Final Fantasy XIII 1. The Campsite

_This is the story of Sun Cosmo, Yun Sollette, Dia Yoren and Sol Tore. This is the tale of the four who stood together, the four who would not abandon a single soul to its doom. This is the tale, of The Last Saviours of Gran Pulse._

************* _Timestamp – Present_ *************

The moon was slowly crossing the skyline, various beasts could be heard fighting in the distance. The sounds echoing across the plains of the Archytle Steppe, enhancing the scale of the fights. This night it sounded as if several hundred beasts were active, even though it was probably only a pack of wild Gorgonopsids fighting against a Behemoth King that wandered into their nest. Hidden in a crevice however, was a small camp, a hooded figure keeping watch while the other inhabitants slept. The small fire that was lit was nothing more than smouldering remains, giving off a very faint glow that could barely be seen from any distance, the breathing from the sleeping humans was barely heard. Keeping the noise of the camp to a minimum, keeping the fire in the least visible place and keeping a watch on at all times at night. In the middle of the encampment, the weapons of each of the members rested together. A battle-worn halberd, the point and blade slightly embedded in the ground, the various notches and cracks in the blade and the chunk taken from the tip adding a more fierce look to the weapon. Resting against the halberd's shaft was a bow with a quiver and an arrow already notched, standing as if it was already aimed at a foe, the carvings on the bow had faded from use and there was numerous cracks in the outer metal layer. Laying on the floor in front of these two was a unique weapon, it was similar in looks to a shuriken, with the exception of being able to combine into a single, serrated blade. The blade contained its fair share of scratches and there was a lot of wear to the hilt. It was currently in the blade form while it rested.

The one currently on watch was wearing a black hide cloak, crafted out of the remains of the hunt the four took part in after they first met. Another item of the camp to take note of was the large pack at the rear, hidden behind everything and coloured the same as the hill in which it was resting against. This pack contained all the supplies the four had left. Life was always harsh on Gran Pulse, its people were always taught to be cautious and not bring any unwanted attention upon themselves, travelling light but prepared was one of the most preferred means of getting about Gran Pulse, second to that of Chocobo travel. If you were lucky enough to be able to tame one that is. The pack was coated in a mixture of plant extract and mud to mask the meat and healing supplies within. Out of the four of them, the one who came up with this idea was Yun Solette. A large, well-toned female from the Yun tribe. Renowned for their hunting prowess and their unrivalled knowledge of the landscape of Gran Pulse, they were always looked to when hunting or surviving was required. She currently resided in the tent closest to the watchman. The camp location was picked by Sol Tore, the oldest of the group. Standing a bit shorter than the rest, he is a male from the Sol clan who have a keen intuition and a cool and level mind. They were mediators between other clans and the first to call a union to combat the Vipers from Cocoon. He was currently resting in the tent near the rear of the encampment. The group owed a lot to Dia Yoren. Yoren was the smallest and youngest of the group. Hailing from the Dia clan, he has an immense amount of knowledge in healing salves and medical treatment such as it was. The kiddo has enough energy stored inside him the others wondered if he was running off magic. Yoren was snoring softly in the middle tent.

This segment of the Steppe contained no-end of trouble. Hunting for food became even more dangerous than ever before and all of them usually ended up getting wounded in some form or another. Sollette has a nasty scar across her forehead where a Amphisbaena managed to hit her while her guard was down, adding to the numerous scars she has previously attained. Yoren managed to take a nasty bite from a Megistotherian, to his abdomen. The bleeding was troublesome to stop but it hasn't stopped him from being his usually energetic self. Tore was sporting a completely bandaged right arm after a group of flans decided to merge and overpowered him, the swipe of their arms damaging the bones and heavily bruising his arm. Yoren pointed out how lucky he was to protect his chest from the assault. It would have most likely broken them, putting him out of commission and at this stage, out of commission, would mean out of time.

_Time_...something the group didn't have much of left.

The last member of the group, the one currently on watch, did not have a tall or muscular frame. He was fairly slim and his muscles were defined but nowhere near as pronounced as the others. Here sat Sun Cosmo, one of the remaining members of the Sun tribe after the first few conflicts with the Vipers had caused heavy casualties to the clan. Cosmo currently had a bandage over his left eye, which on Gran Pulse, is roughly the same as cutting your lifespan to be lucky to last another week at best. This wound came from a Ochu . This foul beast caught the group completely unawares and shortly into the fight, Cosmo took a nasty hit to his left eye. After Cosmo had his eye hit, the others went to overwhelming the beast with sheer force, and dispatching it to apply treatment to Cosmo. Now, with his left eye possibly permanently damaged, Cosmo was given advice from Tore. _You can still smell, you can still hear and you can still see with your right eye. Do not let this break your will, stay strong and play it smart. We are almost at the finish. One last stretch. One last plain. One last item to complete._

This advice brought Cosmo to the position he was in now, resting against a small rock, keeping his right eye looking out beyond the camp and using his hearing to compensate. Some elder's used to speak of how the human body has a will of its' own and can compensate where the brain cannot. Sharpening the senses, boosting adrenaline at times of danger, battling poisons and infections. Keeping itself alive, where the brain cannot keep track. The Sun tribe have always held the belief that a human is not one, but three. In Mind, they train their children to think then act. In Body, they teach the young adults to fight or to smith. In Soul, they teach everyone to stay true, stay focused and above all else, stay true to yourself.

The Sun believe that once they master all three, they can act in unison and unleash a human's full potential, while other clans focus on one. The Yun with the Body, The Sol with the Mind and the Dia with the Soul. Most clans were not religious, preferring to believe in their own power and abilities. However, some did revere the Fal'Cie as a higher being, others thought of them as the keepers of Gran Pulse. Others just thought they were the strongest from their era and as such have continued to live on. The humans were divided on higher beings, but in when it came to the Sun's teaching's, they did not dispute. While they may not be practicing them the same as the Sun, to reach the zenith of one through the mastery of all three. They chose to master one completely or two to a high degree. No other clan could reach the Sun's level of determination to reach the zenith, but no Sun member has reached the zenith as of yet. It has been over a hundred years since the last member of the Sun clan reached the zenith, and with the clan size dwindling, very few remain and out of those, even less have an even remote chance of reaching it.

The cloak shifted as Cosmo moved his position to a slightly more comfortable one against the rock. _It has been about a month now since then._ Cosmo thought to himself while his good eye kept scanning the perimeter. _We have certainly come a long way, and not just in terms of distance._ Flexing his hands slightly under the cloak, Cosmo let out a quiet sigh. Time was something all Humans never had enough of. Certain Humans even more so.

_At least I can say, I have no regrets now. We are almost there, our time is almost up but we are at the last chapter of this. To move forward and to complete this, we must succeed. Otherwise, it is not only our lives at stake..._

Cosmo let his head roll back and look up to the sky, it was a half moon, which didn't cast too much light as to let the feral creatures of the plains locate the group any easier. _It all began...roughly a month ago now..._


	2. Dawn and the Valley Encounter

************* _Timestamp – One Month Previous_************

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, Cosmo slowly awoke to the brightness hitting his eyes. Light flooding through the cracks of the abandoned house that he found himself in after fleeing his village in the Yachas. The house was situated outside of Paddra, the home of the Nsu clan and it's Seeress Yeul. He slowly pushed himself up off the pelt and looked around the room, his blue eyes gaining a slight tint from the dawn light that was spreading slowly through the room. Barely anything remained in this house to show someone had lived in it. Yawning and stretching slightly, Cosmo stood and began his morning routine. Stretching his whole body out first to loosen up, then flowing through the Sun's Rise. A short technique in order to get blood flowing all around and to wake the body up and get it ready faster than it would normally take. Rise involved Cosmo having his right leg out in front, then as the sun itself rises, so too does this foot. In the space of a few seconds, Cosmo executed a standing back flip, using his hands to maintain the balance of the move. This very quick motion gets the heart working and blood pumping. After repeating the move Cosmo felt as if he had been awake for hours.

Shaking his arms slightly, Cosmo proceeded to roll up the pelt he slept on and attach it to the travel sack he was using as a pillow. The sack did not contain much, just a few spare pieces of cloth for repairing his clothes with, a small amount of medical supplies and some seasonings for the meat he got from hunting. Once the pelt was secured, Cosmo fixed his clothing slightly. He didn't wear anything fancy, just a simple black shirt made from dyed sheep's wool and some shorts with a belt made from a beasts hide. Which beast, Cosmo doesn't know as it was something his father gave him before he set out on this journey. The belt contained a few loops for holding a small knife and a small pouch on the right side which was only really big enough to hold a replacement piece for the other item which his father passed onto him. A gauntlet made from Pulsian steel and infused with a small nugget of Adamantite, the Adamantite was something the village held dear and only his father spoke to the chief and the elder's discussed the matter for three long days, did they allow him to use it in the creation of the gauntlet. The gauntlet extends from Cosmo's fingertips up to his elbow and has carvings all along it. Some are simple Puslian markings, others are the wishes of the few remaining villagers. Cosmo looked at the gauntlet and closed his eyes as he remembered the final words his father gave him.

"_You do know what you are about to do boy..." My father said to me, forcing me to reinforce the idea and to make my will as strong as it should be for the journey._

"_If I don't do this, then all is lost. I know the weight of the cause and the burden that comes with it. But, if not me, then who else would do this." I shook my head slightly "No, I have to do this. Not just for the sake of our village, but for all the others who call Gran Pulse home."_

_My father simply smiled at me, I had no idea what was going through his head. He nodded slightly before holding out a small wooden box._

"_This is our last gift to you my boy." My father said, I could detect a hint of sadness in his voice. "The Chief, Elders and I had a long discussion about it...If you are going to go, then you will take this along with you." He placed the box on the floor in front of me before taking a step back and crossing his arms. "For nineteen years you have lived in this village, nineteen years you have spent learning, training and understanding. We decided that you take this, the strongest piece of equipment any of us have ever forged. Take this with you, do not forget what you are standing for and above all else..." Father took a breath here "Never forget...Who. You. Are." His eyes reinforced the meaning behind this._

_I met my father's eyes and nodded, showing him my determination on this matter. Bending down onto one knee, I opened up the box to reveal a gauntlet. I was a little confused at this since, with Hand to Hand, I was probably one of the weakest in the village. "A gauntlet, father?" I asked him._

"_Yes, it took a few days to make it to be a perfect fit for your arm and yours only. It is a three stage weapon. As for what the other stages manifest themselves as is down to you. The gauntlet is the first stage, in this it will transfer your speed and flexibility into the punch, making them more powerful than anyone else could muster." Father explained to me._

'_So that's why.' I thought to myself, speed and flexibility were my speciality. Coming a close second was endurance in those fields and taking hits. I nodded at my father before picking the gauntlet up out the box. It was incredibly lightweight and yet, it felt as if it would never break. Looking closer, the blacksmithing lessons I was taught were paying off. I could see something interlaced with the metal. Looking closer it could only be one thing. "Adamantite" I gasped. "How did you get the Chief to part with it?" I asked with amazement in my eyes._

_My father laughed before explaining "I argued with him. Simple as. I told him of what you wanted to do. Explaining the news from other villages and even the towns. After the first day he agreed to relent on it. However, he brought the Elder's in to decide what it would be mixed with. At first both me and the Chief thought a sword would be the most effective. However, the Elder's thought of reviving our oldest blacksmithing technique. They thought to create a weapon that is alive. Three tiers, all linked to you. They decided on the gauntlet for the first tier. As for what the second and third tier's are?" Father shrugged at this point "It is all down to you."_

_I took all this information in while still staring in awe at the weapon. Looking over the weapon again, I notice that there are some messages inscribed onto the steel. The messages were from various villagers. All of them putting their faith into me and all of them playing a part in the making of the weapon. "Did...did everyone really have a role in making this, father?" I asked_

"_The remaining villagers did not want you to leave without a weapon that help you throughout this journey. All of them played a part in making this, whether it was in the crafting of it, or in the chanting to will the steel and adamantite to fuse into a strong alloy. Simply put, it is all our hopes and wishes to carry you through this journey."_

_I simply could not hold back the emotions I was feeling, happiness, excitement and sadness among others. Tears formed and fell from my face, the smile and amazement never left. To me, there was no better gift. This truely was the Sun's Ray of Hope. "It...is our Ray of Hope. The Sun's Ray of Hope. And thus it shall be named, to show that even in darkness. The smallest light can banish the unknown and bring peace and comfort." The words just formed and came out of my mouth while my brain was telling my body to put the glove on. Lining it up with my right arm, I unhooked a latch on the side and placed it in. The end reaching just short of my elbow. It was a perfect fit, not tight and not loose, the latch on the side closed itself and simply faded into the steel. It was as if Ray of Hope and I fused._

_My father simply smiled at this point and walked out of the room, he went to the front room of our small house and picked up a pelt and a pack, hauling them over his shoulder with ease and placing them by the main door. "Son, when you are ready, your provisions are by the front. Know that you go with our clan's spirit, and will at your back, there to provide light on your travels."_

Shaking his head slightly, Cosmo brought himself back from his memory. He smiled after grabbing his pack and exiting the building. Taking in a deep breath of the new morning air, he set out again. He was determined to make some decent progress, Oerba was a distance away and the Vestige was not going to get closer anytime soon. Securing the pack over his shoulder and using some rope to secure it around his back, Cosmo then did a few small stretches before sinking down slightly onto his right knee and shooting off into the distance. Cosmo ran at a fairly fast pace and was using the landscape to keep his momentum going with little effort. Using rocks and sometimes parts of a cliff face to keep a decent speed going.

By the time the sun was reaching its zenith in the sky, Cosmo found himself in the valley below the Tower of Taejin. It's height is unfathomable whether at distance or up close. Some say from the very top, you could reach Cocoon. However, this was not the time for Cosmo to get sidetracked. He was faced with two options here.

"Now what to do here, I could either scale the cliff face, be under threat from wyverns and skirt the tower. Or I could proceed through it to the Seventh floor and take a machination back down to the outskirts of Oerba." Cosmo said out aloud. Probably too loud as his voice echoed in the valley slightly and was met with a low growl. Cosmo instinctively got into a low crouch and put his guard up. Whatever was coming didn't sound big or menacing. But out here, better to be prepared than overconfident. Keeping the right arm out to the side and ready to either attack or defend, he faced the direction the growl was coming from.

Seconds passed, slowly fading into minutes, the growl still being heard as it now started to bounce more and more around the valley, giving the illusion there was more than one attacking Cosmo. Responding by calming his nerves and focusing on one point, he was able to pinpoint the rough location of the beast. Too bad for Cosmo when the beast finally showed up, it was completely the opposite of its growl. A Mánagarmr slowly made its way along the valley towards Cosmo. The silver pelt of the fierce beast combined with the sheer amount of exterior bone structure, that gives the beast a rather unique but still utterly terrifying look, was painted slightly red, as if it had been in a battle just prior to thinking of Cosmo as an easy meal.

Upon seeing the beast Cosmo froze up, just for a second, the beast had been smart enough to change its growl, use the cliff faces and valley to create echoes. It was not going to be easy to defeat, even if it is supporting wounds. On Gran Pulse, wounded beasts mean one of two things. One, it escaped or two, it killed whatever laid those wounds on it. Neither option is good, as a wounded beast fights recklessly and ferociously. Cosmo kept his body in the Sun's natural stance, left leg forward, left arm raised across the chest and right arm pulled back and out to the side slightly. Giving the best flexibility between defence and offense while presenting a smaller target. He hoped that the small amount of time he practiced with the gauntlet would be useful, as up until now luck was blessing him with safe travels. "Seems Lady Luck has left me for now, ah well. Time to do this the hard way." Cosmo said before launching towards the beast, his left leg propelling him enough distance it was if he could fly. He was within hitting distance when he swung his body around and aimed for the beasts wounded side with his gauntlet. The beast was not going to be that easy, almost as fast as Cosmo closed the distance, it evaded back and went for a lunge, hoping to sink its many sharp teeth in tasteful human flesh.

The battle slowly turned into one of attrition, man and beast both equally matched, for Cosmo was inexperienced with the weapon and the beast was wounded. It was only when the bone protruding from the beasts head caught Cosmo on his left leg that things slowly went downhill. The bone did not cut deep, but it was long and shallow. Blood slowly started to cover his entire lower leg. Cosmo shook his head before slowly starting to fight defensively, keeping distance and waiting to make a counter attack. 'Should've practiced more' Cosmo mentally berated himself. Scanning his eyes around quickly, he noticed the beast was pushing him closer and closer to a crevice in the valley rock face, one where Cosmo could not dodge to the left or right. 'Thank the maker for having the only crevice in the valley right near me when I am being mauled by a thrice damned silver beast' Cosmo's mind slowly started making the insults more colourful and innovative while trying to position him and the beast away from the crevice.

It was only when the beast misjudged a leap and ended up hitting a rock and falling to the ground that Cosmo saw an opportunity. Lunging forward and then Jumping as high as he could, Cosmo flung himself around in the air and aimed the gauntlet for the beasts head. The Mánagarmr tried to get back up before the attack hit but to no avail. The gauntlet covered fist buried itself in its head, completely smashing through the bone and leaving a small impact crater just underneath.

Cosmo let out a small sigh before wiping his forehead with his left arm and moving over to a slightly bigger rock to examine the wound. Resting his leg on the rock, the cut was just below his knee and went slightly downwards across his shin. He kept his leg raised on the rock while undoing the rope on his pack so he could grab some healing salve to put over the wound. He noticed a faint whistling noise reverberating around the valley. It was only when it started to get closer that Cosmo thought the best idea right now, would be to duck. So he pushed his right leg back and did a sort of splits with one leg on the rock just in time. The point, blade and shaft of a halberd shot by, missing the top of his head by a very tiny distance. Feeling as though he was about to crap himself, Cosmo quickly got his pack off and grabbed the salve when the sound of running was getting closer. Applying a small amount of salve across the entirety of the cut before sealing the jar back up and placing it in his pack. With the salve applied the blood slowly started to stop seeping from the wound and he would have to wash the dried blood from the lower part of his leg later. 'Wash leg later, for now, be prepared to fight or run' ran through Cosmo's mind a few times. But it occurred to him, whoever was the owner of the weapon, and a fine looking weapon it was, would not use it like such. A halberd was not meant for throwing, sure it had a spike on the end, but that was more to jab enemies with, not launch at Etro knows how fast at someone's head.

Cosmo went over to the halberd which was slightly stuck in the softer part of the rock face, easing it out carefully he examined the point and blade for any damage. It was a very well crafted weapon to not break after that, so he held onto it once the owner of the heavy footsteps got closer. Once they got around the corner where Cosmo got attacked by the Mánagarmr, both of them were in for a shock.

Cosmo was surprised with what he saw. A female, no doubts taller than him, wearing a green sari and completely out of breath. She looked as though she was fleeing something big. Judging by her height and the length of the weapon, Cosmo put two and two together and held out the halberd by the middle of the shaft before shouting "Hey there, this belong to you?"

The woman jumped in surprise, she did not expect anyone else out here. Hell, the only thing she thought passed through this section of the valley were large beasts or people with a death wish. She looked over the person holding her halberd. He looked to be shorter than herself and looked to pack a lot less power and strength as, while there was some muscle definition, it was not that much. Although, judging by his lower half, he looked to be a speedy little bastard. Strong thighs and powerful calves, gave the impression that all the guy was good for was running. That was when her eyes looked back up, noticing the blue eyes and rough brownish hair, then past them to the beast on the ground. A beast, with its head completely caved in and a crater to boot. 'Heh, looks like he has a few surprises up his sleeve' She thought to herself while finally catching her breath back.

Walking over to the woman, Cosmo rested the halberd up against the rocks with the point and blade on the ground. "Guessing it is yours then huh?" He asked once more, although, he didn't need confirmation to know. The weapon and the user always have a way of speaking without even needing to speak. One person, one weapon. Everyone unique with how they use them.

"Yes it is, thanks" The woman finally breathed out. Her voice tinged with a deeper Pulsian accent than his own. "Thought I lost it when fighting an Amam" She pointed over the shoulder to the dead beast "An Amam is a grownup version of that."

Cosmo looked her over and her body language and eyes gave nothing away. Yet, he found himself more staring than examining. The woman had a solid frame to her, with defined muscles and a very well toned abdomen. Her eyes were green along with her Sari and her black hair was cut short and kept back in a ponytail with a few bangs falling over her face slightly. Cosmo knew it was not good manners to just gawk so he lowered himself onto the ground and sat against the rock face. "So, first things first, what is your name and what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked politely.

"Name's Yun Sollette." Instantly the clan name got a reaction from Cosmo, his eyes slightly widening in amazement. "Seems you know of the Yun's quite well. Anyways, I am out in this hell hole to hunt aforementioned Amam to be allowed to be the one from my town to make the journey." Cosmo understood the meaning of that very well. Most clan's refer to what he embarked out on as a Journey. The last journey most ever make, but for some, it is a gateway to a long sleep and peace.

"Seems I am not the only one being sent then, nice to run into you at least. I am Sun Cosmo, also taking the journey." He replied, Sollette nodding slightly at hearing the clan name.

"I thought the Sun clan was all wiped out during the previous battle? You and the Sol were targeted as you were closest to the battle frontier..." Sollette started before Cosmo cut in.

"Some of us made it out alive, while we may not be wiped out, if my journey is not completed, we may as well be." Anger laced the entirety of his words.

Sollette had good instincts to know not to push him further, instead she sat down next to him and placed her supply pack behind her to rest on. She decided instead to ask about how he could have defeated the Mánagarmr like that. She thought it must be something to do with the metal on his right arm. "What is that and how did you manage that?" Sollette inquired, pointing first to Cosmo's right arm and then to the beast.

"Long story short, the Sun clan used an ancient blacksmithing technique and crafted me this weapon, to which I had little practice with before that attacked and pretty much ended up getting lucky after it hit a rock and fell on its already wounded side. Jumping up, I slammed the gauntlet into its head and well, you can see the outcome." Cosmo explained, while Sollette just resorted to stifling laughter. To the Yun, a lucky kill is not even worth note. If you got lucky, you got singled out as a weaker member, having to rely on luck. Cosmo picked up on the laughter and a smirk started to take form while he bluntly asked "So, how did your halberd come to be flying past my head and you running like you have hell at your feet?"

Sollette furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at Cosmo, obviously he knew enough about the Yun's to know that if they lost their weapon in a fight or on the field, they best come back with it or not at all, as the weapon is a Yun's life. They are to live, fight and die with them. "Decided to lop its head off after killing it, put in way too much force and it slipped from all the blood and sweat on my hands halfway through the swing. Happy now?" She replied while glaring at Cosmo's smirking face, she was half tempted to punch him right then and there, but though better of it. While she was trying to be accepted for the Journey, he was already on his for his clan. As if he was reading her mind, Cosmo stood up and offered her his hand "Well you killed what you came for right? Might as well start your Journey with me since you are already halfway there."

Sollette was shocked slightly at that, sure she could turn him down, return to her town and report the kill. Then start her journey, but odds are, she probably would not run into Cosmo again, and that was something she didn't like. Even though she only just met him and already wanted to hit him upside the head, something in the back of her mind was nagging at her that this guy was not normal, from the weapon to his appearance, something was strange about him and she wants to know more. Nodding to herself before accepting his hand and being pulled up, Yollete said "Alright then, you make a good point. Cuts out time and saves me running into more weaklings to kill" Smirking as she said that last point, she probably could beat Cosmo in a heartbeat, but for now holding it over him will have to do. As far as she knew, she was probably the second or third strongest Yun. The first having gone on her journey already after losing her parents and being sent to an orphanage. Grabbing her pack and halberd she composed herself before pointing towards the tower with the halberd, using it as if it was as light as a feather.

"We still have some ways to go, we will probably reach the doors by nightfall at best or we will have to set up camp in a cave further in if we do not get there in time. This place is hell once the darkness kicks in. Come on then Sunny Boy, let's get going" Sollette laughed as she took off while Cosmo processed what she just called him.

"Sunny Boy huh? Well, Sun here is going to show you why nothing is faster than its' light" Cosmo said before launching himself after Sollette, grabbing his pack off the ground as he runs after her.

/

Author's Note:

Hi CosmoKitsune here, just want to say thanks for reading this and please leave a review or send me a PM if you find any errors :D

You will make me a happy bunny by doing so :3

Anyways, hope you enjoyed and I shall see you in the next chapter ^.^


	3. Trust and Dusk in the Valley

/Author's Note

Well, here it is. Chapter 3 :3

Hope you all enjoy this and I shall see you in the next chapter.

-Takes off hat and bows

/

"Fast little bugger aren't 'cha?" Sollette's voice rung through the valley, along with her laughter at their little game.

Cosmo smirked and put on another burst of speed, finally catching up to the Yun. "You are gonna have to be faster than this if you hope to even think of out running me" Adding his own laughter to the mix before matching his pace to Sollette's. At their current rate, they would reach the tower entrance just before nightfall. From what he learned, the tower was never safe, as it was simply too high to keep beasts and foul creatures from it, whatever Fal'Cie designed it and for what purpose has been lost to the ages, but it has proven an effective means of travelling to Oerba thanks to the Atomos style vehicles on the different floors.

"So, tell me some more about that weapon of yours. You said it was made by your clan right?" Sollette asked while keeping her eyes forward while running. It was never a good thing to become distracted when running, even at slow paces. The ground and beasts in the valley could soon catch you off guard.

"Yeah, I don't know much about the smithing techniques myself, since I was not involved in the process. However, I do know that it is imbued with Adamantite and the chanting that went on through the forging..." Cosmo had trouble wording the sentence, frowning he gave the simplest explanation he could come up with "It made both the steel and Adamantite come _alive_. So to speak. The weapon is linked directly to me and either, when the need arises or I show the will, it will take on a new form. These are linked directly to me and right now, I have no friggin' idea how to use anything but this." Cosmo raised the gauntlet for emphasis. "Enough about this anyway, what about your weapon? I've not seen many Halberd uses around before, and that weapon looks like it has seen its' fair share of fights."

Sollette glanced at the weapon in her hands momentarily "This belonged to my family line directly. It was passed through the family to the most formidable or the next generation if there was only one. It's called Ameno Nuboko. The weapon itself was forged in a part of Gran Pulse far to the east. How it got here and how it ended up with my family is any bodies guess, but it has served us well. It is said to have strong ties to the earth and as such it's power. The wielder and the weapon are linked, so long as the wielder lives, so too does the weapon. It can be damaged and repaired, but it will never break or become unusable. It is as sturdy as a mountain." Pride was clearly evident in Sollette's voice throughout this explanation.

_A weapon from a far away land, and one forged with ancient techniques...Coincidence, I think not _Went through Cosmo's mind as he listened. _If the Nsu clan knew of this, they would call it fate. However, I like to keep charge of my fate thank you very much. This is just luck. I'll be damned if fate brought us together at this point._ Cosmo zoned out for a little while, thoughts travelling thick and fast that his mind let the body do the running. His eye's obtained a rather faraway look while he was running.

Sollette noticed this and decided it was best to let him think, she can taunt and tease him later. For now, covering ground is the main concern. They had made some progress and were lucky enough not to be attacked, but there was still a long way to go to the tower entrance. Keeping her breathing steady and her mind focused she lead the two of them along.

The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, the tower was now covered in a soft orange glow and looked strangely magical. However, for both Cosmo and Sollette, things were not so magical. They managed to find a decent place to bunker in for the night, however said place was home to a handful of goblin's. Both Cosmo and Sollette were quite fatigued from the running and their legs were now aching beyond all else.

_Just five seconds ago we were happy that we found a place to camp for the night...And it just had to be the only place with goblins. Just great..._ Cosmo thought to himself, frowning slightly while fending off one of the goblin's punches. Sollette, however, seemed to be having the time of her life. She had already smashed, slashed and pretty much butchered one of the goblins and was dealing with the other that was trying to attack her. _How can someone be so joyous in battle_ thought Cosmo, while he was starting on the offensive on the goblins attacking him, keeping one at bay while keeping the other off balance and prone to attacks. The gauntlet providing a nice shield against some of their hits, even if it did feel as though his arm was going to break from some of the hits. _How can she just laugh while taking on some monsters... _Cosmo was utterly confused with her behaviour, a well placed goblin punch to his gut however, brought him back to his senses. Regaining his balance and trying to ignore the pounding sensation from his lower abdomen, Cosmo cleared his mind and focused on the goblin that delivered the punch. He was slowly developing a new fighting style while he was attuning to the gauntlet as such. Using his left arm completely for balance and manoeuvring and leaving the right to attack and defend, it gave him a lot more flexibility in the fight and allowed him to be more creative with his attacks. Incorporating a few kicks as well seemed to be effective as a distraction between moves.

A little distance away, Sollette was keeping an eye on Cosmo's fighting style as it slowly started taking shape in the battle. It looked to still be very basic, but the guy was learning, so she decided to cut him some slack on that matter. The goblin that was attacking her seemed to be staying just out of reach and trying to attack after Sollette swung her halberd, thinking it could get her while the sharp and pointy end was away from it. It was wrong, it seems that the staff of the halberd was an effective close quarters weapon in the right hands. Sollette was switching between swinging the blade end, very accurately mind you, and using the staff and bottom to counter attack. While Cosmo was fluid and constantly moving, she was sturdy and prepared. Some of her strikes were deliberately slow, as if taunting the goblin to come closer and get pounded by the butt or staff of the halberd. The goblin fell to the taunts and went full speed towards Sollette, arms flailing in a comical manner, as if it was going to windmill her to death. Sollette smirked _They sure are stupid_ she thought, before crouching down and spinning herself and her halberd a complete 360, the force from the strike cleaved the goblin in two, leaving the two...okay scratch that, one goblin attacking Cosmo. He managed to land a pretty hefty hit straight on the top of the goblin, crushing the metal plate and whatever small brain the goblin had underneath it. As soon as that goblin fell, the last one backed away slightly. The thought of two very deadly opponents and the lack of others to aid it drove the goblin slowly backwards. Both Sollette and Cosmo advanced on the remaining goblin, both readying an attack to finish this matter so they could set up camp. The goblin however, did not want to give up easy. Before Cosmo or Sollette could interrupt it, it summoned any energy it had left and morphed itself into a Goblin Chieftain. The Chieftain stood higher than both Cosmo and Sollette, and it's spikes meant it would be a much more dangerous fight.

"Great...Even more and larger spikes on a goblin, just what we need right now..." Cosmo said, frowning at the new form the goblin took.

"Heh, think of it this way, the bigger they are the harder they fall" Sollette replied while smirking, twisting her grip on her lance and bringing it horizontal in front of her body.

Cosmo simply rolled his eyes and changed his stance, shifting to the tips of his feet and keeping his right arm slightly in front. "We have to end this fast, I get the feeling this thing can make enough of a ruckus to bring more goblins or who knows what to us"

"Easy enough done, it's legs are a weak point, I'll aim for them if you think you can score a decent hit on the things face." Sollette stated while charging towards the chieftain, keeping her strikes low and fast to try and put the goblin off balance.

_Wait for the right moment, one strike will be enough. _Cosmo thought, keeping his eyes on Sollette and the Goblin. She was doing a pretty good job trying to throw the chieftain off balance, it was trying to protect itself more than attack her. _If I can just think of a way to get enough height... _The thought of how he defeated the Mánagarmr, the height, the twist and the force it produced. Repeating this might do enough damage to take this chieftain out of commission but how was he going to get the height... Watching how Sollette used her halberd gave Cosmo an idea _If Ameno Nuboko is as she says it is, this will work._ "Hey, Sollette. Boost me" Cosmo yelled while running towards her as she backed up slightly to avoid a deadly spiked fist.

Confusion flashed across Sollette's face before she understood _Clever bastard_ was he only thought as she repositioned while Cosmo was running at her, a side stance with the blade against the ground. Unconventional but then again, if it works it works. Cosmo quickly cleared the distance before taking a leap towards the halberd, Sollette timing it just right to swing in an arc. Cosmo felt his feet touch the halberd and shortly found himself launched into the air, at least thrice the height of the goblin. Using this momentum, he spun his whole body around clockwise twice, the momentum adding to the force of his punch. The goblin couldn't react in time, a combination of the ground attacks from the woman, and the males airborne antics were beyond its reasoning. In the space of a second maybe more, Cosmo's attack hit the goblin in the gap between its, forcing it to fall backwards. Both the goblin and Cosmo were going towards the floor, an armoured fist still embedded in the goblins face. Upon hitting the floor, the goblin's head was soon crushed from the sheer force of the hit and coming into contact with a very solid object. Said very solid object soon had a small crater behind the remains of the goblin's head. Cosmo, having jumped off the goblin, shook his arm in an attempt to shake off some of the blood that now covered his gauntlet.

"Well I'll be damned, that is one hell of a hit you pack there" Sollette said in amazement. She had seen powerful attacks before, but this one was new to her. Add in the fact it was an interesting way to use her halberd _Hell, looks like I was right to stick around with him. I wonder what would have happened if he overshot it though..._ Images of Cosmo hitting solid rock face first flew through Sollette's mind, manifesting themselves as a huge grin on her face and some barely contained laughter.

"Yeah, Yeah. You gonna give me a hand throwing these into the chasm? I don't want the smell to attract anything else...And stink out the campsite." Cosmo replied while Sollette seemed to be having the time of her life _I seriously wonder what goes through her head at times_. Sollette eventually calmed down enough to grab two of the goblins and carry them to the edge before throwing them into the fault in the land. It took the two of the to drag the chieftain by its' legs to get it into the chasm. With all the goblins and the chieftain disposed of, Cosmo and Sollette set about making a small camp. Containing nothing more than a small fire and their sleeping skins.

By the time they had prepared the camp and refreshed themselves with their supplies, night had fallen and the moon was slowly crossing through the skyline. "You want first watch?" Cosmo asked Sollette, whilst wiping some more blood off his weapon and his leg.

"With just the two of us, it's going to be some long watches. Split it into two each of two hours, this will help us know when to change over" Sollette replied while producing a small timer from her bag. Quickly setting the device to alert every two hours.

Cosmo looked at the device for a few seconds. Back in his village, technology was scarce. After the recent battles, it was pretty much rare. They only had a select few pieces anyway, even before the attack. The Sun clan preferred to not have it intruding in their life. While most towns and cities had cement and metal buildings, they still had small wooden and cloth covered ..tents more or less. It was a similar story with the Yun clan, they chose only to adopt the tech that could aid them though. The digital devices that could count time or some of the radar devices helped greatly with hunting groups and protection of their home. They had more houses and more stable buildings than the Sun, but even then Oerba, the smallest and least developed town on the whole of Gran Pulse, was more furnished and had better housing. To these clans, the wilderness and traditional life on Gran Pulse was better than any technology.

Other clans however, embraced the technology. The towns, cities and large constructs all around on Gran Pulse were testament to that. They even developed war machines to keep peace and defend the towns from the more violent monsters. Some of them were small, the Hoplite's came to mind, others however, were more than a match for most any beast. The Armaments and Centurions, their strongest creations, have even managed to repel Oretoises, and when the war began, Cocoon and it's armies struggled in the first few skirmishes and battles under the sheer might of the Pulsian Automata. In a very short time, however, they developed stronger and faster airships to deal with the ground forces. Proving that air beats ground any day. The Pulsian's, replied with airships of their own. While the Cocoon has adopted speed and agility, Pulse replied with armour and stronger weaponry. Both sides destroyed a hefty amount of the others armada and forces. The losses and damage caused to both sides, both human, automata, airship and the L'Cie who fought in these forced both sides to sit back and anticipate the others next move. A long time passed with neither side attacking, but both living in fear of when the other would strike and with what.

This fear became second nature for most, while others busied themselves with what became known as 'The Arks'. There is no documentation of how many or where they are. All that is known is that they house both powerful automata, and a strong magic. Said to release the full abilities of a L'Cie and bring them to their peak, any to find one and can enter the chambers will have their full power revealed to them and become an unstoppable force.

"Whaaaat, you never seen something like this before?" Sollette asked after noticing how intrigued Cosmo was getting with the device.

"Not really, didn't have much tech back at our village, most everything has been done by the traditional ways. That being said, the first few battles didn't help much. Relocating what we could and staying true to the traditions is probably why you guys thought we were all gone." Cosmo replied, shifting his gaze into the sky. The moon was visible now and even though it was showing but a third of its' light, it was more than enough for the two of them to easily see around them.

Sollette nodded slightly before she too, looked into the sky. The Yun and Sun could be classed as really traditional, but with everyone else living and breathing technology. There had to be a few to keep the traditions alive lest they all be forgotten. "Well, to explain this in the simplest of terms, place it over your right ear. It will emit a very low sound only we can hear to alert us that the time has passed. Just wake me up once your shift is over and grab some sleep before your next one." Came the explanation.

"Alright then, pass it here and go get some shut eye. We still have the tower to go through tomorrow and then through Oerba, into the Vestige. Knowing our luck, plenty more fights will be in our way." Cosmo replied, catching the device when Sollette threw it to him.

"Gotcha, any trouble just wake me up. If you have trouble staying awake...Try giving a name to something, an attack or just something you see. Hell, I'd like to see what you would call that aerial manoeuvre of yours." The usual smirk graced Sollette's lips as she said this.

"Heh, go get some sleep. I'll wake you up when it's your turn" With that, Sollette went over to her sleeping skin and planted her halberd in the ground at the bottom of it. Cosmo, with minor difficulties and some laughing from Sollette's part, got the device attached to his ear and set about keeping watch. A low rustle followed by some deep, slow breaths was all the confirmation he needed that Sollette had gone to sleep.

_Hey father_ Cosmo thought to himself while looking once more at the stars. _I met an interesting person today. She's from the Yun clan. She is a bit brash and annoying but, she shares the same ideals and lifestyle as us. You would like her. Even though I've only just met her, I know I can trust her, fighting alongside her gave me a good insight to her personality. She enjoys the battles far too much but...she has a caring heart and will go any distance to do what is right. Seems I won't be alone on this journey. I wish you and the rest of the village well, I hope everything is going fine for everyone. I miss everyone back home but, I do not regret this, feeling sad is a good reminder of what I must do. _A solitary tear ran down Cosmo's right cheek. _When I complete my journey, I hope I have a good story to share with all of you._ Cosmo emptied his mind after that, the slight smile that showed and the reminiscent look in his eyes were the only visible things around them.

"Seems like it's going to be a quiet night" Was the last thing heard in the camp. The single phrase, said softly, passed through the night like a whisper in the wind.


End file.
