The sea! The sky! Your rapidly sinking ship! Wait, maybe that last one wasn't so great...

The Marines have certainly stepped up their patrols. A few days ago, you ran into a small group of ships that immediately began to open fire on your pirate vessel. Although you managed to defeat them, their ships were destroyed in the ensuing battle and yours was badly damaged and was taking in water at a unsettling rate. You barely managed to limp to the next island before your ship descended to Davy Jone's locker.

So, this island. It is an early Fall-type island. The trees covering the large and many hills have turned red, gold, and orange. The port village you landed at didn't have any other ships, only small fishing boats. However, inquiries at the local pub told you that on the other side of Shining Island (which was the island's name), there was a large city and that you could probably find a boat for sale to buy (or steal). It was going to take a few weeks to cross the island, however. It was quite large. Fortunately, there was a village along the way you could stop at for supplies. Unfortunately, but not known, was that a pirate crew had been marooned and were resting there at this very moment...

You've traveled quite a ways and can see the mid-way village. It is quite close and you can see smoke from chimneys. You've been told the village has almost anything you want as long as it isn't too rare and doesn't have to do with ships. You are running low on supplies and the sun is low in the sky.

_________________
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.

Medan shook his flask by his ear. "Hmm...nother few gulps left." he muttered, putter the slightly-filled flask of tea back in his pocket. "We need more tea leaves or something once we get to town too." Medan was quite grumpy today, he'd spent about an hour deliberating between giving out a very detailed list, or going himself to town, before deciding the walk was worth the security of knowing he'd get the right stuff. He took out his notepad, and checked through the list, mentally visualising himself using them on a ship, like mentally putting a puzzle together. "0.352 ± 0.007% chance I'll need more if construction is unlucky. 2.32 ± 0.03% chance I'll buy some flawed goods." he muttered, grimacing. "And then add in an 12% chance I've forgotten something important." He scowled, berating himself in his head. "Doesn't look good." He flipped the notepads cover back to the front and put it away into one of his many pockets and then glared up at the sun. A moment was spent checking he had the maximum amount of skin covered, before he started bitching about the rest. "Hate the sun. I was not made for sunny days and treks out to town." Medan lamented bitterly.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

~Max Cyrano - A lovely fall day~

Max took a deep breath and exhaled quite happily at the nice day they were able to enjoy, despite the obvious circumstances. "Don't be so mad Medan. So what if our ship sank and the sun's really bright? I still think it's a great day." He said to his fellow crewmate Medan, who didn't seem to be having as great of a day as he was. "In fact this is my favorite time of year. Not too hot, not too cold, and most of the fruits and vegies are ripe for the picking. I'm almost glad our ship sank." he said out load, before delving into his thoughts.

Of course his annoying habbit picked up and he talked through every part of his train of thought for all to hear. "But if we need more Tea, something will have to be cut out. Should I forget about some meat? No this is a fishing town, I can't do that. The produce is too good this time of year to pass up either. Hmm...I got it, less utensils! Oh wait, then I can't cook and we can't eat. This is seriously a problem. Oh well, I'll deal with it later." he finished before turing around to face the rest of the crew. "Regardless of how I'm going to do it, I'll need help carrying the food, who wants to help?" he asked energetically. Max didn't think anyone would accept. No one had before this day, so why should they start now?

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

Soon they arrived at town. There was a wooden barricade but it was broken, as if by a recent fight. The town, oddly, was completely intact, save for a few scorched areas that showed that there had been something hot that had not lasted long enough to start a fire. A young man met them at the gate. He had white-blue hair and carried a spear with an odd, crooked point. "Hello and welcome! I'm the greeter! May I ask your business in our fair town of Fellton?"

_________________
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.

{Franz Heisenberg}

The sunlight shine off of Franz's more mechanical parts and made metallic noises such as clank and clunk as he walked on the dirt road. The lab coat that he wore was slightly more torn than usual with huge gaping holes on the shoulders and back and his brodie helmet lost to the sea. " We also lived through the experience and thus learned from it." Franz remarked. However, he couldn't blame some of them for being in low spirits from that sea battle. The enemy fleet were also wrecked, but it only showed that they were on equal footing, which to Franz was unacceptable.

" The next ship requires some major improvements." He said, voicing some of his thoughts out loud. " Anyways, tea would be nice as well as a medium rare sword with gun powder seasoning." Franz mentioned as soon as food was being discussed. "Mr. Cyrano, I'll assist you. After all, your services are quite dire for the cause." He said as he volunteered himself to help out his ship's cook. " Professor Archer, what are the odds of myself showing self-restraint with the supplies, I fear they aren't good, but I would love a second opinion." He asked of his chief repairman and fellow scholar with a serious expression, fearing that he would accidentally consume vital supplies for his crew and his hunger take control. Deciding it would be best to see if the odds were in their favor if he actually assisted the ship's cook.

As Franz waited for Archer to finish his calculations, they entered the first city of this fall island passing by a broken barricade. His own curiosity began to grow as he noticed a few scorched areas of the city, but yet a majority of the city was completely intact. Was there a fight or was there a really a simple fire that spread...He questioned to himself based on initial observations. Too busy studying the city, Franz didn't noticed the approaching greeter until he said something to them. Franz raised an eyebrow and clutched his fists as he noticed the spear.

" Supplies. Through, could you tell me what happened here?" Franz questioned the Greeter.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

"Ah, well, we had some trouble with storms and mountain bandits. First they came, then as we barricaded our town, a storm hit. When that happened, they saw a chance and attacked. They got through but were driven off. Those scorch marks are from freak lightning strikes. It was just lucky no one was badly hurt. At least no one worth mentioning. Supplies can be found in the marketplace, over there." He gestured with his spear. Metal rings in the center of the spear jingled as he moved his weapon. The rings were made of a strange greenish-black alloy. "They'll be closed now, though. It's getting late and everyone is heading home. The town inn is that way." He turned and pointed, again with his spear. Though it was large and covered in metal patterns, he had no trouble lifting it with one hand. "It has a nice tavern as well and the food served there is quite good."

_________________
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.

Seraph Ohm - Peace is the path, Battle is the only language.


The walk was brisk, fresh air if a bit chilly on his skin but still pleasant, the village his new crew had approached was full of rumors about interesting goods and services offered to those with the coin to get them. Seraph didn't carry much coin by rule, it just caused more problems! Only enough for what he needed and never more. Greed was too common a curse of those who sought power to conquer and control, it had no place in a swordsman who just wanted to help the weaker live on.

His equipment jingled as he walked, the usual clink and clank of blades. One large sword strapped across his back, two at his right hip, and a third comfortably resting across his lower back. Each one was a gift and each scratch on them a memory he didn't want to forget. His smile never faltered, even when he thought of his parents back home. They did was they felt was right and so did he. That's all that mattered.

"What a wonderful time of the year." He whispered quietly under his breathe, taking in the sights.
He'd almost forgotten that they were here for a ship and supplies, so lost in his own mind and the gentle breeze. The greeter caught his attention. The odd spear, the hair, the mannerism. Didn't matter to Seraph really, just a humble guard doing his humble duty of helping others. Respectable fellow.
Odd spear.

Then again, Seraph had his own strange weapons and a-... Where had he put his instrument? With an inward shrug and a smile, he strode off into the marketplace alone without so much as a word. Maybe someone would have one cheap for sale. That would be nice.

_________________

Meden raised an eyebrow. "Well that's wonderful. Great that no one worth mentioning was hurt. It'd be just terrible if someone worth mentioning had been." Archer moved past the guard after Sereph. "Ass." he muttered as he passed him. A few steps further and he called back. "If you're still going shopping, I'd recommend getting the captain some toffee, or gum. Either that or make sure his nose is blocked so as to avoid temptation. The chances of showing complete self-restraint aren't worth mentioning." He laughed harshly as he strode over to the tavern. He'd ask around to check that there wasn't anywhere to buy supplies, and then see if he could hustle some of the local slack-jawed yockles out of their money. Important to keep it in circulation after all.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

The greeter never stopped smiling, though his eyes did flicker for a moment when he was insulted. "By the way, my name is Lectore. The barkeep can usually get you what you need overnight, providing you are willing to pay a little extra. Otherwise you should wait 'til morning to barter with the locals."

The tavern was at once busy and subdued. There were plenty of people ordering drinks and food and the solitary waiter, a strange man with dusty hair and faded eyes, was always on the move but conversations were muttered and friendliness was nonexistent. Well, other than one person: the barkeep. He grinned, showing all of his bright white teeth. It was a bit unnerving, actually. It gave the feeling he was about to go for your neck. He had black hair and dark red eyes. "What can I get you, stranger?"

_________________
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.

~Max Cyrano - My Apologies~

Max was a bit surprised by the captain's willingness to help him out, given the obvious temptations that would be all around them at the marketplace but he wasn't one to complain when he got extra help. "Great. Now that's settled let's..." Max paused as he turned around and noticed the scorch marks and the broken barricade. "Looks like we just missed whatever just happened here. Too bad, looked like fun." he said in his usual thinking voice. But before his thoughts could wander any further the town greeter had just, well greeted them.

"Never heard of a town with a greeter before. Neat." he thought out loud again as the man spoke. Of course his captain and the repairman both had comments or questions for him, and Seraph seemed preoccupied as usual during the man's explaination. Everyone was just so rude as usual, except for the captain of course, he had to change that. "Thank you for all your help Lectore. You were a great help to us and I'm sorry that our crew was so rude to you. I hope you can accept my apology." he said with a smile before turning back to the captain. "So, should we follow them to the tavern or would you prefer not to be in a cramped space with many edible objects? Because it looks like shopping will have to wait. And I still have to figure out what to cut out of the usual supplies list by tomorrow." he asked his captain, Franz.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

"A lot of things I imagine, but..." Meden scanned the traditional rack of displayed bottles. "Get me your recommendation, if you'd please." Meden sat on a stool and leaned onto the bar. Drumming his fingers against the wood as he looked around. "Pleasant atmosphere here." he grumbled, smirking. He turned back to the barkeep and stared at him, deep eye-contact for a few seconds, then waved a hand around his own eyes. "So...what's up with the red? Haven't come across that colour before. Oh." He slapped his hand against the table. "Some nuts too, that'd be nice."

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

The barkeep pulled out two bottles and began mixing. After a moment, he handed over a frothy drink and some salty peanuts. "I call it the Burnt Drunkard." He grinned. "Anyway, yes, about the town. To tell you the truth, though you couldn't have seen it easily coming from the outside, a few of the buildings were burned down in the bandit attack we suffered a little while ago. Strangest lightning I've ever seen." He shudders. Then he grins again. "Oh these? Just a rare eye color of my homeland." The drink is nice, if a bit flavorful.

_________________
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.

{Franz Heisenberg}

_Town_

The chief turned to find his captain consuming the wreckage that was once a barricade for the city. " *Munch, Hmm, Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Franz said as he was eating some wood and some nails. " You should follow them, Mr. Cyrano. After all, that was quite the battle so R&R would be a good call at this point and will provide you enough time to figure out what exactly we need." He mentioned as he picked up another piece of debris. " I still want to chat with the greeter about this freak lightning. " Franz added as he then turned over to the greeter, who named himself as Lectore.

" Lectore, was it? Can you tell me, how freaky this lightning storm was? Or anyone really unusual around town?" Franz asked of the other man as experience has taught him that freaky things sometimes are not found in nature, but within others. And when Franz thinks of "within others", he thinks of a devil fruit user much like himself.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~Max Cyrano - Keeping an eye on things~

Max honestly wasn't surprised at his captain's antics of eating the barricade, but it still got a small laugh out of him regardless. "Aye aye captain. I'll go check on them. Try not to eat anything too valuable out here." he said as he headed off in the direction of the tavern. "Should I follow Meden or Seraph? Both of them tend to rub people the wrong way. But it looks like Meden headed towards the more crowded area so I better check up on him." he said as he entered the tavern. A quick survey of the room and Max found him at the bar chatting it up with the barkeep. Max sat down next to him. "Making friends I hope?" he asked.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

Meden raised an eyebrow, but left the eye thing alone. Probably just one of those mutations. He kept numb until Max returned, just sipping away at his drink. "Friend. A being with whom one holds in affection, typically mutual and exclusive of sexual of familial bonds." He laughed harshly and sipped from his drink again. "Not likely. Considering the average interest, intelligence and significance of people, and my own rather, sparkling, personality, friends don't exactly come natural or are seeked after by myself. Although." He finished his drink, took out a note, put it on the bar and rapped a finger on it loudly. "This guy keeps these drinks coming, a friend may be being made. Not much of a future on adding an S to it though." He paused thoughtfully. "Eh, who cares if that was rude. We're moving on later. Hopefully before another bandit attack. Apparently, that's been rather common lately. That and lightning storms so...Y'know. Try not to look rich and wear metal hats."

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

*Gate*

Lectore shrugged. "I dunno what to tell you. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about weather. All I can tell you is that the lightning struck the ground in a several points near one another. It was weird, though, because it didn't strike anything metal." He shrugged again. "But if you want to know about someone unusual... well, there is that new blacksmith. Apparently he is a Devil Fruit user, though I've never seen him do anything spectacular. It's probably just a rumor."


*Tavern*

The man grin grew even wider and he kept the drinks coming, though he watched both of them carefully. He looked at Max "And you, sir, would you like a drink? Don't worry about the cost, you two seem like honest types and we'll settle it later."

_________________
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.

Zeebz - Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Humming high above the Shining Island flew the ship's Doctor Zeebz, in half form the hornet man was flying high and flying fast. Scouting the island out from above and getting a good 'bug's'-eye view. "Hmmmmz" He muttered to himself. "Zeemz Zey have plenty of flowerz that I could uze to make medicine. Oooo and plenty of honey....Mmmmmm I am tempted to have zome but best not, captain would have my head on a platter if he found me with honey zmeared on my face. Oh maybe a zmidgen won't hurt." He said bee-lining for the bee's nest he had spied in a tree. Sticking his long arm into the hive he buzzed a frequency to the bees to let them know he was just a friend wanting a snack, so the bugs happily complied. He crammed as much as he could before feeling full, wiping his face he returned back to the task at hand of collecting wild flowers and berries he knew to have medicinal properties.

_________________

~Max Cyrano -Honest Types?~

Max just grinned at his crewmate's long rant about his choice of words again. He'd heard it far too often. "Glad to hear you're getting along with others at least. Keep it up though, and you'll give me a run for my money on who can go off on random tangents the longest." he said with a laugh. "Don't look too rich? Great advice from the guy who wears suits everywhere." he then said sarcastically before another quick laugh when the barkeep arrived. "Honest types? Haven't heard that statement in a while. Now as to what I want...I guess it depends on what they have. Though I don't know what Meden's drinking. Since you're so generous I guess I'll have what my pal's having over here." he said with a smile before turning back towards Meden. "So, figured out what we need for the ship yet?" he asked Meden.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

Meden thought for a moment. "If I was to find doing a subpar job acceptable, we'd need a house. Or preferable, the building materials for one. And I'd only do that if I was sure we'd only be using those material for one trip, which would be to a town that has the required materials for making a good boat. Honestly, a port and unlimited resources would be best. as well as about two clones of myself that would obey my every whim. Somewhere I could beach the ship, get plenty of tools to work on it freely and have some reliable hands I can trust instead of just smart monkeys that I can only trust with simple orders." He frowned at Max. "Also, I don't go off on tangents. You just don't follow the context. Nobody ever follows the context. Why is it so much to ask for someone to follow a simple train of thought. God's sake, it's not like trains are complicated. Except perhaps those ones Tom made, to be fair. Give credit where it's due." He'd slowly seeped into a grumbling drone and turned his glare back to his empty glass. "Need bigger glasses. Only took a couple of gulps." He blinked, slapped himself and straightened back up.

"Sorry, hit a downer there. Unprofessional. It was the alcohol. What were you saying? The ship? Needed. Wood. Young wood, still flexible. Decent blacksmith used to custom orders, or at the very least, one with a wide stock. If there's a blacksmith around I can go to him to see about that. The metal too, but if we're going to a big town, I'll probably be able to get wood there, and if not, I can get the metal and rivets-slash-nails on the way back. And my suits are worth trouble. Damnit man, I look gorgeous and it gives me self-confidence and comfort to know I look professional and neat."

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

{Franz Heisenberg}

_Barricade to Black Smith_

"Thank you, Lectore." Franz thanked the man as he left and walked deeper into the city. Precision lightning strikes that didn't hit metal objects took over as his main thoughts as he sought for the black smith. Hmm, FB user, lightning strikes, precise, metal objects missed, black smith, are they connected? Might as well as check it myself and let the crew relax...He thought as he checked signs and examined the sky as usually a black smith's workshop would produce smog due it's chimney, he figured.

Only one place had smog coming out of its chimney, and this place even had an anvil and a work bench. Even the building itself had a black smith vibe to it if Franz had to say. So Franz being Franz, knocked on the front door and asked " Excuse me, is the black smith in?" He knocked again with two more knocks and said "I have a few questions and wish to purchase a few goods."

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~Max Cyrano -

Max listened carefully to his crewmate as he seemed rather chatty tonight. Must have been the alcohol. "I'll go in reverse order this time." Max said before sighing and continuing. "I like your suits too, and you do look nice in them, but I was merely commenting on the fact that it was funny that you were telling me not to look rich when you're the richest looking man in the bar." he said before looking around the bar one more time and taking a drink of his booze.

"Yep, definately. I'm glad you figured out what we need, I'm still working on my list but probably alcohol will be put on lower priority after remembering how our crew is when they drink. You missed my pun as well. Random tangents. You and math. Well, you get the idea now I suppose. And finally I'd be more insulted by your comment about me being a monkey if I didn't think the same way about you when I'm cooking, so I forgive you." he finished before taking another big drink, finishing his glass. "And you're right these glasses are too small. Good flavor though." Max took another look around the bar. "So, I don't know about you, but I'm getting bored now. Should we go have some fun?"

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

[Bar]

Meden blinked at Max, then stood up. "I didn't mean you when I said monkey." Everything else, apparently having sailed over his head and sunk into the backwaters of his mind, he threw a couple of coins at the bar and walked off. "I don't know if you'd call it fun, but I'm going to the blacksmiths to demean and belittle him whilst I laugh at his works and harass him over not having the stock and equipment, he, quite reasonably wouldn't, have or use in a one-horse town like this. And I can cook fine." He paused midway to the door, turned and mimed cooking at Max. "It's all chemistry. I think I know why that souffle exploded last time too. I'd do fine if you let me use anything in the kitchen more complicated than the toaster." After that, he turned on his heel, pulled his gloves tight, straightened his tie and strutted out.

---

[Random unknown street]

"What's wrong with this town? Where the hell am I? Dumb hicks can't even do geography sensibly."

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

-Ero-
-Some Random Street-

As Medan walked through the town he would have noticed a strange man sitting on the side of the street. He was sitting at a haphazardly thrown together stand with a sign so new that the paint was still dripping wet.

-NINJA BLACKSMITH-

The sign said in large, bold, black letters across a plank of half rotten wood. The stand itself was nothing more than a few pieces of wood tied together with some string and held up with a few stray bricks that may have been laying around along the sides of some buildings. On top of the counter were a few bits of scrap metal, a trash can lid, and what looked to have been the remains of a rusty broken knife. A man sat cross legged behind the stand, perched steadily upon an upturned trash can that was more than likely the source of the previous trash can lid. The man was dressed in a full one piece leotard with a mask and scarf. One of his eyes was covered with an eyepatch as the other one squinted warily as Medan walked past him. A cob pipe was stuck in between the man’s lips through his mask, puffing away as the man walked past him. There was a slight glint in his eye.

“Looking for me?”

_________________

*Smithy*

Franz heard someone saying something and as the door flew open, he noticed a den-den mushi. Most of his attention was taken by the fist in his chest however, that sent him flying. The fist in question, as well as the rest of the man's body, was covered in armor with gems inserted throughout the designs. The man (smith?) spoke in a grumble "So, yo're the one who is next. Weapons aren't gold here. Instead, I'm taking your life!"


*Bar*

"Well, shshsh... you seem to be the only one left here." A quick look confirmed the statement. Everyone had left the restaurant quietly. "And for fun... well, I can't offer much. What I can offer is a little excitement." Before Max could react, the man threw a match at the ground. Flames shot across the floor, soon filling the building. The bartender drew a black sword from the ground as the air filled with smoke. "Time for the show to start!"


*Marketplace*

"You were really in a hurry, weren't you?" Seraph turned to find the first person he'd seen in the marketplace to be the same one who had greeted them. Lectore leaned on his spear. "You know, usually we would split you guys up but you guys just kind of wandered off on your own which was quite helpful." He had a den-den mushi at his side, an item he certainly had not displayed earlier. "Well, swordsman, time for you to meet your maker. Out of curiosity, are any of those swords worth anything? I'd hate to lose out on something because I damaged them."


*Alleyway*

Two sets of footsteps alerted the pirates that someone was approaching. Well, two someones. One was the dusty man Meden had seen earlier at the bar. The other was a large man with a pot belly. He wore simple clothes that didn't cover up much other than the bits you cover up for modesty's sake. "Those the two, Dusty?" Dusty coughed out... well... dust. "Yeah yeah, those are them." His voice was thin and he coughed often. "And my name's Drast, not Dusty!" "Okay Dusty. You, garbage boy! We don't tolerate competition! I'm the enforcer around here and your dues haven't been paid!" He grinned "So either pony up 100,000 Belli or I'm taking it out of your hide!"


*Fields*

A bright light blazed into existence, blinding Zeebz for a moment. When it died down, he saw a man covered in a white material. His clothes looked like a standard gi but they blazed with light. He wore nothing else but a headband. "Hey! Bug boy! You made me waste a lot of time tracking you down! The scouts told us about you but you never showed up! And I don't like walking! Too much trouble! You have to move constantly or you get left behind! The ground just keeps moving! And while the ground moves the sky stands perfectly still! Still like water! And that's what I'm going to grind you into! Paste! Which will dissolve in the water!" He was red in the face as he finished and gasped for air.

_________________
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.

Meden stared at the "ninja blacksmith". Gears that could crush through complex equations in mere instants jarred repeatedly as he fed in the variables and tried to make sense of it. He looked at the sign. His lips moved as he read it again, slowly this time. He poked the sign and glared at the black paint on his fingertip for a while. Then he pulled at the string holding the... stand? The stand, together. He palmed the merchandise, one item at a time, then studied the man intently. Something went "ping" inside his head, just as the other two came round the corner.

He pulled himself up to his full height and turned to face them. "Bog off, you troublesome ruffians. Can you not see I am about to do business of a commercial nature with this gentleman of metal and ninjitsu. Take yourselves elsewhere and return at a later date so that I am not required to deal with you plebs myself."

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“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”