On A Pale Chocobo

Is it bad I've been reloading the page every few minutes looking for the next installment...

Day 92 - Early Morning - Part Four:

He kept screaming.

"My eyes!" he shrieked. He kept shrieking.

"Sectum," Selim was saying, tugging at my shirt. I turned to him.

All the Elvaans were pointing their bows at us. Tables had turned while I was out of the loop.

But being me had advantages. Like knowing that I could regenerate minor wounds.

At a cost.

The voice in the back of my head reminded me that.

Yes, at a cost.

How many days would I not be able to walk this time?

The arrows were ready.

Someone was going to shoot, and quickly at that. But then I realized I may not have to go fullway.

Instead, no, I did things a tad differently.

I collapsed my knees and fell to the floor, my hand on Trion's hair to pull him down, and spit fire at them.

It worked with smashing success due to the close proximity. Selim got hit by a stray arrow.

It's really not his day. I grabbed Selim as I lunged back to my feet.

I dragged Trion with me, kicking and screaming. So much for the nobleness of the Elvaans. I dragged the two of them with me to the nearest wall and set Selim down as he tried to take yet another arrow out of him.

I grabbed him by the throat and held him up against the stone walls of Garlaige's basement.

"You better start talking now, or I will make sure that you die a slow and painful death," I said.

I licked my lips.

He looked like an awfully tasty victim right there; an Elvaan prince, naked, beaten. It would be a vengeful kill. And then I could take whatever information he had by force.

I wiped my lips with my hand.

He sputtered for a moment, and began.

"The Undead Filth had infiltrated our City as refugees. We fought them off. Many of our people were lost to them. Demons came, we fought them off too, and Orcs. We lost the city. We ran. Demons followed us. I... don't..."

He clutched at his head. "I don't... remember... We took Garlaige, the humans attacked us, we suppressed the opposition," he finished. He clutched his head harder. "MY HEAD!" he suddenly screamed this time.

And then the voice in the back of my head said, let me speak.

I began speaking in tongues. Joyous.

But Trion stopped and stared at me with eyeless sockets.

And then I stopped speaking.

"Possessed?" Trion simply said.

"You won't lose all blame that easily," I snarled. "They can taint you, but they can't take all of you. What you did... that was still you."

He requested I kill him, and I almost did.

But no.

For all that I witnessed there, I had to admit that he was not fully in his own state of mind.

But seeing what I did... the children dead...

He deserved everything he got. He's lucky we put clothes back on him. He called off the guards and told them that we were all heading to Delkfutt for refuge, after some "convincing."

We wrapped his eye sockets with a cloth. At least he looks better, now.

But we've attached him to strings all the same so he can't wander off. The last thing I want is to have to search for him. I guess I spent too much time with a certain Puppetmaster.

He has uses, still. He is now a tragic hero. His people will listen to him all the more if he can keep his composure, and I told him this, and that seemed to quell him for now.

There were a few survivors from the Elvaan torture camp. What shocked me more had been the group of at least fifteen Elvaans that were also shackled up for trying to rebel against what Trion was doing.

At least there's some hope left for that arrogant species. Meanwhile, we need to get back to our team and soon; Selim has seen enough action for quite a while, and I could do with not doubling up on the night shift for a few nights.

I just want to know they're all alive. Right now, that would be enough for me.

Well, actually, there's one other person I'd like to see, but let's not get too spoiled here...

<3 :)

I feel like I should be mad for the insult to the elvaans. But this story is just too good.
I'm even starting to count the deaths I've had while reading these, 27 btw lol.

I am REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY looking forward to what you have planned for Kuzotz like you mentioned in chapter 2's thread after seeing Garlaige, Sectum.

So far you've exceeded my expectations of part 3, so keep up the good work!

Uh... This is already over half as many pages as ATSOB...

and totally worth it man xD this is EPIC!!! i love you! lol

Oh, did anyone get the reference in the demon conversation to a certain Western?

Edit: Wow, so sloppy in the last few entries...

Edit 2: The PDF has been updated to include OAPC

itching for it..

Day 92 -- Late Evening:

We made it to Jeuno.

There were Turned stuck in shops, Turned stuck on stairs, Turned stuck in piles... but they weren't really a problem. It was almost too easy.

Jeuno was abandoned. We checked the residential areas and found a carving in the standard language.

Jeuno has fallen.

It was a dreary sort of uneventful day, mostly.

I had kind of expected Jeuno to be this way.

We purged what we could. Selim and I taught the Elvaans how to quickly dispose of the Turned. We did a sweep of Upper Jeuno and we took the dead bodies and burned them for warmth.

The survivors of Garlaige had raided some food from the residential area. I did not permit the Elvaans to eat.

Trion is simply being led by us. When we have to fight, we tie him to something.

It's so demeaning. I keep looking back at the event with mostly apathy. In this sort of environment, is there really any time to feel regret? Is it worth it?

No, we've got to keep our heads on our shoulder, and keep moving forward. We've got to just accept our sins.

It's hard for the big ones.

I feel bad that I dragged Selim out and he got so bloodied up. I shouldn't have come without backup.

But I did, so oh well.

I keep staring out at Delkfutt. I'm hoping for a flare. Oh god, how I'm hoping for a flare.

I'm comforted by the belief that what I may be seeing out there are campfires, but it's so far away... We'll know soon enough, though.

We're going to clean up Jeuno a bit more in the morning. We've discussed lighting it on fire and letting it burn to the ground this time. I'm half tempted on it.

Either way, we're going to head to Delkfutt starting tomorrow. I keep looking for a sign. Something, anything, that resembles life.

What do I do if Delkfutt is overrun?

why hasn't this been stickied also? =/

They do not love me like they used to :\

Updates after I make some breakfast and kill my migraine.

For Migraines, do what the Navy always told me to do...


Take some Motrin and drink some water. It curez EVERYTHING! Maybe even zombiedom...

Did the turned get you sect? ; ;

No, the real life did for a few days. Expect 2-3 updates after I get some gd coffee in me.

I was about to send a PM to see if you were ok, lol

Glad to see something serious enough hasn't happened.

Nah, just been busy as all hell getting ***ready to move out.

Day 93 -- Early Evening:

We were being followed, and we knew it.

The question was, by whom?

We traversed Qufim island slowly. It was a dead land, but there were still Turned hiding around. There were a few demons, too. But it seemed like they were unsure of what they were to do anymore.

We slaughtered them all.

We move slowly, because most of us are wounded or starving and we're all exhausted. We have to stop often, and it's dangerous in this biting cold. But it's a little friendly for me here. I feel strangely at ease, knowing that Delkfutt is in sight.

There is a rare aurora around the island. It's something to write about, at least.

I can sense that there's someone watching me, and so can the voice in the back of my head.

He talks to me. He has to make sure I don't die, I suppose. It's an odd sort of relationship. I'm playing with fire, I know, and he knows I know that.

Life is strange, I suppose.

Trion has grown silent and refuses to talk. Is it from the shame of being tied up and led? Is it from the guilt of knowing that he assaulted innocent survivors, tortured them, killed the children, and feasted on them?

How can I look at him with anything but pity? I want to be contemptuous, but am I not the same way? I'm hungry now, often, but not so strong. Yet whenever I see something that I know I have to kill... I get really, really hungry.

My lips are chaffing, and it's not 'cause of the cold.

We set up a campfire at the lake. We're almost at Delfkfutt. I suppose in the morning we'll be there.

I'm going to go figure out who's tracking us, and if they're not friendly... well, I suppose we'll see how hungry I am.

How cute, I appear to have a hater that's -1'd every post.

And how cute-r, someone's going around rating them all up now >_>

lol that is a little odd...

but YAY update!

<3
glad to see you're still among the living~

This ***is nice, i started reading from day 85 and i was like wow

Just seen your site... i got a wholeeeeeee lotta ***to read man, but i cant wait ^ ^

Good work bro!

Please keep it up.

Day 93? 94? Somewhere betwixt and in between:

Well, well, well.

I hid in the shadows and I felt his eyes watching me as I left camp.

One thing I had never factored in was that everything about me was different. My clothes were different. My walking had become more confident, my movements more sure of themselves and fluid. I'd suppose that even my scent had become changed, if I actually cared enough to ask someone. I'm slowly becoming a leader of groups. I'm taking charge.

I'm less hysterical. I'm less pudgy. I'm stronger. I'm faster. I'm different.

And so, it's small wonder that he had no idea who I was, and so he was tracking me.

I had left our camp alone, a dangerous thing to do, and I listened. He knew I was looking for him, because the feeling that I was being watched had left me. He had scattered.

Now, if you recall--I say that as though I have an audience reading this, mind you--I had spent much time in Qufim when this whole ordeal began. I know where to hide.

Qufim was home to a dozen or so valleys of rock, a few caves, and a lot of crevices. And so I had the upper hand here. Did he know that I knew?

I would stop often and listen, and sometimes I would hear a single breath, or what could have been a foot stepping on a twig.

And so I followed it.

I followed it into the depths of the night, and there was a fleeting moment where I heard the sound of an arrow being notched into a bow.

I froze, and turned my head to where I heard the sound.

"You'll get the first hit, but I'll win the fight," I said.

The person I could not see released the tension on the bow, judging on the feint sound I heard in the wind.

"Kiddo, is that you?" The voice was a bit rugged, a bit old, and a bit amazed.

I had heard that voice before. I racked my brain to place it.

A man came out of a shadow, placing his bow on his back. He pulled something out of his breast pocket and I heard a cracking sound as a series of blue sparks shot up into the air.

From the flare I could see the man I met right before all this began: Lu Doggy.

"They sent me to track you when some of our scouts reported fires in Jeuno," he explained.

My hand was resting on my sword, but he came forward with a hand extended out for me in a peaceful gesture. We shook.

"Yeah, it's me. What's the situation?" I asked him.

I think he shrugged, but it was too dark to tell. "We're managing. Food is scarce. We've got a system though that lets us get fresh fruits and vegetables every few days. We're keeping people busy, mostly."

There was a pause. "The rest of the team is under the belief that you, Caiyuo, and Marzbarz have died."

I gave a rough sort of laugh, a bitter one, but it made me feel better. "Not so far from what happened..."

We began to walk back through the dark Qufim island. "Do you have doctors, clerics, anything?" I asked him.

"A few of each," he said. "You have wounded?"

"A fair few."

I heard rustling behind me and we both stopped at once and turned, our weapons already opened.

I licked my lips.

We were never prepared for what we saw.

There was a baby Chocobo following us, limping.

"This world is a terrible place," Lu said with a sigh. I went towards the chocobo and scooped it up.

For some reason, I felt more horrible about the poor little bird than I did for any other casualty I witnessed. We brought it back to camp and are inspecting it to see if we can find claw marks or bite marks or what.

awwww lil chocobo....

lol Lian, the moogle in your Avatar looks like he's the one who attacked the chocobo to begin with XD

:D damn I can't even remember where I found this avatar either. It just made me :D so I grabbed it. I'm hopping for a plushy moogle or choco for Christmas this year <.<

I think I saw "Mog of War" on Deviantart somewhere, but I'm not sure...

; ;

Day 94 -- Morning:

In the grimmest of times, even the little things in life seem amazing.

They did things to Delfkutt that can only be classified as utterly amazing, given the circumstances.

There were hundreds of people there now. I think someone has a list of every person there.

We marched towards Delkfutt and the first thing I saw was that it was guarded. Four massive Gigases in full battle armor, each with a horn by their side that must have been half as large as myself, guarded the entrance. There were doors now, too. Large doors made of metal. I still have yet to figure out where they gained so much darksteel from.

Before we approached, Lu pulled a small whistle out of his jacket pocket and blew into it. I could just barely make the sound, but the we saw the gigas respond by turning to open up the massive doors as we approached.

We passed by them without a word, and the door shut behind us.

The first thing I had noticed was that it was noisy. Very noisy. I heard chatter. I heard people sounds.

I heard echoes, laughter. It was warm in the tower, both physically and in that emotional sort of way.

"Mr. Doggy, is there anyone from the Duchy Guard here?" I asked as he led the group and I through a few hallways.

"Call me Ludo," he said. "And yes. Military Personnel stays in the basement. I had a feeling you'd want to go there first."

We dropped the rest of the group off with a young Mithra with a checkboard that was taking their names and they were one by one led to see doctors. Ludo then led me to a locked door and inserted a cermet key into it. It opened and we began walking down a series of stairs to the basement.

"The Gigases are sticking primarily to the perimeter now. They find it easier to be outside. They've also taken to the large caverns and plots of land in The Dominion. We had a problem there at first but... well, let's not spoil the surprises..."

I could only imagine what lay in store.

And then I saw what was now a giant War Room. At first, we went unnoticed. It was hot, and so I took off my turban.

About a minute later, someone shouted out, "SECTUM!"

And then the whole room went silent. Rumaha was running towards me through a crowd of personnel.

"We've got a lot to talk about," I said when he caught up to me, after an awkward embrace. Ludo departed at that as Rum led me into one of the rooms that was sealed off.

"We really do. Where's Marz and Cai?" he asked.

"Alive, and better than ever. They're leading a group of survivors to make their way slowly here," I said. I wasn't going to mention the Immortals just yet.

As I walked into the room I immediately saw Wolfgang and Cid discussing over a map.

And then I heard a clattering as someone pounced on me from her chair.

"We thought you were deaders!" Alyria said.

And then she smacked the back of my head, really, really hard.

Not much has changed.

Heh, nice visualization on Delkfutt.

The smack on the head made me laugh too, probably louder than it should have XD