Warrior of the Void Book 1, Chapter 18

After explaining her rather lax responsibilities to her, Cocoboha sent Muur away. As she walked back to her room, a look through one of the other papers told her that she’d have to vacate her current room, seeing as it was meant for pilgrims and visitors. There were directions to her new room, as well as a note informing her that she would be sharing it with another initiate. Who, exactly, was still up in the air.

The last sheet was a list of “tasks” that the Guildmasters wished her to undergo, but they very much read as more of an excuse for her to tour the city some more. Especially since the only one that was noted as ‘important’ was attuning herself to the rest of the public aethernet network of town.

She could use some fresh air after staying cooped up all day yesterday. Besides, it’d give her time to ponder the question of religion… and buy some tea and snacks to bribe the Warden with. They seemed fun and she wanted their advice on protecting her mind and aether, damn it.

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Looking through her tasks, the first one was to head to the ‘Hall of Flames’ and drop off a small bundle of documents. Getting them was only a matter of asking for them at the guild’s desk, where a grateful clerk offloaded them to her with vague directions to the hall. Apparently, it sat next to the Aetheryte Plaza and she couldn’t miss it.

Remembering she had a map of the city, a quick read told her that her destination was near enough the coliseum that she could probably take a small detour to attune herself there. Maybe catch a glimpse of a match, or a certain cat too, if she was lucky.

Yeah, fuck it, none of this was time sensitive. The only question was if she could afford to spectate some bloodsports without running out of gold for food bribing the Warden.

Having endured the heat of the desert’s noon, and its cold night. The morning’s timid warmth was rather pleasant to Muur as she stepped out of the Ossuary. The sky was of a pleasant clear blue, but the sun had yet to rise above the city's walls, leaving the streets bathed in cool shadows. Unsurprisingly, they were already packed with people and animals going about their business. Not that any of them paid her much attention as she walked along the main avenue. Arriving at the arena was a surprisingly quiet affair, according to the map, it was right in front of the Gate of The Sultana, which led into Western Thanalan. 

But instead of a massive amphitheater, there was a rather boorish seven story building, looking no different than any other building in the city beyond being fat. In fact, the only reason Muur could even tell the place was the vaunted Bloodsands was thanks to the people decked out in armour hanging around the entrance.

At first glance, she might have mistaken them for adventurers, but their gear was too nice, too new, too… clean, for that. Well, gladiators were sportsmen first, warriors second, so she guessed it fit? As she got closer, she started to hear them extol the virtues of so-and-so Bleakaxe, and how he was the strongest axeman in the city. Maybe she’d watch one of his matches if she got the chance, although she wasn’t entirely going to trust what was clearly a bunch of fanboys or lackeys.

Walking past them, the Au’Ra went down a few steps of stairs and took a left when the path split in two. Going down another flight of stairs, the sounds of a crowd cheering over the bedlam of fighting and of metal striking against metal began to grow louder and louder with each step. By her estimation, she was roughly one story below ground when she emerged in a large, circular chamber.

                                                                                                                       “Come on, knock her down!”

Aside from a small path defined by movable metal posts, like those at an airport, that followed the outer wall, the room was filled with people that hollered and shouted towards an unseen fight. None of them were sitting, instead they all stood, crowding a ring that Muur was unfortunately too small to even catch a glimpse of.

“Excuse me, do you know if E’Kofle Runhja is fighting today?” Muur asked one of the people at the very edge of the crowd trying and failing to angle to get a look at the battle. She made sure to clack her staff against the ground loud enough to be noticed and not startle the poor Hrothgar.

“Wh–!” The giant slab of furry man still jumped like a spooked cat, before turning to Muur, “Oh, erm– I don’t believe so? I just happened to pass by and thought to see if I could– wait…,” Narrowing his eyes, he looked Muur up and down, “Don’t I know you?”

“I’m… not sure? Your voice rings a bell, but that’s about it.” The lizard wizard said after racking her implanted memories for a few seconds. 

The man seemed similarly stumped, right before he snapped his fingers at the same time as a loud, ringing crash came from the arena, “The barrels! You’re the one they sent off on a small dingy when we reached the Ul’dahn coast! I didn’t recognise you since you– erm…”

“Don’t look a stiff breeze away from keeling over dead?” Muur chuckled with a crooked grin, even as she tucked away the hard evidence that she had been woven full on into this world’s history. That meant she had family in the steppes, family that she really wasn’t sure what to feel about.

“Er–, yes. That,” He said with an awkward chuckle. Now that she knew what to search her memories for, she did recall the man. What little there was to, at any rate. She’d not spent long on the ship, and even less trying to know the others that were on it, but he was exactly as tall as he was in her memories. His fur was different though. Instead of an ashy grey-brown, it was now a mix of regal golden yellow and orange that gave him the look of a giant tabby cat, “I’m glad to know you’ve survived, we were almost certain you hadn’t.”

“It was a close thing, the corrupted crystals nearly did me in on the approach to Ul’dah proper, but I managed to pull through.” Muur replied with a self-satisfied smile hiding the cold sweat trickling down her neck. God she hoped it was just her getting slipped into the world’s history like Doned, rather than having possessed a corpse. It couldn’t be, she looked exactly like the avatar she had designed, it had to be a scenario like Luso writing his name in the Gran Grimoire. “Got set up with some stuff to manage my condition and I’m getting steady work and training now. How’s Eorzea been treating you?”

“Decently, I suppose. The last month has been… Adventurous, shall we say? Or— well, not that sort of adventurous,” Quickly correcting himself, he coughed out of embarrassment, “I’ve been working for the Golden Cutlasses for coin, and it is quite different than anything I’ve ever done in my life prior to coming to this land.”

“Tell me about it over drinks some day, aye?” Muur said with a grin, shouldering up her packet of papers in a silent show of ‘I gotta get going’. She needed a few minutes away from people.

“Certainly! I’ve still a week or so of employment with the Golden Cutlasses, so I will have to return to Limsa before the day is ended, but I’ve been considering joining the Alchemist Guild once this contract expires,” He told her with a wide smile, “Perhaps I’ll meet you again then?”

“Here’s hoping. May join the alchemists myself, now that I’m not pissing lightning everywhere I can actually sit down and make my own brews.” The lizard woman chuckled, actually meaning what she said. It’d be soothing, going back to labwork. Doubly so when it resulted in health and mana potions. 

His response was drowned out when a mixture of cheers and wailings rose in the air after a visceral crack echoed in the room, “I put my whole life’s savings on you, you useless shite!” A man next to them belted out, while not five people to their left, they heard someone shout “HAH, betting on that whore was a great idea! I’m rich!”

Looking at Muur, Myrrh shrugged, “Well, that’s more than enough of this for me. May the Queen protect you.”

“Good wind and new sails.” The lizard woman returned with a bob of her head. With that, she was off to attune to yet another funny crystal and go deliver the papers.

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Leaving the city’s underground pathway, Muur had no issues finding the Hall of Flames. In part thanks to being far more outwardly impressive than the arena, but also because it was situated right across the main thoroughfare from her.

It wasn't a small building, its walls were as tall as those encircling the city. In fact, it seemed to be built into them to a degree, maybe it served as some sort of oversized barrack or gatehouse at some point in its history? The front of it followed the inverse course of the city's ramparts, giving the whole place an oddly welcoming look, like a slightly rotund man. Numerous banners hung from the walls, each coloured a deep blue and gilded in glittering gold. Though, only the largest seemed to bear the Flames’ symbol, a scale that balanced a huge diamond and a scorching flame.

Finding a break in the throngs of people walking through the streets, the diminutive mage made her way there with a quick run. Now that there wasn't a horde of people in her way, she realized that the hall lacked a front door. In its place, there was a front floor.

There was no street-side wall, only a wide open space that spawned the entire length of the building, the upper floors being kept aloft with two meaty pillars that proudly flew the Flames’ banner. Seeing as the floor was packed with people standing in line in front of a desk as long as the floor was wide, it was safe to say that the Immortal Flames took the idea of an ‘Open Door Policy’ to its extreme…

Climbing the two half-steps that served as the curb and the limit between the Flames’ property and the city, Muur took a spot behind a corpulent man. Surprisingly, she didn't have to wait long for her turn. Whether by luck, or the clerk's skill, the people in front of her only took a few minutes each to conclude their business. 

“Good day to you,” Which left her face to face - ignoring how she was barely tall enough for her head to peek above the desk - with a man wearing a heavy grey-blue coat that simply could not be comfortable in this heat, “If you are seeking the immigration desk, I am afraid you have not come to the right place,” Tilting his head yo look behind her, Muur could see a few droplets of sweat begin to form at the spot where his rimless dark green cap met his brow, “If you are an adventurer in search of work, or a mercenary, you are similarly at the wrong place. We do not offer commissions directly, and make use of the Adventurers’ Guild to employ sellswords.”

“No, no, I’m just here to deliver some papers from the Ossuary.” Muur chuckled awkwardly, hefting up the packet of documents.

“From the Ossuary? But we're not expecting anything from there this week,” Taking the papers with a slight frown, he quickly flipped through them, “Oh, these are the leave applications and letters of recommendation for new thaumaturges looking to join the Flame. We weren't expecting them until next week,” Muur couldn't quite see the movement, but from the sounds of things, the documents were swiftly put aside for review, “Thanks. This'll make clearing the priests for leave much faster. I hope it wasn't too muchmuch trouble to get this here so soon?”

“Not at all, unless an opinionated man deciding I needed to be ranted at while I attuned to an aetheryte counts.” The lizard wizard chuckled softly, “My teacher wants me acquainted with the city and attuned to every last shard on it, so he gave me quite a few errands to make myself useful while at it.”

“Not the worst way to go about it.” The soldier said with a nod, “Well, I won't keep you here any longer. Good luck with the rest of your errands.”

Binding him goodbye, she pulled out the list of tasks and checked this first one, before looking at the next one. From the looks of things, it was a bit of an odd one.