The Next Step

It was a few days after Fandaniel's proclamation of wishing to usher in the Final Days, when Thancred returned with tidings from Garlemald. The situation there seemed to be even worse than initially expected and his accounts of something strange, something nightmarish, being constructed out of the imperial palace did not bode well.

Alongside this information, he also brought with him an invitation by the Alliance to further discuss their findings on the tower and their next steps. To that end, we once again made for Ala Mhigo...

Honestly, she hadn't really expected to return to Ala Mhigo this soon. But she supposed its close proximity to the current frontline made it the ideal place to hold a meeting with the Alliance leadership development over all other options. It also just so happened the palace had a table large enough to fit everyone, so she supposed there was that again.

Unlike their last visit though, the tension was noticeably thicker, the once hushed whispers of towers appearing now having turned into open dialogue and the presence of troops on the streets having nearly doubled. It brought to mind the early days after the liberation, where everything had still been uncertain and the thought of retaliation from the Garleans was ever-present.

"If Fandaniel wanted to strike fear into the people's hearts he sure succeeded," S'eni commented as they passed by a young mother all but hauling her daughter back home.

"He and his pet certainly left a mark," Alisaie said with a hum. "The Royal Menagerie is still closed to civilians."

No surprise there, she thought. This so-called Lunar Bahamut had certainly done a number on it. After the flames had been extinguished there had been little left of the former queen's garden. Not that S'eni was overly attached to the place, but she would be lying if she claimed it wasn't a shame. Removed from past context, it was probably one of the most beautiful places in Eorzea.

Next to them, G'raha too released a hum, but as they turned their heads in his direction, only to be met with a look of deep contemplation that told them he was very much off in his own thoughts. Alisaie and her exchanged shrugs. "Does the Crystal Exarch have any wisdom to share?" the young Elezen asked.

His ears shot up in surprise and he stared at them in momentary confusion until her words truly had sunken in. "Oh! No no, I was wondering if there have been any developments in regards to Amalj'aa abductions," he said. "It can't be a coincidence that the incidents began occurring just as the towers appeared."

"You think it's connected?" she asked.

"Perhaps. But I don't wish to speculate until more is known."

They soon met with Urianger, who was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs leading in the direction of the palace. "My friends," he greeted them with a smile. "Much and more have I heard of your travails in our absence. Heartened am I to see you all hale and whole."

"It's good to see you in one piece too," S'eni replied, mirroring his expression.

Alphinaud's lips had just parted to greet their returned friend as well when another familiar voice cut him off. "Well, well! If it isn't Alphinaud and his merry band!"

"Arenvald!" Alphinaud exclaimed, turning to face the approaching young man and walking forward to meet him halfway. "What are you doing here? When we spoke via linkpearl, you told me you'd be away on a mission!"

"And who's to say this isn't part of it?" Arenvald asked right back, a happy grin on his face. "But enough about that. It's good to see you looking so...similar. And here I thought you'd be taller after a whole year in another world!"

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you." The corners of Alphinaud's lips rose to match Arenvald's. "While my soul may be a year older, my body has hardly aged, as you are well aware. And might I remind you that we Elezen are known to be late bloomers, especially when it comes to our height. Mark my words, the day will come when even you will crane your neck to meet my eye!"

"Aye...'twas not until my twentieth summer that I myself outgrew my boyish proportions..." Urianger commented when the two young men began to fall in idle chatter. "though Moenbryda towered over me nonetheless."

A chuckle escaped S'eni at his words and she placed a hand on her hips as she glanced at him. "I bet she held that over your head for quite some time."

"Indeed." A look of warm nostalgia entered his eyes, but from the subtle tilt of his lips, she could very much tell that it was also laced in the sadness for someone that was gone forever. It was a feeling all too familiar to her. Maybe one of these days, she should have a good long talk with him about Moenbryda.

"Arenvald sure brings out the best in Alphinaud, doesn't he?" Alisaie asked with clear amusement, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "They both seem so at ease in each other's company. It's almost endearing."

"Hm." S'eni nodded. "I guess boys will be boys."

"...So what exactly brings you here?" Alphinaud asked after a few minutes.

"Oh, Fordola, mostly," Arenvald replies. "We need to go over a few things before we set out."

"Set out? Wait." The young Elezen frowned. "Does this have something to do with the towers?"

"...Eh? What gave you that impression?" Arenvald did another shrug. "Actually, tell me later. You've got a meeting to go to. I'll see you afterwards, alright?"

With that, he left in the direction of the holding cells. S'eni followed him with her gaze, eyebrows drawn. That was much too deflective, and from the way the others looked, she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"If Fordola is going with him, that must mean..." Alphinaud murmured before shaking his head and looking at them. "My apologies. As Arenvald pointed out, we have a meeting to attend. So let us not waste any more precious time."

Together, they headed towards the palace, where they were swiftly escorted to where the leaders of the Alliance were waiting for them. As soon as they had stepped into the chamber, the first thing S'eni took note of was the heavy silence in the air and she knew that, unlike last time, there would be no exchange of friendly pleasantries. After they had sat down, it was Admiral Merlwyb who spoke first.

"Masters Thancred and Urianger, I was informed of your findings in Garlemald. It was no small feat to infiltrate the imperial capital. Thanks to you, we now know how the winds blow in Garlemald and may plot our course accordingly," she said to them.

"Full glad are we to have been of service," Urianger replied. Next to him, Thancred nodded in agreement. "But verily, such dangers as we did encounter pale into insignificance next to those faced by our comrades. An Ascian with the might of Bahamut, bent on bringing about the Final Days..."

"Aye. Quite a grandstanding declaration of war from these Telophoroi." Raubahn tapped his large finger on the table. "All city-states have been on high alert since then, but there have been no sightings of Fandaniel or his wyrm."

"The calm before the storm. We cannot afford to sit idle," Kan-E-Senna then said. "To that end we have dispatched scouting parties to find out more about these towers..."

The Elder Seedseer turned her head to look at Lyse, who nodded and continued, "I was there when our scouts returned. But when I approached them to ask about what they saw they began to attack us. Luckily we managed to subdue them before they could do any serious harm and let the Porxies take care of the rest."

"Are you saying they were...tempered!?" Alisaie asked, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

Lyse nodded. "After returning to their senses, they reported that the last thing they remembered was an ear-splitting roar just as they approached the towers. Everything after that, gone. But there's something else that worries me."

"What is it?" S'eni asked, lips drawn in a thin line.

"During their attack, they repeated the same words over and over: Glory be to Garlemald."

Glory be to Garlemald... She repeated in her mind, eyes lowering to the table. What in the seven hells...?

"The tempered have heretofore ever been thralls to primal entities," Urianger said after a moment of silence. "Yet these hapless souls were compelled to accept a nation as the object of their devotion. This calleth into question all that we know of the condition."

"And I am afraid there is more," Aymeric said, making everyone look at him. "We have learned that it was not just Amalj'aa who have been abducted, but members of other Beast Tribes as well and we have also learned that there seems to be a connection between these cases and the towers."

S'eni exchanged a look with G'raha. So his hypothesis was true!

"While observing the tower in Dravania, our scouts discovered black-garbed figures leading a group of shackled Ixal into its direction. The Temple Knights intercepted them along the way and liberated the Ixal. Underneath the garbs of their captors, they found Garlean weapons and armor."

"So the missing link between the abductions and the towers is the Garlean Empire..." G'raha said.

"We know Zenos is working together with this Fandaniel," the Sultana said. "It seems likely that he has managed to gather the troops scattered by the civil war and formed the Telephoroi out of them."

"Lord Hien has come to the same conclusion." Raubahn clicked his tongue. "We had initially planned to march on Garlemald from the east and west to bring an end to their warmongering, but right now we need to deal with these damned towers first."

The room fell silent once more and S'eni found herself wondering if the appearance of the towers wasn't timed a little too well if the Alliance and its eastern allies had been making plans to advance on Garlemald. It brought to mind what Thancred had told them earlier about what he witnessed there. That something was happening with the imperial palace.

"Given the risk of tempering, there were few suitable candidates for this task, but I'm confident in my choice." As if on cue, the doors opened and it was little surprise to her when she saw Arenvald step into the room with Fordola in tow, unlike Alphinaud, who clearly hadn't expected this turn of events. "Someone as immune to the tempering as they should be able to investigate the towers without being turned."

"It will be an honour to put our gifts to use, Commander," Arenvald replied while Fordola just snorted and crossed her arms.

Raubahn rose to his feet. "It will be dangerous, but we must find out what the enemy is planning before we can strike back at them. I'm counting on you two."

"If it gives us the upper hand in this fight, I'll gladly risk my life. We won't let you down."

"Good, then there's nothing more to discuss," the commander said. "A unit has been dispatched to serve as your escort. Join them as soon as you are ready."

"Arenvald, you..." Alphinaud began, but Arenvald simply smiled at him.

"Come, let's talk outside," he said.

The two young men stared at each other for a moment, before Alphinaud silently rose to his feet and began to leave together with Arenvald and Fordola. S'eni followed them with her eyes until the doors had fallen firmly shut and remained lingering there until the rest of the meeting had concluded, the worried frown on her face growing deeper with every moment that passed...

In the end, though, her worries had been quite unfounded, as after hearing Arenvald and Fordola's resolve for their mission, Alphinaud had sent them off with a smile. And there was no time to dwell on things either, since shortly after Tataru had called S'eni to tell her that they had found Estinien and that, after being told about Lunar Bahamut, he had left for Ishgard immediately. With the knowledge of where he would be next, G'raha, the twins, and her headed there to find him while Thancred and Urianger returned to the Rising Stones to bring Y'shtola and the others up to speed.

But the Dragoon was nothing if not elusive, and even as they had split up to search for him, she had yet to find a single hint of his presence.

"The Azure Dragoon..." a citizen she just asked said.

"That's right. Long white hair and a spear that's hard to miss."

"No, sorry." He shook his head. "Haven't seen 'im."

"I see." S'eni's shoulders slumped slightly. "Thank you anyway. Have a good day."

"Same to you and good luck on your search. Seems like you need it."

"You don't even know half of it," she muttered and walked away. That was already the eighth person she asked and the most information she had received was the entirely unrelated news of the Empyreum being opened soon. Honestly, if she didn't know any better, she would be rather convinced right now that he picked up a few tricks from the Shinobi while traveling the Far East!

Ascending the steps leading to Saint Valeroyant's Forum, S'eni was very much considering stopping at the Forgotten Knight for a drink but, in the end, veered left instead towards the Congregation. Maybe someone there had seen him. As she stepped inside, found herself surprised by how calm everything was. You would hardly think there was another crisis. But she supposed compared to a near-constant war lasting for a thousand years, the appearance of these towers and Lunar Bahamut seemed almost trifling.

After looking about for a moment, she made a beeline for Lucia standing at the large table at the center.

"They are to remain on standby until further orders arrive," she heard the woman say to a knight before sending him off with a rolled-up parchment. A small smile formed on her lips when their eyes met. "Ah, good day, Warrior of Light. I had heard from Lord Aymeric that you would be attending the meeting in Ala Mhigo, so I take it you have not come for him. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"As much as I'd like to say I came by for a friendly chat, my friends and I are looking for Estinien. We heard he was headed for Ishgard and I was hoping someone here might have seen him."

"I see." The Garlean woman shook her head. "No, we were not aware of Ser Estinien's return, but as you surely remember, he likes to come and go as he pleases."

"Yes, he sure does..." she sighed.

"My apologies for not being able to help. Many who pass through Ishgard do so via airship. Perhaps you will have more luck looking there."

After thanking and saying goodbye to Lucia, S'eni once more left the Congregation and stopped for a moment to look towards the tavern, before exhaling through her nose and reaching for her linkpearl to tell the others she would meet them at the airship landing. When she arrived there, she found Alisaie and G'raha already waiting for her. The former greeted her with a shrug.

"No sight of Estinien at all," Alisaie said. "I'm beginning to understand all the stories Alphinaud told me about him."

"Everything seems quiet as well. One would think the sight of the famous Azure Dragoon would draw more attention," G'raha added.

S'eni was about to point out that most people here would only ever have seen him in a full set of armor, helmet and all, when the sound of clinking plates coming towards them made her ears perk up. Turning her head in its direction, she felt her lips curl into a smile. "Well speak of the devil..."

The other two followed her gaze to find none other than their elusive quarry walking towards them. "First the Scions' infamous keeper of coins seeks me out and now you show up as well," he said. "If that's not a coincidence..."

Coming to a stop near them, Estinien shared a silent look with S'eni before letting his expression mirror hers. "...Well, whatever." He then turned his attention towards Alisaie. "It's been a while, but I have to admit it's good to see you again."

"Hm?" the young woman blinked in confusion. "But we've—"

"You look different, Alphinaud. Much more spirited and vigorous. It suits you!" S'eni's smile instantly fell, her eyes widening instead when he reached out and began to ruffle Alisaie's hair. A moment of awkward silence followed before he glanced over his shoulder to look at her once more. "Hey partner, is something wrong with Alphinaud? He's usually not this quiet."

Eyes shifting between him and Alisaie, who was starting to tremble, S'eni did the only sensible thing in this situation. She took a step back.

"I..."

Alisaie slapped his hand away—

"...am not..."

—followed by a stomp to the ground that whirled up the dusty snow around them.

"...ALPHINAUD!"

Not leaving Estinien any time to recover, the young woman immediately proceeded to further lay in on him. "The next time you feel the need to shamelessly touch someone's head, ask them who they are! I'll give you 'spirited and vigorous' you stupid oaf!" she practically spat the last word before lowering her voice to mimic his. "'Hey partner'. A crawler of the highest degree to boot..."

"Estinien Wyrmblood. The Azure Dragoon who defeated the dreadwyrm Nidhogg alongside the Warrior of Light and who finally put an end to the Dragonsong War." G'raha's eyes began to practically glow as his ears and tail rose in sheer boyish excitement. "...A living legend!"

Estinien blinked a few times before turning towards S'eni. He sighed. "Still surrounding yourself with odd companions, I see."

"What can I say? I know how to pick them," she replied and refrained from pointing out that the pot shouldn't be calling the kettle black here.

"Is everything alright!? I heard Alisaie shouting..." Alphinaud's voice called out and they turned around to see him walking over. A large smile split his face as soon as his eyes found the Dragoon. "Estinien! There you are!"

"Ah, the real one this time," Estinien replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Just as a case of mistaken identity," S'eni explained and glanced over to Alisaie, who was still bristling in silent anger.

"...Oh. I'm sorry Estinien, I should have told you about my sister."

"That's right. Might have spared me a different kind of dragon's wrath," Estinien said before letting his lips quirk upward. "Still, I stand by what I said, you really made something of yourself, kid."

"Watch it, or you might actually treat me like an adult."

The two of them shared a laugh.

"Well aren't those two getting along," Alisaie huffed slightly and looked at S'eni. "Still, it's quite amazing. In the past he couldn't stand people treating him like some kind of little brother and now here we are with not only Arenvald, but also Estinien, doing just that."

"Why, is that jealousy I hear?" she grinned.

"What!? No! I'm just saying Alphinaud has grown, nothing more!"

With a chuckle, S'eni just shook her head before addressing Estinien. "Tataru told us you were heading this way after she mentioned Lunar Bahamut to you. Why?"

"Simple, I was looking for an airship to take me to Azys Lla," he said in turn. "I wanted to talk with the one that was once closest to Bahamut."

"Of course, Tiamat. How could I forget about her?" Alphinaud rubbed his chin.

"Correct." Estinien nodded. "She was the one who once summoned her former mate in the form of a primal and still remains imprisoned there to this day."

"Of course!" G'raha's eyes widened in realization and he began to pace around. "As the one who previously summoned him, she might know more about Lunar Bahamut as well."

"Then allow us to accompany you. We can take you there on our airship," the young Elezen offered.

"Fine by me. Unless your sister has anything against it?"

"Hmpf, as long as you learn to tell my brother and myself apart," Alisaie said. The Dragoon's raised his shoulders in a shrug but otherwise didn't comment further as he began to make his way in the direction of the Bonanza with Alphinaud by his side. "Urgh! I don't know who he thinks he is, but I have no idea what Alphinaud sees in him!"

"I...have to admit that after reading so much about him I also expected someone...different," G'raha said with an encouraging smile. "But Alphinaud trusts him, and I'm sure the journey will be the perfect time to get to know him better!"

The young woman scoffed before turning around to join her brother together with G'raha. As she followed them at a small distance, S'eni could already feel the first onset of a headache beginning to form and sighed inwardly. It was strangely reminiscent of Estinien and Ysayle's constant bickering.

Yes, this was going to be a long journey...

Slightly different dialogue here with Estinien, largely because it's based on the German translation of the scene. Still, the essence is the same I would say lol.