In the Pursuit of Madness

[General Beatrix]

It was times like these Beatrix felt more homesick than ever. Duty to the heart...before one's country? Oh, Adelbert...I wish I had just said yes when you asked to marry me that day, instead of running off to "think about it". I am such a fool.

When Abigail held out her pinky, she raised an eyebrow, but then the girl withdrew, so she just shook her head. "Very well." A stray tear fell down her cheek. And she returned to bartering with the ducks.

When everything was said and done, and she had purchased three sachels, she filled them, and carried two, while handing one to Abigail.

"Strength in our hearts. Strength in our bodies..."

"Let us...keep moving forward. We must still seek out Merlin."

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail blinked as the satchel was handed to her. She had to put Huey down, but not before patting his red-capped head and giving him a little hug. Sure, the little duckling might blush a bit at that, much to the merciless teasing of his siblings, but she had a feeling he wouldn't mind too much. She happily accepted the items and opened the bag with eager curiosity.

Inside, she found things that she had not even considered she would need until just this moment. Tooth brush, tooth paste, a first aid kit, a few potions, a change of clothing, a toiletry kit, all the creature comforts one would expect to find in your standard camping bag. Frankly, she blushed a bit at her own lack of foresight in regard to what she carried on her person. Sure, she had access to her Healer's Staff and a handful of potions and ethers, but beyond that... yeah, she'd have had a REAL hard time when mother nature paid her monthly visits.

Beyond that, there were a few elixirs and a couple potions. She also found a few strange weapons she didn't recognized which had wicks on them and seemed... combustible. "Alchemist weaponry?" she asked, looking up. She looked down quickly, then let out a loud squeal. She reached into the bag and produced two earrings. She quickly put them in her ears before pulling out a large white cape from the bag and pulled it around her shoulders. "Pretty!" she said happily, not realizing she had just equipped a Lightning Earring and an Ice Earring, each granting her 50% damage protection from their respective elements, and the white cape would protect her from instant-death spells. All she knew was that she was accessorizing!

She giggled, then held the satchel and positioned it over her little hip-pouch. With a great SHOVE, it slid into the infinite-storage-space bag. "My bag of holding!" she said, smiling. "Very useful! If you want, I can carry those too..." she offered, pointing to the other bags...

[General Beatrix]

"No need," said Beatrix as they exited the store. She removed the bags from her shoulders and held each by the straps. "Disembark," she chanted, and the two sets of equipment were teleported back onto the ship. A crew member would be alerted immediately, and have each item brought to its respective cabin.

"Now, off to find Merlin." The proceeded down the streets of Radiant Garden, meeting familiar faces, and some new ones. Several people ducked and ran when they saw Beatrix, others knelt and prayed for their life. Others simply stood in shock. She ignored them, but frowned.

They reached an area in the square where they saw a girl in pink, with chestnut hair and a man with similar hair color, but wearing black. They were talking to a shorter girl carrying a large shuriken, of sorts. She knew these people well. And they did not like her, one bit.

"Abigail...I think it best that we turn around and search elsewhere..."

[Agrias Oaks]

Hop.. hop... hop... Agrias was much lighter now than she was with her armor, and could jump further distances, even move quicker with out it. She had no trouble jumping from book to book, her worry was her balance on the unstable passage. One wrong move, and she would be tossed in the water, and she would have to start over again.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Agrias felt a strange, depressing feeling at her heart, and she looked around to see shadows etching closer, but these were not mere shadows! Agrias unsheathed her sword, and tried to balance as best as she could on the rickety books! These were HEARTLESS!

The knight pointed her sword towards the creatures, her amber eyes seemed to glow in a war-like state, "Come at me, if you dare, fiends!!" and surely, one by one would jump up, trying to bite at her and make her lose her balance-- they were fish like creatures of the darkness that were chubby-like with a light coming out of their heads, and she would strike at them whenever she could. She was going against Aquatanks!

"Argh!" Agrias would growl, slicing and balancing on the nearly toppling books! "Absorb power in the sky and str-- ARGH!" she grunted her spell interrupted by one of the Aquatanks that sank their teeth into an unprotected shoulder! She would hit at it with the hilt of her blade, but it wouldn't easily budge! The Holy Knight was in trouble!

[General Beatrix]

Save the Queen rumbled in Beatrix' hilt, and she could hear the cries from the sister sword, carried by Agrias, warning Beatrix like a signal whistle.

"Abigail, Lady Agrias is in trouble, somewhere in the west side of town!" She tapped the girl's shoulder lightly, notting knowingly. "We have a bond through our blades. Now come, let us rescue her!"

The Rose General bolted down the square, right past the three people she tried avoiding, and they didn't even notice it was her. She shook her head, waving it all away, and continued running for the longest time, until she found Agrias' trail.

When the trail led her to an open-water environment, she cursed under her breath. But there was Agrias, fending off the Heartless!

"Lady Agrias!"

She stared down at the stepping st--books--and slapped her face in frustration. "Damn it, Merlin!" She hopped from one to the next, and hacked and slashed at each Heartless that jumped in her way. When she was able to, she began charging up a "Holy" spell in her open palm.

"Prepare to meet the light, Heartless!"

[Agrias Oaks]

"Lady Agrias!" called a familiar voice to her, and the knight could only smile for half a second during the battle when she called out, "General Beatrix! -gAh! Care on your-gh- tactic!"

The fish-like heartless known as Aquatanks had a tactic of fighting. Like flying fish, they would jump out of the water at quick speed, to achieve aerodynamic feats of shooting out of the lake, to deal ramming damage. Both women woudn't have time to attack, as one after another would interrupt their spells with this tactic.

The Holy Knight swung her sword around using her right arm, and with the hit of every monster in her path, the sword would sing a battle cry itself. She was able to take down six of the eighteen creatures, but one she coudn't get rid of, and that was the one sinking its teeth even deeper at her left shoulder, rendering her left arm useless!

[General Beatrix]

"Damnit!" shouted the general, as one of the Aquatanks knocked into her arm, dissipating the "Holy" spell.

She waved her sword around still, stabbing, slashing and knocking away Heartless. She finally reached a grabbable location and took a firm hold of the Heartless sinking its corrupt teeth into her ally.

"Now this is where you die," she said. "Break!" and the Heartless turned to Stone, after releasing its grip and trying to move onto Beatrix.

It fell to the waters with a great splash.

"Now, onto this next set of filth!"

[Agrias Oaks]

It would seem that with Beatrix's help and weight on top of the book Agrias was at, had achieved the blasted floating piece to balance itself out! It felt solid, and barely moved, even with the two twisting and turning to strike with their swords. It had become easier.

Agrias would protect at Beatrix blind spot, as she was certain the General would do the same for her. She rested her now, free hand, upon the lower hilt of the sword and gave great slashes at the enemy, able to hit two at once at certain angles.

With the aid of the General, the fish were soon destroyed. The few heartless that remained of them, had retreated. Panting, Agrias would look to her surroundings, making sure they were out of danger before she spoke, "...owe you I must, someday." she chuckled, sheathing back her sword, to look to Beatrix.

If there was anything different about her, it was the missing, heavy armor pieces she once carried that were still near the shoreline. For once, the knight didn't look as bulky, but had a slim figure, underneath the metal. If a White Mage were to look carefully at her surroundings, they could be found between the bushes.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail was... slower than Beatrix. She ran as fast as she could, but she had to stop every now and then to catch her breath. She felt terribly inadequate compared... and frankly it made her sad to realize how incapable she truly was. She ran after her as best as she could, completely missing most of the battle as a result. She sighed, standing on the shore holding her staff in her hands.

She looked down, holding the staff lightly. With a shake of the head, she looked around for Agrias' missing armor. It was... all she could do right now. No Heartless were left behind for her to take out... and frankly after seeing Beatrix and Agrias back to back in battle (even briefly)... she almost felt the two matched each other FAR better than any other... pairing... in her mind.

She found it pretty easily, and made her way over to the floating book lightly. She looked up and handed Agrias the lost component. "I found this..." she whispered then blinked. "Oh! Your shoulder..."

She lifted a hand to touch it, her hand glowing brightly as healing energies coursed over the injury. While Agrias and Beatrix could heal themselves part of the way, she could take the wound completely away. Not much, considering a REAL warrior could INFLICT damage, not just wash away its effects. She lowered her hand once the job was done, holding her arms lightly and looking off.

"Sorry... I wasn't much help in the battle..." she whispered to both...

[Agrias Oaks]

Once the fight was over, the woman sighed in relief, "Thank God..." she whispered, holding her hands together and closing her eyes for a moment or two in silence. She lowered her hands and opened her eyes to look to Beatrix, and then the White Mage who had a sad look upon her, and gave her a smile once her injury was healed.

"Ah! Many thank yous, Lady Abigail." She spoke softly with her British accent, now reaching up to rub at her shoulder, "It feels much better, new at best! You have brought me mine armor as well... sorry to trouble you with it, for I was afraid it would sink me down, if ever a wrong step I would take during this passage to the Island."

She turned to Beatrix, nodding, and pointing over to the house with her right arm, while she held her things under her left arm, "I hear word, that the great Wizard is there, General."

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix gave Abigail a look of rememberance, and she tightened her grip on the sword and smiled. "Your work here has been excellent, Lady Abigail." She saw the forlorn look in the White Mage's eyes and shook her head. "Never consider yourself anything less than what you are. You're a superb healer, and I will train you in the future...to handle a blade, if you wish to inflict damage, not just heal it." She shrugged her shoulders, hoping that her little lesson would sink in.

She then turned, and looked at the squat little island. "So herein lies Merlin the Wise. He will surely be able to guide us back onto Maleficent's trail. And then Kefka will be ours."

[Agrias Oaks]

"Yes, Lady Abigail-- Thoust's abilities prove far superior than General Beatrix' and mines when it comes to healing. Your skills are greatly appreciated." She nodded, giving her a soft smile, " I, too, could teach you the ways of the swords with Lady Beatrix, if you should ever wish to use one in battle, but for now--"

She turned to face the little house, and grew excited at the idea that their mission of destroying Maleficent would soon come to open a peaceful-driven life for all.

"Our wait is silly! Let us go!" Agrias sounded off, holding her armor within her cape, using it as a temporary bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. She jumped from the balanced book, to an unbalanced one, flailing about a little to regain balance. She looked to the others behind her, "Me thinks team work would make the trail easier, Ladies." she spoke, noting how balanced the book the two were on was much still than the one Agrias had lept upon.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

The white mage of the group smiled lightly. She could see that they both saw great potential in her, and it made her happy. She blushed a bit at such high praise from Agrias, and even giggled a little. She blinked when they pointed forward and began making their way. Here again, Abigail would show skills that were not entirely expected of her.

Because of her small size, and thus minimal weight, she was able to skip across the book stones with almost no effort at all. She seemed almost to glide gracefully, with her cape flowing in her motion. She easily reached the other side, turning to face them across the way. "You said two could easily balance out... three would put you all out of wack!" she called back to them to explain her sudden motion.

Then another thought came to her. "You two need to time your jumps if you're going to do this! If one goes even a microsecond before the other, it could seriously effect the other's landing!" She held up a hand, so they could both easily see it.

"Watch me for your timing!" she called. "I'll signall you both to jump! Ready? GO!" she said, throwing her arm down in order to give them a good enough signal to jump together from their current location to the next. She felt a little more helpful, and maybe a smidge silly. After all... she probably only pointed out the obvious.

As they jumped, she'd speak a little more between signals. "I keep meaning to ask... I thought Merlin was- GO!- only a legend? How could he-GO!-be here? Isn't he just a-GO!-fairytale character?"

[Agrias Oaks]

"Watch me for your timing!" she called. "I'll signal you both to jump! Ready? GO!"

"You heard Lady Abigail, let us frolic!" She joked, wrapping her free arm around the General's while with the other she held her cape and armor. Agrias would begin jumping along with her as the white mage gave the signal.

"I keep meaning to ask... I thought Merlin was- GO!- only a legend? How could he-GO!-be here? Isn't he just a-GO!-fairytale character?"

It was amazing how these two knights from two different worlds were so in sync with one another's steps and movements. Jump by jump, they would get closer to the island, and in no time, come closer to the shore. She pondered on a thought and spoke, " He is a legend based on a true man, but being that this is a different, stranger world than ours, it would not surprise me if his presence existed here."

[General Beatrix]

"If legend serves me correctly," she began. "our worlds, all of them, were one together at some point, before darkness clouded it and broke them off." She smiled as they gayly hopped, and she couldn't help but think back to Agrias' victory fanfare celebration. Hop, hop, hop.

"Hahahahahaha!" she laughed so hard that the two women she knocked off-balance, and ultimately sent them crashing into the water.

She swam up quickly, taking hold of Agrias to ensure she didn't drown. But surfacing, she was still laughing.

"Er...forgive me. I haven't chuckled in quite a while. But look! Outside steps the great wizard!"

And, sure enough, Merlin stepped outside of his little cottage with a water sprinkler and began feeding his plants.

"Great Master Merlin!" she cried, and steadfastly made her way--Agrias in tow--to the shore. "Come on, Abigail! We must make haste!" She was still smiling.