Light's Call

by Naryfiel Lilith

Five years after the Calamity, the realm of Eorzea nurses its wounds and tends to its scars, still teeters on the edge of destruction. Primals and the shadow of the Empire threaten to plunge the realm into the shadows of bloodshed once more. Yet even the darkest nights must end, and sometimes, it is a single person who can change the fate of a realm, forever. [ARR novelization]

4. Chapter 4) Stalwart

Chapter 4) Stalwart

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The longer I stay here in Ul'dah, Xanthos, the more apparent the darker aspects become. I suppose it's part of life, though. Once you're no longer blinded by the brilliance, the shadows become more obvious. Though, some of the things are simply… mmm, I have no words. Maybe I will later.

Similarly, I have no words for the strange things that have occurred. The 'feelings', the beacons, the tugs on my soul… then there were those visions. Were they the past? I didn't remember anything like this from my lessons. Yet I don't think they're normal for life outside the village either.

Maybe it's simply part of being a child of misfortune. If so, I simply have to adapt.

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The War of the Magi… according to this book, it was the war which led to the Great Flood of the Sixth Calamity. Nothing remained about the specific spark which ignited the war, but based on the records slowly salvaged through the years, it had likely been but the culmination of decades of political posturing.

Amdapor was one of the greater powers in the war. A fortress of stone masquerading as a bustling city, it claimed to live in harmony with nature, even taking Nophica as its patron god, and promised only peaceful relations to its neighbors. In response to the neighboring Mhach's increasingly aggressive tendencies, they sought to enhance their magic with the intents of purification, warding, and healing. Thus led to the creation of White Magic, a magic with good intentions and, yet, devastated the lands when hubris outstripped prudence.

"Though, given how I'm looking at this in retrospect, I cannot help but wonder at their intentions," I murmured to myself, jotting down notes as I read. As usual, I was studying at the counter while the Quicksand bustled and babbled around me. "I mean… what are the limitations of purification anyway? Could you purify blood into water?"

"Syna, for such a sweet girl, you can be surprisingly morbid," Momodi deadpanned suddenly, coming over to hand me a glass of water and a bowl of grapes. I happily popped one in my mouth, humming in delight. "Need you to carry a tray in a second."

"Very well." I supposed I'd pursue the thought another day.

Momodi soon passed me a tray ladened with all sorts of food and drinks, and I carefully carried the tray to one of the rowdier tables in the middle of the room. Wasn't sure what they were all excited about. From what I saw, they were just playing some sort of card game. 'Three, three' or something? I never quite heard the name. Whatever it was, though, it had them all enthralled and cheering as loudly as the crowds in the coliseum. They were polite enough when I delivered their food, though, and I was able to quickly dart back to the counter and my studying.

Mhach was the other of the two most infamous powers of the war. Originally one of many city-states struggling to survive, its fortunes changed when the sorceress Shatotto discovered how to imbue her spells with the ambient aether around her, birthing Black Magic in all of its terribly destructive glory. Through this new art, Mhach conquered its neighbors and clawed its way to military supremacy. However, Shatotto's arts were not the only magics they wielded. They also expanded on Allagan research on voidsent, discovering a method to bind the creatures to their will and further expand their destructive might. And with that mastery came arrogance, and war.

"Syna, these ales need to go to the back corner."

"On it, Momodi."

'These ales' were three trays worth, all but buckling the metal under their collective weights. To lessen the chances of a catastrophic fall, I carried them one at a time, darting quickly between so no one felt slighted. As such, I didn't hear much of this group of rambunctious customers' conversation. Only enough to know they were fans of the bloodsands and enjoyed spiritedly debating which gladiators they thought would win in the coming matches. I heard the name 'Franz the Fair' more than a few times, but never did I catch a word of his skill in battle. Only his devastating good looks. Strange, that. Yet not so strange I felt willing to postpone my studying any longer than I had.

Though the War of the Magi focused most prominently between Mhach and Amdapor, there was yet one more 'great power' in those times: Nym. A maritime city whose power laid in its seafaring and commerce, its military power was focused on the Royal Marines. Despite their small size, the axe-wielding marauders were a fearsome force alongside the scholars, a branch of healers who employed a unique method of arcanima. Sadly, there were few records on just what this 'unique method' was, only its focus on strategy and healing. Still, whatever it was, it had been effective enough for the Royal Marines to drive back Mhach's voidsent army time and time again. Sadly, however, it had not been enough to repel the plague which infected its citizens, or the tragedy of the Sixth Calamity which destroyed all in its wake.

"It is a complete an utter travesty! A blight upon the eyes!" This time, it was not Momodi who jolted me from my studying. Instead, it was my lone companion at the counter, a rather dapper Roegadyn who had stumbled in an hour or so ago to order 'a constant stream of wine', which he had downed like water ever since. "He paired it with a subligar, Momodi! A subligar!" he bemoaned, all but collapsed across the counter, near tears over whatever had brought him here in the first place. "As well as the absolute gaudiest of boots and gauntlets, from an armory!"

"There, there, Redolent Rose," Momodi cooed, completely unfazed by the dramatics. She even patted his head soothingly. A lovely top hat sat next to his wine glass. "Was his hat nice, at least?"

"It was a sugarloaf hat! Not even dyed a matching color!" 'Redolent Rose' pushed himself up just enough to down another glass of wine before sprawling again. Momodi dutifully refilled his glass, and fetched another bottle when her current one emptied. I leaned over the counter slightly, and saw three other empty bottles."How can he be so blind?! It's absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable! He's hopeless! Utterly hopeless!" He was remarkably well-spoken for someone who had downed four bottles. But that might explain why he acted as if this was the end of the world.

"Now, now, if he were hopeless, you would not be so distraught." Still convinced it was the wine at work on that. From my nights here, I'd seen one drink result do worse. Momodi had told me it wasn't uncommon. "Say, what was the name of Wawarukka's infatuation again? Kokomo?" Redolent Rose somehow managed to nod while remaining dramatically sprawled. "I see." Then, slowly, Momodi grinned evilly. "Oh, Syna~?" She turned to me, evil grin now paired with sparkling eyes, and I felt like a rabbit trapped by a very hungry hawk. "Might you do me a teensy favor?"

"...This Kokomo happens to be here and you want me to deliver her order and make conversation," I 'summarized', catching the thread. I might not know what was going on, but even I could thread this together. Her little giggle confirmed it. "Specifically, you want me to make conversation about this Wawarukka person." Meanwhile, Redolent Rose lifted his head to blink slowly at me, trying to piece together what was going on. Didn't blame him at all. "Somehow."

"You're clever. You can manage ," Momodi encouraged, already arranging the tray. As soon as she was done, she held it out to me, and I took it despite my misgivings. Much as I owed her, and it was a great deal, I was terribly confused on how this would work. "She's got a commission with Redolent Rose here. Start with that." Well, at least I had that much to go on, even if I didn't know what he did besides become very melodramatic while drinking wine. Still, to linger and wait would do no one any good, so off I went.

Kokomo herself was a quiet Lalafell girl, seated by herself at one of the back tables. She didn't appear distressed by the relative quiet, though. In fact, based on her small smile, I would say she reveled in it. It faltering when I approached all but proved it, but she remained perfectly poised and polite at least.

"Here's your order, miss," I murmured, carefully setting down her food and drink. It was simple fare, especially given how intricate her clothes were, but her eyes gleamed in delight at the sight. I gathered they were some favorites of hers. "Is all well?"

"Indeed, this is precisely what I needed," Kokomo whispered, daintily placing a napkin in her lap. She was definitely on the wealthier side; no others had the habit, from what I had seen. "Was there anything else?"

"Hmm… well…" How to do this? How to do this? Er… "Ah, yes, Redolent Rose wondered about your commission and I offered to take a message." He'd wondered nothing and I offered nothing, but hopefully...

"You… want to know my commission for Redolent Rose?" She frowned a little, no doubt suspicious. And who wouldn't be? This was beyond what anyone with half of a brain would believe. "That seems quite a bit of trouble for a waitress." So, how was I supposed to…? Ah, well, perhaps...

"It's little trouble, truthfully. I asked Wawarukka about his order earlier." Now, how much of a lie was it? I had no idea. But if he came to the Quicksand recently, then I likely had, in fact, asked him about what he wanted.

"Did you say Wawarukka?" All at once, Kokomo's face lit up with a sweet, shy smile. "I didn't know he was a client of Redolent Rose as well…" It was definitely not my fault if she 'misinterpreted' what I meant by 'order'. Right? Right. "I do wonder what ever possessed him to wear such a ridiculous outfit, in that case!" Still, she laughed brightly, a pleased blush dusting her cheeks. "You should have seen it, and the look on Father's face when he chased him away. Though..." Sadly, that laughter quieted all too soon, replaced with a wistfulness that made my own heart ache. "Perhaps Father was too harsh. I have not seen him recently."

"Do you wish to?"

"Oh, well, yes…" The pretty blush darkened and she smiled up at me. "I would love to have spoken with him." A far-away look graced her expression before she 'snapped' back to the present. "Oh, yes, the commission!" She cleared her throat, blush darkening even further. Embarrassment was my guess. "Might you tell Redolent Rose I am in terrible need of quality woolen tights?"

"I'll be certain to tell him." I'd even jot a note to make sure he'd remember it. "I'm certain he's simply been busy. Wawarukka, I mean. Quite a few places are, for now, since there's so much to catch up on due to the deliveries being delayed."

"Yes…" She smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Miss Syna." Did… did I ever give her my name? I didn't think so, but how else would she know it?

It didn't matter, truthfully. Her ordered was delivered, and I had somehow managed to complete Momodi's favor, so there was no need to impose myself on her further. Upon my return to the counter, I dutifully gave my 'report' to the eagerly waiting Momodi and Redolent Rose. It had Momodi giggling triumphantly, while Redolent Rose actually sat up and, shockingly, drank actual water instead of wine.

"So, she wishes for woolen tights?" he repeated, focusing on that part of the 'report'. Momodi stealthily cleaned away his wine glass and the bottles, and I wondered if she'd intervened to keep him from emptying her stores. "Ah, no doubt to wear under the dresses her father has her wear to evening parties. The cold can be a bit much." He nodded a couple of times and, upon me passing him the note (because I had promised, if only in my head), he pulled out a pen from his pocket and began scribbling things down next to it. "It is good to hear, however, Wawarukka's efforts have not been in vain. Though, now I wonder how I might convince him to wear something normal next time."

"I'm sure you will find a way," Momodi reassured, beaming at him. For two seconds. Then she reached over and pinched his hand. "Ah, not another letter. You march yourself up those stairs and into one of the rooms, mister. You need to get your sleep before the wine truly kicks in." It hadn't already? "Actually, let me help you. Syna, while I do that, can you get the orders for those white-haired twins at the center table there?"

I had to help Redolent Rose to his feet, and I lingered back at the counter to worriedly watch Momodi steer him in the direction of the stairs. Of course, my worries were unfounded. She was clearly an old hand at this, and had him up the stairs and out of sight long before I found the notebook I used to take orders and picked my way through the crowd for the 'white-haired twins'. Theirs was the only quiet table in the middle of the ruckus, an oddity in of itself as those who preferred keeping to themselves tended to take the tables in the back and along the walls. The second oddity about them was… well, I recognized them.

"Oh, hello again," I greeted without thinking as soon as I put the pieces together. I smiled at the two, though I had to keep from squirming when the two simply blinked up at me curiously, as if they didn't recognize me. My tail definitely flicked behind me, though. "Ah, my apologies, we arrived in Ul'dah on the same carriage."

"No, we recognize you," the one with the red-tie corrected. Her words were crisp, brisk even, but I didn't think she was annoyed. Rather, it was just how she spoke, her words in a hurry to escape. "I had been under the impression Au Ra were rare here in Eorzea, so you stood out some. I'm surprised my brother and I made enough of an impression, though."

"It's not often one encounters twins who sleep straight through a surprise inspection from the Brass Blades and a following ambush by Amal'ja." I did my best to not laugh, particularly when both of them looked dumbfounded. "Neither of you woke even during the dash to escape. Brendt and I had to check you were breathing."

"Surely, we didn't sleep that deeply!" The one with the red-tie looked more and more aghast. The one with the blue-tie looked more and more mortified, a blush dusting his cheeks. "I know the journey was long and hard on us, but to sleep through all of that…"

"I also had to wake you."

"That part I do remember."

"As do I," the one with the blue-tie mumbled. They cleared their throat, trying to manage some sort of dignity. I decided to let them get away with it. "I dare say it would be most remiss of us to not properly introduce ourselves, then. My name is Alphinaud Leveilleur, and this is my twin sister, Alisae." The one with the red-tie waved briefly, still aghast by how deeply she and her brother had slept. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance again, miss…?"

"Syna Belkaia," I replied, keeping up the smile. At the reminder of that day, though, I wondered how Brendt was doing. I hoped he was safe. "Alisae mentioned a journey, so I take it you are not native to these parts?"

"No, we hail from Sharlayan actually." Sharlayan? "Do… you not know of it?"

"There is something familiar about the word." Maybe? ...No, it was. The last vision of Thancred had mentioned… "I fear that is the extent of my knowledge, though."

"Truly?" Alphinaud's eyes widened, and if I didn't know better, I would've thought his tone patronizing. "I would have thought it common knowledge."

"What is common to one is uncommon to another. You need only look to the wealthy of Ul'dah and the refugees from Ala Mhigo to see that." I shrugged, deciding to simply chide and give him the benefit of the doubt. I could be misinterpreting his tone; he could also not realize how he came across. "Besides, is it a flaw to not know something? No one knows everything, after all. It simply gives me another thing to learn, and I enjoy learning."

"A shame we cannot introduce you to some of our compatriots, then," Alisae replied, leaning forward slightly. No longer aghast, she seemed almost… irritated. Yet I didn't think she was irritated at me or the conversation. She was just… well, irritated. At something. At nothing. At everything. "Sharlayan is an archipelago in the northern seas, though there once was a colony of the same name in the Dravanian Hinterlands. However, the colony was abandoned some fifteen years ago, give or take, after negotiations with the Garlean Empire fell through." Alisae made a little face. "War is considered… no, perhaps it is more accurate to say it is not considered. In accordance to our founder's beliefs, our people pursue peace above all else."

"As such, it's isolationistic, having withdrawn from Eorzea entirely," Alphinaud added, his tone decidedly smug now. I thought he enjoyed knowing something I didn't, for whatever reason. "Despite that, however, it's regarded as a shining seat of knowledge. Alisae and I are graduates of the Studium, in fact."

"That sounds impressive, though books can't teach you everything," I murmured, deciding to chide once more. Alphinaud appeared a little put out, while Alisae bit back a little grin and appeared visibly smug. I might need to think of synonyms for the word at this rate. "Knowledge and peace, though?"

"Yes, I suppose that summarizes Sharlayan neatly," Alphinaud answered, doing his best to not sulk. I had a feeling my chiding grated his nerves. "There's thousands of books and treatises only available there, among other things."

"I see." Perhaps I should say more. In fact, to be polite, I was certain I did. Yet, what they said… it grated me.

Isolationistic? Withdrawing entirely? While a devotion to peace was admirable, I simply couldn't help but notice how privileged their approach was. I didn't know much about the world, it was true, but even I could figure out how an island nation would be more difficult to attack than one which shared a boundary. It was so very easy to preach for peace and ruthlessly shun war when the chances of being attacked were infinitesimally small. The colony they had mentioned had been threatened, yes, but based on what they said, it seemed they left willingly. They'd had the luxury of somewhere else to run, and while I could not fault them for taking advantage, I still...

During the same time frame, the Ala Mhigans had been running for their lives, desperate to find some sort of refuge, with naught but the clothes on their backs. Mourning those who had stayed behind to fight one last battle against the soldiers conquering their home, just to buy time. Mourning those who went missing in the chaos, never to be found. Mourning the loss of their home. Yes, relations with the other nations were complicated, as I knew from Momodi, and Dawnfather knew how little I knew in general about it all. Yet still...

But what of five years ago, when the Calamity came? I only knew bits of pieces, it was true, but the way everyone spoke of it made it clear the scars it left behind had barely sealed over. Again, people mourned the dead and lost. Again, people tried to rebuild their lives. From what I'd heard, there was so much lost, so much changed… and yet, it seemed Sharlayan did nothing but watch. Watch and record it all. Separate, apart, and completely uncaring of everything.

I could be wrong. In fact, I almost certainly was. I'd have to do far more research to form a conclusive opinion. Yet, right now, I could not help my irritation. I could not think of their way as 'peaceful', of 'pursuing peace'. They were not a people who represented peace. They were simply a people who covered their ears to the screams of those they left to die.

"All that knowledge, and yet, they do nothing with it," I found myself murmuring. Both twins blinked at me curiously. "All that knowledge, knowledge which could help people, and they squander it. It sounds less like wisdom and more like indolence to me." And now they both stared. And stared. And stared. "Ah, sorry! Just… rambling!" Wonderful job, me. Surely, they just adored hearing insults about their homeland.

"No, no, it's…" Alphinaud trailed off and looked to his twin. Alisae herself simply stared back with wide eyes. "Our… our grandfather said something similar," he finally mumbled. "He said it many times, actually, before he left to assist Eorzea prior to the Calamity."

"I see." Given the pain I could see in their faces, and their slight winces… he must have died. No wonder they were so shaken. "You know… I don't think I ever got your orders."

"Ah, yes, we were distracted!"

I had just finished writing down the last of their order when a loud 'slam' marked the abrupt arrival of someone. Everyone's attention went to the doors, some more annoyed than others, but everyone immediately yelped and went to assist the two people (an elderly Elezen man and a younger Elezen woman) who were limping inside, bleeding. I managed to be one of the first, and wrapped an arm around the elderly Elezen's shoulder to keep him steady.

"Blast, forgot the most basic rule of adventuring," the elderly man grumbled, just to himself. His foot slipped out from under him, but I managed to keep us both upright. A quick look down showed he bled from the lower leg, through whatever makeshift bandage had been applied earlier. "Look before you leap. Always. Even if the situation was dangerous…"

"Isildaure, Alianne!" Momodi yelled for the two as soon as the crowd moved enough for her to see just who had arrived. I hadn't even known she was back. "Over here!" she ordered, waving us to the counter. She actually climbed over it to reach the wounded pair just a little sooner, and pushed some chairs out for them. "What happened?" She hovered worriedly as I helped the elderly man into the chair. Another person, a regular who I didn't know the name of, helped the girl into the neighboring one. "You two are normally…"

"I… we were near the Copperbell Mines when a horde of monsters suddenly erupted in the tunnels," the girl explained slowly. A third person appeared with a fully stocked first-aid kit. The second person immediately started tending to the girl's wounds, while Momodi tended to the man's herself. I hovered awkwardly near, just in case more help was needed. "They acted strangely. The coblyns, for instance, only went after 'good rocks' like what the miners had and ignored the rest, when they normally eat whatever they can reached. So, we rushed to assist with evacuations."

"Looks like the beasts took a chunk out of you while you were at it, Alianne." More her companion than her, though I could see the bruise forming on her face.

"It's better than Dolorous Bear and his group." The words were soft, quiet, yet they hit me like stones. "They…. They were there too. We worked together to protect the miners, but… but they..."

"But the youngsters charged ahead," the man explained, picking up where the girl's words faltered. Alianne. That was what Momodi just called her. Meaning the man had to be Isildaure. Process of elimination and all. "Tried to catch them, but didn't look. Got myself injured and didn't reach them in time."

"...So, the three died, then?" Momodi asked, the resigned sadness in her gaze showing she knew the answer already. She still closed her eyes when both nodded to confirm, Isildaure sighing and Alianne dropping her head. "I see."

I stopped listening then. No, less 'stopped' and more 'became unable'. Like a candle blown out. Just as I couldn't see. No, I could, but I could only 'see' them. 'See' Dolorous Bear, E'manafa, Kikina. 'See' them as I last saw them, naught but a few days ago. They had celebrated another successful job, helping a merchant retrieve their wares after a monster ambushed them. They had laughed and cheered, and I had laughed with them while taking their orders. They'd asked if I wanted to join them when they headed out to look for jobs in Western Thanalan, but I had refused. I had my lessons, and had promised my help in the market. They'd understood and promised to bring stories when they returned. We'd promised to do another guildhest together. They had smiled and laughed and waved goodbye when they left, eager to move forward. So, how could they…? They couldn't be dead. They couldn't. It made no sense at all. Yet, it made even less sense for these two to lie about it.

"Syna?" A gentle and warm hand on my knee broke through the haze, and the world slowly seeped back into my senses. It still took me a couple of blinks to truly see Momodi standing before me, her hand still on my knee. "We've bandaged them as much as we can, so can you help them to a room?" she requested. I nodded dumbly, defaulting to agreeability. "Any empty one is fine." I nodded once more, the world still hazy. Focus on the task. Focus on the job. It was the only thing I could focus on. "Thank you."

Alianne insisted she could walk on her own. I made sure to keep near, even as I half-carried Isildaure up the stairs and into the closest room. Alianne took the one next door, mumbling a 'good night'. I didn't reply. It was rude, but I didn't have the words. I couldn't form them in my head. Instead, I focused on ensuring Isildaure made it to the bed, and tried to help him further. He waved away my feeble attempts, though. Instead, he bade me to check on his granddaughter. It took me a very long second to realize 'Alianne' and 'his granddaughter' were the same person. Thankfully, he either didn't notice or gracefully ignored my mental lapse. He just patted me on the head and shooed me off. I made sure to shut the door behind me before swinging into Alianne's chosen room. I found her collapsed not two steps from the door. It wasn't even fully shut.

"Hmm? Oh, why are you…?" Alianne mumbled, blinking slowly at me. I managed to lift her up enough to get her to a chair. This room had a desk along with the bed, a small table, and wardrobe. "Isildaure…?"

"He asked me to tend to you," I explained, kneeling down to wriggle one of her boots off. Or try to. It refused for a good while, and I yelped and fell on my butt when it finally gave. "That's… quite the bruise." I could see it purpling and blackening on her shin, and when I worked off the other one, I compared them and decided her leg was swollen as well. "Oh, this is probably weird with you not knowing me. My name is-"

"Syna, right? I've heard about you. Au Ra aren't exactly common in Eorzea, and you have quite the stellar reputation." Alianne muffled a little chuckle; I blinked up at her in confusion. "Did he truly ask you to…? Oh, what am I saying? Of course he did." Took a blink to catch up with that sharp change of subject. "Even though he is the more injured of us."

"Perhaps it is because he is the more visibly injured." I pushed myself up and set her boots by the still open door. I made sure to shut it. "Yours would more likely be lost in the mess."

"I suppose. Still, he's lucky he didn't lose the leg." She whimpered as she leaned forward to try and stretch out her back and neck. Absently, I crept back over to rub her shoulders; she sighed in relief. "Age is supposed to mellow us, but if anything, it's made my grandfather more impetuous." Was that so? He'd seemed fairly worn and tired to me. Then again, pain made even the brightest of lights dim to smoke. "I can't blame him too much. It's wondrous to travel so, and I know he wishes to take advantage of the time he has left. But one misstep and he won't have any. Just like Dolorous Bear and his group…"

"...Do you know why they charged ahead?"

"I have but a guess. Though I suppose it is all we have now, isn't it?" That it was. The dead could not speak. "We are our own worst critics and our desire to better past achievements can rob us of good sense. Thus do we become more given to recklessness…" She winced and dropped her head further, this time simply from regret. "Goals are important, but they must not be pursued to the exclusion of all else. Such fixation has a price, and I fear… I fear that is what they suffered."

There was nothing I could say. There was nothing she wished to add. So, silence reigned as I continued rubbing her back until she could find the energy to limp to the connecting bathroom. I lingered until I heard the water running, and then went back to Isildaure's room to check on him. He was fast asleep, having already bathed and not even bothered to completely dry off before collapsing. I pulled the blankets over him and left, my feet carrying me back down the stairs without any conscious thought. I had no thoughts. Not really. Everything simply swirled and swirled, a tornado of nothing yet everything.

Downstairs, everything was lively once more. It felt wrong. But I couldn't begrudge them. I doubted they knew anyone had died, and obviously, the two living ones had been treated. What more could they want? What more could they ask for? What more could I ask for? Perhaps some space, but when I returned to the counter, I saw no one but Momodi there and I watched her open that book of names, the same one she had me sign my first day here, and run her fingers down a page until she found what she was looking for. Then she pulled out a pen, hesitated for a brief second, and slowly crossed out three names. When I sat down, I could just barely read the first one: 'Dolorous Bear'. A cold feeling washed through me at the sight. All those crossed out names I'd seen that first day… were they all deceased? All those pages worth?

"Oh, Syna, when did you return?" she asked, catching sight of me at last. I didn't answer; I just stared at the book. At the crossed out names. "...Adventuring comes with dangers. No surprises, am I right? That's part of the package." Brendt had mentioned that as well. "Given the destruction of the Calamity, there's lots of work needed to be done and not a lot of hands to do it. We're practically drownin' in jobs, and there's not enough adventurers to take them all. That's not all bad, of course. You need money to survive, and more jobs is more money." Momodi smiled bitterly. "But the plethora of jobs does mean there's a higher chance of new ones taking a job that's beyond their skills, and they pay for it. Or they rush towards danger and glory, eager to prove themselves and gain more lucrative jobs, and find only death."

She didn't say anything more, but tucked the book back under the counter and then made some drinks. Shots of whiskey for her, and a sweet, non-alcoholic thing for me. Plus another bowl of grapes. Then she was right back to taking and fulfilling orders, starting with Alphinaud's and Alisae's since someone had recovered my notebook in the madness. As for me, I… I tried to study. Tried to act as if this was usual, as everyone else did. But I… couldn't. Not really. My heart was heavy, too heavy, for me to do so. But I pretended anyway. It was what everyone seemed to expect.

---

The miners of Copperbell Mines were not ungrateful for the sacrifice of the three adventurers who lost their lives buying them time to escape. Though they had been unable to recover the bodies, or what was left of them as the monsters had apparently been 'very thorough' in ensuring their deaths, they had made small memorials for the three. I knew because two days after learning of their deaths, I asked Momodi about jobs in Western Thanalan. She'd directed me to Horizon, the only aetheryte camp in the area, and I had taken a job which 'conveniently' brought me close to the Mines. Close enough for me to justify visiting. Close enough for me to lay a flower on each memorial, wondering if something might have gone differently if I'd happened to be with them.

"...You know; those guildhests we did were fun," I whispered. It felt 'right' to do so, sitting as I was in the sand in front of the memorials. The desert sun beat down uncaringly, but the wind danced about. I could pretend it carried the words. "Challenging, of course. Like the Gil Turtle we had to capture from the bandits. I wasn't sure how we were going to light those herbs after my attempts resulted in incineration, but Kikina was far more skilled." My fire spells had been too potent. Afterwards, Kikina had showed me how to modulate the power, ensuring I'd never need a firestarter for campfires or even lighting candles. "But it was fun." We had laughed and cheered at our victory, and spent some of the earned coin at the Quicksand in celebration. Momodi had even made us special treats as her own congratulations. "I wondered if you thought of them as you died. They say your life flashes before your eyes, so did it show up? Were you too scared to think? Were…"

I closed my eyes as words failed me. No, I knew… I suspected what they had thought of, if they had been able to think of anything in those final, terrifying moments. No doubt it had been those beautiful goals they strove for. About how they wished to inspire others, to become a group of adventurers others would sing about. Yet now… now, they were gone. Their goal, their dream, was gone. Poof. Ash on the wind, disappearing into the air to never be seen again.

"I wish…" Wished they were alive. But I suppose that was what everyone wished, when someone they knew died. And it never did anything, because the dead could not come back to life. That was another lesson hammered into me. What was gone… was gone. You could not get it back. That was why things were so precious. Why life was so precious. That was why, despite how selfish it was, I wanted to see…

"Ah, there you are, little miss." I barely glanced back at Drunken Stag as he joined me by the memorials. "Been wandering around trying to find you," he explained, his attention focused on the memorials. I wondered what he thought. Drunken Stag was one of the leaders here for the miners and from what I'd heard, he had been the one to request aid. The request Dolorous Bear, Kikina, E'manafa, Alianne, and Isildaure had answered. The last request the trio ever took. "Forgot I didn't thank you for finding what was left of that haul of raw Nashachite for me. Shame those damn coblyns made such a meal of it. What a damn waste." I shrugged off the praise; all I had done was fight some beasts and carried out what I'd found. "Also need to thank you for finding Torrid Whisper's tools. He was a right mess after losing them in the mess." Again, all I had done was fight some beasts and grabbed the things. It wasn't much. "You mind doing us another favor?"

"Sure," I answered, because what other reply was there? I pushed myself onto my feet, brushed the sand off my legs, and turned to face him. "What's the job?"

The job was simultaneously what I expected and didn't expect. Monster hunting, as I had done numerous times since being out here. Previously, it had been in areas the sultanate wished to turn into farming plantations. This time, though, the hunt of the day was midges. Specifically, it was the large swarms which lingered along the roads, whose bites could drive even the most well-trained chocobo into a frenzy. However, they were just as flammable as any other living creature, and I simply had to focus on the swarm as a whole entity to make my spells connect. Upon finishing, my next task was to battle the mongrels who roamed the nearby area and gather vials of their blood. Supposedly, the scent would ward away most beasts and, thus, using it to mark key points on the road made things safer for travelers. I wasn't sure why that was, especially when I couldn't smell or see anything unique to their blood, but I was certainly no expert in animal behavior. It was safer to smile and nod and do what they requested, as I did when I was asked to 'assist the Blades with revenge'. A merchant (or maybe a trading company?) grew angry over a 'guillotine beak' killing one of their chocobos and 'slandered' the Blades in retaliation. The Blades themselves decided the best revenge was to deliver carcasses to their front doors, and had me slay a few of the beaked monsters to do just that. They'd been obscenely pleased by my haul, and continued giving me monster slaying jobs throughout the day, though the reason for one of them was… it was not what I'd expect.

"They wanted me to cull the local peiste population because they eat what?" I repeated, nearly dropping a box on my foot. After returning from my latest hunt, Mimina snatched me to help her with loading and unloading the caravans passing thorough, while she regaled me with gossip and patiently answered my questions. However, given the weight of my current box, more than half of my attention was on it, not her and, thus, I was certain I had misheard her.

But Mimina's wry smile as she checked something off on her list hinted I hadn't. "They eat Lalafells, Syna," she confirmed, surprisingly blase about it given she was a Lalafell. "It's a well-documented phenomenon. Not just scalekin either. Vilekin such as the giant antlings nearby are infamous for kidnapping Lalafellin children to feed their queen. Beastkin think of us as plump little morsels they can swallow whole, particularly in the deserts to the south. There's a giant Cloudkin in upper La Noscea as well, and not to mention some seedkins." She snorted, amused by it all. Every word made me more and more horrified. "Seven hells, there's even some fish that'll take a bite!"

"I… that…" I struggled for some sort of reply, but only managed a strangled squeak. Followed by a yelp because I really did drop the box I'd been holding on my foot. "Owowowowowow!"

"Careful!" Mimina helped me extract my foot from under the box, and she started chuckling as soon as it became apparent nothing was broken. Bruised, yes, but not broken. "Well, I was wondering how to dismiss you for the day. This is the last caravan scheduled."

"I would end it by almost breaking my foot." I tentatively stood on that foot, flinching when pain surged up. But it was a manageable pain. A little bit of ice while I studied later and I should be fine. "But are you sure?"

"Yep, I can get one of the boys to put this last one on, and then it's just one last glance over the lists." She made a face, and scowled at the papers she held. "It's such a pain in the arse, checking every damn shipment out from Vesper Bay like this, but necessary. Otherwise, boxes might end up 'falling off the wagon', if you catch my drift."

"Because things aren't secure?" I frowned when she simply gave me a look… and after a long moment of thought, I finally got it. "Oh. Theft. Right."

"You're such a bundle of contradictions. You're kinder than anyone, naive as can be, yet you fight like the damned." Was that supposed to be a compliment? I'd just smile and shrug to be on the safe side. "Get some ice on that foot."

"Yes, ma'am."

I didn't get ice. Oh, I tried, of course, but the innkeeper was busy and I didn't want to bother. So, instead, I found a shaded bench under the small collection of trees within Horizon and sat down to rest. Get some weight off my foot, and people watch for a time before heading inside for studying. That was my plan.

"Miss!" However, not two seconds after I sat down, Fufulupa, one of the Brass Blades stationed here, all but bolted to me. "Miss, you cleared the road of those midges?" he asked, barely sliding to a stop before he crashed into me. After a couple of blinks to adjust to the sudden conversation, I nodded. Even as I wondered how he found out. "Oh, thank you so much! You should have said something! Drunken Stag arrived from the mines with his delivery for Dadanen and told us!" He beamed up at me, drawing attention to the blush almost always on his face. I wondered if it was painted or tattooed on, truthfully. "We Brass Blades have been struggling to keep them in check! Your assistance is most greatly appreciated! You've done so much to help!"

"It's not much," I mumbled, feeling awkward. What was I supposed to say or do? Hearing so much praise… it reminded me of how I'd heard very little while in the Room. If the people here knew I was a Child of Misfortune, then surely… "I'm glad to assist."

"Thank you!" Ah, he was almost too cheerful. "Er… with that said, pray, allow me to enlist your aid once more, brave adventurer?"" ...I wasn't brave, but I nodded. "I ask you to ascertain the whereabouts of a missive I sent to Lost Hope the other day."

"Lost Hope?"

"Aye, Captain Leofric is stationed there." Then was it a fort? Wait, no, Momodi mentioned refugees stayed there, if I recalled correctly. Though, that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't a… bah, tangling up the thought… "Ever since he was transferred, we have been exchanging letters, but never before has it taken so long to receive a reply. Thus, I fear the courier may have met some misfortune en route."

"So, you want me to check and lend them aid?"

"Please do?" He smiled again, and I couldn't help but smile back. It was just that sort of smile, truly. "My best guess is she made it to Central Thanalan, as otherwise, the Blades who patrol the area between here and Scorpion's Crossing would have noted something. However, if she made it as far as the Black Brush Station, she surely would have delivered the letter by now. Lost Hope is practically on its doorstep." It was? I didn't remember anyone mentioning it when I was last there. "I would focus your efforts in Central Thanalan, and I shall remain here in case she happens to return." Sounded good to me. "With luck, she will be found safe and sound before long."

He rambled and babbled a little more, but I didn't pay attention. Instead, I thought of how to minimize the chances of me getting lost, or I did until I felt that familiar 'tug' on my soul. That beacon drawing me towards my objective… there was something more to this, wasn't there? How? What? I didn't know. But I was sure of it, and hoped I wouldn't make a mess of things. A foolish hope, of course, but it never hurt to hope, right?

---

Thanks to the beacon, I found the courier, Seseli, quickly enough and discovered she had, in fact, encountered some 'misfortune'. Specifically, her chocobo's leg was injured while escaping some beasts. I helped lead her chocobo to the Black Brush Station for proper treatment and, upon sensing another beacon, offered to deliver the letter in her stead. That was how I made it to Lost Hope, the cluster of sagging tents all but sinking into the river and filled with people surrounded by those golden glows.

"What's this? A new face?" One man, his glow noticeably darker than the others, left the 'main' part of the camp to stand before me. Noticing how slowly and stiffly he moved, I glanced over him and caught a glimpse of stained bandages peeking out from under his cuirass. "Just passing through?" he asked, studying me. His eyes focused on my horns and scales, briefly glancing down at my tail. "Or are you staying here for a while?"

"Neither," I answered, speaking softly. I wasn't sure why; it just felt appropriate. "I'm looking for a 'Captain Leofric'."

"...If you're calling me 'captain', then Fufulupa sent you." He made to cross his arms, but winced and kept them by his sides. I pretended to not notice and, instead, held out the letter for him. "Is that…?"

"Your reply was late, so he grew worried for the courier and you."

"All this way for a late letter. That boy is too earnest." Still, he took the letter and 'smiled' at it. It looked like a smile, at least, though never had I seen such a worn and tired smile. "Far too earnest. Suspect he doesn't even realize what being 'transferred' here means."

"Pardon?"

"And you don't either, huh?" He shook his head, his accompanying laugh as worn and tired as his smile. "The Brass Blades don't give a Qiqirn's arse about this settlement, miss. No one in Ul'dah does. Everyone here has been forsaken, the refugees and their 'protectors'." Each word was more bitter than the last, but it was not a 'sharp' bitterness. Just… once again, tired. Worn. "You will be too, if you're seen here. So, while I thank you for the letter, I suggest you leave quickly, for your own good."

"...No, I think I'd rather stay." The words came slowly, but surely. They felt right in my mouth and, more importantly, in my heart. They gave me the courage to stand tall and look at his worn exhaustion head-on. "It seems to me there are others who need assistance." I could see the glows, after all. Those glows which told me who needed help… whoever or whatever gave me the ability to see them… they had not forsaken these people. Neither would I.

Of course, I couldn't say there was much I could do. I couldn't magically make their lives better. But I could, at least, make the day easier for them, and I set about to do that, helping with little chores which needed done, but there was so much else to do that they simply kept being put off. Then there were the emergencies. Things like a hunter who was injured, or a child who strayed too far and now was cornered by a beast. Or gathering things for a life-saving medicine, though I did have to admit I had no idea how secretions from a toxic toad's liver would be anything but deadly. But, then again, I did remember Cocobusi mentioning something about how the general antidote sold in stores was made from rock salt and the venom of a grass viper? Medicine was weird.

"And that's the last of them…" I murmured, filling the final vial to the brim and stoppering it closed. I checked for any leaks and, satisfied, tucked it into my 'inventory'. Then I stood with a stretch and a squeak, glad to no longer be crouching. I was just glad my bruised foot had healed quickly. This would've been very painful otherwise. "I'm glad Helfric taught me how to properly skin and gut beasts. This would've taken so much longer otherwise." I should skin the toads as well, and gather what bits of meat I could. It seemed wrong to waste them, especially since there were four and they were quite large. Though, perhaps I should instead lead those of Lost Hope to the kills instead? They would know better than me just what was edible and what was-

A split-second was all I had to recognize something had snagged my leg before the something yanked me back several fulms. I hit the ground hard, the resulting splash loud enough to muffle my yelp. Dazed, I tried to push myself up to see just what had grabbed me, but couldn't. I barely rolled over before a very large, very heavy thing settled on top of me, amidst the water and mud. Pinned. No, more than pinned. Crushed. Slowly but surely, into the mud. Into the water. I couldn't breathe. The weight was too much. But even if I could, my nose and mouth were under the water. Just barely under, though the silt and mud kicked up made it all the worse. I couldn't open my eyes. All I could do was flail, and desperately piece things together.

What did I know? I knew whatever pinned me was large. Large and wide, with a great deal of bulk, and a weight you'd expect for something so gargantuan. However, it 'gave' a little. It was not hard like stone, though it also wasn't soft like cotton. It was more… soft and then hard. That combined with the warmth my hands felt while my fingers scrabbled for some sort of purchase (none, though, because whatever this was, it was slick) told me this was a creature. Some sort of beast and, given what I'd been hunting, I could only conclude it was another giant toad, one larger than the rest. And if I was right, then it was easy to think of a method which might save me. Or kill me faster. That was always a possibility, but if I did nothing, I'd die a very slow, very painful death. My lungs already burned. My torso and legs were numb. I had to strike while my arms functioned.

I 'pulled' my sword from my inventory and tried to stab the creature. Thanks to how I was pinned, though, it didn't work. So, I attempted to flip the sword around, and nearly dropped it instead. But I caught it in time, thankfully, and at that angle, it was almost too easy to jam the blade into its side. The good news was it jumped off of me immediately, recoiling from the pain. The bad news was it jumped off of me, slamming me further under the water and into the mud. In fact, if not for the mud, I was sure it would've shattered every bone in my body. I almost thought it did anyway, but I could breathe and I could scramble to my feet. Water-logged and filthy, I greedily gulped the air, reveling in the sensation of breathing, before turning my attention back to the creature. I'd been right; it was, in fact, another giant frog. And it was trying to hop away with blood gushing from its side.

Immediately, I casted a blizzard spell at its feet. While it missed, thanks to a well-timed jump, it did succeed in freezing the water and disrupting its landing. It went sprawling, and I cast a thunder spell, followed by another blizzard. This time, the water around it froze, trapping it, and I took advantage to cast a series of fire spells. Then I transposed to umbral ice to cast another blizzard to trap it once more, as the fire had melted what bits the frog's struggling had not broken. Another thunder spell followed for the extra bit of damage, and then I darted in close to hack at it with my sword. I may have hit it a few times more than I needed to, but I'd wanted to be certain it was dead. I hadn't even known it was here, after all!

"Ugh… that's over…" I groaned once it stopped moving. I winced when I looked down at myself, noting the mud and water and blood saturating me. I must look like a strangled and drowned rat! No, worse, I must look like a strangled, drowned, and regurgitated rat. "I should… clean up some before returning…" Ignoring how much of a mess I was, I didn't want to return to Lost Hope covered in blood. "Those vials better be safe…" It took me a long second to remember I had them in my inventory, which was literally a 'pocket in space'. Of course they'd be safe. "I'd better hurry up before I think of something else stupid." I didn't even want to think of the bruises I had...

I trudged through the water until I could find an area relatively clean enough for me to safely wash off, and then I trudged my way back to Lost Hope. I had to ignore the water squelching in my boots with every step, and I was certain I still looked a right mess when I finally made it back. It was worth it though. To see Blayves's smile when I returned with the vials he'd requested, it was more than worth it.

"Oh, thank you, miss! Thank you!" he breathed, his eyes filling with tears when I held out the vials to him. His hands trembled when he took them, and he quickly clutched them to his chest to lessen the chances of dropping them. "My friend has always had a weak heart. Miracle he's lived as long as he has. Were he rich, he could eat the meals and take the medicines he'd need without restoring to the foul bile of toads." He sighed, sinking into himself, and tightened his grip on the vials. "Hope… is not all that is lost here. Gill and good health are scarce as well. A necessary evil for a nation such as Ul'dah, I suppose. The few at the top feast and flourish, while the many at the bottom starve and suffer."

He bolted before I could reply, no doubt to help his friend. Though, I didn't necessarily have a reply. Not when I was struck dumb by what he said. 'Necessary evil'? How was any of this necessary? I had no answer, and for the first time in my life, I was afraid to ask a question. So, instead, I forced myself to do more jobs. More little things just to help the day easier. The last task I had to do was the easiest. I simply had to deliver a few things to the Black Brush Station, and a few greeted me by name as I passed them by for said deliveries. I waved in return, but didn't linger for conversation. I was still too nervy, too raw, to be friendly. Otherwise, I'd go check on Roger at the Coffer. No, I simply kept it professional and simply did what I had to. Until I had to actually talk to someone, but it was for a job. Namely, one of the people in Lost Hope wished to apply for a mining job and asked me to deliver the application to Beringaer in his place, as his wife was ill.

"Hmm? What's this?" he asked when I slipped into his office. Not trusting my voice, I simply handed him the application. "Hmm?" He glanced over the paper and slammed it onto his desk, all but cackling. "Another one! These refugees are bloody Twelvesend!" Still laughing, he fished out a paper from his drawers and jotted the name down. "They'll break their backs for next to nothin'! And when they're washed up, there's another rarin' to take their spot!" ...What did…? "These poor folk dig up pebbles worth more than they'll see their entire lives. Ah, Eorzea can be cruel sometimes, but I ain't one to change what's not broke!" Just how was this not broken?! "Hmm? Something wrong?"

"..." I… I wanted to punch him. I wanted to punch him so very badly. But I… I knew it wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't change anything. It would just give me a brief moment of satisfaction. A brief and meaningless whisper of triumph. "Many things," I finally answered softly. I kept my voice even, but perhaps some of my anger bled through as he stiffened in his chair, eyes going wide. "I somehow doubt you'd agree, however, and as such, I shall be on my way."

Each step away from the office felt like a betrayal. A betrayal to what, I didn't know. The refugees? Myself? Both? Neither? I had no idea. Truthfully, I didn't truly know if what I felt was 'betrayal'. In the Room, I had not been close enough to anyone to be betrayed. So, this roiling mass of anger, shame, guilt, sorrow churning deep in my heart… this sharp keening pain spiking through me with every step… I had only read about such things, in my stories. And in my stories, they had always been summed up as 'betrayal'.

"...You really have been wandering about helping." It wasn't until I heard Leofric's mostly tired, yet still mildly surprised, words that I realized I'd made it back to Lost Hope. I forced myself to relax, taking deep breaths, and blinked up at him. "Stubborn lot, you adventurers," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head. Since I didn't trust my tongue, I kept silent. "Fine, fine, I've a task for you. Listen well." I straightened at that, feeling suddenly like a soldier receiving orders. Then again, he was a captain. "A band of outlaws has taken up residence at the Quiveron Manse on the ridge to the south." Almost asked where he meant, but I sensed that 'tug' and thus, kept silent. "Their leader has styled himself the heir of Eolande Quiveron, the Syndicate member who died in the Calamity." My, how convenient. "The baron and his cronies are naught but a pack of jackals. They prey on the people here in Lost Hope, robbing them of what little they have."

"I see," I whispered, only when I was somewhat certain of my calm. I started to ask why no one had done anything, but hesitated when I remembered what he'd said before. Still, since he was asking… "May I ask what has your hands tied? Not hostages, I hope."

"No, they simply know me and, worse, my connection with Lost Hope. Thus, I cannot act without endangering the refugees here. If they see me approach or, worse, notice I am gone, they will fall on the refugees like rabid beasts." It was easy to catch the threads from there. I was unknown. In theory.

"If they have been watching, do you not believe they will recognize me?" I pointed to my horns for emphasis. "As I have heard many times, Au Ra are not common in Eorzea."

"Perhaps, but it is rare they spy, save for right before they wish to raid. Not now, when they're simply making preparations." Ah, so ideally, they had not seen me yet. Still, it would probably be best for me to… try… to keep to the shadows as much as I could until I could face them. "Are you willing?"

"You already know the answer."

Leofric kindly gave me directions to the manse, but I didn't pay attention. For one thing, he used the names of places I'd never heard of and, for another, I had the beacon. I simply followed it, veering off from the 'direct path' only when blocked by a set of rocks too high to jump or a cliff too sheer to climb. I really should learn how to climb, especially if this sort of thing kept on happening, but that was a thought for another time. I was close to the beacon, and it had 'expanded', shall we say, into a 'general area'. Instinctively, I knew I would find enemies within.

The first one I spotted just as I crested a hill. An archer, they did not pay attention to the path. Instead, they looked away, yawning even, so I crept close, moving as silently as I knew. Which, sadly, was not very silent, as they whirled before I managed five steps, mouth opening to warn as they palmed their bow and drew an arrow from their quiver. I surged forward and just barely tackled them before they could make a noise. Using the momentum, I knocked them over and made certain to cover their mouth to keep them quiet even as I 'pulled' my blade from my inventory and stabbed them. Blood spurted everywhere, but I didn't let it stop me. I couldn't.

It occurred to me, when I took care of the second archer in much the same way, that I should be more shaken by this. I should be sickened. That was how the stories were. Yet, here I was, killing… no, I wouldn't say 'without a care'. I did care. Each one felt like a rock in my heart, threatening to drag me under a river of a guilt. Yet, at the same time, I was resigned to the weight, even as the guilt-filled river slowly stained crimson. Because I wanted to protect the people of Lost Hope. I chose that, knowing it would entail killing. I should be uneasy, terrified, crying, something. Yet I wasn't, because I'd known the choice I'd made and the consequences of that choice. It was just a weight to drag along, until it eventually snapped my spine and battered my bones to dust.

What a terribly selfish person I was. I already knew that, of course. I'd known it ever since I first longed to see the world outside the Room. But each new corpse simply added more truth to the statement.

I systematically made my way through the surrounding area, killing each bandit I came across as quickly and silently as I could. Once I'd cleared the perimeter, I made my way inside the manse, hunting for any within. When I reached a large area, some sort of 'main hall' place you read about, I saw a dark purple light lingering about. Just as before. So, I knew what to expect when I stepped within, but it was still surprising to sense the air crackling with dark magic. It was almost as surprising as the thunder spell that just missed my head. Unfortunately for the mage in question, I knew a thing or two about spells. One, spells could only be cast in a straight line and two, you couldn't cast a spell on something you couldn't see. Thus, the missed spell made it all too easy for me to track them down and, once I was close, I won. They cast more thunder spells, of course. It was the only spell they cast. But it wasn't enough to deter me, nor was the leather armor they wore under their robes. A True Strike to the head knocked them out; a Fast Blade to the neck killed them. I dragged their body to the side, where no one could accidentally trample it, and meandered through the area to check for any others. Finding the place empty, I left to return to Lost Hope. I made a brief stop to wash the blood off, of course. I didn't want to scare anyone. Though, I noticed while washing my bruises were faded. Strange, I could've sworn… I'd think about it another day, I suppose. I had to report.

When I returned, Leofric was waiting for me by the 'entrance'. "So, it is done?" he asked softly. I simply nodded; what other reply was there? "Good. I hope the wretch died screaming." I had no idea, truthfully. I didn't even know which one was the leader. Perhaps it had been the mage? "What a damn mess. Ul'dah is more prosperous than ever, they say. That may be true for the Syndicate and their pets, but none of that wealth has trickled down to the smallfolk. It's all a mummer's farce, and all the little pieces must adhere to the script. Those who do not play their parts, as I chose…" One hand ghosted over his side, and I once again caught a glimpse of the badly stained bandage beneath his shirt. "They are made to leave the stage, so their show continues for their amusement." He sighed and glanced up at the cloudless sky. "Aye, my time has passed. The Brass Blades of the Rose must look to another for guidance."

"Brass Blades of the Rose?" Probably should've remained silent, but I hadn't heard that term before.

"The Brass Blades in charge of protecting Western Thanalan. Violets hold Central, while East belongs to the Orchids." Were they all named after flowers? "Lotuses are tasked with South, while Balsam handle Ul'dah proper. If you're important enough, you get your own bodyguard from the Gerbera." All flowers. Wonder why. Did they hope the 'scents' would mask the rot within? "...I have no written reply for Fufulupa. Not yet. But here." He handed me an antique dagger, lovingly cared for despite the age. Even I could see that. "As I'm sure you've noticed, I am in no condition to travel far. Thus, I would ask you to deliver this to Fufulupa."

"Of course."

"Thank you. It's naught but an old, ornamental dagger, but it belongs with the Brass Blades of the Rose. Aye, I should have given it to the boy before I came here."

"...Based on what little I see, I take it you did not have much time." I tucked the dagger in my side pouch, to be moved to my inventory. "Speaking of which, I have noticed the bandages are stained. Do you need assistance?"

"Girl, there's such a thing as being 'too kind'."

"So I have been told." Or had it implied. "I fear it has not stopped me yet." Nor would it. "So, do you need assistance?"

I would not look away from those who needed help. I would not pretend things away just because I happened to benefit. It might be a selfish and futile wish, to help those I saw even if they no longer knew how to ask, but I...

---

Horizon was much the same as I left it. Shouldn't have expected otherwise, but for some reason, I did. I felt… unsettled. Everything appeared normal, yet for some reason… oh, I was thinking in circles. Likely, it was left over from what I'd seen and heard at Lost Hope. I still wished I'd punched Beringaer. I knew it would have accomplished nothing, but still…

"Miss Syna!" Fufulupa's cheerful greeting broke through the fog in my head, and his cheerful smile was… not quite enough to dispel my bad mood, but it was close enough for me to not feel bogged down by it. "Seseli sent me a missive explaining what had occurred," he told me with a bright smile. And ever present blush. "Thank you so much for assisting her, and for delivering my letter!"

"It was no trouble," I demurred, doing my best to shove my uneasiness aside. There was no point in making him worry. "I fear there is no return letter yet, but Leofric bade me to give you something."

"He did?" Fufulupa frowned curiously, and then his jaw dropped when I held out the dagger. "I... that… w-why do you have that?!" His voice went surprisingly squeaky. "Only the Captain of the Brass Blades of the Rose is allowed to possess that dagger!" ...Was that so? That explained why Leofric had it, and why he said it belonged with the Blades. But if that was the case, then why was it not…?

"I just told you. Leofric asked me to give it to you."

"To me?!" If his voice went any squeakier, I might have to check if he swallowed a mouse. "That cannot… there must be some sort of mistake! Giving it to me is the same as giving me…! I am not worthy to hold it." Once again, I was confused. And frustrated because I knew I was missing a critical piece. "Nevertheless…" All at once, Fufulupa slumped, taking a deep breath to ease his frantic heart. "Nevertheless, I should respect his wishes. I shall hold it in safekeeping, until he reclaims it." He hesitantly reached for it, retracted his hand for a second, and then finally took the dagger from me. "Was… there a message with it?"

"I'm afraid not." I wished there had been, though. Maybe it would've helped me make sense of everything.

"I see." He stared at the dagger before quickly pocketing it, firmly out of sight. "Ah, yes, before I forget… well, I fear we task you with so many inane quests, but if I may trouble you once more?" I nodded; how else could I answer? "Wonderful! You see; thaumaturges from the Ossuary are presently surveying the Footfalls for ancient relics." Was that so? I had gathered some relics for a scholar not long ago, truthfully. Mostly bowls. He'd been very excited by them. "Since they are such a long way from the city, Captain Baldewyn wishes to treat them to a feast. For that, he requires fresh fish from Crescent Cove. Might you inform them of the request?"

"I can do that." I didn't even have the time to think about asking where 'Crescent Cove' was before sensing the tug of yet another beacon. Yes, there was definitely something more to all of this, and I wasn't sure how much I liked it. And the only way to discover just how much I was missing was to chase after it. "I'll shall return anon."

The Footfalls, the area which lied beyond Horizon's western gate, was lovely, if you ignored the ravenous monsters eager to eat your face. Or peck it. The birds had to be the most annoying ones to deal with, given they would strike quickly and retreat with beaks far sharper than what you'd expect. But aside from them, it was nice. It was noticeably cooler than the area around Horizon, and the paths through the waters were clearly defined. The road to the quiet fishing village of Crescent Cove was a little less worn, but still easy to see. And, despite my initial worries, it didn't look as run down as, say, the Silver Bazaar. At first glance, at least.

"Oh, hello there!" I also received a much more cheerful greeting than I expected. "My name is Raffe," the man introduced, smiling warmly as he approached. He held something in his hand, a lure perhaps, but the glow around him held my full attention. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to relay a message," I explained, keeping my tone light. The glow around him faded, and I glanced down to see he was cradling some lures in one hand. His other held a small cloth, perhaps for cleaning. "Captain Baldewyn from Horizon requests fresh fish for some visitors." Yet despite the lightness, the effect they had was immediate.

"F-Fresh fish for Captain Baldewyn?" Raffe's words nearly smashed together with his stammering, and his face went so pale I worried he would faint. "Of course, of course! We will do our best, milady!" His voice went high and breathy, squeezing itself out of his throat. "U-unfortunately, we've had a poor catch in recent days, due to the rough seas. More boats are due back soon, though I cannot promise their catches will please." He went even paler. "But don't worry, milady! The captain will have his fish! I swear it!"

He didn't give me a chance to reply, but bolted before he had even finished speaking. I watched him leave with a small frown, my thoughts whirling in my head. To earn such a reaction for a supposedly simple request… when taken with what Leofric had said about 'stages' and how he had not passed the dagger to this Captain Baldewyn… 'suspicious' didn't even begin to describe it. How to investigate… ah, what a silly question. Considering how these sorts of things had worked before, if I was correct, then I just had to follow the glows and the small 'tugs' on my soul to get my answer. So, I decided to simply drift towards the one closest to me, an older woman frowning at the net in her hand.

"Hmm? Well, hello there," she greeted when she saw me. She glanced down at the net for a second before returning her attention to me. "I'm sorry to trouble a stranger, but have you some time to help an old fishwife?" She smiled kindly, if tiredly, and nodded to the array of nets she had strewn up like clothes on a clothesline. "I've nets what need tendin'."

"How do I tend to them?" I asked, gladdened the glow had once again proven correct. I moved to stand beside her, and noticed something tangled within. It looked like a broken handle of… something? "What's this?"

"Junk." She laughed, surprisingly warm and bright. "These nets are used to catch fish, but they drudge up all sorts of junk as well. That there likely was once a knife or dagger. Sea folk like keepin' them on hand. Less cumbersome with the waves rockin' you about." Oh? While I didn't see myself being out on the water any time soon, that might be a useful weapon to learn. "See where it caught and twisted, there? That's where you need to start."

Following her instructions, I slowly and carefully unraveled debris from the nets. Honestly, I knew it was 'too slowly'. I must have plucked only three bits to her… however many it took to finish. I had just been so worried about breaking the net somehow, and overthought my way into circles. If not for her kind and warm smile when the last was dropped into a bucket, I might've been absolutely mortified instead of only partial.

"And that is that!" she declared triumphantly, standing proudly at the debris-cleared nets. I managed a smile and picked up the bucket to carry off to the side. I could at least do that. "Thank you, dear. Now that's one less chore needin' done. I'll let these hang and dry while patchin' the sails before mendin' it."

"Mending?" I repeated, frowning over the net. If I focused, I thought I saw, maybe, where parts had frayed. Had it been my fault?

"Aye, sometimes it snags on a rock. Other times, you simply catch too large of a haul." She directed my attention to a spot just above my head. I saw nothing wrong with it, until I noticed the hole was noticeably larger than the one next to it. "The weights can stretch the ropes. Over time, the knots can loosen. Things such as that, natural results of wear and tear."

"Oh." I scrutinized the nets again, but could not see anything else. Yet she frowned at different places, showing she did. "It sounds like a lot of hard work." Hard and specialized work.

"Aye, it is. When not mendin' the nets or patchin' the sails, I pray to Llymlaen for still waters and hearty hauls. Still, I would not trade it for anything." She sighed, though, and glanced at me. All at once, I felt… it was difficult to pin down the feeling. Exposed, and uncertain if there was danger or not. "You came here on Captain Baldewyn's orders? I overheard you chatting with Raffe." Was it 'chatting' or me giving the poor man ten heart attacks?

"While I relayed his request, I actually came at the behest of Fufulupa." Whose rank I… did not know. Oops. "I don't believe I have even seen this Captain Baldewyn yet."

"That so?" After a moment, she smiled faintly. "Yes, you've a warm face. Warm face, kind eyes, and a gentle smile." Kikipu had said something similar. "Today, I fear I must pray for a particularly hearty haul. Captain Baldewyn's last feast nearly cleared us out of fish, amidst other items."

"Could you not buy…?" I trailed off when she shook her head. "Um… he did pay for them, right?" Her only answer was a snort, but that was all I needed to know. Combined with Raffe's utter terror, it painted a grim picture. "I see." I picked up the bucket again to have the excuse to change the subject. "So, where should this go?"

She led me to the back of the local tavern, where the bucket was set amidst others similarly filled with junk tangled in nets. I learned someone else would sift through the debris later to determine if anything could be salvaged. The bits and bobs that could would either be used by the village or sold. Apparently, the owner of the tavern was working on a few from yesterday's tending, but though I was curious, I refused the fishwife's invitation to see them. I sensed no 'glows' within, and I was absolutely determined to get to the bottom of this mess. That meant meandering through, following the tugs on my soul, until I reached the edge of the hamlet, near the water. And there… there, I found an older man harassing a noticeably younger woman, grabbing her arm and trying to drag her with him. She dug her heels and shook her head frantically, repeatedly asking him to let go. He tightened his grip until she winced and… well, based on how he stepped towards her, he might have intended to hit her or just carry her off.

"Pardon." However, that's about when my brain caught up with my body and I realized I'd grabbed the man's wrist in a very tight grip. "I believe you are supposed to acquiesce to the lady's wishes," I murmured, prying his hand off of her. He immediately tried to jerk out of my grip, but I held firm. "It's only good manners, after all." He threw a wild punch with his free hand; I dodged and twisted his arm behind him to make him kneel. He struggled against me, though, so I had to apply a little more pressure to force him. "Mayhaps you should leave?" He tried to surge to his feet, to overwhelm me with his greater weight, but I decided to lean back to unbalance him. Then used his own momentum against him to throw him over my shoulder. And into the water by accident because we were closer than I thought to the shore. "Oops." I made to go rescue him, since I hadn't actually planned on doing that, but someone on the nearby docks fished him out. With… with a couple of 'accidental' knocks to the head. "Um…"

"He'll be fine," the woman murmured. "It's just to keep him dazed." This had… clearly happened before, then. Perhaps they'd fallen in while drunk? "Thank you, though, miss." She smiled shakily at me, resting her hand on her chest. "These ruffians do as they please, and we've not the strength to stand up to them. We simply resist in our small ways, when it's safe."

Like the 'accidental knocks while dragging them out of the water'. "I take it the Blades do not assist?"

"Of course not. There's no profit to protecting a small village like ours, so they pretend we don't exist, unless they want something." Her voice quieted to a whisper, but it did nothing to hide the dark tone. "Of course, that assumes they aren't the very outlaws who attack us. We all know they get a share of the profits." A long silence fell between us before she sighed to try and push it away. "Oh, there's no need to trouble you with that, though. My name is Merilda. You were helping Edalene with her nets earlier, weren't you?"

"Well, I certainly helped someone, though I didn't get her name." Awkward, that. "I'm Syna. I'm an adventurer working in the area currently."

"You… you are?" Her eyes went wide, and went wider still when I nodded. "You helped me, helped Edalene… adventurers need to be strong, so maybe you can…" She bit her lip, struggling for words. "Last night, a group of bandits from the Quiveron Manse were in their cups. Supposedly mourning the deaths of their fellows by an unknown assailant, but really, it was just another excuse to get drunk. They're always here drinking." Quiveron? That was the… uh oh. I had a terrible feeling. "They ramble a lot, when they drink, and I… I overheard them talking about a plan. Something about collecting gemstones stolen from the Copperbell Mines. Nashachite, I think?" Nashachite? Drunken Stag had mentioned that his haul had been larger prior to… had the coblyns not eaten it, but instead, they were stolen by…? And Alianne had mentioned the beasts acted oddly..."They are to meet with their coconsipators here at the Footfalls and-"

"What did you say?!" A squeaky yelp jolted me from the spiral of thoughts, and I whirled to see Fufulupa of all people standing behind me. What was he…? "Illicit exchanges and shadowy dealings, here on our doorstep?!" he continued yelping, flailing. "The Brass Blades cannot let that stand! Forgive me for eavesdropping, Syna, as I wished to thank you again in person, but for now, we must act quickly! That is the only way we shall be able to apprehend these fiends! I will notify Captain Baldewyn at once!" That didn't… and there was no time to even complete the thought before he dashed off.

"Wait, stop!" Not that Merilda didn't try to stop him anyway. "You mustn't!" she yelled, but to no avail. Fufulupa soon vanished from sight, and she whimpered. "Oh, gods…" All at once, she clung to my arm. "Please, you must stop him! Captain Baldewyn is the one they're meeting!" Ah, and that's why Leofric didn't give him the dagger. "He-!"

"Get your people inside and somewhere safe, just in case," I ordered. There was that calm again, settling over me like a cloak. "I'll do what I can to keep whatever fighting far from here, but I would rather take precautions."

"Ah, yes!"

I lingered just long enough to see Merilda dash after a nearby child, to herd them within a building, before bolting down the path. I didn't worry about where to go. After all, I had that beacon once more, spurring me forth. Yes, I took the most direct path as I had done with Wystan, but there were no cliffs to fall down here. Merely some deeper than expected patches of water where I almost, but not quite, turned my ankle. Easy to ignore, easy to push past. Running, running, running until I could see Fufulupa talking to two men, one wearing clothes not unlike the bandits I killed at the manse and the other heavily armed. And my uncanny sense of timing rang true once more, as I was just within spell range when the heavily armored man drew his spear. I seized the opportunity to cast a thunder spell as he tried to strike, and was rewarded with a shout of pain. I'd have to be careful for future casts, though. Water and thunder were not a favorable combination, when you were bogged down with your enemies.

"The hell?!" the spearman snapped, glaring at me. I used the opportunity to catch up fully. "Bah, it doesn't matter. Best for everyone if we deal with you now!" So, this must be Baldewyn then. Made sense, but nice to have it confirmed. It also confirmed the other robed person was a bandit. "It's time to do your duty, Fufulupa! It's time to die for your country!"

"Captain, why?!" Fufulupa cried, even as he drew his blade. He had to; Baldewyn was on us both in an instance. It was a shame thunder spells weren't very powerful. Their strength lied in the damage over time aspect. "I trusted you!" Somehow, I doubted that would have any effect on him.

"Should've stayed in Horizon, Fufulupa!" Or maybe it would? He did sound somewhat guilty about it all. "It didn't have to be like this!" Of course, he could simply be pushing the guilt onto another person for his own satisfaction.

I didn't have time to think on it more. An explosion of fire cut me off from Fufulupa and Baldewyn. "You there, adventurer!" the bandit called, smirking smugly while calling more fire around him. A dispersed form… 'fire II', I believed Master Cocobuki called it. It exchanged magical power for range, able to target multiple things at once. I wasn't good at it yet. I'd only just managed to master it for blizzard, but fire's volatility made it so much harder. "Do you remember me?"

"Not at all," I replied honestly. Their smirk faltered. "I imagine your next words shall be something about how I killed your people in the Manse, though."

"You killed my brother!" More fire swirled around them. "Now, I'll return the favor!"

They threw the fireball, a disperse one like before. Thinking quickly, I 'pulled' both my sword and my shield from my inventory and brought my shield up to block the strike. I gritted my teeth as some flames licked past, danced about my arms and face, but it was certainly better than taking it in full. It was also worth the bandit's stare of horror when they realized what I did. Like the other bandit mage I'd fought, this one wore leather armor under their robes, so my first strike only drew blood. My second and third did the same. My fourth missed because they'd gathered their wits and took advantage of being a small Lalafell to duck under my attack. However, they made the mistake of trying to cast another spell while still staying close to me. That let me whirl to attack them again, and this time, I could used the double-strike First Blade Mylla had taught me: Fast Blade, followed by Riot Blade. She said using one after the other allowed you to repurpose the lingering aether from the preceding strike, leading to a more powerful attack than using it alone. It certainly proved true now, as the Riot Blade cleaved through the bandit easily. I still struck one more time to ensure the death, though. I didn't want them to linger and suffer.

As soon as they fell, I checked my shield and sword and what I found made me wince. Though it had served me well, my shield hadn't been made to endure such a spell; I could see the cracks forming amidst the soot. My sword was similarly blackened, possibly due to a spell I hadn't noticed, and I dared not try it further. Spells and fists it was, then. I 'tossed' both back into my inventory and looked to where Fufulupa and Baldewyn dueled. Immediately, I noticed a grave mistake; Baldewyen didn't watch his back. His focus was entirely on Fufulupa. So, I took advantage and threw a Bootshine at his back. I immediately followed it with a True Strike, still at his back, and managed to throw a Snap Punch as he turned. Surprisingly, all three were more effective than I'd anticipated and I'd have to ask Master Hamon if there was something inherent in the techniques or if this was just luck. Either way, though, it was enough to stagger him and let Fufulupa slice his arm. Blood poured from the wound and his lance hit the ground with a splash. When he bent to scoop it up, I kicked him in the side to send him rolling. Fufulupa quickly snatched the spear himself, despite how it was easily twice his size, and threw it into a deeper part of the waters. Then the two of us turned our attention back to Baldewyn as he coughed and sputtered...

"That's enough, Baldewyn." Yet the fight did not continue. Instead, Leofric limped into view, wincing and clutching his side. Why was he here? He had to have left soon after me to be here now, but… "Your partner is dead, and your plans are undone," he continued with surprising calm. His voice was thinner than I remembered, and I was sure it was due to pain. Did… did he know things would turn out this way? "You've no reason left to fight."

"Shut up, Leofric!" Baldewyn snapped, stumbling and sliding to his feet. I knocked him back down with an elbow to the back. "Gah!" He landed face-first in the mud once more, and I crouched next to him to rest a hand on his back in silent warning. He glared murderously at me, but I remained strangely calm. "Stay out of this! I may have shown you mercy before, but if you interfere…!"

"And what mercy will he show you, I wonder?" Leofric approached slowly, until he loomed over Baldewyn. "You who did so much in another man's name."

"What are you blathering on about?!"

"How do you figure our friend here knew of your meeting? Every fisherman and his wife knew of your meeting with Quiveron's men, you arrogant fool. They couldn't keep their mouths shut." Leofric shook his head, bitterly and tiredly amused. "Imagine Lord Lolorito's surprise to hear of a rank-and-file Brass Blade invoking his name to pursue a personal agenda. As if he would bother with something as simple as smuggling. Too much risk for too little profit."

"He… he knows?!" Baldewyn blanched. "But I… I'm a captain, so I…"

"I was a captain too." It was all he said. It was all he needed to say. All of Baldewyn's bravado fled, and he let his head fall back into the mud. "Somehow, I'm unsurprised you got this caught up in the mess, little miss." It took me a second to realize he was talking to me, and my only answer was a shrug. "Fufulupa, you're strangely quiet as well." Besides, he quickly turned his attention to Fufulupa, who was torn between horror and tears. Or horrified tears. "What stills your tongue?"

"I… well…" Fufulupa began, the words dribbling out. I had to strain to hear him, all the more because he ducked his head. "Captain Baldewyn said… he said… um…"

"What? That our brethren are no better than he?" Leofric supplied, a touch of sarcasm threading through the words. Fufulupa winced, but nodded. "That each and every one care naught but for coin?" Fufulupa nodded again, and this time… "Ha!" This time, Leofric actually laughed. It was tired and worn just like the rest of him, and yet, it was also the liveliest I'd seen him. "Pay little heed. They're mere excuses to justify his schemes."

"Captain…"

"Aye, we've no shortage of greedy sods, who'd sell their own mother into slavery if the price was right. I'll not deny that." He walked over to Fufulupa and rested a hand on his head. "But we have men like you as well. Men good and true, whom the smallfolk respect. That is why I wanted the dagger passed to you. The Brass Blades of the Rose need a leader with honor, and you have always been the most honorable man I know."

Fufulupa started crying at that, bawling and beaming at the same time. I remained where I was, ensuring Baldewyn remained pinned, and yet, I couldn't help but smile. He was right, after all. You could not have light without shadow, shadow without light. They were intertwined and thus, no matter how bleak something appeared, there was still much worth smiling for. It was nice, to have that reminder.

---

We escorted the contrite and cooperative Baldewyn back to Horizon, where he was officially arrested and stripped of his rank. In light of recent events, Fufulupa was assigned 'Acting Captain of the Rose', and everyone conveniently 'forgot' about the 'acting' part and treated him as the captain proper. I didn't see much of the transition, mind. Given Leofric's injuries, and how he had pushed himself once he had pieced together the full puzzle of a picture, I escorted him back to Lost Hope before returning to find the investigation of Baldewyn's corruption well underway.

"Syna!" That did not, however, stop Fufulupa from rushing to greet me as soon as I stepped past the entry gates. "Welcome back," he chirped, surprisingly chipper given everything. I noticed the blush remained on his cheeks; they had to be tattoos. "Was the trip uneventful?"

"It was," I confirmed, letting myself relax at last. I'd been tense the entire trip to Lost Hope and back, waiting for some sort of ambush. But now, I could simply… well, perhaps take a few days to focus on my lessons? That would be nice, especially since it had been a while. However, even as the thought floated through my head, I knew it wouldn't happen yet. Because when I followed Fufulupa deeper into Horizon, I realized the golden glow about him was not simply the desert sun beating down. No, it was yet another beacon, informing me there was still work to be done. "Did something happen?"

"I… oh dear, you can tell?" Fufulupa made a face, and gestured for me to follow him into a nearby building. He immediately turned right at the entrance into a room, which was noticeably bare. The only thing within was a worn desk and matching chair. There weren't even papers stacked up, as you would read about in stories. "This shall become my office, as Captain… er…" He coughed, embarrassed. "Baldewyn's office is part of our investigations. However, we are still in the process of setting it up." With that said, he marched on over and opened one of the drawers. "Syna?"

"Yes?" Carefully, I nudged the door partially shut behind me. "What is it?"

"I would be honored if you could indulge one more request?" He held up a letter, one carefully sealed. "In order to ascertain the true breadth of the former captain's corruption, we have been poring over his personal correspondence. Among them was this sealed letter, addressed to a Sir Owyne. He is one of the Sultansworn's elite, and normally, I would not dare suspect him. In light of recent events, however…" He couldn't not suspect. The risk was too great. "This letter could very well be proof of collusion, yet given I am only the acting captain, I dare not tamper with potential evidence. Given the former captain's cooperation with a coalition of criminals, it shall be some time before we Brass Blades of the Rose are trusted."

"You would be accused of forgery, among other things." No matter what it said. "What would you have of me?"

"I need someone trustworthy to bear this to Miss Momodi of the Quicksand." Momodi? "Not only is she a staunch supporter of the sultana, but she is well-acquainted with the Sultansworn. She has also assisted the Blades in investigations previously. As such, I wish for her council on the best way to proceed. And I can think of no one more trustworthy than you, Syna." He walked around the desk to stand before me once more, and held out the letter. "Please?"

"Of course." What other answer was there? "I'll get it to her immediately." And as soon as I had the letter in hand, I Teleported back to Ul'dah proper.

Teleporting was an interesting experience, I'd found. The air grew heavy as the aether itself lifted you up, and you could slowly feel yourself stretching thin, almost to the point of popping. Then the aether converged on you and there was nothing but dark silence. For a blink. For a heartbeat. Before the world came rushing back, with all its wondrous colors and noise. But entirely different, for now, I was in another place entirely. No longer in Horizon, I stood in the Aetheryte Plaza in Ul'dah, mildly disoriented by everything. As soon as my head stopped spinning, though, I utilized the aethernet to teleport right over to the Quicksand. It had a shard right by its front steps, after all. Even better, though, was my uncanny timing striking once more. This was the part of the day where the Quicksand temporarily closed to clean up from the morning rush and prepare for the afternoon and evening. As such, there was no one but Momodi at the counter.

"We're closed right… why, Syna!" She immediately beamed when she saw me striding towards her. "Didn't expect to see you today," she teased, setting aside the glass she had been drying.

"Based on what I was hearin' from Horizon, I figured it would be a week or more until you stopped findin' things to do!"

"Hearing?" I shouldn't have asked that. I had a job. But…

"Word spreads quickly. Everyone has heard of the former Captain, and of the adventurer who brought his deeds to light." I felt it was more 'got directed'. "Heard you even helped the folk at Lost Hope, a place ignored far too often. Things like that remind me of how grateful I am for you."

"Grateful?"

"Of course! You've seen the seedier aspects of Ul'dah more times than I can count, especially recently. Yet instead of givin' into despair as most would, you continue helpin' the people of Ul'dah. You push forward with your head high and a smile for any who need it. People notice, and people love you for it." Er… I wasn't all that great, though? "Ah, but I'm babblin', aren't I? You've got that serious look on your face, so I don't think you're here to relax after a job well done." Right!

"It's this." Carefully, I handed the letter to her, and she inspected it curiously. "Fufulupa asked I bear this to you, as it was found among Baldewyn's things."

"Oh?" Her eyes sharpened as she read the name. "Oh. So, that's what this is about. He's thinkin' Owyne was involved, the letter proof of somethin' shady."

"Considering recent events…"

"Right, but still, nothin' to worry about here. Owyne's as loyal of a Sultansworn as I've ever known." She smiled, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. "Of course, that makes the letter all the more confusin'. What would Baldewyn want? He'd have to know Owyne couldn't be bought." Momodi frowned, tapping her cheek while still looking over the letter. Then, all at once, she froze. "Wait, wasn't Owyne the one who…?"

"Momodi?"

"Oh, hells, I've a really bad feelin'. And you're knee deep in the trouble once more, Twelve damn it." She set the letter on the counter and looked up at me with the most serious look I had ever seen. "If this is what I think it is, you have to keep this quiet. And, honestly, if you want to wash your hands of this business, I won't blame you. It's messy, messier than anythin' you've dealt with so far."

"...Yet you think I can help, as otherwise, you wouldn't warn." I spoke slowly and softly, and barely caught her wince. "You'd simply tell me to keep quiet and leave it to others."

"Though, with your luck, you'd be dragged into it anyway." Perhaps. "Still, I don't want you run ragged or worse."

"If I can help, then I wish to do so." How could I simply walk away? "So, please?"

"All right." She sat up on the counter, and I drew a chair over to sit in front of her. "Remind me again just what you know about who holds power here in Ul'dah."

"In word, it's the sultana, but a merchant told me the true power was in the hands of the six wealthiest people in Ul'dah. The Syndicate, I think he called it." Brendt also said the sultana only held any sort of power was due to the loyalty of one of the Syndicate. "Ul'dah itself is split into the 'royalists' and the 'monetarists' or… something similar."

"Pretty much. Of course, given how many of the Syndicate act, I'm sure it won't surprise you to hear its our sultana, Nanamo Ul Namo, has the support of the people. Between their love and Raubahn's support, the monetarists have to be careful in actually pushing her aside." Was that supposed to be a euphemism for assassination? Because Lolorito was on this Syndicate, and I'd experienced how he dealt with 'issues'. "However, even the people's support might wane should a certain incident come to light…" What sort of incident? Did she once kick some puppies or- "It pains me to say this, but the crown of Her Majesty, symbol of the royal dynasty, has gone missing." ...What? Why would a crown…? No, never mind. Smile and nod. "And Owyne… he's the one who was guardin' it that night."

"Yet, you're certain he's not involved in any criminal activity…" I looked at the letter, trying to thread my thoughts together into something coherent. "If that's the case, then is the letter instead from those who stole it?"

"Given the letter was in Baldewyn's things, and we know he consorted with thieves? I'd bet anything that is, in fact, the case." She slid the letter closer to me, her gaze fierce and serious. Commanding, even. "Give this to the man himself, Syna. Tell him Momodi sent you, and it concerns a lost heirloom. Watch him closely and guard him if necessary. The future of our fair city may very well depend on it."

"You can count on me." Even if I tried to figure out why a missing crown would somehow cause all this trouble. But I told myself, again, to simply accept it and move on. Momodi wanted me to help someone, and I'd do it. "Where is he?"

"The Heart of the Sworn, over by Scholar's Walk." I had never been near either before, to my knowledge, but that hardly mattered. Not when I sensed that beacon once more, tugging at my soul with all the intensity of a desert sun scorching the sands. "Someone will bar you, but tell him the same thing. I sent you, and it concerns a lost heirloom." She smiled faintly, more of a twitch of the lips in an attempt to inject some levity into the situation. "Though, with your sense of direction, I should-"

"I'll find it." It was a little 'high' this time… wasn't there a walkway or something above the Golden Court? Or near there? I remembered Landebert showing me it, one time. "See you later, Momodi."

I used the aethernet shard to 'jump' from the Adventurer's Guild to the shard outside the Goldsmith's Guild. Immediately, I discovered I was right; the beacon was above my head. Now, finding the actual staircase up proved more of a challenge than I was willing to ever admit, but once there, it was easy to follow the path to the unassuming door flanked by two soldiers wearing shiny armor. One of them was the source of the beacon, the glow all but enveloping them.

"Halt," they ordered as soon as I approached. They barely even looked at me. "The Heart of the Sworn lies beyond." The beacon once again showed me the way then. This was remarkably convenient for hunting down trouble. "State your business."

"My business concerns a lost heirloom," I whispered. Wanting to appear somewhat professional, I spoke evenly, careful to keep each word crisp yet not terse. Business, but not unfriendly. "I came at behest of Momodi."

"I… pardon?" Their eyes widened, and finally, they looked down to meet my gaze. "A lost heirloom?" I nodded, and they cleared their throat. "I see. Very well, you may proceed."

Without another word, they stepped aside and let me pass, and I did so without hesitation. From there, it was a simple walk down a long hallway to reach my destination: the Heart of the Sworn. It… didn't appear particularly fancy, despite the grand name. It reminded me a lot of a smaller version of the Gladiator or Pugilist Guilds, truthfully. Or… no, perhaps simply a large office? Certainly, it was smaller than I expected. I think the Room back at the Village was larger. But it didn't matter and, truthfully, I didn't exactly scrutinize the place. My focus was solely on the new beacon, the bright gold glow hovering a young man standing off to the side with a pensive look on his face.

"Oh, hello." Still, he managed a smile when he saw me approach. "You must be the Au Ra adventurer we've heard about," he continued with a little laugh, gaze immediately flicking to my tail and horns. I spared a brief thought of 'why would they hear about me?'. I'd been hearing about this a lot lately. "What brings you here this day?"

"Are you Owyne?" I asked softly, doing my best to remain perfectly calm. My tail flicked behind me, though, especially when he nodded slowly. My nerves were getting to me. "I'm here at Momodi's request. I've a letter addressed to you."

"A letter?" He frowned, but held out his hand. "Very well. Let's see it, then." I passed it and he opened it without another word, eyes skimming over the words within. With each line, his eyes grew darker and darker, and his grip on the paper tightened and tightened. Until finally, he'd finished, rigid as a statue and with eyes darker than night. "Have… you read this, miss?" Though I was tempted to point out the obvious seal he had to break, I simply shook my head. He was under enough stress. "Right, of course, the seal. Still, you have some inkling to its contents, I am assuming."

"Based on Momodi's knowledge, and my own of where this was found, there is a guess." I crossed my arms, absently tracing the scales there. "I do know of the crown, and what it could mean for the sultana." Even if I didn't understand just why a crown held such importance.

"Yes, this theft shames the Sultansworn and, most of all, me." He tightened his grip on the letter even further. It crinkled and popped under the force. "It's my fault. I grew lax in my duties, and in a moment of carelessness…!" He closed his eyes and shook his head, breathing in deeply and slowly. "No… no, it will serve nothing to recount the tale." In my stories, things like this normally occurred thanks to a hard knock on the head. Or a dagger to the throat, but he lived and talked normally enough, so I guessed the knock. "Since the hour of the theft, we have searched for any signs, any whispers as to the whereabouts of the crown. We have found nothing."

"Until the letter."

"Indeed, until you bore this ransom note." ...Ransom? I.. this sounded like the plot of one of the stories I read. "I suppose their motives become obvious now. They wish for a specific item, and will return Her Majesty's crown in exchange for it." He hung his head. I tried to wrap my head around this. "Though it pains me to admit, I fear I must acquiesce to their demands. Too much is at stake to do otherwise. The crown symbolizes Her Majesty's birthright and identifies her as the custodian of the Ul legacy. It must be recovered." I thought the only 'must' involved here should be 'must get someone else involved'. "Thus, I will travel to the Unholy Heir and pay them their ransom."

"Alone?"

"Though that is what they stipulate, I am not foolish. To do so would serve nothing but give them their prize and my life. Yet if I dare bring my comrades with me, the villains may take flight." He hesitated before looking at me beseechingly. I already knew what he was going to ask. "Pray, might you consider being present for the exchange?"

"Are you sure?" Even if I knew, it was still a surprise. "We just met."

"True, this is the first I have spoken with you, but I have heard much. Mistress Momodi, for instance, speaks of you in glowing terms, as do the gossips in the streets." The… the gossips? I was talked about in market gossips?! "All speak well of the strength and kindness of the Au Ra adventurer who has made her home here, and has devoted herself to the peace and stability of the people." I wasn't that grand at all, though. I was just… just a selfish child of misfortune, who… who...

"Of course I'll help." What else could I say?

Owyne gave me directions on where to meet him (Gate of Nal, after sunset) and pocketed the letter to go do whatever he planned to do. I left the Heart of the Sworn and kept walking until I was certain no one could see me. Then I sagged against the wall, a heavy weight grinding into me. Uneasiness. That's what it was. Everything about… all of this… something was wrong. Too many pieces clanging together, either into a picture or shards. I felt overwhelmed and underprepared. All the more so because of the copious, and terribly unearned, praise I'd just received. I wasn't a great person. I wasn't even good. I just… could help. And wanted to. I was just doing what I wanted. But if they thought so highly of me, didn't I have to live up to it? Didn't I have to meet and exceed their expectations? Didn't I…? No, one thing at a time. That was what Xanthos would do; I was sure of it. The first thing I had to do was maximize my chances of actually being helpful to Owyne, and with things as crazy as they were, that… well, I originally thought 'more training', but it would be better to not exhaust myself. Instead, I might… I might need to buy armor and weapons. I hadn't done that before. I'd just been using whatever people gave me. It served me well, but for this sort of battle, I needed to be more than 'well'. To live up to the praise, I had to be more than 'good enough', and so did my equipment.

Which led to a new problem. I had no idea at all what was good quality and what wasn't. I had no idea the best to buy these things from. I would need help. I debated my potential options, weighed each one carefully, and then decided on the one I thought would be best in this situation. Maybe I was wrong, but it was the best I could come up with. Besides, First Blade Mylla took my sheepish request with utmost seriousness. I didn't feel too bad about it.

"Momodi had mentioned during a coffee run you did not appear to shop for anything in the market," First Blade Mylla murmured, studying an array of armor closely while the market crowd drifted around us. I fidgeted with the spikes on the base of my tail, and tried to not squirm. I hadn't realized she'd been worried. "If it wasn't books, that is."

"I like books?" I mumbled, a blush creeping across my face. I was glad my scales hid it somewhat. "I borrow from the Ossuary as well."

"From what I've heard, you read a book a day, at least. Sometimes two or three." It depended on the subject! "To be more serious and less teasing, it will be difficult to find an armor perfect for you, because of your hybrid fighting style."

"Such as the difference between the heavier armor you wear, and the lighter armor Master Hamon does?" And the robes Master Cocobuki wore. "I can solve the problem of weapons fairly easily." I still needed to work on switching on the fly, but it was fairly doable. And since I used a crystal pendant as my focus for my spells, I didn't have to worry about a rod.

"Yes, the armor will be the main issue, but it's not simply that." First Blade Mylla fussed with the hair by her face, still focused on the armor. The merchant manning the stall glanced at us curiously, since the two of us stood out, but he didn't try to rush us. He had others wanting to buy things, after all. "Armor of all kinds, from simple cloth to sturdy metal, is made using aetheric techniques and elemental crystals. These give the armor a little extra boost, things suited for the fighting styles of those who are most likely to wear it."

"...Oh." Did my other teachers mention that? They might have, yet I couldn't recall at the moment. "So, the mages a thaumaturge wears helps boost their magic."

"While the armor I wear boosts my ability to withstand damage." She unbuckled one of her gauntlets to show the bracelet she wore underneath. It was worn, but not in a bad way. More in an 'owned and cherished for a very long while' way. "Similarly, there are enchanted accessories some wear like this to further give them an edge in combat."

"However, since I'm a little… um…" Word. What word did I want? "Split?"

"Split is an accurate term, especially considering how you balance magic and strength." First Blade Mylla rebuckled her gauntlet and then rested her hand on my head. "Still, it is what you do. Versatility has its own merits and given you are an adventurer who will face a myriad of challenges, its more a boon than a bane, I think. It also suits you and your voracious appetite for learning." She smiled and I tentatively smiled back. "We simply need to find a good balance for you, and what will minimize the potential banes."

"That sounds easier said than done." Still, my smile grew stronger. "But we won't get it done without trying, right?"

"Indeed." First Blade Mylla chuckled. "First thing, then, shall be your chest armor. We'll go piece by piece."

Thus, we spent the afternoon discussing the pros and cons of different types of armor and weapons. I was sure she had other, more important things, to do instead of helping me like this. But she smiled the whole time, looking like she was having fun, and truthfully, I did as well. Almost enough fun to make me forget just why I was spending far too much gil. Almost.

---

The Unholy Heir place Owyne talked about was the same giant-toad-infested water trap I'd visited while helping in Lost Hope. In fact, we actually passed the rotting, bloated, half-eaten corpse of the particularly giant one which had almost drowned me. Once we arrived at the supposed meeting spot, Owyne stepped forward alone and I hung back. Specifically, I stood right where I saw a bunch of sparkles on the ground by the water's edge. Why the mysterious sense decided to go with sparkles, I had no idea. But it did, and it provided me with a good enough view of the trio who slunk out of the shadows to greet Owyne. Though, their garb was strangely uniform. Were they part of a group?

"I've come as agreed." Owyne 'greeted', his tone snappish. He wore his shield on his back, and his hand hovered over the sword on his belt. "Now, show me the crown!" This was exactly like my stories, particularly the bit where the other party held all the power in the exchange.

"Aye, you'll have your precious crown," the one in front replied slowly. Though most of his attention was on Owyne, his eyes flicked over to me. In retrospect, I probably should've tried to hide. "Once we've been duly compensated." This was also just like my stories. It was rather startling how by the book this was.

"Do you think me a fool?" Honestly, this was serious and I should be taking it seriously, but I kept finding myself distracted because this was simply far too much like- "What assurance do I have you will honor your part of the agreement?" Including that part.

"Now, now, Owyne… you're the least trustworthy one here." Really? I would think the thieves would be. Then again, there was the whole 'honor among thieves' thing my books mentioned. ...I should really stop thinking about my stories and focus on what was happening. "Not only was the crown stolen on your watch, but you violated the terms of agreement." Particularly when one looked right at me. "Did we not stipulate you come alone? And given you have not, what guarantee do we have there are not archers surrounding us even as we speak, ready to feather me and my men as soon as they glimpse the crown?" With that said, this was a much better argument than what I usually read. "You have made mockery of our trust, the word of the Alacran." Alacran? "The deal is off." Ah, but if I had to guess, then wording it this way, given how desperate Owyne was-

"Wait, here is the payment, as promised!" Owyne did exactly what any other desperate person would do: exactly as he was told. He hesitated only briefly, with a faint grimace, before tossing a bag of something to the thieves. Who curiously sniffed it. "Well?"

"Aye, 'tis the real thing." The hooded man slowly smirked. A crawling feeling wriggled up my spine at the sight. It worsened when he began to laugh. "A thousand thanks to you, boy! You've succeeded where scores of thieves have failed!" Ah, so was this where we got the monologue? Because if so, I was going to prep a spell. "And now, we have it! The power to create an army of undying soldiers: The Traders' Spurn!" The what now? No, not caring. Casting spell now.

"N-no! It can't… what have I done?!" Apparently, though, whatever this thing was, it was enough to make Owyne go pale and grey. Was it truly so terrible?

"Surely, you must have wondered just what you were giving us? What would be worth as much to us as the crown was to you? Or did your desperate need to restore your honor blind your wits?" The man smirked once more. I was almost done with my spell. "Ah, but you must feel terrible, delivering the doom of Sil'dah to us as you have. Don't worry. In thanks…" They palmed their axe. "We'll grant you a quick death, to spare you further ignomi-GAH!" Of course, my fire spell hit them right in the face then, so I tragically cut short the last bit of their dramatic monologue. Just as well, given how others dashed out from the shadows of the plateaus and underbrush. Including some archers.

"Now, why didn't he choose to have his own archers attack us from the shadows?" I murmured to myself, that strange calm settling over me once more. Even and still, like a frozen and deep lake, revealing nothing of the churning confusion and nausea beneath. "Now then…"

"There's far too many for the two of us," Owyne observed, drawing both sword and shield. To my surprise, he shifted to stand in front of me. "Syna, I know I asked you to be here, but this is more than I expected. Run while you still can, before they surround us completely."

"And you?"

"I… I will do my duty." Given the drawn weapons, I had a guess of what he meant, but with this many people? That was just begging to die, and I refused to run and let him-

"Your duty is to serve the sultana, lad, and you'll be doing that for quite a while yet!" ...New voice. New voice, familiar voice. Broke straight through the strange calm, and left me bewildered. "Sultansworns!" Slowly, I turned my gaze to the hill towering over us, and I saw a group of heavily armed soldiers standing there, blades and shields at the ready. "Put those thieves to the sword!" And there, standing at the very front, clearly giving orders, was Papashan. I knew it was him, despite him being armed and armored and lacking the glasses. "And secure the crown!" Through the shock, all I could think was 'could he see?'. Then it was 'get out of the way, idiot!' because the sultansworn charged down the hill, Papashan still in the lead. "Fight for your sultana, boy!" Papashan entered the fray in a manner befitting his dramatic declarations. He leaped into the air, bashed one of the bandits in the face, and then spun as he landed to cripple another one. "Fight for Ul'dah!"

"As you command, Master Papashan!" Owyne yelled, his smile equal parts incredulous and relieved. He still wore it when he looked to me. "With me, Syna!" With… oh, did he need me to follow him?

The answer was 'yes' and, given how this was a group of people used to fighting together and I was the outsider, it was a good idea to stay close and not mess them up. So, Owyne and I worked together to take down the archers lining the edges of the battle, with him taking the front and me taking the flank. I kept to my fists, and the hard leather himantes I'd bought to protect my knuckles, so I could pull back more quickly and strike more often. I could keep them staggered and guessing far better than Owyne, and I thought it would be needed in a fight like this. I didn't know how effective it was, but at the least, no one complained or asked me to change tactics. So, I darted around the battlefield, staggering and unbalancing as many fighters as I could. Hit fast, pull back, rush to another. Watching as much of the field as I could and focusing on helping those having the most trouble. Or, sometimes, just darting for a relatively clear area to reassess the situation.

That was how I ended up near Papashan when we experienced the first wave of difficulties. Enemy reinforcements had arrived and, unlike those here, all of them appeared to be magic users. Some used fire, so I guessed 'thaumaturge', but the others focused more on healing. Worse, the healers made sure to keep in range of the archers, using them as cover to tend to their fallen comrades. That could drag out the battle...

"Stand your ground, Sultansworn!" Pashan ordered, unfazed by the potential complication. He then whipped his sword around, aether radiating off it like moonlight, and stabbed another of the bandits. I'd never seen that sort of trick before. "Give no quarter, no ilm!" He followed it with three separate strikes to yet another foe, and I recognized the first two as 'Fast Blade' and 'Riot Blade'. I didn't know the third. "Such numbers, though…" Papashan turned to face the leader, the only one wielding an axe. "I already knew you were a grave threat, but it seems your reach is greater than anticipated."

"Meddlesome fools!" the leader snapped, swinging hard at Papashan. He deflected it with his shield and struck them on the thigh. "You know not who you face!"

"Will you quit with the villain talk?" I complained, slamming a Bootshine into his back. While he was unbalanced, I focused and cast a thunder spell. If he insisted on monologuing again, I might as well ensure he paid for it. "You already said you were the Alacran."

Their eyes widened. I supposed they hadn't meant to blurt that. "All the more reason to kill you, then!" They tried to disengage, but I landed a low blow, right on the wound on their thigh, and they buckled. "Gah!"

"Good show!" Papashan praised, already darting in for another strike. Unfortunately, right then, an archer caught sight of us and loosed an arrow. It flew straight for the back of Papashan's neck, but just before it hit, numerous aetheric shields converged around him like a shell for a brief moment, and the arrow shattered against them. Sadly, however, it distracted both of us from the leader and they were able to stumble away, leaving two pugilists to bar the path to him. "Yes, these are definitely no ordinary bandits. They've been trained, and trained by someone who knows battle well." Papashan settled into a stance and I brought my fists up again. Behind the pugilist guards, the leader was… doing something. I hadn't a clue what, but the air buzzed with aether, hinting to a spell. "I'll take the one on the left, Syna!" Yes, we had to move quickly. Quickly, quickly, don't even bother with killing, just try to get them out of the way and reach…!

"Hearken to me, denizen of the abyss!" Too late, though. Despite Papasha and I knocking both pugilists to the ground, they'd served their purpose and bought time for their leader. "Slay these interlopers and feast on their souls!" As the words echoed through the air, a twisted creature, skin pulled taut over bones, with gleaming claws and bat-like wings slowly emerged from the shadows. One which looked far too familiar for my liking.

"Is that a voidsent?!" I barely heard Owyne's yelp as the newly summoned voidsent roared in celebration of its freedom. "Thal's…!"

"Well, it seems we know who sent the voidsent after Lady Lilira now," I grumbled under my breath, rolling my shoulders. I could be wrong, but I thought it was even the same kind. However, this one… it had a different trick than the one before, as it proved immediately. An orange ring centered… no, not quite centered. It was just near the voidsent, because we were near…! "Back away!" I moved as I yelled, right as the voidsent's eyes glowed. It was about to…! "Papashan, get everyone back!"

Papashan, Dawnfather bless him, didn't even hesitate. He followed me without a second's thought and he snapped the orders with even less hesitation. The Sultansworn obeyed, everyone falling even with Papashan and me. And because of that, when a series of black-smoked explosions riddled the air where the orange ring had been, none of us had been caught. But how long would that last? Now it wasn't just the bandits and their reinforcements, but also this voidsent...

"Papashan, leave it to me," I whispered. My words were strangely even, given how my mind raced. My heart thudded in my chest, hard enough to bruise my ribs. It was hard to breathe. I was scared. I was nauseous. Yet, it was all under that calm… "We need to keep them from summoning more."

"...Aye, you are correct," Papashan murmured, with hard eyes. His focused shifted to the leader, and remained on them alone. "We will deal with the rest. Give it your all."

"I always do." Then there was nothing more to be said. Battles didn't wait for speeches, after all.

I lunged forward for the voidsent, calling upon the Iron Will technique First Blade Mylla taught me. She said it would draw and hold an opponent's attention, and I prayed to the Dawnfather it would work just before I scooped up a rock from the water and threw it as hard as I could at the thing's head. Though it missed, the voidsent screeched and twisted to face me and that was all I could ask for in this situation.

The first thing I did was cast a blizzard spell at one of the wings. I'd hoped to freeze it over, though I quickly realized I was not powerful enough for that. The ice did, however, freeze and tear through a small part of the wing, which had the effect I wanted anyway. It hit the ground with a loud 'splash!' and I cast another blizzard spell to trap it in the water. It wasn't a perfect trap by any means, it broke from the ice very quickly, but it worked long enough for me to throw a thunder spell and cast one fire spell. I'd been in the middle of a second when it burst free and thought about finishing. But then I remembered these things were faster than expected and chose, instead, to dart to the side. It turned out to be a good thing; the voidsent had lunged to claw me. I 'pulled' my blade and slashed at its other wing as it passed, and it crashed to the ground once more, keening in pain as it struggled to lift itself in the air. I took advantage to land a 'Fast Blade-Riot Blade' combination on its wing, and finally thought to 'pull' my shield when it twisted to strike. Its claw raked across the metal, a loud screeching noise that made my skin crawl, and I had to fight through the feeling retaliate. Once again, I aimed for the wing, and this time, the combination hacked the wing off. Blood splurting from the stump, the voidsent howled in furious pain and tried to once again cast the explosions. However, as before, the orange rings appeared, this time under me, and I had time to escape. I even had time to cast one fire spell and had a second one almost ready when the explosions went off. The second fire spell caught it in the head and it jerked back, claws desperately batting at the flames. Though I was surprised by the strangely 'normal' reaction, I didn't hesitate. I couldn't. I had to deal with it, or it would hurt the others. I had no illusions about it, or the selfishness of fighting.

It took four hits to decapitate it. I only had the time because the first blow incapacitated it. I'd have to remember that, for when I fought another of these things. Best to be prepared.

With the voidsent dissipating into smoke… truthfully, I longed to simply lay down. However, I forced myself to turn to the battle and see what needed to be done. The answer was… well, 'nothing'. The Sultansworn had things well in hand, with Owyne and his comrades felling the last of the non-leader ones. As for the leader… well…

"This is your last chance!" Papashan had the leader on the ropes. "Yield or be slain!" he threatened, battering the leader and forcing them to retreat with every blow. He easily blocked whatever attacks the leader threw in return. "I will not ask again!" If someone had told me two hours ago the kindly stationmaster could credibly threaten people, I might have laughed at such an incredulous statement. But Papashan certainly backed the words up, particularly when his response to the leader's answering overhead strike was to dart in close and gut him. "I warned you. May Thal grant you some small measure of mercy."

Just like that, the battle ended. The sultansworn split up into groups without saying a word. Some scouted the area; some searched the dead. Others tended to their comrades. Owyne, however, went straight to where Papashan searched the leader's corpse, though he didn't say anything until Papashan found the pouch of Traders' Spurn.

"Master Papashan..." Owyne began, once Papashan had pocketed it. He fidgeted with his gauntlets when Papashan turned to look up at him. "But why…? How?"

"The General saw you sneak into the vaults, Owyne," Papashan explained, smiling warmly and softly. Heck, he even chuckled. "He suspected something was afoot and instructed us to keep an eye on you."

"The Flame General…?" Owyne looked down, his expression somewhere between ashamed and 'ready to cry'. "He asked for you to look after me?"

"Of course. Few are as loyal to the sultana as you, and he worried you would do something rash in an attempt to atone for your misstep." Correctly, as it turned out. "I am gladdened we arrived in time, though I believe we must needs find another hiding spot for-"

"Master Papashan!" A shout interrupted Papashan, and when we turned towards the noise, we saw another of the Sultansworn waving to ensure they had our attention. "More to the north!" they yelled, gesturing for emphasis. "Pursue?"

"Of course!" Papshan immediately replied, snapping back to seriousness. "They still hold the crown! This lot sought only to delay us!" However, that seriousness faded once more when he turned his attention to me, back to the warmth. "Leave the rest of this matter to us, Syna. We can't have you doing all of our work."

"Yes, let's speak again in the city," Owyne agreed, smiling warmly. Not sure what else to say or do, I simply nodded. "Until then!"

The two rushed off, soon flanked by the rest of the sultansworn. I waited until I could no longer hear the splashing of their steps before sighing and closing my eyes, tilting my head back to ease the stress in my neck some. I hurt. It was a bone-deep hurt, accompanied by a marrow-deep exhaustion. Yet I couldn't relax. Something in the air buzzed. Something… something...

'Splish. Splish.' The quiet sound of breaking water heralded someone's arrival. I opened my eyes and looked to the large boulders nearby, where a black robed, black masked person slowly approached. They stopped when I faced them, and said nothing. Did nothing. Simply watched, as I did. The only movement at all was the wind sparking ripples across the water.

"The source of her strength becomes clear…" they finally whispered. I barely heard them over the wind. "You may have bested the golem, but you shall not fare as well this day." Golem? What golem? I vaguely recalled the term? "You must-"

"Does this have to be right now?" The words were out before I could stop them. I could practically hear the masked person's silent 'what in all the hells?'. "I don't suppose you can come back later?" I continued, too tired to shut myself up. Their answer was gloomy shadows surrounding and enveloping them while a red sigil clickered briefly in front of their mask. "I suppose not." Though, I had to say… the black flames surrounding the area and darkening everything to a purple-black hue? That was…

"O mournful voice of creation!" The shadowy flames writhed around us as the masked person spoke, and with a start, I recognized the words. The stone doll! "Send unto me a creature of the abyss, my thrall to command, that I may smite mine enemies!" Abyss, though… were they the one who taught those Alacran folk how to summon? Not that I had time to think on it further, given how the flames coalesced into another voidsent, this one larger than the ones I'd seen previously. White scales instead of black, with more prominent horns… not nearly as skeletal either. "Your very being imperils the plan. You cannot be suffered to live." The voidsent roared, as if in agreement, and… and suddenly wielded blades. It had blades. Why did it have blades? Where did they even come from?! Did it pull them from a pocket dimension like I did?!

Due to hyperfocusing on the blades, I nearly lost my head. Literally. I barely had time to jerk back to avoid its opening swipe, and definitely felt blood trickle down my scales and chest. I reached up to check how much and, thankfully, it was minimal. For now. As it was, I had to take advantage of the distance, and did so via a thunder spell followed by a fire spell. I tried to trap it with blizzard, but it yanked its foot free with ease. So, I prioritized fire, until it was too close. Truthfully, I should've retreated instead of casting, but I managed to 'summon' by shield in time to block the first. I tried to copy Papashan's trick and use the resulting opening to gut the thing, but all I managed was a gash on its abdomen and I earned a slice on my arm in return. Not a bad exchange, but not the best either. With those dual blades, standing my ground would only lead to me crumbling. So, I 'shoved' both back into my inventory and shifted my stance to for evasion. Fists, it was.

"Soon, you shall take your vile gifts to the grave!" Vile gifts? What were they talking about? Was this because I was a child of misfortune? "While the venom corrodes your veins!" Venom? What venom?

Though I dodged the next twin slashes from the voidsent, it swung its tail at me, spoke tearing across my back. Because of course its tail was a weapon too. Why wouldn't it be? The wound it left across my back burned and throbbed more so than usual, certainly more than expected. Perhaps this was the 'venom' the mage mentioned? Constant and draining, yet I had to keep going. If I didn't, I'd die. So I twisted and punched the voidsent twice before falling into the 'Bootshine-True Strike-Snap Punch' combination. The barrage overwhelmed the voidsent briefly, enough for me to fall back and catch my breath. Plan… plan… I needed a plan.

"Whence springs the preternatural might?" That… was a word I'd need to look up. At some point. If I survived this. Which was becoming more and more questionable by the half-second. "Very well." That… that likely meant bad things.

I was right. He cast a spell. Despite leaving everything to the voidsent until that point, he cast a spell. Sudden and without warning, it knocked me off balance and I could neither block nor dodge the voidsent's blade as it clipped my side. Pain spiked through me, and I staggered, struggling to right my footing. Even as the second blade came towards me and I knew… I knew it would strike true. Still, I…

"You certainly have a knack for getting into trouble!" That… was a different voice and the words were punctuated by a loud 'clang'. Between the ringing in my ears and my own exhaustion, it took me a long second to realize just who had spoken, just who had saved me: Thancred. He gritted his teeth as he blocked and endured the blow which would have killed me, before twisting and striking a deep gouge across the voidsent's chest.

Despite my own pain, I took advantage of the opening to 'pull' and drive my blade into the wound to deepen it. And I kicked it deeper for good measure before using it as a focal point for a thunder spell. It was enough to kill it, thankfully, and it was already dissipating as it fell.

"An unwelcome guest?" the masked person scoffed, throwing another spell at us, another fire. Thancred and I both dodged and went to flank them. I didn't bother scooping up my sword; I just 'returned' it to my inventory. "No matter. All shall fall before me."

Thancred struck from one side; I did my best to stay on the other. His sword flashed in the moonlight, whittling away at the mage one cut at a time. I struck whenever I could, with punches and kicks to knock them off-balance and disrupt any spells they tried to cast. We had to end this quickly. I had to. I still bled and though the one on my back didn't burn as much, I had to assume it was still poisoned.

"No mortal should possess such strength!" the mage roared, suddenly blasting us back. I had no idea how, save for magic. I cursed myself for not interrupting it in time, and leapt to my feet, but… but then I was trapped. Because they'd used the opportunity to cast a blizzard spell, and they aimed it at the water beneath me. Though I cast a fire spell to melt the ice as quickly as I could, scorching the outside of my leg in the process, it wasn't fast enough. After all, they had been casting their next spell, fire, and they'd started sooner. I had no time at all to move before the fireball was on me.

But it didn't hit me. It hit Thancred. While I'd been distracted, he must have seen the spell and he'd moved to intercept it, using himself as a shield and suffering the full brunt of it. Though I worried for him, I knew… I knew I couldn't waste the opportunity, so I surged past him and 'drew' my blade from my inventory once more. It was worth the gamble; the mage had clearly expected the spell to kill or incapacitate me. As such, they had left themselves wide open, allowing me to skewer them through the chest. It was messy. My sword jolted in my hands as I hit and sawed through bone. But it worked.

"Im… possible…" the mage gasped, falling to their knees. They wobbled, as if shorn from strings, before falling on their face. "That the wisdom of the Paragons… should be brought low… by mere… mortals…" There was one more breath, a strangled whimper, and then they died. The black, face-covering mask remained fixed to their face.

"Paragons? How thoughtful of him to use his final words for disturbing revelations." Thancred spoke quietly, almost as if he were simply thinking aloud, as he knelt down to study the corpse. He even nudged it, likely to check if they were truly dead. "We had long suspected the Ascians' involvement in the recent disturbances," he continued, just as softly. I wondered if I should poke him or pretend I couldn't hear. "But we had no proof until now. As if the sultanate needs more enemies." He studied the corpse for a moment longer before standing and turning to face me with a giant grin. A mask donned as easily as he breathed. "You know; this marks the third time I've found you in the midst of trouble. Perhaps I should say you are a lodestone for it." His grin widened. "I'm glad I started following you around. Who knows what grand conspiracy you'll stumble upon next?"

"If you had been watching my every move, you would've jumped in sooner," I blurted, too tired to filter thoughts. Speaking as I thought. Worth his slight surprise. "No matter how much of a habit you have in rescuing people dramatically."

"Only for very pretty maidens."

"Lies. You came after me, after all."

"And I stand by what I said." Smiling slightly, I shook my head. His response was a dramatic sigh. "Fine, fine, I shall get Momodi to agree with me, and then you'll see the sincerity."

"Or you are trying to distract me from your own injuries." I remembered that vision, after all, with the pretty girls. No matter how he acted, he picked his words with care to mask his true intentions. "Or trying to distract me from my own pain. Actually, knowing you, its both."

"Knowing me, huh?" He raised a brow, eyes sharp to discern whatever hidden meaning he could find. I tried to shrug it off, but winced as everything throbbed in protest. "Ah, that can wait. You're badly injured."

"As are you." A quick once-over showed he favored a leg, and he winced slightly when moving his off-arm. "Surprised more isn't burned." The only outward sign I could see was the shiny patch on his neck, right above the tattoos. "They hit you dead-on." Yet no matter how much I looked, that remained the only sign I'd seen.

"Layers, and my clothes are treated to be fire-repellant." Well, that was convenient. "Something tells me we'll talk in circles at this rate, and I'd rather not win the argument via you bleeding out, so how about we both agree to be tended to and we escort each other to the Station to confirm the other will actually do so."

"Fair enough."

Surprisingly, Thancred led the way instead of taking the opportunity to slip off as he had when we escorted Lilira back to Papashan. Still, I didn't follow him immediately. Instead, without truly thinking about it, my focus fell on the motionless corpse. Then on the dark purple crystal next to it, as it had not been there two seconds ago. Two blinks later, dark shadowy smoke billowed from the crystal, twisting and writhing as it rose into the air and vanished. Along with the crystal itself. Just… gone. Poof.

"Syna?" Thancred called. I glanced over my shoulder to see him waiting for me at the water's edge. "Is something wrong?"

"...No, I'm just a little lightheaded," I lied, leaving the body behind. A cold nugget of… something pooled in my belly. Guilt? No, not quite. Dread? Perhaps closer, yet still not quite it. "That's all."

"Should I carry you?"

"No." I scowled when he reached for me anyway. "I will smack you with my tail, mister."

"That certainly sounds like a threat, particularly with those spikes. But no." He held out his hand again. "There's a ledge under the water here. I'd rather you not fall."

"...Thank you." I took his hand and let him guide me. Though he made to let go, I ended up holding on to him. He was warm and steadying. I really needed that after whatever the heck just happened.

He let me cling. I was glad for that. I'd have to find some way to make it up to him.

---

"So, that is why you contacted me about who was near the Unholy Heir, Thancred…" Papashan murmured, frowning apologetically. He, Thancred, and I were in the Heart of the Sworn, discussing what had happened. Or, to be more accurate, getting interrogated when Papashan saw Thancred and I bandaged. "To think there was an additional threat we had not seen. Words cannot express how sorry I am to leave you alone in such danger, Syna." Feeling shy, I did my best to wave it off and looked around the area for some sort of distraction. Sadly, there was little. Some of the Sultansworn were here, of course, but they were busy teasing and scolding a contrite Owyne off on the side, and not paying us the slightest bit of attention. "Though, I must say, I'm quite surprised you have not yet snuck away, Thancred."

"I'm trapped," Thancred immediately deadpanned, pointing to where I had a grip on his sleeve. After all, once we'd tended to our injuries at the Station and he'd seen me safely to the Heart of the Sworn, he had, in fact, tried to leave. I'd grabbed onto his sleeve and refused to let go because if I was going to get fussed at again, I was dragging him with me. No matter how much I owed him. "It's been quite some time I've seen you in that armor, though."

"Did it surprise you to see me dressed as such? Syna certainly looked it." Papashan laughed, eyes warm and kind. "Syna, I was a Sultansworn myself, once, though it has been fifteen years since I set down my sword and took up the role of stationmaster."

"Officially." Thancred kept his voice quiet, and ducked his head closer to me so only I could hear him. "Unofficially, as you can see, he's still very much the leader of the Sultansworn."

"A position I am proud to serve, lest you doubt." Papashan kept on talking, either oblivious or ignoring Thancred's commentary. I suspected the latter. "Whenever Her Majesty ventures outside the gates, I have the honor of protecting her person."

"He also has the unenviable job of chasing her down when she sneaks out."

"Thancred, please." Papashan tried to look stern, but there was far too much laughter dancing in his eyes for the attempt to work. Thancred played along anyway. "To continue with what I was saying, never before had I seen Her Majesty so despondent as when news of the crown's theft reached her ears." Owyne, nearby, hung his head in clear shame. His fellows might not be paying attention, but he was. "Yet, thanks to your valiant efforts, Syna, she is returned to her former vibrant self." To my surprise, Papashan bowed to me. "You have the gratitude of every Sultansworn, Syna. I mean that." And… and the nearby Sultansworn cheered. Um… I… er… What was I supposed to say to that? I mean; until we got here, I hadn't even been certain the crown had been retrieved! So… er…

"Exalted vessel of Nald'thal, guardian of Thanalan!" Thankfully, I didn't need a reply. After all, someone decided to be very dramatic and announce someone. "Seventeenth ascendent to the throne of Ul'dah, Her Royal Majesty, Nanamo Ul Namo presides!" Specifically, someone decided to dramatically announce the sultana's arrival.

At Thancred's quiet prompting, I turned to properly face the entering sultana. Almost everyone in the room knelt in respect as she passed. I didn't, because I was fairly certain if I did, I wouldn't be able to stand again. Thancred didn't. And neither did the very tall man who entered with the sultana, a Highlander man with scars on his face. Might've tried to study him more, but decided instead to focus on the sultana. And that was when I noticed something. Then another something. And then another something. Slowly piecing together a conclusion which was so ridiculous and yet no other came to me.

Thancred's quiet snicker confirmed it. The sultana standing before me, looking up at me, was Lady Lilira. What was even with my life right now?

"They regaled me with tales of a champion among champions, one whose tireless service to the crown merited our highest honors," Lili… Nanamo began. She smiled warmly and sweetly, and that smile reinforced the conclusion. It was the same smile she'd worn when we'd walked through the market. "Never did it occur to me the champion was you, Syna." Champion? Since when was I a champion? All I did was punch and stab things before setting them on fire! Or set things on fire before darting in the punch and stab. I hadn't been picky. "Raubahn?" Nanamo turned to the one who… well, he hadn't been kneeling earlier, but he was kneeling now. "See to it Syna is my personal guest at the banquet, will you?" 'Raubahn' nodded, a slight smile hinting he had already anticipated the order. "'Tis only proper for our champion, after all." My head was spinning. My head was spinning so much. Going to smile and nod and hopefully not pass out.

"As you say, Your Grace," Raubahn agreed, slowly standing with the words. Aaand walked over to me, and he was very large. My neck hurt to look up at him. Actually, my neck hurt in general, but it hurt more. Really felt tiny right now. Only Nanamo was shorter. "If half of what they say is true, then Ul'dah owes you a great debt." He bowed very slightly, a hand resting on his chest. Whether he meant it or not, the motion drew my attention to the twin swords on his waist. "I am Raubahn Aldynn, the Flame General. With the consent of Her Grace, I help oversee the affairs of the sultanate." Too much conversation. Head still spinning. Why was I meeting so many important people? "Brave souls are few and far between in these times. Kind ones, even rarer. I count my blessings when I encounter one." Vision might be a little blurry, actually. "Still, I'm sure the day's trials have tired you. We shall speak more at the banquet." Smile and nod, smile and nod. "Though, I must say, Thancred, it is unusual to see you remaining in the open for so long."

"Yet if I let Syna here walk through the streets of Ul'dah at night alone, Momodi will flay me alive," Thancred teased instantly. He subtly began pulling me away and I was so very grateful for that. "I shall return anon."

"The usual place. I'm curious as to what you found."

"Of course."

Despite the words, it took Thancred a second to actually extract me from the Heart of the Sworn. For one thing, Nanamo wished to thank me one more time. Then so did the Sultansworn, particularly Owyne. Papashan worried and fretted about us traveling with our injuries. At least, that's what I guessed from their actions and expressions. Their words might as well have been the wind for how much I actually heard. My head spun too much, and by the time Thancred and I escaped to the blessedly cool fresh air, the edges of my vision had blurred into black. Was that a sign of 'going to faint'? I felt I'd read such.

"I suppose it truly shows how rare kindness has been in Ul'dah in recent years for them to insist so much on expressing their gratitude," Thancred commented airily, easily leading me through the back streets to avoid the crowds. I was glad for that; I could barely keep one foot in front of the other. "So, Syna?" He smiled and waited for me to blink at him a couple of times. "You kept it together in front of everyone, but on a scale of one to ten, how stunned were you? I noticed your tail flicking."

"How did I end up meeting the sultana?" I bemoaned, taking the implied invitation to vent. I hoped it was an invitation, at least. He laughed like it was. "I served her tea and crumpets at the Quicksand! We went for a walk in the markets!"

"Don't be surprised if Papashan thanks you for that, by the by. While he was worried, as he always is when she sneaks away, it was also the liveliest and most cheerful she had been during this mess."

"All I did was help her keep a promise!" My tail lashed behind me, and accidentally 'thwaped' the back of Thancred's leg. Which… led me to a rather horrifying revelation. "Um… when you said my tail flicked, you really meant it kept hitting your leg, didn't you?"

"Your tail is a great deal stronger than a miqo'te's. I'm glad the spikes are not as sharp as they appear." Confirming without confirming. My face burned from mortification. "Oh, that's interesting." This was not helped by how he leaned in close and studied my face. "Your scales hide your blush. I can only see it over your nose."

"Well, my scales don't have capillaries through them!" This had become the absolute worst day ever. "Those remain on my skin, under the scales!" ...Wait. "I mean under my skin! Where they normally are!"

"Of course, of course!" Thancred barely bit back a laugh, and even then, it was only enough to turn it into a chortle. "So, to change the subject and sate my burning curiosity…" I would take any change of subject. "What exactly do you know about our fair sultana?"

"Aside from the current political not-technically-a-civil-war, I'm afraid my knowledge is rather limited." I hadn't thought I'd need it. After all, who randomly ran into the sultana?

"I figured. Most know little." Thancred quieted his laughter, slowly. "Her Grace came to power at the tender age of five, after a tragic accident killed both her parents." Given Ul'dah, and how things often went in my stories, the accident may or may not have been accidental, and she may or may not have been but a puppet tugged this way and that. "I believe she actually first learned to write because of the papers she had to sign. Papashan has been her guard since she was little, and is like a grandfather to her." Thancred smiled slightly, fondness creeping through. Still, all I could think of was a little girl alone amongst strangers, and my heart ached at my own memories of being alone. Though, in my case, it had been because… "For all her impetuousness, she's a very kindhearted young lady, all told. Naive, but most are in that situation. It's only about five years ago, in the aftermath of the Calamity, she started finding her footing as a sultana."

"You've known her for some time." And he got away with 'impolite politeness', so he was also trusted. Given how Papashan and Raubahn acted, he was even liked. "Is that something all 'simple scholars' can boast?"

"My work is particularly useful to Raubahn, and he is rarely far from Her Grace unless duty dictates otherwise. He is her sword and protector, after all, and has been ever since she pardoned him." Pardoned? Might need to ask Momodi about that one. "One of her few public appearances prior to the Calamity was actually to celebrate his winning his Syndicate seat."

"Once again, you deftly turn the subject away from yourself and your work." I should have kept the thought in my head, but unfortunately, I was still tired, still aching, and my head still spun. Everything fell out whether I wanted or not. "Should I pretend to not notice?"

"Hmm? And what is it you noticed? Besides my fair features, of course." He grinned and slid a little in front of me to lean down and catch my eye. Despite the good humor, cold scrutiny glinted in his eyes under it all. "Is it something you saw with your gift, perhaps?"

"Gift? What gift?" I probably shouldn't get caught up in the subject change, but it really did confuse me. "I don't… have any gifts? I think?" Desperately, I tried to think of just what he was talking about, but thanks to the terribly long day, all I had was fuzz. My head might as well be stuffed with wool. "Oh, well, I suppose my clothes are. I wear whatever Momodi gives me. My armor used to be whatever people gave me as well, but I actually bought the set I'm currently wearing. I bought my books…" The more I rambled, the more the cold scrutiny faded. "Was I supposed to have something else? I didn't lose something, did I?"

"You are so painfully and adorably sincere." Finally, there was only the good humor, and Thancred visibly struggled to not laugh outright. Again. "Mayhaps we shelve the conversation for now, until both of us are rested?" I barely heard him, since I continued struggling to think of just what he meant. "You have not misplaced something, as far as I am aware, Syna." He tapped my nose and I automatically made a face. "We shall continue another day. Do you have questions about anything else? We have a few steps yet to the Quicksand."

"Um…" Was it possible for your brain to trip and stumble in your own head? Mine certainly felt like it did. "What's Trader's Spurn?" And fell right into that earlier bit of confusion I'd almost forgotten about.

"Now, how would you…? Ah, so that's what they wanted for the crown. I had wondered." Thancred shifted to walk at my side again, helping me around a few holes in the street. In a daze, I glanced around to try and figure out where we were, but didn't recognize anything. "It is an alchemical powder which can transform large numbers of people into ashkin, the undead. It was used in the final days of the War of the Sisters."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" I frowned, brain now sliding into a far deeper thought pool than I had the ability to truly think. But there was no stopping it, or my mouth from rattling off my thoughts as they dribbled. "Certainly the inability to die or feel pain would hurt the enemy's morale, but how would they think? How would they evaluate the situation and plan accordingly? How would they heal the damage they take? Does the magic which reanimates them halt the rotting process or would they simply be stuck with a number of mummified or bloated corpses twitching about until they fall apart?" This time, Thancred didn't even bother hiding his laughter. I kept on rambling anyway. "Furthermore, if this is a powder, then how do you prevent it from hurting your allies?"

"Well, if the history books are truthful, Sil'dah used it on their own forces to try and balance out the difference in numbers." Personally, I found that difficult to believe. "Sil'dah was wiped out by the war, by the way. Ul'dah wrote the histories." And now I believed it even less. "On that delightful note, we have made it to the Quicksand at last!" He was right; we had. I only barely recognized it in my haze.

Thancred helped me up the stairs and inside, where Momodi actually met us both at the door, scolding and fussing in equal measure. When her focused switched to solely Thancred, I slipped away to my room for a much needed bath and change of clothes. And then whatever studying I'd do for tonight. Perhaps it would be fruitless, given everything, but maybe I could pretend I had some control of my life if I did my usual. Or I'd fall asleep in the middle. Either-or.

---

Author's notes: Now, technically speaking, you're not supposed to even meet the other 'newer' adventurers until after you get access to the other city-states. However, as I believe I've mentioned, I'll be cutting down on some content for my own sanity and, in this case, that includes the three 'introductory' dungeons. But that doesn't mean the characters you meet don't show! Or still suffer the same fates. (I didn't make up the names of Dolorous Bear's companions, btw. Those are from the game.) In game, you learn of Dolorous Bear and company's fate from Alianne and Isildaure, via chatting with them outside the mines. So, I dragged that in, dragged a little of their dialogue from tam tara deepcroft, and then tied it in with a main story quest.

Yes, there's a reference to triple triad here. Also a reference to Franz the Fair and the coliseum. And a large reference to the weaver questline. Plus, the twins. We're shown a scene much later in the game where they're dining at the Quicksand, and I just felt like bringing them in a little earlier. (I really hope I have their ARR selves right… I'm so used to their later expansions). There's also references to guild hests, and various side quests, fates, and levequests. And the fact that many quests make a note of beasts eating Lalafels. Also references to how your health regenerates fairly quickly in game, particularly when outside of battle. And directional bonuses and technique combos. And the recipes. And the poison status. ...Okay, there's lots of little references to a lot of things, I suppose? Oops?

In game, the villains who stole the crown are never directly mentioned to be Alacran, but most figure they are due to them wearing very similar robes and because the Alacran are particularly active around this time frame. During the battle itself, I tried to have Papashan use some Paladin tricks to highlight his experience.

Oh, right, no ring from Nanamo. Mostly because I don't want to keep up with it, and Syna was having enough of a panic attack from everything.