Chapter 2: The Dragonblades

Can't Remember To Forget You

@ashe

Caius had been deeply changed by the encounter with Cortez, the talk with Celes and the formation of the Dragonblades. He had hit rock bottom, his mental and emotional walls and shields had been completely shattered, but from those ashes he rose a completely different man. Starting to warm up to people and beginning to embrace a friendlier and more compassionate personality that before only seemed to form between the cracks, the mercenary began work for the Dragonblades with a new start, and a reinvigorated sense of purpose. Seeking to broaden his horizons to look for jobs in order to get the Dragonblades' name out there, Caius traveled to Sonora for the first time. At a local bar, he found a woman moping over her lost kingdom, marriage and purpose. Trading stories with her, Caius found it had become a bit easier to open up, but also that he was having a harder time masking his own emotions to others. Their encounter was brief, but Caius still decided to help Ashe back to her room. Caius hoped for the best for the woman, and that the next time they met, it would be under more pleasant circumstances.

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What Questions Do You Ask?

@ardyn

Still feeling overwhelmed by the feelings of being somewhere so similar to home, Caius found himself quickly hitting the tavern in Sonora to try his old favourite dish - Cup Noodles. He had found out about the dragon attacks in Sonora, and was intending to see if a name could be made for his guild by taking some of them down. While fuelling up and attempting to ease his anxieties, Caius would find himself face to face with a presence he recognized from photos back home - Ardyn Izunia. Reigning in his desire to strike him down after remembering Aranea's demand not to engage the former Imperial Chancellor, Caius instead bought the man a bowl of Cup Noodles and attempted to question him. While he learned fairly little of what he was hoping for, Caius got a bit of a glimpse into the psyche of Ardyn. Of course, the existence of Caius also tipped Ardyn off to the fact that Noctis was most likely in this world. Ardyn's admission of this made Caius realize as well that this was a possibility. While Caius' attempt to steer Ardyn toward using his abilities for more benevolent reasons went unanswered, Caius found himself deciding to put off his mission in Sonora. Knowing he needed to get ahold of Prompto in case he might know anything about the King's location, Caius hastened his travels back to Provo. But Caius knew that he would be back to Sonora one day.

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Eater, Destroyer Of Chocobos

@rem

Caius was tasked with defeating a monster that had been hunting chocobo in the area. Teaming with a woman named Rem, Caius and Rem made swift work of the beast.

Bestiary Entry: Chocobo Eater

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The Elixir Of Life

Celes Chere - @dust

Caius, Celes and Vordun were hired to secure a cure for the ailing conditions of a group of villagers. But it turned out that the forth member the hired group was Matteus, a man that Celes was familiar with and had a very tumultuous relationship with. After a series of unfortunate events that varied from bickering to hiding powers to Vordun nearly frying half the group with a firey sneeze, they came to their destination -- a village hidden in a cave. But while they were led in under what seemed like the pretence of friendship, it turned out they were being led into a series of traps. It was clear they had no intention of giving up the cure. Matteus ended up stealing the cure and fleeing, with Caius and Celes having no choice but to aid in the escape in order to save the ailing people.

Bestiary Entry: Wolf

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Curse The Dark

@ultimecia - @lala3

During a visit to the temple, Caius would find himself in a standoff with a vicious sorceress and a man in black, both who were attempting to steal from the restricted section of the temple's archives. The sorceress would set the other man on Caius when Caius tripped the alarm, and while Caius was able to defend himself, he was unable to stop the sorceress from hurting some of the monks who she had decided to attack during the fight.

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Wall Of Light

@lala

Caius met another warrior and the two would take a job together in order to get a little girl back from slavers. The two were swiftly successful in their mission, thwarting the ambush of their aggressors and rescuing the slaves within their base, before returning them to their homes.

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Silence Through The Valley

Yeul (Fishie)

Caius encountered Yeul once more, and was able to get an update on how she had been since the last time they had met. It wasn't long after this that Caius' memories of Yeul began to fade as this incarnation of her was sent back to her own time.

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Tales Of Heroes (Event)

Denzel - @blacksuit - Seven

Tired, soaked and needing a drink, Caius escaped a massive storm in town by ducking into a tavern. It was here that Caius was called to the table by an old captain. The captain was offering drinks to a group who could tell a few interesting stories. A child by the name of Denzel talked about the tragedy that befell his family, while a girl - Cissnei - seemed to have an even darker past of serving a group, we'll just call it a group, that was eventually betrayed by their superiors. Caius decided to begin the process of moving on from his past, deciding to tell the story of his past and how he ended up in Zephon, then his trials through what had happened with Cortez and that Celes had saved him. A weight lifted, Caius felt as though perhaps now he could truly begin the healing process.

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To Heal A Traveler

Yuna

Caius had taken a job where he was to escort a healer named Yuna to where a group of travelers needed aid as soon as possible. Caius quickly took a liking to Yuna during their travels, and she was able to watch him train the still small Vordun how to hunt. While camping out, the two bonded quickly and Caius would find out that Yuna was able to summon the Astrals, called Aeons in her world, to her side. The two became close quickly, and worked well as a unit when it turned out their clientele had been kidnapped by bandits who had taken advantage of their wounded state. Caius was impressed by Yuna's prowess in battle and command of her Aeons -- but he was even more impressed by her strength of character after she healed the very wounded bandits they had just been fighting. His decision made, Caius would extend an invitation for Yuna to join the Dragonblades. The Summoner would accept, and the Dragonblades welcomed a kind soul and a formidable combatant into their ranks.

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Child's Play

Celes Chere - Relm Arrowny

Caius would meet with Celes, who had brought a recruit for the Dragonblades from her own world. A child named Relm, who could make paintings come to life. While impressed with her skill (Though Celes was not thrilled by the painting of her used for the demonstration) Caius did not feel that the pressures of having both the lives of innocents as well as the future of the guild and their work in one's hands was fair to place on a child. While they initially agreed to a test to see how Relm handled, Celes misunderstood his misgivings as concern over their financial future and stormed off with Relm in tow, leaving Caius to lament his lack of tact and attempt to figure out how to smooth things out later.

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Adolescent Spring

Celes Chere - Relm Arrowny

Patching things up with Celes, they along with Rem set out to deal with reports of bandits waylaying merchant caravans on the road to Torensten. Having been planning ahead and monitoring their attack patterns, Caius organized an ambush that began the moment the bandits attempted to waylay another caravan. One of the bandits knew magic know, and Caius ran into trouble before being aided by Relm. The bandits were defeated and arrested, and Caius welcomed Relm into the Dragonblades on Celes' insistence she wouldn't have any trouble. Caius interrogated the bandits before having them led to jail, finding a cave they had been operating out of and dismantling their operations there as well.

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The Darkest Part of the Forest

@blacksuit - @lala2

Caius had been hired to look into a group of missing girls in the area. Meeting Cissnei again, as well as a man named Zack, they would venture into the Headstone Forest. After Zack turned out to be another apparition, and one of Celes led him away, Caius was forced by the forest's illusions to face his past once more. Standing face to face with the people that he had slaughtered during his forced servitude as a bandit, Caius chose to accept his mistakes, and forge a path ahead instead of being ruled by what he had told -- before he slew the goblins wearing the faces of those that had haunted his dreams. Caius also learned Blizzara during this battle. Meeting back up with Cissnei, they would escape a burning building and soon after find the bodies of the ones they had been looking for. While the tale did not have a happy ending, the job was completed and Caius and Cissnei escaped the forest together.

Bestiary Entry: Goblin

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Tonberry Trouble 2: Electric Boogaloo

@blacksuit

Caius would meet Cissnei once more during a job where he had been tasked with stopping a group of Tonberrys who had been attacking the nearby village. Revealing she had come seeking the same bounty, the two would fight their way into the Tonberry's cave, only to find themselves falling and stumbling upon the Tonberry's underground city. Parlaying with the attacking Tonberrys, Caius and Cissnei would be brought before their Tonberry King. They were granted a deal. Were they to fight in the colosseum and keep them suitably entertained, they would cease their attacks. The resourceful Cissnei would further parlay for a permanent cease, and a caveat was added that they would be more inclined to stop in future should they find fighters to fight in their colosseums to keep them entertained indefinitely. Their arrangement made, Caius and Cissnei would fight together against a horde of monsters within the arena. Their final opponent, a Malboro, would suddenly go berserk and destroy the colosseum wall, attacking the Tonberrys and their city. Knowing that if the Malboro knocked down the foundations and caused a cave in it would kill them all, Caius initiated an attack on the Malboro alongside a reluctant Cissnei. After some planning, Cissnei was able to weaken the creature, though took a Bad Breath in the process. His emotions stirred from a desperation to survive and his concern for Cissnei, Caius tapped as deep into the well of power that the Kings had given him as he could -- augmenting his abilities in order to secure the kill before the Malboro could destroy the pillars. While Caius had lost access to his magic temporarily afterword, they had been victorious and were guided out of the caves to fulfill their end of the deal.

Bestiary Entry: Tonberry, Tonberry King

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Trepidation

@blacksuit - Ignis Scientia

After their series of adventures, Caius and Cissnei had chosen to make their way back to town together. On the way back, they discovered a man who was severely wounded and had been blinded in both eyes. Recognizing him as Ignis Scienta from his own world, Caius tried to fill Ignis in on where he was while Cissnei worked on his wounds, but the man turned out to have no memory of his past aside from a few details. Caius tried to point him in the direction of Prompto in hopes he might find Noctis there eventually, but he wasn't sure if the message had stuck.

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KingsCrownsGlaiveGuard

@noctisluciscaelum - @dustwa - Prompto Argentum

After the incident at the haunted mansion, Caius had been corresponding with Crownsguard Prompto Argentum through letters until the two arranged to meet up and discuss their experiences in this world, as well as to find out what each knew from their own worlds. Their plans were interrupted though, when Caius would arrive to find Prompto accompanied by Aranea of all people. But the climate changed completely when King Noctis Lucis Caelum himself would show, something that evoked many mixed emotions for Caius as he found himself overcome by them. Caius and Aranea's theory was confirmed though when it was shown that Ardyn was indeed in Zephon. The group decided to work together to find more allies and formulate a plan to take Ardyn down.

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At this mark, Vordun has reached the size of a medium dog.

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Dragon's Light

Celes Chere

Caius and Celes found themselves taking an afternoon off, so to speak. Well, if combat drills for Vordun could be considered an afternoon off. While training Vordun, Caius and Celes both pondered the life they had found themselves in, and how strange it was to be able to relax like this. And how little it fit the both of them. Celes suggested being taught to fight with Vordun, as well as how to take care of him if Caius was away and Caius attempted to oblige but found himself rambling. With there being so much more to it than either could have realized, it seemed this was going to take some work. Caius promised to wrote some extended notes down for Celes, before assuring her she'd get it on account of her having a bigger heart than he did. Celes refuted these remarks, believing she would have left the egg in the cold had she been in his shoes. Caius didn't believe her, of course, reminding her that he was who he was now because of her.

When Celes departed to get back to work, Caius would attempt to resume training but found both he and Vordun exhausted. Knowing they wouldn't be attacked with a dragon present and there being no daemons around, Caius and Vordun lay against a tree and fell asleep.

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Gangplank Galleon

Faris Scherwiz

Enjoying a drink in town after a successful job, Caius began to hear whispers of a pirate that was on a rampage in the port. Apparently it had several heads, was singlehandedly holding up a great many people for gold, and commanded an army of the dead! Deciding to investigate, Caius did not find a commander of the dead. But he did find a pirate of great strength and draconic armor. Stopping the holdup, Caius would give chase when the pirate would make a break for it, realizing they were badly wounded. Caius' attempts to heal the pirate, who called themselves Faris, were thwarted when the pirate would attack him instead. Holding his own until he could communicate his intentions, Caius was instead greeted with scorn. The pirate healed himself before making his escape. Regretting not having the chance to talk civilly with the pirate, perhaps having someone to spar with or even a strong recruit for the Dragonblades, Caius hoped deep down he might have a second chance down the line.

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Missing

@bartz - Yuna

Caius would reunite with Yuna in a little hovel of a village in the strangest of ways. A young woman had gone missing, and the villagers had angrily blamed it on a young man named Bartz. Quickly realizing his innocence with how innocent he was and how Yuna protected him, Caius quickly sided with him and told the villagers they would find the girl as a job. With Vordun's tracking skills, they were able to track down the girl and her chocobo. Caius returned her to the village for their fee, though also promised her in secret to escort her away for free should she wish it. Caius waited for the girl until sundown where she met him under the cover of darkness. As promised, Caius escorted the girl to the next town so that she might start the life she wanted anew, without being held back by the controlling and violent members of her village.

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The City of the Dead (Event)

Kuja - @vossler - @rem

Called to the Metaia Temple by the Goddess Etro in order to dispatch the Lich, Caius decided it was time to test Vordun on his first major combat mission. They were joined by Kuja, Vossler and Rem. Making their way through the catacombs, Caius was stricken with the Zombie affliction which was soon made worse by Rem making an error in using curative spells. After the attempt to cure Caius and Vossler of the affliction allowed for only one of them to be cured, Vossler took Kuja's advice and took it for himself. The two then left Caius and Rem to fend for themselves. Trailing behind, Caius, Vordun and Rem would engage the Lich. Kuja turned on the group in order to side with the Lich, but it didn't stop them, as Caius exerted every trace of what he had left in order to work with Vordun and Rem and defeat the Lich.

In trying to heal his serious wounds once Zombie was no longer in effect, Caius learned Cura. Etro also granted Caius minor resistance to dark elemental magic as a reward. As well, due to her repeated shows of (albeit misguided) compassion, Caius welcomed Rem into the Dragonblades.

Bestiary Entry: Lich

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At this mark, Vordun has reached the size of an oversized large dog.

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Making Gains-Borough

Aerith (Allegria)

Caius met a young woman at the Pale Coast who was new to this world and was lost. Caius offered for her to join his travelling party for a bit while he guided her to the next town, and giving her some information on the state of this world.

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Setting Forward

@cater

Caius encountered some sort of changeling monster in the Headstone Forest, relying on the forest's illusions to attack its prey. Thwarting several attempts to impersonate those that Caius cared for, Caius was able to cripple the creature before eventually putting it down. He had thought he was being accompanied by a woman that resembled Rem, but upon leaving the forest, he realized that they had been an illusion as well.

Bestiary Entry: Changeling

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The Wyvern's Nest

Faris Scherwiz

Caius would once again encounter the pirate Faris while on a job to deal with a group of wyverns holed up near a village. Caius also hoped to rescue the child that had been kidnapped, even if there was little chance of them being still alive. Faris, on the same job, accompanied Caius into the mountains where Caius was able to gain a bit more of an idea of Faris' character while they fought the monsters. Fighting their way to the summit, Caius was disheartened to find the body of the child he sought. Fueled by rage, he engaged the boss of the wyverns but nearly had his arm taken off for his troubles. Vordun attempted to retaliate, but was sent flying off the mountain, which devastated Caius. Caius and Faris were able to dispatch the wyverns, and Vordun had been found to have survived. Unfortunately, their encounter did not end in high spirits. Caius' questions of why someone of Faris' character was spending their life pirating and looting enraged the pirate captain, further complicating their relationship as they departed on a sour note.

Bestiary Entry: Wyvern

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Bounty, My Bounty

Keimusho Onishi

A letter brought Caius to a village that he was told was in danger. Finding the village set aflame, Caius and Vordun moved in to save what villagers they could. Caius was ambushed by a group of bandits, and was forced to fight them off while trying to save as many people as he could. He would find aid from a ninja new to this world that went by the handle of "Mu". Once the bandits were dispatched and the village's fires were put out, Caius and Mu interrogated the bandits and found out that a bandit group called the Original Sin had placed a bounty on Caius' head, as a result of his interfering with their operations on multiple occasions. Mu, really known as Keimushu, was thanked for his help by Caius through giving him a map and directing him best he could in navigating this new world he had found himself in. Caius then left to seek out information on this Original Sin bandit group.

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At this mark, Vordun is about the size of a pony. He's getting bigger!

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A Memory Not My Own

@aera

On his second trip to Sonora, Caius had been intent on finishing his business here for real this time. But as Caius and Vordun arrived in Sonora, they would collide with a young woman barely able to walk. The woman named Aera would quickly identify herself as from the same world as Caius, but from a completely different point of time, hundreds of years before Caius' lifetime. After Caius had found her somewhere to sit down, the two exchanged stories and information. Caius did his best to give Aera some closure as to what had happened in Lucis since she had been killed, while Aera provided some background about the tragedy around the foundation of Lucis. Caius found himself taking a liking to Aera quickly, and felt for her for all the suffering she had endured. But it was the mention of her fiance, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, that complicated matters.

It didn't take long for Caius to put together that most likely, her Ardyn and the Ardyn that had laid waste to Lucis were one and the same and it put Caius through considerable pain to tell Aera this. Aera didn't believe him one bit, and became intent to set out to find Adagium to prove Caius wrong. While annoyed by her reaction, Caius couldn't help but admire Aera for it. Pointing her in the direction of Provo and the Summoner Yuna, Caius bade her farewell and wished her the best on her journey, hoping that should their Ardyns be the same, she would be the one to finally put an end to this. Caius had faith that if anyone could, it would be Aera.

But Aera had left Caius with much to think about when it came to the topic of love, and what constituted love for one's partner. Her loyalty, dedication and faithfulness to her fiance and the idea he couldn't have become such a monster had given Caius a perspective on a matter of question to him for some time, that he did not have before.

Caius' memories of this encounter are hazy. While he remembers the encounter itself and the information he learned from it, the deeper magicks of this world ensured that who exactly he learned it from remained a mystery to him.

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A Drive To Remember

Yuna - @rem

Caius paid a quick trip to Sonora where he was able to renew his driver's license. This followed his partaking in a crash course in learning how to drive again, as Yuna, Rem and Vordun ended up along for the ride.

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Ruins of the Past

@richterstorm

Outside of Torensten, Caius was surprised to find a behemoth so close to town, and attacking a lizard-like man called Kas'toll as well. But to his continued surprise, the beast also wielded magic. With the help of Kas and Vordun, Caius managed to dispatch the behemoth. Kas was a treasure hunter, who dreamed of one day owning an airship. While they were very expensive, Caius admired the dream and found himself harboring some desire to ride an airship one day as well.

Bestiary Entry: Behemoth (Magic)

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The Ruins of Knash

@ephemera

PAGE IN-PROGRESS

Bestiary Entry: Golem

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At this mark, Vordun is the size of a horse. He's also now eligible to be used as a flying mount! The Eve of the Dragon Rider is here!

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Eve of the Dragon Rider

Yuna

With Vordun having grown, Caius took Yuna's offer to teach him how to ride. The lesson was a disaster, as despite the clear bond of trust between the two, Caius was thrown off Vordun's back repeatedly. But Caius kept trying. Caius identified several issues from the makeshift saddle he was using, to Vordun's speed during takeoff, as well as a lack of communication between the two. After a few more tries, they had a much better run. With the opening lessons completed, the next step in the process was practice.

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A Damsel In... Distress?

Joanna Baltas

Still practicing their flying capabilities, Caius and Vordun would find themselves flying over the forest with Caius taking a nap on dragonback when a commotion stirred him. Dropping down, Caius and Vordun warded off a group of highwaymen attempting to a rob a travelling woman. Realizing right away they were no threat to her, Caius came to know the woman as Joanna, a traveling adventurer seeking a traveling party. While Caius offered her membership in the Dragonblades, Joanna appeared to want to find her own way around first before resuming her quest.

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Arrival

@rinoa - @quina

Caius and Vordun chanced on a group of people who had just been transported into this world. Sharing some of his food with them, Caius pointed the two toward the nearest city before moving on.

Bestiary Entry: Dog (Angelo)

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Unnatural Disasters

@crowe

A bar on the outskirts of Provo was set aflame as Caius was attacked by a drunken woman who hated the Kingsglaive. Caius initially tried to diffuse the conflict, but the woman's hatred of his kind led to her summoning a tornado of fire within the bar. Given no other choice, Caius dove into the searing vortex and incapacitated his attacker before she could hurt anyone else.

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Vordun is officially fully grown! The little guy has grown into a titan with some serious firepower! At this mark, Vordun is bigger than the largest of horses.