Seeking Truth

[Genesis]

Beautiful.

That was the only way to describe the place Genesis knew only as "moonflow". A place of utter and fantastic beauty. Back in his homeworld of midgar, Genesis had seen rivers, but nothing quite like this. everything in midgar seemed so practical, so pragmatic. Everything seemed to exist purely for the sake of function.

Moonflow, however, seemed to be a world of its own, existing for the sake of beauty, with functionality as an afterthought. As genesis slowly ambled his way down the banks of the river, this was made evident by the massive, abandoned machines that could rarely be seen sticking out of the river.

What was it they called them? "Machina"?

It was no surprise that Genesis had been ambling about for so long down moonflow: without any real location-based information on his target, a fiend by the name of "Lord Onzozo". Despite lacking such imperative information, what Genesis already knew of it was enough to catch his interest.

Apparently, the monster in question was not a native one to the area: no one, before it had showed up, had never even seen anything like it. Moreover, from what genesis had gleaned from eyewitnesses, it apparently was quite strong and aggressive: attacking any ships or people that got close to it with strong water-based magic. That, and no one, not even the local enforcement, could pinpoint any sort of nest that the creature possessed.

Or, oddly enough, an accurate description of the creatures shape and form.

All of these facts greatly struck a cord with the Red Knight. Such monsters did not simply appear: there was always a cause. Moreover, if the reports were accurate and the creature was not native to anywhere in spira, then chances were that someone brought it here. Genesis had every intention of finding out who and why, but first, he needed to find the damn thing and kill it before anyone else got hurt.

Regarding that, there was one other problem.

Apparently, rumors regarding the creature guarding some sort of treasure had been running rampant through gossip, and had attracted all kinds of treasure hunters from around the world seeking to kill it. Normally, Genesis would not have found this to be an issue, but half of the dimwits he had encountered along his stroll proved to have no combat experience at all, and were likely going to be walking into a deathtrap. Moreover, if someone acctually killed the beast other then Genesis, he might have lost whatever leads he would have found to the hunters or any law agencies that went after the beast.

That was why, as Genesis walked along the banks of the river, he was praying to the Goddess that he ran into the monster first, if only to avoid others from getting hurt or making Genesis job more difficult. He had already been searching for more then a day, and would hate for all the effort he had put into his work to go to waste. Especially since he had already missed a meal due to his search.

Speaking of meals, Genesis could not help but notice that his stomach was starting to growl at him for not being more attentive to it. The red knight figured it was about time to take a break and fuel up before returning to the grind.

So, Stopping near a small, isolated part of the riverbank, Genesis quietly leaned against a tree and sat down once again gazing over the river's beauty. Pulling a small, white apple from his coat, genesis quietly sank his teeth into his tiny lunch and began to slowly prepare himself for the difficult search that lie ahead.

Genesis was not considering, however, that he might have some company on this little search of his, and that it might just divert him from his objective a little more then he would have liked...

[Penelo]

The past couple of days had been going pretty good for her. On the first day of her arrival in Spira, she almost died from an airship crash (that wasn't totally her fault), the rest of that day was spent traveling down the mountain with a very nice Ronso (the cat-like locals on the mountain). The second day was spent traveling across the Calm Lands (don't let the name fool you, it's anything but calm). The third was spent navigating through the beautiful Macalania Woods. Someone called a 'Guado' found her when she was about to be killed by a flying...shark thing...and then escorted her out of the woods. On the fourth day she ran screaming through a truly terrifying place called the Thunder Plains. Huge monsters and lightning was everywhere. And today, the fifth day, she moved from Guadosalam to across the ferry on a...Shoopuff? Anyway, now here was was standing at a small market place over looking a captivating river.

The Moonflow, the odd little blue men called it. Why was she making such a dangerous journey, by herself and so far from her crashed airship? She needed to find someone to help her fix it, and from asking around so far, the only people that knew how to fix 'machina' were called Al Bhed, and they weren't apparently located anywhere Penelo could get on foot, so she's been aimlessly traveling, much like a nomad, looking for someone to help her. This little adventure would actually be pretty enjoyable, if she had someone like Vaan with her. He'd probably get a huge kick out of this, actually. He might actually not want to leave this place, especially because of all the 'treasure.'

Penelo had overheard a conversation about some 'sphere hunters' and about how there was this fiend that had been spotted in the area that supposedly was holding some great treasure. Penelo had been a sky pirate for a good two years, but she wasn't as greedy about it as Vaan. She had no inclination to go after this thing alone, she'd leave it to any local that wanted to go after it. She wanted to find some one to fix her ship so she could go home. Or at least help her fix it. Over her travels, she'd been collecting this things from fallen fiends that she isn't terribly sure what they are. She'd gladly trade them for any service they could offer.

She moved up to one of the vendors and bought some food for herself with the gil she had been collecting as well. She was glad to see it was easier to make money here than in Ivalice. She never really liked selling dead animal skins and the odd body part to make money. Here, the fiends dropped money. It was pretty relieving, and made her bag weigh less than it would back home. It was some sort of meat on a stick, fried with some vegetables on it. She bit off of it as she walked up the bank, following the path. It was a shame that she still hadn't found a map, though. She really wanted one. The mental map she had in her head only went so far as the places she'd actually seen and she still doesn't know which way is north!

As she ate the food on the stick, the spices started to burn in her mouth and she really wished she had gotten a drink with it as well. After a couple of more steps, as she was about to reach a bend in the path, she made a dash for the water because she needed a drink bad. She flopped to her knees and bent so her head was a few inches from the water. She scooped up handful after handful in her mouth to wash away the burning spices. After the burn subsided she sat back on her ankles, a happy sigh escaped her lips. That was, however, before she noticed she had crashed through someone's own little bubble and she looked away embarrassed and laughed awkwardly.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt anything! This meat was just hotter than I thought, and I just needed a drink real bad." She explained, gesturing the half eaten meat on the skewer towards the man in red. She noticed the apple he was eating, and wondered where he got it. She'd eat foreign fruit over unknown meat any day, not that she was about to ask for some of his--that would be rude.

[/justify]

[Genesis]

As Genesis was about a third of the way through his apple, He could not help but overhear footsteps closing in on his position rather quickly. Small footsteps, but footsteps nonetheless.

His body tensed as he waited. The footsteps definately belonged to someone human, that was for sure, and they were indeed running. Perhaps away from monsters?

The thought spurred Genesis into action slightly as his right hand prepared to summon his weapon. The steps growing closer, his eyes quickly scanned the movement as it passed by him without stopping.

He raised an eyebrow slightly at what he saw.

The Red Knight saw a young woman with a rather large weapon quickly rush past him, her face carrying a look of desperation. He watched as, rather abruptly, she ran to the riverbank and quickly bent down to grab a drink, scouping several large handfulls of water and slurping them down just as fast. Genesis could say that, from the speed that she was running at, he had expected her to be running away from monsters. Apparently, however, judging by what Genesis had experienced of the local foods, the young lady was running away from an excess of spicy flavor.

The Red Knight quietly stood and watched (still with the slightest eyebrow raise) as the woman continued to drink. After a few moments passed, and she finished drinking, the girl happily flopped back and let out a sigh of relief. It appeared to Genesis that she had not noticed him yet.

But that quickly changed when the girl, realizing she was being watched, turned and faced Rhapsodos. A sheepish expression sliding over her face, followed by what appeared to be an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt anything! This meat was just hotter than I thought, and I just needed a drink real bad." the girl stated, making an indication to the culprit, a chunk of meat on a stick.

Genesis initial response was that of a slight and amused grin. He had to give the girl credit.

"No apology is required. You learned from your mistake the same way I did, albeit with a little bit more work required to remedy it. Next time you order food, might I suggest that you avoid the local meats? They tend to have a little more of a kick then most foreigners are used to." Genesis advised. While he knew that the assumption of the girl being a foreigner was quite a bold one, he did have evidence to support it: Her clothes did not seem to match what Genesis saw many of the locals wearing.

That, and most locals did not have such deliberate reactions to the more spicy foods.

Approaching the young woman, Genesis stopped a foot or two away (still holding the two thirds of his apple) and knelt down next to her. Moments later, he gripped the white apple he was holding with his fingers and, like some kind of magic trick, managed to split the fruit cleanly into two halves: one being the half he would eat (the one the Red Knight had already bitten into) and the other a clean half that looked like it had been split by a knife.

"Try this: Its a little sweet, but it should help settle your stomach in case that meat comes back to haunt you."

While Genesis was still somewhat leery of the young woman (like he was with many new people he met) He nonetheless felt compelled to offer some help. Though his offer was not entirely without motive: the gesture might have helped him learn more about just who exactly this young foreign girl was and why she was running around alone.

She just seemed a bit too young. Based on an initial inspection, she likely seemed to not be any older then 16 or 17. Yet despite her youthful appearance, the weapon she was carrying was defiantly not a toy or a replica greatsword: rather, it looked to be somehow custom made, and quite deadly in appearance.

A conundrum indeed. While Genesis would have liked to write her off as another novice treasure hunter, the sword alone was enough to give that logic pause. The Red Knight definitely needed to find out more about this young woman. Though for now, he might as well offer her a piece of the apple and hope for the best.

[Penelo]

She couldn't help but look over the man, seeing as she hadn't seen anyone of this word with red hair (or even back home). It was pretty curious and that by itself led her to believe he wasn't from here either. That and the coat he was wearing was too complex from the contemporary outdoorsy clothes she had seen thus far. He was also pretty tall. And he had an air of magic about him, Penelo sense. But, he seemed pretty amused and curious about her intrusion to his little...whatever. She wondered if he was here looking for that monster everyone was talking about.

If he was, she wished him the best. She never liked going on hunts when she was with Vaan, though he always insisted on another chance to get stronger. Penelo always went along, just so he didn't get himself killed. But back to the Moonflow, she looked a bit curiously at him because of his vocabulary. It certainly was more...intelligent then that of the people she had met (what little humans anyway. She didn't qualify the Ronso and the Guado and even those little blue men at the same level as humans (not that she didn't think they were any less, just their ways of life was different)). She nodded a little.

"Yeah. I had just asked for something tasty and popular, not something on fire. Though, you are right, I definitely learned from my mistake." Penelo also seemed pretty amused by the whole thing as well. She was never too hard on herself, anyway. It was just spicy food. And now that she knew what to expect, she'd probably enjoy it more, anyway. Or she'd just eat it very quickly and then drink a lot of water again. Penelo was never one to waste food after all. She picked up on the fact that he thought she was a foreigner, rightly so, but she wondered exactly what gave it away. Maybe it was her own outfit? It was just as colorful as she had seen everywhere else, but of different material all together. She wasn't terribly sure, but she was also pretty sure that he himself wasn't from here. At least not from this part of Spira. There might just be some huge city out there that he is from.

She watched warily as he crossed the distance seperating them. Her feet twitched beneath her because she didn't know what he was doing. She knew that her blind trust in everyone was pretty naive, but she believed everyone is good, and given a chance, everyone would choose good (except Vayne, for obvious reasons). She watched as he ripped the apple in half and she looked at it with large eyes, because he split it cleanly in two! Her mouth formed a little 'o' in surprise. "Wow!" She couldn't help but gasp. As he offered the apple out to her, she looked up at him in gratitude.

"Thank you very much. That is so sweet of you." She took the offered half of the apple from him. She bowed her head in thanks. In most circumstances, Penelo didn't accept help from strangers, but this was a new world she was in and didn't know anyone or how things worked here. She didn't want to offend him by declining his offering, and he had split the apple already. She smiled up at him as she took a little bite from him and her eyes widened as the tasty apple juices filled her mouth. It was very pleasant, indeed.

"It's delicious! What's it called?" She asked as she took a small bite to go along with the first one. She then remembered her manners and moved the skewer to the hand that held the apple and then held out her hand for introductions, "Nice to meet you, sir, I'm Penelo." She said as she looked up at him with a small and pleased smile on her face. Despite his really first-class persona, she figured he couldn't be older than twenty-five, which was pretty close to where she was, at about twenty. Gosh, twenty already? Time flies when you save the world, she supposed. Her and Vaan helped tackle the Archadian Empire when she was seventeen, two years later her and Vaan went to Lemures and saved the world again. And now two years after that, here she is, in Spira talking to this kind stranger eating a delicious foreign apple.

"I'll have to repay your kindness, somehow." She mused because she didn't believe in getting things for free.

[Genesis]

Well, at least things seemed to be going well.

For starters, the young girl was very, very impressed by Genesis ability to split the apple. In reality, Genesis knew that there wasn't really much to the trick, especially when one had been around apples as long as he had. Nonetheless, the gesture and the food were appreciated, as the girl proceeded to take the apple and, before biting into it, proceeded to thank him.

"Thank you very much. That is so sweet of you."

"Your welcome." Genesis responded with his usual grace. He was glad that the girl had some manners: several individuals before that he had assisted seemed to be less-then-friendly in such regards, and the Red Knight was glad to finally have a change of pace.

"It's delicious! What's it called?"

Genesis could not believe how often he was asked that question. Still, every time it was asked of Genesis he always had something to say in response. Usually, it didn't change much from person to person, either.

"its a foreign apple known technically as a "Banora White", or commonly as a "Dumbapple". The common name was due to its rather odd nature of growing during any season, regardless of conditions." Genesis explained. It would have been easy to tell from the sound of his voice that such an explanation had been stated from Genesis many times before. Nevertheless, the Red Knight never seemed to tire of explaining it, as he did take some pride knowing that the fruit originated from his home town.

"Nice to meet you, sir, I'm Penelo. I'll have to repay your kindness, somehow."

"You may call me Genesis. And the only thing I would like in return is the right to ask a personal question, If you dont mind..." Genesis began. With a pause, the Red Knight stood up and crossed his arms, suddenly going from the appearance of a friendly (if random) individual to that of an inquisitive adult.

"And that question would be regarding how exactly you got here. Forgive me for being so forward, but you appear to be very young, and while I can clearly see that you are armed, I still feel the need Inquire as to your intentions. This area is quite dangerous right now, as there is a renegade monster on the loose that has already attacked several individuals. Judging from your looks, part of me would say that you are a novice treasure hunter who heard the rumors and decided to try the beast in order to get the treasure."

The statement was somewhat aggressive and invasive, but Genesis ultimately felt the need to be stern based on the circumstances. the fiend in question was said to be extremely dangerous, and definitely not a good target for an inexperienced hunter.

"Forgive my forwardness in the matter, but I feel the need to make my perspective clear to you. Is my logic correct, or do you have something to say in your defense?"

[Penelo]

She smiled happily as he responded to her thanks impeccably polite. He was such a formal person, she was beginning to understand, and she wondered exactly why that was. Not that it was any of her business, but she was really curious about it. She continued to nibble on the apply, though she alternated from the apple to the meat. She'd only take a bite of the meat with the apple in her mouth and continued the process of taking small bites of each, so she wasn't rude. She listened to his explanation of the apple, which sounded so rehearsed in his mouth it was like he was reading it from paper. She wondered how many times he'd repeated what he just told her verbatim, and was pretty sure the number was significantly large. Or maybe he always sounded like that in his descriptions no matter how many times he said it?

There wasn't really a way to tell except to ask, but it was rather odd question so she decided to just be curious about it. She nodded her head though, "Well I really like these 'Dumbapples.' Maybe one day I'll be able to eat one again." It was a faint hope, because he called them foreign, which she knew to believe as not from this world but from where he hailed from. She didn't know where that was, exactly, (yet) so she could only dream about it. But if she ever found herself in the are, she'd definitely get some. She grinned a little at the idea of sharing them with Vaan and the other orphans. Even though it was a fruit, and not actually a treat, it was sweet and the kids would probably think it so until they were told differently.

"Nice to meet you, Genesis." She said using his name, as was customary in greeting situations. She nodded her head a little when he wanted to ask her a personal question. Who was she to curb him of what he wanted? He gave her a delicious alternative to the spicy meat. She would answer his question. As he asked it, she nodded her head a little. He wasn't the first person who thought she was too young to handle herself alone. Balthier was the first person to think it, and she was very smug of herself when she proved him wrong. She listened to his long winded question, understanding that he was concerned for her well being--or he just hoped she wasn't about to walk to her death and try to fight a monster. Which was pretty sweet of him.

"I actually crash landed here on accident, almost a week ago. I was trying to find my..." What could she call Vaan? " My best friend, in our airship, but I got lost and ran into the Mountain---Mt. Gagazet. I walked from there to here by myself, looking to find someone that could help me fix it. One of the engines is broken, I think I can fix the rest with magic, I just need machine parts. Or machina as they are called here." She paused when she thought about how to word how old she was. "I'm actually twenty, almost twenty-one years old, Genesis. I know I look small, but blame that on growing up during a war." She paused only to catch her breath and then she continued explaining.

"I don't have any inclination to fight any monster by choice, like I said before, I'm just looking for someone to help fix my airship. I was never the one to go into a fight willingly." Penelo clarified with a smile. "And judging from your question, you, yourself are planning on fighting the monster?" She asked with a curious gaze. She wondered exactly what his reason for doing so was, if that was his intention, anyway. She couldn't really judge him on his fighting knowledge since she couldn't see a weapon with him. That might mean his magic was very strong--Penelo's was as well but even she wouldn't walk into a fight without some sort of physical weapon. She thought about saying that, but she decided against it, this guy was no idiot, after all.

[Genesis]

Genesis quietly listened to the young girl's explanation. While he was correct on assuming that Penello was a foreigner, he was incorrect on her age and her intentions. He also never would have guessed that she was an airship pilot.

The Red Knight could also not help but notice that the young woman was very honest with him: While many would have considered that a weakness, particularly with dealing with strangers, Genesis found it to be a very redeeming quality in an individual. Rhapsodos had not met many completely honest people in any world he had been to, and personally that there were far too few for the greater good of everyone.

His own personal thoughts aside, however, Genesis knew that the woman had caught onto his own intentions rather cleverly. Considering that Penello had been so honest with him, It would only be appropriate to return the favor.

"Very perceptive, Penello. You would be correct in your guess: I am indeed hunting the monster I mentioned. Up to this point, I have run into many young and rather foolish people wishing to kill it for the treasure. I have no such desire. Rather, I only wish to see the fiend gone in the name of peace. Also, because I have reason to believe that this monster was not summoned here because of natural means, and confronting it would be the first step in an investigation to discover who and why it was brought here."

Genesis knew he was likely revealing a good deal of his hand with this information, but the Red Knight nonetheless felt somewhat compelled to be honest, if only to maintain trust.

"I should warn you, though, that machines and mechanical components in this area are at a premium: in the past, the locals used to believe that machines were somehow evil and destroyed as many as they could. Although this was changed slightly due to recent political shifts, the necessary parts for your airship might be expensive." Genesis explained. He knew that might not have been what Penello wanted to hear, but it was something that the young woman would likely have to keep in mind.

"Hmmmm...That being said, perhaps we could help each other. I would not mind the help in finding and slaying the beast, and If it is guarding treasure, then you can use it to buy new airship parts. If we don't find any treasure, then Ill see what I can do to help you aquire the parts you need as payment for your help."

Genesis was not entirely being honest with his statement: The former 1st class soldier firmly believed that on his own he could likely handle anything that existed in the area. Lord Onzozo included. That being said, the constant patrolling of the banks while looking for the beast was getting tedious, and an extra set of eyes might have been able to help him see something he missed. Moreover, It might allow him to go further inland and investigate any caves he found more thoroughly.

However, through this, Genesis knew he might be putting Penello in danger by bringing her along. Even believing that she had some combat experience, the thought did cause Genesis to feel some apprehension. If harm did come to Penello, Genesis knew that he would feel responsible. If it did help her repair her airship, however, then it might have been worth the risk to the young woman.

"Does that sound like a good idea to you, Penello?"

[Penelo]

Penelo didn't even think about lying to him, because what was the point? She would know if his intentions were sour, but even then, what use would the knowledge of how she got to this point be vital information? She wasn't on a mission to do something secretive that would get people hurt or anything. Honesty was the best policy, in Penelo's opinion anyway. She couldn't really tell what he thought about that or how she wasn't really young at all. There wasn't really telling by his expression though. She listened intently as he launched into his own speech.

She nodded her head a little when he complimented her on her perceptiveness. She learned to look out for the details when she was helping Migelo back in Rabanastre. Sometimes he wanted to know what people were up to. And she couldn't always go to Old Dalan to get the information. She continued to listen to him, and though she wanted to comment on the young people she had also seen looking for the monster, she kept her mouth shut so she didn't interrupt him. She was pretty surprised to find t hat he was a rather selfless person. Though he clued her off before when he gave up half of his apple without a second thought. But now, he was putting himself in harms way just so no one else could get hurt. She really liked that in him and she soon found herself nodding in agreement to his actions. Vaan had that same vigilante attitude, but something told her Genesis had a motive behind it. What that motive was, though, she had no way of knowing.

Her frown was small as he told her about the machina parts, but Penelo was an optimist. She had no illusions that it was going to be cake-walk, but hearing it was going to be expensive meant she would be here longer. That just wasn't good. In her mind, she saw Vaan searching high and low for her and the airship. She could imagine him getting on everyone's nerves trying to look for her. That is what she thought he was doing, there was no guarantee though. She looked up again when Genesis proposed she join him on his little adventure to fight the creature. Immediately she wanted to decline, because she didn't enjoy fighting creatures in the slightest. But then he mentioned the treasure. She could see that with it she could definitely afford the pieces, find someone to help her and then be out of here by next week. Without the treasure she could be here for who knows how long, trying to get the gil to pay for it. It was a deal she couldn't say no too.

The only thing she wondered about was why he asked her, exactly. Sure, to help her out, but he had seemed so concerned about her running after the thing and now he wanted her to come along? She couldn't see a motive there, but maybe she was just reading too far into it. She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'll help." She said slowly and then nodded a little more forcefully. "Alright. You're by the water, so it is supposed to be as well? Maybe the woods near the water?" She asked looking around, stroking her chin. She wasn't terribly sure if she was correct with this assumption, but it seemed correct to her.

"Have you tried any sort of meat, like an injured animal, or a roast over a fire?" She asked looking at him curiously, wondering what measures he had taken so far to find the monster.

[Genesis]

"Yeah, Ill help"

The reply was slightly forceful, suggesting that Penello had something on her mind regarding Genesis. Whatever it was, the Red Knight elected not to pursue it. Chances were that whatever was on Penello's mind would have not affected her decision, and Genesis didn't want to alienate her in an attempt to find out something he didn't need to know.

"Alright. You're by the water, so it is supposed to be as well? Maybe the woods near the water? Have you tried any sort of meat, like an injured animal, or a roast over a fire?""

"Correct again. The only issue I've been having is that the creature, known as "Lord Onzozo", is rather adept at hiding. Whatever it is, It does not spend much time out of its den. Based on information from my reports, it is also safe to assume that an ambush predator with a specialty in water magic. Also, since it's not native to the area and I don't know anything about the morphology of the creature, I can't say anything about what would motivate the fiend to attack. While patrolling the coast, I managed to find some caves, but figured that it would be prudent to first finish my initial survey before venturing into them. As for the baiting strategy, I believe it has a definite possibility of being effective. The only issue is that by doing that, I likely will lure other fiends into the area and make things more difficult." Genesis explained, bringing his hand to his chin and standing in a sort of "thinking" pose.

"Looking at our options thus far, I believe we have two effective options, both with pros and cons. The cave exploration option would allow us to not only find the nest of the creature, but possibly grants us the opportunity to ambush it. However, since we will essentially have to enter the creature's home, our battle might be that much more difficult. It is a high-risk and high-reward idea. Your idea, however, does indeed have promise: A trap to lure the creature might give us the advantage we need to bring the battle to a quick and decisive end. The only Issues that I can forsee are that we might attract other monsters, and unless our battle plan is executed perfectly the fiend could simply retreat once gravely injured. If only we had some more information on the creature, even a description, then maybe we could find a better option..." Genesis mused, slowly pacing back and forth in a similar manner to that of a caged tiger. A strange behavior, for sure, but one that honestly helped Genesis to think, especially when the situation got difficult.

"Upon review I don't really have a preference for either strategy: both sound like very viable options. I guess in the end the choice is yours: Do you want to adopt a more passive or aggressive way of hunting the monster?" Genesis inquired.

While Genesis did genuinely care for the opinion of Penello, he was also starting to size the young woman up. He was curious about how she operated as a fighter. Hence why he offered the decision to her: even a little bit of information gleaned from a single choice was enough to learn a fair amount about how a person fights.

Genesis was an individual that was driven somewhat by knowledge: the more he knew, the better. It was not anything personal to Penello, but it was simply how Genesis had been trained to operate since he had joined SOLDIER so long ago.

That was simply who he was, and might who he always would be.

[Penelo]

Penelo was itchy to start this hunt, just to get it over with. She was never fond of killing animals, even scary ones that often times hurt others. All things were innocent until they attacked her personally, she thought, and while she would comply to things like this man was suggesting, she would never do it on her own, by herself. Well, maybe if she needed meat to eat, but it seems that all the animals you kill here turned into bubbles that floated to the sky, almost like the Yahri on Lemures. She wondered if there was some sort of connection there, but had no way of really knowing. She didn't know of a single person from Ivalice or of Lemures that could have traveled to Spira and back. Besides herself, of course. She told herself she'd ask someone about it the next time she came across a town of any kind.

She listened to his points with rapt interest. He seemed very meticulous and planned out. He was definitely a weathered fighter, maybe even some sort of military (that almost explained his colorful language). She could ask him, but that wasn't the topic of discussion. She watched him as he paced back and forth like a caged hungry animal, she wondered if he might be over thinking it, a bit, but Balthier had always been telling her that the only sky pirates that made it to his age were the ones that over-thought things. Penelo, out of her and Vaan, was the one that made the plans to whatever mission Vaan picked out for them. She would be happy to admit that they were far more successful than not, because of her careful preparation. That said, she still thought he was preparing too much.

She knows his question to her didn't really entail such a long explanation to his, but Penelo wanted to point a few things out to the points he has made. "If we did find the monster's lair, and decided to attack it within, I'm afraid it would fight all the more aggressively because we encroached upon it's territory. It would feel more threatened and therefor put up more of a fight. And if we did manage to lure it into a trap, yes it might draw in other fiends, but judging from those I have dealt with before the ferry over to this side of the moonflow, they aren't anything to worry about. On the off chance we injure it, yet it retreats, and we give chase to it we could follow it for hours and it never lead us to it's den, but just try to get us lost. Which I know will most likely happen, seeing as we both aren't from this area." That being said, she took a moment to get a breath before she went into her plan of action, exactly.

As he admitted, not knowing what the beast looked like severally hampered their ability to come up with a winning plan, but Penelo had gone against all types of monsters before, and knew from each experience, adaptation was key. If any plan couldn't deviate from it, then it was a plan that was going to fail. You always had to leave areas open in case something unheard of went wrong, or something close to the matter. Penelo knew this, remembering back when they had all been aboard the Leviathan. If Larsa hadn't deviated from his little plan and given Penelo the nethecite, they would have died from the Dawn Shard. But because he did, she was standing here today.

"In the past, I've noticed that when a foreign monster moves into a territory that isn't theirs, the natives will try to get rid of it on their own. In the case of Lord Onzozo, the natives were probably defeated. Depending on the type of monster Lord Onzozo is, the rest of the fiends will either stay very far away from him, because he is a huge threat and their instincts will keep them away from it, or they will all flock to him for his protection. Almost like he is the king monster of this territory. I think the first step of our plan should be to find him, see what he looks like, and to find out of he will have monster lackeys with him. If he doesn't, we might decide to go ahead and attack him. If he does have monsters with him, then we should pull back and decide what to do from there. And since you say he is strongest in water, he might be holed up in an underwater cave somewhere. Have you asked the Hypello about him? Those little blue men that work the Shoopuff might know more about the monster than the treasure hunters, since it seems this is their home as well." Penelo ended with a small shrug, wondering if in all that she actually did answer his question at all or not. She smiled lightly at him.

"What do you think?" She asked, wondering exactly what his opinion was about her tactics. She wasn't formally trained with anything, but she had almost five years field experience, anyway. She didn't make it to the rank of Knight of the Round in Clan Centurio (mostly because of Vaan) for not knowing how to go about things. She looked around her, taking in the landscape more on a tactical level. The ground was mostly flat, weedy, tree roots might get in the way, and the ground near the water was probably soggy and not good for running. The water itself was slow moving, and also full of metal, which was potentially dangerous. The paths that cut through the woods were thin and not too many people passed them. They could probably set up a defense somewhere back along the path, because she had spotted some rock formations. That also might be a good place to try and corner the beast.

[Genesis]

Genesis listened to Penello's advice intently as she spoke it. From what he could tell, the young woman was starting to prove that she was not any ordinary girl. Her understanding of monster behavior, even if based on mere speculation, was top notch.

For once, the normally extremely confident Genesis had to admit that someone else was better then him at something. While Genesis had been trained as a SOLDIER, his experience as a hunter was mostly done through adaptation of combat philosophy and experience. So far, it had served him extremely well, and acctually was more effective then normal hunter tactics. However, Penello's observations were those of someone who had lived and breathed the art of hunting. Penello seemed to be an unusal young woman, in the best sense of the word.

There was one thing that gave Genesis pause. That "thing" was the fact that, from previous encounters, the red knight noticed that the Hypello had the ability to "see" Genesis sealed wing. While they normally did not comment on it, sometimes one would occationally call him the "one winged man". A title that often attracted more suspicion then Genesis wanted. The last thing that the red knight needed was Penello discovering the nature of his power.

For such an act might cause her to attack him, and turn yet another one of Genesis allies into a foe.

"A very sound plan, Penello. I had not considered the Hypello in my original plan. I did see a small group setting up camp a kilo or so up to the north of here, so I suppose that is where we should begin asking."

With that, Genesis turned twoard a small path leading northward along the banks. After taking a few steps, Genesis turned his head back to Penello. "Follow me, and stay close. Genesis requested. Once Penello had complied, Genesis slowly began to make his way through the brush and trees.

Their Journey, although rather uneventful, was a somewhat awkward one. Genesis really did not speak much, mostly because he lacked anything very effective for small talk. Ironic considering how deep his past was and how much he knew. Unfortunately, the only things that sprung to mind for him to talk about were Banora Whites and the play "LOVELESS".

The former his companion knew little of and the latter even less (or so Genesis assumed). So, rather then fill the air with awkward conversation that might only make Penello more uncomfortable, Genesis elected to only speak when he had a small order such as "this way" (to indicate a direction or a path choice).

Though Genesis might not have needed to talk for Penello to figure out there was definately something different about the man. Although Genesis had started the journey slowly at first, the red knight had gradually sped up, if only to cover more ground. This in turn revealed that Genesis had slightly higher physical capabilities then he was letting on, as several times Genesis had to stop and wait because he had moved too far ahead or made a jump or movement that his comrade could not replicate.

This, mixed with his lack of speech, might have increased Penello's suspicion of the man rather then alleviate it. Fortunately, before Genesis could do anything that might raise his own suspicion factor even higher then it might have already been, the two arrived at their destination.

And the situation changed drastically.

The location in question was a rather large clearing, perfect for some kind of campsite. This was where Genesis had spotted the Hypello earlier. It was also where things were about to get extremely tense. For as Genesis stepped to the edge of the clearing, he spotted something and immediately held his arm out to stop Penello from proceeding.

"Stop."

The command was sudden and jarring, but it was ultimately necessary to protect Penello. For in the center of that clearing was the small, lifeless blue body of a hypello. There were no signs of any other life, and no items of any sort to indicate that anyone else had been in the area recently.

To Genesis, it was clearly a trap.

"Wait here."

The red knight slowly strode forward into the clearing, gazing back with a sharp glance to make sure that Penello had complied with his order. He did not want the young woman to become a target if things "went south" so to speak. Tense seconds passed as Genesis, still appearing to be unarmed, made his way twoard the small lifeless body.

Once he reached it, the red knight gently knelt down next to the fallen creature and placed its hand upon it. It was still warm.

Then, just has Genesis had expected, he heard a rustling from above him. The trap had been sprung, but the red knight was all-too-prepared for it. As whatever it was above Genesis came flying down from the air, Genesis took a single, incredibly fast backstep, his body moving over the ground like a semi-translucent red blur. His movement had definitely not been human, and might have surprised his comrade.

Quickly swinging his right hand, Genesis summoned his weapon into existence in a flash of red. A split second later, he held the massive red rapier aloft, pointing it at whatever had tried to attack him.

For one thing, it was rather large: about three to four times the size of Genesis and then some. It's shape that of an octopus mixed with a manta-ray, held aloft by some kind of mysterious power. Its skin was mostly yellow, dotted with brown spots throughout most of its body. It was unlike anything Genesis had ever seen before. Genesis could only assume by the strange aura that It was the monster they were looking for, as well as the creature that had laid the trap.

Genesis had no doubt that this creature was the Lord Onzozo that he was looking for.

"...So, you've come."

More tense moments passed as the creature and Genesis appeared to size each other up. Genesis was not sure what Penello was doing, but he hoped that she would try and flank the beast so that the duo could get the upper hand. The time for battle had once again come, and Genesis was ready to meet it head on.

He could only hope Penello was ready as well...

--------------------

Boss Fight

[/u][/size]

Lord of Onzozo ("Lord Onzozo")



Origin: borrowed from FFXI
Difficulty: Average
Boss Theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuXMiwtKlik (FF12 Boss Theme)[/center]

[Penelo]

In the world Penelo was from, one didn't go to school. Most people she knew and grew up with didn't learn to read, but because her parents both had jobs and had money, she herself had gotten a bit of a formal education. When her brothers joined the military, because of the war, they began to give her lessons in fighting, just in case she needed them. When her family died, she went to the streets just like the rest of the children whose parents had been killed in the war. She had to grow up fast. Migelo provided for a lot, and so did Old Dalan, but after her and Vaan left with Lady Ashe, she learned all of these hunting kills when she was out with Vaan.

She hoped he took her advice well, and didn't think she was trying to out-do him by it or anything. That was the last thing on her mind, she wanted to help him in any way she could, so they could be successful in their mission. She didn't know if he took help like that, unlike Balthier. He didn't usually listen to Penelo when she suggested something, though it was understandable back then, she was a lot younger and more naive back then than now. She hoped her suggestions would be any help to him in his plan making. She could tell by the way he spoke that he was some sort of military, and she again, hoped he didn't think she was being disrespectful.

Though, when he spoke, about the Hypello, she was glad that something she had said was of use to him. She nodded her head as he told her he had seen a camp of them a kilometer away. That was good news on their part, and she fixed the straps on her bag tighter to her shoulder as he told her to follow behind him. She was about to ask him about his weapon, seeing as she still hadn't seen it, but she decided against it. As they started to walk, him leading at a pretty brisk pace, she felt that he didn't have anything to say, or at least that he didn't want to talk as well. She also figured the mysterious monster they were searching for might be listening to them, and if they were loud, it just might mess up their chances of getting the drop on it. She was fine with following behind him anyway.

His pace was brisk at first, but as he probably got more eager, he picked it up to a faster march, which she could handle because of Vaan's insistence of running every-darn-where. He sometimes got so far ahead, that Penelo felt bad she was constantly making him stop to wait for her, but Penelo knew her limits and she knew that if she picked up her pace to keep up with him, she would be out of breath and not be any help to him if they had a fight ahead of them. She hoped he didn't get too aggravated because of it. Especially when they came to a part in the bank where several rocks blocked their path. Genesis, being an extremely fit and tall man just jumped over it in to jumps. Penelo had to go around the entire thing because she knew she'd never get herself over it.

She had fallen behind again and was still in the process of catching up when Genesis held out his hand for her to stop. She did so, not asking what he was doing because she figured it was important. She couldn't see exactly what it was he was looking at, given she was still several yards away and all she could see from her vantage point was more woods. Not anything to stop about. Maybe he saw some tracts, or an injured animal? Or maybe something else. She looked a little apprehensive when he told her to stay there, but for a moment, she obeyed him. It was when he started walking away when she spotted a spot of blue, she slowly started to approach where Genesis had recently been standing. As she got closer, she saw the spot of blue was a fallen Hypello.

She didn't see any skirmish signs on the ground around him, so she couldn't tell what it was that attacked him. It had to have been something flying. Genesis had crouched next to it, just as Penelo got the feeling this was suspicious, like why was the Hypello by itself when Genesis there was a camp of them? Where were the others? Where was the camp? She was about to tell Genesis of her suspicions when the the trees started move like a load lifted from their higher branches. Nearby birds lifted from trees and flew away. She saw through a couple of trees a large monster fly through the air and head towards where Genesis was. He saw this and was instantly out of the way. A red blur on the ground...

Penelo couldn't even move that fast with a Haste spell on her, she was rather shocked by it. This was the only thing that Genesis had exhibited that really made her question him and what he was capable of. But now was not the time to be suspicious of it. She looked over the octo-thing as it floated in the air as some fiends were wont to do (she had seen this back in the Macalania Woods). She drew in a deep breath and cast Protega, the spell focused on herself and then the light blue magic circled around Genesis, creating a translucent shield around him for a moment and then it faded so it was no longer visible. He had said the monster had strong water based spells as well, so she also cast Shellga on them. After that was done, she felt confident enough to run into the battle herself. Though she wasn't about to run up right next to Genesis. That would make the both of them more vulnerable.

She skirted around the clearing as quietly as she could. She soon made it so she was looking at the creature's flank. She really wished she had a bow at the moment, with fire arrows, if her assumption of this creature's weakness was correct. She closed her eyes, knowing she needed to pace herself with magic, less the monster got the upper hand and they both needed healing, she glanced at Genesis, again wishing he had some sort of melee weapon in hand. She crouched down, and removed her sword from her back. She leaned it against the tree for a moment. If she could get the monster's attention, then that would give Genesis that chance to attack it...with whatever he had in mind.

So for the distraction. She opened up her bag, and saw all of the round, almost egg shaped metal things she had been collecting from the fiends she had been felling. She started to set those on the ground quickly, putting one next to the other until she had lined them all up. She had ten in all, and she hoped they were enough to get the creature's attention away from Genesis. She glanced up at them to see they were still staring each other down. Hastily she picked up three of them, two in one hand and one in the other. She took a few steps out of the trees, she looked around quickly for anymore monsters until she felt sure there weren't any and then she lobbed the first one she had at the monster, aiming at the center of it's back.

One of it's floating tentacles twitched at just the right moment, however, and caught it from hitting it's mark. However, there was something Penelo hadn't expected at all. As the small egg hit the tentacle...it exploded. The monster pitched forward in surprise and from the force of the blast. She could hear it shriek in pain and her heart panged because of it. It spun around to find the source of the explosion, and Penelo loosed another one of her exploding devices. It also was caught by a tentacle from the monster, but the result was the same; it exploded, rocking the monster. She didn't pause as she threw the third one, and she started to back up, and run into the trees where the rest were located, and her sword as well. She hefted it in both hands, after she had placed the remaining exploding eggs into her pockets.

She ran out of the trees to face Lord Onzozo again, this time she looked a little more menacing with her sword than when she did just a moment ago, with her small eggs. As a tentacle reached for her, she slashed upwards with it. For a water creature, it's skin was pretty resistant to her blade so she didn't cut off what she hacked at, but she did manage to get it to retreat, and not immediately grab at her again. She glanced at Genesis, hoping he got the fact she had Lord Onzozo pretty distracted for him to offer his attack, seeing as she had been the one to attack it, even though the monster had seen Genesis first. She hoped whatever Genesis had planned got rid of this monster quickly.

[Genesis]

The Standoff had come to its end.

The instant that Penello had begun to cast her two spells, the monterous octopus lunged foreward, swinging two of its massive front tentacles at Genesis. The first was simply brought straight down vertically. To Genesis, it was an obvious attack, and was easily taken care of with a narrow sidestep to the left. By "narrow", it meant that there was less then a foot between the oncomming attack and the red knight's body. It was at this time that the protectga connected with Genesis, increasing his physical defense.

the red knight doubted the need for such a technique, but was nonetheless pleased that it was cast as a precautionary measure. At least that meant he would not have to cast the spell later.

It was at this point the second attack (the horizontal tentacle swing) was aimed at Genesis torso, and was just as narrowly dodged by a quick crouch, this time only leaving a few inches between Genesis and the oncoming attack. detecting no more incomming attacks, Genesis quickly took the opportunity to strike and, with his massive rapier, quickly threw three, quick and precise vertical cuts at the tendril that had tried to attack him (at roughly the same time the shellga was put into place). The counterattack hit home, and inflicted enough damage to cause Lord Onzozo to retreat slightly with a growl of pain.

The cuts had inflicted slightly less damage then Genesis would have liked, but enough to keep the fiend humble. As Genesis was about to continue his counterattack, his attention quickly turned back to Penello, who had begun to toss small, egg-like objects at the creature.

Grenades? when did she get those? It did not matter, for once the object was tossed, Lord Onzozo managed to catch it in one of its tentacles with ease. a split second later, the grenade's explosion rocked the creature. From the looks of it, she was planning on tossing several grenades to get the creatures attention.

In Genesis opinion, that was a bad idea.

The red knight could handle himself quite well around a monster, but only if he could get a read on its attacks while it was focused on him. If the creature kept its attention on her, however, that might make it more difficult for Genesis to predict its actions.

The creatures attention fixed on Penello (who had drawn the rather large greatsword she was carrying) it floated over and attempted to grab her in one of its tentacles. Genesis, seeing that the creatures attention was diverted, used the time to quickly close the distance at a normal running speed. Once the distance was closed, the red knight took the opportunity to unleash a single, heavy 2 handed vertical swing with his rapier.

Both he and Penello's attacks connected at the same time. The creature's focus, however, was still on Penello. Though that might not matter, as the creatures next attack would be able to strike both of them at roughly the same time.

"Watera!" Genesis called out, informing his ally of the immediate danger. Soon after, the red knight felt the ground underneath him begin to shift as a massive water pillar prepared to blast out from below.

Genesis did not bother to dodge: instead, he decided it would be best to simply absorb and block the hit as best he could. That way, if Penello chose to dodge, the red knight would be closer to the creature then the young woman, causing the creatures aggression to shift back to him.

A split second after he steeled himself for the impact, a massive water pillar shot up from beneith Genesis. Feeling the immense pressure (event through the effect of shell) Genesis was acctually knocked off balance by the attack, and sent sliding backward while continuing to hold his stance. His muscles aching only the tiniest bit, Genesis knew the damage to him was likely only minor.

Yet Genesis could not spot Penello after the attack, as the creature was directly bettween him and the young woman (its attention focused back on Genesis). After backstepping yet another tendril slam, Genesis countered with a powerful thundaga spell shot from his hand, damaging and stunning the creature long enough for him to call out to the ally he could not see.

"Penello, you alright?!"

[Penelo]

She wasn't terribly surprised that Lord Onzozo attacked Genesis before she was in position, but she was rather sure he could handle himself. After her work with the grenades, things started to get hectic. Firstly, it was a lot bigger up close than far away. One of its tentacles was bigger around than she was, and longer too. She wasn't scared of it though, she'd fought much more dangerous things than this before. The conditions were good for the fight, they had been prepared, and both of them weren't injured. She was positive that the fight would go how the two of them had planned and they'd make short work of this large floating water creature.

The creature's attacks, while never the same, were predictable. It'd try to grab Penelo or trip to flick at Genesis, depending on where it's attention was the most. It wasn't really a solid strategy, but they both had a little feel of it's movements, and if they could both manage to keep moving around and attacking in different ways, then Lord Onzozo couldn't get the upperhand. Unless of course he did things they didn't expect. When he started to cast the magic spell, Penelo felt it at the time Genesis called it out to her in warning. She wanted to give him a look to stop underestimating her, but she figured it was a part of his training. She wouldn't hold it against him.

While Genesis was strong enough to hold himself on his feet like that, Penelo was not, but she could see how she could use this to her advantage. In her magical strength, she had enough left to make it through this battle using magic fairly often. She knew her limits and this was too good of a moment to miss. As Lord Onzozo built strength to cast the spell, she gathered up magic as well. With both hands she drove the tip of the sword into the ground so it stood by itself. She crouched where she was, feeling the water build up beneath her. As the water started to rush upwards, she jumped with it. The force of the water caught her feet while she was already in motion and sent her several more feet in the air than she would have with her jump alone.

At the peak of her jump, which brought her directly over Lord Onzozo, her magic had built up enough for her to cast the Flare spell. She shot it at the top of his head with both hands. The non-elemental explosion covered most of the surface of Lord Onzozo's head, and while it looked like it should have ended him, he remained alive. She then rolled herself into a little ball as she descended towards the earth. When she hit the ground she rolled several feet before she sprang up to her feet. She was a little dizzy, but that didn't hamper her ability to get back to her sword. Somehow the two of them managed to remain on opposite sides of the creature, though and at the moment, she couldn't spot him but she did hear him.

"Yes, I'm alright! How about you?" She asked, panting a little. The fall from those heights was enough to get her adrenaline going and unreasonable speeds. She drew in a few calming breaths, her eyes were focused intently upon Lord Onzozo who was coming back for her because of the spell. It brought two of it's closest tentacles down towards her, to which she backed away from as fast as she could, she then brought the sword down on one of the tentacles as hard and as fast as she could. It sank in through the meat, causing a high pitched squeal to erupt from Lord Onzozo, but he retaliated with his other tentacle and swatted her sideways. She hadn't yet pulled her sword out of him so she went flying and her sword came free and clambered to the ground.

Her impact to the ground wasn't too hard, as she kept rolling to absorb her momentum. She got to her feet, seeing that her sword lay directly beneath Lord Onzozo she let out an annoyed sigh. She wasn't about to run below the monster and get caught. Her mind was drawn back to the exploding eggs that were in her pockets. she dropped both hands into either of her front pockets and pulled out two of them. She used three before, she had seven left, after these two, she'd have five. She threw one of them immediately, though she kept the second in her hand. She watched as the egg exploded again on contact. She was almost amazed to see that Lord Onzozo was still alive after all they'd thrown at him.

[Genesis]

As Genesis dodged or blocked attack after attack with ease, he continued to keep his eyes and ears open so that he could hear Penello's response. A few seconds after he called her, the red knight noticed the young woman had been launched into the air by the last attack.

At this point, Genesis was prepared to rush in and assist, possibly catching Penello: He knew that landings were not dangerous for just the damage they inflicted (unless you were trained or modified to handle a fall) but also because of how exposed they left you. Even an expert landing would leave an individual the tiniest bit off-balance when it happened, which would in turn expose the individual to future attacks. Some more dangerous then they otherwise might have been.

However, Genesis soon realized that his worries may have been premature. This realization came when he saw Penello sail through the air and successfully cast a flare spell, which proceeded to slam into Lord Onzozo with some effect. After the young woman landed, Genesis heard her response to his earlier statement.

"Yeah, I'm alright! how about you?"

Still, rather worryingly, the creature showed no signs of weakening despite the onslaught. nor did it have any indication that it was even remotely close to being staggered or knocked off balance. This battle may have been more difficult then Genesis initially imagined: Not only did Lord Onzozo's strength seem extremely difficult to guage, but it was starting to change its attack pattern. This became apparent as Genesis was finally hit by a flailing tentacle with much more force then he had anticipated.

The impact, while not knocking him off his feet (due to Genesis incredible balance) was enough to send him sliding backwards. Even though he had blocked the attack, the damage inflicted by the creature was still rather substantial: The pressure on Genesis left arm (which he had used to block with the help of protect) was now reaching the point where an aching pain was noticeable. It was almost as if the creature was holding back and waiting for something...

Then, Genesis felt it: A surge of energy from within the creature. At first, it was small, and barely noticable, but as it grew the aura almost indicated Lord Onzozo was going to cast a spell.

Genesis, however, knew better.

From his many years of training and combat against thousands of opponents, Genesis had developed a sixth sense in combat for deception. While normally this kind of sense only worked on humans, for some odd reason the red knight seemed to be able to feel a level of deception from the creature. At first, Genesis had no idea what it was.

Yet as that power grew, Genesis finally figured out what was happening: The creature was "Fake casting": casting one spell followed by another in quick succession in order to mask the second one. While the first spell was a simple Watera spell, the second one Genesis knew to be much more deadly. Worse, while the red knight could have dodged the spell with ease (thanks to his speed) He was not sure about Penello. While she was a fair distance away, Genesis noticed she was tossing another grenade at Lord Onzozo.

He needed to get her to move away from the beast immediately, as she was still in a rather deadly position. So, calling out, Genesis would use a warning that would send chills down the spine of any experienced mage.

"He's faking the cast! It's Ultima!"

While Genesis knew how farfetched it sounded, His instincts regarding fake-casting were razor sharp from his years in combat. Yet these years also told him that even when someone pointed out a fake casting, not everyone always believed the individual, for numerous reasons (many of which Genesis himself could not fathom).

Also, despite the fact that Genesis was a master at detecting fake casts, this feint was quite amazing: Most mages might not have even been able to identify the trick until it was already too late. Moreover, since some mages acted reflexively to magic, they may also have simply reacted to the wrong spell and been caught in the attack anyway.

Genesis could only hope Penello knew what to do. Despite the fact that Genesis knew he could win the battle alone, seeing Penello get hurt because of his own unwillingness to show his true power might have been too much of a bitter pill to swallow.

All that Genesis could do was hope for the best...