Hair.
Nanono sighed. It had been years since she was bugged about it in the lower grades of magic school, but it still stung to think about it. That snot-green headdress, it didn't matter what elaborate styles she or her mother curled it into, it had still been the hot topic of discussion of her classmates for as long as she could remember. In these higher tiers of magic school, where Tarutaru were on the verge of adulthood and many had become more attached to classmates of the opposite gender, some even debating becoming life mates after a long 10+ years in the same small cluster of students, Nanono clung to her schoolwork for dear life. Maybe because there was nothing else TO hold onto. No one wanted that repulsive color.
"I want to dye my hair. Can I, mom?" Nanono said dully.
Her mother's response was never a "Your classmates have never understood you, and have always judged a book by its cover," but rather, "When you master the ancient magicks, when someone gives you that crap you will just blast them to atoms".
Nanono's report on Crystal Enchantment Theory was already two days overdue. She slowly let her pen drop back into the ink goblet with a dull plop, resting her head on one palm as she flipped through the pages again. Her room was silent save for the rustle of the shower outside. The darkened wood floorboards were beginning to show wear from years of Nanono's trampling. The walls were made from pale green boards. Books and tomes laid haphazardly across the floor, and across her neatly-made bed. She was almost too large for it, but nothing matched its comfort. Yet more books, mostly stories and wall scrolls, were stored in a bookshelf in the corner. Fairytales; heroes of Windurst, summoning, spellcasting, healing, doing battle with vile beastmen. One that Nanono always kept in mind was where a brave Tarutaru boy, with barely any grasp on white incantations, single-handedly sneaked to the very top of Castle Oztroja, the Yagudo fortress, and back to rescue his captured friends.
Nanono had a few books on white magic, but not many. White magic wasn't necessarily a hot commodity in Windurst, and her parents had refused to let her order any from the monastery libraries of the far-off San d'Oria - she was simply scolded again, and told to not fall behind in her elemental magic studies.
"Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Water, Aero," Nanono held the papers up with both hands, letting them fall against the surface of her desk to put them in line. Sliding them into a drawer she turned her chair around, resting her arms on the windowsill. The rain had begun to fall. The air was cooling down, which Nanono welcomed. "Why can't I learn something I want to for a change... how did he put it that one time... 'don't wanna be another peon hoping to be able to make a big enough fireball to please the Star Sybil'..." She sadly stared out to the house across the road. It was a wooden-plank house similar to her family's, oval in shape with a wide porch running around its base. It was generally in much better shape than hers. A large collection of lawn furniture was gathered by the door. Blitzen's family had always been one of the wealthy ones in the Waters. Probably needed the money to keep sending Blitzen back to the academy when he screwed up, Nanono thought.
"...guess I'll see what he's up to." Nanono's grin spread a mile wide as she grabbed a small stone totem out of a lockbox on the desk. She planted her hand on it, supplying it with a small amount of mana before she stood it up on the windowsill. Her eyes gradually returned to their soothed state and her heart began to race as she watched the second floor window on the neighboring house.
A Truesight Totem, one of many in her collection. Her handling of the Totems was widely regarded as forbidden magic in the city of Windurst, and was thought to attract evil spirits when one was active. They had been handed down to her from one of Blitzen's Mithra friends many years prior, and she quickly mastered their use, as they had many available effects - both amusing and destructive. Nanono was more interested in the former. This magic artifact in particular allowed her to hear and see what was occuring on a focused point anywhere in a large radius. It was aimed where it always was - Blitzen's room.
"And what is Blitzy up to tonight..." Nanono smiled, blushing as the wall on the opposite house began to peel away. Soon Blitzen's abode was visible, as if the wall of his bedroom had been completely torn off.
Blitzen was sitting in a desk identical to hers, continuing to chip away at some wood with his bronze dagger. The same bronze dagger he'd had for countless years. Wooden ornaments were scattered all around his room, on the ground in a corner, lining his shelves. His magic texts were tossed in a heap at the foot of his bed. They hadn't moved for a week. Blitzen scraped his hands through his hair. It had completely covered his head now, leaving his ears sticking out of the mess. He lifted up his newest creation, eyeing it from all perspectives. It was a dagger hilt, one of many he had in storage. Nanono knew the Mithra readily accepted laborers to craft the framework for their weapons - the clients were not always honorable ones, but they paid extremely well. Blitzen finally smiled, standing to place the item on his shelf - when the door flew open. A much larger Tarutaru strided in, with bright blue acorn-shaped hair. His blue eyes were as cold as usual.
"I wonder how his parents wish him good night... don't think I've ever spied on him this late at night." Nanono watched closely.
A fist flew into the side of Blitzen's face, sending him sprawled against the far wall.
Nanono's face twitched. Did I see this right?
"...every night I come up here... and here you are, pissing around with your stupid knife... haven't you cut yourself yet? Or do I need to do it for you?" his face twisted, kneeling down to drag Blitzen up by his collar. "Quit messing around and get back to studying! I don't pay good money to send you to the academy to let you run off to do those filthy Mithras' grunt work!"
"I-I made 300 gil t-today, da-"
"Unzo." a hazel-haired Tarutaru woman was standing in the doorframe.
"SHUT UP!" Unzo-Aitzen slammed Blitzen against the wall, causing him to spit out a mist of saliva. "I am SICK and TIRED of trying to beat you into shape! Why don't you understand magic! Why can't you go to school and be powerful? Why can't you make me proud for a change?"
Nanono clenched her fists, feeling her arms begin to shake.
"Why can't you go to school and be powerful?"
Would this be how her parents would react if she were in his state?
"Listen to your father." the woman droned.
Nanono's eyes grew wide, her lips trembling as she spoke to herself. "She's got no more compassion than him!"
Unzo's expression was furious. "We are the laughing stock of Windurst Waters... you will get yourself together, or else I WILL give you something to cry about. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
Blitzen slumped down. Unzo let go of him, letting the boy fall onto his bottom, leant against the wall. Unzo gave one last snort of disgust before him and his wife left the room, making sure to slam the door on the way out. Nanono continued to watch breathlessly as Blitzen slowly fell lower and lower, continuing to sob.
Nanono fell back in her chair, feeling the energy being sapped out of her. "You were right all the long, Blitzen."
"Are you alright up there, Nanono?" a feminine voice called from below. "You're usually down here begging for supper by now."
Nanono's head slowly turned to her totem. Painful thoughts of what degree of rejection she'd go through, if it were ever discovered she was learning Mithran totem magic, started to surface.
"I'm anything but alright." Nanono said coldly.
The sun was barely rising, but Grawp was in his same seat as usual, waiting patiently at the front desk of the Smithing guild for the morning workers to arrive. A couple had quit from the harsh treatment of the Musketeers, but asides from earlier incidents orders had returned to normal, and ingots resumed flowing in and out of the Metalworks service exits. Grawp's eyes floated around, checking for potential disturbances, before he slowly reached for the novel on the far side of the desk. He fumbled with the book, sending it flying off the desk as the guild door flew open. The sign hanging from it fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Kage slowly entered, stopping suddenly to glance down at the book that laid spread-eagle at his feet. "...you have interesting taste in romantic novels, if I may say so."
Grawp sulked. "How may I help you..."
"I would like to make a personal order," Kage murmured. "I was talking to some colleagues at the Steaming Sheep, and one mentioned that you were properly trained to make kunai."
"I no longer handle those orders, talk to Keith, B furnace." Grawp suddenly seized his timestamp, starting to pound furiously at a series of parchment papers that lined his desk. Kage stared dully at the flustered Galka, slowly walking around the desk and back to the work chamber. As the heavy metal door fell shut, Grawp turned his chair around to stare into a display case that hung off the wall. It contained a set of cermet weapons, including a sword, a dagger, and a katana. Grawp's eyes in particular were focused on the latter. He let out a weary sigh as he examined his name, crystal-inscribed in the pale beige composite.
"Blitzen tries so hard," he moaned to himself. "But discrimination is such a difficult thing to overcome..."
Unemployment was, in Bastok at least, regarded as a very bad thing. It was widely regarded that if you could do nothing else for the City of Opportunity, you could at least hurl yourself off the Gustaberg cliffs into the ocean and entertain everyone. Blitzen was from out-of-country and acknowledged himself as a valid exception to the rule. His funds were still fairly high, enough for groceries and rent for at least six weeks. Finding a job was not particularly at the top of his agenda. He stared drunkenly at his mirror, barely two minutes after waking - it was nearly noon in the merchant city, and the sun hung high above it, heating the countless stone structures therein. Running his hands through his disaster-stricken hair, he moved to the door, where a loud rapping rang out from the other side.
Blitzen opened the door, staring into a crowd of children. "...whuzzah?..."
"I told you, this is the house of Blitzen-Aitzen the Galka slayer!" one Hume child folded his arms, nodding to the rest of the group. Blitzen looked around, suddenly remembering that he was just as tall as any of them - though many years their senior.
"How am I supposed to respond to that?" a Galka boy mumbled.
"You're gonna give me your lunch money, or Blitzen is gonna beat you up!"
"...w-wait, what?" Blitzen grumbled. "I'm not beating anyone up. I don't slay galkas, I just slay bullies, and people that won't shut up. And if you ask me, I think you fit both categories quite nicely. Wait here while I sharpen my blade."
The entire crowd, save the galka, ran off screaming. "...I.. wasn't expecting that... thank you, sir."
Blitzen continued to rub his tired eyes. "Wasn't expecting what? You hang out with creeps."
The boy shuffled his feet, his long, pasty tail dragging on the ground in cadence. "...if my guardian found out I were here talking to you, he wouldn't appreciate it... the elders say you're a bad man."
Flying Hammer's snarling face drifted by in Blitzen's mind. Roughing up the present Galka beacon of hope in the Iron Musketeers wasn't going to particularly do wonders for his relations with the Galkan populace. He roughed his hair up with both hands, laughing nervously. "Ah, ha ha, ha.. eh... uh, you couldn't put in a good word for me, huh? I did save your behind and everything."
The child nodded, a muffled 'mhm' coming from his lips. "I can do that, sir."
Blitzen waved him off, slowly shutting the door again as the Galka wandered away. He strolled over to his closet, tossing open the sliding door. He would need to get more groceries today, nothing the nearby market stalls couldn't fix. There was the valid question of what to wear however. Sifting through the hangars stocked with varying sizes and shapes of sewn sweaters and shirts, pants and shorts, he stumbled upon the suit of bronze armor hanging limply in the middle. He stared at it for a moment before lifting it out of the closet. "...might have to defend myself from some maruading Galka..." he snickered. "...and I could always use the ego boost." he laid it on his bed, dismantling it so he could put it on again - who knew, maybe people would mistake him for one of those aspiring adventurers that always flooded around and through Bastok's main gates.
He continued whistling to himself as he wrapped himself up in the armor, sliding on his helmet. He squinted, rubbing dirt out of his eyes - the helmet didn't give him a terribly good view, and masked his own face to some extent. Blitzen opened the door again, stepping out - barely getting 20 feet from his home before getting swamped in Bastokan pedestrian traffic. It was a weekend. The markets were bound to be packed with people like him getting their groceries. Sighing he began to weave through the crowd, trying to find his way to the stairs that lead up to the auction house. From there he'd be able to head around to the other side of the Markets' main conduit where a fair number of stalls waited, though he himself couldn't remember what they sold. Most of his shopping was usually done in the port, where fresh produce from Sarutabaruta and Kolshushu usually was immediately put on display.
With grim determination Blitzen put his foot forward, stepping out of the crushing gaggle of people and plowing straight into another tarutaru, with a dull beige tunic completely sheathing its arms and covering its head. Blitzen stumbled back, staring dully as his victim tripped and fell flat on his/her face. Blitzen frowned, grabbing onto a limp hand and dragging the body back up. "...uh... you alright?"
Nanono grumbled, rubbing a stain off the side of her coat. "...watch where you're going."
Blitzen stared blankly until Nanono glared back at him. "...do I know you?"
"I'm in a hurry." Nanono shoved her way through Blitzen, knocking him over in the same manner. Blitzen completely lost his balance, falling into a nearby wall and bashing his noseguard against his face.
"AAAUUGG-KK-" Blitzen hoisted himself up and ripped off the skullcap, rubbing his snout, now reddened with a trickle of blood.
"People make fun of me because I'm anatomically incorrect," Grawp grumbled, leant against a nearby wall. He folded his arms in front of him, letting out an annoyed grunt. "But some days, I'm happy I have no opposite sex."
"I've been meaning to talk to you..." Blitzen continued rubbing his face.
"I'm touched." Grawp said flatly.
"The entire time I worked in the Metalworks... you knew that the Musketeers were watching me, didn't you?"
Grawp smirked. "I see you've run into our friendly Bastokan policemen... of COURSE you were being watched, the entire facility is sitting underneath the Bastokan government offices, you nitwit. Since you arrived and began working here full-time they've been keeping an even tighter watch on the smithing guild. I would have guessed that what prompted Flying Hammer to 'oversee' the production of the weapons that were to be used in the festival events. And after that last stunt you pulled in handing his ass to him, you were fairly easy to pick out of the crowd."
"Would have guessed?" Blitzen mumbled. "I thought you were working with them."
"Of COURSE I'm working with them," Grawp growled. "Just not directly. They rammed that investigation down my throat. There's nothing I actually do at this damned guild, I sit at a desk, hand out pay stubs and make sure those grade-school grunts on the floor below don't incinerate themselves trying to put together a sword. The government regulates most of the smithing guild actually does, as it's connected to the primary smelters that process whatever crap comes out of Zeruhn."
"How much do you know about me?" Blitzen said dryly.
"I know NOTHING about you, the moment I saw that San d'Orian emblem on your sword when you first tossed it on my desk, I began to see right through the rest of your introduction." Grawp let out a dull sigh as Blitzen turned to walk away, raising his arm in protest. "Blitzen, I truly don't know what your business is in Bastok, but I took you under my wing because you were a fine smithy. Nothing more. Maybe I saw a little of you in me..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blitzen spat, glancing over his shoulder.
Grawp stared at Blitzen with tired eyes, the cermet kunai in his pocket becoming heavier by the moment. He slowly drew it out, examining it before sheathing it again. "...can we talk later, in private? I really want to know what's going on here."
Blitzen continued to glare, eyeing the kunai's handle sticking awkwardly out of Grawp's apron pocket. The mood was quickly shattered as a short, sleek figure sprinted between the two, shoving Blitzen back facefirst into the wall. "AAAUUUU-KKK!..."
"Damn it all!" an older man was visible at the top of a nearby stair, waving around a signpost in the air. "Guards! THIEF!"
Grawp calmly stepped out of the way as a pair of dark-haired humes in blue-padded chain mail left their posts, charging off towards the fountain plaza of the markets. He advanced, dragging Blitzen back onto his feet with one hand. "You okay?"
"Whatever." Blitzen shoved Grawp's hand away, dusting himself off. The two continued exchanging glances, until it was clear that Blitzen was still staring at Grawp's chest. Grawp blinked, looking down - his face turned cold as he realized what Blitzen noticed. His hands fumbled through his pockets, no longer able to find the dagger that stuck haphazardly out of his apron moments earlier.
"Pickpocket." Grawp snarled. His face twisted, baring his teeth as he charged off in the direction of the pursuing guards.
"Don't walk away from me!" Blitzen yelled, quickly taking off after him. He growled to himself as he broke into a sprint (or as much of a sprint as his legs could manage), quickly falling behind the galka's longer, and must faster, strides. He followed him into a nearby break between the apartment-like complexes. Glancing around, he was quick to admit that he had lost Grawp. Exactly how, he wasn't sure. "...sheesh, Galka can sure move their fat asses when they want to..."
Blitzen slowly jogged up the dully-lit alley to a market booth, hunching over and sighing heavily before glancing back up at the open shop. The old lady running it, hiding behind a giant mound of fresh peaches, passed a canteen down to him. Blitzen blinked, reaching forward and taking it with a shaky hand, before taking a long drink from it. "T-thanks."
"Peaches?" she said softly.
"Would only be proper." Blitzen dug in the sack tied firmly to his belt, dumping a small number of coins onto the counter. He quickly wrapped up half a dozen of the tennis-ball-sized fruits in a small burlap sack, tying it to his other hip. "You didn't happen to see a galka chasing someone through here recently, did you?"
"There was a galka and a mithra making a ruckus as they passed by..." she mumbled. "...but that must've been at least 20 minutes ago."
Blitzen's face twitched as he turned to face down the narrow passage. "What IS up with Grawp anyways? I think I'd better be going..."
"You know where to come for peaches?"
"..uh.. yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Blitzen jogged in place for a moment before taking off down the road, no one taking notice of the two blurs that shot by over top of the buildings surrounding him.
Grawp's heavy boots hit the granite roof with a loud thud, before he leapt forward again - his momentum carrying him all the way over the surface, over the next gap ahead of him, and onto the next building in one fell swoop. He grunted, gritting his teeth as he ran swiftly to the next alley, repeating the process. The slim figure ahead of him was slowly coming into view. It was, as he had presumed, a mithra. They were both reaching the eastern end of the residental sector, where the bedrock that Bastok's buildings sat upon suddenly stopped and a sharp drop into a water basin lied. The mithra simply leapt off the last building altogether, and Grawp followed. He dropped like a rock, as anyone would presume a galka falling off a building. His hands moved in a blur in front of him. His descent slowed sharply, and he landed feetfirst on the ground with no rough impact whatsoever.
Grawp glanced over, hearing faint footsteps in the distance. He leapt up on to the guardrail, running along it - not bothering to notice that his feet were nearly twice the width of the granite barrier that held them up. The footsteps drew nearer, and Grawp knew he was on the right path. The edge of the residences slowly wound around to the most eastern gate leading out of the city, which was on a lower level than the infrastructure of his. The rail suddenly turned 90 degrees, and Grawp leapt down, bypassing six flights of stone stairs altogether. His feet never stopped moving as he landed on the main cobblestone road leading to the gate, which was at least 50 feet wide to accomodate for traveling wagons to move in and out of the city - wide, wide open with no traffic at the moment, exactly where he could trap her. The mithra was in plain view, making a final run for the massive iron gates that lead through the mountain barrier leading to Gustaberg.
Grawp snapped his wrist, and a thin cord shot out of his hand with a dull whirr. It snaked towards the ground, piercing through the rock below him. Off in the distance the ground shattered, and a grappling hook whipped out of it, yanking his target right off its feet. The iron quickly broke under the strain, but effectively grounded her.
"If you had stayed along the edge of the basin, you would have made it to the gate," Grawp slowed his advance. "But you gave me a surface that I could have used to launch a sneak attack."
"Yeah, but I couldn't have kept up my speed or balance much longerrr..." she sighed dully, pushing herself back to her feet. She slowly turned around, grimacing as she ran a hand through her pearl-white hair. "...I'm surprised you saw that coming... you're not terrrribly fast on your feet though..."
"Suunya!..." Grawp snarled, clenching his fists. "What do YOU want!"
"Nice toy you've got here," Suunya flipped the kunai around in her hand. "Though, as I recall, I'm sure it appreciates being in the right hands again..."
"Give it back..." Grawp grumbled.
"Give it back? And what in the hell are YOU going to do with it? You listen here..." Suunya pointed the knife at Grawp. "I don't know what bargains you bother the Tenshodo with, but this is a fine piece of cermet craft, very high quality... very high price... and I'm not going to let you wave it around as your little butterknife any longer!"
Grawp twitched.
"Why?" Grawp said weakly.
"Exactly what it sounds like." the mithra sat leant back in her chair, her feet propper up lazily on a makeshift desk of crates. Her face twitched, and she stuck a finger into the front of her beret, adjusting it. "...what, you want me to write you a rebate or something?"
"You told me that I would receive my final training when I contacted your authorities and gave them what they wanted, and now you're just brushing me off like dirt!"
"And I TOLD you, Galka," she rolled her head over to Grawp, glancing at him with a chuckle. "They would give me a personal assessment of yourrr abilities and report to me whether you were fit for training or not. And, herrre we are! Have a nice day."
Grawp stood up, nearly throwing his vastly rusted and abused chair backwards. "Assessment! He looked me over and told me to come back to you!"
"That should be a fairly clear answer."
Grawp fumbled for words.
"What the hell do you think?" the mithra stood, glaring daggers. "You're not exactly the goddamn embodiment of stealth! It doesn't matter how much of the arts you learn, or whatever magic you obtain, or however much training we force down your thrrroat! You have always been, and will always be, a big dumb oaf! Your performance is horrrrid, your agility is abysmal, and you show no sign of finesse in your missions. You are not fit to become a member of our organization."
Grawp pivoted, fire burning in his eyes as he turned back to the officer. "...that's all I am to you. Galka. That alone screams big, dumb oaf to you. I will continue my training elsewhere. I don't need a bigoted organization like yours holding back my education."
"Go where you please, you'll become no better."
Grawp growled, forcing himself to turn away. Slowly he left the empty warehouse behind. As he stepped out of the heavy iron doors, and started the long walk through Bastok's port to the residential sector, the words continued to saw at him. He could have shown her exactly what assassination skills he had up his sleeve - but one, his anger would only reinforce the Galka mentality, and two, she probably could have slit his throat in moments regardless.
"I don't know what's more stereotypical, what she said or her being the person that said it." Grawp muttered.
He held up his cermet kunai, tossing it around in his hands. He frowned, sheathing it again in the bundle strapped to his leg. Bold words of his, they were. Get training somewhere else. Get training where? The Tenshodo employed only the most elite soldiers as guardians, he wasn't likely going to find one floating around, much less one willing to be his private mentor. Groaning he began crossing the drawbridge that seperated the city from the ocean. His part-time smithing guild job would have to suffice for a while longer.
"That was a gift from Ensetsu. To me." Grawp said sternly. "He knew that I would continue to train in the arts of ninjutsu, no matter if I was turned down by the Tenshoso, or if anyone tried to discourage me... he told me... 'a ninja is nothing without his tools'.
"That old fart isn't affiliated with us," Suunya said flatly. "I don't know what you intend to prove."
"He continued to train me, long after then. I trained, and exercised, and practiced, in the hopes I would someday become an elite guard for the guild. No matter what I did, you'd be there at that goddamn desk of yours, turning me down."
"Oh, please," Suunya hissed. "Don't start this 'but I'm a ninja' crap again. If you can't get by me, you don't get in the Tenshodo, enough said. Everyone fails sometimes... you just fail a little more, GALKA."
Grawp loosened up.
"You know why the Humes give galkas the names they do? It's not out of courtesy, it's to give a clear-cut indication of their habits, goals, and attitude. A Raging Shadow is not a quiet one... idiot. Make yourself useful and go mine some friggin' ore."
"SHADDUP!" Grawp roared, raising his arms. Hooked cables tore out from under his sleeves, destroying the cobblestone as they ripped across it. Suunya smirked, leaping high into the air as they exploded out from under her, grabbing and biting at her. She spun in the air, her arms a blur. Grawp heard the tell-tale screaming of metal in the air, and rocketed back as sparks danced across the ground. Shuriken rattled to a dead stop on the stone. Grawp's hands flashed to his pockets, but he stopped as a sharp ring echoed in front of him.
"Still talking." Suunya purred. "Grawp, Grawp, Grawp. Why do you never learn... it doesn't particularly matter how fast you can compute all of this in your mind... your clumsy frame can never carry out your thought fast enough to be useful... no matter how little you think. Take me, for instance, who thinks your little buddy should keep his nose out of other peoples' business."
Blitzen stood further behind the two, wheezing. Taking a deep breath, he slowly drew out his sword. "...Grawp... I never would've known you to be that kind of person..."
Grawp sighed.
"...y'know..." Blitzen stepped forward. "I've talked to you, now, how many times personally... I don't think I ever heard you tell me you were a ninja."
"...it would have been bad for me to tell you."
"Why's that?" Blitzen mumbled.
"...because..." Grawp's head sunk. "...I don't know if you would have taken me seriously."
"Seriously? All you gotta do is totally leave me in the dust like you just did, and I'd be convinced you were superhuman."
"You heard everything I said, Blitzen. People would never have thought that a Galka possessed agility and finesse of a ninja... very much the same way that people would never suspect a Tarutaru of holding the strength and skill with weaponry that you do. When I say that I see a little of you in me... that's what I speak of."
Blitzen blinked. "...huh?"
"You told me of your story, and I realized I was very much the same person inside... never appreciated, never understood, and always striving to be better. That's what made me put you in the smithy, I knew you'd get better with time, because you would never give up. I wanted to learn more about you, and about your fighting ability... because I knew for sure, when the Musketeers gave me direct orders to keep a close watch on you, that the story you had given me was false."
"Hurry up and kiss." Suunya growled. She rattled the kunai.
Grawp's eyes closed. "You don't give up, I don't give up, it's nice to see that kind of strength outside of yourself, y'know?" Tears formed.
Blitzen paused for a moment, smiling to himself. "...well, for starters, it's good to see you hadn't given up before I arrived."
"Huh?" Suunya's face twitched - moments before a hook dug into her back, dragging her back and slamming her into the ground. The kunai spun across the ground, which Grawp dove to retrieve. Rolling, he quickly knelt back up. By the time he got his bearings, Suunya had managed to escape from her bindings, letting out a wheeze as she held her arms up in a combat stance. "Bastard..."
"Of course, Suunya... I knew you were never a close combat person." Grawp smirked. "I'm willing to bet I CAN be faster than you in such a situation."
"RGGAH!" Suunya lanced forward, snapping her leg up in a flash. Blitzen saw little but a blur between the two as Suuna put her weight back on her other foot, leaping forward in a flurry of punches. The attack quickly ground to a halt as Grawp grappled onto Suunya's outstretched arm, sending an elbow straight into her face. The crude blow sent her flying to the ground, but she simply cartwheeled back onto her feet, hurling several more daggers.
Grawp flipped a small brass canister in front of him, swinging it down in front of him. The device exploded in a cloud of smoke, and the air around him howled. The projectiles harmlessly flew off in random directions. Grawp let out a hack as Suunya dove in through the smokescreen, drilling her fist into his face. As Grawp stumbled back Suunya delivered several more vicious hooks into his chest, finally flooring him with an uppercut. Grawp pawed his face, blood slowly drizzling from his mouth. He let out a cough as Suunya kicked his flank.
"I've told you once, I've told you this a million times..." Suunya's grin grew wider with each kick. "I'm not particularly interested in how much of a calculating mind you have... because in the end, you don't have the hands to keep up with it. Galka."
"Maybe I don't." Grawp muttered.
"Die, you fr-"
"Destination?" Blitzen held up the rope, pointing the hook at Suunya's back again. The teeth reacted accordingly, clamping down on her skin. Suunya let out a cry of pain, before glaring back at Grawp with burning eyes.
"But I still have a calculating mind."
Grawp snapped his wrist up. Suunya let out an ear-piercing screech as the rope twisted to his will, slamming her face straight into the granite guardrail, and lazily tossing her over the edge. Grawp slowly stood up, retracting the rope back under his sleeves as he and Blitzen glanced over the edge. The water basin must have been at least 80 feet below them.
"Think that'd do some damage?" Grawp mumbled.
"Pain." Blitzen said flatly.
The Steaming Sheep was unusually busy that night. Another packed airship crashed down in the blue ocean waters of Port Bastok, dropping off travelling adventurers, businessmen, precious cargo and foodstuffs, and the regular band of mithra that would go on to be harassed for the rest of the night at said tavern.
"Anything for you two?" The blonde-haired elvaan continued polishing the mugs behind the counter, as he had been for most of the night.
"We're good for now." Grawp held up the bottle, pouring more liquor into his own mug. The bottle was still half full of Sauromugue Stout. It wasn't a container that fitted the drink, being tall and slim, and the neck was barely wide enough to get the foam out. Blitzen glanced at it, expecting it to shatter under the Galka's iron grip, before staring back at his unused mug.
"I'm thinking." Blitzen sighed.
"Don't think too much, people'll think you're a Taru." Grawp mumbled, taking a long sip.
"Know what you mean." Blitzen shuffled the cup around in his hands.
"Don't decide too long, last call's coming up."
"Not that."
"Is there something you want to say?" Grawp turned his head down to Blitzen.
"About earlier today," Blitzen spoke as if the words pained his throat on the way out. "When you said that people think Galka can't have dexterity, and Tarus can't have strength... I never woulda figured you were thinking the exact same way as me when I walked into the smithing guild that day. Though you sure didn't talk like it..."
"When I lost faith in my ability to change myself, I lost faith in others. But you proved me wrong once again. I think that if I apply myself once more, I can improve my ninjutsu further... and while there is the possibility I may not be as quick on my feet as some people, I will continue to be the best I can be. I hope you feel the same way about yourself."
"Definately."
"But you still have some doubt."
"Huh?" Blitzen twitched.
"What really happened when you left Windurst, and what does San d'Oria have to do with it?"
Blitzen stared down at the table some more, before reaching over and dragging the bottle of Stout over to him. He let a little drizzle in his cup, and drank it fast before letting out a dull sigh. "...you happen to remember what I said before, right..."
"Yeah."
"About when I fought beastmen at the age of fourte-"
Grawp's arm flew up, backhanding Blitzen out of his chair. Patrons stepped back as he crashed into the wall, collapsing like a rag. He slowly shoved his way back to his feet, snarling. "What the HELL was THAT for!"
"You've already lost once," Grawp took a long drink, still staring forward. "And now you want to challenge me on my own terms? Get lost, ninja."
"You'll regret that, Grawp," the figure hissed, slowly melting away into thin air before exploding in a cloud of smoke. "You'll regret it."
Blitzen stuck his head over the bar counter on the other side of the room. "Safe to come out?"
Grawp ground his teeth. "...yeah, she's gone. That Suunya... she's a crafty one... well, I suppose you must be, to be in the Tenshodo... or be a ninja. Didn't think she'd resort to using shadow clones in a crowded place." he stood up, holding out the toppled chair for Blitzen. "She knew about you not liking to drink, and wasn't even hesitant to talk about your past... but, I knew the real Blitzen would be too pissed off about it to forget what he said earlier about it."
"You want me to continue?" Blitzen sighed, seating himself.
"What's there to say..." Blitzen turned his mug upside down. "I failed magic class, and I ran away from home, but everything beyond that is a lot more complicated to explain..."
"Hm. He's been out like a light for hours. Would have figured as much."
"He did lose quite a bit of blood... but I think he should be in stable condition now."
"All this without a medic... good work, everyone."
Blitzen slowly faded back into consciousness. The sky was still blue, apparently. Slowly a black orbiting object overhead came into focus - a buzzard. A buzzard? Where was he? He slowly began to sit up, but was slowly forced back to the ground by one of the men kneeling by him.
"Don't move around too much, those bandages aren't too high-quality." Blitzen tilted over, looking into his face - it was a red-and-silver chainmailed elvaan, with dull grey hair that seemed to ignore any light around it. His cold blue eyes twitched as Blitzen slumped to the ground again. Blitzen slowly raised his hand, letting it fall limp on his chest. It slowly pulsed blue as he tried hard to force out some white mana. "...ah, you've got some white magic, I see... would be expected of a taru... should speed up your recovery some."
"...w-where am I..." Blitzen groaned.
"You're right in the asscrack of Kolshushu, boy. Bottom of Tahrongi. You found a good place to pass out, if you didn't have that mesa over there giving you cover..." the soldier pointed off to a rock formation nearby. "...that dust storm we just had would have scraped you up a little more than you are now... not to mention the wildlife would notice you a little more..."
Blitzen let out a dull wheeze, and the pulsing energy from his hand faded.
"...hm... even I can sustain a mana mending longer than he can... no matter."
"Is he up yet, Moleinux?" a large, sleek elvaan stood over the other side of Blitzen, his arms folded. His jet black hair was tied back in a long ponytail that fell long down his back.
"He's in pretty rough shape, Eluion," Moleinux murmured. "We should be able to stabilize him here, but it'd be best if we get him to an outpost nearby."
"Are you crazy?" Eluion scoffed. "You want us to just stroll up to the nearest Windurstian midget depository and say 'sorry for marching around on your land and such on uninvited recon, can you take care of this brat for me'? For all they know they'll probably assume WE'RE the ones who injured him!"
Moleinux let out a dull sigh. "Selfish as usual, Eluion, but your second point is a valid one. We will take care of him for now... and decide where to take him later..."
"N-not... home..."
"Home..." Moleinux leant down again. "Where's home?... bah, he's out again."
"Little delinquent ran away from home," Eluion grunted. "Might as well just leave him here to rot, that's what I would do to my son."
Blitzen drifted off. His father would have said the same thing anyways.
Days came and went, and Blitzen ended up staying with the two elvaan until he was able to move on his own again. One morning he sat upright in his cot, in their plain leather-banded tent, as windstorms continued to thrash about outside. Moleinux stuck his tongue out, slowly unwinding the bandages that were strapped around and across Blitzen's torso. "...ah, I think that should do it for now... could use some ointment though."
Blitzen nodded to Moleinux as he stood up to move to his own tent. Long, late-night discussions had revealed the two's plan - they were recon for the Royal Knight division of San d'Oria's forces, assigned, for now, to keep a steady eye on the Aragoneau and Kolshushu regions for Windurstian activity. For what purpose he didn't feel like intruding on, as they were the ones that got him back on his feet - and they kept away from Windurstian settlements in their travels north back they way they came, which greatly speeded his escape.
Moleinux creeped back into the tent, carrying a small canister with him. "I sure don't know how you managed to escape from a yagudo with such few wounds... but you must've got in quite a scrape with it, the bronze blade you were carrying was greatly damaged... bloodied..."
"It was hard to kill." Blitzen said flatly.
"...ah." Moleinux blinked. He knelt down, padding the powder against Blitzen's scars. Blitzen winced as the ointment quickly begun its work. "...even if we didn't get any information on any traveling War Warlocks of Windurst, there has certainly been an increasing number of yagudo traveling in the area... you were lucky you only had to deal with one."
"There were three."
"...and what happened to them?"
"Dead too."
Moleinux raised an eyebrow. "...really... well, we should start packing if we want to get beyond Drogaroga's Spine tod-"
"Damned vermin!" Eluion bellowed.
"What's going on!" Moleinux growled, quickly striding out of the tent. Blitzen hopped off his bed, following as fast as his weary legs could carry him. They both stumbled as they set foot outside, quickly realizing what was happening. Half a dozen of the avian beastmen Yagudo stood poised upon a ridge high above the trench where the camp was settled, all painted differently. Some stood relaxed, some stood with their staves and blades ready, while the wind continued to rumble. Their aged, grey feathers slowly rustled in the breeze.
"We were being tracked," Eluion mumbled, glancing over his shoulder. "There should have been no way they would have found us in this crevasse!"
"Countless times you have spilled our brothers' blood in your travels..." the lead bird hissed before drawing its wakizashi. "...leave this place!"
Eluion let out another harrumph, drawing his longsword from his hip. "You'd kill us either way."
"Gah-hk!" another yagudo chirped. "Glad to see you've got your priorities straight!" All six leapt down the side of the rock face, skidding down on their taloned feet. Eluion grimaced as he lunged forward at the lead beastman, ready to deliver a fatal cleave before the others could assume a battle-ready position. He tripped, planting his face into the ground as a dart pierced into his leg.
"...ugh..." Eluion grunted as he yanked the sharpened metal out of his leg, eyeing the dull green liquid on its tip mixing with his blood. "...guerilla tactics like usual." He turned his head slowly, noting the yagudo sitting on the other side of the gap in the ground.
"This poison will slowly paralyze your lower body... not enough to incapacitate you, of course... heed this warning, and leave these lands before we truly find something to be angr-" the bird raised his staff in a flash, a loud chunk echoing out into the air as Moleinux drove his own sword against it. "...gutsy."
Blitzen's eyes gaped as he jumped forward. "WATCH OUT!"
Moleinux's face turned pale "...urgnnh!"
The yagudo behind him lunged forward, ripping straight through his back with a spinning slash from its katana. Moleinux let out a hack as he fell forward onto his knees, twitching as he pivoted to face the enormous blood stain forced out onto the ground.
"Do you hear..." the yagudo's head shook.
"Warlock patrol..." all at once the birds leapt up into the air, back from where they came, leaving the two elvaan down, injured, and Blitzen with his lips trembling and his arm outstretched.
"Take care of Moleinux!" Eluion growled. "I'm... fine, just need to get enough white mana to clean this out..." Eluion slowly reached down to his legs, holding his hands tightly over where the poisoned dart pierced him.
"What do I do!" Blitzen rushed over to Moleinux, who was rapidly losing consciousness. Blitzen rolled him over, jumping back as blood slowly drained onto his hands.
"You're a goddamned tarutaru!" Eluion yelled. "Suppress the bleeding with your white mana!"
Blitzen's face turned cold.
"Maybe I should've went to magic school more." Blitzen laughed harshly.
"What happened then?" Grawp leant forward, leaning his chin on his hand.
"What do you think?" Blitzen grumbled. "I had absolutely no white magic training to speak of. I knew enough to patch up a cut or relieve pain, but I couldn't do freaking surgery! I had no way of healing an injury like that, like a combat medic or something!"
Grawp stared sadly at Blitzen. "And?"
Blitzen sighed, suddenly falling back in his chair. He stared at the floor for a moment. "...I just stood there. Watching him."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Eluion screamed, slowly worming his way over to the two.
Blitzen dropped to his knees, quickly flooding mana into his hands - he slammed it down onto Moleinux's chest. Energy pulsed out - but not more than the trickle that he had seen every time he used it to mend a cut, or soothe a bruise.
"...ungh." Moleinux coughed. "...not too good... with white magic, are you?"
"...n-no." Blitzen sputtered. "I'm trying, and trying, but the blood just doesn't stop coming out..."
"Oh.. well..." Moleinux chuckled. "...to be perfect-ly honest... I'm not much of a pro.. myself."
"Hang in there..." Blitzen mumbled, still slowly feeding the mana in. Moleinux slowly climbed back to his feet, shuddering as he stood forward, hunching down. Blitzen still keep his palm firmly on his back.
"We have to get out of here," Eluion grumbled. "I hear marching. Those yagudo were fleeing from a War Warlock brigade."
"We're both wounded." Moleinux spat. "Will we be able to get away?"
Eluion held his hand firmly on his wound, slowly focusing his own energy to nullify the poison. Slowly, he too got up to his feet. "We can make a break for Jeuno at this rate... hopefully we'll be able to make it. We will need to leave our belongings here, however..."
"Let's just move..." Moleinux sighed. "...alright, Blitzen... hop up, and don't stop channeling..." Blitzen quickly climbed onto his back.
"I'll try to hold it at bay..." Blitzen grumbled.
"Blitzen." Moleinux whispered.
"...hmm?"
"...I.. know you won't be able to build up enough energy to seal the wound... just keep it from bleeding, hopefully there'll... will be someone in Jeuno that can take care of ittt-GAAHH!..." Eluion lurched forward, feeling the pain cut through him again. "...let's get the hell out of here!"
Blitzen held on for dear life as the two jogged out of the area, limps showing in both the elvaans' movements. He glanced over his shoulder, finally noticing the rising cloud of dust in the distance - people had, in fact, been coming for them. Hopefully his guardians would be able to keep up their escape long enough to lose them.
"People flooding in and out of the airship docks were shocked to see an elvaan simply charge in through the Sauromugue Champaign gate and simply dive to the ground." Blitzen mumbled. "That entire way I was trying to suppress the wound and any pain associated with it, but a day's blind charge across Sauromugue had drained all of our stamina... especially Moleinux's. The entire way, I wasn't sure if I could keep him in stable condition, let alone keep him moving."
"What happened to the two?" Grawp was fidgeting with his mug now very much in the same way Blitzen was to begin with.
"Guards helped us up and we simply made a b-line for a public infirmary in Upper Jeuno. Hopefully we'd get the rest we needed. It was my first time seeing the epic city, but sightseeing would have to wait until we were a little further away from death."
A tall elvaan sat at his oak desk, drumming his fingers on the table next to him. He glared at Blitzen, who was knelt down in from of him, wheezing for breath. A nurse walked in, and the doctor turned his head, his ivory-white hair and accompanying ponytail swaying with him. He motioned her in, and she hoisted Blitzen up, placing him atop a nearby recliner.
"...you said these two were from San d'Oria?"
"That's... what they told me." Blitzen sighed wearily.
"Well, that's interesting to note. If the War Warlocks found any trace of San d'Orian activity in their own homeland they would be in an uproar by now. Those arrogant Royal Knights can't keep their noses out of anyone's business."
"Monberaux." the receptionist stuck her head in. "The two Royal Knights have been placed in room 3."
He stood up, striding around her and out the door. Blitzen followed. "Their condition?"
"One has a small quantity of paralysis infection within his left leg, I would imagine that it had been weakened with a weak form of antivenom magic. The other had taken a massive blade wound to his back, and he is greatly weakened, and does not show signs of improving. I took a good look at him and he had been severely oversedated with weak white magic - his injuries had not improved at all. His hastened return here, if the tarutaru's story is correct, has only worsened his condition."
Blitzen's heart stopped. Monberaux slowly glanced over his shoulder, frowning at him. "I will take a closer look."
A closer look was taken. Blitzen continued to pace feverishly outside the closed room, while other Jeunonians wandered in and out of the small medical facility. After what seemed like an eternity, Blitzen jumped in place as a hand was placed down on the top of his bushy hair. He spun around, clenching his fists as he glared back up at the nurse. "What's going on? How are they?"
"You've been extremely drained by burning through so much mana, coupled with your long trip here. If I were you I'd rest for a bit... before you break down."
"Just tell me what's going on!"
The nurse stared at him sadly, stepping aside and opening door #3. Blitzen leapt through, stumbling as he stopped. The small room housed two cots, one for Eluion, one for Moleinux. Eluion stared up at the celing, a blank look on his face. He seemed back to normal. Moleinux, however, still stared at the wall with a pale, paralyzed expression. There were small, but noticable, blood spots on the carpet beneath his bed. Monberaux sat on a stool by Moleinux, continuing to check his pulse in various spots. Slowly the medic's head sunk, and he stood again.
"Did you manage to do anything with them!" Blitzen yelled. "Answer me!"
"I've done nothing." Monberaux said flatly. "I've only made estimates."
"Eluion, you are free to go." the attendant said sharply.
Eluion never moved, his breathing now audible.
"Moleinux has lost too much blood." Monberaux said wearily, turning back to him. "It's a miracle he got all the way to Jeuno in the state he was, with these injuries."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
"If there had been a qualified medic at the scene, the wound could have been repaired immediately, or at least all blood flow could have been stopped with paralysis arts. But all that had been done here was some simple Cures. Whoever took care of Moleinux did so in a crude, and actually destructive, manner."
Blitzen's pupils shrank. Trembling, he slowly turned to Eluion.
"I'm sorry, you two." Monberaux drew up his sleeves, his own sleeves. His hands pulsed with a brigther light than Blitzen had ever seen. Staring at the two sadly, he rested his palms on the armorless victim. "The most I can do now is give him a more comfortable release."
Blitzen stared at Eluion.
"Do you know what I saw in those eyes?" Blitzen held his mug close to his mouth.
Grawp stared at Blitzen, disturbed. "...I.. shouldn't have touched this subject."
"Hatred."
"Where is your magic?" Eluion said weakly.
Blitzen's face twitched, and his eyes gleamed. He wasted no more time, turning around and plowing through the nurse in his mad escape.
"Wait!" Monberaux shouted, standing quickly. His commands fell on deaf ears.
"My trip in Jeuno was over."
Grawp stared into thin air. "...I suppose if someone wishes to hide their past so badly, it's for a reason... I apolgize if I had to force that out of you... I think I'm beginning to understand your resentment of magic now."
"Enlighten me."
"Because you did so poorly in magic school, the one time you had to employ white magic to save someone's life, you failed. And, yet again, everyone was convinced you were a Tarutaru failure because of it. Your magical ineptitude cost Eluion's friend his life. Because you believed you were worthless, you simply shunned magic outright and tried to focus on something else to make your trade in, like you had before you left magic school to begin with."
"That's right." Blitzen appeared hollow once more. "...I made my own trip away from Jeuno, once more. I left in a random direction... with that blade you saw, simply cutting down everything and everyone that got in my way. I picked up a weapon when I first left Windurst, and I was determined to practice it, work with it, master it. Just so I had something to believe in. That path lead me to Bastok, after my passion had died down and I simply wanted to relax in a place where no one knew me."
"That still doesn't explain why your sword has the San d'Orian royal emblem." Grawp interjected.
"That's because.. that was Moleinux's blade. The only thing I managed to salvage out of the caravan before we abandoned it. I looked at it, and simply thought that it was too much of a thing of beauty to leave rusting in the Tahrongi duststorms. Again Moleinux fought with it, and in the end, it was entrusted to me." Blitzen slowly raised the blade out of its holster, letting it lie on the table. The metal still gleamed as it always had. "At the bottom of the blade, OATHKEEPER is inscribed. What a joke." Blitzen laughed harshly to himself. "Of all the people for this sword to fall into the hands of, the person who couldn't even save his friend's life. I wouldn't call that keeping an oath."
"You did make the attempt, even if you knew it might not have been possible," Grawp leant forward on his arms, folded on the table. "I would say that's worth points right there. I think it's time that you stop dwelling on this, and look at what you're doing now. You've already wowed Bastok with your efforts in the smithy, and your stunt with the Iron Musketeers. You're obviously capable of something, even if you can't decide what it is. If a Galka can move like the wind, I'm pretty sure you can do great deeds of any sort if you put your mind to it."
"And that's what I've decided on... it's just hard to get over all that stuff in the past..." Blitzen mumbled.
"But, this still leaves one thing answered."
"Whassat?" Blitzen slurred.
"Why do you think San d'Oria's after you?"
"Hell if I know," Blitzen grumbled. "...maybe Eluion wants his revenge, I don't know, maybe this sword is valuable property... whatever it is, I'm not letting it get me down."
"You've put it to good use. I'm sure Moleinux would be happy to know his sword is in busy hands."
"A while ago you asked me if I wanted to join the Musketeers, or Legionnaires, or something," Blitzen picked up the blade, examining it in the light. "...but, I dunno what I want to become... I just want to do something I'm good at..."
"Maybe you simply want to be a warrior."
Blitzen froze, glancing over to Grawp.
Grawp smiled. "Well, if you're a complete ditz at magic, I'm sure people would appreciate you putting your other talents to good use. You keep saying how you sling that damn blade of yours around, and you've never received and flak for that, have you? Cutting down those yagudo? Fighting through the wilderness, defending people you care about, making an ass out of uppity soldiers..."
"...I.. I never thought about it that way..." Blitzen finally grinned. Climbing onto his chair he thrust his finger into Grawp's face. "Teach me how to be a warrior!"
Every last person in the tavern stared at him blankly.
Blitzen glared daggers.
"How in the hell should I know!" Grawp bellowed. "I just about broke my back in that scrap with little-miss-ninja back there!"
Blitzen rocked back and forth in his chair, his beady eyes staring intently at Grawp. "...well, what should I do then..."
"You know the Galka, right..." Grawp ruminated. "...I mean, the history of the Galka. They were, by definition, a race that was turned vastly warlike and hurled into battle when the Antica destroyed our ancestors' homes on the island of Zepwell... there's tales upon legends upon myths upon stories of powerful Galkan battle lords mastering weaponry to fight for their homeland... that is all history, of course. But even now, Galkas in all shape and form have some fighting in their blood... you simply have to know how to unveil it."
"What are you suggesting?" Blitzen sighed.
"If you are so intent on becoming what people call a warrior, you would do well by consulting with the Galkans." Grawp unfurled a small scrap of parchment, scribbling on it with a pencil. "You'd do well to speak with the Talekeeper."
Blitzen took the paper, glancing over it. "The Talekeeper's like the master chief of the Galka, right? I heard stuff about him in the smithies, but I don't know much beyond that..."
"He is a great seer who possesses more knowledge of the Galkan race, and the history of it, than any Galka confesses to. He'd be able to point you in the right direction, and he might be able to look up some Galka willing to pass on their skills, or at least tell you a good story."
"I'll... keep that in mind." Blitzen pocketed the address.
"Last call!" the barkeep shouted above the dull mumbling of the tavern patrons - which quickly escalated into chaos.
"'ey!" Blitzen shouted, raising his finger. "I want a Smokestack back here!"
"Gotcha!" the elvaan girl behind the counter yelled back.
Grawp grinned. "Well, that's certainly not like you."
"What can I say," Blitzen smiled. "I'm not technically your everyday taru anymore." He pushed his chair back as the woman strode up to the table, slamming the glass of oily liquid down upon it.
"Need a light, cutie?"
"Always." Blitzen watched as the elvaan took a candle off the wall, sending the floating slime juice up in a cloud of smoke before Blitzen reached forward for the mug. He took a long drink from it - and nearly coughed his guts out.
Grawp sighed disgustedly.
Comments? Queries? Death threats?
keyvanualberta.ca
(Well, hopefully that wasn't too confusing, leaping around timeframes like a feral rat... might be a bit troublesome.)