#I just really wanted to save that new nidhogg attack <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[tovaicas]

↳ ꜰꜰxɪᴠ: ᴅᴀᴡɴᴛʀᴀɪʟ ᴊᴏʙ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ — ᴅʀᴀɢᴏᴏɴ

[enzelffxiv]

(part 1|2|3|4|5)

He came to with cold stone at his back. Everything ached, but distantly, as if he’d been in a fight a few days before and it was just catching up to him.

There was another figure sprawled at his feet, though it took them a moment to register who. Imry, in unfamiliar armor–it had been enameled in white once but bore too many scratches and scars now. He recognized the battered round shield she always insisted on carrying, but the sword he’d never seen before. It was small, and quite frankly, entirely unremarkable.

After a moment she stirred, as if waking up from a long sleep, though the place they lay was hardly appropriate for for a nap.

“Are you all right?” he found himself saying. “I’ve been waiting for you to open your eyes.”

-

The next time they saw her, she seemed diminished. Not physically, but in presence. There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. She carried their sword across her back now, but she had insisted on keeping the shield…

“I don’t understand,” Imry was saying, lifting a hand to pinch the wide bridge of her nose. “You want me to fight these beasts, but–have they attacked someone? Can they be eaten?”

“I need to be able to gauge your strength.”

“If that’s all it is, let’s go see Haurchefant. I bet he would spar with me again–”

“Imry,” they said impatiently, “a real fight. With real stakes.”

“Why haven’t we asked the locals, then? Maybe there’s something I can do for–”

They interrupted her. “Do you do this wherever you go? Looking for grunt work like a common sellsword? Your skills demand more than that.”

Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. They sighed. “Never mind. If you insist. If we’re lucky, perhaps they’re being terrorized by some overgrown monster.”

“That wouldn’t be lucky…” The confusion was evident in her voice. “It means people are getting hurt.”

“Yes, yes, and you’d be able to save them. That’s what a champion of the weak does, isn’t it?”

Imry looked uncertain. “Of course,” she replied after a moment, without much conviction.

-

She had new armor, finally. The Lord of House Fortemps had gifted it to her for her service. But she stubbornly refused to give up her shield. It looked even smaller and shabbier now against the shine of new-forged metal.

“Treating with the heretics? Are you all mad?”

“It’ll probably be a long journey,” she said. She had her back to them, busying herself with her chocobo’s tack. The normally placid, easygoing beast was shifting and whistling anxiously. Imry patted the side of her neck. “It’s all right, girl. We’ll get you something warm to wear–”

“And whose godsforsakenly foolish idea was that–”

“Mine,” she said firmly. “And Alphinaud’s.”

“The war in Ishgard has raged on for a thousand years. You don’t think people have have tried to end it before, and failed?”

“If we don’t try, more people will die. I have to do what I can.”

“This isn’t even your homeland!”

She turned to face them again, and her eyes were bright and full of worry. Infuriating. “It’s yours, though. Isn’t it?”

They didn’t know what to say.

-

“You smell like blood.”

Imry looked at them wearily. “Estinien got the worst of it…I think his armor may be ruined.”

“If you didn’t look fit to keel over at any moment, I’d say this were the perfect time…” Communion required a sacrifice, after all.

“You always have such strange…” she took a moment to find the word. “Priorities.”

“Ah, you’re right. I should be congratulating you on your victory. And I do mean that–”

“I just came to tell you the news. Because it’s been so long.”

“Imry, every citizen has been shouting of Nidhogg’s demise from the rooftops. You don’t think I would have heard?”

Imry was silent for a moment, seated on the steps, hands folded over the helm in her lap. Her hair had matted from being underneath it so long, her lips cracked from the cold.

“I wanted to tell you myself,” she said finally. “The truth. About Ishgard.”

They were silent as she recounted the tale. Despite the horror of the revelation, deep down, they knew–it was a familiar one. A tale that repeated itself through the ages, in ways both large and small. Greed, violence, retribution. Once the cycle began, it often didn’t end until everyone involved was dead. And dragons had much longer memories than man…

There was quiet for a long time after Imry finished speaking. Finally, she looked up at the overcast sky.

“Do you think things can finally change now?”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” they said scathingly. “You really believe the clergy, the nobles, would ever admit to such a truth? They’d rather sit on their power and keep sending the lowborn off to war.”

“But why would they give up the chance for peace?”

That was just it, wasn’t it. Why, indeed? Why was she so simple?

“I envy the world you live in,” they said coldly.

“It’s the same as yours,” she said, not understanding the idiom, as usual.

“Come see me again in a day. That should be enough. Now go back to your friends.”

-

She didn’t return for a week and a half. When she did, it was out of full armor; she wore a chain shirt under her heavy coat, and her hair was down in two long braids. She smelled of the reagents they used to clean bandages in the infirmary.

She sat down where she had the last time, and said nothing for a long while. For once, they broke the silence.

“It’s been some time.”

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was…frighteningly subdued. “I don’t know where to begin.”

“You, at a loss for words? I’m shocked.”

“I didn’t want to leave Akiv'a. He hasn’t been himself since–” A deep breath. “Since what happened in the Vault.” Her gloved fingers curled slightly in her lap.

And what about you?

“I hear you two are inseparable.”

“He’s my best friend,” she said, fiercely. “We always have each other’s backs. That’s why–”

Why does it hurt? What have you given up?

“I need to be stronger.”

Neither of them knew which one had spoken aloud.

-

You understand now, don’t you? You and I…we’re the same.

Imry–

You called out to me. You pulled me from the darkness. This was your will…and now I’ve decided.

Everything you’ve done was for others. For the nations, the people. For Eorzea. And what happened? They turned on you. Betrayed you. You owe them nothing.

But I know you. 

I am you. 

You can’t refuse them. You can’t turn your back on them. The moment someone cries out in pain or distress, you’ll be there to help them. Ever the hero.

Someday it’s going to kill you. And I can’t let that happen.

You wanted strength. I have it. I’m stronger than you now, so–

I’ll protect you this time. You don’t have to do a thing.

-

“You have to give her back.”

Akiv'a looked even smaller than usual, somehow. Ears laid back nearly flat against his skull, brow furrowed, the tip of his tail lashing anxiously. His one hand curled into a fist so tight the claws dug into his palm. 

“She hasn’t gone anywhere.” Confusion tinged their voice–was he afraid? Why? “She’s safe now.”

“Let me talk to her.” He was trying to keep his voice steady. "If she's there, then--"

“I can’t.” Why didn’t he understand? It was for her own good.

“Safe doesnt matter if she can’t see, hear, feel anything–”

"There wasn't any other choice." Why didn’t he understand? “The world is hard–and she couldn’t handle it on her own. She chose this.”

“She wouldn't--that can't be...she wouldn't just give up!" He shook his head, looking away.

Why does it hurt?

"You think I'm lying?" Their voice wavered. Strange. Akiv'a's eyes flashed as he looked them over again, but the anger faded quickly to something else. An ache.

This feeling...is the same. It's loneliness. Longing.

"You won't accept me in place of her."

"No one's going to replace her! Not whatever you are, not--I don't care what you do, just give her back! Give her back..."

He took a step forward, and they could feel the aether gathering around him.

Of course. A shade was no substitute. But it didn't matter. Whatever it took to protect her--yes, even if he hated them.

"She lost to me because she was weaker. That's why..."

Aether flared. A flame burst to life over Akiv’a’s right shoulder, the egi uncurling in one smooth motion.

Fragment of Ifrit. The flames were so familiar. They remembered the anger, the horror, the heat on their face, the taste of ash on their tongue. Searing pain on the left side of their face. The gritty haft of a spear stolen from an Amalj'aa clutched in their bare hands.

One of her memories.

He’d summoned the creature without an incantation or even even a gesture. It was pure instinct.

"Imry isn't weak," he forced through gritted teeth. "If you've done something to her, then--"

They drew their sword with a bitter laugh. No shield, just nearly two yalms of steel. "There's nothing you can do."

The groaning of earth and stone, the sharp shriek of the wind–two more glowing forms joined the first. Akiv'a cast his arm wide, fingers curled.

"Try me."

-

They lay on their back in the snow.

If any of them really cared for her–

A voice, calling.

I’m sorry. I failed you. I couldn’t be what you needed.

“That’s all right,” Imry said. She sat with her knees up, arms folded atop them. She was looking into the distance. They could hear the sound of waves. 

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I thought maybe–maybe…”

She put her head down.

“I was just running away. I thought I was sparing them. Everything was so hard already…I didn’t want anyone to see me falter.”

They should have protected you! They should have done better!

She shook her head. "I’ll–…I’ll go back now. I don’t want to worry anyone any longer. You can rest.”

Silence.

She looked up at them, eyes wide. “You’re not going to disappear, are you?“

Of course not. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.

-

Pain was familiar, even if the rest of it was not.

They looked over their hands, then up into Imry’s anxious face, leaning over them.

"Did it–it worked!” Her voice wavered, and they realized after a moment that she looked strangely pale. Ashen. “Are you all right? How do you feel…?”

“What did you…you idiot, what did you do–” Instinctively they grabbed for her shoulder as she swayed, then sat down next to them abruptly. Sweat stood out on her forehead, and her breathing was fast and shallow.

“I-I’m all…I just need to sit for a moment. That’s all.” She reached up to rub her face with one arm, and a glint of light caught their eye; held in her other trembling hand, two crystals. The smaller one a deep, deep red, surface carved with a familiar symbol. The other they had never seen before, but knew immediately what it was.

Her Crystal of Light.

“What did you do.”

“I…I didn’t want you to be lonely anymore. It’s my fault–for making you…because I was–because I couldn't accept what was right in front of me...” Her fingers curled around the crystals, and she clutched them to her chest, over her heart. They could feel her heartbeat, faint and frantic. And something else–a clawing ache deep in their own chest. A gaping emptiness.

“No.”

They grabbed her by both shoulders, and she looked startled, but didn’t protest.

“You–you absolute–…” At a loss, they gave up and simply stared at her.

Imry smiled weakly. “I-I’m sure it’ll take getting used to, but…this way, we can both be here…”

"I don't want to get used to it!" The words came hastily, panicked. Imry's eyes widened. "It hurts--I don't want to be separate from you!"

"You were--hurting even when we were together. I could feel it..." Imry looked like she might cry. Somehow, that made them angrier. They pushed her away, and she nearly fell, catching herself with her free hand.

"You idiot," they hissed. "Look what you've done to yourself--you could have killed yourself! You can't just use aether like that!"

"I did," she said quietly, stubbornly, no longer looking at them.

"Reverse it," they demanded. When she didn't respond, they held out a hand, palm facing her. "Take it back." 

Imry shook her head.

[spinneryesteryear]

Spinner plays FFXIV Heavensward

SPOILERS AHOY

- I made sure to unlock and lvl DRG before starting HW because reasons

- I… don’t really understand why people love Foulques so much? I can only presume it’s because they find him attractive

- at first I wondered why the lancers’ guild quests emphasized courage so much, but once you realize lancer upgrades to dragoon it all makes sense: they’re training the absolute maniacs who jump headfirst at DRAGONS; of course they’re going to emphasize courage

- the literal first thing I did as a dragoon after getting my soul crystal and the jump action was to launch myself into an AOE so clearly I’m playing my job right

- the drama between Alberic and Estinien was the only reason I made it through the 2.1 - 2.3 slog, tbh

- I picked up GLD/PLD somewhere in there, too, but the GLD quests weren’t exactly riveting and the PLD quests weren’t any better. I was just biding my time for DRK

- meanwhile I had hit like lvl 62 on WHM thanks to running lots of roulettes with Adventurer in Need: Healer so I’d switch to that while wandering through a lot of the HW regions so the mobs wouldn’t attack me. I did the HW story on DRG but ran dungeons as WHM the first time bc it’s my comfort role. 

- I’m… still not sure exactly how to do the mechanics on the Steps of Faith. Whoops. Fortunately, all but once I was WHM when I got it in roulette and I could just heal/spam Holy. The exception was on DRG and I just kinda… derped around killing what adds I could.

- those cutscenes at the end of 2.5, though. Dude. Duuuuuuude.

- it did give us Pipin Tarupin, however, and he is Best Lala.

- So, like… what exactly did Ysayle expect would happen when she broke Ishguard’s magic wards and opened it to assault by hordes of dragons??She seems genuinely regretful of the innocent lives lost when spoken to in the MSQ later in HW proper, but when she actually did the deed she was channeling ‘deranged witch’ for all it was worth and talking about how the sons should pay for the sins of their fathers. Did this incident give her a rude awakening about the Dravanian desire for vengeance?? Idk, maybe further quests will explain this.

—– me: *just arrives in Ishgard*

—– me: *taking the grand tour of the city*

—– me: *notices mob near cathedral, inquires about it, learns about recent violent death of heretic*

—– me: *finds heretic corpse*

—– me: *derails grand tour of Ishgard by slaughtering my way through the streets and through various chapels, laughing maniacally as I enjoy the greater reach of my brand-new greatsword and spam Unleash*

—– me, standing amid the broken corpses of a few dozen temple knights: Count Fortemps is probably gonna regret letting me into this city.

- that one dude in Camp Cloudtop who’s entirely too obsessed with the menu deserves to be booted off his lookout platform. I’ll even rescue him via flying mount before he splatters on the ground (however far down the ground happens to be, idk), but I really want to kick him off at least once. He gave me far too many fetch quests and my inner Fray is disgruntled, to say the least.

- me, just trying to make my way across the map: WILL EVERYTHING IN COERTHAS STOP CHASING ME???

- other people think the gaelicats are too cute to kill them. I, however, just want to kill them all the more. I’d be perfectly content to leave the mobs alone and continue on my merry way, but, nooooooo, they have to attack me. So I respond in savage kind.

- me, doing sidequest chains and getting mildly attached to extremely minor characters: So, I kinda ship Ayleth and Saintrelmaux now…

- ever since I unlocked it, I get Dusk Vigil all the time in lvling roulette so I’m now an expert on ice age megafauna, undead knights, and murderous griffins of the non-Sloppeh type

- Ravana is my fave HW primal, hands down, and his theme is definitely among my fave primal music. I would say it’s my absolute fave (I have listened to it on repeat for hours at a time, but I’ve done that with other music, so it’s not conclusive evidence) but it has stiff competition in the form of the Ultima theme, Leviathan’s theme, and the Knights of the Round theme.

- going on a life-changing field trip with Alphinaud, Estinien, and Ysayle was amazing. All we needed was Zuko.

- far too many side quests in Tailfeather. Far too many. And that one quest chain ended up with the poor dude’s pet baby chocobo as chicken tenders? If I didn’t hate chickens so much IRL that would have been super painful.

- the moogle quests required to progress the MSQ weren’t that bad. The sheer amount of moogle sidequests needed to unlock flying for that zone and their beast tribe quests, however…. well, I’m completely on board now with any plans Sidurgu might have for utter moogle genocide.

- lol, the moogles were about to give us more chores to do but Estinien’s sheer murderous rage panicked their chieftain into sending us on our way. I love him. (Estinien, that is. Not the moogles. I love to hate them.)

- Estinien is just… I love him so much. It’s more than his armor. It’s more than his jumps. It’s more than his sass and swearing. No stereotypical elf qualities to be found here, folks. Honestly, he could give some elves from The Silmarillion a run for their money, with even his own equivalent of Angband PTSD post-Nidhogg. I also immensely love that he’s a character on a power level similar to the WoL. (I don’t actually enjoy the main character being the most powerful person in the world, without equal. I like someone else being better in at least some ways and that being okay.) Heck, when possessed by Nidhogg he’s the final boss of the expansion + patches. And he lives. (Which is in itself a pretty powerful moment and Alphinaud and the WoL’s desire to save him lifts the whole plot point/theme into something more sublime. It would have been easy to kill him regretfully, both from a Watsonian and a Doylist perspective. The devs had no problems throwing painful deaths at us in this expansion. But we took the harder route. And it was worth it.)

- low-key painful Heavensward moments (bc heavens know there’s enough high-key painful moments): Alberic is extremely worried about his adopted son, whom he last saw nearly possessed by a dragon’s millennium’s worth of hate and rage, and who then vanished in an explosion, but he can’t do anything about it so instead he helps another retired dragoon worry about his own missing daughter

- ngl there was some red herring foreshadowing that the primal Archbishop Thordan planned to summon was actually Halone, the Fury, Goddess of Justice and Patroness of Ishgard. Which would have been badass. But I’m pretty sure Square Enix is going the Dragon Age route of never confirming/denying the presence of the Maker with their Twelve, Halone included, so I deemed it unlikely even as I secretly hoped. A lot of players probably missed these fake hints and would wonder what I’m even talking about. 

- I couldn’t even get mad about all the bad things that happened during the Vault because the characters were juggling Idiot Balls. (1) Aymeric thought his father, who has been consorting with Ascians and plans to summon a primal, could be reasoned with. (2) Aymeric went alone to go reason with him and was correspondingly captured and tortured. (3) We fought three of the twelve Heaven’s Ward in the Vault itself and NO ONE APPARENTLY QUESTIONED WHERE THE OTHER NINE WERE. Plus, said three have clearly already been tempered and are feeding off primal energy for their second forms, even if the mechanics are unknown. Those without the Echo should have promptly skedaddled after rescuing Aymeric. (4) After a dungeon full of ambush mobs, no one thought to secure the little airship landing behind the Vault before arguing with Archbishop Thordan. In Ishgard, city of verticality with its gravity-defying dragoons, personal airplanes, and millennium-long war against flying dragons. Everyone involved should have thought to check the nearby roofs for hostiles. Am I seriously the only person who has ever thought tactically about this situation??? (5) The WoL and Haurchefant rush forward to delay the Archbishop, again without considering the whereabouts of the rest of his presumably also tempered bodyguards or whether any hostiles remain in the building behind us. And so events happened as they did.

- Regula van Hydrus has a cool name and a cool silhouette with that helmet. Better than Varis, anyway. 

- the Vundu are probably my fave HW beast tribe. The moogles are the crafting tribe so Imma do them anyway (and have fun tricking them into doing work) but I’m actually looking forward to the Vundu. I’m just benevolently apathetic towards the Gnath.

- I just, like… did not care about Azys Lla in the slightest. It was more Allagan BS and I hated the map. (I still don’t have it fully explored??? What am I doing??) The ‘terms and conditions’ bit with the node was amusing, but… the entire place got old almost immediately. Finding Tiamat and talking to her with Midgardsormr was the only high point.

- why isn’t there an option to have Hrasevelgr come and talk to Tiamat to persuade her to abandon her self-chosen imprisonment??? Or to have Estinien later come and talk to her to possibly give her Nidhogg’s perspective? Bc I think Nidhogg would have some insight into her situation, definitely. She summoned elder primal Bahamut out of grief at his loss, while Nidhogg launched a millennium-long war out of grief at Ratatoskr’s loss, and now they’ve both abandoned their vengeance. 

- ARF TILL YOU BARF

- idk, man, the Aetherochemical Research Facility is such a weird conglomerate of things for a dugneon. Firstly, you got Allagan tech and machines. Then you got mutant creatures the Allagans made (bc, if it was mad science, then the Allagans were all over it). Then you got Ascians, evil ghosty dudes who laugh evilly and throw standard Evil Ascian Attacks at you before doing the fusion dance from Dragonball Z and becoming a Giant Evil Ascian. Igeyhorm has a feminine voice but is she(?) actually female or is she just presumably possessing a female body? Do Ascians have gender or do they even care about such things? (I am very much Not Thinking about Solus/Emet-Selch reproducing here.) 

- Archbishop Thordan reveals the millennium-old, perfectly preserved corpse of Haldrath, the original Thordan’s dragoon son, with NIDHOGG’S OTHER EYE FUSED INTO THE CORPSE’S CHEST, and, like, no one really comments on it in- or out-of-universe???? What happened??? Haldrath gave up the throne, apparently because he wasn’t 100% on board with his dad’s treachery against Ratatoskr and consequent decision to kill all dragons to maintain power. Dragoons were apparently already a thing at this point (HC: to combat the voidsent infesting Abalathia’s Spine and the mountains between Coerthas and Gridania, e.g. Witches’ Drop), so what happened to Haldrath? Is this explained somewhere and I missed it??? Did Nidhogg hijack his mind? Estinien had Nidhogg’s eyes (both of them, incidentally, which Haldrath didn’t have to deal with) fused to his arm & shoulder but Haldrath had an eye fused to his chest. To his HEART. What happened.

- And then Archbishop Thordan somehow turns Haldrath’s corpse + armor + Nidhogg’s eye into a sword, the primal version of presumably Ascalon, King Thordan’s sword, somehow designing it to eat primal/Ascian aether. And then he kills Lahabrea, which, no great loss there. But it leaves my questions unanswered.

- Thordan + Knights of the Round is such a cool trial, I love it to death and not because it’s easy. It could be as hard as Nidhogg Normal and I’d still love it. I wish I had a static with whom I could do Thordan Ex and other more complicated content.

- finishing that fight and the cutscenes after, however… man, I didn’t know how to feel. I was screaming internally and torn in at least three different directions. Couldn’t get through the patch content fast enough to fight Nidhogg.

- had to fight Raubahn as DRG to represent my decimated Knights Dragoon brethren and my missing possessed dragoon brother and restore their honor. I’m also 100% convinced Raubahn learned of Ifrit’s nail trick and decided, “I can totally do that with Tizona.”

- has Aymeric ever done a dragoon jump? No? Then he’s not a real Azure Dragoon even if he has a nice color scheme and has ridden a dragon. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if he can do a dragoon jump (he’s survived years as Estinien’s friend somehow, and I can’t help but imagine he’s dragged Estinien off more than one rooftop), but until he does it I’m not budging on this. 

- Aymeric getting stabbed by a rando with a pocketknife and nearly dying was (1) surprisingly realistic and (2) made him look wimpy next to all the punishment so many of the other characters take without dying. Sorry, man. It had to be said. I love you, Aymeric, but still.

- standing there on the Final Steps of Faith, on the broken bridge to the Gate of Judgment, staring down Nidhogg while that beautiful music plays (TELL ME WHY BREAK TRUST, WHY TURN THE PAST TO DUST) and waiting for the queue to pop… that was a powerful emotion unlike any other. Stormblood couldn’t match it.

- Nidhogg is such a fun fight because it’s still hard and I hate that I don’t get it in trial roulette more often. (Trial roulette is my favorite, actually. I love almost all trials - with the notable exception of the Chrysalis bc everyone runs around like chickens with their heads cut off on it and rages in chat, and with the possible exception of non-Final Steps of Faith.) Akh Morn is still a killer, I sometimes just want to watch bodies hit the floor, and Final Chorus is such a badass moment even as we’re all dodging for our puny lives. We’re fighting Bahamut’s brother. 

- Estinien takes advantage of Nidhogg’s temporary aether depletion to regain enough control over his body to try to kill himself before being used to wreak any more havoc. Estinien survived weeks, possibly months of possession via ancient angry dragon, and having two giant dragon eyeballs embedded in his body and feeding him enormous amounts of foreign aether. Estinien survived his body being aetherically remade into the shape of an enormous dragon and then into a giant dragon-man hybrid. Estinien survived the Warrior of Light. IMHO he doesn’t get enough credit for this. 

- do u ever wonder about Hraesvelgr and Estinien later meeting and Hraesvelgr identifying the spirit of his brother lingering within Estinien? Bc I think a lot of us have headcanon’d that Estinien is not as free of Nidhogg as one might think, what with his red fiery aura in SB and all. On the other hand… some of us further theorize that Estinien can’t be tempered now, so he could help us fight primals. It’d be awesome.