Traveler

The four of them stood in a heavily wooded, tropical forest. What had been a nice range of humidity and cool oceans breezes had turned into a condensed humid breeding ground for moisture and drooping vines. What led them here? Earlier that evening when they arrived in the Raincatcher Gully, they travelled northwest at the skipper recommendation. She mentioned it was the quickest way to get to Brayflox’s Longstop, and hopefully learn more about what happened to the gobbie’s—goblins. 

N’thuzu Tia happened to be familiar with the area, and led them with ease through the thick marshy landscape. Not only was he an excellent navigator, but he was an excellent escort to the Auri girls. He not only pulled any monsters that started to attack them, but also managed to quickly cleave them with his axe. 

He was by far a superb battle technician. 

It was when they reached the large wooden gates that barred all access that led them further within the complex. A female goblin, Brayflox Alltalks herself, guarded the gate. She seemed a bit unnerved as the trees canopies shook in the wind. 

“Pshhhhhh... Shhkkohhh. Tongue flaps of Wheiskaet be reaching ears of Brayflox. Uplanders have come for tastyfresh gobbietreats, yes?”

Azlyn stepped forward, she smiled down to the goblin. “Yes, we were told you were having some trouble.”

Brayflox walked over to the gate, opening the locks for them to pass. She pointed for them to enter. “Questprize of uplander deep in Longstop. Fighty beast chased goobieflock from homes. Gobbieflock needs goody uplanders give safety to Longstop with much hand-landing!” She incessantly began to point through the gates, and then ran ahead. 

Without much else to go on, the four ran after her and wondered what they had gotten themselves into. Azlyn looked up at the heavily-drooping vines above, the darkening skies and the trees shaking once again. A large creature flew overhead, which made Azlyn stop in her tracks. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing thing. 

“What’s wrong?” Kida called out to her. 

“...Nothing. I thought I saw something strange.” 

Roll and N’thuzu Tia looked over their shoulders to her, but she didn’t elaborate on what she’d seen. She didn’t want to worry them over something that could have been a trick of the eyes. Azlyn smiled. 

“Lead the way!” 

N’thuzu Tia nodded, leading their group further within the compound. It was an open swamp filled with the normal fauna. Brayflox was already picking a fight with a group of monsters and slimy swamp creatures when N’thuzu Tia jumped in to help. Kida and Azlyn supported with their ranged skills. Roll stayed in range of everyone, healing N’thuzu Tia would it seemed he started to get a bit haggard. 

When the last monster of the area had been cleaved in the head by N’thuzu Tia’s axe, Brayflox ran over to Kida, yanking on her arm to follow. “Pssshhhh Follow uplander! Get key!” 

Kida got dragged, so the party chased after them where Brayflox arrived at a small goblin tent. Brayflox waved her hand in greeting. “Uplanders will get rid of fighty beasts, these ones requires key to Rune gate.” 

The other goblin nodded to her. “Pssshhh Skohhh, take key! Defeat swamp fighty thingies for gobbieflocks!” Then he pushed the thick, rustic key into Kida’s hand. She blinked, staring down at the heavy metal. “Wonder what’s behind door number one?” 

N’thuzu Tia also looked at the key. “A soon to be dead thing. Let’s go.” 

“I like how you operate N’thuzu Tia!” Kida grinned ear to ear, chasing after the Miqo’te. Azlyn and Roll stayed at their flank in case any monsters decided to come out. Brayflox had stayed behind with the other goblin and started to discuss something. They, however, were too far away and slushing through the wet marshlands to the Rune Gate she mentioned earlier. 

“You all can call me Thuzu.” The Male miqo’te told me when Kida slipped the key into the large metal lock. With a thunk later, the lock dropped with a splash into the swamp. All that was left was to pull the gate open. He slowly pulled upon the wooden gate, stirring the water as the gate opened outward. “We’ll probably be good friends after thi—is that a giant, fat yellow bird?” 

Azlyn looked inside the compound to see an enormous yellow pelican strutting around the lush, green, marsh area. “I do believe you’re right.” 

“We’re here fighting the fighty beastie things. This probably is one of those things.” Kida pointed out to him, elbowing him as she went inside. “Nothing Thuzu can’t handle.” 

Roll chuckled. “I wonder how much chicken I could grill with the much meat.” 

They all turned to her with wide eyes. 

“...I’m hungry.” She explained. 

“We can eat when we’re all done.” Azlyn promised her cousin. With that promise hanging in the air, the group ran inside to demolish the pelican and the monsters lazing around behind it. They dispatched it fairly easily, and then made their way through the next gate. 

“Uplanders! Uplanders hellllp!” A frantic goblin that was beyond the gate came rushing to them. He stopped short of N’thuzu Tia, tugging on the front of his pants to bring him with. “Gobbieflocks need help! Getting attacked by fighty beasts ahead! Save the gobbieflocks!”

N’thuzu Tia nodded, brushing the goblin off his trousers to start his sprint ahead. Roll started after him, with Azlyn and Kida in tow. They went to each encampment area where the goblins had been set upon by four legged drakes and flying, annoying bugs. 

N’thuzu Tia carved through a majority of the creatures with ease, his axe dripping with blood from slicing through the scaly hides of the drakes. Kida and Azlyn shot down the flying big predators, and Roll helped heal and deal damage when needed. 

Many of the gobbieflock—goblins—were appreciative. Handing each of them strange baubles and trinkets as thanks for saving them. N’thuzu Tia was given a pair of scissors, Kida received a collection of buttons, Roll got a piece of used leather, and Azlyn found herself in possession of a badly folded Triple Triad card. 

For the most part—it was useless junk. 

All of the goblins showed them down the path, leading them onto the next area beyond their makeshift homes and shops where they found a larger drake was circling around an empty encampment. These tents must have been evacuated as there were no goblins in sight as the Drake made it’s walk around. 

It’s nostrils flared when it made eye contact with their party approaching, immediately running at them with fire at the tip of it’s tongue. N’thuzu Tia hacked and slashed upon it’s heavy reptilian scales, where after several cuts and tears, he succeeded in causing an open wound. 

Azlyn ordered her topaz carbuncle to attack, and she immediately slung her miasma and bio spells. She hoped by adding it into the blood steam of the creature it would further weaken it. 

Kida shot several arrows filled with aetherical energy at the drake, decorating the backside of the creature with protruding arrows. While the three of them were occupied, Roll kept an eye on the field. 

They were doing fairly well, wearing down the drake until Roll’s voice brought their attention to the entrance. “Brayflox!”

The female goblin came rushing in—and not to aid them—mind their trouble keeping one large enemy at bay. Instead she brought in another drake chasing after her. It was right on her heels, gnashing and striking with it’s front claws. Azlyn broke off from the threat of the major drake, bringing out her lance and leaping high into the air. 

She hadn’t tried this move out yet, as she soared up into the air—and she let gravity take effect. Bringing the lance head downward, she aimed it right into the back of the smaller drake attacking Brayflox. 

“That’s enough from you!” She yelled, and she impaled the back of the drake with her lance. The point sliced right through the drake and slammed straight into the ground. The drake tensed at the impact and collapsed in a heap. From atop the creature Azlyn tried to remove her lance, only to find it was thoroughly stuck. 

She sighed, deciding she’d have to buy another lance later. She brought out her arcanima book, re-summoning her topaz carbuncle to her side. Issuing commands to her summoned creature to help keep the main Drake busy. Brayflox ran over to her, her eyes peering straight up at her. “Gobbie boom?” 

Azlyn pointed to the Drake, her attention not on Brayflox. “Not now Brayflox.” 

The goblin tugged more incessantly on the skirt of her outfit. “Gobbie boom?” 

Azlyn felt herself now getting pulling closer to the drake—which wasn’t what she wanted. Roll watched her cousin in a mix of horror as she was getting drawn closer in with the melee. “Brayflox...not now!” Azlyn urged her, but the goblin wouldn’t let her go. 

N’thuzu Tia slammed his axe hard into the front leg. It’s roar echoed as Azlyn had to reach up to protect her ears. It’s tail raised up and swung by, just as Brayflox yanked her down and out of the swing radius. Azlyn watched her with mock horror as Brayflox looked directly at her. “Gobbie boom?” 

Azlyn shrugged feeling like she had nothing else to lose. “Sure, go Gobbie boom! Let me get out of melee!” She yelled, and the goblin released her. She began her sprint to get out and away. Then Roll yelled over to N’thuzu Tia with heavy concern.

“Holy shit. N’thuzu Tia get out of there! That’s a bomb!” Roll yelled, only for Brayflox to yank her to a safe spot moments after. 

N’thuzu Tia disengaged as the tossed bomb went up and over the drake. It started it’s slow descent down, hit the creatures back and then a mighty explosion occurred. Kida hit the ground, ducking behind a large rock and Azlyn jumped into the closest hut she could find. She wasn’t anticipating a bomb. It definitely wasn’t part of her calculations. 

“Gobbie boom. Twelve forefend.” Azlyn muttered, glancing from her hiding spot. 

The entire area shook as another explosion went off. Bits and pieces of the drake rained down in the area as Brayflox and Roll emerged from their safe area. Kida poked her head out from the rock she hid behind. N’thuzu Tia meanwhile had been pelted by some of the body bits, as he poured water from his canteen over his face. 

Azlyn emerged from her own hiding spot, and they reconvened in the middle. All four of them stared down at Brayflox. She seemed to be beaming, even if her face was hidden behind her face mask. “Pshhhhk—present for kindly uplander?” 

N’thuzu Tia laughed hard. 

Kida shook her head, chuckling as she shook the dirt from her hair. “Nah my dudette, you’re good. What’s next?” 

Brayflox pointed them to the next gate, and they travelled further within. The lush green grounds turned into an all out swamp festering and teeming with hostile creatures. They slowly brought small packs of monsters to them, clearing out the area as systematically and plausibly as they could. 

If the humidity hadn’t started to make them sweat buckets of moisture from their skin—the constant running around and fighting had. They found themselves a bit of shade under the trees, a log to sit down and take a small break. 

Azlyn started to drink from her canteen of water, taking slow sips to rejuvenate her system of water. Her cousin reached a hand out to her, silently asking for the canteen to drink as well. They passed the canteen between themselves before it ended up in N’thuzu Tia’s hand. He stared down at the canteen before handing it back to Azlyn. 

“I still have my water. Here take it back Az.” He pulled out his own canteen to drink. 

Kida laughed at him. “OOooooo Are we now on a nickname level of friendship?” 

He finished sipping his water, before turning to her with a puzzled expression. “I told you to call me Thuzu, didn’t I?” 

She nodded. “Then from now I shall dub thee Thuzu, the slayer of the amazon!” 

Azlyn chuckled. “Congrats, you have earned yourself a title Thuzu.” She placed her canteen back in her satchel. “Are we ready to push through the next gate?” 

N’thuzu Tia shook his head, a slight smirk on his face. “Change it to, “the Destroyer of the Amazon” and you might get some profit off of it.” 

Roll gave a pointed look to her cousin, her gold eyes lit up. She was stretching the muscles in her legs to get them ready for more combat. “Speaking of profitable names, Azlyn’s won herself Eorzea’s favor. The novel that’s written about her is part of the top twenty things that are highly desirable by Eorzeans.” 

This caused Azlyn to groan. She dropped her head into her hands. “N-no more... please. I want to pretend it doesn’t exist.” 

“Have you even read it?” Kida asked. 

“If I’m pretending it doesn’t exist, why would I go out of my way to read it?” Azlyn pointed out. “It’s not in front of me, therefore it doesn’t exist.” 

Roll added an amendment. “It doesn’t exist in front of you, you mean.” 

N’thuzu Tia shook his head. “I’m not much of a reader, but I have to admit—I’m a bit interested.” 

Azlyn turned to him, miffed with horror. “N-nooo. No don’t you dare think about it.” She then popped up from her seating spot, reaching over to grab his arm to start dragging him through the marsh. “Let’s go slay more things—more of the fighty beastie things to get rid of! Let’s not disappoint the Gobbieflock!” 

“Hang on there—Az, I can walk fine on my own!” The Miqo’te hadn’t expected her to have such strength, but then again she could wield an axe decently enough. 

Kida restrung her bow with a new, taunt string and checked it’s durability. Pleased, she ran over to catch up with Azlyn half-dragging N’thuzu Tia away. Roll chuckled, following after she picked up any of their left over stuff they may have forgotten. 

They walked over to the gate, where the four of the pushed the wooden gate inward. The water from the swamp slushed into a circular area and not that surprising to them, they found an unusually large amphibian black colored eft rolling it’s back into the murky waters. It looked like the eft was sunbathing when they entered the space. 

“I feel bad killing it.” N’thuzu Tia raised his axe, about to step forward. “It looks like it’s really enjoying itself.” 

Azlyn nodded. “...Can we sneak by?” 

Roll tried to see if there was a way around it with it noticing. With all the water surrounding the marsh, it would be hard to silence their footsteps. “I don’t think so.” 

Kida perked. “Can we just let it roll around some more? It looks kinda cute rolling aroun—OH MY GOD!” She reached over to grab Roll’s arm—as she was the closest—as an enormous dark monster swooped down right on top of the happy eft rolling in bliss. 

Only it wasn’t in bliss as it was trying too fend for it’s life as the sharp teeth of a dragon’s maw started tearing into it’s exposed neck. The four of them watched in silent, objective horror as a black dragon tore right into it. They could hear the sickening tear of flesh and muscle as the dragon ate in front of them. 

Azlyn nudged N’thuzu Tia forward. “You’re up buddy.” 

He nudged her back, looking away from the dragon. “Ladies first.” 

“When the hell did this area have a dragon?!” Kida seriously whispered to the group, hoping not to catch it’s attention. “I’ve only heard of the closest sighting being close to Mor Dhona...” 

“It has been about fifteen years. Maybe this one migrated?” Azlyn remembered to the large strange shadow that flew overhead when they first entered the area. “...And maybe this guy was the thing I saw.” 

Roll cleared her throat, pointing ahead of them in the middle of the swamp. What should have been the sound of crunching bone, marrow, and flesh was an eerie silence. “...Guys?” 

They looked back to the center of the area, seeing the dragon had stopped its impromptu feast and was fixated on them. It’s maw was dripping with the gore of it’s latest kill. The dragon began to tense it’s body, as if ready to breathe fire upon them. 

“RUN!” Kida yelled as N’thuzu Tia, Azlyn, Roll and her started to sprint away from that area. Moments later the spot they had been previously had been eroded by not hot coals of fire, but a thick, venomous mucous. The aroma of poison wafted in the air. 

“Gotta kill it—it’s a dragon that emanates poison!” Azlyn yelled. 

N’thuzu Tia brought forth his axe, charging forward now as it was their only option. Roll and Kida spaced out evenly, and Azlyn worked her way over to their side. She summoned her topaz carbuncle to help in the offensive and defensive tactics. As the Miqo’te warrior drew the dragon’s attention to him, the three started to throw all of the ranged attacks that they could. 

Whether it was by sheer luck, or if the dragon decided they were too much trouble to eat—the dragon lifted off the ground—taking the dead eft with it. They were a bit haggard after defending against the attacks of it, but they watched as it went further up the pass into the mountain nearby. 

Azlyn frowned. “The gobbieflock won’t know peace if that dragon is around.” 

Roll nodded. “We’ll need to kill it.” 

N’thuzu Tia lifted his axe, it was a bit bloody from the small amount of carving he could get through the scales. “...This is the first time I’ve faced a dragon and lived to tell the tale.” 

Kida whistled, bringing up a valid point. “Look, if we can’t beat a dragon, how would we beat Titan, the Lord of Crags?” 

She brought up a good point. Azlyn crossed her arms. “Now this would be a proper test to eye if we’re ready for Titan.” 

N’thuzu Tia gestured for them to follow him. They were now moving past the slushed marshy lands and up into the high terrain of the mountain pass. The local fauna and monsters were steady in flow—many more drakes, colibri, and a large Coeurl waited for them up above—but they took each challenge in stride. 

They climbed over the dead carcass of the Coeurl and stepped into the darkened caves of the mountain. They worked their way inside, the smell of death and toxic fumes wafted through the cavernous paths. Roll casted spells to help alleviate the toxins in the air, clearing it for them to continue further in the den of the dragon. 

With how toxic the fumes were, the only thing that posed as a threat to them was the air itself. Soon they found themselves face to face with the one causing the noxious atmosphere. It had finished eating the eft from earlier, bones from it’s recent kill crushed under foot as it roared at their arrival. 

It appeared the dragon didn’t forget about them either. It started to tense itself, as it spat out  another enormous sized toxic spitball on the ground—it sizzled and eroded. They leapt into action, avoiding the poison puddles. While they were actively dodging the poison slime, the dragon seemed to relish in it—walking through it as if it were only water. 

The poison didn’t really bother it either, as Azlyn noted. She tried using her bio and miasma spells, but it didn’t take effect against the creature— and actually could see bit of the aether from the poison starting to seep back up into the dragon’s axe wounds from N’thuzu Tia. She yelled over to the party. “Get the dragon away from those poison pockets!” She ran to one of the walls. “It’s healing itself using the toxins it exhumes!” 

Kida yelled over to her, shooting arrows at the dragon’s tail end. “So shooting it up the butt with poison arrows is a no go?” 

N’thuzu Tia blithely dodged the dragon’s bite and scratching at the front, drawing it away from the bile ground. “Probably not!” He yelled, cleaving the blade of his axe into the side of the dragon’s head. It carved a good chunk of scales off, causing it to roar in anger. Blood dripped, but that didn’t stop N’thuzu Tia’s axe. He still continued to hack and slash. 

Roll bounced between cleansing the air and healing N’thuzu Tia, the fight had been an intense contest of strength, adversity to the elements, and quick thinking. 

Azlyn commanded her carbuncle to run underneath the dragon, hoping it’s underbelly would be softer than the top exterior. When she saw her carbuncle positioned appropriately she yelled. “Now Topaz!” The earth splintered up, creating an upward spike to pierce the stomach. 

The dragon shrieked in pain, breaking the spike from the ground as it snapped away. The chunk of earth was still impaled within the belly, red blood started to pool and ooze out from the gaps. 

N’thuzu Tia pushed in his assault, causing the dragon to back up into the back of it’s cavern. Kida ran away from behind, grabbing Azlyn in her sprint away so that they were standing a bit away. Roll cast a large burst of healing energy over the group, which caused N’thuzu Tia to find his second wind. He continued his barrage of attacks against the dragon, hacking and slashing where he was able.

It was cornered, blood pouring out from it’s mouth as it sputtered in pain. “—Ai—Aiatar will—not fall to such—weak—mortals...” 

Kida yelled over to it, she seemed a bit surprised that it even spoke. “Oh so you wait an entire fight before deigning to speak! Come on, we’re part dragon too you asshole!” She charged her arrows, before unleashing a large aetherical burst of energy as her arrows lit up the dark cavern. The dragon roared in pain, it’s entire body wracked in pain and tons of arrows that rained upon it. 

Hydaelyn’s blessing still worked. Roll snapped her fingers at the sight of victory close at hand. 

However Aiatar refused to fall. If it would die, it would try to take them with him. “—Foolish children of men—think you are—of my ilk?” He laughed darkly, as blood spat from his draconian tongue. 

N’thuzu Tia watched as the dragon hunched itself up onto it’s hind legs, resting on the back bone and tail as the self proclaimed Aiatar started to regurgitate what seemed to be a large poison toxin to spat on them. The Miqo’te warrior raised his axe up, before yelling to Azlyn. “Come here Az, you’re going to need your axe!” 

Azlyn ran forward at the command, drawing out her axe from her aether pocket and standing side by side with him. He threw his axe at the dragon’s bulging throat. The metal of the axe slammed with a meaty thud, stopping the dragon from releasing the toxins and blocking access to breath it out. The dragon started to choke, before N’thuzu Tia grabbed hold of Azlyn’s underarm. 

She gave him a bewildered look before he yelled to her. “Your turn princess!” He lifted her off the ground, and hurled her toward the dragon. She yelled, as she used the momentum of being thrown to add more power into her swing. After her fifth twirl up in the air, she was well within striking range—she could see the hatred in that dragon’s eyes, and then she slammed her axe into it’s neck. The impact made a resounding crack against the dragon’s scales—breaking past the outer layer and deep beneath the soft muscle tissue of Aiatar’s throat. 

The dragon, would not fall down, even after it had been smite by Kida’s blessed arrows, and N’thuzu Tia’s excellent tomahawk throw... She slammed her axe into the exposed side of Aiatar’s neck—it felt longer than five minutes to her, but in just a short few seconds of thrashing and cleaving her axe into it’s neck, Aiatar finally went limp; falling to the ground. Azlyn gasped for breath over the dead dragon, her axe firmly buried. 

Kida and Roll ran over to them to stare down at the now quiet dragon. The blood seeped out from the body and all over the rocky ground. Azlyn feared she may have hit the poison sac glands in his throat, as the red blood started to get mixed with an unknown green fluid. It was slowly eating away at the ground and creating noxious fumes.

Roll waved her astronometer in the air, clearing the poison and allowed them a respite of fresh air. For a time at least.

“We should inform the Gobbieflock that the dragon is no more!” Kida celebrated, clapping her hands together. She then gestured to N’thuzu Tia while dancing her hands around in the air. “And kudos to our guest warrior! We make a pretty kick ass party, if I do say so myself!”

N’thuzu Tia walked over to the corpse of the dragon, gathering their weapons. He returned Azlyn’s to her, and then nudged his elbow into her arm. She jokingly knocked her arm back into his side. They were chuckling at each other. “I can officially say I helped down a dragon.”

“Helped down a dragon,” Azlyn air quoted him, before shaking her head. “You kept a level head and were able to handle all of the monsters prior to this without breaking a sweat.” She smiled up to him. “And how’d you know I was able to switch weapons mid-battle?”

He explained, retrieving his and her axe from Aiator’s neck. He stared down at the jagged cuts they made. “I saw you switch weapons earlier—from your book to your lance.”

“Ahhh—right.” She remembered.

Roll chuckled at her cousin, also recalling the moment. “Then you impaled the drake from above.”

“And then Brayflox gave us a gobbie boom!” Kida smirked, rubbing her finger under her nose. “Let’s not stay here too much longer—I want to douse myself in a hot, warm bath!” 

N’thuzu Tia waited for the girls to head out from the cavern first, and then followed behind. The trip back through the deserted mountain pass back down into the Longstop had been filled with small chatter—as the conversation steered closer to a game now asking and answering different questions amongst one another.

“What do you do in your free time?” Kida asked to N’thuzu Tia.

The Miqo’te shrugged. “I train, I guess.” He looked to Roll, as it was his turn to ask someone a question. “Why are you trying to kill Titan?”

“Because he’ll kill people if someone doesn’t get rid of him.” Roll answered impeccably. “And also because we were voluntold. Azlyn, what language is your favorite to speak?”

The girl tapped her chin in thought. “Ancient Mhachi. I like how it sounds when spoken aloud.” She looked to Kida, a revolving circle before someone decided to change it up. “Why are you so enamored with my love life?”

Kida laughed mischievously. “Because your initial rejections are funny. Roll!” She directed her question to a new person. “What was your first crafting class?”

Roll had expected a hard question coming from Kida, but surprisingly it was an easier one than she realized. “Leatherwork. And my first gathering class was fisher.” She looked to N’thuzu Tia. “Where’d you get that scar?” She pointed to a jagged white slash upon his upper chest to shoulder. His skin color made it apparent of the scar since the skin healed as a white mark.

He touched it before explaining. “Curious Gorge’s brother cleaved me with his axe while we were fighting. I wasn’t paying attention.”

At this point in the questioning game they arrived at the goblin homes, where they were bombarded by the remaining goblins who thanked them for their help in securing their homestead.

“Got rid of flighty-beast?”

Kida happily reported, “Aiatar, the dragon is dead!”

“Flighty-beast no more?”

Roll nodded. “He won’t be a problem for you anymore.”

“Happyhears flighty-beast is gone!”

The goblinfolk proceeded to give them more of their treasures and pushing them along down the path to the entrance of Brayflox’s Longstop. Given time to look at some of the things, they realized that some of the treasures were things that the four adventurers could hardly say were useful in any means, shape, or form. But a gift was a gift.

Brayflox was the last one to approach them. Her hands held a huge, red waxed block of something. They could smell the thing even before coming to a stop in front of her. It smelled oddly like—cheese? “Goodly uplanders has thanks of gobbieflock! Flighty-beast was tricksy foe, but uplanders outwitted with plansmaking. Uplanders has goodly heads for fighty-think.”

N’thuzu Tia looked down to Brayflox Alltalks, giving her a smile. The group could tell he was a serious fellow, but was able to still express himself openly. He was a good guy. “If you have any more fighty-beasties that need dealing with, you can come down to the Hidden Falls. Master Curious Gorge and I shall help if we’re able.”

Brayflox heavily breathed within her mask, a low release of air emanated from the nozzles by where her nose and mouth should have been. “Brayflox happyhears this indeed.” She nodded, before pushing the red-waxed wedge into Kida’s hands.

The party looked down at the gift, wondering what was that smelly and why they were being gifted something this big.

“Brayflox happygives tastyfresh gobbietreats to cleverkind uplanders!” She then gestured to the waxed item. “Cheese is stinkysweet gobbietreat! Specialmake with secret gobbiearts!”

Roll widened her eyes at the huge ingredient. “We killed a dragon…for cheese.”

“Weren’t you hungry Roll?” Kida held out the cheese from her hands, as they could already smell the stench wafting off from the ingredient. “Stinkycheese makes the best tasting cheese—or so the stories go.” The blue-haired Au Ra tried to give the cheese over, but Roll backed away.  N’thuzu Tia shook his head at her when she turned to him. Azlyn whistled looking away on purpose. “Oh fine, sure, let me carry the cheese. You three have subjected yourselves to cheese puns for the next thirty minutes—I’m up to no gouda!”

Azlyn winced at that pun. “Wow.”

Brayflox Alltalks shooed them out from the Longstop then, pushing them to go back to Costa Del Sol. “No party complete without gobbie gouda, Brayflox everysay! Quickly goes cleverkind uplanders to party! Brayflox see cleverkind uplanders shortly.” The gates to Brayflox’s Longstop slammed closed behind them and the four of them were left outside in Raincatcher Gully.

Kida called out to Brayflox. “Ricotta get going Braflox! Absence makes the heart grow fondue!”

Roll looked to Kida, she sighed. “I’m getting feta up with this.”

Azlyn gaped in horror. “That last thing I need right now is to start thinking about cheese all night. I’m really bad with word games like this!”

They all laughed at her sudden panic as she started to think up something that could work. While it was easy enough for Kida and Roll to bounce off puns, it took Azlyn quite a bit more time. While it was true she was multi-lingual, she struggled to come up with words on the fly.

N’thuzu Tia pointed back to the ferry, “I’ll walk you ladies back to the ferry. I have some things I still need to check out over here.”

Azlyn looked ready to run away from her cousin and Kida. “Did you want any help? You helped us quite a bit tonight—it’d only be fair.”

“Go ahead Thuzu, tell her that you don’t want to be prov-alone.” Kida teased. Azlyn dropped her head into her hands.

“By the Twelve.” She murmured in horror. “Puns are my neme-swiss… oh hey—I managed to make a decent one!”

Roll leaned over to whisper to her. “Just let it brie.”

“This is not my thing at all.” Azlyn at this point was laughing at the apparent madness of it all.  “What have you started Kida?”

N’thuzu Tia laughed. “It’s kind of funny.”

“It’s so cheesy.” Kida laughed, pushing the smelly cheese in her hands to Roll. “Nothing gets cheddar than this!” The white-haired Au Ra moved strategically behind N’thuzu Tia as they walked.

“You sure you don’t want any help?” Azlyn asked once more, just to be sure. She didn’t want to leave him on a lurch.

He smirked. “Thanks for the offer, but you have more important things to get done. Besides, the cheese is burning holes into my nostrils. The sooner you deliver it, the better.”

Roll walked a few paces away from Kida. “What he means to say is cheddar.”

Kida scrunched her face up. “At first I was thinking, what a gentleman—now it’s: We’re cheddar without him.”

The whole group laughed, N’thuzu Tia included.

“I never said I was gentle. Come on, the ferry’s this way.” He motioned for them to follow him down the path. It twisted and curved, given the path had no lights they had to navigate on N’thuzu Tia’s memory of the place. After ten minutes of walking, they finally saw the light at the docks. “Alright ladies, it was fun while it lasted.”

Kida held up the cheese up to his face, and he backed away from her abruptly. He started to wave the smell away, but it was still lingering. “Wanted to leave you with a lasting impression!” She cheered, before running down the pier.

N’thuzu Tia plugged his nose with a hand, and with the other gave them a quick wave goodbye. “Trust me, the last five to ten minutes left a lasting impression.”

“Hopefully it was a good one Thuzu.” Azlyn grabbed a notebook from her satchel and ripped a page out from it. Then she grabbed her ink pen and borrowed Roll’s back. “Give me a moment to use your back Roll.”

Her cousin crossed her arms, looking over to the Miqo’te warrior. “Thanks for helping us.”

“No problem.” He nasally spoke. Azlyn finished writing what she wanted and immediately handed him the piece of paper. He stared down at the writing before addressing them with a questioning glance. “You sure you want to offer me this invite? We only just met.”

Roll knew Azlyn had wrote him an invite to the free company, it was just an instinctual feeling she got when she noticed her cousin writing haphazardly. “Are we not friends already?”

“We should be!” Azlyn smiled. “And in queso emergency, you can contact us!” The girl paused before shaking her head. “Okay, I’m going to stop now. Anyway, if you need something you can find us in Ul’dah’s residential area! I wrote down the ward and plot number.”

“This is the first time I’ve made friends fighting monsters and dragons.” N’thuzu Tia nodded his head nonetheless, a smile played on his lips. “Alright then, I’ll think it over. Fated, huh. That’s a catchy name.”

“We follow whatever path we choose.” Azlyn gave him a thumbs up, before they heard Kida yelling for them.

“Hey you guys! This is going to be a special ferry run for us since the next one won’t be ready for an hour or so! Come on!” There was a short pause before she yelled out, “Bye Thuzu! You better come visit us with some snacks!”

“I guess this is goodbye for now Thuzu.” Roll turned to walk down the pier. “See you next time.”

“Bye Thuzu, see you soon!” Azlyn waved.  She ran down the pier to be the last one of their group to hop into the ferry. The boatmen pushed them off the dock, slowly drifting them toward Costa Del Sol’s numerous docks.

N’thuzu Tia walked down the pier to catch them before went too far. He waved the paper in the air that he got from Azlyn. “I hope to hear about your triumphant battle against Titan the next we meet.”

The Au Ra leaned over the side of the boat, being cautious not to lean too far out. She gave a cheeky grin and cupped a hand around her lips, so her voice was amplified. “Understood!”