Magick of Attraction Chapter 1
#1 of Magick of Attraction chapters
Soooo, this is, more or less, my first story on here on SoFurry - and it's been a LONG time since I've written, admittedly. ^^;
But because of some discussion with my mate to write up a story after reading a certain one that kinda resonated with us, I decided to hit the keyboard again - metaphorically speaking, of course.
It's based in the world of Ivalice - around the time of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, to be precise.
Criticism would actually be VERY much appreciated, as I hope to be able to capture some feelings in this story, so anything you have to offer would be considered with an open mind and arms. :3
With that said, and not much more in mind to say, let's get to it, hmm?
Thanks to my boyfriend for helping edit and clean it up. ^^
Disclaimer: I only own one character, which is the one being written in as first-person. All others basically belong to my friends, lover, or Square Enix. Game, title, and all other legal properties of course belong to Square Enix.
Also, it's basically a gay love story, which may or may not include some guy-on-guy smexings in later chapters - you have been warned. ;P
Magick of Attraction: Chapter 1
The bar filled my ears with the sounds of countless chattering, wooden chairs scraping on the floor, and metal clinking on metal as people enjoyed themselves in their lives, laughing, eating, drinking... Some would be here daily, living life as they deemed fit. Others, who frequented the bar enough for the barkeep to know their regular orders, relaxed after a day of hard work. And more, rarely seen at all, who secluded themselves away from the noise and society of the world, preferring to be lone wolves, would wander in every now and again to see what all the fuss was about. Admittedly, it wasn't much without good friends - I had wandered in a few times on my own just for the hell of it, but it usually remained pretty uneventful and boring. That's why, normally, I came in here with some of my buddies from my Clan Athlum. We rarely drank - it was more a place to relax for us after hard-worked quests. It was basically a standard for most clans, actually. You normally could find members of at least 4 different clans in one bar, chatting, comparing notes or strategies, trading - it was our watering hole. Non-clan members weren't uncommon, of course - it wasn't restricted to us. Trouble would be caused if the bar WAS restricted, given that clans weren't always around. It just seemed... natural to assume most were in a clan, considering how many of us there were.
At the time, I was chatting with one of my fellow clan-mates, Kenrick- a Bangaa training as a Templar, though right now he wasn't wearing his armor. Instead, he was dressed casually, wearing a black undershirt with a white vest resting on top of it, with some brown pants, only reaching to right above his ankle. As with most Bangaa, he was tall, well-built, and swift. His entire body was covered with scales of a grey-ish hue, though the light that reflected off of them made them seem white. His gentle demeanor belied his great strength, yet suited well the support magic he provided us in battle. He was caring and passionate, but could sometimes have a short temper, depending on the person, and quite stubborn. He was a good friend to me. He was different, though, in that he didn't drag out his 'S's, like most Bangaa do. Said he'd come from Rabanastre, and how it was possible to hear Bangaa there who didn't hiss. En, as we tended to call him, as he disliked his full name being used causally, was a kind soul, and it was rare for him to get into arguments with anyone... save for maybe two members of our clan.
As we talked about random topics - if we were interested in anyone, if anything interesting was going on, battle strategies - keeping up the friendly convo, my eyes drifted towards a nearby Nu Mou. His hair and fur were both brown, his hair darker in color. He wore simple clothing - a dark red robe, with a hood resting on the back, and a green undershirt so dark in hue it appeared black. His tail rested on his lap, the tail fur a shade of dark gray closer to his body, then getting lighter as it went to the tip of the tail, lightening to a cloudy gray. He sat in a corner, gently plucking at a harp with his little fingers, usually messing up and re-attempting notes. He wasn't experienced with it, but he was attempting to learn. He held an interest in the musical instrument, it seemed, and seeing the Nu Mou hold such an interest in something tugged a small grin from me in response.
'Nuadiah...' His name flashed into my mind instantly. Nuadiah, the Nu Mou White Mage of the group, was no stranger to me. Though it might have seemed sad to anyone else, seeing this Nu Mou all by his lonesome in the corner as he practiced so hard at the harp, I could see he had come a long way since I had found him a few weeks ago. For that, I was proud, but I couldn't help but reminisce about how he'd come into our lives in the first place...
Despite the noise of the people around me and the bar itself, its already hard-to-breathe atmosphere tampering with the clairvoyance I usually held when it came to memories, this particular memory was engraved into my soul - it was something I couldn't forget, and the mere remembrance of it sent my heart aflutter in fear, nerves, and sadness.
Leaves jumped up as I walked along the forest path, leaves of a variety of brown, red, and yellow colors that almost completely covered the trail, my Blue Mage attire waving slightly in the breeze and sending multiple leaves scattering and dancing upon the ground, as if they were trying to take flight. Unlike most Blue Mages, though, I refused to wear a hat - it just didn't suit me. Instead, I let my medium length, darkish brown hair completely soak in the sun, the breeze blowing a few strands loose here and there. To compensate a bit, though, I wore blue-rimmed glasses, a bit square and rounded off at the edges, but it complemented my blue eyes and Blue Mage attire quite well.
I proceeded down the path, my eyes scanning a fair distance ahead as I went, seeing nothing but trees with very few or no leaves at all, branches hanging empty handed and almost sad-looking. It made sense - Ashleaf had almost passed. We had entered autumn quite a while ago, but only recently had the full effects of the season really shown. I loved it, though. Autumn was my favorite season. The changing colors of the leaves, the beauty the landscape held as it was stripped almost completely bare... as if the world itself were shedding off a skin to reveal its underlying form. It was just a beautiful thing to see...
I chided myself, breaking out of my stupor. "Zeal... As much as you love the season, you're not here on a simple stroll. You're here to take care of a beast... On your own. Gotta be on your toes... No time to relax."
Lately, around the town of Wood Village, there have been sightings and reports of a monster that hunted on its own, but it behaved oddly - it only attacked people travelling alone. And anyone who had encountered the beast... well, they were too busy running for their lives to chance a look back at the monster, so no one actually knew what it looked like. As for why it only attacked lone travelers, multiple theories were conceived. It could be wounded and being cautious. It could be a new, smarter breed of monster that had only recently appeared. Perhaps it was, in fact, a mother and wouldn't attack something it couldn't defeat... or, risk it, anyway. Whatever the case, I had volunteered to investigate. For one, I was curious about it, and two... well, depending on the situation, I'd rather like NOT to harm it. If, perhaps, it was a new breed of monster, then it would be better off studying it and learning about it. And if with kin, then I wouldn't bother - even if she was a monster, it's not in me to slay a mother or her children. That would be too cruel... Of course, then what should be done? If I let them be, then they might cause more havoc.
Upon realizing only now the consequences of either action, my heart fell slightly. I might just have to do that deed, after all... It was for the good of the people, anyway. This was a weakness I held - I would tend to jump into situations where I thought I knew the best answer, the best solution, to make everyone happy. Only to realize in the middle of it all that what I thought would be the best solution... wouldn't be all that great in the first place. There always seemed to be consequences I didn't think of, ones that would always skip my view.
Depressing as it was, I knew I had to steel my resolve. If I didn't take care of this, someone else eventually would. Besides, if I bowed out, that would hurt Clan Athlum's reputation, and I certainly wouldn't want to be held responsible for that. If we wanted to succeed as a clan, worthy of being heard of, then we had to go through with our quests once we took them. No matter what I though personally.
I had gone quite a ways down the trail as the leaves danced and glided along the ground, when I heard a loud rustling along the side. Snapping my head in that direction, I glanced around in an attempt to identify the source of the sound, 'Too loud to have been just the leaves...' I thought in a state of obviousness, making a more astute observation, 'But... with the trees lack of leaves, it's quite easy to see in between the trunks... So where and what...?'
With bated breath, I continued to scan along the side, my nerves on edge as I gripped the hilt of my sabre at my side tightly, adrenaline running through my veins, trying desperately to identify what had made that sound as I scanned along the tree line, but the only sound I could hear being the leaves brushing against the ground as they were scattered by the breeze...
I then heard another sound: a deep growl. Spinning, I drew my saber with a swift movement to see what had made the startling noise. What I saw surprised me. It was a monster of the wolf breed, with a flaming red pelt. "A worgen? Here?" I thought to myself, alarmed. Worgen were dangerous, and this one was huge. In fact, it looked a bit TOO big. I figured that it must have been exposed to a large amount of Mist to make it grow so huge. The beast moves forward, insanity in its eyes as it stared right into my own. I gulped, took a battle stance, and waited. A second later, I heard our clan's judge call out: Slashing was forbidden, but magic was recommended. This was a problem, since my weapon was a saber, but I had magic enough to deal with this creature. I hoped.
The call for the start of the engagement sounded, and I immediately began to reach inside of myself, for the magic that allowed Blue Mages to copy the abilities of monsters. As the wolf charged straight at me, I released a Screech- an ability, ironically that of wolves, that both damages and confuses those who hear it- and blasted it back a bit. The worgen howled, confused, and charged the nearest thing it thought was an enemy. Which, luckily for me, was NOT me, but a tree. This gave me enough time to ready another monster ability, one that had nearly done me in some time before. I got as close as I dared, and unleashed a powerful blast known as Matra Magic. The worgen, already injured from my Screech and with little Mist it managed to absorb, yelped as its lifeforce and Mist reserves were switched by the shimmering pyramid of light. Unfortunately for the beast, it had no Mist, so it quickly perished as Matra Magic ended.
After I was certain that my spell had killed it, I took a closer look at the worgen. It was indeed larger than a regular wolf, too big to have occurred naturally. So Mist had to have influenced it, mutated it to grow this size.... It made me wonder. If there was one, there might be more, and that would be a problem. However, I knew that I couldn't handle so many on my own, if there were more. But it wouldn't hurt to check, and I was certain I could get away fast enough or hold my own long enough to escape. Taking a bit of the worgen's pelt as proof that I'd defeated my mark, I began looking for signs of other creatures, as well as looking for the telltale shimmering of Mist.
After several hours, I'd found no signs of any other mutated creatures, and only a tiny amount of visible Mist that was far too small to have caused mutations of any sort. I had seen several other creatures, as well as a few wolves, but they didn't seem to want to attack me. Maybe they'd sensed the worgen nearby and it had made them cautious to everything else? I wondered around a bit, before being certain that I would not find anything. If it turned out that there was indeed another mutated creature, a mark would almost certainly be made for it, and either myself or someone else would take care of it, maybe even press it into a proper investigation. Either way, my work here was done, and I began to make my way back to the Wood Village.
It became dark during my search, and visible light quickly faded. I contemplated making a temporary camp, but figured I could press on more before I'd be forced to stop. After a mile or so, however, I stopped. I had a terrible feeling in my gut, like something bad was either coming or had taken place nearby. Cautiously, I looked around and quickly came across a small clearing in the trees, and the scene of a recent battle. Blood soaked the very earth, and bodies of the slain lay around the clearing. They'd been looted already, and their wounds were horrible. "What.... In Jylland..... Oh no......" Whoever had done this not only hadn't held back, but they'd caused more damage than necessary. I checked each of the bodies, but all were dead. I came upon the last of them, a Nu Mou with the robes of a white mage and unusual fur coloring. I bent down to check and see if there was hope for him to be alive, when I noticed he had no major wounds, and his robes were ripped and torn. I searched him, looking for other marks and wounds. Covering his body were small bruises, but that was about it. No fatal wounds, cuts, or burns. I did, however, notice that his robes and undergarments were torn in such a way his private areas were exposed. My heart leapt into my throat, and my mind spun, considering the worst.
I felt for a pulse, and found one on his neck, but it was faint. It was enough for me to relax a bit and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Focusing, I reached down into myself again, this time letting out another Blue Mage ability I'd learned, White Wind. It was much a healing spell as the basics White Mages learned, but it operated differently. Cure spells were healing energy, drawing from the well of Mist a White Mage held in their body, higher levels of healing requiring more Mist to be drawn, repairing more damage to the afflicted body. White Wind also drew upon Mist to cast, BUT instead of repairing the damage to a body using the amount of Mist, it instead relied on the caster's own physical state. However the state of the caster's body was, White Wind would take that and add it to the afflicted's own physical state.
I cast the spell. A white-shaded breeze proceeded to flow around the Nu Mou, his bruises slowly disappeared until they were completely gone, as if they were never there in the first place. Seeing as how I didn't take any physical damage from the earlier encounter with the Mist-inflicted Worgen, the Nu Mou's body was restored to a perfect state, and the white breeze dissipated.
Relaxing on my knees, I covered the small body of the Nu Mou with my cloak, offering him some warmth and privacy. I began to debate what to do next in the meantime. It was too dark to start making my way back to Wood Village with the Nu Mou, so it was better that I set up a temporary camp. It was the best I could do, so I stood up and scoured around the area, searching for big enough pieces of wood and sticks to make a good fire. Though, as I did, I kept in mind the dead bodies I'd found earlier and wondered how the Nu Mou would react... How I'd tell him. I bit my lip in silence, nervous about his reaction.
After gathering a fair-sized armload of sticks, I unceremoniously dumped them as I knelt down a comfortable distance from the Nu Mou, re-gathering some sticks that rolled too far away. I dug a small pit, clearing out any loose leaves, and used nearby medium sized rocks to build a circle. Dumping some sticks into the circle, I reached deep into myself to access my High Magicks, from the time I spent as a Seer, and had to greatly limit the Fira I cast so I could flick on a small flame from my thumb. It required an amount of restraint, nearly losing control of it as the flame threatened to ignite larger. Acting quickly, I pressed my thumb to the sticks as I focused on restraining the flame until the sticks ignited. The second that happened, I immediately killed the flame emitting from my thumb and drew back my hand, sighing as a sweat built on my brow from the amount of energy it took to maintain the small flame. Each tiered spell was built to act as a higher version of the base elements. Fire drew from the heat of the world, Blizzard drew from the frozen waters and cool temperatures, and Thunder drew from the very natural energy that occurred in the world. Spells were more-or-less focused versions of that, bringing them into a more physical form. Mages could draw upon Mist and gather these elements into such spells. I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. I could get to be a bit too explanatory, in the oddest of times.
It didn't take long for the wood to burn in a bright flame, providing light and heat for the two of us. I glanced over at the Nu Mou, who seemed to still be asleep, 'Whatever had happened must've taken a great toll on him...' I wondered, concerned. These kinds of attacks were unheard of, and had happened three or four times this past year that I'd heard of. There was a rumor that the culprits of these attacks were remnants of an infamous clan known as the Khamja, who had mysteriously vanished, 3 years ago. Their leader, Illua, had apparently vanished as well. I wasn't much informed of the events revolving around what occurred, but it was said that a boy, Luso, who had been under the wing of the Revgaji Cid had been involved in the events that transpired. The Khamja clan had been a thorn in the side of clans everywhere, as they held the unique ability to subdue other clans' judges, making these clans vulnerable and unprotected by the laws held in place. They were capable of... actually dying.
The images of the bodies I had found earlier flashed back into my head - could it really have been Khamja? It made sense... A smart clan wouldn't be wandering around without being adjudged, and if they had been under the protection of the law, then they wouldn't have ended up like this. We were nowhere near a Jagd, either...
I lost track of the time with how long I had pondered about all of this, but after some time the Nu Mou eventually stirred. Noticing, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and gazed at him, watching to see if he would wake. It didn't take long. After a moment of his body shifting, his eyes fluttered open. He took a few moments to rub his eyes, ridding them of any crust that might've built up, then let his eyes adjust. As I opened my mouth to address him, wearing a gentle smile, his eyes immediately widened in a kind of fear and he let out a yelp, jumping up and taking off into a run as my robe fell of off him.
Except he didn't get far. As he started to move, he tripped and fell onto the ground, sending leaves scattering about his body. I stood up and walked over to him as he attempted to get back up, falling again as he tried to run.
"Hey..." I said in my gentlest voice as I approached him slowly, "Hey, calm down... it's okay..."
He either didn't hear me or didn't care. The Nu Mou stared at me with frightful eyes, crawling away on his back, keeping me in his gaze, "No... No no NO, get AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed in a shaky, broken, and terrified voice.
I froze, goose-bumps rising on my skin from the shrillness in his voice, and I felt my heart crack at the despondency of it all. Something BAD had happened to him... My fears from before, discovering the way his robes were torn, rose to the surface of my mind, and my heart once more leapt into my throat.
Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, I forced myself to calm down and gently spoke him again, "Listen... I'm not gonna hurt you, alright...?" Staying in my spot, I knelt down, "I don't know what happened... but I'm here to help..."
He continued backing away until he hit a tree, shaking his head in disbelief, "N-no! Y-you're with them! I know you are! W-why else would you have c-come here?! You c-came back t-to f-finish what they s-started!"
His voice was less shrill than before, and there was less shock behind his words, but he was no less terrified. I took in another deep breath, my heart cracking further from seeing this Nu Mou in such pain - not physical, but psychological. Anger spread through my body as I thought about just what these bastards had done to this poor Nu Mou, but I took a few slow breaths to calm myself. Trying to calm him down was much more important right now. "Calm down, please... I'm not one of them... I'm with Clan Athlum. I don't think you've heard of us..." I was hoping he knew who we were. It would let him know that I wasn't someone who'd hurt him, and hopefully would ease his terror. But he didn't recognize the name, so I continued, "...But, anyway, I had come through the trail... I was looking for a monster, which had been attacking lone travelers... as a part of an assigned quest. It was Mist-inflicted, and I came out here to see if I could find the source of the Mist... but..."
I noticed he had stopped shaking his head and was looking at me cautiously. His eyes were fearful, but he relaxed noticeably, and I as paused to look at him, he spoke up quietly. "...Mist...? W-we were out here b-because we h-had heard... Re-p-ports on a large amount of M-Mist..."
"Ah..." I looked down at the ground between the frightened Nu Mou and myself, and begun to think aloud. "... Then it's possible that the report you heard and had come out to investigate was indeed that Mist, which had affected that monster I fought earlier..."
My mind spun, and he didn't reply. His eyes never left me for a second. Slowly, I looked back up at him and into his eyes - it was said that when you could look another person in the eyes that you were trustworthy with your intentions. He relaxed once more, but shifted his gaze after a moment to my body. He still seemed uncomfortable, keeping an eye on me but wouldn't hold my gaze. That was alright. I hadn't much of an idea of what happened, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was managing to get him to calm down long enough for an explanation. "... Might I ask your name?" I calmly inquired politely.
He considered it for a second or two before responding. "... Nuadiah..." His reply was in a cautious manner, but it held a sad and calm tone.
A gentle smile re-appeared on my face. "Nuadiah... It's a wonderful name. May I come closer, Nuadiah?"
Nuadiah bit his lip in thought, and seemed to consider what could happen. Thinking about it myself, I realized that my saber wasn't helping. Slowly, I unhooked the sheath and blade from my belt and carried it back over next to the fire, returning before long and kneeling back down to the ground. He considered my earlier inquiry a bit more, before slowly nodding. A tender smile on my face, I gingerly made my way to his resting body. Reaching him, I raised a hand to brush some strands of hair from his face. He winced visibly as I moved my arm, however, so I let it fall back to my side. "Ah... sorry..."
He was silent as he stared at the ground beside us. It seemed he had lost the nerve to look at me after I got this close to him.
I continued to kneel, and after a moment, spoke again. "Nuadiah... I know it's painful of me to ask, and painful for you to think about it, but.... What happened here?"
He looked back up at me, and his eyes flashed with terror once more. He hung his head, and for a second I thought he'd fainted, when he quietly spoke.
"M-my clan.... Clan Silvermoon.... We took a request to investigate the Mist here.... It was thicker than normal, and..... They wanted to know why. We.... We got here.... The Mist was thicker, but we couldn't find its source, n-nor what caused it. Then, when we were about to leave.... Abelard cried out. He.... He'd been hit with an arrow, straight through his heart. We were shocked and confused.... There'd been no warning..... They.... They killed us..... Abelard... Joseph..... Mylo...... Aureline..... They...."
The Nu Mou choked for a second, and I wanted so badly to place my hand on his shoulder, but I felt that touching him right now wasn't the best thing to do. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and continued.
"M-Mylo.... He tried to hide me..... B-but they found me, when they searched around.... I thought I was going to die... But.... They..... They......"
He looked too shocked to continue. I cautiously spoke, softly but my voice had a wavering edge of anger behind it.
"They raped you? They beat and raped you?
He averted his eyes, and attempted to make himself appear as small as possible. But I barely noticed this, as I silently raged. How could anyone... ANYONE do something as cowardly and sick as what these murderers had done? I took several deep breaths to calm down. Then I spoke again.
"You're fine and safe, now.... I didn't see any of them when I looked around, so they're long gone by now. I won't hurt you..." My voice trailed off as I realized he'd fainted.
I lifted him away from the tree, and carried him back over to the fire. I wrapped him back up in my robe, thinking quietly and lamenting the loss of the Clan Silvermoon. I'd heard of them, once. They were all mages, an odd clan, but were very prominent around the Graszton area. This would explain why they were here now. He'd said their names, and I wondered which one was which.... I figured that the one closest to where Nuadiah was laying was Mylo. I looked back over towards that awful sight, and although he had been robbed of nearly everything, I could see that Mylo was a Seer, like I had been before. I quietly seethed with rage, before realizing that it was useless and did not bring them back. Looking over towards Nuadiah again, I took a better look at him than I'd got before. He was young, very young, younger than me. His fur, a light creamy brown, and hair, a much darker hue... I'd never seen a Nu Mou like him. His tail fur was gray, and changed from being very dark closer to his body to being a light cloudy gray at the tail's tip. With a start, I also realized that his eyes, which I had seen while he was awake, were an odd mixture of green, gold, and orange, and were unlike any I'd ever seen. This made me wonder if he wasn't from Jylland, or any area even close by. Taking a moment to reposition and rewrap him in my coat, I carefully inspected his body for something I might have missed. He was indeed a white mage, but the blood and dirt had stained the pure white to the point of being unrecognizable. I also noticed a weird shape about his legs. They seemed oddly straight, as most Nu Mou I'd seen had a slouch, and were always bent over. Nuadiah, when he had stood, hadn't. But I had invaded his privacy enough, so I finished wrapping him to make sure he was warm, and settled down for sleep myself.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the sun shining in my eyes. I raised a hand to shield the bright rays of light invading my sleep before giving in to the call of the day. I sat up and slowly scanned the area. Nuadiah was on the other side of the fire-pit, still sleeping soundly, and behind me were the fallen clan members of Silvermoon. Not wanting to relive that image just yet, I pulled myself into a cross-legged position and began to pull my thoughts into order, regarding yesterday's information and events. According to Nuadiah, his clan had received a report regarding an unusual high density of Mist and was requested to investigate why this was so. Upon arriving to this very area where the Mist had been reported, they were unable to locate the source, or even why the Mist was so thick. That's when they had been attacked... Though Nuadiah hadn't explicitly stated WHO attacked them, it seemed reasonable enough to assume that it was remnants of Clan Khamja. Even a sneak attack wasn't enough to allow murder if a clan was adjudged. And if Khamja had the ability to subdue clan's judges, then...
For the second time today, Nuadiah's stirring shook me from my thoughts. Glancing up at him, the light of day only enhanced the features I had noticed last night, making him appear quite handsome. Realizing this, I felt a warmth rush to my cheeks in a manner of light blush. Though I had been kind and polite the night before, I suddenly felt intimidated and shy. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at him that much until he sat up, which I took as a cue to divert my attention elsewhere, but still keep an eye on him. I chose the remnants of our fire as my object of attention. He stretched, and I made up my mind to speak to him.
"Mornin'. Sleep well?" I asked as casually as possible.
"Mm..." Was Nuadiah's only reply, staring down at my robe that acted as a makeshift blanket for him. It was understandable... He had gone through so much in a short period of time - losing his friends in such a manner, being brutally treated and sexualized, being approached by a complete stranger while in a state of shock... His emotions must be completely unstable.
His gaze turned up to the scene my back was turned towards - the scene I wish so greatly that had never happened. As the Nu Mou moved to get up, he realized for the first time how exposed he was and promptly sat back down, looking embarrassed and blushing furiously. I chuckled slightly, forgetting my own embarrassment and spoke in a soft voice. "You wear that robe for now - until we get you new clothes, alright?"
Nuadiah nodded shyly and proceeded to put on my robe in a way that covered his privates as I looked away to give him some privacy. With him finished dressing, he stood up and made his way to the closest body, whom I had guessed to be Mylo. He knelt, placed a single hand on the Hume's shoulder, then looked at his other clan mates, then turned back and walked up to me.
"I know... We can't bury them.... But.... I don't want to just leave them here...." He said this while looking down, tears forming in his eyes.
"I'll let the Wood Villagers know. I'll also warn them of what happened here, so it doesn't happen to anyone else."
I watched as he nodded sadly, unable to meet my gaze. I immediately felt a pang of sadness for him. He'd lost everything in one fell swoop, and I wasn't sure if I could help in any way. Then, I thought of something....
"Nuadiah... I know, with what I'm about to say, that it might not ever replace your loss, but.... We, in Clan Athlum, would welcome you."
He looked up at me with a look of surprise, and stared at me for a moment, before latching onto my waist. This startled me, as he hadn't made any attempt to touch me as of yet, but I knelt and hugged him back. He was sobbing, crying. And looking at him, in the clear light of day, I could tell he was young. Perhaps no older than myself, at 22. Such a loss at such a young age, made even worse by the fact that as a Nu Mou he'd be forced to live with this loss for longer than any Hume could comprehend...
After an hour or so of ensuring that the area was completely safe, we set off for the Wood Village, reaching it after a few hours walk. It surprised me to realize just how close the clan was murdered to the village, and right upon arriving I reported the attack first, rather than the dispatch. Nuadiah hid behind me as I talked with the Village elder, who gave the young Nu Mou a concerned look.
"He's fine to stay here, if he pleases."
Nuadiah pressed closer to me upon hearing this, and I shook my head.
"No, I don't think he'd like to be so close to the place where his clan.... And I did promise him my clan would care for him."
The elder nodded slowly and solemnly at this, and left to go gather others to properly bury the members of Clan Silvermoon. After they left, and nothing more could be done over it, I reported the dispatch a success, and handed in the pelt as my proof. However, this was shrugged away as the mutated worgen's body had been found by others, and it was known that a mark had been placed on it. I was given a generous reward of 3000 Gil, as well as an Angel Ring. This was an incredibly generous gift, but given what had happened with Silvermoon, I guessed it was out of pity and respect. Afterwards, we left for the shop to buy Nuadiah new clothing. The shopkeeper, having heard what had happened to Silvermoon, almost whisked Nuadiah around the shop, trying to give him things for free. He looked so incredibly alarmed at this sudden behavior that I stepped in, saying it was no problem for us to buy anything, as he was now a part of Clan Athlum. The shopkeeper bowed on that, but wouldn't give up in making sure Nuadiah got proper clothing, and in that store was the one time he left my side at all. After leaving a fitting room, Nuadiah slowly walked over to me, giving me a stunned look as I saw his robes. They were a deep crimson color, and he wore a deep green undershirt that I took as being black for a few moments. Turning to the shopkeeper, I gave her a quizzical look.
"Well, it's not the garb of a white mage, but rather, a traditional one. Don't worry, it's allowed."
I nodded, confused, but her look gave away that it was for. Robes worn in mourning after a loved one's passing.... I sighed, and paid for the clothing. We left the shop, to move to a spot used by workers during lunch hours. Nuadiah sat down, gaze locked onto the ground. I couldn't even begin to guess how he felt, so I had no words to console him. After a few hours passed of failed attempts to start conversations, the elder and workers returned, and reported the burial of the passed Silvermoon. Nuadiah asked to be shown where, but when we arrived he requested to be alone. I told him that I'd remain nearby and give him time, but I'd have to return soon.
"Alright.... I won't be long...." He said this without even looking back at me. I left the burial site, to ask the villagers about the worgen, the attack, and dense Mist. I got no answers clarifying anything, as it had all came out of the blue. I stopped by a clinic to ask there, and was greeted by the resident Nu Mou healer, Mack Ocktor. He had heard what had happened, and voiced his concerns until I explained that I had healed Nuadiah with a White Wind spell. Mack nodded his consent, and I went on my way, having learned nothing. I returned to the burial site, to find Nuadiah in the same spot I left him in, staring at the same spot.
"Nuadiah? Are you ready?
For a moment he didn't reply, but then he turned to me and nodded. He joined up with me, and we left Wood Village, but his gaze never once left the ground. After a few days of noneventful travelling, we reached the Moorabella area, as Moorabella was the home of Clan Athlum. Nuadiah hadn't spoken much during this journey, and only replied to a few questions with very basic answers. However, when we reached the Reighlard Forest, he opened up a bit to me, asking me what Athlum was like, where I'd come from, what I liked, what Moorabella was like. He'd never been himself, as Silvermoon never got much time to travel north, being based in Graszton, and had always wanted to see the city. I replied to his questions, and in turn asked him a few about himself. Many of these he didn't answer immediately, but after a while I knew a lot more about him than before.
Nuadiah, or Nua as Mylo had called him, was an oddity, even for the Nu Mou. Nua had no idea where he was from, since he'd been carted around by unremembered parents, before something had happened to them, and he passed over to Mylo's care. He told me at length how Mylo had raised him, how well he got along with the other members of Silvermoon, especially the viera Aureline, and how excited he was when he joined Silvermoon as a white mage only half a year back. He blinked, sudden tears forming in his eyes at the memories, and took to looking at the ground again. Not long after, we'd reached the gates to the snowbound magick city of Moorabella.
As we stepped through the gate and into the city itself, it was obvious our first plan of action was to introduce Nuadiah to the rest of the clan. I debated in my mind whether to tell my clan-mates the circumstances of which I'd found Nuadiah. I would, of course, have to tell them about Clan Silvermoon. I just wasn't sure whether telling them about the... brutality Nua'd undergone was a good move. They could become over-protective of him, suffocating him with their caring and kindness. Besides, thinking of him being outside of my presence made me uneasy. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I had to watch over him, and protect and look after him. It felt like the right thing to do.
Speaking of the Nu Mou, I watched Nuadiah as we walked. Nua's eyes never ceased scouring the buildings and sights as we walked along leaving tracks in the snow. His mouth slightly hung ajar in amazement and wonder, almost as if he were a child that had wandered into a candy store for the first time. I chuckled slightly at seeing his expressions. It was an improvement over the previous moods he had been in, and we were only getting started. I knew all of this wouldn't be enough to let him get over Silvermoon's passing, as only time could heal those wounds. Nua deserved a lot. And knowing Silvermoon's reputation, they'd want him to move on, as well...
It didn't take long 'til we reached the clan hall for Athlum. While most clans were based from somewhere, they typically didn't have any one spot that they stayed at. Instead, most clans chose to be of a nomadic variety, wandering around the world, only staying somewhere for the necessary amount of time before departing again. We had chosen an actual place, though. However, it didn't really show that much of a difference in income. Moorabella was basically the hub of most activity in Loar, since Graszton was a port and trade town, and Moorabella was close to the aerodrome. So it was pretty easy to get any materials or items we needed from Ordalia. Combine that with Moorabella's notable reputation of magick studies, and you got yourself an exceptionally suited town to call home.
The building we resided in wasn't special. It was a bit gothic, but held some modern elements to it as well. The whole house was of a maroon color, suiting the black roof. It was a bit bigger than a typical house - two stories high, 4 evenly-spaced window panes wide, and 4 evenly-spaced window panes long, it was enough to fit all 8 of us.
'Well...', I looked down at Nuadiah who stood a few feet away, his gaze staring up at the house. '... I guess it's 9 now, isn't it?'
I smiled, excited for him to meet everyone. I walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder, his gaze turning to me with the same awe-struck expression. I chuckled, and began to guide him into the house. "C'mon. Let's get you inside and introduced, shall we?"
Nua seemed a bit hesitant, but complied and followed closely after a moment. We made our way to a white, lightly decorated door. Nothing fancy, of course, but it did have our clan's symbol engraved in the wood. The symbol was that of a sword, but an elegant one - the blade part started out wide and thinned out slightly as it went, and the hilt's design was noble, narrow but solid, the hilt guard curving upwards. The blade looked as if it were covered in an aura - at least, as best as a carving could represent.
Looking back at him, I made sure one more time that he was prepared. "You ready to meet everyone, Nua?"
A brief pause, before he nodded meekly. The Nu Mou was understandably nervous, but I could see a glint of hope and excitement in his eyes.
Grinning, I nodded in return, clasped the door handle, and pushed the door open. It creaked slightly as it swung on its hinges. I strode through after fully opening the door, closing it after Nuadiah had stepped inside, halting the intrusion and escape of cold and warm air, respectively. Turning towards the interior, I raised my voice loud enough so that everyone through the house could hear my announcement.
"Hey, guys! I'm back! And I brought a new member for our clan!"
Returning from my moment of recollecting those memories, I realized that En was trying to ask me something.
"... orkin' out pretty well, huh?"
I shook my head as I began to clear my head and re-focus on the present. "Sorry, what was that, En?"
The bangaa rolled his eyes, sighed, and grinned. I felt a bit embarrassed , and felt a small warmth rush to my cheeks. Looking at me, he repeated his question.
"I said, the new guy's been workin' out pretty well, huh?"
It seemed like En had noticed I had been staring at Nuadiah for a bit and assumed that the Nu Mou would be something else to talk over.
Returning my gaze to my milk, I absentmindedly swished the white liquid about in my glass for a bit. "Yeah. He makes a pretty good addition, and he seems to be fitting in quite well."
A small smile tugged at my lips before I took a sip of the delicious creamy drink. Ahh, milk... It was that no drinkable liquid in the world come compare to the delectableness that was milk. Indeed, it seemed like the nectar of the gods.
En turned his gaze towards Nau again before spinning himself back to face the bar. He lifted his drink to his lips - an iced tea - and chugged a bit of it before placing his glass back on the bar table.
"... He was really a part of Clan Silvermoon?" He piped up again, inquiring about what I had told the others.
"Ah... yeah." My reply was hesitant. I had told the rest of them about Silvermoon, of course - but I didn't imply my hypothesis about Khamja or about how brutally treated Nua had been. If I were to let it be known that Khamja had targeted him, then they would not have been so accepting of him. We all knew Khamja's reputation, and we all knew what they were capable of, and how they greatly disliked leaving those alive who knew too much about them that wasn't OF them. And bringing up that he was raped would've affected their views on his efficiency, claiming that the psychological damage would be too great and they shouldn't risk him or his health.
Unfortunately, En could tell when people were uneasy. Picking up on my hesitation, he inquired. "So... what happened with him? I mean, how'd he survive? Why was he the only survivor?"
My hand carrying the glass of milk froze half-way to my lips, my body tensing up as my mind tried to churn up a logical story. A moment of uneasy silence passed before I rested my glass back on the table and began to speak.
"Well... apparently he'd taken some nasty hits from some skirmishes with a few goblins while they were looking for that source of Mist. When they had finally found, what they thought, was the source of the Mist, they decided to take a break and tend to his wounds. I guess... that's when they were attacked. A clan member of Nua's - Mylo - was quick enough to manage to hide Nua, but..."
My voice trailed off, mildly tired from even spinning that lie, not wanting to add any more to it. It hadn't felt good at all, as my stomach turned a bit. Even talking - lying - about what happened was enough to cause those images of the bodies to ripple to my mind. I was never one to lie to my friends, but this was ABOUT the safety and well-being of a friend, so it seemed like a necessary risk to take. But En patted my back in reassurance. It seemed like he believed my story, so I relaxed a bit. Though my stomach still held that small knot for lying to him at all. "There wasn't much you could've done. You did manage to save one of them - that, in itself, is a victory."
His mouth turned upward into an encouraging smile, and I couldn't help but smile back a bit, despite his misinterpretation of why I discontinued. For a Bangaa, Kenrick was more in tune with his emotions than most others. He had a way of supporting and uplifting people when they were going through a tough time. I, in return, tried to repay the favor whenever he was down about something, though it never quite seemed to help, as his stubbornness refused to let him cheer up about something until he slept on it. He had also taken on a brotherly-fatherly role to Nuadiah, as he could tell something had happened to the Nu Mou to make him so withdrawn, though he didn't ask what it was. Nua told me that En reminded him of Mylo.
I turned my head back towards Nuadiah for a few moments. It seemed he was taking a break from the harp for now, and instead had immersed himself into a book he had picked up recently about Black Magick. Talking to him as he began to settle into the clan over the weeks, he had mentioned his interest was piqued by the Alchemist class and skills, and was going to start studying and learning the appropriate abilities. Already having enough experience as a White Mage, he began to study and learn Black Magick so our judge would deem him worthy, skilled, and dedicated enough to reach the Illusionist class, which he would spend some time on until it was enough to let him change to the Alchemist class. This did confuse me for a while, before Nua told me that he could heal us with items and support us with magic at the same time.
My smile grew a bit bigger upon seeing him so determined, and it was nice to see a spark of life in him. Keeping in mind where he was, I began to look around for the other Clan Athlum members.
Our leader, Seth, dressed in a long black coat, was leaning against the far end of the bar table, scanning the sea of people, sipping his drink every now and again. I was too far away, so I couldn't tell precisely what he was drinking, though knowing him, it was definitely non-alcoholic. He had picked up the class of Parivir, after some excruciating training through many of the classes. His skill with a blade was indeed very impressive - my own paled in comparison. In spars, I could hold my own but only because he held back. If it ever came to be a serious bout, I knew I'd lose without Seth even breaking a sweat. But as skilled as he was, he was quite anti-social, and found it difficult to associate with strangers. We, in the clan, were some of the very few he talked to, along with some outside sources whenever he needed something. He perpetually seemed to be a bit dark and brooding, and was hard on himself, but I could he always meant well. He actually took a bit of a liking to Nuadiah when I first introduced them to each other, and vice versa. They would have discussions every now and again, usually bringing up topics like music, books, some other forms of entertainment and magick, to say the least. They got along well.
Dr. Ivan - or Doc, as we liked to call him - sat in one of the booths to the side, talking to some of his friends outside of our clan. He was like Cid, a Revgaji, and he used the same jobs that Bangaa did. In fact, similar cases were sprouting up in a few places around Jylland, after word got out of Cid's - by extension, Clan Gully's - accomplishments. Doc was, then, a Bishop. Though his support spells were excellent, he also was proficient at offense. Doc managed to hold his own quite well, as he was better suited as a Bishop than most Bangaa were. Unlike Seth, he was much more social able. More relaxed and out-going than most of us, he was often mistaken for our leader, which led to some... awkward moments, to say the least. When I introduced Nua to him, they took to each other quite well. Doc took on the role of Nuadiah's in healing, working with him to improve Nua's already impressive skills. He was the one who introduced Nua to his harp, and encouraged him to learn how to play it. Occasionally, they would practice magick practically, in which I often volunteered to be the 'dummy', so to speak. In order to teach Nua, Doc would strike me in various places, hard enough to bruise and in one case, draw blood. He explained to Nua that it the spell was more effective if healing was focused on the wound, and not the entire person. He did note that White Wind, that while similar, was an exception, and as Naudiah was a White Mage, this was important for him to learn. Doc also was the first to pick up on Nua's unusual height, and as Nua liked him, it didn't take long before Nua allowed Doc to see the reason why. Doc told all of us that Nua's spine and leg bones were deformed- Not in a way that would cripple Nua, but enough that Nua couldn't kneel or crouch well.
Over at one of the round tables that were in the middle of the room, I could see Yoshistune - known more commonly as Yoshi - and Skylark - who we nicknamed Arc - sitting and chatting with some of the other clans, laughing every now and again, amused faces all around. Arc was an excitable moogle. She's a Flintlock, and provides us with some far-ranged support and powerful cannon blasts. Her personality is nothing less than bubbly, and was quite random. She could make you smile faster than you could blink - and that wasn't just attributing to her humor. While her energetic state made her seem immature, it was quite the opposite case. Though she about my age, she was very calm and wise, often mediating disputes with great ease. She also spared some words to individuals who came to visit her in need of advice. Arc and Doc were the wisest people in our clan you could care to listen to, if you ever were seeking moral advice. Her cheerful disposition uneased Nua when they first met, but the two of them got along pretty well in no amount of time at all. Arc was one of the few people who could make Nuadiah genuinely laugh.
Yoshi was calm in manner, yet random in his occasional speech, when and if he spoke up at all. He was silent, a moogle of action. His skill with a gun is awe-inspiring to behold. He was so accurate, that his very skill alone saved us in many a tough engagement. Though he didn't say much, he was loyal and kind, offering up any information when need be. Despite keeping to himself quite a bit, he and Nua got along well. Occasionally, they would trade random banter, and had a few inside jokes here and there if they were in the same room. They weren't close enough to be friends, but they were more than acquaintances.
Not too far from the pair of moogles was a viera with medium-length, black, flowing hair, her gaze fixated on a book she was reading, sipping on what looked like tea, as she sat at a table meant for a pair, the seat across from her empty. She was Wayu, a foreigner to Jylland. She came from somewhere far away, but she never told us where. Just... somewhere. We didn't press her for information, as it would get us nowhere. Gifted with a silver tongue and a logical mind, she could sweet talk, out-smart, and cleverly quip anyone who dared to get in her way. Though she was very logical, she hardly displayed any sympathy or emotion, and fit quite well into the Assassin class, planning the most logical route and plan of attack. She was more of a 'tough love' kinda gal, less likely to sugar-coat things. So you can imagine that she and Kenrick were basically on opposite sides of the world - she, with her 'hard advice', and En with his 'caring shoulder to lean on'. And the verbal scuffles they had... it wasn't a pretty thing to see or hear. Nuadiah was understandably intimated by her - a few of the members who had joined the clan after she did felt the same way. Wayu didn't pay any attention to Nua, though, so it seemed to work out well enough for the both of them. She preferred working alone, via dispatch.
There was one other who Wayu would scrap with when it came to debates... I spied him, an elderly-looking man, walking past the aforementioned viera and into the men's room. Though he didn't look like much, he was a strong and formidable Paladin. His age barely even took a toll on his ability, his shield and sword-play a wonder to watch. Renzo was a tank on the battlefield, deflecting blow after blow, and trading in his own powerful swings, sometimes waiting until the opponent was thoroughly worn out 'til he struck. Oft out-spoken and strong-willed, Renzo said things that were supposed to be tough on you, and let a LOT of things slide off his shoulders. He was calm in nearly every situation, and had something to say for nearly everything you could think of. It was usually always something snarky or admonishing, but it was really meant in some kind of humor. It tended to fly over the head of Wayu, though, who seemed to take a lot of things he said personally. Though, if they were both in a good mood, they would take friendly jabs at each other. At points, it was possible for them to just start mud-slinging names at each other in the style of 4 year olds, despite Renzo being as elderly as he was. Nua was terrified of Ren the moment he was him, and would avoid him at all times. Ren never seemed to notice the Nu Mou, and while this made me sad, it was a bit of a relief. Ren was the one member of Athlum that I didn't want messing with Nua, as he was overly harsh and unsympathetic to everyone.
My gaze once again turned back over to Naudiah. Over the weeks that had passed since adopting Nuadiah into Clan Athlum, he had grown and changed quite a bit. In some ways, I didn't even recognize the horrified Nu Mou I had met long ago - instead, he had a spark in his eyes, always keeping busy, trying and learning new stuff. More often than not a smile was seen on his face, working towards his next goal. A slight part of me was, in fact, jealous - he had such motivation and drive, it was something I usually could not achieve, unless the circumstances were dire. But, I suppose I hadn't gone through what he had... The fact he still wore his mourning robe signified that he hadn't moved on from Silvermoons' deaths. Part of me suspected his efforts to keep busy were an attempt to keep his mind from ever wandering to that terrible night. Even in his sleep, though, that night seemed to haunt him in, in nightmares - he tossed constantly in his sleep, muttering, moaning... On one occasion, he let out a yelp of sorts that lasted for a second, before returning to his usual disturbed noises. I knew this because I had requested he stay in the same room as me, explaining he felt more comfortable with me around. This was only partially true; the other part was that I wanted to keep an eye on him. I was... concerned about his health and well-being. If I had voiced that to the others, they would've become too inquisitive, though I suspect Doc had guessed the reasoning behind it. I couldn't bring up the truth about what had happened. It was too painful - and the suspicion would be too great. Still, Nua was improving, slowly but surely. That was enough to make me grin. Seeing him happy, and attempting to enjoy life, made me feel at ease and happy myself.
Sighing pleasurably, I turned back to the bartender and asked for another glass of milk. I never could have enough milk... It really WAS the cream of the crop.
The bar refused to quiet down, the bustling, near stifling atmosphere hardly giving a chance to let up. For every person that left, 4 more came in, laughing and chatting amongst themselves before spreading such contagious behavior to other patrons. At some point during the night, I went and sat with Nuadiah, giving him a grin and receiving a smile as we greeted each other. He was still busy reading, but he placed his book aside to talk with me, saying that he liked to talk to me. Hearing that kinda made my heart flutter, and a slight warmth rushed to my cheeks. I shook it off quickly, and for the rest of the night we talked about various things - his studies, my magick, his music, Mylo, and such. The hours flew by as if Hasted, and before we knew it, the bar announced its closing for the night, and we were heading on our way home. Nua, with his books and harp, had too much to carry on the way back, so I offered to carry some of his books back for him.
"Oh... thanks..." His reply was meek, and when I looked down at him, I caught a blush on his face by light of a street lamp nearby. This made me smile widely, and I patted Nua's head. "No problem - it's what I'm here for."
Success. A small smile appeared on Nua's face and for that moment, I felt... blissful, as if I were walking on clouds. My smile grew wider and I could feel a spring in my step. Certainly, since Nuadiah had moved in, things were different...
... And things were only going to continue to change.