#gonna hope i caught my weird sleep-spelling. words get real weird when im writing at night

[halikyon]

Got another long one for ya! I should really organize these better.

The strikes of Fordola's curved blade cut right through the numerous apparitions before her, disrupting their cohesion and drawing their ire while M'naago launched a barrage of arrows into their ranks again and again. Between them stood O'tchakha and D'zentsa, blasting away any that dared stray too close to Fordola's flanks. Behind them all stood Ryune, steeped in the powers of the Astrologian, making sure their wounds were treated and sending blasts of malefic power whenever able.

When she had asked her partner and protégés to accompany her to investigate a disturbance at a local temple ruin, she had hoped it would be valuable experience for the young pair. What Ryune had certainly not expected was a veritable army of spirits, and certainly not Fordola, by herself, already hacking away at them while a group of children scurried away.

They had barely needed to trade a glance before jumping in to help, and, after some coordinated effort, had managed to push the flow of undead back into the darker interior rooms of the old temple. It seemed that whenever they struck one down it would simply remanifest deeper within, but at least they went down easy.

Before long, Ryune spotted a low archway in the dim light and came upon an idea. As soon as Fordola had pushed to it, Ryune stepped foward and projected a barrier that sealed the way, at least temporarily, and gave them a moment to plan.

They had to act quick. "What's happened?" Ryune's voice was strained while she maintained her focus on the barrier.

"Kids messed around where they shouldn't, pissed off the whole lot." Fordola responded quickly while trying to catch her breath. "Those runts told me one was still inside."

"Probably at the source if they're this mad." M'naago said, referring to the spirits, their undead appendages creating ripples in the barrier where they struck.

"Extract kid, appease spirits. Easy enough." Ryune had never been all that great at projection like this, and time was running out. She warned them, "Five seconds."

They made ready, Fordola taking point with O'tchakha and D'zentsa on her flanks once more. "We push through." Commanded M'naago as she moved into the protective pocket the others had formed around Ryune, "No stopping."

The others understood. Taking the spirits down wasn't doing much other than tiring themselves out. They had to get through before they got overwhelmed.

The barrier dropped. Before the ghosts could surge foward, though, a brilliant slash from Fordola carved a path foward. The duo of Monks let loose their charged Chakra on the flanks, widening the gap further.

"Forward!" M'naago cried out, impelling them to move with upmost swiftness before the gap could close, her arrows shattering into sprays of shrapnel into the banks of undead.

They surged as a unit, not stopping to fight, rather punching through the mass of spirits, shoving them aside like vines in a jungle. Through the gloom soon came a glow of light, like a lighthouse on the shore. It was right ahead, obscured by the incorproreal forms, but undeniable.

Yalm after yalm it became brighter, more distinct, and then in a rush they were upon it, a void in the swirling mass of apparitions. In the middle stood a single Elezen boy, a bright shard of something Ryune couldn't identify held high above his head.

He turned to then, eye wide with fear. "I'll drop it!" He proclaimed as the spirits seemed to get more agitated. It took a moment for him to realize they weren't here to harm him as they gathered themselves. "Wait, who are you?"

"Your rescue party." Fordola said bluntly l. "What is that?" She pointed to the bright object in his raised hands.

He hesitated, unsure, before Ryune spoke up. "If I were to guess, I'd say it was some sort of focus. Crystalline, bright, suffused with aether, and likely viewed as sacred by those resting here."

"That sounds like a recipe for a primal." M'naago pointed out.

O'tchakha and D'zentsa stood close together, regarding the dome of spirits that seemed to have grown thicker around then. It was clear they were uncomfortable here, perhaps even scared as their tacit spell continued in spite of their typical conversational nature.

Fordola turned to Ryune, "What's the plan now?"

Ryune regarded the boy for a moment before approaching slowly. "We are here to help you." She began, "My name is Ryune. Can you tell me your name?"

"H-Hauchiere." He responded, his voice shaky.

"Okay. Hauchiere, where did you find that crystal?" Ryune stopped an arm's length away and got down on a knee before him.

"Over there." He nodded to the back of the room, though it was impossible to see what exactly through the spectres. "It was in a c-cubby on a stand."

"Alright, so why haven't these guys tried to take it back?" Fordola asked.

"I told them if they touched me that I'd break it." Hauchiere admitted, "They've been circling like this ever since."

"So why not put it back?" Ryune asked gently, hoping to keep the kid calm.

"I was scared." He said, "I thought if I didn't have this thing they would come for me."

"I see, quick thinking, but only good for a stalemate." Fordola said while also approaching. "Which was exactly what you needed to buy time for help to arrive."

Ryune nodded, "Commendable, but it's our turn now." She held a hand out to him, "We will keep you safe. I'll take the artifact and placate the spirits."

The boy stared at them all for a few moments more before acquiescing, carefully lowering the focus and handing it over to Ryune. Immediately the spirits began to close in, but Ryune quickly held the item up like Hauchiere had.

"Hold it!" Her voice and actions seemed to freeze them all in their ghostly tracks. "We mean you no harm, but we will do what we must to defend ourselves." She hadn't discussed this with the others, but it seemed the best way to get them to safety. "Let them all leave and we can talk."

M'naago protested immediately, "I am not leaving you in a dark hole with a bunch of angry dead people!" She came foward, finger pointed at Ryune. "I told you you're not allowed to play hero by yourself anymore."

"It's not that." Ryune explained, "It that you are completely right. This is a recipe for a primal, and if things go wrong I'd rather not have to fight you, even if we do have the ability to cure tempering now."

"She's right, which is why I'll be staying." Fordola assured M'naago, "I can deal with it. She won't be alone in this."

"Then it would seem I am in your debt." M'naago said, already looking to gather the others to leave.

"Hardly." Fordola answered, "Just another dent in what I owe you two."

D'zentsa spoke at last, "Does this mean we're leaving?" He voice betrayed the anxiety, though Ryune was quite proud of how well they were holding it together in an environment they clearly were not fond of.

"Yes, take the boy and go, I'll deal with these spirits. When you see an opening, take it." Ryune nodded to M'naago, "I'll see you on the other side, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it." M'naago took the boy's hand and gathered the Monk girls as close to the exit as they dared. She turned back to Ryune once more, a small smirk on her face, "Not that they stand a ghost of a chance."

Ryune smiled in spite of how much it really wasn't funny at all, somehow feeling more love for her well up from within. She knew the others would be doing their best to ignore it, but Ryune couldn't help but appreciate the attempt at humor.

"So, how about it, then. Will you let them go?" Ryune asked the roiling mass around them all.

They shifted and writhed around, dark shapes obscuring most everything, before an odd chorus of voices spoke, filling the room. "You have defiled this place. The only recompense is your death. Rhalgr demands it."

"I can assure you he doesn't." Ryune said, having actually met the man. "But something tells me you don't intend to talk it out with us."

"You dare speak of Him so?" They quickened, crowding towards Ryune more and more. "You could not hope to know His will."

Fordola made ready, knowing what was likely to come, "And you do?" Her voice was condescending, meant to draw their ire as much as possible.

"We shall not stand for this!" The mass of spirits was almost completely around them alone now. "We beseech thee, Rhalgr, send us your champion to purge our tomb!"

They braced themselves as the others made a break for it, the spirits hardly paying them any mind, now. Ryune changed her focus, grabbing for her Monk stone in her pouch, attuning herself to it quickly. Bright beacons of light lit other receptacles in the walls, signifying the locations of yet more focuses like the one Ryune held.

It's weight, the lights, and the apparitions disappeared all at once, replaced by a single form in the sparce, dim light. Now that they could see where they were, they found themselves towards the back of a large, tall chamber with the figure in the middle, blocking their way out. The figure stepped foward and Ryune recognized him immediately.

"Ivon Courlfist walks among us once more I see." Ryune remarked, remembering her fight with his special self in the Temple of the Fist. This time, though, he was smaller, much more Hyur-sized, but absolutely packed with aetherial energy.

As he got closer, though, they noticed strange wisps almost trying to detach from his body, with some looking a bit like faces.

"Well, that explains where they all went." Fordola said, moving herself around into a flanking position.

"It's a miniature Zodiark." Ryune couldn't help but be in awe of what had occurred. "But who exactly is the once calling the shots in there?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's take them out, Ryune." Fordola's voice was commanding and sure, helping to refocus Ryune.

Ryune nodded, dropping down into her combat stance, and not a moment too late. The primal Courlfist dashed foward with a clap, striking at Ryune repeatedly with hand and foot. She caught and dodged his strikes, attempting to send a few back his way, but was rebuffed by hands that seemed too quick to be able to get there in time.

Fordola rushed foward to assist, sending a clear strike that should have opened any mortal from shoulder to hip, but was instead batted aside as multiple strikes connected against her armor without him even turning to engage her.

She jumped back, confused and angry to have been cast aside, before seeing what was truly occurring as her eyes finally adjusted.

"He has too many hands, Ryune!" She didn't know how else to convey what she was seeing. "He also has a face on the back of his head? I can't take him by surprise."

Her arms and legs stung from where they had absorbed the incoming strikes, but Ryune was holding her own. Now, knowing what was going on, she understood what might tip the scales.

"We go faster, overload him." Ryune said between strikes. "It's all we've got!" To suit actions to words, Ryune quickened her aether, triggering Chakra to speed her strikes like the wind.

Fordola understood. Her methods were slower and consisted of mighty strikes, so the only way for her to go faster would be to have a smaller weapon or to forgo her shield in order to bring both arms to bare on her blade. She chose the latter, tossing her shield aside, preferring to keep her blade intact.

She jumped back in to help, and the difference was immediate. Her strikes were faster and more true, undeterred by the blows against the blade by the spectral fists under the primal's control.

Ryune was connecting too, her strikes finding cracks in his defenses, blasting aetherial holes that quickly filled back up. She knew it was working, though. Every time either of them hit they took aether away, scattering it back into the environment with the force of the impacts.

It was going well until a well-aimed kick, blocked by Ryune, sent her flying back with the force of the impact. She was sent all the way into the wall many yalms behind her, but she was mindful enough to not let her head snap back when she hit. Ryune braced as she hit the floor in a crouch, expecting a rush, but instead witnessed Fordola, somehow having gotten around him, blocking his way forward.

She was taking a beating, but was giving one back just as much, slicing through hands and spectral aether attempting to block her blade. Ryune took a moment to steady herself and take stock. She could clearly see the aether of the primal starting to wane, but she couldn't be sure they had the tenacity to see it through with the beating they had already taken.

Tlshe decided it would be best to end it as quickly as possible, and she had just the technique to do it, though it was one that would drain her greatly. With the time Fordola was buying her, she took a breath, igniting a flame within, and gathered the energy she had accumulated thus far, concentrating it down into a white hot point.

Fordola couldn't hold out any longer, her body too exhausted and pained by a fight she hadn't trained for, but still she tried to hold on, her arms screaming with the continued effort. It was then that a blur rushed past.

It was hard to see when moving faster than most eyes could track, harder still in the dim tomb they found themselves in, but it was hard to miss such an imposing target even when it was only slightly larger than the average Hyur.

Ryune's first strike was head on, strong enough stop his momentum. The second came from behind, having bounced from the opposite wall, and hit him directly in the head. A third, fourth, fifth, and sixth came quickly behind, Ryune bouncing from wall to wall in quick succession. She was simply too fast to block, and too powerful to brace against. Each impact sent a painful shock through Ryune, but she continued on.

The next series used the floors and ceilings as well, keeping the primal Monk off balance and reeling. She reached the twelfth strike quickly, the one she would stop on in most any other circumstance, but her target still stood and the only two people who could stop it were already at their limits, so she continued on.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, the strikes hurt more in each limb every time, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen... Her fist passed right through, slamming hard into the stone floor. The pain was the worst yet, causing her to cry out, but it had been enough.

The primal had lost too much aether, no longer able to keep its form coherent under the barrage. As it faded, wisps of itself rising into the air, the collective of voices spoke once more.

"Perhaps our way let lives on, the Mad King's will left undone..." It looked somehow satisfied as it spoke.

Ryune couldn't hope to respond, her breath coming in hurried gasps while her heart beat beyond rapidly. It was all she could do to look up at it as the primal finally dispersed, all that it was returning back to the lifestream once more.

She collapsed to her knees, the effort of continuing Phantom Rush like that having taken a massive toll. She felt Fordola with her, keeping her steady with a hand on her shoulder, her voice making it through the rush of blood in her ears.

"I've got you." Fordola said, her own pain evident in her voice. "You're not going to fall on my watch."

Ryune was grateful. It wasn't like before when she could depend on Hydaelyn's aether to help bolster her. Now it all had to come from within, and she hadn't had to dig this deep in a while. Fordola kept steady watch while Ryune recovered, finally gaining control of her breathing enough to settle her body back down from its frantic state.

A few minutes later, Ryune placed her hand atop Fordola's on her shoulder. "Thank you." She said, finding her voice, "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Fordola smirked, "Sure you could have. It would have just been a lot more dramatic and ended with your girlfriend carrying you to the nearest healer."

Ryune let out a small chuckle and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go. "Perhaps so, but I greatly prefer the company of capable friends and allies."

Fordola's hand slid off her shoulder as she stood. "Before I met you I would have said something about 'former enemies', but I know that's not how you work."

"Certainly not." Ryune confirmed, "You are a survivor. And I, for one, would consider you among my list of capable friends."

Fordola gave one of her rare genuine smiles, "Thanks. I think the same of you." She located her discarded shield and picked it back up. "Though we should probably head out. The others are going to be worried."

"True." Ryune made sure she was steady before making her way out with Fordola. "Do you know what it was that was angering the spirits here in the first place? We were here because we got word of a disturbance."

"Yes. It was those same kids you probably saw on the way in." Fordoal explained as they walked, the light gradually growing brighter as they neared the exit. "They had been messing around as would be 'adventurers' looking for treasure."

Ryune sighed, "That's scavenging, not adventuring. I know most people don't see or care about the difference, though."

"Either way, they took some small artifacts, basically kicking the hornets' nest as it were, before attempting this latest venture."

"You certainly are well informed." Ryune remarked.

"I was sent by a concerned mother who sent me while I was stopped in Ala Ghiri." They were almost out now, the path seeming much longer now that they were walking it rather than dashing through. "She told me all she knew. Got here just in time."

They reached the exit at last, the light momentarily blinding them as the came out. They were met immediately by the rest of the party they had sent away. Ryune could see a few adults she recognized clustered with the kids she had seen earlier not far away in the shade of a large rock. M'naago immediately rushed over and embraced Ryune, almost knocking her over.

"Easy there, I'm alright." Ryune assured her. "Much to the efforts of Fordola."

"I knew you were worth the trouble!" M'naago said half-jokingly to Fordola.

"So? What happened?" O'tchakha asked, jogging over with D'zentsa. Ryune recounted the tale, mentioning how well they had worked together and that the spirits seemed to have been put to rest as well.

"In the end they seemed to actually approve of Ryune, too." Added Fordola.

"Yes, well, I suppose showing a bunch of dead monks that their ways weren't as lost as they had feared would do that." Ryune said, still unsure about how she felt about it. On one hand she was proud to have gained such acknowledgment, but on the other was annoyed it meant so much to her after all she had been through and helped to rebuild.

"Sounds pretty amazing if you ask me." D'zentsa added. "Though we don't need dead folks to tell us you know what you're doing."

"I appreciate that, truly." Ryune said, smiling at her student. The parents and children came over last, offering their thanks as well as some Gil. Ryune tried to talk them out of it, but by the time they left for home, each membwr of the group was a few thousand Gil richer.

"Hey, Fordola, before we all head off, I wanted to tell you something." Ryune said, ready for some rest but feeling this was important.

"Alright, shoot." Fordola said.

"The way you fought in there, and they way you are as a person, both make me believe you might make for a fairly effective Dark Knight." Ryune explained. "They weild a large, two-handed sword and are considered taboo by many, but I find it a worthwhile path."

Fordola considered it for a moment before asking, "Where does this path begin?"

"Courthas, Ishhard specifically, at the local tavern. Look for a Au'Ra man named Sidurgu and his young Elezen charge, Rielle." She remembered how grumpy Sidurgu could be, adding. "If Sid gives you trouble, you can just tell him I sent you, though you may have more fun trying to crack that one."

Fordola nodded, taking it all in. "Perhaps I will, in time. I don't believe you would lead me astray, but there is much to do."

Ryune understood, though she wished Fordola would make more time for herself and her own development. "If you do, also be aware that you may meet someone along the way. I knew them as Fray. It...is not my place to speak more." Ryune didn't want to give away that aspect should it arise. It would likely be a very important part of confronting and healing from her past, and was something Ryune hoped would be very much to Fordola's benefit. "Just know they mean you no harm."

Ryune left out the second part, where she may confront a different part of the same whole. She figured it best to come naturally if it came at all, and that to warn her of it may dilute its potential to heal. Having taken the path herself and confronted all that she was within, she was certain that by Fordola taking it that she would find much the same results.

"I'm not stranger to secrets," Fordola said, "but I'll trust there's a reason." With everything settled and the day stretching on, they all reckoned it was time to head home.

"Don't be a stranger." M'naago said to Fordola as they made to leave. "Whether our home in Ala Ghanna or at the Reach, you are most welcome."

"I'll see if I can't shake loose of being Lyse's errand girl long enough to visit." Fordoal said. She remembered that the last time she was at Rhalgr's Reach was as an enemy combatant, and that she had likely cut down friends and family of residents there herself. "Though I'd prefer to visit your home if at all possible."

Ryune understood. She knew it might still be hard to feel welcome in places like that. She could relate, having been vilified by Garleans even though she only meant to help them during the latest crisis. She often had to put that out of her mind when dealing with them, as there wasn't any use wondering how many families she had ripped apart. Sometimes you simply had to let go and do what you could, something she hoped Fordola would find a way to do as well.

"Our door is always open to you." Ryune assured her. "Ala Ghanna, upper level, last house to the right."

Fordola nodded, "For now, I have a report to file and a bed calling my name." She set off uppm her own way. "I'll see you around." She waved as she walked away a few yalms before stopping to concentrate.

"Bye, be safe!" Both O'tchakha and D'zentsa said almost in unison, giggling as a result. Ryune was glad to see them returning to their usual selves. They would certainly need to talk about what went on in there, but that could wait until another time. Moments later Fordola was gone, likely back in Ala Mhigo.

"Home it is, then." Ryune said. "You two get some rest, we will be heading home directly." She said to her students, "I'll check in with you tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes and concentrated, all four looking forward to a good night's sleep