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Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Printable Version

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Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Anstarra - 04-13-2016

One year ago.


The sun was obscured behind a rare bank of clouds, welcome relief and good omen alike to one that preferred lands far colder than this hateful desert. Not that the huntress needed the latter (the former being always welcome); not with the prize burning hot in her clenched fist, as it had for the past sun. The proof of her success, and redemption for… mistakes. Not that she’d done anything wrong! Scouting, yes, that was all, seeking exactly this manner of trinket for her Nunh. Certainly not making a side trip to murder a rival.

That failure still stung, briefly overshadowing her pride at having claimed the trinket. Only briefly, however; then she once more pictured his face, how intensely his eyes had burned when he spoke of wanting this thing. And now, she had it.

For the first time in bells, she paused, and unclenched her fist, and looked at it. Such a dull little bauble, to her eyes. Yellow, and not even pretty. She had seen much prettier gems, since leaving the Lands; by comparison, this one was just boring and ugly. Even her own eyes were of a brighter yellow.

A frown creased her brow, then. The gem seemed a little brighter than she remembered. She cupped her hands around it, creating shadow, and peered in. Yes.. it was definitely glowing. And there was a sound…

The huntress shook herself, straightening with a grin, and laughed. "Yes!" She’d been almost sure.. ALMOST sure she had the right one. That Outsider she took it from had been so mad, just SO mad, had been trying to keep it so hard. Only later when she looked at it properly and saw how boring and ugly it was, did she wonder if she’d been tricked… but no, behold, it was glowing, it was special, it was the thing he wanted!

Practically skipping with joy, X’kirra rushed onward, to where the others waited. To where HE waited, her Nunh. He would reward her, for this, and the thought made her shiver.

Her fist gripped the wyrmtear even more tightly as she ran.



Present Day


“You will do as you’re ordered.”

Such statements had never used to cause Rienne any trouble, but then they’d never been used to keep a murderer safe from the law. One or more murderers, she reminded herself; the connections, the good family name that must not be soiled via open arrest under suspicion alone, covered the lot of the little bastards, not just THAT one. The little street rat. Twelve alone knew why the Elementals had let her in, and now see what was happening, as she dragged those fool boys down into the muck with her.

Well, there was more than one way to skin a coeurl.

With a brisk step, Rienne made her way up to the blue-lit counter. The pretty lass there smiled up at her.

“Good day, Wailer. May we be of service?”

“Yes. I would like to issue a leve.”



Also Present Day


“So, the Master is upset, is he?”
“Ah, yes, I would say so.”
“Throwing things?”
“No, no, but he is sulking.”
“Oh dear. The shrimp-kabobs?”
“He had three.”
A shocked silence.
“Three?”
“Indeed. May as well have had none at all.”
“And the dancers?”
“Two of them are in there. I called for a third, but she is off servicing that gentleman, what was his name... anyroad she won’t be back for bells.”
“Damnation. Well, I suppose this was to be expected. It’s been.. What? Six moons?”
“Closer to fourteen, actually.”
“Fourteen! How awkward.”
“The Master and his cousin were never very close, but, well…”
“Indeed. No word in so long…”
“Indeed.”
Another silence.
“Perhaps... Adventurers?”
“As dancers?”
“No! Well, mayhap. Not a bad idea. But you know what I mean.”
“Yes, actually. He does favor Adventurers.”
“A contest could be made of it. So many always show up. The contest alone might cheer him up.”
“Brilliant, yes. His name does draw them in.”
“As it should. You will handle the details?”
“Yes, tonight. A leve should do it. You can handle the Master.”
“As always. He’ll come up with the idea himself, or think he did.”
“Exactly as one would expect, from the eccentric Master Gegereju.”



Still Yet Present Day


“AHA! BEHOLD, MY GENIUS!”

The berobed miqo’te held up the parchment in a triumphant flourish; his sole companion stared for a moment, and then leaned over and proceeded to lick herself. The thaumaturge glared, then scoffed. It was a good scoff, practiced, with exactly the same amount of condescending disdain to which he treated most other living things.

“Even you will be forced to concede my brilliance, Minna, when I secure the tear! And now, thanks to this ritual-” Another flourish, carefully not on the same side of the table as the candles, not after last time, “-I will be able to follow its trail! Then its SECRETS shall be MINE!”

Minna yawned, and he reached out, scratching her head reflexively. She bit his thumb, of course. He winced, but continued. It helped to focus. When was the last time he slept? Focus. On the ritual!

“Now… yes, the ritual is dangerous. Of COURSE it is. Draws voidsent like flies. And the corpses… well, they do need to be there, and… ow, CLAWS, Minna! No, I won’t… I shall be busy. Too busy to be fighting horrors. I need.. Need…”

He slapped his head with his other hand (and the scroll), and laughed.

“AHA! BEHOLD ONCE MORE, MY GENIUS!” He grinned fiercely at the cat, who was licking his blood from his fingers.

“Minions, Minna! Underlings, lackeys… thugs!”

He dropped the scroll, snatched a quill, and wrote quickly on the back of it.

“Seeking… bold Adventurers… power untold… great rewards… well, I am sure the, what’s it called. Leve person. Whatever. They will put a spin on it. And then… all shall TREMBLE before the coming of U’jakataAAAH CLAWS, MINNA!”

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Anstarra - 04-23-2016

[Following Act I, Scene I: I Adventure..!]


Delivered unto the hands of Damascus, Leanne, Aigiarn, Uzuki and Arblis.

'Dear Adventurers,

Master Gegereju would once more wish to express his compliments with regard to your impressive display, and bids you attend, for herein are the details of the Quest.

The purpose of the Quest is to discover the whereabouts and ultimate fate of his cousin, Fafaraju Gegeraju. Some two turns ago, Mister Gegeraju, using personal funds and contacts, did set out to found an outpost at the opposite end of the Sagolii Desert. However, at a time approximately fourteen moons ago, all contact ceased.

By way of clarification, Mister Gegeraju was not in the habit of communicating regularly with his family by any means, and as such his absence was not immediately noted. Fourteen moons is the time of the last sign of life, a missive to Forgotten Springs inquiring upon U'odh Nunh as to whether any of his huntresses might wish to eventually moonlight as dancers.

Since that time, there has been no sign of Master Gegereju's cousin. You are bidden to seek him out, be it at his outpost or wheresoever he might be, and confirm he yet lives; failing that, to investigate and resolve the cause of his death.

As travel across the Sagolii is dangerous in the calmest of times, and Master Gegereju wishes to ensure the success of this Quest, he has used his considerable influence to push a request through the Immortal Flames, and arranged for the assignation of one Flame Captain Maximillian Maximus to organize and launch an expedition. The time of departure is to be determined, as the necessary manpower and resources are being organized, yet should be less than a moon from now. The Immortal Flames outpost in Forgotten Springs will serve as a primary base of operations and rendezvous point.

Master Gegereju wishes you the foremost of luck, and good fortune; considerable rewards await all those who succeed.

Sincerely,

P'ebaloh
Maidservant of Master Gegereju

P.S. It is worth noting that, as Master Gegereju cares more about the success of this Quest than its costs, additional help will not be frowned upon. Should you need to seek out the assistance of fellow Adventurers, they too will be compensated for success. Twelve watch over you.'


~~~


Flame Captain Maximillian Maximus frowned at the paper between his hands. They were powerful hands, huge with his highlander heritage and hard from years of direct application to the enemies of the Sultanate (and the occasional barroom brawl). A fighter's hands. The paper looked rather puny in them, but it carried power of its own. The power to greatly irritate, and for a moment he was inclined to crush it, and feed it to the fire... but instead, he read through it once more. Frowning. Deeply.

"A Thaumaturge who summons Voidsent. Yet these Adventurers did not kill him. And instead wish for us to... babysit him. So they can use him to find this.. Wyrmtear."

"Yes sir."

Captain Maximus glanced up at the Private who had brought the report. The lad - Joss was his name - looked nervous, as well he might be. The Captain knew what an impression he made, in his Flame leathers, thick mustache bristling when he scowled. Good. The rank and file should always be a bit nervous.. yet Joss seemed like a sturdy lad. He could ease up.

"You bore witness to this ritual, yourself." He knew he had, it was in the report.

"Yes sir."

"Another might have.. effected a tactical withdrawal, to seek reinforcements. But you remained. Trying to be a hero, private?"

"No sir. Just my duty, sir."

The Captain nodded. "It's good to see a man not afraid to do his duty. Dismissed."

Private Joss straightened, snapped a crisp Flame salute, turned, and left. Maximillian looked back at the paper... and then drew out another one. The 'request' from the Syndicate, though no one with half a brain could confuse it for anything less than the order it was. This harebrained expedition into the depths of the Sagolii. How much money did that fatcat in Costa Del Sol throw into this? And now he had some mad void mage to watch over at the same time.

A thoughtful frown creased the Captain's brow. The mage also wanted to go into the desert. And these Adventurers.. Zanzan Yanzan, Gallien Vyese, R'shesha Otharn and Kuina Kusushi.. and the other ones Gegereju would be sending.. and gods-knew what others who decided to tag along for the ride.. they would be going, too. Probably too much to hope they were all going to the same place... but a lot could happen in the desert. And while Adventurers were useless for things like marching discipline, they were hell on wheels for taking care of insane mages and Voidsent.

Well. Perhaps things could be made to work out after all. As long as nothing else came along to further complicate matters...


~~~


The warehouse-slash-hideout of the Changing Leaves was fairly comfortable, as these things went. Rienne, now that she was not set on infiltrating - nor falling into a cage, to her enduring frustration and embarrassment - was able to appreciate the obvious effort these.. youths.. had put into fortifying their little base, but also into making it comfortably livable. The main level was kept clear; she advised they change that, adding some furniture, in order to make the going more hazardous for thieves or Adventurers sneaking in. The downstairs was crowded but also cozy, and positively stuffed with what Rienne could only call adventuring supplies. Backpacks, torches, spare weapons, scroll cases, climbing instruments, and probably a malm or two of rope. Upstairs, the wealthy backgrounds of the would-be revolutionaries showed, with quality furniture, books, good lighting when they were not under siege, and excellent food.

The youths were skeptical about her, at first, but she thought she was winning them over. It helped that she truly had no further interest in their arrest, which was something she knew still confused them. No matter; she was in earnest, and it showed. She was no good for deception. The near-catastrophe of the attempt to arrest these kids proved that. She was a scout, and her skills were more in line with miss Carpenter's than with politics and subterfuge.

Hearing the description of the murderer - murderess - recounted by young Garri had changed everything. It was her, it had to be. Rienne still had nightmares of Weylan's death, witnessed unseen by herself. The way that miqo'te with the white and blue fur humiliated.. slaughtered him. Defiled, with his own spear. So fluid and sure, the motion with which she impaled him. She could have done it quick, like in Garri's dream, like with the Wailers and Pelderain, but no. It was personal, that time.

Personal. Her mind flickered back to the other keeper girl, Nihka Mioni. Rienne has been startled to see her showing up to the leve, and for a moment had wondered if she'd been set up.. but it seemed to have truly just been chance. She'd watched her closely, during the description, and the recognition had been there. On her, and on that tall Ishgardian, Enju, and on the other miqo'te, Vael'a. Would it be trouble? Probably. And yet they seemed earnest about their desire for justice. If they could be made to see...


Her ruminations were disrupted as a cry rose from the other room. She was on her feet and by the door in a moment, to find the Lorieux girl comforting Garri. They slept in the same bed like sisters - or lovers? - and wore only nightclothes, a demure silken shift for the former, and a simple camise for the latter. Rienne noted how underfed Garri looked, and felt a pang of conscience, but shook it off. She had other things to concern her.

By all evidence, Garri had a bad dream. Which was what Rienne had been waiting for.

"S-Sagolii."

The girl was sweating, shaking, and Rienne quickly but calmly retrieved a glass of water, handing it to Frances. The young elezen girl smiled as she gave it to her friend, who drank gratefully. Rienne waited. At length, the miqo'te girl shook her head, notched ear folded back with its twin.

"I saw a sign. Forgotten Springs..."

Frances looked up at Rienne, who nodded to her.

"Inform your family, miss Lorieux."
"And you your superiors, miss Rienne. It appears we are going to Forgotten Springs."

Garri summoned up a grin, wiping her brow and looking up at her friend, and the Wailer. "That's near where the catlizard people are! I've always wanted to see one..."

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Nihka - 04-25-2016

Late at night, while her fiancé slept soundly, Nihka busied herself around the estate. Sehki, old enough now to toddle along without being carried and young enough to be direly curious about the chores her mother was doing, was her joyful shadow. She smiled warmly at the sight, Sehki padding around on bare feet in a little green dress and dragging along her Ahriman plush. The plushie was named Ahman; an accident but the name stuck even after Sehki could say the word Ahriman clearly.


Cleaning was almost meditative. As her hands brushed a soft cloth against ornate wooden surfaces, knocking dust into the air and leaving the wood gleaming, Nihka’s mind sifted through recent events. Five forestborn and one miqo’te who had taken up with them. They fancied themselves revolutionaries, the rich children of influential families who sought change in society.


That she thought of them as children gave Nihka pause. She was hardly older than they were, she was still a child herself in the eyes of Menphina. Fingers slid along the tops of books by rote as her thoughts drifted to her childhood, traveling with her family. At fourteen summers old, she was almost ready to take her trial and become an adult. She was just waiting for their next visit to the clan, but that visit never came. The ixal attacked, her family fought and lost, and the only reason Nihka survived was her older sister holding them off long enough for her to run. She’d never taken her trial, never become an adult. Who was she to call anyone else a child?


The miqo’te, Garri, was the most interesting of the bunch. She’d had a vision of the merchant, Pelderain Dornier, being murdered by a masked miqo’te. The same day that Nihka had been arrested by Weylan, hidden away in a secret prison.


She didn’t want to think about that part…


Nihka pushed those thoughts away as she hoisted a bucket of water up the stairs, what mattered now was the masked miqo’te. Garri described him, or her, dressed in greys and browns, with bright white fur with blue tips. Nihka was no stranger to unusual visions, so she accepted that what the girl had seen was true, but that was no less worrying. White hair with blue tips, though an unusual combination and unlikely to occur naturally, was Anstarra’s true hair color.


One moon ago a guest had come to the Redezvous. Vael’a had hosted him, and later went to security to describe the experience as deeply unsettling. He seemed less interested in food and conversation and more in conquest. X’zarann Nuhn had come to scout the location, searching for An. But he found Nihka. As he was leaving he caught sight of her, and his gaze made her want to run and hide. He had white hair with blue tips, like his sister.


Nihka’s nostrils flared unconsciously as she scrubbed the wooden floor. Lightly floral soap filled her senses, subtle to most races but quite strong to her huntress/alchemy-trained nose. She’d spent that afternoon, before hosting, cuddling her fiancé. The scent of Anstarra might have been hanging on her. Could he have smelled it? Did he know? What would he do with that knowledge? An was terrified of him, and that meant Nihka was as well.


This wouldn’t be the first time Nihka could be used as a means to hurting someone else. She’d been kidnapped before, back when she was still with the Shroudwolves. Assassins seeking out Khloe had grabbed Nihka and bound her to use her as leverage. If she wasn’t careful, someone would use her to hurt An.


She couldn’t let that happen.


But how would she go about that? Never leaving the house? Never taking another leveplate? Give up her work and hide in the estate forever? She couldn’t do that. As a registered adventurer and loving mother, it was her duty to make the world a safer place for everyone, for her daughter. Nihka ran her hand over her belly, ears flicking. That would be plural, some day. Daughters. Children. How could she raise a family with this threat hanging over their heads?


Nihka understood, now, why her mother fought. Kemi fought to the bitter end to save as many of her children as she could, and though she died she had succeeded. Nihka was alive; would she be willing to die to save Sehki?

Physically exhausted, Nihka collapsed back into the warmth of Anstarra’s bed while Sehki played in the other room. She tangled herself up as best she could, to enjoy the cuddles until dawn came and the rest of the world woke.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - McBeefâ„¢ - 04-26-2016

Damascus found it hard to become tired of counting money.

In the Jewel of the Desert it represented time, food, water, health, dreams, anything that could be bought, sold, our traded. She stacked up a tower of coins, making soft muted clinks as each coin slides onto its neighbor. The tower contained value enough to purchase a small house in the outskirts of the city.

A man give twenty years labor for such a sum, stacking his coins night by night. Twenty years for such a sum, and most would think it a bargain well struck. She topples the tower, coins rolling this way and that on her crowded desk. Twenty years of life, and Master Gegejeru had handed it over as easily as his pocket change.

Well, she supposes, it probably was close to pocket change for him.

Damascus sighs and begins regathering the coins, fishing them out from the scattered books, papers, and inkwells on her desk. The reward from the Leve in Costa Del Sol had been generous, strangely so, but she was learning a Free Company was a thirsty beast. The Night Ravens drank money like a drunkard does wine, and it would not be long before these funds were gone. She rubs her temple, Primrose's fools errand of an airship was no where near being complete, and while Klynzahr and Alderimont's gardening was bringing in funds, it was not enough. Miss Ueno was already complaining about not being able to pay the month's bills.

Not for the last time she glaces at the letter Gegejeru had sent.

"Money..." She mutters, knuckle rapping softly on her mask, "And here I always thought our greatest foe would be villains and evildoers."

"And here instead it is our ledger book."

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Anstarra - 04-30-2016

It was coming up on a sennight since the preparations had begun, and much had already been accomplished. Soldiers had been issued orders, materiel had been shipped in from Limsa, maps and charts had been consulted, and something very closely resembling an expedition in earnest was shaping up. U'odh Nunh had been shown the advantages of hosting this little adventure, as he called it, and had assigned U'khuba to wring every financial concession they could from their guests while the chaos lasted, and U'tykha to keep the peace and head off confrontation between the huntresses and the influx of people. Both Tias, eager as always to prove their eventual superiority, set to with a will, and as a result there were few enough problems. Even with the extraneous civilians underfoot.

Three such individuals sat (or stood, in the third's case, ever vigilant even without her Wailer mask) and watched as a half-dozen Flame recruits fought to lift a bulky crate onto a wagon bed. The soldiers sweated and swore under the bright midday sun, making the miqo'te of the trio shake her head.

"THIS is why I'd never join the army. They should be doing this at night or something! Or at least the evening. They're nuts." Garri bit into a fruit, dark tail swinging below her crossed legs. She was perched on one of the rocks, in the shade provided by the lovely oasis' palm trees.
"It does seem rather.. unnecessarily arduous." Frances, in a wide-brimmed hat and sharing her friend's shade, was nonetheless sweating almost as badly as the soldiers, or so she felt. Nothing in a life among the more privileged children of Gridania's nobility had prepared her for the desert heat. "Perhaps their commanding officer might be prevailed upon to allow them to continue when the sun is not quite so.. murderous."
Their standing companion (also in the shade, for though vigilant, she was hardly stupid, in her opinion), snorted.
"I would not bother, mistress Lorieux. These ones probably did something to annoy their commander. Thus.. earning this work detail."
"Truly, Rienne? That seems cruel." Frances looked her way, frowning, but it was Garri who answered.
"Naaah. They're used to it. Flames are tough. 'sides.. haha, look!" She nodded across the way, to shade provided by one of the public houses. Four of the local huntresses were watching with distinct interest, and were soon joined by two more. Some of the soldiers, men and women alike, flashed grins their way, and maybe went out of their way to flex a bit more than was strictly necessary.

Frances peered, then giggled at the sight. "Goodness! It's like a mating display~" She blushed a bit, glancing at Garri, who also laughed. "Uh huh.. though it's weird, I thought that, like, Seeker women were, uh, reserved for the Nunh or something."

"For mating purposes, yes!" another voice cut in from nearby, making the three start a little; the robed figure stepped dramatically from among the trees, almost tripping as a cat wound through his legs. He glared at the animal, then straightened, gesticulating. Also dramatically. "But how dull would that be! To so restrict the ardor of a huntress! Hah! Impossible! Tribeswomen find pleasure where they will, yes, when they will and how and with whom and however frequently. 'tis only pitiful Tias must make do and wait.. or leave, and thus form their own harems of nubile warrior females."

The three started at the male miqo'te, covered in black robes, standing with extravagant pose, and blinked. Garri covered her mouth, snorting laughter. Rienne eyed him suspiciously but made no further move toward her spear. Frances smiled with habitual politeness.
"I take it you are from this tribe, then, ser?"
"That I am! U'jakata, Thaumaturge Most Puissant, this is my name. And here, Minna, my ever-respectful familiar. Mark how she cleans herself in apparent disdain of our discourse. 'tis but a ruse, oh yes. Her ears are as sharp - as are her claws, the little fiend -sharp as you could wish. Or not wish. Well have my robes suffered from her tender attentions. And my leggings, and flesh, betimes."

The three girls couldn't help but laugh at this, and the Thaumaturge huffed.
"Bah! Soon, matters of robes and wardrobial disarray shall matter not, once the object of my search is acquired. The days only pass too slowly! Would that my formidable will alone could encourage this expedition to take flight with greater haste, that I might claim my rightful place upon it."

"Oh? You're coming along, too?" This from Garri, whose black ears had piqued with interest. U'jakata nodded arrogantly.
"That I- what do you mean 'too'? The deep Sagolii is no place for children!"
"HEY! I'm not a child, I'm fifteen! And Frances is sixteen!"
"Hrm.. old enough to hunt, and mate, I suppose. Still, 'tis not for helpless, inex-"
He blinked, flinching sharply back as a dagger slammed into the tree six ilms from his head.
"And I'm NOT helpless! Got it?!"

The mage adjusted his robes, straightening. Stooping down, he gathered his cat into his arms. "Fire she has, Minna! Reminds me of my sisters, and isn't that a strange thought. How does a Nunh do it, surrounded by such energy, vitality, femininity?" He straightened; the cat regarded Garri with feline languor. "It excites and frightens, small wonder you might say that I surround myself with tomes, and risk only flame and void, rather than women. Which is more alarming, more alluring, more destructive, who could even say?"

Frances blinked, and looked at her friend, who did not seem displeased by the strange male's rambling commentary. Rienne cocked her head, clearing her throat.
"Excuse me, ser.. U'jakata. You said you were part of this expedition. In what capacity? Are you representing the Drake tribe, somehow?"
The thaumaturge froze, taking on a shifty expression. Frances jumped in.
"Oh! Are you going to help with the attunement ritual?"
Under his cowl, the mage's ears visibly perked.

"...ritual, you say?"

"Yes. Flame Captain Maximus informed us that we will be setting up an Aetheryte to facilitate travel and to minimize our baggage train, at a halfway point. I understand that there has been some trouble with acquiring sufficient Thaumaturgical aid to empower it, due to some internal issue at the Ossuary. Mayhap you could lend your talents to the cause."

The robed miqo'te's answering grin was... a little unsettling.

"Mayhap I could, my dear young lady. Mayhap I could at that."

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Chompie - 05-11-2016

A scuffing noise. A short whoosh. A hiss that quickly fades away to nothing.

Scuff. Whoosh. Hisssssss...

There was something soothing about the sound of each grain of sand falling back to the earth, their chorus tapering off into silence as the last few specks return to land.

Scuff. Whoosh- Arblis opened her eyes just in time for a stray gust of wind to blow the plume of sand she'd kicked up back into her face. She added a yelp and an array of spitting sounds to the otherwise peaceful early evening air.

It was dusk, just one sun left before the expedition departed- the perfect time for brooding. She stared back toward Forgotten Springs from a mere hundred yalms away out in the sands. Ever so reluctantly, she was beginning to like the place, even though it reminded her of her own tribe. Much of the same atmosphere, well-meaning souls sprinkled here and there, and the same sort of deeply flawed values and disdain and long-lasting prejudiced little feuds and thoughtless followers and braggarts with no real accomplishment and--

Arblis shook her head. It's not their fault. She sifted through the wreckage of her train of thought as her ears kept watch, twisting to hear the skittering and burrowing of tiny creatures escaping the oncoming chill of night. Her thoughts inevitably drifted back to her tribe. All that traveling and she'd never bothered to find out if they had survived the Calamity. But they were awful. But...

The visored turban she'd unconsciously been spinning around on one finger the whole time rotated to a gentle stop as she looked directly at it. In a last-ditch attempt to make up her mind, she spoke her thoughts aloud. "I can't decide whether I'm better off knowing or not, but... If I do run across them, at least I can stop 'em from knowing it's me unless until I'm ready."

A smile quickly found its familiar spot on her expression. "And even if they are still around I probably won't run into them and it's been so long that there's no way they'd recognize me because I probably look a lot different! Ha! No problems!"

The Seeker scuttled back toward Forgotten Springs before she could change her mind about that.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Zelmanov - 05-12-2016

“They are going after the Wyrmtear” That is what Anstarra had said. Even after so long the taint that was left by the heretics in Ul’dah persisted. How he had wished that he could eliminate the idea of the blasted artifact, relegate it back to legend so that none would seek its power. The reality was instead that so long as people knew of it, there would be those who would seek it. Would the same go for Tharl Oom Khash even after the eventual capture of Friont? Once he is gone, who would answer the call? 


For now, it mattered not, U’ala had written to him for aid and he was beholden to his promise. The coincidence that an Immortal Flames expedition for the tear was occurring at the same time was merely that: a coincidence. Nevertheless, Orrin secretly hoped that they could pick up the trail of X’kirra where he had failed. He made his preparations, he made the mistake of wearing full plate in the desert before, he would not make the same mistake this time.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Knight Kat - 05-14-2016

Camp "Sodding Nowhere", 14th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon.

Kiht Jakkya sat in the shade of crates and a tent in what could be considered the corner of a little camp in the middle of the Sagolii Desert. The Immortal Flames worked in the midst of their daily duties; Kiht hardly paid attention to them, and her mind was on other matters.

She sat in a rather undignified position; her legs straight out in front of her, and her back against a crate. A journal laid on her lap, and one hand held a quill, but the other hand held her abdomen. Her tunic was cut and bloody, but her wounds had been mended as much as magic could manage. She just needed time to heal.

Her head rested back against the crate, and it kept her gaze slightly skyward. She closed her eyes, and reached into her pocket. Slowly, her hand drew out a tiny bone ocarina. The little instrument was so simple it could easily be called a bone whistle. She played a short tune on it that sounded more like a melodic whistle.

A slight breeze blew across the desert sands, and the camp’s tents rustled when hit with the wind. Suddenly, a tiny winged figure landed upon a crate in front of Kiht. The bird arrived so quickly that it was almost as if he aether-ported to her.

“Haru.” She said as she grew a smile. The small Falcon stared at her expectantly.

“I hope you have been able to find food in this desert… I have none for you. I am sorry.” She said in a casual tone as if the bird could understand her.

Haru canted his head as she talked, but responded no other way.

Kiht studied him for a moment. The bird just watched her with patience. “…What are you?” She asked quietly. “To me, you are just a tiny animal. Too small to be worth much food, and too lacking of mind to have conversation with. You would not comprehend my troubles, my dishonors or my worries… You only care about where your next meal will come from.”

Haru doesn’t respond, of course. His head only adjusted upright. But his gaze stayed on Kiht.

“Are you meat?” She asked. “Are you just flying meat that needs to eat more meat to continue to be meat?”

Kiht let out a short chuckle that was interrupted by a cough. Her body was not ready to let her laugh without protest.

“Flying meat with feathers…”

Haru just stared.

“Flying…” She spoke quietly. Her eyes fell shut. “You can fly faster than I can run, you can dive and swoop a mouse from the ground with the accuracy of a seasoned archer, you can see a tiny creature from Gods knows how far away, and you do this without magic, soul stones or even a mind such as mine.”

The bird tilted his head the other way.

“I am a predator. I am not prey. I am not meat… Nor are you, Haru.” She weakly brought up her arm in front of her.

“My friend, I have no food for you right now, but I can admit when I am wrong… Am I wrong about you?” She asked in a soft tone.

Haru swiftly hopped from the crate, and glided to Kiht’s arm with the grace that can only be shown by one who has spent years flying the skies.

Kiht’s eyes met with Haru’s. For a moment, she focused on him. For a moment, she could feel his intent. For a moment, she saw herself through his eyes.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Akiko - 05-14-2016

Path to Camp 'Sodding Nowhere', 14th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon


Akiko was not particularly fond of deserts. Certainly, they had their uses, but... Even so. The uneven terrain and the beating sun made the place a veritable deathtrap. Her face and head were covered in thin cloth, which helped to keep the worst of the sun's effects off of her dichromatic skin, but the woman was having trouble keeping the chocobo she rode under control. Disgusting creature that it was, the Au Ra couldn't help but wish that there was an alternative means of transportation. However, without the coin to purchase one of the exotic couerls that had been tamed, this was her best option.

Normally, the woman wouldn't have been caught dead outside of her silks or fine cottons from home, the courtesan appreciating beautiful things but... That was not the apparel for hard riding. Peiste leather adorned her frame, revealing bits of the dichromatic tattoos that covered her entire body, and her long daggers were securely strapped to her side, in the open for once.

"One hopes this damnable trip is worth it... But one does not want another cry of help to go out, that one cannot answer." She mumbled to herself, remembering the call on the linkpearl. Even if she never was able to help, even if the call never came again... She wanted to be ready.

It would just take most of the sun to finally reach the camp. If she could stand the chocobo's stink that long, she'd be fine. She hoped.





Hours passed, and while she had never truly gotten used to the smell of the strange horsebird, she had at the very least arrived at the makeshift camp. The desert sun still beat down upon her, and she could tell that many of the others who had made the camp their temporary home were suffering. For a second, she reached into her bag, sliding out a pair of reflective shades, with which to protect her eyes... But a certain Keeper caught her gaze first. Nihka. The woman whom was naturally inclined to nocturnal activities, and whose eyes would be suffering the most, out of everyone. Seeing the medic, a twinge went within her, and she finally chuckled, moving closer.

"You're going to want these." She murmured, handing over the protective shades to the white-haired Keeper, before slipping away to get settled in. And, to attune.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Anstarra - 05-18-2016

Flame Captain Maximillian Maximus slammed his fist down on the campaign table. It was a solid oak affair, an old companion of his, and no stranger to such love taps; it weathered the blow with aplomb. Nonetheless the sound of it was enough to make everyone in the room jump (and in the adjacent one as well, which, it being an infirmary, prompted a round of resentful - if silent - frowns).

"Four of my scouts... gone! Vanished into the dunes! Twelve take this bloody desert!"

His words went without reply from the three standing before him. Outside, the winds rose once again as the sandstorm that had besieged the outpost for the past six bells howled its fury. The Captain glared at the door (and the storm, by proxy), and Corporal Joss leaned slightly aside as though concerned that the man's gaze might otherwise impale him.

At length, Captain Maximus sat down with a growl. The three that he'd come to privately consider his command staff relaxed, a little.

"Mage."
U'jakata jumped, blinked. He seemed distracted, but then he always did, of late. The discovery of the fates of the Drake girls - one dead, badly, the other virtually unresponsive - had been a blow to him. Same tribe, hardly a surprise. Probably neighbors, growing up.
"Yes, the Captain wishes?"
"Too bloody right he does. When is this Twelve-damned sandstorm going to end?"
"Ah. Yes, the news is good. The aethereal flux dissipates. Or, no, it changes. The sandstorm ends soon, though it may return, or other manifestations. I could say more if I were to look more closely."
"Forget it." He was not having his only on-staff arcane specialist blunder off into that. If the aetheryte broke down they were good as dead out here. "Just keep your ass inside. You can look around when it's over."
The mage nodded absently, muttering and looking away. Captain Maximus stifled a sigh. This is what came of dealing with Adventurers. Command ends up assuming you can get by with whatever you can scrounge up. The man WAS effective, if only he could be certain not to wander off to his death.

"Corporal."
A crisp salute. Joss was just as steady as before; the addition of a chevron of rank to his uniform had been a good call. Ordinarily Brune would be standing in his place, but the sergeant had earned Roof Guard Duty since letting the outpost's resident Firedrake climb onto a roof and gouge out a mess in the planking (sending some harebrained adventurer up after the beast, with a haunch of meat, hadn't helped matters) and that didn't change just because of a little sandstorm.
"Sir."
"Report."
"Supplies are holding steady, sir. Due to provisions brought in via aether, our warehouse could sustain the camp for a sennight before we'd have to withdraw. Morale is also steady. The Adventurers haven't been too big a distraction, aside from that one incident with the drake. There's more than enough water, and I'm told this storm won't change that." He looked to U'jakata for confirmation, who flicked an ear distractedly.
"Good. And the objective?"
"Preliminary scouting reports confirm the lay of the land to closely approximate the maps you were given, Captain. Unfortunately, we can't more closely confirm, because, ah..."
"Yes, the bloody patrol went missing."

The Captain cast his glare across the long room, to the farthest corner; there, manacled to her bed by one wrist and ankle, the prisoner laid curled up. Her eyes were open, bright points reflecting candle light. Not for the first time Maximillian wondered if the girl could properly hear them from over there. Most people wouldn't make out enough to listen in, but he'd learned not to underestimate miqo'te ears.

The girl disturbed him. Bad enough the enemy - for her presence proved there was an enemy, just like that Syndicate tart had claimed - was using children as fighters. But this one had eyes that did not belong on a girl so young. Bright eyes, yes, but bright with hate and fear, and dark intent. She never seemed to sleep, either, at least not for long.

He looked back to the corporal, and nodded. Then, he turned to the last of the trio.
"Miss Lorieux."
Frances smiled at him, a bit tiredly.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Status of the infirmary."

His civilian liaison-slash-field-commissioned Medical Lieutenant shrugged. "Oh, well. Supplies are adequate, though we could use some more sedatives. Too much conjury-induced repose risks aetherial saturation, as you know.." The girl adjusted her glasses, looking at her notebook. She looked a little older than her sixteen cycles, now; the desert had a way of ageing you. Or maybe it was the things she'd seen. "On that topic, Rienne should be over her illness in another two or three days, which is normal for aethersickness. We're lucky we don't have more cases, with the aetheryte so close, and the persistent wards... Mmm, private Emmis should be able to do light duty with his ankle by tomorrow morning, though I would avoid, um, forced marches or pitched battles."
"Teach him to try to kick a bloody firedrake. He's lucky it didn't barbecue his fool arse. Also teach him not to wave that damn gilded scabbard around like that, the ponce. Go on."
"Ahah.. yes, um. Miss U'niall attempted to walk today, but... she will need more time. We've erected a curtain between her and miss X'nikka. I wish I could move her to another building, but... she's not well enough to use the aetheryte, either. That is to say... mentally. I.. think she's afraid to go home. Without miss U'khenova."
"We don't have the capacity to care for an invalid here. U'odh Nunh has said they're sending out a party to recover her in person. It wasn't outright said, either, but it seems likely that this party will carry a dual purpose."

This time, three sets of eyes wandered over to the prisoner. U'jakata still did not look her way, nor at U'niall. He twitched, and looked at nothing, instead. Frances cleared her throat, and continued.

"Miss.. X'nikka is still far from healed; her injuries were very extensive, and most people would not be recovering at all. But.. she is. Nonetheless, she cannot walk to any real degree, let alone try to escape."
Not for the first time, she gave the Captain a reproving look for his decision to manacle the girl, and not for the first time, he ignored it. This was one subject not open to debate.

"Very good. You all have your duties. Dis-"


"Ah!!"


Heads snapped around, as everyone turned to look at the infirmary's final occupant, who had just started from a doze. Curled up in the corner like she was, of a size with the Lynx tribe teen despite having three years on her, Garri was easy to overlook.. except..

"Th-they.."
Frances hiked up her skirts and rushed to Garri's side, helping the smaller girl rise. Despite comparable ages, there was more than a fulm between their full heights.
"Garri?"
"They're.. coming. They're getting ready. They're gonna come attack."
"Who, Garri?"
"Them."

Her arm flung out, without looking, pointing at X'nikka. The Lynx tribe girl was sitting up now, staring at Garri with those mismatched orange and yellow eyes. The Captain turned, and looked at U'jakata. The miqo'te was also looking at her, intently.

"Mage."
"Yes, Captain."
"Is she.."
"An Echo-bearer, yes." The mage seemed calm, almost unnaturally so, as he continued to watch the Keeper girl be helped to a bed by her friend. "I suspected it since hearing of her visions. Dedicated a number of focii to monitor aethereal wavelengths, and.." He produced a tiny crystal from his sleeves. It was glowing bright white, enough to obscure the runes on the surface. "Hydaelyn's light is unmistakable."

The Flame Captain narrowed his eyes, and went back to looking at the girl. A gawky, coltish thing, years of being a rat on the cruel streets of his home city not so easily scrubbed off, even by the cares of her friend. Hard to imagine someone less likely to be a chosen of the Mother Crystal.

Or maybe not. There was a defiance about her, that he liked. A toughness. And that stunt she pulled with the Amalj'aa... over a score of the damn 'catlizards' dead, and the only casualties a few Adventurers injured. Altogether quite a fine night, despite the trouble. Scrappy girl. Gutsy.

And an Echo-bearer.

"Alright. So, they're coming for us."
It explained the missing scouts. Four days out, said the maps. They would need a wider screen of riders. Reinforcements. Fortifications... He turned to look at Joss, who looked determined, and U'jakata, who looked... vengeful. They met his gaze.

Flame Captain Maximillian Maximus smiled, his mustache curling ferociously with it.

"Good."

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Nihka - 05-19-2016

The room smelled of sweat, wood, and leather. It wasn’t an unpleasant odor, but it was powerful: the mingled scent of countless students who came to this practice hall. Today, Nihka was one of those students, and soon the sweat dripping from her body would leave her own mark on the room. Not to say that she had never been here before, she had been taking self-defense lessons from one of the members in late evenings, but this was her first visit as a true pugilist.

Nihka made no attempt to hide that she was legally registered with the Adventurer’s guild, though few would ever guess. She spent most of her time researching Alchemy, tending to the estate, or gathering botanicals. She didn’t match the typical image of a brazen youth gallivanting about Eorzea in search of danger and excitement (and money). She preferred the more tame pursuits but circumstances had worked against her. Thankfully, being an adventurer meant she had the right to sign up with any of the various guilds throughout the city states.

Every single Guild of the Hand had her name on their books, as did those of the Land (but the less said of the fishing fiasco the better). She had taken lessons at every Guild of Magic, as well, but the Disciples of War were all foreign to her. Marauders were of a whirlwind of destruction, she did not want that. She couldn’t bear the thought of all the heavy, bulky armor that gladiators wore. Archery felt right, but it had never been her strong suit even when first learning to hunt. The lancer’s guild bore too many painful memories to even bother stepping into. It was the pugilist guild that drew her attention as she watched lithe warriors fight with little more than hand and foot, their steps flowing like a dance.

She hated fighting and she hated hurting anyone, but to protect her daughter, to protect her beloved, and to protect those she would call family she would fight.

Since the visit to the conjurer with Anstarra....

Her first lesson began at the fourteenth bell, and she stepped into the room in loose pants bound around the calves and a comfortable, tight top. All around were other students, members of the guild, and a young midlander approached, catching his breath. Nihka glanced up at him through her hair. He had olive skin, green eyes, and black hair cropped short against his head.

“I haven’t seen you around here. Are you new?”

Nihka shook her head, then shrugged.

“Oh?” He looked at her again, eyes narrowed; there was a moment before he nodded in understanding. “Oh! Night classes. I don’t see many keepers awake this ... umm... would you call it late? Early? Anyway. My name’s Saebald.”

Nihka nodded.

“Do you talk?”

“...Not... a lot...” She paused a moment before answering him, then delivered the line plainly, as it was the truth.

“Uh, right.” He glanced around awkwardly.

“Nihka,” Nihka said. The man looked to her and blinked.

“What?”

She said her name again, pointing to herself. He seemed to understand her meaning that time.

“Well, Nikka, welcome to the guild.”

“Ooh, a little black cat come to play? Hope it’s not too bright for you.” A pair of slit-eyed seekers sneered at Nihka, snickering to one another as they walked into the guild. They were both tan with ruddy hair and shared similar features, likely close sisters. Nihka turned to watch them as they set down bags and pulled on leather gloves.

“F*** off, you c**ts,” Saebald called out to them with a rude gesture. Nihka said nothing, looking elsewhere.

“Chasing tail again, Baldy?”

“Ignore them, Nikka,” Saebald said as he placed a hand on Nihka’s shoulder. She flinched, and pulled away, turning to face Saebald’s hurt expression.

“What?”

“..p..please... not touch....”

The twin seekers burst out in laughter.

“Hey! I’m trying to help you, Nikka. You should be grateful.”

“..Not help...”

“Sure you do. Those bitches like causing trouble.” Saebald said. Nihka shook her head and pulled away when he tried once again to wrap his arm around her shoulder.

“.. take care self...”
“He’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel, isn’t he,” one seeker said to the other, drawing Saebald’s attention (thankfully) away from Nihka.

“F*** you, U’lata.”

“I’m U’tahla! She’s U’lahta.” She pointed to the identical seeker beside her.

“Knock it off, all of you!” An older elezen man shouted to the room, and everyone went silent. Nihka took advantage of this moment to put some distance between her and Saebald. He approached Nihka, and hooked his thumbs into his belt. Leaning in, he peered at her closely. She flinched, leaning back. “You must be the cat Archienne told me about. What sort of training do you have?”

“Study alchemy.... study... arcanima....” Nihka stammered out. The seeker sisters snickered.

“Okay, I’ll be more specific. Do you have any training that might actually apply to fighting?”

“...train.... ah... self-defense lesson... Archienne.....a..and.. study dance...”

“A dancer? I knew it!” U’lahta whispered to U’tahla. The pair giggled to one another. Saebald smirked.

“Good,” their instructor said waving her off. “Assuming you do more than shimmy your hips for gil you might not be completely worthless. Let’s begin.”

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Zetchryn - 05-21-2016

Renaea refused to be helpless. One by one, the people she had grown close to, and had grown to care about, had begun to head to the desert. Each time, a part of her began to worry, to fret. She wanted to protect people, after all. To help them. The thought of any of her friends going out there and facing harm without her? It gave a knot in her belly.

So it was that she set out, saddling up her chocobo after preening through it's golden feathers. She loved the animals, dearly, and even with the prospect of many hours of hard riding, she was still somewhat looking forward to this. Her chest was bound, as was usual with her, and she wore the heavy armor she'd grown accustomed to. Certainly, as she began the trek, the sun was hot, but at the same time it just meant she had had to better prepare.

Hours passed, with her taking time to let the chocobo rest, water it from her own skin, and feed it greens. Her blade was ready, her shield newly repaired, and her armor shone in the desert sun, for all appearances the shining knight come to save the day.

But armor only shone while brand new, after all. And there was nothing that would dull her eagerness for her blade like the bite of blood along it's edge.

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - combatwombat519 - 05-22-2016

The smell of salt and fish, the crash of waves and the sounds of gulls (and the occasional yell of someone under those gulls). The typical sounds and smells of Limsa were all around R'shesha as she walked along the upper walkway towards the Coral Tower. She stops before the doors into the tower and takes a deep breath "Alright, here we go."
Inside the circular room was a little bit of organized chaos. Yellowjackets at desks filling out paper work, the sound of metal on metal or the occasional gunshot from down the stairs to the right. At the center of the room were two Roe and a Hyur. The hyur and the Roe were in the middle of a sparring match. The rapid crashing of weapons between the two of them ringing throughout the room before the Roe spun his axe around and the  Hyur crashed to the ground with the pop of a barrier spell failing.
The older Roe that had been watching the whole exchange claps, a deep boisterous voice carrying through the tower "Good job lads. Keep up the good work. Oh whats this? You need something there girl or you just come to gawp?" The other two marauders turn to also face Shesha as she steps closer.
"No, I came to join." The two that had been sparring laugh a little as Shesha stops about an arm's length away and looks up at the old guild master. 
"Yer ah bit small aren't ya?" The Roe and Hyur chuckle a little while Wyrnzoen looks her over. After a moment he nods almost imperceptabley "Why?" 
"Because I need to learn to protect my friends better. One of them nearly died in front of me and I couldn't stop the one attacking her. Everything I know is for taking down prey or ambushes. And I can't see myself running around with a sword and shield trying to be all holy. And as for those crazies with the big swords...no..." She keeps her eyes on the older Roe's the whole time. The other two in the room start laughing again but go quiet as soon as Wyrnzoen speaks again "Alright girl. I'll give you this one shot. Get a practice axe and we'll have you go up against Demrin there. If you win we'll train you. If you loose...well we'll see what happens there."

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - Knight Kat - 05-28-2016

Rock Falls, Southern Thanalan

The moment Kiht, Zanzan, Arblis and Nihka emerged from the cave, Kiht felt a rush of accomplishment as the Immortal Flames carried sleeping Seekers out into the open air.

Some of the Flames had been waiting outside, and what they would see is the nearly fifty members of the Falling Stars tribe being carried out, unharmed. With no context for others to understand, it looked as if four adventurers went in and neutralized over forty Seekers without taking harm. It was a sight one might describe in a legend.

However, despite Kiht's willingness to take her share of the credit at first, she would not exaggerate this story to make it sound more fantastic. The team went in, showed mercy and kindness to a broken girl, and with her help, were able to sneak up to the chamber where the many enslaved Seekers and few huntresses rested.

There was a struggle, but not one of combat or arms; it was one of philosophy.

"What in the Seven Hells?" One Flames soldier spoke out. "They had this many in there? This many they could have attacked us with?"

Kiht turned her gaze to the soldier. She had thought the same thing. The Falling Stars Huntresses were among some of the most difficult foes she had ever faced, yet they squandered their numbers by turning a large part of their tribe into these disgraced servants. It was not only dishonorable, but strategically foolish.

Was it all in order to breed even stronger generations? Was it so the Nunh could maintain power without his underlings growing too big in number? Kiht's mind wondered, but found no answers.

"Be gentle with them." She called out to the soldier.

He looked at Kiht as he began to drag one of the sleeping Seekers. "They weren't gentle when they attacked us, miss."

"These are not your enemy. See that tail cut short? The rubbish clothes? She was stripped of her title, her tribe letter, her rank and her right to be a huntress. She was punished enough. Carry her rightly, or I will do it myself." Kiht spoke sternly.

She had taken responsibility for Miqo'te akin to this in the past: the banished, the strays and the abused. It reminded her of the once honorable cause she once fought for. The Clans were left behind, but it never changed her belief in the cause of aiding Miqo'te in need; especially, when the fate of some were reduced to something like this...

The soldier scoffed, but he lifted the sleeping woman instead of continuing to drag her. He was even more unhappy about it when he found out how much the woman weighed.

"She's as heavy as my wife!"

"That is not a kind thing to speak ab-"

"My wife is a Highlander!"

"... Ah, I see..."

Kiht withdrew a bone whistle from her belt. She blew a short, melodic tune on it then peered into the sky. It was time for her to do what the White Seer had asked, and take responsibility for the children.

A shadowy silhouette from something that flew moved across the ground at nearly the speed of an arrow. Kiht held out her arm, and the small Coerthan Falcon, Haru, abruptly landed on her forearm. His birdy gaze met hers.

"Right then, Haru, time to be my eyes in the sky." She spoke softly then focused her aether in linking with his.

Suddenly he flew off back into the air; not only acting as eyes in the sky, but understanding the instinctive intent of Kiht.

From above, she could see through his eyes to overlook the entire operation. Any Seeker being dragged, roughed up or abused would be spotted so Kiht could intervene. It only made sense that the Immortal Flames might be angry - they lost comrades to this tribe. But these were not the people to blame.

There was a certain Nunh who needed any number of violent things done to him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Camp Sodding Nowhere, Sodding Nowhere, Sagolii, Southern Thanalan

Bells after the nearly fifty Seekers were brought to camp finally awake, a newly-purchased steel spear would be found close to where the Seekers with clipped tails were being kept. It was a weapon brought with the Immortal Flames, but Kiht purchased it from the requisitions officer.

On the spear, a small letter was tied to it.

The letter bore a somewhat poor drawing of four people - three Miqo’te and one Lalafell. One Miqo’te had white hair with a dark-colored body, and another was like a negative image being dark-haired with a light-colored body. The third was drawn in the midst of a goofy arm-wave motion, and had reddish hair.

Only two words were written on the note.

“For Orri.”

RE: Starsfall [Fate-14] IC Thread - LystAP - 06-01-2016

Inside the Workshop, banging and zapping sounds could be heard. A Magitek Reaper-class Construct stood upright, as parts of it’s internal workings were left open. A small flock of magitek bits fluttered around the Reaper, polishing and sterilizing the armor plates with medium-energy magitek beams, while other bits roost in the scaffolding of the workshop. At the front, where a heavily modified bit flutters with a diversity of tools attached to it, a Au Ra woman could be seen tinkering with the Reaper’s core casing. Her upper body is obscured by the Reaper’s plate as her tail eagerly swishes back and forth like a upright pendulum. A bit carrying a variety of tools hovers overhead and occasionally the woman’s tail hooks a tool off the bit, before lowering it down into the Reaper’s innards as she works.

“There’s sand everywhere. Sand in the motor, sand in the core, sand in the cannon.” She musically muses as her tail lifts and holds up a tool she previously used. The tool-carrying bit snags the tool with its’ barrel and deftly launches it into the air before catching it on its tool racks. The Reaper shudders as the woman pulls at a internal valve and suddenly a torrent of sand spills out of the Reaper’s chassis, washing out nearby Mammets and Model Vanguards. A small strange red orb agitatedly hovers over the small avalanche of sand and ascends to the Reaper’s compartment as some of the magitek bits swarm the sandy floor, vacuuming, polishing and sterilizing the sand.

“User Aigiarn, this Accompaniment Node must insist that you …bzzt… follow basic mechanical procedures regarding the disposal of earth and earth-based aether. Failure could result in the agitation of natural elements into rebellion, …bzzt… per Protocol 51.4.” Aigiarn lifts her head, narrowing missing the armor plate above her. “I thought you lost all of your protocols, Node?” She glances up at the Accompaniment Node with a smirk. ‘Node’ flashes red and whirls, “I have been parceling together information from my databanks, while much is still DAMAGED - DELETED - I have managed to restore approximately 11% of my files within a confidence level of 0.10.” Aigiarn smiles up at the refurbished node. “Maybe. Maybe.” She lifts her head and bounces into the plate above her. “Ow!” ‘Node’ beeps, “User Aigiarn, you must be careful… bzzt… this is the 112 incident this month…bzzt… moon…” Rubbing her head, Aigiarn glares at ‘Node’, “I know, I know.” Her tail swishes agitatedly. 

Rubbing her head, a magnificent, if not terrifying image comes to her mind. Her heart felt as if it briefly stopped as she recall the power of one Flame Captain Maximillian Maximus. His manly physique, his impossible athletics, his thundering rapport, and the aetheric lightning sparking in the desert moonlight and illuminated by the defensive wards, creating an exemplary image of a heroic eikon. Above all, his magnificent mustache, a rival for any senator or centurion in Garlemeld. Had he been in service to the Empire, Legatuses would have fought each other for the privilege of adding him to their ranks. In a sense, Aigiarn is perplexed as to his rank of Captain, as surely he could have been promoted to Colonel by this point. 

The sight of his righteous fist slamming into the sinister Tia of the Falling Stars, the force shattering his nose before smearing his face with the remnants of it, the force compressing the tia’s eyes, mouth, cheeks and forehead into the rest of his head. The aetheric lightning of his fist thrusting into the tia’s face with the compressed force of Maximus’s righteous fist, piercing through the tia’s face as if the tia’s unnaturally handsome features were a blasphemy to the Twelve of Eorzea, and the Captain’s absolute fist was a cleansing lance through the maw of some heretical monstrosity. The sight of the tia’s skull crackling and exploding off his neck in a shower of gore and lightning, the moonlight and wards reflecting off the glistening and sparkling material, agitating his glorious mustache to a glimmering polish, while simultaneously illuminating his thrusting, piercing fist, raised to the heavens in pronouncement of divine victory.

Aigiarn understood why the remaining huntresses promptly surrendered before this enrapturing display of dominance. She frowns as she recalls the arrogant smirk of one of the huntresses, X’cinna, whom somehow managed to enrage her Reaper’s Mammet Core. Against the technological might of her Reaper, the huntresses were amazing reliant. Even the Dotharl of the steppes couldn’t deflect a point-blank magitek cannon blast with their skin. The others also spoke of biological materia absorption, of which intrigues Aigiarn's inner technologist. On the other hand, Flame Captain Maximus pierced their natural defenses with a single aetheric lightning-infused drilling punch. While she was initially solely interested in the unnatural reliance of the Falling Stars, the sheer power of Maximus’s fist superseded that reliance by malms. Aigiarn smiles broadly as she analyzes the Captain’s physique in her mind’s eye, perhaps she could redesign her projectiles, modify the body of her constructs, create a personal light source with one’s inner aether, or develop a training regime with that knowledge; so many possibilities emerge and compete inside Aigiarn’s mind, like imperial Senators engaged in “vigorous debate” on the Senate floor of Garlemeld.

“User Aigiarn, your heart rate has elevated… bzzt…”, Aigiarn ignores Node’s diagnostic and continues mentally scanning the Captain of her memories. “Oh, I would love to study the Captain more throughly. I wonder if he’ll let me implant sensors around his fist. If I replace his knuckles with a pair of modified Ironworks Magitek Jamadhars. When he practices, I may be able to learn so much… Teehee. <3” She leans on the Reaper’s forward plate, her tail happily swishing back and forth as Node flashes agitatedly, in anticipating of all of the future knowledge to be had, from both the Captain and the Falling Stars. 

In the background, the flock of magitek bits have started fighting over a large, but extremely well-polished pile of sand.