[Mulond, City of the Dead in the region of the Airship’s Graveyard]
“More…. Power….,” Altima’s last words echoed across the plain.
Ramza, Agrias, and the rest of the troop saw that as Altima was dying, vast energies were about to be released.
Ramza shouted, “Look out!”
Everyone dove a mere moments before Altima exploded, and Agrias found herself engulfed in a blinding light….
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[Outskits of Midgar]
After an seeming eternal moment, the lady paladin perceived herself laying on her back staring at the sun directly above her. Squinting and turning her face away from the sun, Agrias sat up letting her eyes adjust. Minutes pass, and the holy knight’s vision returns to normal. Taking in her surroundings, Agrias finds herself on a craggy plain at the base of a large hill. Small clumps of stubborn long grass and chest high boulders dot the deserted plain in other directions. Dust blew across the plain, while the paladin stood.
Finding her voice, unsteady at first but growing stronger, “Ra… Ramza? Lavian!? Mustadio?!? ANYONE!?!?”
The howl of the wind answered her. With her eyes scanning the horizon, Agrias asked herself, “Where am I? Where is everyone else? That explosion should have… killed us all. How am I alive?”
Then her hand went to where the indestructible crystal vial of perfume that was just under her armor, “The Chantage, it restored me…. Resurrection and healing. The others… Oh God, please don’t let me be the only one, not of all of us!”
Just then a strange growing roar announced the approach of… something, and an odd smell or vapor assaulted her sense of smell, “What is…”
Turning her head to her right, she sees a giant metallic flying … thing swooping just over the hill. Agrias’ eyes widen and a blood curdling scream escapes her throat. As the enormous flying object flies directly over her, Agrias dives sideways into the dirt. After the shadow passes over, Agrias looks up at the thing’s departure, “WHAT IS THAT!?!? THE DEVIL’S OWN CHARIOT!?!?!”
Once the knight is convinced that the… Flying construct isn’t going to turn around to come back at her, Agrias stands up still staring, “A flying machine? I thought Mustadio was crazy when he talked about the possibility…”
Steeling herself, Agrias ascended the hill. And once she gained the summit, the paladin gawked at the sight of an colossal city seemingly made of metal. The sight was completely inconceivable to anything that she’s seen before…. Even in Mulond. Other metallic flying objects seemed to buzz around the grand city like insects. Even from this distance, she could tell that this was no mirage -- Agrias could hear it and feel it.
Reason slowly began to regain control of her higher brain functions, “This is an impossibility, yet there it is. A humongous city bigger than anything that I’ve ever heard of. Either I have ended up in some kind of … future, or…. I am standing at the gates of Hell.”
Agrias then made her resolve, “ Well,… I’ve never crawled before, or wept in the face of danger -- and I’m not about to begin now.”
As she turned to find a way down safely, a curious sight caught her attention -- an oversized rusting great sword stuck into the ground near where she ascended the hill. The paladin got the impression that it was some kind of memorial. Whispering a blessing for whomever the sword stood in silent memorial to, Agrias left the hill’s summit and carefully descended to begin the long trek to the vast metropolis that later she’d find out was called Midgar.
