My last Aika story b/c I don't play the game anymore and I wrote this awhile ago. I'm not entirely satisfied with this but I give it a B. I decided to put this in my other Aika Posting and delete the original b/c I'm disliking the amount of stand-alone stories in my archive...

Ah, the recklessness of an aitan paladin. Gives you a good reason to hate Kobras. Player Character Caurana, NPC Jexala, Dante and assorted characters. Pran talks to a Captain after her master is injured.

Planet of Arcan ruled by the Goddess Aika -

The Country of Feonir on the Sky Continent of Lakia -

Location: Amarkand's Halo of Ceron

Genre: Adventure/Friendship

Title: Kobra Posion

Outside of his tent, dressed in full armour Captain Dante of the 8th Unit's 5th Company leaned back in his chair, carefully cleaning his long rifle with a faint smile on his lips. He was actually quite young compared to the other captains of the 8th Unit but he didn't mind. He had more fun than they ever did; they were all too uptight, especially Cromwell. How did that old turkey ever had the luck of having the young Aitan Caurana assigned to his outfit he'd never know.

Speaking of the young Aitan…

He looked up at the sound of a labored wheezing. "Hey, Lieutenant, are you all right?" Guard Rowan asked in concern as Dante stood. A platinum-blonde paladin was making her way bit by bit up the stairs to the Halo of Ceron, aided by her sword point and a concerned Pran.

Another choked cough issued from her throat, her helmet unbalanced from her head. "Aika..." She listed sideways, her hand slipping from her Pran's as she pitched forward.

"She's falling!" Dante burst into a run as a Guardsman caught the falling and choking paladin, her sword clattering to the ground.

"Careful, she's got a Kobra bite," one of the guardsmen was saying as the Theletar hastened over. "Easy does it," Slowly the guards turned the paladin over on her back, carrying her away from the road and to the medical tent set up around the Halo's edge. The reformed thief Hakan followed, armed with a bag full of medical supplies. Dante frowned; the former criminal rarely associated with others so why was he here in the camp when he usually camped on the fringe? Was it a favor to the Theletar?

"Don't you dare hurt my master!" Jexala declared as one of the guardsmen patted her head reassuringly and Dante approached the circle of guards.

"She'll be fine," he said as the Theletar approached with a vial of potion. Caurana was on the ground, her head and back held by Hakan the reformed thief. Dante jogged over, shoving through the cluster of guards.

"She needs air!" Dante pointed out to the startled guards. "All of you, back to your posts! 'Cept you two of course," he pointed to the guard next to Jexala and a guard holding the Theletar's supplies. The guardsmen scattered as the Theletar's hands shimmered with his power. "Jexala, please help Caurana drink the potion," He handed it to the young Pran who nodded, pulling the stopper and bending at her master's side, setting the glass vial to her lips.

"Master, you have to drink this," she pleaded as the paladin turned her head away. The Theletar movements slowly healed the Kobra wound as Caurana moaned. "Master!"

"She has to drink it or the poison will continue to spread," Aerea whispered.

"Tickle her," Dante suggested as the fire pran looked up at him pleadingly. The guards and Hakan looked doubtful at his suggestion but Jex wasted no time in following his advice. As expected a small but choked giggle bubbled from the paladin and Jexala immediately poured half-the potion vial down her throat.

Caurana gasped as Hakan tilted her head back, helping her swallow the liquid. Slowly the color began returning to her skin. "She'll need a short rest," the Thetelar reasoned, standing swiftly. "Jexala what happened?"

"We were traveling back from the Celestine Caverns." the dark-haired fire pran explained. "Most of the monsters stayed away but deadly kobra took us by surprise."

"Hm…Captain Cromwell will not be pleased," the Theletar realized. "Nevertheless, the paladin is strong; she will recover." The men and Jexala breathed sighs of relief.

"In the mean time, let's get her inside the tent,\." the Theletar murmured. The guards willingly picked her up from the shoulders and feet, carrying the slumped form of the 9th company Aitan into the medical tent.

"Does Caurana get injured often?" Dante questioned Jexala softly as the Pran clung to her teddy bear.

"Yes," Jexala whispered. "She's so reckless. We use to work with a rifleman and his pran named Barrett Tam and Kauket but they got transferred when she had to go Regenshein for a break. They got way ahead of us so we were left by ourselves again. We tried other partnerships but those didn't last long. Barrett was the longest,"

Dante frowned. "Where's he from?"

Jexala shrugged. "Don't know. He just needed mission help one day and he tagged along helping us until we were strong enough to help."

"You should ask Cromwell." Dante suggested.

Jexala snorted. "As if he's of any help." the young pran sighed. "Oh well. We have to go back to Cromwell's camp anyway-he's gotten tired of us just wandering around. I suppose we'll have to go back to work."

"Seems such a waste of Caurana's talents, working with him." Dante mused.

Jexala grinned. "I wish we were in your group. But alas, it was not meant to be."

Dante chuckled. "Still you two are welcomed here any time."

Technically, in-game this happens after my previous Aika fic, but for the sake of story continuity this take place before 'A Paladin's Allies'. Plz review. :)

(1) Aitan-are warriors with special skills, holy warriors I suppose trained to fight the dark forces that abound in their land.

(2) Pran: fairy familiars that grow with their master and aid them in battle with one of three type of elements that are found in the sky: fire, air or water.