Ch 9: In Need of an Edge

Travelling through the Sa Desert, Grey heads for the Oasis, trading blows with Grave along the way. As he arrives, the mysterious old man appears before him. Did he get tired of just observing?

            Stepping out through the portal onto a mountain path, Mythra looked around a moment. Then as the others filed through, she turned to them with a smug grin and placed her hands on her hips as she said, “Welcome to Gaia everyone! I told you my portal was foolproof!” Adjusting his shades, Alexander muttered, “I would hardly call ninety percent foolproof, but it does appear that we all made it here alright.” While Mythra donned an indignant look, Scott looked around, muttering, “This doesn’t look all too…” Having seen the twin moons in the sky, Scott trailed off and simply stared, while Richter enthusiastically said, “Fascinating! How periodically would you have eclipses with moons such as these I wonder? And just how would the tides work?” Noticing something out of the corner of her eye, Amy quickly pointed down at the forest below and said, “Alexander, look! That tree looks so much like that Teramassil! Could it be Vitaessil?” Looking down into the forest, Alexander said, “You may be correct. It’s been so long that I don’t really recognize the area, but considering the changes that will occur over a period of…” Pausing, Alexander suddenly turned around and called out, “Tertium, is that you up there?” Dropping down from his post upon the tree growing out of the mountain, Ranger Tertium said, “So it was you Lord Gabriel! I could hardly believe it, for you to show up as well…” Raising an eyebrow, Alexander replied, “As well?” Nodding, Tertium replied, “Serius the Unbound and He of the Infinite visited Vitaeris as well several days ago.”

 

            The Sa Desert. Tuesday, June 26, 520NA. Trudging through the desert in the blazing sun, all Grey saw around him was sand. He had left as soon as he’d gathered the necessary supplies, traversing the vast desert without even stopping to sleep. Compass and map in hand, a large canteen of water hanging from a strap over his shoulder, he adjusted the visor on his head and muttered, “Am I even going the right way? This desert heat sucks…” Clearing another sand dune, off in the distance he at last spotted what looked like a patch of green in the distance. Grinning to himself, Grey exclaimed, “There!” Starting to rush down the hill, he suddenly thought he sensed something, and he quickly leaped away as chains shot out of the sand around him. Rolling across the sand, he came out on one knee and looked over to where Grave was rising out of the depths of the desert. Seeing him, Grey exclaimed, “Damn circus freak! I don’t have time for you!” His tattered cloak flapping in the wind, Grave replied, “I’m not interested in you either. I want the girl…” Glancing over at the oasis, Grave added, “And now that you’ve led me to her, you’re no longer useful!” Quickly drawing throwing stars from his cloak, Grave hurled them at Grey, who quickly formed a sword and attempted to deflect them. Yet as he blocked them, they affixed themselves to his sword, and before Grey could even wonder what kind of trick this was, his question was answered as they exploded. Hurled across the sand by the blast and dropping his sword, as Grey started to get up, a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a wave of sand coming down on him. Forming his other sword, Grey quickly muttered, “Ego Voco Vos, Ventus Acies!” The wave of sand crashed down on him, and watching him disappear beneath it, Grave muttered, “What a weakling…” However, as he turned to go, a blast of wind erupted out of the sand and Grey jumped out and fired a wave of light energy from his hand. Quickly Grave raised a shell of sand around himself as the wave came down on him, and the wave exploded as it struck the sand barrier. As Grey watched the air clear, it seemed Grave had disappeared.

 

            As chains shot out of the sand around him again, Grey quickly dove for his other sword. Picking it up as he rolled to his feet, Grey turned as Grave burst out of the sand and hurled more explosive stars at him. Ducking aside and rushing at his opponent as the throwing stars detonated behind him, Grey quickly skidded to a halt as Grave raised a hand and the ground the villain stood upon rose into the air. It was as though half the desert had risen up by his command, and as Grey looked up at Grave standing at the edge of the newly formed cliff, he watched him gather a mass of EDE that crystallized into a black coffin tied to his back with chains. Then as Grave waved a hand in the air, large stone spikes formed on the side of the cliff in front of Grey, and Grey quickly figured out what was coming. Leaping up as the stone spikes shot out at him, Grey used his wind blade to propel himself up high above the edge of the cliff where Grave stood, and then he chanted in the air, “Ego Voco Vos, Lux Acies!” His wind enchantment fading, both Grey’s swords shone with the power enhancing light enchantment as he came down with a double slash, but taking the coffin off his back, Grave raised it above him to block. Landing on Grave’s coffin as his blades struck it harmlessly, Grey quickly hopped off and landed behind him. Whirling around, he raised a light sword and fired a sphere of light energy, but Grave turned and raised a hand as well, and a small stone pillar rose up to block the sphere’s path. His pillar was destroyed by Grey’s attack, and under the cover of the resulting blast, Grave set his coffin down and muttered, “Shadowstep.” As Grey rushed through the dust from the blast, Grave was nowhere to be seen. Looking around for him, Grey muttered, “Now where’d he go?” Then Grave's coffin burst open and a black fog poured out, quickly obscuring Grey's vision of the area around him. Barely able to see two feet in front of him, Grey shouted in frustration, “Where the hell are you?!” Grave’s voice replied as though he were speaking straight into his ear, saying, “Here…” Quickly turning around, Grey was met with a ghostly uppercut, popping him into the air. Flipping in the air, Grey landed back on his feet, and wiping the blood from his mouth, he muttered, “What the hell was that?!” Then without warning, chains burst out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Grey. As they constricted around his body, Grey heard Grave say, “EDE can unlock a limitless number of powers. I don’t just command the earth, but my very spirit as well. A weak brat like you is hardly worth my time…”

 

            Struggling against the chains, Grey muttered, “Who’s the weak brat around here?! Void Energy, Level 2!” Unleashing his Void Energy, the power of Grey’s aura increased as he gathered and generated EDE at the same time, and one by one the chains began to break as Grey pulled himself free. Then raising a light sword, he chanted, “Geminus, Ego Voco Vos, Ventus Acies!” One light sword became a wind sword once more, and Grey focused EDE into it and blew away the black clouds with a blast of wind. His opponent exposed, Grey swung his wind blade in an arc before him, and blades of wind shot out at Grave. Once again, Grave said, “Shadowstep.” Disappearing from the path of the wind blades, he appeared before Grey with another punch empowered with spirit energy. As Grey reeled back from the phantasmal impact, Grave raised his hand, and from his sleeve shot chains that wrapped around Grey’s swords and pulled them from his hands. Flinging them away, Grave raised his other hand and sand rose up around Grey, encasing him up to the neck. As the sand tightened around Grey, Grave said, “You won’t get out of my Sand Vice without your EDE Dissipation. I’ve done my research on you. You require a catalyst of crystallized EDE in order to use it, don’t you?” Gathering all his strength, Grey tried to unleash his EDE Dissipation. Watching him struggle, Grave muttered, “Just give it up. It’s impossible.” At that moment, Grey remembered the words Alexander had spoken when he last had seen him, and with a grin he said, “Anything is possible!” Trying again with all his strength, he channeled his EDE Dissipation into his arms in a different way he normally used it with his swords, and unleashed it. Lunging forth with a powerful EDE charged punch as the sand binding him fell away, Grey caught Grave off guard, pummeling him hard in the face. However, though his strike sent Grave flying, Grey felt as though he’d been punching a wall of Deus Calx when his fist connected with Grave’s face. As Grey watched Grave struggle to get up again, he thought to himself, “What’s he wearing under that hood, a steel helmet?” As Grave stood up, his hood fell off and Grey got a better look. His opponent had short black hair, gray eyes, and wore a white ninja mask over his mouth and nose. Yet most noticeable was what appeared to be a crack in his face where Grey was certain his fist had struck. Reaching up and feeling at the crack, Grave muttered, “To actually harm me like that… I’ve underestimated him. I should have used a substitution after all.” Glaring at Grey, he called out, “You haven’t seen the last of me brat…” Then he sank into the desert sands.

            Starting to make his way to the oasis again, as Grey drew near his goal, a voice called out, “Ah, fancy meeting you here my young friend!” Stopping, he turned to see the old man who had guided him to Gaia sitting upon a small rock just a short distance to his right. Wondering if he had heatstroke, Grey made his way over and said, “What the hell are you doing here?” Laughing, the old man replied, “Oh, just a little observing. You had a close call there. Cowardly as he is, that man was far beyond you. Nevertheless, you did quite well in refashioning your EDE Dissipation to work without a catalyst. Not even Amanus himself ever pulled that off!” Scratching his head as he thought about this, Grey muttered, “Yeah well, I don’t quite know how I figured it out myself…” Then turning to go, Grey simply said, “Anyways, I don’t really have time to talk. Catch ya later.” However, he didn’t get far before the old man said, “Ah, wait young man! Don’t rush in just yet!” Stopping, Grey rolled his eyes and turned back to him as he said, “What now?” Rising from the rock, the old man turned to face the oasis and said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you stand absolutely no chance as you are. Fox is simply on another level…” With an irritated sigh, Grey said, “Thanks for the vote of confidence! Sorry but I don’t buy it, and even if he is, I have no choice! I’m not gonna leave Saria behind!” Turning to him with a grin, the old man said, “So you still intend to go for the sake of your sister?” Grey nodded in acknowledgement, and coming to stand within arm’s length, the old man said, “Then let’s see if I can give you the edge you need!” Raising an eyebrow, Grey said, “What are you talking about now old man?” Laughing, the old man clapped him on the shoulder and replied, “Oh come now my boy! Surely by now we’re good enough friends for you to call me by name!” With a frazzled look, Grey muttered, “It would be nice if you’d actually tell me your name first!” Raising his other hand, old man replied, “Forgotten already, have you? I’m Eazel, the Plane Stalker!” With that, the desert around them suddenly faded away.

            Looking around at his new surroundings, a world of endless white, Grey exclaimed, “W-what the hell did you do?!” With a chortle, Eazel said, “Oh nothing really. I’ve simply taken us to a plane where the flow of time is virtually nonexistent. Don’t worry. You shall not be late to save your sister.” Staring down at the ground, which seemed to be made of some form of pure white stone, Grey asked, “Just how is coming here gonna help me win against Fox?” Walking away, Eazel said, “As I was saying, you can remain here for what you perceive as a long time, and back on Gaia almost no time at all will have passed. This advantage gives you all the time you need to hone your skills and prepare yourself. There is a limit to how long your body can remain in such a place though, so once you’ve rested up after your battle with Grave, why don’t you start training?” Stopping to glance back at him, Eazel added, “Put your heart into it, and maybe I’ll even come back and teach you another of your Infinite Abilities…” With a look of surprise, Grey called out, “What?! Hey hold on a second!” Yet Eazel simply seemed to fade away. Looking around again, Grey saw nothing but white emptiness that seemed to go on forever, and taking a seat, he sighed and thought, “Well… At least there’s light around here. Maybe now’s a good time for a little telekinetic training.” Grabbing his canteen of water, feeling like having a drink, he paused as a thought crossed his mind. Slightly concerned, he quickly thought to himself, “He does realize I’m gonna need food and water if I’ll be staying here a while… right?” 

Training hard, Grey practiced using his telekinetic powers to redirect his energy attacks. He was getting rather good at it, and taking a moment to rest, he exclaimed, “Man, I’m getting hungry here! He had better not have forgotten me…” Wondering to himself just what Eazel could be doing right now, Grey muttered, “He just runs around ‘observing’ from what I can tell. He must have some serious free time on his hands.” Suddenly, Eazel’s voice called out, “Now that’s rather harsh my young friend! It’s a great deal of hard work to run this place I’ll have you know…” Whirling around, Grey saw a small cafeteria had popped up out of nowhere. It consisted of several sets of white chairs and tables that were laid out before a small white building with a slide open window and steam coming out the vents at the top. Waiting at the window with a grin on his face was Eazel, wearing a chef’s hat and white clothes. Walking past the tables and chairs over to the window, as he looked at it all in disbelief, Grey muttered, “You gotta be kidding me…” Laughing in amusement at his reaction, Eazel said, “Well you did say anything was possible, didn’t you?” Handing Grey a menu, he added, “Since you didn’t have any during your stroll through the desert, we’re serving breakfast now. I suggest the eggs and bacon special, mostly because it’s what I’m best at. Sunny-side up I presume?”

            Sitting at a table eating, after swallowing a bite of bacon, Grey said, “Say Eazel, I’ve been thinking about this awhile…” Busy cleaning one of the tables despite the fact they all looked completely unused, Eazel paused and seemed to listen intently as Grey continued, “Did you showing up have something to do with me using that Grand Anima Weapon, Deus Amictus? It seems like ever since I did, you’ve been popping up everywhere.” With a reminiscent look, Eazel replied, “Ah yes, Deus Amictus… Translated as God Mantle, it is known to those who know about it as the Ultimate Power… Well, more currently known as the Sealed Ultimate Power. I must admit that its reemergence interests me greatly, but I have had my eye on you for a long time now.” Settling into the chair he had just cleaned, Eazel continued, “You see, I am actually something of a rogue operative among my kind these days. Many of the remaining Observers seek to see the world continue along its path, content to leave everything in the hands of fate. I am different. Like Gisette, I have taken an interest in altering the fate of the world, quite simply because I feel it is the right thing to do. Unlike her, I try not to openly get involved. Considering the fact that the others would come and strip me of my powers, such a move would be pointless. I do what I can get away with, as I mentioned before. To be honest it was quite a risk, saving Alexander’s life like I did. It would have sealed my fate if they had noticed, but for now I seem to be in the clear.” 

Taking this in, Grey still had something that bothered him despite the fact he had asked Gisette herself. Since this discussion was making progress, he asked, “Just what are you Eazel? What is an Observer?” Leaning his elbows on the table with a sigh, Eazel replied, “Do you know how the world was created my young friend? Before this existence, there was another existence that occupied what is called the Inanimate Dream, the mysterious foundation of the universe itself. In that existence lived numerous beings, including those known as the Old Gods. At some point, the Old Gods found their very existence unraveling around them, and were forced to create a new existence. The existence in which we live today.” Grey listened intently, ignoring his food as Eazel continued, “However, the new world came with a price to its creators. Their powers exhausted, their bodies fading, the Old Gods were reborn as completely different beings, the Observers. Starting out, we Observers watched over this world, but after a while, after all the pointless hatred and the endless wars… We lost faith in what our former selves had created with their very being. Disappearing into the dimensional void, we left our place at Origin’s side and began to search for some form of reason behind the chaos…” Despite not being able to see his eyes because of the belt strapped around them like a blindfold, Grey could tell from his expression he was troubled. After a moment, Eazel said, “Anyways, just as Gisette has chosen to support Alastor, I’ve decided that you, my boy, are the one who can save this world from the inevitable destruction it now faces.” A grin crossed Eazel’s face as he added, “No pressure…”

            “Now then…” Eazel said as he lined up practice dummies before Grey. Motioning him to back up, he gave the okay sign as soon as Grey was about thirty feet away and said, “The first thing I see that needs work is your lack of firepower. You’ve been able to get by with a decent energy wave here, a spell there, but I think you’ll find things much easier if you had something that didn’t require so much energy or long chants.” Moving away from the dummies, he continued, “Let’s see just how many energy orbs you can shoot at one time.” Surprised, Grey said, “At one time? I can only shoot one at a time, but I can shoot more pretty quickly, so-” Raising his hand for him to stop, Eazel said, “Only what you can shoot at one time please.” Raising a hand, Grey fired an energy sphere that struck a dummy and destroyed it. Shaking his head, Eazel said, “See? Lack of firepower! Now then, let us begin working on one of the more useful Infinite Abilities, the Void Charge.” Walking over to Grey, he went on to say, “Now that you’ve learned to use your Void Energy, so far it has been an ability that merely enhances your EDE level. That in itself increases your strength, reflexes, and stamina, but without your Void Charge, your spells and energy attacks are really left out in the cold. The truth is, you could be expending the same amount of EDE on Void Charged attacks that you’re currently wasting on regular ones. While you were under the possession of the Nameless One, you used Void Charge quite a few times. It is an ability that makes use of the flexible nature of EDE. Through this ability, you can enhance any energy attack or spell by weaving together the EDE you gather and the EDE you generate in a unique fashion. It’s far more efficient than simply adding the two into an attack directly, allowing you to get far more power and utility from much less energy.” Starting to get the picture, Grey said, “Ok, what do I have to do?”

Author's Note

Now into the chapters not even on my blog. Yay.