Eastward Bound Yet Again
In the southeastern waters of the Bounty lies Thavnair. Long ago, the battle between the people living there flowed like poison through their veins. Yet instead of withering, they grew stronger; every dosage of this poison feeding into the soil until their difference bloomed into progress.
Just like their famous alchemy.
And now you are heading there in hopes to dispel the shadows that are holding this vibrant island in their stranglehold. The question is...will you be able to succeed?
The Aetheryte hovered gracefully in the air, the bits and pieces of its intricate design circling around one another like tiny moons. It resembled more a piece of art rather than a teleportation device. Sharlayan truly was something else.
Lowering her eyes, S'eni turned them towards the woman wearing a green coat making some adjustments to it. Knowing full well that time was of the essence in their endeavour, Krile had made arrangements with the Confluence as to their passage to Thavnair. As it turned out, the research institute had been working on a new type of Aetheryte that didn't require one to attune themselves to it and it just so happened that its counterpart was located at their destination, saving them a long trip by boat to the isle. Even Thancred was able to travel by it as well!
...what Krile failed to mention though was that it was still in the testing stages. And they were here to test it. The look on Thancred's face pretty much reflected her own thoughts on the matter. Not like they had much of a choice now if they wanted to reach Thavnair as fast as possible.
Oh well, what's the worst that could happen? S'eni asked herself.
Ending up adrift in the Lifestream came to mind. It certainly would make it a very short trip. And while she couldn't deny the irony of Y'shtola being the one to pull her out for once, she could very much do without the experience.
With an inward sigh, she looked away from the Aetheryte in an attempt not to think about it and focused her attention on Urianger standing next to her instead. His face wore the usual expression of focused calmness that cracked only in the rarest of circumstances, yet a little twitch of his finger and the slight stiffening of his shoulders was enough to tell her that there was currently a torrent raging inside of him. One, she knew, was only going to subside by finally talking to Moenbryda's parents. But when he had finally mustered up the courage to do so, he was told they were working on a project for the Forum.
Oh, Urianger... She thought.
Noticing that he was being watched, he turned to return the look and tilted his head questioningly. But when she opened her mouth to speak, she was interrupted by the voice of the woman currently standing in front of the Aetheryte. "Excellent! All preparations are complete!"
The researcher, named Kytte if she recalled correctly, turned to face their group. "I assume all four of you are to be teleported?"
"No, thanks," Estinien replied. "The usual way will suffice. I'm already attuned to the Aetheryte over there."
"Really? But that means I have one less test subject..." the disappointment on the woman's face was clear as day, but her earlier cheer and eagerness returned fast enough. "Oh well, then the three of you please come over here."
Thancred and S'eni shared a look and slowly nodded, before walking over to where Kytte was standing. The young researcher passed by them with an eager smile while pulling a remote control device out of her pocket.
"Good! Now please relax, the teleportation will begin shortly..." Kytte said and pressed a button. For a second, it seemed like nothing was happening, when suddenly the telltale aura of teleportation magic began to surround Thancred, shortly followed by Urianger and S'eni.
Well, this is it... Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inha—
"Ah, that reminds me. I almost forgot," the researcher said. "Due to this method, you might experience a...teensy-weensy case of...violent aetherical sickness. Anyway, have a nice trip!"
Eyes shooting open, S'eni whirled around, but it was already too late and before she could even do so much as open her mouth, she was gone.
As soon as S'eni appeared once again, the first thing she did was check herself. Two arms, two legs, and a tail. Yes, everything was where it should be. A few seconds later, Urianger and Thancred arrived as well, neither of which seemed to be missing anything either.
Releasing a sigh of relief, she turned to Thancred. "Good, seems like—"
A sudden wave of nausea hit her like an enraged Garula and she dropped down to her knees.
"S'eni—!" Thancred managed to say before he joined her on the ground.
While trying to keep what little she had eaten earlier from coming back up, she could faintly hear the sound of Estinien arriving a few paces away from her, as well as that of Urianger hitting the ground like a sack of Popotoes. Her vision became dark for a brief moment and the next thing she knew, she was being picked off the ground by the Dragoon and carried over to a bench. After he had placed her on it, he walked back to get their two companions.
Guess this is it then... she thought and looked up at the sunny, blue sky above while gripping her head. Where Garleans and Ascians failed, a quirky Sharlayan scholar had finally succeeded. I'm sorry, Shtola...
She knew she was being dramatic right now, but by Azeyma she felt like she had just woken up from a week drowned in liquor. Just the thought of moving made her want to puke her guts out, and the pounding headache forming beneath her skull absolutely did not help matters at all. She just wanted to curl up and let it all end.
But the gods offered her no such mercy, so all S'eni could do was sit here and wait until Estinien had dragged Thancred and Urianger over to her as well. After he had done so, the Dragoon looked at the three of them in their sorry state. He shrugged.
"Well aren't you looking absolutely miserable," he said and if she didn't know any better, or cared right now, she would think he was finding this a little funny. Raising his hand to his head, he paced around once or twice, the rattling of his armor making her wince as if someone was driving a spike into her brain, before stopping again. "For now, something to drink should help. I'll be right back."
With that, he left the three of them. Seconds ticked by in which neither of them moved. Then, all of a sudden, Thancred began to stir, his head turning at a snail's pace.
"By the way...Krile left a few notes for us...you know, in the details of our mission..." he said and she turned her head to look at him. Slowly, he began to sit up. "One of them was...that Estinien doesn't know how to handle Gil...and that we shouldn't let him out of our sight when he goes shopping..."
For a moment, his words didn't fully register with her, but soon enough the pained grimace her face had been trapped in turned into a look of shock as the full weight behind them finally sank in. Someone needed to go after him and from the way Thancred was slumping over, he was in no shape to do so. And neither was Urianger it seemed. Which left only her.
Gods grant me strength... Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and forced herself back on her feet. With a final glance towards her friends, she walked in the direction in which she had seen Estinien leave, a hand resting on her stomach in an attempt to keep it from roiling too much as she cast her gaze out across the area. It took a few minutes, and a few stops to keep herself from barfing, but she finally managed to spot his dark armor amidst the vibrant colors of the town.
He was standing in front of a merchant's stand.
Oh no! Willing her body to hurry up, she headed over to him as quickly as she could. As she closed in on him, S'eni picked up some of the conversation.
"...something that helps with aether sickness."
The merchant, a young man, looked surprised at first, but quickly put on what she assumed was his most charming grin and rubbed his hands. "You are wise to come to me, good sir! My special amra lassi, made with only the finest and freshest ingredients, is famed for calming unruly bellies!" he reached underneath the counter and produced a bottle that he placed on top of it. "And by way of a warm welcome to Thavnair, I'm pleased to offer it to you for the low, low price of nineteen thousand and eight hundred Gil! For not one, not two, but—"
He placed two more bottles on the counter. "—three bottles! An absolute bargain!"
Estinien hummed and crossed his arms, looking like he was actually considering this downright robbery! Opening her mouth to tell him not to listen to this money-grubber, she immediately clamped it shut again and placed a hand on top of it to keep the contents of her stomach where they were. So instead, she waved her other hand to get his attention.
"Hm?" Estinien looked at her. "I thought you weren't fit to walk yet. Something the matter?"
She locked eyes with him, then pointed at the bottles and shook her head, somehow managing not to wince.
"...I shouldn't buy the lassi?" S'eni nodded and then pointed at the merchant, causing Estinien to furrow his brows. "This merchant is swindling me?"
Thank the gods, he's got it!
Panic began to appear on the young man's face and he raised his hands in a placating manner. "S-Sincerest apologies, I seem to have confused the prices. It's actually one thousand eight hundred and ninety Gil for the three bottles!"
Estinien glanced at her and she nodded. A much fairer price.
"Hmpf, that confusion could've been quite costly. For both of us. Here—" he tossed the money on the counter. "—your coin."
Without even waiting for the other man's response, he grabbed the three bottles and handed them to her. "Here, three bottles, one for each of you. Go get some rest. I'll be back after I've explored the town."
S'eni watched him leave before turning her attention to the merchant, who was picking up and counting the money. But instead of looking annoyed at being unable to rip off a hapless customer, he looked sad and...worried. A sudden churning from her stomach roughly reminded her that now wasn't the time for inquiries.
Making her way back, she raised one of the bottles to look at it and, at the behest of another wave of nausea, began to hastily uncap it. She downed its contents in one go and almost regretted doing so when her stomach did another violent turn, almost like a wounded beast thrashing about in its dying throes. Then...sweet, sweet release.
S'eni felt herself sink to her knees as she released a sigh of relief, her lips curling into a large smile and absolutely not caring at all about the strange looks she was receiving from those passing by her. They didn't know, they couldn't know, the absolute torture she had just gone through. Trying to swindle more money out of Estinien as it was worth he may have, but he certainly didn't lie about the amra lassi. Thancred and Urianger needed to get this too, and fast!
Rising back to her feet, she resumed her walk to where her friends were waiting, a more noticeable spring in her step now.
With the three of them recovered, it was high time for them to resume what they had come here to do, seeking out this Nhidana lady. Or at least that was the intention, until a way too pricey purchase by the former Azure Dragoon made them wonder how it could be that the merchants in the area felt the need to fleece customers. Radz-at-Han usually prided itself on their affluent, yet fair trade, so it seemed quite strange for them to basically toss away that well-earned reputation right at the proverbial doorstep.
So they decided to gather more information first before continuing onward. Learning of the current state of affairs could only help, after all. For her part, S'eni was given the task to ask around the pier.
It became quickly apparent that the source of all the woes, and opportunistic pricing, was the tower. Since its appearance, people had been giving the island a wide berth, drying up commerce considerably. "I see, thank you for being so honest about your troubles," she said to the Au Ra merchant holding a tiny book in her hand.
"Business has never been this terrible..." The woman sighed and shook her head, scribbling something into the pages. It...wasn't a lot. "But I suppose things could be worse. I could have a consortium to keep afloat, like Khalzal. The advantage of running a small business I suppose."
"Khalzal?" S'eni tilted her head questioningly.
"One of the biggest suppliers of wares in Thavnair," the merchant explained. "Say, you look like a traveller. If you have time, maybe you could go see him. I'm sure he'd be glad for tidings from abroad."
"Where can I find him?" she asked.
"He should be at the Saltwind's Sails, the harbour guild across the water from here." The other woman pointed in the direction of the largest building near the pier. "He's an Au Ra like myself."
"Thanks. I'll talk to him then."
Leaving her to what little work she had to do, S'eni began to make her way down the pier in the direction of the guild. Halfway there, she stopped for a moment to look out towards the sea. A few boats moored off nearby isles, and a few larger ships further out. But not even remotely enough for a prosperous trading port.
She was suddenly reminded of a story her father once told her from his own travels, that sometimes they had to wait almost a day until they were able to set foot on Thavnair because of how many trading vessels were coming and going. Even if he tended to be a bit hyperbolic in telling his stories, she had no doubt that this place must have been busy not too long ago. And now, the people here were desperately trying to make ends meet.
With a shake of her head, she resumed her walk. As she stepped into the Saltwind's Sails, the tension that met her could be cut with a knife and there was nary a sound being made by the people working here...except for the two people having what seemed to be a rather heated discussion. One of them being an Au Ra in rather fine-looking clothes.
"The Dalmascans aren't coming!?" the man, whom she presumed was Khalzal, all but shouted. "But we already have everything they ordered! What are we supposed to do with it!?"
The other person, a woman, shook her head in response. "I don't know, but yelling isn't going to help. All I know is that their plans have changed, and that's that," she said, then sighed. "Look, you must have known this might happen. The Empire is at war with itself, and the provinces are in chaos. And then there's the tower sitting on our doorstep spitting out monstrosities. The city has its defenses, but we've been afforded no protection out here. We can't blame foreigners for not wanting to take the risk."
"But this will be an enormous loss!" Khalzal covered his eyes with his hand and began pacing up and down. "Fine...forget about the Dalmascans. There must be some ships coming in at least. We have fresh produce, handicrafts, medicine. All the Hannish favourites. Our consortium works closely with merchants and artisans to supply only the finest wares. Quality is guaranteed!"
"I know that, Khalzal, I truly do. Which is why it pains me to tell you I have nothing. All voyages have been canceled or indefinitely postponed." Noticing the presence of a newcomer, the woman then looked at S'eni. "...And you are?"
"I—" Khalzal interrupted her.
"A foreigner, yes? A merchant!?" he asked. "Please tell me you're a merchant!"
S'eni shook her head. "I'm sorry..."
"I...see..." he visibly deflated. "...That's a shame...I'm sorry, but we're discussing important matters. If you need something, please talk to one of the others."
Pretty much dismissing her with those words, the two of them went back to their talk at hand. S'eni frowned, but nevertheless left them in peace. It wasn't like she could do anything for his predicament anyway, as much as she would like to. Even if they got rid of the tower right now, it might only ease a little of their worries, as the Empire was still locked into a civil war and Eorzea, as well as their Eastern allies, had their own towers to contend with. No, they needed to get rid of the root of all of this; the Telophoroi—
She clenched her fist.
—and Zenos!
"Um, excuse me..." a voice startled her out of her thoughts and she spun around to see a Matanga standing there. Her first instinct at seeing those Marid-like features was to raise her arms in defense, but managed to stop herself just so when she reminded herself that, unlike their brethren in the Azim Steppe, the Matanga of Thavnair were a peaceful people. "M-My name is Matsya, and I'm here to speak to Khalzal..."
Wordlessly, she glanced over her shoulder where the man in question was still very much deep in discussion. Matsya followed her gaze. "Oh...it seems he's busy. I'll come back later then..."
Turning his large frame around, he walked outside. S'eni looked around one final time and left as well. There was nothing more to be learned here anyway. Once leaving the building, she returned back to the pier where she found the very same Matanga she had just spoken to, looking out towards the sea as he stood in front of his boat.
"Hello again," she greeted him, making him jump a little.
"Y-Yes? C-Can I help you...?" Recognition then sparked in his round eyes. "Ah, we just spoke at the guild."
"That's right." S'eni nodded. "You wished to talk to Khalzal. May I ask why?"
"I'm a fisherman from Akyaali, a nearby village." He gestured towards the boat, which was filled with baskets of fish. "I sell my catch to Khalzal, who offers it to foreign merchants. But he hasn't bought anything for a while now. And when I heard that his consortium was struggling I became worried and decided to see him...As soon as he's free anyway. He's a hardworking man, and I don't wish to disturb him."
She very much doubted it would be all too soon, but kept those words to herself. Thankfully, Matsya himself decided to switch the topic.
"Um...if I may ask, who are you?"
"Oh, yeah, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?" she chuckled. "My name's S'eni. I'm an adventurer."
"An adventurer you say! Then that means you know how to talk to strangers!"
"You could say so."
"Then...please won't you teach me to be like you?"
S'eni blinked. "Come again?"
"You see, I'm terrible with people. I only ever dealt with Khalzal and I can't talk to customers without getting my trunk in a twist..." Matsya explained. "So please...as silly as it might sound, will you peddle the fish in my stead and show me how it's done?"
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. Showing someone how to peddle fish was definitely a new one on her list of accomplishments. But as she glanced from the Matanga to the baskets full of freshly caught fish, which wouldn't last for long in this heat, her mind was pretty much made up. After all, fishers needed to stick together!
"You're in luck." She smiled and tapped her chest. "I hail from a fisher village, so I know a thing or two about selling them."
"Oh thank you! Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!"
After getting those catches he wished to sell, they both began to make their way down the pier in search of anyone that might be interested. And who knows? She might learn a little more about Thavnair from her new friend while at it.
So I went with Thavnair first. Largely because I've been a little bit more interested in what it was going to be like, and in the end it actually made for a more realistic order of events seeing how it makes sense for a little bit of time to pass after this brief arc, and that's an ideal time to investigate in Sharlayan.
Also can I just say that Endwalker has some of the funniest scenes in the entire game?