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Part One, Chapter One
Butz looked up from his campfire. Something streaked across the sky. Butz was a traveler, and in all his travels, he had never seen a bird the size of a house fall burning from the sky, so this was definitely no bird. The burning object slammed into the ground out of sight, shaking everything for miles around.
Butz looked at his friend, Boco, the chocobo. Each knew what the other was thinking. Boco nodded, allowing Butz to climb on. Together, they sped through the forest out into the plains. Far ahead of them was a smoldering something, filling the sky over the distant woods with smoke. They entered to woods ahead of them. Trees were thrown away from a large grove carved into the ground. At one end of the grove was a large meteorite, still smoldering from its entrance into the atmosphere.
"Boco," Butz dismounted his friend. "You wait here."
Boco nodded in acknowledgment. Butz walked through the singed grass to the meteorite. As he got closer, he saw something he hadn't expected. In front of the meteorite was a girl being carried off by two goblins. Buts jumped over the obstructing foliage and landed in front of the goblins. "Back off," Butz warned.
One of the goblins yelled, "Get that fool!" They left the girl lying on the ground and rushed at Butz. Butz sidestepped, pushing one of the goblins into the other. They promptly vanished, disappearing into the nothing where all monsters go when they die.
Butz rushed to the girl who was finally regaining conscience. He got his first good look at her. This was not a girl, this was a woman. A young woman, maybe twenty-two years old. Her pink locks cascaded around her face. She looked up. "Ow. What happened?"
"A couple of goblins where dragging you off," Butz informed her. "I defeated them."
The woman blinked a couple of times, then picked herself up. She extended her hand to Butz, which he shook. "Thank you very much. I'm Lenna. And you are...?"
"Butz. I'm a traveler, with my friend Boco, a chocobo."
Lenna dusted herself off. "Thank you again. I have to go." She then stepped around him, heading out of the forest.
"Wait," Butz stopped her. She turned around to face him. "Do you hear something?" Butz asked.
Moan.... Moan....
Butz pointed to the meteorite, "It's coming from over there."
They dashed to the source of the sound. Lying beside the meteorite was an old man. His light brown hair and beard where touched with gray, and his once clean robes hung on him in splendid disarray. "Owwww..." His eyes opened.
"Are you okay?" Butz asked.
"What happened to you?" Lenna asked.
His mouth opened to explain, but nothing came out. His eyes widened in horror of the realization that he didn't know. "I can't remember a thing," the man said.
"Nothing?" Butz asked.
"Galuf."
"What?"
"My name is Galuf."
"Anything else," Lenna inquired.
Galuf shook his head. "No, nothing else."
"Well," Butz pointed to himself. "I'm Butz, and this is Lenna."
Lenna, apparently satisfied in the conclusion that Butz would take care of Galuf, turned around. "Well, it was nice meeting you two. I really must hurry to the Wind Shrine."
Galuf jumped in surprise. "Wind Shrine? I'm coming too." When Butz and Lenna looked at him, he continued, "I have a feeling that I'm needed at the Wind Shrine."
Lenna nodded. "Butz, what will you do?"
"I'll continue my travels," Butz said.
"Well, then, thank you again." Lenna and Galuf waved before turning around and walking into the depths of the forest.
Butz walked back to where Boco was still standing. "Well," Butz said to his feathered friend, "that meteorite is now blocking our way to Tycoon Castle. What do you say we head north?" Boco nodded and let Butz remount him.
They headed north, into the mountain range. At one point, the rock was like walls on either side of them.
Suddenly, Butz found himself faceplanting into the ground, and getting a good taste of dirt. He picked himself off the ground, looking back to where Boco was standing. "Boco!" Butz shouted to the chocobo. "Don't stop so suddenly!" He walked to the chocobo, "And don't give me that look!"
"Kue, kue," his friend said.
Butz looked down. "Yeah, I know. The old man and that girl..." He was interrupted by screaming. Butz looked up. "That's them! C'mon, Boco. Let's go!" Boco nodded enthusiastically before Butz mounted yet again.
As Boco ran, the ground underneath collapsed, effectively blocking their way back. Butz reached out and scooped up the unconscious forms of Lenna and Galuf, before the chocobo took off again. And just in time, the ground where they had lain crumbled.
Butz sat perched on a rock, while Boco watched over Lenna and Galuf. Lenna was the first to get up. Butz hopped down and walked to her. "You okay?"
"Butz!" Lenna said enthusiastically. "Thank you again."
"And guess what," Butz prompted.
"What?" Lenna asked.
"I've decided to join you."
"You have?"
"Yeah," Butz said. "Besides, it was in my father's will. He wanted me to see the world."
Galuf's voice filtered up from ground level, where he still lay. "Say what you want, I think you just want to be with this girl."
Butz looked down in shock. "Now that's not fair!"
Galuf bounded up and laughed merrily. "Alright, now. Shall we go?" Galuf indicated a nearby cave that they would have to pass through merely because their way back was blocked, if for nothing else.
Butz looked at Boco. "Boco, stay here. It's too dangerous in there." Boco nodded.
Halfway through, there was an opening back to the surface. It lead to a cliff that was impossible to climb down from, or to climb down to from above. But they stood there anyway, glad to have a breath of fresh air after who knows how long they were in the cave. Of course they'd have to go back in if they wanted to go anywhere.
"Is that a ship?" Lenna asked, pointing to something out on the ocean.
Butz and Galuf looked at what she indicated. It was a ship. "How is that ship sailing without wind?" Butz asked.
"C'mon," Galuf walked back into the cave. "Let's go."
The walk through the cave was dreary. Dark, dank, and dreary. Lenna and Galuf cascaded into Butz when he suddenly stopped. Butz turned and motioned them to remain silent. He peered around a corner.
There was a pirate standing in the cave. His back was turned to the three travelers. He reached over to the cave wall and pressed some sort of switch. A door, previously hidden, opened in response to the switch. The pirate walked in and the door closed behind him.
"I see," Butz mumbled. He motioned for the other two to get moving again. He reached out and pressed the switch. The door obligingly opened. Butz walked in, followed by Lenna and Galuf. The moment they were inside, Butz jumped out of sight, pulling Lenna along behind him. Galuf dashed out of sight even faster than Butz had.
A pirate walked over. "That's funny. I could have sworn I saw someone." The pirate shrugged his shoulders and walked back to where ever he had been before.
"A pirate ship," Butz murmured.
"I wonder," Lenna quietly voiced, "if we couldn't just ask them for a ride."
Butz and Galuf spun to face Lenna. "Uh, these are pirates we're talking about here," Butz hissed.
"Let's steal the ship," Galuf whispered.
Butz whipped his head around. "Old man, you're braver than I thought."
Galuf dashed through the pirate's hideout, hiding behind boxes. Butz had no choice but to follow him. Lenna kept pace behind him. Galuf dashed onto the ship, followed by Butz and Lenna. There didn't seem to be anyone on the ship.
There were footsteps behind them.
The pirate captain stood tall and proud on the deck. Purple hair cascaded over a black coat. "What the hell do you think you're doing on my ship?"
Butz sucked in air. He just knew they were in trouble.
OOC: Where is all this profanity I mentioned? Only the enemies used it in Part One (I took artistic license in letting the captain use some). It doesn't actually start building up until Part two when the main characters are spouting it left and right. It's littered all over the place in Part three, where even the background people shove it out by the bucket full.
Next chapter: The addition of the fourth party member, the Wind Shrine, and adventures on the sea.
Copyright © 1998 MeAjur@msn.com
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