“I hate this place.†the elezen said with a bitter scowl as he drew the coat hung over his shoulders tighter. Before him crackled a fire, the heat it spewed with each crackle of wood hardly defeating the icy cold that hung clean and crisp on the air. Both of the elezen’s companions exhaled their breaths white clouds that mixed with the grey smoke.
Overhead the moon shone bright and clear through the leaves of the trees of Gridania, but nearby, taller and mightier, stood the mountains of Coerthas and their snowcapped peaks. The snow might be way up upon the , but apexes’ the cold hand blown down to this border region and cast aside the warmth.
“We’ll be out of here soon enough, Sticks.†said a shivering hyur to the elezen nicknamed Sticks. Sticks was tall and as thin as a stick, with sunken cheekbones and black hair. He seemed more like a tree than a living creature.
Sticks grumbled something as the third figure, a short Roe, tossed another log onto the fire and sparks shot up into the air like a thousand, wayward stars. The normal sounds of the forest were gone. No insects, no wind, no nighttime creatures. There was only still silence, save the three figures and their roaring fire.
The three merchants had parked their wagon near the side of the road and their single chocobo was asleep nearby, it’s body mass insulating it from the biting teeth of the cold air.
“Two days ain’t soon enough.†Sticks grumped as he crossed his arms over his chest and wondered how he was going to sleep that night. How in the world had he come to this? What bad cluck of fate had made him go from a successful merchant with his own wares being sold in the streets to hardly making ends meat as a low end, bottom of the barrel caravan driver? Sticks had lost count. He had been through so much, between the political upheaval currently in Ul’dah, to corruption among that city-state’s agencies, to the madness that seemed to occur there so regularly, it was just proof that life was chaos and any order people claimed existed where just a temporary illusion. All of his great life plans, reduced to freezing his ass off in the middle of the-
SNAP
A twig crunched under a foot and all three men jerked their heads towards the sound that had come behind Sticks. The three pairs of eyes peered intently into the shadowed, moon-lit columns of trees that stretched before them. Nothing moved. After a few moments they turned back to the fire.
“Wonder what that was.†Sticks muttered.
“Probably just a deer or something.†the hyur replied calmly. He was a seasoned traveler and held his bearing far better the urbanized elezen. “If I had my bow strung, I’d probably go get us some game and sk-“
“Where is the bird?†grunted the Roe as he suddenly rose to his feet. Sticks and the hyur jerked their heads and then sprung to their feet. The chocobo, so carefully tied, was gone, its rope lying on the ground. Sticks blinked in shock as the Roe stepped towards where the bird had been. The hyur was hastily stringing his bow and slinging his quiver onto his back. Something was amiss. Sticks couldn’t be sure what it was but, or how he knew, but the hairs on the back of his neck were straight up and down.
“Maybe it just ran off?†Sticks said weakly. “Could have-“
SNAP
Another stick broke behind them. Sticks and the hyur spun, their backs to where the chocobo had been. The hyur drew his bow string back, an arrow knocked and ready to fly. Sticks slid a pair of knives from his sides and held them tightly, one in each hand, as he peered around.
“River Rock, Sticks, you see anything?†the hyur said in a hushed whisper. Sticks shook his head and swallowed nervously.
“Rock, how about you?â€
Silence greeted this question.
“Rock?†Sticks looked over his shoulder and exhaled nervously. The Roe was gone.
“Rock?†Sticks said in a trembling voice as the fire crackled beside him. “Rocks gone!â€
Sticks turned his head and froze. He was alone. The hyur, who had just been beside him not a moment ago in the light of the flames, was also gone. Sticks stood alone. The knives in his hand shimmered as the light of the flames reflected off the polished steel as the elezen shook in fear.
Nothing moved around him. Only the rows of trees for as far as he could see. And his breath, white upon the air. For minutes nothing happened but the pulse continued to hammer in Sticks’ veins as he jerked his head around over and over, seeking his comrades, or for a clue to what had happened to them.
SNAP
Sticks whirled around and went still. Just a few feet away stood a figure, dressed all in black. Its face was indistinguishable and dark, as if the light from the fire was unable to pierce the shadows that dwelt upon the figure’s face. A black hood covered the head but a long, white tail swished to and fro slowly behind the figure.
“Who the hells are you!†Sticks exclaimed and then hurled both knives at the figure. They sliced through the air and then slammed into the figure points first. The figure in black didn’t react.
It simply stood there, the handles of the blades protruding out. Sticks gave an awkward chuckle before the figure lifted its head. Sticks’ couldn’t see any feature except the eyes, but those eyes were somehow blacker than the night around them. They did not reflect, they did not shimmer, they seemed more like two black holes that absorbed everything around them and let nothing escape. Two prisons that dwelt in a realm beyond understanding.
Sticks tried to look away from those hypnotizing eyes but found himself unable to do so, they were like pits he had fallen into and there was no bottom.
The hooded figure slowly limped forward, a clicking faintly audible as a cane helped move the figure, As the hooded figure drew closer, it extended a trembling handed, covered in taught skin over white bone and veins. When the trembling figures were about to touch Sticks, the elezen tried to pull back but couldn’t, he was lost in those eyes.
“What are you doing?†the elezen whimpered, his voice a defeated whisper as he realized, deep down, he was doomed.
The voice that spoke was not harsh or cruel. It was not energetic or excited. It was simple, and soft, like a gentle breeze over fields of wheat. There was no emotion in the words and its tone did not change as it spoke two words.
“A kindness.â€
Overhead the moon shone bright and clear through the leaves of the trees of Gridania, but nearby, taller and mightier, stood the mountains of Coerthas and their snowcapped peaks. The snow might be way up upon the , but apexes’ the cold hand blown down to this border region and cast aside the warmth.
“We’ll be out of here soon enough, Sticks.†said a shivering hyur to the elezen nicknamed Sticks. Sticks was tall and as thin as a stick, with sunken cheekbones and black hair. He seemed more like a tree than a living creature.
Sticks grumbled something as the third figure, a short Roe, tossed another log onto the fire and sparks shot up into the air like a thousand, wayward stars. The normal sounds of the forest were gone. No insects, no wind, no nighttime creatures. There was only still silence, save the three figures and their roaring fire.
The three merchants had parked their wagon near the side of the road and their single chocobo was asleep nearby, it’s body mass insulating it from the biting teeth of the cold air.
“Two days ain’t soon enough.†Sticks grumped as he crossed his arms over his chest and wondered how he was going to sleep that night. How in the world had he come to this? What bad cluck of fate had made him go from a successful merchant with his own wares being sold in the streets to hardly making ends meat as a low end, bottom of the barrel caravan driver? Sticks had lost count. He had been through so much, between the political upheaval currently in Ul’dah, to corruption among that city-state’s agencies, to the madness that seemed to occur there so regularly, it was just proof that life was chaos and any order people claimed existed where just a temporary illusion. All of his great life plans, reduced to freezing his ass off in the middle of the-
SNAP
A twig crunched under a foot and all three men jerked their heads towards the sound that had come behind Sticks. The three pairs of eyes peered intently into the shadowed, moon-lit columns of trees that stretched before them. Nothing moved. After a few moments they turned back to the fire.
“Wonder what that was.†Sticks muttered.
“Probably just a deer or something.†the hyur replied calmly. He was a seasoned traveler and held his bearing far better the urbanized elezen. “If I had my bow strung, I’d probably go get us some game and sk-“
“Where is the bird?†grunted the Roe as he suddenly rose to his feet. Sticks and the hyur jerked their heads and then sprung to their feet. The chocobo, so carefully tied, was gone, its rope lying on the ground. Sticks blinked in shock as the Roe stepped towards where the bird had been. The hyur was hastily stringing his bow and slinging his quiver onto his back. Something was amiss. Sticks couldn’t be sure what it was but, or how he knew, but the hairs on the back of his neck were straight up and down.
“Maybe it just ran off?†Sticks said weakly. “Could have-“
SNAP
Another stick broke behind them. Sticks and the hyur spun, their backs to where the chocobo had been. The hyur drew his bow string back, an arrow knocked and ready to fly. Sticks slid a pair of knives from his sides and held them tightly, one in each hand, as he peered around.
“River Rock, Sticks, you see anything?†the hyur said in a hushed whisper. Sticks shook his head and swallowed nervously.
“Rock, how about you?â€
Silence greeted this question.
“Rock?†Sticks looked over his shoulder and exhaled nervously. The Roe was gone.
“Rock?†Sticks said in a trembling voice as the fire crackled beside him. “Rocks gone!â€
Sticks turned his head and froze. He was alone. The hyur, who had just been beside him not a moment ago in the light of the flames, was also gone. Sticks stood alone. The knives in his hand shimmered as the light of the flames reflected off the polished steel as the elezen shook in fear.
Nothing moved around him. Only the rows of trees for as far as he could see. And his breath, white upon the air. For minutes nothing happened but the pulse continued to hammer in Sticks’ veins as he jerked his head around over and over, seeking his comrades, or for a clue to what had happened to them.
SNAP
Sticks whirled around and went still. Just a few feet away stood a figure, dressed all in black. Its face was indistinguishable and dark, as if the light from the fire was unable to pierce the shadows that dwelt upon the figure’s face. A black hood covered the head but a long, white tail swished to and fro slowly behind the figure.
“Who the hells are you!†Sticks exclaimed and then hurled both knives at the figure. They sliced through the air and then slammed into the figure points first. The figure in black didn’t react.
It simply stood there, the handles of the blades protruding out. Sticks gave an awkward chuckle before the figure lifted its head. Sticks’ couldn’t see any feature except the eyes, but those eyes were somehow blacker than the night around them. They did not reflect, they did not shimmer, they seemed more like two black holes that absorbed everything around them and let nothing escape. Two prisons that dwelt in a realm beyond understanding.
Sticks tried to look away from those hypnotizing eyes but found himself unable to do so, they were like pits he had fallen into and there was no bottom.
The hooded figure slowly limped forward, a clicking faintly audible as a cane helped move the figure, As the hooded figure drew closer, it extended a trembling handed, covered in taught skin over white bone and veins. When the trembling figures were about to touch Sticks, the elezen tried to pull back but couldn’t, he was lost in those eyes.
“What are you doing?†the elezen whimpered, his voice a defeated whisper as he realized, deep down, he was doomed.
The voice that spoke was not harsh or cruel. It was not energetic or excited. It was simple, and soft, like a gentle breeze over fields of wheat. There was no emotion in the words and its tone did not change as it spoke two words.
“A kindness.â€
