Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Thank You for the Disrespect ❯ "Zounds! We hath slain this Liger!" ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy III. SquareSoft does, and they're not happy that I'm doing a one-shot dedicated to Arc. They obviously don't know how awesome Arc is.

 

"Zounds! We've defeated the terrible Sabertooth Liger!" Ingus exclaimed, setting down his spear as Refia and Luneth ran over, "Once again, my comrades, we've won the battle!" Arc snorted as he stayed farther behind. Technically, he won the battle, but as usual, no one paid the least bit attention to that fact. Since they all managed a shot at the beast, they all assumed they'd helped in some way, but only Arc did even the tiniest bit of damage. He didn't cheer as Luneth did. He simply watched them. Refia sighed, shaking her head as she turned back to Ingus.

 

"We still didn't get enough experience to level up," she told him flatly, the hood of her White Mage gown flapping in the wind, "Besides, we didn't actually... what is that smell?" She sniffed the air, and wrinkled her nose distastefully. Ingus perked a confused brow and did the same. They both smelled burning flesh, and when he turned his head, he saw that Luneth had used the Fire Staff to cast Fira, making a small campfire. And, he was currently trying to drag the dead monster up onto Ingus's spear to roast. Ingus blinked, and then gave Luneth a flat stare.

 

"...what are you doing, Sir Idiot?" he asked, as Luneth managed to bring the dead animal toward the fire again. The white-haired knight looked over and grinned at his friends.

 

"Making dinner. We have slain this Liger. Why let it go to waste?" he asked, and frowned when his pitiful spell went out, "Hey, Arc, get over here and cast Flare. We can't eat raw Liger, can we?" He turned to Arc, who simply stood there and watched. Arc frowned. He didn't want to cast Flare right then. He was tired of everyone always expecting him to fix their problems for them. When he didn't move, Luneth snapped his fingers and said, "Arc, come on! I'm starving here!"

 

"Why can't one of you become a Magnus and do it yourself?" Arc asked quietly, "Besides, is Liger even edible?"

 

"Why wouldn't it be!?" Luneth exclaimed, rubbing his hands together hungrily, "It's an animal! Cows are animals, and we eat them, so what's the difference!?" Everyone stared at Luneth flatly again. That answer really should've been obvious. But, as usual, Refia pointed it out.

 

"The difference is that cows don't try and kill us. Saber-toothed Ligers do," she replied calmly, "Arc might have a point. It might have rabies." But, as usual, any logic she tried to give to Luneth fell very, very short.

 

"But rabies is what makes it taste even better than usual!" the knight exclaimed, his grin widening as he turned back to Arc, "Now, seriously, Flare?" Refia sighed and shook her head, not entirely surprised that Luneth ignored her point. Ingus merely glared at the roast Luneth made; it contained his spear, which technically, Luneth stole. Arc didn't move again.

 

"What if I don't want to cast it?" he asked, and everyone looked at him, "Maybe I don't feel like casting a spell for you guys."

 

"So, you're going to let us starve?" Luneth retorted, standing up and raising a furious brow, "Arc, what's wrong? You usually love doing stuff for me!" Arc snorted, sitting down and crossing his arms as Luneth walked over to him, joining him. Refia came soon after, but Ingus remained, trying to get his spear out of the Liger's dead body, but to no avail.

 

"No, I tolerate doing stuff for you," Arc pointed out, "But I'm the one who took care of the Liger, and none of you noticed. Every time you guys kill something on your own, you get to brag about it for the whole day. If I do something like that, you tell me to stop being such an attention-hog. I'm sick of it." Refia hummed and bit her lip. That was rather true, and though she tried her best to notice Arc's efforts, she wasn't overly good at it herself. Luneth, however, looked at Arc as though he went insane.

 

"Hey! The last time I made a one-man slaughter, Ingus went insane on me!" Luneth reminded him, throwing his arms up, "He got all mad and said, 'LUNETH, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, YOU IDIOT! WE'RE GOING TO BE PUT IN PRISON FOR THIS!' Like it's really wrong to commit NPC murder!" Arc and Refia stared at Luneth with wide eyes, both of them remembering that little incident in Amur. Ingus had every right to scream at Luneth for six hours straight, because there were guards all over the city looking for a mass-murderer, which had ended up being Luneth himself. Thankfully, there'd been no witnesses... at least none that survived.

 

"Luneth..." Refia began slowly, an odd smile frozen on her face, "You killed an old man, three kids, a woman, seven drunkards, a guard, and two teenagers, and your only defense was 'they were in my way.' You seriously didn't think that'd set Ingus off? Or us, for that matter?" Arc snorted again. Never mind the fact that there was no reason to even bother those innocent NPCs. Never mind that Luneth was impatient because their airship had been chained down. But, if Refia expected to get through to Luneth, once again, she was disappointed.

 

"Hey! Do you have any idea how annoying those stupid NPCs are!?" Luneth asked, eye twitching, "All they do is walk around and say stuff no one listens to! If they're going to go and walk right in my way as I'm trying to kill off a team of goblins that stole all our money, they should know I'm going to kill them, too! It's simple math, Refia!" Unfortunately, it was pretty clear that neither Refia nor Arc understood what was, in his mind, sound logic. They continued to stare at him critically, and he finally said, "It worked in Morrowind!"

 

"Morrowind's not a real place, you idiot," came Ingus's annoyed voice as he stalked over, having given up on trying to get his spear out of the Liger, "Stop spouting nonsense and let's start taking the matter seriously. Arc, what's going on and why won't you help us? The sooner you cook that damn corpse, the faster I get my spear back, and the sooner we can leave. Is that easy enough for you children to understand?" Refia glared at Ingus angrily, and Luneth rolled his eyes at the flustered dragoon. Arc, however, seemed to have finally snapped, because he stood up and walked away from them. Refia watched him walk away, and he stopped after a few steps, glancing back just to give them all his worst glare.

 

"If you guys are so awesome and powerful, cook the stupid Liger yourself," he growled, "I've had it with being a Light Warrior." This caused a shock in everyone else, especially as Arc closed his eyes and reverted to his Freelancer form. Then, he walked away again, this time not stopping. He passed the roast Luneth made, and had the urge to just kick it down into the dirt in spite, making it inedible for them. But, he simply walked on.

 

"Arc, you can't be serious!" Refia cried, as Ingus said, "Arc, I demand that you stop this foolishness at once! Get back here!" Arc ignored them.

 

"Hey, if you're going to just leave us, can you at least give me your spells?" Luneth asked, and both Refia and Ingus glared at him, "We need the gil we can get pawning them off." Arc growled, and taking the sword Luneth left near the roast, he threw it as hard as he could behind him, silently laughing when he heard a heavy clank, followed by an "OUCH! What the hell was that for, you whiny bastard!?" Then, he was gone. Luneth, who was sent sprawling thanks to the heavy sword, looked up at where Arc once sat, and crossed his arms as he asked, "What the hell was his problem!?"

 

"He's mad because we don't acknowledge that he actually helps us more than we want to admit," Refia said simply, frowning as she watched her friend leave, "I don't blame him, either. With what you told me about Ur, it's like everyone expects him to be this weak, unremarkable thing."

 

"Yeah, but I usually ignore him and he never got this mad before," Luneth replied, "Besides, I was hungry and I wanted food! He could've waited to hit me and leave until after we ate." Refia sighed and shook her head again as Ingus picked up Luneth's sword.

 

"You're an idiot sometimes, Luneth," Refia commented flatly, and then to Ingus, she asked, "What do we do about this?" Ingus looked at her, raising a mildly concerned brow as he polished the sword as though it were his. Luneth took it out of his lap, and he barely noticed.

 

"Why're you asked me?" he inquired, "I'm not the leader here. Sir Dumbass McStupid there is." He pointed to Luneth, who took out the Fire Staff, obviously deciding to give roasting the Liger his own way another attempt. Unfortunately, because he wasn't skilled in magic, he simply managed to set himself on fire this time. Ingus nearly fell over in laughter, unable to finally control himself, and Refia couldn't believe Luneth still qualified as being leader material. Sighing, she cast Cure on him, and he looked up at them, frowning crossly as he threw his sword on the ground.

 

"As leader, I say we find Arc before I kill us all by accident," he mumbled. He stalked toward where Arc had left, and Ingus looked at Refia quizzical as he whispered, "It's a miracle. He finally suggested something useful." Refia snorted, and the two of them silently followed Luneth, both praying they would find Arc, preferably alive.

 

Meanwhile, Arc stormed down the field, barely aware that the daylight was quickly waning, the darkness of the evening taking its place. He was absolutely furious with his would-be friends. How dare they minimize his problems like that! How dare they not care! He should've just set them on fire... but then again, Refia was always on his side. It was Luneth and Ingus that were the true problems. Luneth was too dumb to understand why he was so angry, but he was also ignorant when Arc needed him most. And Ingus? Ingus was just rude. It didn't matter that he was a knight of Sasoon, he was just rude. If Arc didn't act the way he wanted, he certainly let everyone know it.

 

"...if I'm not going to be a Light Warrior anymore, what can I do?" he asked himself, looking up at the dark sky, "I can't just sit on the ship and do nothing, and I definitely am not going to turn into one of those mindless NPCs Luneth keeps ranting about." He continued on, and when he sensed movement next to him, he threw a very powerful Fire spell toward the source, and heard a screech, along with a crash a second later. He killed a Harpy. And... it felt good. It felt good to actually single-handedly win and not have anyone else to take the glory from him. He smiled and said, "I think... I know what I can do. I want to be a hero... but who says heroes are always good? I could be a Dark Warrior... yeah! I think I can do that!" His smile widened, renewed now with the confidence he wanted to have. That was, until he realized a new problem. He had no idea how to become a Dark Warrior, and he had a feeling the ones from the legends were long dead.

 

"...who here knows how to be evil?" he asked, "That'd probably be a good place to start out..." He looked around the field. There was no sign of a town anywhere, and the campsite was far, far away at that point. But, in the far distance, he saw just one light, barely outlining a house. His eyes squinted, but he could make out nothing more. Curiously, he started over in that direction, but when his foot fell flat into a puddle of purple mud, he knew where he was heading: Goldor's Mansion. At first, his reaction was annoyance, but then, he smiled when he thought about it more clearly. That might actually play right into his hands.

 

"After all, Goldor was evil. I'm sure he can teach me the basics, at least," Arc said to himself, and smiled again, "Then I can show Luneth what 'respect' means." He liked the idea of that, though that mostly was because 'teaching' Luneth anything usually resulted in physically hitting him with a heavy object, as Ingus was so apt to do. Arc actually laughed as he recalled Ingus knocking Luneth clear off a chocobo for commenting on how Ingus looked as a Devout. That hit cost Refia a lot of magic as she tried to cast Curaga before Luneth actually bled to death. Arc shook his head, clearly amused with the memory. He focused on the road again, and saw that he was definitely coming closer to Goldor's mansion. The gold of the house was glinting in the small torches set out to illuminate the path, though why Goldor would even bother wasn't known to Arc. No one in their right mind would ever visit him. Arc walked up the dirt path within minutes, and soon found himself standing on the front porch, looking at the large golden doors that would admit his entry.

 

"What am I doing here?" he asked himself, suddenly frowning, "Okay, so my friends forgot to thank me again. That's no reason to get angry, is it? I mean, Luneth's done it before." Arc looked down, wondering if he made a mistake... until he heard a voice far behind him.

 

"Arc!" it was Luneth again, "Arc, buddy, where the hell are you!? We found a giant troll and it's beating up Ingus! You have to see it!" Arc's eyes narrowed flatly. He really didn't like that Luneth ran off to find him as Ingus was back in the woods, most probably dead or close to it. He had no idea where Refia would be, but he knew she'd be safe. She, at least, was as smart as him. Not wanting to see Luneth, Arc banged on the heavy, gold doors, and they opened up immediately. He stepped inside, nearly blinded by the light reflecting off of the golden walls and floor. He had forgotten how luminous this place had been when he first came here. His eye twitched, remembering walking right into a wall due to the temporary blindness he felt. Refia had to use Cura to heal his broken nose, and Luneth couldn't stop laughing at him for it. His frown worsened.

 

"...stupid Luneth," he mumbled, walking forward. The hall was long, with closed doors on either side, but Arc had no interest in breaking and entering into any of them. He'd have to become a Thief in order to do it, anyway, and he really didn't want that. He preferred not to have to change costumes again that night. Sighing, he continued down the hall. A Nightmare trotted past him, huffing as it turned to look at him, but he patted its muzzle and it trotted onward. He stopped, and noticed that the mansion no longer felt as evil as it did when he had first come here. Somehow, that made him even more nervous, as though he were definitely making a big mistake now. Quietly, he asked, "Is Goldor even going to be here?"

 

"Why, of course I'm here, young lad!" came a boisterous voice from behind Arc, "This be my house, isn't it?" Arc jumped, and turned to face Goldor himself. Completely decked out in golden armor, the light reflected off of the man perfectly, and as he looked down at Arc, he asked, "But why are you here again? If it's to stop me, I've done naught a thing since you broke my Golden Crystal! Why, even my Nightmares are as calm as kittens thanks to you!" Arc's eyes narrowed again. That much, he'd already seen, and he noted that Goldor didn't even seem remotely upset at that. If anything, he was thankful for it.

 

"Oh, no reason..." Arc mumbled, as a bang on the door sounded. He sighed. It was Luneth; it had to be Luneth. And, judging from the voice, Arc saw he was right.

 

"Hey, Gold-Dork! Open up!" Luneth called, pounding again, "Arc's missing and I'm pretty sure you saw where he went!" How Luneth managed to even guess that wouldn't produce itself to Arc, but before he could go out there and set Luneth's ass on fire, Goldor sighed and shook his head. He walked over to the front doors, and opened them. Then, in a voice that could only have come from Bahamut himself, he screamed as loudly as he could, if only to scare Luneth away.

 

"GET OFF MY LAWN, YOU NASTY PUNKS!" he screamed, and Luneth ran away from him, "And stay off my golden flowers, too!" He slammed the door and walked back to where Arc stood, eyes widened in complete and utter confusion of what he saw. He half-expected Goldor to slice Luneth in two for trespassing, but the man didn't even draw a blade. He merely screamed at the boy. It was... disappointing. As he came back, he said, "Sorry, lad. Just taking care of the nasty brats who keep stealing my flowers. Now, do you want some golden cake? I just made some, and hopefully, my guards didn't eat it all. Let me tell you, making golden frosting isn't easy. I had to melt the gold and then sweeten it so it was at least a little edible." Arc growled slowly, as Goldor ranted onwards about his 'golden' cake. The man led the younger boy through the hall, turning a corner and opening up two large doors into an equally golden kitchen. The only thing that wasn't made entirely of gold were the flames on the golden torches. Arc looked on the counter, and saw the golden cake in question. There was no way he'd be eating that, even if he could. He looked up at Goldor, who was grinning with pride at his cake.

 

"Um... Goldor?" he asked, and the golden man looked down at him, "I was kind of wondering if you could teach me how to be evil." Goldor raised a quizzical brow, and Arc knew he was wondering why he'd even be asking that. Then, Goldor laughed. His laugh shook the kitchen just a bit, and it was a laugh high with amusement. He wiped a tear away as he looked back down at Arc.

 

"Evil? Why on earth would you want me to teach you how to be that?" Goldor asked him, kneeling to look in the small boy's eyes, "Listen, laddy, I haven't done a speck of evil since you showed me there's more to life than money. Why, I've even donated it to help children!" He could sense Arc's disappointment, so he asked, "What's bothering you, lad?"

 

"It's just that, my friends don't respect me at all," Arc answered simply, somehow feeling he could actually trust Goldor, "I mean, one of them tries, but the other two are big jerks. They either ignore me or make fun of me and I've had it. Can't you help me?" Goldor sighed. He didn't know what to say. Arc's problem was real, and he actually understood it. Feeling that he should probably try and be a father figure, just for once, he put a heavy hand on Arc's shoulder.

 

"Look, lad, if you want respect, killing your own friends definitely won't help you," he said calmly, "I lost all of my friends when I killed them, so it's really not a good idea. I think you should talk to them and tell them how you feel."

 

"Don't you think I tried that!?" Arc snapped, not wanting to hear this from a formerly evil man. He turned away angrily. He was hurt; he was angry; and most of all, he wanted to hurt someone else, too. But ultimately, he knew Goldor was right. If he killed his friends, they would never respect him for obvious reasons. Goldor sighed, and stood up. He looked back at the doorway leading into the golden hall. He didn't necessarily want to turn one of the Light Warriors into an avatar of evil, but he could tell Arc really needed some help. He turned back to Arc, who was too busy trying not to scream his lungs out in his anger.

 

"Okay, lad, I've taken your problem into consideration, and I'm going to help you," Goldor said, leading Arc out of the kitchen and into the hall, where he walked toward a golden staircase, "It won't be easy, mind you. Being evil can take years of practice, and even more-so of the patience needed." Arc looked up at Goldor as they ascended the thick, golden steps. His shoes made clacking noises against the smooth surface, and for a moment, he was worried about scuffing such a beautiful floor. But, when he saw Goldor was clanking up his stairs without a care in the world, he relaxed a little bit. After all, evil had no care for smooth flooring, and he was aiming to be evil... wasn't he?

 

"How much practice do you need in order to kill innocent people?" Arc asked, tilting his head in interest. He didn't think he needed to practice to learn how to set someone on fire, but as Goldor looked down at him critically, he realized Goldor was serious. And, Goldor was a former villain. He would know what Arc needed to learn.

 

"My dear boy, do you honestly think all it takes to be evil is to slice down random NPCs and bathe in their blood?" Goldor asked calmly, as they reached the top step, "Oh no, my child. It takes much more than silly hacking and slashing to go down in the channels of history. You need to learn how to identify someone's weakness so you can take them down as swiftly and messily as possible, and you need to learn how to do it in a split second." Arc raised a mild brow. That sounded similar to something Ingus told him once about stopping monsters.

 

"Goldor, sir, don't good heroes do that, too?" he asked, as they turned the corner and Goldor led him into a large study. Like the hall and the kitchen, everything was made of gold, even the plush recliners Goldor had put in so he could relax. The only things that weren't golden were all of the books. Goldor sat himself in one of his recliners, and sighed in contentment as he fell back into it. Then, he gestured for Arc to sit in one of the seats, which the boy did.

 

"I suppose they do," Goldor agreed, and then grinned, "But they don't dance cheerfully when their intended target... usually an innocent townsperson... falls to the floor in a fiery mass. And they certainly don't use the dead corpse to become one of your undead slaves." Arc's eyes widened. He had heard stories and rumors of that, but never in his life had he ever thought anyone would do such a terrible thing. It was considered the worst evil you could accomplish. His worry made him wonder if Goldor could resurrect the dead.

 

"Villains do that?" Arc whispered, and Goldor almost laughed at the boy's fear. He nodded, and took out a book, flipping through it until he came to one page. He showed it to Arc; it featured a Lich.

 

"Only necromancers and higher forms of undead dare to try that, but yes, there are villains who practice that despicable school of magic," Goldor replied calmly, and Arc guessed he despised such a terrible power as he went on, "Let me be the first to tell you, boy, that there are some things even we villains would never do, and disrespecting the dead is one of them. It constitutes a certain disrespect to one's own life if you're willing to muck around in the energy of the undead for your own purposes." Arc nodded, his eyes filled with interest at what Goldor was saying to him. Goldor closed the book and put it back in its shelf.

 

"Why would villains abhor certain magic if it meant gaining power?" Arc asked, and when Goldor snapped around, he quickly added, "No disrespect, sir! I... I didn't..." But, Goldor wasn't angry with him. He looked the boy over carefully, and sat back down, grunting as he sunk into his seat again.

 

"From where you come from, the world is a simple black and white, Arc. Good and evil. But, what you view to be evil, I might view to be good," Goldor explained simply, "In truth, there's no such thing, but it all depends on our personal views of the world, and if we've suffered trauma so devastating as to warp ourselves around one truth to the point of hurting others to achieve it. Goodness and evil are variable things, like beauty, intelligence, honor, value, and even peace." He looked up at the golden chandelier, trying to think of how to explain why certain things were frowned upon, even with villains, "But, some things will always be viewed as evil because of their nature. Necromancy is one of them, because there is no benefit to it. Ultimately, you pay the end price for disrupting the dead. For disrespecting them. Souls are fragile things once they're out of your body, Arc, and some don't even realize they could be using their own family to destroy the world. That's why only the most heartless of us ever tried to use necromancy. In the end, not even Xande could do it." Arc looked down. That was true enough; what Goldor was saying made a lot of sense. But did this mean everyone he and his friends had slain... were they actually good in some sense?

 

"Does this mean that technically, evil doesn't exist?" Arc asked, feeling just a pang of sadness at that thought. But, Goldor shook his head.

 

"Oh, it exists, lad," he said grimly, "Evil is a tricky beast. It can disguise itself into the most innocent of acts. That's why I'm surprised you want to be evil. Do you really think you could bring yourself to bear that sort of responsibility?" Arc blinked, stunned speechless for a moment. He'd pretty much bore most of the responsibility of his old team... if Ingus didn't want to help him do anything. As he regained himself, he perked an amused brow at Goldor, who turned his back to find another book for Arc to look at.

 

"No disrespect, sir, but I'm already used to responsibility," Arc told him carefully, "I'm sure I can handle setting someone on fire." Goldor slowly turned to him, raising his own brow at the boy. He snorted, promptly forgetting the book as he gestured for the boy to stand up. Arc obeyed, wondering if he might've offended Goldor. But, no, the look on Goldor's face was one of amusement, not of anger or scorn. He looked down at Arc carefully, as though searching the boy's soul for something Arc couldn't comprehend, and then he laughed, shaking his head. Arc gave him a critical look as he paced around the golden chamber just once, stopping in front of Arc when he made a full round.

 

"Really? Can you handle the bloodlust afterwards?" Goldor asked, thoroughly amused with Arc's ineptitude at knowing what evil truly was, "Once you start on revenge, my dear boy, it's difficult to go back. But, nonetheless, we shall test you. Hit me with your best spell." Arc blinked, at first unable to believe if he actually heard right. Did Goldor seriously just tell him to hit him with Flare? When he asked, Goldor nodded and said, "Yes, boy, you heard me. Come on, I'm not going to wait all century. Evil doesn't wait." Arc's eyes narrowed flatly, remembering clearly that Goldor had said he hadn't done any evil since the Light Warriors fought him. But, he shrugged, figuring it might just be best to at least humor the former villain.

 

"...all right, here goes," Arc said, taking a deep breath as he held out a hand, "FLARE!" A ring of fire shot out of him, surrounding Goldor and then igniting completely, filling the room with unbearable heat as Goldor was slammed into the wall from the immense energy. Arc could tell that the chandelier above them was melting from such a blast, and the books were beginning to smolder; he could smell the smoke as the pages burned in the inferno. His skin paled, knowing he had used way too much power. Slowly, the fire cleared, and Goldor slid down the wall. He crashed loudly onto the golden floor, his armor bent completely out of shape. Arc's eyes widened, and he ran over immediately, fearing the worst.

 

"Goldor, are you all right!?" Arc asked, bending down. But, all that came out of the armor was a pile of ash. Arc backed away, knowing he had just killed the only person who actually listened to his problems. Sadly, he said, "I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! Oh, hold on, you're scattering..." He bent down and swept up the ashes, putting them in an empty potion bottle and setting that bottle onto the mantle. Then, a new problem arose. Goldor was gone. If anyone found out about it, they'd know Arc was the murderer, and he couldn't let that happen. Especially since Luneth was still outside, looking for him. Arc twitched; he wasn't ready to see Luneth just yet, and he was still as angry as when he left them.

 

"If anyone finds out I was here, I'm dead! Okay... I need a plan. What can I do!?" he looked over at the bottle of what used to be Goldor as he spoke, and then looked down at the armor. It looked big, but if he could find a way to shrink it... he grinned. Taking out a small orb from his pocket, he immediately taught himself the White Magic spell, Mini. Then, he closed his eyes, casting it on the armor. Because it was made of gold, it only shrunk a little bit, and as Arc slipped it on, he found it fit perfectly. Now, at least, no one would know it was him. He looked in the mirror on the wall, and saw he really did look like a miniature Goldor. He hung his head.

 

"Wonderful. I hope his guards are blind," he mumbled, shaking his head. He heard a rustle behind him, and turned to the lone window in the room. It was wide open as it let a soft breeze inside, quickly dispersing any scent of the fire he had created. That relieved him... until he heard the voice it carried with it.

 

"Refia, hold the ladder still! I'm almost at the window!" it was Luneth yet again. Arc growled angrily. Why couldn't they just leave him alone until he was ready to crush them like the terrible friends they were!? Now that he was wearing Goldor's armor, he no longer worried if they knew he was there or not. He had gotten an idea to keep them away, an idea so basic, so simple, so easy to do, he couldn't believe he didn't just do it before. He walked over to the window, and closed it right on Luneth's fingers! Then, he smiled as he heard Luneth scream and fall right off the ledge, crashing into either Refia or Ingus far below.

 

"Ow! Luneth, you dented my armor, you stupid git!" came Ingus's furious voice, "You're going to pay for that!"

 

"Hey, be lucky I didn't dent your big, stupid head!" Luneth retorted, and Arc couldn't help but snort at the argument, "Though that would've been an improvement!"

 

"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, YOU LITTLE WHELP!?" Ingus roared in offense, and finally, Arc couldn't take it. He wanted peace and quiet, and furiously, he opened the window and looked down. Ingus and Luneth were now in the process of pummeling each other with their gloved fists, with Refia trying uselessly to stop them. Growling, Arc grabbed a Shiny Sword off of the bookcase and threw it down, where it smashed right into Luneth's helmet, causing the boy to fall over. Ingus looked up, and upon seeing Arc, he said, "Alas! Arc, what are you doing up there!?" Arc grumbled. Even with all of Goldor's armor on, they still recognized him. Ingus called again, but Arc merely dropped another Shiny Sword on his head, not wanting to answer. Then, he slammed the window shut again and ran out of the room.

 

"Why... can't... they leave me... alone!?" Arc wheezed, running through the hall. It proved to be a truly daunting task; Goldor's armor was much heavier than Arc ever expected, and now he could understand why Goldor had merely waited for them in his chambers. Walking was almost impossible! At this rate, Luneth would be back up before Arc even managed to make it to the stairs. He slowly trudged through the golden halls, now thinking Goldor was probably the worst villain to go to, even if he did sympathize with Arc. His way of living, and battling, were very inconvenient for him and... well, just plain stupid. How he even lived with such heavy armor was a mystery Arc would never solve.

 

"Okay... new plan... no armor," Arc coughed, and promptly threw off every piece of armor he was wearing, leaving only his clothes to protect him. That would have to be enough, because as soon as the armor was off, he felt how sore such a weight made him. He fell to the floor in exhaustion, staring up at the golden ceiling. He was just too tired to think, but right as he closed his eyes, the front door burst open. He sat up, completely expecting the three visitors he received: Ingus, Refia, and to his extreme dismay, Luneth himself. Luneth, as soon as he set toe into the house, pointed right to the banister.

 

"There he is!" he said, even though it was irrelevant. Ingus and Refia could both see Arc perfectly, and as Luneth rushed up the stairs, Arc did the only thing he could think to get rid of them; he began lobbing the gold armor at them. The helmet slammed right into Luneth, successfully knocking the boy right off the stairs and sprawling onto the pristine floor below. Refia ran out screaming before a golden shoulder-pad managed to get to her, and Ingus barely dodged an oncoming pair of golden greaves. It nicked the wall instead, the crash reflecting off of every surface, making it much louder than it ever should've been. Luneth sat up dizzily, and screamed when another shoulder-pad went flying his way. He rolled away, and to Ingus said, "Arc's gone insane! We have to run!"

 

"Gee, what in Hell gave you that idea!?" Ingus prompted sarcastically, deflecting an oncoming boot with his spear, "He's not just insane, he's a homicidal maniac!" Arc laughed, a laugh that sounded so unlike him, it almost scared him. And, it definitely scared Luneth, who stared up at him like a deer staring at an oncoming truck. And, when Arc undid the Mini spell on the chest plate, immediately throwing it down the stairs towards his former friends, that was the perfect analogy to give as it slammed into the two so hard that it vectored them right out of the door, knocking the doorway clear off the wall as it passed. Arc let out another cackle, and then ran down to slam the door in their faces. Outside, Ingus was the first to recover as Refia ran over to help them. He smacked Luneth over the head.

 

"Let's go in and talk to him, you said! He'll understand us, you said! HE WON'T TRY AND HURT US, YOU SAID!" Ingus spat angrily, "Luneth, he tried to kill us! Now what do we do!?" Furiously, Ingus stood up, glaring down at his leader as he picked up his now bloodied, and bent, spear. Likewise, Luneth was now glaring at the Dragoon as he sat on the ground, rubbing the back of his head where Ingus had hit him.

 

"How the hell am I supposed to know!?" Luneth retorted just as furiously, "You think I have any ideas on how to stop him!? He's never been like this before!"

 

"Well, we have to do something!" Refia exclaimed, "Even if he forgot it, Arc is our friend! We need to help him!" She went to head to the splintered door, but Luneth simply snorted and scrambled up, intent on just running the hell away at that point.

 

"Help him? There's no hope for him, Ref!" Luneth told her, exasperated with what had happened to Arc, "I don't know about you two, but I sure won't stick around for him to bash my brain out. See you!" He was about to finally run off, but right as he began to dash into the night, Ingus grabbed his arm and pulled him close so he could see into the Dragoon's angry face. Luneth had never seen Ingus twitch before, and such a new sight actually scared him even more than Arc's lunatic laughter. Nervously, he asked, "What's up, my comrade?"

 

"You will help us get Arc back or I swear my spear will be lodged so far up your spine that you won't even be able to breathe without pain," Ingus threatened. Luneth shivered; he had no doubts that Ingus could back such a threat up, and he had the anger to do it, as well. Reluctantly, Luneth led his two friends back into Goldor's mansion, making sure Arc wasn't there in case he had any more armor to hurt them with. Arc was nowhere in sight. In fact, nothing was in sight; no Nightmares, no Gold Guards, no Gold Eagles... nothing. Just the golden walls and their equally golden lights. Luneth perked a mildly worried brow.

 

"...Arc? Buddy, where are you?" he called, "You know, we're kind of worried about you. Are you okay?" There was no answer. Cautiously, Luneth stepped on the stairs. Nothing happened, and with Refia and Ingus both behind him, Luneth steadily climbed the golden staircase. He took note of each knick the armor had caused when it bounced towards them, and hoped that Goldor had good insurance for the obvious damage Arc had caused, not knowing that Arc had killed Goldor. The hall on the second floor was just as silent, and worried for Arc's sanity, Luneth cupped his hands to his mouth and called again, "Arc, can't you hear me!? This is your best buddy in the whole world speaking!" Again, there was no answer to the outburst. Luneth sighed. Could Arc have left?

 

"Where could he have gone to?" Refia asked, her voice reflecting off of all the walls, "And isn't there anything we can do to help him?"

 

"You can help me by leaving me alone," came Arc's voice, though it was farther away. Luneth blinked, and then pointed down the right hallway.

 

"It's down here! I know it!" he exclaimed, and without waiting for a response, he ran down the hall. Ingus dragged Refia, both of them annoyed with Luneth's lack of considering obstacles, and as Luneth's foot fell onto a switch, he realized he had forgotten it as well. Immediately, they heard a loud click, and then eleven Shiny Swords came rushing out of the seemingly endless hall toward them. Screaming, they all ducked and heard as the swords slammed into the wall far, far behind them. Furiously, Luneth asked, "Where did all those stupid swords come from!?"

 

"Probably from Goldor's treasury, where we left them when we found them," Refia replied, slowly poking her head up to see if it was safe. No swords came screaming at them, and she stood up, helping Ingus, as his armor had twisted just slightly when he fell to the floor.

 

"I knew we should've just kept those things and sold them for cash," Luneth mumbled, and after making sure no one was hurt, continued down the hallway. He made sure to look for any switches he could press, but none were present. Most of the doors were locked, but Luneth had broken into them all before; there would be nothing useful for them, and once they reached the final room at the end of the long hallway, it was clear that the swords were the only trap Arc implemented. Did he actually think it'd kill them? Luneth laid a hand on the door knob, but seemed to hesitate about just opening it. Something didn't feel right.

 

"Luneth, what's wrong?" Ingus asked, knowing that something was bothering Luneth. The knight slowly turned to the Dragoon, frowning.

 

"I can't go in there and fight my own friend," Luneth replied, "I know we want to help him, but he's angry, and he wants to kill us. A battle's inevitable, and I can't bring myself to fight him. I... I just can't." Ingus looked down regretfully, and Refia patted Luneth's shoulder. None of them wanted to fight Arc, in the event that they actually kill him, but what choice did they have? Every one of them doubted Arc would listen to them.

 

"We might have no choice," Ingus finally replied, "Let's go in there and show him what friendship is." Luneth nodded blankly, and opened the door. The large chamber was filled with gold, unsurprisingly. Gold coins littered the floor, as golden books sat in golden bookcases. The golden chandelier hung from the ceiling over the golden throne, which stood in the center of the large room, gleaming in the light. And, on that throne was Arc himself. He had no specific job class, but he looked menacing even without one. His face was no longer the soft and kind face of an intelligent, young man. It was hardened, cold, and unwilling to forgive them for his constant disrespect. He eyed them almost expectantly.

 

"I was wondering when you'd show up to stop me," Arc told them emotionlessly, "Tell me you're going to spare me our usual speech."

 

"Arc, why're you doing this!?" Luneth demanded, "Are you really going to kill us and become the Dark Warrior?" Arc snorted, and the left side of his mouth curled upwards in a mock smile.

 

"Why not? I think I'd be a good villain. I already killed Goldor," he stated, holding out the bottle containing Goldor's ashes, "It was an accident, but I'm not feeling so nice right now. As to why... I'm sick of the three of you always thinking you're the best and that I'm just some sort of pack mule for you. Like I don't deserve credit for what I do, which is a lot." Luneth's frown worsened. He knew Arc was right; he didn't always acknowledge Arc or his work, and he was the most important person in Luneth's life. And he knew he was being a terrible friend for it, too.

 

"Hey, we try to acknowledge everything you do, Arc," Ingus said sternly, "It's not fair to get angry at us." He instantly realized that was a mistake. Arc dropped the bottle, letting the ashes scatter all across the floor, and leapt off his throne. His face became softer, but his weird smile pointed right back to a frown. There was no anger to him; he was hurt. He was hurt that once again, they were telling him he was wrong. He slowly walked forward, his head hung low as the lights in the room began to dim. Luneth simply blinked, wondering if Arc was causing it.

 

"You think I'm... angry?" Arc asked, looking up at them, "You think I'm angry that you don't care about how I feel right now? I'm devastated. You didn't come here for me. You came here so you could feel better about driving me away!" His eyes began to water, but only for the moment. They dried when he laughed and said, "Well, it looks like now we'll finally see who the true Warrior is. Let's see who kills who first. All three of you against me."

 

"Arc, no!" Refia cried, "You can't! Ingus will kill you!"

 

"Shut up!" Arc yelled back, glaring at her, "Just shut up. I don't need you all to patronize me because you're actually afraid I'll win! So just shut up for once and battle me." Refia continued to stare with wide eyes, and Luneth seemed too frozen with terror to do anything. Ingus wasn't as affected with Arc's words, and took his spear firmly, giving Arc a glare of his own.

 

"You want a fight, Arc? Prepare for a war," Ingus growled, and slammed Arc in the stomach with his spear. Arc went flying across the room, slamming into the bookcase harder than Luneth was sure he could handle, and he slid to the floor. Refia screamed, running over, but Ingus stopped her. There would be no helping Arc if he insisted on battle. Arc slowly sat up, his vision blurred from the pain of falling into the bookcase. He could barely see any of them, but it wouldn't matter in a moment. He had a spell he could use to kill them all: Meteor. He closed his eyes, and the room darkened further, causing the gold to turn to a bronze color, the lights fading back to a normal glow from the torches and candles on the walls. Refia shook; she could feel the power Arc was creating. Even Ingus understood what was happening, but he forced himself to take it. He was a soldier. Running wasn't an option to him. Luneth finally snapped back to reality, and saw what Arc would do. And he realized it would kill all of them. Not even Arc would survive, and even though Luneth knew he wanted to live, he had to try and get through to Arc. Arc didn't deserve to die from his own sadness.

 

"A war... indeed..." Arc mumbled, struggling to form his words, "Me... Met... Meteo... Meteo...r..."

 

"Arc, I'm sorry!" Luneth called, before Arc could finally get the word out correctly, "Please, stop! Don't do this! Don't kill yourself over us! We're not worth it to you, are we!?" Ingus and Refia stared at Luneth, but his words did the trick. Arc let the energy drop, and slowly, the room lightened again. Luneth went to walk over, but Arc stopped him with a raised hand. He looked up toward the white-haired boy.

 

"...why does it matter if I die?" Arc asked him, his vision still blurred, "Why do you care? What if I want to die?"

 

"I don't want you to die!" Luneth called, and ran over despite Arc threatening to kill him with Flare, "Damn it, Arc, I don't want you to die. You're my best friend. I've been a terrible ally and an even worse friend, and I'm sorry! I'm sorry I forget to thank you every time you do stuff for me. I'm sorry I took advantage of you. I'm sorry, Arc! Just please... don't do this to yourself." He threw his arms around Arc and hugged the boy as tightly as he could, but Arc simply stared at nothing in particular. So many feelings conflicted inside of him. He wanted to believe Luneth. He knew Luneth meant each word he said. But he was still hurt. It didn't take away the biting loneliness he felt.

 

"And you don't care if you die?" he whispered, as Ingus and Refia slowly came over and knelt down beside the two. Luneth let go, looked at Arc, and shook his head, taking his helmet off. Arc saw Luneth had been crying, one of the only times he had ever seen the boy cry.

 

"If that's what it takes for you to get your divine fury out, then I say kill me a hundred times, Arc," Luneth replied, wiping the tears away as he laughed, "Besides, Refia can just revive me when you do kill me, so it's cool!" Everyone, even Arc, laughed at the valid statement. It was true; if Arc did kill Luneth, Refia could revive him anyway. To hear it from Luneth made Arc feel... better. He smiled, and hugged Luneth this time, glad that he didn't fully give in to his hatred. He would've made the worst mistake if he had, and he felt Luneth patting his back comfortingly.

 

"Can I be a Light Warrior again?" Arc asked, his voice slightly muffled from Luneth's armor. Ingus and Refia both blinked, and then looked to Luneth for his answer. Luneth simply snorted; one wasn't even needed. The answer was obvious.

 

"One a member, always a member, Arc," Luneth replied, and finally, they all stood up, with Arc letting go of Luneth. They walked toward the door, and the down the hall. They ignored the cracks Arc had made in the hall and toward the stairs, and finally descended to the first floor. As Luneth reached for the door, he smiled warmly and said, "Come on, my friends. Let's go see if anyone needs the help of the Light Warriors." Refia nodded, as Luneth threw open the door to the outside, where dawn was slowly rising across Goldor's expansive yard. They stepped outside, strolling along the green carpet.

 

"So, should we give the usual exclamation and tribute to the Four Musketeers, as always every morning?" Ingus asked. Luneth laughed again. That was his favorite part of waking up in the morning, to boom it loudly enough to bother Ingus while he was still asleep. He nodded, but turned to Arc. Arc looked up at him curiously, raising a mild brow.

 

"I say we let Arc do it this time," he replied, and Arc's eyes widened, "Go on, buddy. Say it loud, and say it proud." Arc nodded, and all four of them brandished their weapons, holding them into the air until they clinked together. Then, Arc smiled. For once, he actually felt like part of the team, and not just someone they felt they could just rely upon without any thanks in return.

 

"One for all, and all for one!" he shouted, and then, they walked off into the early morning. That day, new adventures awaited, and now Arc was eager to take them... without reluctance, and with his friends once again.

 

--------------------------------------------------------(End Chapter)

 

And so, it looks like the Light Warriors are back together and happy once again. After playing a little Final Fantasy, I wondered if there was a part of Arc that resented being the 'quiet, shy' one of the group and decided to explore what might happen if he suddenly just lost his temper and left the group. This is my attempt at it. It probably wouldn't happen, and it's probably OOC, but I like how it came out. I especially loved writing Luneth's apology to Arc, and I hope you enjoyed reading this. So, click that Review button and tell me what you think!