2The Nexus of Worlds
Summary: A wormhole tears three boys from their homes and shoves them into a new world. A dream world. Together, the three will struggle for their very lives as they try to survive in this world of law and chaos.
Chapter 1
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the monsters weren't trying to attack the bustling town. A perfect day, right?
Wrong.
On the outskirts of Cyril, a sudden distortion in the air caused the closeby animals to flee. A large sucking noise was heard, and the distortion became a large black hole of nothingness.
Three yells were emitted, and three boys of varying ages popped out of the black hole in a mess of flailing limbs.
The first boy, blond and pale-skinned, was the first to untangle himself out of the mess that he was suddenly thrown in. His red hoody and and matching red baggy shorts were ruffled during the little scuffle, so he got up and patted himself down. Looking around, he noticed the two other boys laying on the ground, still tangled, and asked aloud, "Hey, what happened?"
The second boy, after hearing one of the two boys shout, looked up, and saw the first boy. He picked himself up, his chin-length white hair billowing in the wind. He had tanned skin, a small unbuttoned vest that showed off his defined abs, and tight, black pants. A red sash was wrapped around his waist, and he wore long black greaves that went just above his shins. He was also wearing a pair of black gauntlets over his arms, looking not only stylish, but good for a fight. "I dunno. I was just talking to Migelo when everything went black."
The third boy, blond like the first, stood up and tried to look dignified. "I was talking to my lord brother when I too, experienced a moment of darkness," he said haughtily. His blond hair, tied back in a ponytail, looked well kept, like he was royalty. His blue windbreaker had an elaborate symbol on it, which happened to be the royal insignia of his family. He wore a pair of brown gauntlets and loose pants, ending with a pair of leather boots.
The soft pitter-patter of a pair of small feet suddenly rang through the area. "Ooh, I can't wait to join a clan, kupo. Taking on missions, beating up bad guys, and shooting lightning bolts out of my fingers, kupo! Ooh, I can't wait! Kupo! But where am I going to find a clan that'll take me in?"
A small creature appeared in front of the boys, causing all three to stare. The creature had small eyes, yellow, bat-like wings, and an antenna with a yellow ball sticking out of his head. The creature's ears were pointy and furry, like a cat's, and its fur was a nice yellow color.
The creature looked up, staring at the three tall humans. They stared back. A minute passed between the four before the creature asked, "Are you guys part of a clan, kupo? 'Cause I really want to join one. I can do lots of things, kupo! Really!"
"Wait, wait, wait," the first boy said. "I don't mean to be rude, but...what are you?"
"What am I, kupo? What do you mean, kupo? You've never seen a moogle before, kupo?"
"A moogle? But those are only in the Final Fantasy games..." the first boy wondered aloud.
"Moogles appear only in legend, of days gone by!" the third boy protested. "I've heard stories from my father about moogles, vieras, bangaas, and nu mou! Do you mean to tell that those exist too?" he asked condescendingly.
"Uh, yeah, kupo."
The second boy, silent until now, decided to speak up. "You guys have never seen a moogle? What planet are you from?" he replied with a laugh.
"I'm from St. Ivalice," the first boy piped up. "And I've seen moogles, but only in games. Same with vieras, bangaas, and nu mou."
"And I too, am from Ivalice, yet moogles are the stuff of times gone by. From centuries ago!" the third boy declared.
"I'm from Ivalice too, but I see moogles, bangaas, nu mou, and vieras everyday in Rabanastre," the second boy piped up.
"Uhhh," the moogle began hesitantly, looking at the first and the third boy like they were crazy. "Well, this is Ivalice, kupo."
Two bursts of "What? No way!" were heard from two of the three boys.
"Alright, kupo, let's introduce ourselves first before trying to figure this stuff out, kupo. I'm Montblanc!"
The first boy spoke up. "I'm Marche Radiuju, but you can call me Marche."
"And I'm Vaan!" the tanned boy said brightly.
"I am Ramza, heir to the noble House of Beoulve, brother of the noble Dycedarg and Zalbaag," the third boy spoke. From his introduction, he was clearly of noble birth.
Montblanc, after Ramza finished his introduction, said, "Alright, so we all claim to be from Ivalice, kupo, yet two of you have never seen a moogle, and the other one says he's from Rabanastre, kupo, yet I, who have lived here my whole life, has never heard of a place of that name, kupo."
"Perhaps," Marche offered, "we're from different dimensions of Ivalice."
The three others looked at him with a weird look.
"What?" he tried to defend himself. "Things like this happen all the time in video games and comic books!"
"Kupo, I think it makes sense," Montblanc said. "All three of you claim to be from Ivalice, yet clearly, you are not from this Ivalice, if you have not seen anything besides humans, kupo."
"Alright, I guess that does make sense," Vaan spoke up. "So how do we get back?"
"I'm afraid I don't know. Although, I'm pretty sure there are people out here in the world that do know, kupo!"
"So let's go find them!" Vaan suggested.
"Unfortunately, there are many dangers between the paths from one town to another, so we would need to either form a clan or be in one to travel safely...kupo."
"What exactly do you mean by a clan, Montblanc?" Ramza asked.
"Well, a bunch of people get together to form a group, kupo, and we take missions to do stuff, like fighting bandits and protecting the merchants."
"Let's form one then!" Vaan spoke up once more. It seemed that he was a ball of never-ending energy.
"Good idea, kupo, but...you need a job first though, kupo."
"Job?" Marche asked the small moogle.
"Yeah, kupo! Like, for instance, I'm going to be a black mage! I might branch off and learn some time magic later on, kupo, but for now, I just want to shoot lightning, throw fire, and freeze the bad guys!"
"So how do we get a job?" Ramza questioned Montblanc.
"Well, kupo," Montblanc said, taking out a book from his pouch. "Here's a common book for people who want to start a clan. It says:
To form a clan:
First you need at least four members.
Second, you must read the clan handbook
Third, each member needs to have a job. Jobs can be changed later.
Fourth, after having accomplished the three things above, you need to visit the Clan Building in each town and register your clan. Judges will test you to make sure you are proficient enough to form a clan. If your skills in your job are not deemed ready, your request to form a clan will be denied."
"Well, we have the first one done," Marche deadpanned. "Now what about the other three?"
"Well, kupo, let's start with the second one. This book includes the clan handbook already, so you three go ahead and read it. I've already read it lots of times, so I'm good, kupo."
The trio of humans read through the section, taking an entire thirty minutes to learn the rules of being in a clan, what it entailed, and what you could do as a clan.
"Alright, we understand now," Vaan declared! "Now, let's go make a clan!"
"We still haven't done the other two," Ramza replied. "Montblanc, do you know where we can find information about the jobs?"
"Of course, kupo! That book right there has it all, kupo!"
Going back to the book, the three then read the first part of the section on jobs for humans.
Soldier
Soldiers are able to lower enemy status parameters with their "Breaks". With good stat growth in HP, Weapon Attack and Defense, Soldiers are obviously a good choice as melee fighting units. Their only real weakness is magic, but anti-mage abilities like Mind Break, Magic break and Provoke help counteract this deficit. First Aid is useful for getting rid of Poison, Darkness and other status abnormalities and as a nice bonus it recovers a bit of HP as well. Sensor is a great ability to support Thieves as it lets you discover really rare, concealed equipment on the enemy. Therefore, Thieves work well with Soldiers. Monkey Grip isn't a very useful S-Ability, as it's only real use is to allow Soldiers and Paladins equip a Shield with a Large Sword. Shieldbearer is decent for weaker classes like Ninja, Black Mages and Illusionists. This job is a basic job.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Vaan said. "I'm confused here! What's with the enemy status, stat growths, HP, and stuff?" Vaan asked, pointing at all the technical terms.
"Well, kupo, enemy status is well, kupo, their status. They might be poisoned, petrified, confused, and stuff. HP, Weapon Attack, Weapon Defense, and any stats like that are just the way judges rank you. HP means how much damage you can take before you're knocked out, kupo. Weapon Attack is how strong you can hit, and Weapon Defence is how good you are at blocking or defending against attacks from the opponent, kupo. I'll explain the others as they're mentioned, kupo."
Paladin
Paladins (or Holy Knights) are very defense oriented knights that require foreknowledge in being a Soldier. With excellent stat growth in both Weapon and Magic Defense, and abilities such as Nurse, Guard and Cover, they are made to resist strong attacks, and consequently help keep weaker units stay alive too. Their sluggish speed and excellent defense make them a very tank-like unit. Paladins are fairly mediocre fighting units. However, they can equip strong Knight Swords, and having two Holy elemental attacks at their disposal, Holy Cross and Saint Cross, does help things. Parley is a good way of getting rid of units that will or have a good chance of being revived, as they are gone for good. As far as R-Abilities go, Reflex is probably only second to Strikeback. No weapon shall touch you once it is equipped. Weapon Def+ further consolidates their role as "protective" units. This job is an advanced job.
"More mumbo-jumbo," Vaan muttered.
"Magic Defense should be pretty obvious, kupo. It's just how well you defend against magical attacks. R-Abilities are basically moves that you use subconsciously, kupo."
"Um, what does it mean by 'a chance of being revived'?" Marche asked this time.
"Well, kupo, in an engagement, if you get a fatal blow, you die. A pheonix down or a white magic move can bring you back. After the engagement is over, the judge will automatically revive you, so you don't have to worry about truly dying, kupo."
Fighter
The most battle hardened (and battle ready) class for humans, needing some experience as a Soldier first. It's pretty obvious that Fighters are extremely good melee fighting units, from their very strong Weapon Attack stat growth to their huge variety of attack abilities. This class provides useful ranged abilities early in the game that do not consume MP for humans. Air Render is extremely deadly at the start of the game, but its effectiveness declines as the game progresses. Blitz is great when the attack doesn't need to cause much damage, but when accuracy is important; like when a critical and dangerous enemy's turn is coming up, or when damage restriction laws are in place. Beatdown causes ludicrous amounts of damage if it connects, but it will connect for sure if you have another unit in tow that can Stop or put units to Sleep easily. Fighters have two R-Abilities at their disposal: Bonecrusher and Strikeback. Bonecrusher causes more damage, but it requires you to sustain damage as well. Strikeback on the other hand is like "Reflex" and "Counter" where you'll essentially turn the opponent's attack against them. This job is an advanced job.
"MP is, basically, the amount of magical energy you possess to use magical spells, kupo. Nu mous, since they are more magically-oriented than any other race, usually have higher MP ranks than the others, kupo."
"Um, Montblanc? What exactly does it mean by stat growth again? I still don't get it," Vaan asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Well, kupo, fighters for instance have very strong Weapon Attack stat growth. This means that the more you train as a fighter, the stronger your Weapon Attack will be, kupo."
"Oh, so when it says that paladins have excellent stat growth in Weapon and Magic Defense, it means that your defense will get better the more you train as a paladin?" Ramza asked.
"Correct, kupo."
Thief
Swift and agile, only moogles and humans have the required dexterity be a Thief. They have unmatched Evade and better than average Move and Jump; they can traverse the battlefield much more freely and quickly than most other units. Unfortunately they only have average stat growth for all stats apart from Speed. Also, Steal: Ability is probably the best A-Ability in the game, with it you can practical master whole jobs in a single battle. Steal: Gil is pretty useful, because money is always a good thing to have. Thieves surprisingly can deal quite respectable damage once equipped with strong Knives like the Orichalcum and Cinquedea. Counter is a great R-Ability for beginners, before you have access to something more potent. And Maintenance is semi-useful, especially when you're up against a lot of Snipers and Thieves. This job is a basic job.
"Oh, kupo," Montblanc moaned. "There's so many things in this one that you probably have questions on, huh, kupo?"
Three nods were his answer.
"You know what, kupo? Take this second book." Montblanc pulled out a second book.
Marche took the book and opened it. Inside was a whole glossary for terms that beginners would not understand.
Evade, Move, and Jump were all stats that determine how well you can dodge attacks, how far you can move without getting tired, and how high you can jump. Speed was a stat that determined how fast you can move before getting tired. A-Abilities were abilities that you consciously decided to use.
After the three boys understood all the technical terms used in the description for thieves, they turned a page in the first book to read about the next job.
Ninja
Ninjas are versatile humans who have had training in being a Thief. Not only can they throw all types of weapons after learning a single ability, but they can use the Goton techniques, ancient ninjutsu laws of escape based on the five elements. The Goton are a pretty mediocre variety of weak status-causing techniques combined with an element. Ninjas can also use the ability Oblivion, which prevents the target from using Action Abilities. They have unmatched Speed and good Weapon Attack and Magical Power stat growth, but very poor HP growth, due to their constant exposure to danger. Basically, they are very quick and potent killers, but they are very vulnerable. Their Double Sword technique is probably the best Support Ability, as Ninjas get two hits in per attack, causing unimaginable devastation! This job is an advanced job.
"Goton?" Vaan asked with a look of confusion on him.
"Kupo, I don't really know what that is, since I haven't studied up on human jobs. The only thing I really know about them is that Goton translates into the Five Releases, kupo."
White Mage
If you want to keep your clan healthy and alive, a White Mage is arguably the best job to have. Although probably superseded by Summoners with Unicorn and Sages with Raise later in the game, White Mages can still hold their own. You can recover HP with the Cure-spells, purge status abnormalities with Esuna, revive your fellow members with Life-spells, and boost their defenses with Shell and Protect. Also, unlike if you were to heal with Items you don't have to constantly fork out gil to keep your stocks up, magic is essentially free. Turbo MP makes spells far more effective, but you'll probably drain your MP way before the battle finishes. Humans make pretty mediocre White Mages, viera make decent White Mages, but nu mou definitely make the best White Mages thanks to their gift with magic. This job is a basic job.
"I actually understood everything in this one," Vaan piped up with a grin.
Black Mage
Masters of the three primary elements. What Black Mages lack in variety they make up with sheer magical power (they have very strong Magical Power stat growth). Unfortunately, they have very low HP stat growth, which means they will probably get killed by a strong attack before they can inflict strong damage on the enemy. Because of that, jobs like Sage are probably a better choice for offensive magic. Return Magic is a great R-Ability, but enemy units tend to attack with weapons more than magic, so it is triggered far less frequently than other Reaction Abilities. Geomancy powers up pretty much all magic, and also some elemental attacks as well. This job is a basic job.
Illusionist
Illusionists can cause reasonably small amounts of elemental damage to all enemies on the battlefield. The damage inflicted by their illusions may seem insignificant, but it all adds up. Also, with illusions you can finish off numerous units that are only hanging on by a thread (of HP). Unfortunately, Illusionists are very vulnerable units, with very low Evade and below average HP stat growth. Thankfully they can attack from wherever, so the best strategy with a Illusionist would to keep them out of harm's way whilst casting. The Half MP Support Ability is especially useful for Illusionist, since illusions are relatively MP expensive magic. Absorb MP is semi-useful Reaction Ability, since it will keep your MP topped up, but you have to be constantly hit by magic for it to work. This job is an advanced job for humans and nu mou only, and require extensive training in both white magics and black magics.
Blue Mage
Blue Mages can learn (and then use in battle) specific monster abilities after being attacked by them. Their versatility is their strength, having access to a huge range of abilities. You can heal with White Wind, attack and poison enemies with Poison Claw, power fellow clan members up with Mighty Guard and Dragon Force, inflict numerous status abnormalities with Bad Breath, and other amazing techniques. If you equip a lot of your units with equipment that protects against Sleep (such as the Fortune Ring) you can use Night to put all of your enemies to sleep. If you wish to be a Blue Mage, it's very important that you train with a Beastmaster, to Control monsters into teaching the Blue Mage his abilities. Blue Mages require quite a lot of work to learn all of their possible abilities, which is quite a significant drawback. Damage MP is almost as good as invincibility! Each unit regains 5 MP a turn, and it only takes 1 MP for an oncoming attack to be completely absorbed. It's really effective on units that don't even use MP, like Soldiers or Fighters. Immunity is a great if you want to keep your units status abnormality free, but it's not like you can't do that already by equipping various items. This job is an advanced job for humans only and requires basic training in white and black magic.
"Ooh! I know what I want to be now," Vaan cried. "I wanna be a Blue Mage!"
Ramza retorted, "You realize that first, you need to know some white magic and black magic, and second, we need a Beastmaster in our clan, right?"
"Oh, right," Vaan said, crestfallen. "Well then, we'll just have to hurry up and recruit one!" he yelled, his mood suddenly taking an about-face.
Archer
You'll tend to be really weak when you first start training to be an Archer, but Aim: Legs and Aim: Arm are exceptionally useful abilities that enable you to disable potentially dangerous enemies from a very safe distance. Burial allows you to deal with undead monsters for good, and Cupid, as its name suggests, forces your enemies to suddenly develop an intense infatuation with your allies (although it has a low success rate). Faster is all right, but most Archers will automatically avoid most deadly reaction abilities due to their range. Concentrate is a very useful support ability since it essentially increases your accuracy rate to 95 percent. This is very useful for reasonably inaccurate units like Archers. This job is for humans and vieras only and is a basic job.
"Hmph," Ramza snorted disdainfully. "Only cowards would choose to be such a lowly job. Real men would be soldiers or fighters or paladins and take the fight to the enemy."
"Yeah, but you have to admit," Marche butted in, "Archers can be pretty helpful when you're in a tight spot."
Ramza ignored Marche.
Hunter
Hunters are very much like advanced Archers, but with abilities focusing on subduing monsters. Hunters can Capture monsters, transfer them from battle to the Monster Bank, and receive a monster soul in the process. Due to this, you need a Hunter to have a functional Shapeshifter, since they use Souls as weapons. With the Sidewinder ability, Hunters can cause twice as much damage to monsters without any drawbacks. Also, being the Human users of Ultima, Hunters are capable of causing serious damage with Ultima Shot (arguably the best Ultima because of its range). They also have strong Weapon Attack and above average MP stat growth, presumably to maintain Ultima Shot's effectiveness. This job is an advanced job for humans only and requires semi-extensive knowledge in being an Archer.
The three curious human boys and single adventurous moogle then flipped the page. The title of the next section was labeled, "Bangaa Jobs", causing them to close the book, as they weren't interested in bangaa jobs at the moment.
"Alright, now that we now all about the possible jobs for us, we should pick what we want to do," Marche suggested.
"Hmmm," Ramza thought carefully. "I may need some more time to think this through, as there are quite a few interesting jobs."
"Don't forget, kupo, that some jobs need training in other jobs before you can access them," the small moogle added helpfully.
"Let's all think about it while we head towards the Clan Building," Marche said.
Three nods answered him.
Fifteen minutes later, the quartet arrived in front of a very large and very busy building. People were coming and going every second, and it seemed more like a marketplace than a place for beginners to learn their skills. They headed to the desk, where an elderly man manned the clan registrations.
"How can I help you boys today?" the old man asked kindly.
"Well, these three are here to get equipment for their first jobs, kupo," Montblanc said.
"Ah, three new potential adventurers, eh? So what do you three want to do? I trust you read the guidebook," the man trailed off.
"Yes we have, and yes, we have decided," Ramza declared. "I would like to be a Soldier, please."
The man nodded. "The most basic of all jobs, yet also may turn out to be the most rewarding. Most suited for those who like short-range combat," he commented. He then turned to Vaan.
"I'd like to be a Thief, mister," Vaan informed him.
"Quick and agile, perfect for those who are quick on their feet and handy with their hands," the man commented again. He finally turned to Marche.
"As for me...I think I'd like to be an Archer, sir," Marche told him.
"Quick and dexterous, perfect for those who are gifted with steady hands and good eyesight," the man commented once more. "Now, please excuse me for a moment while I get your beginner's gear."
Five minutes passed before the man returned. In his hands was a large pile of gear. He haphazardly set it on the counter and sighed in relief. It was heavy, after all, and he was getting on in his years.
"For you," he said to Ramza. The old man gave him four things and sent him off to a small changing room on the side where he could put everything on. "And for you," he said to Vaan. Vaan quickly grabbed the things and hurried to the second changing room. "And finally, for you," he said to Marche, who also took the things and headed towards the third changing room.
Vaan, although not the first in, was the first out. He popped out of the room with a large grin on his face and asked Montblanc, "How do I look?"
A sturdy light-green cap covered his white hair, and a feather stuck out of the side of the garment. He wore a leather garb that went over his vest and left it unbuttoned, which left his abs still uncovered. His hands were empty, and when Montblanc looked pointedly at where his weapon should've been, a small knife popped out of his sleeve and into his awaiting hand.
"A Jack Knife, kupo," Montblanc noted. "It's really...small."
'Yup," Vaan agreed. "It's small enough to fit in my sleeve (and my palm), and with a simple flick of my wrist, it pops out right into my hand! How cool is that? I can't wait to use it in an engagement, 'cause I'll be kicking so much butt!" the boy continued to ramble about how cool he was going to be.
Marche was the second one to appear. His red hoody was gone, leaving him with a white tanktop and a leather garb, like Vaan's, that went over the flimsy and small shirt. On his head lay a green beret, which looked like it matched well with the Longbow in his hands. It was plain-looking, but it was also four feet tall when placed vertically on the ground. The weapon would no doubt be put to good use.
And finally, Ramza stepped out. He appeared to have gone through the most changes. His hair was completely covered by the bronze helm, leaving only his face available to be seen. He wore a brown cuirass, which was a chestplate that Soldiers tended to use. Strapped to his back was a Shortsword.
"Alright! Now, it's time to make a clan!" Vaan cheered.
"We still need to train, Vaan," Marche deadpanned.
"Oh, right. Let's go train then!"
The quartet were walking along one of the very crowded streets in Cyril when Vaan bumped into a tough orange-skinned bangaa.
"Hey!" the bangaa growled in a deep voice. "Who do you think you are, hitting me like that?"
"What do you mean 'hit you'? I bumped into you by accident, which you should be expecting since it's a crowded street!" Vaan huffed.
"You better watch your mouth, human. Now apologize to me and I'll let you weaklings go without getting hurt," the bangaa demanded.
"Nuh uh!" Vaan shook his head. "You apologize to me, you stupid lizard!"
Gasps were heard all along the street as people stopped to watch the incoming fight. Everyone knew that calling a bangaa a lizard to its face was like asking the prince if he spent more time doing his hair than his mom. It was suicidal.
"That's it you little bastard! I declare an engagement!" the orange bangaa yelled as he pulled a small white card out from its pouch.
The three boys (Vaan, Marche, and Ramza) all glanced at Montblanc, who seemed to forget to explain the cards.
A whistle was blown, and the crowd parted as a man riding a chocobo appeared. The man was covered in shining, silver armor. Not a single piece of skin was shown.
"An engagement has been declared," the judge said monotonously. "Laws for this match: items!"
"Huh," Vaan said as he looked around wildly. "What's that mean?"
"Don't worry, kupo. You three don't need to worry about that right now. I'll explain after this, kupo!"
"Match, begin!" the judge announced and moved back out of range of the two opposing sides' attacks.
The orange-skinned Warrior who Vaan picked a fight with ran straight at the white-haired thief, shortsword raised above his head. The bangaa then brought it down on Vaan, who managed to dodge to the side.
"Whoa!" he cried out. Jumping up from his roll, Vaan's Jack Knife appeared in his hand. He darted forward in an attempt to stab the attacking bangaa, but the lizard-like creature jumped back to avoid the attack.
"Hah!" the bangaa scoffed. "A Jack Knife?"
The bangaa's friend, a blue-skinned bangaa, then leapt upwards with a mighty leap. Marche, Ramza, and Montblanc all turned their heads up to look. The orange-skinned bangaa took advantage of their momentary distraction to charge forward. He swung his Shortsword horizontally, hoping to catch the three who hadn't yet done anything.
Unfortunately, Vaan noticed this.
"Watch out!' he yelled.
Marche and Montblanc ducked, but Ramza used his own Shortsword to block the attack. Their swords rang with vibrations. The Warrior then pushed with extra strength, forcing Ramza to stumble backwards, and luckily avoiding the follow-up slash that came after.
Marche, unstrapping his Longbow from his back, cocked the bow with an arrow quite clumsily and tried to shoot it at the airborne bangaa. He pulled the string back (and the arrow with it), and let it loose, but the arrow flew only a feet up before falling to the ground.
"What a weakling!" the bangaa crowed at seeing Marche's pathetic attempt at shooting an arrow as he hit the ground with a thud.
Marche, having been ridiculed, growled in annoyance. He had been made fun of enough times at school by the kids there, and he could do nothing about it. But now, here in this world, he had the power to make those who would insult him crumble, yet he still couldn't even shut up an annoying bangaa.
He reached behind his back to the quiver and pulled out another arrow. He slowly and carefully cocked the arrow and pulled the string back. With a great yell, the arrow was released, and it sped true, right into the blue-skinned bangaa's chest.
The blue bangaa's eyes widened in surprise before he collapsed against the ground.
The orange bangaa turned towards his friend, shocked that he was defeated by a simple arrow, but then he turned around and his eyes narrowed. He roared and started to run at his closest target: Montblanc. The small moogle squeaked and his hand started to glow blue with power.
Just as the bangaa was about to strike Montblanc, the moogle pointed one finger at the charging lizard-like creature and shouted, "Thunder!"
A bolt of lightning leapt from Montblanc's rod and slammed into the Warrior's arm, who jumped back to try to avoid it at the same time.
The Warrior growled. "Shit, that hurt!" Reaching into his pouch, the blue bangaa pulled out a vial of blue liquid and quickly downed it. "Ah," he sighed in relief as the pain went away.
However, his relief soon turned to dread as a shrill whistle was blown. "Violation of laws! Red card!" The judge approached the law-breaking bangaa and slapped a red card against him. The bangaa immediately disappeared in a flash of light with a scream.
The judge then turned towards the quartet and announced, "You four are the winners. You may loot the losers."
Montblanc explained, "Since we won, we get to take whatever we want from the losers, kupo. We only get a little bit of time, so if this were a real battle between clans, we'd have to hurry to loot all of the enemies, kupo.. This is also how clans make their money, okay, kupo?"
The three humans nodded. Marche hurried to loot his kill, while Vaan and Ramza stayed behind to ask Montblanc another question.
"And the laws?"
"Oh yes, kupo. The laws prohibit use of something, kupo. Today's rule was items. Therefore, if you break the rules and use an item, like that blue bangaa, kupo, you'd be given a red card which means you're going to jail. A yellow card is just a random penalty, like taking away some gil or one of your items, kupo. The laws also change everyday, so it's best if you ask the judge what the laws are before each engagement, kupo."
As soon as Montblanc finished explaining about the laws, Marche came back with a potion in his hand. "There wasn't anything else worth taking," he explained.
"Kupo, I see we're going to need a lot of training..." the moogle pointed out. This conclusion was reached by the moogle by the fact that Marche's first shot was pathetic, Ramza was easily overpowered, and Vaan couldn't even touch the orange bangaa.
The four new friends were soon gathered in a clearing near the moogle's home.
"So, um, what now?" Vaan asked.
"Well, kupo, you train now. Practice shooting arrows, using your dagger, or swinging your sword, kupo. After you three can do that pretty well, I'll let you in on a wonderful secret, kupo," Montblanc grinned.
Sighing, the three boys each headed to a section of the trees while they did as Montblanc said.
Marche cocked arrows to his bows and fire them at several tree trunks, trying to make it a game with himself to see how well he could hit the tree. Although his first few shots were weak and pathetic, his sixth shot hit the very edge of the trunk.
Ramza, using his Shortsword, practiced striking an imaginary foe as he had once seen his two older brothers do. He swung the sword horizontally, vertically, and diagonally before repeating.
"One, two, three. Two, two three. Three, two, three," the blond boy muttered to himself as he counted the number of sets he did. His goal was to get 500 sets in before night came.
Vaan, who learned to be quick with his hands due to all the pilfering he did in Rabanastre, played with his Jack Knife. He would toss it into the air before snatching it out of the air the moment it reached it climax, and then he'd throw it back and forth between his hands, until it was once again sent flying upwards. By doing this, he was further improving the speeds at which he could move his hands.
"I'm going to keep doing this until I can move my hands so fast that no one can see them!" Vaan promised himself as he practiced.
After Montblanc decided that the three were passable with their respective weapons, he called them over.
"Well, kupo, you wanna hear the secret now?"
"Yeah!" Vaan yelled with glee.
"Well, you see, each weapon has its own special ability that you can learn, kupo. Like, I know that Ramza's Shortsword has the First Aid technique, kupo! And if you meditate a little, you'll be able to access the technique. Once you master the skill, which you'll know the moment you do it, you'll be able to use the skill even if you're not using the weapon, kupo. Until then, if the skill is not mastered, the weapon will be very important to you, kupo!"
"That's awesome!" Vaan cried. "Let's start trying it now!"
Without waiting for anyone to answer him, Vaan jogged back to his corner and sat down, legs crossed. He closed his eyes and sat there for a whole minute, while the other three watched, until he turned back around and frowned. "My ability is Steal: Gil, but I already know how to pickpocket people," he complained.
"Can you pickpocket people in a middle of a battle, kupo? While everyone is moving and shouting and while you're being attacked, kupo?"
"Well, I don't think so," Vaan answered sheepishly.
"What was it like to find out about your ability?" Marche asked.
Vaan replied, "Well, I closed my eyes, and the dark seemed to disappear! I opened my eyes and it was suddenly all white. It hurt my eyes too! Anyway, the name of the ability just popped up in front of me in huge letters, and then the white disappeared to be replaced by a battlefield of some sort. I was in some kind of forest, and I could see myself using the Steal: Gil technique on some guy...After that, the battlefield disappeared and the white came back. I blinked, and suddenly, I knew how to do the move. Now I just need to practice it." Vaan went back to his section of the clearing and started to practice the move. The three watched on a little longer as the Jack Knife in Vaan's hands snaked out and seemed to slice something open, like a money pouch.
"I guess I'll go try mine now," Ramza commented after a minute.
"Yeah, same here," Marche agreed.
Montblanc smiled and sat back to watch his new friends train their newfound skills. He remembered the first time he accessed his Black Mage skills, and he knew it would be an exciting moment for all three of them.
Night came and the four boys (Montblanc is still pretty young, after all), headed back to the moogle's small but cozy home.
"Sorry, kupo, but I'm used to only living with my brother. One of you can take his bed, kupo, and the other two can take the two couches here," Montblanc gestured to the two miniscule couches that seemed to be have the human boys' size.
"Rock paper scissors?" Vaan asked with a grin. He was good at this game, if only because everyone else were too slow to see how Vaan cheated.
Marche and Ramza agreed, and the three boys threw their hands out.
The two blonds both made a fist, and Vaan had an open hand out.
"I win!" Vaan crowed.
"Damn," the other two boys cursed in disappointment.
The two losers sulked as Vaan ran off to his new bed, but a loud groan brought them out of their misery. "The bed is even smaller than the couches!" Vaan whined.
Ramza and Marche hurried over and when they saw the bed, they doubled over laughing.
"Nice one," Marche said, still wiping away his tears of laughter, as Vaan pouted.
The next morning, the four boys slowly woke up and gathered in Montblanc's small kitchen.
"So, what do we now?" Vaan asked.
"Well, we could find some other people who are looking to form clans and challenge them to a fight, kupo," Montblanc suggested. "You three can get more experience that way, kupo!"
"Can't we just try to recruit them into the clan or join theirs?"
"Well, yes kupo, but most either wouldn't want a group of three newbies, no offense, and a simple black mage to join them," Montlbanc explained.
"What do you mean, 'a simple black mage'?!" Vaan cried out. "You were shooting lightning from your fingertips before! That's not 'simple'!"
"Well, for us moogles, black mage is the most common job, and I'm sure that there are a lot of stronger moogles out there, kupo," Montblanc said sadly.
"Oh, don't let that get you down!" Vaan said with a lot of enthusiasm. "To us, you're already the best!"
"T-thanks, kupo," the moogle said quietly. Strengthening his resolve, Montblanc commanded, "Now let's go find some people to challenge!"
"Ummm, Montblanc? How do we declare engagements?" Marche asked.
"Well, if you remember, kupo, that bangaa from yesterday pulled out a card and yelled that he declared an engagement. That's basically it, kupo."
"But where do we get the cards?"
"Oh! The judge usually gives them out if you ask for them...You three should ask him for some when he appears, kupo!"
Silence ensued after that, as the quartet walked along the streets of Cyril, looking for a group to challenge.
They found their targets right away. A group of five girls were walking towards them from the opposite direction. The person in front, who the quartet assumed to be the leader, was staring straight at them. It seemed that they had the same idea.
The leader approached the quartet and looked at each one. She had long, blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a Silver Sword strapped to her back.
"So," she drawled, "Where do you guys want to do this?"
"The arena, kupo," Montblanc replied tersely, straight up at the human Soldier.
The arena was exactly as its name implied. An arena. It was small, made of stone, and was perfect for beginning clans to fight in. The place would've been a popular place for entertainment if the participants weren't usually beginners who sucked.
The two groups walked towards the stone arena side by side.
Upon reaching the designated location, the leader of the opposing group spun towards Montblanc and held up a card in her hand. "I declare an engagement!"
"So, what's your name, kupo?" Montblanc asked casually as the judge appeared on his chocobo.
"The name's Jordan," she answered the question just as casually.
"Montblanc," the moogle named himself.
"An engagement has been declared! Laws for this match: Shell!" the judge announced loudly. "Match, begin!"
"So, how do you want to do this?" Jordan asked. "You wanna make it a one-on-one, a battle royale, or what?"
"How about a one-on-one, kupo? Those three need experience real badly," Montblanc replied, pointing at his companions. The moogle had easily taken leadership of their soon-to-be clan for the moment, since he was the one who had introduced them to this new world.
"You sure that's a good idea? We have five in our group, and you have four," Jordan informed the moogle. "Me and the girls are pretty experienced. You shouldn't take us as weaklings just because we are girls," she warned.
"Then it's the best of four rounds. If it's tied two to two, then your fifth person will fight one of us," Montblanc said.
"Fine. Oy, judge! You hear us?"
The judge nodded once.
"Alright then, Jamie, you're up first."
A young, slender girl with tanned skin and sharp, blue eyes stepped up. She wore a feather cap over her brown hair and a leather garb like Vaan did, but she held nothing in her hands as she walked up.
"She's probably a thief, kupo," Montblanc surmised.
"I'll go then!" Vaan volunteered. After all, what better way to test your skills than against someone with the same job?
The two stood face to face. Jamie was calm and relaxed, while Vaan was bouncing on the heels of his feet with his Jack Knife in his right hand.
At some unseen signal, Jamie dashed forward, hands still empty.
The onlookers blinked, and a Jack Knife suddenly appeared in her hands.
"Fast!" Vaan murmured in surprise. He blinked again and she was suddenly a yard away from him. She swung her small dagger horizontally at him at neck-height, but Vaan stumbled back and managed to just avoid getting his throat slit.
Regaining his footing, Vaan took two steps and managed to be nose to nose with the brunette. She grunted in surprise and tried to back off, but Vaan's dagger was already at her throat.
"Surrender!" he warned. "I don't like hurting girls!"
She replied with a a knee to the gut. Vaan doubled over, clutching his injured gut. Jamie clasped her hands together, Jack Knife in between her hands and blade pointing down. She swung downwards in an attempt to stab Vaan's unprotected back.
Vaan, although he couldn't see what Jamie was doing, knew that it would be best to back away, so he rolled back in time to avoid the dagger plunging into the middle of his back. Unfortunately, the Jack Knife still pierced his shoulder. His momentum ripped the knife out of Jamie's hands, and she cried out in surprise.
The white-haired Thief got to his feet, although unsteadily, due to the wound inflicted by Jamie's dagger. Jamie's weapon, which had been ripped out during Vaan's roll back, lay a few feet behind Vaan, who still had his own Jack Knife in his hand.
Vaan held his Jack Knife out in front of him, as if to ward off Jamie's approach. However, Vaan learned the hard way that he shouldn't underestimate a girl like Jamie. She ran straight at him anyway, and when Vaan swung the knife at her, she sidestepped it, grabbed his arm, and threw him over his shoulder. Vaan landed on his back with a thud, letting loose a groan at the same time.
Vaan's Jack Knife appeared in Jamie's hands, pointed at his neck.
"I give," he said weakly.
Jamie pulled back and casually lobbed the knife to Vaan, who managed to catch it in his hand as he got up. She went over to her own Jack Knife, picked it up, and flicked it into the air. Vaan's eyes followed its trail upwards, but it disappeared the moment it reached a foot above her hand.
His eyes widened at Jamie's skill. She was definitely faster than he was.
Vaan walked slowly back to his friends with his hand on his shoulder, clutching the bleeding wound.
Back on the other side, Jordan grinned. "Nice one, Jamie," she complimented as she pat the younger girl on the head. Jamie seemed to beam at the compliment.
"Now, Jasmine, your turn!"
A girl in her teens approached the platform. Dressed in the standard gear that the old man at the Clan Building gave out, she looked quite unassuming.
Marche decided it was his turn, as, like Vaan, he thought it would be good to have an Archer fight an Archer.
"Hi! I'm Jasmine!" the girl greeted with a smile on her face.
"Marche," the Archer greeted her in return.
"Let's have a good fight!"
"Uh huh."
Whoosh!
An arrow sped past Marche's right ear, causing him to recoil in shock. Jasmine had nocked an arrow, pulled the string back, and fired as soon as the words "uh huh" left his mouth.
Marche opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to say was lost as Jasmine did not pause in her firing. Her Longbow was already in her hands, and she was firing arrows at an impressive speed.
"I'll show you what I've got," Marche muttered to himself, as he continued to dodge the arrows.
He nocked his own arrow and fired while strifing. Most of them were not even close, as he was moving sideways as he continually fired. One or two came close to hitting her, but she would either bat them away with the four foot tall bow or just evade them completely.
"Boost." Marche nocked another arrow and pulled the string back as far back as he could, still dodging Jasmine's arrows. "Ha!" With a primal yell of triumph, Marche released his hand from the arrow, and the increased amount of built up tension caused the arrow to fly far faster than any of Jasmine's own shots.
Unfortunately, in his haste to fire, his aim was off by a bit, so the arrow flew right under Jasmine's armpits. The whooshing sound made by Marche's shot was tremendous compared to her own shots, and it surprised Jasmine, as she was definitely not expecting Marche to be so good.
A wide grin suddenly bloomed on Jasmine's face. "Nice shot! Let me show you my best shot! Boost!"
At the same time, Marche prepared to use his own Boost.
The two pulled the strings back as far as it could go, aiming at each other. Both stood still. Apparently, this would be the final move.
Twang!
The sounds of arrows being released filled the air, despite the fact that it was only just two arrows.
Both arrows found their way into their target's hearts.
"Marche!" Vaan and Ramza cried out in distress. This was the first time they experienced death in an engagement, and even though they knew that he would be revived, seeing your friend shot in the heart with an arrow was cause for worry.
The judge blew his whistle, and with a snap of his fingers, the now-dead bodies of Jasmine and Marche were teleported to their respective team's side. One of the two vieras stepped forward and immediately placed a red-orange feather on Jamie. The feather disappeared into Jamie's body with a glow, causing the Archer to get up groggily. The viera then started to cast a Cure on her, revealing her to be a White Mage.
With a quick "Resume!" from the judge, Jordan then shouted, "Jackie!"
The viera that wasn't a White Mage from the opposing side approached the platform. Like Jasmine, she too, was an archer.
"Kupo, my turn!" Montblanc said as he joined Jackie on the platform.
"Oh great, my opponent is the midget moogle?" Jackie scoffed. "This blows!"
"Language, sister," the White Mage off to the side warned.
"Eh, whatever," Jackie replied to her sister's chastisement.
"Thunder!"
A bolt of lightning smashed into the spot where Jacquelyn had just been standing.
"You cheating little...!" Jackie growled.
"Thunder!"
Another bolt of lightning soared at Jackie, but she sidestepped it and fired an arrow.
"Fire!"
A blast of hot fire hit the arrow, causing it to disintegrate into small pieces.
Jackie fired another arrow, and Montblanc opted to dodge the missile, as it was always best to save your MP when you could.
"Blizzard!" A chunk of ice formed in the air over Jackie, causing her to look up.
"Shit!" the viera cursed as she leapt to the side.
She got up quickly and fired two more arrows in quick succession.
Montblanc had no choice but to expend more of his magical power to avoid being hit. "Fire!"
The moogle was starting to breath harder, and Jackie's face was wet with sweat. The fire, although not aimed at her directly, was still aimed in her general direction, which caused the sweat in the first place.
'I have enough energy to fire a few more spells,' Montblanc thought to himself. 'I think four might be the exact number.'
Taking in a deep breath, as this was going to take all of his energy to accomplish, Montblanc then started to build up his magical power.
Jackie, taking advantage of Montblanc's pause, fired an arrow at him, but the moogle ignored the shot as it buried itself into his side. It hurt, but it wouldn't kill him.
"Fire!" A blast of fire was sent towards Jackie's right. It was obvious that it wasn't going to hit if she just stood still.
"Fire!" Another blast of fire was sent towards the viera, although this time it was aimed at her left. Like the first shot, it wouldn't touch her if she stayed still.
"That's some shitty aim you got there, moogle!" she called out.
"Blizzard!" A chunk of ice appeared above Jacquelyn's head, and this one was one she had to dodge. To do so, she dived backwards.
And finally, Montblanc shouted, "Thunder!" A bolt of lightning was aimed straight at the piece of ice. The lightning smashed into it, breaking the ice into thousands of small pieces, and continued onwards, right into Jackie.
"AHHHHHHHH!" the viera screamed as she was electrocuted by lightning and pierced by various chunks of ice. She fell to the ground, bloodied, electrocuted, and dead.
Jordan's eyes widened, along with everyone there (not counting the judge, as it wasn't possible to see his eyes).
Then Jordan let out a whistle. "Impressive, Montblanc. You sent two shots of fire at her, so she would have nowhere to move except forwards, backwards, or into the air, and followed it with a Blizzard that would eliminate the escape route into the air. And after that, a Thunder that would hit the ice, break it into pieces, and hit her. Absolutely brilliant," the Soldier commented.
Montblanc had enough energy to grin before falling down on the ground, unconscious from all the effort put into his spells.
The judge blew his whistle again, and both the unconscious moogle and the electrocuted viera were teleported to their side.
The White Mage again stepped forward and placed a phoenix down on her sister, causing the Archer to suddenly get up in surprise. "I...lost?"
"Yes, sister."
"Damn it!" Jackie cried in frustration as she slammed her fist into the ground. The thing only this action served to do was cause her to flinch in pain.
"You're not fully healed yet, so don't make any sudden moves, Jacquelyn."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Jos."
"My name is Jocelyn, not Jos," the White Mage informed her sister loftily.
"And I'm Jackie, not Jacquelyn," her twin replied just as loftily before moving off to sit with the recently-revived Jamie, refusing to have her twin sister Jocelyn help her with a Cure.
"My turn," Jordan suddenly announced to the two still-breathing boys, after the twin vieras were done arguing.
Vaan and Ramza shared a look before Ramza stepped up to the platform.
"You guys are really good for a group that hasn't yet formed a clan," Ramza commented.
"Normal clan-wanna-be's usually train for a month maximum before they register their clan. We've been training for a year," Jordan retorted.
"Why?"
"The more time we spend training, the more surprised the experienced clans will be when we kick their butts in a real match."
Ramza nodded his head in understanding. He understood what she meant, but he didn't think that he nor his three friends would ever do that, as some people were just too impatient to wait a year.
He pulled the Shortsword from the strap on his back and held it in front of him loosely.
Jordan mirrored his actions by doing the same with her Silver Sword.
The two stared each other down for a minute before they simultaneously rushed towards each other.
Clang!
The reverberating sound of the two swords hitting each other rang through the still-empty arena. The two were in a deadlock, staring at each other in the eyes.
"Not bad kid," Jackie whispered to Ramza.
The closeness of their faces caused the poor boy to blush a stunning red.
The two broke their deadlock and backed off, before running into each other again. Jordan struck high, so Ramza ducked and aimed low. She jumped over the swipe, and brought her sword down in an overhead slash, but Ramza rolled to the side and kicked out with his foot. It smacked her knee, hard. She cried out as she lost her balance and stumbled. Ramza took advantage of her distraction to slash at her arm with his Shortsword, but she managed to just place her Silversword between his sword and her arm. The blow was harder than she expected, however, so her blade bounced off Ramza's, leaving her wide open for a follow-up attack.
When no follow-up attack came, she looked at Ramza with questioning eyes. "Why didn't you attack me? I was wide open!"
Ramza shrugged. "You're a girl," he mumbled.
"What?!" Jordan nearly shouted. She was mad. That was insulting! He wouldn't hit her because she was a girl?
"It's just not right, hitting a girl," he mumbled again.
"Oh that's it, you're going down!"
Jordan dashed towards Ramza, sword ready to strike. Ramza stood his ground, looking defiantly at the older girl.
"Speedbreak!" Jordan yelled. Her Silver Sword glowed brightly, forcing Ramza to avert his eyes. When the light finally subsided, Ramza found no wounds on him, yet he could feel something off.
Turning around, he faced off with Jordan again, but she wouldn't lift up her sword properly.
"It's over for you," she commented. "Before, on terms of speed, we might've been about the same, but with a Speedbreak, you're a lot slower than I am now."
And as if to prove her point, she swung her blade at him. He tried to block, but he couldn't move his sword fast enough. This resulted in a deep gash across his chest.
He looked down at his arms in annoyance before lifting his sword above his head and shouting, "First Aid!" The gash closed a little, but it still was oozing blood. He tried to do it again, but Jordan wouldn't allow him to.
"Hah!" Her blade was at neck height, so Ramza could do nothing but try to duck. Still under the effects of the Speedbreak, he just barely ducked in time, as evidenced by the loss of several strands of hair.
"Wow, to think you can still move after getting hit with a Speedbreak," Jordan complimented.
Ramza did not reply verbally. Instead, he chose to try to attack. Again, all he managed to accomplish was a cut on his own arm for his efforts. He scowled at his inability to hurt her, both due to his morals and his disability.
He opted for a different strategy. Backing away from her, he stood as far away from her as possible. His plan was to let the Speedbreak wear off, and surprise her as soon as he was back to normal. But alas, Jordan wouldn't fall for such a simple plan.
She immediately closed the distance between the two with several large steps and slashed diagonally with her sword. Ramza, not managing to duck in time, received a giant gash running diagonally across his body.
He gasped and dropped to the floor on his knees, holding the bleeding wound.
Finally, Jordan decided to end it. A horizontal strike was aimed at Ramza's neck height.
Whoosh!
Ramza, having regained his speed at the last moment, dropped even lower to the ground, avoiding the slash. He picked up his fallen Shortsword and stabbed forward blindly.
A sudden gasp made him look up, and all he saw was Jordan's impaled body as she fell on top of him.
"Winner: Montblanc and company! Since this was a friendly match, no looting is allowed!" The judge clapped his hands together, and everyone present was bathed in a white light. When the white light died down, all the wounds, blood, and damaged clothing were repaired. The judge immediately walked off following the healing.
Three sets of eyes blinked simultaneously before getting up.
"We won!" Vaan cried out to his companions as Montblanc and Marche blinked away their drowsiness.
Ramza ignored this and instead went over to the other side. He stood in front of the kneeling Jordan and offered his hand.
She took it, and he pulled her to his feet. "Nice match," he said in a show of good sportsmanship.
"You too, kid. You too," she replied, before she leaned in and kissed Ramza on the cheek. The poor Soldier was blushing an intense shade of red. Giggling, Jordan returned to her teammates and shouted, "Let's go! If we lost to a newbie clan like these guys, we're in some deep trouble!"
The four friends watched the group of girls depart, until Vaan spoke up.
"Hey! I got a name for our clan!"
"Yeah?" Marche asked.
"Yeah! Clan Outlander! 'Cause, you know, outlander means foreigners or outsiders, and the three of us," motioning towards himself, Marche, and Ramza, "are foreigners and outsiders to this world!"
"That's not a bad name, kupo," Montblanc commented.
"Eh, I guess it's ok," Ramza mused.
"Clan Outlander it is," Marche agreed.
As the quartet returned to Montblanc's home, Vaan suddenly asked, "So can we go register ourselves now?"
BIOS
Clan Outlander
Ramza (human Soldier): 15, blond, aristocrastic, cultured, noble
Vaan (human Thief): 15, white-haired, funny, likes to whine, childish
Marche (human Archer): 15, blond, sometimes serious, sometimes relaxed
Montblanc (moogle Black Mage): optimistic, happy, indeterminable age
Clan Femme Fatale
Jordan (human Soldier): 18, tall, long blond hair, piercing blue eyes, uses a Silver Sword
Jamie (human Thief): 14, slender, tanned, sharp blue eyes, Josiah's younger sister, dedicated to Jordan
Jasmine (human Archer): 16, average height, black hair in a ponytail, funny, likes to joke around
Jocelyn (viera White Mage): twin to Jacquelyn, brown-skinned, peaceful, optimistic, happy, indeterminable age, likes Jocelyn and not Jos
Jacquelyn (viera Archer): twin to Jocelyn, brown-skinned, violent, curses a lot, gets reprimanded by Jocelyn quite often, indeterminable age, likes Jackie and not Jacquelyn
List of all the places in FF Tactics Advance:
Cyril: Busy town. The monster bank is on its outskirts.
Sphrom: Bangaa mountain town. Home to the prison.
Bervenia Palace: Capital of Ivalice.
Muscadet: Mainly viera town hidden deep in the woods.
Cadoan: Nu mou town. The seat of knowledge and alchemy.
Baguba Port: Moogle town with a large mercantile airship port.
Nubswood: Deep, dark forest. Popular hideout for thieves.
Giza Plains: Rolling grassy plains. Muscmaloi grows here.
Kudik Peaks: Towering peaks. Home to an endangered tiger.
Uladon Bog: Depp and dangerous bogland dotted with islands.
Jeraw Sands: Hot sands blow in this largest desert in Ivalce
Lutia Pass: Much-traveled pass, with the occasional roadshop.
Koringwood: Refreshing wood filled with ambient pure magic.
Ulei River: Largest River in Ivalice. Winds through swamplands.
Aisenfield: Plains where the thirteen knights of legend fought.
Roda Volcano: Volcano asleep for 300 years. Recently active.
Eluut Sands: Dangerous desert home to many fiends and treasure.
Nargal Cave: A cool wind blows from inside this cave. An ancient city is said to sleep in its depths.
Salikawood: The chirping of birds can always be heard here. An abandoned keep stands in the middle of the wood.
Delia Dunes: Desert area famous for its barking sands. Said to be formed from a celestial beast's bones.
Gotor Sands: Desert famous for its mirages and red chocobos.
Ozmonfield: Gently rolling plains with occasional insect plagues.
Deti Plains: Flatlands of yellow sand and red earth. Amber can often be found here among the rocks.
Siena Gorge: Deep valley. A source of amber, like Deti Plains.
Materiwood: Lush green forest famous for its materite ore.
Tubola Cave: These caves were once mined for their mythril.
Jagd Dorsa: Lawless jagd. A deserted town.
Jagd Helje: Lawless jagd where ghostly voices are heard.
Jagd Ahli: Lawless jagd destroyed by its own wild magic.
Ambervale: Beautiful valley where rocks glow amber. The kings of Ivalice had a summer palace here.
A/N: In case you haven't realized, this will be very AU. Even though it takes place in FF Tactics Advance, lots of things will be modified, bent, or removed. I will be combining elements from all three games. Just a heads up.
Inspiration for this story came from Casualties by Icey the Fox, which is an unbelievably awesome FFTA story.
Note: ALL INFORMATION ON THE JOBS CAME FROM SOMEONE ELSE! None of it was my words. I edited some of it to fit the story, but it came from a guide on Gamefaq by DBM11085
I know, I know, I got a lotta other stories, but this just came as inspiration. I've been planning on this for a while, but never got to writing it until I started playing the actual game on GBA again. This and Band of Nine will be my two primary stories as of now.
This story is set before FFT: WotL and FFXII, and during FFTA.