The whine from the engines slowly died down to a subtle whir and the dust that had been kicked into the air began to settle. Kara adjusted the bag on her shoulder and stepped off the end of the airship's edge. Her feet hit the ground with a hard thud, and for a moment, she had to freeze as the impact ran up the back of her spine, sucking all feeling from her body. When it returned, she continued toward the large, sandy-colored tent that still stood in the center of the darkening desert camp.
Behind her, she could hear Mairi and Leo talking about the trio of Imperial engines that had brought them there. Something about the impressive speed. Metallic soldiers that moved with jerky motions and blinked with ruby red lights for eyes dotted the landscape. Numb, Kara wrestled with the vague memories of Aloc's fear. It's all thanks to him. The thought was enough to make her bones ache all over again.
Ravus, at the head of the far-spread line of soldiers he was leading, stopped at the front of the tent's flaps. He turned and said something to Wyn before entering. Kara's brother nodded to himself and started back toward the group. He ran into her first, grabbing her arm to stop her walking and waving a hand over his head to gain the attention of the rest of their troop.
"First things first, head inside and drop your things. Then, I need half of you to focus on gathering enough water for today and tomorrow while the other half stands guard. The engines might have been spotted and it's better to be safe than sorry." With that, he glanced down at Kara with a half-hearted smile. "You're coming with me."
"Why?" she asked. Her voice sounded bored, but she was drained, exhausted from boredom.
Laughing, Wyn shook his head and let her go. "Ravus put us on bed duty."
Kara rolled her eyes and followed him closely. Seriously? Guided purely out of habit, she paused at the doorway to shake the sand out of her boots and stepped onto the tarped floor. Ravus stood next to a pile of folded cots, arms crossed. With a grin, Wyn hoisted a pair of beds onto his shoulder and bumped Ravus with his hip.
"Let's get going, boss."
Sighing, Ravus shot Kara a dry look and followed suit. Kara wondered why she had been chosen to help with the tent. Perhaps it was to evenly divide their forces. Even then, why her? She pushed the rest of the cots into the sectioned room for beds, watching Wyn push Ravus around playfully. It was highly likely that he didn't want to suffer the others' bickering while he sought to build a place for them to rest.
"C'mon, man. Cactuar got your tongue?" Wyn grinned from ear to ear, kicking away the cot Ravus reached for. Irritated, Ravus shot him a glare and tugged the bed closer before jerking it open. "You're grumpier than usual."
"I'm tired." Ravus roughly shoved the mattress on the cot into place before moving on to the next. His movements were jerky and impatient. "I didn't sleep because I was up preparing for this."
"Preparing what?" Wyn demanded, snapping a bed into place.
Kara shook her head with a smile. "Who knows? He might've needed to find a way to charge his flat iron."
Wyn laughed and ruffled Ravus's smooth, pale hair. "It is perfect for the occasion, Ravus!"
"Wyn—" Ravus huffed and shoved Wyn's hand away, shaking his hair back into place. "I was concerned about our survival, but I'm glad you think I care more about my appearance." He snapped the third cot into place and glowered at Kara. "And I don't own a flat iron."
"How would I know?" Kara shrugged. "It looks like you do something with your hair."
"I don't."
"I think he's lying," Wyn muttered, shooting Kara a sly smile. Ravus rolled his eyes and stepped back through the doorway to leave the bedroom portion of the tent. Snickering, Wyn spread his arms wide and leaned into the opening. "Hey! Can't take a joke, big boy?"
Ravus threw a bundle of sheets at Wyn rather aggressively, but his friend caught it with ease as if he'd seen it coming a mile away. "I'm taking it right now, ass-hat."
Kara choked on the dry air, coughing and laughing at the same time. She hadn't seen Ravus's retort coming. Wyn, however, reacted as if this was a normal occurrence and threw up his middle fingers. His laughter combined with a high-pitched shriek when Ravus shoved past him and he stumbled backward.
"Hey!" he protested.
Quickly, he dropped the sheets onto the nearest cot and lunged after Ravus. The commander turned just in time for Wyn to shove his back into the canvas wall of the tent. Kara couldn't contain her giggling as her brother pressed his hands to the wall on either side of Ravus and cocked his head to the side. Ravus looked only slightly annoyed, raising an eyebrow.
"You look real cute from here," Wyn teased, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "No homo."
Kara raised her hands and stepped closer to the door. "Are you two about to kiss right now? I can leave if you want."
With that Ravus rolled his eyes yet again and pushed Wyn away. "We have to get this done before they come back to argue over their beds."
"Aw, c'mon. Don't ignore my advances."
"You said no homo," Kara pointed out, flapping a sheet in an attempt to remove the thousands of wrinkles that marred its surface. "Therefore, no advances were made."
"Shit, I'll leave it out next time."
"Just—" Ravus sighed, gesturing toward the bedding.
Wyn threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Dude, your face is getting red! I didn't mean it, you know."
"My face is not—"
"It is," Kara cut in with a snicker. "It's okay. I know my brother is a strapping young man."
"Kara…" Ravus gave up, shaking his head and leaving the room for good.
The siblings laughed quietly to themselves. Kara was glad that he'd given in rather than fighting. Though, it always seemed to be that way between him and her brother. The two rarely fought for long; Ravus tolerated Wyn's teasing and Wyn stood as a pillar of strength when Ravus stumbled over himself. When she thought about it, it swelled her heart with happiness. They were the perfect pair of friends for each other, and she had nothing more to ask of them.
Once they were finished, the others of their troop began filing inside. Outside in the sandy dirt, Leo and Lisa put themselves in charge of heating everyone's rations. Once everyone had eaten in relative silence and solitude, scattered across their campgrounds, they wandered to bed one by one. Kara spent an hour staring up at the stars alone, marveling at her new angle from Lucian soil.
It was the same sky everyone at home could see, the same sky that King Regis and his son could see, and yet, they were fighting over the blandness that was this dusty, dirty patch of land at the center of Lucian land. Well, originally Lucian. It hadn't belonged to anyone but the Empire for a long time and the recent uprisings were becoming a thorn in the Empire's side. That was the whole reason they were there to begin with. Some dirt.
Finally, she got up and crawled inside with heavy eyes and an even heavier body. But when she should have fallen asleep the moment her head touched her pillow, she couldn't. She tossed and turned, haunted by a lurking dread that made her chest tight and her stomach ache. There was something eerie about the total darkness and the silence that was only filled by the creaking of her own bed as she moved to find comfort she would never find.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she sat up. Something felt off. Slowly, Kara lowered her feet to the floor and pulled on the boot she'd left beneath her cot. She tiptoed out of the room and crept toward the entrance of the tent, eyes wide and trying to find anything to focus on. This is crazy. There's nothing here. Still, she couldn't fight the feeling that something—someone—was out there, waiting. Watching.
Ever so carefully, she peeled back the flaps that separated them from the rest of the world and peeked outside. The flat, drylands were illuminated only by the dim light of a clouded moon, but at least she could see. Nothing. Shivering as the cold night air met her skin, Kara stepped outside and braved the cold unknown. She was careful to tread silently, eyes peeled and hands ready to grasp her lance from thin air.
And so, when she heard the slightest shuffling sound in the sand behind her, she turned sharply. The tip of her spear met with the throat of a slender young woman in a black uniform lined with silver. I don't know her. The woman's lips quirked into a smug smile and the shimmering blue sparks that came with the drawing of her delicate swords fluttered to the ground. Blue. Lucian. Kara's heart skipped a beat. The Kingsglaive?
"Good morning, sleepyhead," the woman crooned in a low voice.
Startled by her realization, Kara pushed forward on the lance to silence the woman, but her opponent was faster, slamming one blade against the shaft of the spear and raising the other to slash Kara's throat. Quickly, Kara raised her polearm to defend herself before using the butt to strike at the woman. The Lucian soldier was quick, ducking under the shaft and kicking Kara's hip. Kara stumbled back, yet again forced to defend herself with her weapon, but she was waking up.
Gritting her teeth, Kara forced the woman's blades back, struck her side with the shaft of the lance, and sharply turned the weapon to slice at her with the bladed tip. The glaive grunted softly, watching her blood spill from the cut in her arm to the pale soil. She was only momentarily distracted, fighting back with twice the speed. The moonlight reflected on the silver swords in quick, short bursts as they flew toward Kara without much aim.
Kara pushed back, determined to find an opening to skewer her assailant. She rolled under a crossed slash of the swords and came to her feet, pressing the tip of her spear into the woman's back—but then she heard a sound. It was the slightest whisper of movement, but it was there and it forced her to save herself.
Quick as ever, she swung her spear out to the left, blocking a swing from a man who looked to be only slightly older than her. He didn't smile like his friend, but he wore the same uniform and the same attitude. Unfazed by her defense, he slashed at her with his curved daggers at the same time that the woman jabbed with her sword.
Kara knocked the sword off its course with her weapon, but she was forced to raise her arm to deflect the knife, clenching her jaw when the sharp blade sliced through her flesh like butter. The damage was far less than what could have been done, she reminded herself. With that, she stabbed at the man with her lance, but he dove out of the way and the woman lunged at her with the hilt of her sword. Kara jammed the end of her spear backward, jabbing the woman's chest hard enough to force her away.
The move saved her a blow to the head, but at the cost of her balance. Stumbling, she fell to the ground. She rolled onto her back quickly enough to kick away the woman once more and to bat the daggers away from her head with the spear, using it like a bat. Despite her talent, there was no getting around fact. She was in a very bad way. Get off the ground. Get off the ground. Get off the ground.
Just when she saw the two rushing in to attack her from opposite angles, the man grunted and faltered. This left Kara enough time and space to roll to her feet and avoid the swords once more. Breathless, she turned to see Ravus cut across the man's back harshly with the tip of his sword. The glaive cried out, scrambling to get away. The woman seemed less fazed by the assault, hurrying toward them once more.
But Kara was angry. Angry that she hadn't seen this coming, angry that they would dare to attack in the night like cowards, angry that she needed Ravus's help. She put that anger into her weapon and through the middle of the woman rushing at them. Gasping, the woman let go of her blades and gripped the lance in both hands, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Kara gritted her teeth and ripped the lance free. She hated to admit that she reveled in the splash of blood that stained the ground.
The woman staggered to the ground, but as she did so, she laughed. "You don't even know," she choked out, shaking her head. Her eyes rolled back and she breathed a sigh. "It's already too late for you."
Kara's temper sparked again and she started toward the glaive. "What do you—"
"Kara!" Ravus grabbed her arm and stared hard at the tent.
The man that had previously tried to kill Kara stood alone a short distance from the large tent that housed their companions. His hand was glowing with an eerie red light. Kara only realized what it was once he swung his arm, and the glowing ball went flying. It was all they could do to shield their faces as the ball exploded in a burst of angry flames, immediately engulfing the tent in flames.
Kara stood frozen in place as the fire swiftly overtook the entire outer layer of their shelter, her heart pounding and sinking at the same time. Even Ravus's face was filled with dread as the glaive stumbled away into the night. Smoke began to billow into the sky, hiding the moon behind a thick layer of smog.
Despite her original fears, Kara was the first to move, rushing toward the tent and shouting at the top of her lungs. "Wyn! Mairi! Get out of there!" Desperate, she stabbed through the canvas with her spear and tore a slit into the fabric. The flames leaped at her and singed at the hairs on her arms.
"What sort of magic is this?" Ravus demanded, still watching the fire in horrified awe.
"Lucian witch bullshit," Kara grumbled. "Wake up, dammit!"
From inside, she heard a cry. Kara felt triumphant for a moment, filled with hope as she stepped back to safety beside Ravus. Bags began to soar through the tent flaps as soldiers began to rescue what they could before they stumbled out. Lisa was the first, though she was immediately followed by Loqi, who was hacking up a lung into his elbow. Mairi and Leo came next, each dragging a collection of bags with them as well.
Slowly, the tent released a trickle of soldiers. Wyn was the last to emerge before the flow stopped. Kara hurried to squeeze him into a hug, overwhelmed by the smell of smoke from the powerful flames that were reaching high into the sky by the time he'd escaped. Thank the gods you're okay, she wanted to say. But she couldn't.
Because something felt wrong. She stood on her toes, keeping her arms around his waist as she counted the heads around them. Her eyes met Ravus's with dread. Ky… She's not here. Wyn noticed as soon as they two exchanged a look, prying her arms off and walking back toward the tent with nothing but determination in his eyes.
"Wyn, don't be an idiot," Kara pleaded. "You can't go back in there."
"I can and I will," he retorted, shedding his jacket and tossing it toward Ravus. His friend caught it with ease, watching in silence as his second walked bravely back into the blaze. "I cannot and will not leave her to die."
With that, he disappeared behind the smoke and the roaring of the fire. Kara shuddered, unable to make herself move as the others dragged their things away from the tent to save them. Loqi dropped her duffle bag at her feet without a word and glanced back at the fire as if to wonder aloud, Will he make it back alive?
Kara already knew when too much time had passed. Two minutes was two minutes too long. She wrestled with herself, fists clenched at her sides and teeth grinding together. I can't be that stupid. I can't play the hero. I can't become the cliché. I can't—And then she was fed up with waiting. Just as she stepped toward the tent, the top of the stretched material gave way and caved in on itself with an angry roar and a shower of threatening sparks flew into the air.
"Do not take another step," Ravus snapped. She could feel him glaring into the back of her head. "Don't be a fool, Kara."
Kara shuddered when she felt all eyes turn to them. I can't abandon them. Forgive me. With that, she ducked her head under the flames lapping at the doorway and leaped through what remained of the opening. Behind her, she thought she heard someone shout her name. It was too late. She was already gone.
The heat and the smoke alone were enough to make her eyes tear up and her throat sting. She pulled her shirt up over her nose and ducked under the burning support beam that had just collapsed into the center of the tent. Sweat poured from her skin in a matter of moments, trying to rescue her from the overwhelming heat. I have to be quick about this.
"Wyn!?" she shouted, dodging melting plastics and showering embers to locate her brother. She thought she heard a muffled shout.
Quickly, she stumbled through the maze of burning materials to find their shared room. Wyn was there, hauling mattresses and metals away from a curled figure on the ground. With a gritted cry, he threw a mangled cot toward the opposite end of the room, revealing that figure to be Ky, unconscious with her arms covering her face and blistering burns marring her skin where the heated metals once rested.
"Wyn!"
Her brother tossed a look over his shoulder before jerking his head toward Kylinn. "Stuff went flying when whatever the hell hit us exploded!" He had to shout to be heard over the fire and the creaking of the skeletal structure over their heads. "Tear us a way out of here!"
Kara nodded and rushed toward the flaming wall. Ignoring the screaming protest of her hands in reaction to the heat, she summoned her lance and stabbed through the wall, tearing just as she had done before to wake her fellow soldiers. Stabbing and tearing, stabbing and tearing. She was like an animal, focused on her single task without fear of the pain because her other pains were so much greater. Finally, she'd carved a sustainable hole and she ushered her brother through.
Wyn clutched Kylinn to his chest and rushed outside. Kara followed closely, shielding her eyes from the smoke that had clouded her lungs. Finally, they were free. The night air was freezing on her sweat-soaked skin, hair, and clothing, and the absence of smoke was the thing that made her start coughing. She gasped for fresh air, aching as her scorched throat begged for mercy. Wyn hurried toward Lisa, who motioned for him to set Kylinn on the ground for any healing she could hope to accomplish.
Kara scrubbed at her stinging eyes and forced herself to stumble her way before Ravus. "I'm sorry," she said, wincing at the sound of her voice. Her hands were smudged with soot when she reached up to push away the hair that was sticking to her forehead. "I couldn't follow your orders. I had to help."
"But you didn't," Ravus snapped rather loudly. He looked thoroughly pissed off. "I allowed Wyn to enter to find Kylinn. If I recall correctly, you are not your brother."
"Ravus, I—" Kara started to protest, but her throat got the best of her and she choked again, eyes watering with the unbearable stinging. She clutched her knees and took a deep breath, staring at the ground. Ky's going to be in a world of hurt when she wakes up.
Ravus shook his head firmly, scowling at her. "You have not earned his station simply by being his blood, Kara, and you need to learn that. Disobedience for any reason is unacceptable."
"But I—"
"Do not talk back to me."
Kara winced. That one hurt. He sounded angry, hateful even. He'd raised his voice in the same way he'd raised his voice at Lunafreya. He was blaming her for something she didn't mean any harm by doing.
"I'm sorry."
"Apologies won't cut it." Ravus sternly jerked his head toward the bags. "Carry as many of those as you can. We're looking for a new place to rest this evening and most of us need to be on the lookout."
"Ravus, lay off her," Wyn scoffed, turning to shoot his friend a look. "She was just trying to help."
"And in trying to help she not only endangered herself but anyone else who might've been foolish enough to chase her," Ravus retorted bitterly.
Kara couldn't quite follow his logic there, but she was willing to accept her punishment. Dizzy, she straightened and began heaving bags onto her shoulders. Perhaps she didn't deserve the treatment, but she was too tired to fight. Besides, she had blatantly ignored Ravus's orders in front of everyone, and no matter how well she knew him, he was still her commander. She'd take any burden he placed on her so long as Kylinn had another shot at life.
She turned back to watch Wyn lift Ky back up into his arms and pressed her lips together. Please make it through the night.
SORRY FOR ANOTHER LATE UPDATE
THIS PANORAMA WE'RE IN HAS ME LOSING MOTIVATION TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN PLAY FFXIV FOR 8+ HOURS A DAY...
VERY GOOD GAME BTW HIGHLY RECOMMEND