The Northern Crater

[Redneck Messiah]

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K E F K A

The Psycho Clown

"I am a God!"

Terra had let loose a powerful spell. But it was just that. A spell. Magic. This was Kefka's realm of expertise. So while it hit him, full force, he took it. He knew he could, and then some. A lot. When the spell had calmed, he would be there. His feet on the ground, his wings still, and yet he remained ready. He looked like a tiger that was stalking it's prey. But this was no game of cat and mouse anymore. She had tipped the lid off the volcano.

With all of the stillness, all of the calm, it was easy for him, in his readied state, to hear the footsteps behind him. But he didn't move. Not yet. He waited for the footsteps to stop. Then he counted two seconds. And once again, he showed that he wasn't the physical weakling that he had a reputation for. Kefka was, in fact, quite the soldier.

With a speed that would defy his size, he shot to the left. One step out and then his body twisted. His right wings tucked in and he turned his head to see Cloud miss him by inches. His body continued to twist and as he came around his right hand would be in position to take a free shot on Cloud's back. But he let it go. He wasn't here to kill. He was here to test. He was here to break. This would be a personal victory that none would know other than himself.

When Cloud was near Terra, he spoke. His words were lost on Kefka as the man was wildly racing in his head around an idea that was, to put it bluntly, brilliant. There weren't very many chances to really mess with someone. Not like this. Not in the way he was about to royally tear into Terra's heart, her psyche, her soul. He would make her question her very existence. And all the while, he would do it while playing with Cloud as well.

So he began his next phase of the test.

"Cloud, is it? I read about you. Nothing like I had pictured. And, much slower. But I digress. You fancy yourself a fighter. But, you lack finesse. You lack that drive to be better. For instance ..." He held out his hand and before him there was beginning to form a bubble in what could only be described as actual reality. The very world was shifting where he was beginning to tear a hole into a whole new realm. A realm of Espers. "This man ..." And, from the portal a form started to materialize. It was large. Masculine. His skin was bronze and he looked very regal. And yet, he looked defeated.

"This man was once a proud member of the realm of Espers. Terra's people. I killed them. Absorbed most of them long before I took down the triad. They were weak. This man was no exception. But before that, he strived to be better than what he was. He wanted so desperately to save his family that he forsook his own people and left them."

Kefka, at this point let the portal close. The man before him was nothing more than a slave of the shell that once was. But, it was enough. Even the apparition. For the soul still lived. Each, and every one, of those who were summoned to do the bidding of others. They bore the weight of their actions, be them good or evil, and had no say in the matter.

"He got so far as to lead them to some margin of safety. You see, an army of humans was invading his realm. And he, selflessly, ushered his human wife away. But it was too late. She was caught. Her, and his daughter." The look on his face was priceless. Kefka was talking to Cloud but his eyes were bearing into Terra.

At that point, the large Esper could only look at Terra as well. His face was one of sorrow. He couldn't even utter the words, 'Sorry' because Kefka did not will it so.

Kefka was done. At least for now. He would let what he said sink in. Terra would figure it out. Hopefully. And, he wanted to see how she would take the news. "Go, Maduin ..." The name was something she might know. If not, well then this wouldn't be half as interesting as he had hoped. "Show these children your power."

There was a slight pause, and Kefka almost looked nervous for a second. His head twitched to the side and in that moment the Esper said two words. "Forgive me ..." But as quickly as it had wrested it's own will from Kefka it was under his control again. And now things got really fun. Because the Epser unleashed his ability. Chaos Wave.

The room in front of him erupted. Literally. The area was flooded with chaotic powers that sent normality to hell and back. Shards flew, pieces broke, everything was, no pun intended, chaos. So much so that the area would be blanketed in a cloud of dark matter. There was no ash, or even dust, so what it was could be anyone's guess. However, it did disrupt the vision enough for Kefka to, once again, shift his position. He took back to the air and now he was fitting his single materia slot with a different, green stone.

Let phase two begin. He was ready.

"I am all-powerful!!"

 

[Redneck Messiah]

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(¸.•´(¸.• (¸¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.

K E F K A

The Psycho Clown

"I am a God!"

There were those who would have stopped to admire the girl in her desperate attempts to sway the bonded soul of her father. Some might even sympathize with her feeling that such things were cruel and unjust. And, there were some who would go so far as to say that all of her love would be enough to break the hold over the foreign esper. But, Kefka was none of those things. He was a devious, sadistic, twisted individual. One who could have cared less about the misfortune that Terra now found herself in. The moral implications losing themselves on the man who fancied himself a god.

But now things were going to get down right nasty. Kefka had seen her power. He had tipped her emotions into play and was taking meticulous notes. Even now, amidst all of the carnage, he was weighing the woman he considered a test subject. And while her power was great, he was interested in something more. He didn't want to kill her. Or to even beat her. He wanted something much worse. He wanted to break her. "This should do the trick ..." The last words mumbled under his breath.

The materia he had inserted into his jewelery was none other than a nice little 'gift' he had picked up from one of his torture patients. It was called Mystify. Kefka had, of course, already figured out everything there was to know about it's useful abilities. It could do one of two things to an individual it was cast on. Confuse, which was a nice way to get someone to attack those they were working with. And, the one he would be using for this next phase of the test, Berserk. It made the person that it was cast on go mad with rage. So much so that the only thing they could do would be to attack the enemy. No matter who that enemy was. Oh the joy. Oh the great joy.

And so it would be. While the girl was busy trying to connect with her father on a level that would simply not ever happen, Kefka tapped his finger to the materia and whispered something. The spell was loose. He was hoping to catch Terra off guard in her attempts to sway her father into joining the light side. But honestly, who was she kidding? Here on the dark side, they had cookies. Besides, if she was thinking clearly she would have known far in advance that summons didn't work like that. But all in all, it was too late.

She would soon feel the haze of rage. The all seeing red that came with the uncontrollable urge to strike out with everything she had. She would know it! Know it in the biblical sense. She would be intimate with that feeling. And she would embrace it. Give into it! "Mweee heee heeeeeeee!"

Just then Kefka was shaken. That stupid boy. "Hmm ..." The eyes of the devil were now falling on the spikey haired teen. The psycho Clown had amassed quite a few abilities since becoming the god of magic. Some that were quite extraordinary. For instance, he could alter reality. As shown earlier. And telekinesis, like when he was alone with Terra. Or even, and at this point he smiled, create his own magics. Oh yes. Being a god certainly had it's perks. But, for now, he would indulge the wannabe fighter.

He dropped to his feet with a grace that was reserved for masters of their art. His form began to shrink back to it's human proportions. He was slowly walking towards Cloud at this point, his body coming back to its normal appearance. When he was done, everything was back the way it had been before he was stabbed, he pulled two things from behind him. One was a small bottle. The other was a thin bladed weapon that shimmered with unholy beauty. He popped the cork from the bottle and downed the drink in one gulp. Then he motioned to Cloud. "I do think it would be wise for us to leave her alone for now. Come. Show me how much of a fighter you think you are. Or is that too much for you to handle? Can you not wrap your simple little head around the idea that maybe, just maybe, you're too scared to go toe to toe with a god? I really don't blame you. Everything I've read says you have a habit of running when things get tough."

He let his words linger while, slowly pacing to the boy's left. If the fight broke out, Kefka may not be enough to handle Cloud in a physical bout. But he was certainly no slouch. He would revel in the opportunity to see what this kid could do when angered. "So what is it going to be, kid? Are you going to be a hero and try to save the girl from killing her father? In her state, she may mistake you for something else. Can you handle her? I doubt it. Or do you face me? See if you have what it takes to really be a man! To go beyond your fears. To be better than a clone ..." His last word was said with venom. He wanted it to sting. He wanted Cloud to know that he knew. "Or! Do you turn tail and run like you've always done?"

Meanwhile, Maduin was under the will of Kefka. And his will was to fight. So when Terra got close enough to reach at him, he pulled back and held his right palm forward. Power building for another blast of his chaos wave. If there was any doubt in Terra's mind as to who the enemy was, providing she could still think that clearly, then now there would be none. Maduin was the enemy. And he would fight her with everything he had because he had no choice.

"I am all-powerful!!"

 

[Redneck Messiah]

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(¸.•´(¸.• (¸¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.

K E F K A

The Psycho Clown

"I am a God!"

Kefka was about to boast about his new accomplishment when yet another pesky child decided to meddle in his affairs. At this point, as annoyed as he was getting, he couldn't help but notice that something was different about this new girl. She had strength. Real power. Like Terra. But different. However, that was something he could look at later. Right now he had a test to conclude.

And conclude he would.

However, the new girl had set Terra free of her berserking prison. Albeit, a bit too late. The damage was done. Her father, the Esper Maduin, was dead. Again. Kefka had killed him once. Terra had simply done it a second time. He was all for letting that little victory set in if it hadn't been for the fact that Terra was pissed. Kefka was a powerful man. More so than anyone had a right to be. But even then, he did not want to push the girl too much further. Not yet.

He was not scared, not at all. He had no doubt in his mind that he could easily defeat the inhabitants of the cave. But, he was not done breaking her. He needed to see it on her face. He needed to see her know that she was broken and that there was no more hope. He could not finish that endeavor here. What he could do was conclude the test. So he did.

A moment too late.

With his attention focused on the new girl, his mind distracted by thoughts of glorious breaking, he failed to notice that Terra was already on him. The bottle he had drank from earlier carried in it a potion of healing. And now, once healed, Terra had ripped his side open again. That slight annoyance turned back into that overbearing rage. He lashed out with that rage once again. Only this time he didn't let it get the better of him.

He let loose a massive fire spell and yelled something fierce. Where it was aimed wasn't really his concern. He was too angry to see straight. Time to play was over. Kefka was about to get serious.

"I am all-powerful!!"

 

[Redneck Messiah]

(¯`v´¯)
`*..*´
¸.•´ ¸.•*¨)¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´(¸.• (¸¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.

K E F K A

The Psycho Clown

"I am a God!"

He had come to this place with a few specific goals in mind. He was scouting, more than anything. Looking for a place, in this new world, to call his own. After he had learned of materia, this place seemed to have the highest concentration of the same type of energy. So, naturally, he thought that there would be more materia, hence more power, in this location. And he was right. It seemed that this place was a direct link to those energies that created the materia.

What he didn't plan for was Terra. Or her blond bimbo of a friend. Or the black haired witch. Terra was a nice addition. The blond was annoying. The witch was just a down right nuisance. Together, they weren't a real threat. But he didn't really want to waste the energy on them. Besides, with Terra barging in he found himself with a few more goals. Goals he had seen realized. At least, in the short term. The seed had been sown. The deed done. In this moment, with Terra charging him, he had but one more task to complete. And so he would.

He turned towards the girl, his arms out. Her spells were, quite literally, cast aside and she swept his arms across his body. Still turned he hesitated. ON purpose. Her blade found his flesh. More than being annoyed, he physically strained against his own rage to keep in control of himself. It was a battle he did not easily win. But here, now with her sword buried in his side, he reached out and, once again, wrapped his bony fingers around her neck. This time pulling her close so he could whisper into her ear.

He didn't need to give her a long speech on how she had just killed her own father. She would do that all on her own. Her conscious playing against her. No. He only needed to say one word. And one word was all he said. His voice calm, soft, full of conviction. He whispered into her ear. Power was not always manifest in the physical abilities of one's own skills. No. Power was, more often than not, in the words of those with the voice.

"Muderer ..."

He let the word sink in for a moment before he thrust his arm forward. Terra would go flying. Her sword ripping from his flesh in much the same way it had before. But this time he did not get angry. He smiled. When she gained her footing she would have enough time to hear Kefka laugh his signature laugh. Hie eyes would meet hers and he would point to the dead body of the Esper as it began to dissolve into ashes. He had won this day. And many, many more to come. That was for certain. So with his great victory he laughed once more and vanished. The escape spell always ready on his list for instances just like this.

"I am all-powerful!!"