It was the shadows that first informed Satori of the attack upon their camp. Their eyes were everywhere and unseen by the interloper they were able to speed through the jungle at impossible speeds. Yet as individuals they were weak, utterly incapable of presenting a defense against the brutish sandstorm, and so they crowded around their Princess to inform her of the intrusion while chattering in their own tongue. Like most minor elementals they were not particularly intelligent and so deciphering their tale was something of a guessing game, the tale they settled on spoke of a dust elemental far from its home encroaching on their territory, which struck her as somewhat improbable given that the beast would have had to travel hundred if not thousands of miles unmolested, quite a way to go for simple vandalism.

That it was not destroying the forest while it went and had instead chosen to target the Shin-Ra research camp told her that this was a calculated thing. Not so much of a surprise, the company had many enemies and a habit of making more; today it seems they had earned another one.

Satori sighed and then flicked her wrists out, the shadows faded from view but not completely, shrinking into a state that hung somewhere between the second and third dimension where they clung at her shoulders and crowded at her heels. If one were particularly perceptive they would catch prying eyes gazing out wherever they could and hushed whispers like those of eager children. There they would remain, little more than an extended peanut gallery for the Princess of Shadows, as she preferred not to throw the lives of children into the battle if she could at all help it. Besides that dark magic which she summoned from deep inside was far more potent than those shadows which occurred in nature.

A few quickened steps saw her standing over the excavation site where just under two dozen researchers in loose khaki clothing and pith helmets toiled away, and with a sharp whistle caught their attention, “Someone is approaching the site and I have a feeling they aren’t friendly.”

“And I suppose you’ll be going to meet them.” The most senior of the researchers, a man with a great and furious moustache, whirled to face her. “Is there any reason for us to worry?”

“Given their trend towards collateral damage I would say yes.” Satori’s gaze catered off towards the approaching aura. It was finally close enough for her to detect the powerful soul tugging the strings at the rampaging storm, soon after the sound of falling trees reached them and someone shrieked, “By the way. I hope you weren’t too attached to anything you left at the camp; I’ve been told that our guest has thoroughly destroyed it.”

“How do y—“ the man began before cutting himself off short. “Right then, well where do we go? This thing is cutting off the path to camp, whatever’s left of it, and the only thing besides the ruins is jungle. Frankly I don’t like my chances with either.”

Satori grimaced as she remembered the trek here, not a safe place for anyone without significant equipment. “I take it you haven’t entered the ruins yet?”

“Hell no, I’d prefer to wait for a safer solution before we plunge into a poison factory.” He said.

“Doesn’t seem like you’ll have a choice captain,” and with that Satori turned on her heels. The researchers would likely crowd themselves into an entryway of some sort, taking advantage of the nigh indestructible ruins while doing their best to avoid delving in too deep. After the incident with the supersized predatory feline it was clear that Satori was something of a messy fighter who considered her life first.

The girl was off, moving in a blur until the moment she spotted the other mage, a burly man with skin as black as night and a bald pate. He had been kind enough to loosen his grip on the whirlwind of sand, turning it into a widespread dome around his body, dangerous but also presenting enough gaps for her to peer through and appreciate the giant beast beneath it. He was easy to single out too given the staff that he carried with a boulder nearly his equal in height and far superior in width attached to the end, like a mace or presumably a flail, if he could find some way to form a loose tether of earth between the stick and ball; she had no doubt that he could. Dressed like a scholar and casting magic like a mage but with the body that would be the envy of any warrior he would present a serious threat if they ever fought.

The bridge between them was a short one, a scant thirty feet long but it kept two flat faced plateaus connect and beneath it there was a sheer drop into darkness. She in turn stood just around the bend, twenty five feet or so away from the rickety rope bridge, her left hand at her hip where she clutched the grip of the overlong caster gun Lil’ Timmy. Custom built by Black Diamond Arms, the best kept secret in Sector 2, it was a magical powerhouse in its own right with a barrel nearly a foot long inlaid with crimson runes each glowing under their own power. The butt of the gun ended in a sharp spike and the ass could slide back to accept solid state munitions. This was just in case she wanted to get clever; most of the guns power came from its ability to channel materia and its willingness to accept her dark magic. Four slots; the first linked pair belonging to Reflect and Counter and the third singled out for Earth. Standard spells that one could find on the streets if they were looking hard enough. The last one was a summon slot by the name of Onryo, it was a materia of her own craft, and Lil’ Timmy particularly didn’t like it.

All of this to say that Satori drew her gun and took aim at the stranger, the runes along the barrel filling with a crimson light one after another until a dull magical hum filled the air. She was content to aim in his general direction for now, informing the stranger that she wasn’t too happy with his presence but leaving a gap for negotiations if he was feeling magnanimous, and if the man-titan thought to get the jump on her with that kindness he’d find Satori had something of an itchy trigger finger.

“I don’t know who you are but it’s awfully rude to root through a ladies stuff like that while she’s out,” Satori closed the gap to twenty feet from the bridge, a grin on her face. “You may call me Satori, the Princess of Shadows and guardian of this caravan. Now then, since I was polite enough to introduce myself, what is your name and what business do you have with us?”