Chapter 1: Now Boarding
Bone. Blood. Pain. Iron. Grit.
Fighter blinked the sand out of his eyes and tried to stop the flashing coloured lights and the roaring sound in his ears. He spat dirt and blood, tried to sit up but the pain was simply too great. The realization swept over him like an icy wind: He couldn't defeat the Lich. He had failed. Failed as a swordsman, failed as a Light Warrior, but worst of all, failed as a friend. Black Mage was dead, and Fighter had failed him.
The icy wind grew colder. The lights flashed brighter and the roaring didn't diminish. It filled his ears, filled the whole world with its thunder, but it was the scream that made Fighter force himself to turn around.
There, instead of the Lich, steam hissing from its joints, was a train.
There weren't many trains in the world. They were a new technology, but they were based on something that Fighter had heard of, but never seen. His face lit with joy -- this had to be the Doom Train! The Doom Train was such a potent eidolon that only the very powerful could summon it. Black Mage was the most powerful wizard Fighter knew (notwithstanding that he didn't know very many to begin with.)
"Black Mage! You're alright!" Fighter leapt to his feet and looked around wildly, but Black Mage was nowhere to be seen. With a groan, the train began to move. Fighter watched the windows of the pullman cars slide past him, then caught a glimpse of blue mage robe and pointy straw hat. He began to run, "Black Mage! Don't go! Wait for me!" The train was moving faster now and Fighter broke into a sprint, trying to catch the handle by the pullman door. He caught it and swung himself up one-handed.
"Fighter?! What are you doing here?"
Fighter plunked himself down into the seat opposite his best friend and beamed at him, "Hi BM! Are you surprised to see me?"
"...that's one way of putting it," Black Mage winced.
"That was really cool, how you summoned the Doom Train and squashed the Lich like that!"
Black Mage frowned, "What are you talking about? Do you realize where you are?"
"We're on a really cool train! I've never been on a train before!" Fighter enthused. He looked out the window at the vast sea of stars spreading out around them, "Wheee! We're goin' on a holiday!"