At Tracylou's Request:  A Story!Follow

I guess Tracylou (Last of the Who) let the cat out of the bag. In my spare time I do some writing. I'd like to share some of that with you all. I write using people on our server that I know so perhaps you will see someone you know or even yourself! Please enjoy my stories and I am open to feedback, good or bad. All I ask is that you don't leave vague messages like "I have ADD" or "there are too many words". They are stories and have to have paragraphs and words to exist.

I promise you I write to entertain and tell coherant stories. If I fail to do that, let me know specifically. Even with positive comments be specific.

With your all's help, I can become a better writer! ^_^;;

Please enjoy...

RESOLUTION

CRITERIA:
Requested by: Phyree
Subject(s): Phyree & Ishido
Genre: Action/Drama
Setting: La Theine Plateau

*****

"Where are you," Phyree asked herself, "come out and face me." Since nightfall Phyree had been making her way from the Ephimere eastward toward the Crag of Holla. A peal of thunder rumbled above her. The sky had been black with clouds made heavy with rain. A jag of lightning shot down to the earth far off in the distance illuminating the bone-white tower.

One drop. Two. Now many began falling across the expansive field. Sheets of water coarsed over the grass and howling winds bent the stems of grain as if they were ocean waves roiling under a squall. Inside the black helmet, lips pulled back to bare teeth. "Perfect."

Metal boots the color of raw cast iron sludged onward. Animating the hellish suit was a heart as cold as the ice of Beaucidine Glacier and a hatred as boiling hot as Ifrit's Cauldron. Spirit inside flesh, flesh inside metal - three fused as one. Following behind her and resting in a special harness lay a wicked scythe. A cruel crescent moon shaped blade arced behind her head as if it were a mocked and perverted angel's halo. "By this blade, Ishido shall die." The sky cracked again and lightning for the briefest of moments illuminated the sodden plateau as if it were day.

Phyree, undaunted and unhindered, continued her advance to the holy Crag. At her side, a readied crossbow lay in wait should the opportunity to use it arise. It was at Holla she hoped to find the man that took everything from her. There she hoped to take the life of that man. Inside that helmet cool rain mixed with warm tears.

Before Phyree stood the stoic and eternal Crag of Holla. Pale pink light cast upwards from the teleportation crystals and swathed a ring around the entire structure itself. The area droned with a low hum produced from the resonanting crystalline markers. Above the din rose a voice without location.

"Phyree, I see you have come to kill me. How thoughtful of you."

"Where are you," Phyree screamed, "Show yourself to me that I may take your life!"

"Harsh words from a white mage, no?"

"That life is behind me, Ishido. You know that. You were the one who ended it."

"Is that so? Oh, I didn't notice." Laughter arose to mock the accuser.

Phyree trembeled not from the cold of the wet evening but from rage. Fear. Loss. "I hate you," she whispered over and over. A metallic hand reached back to unhook the scythe from its holster.

Before she could unhook it, Ishido's voice accompanied by an equally black clad body came from a tree above. "Tsk tsk, how the mighty have fallen my dear Phyree. Are you mad at me?"

"You stole my life, Ishido. You betrayed my friends and killed them."

"Oh, them? What should you care, you never really fit in with them. This was in-shell business and none of your concern, white mage."

"Do you know what it is like," Phyree inquisitioned, "Do you know what it is like to hear over the link each one of your friends being murdered and finding out is was someone you considered a friend?! DO YOU?!" Phyree's voice cracked from the screaming and anguish.

"Hahaha, you're a cutie. I like always liked you when you were angry and fiesty. Now it seems like I get to have you that way now."

With a gutteral yowl, Phyree unleashed arcane power through her hands. Fire flew from her armored fingertips and slammed into the tree. Ishido fell to the ground. The scythe in one fell swoop unhitched and swung down. Ishido had rolled out of the way, gotten up, and started to run.

"He's fast," Phyree cursed as she pulled the scythe from the sucking wound she made in the damp earth. She gave chase. A metallic ding bounced off her armor. The ninja began assaulting her with shiruken. One lodged inside a ***** in her armor. Phyree winced but dislodged the shrapnel and tasted her own blood, smiling.

In the sterile pink light, Phyree saw a black blur approaching. She cleaved her scythe at the head, but it passed through nothingness. The vicious swath the reaper took continued on with its momentum to the second assault approaching from behind. Again, nothingness. With the weapon in both her hands now, Phyree cautiously started backing toward the crag. She knew about the mysterious powers ninja posessed, and she knew that Ishido was a master of them. From atop the teleport pad came a wet thud and Phyree heard the scraping of a blade on the back of her armor.

"Drop the scythe. Do it now."

Phyree laid down the scythe slowly and stood back up, facing away from Ishido.

"Good girl. It seems as hard as you tried and for all the pain and reprogramming you put yourself through to become a dark knight. It was all for naught. I still get what I want in the end." The black ninja chuckled to himself. "Now what do I want? Well it is easy, dear white mage. I want you to die!"

The katana rose and fell in a fluid motion. Phyree evaded, rolling onto the wet grass. She quickly grabbed her loaded crossbow and let fly a bolt straight into the head of Ishido. In a whisp of unreadable symbols, the shadow disappeared.

"Three shadows, white mage. Three."

Another wet flop produced the real Ishido. Phyree rolled over, grabbing her scythe and returned to her feet.

"There's no way I can hit him here where he can hide. I need to get him into an open field. She began casting black magic and was hit with a projectile. The pain only seemed the strengthen the spell and both the fresh and first wounds healed. She had drained some of the ninja's own life force into hers and took off running away from Ishido. As the black metal disappeared into the night, the black cloth followed suit after producing a second katana.

The ninja caught up to the dark knight shortly after. Dual blades crashed against the shaft of the scythe. Phyree and Ishido looked at each other face to face. She spun the blade downward, hoping the end of the hilt would catch his jaw. The ninja was fast and evaded the blow. Quickly the dark knight cast a spell which enabled her to absorb some of Ishido's deadly agility. Again she ran and again she was pursued.

Ishido appeared before her, having taken a wide flank around. Both were out of breath. Thunder shook the sky and earth and lightning cast from the heavens grounded itself. The thunderstorm was at a head. Around her, Phyree saw the stones of the summoning circle. She thought back to all her friends who had been here and who had died at the hands of this betrayer. Yekan...Rampart...Noxx...all whom she heard through the shell as they were assassinated by the traitor. More and more lightning shot down. Ishido and Phyree engaged blades and exchanged blows. Metal clanged through the torrents of rain, producing small sparks of fire amid the large drops water.

Ishido ducked a swipe of the scythe and caught Phyree's arm with a stab. She inhaled through her teeth at the pain but continued the fight. Her pain was nothing compared to what everyone she knew must of felt at the point of that same sword. The deadly curve snagged Ishido in the side and he faltered. Phyree used the opportunity to pummel him with arcane earth energy. He fell to a knee and Phyree went to take his head. Inside the circle of stones the two enemies battled.

Phyree overextended the swing and exposed her side to the the opportunistic ninja. He buried a poisoned blade inside and got up. In excrutiating pain she heaved the scythe to where the ninja was...or had been. The blade had come loose from her wet grip and fallen to the wayside. Ishido had run and circled behind her as Phyree bent forward to retrieve it. With a swipe he intended to bury his other blade in her as well and watch her slowly die.

Phyree heard the approach and sprung backward, bowling into Ishido, turning and disorienting him. Now on her back on the ground, she used both her feet to kick the stammering ninja forward through the air. He landed upright on his own, twisting in the air to face her. Another shiruken flew from his hands. Phyree sommersaulted forward from her prone position in a metallic ball. She grabbed the hilt of the scythe and as she came up, heaved it high in the air.

A barbaric and enraged berzerker's scream flooded the cold rainy night air. As the scythe came down and buried into Ishido's chest, a bolt of lightning struck the large metallic weapon. Webs of animated electricity flowed over Ishido and the pinned body shook violenty from death throes and electricution. Phyree wept as in that blinding second of light she saw everyone she knew who was murdered at Ishido's hand appear before her, smiling. She coughed, breaking the moment. Blood. She knew she too would die from the poisoned wound.

"Funny," she mused, "I'd live if I was still a white mage..."

The storm passed and in the morning a bright rainbow graced the skies of La Theine. Birds chirped and leaves rustled in the warm breeze. A circle of stones lay around a new monument that sprung up overnight. Inside that circle lay a man with a scythe buried in his chest, pinning him to the ground. Beside him lay a set of black metal armor. Not far away against one of the rock pillars slumped a blonde woman. She held an onion rod close to her chest and a had a red rose in her hair.

The sun's rays revealed that a smile lay across her face.

/bow

very nicely done!


Zuzeeque

BLM 64/THF 59/RNG 42/WHM 36/NIN 34/RDM 26/WAR 20...

FINALLY...

Another writer here on the Bizzy forums^^

Keep it comin Phyree!!!

*coughbumpcough*

Oh wow, I should have that looked at, it sounds serious. =) Hey wait a minute...you mean the first story I ever posted is actually a climatic peak to a three-part that happened before it? ^^ Oh me oh my!

I hope now that you all have the full story you enjoyed it and that you understand some of the in-jokes I used in The Cauldron based off of the stories I wrote between them. ^^;;

I will say for continuity's sake, the OB and other random stories don't take place in this storyline...else, well, you know. =)