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RE: Through Ruin Or Redemptionã€Closed】 - Roen - 04-26-2017
Roen studied the pages, her eyes skimming over the contents. The ones written in code she set aside, but the alchemical notes… they caught her eye. Not only because it was written plainly, perhaps the author felt that technical details would not translate well in short hand, but some pages also described various procedures that involved magitek. Roen was no expert in the field, but having been raised by a scientist whose work primarily involved Garlean technology, it was impossible not to have absorbed some knowledge in her early years.
So, this scientist that The Redeemers had employed, was also familiar with Garlean technology? Valencourt had mentioned that The Court did bring in an alchemist as part of their efforts to eradicate the dragon influence from Spoken blood. It was with her research along with the relic and knowledge presumably from Khadai’s people, that they had made a breakthrough.
When Roen got to the middle of the page, she paused. She read the passage twice. It mentioned trials using the knowledge of the Void and creatures therein. The findings on it were succinctly put, it was deemed too unstable a factor. But the fact that it was used in their studies at all…
“Do me a favor and keep an ear to the ground for me, would you?†Delial had asked her many moons ago regarding any matters involving the Voidsent in Ishgard. Grimsong was on the hunt for a particular Garlean scientist then. Roen’s eyes narrowed.
Could it be?
She glanced back at Khadai then the Marquis and the female knight. He was right. Just the two of them would not be able to expose The Redeemers. At least not yet. But since this knowledge was obtained from the two prisoners tied in front of them, Khadai and she had very little time to act, before what they learned here became also known to The Redeemers. No matter how they dealt with the bodyguard and the Marquis, they still had perhaps a sun at most, before whatever was marked on the map would become useless.
“Then we move on this now,†she rolled up the papers and tucked it into her pack.
RE: Through Ruin Or Redemptionã€Closed】 - Nero - 04-27-2017
The location marked on the map was not actually outside the city; it was, however, outside the Pillars. While reconstruction was a ubiquitous sight in the Foundations, some rubble on the outskirts of the Saint Reinette Forum had been carefully arranged to conceal a blank spot of stone wall. A wave of Kasrjin's hand on the wall revealed that it was a glamour; if nobody knew to look at this exact location, it was highly unlikely it would ever be found.
The passage within was dimly lit, but it mattered little, for it was more or less a completely straight corridor. It was impossible to tell for how long they walked--Kasrjin stopped counting the seconds at around three hundred--but they eventually reached what could vaguely be called an intersection. According to the map, they should be close to directly underneath Saint Reymanaud's Cathedral. Straight ahead was an unremarkable steel door. To the left was another long hallway.
There were no guards and no personnel present in general. While suspicious at first, the more the Au Ra thought about it, the more it made sense; constant ingress and egress to this secret passage would only draw more attention to it, so it was likely whoever came here only came sparingly. Second, they relied almost entirely on secrecy to protect its location. Had Roen not been given such valuable information from the dragoon, the likelihood of them finding this location was likely close to zero.
"I will go straight ahead," Kasrjin said, pushing open the steel door. "We will meet at the entrance, if we do not encounter one another." A part of him was wary about finding his way back given his sense of direction, but it should theoretically be impossible to get lost in a completely straight hallway. Maybe.
Behind the door was what appeared to be nothing more than a modest, circular chamber. What Kasrjin saw, however, was very different; colours and shapes of all sorts and sizes, nearly incomprehensible to him. The myriad reflections of light sent his mind reeling as they flashed upon the walls of the chamber. The Correspondence burned, and each time he blinked he could feel each character marking itself within his eyelids.
Sitting on an unimpressive pedestal in the middle was an obsidian hemisphere. Or so it seemed; with every second that Kasrjin stared at it, it seemed to change. One second it was pitch black, and the next it was dark red. From being a smooth hemisphere it because a long cone-shaped object.
Instinctively, he reached behind him to touch the keystone's counterpart. It felt warm, the heat pulsing upon his hand even through his metal gauntlets. The resonance was unmistakable. His left hand was firmly fixed on the stone in his pack, while his right hand gingerly reached out to grab the stone on the pedestal.
Images and sounds flashed before his eyes. Dialogues and sights. They cannot know your part in this. It was a voice. His voice? Or Tsuven's voice? Kasrjin felt the chains around his wrists and ankles, staring up at the obsidian pillar within Karaad-El. He saw Tsanai, biting her lip, as if on the verge of breaking into sobs, her hands curling into fists as she stared at the temple from afar. The chains tightened. A white hot light brighter than a sun, brighter than a thousand suns, seared his eyes. He felt it digging into him, into his skull--
YOU WOULD STILL SEEK IT, KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW? YOU WOULD RETURN IT TO HER KNOWING OF HER BETRAYAL?
And it was over.
Almost unconsciously, his right hand scooped the keystone off of its pedestal and placed it in the bag with the other piece. The myriad colours of the Correspondence flickered out, one by one, leaving the Au Ra in complete darkness.
He collapsed, briefly. When his hands opened his pack to make sure of the keystone's presence, the hemispheres were gone. In its place was a single, perfect sphere, roughly the size of a melon. Its smooth obsidian surface pulsed and streaked with lines of myriad colours. Kasrjin took a deep breath.
That was enough, for now. Just a brief rest.
RE: Through Ruin Or Redemptionã€Closed】 - Roen - 05-02-2017
Roen opened the door slowly, her free hand on the hilt of her sword.
The room beyond the heavy double steel doors was not what she had expected. Where the winter chill pervaded the dark long hallway, the hidden chamber within was considerably warmer. Roen glanced up at the high ceiling where a chandelier of Belah’dian glass hung overhead. The chandelier's light added to the Nymian-style lanterns that hung from the walls, well... none would suffer for the lack of illumination here. Tall eight-fulm shelves with accompanying ladders were stocked with bottles of reagents, books, and ceramic pots, and a heavy polished rosewood tables sat at the center of the room.
It was a sophisticated laboratory hidden underground, far beneath the affluent districts of the Pillars; Roen had not seen the likes of it since she set foot in the Alchemist Guild in Ul’dah. She had heard rumors of strange and fantastical experiments that were tied to the Alchemist Guild then, but none were ever as ambitious as to try and directly affect an entire city-state's populous. Was it even possible? To remove something within one’s blood, a trait that had been inherited through generations?
She shook her head. After all that she had seen, she knew not to doubt the possibilities. Nor to underestimate the reach and capabilities of the ambitious and the powerful.
Roen took note of the various items that were neatly assembled on the table, her eyes scanning the area for anything that could be useful. The laboratory was thankfully unoccupied for the moment, and she would take full advantage to gather what information she could from the place. She knew not if a relic such as the keystone would be kept in a place like this, but surely something of import must be here.
Rifling through drawers and shelves, and even tracing and inspecting the walls for hidden compartments yielded some documents. There were some historical records of Ishgard’s population: it systematically categorized many noble family names with details on how strong their lineage ties were to the Knights Twelve. Some individual names were highlighted, with notes made if they were bastard children. The illegitimate offspring were listed separately, and then many of them crossed off. Roen did not know what that meant.
She also came across piles of notes that mostly contained anatomical diagrams; there were detailed drawings of various organs and viscera of dragonkin. Alongside them, there were newer notes comparing it to that of the Au Ra and the Elezen. It was painstakingly detail-oriented and many times rather gruesome. When she then came across the rack with manacles in the corner surrounded by faint old blood stains, she shuddered to think how exactly those illustrations were obtained.
Roen paused when she found a hidden compartment on the underside of a desk, a small tablet tucked within. It drew her eye because it was of Garlean make. She had seen them before in her father’s labs. But just as she was about to activated it, she heard the sounds of another door opening followed by voices coming from the far side of the room. She winced that she had not spotted the second door on the other side of the laboratory. She ducked under the desk that she had been inspecting, crouching ever still so that her armor did not announce her presence.
“The final batch of specimens should be arriving soon,†a woman’s voice intoned. It was somewhat hushed. “We really shouldn’t.â€
“You worry over much. We have plenty of time. Everything is already in order for the final step.†The second was a breathy male voice. Roen did not recognize either of them. Their words ceased as the sound of glass bottles clinked together drowned them out, as if being shoved aside. “Once the delivery is made, we will have absolutely no time to ourselves.â€
Roen narrowed her eyes when she began to hear more shuffling and quickened breaths. She rubbed her eyebrows. Perhaps if she were to engage them while they were unclothed, they would be defenseless...
“Ah!†An alarmed cry ceased whatever activity the two were engaging in. It made Roen reach for her sword. “Whew… we nearly dropped that. That would have been disastrous.†A long sigh followed.
“This was a bad idea, Aurelieaux.â€
“Oh come now, Isene. Are you not excited by what is to come? With the keystone in hand, and all that we have learned from the remains of Kavir, we finally have a chance at success. Does that not make your blood tingle?â€
“Does Miss Reeves share your optimism?†Isene’s voice did not carry the same energy as the male's.
The male, Aurelieaux, snorted. “Does that woman ever show any emotion?†He chuckled then paused when it was not reciprocated. “I’ll admit that she is quite knowledgeable, but odd. Too chilly and distant. We rarely hold any conversation. She only gives me instructions.â€
“Hence the sparseness of your reports,†Isene chided.
Aurelieaux tsked at the rebuke. “I relay all that I see and learn to you. It still strikes me as strange that you have me spy on her work. As if you don’t trust her yourself.â€
“I don’t trust her,†Isene answered sharply. “None had heard of her until she appeared at our doorstep. If it wasn’t for Lord Jeaumis vouching for her unconventional methods, the Marquis would have never agreed to patron her.â€
“Do I sense a bit of jealousy?†Aurelieaux purred playfully, but then quickly changed his tone. “No, of course not. What would Isene Daumois ever find in a middle class Hyur to be envious of?â€
“Just make certain the preparations are complete.†The woman’s voice had become decidedly colder. Her footsteps echoed further away.
“Don’t be angry. I was merely--†Aurelieaux chased after the woman and the door closed behind him.
Roen exhaled a breath she had been holding and scurried out from under the table. She glanced to the other end of the laboratory, where the two had left. The other door was hidden from view behind a partition, but she heard nothing else after their exit. It made sense that there might be a portal leading out elsewhere than the Foundation, and from the sound of things, more were to arrive soon from that direction.
It was time to leave. As she tucked the tablet into a bag, she hoped that Khadai had better luck than she did.
RE: Through Ruin Or Redemptionã€Closed】 - Nero - 05-04-2017
After leaving the passageway, the pair made their way out of the city proper as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. They exchanged very little words, just a nod and gesture now and then. It was only after they were a good ways away from the Gates of Judgement that they finally stopped in their tracks.
His journey close to its end, Kasrjin made a mental checklist. Karadwr had been sold to a reputable chocobo breeder, and any excess funds that he'd had, the Xaela had already given to the children he had been training in the Brume, along with any new equipment he thought they might need.
Roen glanced around before looking up at him. "I hope you had some success. We could not stay there much longer."
A short nod served as a confirmation. Kasrjin maintained his habit of reaching into the bag where the sphere lay, checking every few minutes that its presence was still there. "I did. And if what Valencourt told you was correct, then I also have the truth behind my kinsman's death, as well. With this, my endeavour is complete. Or will be, once I return." In some way, it was a bit gratifying. While losing Kaizhan was unfortunate, Kasrjin was inclined to believe that it was pure circumstance. There was some small comfort in that.
Roen nodded, although there was a slight crease to her brow. "Good. I am... glad." She glanced toward the direction of the gate. "I suppose sooner the better. They will be looking for you soon, I am certain of it." She gave the Au Ra a sidelong glance. "How do you plan to return?"
Kasrjin pulled off his left gauntlet and rolled up the sleeve of the tabard as far up as he could. Tied to his left forearm was a slim piece of obsidian, fastened with twine. On its surface was a glowing rune that pulsed softly with a dim, warm light. "I've kept this with my person, and it will lead me back to my vessel within the forest. After that, it is nearly one moon to return to Othard."
Roen glanced at the rune up his arm, her gaze lingering on it. Her expression grew solemn. "Will you leave right away?"
Another nod as Kasrjin replaced the sleeve and gauntlet over the rune. "I must. Bearing in mind the nature of my mission...keeping this object with me is also discomforting, in a way." As if to illustrate his anxiety, he reached into the pack strapped to his waist to feel the sphere again. "And you? Will you...return?"
Roen nodded, almost sternly. "Aye, of course. We cannot risk them finding you as they did your kinsman." She pursed her lips to one side. "Return to Ishgard? Perhaps, with care. These people still... remain. We may have foiled their plan, but they still want what they want. And who knows what they are willing to do to achieve their goals." She looked toward the gate again. "Besides, I think... I may know who their alchemist is that is working on this." Her tone lowered. "If I am right, I cannot let her be."
Kasrjin shook his head. "I did not refer to Ishgard. I mean the place that caused you to come to Ishgard."
The paladin blinked and looked back at him, remaining silent for a short time before answering with a nod. "I believe so. I too... was shown things, in Ehs Daih." Her words were quiet, but her expression had softened, her lips curling slightly. "It gave me some answers."
A small grin graced the Xaela's face. "Then my presence here was not wasted. Nor were the apparent secrets of my people. That is good. I understand that duty is not the same cornerstone to your people as it is to mine. Nonetheless, it grants a certainty that few things can match." He nodded in approval. A sharp glance towards the city turned his expression somber. "You had best be careful moving within that city going forward. Doubtless there are new enemies to be made there."
A long released breath plumed in front of Roen's face. She nodded and then stepped closer to him, bringing her gaze upwards as she stared intently into his shimmering eyes. "Your presence here... has helped me greatly. Thank you." Her last words were nearly whispered, and would be lost to the winter gales if it was at its full force. But it was a quiet offering, as the snow drifted down around them peacefully.
"There is one more thing." She glanced down for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts. "You said something in the cave. That happiness meant nothing." She shook her head, a small frown drawing her brows. "I know your people live different and very directed lives, but I hope when you return, if you find your place with your people again, that you also find... and seek happiness. I believe in the end, it is something that everyone should seek. In their own way."
Kasrjin tilted his head. "I expect that the seeking of something so transient will remain a point of contention between your peoples and mine. Nonetheless, I accept the sentiment."
Roen curled a small grin in response. "Very well."
The Au Ra glanced south, towards the Shroud. "It would be best of we parted before we lost whatever lead we had upon our pursuers." She nodded again and glanced to the ground. She glanced back up at him, before frowning again. She was hesitating. She looked back at him once more. "Stand still for a moment." Though a puzzled look crossed Kasrjin's face, he did as instructed.
She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, and laid her head against his chest. It was a firm embrace. "I will miss you." Roen whispered. "Stay well."
He was not sure how to return the gesture, but placed his hands atop her shoulders briefly, before she stepped back and looked up at him intently. "I do not know if I shall see you again, so I am committing your face to memory." Roen reached into her pouch and held up that linkpearl they shared. "And if you ever return south, you can always contact me."
Kasrjin pursed his lips in thought for a brief moment, trying to recall some lessons of the Aljai. "There is a place on Othard, where the tribes of the Xaela meet, far from our glaciers. Look for the Xaela wearing adornments of obsidian, and you will find those of my people." He paused momentarily. "...you may tell them of your association with Kasrjin of the Khadai, and should it please you, we may meet again."
She nodded at his instruction, then paused. Her lips broadened into a smile. "Kasrjin... of the Khadai," she echoed softly. "It is... good to know you, Kasrjin."
And with a low nod of his head, Kasrjin turned to leave. "Henyn il enfath dwyr. May your suns find fair weather, Roen." His sabatons crunched in the snow as he marched south, towards home.
--
Some time later, amidst the glacial valley...
"Who was Tsuven?"
Tsanai was startled by the presence of a sharp, feminine voice at the entrance of her yurt, causing her to drop the chisel she had been using to carve another rune into a piece of Karaad-El's obsidian. Standing with her arms folded was Alaqu, the latter's crimson hair having grown somewhat longer since the departure of the expedition.
The Tsenkhai breathed deep before turning back to the piece of obsidian. "Someone not of your concern," she huffed with some indignation.
"It does concern me when it causes you to interfere with my role," Alaqu snapped in a severe tone, sauntering over to Tsanai's workstation and dropping a small tablet upon it, causing the slight wooden frame of the desk to shudder from the impact. Inscribed upon the tablet was a series of runes, conveying a discrepancy in the materials needed for the expedition to the Western Continent. There was more information inscribed there, but Tsanai dare not glance at it, for she had an idea of what it was.
"Logistics is the duty of the Aljai. I was suspicious of you from the start when you proposed this, so imagine my surprise when I find that you saw fit to needlessly appropriate extra resources for the sake of one lone Khadai. Your favourite Khadai, Kasrjin." The Aljai raised a hand to stop Tsanai from protesting. "I also know that...you lied about having been to the Western continent. The other Tsenkhai said Karaad-El's memories had no record of you, one of its own Tsenkhai, ever leaving our shores. And you lied to the Erdegai to convince them to make Kasrjin a sword. That you stole in order to have it made. The conclusion I had to draw is that the expedition to the Western continent was...nothing but folly, based only off of your fabrications. And that for some reason, you did it for Tsuven."
Tsanai sighed again, moving the tablet off to the side. "If you have spoken to Albei, then you know who Tsuven is. Was. He was a...traitor, one who conspired to destroy everything we held dear."
"And you truly believe that, do you?" Alaqu frowned. "Which is why you spent so much time favouring his former vessel. Which is why you lied to the Erdegai to make that sword for him. And you lied to the other Tsenkhai about what he was to you. Why you lied about having been to the Western continent!" Alaqu uncrossed and recrossed her arms, foot tapping the ground with impatience. "I have let your transgressions pass out of...some twisted form of respect that you knew what you were doing, and because you are Tsenkhai. If you do not confess before me, I guarantee that I will have you confess before Karaad-El itself if that is what it takes."
"You step outside your role, Aljai," Tsanai snapped, standing up and turning to face her, her dreadlocks flying with indignation.
"My role is the welfare of my people!" Alaqu shot back. The two Xaela were of similar height and build. "I believed that your role, the role of all Tsenkhai was the same. And yet you did so much just for a vessel!"
Tsanai bit her lip.
Alaqu exhaled, as if trying to expel whatever anger she felt. "I am coming to you to let you speak because...my instincts tell me that you must have done all of this for a reason. And having you dragged before the Tsenkhai and forfeited to Karaad-El will not help me understand that reason. The reason why you sent so many of our people on such a wild chase, a chase they might not return from! Not your precious Kasrjin, not Jalaq, not...Kaizhan." Alaqu winced. "For all I know, you may have just killed all of them. So I need to know why."
The Tsenkhai could do nothing but turn away. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Tell me who he was," Alaqu repeated with a combination of solemnity and exhaustion. "And why you did this, and mayhaps we can think about repairing the results of your crimes."
Tsanai took a deep breath, her hands clenched to her elbows until her knuckles turned white. She didn't turn to face Alaqu, speaking slowly, softly.
"I...wanted to change things. I was sick of it. Being locked inside that temple, for years, doing nothing but interpreting the Correspondence. I was told it was my role, my duty. It was more than fifteen cycles before I ever saw the sun. The true sun, not some mental fabrication that Karaad-El devised to keep me docile."
"Tsuven, he...followed me. I showed him what I wanted and convinced him that it was what he wanted as well. Freedom. Not being tied to this role, this name, but the freedom to..." Tsanai trailed off, as if she didn't know what to say. "I conspired to...break Karaad-El. To burn away the Correspondence, so that we would be free of our role. A naive plan, one that I was so sure would work. Tsuven helped me. And when the time came, it failed. The Tsenkhai caught on, and they warned Karaad-El, and Karaad-El was...angry."
Tsanai sank to her knees, arms curling around her legs. "He took the fall for me. They didn't know what I had done, what I had planned. And Tsuven forfeited himself, for me. And for my crime, they devoured his essence until his vessel was hollow and empty, and saw fit to replace him with a mindless warrior from a hundred cycles ago. Or, at least I thought he was mindless. He was more like Tsuven than I could tell him. And he had...his face, his voice, his mannerisms."
"Tsuven was the one who had been to the Western continent, but those memories were banished when he was devoured. It was his knowledge I was using to convince everyone that the expedition was needed. And I sent his vessel so that...he might be free. Even if he spends the remainder of his life searching for a fabrication, he would at least be someplace where he could be a person."
Alaqu's lip quivered. "All of them? You decided to strand all of them there...for him?"
Tsanai only nodded slowly.
The Aljai let out a low exhale. "Even with what you have told me...the lives you have cost, the sedition you have committed. I cannot let this pass. It was foolish of you to think that you could pay penance to Tsuven by saving his vessel."
The Tsenkhai didn't move.
As Alaqu turned to leave. "May you find some redemption for the ruin you brought to others," she murmured softly.