Work Text:
Scions - Taken from 2019 WoLtober prompt list
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The quiet tunnels echo with the clicks and clanks of her armor and chainmail as Katsum ran through the winding catacombs. Her heart hammered against her chest and her lungs burned with each breath she took, yet she refused to slow down. The sounds of fighting had long since died away, swallowed by the seemingly endless maze of sand and rock, reminding her that she was once again utterly alone. The thought pierced her like a knife in her soul, her stoic expression breaking as she bit her lip and her ears fell back again her head. Yet still, the Miqo’te woman ran, shaking her head as she sped up.
A dim light appeared ahead of her at the end of the hall, faintly growing brighter as she moved towards it. She would have missed it were it not for the quiet howl of the wind coming from the same direction. The fresh air was a blessing as she stumbled out into the night through the ruins of the Sil’dih excavation site and into the quiet of the desert. Only now did she slow to a stop, dropping to a knee as she desperately tried to catch her breath. Her ears were trained on the tunnel exit behind her, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps, hoping that someone - anyone - of the Scions was close behind her. Yet she heard nothing but the quiet sounds of the river flowing beside her, the gentle chirp of a few insects and the whistle of the night’s breeze. Katsum bowed her head and quietly whispered, “Please…please Savior, hear my prayer…please….”
She strained her ears to pick up anything that she could, though even the shining city of Ul’dah that loomed in the distance gave her no noise. Of course she knew better than to think the city was not crawling with Crystal Braves and Brass Blades all looking for her and the others, so its appearance of a peaceful and quiet night was a lie.
She looked back over her shoulder at the glittering desert city. It seemed to mock every breath she took, every quiet word she spoke out into the silence, “Please! Just let one escape…just one other, please!…”
The night wind blew through her blonde hair, loosening her already weakening braid as a few loose strands wrapped around her coronet, and the sand around her greeves hissed as it brushed past. She waited, but still she heard nothing but the night calls of the desert and the dreadful silence of the ruins. Katsum turned away, dropping her head as she squeezed her eyes shut and took a shaking breath, “Please…I don’t want to be alone again…”
A quiet tink on her gauntlet drew her attention and her eyes flew open, looking down to see a droplet of water sliding down the mythrite plating on the back of her hand. She felt something tickle her cheek and then a second droplet joined the first. She realized that she was crying and it startled her. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to truly feel anything that she had almost forgotten what it felt like, yet now as she did not have the strength to stop them, she closed her eyes again and let the tears flow.
She had been a fool to think that history would not repeat itself so quickly. She should have known something like this would happen. She head truly wondered if perhaps she had found her path to follow with the Scions, fighting for those who could not protect themselves, fighting against the primals, fighting for peace. That was what the banquet tonight had been about, a new future on the path to peace and a stronger Eorzea. None of this…none of it should have happened. Yet Fate had a habit of sinking in its teeth when tempted, and apparently Katsum’s misfortunes were too sweet to pass up. Her ears flattened against her head as she silently let the tears flow, feeling her will to go on waning for a moment.
“Have I done something wrong then…?” She whispered weakly, “I know my fault with the words I spoke the night the castle burned…but I made no such prayer this time. Did one of the Scions…? Surely not…”
Her ears flattened angrily and she bared her fangs to the sky as she turned her narrowed gaze to the stars, the tears still rolling slowly down her face as she hissed quietly, “Why did you let this happen?! What good can come from these tragedies? Tragedies that will surely cause a split that could undo…all that we’ve done, so why? I don’t…I don’t understand…”
She watched the stars twinkle softly behind the thin clouds that drifted lazily over the blackened sky. The waning moon too shone down on her before a small cloud moved to hide it from her sight as if her stare was too much for it to bear. Katsum shook her head angrily, though her rage faltered as quickly as it had flared as grief returned. She knew she would not receive an answer so clearly from Heaven, but she knew not what else to do.
Then, a still, small voice whispered in the wind.
Keep fighting…
Katsum quickly raised her eyes and looked around her, but there was no one there. She was still alone and all was quiet. For a moment, she wondered if she had just imagined hearing those words, not that it mattered. Though she may not have known where it came from, they at least broke her from her moment of weakness. Now was no time for mourning for if she did not move, her escape would only end in capture.
‘Get on your feet’, She hissed to herself, ‘Their sacrifices must not be in vain’
She reached up to wipe the tear stains from her eyes and cheeks and moved to stand to her feet again despite the screams of her tired muscles. The knightess took a deep, long breath before taking the first next step forward, soon jogging up the path that lead out of the excavation site and up into the plains of the Central Thanalan desert. She slowed at the top of the path and looked back at the ruins one last time, her eyes wandering to the treacherous city again as she wondered if any of the Scions were still fighting…or if she was truly the only one left.
All of a sudden, her ears perked behind her to the sound of running footsteps, two sets of them. Her eyes narrowed and she drew her sword without another moment’s hesitation as she turned on her heel and lifted the blade threateningly towards the pair approaching her.
“Whoa, Katsum, wait-!!” The one on the left faltered and stumbled a little as he stopped himself and his companion a few feet away from the reach of her blade. She regarded them with a hostile expression, her cat-like eyes looking them over quickly as she analysed the threat before her. One of them - the Lalafellan on the right - she was sure she had not met before, yet the one on the left looked and sounded somewhat familiar. After the events of the night though, she had little trust left for anyone she did not immediately recognize.
It was then the boy reached up and pulled back the blue hood and the Sharlayan goggles, his blue eyes filled with worry as Alphinaud held out a hand to try and calm the feline warrior, “‘Tis me, my friend! Please, I mean you no harm!”
Surprise overcame Katsum’s being and she lowered her sword, a pang of shame flitting through her heart at not recognizing him immediately. She watched the young Elezen sigh with relief and double over as he caught his breath. He offered her a relief smile as he stood up straight again, “I am glad to see you safe, Katsum…but what of the others?”
Katsum did not answer him, only stared at him for a few moments as if she was still trying to register that he was standing there. When she finally moved, she closed the distance between them, dropping her sword to the ground and wrapping her arms around Alphinaud, pulling him tightly against her and hooking her chin over his shoulder. She felt him tense and she knew she had startled him by the way he nervously shifted.
“K-Katsum…? A-Are you—”
“Thank you,” He froze at the sound of her quiet whisper, her usual stoic mask shattering to pieces as she shakingly prayed with such tearful joy, “Thank you…”
How strange it must be for him as he had only ever known her to be the strong warrior who spoke very little, but was always quietly watching. Now, to see her as a person, the real, feeling person that held him now like he helped hold her to the planet, it must have been a bit of shock. After a moment, she felt his arms encircle her back as he hugged her back as tightly as she held him.
“I am here Katsum, we are safe. This is…this is all my fault…but I am here with you. You are not alone.”