Crania Lupi
I still remember the peaks of Gyr Abania, standing tall and proud. Silent watchmen that would remain even long after we were gone.
Ala Ghanna had been home a long time ago but I was so young, I could barely even remember anything from it. But yet here we were, seeking allies in the fight against the Empire. But instead we found people that had lost all the will to fight and accepted their lot in life.
At the time I was frustrated, had asked myself how they could just take it all lying down.
I didn't know at the time that it wasn't just the Garleans that tyrannized them, but their fellow Ala Mhigans as well...
If she had to say one thing about Gyr Abania, then it was that she had never seen anything like it before. While not as hot as the desert of Thanalan, the climate was still warm enough to make the grass underneath her feet crackle with every step.
It was a beautiful landscape nevertheless, the trees that were growing around these parts so unlike the ones at the border to the Black Shroud, each branch growing high into the air and carrying a crown of red tipped leaves. Bunches of wildflowers sprouted from the dry soil, thriving in this arid environment just like the people that called these lands home.
Still—
S'eni glanced towards Meffrid, clothed in a long-sleeved, green, and brown gambeson.
—how he wasn't breaking even the slightest sweat was a mystery to her.
Noticing the look she was giving, the Ala Mhigan turned his head and simply shrugged, the corner of his lip quirked upward.
She let out a small huff and mirrored his expression.
It was good to see him again, and in such high spirits too. The last time she had seen the man was when she had helped him and his fellow Ala Mhigans in Gridania, having just been rejected by the Elementals and one of them sick and dying. He had been full of anger and struggling to retain his sense of purpose back then, but now he almost seemed like a changed man, fighting once more for the freedom of his people.
A sigh turned her attention away from him and towards Lyse, walking slightly in front of them with her eyes cast forward and fists clenched.
They had come to this area in hope of replenishing the troops the Resistance had lost, but had only found rejection and scorn from the inhabitants; those that Lyse's family had once called neighbours.
S'eni couldn't even begin to imagine how that must feel.
But she had no time to muse, as a large structure of sun-baked stone appeared in the distance. The Ziggurat.
Just as they had been about to leave town in defeat, a woman had appeared calling for help. She had told them that her brother, a man of the name Wercrata, had been abducted by Qiqirn bandits just as they were going to deliver this month's tributum and that they were going to kill him.
That was obviously something they couldn't just let happen and had promptly agreed to help.
"There it is!" Lyse exclaimed.
While closing in as fast but also as careful as possible, the first thing that S'eni noticed was a complete lack of guards. In fact, there was absolutely no sign of the ratmen aside from a few huts and a crudely constructed fence surrounding the ancient ruin.
"Kind of odd, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," Meffrid agreed. "Maybe the rest are out hunting. The Qiqirn have appetites that can put anyone to shame. But I have no doubt that the slightest ruckus will make them come rushing back. They have good ears."
The familiar sound of a Chocobo then caught her ears and she followed it around the Ziggurat's corner to find the fluffy feathered bird tied to a post, trying to make itself look as small as possible while shaking.
"Shhh." She slowly approached it, gingerly reaching out to brush a hand across its plumage. "It's alright. Nobody's going to hurt you."
It took her a moment, but she managed to calm the Chocobo enough for it to straighten itself, and she now noticed the bag that was tied to its harness.
"That must be Wercrata's," S'eni told the others.
Lyse was about to respond when a loud scream cut her off.
"That came from the top!" Meffrid drew his blade.
Not wasting any time, they ran up the huge set of stairs leading through the structure to the top of the Ziggurat where they found the missing man surrounded by a group of Qiqirn. Their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed and the apparent leader of the rat-like beastmen turned around to face them, baring his teeth from his long snout.
"Who dares to loot our man-flesh!?" he snarled while pointing his dagger at them. "Ours to eat! Ours to eat!"
The other Qiqirn joined in on his little chant, before running towards them.
"Great..." S'eni muttered.
"Just kill them quickly before any more show up."
Luckily for them, the only thing the Qiqirn had going for them were numbers and not necessarily skill, so they didn't last particularly long against the three of them.
Once the last of the ratmen had collapsed, S'eni turned towards the man that could be no other than Wercrata, still cowering on the ground.
"I've gone to bed hungry for months. I'm nothing but skin and bones! I hardly make a—" he yelped and almost jumped out of his skin when Lyse put a hand on his shoulder. It took him a few seconds in which he stared between them when realization finally struck. "W-wait... you're not here to eat me?"
"Your sister sent us," Lyse replied, rising to her feet and offering him a hand.
"My sister? Oh thank Rhalgr she's alright," Wercrata sat and let himself be helped back up. "And you came all the way here to rescue me...To think there are still good people left..."
"We should go before more of them come. Do you still have the tributum?" Meffrid asked.
The man's eyes widened at his words. "The tributum! I have to go!"
Lyse stared at him as he started to rush towards the stairs. "Right now? In your condition?"
"You don't understand, we were given a warning last month for being short! If I don't make it in time, there's no telling what will happen to me and my sister!"
After saying those words, he dashed off.
"And there he goes," S'eni said with a shrug, before following him with the other two. By the time they had made it down the stairs, he and his Chocobo were well on their way.
"I'm glad we saved him but..." the other woman chewed on her lip. "I've got a bad feeling about this. I think we should go after him."
"Wait, you're not thinking of stopping him, are you?" Meffrid asked. "You heard what he said, if he doesn't pay then they'll make him and his sister pay another way."
"I know, and I don't plan to, I just...want to make sure he gets there safely."
The older man looked at her for a moment, before nodding. "If that's all, then fine. Let's see if we can pick up his trail."
Which was luckily rather easy, since Wercrata's Chocobo was shedding. It wasn't long before they had caught up with him, staying behind a considerable distance to keep out of sight. They followed him until they arrived at an old, collapsed bridge and moved behind cover when they noticed a group of four people heading towards Wercrata.
"Who are they? Imperials?" Lyse asked in a low voice.
"Worse. That's the Wolf's Skulls. Listen, no matter what happens, stay hidden."
"What?"
Taking a peek, S'eni saw that the name was fitting, as three of them wore white masks reminiscent of skulls that concealed their entire faces. Only one of them, a red-headed woman, didn't wear one, and from the way she stayed behind while the others approached Wercrata made her think that she was the leader of this lot.
"Hey, you there! Halt!" one of them called out. "What are you doing here? Explain yourself!"
"F-Forgive me, I-I only came to deliver the tributum," Wercrata stammered.
"Oh? A very likely story!" the soldier scoffed. "Only a fool would dare and come this late. A fool...or a Resistance spy."
"What!? No no, you've got it all wrong. I got ambushed by bandits on my way here, I swear!" Panic entered Wercrata's voice and he took a few steps forward, only to receive a punch to the jaw that knocked him to the ground.
"I said halt!" the Skull spat and walked over to pick up the small sack the other man had dropped as he fell. "This is supposed to be your tributum capitis? Do you seriously expect us to believe this is a fifth? Where's the rest?"
"T-T-T-That's all I have, I swear—" he was cut off by another of the Skulls kicking him.
"Spare us! You came late, you lied to us about the bandits and now you want to cheat the Emperor of his due." One by one, the soldiers surrounded the defenseless man and began to beat him.
Almost simultaneously, S'eni and Meffrid's hands took hold of Lyse's shoulders as she made to jump out of hiding.
"Don't!" Meffrid hissed. "If you help him now you'll condemn him and his family to hard labour if they don't outright execute them."
"But this isn't fair."
"I know," S'eni whispered. "But we've got to be smart about this."
Her friend growled, but relaxed. "Those cowards."
Relentlessly, the Skulls punched and kicked poor Wercrata, hurling any insult they could think of as they did so. It was when one of them started an angry rant, that the suspicions that she had ever since laying eyes on their leader, were confirmed.
The Skulls were Ala Mhigans.
"No matter how hard we work and toil our asses off, it's because of fools like you that we're still distrusted and have to patrol this godsforsaken wasteland. Stupid dogs that bite the hand that feeds them pining for the old days!"
"That's enough!" the woman finally spoke. "Lord Zenos is expecting our report!"
One of the Skulls gave Wercrata one last kick, before joining the other two and their leader, leaving him lying in the dust, beaten but thankfully alive.
Meffrid released a deep breath. "At least they haven't taken him. Come, let's head back."
The three of them slowly rose to their feet, turned around and, after one last lingering look from Lyse, left, careful not to make their presence known.
On the collapsed bridge, the red haired woman stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder, scanning the area with keen eyes for a moment, before resuming her walk.
While the days in Gyr Abania tended to be very warm, the nights, as they had learned, could rival those of Thanalan. And though they had nothing on the cold nights she had spent in Coerthas, S'eni still found herself sitting close to the fire in front of the tent that the people of Rhalgr's Reach had so kindly offered the members of the Scions, saying that it was the least they could offer them for the help that they had provided.
Stretching herself and letting out a groan when she heard a satisfying little pop, she picked up some wood and threw it into the flames in front of her before she cast her gaze across the old temple complex.
Like her, everyone else had come together in front of their fires, to eat and rest from a hard day of work; a momentary respite, for tomorrow there would be more to do.
Unlike her, the others decided to mingle a little. Krile was sitting with the healers she had come to know during their stay here, while Alisaie had decided to converse with some of the warriors.
Alphinaud she found not far from her, sharing a conversation with some of the Scions he had managed to recruit for their campaign, chief among them Arenvald, a young man of Ala Mhigan and Garlean heritage who also possessed the Echo.
Her eyes then came to rest on Lyse, who was huddled together with M'naago. The cheer had returned to her face from earlier today, but it was obvious that it was still weighing on her friend.
What a day... S'eni thought, a sigh that turned into a small puffy cloud of warm mist passing her lips, and she closed her eyes to listen to the soft crackling of wood.
She remained like this, trance-like, until a presence sat down next to her. She opened her eyes once more to a steaming bowl of stew, wordlessly being held out to her.
Lips curling up into a smile, she took it. "Thanks."
"I could hardly keep you from the fruits of your labour," Y'shtola replied, making her chuckle.
"I just gathered some herbs, you know. Ahelissa was the one doing the cooking." S'eni grasped the spoon and stirred the stew a little, watching the steam rise into the air before dissipating. "At this point, I'm thinking it's just compulsive behaviour."
Now it was the other Miqo'te's turn to chuckle. "And one we are ever glad for."
With another sigh, she took a spoonful of stew and put it into her mouth. It was nothing special and still a little bland even with the herbs added to it, but it warmed her from the inside and made the hunger she only now realized she was feeling lessen.
"So how was your day?" she asked after a few more spoonfuls.
"Busy. The recent battle left quite a few wounded to take care of, though I suppose it could be far worse. The supplies you brought back with you have already seen good use."
"Raubahn hardly needed any convincing for that."
"Still, it was you who suggested it, I'm told," Y'shtola said. Her lips then quirked upward. "Which reminds me. I'm to tell you that, and I quote, 'it was an honor to give these Garlean bastards what they had coming' alongside you."
"It was all thanks to Pipin. He came up with the strategy," S'eni replied.
To raise morale, the Flame General's son had proposed a joint venture between the Alliance and Resistance, in this case to destroy a prototype Magitek Armor that had recently been delivered to the Castellum. The operation had been a rousing success and while it had not given them much of a tactical advantage, its symbolic value was immeasurable.
"Be that as it may, your presence undoubtedly was invaluable, my dear Warrior of Light."
"Well, I did defeat quite a few of them. And destroyed their prototype before it could blow up in our faces." Her brows furrowed. "...And apparently got someone with a grudge on me."
"What do you mean?" Y'shtola looked at her questioningly.
"Just ran into someone I know..."
She hadn't expected to run into a certain Roegadyn from Carteneau, much less that he would be the one leading the squad, and just like back then, his running capabilities were second to none.
"Hmm, that is quite the coincidence," the other Miqo'te said after S'eni had told her of her encounters with him. Dry amusement then entered her voice. "Keep that up and you will soon find yourself with a rival."
"Oh yeah, my nemesis has finally arrived, clad in green armor." They both laughed at that.
Resuming eating, S'eni's eyes landed on Lyse once more, who seemed to have cheered up a little, since whatever M'naago was saying was making her laugh.
"I heard about what happened," Y'shtola said after following her gaze.
"Word travels fast around here, huh?"
"It does. Especially if it involves the daughter of a well-known revolutionary having her first encounter with a band of Empire-sworn Ala Mhigans."
"I can't imagine how she must feel," S'eni said with a shake of her head.
"Lyse isn't naive, I'm sure she was expecting something like that," the other Miqo'te pointed out. "20 years is a long time. Long enough for a new generation of Ala Mhigans to be shaped into loyal servants of the Empire and Gaius van Baelsar knew that."
"Hm. He was a shrewd one, I'll give him that."
Despite everything that happened, it was hard not to respect the man, and he did help them put a stop to Nael van Darnus five years ago, selfish an act as it was.
Part of her wondered how this entire conflict would be looking if he was still the viceroy of Ala Mhigo, but she supposed that didn't matter anymore. He was dead, together with his ambitions.
S'eni was pulled out of her musings by Y'shtola's voice humming a melody, and she turned her head to see her lover's eyes looking up at the statue of Rhalgr, keeping watch over them all.
Her lips then parted and she began to sing a few words.
"Though storms of blood approach ye,
Hells open, Heavens weep,
No goodly soul need ever fear
The measure of His Reach."
After the last note, the other Miqo'te shifted her silvery-white eyes towards her.
"I didn't know you had such a lovely singing voice." S'eni grinned.
"How very charming," Y'shtola replied with a faint smirk dancing across her lips and an ever so slight narrowing of her eyes.
"The anthem of Ala Mhigo?"
"Very astute."
"Well, not just air inside here after all," she joked and gently rapped her knuckles against the side of her head, drawing out a small chuckle from Y'shtola. "Lyse told me of something similar that's inscribed in the stone at the foot of the statue."
"Yda taught it to me once." They both grew somber at the mention of Lyse's sister. S'eni never truly met her, but it was easy to tell that it was a loss that was only all too keenly felt by everyone.
"Were you two close friends?"
The other woman nodded. "Almost out of necessity since we were both the only women in the Circle of Knowing. Not that I had many female friends, or friends in general, before that. Being Master Matoya's student doesn't do one a lot of favors in social situations. It took me a while to get used to, but we became fast friends."
"I wish I could've met her."
"You two would have gotten along great." Y'shtola's smile returned.
S'eni mirrored her expression. "You think so?"
"Very much so."
A comfortable silence set over them and S'eni returned to eating, the stew almost having gone cold by now. After she was done, she placed the bowl on the ground and closed her eyes with a sigh, enjoying the feeling of being full while fighting off a yawn.
It took all of her willpower not to simply lean over and rest her head on Y'shtola's shoulder, so she did the next best thing and scooted closer, reaching a hand out and looping her pinkie and ring fingers around her lover's.
Warmth began to spread inside her chest as she felt Y'shtola do the same, hooking their fingers together in a tiny embrace.
"Tired?" Y'shtola asked when she stifled another yawn.
"Just a little," S'eni replied.
"Perhaps you should call it a night then."
She considered her words for a moment, then shook her head. A little reluctantly, she untangled their fingers again and rose to her feet.
"I think I'll take a little walk." S'eni looked at her and put a hand on her hip. "Care to join me?"
Her tail did a little swish to emphasize her question.
A white eyebrow quirked upward and she rubbed her chin, before nodding and standing up as well. "I'd like that," Y'shtola said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and pushing out her hip a bit.
"Shall we then?"
Together, they walked away from their tent and down the Reach, passing by the other people that had gathered around the fires in search of a spot where they could share a moment of togetherness for themselves.
The two did not notice the pair of curious light blue eyes, watching them as they left, before shifting away from them once more.
Jeez, lewd hand holding alert!
Anyway, I wish you all having an awesome weekend.