Final Fantasy: Secret Of El Ephermia .:Main RP:.

[Goddess Martel]

Final Fantasy: Secret of El Ephermia
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Long, long ago, all there was chaos, no life, no death, nothing. Until, one day, four crystals came into being, shining their light across the darkness, banishing it away. This was the beginning of how Falune came into existence.

The Crystals of Earth, Fire, Water and Wind, combined their powers to bring life to this world, giving birth to people, animals, plants and all things in between. Once their duty was done, they scattered across the far corners of the world, continuing to this day to protect the life that they had created from their own light.

It was not long in the eyes of the Four Crystals to witness its inhabitants starting to walk along the path of evolution. One race in particular was developing much faster than most of the others. These people were called the Nayuri, they were a fair and wise race, blessed with the crystal's light and blessing to summon Eidolons, creatures that were born from the Crystals' light to act as guardians and protectors of Falune.

The Nayuri extended their technology and civilization to all corners of the globe, even as far to the height of the stars.

This was considered the 'Golden Era' for both the Nayuri and Falune, and for a time, it was good, many wonders were worked in those days. The Nayurians' pride and joy was their kingdom, made and built with all their greatest technology and knowledge, it was named the 'Kingdom of Light' for the Four Crystals blessed this city with its light.

This majestic and kingdom of legend was known as 'El Ephermia', the Promised Land.

However, the 'Golden Age' soon came to sudden and tragic end. A great disaster shook the world and nearly brought Falune to its end. The Nayuri vanished from existence, their civilization now in ruins and El Ephermia mysteriously disappeared from the face of Falune, lost in the sands of time.

It was not long before its existence turned into a legend and then the legend turned into a myth. What happened that caused the tragic end of the Golden Age and the Nayuri civilization? None remains who know. But the legend of El Ephermia and its people survived on the wind's breath and in the ruins that were left behind.

The Golden Age long gone, the other races slowly but surely started to evolve and develop themselves. Thousands of years later, the Age of Steam rises upon the world of Falune. Steamed airships ruled the skies, steam engines sped across the landscape, an Empire grew and grew on its ever expanding knowledge of steam technology.

Many adventurers, explorers and Sky pirates have searched for the mythical land of El Ephermia, believing it would bring fame and fortune to the one who finds it. All it's long-forgotten knowledge and technology just waiting to be revealed, but it's location ever eludes them and to this day, no one has yet learned the Secret of El Ephermia...

However...a new search for El Ephermia, is about to begin...

~o0o0o0o0o~

Lindria City

The kingdom of Lindria, the city of water and home to the secret underground organization, Regen. Of course, they kept their HQ carefully hidden so that if there were any spies from Aeon, they would never find it.

The kingdom itself was surrounded by water, its streets were pristine and white along with its buildings and the Lindria Palace that surrounded the kingdom. Its aqueducts were filled of clean pure water with beautiful marble engravings on the walls that protected the city from threat.

Arlen was walking towards the HQ of Regen that was basically underground. He had heard from their leader, Barrs, that a new mission was ready for him and he couldn't wait, it's been a long time since his last mission.

Turning down an alleyway, he stopped at a metal-capped lid and proceeded to open it, he climbed down the metal ladder after closing the lid once more once he was inside. When he arrived at the floor was greeted by a sentry who was guarding the entrance.

"Hey, Arlen! You're late; you should have been back half an hour ago." The sentry guard said gleefully.

"Sorry, the message was delayed when the Moogle Commander Barrs sent got lost." Arlen told him.

"Ah, Kuto right? He's always getting lost." The guard rolled his eyes.

"Do you know where Commander Barrs is?" Arlen asked.

"Yup, he's waiting for you in the briefing room." The guard nodded.

"Great, thanks." Arlen waved to him before heading off down the underwater aqueducts. Regen HQ was almost like an underground village of sorts, many of their members wait in the lobby area of the base, either chatting away jovially or getting drunk at the minibar they had here, not that Arlen drank, but plenty of the soldiers here do.

He finally made it to the briefing room after weaving through the crowd, allowing himself access inside; he entered and then closed the door behind him.

"Ah Arlen, there you are, my boy. I was beginning to wonder what happened." The leader of the resistance, more known as 'One Man Army Barrs' to his enemies was standing at the war board table.

"My apologies, Commander Barrs. The Moogle you sent got lost and the message you gave him was delayed." Arlen saluted and stated his reason for being late.

"Ah, Kuto got lost again, did he? He's a new recruit, you know, so give the little fella some slack." Barrs chuckled deeply.

"I'm surprised that a Moogle would want to join Regen." Arlen shrugged.

"Well, the Empire's activities have been more aggressive lately; we could be expecting more from them shortly. And who knows, having a Moogle in our ranks wouldn't be so bad." Barrs pointed to the table where a map of Falune had been constantly scribbled and circled on with codes and numbers across it. They even had small markers as to represent an enemy or ally army.

"What was the mission you had in mind for me, Commander?" Arlen questioned.

"Ah, straight to the point as usual. You should learn to relax a little more, all you ever seem to do is do one mission after another." Barrs said with a worried tone.

"You don't need to worry about me, Commander. I'll do whatever it takes to stop the Aeon Empire and its power-hungry schemes." Arlen reassured.

"Arlen...Alright, here's your new mission: You are to go to Herba Fields, it's a small farming village on the outskirts of Lindria Kingdom." Barrs started, pointing to the part of the map where Herba fields were.

"Why do I need to go to somewhere as remote as that?" Arlen raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you'd ask that. We received some reports about a young boy travelling with a circus troupe carrying a strange medallion around his neck. I want you to go and investigate and see if the medallion is in fact this 'legendary' spirit medallion that the legends speak of. If it is, you know what to do." Barrs explained.

"I understand, sir. Anything else, Commander?" Arlen nodded.

"Hmmm, just one more thing, this place is a small farming village so it's isolated from any influences between either Aeon or Lindria, try not to scare them while you're there. They are people that we are trying to protect, don't forget." Barrs added.

"Yes sir, I'll go to Herba Fields right away, it shouldn't take too long by train." Arlen took in the extra information.

"Good luck, and be careful."

"Yes sir." Arlen saluted before leaving the briefing room. With a deep sigh, he went to his room in the sleeping quarters of the base to get his sword. "We've got another mission, partner." Arlen said, getting the sword and made his way to the train station which is back up on the surface of Lindria city.

In the skies, The Atlantis

Cid had just finished mending the broken converter that converted water into renewable energy, it was an ingenious idea, such is the many wonders of this ship. Ten years ago when he was only nine, was first time he ever saw this ancient airship vessel. His father, a sky pirate that was feared by other Sky Pirates and the Aeon Empire itself, found this ship wrecked between mountains.

It took him three years of hard research and resourcefulness, but he managed to repair the damage that was done to the Atlantis and now they used it as their flagship for their pirate family known as the 'Golden Brigade'.

It still made Cid wonder how such a powerful and ancient airship managed to stay hidden from the eyes of the Aeon Empire for so long and how it even managed to still work even after being in such a horrible state. Maybe the Atlantis was also affected by the fabled 'great disaster' that changed their world forever and what caused it to crash into the mountains.

The fact when they first found it, that it had the skeletal remains of the crew last on the Atlantis during the Golden Age made it a little more morbid to think about the possibities. He heard some thunderous noises from outside before hearing one ear-shattering blast and an explosion soon after. Cid climbed out of the engine room and headed to the cockpit where his father was along with several other members of their crew who were at the controls of the ship.

"Dad, what happened just now?" Cid ran over to where his father, Cedric stood.

"You heard that from all the way down there? It looks like that the main cannon was a lot stronger than we first thought, son." Cedric seemed surprised and commented.

"You mean the Thor Cannon? That thing was still experimental, Dad! What did you use it for?" Cid blinked.

"It was sort of by accident, but we ended up getting caught in a fight with the Death Crusaders; they were apparently in that new vessel of theirs that they boasted about. We were trying to escape them, not wanting to pick a fight, but when they started attacking us, we retaliated, but...it would seem that we went a little too far. I had no idea that the Thor Cannon was so powerful." Cedric explained.

"So you...just shot them down? Wasn't that a little harsh?" Cid stated.

"Maybe so, but when you are in battle, you have to think about the lives of your men and woman on board the ship. I wish I didn't need to attack and destroy their ship, but they would have never left us alone if we didn't." The older man informed him.

"I guess so, dad. But that doesn't mean I have to like the idea that it's survival of the fittest." Cid sighed.

"Hmph, you're still a little too young to understand. Oh and remember, when you're on this airship, its captain, not dad." Cedric smirked.

"Yeah yeah, aye aye, Captain." Cid rolled his eyes at the comment.
"Anyway, we're going to Herba Fields soon so you might want to clean you face a little, you still got oil on it."

"Oh!" Cid was surprised and by using his fingers on his cheeks, he found that oil was on them. "Why are we going to Herba fields? That's just a small farming village." Cid asked curiously.

"We managed to leak into the radio signals from Aeon Empire, apparently some kid in a circus troupe currently in the area of Herba Fields has something called a 'Spirit Medallion', sounds pretty important doesn't it?" Cedric explained.

"So, it's basically a treasure hunt?" Cid tilted his head.

"Yup. And you're coming along as well, you need the fresh air after all, you've been in that engine room for months. What would your mother say if she saw you?" Cedric scolded lightly.

"Heh heh, but da-I mean Captain Cedric, the Atlantis is an amazing airship! Even after ten years, I'm still trying to learn everything I can from it." Cid beamed with stars in his eyes.

"...Did I tell you how you remind me of your mother when she gets that crazy look in her eyes too?" Cedric sighed.

"Every time I act like this, yes." Cid countered cleverly. "We should go back and see her in Luncoor Port some time soon, you know that she worries alot." Cid mentioned.

"I know," Cedric smiled softly, knowing his wife all too well. "I'll let you know when we're at Herba." Cedric told him.

"Yes, Captain." Cid smiled and saluted to his captain before leaving the cockpit. He hoped that the people of that ship they shot down were okay, more importantly, who was this kid with the treasure that even the Aeon Empire showed interest in?

Sun Parade Circus area (Dressing room)

Elef was in the dressing room, refusing the wear the clothes that his ringmaster apparently wanted him to put on. He actually liked the clothes already has on better than that ghastly outfit.

"Hey, brat, you're on in a few minutes. Why aren't you wearing your costume?" The ring master came in without asking.

"I don't want to wear it. Can't I just wear what I'm already wearing? I'm only an acrobat anyway, so it doesn't matter what others think." Elef retorted.

"...Well I haven't got time to deal with you, you just get on that show and make it good, alright? Remember, you earn your food by working, so you better not try to skip the show." The ring master spat.

"Yes sir." Elef glared and gritted through his teeth.

"Good, now get on stage before I decide to give you the initiative myself." The ring master stated getting his whip out.

Elef didn't waste any time, knowing that he would indeed use that whip on him if necessary. He left the dressing room and made his way to the main tent at the center. Ever since his hometown of Lintea was burned down, his entire life had been nothing but a living hell, but he kept telling himself that things will get better...won't they?

Mog came out of hiding underneath the caravan of the dressing room and hovered by Elef's side. "Are you okay, Elef? That guy didn't hurt you, did he?" Mog asked.

"Nah, he doesn't scare me that much anymore. But we might as well stay on his good side, at least until we can finally get out of this place." Elef shurgged.

"How?" Mog asked with a curious look.

"You'll see." Elef just winked at his furry companion before getting the rings that were at the side of the tent ready for him. With a deep intake of breath, he stepped through the tent and got ready into his postion.

'Heh, its show time for Operation 'Disappearing act.' Elef smirked to himself.

Herba Fields (Lucille's workshop)

In the beautiful landscape of Herba Fields, where Chocobos and other livestock grazed and farmers tending to their crops, loud banging noises could be heard from what used to be a Chocobo barn, now turned into a workshop for one of their most strangest yet energetic youngsters.

Lucille Fields, a young girl who has worked non-stop on a make-shift plane that she had made with any parts she could find. It took a few years of work, but she finally was on the final touches of her plane.

For ten years she lived with her grandmother when her parents mysteriously disappeared while searching for the infamous city of legend, El Ephermia. She thought that it was just a fairytale, but if her parents were bold enough to go find it, then she could too.

Her goal was a little more personal though, while everyone else in the village assumed her parents have died, she hasn't lost hope that they could still be alive somewhere, waiting for her to rescue them. And the will of the Crystals' light, she was going to do just that.

Her closest friend, Choco, stood loyally near Lucille. "Kweh?" Choco called out.

"I'll be down in a minute, Choco. Just need to finish this bolt." Lucille told him before she twisted her body to reach the bolt.

The workshop doors opened to see an elderly lady coming inside. "Lucille, dear, I need to ask a favor." Her grandmother called out.

"Okay, Grandma." Lucille complied, putting the wrench to one side and jumped down from her plane.

"My, what an amazing invention, sweetheart. You're just like your father, you know. He used to make such wonderful things out of nothing as well." Her grandmother commented.

"Thanks, it's my greatest invention yet, what do you think Choco?" Lucille beamed proudly about her two years life's work.

"Kweh?" Choco tilted his head as he looked at the plane weirdly.

"Your parents would be so proud if they could see you." The old lady smiled warmly.

"I hope that Mom and Dad are still alive, I haven't seen them since I was six, but even then my memories of them are a little fuzzy. Do you think they'd like this plane?" Lucille smiled sadly.

"I didn't know your father very well since he was very shy and nervous about explaining where he came from and his origins, so I never questioned him about it. But I know he would be proud of you right now, and so would your mother."

"...Thanks," Lucille thanked her, even when everyone else believed they had died, her grandmother also thought her daughter and son-in-law could be still alive somewhere. "Oh yeah, what was it you wanted to ask me?" Lucille asked thoughtfully.

"Oh yes! I almost forgot! I was wondering if you could go to the outer fields and get some more minty herbs for the Chocobos, they love their greens from that area." Lucille's Grandmother asked.

"Sure! C'mon Choco, you could use the exercise, you big tub of lard." Lucille agreed happily and went to get Choco.

Choco playfully bumped heads with Lucille in payback for the comment, Lucille simply giggled at Choco's response. "Okay, okay, so you're not fat. But you still need to walk around outside." Lucille grinned. She jumped on to Choco's back and got herself comfortable before letting Choco know she was ready.

Choco started to jog out from the workshop and into vast fields of their home. "Don't talk to strangers!" Her grandmother called out.

"I won't!" Lucille waved to her grandmother as they headed further out into the fields.

[Zacewing]

Riesma Vandeutsche & Vash Haessen - Lindria City

Riesma watched as the man she was shadowing climbed into what appeared to be a sewer duct of sorts. So that's where their HQ is... Riesma thought to herself, grinning. The Council will be pleased. I would investigate further but I'd assume the entrance is guarded. I'll have to wait until he emerges so I can continue shadowing him.

Meanwhile, Vash wandered through the city, eavesdropping on the locals to gather any new rumors on possible treasure. As Riesma went to change her position, she bumped into a man as she stood. "W-watch where you're going!" Riesma shouted at him. "Oh, sorry." Vash said, brushing himself off. "You okay?" he asked. Riesma responded with a swift slap across the face. "Of course I'm fine! Why, I oughta..." she said, but as she spoke, the man emerged from the sewers. "Well, if you're done staring at me, I have other business to attend to!" Riesma said as she hid and began shadowing the man again. As she looked back, she saw Vash fly away. A featherfolk...? Never thought I'd see one in the flesh... she thought to herself. She continued following the man to the train station, staying hidden.

As Vash wandered the city once more, he heard some housewives gossiping.

"Have you heard? They say a boy in a travelling circus in Herba Fields has some super valuable medallion!" one of them spoke. "I wonder how much it would be worth! Why, I bet my husband and I could retire early if we found it!" the other said back.

"A rare medallion, huh? Sounds like I found my next destination." Vash said with a smirk. He flapped his wings as he flew off in the direction of Herba Fields.
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[Goddess Martel]

Lindria Station

According to the timetable that they posted on the walls of the train station in Lindria, the train would take at least half an hour to reach Herba fields, after all, it was basicly on the outskirts of the kingdom.

He felt like he was being watched, so while waiting, he decided to write a letter to HQ about their base being compromised and would ask they would move to their second HQ. He had a gut feeling that the person that was watching him was an Aeon Spy.

He used a whistle that only Moogles can hear, blowing it lightly. It wasn't long before Kuto, their newest recruit flew in.

"Kuto, reporting for duty, sir!" Kuto saluted.

"Keep it down, we don't want anyone to overhear." Arlen whispered and gave a letter to Kuto. "This is a letter to Commander Barrs, it may be just a hunch, but I think I'm being watched by Aeon Spy and he or she could have seen where our HQ is. So I want you to send that letter to him and tell him to move to their second HQ." Arlen told him and whispered low enough so that no one besides Kuto could hear him.

"Yes sir. But what are we going to do about that spy?" Kuto questioned.

"It's just a hunch so I don't know if I'm being watched or not, but my instincts haven't failed me yet, so it could be true. If I do happen to find the spy, I'll make sure that the little lapdog never returns to his or her master." Arlen answerered.

"Geez, you're scary when speak like that." Kuto shivered.

"Sorry, anyway, get that messenge to Barrs pronto. Okay?" Arlen asked.

"Yes sir, you can leave it to me!" Kuto beamed before flapping his wings and flying off to HQ.

As if on cue, the steam train rolled into the station and coming to a full stop, allowing people to get on and off the train. "Just in time." Arlen smiled softly before jumping on to the train, he paid for the ticket previously so they shouldn't be any problems.

All that was left now was to get to Herba Fields and investigate. Why did he get the feeling though that this was not going to be so simple?

Herba Fields ~ Outer Fields

Lucille and Choco sped across the landscape of their home, being a Golden Chocobo, he was pretty much the cream of the crop among Chocobos, as he could fly, travel over mountains and water, he was incredbly more faster than other Chocobos, so it didn't take them very long to reach the outer fields.

When the scent of mint reached their senses, Lucille tapped Choco's head lightly. "We're here Choco."

Choco came to a slow stop and allowed Lucille off it's back. Lucille went to work on harvesting Minty Herbs, more known as Mint Greens to Chocobo breeders. The herbs lived up to their name, as the minty scent they gave off was quite powerful.

Choco looked at the herbs hungrily, if Chocobos could drool, he'd be doing that right now. "Alright, but not all of them." Lucille sighed and told Choco. He let out a happy 'kweh' before munching away.

She picked only the more mature herbs and left the younger ones to grow and keep the fields here with filled with minty herbs. Once her backpack was filled to the brim with minty herbs, she placed the bag back on her back and was about to call Choco to say they were leaving.

Until a sudden bright light took them both by surprise, clenching their eyes shut from the light.

When it slowly ebbed away, Lucille slowly opened her eyes, getting them focused once more.

What she saw was shocking. A young boy with a Moogle was standing before her, she looked around, seeing nothing but fields, so where in Falune did this guy come from so suddenly?!

"I...I did it! It actually worked! I'm free! Free! I'm-" Elef boomed happily, the spell that he had learning in secret with the help of his special Medalion worked! His freedom was short-lived when he noticed a girl standing before her, if she was a local here, should would probably think it was best to take him back to where lived.

"I'm doomed..." Elef sighed in defeat before fainting from exaustion.

"Whoa, hey!" Lucille grabbed him to stop him from falling into a heap on the ground. "Wow, he's knocked out cold. Whatever spell he used, it took a lot out of him." Lucille commented.

As she lifted him so she could carry him on her back, she noticed a necklace of some kind fell out from underneath the boy's clothes. She picked the medalion up and analyzed it, it was circular golden shape with four gems embedded on to the north, west, east and south parts of the circle. The four gems were in red, blue, yellow and green and intricate engravings were carved into the metal of the medalion.

"What is this thing?" Lucille looked skeptically at it.

"Don't touch that! That's Elef's most precious treasure! You better give that back before you see what an angry Moogle looks like!" Mog flapped his wings fast and scolded her.

"Wait! I wasn't going to take it! It just fell out, if it makes you happy, I'll put it back on, geeze, I would never steal from a kid." Lucille glared.

"...Really?" Mog looked confused.

"OF COURSE! Who do you think I am?!" Lucille felt insulted that Mog would actually think she'd steal from a child.

"I'm sorry, it's just...a lot of people want that Medalion so badly, I don't understand why myself." Mog apologised meekly.

"...." Lucille put Elef down for a moment and placed the Medalion back around his neck, putting it back underneath his clothes. "There, back with it's owner now. I admit that it's very pretty, but why would anyone want to steal it? Well, I can imagine sky pirates and treasure hunters would." Lucille wondered, as she put Elef back on her back.

"I don't know. We just ran away from the circus that we've been stuck in for several years. But Elef always told me that it was something that was best kept hidden from leering eyes." Mog shurgged.

"Well, you can tell me all about it when we get back to my house. You guys obviously hate that place so much that the kid tired himself out to cast that spell." Lucille smiled.

"You won't turn us in to the Circus?" Mog blinked in surprise.

"No, not if you guys hate that place." Lucille shook her head. She placed Elef on Choco's back before jumping on herself, making sure to keep hold of Elef. "Let's go Choco." Lucille gave the word to Choco to run back to Lucille's house.

Mog flapped his wings to chase after them. "Wait! Don't leave meeeee!"
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Colloyd Forever~ ^-^

Mao-kun sprite by Augla *Glomps Mao*

[Koehki]

Aeon Kingdom: Topino Village

The sweat sound of birds chirping filled the air as one perched a top a moss covered pole sticking above the ground. Hundreds of years ago, this was the site of a terrible event. Now, only rusted metal frames were left where houses once stood. Nature had finally taken back the village of Topino, only the birds and animals lived there now. A lone man with long purple hair could be seen knelt down in front of two moss covered rock graves.

"Forgive me. It's been too long since I've been back, Mother, Father." Lauln said, bringing his hands together and bowing ever so slightly. He hadn't been back in over 50 years, and thought that might seem like a long time. For Lauln, it was nothing. Up in the sky, a large airship cruised across the sky. "No doubt it belongs to the Aeon Empire." he thought as he watched it pass over the area. There ad been more and more empire ships in the sky as of lately. He had heard talk in the streets and in other kingdoms that Aeon was gearing up for something big, and it was speculated that they had finally found the way to El Ephermia. Lauln scoffed at that idea though, there was no way a bunch of corrupt filthy humans could get their hands on El Ephermia.

After saying a few words, Lauln stood up and stared back to the west. He had left Yuca back in the city over two hours ago. He knew he should have said something about leaving, but forgot. "Bah, he'll live with it." he said in a nonchalant tone. This was a place that probably one he remembered as ever existing. Of course, there were still the stories about the night the village was destroyed, so in that regard he was happy that it was somewhat remembered since no one would dare come near the village for fear of being cursed or disappearing.

"Guess it's time to go back." he said with a long sigh and started walking back towards the city.
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[Psychon]

<Aeon Kingdom: Outskirts>

The two men ducked down behind the cover of the shrubbery and the shade of the trees above, the eyes of one of themen seemed to glow a faint shade of red ringed about by a glowing, copperish glow, piercing through the darkness and extending his gaze far beyond that which the normal man could only dream of perceiving. His partner beside him was a man of about his age, but certainly one to look much more youthful due to his clean-shaven face and lively, juvenille expression. he clutched a small device in his hand, formed from a

"What do you see?"

"Yeah, looks like pirates. Maybe your dear old man had something they wanted."

"Dr. Prometheus..."

The man with the glowing, red eyes raised his finger to his mouth, making a hushing noise to quiet his fellow ally. The red glow in his eyes faded away, replaced instead with a muted gray.

"You're going to need to lead the way in."

"Wh-what? I can't fight, I thought you'd take care of that for me!"

A panicked look came over the face of the more youthful of the two, and his more combat seasoned partner was quick to hush him again. He then presented his weapon, an odd, dark scattergun devoid of any elegance that usually marked other, more ornate firearms.

"My gun makes a lot of noise, if we get into a fight, that fancy sword thing of yours is the best chance we have of making a stealthy kill."

"I... I really don't want to kill anyone."

"You're going to have to get used to the idea; besides, I know you're going to be responsible with that weapon, you won't kill anyone with it who doesn't rightfully deserve it. Now come on, we need to go in as quietly as possible, no more talking."

The unshaven man reached down, picking up a wide-brimmed, red hat and setting it on top of his head, emerging from cover while clutching the short-barreled scattergun with both hands. His manner of dress was unique to say the least, it was composed of an outlandish number of layers of clothing, a crimson mantle and kilt overlapping a gunmetal gray tunic and a pair of trousers. The outlandish look was topped off by the signature red hat with the grey band around it, and red gloves, boots, and a belt.

"Gauge, wait, I don't know if I can do this."

Gauge stopped to look at his partner hiding in the shrubbery.

"Yes you can, Aleph, I was like you once, I can see you'll do just fine, come on."

Aleph emerged from cover next. He was a bespectacled man who looked to be several years younger than he really was; wild, messy short hair, sky blue and black shirt with charcoal gray trousers, and thick, leather boots stained and burned by a number of chemicals from his labwork which had been spilled on them. His youtful appearance was belied by a stained, white labcoat which was burned and tattered at the bottom, and was clearly a few sizes too big for him, the sleeves had been rolled up and hastily hemmed in place by some home-done tailoring. He clutched in his hand a strange device which was shaped like the hilt of a sword, with the rest of the 'blade' neatly folded up and collapsed in front of it.

"Now, get that weapon of yours ready, we'll need it to breach that airship ahead."

Aleph nodded, flicking the hilt of the weapon so the blade would unfold to its full length, yet the sword itself looked unimpressive when fully deployed, looking much like a foil that one would see in typical fencing classes. He reached into the pocket of his missing mentor's coat, extracting a prismatic crystal, which upon looking closely, one could see the essence of fire billowing through the center of the device. He inserted it into the hilt of the weapon, and depressing a trigger on the handle, the thin, almost laughable sword erupted into a wide, imposing blade of fire. he released the button just as quickly, and the fiery essence of the sword vanished.

"Ready..."

The two headed into what they thought to be a pirate camp, unaware of what actually awaited them.

[Goddess Martel]

Aeon Empire: Zanark City, Lower Plate

The city of Zanark was indeed one of the greatest cities in the world of Falune, with it being a large expanding city with three plates that repersented the the caste system that was so heavily implied here.

Yuca was currently at the Lower Plate, which was the lowest class of the entire city. It was poverty ridden and very much like slums, so he stood out very strongly amongst the crowd of the third class.

But as a follower of the sacred law that the Four Crystals bestowed upon Falune, he was devoted to them and was brought up in beleving all creatures are equal in life. So he was quite happy with conversing with the young children of the lower plate. Most who had never seen a Feather-Folk before was quick to check out the wings that Yuca had on his back. They were silky to the touch and shimmered in the dim light that could manage to break into the lower plate.

"They're really pwetty! Are you an angel?" A small girl perked up.

"Oh no. I'm nothing like that, little one. I'm what you call a Feather-Folk." Yuca answered softly.

"What's a Feather-Folky?" A boy from the group questioned.

"Oh, well...ah, it's a little hard to explain." Yuca sweatdropped. He then noticed a familar face making his way towards him. "Lauln, I was wondering where you were. Can you please help me out here? I'm being attacked by inqusitive children. Can you tell them what a Feather-Folk is?" Yuca asked kindly after greeting his friend.

Herba Fields ~ Lucille's home

Elef slowly fluttered his eyes open as his senses came about after fainting from using a teleportation spell so fast and not giving it enough time to work properly. But hey, it worked! Didn't it?

He sat up and looked around his surroundings, he definately was not at the circus anymore, he found himself inside...a house?

"Ah, your friend has woken up." Lucille's grandmother told Mog who was currently sleeping near the bed.

"Uh?" Mog opened his eyes drowzly, but they widened with happiness when he saw Elef awake. "Elef! You're awake! How do you feel?" Mog cheered.

"I feel fine. But...what happened? I remember we made it to some fields and then we saw....that's right! We saw that girl!" Elef sat up startled at the relazation, he checked to see if his Medalion was still on him, but thankfully it was still there.

"It's okay, Elef. That girl is actually really kind and nice, her grandmother brought you up here when she brought you back here on her Chocobo. She even gave me a kupo nut!" Mog smiled happily.

"Really?" Elef blinked a few times.

"Oh yes, my grand-daughter told me all about you when she came back with the herbs I asked her to get eariler. You must be hungry so I brought you something to eat." The old lady gave the tray of food to Elef.

"Um...thank you. This is the first time anyone's been this nice to me." Elef blushed lightly.

"Oh ho ho, it's nothing. We farmers of Herba Fields have a duty to help people, we don't have much, but we do have our pride as the People of Lindria." Lucille's grandmother told him. "You should thank my grand-daughter mostly though, she told me that you two seem to be unhappy with that circus that made camp nearby our village, so she brought you here away from harm. No one hardly comes to this old lady's farm nowadays." The grandmother smiled.

"Why is that, Mrs...?"

"My name is Esther Linden. You can just call me, Esther, dear." The old lady laughed warmly.

"Um...okay, Esther. Why is that?" Elef recorrected his words before repeating the same question.

"Oh, it's nothing too serious. It's just they can't stand the noise, my little Lucille makes when she's building her inventions in the old barn next to our home. Everyone has avoided her since they think she's a little strange, but it doesn't seem to have bothered her, but I know that she's probably a little lonely. Poor thing." Esther answered.

"...Do you know where she is now? I want to thank her for not turning me in. You have no idea how many times I tried to run away from those people only to get turned in for money." Elef asked.

"Oh, she'll be in the barn next to the house like I said." Esther smiled.

"Great, thank you for the food, Mrs Linden." Elef beamed before jumping out of bed and grabbing the loaf of bread before running down the stairs with Mog following behind. He was going to go find this 'Lucille' and give her his thanks.

"What a nice young boy." Esther sighed happily before tidying the room.

[Psychon]

<Aeon Empire Outskirts: Encampment>

The pair silently infiltrated the outpost, making their way towards the large airship, on arrival, Gauge was first to break the self-imposed silence, whispering to aleph.

"Come here, bring that fancy sword over."

Aleph cautiously walked forwards, weilding the sword as if someone was going to jump out at any moment.

"Y-yeah?"

"Come on, we need to bust into their airship, they might have files or information on your friend... these are the guys who attacked you out in the forest, right?"

Aleph nodded in agreement with his recent friend.

"Yes, I'd remember that seal anywhere..."

He pointed up at a logo painted onto the metal hull of the airship.

"That emblem was sewn into patches on their clothing, and stamped on their weapons. It's definitely them."

"An emblem? Odd, don't know of many pirate organizations that have their own coat of arms. Well, anyway, cut a door for us Aleph."

Aleph nodded, clutching the handle of his weapon, causing the blade of fire to form around it. gauge stepped aside to allow Aleph to sink the hot blade into the armored hull of the ship. He slowly pulled the blade through the metal exterior, the metal melting and giving way. When it was cut all the way through, Gauge put his hand on Aleph's shoulder, pulling him back.

"Get ready..."

Gauge kicked forwards, breaking through the airship's hull. Aleph watched around, holding his sword up, finger nervously moving over the trigger mechanism.

"Come on, the longer we wait, the more likely they'll find we're here."

Aleph hesitated, but soon followed his red-clad friend into the interior of the ship. Gauge urged him to take the lead, a task he took with an extreme amount of caution. Gauge would always stop him before he did something stupid, like rounding corners without checking first. However, as they journeyed through the ship, gauge was already picking up on something.

"Aleph, I think your Doctor friend is in trouble with a lot more than pirates."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Mere pirate's don't have the level of organization these guys do, look around, I'm seeing high-grade tech all over the place, nothing pirates would be able to get their hands on."

"So, what are they?"

"The only thing I can think of... is military, but I can't tell what nation these guys are affiliated with."

Gauge looked up ahead to read signs on the walls.

"Armories, barracks... huh, the room ahead so conveniently labelled for communications looks promising."

"W-wait! Gauge!"

Aleph wanted to stop Gauge from rushing headlong into what was likely the heart of their enemy's intelligence, but he couldn't physically or mentally bring himself to stop him, and instead kept close behind. Gauge jiggled the handle of the door, but finding it was locked, waved for Aleph to come closer. He immediately turned his weapon on, sinking the hot blade into the door and melting the lock, allowing the metal door to slowly creak open on its own.

[Goddess Martel]

Herba Fields ~ Lucille's home

Elef found the barn that Esther had mentioned and opened one of the doors lightly to allow him and Mog inside.

"Hey! Look who's finally up!" Lucille's voice boomed through the rusty barn. Elef looked up to a massive craft of some kind with the girl that Elef recalled working on it still.

"Oh, so you're Lucille?" Elef asked.

"Yup, that's me," Lucille nodded and jumped down from the plane, she brought her hand out to shake. "Lucille Fields, at your service."

"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Elef Collabel, I...came to thank you. You could have taken us back to the circus, but you didn't. Why?" Elef shook her hand.

"Well, from what Mog told me while you were knocked out, that circus seems to treat you really bad. Besides, a true inventor earns their Gil through hard work, not by taking the easy street around things." Lucille answered.

"Oh, you're an inventor?" Elef's intrest perked up.

"Yup, well, I'm still a greenhorn, but I'm learning~ This is my biggest and probably greatest invention yet...I call it 'the Aeroplane'!" Lucille excitedly explained.

"...But don't we have airships already?" Elef questioned.

"Yeah, but those airships are large and bulky. This baby is more thinner and sleek, it has a lighter shell which makes it more flexible in the air and make quick turns and twists in the air. Sorta like a bird." Lucille answered.

"Wow...What did you plan on using it for when it's finished?" Elef asked curiously.

"Ahaha...well...." Lucille laughed nervously before shifted her eyes a little from side to side. "Promise you won't laugh?" She added.

"I promise." Elef brought his hand up in an oath manner.

"I promise too, kupo." Mog mimicked Elef.

"Well...I'm planning on using this to find El Ephermia if I can." Lucille looked sadly at the plane, touching it softly at the wings.

"El Ephermia?" Elef repeated.

"Oh I know that place! It's the mythical kingdom of light! The greatest city ever made by the Nayuri during the Golden Era. But...I thought that was just a fairytale...kupo." Mog explained.

"So did I, but...my parents went looking for it when I was six years old. They left me with my grandmother before leaving this place behind to search for it. I don't know why they did it, but I'm sure it wasn't for greed or fame. They must have wanted to find it for another reason." Lucille added.

"..."

"But...they never came back, everyone besides my grandmother beleives they're dead. Just the thought of that...." Lucille clenched her fists as if to stop herself from allowing unshed tears to flow.

"Kupo...." Mog's pom-pom fell as he was sadden by the news.

"I'm sorry, Lucille. I lost my parents at an young age too, so I know how painful that is." Elef replied sadly, knowing exactly how it feels to lose someone precious to you.

"You as well?" Lucille smiled softly with sad eyes. "But I'm going to prove to everyone that my parents were no quitters! Once this aeroplane is ready, I'm going to go find them myself and prove to everyone how strong they are." Lucille said with a hopeful yet determined expression at the same time.

"That's a noble goal." Elef smiled.

"Yeah, I don't care if I never find El Ephermia, that means nothing to me. I just want to find my mother and father alive somewhere out there, that's all I ever wanted. My only clue to their whereabouts is El Ephermia though, so...it's going to be a long journey." Lucille added.

"I hope you find your parents alive, Lucille." Elef cheered her on.

"Me too, kupo! If that's not a cause worth fighting for, I don't know what is." Mog jumped.

"You know, you two are the only other two people besides my grandma to say such a postive thing to me. Thank you." She thanked both of them.

"Well," She then pulled up her sleeves and got a hammer from the box of tools she had. "I'm going to get this plane finished, I'm almost done with her. You guys are free to stay here until the circus leaves if you want, after all Choco likes company."

"Thanks. Wait, who's Choco?" Elef thanked at first before his eyes raised questions about this creature called 'Choco'.

"That would be this guy, Elef. He carried you back along with Lucille back here." Mog flew over to the Golden Chocobo.

"Ah, now I remember! Thank you as well, Choco." Elef stroked the feather mane of the bird as Choco headbutted him lightly.

"He likes you." Lucille smiled before hammering down a bolt to secure the aeroplane even more.
_________________

Colloyd Forever~ ^-^

Mao-kun sprite by Augla *Glomps Mao*

[Koehki]

Aeon Empire: Zanark City, Lower Plate

"Hah~ this place smells." Lauln blurted out as he walked through the Lower Plate in Zanark. Normally on his visits the to plate city, he liked to hang out in the middle or upper plate by using his false Id he'd gotten. However Yuca was somewhere down here doing his good deeds and he would never hear the end of it if he left the kid. Up ahead, Lauln found who he was looking for. "Speak of the devil..."

"Lauln, I was wondering where you were. Can you please help me out here? I'm being attacked by inquisitive children. Can you tell them what a Feather-Folk is?" Yuca asked.

Lauln arched an eyebrow and looked at the young Feather-Folk and then down at the kids next to him. "Ah, well, It's an wonderful angel that will grant your wishes if you hug them enough." he said with a grin, his hand waving back and forth. "have fun kids, don't hug the pretty angel too much now." Lauln added and then shot a devilish grin towards Yuca.
_________________

[Goddess Martel]

Aeon Empire: Zanark City, Lower Plate

"Ah, well, It's an wonderful angel that will grant your wishes if you hug them enough." he said with a grin, his hand waving back and forth. "have fun kids, don't hug the pretty angel too much now."

Yuca was mortified by what Lauln had just told them. "Lauln you-!"

"Aha, I knew he was a pwetty angel!" The girl jumped for joy.

"Hey, that sounds cool, get him!" The group of kids bursted into exicitement before tackling Yuca to the ground. "LAULN!" He raised a fist into the air, there was only very few occasions when Yuca would get cross and most of the time it was due to Lauln's tricks.

After a while, he managed to escape the horde of children who had actually bought the story that Lauln fed them. Once both he and Lauln were at the tram train station that would take them to the middle plate. Yuca gave Lauln an annoyed look.

"Was that your attempt to get back at me for making you come to the lower plate?" Yuca huffed.
_________________

Colloyd Forever~ ^-^

Mao-kun sprite by Augla *Glomps Mao*

[Psychon]

(Sorry GM, I didn't notice that little comment at the end of your earlier post asking if the guys Gauge and Aleph were dealing with were pirates. In short, no, they're not, they're a special services branch of the Aeon Kingdom's military composed of less than one hundred men. Officially they don't exist, so they pose as pirates instead. They're going to be Gauge and Aleph's primary rivals throughout the RP, but I haven't come up with a name for them yet. You by chance don't happen to have any ideas, do you?)

Gauge read over the scattered documents, most were transcripts of radio-relayed orders from some unknown superior commanding his lower troops. Many of the documents were marked and addressed to various officials; Sergeants, Warrant Officers, Lieutenants, even a Colonel. Aleph could not find it in him to relax during this time, and kept his back to Gauge, always watching the door they had broken in through, as well as the two, non-uniformed men Gauge had knocked unconscious when they had broken into the room. He every so often poked them with the tip of Elementalis's blade, making sure they weren't about to spring to life and attack them. Gauge had already taken the precaution of stripping them of their weapons and throwing them across the room, but that wasn't nearly enough to put him at ease.

"Whoah, look at this..."

"What, did you find out something about Dr. Prometheus?"

"No, but it sounds... suspicious. Something about a Spirit Medallion, held by a kid in a circus troupe down by Herba Fields."

"Think it has something to do with Dr. Prometheus?"

"Possibly, why would the military be interested in some jewelry a kid in the circus has? I mean, why would the military be interested in your doctor either?"

"I... I don't know..."

Gauge folded up the transcript, putting it in an envelope and slipping it away under his mantle. He continued to search through the documents, before a rustling at the door caught his attention.

"Hey, who are you two?"

"Aleph!"

Aleph was frozen with fear, simply holding his sword and staring at the guard who had suddenly appeared at the door. He drew his sword and lunged at him, and all Aleph could do was stand there, petrified and unable to move. Gauge had already intervened by this time, grabbing a knife he had removed from the unconscious soldiers, and slicing it forwards, cutting through the guard's neck. He gurgled and gasped, as a river of red erupted from the slice in his neck before collapsing. Aleph before was merely afraid, now he was nearly catatonic, having witnessed a death in front of his very eyes.

"Aleph! Snap out of it! We've got to get out of here!"

He grabbed hold of Aleph's arm, pulling him back to the breach in the ship. Musket fire began to echo behind them, an occasional spark and ricochet sounding off in the hallway behind them, but Gauge seemed to be very gunfight-savvy, and knew how to avoid being in the direct line of fire, winding his way through turns to avoid being caught, they rounded a corner, face-to-face with a man who had his rifle out and ready. They were too close for the soldier to fire with the rifle, so he reached down to his waist to draw a revolver. Aleph could only watch as Gauge raised his own weapon to retaliate, and in instinct, lunged forwards at that very instant, clicking Elementalis's blade on in mid-thrust, plunging the fiery sword into the soldier's thigh. He let out a pained yell, collapsing to the ground. Gauge was all too quick to follow up and knock out the man by striking him over the head with the butt of his shotgun.

"You're quick Aleph, come on, we're still in hot water."

"Gauge, why did you do that! These guys are military, we could be breaking the law!"

"I don't think so, haven't you noticed? These guys don't have symbols that tie them to a nation, these guys are undercover forces. Take a look at this guy's clothes... none of them wear uniforms, they only have that patch sewn into their clothes to make sure the soldiers can identify eachother. They want you to think they're pirates, not soldiers."

"Wait, so... that means they can't put wanted posters up for us?"

"I'd hope not, I mean, why would you want to reveal to everyone you have a secret military branch?"

"You hope!? Is that a yes or a no?"

Gauge only shrugged, not entirely sure if they were going to be wanted men in the near future himself, giving Aleph a smile before running off again.

"Uhh... Gauge? Gauge!"

Aleph sighed, running up behind him. both of them jumped out through the door, and the sound of scrambling soldiers and random musket fire began to fade away.

[Koehki]

Aeon Empire: Zanark City, Lower Plate

While Yuca was busy being attacked by little children, Lauln made his way to the train station.

"Was that you way of getting back at me for bringing you to the lower plate?" Yuca asked.

"Hn? ah you finally got away from the brats, took you long enough. So are you done in the city?" Luln asked, ignoring Yuca's looks. He only came to the city because it was close to Topino. After visiting the village, he no longer had a reason to stick around the area.

Up above, the sound of airships filled the air. "You know, airships aren't that hard repair or destroy. You just gotta know how they run." Lauln randomly commented.
_________________

[Goddess Martel]

[Psychon]

<Aeon Empire: Encampment>

Picking up after the two-man invasion, the soldiers attended to the three injured men, and carried away, covered in a blood-stained cloth, the one man who lost his life in the brief battle. The men carrying the deceased on the covered stretched were stopped by a single man, standing in a random assortment of clothing, covered with a jacket marked with the same patch the was so proudly emblazoned on the rest of their uniforms. To anyone else, he would appear a common man because of the lack of distinguishing medals and insignia which normally denoted rank in more recognized military structures, but even then, the men seemed to know who they were standing before, and stood, mouth agape, at the new arrival. The set the stretcher down, saluting the man.

"G-General Schwarz, sir!"

"Put your hands down; we're not a military force, not officially; ranking means nothing out here. The chain of command is not by any means strict in our book, it is merely a suggestion."

With that, the general walked to the stretcher, removing the cover to view the man who had given his life in battle. He looked at the large slit in his neck, covered in dark, dried blood. He reached down to take the patch off of the bandana wrapped around his neck, which was stained red by his own blood.

"Specialist Gruen..."

The general closed his eyes in a moment of reverent silence, placing his hand over his heart, before sliding the blood-stained cloth over the body once more. He set the patch on top of the cloth covering his body, standing.

"I want a full funerary service for Gruen."

"Of course... Gruen was a good man."

"He was, but he knew the dangers of accepting that patch. He was brave..."

The general walked past the two men, looking up at the damage done to their airship by the intruders. They were quick to accompany him, obeserving him as he personally inspected the methods the intruders used to breach their airship. He ran his hand along the rough edges left behind when the metal of the armor was melted through, and it seemed he knew immediately who was responsible. He snapped back to face the men who had accompanied him.

"Corporal Blau, can you get the Doctor, and bring him to the bridge."

"Schwarz? What do you have planned?"

"We need to move the Farben Division immediately, our position has been compromised. Send out the order to mobilize once the hull of the Prisma has been repaired. We can't serve the Aeon Empire to our fullest if the enemy discovers our existence."


<Aeon Empire: Railway>

Although they had managed to escape with their lives, their venture into the encampment was otherwise a failure, having recovered no information on the missing doctor. Aleph looked out the large, sliding door of the box car, looking ahead at the steam engine pulling along the shipment of cargo they were riding in.

"Don't be so worried, I had our escape all planned out before we even set foot in there, there was no 'winging it'."

Aleph looked back at Gauge, who was relaxed, lying up against a crate to be exported to a destination unknown; his hat was tipped over his face, hiding it from view.

"That's not what I'm worried about, we didn't find anything there."

Gauge tipped his hat up, revealing he had not been napping, but rather, intimately studying the transcript of the orders.

"This little number here is addressed to a 'General Schwarz', really solidifes the theory I've had that we're not up against pirates. I've never heard of this Farben Division, but it looks like Schwarz is in charge of them."

"So, what does this have to do with us?"

"Looks like the Aeon Kingdom is after some Spirit Medallion, scouts of their army apparently found some kid in a circus down in Herba fields who've got it. They're moving out to take it, and they want General Schwarz to take part in the attack, posing as pirates to attack."

Aleph shrugged, a confused look falling over his face.

"Why would they do that? Instead of just you know, setting fire to the place and going after it?"

"Because, whatever nation's commanding these guys does't want to be known as a bunch of brutes who will destroy an entire city for just a medallion some kid's got. They need to preserve their 'good image' to keep public support."

Raising his hat further, Gauge peered out the opening in the boxcar, watching the passing scenery.

"We'll be getting off at the next station, there might be a train there that'll take us to Herba Fields. We need to find this kid before the Farben Division does."

"What about... Dr. Prometheus?"

"Hey, we need to take it a step at a time. you said it yourself, these Farben guys attacked you in the woods, they definitely have something to do with the missing Doc."

[Goddess Martel]

Herba Fields ~ Sun Parade Circus encampment

"Huh? What do you mean 'he's no longer here'?" Arlen asked the ring-master of the circus. Just his luck, just when he arrives, the ring-master informs him that the kid he's looking for can't be found.

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything! According to my staff, they say that the boy just disappeared into thin air, now that I think about it, he's always wearing that peice of junk around his neck, could that thing have actual magical properties?"

This perked Arlen's intrest. "This necklace, was it golden with four gems of four different colours on it?"

"Yes, that's the one. Why? Is that boy a thief?" The ring-master asked.

"No, but he is important matter to us, especially that medalion. Thank you for your time, I'll take it from here." Arlen said before walking away, he only took a few steps before the ring-master's voice raised up.

"Now wait a minute! You are going to bring the little brat back, right? I'll pay any amount of gil you want." The ring-master offered.

Arlen narrowed his eyes, there was no way he'd stoop to something so low! "No thanks, I like to keep my conscious clean." Arlen answered simply before walking onwards.

"Wait! No one has ever turned down that offer before!" The ring-master screamed.

"Well, there's always a first for everything." Arlen smirked at him before leaving the circus encampment. "Now...how am I suppose to find someone who could be far away by now...?" Arlen wondered thoughtfully, his gaze turned on to the houses nearby.

"...Maybe a little local information wouldn't hurt..."
_________________

Colloyd Forever~ ^-^

Mao-kun sprite by Augla *Glomps Mao*