Impurities of the Heart: Part 2
Vale Myr'it Alistair Wright Story Arc
Training Continues: Day 7
Quote:A sea of stars stretches out before Vale as the airship makes its final approach to Camp Cloudtop. Someone on the dock blows a whistle and a bustle of activity floods the deck of the ship. Vale balances himself against the sturdy wood railing as the ship thumps into place and comes to a rest. He throws his travel bag over his shoulder and slowly departs the ship. The brief respite offered by the bed in the airship was welcomed by his tired body, but now it was time for him to continue on.
He hails a chocobo courier and, after a brief discussion, a sizable amount of gil is handed over. Vale leads his chocbo by the reigns, looking it in the eye and patting its feathers in reassurance. Careful not to spook the mount, he eases himself into the saddle and gives the reins a snap. The chocobo leaps forward and Vale fights back the urge to pull the chocobo up short as it leaps off the edge of the island. The sensation of falling sends his stomach into turmoil for a moment before the chocobo's strong wings pull them ever upward. Realizing he had been holding his breath, he lets it out slowly and focuses on calming his racing heart.
A number of floating islands fill the skies before him and the wonder of it all temporarily erases all other thoughts from his mind. Animals with massive bodies, odd bird-like creatures, and serpents large enough to devour men whole roam the various islands below him. Vale looks on with wonder, but also wariness as he never allows the chocobo to venture too close. Time passes and Vale's concern rises as he finds himself no closer to his destination. With the chocobo struggling, he lands on a nearby island and pulls his map from the satchel lashed to the chocobo's side.
Using a small piece of aetheryte to light his map, Vale runs his fingers down and across while mumbling to himself. At last, he taps his fingers onto the map and lets out an annoyed grunt. "Too far north. Should've gone further east. Going to be a long night," he says before stuffing the map back into the satchel. A sudden screech erupts from behind Vale and the chocobo bucks, nearly ripping the reigns from Vale's hand. He whirls, hands on his sword. Before him stands a massive griffin, beady eyes boring into him, massive talons digging into the ground beneath it. The creature screeches ferociously, its eyes darting hungrily between the chocobo and Vale. With one fluid motion, Vale draws his sword and pulls strength from the imaginary flame in his mind. The griffin takes a step back, its attention now fully on him. It bends down and with animal speed, launches itself directly at Vale.Â
Memories of his encounter in Western Coerthas return to Vale and his body seems to almost move on its own as it dodges the griffins initial strike. Its beak snaps shut in the empty space where he had been standing only a moment before. The beast hesitates for a moment, but it's long enough. Vale steps forward and slashes the sword visciously through the beast's side. It shrieks in pain and and lashes out at Vale. He jumps back, but not fast enough this time. The beast grazes his shoulder with its sharp talons and rips through his armor. Blood trickles down his arm, but he grits his teeth and keeps his sword ready for the next attack. With the scent of blood in the air, the griffin seems to grow in size as it throws itself onto its hind legs and beats its wings angrily. It launches itself forward once more, its claws coming down in an arc. Vale jumps back, narrowly dodging the strike, but as the griffin's claws smash into the ground it slams its head into Vale's body and sends him flying backwards. The crack of ribs sends a wave of pain through his body and all the air in his lungs bursts out in a sudden gasp.
Time seems to slow as he fights for air. The griffin approaches, confidence shining in its eyes as it moves to finish its prey. A flood of pain runs through him, and though he tries to feed it to the fire, he cannot draw any strength back from the flame in his mind. Weakness courses through him and he lets out a low curse under his breath. "Thal's... balls," he pants. Memories of Eleni, and of his first wife Cecily, run through his mind. He sees the flames again, feels the pain and the anger he felt back then. Suddenly, something clicks in his mind and he douses the flame. Instead of trying to rid himself of the pain, he embraces it. A smokey darkness runs around the length of his sword and a new strength courses through his body. He pulls himself to his feet and readies his sword for the next strike. The griffin pauses, the confident look in its eyes fading as it gazes upon him. Vale takes a step forward, a dull gleam along the edge of his blade. "Come if you're going to," Vale begins, his voice low and hoarse, "or die running. The choice is yours." The griffin hesitates for a moment before leaping at Vale, but this time Vale doesn't avoid its attack. He plants his feet in the ground and plunges his blade deep into the beast's chest. A squeal sounds from the griffin, its eyes glazing over as its life's blood pours onto the ground beneath it. Vale's muscles flex and he easily rips his sword from its body before walking over to its side. He brings his sword down in a ferocious slash and severs the creature's head from its body.
As the creature goes still the strength fades from Vale's body and the glow in his sword vanishes. He drops to his knee and props himself against his sword. The pain in his chest returns and a dull throb pounds away in his head. "Wh-What was that?" He gasps. "That... wasn't..." Words fail him and he pulls a small whistle from around his neck. One blow, two blows, but nothing happens. Finally, he gives it a full breath on the third and a shrill "Kweh!" echoes from the distance. His chocobo lands next to him, its eyes wild with fear as it looks upon the dead griffin. Vale throws himself onto the chocobo and grunts at the sudden explosion of pain in his chest. He takes shallow breaths, trying not to breath too deeply and spurs the chocobo back into flight. It obeys quickly and launches itself into the air.Â
Some time later the glow of lights in the distance catches Vale's eye and he directs the chocobo towards them. Landing on a small island, he slowly dismounts from the chocobo and surveys the location. Surrounded by massive floating rocks on all side appears to be a small settlement, primarily consisting of the bird-like creatures he'd seen earlier. "Must be... Ok'Zundu," he says to himself. He turns back to the chocobo and pats it on the head before remounting. "Almost there. I hope they have some gyashi greens. You've certainly earned them tonight, my friend." One last time the chocobo launches itself into the air and flies the remaining distance to shelter and safety.Â
Vale glances back at his sword, now plain and ordinary as it's always been. "I know not what that... strength was or where it came from, but... I mean to find out."