Through Different Eyes pt. 2
A sigh made its way past Y'shtola's lips as she stepped outside. Her hand went up to her slightly tussled-up hair to try and smooth it, but gave up trying. What a night. And she was very much ready to simply lie down and let sleep claim her.
But there was still much to be done, and it wasn't like she was truly able to get proper sleep right now anyway. Leaning against the side of the building, she looked out into the distance. Where are you, Eni?
She'd been missing for the entire night now, and while Y'shtola knew she very much could take care of herself, it was still worrying her. It wasn't like S'eni to just up and vanish without notice. No something...
But her trail of thought was interrupted by Thancred calling her name, and she turned to face him. "Yes, what is it?" she asked.
"Lucia wishes to speak with us," he replied.
"Very well, lead the way."
Together, they headed towards the outskirts of camp, where Lucia and the others were waiting for them. After arriving, they went over what had happened. Shortly after the first wave of aether had followed two more, though by that time, all the Garleans in Camp Broken Glass had already been in a frenzy and those in Tertium were protected by the radio there, so it had done little more than test the limits of their warding scales. Still...
"It's fortunate we were able to restrain the tempered without suffering casualties," Y'shtola said.
"Indeed." Lucia nodded. "Those that were wounded are being treated by A-Ruhn-Senna and the others as we speak. Thankfully, there are more than enough warding scales for everyone to prevent another situation like this."
"What of Jullus?" Alphinaud asked. "Has he already recovered?"
"Not yet. There are still some that have fared worse, including some brought back from Magna Glacies. In a situation like this, we need to focus on those in most need of treatment. It may be a while until it is his turn." The commander let her eyes wander over their group. "But rest assured, he will. In the meantime, we must find our missing friend. May the Fury guide you."
Offering them a salute, Lucia left. As soon as she was gone, Estinien crossed his arms. "Of all the bloody times disappear on us..." he muttered.
"It was right after the first wave. Can't be a coincidence," Thancred pointed out. "Alas, no one saw her when the chaos broke out. And without a trail to follow, we don't even know where to start looking."
"As much as I know S'eni can handle herself, I worry all the same," Alphinaud said.
Y'shtola's face darkened. Looked like they had no other choice but to split up and search the entire area. Just as she was to suggest as much though, G'raha, who stood closest to the path leading down, perked his ears.
"Look. Someone's coming..." he said and turned around.
Indeed there was someone walking towards camp. But it was no one she recognized. Perhaps another refugee that had decided to come here after yesterday's events. So it was all the more surprising to hear Alisaie say, "There she is!"
What? That's supposed to be...Eni? Y'shtola thought as G'raha and Alisaie began to head down the path. On closer inspection, the person's form was strikingly similar, yet that couldn't be. That person's aether is nothing like hers.
Frown forming on her face, she asked, "Are you sure that's her?"
"Aye, 'twould appear so," Urianger replied. "Thou art struggling to perceive her presence?"
"Either the wave of aether has interfered with my sight or..." her eyes widened in horror. "That's not her!"
Before the others could react, she dashed down the road, brandishing her staff when she saw a sinister aura well up from deep within whoever was possessing S'eni. With a sudden burst, the aura erupted from her, forming into a twisted creature wielding a scythe. It swung its weapon menacingly around and descended towards G'raha and Alisaie. "Get down!" she shouted, raising her staff as fire engulfed its tip—
"NO YOU WON'T!"
—only to be interrupted by a sword flying through the air, ripping into the creature and causing it to disperse. Immediately, Y'shtola looked to the side where an out-of-breath soldier was standing. A soldier with an impossibly bright aether. Eni...?
"That's enough, Zenos!" S'eni's voice echoed from within the soldier. "Leave them out of this, you bastard!"
Struggling to keep on her feet, S'eni rushed forward and tackled her possessed body to the ground. As soon as they landed, she made to get up again, but a sudden cry of pain escaped her and she began clutching the helmet she was wearing. The others, who had witnessed this, came rushing to join them, their own weapons drawn, when a portal of darkness opened mid-air, and that Ascian Fandaniel appeared.
"Sadly, that is all the time we have today. We shall end this charade and return all into our own bodies," he announced and slowly lowered himself to the ground. Thancred moved to attack, but paused when the Ascian raised a finger. "Ah, but where are my manners? I bid you welcome. One seldom has so many guests, and uninvited ones at that. As such I offer you proper entertainment. Tempered soldiers to hamper your progress. Refugees that would command all your attention, while I quietly syphoned their Ceruleum."
Fandaniel chuckled to himself.
"You have aided these poor souls so admirably and wasted so much precious time. Just as I hoped. Thanks to that, my plan will soon come to fruition! Soon, Anima will have absorbed enough aether to begin the spectacle of all spectacles! The oldest and most powerful of primals will awaken and usher in the Final Days!"
Shifting her gaze away from the Ascian, Y'shtola saw Zenos kneel in front of S'eni and grab her by the helmet. He said something to her, but she couldn't make out what it was. Then, in the blink of an eye, both collapsed to the ground.
"Well then, I suppose that is my cue. I hope you have enjoyed your time here so far." Fandaniel offered them a dark smile. "It shall only get more interesting from here. Ta ta."
He vanished the same way he appeared.
As soon as he was gone, Y'shtola put away her staff and hurried over to the two bodies lying on the ground. She knelt down to take a closer look and sighed in relief when she saw that S'eni's aether was slowly returning to where it belonged. Carefully taking S'eni into her arms, Y'shtola brushed some stray hair out of the other Miqo'te's face.
When the transference was done, she looked up at the others. "We need to get her back inside."
"Here, let me help you," G'raha said and knelt down on S'eni's other side. Putting an arm around their shoulder each, they slowly raised her off the ground and began to carry her up the path.
"Call Lucia," she told Alisaie, who rushed off with a nod.
There was much to discuss. And apparently less time than they would have liked.
S'eni felt herself floating. Around her, there existed nothing but darkness. Quiet, calm, almost peaceful.
Steps then echoed through the dark, coming towards her. Distant at first, then very close. And as the steps came to a halt, she felt herself being grabbed by her hair and yanked forward. The darkness faded and her own face appeared in front of her, her lips curled into a sinister smirk.
Suddenly, her face shifted into that of Zenos, and he began to speak.
"I shall devour the very gods with all their being, and nothing, neither your friends nor a single spec of dust shall remain of this world," he said, his voice echoing all around. "Hate me...More fervently than ever before..."
He faded away again, being instead replaced by a vision of Vrtra, looking at her with his single eyes.
"Many threads wound around your life's reel. 'Tis blessing and curse alike. You walk along a path offering no reprieve, every twist and turn a struggle without surcease. And what of your companions? How often didst the flames of your existence devour them?" the words he had previously said to her filled the dark. "If you wouldst continue on this path, then protect them. They will be your strength and salvation."
White began to fill her vision...
...and she woke up. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she was greeted by was Alphinaud's face, his lips slowly curling into a smile. "Thank goodness. She's awake!"
Blinking a few times, S'eni looked around to see the others as well as Maxima and Lucia surrounding her. She turned her gaze downward and looked at her hand. She was back in her own body!
Without thinking, she shot off the ground and practically flung herself at Y'shtola, who released a startled yelp. "Eni—!"
"Are you alright!?" she demanded. "Did he hurt any of you!?"
Hands gently placed themselves on her shoulders and pushed her back enough so that the other Miqo'te could look her in the eye. "Don't worry." Y'shtola smiled. "Everyone is unharmed."
"...Thank the gods," S'eni breathed out and brought their foreheads together, remaining like this until Alisaie spoke up.
"Everything in working order?"
"Uh..." she wiggled her ears, swayed her tail, and even touched her chest, which earned a few raised brows, before nodding. "Yeah, everything where it should be."
"That's a relief. And thanks for coming to our rescue."
"Under normal circumstances, I would advise you to rest, but if we are to believe Fandaniel's words we have not much time left," Y'shtola said. "Once you've cleared your mind, we can discuss the assault on the Tower of Babil."
"No rest for the righteous, eh?" She ran her hands over her face and gently slapped her cheeks once or twice to clear the last vestiges of fog in her mind. "Alright, let's go. I've learned some things as well while I had the 'pleasure' to enjoy their hospitality."
"Let us take this inside then," Lucia offered and they all headed into the warehouse that had quietly become their headquarters. After gathering around the table, the Temple Knight looked at her. "Please, S'eni, tell us what you found out."
She proceeded to tell them how, in their desperation, the Garleans had called for their Emperor to save them and unbeknownst to them had created a primal, Anima. Maxima's eyes widened in horror when she mentioned that it was Varis' body that hosted the primal, and that the spires all over the world were little more than extensions of him, to call upon everyone to fight for the glory of Garlemald while he syphoned aether towards the Tower of Babil. When she was done, the room became silent until Lucia decided to speak, the anger in her voice palpable. "Does their depravity know no bounds?"
"It seems not. Moreover, we can now surmise that the wave of aether came from the primal lurking within the tower," Y'shtola said and looked at S'eni. "A primal whose cry rang much louder in your ears than ours."
"Hm." She nodded. "Quite earth-shakingly so."
"Which proves without the shadow of a doubt, that the tower is indeed the center of the Telophoroi's machinations."
"In that case, we have some highly relevant information," Lucia said and leaned on the table. "As many of you know, ever since we dispatched troops to free Alphinaud and Alisaie, we have been working on a plan to infiltrate the tower. According to Thancred and his scouts, the main structure is swarmed by tempered and Magitek alike." She tapped on the map. "Furthermore, the road leading to it has collapsed, making it difficult to approach in numbers."
"Which is why we are proposing to divide our forces into two parties—one to distract the enemy, while the other infiltrates the tower," Maxima said. "The diversionary force will be comprised of the Ishgardian, Gridanian, and Lominsan delegations. They will begin the construction of bridges, to make the Telophoroi believe we are marching upon the tower. Meanwhile, our Ala Mhigan, Ul'dahn, and Eastern comrades will use different means of entering."
"Take a look," Thancred said and tapped a spot marked on the map. "That's the Enceladeum, a vast Magitek manufactory. Or what's left of it anyway. But the tunnel connecting it to the former Imperial palace remains very much intact."
"So we're going in from there. Hmm, seems like quite a track though," S'eni pointed out after seeing the distance between the manufactory and the palace.
"It would. If the rail network wasn't fully operational. The tempered are using it to bring supplies to the tower even now."
"...If it can carry their materiel, it can carry us too, providing we sneak aboard unseen," Alphinaud said in realization.
Lucia nodded. "The Scions will lead the infiltration party. Once inside, you must locate and dispatch Fandaniel and Zenos."
"Time for those two to get what's coming to them." S'eni punched her palm.
"How quickly can we enact this plan?" Y'shtola inquired. "Fandaniel made it quite clear that time is of the essence."
"Of paramount concern in fact," G'raha then said, his face darkening. "In the time of Allag, the name 'Babil' meant 'gateway of the gods'. Emperor Xande used it to refer to a voidgate, but I'm afraid in this case it might allude to something far greater. The eldest and most powerful primal..."
"...Zodiark," S'eni finished.
"All the more reason to act now. The rest of the contingent is aware of the plan, and is ready to move at a moment's notice. You are to proceed north to Forum Patens. Lyse's group will meet you there," Lucia told them.
"As always, we are grateful for your foresight." Y'shtola smiled before looking over to the rest of them, faces growing serious. "This is the moment we've been waiting for. Spare no effort in your preparations."
A round of nods followed.
With their tasks received, they all left the building. As the others began to disperse to get ready, S'eni turned towards her lover. "Guess I'm heading ahead then. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
But just after she said those words, her stomach called out in attention, reminding S'eni that her last meal was quite some time ago. Y'shtola just giggled into her fist.
"If we had time, I'd suggest having a hearty meal, but alas some of the field rations will have to do," she said with an amused twinkle in her pale eyes, before turning around and leaving to get ready as well.
After getting herself something she could eat on the way, S'eni headed out of the camp northward towards Forum Patens, situated halfway to their actual destination according to the map. When she arrived, she spotted Lyse standing together with Cirina, Sadu, and Magnai, and felt her eyebrows rise. Not at the antics of the latter two but rather at the sight of her friend standing there in little more than the dancer's dress of Yda that she had started wearing.
"Eni!" Lyse called out upon noticing her and walked a few steps to meet her. "The way into the tunnel is clear. We've made sure of that."
"Great, but I really wish you'd also brought a coat," S'eni said, pointing at the other woman with a half-eaten strip of dried meat. Lyse just looked at herself and shrugged.
"I'll warm up once I get a few punches in, don't worry."
"Hmph. Barely enough cloth to swaddle a newborn," Magnai said all of a sudden. "You have clearly spent too much time with this feral dog of a Dotharl."
"Watch your tongue, fool, or I'll feed it to the crows!" shot back while getting right into his personal space.
"We shall see who is the fool when you freeze to death. Do not expect me to warm your ill-prepared hide—" he held a hand to his fur-covered chest. "—these furs are for myself and my Nhaama alone, should I be blessed to meet her today."
Sadu snorted and rose to her tiptoes to better meet the much taller Oronir's gaze. "As if any woman of worth would wish to be warmed by you, little sun. Should we find such a warrior within, she will bask in my glorious flame."
And the bickering started in full force. As she watched the two of them, S'eni leaned towards Lyse and said, "I was honestly expecting this much sooner."
"Me too. It's almost admirable how long they lasted." They nodded in unison and S'eni shoved the last bit of her ration into her mouth. They watched this back and forth for a few seconds, until Cirina clearly had enough and stepped in between the two arguing Xaela.
"Enough, both of you! Save your fire for the enemy!" she chastised them, and it was almost comical how both looked like scolded children. "As for extra furs, I have plenty to spare."
"As do we," Y'shtola's voice suddenly rang through the air and they all turned to see her and the others walking over to them. Their coats were missing as well.
"Hello everyone," Lyse greeted them. "All set for battle, I see."
"Yes. Free of unnecessary encumbrances."
"And making me severely overdressed it seems," S'eni commented.
Smiling, her lover then held up a bag. Her bag to be precise. "How fortunate that I brought your things then."
"Whatever would I do without you?" she asked with a wry one of her own.
"Be quite better protected from the cold. On that note though..." the other Miqo'te looked towards Lyse. "We should review our strategy. Quickly if you don't mind."
"Right. Pipin has already gone ahead to the Enceladeum. We are to meet him there. We wait until the tempered's attention is drawn by our diversionary force, then we sneak onto the train. Next stop: the Tower of Babil!"
"If anyone should be injured, we Xaela will tend to them," Cirina said. "You Scions must press on, no matter what."
"We should avoid moving as a group until we're underground, so we'll need to make our own way to the Enceladeum," Thancred said and was already beginning to walk away. "See you there!"
Following his example, the others began to leave as well, each going their own way. Y'shtola was the last one to leave, but not before shooting a silent look at the bag in S'eni's hand, then sending her a wink. With a sigh, she looked at it too.
Yes, she would definitely wait until she was out of the wind.
Thankfully, avoiding the few tempered that were patrolling the area further north was simple enough on her own and she soon arrived at her destination. As she stepped onto the Enceladeum's premises, she immediately noticed the lack of any patrols, tempered or Magitek, meaning that Pipin and their allies had done an excellent job of clearing the area. She swiftly found the entrance, guarded by Rostik, Chuchuto, and Cocobuki, and stepped inside where Pipin was waiting with a few of his troops.
"Well met, S'eni," he greeted her. "We've heard you collapsed, but weren't given much explanation as to why. I'm glad to see you've already recovered enough to take part in the operation."
She supposed it wouldn't have done any good trying to explain how Zenos had been traipsing around in her body. "Yeah, I'm fine now. Don't worry. How are things looking?"
"We're going to give the area one last sweep and leave some of our men behind to guard the rear." He nodded towards the Viera woman standing near the door. A member of the Dalmascan resistance group Lente's Tears. "She will lead you to the station below. I'll follow you shortly."
"Alright." Together with the woman, S'eni headed down to the station. It was quite dark down here, most likely attributed to the Ceruleum available being used to keep the train running, with light a distant second concern at best. Looking around, she found large crates and containers scattered around the area, and she walked over to a nearby stack to change her outfit. After doing so, and ignoring the slight chill that even the heating down here couldn't prevent, she moved to the center of the hall and began to go through the familiar motions of one of her katas. By the time she was done, she felt sufficiently warmed up and more than ready for action!
The others didn't take long to join her as well, and soon enough, they had all gathered. "Good, this is everyone," Pipin said after looking around the room. A sudden explosion in the distance made them all look up, except for Cirina, whose hand shot to the Linkpearl attached to one of her horns.
"Consider the enemy well and truly distracted," she said and lowered her hand again.
Pipin nodded. "Time to go."
"Our primary objective is to find Zenos and Fandaniel. But should the opportunity present itself to vanquish Anima, we must seize it," Alphinaud said, face growing serious. "If it is indeed the force behind the towers, then destroying it will aid our allies back home. And we can free the Garleans from further manipulation by Ascian and primal alike."
"Hear, hear." Lyse smiled. "There's been enough of that. We came here to help these people and that's what we're going to do. Together!"
Alphinaud mirrored her expression. "Until the end."
"The train should be here any moment now. Prepare to board, everyone!" Pipin ordered and they moved out, making their way down to the tracks where they hid behind more containers. As the train arrived, Lyse peered out from behind the corner and held up her hand. After a few moments passed, she gave the signal and they all rushed onto the train.
They hid away in the last car, keeping out of sight while the tempered loaded the cargo on board. A short while passed until the train began moving again. Stepping out of hiding, S'eni looked at her friends and shared a nod with them.
"Let's go!"
And with this, Freaky Friday: Final Fantasy XIV Edition comes to and end. Honestly, it was a fun solo duty for me after the fact. Stressful at first, but super fun.
See ya next week!