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Hedge Wizard [Back Story / Journal / Open for Comments] - Printable Version

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Hedge Wizard [Back Story / Journal / Open for Comments] - Ravinous - 08-20-2013

((A quickly thrown together short back story I was tossing about, this will be Atrus's journal thread as well, feel free to Comment and help with spelling and grammar. ))



Story I: The Hedge Wizard


The tavern doors flew open, sending a rather tall thin man flying through the air and into the wet gutter below, a Carbuncle following in toe trying to nuzzle it's summoner up.

“Get out you hedge wizard,” Shouted the large roegadyn tavern owner. “Don't come back till you have money to pay for your tab!”

The gutter man staggered up. He was an elezen man of raven black hair and eyes shocking blue. While he would consider these his “dashing” features, his unkempt facial hair and tattered linen robes said else wise. Soaked with what he hoped was water did not help the matter, nor did the smell it left upon his clothes.

“Fine then sir,” he snapped back,his fist shaking with various rude gestures. “Then this good magical gentleman will not set foot here again.”

The tavern owner grimaced, then slowly moved into a sigh.

“You know what,” he said with sudden calm. “Your not a hedge wizard, that's an insult to them. Your a damn hobo wizard! And that's all your ever going to be!”

With that the roegadyn turned and slammed the door behind him.

The elezen took a deep breath, holding it and then slowly breathed out. Here he was again, back on the street in the gutter, his own summon taking pity on him. Seemed like a typical evening.

~==========~
It had been five years since his departure from Empire. They had taken him in for his “Potential”, but when he was not up to snuff they had put him on as a field medic assistant with what little magic he had at the time.

Relieved that at least he was not on front line duty, he was moved to the seventh legion on it's march on Eorzea. Everything seemed to be going fine.

Then that thing had to show up, that red moon, the dragon, everything changed after that day.

He wasn't sure what this legion was hoping for attacking that small continent of Eorzea. Hell his fellow sods may have just won if it were not for the dragon.

He didn't know the details of it,people of his rank were not told about things, just told what to do.

Never the less, in the chaos that followed he found himself lost. Fire and smoke whipping around him, the ground tossing from beneath his feet. In the end he found himself waking up on a stretcher being dragged by what he assumed another Empire Solider, a red haired hyur.

“Your awake,” the hyur said with a gruff voice.“What's your name kid?”

“Atrus,” he told the man. “Atrus Black, and you?”

“Ryo,” the man said. “Quite the bit of crazy out there right?”

“You could say that,” Atrus said pulling himself up. “I think I'm okay. Were are we?”

The man set down the end of the stretcher he had been pulling.

“Southern Aldernad”he said in a somber tone.

It was then Atrus had seen the world around him. A twisted mess, company and imperial flags still burning in the wind. Magitech strewn about in pieces laying over the dead. The landscape itself had transformed.

“I can see your shocked,” Ryo continued. “You must have never seen the result of real war. Then again I don't think anyone has seen something like his. It was like the heavens themselves came crashing down to punish us all.”

There was a long silence.

“What do we do now,” Atrus asked.

“Well I can take you to the docks in the northwest,” Ryo replied. “From there you can probably get closer to home. As for me I will be heading back to Limsa Lominsa.”

“Why would you go,” Atrus began,but then took notice of his companions dress.

The red armor, the crest across his back. He was a member of Maelstrom, the enemy.

He pulled his wand slightly only to be met quickly with a lance tip to his throat.

“Calm down kid, I'm not going to hurt you, so don't do something stupid” Ryo calmly said with a smile. “I just want to get back home, and also help you out. Your not a fighter right, just a medic, and it's a job of a warrior to help citizens, no matter what state they hale from. So don't go wasting your life just yet.”

Atrus put his wand back slowly as Ryo lowered his spear.

“Listen,” Ryo continued. “We're in this together. Who knows what beast roam this battlefield to pick the bones of the dead or near dead. If we work together we will make it out alright.”

Atrus nodded.

“Okay,” Atrus replied. “I'll trust you for now.”

Ryo smiled and held out his hand.

“Now, let's shake on it,” he said.“I'm Ryo Teragoes of Maelstrom, please to meet you.”

Atrus returned in favor shaking the man's hand.

“Atrus Black,” he said. “Of the Imperial Seventh Legion, let us forge our ways back home.”

~==========~

“Only we never did make it,” Atrus said to himself, now sitting near the peir outside the tavern looking at the stars. “Not together.”

~==========~

“Come on,” Ryo shouted, his lance piercing deep into a jackal, it's pack surrounding him. “Bring it ya filthy mongrels. How you holding up?!”

Atrus blasted back one of the smaller ones with a bit of wind.

“I'm holding my own,” Atrus replied.

“Good, your not getting half bad at this.”

The two had been traveling across the wast for a week, fending off the wild life and avoiding the various patrols of the withdrawing imperial stragglers. It seemed that they were in a days grasp of the port, but the amount of remaining legion trying to leave seemed to get denser as they went.

Because of this they had removed themselves from the roads, but the trade off for soldiers were the beast of the wilds. Ryo however seemed able to keep them safe enough as Atrus kept the rear with support.

After another battle with nature they set out camp on a ridge over looking the ferry docks.

“A lot more Imperials than although,” Ryo said spying over the cliff. “That seventh legion is pretty big to have this many people after that disaster, even if they are moving to withdraw.”

The docks were swarming with imperial troops loading onto ships they had commandeered to return home. However this put the place in lock down. A few troops were lining up what looked like prisoners.

“Shit,” Ryo muffled.

“What's happening,” Atrus asked approaching the cliff edge, only to see the firing squad fire off their gun-blades at the various company members.

“Weren't they withdrawing as well,”Atrus asked in a panic. “Why shoot them?!”

“Because,” Ryo responded. “They are the enemy. That's how many soldiers think. That's why we're fighting the Empire.”

Ryo stood up.

“In any case you need to get on one of those boats,” he said to the young caster. “Otherwise who knows when you can get home.”

“What about you,” Atrus asked.

“I'll be fine, I can head south to Thalen and then Ul'dah,” he said. “It's a longer route, but safer. So don't worry.”

Atrus felt a bit uneasy about the situation but decided to agree with the course of action.

“Alright,” Atrus said. “It was good traveling with you member of my enemy.”

The last part he said ending in a chuckle and holding out his hand.

“You to ya imperial scoundrel,” Ryo returning with a hand shake. “Hope to meet again for drink in peaceful times.”

~==========~

It was the next morning Atrus found himself at the docks, the soldiers letting him in but taking him aside to treat the wounded before he would be allowed to return.

“Quite the adventure you had,” said the officer in the make shift medical tent. “Crossing that wasteland by yourself with your limited talents.”

'Limited talents', those words stung as they past through his ears, reminding that he had returned to his previous rank and file.

“Still at least you can serve some use here,” the officer continued in a demeaning tone. “Once we take care of this lot I hope to leave this heathen riddled place. Just last night a few tried to sneak on one of our boats. We graciously offered temporary imprisonment and labor but then two of the tried to run.”

Atrus clinched his fist.

“So we take half of them and make an example,” the officer finished. “I think the lesson stuck. I'm sorry you had to miss it.”

Atrus stood, feeling resentment buildup in him. His hands slowly wrapped around a sword of the unconscious soldier he was treating. It was then someone came bursting into the tent, a soldier. Atrus quickly released his grip leaving the sword were it was.

“Sir we caught a company man trying to release the prisoners,” the man exclaimed.

“Really now, were you able to detain him,” the Officer asked.

“What company,” Atrus asked abruptly, the pit of his stomach churning.

“Maelstrom I think, we was in red,even the hair,” the solider responded a bit confused by Atrus.”

The churning turned to pure sickening
feeling.

“Why does that matter,” the Officer said turning to Atrus with a scowl. “Get back to work. And good work, time to give yet another example to the heathens.”

With that the both left leaving Atrus stunned in the medic tent.
'What do I do,' his thoughts raced for the next minute. 'What can I do?'

He looked around franticly, spotting a wand of one of the mages in the infirmary and grabbed it. His mind continued through various drastic scenarios as his feet beginning to move on there own out of the tent through the camp.

“SEE HERE,” came the booming voice of the officer. “HERE WE ARE, LEAVING PEACEFULLY AND ALL WE GET IS MORE UNGRATEFUL HEATHEN'S IMPARTING THEMSELVES ON OUR EXODUS!”

Atrus weaved through the camp, avoiding soldiers gazes best he could, making his way up onto an outcrop above the officer. There he saw Ryo bound on his knees in front of the officer.

“Now my dear sir,” the officer continued, his voice lowered, the gun-blades of his men raised. “Do you know the price for trying to free convicts from a military camp.”

“A hug and a warm piece of dodo meat pie,” Ryo replied sarcastically.

“Funny man we have here,” boasted the officer. “But let's see how funny you are when you full of holes.”

Atrus began to reach for the wand,charging a spell, but then he found his gaze meeting eye to eye with Ryo's.

As the soldiers lifted there rifles Ryo just smiled as his former companion and shook his head.

At that moment Atrus could hear the words Ryo had said before.

'Your not a fighter right, just a medic, and it's a job of a warrior to help citizens, no matter what state they hale from. So don't go wasting your life just yet.'

He released the wand, the shots rang out, and Ryo's body hunched over to the ground.

The next day Atrus returned the theEmpire, only defect a week later, wandering to lands from it's grasp, finding whatever path life threw at him. All he knew was he needed to get stronger.

~==========~

The warm sun came over the pier and onto the face of Atrus stirring him from his sleep.

“Damn memories keep coming back,”he said scratching his head.

He noticed Carbuncle laying on his chest holding a flyer. It had the picture of Miqo'te in Maelstrom gear pointing at whoever the viewer may be.

'A New Start' the bold print of the letter said. 'The Land of Eorzea is Looking to Rebuild and Limsa Lominsa Can Use You.'

“Limsa Lominsa huh,” Atrus muttered, then began to chuckle. “You really want me to go there don't you.”

He stood up, causing his carbuncle to jump to the ground a jump around him in circles. Brushing himself off he reached down and petted the top of the summons’s head.

“Fine then,” he continued. “You win, I've been wallowing and wandering enough good sir.”

The carbuncle did a little flip in the air.
 
“Well maybe I'll get two drinks when I get there.”