The Day After [Journal]

[Kage]

After leaving Natalie at home with the doors locked and a large pitcher of water and sweet tea near her bed, Kage made his way back to the Quicksand. He had left his clothes to be burned somewhere and had bathed but he could think he could almost still smell the rancid vomit...

 

He paused in the doorway, unsure of whether or not he wanted to go in. Melkire? Taeros? The Garlean mercenary? Aya? Who would he need to face next?

[Unnamed Mercenary]

For the past hour, the Unnamed Mercenary had been subjected to listening to the elezen talk about everything. Rubbing his eyes a little from having stared into blank space to avoid giving the man any additional attention, he finally got fed up. 

 

"The company's nice and all, but who even are you?"

 

He was about to get up to leave as he saw someone that looked like Kage enter the Quicksand. If it was Kage, what was he going to do? He didn't really feel like fighting today, which was odd.

[Kage]

"By the twelve this can not go any worse," Kage muttered eyeing the patrons in the Quicksand.

 

Having spotted his Elezen friend and the Highlander Garlean menace Kage wanted to turn around and just leave. Pack his and Natalie's bags. Screw everyone. Taeros. Melkire. Miss Banurein. Ul'dah. Life really was not fair.

 

He paused at the table, eyes harrowed and deadpan. "Hello, mister mercenary. I hope you had a good rest inside the inn. I hope Momodi's accommodations were to your liking."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Frhanz looked up at a person he hadn't meant before. The manner of speaking was...familiar, but he was quite sure he'd never seen this individual. He looked over to the person he'd been talking with for the last hour or so. Time really did move faster in Ul'Dah.

 

He couldn't believe he'd been so impolite as to not introduce himself. "I beg your pardon ser! My name's 'Frhanz'ir Kirche', and one would say I'm from Ishgard. But please, just call me 'Frhanz'." "Someone you know, mister....I don't believe I caught your name either!"

 

He turned to the man who had come up to the table, who looked agitated. "Were you the one who brought him to the inn? It would appear he wanted to repay the person." Frhanz gave a warm smile, "please, join us if you would like. The tab's on me."

[Kage]

"Frhanz, I don't have the time for it and it's not the place but this man is a mercenary. He's a menace and has been wrecking havoc on my life. In fact, he is responsible for this change."

 

Kage shook his head and answered, "I'm Kage, Frhanz. I did pay for his tab but I'd rather he just left us all alone."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

The hyur slumped down in his seat a little, a completely guilty look on his face. Kage was the last person he really could have expected to show any amount of kindness towards him. Between the beatings, verbal abuse and well, everything, the Unnamed Mercenary couldn't handle the shock. But at the same time, knew better than to just run away or stay silent. There was too much attention on him at this point. Since when had he felt this....limited?

 

Meanwhile, the elezen's reaction was priceless. He'd become a few shades paler and his shocked face clearly expressed he was at a loss for words. He managed to get a few words out. "W-WHAT?! You must be mistaken good Ser. Kage is a lalafell and one of my good friends. Even if such a thing /were/ possible, Kage isn't the type of person that would hide such a fact!" He motioned to the hyur, "I thank you for paying this man's stay, but I do believe an explanation is in order". Frhanz couldn't believe the words coming out of the miqo'te's mouth. Yes, the dialect, mannerisms, and personality all /seemed/ like Kage, but it had to be an act. There simply wasn't a way a lalafell could become a miqo'te. The aetheric science behind it would be ludicrous.

 

The mercenary just sat there through the entire exchange. On one hand, this was hilarious. It looked like the elezen man did know Kage, or at least, knew him before the transformation. On the other hand, the entire scene was making him feel uneasy. He hadn't been feeling good since he woke up, but a headache was starting to come in, and why was everything so loud? Who even was this elezen? He looked fairly scrawny, but the conversation from earlier made it seem like he knew a lot. This could get bad. And fast. As the headache got worse, he felt him losing control as aether started to leak out.

[Kage]

Kage shook his head at Frhanz. "As I said, it's not the place or the time. Just know that he took part in it."

 

He turned around, rubbing his face, "It's not like I am trying to hide it Frhanz. I just didn't know how to tell you. You could even visit my sister and my family. They've disowned me."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

The miqo'te looked distressed. The hyur was staying silent. What was going on?!

 

This was too much to take in at once, but it would also be rude to both parties if he were to not get to the bottom of this. Frhanz got up from the table, perhaps surprising both, and walked over to the miqo'te, looking him directly in the eyes. Had it been in a colder area, his glasses might have become foggy. He spoke quietly in a comforting voice, so that only the two of them should be able to hear. "Just what has been going on? You've certainly gotten a lot....bigger." This person was Kage. Frhanz didn't need confirmation at this point. 

 

Giving him some distance, Frhanz brought up a more important point, "but then, what do we do with him?", glancing at the hyur. Frhanz was having trouble that the man could be dangerous. Sure, the man had a temper, but that didn't make him a menace. Something seemed off though. Returning more to a professionally kind expression, Frhanz walked over to the man. "Ser, is this the Kage that you know? And did you actually have something to do with his erm....transformation?"

 

--

The question hit hard, and his headache wasn't getting any better. "I....might...have?"

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Frhanz looked at the hyur. "Might have?" The matter was simple, he either was involved or he wasn't. Frhanz noticed his expression didn't look well. "Is something wrong?" He walked back to the table. Something didn't feel right, and he was getting a headache as if he'd been subjected to repeated aetherite teleports. Handy devices, but he would get sick from frequent use. Ul'Dah never had any issues with this.

 

--

He watched Frhanz walk back up. "Why couldn't they just leave?", he thought to himself. The elezen seemed to notice something was off. He tried to get out of his seat. He needed to get out of the Quicksand NOW. As he stood up, everything started to spin. They'd been drinking earlier, but a single mug of ale couldn't cause this. He took a few steps back. "I don't mean an trouble." He looked to Kage. "Or at least not today in your case." As he took a few steps back, he tripped on something and fell over. "Bloody hells..."

 

There was some dust from over-aspected crystals forming around him again. Was that the reason he'd been feeling so bad?

[Kage]

Kage frowned, seeing what he remembered to be by-products of the man's Garlean aetheric experiments.

 

"Frhanz... what we do is leave him. He'd been trying to kill me or attack me to get some sort of sick pleasure. I don't want him to hurt you too."

 

Kage clenched a fist, not being armed he could not do much if violence broke out.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

The mercenary tried to sit himself up. "HEy! I never..inflected...anything deadly" His breathing was starting to get heavy. He knew aether was coming out, but he didn't know why, or how to control it. It was just happening.

 

--

Frhanz looked at the man again. "We can't just leave him here like this! Besides...can't you feel it Kage? Something is terribly wrong with him." The man was releasing a tremendous amount of aether, and it didn't look like it was because he was a mage. Frhanz hadn't seen anything like this before, and aside from his own personal interests, if this man was truly bad, why had he been allowed to walk on the streets, and why hadn't Kage had him arrested?

 

Spying some of the over-aspected dust, he gave a rather concerned look to Kage. "We need to get him out of here. Now." "Besides, I'm sturdier than I look," as he gave a small grin.

[Kage]

He really could not believe this was happening to him. Kage sighed and once more started to move and drag the Garlean mercenary, this time outside of the Quicksand.

 

"Frhanz, where?"

[Unnamed Mercenary]

"Just....somewhere out of directly sunlight and away from other people. I need to get some supplies from the alchemists' guild right away. Can you keep him in a safe place until then?"

 

While some alchemists were skilled in trying to draw aether into the body, Frhanz seemed to have to do the opposite much too often. If the hyuran man continued to let aether out like this, he'd either use up his life, or potentially give an elemental aspect to an ordinary object. Something had to be done. Could Kage not notice this? 

 

Frhanz trusted that Kage wouldn't leave the man, even if he hated him. Looking at the aethernet crystal just outside the Quicksand, Frhanz decided that some temporary nausea on his part was better than trying to run all the way there. He never noticed the aethernet shard had turned a dark orange as he focused on the teleport. He would need to get some supplies from Severian, the guild master right away.

 

Before activating the shard, he looked to Kage. "I don't really know what he's done to you, or how dangerous he is. But right now, he could be a danger to the city if we don't do something". He then activated the aethernet and was gone.

 

--

The mercenary tried to shift some of his weight back on his own two feet. "I'm sorry." He felt as if all the regrets he ever had were surfacing now. Including the ones he couldn't remember. "This's twice now, eh?"

[Kage]

Kage shook his head, letting the man go and gazing curiously at the direction Frhanz had left in. He sighed, shaking a hand through his hair before turning back to the Garlean.

 

"...Aye." He stared at the man and asked, "You ok to stand on your own?"

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Severian watched as the elezen, Frhanz, came running into the Alchemists' Guild. "Ah! You've returned to Ul'Dah so soon?" Frhanz didn't have time for a more proper greeting. The other people in the guild simply watched as Frhanz began grabbing what looked like a bunch of seemingly unrelated supplies as he stuffed them into a bag. The words "sorry", "emergency", and "unstable aether" could be heard from the long winded and out-of-breath explanation Frhanz was trying to give while gathering everything he could think of. Severian called over to him, realizing this wasn't a time for small talk, "you'll return what's left of those and give an explanation later, right?"

 

A "yes" could be heard as Frhanz ran out of the guild and to the closest aethernet shard, to return. Having to go through another one was going to be a terrible experience. Severian glanced around the guild's office "today may be interesting after all!"

 

--

Staggering over to a nearby wall and bracing himself against it, the mercenary still had no idea what was happening. He felt awful, and in more than one way. A few bells later, he saw the elezen running towards them.

 

Frhanz began taking out of the materials from the bag he had just finished packing. "...What are all of those for?" The mercenary was looking over. Frhanz could try to explain as he went, but the man would probably not understand most of their uses or how they functioned. An explanation of that detail wasn't needed though. "This first one is to dispel that glamor on you head. It's been bothering me for a while, but I didn't want to say anything...". The man gave a pained laugh "Heh, so you've known this whole time?" "How could I not? You /are/ speaking to a master alchemist, you know." "Then the others?" "Just some things I need to stabilize the aether in your body. I've no idea how a pure-blooded Garlean has aether reserves like yours, but you're releasing so much aether around here that it's going to affect the city."

 

Frhanz looked to Kage, "Has he always been this way? And....can't you feel it? The amount of aether around here is enough to get people sick!" Out of breath, and with a minor case of aethersickness setting in, Frhanz tried to catch his breath. "Kage...please tell me you still have that aether-knockout potion on you. It should have been a light-grey color and clear...". If Kage didn't have that, Frhanz would have to try making another one rapidly. If he did, maybe there was still time...

 

((OOC note: this was something Frhanz gave to Kage in a much earlier scene, probably not documented))

[Kage]

Kage sighed as he watched over the mercenary. It could have been easy to finally lay rest to the one causing him so much issue for at least the last moon.

 

But it was not necessary.

 

"Frhanz can help you. Whatever it is that was done to you that's now making you worse than before... Frhanz can help."

 

As Frhanz rushed up, Kage gave him a short nod. When asked, Kage gave him a wry simple reply, "I haven't been sensitive since my change. I can only see and sense the obvious visible signs..."

 

With a nod, Kage reached into his satchel, bringing out the potion he had thought would not be used. He could not tell when it was needed or useful. Not anymore at the least. He handed it over to his friend, "That should be the one Frhanz."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

"I see... So the change did have its consequences. Was that why...?", as Frhanz referred back to what Kage had said of his family. He careful took the potion back that would be used shortly.

 

Turning his attention the man, he concocted a simple glamour dispel ointment and asked the man to apply it. "You really think this is a good idea, given everything?" The Unnamed Mercenary may not have known his personal life, but how could he not know what the Garlean Empire had done? If he walked around any part  of Eorzea with a Garlean third eye visible, he'd most likely be killed on sight. "It is a must. The less foreign spells, the better likelihood of this working." Frhanz gave a forced chuckle. "What's with Ul'Dah and aether-related problems? It seems like just a moon ago I was attempting something of the same nature..." The extraction from Gharen had been a close encounter, and a risky, but at least documented ailment. Frhanz was working on instinct here. There wasn't an easy to naturally disperse aether of this quantity.

 

Frhanz was going to have to link the man with the aethernet in Ul'Dah, in hopes that the extra aether would spread over pathways unseen. But to do this, he was going to have to concentrate most of the aether being released from the man into something more....usable.

 

As he was finishing up the prepwork for what he -hoped- would do the job, he took the potion and diluted it with some other solutions to make a salve. "Ser, I'll need you to apply as much of this as possible to your body. Just...don't get any in your eyes. That would probably be quite painful. Once that is done, we can try to do something about your....condition".

 

--

 

As he applied whatever it was the elezen had given him, he could feel a distinct burning on his skin. When he asked what it was for, all he'd was received was "it will help contain the aether -babble- -babble- blocking -babble- and that's why you should just put it on". "I have to guess the burn means it's working?". Much to his surprise, it did seem to a positive effect, as his headache lightened, and the nausea went away. Able to walk on his own for at least this moment, he walked over to where Frhanz was hastily fashioning some weird device he'd naturally never seen before. "What is that supposed to do?"

 

The only words he could make out sounded like "aetherial redirection". "Um... Mr. Frhanz, I don't like the sound of that..." He couldn't help but be polite back. The elezen had, while otherwise attempting to bore him to death, made things a lot better. The Unnamed Mercenary still had to have some pride and class.

 

Taking a small break from the device, Frhanz looked up. "Oh this? Nothing too much to worry about. Like I said -babble- ...so that's why you need to wear it." Frhanz stood up, staring directly at the Garlean third eye. "Kage may not be so happy, but I do hope you live through this. There are so many questions." Frhanz seemed to almost be enjoying himself at this point, which made the Unnamed Mercenary feel uneasy. There was something about the way he said those words that made him feel uneasy. He wasn't sure if it was from the words themselves or the accent. It was similar to..."her".

 

"Now then, have you used the aethernet here in Ul'Dah before, Mr.... Gods! I can't keep saying 'ser' anymore. Please give me something to work with!" The Unnamed Mercenary had a confused expression. "THAT'S what bothering you the most? Hells, Eorzeans are weird.... Just use 'Merc' or something." He mumbled, "...as long as it's not bloody 'porkchop'." "And uhh...no. Travel over the aether has um...been bad." In a quieter voice, as if embarrassed, "I....got stuck." "Oh, that won't be an issue at all. That's what this is for, I thought I explained that already!" Frhanz pointed to the device, now assembled. "This is going to help redirect your teleport. Have you been to the Aetherite Plaza? Just focus on getting there." If all would go well, Frhanz would be able to flush out the aether. 

 

As he held onto the device, Merc walked to the nearest aethernet shard. The salve he had put on earlier was starting to wear off and his headache was coming back. "Are you sure this is going to work?" He called out to Frhanz. "Of course it will!" He put his hand onto the crystal and thought of the destination. "Just to the plaza. Only a few malms away". As he felt the aetherial gate open, he could feel the sickening feeling of the aether moving around him. He entered.

 

--

 

No sooner had the man begun the teleport did Frhanz say "in theory". Only Kage could have heard. "Now we wait", as Frhanz turned to Kage. "Did this man really cause you pain? Perhaps it is my own naivety, but he doesn't seem malicious at all. Confused? Yes. Will you join me at the Plaza for his return?"

[Kage]

Kage was weary but nodded. "Aye, Frhanz,  I'll  accompany you."

 

As he started to walk in the direction of the Aetheryte Plaza he had this strange sense of deja-vu. Perhaps it was because he had been doing this same thing when 'Merc' had been the one to knock him out, leading to his changed state.

 

 

"Frhanz, the man is the reason I'm in this state in the first place. Ever since I'd met him on opposite sides of a conflict, he's been antagonizing me in the city."

 

Kage sighed, bringing a hand through his hair. "He's only recently stopped trying to provoke me into fighting him Frhanz."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

As they started to walk over, Frhanz had an uneasy feeling. He hated the idea of forcing a conflict, and even more simply to fight. It had never made sense to him that an issue between people couldn't be discussed with resolution. Perhaps that was just his Ishgardian culture showing through. He pondered what would happen when all was said and done. Would the man leave Kage alone? Would helping him make things worse? 

 

As they approached the Aetherite Plaza, Frhanz stopped, looking at the aetherite. "Kage, please tell me my eyes are bad, and that the aetherite doesn't look orange. An orange aetherite means it's becoming over-aspected with aether and that's never good."

 

Frhanz just stood in place, staring.

[Kage]

Kage shook his head wordlessly. "Your eyes are either just as fine or my own are just as bad. It is indeed orange."

 

"What can be done to fix this? Or... well what can happen?"

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Why? Why today? Why did it have to be today?

 

Frhanz walked up to the Aetherite. "Kage, do you remember what it means when one of these is orange? It is the same as five years ago, shortly before the Calamity. When an aetherite gains a hue such as this, it is overloaded. ...As for what it means..."

 

He paused. The Garlean couldn't possibly have had that much aether in him, could he? The amount needed to do something like this to such a large aetherite would have rivaled what would be needed to summon a primal. Speaking of which, where was he? A simple aethernet teleport should have been instant. The man couldn't actually have gotten stuck, could he?

 

"Kage, the Garlean mercenary, 'Merc' if I may, did you ever see him teleport in to Ul'Dah? Or rather, anywhere?" "If what he said was true, and can be believed however crazy, I don't think I can fix this. Twelve be with us, we need to get him out before any thing notices this."

 

Normally, the ability to teleport and use aether as a means of transportation would come intuitively. If the man had actually not been born with the ability to use aether though....he could be anywhere, everywhere, nowhere. Frhanz began calculations for something that would be risky. He would use himself as a guide out of the aether. It would likely kill him, but it would restore the aetherial flow, fixing his mistake.

 

"Kage," as Frhanz turned around. "I'm sorry. This was my fault. I'm the one that told him to enter. I need to be the one to get him out." Reaching out a hand to the aetherite, Frhanz gave a sad smile. "I don't know what will happen, but if either of us survive this, give him a chance. I don't think he's nearly as bad as you think he is. Just...confused and lost." 

 

He made a link with the node, trying to find the man. "He should still be around here, in the aether..."

[Kage]

Kage furrowed his eyebrows muttering, "He teleported me right outside of the Quicksand to some place near Camp Drybone for a fight a moon or so ago..."

 

He shook his head worriedly before pleading with Frhanz, "What are you doing? Won't you get lost as well?"

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Frhanz never heard Kage. He opened a gate into the aether, but didn't step through, instead, focusing all of his attention on the device the Garlean would hopefully still have on his person. Simple enough, it contained a small amount of Frhanz' aether, enough to be used like a tracking device.

 

He focused harder, using as much of his knowledge on how aetherial travel functioned. 

 

A moment later, he felt it. He could sense the device, and what had to be the person still holding onto it. As aether flowed from him, he made a small path to the device, carrying a simple message "this way". He'd be the exit. 

 

--

 

As he had stepped into the aethernet, the Unnamed Mercenary knew something was wrong. Other than the sickening feeling, he was lost. The entrance was gone, and he couldn't get out. Again. He was stuck in the aether. He held on to the device Frhanz had given him, in the chance that it would possibly help. He knew he shouldn't have gone in. And "she" had already told him she wouldn't fix a mistake like this again. Not that it matter much. As he sat in the space, he wondered what would become of him. Would he be doomed to an existence all alone? Would he eventually just fade into the aether itself? 

 

Would he ever go home? See his family? Did he even have a home or family? As these questions swirled around in his thoughts, he heard something. "This way"

 

"This way will lead you out."

 

As he focused on the voice, it because louder, more clear. It was Frhanz, the elezen man that said he would help. Why could he hear him here, in what what felt like an abyss made of aether? As he followed it, he understood. The elezen was leading him to his destination.

 

--

 

It happened quickly. As the Unnamed Mercenary traveled through the aether, he passed through Frhanz, and Frhanz passed through him. Their aether intertwined and it was as if they lived each others' life. He felt everything. All of the elezen's life, memories, experiences. It was as if they were his own, but they weren't. They were only an echo of his past. 

 

As the Unnamed Mercenary left the aether a changed man, he could have sworn he heard "Please pass my regrets to Kage. This will be hard on him, I'm sure." He was back in Ul'Dah, but Frhanz was nowhere to be seen. The aetherite shown vividly blue, as it should, and the Unnamed Mercenary breathed a sigh of relief. "So the aether has stabilized. It isn't over-aspected any longer." He knew that wasn't something he would say, but Frhanz. The elezen had used himself as an aetherial gate, and was gone. The Garlean would have to live for the both of them. A new man. A better man. Someone who was aware of both Eorzea's mysteries and the Garlean Empire's plans and methods. 

 

The artificial aether device he'd had implanted may have been destroyed in the teleport, he couldn't tell one way or another. He felt the aether around him, this time, comforting. As if naturally, he cast a glamour to hide his Garlean feature. An informed mage would easily see past it, but every day people shouldn't notice.

 

He walked over to Kage, wondering what the man could be feeling as we he watched a precious friend dissolve into the aether. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... He..., he wanted you to know." The Garlean gave a sympathetic expression. "I...seem to experienced his life up to now. He knew he wouldn't make it, doing what he did." 

 

He started to walk away slowly. He didn't know how to help Kage get through this, and he needed to return what Frhanz had borrowed from the Alchemists' Guild. He couldn't be there for Kage like Frhanz would have. He'd already done terrible things to the lalafell turned miqo'te, another thing he'd done. How would he sort out Frhanz's life when he couldn't even handle his own? He thought back to the woman and girl he'd dreamt about the night before. That feeling of being so familiar, but so far away hurt.

 

He'd take on a name now. "Franz nil Renatus". The first name in legacy of the man who tried to help him. The Garlean title from how he'd come to Eorzea. It seemed filling.

 

 If Kage came to him, he would do what he could. Otherwise, he'd give the man space. He didn't want to ruin the friendship Frhanz had had, or rather, the friendship Frhanz'ir Kirche, the Duskwight Elezen from Ishgard.

[111]

Natalie walked by the man and waved absentmindedly as she continued her patrol.

 

"Oh hey porkchop."

[Unnamed Mercenary]

He paused for a moment, as the nickname irked him. That was Natalie. 

 

He also knew Kage looked up to her. Kage wasn't in sight, he'd walked far away enough for that. Attempting to catch up to her, he called out. "Natalie, we need to talk. Now, if you have a moment."