Well without further ado, let's head into Stormblood.
Book 3: In Crimson It Began
The Resistance
I still remember crossing the border, the feeling it evoked as me and my fellow Scions, the Warrior of Light among us, took our first steps into Gyr Abania. The last time I was here, I had been hiding out and helping the resistance in any way I could. Now I have returned to make the dream my father and sister had a reality.
The promise of a new beginning. But one that could only be bought with flames and blood.
- From the diary of Lyse Hext.
Shouts and the sounds of footsteps and clanking weaponry pervaded the air as orders were given and executed, an endless string of noises that travelled far and wide along the entirety of Baelsar's Wall.
Soldiers from the Immortal Flames, the Maelstrom, the Twin Adder as well as the knights of Ishgard had gathered here. It was a sight no one had thought possible not too long ago, and now here they were, working in unity.
All for the purpose of ending the Garlean tyranny over Ala Mhigo.
"Dismissed," S'eni said to a group of scouts after relaying the orders General Raubahn had given to her, receiving salutes from each of their respective Grand Companies in return.
Her membership in her Grand Company had always been more pro forma than anything else, but as the former gladiator had pointed out with no small amount of amusement, she still was a soldier.
It still felt weird being saluted whenever she passed by soldiers, but S'eni supposed she would just have to deal with it for the remainder of this endeavor.
She watched the scouts leave for a moment before letting her gaze wander around Castrum Oriens, watching as her friends helped where they could before they would leave on their first official mission: contacting the Ala Mhigan resistance.
Her eyes then fell on Lyse, standing by the gate and looking out into the woods beyond, shifting from one leg to the other, lost in thought. She didn't even register S'eni's approach until her hand had placed itself onto her shoulder.
"Wha—oh, S'eni!" Lyse exclaimed, a hand placing itself over her heart.
"Gil for your thoughts?" S'eni asked, but the other woman just shook her head.
"Just...thinking I suppose."
"About the Resistance?"
"That too, but I know that dwelling on things won't do anything right now," her friend said. Taking a deep breath, she clapped herself on the cheeks to psyche herself up. "Ready when you are."
"Good, we will be relying on you to guide us after all," the all too familiar voice of Y'shtola said as she approached them with Krile at her side. The corners of her lips quirked up into a small smile. "We wouldn't want to get lost in enemy territory now, would we?"
"Don't worry, we won't," Lyse replied with a chuckle.
They were soon joined by Alisaie and Alphinaud after the latter had gone over the finer details of the Alliance's proposal, and without further ado left Castrum Oriens behind.
"I learned a route that should allow us to avoid imperial patrols," Lyse told them while walking ahead.
As they followed her, S'eni spotted something from out of the corner of her eyes and turned to see a giant tower looming in the distance. At the very top, she could make out the banner of the Garlean Empire waving in the wind.
"What's that tower?" she found herself asking.
"That belongs to Castellum Velodyna. That's what they decided to call the old bridge after they fortified it," Lyse explained to her, before scoffing. "I call it a big eyesore. Honestly, you can see that damn banner from malms away."
After a while, the woods gave way to smooth sandstone walls embracing the groves of trees that were growing along the shallow riverbed. In the distance, the roar of waterfalls flowing into the canyon below could be heard.
The scattered remains of Magitek Armors and other imperial weaponry served as signs for the battle between Omega and Shinryu, as the Doman Shinobi had come to call Ilberd's primal, and it now didn't surprise her that, at least for now, the Garleans were staying put. These losses would take time to replace.
Eventually, their group stopped in front of a huge rock formation and Lyse turned around with a big smile. "We're here. The Resistance is on the other side of this pass."
Alphinaud crossed his arms, eyebrows creasing as he frowned. "A pass? All I see are rocks," the young man said. "I take it there is some sort of trick to it?"
Next to her, Y'shtola scanned the rocks in front of them.
"Indeed there is," she said. "A glamour to be precise."
"Good eye, Y'shtola. That's right!" The Pugilist's hand went to her pocket, pulling out a small sack. She had just reached inside when she seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah, my friend Naago, the messenger that came to the Rising Stones, is part of this faction, so they know us, but they can be a bit jumpy so let me lead the way and, uh, perhaps keep your weapons where they are?"
"Easy enough," S'eni replied, a grin splitting her face while she punched her palm, earning herself a couple of chuckles from the others.
Turning towards the rocks, Lyse pulled out a handful of dust from the sack and blew towards them. The stone began to ripple like the surface of a lake on a rainy day, twisting and turning, before dissipating into thin air and revealing to them the way to their destination; the Resistance's hideout.
Rhalgr's Reach was nothing short of spectacular. Nestled between the two areas the locals only called the Fringes and the Peaks, it served as the perfect base of operations. And though these ancient temple halls had seen better days, they still stood tall and proud, like the people that had gathered here, all under the watchful eye of the Destroyer himself.
Sitting on the remains of what used to be a pillar, S'eni looked up at the statue of Rhalgr that had been carved into the mountain a long time ago, and she couldn't help the feeling of awe at the sight of it.
This was once the home of the Fist of Rhalgr, where monks had come together to strengthen their bodies and minds, and reach ever greater heights.
She had only heard about it from stories that Widargelt had told her, but to be standing on these hallowed grounds now...it was truly humbling.
If time permitted, she would love to explore the temple in its entirety.
But for now, S'eni thought and rose back to her feet, brushing some sand dust off her pants as she did so, before starting to walk. We have our work cut out for us.
Their talks with the leader, Conrad, had gone moderately well. He had accepted the Alliance's proposal, but that was also where the good news ended, as he could only speak for the people of Rhalgr's Reach but not for any of the other factions.
He had assured them that he would do his very best to appeal to the rest of the Resistance but had made it firmly clear that he couldn't guarantee universal support either.
On top of that, many of their veterans had followed Ilberd's call to arms and as a consequence gave their lives in his twisted ritual, leaving Conrad's faction in dire need of fresh recruits.
And that's where they came in.
While Alphinaud had left to return to the Rising Stones to recruit willing members of the Scions to join, she and the others had stayed behind to assist in any shape or form. And by the gods was there work aplenty.
Her first order of business would be to join Alisaie and M'naago to deliver Conrad's formal reply to General Raubahn. With the wounds of the Ala Mhigan Miqo'te not yet fully healed, it seemed like the safest approach.
Passing by tents that served as the living quarters of the Resistance members, S'eni headed towards their meeting place and found the two of them already waiting for her.
The last time she had seen M'naago, the woman had been bleeding all over the Rising Stones' floor, barely managing to stay conscious and her skin grown pale from blood loss. She looked much better now, the natural brown on her skin having returned to full color and bright, orange eyes no longer clouded by pain.
"Ah, there she is," Alisaie said.
"Sorry, you two. I couldn't help but take a look around again." S'eni offered them a little grin. "I hope you didn't wait too long?"
M'naago shook her head, making her messy ponytail wave around with the motion, before smiling. "Not particularly. Are you two ready?"
S'eni and Alisaie shared a look, then nodded.
"Great. Before we leave though, I'd like to thank you again for patching me up after I was." The other Miqo'te bowed her head. "If not for you I wouldn't be standing here right now. So...thank you."
"Just tell it to the two that actually patched you up after we've come back and it's all good," S'eni said with a little wink.
The Ala Mhigan released a chuckle. "I plan to, but with how things are looking right now they're most likely busy."
"Is it really that bad?" Alisaie frowned.
"I'm making it sound worse than it is, but medical supplies are hard to come by even with the merchants sympathetic to our cause. So people with knowledge in healing magicks are more than welcome," M'naago explained.
Putting a hand on the back of her hip, S'eni started to tap her foot in thought. This wasn't good. If their supplies were already this tight, then they would surely not last long in the battles that would start sooner rather than later.
An idea then sprung up in her mind. "Then how about we ask the Alliance if they could spare additional medical supplies while we're there?"
"That's a great idea, S'eni!" Alisaie's expression brightened. "I'm sure General Raubahn would be willing to help as well."
"We'd truly appreciate it, and it would go a long way to convince the other factions too, I'm sure," the other Miqo'te said.
S'eni gave her a thumbs up. "It's decided then!"
After leaving Rhalgr's Reach behind, they began their march back to Castrum Oriens, following a different route than the one Lyse had shown them earlier that, according to M'naago, would let them reach their destination much faster.
"You sure know your way around," the Elezen girl commented while looking around. "I can't make heads or tails from these hills."
"Well, if you grow up hunting these lands you'll learn to tell them apart," M'naago replied and tapped the side of her head.
"So your tribe has claimed these parts as your hunting grounds?" S'eni asked.
"Technically the lands over there." The Ala Mhigan pointed into the distance, past the hills to the south that you could only reach by passing over the canyon. "But with the Empire being who they are we had to expand beyond our territory. Has made us butt heads with one of the Ananta tribes in the past too."
"Lyse told me there are quite a few of our kind within your faction of the Resistance. Is your entire village part of it?"
"No. I'm the only one. Many of the J tribe are part of it though."
"I see," S'eni said. "Sorry if I'm prying a little."
"It's alright," the other Miqo'te assured her with a chuckle. "We don't exactly see a lot of the S tribe around here either, much less the esteemed Warrior of Light."
"Did you hear that?" Alisaie asked with a playful tone. "Your reputation precedes you."
"Great..." was S'eni's dry reply.
"You defeated the Black Wolf, there's hardly anyone here that hasn't at least heard of you. Yda, I mean Lyse, also spoke very highly of you all."
"Well, with an endorsement like that, I suppose I can't slack off anymore," she joked, making them all laugh.
All of a sudden, M'naago stopped in her tracks and held up her hand.
"Quiet!" she told them, ears standing at attention. "Hear that? A ceruleum engine backfiring. That means Imperials."
Face growing serious, S'eni let her own ears stand up straight and tilted her head a little. It took her a moment, but she could hear faint sounds as well. "Yeah, I can hear it too."
"By the gods, your senses are something else. I didn't hear a thing!" Alisaie said while holding a hand to her ear.
"When you grow up in these parts, you learn to discern the sounds that could mean life or death." M'naago grew quiet again for a moment. "From what I can make out...we have a seven-man patrol, augmented with a single Magiket Armor. Wide search pattern, divided into three teams...and they shouldn't have noticed us yet."
S'eni looked at the other Miqo'te, visibly impressed that she could make that out.
"Alright, so how do we proceed?" she asked.
"It's risky, but I think we should split up. Take them by surprise at the same time and keep them from calling reinforcements."
Alisaie hummed. "Three teams, three of us. That should more than suffice. Where are they?"
"You go north," M'naago told the younger woman, pointing into the direction she should head to. "You should see them long before they see you. I'll go take care of the ones to the south. The Armor should be to the west. That one's for you, S'eni."
"The hardest one, huh?"
"That's what happens when you make a name for yourself pummelling primals into the ground," the young Elezen said with a little shrug.
"We attack in five minutes." M'naago held up her hand in emphasis. "We'll rendezvous on the west bank afterwards. Questions? No? Let's go then."
After splitting up, S'eni followed the Ala Mhigan's instructions and could soon hear the tell-tale sounds of a Magiket Armor from behind one of the many hills. She climbed it as stealthy as possible and kept her head while walking towards the edge.
It was a Magiket Predator, and from the looks of things, it had seen better days. Most likely an older model the Garleans had dug out from the furthest corner of their armory. Piloting it was a lone soldier and as luck was having it, he was just turning the war machine around and about to pass by her.
She waited for just the right moment...and jumped!
"What the-!" was all the soldier managed to exclaim before being cut off by her arm wrapping itself tightly around his neck. The Predator swerved and crashed into the stone next to them, letting out a metallic groan before stumbling in the other direction. Gasping for air, the Garlean reached for the dagger at his side and tried to stab her but S'eni pulled him backwards, almost lifting him out of his seat as she did so, placed her other hand against the side of his head, and twisted.
With a sickening crack, he went limp inside her arms, the dagger in his hand clattering against the Predator's hull before falling to the ground.
The Magitek Armor took a few more steps, then stopped, and S'eni breathed out through her nose. Letting go of him, she watched as he slumped back into his seat, then reached past him to remove the machine's identification key to shut it off.
After jumping down, she looked around for a moment to see if there were any reinforcements, before heading towards their designated meeting point.
She was the first to arrive, but it didn't take long for Alisaie and M'naago to arrive, neither worse for the wear.
"Looks like everything went according to plan," the other Miqo'te said. "Not that I'm surprised, the three I faced didn't exactly put up much of a fight."
"I was a bit surprised with how easy they were to deal with." Alisaie crossed her arms.
"That's because most of the soldiers we get out here are conscripts from other provinces with little training. It's grim work, but they would do the same to us if our roles were reversed."
Hearing those words, S'eni frowned. That was sadly the truth, and one they had better get used to.
But as they started to resume their march, she glanced over her shoulder into the direction where the Predator was standing and felt her mind wander back to that lone Dalmascan conscript living in a shack in the La Noscean wilderness, separated from his loved ones to fight in a war he never wanted and living day in, day out with only his painful memories as company.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy...