Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The chronicles of Four! ❯ Into the darkness of the Water Fiend ( Chapter 23 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any FF games or 8-Bit.

 

Black Belt was shivering as he hid in the tree, trying to keep the psychotic swordsman from killing him. All around, people tried to calm the blonde down, but not even Sabin had any luck.

 

“Dude, you have to calm down! He didn't know you were a guy! Hell, I still think you're a girl!” Sabin cried, trying to restrain the blonde, who was fuming and foaming at the mouth. He struggled a bit more, but couldn't break free of Sabin's grip.

 

“LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HIM!” he screamed, as a young man in blue armor took the blonde's sword and told Sabin to let him go.

 

“Zero, stop it or I'll cut off your hair and feed it to you.” he warned, and the blonde, who obviously was Zero, sulked.

 

“But... but he called me a girl!” Zero whined, pointing to Black Belt, who was slowly climbing out of the tree. He landed on his feet.

 

“I'm really sorry about that. Can we just forget it though? We have a job to do.” he said, as Zero nodded reluctantly. Black Belt walked back to the podium as the crowd began to reform from the excitement. Black Belt took the microphone and said, “So, as it stands, we need some ideas for housing structures before we begin. Who has any ideas?” Not to his surprise, only a few people had their hands raised.

 

“I think we should build a huge castle for the town hall! With gardens and a cemetery, and a creepy fence to keep intruders out.” One man called out. Black Belt shrugged.

 

“Hmm.. I'll consider that. What's your name?” Black Belt asked.

 

“Nathan.” the man replied, flicking back his white hair.

 

“Okay, Nathan. You and that Zero guy will be in charge of finding bricks and tiles to work with to build the foundation.” Black Belt said, “Any other ideas?” A girl raised her hand this time.

 

“We should have a fountain! It would look really cool in the town square!” she exclaimed, closing her eyes in happiness. Black Belt smiled.

 

“It would indeed. What's your name?” he asked. The girl giggled.

 

“Iris!” she chirped.

 

“Okay. Iris, I'm putting you in charge of the blueprint for the fountain, and I want you and as many friends as you have to find some flower seeds to plant.” Black Belt replied, and Iris nodded vigorously. Little by little, Black Belt assigned everyone assembled a job, and soon the groups began to look for wood, seeds, or whatever they were ordered to find. Black Belt walked off the podium and grinned as he watched everyone.

 

“This is the best crew we could ask for. I have a feeling we'll get this town built very quickly!” he said happily, smiling.

 

---

 

Meanwhile, our heroes pondered carefully on just how to get out of their current problem, which was being buried under a pile of plaster. Thief had suggested that maybe Black Mage used a Fire3 spell to blast their way out, but that had quickly been ruled out. Red Mage asked if a Mini spell would work, but White Mage didn't know Mini. Black Mage even tried his Saber spell to raise his strength to move the plaster, but it had nearly no effect.

 

“Now what?” Thief asked, as Black Mage fell backwards, “We've nearly run out of options.” Red Mage wasn't ready to give up as he searched his brain for an answer. But Thief was right. They'd used almost every option they could think of, and they had no results.

 

“There has to be a way! I will not accept defeat!” Red Mage growled, plunging his sword into the piece of plaster he'd been sitting on. He felt it split, and then it collapsed, and he landed roughly on the floor. Black Mage snickered.

 

“Smooth move, doofus.” he commented, as Red Mage got up. But White Mage seemed impressed.

 

“RM, look! You shattered the plaster!” she exclaimed. Red Mage looked at her with mild confusion.

 

“I can see that. What's the point?” he asked, retrieving his sword.

 

“Don't you see? The plaster might be too heavy to lift, but it's also so moldy that it breaks with one blow.” White Mage explained, picking up her hammer, “Do you get my point now?” Red Mage smiled.

 

“Of course! It's ingenious! I don't see why we didn't think of it sooner!” he said, and gestured everyone to draw their weapons, “Everyone, attack with all your might!” And instantly, everyone attacked any piece of plaster they saw. And as White Mage said, it crumbled with just one attack, even from Black Mage! Within mere minutes, their prison had been reduced to almost nothing. Thief wiped his forehead and put his katana away.

 

“We did it! We're free!” he cried happily. But Black Mage blinked blankly.

 

“I hate to drag you down, but we're not free. The door to the second floor is covered with seaweed and the door to the third is locked. We're just as stuck as we were before.” Black Mage commented. Red Mage walked up the stairs and checked the lock, only to find that it had fallen off from the cave-in.

 

“It's not locked, guys.” he called, and everyone looked up at him, “The force of the collapse must have caused the chains to weaken a bit, so if any plaster fell, it'd break instantly.” Black Mage ran up to see for himself, and couldn't find anything to prove Red Mage wrong.

 

“Does this mean we're near Kraken then?” he asked, as Red Mage walked up to the third floor. Thief walked by next.

 

“On the contrary, I think we're far from him. This would be too easy if he were right there.” Thief replied grimly, stepping onto the third floor as well. He shielded his eyes as sunlight shined through the water onto the unroofed floor, and guessed they were on the top. Maybe he was wrong.

 

“But we did just survive a cave in.” White Mage stated, walked up with Black Mage, “Besides, this seems to be the top floor. Where else could we go?”

 

“He could be in one of these rooms. We should check.” Red Mage said, and opened the door to the closest room. But instead of a monster, Red Mage found a young girl with a fish tail for the lower part of her body. She looked very weak as she laid on her bed.

 

“A mermaid...” he whispered silently, but it still caught her attention. She looked at him with tired eyes.

 

“Are you... the ones we seek?” she asked, as she coughed. Red Mage slowly walked in to allow the other three to look. They gasped as they saw the mermaid's condition. White Mage ran in and immediately cast a cure spell, only to have it fail.

 

“What? Why didn't my spell work?” White Mage asked. The mermaid smiled weakly at her as her tail flopped onto the floor.

 

“Your magic cannot affect me underwater.” she explained, “But please... are you the ones we seek?” Black Mage put down his staff and leaned against the wall.

 

“It depends. Who is it you're seeking?” he asked. Red Mage helped the mermaid as she tried to sit up a little straighter.

 

“The Light Warriors...” she gasped, “We have been waiting for them for the past 10 years... One of them showed up to fight Kraken, but we haven't seen him since we opened the gates to the dungeons.” Red Mage's eyes widened as he thought back to his father's journal. The last place he recorded was the Water Shrine. The last place anyone saw him was in the Water Shrine. Without hesitation, Red Mage asked the question plaguing his mind.

 

“Was his name... Cid?” Red Mage asked. The mermaid nodded weakly.

 

“Yes. Why? Have you seen him? Has he defeated Kraken yet?” she asked, as a few more mermaids swam out of their rooms to gather. The four warriors could feel the hope and anxiety spilling into the room, and it nearly crushed Red Mage to answer.

 

“...Cid is my father...” Red Mage replied, sadly, “Or... was. I don't know where he is, but he hasn't defeated Kraken... I came here to find him.” Red Mage closed his eyes, afraid to look into the disappointed faces of the mermaids. But one mermaid put her hand on his shoulder in comfort.

 

“We are sorry for your loss...” She said, “Chances are, he was killed by Kraken.”

 

“I know... but I must know where his body is. I need to know for sure that he is dead.” Red Mage said, and his voice grew with determination, “And if he is, then I will kill Kraken with twice the vengeance.” Another mermaid swam in happily, and everyone felt the hope pouring through her. She stopped in front of the first mermaid and looked down at the warriors.

 

“We'll help you any way we can!” she said cheerfully, then turned to the first mermaid, “Right, sis?” The first mermaid nodded, but Thief protested.

 

“Do not take offense, but you all are weak from being here with Kraken. We don't want you to use your powers if it'll hurt you.” Thief stated, placing his hand on his heart. Some of the mermaids giggled, but some of the older ones could barely smile at the kind remark.

 

“It is a kind gesture, child.” A rather old-looking mermaid croaked, “But we want Kraken to die as much as you do. Failure is no option, and even if it should cost us, we will do what we can to ensure this world's safety.” She flicked back her gray hair majestically in dignified pride. Black Mage tilted his head in curiosity.

 

“And we shall accept. But, and don't mind me asking, what kind of assistance can you give us? As the Light Warriors, we can't put you in danger.” Black Mage said sternly. The mermaid sitting beside her sister giggled again as she twirled around Black Mage.

 

“We can open the path to Kraken's lair!” she chirped happily, “And we'll answer any questions you have about him!” Black Mage smiled approvingly, and stepped back to let one of his comrades ask any questions before the gate to Kraken was opened. To his surprise, White Mage stepped forward rather than Red Mage.

 

“If my magic spell couldn't cure you, does this mean magic won't affect Kraken either?” White Mage asked, “Does he have a weakness or strength we need to be aware of?” The older mermaid placed her hand on her chin in thought as she answered.

 

“Unfortunately, yes. Magic will have little effect on the old fool, thanks to the underwater pressure. However, it can still prove useful to you in terms of powering yourself up. That kind of magic isn't affected by pressure simply because it is of the mind, and not of this physical world.” she explained. Thief blinked as he tried to process this information.

 

“I'm not quite sure I get what you mean. Why is it of the mind? What's not physical about it?” Thief asked, raising an eyebrow. He tried to think it out in his head, but he was pretty sure his brain would melt before he got it. Black Mage sighed.

 

“What she means is, the ability to raise our own attributes isn't affected because we can't SEE it. If we were to cast a Bolt spell, that energy would have to manifest itself into a form of some kind just to be able to hit our target. But my Saber spell or WM's Blink spell will still work because it's merely a surge of power entering our bodies. There's no actual physical form needed to see the effects.” Black Mage explained, and began to pant after putting the term to a form even Thief could understand. Thief merely scratched his head.

 

“I still don't get why regular spells won't work.” he said. Black Mage twitched as he resisted a familiar urge to choke Thief.

 

“The physical forms will weigh more underwater, they'll be too heavy to focus.” Red Mage replied quickly, and thankfully, Thief understood. The older mermaid cleared her throat to signal that she was about to speak again. The four quickly snapped to their attention.

 

“Magical properties aside, are you four prepared to go and face Kraken?” she asked, “I don't mean to rush, but we are running out of time.” Red Mage bowed politely.

 

“I'm sorry. Yes, I believe we are prepared.” he replied. The older mermaid nodded, and with a flick of her wrist, began to glow. The doorway on the other side of the room of rooms, which had previously been covered with thick seaweed, began to open. The other mermaids slowly began to glow until the entire hall filled with a marvelous light. The seaweed let go of the door, and it was soon opened completely, revealing nothing but darkness. Leaving the mermaids to watch in silent wonderment, the four walked through the door, which closed as soon as Thief, who brought up the rear, passed by.

 

Once the door shut, the warriors saw why everyone was so afraid of Kraken. The door had blocked off all source of heat, making it very cold, as well as blocking off any light from coming through. Within five steps, Black Mage made a ball of light in his palm so they could see where they were going. But it helped very little as they looked down the corridor. It looked like an almost endless line leading into a thick fog of darkness, and the fact that the walls were covered in a thin sheet of ice only made the corridor scarier.

 

“How can ice form when it's this warm out?” White Mage asked as they walked through cautiously. The walls made her voice sound much louder than she actually intended, and it made her jump. Red Mage chuckled.

 

“The door is blocking the heat.” Red Mage answered, “Anyway, this definitely seems like a place for a fiend to hide.” Black Mage, who'd been leading, glanced back for a second.

 

“The question is, where? This is just a big hallway. We haven't come across any doors since we started. I'm beginning to wonder if this is even the right way.” Black Mage muttered, until he stopped dead in his tracks. Thief accidentally knocked into him and soon saw what the stop was for. Only a few feet away, a silhouetted figure sat, staring into the darkness. Not wanting to attract its attention, everyone stood still, watching for its next action. But it didn't move.

 

“Should we go see what it is?” White Mage whispered, shivering from the cold. Red Mage stepped forward.

 

“It couldn't hurt.” he replied, walking over to the silhouette, “Excuse me, but is everything okay here?” The figure turned to look at Red Mage, and the shadow around it vanished to reveal a middle-aged, ragged, thin man with short red hair. His cape was tattered to pieces and his armor was cracked. Red Mage recognized him almost instantly.

 

“I've waited for someone to find me for a long time, Relik.” the man said, quietly. His voice held a lot of strain. Tears fell from Red Mage's face as he heard that voice.

 

“Dad...?” he asked, “Is that really you? But... why? Why haven't you come back? Did you defeat Kraken? What's going on?” The older man tried to signal for Red Mage to calm down, but emotions ruled Red Mage's heart as he hugged his father. Thief, and the two mages, simply watched patiently. The older man, Cid, looked at his son seriously.

 

“Kraken is still alive, son. And the reason I haven't returned is because I can't.” Cid answered, his own eyes beginning to fill with tears.

 

“Why not? Are you hurt? We can always teleport you to safety.” Thief said, but Cid merely shook his head.

 

“No, I am not hurt.” Cid replied, “I am dead.” Red Mage suddenly pulled away in shock, gasping for air. Black Mage stumbled a bit as he heard the news, and White Mage was shaking a bit. Thief stared, his mouth agape with disbelief.

 

“You're... you're dead?” Black Mage asked, “How... how is this possible?” Cid sighed as he got up off the ground.

 

“It's a difficult thing to explain, children. But my will transcends death, at least until I tell you what I need to tell you.” Cid said simply. Red Mage dried his tears quickly, but the sadness still showed in his red face.

 

“Well... what is it? What do you need to tell us?” Red Mage said, trying to refrain from crying. Cid smiled, but with sadness as he looked towards the floor.

 

“You must defeat Kraken. We all know this. But there is a special way to defeat him.” Cid began, and his stern expression returned, “Neither magic nor weapon does good for him, because he gets his powers from the water.”

 

“The mermaids said to just use ability-raising spells. No biggie.” Black Mage interrupted, casually. But Cid glared at him, and he shrunk back.

 

“It's quite a biggie, boy. Eventually those spells wear off, but Kraken will still be at full power! Now listen to me and stop interrupting. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can't show you a thing or two about respect!” Cid exclaimed before continuing, “Anyway, that's how he defeated me, by using the power of water.” Thief leaned back a little.

 

“So, what you're saying is, we need to cut off this power.” he said, “But how are we going to do that? Lift him out of the water? That's crazy!”

 

“Maybe not...” Red Mage stated, “If we can get him to chase us, we could lead him to shore. Then we could blast him with every spell we have.” Black Mage scoffed, and folded his arms.

 

“We could, but just how are we going to outrun him?” Black Mage asked, and pulled out a picture of an octopus, “He's from the octopi family. He has eight arms, maybe even more, to ensnare us with and crush us to death. And even without them, he's still faster. It's a nice plan, but highly unrealistic.” Cid had begun stroking his hair back as Black Mage ranted on about Kraken, trying to think of just how they could pull their plan off. Suddenly, it hit him.

 

“It's not impossible! But you will need a few things.” Cid said, and a cocky smile spread across his face, “First off, does any of you know the Blink spell?” Not surprisingly, White Mage rose her hand.

 

“Yes, but what good will that do?” she asked.

 

“Blink creates illusionary copies of someone. We'll use that to create a decoy of one of you to insult Kraken. Meanwhile, you all should focus on getting back to the entrance where my sub is waiting. That can definitely outrun that old sushi platter of a fiend.” Cid explained further. Everyone began to smile and smirk too, but Black Mage still didn't look the least bit convinced.

 

“Guys, don't you remember the seaweed? It blocked the path to the second floor! We're still stuck.” he stated, and Thief began to become discouraged. But Cid laughed.

 

“You're not stuck! The mermaids were all behind the seaweed. They were leading you here. But now that you got what you need, I bet it's gone.” Cid said. Black Mage had a look of pure rage on his face.

 

“THEY TRICKED US!?” he screamed, as a vein throbbed in his head, “Why those little...” White Mage quickly grabbed Black Mage's arms to keep him from killing anyone.

 

“BM, the point is that we're okay. Now let's get moving before the world's biggest seafood salad gets here.” Thief said. He went to stroll forward until Cid stopped him. Cid looked at everyone with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

 

“Good luck to all of you.” he said, and turned to Red Mage, “Relik... go get `em, son. Show him that the Highwinds are never to be messed with! And make your old man proud!” Cid gave Red Mage a salute, which was promptly returned.

 

“Don't worry, dad. I'll do even better than that!” Red Mage replied confidently. Cid laughed again.

 

“Oh you will, will you? Well now...” Cid was about to say something else until he started glowing. Then, he started to slowly fade away, and he screamed in pain. Everyone covered their ears as a blast of light erupted, and then Cid was nowhere to be seen. Red Mage looked around frantically.

 

“D-dad!? Dad, where are you!?” Red Mage cried, looking everywhere. But instead of hearing his father's voice, he heard maniacal laughter, and suddenly it grew even darker than before. And the voice that came next was no comfort.

 

“So, you are the fools who think to stop me? Ha! Such a pity...” it scorned. It hurt each of the warriors to hear such a voice, but they took it with determination.

 

“Like you'd stop us! We've already gotten two orbs!” Thief exclaimed proudly. But this merely caused the voice to laugh even harder.

 

“And you've won by mere fluke! That fool, Lich. He was too concerned with gaining back his own life to care for his destiny for power! And Kary... useless Kary. She saw how ridiculous this was, yet her attempts were all in vain.” the voice laughed with mockery. Red Mage drew his sword.

 

“How DARE you talk about Kary like that!” he screamed, and he looked as dangerous as he now felt, “She was our friend! She died giving us a chance!”

 

“No!” the voice hissed, “I killed her so I could get to you sooner. That little volcanic eruption happened because I manipulated the water around the volcano.” Red Mage nearly dropped his sword.

 

“You... you did that? But why?” White Mage asked. The voice laughed yet again.

 

“Why? For power. I shall be this world's one true ruler, and I'll even kill off the fourth fiend if that's what it takes!” the voice boomed, “But if you truly feel you can stop me, go ahead...” With that, the four heard a rumbling ahead, and a door opened up. Red Mage turned back around towards his friends.

 

“We must stop him, and we must do it NOW! He is no ordinary fiend. I can feel an incredible evil in him, one that the last two fiends just didn't have. Are you three ready?” he asked. Everyone nodded.

 

“I'm in.” Thief said.

 

“Let's kill him!” Black Mage cried out, and everyone ran down the hallway, to the door into Kraken's lair...

 

---

 

Well, now it's our heroes versus Kraken, the most evil fiend our heroes have come upon yet! Can they hope to stand even a chance against him? Are they too late to save the mermaids? What made this fiend more vile than the others? And will Cid's advice help? Find out in the next chapter, so click that review button!