Chapter One:
“Oh, really? This axe is that much stronger than mine, you say.” I stared down at the little Tarutaru merchant. This was quite an effect, as I was maybe four feet taller than him, with a large, heavy Great axe slung over my back. The Taru just grinned at me, obviously used to this, but his younger friend took a small step back with a slightly nervous look. I knelt down to examine the gleaming weapon in the merchant’s arms. “Oh, yes! Only the best weapons for my customers,” He said, “and this is certainly the best!” I lifted the axe, eyeing the Mithran runes carved into the blade. Light and quick, this was certainly faster than my current weapon. “How much is this again?” “Only 47,000 gil,” he replied, “And that’s 8,000 less than normal!” I sighed, and was reaching for my bag when suddenly I heard a very familiar voice from behind me. “Dunas!” exclaimed my old friend, Gavyn, “Don’t buy that!” The little Taru gave a small sound that I swear sounded like a squeak as the towering Elvaan approached. “Gah!” he exclaimed, “Not you!” I smiled at this. My friend was notoriously ruthless when he was mad, so many people went far out of their way to avoid him if they were on his bad side. After grabbing the axe, the little Taru suddenly slammed the flat side of it into my side, knocking me over, and ran off, his friend not far behind.

“Nice to see you again, Gavyn,” I said, as he grasped my arm and yanked me to my feet, “and your timing is perfect, as usual.” “Oh, well, you know me,” He said, grinning, “Always looking out for my friends.” I simply nodded, then sighed with relief after finally confirming that the little scammer hadn’t damaged my Iron Musketeer’s Breastplate. I was already running low on money as it was, and couldn’t replace the armor if it broke. I shouldn’t have worried, though, as the distinctive white-and-gold armor was so expensive for a reason. However, the impact had still done a little damage to my body by smashing it against the gear… “Hey, could I ask you for a favor?” I asked, pulling off my helmet and laying it inside of my sack, which instantly absorbed it into some other dimension or something… a Moogle explained it to me once, but I never really understood. “Sure, and I just know what it is,” He said, spreading his arms in the traditional gesture of White Mage casting. Within moments, the magic surging up around his body condensed, became blue-white, and swirled around me, leaving the warmth of magical healing as it dissipated. “Thanks,” I said with a smile, “So what brings a White Mage of your prowess to Kazham?” Now, maybe I should explain. Kazham is a small port town on Elshimo Island, and it borders the twin Yuhtunga and Yhoator jungles, as well as the fearsome volcano, Ifrit’s Cauldron. I had arrived about a half-hour ago, and was browsing merchants row when the earlier scene occurred. “Oh, I’m just here to check out the Cauldron. Just like you… looking for that infamous bandit.” I sighed. Was there anyone who hadn’t heard of Jamil Miiriall’s escape from the Jeunoan Ducal Guard, and her subsequent dash into Ifrit’s Cauldron? “Tell you what,” said Gavyn, noting the sigh, “Why don’t we look for her together? It’ll be fun, and maybe we can get some others to help!” “Sure, but how many people are we talking about?” I asked, feeling the familiar weight of the Sinsofenmity Link-Pearl in my pocket. “I was going to ask the Linkshell!” Gavyn replied, and sure enough, within moments the brown pearl was set up above his ear. Laughing a little, I slid the magical sphere into the same place, and was greeted by the sounds of several people talking about several topics. Nodding to Gavyn, I began to help him recruit people for our group. This was going to be interesting.


Chapter Two:
He stood in front of me, the twin axes gleaming as he slipped the long, metal band around his waist. Tellmok, leader of the Sinsofenmity, had decided to get in on our little expedition. The powerful Warrior was a perfect example of someone who you didn’t want to be at all mad at you. The multiple scars on the skin which could be seen through his Artifact armor gave one a pretty good idea of how tough the man was. Gavyn had offered many times to heal them, but he’d simply replied that they were reminders of mistakes not to be made again. Got to admire someone who can say that and mean it.

Standing beside him was a Tarutaru who didn’t look at all “cute”. The Red Mage’s blade shone in the bright Yuhtunga sun, and the dazzling red-and-black armor gave a hint of just how powerful he’d become. Gaanbaan, although his reputation was no less fierce, still was a stark contrast to Tellmok. I had often wondered who would win, if those two were ever to go at it. I had decided that a homicidal mage with both self-protection and terrible destructive powers going up against a Warrior with a Ninja’s speed and skills was a recipe for Armageddon. Lucky for Vana’diel, the two were good friends, and now stood side-by side as Gavyn and I examined our troop.

Next, came a younger man in the unmistakable grey armor that could only be the Kampfschaller gear. He stood eye-level with me, his shield and sword both at rest, and his eyes gleamed as I gave him a nod. This would be Arcon’s first trip into the volcano known as “Ifrit’s Cauldron”, and although I knew the Paladin to be strong, courageous and smart, he would need watching once we were inside, among monsters that varied in strength, ranging from minor pests to the Bomb Queens and Ash Dragons, whose legendary strength was said to rival that of the Fire Avatar the volcano was named after. Gavyn nudged me from behind, and I moved on.

I simply smiled. There’s nothing else one can do, when you meet with Foxy. The plucky little Mithra’s nickname of “Foxy Red Rose” had stuck, until only she remembered her real name. And she seemed to like “Foxy”, so she wasn’t in any hurry to remind us. The catlike girl gave me a mischievous grin, and caused me to pause. “Give it back, Foxy,” I said, trying hard not to laugh. Arcon didn’t seem to notice the fact that the three mithkabobs he was cooking had suddenly become two. Foxy gave me another little grin, and slipped it back, surprising Arcy (Arcons nickname)  badly, and receiving a small pebble to the tail from Gaanbaan, who couldn’t help chuckling a little anyway.

Finally moving on, we came to a tall Hume in Samurai armor, with a wickedly sharp Great Katana slung over his shoulders. I bowed courteously to Mathilias, who returned the favor with a bored look, which clearly indicated he was ready to get going. Gavyn rewarded the look with a shrug, and we moved again.

Next up was another Hume, but this one was far more intimidating. Fudd stood about three inches taller than me, in his jet-black Dark Knight armor, with a powerful Great Sword forged by the legendary smith Balin. He gave me the courtesy of removing the nightmarish helm, but kept the rest of his equipment on, ready to fight anything at any time. The leader of the Insomniacs, he was also a very skilled Ranger, but we had decided we needed his brute strength and spells here. I gave him a quick salute, and then moved on down the line.

I smiled when I saw our next member. Another plucky little Mithra, the Red Mage grinned at me, showing her teeth. I laughed, as Ayamun ran up to me and gave me the most high-speed hug I’ve ever received. “Great to see you again, Aya,” I said, as she moved back to the group, looking a little embarrassed. “I’m so happy to see you, too… sorry about that…” I couldn’t blame her. It had been far too long since she and I had seen each other, and it felt good to be getting old friends together again, especially for something as exciting as a trip to the Cauldron. Gavyn nudged me in the ribs, and I lightly smacked him to get rid of the little chuckle, then we moved to the next person in line.

True to form, there he was. The mighty Paladin was experience level 75, among the highest reaches of the elite in terms of skill and ability. I simply knelt down before Jurg, not knowing what to say. His gleaming gold armor, known as the “Lord’s armor”, was spotless, and the mighty Excalibur blade hung at his side, while his shield’s scars were a testament to his ability. He nodded gently, and then lifted me and Gavyn to our feet, and smiled. We then moved on without a word.

Now, you’re probably wondering about this “experience level” I’m talking about. Well, I’ll tell you all I know about that. Apparently it all started with the guy who stands around and tests for power before taking off the strange restriction enchantment so you could progress. Maat, the old man who had been assigned to judge higher-leveled adventurers, was actually the inventor of the experience system. The idea was that as a person gained more experience against enemies, he or she became markedly better at their particular job. Thus, he implemented the level system. Thanks to magical sensors that were cast over a person at birth, it had become possible to actually calculate experience using a numerical system, 1 being the lowest level, 75 the highest. In order to progress after certain levels, Maat himself had to test an adventurer. At several levels, one had to take a test, known as the Genkai test. These were assigned by Maat himself, and whoever could reach 75 by defeating Maat in a true test of skill, earned the always-respected title of Maat Masher. I had heard that the one who came up with that title received one nasty smack upside his head from the old guy, and I don’t doubt it at all.

Anyway, as we moved on, I spotted an old friend, the high-level White Mage “Livlovburndie”. Now, that name has no history to it, and lord knows why she won’t explain. But she won’t, and that’s that. Walking up to her and welcoming her into the group, I then checked the list. Almost everyone, but where was Kyavi?

Finally, upon looking through the magic shops in Kazham, I managed to find the young Mithra attempting to convince a Bard to buy her a staff. She didn’t need it, and as I dragged her out, I apologized to the man and tossed him four hundred gil for his trouble. After having to go back for her hat, we managed to regroup inside of the city. After buying everyone a round of drinks, I announced that we were leaving at 6:00 the next morning, much to everyone’s approval, since the original plan had been to leave four hours earlier. As we all headed to our rooms in the restaurant/hotel/bar, I sighed and reflected on the day’s crazy events. My final thought, before drifting off to sleep, was that tomorrow would be the adventure of a lifetime. And how right I would turn out to be.



Chapter Three:
I was jolted awake by the sound of someone being inside my room. Besides me, of course… but this was a one-person room. Standing, and grabbing my Razor Axe, I moved softly into the main part of the room, where my valuable armor, earrings, rings, and a few weapons were being kept. I spotted the dark shape, and froze when I realized that I was staring at a Mithra, apparently in the gear of a well-established Ninja. She must have been very, very into whatever she was doing, because I was very close to her, my twin axes in my hands, before she turned. As she did, her brilliant dark eyes caught the moonlight, and I recognized a lifelong member of the Tenshodo organization. However, whatever the Tenshodo were, they were not thieves. But the necklace she wore around her neck, as well as the distinctive fur at the tips of her ears, were undeniable. This was a rogue Tenshodo, something extremely rare. As her katana cleared their sheaths, my axes were already on the upswing, parrying her blow with a ring that had to have woken up Gavyn, who was right next door to me. I heard him getting up as the Mithra swore softly. She turned, obviously trying to get away, but I caught her with a flying tackle that resulted in both of us dropping our weapons.

As her thick leather armor cushioned my blows, hers hit full-on, until she managed to throw me off her. I came up with an axe in either hand, and began to attack again. That was when she swore, loudly. I followed her horrified gaze, and found that her tool pouch – full of ninjutsu tools – had fallen off, and was now at my feet. Picking it up, and slinging an axe into my belt as a temporary solution, I grabbed a Shihei and began to cast the Blinking ninjutsu, Utsusemi: Ni. When I was done, she finally realized what I’d just done, and leapt at me… only to pass straight through one of three illusionary shadows, and smash into the wall. I tucked her bag into my belt, and shoulder-rushed her, again knocking her down. As I managed to move back into a position where my second shadow would absorb the likely counterattack, I heard the familiar sound of plate mail on a wooden floor. Spinning the twin axes quickly, I watched as the Mithra, now stunned at how humiliating this encounter with a single Hume was being, took out another shadow. As she finally took the last one, I spun and brought an axe hilt down on her head, knocking her out. Not ten seconds after, Gavyn and Tellmok burst through the door, gave me one look (and a Cure spell), stared at the Mithra, then said in unison, “What the hell happened?!”

I sighed, feeling even more worn out now than I had the night before, and dropped the axes onto a table. “Gav, Tell, I believe we have a rogue Tenshodo on our hands… the necklace, which has a design none can produce save Aldo, and the style of fur on her ears are just a few examples. The big ones are her swearing in Tavnazian, and of course the Tenshodo-only katana,” I said, picking up the deadly Sai in my left hand and turning it over. Sure enough, there it was… the signet of Aldo, leader of the hidden society, the Tenshodo. Rumor had it he was from Tavnazia, a continent which had fallen to the Shadow Lord’s horde of beast men years ago. Certainly, the fact that he knew how to translate the Tavnazian language was suspect, as well as his frequent trips out to the Tavnazian Stronghold, a mighty fortress erected in monument of the city which had once stood in the exact same place. Gavyn and Tellmok were in awe. I knew we didn’t have time to take the young girl back to Aldo’s hideout in Jeuno, but that didn’t mean we could just leave her here. “Tell,” I said, “I would like to have her accompany us into the Cauldron. Now, hold on, listen,” I exclaimed, seeing the instant look of refusal on the Elvaan’s face, “I will take personal responsibility for her. She will have to stay near me at all times, even if the entails roping her to my wrist or something.” I watched him considering it. She really was a lovely girl, but I had already shown her that I could defeat her without armor. On the road, in my thick metal gear, she would have to be an idiot to attack me.

Finally, he replied, “Fine, but only because you’re taking personal responsibility for her welfare and for preventing her escape. Don’t make me regret this, Dunas…” “No, sir, you won’t be disappointed,” I said, a bit of my soul soaring at the news. “I wonder if Aldo’s got people looking for her,” Gavyn said, “And if so, I wonder if they know she was after us.” “Relax, Gav,” I grinned, “She’s in my hands.” “That’s what I’m afraid of,” the White Mage muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. After thumping his head, we got the gear together and went downstairs for an early breakfast. The sun was just creeping over the tree line, and already I’d had something happen. I grabbed a Tavnazian Taco, and ate it quickly, nodding to Gavyn (who was on his sixth. Fast eater.) happily. This would be quite the adventure.



Chapter Four:
“Dunas!” I spun, and was knocked over by Ayamun, again at high speed. We were approaching Ifrit’s Cauldron, and the volcano loomed up ahead. She got up, grinning, as I dusted off my armor. “Heh… Aya, could we avoid slamming me into the dirt for a while?” “Oh, sorry!” She clung to my arm, as we caught back up with the group. The Goblins in the way just ignored us, recognizing the fact that they would easily be wiped out if they attacked, and then there it was. A massive iron door, inlaid with rubies and with carvings of Ifrit.

Someone in the most recognizable armor ever stood at one side, nodding. The group stopped, and I was thrown to the front to talk with the GM. GMs are Government Military. They’re incredibly powerful, and their armor and weapons are the envy of any adventurer. I knew this GM’s voice… he’d nearly arrested me not long ago on a false claim of theft. “Hello, Gabriel.” “Dunas… a surprise and a pleasure, to be sure. No hard feelings, I hope?” I nodded. It was in the past now. “None. You were just doing your job.” “Good, good… listen, you guys might want to turn back… we’re having some trouble here, an odd magical interference is clogging the Home Point revival system. If one of you dies, they’re not coming back… we’ve had tests with Raise on some Orcs… nothing.”

That was bad news. The HPRS, or Home Point Revival System, was a magical network set up to revive heroes instantly within an hour of death. After that, the person was dead… and Raise spells would only work within that set time frame also. “We’ll be ok, Gabe, I promise.” “You know better than I. Good luck, guys… you’ll need it.” He walked up to a massive door, and pulled out a small silver seal. It locked easily over one of the gold Ifrit ones, and the doors swung open smoothly, revealing the hellish inferno that was the Cauldron. We stepped inside, the doors shutting quickly… and prepared ourselves. The Cauldron was among the deadliest inner-planar places in Vana’diel, and was a close runner-up for overall until Lufaise Meadows was discovered. The mithra, being slung over my shoulders, stirred at the heat… she’d been knocked out after I was tackled, landing on her. She started to help us get ready… this was going to take all of us as a team.