1572 – Not long before the Calamity
Fog exited his mouth as the breath met the cool air. More followed after a coughing fit caused the tall highlander to stagger. He leaned against a large rock as he breathed heavily. Exhaustion was getting the best of him after days on the run. Dalamud loomed close above as it continued its slow descent upon the world.
The horizon became brighter as the sun started to rise for the new day. He had to find cover before it showed itself. He would stick out like a Roegadyn at a Lalafell family reunion once the sun lit up the land. He silently cursed himself for heading into the desert earlier in the night.
He sat on the rock and took deep breaths to relax. He rubbed his face with his hand. Another bout of coughing came on him as the smell of blood entered his senses. He stared at the dried blood on his hand…his blood.
He shook his head at the sight. Twenty-eight years of keeping his magic hidden, only to have it fail on him the first time he needed it in an emergency. What little he knew of it was enough to close some of his wounds but most remained open along with muscle pain. Exactly what he expected followed. His men turned on him without hesitation. Some of them he served together with since he enlisted.
“I think I see him!†a faint voice echoed in the air. That was his cue to leave. The wounded man struggled to get on his feet. His right food dragged as he limped forward. Dust kicked up as he finally got to a good rhythm and speed.
A light bang reached his ears followed immediately by a bullet slamming into a cactus next to him. He grunted as he tried to move faster. He glanced over his shoulder to see the dust cloud being caused by his men. As if they could be called that anymore.
He regretted discarding his armor now as he watched the cloud grow closer. He stopped abruptly at the ledge of steep hill. His fist clenched at the situation. Another bullet came whistling by that gave him the nerve to head down the hill. He tried to keep his weight balanced to allow him to slide.
He stumbled at the bottom as he moved to land on his strong leg. He looked up the long hill with a cocky smile as his pursuers arrived at the top. His smile disappeared as he about faced and moved on.
A third bullet was fired off. This time it met his shoulder and slammed him into a shallow oasis. More coughing came out as he swallowed water unintentionally. He clutched his shoulder and tried to use what little healing ability he had. He felt himself get dizzy as his head became light. Before he could react, darkness overtook him…
“Get him ready!†a strong voice screamed him into consciousness. The highlander’s eyes slowly opened. “That’s enough! He’s coming to.†He stared down on the shorter Hyur in front of him. He had a wide grin on his face for unknown reasons. “Welcome! You're about to go into the Coliseum and fight to the death. If you die, I will lose nothing. If you win, I will make thousands of gil and you just may be useful to me. To be honest with you, I don’t really care for the outcome.â€
The highlander licked his dry, cracked lips. Finally able to gather enough from his dry mouth, he spit a small amount down onto the midlander in front of him. “You give me a weapon and you won’t live long enough to enjoy that gil…†That wiped the grin off his face.
“We’ll see,†the short man let out a huff as he walked away. The highlander held a smirk this time. His head jerked as the three other men pushed him through the gate into the arena.
The crowd was in a roar as the competitors walked into the open grounds. The men that ushered him in tossed a sword a few feet away and scurried back into the door as it slammed shut. He groaned as his sore body knelt down to grab the sword and he faced his opponent.
The Miqo’te was already within range with his lance. The highlander bent back to dodge the pierce attempt and swung his sword up to slap it out of his way. The crowd grew louder at the start of combat.
He was still sore however felt he definitely received healing. His feet were a bit heavy, allowing him to keep his stance up with average footing. He continued to parry jabs from his enemy as he kept up the advance. Deciding to turn it back, he dodged to the left and swung toward the lancer. He struck nothing but air as the other ducked.
They spread apart to plan their next attack. His right leg gave in and he fell to his knee. He knew he had to end this fight fast or he would be ended. The lancer charged once again at the open opportunity. The warrior stood up and hobbled out of the way.
The highlander reversed his grip on the blade hoping the lancer would be unaware of his strategy. The opponent spun to end his charge before returning on the offensive. The tall Hyur shuffled back to prepare for his counter. He intentionally swung high just above the lance.
The Miqo’te felt he had it, thrusting at his chest. The warrior dodged to his right but was much slower then he wanted. The tip of the spear glanced against his side. He gave a grunt has he held through the instant pain. Adrenaline kept him moving as he countered. Grabbing the lance, he pulled and stabbed with the reversed blade. The Miqo’te’s eyes widened as he was lurched forward. The blade hit square in his chest.
It was withdrawn out just as fast it entered. The lancer held his chest as he fell to his knees. The highlander discarded the lance he now held to the ground. Breathing heavy he finally placed his hand over his flesh wound on his side. He tried to tune out the screams of the crowd as he looked down on his enemy.
The gates opened and his handlers came out with hesitation. The highlander gave them a smirk as he beckoned them over and stood ready for more combat. They all gave him room trying to find a way to approach him.
After another pain wave hit him and he fell to his knee once more. He threw down his sword into the ground. The men held him up and escorted him out of the arena in a hurry with his feet dragging.
The midlander overlooked with a huge grin. “Get me a healer. I want him ready to fight as soon as possible.â€
“Yes, master,†his peon bowed and scurried off.
The midlander walked into the pit and approached his new gladiator. He snapped in his face to get his attention. The highlander slowly looked up, still breathing heavy. “Tell me what your old ‘friends’ called so I can reward my new champion.â€
The slumped Hyur looked back down defeated.
“Look at me when I speak, slave!†the midlander was beginning to get fed up.
“I have no name…â€
The midlander remained silent with a glare.
“…Edgar Callant.â€
((Feel free to PM me with any of the following: comments, criticism and/or suggestions to make it more lore accurate. I'm still not 100% up on lore in the FFXIV however strive to learn as much as I can of the setting.
If your character ever attended this or future fights, don't hesitate to bring it up with Edgar if we meet in-game.
Thank you for reading ))))
Fog exited his mouth as the breath met the cool air. More followed after a coughing fit caused the tall highlander to stagger. He leaned against a large rock as he breathed heavily. Exhaustion was getting the best of him after days on the run. Dalamud loomed close above as it continued its slow descent upon the world.
The horizon became brighter as the sun started to rise for the new day. He had to find cover before it showed itself. He would stick out like a Roegadyn at a Lalafell family reunion once the sun lit up the land. He silently cursed himself for heading into the desert earlier in the night.
He sat on the rock and took deep breaths to relax. He rubbed his face with his hand. Another bout of coughing came on him as the smell of blood entered his senses. He stared at the dried blood on his hand…his blood.
He shook his head at the sight. Twenty-eight years of keeping his magic hidden, only to have it fail on him the first time he needed it in an emergency. What little he knew of it was enough to close some of his wounds but most remained open along with muscle pain. Exactly what he expected followed. His men turned on him without hesitation. Some of them he served together with since he enlisted.
“I think I see him!†a faint voice echoed in the air. That was his cue to leave. The wounded man struggled to get on his feet. His right food dragged as he limped forward. Dust kicked up as he finally got to a good rhythm and speed.
A light bang reached his ears followed immediately by a bullet slamming into a cactus next to him. He grunted as he tried to move faster. He glanced over his shoulder to see the dust cloud being caused by his men. As if they could be called that anymore.
He regretted discarding his armor now as he watched the cloud grow closer. He stopped abruptly at the ledge of steep hill. His fist clenched at the situation. Another bullet came whistling by that gave him the nerve to head down the hill. He tried to keep his weight balanced to allow him to slide.
He stumbled at the bottom as he moved to land on his strong leg. He looked up the long hill with a cocky smile as his pursuers arrived at the top. His smile disappeared as he about faced and moved on.
A third bullet was fired off. This time it met his shoulder and slammed him into a shallow oasis. More coughing came out as he swallowed water unintentionally. He clutched his shoulder and tried to use what little healing ability he had. He felt himself get dizzy as his head became light. Before he could react, darkness overtook him…
“Get him ready!†a strong voice screamed him into consciousness. The highlander’s eyes slowly opened. “That’s enough! He’s coming to.†He stared down on the shorter Hyur in front of him. He had a wide grin on his face for unknown reasons. “Welcome! You're about to go into the Coliseum and fight to the death. If you die, I will lose nothing. If you win, I will make thousands of gil and you just may be useful to me. To be honest with you, I don’t really care for the outcome.â€
The highlander licked his dry, cracked lips. Finally able to gather enough from his dry mouth, he spit a small amount down onto the midlander in front of him. “You give me a weapon and you won’t live long enough to enjoy that gil…†That wiped the grin off his face.
“We’ll see,†the short man let out a huff as he walked away. The highlander held a smirk this time. His head jerked as the three other men pushed him through the gate into the arena.
The crowd was in a roar as the competitors walked into the open grounds. The men that ushered him in tossed a sword a few feet away and scurried back into the door as it slammed shut. He groaned as his sore body knelt down to grab the sword and he faced his opponent.
The Miqo’te was already within range with his lance. The highlander bent back to dodge the pierce attempt and swung his sword up to slap it out of his way. The crowd grew louder at the start of combat.
He was still sore however felt he definitely received healing. His feet were a bit heavy, allowing him to keep his stance up with average footing. He continued to parry jabs from his enemy as he kept up the advance. Deciding to turn it back, he dodged to the left and swung toward the lancer. He struck nothing but air as the other ducked.
They spread apart to plan their next attack. His right leg gave in and he fell to his knee. He knew he had to end this fight fast or he would be ended. The lancer charged once again at the open opportunity. The warrior stood up and hobbled out of the way.
The highlander reversed his grip on the blade hoping the lancer would be unaware of his strategy. The opponent spun to end his charge before returning on the offensive. The tall Hyur shuffled back to prepare for his counter. He intentionally swung high just above the lance.
The Miqo’te felt he had it, thrusting at his chest. The warrior dodged to his right but was much slower then he wanted. The tip of the spear glanced against his side. He gave a grunt has he held through the instant pain. Adrenaline kept him moving as he countered. Grabbing the lance, he pulled and stabbed with the reversed blade. The Miqo’te’s eyes widened as he was lurched forward. The blade hit square in his chest.
It was withdrawn out just as fast it entered. The lancer held his chest as he fell to his knees. The highlander discarded the lance he now held to the ground. Breathing heavy he finally placed his hand over his flesh wound on his side. He tried to tune out the screams of the crowd as he looked down on his enemy.
The gates opened and his handlers came out with hesitation. The highlander gave them a smirk as he beckoned them over and stood ready for more combat. They all gave him room trying to find a way to approach him.
After another pain wave hit him and he fell to his knee once more. He threw down his sword into the ground. The men held him up and escorted him out of the arena in a hurry with his feet dragging.
The midlander overlooked with a huge grin. “Get me a healer. I want him ready to fight as soon as possible.â€
“Yes, master,†his peon bowed and scurried off.
The midlander walked into the pit and approached his new gladiator. He snapped in his face to get his attention. The highlander slowly looked up, still breathing heavy. “Tell me what your old ‘friends’ called so I can reward my new champion.â€
The slumped Hyur looked back down defeated.
“Look at me when I speak, slave!†the midlander was beginning to get fed up.
“I have no name…â€
The midlander remained silent with a glare.
“…Edgar Callant.â€
((Feel free to PM me with any of the following: comments, criticism and/or suggestions to make it more lore accurate. I'm still not 100% up on lore in the FFXIV however strive to learn as much as I can of the setting.
If your character ever attended this or future fights, don't hesitate to bring it up with Edgar if we meet in-game.
Thank you for reading
))))
![[Image: smile.gif]](https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/images/smilies/smile.gif)
))))
