I’ve been away for much longer than I intended, and it’s uncertain how many chapters I’ve got in me atm. I partly blame HSR, but honestly have you seen Mydei? I don’t normally go for bulky-muscly guys but I’m making an exception for the blatantly obvious thirst trap, he can flatten me onto a mosaic-tiled floor/wall/bath any day of the week. He could tell me to get on my knees and I’d call him ‘my king’ as I did. Or Mydeity. (also may I point out he’s got plot elements similar to Aymeric – patricide to save the kingdom much?)
I got bitten by a plot bunny shortly after writing the previous chapter of this story, so many moons ago, so I wrote a Japanese-inspired fairytale called Ambassador of Ishgard in which Achiyo is a dragon. I recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s fairly short and has some cute moments!
I got Vivienne’s gloves and greaves done for her cosplay, but Cronus is only half-done. Which is more than before, and gosh the LEDs are gonna look super sick when it is done. And I still think I want to do a helmet eventually.
Chapter 54: The Ruby Depths
The Confederacy leadership lived in the shadow of Heaven-on-High, and there was no need to climb the tower to visit them. In fact, no one knew how to enter the tower.
Tansui was there, the Confederate lieutenant who had granted them passage back on Sakazuki, and he brought them to the captain of the Confederacy, a tired-looking Roegadyn in his thirties named Rasho. But they would not aid the Scions, no matter how much Chuchupa swaggered or Lyse pleaded. The Garleans had not yet turned to destroy them, and they would not hasten that day by openly declaring defiance. Even when, not three bells later, word came to Rasho that Confederate sailors had been captured by Garlean-allied Kojin, they would not act.
“How convenient that recent events should lend such credence to your claims,” spat Tansui bitterly. “Tell me, do death and destruction always follow in your wake?”
“They had no part in it, Tansui,” Rasho said heavily. “You know this. We all know this.” Tansui huffed sourly and turned away. “They came and took our Doman brothers. They will torture them for her sport – murder them for her satisfaction. So we attack, and get butchered for our trouble… or do naught, and let them have their pound of flesh. If this be our choice, I say we suffer the ignominy. We endure. We survive. There is no better path. Until the day our enemy is grown weaker, and we stronger, there can be no retribution. We will wait for a sign. Such is the judgement of the Confederacy.”
Achiyo felt the anger inside her reaching a boiling point. Their attitude was like to the one she had forced herself to take before – to endure in silent patience, to wait for the day more strength, more power could be brought to bear upon the oppressor, even if that day should never come. But she was one person. They were an entire fleet that in times before, both sides of the strait had feared and respected. The Empire would not become weaker for their waiting. They weren’t getting any stronger in letting their own people be destroyed, and that would dissuade more from joining.
And she was exhausted of doing nothing.
So she drew herself up with all her dignity, though she was still a good two fulms shorter than Rasho. “If it’s a sign you want, we shall give it to you. We cannot directly attack the Empire yet, it is true, lest we give away our goal. But the Kojin are another matter. And without the Kojin, the Imperials lose half their strength in the Ruby Sea.”
She stepped up to him, staring him in the eyes in challenge. “I swear this to you – we shall break the Kojin’s ties to the Empire. And I may say that if we few can do such a thing, then you can at least rescue your own people in Isari.”
“Hells yeah!” Chuchupa said. “C’mon, what kinda pirates are ye that ye ain’t up for a fight?”
“What, just like that?” Tansui exclaimed.
Achiyo shot a glance at him. “I am not in a trifling mood. The liberation of all Doma is at stake and we play no games. This is but the first step.” True, she didn’t know how… yet. But she had a lot of clever people with her.
“It’s simple enough for you – if you have the stones for it,” Alisaie put in.
Tansui looked at Rasho. “The little misses do make it hard to refuse, do they not?”
The stare Achiyo gave him would have chilled the Hell’s Lid, and he cowed. Chuchupa snickered.
Rasho’s stare was inscrutable. “Words are air. We will weigh you by your deeds. If you wish to hold this course, we will give you a boat to the Isle of Bekko. The Kojin of the Blue dwell there, as you no doubt know – perhaps they will give you insights on the Kojin of the Red. The rest is up to you.”
In all the bustle of getting ready to set sail again, Alisaie was the first to notice that Lyse was missing. Achiyo was pretty busy getting everything sorted out, and also didn’t look like she was in the mood for diversions, so Rinala volunteered to help Alisaie look for Lyse.
They found her at the end of the longest dock in the Confederate harbour, looking out at the ocean. “Hm? Rinala? What is it?”
“Are you okay?” Rinala asked. “You look upset. Do you need a hug?”
“Oh, sorry. No, it’s fine. I… I just wanted to have a think.” Lyse heaved a sigh.
“You’re worried we won’t be able to live up to our promises?” Alisaie asked.
“No, it’s not that at all! If anything, I’m frustrated that I didn’t think of it first… Yda and my father had a way with words. They knew how to inspire people – how to bring them together. I always hoped I might have something of that in me too, but I’m starting to think I don’t. What am I even doing here…?”
“But you’re doing your best to find our way-” Rinala began.
“Gods, listen to me!” Lyse interrupted with an awkward laugh. “I don’t know where that came from. Forget I said anything! We have places to go, Imperials to fight, and friends to save! And we’re not going to get any of it done by standing around here moaning, right? …Right?” She forced a bright smile. It was so awkward. Rinala felt like she needed a hug more than ever.
Alisaie was thinking. “…Before we first travelled to Gyr Abania, I was in Limsa Lominsa, visiting… visiting a friend. A young child who had been through a great deal. …That’s neither here nor there, I suppose. Anyway, on the way back, I passed a patisserie which sold some of the most exquisite-looking tarts I had ever seen. I’ve always preferred cookies, to be honest, but nevertheless I decided to stop and try one… …I’ll treat you to one, when all this is over. You too, Rinala – and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Ooh, I won’t say no,” Rinala said, delighted. “Thank you for the invite. I love sweets.”
Lyse’s smile was much more genuine now. “What about Y’shtola? We’d never hear the end of it!”
Alisaie chuckled. “All right, all right – Y’shtola too, once she’s better. And Achiyo. Deal? Good. Then let’s hurry, shall we? We have a million things to do before then!”
Rinala’s linkpearl went off, and she hovered a hand to her earring, not touching it just yet. “I might have a million and one things… Tell Achiyo I’ll be there in just a minute, okay?”
She waited until the other two were well down the quay, then answered her call. “Jacke?”
“Aye, it’s me,” Jacke said. “Are ye well?”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Have you found out where our friends are?”
He grunted. “That bloody cove – er, Karasu – was gracious enough to tell us where Underfoot and the Stray and Tsubame are bein’ held. The Garnet League’s taken’ ’em to the Isle o’ Bekko in the Ruby Sea.”
“What a coincidence,” she said. “The Scions are headed there this minute.”
“Bene! Then you can scout it out afore we gets there. That Princess Yuki’s joined us, so we’ve an extra pair o’ stabbers to help even the odds.” There was a murmur in the background. “Oboro says to tell ye we’ll be there afore darkmans, so give us a hail ’round dinner and we’ll meet up.”
“Okay. I’ll see if the others can help with the rescue, too.” There were too many people to rescue! But hopefully this one would be resolved quickly. Karasu had said not to bother telling the Scions, but the hostages were hostages either way.
“Even benar,” Jacke said. “Take care, all right, Rinala? We’ll be there soon.”
Rinala explained the situation to her friends on the boat ride, and saw them looking conflicted. Achiyo summed it up. “We cannot leave your friends as hostages, but nor can we put aside pushing towards Gosetsu’s freedom either. How many are in this Garnet League, do you know?”
“I’m going to scout and find out,” Rinala said. “But maybe only the stealthiest Scions should come help out anyway, so we don’t tip them off ahead of time.”
“Well, if there’s like fifty guys, it could be hard for you,” Kekeniro said. “But I think your plan will be okay; how about you scout them while we go find the Kojin? And then you let us know how much back-up you need?”
She nodded. “You’re doing kind of a scouting mission too.”
Rinala crouched behind a rock at the tip of the island’s upper plateau, watching the Garnet League strut around. In the end, the Scions had split up. R’nyath, Kekeniro, and Tam had come to help out, and all the others were going to find the Kojin village. She wished Thancred were there. He would have been perfectly suited to reinforcing this mission.
It was dusk, the sun dipping towards the horizon. With the long shifting shadows cast from every stone and tree, the rescue party would have every advantage in slipping past their enemies. Oboro rested his hand briefly on her shoulder. “I would that you did not have to face this danger with us, but it heartens me to know you stand with us.”
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered back. Both he and Jacke had been fussing over her since they arrived. She wasn’t sure why. Did they still feel bad for upsetting her earlier?
“Let us keep to the shadows for now,” Oboro said. “I would avoid any bloodshed that is not absolutely necessary.”
“Oh, Oboro, you’re no fun at all!” Princess Yuki whined softly. “Can’t I cut down just one? I promise he won’t make a peep!”
“Stow yer blade, lass,” Jacke admonished her. “Least until we know our friends are safe.”
“Stay low,” Rinala told R’nyath, Kekeniro, and Tam. “Like us.” If they were quick, quiet, and low to the ground, the Garnet mercenaries would never even catch a glimpse of them. Tam smirked; she probably didn’t have to tell him, or even R’nyath either, and Kekeniro was already smaller in stature than everyone else, but… well, just in case.
V’kebbe and Perimu were each held by a separate band of Garnets, which the ninjas each simultaneously dragged into the bushes and dispatched, while Tam cut the ropes that bound the rogues. Both of them were grimly ticked off and playing it cool, though V’kebbe took the time to give Rinala a quick hug, before they took spare daggers from Jacke and Oboro and joined their slinking party.
At least until Karasu swooped in, revealing their location to the Garnets. “Did I say I’d stay out of this fight? Oops, I lied!”
Battle erupted openly, which meant at least Kekeniro didn’t have to hold back any longer, though perhaps Yuki was the most pleased about it. Just when they were gaining the upper hand, Zakuro herself appeared at the head of many more Garnet soldiers. “Ye’ve got more courage than sense to come this far. Heh… if we fought on the same side, I could see myself gettin’ to like you. But we serve another master, and he just so happens to be a demandin’ one.”
“Oh, come on!” R’nyath exclaimed. “Does that really mean we’ve all got to kill each other? Don’t we all have better things to do?”
“Don’t give me that look,” Zakuro said. “We’ve all got to make a livin’, an’ this is the best way we know how. Now draw your blades! Zakuro’ll bathe in yer lifeblood this night!”
“Be strong, friends!” Oboro cried. “Zakuro is a formidable opponent, but we must prevail!”
Rinala darted forward, zig-zagging erratically towards the enemy. She couldn’t see a lot of bows or mages, but there was no sense in making it easy for them! There was no time for hesitation. She didn’t stab people often, and it was a lot worse afterwards than blasting them with magic, but she had to win, and in this moment that meant stabbing. Or slicing. They were outnumbered by the Garnets, so she could not allow herself to get stuck in one place.
Nimbly she weaved between katana slashes and spear thrusts, striking at any body part that came within her reach as she scampered around four enemy soldiers at once. Really, being outnumbered meant that she didn’t have to worry so much about hitting Perimu or Princess Yuki by accident. Kekeniro began to order her back, then stopped and told her to keep going. Yes, it was true! She wasn’t a helpless caster anymore!
A flaming shuriken exploded in the middle of the fray, sending Oboro and Zakuro jumping back from each other. “I’m baaa~aaack!” Karasu’s voice called cheerfully, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Did you miss me?”
“Like a dagger in my back,” Oboro growled. “Spread out, friends!”
“R’nyath, we should get closer, in case we risk getting stabbed in the back,” Kekeniro said from the edge of the fight, swapping from Garuda-egi to Titan-egi to take some of the heat off the ninjas.
“Bold!” R’nyath said from next to him. “No problem.”
Yuki had closed with Zakuro, rebounding off her blade and tumbling nimbly across the space. Both women had matching feral grins as they struck at each other, aether erupting from their blows. But Yuki was quicker. Zakuro reeled back, clutching her shoulder, then brought her hand away and looked at the blood on her glove. “Nnngh! Is the blood I bathe in… my own…?”
Yuki would have taken advantage of the distraction to land a killing blow, but Oboro put out a hand to touch her shoulder. “Wait, we still do not know where Tsubame is.” Yuki pouted and did not sheathe her daggers.
“No one’s bathing in blood, that’s super gross,” R’nyath said, arrow ready. “You’re not gonna die. But you should probably surrender about now.”
Zakuro hissed through her teeth, but dropped her katana from pain-shaken hands.
“Okay, but where is Tsubame?” Rinala asked anxiously, looking all around the island. They hadn’t seen even a glimpse of her, and all of the Garnet soldiers were dead or defeated, weren’t they? She didn’t sheathe her daggers anyway.
“Blades awhirling through the air! Blood watering the fields! Shinobi fighting side by side, all for the sake of their dear friends! Could there be a more moving sight? Our hero is moved to tears… or not.” Karasu grinned at them, moving out from behind a tree… with his dagger at Tsubame’s throat. “But do not worry. As promised, I’ll return your precious swallow with nary a feather out of place – once you hand over the scroll, of course.”
“What foolery is this, Karasu!?” Oboro cried, reaching out uselessly to Tsubame with a betrayed look on his face. “We played your little game, and we won, did we not? Are you not a man of your word!?”
Karasu gave him a pitying look and shook his head with a click of his tongue. “Oh, my poor, stupid Oboro! How dim can one man get? Didn’t anyone ever tell you that promises are made to be broken – especially mine. Ahahaha! Now, hand over the scroll, and quickly now! I don’t particularly enjoy killing my dear friends, but that’s never stopped me before!”
“O-Oboro! The scroll…!” Tsubame trailed off, as if she could not decide whether to beg Oboro to save her life, or beg him not to give in to Karasu’s threats. What would Thancred do? What would Achiyo do?
Oboro made his choice himself. “Rinala, we must…”
She gave it to him. Whether Karasu was bluffing or not, she really didn’t want to find out. Tsubame was too dear to her! Oboro tossed it with gritted teeth in Karasu’s direction.
Karasu caught it and gave Tsubame a gentle push towards her friends. “Very good, dim one! Yes, I daresay you’ve played your role to perfection. Fly away home, little swallow – we’ve had enough fun for the day.”
Tsubame, her hands still bound behind her, rushed to them. Rinala hugged her while Oboro hastily freed her. “You are not injured?”
“I am fine,” Tsubame said, though her voice was shaking – she’d just been used as a hostage, after all.
“Um,” Tam said, lifting a finger, looking past them.
Something zipped through the air between the group and struck Zakuro, before anyone could deflect it. There were throwing knives embedded in her chest as she collapsed to the ground, and everyone spun the other way, weapons drawn, to see a bulky Hyur in Hingan armour standing with his hand outstretched from throwing.
“Incompetent fools, the lot of you,” he snarled. “How long do you intend to keep me waiting for what is rightfully mine?”
“Lord Hanzo!” Karasu cried in fawning tones. “You couldn’t have come at a better time. You’ll be happy to know I have just what you’ve been looking for. Behold!” He tossed the scroll to… Hanzo, and then struck a pose, gazing nobly off into the distance. “Our hero has truly outdone himself this time! At long last, the ancient secrets of Hingan ninjutsu will be his! Do tell me, Lord Hanzo – when will training begin?”
The other man was silent. Karasu turned to look at him, his smile faltering. “…L-Lord Hanzo!?”
The man made a symbol with his hand, and the ground around Karasu burst into flames. Karasu screamed horribly, and when the conflagration flickered out only a few seconds later, there was no trace of him left.
Rinala and her Scion companions followed Aentfryn, who had waited at the cave entrance to be sure they didn’t miss it. There was not much the ninjas could do about this Hanzo, after he had vanished before their eyes, after monologuing about… history and grievances and stuff, but Tsubame had reassured them that he had only acquired half of the scroll and could not cause massive problems just yet. They were now on their way to the coast of Doma; Rinala and Kekeniro had explained to them what was happening in Isari and they pledged to help out if the Scions could get the Confederacy to attack.
Rinala almost couldn’t take in the spectacle of the cave, still trying to figure out how she felt about Karasu being dead. He didn’t make any sense. And now she would never get the chance to get him to make sense. But… were those lights? Lanterns in the cave, carved from stone? That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
They came into a wide open space that was not a cave; Rinala looked up, and gasped. Overhead arched a huge magical dome that kept water out and air in; the dark ocean surrounded the village like a firmament. Night had fallen, but the village was still well-lit with lanterns and a beautiful aetheryte covered in… a huge shell? Or was it just carved like that? Either way it had a little cap of sea plants growing on it, it was very pretty. The whole place was covered in brilliantly-coloured coral, and she was actually finding it a little difficult to parse as a village from all the unfamiliar colours and shapes. And there were so many Kojin! She wished she could show Thancred.
She quickly turned to look at Tam, but he actually looked quite normal; he didn’t look like he was going to pass out or throw up or anything. “Are you okay?”
He looked faintly annoyed. “I will let you know if I’m not okay. The water is over there. I’m over here. I’m concerned this magic spell will pop at any moment and we’ll all drown horribly, but it’s lasted this long, it’ll last a little longer, right?” He sighed. “I’m regretting telling you all about my issue.”
He really was getting annoyed about their fussing over him, wasn’t he? And he had lived five millennia without their help. But he had a thing that warranted fussing!
Alisaie saw them and called them over to where she was conferring with Vivienne. “Your rescue went all right?”
“It was okay,” Rinala said. “We rescued V’kebbe and Perimu and Tsubame. But Karasu got killed, and it turns out he was working for a bad guy, then his killer who was also his boss took the scroll! Which doesn’t work without the other half, luckily.”
“Right,” Vivienne said, who was maybe only half-listening since she wasn’t telling the story very well. “At least you and the others are still alive to keep after it. Look, we’ve had something of a breakthrough. Soon this bastard won’t have to worry about deep water anymore.”
“How so?” Tam asked.
“This place is called Tamamizu, and it is Soroban’s home,” Alisaie said. “To have assurance of our good intentions, the elder has tasked us with recovering a sacred jewel. I’m afraid I don’t remember the name, but it was lost in the sea. The Kojin of the Red are undoubtedly also searching for it, and the Kojin of the Blue don’t wish to fight them, though apparently they don’t mind if we do. And so tomorrow we will conduct… a ritual that will give us the blessing of the Kojin and keep us from drowning below the waves.”
“Interesting,” Tam said. “I wonder how that works, and if it will actually change anything.”
“We can, like, make sure there’s only a couple people around so you don’t feel embarrassed if it doesn’t work for you,” Rinala said. She didn’t really understand his phobia, but she could see how the ritual might not change his reaction to deep water.
He grinned. “You think I’m worried about being embarrassed at this point in my life? Just haul my catatonic body out of the water and I’ll meet you by air at the next point you’re above water.”
“You are in good company when it comes to disliking water,” Alisaie said. “Alphinaud does not freeze up as you suggest, but he hates having his face in the water – which makes it difficult to get anywhere.”
“It’s certainly difficult to breathe under such circumstances,” Tam said. “But apparently that won’t be a problem after tomorrow. Well, we’ll see. I may just need more time to adjust.”
“Tow rope?” R’nyath put in, popping his head out from behind a rock.
“You can go to hell,” Tam said amiably.
The next morning, with all the offerings for the sea collected, the Scions gathered in a long row in front of Soroban. Most of them were very excited; Rinala was certainly looking forward to it. She’d learned to swim from a pretty young age, and it would be so much more fun if she didn’t have to worry about air ever again. Or however long the effects of this ritual lasted. Chuchupa, too, was eager to go, even though by her own admission she actually did not swim well at all. Apparently swimming was not a primary concern when becoming a sailor in Limsa!? Rinala would have thought it the main concern! All the fishers of her village knew how to swim!
Soroban took the corals, the snails and crabshells that they had all gathered, and walked through the bubble’s edge into the ocean. They watched as he swam away with his burden, uncertain what he was doing.
“Do Kojin require the ritual, or are they already adept at swimming in the depths?” Lilidi asked Achiyo.
“That I do not know,” Achiyo said. “I did not know of this one way or another.”
“They must, otherwise how would they know how to do the ritual?” Kekeniro said. “Surely it’s not exclusively for the benefit of us non-Kojin.”
“True enough,” R’nyath said. “Ah, here he comes!”
Soroban stepped back out of the ocean and gave a slight rippling shake, scattering water from his shell. “It is done. Your offerings have been given to the sea. The ritual can begin at last. Come and stand before me, my friends.”
They drew closer, and he spread his arms to include them all. “Yes, yes. Listen to my words, and let all else wash away. Listen to my words, and feel them flow into your heart… at first a trickle, then a flood… O kami of the fathomless waters, of the fallen, the ascended, the flowing, and the becalmed, Caretakers of the shallows and of the depths… Receive of us our meagre offerings. Cleanse these ones of earth and stone, and grant them your blessing, that they might drink deep of the divine…”
Soroban’s deep chanting came to an end, and Rinala opened her eyes as he applauded them. “The ritual is complete, my friends. You may now breathe in the depths as you would upon land.”
Alisaie looked down at herself, then realized that the change was probably not visual, and sniffed the air experimentally. “Strange. I don’t feel any different. Are you sure it worked?”
Soroban blinked slowly. “…Reasonably. The blessing does have its limits, of course. While it will allow you to dwell in the depths, it will not help you traverse them.”
“How long does it last?” Vivienne asked. “Will it wear off eventually?”
“Unless you do something to undo this blessing, it should last your lifetime,” Soroban assured her.
Lyse stretched her arms, warming up her muscles. “I can swim well enough. How about you, everyone? Well… everyone-but-Tam?”
“Oh, like a fish,” Alisaie replied cheerfully. “In contrast to my doggy-paddling brother. Somehow, the boy just isn’t very buoyant.”
“I swim well!” Rinala said.
“As do I, though I’ll probably need to help my husband,” Lilidi said. Kekeniro nodded and blushed, triple-checking the waterproofing on his pack in which he kept his precious grimoire.
“As do I,” Achiyo said. “Even in armour. Vivienne, you…”
“I’ll probably have to walk,” Vivienne said. “Cronus isn’t just for show.”
“Hmm… skilled or no, your bodies are ill-suited to the sea,” Soroban said. “Your cause demands alacrity, and you shall have it. But first, let us take to the water.”
Rinala walked forward with the others and jumped through the edge of the bubble. Maybe jumping wasn’t necessary, but it was fun! The water closed around her, heavy and clinging, pressing down on her at this depth. Instinctively, she held her breath… for a moment. A couple of the others had stayed back, they could pull her out if she started drowning. She opened her mouth and inhaled cautiously. Water filled her mouth… yet her lungs only filled with air. Oh, that felt so weird! She turned around, treading water, to wave at the others. “It works!”
Vivienne and Aentfryn were beside her, solidly planted on the bottom of the sea. Chuchupa was flailing wildly to propel herself, but true to her word, Alisaie was quite graceful. R’nyath looked uncertain, but he was making some headway, and Lilidi was towing Kekeniro by the hand and the two of them were giggling like lovebirds.
Tam had not moved an ilm. She saw Achiyo come to him, and heard him say – slightly garbled through the wall of water between them – “I don’t think I can go in of my own volition. Thought it might be that way.”
“May I help?” Achiyo asked. “Take my hand, and we shall at least see if you can breathe.”
“If I can at least put my face in it, you mean?” Tam drawled. Achiyo took his hand and led him to the edge of the bubble, and he didn’t resist… much. But he stopped again at the edge.
“Just push him,” Vivienne called, her voice muffled by the water, and Achiyo shook her head.
“I can see you all seem to be breathing fine,” Tam said, but he seemed to be sweating heavily. “I just- I’m already shutting down. This isn’t going to work.”
“Please,” Achiyo said, and pulled him in. Tam stopped moving, eyes unfocusing, holding his breath as he drifted weightlessly. “Breathe, Tam. You can breathe.”
“I don’t think he can hear us,” R’nyath said. “Hey buddy! Old man! Purple tuco-tuco! No, he’s not listening.”
“He’s starting to turn blue,” Rinala said after another few seconds of cajoling. “Either thump him on the back to make him start breathing or we have to get him out.”
Vivienne thumped him. Tam refused to inhale. It might have been a last-ditch self-preservation instinct, but it wasn’t helping right now!
“He might begin to breathe when he passes out,” Aentfryn said. “However, it would be inhumane to wait for that to happen.”
“We are not using a tow rope on him,” Achiyo said. “It can’t be helped. We shall have to part ways for the time being and reconvene – perhaps in Isari.” She pulled Tam from the water.
It took several more minutes to revive him, and he sighed when he came back from… wherever he had been. “Well, I tried.”
Vivienne crossed her arms. “Sounds like you had a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Tam glared at her from where he sat on a stone. “Do you think I’ve never tried to swim before? Do you think it hasn’t been a major handicap for me as a knight of Nunathoemlen for centuries – millennia – of your time? What’s that game your children play – The Floor is Lightning? That’s what it’s like for me around deep water. It’s not something that I can just… turn off.”
“Even though you can breathe now?” Rinala asked, ears and tail drooping.
He made a visible effort to be patient for her. “Maybe if I had a few dozen years of working with this new ability, I could use that to help me finally get over it. But we don’t have a few dozen years, and it’s not going to be useful for you to waste time trying to break me of it right now.”
“Did something happen to your eye?” she asked, looking closer. He was usually either way taller than her, or even if they sat near each other while eating, she wasn’t necessarily looking at him – but there seemed to be something off about his left eye, the green one.
“Not from this,” he said. “Don’t worry about that.”
“Very well,” said Achiyo pragmatically. “Then we shall be in touch by linkpearl. Rest a while; I trust you to do what you do best without alerting the Garleans.”
He gave her a grim smile. “That, I can do. Have fun playing in the ocean. Don’t get eaten by anything.”
“Oh,” said Kekeniro. “I forgot that was a distinct possibility.”
“I’ll protect you!” Lilidi said.
“You’re even more snack-sized than he is,” R’nyath said.
“But I’m a lot pointier,” Lilidi retorted.
“Then let’s be off,” Achiyo said. “No one is going to be eaten. Soroban, you said you would lend us steeds?”
Sui-no-Sato was populated by Raen, and only by Raen. Achiyo had never seen so many Raen in one place before in her life. She had not expected this, had never in a million years predicted there was such a settlement, much less that she would find it. And it could not help but ignite a spark of hope inside her that had been dead for over twenty years. It was too good to be true, and yet…
The fact that Shiosai, the High Priest, was as cold and haughty as the samurai of Hingashi threatened to smother the spark before it could catch. She spoke slowly in Hingan. “I have no wish to intrude, but I must ask. Are there any named Kaisuri here?”
Shiosai stiffened with his back to her, and answered in Hingan. “Where did you learn of that name?”
The spark caught. “It was my mother’s. Kaisuri no Ayame.”
“That name has not been spoken in… decades.”
“I know,” she said, willing her voice to be steady. “She died twenty-one years ago, with my father, in Hingashi.” Fall was fast approaching. The sorrowful anniversary would come soon.
He turned to look at her. “And what would you do if I said they were? Do you look for family here? A connection?”
Her gaze hardened. What business was it of his? “I only want to know. And perhaps they would wish to know what became of her.”
He looked down. “Yes… you are right. Then you may speak with them. Kaisuri no Ai lives yonder. She is the matriarch of the Kaisuri clan, such as dwell here, and Kaisuri no Ayame’s mother – your grandmother. But I shall warn you – Kaisuri no Ayame did not go to Hingashi with her parents’ blessing.”
“I understand,” Achiyo said. But… if it were her daughter… she would want to know. She might even regret any estrangement.
She turned to the others. “I have something I must do. I do not think that all of us as a group would be welcome. I leave it to you to decide what to do next.”
“Very well,” Alisaie said. “I didn’t catch any of that-”
“I can fill you in,” R’nyath said. “If that’s okay, Achiyo?”
Achiyo restrained a grimace. She had momentarily forgotten how the Echo allowed understanding of other languages. And if all the other Warriors of Light had understood her conversation, there was no harm in Lyse, Lilidi, and Alisaie knowing as well. And R’nyath could be tactful. “Very well.”
“Good luck!” Rinala said.
Achiyo nodded and started down the hill, heading for the house. She began briskly, but soon her steps slowed. What should she say? Would she see her mother in Kaisuri no Ai? If they had been here this whole time, that would explain why no family had been found to take care of her after her parents’ deaths.
She came to the house and found a tiny old woman sitting on a bench outside her house, with long white hair done up formally. Beside her sat an adolescent young man, still growing into his height and horns and tail. “Kaisuri-no-Ai-sama?” She bowed very low.
The old woman squinted regally at her and her shining metal armour. “Who is it who asks? A foreigner, come to invade our peace and quiet?”
Achiyo shook her head. “Not at all. Only to tell you… what became of your daughter.”
“I have no daughter,” Ai snapped. “She died a long time ago.”
Achiyo’s heart clenched. “Yes. She did.”
Her quiet answer caught Ai’s attention. “Come closer, girl. My eyes aren’t what they used to be. Ah, I see. Your skin is too green and your hair is not as bright as hers, but I see her in you. You are her daughter.”
“I am,” Achiyo said. Her mother’s skin had been more golden, and her father’s hair dark green to her mother’s silver. But it was hard for her to see her mother in Ai. Her mother had been gone too long, Achiyo had been too young when she died. “I am Kensaki no Achiyo. My father was Kensaki no Tamehiro, and my mother… Kaisuri no Ayame.”
There was a long pause. Then Ai turned away. “And what do you want? The Kensakis have nothing to do with Sui-no-Sato. Ayame left a long time ago. I tell you, she is not my daughter.”
Achiyo quelled her sudden fury with an effort. “You do not even wish to know what became of her? Of her life while she lived?”
“What does it matter? She will not come back one way or another.”
Achiyo clenched her hands to stop them from shaking, then slowly relaxed them. She was a samurai’s daughter, a knight, a lady engaged to the Lord Chancellor of Ishgard. One old woman’s bitterness could not ruffle her, not outwardly. She had plenty of training in that. “Then I will trouble you no longer. The unwanted orphan has her own family now – I do not need yours.”
It was a verbal slap, and she knew it, and she knew Ai knew it. The woman glared at her, and the young man got to his feet – he was not fully grown, but he still loomed over her. “How dare you- don’t talk to Grandmother that way!”
Height alone could not shake her, and she gave him a softer look. He was allowed to be protective of his relative. “Goodbye, Kaisuri-sama.” She bowed and left.
“How did it go?” R’nyath asked as she rejoined them.
She shook her head. “I do not wish to talk about it now.”
“Right, right, probably got a lotta feelings to sort through. Hey, look who we found!” He gestured to a middle-aged couple. “Can you guess who they are?”
“These are Yugiri’s parents,” Vivienne said, sparing Achiyo the embarrassment and trouble of guessing. “We thought Yugiri’s story would come best from you, if you returned soon.”
“You were closest with her,” Kekeniro said.
“I should be glad to,” Achiyo said, smiling at the two hopeful faces before her. At least she could be of service to Yugiri’s family. “She is one of the bravest and most honourable people I have ever had the honour to fight beside.”
She briefly recounted her friendship with Yugiri, some of the trials they had faced together, and Yugiri’s parents told them of how she had left to follow her convictions, and was banished for it. In gratitude for the news, they granted the Scions aid in their quest for the Kojin jewel – secretly, lest Shiosai discover that they were cooperating with the outsiders.
“I hope you find that which you seek,” said Yugiri’s mother. “I only wish there were something more we could do to assist you… Know that you will be in my prayers. And… when next you see our daughter, pray tell her not a day goes by that her parents and her brothers do not think of her.”
Achiyo pressed a hand to her heart, touched. “We certainly shall. Thank you a thousand times for your aid. May it bring us more quickly to her side.”
Before they set out to search the ocean floor for the jewel, she hesitated, looking back. She wanted to try again to speak to Ai. Yugiri’s parents had softened her anger. Perhaps the old woman’s bitterness was only from the pain of separation, from lamenting past quarrels with her daughter, with the certainty she would never see her again. She ought to try once more, now that the shock of revelation was over.
But not now. She had a country to liberate first.
Achiyo stood at bay, sword and shield drawn, holding the gap with Vivienne against a seething horde of Red Kojin. Somehow the latest hare-brained scheme was to deliver the Yasakani-no-Magatama to the collective Kojin treasure vault… which was entirely in Red Kojin territory. This involved protracted amounts of fighting and very little strategy, which pleased Chuchupa and displeased Kekeniro.
Their little band slashed, stabbed, punched, blasted, zapped, and shot their way through every Kojin in their path, sowing as much chaos and destruction as possible while trying not to get cornered, while Alisaie and Rinala crept in to deliver the Magatama to the vault. Achiyo did not like this method of operating, causing damage and death to no immediate purpose, but it would draw the Red Kojin from across the entire coast to the Isle of Zekki… fulfilling their promise to the Confederacy. Gosetsu would only have to wait a few more bells, ideally. She hoped he was still alive; that the Garleans had not withdrawn and taken him away.
There was an anxious scream from her linkpearl. “Come quick, something’s happening!” Rinala cried.
They turned and ran into the vault, which was really a large open area in a shallow pool with a massive altar at the back, arrayed with many treasures. They were followed closely by angry Kojin, and found glowing things whizzing through the air.
“What in the world?” Lyse cried. Achiyo saw the Magatama among them, and a sword, and a… mirror? The three sacred treasures circled faster and faster, a blinding ring of light.
“Hark!” cried the leader of the Kojin. “A great kami stirs… Yes, yes, a great kami of the sacred treasures! O great kami, we beseech your intercession! We who have guarded your blade and glass for generations – your faithful Kojin!”
“Oh, is that what’s happening?” Kekeniro mumbled. “Lilidi, step back.”
The treasures came to a halt in the air, the sword at the centre. “Who…?” came a booming voice. “Who hath made us whole?”
“Um… me… I guess?” Rinala squeaked.
Achiyo stood forward to take the responsibility from her. “We brought the Yasakani-no-Magatama, o kami-sama.”
“Thou didst freely deliver our jewel unto thine enemy’s own treasure vault?” asked the kami.
“Hells yeah we did!” Chuchupa cheered.
The kami laughed a booming laugh. “How auspicious! We do commend thee, children of man! Such audacity is deserving of celebration, exultation – a contest of wills to mark the occasion! Let lines be drawn! Let sides be chosen! And for their loyalty, we shall stand with the caretakers of our greater part.”
“Oh, perfect,” Alisaie groaned, putting her head into her hand. “A contest of wills. Just what we need.”
“That’s all right,” R’nyath said. “We’ll take care of it. Tam’s on his way, too, so we’ve got the whole primal squad ready to go. You guys take care, though, okay?”
“Don’t worry about us,” Lyse said, readying her fists. “Just take care of whatever appears.”
The kami laughed again. “Hearken to us, shelled ones! Upon this day, your wish shall be granted! Curse neither your fate nor its executor, children of man, for we are of the divine – of both heaven and earth. The ringing silence. The raging calm. All riseth and falleth at the whim of capricious fortune. Assume your marks upon the stage, and embrace the coming storm!”
The treasures glowed brighter, too bright to look upon, and dazzling lines of lightning aether connected them. Stormclouds billowed up like steam, lightning crashed, and suddenly from the chaos emerged a huge figure clad in, or made of ornate Doman-styled metal armour, equal in height to Thordan or Ravana, with a great red plume on its helm. “We are Susano, and in revelry do we rejoice!”
Thunder and lightning from Susano’s blade cracked again, and when Achiyo blinked spots away from her eyes, Tam was standing beside them, having dropped from the air above. “Oh, hello. A primal.”
“Can you be more dramatic?” Vivienne complained, hefting Cronus.
“I could try,” Tam said, spinning his lance. “It’s usually too much effort.”
“Go now,” Achiyo said to Lyse, Lilidi, and Alisaie. “Defend yourselves, and await our return.”
“Right,” Alisaie said. “Good luck!” The three turned and charged at the waiting Kojin, who were taken aback by the ferocity of the three women, and it was not long before they were all out of sight again.
Achiyo stepped forward and bowed to the kami, Susano. “Greetings, Susano-sama. We accept this duel.”
Susano bowed in return. “Then let the revels begin!”
They reconvened collectively just outside the vault a half-bell later, some wild-eyed, some gleeful. Chuchupa had enjoyed the fight against a primal whose primary desire to engage them in combat was ‘friendly’ sport. R’nyath had spent most of the fight trying not to be struck by lightning. Tam had been struck by lightning. Even Aentfryn had nearly been washed away by an aetherial wave of water.
And then primal had enlarged to the size of a small mountain, drawn a sword the size of a tower, and brought it down on them. Vivienne, taken by surprise, had had no time to dodge, and brought her sword up to block braced with both hands in a last-ditch attempt not to die. Screaming under the pressure, somehow she had stood, unbuckled, straining with all her might, until Susano drew back and struck again. Then it was Achiyo’s turn, and she crumpled to one knee under the impact – but she was not hacked in two, and her sword, the gift from Artoirel, held unbent.
Percival could never have imagined such things when he trained her, over a decade ago. She nearly could not get to her feet again. But she must. She did.
After a third dreadful blow that left a rift through the floor of the vault, that everyone declined to be struck by, Susano had returned to his previous form, and Achiyo, her bones still shaken and her muscles still strained, her tail nigh-sprained by her efforts, had been grateful. At last, the primal had been drained of aether, and the treasures had fallen separate, inert.
Achiyo had picked up the Magatama and laid it gently on the altar, where it was supposed to be; Aentfryn and Kekeniro had done the same with the sword and the mirror. Then they could leave, but there was no rest for them yet, for the Kojin were gathering, their reinforcements from across the Ruby Sea arriving. Though they were dismayed to learn that their kami had fallen to mortals.
“You won!” Alisaie cried upon seeing them. “Oh thank the gods. That was not part of the plan! A Kojin primal was most definitely not part of the plan! …Though I am sure there is a perfectly logical explanation involving the aether stored in the treasures and the religious fervour with which the Kojin guard them. Or something.” She sighed. “A pity Alphinaud isn’t here to provide it.”
“I think you’re spot on,” Kekeniro said. “But let’s think about that later! Where do we go from here?”
“Look!” R’nyath cried, pointing to the sky. “Smoke! Is that from Isari?”
“Looks like it,” Tam said. “They took what we gave them.”
“Our job here is done, then,” Vivienne said, and swayed, leaning on Cronus for balance. “Can’t bloody Teleport with the aether all churned up like this…”
“I think we’ve done all we can here,” Alisaie said. “Let’s withdraw and make for the village.”
“Right!” Lyse cried. “Although… they don’t seem keen to let us go…”
“You’re too tired to fight further,” Alisaie said to Achiyo. “I’ll hold a rear-guard for you to make your way to the exit.” She stepped forward. “Hear me, Kojin of the Red! We have no quarrel with you – only your Imperial masters! No more blood need be shed this day! I pray you let us go in peace!”
Achiyo did not think that was going to work. They had killed or injured dozens of Kojin and destroyed their god, seemingly unprovoked. ‘Nothing personal’ was not going to be convincing.
“You dare speak to us of peace!?” a Kojin snarled back. “Your flesh will feed the fishes, thief! Attack!”
“We didn’t steal anything, for gods’ sake!” R’nyath complained. “We brought something!”
“Though we coulda,” Chuchupa said. Achiyo cast a suspicious eye at the pirate.
“Well, go on!” Alisaie ordered them, as the Kojin charged. “You too, Lyse, Lilidi!”
Aentfryn shook his head. “I’ll be your back-up.”
“No-” Alisaie began, casting a spell.
“There is no time to argue,” Aentfryn said decisively, casting his own spell. Eos nodded emphatically, twinkling.
“Very well,” Achiyo said. “Quickly.”
They ran back through the canyons of the isle, looking for the tunnel that led to the sea. Though when they passed a cliff-edge that opened into the sky, Tam jumped from it – to be caught by his black chocobo. Yes, why swim now? Would the Imperials see them, if they were busy with the Confederacy? Achiyo summoned her own chocobo, and after a bit of a scramble, they all took flight, bound for Isari.
Lyse paced on the beach, wringing her hands. “I need to go back for Alisaie. You all can rest, but-”
“We will come with you,” Achiyo said. “Now that we’ve caught our breath.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Lyse made a negatory gesture. “She stayed behind so that you all could escape. She only let Aentfryn stay because he’s a stubborn old git and fond of her and we all know it. So I’ve got to go back. If we lose her… I’ll never forgive myself. Let me go, please. I’m asking you as a friend. I have to help her!”
“You can start by finding me a towel,” Alisaie said, climbing out of the water. “Brrr…” She shivered, squeezing seawater ineffectually from her jacket. Behind her, Aentfryn clambered up stiffly, groaning, muttering about being too old for this shite.
“Alisaie! Aentfryn!” cried Lyse, jaw dropping. Everyone gathered around, delighted.
Alisaie looked up with a perplexed face. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? I said I was going to distract them, not make a heroic and ultimately futile last stand. Who does that, anyway?”
Lyse simply ran to hug her. Alisaie struggled mildly. “For the love of- This is stupid! You’re embarrassing yourself! And me!”
“Aentfryn needs a hug too,” R’nyath declared.
“No, I do not,” Aentfryn said, putting a wet hand on R’nyath’s head to hold him back. The Miqo’te squeaked as the cold seawater ran down the back of his neck.
“Shut up and let me have this,” Lyse demanded, and squeezed Alisaie a moment longer before stepping back. “Right. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Here, let me dry you off,” Rinala said, casting a variant of Fluid Aura to draw the water from their clothes and drop it into the ocean.
Alisaie stopped shivering so much. “Ah, that helps a lot. They didn’t follow you, did they? I gave you enough time to escape?”
“We made it away easily, thanks to you,” Achiyo said. “Thank you.”
Alisaie smiled. “Good to hear my selfless act of heroism achieved the desired effect. You needn’t worry, by the way – I’m not intending to make a habit of this.”
“Good,” Aentfryn grumbled. Eos giggled.
“You weren’t hurt much, both of you?” Rinala asked.
“No, but even so, I will admit to being glad Aentfryn was there,” Alisaie said. “What was it Thancred once said about battle-scars and maidens? Naught worth repeating in polite company, I’m sure…”
“Ah. Ahaha. Right.” Rinala blushed.
Achiyo looked towards Isari, where the smoke of battle was diminishing. The harbour was still full of Confederate sails. “Shall we go see the results of our interference?”
The village was still collecting itself in the aftermath of the fighting. There was no trace of the Imperials save for a few bodies, already being gathered for disposal by Confederate pirates. The shaken villagers were clinging to each other, trying to ascertain each other’s well-being, but Achiyo saw hope and relief on every face.
It felt so strange. This place was still familiar to her. She knew these buildings, these wooden steps, even some of these people, though they did not notice her in this moment, surrounded as she was by exotic foreigners. She had lived in Doma for nigh on a decade, but she had never dreamed she would return with a strike force of Eorzean friends dedicated to liberating it. But then, she had not dreamed she would help liberate Eorzea, either. It felt… a little like inviting her friends into her house… while it was occupied with vermin and in need of hard cleaning.
They climbed the wooden decks to the tavern, and found the Confederate leadership and Gosetsu standing around in front of it, discussing animatedly. Gosetsu looked a little worse for wear, but much better than Achiyo had feared he might. Tansui was the first to see them, and waved them over.
“My Eorzean friends!” he called, as laconic as ever. “Saw the smoke, did you? A pity you did not come sooner – though I gather you were busy elsewhere.”
“Damn right!” Chuchupa cried. “We’ve been in so many fights! And I got me some plunder, too, don’tcha wish ye were with us instead?”
“Chuchupa!” Achiyo scolded her, aghast. “You weren’t supposed to take anything from the vault!” She had not seen… what had she stolen!?
“I’m a pirate, Princess, ye can’t wave treasure under me nose and not expect me to sniff it. Hey, if it’s possessed like they say, maybe it’ll like bein’ on an adventure wi’ me!”
“Gosetsu!” Lyse cried. “You’re alive! You’re all alive…”
Gosetsu laughed. “And full of vim and vigour, hahaha! Did I not tell you I was no stranger to chains?”
Jacke waved at Rinala; the Rogues were dressed in Confederate clothes. “Here ye are! Oboro and Tsubame hopped the twig up to their village once the fightin’ were done. We’ll wait for the whid afore we stirs up too much trouble.”
“Glad to see you’re all right,” Rinala said. “You’ll be all right here?”
“Right dimber damber, I’m sure,” Perimu said. “The Imp bastards didn’t bite all the ale.”
“The fighting cannot have lasted long,” Alisaie said. “Where are all the Imperials?”
“Fled,” Rasho said. “They stood their ground for a time – until it became clear that their Kojin reinforcements would not be coming. We took some few casualties, but my deeper regret is having let Yotsuyu slip through my fingers. That bodyguard of hers may be a half-wit, but he’s a mean bastard on the battlefield.” He scowled, looking off to the west where the Imperials must have gone.
“In any event, I imagine all involved are satisfied with this outcome,” Tansui said. “So far as the Empire is concerned, the Confederacy attacked Isari in retaliation for the viceroy’s actions – and without the aid of insurrectionists, I might add. Suffice it to say, we are prepared to be the subject of their undivided attention for the foreseeable future.” He grinned.
Achiyo nodded with determination. “Doma shall be free. This we swear.”
Rasho lifted an eyebrow to her. “Hm! An impossible claim, yet one spoken with such conviction that I cannot choose but believe it.”
She smiled. “I learned my conviction from the knights of Ishgard, who fought a losing war for a thousand years without giving in.”
He nodded. “When we saw what you few had accomplished, our hearts could not choose but stir in our breasts. It is enough to make one wonder what you would accomplish with support.”
“Your assistance would be most welcome,” Alisaie said. “Nevertheless, we shall do our utmost to spare you undue danger – we are already in your debt.”
Tansui shook his head. “Nay, little miss, all debts are paid. For by your deeds, many still live who elsewise would not. Let both parties count their blessings, and may fortune continue to favour us all.”
“You still seek to bring freedom to our people, then?” Rasho asked them. “You will go to Yanxia?”
“O’ course,” Chuchupa said. “Unless ye want me to stay here an’ fight wi’ ye instead. The rest are goin’ for sure though.”
“You would certainly be welcome to join us,” Tansui said. “Though I suspect you are too much your own captain to fly our flag for long.”
“Hm. Ye’re not wrong ’bout that. ‘Twould be for fun, o’ course.”
“I have faith that our allies yet live,” Gosetsu said. “Once we have found them, we will plan our next step.”
“Yanxia was the crucible of the rebellion,” Rasho said. “What happened here pales in comparison to what Yotsuyu did there. Remember this: fear changes men. Have care in whom you place your trust.”
“And with that, we must take our wounded home.” Tansui gave them a bow that was both sardonic and sincere, as the Confederates turned to head down to their ships, and then remembered something. “Oh! Your shellback friend sends his regards, and looks forward to your next meeting. Try not to die before then, eh?”
“Fair winds go with you,” Achiyo replied, and turned to Gosetsu. “I am glad to see you well. Have you need of healing? They must have mistreated you harshly.”
“It is my pride that even their great brute could not beat a single word from my lips,” Gosetsu said, grinning. “Have no fear – any hurts they gave to me, the Confederate healers have seen to. And I will repay them in time, to each their own. But you did well, all of you! Were it not for the tremendous strength and bravery of you and yours, many innocent souls would have suffered terrible fates.”
“Glad we made it in time,” Kekeniro said. “Though I wish you’d been a bit clearer about who we were going to meet?”
Gosetsu shrugged. “Though I knew the Confederacy would be loath to meet the Imperials in battle, I also knew that if any could win them over, it would be you. Truly, yours is a heroic spirit that inspires men to rise above their circumstances – to strive for something greater! It will be an honour to travel with you again. Now then, let us not squander the Confederacy’s gift. Yanxia and my countrymen await!”
Chapter 55: Yanxia
Author’s note: There’s a lot of things about the level 60-70 NIN quests that only work if you don’t think about them at all.
I really want to keep writing this, if only because there’s not a lot I personally can do to counter-act all the Bad Stuff in the world right now and putting out more creativity is apparently an act of defiance in its own way. And if the world actually blows up (which is not out of the question, I think) I’d like to be as close to finishing the story as I can get, or I’m going to be annoyed in the afterlife. FF is a great fantasy in that we can imagine a world in which we’re less helpless, in which there’s a clear way to stand up to tyranny, in which the world-ending threat can be stopped by a capital-H Hero being in the right place at the right time – even if that generally involves violence. During my not-posting time, I actually wrote a FFXIV self-insert isekai fic to process my feelings about it. It helps. Trying to explain to Alphinaud and Aymeric just how absolutely screwed up this world is and imagining their horrified responses is very therapeutic. As is starting a conspiracy with Urianger to save everybody – Moenbryda, Wilred, Haurchefant, Ysayle – without changing the timeline. (No, I’m not posting it, it’s for personal therapy only. Write your own! It’s fun!)