Bad Reputation
*Flashback scene | The year is 979.*
Setting: The rumours of Excim's treachery have ran deep throughout the country. He had been accused (je d'accuse!) of stealing a gold ring, a family heirloom no less, from Prince Trion's personal quarters. As the the Temple Knights put out a warrent for the young Paladin, Excim found refuge with a friend in the southern village. Excim is seen here laying in his bed nestled in the basement of his friends house in Southern San d'Oria.
This has got to be the longest night I've ever experienced. Excim lay flat on his back, staring relentlessly at the ceiling. The lights were all extinguished, and everything was eerily quiet in the small two story house. Footsteps and faint voices could be heard outside, but the usual sounds of a night in San d'Oria seemed to be all but silenced on this eve.
I have no idea what I am going to do. Or... or where am I to go? Excims' thoughts raced through his head faster than a chocobo steed.
I just cannot count on Hayako to put me up in her house forever. Sure, she said she owed me this for that time I stood up for her in front of the King... Excims' mind began to trail off, his head beginning to feel as heavy as iron. He could feel his arms grow light, and he closed his eyes in anticipation of glorious sleep. His only escape from the cruel world, which had twisted around on him like a serpent being held by it's tail. And it had bitten him, deep. Excim's mind began to drift away...
"Get up, and put these on." Hayako spoke with a stern voice, as she tossed a tunic and some slops on the floor beside Excim's makeshift bed. "And get a hurrrrrry on too. We have very little time for dawdeling."
"Uuummm...?" Excim blinked as he sat up. It was still dark, and Hayako had not lit a single light in the whole house. The night was still quiet, but more of an uneasy silence surrounded the city now. "I usually hear you come in, did you work late tonight? Is it morning? What time is it?"
"We really don't have time for those questions right now luv. Now I need you to put on those clothes... and here..." Hayako reached to the corner of the room and grabbed a staff. "Put this on your back. And for goddess sakes, don't act suspicious when we go outside."
Excim grasped the staff for a moment, still trying to shake off sleep. He began to open his mouth and say something, but Hayako quickly replied "...hush. Ask questions later ok? We have to go. Get dressed." And with that, Hayako made her way quietly back up the stairs. Excim, very confused, quickly began to dress in the clothes Hayako had laid out, grabbed the staff and quietly slinked up the stairs. Hayako was standing by the back door leading to the alley, and motioned for him to approach her. With her index finger upright, she brought it up to a pair of pursed lips, and she winked at him with her right eye.
What had she gotten herself into this time... he thought to himself, as the two made thier way out to the alley and into the dark of the night.
They had walked about two dozen ilms past the front of Hayako's house, when several Temple Knights in full uniform approached them. Hayako, now dressed in a large hat that covered most of her face and also a dark tunic that hide her feminine form, did not waver. As they drew closer, Hayako lowered her head ever so slightly, as if looking at the ground in front of her. Excim walked beside her, dressed in the hooded tunic and slops that Hayako had given him, and he too lowered his head a bit. One of the passing guards took a glance again at Excim, and he felt his gaze as he and Hayako rounded the corner towards the East Ronfaure gates.
"Quite late for two magicians to be wandering about." The guard spoke as if he knew within the deepest depths of his heart the deceptive qualities of the two. The other guards he had rounded the market corner with stopped, and one of them shouted "Exoroche, we are looking for one woman, not two friars. Leave them be." Exoroche tilted his head back, made the salute to his higher officer, and went on his way.
"Shhh..." Hayako whispered. "Don't worry about him. We must get out of here and into the Rrronfaure. We must get out of the kingdom..."
"But I don't understand. Did they find me? Why are they looking for you? What are you hiding from me?" Excims voice wavered, his hands trembled a bit while gripping the staff.
"Quiet! I'm not going to get caught for you. Lets go."
"Why are we heading north? Shouldn't we be going to La Thiene?" Excim inquired between breaths, as the two ran swiftly through bushes and around trees in the East Ronfaure woods.
"Of course, rrrright into the hands of the guards. You realize they've got outposts all along that road don't you? We'd be caught in no time."
"But... that only leaves us-"
"Rrrright. The northland pass to Batallia. You should know of it."
"Correct, I've heard of it. I've also heard stories of a 'King Behemoth' in Qufim island, where the young recruits train. It's preposterous!"
Hayako jogged to a stand still. She stooped over, catching her breath, and looked over to Excim, who was then stooped over as well, holding his stomach. "You've got a betterrr idea I suppose?" Excim met her gaze, while panting and wheezing, and slowly shook his head.
"Off to the glacier then. No regrets. Come!" The two began running again in the dead of the night. Leaping over uprooted trees and dashing between bushes, they headed to Ranguemont Pass.
Passing through the sealed gates proved to be easy, as only one guard stood watch, and seemed terribly lethargic and not very inquisitive of the two. Once behind the sealed gates, Excim shed himself of the cloak, revealing the armour that had protected him through so many bloody battles, battles he fought for the three collective countries. He dropped the staff on the floor, and it landed with a hollow break, which echoed through the silence of the cavern. He folded up the tunic Hayako had given him, and put it neatly in his pack.
"You really don't have to keep that..." she said, motioning to his pack. She looked down at the smashed head on the staff she had given him. "I'm glad I gave you the replica..."
Excim grinned. "Are you going to finally tell me what the devil is going on here? Or am I going to have to guess."
Hayako trodded close to him, brought her hand up to his chin, and flicked him. "I'll tell you later. I rrrreally don't want to get into it right now." And with that, she walked off into the darkness of the cave. Excim followed close behind her, rubbing his chin.
She owes me an explaination! But the goddess knows this is for my own good too. I don't know... maybe she has a plan. She seems to know what she's doing. With his sword drawn, Excim scaled a few rocks that Hayako had swiftly hopped upon and over a tiny, murky creek within the cavern.
"If you let go of the sworrrd for a moment, you probably wouldn't slow me down so much luv..." Hayako quipped, feigning concern. "You know, we are on the run here."
"As long as there are goblins about, I'm not letting Dainslaif drop from my hand." Excim replied, teetering on a small rock. "Besides, who's going to be following us. This place smells worse than a hot day in your basement." Excims words echoed off into the far reaches of the cavern, and Hayako grinned and rolled her eyes at him, then resumed crossing the small creek, hopping from rock to rock.
"I can see daylight ahead of us. It must be morning by now." Cresting a rather large incline, Hayako pulled herself onto the flat of the ledge. They had now been traveling through the Pass for quite a few hours, and daylight fed through tiny openings in the rockbed above them. "We are nearing the glacier." Excim, though not far behind, was struggling as he tried to pull himself up on the same rock Hayako stood on to climb to the flat of the ledge. He strained and grunted, and capitulated.
"Want to hand me that heavy armour so you can make it up here tough guy?"
"I'm only a bit out of shape, I should be able to handle this just fine." Excim replied, grasping his hands together after wiping the sweat from his brow. "This would have proved no challenge to me a year ago Haya..."
Hayako smiled at him, her face warming up like a sunrise over a calm ocean. "I know, but here, seriously... let me offerrr you a hand." Excim struggled for another moment, and reluctantly grasped Hayako's outstretched hand, and she tugged on his arm to help him onto the ledge.
"Thank you." Excim simply said, quietly.
"It's nice to be able to help you forrr once." Hayako said, sitting on the cold damp rocky ledge. Excim sat beside her, panting and sweating profusely. She reached out and punched him on the shoulder. "You need to lighten up and not be so harrrd on yourself. I know what happened, and I still believe in you." Excim turned his head from the ground, and looked her in the eyes and smiled.
"Thank you."
Daylight had broken on the Beaucedine Glacier. But the sun was nowhere to be found, not to break open the clouds that swirled over the cursed northland. Ice had gathered on the mouth of the cave, and snow had drifted up forming frigid boundaries over 30 ilms in heighth. Snow was falling from the sky lightly, and gathering on the ground like ash from a gigantic firework. There was no breeze, and for a moment, Excim felt at ease.
"We should go this way. Just follow me ok?" Hayako pointed to the northeast, and began to pad her way through the snow leaving quaint foot prints behind. Excim followed closely behind her.
Morning quickly turned to afternoon, and all Excim could do was wonder.
What is it she had done? Why did we have to leave in such a hurry, under such circumstances...? Excim's feeling of ease had left him several hours ago, as they passed landscape that looked so alien, yet so familiar. The snow had begun to fall steadily harder, and the wind had even begun to pick up a bit. Every few malms or so, Hayako would stop, as if contemplating a next turn in a card game, and continue with the same pace and enthusiasm as before. Sometimes followed by a "Come on pokey", or "Let's get a move on tin man." But she seemed troubled, and Excim could sense it.
Probably feeling guilt for doing whatever it was she did back in San d'Oria. He wanted to say something to cheer her up... but what? He continued to follow her.
Evening turned to nightfall. And with it, heavy freezing winds and immense snow. The two had taken shelter in an abandoned tower, and Excim had made a small fire to warm themselves near with some of the sparse shrubbery found nearby.
"Flint eh? A blacksmiths friend..." Excim said with a smile, trying to get some kind of response from his friend. But Hayako had grown quiet and unresponsive once they sought refuge in the tower. The way she kept staring into the fire, Excim wasn't sure if she was going to burst out laughing at any time (which is quite in her nature) or begin to bawl her eyes out. This troubled Excim more than her not telling him about what happened in the kingdom. It was tearing him apart to see his good friend, the cornerstone of his own emotions, just sitting there, staring lifelessly and emotionlessly into oblivion.
Excim crawled over to her on his knees, and sat down right beside her. She sat crosslegged, her shoulders slumped back and her mouth open just enough so you could see the light of the fire gleam off of her two upper fangs. Her eyes told no stories, and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. Excim, who had the tunic draped over himself for warmth, removed it from his shoulders and draped it over hers. The weight of both tunics, her's and Excims, made her faulter towards him, and she collapsed into Excim's shoulder and began to cry. Excim was shocked. He was frozen in time for a moment, but then slowly put his arm around her shoulders. Hayako threw her arms around his neck, and lifted her head on top of his right shoulder.
Between sobs, she whispered "I have no idea wherrre we are..."
Excim was stunned. He could not believe what he had just heard her say. His mouth lay agape, and he felt his stomach sink to his feet.
"Hayako... I thought you... I thought..." Excim sputtered.
"I thought it would be easy..." Hayako sobbed. "I thought the way would just open its way up to me. There has to be a way out of here to Batallia. But I have no clue where it is..." Hayako sniffled, and wiped her nose with the sleeve of Excims tunic. "I'm sooooo sorrry. I've been going over it in my head... over and over and over..."
"It's ok Haya. It'll be ok. Lets just get some rest, and we'll figure things out when daylight comes..." Excim brought her in tighter, and after a while, the two drifted off in each others embrace...
The fire was out, but still smoldering. Excim awoke to a soft kick to the rear. "Ouch..." he blurted out. His face was lying on the cold stone floor, and he had both tunics draped over him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Hayako stood near the entrance way to the tower, with both her daggers sheathed and her hair a muss. She stared past Excim, like she was looking through the wall behind him out onto the glacier.
"Time to get up pokey." She said with a giggle. "It's almost time for brrrunch sleepy head."
Excim grumbled a bit, but was very happy to see she was in a better mood. "Did you find something Haya? Did you find something out there that'll give us a clue where we can go?"
"No." Hayako simply replied. "But I did do some thinking while you were snoring..." She chuckled a bit, and Excim raised his arms high above his head and stretched, letting loose a big yawn.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I figured, if I'm to be hopelessly marooned with anyone until my death... then why not with a knight in shining armour?" Hayako cocked her head to the side and smiled. "So how about that? You do me no good in just your shirt and slops. Get dressed. We've got some exploring to do."
"Hayako..." Excim said as he stood up. "Tell me what happened in San d'Oria. Tell me why we had to leave in such a way."
Hayako sighed. She wasn't ready to tell him, but knew it had to be done. "I almost... kinda... got caught that night."
Excim spit out the bit of water he was drinking from his canteen. He raised his brow, and looked at her unbelievingly. "Wha... Come again...?!"
Hayako sighed again. "It's like this luv..."
"Don't you 'luv' me. You told me you had quit that! You told me you'd give that up if I took the heat for you in misplacing the kings scepter! I believed in you Hayako. I believed in the good in you!"
"Don't you still think there is good in me...? And what did you think I was doing out all night? Pedelling clothwares??"
"Hayako...." Excim trailed off. His fists were clenched, and he was grinding his teeth, a bad habit she had always teased him about. "...lets just figure out a way to get out of here, then we'll talk about this."
Hayako nodded her head slowly. She bit her bottom lip, and sulked out of the entrance way into the snow. She turned just short of the first icy drift. "Excy...?"
"I'll be ready in a minute Hayako. Then we can go." Excim said, while gathering his equipment. He then slung his pack over his shoulder, and met Hayako by the icy drift. He was about to ask her what her plan was, but she turned and began to walk away. Excim blinked, staring blankly out into the endless white.
I don't know what to say...
There was the sound of a thousand airships clamouring by, and as Excim frantically searched the skies for the source, he heard Hayako scream. He quickly dropped his pack, unsheathed Dainslaif, and flung himself into the snow narrowly evading a pair of hook-like talons.
"Death is too good for you!" Hayako yelled, as she jumped into the air stabbing one of the maurading lesser ahriman in the wing. She ripped it apart with a leathery tear. The ahriman fell to the ground, helpless with it's little legs trying to pick it's self back off the ground, kicking uselessly. Excim frantically glanced around for a target... he counted 6, no 7 ahriman, and they swarmed the tower like bees on a hive. Hayako let out another yell.
"Help me out or run away! Don't just stand there!!!"
Excim swung Dainslaif into the air with the force of a hurricane, and severed the wing of one of the demonic creatures. It fell to the ground, again, helpless and kicking. Hayako had then pinned another one of the creatures down with her Hornetneedle, and she reared back with the other knife like a scorpions tail cocked for battle. But one of the other demons still flying about had spotted Hayako, and made a swooping dash at her. Excim saw this, and yelled her name as he ran toward her.
"Hayako...! No!" He screamed. She glanced behind her just in time to catch one of the talons of the unholy creature right across the cheek, tearing her skin. She cried out, and the creature grabbed a hold of her by the shoulders and began to lift her off. Hayako continued to struggle, knowing it was to be of no avail, as the creature had injected a poison which was slowly paralyzing her body. The ahriman swooped her up into the sky, and slowly dissapeared into the horizon.
Excim fell to the ground, face down in the snow. The other ahriman broke thier attack and followed suit of the demon that carried Hayako away. They wanted to get a share of the meal, and knew that the hume, with his heavy armour, would be too much weight to carry and a costly chance to try to take down with so few remaining comrades. Excim reached towards the sky in the direction they took her, his fingers jagged and wrought like spikes on a mace.
"...no" He picked himself up out of the accumulating snow and grabbed his shield, which was almost buried beside him. He grabbed his pack, and began to walk in the direction the ahriman flew. His walk turned into a jog, then to a run.
I owe her this.
End scene
