Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
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year 5, quarter 3
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The reputation of the Dragonblades had increased tremendously as the months went by. A mercenary guild formed by Caius Dragelion and Celes Chere, they were most well known for two things. Their fearlessness, as the duo and those that would come to fight alongside them would take on even the most fierce and dangerous of monsters without fear. Their track record was steadily growing the more jobs they took on, the bigger the monsters they defeated, and the more people that joined their ranks. But more than that, they were most well known for their honor and reliability. Zephon was a hub of consumer requests, and the Dragonblades were always happy to serve them for a fair price that corresponded with the type of job. The Dragonblades rarely if ever left a job unfinished. But Zephon had it's shady side, yet it was not something the Dragonblades were ever willing to have anything to do with it. Anyone that had dealt with them knew that their creed made it clear they were not assassins. They were monster hunters, escorts, willing to handle bandits and other rogues that had stolen something or kidnapped someone or other. But they were not thieves, they were not assassins, they refused to stoop to the level of the very kinds of people and monsters that they regularly fought against. For the people, and for the guild... That was their motto. One they took very seriously.
Brave folks from all over Zephon had applied, searching for glory, or for riches... Or even just a place to belong. Not everyone was fit for it, of course. Despite the freedoms its members were afforded in choosing jobs that came their way or simply taking them by personal request, being able to choose what jobs they did and when they were available to take them... It was a lot of pressure to represent a guild, and uphold its laws. But those who did stay found a family for life. And that had turned out to be something quite important to many who had found themselves displaced in this world from their own.
A notice advertising the guild had been tacked onto the notice boards within the town of Torensten and the large city of Provo. Within one of Provo's taverns, people drank and made merry while not being worked to the brink during the day. Provo was the working man's city, filled with people working at plantations, establishments, industries... You name it. But its taverns were the place to be if one was looking for information. All one had to do was ask around.
The job as escort of small caravan to the city of Provo ended in success, leaving her visiting yet large city in this world and doing subtle information gathering for few days. So close to the most highly advanced city where the flying ship existed, she managed to get her first estimations on the price of it and the sum left her inwardly reeling.
This made her reconsider her immediate future plans. Paine needed money. A lot of it. But at the same time, she refused to do any shady or overly lucrative business, as it would surely end up with the employers trying to kill her. That was not something she wished to re-experience, so it would be best to go slow and steady, until she learned enough of what was valued in the ruins to explore them and get the loot.
The best way would be joining, at least temporarily a group that had similar views as she had.
In truth during her first travel she already heard of a group that could fit those criteria and her last job only made her think about it again.
The Dragonblades were a mercenary guild that kept to the clean jobs, with high rate of completion. Perhaps a little too clean for her to trust it immediately, but it was worth checking out. And staring at the notice board for the possible work, Paine also saw the group’s advertisement and… It was not like she had a job lined up, in fact, she was looking for a job.
Paine admitted to herself that after the month of the solo work in a completely new world, she was starting to miss the support that being part of Gullwings offered her. It made things easier when there was always a job or place to rest ready for her.. Or at least when she knew the map of the world and its culture. Here she had none of this.
The decision reached, the silver haired young woman walked into one of the taverns, asking about a place written on the Dragonblades advertisement. She bought a drink and paid bit more Gil for it to get this and in return the bartender drew a simple map with few signs and after she drank the beer, she was on her way.
In her most favoured Warrior Dressphere and the blade on her belt, no one tried anything funny, even as she took more time to travel as the map dictated, marvelling at the way this city looked. Something in its build reminded her of Bevelle, especially the outer walls and yet it was at the same time so different that she felt like spending here few days would not be a bad idea.
Perhaps this was why it was only once the sun started to set that she found her way to the specified tavern, and headed towards the bar. Buying a drink and a small dinner, she asked the woman manning the bar, one question.
“Who’s the Dragonblades person?” The woman, looking not much older than Paine was, smiled and after giving her the drink and the plate of the cold food she chose pointed at a blonde, bearded man clad in black uniform-like outfit.
“Another hopeful, huh? He’s the one you want to ask, the one with the weird dog.” Paine nodded her thanks and taking the plate and drink she walked over to the corner where the man sat, noticing the aforementioned weird dog peeking out its head from under the table.
Without saying anything, Paine put down her drink and the plate with loud clink and pulled a chair over, sitting down, her red eyes staring right into the brown eyes of the man before her.
“Dragonblades.” She said this single word and upon the reaction, she continued. “How one joins?” The opening question fired, she waited for reply.
A man in his mid to late 20s would take heed when he overheard a woman asking about a Dragonblades person. "We're Dragonblades people! Right Doug?"
Doug, presumably the man at his table, was passed out with his head clanged against said table.
"Oi! Lady! If 'yer lookin' for the recruiter, there's two! A pretty blonde lady, and..."
The woman she'd asked answered though, which would cause the man to double back.
"Shit, 'iz he here?" He asked as he would look toward where they were being pointed. Indeed, there they were. A young man in his early to mid 20s, long blonde hair running down from all corners of his head down to his shoulders. Wearing the Kingsglaive garb, Caius Dragelion was brandishing a drink while looking over a letter. A blue, scaly creature, the size of an oversized dog, was curled up under the man's table. Of course, as intimidating as the creature looked, truthfully they were just waiting for Caius to drop something from the plate of food he had nearby.
"She's roight, that there's Caius Dragelion. He's the leader of our little operation there, guy with the weird, terrifyin 'lookin dog. Ain't that right, Doug?"
Doug was still passed out.
"Doug? Well, I'll take that as a yes" He pointed out to Paine, though by then, the woman was already gone. "Well Doug, I sure wish her luck. Boss is fair, but tough. Look at 'im. Stone-cold. Could 'prolly melt the flesh off a Behemoth with that stare."
Caius hadn't actually heard the commotion, being wrapped up in reading the letters. But that was Caius, deathly focused on the task at hand, for the Dragonblades. For Caius... It was a creed, a motto, a group, a family even... That Caius had found his belonging. More than most, he took this job seriously. Though he would perk his head up when he heard the sound of someone pulling up a chair. Vordun had perked his head up as well when he heard the noise and saw the chair moving, but did not act just yet. But the dragon was watching. If she tried anything, it would be a race of a question as to whether it would be Caius or Vordun that would strike the first blow.
Caius studied the woman's face a moment when she bluntly demanded to know how to join. She seemed serious. Maybe a bit too serious for his tastes. But she got straight to the point, which he supposed he could appreciate. Cold brown eyes bore into hers, returning her frigid stare with one of his own. When he spoke, it was as blunt a tone as her own, yet it was calm, collected... Not showing an inch of emotion.
"That depends. Are you aware of our creed?" He asked. She looked rough around the edges. Caius had no qualms about considering someone like her, she looked as tough as they came... It would be likely she would be a valuable addition. But being a part of the guild was more than just being tough, more than just being an asset in combat... They represented the guild. All of them. And they had to do it well.
It was not that she had not heard the men who spoke but more that she did not focus on them much… Even if the mention that the man before her was supposedly the leader himself of the guild did stay in her mind, they simply were not important enough to her.
Seated before the man whose name was supposedly Caius Dragelion, with the weird dog under the table near her legs, Paine was aware of disadvantage she was in should a fight break out. But she did not expect one to break out. The brown eyes that met her stare head-on were cold, but she did not buckle down, compared to gaze of Aeon in the Besaid Temple, it was nothing.
The silence stretched, until he asked his question. The voice sounded calm, cool, measured. The probability that he was in fact someone really high up in the hierarchy increased in her mind.
At the question though, she merely nodded her head. But then, as if realising that perhaps she was too quiet (something that Rikku had told her before, but compared to that chatterbox everyone was silent, it was more Yuna’s words that carried more weight).
“It’s why I’m here.” And it was truth, the creed they used promised a relative safety. From being back-stabbed that is, as each job was dangerous, monsters were nothing to sneeze at even if they were vastly different from the fiends that Paine knew.
Of course she wanted to also know what the guild would provide in return, but first, she had to show that she would meet the qualifications… Whatever they were. Paine was sure that she would meet them and if she would not, then it would mean that something is wrong with the guild rather than herself.
“So?” That said she took a sip of the beverage, which while not tastiest thing, was perfectly drinkable. Still, she tried to show that she was interested, with lessening the flatness of her own stare.
Caius would nod his head curtly in response to her remark. "Good answer" He responded, studying her expression a moment. Studying her face, her eyes, her body language. People lied through their teeth all the time. It was easy to tell someone what they wanted to hear... It was harder yet to mean those words and to actually abide by them.
"To join the guild is to be the guild" Caius would admit, never letting his eyes leave hers. "As part of the Dragonblades, you represent the Dragonblades. Our mantra is for the people, for the guild. To join is to understand that everything you do from this moment on will reflect back on us as a whole. Our reputation is everything... For the better our reputation, the more that everyone benefits. Whether you are here for money, for glory, for battle... We stand to gain and to lose all of it by the actions of even just one of us.
Not everyone's willing to stand for that kind of pressure, the idea of staring down a group of unhappy mercenaries after you've done something to harm how they make their living. But if you think you're capable of handling it... You're actually in luck."
Caius motioned to the parchment on the table. "I've taken a job from a fellow who's worried for his family and village back home, a little hamlet some ways from here. He works here in Provo, meaning he's likely overworked and likely lives here somewhere near where he works. Not a whole lot of opportunity to go home and check. Says he stopped receiving letters from his folks... Gets the feeling something's wrong, he said. Now, it might be nothing, we'll be paid either way, but even if it is, the road is paved with monsters.
How would you feel about accompanying me? I was intending to send a letter to my partner, just in case. But it might take her some time, and I'm sure the lad would prefer to get his peace of mind sooner rather than later. Regardless of whether you decide to join in the end, you'll receive your share of course, as the mercenary's honor dictates. And it will give me an opportunity to see how you work in the field. And you, for me. What do you say?"
What followed her prompting was… A lengthy word vomit. Or at least that was the sarcastic part of her that labelled it as such when in truth it was merely a somewhat wordy exposition on the guild itself.
She nodded somewhere in midst of it, before dropping her gaze onto the food. It was not submission, merely she wished to actually eat what she ordered. Thus Paine ate unhurriedly the cold snacks (a curious blend of something like fruits or vegetables, juicy but not too juicy, sweet yet not too sweet and a little sour here and there, much better than the drink), listening to him, showing it by looking at him from time to time and giving the smallest nods here and there. The gist of it was that one needed to keep to the reputation, which was fine to her. If that meant fighting against other groups, nothing new here.
And somehow it turned also into soon there to be job and practical interview. Paine glanced at the parchment he showed, chewing her food and swallowing.
“Sure.” Agreeing to such test was obvious. “But, I want to hear what, potentially, the Dragonblades can give me in return for my work.” It would after all make little sense to go through the screening process only to find something not fitting her ideas and ideals. “Is there main base? What cut to the pay is to be expected? What’s the guild emblem? Stuff like that. Wanna know better into what I’m getting.” SShe shrugged her shoulders and then she pointed at the food, small smirk gracing her lips.
“And let me finish the food, kay?” It was not like they had to leave right this very moment after all.
“…Name’s Paine.” At the end she tacked on introduction. Her name.
She would ask then, between bites, what the guild could offer her. She would poke through with a series of questions, and Caius would casually nibble a few fries from his side of things while she asked her questions, casually chewing it from the side of his mouth slowly in thought as he pondered it a moment. With a quick swallow and a moment to ensure his mouth wouldn't be full, he answered. Though not without casually knocking another fry off the table with a flick of his finger, to which the creature below them would immediately pounce on.
"In return for your work? Money, experience, no lack of jobs to choose from, and a growing plethora of warriors to work with. The latter of which I have found to be quite useful when trying to survive in this world for people that constantly travel and fight monsters and the like" Caius would explain casually. "A cut of job profits go to the guild pool, as we are hoping to work toward paying part of supplying supplies, equipment, repairs, the like. It's also going toward building bases around Zephon, which we're closing in on our first to answer your other question. We're hoping to invest in an airship at some point as well, though as you probably know by now, that's going to take a fair bit of dosh. But the cut that you will be getting is good, we're definitely wanting to ensure that everyone's able to afford to live and to eat and reap the benefits of their work. Wouldn't be a point otherwise."
He smiled lightly when she would ask about a potential guild emblem. "Good question. None yet. I'll have to take that up with Celes though, a logo or an emblem would be useful for identifying us."
He shrugged his shoulders when she would ask if she could finish her food. "Of course" He responded. He still had to finish his own anyway. That was no problem. Though he would gingerly extend his hand.
The man himself ate, but also flicked something that looked like a fry to the side of table and Paine saw the movement of the ‘weird dog’. Again she saw just how weird dog it was indeed. Seeing its blue, somewhat scaly maw with sharp teeth, she was sure that it was some type of monster. Were it Spira she would have been more worried, but here the monsters were vastly different. Not turning into pyfreflies for the starter, more akin actual animals she knew, if far more dangerous.
It… Actually looked cute, now that she thought about it. Perhaps some time later she would try to take a better look at it and observe its behaviour.
The man answered her questions. Some of those were obvious, but it was always better ask to be on the safe side. Paine nodded once more and continued listening. The lack of actual guild building was acceptable especially as one would be soon given. Though she wondered in which city it would be it was something she could simply ask, or learn, later. But the mention of the airship had her red eyes widen a little at the mention of the airship.
Airship.
They were planning on having an airship. And judging by the idea of the Dragonblades, probably not the small type that she had been eyeing, but rather the big one. A behemoth that could fly over the whole world freely. The glimmer of excitement was hard to hide in her eyes.
With this new knowledge she was much keener on getting in and staying with the Dragonblades. The airship would let her learn more about airships in this world, check how her knowledge fit it, how much she needed to learn or how little in order to pilot her own ship.
Paine nodded again at mention of the monetary situation, yet it only made think of another question that she would ask bit later. “Huh.” A small sound of surprise at lack of emblem, but she imagined that the end result will be somewhat dragon and blade oriented, going by the name.
Crimson orbs zeroed onto the stretched out hand. For a moment she stayed still, before she stretched out her gloved hand, firmly grasping the hand. Yuna or Rikku would have surely replied something in turn. But she only gripped the proffered hand firmly, only that.
Nodding in thanks for the okaying the eating, she pulled her hand back and continued her meal. During it, she asked the question that came to her earlier. “What if one discovers material or equipment during the job? Drops that aren’t part of the job objective?” What then? How they divided loot, between the party members or between oneself and the guild?
Paine appeared to be content with his answers at least, which was good. While he was still curious about her capabilities on the field, her questions indicated to him that she had some level of experience - not to mention she clearly had confidence in her skills and was weighing her options as to if this would appeal to someone of her abilities. He noted the little shift at the mention of the airship, and if he had to hazard a guess, that was either an indication she thought trying to buy a midair traveling base was ridiculous - or she had been looking for one for herself. As someone who had been trying to buy a small airship himself prior to Vordun's hatching, as he was a long distance traveler himself, Caius could understand. So it seemed money was likely at least one motivator for her, for one reason or another.
The next question would lend to that observation, as well as indicate even more that she at least had some level of experience. He had gently retreated his hand and returned to working on finishing his own meal by the time she had asked that question, and he pondered it a moment before responding.
"Just to cover this real quick, if it's the sole reward you earn from your client for the job, that would probably be case by case, just come talk to us and we'll figure something out" He covered first, deciding to cover all bases for this topic since it only took a matter of seconds to do so. On the side, he was pondering a bit as to if they should have had an emblem by now. They weren't a huge guild, and hadn't been around for an incredibly long time. But having no visual identity being something to question did make him wonder if he had acted in error by not pushing for something like that earlier. That would be a question to bring up to Celes the next chance he got.
"If it is something that you discover on the way though, it's yours. If you are in a party, you can decide amongst yourselves how you divvy that up, we have no interest in extorting that from you" He spoke, a slight bit of a joking tone on the word "extort". "If you find materials you want to lend to the pool, we'll certainly look for uses for them, but that's entirely on your decision. If it is of use to you, we would prefer you make use of it if it will aid in your progress as a combatant. The better the jobs our members are taking, the more resources to go around anyway."
Vordun had already devoured the fry before his first word, and Caius would notice a little head poking out from under the table staring intently at him. Stifling a laugh, Caius would knock one more to Vordun.
The silence after she asked her question was not stifling. To her, it was not a silence of someone who hastily tried to find some words and explanation. Which was promising. As such Paine did not show herself to be impatient, but simply ate her portion of the food… Something that he did as well.
It made her opinion of the man raise a little. She could be wrong of course, but if so, future interactions would show it. For now, he came across as a professional who wanted people that were like-minded. He was a man who seemed to really value that clean reputation- which meant that there must have been something in the past to make his stance on it so staunch.
All in all, it was more promising that she had expected. The thought of a large airship base was a temptation that still worked its magic on her, Paine was self-aware enough about it. But she was also self-aware to know that the prices of the ships were far out of her reach and with the guild having it, she could get a closer look at the mechanics and see if she had to relearn things or not.
As the man opened his lips to speak, Paine kept eating, but her eyes focused on him again, showing that thought silent, she listened to him with attention. A shallow, yet firm nod was her reply to the first answer. A case-by-case situation was acceptable.
A pleased humm was her reaction towards hearing that if it was something she discovered on her own on the way or back that it was hers. This was good information indeed.
All in all, it was all logical and acceptable. The possibility of giving away materials towards the joint pool was not a bad idea, especially as it could open a path towards possible trades and points. Still, it seemed like this guild was far bigger than the Gullwings; Paine knew herself enough to know that she would be unable to be on good terms with everyone. But giving out resources she found but would not need could help with the impression she would give to the guild.
“Reasonable.” The young woman agreed, after which she took a sip of the drink again and then the silence descended again as the food on her plate kept decreasing in a steady manner that was perhaps somewhat quick but not too quick.
Paine had a lot on her mind now, but she was leaning more and more towards making a decision to, for now, throw her lot with this guild. With a place to rest, she could plan better on discovering this world, which was so vastly different, even if oddly enough, many things were similar… The monster parts, the various items and even the currency itself.
Should the silence not be broken, in it Paine would finish her meal and drink, take out a handkerchief to clean her glove and then push her empty plate slightly away, waiting patiently to let the man finish his own food, mentally going through her item list and garment grid. The number of some items was getting low, and was it any wonder when she could not get them through the means she got them in Spira? Drops and their distribution here were after all different enough that even same or similar monsters did not give same drops or parts. ‘A guild could help with that. Especially as some items are different.’ Thinking things like that, she simply waited.
