hiromaniac

[hiromaniac]

Veracity

“And no sooner had I started searching their goods did I find it.” The Roegadyn Brass Blade motioned to the pouch he had laid on his superior’s desk. “Tried to smuggle some Somnus right through Scorpion Crossing and into the city, no doubt. Hidden in a crate of raw sunstone. Naturally I had to confiscate her goods until they could be thoroughly searched. Tried to bribe me to look the other way, but I knew I couldn’t tarnish the honor of the Brass Blades by accepting coin to overlook the law. Had my men take her in for that while I helped search the rest of the goods.”

The officer lowered his gaze to the pouch of drugs on his desk then back up to the guard. He motioned for another Blade on standby who approached the desk and retrieved the pouch. She opened it and produced a pinch from the pouch which she held up to her nostrils. After a brief moment she nodded to the officer and returned to her spot off to the side.

“All I can say is that it takes great instinct and the desire to go above and beyond duty to fulfill the law like this. It’s not every day that a common Brass Blade can manage to capture such an unassuming criminal. I think I have a special mission that would be right up your alley.”

The Brass Blade saluted. “Yessir. I am honored that you’d trust me with such an important job.”

The officer nodded. “We are soon to be participating in a join operation with the Thaumaturge’s Guild. Get some of our men used to dealing with magick-wielding opponents and get some of their men used to targeting armored enemies. They were going to import some materials from Limsa for new weapons. However, we’ve been notified by the Goldsmith’s Guild that the shipment of gems needed for the weapons have been waylaid. Now this is especially unusual as they were under guard by one of our men.” The officer nodded to the guard on standby. “Sergeant Rockwell.”

The Blade on standby removed the turban and mask that all Brass Blades wore. The Roegadyn’s jaw dropped. “T-the merchant!? What’re- But that means…”

Saraneth nodded. “Corporal Painted Hill. There are a few details of your report that I find suspect.”

[hiromaniac]

Pawn

Things had been going pretty smoothly for Leodaire recently. It had been a bit of a strain when he had taken in the puppy that he had found wandering outside his apartment, but he reworked his spending and made it work. Finding the pup had also gotten him introduced to the Miqo’te lass downstairs who he had been starting to talk more with. He had a bit of spending money extra at the end of the month and had decided to buy something with it. His trip into Limsa today had actually been to look for a new shirt to wear to dinner with the lass, provided she was interested of course. He hadn’t actually gotten around to asking her out yet.

The markets were always bound to have something interesting. All manner of goods passed through the trade city and all manner of trinkets and baubles were pawned off to traders in exchange for basic equipment a new sailor would need. He always took it upon himself to check the pawn for anything of interest that he might find some delight in buying. He also always dreaded that he would find something he must buy.

Today was one of such days. Sitting on the counter was a four-barreled pistol. It was in terrible condition under the rust and barnacles (several of which appeared to have been shoddily removed), but the shape was unmistakably that of the custom pistol of his old bosun. It had been years since he last saw it.

“Draw yer attention, eh? Interesting piece. Sold to me by ‘n’venturer who found it in the belly o’ a shark. Of course the bastard tried an remove summa the barnacles and did a shoddy job of it.” The merchant’s cough implied the adventurer may not have tried to remove the barnacles. “Musta been quite a journey fer it to collect all that an still be swallowed by a shark. You interested in it?”

Leodaire frowned as he felt the gil pouch weigh heavily in his hand, but it was outweighed by the ruined pistol weighing heavily in his heart. He looked down at his shirt which was plain but still in good condition. After a long moment he made the inevitable decision to postpone asking out his neighbor.

[hiromaniac]

Onerous

Papers had been piling up on Ivy’s desk for the past week. It seemed that her employer’s trips to Dravania always seemed to coordinate with the arrival of paperwork that he specifically needed to sign. She filled her glass with wine from the shelf she kept stocked with her favorite types of alcohol. As it was supposed to be offered to adventurer’s looking for contract work, she was able to write it off as a business expense. Even if she did end up being the one to drink most of it.

She took a larger draught that was more normal for a pint of ale than a glass of wine. She topped off her glass then corked the bottle and set it aside. With her wine glass in one hand, she rest her forehead in her other hand and closed her eyes, with the thought that the paperwork might stop existing if she couldn’t see it. She barely had a few seconds of willing away the paperwork when she heard the door to the antechamber open. She sighed at the late arrival of whoever it was looking for work at this late hour. But adventurers know no regular hours.

She put on a soft smile and raised her head from her hand as the door to the current chamber opened. “Hello. Welcome to the office for the Pathfinder Society of Eorzea. What can I-” She laid eyes on the Hyuran man who had walked through the door. He was a good fulm or two shorter than she with bright blue eyes and shaggy blond hair which he had recently taken to wearing up in a loose knot. It suited him and made him look a bit older despite his boyish face. “Oh, Hiro! Good, you’re back. I have a stack of papers that need your signature.”

Hiro grimaced as he eyed the stack of papers. “I thought the point of putting your name on the business was to help avoid situations like these when I’m out of town.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t feel it right that I should just suddenly be signing my name on everything. I am mostly just your secretary after all.” Ivy slowly lifted the bottle of wine from behind one of the paper stacks and lowered it to the floor where it would be less in line of sight.

“Ivy, that’s kind of the point. I may have started the Pathfinder Society, but you are mostly the one running it. You told me once that you were interested in running your own business one day and you more or less are.”

Ivy was stunned at the thought. At no point had she really taken into consideration that she was running a business. It had always seemed more like a friendly offer of work after her previous secretary job he had landed her was no longer needed in the rebranding of the Free Company. In her moment being off-guard, he had somehow gotten beside her and lifted the bottle of wine from its hiding spot on the floor. He looked over the papers on the desk as he uncorked the bottle and drank straight from it.

“But you are right. Some of these I really should take a look over and sign myself.” He held two fingers to his ear as the telltale sound of a linkpearl rang. “Hey Zeph. I stopped by the Pathfinder offices on the way home. Looks like there’s a ton of papers I need to review so don’t wait up. No, if it ends up being too late I’ll just say in the backroom. There’s a spare bed there just for these instances. Alright, see you tomorrow. Night.” He motioned for Ivy to move from the chair so he could sit and get started. “Alright, I’ll go ahead and get started on these. Thanks for organizing them. You can head on home if you like. I’m sure Kitty is waiting for you.”

Ivy nodded and started for the door to the antechamber, stopping with her hand on the knob. She turned to look at the door on the other side of the room which led to the back room of the offices. In honest, she had used it frequently enough that she had replaced the cot with a bed large enough for her to fit in and had also added a wardrobe of clothes in case she did stay the night. “Actually, I think Kitty will be fine. She can always run out and get a marmot if she gets puckish. Or a hammer beak if she’s really hungry. The paperwork will go faster if we both work on it.” He glanced at her for a moment then shrugged and motioned for her to grab a stool.

[hiromaniac]

Solution

Leon had been hired as just a little bit of extra muscle for a bounty on a bandit crew, but the group he was aiding seemed to be lacking a little bit in a different department. They were a Lalafellin man who was “just a humble tailor” and refused to admit that two daggers doesn’t make a pair of cloth scissors, a Lalafellin woman who cared more for smashing things and swinging around a huge axe, an Auri woman who claims she studied the stars from her undersea village, a Roegadyn chef who adamantly believed the black powder from his musket counted as a condiment, a Duskwight man who stayed a tad too far from the action alongside his Carbuncle, and a Roegadyn woman dressed to the nines in brilliant red clothes.

And on the ground between them lay the guard from whom they were supposed to obtain the password to the hideout. “Oh. Uh. Whoops. My scissors slipped while I was measuring him.”

Leon glared at the minute man. “You were measuring him with your dag-“

“Scissors.”

“Fine, you were measuring him with your scissors?”

“They’re exactly 7 inches from tip of the blade to the hilt. I mean finger rings.”

“Right.” Leon groaned and rubbed his temples. “And how are we going to get in now? Getting the password was supposed to be the way we’d get the jump on them.”

The Duskwight approached to a safe three yalms from the rest of the party. “If we want to wait until tomorrow, I can prepare a spell that unlocks doors.”

“Thanks, Gaerloix, but I think they’ll notice the body by that point and that gets rid of the whole undetected part.”

“Obviously there is an optimal solution that none of you have figured out yet.” The Roegadyn woman adjusted her collar then each of her cuffs. With pure confidence, she strode up to the door of the base, knocked on it three times, then bellowed in a firm voice. “Gentlemen, there’s been a murder!”

((A funny story based on an interaction from a D&D game I ran for friends using FFXIV races.))

[hiromaniac]

Cutting Corners

“Throw.” Snick snack. “Throw.” Snick snack. “Throw.” Snick snack. “Hold. I’m getting a drink.” Leon lowered and sheathed his blade. The two helpers who had been tossing the blocks of wood stood up to stretch and find a drink as well. It felt like hardly any time had passed since he first came to Eorzea to look for mercenary work. He had left Doma after his own company had been eliminated prior to the Revolution. Back when he answered to Shishi. If only he’d stayed a few months more he could have kept his services there. Then again, here in Eorzea it was easier to make some claim about being a wandering swordsman and to tell vague stories about his master rather than have to come up with actual answers.

After a short rest he drew his blade once more, ready to cut more blocks into wedges for whatever reason they were needed. He hadn’t asked. He looked to the blade that was now starting to show wear. Perhaps it was a good time to have a new blade made for him. Jiro’s blade had served him well, but he didn’t want to see it break. Then again, who knows how long it would take him to find someone in Eorzea that was familiar with the making of a katana. He nodded to his helpers who had taken their cue to get ready once more. “Throw.”

[hiromaniac]

Temper

The clerks knew better than to interrupt when she had appointments. “YOU SWORE TO ME THAT YOU’D HAVE SOME LEVEL OF COMPETENCE AT THIS POINT!” By this point they had even grown to ignore the telltale thumps of items impacting the walls when she met with the boss. “I LET IT GO LAST TIME BECAUSE IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE!” Not that any of them had actually heard any evidence matching the rumors before today, but it seemed that they hadn’t been without merit. “I DON’T WANT EXCUSES, I WANT ASSURANCES IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN!” The shouting had been going on for several minutes now. “OF COURSE THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GELMORRAN RUINS AND AMDAPORI RUINS! THOSE ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SETS OF TRAPS TO DEAL WITH!” The door to the boss’s office opened and out stumbled a Roegadyn man falling flat on his back. A dark-skinned Lalafellen lass with green hair clung firmly to his shirt collar. “AND NOT ONLY WERE THEY NOT COMMON BATS THEY WERE LESSER KALONG! A SINGLE ONE OF THEM COULD CARRY ME OFF AND THEN WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE CONJURER’S GUILD?!” The woman released his collar and stood up on his chest. “Now will it happen again!?” The Roegadyn shook his head. “Good.” She snapped. “My payment.” The Roegadyn raised a pouch of gil into the air. The woman snatched the pouch out of the air and hopped off the man’s chest. “Thank you. Good day.” The clerks in the room did not look at the woman as she stormed off. They did not look at their boss as he pulled himself to his feet and retreated to his office. Their eyes didn’t dare leave their own desk until they heard the front door slam shut.

[hiromaniac]

Bolt

Tick. Tick... Tick…… Tock. He let out a sigh of relief. This was the cogwheel to apply into the latest model he had been working on. With any amount of unsteadiness to his hand, he would have knocked free one of the other cogs and the whole mechanism would have collapsed. He took one glance over the inner working again then closed the plate on the scale model of a magitek reaper.

The door to the bar opened behind him. It was another one of the scythe-wielding tenants of the building next door. Ever since the Revolution the bar had been empty aside from the few stragglers who considered Ul’dah their home more than Ala Mhigo. If not for the new neighbors, the bar would have had to close down. There was something off about that whole group so he had decided to keep his distance.

He turned back to the model and his ears and tail wiggled uncharacteristically. With an equal grin, he flipped the switch on the model. Slowly the model lifted a leg, swung it forward, and lowered it to the bar. There was a groan from inside the model as it attempted to repeat the motion with the other leg but failed to lift the second leg. His ears fell flat as he swiped the model off the counter and opened the panel once again. Much to his dismay the crystal inside was a dull grey and harbored none of the purple color that indicated any lightning aether remained in the crystal.

He gently set the model back onto the counter then swiftly kicked the chair next to him with a loud swear. He could feel the eyes of the other four patrons upon him. The bartender, however, was long used to it. Lux raised a hand to him. “Another firewater.” The bartender nodded, already reaching for a bottle. Lux ignored the stares as he righted the neighboring chair and sat back down to take a new drink of his fresh glass.

Once his anger had subsided to annoyance, he picked the model back up again and examined the crystal. He seriously hoped he wouldn’t have to dismantle the mechanism again to replace the power source. That was the gamble with this reaper model. Not only was it a model that could move, it was the closest to the movement of an actual magitek reaper, but the lightning crystal that served as a power source was integral to holding the internal clockwork together. Replacing the crystal would me dismantling the entire mechanism.

With a sigh and another drink of his firewater, he studied the mechanism once more. He had heard that sometimes if you tapped the crystal it would awaken some hidden reserves within. Not that it had ever worked for him, but it was worth a try over the alternative. He tapped on the crystal thrice and waited for a response. Nothing. He tapped twice more with a bit more strength. Just as he was about to resign himself to dismantling the whole mechanism, a small bolt of yellow lightning arced from his finger to the crystal within the model. He stared dumbfounded at this arc for several seconds before it vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. The crystal within glowed bright purple and the model’s legs began moving as if to propel it across a nonexistant surface.

He flipped the switch on the model and rested it back on the counter. With his firewater in one hand, he stared at his fingertip. “Now that’s new.”

[hiromaniac]

Cross

Hiro set the last crate onto the wagon and wiped his hands with a job well done. He turned back and forth briefly to stretch his back after carrying the crates full of books. Out of the corner of his eye he spied a familiar face. Not one he was particularly acquainted with, but one he had encountered several times before when visiting her stall. As usual she was perusing the books on the shelf behind her stall, looking for some book she had likely misplaced.

“She working today?” A crimson-haired woman leaned against the cart, her thin eyebrows punctuating the piercing gaze that could read his mind better than he could at times.

He turned away from the stall and shook his head. “No. Lisbeth is running the stall as usual. It seems that our paths don’t seem to cross any longer.” He gave a faint smile. “Perhaps that’s for the best. Zeph is almost as possessive as Hallie so I’d hate to see how she’d react to my ex.”

“Mm-hm. I’m sure it’s entirely coincidental.” The woman nodded faintly as she hummed in agreement. “Is that why you haven’t introduced me yet?”

He scoffed. “Please, Airen. People hardly know I was once married and those who do know I was a widower. It’s too complicated to explain it to most people. I’m not sure Adessa really understands.”

His words were met with a chuckle and a dismissive hand wave. “My wife has more wits than you give her credit for.” She stood up from her lean and climbed into the driver’s seat of the cart. “I’m heading back to the Sandsea to stock these in the libratorium. Do you want a ride to the Goblet?”

He sighed and joined her in the seat of the carriage. “Sure. It’ll be a bit slower, but I like taking the scenic route.” No sooner had he settled into his seat were the reigns of the chocobo in his hands. By the time he could turn to glare at her, Amalia had already leaned back in her seat to get comfortable. He shook his head and cracked he reigns. “By the way, when are we going to get a new chapter of Sara’s Story? I think it’s been years since the last chapter.”

Amalia once again dismissed his words with a wave. “When inspiration strikes. Storytelling is usually your jurisdiction.”

A young woman suddenly stopped and turned around. Nobody was approaching her or beckoning her nor did she recognize anyone in the crowds of Revenant’s Toll. She continued to look beyond the passing chocobo cart on the off chance that the person calling her was behind it, but there was nobody there.

“Miss Rockwell?”

She turned back to the researcher she was to protect along the way to Saint Coinach’s Find. “My apologies. I thought I heard someone say my name. It must have been the wind.”

[hiromaniac]

The Voyage of the Goobue is a level 35 quest in Eastern Thanalan. It is a simple quest that has you interact with a location and kill a few monsters. You get some experience and gil, but the dialogue you receive when you turn in the quest is the best reward. A life of adventure is grand, but it is a life of ups and downs. To my fellow wanderers and adventurers, I know there are plenty of days where the flowers refuse to grow. Stay strong and one day the flowers will bloom, a badge of pride for all you have been through.

[hiromaniac]

Feckless

Hallie hated when he was like this. It had been nearly two bells and he was still standing in the middle of his basement staring off into space. He had at least stopped his whispered cackling, but now he was muttering about castles to the south and setting them on fire. With a sour look on her face, she gently guides his chin towards the aquarium. It usually helped him snap out of it. She grinned as his eyes began to focus on the tank. Unfortunately, it was to no avail as he shook his head and turned away. She attempted a couple more times, but he was too quick and evaded her grasp in his delusions.

She crossed her arms and huffed an annoyed breath as he continued on, lost in whatever world he was lost in this time. Even if she was able to grab hold of him, she wouldn’t have the strength to do anything to stop him. She glanced down at her frame, smaller even than a Lalafell. She knew not why she was cursed with this diminutive form nor why her kin were much larger than she. All she knew was that she was angry because she was small.

Eventually his gaze would settle on the aquarium once more. This time the tension in his form fell away. It seems he had managed to draw himself to the aquarium to pull himself out of it. She gave a sigh of relief and rested a small hand on his shoulder. He blinked and shook himself out of it, turning to give her a soft grin. “Oh, did I space out again, Hallie?” She gave him a frustrated look to which he simply chuckled. “Sorry. I just haven’t been getting much sleep recently.” His grin widened. “Hey, Zeph is coming back today from her week-long trip to Ishgard for Soileine. I was thinking of surprising her with miq’abobs. She loves miq’abobs.” She watched with a sour face as he turned and climbed the stairs humming a merry tune.

She looked down at her small hands and curled them into a small fist. Her companionship was all she had to offer, even though he seemed to overlook it. She threw a small tantrum and sighed once more, neither of which helped ease her frustrations. She floated up the stairs, resigned to continue offering the only thing she could.

[hiromaniac]

Petrichor

She didn’t often take breaks while on the job. Her father had instilled into her a strong devotion to duty when he taught her the ways of the shinobi. Really it was a wonder he did at all since his wanderlust kept him from staying in one place too long. Sure he always claimed he was searching for someone to devote himself to, but she hadn’t ever seen that happen. But something had caused her to pause as she trekked across Eastern Thanalan. She could feel it in the air. No, not the air. She could feel it inside. She darted to a rocky overhang, her orange trappings blending in well with the rock. She had planned it that way.

No sooner had she leaned against the rock, the heavens opened and a thick drizzle fell upon the desert. Before her eyes, the struggling plant life found a new source of vigor. The yellow foliage slowly shifted hues to a vibrant green as the rain continued to fall. A faint smile rose beneath her mask as a memory flashed into mind. She and her brother had been learning some lesson from their father when a similar feeling had come across her. Her father opened an umbrella and handed it to her and her brother shortly before a similar drizzle set across the plains. He was nearly always wearing his non la. He looked up at the sky with a grin and took a deep breath through his nose, sighed a sigh of satisfaction, then looked warmly down at the two of them.

She closed her eyes as she remained leaned against the rock. With the sound of the rain pattering across the desert, she took in a deep breath through her nose and sighed a sigh of satisfaction.

[hiromaniac]

Speculate

It was a peculiar scene, albeit a fairly bloody one. Though she wasn’t an official inspector of any kind, Saraneth had been more and more frequently called upon to examine crime scenes that stumped the regular rank and file Brass Blades. This one had been of note in that a man had died a seemingly violent in his house with the door locked and no signs of entry. She stood up and shook her head, having come to the most likely conclusion. She called in the Blade in charge of the scene and began her synopsis.

“The deceased is a Hyur Male in his sixties. Estimated dead less than a day. He was last seen around lunchtime yesterday when he had lunch with his neighbors. A report was made when he failed to receive the morning milk delivery. Delivery person states that the subject was waiting at the door without fail every time milk was delivered. Delivery person filed report when stopping by after shift and the subject failed to answer, reports door was locked. Reports speaking with neighbors who hadn’t heard from him since the aforementioned lunch. Blades were called and door was forced open. Subject was found dead in kitchen lying on his back with a contusion on the forehead.”

“Initial finding suggest injury to head is cause of death. No additional injuries. Blood noted in a pool around subject, on edge of table, and across top of range. Further investigation of the scene shows no signs of struggle or other people besides the deceased. The deceased was poor and his belongings are untouched, indicating robbery was likely not a factor in the death. Among personal belongs were a series of tinctures and tonics, also untouched. Notable among these are several tonics for miasma.”

“Here’s how I believe the death happened.” She motions to the range. “Subject was preparing to cook dinner for himself when a miasma overcame him. He coughed up blood, resulting in the splatter across the range and the wall behind it. He moved to the table to retrieve his medicine, but tripped and hit his head on the edge of the table. He then fell to the ground unconscious and bled out on his back. Lack of blood beneath the body indicates that the blood pooled around him and he was not moved afterwards.” She shook her head with a dejected look on her face. “Unfortunate, but accidents happen. End of report.” She exchanged salutes with the other Blade then left him to his duty.

[hiromaniac]

Oneirophrenia

The doors suddenly burst open as a soldier in full armor with decorated with the blue regalia of his kingdom raced across the room and fell to a knee at his side. “My lord! The enemy has breached the walls! They are infiltrating the courtyard!”

He scowled and pounded his fist on the table. “Damn it all to hell!” His fist shook with rage. He hadn’t expected the enemies to make it this far so quickly. They weren’t on bad terms with the western kingdom, but he had his suspicions that they had provided reinforcements on the northern front allowing the northern kingdom to get here faster than expected. He slammed his fist into the table once more. “Have we received word from the southern citadel?”

“Yes, my lord.” The knight nodded, still on his knee. “Queen Mythorn and the civilians have sent word of their arrival.”

He sighed deeply, taking a moment to gather the strength for his next command. “I had promised her I would protect her father’s castle, but I’ll see it in the hands of those northern bastards over my dead body.” He stood up straight and ran a hand through his messy blond hair. “Burn it. Set fire to the grounds.” He picked up his lance from the table and turned for the door. “I’ll make them regret ever setting foot into this hell.” The knight hesitated briefly then rose and hurried out the door.

Hiro took a deep breath and took a step towards the door but paused before leaving the room. He slowly turned his head to an aquarium in the corner. He stared at it a moment or two then shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ránëwén, but it seems that Edward isn’t going to make it out of this.” He exited the room.

He watched as the ramparts were quickly overrun. The fires had started to spread at this point. With his lance in hand, he made a mighty leap from the gates and into the fray. He released himself to his fury, cutting down foe after foe. Minutes passed as he rampaged across the battlefield, cutting down every enemy in blue he saw. Three soldiers bore down on him at the same time, but he kept his weapon between them and held strong. A voice from behind him called out. “Hah! Save some for the rest of us, Hiro! You’re making me look bad!” He pushed back the enemy soldiers and turned to face his friend. There stood a man with his black hair in a ponytail bounding between enemies with tonfa in hand.

“Well stop using those sticks and use a real blade like me, and you might get to some of them.” Hiro grinned and heaved his greatsword onto his shoulder. As his compatriot dispatched the last of the immediate foes, they locked eyes and shared a nod. Sharing a brief high-five, they turned towards the castle. “You get the fires set already?”

“Tch. It was easy. Several volleys of fire arrows and the keep caught fire with no problem. Things keep going according to plan, we’ll have our castle back in no time.”

Hiro nodded in appreciation. “Well then, shall we storm the gates?”

“Battering rams are moving into place now.” He pointed at the rams being moved into position.

“Perfect. Let’s go.” Hiro began to advance with the battering rams, but something unusual caught his attention. In the middle of the battlefield sat an aquarium. He furled his brow and started to approach.

Suddenly the sound of the main gates being forced open drew his attention away. Across the grand hall approached a solitary young man. “Ahh. Florian. I was wondering when you’d make your way back here.”

The young man raised a sword and pointed it at Hiro. “Silence! You’ve betrayed my trust for the last time, fiend.” The young man was seething with rage. “After my parents died, you took me in and raised me as if I were your own. When my beloved fell ill, you told me where to go to find the remedy that would cure her. When I was too late to return, you sponsored my entrance into the knight’s academy to improve myself. And now that the academy and all my friends have fallen to a hoard of undead, I find you idly sitting by. Waiting for my return.” Hiro smirked as the young man could barely contain his rage. “It is clear to me now that you killed my parents, my beloved, and my friends and companions. You have destroyed every home I have ever had. I hope your intention was to raise me to kill you, for that is all that is left now.”

Hiro laughed and clapped his hands. “No, young Florian. That was not my intention at all. I was merely bored and figured toying with your life would entertain me for a decade or two. I must say it has so far.”

The young man cried out in rage as his blade shone with a holy light. Hiro rose from his jagged throne and beckoned with upturned hands to the empty hall as if indicating a crowd should stand. As commanded, skeleton soldiers rose from their resting places haphazardly strewn across the hall. With the young man’s strength of body, mind, and conviction, he could overcome this obstacle, but just barely. After all, he had overseen every step of his training.

He gently glided across the floor as the young man fought for his life. He reached the young man just as he had dispatched the last skeleton. Hiro whacked the young man across the head with the orbed staff in his hand. The young man fell and Hiro planted a foot on his neck with glee. He prodded a new wound with his staff, enjoying the young man’s suffering. Then something drew his attention away from the young man.

The aquarium at the edge of the hall. Releasing the young man from beneath his foot, he slowly approached it. It was quite large, easily ten fulms across and nearly seven fulms tall. Inside danced several striped fish. Fish he had caught himself. He watched their dance as the world around him slipped away.

A small hand perched on his shoulder. He blinked and suddenly found himself back in his basement. With a soft grin he turns to the miniature succubus who hovered over his should with a concerned look on her face. “Oh, did I space out again, Hallie?” He chuckled much to the distress of the succubus. “Sorry. I just haven’t been getting much sleep recently.” He suddenly smiles wider. “Hey, Zeph is coming back today from her week-long trip to Ishgard for Soileine. I was thinking of surprising her with miq’abobs. She loves miq’abobs.” He hums softly as he climbs the stairs to the kitchen leaving behind a very concerned miniature succubus.

[hiromaniac]

Friable

“Damn. The door’s locked.” The Lalafell frowned and looked up at his partner. Her pensive look was visible even underneath the mask standard to the Brass Blades uniform. He looks back to the door and examines the latching mechanism and keyhole. “Lock seems beyond my ability to pick. Frame seems to be reinforced as well. We could break it in, Miss, but it would take a few minutes and it would give them time to slip away.” A frown crossed her face. It had taken her weeks to track down this smuggler’s den and she wasn’t about to let the slippery eel slide through her fingers once more.

“Step aside. I’ve an idea.” She reached into her satchel and produced a small red crystal carved into a thin cylinder. She slid the crystal into the keyhole and focused on it for a moment. It slowly pulsed brighter then kept aglow as it began to heat the metal around it. After a minute the crystal had spent its energies and sputtered out leaving the metal around it a bright red.

“Brilliant idea, Miss. With the lock heated up, it’ll be easier to break down the door.”

The woman shook her head. “Not yet. It’s pliable, but it’ll just bend the bolt inside the door.” The woman removed the depleted crystal and replaced it with a similarly shaped light blue crystal and focused once again. “Metal will shatter easily if it is cooled rapidly after being heated. I hear that’s how they managed to breach the main gates of Ala Mhigo during the Liberation.” After another minute the once red lock now was covered with frost. She removed the second spent crystal and stood up, looking to the rest of the squad. “We breach on three.” She turned back to the door and took a step back. “One. Two.” She steps forward and solidly plants a kick on the latching mechanism. “Three!” A sound of rending metal accompanied the door swinging wide open.

[hiromaniac]

Avatar

Hiro stands before the handful of adventurers and claps his hands a couple time to draw their attention. He sports a lengthy blue coat instead of his usual green, but he always felt obligated to wear Flames colors when acting on their behalf. “Alright, crew. Today we’re providing support for the summoner squad. There’s reports of the Qalyana acting suspiciously and there’s fear they may be attempting to summon Sri Lakshmi again. The Flame Gen-, I mean Commander Aldynn requested the summoner squad’s assistance in investigating and, if the worst comes to be, engaging the Primal.”

He scans through the small crowd and lingers briefly on a young Au Ra woman with light blue skin and somewhat milky eyes. “We are NOT to engage the Primal if she is there. We are ONLY to engage hostile Ananta or other creatures as needed to facilitate an easy entry and retreat for the summoner squad. If I give the order to retreat, you retreat. No exceptions. If you see Lakshmi, you retreat. No exceptions. I don’t want any of you becoming Dreamers. Any questions?” He pauses to allow his squadron to speak up, but his only response was a handful of heads shaking.

“Good. Now we wait for the signal to move out. Summoner Denise will send her effigy of Ifrit when they’re ready to advance.” Just then a burst of flame flashes from the top of a nearby mesa. Floating in the space hovers a horned creature whose skin burned brightly. A creature he had come to know as an Ifrit-egi. “Speak of the devils and they shall appear.” He heaves a large sooty black blade onto his back and climbs into the saddle of a chocobo with similarly colored feathers. “Mount up, adventurers. We’re moving out.”

[hiromaniac]

Baleful

The young man dove out of the way at the last second, barely managing to avoid being clipped by the aurochs. Nearby several revelers burst out laughing. Brushing himself off as the aurochs trotted back to its herd, the man scowled at the revelers from behind his bandana. “Well I didn’t see any you take the challenge.”

“Aye, lad, ‘cause none of us are daft enough to try!”

One of the revelers stood up and finished his mug before tossing it at the heckler who spoken up. “Let me. I’ll show you how it’s done.” He unstrapped the curved blade from his belt and leaned it against the rock he had been perched upon. “They’ll sense your fear. Even the slightest flinch and they know that you’re a pest and can be driven away.” He cracks his knuckles and his neck as he paces towards the herd. “Stand your ground and they’ll lose their nerve.”

He let out a shrill whistle and waved his arms to draw the same bull’s attention. Still irritated by the previous man’s attempt, the bull broke away from the herd in a trot. The man whistled a couple more times with his arms still waving as the bull picked up speed. The man crossed his arms with a smirk and turned his head towards the revelers. They jeered as the bull drew closer and the man held his attention on them rather than it. Suddenly the man whipped his head towards the bull with a glare obscured to all watching except the bull itself.

The bull immediately planted its feet and slid to a halt only a fulm or so away from the man. With it’s nose still pointed at the man, it recoiled briefly and hopped around several times to test his resolve. It took one more step towards the man then recoiled again, this time turning tail and scurrying back towards the herd.

The man burst out laughing and walked back to the revelers. “Looks like I get free drinks tonight.” He takes the mug from another reveler’s hands and takes a swig before placing it back into the grasp it came from.

[hiromaniac]

Scale

The pair sprinted down the hallway with the scraping of stone on stone echoing behind them. He hadn’t stopped to count how many of the facers had emerged from the rubble and began to pursue them. “Zeph. I know I said you were in charge of disabling traps, but I would appreciate it if you gave me a head’s up before you do one.”

“I did give you heads up. Like a dozen of them.” The Raen peeked over her shoulder at the pursuing facers. She began to count but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Okay. Fine. I will let you know next time.” She looks back forward just in time to see the upcoming turn in the hallway and dart down the next corridor. “Especially if it’s another brain trap. Brain traps are hard.”

Hiro chuckled at her response, the pursuit hardly phasing him. “To be fair I thought the same when I first explored Belah’dian ruins. I had a shield with the Immortal Flames emblem on it at the time. Gem on the left, flame on the right. It’s a no brainer.” He gave his best shrug as he could in the circumstance as they vaulted over a collapsed pillar. “Turns out Belah’dia balanced the Flame of Magic and the Fruit of Knowledge. After the schism of the nation, Ul’dah put their own spin on it and made it the Jewel of Prosperity and the Flame of Might.”

“Mm.” Zeph nodded. “How much further until we’re out?”

“Only another couple minutes and we should be clear.”

(A shoutout to @soileinepoisson for writing the parts of her character, Zeph.)