Chapter 1: Burgundie
It was a bright sunny daybreak; fresh with the summer scent of fragrant tree leaves flowing into the village from the woods around the town of Burgundie. The sun had just popped over the hill above the town and the forests, illuminating the thatched wooden houses inside the giant wall that protected the town from the elements and wild beasts. The sun moved further up in the sky, shining on each stoop, making the bicycles that were strewn on the wooden house walls glisten, and brightening the gable roof of the clock tower in the center of town, which at this point was ringing ten times to signify the morning of a thirty-two hour day.
Burgundie was the type of town that always remained the same, as if change itself had missed its doorsteps. No outsiders, save from a trader or the random adventurer from the nearby town of Lapasca, or even a rare occurrence of some official from the great far away city of Scanamesca, had ever graced its presence. Everything, from the wandering shepherd and his flock of sheep, to the graceful trainer and their stock of yellow chocobos running amok, had remained the same for as long as anyone could remember.
This boredom was just what seventeen-year-old Arina Lanthart hated about her hometown. She was always looking for new adventures, for a new life. But what she really wanted more than anything else was to see the world with her friends. She finally had the chance – a month ago she graduated from the town's academy and was ready to either head out into the world, using the magic skills she learned and the fighting techniques she craved, or find herself working on her family farm just outside of town. Her parents, of course, wanted her to go into the agriculture business, but she rather wanted to study the ancient art of avatar summoning. Of course, Burgundie didn't have nearly the resources needed to study the ancient avatar art, so she was stuck.
She woke up just as the clock tower finished ringing its tenth time. As she woke up, she stretched and moved to her closet, changing her clothes, and then went to her bathroom and got herself ready for the day. After she left the bathroom, she checked herself again in the mirror, and then walked towards the door, leading out into the hallway in her three-floored thatched home. As she moved down the hallway, she heard her mother calling her from the steps. "Arina! Come down here! Your chores are waiting for you!"
Sulking, Arina walked down the stairs, where her mother, hands on her hips, was waiting for her. "Young lady," she said in a stern voice, "you were supposed to be up two hours ago helping your father at the farm."
"I'm sorry, Mother," Arina said back to her mother, "I guess I just overslept."
"You guess you just overslept?" her mother, getting angrier, uttered. "Well, you have many chores to do." After handing her a few tools, her mother instructed her to head out to the farm and help her father with daily farm chores. Arina signed and grabbed a fruit as she walked out the door, passing the kitchen as she grasped the metal handle to the door, opening it and closing it behind her. Walking down her front stoop's steps, she quickly grabbed her metallic red bike and started to pedal south towards the southern city gate.
There were many people mulling about in Burgundie from day to day. One could easily see people carrying goods to the center of the town and the market there, or many young children playing around in the streets, happy that lessons were over for the summer. One could even see carts of weapons behind chocobos trotting towards the general store, with people holding massive amounts of scrolls behind. Arina knew what those scrolls were; she had bought a few and learned the magic behind them. Only a few white magic spells, like the ability to cure and remove extra symptoms, but these two were very useful. Of course, she also knew how to use a sword and a bow, which made it useful for her just in case something ever happened. She learned mostly, however, about the avatars, and the ancient art of avatar summoning. As she walked further towards the town gate, she noticed less and less people mulling about, and more and more livestock, like sheep, heading into and away from the town center. It made walking on the cobblestone road a little troublesome to have sheep running about, and when one bumped into her, the tools in her arms fell. She picked them up and continued to dodge the incomers, but when she got to the open town gate, she sighed and easily walked south out through the town gate to her father's farm just on the other side. A guard, dressed in red with a spear in his right hand, nodded as she passed.
She arrived at the farm a few minutes later. "Hey, Father," Arina said, groaning as she set the tools down and grabbed one in the anticipation that he would instruct her in some duty, but when her father told her the work was almost done, she shrugged and put that tool down. "All I really need you to do," her father instructed her, "is feed Charlie." Charlie was the family's chocobo, and was one of the only types of chocobo to not be of a yellow color. Instead, Charlie was of different sub-species – a deep red-orange coloring with spikes like those of a rosebush on his orange-colored legs. He was also a bit less mild-tempered, so when she went to go feed him, the chocobo almost snapped at her when she didn't fill the food trough high enough. He, in return, made a funny 'kweh' sound as all chocobos do, pressed his beak up on her forehead to push her back, and began eating intensely, as if he hadn't eaten in a year.
Rubbing her forehead, she left her father at the farm as he was packing up his tools and bundling up carrots, ready to bring them back into town to sell any extra the family didn't use to the market. Heading back into town, she ran into one of her friends, the eighteen-year-old Marcus Feliant, a tall, muscular, brutish sort-of person with shaved red hair and scars over much of his body, mostly due to training. "Hey," he said, greeting her. "Are we still on tonight for you-know-what," to which Arina smiled and nodded. For years Arina, Marcus, and a few other friends of age had been talking about running away and starting their adventure this night, but now that the day had finally come, it was much more of a real thing. Back then it was only in their dreams, but they finally agreed to this date, the eighteenth day of the month of Teritana, the tenth month out of the sixteen months of the year. It was only fitting then that she get herself ready for the trip, including finding a good weapon, since they were sneaking away from town in the dead of night, when the wild animals were at their fiercest.
"I have to get to the general store," Arina commented, "I have to pick up a weapon for the journey. I doubt my white magic skills will get me very far," to which Marcus laughed. "No," he said, wiping his brow with his hand, "but we'll at least be safe, with that Cure spell you know." Arina smiled, and then went with Marcus back inside town.
The town was just as busy when Arina and Marcus came back into it, and at a fork, they decided to take the road to the left, a smaller dirt road that went straight up a hill to the town center, rather than the larger cobblestone road to the right that wrapped around it gradually, especially since Arina's family lived right on the larger road and her parents would probably be out, sitting on the stoop. Not wanting to create a scene, Arina and Marcus climbed the short, steep road, up past houses set on foundations peaking up so that the houses were level. Right before the town square, Arina and Marcus passed by the town shrine, brimming with people coming and going, bringing with them presents to the avatars – the great gods who, according to legend, created the world and everything on it. Arina hoped that one day, one day soon, she would be able to summon these great avatars, just like other summoners before her. However, just as this thought entered her mind, the two of them ended up face to face with the town center, where the most important town buildings were located around a giant, center, rectangular plot of grass laid out from east to west. The town hall, a stone-covered façade, gothic building, where all town business was conducted, was located on the western side, in the north-center with attached clock tower, the one that chimes every hour on the hour. A section of the chapel was to the south side and a road heading back to the edge of town was on the north. On the north side was the open-air market, with people mulling about looking for the latest produce brought in from the farmers on wooden shelves, merchants trying to sell product for a good price. On the eastern side, the town's academy, another example of gothic architecture, with its tall roof and all, currently had its doors closed for the summer. On the southern side, another group of buildings, a blacksmith, a general store, a bank, and an inn, were all spread out so that there were really small cobblestone alleyways between each. The weapons' shop, the one furthest to the west, was the building Arina and Marcus were shooting for. Walking to the weapons' shop, Marcus reached for the wooden plank door's bronze doorknob, turning it and opening the door, allowing the opportunity for Arina to walk in. She did, turning to thank Marcus, and walked further, into the shop. Marcus, although technically being her friend, enjoyed his view when he walked in after her.
The weapons' shop had loads to offer. All sorts of swords, daggers, bows and staves were hanging from hooks on the wall; so many, in fact, they covered up most of the wall. There was little light in the place – the only light was a lamp sitting on the counter, giving just enough light for the blacksmith at the counter to polish a silver broadsword.
"Can I help you?" the blacksmith asked, looking up from polishing. The scar that, when his left eye was shut, went clear from his forehead to his nose, made Arina a little nervous, even though she had seen this man before many times. However, Marcus loved coming into the blacksmith shop, especially when the blacksmith was in a good mood, since Marcus had spoken often to Arina and their other friends of how many stories he had to tell.
"Yeah, we're looking for some weapons," Marcus said, looking around and spotting a broadsword on the wall he really liked. He zoned off for a second, but came back once he spotted someone else in the weapons' shop besides himself, Arina, and the blacksmith.
It was Tarenn Randonne, one of Marcus and Arina's friends, an eighteen-year-old like Marcus, who was also sneaking out of town tonight with them. But unlike Marcus, Tarenn did not rely much on brute strength. Rather, she was known for her skills in black magic (she was the best in black magic in their class), and also for her handiwork with a bow and arrows. "Hey, you two," she said, as she turned away from a particular bow she fancied, "find anything in here you like? We're going to need all the strength we can get." Then she turned back to the bows, and as she took one off the wall, she walked it over to the blacksmith, and told him that she would like the bow before them. Happy that he was selling something, the blacksmith flashed a wide smile as he took the money from Tarenn. "Thank you for your purchase," the blacksmith pined, and then asked if she needed a quiver as he handed her a bounded set of arrows. "No, thanks, I already have one," she mentions to him, and then walks over to Arina and Marcus, rolling her eyes, as the blacksmith frowned, hoping she'd make another purchase. "I'll meet you guys near the south gate tonight," she instructed them. They all agreed to meet by the twenty-fourth hour, which allowed them to run from the city under deep cover of night, and when they were done planning, Tarenn left the blacksmith shop to get everything ready for tonight. "I'll tell the others. We'll be there early." Then, as she was closing the door behind her, she looked at Marcus with a stern face, and uttered, "Don't be late."
Once Marcus and Alina were left to their own devices, it took them little time to figure out what they wanted. Marcus went up to the blacksmith and asked how much the broadsword cost, then when realizing that there was no possible way he could ever afford it now, he grabbed a smaller, regular sword made of silver but painted white with gold detailing, and thrust it up to the blacksmith. Again happy that he was making a sale, but less happy to oblige since a kid shoving a sword in his face so rudely interrupted him, he took the money from Marcus, gave him an evil stare, and threw the sword at him. Then, when he was done with Marcus, the blacksmith moved over to Alina. "Find something you like?" he asked her, wondering if he could find her the perfect weapon.
"Yeah, a few things," she responded, "but nothing I've really fallen in love with. I'm studying to become a summoner."
The blacksmith laughed. "You should have told me!" he said, moving over to a door behind the counter. "I have just the thing you're looking for." He then went into the other room, grabbed what seemed to be a staff, and came back into the main room.
"This staff," he informed Alina as he walked back over to her, "is very useful. Very powerful, depending on how strong your skills are." He then showed her, up close and personal, the staff he intended to sell to her. It was a long, metal staff painted white, with metallic strips painted in different colors wrapped around it. Toward one end was padding where the hand could rest easily, and a large gold metallic ball used for ornament purposes. On the other end was another type of ornament, a large metal spike painted gold, to match the ball at the bottom, with white strands of metal wrapped around it so it looked like an art-nouveau angel. "It's called the Valentina Staff; handed down through my family. They were all big summoners in their heyday." As he handed it to her, he looked down at the floor. "I can't use it, so I might as well give it to someone else." As Arina moved over to the counter to pay for it, the blacksmith shook his head.
"No money for that. You can take it free of charge," he said, smiling to her. "Just promise me you'll stay with it." Alina, shocked that someone would actually just give away something like this, refused and said she had to pay, but the blacksmith wouldn't take it. All Alina could do was thank him for his kindness, and she and Marcus left the store.
"Wow! Aren't you lucky!" Marcus commented, poking Alina in the stomach as the two walked away from the weapons shop heading west. "I wish I got a weapon for free."
"Yeah, well, I sort of feel funny about it," Arina uttered, feeling very guilty that, although the blacksmith clearly wasn't going to let her pay for it, she still felt like she stole it away from him. "I guess it can't be helped, but still…"
Marcus had a great laugh. "Oh, get over it," he said, as they passed by the bank. Unlike the rest of the stores, which had your standard, regular old window, the bank had one, giant rectangular window, which now hung some sort of propaganda from the First International Bank in the city of Castiela, a place that Arina heard was absolutely gorgeous. Change your money to gil today, it said on the poster in big purple letters. "The gil bills and pieces are really different looking," Arina said, looking at the picture of the new money that was going to be circulated. "I feel like it should be hanging up in an art museum somewhere than being spent."
Marcus laughed. "Wow, you are such a dork." Arina responded by stepping on Marcus's foot.
Arina and Marcus separated heading down the main street, Marcus heading off a side street back to his house, and Arina continuing down the street to her house. As she got there, she saw her mother, who hadn't noticed her, sitting on the stoop outside waiting for something. She quickly ran out back, hid the new staff in a pile of hay bunched up against the house, and ran back to the front.
"Hey, Mother. I'm back from chores," Arina said, trying to keep a straight face. In response, her mother had told her that her father had been back for at least an hour. Arina, trying to keep her mother from figuring out her plan, told her a somewhat distorted version of the truth: that she and Marcus met up, and that they went to the market together and looked for any lunch to buy. Surprisingly, it worked; the rest of the day was devoted to more chores, and a bit of fun.
When night came, and hour twenty-four was fast approaching, Arina found herself in her room, with her parents above her, sleeping in their cozy bed. She waited a few more seconds, and crept out of her room and down the stairs. She thought she was almost home free, when she heard footsteps above her. Panicking, she hid under the large plank table in the center of the kitchen. When she saw feet walking toward the food pantry, she realized it was her dad. After a few minutes, however, he went back upstairs. Thankful that she closed her bedroom door behind her, her father assumed she was fast asleep and walked back up the fight of stairs to his bedroom. She crawled out of her hiding spot, and quietly opened the door, closing it behind her ever so quietly as well.
After she retrieved her wand from her hiding spot, she realized she had a bit of time left before she had to meet the rest of the gang. So, what better way to spend her time, she thought, then to head up to the shrine? After all, she was studying to become a summoner, and summoners try to bring forth the power of avatars, which the shrines celebrated. So, she took that short hilly route again up to the shrine.
It was an open air shrine, a little shack-type thing sitting on top of a small, man made hill and around cherry trees. Arina walked on stone slabs that served as the walkway up. At the top, she went to the giant statue of an angel. It was of a woman with not four wings, but six, grouped in three. She was in a kneeling position, with a staff that looked very similar to the one Arina carried.
"We finally have a statue of Valentina for the shrine," a mysterious voice from behind her spoke. She turned around to see it wasn't the priest of the shrine, but rather another friend of hers, seventeen-year-old Isaac Runtsel. "And we picked today to leave, and you're here praying."
Arina laughed. "Nice to see you too, Isaac."
He laughed and stepped beside Arina. He had classic, rugged looks, like Marcus, but he wasn't nearly as muscular. Still, he could hold his own, and his brass spiked knuckles, currently on his hand, really did the trick. He was always getting into fights at school, and he almost got kicked out permanently, but he survived to see himself graduate from the academy. "Hey, you got a new staff," he commented, looking at the Valentina Staff Arina was holding in her right hand. "Looks really valuable. How could you afford it?"
"The blacksmith. It's a family heirloom of his, and he gave it to me," Arina said back to him. "Thought I would make better use of it." Then they both looked at the statue, and said a few prayers for a safe journey. "C'mon," Isaac finally said once they were finished, "it's almost twenty-four. We better hightail it to the meeting ground." And so they went, back down to the place where they said they would meet. After about ten minutes, they got there, finding Marcus and Tarenn in the process.
"We thought you chickened out," Marcus said, to which Tarenn replied that only Marcus felt that way. Isaac and Arina had a good laugh, and then they headed toward the gate at the edge of town.
"So, how are we getting out of here?" Arina asked, puzzled by how this was going to work. "The gate's closed until morning."
Marcus pointed to the house next to the gate. "That's the gatehouse, right there. There's no guard right now, they're changing guard. We go out now."
Isaac and Tarenn looked at each other, both nodding in agreement, then ran into the gatehouse as fast as they could. Marcus was right, there was no one inside, so Marcus tugged on the silver ring of the strong wooden door across the room from the one they just entered. He opened it, and Isaac closed it behind him. As they started walking further out, heading to the surrounding woods, the four friends looked at each other. Had they really done this? Had they really snuck out of town? They were positively giddy as they walked even further, past the family farm of Arina's parents. Finally, they crossed past a small fence made out of driftwood as they headed into the nearby Barthane Woods, with their weapons drawn and smiles worn.