The balance of a country is in danger once again. I must contact those who will save their country and themselves. The True Runes themselves are threatened and, with them threatened, the fate of the entire world is in anger. The dark Rune is in danger of being awakened.

One night, four individuals had the same dream. They were in a dark space. There were three other people in the room with them but it was too dark to make out any details. After what might have been a few seconds or a few decades, a blue glow infused the area. It began to coalesce into a figure in the middle of them. The woman was somehow facing all four of them at the same time but only had one face. The woman's eyes were closed and she wore a flowing robe. She spoke four times, each about a tenth of a second from the others. "Brave souls, this is a dangerous time. The darkest rune once threatened the existence of this world. All of the other True Runes came together to destroy it. They were successful but such was the rune's power that it could not be completely eradicated. Now someone is attempting to revive the rune. You must stop him or this world will be wiped from existence. The True Runes are being gathered once again. Though they may not all be allies, they will all help in destroying the rune when the time comes."

She gestured and something began to form above her. It was a rune made up of four different lines. It was so intricate that anyone attempting to follow one of the lines would become almost instantly confused. "This is the rune that led the others to destroy the Dark Rune. You will need it's power to stop the resurrection. I can only show it to you. You will need to find the rune yourselves. Know that the power of the rune is such that it cannot be contained in the body of one person." The rune began unraveling. Each line of the rune slithered out to above the heads of each of the individuals. It then reformed into a rune easier to look at. "You will find this rune in your life. It is your choice to take up the rune or to turn away."

The dream gradually faded away. It was hard to tell whether that dream had been 'real'. Then each of the individuals felt the hand(s) that had the rune(s) on it burn. Not too painful but just enough to make them pay attention. The rune(s) change into the rune they had seen above their head. Then the rune(s) change back to normal.

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

--Rigen/ funny dream--

Rigen awoke as the light from a nearby window slowly poured in. After a moment of grumbling he swung himself out of bed. "What a strange dream..." He thought, squinting his eyes he looked around having had a bit of sleep amnesia. He was an Inn he could tell that much. Looking under the cover, he also discovered he was naked. But with a pause and a slow glance to his side, he discovered he wasn't alone in his nakedness. And it also seemed he had a reason for his sleep amnesia. It seemed Rig had, had a bit of a night, he couldn't tell if she was a barmaid or a whore though, in fact he couldn't tell if he was really in an Inn.....or a brothel.

Smiling to himself, Rig quietly scooped up his armor laying haphazardly over the floor near the foot of the bed, next to the ladies garments. Just as quietly Rig snuck into his armor as quietly as one can sneak into 30 lbs of. . .well armor. Still that dream had been something else, and so was the headache that was just now starting to pound away into Rig's temples. He rubbed his head a few times, before putting his helmet on right, as he did so he spotted his rune, and stared at it for a few seconds.

"Was that really a dream or was it something else. . .?" He whispered to himself remembering the slight pain from the dream. Shaking his head Rig decided to cats off that thought for now. there were more important things to do. To arrive back from the orient, some needs needed to be satiated, Rig supposed. Looking out the window, he saw the normal hubbub of one of the small villages of the country of Densleo, his country. Looking around Rig spotted his treasure, Red Monsoon, laying slightly out from under the bed. Rig quietly scooped the musket/sword out and began his trip out of the place, less anything from the previous night come back to haunt him. But just for fun Rig jokingly aimed the rifle at the woman as she slept.
He was just about to mouth the word bang, when her eyes shot wide open, and for a split second time slowed to a crawl as Rig mirrored her surprise. Surprise that quickly turned into a violent shaking of the head, as the dame had opened her mouth to scream. Rig quickly shook his arms out to the side in an attempt to show he was harmless, but had forgotten the fact his gun had a sword and he was wearing some funny armor, so Rig came off as a maniac threateningly shacking a sword at her, which of course, only caused more screaming.

Rig turned his head towards the door. A large slam resounded off down the hall, with some thumping along the floor. Rig did not want to incur the wrath of whatever the feet belonged to, so taking one look at the screaming girl, and the door. Rig hurled himself through the window. And out he fell, down into a cart full what Rig had hoped, was hay. But as he fell face first, his expression changed into that of horror. For beneath him, was not a cart full of hay.

No, it was actually a cart full of shit, or cow manure. And time seemed to slow still, as he plummeted into the mountain of filth, but unlike the room, Rig had no choice to where he was going. a few moments later a very smelly man emerged from the crap. The own of the Inn had looked out the window and spotted Rig, but supposed being covered in shit from head to toe, was a good enough punishment. Luckily, red has managed to get himself lodged into the wood seat close to Rig, so at least his weapon was not crap covered. Although, now Rig needed somewhere to wash away the grim. So away walked a smelly man covered in muck, carrying a strange weapon, with some dirty, yet equally strange armor.

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

Hawke yawned deeply as emerged from that dream... quite confused about the whole thing, especially the idea that he was some kind of chosen one destined to save the world or something... his rune was a bit hot though, looking at it as it changed he was startled. To be fair the idea of having a true rune, even a quarter of one, was quite cool for someone his age with his interest in magic... but... well it was overwriting his lightning rune, that had much more importance to him since it was the first one he ever got of his own... and its not like they were cheap or easy to come by, even having to put it in took paying some woman... who had been... very curvy... and in so little clothing... she gave them a good price too... he heard she was only passing through though so she was probably gone... he shook his head trying not to dwell on that lady as he felt blood rushing to his face.

After waiting a bit for his body to wake up fully in line with his brain the boy shuffled out of bed and down the stairs, there was a pleasant smell of home made porridge as he came into the kitchen, his mother was busily preparing yesterday’s pickings into their respective groups... she would probably be off to sell them at the market today... looking around he noticed his dad’s coat was gone, probably to run an errand... they usually had to wait until nearer to mid day to get enough updraft to get to the good crops so it was unlikely he was heading for the mountain... shrugging he thanked his mother and helped himself to breakfast.

Then they came... same as they had been doing every day... right around the middle of the day as the sun was at the centre of the sky, three short knocks on the door waiting for his mother to go answer it, quiet discussion about how it would be so much better for him if he would just go with them... his mother refusing politely and then they would leave aga- there was shouting, he turned round to look towards it just in time to see them rush past his mom... heading for him.

It seemed persuasion wasn’t on the agenda anymore and... he panicked, chucking his bowl at the first guy before running to the back door, his hand hooking onto his cloak as he went and in moments he was outside knowing he had no other chance he quickly took to the air flying away as fast as he could... there was only one place he could think of to go in a time like this... up the mountain, to the heights no human could access...

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

Zachiarias started awake suddenly, the dream still lingering in his mind. He quickly looked down at his hand and saw his rune. He let out a shaky breath, but suddenly he felt his hand sear with a burning sensation. Zach gave a stifled yelp and gazed down at his hand. The rune from his dream had formed once again. He stared at it for awhile before it finally dissipated. He then saw something in the edge of his peripheral vision. He would have noticed the man sooner if it had not been for the strange dream. He was standing in the corner of the room, and that was when he noticed a number of other individuals around the room. They were all using Dim Runes, so they weren’t invisible just hard to see for the untrained eye, but he could see them well enough to see the insignia of the Magus Guard on their clothing and armor. Calling for the guards would do no good. . He pretended not to notice and got up as though going to the wash basin. They weren’t trying to kill him, or else they would have attacked as soon as he woke up. They had probably been trying to take me in my sleep but the dream woke me up during the attempt. Which could only mean that he had been found out, they knew he was a spy, though how they knew he had no idea.

Zach reached into the basin and splashed water on his face. When he lifted his head back up, he noticed that his guests were all significantly closer. Including one especially eager one, who was nearly touching his right side; they obviously weren’t aware of his Cypher Rune or this one would not have approached his right hand. Zach whirled grabbing the hand that heldhis ignorant assailant's Dim Rune, and immediately invoked its power. The rest converged on him, but with the Shift Rune he changed his stature. He was suddenly the size of a very small 5 or 6 year old child. He rushed in between two of the soldiers releasing the power of the Shift Rune as soon as he was through, and burst through the door and into the hall. The guards outside hesitated, unsure what to do, after all he was dim like their allies inside were supposed to be. He was sprinting away before they were able to gather their wits and pursue. He took a number of random turns before he found a frightened servant boy who was, luckily, similar to his shape and build. He held up the boy with his dagger, which was always on his person, even in sleep, and made him open up a side passage. Once inside he knocked the boy out and stripped him down before taking his appearance and hiding him in a closet. Once that was taken care of he began making his way back towards his room. On his way a group of soldiers approached and the leader hailed him.

“You, boy, has anyone been through this way.”

“No sir, but there was….”

“ Out with it boy!”

“I thought a spirit must have passed me, for I felt something brush by me and thought I saw a man, but when I turned no one was there.”

The guard seized Zacharias roughly by the shoulders, “Which way was that, boy!”

“That way sir, down that hall there.” He stammered, he was barely finished when the leader cried out to the rest and began running down the hall his subordinates falling in behind him. He smirked silently once they were out of sight, but hid it as another host rounded the corner following the call. He made his way back to the room. Making sure to dim himself again he eased into the open doorway, but saw no one waiting for him. They obviously believed his ruse. Which meant that it was certain they didn’t know about either of his runes, but that only begged the question of how they knew he was a spy in the first place. He brushed off the question and set about grabbing the items he would need. Though he left the more useless things behind. He changed into something the guards had seen him wearing before and rushed out the door. He didn’t what to be mistaken for a servant making away with silverware or the like in the commotion. They wanted to capture Zachary, what appeared to be a thieving servant might be shot.

Zacharias broke out a window and leapt through, rolling to break his fall. Even though he had returned to his delegate appearance a few arrows still whizzed past him before he heard the commander order them to hold fire. Once away from the palace, he used the last bit of the stolen rune’s power to make his way out of the city gate just before it closed. As he made his way as far away from Magus's capital as possible he thought of the dream. He might as well go where the dream had told him, if he was going to complete his mission as a spy he would need to wait for an envoy from another country, kill and impersonate him, it was the SOP contingency plan, but it would be awhile before they would accept another delegate from any country again, and it wouldn’t do to be one of the very first to be let back in, at first they would all be watched with renewed scrutiny, but sooner or later even the most vigilant will begin to feel at ease again. Until then he might as well see what that dream was about or if it really meant anything at all.

{Cozy Inn on the side of the Road}

A slow stir from the usual rest that he preferred. Awakening to feel his hand burning and itching at his skin. The blonde man sat up in his bed, a silk shirt washing over his body while the moon's light shined, his body forming a fit shadow outlined within the white shirt. He slowly reached up as the golden strands fell over his face, sweeping them back to glance down to his right hand. The bright eyes scanned it for a moment, remembering the residual touch of the dream.

Vision or not, it had still been a dream.

She's gotten a bit lazy... I remember stories of how she showed herself in front of the armies before the final conflict to give one final message of riddles and aid. He tossed the bed sheet aside and rolled his feet to the floor. He stood up and moved toward the window, unlocking it. And from what Sierra was told by the Dunan Hero... Yeah, this fits the bill all right. Definitely not a coincidence.

He pushed the window open, the hinge lightly whispering from mild rust as the gentle breeze carried the glass frame out further. The man then gave a sharp whistle and turned to the desk by his bed. Quickly, he sat down and began to write, detailing the dream and the woman who had visited him along with three others. A brown bird flew up to the window, landing on the sill and watching the blonde man write. It curiously cocked its head to the side.

"No giving me that look this time. I'm not homesick... And I only miss her a tiiiiiny bit." Nash stated with a slight wave of his left hand. He then watched the bird shake its head. "... That obvious...? Nah," He finished the letter and rolled it up, then folded it to keep the paper from unrolling itself. "You're just very astute for a Nasel. That might get you in trouble one day, carrying around important, secret documents for-"

"CREEE!" The bird gave a quick cry, causing the man to stumble back a bit in surprise.

"Okay, okay! Geez... You're just as proud as your father was..."

Nash handed off the letter to the bird, which gently took the paper into its beak before hopping to turn around. It shook its wings loose and stretched them out to prepare itself, flicking them out. Even birds had to get ready before long exercise sometimes. And he had quite a ways to go before hitting Crystal Valley. The Nasel quickly hopped off the windowsill and glided out before flapping its wings and gaining altitude.

Nash smiled and waved, leaning out the window. "Have fun storming the-"

"CREEEE!"

"Don't drop it, Dominguez!!" Nash screeched while nearly falling out his window.

"Cree cree-cree creeee~" The bird laughed as it sailed out of sight.

Nash slowly slipped to his knees on the floor, forehead resting on the windowsill. "My word... Between his family and the missus, I can't believe I've lasted this long... I sure deserve some sleep for putting up with them. Yes..." He slowly closed the window before hopping back into bed to try catching more sleep before setting out once more to the road.

_________________

*Up the road from the smelly man*

Rigen heard shouting and cheering. then he saw a man tumble out from a crowd, badly bruised. Another man entered the center of the crowd and ended up the same way. Then some people began to smell something and turned. A child laughed at him from somewhere. They began backing away from Rigen until one of them stepped forward. He had a water rune on his hand and Rigen knew what was coming. He was blasted backwards by a stream of water. It stung and he was soaked but at least the blast had gotten rid of most of the manure. The crowd's interest in him faded quickly and they turned back to whatever had entertained them before.

A man in white was brawling with a thug. The thug must have outweighed him by a hundred pounds but it didn't matter. The man in white uttered a victory yell and his fist shot forward. The thug braced himself and put his arms up to block but it didn't matter. The man's eyes gleamed and he stopped midway. He deliver an upward knee into the man's crotch, now unprotected. The man howled and fell over, rolling around in the dust. Behind the man was a number of metal plates of various sizes and shapes. They each had a strap but Rigen wasn't sure what exactly they were for.

The man in white turned back to the crowd and yelled "Anyone else? Remember, you could win a map to a rare rune! Only 1000 potch for a chance to win! As an added bonus, I'll lead the way personally." Tucked into the man's belt was a map, apparently drawn up recently. There were still a few takers but they were definitely less enthusiastic, especially after seeing the last man's fate.


*Up in the high mountains*

When Hawke got near one of the plateaus he felt something. He didn't think it was dangerous but it was very big and very powerful. The plateau was one of the few that was big enough to support a small forest and Hawke knew that whatever the thing was, it was in the middle of the forest. When he got near enough to take a look, he found someone in the center of a clearing. It was a winger but two things made him stand out. One was how incredibly old he was. He looked as though he might have turned to dust just by the wind caused by Hawke's wings. His hair was pure white and his wings looked frail and thin. The second thing, linked to the first, was that Hawke had never seen the man before. A winger of that age couldn't have traveled far but here he was, up in a place that was not easy to get to by most wingers.

The old winger looked up at once and beckoned Hawke to come closer. Hawke saw something glowing on the old winger's hand. The man looked at the rune, then back up and Hawke and seemed to come to some kind of realization. When Hawke got close enough for the man to talk to him, he said. "So, you are the one who is going to kill me." He waved his hand before Hawke could protest. "Don't be distressed, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Too long, in fact. You kept me waiting." He chuckled to himself in the way a person does when they don't talk to another person for a very long time. "What's your name, boy?"


*In the woods*

Zacharias hadn't gotten very far before he had the strong feeling he was being watched. He couldn't detect anyone, though. Even if they had had the Dim rune, they would have been able to be found so this person was just very skilled. Even as Zacharias moved, the feeling stayed with him. Despite several attempts to throw off his pursuer, the feeling remained. After he began to get tired, he heard the sound of someone stepping through a pile of dried leaves. Obviously this was the follower letting himself to be heard. When he stepped out of the shadows, Zacharias saw it was a kobold.

This kobold was different, however. He was much more elegant than most and Zacharias immediately knew that this one was more intelligent than most of his kind. He was tall, taller than Zacharias by at least a foot. His eyes could barely by seen, hidden by his long, brown fur. His long ears hung down the sides of his head and twitched occasionally. He was dressed in some kind of green robe. Despite the seeming impossibility, the robe didn't cause the leaves to move. He had some kind of gourd tied to his sash with a red string. In his hands he carried an odd-looking wooden sword. After a minute, Zacharias realized that it wasn't actually a sword. It was a wooden sheathe.

The kobold eyed Zacharias for a while. The spy suddenly remembered something. He had seen this kobold several times. The kobold should have stood out but he had stayed off Zacharias's radar somehow. Finally the kobold spoke. His voice croaked a little at first, like he hadn't spoken in a while. "You were an intruder, then." His eyes flashed in the moonlight when it got through the fur. "Your shape might have changed but your smell hasn't." His hand stayed on the tip of the wooden sheathe. "I've was instructed to keep watch over you in case of a situation such as this one. I would like to know who you are. My orders were to either kill you or take you away but I think I'll listen to what you have to say. If you peak my interest, maybe I won't follow my orders. People get away, after all. I also would like you to tell me your name, though I already know it. My name is Sky."


*Cozy Inn*

Nash was woken by the sound of a child screaming. When he stuck his head outside the window, he saw a girl was being pursued by several men. The men were all wearing a symbol somewhere on their bodies. Several had tattoos while others simply wore clothes with the symbol. The symbol was that of a hand clutching a bag. Nash had heard of these kind of men before. They were known as 'Grabbers'. They were mercenaries that were hired to go track down items of all kinds. Including, it seems, a child.

The girl in question was wearing a tall steepled hat, like one a witch would wear. It was purple, as were the clothes she was wearing. Nash saw something interesting when the girl's hat flew off: the girl had on both of her hands and her forehead. She had the thunder, rage, and flowing rune. That was also very interesting. A child should have never been able to control three runes, let alone three runes of that level. Yet nothing was going wrong. She wasn't losing control nor was she losing energy due to the strain put on her body. Something looked wrong about the runes, though. Nash couldn't see what was wrong exactly. The girl turned and ran back to grab her hat. This was obviously suicidal but it seemed the hat was very important to her. The thugs quickly surrounded her.

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

Zacharias had been hounded since fleeing the city. For hours he tried to lose his pursuer, but to no avail. He realized that he should have stopped and confronted him. At least then he wouldn't have been tired if it had come a fight, but he had confidence in his abilities. And now it seemed as though he had put too much faith in those abilities.

As his pursuer stepped through the trees, realization dawned on him. Why didn't I use a scent killing poultice! He had seen kobolds in Magus, but he had been sure that he was never tailed, even by such a keen tracker as a kobold. He had chosen not the use a scent killer but why? He was never this careless. He had always used such devices even when they seemed utterly unnecessary.

The kobold simply watched him. As he gazed back Zach realized something. He hadn't seen kobolds in the city. He had seen just this one. Every day, over and over again he had been there. Why hadn't he noticed him? Especially considering this particular kobold was very distinct looking, even for a kobold.

He listened to the kobold and then replied "Zacharias Ringier", he had already reverted to his everyday appearance to conserve energy, there wasn't any point in lying, since that appearance kept his real name in any case. Besides he planned on dying before being captured anyway. If the kobold wouldn't kill him in battle he would kill himself. The poison was always on hand, and he had 5 vials of it scattered on his person and within his pack. As tired as he was he was sure he couldn't best the kobold in battle or outrun him.

"I guess there is no more reason to lie. I am a spy from the country of Densleo . The delegate you saw me as was one captured by our military. I was recalled from the Island Nations myself, as I was already involved in espionage there, and sent in place of the Island Nations delegate. My main objective was to discover the strength of the military forces in Magus. And of course to discover whether or not the Magus's leader has a True Rune. I had already reported on the military capability of Magus, unless of course you caught my contacts." All 14 of them. Which is possible since I was so careless. At least even if every single contact is found out, the Island nations will not be harmed. After all, every single one of the contacts were to send it to the Island Nations spy in Densleo, whom they thought was a Densleo spy himself. Zacharias continued " You did however keep me from determining whether or not Magus is really in control of a True Rune. " Every word he said after the initial lie about Densleo was the truth, if not the whole truth. He hoped that doing so would give his story the ring of truth and would throw suspicion off of the Island Nations completely. His real appearance looked nothing like a person from the Island Nations anyway.

"I imagine this is all quite dull however. After all, I have only told you things you already know. So I'll tell you where I am trying to go now. Have you ever heard the stories of Leknaat? Well she has visited me and apparently three others as well. I have no idea what it is about though." He hadn't had time to think about it before, but being one of those chosen by Leknaat would seem impressive or exciting to some. Though he guessed Sky here, wasn't and excitable or impress-able sort.

{Cozy Inn}

Nash rubbed his eyes under his left hand, his rune's emblem quite clear over the backside. He then blinked a few times and shook his head. These spy jobs never go smoothly... I'll have to thank Sasarai someday for mentioning the HSFDF to me... Nash looked the three men over quickly before nodding to himself. They were just common thugs, so nothing serious was needed. Nash bent forward and moved over the opened windowsill...

The goon closest to the inn found himself slammed down into the ground as a tall, blonde man seemed to just pop out of his back, standing as if he had every right in the world to be there. He looked over the other men, his eyes drooping and half opened, still not quite awake. His smooth, slightly waved hair flowed elegantly over his face in a natural part, hiding a bit of his right eye. Even in his "bedhead" state, his hair was still so acustomed to elegance that it cast a refined look to the dreary Nash.

Nash yawned a short second before stepping off the now unconscious goon and looked to the others. "Um... Sorry... I meant to do a flying cartwheel and throw this guy into you two after kicking his nose, but... I just haven't had enough sleep yet." He began to stretch while still wearing his silken night shirt and pants. "But really, you three are picking on this girl... That's not something I can just let go..." Nash stated menacingly before he lifted the guy he'd landed on. He tossed the guy at his friends and bent his neck. It cracked in time with his knuckles as he ground his left fist into his right palm. "Heheheheh..." He even squinted his eyes and gave the guys a sly grin, punching his palm once his fingers were all loudly popped.

Okay, so I'm hamming it up now... But if I'm as good an actor as I was in Budehuc, I can pull this off even when soooo darned sleepy... Can barely keep my eyes open with them so nearly closed. He thought while keeping up his charade of a menacing bravado in hopes to scare the goons away.

_________________

--Rigen and the road spectacle--


Rigen got up off of the ground drenched from head to toe in water. Shaking most of it off he rubbed the base of the rifle, where the fire rune was located. A also used the wind rune located on his wrist. Using both of these runes he sent hot breeze through the air around himself further drying the water. But there were better things to attend to then drying oneself. Rigen holstered Red across his back, as he muscled his way through the tight barrier of people in front of this "street performer"

This was definitely his home country, for such spectacles were not all that uncommon. Still, Rigen was in a mood to have some fun, especially after what had just happened with the manure cart....

Watching a few men participate Rigen took notice of the man-in-whites moves. "always take notice of every move your enemy presents to you. And always prevent your enemy from doing the same." One of his teachers in the other-country had once said to him in a lesson on hand-to-hand fighting, for Rigen wasn't just versed in sword fighting, he had to start with the basics, so he knew his lot. But if he had the money....he had no knowledge of. Digging around in his pocket Rigen fished out about 1200 hotch from the 5000 he had gotten from selling some of the stuff from the other-country, minus the 3000 spent on the "Inn". He deposited the other 200 back into his pocket before taking once last look around the crowd. One man had just spent his time attempting to fight him, and was now stumbling off into the crowd with a slightly swollen eye.

Rigen then slung back his helmet as he calmly walked out into the center of the crowd, all eyes on him, for not only his boldness, but the strange attire he wore and the strange weapon upon his back
"I guess I'll give it a shot." He said with a wry smile, holding out the money in his hand.

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

Hawke’s wings were aching, his back sharing a similar pain as he struggled to continue upwards... it wasn’t like he was unfit or anything, just not used to such extensive flight and the conditions that mountain flying entailed. When he felt that something he drew closer out of curiosity, staying airborne however incase it was a threat... but it wasn’t, it was just... an old man... a reeeaaallly old man... deciding he needed and that he wouldn’t be caught up this height the boy descended to land nearby to this strange wizened old man, casually walking over to him and quite glad that he was out of the chilling winds.

“...Erm... i’m Hawke... i’m not gonna kill you... that... it’s not like i’m an assassin or something...”

He had quite a bit of confusion about that idea... he did notice the man also had a rune and was a little curious to what kind, he always did enjoy learning about them... but then again it may be better not to pry on that at the moment considering it seemed it was related to why the guy thought he would kill him. Shrugging to himself he walked over and sat near to the old guy, looking around the area with a fascination only a child could have... seeing the proud trees standing against the winds, the lush grass thriving at such an altitude... it was quite a nice place... if he had found this earlier he would have made it his own secret playground.

“So um... what’s your name then...?”

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

Sky tilted his head while he listened to Zacharias's story. He stayed silent for a full minute, presumably thinking over everything. Then he spoke, slowly and carefully. "I don't know why you are lying to me. I can't tell which part is a lie but it hardly matters. Your goal is the usual one and doesn't interest me in the slightest. However, the story about Leknaat gives me pause. I don't think you are lying about that. That makes me less likely to kill you."

He thought for a few more seconds before saying more. "You should know that I've heard a few things. Quite a few other 'suspicious persons' have been rounded up, all at about the same time as when they came after you. I don't think anyone else is going to get close to the country for a while. Speaking of that, I'm going to be gone soon. My contract lasts until you are dead or gone. Now, I can make either of those conditions happen very easily." He moves the sheathe to get Zacharias's attention. "If I let you go, my reputation will be a bit damaged. On the other hand, if I kill you know, I get paid more and my rep goes up."

"At this point, you have a few options: you can outrun me or outfight me, both doubtful considering your condition, or you can make me a promise that when you get yourself together, you hire me." He rubbed his chin and said "So, what is your choice?"


The thugs looked ready to bolt before they got their friend thrown at them. When they got targeted by that projectile, they ran, leaving their friend in the dust, groaning. He didn't look like he was going to get up anytime soon and when he did, he wouldn't be feeling too well for a few days.

Nash felt a tugging on his sleeve and turned to find the girl grinning up at him. Now that he had a good look at the runes, he realized what was wrong. The runes were layered. Each layer was a slightly different color so Nash could see the parts of it that were different. The bottommost layer was an ordinary rune. Water for flowing, lightning for thunder, and fire for rage. The second layer altered the first layer, adding parts to make the rune into the stronger version. The last layer was something completely different. It was a circle with barbs pointing inward. Nash realized that the third layer was added on to almost completely seal the power of the three runes. No one, even the most powerful rune sage, could do more than make a little bit of fire, lightning, and water with this kind of seal.

Another tug brought Nash out of his thoughts. The girl was young, maybe twelve. Her hair was short and bright red (not orange, actually red). Her eyes were a brilliant yellow. "Thank you mister!" She looked around and said "Do you know where Tellan is? My family was there but those men took me from them. I escaped and then you saved me!" Tellan was a town not too far from the place Nash was. It appeared these thugs weren't the most skilled grabbers. They hadn't been able to hold on to a child for more than a few hours travel. "My mama knows a lot and they could probably help you! You look kind of lonely."


The man in white took the money, looking at Rigen curiously. "Alright, then." He brought the money to a pile he had made. He looked at the man's weapon and said "Since you are using a weapon, I guess I'll use my weapon." He went over to the strange pile of metal plates and began slipping them over his body. After a minute, the man had plates on all the points of his body that he used to strike others: his knuckles, elbows, feet, knees, shoulders, and a metal ring around his forehead.

"My name is Tekai! I've been walking around, trying to find anyone who could actually beat me! You seem like you could manage well so let's get going. Only rule is that you can't kill me and I won't kill you. Alright?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He shot forward, pulling his arm back to deliver a simple, straightforward punch.


"My name?" The old man seemed puzzled by this question. He was quiet for a few minutes before shaking his head. "I cannot recall my name. It has been too many years since I met with someone who asked that question. It does not really matter, however. I am just a relic that has refused to die for too long."

He motioned for Hawke to come closer. "I was given this rune many years ago to save my tribe. It always puzzled me why I was given such a powerful item for such a relatively minor event but now I realize that I was meant as a carrier. In exchange for saving them, I lived for so long that I saw the tribe fall due to circumstances that I could not stop."

"I now realize that I was given the run to bring it to you at this exact moment. So, young one, are you ready to accept the responsibility that comes with wielding the Rune of Reverse? The rune allows one to rewind the flow of time to a point that you wish. Like so." The rune glowed and the old man blurred. When Hawke could clearly see him, he was seven feet tall and incredibly muscular. But just as Hawke was able to see this, the man blurred again and became the old man. "But most things cannot be permanently changed and the more time you rewind, the more the rune takes its toll on your body."

He held out the hand with the rune on it. "Simply touch it if you wish to bear it."

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

Rigen watched as the man put his armor on. Shrugging his shoulders he unholstered Red, holding the musket like a sword: one hand around the area near the trigger, the other holding the butt. It wasn't like he could shoot the man, he wished he could, but then that would just make him a murderer, and murders are hanged. No doubt the town would frown upon blameless violence. Rigen was a man of the street, he knew morals were things only given to the rich, while the poor (there is no such thing as middle-class) were forced into reality, both at times a curse and a blessing, for such humble beginnings come from the truth. Regardless, he was here now, in a fanciful duel with a man who good possibly make Rigen's "breakfast money" worth spending. His stomach was killing him.

Obviously lost in his own world Rigen answered this,Tekail.
"Yeah, it would be kinda hard for you to lead me to that place when your dead ri-" Rigen's eyes shot open as the man lunged out at him. Unprepared for such a blow Rigen immediately, involuntarily acted. Letting his hand slide up the barrel, Riggen threw his arm out with a lunge of his own. Slamming Red's blade directly into the space between the knuckles. Normally such a blow, combined with Rigen's force and the man's momentum, would have cleaved his hand into two pieces, right down the middle. But thanks to the metal plating, the blade merely worked to dissipate the power behind the punch. But that power was still useful to Rigen. For as soon as he had hit the fist, he immediately threw his weight into the bottom of the rifle. Using both Tekail's and his own momentum, Rigen brought the bottom of Red screaming up towards the unprotected chin of Tekail. Now this was a risky move in itself, for it brought the top of Red directly next to Rigen's head, but thankfully the blade was only one-sided, otherwise it would of cut into Rigen's shoulder. Instead it too worked to help Rigen. Using his own shoulder as a fulcrum would put as much power into the bottom of the rifle as Rigen could possibly muster. This was going to be one hell of a wallop

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

He was surprised by Sky's intuition. It was a rare occasion to meet a Kobold with such clear intellect. And so it wasn't as much of a surprise when the Kobold actually cared about his dream. Even so Zacharias wasn't as impressed by the Kobold's threat, until moments ago he had been mentally preparing himself for suicide.The Island Nations though peace loving and seemingly candid, had an extensive spy network. They used this network to makeup for their lack of military might After the intense training of the Island Nation's "Reconnaissance Corp" he no longer feared death or pain. However that did not mean that he did not prefer to remain alive. Besides this highly intelligent and skilled Kobold might be worth hiring, and Zacharias wouldn't mind hiring him. It just behooved him as to how he was going to manage it. He did not have that much money. Of course the Kobold had said "when you get yourself together" which meant payment wasn't required immediately, and he could always steal enough to pay Sky, distasteful as the prospect was.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired, that's for sure, so I guess you leave me no choice, but don't let that fool you. I actually would like to hire your services." Zach said. "When can I expect to see you or where would you like to meet?"

Hawke moved even closer... seeing the rune up close he started to have his suspicions about it, and listening to his story then seeing him actually use it confirmed those ideas. This was the true rune that lady had spoke of in his dream... and if it was a true rune, this man would be incredibly old most likely only kept alive by that rune, explaining what he meant by the fact Hawke was the one who was going to kill him... at the same time... he didn’t want to kill...

“...Er... so... what kind of toll does it take...? I mean.. if it’s a true rune you don’t get old right...? But... also... what can be turned back permanently... and if I was to turn back something then change it would it stay changed.. like if I turned back someone shooting a deer with an arrow then moved the deer out of the path of the arrow.. what would happen...?”

Mostly the boy was just trying to stall... but the issues were important, he had always been taught to investigate and learning how to actually use the rune would be more practical than just waving it about freely... especially since it supposedly had some kind of negative effect for too much use... he did move to sit in front of the old man though, crossing his legs into his lap and sitting ready for him to speak.

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

Tekai spun, causing the blow to just barely miss his chin. Blood dripped down the side of his face where the rifle had grazed him. "Good warm up! Now I'm going to come at you as hard as I can!" He charged forward and launched himself into the air, shooting toward Rigen with mighty forward kick.

Rigen couldn't help but laugh as he saw the nasty mark he gave Tekai. But the man had soon shaken it off and jumped into the air for another attack. "Man this guys persistent." He thought as he immediately went down on one knee. He grabbed the other end of Red and quickly threw the gun up in an attempt to block the kick. "Please don't, break, please don't break, please don't break." was all Rigen could think as he saw the foot hurdling down towards him.


Tekai's foot was knocked upward and he flew over Rigen and tumbled into the dust. That didn't even seem to slow him down, though. He hopped back up onto his feet and resumed his fighting stance. He seemed a little woozy, though. It seems he was indestructible after all. "Ouch! Give me a second here"

"Ha, give you a second to recover from your own mistake?" Rigen smiled as he immediately lunged out towards Tek with the bladed end of Red. Coincidentally it seemed he was at just the right distance to get the most of Red and used this distance to strike horizontally towards Tek's hip. That fall from earlier had put a little more distance between them, then they had at first started with, something Rig just had to take advantage of.

Tekai took the hit and was knocked to the side. This time, however, he managed to avoid falling. He still looked a little shaken but he seemed to have gotten his composure back. He began to do what seemed to be jogging in place."Yeah? How would you like a taste of your own medicine!?" He shot forward and began to punch but stopped, correcting himself. He instead performed a roundhouse kick, hoping to catch Rigen off guard.

"You're just full of corny one liners aren't you?" Rigen then readied Red as Tekail went in for what had looked like a punch. In fact Rigen had seen these motions and had moved Red in for a parry of Tekail's hand. But at the least second Tekail had feinted and had instead gone in for a round-house, almost throwing Rigen off. Almost. Rigen immediately let his feet fall out from under-neath him. The foot sailed harmlessly over Rigen's head. Now exposed Rigen then brought up the butt of Red directly into Tekail's groin. "That's gotta hurt...." Rigen thought as he cringed at his own attack.

There was a split second of silence as a loud 'ping' was heard. Tekai managed to step away, walking funny. "I'm... not that... stupid. I'm wearing a... cup." He was still in pain but he didn't look like he was going to give up just yet. Rigen knew that if he kept up the pressure Tekai would fall. Tekai shook his head to get himself focused and said "Alright, then! How about this!?" He ran forward, then slid along the ground, trying to knock Rigen's feet out from under him. He was using the metal clasps on the back of his knees and feet to reduce friction, an impressive feat.

"Well that makes sense...." Rigen thought as Tekail answered him. He looked to the man as he attacked once more. Tek slid his foot straight at Rigen "Easy enough to block...." Rig thought but then remembered soemthing: he was still on his knee. Attempting to get out of the way Rig jumped up. But he was too late, for as Rig left the air he felt Tekail's feet slam into the bottom of Rig's. Suddenly the crowd before Rig went 360 degres as he spun into the ground behind Takil, his head slamming into the street. "Owwww....." Rigen moaned as he held his head in his hands, stumbling to get back up.

Tekai didn't give him a chance. "Now for the finisher!" He stepped back, putting all of his power into his fist as he pushed off. The fist stopped half of a foot away from Rigen. "Not!" His leg came up from below as he performed a kick that started from below Rigen's waist and moved quickly toward his chin.

Rigen did not have much time to recuperate from his last blow. A fact he knew was coming. Looking towards Tekail he saw him feint once more "Oh no not this time!" Rig yelled out as he saw the kick once more go for Rigen. Sadly in the position he was in Rig knew he couldn't block the kick, he would have to take the blow. But not without his own attack first! As Rigen felt the kick make contact with his chin and slam his teeth together he slammed Red down. the foot easily went in-between Rigen's arms and Red. But Rig was not aiming for his foot. the metal gun slammed with as much force form Tekai, into the knee of Tekai, Rig was going for Tek.

Tekai fell backwards and yelled "Alright! You win!" He stood up, looking a bit unsteady but after only a minute, he seemed ready to fight. However, he was picking up the money and his pack. "So, do you want to go now?"


Sky scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'll find you once you have the means to hire me. If you have indeed been contacted by Leknaat, you will soon be in a position in which you will be able to hire me." His eyes gleamed. "I will also be bringing a companion, one who knows much about runes and history. He will be very interested to meet you. Assuming, of course, you are telling the truth. I'm still not convinced you are telling me everything I will need to know but it hardly matters now. You should leave soon. The other hunters they have hired will be catching up soon. There are a few more kobolds so if you have something to disguise your scent, you should use it now."


The old winger grinned "Good, you are planning to get everything you can out of the rune. Now, about the situation. It depends. You could use the rune on the arrow, making it go back before the pieces were put together and cause it to fall apart. You could use it as you said and the arrow and the deer would reverse. You could then release the arrow and let it go forward before releasing the deer. However, you should know that the rune cannot affect others runes or memories. I do not know why. The toll it takes depends on your situation. It may take something dear to you and, when you have nothing left, drain you of life. That is the flaw of this rune. Do not depend on it for big events. Smaller events, such as the deer, will merely tire you." The old man seemed to be getting more and more frail before Hawke's eyes. "I do not have much time left. Do you have any other questions?"

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

Hawke listened carefully... so it could be used to reverse the time of the space.... or the time of the object... he thought maybe... there would be other ways to use it but this wasn’t that time to think about those, he faced the old man... he could see he looked like he was about to die anyway and if he had spent all this time... just sitting here waiting for him, to die without managing to completely his goal would be terrible wouldn’t it...?

The small boy moved to him, making his movements clear so that the man would know and reaching out his rune empty hand to the true rune on the old mans... hesitating for a few more moments... looking at him... he considered asking another personal question... but the fact he couldn’t even remember his own name... it seemed likely he’d have forgotten his life, either by time or by feeding this rune... that was one thing he was going to be very careful of, he didn’t want to lose what mattered to him.

His hand came down, small fingers touching the old flesh... the tips brushing over the rune...

“Thankyou... for what you have given me”

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

{Cozy Inn}

Nash gave a slight smile, ignoring the facts of what was literally something he always believed to be impossible. He kneeled down and lifted his right hand. He gently patted the girl's shoulder and smiled wide for her benefit, hoping to further help. "Oh, you don't have to worry about me. With my Missus, I never feel lonely." He then pouted and looked up at the dark sky of the night. "Maybe a bit homesick at times. Oooooh, how I do so miss her cooking... She always prepared the most tasteful dishes~"

Nash blinked a few times and coughed, clearing his throat. "Well, in any case, I can take you back to Tellan tomorrow. It's not terribly too far, and we'll have plenty of sunlight for the travel." He then looked up at the moon. "But, it still being dark out, and the fact you just escaped capture... Well, I'm sure you likely need some rest, little one. I have a big, comfy bed you can take," Nash stated, inwardly a bit displeased that he was now going to be sleeping on the floor.

Reminds me of when I first moved in with the Missus... She didn't have a larger bed and REALLY enjoys her space while sleeping...

Nash took a moment, still staring up at the moon after thinking of home. He smiled a bit. His expression more a forlorn shade of longing. He quickly dismissed it, knowing that he'd just sent out a message for her. He stood up and looked down to the girl. "Oh, yes, I've been rude. A gentleman should always introduce himself to a young lady!" He took a step back and bowed forward, one hand tucked over his abdomen while the other arm was extended to the side. "My name is Nash Mikain, a travelling man of venturing tastes. And might I know the name of my new, lovely young comrade?" He then flicked his wrist and held a small flower between his fingers, offering it to the small redhead. It'd been a while since he'd actually used that little trick, so he was glad to see he wasn't too rusty.

_________________

---Rigen/ Denslian City/ Won a prize!---


As Tekai stumbled around trying to regain his balance, so was Rigen recuperating form the hits he had taken as well. Shaking it off Rig turned to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, thankyou, thankyou!" He said with a few bows. The crowd clapped not for Rig, but because clapping had seemed right for such an intense fight. after it was done, most broke away, to continue the everyday life in the city.

Meanwhile Rig had holstered Red over his shoulder, the guns blade a high above Rigen's head, "Oh yeah right, the prize." He walked over to a nearby post and leaned on it, his arms crossed, facing towards Tekai.

"By the way, nice fight. It's been a while since I've actually had some good close quarters fight. I don't know if you know what this is," he said pointing at Red "But it makes long range jobs a whole lot easier , so I usually don't fight tings so up close, But I'm just flapping my trap," Rig got up off the post. "Well lead on, " He said gesturing in the diretion he thought they were heading.

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

At the Kobold's final words Zacharias nodded and opened his pack and, after moving aside the various contents, removed the false bottom revealing a number of different tools and sealed vials in a number of leather pockets or strapped with strips of leather. He took out 3 vials, two with odd colored liquids and an empty one, and a clean clay bowl. Individually both of the vials smelled ghastly once the stoppers were removed, but once combined no smell at all emanated from the pale gray potion. He re-stoppered the two vials, knowing that sky was probably in a hurry he didn't use the candles in his pack to make wax to reseal them. He would do it later. Once the mixture had settled he scooped two handfuls of dirt into the bowl. Normally he would use the special cream stored away in his pack, but any medium would do and the dirt was actually better for odor elimination anyway. It just wasn't sightly to be seen with dirt all over one's person.

After mixing all of the ingredients together into a poultice, he made a slightly nervous gesture towards a tree before stepping behind it to strip down and apply his concoction. After applying it liberally to all of the main odor producing areas he rubbed it over the rest of his body and even massaged what was left into his hair. Normally he could just wash it off and it would last only a little less than an hour, but if any of the other trackers were as skilled as Sky he might need more than an hour to get away from them.

Zacharias stepped up to Sky holding his arms up and asked "Well, is my smell still coming through?" He thought it more than likely that Sky would still smell him especially up this close, but the scent was most likely masked enough to fool most trackers and also to keep from leaving a noticeable trail.

The old winger nodded. He managed to utter one phrase before Hawke touched the rune. "Thank you." As Hawke reached for the rune, a stillness came over the clearing. The wind didn't seem to be blowing anymore. When he touched the rune, a burst of light filled the clearing. It wasn't blinding, however. This was unfortunate, as Hawke was able to see what happened to the old man. He began to turn to dust in front of Hawke's eyes. In a few moments, he had disintegrated, leaving only a fine pile of dust. That pile disappeared as another small gust picked it up and scattered it. Then a mist filled the area.

The area around him began to waver, as if it was a mirage. A scene played before his eyes. The old winger, appearing as his younger self, was playing with a child. A village surrounded Hawke. The scene blurred, then came into focus. The winger village was fighting some strange combatants. All of the enemies were dressed in pure black and were incredibly powerful. Three of them were taking on twenty of the villages warriors. The scene blurred again, showing the aftermath of the battle. All of the warriors except one lay dying. The village was on fire and the attackers were slaying everyone in sight. They looked like they were searching for something. Another skip in time showed the lone survivor finding the Rune of Reverse on a rock. He touched it and a light blinded Hawke. He saw the village and everyone in it had been restored. The winger's right arm and left leg had withered, however, looking dead, though he could still move them.

Another shift. The Rune of Reverse was glowing, temporarily restoring the winger's arm and leg. The attackers returned but the tide shifted very quickly. The enemy's weapons became dull and heavy, their limbs becoming weak and fragile as if they had never used them. They were quickly defeated but before the wingers could unveil their faces, they turned to dust. The winger stared at it for a long moment, then held out the rune. For some reason, it did not work. The winger shrugged, scattered the dust, and returned to his family.

The scene ended, leaving Hawke along on the mountaintop.


The girl beamed at Nash and took the flower. "Thank you Mr. Mikain. My name is Bibi." She looked down the road and said "If we aren't going to go to them, they will find me. They will probably come tonight." She lowered her voice "You should be careful and make sure I can talk to them first. They are very protective of me and might kill you by accident. Especially my mother." Then she smiled again and yawned "Can I sleep now? I am very tired." She looked exhausted. If Nash's intuition told him anything, she had been awake for quite a while, looking for a chance to escape. And when she had, she had been fleeing for a long time.

Her eyes fluttered, she yawned again, and began to fall over. Nash was just fast enough to catch her. She began to snore softly. It didn't look like she was going to wake up until the evening, leaving Nash time to prepare. Then the hairs on his neck stood on end. A bright light made him turn and a dreadful screaming filled the air. It sounded like more than a hundred people were screaming in pain. All of the villagers stopped in their tracks and tried to block the sound by covering their ears. By their faces, it wasn't working. Nash had just enough time to turn around and see a rune high in the sky before it faded. He hadn't managed to see exactly what it was but he had an idea by the sounds. It was the dreaded Rune of Punishment. That rune had not resurfaced foralmost three hundred years but here it was. Something huge must have roused it from its sleep. Then the sensation of the earth being disturbed sent a small tremor through the town. Despite all of this, Bibi remained asleep.

Half a day's travel away...

The hooded traveler looked down at the bandit horde that had attacked him with distaste. He knew he was traveling in a dangerous area but he felt it had been the best choice of action. Still, he had hoped he wouldn't have had to use the rune. It never felt right to him, no matter how many times it was used. As of late, he found he had been using it even when he didn't want to. It was as if the rune had come alive and had gained a will of its own, a will that demanded its use. His eyes traveled along the gouge in the road the rune had created and at the fifty or so bandits that had been cut down. A few still remained alive. The Bearer of the Rune of Punishment turned to them "Leave and never reenter that trade." The bandits were too afraid to answer, they just nodded. Then the Bearer continued on his way. It had been a week since he had left the sea and he was already missing the smell of the salt air. He had heard there was a town not too far away. He decided he would go there. However, he was going to take a detour. He had no intention of being questioned about the rune so he would enter the village from another direction.


Tekai nodded. "Alright, your winning is here." He held up the map. "However, give me a second to rest. I haven't been beaten in a while and I'm still woozy. That was a great fight!" He splashed some water on his face and rested for about twenty minutes before he got going. He led Rig in the opposite direction Rig had thought they were going. In fact, they were going to where Rig had initially come into the town. "There's a forest not too far from here. The ruins are hidden in there."

After a few hours walk, they came to the forest. Another hour (and several battles with wandering monsters) delivered them to a ruin, hidden in a particularly thick grouping of trees. The ruins apparently led underground as there was only a tiny rock, barely big enough for one person to enter, poked out of the grass. However, it was blocked off by a huge block of some kind of strange stone. The stone was actually larger than the stone it guarded. "I tried breaking this thing on my own but I couldn't quite manage it. Then I did some research." He pointed to the words inscribed on the rock, barely visible from weathering. "The rock cannot be broken by one person, no matter how strong they are. A combination of the two forces in this world, natural and magical, are required here. I have absolutely no talent when it comes to rune magic. If someone without a rune had won, I'd have brought them to another rune I had planted, then moved to a nearby town to try again. Smart, eh?" He grinned at his 'genius'. "Now, when I punch this rock, I want you to hit it with the most powerful rune magic you can produce. Ready? Go!" Tekai backed up, then threw the weight of his entire body into his punch.


Sky nodded, impressed. "That is some powerful stuff. Truthfully? I can still smell you. However, I can only barely smell you and I am right next to you. You won't have any problems with other kobolds if they track you only by scent. Some of the humans have other ways of doing it, however, so I will provide them with another trail to follow. I won't get caught, however you might be if you do not hurry." Without another word, Sky darted off, heading in a direction that Zacharias wasn't heading when Sky had caught up to him. Zacharias heard others coming and saw lanterns through the trees. It was time to run.

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

All he had to do was get to the nearest road. If he could get to the road he could find a house, acquire some old clothing from a farmer and then the dirt on him would make him seem like a beggar, but first he had to find the road. Zacharias had been running for the last 20 minutes without pause. He had completely dropped his disguise, he had no choice, it had begun to leech off of his physical stamina. He had already had a run in with his pursuers. He had run straight into one who had circled in front of him. A quick knee to the groin and he had dashed away again.

He was running out of steam and knew he couldn't keep running when he saw the road through the trees. Zacharias made for it as fast as possible. Once he reached it he began walking. He wasn't safe yet, but he couldn't keep going like he had been.

He saw a house up ahead, but he continued walking calmly. He made it to the back of the house and luckily for once, he saw that the laundry was still out. He ran quickly by grabbing it on the run before heading back into the woods. Once changed he made his way back to the road, on his way finding a sizable piece of wood for a walking stick and began making his way again, hoping that he might make a clean getaway this time.

Hawke watched... the light was bright and it hurt his eyes a bit but he sort of felt he had to watch.. as the old man died, it wasn’t spectacular or amazing.. he simply faded away.. the ashes of his body becoming just dust in the wind... The small boy stood there watching the ground and probably would have stayed there for much longer but the world had begun to change, at first he was alarmed but then realising this must be the rune’s memory. It was vicious, brutal, the scenes flashing in front of his eyes made him literally sick what breakfast he had finding itself quickly on the floor to his side.

Then... he saw the power of the rune, just how much it could do when it was given power. The man withered but time itself reversed to before the battle, the scale of that was immense in his mind and the young-old winger kept using it, decimating the force that had previously done them in so very easily... but they turned to dust as well, an unknown threat from a long gone time...

He was alone. On the mountain. The wind blowing hard into him now that the unnatural calm had lifted... the dream was definitely real... he was going to... to have to find those other three... and then, then... save the world? It sounded crazy but the rune on his hand was a true rune and it matched the one from the dream... all that was left was to bid his parents farewell...

It was much faster going down, but then it almost always is... he glided down the mountain and into the city again, landing on a roof near his house to survey the area, if his mom was still in he’d be able to see her... and if any of those guys were around he’d be able to see them too... now that he had this new rune they would be even more forceful so he couldn’t risk a confrontation...

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

RIgen stood listening to Tek, Red un-holstered, the blade jammed into the ground, Rigen's arms resting on it. So far the this, "Takai" hadn't been that bad of a guy, if the fight told Rigen anything, it told him that Tekai was certainly the kind of person Rigen would had much in common, ad they of both been in the army. But in such short amount of time, all Rigen knew about him was that he was a good fighter.

As they reached the strange looking rock, Rigen assumed it was the treasure somehow, and if it was Rigen would of been sourly disappointed "So, uhhh, this rock is the ruins you were talking about?" he said scratching his head. Rigen had assumed "ruins" meant large temple like structures, not a hole in the ground. Thankfully it had not been merely a rock, and in fact lead the way to the actual ruins. As Rigen now listened to Takai's explanation, he threw Red straight up into the air. Catching it from behind he spun it to his left, catching it and standing in firing position. The weapon respnded immediately to Rigen's magic circuit, a small red ball began to form on the Barrel's end. Rigen was going to focus all of his energy into this shot, or as much as he could muster, which was a lot considering he trained fro this type of stuff.



Rigen basically had three choices of how to shoot red. Two were similar, yet harder to accomplish (and required more energy). An explosive shot, which needed time to charge. A focus shot, which also needed charge time. And a regular shot which required almost none of Rigen's energy. Rigen was about to fire the focus shot, he didn't need to destroy the rock in a big explosion, especially since he didn't want to kill Tekai in the explosion.


As Rigen aimed straight down the barrel he smiled, a single eye closed. "Right behind you." He said as the hammer came down upon the round inside of the gun. The bullet traveled as normal down the barrel, but as soon as it came out near the end, the ball of energy latch onto it. Both bullet and energy collided with the rock as soon as Tekai's fist had connected. Rigen had never fired the focus shot at rocks, but in the few seconds after he wondered if he had put a little to much energy into that last shot.

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*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

{Cozy Inn}

Nash stood there, waiting and observing the area. He had heard stories of the cursed rune, but never really experienced being so near to the horrid thing. Not good... I thought it had been secluded to the Island Nation's territory... He quickly turned and lifted Bibi into his arms, craddling the young girl as she slept. I expected to find some True Runes, but to run into that one... I'm not sure if I have the best luck or the worst. Nash entered the inn, heading to his room to lay Bibi into his vacant bed while he picked out his clothes for the day.

One quick trip to the bathroom for privacy and soon he came out of the inn dressed for the new day. He looked up at the sky and stretched a bit, rotating his neck to properly stretch his muscles for use through the day. If the other two jobs Sasarai sent me on are any indication, I'm gonna end up involved in some heavy battles... True Runes always stir en masse to points of war. Not sure if they're sadists, but it's a common trait. So, I had better make sure I have enough tools, medicine, and food.

Nash then turned and strolled down the laden path into the main portion of town, looking for the shops he could have sworn to seeing the other night on his way to the inn.

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Fortunately for Zacharias, none of the other pursuers caught up to him. Unfortunately, he ran into some more trouble. Only a few minutes after he had set down the road, he heard a yell of triumph and found himself surrounded by around five bandits. Normally, of course, Zacharias would have had no trouble dealing with the goons but the stress from the running and the use of his rune was taking its toll on him. To make matters worse (or better?), one of the bandits, presumably the leader, had the rune that Zacharias had seen earlier in his dream.

However, the bandit leader did not look well. Purple veins of... something ran from the rune up through his arm. The whole arm was turning into something else. It had small barbs growing out of some places and the skin was turning scaly. The man's eyes were bloodshot and one of his iris had turned purple with streaks of red. The purple was not the normal, friendly purple. It made Zacharias think of poison and destruction for some reason. He looked tired but still vicious. He spoke and the words had an eerie, almost unnoticeable, echo. "Die..." The bandits drew their weapons: a random jumble of swords, daggers, and axes. They rushed the spy. They didn't look that skilled but they were strong and they outnumbered Zacharias.


Hawke was stopped short by a chilling sight. Two of the men in the village had black clothes on that were extremely similar to the ones worn by the group that had attacked the old winger's village. One difference, maybe not even worth noting, was that they both had a deep red diagonal stripe on their clothes. As soon as he saw them, one of them turned his head and stared straight at Hawke. Well, he assumed they were staring. The thin veil that covered their faces made it hard to tell. He whispered something to the second man who began striding toward Hawke's house. The cloak of the one who was staring at Hawke bulged and the back fall apart to reveal two bat wings. He flew right at Hawke but stopped short. He had put himself between Hawke and his house. He spoke in a whisper, it was almost impossible to hear him over the beating of their wings. "Possessor of the Rune of Reverse, you will come with me." The man had a rune on both of his hands and the gleaming of the runes told Hawke that the winger was ready to use them. "We will extract the rune from you. Then you will be free to go."


The giant rock developed a slight crack which grew until the entire rock was covered in deep fissures. Then, silently, it turned to dust. Tekai grinned, then frowned in confusion. There were stairs leading into the earth. That wasn't the surprising part. The reason Tekai was confused was because the corridor wasn't dark. Instead, diffused sunlight filled it. "That's not right. I had made sure that there were no other entrances. Let's go quietly until we figure out what the heck is going on."

The sunlight made it easy for the two to proceed and they had barely stepped away from the stairs when they heard the echos of voices. The echos got louder as they continued and when they turned the first corridor they found out where the sunlight had come from. Someone had broken through the roof of the ruins. They apparently had not been able to figure out the correct way to enter so they had used brute force. Two figures were near the hole.

One of them was a woman with blue-silver hair, spectacles, and blue scholar's robes. She wore a square hat and held something that looked like a huge gun barrel. As far as Rigen could see, the barrel had no fuse and no handle. It was just a huge gun barrel. The other figure was a man wearing an orange jacket, black pants, and a white undershirt. His red hair was extremely spiky and reminded Rigen of a porcupine's quills if they were thicker. They were apparently arguing. The man looked annoyed. "Look, I don't care how good you guys are, you cost too much. We could have handled ourselves."

The woman was pretty much ignoring him and was working on some sort of clockwork device. The man didn't seem to care that the conversation was one way. "Me, Kin, and the little princess could have handled this thing fine!"

Tekai went back around the corner and said "Sorry, I didn't think anyone could get in here. They must have been able to trace the corridor somehow. I must have taken some pretty strong magic to do it but apparently they figured it out. How do you think we should handle this?"


As soon as Nash stepped outside, he knew something was wrong: it was way too quiet. He found that everyone in town, the merchants included, had fallen asleep. From what he could tell, someone with a good deal of magical power had used a wind rune to cause the whole town to fall asleep. Nash had been able to resist the effects but it didn't seem like anyone else did. However, that theory was soon proved wrong. As he explored the town, he heard the sounds of battle.

He located the sounds: a woman with a long blade was fighting a man in a cloak. A nearby building had been destroyed, obviously by rune magic. The three inhabitants, a young girl and her parents, had been killed by whatever had destroyed the house. The man was using two short swords and was quite good. However, the woman was better. The man kept attempting to get in the blind spot created by the woman's eyepatch but she managed to keep him in view at all times. There were three others watching the fight. One was a man in full plate with a broadsword at his side and a shield on his back. Next to the man was a lean teenager. He was watching the fight with amusement. Nash noticed that the young man had the rune of detection on his hand. That rune allowed the user to find other runes.

The third was extremely hard to see due to his use of the raven rune: a rune that caused the user to become almost entirely invisible in shadow. The only reason Nash saw him was because a bit of sunlight had been reflected from the swords, causing him to become visible for a brief moment. The rune on the man's other hand was the wind rune. Presumably, he was the one who used the magic on the town. The rest of his body was covered in a long, black cloak. He was also wearing a hood and a thin veil so Nash could not see his face. He was watching the fight intently. After a brief struggle, the twin sword user and the woman dropped back to get some breathing room,

The woman glared at the other two out of the side of her good eye. "Franken! Echo! What the hell do you think you are doing? Go find the #$%#@er who kidnapped Bibi!" The two started in surprise, then meekly nodded. They headed into town. If Nash stayed where he was, they would see him in just a moment.

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Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

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