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There were many voice surrounding her. Students went to and from classes, to group meetings to all sorts of other places. Such was the Garden on a regular basis, bustling with the student life with its militaristic organization. Heels and soles of shoes clicked right and left, echoing about the hallways. It was midday and class was over for her for the moment. It had been quite some time since Reuna had come to reside in Balamb, 8, to be exact.
If she searched as far back into her memory as she could, all she could remember was awakening here in Balamb Garden’s infirmary. She was mute and anemic from severe malnutrition and for the most part remained unresponsive to anyone who tried to interact with her. There was evidence that had been abused for quite a long long time, but when questioned about it, she didn’t answer. Or actually, she couldn’t answer. Language was incomprehensible to her, as well as the facial expressions to everyone around her. It was as if everything was new for her.
In fact, even her name… was something she couldn’t remember. For that, she was lucky enough to have had a small tag with that attached to it. But even the tag only had the one name, no other information. The garden staff couldn’t make any sort of guess as to who she was, whether she had any family, or why she was being transported the way she was. So the garden took care of her. It was a long progress to get this far and recover. Although she was rather proud of where she was right now, her confusing beginnings were embarrassing.
But this was no time to space off. Rather, it was time to make more progress forward. She felt like a ward of the state, being taken care of by the garden staff. She wanted to get out and do things. Some of them would be to repay the garden for their kindness, but she also wanted to explore the world and maybe discover herself. But to do that, she had to make SeeD and before that, she had to train up and prove herself worthy. That would have to be the fire cavern. It was of course, the one of the first steps to moving forward.
Within it, was an eidolon of fire, a creature of power, called the bomb. The fire cavern was notoriously dangerous for those that were unwary, But she had to make the attempt. Even if she didn’t managed to defeat the bomb eidolon in order to utilize its power, the experience would be invaluable for her. But she had some measure of confidence in herself. She couldn’t help to. It was something that she practiced for numerous times, combat, that is. She had been training, sometimes without being watched, in the training room against its monsters. That, and she had already been told that she was her potential in magic was natural.
She paced around near the first floor directory, hearing the sound of her own shoes clicking against he tiled floor. All she had to do was wait until it was her time, then she would have her chance. Silently, she was both pumped with excitement yet a bit nervous. However, she kept a cool appearance while she checked her uniform once more to make sure everything was in place straightened properly. After all, appearances were important, right?
As the Recruits and SeeD went around there daily business, you will notice a man in his mid twenties standing there in a uniform. He was looking at you from down the corridor before pushing himself off the wall and walked towards you. His expression was gruff, which kind of contradicted his youthful features.
When he reached you he stood there for a moment. It was then you could notice he was both tall and lean. When he spoke, his voice was just as gruff as his facial expression, like he smoked thirty a day,
“Reuna, I’m Fain Bellamy, I’ll be your instructor and the man who will be taking you through the Fire Cavern, follow me.”
With that he walked off into the elevator. From first glance it looked like he did not have any weapons on him, but his fists were tapped up, maybe he was a fist fighter. He did not look at you as he waited for the elevator to go down. However, he seemed like the type, if you asked him a question, he would answer, even if he did not really want to.
As the young SeeD candidate continued her pace, she spotted someone that stood out amongst the myriad faces. He was a tall and lean man, but he had a gruff appearance, coming off as somewhat grizzled. What really made him stand out so much was that he was approaching her right now. Since he appeared to be the only person paying her attention, she stopped her pacing to see what he wanted.
“Uh… ok,” she said quietly. The man, Fain Bellamy, sounded about as gruff as he looked. If it could be helped, Reuna didn’t want to post much trouble for the instructor, so she quickly followed along, not saying much of anything. “Nice to meet you Instructor Bellamy.”
As Reuna stepped into the elevator with him, she didn’t see any weapon on him. So, did he rely on magic like she did? Oh, his hands were taped. So then was a brawling type? But just tape? Why gauntlets or metal knuckles… or even gloves? He had to be fairly sturdy and confident in his abilities. Subconsciously, Reuna touched the sword sheathed on her side, considering whether or not she should stick to it until something strong showed up, or simply do what she did best.
Either way, she waited for the elevator to go down. After it had, she exited it and continued forwards to the Garden’s main entrance. She would keep pace with Instructor Bellamy, staying neither ahead or behind him Until they reached their destination. But then she did have a question. She had no idea how the instructor would answer though. “Instructor Bellamy, I do have just a few questions, if it’s ok.” She paused and waited for a moment for some kind of indication of approval, then began. “I know this is going to be my test, but how much are you allowed to help? Will you be providing back up, or are you mostly observing to see how I conduct myself. And… is there I time limit or can I take my time if I choose?” She somewhat braced for his gruff voice, not sure if he’d be upset at her many questions. More than likely though, she wouldn’t have too many, if any afterwards.
When you asked the questions he did not speak for a moment, he was not even looking at you. Fain did not seem like the social type, in fact you might even wonder, due to his personality, how he even became an instructor. However, there was a chance, his methods were solid as well as his skills, so much so he got the job done.
As Fain and yourself left the elevator he finally started to speak. He spoke to you as he moved at a fairly quick pace, but not too fast as if he was trying to rush ahead. As he walked, he looked at you from behind his orange tinted glasses,
”I’ll be there to observe you, but, if you needed, I am also there to support. There will be a fifteen minute time limit, where you will need to get to the heart of the Fire Cavern and make the Bomb Summon to join you, by any means needed.”
With the he reached to the middle of the base of his back and lifted up his shirt before drawing out a small metal item, slightly longer than his hand was wide. With a flick of his write it expanded, showing his weapon finally, a extendable baton. He looked at you and said, as you reached the entrance,
He wouldn’t even face her or look her direction. She wasn’t sure what to think of it, but it left a bit of odd tension in the atmosphere. Was this normal behavior for an instructor? Had she already done something wrong? No, she couldn’t think that way. If he did, it would affect her confidence, and in turn, affect her performance. That and her judgement were two things the need not to be hindered. Instead, she would think of battle strategies and how to handle the eidolon. That was very important, as it was the core of the mission.
Once the elevator stopped and then opened though, her thoughts were interrupted by his long awaited response. Ok, like she thought, she would be observed more than helped; otherwise it wouldn’t be a test, right? But… “Eh!? 15 minutes!? But,” she blurted, quickly quieting herself immediately. She never been within the fire cavern. What if she got lost? What if the path was too long and she couldn’t get there in time? Ugh…. She was doing it again. She shook her head to dispel the thoughts instead said, “I guess I’ll have to be efficient then.”
The elevator then stopped and the instructor revealed what eventually looked like a baton, which Reuna figured he used as a weapon. When he stepped off and told Reuna that she would be leading from here on, she nodded and stepped in front. She traveled a brisk pace, suggesting that she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. She didn’t stop or pause, and instead continued her march over the mostly green and grassy horizon. She was careful to avoid pathways where random creatures frequently appeared and kept her eyes peeled just in case. Shortly thereafter, they found themselves on the path of the fire cavern. Once it loomed into view, she sped up bit to get there quicker. But then she paused, looking about the actual entrance to try and inspect it before actually heading.
Fain followed you when you both left the Garden. Keeping his eyes and ears open he did not spot anything, but made sure to keep an eye on you. He was there to make sure you were up to the challenge after all. He was not the most hospitable of sorts, but, he would not have been put as an instructor if he could not get the job done.
When you reach the Fire Cavern you see two SeeD standing in front of the entrance. The booth looked at you expectantly before Fain passed you and walked straight up to him. His posture was rigid, like a man who was born and raised to be a soldier. When he reached the two SeeD he waited for you for a moment before saluting,
”Instructor Bellamy here to take Trainee Reuna in for her exam within the Fire Caver.”
The two SeeD saluted and stepped out of the way, each taking one side of the Cavern entrance. Fain looked at you for a moment before nodding and walking in. However, he stopped for a moment before looking back at you for a second or two before speaking,
”As soon as you enter the Fire Cavern your time will commence, so make sure you’re ready. In the fifteen minutes you will have to enter the heart of the Cavern and make the Bomb Summon join you, in any way you can.”
He reminded you, to make sure you understood what you had to do. The fact was, he may not show it, hell it might be hard to believe, but Fain, in his own way, cared for every student he took under his win. With that he looked at you for a brief moment before stepping in.
With Reuna in the lead towards the destination, the travel was pretty short and uneventful, which was good. She’d probably get enough action inside the fire cavern, having ran into no monsters outside. As she got close to the fire cavern, she saw 2 SeeD standing at it’s entrance, as if to guard it. They looked expectantly at her for a moment and she didn’t wish to betray the expectations. Instrutor Bellamy stepped between her and the SeeD and salute, introducing them to the SeeD. She wasn’t sure whether or not to salute as well, so she did. Worst that would happen is she’d look silly, which was better than appearing rude before her seniors.
Once everyone dropped their salutes, she would do so as well, putting her hand down last, then proceeding towards the entrance behind her instructor. Even when in the company of SeeD, he seemed more like soldier than those around him. She stiffened up slightly when he turned to her to make a final comment. Reuna took a deep breath and said, “Alright then, I’m ready instructor Bellamy,” then proceeded in behind him.
As one could have expected from a place called fire cavern, it was hot. But the degree was something someone couldn’t simply prepare for ahead of time without experiencing. Whatever coolness from the outside air immediately broke away, dissolved or perhaps melted away by the intense heat. Her skin quickly began to perspiring as the air licked at it. The air itself quivered and wavered, rippling like lake water. She had to wince at first as her eyes got used to the sensation.
There was molten lava, bright red and bubbling just past the corners of the pathway. Not to mention the smell. She had to stop moving for a moment to observe the path way. The last thing she needed was to make a wrong step that placed her into lava. Then the monsters. She tried to keep her eyes peeled for their presence , adopting a ready stance with her sword drawn defensively. As she was leading, she figured navigation was her job too, so she advanced at a steady pace and tried picking a path the seemed like it went to the caverns heart.
Fain stood there for a moment, and watched as you walk into the Fire Cavern. When you had entered he followed, the heat meeting him like an old friend. The truth was, even though it was a shock to the system, it did not take him long to get use to the heat, since he had been in the Caverns so many times himself.
He watched you as you suffered from the heat, but did not speak. He was waiting for you to take the lead. However, he continued to watch as you tried to figure out which way to go. He stood there in silence waiting for you to make you move. He was a gruff individual but he was also a patient one. He was there to observe, and if you spent to much time choosing, even though it looked bad for him, it would be your problem at the end of the day.
(RP going further into the Cavern. Note, do not reach the centre)
Alright. She shook her head lightly, casting away the dazed feeling. She had to begin making progress forwards. Since the bomb eidolon was supposed to be located in the center of the cavern, Reuna went straight down the passage. She quickly took the lead and began a brisk pace forward. As long as there were no monsters in her path, she continued at that pace, staying as far from the hot lava as she could. Time was a must though, as he only had 15 minutes to get there and then win over the eidolon, less now even as she moved.
She wondered how far it would be and she continued at a brisk pace, quickly coming to a few branches in the path. Here, she paused and looked down both passages. The one on the left side appeared to branch off towards the side a little bit while the path on her left seemed to go deeper into the cave. Curiousity bit at her to check both paths, but in the end, taking a path that didn’t lead to her goal could cost her, so she went forward quickly on the path that seemed to go further in. She turn her head back slightly toward the instructor and said, “Instructor Bellamy, would you be allowed to tell me if I were on the wrong path?”
Fain followed you, keeping close behind, his extendable baton in one hand he kept an eye out both on anything that could come as well as you. He was there to support, and, if he had to he would assist in battle, but, if he had to it might affect the over points given to you.
When you reached the two roads he stopped as you did. He did not speak he just waited in silence. However, when you asked if he would be allowed to tell you if you were going on the wrong road he spoke, and quite bluntly,
”Yes, however, I would strongly suggest against it.”
It was at that time that four smallish and one large figures swooped from the skies as you and Fain. Fain jumped back and held himself in a defensive position as four Red Bats and a Buel came to attack. He stood there and looked at you before speaking once more,
”Again, I’m here to support you if needed, but, it would be wise to try to defeat them on your own. Now, show me why you should be a member of the Elite Mercenary group, SeeD.”
(RP battle against them, no stats will be used for this fight)
Reuna nodded as she received her answer. Was it nerves or curiosity making her ask such questions? Maybe it was simply too quiet. Aside from echo of their steps there was no sound from anything living, so perhaps she was only trying to fill the silence. But then, she wasn’t too great with conversation, so silence overtook soon enough anyway or, at least until a sizeable group of monsters did appear. In their numbers, were 4 red bats and a buel, so 5 monsters altogether.
When Instructor Bellamy spoke this time, she quickly nodded and said, “I will.” She quickly stepped further ahead of the him, coming closer to the monsters. She had to think quick about this while at the same time acting appropriately, as time was of the essence. She knew red bats were weak in general, but the buel was pretty strong against magic, so it might prove difficult. Well, they had just appeared, so Reuna needed to strike quick before they took initiative.
She quickly gathered up some of her magic energy then recited a few words of concentration, “Glistening blades fork, bite, scatter!” Currents of electricity gathered around the palm of her hand. They then flowed towards her fingers, where she let them loose in two bolts of lightning. These bolts traveled pretty fast, catching two of the redbats in the center of mass before they began moving. Those two quick crumpled to the ground defeated.
However, Reuna’s preemptive attack spurred the rest of the monsters to action. The two red bats flew towads her and starting trying to attack. Their attacks mainly consisted on repeated wingbeats and scratching attempts, but Reuna kept her guard up so that they could target her vulnerable face, limiting what damage they could do. This lasted for about 30 seconds, with it appearing as the Reuna was at a large disadvantage. However, the bats weren’t very strong, and their manner of flying was rather clumsy and cumbersome. It just took a bit of waiting for an opening, and… SHCRINK!!! FRUMP!!!
[/I]
The red bats had backed off for just a moment as if to prepare to swoop in. Immediately, Reuna slashed across the body of one, catching one of its wings in the process. She the thrust her sword through the chest of the other. Both were easy enough to defeat while taking neglibible injuries, mainly a few scrapes across her arm. But still left the BOOM!!!
It was hot, stung, and of course, burnt bitterly when the booming sound struck her, knocking her from her feet for a second. It was the buel, who had cast a fire spell at her while the redbats had attacked. She was lucky that it hadn’t struck quicker, as it would have thrown of her attack. In either case, she had to hurry and defeat it quickly. With a sense of urgency, she recovered, got to her feet, and brushed herself off. Her magic resistance was high enough to not take a scorching from the spell, so she was thankful that it hadn’t decided to rush her and strike, as that might have hurt more, given its size.
It began casting another spell, but this time, Reuna was not distracted, so she braced for it and guarded as when the fire came. With a heated thump, it struck her sword for a defensive stance and dissipated in the air when met with resistence. Reuna winced a bit, but rushed towards it, attempting to strike it with her sword. It came to no avail however, as the buel simply drifted up and away, out her attack range, before settling back in near the ground. She tried again, but the same thing happened.
That when she noticed that the path behind the buel came to a turn, and if it continued backing away like that, it would be over the lava. Given her lack of time, she figured she could use that to her advantages. She pressed her attack forward, trying to back it over the lava, which worked after a few attacks and round of guarding or dodging, then, once it was floating mostly over lava, she finished the her plan. “Strip away the ground with glistening blades!” She then pointed and loosed a bolt to drop down on the buel. After the string of attacks, it didn’t appear to be expecting a spell, even though it did little damage at all. But she knew that was the case. Buels had hight defense against magic. However, it staggered it, just a bit, just enough so that as it spinning hover was thrown of balance, one of its wings touched the lava. It then flailed about and tried to come back to the stone floor, but couldn’t maintain its flight, and simply fell into the lava. Nothing except heat and fire incarnate would likely survive that, evident by its wild thrashing about, followed by a dead silence as it seemed to melt away into the molten lava.
Reuna waited a moment to be sure there were no more monsters around before saying, breathing out a small sigh and dusting herself off. A small cloud of dust flew her body, which would bring into question what she looked like right now. She turned toward instructor Bellamy and said, “I think that’s all of them. Shall we continue?”
OOC:Let me know if it seems like I'm rushing or over stepping my bounds, and I'll edit, k?[/blockquote][/font]
As you fought against the Red Bats and Beul Fain stood there and watched. He had to admit, he was impressed, slightly. He was ready, just in case he needed to help you, but, he would only do that if it looked like you were going to really need it. So, he stood there in silence watching you fight.
When you had finished he stood there with the same gruff expression, like it was permanently tattooed onto his face. When you spoke he looked around for a moment or two before looking back to you. He stood there looking at you for a few seconds before nodding.
” Yes, I believe it is, come on let’s go.”
With those words said he began to walk. His pace was slow and methodical. The truth was he was waiting for you to take the lead. He was, as he had said before, there to support you, and he would make sure he would never actually take the lead, this was your mission, and he wanted to make sure you did it your way.
(RP to the heart of the cavern) (No, what you wrote is good.)
Now that instructor Bellamy was a catching up, Reuna decided to hurry along forwards. The path she had ended up along was the one that the beul had back into. Luckily for her, it appeared to be the one that went further into the actual cavern rather than the side path. Gradually, it was getting even hotter as they drew further from the cavern entrance and the outside air. She was getting closer to the heart, she could feel it. Luckily, the path soon became straight shoot with the ground being both wide and stable, comparatively to earlier on.
Needless to say, she hurried along into a quick power walk. The lack of monsters made it easy to advance, but she didn’t drop her guard, After about a minute of walking, the path narrowed out again only stretched a little further in. In fact, it bottle necked at one point, causing her to slow down and move slowly. Once she passed though the narrowest part though, should could make out a large circular plate form in the center. She stepped in, to find that this was the deepest part of the cavern accessible by foot. It simply went no further.
But… it was empty. She didn’t see anything, at least not immediately. She did a full 360 glance, but the presence of the bomb eidolon was nowhere in sight. She stepped a bit further in and saw a hole in the ground reaching into the lava. The heat here was strongest, and she couldn’t get too close without wincing. Without warning, the cavern began to reverberate with the presence of something powerful. Reuna readied her guard. This had to be it, the bomb eidolon. Was she prepared for this though?
As you stood there and the earth quaked the lava within the gap in the platform began to bubble and move. As off a sudden a figure burst from the lava, spinning around, the liquid fire spraying from its body. As he came down you would realise it was the Bomb Summon. There was not turning back now, it was time to fight.
Fain stood there, on the edge of the platform with his extendable baton out, the same gruff expression on his face as always. He looked at you and nodded before turning his attention back to the Bomb Summon. The expression on his face, even though gruff, show no signs of concern. He would not voice it, but he had faith in you.
”Show me what you got Reuna, prove to me you are strong enough to become SeeD.”
In the center where the heat was strongest, lava began to spurt as the ground quaked. Once the lava rose in the form a liquid fireball, she backed away to avoid the bits of fire it seemed to be shedding. Once it stopped though, she stepped back forward, as if to show that she was the one that really mattered. “Yes Instructor Bellamy. I will do my best.”
“Oh great bomb summon, I challenge you. Should you deem me worthy, please join me and lend me your strength in the future.”
“Strip away the ground with glistening blades!” She brought her hands together and focused, sending a bolt of thunder magic at the bomb. She was on a time limit though, so she couldn’t waste time, not that she was actually here. She still had focus from the previous spell set, so she simply brought and arm down as if dropping an object from the sky. In response, a second bolt would descend over head, striking the bomb overhead after the first has struck center mass. Mentally, she prepared herself for scalding heat, as she had no defense set up.
When the onslaught of thunder came the Bomb Summon rolled backwards from the hit. However, when the magical attacks were over it floated there and chuckled. When it was its turn his hands started to move around, which could look quite comical, since they were much smaller than the rest of its body. As his hands moved it started to shimmer before its attacks came.
Action 1: Fire (150 – 130 = 20) Action 2: Fire (150 – 130 = 20)
She couldn’t tell if the bomb eidolon had understood her, or if it even cared. The way it chuckled, it might have been having fun, or been trying to intimidate her. Again, she couldn’t really tell. It took her attacks head and rocked a bit from the impact but seemed overall fine. It didn’t piss her off, because she was sure that the bomb eidolon wouldn’t have gone done quite that easy in the first place, but…
“Hey, you know I’m serious here, right?” She had called out to it only to be struck with magical flames. The flames hurt, but weren’t intense enough to put her out of the fight, so she told herself to endure it, Endure it for now and show Belamy and the eidolon that she was worthy. Concentrating, Reuna unleashed another pair of bolts at the Eidolon, striking at its center of mass. She estimated that was a little over half in stamina, so she could hold out for now, but soon, she’d need to take some form of defensive actions. For now though, she watched for some kind of sign that the eidolon was weakening, being aware the Instructor Belamy was still on standby, if she actually did feel that she needed his help.
The Bomb started to swing backwards when you struck with another bout of lighting. He looked at you and continued to laugh. However, when you shouted out that you were serious he started to spin around and around spraying hot red flames at you as it started to shimmer the same colour.
Action 1: Fire (150 – 130 = 20) Action 2: Fire (150 – 130 = 20)
“Reuna, I’m Fain Bellamy, I’ll be your instructor and the man who will be taking you through the Fire Cavern, follow me.”