To write this chapter, I took Achiyo (level 52 PLD) and rounded up a party finder of folks willing to fight Coils 1-5 synced to level 50. Twintania took a couple days to beat, and when we did, it felt awesome!! It’s a lot harder than my writing implies… But the chapter was tending to the long anyway, and Twin isn’t really worth the epic writing, not compared to Phoenix and Bahamut will be.
Starting to feel like writing Voltron fic, stand by. : P
EDIT: I was never happy with Chuchupa’s little bit, or her backstory; I’m still not totally sure what it is, but it’s not what I had here before. I also added a bit for Vivienne, because her brother has thus far not made a single appearance and she seems kind of distant from him, like he’s not necessary to her story. Which means he probably isn’t, which I would like to fix.
Chapter 7: Once a Hero
Rinala had passed out from exhaustion not long after they had escaped the Castrum, and she did not hear much else until about eight hours later, when she woke to find herself in a tent with the sun smiling down outside. Someone had dressed her in clean clothes, and someone – probably one of her Scion friends – had even got out her Thancred plush and laid it in her arms while she slept. She squeezed it happily, sleepily, then decided she should probably get up, she was ravenous.
She stumbled out of the tent, still hugging the plush, and into a wall of light and noise. She put up a hand to ward off both, and after a moment, she began to make sense of it all. Rubbing the sleep out of one eye, she smiled shyly at her friends, gathered there in front of her, and they were congratulating her, even Alphinaud, who said “Ah, here is our heroine!”
“Rinala, you’re awake!” That was Achiyo.
“The kitten certainly proved herself last night,” said Tam.
“I say,” and she froze at hearing Thancred’s voice. “Is that… me?”
She screamed as she realized that Thancred had seen the plush; the cat was out of the bag now, so to speak. “Ahhh! It’s- not what you thin- Baka!”
She heard him chuckle, warm and alive, caught sight of him seated in light clothes in the midst of the others, and he held out his arms to her. Tears started in her eyes, tears of joy and overwrought emotion, and she hardly needed encouragement to throw herself against him, her plush clutched carelessly in one hand. He held her tightly, one hand on the back of her head, the other around her shoulders; he was warm and solid and alive, and she drank in the feeling ecstatically. “I missed your ‘bakas’, my dear. You are the most adorable… And you saved my life, and my mind, and my freedom. I’m ever so grateful.” She felt him kiss the top of her head and wondered if she would pass out again.
“Y-you’re welcome,” she stammered.
“I heard you calling me, in the darkness – you and Minfilia, but I couldn’t find my way out until you broke the crystal.”
“Y-you heard me?” She pulled back enough that she could pretend to look him in the eye, and he nodded his fluffy head. “And what you said, a long time ago… I’m strong now. I know that I’m strong. I can make you proud.”
“I am proud,” he said, smiling at her, and now she really did faint.
“Someone feed this girl,” she heard Chuchupa barking when she came to again. “Really, there’s no mystery here. Sit her down and feed her, ye layabouts!”
Rinala wriggled against the arms holding her, they definitely weren’t Thancred’s, and opened her eyes again. Tam was carrying her easily. “Stop wiggling, do you want lunch or not?”
“I want lunch,” she mumbled, blushing horribly. “Agh, he must think I’m such an idiot…”
“He thinks no such thing,” Tam told her sternly. “Sit. Eat. The Alliance leaders are going to start making speeches in a bit and they would prefer if all of us can be gawked at by the multitudes.”
“Oh no,” Rinala said. “I don’t want that.”
“Rather fight Ultima again?”
“Menphina’s tears, no! Very well. I will eat quickly.”
“Thancred doesn’t remember anything,” he said in a low voice, as he deposited her in a seat at a small table covered with amazing things to eat that had clearly been set out just for her. “In case you were wondering.”
“That’s a good thing,” she said. “I’m… I’m glad.” Tam stashed her plush under her chair and stepped away, not that she was inclined to continue the conversation, because of all the food. The others were nearby, but didn’t interrupt her. She was a little jealous of their light-hearted talk and laughter, but she could join in when she was done, and applied herself studiously. There was grilled fish and boiled eggs, cold roast and stewed vegetables, and she couldn’t resist the sweets off to one side.
And she could look around, take in the sights she’d only dimly registered to this moment. The Alliance had regrouped in Mor Dhona, on the other side of the lake from Castrum Centri; the massive ruin of the Imperial warship Agrius loomed over them with the corpse of Midgardsormr twined about it, but even that could not dispel the merry feeling about the camp, not under this bright high sun and clear blue sky. There were colourful tents and pavilions and awnings all about, and so many soldiers milling around, though they gave the Scions a respectful space.
The Scions… She turned her attention towards them in time to hear Thancred say to Vivienne: “And who is this dark beauty?” and hear Vivienne interrupt him with a flat “No.” Heard Cid guffaw in response. She giggled a little to herself, though slightly irritated by the flirting. It wasn’t often she heard Thancred shut down so thoroughly. And she heard Minfilia say to Achiyo: “You certainly may count Eorzea your home! You fought as if you’ve lived nowhere else! Ah, no offence to Hingashi,” and Achiyo stammered something inaudible and blushing in return, with Chuchupa nodding and cackling at her. She even saw Urianger, lurking behind the others.
When she was beginning to slow down but before she was quite finished, Aentfryn stepped over to her table. “You did well.”
“Thank you,” she said, trying not to speak with her mouth full.
“You may be pleased to hear that Urselmert and I have decided to join the Scions.”
“We can keep working together?” she asked hopefully, ears perking up. Aentfryn was still a little intimidating, but he was very good at what he did, and having him with her made her life a lot less stressful.
“Yes.”
“Why’d you decide to join, if I may ask?” she asked.
Aentfryn huffed and folded his arms. “It was mostly Urselmert’s idea. The Warriors of Light, as they’re calling us, are now inextricably linked with the Scions. There really is little intelligent choice but to join. I hope your senior members are happy.”
“Well, I’m happy,” she said cheerfully, and put her plate away from her. “We couldn’t have overcome any of what we faced without you.”
The Roegadyn’s face softened slightly, for perhaps the first time she’d seen it. “Then it is for the best.”
She hopped up and collected her plush, then went to join her friends. She would have liked to hide it away again, but Thancred already knew she had it, and she didn’t want to leave the group even for a minute now.
Alphinaud was the first to greet her, somewhat to her dismay, but he smiled surprisingly sweetly at her and bowed low. “I wanted to thank you personally for all your hard work and courage.”
“Um… you’re welcome?” Rinala said, terribly confused. “You’re… not just thanking me, right? I only helped.”
Alphinaud looked confused in his turn. “Of course I thanked the others, but I have no wish to leave you out. In any case, well done.”
“Thank you.” She managed to smile awkwardly at him, then turned to Yda as her friend rushed to her to hug her.
“Rinala! Were you scared? I was pretty scared.”
“But you’re never scared!” Rinala protested. “Yes, I was very scared, but at the end I found what it was to be brave in spite of being scared.”
“That’s amazing,” Yda said. “Where did you get that doll, anyway?”
“Chuchupa bought it for me in Ul’dah. Apparently there’s a toy shop there…”
“We must all get them!” She made a thoughtful face. “I wonder if they’d make one of me…”
Rinala giggled. “An army of tiny Scions?”
“I’d make a nest out of them,” Yda said, laughing with her. “Y’shtola, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a daft idea,” Y’shtola said amiably. “I’d rather have books than dolls.”
“Now there’s a sensible idea,” Papalymo said.
“Oh, but what if you could have both?” Yda asked her. “Think of the possibilities!”
“I can’t imagine what you’re talking about,” Y’shtola said. “Actually, if I must give an opinion, I’d rather have one very large doll, of a pudding – something that would squish when I sat on it. Somewhere comfortable to read. Is that what you’re referring to?”
“A bean-bag chair!” R’nyath spoke up.
“What’s a bean-bag chair?” Rinala asked.
“Ah, maybe you don’t have them here? My uncle works in the Mun-Tuy Cellars, where they ferment the Mun-Tuy beans, you know. And they keep them in large sacks, and you would not believe how comfortable they are to sit on when you’re a wee lad and running away from chores…”
“Why am I not surprised,” Y’shtola sighed. “But yes, something like that. Perhaps not an actual sack.”
“Now that you’ve said that aloud, you’ll receive five of them,” Kekeniro said drily. “Either from admirers or pranksters.”
Y’shtola’s lips curved in a rare, smug grin. “Are you saying I can’t make use of five ‘bean-bag chairs’?”
“I hope you share,” Yda said, her tone teasingly jealous.
“That depends how well you’ve behaved,” Y’shtola teased back.
Conversation ceased then, and their attention was drawn to a small hillock overlooking the lake, where Raubahn, Kan-E Senna, and Admiral Merlwyb were gathered under their banners. The soldiers had grown quiet, listening expectantly, and the Scions hushed and drew near to listen.
“Friends!” Raubahn began. “The dread night of imperial tyranny and Ascian machination is ended. A new day now begins in Eorzea.”
“True to their name, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, along with our champions, have delivered us from darkness,” said Merlwyb.
Kan-E Senna made a little bow. “Let their shared victory serve to remind us of our shared history. And let their bravery in the face of adversity inspire future generations.”
Raubahn clenched a fist before him. “Doubt not the realm will need bravery in the days to come. Old rifts threaten to divide us within our walls, while hordes of beastmen claw at our gates. And though the Black Wolf be slain, the rest of the pack remains. Yet no foe need we fear, so long as we stand as one…”
Merlwyb looked over to them. “So long as the scions stand for peace…”
Kan-E’s gaze followed hers. “So long as our champions stand fast… For their exists no adversity over which we may not jointly prevail.”
“No longer can we turn a blind eye to the suffering of our allies,” said Merlwyb.
Kan-E spread her hands to encompass everyone. “No nation stands alone. If one should fall, so shall we all. Eorzea is our shared home. For any one of us to know peace, so too must our neighbour.”
“Just as we join in solidarity before you this day… So too shall our Grand Companies be joined henceforth, to strive not only for the good of mere nations… But for the good of all the realm.” Raubahn threw out his arms in a similar gesture.
“Change will not come overnight.” Kan-E smiled happily. “Yet I foresee a day, not so very far from now, when the lines that divide our lands fade… And all of Eorzea is one.”
Merlwyb bowed her head briefly. “It has been but five short years since the Battle of Carteneau. Five years since the advent… of the Seventh Umbral Era. No victory, however sweet, can wash away our bitter sorrows. No triumph can reclaim those we lost.” She pointed towards the assembly. “Yet do not presume you honour them by dwelling on the past. It was not the past they fought for. You would repay their sacrifice by looking to the future.”
Raubahn smiled over at the Scions. “A future united, as the Warriors of Light united in these champions.”
Merlwyb took a step forward. “Now is the time for us to rise as one, bearing all of Eorzea on our shoulders!”
“Five years ago, Eorzea bore witness to the end of the Sixth Astral Era,” said Kan-E. “Now the Seventh Umbral Era draws to a close. Yet we come together not to glory in its end, but to mark a new beginning.”
The three leaders extended their weapons to meet the others, Raubahn’s sword, Kan-E’s staff, and Merlwyb’s pistol, in a symbol of unity. All three spoke as one. “Let it be writ that on this day… by the light of the Crystal… Eorzea ushered in a new era! The Seventh Astral Era is come!” They raised their weapons skyward. “And thus is ours a realm reborn!”
The assembly burst out in cheers and applause, for a few minutes on end simply rejoicing as one. It was so beautiful, Rinala thought, smiling fit to burst. She’d hardly been so happy in her life as on this day!
Ten or fifteen minutes later, as the crowd made merry conversation, she felt something, sensed something… a sound, perhaps, that made her twitch, a short pain in the back of her head. When she regained enough senses to look around, she saw that only her Warrior of Light friends had reacted the same – an Echo thing, perhaps?
Minfilia was also looking troubled. “What is it?” she asked Achiyo, who shook her head slowly.
The ground shook beneath them with a rumble – no, it was not the ground shaking, but the entire star, the air trembling too with the sound of a mighty, all-encompassing roar. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears, and many screamed. Rinala crouched, shivering; she’d never heard anything like it before, not even from Ultima. She glanced reflexively towards the gigantic dead dragon in the lake, but it hadn’t moved. The roar couldn’t possibly have come from it.
And when it had faded, the same questions were on everyone’s lips. “What was that? Where did it come from?” Rinala could see Raubahn giving orders to several soldiers, who saluted and ran off. Achiyo had put a hand on her sword, and there was something alarmed in Tam’s eyes Rinala had never seen before.
A scout from the Brass Blades came tearing up in a dreadful hurry. “Dread tidings! Chaos and carnage!” he shouted desperately. “It is an abomination-! A… primal! A primal has awakened!”
“What!?” Minfilia cried in disbelief, Raubahn and Rinala with her. “Scions!”
“Aye!” Chuchupa and Yda were ready for action.
“Tell us more,” Merlwyb said to the panting scout. “Where is it? Does it immediately threaten us? What sort is it?”
“I-I do not know, Admiral! Our thaumaturge said the aetheric disturbance could be nothing other than a primal, and I came to report immediately!”
“That’s true,” Y’shtola said, scanning the horizon with her aether goggles. “It does resemble the signature of a primal. But not one I have seen… since…” She trailed off abruptly, removing the goggles and sharing a significant look with Minfilia, Urianger, Papalymo, and Thancred.
“I do not believe we are in any immediate danger,” Urianger said, turning his back briefly to replace his own aether goggles with his regular goggles. “However, the Grand Companies will be nervous to remain in this place.”
“Seedseer, Admiral, General,” Minfilia said, approaching the Alliance leaders, “while we are probably not in immediate danger, it would perhaps be best to relocate now. Rest assured the Scions will investigate to the best of our ability.”
“Thank you,” Raubahn said, looking slightly relieved. “We already owe you much. You will have whatever aid you require.”
“Limsa promises the same,” Merlwyb said.
“And Gridania,” Kan-E said. “You have our deepest gratitude for everything you have done.”
Minfilia bowed. “Thank you for your support.” She turned back to the Scions as the leaders moved away, giving orders to their troops. “Let us return to the Waking Sands and regroup.”
Rinala sighed a little. Why did there have to be a primal now? Everyone had been so happy, and now they had gone right back to being scared. Including her. But why should she be scared? She’d helped to kill Ultima!
“We fear the unknown,” Tam said in a low voice. “It is what the lugwuarthei preyed upon…”
She didn’t know what he was talking about, or how he’d known her thoughts, but he was right. Maybe the monsters of his home were like the primals to him…
A day later they had returned to the Waking Sands, now completely in order. Tataru was in her usual place. Rinala tried to catch Wedge’s eye, to hint that he should go talk to her, but he stubbornly ignored her. She sighed. It wasn’t as if she could blame him. She hardly had the courage to approach Thancred about ordinary things, let alone confessing her feelings. He had probably guessed at them, she was bad at hiding it, but since she hadn’t said anything yet…
They met in Minfilia’s office the morning after they arrived, the more senior members before the eight newcomers. But when the eight entered, Minfilia immediately turned to them with a bright smile. “Thank you for coming. I’m pleased to say that from this moment, you eight are now officially on leave. Pray take the next two sennights to rest and relax, and leave this new primal investigation up to us.”
“That means you’re to go home, or wherever you like, and not to even think about coming back unless it’s an emergency!” Yda said, wagging her finger at them.
Home – to visit her parents – she hadn’t seen them in so long! And she really needed the break, she was still low on energy. To sleep in her own bed, to help her mother weave and sew her clothing wares, to eat her father’s fish, suddenly she longed for it so intensely she caught her breath. She’d been holding back those thoughts for months, focused on proving her worth to the others, but now that the opportunity was so plainly offered her, she was frankly homesick.
“Thank ye for letting me do what I’d do anyway,” Chuchupa said, grinning. “Princess, you have nowhere to be, right? Why don’t ye ship along with me for the time being?”
“That would be lovely,” Achiyo said, bowing Eastern-style.
“I’ll be heading back to Limsa as well,” Aentfryn said. “I will take the same ferry before heading my own way.”
“Happy to have ye,” Chuchupa said.
“You can visit Lylydi!” R’nyath said to Kekeniro.
“And you can visit your tribe,” Kekeniro said to R’nyath. “Will you be all right?” he asked Vivienne.
“Of course,” Vivienne said. “I have much to brag of to my little brother.”
Tam raised an eyebrow. “I have nowhere else to be. Wouldn’t mind getting back into Larkscall but it sounds like you need the hands-”
“No,” Yda interrupted him. “I don’t care where you’re from or how old you are, you’re going on leave.”
“What Yda means to say,” Papalymo said a little pompously, “is that while someone must investigate, more was asked of you than the rest of us against Ultima and therefore you require rest before you work yourselves to death. The rest of us have had it easy in comparison, and this is work we have experience in. We’ll handle it, never fear.”
“Besides, there is someone who wouldn’t mind a visit from you, isn’t there?” Yda asked cajolingly.
Tam considered it thoughtfully. “I suppose there might be someone out there whose company I could stand for a while. Very well. Consider me gone, then.” He waved and left.
“A little quicker than I had expected, but I had nothing else important to say,” Minfilia said. “Be off with you! Enjoy yourselves!”
“Thank you!” Rinala said, and the others joined in after her.
Yda caught up with her outside the room. “Now, I know we’re supposed to begin investigating, but Minfilia said we – Y’shtola and I – can see you home if you like, since we’re good friends and all. I asked, you see. We are good friends, right? And you live just across the bay.”
“Oh, would you? I would love for you to come!” Rinala cried. “Would you be able to stay for lunch? My father makes wonderful fried fish!”
“Fried fish?” Y’shtola said. “Very tempting. Let us be off, then. I’ll just make a quick call, and then we can begin our proper investigation after lunch. After all,” and she gave a slight smirk, “we did work hard in this assault as well.”
Rinala was so excited as they rode to Crescent Cove, taking the ferry from there to the Silver Bazaar. She couldn’t stop talking, except when Yda interrupted her to speak almost as rapidly back at her. Y’shtola watched them both with amusement.
Then the ferry docked, and there was the steep slope up to the village, and suddenly she was nervous. Who would be around? Everyone would be around, of course, it was a quiet place, no one went anywhere…
She hurried up the steps, Yda and Y’shtola lagging a little behind, and saw only a few people about – but they turned to look at her with surprise, and then awe and delight. So they knew… Rinala blushed fiercely before they could even say anything.
“Ah! Rina! Fideh’a! Your daughter’s come home!” Kikipu cried, announcing to the entire village.
“Shhh!” Rinala hushed her reflexively, forgetting that it wouldn’t stop Kikipu. She’d wanted a quiet time with her family… although, she had missed the neighbours too, she could make time for them. Maybe not in the first hour, however.
Her mother and father came running, tails raised like flags, to embrace her on either side. “Rinala! Oh, Rinala, I’m so glad you’re home safe,” said her mother.
“You look so tired and thin,” her father said. “Ah, are these your friends?”
“These are two of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and very good friends,” Rinala said, stepping back to look at both of her parents at the same time. “Yda, and Y’shtola. Can they stay for lunch? Please?”
“Of course, Rinala,” said her mother. “Thank you for calling us, Kikipu!”
“It’s a happy day,” Kikipu said. “A genuine hero, from the Silver Bazaar! The Syndicate’ll think twice before trying to wipe us off the map!”
“Hmph! Have you already forgotten the entire ‘saved Eorzea from the Empire’ business? I’d think that far more important,” demanded Fafafono, and the two began to bicker as they often did.
Rinala led her friends to her parents’ modest home, where she ate her father’s cooking with great pleasure, but shortly after Yda and Y’shtola left again, she found herself becoming very sleepy. Even in the middle of telling her tales to her parents, of her friends and how she met them, and the enemies she’d fought, the places she’d been, and maybe a little too much about Thancred, she was yawning. Perhaps a short nap was in order…
Tam arrived in Camp Dragonhead a short while after he left the Waking Sands – riding would have taken too long, and he still had aether to spare for aetheryte travel – and was warmly welcomed by the guards. It was strange, coming to a castle where the welcome was unanimous. Not that he’d been unwelcome everywhere at home, but usually the reaction was at least mixed. It was almost as if he hadn’t pissed off the stiff-necked people here enough with his irreverent contrariness. He would have to try harder.
Haurchefant was out, but apparently someone immediately sent word to Ishgard because even as Tam lounged before the fire two or three hours later, the door burst open and his friend came striding in, stomping the snow from his boots. “Tam!”
“Haurchefant,” Tam said, moving to meet him. They embraced as old friends, and Tam messed up Haurchefant’s hair again.
“I hear you’ve done even mightier deeds than before with your companions,” Haurchefant said, gesturing to the seats by the fire. “And that your incontrovertible heroism has been recognized by the Eorzean Alliance.”
“Something like that,” Tam said, sprawling back into his seat.
“I offer congratulations from my family and me! We have heard such word of your accomplishments as the bards shall sing of for years. The Ultima Weapon sounded most terrifying. I give thanks to the Fury that you are all yet with us!”
Haurchefant’s grey eyes were very soft with admiration and affection, and Tam was almost uncomfortable within his gaze. “Well now… we had some help. Anyway, they kicked me out on vacation, so here I am to annoy you.”
Haurchefant laughed. “You could never be an annoyance. Please, stay as long as you wish!”
Thoughts of the green darkness of Larkscall faded under that sincere friendliness. “You remind me-” Tam began, then stopped himself. Haurchefant looked curious, but Tam waved it off. It didn’t matter.
“I know they’re not yer type, Princess, but they’re good folk under the surface,” Chuchupa assured her.
“I will be fine,” Achiyo answered as they stepped off the ferry into Limsa Lominsa.
“An’ if they try anything, I’ll punch ’em,” Chuchupa said.
“I think you are more concerned than I am,” Achiyo said.
Chuchupa rolled her fuschia eyes at her and skipped ahead towards the aetheryte. Achiyo followed her, and they teleported to Limsa’s Aftcastle, the central hub of the upper city.
Random people did double-takes as they appeared, and some of them cheered and clapped. Achiyo made a slight, bashful bow, and Chuchupa guffawed. “Thanks, ye lot. Ye comin’ to the Wench?” She didn’t wait for an answer, only strode off with a wave. Achiyo glanced around again; people were gathering, and they seemed to be in awe, not ready to go drinking with their chum. Even the rougher customers, the drunken sots stumbling out of the Wench, gave Chuchupa a wider berth than usual as she marched into the tavern. They stared and pointed, but the Lalafell woman didn’t seem to notice.
Chuchupa strode up to Badern’s counter. “Oi, oi, I’m back! Any trouble ’round ‘ere?”
“Chuchupa Chupa!” Baderon spun around, nearly dropping the glass he’d been drying. “Weren’t expecting you back so soon! And your friend there, Achiyo, wasn’t it?”
Achiyo smiled. “I’m honoured you remember me.”
“You’re two of these new Warriors of Light! We’re the ones honoured to have you. Were you thinkin’ o’ having a drink?”
“More’n a drink,” Chuchupa said indignantly. “Just because I’m one o’ these new Warriors of Light doesn’t mean I can’t drink ye all under the table still! Round for everyone, and I’ll have a glass o’ the hard stuff!”
Baderon laughed. “And for you, Miss Achiyo?”
“White wine, if you please,” Achiyo said serenely, finding a stool to sit upon and observe. The rest of the tavern had perked up upon hearing ‘free drink’, and she thought there might be some rowdiness soon. Best to be out of the way, but on hand should Chuchupa require it.
But to her surprise, the other patrons were exceptionally orderly today, and almost all of them offered toasts to her and her friend. It was refreshingly civilized to her. Chuchupa disagreed, she could tell, though she didn’t say so out loud. “It’s pretty quiet, for all the folk in here.”
“We’ve had some rows while you were gone,” Baderon assured her. “Folk’re pretty happy to see you back, though, after all the tales about you.”
“Would’ve thought they’d be ready to let loose, then, not hold it in?”
Baderon shrugged, refilling her glass without being asked. “You realize how terrifying the tales are, right?”
Chuchupa cackled. “Tell me!”
“They say you’ve beheaded Ifrit, felled Titan with a single punch, and single-handedly defeated all the Imperial tribunii in Eorzea. And that was before you set off an aetherial explosion that destroyed the entirety of Castrum Meridium. And somehow lived to tell the tale.” Baderon squinted. “You didn’t do all that by yourself, did you?”
“Gods, no,” Chuchupa said, laughing again. “It was far more swashbuckling than that! Why, when I fought Livia sas Whatever, I shot her Reaper out from under her with a cannon! One shot, and we each destroyed each other’s artillery. Then I fought her hand-to-hand, dodging her bullets! Then fought off reinforcements while our white mage healed the dragoon, who failed to dodge. ‘Cause he wasn’t paying attention. He’s all right, but sometimes he’s a little out there.”
“That’s not how-” Achiyo began.
“Shush, Princess, I’m tellin’ a story here.” Chuchupa winked at Achiyo, missing the fact that Baderon also winked at Achiyo at the same time. “Anyway, by the time we beat her, she was about ready to give in of her own accord, I tell ye what.”
“I see,” Baderon said. “So you slew the most vicious Imperial in Eorzea with a cannon, fought an army with your own two fists and saved all of the new Warriors of Light?” He was grinning, but Achiyo shook her head in disbelief. How could they enjoy spreading such false information? She’d noticed it before, their urge to tell tall tales. Was this a La Noscean thing?
“Pretty much! So, Baderon, I’ve two weeks off, need yer favourite bouncer back?”
Baderon’s smile turned a bit uneasy. “Eh, that won’t be necessary. Just to know you’re in town will be enough to keep them in line.”
“What’s that all about?” Chuchupa demanded, squinting with one eye at the tavernkeep. “That ain’t bouncin’!”
Baderon shrugged again. “You heard the yarns we were just spinnin’. Things’re different now, Chuchupa. A few months ago, you could’ve said whatever you liked, and we’d all laugh and go on with life, but you’ve actually done things that resemble what we used to joke about. They respect you now, and fear you. You were always the best, but now you’re miles ahead o’ the locals.”
Chuchupa glared. “Are ye sayin’ ye can’t take on a Warrior of Light as a bouncer?”
“Pretty much. You’re in a new sphere now, Chuchupa. You’re always welcome, but whatever anyone else asks of you, I won’t disrespect you by making you do menial work.”
“But I enjoyed it,” Chuchupa said slowly.
Baderon sighed. “I’m sorry, old friend.”
Chuchupa drained her second glass, then motioned slowly for another. Baderon poured her a third rum and watched her as she drank.
And an alarmingly mischievous grin began to spread over the Lalafell’s face. “Well then… if I can’t keep the peace betwixt the lads and lasses as I used to, I’ll cause me own ruckus!” She finished the third glass and slammed it on the counter, followed it up with some gil. She was irrepressible. “I’m off to the Missing Member, they’ll not shy away from fightin’ a “hero”! Take care o’ yerself, Baderon.”
Baderon snorted at her. “You too, Chu.”
Achiyo looked questioningly at Baderon as Chuchupa marched back out to the Aftcastle in search of violence. “Will she be all right?”
Baderon’s gaze was distant. “’S far as I know. I hope she doesn’t get into too much trouble. It must sting, to suddenly be elevated above your old buddies. For now, at least. Give ’em time, and they’ll see she hasn’t changed fundamentally. Even I can see she’s stronger than she used to be, though. And she has changed a little. I’m assuming her experiences with you are the cause of that?”
“I couldn’t say,” Achiyo said. “But she is a true friend, and I’m glad to have her by my side. At first, her roughness made me wary, yet now I realize it is common to many Eorzeans, that this roughness is a sign of honesty and practicality. I have learned much through her. And of course many of us would not be alive without her.”
“Aye, you have the right of it. Though, don’t let your guard down around just anyone, some of the rough types really are up to no good.”
“Of course,” Achiyo said, smiling.
Baderon cocked an ear towards the door. “Well, well, that didn’t take her long.” If Achiyo listened carefully, she could hear yelling and drunken singing and shattering glass, and she winced. “She’ll be all right. Everyone needs to let off some steam, and she’s good enough not to actually hurt anyone.”
“I’m more concerned for the property damage,” Achiyo said. Privately she wondered if simple bar-fights would satisfy Chuchupa anymore, after having fought the powerful foes they had.
Baderon laughed aloud. “Aye, there are certain to be many innocent stools losing their lives tonight. Speaking of which, are you staying in the city? I can have Mytesyn prepare your old room for you.”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Achiyo said, and finished her drink.
Vivienne came to the Duskwight village near Buscarron’s Druthers in a very strange frame of mind. Many who met her as she traveled had recognized her, somehow, and had not been afraid or suspicious of her. In fact, they’d been pleased to see her, with her dark skin and black armour and ominous greatsword and forbidding aura, and they’d hailed and cheered her until she quite lost her aura in confusion and she wanted to flee in embarrassment.
Was this what she’d been working towards since she lost almost everything as a child? Would people finally see her and her people as more than thieves and criminals? Why did it embarrass her, to receive praise? She should want more, not less.
It wasn’t perfect. Just because some had recognized her did not mean that all of them did. Much of the attention she got was the same shite as always and it rolled off her back unnoticed. But the praise was more than she’d had before.
The trees parted before her and she came to the shadowy dell where some of her people still gathered, huts built partly into trees and the hillside behind. There were guards at the gate, but they had seen her coming and saluted her with welcoming smiles. “Where’s Alain?” she asked them.
“Here.” Alain Urselmert dropped out of a tree behind her, bow in hand. He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair and grinned smugly. “You didn’t even see me, Vivienne.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you trying to brag about it? About as good as bragging about how you’re taller than me finally.” He’d come of age a few years ago and had not failed to enjoy it as much as possible, even while he’d become a skilled hunter and gatherer.
Alain made a disgruntled face, but it quickly turned into a laugh. “I’ll take what I can get, O Warrior of Light, my esteemed bitchy sister.”
“Aye, you wish you could take down the Empire’s Ultima Weapon, don’t you.”
“Keep this up and I’m leaving the damn village to come after you, and I know you hate that idea.” He’d always been more attached to the village than she’d been, so it wasn’t the best threat, but…
“I do hate it. But I can’t stop you, brat. Where’s Juliennais? Aren’t you going to offer me something to eat? Brat.”
“Gods, she saves Eorzea one time and gets twice as insufferable as before.” Alain bowed with an elaborate flourish. “Come on. Juliennais made a cake.”
When they met again two sennights later, Vesper Bay was unusually busy. There were still soldiers milling about, and Rinala looked about curiously at them all. She would have thought the foreign ones would have gone home by now, yet she still saw the yellow of Adders and the red of the Maelstrom in addition to the black of the Flames. Some of them saw her, walking with Tam, whom she’d met on the road from Horizon, and they saluted the two Scions. She blushed and nodded to them, wondering what she ought to do to respond. Tam pretended not to see. But there were many others, who were not soldiers, and she looked at them askance, wondering what business they had there.
As they entered the Waking Sands, they were greeted by a frazzled-looking Tataru, and on the stairs they passed by a grumbling Alphinaud. Tam turned to look at him curiously, but Rinala hurried ahead – she had caught sight of Achiyo and Chuchupa.
“There ye are!” Chuchupa said. “Now we’re just waiting on Kekeniro.”
“Here I am!” Kekeniro called out, panting, from the top of the stairs. “I saw you ahead of me, Tam, Rinala, but I was too far behind to call to you. And I thought it seemed silly to use the linkpearl for that.”
“It’s all right!” Rinala assured him. “Next time, just call us, we’d be happy to travel with you!” He smiled at her adorably.
“So the other three are already here?” Tam asked.
“They await us in the common room,” Achiyo said. “Minfilia bids us welcome, but she is meeting with yet another envoy from the Grand Companies. Alphinaud does not seem happy about it…”
“No, I noticed that,” Tam said thoughtfully. “Can’t blame him.”
“Why, why isn’t he happy?” Rinala asked, as they headed into the common room.
“Who would be, being pestered constantly to choose a side when there are no sides? When they showed the Scions no special favour before we saved their skins?”
Kekeniro frowned at him. “How do you know that? You only just arrived!”
“It’s one of the logical solutions,” Tam answered. “You saw all those soldiers, didn’t you?”
“I thought it was strange they were still about,” R’nyath said, seated at a table with Aentfryn and Vivienne. Urianger stood at the head of it. “That would certainly explain it, yes. But we have something far more interesting to speak of!”
“The new primal?” Tam asked.
“Yes, so sit down and shut up,” Vivienne said acidly. “Not five minutes back in the building and you’re showing off.”
Tam bowed. “Well, well, isn’t my lady cranky today? And everyday?”
“Please,” Achiyo said sharply. “Enough.”
Neither of the two apologized, but they quieted, and Tam took a seat at the table with everyone else. Vivienne shot him another glare before Achiyo turned to Urianger. “Please tell us what you have learned.”
They took the ferry to Limsa Lominsa, then rode east and north to Wineport. Safely inside the village’s clean white walls, Rinala dismounted her chocobo and did a double-take. That couldn’t be Alphinaud, Urianger had said they were meeting with – wait, didn’t Alphinaud have a twin sister? She vaguely remembered a sister.
The Elezen girl moved towards the group collecting under the aetheryte, looking just as self-assured as her brother. Now that Rinala could see her better, she could see tiny details in her lips, her brows, that marked her as distinguishable from her twin. Still, if she saw them together even now, she would have trouble. “It has been a while, adventurers,” the girl said, her voice light and girlish. Rinala had never heard her voice before. “As I recall, my brother Alphinaud took the liberty of introducing us when first – and last – we met. But for the sake of propriety… Alisaie Leveilleur. I thank you for coming.”
“We are happy to come,” Achiyo said, and introduced them, especially the newer four.
Alisaie nodded to them. “You are possessed of great strength and courage, that much is plain. I shall have need of them both if I am to see my mission through to its conclusion.”
“That mission being?” Kekeniro asked politely.
Alisaie briefly explained something about the Calamity, and Dalamud, and aether, and caverns under Castrum Occidens, continuing: “Five years ago, my grandfather invoked the power of the Twelve that he might contain Bahamut. Alas, his efforts failed, and he vanished, together with his foe.” She looked up at them, determination in her eyes. “I would know the truth of what transpired that day – of Grandfather’s fate, and of the metamorphosis that swept across the land. In casting light upon these mysteries, we will find a way to cure what ails this world.” She allowed herself a small, mysterious smile. “It is my believe that the answers I seek lie hid within the depths of the cavern. I would have you accompany me on an expedition to find them.” Her smile turned slightly wry. “If truth be told, I am not wont to rely upon others, and have thus far handled matters alone. Yet I am not blind to my limitations. Unescorted, I cannot hope to succeed in this endeavour. Would you be willing to aid me?”
“Yes, of course,” Achiyo said, and R’nyath and Kekeniro echoed her.
Alisaie’s smile grew, genuine and unabashed. “I am in your debt.”
Rinala tentatively decided that she could like her.
There was not much in the way of Imperial presence left at Castrum Occidens; the multi-pronged Alliance offensive a little over two weeks prior had left it reeling. What was left was disorganized and desperate; when the Warriors of Light showed no sign of being at all hindered by the double gates, thanks to R’nyath’s acrobatics and climbing skills, the Garleans either surrendered or fled. Where they hoped to flee to, she didn’t know. She had been anxious; they might have assaulted a much more heavily defended castrum before, but that didn’t mean that any other castrum would be easy. But it seemed she had no cause for concern this time.
They regrouped at a large gate leading into a cliffside, leading to a large cave that appeared to descend beneath the ravaged, aether-scarred hills that glowed at night. According to Alisaie, Gaius van Baelsar had established the small fortress solely for the purpose of researching the corrupted aether there.
R’nyath and Tam returned to escort Alisaie to the cave, and they began their descent. Almost immediately, the cold grey Garlean steel ended and they were bathed in a honey-coloured light, the colour of corrupted aether. They would certainly have no need of torches or lanterns here. The entire cavern was made of corrupted crystal, no ordinary stone or rock or soil to be seen, and the way the aether saturated the air made it difficult to breathe. Ahead, the cavern narrowed to a corridor only a few yalms across, with something blue and glowing at its end, seemingly embedded in the orange-yellow crystal wall.
Alisaie commented on the heavy aether concentration, then pointed at the blue thing. “Behold one of the objects that caused that aberration: a fragment of the lesser moon, Dalamud. Ancient Allag created Dalamud – or Meteor, to use the Garlean name – to serve as a celestial prison for Bahamut.”
“Really?” Rinala asked in fascination, looking at the smooth blue pillar with concentric blue rings engraved in glowing lines upon its surface. “I always thought the Red Moon looked strange compared to the White Moon, but I didn’t know it was created by mortal hands. How could they do such a thing?”
“I don’t know much about its creation,” Alisaie admitted. “But look – Dalamud’s internal defences still function in spite of everything – a testament to the ingenuity of the Allagans.” A black and red sphere floated into view before the blue pillar, bobbing gently. It didn’t look terribly dangerous… but Rinala had absolutely no experience with anything Allagan besides Ultima, and she knew that looks could be deceiving.
“If they seek to defend against us, we’d best knock them down,” Vivienne said. “And better yet, keep them out of the hands of the Garleans. They pilfer too much from the Allagans already.”
“Agreed,” Aentfryn said. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“For Gelmorra!” Vivienne bellowed, hurling herself forward at the sphere, which began to spin and bob urgently. Rinala squeaked as lightning abruptly filled the corridor. Vivienne hissed, but kept going.
The sphere clunked to the ground, broken, after a surprisingly short period of combat. Rinala shivered as she walked by it – its diameter was the same as her height. And with its demise, the pillar slid open, revealing a passage beyond into a much greater cavern.
A much, much greater cavern, it turned out, so wide Rinala couldn’t see to the far end, even though every ilm of it glowed with that dull orange light. Great bridges and arches of crystal vaulted across the cavern, looking as if they had once been made of goo before they froze into their current shape. And the sight that made everyone freeze in their tracks and gasp…
“Gods preserve…” Alisaie whispered. “Dark wings that would engulf the very heavens…” The gold-rimmed black leathery draconic wing might have been a malm long, and it was tattered, full of holes, and incomplete. Rinala was bad at judging large distances, but… that was a piece of a primal!? How were they going to fight that? Her ears lay flat against her skull, her tail was curled protectively against her legs. “This could only belong to Bahamut, the primal who laid Eorzea to waste five years ago. At Carteneau, my grandfather sought to imprison Bahamut anew by invoking the power of the Twelve. Alas, the dreadwyrm proved too powerful, and he soon broke free of his confines. Yet instead of resuming the destruction he had begun, Bahamut vanished. Whither to, no one knew… until this day.”
“Please say we’re not fighting it,” R’nyath said, his ears as flat as Rinala’s. “We may have killed the Ultima Weapon, but I don’t think we’re ready for this! Even with the Mother Crystal’s help!”
“I don’t think it is alive,” Kekeniro said thoughtfully. “It doesn’t feel alive. Of course, the massive quantities of aether present could be confusing my senses, but I think we’re relatively safe. From that, at least.”
“I do not understand,” Alisaie mused. “If Bahamut is truly a primal, how is it that he retains his physical form? Did Grandfather defeat him? Or is there some other explanation?” She turned to Achiyo. “We must press on if we are to learn the truth.”
Achiyo nodded and stepped forward, but at that moment, Alisaie seemed to sense something and turned to look high up at the cavern wall behind them. Achiyo, Rinala, and R’nyath turned to look as well, but there was nothing there.
Yet had Rinala heard the scrape of a boot on crystal?
They found a path forward and down, always down, hundreds and hundreds of yalms down, and the caverns and Allagan ruins both seemed to have no end. A series of lifts aided them, though there was some adventure with some Allagan catapulting devices that certain members of the group enjoyed far too much. But at length, the most recent lift came to a stop in a vast, dark open space; in the distance, the red metal Allagan architecture converged on some brightly glowing blue spot. Before them was some large structure of dark stone, infused with corrupt crystals, of a shape that seemed oddly ordered, yet she could not make sense of it yet…
“This is going rather more smoothly than I expected,” Alisaie commented as they stepped off the lift onto a narrow ramp of dark stone. “It is indeed convenient to have heroes on hand.”
Chuchupa chuckled. “Glad to be of service. Yer little expedition’s been fantastic fun so far.”
At that moment, Alisaie gasped, and Achiyo nearly bumped into her as she froze in place, staring at the stone structure. “This… This is Bahamut’s hand! It must be!”
“You don’t say?” drawled Tam. Indeed, it was shaped like a gigantic three-fingered claw, large enough to be turned into an ample tower in Limsa Lominsa. Where was the arm? Rinala didn’t dare look down.
She shivered. “It’s massive… It seems even more massive than the wing farther up. Why is Bahamut in pieces?”
“That’s a good question,” Kekeniro said. “It’s as if his aether was turned to stone and crystal instantaneously, and then shattered when his body collided with the earth? Falling through as the land evaporated into aether around them, and then caught when it remade itself? Perhaps?”
“I had assumed that Bahamut’s reversion to aether was the cause of the widespread changes to the realm,” Alisaie said. “But if he is still here, even frozen, then that theory no longer holds. There is still so much we do not know about Carteneau… I haven’t the slightest inkling how deep these caverns run, but we must continue-” She ducked instinctively as something winged swooped by, screaming a battle cry.
“Get down to the palm of the hand!” Kekeniro cried. “We’re vulnerable here! Alisaie, perhaps stay here with the lift until we defeat – whatever that was!” Alisaie nodded and pressed herself into a crevice beside the lift.
“It’s a dragon,” Tam said, jogging easily down the steep slope to the much flatter palm. “With a collar? I’m guessing… not friendly either.”
“Perhaps enslaved by the Allagans,” Aentfryn said. “They seem to employ forced labour frequently, of any type of being, from what I’ve read.”
“Down!” Achiyo cried, and they all threw themselves to the ground as the dragon dove again, the wind from its wings whipping at them fiercely. Rinala smoothed her braids back down and scrambled to her feet, there were only a few more yalms down to the broader area. She recast Protect, then flinched as the dragon breathed fire in their general direction. Their enemy was nimble and agile, weaving around their attacks, R’nyath’s arrows, Tam’s lance, even as they dodged the buffeting of her wings and the snapping of her jaws. The dragon roared and sparkling light erupted from her, washing over them in a wave of pain. Gasping, Rinala spun to cast Medica, as quickly as she could.
And then the screaming really started, as the dragon began to condense the aether into lethal little pockets of wind scattered around them, and more of those dark corrupted monsters dropped down from an unknown height, rushing at them. They dodged and scattered, running about seemingly at random – at least, Rinala was, her tail bushed to wild proportions, casting healing spells frantically.
A horrible gurgling shriek stopped her in her tracks, and she whirled with her blood running cold to see R’nyath crumple to the ground, a monster standing over him with blood dripping from its long claws. She screamed in panic over the chorus of her friend’s alarmed voices and raised her staff, but Kekeniro shouted at her. “Don’t stop running! Not yet!”
“But- but- but-”
“We’ll get him in a minute! Focus on the dragon!” He himself paused only briefly enough to slay the monster that had killed R’nyath.
She choked back a sob and threw another heal on Achiyo. What if the Raise spell failed? What if they were too late? It wasn’t like she had practiced it, even in her conjurer or white mage training.
“There’s a breather,” Aentfryn called. “Rinala, now!”
“Right!” Tears still in her eyes, she dashed to Aentfryn’s side as he lifted his codex. The Sun Seeker’s throat had been slashed open, and all down his front as well. His eyes stared upwards, unseeing and dull. Rinala shuddered as she raised her staff, willing their fallen comrade’s body to mend, that his aether flow back into his body. Before her eyes, the ghastly wounds closed, and the Miqo’te was drawn to his feet by an unseen pull, his head and arms trailing limp – until he stood upon his own two feet, and then he swayed once, blinked, shook his head and twitched his ears, taking in the state of the battle. “My thanks! It would seem I overstepped a tad!”
“Keep running!” Chuchupa bellowed at them, and they all obeyed, R’nyath slightly slower than usual, but already with an arrow on the string.
The dragon began to breathe fire at them again, but the other, more savage tactics had ceased. It seemed to be weakening. “Don’t give up!” Vivienne called over the melee, blocking a swipe of the dragon’s wing with her greatsword. “Slay the beast!”
“Finally, you said something I can agree with!” Tam said, jumping high and landing lance-first on the dragon’s neck. The dragon gave a shrill cry and thrashed, collapsing to the ground and writhing frantically in every direction. Tam hung on grimly, driving his lance deeper until the thrashing ceased and the dragon’s body erupted into a cloud of dark aether.
“By the kami,” Achiyo said softly, her face tired but exultant. “We won!”
“Hells yes we won!” Chuchupa answered, punching the air.
Rinala sank to her knees, all the energy gone out of her. Such a merciless foe, and after an entire day of battle against such violent monsters. But she couldn’t stop smiling.
R’nyath patted her head. “You all right there, Rinala-lass? Sorry to cause you trouble.”
“I’m just glad you’re alive,” she said, trying to deal with all the emotions flowing through her. “I was so frightened…”
“I’d give you a hug, but I’m still covered in blood and it’s disgusting,” R’nyath said. “Raincheck?”
“Yes.”
Alisaie made her way down to them. “Gods, that could scarce have been less difficult than fighting the Ultima Weapon itself. I offer you congratulations, though you scarcely need them to know you’ve accomplished a great victory here.”
“I enjoyed it,” Chuchupa stated, and began to march off to where the Allagan architecture began to converge to a point. Rinala climbed wearily to her feet and followed with the others.
The walkway took them to what appeared to be a dead end, sloping rather steeply down to a confusing conglomeration of symmetrical shapes in irregular crimson metal overlaid with blue-green shapes, all bathed ominously from above in red light. It felt a little bit like a temple, Rinala mused, with a great altar of technology at its end. A single white-blue light glowed weakly from the front of the altar thing.
Alisaie was the first to approach it closely. “This contraption… Is it used to control the saturation of aether? I suppose there is only one way to find out.” She reached out a hand to the light, manipulating its aether somehow. “The dragon you vanquished earlier – you noticed the peculiar contraption about its neck. It was likely a receptor of some description, used to enslave the creature, as you guessed. Ancient Allag possessed the means to control dragons. The Ishgardians would kill for this knowledge, though to be sure, it could as easily be brought to bear against them. An army of dragons could turn the tide of any battle, as the Garleans once learned to their sorrow. I would not be the least bit surprised if they now sought to exploit this power. Whatever their plans, this serves as another reminder of the might of the Allagans. One cannot help but wonder how so advanced a civilization came to fail.”
“I’d imagine it tore itself apart from the inside,” Tam said. “Power ends conflict, and begets more and greater. But I know little and less of Allag, as you well know.”
“I’m surprised you’re not more outraged by the enslavement of dragons,” Vivienne said.
“I am outraged, but you truly think they only enslaved dragons? Don’t be naive.”
“How is this about me-” Vivienne growled, but she was interrupted by a wave of lights flashing on the altar console, cycling left to right, darkness to green to blue to darkness again. The overhead lights flashed yellow, and a wave of blue swept through the chamber. Everyone ducked instinctively, hands on their weapons again, but blue lights flickered on throughout the entire chamber, bathing the entire place in strong blue light, until the crimson of the walls and floor and ceiling seemed to match its hue, and the green designs Rinala had seen before appeared gold. Or perhaps they truly had changed colour? She couldn’t tell. The console sank into the floor before them until it was perfectly flat and smooth, and a massive pillar rose behind them, sealing them off. They would not be able to leave until they deactivated the room again, it seemed.
Arcane machineries moved and rotated, and the walls before them split horizontally, widening with flashes of purple lightning. Alisaie gasped in fear. “Gods be good…”
Before them was a terrifying sight: the disembodied head of a massive dragon, too large for her to accurately judge, but it seemed as towering as the palace in Ul’dah – and that was just the dragon’s head. And neck, beneath which pulsed a solid purple mass of aether, nearly as large again. The power of that aether was staggering, and as the walls had opened, it had washed over them like a tidal wave, demanding, ferocious. Three great beams of light were focused upon the dragon, moving slowly over it with strange purpose. Rebuilding it, she guessed, and she meant building, not growing, for the bottom edge of the dragon’s neck was frayed as with spars and cables, with armour of dreadful steel, not with flesh and bone and scale.
Alisaie’s voice was shrill with fear and awe. “This is… this is Bahamut’s head! And that enormous crystal – it pulsates as if… as if it were a heart!”
“Damn,” Aentfryn said softly, and Rinala was taken aback to hear a tremour in his voice too. Ah, but he had been at Carteneau, hadn’t he? He had seen Bahamut unleashed in person.
Alisaie gasped for air, bringing her hands up to her face. “Then the primal that had awakened… was Bahamut all this time!?” She shook her head violently. “No! No, no, NO! This cannot be! This… this would mean that Grandfather died for naught!”
“Louisoix certainly ended the conflict of Carteneau,” Vivienne said sternly. “That is not in question. Do not think less of your grandfather’s sacrifice.”
“Aye, even if he didn’t destroy it completely, he gave us a chance to do it now, and lucky we are to have had warning enough for it.” Chuchupa wrinkled her nose at the dragon. “The only question is how. Punching it ain’t going to make much of a dent.”
Alisaie trembled with emotion. “Confound it! We do not know enough to strike at it now! We must withdraw!” She stiffened, her attention caught by two little figures further down, almost at the end of the walkway, but separated from them by a deep divide. “Who…? Who is that? No… It can’t be… Grandfather? Is it truly you?”
Rinala saw one of the small figures turn to look at them, thought she saw a gentle smile. Alisaie ran forward, half-sliding down the slope of the walkway beyond where the control panel had been, reaching out with one desperate hand. “No… Don’t leave me again… Please… Grandfather!!!” But the man seemed to teleport, and vanished.
Rinala hesitated and reached out a hand to Alisaie, but she nodded before it touched her shoulder, so she stopped. Alisaie’s voice shook slightly. “I-I know… We can do no more for now…” Rinala let her hand fall back to her side. The young woman was too proud for that sort of comfort.
“If there is nothing more for us here, how do we leave?” Achiyo asked.
“This appears to be a teleporter,” Aentfryn said, crouching beside a circular pad with a light above it. “Do we trust it?”
“Do we have a choice?” Chuchupa asked, though she didn’t look pleased to be trusting herself to alien technology.
Aentfryn shrugged. “Not really. Unless you fancy climbing back up the way we came in.”
Chuchupa wrinkled her nose. “Nah. I’ll chance the teleporter.”
Alisaie looked about them in confusion, taking in the deep blue sky, the desolate stones about them, the corrupted aether crystals at their backs. “Hm? But this looks like… How did we come to be in northern Thanalan of all places?” She turned to them with a bright, giddy smile. “Oh, but such details matter little! Grandfather’s alive! Bahamut did not defeat him! But why won’t he return to us? I don’t understand…” Her expression turned perplexed.
“He is maybe watching over the remains of the dragon, hoping to find a way to end it permanently?” Kekeniro suggested. “Though why he would not speak to you is indeed strange… He must have a reason, however.”
Alisaie nodded. “This expedition has yielded more questions than it did answers. At any rate, we would all be better for a rest. Let us return to the Waking Sands and reflect upon what we have seen.” She bowed to them. “Thank you, all. Without you, none of this would have been possible.”
Achiyo bowed back. “It was our pleasure. When you learn more, please call upon us as soon as you may. We will devote all our strength to ending that monster.”
“Hear, hear,” R’nyath chimed in. “Also, hear hear to the resting part. And food. And drinking. Anyone for drinks?”
“Ye said the magic word,” Chuchupa said, falling in step beside him.