A brief word of warning to purists: This is not intended to be a word for word retelling of FF6, nor is it going to be 100% accurate to the official tale, as I intend to expand events, character development, and the relationships quite a bit. I will also be using the English translation's names and terminology, simply because I like them more. This was a game that I adored as a child, and still enjoy to this day, and I hope I can do it the justice it deserves.

Final Fantasy 6: Legacy of Magic

Retold by: Freedan

1000 years ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland.

Magic was a common element of everyday life, even the youngest of children learning

the basics of the art, able to light fires with a snap of their fingers, or cause flesh to

knit miraculously, healing wounds or sicknesses.

But even more familiar than magic to man was war. Mankind had fought in war since

their most primitive ancestors stood upright and began hurling rocks at one another.

It was no surprise, therefore, when the Magisters, the most powerful magicians in the

world began fighting for power, first in secret, with knives in the dark, and later, more

openly, turning entire cities into smoking craters in the crossfire of their magical duels.

Kings and countries chose their sides, and the armies marched, the end result reshaping

the face of the world. Where mountains once stood, canyons appeared, lush forests gave

way to barren deserts, and the Espers, the kind spirits who had bestowed the gift of magic

upon mankind watched in horror and sad disappointment.

The mightiest of the Espers stepped forward, revealing just how far mankind had yet to come

in their magical skill. The mighty blades of Odin and Ragnarok felled a hundred warriors with

each swing, the devastating lighting of Tritoch reduced fortresses to rubble with ease, and the

Magisters found themselves defenseless against the might of these otherworldly warriors.

This was not the end, however, and when the Magisters discovered how to easily slay any Esper,

and take the spirit's power for themselves, the tide of the war rapidly shifted once again. But the

few remaining Magisters were far too paranoid to work together for long, and in a great cataclysmic

finale, the final Magisters wiped themselves from the face of the Earth. No survivors emerged from

the great smoking crater left behind. The Espers and Magisters alike vanished from the world, and

magic along with them.

Gradually, the world recovered. Life began anew, and the scorched wasteland left by the war

once again grew lush and green. Mankind learned to survive without magic, relying on their

own abilities and ingenuity. Where cities dedicated to magical education and research once

stood, high technology has taken hold. With the rediscovery of iron and coal, the power

of the steam engine now reigns supreme.

But there are those who have never given up the search for

the dread destructive force known as "magic."

Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a deadly mistake?

Chapter 1: The Sacking of Narshe

The wind howled viciously over the cliffs, carrying with it an icy bite that seemed to stab straight to the heart. Snow whipped through the air with stinging velocity that could leave welts on a man's face. Audible even over the weather were the violent footsteps smashing down on the snow, crushing ice and rocks alike under large metal feet of three enormous figures, grinding metal with each step, swinging large arms and hooked hands against the wind, and venting steam every few moments, smoking the air against the cold. Seated atop each of the eight foot monstrosities, partially protected against the wind by the cockpit, were pilots, manipulating levers and foot pedals to keep moving.

They slowed as they neared the cliff edge, coming to a stop once they could see what lay below. Neatly fitted into a mountain pass, lights and smoke alike were visible from the town that lay about ten miles away and five miles down from their position.

Biggs paused a moment, tapping the glass visor of his helmet with one knuckle, then pushing the accumulated ice from it with his thumb, so he could see more clearly. "There it is," he said loudly, over the wind, "Certainly managed to put it out of the way, didn't they?"

His companion, Wedge, had lifted his helmet just enough to dig the snow out of one ear with his finger, and sighed as he pulled it back down. Their uniforms were identical, and with the visor covering the upper halves of their faces, a casual observer wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

"Looks like a mining town, sure enough," Wedge replied, "Built it right on top of the coal mine. When that dries up, so will the town. I just wonder at their luck, managing to dig up a frozen Esper. Well, not so lucky after all, since we're here."

"Think it's still alive?" Biggs asked.

"Don't know," Wedge said, "The bosses sure as hell want to get their hands on it, though."

"From here, it looks like the only way in is right up the main road," Biggs said, "They'll spot us before we get in, so best to be ready for an ambush."

"Then we'll show them why an imperial soldier is worth a hundred of them," Wedge said, cracking his knuckles.

They turned their machines around, away from the cliff, and toward their other companion. "You know, the two of us could handle this," Biggs said, "Why'd the higher ups send this woman… this sorceress, with us?" He turned to look directly at Wedge, "I'm not comfortable with her looking over my shoulder, not after hearing that she fried fifty magitek armored soldiers in less than three minutes."

The woman in question did not respond. She was not wearing a uniform like their own, instead a heavy fur coat against the cold, though her head was bear, her green hair whipping in the violent wind, occasionally blowing up to reveal the circlet around her forehead.

"I think they just want a test in the field of her abilities," Wedge said, "We must have come up with the short straw. Don't worry about it. The slave crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She'll follow orders."

The woman watched the two of them without reaction, completely oblivious to the biting cold battering her, as if to reinforce the statement. Wedge suddenly yanked the levers in his hands, turning his machine again, and started moving, shouting back at them, "We'll approach the town from the east! Let's get down there."

With jets of steam and heavy footsteps, they fell into step behind him, descending the path down from the cliff to the snow filled valley below. It was slow going, but once down in the valley, they had enough space to bring the machines they rode into a steady jogging pace, nearing the limit of the machines' speed, yet were able to cover ground through the thick snow at nearly the pace of a man sprinting on open ground.

The town gradually came back into view through the whipping snow, the pass of the mountain rising above them in the distance, lit windows and smoking chimneys built along the uphill slope rising high into the air. Even over the wind, as they came closer, the sound of alarm bells could be heard in the distance.

They had been spotted.

A stone archway barred entry into the pass, and heavy wooden doors sealed against passage. As they came closer, without a word, Wedge flicked a switch on his control panel with his thumb, then squeezed the trigger on his right hand level. What looked like a vent port on the front of his machine began to glow, red light building rapidly, then suddenly a great beam shot forth, striking into the door.

The door was ripped from its hinges, flaming fragments of wood raining down on the paved street behind it. There were screams from within, and several town guards could be seen diving into piles of snow to put out the flames on their clothing.

As the trio approached the now open entrance, a line of guards formed on just the other side. All dressed in heavy furs against the cold, they stood ready to fight with hand axes and small wooden shields. Wedge squeezed the trigger again, another vicious beam of fire ripping straight through the arch, and men screaming as those caught directly in the beam fell to the ground as blackened skeletons. One screamed in agony, only one arm caught in the beam, and watched in horror as the flesh melted before his eyes until the pain mercifully caused him to black out, collapsing into the snow.

"I go right, you go left!" Wedge shouted as he pushed through the arch, Biggs directly behind him, and they split off in either direction.

The guards regrouped and charged the pair, trying to get close enough to strike the pilots. The clawed hands of the great machines became clear in their purpose as they were used to impale attackers, while simply swatting others away with enough force to crush ribs. The group of guards did not press their attack for long, pulling back into the alleyways, dragging their wounded with them.

As Biggs and Wedge turned into the street, they spotted the woman, who had moved past them, catch up to a fleeing group, catching one through the back with a clawed hand, smashing a second with the other arm, sending him flying and colliding with a brick building wall, blood spattering where his head smashed against it, and as the third lifted his hand axe to strike high at her, lifted the first arm, flinging the skewered guard off in one motion, and smashing the bottom side of the arm against the third's head, the guard crumpling on the stop.

"She's not bad," Biggs remarked as she turned back toward them, and he visibly flinched at the emotionless, blank expression on her face after such an act.

"You're right," Wedge said, "And now I don't want her behind me either."

Biggs scanned the alleys, and seeing now sign of movement, edged forward toward her, then had an idea. "Let's put her on point," he said, "That way, any surprise attacks up ahead go at her first."

"Good idea," Wedge said, then pointed up the street, toward the uphill end of town, "You! Forward!"

She turned, marching the heavy machine up the street, and the two fell into step behind her. The guards seemed to have pulled back for the moment, though Biggs and Wedge both watched each alley they passed suspiciously. The woman ahead of them moved without a word and without a glance in any direction.

Wedge glanced up to the rooftops, seeing nothing moving above them, and spotted a window on a second story above them, and a young boy looking down at them. He smiled and waved at the child, and suddenly the boy was snatched away from the window and the shutters were slammed shut by a woman, his mother most likely.

A snarling drew his attention back to the front, as he and Biggs simultaneously the group moving out of a side street ahead of them, holding tightly to heavy chains attached to the collars of enormous dogs, each nearly the size of man. "Attack dogs," Wedge said, "Get ready."

As one, the chains were released from the collars, and a wall of fangs and fur rushed toward them. "God damn, those things are big," Biggs said.

The massive canines tore down the street, throwing snow in their wake, their fangs bared and slavering, their breath like puffs of smoke in the air.

"Fire!" Wedge shouted.

As one, the three mechs lit up on the front, followed by beams of screaming flame shooting up the street, and the snarls of the dogs turned into howls and pained yips, those that were not immediately killed rolling on the snow as flames danced over their fur, melting their flesh in the heat.

"Aim up sixteen degrees," Wedge said, and immediately the three mechs shifted, tilting their front end upward, toward the ascent into the far pass, "Fire!"

The guards scattered, but not quickly enough, and more than one was caught as the trio of superheated beams raked across their position, and more cries of agony rewarding the imperials, and at least two more instantly transformed into blackened bones, crashing down on the street, only to then be crushed beneath the remorseless metal feet as they passed.

The trio passed out the far end of the town, deeper into the pass. A few more moments of uphill pushing through snow passed without incident, until Wedge ordered a halt as he listened. There was shouting up ahead.

"They're going for the mines! We can't let the empire get their hands on the Esper! Hold this line here as long as you can, until we can collapse the tunnel!"

"The clock just started ticking," Wedge said, "Get moving, we don't have time to waste."

The ambush site came into view up ahead, where the pass narrowed to the point their mechanized armor would barely fit through single file, and as they drew closer, the trap was sprung. There was a click as a chains were loosed from collars once again, and coming around the corner were two hulking beasts. Like great wooly bears with enormous tusks, the massive beasts charged directly toward them, their steps causing rumbling vibrations beneath the three.

"Can I shoot them?" Biggs asked, fingering his trigger.

"Negative!" Wedge said, "Too narrow here, too much snow. We might block the pass with an avalanche or a rock slide."

"You do realize those things are bigger than we are, even with the armor, right?" Biggs said.

"Stand your ground," Wedge said.

The great beasts were upon them. Biggs tried to dodge to the side, but he was less maneuverable than the beast, which turned easily and crashed into him, the metal feet of his armor sliding back in the snow and nearly toppling him over. Wedge appeared beside him, ramming the clawed hands of his armor into the beast's neck and bracing his mech's feet to push. With some quick maneuvering of his levers and pedals, Biggs duplicated his stance, stabbing his claws into the beast from the other side.

"Give it a shove, then pull back!" Wedge shouted.

They both shoved the beast back, then yanked their arms back, stepping their mechs back at the same time. With a crunch and a snap, the beast's head was ripped from its neck, spraying blood over the front of their armors.

They turned, searching for the other. They spied it, circling around the woman, who was merely turning her armor in place, watching it. Before they could react, it lunged for her. Steam shot from the mech's arms, the clawed fingers piercing the thick skin of its neck, then a loud snap as one arm shot up and the other down, and the beast collapsed with a broken neck.

And still, no reaction from her face or eyes, the exact same emotionless expression she had worn the entire way.

"That's it," Biggs said, "Never again with this slave crown nonsense, she is just too damn creepy. They can lock me up for insubordination, I don't care."

"Pay attention," Wedge said, "We're not in the clear yet."

As if to prove him right, six guards appeared on the ledge above the choke point, and with a shout from one, began to hurl throwing axes at them. Biggs and Wedge both raised the metal arms of the mechs to shield themselves. From above, they were painfully exposed in their cockpits.

Without a word, the woman tilted the front of her mech upward, and pull the trigger. Wedge swore as the red beam raked across the ledge, wiping the guards from existence and smashing into the canyon wall behind them, turning the surface of the rock molten as it passed, and sending chunks raining down.

"No! No, you stupid bitch!" Wedge shouted.

The beam died away, and with a few more clatters of falling rock, the canyon fell silent except for the howling wind. Wedge moved toward the woman. "You do not discharge your weapons without my order!" he shouted, "Do you understand?"

He may as well have been shouting at a wall, for it would have given him just as much of a reaction. All he gained was a blank stare that sent a shiver down his spine. "Turn around, and get moving," he growled at her.

Single file, they moved through the pass, and the passage quickly opened up again into the mining canyon. Much wider open, the walls of the canyon were dotted with man-made passages.

"Hold here for a moment," Wedge said as they drew into the canyon, and reached down beside his seat in the cockpit, and withdrew a folded paper. As he unfolded it, Biggs moved closer to his side to see it.

It was a map of the mining area, and Biggs noticed it had X's over many of the shaft locations. "This map is from our source," Wedge said, looking up from the map to the shaft locations, then back at it again, "According to him, the frozen Esper was found in a new mine shaft, now let me see…"

He poured over the map for another few moments, matching the marks with the various mine entrances. "Looks like three new ones since this was made," he said, folding the map and tucking it under his seat, "Let's just hope we pick the right one."

Selecting one of the three at random, he ordered the woman toward it. Entering the shaft was an immediate relief, stepping out of the biting wind and snow. The heavy metal footsteps of the mechs echoed loudly off the walls as they advanced further in.

"Well, if they didn't know we were coming, they do now," Biggs commented.

"Just keep your eyes open," Wedge said, "They're going to collapse the tunnel, and we're running out of time."

As they moved further from the entrance, the light grew dim. Wedge barked at the woman to switch on the lights. With a click and a hum, the tunnel before them lit from the lights in the chest of her armor projecting ahead. Two more clicks and the other two lit up as well.

The tunnel went on and on. "This is a new shaft?" Biggs commented, "If it is, these guys chew through stone like I do Sally's corn beef."

"Hell, they can probably stroll through mud," Wedge said, "Let's go a little further. If it's much deeper than another fifty yards, it can't be the one we're after."

The tunnel weaved to the right, and as they turned the corner, found themselves facing a large wooden gate blocking the tunnel. "Tear it down," Wedge commanded.

The woman lifted one arm of her mech and slashed forward, the wood splintering easily and crumbling to the floor.

"Damn, they're here!" came a shout from further up the tunnel, "We're out of time! Release it now!"

"Are they pulling supports?" Biggs said, "We've got to move!"

"No, wait!" Wedge ordered.

There was a metallic clank, and then a strange sound further up the tunnel. Something like a slimy sliding sound. Then came the other sound.

Gruuuuuu…

"What the hell is that?" Biggs asked.

It came into range of the lights, like a gargantuan snail, with a massive spiked shell. With a crack, a spark leaped between the spikes of the shell.

"Hang on, this was in our briefing!" Wedge said, "Something about a monster that eats lightning…"

"And stores the energy in its shell!" Biggs said with sudden realization, "If we hit it too hard, it might even explode!"

"So we tear its damn head off!" Wedge said, "Don't damage the shell!"

The creature was slow moving, but as they moved slowly back, making a bit of space, it lifted its slimy head, and with a forward jerk, there was a loud crash, followed by the floor shaking beneath them and rocks raining from the wall behind them.

"It's going to collapse the tunnel!" Biggs said.

The woman, rather than back off, had moved forward, and moved it, trying to spear the head with the clawed hands of her mech. The beast swatted its head to the side, slamming into the chest of her armor and sending it stumbling to the side, nearly tipping onto its back as she fought to regain balance.

At Wedge's signal, he and Biggs moved in at the same time, trying to get on either side of it. The creature cocked its head back again. They moved to either side, as it shot forward, this time with a ghastly hacking sound, and a blob flew from its face through the air.

Biggs swore as the glob collided with him, unable to move out of the way in time, and splashed over him in the cockpit. Hissing and sizzling rose from where it landed on his controls, seeping into the panel as he tried to wipe the mess from his visor with one hand.

Wedge moved forward quickly, aiming for the creature's head. With a slimy slithering noise, it vanished, sucking back into the shell. Unable to stop his mech in time, the clawed fingers collided with the front of the shell. The next thing he realized, his mech was shaking violently, and his body was convulsing violently, agony shooting through him as contact with the shell electrocuted him through the machine.

His vision exploded, filled with stars, and he felt and impact, only then realizing the pain was fading. It took another few seconds to realize he was on his back, his mech toppled backwards. His vision had yet to clear, but he found the levels and foot pedals, and made the armor lift itself upright and take several steps back, thanking the heavens it still worked and shaking his head violently to clear the stars from his vision.

It was still blurry as he watched, but the creature's head slithered back from the shell, and was immediately impaled from the side by clawed hands, then with steam shooting from the vents, was ripped away. A horrific tearing noise, combined with pure slime gushing and slopping accompanied the sight, and the head was drop with a wet plopping noise to the tunnel floor.

It was the woman, Wedge saw as his vision cleared, now standing by the shell, the creature's entrails spilling next to her, her eyes just as empty as ever, awaiting the next order.

"Biggs, you all right?" Wedge asked, turning to the other.

"I can barely see," Biggs said, wiping at his visor again, "But yeah. My lights died, so I bet this goo fried the panel. Looks like the motors still work, though."

"Okay. Woman, forward!" Wedge said, and as she turned and moved past the shell, commented to Biggs, "Looks like we've got the right tunnel after all."

"Yeah…" Biggs said.

Another twenty yards in, they entered a wider open chamber. No guards awaited them, but as the woman's lights reached the far side of the chamber, their prize was waiting for them.

A block of clear ice sat against the far wall, the rock behind it still wrapping partway round, explaining why it had yet to be moved. As they moved closer, they were able to make out the form, somewhat like a bird, with an eagle's head and great feathered wings, but the body was scaled like a reptile, ending in viciously clawed gargoyle feet and a long heavy tail. Alive or dead, it was securely trapped in the ice.

"Look at that," Biggs said, "Kind of beautiful, in a strange way."

"We'll have plenty of time to admire it," Wedge said, "Let's figure out how we're going to get it out…"

He trailed off as the woman stopped her mech suddenly, and without a word or sound, leaped from the cockpit to the stone floor, and started walking toward the Esper. "Hey!" Wedge shouted, surprised by this sudden and odd behaviour, "What are you doing? Do you know something we don't?"

The woman did not respond, moving closer to the Esper. The chamber around them began to light up, as if a torch had been lit and was growing brighter.

"Where's that light coming from?" Wedge demanded, and suddenly screamed.

A flash of light and Wedge's mech toppled onto its back, the front plating blackened and he rolled out of the cockpit to land face down on the cavern floor, smoke rising around his sides.

"Wedge!" Biggs said, leaping from his own cockpit, racing toward his fallen companion, "What happened to you?"

He started to lift his friend, only to pull back in shock at the sight. His hands shaking, he looked up toward the woman and the Esper. He had no idea what was happening, and did not understand why it was, as another flash of light lit the chamber, and he screamed in agony, toppling onto his back, his clothing and flesh seared away, and his blackened skull stared up toward the stone ceiling.

The woman moved closer to the Esper, the glow growing brighter with each step she took. She lifted one hand, reaching out toward the icy prison, and a spark of electricity jolted between the ice and her fingers. She laid her palm against the ice, and with a crash of thunder that shook the mountain, blinding white light filled the mine.