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“Xion, I have picked up another mission for you to execute.” A gloved hand held out a parchment that is covered in writing and pictures. The person who has spoken is a tall man with eccentric blue hair that cascades past his shoulders. Tawny colored eyes pierced through those looking at him in a scrutinizing way. If it's not the cobalt hair or the hard orange eyes that could freeze a person in their tracks, it was the nasty jagged X that was placed between his intense brows. A dark maroon scar adorned the otherwise flawless skin of the man and those who were not accustomed to this always gawked at his hideous flaw.
“Yes, sir,” Xion spoke softly. The girl is nothing like the cobalt berserker. She is younger by at least seven years. Short jet black hair framed her face with bangs that are always swept to the side. Her eyes are a warm deep sapphire that would shine when light would touch them. They are just as bright, if not brighter, than the man’s peculiar hair. Her frame is small; slender arms, dainty shoulders, a figure most wouldn't look twice at to be fighting.
Xion’s eyes scanned the paper, her brows knitting in uncertainty as she read what the mission was about. “Um, Saix?” she stood up, her eyes looking over to other. His gaze is terrifying and after being around him for years, she still fidgeted under the look. “I don’t think I can take this mission alone...it's near suicidal.”
“Do not be absurd, Xion.” Saix scoffed in discontentment from the girl’s hesitation. “You are capable in exterminating a Behemoth. Demyx will accompany you,” he crosses his arms over his broad chest, a small nod given in the direction to the Bard that was sitting in a corner, strumming away at his sitar. Chords had drifted through the room, they tickled the ears of those who were inside. It wasn’t loud enough to dominate the conversations that were being held, they simply accompanied it.
“But Saix,” the girl pointed to the paper, her finger hovering over the location, “it is not even in our territory. If the clan that resides there see us...” her voice suddenly trailed off, afraid to utter another word. Saix had given her an unwavering gaze, his eyes screaming with irritation. He is not in the mood to tolerate the girl’s uncertainty.
“You will go. Worrying over such frivolous things will bring you nowhere,” his words are clipped, “You will terminate the threat and bring back its rewards. Is that clear?” His tone is harsh, the man made his point. There is no arguing with him.
“Yes, sir...” defeated, Xion looked away. She refused to get locked in his fearsome eyes. The girl did not want to feel afraid and she knew that if she were to look into those burning orange eyes, she might as well become a frightened chocobo caught in a crossfire.
“Good. You will leave at twilight. Go prepare yourself.”
___
The sun is setting. An orange glow nestled itself between the city’s buildings, the fading warmth of the light retreating. Night is soon approaching, with it brought monsters and the hum of after hours life.
Xion has her black cowl wrapped snugly around her neck, the hood with blue lining sat atop her head. Each member of the guild were required to wear a black hood and a grey masquerade mask with their eyes unseen. This was the signature looks for the clan. Those who saw the ominous black hood and empty grey masks automatically knew that whoever was behind the dressings were apart of the notorious Twilight Thorn clan.
The Twilight Thorn clan is small; only nine members are apart of the group, ten if you counted the moogle. Even if their number was small, they were a powerful force that had quickly earned the respect of neighboring clans and guilds once the members were old enough to be taken seriously. Their territory soon expanded from just Jagd Difor to the Bancour region within months. The areas weren't as populated as the major cities but they were well traveled. Soon they would acquire Jagd Ramooda. The mountainous region of the lower side of Ivalice. With such growing territories, the clan began conquering weaker clans, those who tried to gain dominance but were quickly stopped in their tracks. They never received the official title but were given the task to take care of their respective lands. Those loyal to the guild served as the eyes and ears. They were named Nobodies, for they knew not to leave a trail of their informational findings.
This mission is located in Cerobi Steppe. A hilly grassland that is way out of Twilight Thorn’s territory. Xion tried to remember what clan was dominate on the other side of the sea. Either way, the girl just hoped that no one would catch them taking quests from their area. If they were caught taking missions or even reporting in from a completed mission, the clan of that land had the right to fight them. She was not ready to go into a clan war with only Demyx as her aid. The bard was talented when it came to giving buffs to comrades, his offense, well besides him yelling “Dance, water, dance!” and water clones of himself appearing, he wasn't versatile as much as the others. Xion was paired with him frequently when the group’s leader, Xemnas, believed that there was a possibility of potential growth for the girl’s powers. The girl preferred Roxas, Axel, and even Saix to aid her on missions, but lately it seemed that they wanted her grow and stop relying on the power of her friends.
The two took the clan’s airship. A decent size ship enough to fit easily 30+ people. The interior was bland. Hues of grey, white, and black covered the interior, it made the airship feel cold and callous. The young girl felt indifferent towards the decorations, for her, it was just a mode of transport. Even if she spends a good majority inside the ship, it never felt like home. There was no warm colors, the furniture wasn't as soft, and the rooms felt like cells. The members could have decorated their respective rooms but it was looked down upon. Afraid that it could possibly ruin their fearsome reputation, all rooms were nearly identical.
Demyx and Xion landed at Balfohiem Port. A city where many trades were made by sea and air. The streets bustled with markets, potions, weapons, armors; items from all over Ivalice could be found at the port. This location, though supposedly under a clan’s rule, had many bounty hunters that came through. Pubs were filled with travellers and freelancers, anyone who was looking for a job could easily obtain one.
“Hey, Demyx?” Xion called out. They had found themselves at a pub. It was stuffy, loud, and packed. The drinks flowed freely no matter what time it was and though many were rowdy, they kept it in their own circles. Xion knew she could handle herself if needed but she still glued herself to the older blonde. She was always shy and would go mute around unfamiliar faces. It was rare for her to speak willingly, only when needed would she communicate.
“Do you think...we would be caught for taking on this mission?” her eyes scanned the area. They stuck out like a sore thumb. Their hoods and masks made the two look sketchy and it was obvious that their clothing was from a different land. The people who were currently at the pub at least had similar clothing, nothing too different like Demyx or Xion.
The bard shrugged as he ate. He really didn't want to be here. This mission seemed like a suicide mission to him too. How could he help defeat a large, lethal monster? His music wasn't great for offense, it was more to help others fight. Demyx had gone on countless missions with Xion since she was old enough to actually start going out but he still had his doubts about this one. What was Saix thinking?
“Probably,” he took a few more bites and chewed his food thoughtfully, “if so, they must be really lenient here.”
“Did you read the briefing report?” her eyes weren't showing through the mask but Demyx knew that she was giving him a skeptical look.
A cough, a scratch to the back of his head, and a glance to the wall proved he was guilty. “C’mon Xi! Of course I did.” he was caught in a lie and he knew it. The young member had her arms crossed and her lips pursed into an unamused line. She should have known by now that he wouldn't read the reports. He never has! Why start now?
Xion gave a sigh, “Well I did while on the ship. This is Unversed territory. We better stay on the down low so we don't run into them or their lackeys,” her tone drops, hoping no one could hear her.
Demyx nodded while finishing his plate, “Okay, we'll stay low. Undercover. Unnoticed.” he grinned to the girl in an attempt to ease her, “We can rest up and go tomorrow,” in honesty, Demyx was just trying to stall, he didn't want to really go fight and he will do whatever he could to get out of it.
___
Always at dusk. Xion thought to herself. The two members had just rented two chocobos and were heading out of the city. We always seem to leave around this time. The sun was crouching low in the sky, it inched closer and closer towards the horizon. It's bright colors turning into a cool and warm hue. Light would soon fade and darkness would take its place. It was inconvenient, the time just made the mission harder.
Demyx is strumming a light tune of endurance for the chocobos so they wouldn't tire out. Xion began looking at the map, there was just so much land, how were they going to find this stray behemoth?
“So how are you- I mean, uh we going to defeat this monster?” Demyx spoke after he playing a couple tunes.
“I haven't really thought about that yet,” the girl replied sheepishly, “I didn't look into how Behemoths work.”
Demyx let out a groan, “Great! We should just leave now. No harm done if we can't finish the mission.”
“I don't want to do that,” Xion shook her head and looked back at the other, “We can't just leave. People are getting hurt out here and we need to stop it.”
“It's the Unversed clan’s responsibility, not ours!”
Their bickering ceased as a loud roar echoed through the plains. The hum of bugs and small animal life stopped, leaving the small grassland eerily quiet. The behemoth was near and it didn't sound too happy. Demyx could literally feel the sound rupture through the chocobos, spooking them to flutter about restlessly. Xion’s chest tightened in fear and anticipation. The behemoth was near and they were going to fight it.
“Let's tie the chocobos up so they won't run away” Xion slid off her bird, a gentle pat to try and calm its raised feathers. Demyx sighed and followed suit.
“I really don't like this idea, Xi,” he began after they got the monster into their view. His electric blue sitar is out, his fingers fiddling to adjust the strings.
There off in the not too far distance stood the behemoth. He is huge in Xion’s eyes. His tail long, horns big enough to easily break down trees, teeth wide and sharp, claws big enough to break the girl in half. This is definitely a suicide mission. The behemoth in front of them matched the description perfectly: his right horn is broken in half, right eye clouded over from three long scars, and his right shoulder adorned in battle scars. This monster had his fair share of battles.
The behemoth is pacing about, his growls low and vibrating through the blades of grass. Xion’s keyblade is out now. The blade is grey, the edge of the shaft is curved and notched with thorns coming out of the end. The handle iss checkered and the rainguard has spikes protruding from it as well. It looks deadly but there’s an elegant touch to it. As her gloved hand gripped the handle, Xion eyed the beast, trying to desperately find a weak spot.
It looked to be in a frenzy as it thrashed about, ramming its horns into a large boulder. It gave another roar as it went on its hind legs to swat at the large rock. Demyx froze, his grip deathly tight on the neck of his sitar. Xion did that same with her keyblade, a chill ran down her spine as she realized that she has to fight that creature. Not only fight but kill it too.
Demyx started to speak, “Okay, this was not what I signed up for. Can’t we just sit this out and go relax on the beach instead?” The bard looks deflated as he whines, “I’m better at recon.”
As he looks over to the younger mage, he noticed her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. She’s in thought, pensive even. The bard knew that look well. She’s trying to either figure out which ability to absorb or where to attack. Lately, Demyx has been placed as her partner more and more. He doesn’t mind, she does all the work anyways. His job is to keep her alive. Every now and then she complains or gives passive aggressive comments about his laziness but in truth, she’s the best by far to work with. Roxas would be the only competition, with him, Demyx is able to trust all his responsibility onto the mageknight. Either way, he’s worked with the girl enough now to know her quirks, her moves, her specialties, and her faults. Demyx knows she would rather work with her beloved Roxas but he doesn’t care. Less work for him is always for the better.
“Oh no...” Demyx blanched as Xion’s pose changed to an offensive stance, “Xion this is suicide.”
She started to walk, her keyblade tipped down to the ground, “If I don't do this, Dem, I can't go back. You know how Saix is with failure. Especially, if I'm the one failing.”
She has a point. Though she has been raised in the clan since a young age, Saix is always peculiarly hard on Xion. He looks down on her and always gives snide comments about her performance. Perhaps it's because she is the youngest. Or maybe her job class is so unheard of, not many people know what a blue mage is. Either way, Xion works just as hard (if not harder) at her missions just like the rest of the group. Though Xemnas is the leader, Saix is the one she tries to please. If she is on his good side, then she won't have to worry about being kicked out of the clan.
As Xion makes her way towards the monster, Demyx can't help but sigh. Sometimes, there's just no stopping that girl. He briefly wondered what move she would use. The girl had been learning more and more beastspells at an alarming speed. She has a good amount under her belt but Demyx knows that Xion still needs to polish off most of them.
Her keyblade is still dragging against the dirt, creating a small trail behind her. Demyx’s fingers itch against the strings of his sitar. He plucks at the strings, anticipating the nonverbal cue Xion will give so that he can start his tune. If she starts out with an attack, perhaps a battle chant, increase her attack power and defense. Or maybe a rousing tune so her speed will pick up. The beast is rather lethal, Angelsong will give her continuous health, or Regan as Marluxia called it. Either way, Demyx needed to make a decision and fast because Xion just stabbed her keyblade to the ground and braced herself.
Demyx knows that stance. She’s been practicing this specific move ever since she absorbed it from a Wolfkind. Screech . And it is not pretty. Quickly, his fingers began to strum away, all while he prayed that he wouldn’t be affected by her attack. He’s already confused half of the time, this attack would have him cause damage to himself instead of helping out. He sees her inhale and at that moment he decided that a rousing tune would help her best. Speed up the process so that way they could end their battle sooner.
She lets out a loud cry towards the behemoth. High-pierced pitch, birds from distant trees flutter and squawk as they fly away. Demyx’s ears are ringing, his sitar muted by Xion’s deafening scream. He sees the behemoth look up, startled at first but soon it's brows furrow as it roars back in rage. It stands up on it’s hind legs now looking like a tower. It’s roar wanes as it stumbles from Xion’s scream. Her attack is finally taking on its intended effect. Falling back on all fours, the behemoth gives a snort as it shakes it head. The spell, confusion, is setting in.
As Xion finished her scream, her knees buckled and she fell to one knee, her hands still holding onto the hilt of her keyblade. Demyx stomach ties itself into a knot at seeing Xion go down so quickly. He knew Screech took a lot of energy but he didn’t expect her to fall so quickly. He tries to change tunes but his fingers slip and there’s a stray chord causing the magic to disappear almost immediately.
Shit, shit, shit .
The beast is trying to charge at Xion but keeps losing balance. It veers from one side to the other as it tries to gain its composure again. Demyx can’t go to Xion’s aid. He’s too far and if he were able to pick her up, there’s a high chance that both of them would be killed in a matter of moments.
“Way to go, Xion,” he mutters sarcastically. He begins to play a tune, any tune to help her.
He sees the light blue wisp of his notes float over to her and encircle her. It takes a few moments but he notices her head lift up towards the beast who is now just meters away. It’s still trying to attack but the effects of confusion is making it difficult to even walk.
The blue mage finally stands and Demyx lets out a sigh of relief. Not only is he glad for Xion’s safety but now he doesn’t have to explain to Roxas or Saix what happened. Dealing with Saix is something Demyx actively tries to avoid. Roxas on the other hand? He likes that kid. Very easy going when in a good mood. Just...don’t get him angry, especially if Xion is involved.
He watches nervously as Xion tumbles out of the behemoths sloppy swipe. Its confusion is wearing off and he doesn’t know if the girl has enough energy for any more moves. Her moves are still quick and her attacks are acute and swift. With each land, she moves away just as quickly as she made contact. Demyx hopes she’s making some sort of progress by wearing the behemoth down but it just seems to be more irritated than before. Her moves become more bolder now that she has a feel for the beast. Her swings become wider as Xion now starts aiming for more vital areas of the beast. Demyx cheers her on, playing more loudly on his sitar to keep her speed up.
The battle seems to be going in Xion’s favor until she miscalculates a move. As she is running up towards the beast, she was not anticipating its tale to swing in her direction. With a sway of the monster’s hips, tail came full force onto Xion’s torso, effortlessly tossing her to the side. Demyx cringed, imagining the sickening crack that must have happened. His chest ached just thinking about it. His fingers started to work on their own, switching tunes to a healing one.
He couldn’t help but shout as the behemoth knelt down and rammed its one horn onto the side of Xion. She is now flying through the air, her keyblade going one direction, her body going the other. This is no or never. When Xion lands, she is good as dead if the behemoth runs her way. Demyx needs to capture the beast’s attention.
With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Demyx could feel his muscle ache to run. He knew he had to stay, Xion needed him.
“H-hey ugly!” he called out. He gave a loud strum on a C major chord. The note crashed into the behemoth, temporarily grabbing his attention. It seemed like it never realized that Demyx was there to begin with. “Yeah, you! Why don’t you try against someone with real talent?”
Strumming a few more chords, water started to come up from the grass. The moisturization from the surrounding greenery seeped out and clumped together at an amazing speed. Standing between the behemoth and a fallen Xion were three water clones of Demyx. The behemoth looked taken aback as it eyed all three of the clones. It seemed unsure what to do. Xion laid motionless while Demyx frantically worked at keep the behemoth at bay. He knew his clones won’t last but hopefully it would last long enough for Xion to get up and safely escape.
As the clones encircled the behemoth, the monster roared and turned to face one of the clones. They kept moving, never stilling for the beast to get a clear strike. Every swipe that it would take would take some water out but it would then form into a smaller clone. Demyx’s fingers shook as the beast slowly inched closer to him.
When Xion came to, her body screamed in agony. The horn from the behemoth had left a deep gouge in her side. She was bleeding at an alarming pace. Her weapon is at least a meter away and she has no way of reaching it. Clutching to her side, she noticed that the behemoth wasn’t attacking her. That’s not good. Off in the near distance, Demyx was distracting it with his clones. How long had she been out.
“Okay, think,” she winced at just trying to sit up. “What can I do. What do I need to do?” She looked at her wound and then the behemoth that was now taking down the water clones. “Angel whisper! How could I forget about that?”
A move that she learned from a Titania, Xion focused her energy. It’ll help heal her but if she were to knock out again, she’ll be able to wake up immediately. It’s a useful move she learned some time ago, fortunately, she didn’t have to use it often.
A few breaths in and the spell worked. Though there is still a deep cut on her side, the pain had subsided. In fact, Xion felt a new surge of energy. She had been fighting this creature long enough, now it is time to end it. Whether that means casting a serious spell or not, Xion is ready to finish off this beast.
As she hobbled to her keyblade, she couldn’t help but examine the blade. It’s stained with her and the behemoth’s blood. The dark, sick red liquid gleamed under the sunlight as it dripped off the pointed thorns. Gross. She’ll have to clean that later. Right now, she had to save Demyx before he gets himself killed.
She can’t run, even if her pain is dulled, she still can feel it. It’s just bearable to walk and move about now. So she walks. Right to the monster.
It sees her while it’s still swatting away at the standing water. When the two make eye contact, the behemoth suddenly lost interest in the water. Demyx must have seen Xion because the clones instantly dropped. A light blue thread attached itself to Xion, filling her with energy. Demyx has changed his song. If Xion remembers right, this tune gives her extra protection and heals her. Perfect.
With a snort, the monster charges head on but Xion is ready. She already planned which move to use. He covers thirty feet in less than a second. One more jump and he could trample the small girl. That’s enough room for Xion, she blows out a green mist from her lips. Bad Breath as Roxas would tease. The green mist rolls in front of her, invading the personal space of the beast. It backs up but it’s too late, with one whiff, the beast is instantly poisoned and blinded. It whines out as it now can’t see. The spell is supposed to silence the beast as well, preventing it to do any sorts of magic, but Xion had just to master this technique. It has only been a few weeks since she had learned this trick from a Malboro.
She can’t help but grin at her accomplishment. She didn’t expect that to run so smoothly. Now that the beast is weakened (again), defeating it should be easy.
With her blade lifted and ready to strike, Xion aimed at the beast. She could inflict Night and cause the behemoth to sleep, then the poison can run its course. Or with one quick hit, a cut to the throat could do the trick....no that’s too gruesome. Casting Night seems like a more humane thing to do.
Xion was momentarily lost in thought on how to kill this monster. Demyx’s call had snapped her out of it. Even if the beast is blind and poisoned, it had enough energy to pull one last attack. It’s head is thrown back, the snout facing the sky. Above it, this white ball of energy began to form. Oh no, that’s not good.
While the blue mage looked at the ball of energy form, a crazy thought ran through her head. What if I can absorb that?
“Demyx! I need you to buff me,” she yelled out.
“Are you crazy? You’re going to get killed!”
“Just do it...and hurry!”
The orb looked like it was going to burst. With a roar, the behemoth slammed its head down with the last of its energy and flicked the orb towards the sound of Xion’s voice. Feeling the effects of Demyx’s song, she closed her eyes and embraced the white hot ball of energy.
---
Xion woke to a soft bed. The room around her is cramped and small. Demyx is curled up on a cushioned chair. He’s holding his sitar, his cheek on the body of it as he snored away. To her left, she saw movement. Xion tried to move but her body screamed in hot, searing pain.
“Hey Nelo, she’s awake,” said an unfamiliar voice, “don’t move, okay? You got burned really badly.” the boy moved into view.
Tanned skin, sandy hair, just a vest with no shirt. This boy looked like he is from Rabanstre, but...what is he doing out here? Xion tried to speak but when she did, all that came out is a croak. She is so confused, there are so many questions that she has.
“That’s good. Hey there Xion, my name is Penelo and this is Vaan.” a blonde girl with two braids showed up. She pushed Vaan away so she could lean over and get a better look at the girl. “You got injured very badly. Your friend here was able to keep you alive with his music, but he passed out the minute we ran into him. You got very lucky.”
“Yeah that was stupid on your part to face a behemoth, especially the one that you went up against.”
“Very stupid, but it could also be very brave.” Another voice. This one is a male as well. He spoke just as Xion heard Penelo smack Vaan on the shoulder. “Can you sit up?”
With the help of Vaan and Penelo, Xion sat up against some fluffy pillows. In front of her stood a viera and another hume. Besides the tight leather pants that he wore, this man had a very intricate and ornate vest over a white long-sleeved shirt. He couldn’t possibly be from the same area as Vaan. And the viera? She’s gorgeous. Her long white hair is kept in a pony-tail, her armor is rather revealing but...it somehow worked for her.
“Who’re you?” Xion finally spoke. Her throat is on fire.
“Why, I’m the leading man, Balthier. And my lady, Fran. I see you’ve already met Penelo and Vaan.” he seems a bit self-centered. “Your friend here told us that the behemoth had one last trick up its sleeve.”
“A gigaflare. It’s last resort.” Fran added.
“I’m amazed you’re still alive. Penelo and Fran worked tirelessly to heal you.”
Xion looked down to her bandaged arms. She didn’t mean to have anyone go through the trouble of helping her. Especially a group of strangers. She thought her re-raise would help her but she doesn’t remember anything.
“I’m sorry, it was incredibly selfish of me to think that I could learn that move. Because of that, I put you all through the trouble of helping me and my friend.” Xion didn’t look up to see Balthier wave off her apology.
“It’s not a problem. Why don’t we do a trade? You see, after you defeated the behemoth, it left quite a few things. I’m assuming you defeated it for the mission, but for the remaining parts, I believe you have no use of it.”
“Balthier! You can’t just swindle her! She’s barely recovering.” Penelo seemed taken aback from Balthier’s proposal.
“I dunno, Nelo, seems like a fair trade. We did save her life,” Vaan interrupted.
Xion stayed silent, trying to piece together what happened. The behemoth is killed. Xion is gravely wounded but this group helped her. In return they are asking for the remaining treasures from the bounty. That reminds her awfully a lot about...
“Sky pirates. That’s what you guys are.” it came out more as a statement then a question.
“I didn’t peg you as a smart one,” Balthier teased.
“Rather sharp when it comes to conversations,” Fran agreed.
“Take it, all we need is the bounty reward. Consider it a gift from me and my comrade,” Balthier nodded to Xion’s offering, “Besides, even if I say no, a sky pirate always take what they want.” she couldn’t help the smirk.
“Hey! Don’t lump us in with the those others,” Vaan retorted.
“No need to get hot, Vaan. With the mantle of being a sky pirate, it does come with its stigmas.” Balthier chided.
Penelo lightly hit Vaan again before she started heading for the door, “We’ll be on our leave then. I left lots of potions on your bed side. I hope you get better!”
Vaan followed suit as well as Fran. Before heading out Balthier turned around to ask one last question, “Tell me, do you think you were able to gain the ability to cast gigaflare, Blue Mage?”
Looking at her hands again, Xion focused on what little energy she had. As she felt it run through her, she recognized the hot rush that would occur whenever her body started to memorize a beast’s spell. Closing her hands into loose fists, she nodded.
“Yeah, I believe I did.”
“Interesting. Well, be careful. The next time you face a beast like that, you may not be so lucky.” He closed the door with a soft click, leaving Xion alone with her sleeping friend, Demyx.