"Laris!" shouted a tall silver haired Hyur as he quickly approached the young blond Miqo'te who was lounging idly in the company's main hall.
"Hey if this is about those moogle cookies you kept in the kitchen pantry I swear there was only one in the jar when I got there!" Laris quickly replied in slight panic.
"Did you... That is of no concern to me right now. You're coming with me to Thanalan." Leo ordered, not giving the Miqo'te any choice in the matter.
"Huh what for? I don't remember us having any jobs over there." Laris questioned.
"This isn't a job. I got a call from Robyn's linkshell last night and Alex was listening in. He left without saying a word earlier and I can only assume he's gone to find her. I need your help to make sure she comes to no harm." Leo explained.
"Wait but isn't Robyn like a daughter to him? None of this makes sense, why would he wanna hurt her?" Laris continued for more answers.
"I can't say for sure. But when he left he had this... look in his eyes, the exact look he gives his foes before he strikes them down." Leo finished. Laris paused for a moment, trying to make sense of what he was told then eventually gave Leo a nod.
"I'm coming with you!" Came a soft voice from behind the pair.
"Juria..." Leo began as he turned around to see his petite Au Ra wife listening in behind them. "It's too dangerous for you to come, I won't allow anything to happen to you." Leo said with a concerned look upon his face.
"But the last time you two fought Alex shattered your ribs with just one punch, you had to rest for an entire week after Gaius healed you, I don't want anything like that to happen to you again!" She cried. Leo put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes as his scarred lips curved into a comforting smile.
"It won't happen again, I promise. That's why I'm bringing this goofball with me. We'll be fine Ju, there is no need for your concern." He reassured her as he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before turning back.
"Who're you calling goofball, snowflake?" Laris chuckled, giving the man a soft nudge on his shoulder as the two exited the building. Leo let out a slight grin, but in his head all he could do was worry.
Sand blew softly through the air carried by the hot desert wind as a young Miqo'te girl in a long red coat and a large black hat made her way across the boundless desert dunes towards a large canyon. The woman seemed unfazed by the harsh conditions surrounding her, marching ever steadily towards her destination with a determined look in her bright green eyes. About an hour passed and she had managed to make her way to the center of the giant canyon. She knelt down, placing her hand on the ground and moving it around slowly before raising it into the air and clenching it into a fist. With amazing force she thrusted it downwards towards the ground, punching a large hole into the rocky earth below and causing a tremor all around her.
After a few moments passed another tremor occurred, followed by another, and another, each one getting gradually stronger than the last although these didn't seem to originate from the same cause as the first. Soon the ground started to shake, knocking the Miqo'te woman off balance slightly as a gigantic creature burst out from the ground below. An enormous sandworm towered above her as it gave a deafening screech before gazing down upon her. Without any provocation the monster dashed down towards her, it's jagged teeth impaling the earth as the woman swiftly dodged the attack almost effortlessly. As the creature wriggled it's head around trying to free itself, she took this brief opportunity to strike back. With impressive speed, the Miqo'te ran behind the creature and leaped onto it's tail, agilely making her way up it's lengthy body.
She gave a mighty leap upwards as the creature freed itself, shooting its head up backwards high in the sky from the force it had been pulling with. She reached out and grabbed onto one of the monsters rock-like scales and began climbing steadily as the creature swayed violently in an attempt to shake her off but it's efforts were in vein as she continued onward relentlessly. Once she finally reached the top of the creature's head the woman got back on her feet and steadied herself before crouching and propelling herself into the air with a might jump while raising one leg up to the sky. With a mighty roar she came plummeting back whilst swinging her foot downwards, piercing the creature's thick skull as her foot came crashing down upon it. The towering monster let out a gut wrenching scream before it's body fell lifelessly towards the ground. The Miqo'te who had jumped down from the creature before it's fall had landed safely on the ground and slowly made her way towards a nearby stone hill before sitting down in the shade to take a rest. That had gone easier than she expected and at this rate she'd return back home in no time.
"That was pretty impressive!" A rough voice could be heard nearby. "Although I'd expect nothing less from someone who learned from me." The woman shot up and looked around, observing her surroundings before a sudden movement above her caught her attention. In a motion as quick as lightning, a figure jumped down from the hill behind her and landed only feet away. It was a Hyuran man with dark messy hair, a long dirt-covered coat and bright yellow eyes. She gazed upon the man, almost staggering for a moment as she realized who it was.
"...Alex?" She asked, her eyes widening before she ran towards him arms flung open and gave him hug. "I can't believe it's you!" She cried with excitement, tightening her grip on him a little more. Alex was taken back by the sudden gesture for a moment then returned the embrace.
"It's been a while, kid" He smiled.
"You know I'm not a kid anymore." She insisted.
"Hah! I guess you're right Robyn." Alex chuckled as he let go of Robyn, standing back to examine her. "Look at you, you've sure changed since you left. You look a lot.. stronger and determined." He continued. Robyn swung her hands behind her back and looked off to the side trying not to blush.
"I'm sure you didn't come here just to compliment me, why are you all the way out here?"
"I came looking for you, I've been trying to find you for over a year now."
"Huh, what for? Is something wrong?"
"No it's nothing like that, I just needed to make sure you were safe on your own."
"I'm fine, don't worry! I mean I've been sending you letters every few weeks to let you know I'm safe and what I'm doing. I'm totally fine on my own now."
"Yeah I read your letters, and how you've been helping others in the fight against Primals, and defending Ishgard from dragons and how you aided in the assault on the Imperials in Eorzea. I had to make sure you weren't in over your head."
"It's fine I have everything under control, you don't have to worry about me, honestly."
"Is that so..." He began, swallowing hesitantly before looking her straight in the eyes. "Then prove it to me!" He demanded, raising his hands into fists and readying himself in a combat stance.
"Alex, what are you doing?" Robyn asked with concern and confusion in her voice.
"I think it's time. I need to test you and make sure you're ready to face the dangers of this world on your own. I'm not about to let my daughter die trying to be a hero. This isn't like our sparring sessions, there's no holding back. Now, come at me!" He beckoned. Robyn looked down and paused, her heart stirring with conflicting emotions. The two had fought many times before as he trained her in her teen years, although they had never engaged each other in proper combat before. Eventually she clenched her fists and copied his stance.
"Fine. I'll show you that I'm more than capable of being on my own!" She shouted as she leaped towards him with her fist pulled back, thrusting it forward with great force. Alex quickly dodged to the side and hooked his fist sideways towards her. Robyn instinctively raised her opposite hand in a block and shifted her body to the side, extending her leg and swinging it forward towards his head. Alex quickly ducked underneath and grabbed her leg mid swing readying his other hand for a punch. Robyn bent her other leg downwards, focusing her weight on it as much as possible before propelling herself off the ground and leaping over above Alex's head, the force of her jump causing him to lose his footing. She landed on her hands behind the man and pulled the rest of her body backwards, sending the man who until that moment had a firm grasp on her leg flying back a few feet behind her. Rolling as he landed, Alex was quick to return to his feet as he readied for another assault.
The two continued tirelessly exchanging blows whilst blocking and evading each others attacks masterfully. Robyn threw a punch forward which was met with Alex's hand as he grabbed it and countered by sending his other elbow towards her face. Grabbing it in the nick of time, Robyn pushed forward and their eyes met as they both had each others arms in their grips. "You've improved dramatically since our sparring days. But that doesn't matter, you'll still never be able to beat me." Alex said confidently. "Keep dreaming!" Robyn sneered. She swung her leg around low to the ground knocking Alex off his feet and leaped into the air with her leg raised high, ready to bring it crashing down upon him like a greataxe. Her attack only managed to dent and shake the ground beneath however as Alex managed to quickly roll to the side and get back on his feet.
Robyn panted softly from the amount of energy she had been exerting in the battle so far. But instead of rushing forward once more she just stood still and closed her eyes. Alex paused for a moment, analyzing her before continuing.
"Tired already?" He scoffed. Robyn ignored him and continued to concentrate with steady breaths. A faint aura soon enveloped her as she felt power once hidden in her body surge around inside her as she began to open up her Chakra.
"So she's been training with Monks... Interesting." Alex muttered to himself. After charging herself up Robyn opened her eyes and lifted her arms back before slamming her fists into the ground and burrowing them deep into the earth. With a mighty yell she withdrew her arms, bringing with them a large rock cluster that surrounded her fists. She banged both her craggy fists together tauntingly before readying herself in a battle stance once more.
"I'm not tired, I'm just getting warmed up!" She mocked as she dashed towards the man. Even with the added weight of the rocky masses clinging to her forearms, Robyn's attacks were just as fast as ever, and even more lethal. As strong as her punches seemed to be however, Alex's expression barely seemed to change, showing almost no sign of pain as he blocked her attacks.
"That's a neat trick..." Alex managed to let out between dodging her attacks and countering with his own punches. "But do you really think a couple of pebbles will help you win this fight?" He finished. With that comment Robyn reeled back both her arms and drove them forward with great speed, barely giving Alex enough time to raise his arms up to block them. the force of the impact caused both of them to be sent sliding back, their feet scraping across the ground as they struggled to keep themselves from toppling over. The pair readied themselves for another bout before a large shout echoed throughout the canyon.
"STOP!" the voice roared as it reverberated through the area. Before either of them could stop to react, two intruders swiftly made their way onto the battlefield to intervene. Robyn's pair of rock-covered fists met with those of her fellow Monk Laris', the magic from his enchanted Mogfist weapons barely keeping the bones in his hands from breaking from the force he was holding back. Alex's charge was interrupted by a large burst of flames as Leo dove lance-first straight down in front of him from the sky.
"You know you really gotta stop doing that." Alex told him with annoyance in his words.
"What in the Seven Hells do you think you're doing?!" Leo growled, ignoring Alex's comment. "I thought she was like family to you, why are you fighting her like this?"
"I'm fighting her because she's family." Alex answered instantly. "I'm concerned for her safety, just because you lot seem to have a death wish with all the crap you've been doing around Eorzea doesn't mean you have to drag her down with you. I'm testing her to make sure she's capable of handling herself."
"This is insane."
"Out of my way, this doesn't involve you."
Once Robyn had noticed whose fists she'd made contact with she quickly pulled away and took a step back.
"Laris? What're you doing here?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face, taking this short moment to catch her breath again.
"Leo was acting like a big crybaby and panicking thinking you were in trouble so he force-I mean he asked me to come along to make sure you were okay." Laris explained. "Geez you almost burst my adorable Mogfists as well, they'd cost a fortune to get fixed you know!"
"I'm sorry about that Laris, but you should stay out of this. This is something personal between me and him and we have to settle this ourselves."
"Robyn I really don't think you should fight that guy, he's kind of got that scary look in his eyes and-"
"Shut it, furball!" Alex yelled interrupting the male Miqo'te. As Robyn and Alex's eyes met, they moved aside from the newly arrived pair, taking up their battle stances again as they prepared to clash once more. They swung at each other fiercely whilst the two onlookers watched helplessly.
"Well Mr. Broody, what're we gonna do now? One of them's gonna get seriously hurt if we don't do anything." Laris asked.
"Unfortunately... I don't think there is anything we can do at this point. If we interfere then we may end up putting all of us in danger. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out for now." Leo answered grimly. After backing away and narrowly avoiding an attack, Robyn went to counter with another punch, although instead of trying to avoid it, Alex went straight towards her with a punch of his own. The man's fist collided with the jagged rock formation and shattered it entirely, causing Robyn to lose balance and twist slightly to the side, greatly exposing her other fist as Alex shot his other hand forward, destroying the stones that covered that hand as well. The woman's breathing grew heavier as she was thrown to the ground by the force of the counter attack, her now exposed fists clenched even tighter than they had ever been.
"I... will not lose!" She growled in frustration.
"It's refreshing to see your attitude hasn't changed a bit. You still can't stand to lose, can you?" Alex scoffed. Robyn didn't react, she just sat there, silent. A brief moment passed and a familiar aura began to envelop her body, although this time it seemed much stronger than before. The Miqo'te leaned forward onto her hands and knees, growling softly at first until it began to grow into an ongoing yell as immense power stirred violently inside her body. Laris' eyes widened at the sight as he took a step forward without even realizing it.
"Robyn, stop! You can't unlock the seventh Chakra, you haven't learned to control it yet. Even someone as amazing as myself hasn't been able to master it, you've gotta stop before you lose control!" He cried out to her.
"Shut it!" She lashed out as she rose back onto her feet. "I won't lose, not anymore!" Robyn shouted as she began to step forward slowly.
"This isn't good, her body doesn't seem to be coping with all that energy she's gathered." A voice came from behind the two spectators, belonging to a tall, dark haired Au Ra who slowly approached them.
"Gaius, I'm thankful you made it. We may need your aid on this once the fight has concluded." Leo explained as he greeted the newcomer. Gaius raised a hand to his nose as he adjusted his glasses and looked across the battlefield below from the nearby hill the pair had retreated to.
"I can't believe you allowed her location to slip so easily. I would have expected more from you, Leo." The Au Ra stated before Leo bowed his head down in apology. Although Leo informed him it was best not to interfere, Laris could not sit idly by as his friend put herself in danger. Without warning he jumped down from their perch and rushed towards her. Leo tried to reach out and shout for him to stop, but Gaius simply placed his arm on the man's shoulder and shook his head calmly.
"Okay Robyn enough games, time to stop, okay?" Laris yelled out while running towards her. His advance was quickly halted however as Robyn swung her arm out and struck him across the face with the back of her hand as he neared her, the force of her attack enough to send him to the ground.
"I told you to stay out of this!" She growled menacingly, not even taking a moment to look at the man as she spoke. Laris was dumbfounded, he couldn't bring himself to say anything else. All he could do was watch in worry with a somber expression on his face as she continued to steadily move towards her adversary before eventually stopping only a few feet away. Robyn slammed a fist against the palm of her hand and glared at Alex as if warning him to ready himself before she suddenly sprang up several feet into the air and slammed her fist down into the ground, causing a massive shockwave that shot towards Alex who had barely managed to dodge the attack.
Robyn continued to devastate the ground as Alex swiftly moved around her, dodging each attack and leaping over the fissures she left in her wake. These attacks only served as a distraction however as by the time Alex had landed from his last evasion, Robyn was only inches away from him with her fist ready as she struck him hard in the abdomen, winding him before she leaped up in the air. Energy from her opened Chakra coursed through her body and rushed to her hands as a large beam of energy burst from her combined palms down onto the land below her. Still trying to recapture his breath, Alex barely managed to dodge the blast unscathed as he toppled to the ground. Looking around he found that the woman was nowhere in sight until a sudden movement caught his eye.
The fresh corpse of the enormous sandworm that had previously been slain began to rise, but not on it's own accord. A slim figure gradually came into view beneath it as Robyn lifted the gargantuan creature above her head with her bare hands. Leo and Gaius looked upon the sight in awe as they had never seen her accomplish a feat such as this before, although from that distance they were completely unaware of the sounds of her bones grinding together against her very own muscle and cartilage as the ultimate weight of the creature was almost too great for her body to handle.
"You've lost it, you're going to kill yourself!" Alex shouted out to her as he rose back on his feet, his wide eyes fixated on her as countless thoughts and emotions stirred inside him at once. Despite the damage it was causing to her body, Robyn was mustering the strength still rushing inside her, preparing to hurl the monster towards him.
"Robyn, stop!" Laris screamed, still staring at her in fear from the ground where he had landed before. He knew he had to do something to stop her, but what? She was losing control of her senses and he felt powerless to stop her.
"TenJin!" Alex growled suddenly from nearby while performing specific hand movements. Almost immediately afterwards shards of ice began to shoot up from the ground below Robyn and latched onto her feet. Sheets of ice started creeping all over her body with shards spiraling around her, freezing her into position almost immediately before she had any chance to react. The ice stopped spreading, leaving a beautiful pillar holding up the corpse above.
"I'm sorry Robyn but you've left me no other option... Please forgive me." Alex muttered softly, tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he dashed forward whilst readying his fist and driving it into the Miqo'te's chest. The ice shattered instantaneously and from behind it shot out the body of a woman as it flew backwards and collided with a nearby hill, the gigantic carcass that was once held above her came crashing back down to the ground. Her body stuck against the hollowed face of the hill for a few moments before it fell limp to the ground.
"ROBYN!" Laris shrieked as he leaped up onto his feet and sprinted towards her body, Alex and the pair following not too far behind. As Laris approached the body he knelt down beside her, lifting her into his arms and began to shake her gently.
"Come on Robyn quit messing around, this is no place for a nap! Come on, wake up! If this is just a joke to get me back for that plushie incident the other week then haha wow you totally got me, you can give up the act now. Robyn please you're my fighting buddy, you can't leave me! Please! Robyn, wake up... Please..." Laris began to sob as tears trickled down onto the body he held in his arms.
The woman's eyes slowly opened, her vision blurred as they slowly adjusted to the light in the room. She looked around and saw bright pastel colours coating the walls and floors and cute furniture modeled after Moogles, Chocobos and other small creatures. It was Robyn's room. Almost everything looked the same as she had left it before setting out on her task, save for the chair that had been moved next to her bed, and the rough, dark-haired man in casual attire slumped back unconscious in it. She stared at him for a while until a sudden movement caught her attention.
The door opened quietly as Laris crept inside on the tip of his toes, trying his hardest to be as silent as possible as he carried a tray with several items over to the nearby table. He peered over to her and jumped slightly, almost causing him to drop the tray he was trying to gently place down.
"Robyn, you're awake!" Laris said in a hushed voice, trying to contain his excitement in an attempt not to wake the other guest in the room.
"Laris... What's going on?" She managed to let out, her voice still croaky from only just awakening.
"Take it easy, you've been out for almost two weeks now." He explained. "Here have some water, you've gotta be thirsty." Laris handed her a cool mug from the tray he had brought with him as she sat up in her bed then went back towards the table. "Also here, Gaius is busy today and couldn't perform his scheduled healing practice or something like that so he told me to give you this potion until he comes back later. It's a good thing you're awake, the idea of having to force it down you while you slept was definitely not fun." He said half jokingly as he handed the woman another bottle while taking the half-empty mug away from her. Robyn consumed the contents of the vial and then stared at it vacantly, reflecting on what she remembered of the previous events - of how she struck her friend down and treated him cruelly.
"Laris... I'm sorry, for everything I did to you that day. I-" She began to apologize to the man until he interrupted her.
"It's fine, all water under the bridge. I'm just glad you're okay. I bet he'll be happy too." He said looking over and motioning towards the other man.
"Alex... What's he doing here?" Robyn asked.
"Mr. Grouchy here's been by your side pretty much since we brought you back, he was worried sick about you. He's hardly moved at all these past couple weeks. I'll tell ya, without him to cook we've sure been suffering. Have you ever tried Paris' food? It's awful!" He jested. Robyn chuckled slightly and gave Laris a smile before looking over towards the man once again. "Anyway I'll leave you to get some rest, if Gaius isn't back I'll come check up on you later." Laris said giving her a sincere smile before quietly exiting the room. Robyn's eyes darted back towards Alex as she heard a drawn-out sigh.
"I thought that over-grown rat would never leave." He said as he rose his head and rubbed the back of his neck which had been giving him pain from resting in the same uncomfortable position for far too long. He looked down towards her for a few moments before an unusually calm smile crept across his face. "I'm glad you're awake." He said softly.
"Alex..." She began with a smile which was quickly interrupted as her lips began to tremble while tears started falling down her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't, I mean... I thought..."
"Shh it's okay, you're safe now. You're a fighter, take your mistakes and turn them into strengths. Learn from them and better yourself. You've always been strong-headed and temperamental, but you'll surpass it eventually." Alex said reassuringly as Robyn began slowly wiping the tears from her eyes. "But in the end you still lost, and that means you failed my test. So, until you can beat me and prove you can look after yourself properly on your own, you're stuck with me here. No arguments." Alex informed her. Robyn looked down for a moment and smiled before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him.
"I'm glad, thank you... Father." She whispered calmly as she rested her head on his shoulder.