Legends of Vana'diel: The Ordrynite of Pso'Xja
By: Levuica
Recently, I had attended a gathering at the Steaming Sheep in the port of Bastok. Melloa greeted me as always, the charming girl always had a bright gleam of youth still in her after all these years of working here. After having a bit of roast mutton and some iron bread we decided to talk about old times. Oh! For all you readers who never been to Bastok; the name iron bread is deserving after all, Melloa used a knife the size of a hatchet to slice the bread… Alas, I am getting side-tracked as usual…The reason I came to Bastok was to seek information about a rare ore called Ordrynite that Cid has been begging adventures to get. The rumors are pretty standard for something this valuable; they are held in a forbidden place and are guarded by some fierce fiends. I bet my overwhelming enthusiasm for these thankless tasks just jumps off the page at you! Uh…never mind you already know… Sadly, it was time to do some grunt work; bills to pay and the ladies don't care for a gil-pincher.
Melloa pointed me in the direction of a rat-like man who had the need to rub his hands together every so often and crane his neck like a dhalmel every time someone entered the restaurant. She seemed uncomfortable with the guests at the place, so rather then ignore a beautiful lass.. I walked up to this low-life slime and slammed down half a loaf of iron bread on his head.
"OWWW! Whaaaat diiid yoou thaaaa---" he called out as he fell unconscious. The entire restaurant and its patrons fell in complete silence as a tall brutish Galka drew his katana and pointed it at my face.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?" he growled, his deep voice full of pure malice and anger that was barely being restrained. His face was contorted and red from the outrage and restraint of his anger.
Being the charmer that I am, I decided to taunt the beast on with some choice words. I only was trying to state the obvious, I swear!
"I am Levuica the Treasure Hunter and Charmer of the Ladies! Enough about me though! Do you happen to be called Furious Constipation?"
"YOU IGNORANT BA---"
"You people always have such weird names, but I guess I can see why you-" I continued, but was cut short by a furious stab from his wakizashi which took only a quick jump on to the table to easily dodge. "Whoa, that butter knife can cut people you know!"
The brutish Galka was growing more furious by the moment, his skills with a weapon were terrible and his anger made it even worse. He made wide and careless stabs to slashes at me, but he would never touch me with skills like that. After being bored by him, I jumped up to the top of the balcony where the good-lady Hilda was.
From my pack I pulled out my Coffinmaker and pointed it at the enraged monkey that was cursing up a storm of some of the most creative profanities in the world. Though a quick bullet in the arm turned them into shrieks of pain as he hobbled back to the door and ran out crying for his life.
Melloa sighed and gave me a slight grin. Hilda who was a little relieved that
the fighting had ended seemed a bit troubled.
"Levuica…Your methods have lash backs you know. It won't be long before he returns with his boss!" I decided to sit down at a table in front of the door, noticing that the other two patrons were staying clear of this mess.
A young Hume ran into the restaurant and yelled, "Lord Levuica! I missed you!" It was Flaco; he often stood outside the Steaming Sheep Restaurant just loitering and passing stories around. As soon as he saw the gold gleam of my gun he flinched and gasped, "What did I do?!" No sooner had the door closed from Flaco's entrance then it opened again, two figures stood in shadow of the light.
"GET DOWN!"
I fired. Crack. Hiss. BWOOO-PING! The bullet was deflected by a magical shield into the wall of the restaurant; leaving a smoking crater. A beautiful woman walked into the restaurant, a woman I've never seen before. Flaco made a hasty retreat and the second figure obscured by the light from the outside wrapped an arm around Flaco and walked off laughing like old pals down towards the docks.
The woman came into full view as the lights of the tavern unveiled her, her beauty was revealed. She had scarlet hair as red as bloodthread cloth with a beautiful black ribbon in it. Her beautiful, soft face was that of an angel. Soft eyebrows over beautiful brown eyes and a perfectly cute nose positioned between them. Her luscious sexy and full lips could seduce any man in the world, but those beautiful elegant Elvaan ears pierced with two diamond earrings were absolute overkill. The fact that she was wearing a red priestess outfit was the only let down; for it covered those two beautiful orbs, strong hips and elegant legs that make for an irresistible woman. She walked with such passion in her eyes and dominance in stride that gave an almost terrifying mix of emotions to anyone who was caught in her piercing glare from those eyes. At last she spoke! And it was like the angels themselves sang as she called out suggestively, "You shot on the mere sight of me? Surely such a man of a reputation as yours knows how dangerous that is to his freedom… to carelessly shoot his ammo into a woman without warning or approval…"
"I'm Fuusyo, head of the Tenshodo branch of Bastok." she said, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to me. This girl had style, she knew I was a lover of Kazham's cigarettes, which have been barred from trade to protect Windurst's pitiful cigars. Fuusyo put it in my mouth and her finger lit up with a low-level fire spell, lighting the cigarette. With two little puffs I felt the tobacco and a 'mood-enhancer' spell on the cigarette relax not only my mind, but my muscles.
"Now Lord Levuica, why did you have to go and shoot my men? Surely they have been behaving themselves?" she said, pulling herself into a chair and laying down one elbow on the table; giving me a disappointed look.
I inhaled the cigarette, burning the whole thing at once and let out a long stream of smoke into the air before I said anything. When I finally spoke I was calm and as relaxed as possible; maybe too relaxed. I sighed as I said, "Between you and me, you need to keep them on a shorter leash and let the obvious weak ones go."
Melloa walked over to the table and set down two glasses of Galkan Wine. "Here you two go. They're on the house." The nervous Melloa looked up at the balcony to Hilda who must have given her a warning. Two of the most dangerous people in Bastok have come together under her roof to talk business, and the way we do business is the way we live.
Fuusyo grabbed the bottle of wine and looked at it, "I know, its just hard to find good help these days. Gentlemen like you have left this business; there is not a single man left in this profession with morals or honor in all the world!" With that she drank about half of it before putting it down on the table, staring directly into the purple wine.
"Gilgamesh."
Her eyes closed for a second, reliving her life and thinking about the aging king. When she opened them again her brown eyes where much softer then they should be for a pirate. It almost seemed as if she was going to speak about an old lover until they once again glazed over and became cold again.
"He's just an old sea dog now, his bite is not what it once was. The Adonis has sired nothing meaningful in his life. Oh Levuica…will you return to us?"
She placed a crest on the table, it was the seal of the Tenshodo. It shone brightly and secretly. The kanji was embroidered skillfully and elegantly onto the black seal. I placed my hand over it and shook my head.
"I cannot return; I am no longer able to live that way."
She placed her soft and warm hand on mine, it was strong and supple. Her hand was that of a leader and a lover; a rare gift in this world of harsh cruelties.
"I beg of you! Even if it is only for a short time! I will do anything!"
With that I was beaten. I could not refuse her in her time of need, but I was prepared to ensure that I would not suffer for it either. I placed my other hand over hers and embraced it.
"Alright. Under one condition. I need some Ordrynite ore."
Her eyes widened with joy, and then shrunk in terror as I spoke the words of my condition. Her body became tense, her pupils shrunk, the warmth from her face faded into a pale white, her body began to quake.
"P-P-P-Pso….Xja!?" she stammered. I set my eyes onto hers, nodding softly. She pulled her hand away from mine with such force that she sent her bottle of wine flying through the air and into the wall, where it shattered into a thousand shards. The liquid rained like blood down onto the floor, rained on by the shards of glass. Everything faded into darkness, it was only as if us two people existed in the world now.
"I-I c-can't! Th-That's sui-sui-suicide! Levuica!" she continued.
Even I remember the day I came across the journal of Wiste and the final entry in his journal:
881-03-04 - Inside the Depths of Pso'Xja
I've come across a most amazing thing! Inside the ruins of Pso'Xja is ore with great power, but it is unrefined still by the beastmen who roam our ancient city. Little do they know of its power to open up Pso'Xja's final secrets. They do not know about the depths of Pso'Xja itself, the inner sanctum it still beyond their reach. However, even I do not know what lies hidden behind the sealed door. I've obtained enough of the ore to smelt down for an ingot to have Jinn make some bullets for us to use. What lies beyond the gate will surely be dangerous beyond all measure. The legends speak of a Demon Overlord who was trapped in magical chains and thrown into the sanctum to protect it and imprison it forever. This will be my last entry in this log, but Popohan shall deliver the next one in two months. Tomorrow we will open the Sealed Door with Jinn's magic and head inside the inner sanctum.
Wiste and Jinn never returned from Pso'Xja. Popohan, Wiste's moogle, flew to Jeuno and delivered grim news that his master had been slain in one of the most horrible ways imaginable. Ripped to shreds piece by piece by guardians of Pso'Xja. The screams of the two explorers were heard not only by the moogle, but by the beastmen of Pso'Xja. The Cryptonberrys entered into a pact with Aldo to protect Pso'Xja and make it their home, but promised never to open the inner sanctum. As time passed the Tenshodo kept ownership of the ruins, but the Cryptonberrys had broken the pact and would not let anyone enter. As a restraint against them a special group monks from the Far East called Hoshis. Powerful magical wards were placed on the towers that weakened all who were in Pso'Xja's towers, but they have already failed in some places. Pso'Xja is more in the hands of the beastmen then the Tenshodo.
Fuusyo finally calmed herself and spoke, "I will grant you passage, but I shall not follow you if you choose to go." She massaged her brow as if she was still thinking things out.
"We'll need to go speak to Aldo about this. You will need a pass to enter Pso'Xja…Even if you are a member."
I took the crest and decided to once again become part of the Tenshodo, even if it was out of my own desires to get what I want or who I want…in this case it was a little of both. I could not see her suffer and I could not avoid the promise of riches, but if I got really lucky I could spend a special night or two with the most beautiful woman in Bastok and the Tenshodo. Maybe that was second most beautiful in Bastok…Ayame was probably the most beautiful and that Ayame was always such a kink in the sack. Everyone in Bastok remembers that affair after all.
While I was daydreaming about Ayame's cute butt, my lustful intentions had made themselves clear to Fuusyo and she gave me the most demonic look ever. Her face became a hideous contorted mask of pure malice as she said in a deep convicting voice.
"If your sticky fingers find their way onto me or my belongings then I will have no choice, but to cut off your manhood and your fingers with my katana and feed it to the dogs!"
The feeling of dread overcame me right then and there. She was threatening not only my well-being, but the many sons that one woman will bestow upon me…as well as my livelihood. I had no choice, but to barter with her.
"Give me three chances with my hands on your beautiful body and none on your possessions and it's a deal. I would surely lose if I couldn't even touch that divine body you possess. For I am just not as restrained as most men when I see such beauty."
I reached out and gently grasped her hand with mine. She became flustered and shocked at my advance and then stood up and said, "That was two." Obviously it wasn't going well, she was flattered, but not charmed by it. Even though I could swear she smirked as she left as she said, "Two hours to the airship to Jeuno. Be there."
With that she left and walked out of the restaurant without so much as a single glace back. Her hair gently bounced with each step, her robe bouncing in sync with her hair. Only then did I realize that a jealous Melloa was standing beside me.
"You….dirty….filthy….flea-infested…son-ofa--"
"MELLOA!?"
She held a tray threateningly high above my head, held up by both hands her angry face seemed like it was about to burst. I put my hand up just in time to catch it as she brought it down upon me. If I only remembered that the chairs in the restaurant were within breaking strength for Melloa with her 'hammer' then I would have tried to dodge it outright. Instead the chair broke and sent my butt crashing to the floor.
She left me in a pile of splintered wood and knocked over the rest of the wine onto my head before storming off into the back room. Melloa has always had a wicked temper, but I am one of the few who actually knows about it. Elvaan have incredible strength when angry or otherwise. Though since my butt hurt from the fall, I decided to leave as quickly as possible with what was left of my shattered pride.