Her armor gleamed in the crystals light – faint, yet comforting – as the young Miqo'te faced down her foe. The man across from her snarled, dark magic lines appearing over his body as he charged her.
She smiled, and drew her sword. She brought the blade back, ready to meet the man with a swift death. Her blade – Curtana, she had named the powerful relic – rushed forwards to meet the foe, and-
"Hey lass, wake up, won't you?"
She opened her eyes – feline pupils surrounded by light blue irises – and frowned at her disruption. The man sitting across from her on the small carriage simply smiled back to her, as if he hadn't just awoken her from her nap. Her tail twitched with irritation, but not enough for him to take notice. Who was he to just wake her like that?
"Heh, sorry for 'waken ya like that," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "Anyroad, now that you're awake how about you talk with me for a minute?" A single eyebrow raised in confusion.
"What makes you think I would talk with you if you were to disrupt my sleep," She asked, voice thick with Miqo'te influence. He smiled at her with a toothy grin.
"Well, we're talking, aren't we?" She crossed her arms in response to him. The traveler simply chuckled at her frustration. He picked a tan jug up from the spot beside him and took a drink before offering it to her.
"I don't drink around those I know not," She spat, a sneer pulling at her lips. The smile on the man didn't even flinch. He gave the jug a small shake.
"It's only water, lass. You need to stay hydrated in the desert so have some," He persisted, jug still offered. She rolled her eyes but took the offering, nonetheless. The water felt good on her dry lips, and she took two deep drinks before handing it back to him. The traveler chuckled again, which has slowly softening her sour mood.
"From your clothes I would assume you are from the Sun Seeker clan," He commented, winning a sigh from the woman.
"If conversation you insist on, then yes I am from a Sun Seeker clan." She turned to look at him, "did my eyes hold that secret from you at first?" Her sarcasm must have completely flown over his head.
"I knew a lad from there once, strong look of determination, characteristics of being a leader, much like yourself he was an adventurer," He told her. She opened her mouth to question who he was, when the carriage jolted to a halt, the driver calling that they had arrived at Ul'dah, The Desert Oasis. The two passengers filed out among the several others that they had been traveling with. The city of Ul'dah was amazing to the young Miqo'te woman. In the Sun Seeker clans buildings were small and burrowed into the ground like some strange desert animal. But this city was enormous. Walls stretched to the sky and grand rooftops stretched to touch the clouds.
"Hey lass, I don't suppose I could catch your name?" The young woman turned and looked at the man from over her shoulder; her feline eyes showed with a glint of curiosity. She smiled, nonetheless and called back to him as she began walking towards the main gate.
"My name is Kimpach'e Ramasamma," she called out, waving to him as she was swept away in the wave of people filing into the gate. He smiled as he turned his eyes skyward, scratching the back of his shaved head and letting out a small chuckle.
"Hi, welcome to the Adventurer's Guild, Miss. If you could, sign up on the sheet to your left," a cheerful lalafell woman beamed at Kim as she approached the desk. The Miqo'te smiled softly as she took the pen in hand and put her name down on one of the blank lines. She noticed that it was already signed by many others before her, but she couldn't be sure of just how many days had passed between signatures. When she finished with her last name she pushed the paper to the small receptionist, giving her a smile.
"Ah, Miss Ramasamma, welcome to Ul'dah! So you signed up as a gladiator; you'll want to visit the Gladiator's Guild then, in the Coliseum. Talk to Maya, the guild master, and you will be good to go!" The lalafell said, marking Kimpach'e's map with a location in the center of the city.
She thanked the small woman, and turned to leave with a newfound determination and purpose. She had only gone a couple of steps towards the door before she overheard a lalafell man, the one who was standing behind her in line, talking to the receptionist. Curious, Kim slowed her steps and twitched her ear in the direction of the two. The lalafell woman sounded happy to see the man, as she sighed deeply when he greeted her.
"Next time why don't you give us a challenge, eh?" His tone was one of victory and Kim noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was a highlander woman standing behind his right shoulder.
Taking a seat in one of the empty circular tables within the inn, Kim examined the two newcomers more thoroughly. The lalafell man wore black robes with a simple silver-trimmed border and had a thick book strapped to his side, which Kim guessed was a scholar's tool. She had only heard tales of the healing power that scholars possessed, but it was the thing of legends. His hair was a deep chestnut brown and was swept back as if a great wind had blown it into place. The woman to his right stood with her arms crossed over her chest; her clothes were simple enough: brown tanned-leathers and light metal plating with a bow slung across her back and a quiver full of arrows at the ready. Her hair fell loosely to the middle of her back and was a blue-grey hue, she wore no helmet. A sound of metal rang out from the counter and brought Kimpach'e back to the present situation. The lalafell had produced a large blade from somewhere and had dropped it triumphantly on the counter for the receptionist to see.
"The blade of Kurtan the Mad, ruthless bandit leader of Ul'dah. His gang won't be a problem anymore and the trade routes should be safe now," He declared, earning a smile from the small receptionist behind the counter.
"Splendid work Ras, I will take this to the back and collect your payment," she said, struggling to drag the sword from the counter to a door behind her. The man -Ras- looked up at the highlander woman and smiled wide. She simply nodded to him and smiled back as they awaited the payment for the bounty.
Kim kept watching them for a couple seconds longer, but quickly turned away when the highlander looked at her. She turned and looked directly into the Miqo'te's eyes, something about her gaze sent chills up Kimpach'e's spine. Soon the lalafell returned with a brown sack tied shut with a small thread, and handed it over to Ras and they began to walk away. Kim sighed quietly to herself, content that the highlander woman hadn't seen her staring. This thought was quickly demolished, however as the two adventurers suddenly pulled up chairs and took a seat across from the young Miqo'te female. Kimpach'e's ears shot up in surprise at the sudden arrival, earning her a short laugh from Ras and a cold stare from the woman.
"Yes, before you ask that was the sword of Kurtan the Mad, infamous bandit of Ul'dah. I am Rasputin, Journeyman Scholar in the healing arts, and this is Kanade. She is deadly with a bow in nearly every situation, and is my close friend." Kimpach'e smiled weakly, embarrassed that she was caught eavesdropping. Kanade regarded her with a silent glare; her arms folded neatly across her chest and a cold glint within her eyes. Kim extended her hand to shake the lalafell's hand firmly.
"I am Kimpach'e Ramasamma, it is nice to meet someone so soon after arriving here," she said, giving them a warm smile. Kanade nodded her greeting and Rasputin returned the smile as he shook the Miqo'te's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Kimpach'e. When did you get to Ul'dah?"
"Just this afternoon, actually. I have travelled from my Sun Seeker clan in the mountains to become an adventurer. My father suggested that I learn the art of the gladiator from the guild in this city, so that's where I am headed," she told them honestly. Rasputin nodded his understanding. Kanade kept her glare.
"The Sun Seeker clans exist very far to the south of Ul'dah, if I am not mistaken. That is quite the journey you have made," Rasputin commented, rubbing the back of his head.
"Do you even have a sword and shield? The badge of every gladiator," Kanade suddenly asked, her amber eyes locked on the other woman. Kim frowned and shook her head, causing several strands of red hair to fall in her eyes.
"I was hoping to borrow my weapons from the guild or purchase them from a blacksmith. My family gave me a small amount of coin, all they could spare." The Miqo'te woman showed the two a small sack tied to her belt that jingled when she shook it.
"I have an idea," Rasputin declared, throwing his tiny arms down on the table, "Join us as the fourth member of our party and we can get you the weapons and armor you need. Plus, you can train as a gladiator as you make a name for yourself doing mercenary work with us. Everyone wins," the lalafell said, smiling. Kimpach'e raised an eyebrow.
"Where would you get the sword and armor? I will not let you purchase my tools for me," Kim responded firmly. Rasputin shook his head.
"No, no, Kanade is a blacksmith-in-training. She can make you a decent blade and shield to start you off with, free of charge," Rasputin said, earning Kanade's unnerving eyes to turn on him.
"You expect me to make the girl weapons for free," she deadpanned. It was more of a statement than it was an actual question, but it didn't falter the young lalafell in the slightest.
"You can get the supplies you need from the guild vault for no charge and you can make the girl a decent set of armor and a blade to start her off. I know you can Kanade, I have seen your work." Kanade quietly sighed and nodded her agreement.
"Great," Rasputin clapped his hands together, "Then it is settled. Kimpach'e Ramasamma, I officially invite you to join the free company, Skybound!" Kimpach'e was momentarily caught off guard from the sudden invitation. Why did Rasputin want her in their free company? A fresh gladiator who knew very little about fighting, who didn't even own her own sword?
"If you will have me, then I would be happy to join you," Kimpach'e responded with determination after a couple minutes of consideration. Rasputin smiled widely again.
"Welcome to Skybound Company then, Kimpach'e Ramasamma, Miqo'te Gladiator." They shook hands again, "You can move into our guild house any time you like, and tomorrow you will be coming with Kanade and myself to collect a bounty. Get your stuff and we can go to the house now and get you settled in, if you want." Kim smiled and nodded her agreement, standing and slinging her small pack over her shoulder.
"I guess I will start working on that armor for you then," Kanade commented, her voice monotone and simple, as she walked towards the door with Rasputin close behind her.
Kimpach'e took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly and smiled. She was going to be a Gladiator, with an actual free company. She tightened the grip on her bag string and jogged to catch up with her new friends. She would make her family proud, and she would become the great gladiator that they expected of her. Nothing was going to stop her she decided, her brow furrowing with determination.
The guild house was rather large, in Kimpach'e's opinion. It was a two story wooden house that sat perched on one of the cliffs of The Gauntlet outside of Ul'dah's gates. The above rock created a shade canopy for the building, sparing the three from the direct heat of the overhead sun. Kanade unlocked the front door, Rasputin now hanging onto her shoulders and back, and the three stepped inside the cool relief of the main room. Kimpach'e stood beside the door, uncertain what to do for several moments. Rasputin jumped down from Kanade's shoulders and pointed to the staircase.
"You can take the spare room upstairs. It's at the end of the hall next to Jack's room." Kanade unlocked a door to their left and stepped inside, before closing and locking it after her without saying a word, as Rasputin waved Kimpach'e to follow him.
"Don't worry, Kanade is always slow to trust new members. It took her three months to warm-up to Jack enough to even talk around him," Ras commented as they walked down a hallway to a set of double doors. He took the handles in hand and tossed them open with a little more force than was needed. The doors flung open to reveal a training room with a small armory in the back corner. Inside a man was standing perfectly still in the middle of a circle of glass bottles. Ras held his arm out for Kim to stay back, motioning for silence. They watched as the man's brow furrowed very slightly as he brought his arms up in front of him, palms open. His eyelids shot open, as he let out a deep cry. Fire lurched from his palms in small dart-shaped flurries, turning the glass bottles in front of him to liquid. He spun on his heel, launching flames to his left and right, before leaping in the air and spinning quickly, sending the flames to the remaining bottles behind him until all of the glass bottles had been reduced to molten piles. He looked upon his work and nodded slightly, as Rasputin now approached with Kimpach'e trailing behind.
"Greetings, Ras. I expected you and Kanade to be longer," The man said, voice deep and fatigued from training. His skin was dark, but toned from his profession, and sweat caused it to shine from the overhead lamps. Ras tossed him a towel which he caught, a smile appearing on his lips and he dabbed the perspiration from his brow.
"The bandits were weaker than we had thought, it was easy enough taking them down with the plan I came up with," Rasputin responded, shrugging his left shoulder slightly. The man nodded in response.
"Kimpach'e, I would like you to meet Jackson Trader, he is training in the art of the Black Mage, and is the third member of Skybound. He, Kanade, and I were the only members before you joined earlier today. Get to know him, you will be comrades in battle for some time to come. Trust is essential in survival when you are fighting with a free company, so get to know each other," Rasputin said, motioning towards the mage.
Jackson smiled softly and extended his open hand to the woman. His arms were bulging with muscle underneath the midnight-black fabric of his robes. She could tell that he trained very hard and quite often. She took his massive hand and shook it, smiling warmly.
"I am Kimpach'e Ramasamma, and I will be training with Skybound as a Gladiator. It is very nice to meet you," Kim said honestly, earning a soft smile from Jackson.
"Nice to meet you too, Kimpach'e. As Ras said, I am Jackson Trader, trained in the art of Black Magic. Kanade and I can take out just about anything in our path, and with the boss and now yourself I think we can overcome anything," He said, his voice deep but gentle. His head was shaven and his face was absent of hair as well; his eyes shone a deep green, much like two emeralds, as he spoke. Kimpach'e was nearly envious of his eyes, but she would always choose blue over green.
"Hmm, your blue eyes go very well with your red hair, Kimpach'e. Beautiful combination," Jackson commented, making Kim's cheeks burn slightly as she tried to hide the blush that was forming there. He chuckled softly at her, which only made her blush deepen.
"Thank you, Jackson. I will become the best gladiator I can be," Kim said, her blush fading as she got her bearings back. He nodded and clapped a massive hand on her shoulder.
"I have a feeling you will get along just fine with Skybound. Glad to have you," He said. Kimpach'e nodded with determination.
"Come on, Kim. Let's leave Jack to his training and go see your room," Rasputin said, waving the Miqo'te out the door.
They walked back into the main room and took the stairs to the second floor, and turned left down a hallway with several polished, dark-wood doors along the wall. Rasputin led her to the last door on the left and opened it, the door swinging easily and silently to reveal a small, but cozy unfurnished room. The floor was light-wood much like the rest of the house and a single rug was stretched out in the center, half hidden underneath the simple feather bed. On the far wall there was a single window, closed and bolted, that was made of polished dark-wood similar to the room's door. Kimpach'e entered the room slowly and tried to take in every detail she could. Rasputin told her to get settled in and that dinner will be served in a couple of hours. She thanked him and he closed the door behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The young Miqo'te took a deep breath as she walked to the window, setting her pack on the edge of the bed as she passed. Unlatching the window, she pushed it open, smiling at the warm air that rushed in from outside. It smelled of cool water and rock, which made the Miqo'te smile as it brought back thoughts of her home. She glanced over the cliffs of The Gauntlet looking at the other houses that dotted the rocks. Aside from two of the three story mansions near the waterfall, Kimpach'e considered Skybound Company to have the nicest house. A genuine smile pulled at her lips as she glanced up at the blue sky, watching a cloud slowly drift overhead. She had done it. She was going to make her family money from being an adventurer.
"Don't worry, Mom and Dad. Once I become a seasoned-gladiator I will be able to pay for mom's medicine and the house payment too," She said, clenching a fist with determination as she made her promises to the air. She then began to unpack her few belongings; dinner would be in about an hour so she had some free time. She would train as hard as she could tomorrow, she had too.
Chapter Two – Training Day
The meal smelled wonderful as Kim walked into the dining room to join her comrades. Jackson sat in a chair beside Kanade, who was busy re-stringing her bow. Kimpach'e idly wondered if it was made from maple or chestnut wood, but decided against asking the archer about it. Rasputin could be heard whistling from behind the door that led to the kitchen as he prepared their dinner. Kim took a seat across from Jackson and smiled at the black mage. He returned the gesture and leaned back in his chair.
"So Kanade, tell me about the fight with Kurtan. How'd you and Ras manage to nab the mutt," Jackson asked, trying to start a conversation. Kanade continued to oil the bowstring for several seconds before she answered.
"Must we have table conversation, Jack? Or are you just trying to get me to talk because of her," Kanade said in her monotone voice, gesturing towards Kim. The Miqo'te was silent as she waited for Jackson to respond. The mage frowned.
"Now Kan, no need to be rude. Her name is Kimpach'e, and she is one of us now." Kanade simply hummed in response while she attached the string to the bow, never taking her eyes from her work.
Jackson sighed and sent a small shrug towards the young Miqo'te. Kim gave him a tired smile. Kanade would warm up to her in time; as long as she was careful not to piss the archer off, then Kim knew they could become friends someday. She would prefer that if this woman was going to be fighting alongside her in battle. The kitchen door swung open and Rasputin came in, carrying three plates of food which he sat in front of each person, before retrieving his own plate and taking the seat next to Kimpach'e. The meal was simple: roast trout, lightly seasoned with fried potatoes on the side and a glass of ice water. Kim only now felt the pain in her stomach rise from hunger. She took a bite into the fish and was overwhelmed with flavor. The woman soon cleaned the food from her plate, along with Jackson and Rasputin. Kanade ate her small piece of fish and gave Jackson her potato, and returned to her bow. Kim couldn't recall when she had eaten a meal that had tasted so wonderful, and was glad the lalafell knew how to cook.
After the dishes were cleaned up each person retired to their own rooms, Kanade leaving without a word, her bow now strung and resting across her back. Rasputin told Jackson and Kim goodnight and entered the room next to Kanade's. Jackson and Kimpach'e climbed the stairs and entered their own rooms. Kim stared at the ceiling as she lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep. The moon threw rays of light in from her window, bathing the room in a soft glow which the Miqo'te found calming. Memories of Annit flashed through her mind. She smiled at the thought of her sister. Annit always did love the moon more than the sun. She was a true Keeper of the Moon, all the way down to her genes, just like their father. Kimpach'e had taken after their mother, and was born with the same feline eyes that Sun Seekers were known for. She was going to use part of the money from her adventuring to send Annit to study lunar magic at one of the renowned colleges of magic from her homeland. Kimpach'e smiled and turned her head to look at her pack, which was sitting on the floor next to her bed. After a couple more minutes she sat up and rubbed her eyes, deciding that sleep would come later, if it came at all. Her light-blue eyes fell to her pack again, and she pursed her lips together and picked up the pack after a moment of thought. She dug through her belongings that she had yet to unpack until she found a flat, small rock cut in a perfect circle that was strung on a necklace and was the color of grey-ash. She fastened the string behind her neck tightly so the string wouldn't come undone. The rock was cool to her touch and made her smile as she held it.
"I promise I will do well, Annit. I swear that I will," She whispered, feeling sleep pull her eyelids slowly shut. Within minutes she was fast asleep, one hand still clutching the rock loosely.
"Kim, wake up!" The yell was enough to send the young Miqo'te woman falling from her bed. Jackson stood in the doorway holding the door open, a light smile on his face. The redhead slowly turned to glare at him, her hair jetting out on one side, which caused the mage to bite his lip to keep from laughing outright.
"Come on, training begins in an hour, get yourself cleaned up and meet us in the training room. Kanade finished your armor earlier so it's ready for you," he said closing the door as he left, leaving the woman with sleep still in her eyes. She groaned and rubbed them, in an attempt to wake herself up. Today she needed to try her hardest, no matter what they threw at her.
After half an hour, Kimpach'e arrived in the training room, her eyes slightly brighter than before and she looked a bit more awake as well. She took a seat next to Jack on one of the wood benches and watched Ras channel water from a bucket into a small tornado and Kanade shoot her bow at a target fifty meters away while blindfolded. The blindfold made the Miqo'te a bit nervous, until Kanade put three arrows in the center of the target one after the other. These people were all very skilled, and Kim just hoped she could match their skill sooner rather than later. When Rasputin lowered the water gently back into the bucket he wrote some numbers hastily in his book, which was sprawled open on a table beside him. He then smiled and walked over to where the two sat, strapping the large tome back on his robe.
"Good morning, Kim. I hear you are a heavy sleeper," He teased, wiping his brow with a cloth. The woman stuck her tongue out at him playfully, causing the black mage next to her to chuckle deeply and the lalafell to smile.
"I finished your sword and shield when I woke up, and your armor shortly after. They are on the stand behind you," Kanade flatly commented, still blindfolded and drawing her bow with three arrows notched. Kimpach'e looked behind the bench to see a shiny metal short sword leaning against a round buckler. A stand of armor sat behind the shield with a metal chest piece and grieves, metal boots and gloves. She strapped the armor on and felt the weight of the sword in her hand while testing the buckler in her other. It felt strange to her, but not at all unpleasant. She enjoyed how the weapons felt in her hands, and she smiled as her hand gripped the sword hilt tightly.
"Now Kim, since you are new to fighting, we are starting you off with something small. I will summon several water sprites for you to battle. Don't worry, they are just infants, so they will be new to fighting like you will," Rasputin explained, unclipping his book and flipping to a marked page. Kim could see a complex diagram with many numbers scattered on the page of his book, but ignored her curiosity. She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Summon them," She told him, voice like steel. Ras smiled as he channeled his mana into the summoning diagram on the page, calling the water sprites to life. Three small balls of water, each with an orb of light in the middle, rose from the buckets around Kim. They began to circle her as she readied her weapon. Kanade removed her blindfold and slung the bow across her back and took a seat next to Jackson to watch. As the sprites continued to circle the woman they slowly gained speed with each rotation. Kim grit her teeth and swung in front of her in an arc, in an attempt to strike one of her foes. She fell short as the sprite floated up to avoid her blade. It then shot a small, yet powerful jet of water at her in retaliation. She was quick enough to block it with her shield, but the second sprite hit her in the back. She growled in frustration.
"Make sure to stay in your fighting stance. If your enemy breaks your stance, you have lost your most powerful defense and they will overtake you," Rasputin said from the sidelines, hand still hovering over the page, glowing a light blue. Kim nodded to him and turned back to the sprites. She waited for another water jet, which she blocked easily enough, and lunged forwards in a quick counter strike. She caught the sprite with her blade, and the floating orb of water dropped to the floor with a splash. Rasputin and Jackson clapped for her; Kanade continued to watch, her arms crossed over her chest and her face emotionless. Kim smiled when her mind caught up with what had happened, but another water jet stopped her from celebrating yet. She brought her sword and buckler up to the other two sprites, her feline-blue eyes darting between them. The left sprite suddenly launched a water jet at her, which she caught with her shield at the last moment. The right sprite circled behind her to catch her off guard, which she had noticed easily enough. She spun the blade in her hand and rammed it into the sprite behind her, making a satisfying splash. She spun the blade back and turned to face the final sprite. It launched another jet, which she easily blocked and countered, finishing the exercise with a third splash of water. Rasputin lowered his hand and closed his book as he and Jackson approached her. Kanade remained on the bench. A smile, although very small in size, tugged at her mouth. She hid it well though, she didn't want anyone to think she was starting to like the young Miqo'te woman.
"Way to go, Kim! That was very good for your first exercise. You're sure this is your first time fighting with a sword," Rasputin asked her, clipping his book back onto his robe. Kimpach'e nodded.
"You must learn quickly then, let's move you on to some harder stuff," the lalafell said, with Jackson nodding his agreement. Kim smiled, feeling ready for anything.
Several hours passed as they all trained their skills, working until each person was exhausted. Rasputin decided that they had trained enough for the day, and gave each of them free leave for the rest of the day. Kimpach'e showered quickly and changed into a loose shirt and pants that were more comfortable than her armor, which now sat on a stand in her room along with her sword and shield. She glanced at her weapon and armor briefly, but decided to clean and check everything before she went to sleep, and went in search of the pool Jackson had mentioned earlier. When she found the door leading to the pool, Rasputin, Kanade, and Jack were all already on the deck. Kanade was relaxing on a chair in the sun while Ras and Jack were playing in the pool. Kim stepped onto the wet wood of the deck and sat down in the chair beside Kanade. The other woman continued with her business as if Kimpach'e wasn't even there for a couple minutes before lifting her sunglasses to look at the Miqo'te.
"You have something special in you," Kanade told her flatly, her features showing curiosity through her stoic mask. Kim considered it a personal victory to have fished an emotion from the archer, but kept her excitement in check.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you have the heart to be an adventurer. I don't know if you are after the fighting, money, or fame, but you seem to be putting all your heart into this," Kanade told her. Kimpach'e smiled as she thought of her family and nodded.
"I am fighting so I can send money to my family. I need to be a great adventurer to make the money I need, so I have to do this," she explained. Kanade made a humming sound and replaced her sunglasses back over her eyes and relaxed into her chair again. Kim smiled at Kanade and stood up to walk to the pool. The water was cool on her skin and felt amazing after the training she had done earlier that day. As she came up from her dive she shook the water out of her ears and joined Ras and Jack where they sat on the edge of the pool. She listened to them argue between one another about who was more powerful with magic, and she had never felt like she belonged anywhere as much as she did in that moment, with those people. She tore her eyes away from the clouds and looked at Rasputin.
"Are we still going to collect that bounty today," She asked, and after a moment the lalafell nodded his head.
"After we relax and cool down from training you, Jackson, and myself are going to hunt down a dire wolf that has been killing the livestock of outlying Ul'dah villages. Since they are outlying the brass blades don't bother with patrolling them. We are all they have, hired muscle," Ras explained. Kimpach'e seemed puzzled.
"What makes this wolf so strong," the Miqo'te asked, earning a smile from the lalafell.
"It somehow, at some point in its life, managed to absorb energy from one of the many elemental-charged crystals that are scattered across our world. The energy made it grow after it was full grown. Since it kept growing, it needed more food for energy, thus the wolf becomes more aggressive with how it catches a meal and what that meal is," he explained, "now the wolf has become so powerful and aggressive, it is considered a dire wolf, and the village thought that hiring mercenaries was the best course. To kill it before it begins to hunt the villagers."
"It is always the best course when they hire us," Jackson commented. Rasputin ignored him.
"So, it's our job to kill the thing," Ras finished, using a towel to dry his hair.
Kimpach'e nodded, nervous of her first bounty, but determined to do well. Not just for her family or herself, but for her friends in Skybound Company as well.
The sun was setting, casting orange and red hues over the land as night approached. Rasputin, Kimpach'e, and Jackson crept through the dry, tall grass of the plains as they made their way towards the wolf's den. Kimpach'e had strapped her full armor on, while Ras and Jack had chosen to take robes. Besides the Miqo'te's blade, Ras had his spell book and Jack had one of his augmented staves strapped across his back. Eventually they found that a large clearing was directly ahead of them, the rocks had been moved, most likely by an animal. Rasputin motioned for the others' attention and signaled to go right and flank while he attacks from the front. Jack nodded and whispered the signal into Kim's ear. Kim and Jackson got into position silently, and waited for the dire wolf to emerge. Crouching low in the brush, Ras was flipping through his tome searching for a summoning equation. He found the page he had marked and held his palm over the book, channeling mana into the equation on the paper. He felt a small hand touch his shoulder and looked to find that the fairy Selene had answered his summons. He smiled to her in greeting and pointed to the den in front of him. Selene looked in the den and nodded back to Ras. The lalafell stood and cast the spell Ruin, launching it into the mouth of the den. A deep growl sounded throughout the clearing, followed by an even deeper howl. The dire wolf emerged from the den, and Kimpach'e was momentarily frozen in place by the sheer size of the beast. How did they expect her to take this thing down? Jackson laid one of his massive hands gently on her shoulder.
"Kim, are you sure you are up for this," He whispered. The Miqo'te shook her head in an attempt to clear it, and nodded.
He nodded back, and they stood from their hiding spot.
"NOW!" When Rasputin yelled the signal, the world became a blur.
Selene cast a spell called Fey Glow, which lifted some weight from Kimpach'e's weapons so she could swing her sword faster to attack or block quicker to defend, while making it easier for the two mages to form spells, so they could cast them quicker and easier. As Selene cast her spell, Jackson and Kimpach'e leapt from behind the den at the wolf, while Rasputin cast a disease on the beast, crippling the wolf's lungs. As the beast struggled to take in breath, Jackson channeled mana into fire in his hands until he couldn't contain it anymore, and spread it over Kimpach'e's blade. As her weapon caught the flame and turned it blue, she could feel the power rushing through the metal, and lunged towards the wolf to finish it off. As she drew closer however, the wolf noticed her and managed to take in enough breath to tackle her, which sent her tumbling across the ground and her sword sliding away from her grip. While the Miqo'te picked herself up, Jackson ran for her blade, he tossed it to her as she recovered, which she luckily caught by the hilt. She rounded on the wolf, who had not fully recovered from the tackle, and she ran at it, screaming as she drove the flaming, enchanted blade deep into the beast's heart. She watched as the life drained from the wolf's eyes, and only then did she yank her blade free.
"Excellent, Kimpach'e, Jackson, excellent," Rasputin cheered happily. He then thanked the fairy Selene for her help, and discussed her price for the summons, while Kim and Jack went to work skinning the wolf and carving meat to take home with them. After about thirty minutes, Rasputin had completed the ritual by paying Selene's price of summons, and Kim packed nearly 50 pounds of wolf meat into the sack that was slung over her shoulder, and Jackson held a similar sack that was stuffed with the wolf's pelt. They reached the Skybound house within a couple hours with the moon high in the sky, and stored the meat where it wouldn't spoil and the pelt in the workshop for Kanade to use the next day. After Rasputin told them both well done once more, Kim went straight to her room and nearly collapsed on her feather bed. It somehow seemed more comfortable than the previous night, but the Miqo'te didn't care. She was already asleep, exhausted from battling the wolf and her training before that.
Chapter Three – Prime Time for a Primal Time
Kimpach'e awoke late the following day, wondering why the mage-giant had chosen to let her sleep so late. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and twitched her tail, stretching all the kinks out of her muscles. As she made her way down the stairs, she guessed that it was sometime past noon and wondered again why she had been allowed to sleep so late. Kanade had found the wolf's pelt, and nailed it to one of the blank walls in the main room, and was currently standing in front of it with her arms crossed as Kim approached. Kanade spoke before Kim could open her mouth.
"They expect me to make something out of this. A trophy or something to show the other free companies that we were the ones to take it down. But what can I do with a bloodied hide this size," Kanade wondered aloud, and Kim stood beside her for several silent moments before trying to make Kanade smile with a joke.
"You might be able to make Jackson a coat, there might be enough to make one his size," the Miqo'te said. Kanade froze, her body silenced any movement and stood like a statue. A smile slowly cracked the archer's lips and she waved Kimpach'e off to the right.
"They are in the training room, go bother them," She told Kim, unable to hide her smile from the young gladiator. Kim walked to the training room with the knowledge that she had made Kanade actually smile.
As she pulled the sliding doors open and stepping inside, she saw both Jackson and Rasputin were deep in their own training, and she decided to get right to her training and not disturb them. She swiftly walked past the crouching Scholar and the Black Mage sitting on the floor and made her way to the armory. She strapped on her normal training gear, and took sword and shield in hand, ready to become stronger than she was yesterday. She spent the next several hours practicing striking and stance form on training dummies, until Ras finished his meditation with the healing fairy Eos and agreed to summon something for her to fight.
"Alright, I am going to find something harder for you this time. It won't be water sprites, I can tell you that much," the Scholar mumbled to himself as he quickly flipped through the equations of his book.
Eventually he found a red bookmark and decided that Kimpach'e should learn about the Primals, should one be summoned. He opened his tome to the summoning equation for a primal-egi, and he chose the primal Ifrit. He bit his lip and wondered if Kimpach'e would be able to defeat an Ifrit-Egi by herself. She had proven that she had the ability to learn in the heat of battle, and her bravery only seemed to be growing. He decided that an Ifrit-Egi would be a decent challenge for the woman. He nodded to himself and held his palm over the page. He began channeling mana into the equation. When he felt it was holding as much mana as it could, he pricked his finger with a dagger and let the blood fall to the equation on the page. The room suddenly rose several Celsius in temperature and a small, red orb appeared in front of Rasputin. The orb sucked power in the room and power from the equation in the book until it could take form. Kimpach'e stood, jaw open, as a small creature formed from the orb. One arm appeared to be attached only by muscle and long talons took the place of fingers. Soon the head formed and two large horns grew from the top of it. The creature growled at Kim as it completed the summoning. Ras leaned back from the book, sweat visible on his brow.
"I'll be fine, just let me rest while you fight the Egi," He panted, slightly out of breath. Jackson made sure Rasputin was alright, before he returned to his meditation. The lalafell managed to crawl his way up and onto one of the benches and sat in front of the Miqo'te gladiator and the Ifrit-Egi, waiting anxiously.
"I have summoned a controllable Egi of the Primal Ifrit. This will prepare you in case you ever meet the Lord of the Inferno face to face. He uses melee attacks mainly, so be ready to block and don't let him tire you out early, or he will smash through your shield like it's nothing. The actual Primal Ifrit, if summoned, will threaten the city-state Ul'dah first. You must be ready to fight a Primal in case a beast tribe summons one," He told Kimpach'e, his voice serious and firm.
She nodded and drew her blade, ready to show Rasputin everything she can do. A minute of silence settled over the training room, and the only sound was the soft hum of mana-meditation from Jackson. Kim suddenly takes a step back, bares her teeth, and charges the Egi, yelling as she arcs her sword in a powerful swing in front of her. The Egi backs out of the blade's path easily, swinging its talon-fingers in a counterstrike against Kim. She notices it easily and blocks the strike with her shield. Improvising, she bashes her shield into the Egi's nose, causing it to cry out in pain and stumble backwards several steps. She takes this chance and lands a blow from her sword to its chest, eliciting a second cry of pain from the Ifrit-Egi. Lowering her shield in front of her, she charges the Egi, landing the shield into its nose a second time as she pushes the Egi back. She uses her shield to pin the creature against the wall roughly. Seeing her opening, Kim brings the blade of her short sword up to the Egi's throat, and slices a deep wound, causing the summoned Egi to cry out for a third and last time. She allows the body to fall to the ground limp, and it slowly fades away.
"Amazing, Kimpach'e! You beat an Ifrit-Egi on your first try. I have never had anyone beat any of my Egi in one fight before," Rasputin exclaimed, his face a mixture of astonishment, pride, and joy. He pats the young Miqo'te on the back as she takes several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She begins to feel a pain in her ribs where the Egi landed a blow during the training, and rubs her side absentmindedly.
Kimpach'e sat in one of the reclining chairs beside the pool, her ribs bandaged and bruised. She was proud of her victory over the Ifrit-Egi, even if it meant some pain for the next couple of days. At the moment however, she simply wanted to relax alone. She wondered if that was what Kanade was always trying to do when she was alone somewhere. She shrugged at her mental question and decided to enjoy the sun's rays. Kimpach'e sat up in her chair and removed her sunglasses. It had just gotten much darker than it should have been at noon. As the young Miqo'te looked toward the sky a pound of lead dropped into her stomach. The sun was being eclipsed, and a massive funnel of Aether was reaching skyward to the North. The door to the main room suddenly burst open and Kanade was staring Kimpach'e directly in the eyes.
"War room, now." Kanade spat the words as if they were to be her last, she sounded urgent and - Kim realized – terrified when she spoke those words. Tossing the sunglasses off the side of the house, Kim rushed inside behind Kanade, the glasses tumbling down the rocky cliffs all the way to the bottom of the canyon. When Kimpach'e and Kanade arrived in the war room Jackson and Rasputin were already there, waiting on the two women. Rasputin spread his arms over the table to lean heavily on it, as he sighed deeply.
"From the sightings of the eclipse and the aether funnel to the north of here, I believe that a Primal has been summoned," the lalafell said, his voice like cold steel. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, and Kimpach'e's jaw actually dropped open in shock.
"Do you know which one it is," Kanade asked after a moment, which was followed by another second of silence before Ras answered her.
"I have high possibility from the data that it is Ifrit, the Lord of the Inferno. Which puts Ul'dah in the primary danger zone if we don't take care of him quickly." Kanade nodded slightly, and left to get her gear. Jackson stood and walked over to the pile of papers that stood on the table in the center of the room.
"I can try to provide you with locations of the summoning, maybe narrow some possibilities down in the process. It must be slain where it is summoned. Only then will the Primal return to its slumber," Jackson said, looking at Kimpach'e during the last part of his sentence. She nodded her understanding, because she knew what was expected of her and what she had to do. She made her way quickly to her room and strapped on the plate armor that Kanade had made for her, choosing to bring a steel short sword and hoplin buckler with her. When she returned to the war room, she found that Ras and Kanade were in their battle gear as well, waiting on her.
"Jackson is going to stay here and try to narrow down where Ifrit was summoned. When we find out where, we have to slay him on the same soil. That is the only way to kill a Primal, and even that doesn't last forever," Rasputin told Kim, putting a hand on her should and giving her a warm smile.
"You're going to do great, just remember what we taught you. We will have your back, if you have ours," He said. Kim looked to Kanade, who nodded and gave her a small smile. She looked back at Ras, who mimicked Kanade's nod, his expression as hard as ice. Kimpach'e's uncertain expression slowly dissolved into one of comfort. She smiled bravely to her two comrades, as she followed Rasputin and Kanade out the door. Driven by newfound bravery, and the desire to protect her friends, Kimpach'e lead her fellow comrades of Skybound towards the funnel of aether, ready to do what she had to in order to kill the Lord of the Inferno, and save her home.
Ifrit glanced lazily over the desert plains that surrounded his summoning grounds. Soon, all of it would burn. That single thought spurred the Lord of the Inferno forwards. He only needed to absorb a little more power from the crystals that his followers brought him. Just a little more power, that's all he needed. The one thing that the Lord of the Inferno hadn't counted on, was being the first Primal to be summoned. He expected Garuda, or surely Titan would be summoned before him. Yet, here he was, the first Primal to be summoned, only a couple crystals away from watching Thanalan as a whole burn in holy flame, and the rest of the world would soon follow.
"Lord Ifrit, we offer you the flesh of these prisoners, unworthy beings that plot against your holy plan. Do what you will with their minds and their bodies, Oh mighty Lord of the Inferno," A beast tribe shaman chanted in ritual to the Primal. Ifrit licked his lips. He could use a snack, and more slaves. He teleported himself to the mortal realm, emerging from within the eclipse to land in front of the shaman who chanted the prayer that reached Ifrit's ears. The shaman bowed deeply, as did all the beastmen that were present for the ritual. The Primal examined the offering brought to him. One lalafell Scholar, one highlander archer, and a single Miqo'te gladiator. He could smell power in them. Each of them possessed a great amount of power, and they would make perfect servants to the Lord of the Inferno.
"I told you that this plan wouldn't work," Kanade commented dryly to Rasputin, who appeared to become further frustrated from the archer's remark. He chose to focus on his bindings, if he could just get free, then he could turn this around. He could feel Kanade's amber eyes burning a hole through his soul, but he refused to look at her. Kimpach'e, on the other hand was too focused on the Primal Ifrit to do much of anything. She was staring straight at the Lord of the Inferno, as if the secret to escape would be shown to her if she looked hard enough at the Primal. Then Ifrit spoke, his voice like a wildfire at the peak of its burn.
"Mortal beings take heed, for you are in the presence of the one true God. Now serve me until the end of your days," Ifrit rumbled, the earth beneath the three adventurer's shook with each word the Primal uttered. He drew a deep breath, releasing wave after wave of enchanted fire over the three prisoners. When the Lord of the Inferno reached the limit of his fire he glanced down at the result of his holy fire. He saw something that had never happened before, and he didn't fully understand it. Below, one of the prisoners stood above the other two, her arms outstretched as if to protect her comrades. Around the three stood a white, bubble-shield which had protected them from Ifrit's holy fire. The Lord of the Inferno felt rage welling up within him, as he thundered down on them.
"WHAT MANNER OF SORCERY IS THIS?" Kimpach'e looked up at the Primal and lowered her outstretched arms, the shield lowering with them. She took several steps forward, when Ifrit dropped directly in front of her.
"YOU SHALL BURN, MIQO'TE. YOUR SOUL WILL BURN IN HOLY FIRE FOR ETERNITY!"
Kimpach'e glanced back at Rasputin and Kanade, but found that her friends were still too weak to lend her any kind of aid. This was going to be her fight alone. She slowly drew her blade from its sheath, and brought her shield from her back and leveled her stance at the Lord of the Inferno. The Primal tensed his muscles only once before he charged the gladiator. Kimpach'e managed to dodge the charge by rolling to the side at the last second, which sent her tumbling through the dirt. She recovered quickly from the roll and managed to drive her blade into Ifrit's back leg, causing the Primal to howl in pain. Kimpach'e noted that the Ifrit-Egi sounded nothing like the true Primal.
The Lord of the Inferno kicked at her in an attempt to remove the blade from his flesh, which sent the Miqo'te sailing into the face of a large rock. Kimpach'e dragged herself up, the pain from her chest was almost too much, and she nearly fell down and vomited just from the act of standing. She was certain that several ribs were broken, and she silently hoped that there was no internal bleeding.
"WHY DO YOU STILL FIGHT, MORTAL? GIVE YOUR ALLEGENCE UNTO THE LORD OF THE INFERNO, AND I SHALL SPARE YOUR LIFE," Ifrit boomed, taunting the Miqo'te further. Kimpach'e narrowed her eyes and leveled her stance, ready for another round with the Primal. Ifrit crouched low and charged the gladiator a second time, and Ifrit was going to make sure there was no third time. As he collided with the small Miqo'te, he ran one of his talons through her chest, causing her to cry out, which sent her into a fit of coughing blood. The Lord of the Inferno withdrew his talon, making the gladiator cry out a second time.
"YOU SEE? THIS IS THE RESULT OF YOUR RETALIATION, NOW GIVE YOUR SOUL UNTO THE INFERNO FOR ALL ETERNITY," Ifrit roared as Kimpach'e fell to her knees, grasping at her chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. Her vision began to dim, as she felt her strength slip away. She wondered what would happen to her family, and if they would even know what happened to her. As her vision faded to black, she felt a sensation of water rushing over her entire being. She managed to glance down to her chest and saw the flesh knitting itself back together, and realized that Ras was healing her, a small green fairy floating above his right shoulder with healing magic glowing around her hands. Kimpach'e felt the sensation from two sources, and was suddenly grateful that Ras could summon a fairy that could heal as well as Eos could. Ten seconds passed and the water sensation stopped. Kimpach'e then found that she had the strength to climb back to her feet and stand.
"You didn't think that you were in this fight alone, did you," Rasputin asked turning the page of his book to a shielding spell. Three arrows sailed to the left of the Miqo'te, and Kanade joined the two Skybound members, looking over to Kimpach'e and smiling warmly to her, as if that simple action said 'I have your back', and Kimpach'e returned the smile.
"WHAT IS THIS? THAT YOU STILL STAND TO ME AFTER I HAVE DESTROYED YOU," Ifrit roared when he noticed Kimpach'e still alive. This time when he turned however, three enemies faced the Lord of the Inferno. They held only hatred in their hearts for the Primal as they readied their weapons for the hardest foe all of them have ever had to face. Yet they stood tall in the face of that foe, ready to defend their people and their home, even if it costs them their lives.
"NOW, RAS," Kanade yelled. Rasputin had been channeling a binding spell while Ifrit had been distracted. He slammed his tome shut, completing the spell, locking Ifrit in place with arcane chains that winded around his body and held him still. The Primal was helpless, the chains being created from pure arcane energy and mana meant that Ifrit would not be able to shatter them at his current level of strength. Kimpach'e approached the Primal and raised her sword high above her head, pointing the tip towards Ifrit's chest.
"Say hi to Titan and Garuda for me," Kimpach'e said, driving the blade into Ifrit's chest and cutting it open, breaking his ribs one after another until she could open his chest. The Primal cried out in pain while the gladiator worked, and for several minutes after she had broken all his ribs. His heart beat steadily, and Kimpach'e stepped back and motioned for Kanade to do her thing. The highlander stepped forwards, notching a single arrow. She pulled the string back into a full draw and aimed directly at Ifrit's heart.
"Burn, you bastard," Kanade whispered, letting the arrow fly into Ifrit's beating heart.
The Primal screamed.
It was the worst sound any of them had ever heard in their lives. The sound of agony, and pain, loss. The sound of regret, and anger, and of a cry for vengeance, all mixed into one scream. Several of the beastmen were reported to have been driven mad from the scream, but there is no proof to back that statement up, as Kanade slaughtered the remaining beastmen after Ifrit was defeated. His form slowly was consumed by its own flame, until nothing remained.
Chapter Four – What Comes After the Storm
Kimpach'e sat on the roof of the Skybound Free Company house, watching the sun set. She brought the cup of herbal tea to her lips and took a sip, grimacing at the taste, but forcing it down regardless. Ras said that the tea will help her wounds heal quicker, so she drank the tea. Kanade poured the tea down Rasputin's robe when he insisted that she drink it, and she didn't seem too worse for wear.
"Of course, she didn't have six ribs broken and technically die," Kim commented to herself, chuckling softly as she forced another sip of the tea down her throat.
Half of the sun was hidden by the horizon now, and Kimpach'e pulled the blanket that was draped over shoulders closer to her body as the temperature dropped in preparation for nightfall.
"I thought I might find you up here. Mind if I sit with you?"
Kim nearly dropped her cup off the roof when a voice suddenly sounded from behind her. Kanade sat down beside the young Miqo'te, and draped a second blanket over the pair of them. The sun was three quarters below the horizon at this point. For several minutes it felt as if there was no sound in the world, as the two of them sat in companionable silence, the world around them seemed to fall silent with them.
"That was a brave thing you did, back during the Ifrit fight," Kanade broke the silence after another minute. Kimpach'e released a breath that she didn't notice she was holding.
"I just couldn't stand the idea that I could lose everything and everyone that I have come to care about just because some beastribe decides to summon their God and lay waste to everything else," Kim said, a small amount of her anger showing from beneath her calm mask. Kanade quietly nodded her agreement. The wind blew lightly, tossing several blue-grey strands into Kanade's face and several fine, red strands into Kimpach'e's. When the wind stopped blowing, Kimpach'e reached up and brushed the stray hairs from Kanade's face. When she had finished, Kanade reached up and brushed the stray locks from Kimpach'e's face. Then their eyes locked. Kanade's eyes flicked down to Kimpach'e's soft lips, then back to her eyes, and then to her lips again. The two slowly began to lean into each other, their eyes slowly closing for what was about to happen. When they were mere inches from each other's lips, Kimpach'e's eyes shot open and she suddenly pulled away. Kanade would have thrown herself into a rage, had she not noticed why Kim had suddenly pulled away. To the south, on a distant island that sat under the full moon, a green, vortex was steadily gaining size as it reached for the moon.
"No, it can't be," Kanade whispered, shock rooting her in place. Kimpach'e grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her stupor, as they made their way down the ladder to tell the others.
Garuda had been summoned, and she was gaining strength.
TO BE CONTINUED
IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT: THE HOWLING EYE AND THE TEMPTRESS OF FATE