Adamantite Shell

"GAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Melanie cried out as she slammed to the floor, her body feeling like every bone had been shattered.  A healer ran over to her crippled body and began to mend her wounds, only to back away once she had recovered to then face yet another wave of beatings from a heavily dressed warrior wielding a huge axe.  She'd lost track of how much time had passed since she first entered the arena.

"Pity will get ye nowhere!" the mentor shouted at her as she fell to another flurry of attacks from the warrior.  "In this life as an adventurer ye need t' show yer foes ye are ready t' fight t' th' death if that's what it takes.  Ye can't be lookin' at 'em hopin' they'll let ye go out o' kindness!"

"Is this level of training really necessary?" she thought to herself as she felt her life returning to her.  The healer who had been reviving her after each brutal attack backed away giving space for Melanie to push herself back onto her feet.  The warrior looked at the mentor who gave him a nod and he proceeded to assault Melanie another time.  "Wait, AAAHHH!!!!!"  Melanie fell back down to the ground defeated yet again.

"Ye are a stubborn lass" the mentor said shaking his head.  "When will ye learn t' stop tryin' t' play th' pity card?  Ya need t' stop bein' so passive, quit doubtin' yerself 'n find yer strength!"

Melanie raised herself back on her feet once more.  The warrior made another approach and Melanie tried to use her staff to brace the impact, but it was not enough.  Her staff was sent flying into the air and she was knocked back down to the ground groaning in agony.  Time after time she was left bloodied and broken on the arena floor no matter how many times she tried to defend herself.  She'd felt angry, frustrated, helpless, even burst into tears just wanting the torture to end, but the mentor and his apprentice were both relentless and she could feel herself breaking under the pressure.

"Yer a tough one t' crack" the mentor said looking at her pitifully as she lay broken again on the ground.  "Why are ye holdin' back?  Ye got less guts than a shark's belly!"

"I'm trying!" Melanie wailed as she was floored again by the warrior.

"Ye ain't tryin' hard 'nough!" the mentor bellowed back.  "What is it yer not lettin' go of?"

"I'm scared of hurting others...of hurting my friends and myself" she said just as the warrior made yet another charge at her.

"Nobody wants ta get hurt, but sometimes ya gotta fight back or people will walk all over ya.  Give 'em an ilm an' they'll always choose themselves o'er ev'ryone else.  Is that what ya want, ta be ev'ryone else's door mat?!"

"No, that's not what I meant..." Melanie said as she tried to raise herself back on her feet again.  "I'm a failure.  I've always been a failure.  I have nothing to live up to, nothing to make people feel proud of.  I try and I fail, again and again.  I always say the wrong things and make the wrong decisions.  People get hurt because of me.  I'm no better off dead than alive."

"Quit yer snivvelin'!" the mentor bellowed angrily and sent the warrior to knock her down again.  "What part of pity will get ye nowhere did ya not understand?  Ya want t' become an adventurer, do ya not?  Then ya can't go around hopin' all adventures will be fun 'n games.  Sometimes ya gotta make a tough decision an' sometimes th' choices ye make aint in ev'ryone's favor.  But guess what?  Tha's what adventurin' is about!  Ya take a gamble, ya learn from ya mistakes, ya get back up on yer feet an' ya try again!  Ya been doing this all day an' ya still 'aven't noticed!  Tell me, Brovola, why are ya even doin' this if ya too much of a coward?"

Melanie fell to her knees coughing up blood from her stomach, he entire body aching from the barrage of assaults.  "Yes, why am I doing this?  I'm a coward who's scared of her own shadow and too scared to speak up for herself.  I've always always backed down and allowed people to walk all over me, always too afraid to take risks in fear of getting hurt or hurting others, but...in every situation where I've been brought down to my knees I've always found a way to get back on my feet again.  I've been ridiculed, taken advantage of, and I've screwed up so many times, but despite my bruises I still pushed on.  I'm not defeated yet, there is still a fight left in me."

"My friends are relying on me as their only hope to save them, and despite knowing my flaws I have sworn an oath to do what I must to become their hero" Melanie said as she calmly raised herself back onto her feet.  She gently dusted her robes and picked up her staff from the floor.  The mentor looked in surprise as she slowly turned to face him and the warrior.  There was something in the way she looked at them this time - calm and collected as if all stubborness, fear, self-doubt and frustration had been suddenly washed away.

"Then if yer want to become their hero then ya need ta show me what yer got" the mentor nodded to warrior once more who immediately began his approach towards Melanie.

This time Melanie did not hesitate.  She danced away from his attacks and using the tactics she'd learned earlier hurled a number of fireballs towards him.  Deflecting one of the fireballs with his axe he managed to charge forward and strike her arm with his axe causing her to flinch in pain, but instead of focussing on her injury she continued to concentrate on the battle.  This minor gash was nothing compared to the pain she'd endured the past few hours.  She danced out of his way keeping her eyes on him and continued to watch for his movements to spot when he was about to launch a heavy attack on her whilst unleashing a flurry of fireballs and ice bolts in his direction.

The mentor continued to watch in astonishment at the sudden change in her posture and concentration.  "Well I'll be, I do believe th' stubbornness has finally been beaten out th' lass" he said to himself with a proud smile.  The warrior started to look exhausted as Melanie effortlessly dodged his heavy axe swings whilst knocking him back several times with her magic.  After a long and tiring battle he collasped to his knees raising an arm in the air indicating his surrender.

"Bravo lass!  Bravo!" the mentor clapped his hands with a proud look on his face.  "For a while ye had me thinkin' ye'd ne'er break."  The mentor walked over to her with a smile and stopped suddenly with his eyes and mouth wide open as she sheathed her staff onto a hilt strapped across her back and gazed at him with an attentive look.  "By th' Gods lass...th' way ye looked just now, I could've sworn ya were th' Champion of Eorzea 'erself!"

Melanie's eyes opened wide worriedly and she felt a lump in her throat.  "Oh no, did I just give myself away?" she thought nervously.

The mentor shook his head and smiled a little flustered.  "But I know ya can't be her.  She'll be off fightin' Gods knows what out there.  I remember her comin' here a few years back as a new adventurer lookin' fer advice, but if anythin' she was th' one who taught me somethin'.  Her fightin' skills surpassed my own an' those of th' other mentors.  She passed ev'ry test with flyin' colours 'n more, 'n just like that she was off out there makin' a proud name for 'erself."  He shook his head again to clear himself from dwelling on the past and turned to Melanie again.  "But 'nough reminiscing.  If ye think we're done 'ere then I got news fer ya lass.  This was only th' first challenge!  Now, ya need ta show me how ya can handle two targets at once!"

Melanie grinned at him with her eyebrows lowered as she unsheathed the staff from her back and spoke in a confident voice, "bring it!"

Ship of Fools

Standing out on the deck of a small ship Melanie and her friends watched as they left Limsa Lominsa behind them as set sail towards Aleport.  The busy port provided a very efficient method of transporting goods to and from Western La Noscea and Limsa Lominsa whilst avoiding the more ardeous task of needing to send caravans to trek across rocky terrains full of dangerous and hungry wildlife, wide streams and deep canyons.

From the other side of the ship Reubemont watched and began to worry for his friend.  "Is she maybe upset because of what we talked about in Limsa?  No, she was fine after we last spoke, at least up until..." he thought to himself.

Holskwyb had also been watching both of them and whilst it wasn't any of her business the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a blade.  She let out a slightly frustrated sigh and sided up to Reubemont with her arms folded.  "Did you guys argue or something back at Limsa?" she asked him.

"No" Reubemont replied as he continued to watch Melanie.  "I don't know what's gotten into her.  Only last night she was saying how it bothered her about killing another person, and now she can't wait to kill pirates.  Something must've happened to her when she went out on her errand but she seems less inclined to talk openly about it."  He then looked at Holskwyb.  "Perhaps you could talk to her?"

"Me?" Holskwyb looked surprised.  "Wouldn't she better talking to you?  You two certainly seemed to have gotten it off together very well, in case you think we haven't noticed."

Reubemont shook his head.  "That is exactly why you should be the one to talk to her" he replied.  "I've risked everything by allowing myself to get too close, and it's also had an impact on her.  I can't risk her becoming emotionally attached again...and neither can I."  Deep down Reubemont felt a pang in his chest.  Although he had given Melanie the impression he didn't think of her any more than a friend and colleague his actions in Limsa were all but an act, something that he had planned the night before to help place some distance between him and Melanie.  He was actually very fond of her.  "If only she wasn't already betrothed I would've looked beyond the fact that I'm her Captain and allowed myself to fall for her" he thought to himself.

"Very well, I'll go talk to her" Holskwyb said unfolding her arms.  She walked across the bridge over to where Melanie was standing still gazing out to sea.  She stood there silently for a moment pondering how to break the ice.

"Do you want to talk about what's been eating you?" she finally spoke.

Melanie continued to gaze out.  "No" she said quietly.

Holskwyb decided not to press any further.  She'd heard many people before who initially refused to talk spill the beans shortly afterwards.  For many saying "no" was saying "yes", but if pressed they would just clam up.  She decided it best to give Melanie some space for now, she would talk when she felt ready.

"I was ambushed in La Noscea" Melanie said quietly just as Holskwyb was about to walk away.  "Three men were about to kill me.  I had no other choice but to defend myself and in my defense I...I killed one of them."

Holskwyb exhaled through her nose slowly and made a few circular strokes on the deck with the tip of her toes.  "I'm sorry to hear what happened.  It must've been a traumatic experience for you to have faced that all by yourself.  You did what you had to do to survive, nobody's going to blame you for what you had to do."  She placed a hand on Melanie's shoulder.  "Forgive me, but I'm going to be blunt here.  Encounters like that happen far too frequently in the wild especially to those who appear inexperienced and weak and you can't always rely on others to come and save you.  If you expect to survive out there alone then you'll need to toughen up and behave less timid or people like that will walk you to the ground.  It's a cut-throat profession to be an adventurer.  In a lot of situations it's kill or be killed.  Only you can make the choice whether to fight back and live or surrender and die."

Melanie felt very little comfort in Holskwyb's words but she knew she was right.  She nodded her head in acknowledgement and continued gazing out to sea.  Up until now Reubemont's affection had been all that was keeping her from despairing about being trapped in another world where every turn represented fear and danger, but she knew as long as she didn't learn to stop being afraid and continued to embraced comfort in his security and affection she'd never become stronger and she'd risk getting caught up in another emotional whirlwind.  This wasn't going to be the last encounter she'd have to face alone and whilst she considered herself lucky to have escaped alive she might not be so lucky the next time.

--

Made from the same brick and stone as Limsa, Aleport was built like a small fortress featuring battlements above its outer walls and 2 heavily guarded porticulis at both ends of the port leading out into the wilds.  Haulers were waiting patiently for the passengers to depart first so they could climb onboard and empty out its cargo.  Lining the sides of the dock were crates filled with varying goods ready to be hauled onto the ship to depart back to Limsa Lominsa.  Outside the port several caravans awaited to be filled up so they could head out and distribute wares back to the small outposts and villages spread all across Vylbrand.

Not too far into the distance the tall spires of Pharos Sirius loomed omniously over the small port.  Large shards of crystalized aether protuding from its upper levels served as a reminder of the Calamity that took place over 30 years ago.  Melanie could make out an airship docked at one of its highest points and several workers walking back and forth between the airship and the lighthouse carrying crates loaded with the unmistakable bright orange glow of corrupted crystals.

They had barely disembarked from the ship when a young hyur man dressed in a yellow jacket waved over to them.  Reubemont led his group over to see what the commotion was about.

"Are you th' hired help to deal with th' threat at Satasha?" the young man asked them with eager eyes.

"That's us" Reubemont nodded.

"Oh, thank th' twelve!  I've been sent from the Hall o' th' Novice to escort you there for a full briefing o'er what we've learned so far."  The young hyur man motioned Reubemont and his group to follow him outside the port.

Reubemont noticed Melanie earlier gazing up at Pharos Sirius and took a look for himself.  "I see the Admiral's finally approved a restoration effort at the lighthouse" he said.

"Aye!  'Tis all thanks to th' Warrior of Light who breached the upper levels four years ago" the escort replied.  "Since there 'aven't been any reports of threats from inside it since she an' a bunch o' other adventurers braved its floors, Admiral Bloefhiswyn sent in some few brave soldiers to check it out 'n see if it were safe 'nough to start rebuildin'.  They needn't 'ave bothered, whatever used to dwell in there 'ad been long gone.  After they reported back to th' Admiral she approved an expedition into the lighthouse to clear out 'n inspect the lighthouse's structure.  I reckon it'll be 'nother couple o' years 'afore we see light shinin' from its beacon again."

Melanie hid a slight smile as she recounted the adventure in her mind.  To say that it was a lighthouse was an understatement.  Pharos Sirius was huge and more like a multi-tier palace than a mere place to shine light out to sea.  Of course it wouldn't have been much of a dungeon if it were nothing more than just a thin spiral tower leading up to its beacon, but then nothing was simple in this universe.  Mansions were like massive hotels, libraries had multiple tiers sectioned off by aetheric teleports and magical bridges to reach them, and almost every building looked like it was built by titans.  Even the trees of the Twelveswood was massive compared to what she'd seen on Earth with their trunks as wide as a 3 cabin passenger train.  That wasn't to say however that all buildings in this universe were oversized, as to the other side of the port atop a small bluff was an average sized lighthouse.

Leaving the small port the landscape was very different.  Around here the lack of running fresh water and the heat resulted in most of the local vegetation drying out.  Clumps of tall yellowed grass, dried up shrubbery and dead trees dotting the rough landscape were the majority in this part of Vylbrand, save a few patches of white allium and purple trumpet vines growing near the cliffs.  A worn cobbled pathway stretched in front of the port's exterior walls.  It had definitely seen better days and was in serious need of tending to remove the dry dead grass and weeds that were pushing through the gaps.

Ahead of them set against the base of the highlands was the Hall of the Novice - a small square building whose only defining feature was a green and gold plaque hanging above its door featuring a picture of a golden sprout - the symbol used to represent newly fledged adventurers seeking more than just your average odd job for a small bit of coin.  Not all adventurers were up for this kind of business and preferred to just stick to the road as wandering sell swords, especially those who shared no loyalty to the main cities.  Reubemont called out to the escort signalling him to halt as he he stopped and turned to his fellow friends.

"This is it" he said with a slight smile.  "Beyond those doors leads to great riches and adventures we could only dream of.  If any of you are having second thoughts then please say now, because once we enter that building we're no longer just wandering travellers seeking small jobs.  We'll be in service of the three major companies as well as our usual line of work.  Of course if this isn't in your interest then I'll fully understand and we can continue with what we've been doing."

Suyaya stepped forward gazing up at his violet eyes.  "I do believe I speak for all of us when I say that we knew what we were signing up for when we all agreed to have you as our leader.  We have had no doubts in your choice to lead us and we're not about to stop believing in you now.  Wherever you lead we will follow.  And besides, great riches and adventures don't sound all that bad."

Everyone else nodded in unison including Melanie.  Reubemont looked a little taken aback by Suyaya's encouraging words and smiled.  "Very well, then let's press forth" he said and led his friends up to the doorway into the small building.

Melanie felt a slight bit of nostalgia as they entered the building.  There was everything here that a new adventurer needed - shelves filled with literature on how to deal with encounters, mentors and seasoned adventurers ready to give first-hand information on battle techniques.  This was definitely the place to be for anyone who wanted to do more than your average berry picking or meat harvesting quests.

The escort motioned them over to a desk where a small open book awaited them.  "I need you all to sign in please" he said.  Reubemont signed his name down in the book, followed by Suyaya, Johnas and Holskwyb.  Melanie took an ink and quil and jotted her name down in Eorzean.  It was now becoming a natural habit for her to write in Eorzean despite barely being on the First for less than a month, besides others needed to read her handwriting and if she wrote in English there would no doubts be questions over it.

After all five of them had registered their entry the escort led them to the back of the room where a couple of men dressed in yellow jackets were speaking with a short dark haired roegadyn woman whose sea green eyes and reddish lips stood out from her charcoal coloured skin.  She sported a fine swashbukler outfit and what looked to be a flask of rum tied to one side of her belt and a large compass on the other.  Her bold posture gave the impression that she'd been well versed in the ways of an adventurer for a long time and was now in the service of offering valuable aid to forthcoming adventurers looking for their share of fortune and glory.

"Ah, this must be them" she said as she caught eyes of Reubemont and his team.  The yellow jacketed officers walked away giving them space to talk.  "Welcome to the Hall of the Novice where you may find everything you need for further training before you go on your foray into Satasha Seagrot.  A..."  The roegadyn stopped abruptly as she caught sight of Melanie who quickly glanced away pretending not to notice.  "As you no doubts already know, a new band of pirates under their leader Captain Shardon laid seige to Satasha just a few days ago.  The men that were stationed outside spoke of no less than 50 pirates barged their way through its gates and barricaded themselves inside.  We don't know what their plans are as of yet and the depths still contain everything that was left behind from the last lot who were in there, so needless to say they have all they need to put up quite the resistance and we've definitely seen plenty of evidence of that.  Which is why we've called upon the aid of the Adventurer's Guild to deal with those scum.  We can't do with pirates setting up a base so close to Aleport."

"What else can you tell us about Captain Shardon?" Reubemont asked the adventurer.

"We believe she's the last surviving relative of Captain Madison, the previous leader of the Serpent Reavers who once took up residence within Satasha and plundered the area for years.  Unlike him, she isn't in service of the Sahagin, so we can only assume the reason for her assault is to reclaim what belonged to her brother and quite possibly to seek revenge for his death."

Melanie began to recall the two mi'qote sisters back at the Twelveswood.  She could understand the depths of what one would sink to to avenge someone so close to them.  It felt so wrong that people could so easily be caught in such a death cycle out of vengeance.

The adventurer caught sight of Melanie again and tilted her head curiously.  "I'm sorry, Brovola was it?" she called out to her.  "Just the way you looked then reminded me of someone.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but your face looks very familiar.  I could've sworn I met someone just like you but a few years ago."

Melanie began to panic.  Not everyone she'd encountered in the game knew of her secrets and it was only a matter of time before someone might notice even behind her disguise.  "I get told that a lot since many of my siblings share similar characteristics.  I'm still very new to these lands myself" Melanie replied.

"Oh of course, I guess you must be from the same family" the adventurer pondered.  "It was almost as if I met her yesterday - a bold and confident woman with a passion for adventure in her eyes.  She'd already earned herself a remarkable reputation from helping many of the locals and the level of skill she displayed was far exceeding mine.  In fact she was the one who last ventured into Satasha and disposed of Captain Madison and his crew, relieving the whole island free from his tyrany.  I doubt many can share in her heroism, but maybe you'll share more than her looks yourself if you work hard at it."

Melanie smiled listening to the adventurer knowing she was talking about her, even if their perception of events were very different.  Having had little else to do at endgame Melanie ventured back clearing many of the side quests in the game.  In many ways she wished she'd done them at the same time as the main scenario quests as many of them shared a part of the main story.  Some of the side quests had also offered up extra items that weren't provided in the main story quests leaving her partially geared and resorting to either dungeon crawling or purchasing missing pieces from vendors or the auction house.

"Well then, I suppose you people must be eager to go about your mission.  Before you do though I recommend you to spend some time here in the hall and ask around the various mentors.  They can help provide you with useful information on refining combat skills and are quite happy to participate in a friendly spar or two to help identify any flaws or weaknesses that you may need to improve on."

The team dispersed and began browsing books and talking to some of the mentors stationed in the hall.  Melanie wandered a little as she thought about what she could improve herself on.  One on one encounters were definitely her weakness.  As she recalled her encounter in La Noscea she recognised several key moments where she hesitated to act.  Of course anyone who was facing an encounter such as that for the first time would be hesitant to act whilst thinking of a plan of action, but she needed to think and act faster and not give any room for her opponent to make good a move on her.  Her eyes turned to a seasoned lalafel mage who had several different tomes stacked on a small table in front of her.  "Surely she'd know a thing or two she could teach me" Melanie thought to herself.  She made good her approach and walked towards the cheeery looking lalafel.

"Hey young lady, I think yer barkin' up th' wrong tree there!" a loud voice boomed behind her and a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.  Melanie flinched in a panic as she experienced a momentary flashback of her encounter in La Noscea and she spun quickly to face the heavily clad roegadyn who looked at her in surprise.  "Oh hey, err, I didn't mean t' startle ye!" the roegadyn backed off giving her some space.  "I just noticed ye lookin' a bit lost like yer lookin' for a mentor t' speak to.  That lassie o'er there might look like yer typical mage but her skills are in th' healin' role.  What ya need is a mentor who's skilled in fightin' whilst not bein' in th' front lines.  That's my role."

"Oh" Melanie said calming down.  "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did.  I had....a bad experience before I arrived here, one that almost cost me my life" she said in an apologetic voice.

"Ah, no need t' worry yerself lassie.  So, ye already had an encounter an' still escaped in one piece?  That's a good sign that ye have th' means t' become a strong 'n proud fighter, but I can tell just from lookin' at ye that ye still have much t' learn.  Yer very posture an' th' way y' react are all signals that yer an easy target."

Melanie looked at herself realising that she did indeed look constantly nervous and like she was about to flee to the nearest strong man the moment danger approached her.  "This is what Holskwyb was telling me earlier.  I need to toughen up and be less timid" she thought to herself.

"Can you help me to become more stronger and look less like a walking target?" she asked him eagerly.

The mentor smiled a broad smile as he clamped his fists together.  "I do believe I have just th' thing t' help ye lassie" he said in a booming voice.  Grabbing a couple of wooden training dummies that were propped against a wall nearby he motioned her towards a door in the back of the hall.

"Where are we going?" Melanie asked as she followed him into a hallway that branched out into several paths.

"Back here we have our very own trainin' arenas.  Here we can watch yer moves an' see where ya need t' work on."

The hallway led outside into a large circular arena that had been built within the foothills away from prying eyes.  The mentor quickly planted a couple of target dummies down on the ground and backed away.  "First thing's first, I wanna see what yer capable of damage wise.  Hit those targets with ye best spells an' we'll see where t' go from 'ere."

Melanie nodded and posed herself ready to attack.  Whipping out her staff she focused her gaze on the target dummies and tapped into a fire aspected aether.  A large fireball hurtled towards the target dummy and smacked it in the very centre, scorching the wood and leaving a blackened dent where it impacted.

The mentor nodded as he watched her and wandered over to her as she lowered her staff.  "Yer damage is impressive, but yer posture is all wrong" he said to her.  He drew out a training staff and posed next to her in a very bold position.  "As a mi'qote ye should be usin' yer tail to help ye with yer posture.  Stand firm with yer staff extended like this an' use yer tail to help ye balance."

Melanie tried to copy his stance and could feel her balance wavering.

"Nah, stretch yer tail out an' raise th' end until ye can feel yer legs get steady" he continued.

Melanie did as he suggested and raised the end of her tail.  She could feel her balance starting to stabilize as if she was using a stick on a tight rope to steady herself.

"Now then, see how yer posture makes ye look like ye mean business!" the mentor smiled at her.  "Now, when ye cast yer spell pull yer staff back an' then swing it forward like yer smashin' somethin' with it.  That'll help ye project yer spells much faster an' with more force t' send yer enemies reelin'!"

Melanie did as she was ordered, pulling her staff backwards as she sought out a fire aspected aether and swung the staff forwards in front of her with all her might.  She could feel a huge difference in her magic as if she was throwing the fireball by herself.  The fireball sped towards the target dummy at a tremendous speed and smashed through the wood, splintering it into several burning shards.

"Oops" she said, her mouth dropping agape at having destroyed the target dummy.

"Not t' worry lassie, we got plenty o' those things around" the mentor said grinning at her.  He grabbed another target dummy from a stack that were lined up against the arena walls and pinned it down ahead of her.  "Now, repeat what ye just did an' don't stop until it's nothing more than tinder fer th' fire!"

Melanie resumed her posture and cast out another fireball.  Again it launched at high speed and smacked the target dummy squarely, but this time it barely did any damage to the dummy.  Melanie tried again and again with the dummy only just barely being singed.  She continued determined to at least make a dent in the dummy when she started to feel herself becoming exhausted and her head began to spin.

"Are ye tryin' t' kill yerself lassie?" the mentor grabbed her arm stopping her from launching another spell and gazed at her with a panicked look.  Melanie looked at him confused and suddenly realised she'd once again forgotten the first rule of thaumaturgy.  The mentor backed off as she began to ready herself once more.  Reaching to an ice aspected aether she launched a large shard of ice that smashed into the dummy leaving flakes of frost on its surface.  Melanie leaned down and began gasping for air, slowly feeling her aether replenish itself.

"I'm sorry" she panted as she started to recover.

"Mistakes like that will make ye vulnerable and cost ye yer life.  Don't let me see ye makin' that mistake again" he scolded in a firm voice.

Melanie readied herself once again feeling her aether restored and began to lobby a series of fireballs followed by ice shards smashing into the target dummy, weaving in the occassional lightning aspected aether to scorch dark lines into its surface.

Minutes felt like hours before the mentor called for a break.  The dummy was worse for wear but Melanie felt that she now had a grasp on how to make her spells more efficient and how to balance herself properly in combat.  The mentor clapped his hands at a job well done but his face still showed dissatisfaction.  Melanie looked at his face confused.  She'd done everything he'd asked of her and he didn't need to correct her for what felt like hours, so she didn't know why he looked at her with such disapproval.

"Ye've learned how t' posture yerself in combat an' make yer magic have more of an impact, but ye still 'ave th' look of an amateur" he said to her.  Melanie looked down at herself again.  How else could she possibly improve herself to look less like a weakling.

"GAAAAHHH!!!" a loud cry from over the foothills startled Melanie.

"Was that Reubemont?" she gasped turning to where she heard the cry.

"That t'would be th' second part of our trainin'" the mentor said with a wicked grin as he walked up behind her.

"A...and what would that be?" Melanie said stumbling backwards away from him.

"Makin' ye less of an easy target" he said cracking his knuckles.

Crossing Bridges

Melanie woke up groggily from her slumber.  She didn't get much sleep at all that night, partly because a gull had been perched on a wall mount outside near her window since 5am non-stop calling and keeping her awake.  She had tried a few times to shoo it away but it was very persistent and too far away from her to reach out and knock it off its perch.

She dragged herself out of bed with her eyes still half open and let out a big and wide yawn and gave her body a long stretch.  Splashing water onto her face from a nearby bowl of luke warm water didn't seem to help with waking her properly.  She glanced at herself at a nearby dresser and saw how dark her eyes looked.  People were going to think she'd been in a fist fight.

Slowly Melanie dressed herself.  As she did so she began to mull over what she was going to tell Reubemont.  Whilst she found comfort in his kindness and affection she could ill afford to allow herself to fall for someone else.  For one she was already married, the body she was currently occupying was on loan, and she had no idea how long she'd be in this universe for.  Even if she decided to let her emotions carry her away then what would happen when it was time to go back home?  It wouldn't be fair on either party.  This would also be true for G'raha Tia who she had very strong feelings for.  She felt a deep pain in her chest as she thought back to how he last looked at her on the First.

Melanie grabbed her belongings before departing from her room.  The day had only just started and the heat was already beginning to build up.  Luckily there was no stairs here, just a long and winding ramp that led back down to The Drowning Wench.  Seated at the bar her friends were already waiting for her arrival, including Reubemont who didn't look like he had any trouble sleeping at all himself.  His face turned to shock as he saw Melanie seat next to them and stared at her face in horror.

"By the Gods, didn't you get any sleep last night?" he gasped.

"Not much" Melanie grumbled feeling slightly agitated that she was the only one who didn't get much sleep.

"Ok lads and ladies, what can I....oh my!" a waitress stared shocked at Melanie who could barely keep her eyes open and her head from dropping down to the bar counter.  "Aren't you in a right mess Miss.  Well don't you worry your pretty tail off, we have just the right stuff for you behind the counter!"  The waitress shuffled behind the counter and grabbed a small bottle filled with orange liquid and brought it back to Melanie with a metal tumbler.  "Here, on the house!" she said with a grin as she popped open the lid to the bottle.

"What is it?" Melanie asked looking at the bottle curiously.  A strong smell of oranges began to tickle in her nostrils.

"It's a special blend of some of our local La Noscean oranges and water that's rumoured to flow near a powerful source of aether, plus a secret ingredient" the waitres said happily as she helped pour the liquid into the tumbler.

"So it's basically orange juice?" Melanie looked over to the waitress with a slightly unimpressed gaze as if they were trying to sell her snake oil.

"Oh no, it's more than that!  Mr Mander...I mean, the man who invented the recipe claims it's so powerful that it could even wake a man from his death bed."

"Mander...ville?  As in Godbert Manderville?!" Melanie gasped.

"Oh dear, seems I let my tongue slip again" the waitress sighed shaking her head in dismay.

"As in that gentleman from The Golden Saucer?  That man sure does get around" Reubemont commented.

Melanie took a few moments before drinking in a few sips of the orange juice.  It tasted like any ordinary orange drink, except the juice was more thicker and smoother as if something else had been blended in to give it a little viscosity.

"How is it?" Reubemont queried.

"It's alright.  Smooth, silky... very orangey, kind of reminds me of a drink back at home we called Sunny Delight" Melanie looked at the tumbler trying to determine what it was she was tasting in the background.  It seemed that the orange was there to mask whatever the water was mixed with to make it more palatable.  She took in a few more sips and began to notice a surge of energy flowing through her.  It was as if she just drank a dozen coffees in one sitting.  "Wow!" she exclaimed in surprise at just how quick and potent the drink was.

The waitress nodded with a satisfied grin on her face.  "That would be the secret ingredient doing its work."

Melanie now felt more wide awake than ever and ready to take on the world.  Reubemont blinked in surprise as he watched her dark and puffy eyes suddenly return to normal and her body straighten up alert and attentative to the world around her.  "I dare say that's some amazing beverage" he remarked.

"Now then, may I take your orders?" the waitress asked with slight eagerness in her voice.

"Ah yes, I'll have a boiled egg and a glass of pineapple juice please" Reubemont said heartily.

"Just a plate of scrambled eggs and a glass of water for me" Johnas said.

"I'll have the scrambled eggs too with some orange juice" Suyaya piped up.

"Frumenty and a glass of orange" Holskwyb added.

"Frumenty?  What's that?" Melanie asked curiously.

"It's a blend of wheat, raisins and cinnamon boiled together with aldgoat milk.  I used to have it every day as a child.  It's fairly sweet and very satisfying" Holskwyb replied.

"Hmm, that almost sounds like a porridge" Melanie mumbled to herself.  "I'll have the frumenty also" she said looking over to the waitress who then nodded and skipped her way back to the bar.

After the waitress left Reubemont then turned his attention to his friends.

"So, did you manage to find out anything about the Dark Jekyll?" he said to Johnas and Holskwyb.

Holskwyb lowered her head as if having been defeated by the question.  "Sadly no, there hasn't been nearly as much talk here in Limsa about this Dark Jekyll as we came across in Gridania spare a few suggestions here and there that he might be from a secretive organization based somewhere within La Noscea."

"What about you Johnas?" Reubemont said.

"Same as Holskwyb" he said with a dejected sigh.

"Well, that's rather disappointing" Reubemont sighed with disappointment.  "Well, at least I have better news for us to make some gil whilst we're here."  Reubemont pulled out the notice he swiped last night from the bulletin from his pockets and showed it to his friends.  "There's been an outbreak of a new band of pirates setting up seige in Satasha.  Brovola had a premonition that we'd be infiltrating their base, so based on her gift I believe this is something we can most definitely handle as a team, and there's quite a big reward should we successfully complete the mission."

"Pirates, huh?" Holskwyb said in a questionable voice.

"Is...something the matter?" Reubemont queried.

"Oh, nothing" Holskwyb replied shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Then we set sail for Aleport in a couple of hours" Reubemont said in a satisfied voice and placed the notice back into his pockets.

The waitress returned to the table carrying a number of plates of mostly egg dishes and drinks on a wooden palette.  Melanie could smell the frumenty and her mouth started to water.

"Before I forget I did some enquiring on where to find some new equipment for us" Suyaya spoke out.  "As luck would be there was a new shipment of goods arrived in the early hours this morning destined to the market stalls in Hawkers' Alley with a promising ledger."

"Excellent news" Reubemont nodded with a smile.  "We should stop by the markets and see what they have in stock."

Everyone began to dig into their breakfast.  Melanie was glad she stuck with the frumenty.  She had no idea how she'd react to eating eggs even in this body.  Back on Earth even the smell of boiled eggs was enough to turn her stomach sour, and the very texture or taste of eggs even in the slightest of trace would make her throw up.  Just the smell of the eggs was already making her feel slightly uncomfortable so she could only guess that she'd react in the same way as she would on Earth when eating them.

After having their fill Reubemont was ready to depart with his team.  The waitress collected their now empty plates and tumblers and disappeared with them behind the bar.  Collecting their belongings they departed from the inn and made headway towards a ramp that led down to the lower decks of Limsa.

Despite being high up above the gentle ocean waves Melanie didn't seem too flustered about how high up they were.  Having ridden airships as many times as she had recently had made her feel a lot more grounded from lesser high locations, and with the ramp being so wide and built up against a stone pillar made her feel safer as long as she didn't go too close to the edge.

Melanie felt an opportunity to grab Reubemont to talk.  She gently tugged at his arm indicating that she wanted to speak privately.  "Err, I'll catch up with you guys in a moment" Reubmeont said as his team noticed he'd stopped.  They gave a gentle nod and carried on down the rest of the ramp.  "What's wrong Brovola?" he asked Melanie once they were alone.

Melanie started to feel a little flustered as she tried to find the right words to say to Reubemont.  "About last night..." she started, then her face went red as she lost the nerve and couldn't look him in the face.  Reubemont looked at her curiously as she bit her lower lip and looked a little stressed.  "I...I like that you care for me and, um, I'm in love and, uh, I'm married and I can't..." Melanie stumbled with her words that it all came out as a mangled mess and her face kept getting redder until she was virtually glowing like a fireball.  Reubemont smiled and walked up to her and gently patted her on her head.

"What???"  Melanie felt confused as Reubemont continued to gently pat her head.  She looked up to him seeing him smiling gently and still patting her head.  "There there" he said as he continued to pat.  The Echo began to pull her back into a brief moment of Reubemont's past where he was but a teenager, his sister was looking very stressed and he was patting her on the head in the same way.  "There there, sis" he said to her as she started to sob.

Melanie was pulled back into the present with Reubemont still patting her on the head.  She smiled and let out a sigh of relief.  "Of course, you don't think of me that way" she said finally able to look him in the face again.  "I let myself get all worked up over something silly."

Reubemont stopped patting her on her head and continued to smile at her.  "It wasn't silly" he said in a reassuring voice.  "But you are right about me.  I see you as a friend and as a part of my team.  It would be inappropriate for me to take advantage of someone who is under my guidance and even so for someone who is betrothed to another.  I will admit however that I may have become a little too comfortable in your presence, so perhaps it would be best if we were to dial things down a little and be a bit more professional about how we do things from here on."

Melanie nodded in agreement with a gentle smile, her face having returned to a normal colour again.  She felt as if a huge weight of worry had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Let's head on down before the rest of the team starts wondering whether we're coming down yet" Reubemont said.  Melanie followed closely behind him.  Her mind felt so much more relaxed now, however she was now going to be a bit more mindful over how she sought comfort in stressful moments.

Eventually the ramp ended at a circular plaza with a large crystal aetheryte spinning on its axis in the middle of the plaza above a golden setting set in a stone dias.  Many people were gathered around the aetheryte fanning away at the morning heat or resting at one of the few benches that lined the edges of the plaza.  Nearby a stone building acting as a tunnel housed several small stalls inside it where traders called out to the locals eager to sell their wares.  Reubemont ushered his group towards the building and they began to browse through the various items on display.

As Melanie gazed at some of the stalls in awe she could hear an old lady's voice behind her and felt a gentle tugging on her robes.  "Excuse me Miss, are you an adventurer?" an old lady in simple clothing said to her with a desperate look on her eyes.  Melanie turned to face her properly and gave her a nod.

"How may I help you?" she asked the old lady.

"Thank Llymlaen someone has finally stopped to listen!" the old lady gasped excitedly.  "I'm in dire need of certain special ingredients obtained from the local wildlife outside.  None of the traders here have what I need so it befalls on me to ask adventurers for help."

"Is there something we can help you with?" Reubemont said noticing that Melanie was preoccupied with the old lady.  The old lady scorned at him for interrupting.

"I wasn't talking to you" she hissed.

"I'm sorry, we're all together so I wondered..."

"I'm not paying all of you to help" the old lady continued to snap at him.

Melanie looked up at Reubemont with an awkward smile.

"Ah, it's alright I guess" Reubemont stammered.  He then looked down to Melanie.  "You can go ahead and help this lady, we still have plenty of time before we need to depart to Aleport" he said to her.

Melanie nodded to him and turned her attention back to the old lady.  "Please continue" she said.

"Ah, such a nice young lady" the old woman said with a crooked smile.  "As I was saying, I'm in need of some livers from the wild lambs outside Limsa.  Being a by-product they're often discarded by the traders here who see no use for them as nobody else wants to purchase them - nobody except me that is, but since I'm just one person and not needing them every single day there's no profit in keeping them around and they spoil within a matter of a few hours of harvesting them.  Would you ever be so kind in bringing me back a few, say four livers?  I'll reward you handsomely for them."

"Err, yes of course" Melanie stammered a little.

"Thank you so much, such a kind young lady" the old lady said with a smile.  "I'll stay right here whilst you go and find me those livers.  Now, run along now."

Melanie nodded and looked over her friends who were far too occupied browsing the stalls and closely inspecting some of the fresh new wares.  She sighed a little and turned back around heading out towards the plaza.

Melanie knew the way around Limsa having had played the game so many times.  The exit to La Noscea was not too far away.  She'd have to go through another small building below The Drowning Wench and then cross a long and tall bridge that linked Limsa Lominsa to the main land.  Being alone this time however she started to feel a panic as she approached the bridge.  She slowed her pace as the road lowered itself down to the bridge's level and stopped short of stepping onto the bridge.  Her heart started to race and her legs started to feel weak.

"No, not now!  Just because Reubemont isn't here doesn't mean I should start to panic here and now" she thought to herself.  She swallowed hard and forced her legs to get moving.  Each step felt like she was fighting against a force that was holding her legs down and her legs wobbled as she began to cross the bridge.  Panic set in and her heart began to leap several times causing her to cry out in fear.  "I've been on airships, I've been in higher places, why am I now struggling so hard?!"  Melanie stopped for a moment to catch her breath.  She was now already halfway across the bridge.  "There's no going back now, the distance back is exactly the same as the distance ahead."  Determined to reach the other side, Melanie started to move forward again.  Her body's resistance started to give way and she was finally able to reach the main land at the other side of the bridge.

Panting heavily Melanie leaned up against a stone archway that led back into the city trying to catch her breath.  She closed her eyes and started to slowly breathe in the sweet smell of grass and fresh sunkissed grapes being carried by the gentle winds.  She listened to the sound of gentle waves lapping against the cliffs, the calling of gulls, the rushing of water that cascaded down from nearby streams to the cliffs creating powerful waterfalls, the wind blowing through the grass, and the sound of bleating in the near distance.  After a few minutes of respite Melanie gathered herself together and made way towards the bleating.

--

Melanie stared with a look of regret on her face for having accepted such a mission.  Dozens of fluffy lambs bounced around the grass nibbling on the fresh shoots.  It was more than she could bear.  They were too cute.  Letting out a groan she slumped down on her knees and watched the lambs nibbling away.  One noticed her and came close up to her and after giving her a sniff let out a gentle bleat.  Melanie smiled and reached out to the lamb and started to scratch its head.  The lamb closed its eyes rubbing its head into her fingers and bleated happily.

"Aww, you're so cute, I can't bring myself to kill one of you let alone four" Melanie said in a motherese voice.  The little lamb bounced up and down excitedly.  Another lamb seeing what was happening wandered over and started to demand being petted.  Melanie chuckled under her breath and moved her hand across and started to scratch its head.

Another lamb then started to approach, and another, and another.  Melanie realised she was getting overwhelmed by lambs all bleating and demanding her to pet them and started to panic a little.  "Hold on, I can't pet you all at once" she stammered.  More lambs began to crowd in front of her pushing into her and almost knocking her over.  Quickly she tried to get back on her feet and this startled one of the lambs who then bit her fingers.

"Oww!" Melanie gasped shaking her hand free from the lambs' mouth.  The other lambs were now becoming agitated and were no longer demanding to be petted and began to bite into her ankles.  "Oww, stop!" Melanie cried out trying to kick them away, but they just kept on pushing into her.  By now they had all ceased to be friendly and continued to press and bite away at her.

Melanie couldn't take it anymore.  Without thinking she quickly grabbed her staff, reached out to a fire aspected aether and banged the base of the staff to the ground.  A wave of fire hit all the lambs causing several to get slightly singed and bounce away in fear.  Of the ones that weren't so lucky they lay dead before her feet, their fur completely burned off and the smell of burnt flesh and grass filling the air with a sickening crackle.  Melanie took in a few slow breaths to calm down and looked down at the dead lambs at her feet with a look of deep regret.  Tears started to flow down from her eyes.  "I'm so sorry, but I had no other choice" she said remorsefully.

She slowly lowered herself back down on her knees and took a look at the bodies.  Two were completely obliterated to the bone however there were four that still were salvageable.  Melanie pulled out a small knife she had tucked away on her belt and waved her hands around the lamb corpses.  "Eugh" she groaned, then she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her arm and with a grimaced look began to cut into the lamb corpses.  The smell and the sight of blood and squelching noises as she placed her hands into their corpses started to make her gag a little and several times she had to look away.  Her hands were completely covered in warm blood as she reached for the livers and after a few slices tugged away at them until they were prised out of their bodies.  Using a spare linen bag she placed the livers inside of them and once she was done she looked around for a nearby source of water to clean the blood from her hands and blade.  Nearby was a stream of water coming from the hills that ran towards the cliffs.

Melanie walked over to the stream and started to wash her hands in the running water, barely noticing a small group of roegadyn men walking her way.  After drying her hands on her robes and placing the blade back on her belt she finally noticed the three roegadyn who were staring at her with dirty looks on their faces.

"Well well, what have we here..." one of them said with an evil grin.  "I believe this is the competition that old fossil sent us out here to find."  He looked down at the grass below Melanie's feet where the bloodied linen bag containing the lambs' livers was.  "And looks like that's the booty we've been sent to obtain."  He then looked back up at Melanie's face with an even wider grin.  Melanie could feel her body tensing nervously.  She certainly did not like the look of these guys.  He snorted under his breath and began to crack his knuckles.  "Why don't we just take those livers and we can just say you fell off the nearby cliffs, eh?" he said as he started to advance towards her.

Melanie realised she was in grave danger and that these thugs were certainly not the type who could be easily talked out of a fight.  She'd never been in an encounter like this in her life but she knew if she wanted to get out alive she was going to have to fight her way out.  Melanie pulled out her staff readying for an assault.  "Don't make me hurt you" she said in a threatening voice, although deep down she was quaking in fear and they could hear it in her quivvering voice.

"Ooh, looks like we have a fighter, lads!" the lead roegadyn laughed a belly laugh and then looked at her with a widened smile.  "In case you haven't noticed, lady, it's three against one.  This is not your lucky day."

"Oh my god, they're really going to kill me!"

The roegadyn made for another approach and with a grimace Melanie reached out to a fire aspect.  "Burn!" she called out.  The focus in her staff responded and a fireball launched itself from the aether surrounding her and hit the roegadyn leader square in the face causing him to recall in pain.  His comrades watched him stumble and their faces contorted in anger.  "You'll pay for that!" one of them shouted and made a run towards her.

Melanie started to panic.  She had no time to launch another fireball and she'd soon have both men tackling her.  Her only other option was to put one of them out.  "Sleep!" she called out.  One of the men was quickly surrounded in a gentle mist that caused his eyes to roll into the back of his head and his body crumpled to the floor into a deep slumber.

Now it was one against one, but she no longer had any time to cast another spell.  The roegadyn overpowered her, grabbing her tightly and trying to wrestle her to the floor.  "Now I've got you!" he said as Melanie screamed and squirmed.  "Let me go!" she called out as she struggled against his burly arms, but his grip was like a vice.  "Hehe" the roegadyn cackled, "after I've had my fun with you you're going to wish you'd never been born."  Melanie needed to act fast.  Without her hands free she wasn't able to cast another spell, and she couldn't fight her way out of his arms.  There was only one other thing left to do.  She bent her head down and sank her sharp teeth into his arms.  

"Yaaargh!!!!"  The roegadyn loosened his grip giving Melanie the opportunity she needed.  Using her staff as a weapon she knocked him hard under his chin, causing him to completely let go and stumble backwards in a daze.

"Electrify!" she cried out.  The roegadyn crashed to the floor screaming in agony as his body was engulfed in waves of electricity.

The leader who had now recovered from his burns that left one side of his face scorched growled angrily seeing both his friends encumbered.  He pulled out a long knife and made a launch towards Melanie.  Her eyes opened wide as she saw the weapon.  There was no other choice, she was going to have to fight for her life.  She thrust her staff in front of her, launching a series of fire bolts that knocked him back to the ground screaming in agony.  The burns were severe leaving his face competely blackened and he let out a final gasp as he gazed blankly at the sky above him.  His other friends were completely unconscious from their encounters.

Melanie lowered her hands and tried to slow her panicked breathing.  Her whole body was shaking from the encounter so much that she felt she was about to throw up.  Her head was spinning slightly and she felt utterly exhausted.  She thought perhaps she felt exhausted from the fight, but with the encounter having been so intense she had forgotten the first rule of thaumaturgy - don't exhaust your mana.  With tears rolling down her face she slowly knelt down to pick up the bloodied bag of lambs' livers and slowly dragging her feet began to make her way back to Limsa, but before she did she walked over to the burnt corpse of the roegadyn leader and with a tearful yell kicked his body as hard as she could and then stumbled back on her journey.

--

With an expressionless and dirtied face Melanie thrust the bloodied bag in front of the old lady waiting for her in Limsa with eagerness.  "Ooh, you've finally brought them!" she said grabbing the bag from Melanie's hands with her crooked fingers.  "And now for your payment..." the old lady pulled out a purse and tumbled a few coins into Melanie's hands, who then silently stuffed the coins into her own purse.  "By the way, I sent some men to go after you when you hadn't returned.  I was getting very concerned.  I take it you didn't see them?  They didn't seem quite the friendly sort but they were so very eager to go hunting" she queried.

Melanie glared at her a little and then forced a big smile.  "Let's say they won't be so willing to go hunting for me next time" Melanie replied.  She then walked past the old lady and lowered her smile.

Reubemont and his friends had finished with their purchases as Melanie walked by them.  "It's not the best but it'll do" Reubemont said as he inspected his new weapon.  He then caught sight of Melanie walking towards them.  "Ah, just in time..." he said, then he saw the look on her face.  "Is everything all...."

"I'm just fine.  Let's get moving and kill some damn pirates" without even looking at him Melanie cut him off in sharp and cold voice.

Little Trouble in Big Limsa

The trip to Limsa Lominsa was no easy journey for Melanie.  Despite riding the airship several times already she still wasn't yet used to flying so high up in the air and was still worried that a gust of wind could blow her off the airship or that she'd fall off the edge.  The journey was also longer than it was between Ul'dah and Gridania and the air was much cooler sending a slight chill down Melanie's spine and making her feel even less comfortable.

Reubemont gathered his friends close by so they could discuss their next plan of action.  "So here's the plan - Johnas and Holskwyb, I want you to question the locals to see if they have any intel on the Dark Jekyll.  Suyaya, I'll leave the administrative part for you to register us at the inn and secure rooms for us, and see if you can find somewhere we can get some new supplies too as I'm starting to feel this blade is getting a bit light these days and my shield looks like it could break any time soon.  I'll find us some work in the meantime either at the guild or by asking any of the locals."

"What about Brovola?" Suyaya asked as she looked across at her shivvering quietly and looking petrified huddled against the mast.

"I''ll take her with me" Reubemont said glancing down to her.  "I have a feeling she'll have a hard time navigating Limsa alone at her current state."

"Oh, right.." Suyaya pondered as she remembered the layout of Limsa Lominsa.  Whilst Ul'dah and Gridania were mostly on solid ground, Limsa was built upon large stone pillars that rose from the ocean just off the coast of La Noscea and was connected by many wooden bridges and walkways.  Reubemont remembered the first time his sister visited Limsa and she went into a full blown panic attack, so he knew what to expect from Melanie once they'd arrive.

As his friends moved off to discuss among themselves where they'd split their tasks Reubemont sat down beside Melanie.  "You heard all of that, right?" he said to her.  Melanie nodded, pulling her knees up closer to her chest trying both to stay warm and give herself a sense of comfort.  "Here..." Reubemont said, taking a small brown cloak from his backpack and wrapping it around Melanie's shoulders.  The cloak was fairly old but it kept the cold air from brushing her skin and she could already feel the benefit.

"Thank you" Melanie stuttered as she gently grappled at the edges of the cloak and pulled them more tightly around her.

"Hey, it'll be ok" Reubemont said in a reassuring voice. "We'll stick together you and me.  I'll help you get around and I won't leave you alone.  Besides Limsa is not the kind of place I would want to leave a damsel in distress all by herself."

"What about Suyaya?" Melanie asked nodding towards her.

"Suyaya can take care of herself" Reubemont said with a slight smile.  "She's travelled to Limsa many times before and knows how to deal with the more brash population."

The air started to smell less like sea water and a sweet scent of fresh grass and wines muddled with grape and apricot started to fill the air.  The temperature had also changed from gentle cool breezes to hot summer heat, although not as hot and dry as the heat in Thanalan mostly as it was now approaching evening hours.  Reubemont breathed in the scent with a satisfying and gentle smile.  "We must be approaching Limsa soon" he said standing back up again and giving himself a gentle stretch.  Melanie started to stand up readying to disembark.  "Oh, we're not there yet" Reubemont said as she stunbled on her feet.

"Oh" Melanie said a little disappointed, but then she started to feel curious to where they were.  She'd managed to look over the airship edge before and seen glimpses of the Shroud and Thanalan, so now she was curious to see what La Noscea was like from above.  "Actually I'd like to take a look" she said a little nervously.  Reubemont guided her towards the edge of the airship and she peered over from a distance so as not to get too close to the edge.

"We've already past Costa Del Sol, an area known for its tranquil beaches and nearby distilleries, but over there is..."

"WOAH!!!" Melanie interrupted him as she caught sight of the spiral city of Limsa Lominsa peering over the tall hills below them, it's central point looked like a bright palace glimmering in the distance.

"And that is Limsa Lominsa" Reubemont said with a smile.  "Be wary that whilst the city looks beautiful from this distance it was founded and built by pirates.  Chief Admiral Merlwyb may have imposed laws and regulations amongst its founders and residents but despite her efforts there is no shortage of thuggary and piracy lurking in the shadows.  You'd best make sure that anything of value such as gil is tightly sealed and hidden well inside your backpack, lest you find yourself very short of coin."

Melanie turned to him and then looked shocked as he was dangling her purse in his hands above her head and handed it over to her with a grin.  "A simple trick I once learned whilst I was there back in my younger days" he said with a gentle nod.  Melanie quickly stuffed the purse into her backpack along with a few other items she had loosely tied to her belt and double checked to make sure her backpack didn't give an inch for any sticky fingers to find their way in.  "Sounds like this place is not much different than Salford, I'd best treat it as such" she thought to herself swinging her backpack back onto her shoulders.  Reubemont helped adjust the straps on her shoulders ensuring they were secure and not easy to just pull off.

Melanie noticed that Reubemont was touching her more often and that she was also starting to feel a little affectionate towards him.  She had to remind herself a few times that her residence on Eorzea was only temporary and that she still had a husband waiting back on Earth for her return, even if she felt resentment towards him.  Surely she wasn't going to just fall for the next man to show her kindness after such a short time.  Perhaps it was because she had been so starved off affection for so long that she was noticing it more.  She quickly brushed aside the feeling with a nervous smile and watched as the airship moved closer towards the city.  She could now see the edges of Eastern La Noscea and once again the scent of sea salt began to cut through the air and carrying with it scents of rum and fresh fish.

As the airship began a gentle descent towards the city Melanie noticed that the city was no longer as impressive as it appeared at first glance, yet it still was a sight to behold.  Many small wooden shipping docks were scattered around the base of the city.  There was also numerous cables that attached to various pillars and mounting points which seemed to lead below water.  Melanie wasn't quite sure what these cables were for, perhaps to prevent the pillars from shifting and destabilizing the city when the winds and tides picked up speed?  Whilst the stone work of the city showed signs of age the briny air and hot sun kept most of the stone polished and bleached white.  Small windows carved into the thick stone pillars suggested that as well as being supports for most of the also acted as a place of residence.  At the very tops of the pillars that was left untouched for many years moss and large bushes grew around tall spires and chimneys from the resident buildings.  Behind the city further out to sea was a lighthouse made of a single tall pillar of stone that at its tip housed a large light that glowed a brilliant blue, lighting up the city from afar with a gentle blue glow.

The airship descended towards the large central building where high up a large cavity had been built to house the airship.  Melanie's ears was greeted with the sounds of dozens of gulls, the gentle rippling waves and the creaking of the wooden ships docked below, as well as the noises of the city itself with what she could only describe as "pirate speak."  With gentle maneouvering the airship gingerly swept past some of the nearby tall pillars and wooden walkways and came to a landing inside the cavity.  Everyone began to disembark onto a stone platform.  Just as she disembarked Reubemont lowered himself to her ear.  "Remember, stick together, and don't get too close to the edges of the walkways.  If you start to feel scared walking over them let me know and I'll help you get across" he whispered.  Melanie nodded and continued walking through a checkpoint where Suyaya had already accounted for their arrival.  Ahead of them carved into the stone was a wooden lift shaft leading to the different city levels and a green skinned Roegadyn attendant dressed in a yellow jacket standing nearby.  After the attendant closed the gate to the lift behind them she felt the lift jolt into action and heard the sound of taut rope and wood creaking as the lift lowered itself to the bottom layer of the city.  It still gave Melanie the heebie jeebies with the initial jolt and the creaking noises that made her close her eyes tightly and cringe.  It was a noise that with her larger Miqo'te ears was even more dreadful than she would've barely tollerated in her human body.

The lift arrived at another gate where another green skinned female Roegadyn attendant was waiting for them to allow them to depart into a circular room full of people sat around round tables cheering and chugging down grog like no tomorrow.  Waitresses in small red leather hats, red dresses and white aprons walked back and forth between the tables and the bar taking in orders and bringing wooden palettes filled with silver tumblers and tall green bottles of Melanie could only guess was more alcohol.  The crowd here were far more rowdy than any of the other cities that Melanie could barely hear herself think. Despite the crowd being so alive there was a reasonable amount of conduct to ensure that nothing went awry - even if it did the was plenty of entrances back into The Drowning Wench where city guards could easily rush in and break up whatever was taking place.

Reubemont nodded to his friends who then quickly dispersed on their tasks.  Suyaya made a beeline to a nearby counter to make reservations at the inn whilst Johnas and Holskwyb went their separate ways to less noisy grounds where they could evesdrop on any passers by or find people who'd be willing to talk for the right price.  Reubemont looked around the room and beckoned Melanie over to a nearby billboard and started to scan through some of the various jobs that were on for offer.  "Hmm" he mulled as he ran his finger over the requests.  He then stopped at one and pulled it from the billboard to get a better look.  "Ah, this looks promising" he said with slight enthusiasm.  After finding an empty table to sit at Reubemont passed the note over to Melanie.  "Here, what do you think of this?" he asked.  Melanie took the note and as she started to read it outloud everything started to sound distant and her surroundings began to change.

The Echo reached out to her showing her dozens of pirates taking up seige inside Satasha.  Among them a woman who was dressed more elaborately than the rest was flicking through a number of charts on a table nearby.  "Those red jacketted fools, they just left this place untouched - easy pickings ripe for our taking" she gloated with a wicked smile.  She turned around pointing out to a small group of pirates who were gathered together doing nothing.  "You there!" she called out to them.  The group turned to face her.  "I want you to help secure The Rambade.  Don't let anyone other than our own people get through those gates or your life will be forfeit, you hear?  Wait...what was that?"  The female pirate in charge quickly looked up hearing noises coming from down one of the nearby tunnels, then a pirate came rushing into the room with a scared look on his face.

"Captain Shardon, adventurers!  They breached The Cattery and are making their way up here!" he called out in a desperate voice.

"What?!!!" Captain Shardon drew her sword and looked onward as she heard the sound of clashing swords, firey explosions and the sounds of people screaming in agony.  She quickly ushered some of her men next to her as they backed off out of the room.  "Keep them from coming any closer, and you lot with me!!!" she ordered the rest of her people who quickly formed up a barrier and drew their swords.  As she ran into the back of the room through a heavily reinforced wooden gate the sound of running feet became louder and louder.  Shadows began to take form as they entered the brightly lit room and leading them was an elezen paladin that Melanie immediately recognised as Reubemont.

"Are you alright?" Reubemont's voice cut through the vision.  Melanie shook her head to find herself back in Limsa, the pain in her head starting to settle.  "Was that The Echo just now?" he asked her.

"Ungh, yeah" Melanie said as the pain subsided.

"Strange that I didn't get to see anything" Reubemont pondered.  "What did you see?"

"It was us in Satasha" Melanie answered him.

"So it was a premonition?" Reubemont continued to ponder.  "It seems your gift is quite different from mine.  Last time when we both saw something from The Echo it was of a past event, but you can also see what's about to happen."  He sat back with a smile and looked at the paper.  "And from your premonition it would appear our next destination is to infiltrate Satasha."

Melanie lowered her head as she thought about her vision.  In it they had been killing other people.  Up until now they had only been culling animals and even that had proven difficult for her at times, but other beings?  It made her feel very uneasy at the thought.

Reubemont noticed Melanie was looking uncomfortable.  "Is everything okay?" he asked gently.

"I saw us...killing people" Melanie stammered.  Reubemont's smile lowered as he saw how distressed she appeared.  "Up until now all we've done is fight other creatures, but the thoughts of me killing another person doesn't sit well with me.  I've never struck against another person in my entire life, so how am I to suddenly turn into this...murderer?"

Reubemont slowly looked down at the note with a sadenned look on his face.  "Perhaps we should consider a different mission then" he said readying to return the note to the board.  Melanie swiftly placed her hand on his, stopping him from picking up the note and startling him.  "No, don't" she said.  She closed her eyes and took in a few deep and calming breaths.  "If what The Echo has shown me is to be true then this is our destiny.  It might not sit well with me now but this is the path I'm to go down.  It was inevitable that this day was to come.  I just didn't expect it so soon..."

For a moment they just sat there, Melanie's hand still on Reubemont's.  He started to notice the warmth and softness of her hand on his.  His heart started to pound and he began to swallow hard.  "Why hasn't she moved her hand yet?  Could she...?  No, it can't be that.  She already has someone, besides I'm her captain so even if it were that it would be inappropriate for us to..."

Melanie realised she still had her hand on his and quickly drew her hand back and started to blush.  "I'm sorry, I wasn't meaning to keep my hand there" she said, turning her gaze away from him.

"No, it's fine" Reubemont said with a sigh of relief and trying to hide his nervousness.

"What was I doing?!!!  I can't believe I kept my hand there.  What if he now thinks I'm trying to flirt with him?" Melanie felt angry and embarassed with herself for letting herself slip out of character.

Suyaya began making her way towards the table from the counter at the other side of the room.  "I've secured us rooms to stay for a few nights" she said as she took a seat, then looked across at the paper in Reubemont's hands.  "I take it you've found us some work?" she queried.

"Oh, yes" Reubemont stammered a little distracted and handed her the note.

"Hmm, new band of pirates over at Satasha" Suyaya read outloud.  "Sounds like this will offer us quite the bounty."  She handed the note back to Reubemont with a grin and then noticed Melanie looking very sheepish.  "Is she ok?" Suyaya said quietly to Reubemont.

"Ah, err, she's suffering a bit of sea sickness" he stammered a little. 

Suyaya frowned a little confused.  "Isn't that normally when people are riding on a boat?" she asked.

Err...um, it's the air not the motion" Reubemont replied scratching the side of his head trying to come up with an answer.

"Oh... Well then" Suyaya said shrugging her shoulders a little and then smiling at Melanie.  "Don't worry, it'll pass soon" she said to her in a reassuring voice, then she turned her attention back to Reubemont.  "I'll go turn in for the night.  I've already alerted the others via linkpearl their rooms are ready when they are."  She then gave a gentle wave and headed off to a small gated area near the lift.

Melanie and Reubemont continued to sit in awkward silence for a while.  "I should probably turn in too" they both said, standing up in unison and crashing into each other.  "Um, ladies first" Reubemont stepped back and ushered Melanie forward.  Melanie looking rather flustered quickly shuffled away to the snall wooden gate followed by Reubemont.

Homesickness

It had been almost 3 weeks since Melanie's soul had been snatched from her body on Earth and arrived in the body of her alter ego, M'leineya Leoh.  As unreal as it seemed Melanie was finally accepting that this wasn't some kind of dream.  She had long dreams before but never anything that lasted days and was as linear as this, and it felt too real to be a dream.  Either this was something so real and completely out of the ordinary or this was a version of the afterlife.  She hadn't completely ruled out the latter as a possibility as if this was some kind of test before she could properly move on.  Either way, she was very far from home and it didn't look like she was going to return back any time soon.

Despite having met new friends and going on adventures she never imagined herself ever doing when she was back on Earth, she still felt a longing for home and wondering what had become of her husband Tony.  She couldn't help but worry about what he must be thinking and feeling.  She could only imagine that her body was in some kind of coma like the Scions at Revenant's Toll.  They may not have communicated much the past couple of years but Tony must be worried sick and wondering what had befallen on his wife to have put her in a coma.

She started to feel sorry for having wasted the past few years away not giving her husband any proper attention nor doing her part of the chores around the house.  If only she could see him now she would run into his arms and beg his forgiveness and seek help to become a better wife.  She would get help with her weight issues, spend less time indoors hiding away in her little room and actually go on proper adventures with Tony - not just wandering around a local park or doing their weekend shopping at the local shops, but really travelling beyond her comfort zone into countries she'd only seen pictures of and discovering what else was out there she'd never seen and for once really live.

Melanie rolled onto her stomach on her bed and began to cry into a pillow.  "I want to go home, I want to go home!" she wailed and sobbed.  After a few moments had passed she slowly lifted her head from the pillow.  To her dismay nothing had changed, she was still at the inn in Gridania.  She sniffled and sat up on her bed, pushing away the tear soaked pillow and wiping her face dry with the back of her sleeves.  Someone must've heard her sobbing as there was a gentle knock on the door followed by a familiar man's voice.  "Brovola, are you ok in there?"

Melanie took in a few deep breathes to compose herself and walked over to the door.  Reubemont was waiting anxiously with a worried look on his face as she slowly opened the door to her room.  "Is everything ok?" he asked, then he saw her tear-stained face.  "You've been crying!" he gasped pushing the door slightly.

"No, it's ok, it was just a bad dream" Melanie stumbled, grasping the door tightly to stop him from pushing it open further.

"Are you sure?  Do you want to talk about it?" he asked in a reassuring voice.

"I, uh..." Melanie stammered, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes again.  Quickly she wiped them away with the back of her hand and took in another slow and deep breath.

Reubemont reached in through the gap in the door to her hand and gently smiled at her.  "Come on, let's get you out of this room and have a cup of sweet tea at the canopy.  I heard they've imported a fresh batch of leaves in this morning" he said.  Before she knew it Reubemont was leading her away from her room and over to the main part of the canopy which was oddly quiet for this time of day.  Melanie also noticed none of the other team mates were around either.

"Where are the others?" she asked a little confused as she glanced around the room.

"They all left earlier this morning.  They all had plans to do whilst in Gridania so we agreed to meet up later" Reubemont replied as he helped her to sit down at a small unoccupied table.

"Oh, wait what???  What time is it?" Melanie gasped suddenly realising why it was now so quiet in the canopy.

"Nearly an hour to lunch" Reubemont said cheerily leaning against a counter.  "One pot of afternoon tea for two please" he said turning his head around to the inkeeper who was awaiting his order from behind the counter.  Within a few moments Reubemont was handed over a tray with a pot of steaming hot tea and a light refreshment of cookies, muffins, and a couple of small individual cakes.

Melanie barely noticed the feast as her mind was still elsewhere wondering how she managed to miss the entire morning.  "How come nobody tried to wake me?" she asked.

"We figured you maybe were too tired after yesterday's sparring practices so we thought we'd let you sleep it over" he replied, laying the tray down gently onto the table and started to pour out the tea into 2 individual cuips.  He handed one over to Melanie who gently took a sip and then stared at the cup startled at the taste.

"Eh, what tea is this?" she asked staring at the yellowish liquid.

"Oh, that's chamomile" Reubemont replied.  "Don't you like it?"

"Mmm, it's not quite to my liking, but I'll manage" she said placing the cup back down onto a small saucer.

Reubemont handed over a small brown bowl to her.  "Here, try some of this maple sugar, it'll help sweeten the taste."  Melanie took the bowl and dropped a teaspoon of the sugar into her cup and gave it a stir, then took another sip.  It still wasn't quite to her liking but it was now a bit more palatable.  She placed the cup back down again and stared at it.

As Reubemont watched he sensed that she wasn't much in a talkative mood about what happened in her room earlier.  "You don't have to talk about it" he said to her in a soft and quiet voice.

"Huh?" Melanie looked up a little confused.

"Your dream.  You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to" he repeated.  "After all it's just a dream, right?"

"Oh...yeah..." Melanie replied looking away.

Reubemont smiled and handed over a small plate with one of the cakes.  Melanie glanced back up at the cake and then at Reubemont.  Seeing him smile made her start to feel warm inside and she could feel her cheeks starting to burn and a slight flutter in her chest.  "I wish Tony was more like this man, understanding and caring.  Man, what was I thinking earlier, why would I want to go back home?  Even if I did grovel before him and vowed to change Tony would never change himself.  He'd still be the selfish and careless man he's always been, never giving any time to try to listen or even understand me or how I feel or making any kind of gestures to make me feel special.  I'd be still just as depressed as ever and stuck in my own time loop of playing fantasy games just to pass time and feeling some sense of worth."

Melanie smiled back as she took the small plate from Reubemont and breathed in the cake's scent.  It was sweet with a strong smell of glazed pineapple that made her mouth start to water and she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into it.  She took a bite into the cake and closed her eyes, embracing the sweet and tangy dance that was taking place in her mouth.  Already she had forgotten about why she was crying earlier and could only think about how sweet and moist the cake was in her mouth.

Reubemont could see that she was starting to look and feel better and could barely contain his own happiness.  He picked up the other cake and took a bite into it and for a moment was dazzled by the taste.  "Oh wow" he said with his mouth still full.  "This is the best ponzecake ever!"

"Mmmm" Melanie moaned with her eyes still closed and her mouth full of cake.  Even in her more youthful days when she made her first ever pineapple upside down cake in school it tasted nothing in comparison to this.

"Ooh, mind if I try some?" Holskwyb's voice towered above them.  Melanie opened her eyes and handed her small plate over to her and Holskwyb took a small bite from the cake.  "Oh wow you're right, this is good!" she said, raising her hand to her lips to stop the crumbs from falling out of her mouth.

"I thought you were tending to some local business?" Reubemont said as he swallowed down another piece of the cake.

"I did" Holskwyb replied taking a seat next to them.  "I'd been asking around the locals to try to find out more about the Dark Jekyll."

"Did you find anything about him?" Melanie asked eagerly.

"Unfortunately no.  There wasn't much to go by other than he was a dark figure who appeared late at night carrying the two bodies and he disappeared as quickly as he arrived without a trace.  Some locals think he might be from an offshoot band of assassins from the northern reaches of La Noscea but there's nothing notable to say if he is, so at the moment it's all heresay.  It's like he just appeared and then vanished without so much of a clue other than his calling card with his handle.  I hoped I might get a glimpse of that note myself to see if there was any clues as to where it originated from but the authorities here are keeping it under lock and key and are refusing 'novice adventurers like us' from even taking a look at it."

"That's annoying" Reubemont said as he wiped away the last of the crumbs of the cake from the corners of his lips with a napkin.

"It would seem that the Elder Seedseer is making damned sure that we don't go prying into areas that she doesn't want us to'" Melanie said before taking a final bite into her cake.

"Yeah, it seems that way" Holskyb said with a frustrated sigh, folding her arms and kicking herself backwards on her seat.

"Maybe we should check in at Limsa Lominsa once everyone's done here.  We could look up for any jobs on offer and maybe find some more intel over there about the Dark Jekyll since everyone seems so confident he's from around that region" Reubemont said, placing his napkin down onto the now empty plate.

"Yeah, what are the others up to?" Melanie asked curiously.

"Johnas went to meet up with his mentor for some further training, and as for Suyaya she went to check in on some family members" Reubemont replied.

"Oh" Melanie sat back.  She looked over at her now cold tea and let out a dejected sigh.

"I guess you really didn't like the chamomile tea, huh?" Reubemont said seeing her looking unhappily at the teacup.

"It's just awful" Melanie chuckled lightly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it.  Not everyone's into chamomile" he said with a slight grin. "At least the cake was good though?"

Melanie nodded and chuckled some more, leaving Reubemont feeling happy to see her smiliing and laughing again.  "She really is pretty when she smiles" he thought to himself.  "This is how I want to remember all of my friends - smiling and laughing.  We man not always have reason to smile and laugh every day, but for now today is a day for smiling."

Not Our Problem

Nophica's Altar was more beautiful and tranquil in person than it was in the game.  Standing in the center of a gentle running stream below a series of small low waterfalls was a meeting area made of small pebbles and round stepping stones, and at the heart of the meeting area a round stone table with 3 uniquely shaped chairs arranged in a triangle.  Standing behind them was the Elder Seedseer herself and her most trusted guardians.  Her face furrowed as Melanie and her friends approached the table.

Looking beyond the group the Seedseer nodded to the escort that led Melanie and her friends into the sacred grounds, and with that the escort left the area.  Satisfied they were all alone the Seedseer then proceeded to speak out.

"Normally I would be more welcoming to guests in my sanctuary, but you have been more troublesome than the average visitor.  You have sown chaos amongst my people, almost brought Gridania to a stand still, and avoided apprehension by fleeing the city."  The Seedseer closed her eyes and shook her head in dismay.  "But never-the-less, your actions stirred an emotion that's been smouldering in the hearts of my people for many moons and it was only a matter of time before the spark would become ignited.  As Seedseer I feel I have failed in my duties and promises to bringing unity to all people both born on Gridanian soil and those who've made Gridania their home.  This disturbance is a testimony to my failed duties and thus I have been forced to take quick action to ensure stability within Gridania."

Melanie and Reubemont's eyes opened wide in surprise at the Seedseer's words.  "You can't mean to say you employed the Dark Jekyll to strike down those soldiers?!" Reubemont gasped in disbelief.

At those words the Seedseer opened her eyes and glared at Reubemont.  "I did no such thing!" she said in a quick and sharp voice.  "Whilst this Dark Jekyll has indeed been paramount in settling the more easily riled youth from creating more disturbances, their arrival and actions are purely of their own accord and not endorsed in any way by myself or my council.  Should they make another unwanted appearance in the city my guards will handle the situation, and if it calls for it I'll enlist the adventurer's guild to put out a bounty on their arrest."  Her voice and gaze started to become more sterner.  "That is to say I do not want for random people to come into my city and taking matters into their own hands without due permission and that also includes you, do I make myself clear?"

Melanie and her team lowered their heads submissively and nodded.  Satisfied that they had understood the Seedseer took a calming breath and straightened her face a little.  "Now that that's out of the way, I will remind you that as adventurers you are still welcome to take on tasks that are submitted to the adventurer's guild and also any random requests offered by the citizens of Gridania, within reason of course.  But one more step out of line and you will no longer be welcome on Gridanian soil.  Now get out of my sight and let's hope that our next encounter does not involve me banishing you all from Gridania."

Reubemont bowed his head further and led his team out of the enclave.  Before leaving Melanie glanced up at the Seedseer only to see her eyes glaring down at her.  Melanie felt a shudder down her spine and lowered her gaze before turning away and following her friends.  Silently they made their way back down to the Carline Canopy and once they found a table Reubemont slumped into one of the surrounding stools.

"Well, I can't say I didn't see that coming.  To be honest I expected far worse" he said wiping his brow.

"I'm just glad we weren't all banished from Gridania right there and then.  After all this is mine and Johnas's home" Suyaya said as she hopped onto a seat next to him.

"I'm still curious about who this Dark Jekyll character is" Holskwyb said leaning her back up against a wall behind her.  "They're definitely the talk of the city.  If the Gridanian council didn't employ them then who are they and why did they get so involved in this?"

"Brovola and I have come up with the conclusion that they may be the same person who was at The Golden Saucer the other night" Reubemont replied to her.  Holskwyb looked at him confused along with the rest of the team.  "Ah, it's probably best if Brovola tells you herself, if that's ok?" he said turning to Melanie.

Melanie nodded and pulled her stool further into the table so she could lean forward.  "There's not much to say other than a man hiding in the shadows caught me off guard whilst I was alone and said something about cleaning up our mess.  At first I had no idea what he was talking about until we arrived in Gridania, but now I'm fairly confident that the man who confronted me and the Dark Jekyll are the same person" Melanie answered.

"He confronted you whilst we were at The Golden Saucer?  Why didn't you say anything?!" Suyaya said, her eyes showing a mixture of emotions that her comrades would choose to suffer in silence whilst she was oblivious to their suffering.

"No offense, but you were in no fit state to have done anything had I mentioned it at the time" Melanie said to her.  "Besides you were all having fun and I didn't want to spoil the mood."

"That's no excuse" Holskwyb butted in.  "If you feel you're under threat or in any kind of danger then you bring us all into the picture, whether we're too drunk or having fun or otherwise.  We're a team and we face things together, not just on our own."  Holskwyb then turned to Reubemont.  "And Reubemont, I'm surprised you too didn't say anything.  Wasn't it you who first said those words to us once or had you forgottten we're in this together?" she said with a stern look on her face.

"I, err, I thought it best that I kept Brovola's confidence until she felt like talking about it first" he stammered trying to avoid everyone elses' gaze.

Holskwyb smirked a little.  "Relax Reuby, I was jesting a little and I'm glad she came to you first" she said in a joking voice, then she turned her face back to Melanie with a slightly more earnest look.  "But truthfully, if you feel unsafe in any way then you need to let us all know so we can all face it together, because that's what being a team is all about" she said to her.

Melanide glanced up with a rather sheepish smile.  "Oh, if only I could tell you of my serect then it would be so much easier not having to live every day lying to you and to myself" she thought to herself.

----

The rest of the day had gone smoothly with no further issues.  Reubemont scoured the list of offers pinned up on the bulletin board at the Carline Canopy but found nothing there that his team were capable of facing, so instead they settled for some sparring and target practicing at the nearby target dummies.

Normally Melanie wouldn't involve herself in spars or anything labelled as PvP since she feared her own inadequacies, but this was more than just battling out against another person to flex over who was more stronger.  By seeing how each person fought they were able to spot flaws and weaknesses in each other and discuss on methods of improvement and practice on it.  Besides Melanie knew that eventually they would have to face arms against other people and there'd be no way to talk herself out of fighting them even if it was against her moral standards, so she'd have to learn to be more receptive to duking it out with others whether she liked it or not.

Despite having been nicked a few times during the sparring sessions Melanie noticed that she didn't feel the pain nearly as much as she anticipated and that her reactions to pain were out of expectation rather than actual pain.  Once she realised this she became less reactive to the minor nicks and scratches and was more able to focus on her combat skills.  Besides, there was always Suyaya to heal her wounds if they became too numerous or severe enough to do any actual damage.

Reubemont was happy to see his comrades once again laughing and smiling and flexing at each other and showing off their prowess.  They had made great strides together, and they had also stumbled together, but those stumbles had only made them grow more stronger.  He remembered back as a child the several times that he had stumbled and almost completely given up.  Were it not for his promises and his sister he would've probably caved in and deemed himself unfit to be a fighter.  And that man...the silver haired man in blue dragonscale that he remembered as a child.  He knew that by now whoever that man was would be a seasoned fighter and no doubts still in conflict against the dragons in the northern lands.  For years he longed to cross paths with him on his adventures to let him know he'd been lied to if only to quell his hatred towards the dragons just a little and not blame them for his mother's death.  "Perhaps some day we'll meet and I'll help ease your soul" he thought to himself.