[AN: Apologies for any grammatical errors, I don't have spellcheck atm.
Anyway, Balthier will show up soon enough, but it will take a while until the next chapter comes out.
Monster gore upcoming!]
[Summary: Vaan makes his way out into the world, however he struggles
to match the harshness of the real deal adventure he is about to begin.]
Vaan's intentions wasn't leaving Penelop behind, no not at all. He knew he would never exit Rabanastre with her favor, and he knew she wasn't ready to join him either. They live above Migelo's sundries, Migelo who had been their caretaker until they turned 17. The small appartment wasn't spacious, so it wouldn't take long for one of them to begin arguing, and from arguing they'd continue on to fighting.
It became routine, so much that Vaan began to distance himself from his close, sibling-like bond with Penelo. It took its toll of course; the quiet passing of time they shared after fighting would set somberly over the two of them. And Penelo was aware of the connection between them fraying.
Vaan did his best to cheer her up, to prove to her that his decision to leave wasn't rash undertaking.
And when he came back one night, limping on one leg, she knew the decisive moment had come, just as the blond boy unwrapped the blue stones. Presenting them to her, he grinned sheepishly, awaiting her response.
The mere sight shook her. She knew the implications of the gems. Vaan would have never bought them for her. He had collected them himself from the sewer system, meaning he was able to fight the giant rats, and although he received wounds during the battle, he had succeeded with high spirits. Penelo took a deep breath. She could only vividly imagine Vaan dying in the Cerobi Steppe, or on one of the longwinded dunes of the Giza Plain, his little victory in Rabanastre would not suffice for preparations in a world so filled with monsters as well as the two empires, Archadia and Rozarria, who are at war.
She slapped the gift from his hands, giving him the most broken expression. The stones clattered to the floor, falling beneath a nearby table, Vaan stopping down to recollect them.
"Out."
The blond boy looked up, the blue light of the stones glittering in the dim lights hanging from the ceiling.
"I said out."
Penelo's hardened gaze softened at Vaan's frown. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him to leave. At least, what good would it do for him to stay?
"I think it's time for you to go."
Rabanastre at night could be a dangerous place, most of the guards stuck to pacing back and forth in the North End. Muthruu Bazaar would open a few more inconspicuous tables, however the city stayed mostly vacant. Sinister shadows would lick the doorways and the nooks and crannies of the street, staying away from the light coming from the posted street lamps. Lowtown was relatively secure and consisted of a friendly atmosphere throughout day and night, since many children roam the area, albeit the sewers below present a completely different scenario. All of the street shops were closed.
It left Vaan alone; alone with his equipment from earlier as well as a meager bag with personal belongings. He hadn't said his goodbyes to the many people he knew and held close, but the blonde boy knew this was the one chance he had to finally begin the journey he had dreamed of since he could remember. The deserted East End only helped fill his chest with the vague anticipation of a beforestanding mysterious pilgrimage. He only had about 1k gil on him, yet he felt his muscles itch with spirit. Letting himself skip until he reached the plaza with the fountain, Vaan decided to rumage in his bag to bring out his map of Ivalice.
The only notable locations the blonde boy could make out was Archades, all the way in the north, Mt. Bur-Omisace to the south-east and Balfonheim to the east. The dim lighting cast upon the parchment didn't help Vaan to take a reasonable decision, he felt unsure for a short moment. He took a seat on the concrete bench lining the fountain and mumbled to himself.
If he were to go raid and plunder old treasuries and cities long since dead, he'd need the proper equipment and in order to achieve that, he'd require gil. The best place to obtain gil would be Archades, and only there because although Vaan knew he would never work for the Archadian empire, he'd simply love to do what he does best with their unsuspecting, rich civilians: steal. That settled it, and the way directed on the map was to leave the Eastgate of the city of Rabanastre into the Dalmascan Estersands, towards the Nalbina Fortress and past the Phon Coast and Tchita Uplands. Plenty of road to cover, plenty of monsters to fight, and as such, plenty of experience to gain. Vaan heard tale of something called the Barheim Passage located in the Estersands, said to contain many riches, all behind locked gates. With a grin, the boy rolled up the map and stuck it back into his bag. He knew an easy route through Lowtown and the Garamsythe Waterway. Going over his equipment, he made sure to check on his potions and to wipe the dagger in his sheath, the case of it stained with misuse and flecks of dried rats' blood.
Sitting on the cold slab of stone, Vaan took a moment to breathe in deeply, to examine the sky above. With a start, he swung himself onto his feet, trying to supress the giddyness trying to get ahold of him.
Vaan set out through Lowtown, the corridors were quiet and the lighting had been darkened. Heading north, he passed the Traveling Merchant until he came upon the locked stairway. Fumbling with the short wire from one of his many little pockets, the lock clicked.
Closing the gate behind him, the blonde boy reset the lock, making sure it faced the corridor of Lowtown. Turning around he took another deep breath, and set forth into the sewer system.
Leaving the initial room, Vaan came upon a immense room with various canals running into different areas blocked by elongated gates. Switches on pedestrals stood in the middle of the space. Stepping up to the machinery, the blonde idly played with the different switches, his aim to open a gate to the east so that he could take the shortest way towards the south, where the secret entrance to the Barheim Passage lay.
It didn't take long until after what seemed like an eternity of a variety of gates opening and closing to the west, the route which faced directly east opened. With an excited jump of joy, Vaan took off in a jog, down the pathway that lay between wall and water. Rounding the corner, he ran smack into the slimey substance that coated the surface of a gigantic Gigantoad, a creature of distinct smell and largeness. While the being emitted a gutteral galumph sound from its vibrating esophagus, the boy surpressed his urge to regurgitate what ever was left in his stomach. Quickly stepping back on slight unsteady feet, he unsheathed his dagger while whiping the mucus off his face in a dramatic gesture of disgust. The horned beast's predatory croaking ceased as the beady eyes settled on the smaller form before it, the gigantic clawed paws of the thing scratched the floor in burgeoning aggression.
While Vaan was shaky from the sudden clash, he felt his doom was sealed when the loud twittering of a Steeling caught his attention, and apparently it had sensed him as well. The uncanny brown bat flapped over the rushing water toward them, just as one of the Gigantoad's paws striked the air where the young boy had stood a moment before.
"Oh boy." Vaan moaned under his breath.
Evading another lunge of the gross croak, Vaan slid along the wall, dragging his dagger into the side of the beast. Another wave of gutteral anger shook the monster as it waddled on its amphibian extremities, the lone bat stuck behind the wall of excreting mucus. The toad crashed its side against the wall, effectively knocking all of Vaan's breath out of his thin body, nearly squishing him. Struggling against the force pinning him, he dug the dagger repeatedly into the skin of the amphibian, until the blood that littered the floor soaked through Vaan's clothing and hit the wall.
As the beast passed its last reproachful sonance, its body flopped onto the opposite side, the weight of the thing pulling it over the side of the pathway and into the waterway. Thus, before Vaan could take a breath, the Steeling was over him. With a flash of white, the flat furry creature swooped down and slashed the young boy's arm as well as his already injured leg. Crying out in pain, he rashly swung his fist against the bat, throwing it back, before stabbing into the air, piercing the animal with a squeak. Shaking the limp body off of the blade onto the ground, Vaan groaned and sank down onto the floor as well.
Closing his eyes, he was reminded of how he hadn't slept or eaten yet, the tiredness of the battle settling over him like fog over marshlands. He struggled to sit upright, checking his surroundings to find no threats, then he went over his arm and his leg, feeling the wounds. While there was little bloodshed on his part, the cuts hurt enough to make Vaan take out one of his potions.
He had originally planned on being careful of using his small supply, but he shrugged off any worries and chugged the glass down before swiftly throwing it into the waterway. Feeling the potion's magic work on his lacerations and his state of being winded, Vaan got to his feet, brushing over the injuries as well as trying to ignore the aweful stench coming from his own body.
Walking farther down the route, the blonde came across his first treasure chest, and felt his chest bubble lightly with the happiness of being rewarded for his strenuous effort in battle. Destroying the casket, he found a potion, and felt his mood sink back down into the murky water of the sewers. Continuing on, he found several more caskets filled with potions and ethers, however his discovery of a longsword and an armor piece, which he immediately equipped, made him feel delighted about his choice of leaving Rabanastre all the more strong. While continuing on, Vaan passed several groups of Ichthon, beautiful piranhas with blue, white and red colorations of wings, who were thankfully of a peaceful nature.
Shortly before arriving at the entrance to the Barheim Passage, Vaan mused about not meeting any of the mystical creatures some people in Lowtown had theorized of when he heard a sweet song play through the murky water. Climbing down the stairs and into the water, the boy curiously investigated the path, since it lay in his route anyway. The vile water met halfway up to his knees and tugged sluggishly at his movements.
His heart rocketed into his mouth when the supposed sweet song turned into a beastial rumble at his feet. Two dark nostrils poked out of the water, until the water surged upwards, cascading off the long body of a Baritine Croc in strands of pearls. Vermillion fur dangled from the gator's body, clumped together due to the wetness and the large snout, which slowly began to snarl and widen. Emitting a strangled sound, Vaan decided to take off as fast as he could, not intending to battle this monster quite yet. Huffing at the strain of running through high leveled water, Vaan reached the safety of the entrance, leaving the aggressive monster behind a thick doorway.
Clutching his chest, the boy calmed himself down, before smacking himself in the face. The adrenalin left him shaking worse than after his battle with the giant toad and he felt regret and bitterness swell inside him.
Infront of the boy lay a wide space, filtered light coming from above the rafters. No monsters present, Vaan dragged his heavy feet toward one of the crooks in the walls and set his possessions down, making sure he was well hidden before cradling his head into the softness of his bag. Closing his heavy lidded eyes, the blonde let images of wealth and treasure flit through his mind, before finally dozing off.
A sudden loud smash woke Vaan from his dreams about eating Migelo's horrible cooking. Seeing only white at first, he hastily rubbed his eyes before quickly scanning his surroundings, a hand on the sheath of his new longsword. The crumbling rocks fell from the high ceiling, shadows flitting over the openings to cast the large room into darkness. Gathering himself up, the boy ignored his aching muscles, his aweful stench and slung his bag around his neck and set onwards, nervous about the meaning of the unforeseen ruckus.