Fraying Threads
Work on the spirit vessel proceeded, though not as well as I hoped, and I must confess it was taking a toll on me. But that didn't matter. What mattered was getting everyone safely back home.
And time was beginning to run out, as Thancred had suddenly collapsed. Fearing the worst, my friend had returned to the Source to see what was happening there.
The situation would soon become even more dire...
Whenever she had stepped into the Rising Stones in the past, there had usually been a sense of relief, to be able to kick back and rest from adventure if only for a day. But ever since learning of the others' state, that relief had turned into anxiety; anxiety that, whenever she walked through these doors, bad news was waiting for her. And now that Thancred had suddenly collapsed, anxiety had become a certainty, and S'eni was mostly wondering just what this bad news was.
Pushing the doors open, her eyes scanned the area until they found Tataru at her usual place behind her desk. Her entrance hadn't gone unnoticed and the Lalafel had raised her eyes from the documents lying in front of her. She let out a gasp.
"S'eni! Excellent—I mean, awful timing." Practically jumping out of the chair, Tataru rushed over, meeting her halfway. "It's our friends, they..." she lowered her voice. "...they've taken a turn for the worse."
So it was as they've feared.
"Krile's hardly had a rest these past few days. She didn't want everyone to worry, so we've been keeping it quiet..." Tataru explained to her before catching herself. "Oh, but listen to me! I call myself a receptionist, and I haven't even bothered to ask you why you're here!"
"No, that's alright. It's...actually because of that. The spirit vessels might be ready soon, but Thancred's suddenly collapsed and they sent me to check on things."
"Hm." Her friend's face grew worried at the news. "You'd better talk with Krile. She's with the others. Let's go see her. Just...prepare yourself, alright?"
Exhaling through her nose, she nodded. "I am, believe me."
Walking past Tataru's desk, they entered the hallway that would lead them to Dawn's Respite, a large room that they had turned into an infirmary when they first settled into the Rising Stones. It had served them quite well during the liberation of Ala Mhigo, offering the wounded of Rhalgar's Reach a safe place to rest and recover. And now, it housed the bodies of her friends.
"Excuse us..." Tataru called out as she opened the door. What met them was complete darkness, only broken by the light of a few candles. The Lalafel turned towards her. "This way."
Waiting for them were two rows of beds, her friends' bodies lying on top of them, unmoving. Amidst the beds stood Krile, her arm raised towards Thancred's form as she cast a spell on him. A groan escaped her and she closed her eyes for a moment, before turning towards them with a sigh.
"I would rather you hadn't seen this," Krile said, her voice sounding utterly exhausted.
"I'm sorry," Tataru replied. "But we have urgent tidings..."
Krile shook her head. "No, no, I'm not angry with you. On the contrary. I know full well how hard everyone has been searching for a way to return home." She turned her eyes towards S'eni. "And I had hoped to afford you the time you needed. But given our friends' present state, perhaps it was for the best that you came."
"What's going on with them?" S'eni asked and walked over to Alphinaud, leaning down to touch his hand. Her eyes widened. He was—
"Stiff and cold, all of them. As if they were made of wax. Barely alive at all."
"Gods..." she breathed out and stepped back. She immediately turned to where Y'shtola was lying and walked over to her. She looked at her, lips forming a thin line.
"And they had been doing so well. Save for occasional signs of aetheric instability, they appeared to be in passable health. Then, quite without warning, things took a turn for the worse. A change for which even Master Matoya could offer no explanation," Krile explained as she stepped up next to her, eyes coming to rest on Y'shtola as well. "She could only remind me that the soul is still an unknown frontier, and that there is much more beyond our knowledge."
S'eni didn't reply and instead watched the almost imperceptible rise and fall of her lover's chest, the singular sign that she was still alive. A moment passed until she felt a small tug at her himation, making her tear her gaze away from the sight and towards Krile. The Lalafel offered her a smile.
"But let's not lose heart just yet. At times like these, it's all the more important that we remain positive," Krile said, the tone in her voice growing lighter. "Why, just this very moment, I succeeded in quelling a fluctuation in Thancred's aether. And while the others have weakened, they have remained relatively stable."
"Yeah..." S'eni mirrored her friend's expression. "You're right, of course."
"So let's hear your tale outside. It should be fine to leave them for a moment."
"Alright, but could I have a moment, please?" she asked. "I promise I won't be long."
Krile glanced at Y'shtola, then nodded. "Of course. Tataru, why don't you make tea in the meantime? I believe we could all use some."
As soon as the door had shut behind them, S'eni sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to brush a hand over her lover's cheek. Gods, she was so cold. Seeing her like this made it hard to believe that she was currently trying to uncover ancient secrets at the Anyder.
If she hasn't collapsed as well, a tiny voice in the back of her mind said, but she dispelled with a shake of her head. Worrying wouldn't do her any good. Not when she needed to focus.
"Just hold on a little longer. All of you," she murmured, more to herself than to them, before leaning down to plant a small kiss on Y'shtola's lips. She stayed like this for a moment longer, then rose back to her feet and began to leave.
She had seen enough here.
"I see...Then we must redouble our efforts," Alphinaud said, a worried look forming on his face after she had told him about the state of their bodies. "Not that we have ever stinted in that regard..."
"Then I suppose this is an appropriate moment to ask about the spirit vessel." Alisaie looked at G'raha and Beq Lugg. "Have you made any progress?"
The two looked at one another and shared a little nod.
"We have, as it happens," Beq Lugg replied. "One moment."
As the Nu Mou left in the direction of the Umbilicus, a heavy silence began to fill the Ocular. S'eni looked over to her friends, each now holding a similar expression to Alphinaud, and frowned. They all had known this would happen ever since Krile had first told her about the instability in their aether, but now that it was happening, she could only imagine how they must be feeling. They needed to get them back.
And fast.
Her eyes shifted away from them and towards G'raha, or more precisely, his left arm, now covered in the same bright blue crystal like its twin, the glow now much more intense than previously. A consequence of the experiments they had done to create the spirit vessels. He claimed he was fine, and from what she could see it really didn't seem to hinder him at all, yet she still couldn't help but worry that he was trying something exceedingly reckless again.
Yes, she supposed that was rich coming from her.
Noticing her looking at him, G'raha turned his head in her direction, but before he could say something the doors sprung open again, revealing Beq Lugg carrying what she assumed were the spirit vessels in their arms. Six of them in total, they brought to mind the image of a speartip dipped in blood.
After the Nu Mou placed them on the nearby table, they all formed a circle around it.
Urianger was the first to speak up, his eyebrows drawn in realization. "The red stones... Then this doth mean..."
"For the benefit of all, permit us to explain," Beq Lugg said. "As you will recall, using white auracite as our starting point, we fashioned a vessel for both mind and memory. Yet while it served this purpose admirably, the process of imbuing it with one's complete essence proved a somewhat thornier proposition. To put it simply, the memory would not accompany the mind. And so we looked to the Allagans' mastery of memory transference for a solution."
"However, this approach wasn't without its own complications, as it relies upon blood, which inanimate objects notably don't possess," G'raha continued. "We explored methods of suffusing the vessel with drops of mine. Unfortunately all our experimentation only succeeded in making me feel faint, and entirely failed to imbue the vessel with the necessary properties. Then an idea occurred to me: namely, that we might not fuse the vessel with my blood, but with my crystalized essence instead."
S'eni's eyes immediately shot towards his arm again, but it was Alisaie who voiced it.
"You're doing this for our sakes, so far be it from us to complain...but don't think we haven't noticed what's happening to your arm."
G'raha smiled. "It falls short of offering up my life in exchange for yours, which was your only condition, as I recall. And it's a small price to pay for delivering you all home."
The young woman just shook her head with a sigh, but otherwise kept her tongue.
"Assuming it works," Beq Lugg added. "We shall soon know if this grisly addition will serve as a suitable conduit for the subject's memory. Though...not soon enough to warrant your waiting. The test is going to take a while."
Hopefully not too long, S'eni thought. Before she could follow that trail of thought though, she noticed Thancred looking at her.
"Let's be off, then," he said. "We have Ascians to attend to, among other things."
They shared a nod.
"Forgive me, but I see six vessels, but there are only five of us," Alisaie pointed out.
"One is for testing purposes," G'raha said. "I will personally use it to see whether the crystal functions as it should."
Alisaie crossed her arms. "And...if it does, wouldn't that mean that your soul could also return to the Source?"
"Yes. In theory at least. But there is a distinct difference between your circumstances and mine. While your corporeal forms want for souls, my past self doesn't. Perhaps our essences would blend. Or perhaps they would curdle. There is no telling what might occur."
"And you'd be willing to take that risk?"
Smile not wavering once, he nodded. "I would."
A look of astonishment ghosted across Alisaie's face, only to be replaced by one of conflict. "I see," was all she said, before turning around and all but storming off, leaving them all in stunned silence.
Not knowing what to say, they too began to leave. By the time they had made it outside, they found Alisaie waiting at the bottom of the stairs, eyes focused on the ground. S'eni walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a little and raise her gaze.
"Everything alright?" she asked.
"I—" Alisaie sighed. "I'm sorry, I know it was childish to storm off like that. And probably to feel the way I do as well."
"That's not true. It's only natural to be worried." She gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm worried too. But the fact is we're running out of time and options."
"You're right," her friend said with a nod. "I'll pull myself together. Just give me a moment."
"Of course." Lips curling into a smile, S'eni returned to the others.
"Right then!" Thancred said as soon as she joined. "While the Exarch literally pours his own sweat and blood into his task, it seems only fair that we attend to our own."
"Dealing with Elidibus and his minions," Alphinaud said.
"Exactly. Though—" Thancred fixed S'eni with his gaze. "Given our deteriorating health, I'm sure there's already somewhere you wish to be."
"Hah...Yeah, if you don't mind I would like to check on Shtola," she said. She knew that if the situation was different, Y'shtola was more than capable of taking care of herself. But with things as they were...
"By all means. You can leave the Ascians to us. Once they're out of the way, we will retire to Eulmore. And when Y'shtola has finished plumbing the depths, you may join us there as well," he ended with a chuckle.
"If you are bound for Anyder, go via Venmont Yards," Alphinaud suggested then. "Our friends there will be glad to provide a boat for you."
"Will do. Hopefully they won't have me take stock again though," S'eni joked.
"Let us be on our way, then," Thancred said, earning a round of nods. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Just then, she remembered something of utmost importance.
"Ah wait, I have something for you all," she called out and reached into her pouches, pulling out small packed-up bundles that she began to hand to each of them. "A delivery from the Source, kupo! Courtesy of one Tataru Taru."
"You're a long way from home, Moogle." Eyebrows rising in question, he looked at the bundle in his hand. "And this is from Tataru, is it? What could it be...?"
"Archon loaf," S'eni replied.
"Archon loaf, thou sayest?" Urianger suddenly asked with an enthusiasm one rarely encountered in him. "Why, even to hear the name doth transport me to times long past..."
Ryne, standing next to Thancred, gave the bundle a curious glance. "Bread from another world? May I try some?"
"Mayest thou, child? Thou must!" The Elezen cleared his throat. "That said, though I personally disagree with the consensus, I do nonetheless advise thee to temper thine expectations."
"Wiser words have never been spoken," Thancred muttered and put his loaf away for later. The reaction almost made her want to give it a try as well. Almost. The description Rammbroes had given her sounded anything but appetizing.
"Even though it rarely darkened our dining table at home, I can attest that it was standard fare at the Studium," Alphinaud said, turning one of the two bundles in his hands. "A slice was never far from our peers' hands."
"Alphinaud," Alisaie said as she finally joined them. "You really are an unbearable snob sometimes, you know?"
The young woman gave her brother a light backhanded slap to the chest, then held out her hand for him to hand over her share.
Thancred shook his head, but couldn't help the smirk of obvious amusement off his face. "What I believe my colleagues are trying to say is that we appreciate the gesture. Tell Tataru we'll do our best to return before she's forced to seek further supplementary employment."
"I'll have our friendly king deliver a message," S'eni chuckled.
After exchanging goodbyes, her friends left. She watched them until they had passed by the Aetheryte, before beginning to teleport to Kholusia. As she began to float, S'eni glanced over her shoulder at the Crystal Tower and felt her face darken.
They only had this one chance—
With an aetheric ripple, she vanished.
—she could only hope it would succeed.
Hmhmhm, I bet some of you know what'll come next.