Last chapter of the year, or first of the new year, depending on where you are. Well, let's get this show on the road.
Paradise's End
The people of Eulmore have lived in their gilded cage for years, ignoring the outside world while doing nothing than to indulge their own pleasure in their so-called paradise.
A comfortable life. One that offered salvation.
But things like that always came at a price. And you were about to find out just how steep the costs were.
The moment they stepped onto Kholusia, S'eni had known that something was definitely wrong. Like the air was different, filled with a strange kind of warmth. Ryne could sense it as well.
And it didn't take long to find out just what exactly it was that felt off, as the way to Gatetown was scattered with people, walking around as if in a trance. Some of them were downright delirious and she had to knock them out to proceed. But that should only be the prelude to what awaited her at Gatetown itself.
Standing there in the center of the road leading to Eulmore were the good people of this little settlement, staring blankly ahead at the city of their dreams and mumbling something under their breath.
All attempts to interact with them, either by her and the others, or the few Gatetown citizens not struck by this strange affliction, were entirely ignored.
"Strange." S'eni snapped her fingers in front of a young Hume man, his face locked in a weird smile.
"They've been like this since we've arrived," Thancred said from next to her. "A Bomb could go off nearby and they wouldn't react."
"Yeah..." a shiver went down her spine. The last time she had been here, things had already seemed off, but she had just brushed it off because of the nature of the place. But this...was beyond bizarre.
"Come, let's see what Urianger found out. Looks like the gears are turning in his mind."
Together, they walked over to Gatetown's entrance, where their friend was watching the people with an expression of deep thought on his face.
"Strange. Passing strange..." she heard him mutter.
"Found something out?" S'eni asked.
"By their behavior, we may safely assume that they are under Vauthry's mind control. Yet the extent of the effect seemeth to vary dramatically between subjects," he said while looking at those that seemed perfectly fine. "'Tis far too pronounced to be attributed simply to the vagaries of innate magical resistance."
"This is getting curiouser by the second," she heard Alphinaud say and they turned to see him and Ryne walking up the path to Gatetown. He had stayed behind with the girl in case anyone might recognise her and alert Eulmore. As he came to a halt, he sent S'eni a smile. "Thanks for securing the way, we met with no trouble. But given the state of the townsfolk, none of us would have been recognized it seems."
They looked back towards the people.
"Ryne, can you feel something?" Thancred asked.
Ryne closed her eyes, remaining like this for a moment, before looking up at the garish sight of Eulmore. "I can sense a powerful Eater...in the uppermost parts of the city...but, something is different about it. It's...impure. We need to get closer."
"Ooh, so that one's Alphinaud!" a familiar voice called out. "Uh...unless you're triplets?"
"Kai-Shirr! What are you doing here?" Alphinaud exclaimed in surprise as he saw the young Mystel walk up to them with Alisaie.
Back during their first venture into Eulmore, they had met Kai-Shirr as he tried to use their bid to get into the city for himself, stating that he had only wanted to get into the city so that he could be with his friends once again. Alphinaud, being the kind soul that he was, had allowed him to do so. But the entire thing backfired spectacularly, and in the end, they had to save him from Vauthry's cruelty.
Way of a first impression with that potbelly, she thought.
"While scouting the area, I noticed him skulking about. When I confronted him, he called me 'Alphinaud' so I thought it would be best to bring him along," Alisaie explained, a note of annoyance in her voice at being mistaken for her brother again. Something, S'eni felt, could be easily solved if they didn't have such similar haircuts. The subtle difference in their fringes was clearly not enough.
But that was a concern for another day.
"The informant who has been feeding secrets to the Crystarium...that's me," Kai-Shirr said. "See, after you two saved my life, I thought about going somewhere far away. But I couldn't just leave without repaying my debt. So I decided to stay, keep my eyes on things, and whenever I spotted something strange, I shared it with your friends."
"That took no small amount of courage." Alphinaud smiled. "Well done."
"Then perhaps you can tell us what happened here?" Thancred inquired.
"Right, so, an airship flew in a bit ago, and not long after, Vauthry starts ranting and raving. You could hear it all the way out here!" the Mystel told them. "Geezer was going nuts. Shouting and screaming like somebody had nicked his pie!"
"'Tis like the airship bore the soldiers sent to thwart our efforts in Amh Araeng," Urianger commented.
"So eventually the yelling dies down...and then this hot, sticky wind comes blowing through. That's when everyone started to behave funny. Expect me and a few newcomers." He looked over to those not afflicted. "Though even some of them started mumbling about Vauthry after a while, just not as best as the rest."
"Newcomers thou sayeth..."
"Apologies for the interruption, but there's something I need Ryne to see," Y'shtola said while walking over to join them. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out this strange, bread-like food S'eni had seen the last time Alphinaud and her had been here. "I found this among the townsfolk's food storages."
"Oh, that's just Meol," Kai-Shirr said. "Eulmore hands the stuff out."
Ryne took a look at the Meol and immediately recoiled in disgust. "No! It...It can't be…"
"What is it?" S'eni asked.
"It's a Sin Eater. Meol is made from the body of a Sin Eater!"
A round of surprised reactions went through their group and she heard Kai-Shirr gasp out in shock.
"So it is. That does explain quite a lot," Y'shtola said calmly. "In limited quantities, it may have little effect on an average individual. But if one were to consume it regularly, over a long period of time, I suspect it would do far more than offer simple nourishment."
"That Vauthry wieldeth power over Sin Eaters is known. Could it be that those who partake of their flesh do thereby render themselves susceptible to his influence?" Urianger wondered. "'Twould serve to explain why the town's newer arrivals succumbed less quickly than those raised on a diet of Meol."
What little restraint Alisaie had managed to keep after the reveal was quickly lost after those words.
"He's been rounding up Sin Eaters and feeding them to people!? Altering them with every mouthful, all to stop them from answering back!?" she shouted. "There are desperate souls out there killing themselves to escape turning! This is unforgivable!"
Next to his sister, Alphinaud had grown quiet, looking down at the ground. "These Sin Eaters...What if they are not simply 'rounded up'?" he asked suddenly, his lips in a thin line. He looked at S'eni. "Do you remember what the apothecary told you on our first day here? Many come into the city, but only few ever leave."
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what he meant and she looked at Eulmore. "Twelve forfend…"
The people that 'ascended', they were being turned into Meol.
Anger welling up deep inside of her, she balled her hand into a fist. Just the tip of the iceberg indeed.
"Let's put an end to this 'paradise'," Alphinaud said. "Vauthry's deeds are beyond justification. Beyond forgiveness. Evil."
"It's highly probable the Lightwarden is waiting for us somewhere in there, and I'm all for going after it. But they know our faces, so the time for stealth has passed," Thancred said and sent S'eni a little smirk. "But we've got you as our battering ram. Now, my friend, if you would be so kind as to lead the charge."
With a nod, she turned in the direction of the city, narrowing her eyes. "Let's go, everyone. This ends today!"
They charged forward.
As soon as they had made it past the wooden bridge that led down in the shantytown at the bottom of Eulmore, the unmistakable voice of Vauthry echoed from high above.
"I can feel it... A dark presence in my domain! It's them! The villains who would sow chaos in my perfect paradise! Keep them away from me! I command you, keep them awaaaaaay!"
A bright, pink glow began emanating from the highest point of the city and a hot, sticky wind, like Kai-Shirr had described, filled the area. Not even a second after, the townsfolk began to turn and shuffle towards them like a horde of hungry undead.
"Tch!" Thancred grabbed his Gunblade. "Using his own people as a shield."
"This area is older than Gatetown. There are bound to be far more people under Vauthry's control," Alphinaud said, opening his tome. "But they don't act of their own free will. We should avoid harming them."
"I knew you would say that," Alisaie chuckled while holding her rapier forward. Glancing at S'eni, she added, "Press on with Alphinaud, we'll hold them off."
She nodded. "Got it!"
Thankfully, the only thing the enthralled townsfolk had going for them were numbers, so fighting through them without causing serious harm was quite easy. Still there were a lot of them, so it took some time until Alphinaud and her had managed to get past the town and into the city, where they were immediately greeted by a familiar sight of the two women dressed in blue and red, both holding their ever-present, creepy smiles on their faces.
"The jesters!" Alphinaud exclaimed.
"Apologies, friends...but you've reached a dead end. And on this sorry track, there's no turning back," the red one said.
"We've got a good life here, see, and we're not about to lose it. But fair's fair─we'll give you a good death," the one in blue added.
The young Elezen narrowed his eyes. "If you would fight us of your own volition then we will not hold back as well."
They began to laugh and raised their weapons.
"This one's a real side-splitter!"
"But at least you'll die laughing!"
The blue jester dashed forward, slashing at them with her blades, the smiles on her face having turned into deranged grins, while the other began to cast a spell. Unlike the poor people outside, these two actually knew how to fight, and were obviously a great team. Any ordinary combatant would have their difficulty with them.
But neither Alphinaud, nor her, were ordinary combatants. They had seen far more battles than most people on the First could claim, so after initially being forced into the defensive, the two of them pushed back.
"Carbuncle, now!" The tiny summon shot a wave of air at the red jester, throwing her off balance just as she was about to cast a fireball at S'eni and hitting her blue twin instead.
With a cry, the other jester dropped one of her daggers, giving S'eni the opening she needed. Thrown a punch at her wrist, she disarmed the other woman completely and began hitting her with a series of blindingly fast strikes that knocked the wind out of her before kicking her in the head with such a force that she collided with the red-dressed one, knocking them both out.
"That takes care of them," Alphinaud said, looking down at the unconscious women.
"Couldn't stand them from the first moment."
"Let's take the stairs to the Canopy."
Halfway up, though, they were awaited by the shuffling and moaning forms of Eulmoran soldiers.
"More of them!" Alphinaud sighed, gesturing his Carbuncle to attack. "Go ahead, leave them to me!"
"Alright!" Jumping over one of them as he made a grab for her, S'eni pressed onward, not stopping even once until she had made it to the Canopy.
S'eni stopped for a moment to look around. What had once been a place brimming with people that enjoyed their lavish lifestyle, not knowing about the corpses it was built upon, was now completely empty. Gone was the laughter, replaced only by a heavy silence that was broken only by the faint sounds of battle from downstairs.
When this was over, the good people of Eulmore, the free and the bonded alike, would have to face the reality of what had transpired here.
Continuing onward, she soon realized that she had been mistaken in her thought that the area was empty. One individual was still inside, guarding the way towards the Crown Lift.
Ran'jit.
Something about him was different from the last time she had seen him in Amh Araeng. His ever-present dragon familiar wasn't floating next to him like it always did and was instead wrapped around his body in a strange form of symbiosis. In his right hand, now covered in black scales, he held a vicious-looking scythe.
"You will find my master in his chamber…" he said, staring at her with cold eyes as he stepped forward. "But only if you kill me today, and you will not."
"You would really go so far for him? For this monster!?"
"You may think me under his spell, but I uphold Lord Vauthry's ideals of my own volition. Man is an inherently flawed creature. In his vain pursuit of righteousness, he only sows the seeds for future conflict. Thus I have chosen to place my hopes upon he who has transcended men. Upon he who is unbound by the vagaries of conscience." He whirled his scythe through the air and took a battle stance. "Enough talk. I am a soldier, and you are my enemy. Come! Let us settle this once and for all!"
Exhaling through her nose, S'eni too prepared for battle. "Have it your way."
She vanished from sight, appearing right in front of him again and slamming her palm into his jaw. He jerked back with a grunt and swung his scythe at her, but she dodged to the side and delivered a volley of punches to the part of his torso not protected by scales.
They're protecting him, but not overly much so. She vanished again, retreating backwards just in time to avoid the wave of crimson aether being sent her way. Sliding back into reality near the Aetheryte, she was forced to dodge once again as another wave of aether was thrown her way, swiftly followed by a third one.
It all turned into a blur, one attack followed the next, fire covering the marble floor and lighting flashing through the air. She dodged as best as she could, counter-attacking whenever it was possible as his attacks turned the richly decorated hall into a no man's land of sheer violence.
"It is time to end this, villain!"
"You call us villains, but who is the one locking up an innocent girl? The one protecting the very things that destroy the world?—" she managed to kick him in the knee, making him lose his guard momentarily, but still long enough to make a grip at the scythe and rip it out of his hand. "—the one turning their own people into food!"
With a cry, S'eni spun around and slashed at him. He tried to get away, but the sharp blade still managed to cut across the scales covering his chest, leaving a large gash in them.
"You speak of peace and salvation for this world, but all I see is death. The only way Vauthry's path leads to is the destruction of this world." She pointed the scythe at him. "And you're nothing more than an old man, too blinded by his grief to realize he has become the very thing he had sworn to fight against."
She raised the weapon high into the air before bringing it down once more, burying its blade into the floor.
"But there's one thing I agree with you: it is time to end this."
"Hmpf, your words have little meaning to me. Ever since I submitted to my master's authority, I have become nothing more than a weapon forged in the fires of war!"
Ran'jit raised his scaled hand, crimson aether surrounding it, and she dashed towards him.
But it was too late, as in front of her, a dragon head made of fire burned into existence, forcing her to stop. Looking around, she spotted three more appearing on every side, surrounding her completely.
Their eyes began to glow—
Shit!
—and they unleashed their attacks.
The entire Canopy shook as the explosion ripped through it, chunks of marble flying about in every direction, ripping apart banners and destroying furniture, and creating a large cloud of dust that filled the entire hall.
Then, silence...
...
...
...
The cloud began to disperse and a blue glowing dome revealed itself, a mosaic of hexagonal patterns flitting across it in waves like visible sound. And in the center of that dome, stood S'eni, now dressed in a long, dark coat and holding her arms out in a horizontal position.
She glared at her enemy. "Did you think you were the only one with tricks up his sleeve!?"
Before he had time to respond, she let the barrier explode outward, then immediately grabbed her staff. Sparks crackled across its head before a ball of lightning shot forth, stopping Ran'jit in his tracks as he made to lunge for her.
Waving her hand, arcane patterns formed on the ground and in the air around her, and she began to rise into the air.
"This is for the Night's Blessed!"
Fog began to swirl around him, turning into hard ice slamming into.
"This is for the soldiers of the Crystarium!"
Balls of fire flew through the air, exploding as soon as they found their mark.
"For the people of Eulmore!"
Another barrage of lightning rained down from above.
"And this—"S'eni raised her staff high into the air. "—this is just for me!"
All of a sudden, clouds formed above their heads, congregating together like a gathering storm, before turning an ominous shade of red. A brief moment passed, then they began to tear apart as a burning meteor came crashing towards Ran'jit.
Another, much larger explosion shook the Canopy, sending waves of arcane heat and chunks of rock flying everywhere. When the dust had settled once again, she found her enemy lying on the ground, or rather whatever was left of it. She walked over to him, a bright glow surrounding her for a brief second as the coat and staff changed back into her usual outfit, and looked down at his broken form.
"Ah...there you are…" he managed to say amid ragged breaths. "my...precious girls…"
He went limp.
S'eni stared at him, shaking her head with a sigh, until the sounds of hurrying steps made her look towards her approaching friends. None seemed any worse for the wear. Good.
"S'eni, are you alright!?" Alphinaud asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Not so much the area though…" After this was done, the Canopy would have to receive quite a bit of repairs. At least the Aetheryte and some of the stands further in the back were still intact.
Thancred gave the fallen Ran'jit a short look before turning his attention towards her. "The citizens seem to have calmed down. I assume Vauthry must be otherwise engaged. Let's get to the upper level while we can."
She nodded and they began to rush towards the Crown Lift.
As their group burst into the Offer, they found the chamber in complete disarray, tables turned and thrown around, empty bottles of wine and golden bowls once filled with fruit strewn around. The Sin Eaters in the shape of beautiful women were gone, leaving the place empty for but the singular presence in the room.
Vauthry.
His gargantuan, obese form was turned away from them as he gorged himself on something. His lips smacked and suckled in a way that made her stomach turn.
"Lord Vauthry!" Alphinaud called out to him. "Your reign of tyranny is at an end. For too long, you have preyed upon the desperation of the poor. Now you will answer for the suffering you have caused!"
He ignored them.
"And if you harbor even a shred of remorse, I beseech you to use your powers to restore the balance. For the future of all the people of Norvrandt."
Ryne gasped, taking a step back. "No, it can't be. This is wrong! It's wrong!"
"What is it?" S'eni asked her.
"The Warden—it's not just a Sin Eater. It's a man!"
Eyes widening in shock, she turned to look at Vauthry once more. He was the Lightwarden.
With a sickening sound, Vauthry spun his head around to face them, swallowing his meal before speaking, spit spewing from his mouth. "Remorse? For the future of all? What nonsense is this? There is no justice but mine. No future but mine. No will but mine."
His head twisted back, leaving them all stunned.
"Me? Unseated? No, no, no, no, no..." he grew quiet for a moment, dropping whatever it was that he was holding. "It's impossible. Inconceivable! Absurd! I am a great and wise king. Greatest and wisest! I reign from on high! I will not be brought down by maggots like you!"
At those last words he began to thrash about, hitting the pillowed ground of his platform like a child throwing a tantrum. As ham-sized fists were about to punch a hole into the pillowed floor, he stilled, his heavy panting slowing.
"Ah, yes. Of course," he said after calming down again, sounding like he had the answer to everything. "I can begin again. Rebuild my paradise. Once I finish my dinner..."
His giant hand moved to grasp what he had dropped, which turned out to be a fork with Meol impaled on it. He raised it to his mouth, swallowing it whole, fork and all.
"Oh gods—No!" Ryne shouted. "Thancred, stop him!"
Not wasting any time, Thancred rushed forward, Gunblade in hand, but before he could reach him, Vauthry sprouted a pair of wings and let out an ear-splitting scream that forced them all to their knees.
Vision growing blurry, S'eni could only watch as Vauthry rose into the air on wings far too small for his obese form and flew out of the balcony. For a moment, everything became black, then it was clear again.
Alphinaud shook his head. "Where...where did he go!?"
As if to answer him, the ground began to shake, nearly throwing them off their feet again. For a second, she thought that something inside the city might have collapsed, but soon realized that it was coming from outside.
When it passed again, they swiftly ran out onto the balcony to find—
"What in the heavens!?" Alphinaud exclaimed.
—a floating mountain, held aloft by a bright, golden halo.
"Did Vauthry do that?" Alisaie asked.
"We need to get up there. Fast!" S'eni said, turning towards the others.
"Wait!" Alphinaud interrupted her, his eyes on the ground. "That's Mt. Gulg, the highest peak in Kholusia. It lies on the other side of a giant cliff, and as much as I wish it were otherwise, it is beyond our reach for now. But even if it weren't—there are people here who need our help!"
"Oh, Alphinaud..." his sister sighed.
"Please. If only to tend to their wounds!"
S'eni stared at the young Elezen, then smiled. "Of course. Let's help them."
Alphinaud breathed in relief. "Thank you."
"I don't know if it will work, but if Vauthry's hold over the people is rooted in Light, I might be able to reverse its effects," Ryne said. "Will you let me try?"
"Of course." Alphinaud nodded. "We'd be grateful for all the help you can provide."
"Well then," Alisaie said, looking over their group. "If it's decided, let's all get to work."
As their group began to leave, S'eni looked over her shoulder at the giant mass of stone high up in the air. Her eyes narrowed. Hide yourself away all you want, I'll get to you, Vauthry. And then, we'll settle this.
But until then, they needed to help the people of Eulmore. And there was much to be done.
So funny stuff, while I was writing this story at first, I wasn't in Shadowbringers yet, and I purposefully never saw the intro trailer of it due to not wanting to poentially spoil myself, so when I first saw it, I was completely blown away how they integrated the class change with Poster Boy WOL and felt the desire to do that at least once in my story too. At the time I was leveling Black Mage on the side and decided I might use that one, so I laid some groundwork for it. Of course you probably noticed that she was using a certain non Black Mage skill there, and perhaps I will address that too later lol. But don't worry, she'll always stay a Monk through and through, just with a little side portfolio I suppose. ;)
And since we're already here, I would like to thank you all for giving this story a chance, even if you just silently read it, it's truly appreciated.
From my corner of the world: a happy new year! :D