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Order of the Twilight Guardians - Eternal Darkness - 07-01-2012
Spoiler: show
“There, there. It’s alright.â€Â
Ailith patted the top of the Goobbue’s head. It was nervous and anxious. She smiled slightly, rubbing the dark blue, leathery skin in an attempt to pass along some measure of comfort and looked up from her perch at the beast’s head, scanning the horizon. It was a clear, warm spring night with a slight westerly breeze that tussled her hair. The taste of the wind was sweet with new life, sounds of the night cascaded all around her in a pleasant cacophony. The soft glow of moonlight spread out over the green fields, giving it an ethereal, teal glow that was both warm, and inviting. All in all it was a beautiful night, almost perfect. Except for the lingering heft of uneasiness in the atmosphere.
It started a little over a week ago. Ailith had been wandering the Twelveswood, going about her duty, when she felt a thickness fall about her like the humid air of a swamp on a hot summers day. It was palpable and thick. She felt a few times like she would choke just breathing in the rancid air, the thick warm moisture wadding up in the back of her throat and filling her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
At first, she panicked, thinking she had eaten something poisonous or perhaps someone had poisoned her. Those thoughts had passed when she didn’t choke or suffocate and the air began to thin, only slightly, allowing her to breathe normally again, though what ever it was still hung heavy all around her. What ever it was, it thinned out over the next few days, but still left a foreboding weight clinging to the atmosphere.
The next day she had received her summons, the way she always did, by a black Goldfinch. The tiny bird was conjured by the use of magic and sent out to all members of the Order. Each member was taught how to send the magical bird so contact with the others could remain as constant as possible without having to call a gathering. Ailith was somewhat surprised at the calling for a gathering in the missive. They usually only met twice each year, and their next scheduled gathering wasn’t for another four months. The letter was short and to the point, five words only: Gathering. Foothills. Two weeks. Urgent.
Ailith had recognized the handwriting to be Melfina’s, the Night Mage, who rarely sent missives, let alone urgent one’s. Whatever it is Melfina had needed to speak about must be extremely important, Ailith thought, and not giving any indication about what is more than just a little frustrating.
She sighed as the Goobbue let out a low growl of impatience. Ailith understood the beasts uneasiness and wanting to flee this place. She had gotten gooseflesh more than twice sitting here, waiting. She had arrived at the foothills nearly two hours ago, less than twenty minutes before their normal meeting time as the moon reached its peak in the sky. Now it was well on its way to the horizon and still no one had shown up. Ailith was usually the one late to the gatherings.
Not even Isaac, her brother, which she thought odd, had arrived on time. He was always punctual and arrived early along with Azrith or Tauten. But not tonight. Tonight it was her turn to be early.
She was about to give up and head home when the familiar sound of a Goobbue’s heavy footfall came within earshot. Ailith’s ears twitched as they perked up to better hear the faint sound. It was coming from the east. Her own mount had stopped skittering, trading nervousness for momentary curiosity as it sniffed the air, aware of the approach of its own kind.
Ailith gazed out over the horizon to her right and after several agonizing minutes of the steady stomping, growing louder as it approached, the blue beast crested the rise of the hill. Atop the Goobbue’s head sat an elderly Hyur Highlander with carefully plaited white hair and a long beard. He was garbed in a simple white cotton robe with no sleeves, leaving his still muscular arms bare to proudly display the tribal markings of his clan. She smiled and stood as the Highlander and his mount came to a stop before them. The two Goobbue’s moaned with joy to each other, reaching out with their spindly arms in greeting.
Ailith bowed deeply at her waist, placing her right arm over her stomach, palm flat and fingers straight. “Greetings Elda Ezrith. I hope the night finds you well.â€Â
Ezrith nodded to her, a wide smile spreading across his lips. “Well met, Twin Blade.†He replied in his deep voice that Ailith had always found pleasant. It had a certain musical quality to it, magical in its roots, that carried with it a pleasant baritone.
“I was beginning to think I was the only one who was going to show up,†Ailith said, rising to her full height, which, in comparison to his, was rather short.
Azrith sighed and shifted his position slightly. “Events out of my control prevented me from arriving in a timely manner.†He looked at his surroundings, his thick brows furrowing. “Are we the only two here?â€Â
“Aye,†Ailith replied as she sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins then resting her chin between her knees. “I’m beginning to wonder how urgent Melfina’s message really is.â€Â
“Don’t be so quick to dismiss, child. I’m sure that whatever Melfina has discovered is of enough importance to call a gathering or else she wouldn’t have sent for us.†Ailith could only nod at the short lecture.
The next half hour was spent in companionable silence, the minutes dragging out like hours. Ailith contented herself with picking strands of dry grass out of the soft carpet that was laid over the top of her mount’s head where she sat, thinking about nothing in particular. She pulled a rather long, however thin, blade of dry grass free from the carpet and pulled it close to inspect it. Upon her inspection, she noticed dirt underneath her fingernails. Sighing, unable to do anything about it, she tossed the dead blade over her shoulder and again rested her head upon her knees.
She looked over to Azrith, finding him in a comfortable state of meditation. Ailith knew he was doing more than just clearing his mind; he was searching, trying to find the other members of the Order through deep magical bonds that allowed him to sense life signatures from a distance. He had told her once that it was like a spiders web, he sent out thin silk like strands of magic across the land with his mind, touching everything in their path allowing him knowledge of their location. It was also sensory; anything it had once touched, they could seek out until they found it. There were, however, limits. It’s an exhausting task taking a toll not only mentally, but physically as well. Ailith had seen Azrith weak and unable to move for several hours after an extensive search.
There was a large flash to Ailith’s left that lit the area as if it were day, casting everything in a brilliant white light. It was gone as soon as it appeared. Though both she and Azrith knew exactly what the flash was, that didn’t stop them from becoming tense at its arrival. Ailith’s hand had absently shot to the hilt of one of her swords resting beside her, ready to draw at a glance.
A moment later, yet another Goobbue arrived on the hill carrying not one, but two riders. Melfina was standing, gripping one of the tree-like protrusions sprouting from the top of the Goobbue’s head, a nasty look spread across her face. A nasty look directed directly at Ailith. The other rider was Tauten, a highly skilled Lalafell bowmen from Limsa Lominsa who had been given the title Raptor Eye due to his extraordinary accuracy with his bow and his fearsome prowess while on the hunt, never missing a target. Ailith liked him the most, mostly due to the fact that he was closer to her age. He was the youngest of the seven members at sixteen summers, but also his personality was the more spritely of the group, always in good cheer. Now, however, that was not the case. The look of utter defeat upon his face made the smile she had put on fade almost instantly.
“Where is your brother?†Melfina demanded, her voice harsh and rough.
Ailith looked up to her and shrugged. “You’re late to your own meeting.â€Â
The Night Mage scowled, a low guttural growl escaping her throat. “Do not test me Twin Blade. Now answer me! Where is Isaac?â€Â
Ailith’s brows drew together in calm fury and she rose to her feet, meeting Melfina’s gaze. “I am not my brothers keeper.†She replied icily. “I haven’t seen him in nearly two months.â€Â
“You expect me to believe you haven’t had any contact with him since our last meeting?†Melfina scoffed. “Do you take me for a fool?â€Â
Ailith was taken aback. Melfina was most always in a sour mood, but tonight she was borderline violent with a murderous intent Ailith had only seen on one other occasion. “And what do you want with him?â€Â
Melfina stood up straighter, putting her hand to her side. “That is none of your concern.â€Â
“You come here and immediately demand information of me with the intent of visiting violence upon me, I can see it in your eyes, and you won’t even proffer an explanation as to why?†Ailith laughed. “You’re more delusional that I first thought, Night Mage.†The title seeped out like venom between her teeth.
If possible, the fury in Melfina’s eyes increased ten fold and she took a step forward. “How dare you! If it weren’t for me, you and-“
“Enough!†Azrith’s voice boomed out over the open expanse, silencing even the wild life leaving only the slight rustle of the wind. Even the Goobbue’s froze in place. “The night is late and it is apparent that the other three are not going to be in attendance. Let us perform the right and officially call this meeting into session so we can get this over with. I can tell you I am eager to return home.â€Â
Melfina turned a sharp eye towards Azrith, who returned it in kind, then visibly cooled and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You’re right, Elda.†She turned back to Ailith. “Apologies Twin Blade, I spoke out of turn. The last week has been… trying.â€Â
Ailith nodded as the Night Mage moved her seedkin back, forming a triangle between the three beasts. Tauten gave Ailith an encouraging smile and nod as he stood. The smile returned to her lips.
“Let us begin then,†Azrith said as he stood.
The four of seven in attendance raised their arms out to their sides and lifted their heads back, greeting the night sky and the moon that would normally be overhead, and closed their eyes. It was an appeal to the Gods they all served, individually and as a whole, representing neither as a singularity but rather all of them together. Each member held their own beliefs, was born under a different God’s moon or sun, yet all held reverence for the collective. This is what made them strong, what put steel behind them to reinforce their will. The Order of the Twilight Guardians is servant to no man, woman or God alone, yet live to serve all races and creeds, to protect those that could not protect themselves from nefarious magiks and the ones who attempt to wield it.
The Order itself dates back many millennia, back to the time of its original creator, who had died at the very hands of the magic he had sworn to rid the land of, an Ishgardian mage of renown power, Nedral Crenl. It was he who first led the battle against an ancient evil that wished to consume the world of Eorzea and condemn its inhabitants to an eternal abyss of suffering and darkness. The battle was waged over many years against the darkness, at its end it was Nedral who had drawn the demon into himself then drove his own sword through his heart, ending his, and the demons, life. The members of the Order have since upheld his beliefs and convictions against the improper usage of magic, have watched over the population from the shadow of twilight.
The sounds of the night had returned by the time the ritual had finished and the session officially called to order. Azrith once again took a seat, groaning in exaggeration, as did Tauten. Ailith and Melfina remained standing.
Azrith let out a loud sigh, then peered over the distance to Melfina. “Now, Night Mage, if you would so kindly explain the purpose of this meeting.â€Â
She nodded respectfully, the earlier malice in her eye replaced by tempered purpose. “Two weeks ago I received a missive from Isaac,†she looked to Ailith. “He said he had come across an ancient magic while traveling through Mor Dhona. Isaac took this magic to Elria, who knows more about the arcane and evil than either of us here. What she discovered was beyond horrifying.†She took a breath and rand a hand through her long black hair. “Together, the two of them located Gaiuus and set out to destroy the magic. That was the last I heard of it.†She looked to Ailith once again. “That was why I was curious if you had heard from your brother.â€Â
“Did Isaac happen to mention what type of magic he had found?†Azrith asked.
“Yes,†Melfina responded distantly. “He described it as a black liquid,†she paused for a long moment, looking down to the ground below her. She raised her head and looked each one of them in eye before continuing. “Contained in a plain, crystal vial.â€Â
Ailith’s blood turned to ice as it left her face, gathering in her stomach, making her queasy. After a quick glance around, she saw each member in attendance experiencing the same dread. She swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in her throat down, her mouth having gone dry. “Abaddon,†her voice was barely above a whisper.
The others regarded her icily. “We do not speak his name,†Tauten said from his perch next to Melfina. “To do so may inadvertently call him back into being.â€Â
“Poppycock,†Azrith waived his hand dismissively. “An old wives tale, Raptor Eye, to keep children fearful so that they may stay in their beds at night.â€Â
“Be that as it may, Elda, the issue remains; the demons blood has been found and it must be dealt with.†The young Lalafell’s voice was larger than his stature.
Ailith shook her head. “You already said my brother, Elria and Gaiuus have set out to destroy it. Surely they have done so already. My brother would not fail in a task such as this, even if it were the actual blood of the demon.â€Â
“Two days after I received the letter from your brother,†she gave pause to emphasize her next words then swept her arm in a wide arch. “The atmosphere changed. You cannot tell you haven’t felt the change.â€Â
“Of course I have, but that does not mean that-“ Ailith was cut off as a loud whoosh of air swept by over head, causing all of them to duck and lower their heads, followed by a large thud. Ailith had already found the hilts of her swords before it was over.
“What in the God’s name was that?†Melfina said under her breath. She looked sharply down to Tauten. “Raptor Eye,â€Â
Tauten was already halfway down the arm of the Goobbue and well on his way over to where the noise had come from. His tiny feet shuffling through the grass made a soft crunching sound as he went, disappearing into the darkness.
Several moments of silence went by, no one talked, too afraid to even breath. Ailith couldn’t take it anymore and called out to him. “Tauten. What do you see?†Silence answered her and her blood once again froze.
The tension was alleviated a moment later by Tauten’s voice calling out from the darkness, only to be replace with another fear. “It’s Isaac’s seedkin.â€Â
Ailith felt as if she were struck by a bolt of lightening for the second time in her life. She unsheathed one of her swords and leapt from her mount, ducking and rolling over her left shoulder as she hit the ground, transferring the motion of her fall, then sprung off her feet in a dead run to where she had seen Tauten disappear. The other’s in close pursuit.
It appeared first as a large blot of darkness against the indigo sky, like a rock formation. It wasn’t until it let out a deep, shaky breath that Ailith realized the beast was still alive. She waved her hand out in front of her, summoning a light orb and sending it a few feet above the scene. What greeted her nearly made her sick.
Her brother’s Goobbue was badly injured; one of its eyes had been ripped from its socket by what looked like the claws of a large wolf, half of its lower jaw was missing, having been torn violently away. Its giant tongue lobbing out of the abscess, blood staining the grass as it dripped to the ground. There was a hole through its left side and she noticed half of its left arm had also been torn away. The other arm was badly mangled and broken. She could see several ribs on its other side jutting through its hide in jagged spikes. The creature was bleeding to death as much as it was dying from its grievous wounds.
“Gods…†Ailith placed a hand upon the creatures head as its one good eye looked at her. She could see fear in the gentle beasts eye, fear and intelligence. It knew it was dying and it was scared. Tears welled up under her eyes and she laid her head upon the seedkin’s cold brow.
“Here,†came Tauten’s voice. “A note!â€Â
Ailith and the others raced down to the creatures feet where a piece of parchment had been pinned to the Goobbue’s leg with a curved dagger. One of Isaac’s, Ailith noted numbly.
Tauten pulled on the blade, having to shift it up and down to loosen it, then freed it, removing the note from the blade. He unfolded the note and read it silently. His face lost all trace of expression and he distantly held it up to Melfina as she approached him.
After reading it, she looked up to Ailith, who was waiting with eager fear to hear what it said. “It was the blood of Abaddon.†Ailith fell to her knees. “Elria has taken the blood into herself, become one with the demon.†She passed the note to Azrith, who took it and read it quickly.
“Gaiuus is dead and Elria has disappeared.†His eyes had sympathy in them as he regarded Ailith. “We are not to pursue either of them.â€Â
Ailith’s tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “But why?†She demanded. “Why would we not help him when he is clearly in need of our aid?â€Â
The three standing shared a knowing look, then Azrith walked over to Ailith, standing over her, his back straight, and held out the letter to her. She looked up at the elderly Highlander then stared at the note a moment before taking it with a shaky hand. As she read over it, her heart skipped a beat as she passed over the last part of the letter, written for her:
To Ailith,
I know you will want to come after me, sister, but understand that by the time you read this, I will already be dead. I will always love you and no matter what happens, I will always be with you.
Ailith droped the letter, fell forward onto the ground and gave into her pain and wept.
Prologue
Isaac stood over the dead Roegadyn that was once Gaiuus, his arms and sword covered in gore, a deep cut on his left cheek oozed blood down the side of his face and neck. He took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain from the slash wound across his chest and sheathed his sword.
“I am sorry, my friend. May Althyk keep you safe.†He bowed his head in silent prayer.
When he was finished, he looked up at the surrounding carnage. Elria, a Hyur Midlander who had made a name for herself in the teachings of the darker arts, had taken the blood of the demon Abaddon into herself, becoming one with it. Absorbing the evil contained within the ancient crystal vial. The battle had been harsh and quick. If it hadn’t been for Elria’s overconfidence in her newly acquired powers, if she hadn’t been blinded by it, Isaac knew he would not be standing right now.
It was all he could do to shield himself and Gaiuus from her initial release, consuming all in her wake, but it wasn’t enough. Her dark power had touched Gaiuus, had turned him into something he wasn’t. Isaac had to end his friends suffering. There was no way to save him from the edge of madness.
Isaac looked off to the north. That was where Elria had gone. Even if he hadn’t seen her, he knew exactly where she was headed. He quickly gathered his things, threw his cloak about his shoulders, then pulled a horn from his pack and sounded it. It rang out with a deep bass that pierced the air. A few moments later a large Goobbue emerged from the dead trees and stopped before Isaac, offering up one of its arms. He quickly climbed up to his perch on the seedkins head and patted its blue skin.
“Alright, my friend. Let us be off.†Isaac looked to the horizon as the beast began running down the path, north to Ishgard, preparing himself for what was to come.
Re: Order of the Twilight Guardians - Eternal Darkness - 07-03-2012
Alright, it's finished and posted. Enjoy the read! Leave comments if you want to or contact me by any other means. Thanks.