FFT Advance: Full Circle

Right! Chapter one, the official remastered edition! Let me know what you people think about the differences from the orignal... if you notice them.

And you'd better. Most of them are bretty damn big changes. =P

-----Chapter 1: The New Recruit-----

"I still don't get it," the smallest of the Humans said. "How did anyone find the book?"
"Who knows, Mewt," came the young woman's reply. "That's not the problem right now."
"Ritz's right. We need to get Ivalice back to normal," the blonde told his friend.
"Again," the mage interjected sadly. "I'm really sorry about this, you two."
The fencer shook her head. "Don't appoligize. It's not your fault."
"Besides, you didn't open the book," the soldier chimed in, trying to cheer the boy up. "Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to clear it all up this time."
Mewt looked from Marche to Ritz, then back again. "Yeah, you're right," he told them with a shy smile. "Thanks, guys."

Marche gazed over Lutia Pass, watching for any roaming clan members. "Looks clear. C'mon," he called over his shoulder. Ritz clambered down first, the unusualy strong winds whipping her stark white hair around her face. She signaled to Mewt, who quiclky cinched his robes and hurried after her, both of them scrabbling down the rocks, while Marche waited for them both at the bottom, adjusting his curias.

"We're almost there, right?" Mewt asked. Ritz nodded and turned to him, speaking in her ususal matter-of-fact tone. "We can't let down our guard yet." In response, the boy tapped his rod gingerly on the stone. "Don't worry about me, Ritz," he said lightly, "I can hadle a few thugs." Marche chuckled, shaking his head almost ruefuly for anyone they may run into. "We can't blame Mewt for a few dumb people's actions. If anyone tries anything, blast 'em, I say," the blonde soldier said aloud.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mewt called out, hurrying ahead. Ritz rolled her eyes and started to move when she felt Marche's hand on her shoulder, and turned, the slightly arced eyebrows seeming to ask her question for her. He looked down slightly, now feeling dumb for stopping his friend with a silly remark, but spoke anyways, softly; "Oh, nothing, it's just... you look good with white hair." Ritz blushed, a small line of red blooming on her cheeks.

"You do know you already told me that after we got out of here a year ago, right?" the fencer asked in a voice of friendly exasparation. "Yeah, I know," Marche admitted, "but I just... felt like telling you." "Well..." she smiled sweetly, her thoughts trailing off when Marche looked up. Finally, the rest of her brain caught up and finished the drifting sentence with a simple, "Thanks." "HEY!" Mewt's voice called out. "Are you guys coming or what?!" Ritz giggled and looked over at Marche. "Race ya!" she said, taking off. "Hey, no fair!" he shouted, dashing after her.

The girl was nervous as she approached the bartender. "Excuse me, sir," she said shyly, "is this the meeting place for Clan Chrys..." She thought for a moment, trying to remember the proper pronunciation. "Chrysta... Chrysi..." she stammered, trying to get it right. "Chrysalis?" the old man offered, raising his eyebrows in a friendly gesture. "That's it, yes," the Human girl replied with a releived smile, earning a chuckle out of the barkeep. "Kinda weird name, hard to...remember, harder to forget. Yep, this's their hangout a' sorts. You here to give'm a request?" "No, actually," she admitted, "I... I came to join them."

The bartender looked the girl over. Normaly Viera are the only females to join a Clan. A Human girl, though? She wore the telltale blue outfit of a soldier, and didn't look like she'd get knocked around THAT easily... "A few of 'em are back there," he said, jabbing his thumb to the large drinking area behind him. "Near corner, left side wall. Their head man is out on a mission with a few of the Clanners," he explained, "so you'll have to wait a little bit." "That's okay with me," she said, bowing. "Thank you, sir."

She walked calmly down the steps to the lower area, looking over at a group of three tables near where the bartender mentioned. There wern't too many people over there... a young thief twirling a dagger, a templar sitting calmly by himself, a hunter busy restringing his bow, and a Viera in a silken robe reading a book, her staff close at hand. I sure hope there are a few more... the girl thought as she walked over to them. The green-clad thief was the first to notice her. "Hmm?" he murmured, looking up and sheathing his dagger. "Well, this is an odd sight..." he said, half to himself. "Are you members of Clan Chrysalis?" she asked. "Yesss, we are," responded the Bangaa quietly. "Why do you asssk, if we may be ssso bold?"

"I was looking to join," she told them openly. The templar's eyebrows raised slightly. "Interesssting." "Wow..." the white mage quipped, closing her book. "You've got guts, I'll say. Soldier?" The girl nodded, earning a low whistle from the rosy-faced hunter. "If I were drunk, I might think I was seeing things," he chimed. "Well," the thief said, stretching, "you're gonna hafta wait for the verdict." "I know," she sighed. "I've been told." "Just making sure," he said, shrugging.

Right about then, a three note whistle issued from the bar. "Perhapsss ssshe won't, Alex," the armored figure said, shifting his eyes to the stairs. "Here they come." The Human turned around and saw a troop of figures coming down them: a paladin, a red mage, a calm morpher, a weary-faced blue mage, a diminuative but cheerful Moogle black mage, and a smirking Viera archer. They came to the trio of tables and sat, save the paladin, who stood a few feet from her. "We've been told you seek admission," he said, his voice neutral. She merely nodded. "Hmmmm..." His eyes scanned her over, and she could feel the others who had recently arrived doing so as well. "Alex, Shaun, Ellah, Sig?" he said, glancing over at the four who occupied the table at first.

The hunter nodded and looked over at the mage, who smiled gently in turn. The thief finally broke the silence when the paladin's siver-eyed gaze met his own. "Either very brave..." he told the Clan leader, "Or very, very stupid. Either way, a good bet. Whadd'ya think, Shaun?" He asked, throwing a look over at the templar. "Very ssssure of herssself, undoubtedly. Polite, asss well." Ellah looked at the paladin. "She'll be fine, Elric. She looks tough." He stroked his chin in thought. "Any reason in particular?" The girl looked down. "Yes, actually. Clan Borozi's been acting up again, and..." She took a deep breath. "My home..." "Woah, woah," Elric cut in, holding up his hands and smiling. "I understand. You don't have to go on." "Thank you." She looked up again. "By the way, I'm Aura." "Well, then, Aura," he said, extending his hand, "welcome to Clan Chrysalis. I beleive a few introductions are in order..."

"Who's Visk?" Aura asked as she followed. "Jussst a warrior," Shaun told her, and the thief, Alex, glanced over his shoulder with a playful smirk. "Not to mention one of the most dangerous fellows we know." "Oh, thanks. That really calms me down," Aura gulped. "Aw, don't worry," the Human said lightly, "he's not gonna chop a limb off or anything." Shaun stopped as they came to a large, open area with several wooden dummies here and there. "Visssk knowsss hisss bladesss. He can arm you and teach you a few ussseful thingsss asss well." The templar whistled and motioned for someone to come closer. "She the one?" Aura heard a Bangaa ask. "Don't get too gung-ho with her, okay?" "I hear you, Shaun. Don't have a heart attack." Shaun moved over to reveal a Bangaa warrior to the human. "Well, don't just stand around. We've got work to do with you!" Visk said light-heartedly. "Alex and I will be watching," Shaun said, "jussst in cassse." Aura nodded and followed Visk to a set of chests.

"You don't... hiss?" she asked shyly, fearing she might offend him. "Huh?" He muttered as he turned. "Oh, no," he admitted frankly, "I never did. Weird, eh?" Aura shrugged. "A little." The warrior chuckled. "Every Clan needs a freak. Now, what to get for equipment..." He flung open two of the chests and began digging. "No... no... too big... no... can't lift that... wrong class... no... Hmmmm?... nah." Aura shrank back as various pointy impliments of pain began flying out as the battle-monger searched, tossing rejects over his shoulders. "Ummm... something one handed, please," the Human asked in a small voice. "No problem!" came the cheerful reply, and Visk continued with renewed flinging distance. "No... no... no... HAH! No way!" Aura had to dodge a katana that flew over her head. "No... no... nyahahah!" Visk rose triumphantly with a Shortsword and a Bronze shield. "Here ya go!" Aura held onto the items shakily. "Now for armor and a helmet..."

"Okay, that oughtta do it!" Visk said. Aura tightened the buckles on her battle boots and stood up, testing the weight of her brazen armor and helm. "This stuff's a little heavy..." she said unsurely, inspecting the latches of the chestpiece. "You'll get used to it. Trust me," the Bangaa replied. He went to the center of the feild, made sure his bracers were secure, and said, "Allright, let's get started. C'mere and take a few practice swings at me." "Ummm... are you sure?" she asked. The Bangaa shok his head and sighed. "If I weren't, why would I tell you to?" Aura considered that for a second. "Good point." She drew her sword and cut the air a couple of times before swinging at the warrior. He caught the blow on his bracers and let the blade slide off. "Not bad. First swing, and you've got a decent bit of force and momentum behind it. Good sign. Next!" Aura focused and swung again. "Wow!" was the reaction as sparks flew. "Damn, girl!" She blushed and looked down. "Beginner's luck?" "Oh, hell no! That's skill right there!" Visk cried happily.

Aura proceded to hone herself like this for a few minutes. "Okay, now for the fun part," The Bangaa said, as he strode over to the wall to retreive his Falchion. "Ummm... eep?" "Visssk..." Shauns's voice floated over, a mix of worry and warning. "I know, I know. Look," the warrior said, turning back to her, "we have potions and whatnot. Don't worry about getting hurt..." his voice turned from the normal, light tone to a very serious one, "but don't fear it either. Pain is inevitable in an engagement, especially for front-runners like us," he said. She nodded and took a battle stance. Visk lifted his greatsword, his eyes becoming narrow and fierce. "Let's begin."

Aura made the first strike, lunging at her tutor. The Bangaa shifted to the right, swinging his sword in a high arc. The Human caught the strike on her sheild and quickly shifted her feet for balance. She began putting force into her left arm, trying to raise Visk's blade. In response, he pushed down more, his strength forcing the barrier down slightly. Aura tilted the sheild to the left, trying to slide the sword off. Her mentor lifted up at the move, backing away into a striking position. Aura knelt as if to prepare for the blow. Visk slashed to the right feircely. Her shield angled up to deflect the blow. The falcion continued to swing. Aura stood up and raised her arm to strike... just as the sword came back around and connected squarely with her ribs. She yelled and was sent sprawling off to the side, her blade falling to the ground.

"Aura!" Shaun yelled, running over to her. As he knelt, she coughed up a little blood and got to her hands and knees. "Aura, are you allright?" She coughed again, but pushed the templar's arm away. "I'm fine, Shaun. Really. I just... need a second, okay?" He nodded and stood. "Don't blame me, friend," Visk said aloud, resting the large blade on his shoulder. "She wasn't paying attention." "I know, but if ssshe'sss hurt..." Shaun began, but an arm on his hip stopped him mid-sentence. "I said, I'm fine." Aura stood up and wiped the blood from her mouth and smiled. "Thanks for being concerned, though," She told him honestly as she bent to retreive her sword. "Good. You're tough, Aura. This ought to be a fun spar," Visk quipped. The Human chuckled. "I think I'm finally warmed up." Shaun patted her shoulder and went back to the tree where he and Alex were waiting under and sat down. "I'm not suprised," the boy said as the templar sat down and sighed with releif. "Elric made a good choice." Shaun looked over at his friend and arced an eyebrow. "You knew all along, didn't you?" "Who, me?" Alex said, glancing back, and scoffed. "Nah. I just guessed."

Ellah walked to the field, the hem of her white robes skimming the stones in the hallway, to be met with the sound of yelling and metal clashing. Oh fun, she thought, duty calls. She got to the edge of the feild... and stood gaping at the sight. Aura and Visk had their swords locked together, both inches apeart from one another's faces. Both of them were bleeding a little, nothing a Cure spell couldn't handle, but it was just the sight itself. A Human, a FEMALE Human, keeping her own against a Bangaa with serious training. Ellah could only stare as the weapon struggle continued. Both combatants were glaring at each other, and the blades shook with the force they were pressing into each other with. Finally, a decisive movement; the girl's sword tilted slightly, but enough to send the heavier weapon groundward... and force the Bangaa to lose balance. With an air of finality, Aura brought down her sword down in a vicious slash across her partner's back, sending him sprawling, then crashing into the grassy feild. He winced when he rolled over to look at the Human who just knocked him for a loop.

"Ssss... yeowch!... Jee-zus, girl! I guess I'd better stay on my toes around you!" he said with a grin. The soldier smiled back and offered a free hand to help him up. "Hey, at least you didn't get your ass handed to you by an alchemist, right?" Visk grinned and grabbed her hand. "Hey, I haven't got a problem saying a girl did it!" "Oh, really?" Ellah finally said, walking up to them, motioning for Alex and Shaun to join them. "Whatever happened to male pride?" The warrior went into mock thought. "Pride? Pride? When did I ever have that?" he asked mockingly, getting various intensities of laughs from the others. Ellah glanced over at Alex, just barely catching him looking at her in a way she wasn't quite familiar with; he was grinning at her, but there was something distant and sad about his brown eyes at the same time. Somehow, managed to both wory and soothe the Viera; the far-away glint in his eyes was something she had caught before, but his laughter semed to dim the concern she felt, thinking he was getting over his unnamed disturbance on his own.

Shaun's voice interrupted her musings. "Ssso, what bringsss you out here?" "Elric's got a job for us," she informed the assembled group. Alex's ears seemed to perk up at the news. "Really?" the thief asked. "And he's not tellin' us?" "He wants us to get started ASAP," Ellah said with a shrug, and counted off the party on her fingers. "Alex, Shaun, Aura, Godfrey, Linz, and myself." Aura gave Shaun a quizzical look. "Linz?" she queried. "Our gunner," the templar responded, to wich the girl nodded, then turned to Visk. "Hey, we need to do this again sometime," she told the warrior, who chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Maybe sometime next week," he joked. Ellah rolled her eyes. "Oh, suck it up, you pansy!" she teased, getting another round of chuckles from the others.

Alex arced an eyebrow during the general laughter. "Riiiight, and I suppose you're the expert on that, miss white mage?" "Hey!" the Viera yelled, "I'll pound your sorry ass into Bardmoon!" "Is that so?" Alex said slyly. "Well, you gotta catch me first!" With that, he bolted for the pub. "I'll get Linz while I'm at it!" he called back to them, still in a dead run. Aura sighed in the thief's general direction. "That kid," she said, rubbing her eyes, "is a goofball." "Jussst wait, Aura," Shaun told her calmly. "I know him well enough... when he getsss in an engagement, he meansss buisssinesss." "I'll take your word for it," the soldier nodded. "Well, we oughtta get going, right?" "Good call," Ellah said. "We're headed for Nubswood. Trouble with a forestry team." The templar sighed solemnly. "Probably jussst a bunch of greedy folk going too far for money. I'll lead." "Take care, guys!" Visk called out as they left.

The forest was unusually thick in this area. Alex wasn't having any trouble with it, but he was worried about the others. "Shaun's gonna have hell gettin' through this! Aura might, too, now that I think about it," he contemplated. "Oh well," the Human sighed to himself, "such is life. Clear!" he called out over his shoulder. The rustles in the bushes accompanied the movement of the other five clan members as they followed Alex's scouting work. "I think there's a clearing a little ways ahead," the thief told them in a semi-hushed tone. The Nu Mou sniffed the air gingerly. "That's not all..." he noted, "I smell something aflame." "Yeah, me too," Ellah commented, readying her Pure Staff. Linz pulled out his Chaos Rifle and looked around. "Let's not wait any longer, kupo. Something seems weird about this, kupo." Aura nodded in agreement. "Shaun?" The templar drew a spear. "Then let'sss go."

Alex crouched and tightened his Dash Boots. "I'll get their attention," he said. "Wait a second, will you?" Ellah hissed as she prepared a Protect spell. With a flick of the Viera's wrist, a golden glow encompassed the Human. "Thanks, El," he said, smirking, and without waiting for an acknowledgement, he crashed headlong through the foliage. The others heard a dull thud as something hit the ground, a growl from a panther, and a quick "Wuah!" of suprise from Alex. "Clan soldiers," someone said from the clearing. "Kill him!" A dragon growled and the soft, patting footfalls of the thief were quickly drowned out by stomping dragon feet.

Shaun looked over at Ellah and Aura, then pointed at himself. The Viera nodded and whisperd to the soldier, "Go out with us." The Human nodded, still watching the Bangaa intently. The templar then turned to Linz and nodded toward the noise, then pointed at both him and the morpher and punched his palm. Godfrey nodded, and the Moogle grinned and crawled to an opening, taking aim with his rifle. Tense seconds passed as the Gunner took careful aim through the bushes, then fired, causing the dragon to roar in pain and suprise. Shaun then nodded at the women and ran into the clearing, the two girls coming out behind him.

Alex heard the gunshot and saw the Firedrake turn in the corner of his eye. Now! he thought, and leapt up to the ridge as it tried to find the new assailant. Just then, Shaun, Ellah, and Aura burst into the scene, with the mage nearly tripping on the Goblin that Alex barreled over during his entrance. The Couerl that stood next to them, however, leapt at the trio as soon as it saw them. Aura held up her sheild, but the flying cat creature's claws easily knocked it out of the way. As the panther raised a paw to strike, Godfrey seemingly materialized from the bushes, clouting the beast solidly with the orb-like soul he carried.

The Human nodded in thanks and cast her gaze around, shock finally registering in her mind. Half of the area was on fire, presumably started by the raging dragon... but the blue mage that stood in the center of the blaze had a fairly manevolent air around him. A long plume of silver hair, nearly as long as her own, hung from their opponent's head, tied back in several places, giving it the appearence of a rope of some sort. What stood out the most were his eyes; they seemed all wrong, burning red and, from what the soldier could tell, devoid of pupils.

A rifle retort brought her to her senses. "You can't afford to space out in an engagement, Aura," she chided herself. "C'mon, focus!" The menacing form of the fire lizzard roared in pain again, and the soldier glanced over to see one of the strangest things ever... Alex, during the general bedlam of the situation, had sprung onto the shoulders of the dragon, and, apperently making DAMN sure he could not be easily cast off, began furiously driving his dagger into the neck and upper back of the fearsome creature. Its claws flailed wildly, attempting to literally rip the Human away, but to no avail; the thief clung fast through the numerous slashes of the beast's talons, his knife causing considerable damage.

Something stirred nearby, and Aura cast her gaze down to the Goblin, now attempting to rise. "I'll handle this," the Nu Mou remarked. "You three take the panther." Aura nodded and turned to her right, her sword ready. Shaun was ducking under a swipe as she lunged foreward, catching the beast under the foreleg. It howled and lashed a hindleg out at the Human behind it, scraping past the armor and cutting into her upper arm, but Aura managed a glancing strike on the cat's leg before it snapped back. The templar took this opportunity to skewer the Coeurl on his javelin. The tip punched neatly through its hindquarters, causing the panther to crumple to the grass. Ellah stepped over and quickly subdued it with a solid club on the head.

The healer looked over at the monster impersonator gravely, glaring feircely, but keeping any words to herself. Linz readied his gun, his usual wry smirk gone from his face. "This guy's the most kupo Human I've seen," he chimed. "Let's just make sure he can't do this again, kupo." "I agree," Godfrey added. "Wanton destruction like this is purely unacceptable." Just as Shaun opened his mouth to speak, there was a finalising yell from Alex, and long, painful moan as the dragon finally lost its stamina and fell to the ground with a decisive crash. The blue mage looked calmly about, seeing that his plan had failed. "Give it... up, already," Alex panted, "You can either... go quietly... or we drag you to the judges... out cold." The thief's words had a grim tone as he stepped away from the slumped form of the fize lizard, as the six of them surrounded the madman.

"Or," the renegade Human countered, "I could always flee. They say that the trick is to know when to walk away, and when to run," he told them with a wicked grin. "I certainly know what this situation calls for, Clansmen." The templar sighed and shook his head. "It would be far easssier for you to come with usss," Shaun told him, trying to sway the Human with truth. "Running will only caussse the judgesss to be far more harsssh with their verdictsss." "Oh, you will be seeing me again," the mage replied, "I'm very sure of that. Do take care..." With those words, he cast some sort of spell; no one knew quite what it was, but from the loud bang and the excessive smoke, it was fairly obvious that it was a concealment spell of some sort. "Amateur," Alex muttered with a pointed glare, being the only one not having a coughing fit.

"Hey!" a Human called from the trees, "are you guys Clan Chrysalis?" Alex turned around to the source of the yell, a hunter with a Nu Mou sage. "Yeah. Need help puttin' out the barbecue?" "No," the caster said calmly, "we can douse these flames. But we need you to follow that renegade. Apparently, he stole something from the camp while he was here. A Seal of Warding the foreman carried." "Shouldn't be a problem," Ellah responded. "Where do you think they went?" The hunter drew an unsteady breath, glancing between his companion and the Clan members, before speaking. "The Jagd."

"We ssshould camp here tonight," Shaun said, indicating the roof they stood on. Linz jumped on it a few times. "Seems pretty sturdy, kupo. It ought to hold." The group began setting up tents and sleeping bags when Alex glanced around. "Hey, Shaun," he asked wearily, "who's on watch?" Aura spoke first. "I guess I will," she sighed. "I can't sleep anyways." The templar looked over at her, concern plain in his eyes. "Are you sssure?" "Yeah," she replied with a semi-defeatist shrug, "I've got nothin' better to do." He looked her over, perhaps trying to gauge how long she could stay awake, then nodded. "Very well... jussst don't pusssh yourssself too hard, okay?" Aura looked down to hide her blushing. No one's ever actually cared about what I do before... not like he does, she mused. Maybe he... no, that's just stupid. "I can take your place in a few hours," Godfrey said, struggling the words through a light yawn. "Thanks," she acknowleged, smiling. "G'night, guys," Ellah said, crawling into her tent. "Good idea, El," the thief noted, slumping into his own. One by one, the others fell asleep, until Aura sat alone in the middle of the camp, watching the sky. It's so pretty, even in here, she thought. Sighing heavily, the soldier sat, listening and watching.

"Is that them?" a Viera whispered. "Yeah. They probably came for the Seal." "That'sss not what'sss got MY attention..." a Bangaa quietly hissed. "Yeah, me too," the female remarked. "She looks so shy and charming like that..." The blue mage chuckled lightly. "Guess we agree, then?" "Hah!... damn right on that. How can we passss up a luciousss little asss like her'sss?" The fencer licked her lips and moved her hands down to her companion's crotches, massaging their half-erect members. "Mmmmm... I can't wait." "Well then, if you're so eager," the mage whispered, gasping her breast, "then let's not stand on cerimony."

The young soldier sat on the stone, humming a wordless tune from her childhood quietly to herself, trying to stay both awake and alert. The sound of wood groaning under weight reached her ears, and she whipped her head to the left, searching for a form in the darkness between the tents, but saw nothing. Shrugging, she returned to her thoughts, but her hand reflexively hovered close to the hild of her sword. Another noise, like heavy boots on a roof slat. Again peering into the thick shadows, Aura saw... empty space. She shook her head, part of her mind trying to pass it off as nothing. She began singing again, but noticed that within a few seconds, there was another voice crooning along with hers. The soldier now stood and began scanning the area actively, but still saw nothing. The singing quietly... then Aura felt her eyelids flutter. The weight of her armor and even her limbs become so very heavy, her thoughts trailed off, and her eyes closed as she fell into an easy sleep.

"Is she still out?"
"Looks like it, Bleu. You're sure you didn't Turbo that Sleep spell, right?"
"Of course not. It just hit her harder than I thought it would."
"How long will we have to wait? I'm getting horny jussst looking at her."
"No much longer, Aver."
"Lea, any ideas?"
"Oh, I have one, Bleu, don't worry..."

Aura moaned a little and tossed, then finaly forced her eyes to open just a bit. Must've passed out on guard, she thought, sitting up. She didn't get farther past that, though. A light gust of cool night air whisked across her... that's when she noticed that her armor, tunic, and bra were missing. "EEEK!" She quickly tried to throw her hands across her budding chest, but something was keeping them from moving. Aura turned her head - and sat face-to-face with a very voluptuous, and very nude, Viera, who had both of the girl's arms pinned behind her back with one hand. "Wha- wha- What in the good goddamn are you doing?!?" Aura cried out. "Are you fucking cra-"

She was cut of mid-syllable by a deep kiss from the female. The soldier wanted to break away, but was held there by the fencer's other hand on the back of her head. After she finished, the Viera looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry," she said softly, "we'll make this worthwile for you." "We? What we?" The confused Human shouted. She received no answer, as the other female was busy exploring her breasts. The soldier turned her head back forward - only to face a pair of rigid, 6-and-a-half inch erections, one Human and one Bangaa. "Oh," The girl muttered, blushing profusely out of a purely involuntary reaction, and swallowed dryly. Her voice was cut with worry as she asked, "Why are you doing this?" "Well," the silky voice behind her said, "we got bored and decided that we needed someone else for a little bit of fun." "Fun? You're a... a fucking basket case!" Aura stammered in disbeleif. "I'm still a virgin, for chrissake!" "Oh, really?" the Bangaa said, looking down at the pair. "Then thisss ought to be a good learning sssituation. Right, Lea?" The soldier arched an eyebrow, both at the Bangaa and the chuckling Viera. "LEARNING? What the fu-"

Her sentence was quickly interrupted by the orange, scaly cock being thrust into her mouth. Her eyes widened in suprise and shock as the Bangaa forced his manhood down her throat. Aura gagged and pulled her head back, only to be cuffed on the neck and yanked back by her hair. "Now, now," the Viera said warningly, "if you don't cooperate, you might get yourself hurt... maybe even killed." The girl panted and looked at the trio in fear. "But, if you just go with it," she continued, "we'll let you go... now, is that really such a bad proposition?" The soldier turned her head to face her captor, the fear in her face being replaced with a defiant glare. "Screw you!" she yelled, spitting in the Viera's face. Aura lifted herself up on her left leg enough to swing the right one out, trying to kick one of the men in the knee, but the silver-haired mage shot his hands down and caught her foot mid-swing. Lea released the hold on her arms, only to move enough to grab the Human by the throat and slam her to the stone. "Oh, it won't be me doing the screwing, girl," Lea said dangerously. "But when this is over, you'll probably wish it was."

With that, she turned to the males. "Let's get her ready." The Bangaa growled happily and flipped her onto her stomach. Aura shreiked as her pants were ripped away, leaving her naked, and felt her legs being spread apart. "Thisss isss what I've been wating for!" he exclaimed before he shoved his entire length into her, easily puncturing her hymen. The Human girl yelled in pain as her untouched inner walls were forcefully parted. Tears welled up in her eyes as pain coursed through her body, and embarassment filled her mind. Aver hissed happily. "Ssso tight... godsss..." He quickly pulled out to the head and thrust back in. Aura screamed again, a few tears spashing onto the stone. Her head was raised up, and her mouth forced open slightly. She looked up and saw the Human's penis hovering in front of her lips. Without waiting for confirmation, he slid his eager member inside, relishing in the warmth. The Bangaa, meanwhile, was beginning to truly fuck her, not satisfied with the "test thrusts." His hips began to meet the Human's, bouncing her rear up and down on his shaft. Lea, not content with wactching, crawled over and began to lick Aver's balls, coating them with her saliva, and flicking her tounge up to taste the soldier's pussy whenever it came down to the base of the warrior's dick.

Bleu was also enjouying his own personal bliss, his cock being suckled by the girl. He would occasionally thrust down into her throat, but quickly pulled back to keep her from gagging. Aura was silently weeping, tears cascading down her face. Why? Why is this happening? she thought. But she didn't have much time to think, just to feel. And all she, herself, felt was pain. Pain for being used, pain for being robbed of her virginity, pain for being tricked. And it intensified with every thrust. The Bangaa was now leaning back, squeezing the Human girl's ass as she was bounced up and down on his hard shaft, also enjoying the feel of the Lea sucking his sack and the base of his manhood. Aura began sucking on the Human's rod, partially out of fear if she didn't. The result was a groan from the blue mage as he ran his fingers through her hair. The alien feel of a penis in her mouth was subsiding, but she still hated it... but she couldn't do anything about it but suck harder. She wrapped her tounge around it, licking the stiffness as it entered. Bleu groaned again in approval.

She felt her ass cheeks being pried apart, and gasped a little as the Viera began licking her. Lea had clambered up onto the Bangaa, laying him down so she could set her pussy on his face, which he eagerly began lapping at; she then took over the duty of making sure the girl didn't stop bouncing. After wetting her asshole, Lea put her hand on it and worked one finger in. Aura squeaked as the digit slid into her dark opening. She cried even more at this intrusion. She wanted to ask them, plead to them to stop, but she knew that if she did, they would probably kill her.

Her thoughts were interuppted again when the mage reached down to squeeze and pull on the soldier's swaying breasts. Lea saw that, and used it as a cue to put another finger into the girl's tight ass, knowing that her companion was reaching his limits. Aver began to growl and finger the Viera's moist slit, trying to make her cum before he did. She cried out in pleasure, massaging her own large breasts as well. Aura continued to weep as the Human forced his dick into her throat, when he leaned down to her ear an whispered, "Swallow it." She was confused, but nodded anyway. The mage put one hand behind her head, and the other moved back down to her chest, pinching her nipple.

He suddenly groaned again, and the soldier felt his balls contract against her face. "Argg... cu... cumming!" A jet of semen exploded into Aura's mouth, nearly choking her. She tried to swallow it, but another spurt came out, and another after that. She finally coughed, and had to spit some of it out onto the ground. "Oh well, I suppose that's good enough," Bleu said, seeing his seed splatter onto the stone. The girl's face fell to the earth, as she sobbed and gasped with the rhythm of the thrusting from the Bangaa and the Viera's finger-fucking of her ass.

The warrior increased the pace of lapping and fingering to a near maniac height, as he felt his own release approaching. The fencer, in turn, moaned and thrust her hands further into the Human's dark depths, and speared her faster on her fuck-mate's eager tool. Aura felt something inside her depths clench, and before she could take a breath of surprise, her pussy tightened, and she yelled in orgasm, her hips bucking and squirming, coating the Bangaa with her feminine juices. This sent Aver over the top, and he released himself within her folds, splattering cum on every inch of her insides.

Aura collapsed to the stone, exhausted and still crying. She felt the scaly cock slide out of her, and something dripped out, which the Viera eagerly lapped up. The soldier rolled over, but when she looked uo, Lea was preparing to straddle her. "I want you to finish me off," she told the girl. With a frightened look at her tormentor, she began to lick at her moist slit, parting it with her fingers. The Viera moaned in ecstacy, spreading her lips farther with one hand and squeezing her tits with the other. Aura lapped at the dark-skinned cunt wildly, trying to get it over with ASAP. She flicked her tounge up to the fencer's clit, sending waves of pleasure through the woman. The Human started nibbling and sucking on the engorged nub, causing Lea to howl in delight. She reached down and pressed the girl to her pussy, and yelled as she came, covering Aura's face in her nectar. She then leaned down to lick her face clean.

Godfrey tapped the supports on Shaun's tent. "Eh?" the Bangaa said groggily. "Have you seen Aura around?" came the morpher's reply, but the calm undertones in his voice were missing, something that sent up a red flag in the templar's mind. "I've searched the area, but can't find her. I think something may have happened." Shaun's eyes bolted open. "What!?" he yelled, but Godfrey was already speaking, having taking action already. "I'll see if Alex can find any traces. Get ready to go." The templar growled angrily and dissapeared into his tent. "Any luck?" the morpher asked, turning around. "No sign of struggle," the green-clad thief noted quietly, "but I think these are... maybe..." The Human hesitated, leaning down almost low enough to press his face to the roof. "It looks like someone got dragged off. I'll see if this goes anywhere," Alex declared, dashing off after those words. The flap for Shaun's tent flew open, and the infuriated Bangaa strode up to the assembled party, carrying naught more than his job's trappings and an Ice Lance. "We'll find her," Ellah said quietly, trying to reassure her companion. "Oh, we'll find her," Shaun growled, "and then I'll beat whoever took her to an inch of their livesss!" A whistle issued from the thief's trail. "Headsss will ROLL tonight!" the Bangaa yelled, following the tone.

Aura felt like curling up and dying. She cast a furative, fleeting glance at at the trio; both the males were half-dressed, and the fencer had donned a very revealing outfit... but what caught Aura's attention was the mage. He had pulled his hair over his shoulder, and the soldier could clearly see his back while he sat. It was covered in dark purple splotches all over, looking like very deep bruises. He shook his head, looking all around him, even back to her, and spoke. "Where... what just happened?" he asked quietly, his voice sounding nothing like the sinister villan who had just participated in a rape. Even his stance had changed, becoming more introverted, and his eyes had changed from their unnatural red to a more mundane green.

His eyes were a mix of confusion and panic as Lea knelt down next to him, placing a hand on either shoulder. "Why does my head hurt so bad?" he asked, a bit louder, now trying to stand, but the Viera gently sat him back down, shushing him softly. "Shh, it's okay, honey," she told him gently, the sound of her voice puling his attention. "Lea?" he asked in surprise, "What's going on? How did we get here?" To the girl's surprise, she hugged the mage gently, slowly running her right hand to somewhere near his spine, and telling him, "It's okay, hon. It's okay." Bleu swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak-

And Lea pressed her thumb, index, and middle fingers into a particularly cancerous-looking area of the wounds, getting a loud, sickening snap. The young man's head snapped backwards, and he gave a choked, harsh yell... then angled his head down. "Now I remember," he said, his voice once again dark and sinister. "Good," the fencer said, nibbling on his ear before standing up. She sautered over to Aura, still curled in a tight ball, and looked down at her with a smirk. "Now, was that really so bad?" the fencer asked, kneeling down to the Human, who half-sobbed, but still glared at the woman. Lea clicked her tongue, shaking her head at the younger woman. "That's hardly necessary, little girl," she said, reaching for her.

A sharp whistle cut through the night air, from somewhere above them. In an instant, something hutled through the darkness, and a knife embedded itself into the blue mage's shoulder. A shillouete leapt down from the rooftops, landing almost silently as another knife flew from the shadows, barely missing the fencer's head. The figure took one step forward, its body seeming to part the shadows like water-

Aura's head shot up at the sight of green clothes. "Alex!"

The thief's face was devoid of all his usual mirth as he drew a Kard from his side, pointing it at the Viera. "Surrender," he ordered. "NOW." The warrior scoffed contemptuously at the Human, lifting up his broadsword. "Why ssshould we be worried?" he spat, and Alex's face twisted into a humorless smile. "Because I'm not here alone, idiot," the Human replied with his own venom. "Why do you think they call it a 'Clan?'"

Lea was suddenly hit by a Blizzara, and Aver was knocked back by a Blindshot. Then, a bloodthirsty roar of hatred bounced off of the empty houses... and Shaun Jumped off a roof onto the hapless mage. With a cry of anguish, he fell. "You will all regret," he hissed dangerously, "that you ever ssset foot inssside the Jagd. There aren't any judgessss to sssave you here!"

Ellah helped Aura up after giving her a robe to put on. Somehow, Alex had managed to keep Shaun and the others from killing the three outright, something which even the healer admitted was no small feat. At the moment, the thief had finished hog-tying their targets, and was busy rummaging through their belongings, looking for the Seal. Linz and Godfrey had gone back to break camp. Aura looked worriedly at the templar, standing alone in the moonlight, radiating waves of slowly dying fury. She took a hesitant step, but Ellah put a hand on her arm. "Aura, he wants to be alone," the Viera told her.

"I know," the Human replied in distress, "but I... I have to tell him something. This wasn't his fault, so he doesn't need to act like it is." "He thinks that this mission was his respinsibility, and it was," Ellah said quietly, but Aura sighed and brushed the hand from her arm. "It's just not right," the soldier replied as she began to slowly walk up to the sorrowful figure. "Shaun," she beagn, but the Bangaa cut her of instantly. "Pleassse, Aura, leave me be. I sssnapped," he said darkly, "I almossst lossst myssself to it again... to my hatred." "Shaun, it wasn't your fault," the Human blurted, "it just happened." The templar scoffed angrily. "Not my fault? It wasss my decision to let you ssstand guard, to even come here! How isss that not my fault!?" She moved closer to him, so that they were practicaly face-to-face. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you came to my aid." Without warning or hesitation, she hugged him, stunning the mighty Bangaa with the simplest of gestures.

"You don't know what that means to me. All my life, I had to fight for myself," she said, burying her face in the templar's robes. "I've never had anyone care about me, back me up, or try to rescue me 'till now. Shaun... I think I'm in love with you." He was left flabberghasted. "But... you... and... tha..." She put a hand to his cheek to stop his sputtering and looked him dead in the eyes. "Just spit it out, okay?" He sighed. "I'm a Bangaa, you're a Human. It doesssn't work out. We're two ssseperate racesss." "If I cared, I'd let you know," the soldier replied, smiling at the lizzard-man. "So you're a Bangaa, big deal. That means nothing to me. You are you... and I love you." Shaun stood, the Human hugging him tightly. He finally got over the shock and put his arms around her as well. They stood there for a while, holding each other, not speaking, just... being with each other.

A soft chiming noise next to their heads brought Aura back to reality, and she looked to her left to see Alex dangling a fist-sized silver medalion in the air by a chain. "Booga booga," he said with the faintest of smirks. "I take it that'sss the Ssseal?" Shaun asked, getting a nod from his friend. "I'm willing to bet money this is what kept them from getting jumped during this little..." the thief glared at nothing in particular as he hung the Seal arond his neck, "incident. Mind giving me a hand, buddy?" It was the templar's turn to nod, and he moved silently over, lifting the Bangaa and Viera with little effort, one in each hand, as Alex slung the Human over his shoulder.

Back in Sphrom, the Clan was happily accepting the relationship between the two. No one, except for Elric, was told the whole story.

"Hey Shaun," the thief said as he sat the mug down, "you two really need to get a room if yer' gonna keep that up." The templar arced an eyebrow at Alex. "Don't make me run you through," he said flatly, but the thief just rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm so scared." Aura lifted her head up from Shaun's embrace and glared comically at the Human as well. "Okay, then, don't make ME come over there and kick your ass. And you KNOW I will." Alex chuckled and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Allright, already, calm down." Suddenly, a Bless Staff smacked him on the head, getting a yelp of pain out of the thief. "Dack! What in the hell was that for, Ellah?" Alex turned slightly, rubbing his head, to the smiling white mage, who shrugged. "I really don't know," she admitted. "I guess because I felt like it." The Human shook his head and sighed heavily. "One of these days, Ellah... I'll get you back."

-----End of Chapter-----