Chronicles of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn
Chapter Three: Politics and Primals
Cave Nearby Coffer and Coffins- Midnight
S'elene was cursing herself quite a bit, she may have been overconfident in her abilities with a claymore compared to a more agile gunblade. She reverted back to basic guerrilla tactics against the monsters since that seemed to work better for her while still being able to amplify her physical capabilities to prevent more damage from hindering her.
As the claws began to do reach towards her she stabbed her blade into the ground making a makeshift shield of sorts, before quickly pulling it out of the ground and releasing a dark wave of aether as her white and azure eyes glows a slight crimson as she gave into her more basic natures of rage and fury from her earlier years, becoming more feral and bloodthirsty. The claymore ripped through flesh and shattered bone with each hit as she summoned dark aether. However she was becoming lost in her state of mind, not noticing the pack slowly surrounding her in the narrow cavern.
She was starting to get cut up on all sides with both poisoned claws and teeth marking her and weakening her even further.
'Shit… I may have ACTUALLY bit off more than I can chew… If only I had my damn gunblade still.' She thought angrily as she was down on one knee, her cloak in tatters and bloodied.
"You know I thought dark knights were suppose to be nigh undefeatable…" a petite monotone rang out through the cave as S'elene felt the poison disappear from her veins via a Esuna finding it easier to breath.
In the cavern's entrance stood two Au'ras one a Xaela and another a Ra'an both fairly shorter than her. The Xaela only 4'10 and the Ra'an at 5'4. Both wearing differing outfits. One in full pink trench coat with armlets down the left side of her coat and the other in typical black healing garb usually not seen unless you go to the Ishgard area.
The purple Xaela leaped forward in a single bound and plunged her pink and black gunblade into one of the creatures heads instantly killing it before the Ra'an released Gravity II in the area in front of her having an opening and more breathing room as the Xaela, started getting more of the mobs attention while the Ra'an made her way towards S'elene as started to apply some Aspected Benefic to the Vierra's arms and part of her face.
"Can you fight dark knight?" She asked with a caring tone in her voice.
"Aye, I'll have to thank both of you ladies properly after we get rid of this nuisance ."
"Well don't take your time or anything bun girl! At this rate I'll leave you in the dust!" The Xeala laughed as she loaded her gunblade and performed a Fated Circle around her killing 6 more with small explosions around her.
"Ohhh she's sooooo lucky I don't have the materials to repair my own gunblade." S'elene complained a bit before getting up and started to join into the fray again blasting more dark aether with Flood of Darkness crippling them into place before the astrologian finished them off with more Gravity II.
—
She was on a battlefield, garlean solders attacking from all fronts. She was with a group of people she seemed to have joined up with for a couple of years. She felt she was close with them. As she absentmindedly was cutting down solider after solider she heard a scream where she looked over and saw a towering man with three blades, one in hand and two in a rather strange shealth.
As the man began to strike down at the blonde woman, in an instant a white haired miqo'te ran in between and collided with the blade with a magical barrier stopping the attack.
"A magical barrier eh? It won't save you." the man chuckled as he put a second hand on his katana and shattered through the barrier and the Miqo'te.
All S'elene could do is scream for her before her vision turned black and she found herself in a similar place where she often conversed with Hydalyne.
"That is the power of the Echo you have my child, the power grants thee foresight into both past and future. That vision you just saw was in the future, a couple years from this current moment.
S'elene was breathing heavy before she looked up at the woman in the white cloak still sweating with a look of sternest and passion in her silver-white and azure blue eyes.
"Tell me how to control it. Hydalyne-sama." She almost begged the mother crystal.
"Thy must find the other crystals first before I can give you that knowledge my child. I speak through them whenever I can. For now however, thy MUST learn to meditate and calm your emotions even further to have a chance of controlling it without feedback."
Her vision went back to white as she woke up in a cold sweats, waking up her partners Shinja and Code. While the two Au Ra's were a couple, just like S'elene they were polyamous which seemed to be a trait amongst Miqo'te, Au Ra and H'rothgar.
"Did you have a vision again Sel?" Code asked the Vierra.
"Yes and I have a favor to ask of you two if I may." She inquired to the two adventurers
"Of course, Sel. We've grown close in the past couple months."
"Code-sempai I need to learn more advanced astrogolian abilities from you and from you Shinja. I NEED a new gunblade made. Mine has been shattered during the Battle of Cartenau and I've been trying to find supplies to no avail."
"As well it should be tough. The Three Grand Companies pretty much banned any and all gun blades from Thanlan, Black Shroud and La Noscea. Although pirates in the La Noscea seas have been known to carry them as of late. I'll have to contact my suppliers but I can replace if not make you a better gunblade but it will take time to get you one worthy of your… status." The purple Au Ra grinned a bit as her eyes seemed to glow purple as did her gunblade on the mantle above the bed of the inn they were staying in.
"For now take this gunmetal gunblade I use for honing my skills and hone yours. I'll also leave you a list of skills and how to use them. You're very talented with the gunblade sweetheart, but I know you can take it further and make any Garlean warrior wept at your skill with a gunblade." As she got up and got dressed, she left with Code who left S'elene a tome of skills needed and a new Astroglian tome to wield the aether in her cards.
The Vierra sighed as she started to study the book and the cards. It may suck to have to study and hone her skills but she must. That man, she had a feeling he was way more than a match for her as she was now and she needed to grow stronger and fast. It wasn't til five hours into studying that she let herself sob and fall back asleep at the vision she saw. She couldn't… no, wouldn't let Y'shtola die. She refused to have that happen to her partner.
—
S'elene woke up around mid day the next day getting a couple cups of mulled tea to wake her up for her activities in the area. She had been working with an Elezen man of higher rank who often cared for the starving children in the area around Coffer and Coffin. He was hunting around to try and find veins of ore so that he may use it to get more funds for those outside of Ul'dah.
"You should join us Selene! We might have found some promising leads today!" Wystan encouraged the taller female with gittiness in his eyes.
"I suppose I could join up with you, I have some food for the children outside though, been working on this for the past month so they can eat decently for a time." She agreed as she exited the inn.
After some time of talking with the children and their families to make sure they had all that they needed along with some much needed water, S'elene made her way up to her room and decided to grab her claymore yet again, she had a feeling she may need a blade over magic this day.
As she made for the coordinates on the map that Wystan gave her, her ears twitched as her hairs stood on end.
'It's quiet… WAY too quiet if they actually found a vein of ore. Especially since those brass blades were escorting him. Can never trust those fuckers.' She thought as she tightened her gauntlets and loosened her fasteners on her claymore on her back.
She heard a thud and a yelp as if someone was kicked to the ground as she turned a corner to see a group of brass blade, she readied her blade in anticipation but stayed her blade and position to learn more of their plans.
"You fucking moron!" A giant Roegadyn slammed his foot on the petite man.
"Acting like you can just make your own mining company! And for what? An idiotic dream that is impossible to happen?! The Syndicate was right for us to play along with your deeds." The man laughed in his face as he continued to stomp on the man while his allies laughed
S'elene focused a bit on some of the white magic she had learned in the recent months and cast Rescue on the man as she stepped forward with a glare in her visible eye.
"Well look at that! Not all of yer friends've deserted ye, it seems. Lucky kid! Least ye won't have to die alone now!" The Roe laugh as the group drew their blades and charged towards the vierra
"O mournful voice of creation! Grant ye this humble stone a soul, that it may wake to life!"
S'elene's nerves were on high alert. Whoever just said that was a high ranking mage, capable of summoning elementals at the very least.
The brass blades turned around as a giant earth elemental was summoned from the earth itself.
"Does this mean our Lord is trying to kill us too?! Ai fuck de shit ye have luck with that ye whore." The leader of the group exclaimed as his group ran away leaving S'elene alone with the element.
"Well…. Shit." She cursed as she cracked her neck before using a Cure II on Wystan.
"Get out of here! I'll handle Rocky over here while you go to safety!" She ordered the Elezen as her visible eye shown with a bright silver and her irises narrowed even further.
She began to infuse her blade with aether considering she was attacking pure earth and whatever mineral this elemental was infused with and did NOT want to break this blade. It was a bitch and a half to make considering no one in this area knew how to make claymores.
The golem jumped in the area for a massive slam attack that Set barely avoided but in retaliation she drop a glyph of darkness that became a pool of void that started to damage the golem subtlely. As she did this she hit him with full slashes of her blade and lunged forward a beam of darkness knocking back the golem again, surprising even the summoner who was watching from afar.
"Impossible, the golem shouldn't be tested like this…"
S'elene smirked a bit as she danced around the golem's punches like a flowing river against the shores of land.
"Seems this isn't a higher level elemental… Good any higher and I might have to do more complicated means of techniques…" she mumbled as she bite her lip as she lined her blade with her blood as it grew a crimson red.
The golem began to attack even more furiously as it finally was able to make S'elene misstep and fall to the ground before the Vierra use her blade as a shield against one of the fists and rolled out of the way for unleash a six strike move. Carve and Split
The golem split into seven different pieces as the aether that was powering it faded away into the lifestream. S'elene wasn't without her bruises even blocking and dodging those strikes took a lot out of her. Using the dark knight's crystal was rather draining on her life energy even for her.
"That the golem could be vanquished…"
"That woman is no ordinary adventurer.."
S'elene's eye went over the the top of the ruin as she glanced a someone in a black cloak with purple trimmings before it disappeared.
"Definitely going to need to keep my eye a secret for awhile…." She mused as she made her way over to where the Elezen was and made sure he was alright.
As she was checking on the man, Thancred showed up seemingly have heard all the commotion. Her attacks were rather loud at times with the claymore.
"Damn, seems I've missed all the fun.I see you didn't need my help this time dearie"
"To be fair sweetheart. I'm more used to a blade than with magic… For now." She smirks as she put her blade on her shealth and tightened the belts holding it in place.
S'elene suddenly felt her left eye twitch as her ability kicked in and winched a bit for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"…." she looked at Thancred with a glance of knowing something of importance.
"Looks like they gave you quite a thrashing. Can you walk?" Thancred inquired of Wystan.
"I'll be fine, Selene here knows a few white magic spells it seems. Quite the brain on the Vierra it seems." The man replied as he got up.
"My collegues went to great lengths to provide me with the means to detect aetheric disturbances, but every time I find one, you seem to be in the middle of it. If I was a betting man, and I am I'd just follow you at this rate. Sadly, I have business elsewhere." Thancred explained seeing S'elene's knowing look.
"Tread carefully Selene, The trap was clearly sanctioned by Lord Loloritto. I heard the Blades mention him as they fled. Believe me when I tell you that he is not a man to be trifled with. The sultana's enemies grow bolder by the day, and I suspect they have the support of outside forces."
"You and I know how that goes more than common folk know. I'll take Wystan back to the inn and make sure he's in good hands. I may know some healing magics but it's only a patch job for a few hours at best. Travel safe… Thancred, give your comrades my regards." S'elene smiled softly as she beckoned the Elezen to follow her as they made their way back to Coffer and Coffin to recover.
Meanwhile Thancred was thinking about something, S'elene seemed very familiar to him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.