The Great Magi's Misadventures

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen gulped slightly. "N-no..." she said shakily. If she hadn't been afraid before, she was now.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Oh, no..." Finnas mumbled, seeing that the "shack" was actually a Darkling, and a highly evolved one at that, disguised to look like a shack. He immediately stepped on his staff and began to fly towards the monster.


"We can sense you're lying," the Darkling said, making more tendrils appear and placing them on Tayleen's forehead.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen flinched. "I have nothing." she mumbled. She tried to pull her self away and make a run for it, but she only succeeded in getting herself hurt.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Then we shall consume you..." The Darkling said as it engulfed Tayleen in its own darkness.


Meanwhile, outside the Darkling, Finnas was charging a spell to cast on the monster in an effort to free Tayleen.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen closed her eyes tight as she watched what little of her life flash in front of her. She didn't dare open her eyes.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Take this, beastie!" Finnas shouted, firing a beam of pure magic energy from a sigil he drew in front of him at the Darkling. The Darkling roared as it split apart, revealing Tayleen hanging in the middle. Finnas hopped on his magic staff and flew in between the monster, grabbing Tayleen as he did so. "So, when are you gonna stop getting yourself into trouble?"

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen opened one of her eyes and peered at Finnas. She immediately shut her eyes and squeezed them shut tighter. "Probably when I learn to stay out of trouble." she mumbled. She opened both of her eyes and looked at her hands. She was humiliated and embarrassed. She shook her head as a tear ran down her face. She brought her hands to her face as more tears followed. She wasn't trying to make anything hard on him and she most certainly didn't want him to see that she was crying. She couldn't believe that he had saved her life twice, this somehow had a great impact on how she saw him.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Wait here," Finnas said, gently placing Tayleen on the ground as he turned to face the Darkling as it reconstructed itself. "Lemme take care of Mr. Evil-being-from-another-dimension real quickly."


"You will pay, lesser being!" The Darkling shouted telepathically as it shot tendrils at Finnas, who gracefully dodged and weaved through them on his magical staff. As he flew along, he chain casted Light-based spells at the monstrosity, shooting off bits and pieces of it as he got closer.


"You're the one who's gonna pay for messing with the Great Magi!" Finnas re-positioned the sigil from earlier to be underneath the Darkling, activating it once more and banishing the entire being from whence it came.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen, somewhat shocked by the events unraveling in front of her. Her eyes were now wide open. She watched the scene from behind her hands.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Finnas dusted off his hands as the sigil, along with the monster, disappeared. "Well, that takes care of that one," he said, collapsing from exhaustion once more.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen blinked. She stood and walked over to Finnas. For some reason, she was surprised he had passed out. She kneeled down beside him and thought for a moment. She sighed and shook her head. 'Should've expected something like that. Why did you have to walk off? Couldn't you have just been smart and tell him? Why are you so afraid to tell anyone that you dream of that one memory every night? Maybe if you could have done that than you wouldn't be kneeling by him' She thought. A hint of worry crossed her face. She watched the area for a moment, then looked at Finnas. Despite being worried, she couldn't help but smile a little. Maybe she would learn that life wasn't so bad after all

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Finnas gasped as he came to, seeing Tayleen kneeling next to him. He sat up and rubbed his forehead. "Ah. You alright, there?" Finnas said, leaning forward.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen nodded. "I....you," she stuttered. She looked down. Words had started to fail her. She wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words to do so. She closed her eyes and shook her head. The best thing she could think of to do was to hug him, but she wasn't sure how he would react. She looked at him, then at her hands. She wasn't about to find out how he would react to being hugged.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Finnas got up, dusting off his pants. "Well, thanks to you, we're behind schedule. Come along, now," he said as he picked up his staff and bag and began walking toward Ivalice.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen sighed and stood up. She didn't bother to brush the dirt off of herself. She followed him, feeling a little hurt by the comment. She shrugged it off, guessing that she would have to get used to it.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"You shouldn't run off like that. You almost got killed," Finnas said as he walked, resting his staff on his shoulder. He used his goggles to keep the sun out of his eyes as he walked.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen looked at the ground as she walked, not exactly sure what to say. She shook her head and looked up. "I know, it was stupid and irrational. I..." she started to say. She couldn't finish what she wanted to say, either because she was lost for words or because she was too upset to offer an explanation. She kept her eyes on the ground.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Finnas picked up the bag on the ground and tossed it to Tayleen. "Here, catch." He then continued to walk on. "Don't lose that." He sighed.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen caught the bag and sighed. She shook her head and followed him. She tried not to think of what had just happened, but it was fresh on her mind.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"So, now are you willing to learn magic?" Finnas asked as he walked along.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen stopped walking and closed her eyes. "It depends on what you mean." she stated. She opened her eyes and started to walk again. She didn't know why she had said that or even if it had been her who had said that. She shuddered at her thoughts and focused on where they were going.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"What I'm talking about is natural magic. Casting it without the use of a wand or spell tome," Finnas said, now using his staff as a walking stick. The sun was high in the sky, making it around noon. They would still have another hour or two of walking before they got to Ivalice. "That's how all other teachers use magic."

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen thought for a moment. She wondered exactly what she would learn, but didn't ask. She nodded to herself. "I see"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

After roughly an hour of walking, Finnas could see the city of Ivalice over the horizon. "Look, the great city of Ivalice!" he pointed out. He could see flight platforms and other machines floating outside the city as extensions for more living space without cutting further into the nearby forests. His home town. Finnas smiled to see his family and friends again, but sighed as he thought of Cassandra, shuddering at the thought of her bothering and pestering him about going out together.

 

[Reiyumi]

Tayleen looked at the city. She had never seen anything like it, and she was a little frightened. She looked at him and saw that he was smiling. She looked at the ground. She couldn't force a smile, not even if she wanted to. She took a deep breath and shook her head. She loved to talk to people, so she should be able to do this. She didn't know if she could though. She closed her eyes and thought of something her mother had always told her. Always smile, not matter how bleak things seemed. Don't let anyone see how weak you really truly are. It seemed that she had failed her mother as well. Silently, she made a promise to herself to live up to her parents' legend. They had been two mages, who put them together were unstoppable. She might not be unstoppable when she learned, but she wouldn't be easily defeated.