Our story continues.
There was but one sensation Sylph could comprehend when he came to: burning. Everywhere. His body was wracked with pain. The village around him was still slowly being reduced to ash.
He couldn't even stand to tap into the Ether... not just because his mind was torn from the pain, but because of the signals he was receiving.
Death.
Anguish.
Fire.
These were realities that he knew he had to face.
The most devastating reality was that he had actually failed the one mission he was given; to be Glenprice's Guardian. The town had fallen to the hands of a madman (if he could be called that... was he even a man?). Sylph had failed in his duties. His winning streak of battles had finally come to an abrupt halt. However, now was not the time to be worried about pride and battle scars.
The pangs of his body and will pleaded with him to give in, but Sylph's determination overrode both. Mustering up all the strength he had left, he finally came to his feet so that his eyes could witness the carnage that Gustach and his mob had left. It was far worse than he had expected.
Bodies, severely beaten or torn limb-from-limb, were strewn along the edges of the main street. What frightened Sylph the most from this gruesome scene was that there were no children. Many of the adults and elders weren't spared by any means; but Sylph couldn't see the children, alive or dead, anywhere. They were either kidnapped or exiled... he hoped they were safe, wherever they were.
Sylph again struggled to stay on his feet. He had to abandon this place and seek healing. Only then could he begin seeking justice.
He started trudging south. The local fiends weren't anywhere to be seen, perhaps either because Gustach's crew dispached them all or they were frightened by the fires. During the few moments of his trek where he could find a little bit of focus, he concentrated some healing power from the Ether into his wounds. It was merely enough to sustain him for a few hundred more yards. It wasn't enough. His will was completely drained... he had never experienced defeat like this before.
Is it like this every time? he thought. Where do I go from here? There are few who know about Glenprice... but there must be a reason I was sent to be that town's Guardian. There has to be a reason Gustach wanted that stone. There also has to be a reason he left me alive...
Exhaustion pulled him out of his reverie. He fell to his knees, clutching his side. The wounds in his back and sides weren't fully healed yet. The Ether gave two faint signals...
...purity...
There were two peculiar-looking creatures heading his way... large, yellow, and by the look of it, very fast.
Chocobos... I haven't seen those in ages...
Beckoning to the riders, who seemed to both be cloaked in white, he fell once again, exhausted.
Heeding his silent plea, the chocobo-riding priests immediately rushed to him and, with team effort, laid his body across the back of the saddle on the larger of the two mounts.
"A red mage," one of the priests noted after being the first to mount his empty bird.
"Indeed, Markus. He's injured... this is clearly not a good sign," the other replied, turning his bird back in the direction from whence they came. Markus followed suit.
"Do you think he's coming from that burning village?"
"I'm inclined to believe so, brother. Let us quickly get him back to the Basilica so he can be nursed."
Markus gave his chocobo's reins a shake; a "Wark!" and a few chirps emanated from the birds in joyful devotion, and they were off.
Pendulum Types
1 day ago
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