Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Chapter One: Morning Dew
TheBritt
The air was crisp and clean and the morning dew was gradually evaporating to form a mild mist over the region, swirling about the caravan's wheels as it slowly moved by. The path was wide and often used, however few caravan's would be travelling along it at such a time in the morning, allowing the driver to indulge in a moment's thought, her mind wandering back home – back to Cirra.
The quiet village of Cirra was tucked away deep into the mountains, which was generally a good thing as it avoided any prying eyes from hordes of rampaging monsters that might have sought goods or otherwise from a civilised settlement. Of course, being more reclusive than most villages, Cirra was met with few strangers and few of the villagers ever left the town gates.
Of course, certain folk had to leave the town; the Crystal Caravaners. These Caravaners were vital to the town's survival, as with every other town or city across the land; the Crystal Caravans were the only thing that would save them from the dreaded miasma current that coated the land. The Caravaners were charged with the task of collecting myrrh, a substance that acts as a counter-weight to the miasma, in a chalice and return it to the town where it would be stored within a Myrrh Tree. Then their journey would be over... for a year when the tree would start to fail and more myrrh would be needed to replenish its long, magical leaves.
Generally the Caravaners would continue collecting the myrrh for five years and then pass on the task to a younger generation. This had been one such year.
The vast majority of Cirra's inhabitants were Clavats, a race of people that were generally mild mannered, quiet folk that were most happy when farming and caring for the land. Their whole demeanour was one of a gentle kindness, with their large, bright eyes and their worn, masculine bodies giving them the down to earth appearance that gave them the trust of the other races.
Bella was one such Clavatian, her white garments covering her youthful, boy-like body and her long, dark hair being held in place by a deep blue head band with a playful red feather popped beneath it for good luck on her journey. The white clothing she wore resembled something of a tunic, only a little longer. Stopping short of her knees, the garment was thickly padded and long sleeved to keep her warm during the cold nights, whilst her legs were clothed with tight, black leggings, coming eventually to her feet that bore simple, soft slippers, allowing her a more comfortable walk when she had to do so. The collar to the garment could be picked up to hide her neck from the harsh winds, or allowed loose and unbuttoned when it was warmer and she could always remove the leggings if she got too hot.
Bella wasn't the only Caravaner that was sent on the mission for myrrh, of course. Another sent to go was Xu Pai, a Selkie woman of a certain persuasion and temperament. Unlike the trust-worthy Clavats, Selkies were notorious for thievery, many of the rogues and vagabonds of the world being Selkies. Originating from over the seas, Selkies settled onto the continent with no real place to call home, which probably brought about their selfish nature, especially after the hardships that they'd endured to get here. The feminine yet rugged Selkies had a certain aspect of mystery to them and one could never truly tell what they were thinking whilst they were speaking, their nature being rather deceitful. Despite the vast distrust placed upon them, many Selkies had taken up residence in Clavatian towns, the only race willing enough to accept them. Of course, the fact that the two races were largely similar in appearances was likely a major hand in this, the only real differences being that Clavats were masculine, whilst the Selkies were feminine, causing a lot of confusion for members of other races that aren't used to seeing either race. Selkies had mush more cat-like eyes, giving them a devious appearance, combined with their soft, girlish complexions; they were easy to differentiate from Clavats to anyone familiar with Clavatian or Selkie appearances. Although Selkies and Clavats were known to form relationships, a crossbreed had yet to be witnessed and was considered impossible, likely the genetic structures wouldn't allow for it. Of course, this wasn't proven and many believed that a half Selkie and half Clavatian child was perfectly possible, though the likelihood of birth was narrowed.
Like most Selkies, Xu Pai was well figured and filled out her rather skimpy outfit perfectly. Unlike Clavats, Selkies seemed to have thicker skin and blood, allowing them to remain warmer in cold whether, and so most Selkies wore very little. Naturally, Xu Pai was no exception to this and her clothing left little for the imagination to work on. Her chest was cupped with a black, fur-lined garment that came up over the shoulders, though cutting out the front of the material to show off her ample cleavage. From the fur upon the shoulders came the short, loose sleeves that ceased before they reached her elbows. About her wrists were two rings of fur, along with similar bands about her ankles that acted as fasteners for her, soft, padded boots. About her hips was a short, side skirt tied up loosely with a blue sash, whilst underneath this was an item of clothing that resembled stockings, though somewhat thicker. Her shoulder-length, purple hair was possibly the most striking feature as there were few with such a colour, it being solely an aspect to a few Selkies.
Finally came the third member of the Caravan, Bezzel. Cirra had just a few Selkie families, mostly deriving originally from the same single family that settled in the town many years ago. However, as rare as the Selkie families were in the small village, the rarest was the Lilty presence. Just one Lilty family had taken up residence in Cirra and they only had one child, Bezzel. What made things more awkward about Bezzel's presence on this trek was that he was infamously peculiar. Never speaking and moving with perfect deliberation, some said he was possessed by the spirit of a Yuke, the final race in the world and one that was shrouded in mystery. The Lilties were usually a proud and noble race, though with extremely short tempers and an aggressive nature. Whilst Selkies argued with one another a lot as though they were all rival siblings, Lilties would settle their disputes with a physical fight. Their stout bodies betrayed their physical strength, far surpassing all other creatures with pure, brute strength. Once, the Lilties controlled most of the continent and though they no longer do, they still have an arrogant edge to their nature in that they believe themselves to be better than all others and have a particular disliking for the magically powerful Yukes. All this made Bezzel a misnomer as he acted more like a Yuke than a Lilty and oftentimes even more strange than them.
Upon Bezzel's rounded head sat a large helmet with two fearsome horns upon its top, however it covered his eyes completely, making Bella and Xu Pai wonder how he actually saw anything. His red hair-like leaves poked out from a hole atop the helmet and sprouted up and then drooping down over the helmet. His neck leaves that much resembled his head leaves and drooped over his thick, metallic armour. Coloured a dim silver, his armour was extremely strong and covered his entire body, from the neck downwards, though its middle was lesser coated than the rest of his body, lightening the weight so he was still agile enough to manoeuvre. Always in his hand was his spear, which was more like a bladed rod, the large knife-like blade upon its end was carved into with some Lilty symbolisations that often intrigued Bella whenever she was without something else to think about on the long, quiet days during their trip.
Of course, Bella and Xu Pai also had their own weapons, however they were usually sheathed and holstered, unlike Bezzel's. In a certain respect Bezzel scared Bella and in another she was reassured by his presence. Fortunately Bella had known of Bezzel before the Caravan had set off, meaning she knew something about what it would be like with him around. Xu Pai, on the other hand, was a complete stranger to her and yet the Selkie seemed perfectly comfortable with Bella. A little too comfortable for Bella's personal comfort and although Bella wanted Xu Pai to stop being so flirtatious with her, a certain part of the Clavat's heart appreciated the strange kinship that the two of them obviously shared. Somehow Xu Pai's outrageousness lightened the burden of their task and made the days go by more swiftly than they may have done had there just been Bella and Bezzel.
Bella's heart jumped a little as she suddenly felt something slinking about her waist, closing in and drawing tighter about her. Of course, she simply allowed an exasperated sigh as she glanced down to see the familiar fur wrist bands of Xu Pai, the Selkie's arms coiling bout her and drawing her into a warm hug from behind, Xu Pai resting her head snugly into Bella's neck.
She wasn't sure whether Xu Pai's attraction to her was because she appeared somewhat masculine by Selkie standards, or whether Xu Pai was actually homosexual. As a matter of fact, Bella was even sure as to the extent of Xu Pai's attraction, whether it was merely fanciful or whether Selkie's made natural bonds of deep friendship through more intimate means than Clavats did. To show her affection for Xu Pai, Bella would have offered her some of her finest crop or aided the Selkie with her farming work. Perhaps Selkies, with them rarely farming, showed their affection with hugging, kissing and other such antics that Bella would condemn to the bedroom.
Bella's reactions to Xu Pai's affections were varied, ranging from mild irritation, to outright embarrassment. Being a Clavat, it was rare for Bella to get exceedingly angry and so it was more in her nature to endure the Selkie's intrusions and blush than actually do something about it or even ask Xu Pai to cease. Presently, after feeling a slight irritation from realising she'd been startled over nothing, Bella actually found herself slipping back into Xu Pai's arms. Driving the Caravan all night was quite a feat, especially for a Clavat, who tend to be more day creatures, the best time for farming and the like. After such a tiring escapade, Bella was feeling particularly sleepy and the very warmth that Xu Pai's body bestowed upon her made that very feeling of sleep deprivation more apparent and the dream world was all of a sudden very inviting. Bella actually caught herself literally sleeping for the briefest of moments as she jolted back to life in a sudden panic that her lapse of concentration would have caused the Caravan to veer into a ditch or fence. She found that Xu Pai had actually caught the reins and was steering them along the road with ease. Bella sighed with relief and placed her forefingers against the bridge of her nose, whilst Xu Pai giggled with her usual relish and gave the Clavat a quick, cheeky kiss on the shoulder.
"You can sleep if you want to, Bella, I don't mind taking the reins for a little while…" Xu Pai's voice was a deep, sensual one that was typical of a Selkie. Rather than them all sound like women, they tended to have a more androgynous tone that disguised their gender. Of course, the innocently minded Clavat didn't realise that Xu Pai meant Bella should sleep where she was and moved herself from the Selkie's grasp, crawling inside the tent of the Caravan, glancing back to Xu Pai with a cute smile.
"Thanks, Xu Pai. Remember to go slowly, I know you're only just learning to work the reins," Bella then continued over the wooden flooring to where her own corner of the caravan resided, a mass of blankets and soft cushions, piled up to form a crude, but warm bed. She scrambled into them, pulling the blankets over her head, allowing a final sleepy glance to the opposite end of the caravan where the solemn Bezzel sat, staring out the back end at the escaping road behind them.