#dyin at 'a moogle's far'

[olessan]

"get it together Clive"

[xvheo-blog]

1: A New Beginning

I found myself in space, floating aimlessly through a void that felt at once substantial and ethereal. I descended -- or at least, I felt as if I did -- until my feet touched down on a solid space in the thin air, the sound of my landing rippling throughout the heavy atmosphere.

“Hear...” A woman’s voice called to me. Her command -- or was it a plea? -- seemed to echo from all sides. I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempted to focus on the sensation and feel my way through the disorienting atmosphere.

“Hear... Feel...” She called again. My mind and senses cleared somewhat. The space around me brightened, illuminated by a warm and powerful glow. Drawn to it, I took a few tentative steps forward. With each ilm, I felt I drew closer to an embrace akin to being wrapped in my mother’s arms -- but that journey was cut short. A darkness intruded, a point in space that rejected light. It began to grow slowly.

“Hear... Feel... Think...” the motherly voice counseled. I stopped dead in my tracks, overcome by the iciness emanating from the growing darkness. My senses began to dull again, and as the darkness ceased its spread, through it entered a man clad in black robes. His face was obscured by a hood, but even aside from that seemed oddly featureless. My mind blurred, yet even so I could feel the aura of malice about the man. Whatever was happening in this strange space, I feared my journey would end before it began -- until I began to feel warmth again.

Strength welled up within me. My senses sharpened again. I felt more conscious than I ever had -- stronger, more in tune with the land itself. It was as if I were becoming the very light meant to oppose the darkness that had invaded this space. I found myself engulfed in a growing radiance, and I felt transformed when it subsided.

I was myself, but also something more. With my newfound strength, I conjured a weapon with which to defend myself -- a task that should have bee impossible, but felt trivial. My adversary summoned his strength as well; the force of his aura intensified and a menacing mask of energy covered his already-obscured face. He lunged forward, and as we clashed--

“...Oi!” A man’s voice drew me roughly back to reality. My eyes snapped open and I hurriedly took in my surroundings. The carriage I had climbed aboard had made significant progress into the Black Shroud, as evidenced by the towering trees and lush grasses all about us. It was a far cry from the more sparsely-forested region of Gyr Abania I was accustomed to. The forest was beautiful -- if not a bit claustrophobic. Satisfied that I was once again grounded in the real world, I turned my gaze to the one who woke me from my doldrums.

“Y’all right, lad? You were moanin’ in your sleep and sweatin’ buckets besides.” He gave me a sympathetic look. His speech was rough, but he seemed genuinely concerned enough. Or at the very least, friendly and bored.

“I’m fine, I think,” I said with a nod. “I had the strangest dream, though... I feel odd just remembering it.”

“That’ll be the aether, I reckon. Some are more prone to the sickness than others. No need to fret, though. You’ll soon get used to it.” He nodded, either to reassure me or in approval of his own assessment of the situation.

“I certainly hope so,” I responded. With that, we fell into silence for some time, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My musings were shortly interrupted by the sound of a small horn. Startled, I cast my gaze around until it fell upon the source -- a small, white, furry creature, floating impossibly using the tiniest wings I’d ever seen. Attached to its head was something like an antenna with a great floating sphere on the end. It was so... cute. The one blowing the horn was accompanied by another that gingerly approached me.

“Feeling better, kupo?” the creature asked. Its voice was high-pitched, almost grating, but oddly appropriate nonetheless. My eyes must have gone wide with surprise, as the creature tilted its head, amused, and continued: “Aha! You can see us! I had a feeling you could, kupo!  We're moogles, and we live in this wood. Normal folks can't see or hear us -- which makes you special, kupo!”

I slowly shifted my gaze to the hyuran man I was sharing the carriage with. He was simply watching the scenery go by -- he hadn’t acknowledged these “moogles” at all. As if to prove the verity of its companion’s claims, the moogle who had sounded the horn danced around right in front of the man’s face... and subsequently emptied the bottle the fellow had been nursing throughout the ride so far.

“And seeing as how you're special, maybe you can tell us something. The wood's been restless of late -- lots of strange things happening. Have you chanced to witness anything suspicious, kupo?” The moogle’s voice was hopeful. Sorry to disappoint, and not wanting to look absolutely insane to the other riders, I responded with as small a shake of my head as I could muster. “But of course you haven't -- you've only just arrived. Well, there's nothing for it, then -- we'll just have to keep looking. Nice to meet you, kupo!” With that parting pleasantry and a small wave, the two moogles floated off to twelve-only-know-where. I wondered if the aether sickness was worse than I had thought.

“Gridania’s still a fair way off, in case you were wonderin’,” the man said suddenly. Perhaps he had seen me looking around and assumed I was in search of our destination. “Seein' as you're awake, how's about you keep me company till we get there? Them young'uns don't much care for conversation, see.” He gestured to two elezen youths seated next to him.

In truth, I had hardly registered their presence -- they had hardly moved since I awoke, and they certainly hadn’t spoken or even made eye contact with either of us. I wondered if the man had done something to offend for a moment... but I figured speaking to him couldn’t hurt much. “Sure. Anything to pass the time.”

“That’s the spirit!” He grinned. “Bremondt's the name, an' peddlin's me trade. As for your good self, judgin' by your unusual garments, I'd say you were one of them new adventurers. Am I warm?”

“A-are my clothes really that odd?” I glanced down at my outfit, given to me as standard traveling fare when I left my tribe. I figured I was going to stick out like a sore thumb anyway, but it seemed it was going to be worse than I had anticipated.

“At the very least, they ain’t like anythin’ I’m used to seein’ in Gridania.” Bremondt chuckled.

“Well... that aside, yes, you’re right. I’d like to think myself more ‘adventurer’ than ‘refugee,’ anyway.”

“I knew it! Goin' wherever the wind blows, seekin' fortune an' glory -- now that's what I call livin'! So long as you can avoid dyin', I mean. Ain't no secret that adventurin's a risky business -- these days especially. What was it that first attracted you to it?”

I found myself smiling at his enthusiasm -- he probably considered himself an adventurer of a different kind, even if it was simply as a travelling peddler. “There are a lot of ways I could answer that question. I suspect many adventurers have varied goals, and I’m no exception... Well, I suppose I’ll just talk about what’s foremost on my mind.” I nodded, and took a deep breath before beginning. “You see, I’ve been having... hallucinations for some time. At times they seem to be glimpses of the past -- but they’re brief, and... washed out. Other times, I swear I hear someone calling to me, or a whisper in my ears. These sensations are invariably accompanied by headaches, or dizziness, or fainting spells at worst. In fact, that dream I had wasn’t unlike one of these visions... though it was far more intense. I heard, by way of another adventurer, that the Conjurers’ Guild in Gridania was renowned for producing exceptional healers. I’m of a mind to join them and put an end to this damnable condition.”

“Thal’s balls...” the merchant muttered. “Sounds like as clear a case of aether sickness as I’ve ever heard, exceptin’ the hallucinations. No cure for it I’ve ever heard of, but I ain’t well-versed in the ways of healin’. Well, whatever your other goals are, just remember: there’re more important things than fortune an' glory. Such as breathin'. Ain't no profit in bein' dead, an' that's a fact.”

We shared a laugh over that and continued to make small talk for some time. I was glad of my decision to engage him in conversation -- it made it easier not to think about what had been happening before he woke me, and it was appealing to think I’d have a friend in the realm. I’m sure we’d have continued our trip in peace had we the choice, but our conversation was interrupted by a sudden shout and the carriage lurching to a halt.

“Halt!” A commanding voice rang out; its owner, a masked and armored elezen man, approached us. “Go no further!”

“What’s this, then?” Bremondt asked, turning around to get a look. As he did so, my hair stood on end -- a chill went down my spine, my tail flicked, and my ears perked up. I was sure I heard the familiar sound of a distant arrow being loosed.

“Bremondt, duck!”

By the time I had let out my warning, it was already too late. The arrow, with a thunk, sunk into the floor of the carriage, prompting the merchant to let out a yelp. I silently thanked the Warden for her protection. Ahead of us, I heard our carriage driver demanding to know what was going on.

“A skirmish has broken out up ahead with the Ixal!” the masked elezen hurriedly informed us. “For your own safety, you must remain here until --”

Seeing these creatures approaching, the man drew the spear from his back. “Bloody hells! We shall hold them here! Try to break clear!” With that, he moved to engage. The driver wasted no time on a response, instead spurring the chocobos pulling the carriage to whisk us away to safety. I was surprised by his relatively quick response -- it made me wonder if such events were relatively commonplace here.

Once we had put some distance between ourselves and the skirmish, Bremondt let out a heavy sigh of relief.  “That was too bleedin' close... Nice of the Ixal to send us a welcomin' party, though, eh? And even better that the Wood Wailers were about to greet ‘em! Jokin' aside, this won't be the last time you meet those feathered fiends, so just you take care, all right? ...By the by, is this your first trip to Gridania?”

“...I’ll be careful. Thanks.” I nodded. “This is my first time out of Gyr Abania.”

“It is!? Well then, let this journeyed itinerant tell you the ins an' outs of your destination. The city of Gridania lies slap-bang in the middle of the Black Shroud—the biggest, lushest forest in all Eorzea. Though it ain't near as lush as it used to be, sayin' that. Not since the Calamity laid half of it to waste. The destruction prompted a herd of new nasties to move in, an' gave the Ixal unneeded encouragement. Birdman raids've become a daily occurrence.”

“Ah, at long last. Behold Gridania, the forest nation blessed by the elementals!” Bremondt grinned, clearly proud of his introduction to the city. He remained silent for the short time that remained in the journey, leaving me to admire the city from afar... and then up close, when we disembarked.

“An' here's where we part ways, lad. I'm off to the markets to deliver me wares, then it's back to the highroad for me.” He smiled, and dug into his pocket. From it, he produced a well-crafted ring carved out of bone. “Here, I want you to have this—by way of thanks for keepin' me company.”

“Bremondt... thank you. Truly.” I accepted his gift with a smile. In a way, I thought of it as my first payment for a job well done as an adventurer. It was encouraging.

“Hey -- you never did tell me your name, did you?”

“Oh, you’re right! I--”

“Well, here’s an idea...” Bremondt cut me off with a wave of the hand and a wink. “Become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, an' I'll consider us square.” And with that parting quip, he gathered up the rest of his wares and left me all alone, the elezen twins having made their way into the city immediately after our carriage had stopped.

With a deep breath and hope in my heart, I took the first tentative steps on the soil of the Twelveswood, and into my new life as an adventurer.