Fantasy VI

All RIGHT! We're back in business!!! ^_______^ *cheers and cues up The Landing* GREAT location! I love FFVIII and Balamb Garden, so this is gonna be a blast! XDDD All right, a little bit of story....for future reference, I'm just gonna switch in between first and third person for my posts depending on my mood. Now then....

----------------------------------

....

Figures.

Of all the places to land....it HAD to be the mega-huge fountain they have in the middle of this weird place. Oh, pooh....why does this kind of stuff happen to me? Sometimes I think if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. *grumble* Urgh....I better get out of here before I catch a cold or something. Wouldn't THAT just be mega-perfect?

*Lemina climbs out of the fountain, dripping wet*

Brrr....it's not that cold in here, but when you're soaking....ugh. I think I need to warm up a little. *takes out her wand and channels some mild fiery energy, not for attack, but to warm the air around her*

Ah. Much better. Now, let's see if I can't find something interesting to do in this place....what IS this place, anyway? Guess there's only one way to find out....go explore. *wanders off*

Woo, we're back!

I've just thought. We're in FF8. Everyone hates SeeDs. SeeDs are soldiers, and are out to get us all. I can soldier-bash with immunity! YAY! Post coming shortly.

Zio rounded a corner after leaving the Dormitory Wing. Much to his chagrin, he heard a familiar voice casting curative spells on the children he'd just worked so hard to torment. With a sigh, he turned around and headed back into the dorm wing, a scowl upon his face.

"LUTZ!" he screamed, eyeing the white magician just as the group of children scurried into their rooms, out of harms' reach. "How dare you meddle in MY affairs, you worthless bastard!"

Zio's eyes flared red, burning with intense anger. He pointed his hands toward the mage, quickly uttering the words of a spell.

"VOL!" he yelled, as an intense wave of energy twisted and spiraled towards Lutz, bending and pulling upon his body as it hit. But Lutz's powers were too strong for the spell; what would have instantaneously killed any ordinary person likely didn't even break a bone in the man's body.

"FORCE FLASH!"

An enormous ball of light immediately launched forth from Zio's palm. Before one could even blink it connected with Lutz's chest, causing him to reel backwards into a wall.

"Foi, Wat, Thu!"

Fire shot forth from Zio's hand, a ball of water a stream of electricity following in succession. The three elements mixed in the air as they flew toward Lutz, the result being the powerful "Triblaster" technique slamming against Lutz's body at full force.

Glancing at the crumpled man on the floor, Zio knew there was no need to continue. Lutz would live through, he knew, but it was enough to give Zio satisfaction for now.

He turned once more, and Zio left the Dormitory for the second time, heading to his right for no particular reason as he came to the next corridor. He didn't know where he was at; what would his choice of direction matter?
__________________________________________________

1 Attack Vote to Lutz

---



Visit The Moogle Cafe! If you don't, we'll send a rabid pack of moogles to abduct you, anyway!

OOC: Yeah, I know, I know, I should be sleeping... but I can't resist. Three hours of sleep a night, here I come... I'm going to look like a zombie tomorrow...

-------

Queen Zeal sat in the cafeteria, sipping a cup of warm, deep-brown and rather stimulating liquid she had acquired from a vending machine located in the cafeteria.

"That's quite clever, you know. I praise you for the idea, your majesty..." she said a voice saying. Despite its superficial politeness, she could sense frankness and self-assuredness within it. The voice belonged to someone who had dealt with people of high standing before, and knew how they thought.

The voice belonged to Koren, of course. The Scarlet Magician approached the table where Zeal was sitting with sure, quick steps.

"And you, good sir, have played your cards rather well. I commend you for making it this far", Zeal returned the compliment, studying the man now that she, for once, could see him merely standing in front of her, instead of blasting someone or something into the air.

"Well, now, dear Queen, I think the question is - what would you do with such power, and what results would there be?" Koren said, stressing the word "results".

"What do you suppose yourself? This is a contest, after all. One wins, the others lose... one gets a wish, the others get nothing. Such is the game we play here." Queen Zeal answered, wondering what thougts lay in the mind of the red-caped magician.

Koren let a short smile rise to his lips. "I would hope it were this simple... but there's likely to be more to this, I fear." Zeal nodded, urging him to continue. "Tell me, Queen, how did we join this tournament?" Koren asked.

"Each of us was approached and requested by Yume to join", Zeal said, frowning at having to state such a self-evident matter.

"Precisely. We were all chosen by Yume - she said as much herself.", Koren said. "Chosen, to compete against each other in a gigantic festival, to fight against each other in a great massacre that spans through space and time. Chosen to do that, but chosen for what purpose? Frankly, I don't believe that someone like her could be amused by such trivial, barbaric fun as an open war between warriors like us."

"That's merely speculation", Zeal said, "you've no proof of any kind. Though there may be more underneath this contest, from what we've seen so far, this is one. We've already seen the fallen, who still linger around here with little to do."

"A fight in which the strongest survive... fascinating, isn't it? Why would Yume be interested in knowing who among us were the strongest? To merely give him a wish and then be on her way? Possible, though rather unlikely. And a wish... I wonder, would such power be even in the hands of someone as powerful as Yume? A single wish that could shape the very universe to a new direction. Why would Yume offer something so reckless and callous?"

"Honestly I believe the girl would have power to do such a thing. Building a contest such as this is enough of a miracle..."

"Perhaps, but even so... when I first met Yume, she called me a beggar, waiting outside the halls of fate. What she's doing, is going against very fate itself. You and I, we've both witnessed defeat by great enemies. Have you ever wondered why it happened, and what else could have even happened? Perhaps our defeats were written into fate... and we could not change them, even should we emerge victorious in this contest.

"So, are you saying that this all is for nothing, that no matter, no one gets a wish?" Zeal asked.

"For nothing? No. I think that deep down, every one of us, if not consciously, then subconsciously, was preparing for the possibility of not winning. In the end, each of us came here for another purpose... were it to meet friends lost in time, have revenge of enemies beyond one's reach, or simply experience again the joy of battle - indeed, you, my Queen, willingly joined as one who could not win this battle, but merely act as a spectator to the show." Koren said.

"That might explain why those who have already lost still come with us in this journey, even if weakened." Zeal said, taking a sip from her cup, irritably noting how it was starting to get cold.

"Even if we were told that we had no wish to win, I believe that we'd all go on, just to see where this battle would lead us. And then... what happens then, is in the hands of Yume. But there's another matter that also concerns me."

"And what is that?" Zeal asked.

"I've seen fighters and warriors with powers of a hundred man fall in this battle, and I've seen pesky thieves and helpless princesses live on to see the next tournament. This isn't a battle of power alone, or even a battle of strategy. How the survivors are determined, I have no idea. But I can say for certain, that simple power cannot ultimately be decisive in it." Koren said.

"So, Koren of Red Lotus", Queen Zeal said, standing up, forgetting the coffee cup, "what advice are you trying to give me, then?"

"Nothing definate. But expect the unexpected. Don't let your guard down. And don't put your trust on assumption. Solve the pattern that this game we're playing follows, and you'll learn what's inside of it. Even if you combine your power with the fallen, you can't be certain of the outcome. That is what I think. Take care, and make sure you won't have to face dire consequences of unconsidered actions."

Zeal sat down, pondering the words of the magician. He may even be right... thinking it as a mere contest might spell doom. But she was in the game for the fun. What danger could await her?

---

Say hello to iMac.


- Koren of Red Lotus - The Scarlet Magician - FFO Survivor 6

"You there! Freeze!" a voice yelled demandingly.

Without hestiation, Edge rolled across the floor, turned, raised a hand and unleashed a blast of Flame at the owner of the voice, realizing too late that the word 'freeze' had been intended as a command for Edge to stop, and not the name of some form of attack Magic.

The voice's owner, a young SeeD, jumped behind the large pillar rising up in the middle of the fountain, just barely escaping the blast. "Hey! I need backup here, now!"

It was pandemonium. The tournament participants were spread out all over the odd, watery castle, fighting even more chaotically than usual, and various soldiers, obviously the residents of the castle, were doing their best to stop them.

Wonder why Yume picked this spot? Oh well...

A sudden spray of fire brought Edge back to reality. What the hell is that thing, anyway? The soldier he had attacked was now attempting to blast him with some bizarre wand.

"Image!" Edge said, then ran at the soldier in a blur. The 'wand blasts,' which were actually machine gun bullets, sprayed out randomly, but none found a target.

The SeeD screamed as Edge jumped over him, then fainted as the ninja pinned his arms at his sides and held the Murasame to his throat.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't have to hurt the poor kid," Edge said casually. He bent down and retrieved the odd-shaped wand, placing it in the Masamune's sheathe, the sword which had most likely been destroyed already by Chaos.

Who knows, maybe Rydia'll know how to use it. The King decided then to find his love, who he had lost in the madness of the clock tower the night before, and headed toward the Garden's infirmary.

*****

It's good to be back!

Edit: Bwahahahaha.....Edge has a machine gun.....

Last edited by Exeter on 12-07-2001 at 01:17 AM