CHAPTER EIGHT: OBSERVATION AND SACRIFICE
Bringing the knife down, Yda cut cleanly through the rabbits ankle and slid it aside, before taking a breath, gathering her confidence, and speaking up. "So, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I'll be leaving at the end of the week."
Fordola looked up from where she was skinning another rabbit, a look of mild surprise on her face that quickly faded as she considered the matter. "Leaving Ala Mhigo entirely?"
That got an approving nod from the older woman. While both of them had carefully avoided the topic over their short time knowing one another, Yda had never really tried to keep her connections to the Ala Mhigan resistance a secret from her. "Good guess. How'd you work it out?" she asked curiously.
"It wasn't that hard. I've heard you using a linkpearl before," she said, gesturing towards Ydas right ear, where the tiny arcane device was hidden under the folds of her turban. "And you mentioned refugees a few times. You're taking them past the wall, out of the Empire. Somehow," she added, a hint of disbelief crossing her face. Baelsar's Wall had been a fixture of Ala Mhigo since she was a little girl, the barrier that cut them off from the rest of Eorzea. She'd grown up hearing about how impenetrable it was, so it was unsurprising that she found the possibility of Yda sneaking across it hard to believe.
Shrugging, Yda glanced down, severing another of the rabbits feet. "I mean, it's easier than you'd expect, honestly. They were in a real hurry when they built the wall, given how pretty much their entire air fleet got eaten at Silvertear Lake, and they were convinced the Eorzean Alliance was going to come for them. So there's gaps and blind spots all along the border that, if you're careful…"
Considering that for a moment, Fordola nodded, accepting that. Then she frowned. "But that doesn't make it easy."
"Not even slightly," Yda agreed. "Which means, that once I leave-"
"-You won't be coming back for a long time, if ever." Her shoulders slumped and she looked down at her rabbit for a moment. "I knew it would happen," she admitted. "I just wish…"
"Why don't you come with me?" The question slipped out before Yda could stop it.
Taking a breath, Fordola gave the question the thought it deserved, much to the other woman's approval. After all, leaving Ala Mhigo was not simply a matter of escaping the Empire. It would force Fordola, and hopefully her mother, to start from nothing in distant lands, with little to their name and possibly no support from anyone. It was a life-changing decision, one that shouldn't be made in a hurry.
And if Yda was being honest with herself, she was slightly ashamed for springing it on the girl without warning. She knew she should have spoken about her departure sooner, giving Fordola time to properly accept it before bringing up the possibility of coming with her. Instead, she'd put off sharing the news, instead enjoying simply spending time with the girl, and then dropped the followup on her without warning.
"What about my mother? And my friends, could they come?"
She thought about it briefly, then sighed. "We can only take so many people. One or two we can slip in with the cargo, but no more than that." Yda looked pained. "I'm sorry... Maybe it was wrong of me to ask."
To that, Fordola shook her head. "No, no, it means a lot to me that you did," she reassured her. "But… Can I think about it for a while?"
"I'm not leaving for a few more days," she reassured her. "You have time."
"Good. Good." Careful of the knife Yda was holding, the girl darted forward and hugged her. "Thank you."
As Yda returned the hug, neither noticed as a falcon in a nearby tree took to the air, quickly vanishing into the afternoon sky.
***
To the south of Loch Seld, the hills were filled with countless caves and caverns, some natural, some carved out by miners dating back several astral eras. Despite the best efforts of the Empire to map them out, there were still dozens of places where people could hide if needed. Several beastformers had taken advantage of this, establishing a small ground base where no one was likely to stumble over them. This allowed the large rat to abandon his act of a simple animal and laugh himself sick, even as a raptor glared at him and a cheetah groaned in frustration. "Too well fed! Oh gods, that's spectacular! I could kiss this woman!" Calming himself for a moment, he looked up at the raptor. "Maybe you should consider some exercise?" he suggested, before breaking down laughing again.
"Keep talking vermin," Dinobot hissed, stalking closer to the rock his companion was lounging on. "See how far you can push me before I indulge in the 'exercise' of carving your pelt from your frame."
"Oh please," Rattrap replied, standing up on his hind legs and meeting the glare with a smug smirk. "Keep on tellin' yerself that chopperface. Ya ain't got the bearings ta even try."
Burying his head under his paws, Cheetor groaned yet again. The pair had been arguing over Dinobots passing encounter with the native woman for far too long, and any amusement the younger mech might have had regarding the topic had long since faded. But that didn't stop Rattrap from continuing to snark, or Dinobot continuing to threaten the rodent. It was a familiar tale really, one the young bot had experienced countless times over the past few vorns, but the knowledge that the pair were actually good friends behind all the noise and bluster didn't really help when they kept on arguing.
"Hear… Feel… Think…"
Blinking, the cheetah sat upright, looking around the cave. For a moment, he could have sworn he'd heard something. A femmes voice outside the perhaps…? A moment later, he seemingly got his answer, as a familiar looking falcon flew into the cave, transforming and growing into a femmebot around the size of the natives they'd encountered. "Airrazor."
Holding up a small handheld device, she grinned at him. "Got those aetherical readings Perceptor wanted."
Turning away from Rattrap, Dinobot smiled. "Excellent work. Unlike some rodents, you never fail me." Behind him, the rodent in question made a rude gesture that everyone ignored. Transforming, Dinobot stepped forward, taking the scanner from his subordinate. "I must admit, exactly how he will use this to find Hydaelyn escapes me, but I have never had much skill in the scientific arts."
Cheetor shrugged. "Also, he's absolute scrap at explaining things."
"You're just terrible at paying attention," Airrazor said.
"...Fair."
Her expression turning thoughtful, the femme turned back to Dinobot. "On another note, I came across that mortal you crossed paths with earlier. Shut up Rattrap," she added quickly, cutting off the rodent before he could even finish opening his mouth. "More importantly, I think it might be worth keeping an optic on her. From what I overheard, she might have a connection to the local anti-government forces."
Folding his forelegs over each other, Rattrap considered that. "Kid's gotta point there. One of our jobs is gathering intel on the governments down here after all, and we ain't seen nothin' so far that says this 'Garlean Empire' is anything the captain's gonna be establishin' peaceful diplomatic relations with. But..."
Optics narrowing, Dinobot reluctantly conceded the point. "Opposition to a questionable government does not automatically imply virtue," he mused. "Best we determine the truth of such matters now, rather than later." He turned back to Airrazor. "You will likely have to perform the majority of the surveillance," he pointed out. "Cheetor and I are too large to approach civilians unnoticed, and so we shall continue scouting out local troop movements."
"I can handle it sir," the youth assured him.
Rattrap frowned. "What am I supposed ta be, rust shavings?"
"I should be so lucky," Dinobot muttered. "While she observes from on high, I want you ready to follow any interesting targets she may see. Or, for that matter, assist her should she be detected." He smirked, showing off a collection of pointed teeth. "No one ever expects the rodent for more than carrying plague, after all." The others smirked as Rattrap tried to figure out if he'd been insulted.
***
It was a universal truth that one can always find a guard willing to take a bribe. In this case, a conscript on gate duty at one of Ala Mhigos smaller gates who'd gotten a bit too fond of the local brothels and gambling rings, and found himself owing more than the stipend the Empire paid. One of Yda's allies had learnt of this, and offered to make the problem go away, in exchange for a tiny little favor. A single shipment out of the city not being properly searched. Where was the harm in that? After all, any threat would be getting smuggled in, surely.
Standing next to a cart loaded with goods, dressed as a simple laborer, Yda looked every part the timid and obedient citizen, the 'merchant' she supposedly worked for standing next to her. Meanwhile, the guard started to walk around the cart, tapping on several sections with his spear to check for hollow spots, then climbed up into the back, pretending to inspect the barrels inside. The pair of guards outside the city wall didn't seem to notice anything suspicious behind them. It was all going well.
Then movement behind the cart caught her attention, and she carefully didn't react at the sight of the guards partner stepping over from the guard post. The bribed guard saw him coming, stepping to the side of the cart to talk to him in a low voice, and Yda's stomach clenched even tighter. After a moment, the second guard stepped around to the side of the cart, thumping his fist against several panels a few times, then looked back up into the cart and shook his head. A moment later, the bribed guard jumped back down, gesturing to the merchant. "You're good to go." They climbed back up and retrieved the reins, while the second guard called out to the pair outside the wall. They moved aside, and the cart was on its way.
"Thank Rhalgr he was more interested in the cart," Yda said quietly once they were a safe distance from the gates.
"Hey, if he wants to look at the timber, I'm happy to let him do so," replied the dark-skinned man holding the chocobo's reins with a chuckle. "Third barrel on the left." Nodding, she climbed into the back of the cart, making her way to the barrel in question. Moving the top two layers of apples out of the way revealed a handle that lifted that section clean out of the barrel, revealing an elderly man in simple robes hiding underneath.
"Commander Kemp," Yda greeted the man, reaching down to help him out of the barrel. Above them, unnoticed, a falcon landed on the top of the balloon holding the cart aloft.
Conrad Kemp groaned, stretching out carefully and getting movement back into his limbs. "Thank you dear girl. I must admit, regardless of its necessity, I can not recommend this particular method of travel."
"It'd be worse for me," she grinned. "I'm all gangly limbs."
"And utterly incapable of standing still, unless something has changed since the last time I saw you," he said, looking her over. "My my, you've grown lass."
"It's been over a decade, I'd better have grown," she pointed out, not surprised that the man recognized her despite her having been a young girl when they last met. "What were you even doing in the city? With the price on your head-"
Conrad's laugh cut her off. "Meetings that couldn't be avoided, that had to be done in person despite the risk. Annoying but inevitable. And you're one to talk about bounties. I've heard stories about you and your friends. The Circle of Knowing, I believe you call yourself." He gave her a thoughtful look. "Trying to unite the nations of Eorzea to stand against the Empire. A lot of people would consider that a fools errand. Ishgard's obsessed with their dragons, Gridana's Elementals don't care about anything beyond their forest, and the Amalj'aa, well…" Sighing, he sat down on the bench running along the side of the cart and stretched his legs. "History shows how poorly the people of this realm cooperate."
Smiling wryly, Yda took the seat on the opposite side of the cart. "Yeah, I can't say any of that is wrong," she admitted, leaning back and looking up at the balloon. "We're a group of idealistic fools at best. But that won't stop us from trying."
"The price on your head is higher than mine," Conrad pointed out. "So if nothing else, someone in the Empire sees the threat you pose."
"The respect of one's enemies is noticeably overrated," Yda mused, getting a laugh from both men, before her expression turned serious again. "Midgardsomr hurt the Empire at Silvertear Lake, maybe more than anyone else ever has. Eorzea had the chance to drive them back after that, maybe even force them right off the continent. But they, we, wasted the chance. Old grudges and petty feuds were more important." She growled softly, her fury at that line of thinking slipping past the iron grip she usually held it in, just for a moment, then shook her head.
"Which brings me here, back to Ala Mhigo. When the wall went up, there were people the Gridanians knew still on this side. Family, business associates, that sort of thing. If they're willing to take the chance, we're getting them back across the wall, to put familiar faces on the stories the Gridanians hear about the Empire." She shrugged. "It's easy for a lot of people to ignore refugees when they're just strangers, but when they're people you know, that you love, suddenly it becomes a lot harder to dismiss them."
Leaning forward, Conrad frowned. "Forgive me, but you don't exactly match your reputation."
That earned a delighted giggle in response. "I'd hope not! I've worked very hard on my public image over the years. It works wonders."
***
The following morning, safely back in their hideaway, Rattrap used the chance to transform and stretch his limbs. "Well now kiddo, look's like ya found something dang useful," he chuckled. "This Circle of Knowing sounds like the sort of people the Captain would wanna know about. If and when he starts dealin' with the local governments, that sorta thinking…" The tiny mech, barely much taller than a Lalafell, idly flexed his shoulders to work a kink out.
"Honestly, I'm more curious about another thing they mentioned," Airrazor murmured. "Midgardsomr's name was in the files of the Captains first visit."
"Yeah yeah, some high-rankin' dragon or some such, if I recall right."
Having properly read the reports, Airrazor merely rolled her optics. "He was the first dragon on Etheirys. Ratotoskr hatched from one of the six eggs he brought with him." Crossing her legs, she considered that for a moment. "Given how powerful she's reported to be, and how dragons gather more aether as they age, I wonder what happened at this Silvertear Lake. The other time Yda spoke of it, she mentioned the Garlean airfleet getting eaten. Now I wonder how literal she was being."
"I imagine the Captain would be interested in that too," he admitted. "Word is that mess last week in the Churning Mists has him more worried than he'd admit." He would have continued, had both transformers comm systems not chosen that moment to beep with an incoming call. "Huh, what's up chopperface?" he asked, bringing a hand up to the side of his head. "Ya missin' little old me already?"
Surprisingly, the response was not the chest-rattling hiss of irritation both transformers expected. "Soldiers are moving towards your location. At least a platoon so far, with more likely to follow." Glancing at each other in alarm, they both instantly transformed to their beast forms, just in case. "They have a form of armored cavalry with them. Some form of walker."
Scurrying over to the cave entrance, Rattrap cautiously glanced outside. "Any sign they've seen you two yet?"
"Nothing so far. They seem to be focusing their efforts on ensuring their advance goes undetected by anyone ahead of them."
If she'd been in robot mode, Airrazor would have frowned. Dinobot and Cheetor had been investigating an area the Garleans called Porta Praetoria, on the west side of Loch Seld. If they were moving towards the region she and Rattrap were currently in, surely it would make more sense to send troops from the capital city instead-
Spreading her wings, she took to the air, flying out of the cave before she even had time to think about it. "I know where they're going!"
***
Standing on the old piece of masonry, looking out over Loch Seld, Yda sighed softly. The linkpearl tucked behind her ear vibrated, relaying the voice of her fellow Circle member, and dearest friend. "The Castrum is on high alert," Papalymo reported. "There's no way for us to sneak though to you. Any aetherytes in the region are certainly being monitored."
Turning away from the water, she looked out over the countryside, spotting the tiny figure of Fordola approaching from the city, as she had many times before. Completely unaware of who was following her. Eyes narrowing behind her mask, Yda saw glimpses of several figures, all in black armor, carefully following the girl, careful to remain unseen by her, but not quite good enough to avoid Yda's gaze.
"Dammit." It was her own damn fault. Yda had, in a moment of selfishness, offered to bring her and a handful of other people to Gridania, and then left it to Fordola to make the arrangements. A girl with no training in spy craft or stealth. She'd talked about it in the presence of the wrong person, it had made it back to the Garleans, and all they'd had to do was follow her and wait. And with what Papalymo had said about the Castrum, there were likely troops coming from the other direction, planning to catch Yda if she ran now, and it would take too long for her to cast a teleport spell.
The only bright spots in this disaster was that she got Conrad out of the region yesterday before the Garleans closed the gates, keeping a resistance leader out of their hands, and that Papalymo was on the other side of Castrum Abania, ensuring that he wouldn't die alongside her. Not that he would ever see it that way, of course. Her heart ached at what this would to to him and Lyse, to say nothing of the rest of the Circle.
As she despaired over that, Fordola came to a stop a short distance away. Where before, her approach had been confident, now there was a sudden unease as she took in the woman's body language. "Yda?" she called out in a small voice.
There was only one choice Yda could make. "It's not looking good here either," she told Papalymo. "Change of plan. Go now. Don't wait for me."
Angry spluttering echoed across the link. "I beg your pardon?! Yda, if you believe for a single moment that I would abandon you to those brigands-"
"I'm sorry, Papalymo! Look after Lyse for me!" Yda said with her customary cheer, then took the linkpearl out of her turban, crushing it between her fingers as she did so. Best not to let the Garleans take it from her corpse. Because she knew now that she wasn't going to be taken alive. Not because these Imperial soldiers were any more bloodthirsty than any others, or a particular desire to keep the secrets she knew out of Garlean hands. But because if Fordola was going to survive the day with both her life and freedom, she needed to skew the narrative.
Hearing her speak with her usual cheer relaxed Fordolas nerves, until the sound of footsteps reached her, and she spun to see the soldiers emerge from cover, fanning out across the beach.
"Nice trick." Even now, despite the need, it took effort to speak to Fordola with such deliberate coldness, such malice, but Yda managed it. It was so cold that it took a moment for Fordola to even realize it was her she was speaking to, turning back to Yda with confusion joining the sudden fear.
"Wh-What?"
"You knew I'd find out if you blabbed to the guards, so instead you made sure you were followed... Imperial rat!" Fordola made to protest, but her voice died in her throat when she realized the truth of the situation.
"Thought I'd be able to make some decent money off a merchant's daughter, but you had to go and spoil everything... You'd better run while you can, or I'll strangle you where you stand!"
***
A short distance away, four beastformers hid in the bushes, watching the scene in horror.
"Scrap," Rattrap said quietly. "They must know she's smugglin' people through the wall, but they don't know her motives. If she makes them think she's just a slave trafficker..."
"The sparkling will be dismissed as nothing more then a mislead child," Dinobot finished for him. "But to maintain such a story, she can not be taken alive."
"What do we do?" Airrazor hissed. "We can't just let her-"
"That is exactly what we must do," the raptor said, not looking away as one of the soldiers, who had been slowly moving up behind Fordola, reached out for the child. Yda instantly exploded into motion, closing the gap between them faster than the mechs could believe, driving a foot into the mans stomach. "Our mission is a covert one, and our orders to maintain stealth were clear. If she is willing to die to protect the child, all we can do is honor her choice," he finished, self-loathing evident in his voice.
Airrazor glanced at him in disbelief as, out in the field, Yda bounced on the balls of her feet, fists at the ready. "Feel free to attack all at once, if you're so scared!"
"Cut her down!" The soldiers brandished their blades with angry cries, and Fordola ran.
"Smart girl. She figured it out," Rattrap murmured, even as he marveled at Ydas fighting skills. She was clearly a brawler by nature, the sort that got in as close as possible, targeting limbs and joints with brutal precision. And there was no doubt that she was a master of the art. One soldier fell, his knee shattered, then another, the side of his skull caved in.
But while the soldiers might be nowhere near her level in skill, quality helped to bridge the gap, and the woman was soon bleeding from several smaller wounds. Even worse, one of the soldiers was a mage of some sort, remaining at a distance while casting spells to ease his comrades wounds. And even as Yda barely avoided a sword swing that would have gone across her face, losing her turban in the process, the transformers caught sight of movement to the west. The soldiers that Dinobot and Cheetor had originally seen leaving Porta Praetoria, accompanied by a walker mecha that clearly had some sort of artillery mounted in the front.
Whiskers twitching, Cheetor suddenly spoke up. "Seven, eight, ni- Scrap, one of them went after the sparkling!" Glancing to the west, they saw the tiny figure of Fordola running desperately, weaving around the rubble along the beach as she did so. But the soldier chasing her was clearly faster, closing the distance even as they watched. Behind them, Yda became aware of the same thing, breaking free of the melee with a spinning kick that hit no less than four of her opponents, giving her the opening to chase after Fordolas pursuers.
"She's not gonna make it," Rattrap winced.
And that was when Dinobot exploded into motion. Before anyone could stop him, the raptor had charged out of their cover and across the beach, moving with far more speed than the injured Yda could muster. As Fordola lost her footing and the soldier raised his sword, Dinobot lunged, driving the claws on his hind legs into the man, carving through the padded armor he wore and the flesh underneath with ease, his sheer weight instantly driving the man to the ground, his screams of agony quickly cut off.
Rattrap groaned, running his paws over his muzzle. "Aw fer bootin' up cold! You two, back him up. I'm callin' this in." As the falcon took to the air and the cheetah ran out into the fray, he activated him comm. "Axalon, this is Rattrap. Chopperface just brought a truckload of trouble wholesale, and I'm passin' the savings on to you!"
***
For a moment, Yda and Fordola stared at the raptor in disbelief as it rose to its full height. It returned their stares with what almost be called a smile, then broke into a sprint again, meeting the charging imperials halfway. As if that wasn't shocking enough, some sort of couerl emerged from the bushes, its long whiskers already cracking with levin as it whipped them at the nearest targets.
"… Well then," Yda said after a moment. Then, recognizing that Fordola was out of sight to the Imperials, she knelt down next to her, wincing at the pain from the wound in her side, before meeting the girls eyes without her mask for the first and last time. The girl whimpered softly, trying to speak, but was blocked by fear, shame and grief. Reaching out, Yda placed a hand on her hair. "Live, Fordola," she said gently. "Find some hope to hold onto." Fordola could only nod, barely able to contain the sobs that threatened to burst from her chest, as Yda graced her with one final smile. Then she was gone, running hard and fast towards the battle on the beach, leaving the girl she'd come to see as a second sister free to escape.
She came in on the raptors flank, intercepting a spearman that had been about to skewer it, leaving it clear to charge the conjurer that had been healing his fellow soldiers. Her eyes narrowed as the couerls whiskers lashed past her to finish off the spearman while he was occupied. Then, as one final touch, she saw the second wave of soldiers from the west come under attack, as a massive falcon swooped down out of the sky and tore the pilot of the Magitek Reaper clean out of his seat.
Thoughts and theories danced through her head, and she moved up next to the raptor. "I don't suppose you've got an exit plan of some sort?" she asked it. It looked back at her, and she smiled humorlessly at the clear intelligence in its eyes. "Yeah, I'm asking you a question."
"… We may," the creature replied, confirming her theory. Before he could continue however, two more beasts emerged from the hills to the south. The griffin that joined the falcon in launching aerial attacks was plausible, the animal was at least native to the region. The gorilla that hit the ground running and headed straight for Yda and the raptor was more of a surprise.
"I know you can talk," she said, drawing the gorillas attention away from the suddenly uncomfortable looking raptor. He turned to look at her, then back at the raptor. "I'm guessing auspices, or something like that. Never heard of any in Ala Mhigo, but that can wait. What's your plan for getting out of here?"
"We're going to have a long talk later," he growled at the raptor, who winced noticeably. "We've got a way out for us. But I've got no idea if it'll work for you. It's… untested, shall we say. It could work perfectly, do nothing and leave you here alone, or worse."
"Given the alternative," she pointed out with a twitch of her head towards the west, where the courel suddenly took an arrow in the side before the griffin dived on the archer with a snarl.
Considering that for a moment, the gorilla finally nodded, reaching up to the side of his head. "Axalon. Initiate recall plus one. Yes, the Hyur next to me. Just do it!"
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Slumping slightly, Yda put a hand to her side, wincing at just how sticky her shirt was. Then, sparks of levin began to dance at their feet, seemingly spawning from nothing. In seconds, it moved closer, before arcing up along the armored sabatons she wore, drawing gasps of pain from the woman.
Then, before she could react, the aether surged, and every nerve and muscle in her body exploded into agony unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The world around her vanished, leaving only the pain, seemingly burning to her very soul, continuing forever without end, until finally, after an eternity, blessed oblivion claimed her.
Bringing the knife down, Yda cut cleanly through the rabbits ankle and slid it aside, before taking a breath, gathering her confidence, and speaking up. "So, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I'll be leaving at the end of the week."
Fordola looked up from where she was skinning another rabbit, a look of mild surprise on her face that quickly faded as she considered the matter. "Leaving Ala Mhigo entirely?"
That got an approving nod from the older woman. While both of them had carefully avoided the topic over their short time knowing one another, Yda had never really tried to keep her connections to the Ala Mhigan resistance a secret from her. "Good guess. How'd you work it out?" she asked curiously.
"It wasn't that hard. I've heard you using a linkpearl before," she said, gesturing towards Ydas right ear, where the tiny arcane device was hidden under the folds of her turban. "And you mentioned refugees a few times. You're taking them past the wall, out of the Empire. Somehow," she added, a hint of disbelief crossing her face. Baelsar's Wall had been a fixture of Ala Mhigo since she was a little girl, the barrier that cut them off from the rest of Eorzea. She'd grown up hearing about how impenetrable it was, so it was unsurprising that she found the possibility of Yda sneaking across it hard to believe.
Shrugging, Yda glanced down, severing another of the rabbits feet. "I mean, it's easier than you'd expect, honestly. They were in a real hurry when they built the wall, given how pretty much their entire air fleet got eaten at Silvertear Lake, and they were convinced the Eorzean Alliance was going to come for them. So there's gaps and blind spots all along the border that, if you're careful…"
Considering that for a moment, Fordola nodded, accepting that. Then she frowned. "But that doesn't make it easy."
"Not even slightly," Yda agreed. "Which means, that once I leave-"
"-You won't be coming back for a long time, if ever." Her shoulders slumped and she looked down at her rabbit for a moment. "I knew it would happen," she admitted. "I just wish…"
"Why don't you come with me?" The question slipped out before Yda could stop it.
Taking a breath, Fordola gave the question the thought it deserved, much to the other woman's approval. After all, leaving Ala Mhigo was not simply a matter of escaping the Empire. It would force Fordola, and hopefully her mother, to start from nothing in distant lands, with little to their name and possibly no support from anyone. It was a life-changing decision, one that shouldn't be made in a hurry.
And if Yda was being honest with herself, she was slightly ashamed for springing it on the girl without warning. She knew she should have spoken about her departure sooner, giving Fordola time to properly accept it before bringing up the possibility of coming with her. Instead, she'd put off sharing the news, instead enjoying simply spending time with the girl, and then dropped the followup on her without warning.
"What about my mother? And my friends, could they come?"
She thought about it briefly, then sighed. "We can only take so many people. One or two we can slip in with the cargo, but no more than that." Yda looked pained. "I'm sorry... Maybe it was wrong of me to ask."
To that, Fordola shook her head. "No, no, it means a lot to me that you did," she reassured her. "But… Can I think about it for a while?"
"I'm not leaving for a few more days," she reassured her. "You have time."
"Good. Good." Careful of the knife Yda was holding, the girl darted forward and hugged her. "Thank you."
As Yda returned the hug, neither noticed as a falcon in a nearby tree took to the air, quickly vanishing into the afternoon sky.
***
To the south of Loch Seld, the hills were filled with countless caves and caverns, some natural, some carved out by miners dating back several astral eras. Despite the best efforts of the Empire to map them out, there were still dozens of places where people could hide if needed. Several beastformers had taken advantage of this, establishing a small ground base where no one was likely to stumble over them. This allowed the large rat to abandon his act of a simple animal and laugh himself sick, even as a raptor glared at him and a cheetah groaned in frustration. "Too well fed! Oh gods, that's spectacular! I could kiss this woman!" Calming himself for a moment, he looked up at the raptor. "Maybe you should consider some exercise?" he suggested, before breaking down laughing again.
"Keep talking vermin," Dinobot hissed, stalking closer to the rock his companion was lounging on. "See how far you can push me before I indulge in the 'exercise' of carving your pelt from your frame."
"Oh please," Rattrap replied, standing up on his hind legs and meeting the glare with a smug smirk. "Keep on tellin' yerself that chopperface. Ya ain't got the bearings ta even try."
Burying his head under his paws, Cheetor groaned yet again. The pair had been arguing over Dinobots passing encounter with the native woman for far too long, and any amusement the younger mech might have had regarding the topic had long since faded. But that didn't stop Rattrap from continuing to snark, or Dinobot continuing to threaten the rodent. It was a familiar tale really, one the young bot had experienced countless times over the past few vorns, but the knowledge that the pair were actually good friends behind all the noise and bluster didn't really help when they kept on arguing.
"Hear… Feel… Think…"
Blinking, the cheetah sat upright, looking around the cave. For a moment, he could have sworn he'd heard something. A femmes voice outside the perhaps…? A moment later, he seemingly got his answer, as a familiar looking falcon flew into the cave, transforming and growing into a femmebot around the size of the natives they'd encountered. "Airrazor."
Holding up a small handheld device, she grinned at him. "Got those aetherical readings Perceptor wanted."
Turning away from Rattrap, Dinobot smiled. "Excellent work. Unlike some rodents, you never fail me." Behind him, the rodent in question made a rude gesture that everyone ignored. Transforming, Dinobot stepped forward, taking the scanner from his subordinate. "I must admit, exactly how he will use this to find Hydaelyn escapes me, but I have never had much skill in the scientific arts."
Cheetor shrugged. "Also, he's absolute scrap at explaining things."
"You're just terrible at paying attention," Airrazor said.
"...Fair."
Her expression turning thoughtful, the femme turned back to Dinobot. "On another note, I came across that mortal you crossed paths with earlier. Shut up Rattrap," she added quickly, cutting off the rodent before he could even finish opening his mouth. "More importantly, I think it might be worth keeping an optic on her. From what I overheard, she might have a connection to the local anti-government forces."
Folding his forelegs over each other, Rattrap considered that. "Kid's gotta point there. One of our jobs is gathering intel on the governments down here after all, and we ain't seen nothin' so far that says this 'Garlean Empire' is anything the captain's gonna be establishin' peaceful diplomatic relations with. But..."
Optics narrowing, Dinobot reluctantly conceded the point. "Opposition to a questionable government does not automatically imply virtue," he mused. "Best we determine the truth of such matters now, rather than later." He turned back to Airrazor. "You will likely have to perform the majority of the surveillance," he pointed out. "Cheetor and I are too large to approach civilians unnoticed, and so we shall continue scouting out local troop movements."
"I can handle it sir," the youth assured him.
Rattrap frowned. "What am I supposed ta be, rust shavings?"
"I should be so lucky," Dinobot muttered. "While she observes from on high, I want you ready to follow any interesting targets she may see. Or, for that matter, assist her should she be detected." He smirked, showing off a collection of pointed teeth. "No one ever expects the rodent for more than carrying plague, after all." The others smirked as Rattrap tried to figure out if he'd been insulted.
***
It was a universal truth that one can always find a guard willing to take a bribe. In this case, a conscript on gate duty at one of Ala Mhigos smaller gates who'd gotten a bit too fond of the local brothels and gambling rings, and found himself owing more than the stipend the Empire paid. One of Yda's allies had learnt of this, and offered to make the problem go away, in exchange for a tiny little favor. A single shipment out of the city not being properly searched. Where was the harm in that? After all, any threat would be getting smuggled in, surely.
Standing next to a cart loaded with goods, dressed as a simple laborer, Yda looked every part the timid and obedient citizen, the 'merchant' she supposedly worked for standing next to her. Meanwhile, the guard started to walk around the cart, tapping on several sections with his spear to check for hollow spots, then climbed up into the back, pretending to inspect the barrels inside. The pair of guards outside the city wall didn't seem to notice anything suspicious behind them. It was all going well.
Then movement behind the cart caught her attention, and she carefully didn't react at the sight of the guards partner stepping over from the guard post. The bribed guard saw him coming, stepping to the side of the cart to talk to him in a low voice, and Yda's stomach clenched even tighter. After a moment, the second guard stepped around to the side of the cart, thumping his fist against several panels a few times, then looked back up into the cart and shook his head. A moment later, the bribed guard jumped back down, gesturing to the merchant. "You're good to go." They climbed back up and retrieved the reins, while the second guard called out to the pair outside the wall. They moved aside, and the cart was on its way.
"Thank Rhalgr he was more interested in the cart," Yda said quietly once they were a safe distance from the gates.
"Hey, if he wants to look at the timber, I'm happy to let him do so," replied the dark-skinned man holding the chocobo's reins with a chuckle. "Third barrel on the left." Nodding, she climbed into the back of the cart, making her way to the barrel in question. Moving the top two layers of apples out of the way revealed a handle that lifted that section clean out of the barrel, revealing an elderly man in simple robes hiding underneath.
"Commander Kemp," Yda greeted the man, reaching down to help him out of the barrel. Above them, unnoticed, a falcon landed on the top of the balloon holding the cart aloft.
Conrad Kemp groaned, stretching out carefully and getting movement back into his limbs. "Thank you dear girl. I must admit, regardless of its necessity, I can not recommend this particular method of travel."
"It'd be worse for me," she grinned. "I'm all gangly limbs."
"And utterly incapable of standing still, unless something has changed since the last time I saw you," he said, looking her over. "My my, you've grown lass."
"It's been over a decade, I'd better have grown," she pointed out, not surprised that the man recognized her despite her having been a young girl when they last met. "What were you even doing in the city? With the price on your head-"
Conrad's laugh cut her off. "Meetings that couldn't be avoided, that had to be done in person despite the risk. Annoying but inevitable. And you're one to talk about bounties. I've heard stories about you and your friends. The Circle of Knowing, I believe you call yourself." He gave her a thoughtful look. "Trying to unite the nations of Eorzea to stand against the Empire. A lot of people would consider that a fools errand. Ishgard's obsessed with their dragons, Gridana's Elementals don't care about anything beyond their forest, and the Amalj'aa, well…" Sighing, he sat down on the bench running along the side of the cart and stretched his legs. "History shows how poorly the people of this realm cooperate."
Smiling wryly, Yda took the seat on the opposite side of the cart. "Yeah, I can't say any of that is wrong," she admitted, leaning back and looking up at the balloon. "We're a group of idealistic fools at best. But that won't stop us from trying."
"The price on your head is higher than mine," Conrad pointed out. "So if nothing else, someone in the Empire sees the threat you pose."
"The respect of one's enemies is noticeably overrated," Yda mused, getting a laugh from both men, before her expression turned serious again. "Midgardsomr hurt the Empire at Silvertear Lake, maybe more than anyone else ever has. Eorzea had the chance to drive them back after that, maybe even force them right off the continent. But they, we, wasted the chance. Old grudges and petty feuds were more important." She growled softly, her fury at that line of thinking slipping past the iron grip she usually held it in, just for a moment, then shook her head.
"Which brings me here, back to Ala Mhigo. When the wall went up, there were people the Gridanians knew still on this side. Family, business associates, that sort of thing. If they're willing to take the chance, we're getting them back across the wall, to put familiar faces on the stories the Gridanians hear about the Empire." She shrugged. "It's easy for a lot of people to ignore refugees when they're just strangers, but when they're people you know, that you love, suddenly it becomes a lot harder to dismiss them."
Leaning forward, Conrad frowned. "Forgive me, but you don't exactly match your reputation."
That earned a delighted giggle in response. "I'd hope not! I've worked very hard on my public image over the years. It works wonders."
***
The following morning, safely back in their hideaway, Rattrap used the chance to transform and stretch his limbs. "Well now kiddo, look's like ya found something dang useful," he chuckled. "This Circle of Knowing sounds like the sort of people the Captain would wanna know about. If and when he starts dealin' with the local governments, that sorta thinking…" The tiny mech, barely much taller than a Lalafell, idly flexed his shoulders to work a kink out.
"Honestly, I'm more curious about another thing they mentioned," Airrazor murmured. "Midgardsomr's name was in the files of the Captains first visit."
"Yeah yeah, some high-rankin' dragon or some such, if I recall right."
Having properly read the reports, Airrazor merely rolled her optics. "He was the first dragon on Etheirys. Ratotoskr hatched from one of the six eggs he brought with him." Crossing her legs, she considered that for a moment. "Given how powerful she's reported to be, and how dragons gather more aether as they age, I wonder what happened at this Silvertear Lake. The other time Yda spoke of it, she mentioned the Garlean airfleet getting eaten. Now I wonder how literal she was being."
"I imagine the Captain would be interested in that too," he admitted. "Word is that mess last week in the Churning Mists has him more worried than he'd admit." He would have continued, had both transformers comm systems not chosen that moment to beep with an incoming call. "Huh, what's up chopperface?" he asked, bringing a hand up to the side of his head. "Ya missin' little old me already?"
Surprisingly, the response was not the chest-rattling hiss of irritation both transformers expected. "Soldiers are moving towards your location. At least a platoon so far, with more likely to follow." Glancing at each other in alarm, they both instantly transformed to their beast forms, just in case. "They have a form of armored cavalry with them. Some form of walker."
Scurrying over to the cave entrance, Rattrap cautiously glanced outside. "Any sign they've seen you two yet?"
"Nothing so far. They seem to be focusing their efforts on ensuring their advance goes undetected by anyone ahead of them."
If she'd been in robot mode, Airrazor would have frowned. Dinobot and Cheetor had been investigating an area the Garleans called Porta Praetoria, on the west side of Loch Seld. If they were moving towards the region she and Rattrap were currently in, surely it would make more sense to send troops from the capital city instead-
Spreading her wings, she took to the air, flying out of the cave before she even had time to think about it. "I know where they're going!"
***
Standing on the old piece of masonry, looking out over Loch Seld, Yda sighed softly. The linkpearl tucked behind her ear vibrated, relaying the voice of her fellow Circle member, and dearest friend. "The Castrum is on high alert," Papalymo reported. "There's no way for us to sneak though to you. Any aetherytes in the region are certainly being monitored."
Turning away from the water, she looked out over the countryside, spotting the tiny figure of Fordola approaching from the city, as she had many times before. Completely unaware of who was following her. Eyes narrowing behind her mask, Yda saw glimpses of several figures, all in black armor, carefully following the girl, careful to remain unseen by her, but not quite good enough to avoid Yda's gaze.
"Dammit." It was her own damn fault. Yda had, in a moment of selfishness, offered to bring her and a handful of other people to Gridania, and then left it to Fordola to make the arrangements. A girl with no training in spy craft or stealth. She'd talked about it in the presence of the wrong person, it had made it back to the Garleans, and all they'd had to do was follow her and wait. And with what Papalymo had said about the Castrum, there were likely troops coming from the other direction, planning to catch Yda if she ran now, and it would take too long for her to cast a teleport spell.
The only bright spots in this disaster was that she got Conrad out of the region yesterday before the Garleans closed the gates, keeping a resistance leader out of their hands, and that Papalymo was on the other side of Castrum Abania, ensuring that he wouldn't die alongside her. Not that he would ever see it that way, of course. Her heart ached at what this would to to him and Lyse, to say nothing of the rest of the Circle.
As she despaired over that, Fordola came to a stop a short distance away. Where before, her approach had been confident, now there was a sudden unease as she took in the woman's body language. "Yda?" she called out in a small voice.
There was only one choice Yda could make. "It's not looking good here either," she told Papalymo. "Change of plan. Go now. Don't wait for me."
Angry spluttering echoed across the link. "I beg your pardon?! Yda, if you believe for a single moment that I would abandon you to those brigands-"
"I'm sorry, Papalymo! Look after Lyse for me!" Yda said with her customary cheer, then took the linkpearl out of her turban, crushing it between her fingers as she did so. Best not to let the Garleans take it from her corpse. Because she knew now that she wasn't going to be taken alive. Not because these Imperial soldiers were any more bloodthirsty than any others, or a particular desire to keep the secrets she knew out of Garlean hands. But because if Fordola was going to survive the day with both her life and freedom, she needed to skew the narrative.
Hearing her speak with her usual cheer relaxed Fordolas nerves, until the sound of footsteps reached her, and she spun to see the soldiers emerge from cover, fanning out across the beach.
"Nice trick." Even now, despite the need, it took effort to speak to Fordola with such deliberate coldness, such malice, but Yda managed it. It was so cold that it took a moment for Fordola to even realize it was her she was speaking to, turning back to Yda with confusion joining the sudden fear.
"Wh-What?"
"You knew I'd find out if you blabbed to the guards, so instead you made sure you were followed... Imperial rat!" Fordola made to protest, but her voice died in her throat when she realized the truth of the situation.
"Thought I'd be able to make some decent money off a merchant's daughter, but you had to go and spoil everything... You'd better run while you can, or I'll strangle you where you stand!"
***
A short distance away, four beastformers hid in the bushes, watching the scene in horror.
"Scrap," Rattrap said quietly. "They must know she's smugglin' people through the wall, but they don't know her motives. If she makes them think she's just a slave trafficker..."
"The sparkling will be dismissed as nothing more then a mislead child," Dinobot finished for him. "But to maintain such a story, she can not be taken alive."
"What do we do?" Airrazor hissed. "We can't just let her-"
"That is exactly what we must do," the raptor said, not looking away as one of the soldiers, who had been slowly moving up behind Fordola, reached out for the child. Yda instantly exploded into motion, closing the gap between them faster than the mechs could believe, driving a foot into the mans stomach. "Our mission is a covert one, and our orders to maintain stealth were clear. If she is willing to die to protect the child, all we can do is honor her choice," he finished, self-loathing evident in his voice.
Airrazor glanced at him in disbelief as, out in the field, Yda bounced on the balls of her feet, fists at the ready. "Feel free to attack all at once, if you're so scared!"
"Cut her down!" The soldiers brandished their blades with angry cries, and Fordola ran.
"Smart girl. She figured it out," Rattrap murmured, even as he marveled at Ydas fighting skills. She was clearly a brawler by nature, the sort that got in as close as possible, targeting limbs and joints with brutal precision. And there was no doubt that she was a master of the art. One soldier fell, his knee shattered, then another, the side of his skull caved in.
But while the soldiers might be nowhere near her level in skill, quality helped to bridge the gap, and the woman was soon bleeding from several smaller wounds. Even worse, one of the soldiers was a mage of some sort, remaining at a distance while casting spells to ease his comrades wounds. And even as Yda barely avoided a sword swing that would have gone across her face, losing her turban in the process, the transformers caught sight of movement to the west. The soldiers that Dinobot and Cheetor had originally seen leaving Porta Praetoria, accompanied by a walker mecha that clearly had some sort of artillery mounted in the front.
Whiskers twitching, Cheetor suddenly spoke up. "Seven, eight, ni- Scrap, one of them went after the sparkling!" Glancing to the west, they saw the tiny figure of Fordola running desperately, weaving around the rubble along the beach as she did so. But the soldier chasing her was clearly faster, closing the distance even as they watched. Behind them, Yda became aware of the same thing, breaking free of the melee with a spinning kick that hit no less than four of her opponents, giving her the opening to chase after Fordolas pursuers.
"She's not gonna make it," Rattrap winced.
And that was when Dinobot exploded into motion. Before anyone could stop him, the raptor had charged out of their cover and across the beach, moving with far more speed than the injured Yda could muster. As Fordola lost her footing and the soldier raised his sword, Dinobot lunged, driving the claws on his hind legs into the man, carving through the padded armor he wore and the flesh underneath with ease, his sheer weight instantly driving the man to the ground, his screams of agony quickly cut off.
Rattrap groaned, running his paws over his muzzle. "Aw fer bootin' up cold! You two, back him up. I'm callin' this in." As the falcon took to the air and the cheetah ran out into the fray, he activated him comm. "Axalon, this is Rattrap. Chopperface just brought a truckload of trouble wholesale, and I'm passin' the savings on to you!"
***
For a moment, Yda and Fordola stared at the raptor in disbelief as it rose to its full height. It returned their stares with what almost be called a smile, then broke into a sprint again, meeting the charging imperials halfway. As if that wasn't shocking enough, some sort of couerl emerged from the bushes, its long whiskers already cracking with levin as it whipped them at the nearest targets.
"… Well then," Yda said after a moment. Then, recognizing that Fordola was out of sight to the Imperials, she knelt down next to her, wincing at the pain from the wound in her side, before meeting the girls eyes without her mask for the first and last time. The girl whimpered softly, trying to speak, but was blocked by fear, shame and grief. Reaching out, Yda placed a hand on her hair. "Live, Fordola," she said gently. "Find some hope to hold onto." Fordola could only nod, barely able to contain the sobs that threatened to burst from her chest, as Yda graced her with one final smile. Then she was gone, running hard and fast towards the battle on the beach, leaving the girl she'd come to see as a second sister free to escape.
She came in on the raptors flank, intercepting a spearman that had been about to skewer it, leaving it clear to charge the conjurer that had been healing his fellow soldiers. Her eyes narrowed as the couerls whiskers lashed past her to finish off the spearman while he was occupied. Then, as one final touch, she saw the second wave of soldiers from the west come under attack, as a massive falcon swooped down out of the sky and tore the pilot of the Magitek Reaper clean out of his seat.
Thoughts and theories danced through her head, and she moved up next to the raptor. "I don't suppose you've got an exit plan of some sort?" she asked it. It looked back at her, and she smiled humorlessly at the clear intelligence in its eyes. "Yeah, I'm asking you a question."
"… We may," the creature replied, confirming her theory. Before he could continue however, two more beasts emerged from the hills to the south. The griffin that joined the falcon in launching aerial attacks was plausible, the animal was at least native to the region. The gorilla that hit the ground running and headed straight for Yda and the raptor was more of a surprise.
"I know you can talk," she said, drawing the gorillas attention away from the suddenly uncomfortable looking raptor. He turned to look at her, then back at the raptor. "I'm guessing auspices, or something like that. Never heard of any in Ala Mhigo, but that can wait. What's your plan for getting out of here?"
"We're going to have a long talk later," he growled at the raptor, who winced noticeably. "We've got a way out for us. But I've got no idea if it'll work for you. It's… untested, shall we say. It could work perfectly, do nothing and leave you here alone, or worse."
"Given the alternative," she pointed out with a twitch of her head towards the west, where the courel suddenly took an arrow in the side before the griffin dived on the archer with a snarl.
Considering that for a moment, the gorilla finally nodded, reaching up to the side of his head. "Axalon. Initiate recall plus one. Yes, the Hyur next to me. Just do it!"
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Slumping slightly, Yda put a hand to her side, wincing at just how sticky her shirt was. Then, sparks of levin began to dance at their feet, seemingly spawning from nothing. In seconds, it moved closer, before arcing up along the armored sabatons she wore, drawing gasps of pain from the woman.
Then, before she could react, the aether surged, and every nerve and muscle in her body exploded into agony unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The world around her vanished, leaving only the pain, seemingly burning to her very soul, continuing forever without end, until finally, after an eternity, blessed oblivion claimed her.