The night air was still… the sky was clear, and a large star illuminated the land blessed with eternal spring below. The moon shone proudly amidst the sea of stars that dotted the skies. Many of Amatsu's citizens were either retiring for the evening or making the journey back home. But for a select few, however, the evening brings forth the promise of battle.
Within the pagoda-like structure that housed the Battle Vixens guild, there were sounds of combat ringing from the halls – a large training room furnished with training dummies of various shapes and sizes, traps from floor to ceiling, and a sparring ring in the center could be found within.
At the sparring ring were two participants: the fiery Knight, Lupi, and the Huntress of the winds, Elua, her younger sister. They fought not with their weapons, but with their own hands and feet, hoping to invoke each other's powers through fighting. Heal-Do and Aege spectated from the sidelines, watching their session intensify - the two displayed impressive skill with the martial arts that would make a Star Gladiator (Or TaeKwon Master, if you prefer) look like a Novice that was fresh out of the Training Grounds.
After a long cycle of striking and blocking, Lupi would throw a straight punch packed with so much power that sparks would begin flying from her fist, causing a small explosion to appear at the point of impact, singeing Elua's arm. The Huntress shook off the blow and charged at her sister. Lupi assumed a defensive stance, prepared to block Elua's attack as she jumped into the air and delivered a dropkick imbued with wind energy, forcing Lupi back toward the edge of the ring. Their sparring would continue as Aege and Heal-Do watched on…
"So, they are finally getting used to their powers, I see," Aege said to Heal-Do. "I should have known Lupi would waste no time training with Elua once she learned she got her earring, too…"
The Blacksmith heaved a long sigh and crossed her arms as she slightly shook her head.
"Why do you look so down, Aege?" Heal-Do asked.
"Isn't it obvious, sister?" the Blacksmith said back. Heal-Do, innocent as ever, shook her head, which made Aege sigh once more before gesturing to their other two sisters. "What do you see?"
"Um…" the Assassin stammered. "I see Lupi and Elua sparring."
"Okay, good start… now what else do you see?" Aege urged. Heal-Do observed closely as their fight continued until a couple items glinted in the light – Lupi's and Elua's earrings, specifically, and Heal-Do would have an epiphany.
"Oh! You're down because they've unlocked their inner potential!" the Assassin chimed. With an impressed smile, Aege nods. "If you keep at it, Aege, you should be able to find new power soon, too!"
"But who knows how long that will take…" the Blacksmith murmured as she kicked a stray pebble. "We only have a little more than half of the year left until the Emperium Frontier reopens! But I am patient, unlike our big sister."
"Well, Lupi achieved her inner strength when she went into a rage during that party… and Elua tapped into hers when I meditated with her a few days ago…" Heal-Do analyzed. "All you need to do is do something related to your element!"
"Not a bad idea, Heal-Do!" Aege said, cheering up somewhat. "And now all I have to do is find out what task needs to be completed in order to – wait…"
She abruptly stops speaking for a moment, noticing a long, black tail glowing gold outside in one of the nearby cherry blossom trees. Rising up to her feet, Aege would shout the word, "STOP!" which startled Lupi and Elua as they threw a punch at each other, but immediately turned in Aege's direction, accidentally sending a burst of flame at the Blacksmith, and a gust of wind at Heal-Do, sending them both into a wall. Elua gasped and quickly rushed to their side as Lupi casually walked over…
Elua: Oh, my goodness, baby sister, I am so sorry about that! You, too, Aege!
Aege, getting to her feet: You're… you're fine, sis. It was an accident.
Heal-Do was laying against the wall, seeing stars in dizziness.
Lupi: We were in the middle of some serious progress! You shouldn't have startled us like that!
Aege: We could see that, Big Sis, but I saw something coming out of the trees outside – which is why I yelled!
The Blacksmith would point to the location of where she saw the creature's tail as Lupi and Elua followed her gaze. To their confusion, however, nothing was there.
Lupi: Aege, I don't see anything.
Elua: Maybe it must have escaped?
Aege: You have to believe me – I know what I saw was real!
Lupi: I want to believe you, but –
Heal-Do: Actually, she's telling the truth. Just a split-second before you two accidentally struck us, I recall seeing a bright, gold tail gleaming out from within the trees outside.
Elua, calling Mukuhawk to pet him: You hear that, buddy? Someone else might have a companion!
Lupi: Whatever it was it is gone now and of no concern to us. Elua, let's get back to it! Our time left in the year is winding down, and we gotta be ready!
Elua: Right away, Big Sis! I get first move this time!
The two make their way back into the sparring ring, leaving Aege and Heal-Do alone once more. The Blacksmith, determined as ever, began to ball up her fists in which Heal-Do would take notice…
Heal-Do: Are you all right, sister?
Aege: Yeah… I was just thinking: Lupi and Elua got their inner elements by doing something related to it, right?
Heal-Do: Yes, I do remember saying that.
Aege: That… thing might be the key to me unlocking mine! I just need to track it down!
Heal-Do: That's not a bad idea, Aege. I wish you luck!
Aege takes her Slaughter Axe and would start to set out but turned her head to Heal-Do just as she would exit…
Aege: Which reminds me: aren't you going to find your hidden potential, too?
Heal-Do: Mm-hmm, but I do not want to rush a good thing. I will let it come to me; take my time. I'll let them know that you're off to seek out your inner strength when they're done sparring.
Aege: I appreciate this, Baby Sister. Thank you so much.
The sisters would wave farewell and Aege would set out on her quest to find the mysterious creature. The Blacksmith did her best to find her quarry under the cover of darkness, meticulously searching her surroundings for anything suspicious that may assist her in tracking down the creature.
"Where did that thing run off to…?" Aege asked herself. "Elua is a Hunter, so she's good at this sort of thing… but that doesn't mean I can't try either! Maybe if I try to think like her I can find something. So… what clues can I fine to help track this thing down?"
Looking down toward the ground, Aege would find some small footprints heading north out of the town. "Footprints!" she exclaimed. "This is a good start!" she said to herself before following them in sheer confidence. However, just as things would seem to go well for the Blacksmith, she would reach the end of the trail after approximately an hour's pursuit before she would hit her head on a large boulder and fall backwards on her bottom.
"What the hell?!" she yelped. "The footprints led me to this rock?! Damn! The trail's gone – wait a second…"
Upon closer inspection of the rocks she would notice scratch marks in various locations on the surface of the boulder. "Scratch marks! Yeah, this has to be another clue!" She touched the mark and discovered they were still warm while also finding loose sediment on the ground to accentuate its freshness.
"These marks," Aege said, "are still fresh. I am getting closer to my prey, and it means I am doing well! I'll catch that beast yet!"
As she continued her pursuit, the sisters back home in Amatsu were still busy with their training, and Heal-Do is spectating the duel…
"Aege… you've been gone for quite a long time, now. Elua usually finds her mark before an hour's time. I am curious to see how adept she becomes when she achieves Sniper status. But I do hope that Aege is okay… tracking wasn't really her strong suit," Heal-Do thought to herself.
After a short while the two sisters would pause their sparring match and turn to their little sister… until Lupi would deliver a fire-packed straight punch to Elua's face after a beat of four seconds and sending her into a wall.
"You all right, Heal-Do?" Lupi asked, completely disregarding her impulsive attack on the Huntress.
"Aege's just been out for a while now," the Assassin stated, "and frankly, I'm starting to get a little worried about her.
"She has the power of earth at her disposal!" Lupi replied. "What could go wrong?!
"Where did she even run off to, Baby Sister?" Elua asked as she dusted some debris from her shoulders, apparently not even minding the sudden attack from her elder sister (or just plain absent-mindedness doing its thing).
"That thing that we saw earlier that came out of the trees?" Heal-Do asked which the other two Vixens would nod. "She's determined to unlock her hidden potential, so she went after it."
"You're kidding!" Lupi said in disbelief. "What does playing Hide-and-Seek with a random, probably rabid creature have to do with earth?!"
"Well, it was sort of my fault, honestly," Heal-Do answered. "I told her in order to unlock her hidden potential that she had to perform some sort of activity related to her element and gain new powers like you two have." Lupi chuckled at the hilarity of the statement, but Elua pondered her little sister's words for a moment…
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"She actually has a point," Elua chimed. "I got my powers by being one with the wind; carefree and outgoing!"
"And I felt intense passion and anger from that party we had some time ago…" Lupi followed. "Then in that case, again – what would tracking down a creature have to do with earth…?"
Elua shrugged and replied, "Well, I for one am hoping for the best that she gets her new powers!"
"Bet you 10,000 Zeny that she doesn't when she finishes tracking the beast," Lupi wagered.
"Oh, you are on!" the Huntress answered before shaking her hand. Heal-Do simply stood by and shook her head, already aware of the consequences that will befall them once Aege returns – successful or otherwise…
"Oh… after this night is over, there will be one sister that is going to be happy and rich, and the other will be dead… and I can't do anything in my power to reverse it," the Assassin thought.
Meanwhile, Aege's chase continued as she followed the rest of the trail, taking her to the base of a mountain. With no more scratch marks to follow she had surmised that the animal must have stopped climbing and proceeded up the nearby mountain pass; she paused for a moment and took a deep breath through her nose…
"A storm?" Aege said aloud to herself. "But the sky is clear… this animal – it must control the weather!"
As she proceeded up the mountain pass, the skies above would begin to darken around her until the sound of thunder filled the air, and causing rain to pour down. A flash would appear and a lightning bolt struck the ground near Aege! She jumped back in reaction to the strike, regaining her footing as she touched back down.
"Looks like the creature knows I'm here…" Aege whispered, hastening her advance as she avoids the stray lightning strikes to the best of her ability, carefully making her way towards the summit. As she neared the top, she would find that same dark tail she saw from before was now shining a bright golden hue, and she would use an Adrenaline Rush to swiftly move toward it, only to be attacked by another lightning bolt which she deflected with her axe.
Lowering her weapon, she scanned the immediate vicinity for any traces of the creature – nothing. The Blacksmith struck her axe against the ground in slight frustration…
"Shoot!" she cursed, "I was so close, too! Well, I can at least confirm that this creature does indeed control the weather…" She gave the area another good look-around before pondering the situation further. "Knowing there was a storm brewing, the animal must have taken a rest here given the altitude, and when the lightning struck it, it would reinvigorate itself and minimize its resting time… intelligent beast, indeed."
Noticing a faint streak of light quickly descending the mountain, she picked her axe up and continued to give chase. As she scaled her way down, the streak of light was getting further and further away until she lost sight of it completely; she rushed to where she had last seen the light before it vanished within the forest, only to find nothing but a few confused Porings staring at the Blacksmith.
"Damn it… I lost the trail," she groaned in defeat. With a heavy sigh, she navigated the forest and sauntered back up the mountain she had just traversed. When she got back to the summit, however, she would run into something – or in this case, someone – else, but this "someone" everyone knew very well…
?: Yeah, the clouds just came outta nowhere and then they dispersed! But I'm not detectin' anything strange… but I know somethin' definitely caused that storm to appear!
Aege would encounter everyone's fast-becoming-favorite Kafra Nora at the summit where the mysterious creature fled from her…
Nora: Aege!
Aege: Kafra Nora. This is… an interesting surprise.
Nora: I'd say the same! I didn't think Blacksmiths worked this late!
Aege: They don't. But I'm out here searching for something.
Nora: Whatcha lookin' for?
Aege: Uh, I don't know what it is exactly, but I've only seen a black tail that glows kind of gold… I know it isn't much, but that's all I saw.
Nora put her hands to her hips and thought for a moment…
Nora: Hm. That definitely sounds like some sorta rare creature from the mainland. Though I'm not sure where it would –
Suddenly she would receive a call from one of her colleagues. Aege arches a brow, sensing that something is amiss. After a moment of silence, Nora lowered her hand and ended her transmission, looking back to Aege…
Nora: Seems Curly Sue just said that a storm had appeared somewhere around the Payon region!
Aege: A storm? Do you mean like the very storm that had just appeared here not too long ago?
Nora: It does seem to add up that whatever this thing you're lookin' for is, it likes makin' thunderclouds!
Aege, groaning: But Payon is way too far to the east! It'll be gone before I even get halfway across the sea…!
Nora: I can take ya!
Aege, in a hopeful tone: You can?!
Nora: Yeah, no sweat! You seem determined to track this thing down, so I'll let you take care of it!
Aege: Nora, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you!
Nora: Oh, don't get all sappy on me, now! Your axe arm'll go soft!
The two ladies chuckled for a moment before Nora opened a portal that led straight to the forest city. After giving a quick bow in thanks, Aege stepped into the portal and would be whisked away into the aether. Nora went on her merry way as usual, attempting to figure out any more clues as to why the Frontier had to "close" the way it did.
Nora, thinking: That stupid boy's gonna screw over White Trinity…
Some moments later, Aege arrives at the Forest City of Payon, home of the Archer Association. It would be a few hours before dawn at this point, and Aege was nearing the point of exhaustion, but her resolve did not falter. She inquired the guards at the front entrances to see if any of them had seen any signs of her quarry. To her good fortune, one of them actually saw a brief glimpse of the creature and described it as "a quadruped that had fur as black as night with a tail that pulsated gold heading west." She thanked the guard, gave a tip of 5,000 Zeny (which was her earnings for today's Blacksmithing work) and headed in the direction the guard had last seen the beast.
Traversing through the Payon Forest, Aege took another deep breath through her nose – another storm was approaching, and she would seemingly make it to the "eye" before it started. Continuing further westward, she had arrived at the Sograt Desert - her forced march took a heavy toll on her, but she ignored her fatigue and continued, fueled only by her determination.
Further into the desert, the creature is found resting amidst the cold sands as a mysterious figure is seen with it, seemingly out of breath…
"I had never expected her to actually follow us this far…" panted the figure. "That Blacksmith is stubborn…"
The moonlight revealed the culprits to be none other than Raien, the Lightning Ninja, and a large lion with matted black fur. As they tried to catch their breath, they felt the sands beneath them shifting… "Oh, come on… just give up!"
He would turn to the east and finds a figure barreling towards them at top speed, kicking up a miniature sandstorm as it did. Seeming to protect the lion, the Ninja took to a defensive stance and waited for the figure come to him. Once the figure had a clear view of Raien and the resting feline, it stopped – it was Aege! At last, she had finally found her quarry…
Aege: You!
Raien: You, yourself.
Aege: You're the reason behind these thunderstorms?!
Raien: I was taking her out for a walk – so?
Aege: Wait… this can't just be coincidence. That same thunderstorm back in Amatsu during that party… that was your doing! And Elua –
Raien: What about her? You have no proof.
Aege: Who else would make Elua wake up later in the morning than usual?!
Raien, thinking: Holy shit, this girl is good.
Aege: And now that I've found the answer to it all, I suddenly don't feel exhausted anymore… your perverted antics stop here and now! It's time to get stomped, Ninja!
Slamming her weapon into the sand caused the ground to shake lightly, unnerving the Ninja somewhat. As she stared daggers at Raien, Aege's Slaughter Axe would undergo a monumental change. The weapon completely broke in her hands, leaving behind its elemental essence. As the sands surrounded her in a pillar, a new weapon began to take form in Aege's right hand: softened silver bound together and formed the strapping and haft; a sharpened earth spike formed the pommel, with two more spikes forming the heel and toe. The metal of the edge and the beard of the axe rematerialize from the most durable minerals from deep beneath the very earth itself, created through intense pressure to give the blade a sleek, smooth texture with a desert yellow finish. The axe pulsated a bright golden brown color when drawn. As for Aege, her elemental dominion over earth was augmented through an earring born from the essence of stone which appears on and dangles from her left ear.
Once her transformation had completed, the sands would slowly calm and Aege gazed upon her newfound weapon in awe. Gazing down her right arm she found it protected with a durable alloy that covered her wrist all the way to her shoulder.
"I… I did it…?" Aege said behind choking gasps. "I DID IT!" she shouted, jumping up and down in gleeful triumph. "They will know of the fearsome power of my… Tearing… Fissure… Greataxe! Yeah! All right, sorry to keep you waiting – let's get down to –!"
She found that Raien and the lion he had been watching over was gone. Looking around frantically, she saw nothing but sand for miles save for the Emperium Pyramid to the south which was still "sealed" by a large beam of energy that shot up into the heavens. She angrily slammed her new axe into the sand (resulting in a larger tremor than before) after giving a very audible (and loud) curse.
"Damn it… I let him get away!" she growled. "But… at least it wasn't for naught. I tapped into my inner strength! But what was it that I tapped into exactly? Stubbornness? No… resolve! Yeah, my inner resolve got me my new powers! In that case, it's time to head back! Morroc shouldn't be too far, right?"
She shortened her trip to the Frontier City with an Adrenaline Rush and blitzed through the Sograt Desert. After a while, the guards stationed at the west gate would be alerted to what appeared to be a large sandstorm approaching. They found out that it was merely Aege rushing towards the city and would heave a sigh of relief, immediately recognizing one of the Battle Vixens… until she actually did blitz through the west gate and into the city, knocking over the guards in the process.
Decelerating to a stop, she would find Kafra Nora again amongst the locals…
Aege: Hey! Kafra Nora!
Nora: Aege! I shoulda known that sandstorm was your doin'! Wow, look at you – ya look different! Musta got your new powers or somethin'?
Aege: You know it! I can't wait to show this off to my sisters back home! Oh, and all those thunderstorms that appeared?
Nora: Mm-hmm?
Aege: … It was that Ninja, Raien, and some black lion.
Nora: Now what on Odin's green Rune-Midgarts was he doin' causin' trouble for you 'n' everyone?
Aege: He said he was "taking her for a walk…" I don't believe him.
Nora: Well, whatever the case may be, ya solved your case!
Aege: By the way, what are you doing here in Morroc? You were on the other side of the world when we parted ways.
Nora: I'm all over the place, dearie – I love my job! And when you love doin' what you're doin', you'll find yourself not missin' a beat!
Aege: I guess that's true…
Nora: And you, my friend, look T-I-R-E-D! Lemme take you back home to Amatsu!
Aege, nervously chuckling: Thank you, Nora.
With a clap of her hands, she used her Kafra powers to take Aege back to Amatsu. The rest of her crew waved farewell as she vanished into thin air.
Pavianne: You know, Nora, even I sometimes wonder how things might have been if you didn't join the Kafra Corporation.
Glaris: Indeed – you've been an absolute blessing since the day you started!
Curly Sue: We're honored to be part of your Kafra Krew!
Nora: Girls, girls! You give me too much credit! We still gotta find out the mystery behind the Frontier! (Thinking) But I've a feelin' that this contest will take everybody to a whole new world…
As she reappears back in Amatsu, Aege makes her way home with the biggest smile on her face. It was finally dawn, and Heal-Do was restless from worrying about Aege all night. The Assassin gazed out her room window and saw the Blacksmith heading home, which immediately removed all senses of concern from her mind. Jumping out of bed, she raced to the other sisters' rooms and roused them, alerting everyone that their sister has returned.
Ignoring her mussed hair, Lupi zoomed down the stairs with Elua and opened the front door – they see Aege wearing a mineralized earring and her new Tearing Fissure Greataxe.
"Hey, girls!" the Blacksmith greeted.
"HAH!" Elua laughed, "I knew it! Pay up, loser!"
"Dammit, fine. Here!" Lupi grumbled as she tossed a medium-sized bag to Elua, who then gave it to Mukuhawk for safekeeping.
"Uhm, did I miss something?" Aege asked with an arched brow.
"You see," started Heal-Do, "Big Sister and Elua placed a bet to see if you could or couldn't find your inner strength by the time you returned…" The Blacksmith gasped in shock; The Huntress was giddy with laughter, and the female Knight was seething.
"This bet was fixed!" Lupi said with a sneer. "You must have known that Aege was going to win!"
"Oh, come on, Lupi, no I didn't!" defended Elua. "Don't be such a bitch; it's just good business!"
"I'LL SHOW YOU GOOD BUSINESS!" roared Lupi as she summoned her Flareripper Lance and started chasing Elua around the fields. Aege and Heal-Do simply sat back and watched in disappointment…
Aege: I can't help but feel that before the sun sets, someone here is going to be a dead girl.
Heal-Do, thinking: Lupi… you are always such a sore loser… and your short-temperedness makes it a combination that could have only been made in hell.
Aege: Well, I've been up all night; I'm getting some rest before she completely kills Elua.
She would plant a foot on the doorstep before she turned around, seeming to remember something…
Aege, calling out to Lupi & Elua: OH! And what I found out – it was that annoying Ninja that I found.
Lupi: That makes me feel less agitated…
Elua: So you'll back off now?
Lupi, throwing fireballs at the Huntress: HELL, NO; YOU CALLED ME A BITCH!
The Blacksmith chuckled and shook her head, ignoring the violent sounds of battle coming from outside, sets her axe by the door, and retires for some much-needed and well-earned rest.
The Tale of Aege - End