Azlyn had been the first to arrive at the sandy, white beach of Costa Del Sol. The last time she’d been in town, she was working with K’lyhia to put Doesmaga down once and for all. Being back so quickly, she wondered if the people would recognize her for being involved.
Roll and Kida joined her shortly afterward, and one more individual joined them. She was a welcome sight after there long evening the day before. The white haired, green eyed Sharlayan conjurer in her usual attire joined them with a curious expression.
“Roll called me moments before, is it true the Captain of the Company of Heroes is here?” She gestured to Costa Del Sol with a bemused expression. “And whatever happened to that rumored hero in Grey Fleet mill?”
Kida chuckled loudly, “Just a lying miller but don’t you worry, we busted his balls good.”
Roll blankly replied. “No, the Bloody Princess busted his balls. Let’s make that clear.”
The girl cleared her throat, her face turned a shade of red, if her scales could turn a shade of red they probably would have given the heat that flushed up to her cheek. “Yeah, so, anyway—” She saw Y’shtola tilt her head curiously in her direction, but given their pressing timeline decided to leave it be.
“Wheiskaet is the man we’re looking for. He’s a grizzled marauder according to Ozwin.” The four shrugged, and then decided to split for better coverage. If they found him, they were to assemble everyone via the linkpearl.
Azlyn found herself along the beaches of Costa Del Sol, walking the shoreline. The reason she was down there and not up on the piers of the town were simple enough to explain. As she was observing the landscape, she noticed a figure in the far northern distance fighting with an axe. There was another male dressed in pelts and strange foreign furs. It looked like they were training for something.
Even with Titan’s impending return to crush Vylbrand underfoot, she couldn’t help be drawn in. She edged herself closer to their training, now seeing the pair a bit better. The one teaching had been a buff Hyur, his face had one white bandage over his nose, messy brown hair that had been covered by a metal helmet shaped like a bulls head—he had the foreign furs and animals skins that wrapped around himself. It oddly reminded her of a hunter or warrior.
The other, an axe-swinging Miqo’te. He was only wearing a pair of pants, the top discarded on the white sands. He had dark copper skin tones, his dark hair pulled back into a braided ponytail behind his head. He was muscular, skin glistening in sweat as he practiced his swings.
She couldn’t tell if he was a veteran axeman or not. Slowly she approached, and that was when the pair stopped what they were doing. The Miqo’te turned to her first, his eyes hardened—a pair of coffee-brown irises flared as he put away his axe.
His mentor walked over, voice gruff and speaking down to her. “Look here lass, this ain’t some show. Get moving back to your vacation and leave us be.”
Azlyn could see that the Miqo’te had already started to leave, reaching down to grab his shirt and walk further north down the beach. She blinked rapidly. “I didn’t mean to pry—I noticed you training from the plaza. You wouldn’t happen to belong to a warrior clan...would you?”
This faltered the duo, and the Hyur crossed his arms. “Are you someone who’s been seeing a warrior demon attacking people nearby? If you are, don’t worry about it—we’ll take care of it.”
She was confused, “Warrior....demon? Can’t say that I have seen someone matching that description.” Azlyn sighed. “My name is Azlyn—I trained with Axemaster Wyrnzoen in the Marauder’s guild in Limsa Lominsa. I was just curious to see what you were doing for training.” And then she shrugged. “I won’t bother you two, I hope you have safe travels!”
Azlyn turned around the walk away, only for a new voice to call out to her. His voice had a deep, baritone sound. “Azlyn—as in the Bloody Princess of the Sea? The Red-eyed girl who slayed Ifrit with a mighty swing of her axe?”
She stopped, and turned slowly around. “If I said no, would you take that at face value?”
The Miqo’te chuckled at her, shaking his head. “Hard to believe, but you do match the physical description of the princess.”
The one with the bull helmet tapped his chest interrupting the two of them. “I’m Curious Gorge! One remark about the name and I’ll rip yer ugly head from your shoulders and suck the marrow out of your twitching spine!”
Azlyn gave the teacher a bemused expression. “I’d never dream of it.”
The sun-kissed Miqot’e stopped shy of Curious Gorge, smirking. “Don’t worry, he’s always this brazen. N’thuzu Tia is my name. I’m training to control my inner beast.” His black furred tail swayed behind him.
This surprised her when he mentioned inner beast. “Inner...beast? What’s that?”
Curious Gorge cleared his throat, and then gave a surprised yelp after he processed their recent conversation. “You’re from the guild, you say? Well, blow me down and call me a bogy! Had you told me sooner, I’d have introduced myself with proper respect!”
N’thuzu Tia and Azlyn spoke at the same time.
“She did.”
“I did.”
Curious Gorge laughed loudly, his hands upon his hips. “We’ve only just met, but I see in you a strength not found in ordinary women! What say you show us your battle prowess and show this spineless cat how a real Warrior unleashes his strength!”
N’thuzu Tia didn’t seem enthused by that. “Master, I doubt that’d be—“
“Nonsense! Come, there’s a fresh pair of large shelled turtles over yonder! Let’s see how she moves, you might learn a thing or two controlling your own inner beast!” Curious Gorge called triumphantly.
Azlyn awkwardly scratched behind her head, nervous now that she was being asked to perform. “Oh...well...you see, I have a bit of a problem with using an axe in battle now.”
N’thuzu Tia rolled his eyes at his master, and turned to her. “A problem? Maybe it’s something that Master Curious Gorge can help you with?”
The Hyur dressed in furs laughed. “Another disciple who wants to learn the way of the Warrior?”
Azlyn quirked an eyebrow. “But I thought the ways of learning the Warrior were lost? Even Axemaster Wyrnzoen said that.”
“Lost?” Curious Gorge elbowed N’thuzu Tia as if he found what she said funny. “Perhaps in these parts. But where I come from, the way of the warrior is alive and well! My tribe has been handling them down for thousands of years.” He nodded, expostulating to the pair the history of his tribe. “Yet our numbers dwindle with every new summer, and this is why I left the mountain where I was raised to come here.” He grinned to N’thuzu Tia, and then down to Azlyn.
The difference in heights were apparent. She was obviously the smallest between the three, with N’thuzu Tia being taller than her. She could tell he was a fair shade taller than most Miqo’te she knew—and then the Hyur was obnoxiously taller by half a bodies worth.
She sighed, brandishing her weapon with a bit of worry. “I’m going to be honest with you—I black out while fighting enemies... just... don’t get in my line of sight—alright?”
This seemed to take the pair by surprise, and she prepped herself for battle.. She hopped around the sand, and then started running to the designated enemies. It had been a long time since she’d last held her axe—it wasn’t that she forgot she had it—but she was worried she’d lose herself.
...and then she was being dumped into the ocean.
She sputtered in surprise as N’thuzu Tia stood over her, his brown eyes wide with horror as she spat out the salt water from her gaping lips. Her hair soaking wet, her clothes dyed a crimson red from the blood she’d most likely slain in her fervent battle.
And she couldn’t remember a damn thing.
“They weren’t kidding when they call you the Bloody Princess. You literally decorate yourself in your enemies blood.” The Miqo’te claimed to her with mild surprise. “You killed the monsters and then continued to slay whatever you saw in sight.”
He pointed back to a wheezing Curious Gorge who was buckled at his knee, it seemed like he took quite a beating. “Master Curious Gorge used everything in his power to stop you—and even then you beat him pretty good. If he hadn’t of disarmed you, I don’t think I could have grabbed you when I did.”
Azlyn felt a wave crash into her back as she sat in the water, she blinked in shock. “I—I told you I black out while fighting with my axe.”
N’thuzu Tia nodded. “Your eyes glow a crimson red as well.”
Curious Gorge called out to them with faltering breaths. “Azlyn...I think...I think it’d be best if you consider training...with us. We can...we can curb your...your inner beast.”
She was surprised when N’thuzu Tia reached out an arm to her. She grasped his offered hand, and he pulled her off the sandy floor where she continued to be pelted by the waves. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “I should thank you, I think I could learn a lot from watching you fight.” He then turned to Curious Gorge. “Master, I will head back to Hidden Falls to complete my training for the day.”
Curious Gorge nodded, pulling himself up from his tired stance. He then walked over to them with a firm look. “I shall go back with you. There is much I need to read.” Then he offered a hand to her, a firm handshake later he replied. “I must say that I was impressed. You have proven yourself far more worthy of this than I could have imagined.”
When he removed his hand, she found a small crystal stone with a strange signal embedded on the face. She stared at the stone with a curious glance.
“In your hands lies the Soul of the Warrior—a crystal within which the deeds of a thousand thousand warriors from history are recorded. N’thuzu Tia is your fellow brother, a Warrior in the making holding a similar soul stone. For countless generations, the Soul has been passed on to those in my tribe who choose the path of the warrior, to guide them, and aid them on their journey.”
Azlyn stared at the red ruby gem. This was the first time she’d ever laid eyes upon a soul stone before. She’d read about them in Sharlayan, but didn’t think she’d ever get a chance to obtain one. “But I lose control when I fight—how can I be worthy of such a gem?”
The Hyur shook his head, smiling wide. “When your inner beast awakened before, it was left unchanneled and uncontrollable. With a soul stone, if your inner beast rouses, the runes will resonate and further empower your will. It will grant you the strength you never thought possible.”
N’thuzu Tia nodded at the explanation. “With the soul stone, the inner beast shouldn’t take over your mind as thoroughly as it does. You should be able to slowly gain control as you train—just as I have been.”
The girl accepted their answer, only for her linkpearl to start going off. She jumped at the sudden alert, and gave both of the an apologetic glance. “S-sorry, please give me a moment.” She tapped on the linkpearl. “This is Azlyn.”
Her cousin’s stoic voice came through. “Y’shtola found Wheiskaet near Master Gegeruji’s security tent—where are you?”
“I’m—uh—checking out the local sights?”
There was a long pause, before her cousin sighed. “You know we’re under a tight schedule dealing with Titan, right?”
Azlyn felt the admonishment even when her cousin wasn’t in front of her. “R-right... Titan should be our number one priority. Alright, I’m heading back.” The call ended and she turned back to the pair of warriors. She gave them a small smile.
“Sorry to cut and run, but there’s something I have to do first.”
N’thuzu Tia had both his brows lifted upon the mention of Titan. “Titan—the Lord of Crags, Titan?”
The girl looked away. “Uh—please don’t be alarmed, we’re taking care of it as quickly as possible.”
The Miqo’te looked to Curious Gorge, and then back to Azlyn. He crossed his arms over his chest. His shirt was gone again. “Master Curious Gorge, should we offer our assistance?”
The Hyur nodded. “We should. Whenever you need additional manpower, call upon your new brothers. In the meantime, we shall head to the Hidden Falls.” Curious Gorge then stopped, crossing his arms. “We shall train until we are needed.”
N’thuzu Tia gave a curt nod, and then they both left her at the outskirts of the water. She saw them head further north on the island and out of sight when they passed an large overpass of the mountain. She looked down at the soul gem that had been given to her, and decided to stow it in her pocket. She’d deal with it when she wasn’t pressed for time.
She found her friends already chatting with a Roegabyn who couldn’t have been more than forty or fifty years old. When Ozwin had mentioned he was a grizzled marauder, he wasn’t joking. She could see the old scars on his square jaw, and up to his upper face. His blonde hair tied in tight dreadlocks to his skull. He didn’t take notice of her arrival as he and Y’shtola were going back and forth.
“Pardon? You wish to slay the Lord of Crags?” He gave her a disbelieving look, shaking his head.
Y’shtola wouldn’t back down. “We must slay him, Captain. The people of Limsa Lominsa are depending upon us.”
He heavily grunted to them. “You fancy yourselves heroes, then—just like in the tales?” This was the time he eyed each of them, and then paused upon Azlyn. He then started pointing to them, counting off. “What the blazes, did you multiply—ahhh, that doesn’t matter.”
Azlyn shrugged to her friends, “Sorry I’m late.” She whispered to her cousin and Kida.
“Be not so quick to judge. Long have I labored for the well-being of you and yours. And my associate here has been bathed in Ifrit’s hellfire, and lived.” This drew his attention over to Azlyn, whom Y’shtola gestured toward. “She is blessed with a power that protects her from primal influence. Thus was she able to lay low the Lord of the Inferno.”
She stood awkwardly behind her group, as her clothes drip-dried from her recent ocean dunking. If she were trying to make a good impression here, she realized this probably wasn’t the time. Y’shtola ignored her present attire however and spoke quickly. Maybe she also realized a prolonged glance would be bad for their point to be made.
“We know full well the risks, and have taken every possible precaution. We lack only the knowledge of how to enter Titan’s lair. Pray be so good as to grant us the boon of your wisdom, and we shall be on our way.”
Wheiskaet regarded them all closely now, before shaking his head. “A woman who can’t be tempered—useful but it will not be enough.” He placed his hands on his sides, relaxed upon the weapons belt that held his axe off to the side. “It is true the Company of Heroes fought and felled primals—but each victory was brought with the lifeblood of brave men and women. And Titan was the worst we faced.”
Roll clenched her fists, but she remained silent. Azlyn and Kida remembered the story she told of Garuda—and how that affected her afterward.
“But you beat him.” Kida opted to speak up, tapping her foot in rhythm. “That means its possible.”
He continued, not knowing their histories. “Aye, we defeated him—in the end—but he took from us some of our very best.” Wheiskaet then paused, a brief moment in his thoughts before his face hardened. “Even if you possess the power you claim, I have no reason to believe you will succeed.”
Y’shtola sobered her composure, her usual jovial eyes turned cold. “Believe what you will. We mean to try. Though our live be forfeit, we will not abandon Limsa to the Wrath of Titan.”
Azlyn stepped forward. “…I feel the same. I can’t in good conscience abandon this course of action because of your simple beliefs.”
Kida reached over, patting her shoulder with a nod.
Roll joined her at her side. “We’ll do it together.”
“You all are passionate, I grant you that….and you deserved better than the greeting I gave you.” They visibly relaxed when they noticed him relaxing. They almost thought they were scot-free, until he spoke again. “However, I won’t send you into O’Ghomoro on a whim. To be plain, I do not wish to give your lives in vain. Especially a green horned brat like your blessed one.” He shook his head.
Azlyn gaped in mid-shock. She’d seen Nin-Nin call her that previously—and it only made her realize that Nin-Nin probably had a say in this discussion. Or signed his opinion. She grimaced, gritting her teeth. She could feel her nails digging into her palms as she tried to think up a reasonable argument than it had to be her to fight Titan.
Except…there was no reason this had to be completed by Azlyn—or her friends. She wished to handle it though, because there were people she considered good friends and associates in Limsa Lominsa. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to them because she chose to remain on the sidelines.
Wheiskaet could see Y’shtola beginning to fume, so he offered an alternative. “At the very least, I must have some assurances that you are more than common adventurers.” He pointed to the shack behind him. “I oversee security for Master Gegeruju’s estates. Perhaps you can demonstrate your abilities by attending one of our—”
He was cut off by their Scion. She was glaring heavily as she spoke. “Ye gods, man—have you heard nothing that we’ve said? We have not the time to perform trivial tasks. The enemy is at the gates!”
Azlyn widened her eyes. She stared at the Miqo’te, hoping to never cross her temper. Her tone was scary.
Wheiskaet did not seem worried. “Do you imagine words can sway me, girl?”
It also appeared he too chose to add insult to injury on not one, both two of their party.
“If you dislike my conditions, then you are welcome to find your own way into O’Ghomoro.” He added, nonplussed by the whole thing.
Y’shtola did the best thing she could do and took a step back to breath heavily. “Though it pains me to admit it, I fear we have no choice but to acquiesce to the man’s demands. Pray, do whatever the good captain bids…I will use the time to see to the remaining preparations.” She activated a teleport spell, going off to do as she said she would.
They all could tell she was a bit irritated by the whole ordeal.
He smiled at last, nodding his head. “Very well—you three.” He brought his full attention to the Auri girls. “Master Gegeruju’s requests can be more demanding than you realize. Before I set you to your true task, I would like to verify that this won’t be a waste of my time.” He then pointed eastward, to the Bloodshore beyond. “A nix has recently been seen prowling the beach to the east. As you can imagine, my master does not want large slimy creatures anywhere near his lands. The beast is cunning, but you should have no difficulty luring it out with a herring.”
The three nodded to him, it sounded like a simple task.
“You’re forgetting to ask who is going to slay the nix.” He reprimanded them, crossing his arms.
Azlyn looked between her cousin and Kida, and then pointed a finger to herself. “…I am?” She questioned. The man shook his head.
“No. It’s going to be…the other white haired one.” He pointed to Roll. “And she’ll do it alone. I have a task designed for each of you.” And so, with each of them given single tasks to slay a creature, they went to do his bidding.
Azlyn had been tasked to get rid of a dozen Colibri that had taken over several areas of the Bloodshore. She thought it was strange that she was given the work for an archer, while Kida had been given the task to slay a raging Megalocrab to the west. It was kind of weird—as if Wheiskaet knew what their weaknesses were in battle. Although slaying the Colibri didn’t seem too troublesome to her. She just thought it odd.
“Must have been Nin-Nin…It would explain why they would pin her with something with a heavier shell resistant to piercing damage. Maybe Nin-Nin thought I was just a gladiator, which would explain why he assumed this would be a challenge. Aerial fighters would be tricky for melee fighters… but how would he know Roll’s weakness in fighting?” She summoned her arcanima book, deciding to sling her spells at the birds instead of shooting them down. It also made it easier to harvest the corpses when they weren’t punctured, slashed, or bashed in with a melee weapon. “Who is that guy…?”
With her targets slain, she made her way back to Costa Del Sol. Given her quick arrival, she could only imagine that her other counterparts were busy dealing with their tasks. She stepped up to Wheiskaet with a bag of pristine feathers for his master. For his pillow to lay upon for the festival…. Azlyn rolled her eyes at the thought.
He examined the bag with a careful eye, and then looked to her. He didn’t see a scratch upon her as he regarded her closely. “…No trouble?”
She smiled, “No trouble.”
“Huh.” He crossed his arms, before frowning. She could tell he was deep in thought. “Well alright then.” The Captain of the Company of Heroes summoned a pair of his coworkers. The two arrived in no time, and he pointed to her. “Get her some clothes to change into. The last thing we need is for our guests to get pneumonia from playing in the ocean.”
Azlyn gaped at his remark. “N-no, it’s alright—really…” Her voice trailed off into a softer tone when the Captain started to openly glare at her. She hunkered down before sheepishly accepting. “Oo…okay. Please.”
She rocked back and forth on her feet before the two returned with a few Thavnairian articles. They were dyed in a rich purples, reds, and gold threads. And it was also quite revealing. The long front skirt that had two revealing open slits that rode up the high thigh, the long-laced sandals, her exposed midriff as the halter top stopped to form around her chest only. Her arms had the exposed sleeves that started on the forearm and ended with laced rope down to her wrists.
Azlyn was given the articles of clothing before being directed into a changing station for the many dancers under Master Gegeruju’s employ. Awkwardly she changed, stripping out from the wet, blood-stained attire.
It felt like a costume on her, and her white skin and white scales complimented the rich colored tones.
“All done?” One of the dancers poked her head in and squealed at her in delight. “You look adorable! If I didn’t know, you could easily pass as an employed dancer!”
Azlyn nervously chuckled. “Th-that’s alright…I’m pretty clumsy…” She gave a poor excuse and hoped she wouldn’t be forced to dance. Inwardly she pleaded for Kida and Roll to finish their tasks and come back soon. She was led back to the plaza and was glad to see one of their group had returned. She smiled as she approached her. “Good work.”
Roll had wiped her face of the sweat she accumulated. She was sitting on the bench as Wheiskaet looked over Roll’s bounty.
“That’s new…” Roll observed, reaching over to tug on the skirt. Azlyn blushed a crimson red as she pleaded with her.
“Please tell me you have some extra clothes.”
Her cousin thought before she shrugged. “Should have thought of that before taking a swim in the ocean—why were you swimming in the ocean anyway?”
Azlyn sat down with Roll and started to explain her finding a pair of warriors—and one of them happened to be from that Warrior Clan Axemaster Wyrnzoen mentioned before.
“...And then N’thuzu Tia dumped me into the ocean. I think the reasoning for why I was going berserk was due to my lack of having a soul gem.” She retrieved the red gem from her bag, and let Roll examine it.
“Ah.” Roll flipped it over and nodded her understanding. “That makes sense.” She handed the gem back to her.
“I think I can get my inner beast under control with this soul gem in my possession. Although, it’s my first time obtaining one.” Azlyn explained some more, and her cousin started to procure her astronometer. It was then that her cousin pointed to an amber colored gem embedded with a sigil.
“This is an astrologian’s soul gem. I obtained mine from the Astrologian’s Tower in Coerthas.” Her cousin rolled her eyes suddenly. “It took a bit to earn those Elezen’s trust, but when you do earn it, they’ll never abandon you.”
Azlyn excitedly widened her eyes. “You’ve been all over Roll! I’ve never been into Coerthas before!”
The two continued their chat, as Roll explored the icy tundras and snow-filled landmarks. She detailed a site in Coerthas, where large red crystal-like structures formed out and circled around the area. There were giants that roamed those lands and were hostile to any who approached carelessly.
Kida returned after their lengthy discussion, she had a full sack full of whatever ingredients Wheiskaet told her to retrieve. He inspected her materials as she spotted them walking over to them. She spotted Azlyn’s change of clothes right away, pointing to them. “I want them!”
Roll smirked. “You could ask the dancer’s nicely. They may have a pair or two.”
Azlyn looked up to the Captain of the Company of Heroes. “Did we pass your test with flying colors sir?” She was hoping they had and earn the way into O’Ghomoro.
Wheiskaet cleared his throat. “Lest you think me overly cautious for testing you in this way, you should know that we had an incident not long ago. A foolish young employee was dismissed for lying about his past. He claimed to have served in the Company of Heroes, but I knew for a fact he did not.”
All three of them looked between each other, and then uttered the name disdainfully. “Trachtoum.”
Kida sighed heavily. “Azlyn, you should have busted his balls harder.”
The girl sighed. “Anyway…”
The Captain stared down at the three of them, wondering what they were talking about—and decided not to approach the topic. He crossed his arms. “Now that the pointless busywork is finished, I shall give you a challenge as befits your talents.”
Roll blinked slowly. “That was… busywork…” She brought one of her hands up to her face. “Twelve forfend, what godawful fetch quest do we have to do now. How many more will there be?”
Azlyn didn’t know the answer to that, neither did Kida. The only one with the knowledge of that was Captain Wheiskaet of the Company of Heroes.
“Four highly distinguished individuals are scheduled to visit Costa Del Sol in the near future, and Master Gegeruju wishes to welcome them with an elaborate banquet. But while money is no object, not everything Master Gegeruju desire can be so easily purchased. It is to be an extremely exotic feast. And so, you three, will seek out and obtain the rare ingredients our chef requires.”
The Captain pretended not to see their dismay, continuing to explain to them their first task. “Naturally, such fine dining must be accompanied with a suitable wine. And by ‘suitable’, I mean ‘the very best there is’. That however can wait for the time being, as I believe you have enough on your plate as it is. It will be a long and arduous journey, but you need not toil alone. Many of the mercenaries who once served under my command still live, and they will guide you in your quest. For the first ingredient, I would have you travel to the South Shroud and speak with Landenel at Camp Tranquil.”
The girls absorbed the information dump as best they could. Azlyn, however, needed to point out their time crunch. “We…we have a bit of a time crunch though. You know—with Titan and all?”
He seemed perplexed by her question. “What? Do you mean to tell me that you cannot afford to waste time, as your associate did?” His tone darkened, and the three of them shook their heads.
“If you have not the endurance to complete this mission, how do you expect me to believe you all can outlast the Lord of Crags? Either do it or don’t—I have work to do.” He dismissed them from his sight and returned to his post where some of the guards were relaxing.
The three dropped their heads in defeat. They were not excited by these new strings of errands, and wondered how long and arduous these tasks would actually be.
“…Camp Tranquil?” Azlyn asked her group, and Kida and Roll started their teleport over. It was then that Azlyn remembered.
“Ah! I’ll see you guys in a bit!” She yelled at them before they disappeared. She didn’t know if they called out to her or not, but she decided to run over to the dancers that had let her change clothes. “Excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to have any extra clothes like this for my friend? She loved the outfit.”
The dancers, a couple of Miqo’te and a hume chuckled into their hands promiscuously. “Of course! Master Gegeruju gives us all that we require! Many of our older clothes are up for grabs—they’re almost new!” They giggled, before throwing several different outfits, styles, and layers at her. With two full bags of clothes, Azlyn graciously thanked the girls for their generous donation.
They smiled, waving goodbye and wished to see her soon. Then Azlyn activated her teleport over to Camp Tranquil where her cousin and Kida were waiting. “I hope Kida enjoys these.”
