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year 5, quarter 3
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Caius shook his head at Cissnei's idea. "Better to keep on their good side. It will be more beneficial to us in the long run" He would respond. He knew how tough those things were. That malboro causing a cave-in wouldn't kill as many as they would like to think. Just piss them off. And people would pay for that if it does. "The tonberries will also have a better idea of an escape route. Without them, we might get lost in the passageways. Which would be unfavorable for us in this case."
And by unfavorable, he meant very, very dead. He left it at that as he would focus on the Malboro. It was just a Malboro, not his first rodeo with one. Cissnei though, seemed to have a plan fairly quickly, and a small "That's my girl" type of smile would cross his lips as he turned to her, listening in. She suggested drawing its attention to them, brandishing an explosive that she recommended tossing into it's mouth. "I think that could work" He would agree. "Once it's going after you, I can use my magic to whittle it down in the time it will take to turn around and go after me. For now... Allow me to make you an opening."
Caius would charge the Malboro, pulling out his twin daggers as he would go for the weeds at its lower half. Stabbing a dagger into one, and the other into another, he would watch it cry out in pain, giving Cissnei the opportunity to lob the explosive into its open jaws if she was able to. Caius meanwhile, knew that it would be coming for him soon and he would pull the daggers out of its body, preparing to warp toward its side if need be, to get in position for once Cissnei had acted.
Sighing, Cissnei gave a small shrug at his words. She completely disagreed with Caius. He seemed so overly worried about these tonberries. They really must to have put the fear in him. But it was no use arguing. His mind was already made up. Also, his tactics seemed more like SOLDIER tactics, then Turk tactics. And while the two tactics could mesh in a symbiotic relation, it did not always do so. But this was his rodeo. If he wished to finish the fight, then they mind as well finish it. Afterwards, she could get as far away from this place as she could.
Her eyes turned to focus on the giant Malboro threat. Slender arms crossed over her chest, she came to realize it was a horrifying tangle of plant life. It was probably terribly angry at its masters….and hungry. What did those things eat anyway? Did they eat? She shook her head to push the questions into the back of her mind. She needed to focus on the plan. The grenade should do massive damage to it, but she doubted that it would finish it off due to its sheer size. She watched as the blond dashed off to gain its attention.
She reached down to unhook the grenade from her hip. With a lunge forward, she tried to keep up with Caius. Though, to be honest, the giant fly-trap was too big not to be a little slow. Seeing that Caius had created an opening for her, she pulled the pin and chucked the grenade. It made it in to hinge on its lower jaw. Just in time too, as the Malboro would breathe out a foul stench. The grenade held in its lower jaw. However, Cissnei was struck but its unlikely attack. She was suddenly dazed. The second inhalation caused her to see black and then pass out. Her form slumped to the ground.
Only seconds later was there the explosion from the grenade, causing the Malboro to shriek its weird sound in pain. It slumped slightly, stunned by the sudden pain. Then suddenly it went into its death throes, flailing its tentacles more wildly than ever. Picking up the pace to do whatever goal it had in mind.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 11, 2019 18:32:57 GMT -6
Suppose this world isn't so terra-ble.
@blacksuit Word Count: OOC: Caius is in Stasis. Dialogue Color: 196fd1 Party Sprites Credit
For Caius, if all it took to guarantee they were in the clear in this situation was to kill a monster? That was fine with him. Sure, the work wasn’t finished when they got out, but it wasn’t going to be the hardest thing in the world either. Zephon was crawling with would-be fighters wanting to prove themselves. And even moreso folks more than happy to make some gil the scrappy way. The more he thought about it, the more Cissnei’s idea made sense. Interesting she seemed to want to go back on it now. All they would lose was a bit of time, to ensure the best case scenario.
Besides, all these damn rocks looked the same. But if there was a person sized exit here, Caius wouldn’t be surprised if it was out of sight when you consider how tiny the Tonberrys were. Or was there even one at all? That was a thought that had struck them too. Would they have to climb back up the way they came? That would be a pain no matter what they did here. It would have been a death sentence if they turned on the Tonberrys now.
Still it made sense to have some kind of larger, emergency exit as the Tonberrys seemed quite aware of the structural weaknesses of their home judging by how Caius noticed a few of them sticking by the pillars at all times. But where in the world was it? And if there was one and they knew about it... All turning on them might do is piss them off if they destroyed it, he realized, as many would probably survive.
He realized he was overthinking things again and needed to get back to the fight.
Caius would lunge forward, determined to keep its focus on him for as long as possible. He trusted Cissnei, he knew she'd throw the thing in time. The grenade would land in its mouth and Caius would toss his blade, warping away just in time before it would exhale its poisonous substance.
But as Caius would look back at where it was firing, he saw Cissnei crumple amongst it. His eyes widened, brown pupils shrinking as a lump formed in his throat before he let out an involuntary cry.
"CISSNEI!"
Caius knew Cissnei was tough. But the problem was... He didn't know her limits. This wasn't like with Celes. Caius knew when Celes was up and at 'em, and he knew when Celes was down and out. He understood her limitations... He didn't know Cissnei's. Her fall made him feel distraught. He wasn't sure why, in his condition it wasn't something he was going to be able to question in detail. For one reason or another, he felt his heart beating at a rapid pace, and felt as though it were being crushed in his chest. He needed to get to her, he needed to know she was still alive, still breathing. He needed to get to her to help her if she needed him...
Perhaps their time together had more of an effect on him than originally thought, but he didn't have time to think about it as the monster's reaction to the explosives going off in its mouth were... Disastrous. It was definitely going to die soon, but... It began flailing around, moving at breakneck speeds before it made a beeline for the foundation of the cave, that massive pillar. Caius' eyes widened as he looked from Cissnei and then to the monster, realizing that if it knocked it down, he wouldn't have enough time to grab Cissnei and find an exit. They would both die.
Warping upwards, Caius would bring both his blades forward and take the beast head-on, pushing against it and trying to stop it in its tracks. The beast kept pushing forward and flailing, and Caius was battered around by its tentacles but he continued to hold on. Caius would hold on until he was slammed full body into the pillar itself, crushed between the monster and its goal. Caius felt the wind being knocked out of him as he tried to gasp for air, but the mercenary was too stubborn to let go as he would continue to push against it, trying to act as that last filter between it and their certain destruction.
He didn't know what idea possessed him to do what he did next, but he did it. Tapping into the Power of Kings to the fullest extent he could, Caius felt the power flowing - letting out an earsplitting, pained scream from the top of his lungs as Caius would in a sense, overload his abilities. Pain searing through his body from the misuse of the Power of Kings, Caius could see the blue particles that were the trademark of his abilities begin to circle around him. He could not access the Armigir, its final form or the Royal Arms... But this would have to do. His eyes flicked a bright blue as he would push forward, drawing his blade as he would begin to attack with a series of blinding quick slices. With all the power he could muster, Caius would Warp-Strike through its gaping maw, fighting through the mouth of the beast before coming out the other side of its monstrous skin, dealing that final death blow that brought to reality what Cissnei had set into motion.
As the creature let out its final cry and fell, Caius would attempt to Point Warp to safety, but when he saw his weapons disappear, he shook his head.
"Ahh... Fu-"
He fell, and he fell hard. Caius hit the ground from a height with a loud thud, at the same moment the creature did. The Tonberrys would begin to poke out and surround the creature, confirming it was dead as Caius would try to suck wind. He knew he'd pay the price for using his abilities that way, there was always a price with the kings of old... Always a price.
Wiping blood from a cut on his forehead that had begun to seep and obstruct his vision, Caius would make his way to Cissnei. He might not be able to use his magic or abilities for a bit, but if he could walk, he was damn well going to see if she was alright. Once he got to her, he nearly fell on her as he tried to kneel down - but managed to catch himself.
"Hey... Hey, you're... Hah... Hah... You're gonna be okay, yeah?" He managed to ask between breaths as he would check her pulse. Still breathing. That was good. The toxins weren't fatal. She was definitely poisoned, he could tell that. But he hadn’t experienced Bad Breath himself and didn’t know all of its effects. Still, she was alive and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. From there though, he would begin to dig through his pack. This was one of those times he was glad he didn't carry everything with his powers. Pulling something out, he would quickly use the Antidote on Cissnei. Hoping she’d wake, he quirked a brow when she didn’t appear to be. Deciding to try something else, he would use blizzard magic to make his hands freezing cold. With that, he would cup both her cheeks, hoping the cold would shock her from her state.
Cissnei would miss the whole spectacle of Caius’s power in her hazed slumber. A sweat worked up on her brow as the poison edged deeper into her veins. Her breath became slow and soft. It was almost imperceptible. The malboro’s always had this mechanic that was simple to avoid if one remembered to stay behind them. If not, the effects of its self-defense were devastating.
The antidote Caius administered worked quickly. The redness in her face receded and her fever broke and melted away. But it was not until his cold hands on her hot cheeks caused her jolt awake. With hazy vision, she fought through the dizziness as she grabbed one of his offending wrists to twist it outwards and down in self-defense. She then used his exposed size to blindly throw her knee into his ribs. But it was obvious that Bad Breath had weakened her strength for now.
She ran a free arm over her eyes to try to remove the stars out of them. She then shoved her weight as hard as she could away from Caius, as she was not sure yet who the offender was that made the criminal act of touching her with cold hands. “Eugh.” There was a sudden sense of panic she was trying to get under control. All she knew was the danger of tonberries, malboros, and Minerva knew what else. She gave a growl of frustration. Shapes and figures slowly began to come back into her vision, and her mind began to clear. Her shuriken was in her hand as she stumbled to her feet.
She turned to the largest blob in her vision, and it took her a second to realize it was not moving. A second more to realize it was the malboro surrounded by tonberries. “Oh…” She said taken aback. Gloved hand would come up to rub the back of her sweaty neck. “So…can we go?” She looked around for a moment to find Caius. "You got a little something on your forehead." She pointed to her own forehead for emphasis. Her pack seemed to be sitting near him. She could feel fatigue seeping into her as the adrenaline began to leave her.
Caius couldn't summon his weapons to fight back with, and had little strength left to defend himself with, getting taken down by Cissnei's self defense tactic. "Cissnei, oi, it's me" He remarked flatly in an attempt to dissuade her. His voice was dulled, and it was clear that he didn't have a whole lot of energy in that moment. Unfortunately, he knew that show of power would make sure he was in Stasis for longer than just the usual return period. He didn't know when it would return - he hadn't done that before. He had done something similar before, and had lost his magic for about a day after that... But he'd used far more power than he had here. Here, he had simply overclocked his abilities to augment himself temporarily. It had been short, and he had stopped before he could do so for too long, but he knew it would still be some time.
Honestly, he was just happy that she was okay. That was all he was concerned with in that immediate moment.
When Cissnei would stop and would start to get to her feet, he would hold out an arm to help her keep steady. Caius would grab his canteen from his pack and hold it upside down, accidentally dousing himself a bit as he would realize just how ravenously thirsty he was. After downing a fair bit, he would hold it toward Cissnei, knowing she'd likely need something to drink to get her head back. Something cold, but not freezing like he had put on her before. Cissnei would point out he had something on his forehead, and he nodded. "Thanks" He spoke softly as he would use the wetness on his hands from the doused water to wipe off his forehead. Odds are the blood wouldn't stop coming for a bit, but he could grab a potion once they got moving.
Caius realized then that it was best to, instead of wandering aimlessly, ask the Tonberry King for directions. He would begin to head toward the building again, either holding Cissnei's arm or letting her walk on her own depending on how much trouble she was having still. As they went, Caius would first take a Potion for himself, so he could stop the bleeding as well as support Cissnei if he needed to without falling himself. Once he was sorted, he would hand Cissnei a Potion as well.
"I would use magic, but..." He trailed off as the reality of the situation hit him. "The Ancient Kings of Lucis always demand a price. I won't have their aid for a little while. That's the price I'm to pay, it seems."
He didn't expect her to understand all that, but it was probably clear enough to at least indicate that Caius had done something to blow out his magic and couldn't access it. When they arrived, the Tonberry King would regard them with a tilt of their head as Caius would speak.
"We've killed the threat" Caius remarked bluntly, admittedly still trying to collect his breath. "Is there an exit that can fit us, that doesn't involve us trying to climb all the way back up the way we came so we can begin work on upholding our end of the deal?"
The Tonberry King stared at them for a few moments, as if regarding something. They would motion behind the throne.
"Our emergency exit is there. Use it as you please."
Caius nodded his head as they would begin to make their way past. But as they neared the throne, the Tonberry King's voice suddenly boomed out.
"Wait."
Brown eyes darted up in surprise as Caius would look up toward the Tonberry King. They would let out a sound in their native tongue, and several Tonberrys would disappear. When they re-appeared, they would drop two large sacks in front of Caius and Cissnei. Likely one for each. They would let out a chime as they dropped to the floor, indicating their contents were gil.
"Thank you."
"Wh-"
Caius' eyes widened in surprise and utter astonishment. He hadn't expected anything for dispatching the Malboro, or for protecting their cave. He would have been satisfied with just the exit, but this...
Perhaps the Tonberrys had their honor and humanity after all, hidden below the surface. Caius looked to Cissnei a moment, studying her expression as he remembered what she had said before about teaching them...
Perhaps she was onto something. Right there was the sign that something could change with this sect of Tonberrys...
He would have to give it some thought.
"Thank you, Your Majesty" Caius would respond, giving the salute that was customary to the Kingsglaive. While he had not felt he had reason to give it before... It felt right in this instance. The Tonberry King hadn't had to do that. But they had.
There really may be something, deep inside... In that sea of carnivorous, animalistic lust for blood, there really was something. Once they collected their gil, they were on their way.
-----------
As they walked through the caves on their way back to the surface, Caius couldn’t help but find himself lost in thought. “It's interesting. As primitive, savage and bloodthirsty as they are, there does seem to be some semblance of humanity in those Tomberrys” He mused aloud, though it was unclear if he was just thinking aloud or talking to Cissnei. “It’s clear they were taught or conditioned to respect culture, thus their even taking the parlay in the first place, even clearly without knowing what it was. And they and the Tonberry King respected the parlay more than long enough for us to work out the terms. Sure their terms were a bit strange but... I expected far worse. And while I don’t know about the regular Tonberrys, the fact their King was actually grateful about protecting their little hamlet and paying us... The whole thing indicates there is some honour under the surface.
Hmmm...” He continued to think aloud. “Maybe I’ll have to come back and see what I can try to teach after all... It can’t hurt to try and humanize this particular colony. I thought it sounded ridiculous before when you brought it up, but... There does seem to be a spark there to work with. Might do them - and the surrounding villages - a lot of good.”
Snapping out of it after realizing something, he looked towards Cissnei with a warm smile. A genuine smile.
“You know” He started off. “Your negotiation skills are really impressive. Not to mention how you handled things with the Malboro. You very much saved the day here. I don’t think I could have attained this sort of outcome without you. Not with the Malboro, not with the Tonberrys... I really am grateful that you decided to come along.”
Seeing that he was having difficulty staunching the blood on his forehead, Cissnei removed her first aid pack from her pack. Opening the container, she removed some gauze squares and held it out to him. “Press it against your head to staunch the bleeding. Then you should probably rest for a long while.” He looked like shit. But he was still standing, so that had to count for something. She raised a hand to turn the drink, however. She would wait until she was safe to tend to her own issues.
Cissnei politely declined Caius’s assistance in walking. “Thank you, but I think I can manage.” She had her own pride and Turk dignity to keep. From that prideful well she drew the strength to at least pretend she knew she was walking straight. She straightened out her suit, but noticed that he might fall and reached out a hand to support him. Once he was steady, she took the potion, but did not drink it just yet. “The Lucian kings seem a bit selfish.” She said quietly, “They ask you to serve them, but make you pay the price for using their gift to do so. Seems like poor business practice, if you ask me.” She stated in an off-hand remark to lighten the mood.
“Come on. We’re almost there.” She urged him a bit, guiding him by the elbow. She took the potion, unsure if the capricious King would hold his end of the deal. She needed what little strength she could if he did not. However, she was started by Caius’s frankness.
The King granted them their leave, and Cissnei would give an honorable bow in silent gratitude. But, as they were stopped she tensed up to wonder what the King was going to do now. Her eyes moved to the gil dropped before them. However, her face was a perfect mask of neutrality as she regarded the situation. It was curious that the tonberries were thanking them. However, she felt a stunned appearance would be an insult to the King. As if it would question their motives. Instead, she gave another courteous bow. “You are too kind, your Highness. We do not deserve such a fine gift. We will use it appropriately.” -----
She quietly listened to Caius, who seemed to finally to be feeling a little better. “Looks can be deceiving. And it only looks primitive and savage to outsiders. To them, it is their defined culture. Besides, how do you know he was giving us money as a reward? Perhaps it was funding for us to bring in more people to the arena? It was possible he was thanking us for that, and not actually thanking us for saving his hamlet.” Cissnei teased, playing devil’s advocate. “I suppose we won’t know.”
She shook her head at him teaching. “I do not think you can humanize tonberries. But you can teach them certain methods to further channel their energies into productivity. If you do teach them, I am sure they will honor you more and be appreciative of what you have to offer. I hope. I know the villagers will at least appreciate it. Only time will tell if they will really stop attacking them.” She interpreted his warm smile to be his appreciation for the tonberries, and she gave a small smile back. “You really are fond of them, aren’t you? I don’t think they’re pets, but perhaps they make fine students…”
However, she turned slightly red at his compliments and she held her hands out in front her to wave them away in denial. “We all have our skills. I would be dead if was not for you. On two accounts it seems. Thank you for that. You saved the day, not me. I merely assisted.” She then gave a slight shrug, “Did not really decide to come along. We agreed to split this half and half and be business partners for this notice. So, let’s get our money.”
“They ask you to serve them, but make you pay the price for using their gift to do so. Seems like poor business practice, if you ask me.”
"Can't help but agree" Caius responded. "But that is their way... To borrow their power is to use it responsibly or pay the price. I didn't do so. So I paid the price. It only gets worse when you bring the Ring of Luci into the mix though. Ring that holds untold power... Exclusive to Kings. Who does that?" He joked in turn. "Archives say that for someone outside of the Kings to use that power... The Ancient Lucian Kings demand an even higher price. And that price is usually the life of the wielder, to expire soon after use. So I guess I got off easy in comparison."
“Looks can be deceiving. And it only looks primitive and savage to outsiders. To them, it is their defined culture. Besides, how do you know he was giving us money as a reward? Perhaps it was funding for us to bring in more people to the arena? It was possible he was thanking us for that, and not actually thanking us for saving his hamlet.”
She was right. He did not know. He hadn't been expecting to be paid for bringing them fighters either, or being paid to finance bringing them in. He had expected to have to do this on their own merits entirely - a price to pay for deciding to go for the peaceful route. But there it was.
“I do not think you can humanize tonberries. But you can teach them certain methods to further channel their energies into productivity. If you do teach them, I am sure they will honor you more and be appreciative of what you have to offer. I hope. I know the villagers will at least appreciate it. Only time will tell if they will really stop attacking them.”
Caius nodded his head in agreement. "It's worth a shot" He replied. "Its not part of the job, but... Just doing the jobs isn't why I do this either. The Dragonblades were formed to help people. This won't benefit my pocketbook probably... But its the right thing to do."
“You really are fond of them, aren’t you? I don’t think they’re pets, but perhaps they make fine students…”
He smirked slightly at that. "Maybe a little. Not as pets, but... Perhaps one day they'll make good friends, if I can succeed in my endeavour."
“We all have our skills. I would be dead if was not for you. On two accounts it seems. Thank you for that. You saved the day, not me. I merely assisted. Did not really decide to come along. We agreed to split this half and half and be business partners for this notice. So, let’s get our money.”
Caius chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Honestly, regardless of your reasons for coming along, I'm glad you did. There is a high chance I would have, even if I had succeeded in parlay... Just done the colosseum and left. A temporary solution, and then they would attack again sooner or later when they were bored again. I didn't think that one through and it was your thinking ahead that got us where we are. Not to mention I've learned a bit about foresight from you" He admitted.
One thing he could agree with though, was it was time to get on their way and get their reward. But he honestly hoped, he realized as they headed off, that he would get the chance to work with Cissnei again sooner rather than later. He'd found he enjoyed her company.
