A/N: A few things, yes I know, a new story lol. Like all my others, I will update when I have time and inspiration, but I wanted to get the first chapter out there. I started this because I felt horrible for Caius after the way things ended for him in Across the Divide and Through Valhalla. There could be more in that universe I could do to make it better, but this was my solution because I am obviously a masochist. :) On another note, you will see a few OCs in here since this is covering an era that the games don't really touch on. I'm going to try and stay as faithful to the games mythos as I can, but remember this is all my interpretation. Also, the same goes for Caius' original name, before he took the Ballad clan name. It's a stab in the dark. Please feel free to give me your input. I always like to hear if there is something concrete (like in the ultimania or something). If there is, I haven't seen it yet. That's it for now. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Chapter 1

Elle Bachman had slowed to a crawl as she turned down the darkened alley. She gritted her teeth as she ducked behind a dumpster and tried to peek around it to see if she could find any trace of the perp without getting shot. He had already fired twice, so they knew he was armed. When there was no trace of him in the small square of light from an upstairs window, she took a deep breath and eased around.

She cursed under her breath as she realized the alley was not a dead end and wondered where in the hell her partner was. He was supposed to have been right behind her. She looked back and didn't see anything. She debated for a moment whether she should wait for him, but a gunshot echoed in the near distance, and she cursed again. She took off toward it.

The man they were chasing was a small-time drug dealer that had been sampling his own goods too often. He was sloppy, but he was also unpredictable and dangerous. He would not have typically shown up on her radar, but he was suspected of going into a drug-induced rage and killing off two of his runners.

Elle eased around the corner into the next alley and cursed a blue streak when she saw headlights pass at the far end. There was no telling where he went now. Still, she couldn't give up. She might catch sight of him if she made it fast enough. She raced down the alley and spared a half a glance for the poor creature he must have shot out of paranoia a few moments earlier. It might have been a mangy cat or a huge rat. It was hard to tell now. She shuddered at the thought and pushed harder.

She was already tired of city life. She had come there because even though the competition was stiff, at least opportunities were a lot more common. That, and the fact that doors weren't automatically nailed shut to you if you had the wrong equipment downstairs. She had been right too. It had taken a few years, but she had managed to make it into homicide just six months back, and she wasn't even twenty-six yet. Still, there were days like this one that part of her wondered if it wouldn't be better to sit on the side of the road in the countryside and wait to give random speeders tickets. There was only one thing that kept her in the city and focused.

She was jerked from her introspection and back into the present before she ever reached the end of the alley. Her eyes widened, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as the man she had been chasing jumped around the corner with his gun raised and pointed right at her. There was nowhere for her to run and no time to duck. She had time to wonder where the hell her worthless ass partner was once again as she watched the flare around the muzzle in front of her.

Elle had heard stories of adrenaline spiking to the point that time seemed to slow to a crawl, but this was becoming unbelievable. Her foot had finally fallen, and she threw herself to the side and had time to turn as the bullet was leaving the gun. She watched in morbid fascination as it headed to the location she had just been standing and wondered what the hell was going on. At least until she saw a bright light flash behind her.

The golden glow was so bright she had to cover her eyes. It wasn't until the wall she had thrown herself against seemed to crumble away that she began to wonder if maybe she hadn't been able to move after all. Had she been hit, and the rest was all a dream while she bled out? That would undoubtedly have been more believable that the giant cogs and wheels that were flashing by.

There was another flash of golden light, and she was suddenly falling through a grey sky. It looked like the city on a stormy day, at least until she looked down. Then it looked like something out of a nightmare. Ruins and monsters, dead colored beaches, and no signs of any life. It was at that point that she lost the fear of hitting the ground. Surely it wouldn't hurt if she was already dead.

As that thought crossed her mind, another flash nearly blinded her, and she was once again flashing past the strange cogs. She shut her eyes tight and tried not to hurl. What the hell was going on?

She felt, more than saw, one more flash through her closed lids. Before she could open her eyes to see where she was now, she landed hard on one shoulder. She rolled with it and came to a stop with a grunt. Before she could even open her eyes, she heard a woman's voice cry out. "Run!"

She had no idea who they were talking to, what was going on, or where she was, but she did know that her instincts had saved her ass on more than one occasion, and right now, they were screaming bloody murder. She was on her feet in less than a second. She gritted her teeth at the feel of her shoulder, but as she rolled it, she realized she might have gotten lucky. It felt bruised, not broken.

She looked around and was shocked to see tall grasses and plateaus in the distance, with a small clump of trees nearby. What caught her attention was a movement in the grass about two hundred yards out. It was coming straight for her, and her gut was telling her whatever it was, she didn't want to meet it.

She took off at a dead run for the clump of trees and prayed there wasn't anything in the grass between her and them. Of course, she couldn't get that lucky. At least she was able to see the boulders before she ran face-first into them. They weren't so large that she couldn't jump onto them with her momentum, she just hoped it wouldn't slow her down, especially when she started hearing screaming growls. And there was definitely more than one of them. She had no interest in slowing down enough to look back and see what they were. That could wait.

She grinned when she was able to use the clump of boulders to propel herself forward and gain a little more space, but it was a lost cause. Whatever was behind her was gaining fast. Luckily, she had been closer to the trees then they had been to her. She was pissed that she had dropped her gun at some point, though she knew it might not have done her much good.

As soon as she reached the cluster, she jumped up and grabbed the lowest branch before she swung up into the neighboring tree. She quickly scrambled as far up as the thickest branches would allow and still hold her weight before she finally paused and looked back.

Her heaving breath nearly froze in her lungs as she saw a pack of something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a giant cat with the biggest damn teeth she had ever seen. "Holy shit! This has got to be some Area 51 bullshit if I ever saw it. Damn. Where the hell am I!"

One of the beasts had put its paws on the base of the tree below her and bellowed up. The breath it released was a noxious green color, and Elle was glad she was too far up. When it almost touched her toes, she grabbed the branch above her and lifted them until it dissipated. When the beast growled again at the lack of response, she leaned over and glared at it. "Grawww to you, too, jackass!"

The beasts quit trying to get to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't seem to be able to climb, but they weren't going away either. She might be able to wait them out, but she needed to find answers, and patience wasn't her strong suit. Instead, she looked around to see what she could find to help her. There had to be something.

Caius had not known what to expect when he had been approached by Paddra Nsu-Yeul that morning. As he was only the apprentice guardian, he rarely had the opportunity to interact with her directly. Most of her instructions were given through his mentor, and the current guardian, Paddra Lor-Praes.

Instead, they both came to him, and the Seeress addressed him directly. He knelt and listened as she placed her tiny hand on his head. "Paddra Sol-Caius, listen well. I have seen that an emissary of the goddess is to be sent. You must travel outside Paddra to meet this person and bring them back here. Whether this is an omen of ill or good has yet to be seen."

Caius had not questioned the order, though he did have questions about other aspects. He kept his head bowed. "May I ask two things?"

"Of course."

"How am I to know the person I am looking for, and where will I find him?"

He didn't see the slight upturn of Yeul's lips, nor did he hear it in her voice when she answered. "There will be a sign you cannot mistake. The only guidance I can give you is to head toward the Steppes. You will know what you seek when you find it."

Caius was frustrated by her answer, but he did not let it show. As he approached the edge of the Steppes and a flash of light pierced the sky, he instantly understood. There were four other hunters with him. Even as formidable as he was, it would not be realistic for him to go alone, nor would it be honorable to greet a messenger of the goddess with so little respect, be their intentions ill or not.

They made it the edge of the pass in time to see the person land in the grasses a short distance away. Caius had dropped into position to lunge forward if necessary as he saw the grasses starting to sway, but his attention was drawn when the person stood, and it was not a man as he had expected, but a woman. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high tail, and her clothing was unusual.

That was the least of what caused his shock. He stood straight as he watched her scan the area with one quick sweep before she turned toward a nearby copse of trees. His eyes widened as he realized she was going to try and outrun the gorgonopsid pack. The hunter next to him started to run to her aide, and Caius held up his arm. They were still close enough to rush to her aide if necessary, but he had a feeling it would not be. He wanted to see how this played out.

He took a step forward as she launched herself from a small pile of rocks and used it to propel herself further. When she made it to the trees, she used her momentum to swing up and climbed with little effort. One of the hunters next to him finally spoke up nervously. "Caius, she is no hunter. She has no weapon. We cannot leave her."

Caius knew they were right, of course, but he wasn't ready to move yet. They could still see her clearly, and her actions spoke of self-preservation, but not fear. His thoughts were confirmed when she turned back to the growling beasts and returned the favor. The apprentice guardian had to clamp his jaws shut to keep from laughing at the sight of the petite woman roaring at the large carnivores.

When she turned back toward the top of the tree, he sighed and motioned his hunters to fan out. They would sneak up on the pack and take them out without harming the woman. Their plans were thwarted when they were nearly upon the small pack when several sharpened sticks came pelting down from the woman's location. They were too small to do much damage, but they were enough to drive the beasts away from her perch. Had the hunters not been waiting, it would only have been temporary, but they each took advantage of the confused and fleeing animals and cut them down before they could counter. They whooped as the last one went down. Not only had they easily fulfilled their duty, but they would bring back a good haul as well.

They had moved to gather the three beasts but froze as they watched Caius approach the woman and bowed. She had gotten down from her perch as soon as the gorgonopsids had fled and was now eyeing them all with the same confusion as she had the beasts. Up close, her voice was much huskier than Caius had anticipated. "Thank you for the help, but can you explain what those things were?"

When Caius stood, her eyes widened slightly, but that was the only indication of any emotion. "Please forgive me for allowing the gorgonopsids to cause you trouble, Emissary. The seeress has instructed me to meet you and guide you back to our fair city of Paddra."

Elle blinked a few times and took a step back. She looked around again and then back at the man in front of her. She looked him up and down in a manner that had him raising a brow at her. Had he not been told she was a messenger of the goddess, he might have taken offense. A couple of the other hunters snickered, and he shot them a glare as he watched the woman tense. He didn't realize her intention until she had already turned to run.

He was shocked enough at the action that she got a head start, and she was surprisingly fast. Despite her speed, his longer legs gave him an advantage she could not outrun. He sighed before he gave chase. The last thing he had expected was to have to convince the emissary to come with him.

It was only a matter of moments later that he tackled her and had her pinned to the ground. He held her arms down and erased his aggravation as he tried to explain the situation with patience. He could understand that she might not trust them yet, but he could not afford to let her go.

"Emissary, please forgive my rough handling, but my instructions were clear. You must return with me. I give you my word that I will personally ensure your safe passage. If I let you go, will you promise not to run again?"

Elle had not stopped struggling against his grip. "Hell no! I have zero intention of going with a bunch of crazies. First, I have to deal with giant cat-dogs with death breath, and now I'm supposed to be on Pulse? Unless I'm dead and this is hell, I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Caius sighed and wondered briefly if this had been part of the vision, and Praes had decided to test his patience with this. He looked up at one of the other hunters that had finally caught up, and the man gave him a wide-eyed look in return. He realized what Caius had planned and wasn't sure he wanted any part of it. Still, the apprentice guardian was the one in charge, so at Caius' gesture, a short length of rope was handed over.

Caius made quick work of tying her hands and feet together, that way, even if she did manage to get loose, she could not run. Her objections were numerous and deafening, and he thought about adding a gag, but decided that would only be disrespectful. He was not trying to insult her, just get her back to Paddra, even if she was unwilling.

As he hauled her up and over his shoulder, she was still screaming. "It is a crime to assault an officer of the law! You better pray to god I'm dead, and this all a dream because when I get out of here and find my gun, you will be walking with a limp! And don't think I'll be aiming for your damn knee!"

Despite his aggravation at the way things turned out, Caius found that with each successive threat, he had a harder time not laughing. She was not afraid. She was not repeating herself. She was constantly coming up with new and creative ways to threaten to maim him. He also noted it was him in particular. Most likely because he was the one that had tackled her and tied her up and was currently carrying her over his shoulder, of course.

Despite the humor he found in her creativity, he was glad when she finally ran out of breath and fell silent about halfway back. He paused at that point and allowed her to stand for a moment. She looked like she wanted to be sick, but managed to glare at him anyway. When he grinned at her, she shocked him by lunging at him with a snarl. He managed to grab her, but had he been any slower, her maneuver could have knocked him out with a simple head-butt. Not that she would have gotten far with the others right there and her still bound, but he had to admit she had spirit, even if she wasn't thinking past the moment. He held her at arm's length as she started struggling again.

"Emissary, please. I will ask you once again. We mean you no harm, and I would think you would prefer to walk into the city rather than ride into it in such an undignified manner. I would be willing to untie you if you would agree to quit fighting me."

Elle finally stopped and gave him a hard look. Just before he had let her down, she had stopped struggling because she had caught sight of a small creature that had hidden quickly, but not quickly enough for her not to recognize what it was. It had been some sort of flan. Now, giant cat-dog things were not outside the realm of genetic manipulation. Flans were a different story. Living, breathing, confections were not a thing in the real world. And yet she had seen one.

With a sigh, she held up her hands. "It's Elle, not Emissary. If you want me to be willing, then call me by my name."

She still wasn't convinced she wasn't dreaming, or dead, but this was way too weird. So far, these men had only helped her. Even if the one in charge had been handsy as hell. He eyed her for another moment to make sure it wasn't a trick, and she rolled her eyes at him. "You have my word. I won't run. Not like I know where I would go anyway. I think I'm a long way from home."

Once her hands were untied, Elle rubbed a little feeling back into them while she resisted the urge to rub her stomach as well. The man was built like a stone wall, and his shoulder hadn't felt any softer than one. She was shocked when he held out a hand. She raised a brow when she took it tentatively and shook it.

His look turned confused, but he adjusted his grip until he grasped her forearm and shook. It was her turn to look shocked, but she shrugged as he stepped back and introduced himself properly for the first time. "It is my pleasure to escort you, Elle, Emissary of the gods. I am Paddra Sol-Caius."

Elle's eyes widened, and she looked the man over once again. She really must be dreaming. He fit the bill all right, but the clothes were all wrong. Plus that name, it wasn't what she remembered. He was supposed to be Caius Ballad, right? God, she should have never let her brother convince her to play those stupid games. She shook her head and tried to formulate an answer that would make sense. How the hell do you make sense in a dream?

"Ah, nice to meet you. May I call you Caius? Or is that offensive? I mean either way. Feel free to drop the Emissary part. I'm just Elle."

Caius saw something flash through her eyes that was akin to recognition quickly followed by confusion. He had begun to wonder if this was the wrong person after all, despite having seen her arrival, but now, he was wondering if his assignment had less to do with testing his patience and more to do with something else entirely. Especially with as easily as she jumped to using his given name. Still, he wanted to be polite. He bowed his head slightly in deference. "It would honor me greatly if you chose to use my given name."

Elle swallowed hard as he gestured for her to follow the two hunters that had taken the lead. He took up a spot beside her, and the other two were following behind them. Even though she was now freed, she was far more silent. Her gut instincts were kicking in again, and she had a feeling she was about to face something far more dangerous than a pack of cat-dogs with death breath.