Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The chronicles of Four! ❯ Familiar stories, familiar threats, and familiar lands ( Chapter 27 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any FF games, and because of the big dudes on this site, I can't do much except thank you all for your support. I never realized my FF story would be this awesome. And no, RM IS NOT paired up with Tiamat. I will never own THAT pairing.

 

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“Aw man, I HATE these things!” Black Belt yelled, as he punched another Mad Oscar in the face. It had been two hours since Fighter had brought news of the world's deadliest monster, and Black Belt had just killed over seven of them. Fighter, who wasn't nearly as skilled, could only deflect its attacks.

 

“Stay strong, BB! We have to hold them off until Sabin comes back!” Fighter called back, stabbing another Oscar with his blade.

 

“News flash. SABIN'S NOT COMING BACK!” Black Belt screamed, “He ran for the hills when you came back! EVERYONE ran for the hills! We're the only ones left!”

 

“Well, at least no one will get in our way then.” Fighter replied brightly, but that only seemed to make Black Belt angrier. But just then, a giant meteor slammed into multiple Oscars, wiping most of the ones in view out. Black Belt, who was just about to scream at Fighter, merely left his mouth agape.

 

“What the hell was that!?” he asked, looking around. Then Fighter pointed out a lone figure walking towards them. She had long black hair, and was wearing a black dress with a ton of belts on her skirt. To set her odd style just right, she was carrying a moogle doll.

 

“Do you gentlemen need some help?” she asked, “I heard the Oscars all the way from my island home, and came to help.” Black Belt smiled and explained the situation, but Fighter simply stood there, thunderstruck.

 

“All right, so you're saying that your friend angered them?” the lady asked.

 

“Yes. This doofus right here has been nothing but trouble.” Black Belt replied, pointing to Fighter, who looked like he might have been daydreaming.

 

“I see. Well, if I'm to help you, can I get your names?” she asked, “I'm Lulu.” Black Belt held out his hand and Lulu shook it.

 

“Nice to meet you. I'm Black Belt, the leader of this... well, WAS the leader of what was supposed to be a city.” Black Belt said, and turned sharply to Fighter after a minute of silence, “Say something!”

 

“Duuuuuurrhhh....” Fighter said, until Black Belt snapped his fingers, “You're real pretty, Lulu.” This statement alone made Lulu realize maybe she should've just stayed home as the Oscars marched onward.

 

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“Hast thou the ability to speak to thee?” The queen asked, as Red Mage approached the throne. He knelt down, and took off his hat before responding.

 

“Forgive me, my lady. I did not expect to meet the fiend of wind.” Red Mage replied politely, choosing his words carefully in fear of offending her, “We are the Light Warriors, on a simple quest to help the people of Lufenia.” The queen considered this carefully, and finally waved her hand in the air.

 

“Ah, I hath been expecting you.” she said, “I am to guess this has something to do with thy crystal of air?” Thief, who couldn't control himself, walked up next to Red Mage.

 

“Actually, your highness, we came to find out why the gales are becoming so strong. The people of Lufenia are suffering, but they can't do anything because they're worried about your health.” Thief explained. Red Mage's eyes widened, for he was sure the queen would torch them now. But instead, she chuckled.

 

“Ah, yes. I've noticed that the people do not revolt, even though I am indeed a fiend.” she said, “Now, I do not wish to fight, so please state your case.” Red Mage cleared his throat with relief and continued.

 

“We are sure this isn't a fault of yours intentionally, but we must ask, my lady. Is there something wrong? A health problem?” Red Mage asked.

 

“Please, call me Tiamat. We haven't the time for formalities.” Tiamat said, “And yes, there is a problem. Many years ago, I too took the same journey to help find the crystals, with the thought that we were protecting them. However, when I found out this was not the case, I suggested we each protect our own crystal, so that even if one of us falls, the other crystals will be well away from one another.” White Mage remembered frantically what Kraken said.

 

“But Tiamat, Kraken double-crossed you!” she said worriedly, “He... he killed Kary... and he's the reason Melmond was rotting...” White Mage tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes, but it was in vain as she began to remember all of what Kraken had told them.

 

“It's true, Tiamat. We saw Kary die with our own eyes, and Kraken told us everything. He manipulated the water to kill her, and he drained the earth of water to weaken Lich.” Red Mage added, “He was planning on taking all of the crystals to unleash Chaos.” Tiamat began to look worried, but tried to keep it under control as she asked her next question.

 

“And where is he now? And the other crystals?” she asked.

 

“Oh, we kicked Kraken's ass in six seconds. He's fried to a crisp.” Black Mage replied proudly, “As for the crystals, they're relit and we have three of the orbs lit up too.” Black Mage took out the orb of earth as Thief took out the orb of water. Red Mage gave Tiamat the orb of fire, which she examined carefully.

 

“For now, then, we are safe.” she said, “If you've defeated Kraken, then there is no need to worry about Chaos for now, though he will come soon. But for now, we have more pressing matters.” Red Mage nodded.

 

“You mean Lufenia?” he asked, but Tiamat shook her head.

 

“No. We must see this in a larger scale. But before we can figure out what to do next, tell me all that you can about what you've learned of the previous fiends.” Tiamat said, “They each hold something more valuable to defeat Chaos than any crystal.”

 

“Well, Lich wasn't really too much of a challenge. In fact, he kind of killed himself.” Black Mage said, “Outwitting him wasn't hard.”

 

“But Kary was willing to help us. And for some reason, Kraken felt he had to kill her.” Thief said, “But that's what we can't figure out. Why would he kill a fellow fiend?” Tiamat adjusted her glasses before answering.

 

“Because he works for Chaos. He is the one who began our journey to collecting the crystals in the first place... and we never realized all this time he was using us.” Tiamat began to explain, “You see, after we went our own ways, I still kept in touch with Kary. She was my best friend. I told her what I found out, and we both decided that Chaos must never be unleashed.”

 

“But if you're fiends, isn't Chaos your friend?” Black Mage asked. Tiamat shook her head grimly.

 

“No. Far from it. We were nothing more than sacrifices to him, with Kraken being the only exception for his work. And, with our powers, Chaos would've been able to crush anything. The world as we knew it would've been destroyed completely.” Tiamat said, “We fiends do not even come from this time. You see, in our time, we succeeded in getting the crystals, only to realize the horrible mistake we made.” Black Mage waved his hand tiredly.

 

“And let me guess, Kraken double-crossed you then, too.” he said. Tiamat nodded.

 

“Yes. He stole the crystals and fled to the Temple of Fiends to summon Chaos. But Kary found a plan to stop him. Together, she, Lich, and I created a machine to transport us into the future. We took the crystals back and hid them in a time so far into the future that Kraken wouldn't find them.” Tiamat said, but she looked even more depressed than before.

 

“But it didn't work. Kraken's obvious proof of that.” White Mage stated, “What happened?”

 

“Kraken forced it out of Lich. Drove the poor soul crazy, and left him in the dying lands of Melmond in the future as punishment for his betrayal. But he had even worse punishment for Kary and I.” Tiamat explained again, “But luckily, we were able to help Lich recover some of his mind. We told him that four warriors would come to help us stop Kraken.”

 

“But he seemed completely insane when we fought him. Did he really know?” Thief asked. Tiamat nodded again, and looked at a picture of Lich on her wall.

 

“He knew quite well. That's why he put up no challenge at all. He knew he hadn't any time left, and so he made you think he was crazy so you would take the crystal's light with no hesitation. Unlike Kary and I, it never fully occurred to him to help you.” Tiamat said, “But we were all on your side.” The four warriors looked at each other in complete confusion as they processed what Tiamat had told them. Although her story cleared up some earlier questions, it also brought more riddles that had to be solved.

 

“Tiamat, if you were traveling to help stop the crystals, who was back in time working the machine?” Red Mage asked, “Maybe if we had a lead to go by, we'd be able to permanently stop Chaos.” Tiamat seemed to consider the idea, but there was a flaw. She couldn't remember anyone who'd be able to run the machine.

 

“Time travel does a bit of damage to one's mind. It can erase certain memories if the traveler isn't careful...” Tiamat said, sadly, “I could not even remember my husband's name.” Red Mage and White Mage patted Tiamat comfortingly, but Black Mage merely scoffed.

 

“That's a pretty convenient thing to forget, isn't it?” Black Mage asked, “Not remembering who helped you get here? That could be a simple cover-up for whoever is really behind this.”

 

“Black Mage!” Red Mage hissed angrily, then turned to the queen, “I'm sorry... lately, we've had so many mysteries and unanswered questions, it's hard to tell who we can actually trust.” Tiamat smiled and nodded.

 

“I understand. Believe me, I would distrust you if I were in your place.” she said, “However, I'm not to ask you to trust me, but I will hand over the Crystal of air if it means stopping Chaos.” A smile of relief passed White Mage and Thief, and even Red Mage was glad that Tiamat was so willing to help. But Black Mage wasn't convinced at all. He was still sure she was hiding something.

 

“Guys, stop!” Black Mage exclaimed angrily, when his friends were practically dancing, “Something's still bugging me. Tiamat, don't mind me asking, but IF you're a fiend, WHY are you helping us? Why do you want to stop Chaos? I know he'll sacrifice you, but in essences, wouldn't you be acquiring ultimate power?” The other three stopped dancing and turned to look at Tiamat. The old dragon sighed heavily, and six of her seven heads closed their eyes.

 

“What is a fiend, but a person of which no one wants to understand?” Tiamat asked, calmly, “We fiends are like you humans. We have minds and feelings, just as you. We are just different, that is why we're fiends. Not because of our hearts, but because of our looks.” Red Mage smiled at hearing the statement, but Black Mage's frown simply grew.

 

“We aren't here for riddles, old-timer.” he stated simply. Tiamat put her claw to her forehead as though she had a headache, but she continued.

 

“You misunderstand me. Our minds are still pure even though we are different. None of us, with the exception of Kraken, protected the crystals to absorb their power. We sought to protect this world, which we love so dearly. It was this planet that allowed us to live even though we were hated by humans.” Tiamat replied, just as calmly as before, “We didn't think for a second to revive Chaos until Kraken brought it up. That was when the great fight between us all broke out. Because only one of us wanted to destroy the world.” Thief suddenly remembered something from quite a while ago.

 

“Wait... this sounds familiar.” he said. White Mage agreed as well.

 

“A great fight... wasn't this what Mat told us back in Elfheim?” White Mage asked, and Tiamat chuckled.

 

“I see you do remember my clone.” she said, and pointed a claw towards a back wall. There stood a large table, but in the middle was a single crystal globe, and in that globe, was a miniature dragon, Mat. Thief ran over and poked the globe.

 

“It's Mat! But... Tiamat... that was you who helped us?” Thief asked. The old dragon nodded shyly.

 

“Yes. But I knew that I couldn't reveal my true name, so I used a new alias to talk to you.” Tiamat admitted.

 

“Then why couldn't you tell us this crap earlier?” Black Mage asked, placing his hands on his hips. Tiamat snapped her fingers and the globe merely vanished.

 

“Because Mat is completely comprised of my magic, which as you can see, has its limits. If I were to explain to you the complexity of our origins, it would use so much of my magic that I would most likely have passed away before you could claim the Crystal of Air, and it would have left my crystal vulnerable to Kraken.” Tiamat explained, and Black Mage nodded with understanding, “Speaking of the Crystal, I fear there is no time left to talk. As we speak, I can feel Chaos stirring in my original time, trying to rip through the gates of time. Come.” With that, Tiamat hoisted herself off the throne, and climbed over towards a large door. Speaking in the ancient language of the dragons, she opened the door and crawled in, the four warriors right behind her. There, in the middle of the room, stood the large crystal, spinning in a gentle motion and emitting small bursts of wind.

 

“This is it... this is the last one before we can stop Chaos...” Red Mage commented, as he gazed at the large crystal. Tiamat nodded firmly, and with little effort, took the crystal gently off its altar and held it out towards Red Mage.

 

“You must stop Chaos. He was too powerful, and even though you have all of the orbs relit, and the crystals shining, he may still be able to tear through the gates of time. Hold up the orb.” Tiamat commanded softly. Red Mage took out the last gray orb and held it up to the crystal. The two items immediately reacted to each other. The orb seemed to absorb all the light in the room, and the crystal began to spin faster until the entire room exploded with the light and gusts of the crystal. Red Mage could hear his friends behind him as they lifted their arms to shield their eyes. He could hear Tiamat's wings flap to shield both herself and him from the wind. And he could hear the guards speaking in worried tones, wondering if they should intervene. But finally, it all began to die down. The wind slowly faded, the light slowly burned down, and everyone began to look around the room, only to find it in complete ruin.

 

“Wow... that crystal... it gave off so much power...” Black Mage said, as he walked around the destroyed room. Even the throne room was damaged from the powerful winds. Red Mage looked at Tiamat and saw that her glasses had been crushed in the light.

 

“Tiamat... your glasses... are you able to see?” he asked. Tiamat, with an incredible look of happiness, nodded.

 

“Yes. The light restored my eyes. I can see even better now.” she replied, and turned to the warriors, “You have saved me from a life of darkness. I am in your debt, gratefully. Is there any way I can help you?” Black Mage seemed to be considering his options, which Thief was sure was going to be a large amount of money. But it wasn't, to his surprise.

 

“An old bag like you shouldn't be moving much, so we can't take you with us...” Black Mage murmured, and snapped his fingers, “If you could tell us how to reach Chaos, that would be enough!” Thief and Red Mage looked over at Black Mage, impressed. Usually, he'd be complaining or asking for more than his share, but this time, he was actually being reasonable! Was that class change shining through again? Either way, the two surprised warriors were snapped back to attention as Tiamat spoke.

 

“Of course. The gates of time are located in the Temple of Fiends, I'm sure. They were in our time, so they might still be there now. Go there.” Tiamat explained, and added, “And use the Lute of Light to shatter the barrier of time.” Red Mage, who was walking out as Tiamat spoke, screeched to a stop and turned around.

 

“Tiamat, how did you know about the Lute? I thought only Princess Sara knew about it.” he said. Tiamat grinned.

 

“Because that Lute is mine. Long ago, after I crossed the gates with Kary and Lich, I sealed up the gate's magic using that Lute, and gave it to the queen of Corneria at the time. I asked her to hand it down to her daughter, and to have her hand it down to generations to come.” Tiamat replied, “That is how much we must work together. Even from the very beginning, I helped you.” One by one, the warriors paid their respects to Tiamat before leaving the castle, by way of parachute from one of the guards. Before leaving, Red Mage turned around again and smiled at Tiamat.

 

“Thank you. Honestly. We would never have made it so far without you.” Red Mage said, and jumped off the broken balcony, onto the lands far below.

 

When he landed, Red Mage knew he wasn't in the desert anymore. He also knew that wherever he was, the Temple of Fiends was quite close. To the left of him, Thief was busy making sure their supplies survived the plunge, and to the right, Black and White Mage were talking about something. He walked over to his fellow mages.

 

“How is everything? Did we all survive?” he asked. Black Mage, who had finished talking, looked at him and nodded.

 

“Just look around you. We're all okay.” Black Mage replied, annoyed, “But something's still telling me this was a set up. Tiamat seemed a little too eager to help us.”

 

“Either way, we need to stop Chaos. According to Tiamat, if we don't, it means the world.” Red Mage said sternly, “And I do like living here.” Thief, who had packed up all of their potions, held up a map and gave a shrill whistle.

 

“Guys, get this. One side of the Sky Castle overlooked the Pravoca plains! We're almost at Corneria, which is close to the temple!” Thief exclaimed. White Mage walked over and looked carefully at the map, and then at the bag of supplies. Even though everything had survived, their stock was getting bare. White Mage doubted that they even had 20 potions.

 

“Should we stop by Corneria and pick up some stuff?” she asked, “We'll definitely need some potions, and another sword for Thief won't hurt.” Red Mage looked over the horizon towards Corneria continent. He could barely make out the castle from the distance, but he agreed a pit stop was best. Slinging the pack against his shoulder, Red Mage led the way towards the bridge as the sky began to darken with night. However, his cheerful mood faded when he smelled something burning across the bridge.

 

“Hey, does anyone else smell that too? Or is it just me?” Thief asked. Red Mage's brow deepened.

 

“I smell it too. Come on, let's go check it out.” he commanded, and dashed across the bridge. Confused, the other three followed, and nearly choked on what they saw. Corneria was burning down, and smoke billowed out of every house, yard, and shop there. Red Mage took a step, and stopped when he saw the fire reflected off his sword.

 

“Who could've done this...?” White Mage asked, scooping up a handful of ash. Red Mage looked down.

 

“Chaos did... I'm sure of it.” Red Mage said, “Tiamat said that he was trying to tear the gate open. Well, what if he has already?” Thief clenched his fists as he watched a house collapse in flames.

 

“Then let's not waste any more time. Let's go show that freak exactly who he's messing with.” Thief said, through clenched teeth. Even Black Mage seemed shaken from the sight of Corneria being burned to cinders. They turned to the meadows, and saw that it was slowly becoming in just as worse a state. The grass wasn't green anymore, but rather an unsightly brown. Trees were destroyed, and the path was brushed away. Wolves were lying dead all around, and imps were scattered across the fields, either dead or unconscious.

 

“This... this is too much.” Red Mage whispered, “Who knows how much damage Chaos has already done.” Without thinking another thing, the four ran down the fields towards the temple, which was in ruins. But they began to notice that the area around the temple was unharmed.

 

“Wow, it looks like Chaos prefers a nice place to live too.” Black Mage commented, as they slowed to a stop in front of the stone steps. Thief and White Mage looked on, but Red Mage was focused on who was waiting outside. It was none other than Matoya, along with Bikke, and Dr. Unne. Even Garland was there, though he looked very dazed. Red Mage walked over, Black Mage by his side.

 

“Matoya? What's going on? Why is everything destroyed?” Red Mage asked. The old witch looked at Red Mage, and he could see her frown widen.

 

“It is time. Chaos has arrived here...” she said, “Garland has seen him with his own eyes.” Garland, who was sitting on a small box, got up and began to tell his tale.

 

“He was horrible. A massive creature... the head of a dark knight, but he was no human. He brushed me aside with a sweep of one of his wings.” Garland said, “He went on to cause destruction, but after that, I passed out from sheer horror.” Bikke spoke next.

 

“Argh, he came to Pravoca and started blowin' and howlin' at everything. He caused fires to ravage the land and all.” Bikke said, and Red Mage noticed a tear in his eyes, “He burned me ship to ashes... and he took me Faris away for good.” Red Mage looked down in sorrow, unable to find words to fit his feelings. But the bad news didn't end as Dr. Unne had something to say too.

 

“Melmond is completely level... there is nothing left.” Dr. Unne said, “My lab... the clinic... even the Earth Cave was destroyed... all for his amusement.” White Mage held back tears as she remembered Tiamat's words of Lich. He had helped them, he was another ally, and he was gone.

 

“So you see, quite a bit has happened. He's waiting for you, in the temple.” Matoya said, “He's looking for you all. But luckily Gaia gave us a supply of their best weapons to hand to you. Unne here radioed his brother after reaching my cave, and everyone over in Gaia is on your side now.” Bikke gave a hearty laugh.

 

“Argh, ye know what that means, don't ye? Take yer pick o' the weapons and send Chaos to Davey Jones's locker!” Bikke boomed. The four looked at each other, and began to choose their weapons. Thief chose the Sasuke and the Protect Cape. Red Mage chose the Sun Sword and the Ruby Armor. Both White and Black Mage chose the two Wizard Staves, and a protect ring each. After that, they fully loaded up on potions, and left with Matoya's blessing. Within minutes, they were walking into the temple, only to find it empty.

 

“Hello? Chaos? Are you in here?” Thief called, but didn't get a reply. He walked in a little further and called again, “Chaos?”

 

“Hmm... maybe he's hiding...” White Mage suggested, looking around the dusty room.

 

“CHAOS! GET YOUR STINKIN' ASS OUT HERE!” Black Mage yelled angrily, but even that had no results, “Where IS he!?”

 

“...Tiamat said the gate was in here, so what if he's waiting for us in his time?” Red Mage asked, walking up to the altar where Garland once stood, “Sort of like a home field advantage?”

 

“But even then, where's the gate?” White Mage asked, leaning against a pillar. Black Mage moaned and kicked dirt.

 

“Awww, is this ANOTHER wild goose chase?! Why now!?” he complained, but Red Mage barely noticed as he stared at the throne. Something was wrong, yet he couldn't place his tongue on it. He walked up to the throne and pushed on it, but nothing happened. Thief watched with mild intrigue.

 

“RM, what's up? What're you doing?” he asked as Red Mage kicked at the throne.

 

“I think I found the gate. Something's not right with this throne. This has to be it.” Red Mage said, “Stand back!” With that, he took out the Lute of Light, which Sara had given them so long ago. The other three ran back quickly as Red Mage held up the Lute to the throne.

 

“Let's hope this works... The more time we waste now, the more damage Chaos will do...”

 

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Well, it's now or never for our heroes as they stand in the temple, right in front of the gate of time itself! What's on the other side? Is it Chaos? Or will another world unfold in front of our heroes? Was Tiamat really helping our heroes, or was it all a set-up like Black Mage believes? Either way, find out next chapter, so click that review button!