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Debts Owed in Ala Mihgo

Written by: TiranMaster

Commissioned by: Legotron123

Members of the caravan stood back and waited as Felix and his band of adventurers stepped forward, the black furred hrothgar sliding his gunblade from its sheath. “Don’t worry, we know what we’re paid for,” he said smugly, shooting a look over to one of the caravan leaders before looking forward at the behemoth before them. “Didn’t think you ugly bastards stuck your muzzles out here,” he commented, getting into a battle ready stance. “You all know what to do, get to earnin’ your gil!” he roared.

In unison, the cleric started to chant, magic gathering about his staff as he channeled healing magic. Nearby a thaumaturge pulled a fire ball from thin air, plucking out before throwing it towards the behemoth. Felix watched as a miqo’te smiled blithely, slipping a pair of twin blades out of her sheaths before launching herself forward, doing several impressive slices into the behemoth’s back. As the others in his party started to attack, Felix sniffed in an unimpressed manner. “You’re all very fancy with your little tricks,” he grunted, hefting his blade as he strode towards the behemoth, meeting its angry monstrous eyes with his own feline ones, “but ya don’t have the same panache as I.”

From behind the group, the caravan gasped as the hrothgar seemed to explode with fiery magic, his entire body launching forward as he plunged his blade into the behemoth’s side. The monster roared in anger, bucking and slashing at the band of mercenaries, but it quickly became apparent it was nothing before the might of the group. Between the group’s savage attacks, and the healer’s potent magics, the monster was soon laying dead as Felix wiped his blade on the behemoth’s furry hide. “Any of ye want this hulkin’ monster’s skin?” he yelled, glancing back at the caravan.

Almost immediately, several tanners and alchemists ran forward, keen interest in their eyes as they got to work on the behemoth’s corpse. Meanwhile, Felix slid his blade back home, glancing over the heated sands of Gyr Abania. “Lookin’ forward to gettin’ home,” he grunted to one of his companions, the thaumaturge in the process of collecting some aetherial crystals dropped by the brutish monster.

“You’re just ready to wet your whistle, don’t lie to me,” the lalafell said with a smug smile, slipping the crystals into her pouch. “Not that I can blame ya, this job’s taken us what, two weeks?”

“Just about,” Felix groaned, stretching his back as he started back towards the caravan, seeing several excited faces. “Alright, we should be good to be rollin’ forward once more shortly,” he called out, “once they’re done with their gathering.”

The gunbreaker jumped back onto his perch at one of the wagons, catching a few admiring glances from some of the caravaning women, and a few jealous ones from the men. Felix just snorted as he pulled out a pipe and started to smoke an aromatic herb, closing his eyes as he savored the flavor. As he took several long pulls from the pipe, he felt a warm shiver through his body, his mind going a bit hazy as the taste lingered on his tongue. For a moment the hrothgar swayed, taking puffs, his eyes briefly glazed until he finished the contents of the pipe.

After he’d finished his pipe, Felix blinked away the effects after a while, stowing away the pipe as he smacked his lips and came back to the present. The sooner they got back, the sooner he could take a nice soak and enjoy himself some drinks. The gil they were getting from the job would be enough to let him kick up his feet for at least a couple of weeks, and in that time he could score his group another high paying job. As he thought about the money, for a moment the hrothgar’s eyes grew glazed, his eyes peering at the city in the distance. “Got bills to pay...” he mumbled, his expression clearing up soon after, the haze fading as he shook it away to pay attention to the roads once more. Though they were almost to Ala Migho, there was no need for him to lose focus, monsters were prone to pop up at any time.

The doors to Ala Migho swung open slowly as the caravan of carts flowed into the city, people already excitedly awaiting the incoming carts. Shopkeepers, civilians, even a few town guards rushed up to meet the carts excited to retrieve their goods, and perhaps a few more. Felix and his gang of adventurers each palmed a bag of gil, checking the interior briefly before exchanging their final words with the congregation of caravaners. “Gods above, I’m glad to be done with that job!” Their resident miqo’te said, stretching her back as she let out a long yawn, “that chocobo of theirs was constantly trying to eat my ears, and don’t get me started on the smell.”

Felix just chuckled as he brushed his own nose, remembering the smell well enough. “Don’t forget that they pay our wages as well as any other. If they call upon us for another job, I won’t hesitate to take up with them again. So if you’re plannin’ on coming along, you’d best buy some gysahl greens,” he said with a wink. Then he took a turn, starting towards one of Ala Migho’s side streets, the rest of his group pausing.

“Sir, ain’cha gonna join us for a drink?” Their cleric asked, the hyur leaning on his staff, looking a bit winded from the trip, but clearly eager to celebrate with the group.

Waving over his shoulder, Felix felt oddly compelled to go and pay his debts as soon as possible. “I’ve got some things to do, I’ll meet you at the bar in an hour. Have the first round on me!” With that the others were exponentially happier, throwing up their hands and letting out a cheer as they practically ran towards the bar, worries about their boss almost immediately forgotten.

As for Felix himself, he covered his eyes to block out some of the sunlight as he walked down the busy streets of Ala Mihgo. Since the city had been reclaimed from the Garlean empire, every day the city was filled with more life, new commerce, and an influx of people glad to be out from under the thumb of imperial rule. To say nothing of the events of the past month, with the world nearly coming to its end, people being transformed into abominations. The thought caused the hrothgar’s stomach to flip, he’d had to fight old friends, watched as they were transformed into creatures of pure fear and malice. “Enough of that,” he grunted to himself, refocusing on his trek through the city.

All the hrothgar could do was think that he had debts to pay, but when he tried to remember what those were, he found his mind wandering slightly. Felix swayed around a couple of kids running down the alley, his eyes always forward, his pace steady as he fingered the bag at his side. Whenever he returned to the city, it was his priority to [b]pay his debts[/b]. He once again wavered, his eyes glittering for a moment, the compulsion growing stronger. He’d been gone from the city for several weeks, he’d had no way to pay his debts before, but now he was flush with cash.

Stepping out into a busy thoroughfare, he glanced up and down the road, seeing people of all different species. Hyurs, elezen, lalafell, even a couple of viera were all busy tending to their wares, running errands, and living their busy lives. Felix found himself focusing on them less though, he had someone to see, he tried to remember... but it faded away as he continued forward. His body knew where to go, even if his mind refused to supply the information. He turned down several alleys, through a few underground tunnels, thinking less and less about where to go, and more and more about his [b]heavy debt[/b].

Stepping deeper into the city, the signs of war were still heavy in the area, those parts that hadn’t quite been fully repaired. Scars ripped into walls, parts of the floor unsteady from bombs having gone off, and even a few scraps of Garlean flags strewn about. Felix ignored all of that, looking intimidating as he stalked forward, practically a machine programmed to follow commands. He finally found what he was looking for after nearly a half hour of walking, pulling his blade off of his back automatically and setting it beside the door. After all, it was only customary to one’s host to never bring dangerous weapons in.

The front of the house were several swatches of silk hanging across the open doorway, along with beautiful pieces of art just sitting out there. Most people might worry that they might be stolen, but clearly the owner wasn’t too concerned about losing money. Pushing aside the silks, a familiar perfume of smoke drifted out from within, a voice calling out. “Who comes into my abode?” The voice was a little older, not quite that of an old woman, but certainly a mature and confident one.

“An adventurer who seeks to pay his dues,” Felix called, his eyes glazed as he took a deep breath of the smoke flowing from within. He knew it well, for he used it himself when he smoked, something he’d picked up... some time ago, he couldn’t quite remember.

“Very good, it has been some time since you’ve been around. Come, Felix, let me see your coffers.” Felix bent low to enter into the building, nearly bumping his head as he straightened up, looking around to see many colorful scarves within, the building festooned with surprisingly beautiful artifacts and many glittering trinkets. “Deeper in, my servant, don’t lose yourself in the glittering gold.”

Felix nodded, barely paying heed to the term “servant”, instead knowing that he needed to pay his debts. Walking within, he found her sitting on a luxurious set of pillows, taking a pull from a pipe of her own, one far more gilded than the simple one he used. By this point, the hrothgar’s eyes were glazed over completely, his expression dumb as he knelt before the woman, to be specific, a bangaa woman. She wore a lovely scarf that covered her face, though her eyes glittered with excitement as he drew close. “I was starting to fear you’d somehow broken free of your leash, my pet,” she purred, pushing a golden bowl towards the hrothgar.

“I would never leave without paying my debts,” Felix said, upending his gil pouch over the golden bowl, pouring out every single gil he’d just earned, along with those still within. The hrothgar straightened up, staring forward blankly, waiting for her to give him another command.

Reaching forward, the bangaa woman started to pluck out coins, checking first to make sure they were real, which they were. But more than that, she weighed the gil in her hand, clearly impressed by the amount within. “Truly, of all of my gil slaves, you are the one who brings in the most time after time.” She gazed into his glazed eyes, remembering the first day he’d walked in, unaware of what was going to happen.

[center]***[/center]

Two Years Prior in Ul’dah...

Felix had run after the runt, a young bangaa who had managed to snatch up his gil purse and sprinted off into the crowd. “Get back here, brat! Do you know who you’re messing with?!” he snarled, bounding off of several awnings with ease. This of course pissed off the local merchants, not that the gunbreaker really cared one way or another, he just wanted to get his money back! His companions were waiting for him back at the bar, expecting him to pay, only for the hrothgar to realize his money had been snatched by a young cutpurse.

Even with his impressive speed and power, Felix was being outrun by the young bangaa, some part of him was honestly impressed. The hrothgar was certain the youth might make a good thief one day, perhaps even a good member for his band... only if he hadn’t had the misfortune of stealing from a very angry cat. Several times Felix almost caught the youth, only for him to slip away, deeper into the depths of the city, into darker seedier parts. “Where did you go?!” he hissed, glancing from side to side, looking for the young thief.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the bangaa ducking into a small tent, his muzzle pulling into a fierce grin. “Bad choice!” he snarled, rushing forward towards the tent. It was nestled between several crates, a few glittering pots in front of the tent as well as a couple of lines of beads, but otherwise it looked rather underwhelming. Throwing open the tent, he was met with a potent smell that made Felix sneeze powerfully, the scent overwhelming and a bit nauseating.

“Who comes into my abode?” a voice called out, a woman’s, something that Felix hadn’t been expecting.

“Someone who was just stolen from!” Felix growled, stomping inside, nearly managing to stamp on an expensive looking vase before he was snapped at.

“Be careful, you oaf!” the woman yelled, causing the masculine hrothgar to hesitate as his eyes slowly refocused in the smoke of the small tent. He finally found himself looking at a bangaa woman, glaring up at him from a pile of plush pillows.

Despite his anger, Felix wasn’t quite able to shake a part of himself, that hrothgar part that wanted him to submit to a strong female. “I... I’m sorry,” he said, suddenly blushing, the anger gone for a moment before it snapped back in place. “Ma’am, have you seen a young bangaa boy? He stole my gil, and I expect him to return it in full! If you’re hiding him, I will have to report you to the guards!”

The bangaa woman took a slow drag from her pipe, releasing a cloud towards Felix, the scent once again tickling his nostrils, making him feel... oddly warm. “Did your pouch look something like this?” the bangaa woman asked, pulling a heavy gil bag from behind her.

Felix’s eyes widened, he recognized the bag, it was indeed his. “Yes, that’s it! Did you retrieve it from that thief? May I have it back?” He held his hand out, expecting her to put the bag back, but instead she just drew from that strange pipe again.

“I’m so sorry, my dear, but in fact part of this bag belongs to me,” she said, smoke pouring out with her words. Felix should’ve been more angry, snapped more easily... but instead he cocked his head, feeling weirdly dazed.

“It... it is?” he asked, trying to concentrate, attempting to clear the fog that was forming in his head. “But... that' s my gil, I earned it.”

“But that’s just the thing,” she said, tipping her pipe at him, the aromatic smoke flowing off of it in waves, “you owe me a debt.”

“I... do?” Felix asked, starting to kneel down to be more on the bangaa’s level, feeling strangely rude for towering over her. His anger was melting away, his thoughts were melting away, he... needed to listen. “Why... do I owe you a debt?”

The bangaa woman smiled, she could feel her smoke wrapping around the muscular brute’s brain, as it had with other men. “Because, my dear, all men owe me a debt. You adventurers, with sacks so heavy with gil, it’s an insult to a woman such as I. Clearly, you owe me part of your money, after all, how else will I take care of my big strong men?” She reached out and touched the side of Felix’s muzzle, the hrothgar’s eyes widening as a sense of pleasure flowed through him.

“That... makes... sense?” he asked, unsure, but somehow he couldn’t push against the warm feelings and her nice words. “But... I need money...”

“Oh my dear, I won’t be taking all of it,” she crooned, stroking Felix’s muzzle, the cat letting out a small purr as he pushed into her hand. “I will merely be taking a tithe, one that will keep me healthy, don’t you want that?”

For a long moment there was silence, for a second the bangaa worried that Felix might wise up, break through the smoke... but then he gave her a shockingly wide smile. “Right, okay! Please, take what you need!” Though she was shocked, the bangaa indeed did take the money, and she knew she had a new gil slave to tap for money whenever she needed.

[center]***[/center]

As the bangaa’s mind returned to the present moment, she found the hrothgar’s blank expression waiting for her, even more entranced than it had been two years prior. “Thank you,” Felix said, smiling dumbly, barely seeming to fathom that he was leaving his livelihood up to the mysterious woman.

Setting her pipe down, the bangaa pulled Felix towards her, blowing a steady stream of smoke into his muzzle. The hrothgar shivered and moaned, taking deep whiffs, his eyes completely glossed over as he smiled like a fool. “If I took all of your gil, you wouldn’t even argue, would you?”

“Of course not, ma’am, I owe you a great debt,” Felix said, shivering with eagerness to do as she needed. There were never any flashes of memory of how he’d first met her, he’d even bumped into that young bangaa a couple times again, but he had never recognized the youth. Even when the bangaa decided to tease him, something about the smoke made it all flow over his head, he was kept nearly constantly under the bangaa’s spell, even if he didn’t realize it.

Letting out a wicked chuckle, the bangaa released her grip before leaning back, taking another pull from her pipe after picking it up. “Truly, it’s clear I should have been going after hrothgar long before now. I do not know if it is due to your propensity towards matriarchy, but you are so easy to tie up into knots, so eager to obey me. The others at least struggle sometimes, push against my spells, but you... you are like a kitten ready for a mother’s love.”

Felix didn’t respond, but merely smiled at her obediently, clearly enamored, ready to do anything she said. Letting out a sigh, the bangaa chuckled before she started pulling clumps of gil out of the golden pot, her servant doing nothing more than waiting as she sorted through his gil. She took an even third of the gil, and then poured the rest back into his bag. “This will do for today, I took extra for your delay in visits. Next time, I expect you to be much more prompt, do you understand, boy?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Felix said eagerly, taking the gil pouch and strapping it to his side once more, the bag lighter, but he didn’t mind in the least. “Can I do anything else for you, ma’am?”

“No, I shall be good,” she said, taking another puff from her pipe, “you may collect more of your leaves before you leave, it would be a shame if you didn’t keep yourself nice and dosed.” The hrothgar nodded and bowed, pulling some leaves out of a jar and sticking them in his pouch before leaving, walking out without another look behind him.

Reaching over to the bowl herself, the bangaa started to stuff her pipe once more, knowing that she would likely need a fresh dose. It was a special herb she’d found deep in a magical glade, one that had the ability to loosen ones’ will and control, making one malleable for anything someone might command. Of course, it did have a bit of an issue, if it wasn’t imbibed nearly daily, its effects would quickly start to wear off. While bangaa were nearly immune to the effects of the drug, other species were not so lucky, and it had become an easy feat for the woman. Though, she’d certainly had some stumbling blocks, especially when her first few “toys” got away after she’d neglected to have them constantly smoke the drug, so she’d been careful to start implementing a command for all of her servants to smoke the stuff, at least once a day.

Not too long after, a half hour, a young bangaa ran into the tent, older now, but still recognizable as he slipped a pouch into her waiting hand. “Good work, take this, and be gone,” she said, slipping several gil into her hand before putting it in his hand.

“Thank you, Madame Becile!” the young thief said, flashing her a smile before disappearing through an exit in the back.

Madame Becile smirked to himself before slipping the end of the pipe back into her mouth, she had work to do again already, and another mind ready to fall under her potent spell. Already she heard the lumbering steps of someone else, watching as the cloth was ripped aside, revealing a shadowy figure just beyond. “Who comes into my abode?”

As for Felix, the further he got away, the more his mind returned to normal, though he felt... off, a little sick. It wasn’t something he was unused to, but he certainly wished he knew why it came on whenever he returned from jobs. He hefted the sack at his side, but barely paid it any mind that it was lighter than when he’d last felt it earlier in the day. The sun was already lower in the sky, but he knew next where he was to go, his comrades were waiting back in the bar and he still had a debt to pay.