Final Fantasy [Begins]

[classy_cat18]

Kite Rowe

I had spotted him again when I was gobbling my last fruit tart. My feet were glued to the ground, my mind arguing whether to just leave him alone for the night. At that instant, a voice screamed in my head:

JUST GIVE HIM THE DAMN TOY!

“Tch,” I sneered as I gathered up the courage to call out to him. “Nova!”

The manchild took one look at me and took off running in another direction. This wasn’t like him at all. Why was he avoiding me like the plague and darting around like he was in trouble?

Maybe he really did skip house arrest without permission. I followed him even as we both bumped into people. It was a miracle that I didn’t completely lose him. He’s heading for the stage?

A guard stopped me from following him backstage. “Not allowed, pal,” he said gruffly.

How did Nova get permission?

“I was just following my friend—“

“You can wait for him outside.”

I rolled my eyes and waited for him at a spot where I could keep an eye on the entrance. “He’ll spend all night in there if he wants,” I muttered.

But eventually he did come back out. This time he didn’t bother trying to hide from me. “How’d you get in there?” I questioned.

“Blagged my way in, as usual,” he replied.

That’s all he’s going to tell me? He never was one to talk about himself but today he has been more secretive than usual.

His eyes were glued to the stage on the beach. I hadn’t taken the time to watch the show since I had spotted him earlier. With him staying put for a change, I could relax and watch the show with him. The performers danced elegantly, giving as good of a performance as they always did. It was like watching a dream.

My fingers fiddled with the Chocobo toy. This is it. The perfect time to give it to him. I opened my mouth to speak only for a grunt of pain to come out when some kids stepped on it while running past.

“You okay?” Nova asked me when he noticed me shaking my foot.

“Yes. This is for you,” I said in a rushed voice as I handed him the toy, not even bothering to look at him. “I fixed it up and was going to find a way to sneak it to you while you were in house arrest.”

I glanced at him long enough to see him studying it. “Th-thanks. How’d you know it was my birthday?”

“Y-Your…” I shook my head. Another thing he didn’t bother telling anyone. “I hear things,” I lied.

“It’s great. Thank you.” He smiled and slipped it in his pocket. A small smile of my own appeared.

Good, he likes it. I turned my head to him only to find someone else had joined us. Nova had that “trapped rat” look again. It’s that girl from two weeks ago!

“Can I speak to you?” the girl asked Nova.

Poor Nova was sweating bullets. “I’ll uhh, be right back…” he told me.

“Are you in trouble?” I asked although I already knew the answer.

“No-“ he tried to lie.

“Yes,” the girl cut in. “He is. Please excuse us.”

“Please take as long as you need,” I whispered as I left them. Forget the whole damn show; I was going back so I can take my frustration out on some poor useless hunk of metal. It helps to imagine some idiot’s head in its place.

No matter how far from the stage I got, I could still see the brilliant lights and hear the voice of the songstress. Those only made me pick up the pace until I was running as fast as I could. I only stopped when I heard everything get quiet… and then get loud again.

But this time the sounds were totally different.

“Something’s wrong,” I murmured to myself. I ran the rest of the way to the shop to get my sledgehammer.

The heavy weight of my improvised weapon didn’t slow me down too much. Nova and that girl were still there. If Nova’s been harmed… Lindzei help whoever harmed him!

“FIEND!” a woman shrieked before almost crashing into me. Right behind her was a black-and-gray fiend, with a hole right through his wide-open maw.

“And this party keeps getting BETTER!” I growled, swinging my sledgehammer at the last word. It got the fiend right in the mouth and sent it flying.

Even worse than I thought. Figures that if Nova and the others could get OUT, the fiends would eventually be able to get IN. I reached the beach and concentrated on saving innocent people from the fiends attacking them. “NOVA! WHERE ARE YOU?”

[Weasel Overlord]

Bellaevis
:: date with the night ::

And then pretty much everything went to shit. Bellaevis was sitting at the bar, polishing off her third, maybe fourth drink. The atmosphere was lovely on the beach, right up until it wasn't. There was something about goblins that really ruined an evening, and she slammed down her empty glass.

“Great,” she cursed, a string of expletives tumbling from her mouth. She felt the heft of her instrument on her back and left her seat, eyes widening at the chaos facing her on the beach. She grinned – it'd make a fantastic song, and no mistake, but it would be all the better for her direct involvement.

And besides, she was pretty bored now that Nova had buggered off.

She wandered out of the shelter of the bar, nimbly dodging a goblin that dashed past her, hell-bent on chasing some poor sod probably to his death. She shook her head and whipped out Bellwyrm's Heartstring, leaving the running guy to sort himself out.

Unfortunately, due to a hefty dose of not-looking-where-she-was-going, Bellaevis walked slap bang right into a solid rock of a man. He smelled like oil, which was ridiculously sexy, and he immediately swore a blue streak that made her ears blister. Fantastic.

She looked up at him and grinned. “Oh, I like you. Come on big fella, you can help me take out some of these nasties, yeah?” She grabbed him by the elbow and steered him in the direction of the chaos. “You can talk some of those bad words at me while you're at it.”

“What the fu-” he attempted, then gave an almighty shrug that seemed to rock his entire body. Bellaevis tried not to think about how she would rock his entire body, failed spectacularly and just dived into the fray.

She managed to take out a goblin with a well-placed hit between the eyes and a whoop of approval from the big fella, and then she was careening through the crowds, zipping between monsters like she was weaving through a crowd at a carnival or something, all the while laughing like a demon.

“This is about a million times more interesting than just a celebration!” she whooped at the big guy, who was following her like a particularly gigantic shadow. “What's yer name anyway, I refuse to refer to you as That Massive Sexy Guy in my song.” She danced out of the way of a goblin's punch and smacked it between the eyes with Bellwyrm. “Hey, is that Nova over there? Come on, let's go grab him!”

“It's Cid!” he yelled after her, before shrugging again and just following. “Oi, Spanner Cock!” he shouted at Nova, who turned and groaned loud enough to be heard through the carnage.

Bellaevis turned to him, an expression of ecstatic glee across her face. “Oh my Lindzei. Spanner Cock! That is fucking amazing. Do you know him? You call him Spanner Cock? Oi!” she yelled in Nova's face. “Spanner Cock!”

His face fell. “Oh great. Who introduced you to him?”

Bellaevis looked scandalised. “I can't believe you've been hiding this sexy hunk of Cid away from me, Spanner Cock. I'm legitimately disgusted with you! I think you owe me at least three drinks and probably a threesome as atonement for your crime.” She pointed at Cid. “And you're invited too, assuming we don't all get et by wolves or something. Hey look, there's a singer up there! We should go help her or something, she might know some good songs.”

[ChobiChibi]

Nova Myst
Divinity II, FF7 Advent Children (promise I will get to other FF music at some point XD)

Nova couldn’t believe his luck. Nothing seemed to be going his way. He now had to babysit a drunken Cid and Bellaevis, who on their own would be fine, but it was Cid in particular he was worried about. With nothing but his fists and beer goggles, the mechanic would surely fall into trouble.

“Bellaevis, watch Cid.”

“Oh, I shall!” She gazed up at him, looping her arm with his and petting it affectionately.

“No, not like that...” Nova sighed, but a little chuckle escaped at the end of it. “Keep bottom of the stage clear. I’m gonna get Alex.”

“Who?!”

Nova didn’t bother answering, it would take far too much time. He climbed up onto the wreckage, the twisted metal providing a makeshift ladder. He was pulling himself up when the first goblin attached itself to his foot. Holding on tighter, he kicked as hard as he cold, but the stubborn little thing wouldn’t budge. Fine, I’ll just keep climbing with you there.

He lost his grip as a sudden weight pulled him downwards. Another 4 or 5 goblins had formed a chain from the first one, sticking their fists in each others’ mouths. He gripped for dear life as he peered over his shoulder, catching sight of another large group of goblins making their way past Bellaevis and Cid, who seemed to be preoccupied by a few gorgonopsids. He really didn’t want to be the goblin’s supper.

Carefully, he let go with one hand, reaching down to take his sword from its scabbard. He was pretty sure his arm would just rip apart at the shoulder if he didn’t hurry up and get rid of them. His chest muscled strained, not ready for such a test of endurance. He flicked his blade to its full length, hooking it in the goblin’s O.

It frowned for a moment before the life was drained from it, the sword cutting through it like a steak knife cutting an onion ring. It let him go, all the others tumbling into a heap below him. He threw his blade up onto the stage above him and quickly climbed up.

Was he too late? Alex was nowhere to be seen. Only four gorgonopsids growling angrily at one spot. What was it Eden had told him? “Don’t get surrounded.”

She had to be underneath the wreckage, there was no other explanation. He picked up his sword and ran at them, throwing it straight into the back of one of the creature’s heads. He charged at them as the oversized wolf collapsed, pulling his sword free as he challenged the others.

“Alex?!” He called, blocking what would have been a nasty bite.

The songstress peeked out from her hiding place, somewhat relieved to see someone she vaguely knew. As another gorgon’s head rolled, he ran to her, offering his hand.

“W-what’s happening?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Nova was watching the creatures; they’d backed off slightly. “But we need to get going.”

She seemed to retreat further into her little hiding place. “They want to eat me...”

“Do you trust me?” Nova took his eye off the enemy and stared straight into hers. “No, wait, don’t answer that. Don’t even think about that. I’m gonna keep you safe, I promise.” She stared at his hand. “Live for the moment, Alex, or you might never get to again.”

Alex smiled at him, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. It was only then that he took a look at his surroundings. There were more of them now, and what’s more they were surrounded.

“Run to the edge and jump off the stage when I tell you. My friends are waiting at the bottom; you can’t miss ‘em.”

“What if they chase me?”

“I’ll distract them.”

“Nova...”

“You’ll be alright. I’ll be right behind you.”

She nodded, waiting for her cue as he made the first move. He provided an ample distraction as well as human shield until he saw an opening for her. “Run!”

Alex sprinted to the edge, but stopped, he noticed. He didn’t take into account that the goblins might still be there. He hadn’t killed all the gorgonopsids yet, but he couldn’t just leave her there either. He gave up on the monsters, they could chase him if they wanted, he just needed to get her off the stage and away from the shore line.

He made himself a gap in the hellhounds and ran for it. She only glanced back at him about a second before he tackled her off the edge, pulling her close so he could be her human shield. They landed with a thud, sand getting just about everywhere possibly thinkable.

As he spotted Bellaevis out the corner of his eye, he thought she’d probably like to be in this situation with him, particularly with sand in unmentionable places. He cringed, brushing the image away.

“Are you alright?” Nova asked, waiting for Alex to get up before he could.

[Crystal Tears]

~ 3 ~
Beachhead

“Nova!”

Nova’s gaze immediately shot away from the girl on top of him to his right. His sister – his very… he wouldn’t say worried or frightened, neither of those words fit Eden well… Concerned sister was hurrying towards them, a blade in one hand, the other sheathed.

“Eden?”

Alex looked over, and immediately got up, stumbling off of her rescuer. She couldn’t do a whole lot (not that she would try) as Eden reached down and yanked Nova to his feet roughly. Alex opened her mouth to speak up, but found it slamming shut from the unholy glare the soldier shot at her.

“Um…”

“What the hell were you thinking?” She pushed him away from the stage, forcing him to begin towards the town; Alex fell in line behind them.

“I was going to help her!” Nova gestured to Alex, who was very awkwardly looking between the two. “She screamed –“

“You ran off.” Eden replied coolly, but Alex could hear the tension in her voice. Whoever this woman was, she had been worried about Nova.

“I didn’t run off!” Nova seemed to wince; he suddenly realized how flawed that defense was.

“You went barreling off during a fiend invasion to save some broad.” She shot a look at Alex. “… No offense.”

“Oh um…” Alex flushed red. “None taken, I um… I’ll find someone else to follow if you want?”

“No!” Nova exclaimed, and both the women were suddenly staring at him. Eden looked as far from happy as a stoic soldier could get, her irritation was burning under the surface. Alex just looked downright embarrassed, not knowing what to say. “Damn it, I didn’t save her for you just to send her away!”

“I’m not sending her away.” Eden snapped back at her brother. “How cruel do you think I am?”

Alex didn’t want to listen to the argument – it felt rather rude. She was only left to assume that by the way the soldier was concerned for her friend’s safety, that they must know each other. The two seemed to have some sort of connection, and Alex’s curiosity got the better of her.


“Um…”

But her question was impossible to ask, as suddenly that Behemoth speaking in some language the girl could’ve never have deciphered – attacked.

It bellowed, and it was only the efforts of the soldier that had saved them all.

Eden threw herself into both of them, all three of them hit the sand but it was the huntress that turned her fall into a rough roll and came out fine. She twisted around, unsheathing her off-hand blade and combining it with the other. The two metals twisted and locked into each other, forming an elegant sword.

“You’re going to fight it?!” Nova coughed, hacking up sand as he watched his sister step towards the massive beast.

She shot a look at him from the corner of her eye. “It’s my job.” Eden twirled the Ashen Fall, readying herself. “Protect your friend.”


Alex watched Eden charge forward, nimbly dodging the behemoth’s far more cumbersome attacks. The songstress yelped and grabbed onto Nova’s arm when he tried to go chasing after the soldier.

“What are you doing?” Alex helplessly questioned.

“I need to help her!”

“She told you-“

Nova’s face softened. “She’s my sister.”

“Watch out!” Another man’s voice called to them, and instantly they both saw the incoming tail.

Nova leapt over it, the fine fur on the monster’s fifth limb just touching the bottom of his boots. Alex could’ve never made that jump – she knew she wasn’t that athletic. So she was somewhat relieved when someone’s arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of the way. The rush of wind and sand cascaded around her, forcing Alex to shut her eyes. Half expecting death to greet her, she suddenly realized she was being tightly held by someone much larger then herself and far more muscular.

Her eyes fluttered open and she hopped away from her rescuer.

It was the man from before.

“Markus!” She exclaimed, remembering his name. “Lindzei bless you! Thank you!”

“Keep safe.” He nodded to her, and hurried up to Nova. The songstress watched, feeling rather useless.

“Lea dni emn hyd ayoh myoc!” The behemoth was coming for them again, having sent two goblins to distract Eden. Alex stepped backed, watching as the massive creature went for Nova.

Nova ducked and dodged as best he could, but he wasn’t nearly as nimble as Eden. The leader of the invasion roared and knocked Markus away, bringing its sword up in preparation to cut Nova clean in half.

Eden would have none of that.

She split her sword in two and stabbed either goblin in the brain, before rushing away from them and hopping up onto the Behemoth’s back. It didn’t even notice her – not until she bounded off its shoulder and grabbed one of the banners dangling from its head. She tightened her grip as the ground came up fast and did her best to throw all her weight downwards.

The behemoth’s swing was thrown off as its head was pulled to the left, throwing the creature and the huntress to the ground in an explosion of sand.

As the sand began to settle, Nova caught sight of his sister lying on the ground motionless.

“Eden!” He shouted, rushing over to her.


“Odile I must protest to this proactive protection plan! I’m sure she’s perfectly fine–“

“Shut it Stroud!”

Alex blinked, turning around to see her two caretakers approaching. Despite having had guardians before, she was somehow far more relieved to see those two oddlings then any of the others.

“Odile!” Alex shouted, waving to them. Both caught sight of her and hurried over. “You’re okay!”

“Of course we’re okay! No thanks to Adair, he wants to run back to the ship.”

Adair scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away. “Only because I seem to be the only fantastical—though not frantic—fan of fulsome firepower. The darling Sealark abounds with bombs, if I may remind you.” He seemed far from pleased as he looked over Alex’s shoulder. “Ah, beasties. Swell. I’ll be off to save our-“

He swung around to walk away in the most impeccable of fashions, only to be greeted soundly by the behemoth’s swinging tail to his face – sending him cartwheeling through the air (and then the sand) in the most spectacular of ways. The creature was rising to its feet, shaking its head as sand was in its eyes and obscuring its vision.

“Adair!” Alex and Odile both shouted; Alex took off after him.

“We’ll get the ship! Help Nova!” The songstress ran off after the crashing man, ignored by the incoming fiends.


Eden groaned, slowly getting back up. She pushed Nova away; pointing to the woman Alex had ordered to help. “Stay with her.”

“Eden-“

She pushed him again, more soundly on his chest – making her point. “Go, there’s fiends coming.”

“Spanner cock!”

Nova grimaced, Eden and Markus looked over.

Bellaevis was standing there, looking ready to go. She had a mad grin on her face as she patted Eden on the shoulder. “Need some help?”

“I need a drink.” Eden retorted, getting a small chuckle from her friend.


“Nova!”

“Kite!” Eden’s brother answered, moving away from his sister and towards the stranger. “Come on, we need to help her!”

Kite blinked; confused. “Who is she-“

“I don’t know.” Nova cut him off, seeing her engaging the goblin and gorgon reinforcements. “But we need to help.”


Eden plucked her sword from the ground and flicked it into a rifle; Bellaevis flanked her as Markus took point.

The Behemoth smirked, picking up its own fallen weapon. It pointed at the trio.

“Ayo ehi rydnurk ekeurmd dni luknd yw Asura! Lea Humbaba syrmoli ayoh myoc!”

- + ~ + -

Right, here is the post to kick off the next part. I believe I managed to tag everyone. Just in case there’s any confusion:

Bellaevis, Eden, and Markus are taking on the Behemoth

Odile, Kite, and Nova are fighting the fiends (gorgons and goblins)

Adair and Alex are going to get the ship (if Adair survived the hit…)

[Samchu]

Markus
~~~~~

It had almost been perfect, but then, almost was what his moments with Eden always came down to. He knew it was hopeless for them. They had seperate duties and it was always going to tear them apart. But he lived for those almosts, sad it was, and cherished each of them. So when Eden left him, he didn't dispair, simply watched her walk away from him before finding his own path along the beach.

He found himself near the stage before the fireworks and amused himself with waiting for the entertainment to start. He contemplated delving into his supply of magi leaf but decided against it. As amazing as they would make the fireworks appear, it wasn't necessary. Better to save it for the end of a long day than waste it on a relaxing one.

There was applause when the singer appeared on stage and Markus joined in, clapping a little harder when he noticed it was Alex who was stepping out before them. Her voice was beautiful and no doubt many a man - both bachelor and non - found themselves falling for the beautiful songstress. Even he, smitten as he was for Eden, felt himself fall a little.

It was a perfect moment.

And then, that moment ended. In a flash of light and a burst of energy, fiends poured onto the scene, pouncing on whichever human was unlucky enough to be within their reach. Panic erupted throughout the crowd and Markus found himself fighting against a tide of bodies desperate to escape the beach and it's invaders.

"Move!" Whilst mostly a teacher, he had learned how to throw his voice over riots and protests but here even his strongest shouts were swallowed up by the sounds of screams. Here, his size hindered him. Where a more nimble man might weave through the ever-coming wall of bodies, Markus was forced to push his way through gaps nowhere near big enough to accomodate his size. Countless bodies slammed against him. Most were able to squeeze past him but some felt back into the crowd and were pressed against him. As much as he hated it, he had to throw them past him in order to continue.

As the crowd began to thin he quickened his pace, rolling his shoulders to release the stiffness of so many crashing bodies. To his left, one of the feral creatures pounced on a young woman. He steered himself towards her and grabbed the beast by the scruff of its neck, tearing it from its feast and slamming it into the sand. He heard the woman scramble away but kept his eyes focused on the creature as it rolled and lowered itself, stepping to the side as it eyed up the human that had dared to attack it. Likewise, Markus braced himself. He kept his eyes on the monster's, challenging it, daring it to charge, and when it did, he knew that he would beat it.

As the creature moved, Markus clicked his fingers. The mesh covering his arms began to harden and he pulled his left arm in front of him. The creature pounced at him, jaws open, and Markus rammed his arm into the creature's mouth. It clamped down, gnawing at the hardened material but failing to make any progress. Keeping his arm firm, Markus forced his right hand into a fist and slammed it into the creature's skull. With a whimper, it released its grip on his arm and fell to the sand but this time Markus didn't giive it a chance to get up. He pounced on the creature, pummeling it with his strengthened fists until it lay bloodied and still.

"One down..." He lifted himself to his feet and gazed across the battlefield, "...only a hundred and a giant behemoth to go..." The he noticed a figure standing in a circle of creatures identical to the one he had just dispatched. "Eden..."

He wasted no time in rushing to her aid, though calling it that would likely result in a lashing at Eden's hands. No, he had just arrived to simplify the process of extermination.

They able to destroy the group swiftly. Markus took a claw to the shoulder as the result of a moment of concentration loss but other than that he and his companion were unharmed.

"That was almost-" He turned to watch her charging off down the beach once again. "And there she goes again. Lindzei damn her if I lose a limb because of this."

He didn't need to protect Eden, nor did that thought cross his mind as he followed after her. But he knew Eden, maybe not completely but enough to know that she was going to throw herself into the thick of things and that one way or another, that was going to lead to a showdown with the behemoth. He had never seen one in person but he knew enough about them to know they were particularly dangerous and he had a really bad feeling about the one clearly leading this assault. So, fighting against the doubt and the fear, he took off after the woman he loved.

Halfway there, a goblin blocked his path. He thew swings against it only to have the more agile creature dodge them and counter with its own bulbous fist straight into his jaw. Markus took a step back to recover and managed a quick glance behind his enemy towards Eden. She had managed to get ahold of Nova and Alex and - as he had both expected and feared - caught the attention of the behemoth. A fire burned at his core and he pushed himself forward, feigning an attack with his right and catching the goblin firmly in the head with his left. It spun as it toppled to the floor and Markus ran past.

He caught up with Nova and Alex just in time to see the behemoth's tail swinging towards them. Crying out, Markus ran for Alex and pulled the girl into an embrace as they spun just out of reach of the beast's mighty tail.

"Markus! Lindzei bless you! Thank you!"

He smiled at the young girl and nodded, managing to respond with a quick "Keep safe" before joining Nova's side against the behemoth. When it attacked, Markus tried to block but force and angle were against him and he was knocked several feet to the side, crashing into the sand. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet. "Feels like I just got punched by a house..." His entire right side was crying out. He'd never taken a hit like that in his life and he was worried of the outcome should he take another. Whatever his doubts before, now he really doubted they could defeat it.

He made his way back to the battle just in time to see Eden and the beast fall to the ground. His feet stuck in the sand. He had seen Eden take falls but never like that. There was still some distance between them but even he could see she wasn't moving. Something went cold in his chest as Nova shouted her name and ran to her side. A moment later he found himself doing the same.

Thankfully, she was fine. And somehow, in the time between his absence and return, they had gathered a fighting force of their own, though "force" seemed a little optimistic for the rag-tag bunch of misfits that now found themselves facing off against the terrors of the world beyond the shields. But they had some numbers and perhaps that would prove to be something in the coming battle.

As the group seperated into smaller divisions, Markus found himself facing off against the behemoth, Eden and a girl he didn't know at his stead. The creature picked up it's large, deadly weapon and pointed it at them, threatening them in a language he had never heard before. He stared back at the creature, hardening his gaze to hide his fear. He had fought bigger men before but never had he come face to face with something so large and powerful. They had no plan, but as the behemoth moved it's blade into fighting position, Markus knew exactly what he had to do.

"Hey! Hey ugly! Can you actually use that thing or are you compensating for something?"

It certainly caught the creature's attention.

"Come on then! What are you waiting for? Hit me!"

He didn't know if the creature understood him, but as it reared back, blade parallel to its spine, Markus knew it was about to do what he wanted. He just prayed it wasn't going to kill him in the process.

As the blade came down, Markus dropped to one knee and raised his protected arms above his head. The edge of the blade smashed against them and he braced himself against the sand, allowing the shifting ground to aborb the worst of the impact. Even with the terrain to aid him, the force bearing down on him was agonising. His right side, still sore from the first hit, was screaming in agony. Half the battle was against his own body, forcing it to keep strong, keeping it from giving way. But it was a battle he was losing. Each second the blade edged its way closer to his head. He didn't know which would give first, the material covering his arms or the strength in them. The first seemed to be holding firm whilst the later was fading quickly. Already he could feel them shaking.

"Whatever you're planning on doing," he shouted back to the girls, "now would be an excellent time to do it."

[Weasel Overlord]

Bellaevis
:: the bear and the maiden fair* ::

Oh great, a Behemoth. Bellaevis wasn't amazingly certain of her ability to take down something so large, considering her general lack of warrior... ness... but it sure wasn't going to stop her trying! And anyway, she fancied looking quite hard in front of that big sexy lump of a man Cid, so that could always go in her favour.

Not that she needed to look hard to get someone into the sack, but that hefty dose of adrenaline always made everything sharper and a hell of a lot more awesome, which was quite a feat in most situations.

But, for now, there was a giant lump of Behemoth monster to beat down. She grinned in Eden's direction as Markus held up the creature's attack.

“Two pints says I manage the finishing blow!”

And she dashed in, vaguely aware of a shout from Eden, but to hell with that and definitely to hell with safety. She was planning on taking this sucker out then riding the high all night if she had to get injured to manage it!

Holding out her erhu bow as she ran, Bellaevis zipped in between the Behemoth's legs and swung upwards, hard. Hard enough to make the beast roar in anguish and shout something in his guttural language that she could have sworn were actual swear words. Brilliant.

She nipped out from under him again, winking exaggeratedly at Markus, who had managed to get himself out of the way in the brief respite.

“Come on, guys!” she yelled, boosting her voice above the carnage to be sure that everyone on her side heard. “Make me wanna write a filthy song about how awesome this battle is, yeah?”

She launched into a tune, bellowing it out with all the bar-singing ability of her trained lungs. A few monsters were nothing compared to singing over a rowdy bar fight after midnight. Spinning herself around between lines, she expertly took out one of the little guys with a hefty smack beneath the chin, and it rolled away with a pained yelp, eyes rolling back into its skull.

♪ A bear there was, a bear, A BEAR ♪ she sang, although it was more booming than actual singing. ♪ All black and brown and covered with HAIR! ♪

Her tactic seemed to be working, or at the very least, it was making the group grin a little bit instead of grimacing, which was all for the better.

She inhaled a deep breath; ♪ Oh come, they said! Oh come to the fair! ♪ ducking next to Eden, Bellaevis elbowed her in the ribs. She received a glare for her trouble as Eden danced out of the way of a blow from the Behemoth.

“Are you going to fight, or are you just going to wander around singing?” Eden snapped, but there wasn't too much bite behind it, and even if there had have been, Bellaevis would have ignored it anyway.

“You guys love my singing!” Bellaevis pouted, breaking off from her ballad for a second. “I've lost count of how many times you've asked me for The Bear and the Maiden Fair, anyway.”

Eden levelled a Look at her. “After how many drinks?

“Not the point,” Bellaevis called out as she legged it away from the Behemoth's next swing. She ducked underneath again, this time going in with a stabbing motion right in the unmentionables.

♪ The fair, said he! ♪ she punctuated each break with another stab, ♪ But I'm a BEAR! ♪

*for any interested parties, the song The Bear and the Maiden Fair is stolen straight out of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. See here for lyrics.

[ChobiChibi]

Nova Myst

Kite was hesitant, and Nova had no patients for that today. His chest seemed to ache more since Eden had pushed him and he was getting tired. Had he really lost all his stamina since he stopped training? No, because he was fine when he took on the Behemoth.

Bloody Behemoths.

Nova dragged Kite along behind him; if Alex said help this woman, then help her he would. Alex was ahead of them, running past the other woman and following a man she was apparently associated with. Problem was, she also picked up a gorgon tailing her...

“Bloody fiends!” Nova grumbled, letting go of Kite and sprinting off after the monster. With one swift motion, he pulled his blade from its sheath, locked it into position and leapt forward, stabbing the gorgon right between its shoulder blades and bringing it to the ground.

Eden would be proud if she saw that. He mused, standing up and heading back towards the others.

“When did you get that sword?” Kite narrowed his eyes as he fended off a goblin; if it was possible to behead them he probably would’ve with that swing.

“I’ve always had it.” Nova replied simply, helping the woman with some pesky goblins. “I’m Nova.”

“Odile.” She thwacked a gorgon that Nova hadn’t spotted.

“Where did you get it from?” Kite asked, ignoring their new companion.

He sighed. It was always best to be as honest as possible with Kite when he was like this. “It was a graduation gift when I finished my training at the Alexandrian Command.”

“The military?!” Nova flinched, both at his surprise and the fact that Kite’s sledgehammer came a little too close for comfort. “But you hate the military!”

“Hence why I quit.”

“Are you two done with your little lovers tiff?” Odile gave them both a knowing look. It confused Nova, but seemed to make Kite all flustered.

“W-we’re not l-lovers!”

Nova sighed, fighting off another couple of gorgons before speaking again. “Are these fiends ever gonna stop coming?”

The Behemoth roared, instantly getting Nova’s attention. Whatever they were doing to it, it seemed unhappy. Bellaevis, however, seemed thrilled, singing at the top of her lungs a song that he vaguely remembered, whilst taunting and teasing the beast.

Nova gripped his sword tighter. The fiends’ numbers were dwindling; some were just plain ignoring them and heading into the city. There wasn’t much more for them to do, other than head to the city and hope for the best...

Or help take down the Behemoth.

A pair of goblins went flying past his line of vision before Kite scalded him. “I know that look. Don’t even think about it.”

“But-”

“Need I remind you that you’ve met a Behemoth before? What happened last time, Nova?”

“You’ve fought a Behemoth before?” For a brief moment, Odile looked vaguely impressed. That was until she spotted the sheepish grin that plastered itself on Nova.

“It was little, but vicious. I ran away before it could kill me.”

“Kill you, Nova. Kill. You could die if you go over there.” Kite emphasised his friend’s potential death by taking swings at passing fiends.

It’s like everyone in my life are angels on my shoulder, he glanced from Kite to Eden, then to Bellaevis, maybe not Bellaevis... He even glanced at Markus, his former trainer, before focusing on the gorgon that had decided Nova was his dinner. But my heart is the devil, forcing my brain into only listening to it.

There was one thing that even his devilish heart was telling his brain: he was tired. Then don’t attack, his heart told his brain, just stall it. Slow it down. Surely they can’t fault you for trying to help?

“Sorry, Kite, I can’t stand here and watch from the sidelines.” He shrugged.

“It’s suicide!”

Nova rolled his eyes. “You coming, Odile?”

“I don’t seem have much choice...” She smirked, out of sight of Kite, her expression going deadpan as she walked past the man.

The two of them jogged back towards the shoreline, where the Behemoth loomed over his friends.

“Wait!” Kite called. Nova chuckled.

“You’re manipulative.” Odile commented.

“You’re observant.”

“You’d better have a plan, Nova!” Kite jogged alongside him, sledgehammer over his shoulder. “Or this ain’t gonna be pretty.”

“We take out the tail.” He began to pick up the pace. “Cut it off, break its bones, pin it to the ground, I don’t care. Other than the giant sword and the teeth, the tail is gonna cause us most harm. The more it flails, the more likely it will hit us.”

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Om nom nom, Behemoth snacks~