Final Fantasy/8-Bit Theatre Fanstories

[Seran]

Poor wittle Moogles being burned down by mean BM. Where's my chainsaw?

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Black Mage had begun to lose all certainty of the world around him. He could not discern whether or not it was real, for there were times where his head would throb insanely as though warning him of some outside danger, as though the entire thing was an illusion to lure him away into a trap, and there were times that it all felt far too real for him to doubt its presence. He couldn't stir from such a confusing dream. That is, if he could call it a dream. He could not decide whether it was real, was a dream, or was a nightmare. Being a helpless victim of no magic and defense was bad enough for him, but to know that a moron who had been his friend now held supreme power over an entire empire -- and had somehow gained more intelligence, thereby causing him to slash out the eyes of an opposing figure? To know that a certain jerk he knew long ago had taken the throne of a world that was rightfully his? What about the insane idiot who had become a demi-god?
"You didn't hear me, did you?"
Black Mage walked right into Vilbert without lifting his head in time. The vampire pushed him away with great aggressive force, as though offended by this lack of attention, and while the mage fell to the ground he swept his left arm out in a gesture toward the current chamber. Pushing the brim of his hat up a bit, Black Mage raised his head to glare at Vilbert, only to see that they were finally on the seventh floor in the room where Red Mage awaited him. He shook his head at Vilbert.
"No, I did not hear you," answered the wizard stiffly.
"I did say we're here. Now get up, I've got business to d -- why is your hat jumping around the room, my liege?"
Black Mage turned his head to see Red Mage's hat literally bouncing off the walls, as though it had a mind of its own. The demi-god shrugged despite his glowing glory, which made him look very wise though he had just given a somewhat lazy response to Vilbert's question a mere few seconds ago. Black Mage pushed himself onto his feet and walked over to his old comrade. Vilbert had decided to watch the demi-god's hat before chasing it around the room, trying to catch it just to bring it back to Red Mage.
"Whaddya want?" growled Black Mage. He sat down in a wooden chair unlike Red Mage's fluffy chair.
"I was wondering if you'd like a walk in the moonlight."
"With you? No thanks, Captain Plumed."
"Yeah, uh. You used that lame joke ages ago."
"When?"
"When I got brutally mauled by werewolves and no one would hand me a healing potion because you were all jerks and if I weren't so weak at that moment I would have beat the crap out of you three."
There was a brief moment of silence, accompanied only by the sound of Vilbert scrambling over chairs and under tables, still trying to grab ahold of the slippery hat that spun throughout the place.
"Nah, I don't remember."
"Well, it's a nice night outside." Red Mage tilted his head as if attempting to appeal to Black Mage. "Come on, please? I'll be lonely without you."
"Why don't you take your girlfriend?"
"Celebren? What makes you think th -- may I remind you that Fighter stole yours?"
"You didn't have to remind me."
"Yeah, life's unfair that way. Come on, before the sun rises."
"Fine, fine..."
Black Mage stood while the demi-god rose gracefully, rubbing his hands over one another with anticipation. "Excellent! Vilbert, what are you doing?"
The vampire quickly fell over a red chair and sat in it, blinking back at Red Mage with mild surprise in his eyes.
"Pursuing your unusually swift hat. Does it not have any limit to its energy or anything?"
"I don't know, maybe someone bewitched it. Make a check and see if you can detect any foreign magic that controls it. Let's go," said Red Mage as he took Black Mage's sleeve and tugged it. "I don't need my hat at the moment."
He pulled Black Mage along as they departed and hurried along the corridors and hallways, searching for the proper exit to have their nighttime walk. Black Mage hadn't the slightest clue of where they were going to walk, but as he was being dragged along, they pushed through a door and all suddenly went dark. He had suddenly gone blind. Black Mage tried to sense something, but he had no sight, no touch, no smell, no sound; all had been taken away from him at that very moment. Why?
It's as though you weren't even listening, foolish spellcaster of the darkest magicks. Didn't you hear me through all of that nonsense?
Well, I don't even know who this is. Hey, I can hear myself again!
Silence! I don't understand -- how can you be stuck in such a place for so long? Awake, mage! Awake!
You sound worried.
You must be confusing that with anger.
Well, this is all just a dream then?
It could be something significa -- why am I still talking to you? Shouldn't you be awake?
Without warning, Black Mage was pulled out of the darkness into a cool breeze. A calm night above was visible through the thin, delicate clouds; the bright crescent moon hung in the dark sky, with the stars scattered across the dark sea. Red Mage was still clutching his friend's sleeve.
"Hey, let go of me."
"Ah. Sorry."
The young man allowed the mage's sleeve to slip from his pale fingers, yet he kept his gaze away from him and instead focused it onto the path before them. On both sides of the broad path, trees stood with wicked branches reaching up into the sky, and small bushes littering the ground while owls called out to the darkness and wolves watched the two mages eagerly with glowing eyes. A pleasant night indeed.
Red Mage led him away along the path. He looked rather sleepy, with eyelids resting over his eyes and his pace lazier than Black Mage's. There was a lack of conversation as they ventured toward the entrance to the forest around them. Why had Red Mage decided to talk a walk here, of all places? Were Thief and Fighter battling it out elsewhere and Red Mage didn't want to be involved? Speaking of battles, what had Fighter been doing, and who were all of those other people he had randomly come across? Black Mage had so many questions in mind that he didn't notice Red Mage fall behind for the fifth time during the silent walk. They had been quiet for that long. The night was uninteresting, and the cool breeze may had been relaxing, but that wasn't the thing that caught his attention.