A fiend’s eyes found him the instant he set foot in the jewel of the desert, perched just out of sight, smiling. It was a feeling he knew all too well. Were not Halone’s piercing gaze, there were enemies, heretics, and Elementals to keep him company these days.
Mattisaux sought to make his trip to Ul’dah a quick one, only there to grab a leve or few, but with the tension rising in his neck, plans changed. At first, he decided to take his time, have his pursuer wait for him, watch him, grow impatient. He did have things to do in the city even if he wanted the trip short. Typical errands and penchants to follow occupied a great deal of his time already, it would be far too simple to drag them out. However, as the burning gaze of the Warden relaxed into hues of gold, pink, and violet, the Elezen made way for the Gate of Thal with the Sultantree in his sights.
Rather than jaunt for the crevice leading toward the center of the tree facing the populace, he wheeled around its massive trunk for the backside. Were there a conflict, he at least wanted some discretion.
“That you waited so patiently must mean you wish to take your time with me. How I feel so honored.” Contempt laced his words as he spoke into the dust that kicked up in the coming of evening.
“My.” The instant that honey-dipped voice fluttered in the sky, his jaw clenched. “I think I am the honored one. You chose a spot close enough to hurry along meeting me but one which is away from too many prying eyes. A private man, you are.” A wispy chuckle ended the sentence as a pale woman dropped from the sky.
She alighted softly, taking care to stick the landing more for his temperament, and lifted herself up with a hand perched over a cocked hip. From the waist up, she was practically naked, brandishing her muscles like a proud Roegadyn and only covering her chest, though even that left little else for the imagination. “Ser Knight, it has been a while, hm?”
Mattisaux drew his sword. He could not grasp this Sea Wolf’s intentions, but he interested her in a way that he wished he could stop. By the growing smirk creeping over her dark lips, she must be scheming something. “Skoenthota. Enough with your pleasantries. Enough with everything that comes out your mouth.” He assumed a basic stance, steadying himself to leap away or take a hit should the need arise.
A bellyful laugh sang through the air suddenly. “You said my name! You finally did it! Oh, how I waited for the day, too long. That Ishgardian accent makes it sound so much sweeter.” Skoenthota pressed both hands together in joy, even lifting a leg up to exaggerate her happiness. “And on the perfect occasion for I have a grand favor to ask of you.”
Regret furled his brow together, grumbling to himself before replying. “What is your favor, woman?”
“Rest your sword and I will tell you. Or keep your anger abreast and I will continue to follow you until you give in.” His stubbornness was so plain a blind man could see it, but she was cut from much of the same cloth. “You know this already.”
Asking him to relax or calm down did nothing but wind him up more; it left a sour taste in his mouth to comply and yet he knew her game. So, reluctantly, he eased his posture and straightened his back. Leafing out a hand, he sighed. “Well?”
“Now this is the start of something new.” Her smile nearly squinted her glittering ruby eyes shut. “Make me a promise, Ser.” From left to right she paced as she made her proposition. “I will lend you my power the moment you agree. Call upon me whenever you need help near or far. Here or there. You might benefit from this more than I would, but I enjoy it all the same.”
“What?” Red flags shot like wildfire to her offer. Something was wrong with this, like he was on the cusp of making a deal with the devil. “I only make promises I want keep, and with few people. One with you would be broken nigh instantly. However, for the humor of it, what are you asking for?”
“Make an exception for me.” She halted her pace, facing him for a more serious look in his crystalline eyes. “I only ask that you promise to not kill me.”
She was one surprise after the other which made it difficult for him to keep up. Why would he kill her? What has she done? What will she do...? Ultimately, his ruminations never mattered, neither from him nor from her. He already made up his mind. “Fine, though should you cross me, you will receive no such special treatment.”
His answer brought her nothing but joy. “Good, good! I promise never to disappoint you.” She giggled, congratulating herself on a job well done before addressing him again. “Now with that trifle out of the way, I want you to remember this, Knight. A promise’s purpose is not only to hold secrets. It’s to forms bonds between people; it makes them closer, don’t you see? My trust is in your hands, your sword even.” She lifted both hands up, palms opened and clawed fingers wriggling. “I need you.”
“Tell me something new, girl.” He narrowed his eyes at her, bending his knees and tightening his grip to ready himself. “I do not need to kill you to get what I want.”
Skoenthota watched as he gathered himself for a fight, raising a short brow in slight confusion but clenched her fists in due time. Always with a smile, she widened her gait and put up her dukes. “I suppose I can oblige you with a treat this time. For doing something so nice for a change.”
Nim stood staring at the hunt board looking for which mark was being the most troublesome. It didn’t take long for her to find it. The beast was a bane to existence if the actual bounty was any indication. Reaching forward she pulled the bill from the board and read its contents.
From what she could tell there was not much information to go on save that most of the sightings were in Western Thanalan. Stepping outside of the Hall of Flames she intoned the teleport spell and felt her aether tugged along to the Aetheryte in Horizon.
Once there she sought out anyone who would have an idea of where to find the beast. It didn’t take long just before Sunset Gate there was a Lalafell who bore the air of a beast hunter. After a short conversation with her Nim realized why the beast's bounty was so high. The Highwind Skyways had lost several ships to its attacks; naturally they would want the beast put down as soon as possible.
Problem was it was very difficult to get the elusive creature to descend from its lofty height; Lalafell had even said that she had only seen the beast land once. That the sun reflecting off her pauldrons may have been what called the beast down.
If the sky was the beast's uncontested domain she needed to lure it to the ground somehow and rob it of its primary advantage. She walked along the path leaving Horizon and then found herself staring down at Nophica’s Wells.
The area had steep cliffs that if she maneuvered right during the battle she could trap the beast against. It was out of the way of the main tradeway so a good way to ensure that no bystanders were caught in their fight. The question would be how to get the beast down there.
“Attracted to flashes of light,” the Hells Guard murmured softly watching as the sun danced across the ripples of the Well’s water, “It couldn’t be that easy could it?”
She had a hobby of fishing and as such learned as much as she could about any and all potential fishing spots across Eorzea. She knew for a fact that here in the Wells was a very bright, very flashy fish, the Glimmerscale. At its largest the fish was a little over one fium in length so it might not be enough to lure a Cloudkin down from the heavens but one never knew and it couldn’t hurt to try. She certainly wasn’t going to stop the beast standing here staring at the water.
Making up her mind the Warrior made her way to the stairwell that led down into the Wells themselves once at the bottom she informed the Brass Blade standing guard there that she planned to lure Zona Seeker down to her and asked him to keep any and all that might venture down that way away from her and the beast.
The Blade looked at her like she lost her mind but agreed to keep others out of her way. Choosing a location that was out in the open but near the bridge she planned on luring the beast under robbing it of the capability of dropping on her from a massive height. She dropped her pack between two nearby palms and pulled her collapsible fishing rod out of it. She then searched the bag till she found her bait tin and pulled out a nice plump butterworm.
A few hours later and sever fish including a couple of small Glimmerscales Nim finally pulled up a pretty big one. No sooner had she heard a piercing cry from above. Dropping her rod fish and all she darted to the side as a puddle of some sort of venom landed where she had stood. The creature then let out a piercing shriek that rattled Nim’s bones. The Warrior gritted her teeth then flung her tomahawk at the beast, getting it to follow her beneath the bridge where she then unsheathed her axe. It dove at her swinging its tail forward, another bit of venom oozing from the tip of the bulge at its end. The tip screeched off her armor leaving a wet streak where it landed.
Before it could recover Nim brought down her axe in a Heavy Swing down upon its right wing joint nearly severing the digit to the bone. The beast crashed to the ground and rewarded the strike with a spit of that original venom that hit Roegadyn squarely in the chest. Suddenly her limbs felt heavy as she brought the axe back up attempting to Maim the beast further.
It flapped with its good wing scrabbling back muck of the water beneath the bridge so her strike did not hit as well as she had hoped. The beast then lashed out with a burst of wind aether and Nim felt the sting of windburn as it got through portions of her armor. She retaliated with her Storm's Eye strike, weaving the spell that bolstered her attacks with it. Then reaching deep within she called forth her Inner Beast a burst of Fiery Aether surrounding her the cloudkin side stepped hissing in warning before he exhaled a concentrated blast of air aether before it. Nim dodged it and swung her axe in the combo once again striking the beast in multiple parts.
As the cloudkin awkwardly tried to strike her with its tail again she swiftly cast Vengeance and was rewarded with the screaming in pain as the spell's effects harmed the beast. She then swung the combo again and with the built up aether lashed out at it with a steel cyclone. Another burst of wind aether smacked into her and Zona Seeker once again cried in pain as her Vengeance spell retaliated.
Finally the battle took its toll on the beast and it began to stumble and its attacks became less potent. Nim carefully waited for the right opening dodging and parrying the beast's weakening strikes before she swung her axe for the telling blow. At her final strike the creature gave one last bone rattling shriek before it fell to the ground lifeless.
Panting Nim shook the blood from her axe then sheathed it in the harness on her back then she reached to her right ear activating a link pearl. “Huntmaster,” she said between breaths, “Tell the Highwind Skyways that Zona Seeker will trouble them no more. It's dead. I felled it in Nophica’s Wells. So do I need to bring a part of the beast for confirmation or will there be a representative sent to confirm the kill?”
Stay in the area there will be a representative sent shortly. Nice work Miss Rabbit. We appreciate when you down these fiends.
She gave a toothy grin stating, “I do what I can fer folks that need it,”
Nim then hauled the beast’s corpse out of the water before it turned in the Thanalan heat. Last thing the folks of the area needed was the Well’s watercourse fouled by a corpse. It didn't take long before said representative, a Immortal Flame came and confirmed the beast's identity he then gave her the reward purse and thanked her for her service to Ul'dah.
Once that was squared away Nim made her way to the Waking Sands where she knew a warm bath and a hearty meal awaited her return.
Baroouse is very fond of the springs at Bronze Lake. He even got to take someone he cared about there once as a thanks after his name was (largely) cleared in Eorzea.
