Final Fantasy/8-Bit Theatre Fanstories
 

Fanfictions that involve actual content.

Previous thread found here.

THANK YOU GOD! Err... and you... Mod.

CHAPTER SIX:
ADAPTATION
THIEF

Magnum stepped back, his head down, shadows over his eyes. He sighed and looked around the room, staring each of us in the eye.

"This is my fault. I lured Ataru here, just by being here. He seeks to kill me, as well as anyone else in his way. We will return to our world, and battle Ataru there," He turned and left the room, his long cape swirling over the ground behind him. Rallis followed, as did Falcon and, once she had made sure Red Mage was okay, Rachel followed.

"We aren't going to let you go alone," I turned and looked at Black Mage. "You were almost killed by Ataru once, we won't let you risk it again," He stood in front of Magnum arms crossed eyes red instead of the usual yellow. Magnum reached forwards and coils of green sprung from the stone under Black Mage's feet, reaching for him. But Black Mage was too fast, and the coils closed on air.

"We won't let you go alone," He stood firm, his eyes still red. Magnum just walked past him, his companions at his heels. He stood in the middle of the large, stone hall and reached into his long jacket. Pulling out a handful of salt, he cast a sigillum on the ground, marked the inside with a Pentagram, and stood in the middle.

"Tantus Talontus Jubeo Celebrex Anifornum," He spoke softly, his head down. A hole was torn in the air itself, becoming a ragged opening that looked like a mouth. Magnum walked through, followed by his friends. We stood in awe, watching the portal slowly shrink behind them.

"Hurry, you idiots!" Black Mage broke our stupor and ran forwards leaping through the portal. White Mage ran after, grabbing a medical kit from the wall. Fighter picked up Red Mage and leapt through. The hole was only six feet in diameter, and I was running flat out. Five feet wide... Two feet wide... And I was through.

***
LOCATION: EARTH
YEAR: 2007
PLACE: TORONTO, ONTARIO

I sat up, blinded by the bright light of the sun. The first thing I noticed was the heat. It must have been forty degrees Celcius!

"I told you not to follow," Magnum towered over me, but he looked different. My eyes had adjusted to the light, and I stood and faced him.
"We weren't about to let you go and kill yourself again," Black Mage said, glowering at him. He was unfazed, but suddenly his eyes widened.

"Move, NOW!" He threw us to the side and leapt in the other direction as a silver streak passed by.

"Rule number One on Earth," He began. "Don't get hit by a car. You're here now, so I guess you'll have to stay. The rift doesn't open again for a while. But if you're on Earth, you have to look like you live here," I realized we were still in our old clothes from the castle. Rachel gasped and grinned.

"Yay! Shopping!"

***
We were in a store filled with clothes. I was wearing black pants, made of 'denim', and a black shirt with no sleeves beyond me elbows. I had also tied a black bandana around my head, hiding my blue hair. Magnum, Rallis, Falcon and Rachel wore clothes similar to what they wore at the castle, but not so, as they called it, medieval:

Magnum had a black overcoat and pants to match. He wore a pair of black 'shades' and pulled his hair pack in a ponytail.

Rachel wore a black shirt and pants (They liked black, didn't they?) and had black hair that reached to her waist.

Falcon had a haircut that made it look like there was recently a bowl on his head, and his hair was brown. His clothes were orange, for a change.

Rallis wore royal blue, his hair was kind of spiky, but maybe it just seemed small because of his previous hairstyle.

Black Mage wore a woollen sweater with the word GAP on the front. It was royal blue, and looked like it was very warm. I saw the brim of an odd hat poking out, but I saw the crescent moon he usually had on his old hat had managed to make the journey. His pants were a strange material, torn at the knees, letting white fibres poke out of the blue material. The thighs of the pants were pale brown instead of blue, and I saw his knife in a sheath around his waist. His face was still hidden by the hood and hat, but I could see his yellow eyes. But instead of having the vicious, bloodthirsty flicker that I usually saw, he looked... calm, at peace, almost cute. Did I say that?! UGH! Let me describe someone else.

White Mage wore garb similar to Black Mage, white with red triangles on the sleeves and hood, but her pants were of the same material, just white and not torn at the knees. and, unlike Black Mage, I could see her face. Her hammer was nowhere to be seen.
Red Mage looked like he was healed, but he limped a little on his right leg. He wore red, glossy material with a blue stripe down the side of his legs. His shirt was red, without sleeves past his elbows. He had put on a golden-coloured 'watch' that adorned his left wrist, and had a shiny necklace around his neck. He wore a red bandana to hide his white hair.

Fighter wore the same clothes Black and White Mage had on, but his shirt was red and his jeans black.


"Okay," Magnum looked them all over. "You seem to blend in okay, but we can't just go off searching for Ataru. Once a month, he does an act of terrorism. They're getting more dangerous now, and from what I heard, he did one yesterday. So in this month, you will be getting accustomed to life on Earth. Any questions?"

Nobody had any. So Magnum brought us out to a large, steel machine. He called it a car. It was silver and had four seats inside.

"Shotgun!" Rallis called, leaping into the right-hand front seat. Rachel took the wheel, next to Rallis and we managed to squeeze Red Mage in between them. Falcon, White Mage and I got in the back. It was a little cramped, but nothing we couldn't handle. After putting on the 'seatbelts', Rachel turned a key and the whole machine rumbled. She shot out, the wheels squealing and the wind whipping at our faces. The roof had crumpled back into the back of the machine, leaving a pane of glass between us and the front of this contraption. Seeing Black Mage and Magnum whipping along ahead of us on a black and silver contraption with two wheels, I wondered how many things we had to learn. Magnum had reared up on one wheel and was whooping in joy. Black Mage was clinging to Magnum, and I guessed his eyes were wide in surprise. Or shut tight in fear.

The 'car ride' took around twenty minutes, and we pulled up to a tall building. This thing was way taller than even the citadel! Huge! Magnum and Co. were walking up to the base, where there was a door. We entered and walked through a long, shiny hallway. Magnum waved to a man behind a counter, pressed a button on the wall and two doors slid open. We walked into a small room, barely big enough for all of us. Magnum pressed another button on the wall and the doors slid shut. I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I was about to blow chunks. The machine stopped after about a minute, and we stepped out into a large room.

"Ladies, gentlemen," Magnum raised his arms and gestured. "Welcome to the top floor. We call it a penthouse here on earth," He lowered his arms. "Make yourselves at home,"

So we did.


Now, I'm going to hold a contest. Make up a short story about how they adapt to modern life. It can be them watching a movie, or taking the bus, or playing video games. Whatever. Three winners will be put in the story. Have fun!

You forgot Fighter!
 

[gaps] YES YOU DID FORGET HIM. [when you were describing clothing]

Heh, I don't really like fighter anyway. Well, that was interesting. I can't say I expected that. XD Magnum and company must do that kind of thing a lot, they weren't phased at all in the citadel. Although I don't agree exactly with your outfits, it's not my story, is it? XP And wouldn't Theif's blue hair and Red Mage's white hair be okay if they look punk-ish anyway? Although I guess you would need to be hiding the elf ears... Anyway. Other then minor details and the sudden plot twist, very nice. I shall be getting on that short story thing immediatly, as well as drawing Black Mage in modern clothes as soon as possible because you got it stuck in my head. >.<

I'm not sure I can even imagine the chaos the next month/chapter will contain. Or my story. XP

And thank you FifthFiend for the stickied thread! [is happy]

((This next baby's a long one. It leaves some unanswered questions, but they'll be answered in time, plus they're not all that relevant anyway.

Also, Who here thinks the Fanart thread should be stickied, too? *raises hand*))
The fountain trickled idly behind her, the ripples of clear water glistening whilst the coppers resting at the bottom slowly rusted away with the wishes of the children who’d tossed them in. Red Witch hunched at the fountain’s edge, head in her hands and her mind a blank. She’d worn everyday garb, her red mage’s gear tossed against the wall. Whether or not she’d ever need it again, she hadn’t the slightest.

Was she barred from the guild, now? That seemed the case. As the Master Sage, he couldn’t possibly have made a mistake as large as not knowing where a guild was—and there was definitely no Red Guild here; Red Witch had asked around, but no one had any inkling of such a place in the kingdom. But why would he ban her in such a roundabout fashion? Why not just give her his exaggerated regrets and blacklist her?

She was caught between frustration and despair. Part of her wanted to give that cocky old man a solid punch to the face for humiliating her so. The other, milder, logical, and less stupid part of her reasoned that, with all the chances she’d been handed and her constant failure to uphold her duties, she more or less deserved the punishment, excessive though it may seem. It also reminded her that she honestly had no chance of taking down a mage nearly forty years her senior.

“So,” a small voice whipped out, snapping Red Witch from her thoughts. She suddenly realized a young girl stood before her, dressed in brightly colored sheets of cloth, a flower in her curly blue hair and a wide smile on her features. Her brown eyes shimmered with curiosity. “What’s it like up there, huh?” she insisted eagerly.

Red Witch blinked. “Um, sorry… up where?”

“Up at the castle, silly!”

“The…castle?”

The girl’s grin faded. “Oh… oh, I thought you were… aw.” And then her smile was back on. “All right, then. Sorry.” She whipped around on her heel and started to march off, back into the crowd.

“Wait!” Red Witch called. The girl looked back over her shoulder. “Why would you expect me to be up at the castle?” Red Witch asked. Whether or not it was just a strange girl’s mistake, Red Witch’s curiosity had been piqued.

The girl’s eyes widened. “You didn’t hear? Like everyone’s been talking about it, I thought everyone in the whole world knew.”

“Well, I don’t,” Red Witch said, laughing awkwardly. “So can you tell me?”

“Yeah!” The girl lit up at the chance to be helpful, and scrabbled back to Red Witch. “Yeah, okay, so, King Steve? Up in the castle? His daughter, Sara, she got like, kidnapped by an evil guy, so he’s callin’ all the adventurers from around the world to head up to the castle and apply for the job of getting her back or something and all that!”

Red Witch raised a brow. Applying to save his daughter? What kind of a king was this? “And… why, exactly, did you think I’d been there?”

“I saw you yesterday. Walking around in that neat outfit, it was real obvious you were an adventurer. There’ve been a lot of them coming around these days, and I’ve seen ‘em all—there’ve been all sorts of weird guys coming around, wearing neat armor and with big weapons and I’ve even seen black mages walking around, it’s so cool!”

“Black mages?” She rubbed her chin. “That is pretty neat… you must be really observant, to remember one face out of so many cool people walking around.”

“What?”

“You have a good memory.”

The girl beamed. “Yeah! Yeah, I remember everything, I’m the best at knowing whatever!”

Red Witch laughed. “I bet you are. Thanks for letting me know.” The girl nodded, clearly pleased. The mage rose from her perch at the fountain’s edge. “I think I’ll check out this… ‘job’ myself.”

The girl nodded eagerly. “Yeah! You’ll kick butt, and then you’ll go and save the princess and it’ll be like a fairytale except you’re a girl instead of some dumb dashing prince!”

Again, Red Witch found herself chuckling. This girl’s buoyant attitude was contagious. Thanking the child again, she headed off through the crowd to the inn. Perhaps this was her chance to prove herself to the Guild again; who could doubt the determination of a bona fide rescuer of princesses?

Yet, as she strolled through the inn’s doors, her excitement weakened. It was already afternoon, and visiting the King of Cornelia, of all people, was likely to be a time consuming and thorough experience. She shouldn’t just rush in, expecting a quick acceptance into the role of an official adventurer.

Her chance to enter the palace would still be there tomorrow, after all. Climbing the stairs to her room, she confirmed it; tomorrow, she’d present herself before the king, and win back the Guild’s respect.

~~~

She woke up past eleven the next morning. After a forty-five minute shower and spending an hour breaking her fast on the inn’s sausages and oatmeal, she headed back to her room to change to her nifty red mage’s uniform, which took at minimum another twenty minutes, but she didn’t feel the need to rush.

As she clasped her cape on, a twinge of hesitation crept into her mind. This was her first time in Cornelia, the most prosperous kingdom in all the world. It would truly be a shame to run off to the castle without a chance to even experience the city; the last two days had been spent in the brunt of a panic attack and a fit of sulking.

She could go to the castle tomorrow; surely, the chance to present herself would still be available the next day.

~~~

The next day, she got back to her room at six in the evening. After another morning of sightseeing, she’d spent the day in the tavern, chatting it up with the locals. Another day wasted away in idle enjoyment. It was fantastic. But for sure, she’d visit the castle in the morning.

~~~

In the morning, she left the inn. For sure, she could visit in the afternoon, but today was the best day for shopping; merchants had finally caught up with the flood of adventurers visiting the kingdom, and she just had to see what foreign wares they brought with them.

As she approached the market square, the colorful display of exotic booths in sight, a gilded gauntlet fell on her shoulder. She jumped, and turned to see a stern-faced city guard standing behind her.

“Miss,” he began. “You are an adventurer, are you not?”

“Um,” she stammered. “I guess, sort of, I mean, not officially, but you could say, yes, I suppose, Sir, in a sense, kind of—”

“You’ve been seen about town the last few days, and we must ask you to visit the castle,” he interrupted. “You are aware of the situation at hand, yes?”

“Um, sort of, to a degree…”

“Good. Then I suggest you make your way back to your room as quickly as possible and get your gear together. I will be escorting you to the castle.”

A short while later, Red Witch marched through the town, blushing hard enough to match her cape. The red-and-gold armored man took her around the bazaar, away from distractions and crowds, yet enough people still wandered the streets to gawk at the strange-clothed woman being led by a guard. She heard some of them mutter to each other—what had she done? Was she being arrested? She pulled her hat low over her face.

Nice.
*Raises Hand too*
(Is fixed. After RM.)

Oh god, I dress like Fighter. That's most peculiar. ><

Contest? RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS. *gets her ass to work*
Oh, and Fifth? Thanks for the sticky. :D

Whoops, I forgot. I promised a fight scene. <.<'''... I made this way before I posted the last chapter. I just wanted to wait for a while. Unluckily, that while was 8-Bit RPG going down the trash and business with Summon Night: Swordcraft Story series/Megaman Battle Network series games. if you don't have those, you NEED them. Seriously.

Anyways, got two narratives. I'd like to know opinion on BM's narrative before I type more and it sucks. This is seriously the last chapter I've done.

Janus only smirked. Yet again, he was mocking me.
"The only thing I've done is spoken the truth and proven your incorrect theories wrong.." Softly, he rose the hand toward me, and the ball in it swirled blacker.
I tightened my fist, cold steam pressing through my fingers, shaking my head, readying to attack him.
"Like I said..."

"Like I said..."
I lunged forward for him, and swiftly, he spun round, and without a fraction of doubt, physically threw Black Mage at me. I knew he would react defensively somehow, but didn't know he would throw a weakened and poor soul at me. However, this didn't throw me off from quickly blasting the area around him with frigid air just as he vanished from my vision. Now my chore was dealing with a live body flying at me. I would--
"Sss'yah..!!" I struggled, as Black Mage toppled into me, I becoming his landing mat.
Groaning, I deftly pushed off Black Mage to the side, and looked around myself, no one in sight.
"Black Mage..!!" White Mage shrieked, then covered her mouth cautiously.
I could only narrow my eyes.
"Show yourself, you coward..!! You call yourself a god, well, act like one!!" just as dark clouds reigned over the grey wonderverse, the sky swirled low and clouds of freezing cold pulsed from around me.
Oh, I could feel the raw power in my hands. Janus, though mockingly, had opened my eyes to a huge new understanding of magic. I closed my eyes. I could feel a slow movement of white energy toward Black Mage's weak and confused energy, and a rapidly-moving power energy circling around me. I tried following the rapid energy's movement, more swirling cold surrounding me. I could barely feel my hands, but it didn't matter, all I cared about was destroying the embarrassment I was made into.

I felt dead.. all my bones and muscles ached, my heart felt like it was pure, eugh... All because of this stupid new power I'd acquired. White Magic. What was the point, it was hippy magic, and it was completely useless to me. All I could do is lean against Janus. For some reason, I was right for once. For some reason, my magic meant more to me than destruction and killing. It felt so wrong, though... Ever since I met White Mage, changing, and my lust for her, has felt so entirely wrong. But White Mage... was.. was she the reason I had this magic? My inspiration for... love.
Janus was blabbing to that idiot Red Mage... something about.. power and gifts. That sounded exactly like what I wanted at that moment. But, of course, this would be incredibly out of character and too overrated for the world to give me, so instead, I was lunged at Red Mage, headfirst into him, and became dozed off before I could land or something.

Small, probably not worth the wait, so sorry. How's my BM, though? I know I did pretty crappy, but the level of crappiness is unidentifyable, because I was the one that made it, so I can't judge it.

Several more men donned in the city guard’s armor stood in front of the massive castle. From a distance, the King’s home had been hidden from view by the walls that protected the city, and inside the town all views had been of the buildings directly surrounding her. With her first look at the palace, Red Witch’s breath was stolen away. It was the height of the place that amazed her, above all; she gaped at the towers reaching to the sky, ornamented with stone gargoyles snarling down at the adventurers filing through security. She’d never seen such a massive building in her life. Sure, the Guild at home was large, but not so tall.

The escort handed her off to security. Another guard handed her a burlap sack. “For the safety of the royal family and to ensure no theft occurs, you’ll need to put all weapons and magic items in here. All your possessions will be returned afterwards.” The instructions came out dully, as though on autopilot.

Red Witch frowned and dropped her rapiers into the bag and held it out for him, but he squinted at her. It was a disturbingly focused look, and she found herself unnerved by it. “Uh,” she managed.

“You’ve got something else,” he said.

“Wh-what?”

“You need to turn in something else. A concealed item. Put it in the bag.”

She furrowed her brow; he must have using scanner magic, to see if she had anything. But her only weapons were her swords and magic, and she couldn’t just take her magic off. And though she found magic items fascinating, she’d never had one of her own; the guild only issued her standard gear when she’d left apprenticeship. “You must be mistaken. I don’t have anything else.” She held out the bag again.

“No, you have something. I’ll ask you again; turn it in, or we will have to search you.”

Red Witch scowled. It was one thing to make the civilians think she was a criminal, escorted across town by a guard, but she was by no means going to allow them to frisk her for something she didn’t have. “I’m telling you, I’ve got nothing else besides these. I don’t know what you think I’ve got, but you’re wrong about it, and I won’t let you feel me up for a mistake!”

He, however, was unimpressed. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”

“No! Listen to me, I don’t have any concealed weapons or whatever!”

“I know for a fact you have a powerful magic item on you. If you will not cooperate, we will have to interrogate you.”

“What?”

“Please, Ma’am, just come along.”

“No,” she growled. “I am not going to be treated like a criminal.”

“Ma’am—”

She snapped her fingers, and a fireball popped into her palm; her temper had reached its end, but it was a fatal mistake. In an instant, half the guards standing at the gates had their lances at the ready, tempered points gleaming at her dangerously. She gritted her teeth, the flame in her hand flaring a moment, before it died in a small puff of smoke.

Three guards rushed in, grabbing her by the arms with grips of steel. The other adventurers watched in an array of confusion, amusement, reproach, and disappointment at the lack of action. She was marched off, and though she did not struggle against their rough hold on her, she glared daggers at the ground.

~~~

A rough-looking, barrel-chested man with a grizzly red beard awaited her entrance to the dark room. His armor was notably more elaborate than the average footsoldier seen about town, and on his chest was the clear emblazonment of the Captain of the Guards. She was seated in a small chair, and though another, larger chair sat across from her, he did not sit. As he off the escorts, she was shut her alone in the room with the scowling man. Though before she had felt justified in her rage, her temper now began to smolder before this bear of a man.

He glared at her with piercing blue eyes. She averted her own gaze, nervous. An unnerving wave of nostalgia washed over her. Scowling, he began to pace.

“Young lady,” he growled, “from the report I have, you withheld items from security, denied the scanner’s accusation of withholding said items, and threatened the guards protecting the castle when they tried to take you aside for inspection. Is that right?”

She frowned, and looked up at him. “No, Sir, that is not right.” She saw him raise his brow and went on. “I was accused of withholding a magic item, and I did lose my temper and threaten your troops—sorry, really—but I didn’t actually have any magic item. I’m positive that your scanner made a mistake in his assessment.”

He gave her a good look over, and shook his head. “The scanners stationed out there are good enough to detect from someone like you.” Red Witch felt a sting of indignation--someone like her?-- but clamped her jaw and let him go on. “I don’t use any of that, so I can’t know, but…” He paused. “Do you wear any jewelry?”

She faltered. Jewelry? “Um, not really, Sir, except—”

“Yes or no.”

She pouted. “Yes, Sir.” She pulled out a necklace from under her shirt. A thin leather string curled around her neck, and a twist of silver hung from that, coiling around a colorless crystal. Red Witch had never been much of one for jewelry, but the simplicity of the necklace had always appealed to her in some way. She fingered it and muttered, “It’s nothing special, really.”

She looked up at him and shrugged, but realized his eyes had grown wide. “I see,” he murmured, though she couldn’t be quite sure if it was really said to anyone in particular.

The Captain suddenly seemed to regain his composure and strode quickly to the door. He poked his head out, muttered a few words to someone, and then shut it again. “I apologize,” he admitted finally. “There is a complicated situation at hand. You will be allowed to see the king shortly. Though,” he added, “the attempt to hurt my troops is a dangerous one.” The hard look in his eyes was back. “If you make another move like that, you will be dealt with accordingly.”

She found herself gazing at the floor yet again. “Yes, Sir. I apologize again for the poor reaction.” She heard him snort in a vague acceptance.
At a rap of the door, he swung it open to nod at the guard standing at attention. “I want you to bring…” He paused and glanced to her.

“Uh, Red Witch. Red Witch Jackson,” she filled in.

“Bring Miss Red Witch to a room, where she can wait until the King can see her. Guard the door until contacted.”

The guard saluted stiffly. “Yes Sir, Captain McWarrior, Sir!” As she walked over to him, she noticed his brief glance from the Captain to her, an expression of puzzlement clear on his features for just a moment.
He led her from the Captain’s room, and as she glanced back at the large man, she saw him wearily sit down and remove his helmet, revealing a shock of red hair.

Nice chapter. Heh, mine isn't going so well.

OR IS IT?!

Well, it's not too long, anyways.

CHAPTER SEVEN
ARRANGEMENTS
BLACK MAGE

Magnum had given us a tour of the Penthouse, and we were gathered around the kitchen table for a brief discussion.

Magnum spoke: "Rules: No killing needlessly, no stealing, no blowing things up, no-"

"Bah! Who do you think we are? Evil murderers who travel from town to town killing for fun?" Fighter glared at Magnum and folded his arms. Magnum snapped his fingers and Fighter slumped forwards, asleep before he hit the table.

"Thank you. Anyone else care to interrupt?" No one did. "We will be getting you accustomed to Earthly, and more importantly, Canadian life. Now, who wants some food?

***

We had the best meal ever. It was called pizza and was like bread with cheese and meat and vegetables. Afterwards, dessert was chocolate cake and metal containers of a fizzy drink. I thought it was sulphur at first. But we were soon full and sat around the TV, watching people dance and fight and basically live life.

"How do you fit the people in that thing?" Thief asked Magnum. Magnum just shook his head and kept watching.

***

Morning. I dragged myself off the couch, where everyone had fallen asleep, and walked into the kitchen. I couldn't see for myself, but my eyes were probably blue from exhaustion. I've always wondered why blue, but can't do anything about it.

"Morning!" Magnum was standing in the kitchen, a white ceramic mug in one hand, steam rising over it. "Coffee?" He poured me a mug and handed it to me. I muttered a 'Thanks' and took a sip. It was awful, bitter and burned my mouth. I choked it down.

"Yeah... you might want to add some sugar to that," He handed me the sugar and some cream. "So, crazy movie last night, huh?" He sipped his own coffee, peering at me over the rim of the mug. I sipped mine, which was now a caramel colour, and answered: "Heh, yeah, I can't believe you could fit all that into that tiny little disk,"

"Technology. I'll explain later, Invidia," I nodded and sipped the coffee...

And spit it out in a jet.

"How... What... You?" I must have looked ridiculous, my face dripping in some foreign drink and my eyes wide. Magnum chuckled and tossed me a rag.

"It was too obvious. But I almost thought you were Ira," He laughed and drained his mug, putting it on the counter. He muttered "Ira..." Like it was all a big joke. "Everyone has their True Name. The one only they know. If you know a Mage's true name, it is like holding a Genie's Lamp. The genie must obey, to an extent. You name is Invidia, Latin for Envy. But no gift must go without thanks, so here is my real name," He leaned forwards and whispered in my ear, as if he was scared to say it; "Kaine".

Yep.

The man led Red Witch through the beautiful, elaborately designed halls of the castle. Massive chandeliers of glimmering crystal draped down from the painted ceilings, ensuring every corner of the palace’s beauty was lighted to view. Her gaze was drawn to the intricate tapestries and paintings that adorned the smooth marble walls, primarily portraits of blank-faced, long dead royalty draped in lace and velvet. Though the splendor was undeniable, the sound of hers and the guard’s boots echoing against the stone floors gave the halls an empty feel. Her mind wandered back to the warm, wooden chambers of the Guild.

She was eventually brought to a small room, lined bookcases, packed full with heavy-looking tomes and scrolls. A couch and a couple chairs decorated in green paisley sat near the room’s middle, and sunlight drifted through a window high on the wall. “Please wait in here,” the guard said simply. “I’ll be right outside the door, if you need me.” The words were kind, but his voice echoed disdain. She strained a smile and thanked him, and he shut her alone in the room.

~~~

It was mind numbingly boring within. The books all detailed Cornelian history and the lineage of the royal family; Red Witch wondered how and why anyone would want to describe anything in such astoundingly intricate detail, and why they would do so in such horribly dull language. The window was too high to look outside, unless she stood on the couch’s arm, and even then, she was only allowed enough of a view of the ocean at the horizon. She hardly felt the desire to talk to the guard standing outside; none of the guards here had yet proven themselves particularly friendly, save a few she’d getting drunk in the tavern whilst off duty the other day. A grandfather clock in the corner made the matter no more bearable, each cluck of the pendulum’s swing reminding her of how slow the seconds passed. She eventually had to settle for dozing on the couch, her chin nearly touching her chest.

She was startled awake by the sound of the door opening again. After a glance to the clock—it had been two hours—her gaze snapped to the guard holding the door open for a young man dressed in travel-stained robes, his face thrown into the shadow of a pointed straw hat. Red Witch felt as though her eyebrows were arched so high that they were above her face.

“I’ll be right outside the door,” the guard was repeating. Red Witch noted the tone was less of an assurance and more of a warning, now. The boy, however, merely grinned widely and strutted in. The guard huffed and shut the door behind him.

The boy’s bright, yellow eyes swept over the room once before glancing to Red Witch. He grinned wider. “Hey there. You got locked up in here too, huh?” He laughed.

An awkward smile crept on to her face as well. “Yeah, I guess so.” She stood up. “You’re in on the princess saving too, then?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, shrugging. “Or whatever. Name’s Sorcerer.”

He held out a hand to her. She shook it warmly. After such a foul day, it was a relief to meet someone who so readily gave her a smile, even if said smile was hard to see. He truly was an impressive contrast to the rest of the castle; his blue robes were ragged and worn, his boots crusted in mud. She could see his dark hair was a mess underneath his hat, sticking to his face with sweat in places. “Good to meet you, Sorcerer,” she said. “I’m Red Witch.”

Sorcerer quirked a brow and smirked. “Red Witch? Isn’t that a girl’s name?” He laughed and slapped her on the back, but she just gaped at him. What was she supposed to say to that?

A small silence fell in the room, before she finally answered, “Yes. Yes it is.”

His smile was traded for a small, nonplussed expression. He glanced to her chest, blinked, and murmured, “Ohhhhh, you’ve got boobs.”

Red Witch scowled. Perhaps she’d been too quick to look for a friend in this boy. “Yes, I suppose I do, don’t I?” She turned away and sat down on the couch once more. He laughed once more.

“Sorry about that. I’m just… y’know.” Another laugh. “I’m not much for details, y’know?”

“Hmm,” she replied, looking at the wall with particular interest.

He sat down in a chair and grinned wryly. “Stiffest chairs I’ve ever sat in, huh? Kind of like the whole place. It’s like the whole building’s got a stick up its butt.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Would that be a stick up its cellar, you think?”

She couldn’t help but look at him again. She almost wanted to laugh at the comment, but also dearly wished his mouth would rest a moment. Had he not even considered the fact that she actually liked the castle’s design?

He was leaning back in his chair, looking around the room again. “Can’t deny the place looks good, though. Look at all these books, huh? Like a library. A pompous library, but a library nonetheless.” Again, he chuckled. “I’m giving this building all sorts of personalities, huh? I’m on a roll or something.”

One thing was for sure, she thought. He was certainly not the typical black mage she’d imagined. She’d always expected them to be foul, angry, temperamental people with a hair trigger for their destructive magic. Perhaps the decades of careful surveillance had changed the Black Mage’s Guild more than she’d expected.

He rambled on for a while about this and that, constantly grinning and laughing. And despite the fact that his persistent rudeness irked her, she found herself now and again lured into laughing at his odd bluntness.

Yet, he suddenly paused, and stood. “This is really boring,” he announced. Red Witch gave him an odd look. A glance at the clock told her it had only taken him twenty minutes to run out of patience. “Not you, I mean, but this,” he added. “Really. This whole place, it’s really, really boring.” He put his hands on his hips. “Won’t do, no sir. C’mon, Rue, let’s find some nonboredom.”

She faltered. “…Rue?”

“Yeah. Thass’ your nickname. You’re Rue. Now c’mon.”

Red Witch spent a moment trying to figure out how her name translated into Rue, but shook it aside for the moment. “Sorcerer, I don’t think we can leave.”

“Sure we can. Maybe we’re not supposed to, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Now come on, let’s go.”

He marched to the door and thrust it open. Red Witch could see the guard jump, startled, and reach for his sword as reflex. “Wh-what? Do you need something?” the man blurted.

“Chyeah, I need something,” drawled Sorcerer, “I need something interesting. Mind if I go for a walk? Thanks.” He moved to stroll past the guard, but his arm was quickly grabbed.

The guard scowled at him, though it was clear he was a bit bewildered by the mage. “Sir, you’re going to have to stay here for now.”

Sorcerer shrugged. “Nah, I don’t think so. Too boring in here.” The guard’s grip held firm, and Sorcerer sighed. “Just a stroll around the palace, that’s all I want. C’mon, Rue, back me up. We’re not gonna do anything bad, right?”

Red Witch shifted uncomfortably. After that morning, she didn’t want to push the guard the wrong way. “Er. I mean, yeah, it… would be good to have a walk around, I guess, through the halls or something…”

“Sorry,” The guard insisted. “You’ve got to keep in here until called.”

Sorcerer thought it over, and finally pouted, resigned. “All right, all right, fine. But I’m just saying, it’s really dull in here, and we’d like to look around when we can.” The guard gave him a look and finally let go of Sorcerer’s arm, and started to shut the door.

Suddenly, Sorcerer grabbed Red Witch by the arm and slammed the door open. There was a thud and a cuss as the wood slammed into the guard, and Sorcerer yanked her out to the hall, running as fast as he could.

Looking back over her shoulder, Red Witch could see the guard clutching his head and glowering after them as he started to take chase. “Um, Sorcerer,” she called. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yeah!” he called back, gleeful. “I’m having a hell of a lot more fun!”