Cuts, bruises and dirt. Blood, sweat and tears. No sleep. No rest. Barely any sleep. All of it was fueled by three thoughts. Tribe. Liability. Pride.
Tribe. Kage was the… the nunh? He still didn’t understand this. But he was the one in charge of protecting and leading the tribe. His family. He wanted, needed, to keep them safe. Protected. Able to thrive.
Liability. The Brass Blades won’t let up. Natalie could only hold them for so long before it looked bad on her that Kage hadn’t been on a caravan run. That he had only been on patrols. He had never taken a bribe yet. Or extorted any gil from anyone he encountered. If he couldn’t even stand his ground, what good was he?
Pride. With a yowl to the empty desert Kage let out all his frustration. His anger. His sadness. Of course his parents would not want him. His mother had already been upset when he told her his plans and then about his actual swearing. She hadn’t returned any of his missives. Neither had his father, nor had his older brother or his younger sister. In fact, as soon as he had told them that he had completed the trials the only thing he ever got was a sack of gil and a one word note that said “Congratulationsâ€.
Kage had left Ul’dah as soon as he and Natalie parted ways. Ald was in Limsa. Shifu and Frie must have been in Lavender Beds. Roen was in Ul’dah. He needed to make sure he could at least use a sword and stand his ground before he was thrown to the wolves or he’d be eaten like an aldgoat by starving animals. But first, he wanted to see his family. To tell them in…. person about the changes in his life. The inability to use thaumaturgy without it backfiring or hurting him.
It did not go well. Upon arrival to the family estate he had been escorted out and surrounded by the guards. His mother had screamed obscenities at him. His father had just watched him with a small frown on his face. His older brother took one look at him and shook his head. His sister could not even look him in the eyes. His baby sister. He had given her her first alembic. He had thought that of all of his family, that she would care. In his desperation he had tried all he could to cast an ice spell or a fire one. It had only ended with his hands burnt. In the end of it all his mother had a guard approach with a chest. His chest. The one given to a youngster when they first picked up a goldsmiths’ hammer or a staff. It was meant to signify their place and value to the family. He watched as she burned off the family emblem with a bust of her own aether. His mother took a long look at him before pursing her lips and releasing them with a sound of annoyance. One of the guards took him by his arm as another came back with a large sack. He placed it in the chest as his family stared at him.
‘This is what would be your inheritance should you have been what was expected. You’re useless. You can’t even hold a sword without hurting yourself. You chose that path over thaumaturgy. Now take it. Never come here again. Never show yourself to me or your father again. You are not our son.’
Kage blinked back tears as the guard released him and they returned to the estate without another glance or look. He cradled his hands a bit as he shuffled forward to retrieve the chest. It slipped in his pained, loose grasp and something fell out. He picked it up gingerly, his hands stinging with pain. It was burn ointment. Kage clenched his eyes for a few seconds before he took one last glance at the estate before leaving. There was nothing for him.
His tribe was his family. Natalie was his family. Roen was his family. He could not and would not let them go. With a fierce determined look in his eyes, Kage returned once more to the motions of his labors. He would not rest until Natalie called him. He would be able to hold himself up without being a liability. He had to. There was no other option. Even if he had to continue with the pain of cutting himself with his sword every so often. He was seeing the results. The threat of killing himself or failing his family hung over him as a large motivator.
Tribe. Kage was the… the nunh? He still didn’t understand this. But he was the one in charge of protecting and leading the tribe. His family. He wanted, needed, to keep them safe. Protected. Able to thrive.
Liability. The Brass Blades won’t let up. Natalie could only hold them for so long before it looked bad on her that Kage hadn’t been on a caravan run. That he had only been on patrols. He had never taken a bribe yet. Or extorted any gil from anyone he encountered. If he couldn’t even stand his ground, what good was he?
Pride. With a yowl to the empty desert Kage let out all his frustration. His anger. His sadness. Of course his parents would not want him. His mother had already been upset when he told her his plans and then about his actual swearing. She hadn’t returned any of his missives. Neither had his father, nor had his older brother or his younger sister. In fact, as soon as he had told them that he had completed the trials the only thing he ever got was a sack of gil and a one word note that said “Congratulationsâ€.
Kage had left Ul’dah as soon as he and Natalie parted ways. Ald was in Limsa. Shifu and Frie must have been in Lavender Beds. Roen was in Ul’dah. He needed to make sure he could at least use a sword and stand his ground before he was thrown to the wolves or he’d be eaten like an aldgoat by starving animals. But first, he wanted to see his family. To tell them in…. person about the changes in his life. The inability to use thaumaturgy without it backfiring or hurting him.
It did not go well. Upon arrival to the family estate he had been escorted out and surrounded by the guards. His mother had screamed obscenities at him. His father had just watched him with a small frown on his face. His older brother took one look at him and shook his head. His sister could not even look him in the eyes. His baby sister. He had given her her first alembic. He had thought that of all of his family, that she would care. In his desperation he had tried all he could to cast an ice spell or a fire one. It had only ended with his hands burnt. In the end of it all his mother had a guard approach with a chest. His chest. The one given to a youngster when they first picked up a goldsmiths’ hammer or a staff. It was meant to signify their place and value to the family. He watched as she burned off the family emblem with a bust of her own aether. His mother took a long look at him before pursing her lips and releasing them with a sound of annoyance. One of the guards took him by his arm as another came back with a large sack. He placed it in the chest as his family stared at him.
‘This is what would be your inheritance should you have been what was expected. You’re useless. You can’t even hold a sword without hurting yourself. You chose that path over thaumaturgy. Now take it. Never come here again. Never show yourself to me or your father again. You are not our son.’
Kage blinked back tears as the guard released him and they returned to the estate without another glance or look. He cradled his hands a bit as he shuffled forward to retrieve the chest. It slipped in his pained, loose grasp and something fell out. He picked it up gingerly, his hands stinging with pain. It was burn ointment. Kage clenched his eyes for a few seconds before he took one last glance at the estate before leaving. There was nothing for him.
His tribe was his family. Natalie was his family. Roen was his family. He could not and would not let them go. With a fierce determined look in his eyes, Kage returned once more to the motions of his labors. He would not rest until Natalie called him. He would be able to hold himself up without being a liability. He had to. There was no other option. Even if he had to continue with the pain of cutting himself with his sword every so often. He was seeing the results. The threat of killing himself or failing his family hung over him as a large motivator.