Perceptions of a Madman [story; comments welcome]

[John Spiegel]

 

This is a third-party narration in the style of a nature documentary of what goes on in JJ's head. He's a very private character so he'd not share a whole hell of a lot of the "interesting" things about him. The funny names things are given for the few people mentioned only make sense if you know the characters... location names reflect JJ's thoughts of the locations.

 

John (JJ) = character being narrated, Alex/Grace = son/daughter, Costia = Woodland Highlander

 

 

It's not unlike the other hardships he's experienced.

 

A woman he and other orphans revered as a mother figure is killed, he killed the killer and ran away from Ala Mhigo and began "adventuring". He's finally free as he always wanted to be. Tender age of twelve.

 

He gets in a terrible accident which severely burns his scalp, he recovers and shrugs that off. It's just hair.

 

He loses his eye. He shrugged that off too. Kept moving forward. It's just an eye. He still got one good one.

 

He's accepted and welcomes that he's going to burn for all the lives he took, innocent or otherwise.. out there on the killing floor.

 

He's forcibly moved from his friends by his wife due to the nature of his Pandorican curse. That wasn't so bad. He had his wife and children all in good health.

 

The Garleans swept through Gyr Abania, killing the majority of people he revered as family. His wife, his step brother, his father in law, a number of monks... that took awhile to get back on his feet. But he did anyways. And he hit the road like he was jackknifed and was never going to go back no more... Nevermore.

 

Facing the end of the Sixth Astral Era which by all accounts should have been the end of it all. The Seventh Verse. Bahamut. An entire army to fight. Perhaps this would be where his luck ran out. Think again. His darksteel breastplate and helm were blown off during his blood curdling charges as he tore through groups of Garleans and magitek alike. A white light threw him five years into the future like so many others.

 

As long as he found his son and daughter all would be alright. He thought. He traveled the three nations of the Grand Company with plans of heading north if he didn't find her. He found her but.. her spirit was broken. This wasn't unfamiliar either, all of their hearts ached after Ala Mhigo was seiged. This was different. She finally let her raging heart calm after fifteen years of her family's loss only to have it ripped from her chest in the most horrible of fashions.

 

His son, though they were five cycles scarred over, lost his fire as well. His meek demeanor doesn't let it seem as such though. But the son is resolved in helping his sister through this.

 

The pains his children felt a second time are things no parent wants their child to experence a first time. There's no bad guy to kill to make it better. No way of saying it will be better tomorrow... possibly. There's just time. Time he's well off to waiting through but seeing his son and daughter slither through this is anything but pleasant. Every time his daughter cries, every time his son puts on a strong face.. it's twisting a knife.

 

It's something he can't grab onto and squeeze the pain out of, and believe me, he's tried. A lot.

[John Spiegel]

Gusts of slashes cur the air around as he swings his greatsword teetering on the top of rocks.

 

He back flips and propels himself from a rock to a giant tree above before using the tree to push himself down in a vertical smash, crushing the rock he lands on and sending shards flying.

 

He's not ignoring his son or daughter though he is clearing his mind as to help temper their hearts.

 

His son has met a woman, the Woodland Highlander, and has resolved to follow her in her journey. Perhaps his son was looking for something in himself.

 

The women that have frequented the household, the Green Lady, the Demon Woman's daughter, the Goblin Cat, the Woodland Highander. They all seemed to have positive influences on the daughter. Just as the son and he wished. The daughter is still far from getting back to herself, if that would even be possible, but it's a start, or so he tells himself.

 

The Woodland Highlander has been invited by the son to take housing in the son's home for as long as she wishes or until the son has settled his home to start their journey together.

 

It was early one morn when he returned from a nights training and prepared himself a feast on a bun. The son and daughter were just leaving for their morning training. He hadn't met the woman yet, she lay slumbering in the bed down the hall. He heard of her beauty and kindness from the son.

 

He squats on the window sill, quietly eating his feast on a bun while watching the Woodland Highlander slumber. Her peaceful innocent sleep gave him an unperverse and pure smile. That's a sight he hasn't seen in moons or cycles. At times he himself was the cause of nightmares to people. At times he was the one quelling the nightmares or "dream gods". The Woodland Highlander has her own worries but seemed to have set those aside for a peaceful slumber.

 

He takes a bite of his feast on a bun.

 

The following sun, the Wind Witch's followers raided the Balloon Settlement at the foothills of the now Long Winterland. The son went to offer his plant and medicine help. While he himself went in secret to wage Hells on the Wind Witch's followers.

 

He is apparently missing by those of the son's household. The daughter and Woodland Highlander might notice.

[John Spiegel]

One sun. Two suns. Three suns. Gore.

 

The Balloon Settlement had the Wind Witch's followers strongly stated on the east but not so much the west side. No doubt they were trying to cut it off completely and make it a stronghold. He started with the west where the raiders came from. The Bark Criers would no doubt do the same, but being a single person, he could mobilize faster. Strike meaner. Kill more.

 

They weren't expecting a retaliation so soon.

 

With the Fury and Destruction of the Fury and her father the Destroyer deities, the slaughter began. At first there were runts. Their vestigial feathers hadn't even molded more than a few times. Their crying squawks and squawking cries ring true and quick. He does have mercy after all. A longsword here, a polearm there, a small fortune of weapons he began to collect. One head. Two. Three. Four. Five. The heads of them stuck on a pike which he fitted to his armor. Their heads acting his banner.

 

By the eve of the first night, all of the western flank of the Balloon Settlement was free if them. That wasn't enough for him.

 

He made modest camp. A passing Bark Crier brigade passed. Information was swapped. So were underhanded remarks of Mountain Brutes and immanent Woodsin. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

He learned surveyed till the following eve then he struck. Wind Witch's followers gathered rally in a gorge. This was their fatal mistake. A stomp. A crush. Rolling. Their exit was sealed only the sky lead free. In their fright, they attempted to fly. Generations ago perhaps. Their most ancient ones probably still could fly.

 

Above where he stood he launched the piked heads they flew true to their small target: the ground.

 

Just then lightning flashed as if the Destroyer gave approval -- or perhaps Old Thunder, granting his blessing to cleanse his woods.

 

These were older ones from their homeland in the Always Winter mountains -- he would take the fight there too if he must. The Twelveswood would not give this patch of land away. Not tonight.

 

Arrows began flying past his head and he retreated out of sight. Fires of torches soon filled the ridge. Bark Criers. Dozens of them. Archers backed by pikemen. Not a single beastman stood left.

 

He returns home in time to see his son carrying the Woodland Highlander, his own face splattered with beast blood. She lay peacefully in his arms. A smile crosses his face as thuds from his armor are heard from removing them piece by blooded piece. His undershirt and pants were patched brown with dried blood and stunk of blood, mostly their blood, and sweat. Seeing his son, one who was always the meekly mannered and only fought back when really pushed -- something was different. Had she tempered his heart to discover himself when they take off on their journey?

 

The son's journey is something he believes should happen. He imagines there has been something deep in him calling him to this. Something missing from his life other than his sister and da.