Traveler

Mjnt kept true to her word when they first arrived in the quant training grounds supervised by Lord Haurchefant of House Fortemps. The Elezen knight had been interested to know how their battle against Garuda, so while the pair of Auri went to attune to the crystal, Mjnt told him the results from fighting. 

“It sounds like you’ve been through the ringer—in more ways than one my friends!” The Lord beamed to them when they returned. “Were it any other day where you were not pressed for time, I would recommend you get some rest and food. However the Garleans are not so kind. I hope you are able to rescue your friends Azlyn. Same to you... Kida, right?” Lord Haurchefant smiled warmly to them. 

“Yup that’s me!” Kida replied, cheekily poking herself with her finger. “Thanks for taking care of Azzie, she’s been through some shit and then some.” 

“Azzie?” Azlyn gave the girl a questioning glance. 

Lord Haurchefant chuckled. “Mjnt, will you be joining them on their way through?” 

The ruby eyed Viera nodded. “Of course, my Lord. It would be rude to leave them without an escort.” 

“Good.” 

Kida waved exuberantly goodbye to the Lord, as they traveled southward past the camp and into Skyfire Locks. They continued moving down the paths until they reached the Observatorium where Mjnt, Azlyn, and Kida entered the residence of Lord Portelaine of House Durendaire. 

After an invigorating conversation with him, and noticing the difference in gratitude and appreciation for their earlier efforts to put the imposter to an end, the trio found themselves with a juicy scandal. 

While it was true the reports stated that four of the Scions had been sighted being taken to Castrum Centri, there was also a fairly recent sighting of an imperial ship—with two prisoners escaping. 

“Wedge and Biggs!” Azlyn announced in the middle of the discussion. Lord Portelaine had described the Roegabyn and the Lalafell with perfect detail. “When did they escape?” 

“It happened late this morning—but the reports from my men stated the Garleans were quick on their heels.” 

Mjnt clicked her tongue. “We must hurry if we want to rescue them before they’re apprehended by the imperials.” 

“This may be our only chance.” Kida agreed, smacking her hands together. 

“The first place you should search would be west of here, by Dzemael Darkhold.” Lord Portelaine penned up a brief letter before folding it, and handed the parchment to Azlyn. “Our man stationed at the entrance, Sir Bricelt, may be able to tell you more. So as to expedite your mission, take this letter of introduction.”

Azlyn accepted it with a warm smile. “Thank you Lord Portelaine. You have been a great help.” 

The Lord shook his head, he slowly drew a circle with his finger on the table. He averted his gaze from them as he sighed. “Consider it as part apology for our previous interactions. I pray that you will soon be reunited with your comrades. May the Fury grant you strength.”

Mjnt bowed to the lord, her lips curled upward. “And to you, My Lord.” 

Together they left the estate, heading westward down the icy tundra. Mjnt led them over the river, where they jumped the boulders to avoid getting their boots soaked in the freezing water. After carefully jumping across, the three arrived in Boulder Downs, where they saw a large fortress guarded by a few guards up front. As they began their approach up to the fortress, a guard stepped forth stopping the three. 

“You stand before Dzemael Darkhold, the subterranean fortress excavated by the great Ishgardian house of the same name. None but authorized personnel may enter.” 

Azlyn presented the letter of introduction to him. “Good afternoon to you sir. May I present you this letter of introduction from Lord Portelaine?” 

He opened the letter, reading the contents. It was then that he gave a curious look. “It seems you come for information on the imperial airship.” The knight nodded, gazing to the three with understanding. “According to our scouts, the vessel had scarce touched the ground when a pair of men—captives, by all accounts—burst forth and bolted. Imperial soldiers have since been sighted in the area, seeking to recapture them.”

Kida waved both of her hands in front of her, trying to quicken this report. “—And???? What about our friends?! The prisoners, did you see where they went, or where they could be hiding! Your scouts should have seen that too, right!?”

“What? The captives are like to be your friends? Then let us pray that they are yet a step ahead of their pursuers. Go southwest to Aurum Vale, supposedly the emergency landing of their imperial ship had been near there. Speak with the knight named Pierremons, he should be able to assist you.” The knight offered to them instead of a reporting. At least it was something for them to follow. 

The trio moved out, leaving the knight to his duty. They followed the river leading south, keeping up with the stream until they came across a path and man made bridge. In the distance, they could see a huge cavern in the distance, where Mjnt pointed. “That’s the entrance to Aurum Vale. It’s a nest of Malboro’s and their egglings. Many poisonous plants and monsters reside within too.” 

Kida whistled, “So...I take it that means no afternoon picnic?” 

Azlyn chuckled. 

“I suppose one could have a picnic, if they were resistant to poison.” Mjnt spoke to pass the time as they walked. “Or did not mind a few uninvited guests.” 

“I love guests,” Kida perked, “especially ones I can shoot!” 

“We’re talking about enemy guests, right?” Azlyn confirmed, making sure she followed their conversation. 

“Yes.” They both replied. 

“Good. I was wondering why one would want to shoot a friend. That’s not a picnic I’d like to join.” 

They made it to the edge of the cavern, where Mjnt led them to the gated off area. Two guards were positioned there, however they were lax in their post. 

“Good Afternoon Sirs.” The Viera greeted. “We were told by a knight guarding Dzemael Darkhold you might have some information about an imperial airship reported nearby.” 

The knight on the right nodded. “The imperial airship—yes, I saw it approach to land with mine own two eyes.” 

Azlyn quirked her head. “Anything out of the ordinary—see anything strange or two people running?” 

The knight bobbed his head, thinking back. “I hastened to the landing site, arriving just in time to see the vessel take to the skies again, but not before it had deployed a detachment of troops. Gruff orders were being barked, and there was an air of consternation about them.” 

Kida punched her hands together. “They must mean to kill them if they find them.” 

That was something Azlyn was worried about. It would fit the Modus Operandi of the imperials. 

“We didn’t see any imperials up the path here, so that means that they ran away from this cave.” Mjnt replied, thinking back to the pathways of the area. “There may be some fresh tracks if we look carefully enough.” 

The knight gave them a sorrowful look. “Unfortunately I couldn’t see which direction the prisoners escaped to, since I returned to my post to report that imperials had landed on our soil. However, you are correct. The weather has not dropped any new layer of snow since the initial dropping of the Imperial airship. The tracks will linger if you look.” 

The trio left the cave, running out to the path where they split apart. Kida took to the left side of the path, Azlyn was on the right, and Mjnt stayed behind checking the center of the paths. She was examining the lifted snow prints when Kida yelled. 

“Over here!” 

A set of footprints. One small pair. One large pair. 

“They are heading north.” Mjnt noted, and they scoured the area until they found another set. This time they only found a small set of footprints. 

“They split up.” Azlyn noted, seeing the flurry of activity on the ground. “That’s not good. There are other footprints here.” 

Kida bounced in place, keeping warm and in rhythm. “Heavy footprints. Probably Garlean boots.” 

“Yeah. Definitely not good.” 

They continued following the trail, taking ten to fifteen minutes at each site to examine the scenes to follow the trail. When they came across a fresh set in the snow, Mjnt stopped in her tracks. Kida and Azlyn were fixated on the direction of the prints, however the Viera turned to the bridge. 

“There. Under the bridge.” She announced, pointing to the landmark. “I hear something. Sniffling.”

Azlyn turned to the bridge, as they all went silent. The only sound between the three of them were the gentle breeze of the wind. And sniffling. 

“You’re right.” They went down the hill, off the path and curved around the mason brick bridge. They could see the river flowing westward, and a monument tower in the distance. When they peeked there heads under the gap of the bridge, they saw a shivering Lalafell in a blue, black, and grey uniform that belonged to the Ironworks. 

He curled in himself, trying to keep warm. “So c-cold—I—I w-w-want to go home—”

“Wedge?” Azlyn called out to him softly. “Wedge, is that you?” 

He screamed, panicking in his ball. He rolled backward into the bridge as he swatted his arms. They could see a bit of ice growing on the edges of his Ironworks uniform.“P-please don’t eat me! I’m not nearly as succulent as I look! It’s all skin and bones underneath, I swear!” 

Kida snorted. “He sounds like he’s okay.” 

Mjnt nodded. “Indeed. You’re safe little one. We’re here to rescue you.” 

When Wedge stopped his panic attack, finally taking in the sight of the three. He gasped. “Az-Azlyn! It’s you! and... other people I don’t know. Oh, wait. That’s Kida. Thank goodness you’re here! It’s been...it’s been awful!” 

Azlyn frowned at his recollection. “I know. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” 

The Lalafellin engineer sniffled, rubbing his nose. “The Garleans were snapping at our heels like a hungry pack of wolves! I was so hells-bent on evading them, I almost ran headlong into a monster’s gaping maw—thrice! And when I finally found cover, it hit me how cold and hungry I was.” His stomach growled as soon as he mentioned his hunger. 

Kida pulled her satchel out, finding some spare food that she had stowed away. “I don’t have any extra fabrics on me, but I have some food.” 

Mjnt chuckled, “The monsters probably were saddened when you escaped their maw—thrice.” 

“Where is Biggs? We noticed your tracks split up by the cavern.” Azlyn asked, noticing the Roegabyn was not around. 

Wedge shivered, choking down the piece of jerky he quickly chewed. “B-Biggs...He—he isn’t here. He went off in a different direction to lure our pursuers away.” 

Mjnt frowned at that. “Which means the Garleans are on his tail.” 

“We need to hurry then.” 

Azlyn reached her hand up to her linkpearl, deciding to call Cid. “Cid, it’s me Azlyn. We found Wedge.” 

There was a moment of pause before Cid came back through on the line. “You found Wedge! That’s wonderful news! Now, what of Biggs?” 

She tapped the line open. “Diverting the Garleans away last we heard. But we need a quick extraction for our friend. The Garleans are still within the area.” 

“I see. Well, its hardly surprises me that the big fellow went off as he did. For all the tongue lashings he gives Wedge, he’s always taken care of him.” There was a momentary pause, before he connected the line back on. “Alright, we’ll fly on over with the Enterprise. Where shall we meet for the extraction?” 

Azlyn turned to Mjnt. “Is there a spot nearby that would be good for Cid to bring his airship?” 

The Viera tapped her chin. “The Monument Tower, in the westernmost side of the Coerthas Central Highlands. It’s the closest monument to us.” 

“There’s a tower called Monument Tower, west of the Dzemael Darkhold and Aurum Vale. We’ll be waiting for you there. Don’t worry, we’ll try to find Biggs before you arrive.” Azlyn replied. 

Cid spoke calmly. “We’ll be there in the hour. He’ll show up—with everyone searching he is bound to be found. See you shortly.” 

Wedge walked up to Azlyn, he pulled his goggles up from his watery red eyes. “Dare I hope... was that Master Garlond you spoke with!?” 

Kida nodded. “Correct my dude! We have so much to catch you up!” 

The Lalafellin brought his arm to his face, covering and muffling his cries as relief overcame him. “After five long years.” He choked out. “Thank goodness he’s alive!” 

Azlyn smiled. “Thank the Twelve you are alright too Wedge.” 

With Wedge’s rescue complete, the party of four traveled westward to the tall tower in the distance. Azlyn could see how such a landmark could be an easy place to meet with someone—and given the open terrain of snow—there would be plenty of space to land an airship.

“I know Kida—and Azlyn—but who’s this person guiding us?” Wedge asked, his feet crunching through the layers of snow.

Kida perked. “This is Mjnt! We just met recently! Oh! Mjnt, has anyone ever told you that your ears look super fluffy?”

The Viera hid her laughter behind her gloved hand. “No, I can’t say that I have. People tend to avoid the topic of my ears.”

Wedge pointed to her shoes—the pointed stilettos of the boot were designed differently than any other boots he had seen. “And your feet?”

Azlyn looked down, seeing what he pointed out. She didn’t have a habit of looking to people’s feet. “No wonder you’re tall. I mean, you’re tall, but you have quite the arch.”

The Viera smirked, treading confidently down the path. “I tend to wear boots with a wider brim and tall heel. These shoes provide the most comfort in my everyday routine.” She stopped briefly to point to the front of her foot. “Many Viera wear heeled footwear for balance—however I could walk as usual without my boots.”

Kida pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet, walking elegantly beside the Viera. “This is an amazing calf workout—you probably have calves of steel!”

“Rabbits do have strong kicks.” Azlyn pointed out with a growing smile. “And powerful jumps.”

“Don’t give all of my secrets away Azlyn.” Mjnt joked, her red hair bouncing over her shoulder. “It is true that I have a greater advantage using my lower core when I fight. It is one reason I decided to become a dragoon.”

They were within three hundred yards of the Monument Tower now. The four strode up to the massive structure. Azlyn took note of the path splitting from there, one leading south and the other leading north. Kida hopped from one foot to the other as she bounced ahead. “It’s too bad Biggs is not present with us. It’d make this rescue mission that much easier.”

Azlyn sighed, wondering where he could have gotten himself into. She knew there was more to this wilderness than the parts they’d been to, but they wanted to get Wedge to safety. “We don’t need everyone to escort Wedge to the Tower.” She advised, pointing to the doors. “We’re practically here.”

Wedge stopped in his tracks, looking torn between happiness and sadness. He was happy to be saved—however Biggs presented him with a conflicting spell of emotion. “I can’t bear to think Biggs is still alone in this cold, and with the Garleans on his heels.” He sighed heavily.

“I’ll make some rounds.” Azlyn offered. Mjnt turned to the girl with a raised eye brow.

“Not alone.”

“Who is going to get Wedge access within the tower then?” Azlyn posed her question back to them.

Mjnt crossed her arms over her chest. “Fair point.”

“But when you get him to safety, you can give me a buzz on the linkpearl and join up with me to search for Biggs. That way we can cover some ground without losing time in the process.” Azlyn suggested quickly, hoping it would alleviate some doubts about splitting up.

The pair thought between themselves, before Kida inevitably agreed. “Alrighty, but you better answer your linkpearl.”

Mjnt tapped her chin. “We can ask the locals at Monument Tower if they’ve seen a Roegabyn running in the area as well. Like you stated, we can cover more ground without losing time.”

Wedge bobbed his head back and forth. “Time is of the essence!”

“Okay, then I’m going to track down south of here—while you guys figure out what the locals know. Whoever hears reliable information about Biggs will call the other party.” Azlyn presented the plan with relative ease.

Kida smirked, her fingers tapping on her arm excitedly. “We also don’t act unless we’re all together or if we’re forced into it. No fighting on our own!”

“Deal.” Azlyn agreed. She parted from them with a two fingers salute, running down the icy paths to what seemed to be a large cavern.

After ten minutes of exploration, she found the dead end of the cavern, where a multitude of floating spectral orbs of purple energy sifted through the air. She watched the phenomena with a curious eye. The only sign of anyone’s presence in these icy walls were of her own two feet, and she hadn’t found a trace of the Roegabyn coming this way.

She tapped her linkpearl. “Mjnt, Kida, it’s me.”

“We were on our way down to you. The locals were saying that he may have come to Fury’s Gate.” Kida replied with glee.

“Is the cavern to the south known as Fury’s Gate?”

Mjnt replied this time. “Yes. Hallowed, icy halls filled with powerful energies.”

“Not here.” Azlyn answered their earlier assumption from the local. “There’s no sign of Biggs south of Monument Tower. I can only assume he was trying to get the Garleans away from Wedge—so he probably went into another direction.”

“We talked with another knight—they said something about if he wasn’t near Darkhold, he could have made his way to Whitebrim. Which path was that? Daniffen Pass?” Kida asked, although Azlyn guessed the question went to their Viera in the group.

She was more acclimated to the area than they were—although Azlyn had been through that pass before. That’s where they hunted the Mudpuppies for the ishgardian knights who resided in Whitebrim Front.

“Daniffen Pass.” Mjnt answered confidently. “Azlyn, we’re at the mouth of Fury’s Gate. Are you still there?”

Azlyn heard the slight echo of her voice off the walls as she made her way outside. The strange echo in her ear and her real voice gave her a bit of dysphoria. She shook the feeling, as she turned the corner. Standing there were both Kida and Mjnt, waiting for her arrival.

“Present.” The Au Ra with white hair chirped and watched the funny reaction of Kida as she clicked off her linkpearl.

“Dude—it’s weird hearing your voice through the channel, and then in real life. But this cave also has some good acoustics!” She cupped both her hands around her mouth before yodeling into the cave.

Mjnt turned back to the snow terrain behind them. “Careful. You do not want to disturb the energies that reside here in Fury’s Gate.”

Azlyn chuckled, “Come on. We have less than forty-five minutes before Cid arrives. Let’s surprise both Wedge and Cid.” 

The three made their way back to the path, winding up to Monument Tower and past it, heading northward. The clouds started to darken up above, as some new snow started to fall in a slow rhythm. They picked up their pace, not wanting any tracks that Biggs could have left behind to be covered in the fresh fall of snow.

“What’s this?” Mjnt spoke, kneeling to the ground, brushing it with her hand. “A few boots have traveled through this way. No more than ten minutes I’d say.”

Azlyn peered up the path, close to the cavernous path. That was when she spotted several individuals surrounding one familiar looking Engineer. “There!”

Kida plucked her bow from her back. “It’s time we kicked some ass!”

Mjnt did the same, bringing her lance out to her side. “It would be rude to keep them waiting.”

They caught the tail end of their discussion, as their voices carried in this environment.

“Dead or Alive! Which will it be, Engineer!?” All the soldiers had their weapons drawn and pointed to the Roegabyn. He was dancing on his feet, steadying himself as he held his hands up to protect his face.

“Why don’t you come and find out, tin-head!” They all heard Biggs shout.

“That’s not very nice!” Kida shouted out, louder than all of them. Azlyn gave the girl a horrified look as the Garleans turned to see them skidding to a halt. “Let’s even these odds, and kick your asses at the same time!”

Mjnt charged to one Garlean, as they were about to fire a round at them. Her lance whipped up and outward, knocking the weapon from the soldiers hand. Then she swung around, blithely moving to give the soldier a round house kick to the solar plexus.

“Kill them all!” The leader of the group yelled when Mjnt successfully knocked one unconscious.

Biggs stammered in the fight, “H-how did you know where to find me?”

Azlyn brought forth her Allagan summoning book, calling forth her domain of fire familiar to handle one of the Garleans. “Let’s just say we have good tracking skills!”

She watched as the imperial soldier attempted to dodge and weave around her summon creature, only for Biggs to come up from behind to deal a heavy blow to his skull. She grinned, seeing the imperial drop to his knees and fall unconscious.

“Two down!”

Kida fired several arrows, all charged with purple energy. They pierced into the chest of the other individual who had tried to cross the distance into melee with her. She, however, was the quicker draw. “Three!”

“Requesting imperial backup! Reinforcements to coordinates X11.6, Y24.6 immediately!” The last remaining man called into his signal box. Mjnt jumped from her position, landing with a deftly blow to the machine. It whirred in chaos before firing off several sparks from the damage.

“The more the merrier!” Kida yelled, “I’ll beat you all into the next Umbral Era!”

Azlyn let her Egi maneuver itself, only to see behind them a platoon of soldiers coming down the pass. She clicked her tongue. “You’re getting your wish Kida!” Not only were there soldiers, but a large mecha vanguard barreling to them.

She brought her egi to her side, before she commanded it to release a huge explosion in front of the cavern. “Explosion!” She watched as the ice and snow fractured and snapped under the intensity of the heat. While it caused a small cave in, she knew that the Vanguard would easily break through it.

“Three seconds until we have company!” She announced as the four readied themselves. After the appointed time, the caved-in portion exploded outward—as the snow and ice blew away from a blast of the cannon.

Mjnt darted first, taking down as many of the foot soldiers as she could. Kida supported, strumming her fingers against the harpsichord rapidly. “An Army’s Power will provide strength in you, Now go forth and make them black and blue!”

“Titan!” Azlyn commanded her Ifrit back, bringing forth the bounty of the earth to her side. “Collapse the ground at their feet!” She ordered, watching as her miniature egi pounded its fist into the ground. A wide crack zig zagged from it to the enemy reinforcements, stopping just underneath the vanguard. She watched as the familiar snapped its arm in an upward fashion, as a chunk of the earth pierced into the left leg of the machine.

It faltered, stuck to the ground.

Mjnt took this opportunity to jump high in the sky. As the Vanguard turned to Azlyn to fire off its cannons to her, the Viera landed with her lance first into the head of the machine. She started to tear into the machine with her spear, hacking and piercing, before summersaulting off it and away.

Kida took this opportunity to string an arrow with a strange contraption wrapped with rope. She lit a fuse at the end of it and released it into the air. Her aim was true, as the arrow zipped and exploded upon impact.

The bits and pieces of magitek machine blew apart as Kida laughed manically. “Did you see that!”

“What the twelve was that!? Dynamite!?” Azlyn hollered over the loud explosions. The gasoline and ceruleum that fueled these machines caused a bigger explosion to go off.

The blue haired Xaela Au Ra rubbed her nose with glee. “I’m so glad I asked my buddies from the miner’s guild for some.”

“Guys—we have more company!” Biggs announced, pointing to the south. Another vanguard and a platoon of soldiers were rushing to them.

Mjnt stepped forward, snapping her lance outward. “They are desperate to get you it seems.”

“I’d prefer the strong attentions of a group of ladies instead.” Biggs replied, hopping back and forth on his feet.

“Got another of those dynamite Kida?” Azlyn asked.

With a wide toothy smile, the bard plucked three more bundles from her bag. “I have lots!”

The Au Ra shook her head. “Twelve forfend.” She turned her attention to the ground. “I will cage them up when they get close enough. Like…now!” She commanded Titan-Egi to create a large gaol, on that opened the surrounding paths and started to rise upward. The Garleans didn’t know what to make of it, but Azlyn turned quickly to Mjnt.

“Jump up to the edge before the Magitek can destroy the wall! Throw the dynamite in with the fuses lit!”

Mjnt nodded, as Kida tossed her all the rounds she had. While the Viera was jumping upward, Azlyn focused her attention to feeding aether to Titan, who continued to brace the walls. She hoped this would keep the damage to a minimum and rid them of the threats.

When she arrived at the top, she set aflame the fuses—tossing them all inward. In a matter of seconds, she flipped backwards and away. The loud sound of explosions and screams within were all that remained, until finally silence welcomed them.

“Let’s return the ground to how it should be…” Azlyn wiped the sweat from her forehead, letting the earth return to it’s original resting spot. She then helped soothed the snow over the fractures she caused, while the others looked to the mess of Garleans under the Vanguard. It appeared that the magitek took the blunt damage of the explosion, while crushing them underfoot. As Azlyn had trapped them in her circular gaol, it was all they could do.

“Don’t twelve forfend me!” Kida ran over with a huge grin on her face. “Look at you and your strong power! Did you think of that on the fly?”

The Au Ra nodded. “I thought maybe the small quarters would make it difficult for them to move. Also small spaces with exploding objects makes for a rather destructive ending.”

“You’re sounding like that mage… Koroko was it?” Mjnt approached Biggs, looking him up from head to toe. “Are you injured?”

The Roegabyn shook his head, his breath had finally caught up to him. “My thanks—Another few moments, and I would have been Magitek powder.”

Kida gave him a thumbs up. “All good my dude! We’re just glad you’re alright!”

Azlyn continued to smoothen out the earth she wrecked in her plan, until she returned it back to the way it was before. She even fixed up the entrance into Daniffen Pass, stabilizing the foundation and walls. When that was all done, she turned back to the three of them.

“With time to spare too! I believe we still have five more—” She stopped as the roar of an airship overhead came above them. It flew with ease over to Monument Tower in the south. Azlyn grinned. “Scratch that. Our ride is here.”

Biggs widened his eyes at the sight of the airship. He removed his goggles, rubbing his eyes, before placing them back on. “Was that… the Enterprise?“ He asked with doubt still in his voice.

Kida grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back to the path. “Come see for yourself! A very special person is also waiting!”

The engineer bobbed his head as they started to make their way back to Monument Tower. When they arrived, they were greeted by not only a sobbing Wedge, but a grateful Cid. Biggs approached them both, before nodding. “It’s good to see you chief.”

Cid reached out a hand to clap the Roegabyn on his arm. “Same to you Biggs. Wedge caught me up to date on what you’ve done in my time away. Excellent work with keeping the Ironworks going.”

Wedge sniffled loudly. “I-I cannot thank you enough you guys! Thank you all so much!” He sobbed into his hands.

Kida waved off his emotional outburst. “Don’t mention it!”

Mjnt crossed her arms, looking over to see the others had joined them. Y’shtola, Yda, and the rest of the free company save for Roll and Alphinaud were present.

“We are family, are we not?” The conjuring scholar from Sharlayan proposed aloud to their group. “We may as well at this rate.”

Azlyn smirked. “It’s quite a large one—isn’t it?”

Biggs turned to them all. “I owe the lot of you my life—and many more for all that you’ve done. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Help us kick the Empire’s ass!” Kida rallied, to which Richiro and Koroko applauded from the airship. “And to rescue our friends from their grimly little clutches!”

The engineers agreed, giving the Au Ra a thumbs up. Cid motioned for them to board the Enterprise, a growing smile on his face. “Come—let us meet up with Alphinaud and Roll in Mor Dhona. Let us see what they have come up with in their absence.” 

The group hollered together, pumping their fists into the air. The only one keeping to himself had been Nin-Nin, arms crossed in the back of the ship. While everyone boarded, she moved to the back back him. She greeted him with a simple hand wave. 

He looked to her, and she quirked her head curiously. 

“Been busy?” 

The man shrugged, before reaching a hand out to flick her on the forehead. She winced in pain, recoiling away. The cloth that covered his face slightly lifted at the corners of his lips. He signed, « You like worrying people »

“Sorry.” She apologized sincerely. The ship lifted off the snow, and floated higher up into the sky. She rubbed her forehead. “I promise not to do that again.” 

« If you go through something like that again—come find me. I have places that you can hideout at. »

“Really?” She widened her eyes at the surprisingly kind things he offered to her. 

He gave a silent sigh. « Nevermind, go die in a ditch or something »

“That’s rude!” 

Kida ran over, hooking an arm with her. “What’s rude!” 

“Nothing.” Azlyn shook her head. “Nin-Nin being Nin-Nin I suppose.” 

The blue haired Au Ra grinned ear to ear. “Isn’t he always rude?” She laughed while the mute ninja shrugged. He didn’t bother to validate what she said aloud. 

“We’re off to Mor Dhona.” Y’shtola approached them, the growing snow storm continued to pour snow upon the grounds of Coerthas and their ship as they flew overhead. “You’re going to be busier than ever Azlyn—are you ready?” 

The girl nodded, gazing to all of her friends that were with her. “Yeah!”