#ITS BETWEEN THIS OR DUN SCAITH

[devotedlystrangewizard]

[through gritted teeth] i love melee dps [literally in tears] positionals are fun

[storms-path]

Day 4 - Void (Extra Credit)

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”

Trapped in steel as it was, the beast was nonetheless unmistakeable as it awoke, shattering its restraints with all the ease of a child tearing leaves. No other creature could have that same wretched aether. No other creature could inspire such deep, unrelenting irritation at its continued existence.

“Diablolos, you sack of shite-layered goblin piss! Why can’t you just stay DEAD?!” Fareena punctuated her frustration with her trademark opening gambit: Charing directly up to the abomination of steel and void and slamming her gunblade into its chassis. It didn’t exactly do much, but it made her feel much better. Distantly she could hear Arashi and Stalwart cursing her out in unison, Sanda’s confusion at Fareena’s visceral reaction, but she honestly didn’t care. Honestly, the nerve of some creatures, thinking they could just cheat death as they wished. It wasn’t fair!

Warning: Control system failure. Warni- <bzzzt> I return to myself a- Oh, not YOU again.

If it was possible for an unholy fusion of demon and machine to convey annoyance, the Diablo Armament certainly gave it its best effort. With an almost casual swipe of its monstrously large hand it attempted to swat Fareena like the annoying gnat she was. Fareena, however, had other ideas, leaping onto the hand as it swung her way and starting to climb up the Armament’s arm, shouting obscenities all the way.

Sanda, thoroughly confused at this point, paused in nocking another arrow to her bowstring and watched as the nimble viera clambered, leapt and scrabbled her way up the creature’s forearm and onto its shoulder, somehow avoiding all of its admirable attempts to dislodge her. Slamming her gunblade into the giant warmachina’s shoulder, she continued her tirade of insults without any apparent need to pause for breath. To Sanda’s considerable shock, the great metal beast actually turned its head to respond in kind, its horrific booming voice uttering some truly vile curses.

“What… What is going ON?!” Sanda couldn’t help but express her bafflement. What was supposed to be a climactic battle to free Bozja had instead devolved into a glorified shouting match. And to make matters worse, neither Arashi nor Stalwart looked surprised. With a grimace, Arashi turned to explain.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered this thing,” Arashi said with a vague gesture towards the mechanical behemoth. “Not in this form,” she hastily added at Sanda’s disbelieving look. “He was a good deal smaller when we faced him in Dun Scaith.”

“And Amdapor!” added Stalwart helpfully, turning her gaze away from the animated conversation still occurring. “He really is a persistent one, isn’t he?” A roar of fury cut through the conversation, making them all cover their ears. Or horns, in Arashi and Sanda’s cases. Fareena, clutching her own ears, was laughing. Apparently she had won that exchange.

“So you’ve… met this thing before?” In a world of newfound absurdities, this one seemed a little too much to accept. But Arashi and Stalwart just nodded grimly, the same fatigued expression on their faces.

“Thought we’d finally dealt with him after blasting him with the Nullstone, but apparently some scrap of him survived enough to find its way into that relic.” Arashi’s resigned tone echoed in the massive chamber, making the silence between viera and machine all the more conspicuous. The three women exchanged a look, then turned to see whether Fareena had been reduced to a fine paste.

Surpassing expectations once again, Fareena was not reduced to a smear of aether. Instead she was climbing back down the arm of the creature, looking remarkably smug and without a hint of retaliation from the colossus. With a spirited leap she bounded back onto solid ground, jogging over to her very confused compatriots.

“We’ve come to an agreement!” she said with an unearned grin.

“An agreement? With that thing?” Stalwart’s tone was all disbelief and veiled disgust.

“Yes! We’re going to do our damnedest to kill that voidsent bastard properly this time!”

So far so good, but… “What’s the catch?” spoke Arashi and Sanda in perfect unison.

“No catch! He’s just going to do the same to us! Oh, duck.” Fareena was already ducking as she did, barely avoiding a white-hot ball of magitek aimed squarely at her head. It slammed into the far wall with an ominous hiss. Then Fareena was turning back with a grim expression, gunblade raised as she charged into the fray.

With a well-worn grimace shared between them, Arashi, Sanda and Stalwart joined her.

[lighttheabyss]

v; Abyss and Reason

Khaida’s default verse ALWAYS intertwines with @reasoningruffles‘s default verse

Khaida Ahmahno was born in the Urth’s Gift area to the leader of a Keeper village and her merchant ‘mate’. Though her parentage was odd [seeing as her father was the only male her mother would have kittens with], her mother raised her fairly traditionally. Khaida railed against the norm, however, taking to magic more than the bow. Her closest friend growing up was a half-Keeper, half-Seeker ‘cousin’ named Brodi’a, and when he left the village, she grew ever more troublesome for her mother. She spent more and more time with her father, seeing the parts of the Shroud beyond their little villages.

Eventually, she and her mother had a falling out involving her magic and her refusal to bring kittens into a post-Calamity world, and she took to the life of an adventurer, becoming a part of the Thaumaturgy Guild in Ul’dah and rising up as a star pupil to the Coco brothers. From there...she began herr path to becoming one of the famed ‘Warriors of Light’.

Canon Classes

THM/BLM: Follows THM and BLM storylines.

ARC: Does not follow storyline, was raised learning the art of hunting with a bow.

ACN/SCH: Does not follow storyline, learned it in her quest to know as much magic as she can. Fairy is named Chrysanthemum.

AST: Follows storyline. Has the AST Anima weapon.

CNJ: Knows a small amount, does not follow storyline.

RDM: Follows storyline.

DRK: Does not follow storyline. Is not ‘canon’ DRK, as it is a version that allows her to ‘vent’ voidtaint.

MCH: Picked it up shortly after @reasoningruffles, was extremely curious about the way it mixed magic and machinery.

Must Know Events

Down into the Black: After the events of 3.2, Khaida cast aside her BLM soulstone and weapon and focused solely on healing magics and MCH; the losses piling up were too much for her to handle. However, this meant the voidtaint on her soul from her Mhachi ancestor had no way to vent, and it kept building and building [the Shadow of Mhach events did not help at all]. She kept her growing instability and the ‘cracks’ on her skin hidden from others. It all came to a head during 3.5; she found out her childhood friend [recently reunited with] was a pawn of the Ascians, the Wall happened, and then Dun Scaith’s events [especially when @diabclos is involved] lead to her having a very violent and explosive breakdown that had the same ancestor who was the source of the voidtaint knocking her ass out. For a few months, Khaida was in the care of her ancestor and the Stillglade Fane while she and Brodi’a [now Brody] were recovering. Khaida was part of the meetings in 3.55, but not the trip to awaken Omega. Oh did she feel the fight between Omega and Shinryu, though, being extremely aether-sensitive at the time.

Bearer of the Ame-no-Habakiri: After Zenos’ suicide, Khaida was handed the temperamental blade Yotsuyu had gifted him from the Red Kojin’s treasure vault. Of all the Scions, Khaida was the one with the best bet to keep it under control, and keep it out of the Empire’s hands. Though the ‘recovered’ Zenos wields a replica, Khaida uses the real thing as her DRK weapon, reminding it that she is the one in control and that her void-tainted aura will always overpower its.

Important NPCs

Kahzu Ahmahno: Khaida’s mother, who she has slowly been repairing her relationship with. A very stubborn woman who is slowly letting go of her xenophobic ways after truly seeing the state the world is in after the Calamity, and all her daughter has done and given up for the world. Pale skinned, short black hair, dark blue eyes. Dresses very practically in dark colors.

Kenj’a Cohrce: Khaida’s father, and head of the merchant caravan known as The Swan’s Sundries. Tall for a Keeper [around 6′], shares Khaida’s darker skin and ice blue eyes, has black hair he keeps short and slicked back with some grey streaked through it because of his age. Keeps clean-shaven, is a little on the ‘pudgy’ side, dresses in a manner that is both practical and shows he’s done well for himself as a merchant. He and Khaida are close, and he’s likely to ‘Dad’ on anyone she’s close to. [He’s also very protective of @theleglesscoward, and kicks himself for not pulling the boy into his caravan before he could fall to the fate he did.]

Kimhi Ahmahno: Khaida’s younger sister, and the one most likely to take her place as ‘heir’ of the clan. They’re still talking about it.

Uigite: Khaida’s direwolf pup who....isn’t exactly a pup anymore. He’s very definitely tamed, however, and is a sweetheart so long as you aren’t trying to harm his people. Be warned, however; despite his size, he’s convinced he’s still a lapdog.

Moh Esh: Khaida...somewhat accidentally adopted this young dragonet during an excursion to the Churning Mists after Niddhog’s defeat. It’s certain that Moh Esh is of Niddy’s brood, but the curious little one was not drowned in his sorrow and rage. They’re intent on staying away from this ‘gender nonsense’, and can be found in their true form or running around pretending to be an androgynous little miq’itten.

Quartz: The spirit of Khaida’s anima weapon, Quartz is rarely far from Khaida, and is a sweet little thing, if quite a bit curious about how battles and wars work.

Chrysanthemum: Khaida’s fairy, a sweet thing with none of her memories. Was likely a brand new fairy brought into being shortly before the War.

Íomhá Neamhní: Khaida’s ancestor who slept in stasis for many, many years. She was Mhachi, and a voidmage who reached too far into the Black and came away from it voidtainted. She’s the one who found a way for Khaida to vent large amounts of voidtaint from her body, and brought her to heel when her taint went out of control. She likes to fluster Khaida by asking her when she’s getting more descendants.

Important Relationships with other Characters Universal in this Verse

@reasoningruffles​/Gracie Sournois: Gracie is Khaida’s ‘wind and sky’, the first person to wiggle into her heart after leaving the Shroud, the one she first was able to truly say ‘I love you’ to. Gracie is an important part of Khaida’s life, enough that they have had a Ceremony of Eternal Bonding, and anyone becoming romantically involved with Khaida must understand that Gracie is always going to be a part of Khaida’s life.

Thancred: Khaida started in Ul’dah, and as such Thancred was ‘her Scion’. He was the one who extended the offer of joining the Scions to her, who saw her start from the beginning. She does harbor romantic affections for him along with the platonic, though whether those are returned or not depends on Thanny’s player.

The Coco Brothers: Khaida is intensely protective of her teachers and their youngest brother, after all they’ve been through.

Nanamo ul Namo: Khaida is loyal to the Sultana, and even though she still bristles at much of Ul’dah after the Bloody Banquet, she still remains extremely loyal to the Sultana and the Flames.

The BLM Quest Folks: Again, after all they’ve been through, Khaida is intensely protective of them.

Minfilia: Khaida is just as loyal to Minfi and her cause as she is to Nanamo. 3.2 hurt.

Alphinaud: Khaida sees him as a younger brother, and is extremely nervous with him being gone after 4.3.

The Crown Gemworks: These are her ‘children’, you will not harm them or she will end you. aka, she takes having been their mentor VERY SERIOUSLY.

Haurchefant Greystone: He smiled at her when she was still hurting and angry, and she will never, ever forget that. Losing him was a blow that started her downfall in 3.5.

The Fortemps: They’re a second family to her, and she dearly loves her adoptive father and brothers. Even if Emmy makes her SIGH HEAVILY sometimes.

Stephanivien de Haillenarte: Like Haurchefant, he was a much needed ray of sunshine at just the right time. He is still one of the people she’s most likely to go hide with after something has gone wrong.

Joye Ninefaces: JOYE IS A GODSDAMNED DELIGHT AND KHAIDA WILL PUNCH ANYONE JOYE HASN’T ALREADY SHOT HERSELF.

AST Storyline folks:....Have I mentioned Khaida is protective over people she cares about? Even Janne.

Ships at Current

My Wind and Sky: @reasoningruffles [exists in tandem with ALL OTHER SHIPS in this verse]

Distractions: @roguishbard

And All The Heavens: @libertatearchitecto, @alandeathweaver, & @exscientiavir

[Khaida IS open to more ships, as chemistry is a thing and I long ago stopped trying to tell my character where her heart is going. Keep in mind, however, that her ship with Gracie is always going to be a thing.]

[drunkdungeoneers-ffxiv]

Heart Investigation

The Dungeoneers gathered into the basement of the Plundered Tavern in order to investigate the abilities of the Heart of Valesseir Blackdawn, recovered from Dun Scaith, and determine how safe it would be to hand it over to Sithethe Sithe and complete the contract.

The investigation was carried through the individual attendees analyzing the item with aether, trying to garner knowledge about it. Their investigations by aether revealed much about the heart. The green liquid the heart was suspended in was an isochronic liquid keeping the heart suspended in time. The tendril growths coming out of the heart were roots that could absorb nutrients from the environment around them. The heart was actually a store of information, beliefs, ideas, and memories on a vast array of subjects. This information was catered by a sort of curator spirit that could direct the knowledge contained inside. The heart was not tainted by the Void, despite initial concerns of its connection to a Voidsent. In order for the heart to be utilized it had to be removed from the jar, which could only be done by someone of the same bloodline as Valesseir Blackdawn. The heart was found to have the same composition as a fruit-bearing tree seed that was one common to Mhach.

With all of this information gathered the Dungeoneers determined that the most likely event was that the heart was akin to a seed that could be grown into a tree of knowledge. This was decided as too dangerous to be turned over to Sithethe without some manner of control placed on the access to the knowledge. A great fear arose in the debate that the client would gain access to forgotten magicks and become destructive, or that the knowledge would be stolen away. In the end a proposition was decided on that was a new option between turning it over to Sithethe and keeping it locked away. The heart would be planted, in a controlled container, so the Dungeoneers could control Sithethe’s access to the tree and what knowledge she garnered from it. Sithethe would also be offered a job by the Dungeoneers in order to assist them in getting out of their destitute situation, plus give them easier access to the tree of their family.

After the motion was voted on and passed the contract was called to a close.

[enambris]

Playing the Game of Thrones

Some months ago, I confided to these pages of the strangest week I had managed to live through, which included the installation of Justice and Truth in my body, pledging my allegiance to what I would later discover to be a zealous Ishgardian void-touched, my sudden assault by a pair of rogue inquisitors, and the founding of the Glass Network. By some unholy miracle, I have managed to surpass that in both timing and scale. Whatever powers that be that I’ve offended, I dearly hope they lose interest in my endeavors soon.

I am very, very tired. Exhaustion has been my constant companion since the assault and subsequent exorcism of the boy, whose loyalty pledge has since reversed, in that he has pledged to serve and protect me rather than the inverse, though I know not his true loyalties. His teacher is a man of strong principle and narrow tact, whose zealous nature is proving to be both a boon and a curse. I’ve need to restrict his presence in situations calling for diplomacy, if only because his mouth nearly started a war. I like him, but he’s a terrible negotiator.

I suppose all things of note began just before Crion’s return with the incident at Baelsar’s Wall. After sustaining artillery fire, Justice cracked, something I did not know was possible, but there it was. Somehow, the resulting aetheric displacement ripped me from my position, irritating the elementals in the process, and tossed me through the current until at last I was dumped out in a city abandoned by a civilization long dead and infested by voidkin. Coupled in timing was the discovery of a large worm easily thrice the size of a fully-grown dragon, which has been devouring its way through the underside of Dravania for weeks. Its existence has given me ceaseless concern.

Then there was the “dalliance” between myself and my left-hand council, something I still remember with both fondness and a measure of regret, if only because I cannot seem to figure out why I grow such fondness and care for those to whom my body is convenience. I cannot deny that the crumbling of my heart’s walls has done me good, and that the breaking of boundaries I was previously unwilling to break has both been liberating and fostered my personal growth… but the scars left upon my heart are deep. To that end, though, I am beyond eternally grateful to whatever thread of fate brought Crion back to me. In a time filled with such darkness and death, he has gently handled the crumbling pieces of my heart and slowly sewn them back together. To think that he had been lost to me for so long and how dark my path had been, his return has sparked a wildfire in me that no one else could.

Shortly after Crion’s return, I was given the knowledge of the responsible party behind Ilithien’s destruction and the genocide of her people. That self-same left hand, under the yoke of the Empire, was the linchpin to the destruction. I admit, the knowledge still eats away at me. A rage I refuse to feed burns in my breast. Because I know, with my rational mind and less-rational heart, that the fault lays squarely with his former masters. One does not destroy the sword to punish the man who wielded it. I know that I can still trust him. I confided in him my fears that death may come to greet me soon. I’ve no solid evidence of it, but a feeling of dread that has settled in my stomach whispers to me. I’m not ready to die anymore, but I don’t know if I can bear the tide that is soon to crash against me.

From there, things have spiraled downward and out of control. Ellie’s marriage dissolved and ended in a tumultuous divorce after she was assaulted by the Tyrant who, for whatever gods-damned reason, has decided to shrug off her death and go gallivanting off in the hopes of destroying the world, or something equally horrible. Then there came the Shadow, then Ana’s forces, then the dive into the coils, the expedition into Dun Scaith, bloodbeasts migrating south from Dravania, Marian’s leg lost, and then to cap all of it off, Araris. He is a problem I cannot fathom how to handle.

On the surface, standing orders on Araris are just that: kill him on sight. He was caught making deals and exchanging sensitive information with the tyrant, going so far as to appear in her company and to kidnap Ellie to negotiate a cease-fire. But then there is his statement that he intends to be the one to plunge his knife into Ana’s back, a double-agent. Either he is being truthful, and acting any other way will spell as obviously suspicious to any closely observing our reaction, or he is lying, in which case his death is warranted. And what’s worse is the conflict he’s sewn between the Network and Ishgard’s House Cahernaut. His grab for power is escalating rapidly. If he’s not dealt with soon, more people are going to die. Revarik had him “bugged” as he put it, and if what I overheard is true, he’s already slain dozens.

Since this passing week though, I have had to face the reality of what the growth of the Network means, not only for me, but for the Network itself. It was small when it was founded, but now it has expanded and its member base is vast and varying. I cannot operate under the noses of the law and governing bodies any longer, not if I hope to gain cooperation in our tasks. We’ve become more than just a response to the Craftsman’s antics, more than just a resistance against Glass. Now our mission is broader: the Glass Network hunts monsters. And, as much as I am loathe to do so, an organization of its size must at least in some small part deal in the politics of supplies and protection.

Which means I am forced to entertain politics, something I thought would never come to call again after the destruction of my home. Even without my station and my titles, I am still playing a game of thrones.

I do not intend to lose.

[harrowleaf]

So after I collected my thoughts with a good nights sleep I thought I could give my thoughts on the Heavensward story as a whole:

I’m actually really happy with how things turned out! Throughout the entire patch cycle I was just hit with fear and anxiety after Haurchefant’s death occurred in 3.0, especially when it came to Aymeric because of the assassination attempt in 3.1 and the the fact that I thought he was crushed by a pillar in 3.3 due to how fucking vague the trailer was.

The whole thing about the conflict between Zodiark and Hydaelyn and how it has created multiple worlds is something I really hope that they will work on, especially now that the lorebook revealed that Cuchulainn and Unukalhai would have been the Warriors of Light of the 13th hadn’t the former become a voidsent and the latter having to travel to our Eorzea. It gives some resemblance to Final Fantasy XI, although I never actually played that one.

As for the dungeons, my personal favourites out of the patch cycle are The Antitower, Lost City HM, both versions of Gubal and Xephatol. Out of the Primal battles I loved all of them for different reasons, but Zurvan in particular is my favourite due to him being my favourite Warring Triad fight and the only one I’ve actually cleared without a wipe. Sophia comes in as a close second, and then Ravana and Sephirot. Sorry Bismarck, you’re gonna have to keep on flying.

The Alexander raids were fun, but unfortunately after a while I lost interest in them and due to more people messing up on mechanics than I can count, I can’t say which one was my favourite tier due to all three invoking bad memories. Gordias was just boring, Midas was frustrating thanks to Quickthinx and the Creator wound up becoming a mix.

On the other hand, the 24-man raids made me feel different. I loved the Void Ark and the eerie atmosphere, and even if the Weeping City had its problems with people not following mechanics, I still liked it. Dun Scaith was also a place I really loved, and the fact that all three raids have ties to the lost civilization of Mhach entertains me as I started as a BLM.

Apart from the content, a lot of things happened around the last three main patches. I left my old FC to join my current one, I got married in-game to a close friend and got my anima weapon. The last one in particular took a really long time, but it was worth it for the Canopus Lux.

And to round this off, I guess I can go ahead and mention the one thing that I was super happy about in the main story.

SHINRYU IS FINALLY FUCKING CONFIRMED AS A PRIMAL

[summonersilvaire-blog]

Speaking of Dun Scaith I have a treat to tell you all

So I guess it’s been out for a few days, maybe weeks, but people generally don’t really know what’s going on so we just make a bee line for the boss and figure out mechanics anyway

BUT my party comes to the Queen and i’ve been told that shes a really tough fight, like two healers at this stage can barely scrape by so i’m like ohh ok

HOWEVER BEFORE WE EVEN GOT THERE - the other healer in my alliance left so it was just me, a lone Astrologist, and six other people (including a tank that looked like Captain America)

Between my party and the alliance, the chat went something like this:

Someone: *salt* Someone *less salt* Me: hey team A is missing a healer guys Party: We should totally do it with one healer Me: Please no Party and Alliance: yeah lets do this!

I DO NOT AT ALL, RECOMMEND SOLO HEALING QUEEN BECAUSE

HOLY

SHIT

Her mechanics are designed to be as annoying as possible, she hits quite hard and there is a lot of times where people will be tunnelling a lot of damage onto themselves. When she its half health we go through it all again but at like a 200% damage buff so she really mad at us

But SOMEHOW through this absolute melee of a fight, frantically throwing out cards, a few swift-casts resurrects and mashing my heals to the point where I’m sure I burnt through the keys on my keyboard, we pulled through with two teams of healers and one very, very, very lucky Astrologist and I have people who saw this to prove it

1/10 would recommend

[enambris]

A Queen’s Warning

The air had left her lungs before she arrived at whatever destination she now finds herself in, gasping for breath and desperately trying to scramble to her feet. The world spins around her, head throbbing, and it’s not until something hard strikes her across the face that the lights dancing through her vision finally subside enough to paint the stone alley and high, chiseled slate-gray stone walls in more contrast than the blur they were before.

“W-where–” she chokes out, cold, blessed oxygen filling her lungs again and again, her breath coming in plumes of steam.

“Shh shh shh,” a voice replies, a hand pressing to her face and shoving her back down, hard, sending the girl stumbling back to her knees. “Be not afraid, I have no intent to harm you this night. Until I depart, consider this a… temporary cease-fire, mm?”

Enambris’ back finds solid stone and she presses against it, blinking fog from mercury eyes. Her vision, slowly, adjusts to the darkness, falling first on the long, wild platinum locks of a sharp-figured woman, relaxing calmly against a crate. Her gaze travels to the deep red of a singed coat, frayed and tattered at the ends by fire, parted to reveal ample breasts and scars that litter her chest and neck, fresh stitching encircling where a wound had parted it from her head some days earlier. Finally she meets the amber gaze watching her quietly, a shadowy smirk just faintly detectable through the darkness.

@thequeendrowned

“I’m not afraid of you,” the girl spits, clawing at the stone behind her in a second attempt to get to her feet. The woman lifts a finger in pause, her other hand occupied by a polished red apple that she bites into deeply, juice running down from pale blue lips and over her chin. “If not to kill me, then why did you bring me here?” Enambris snarls.

The woman takes several long moments to languidly chew and swallow the piece of apple before her lips part to sneer. “I wanted to see how you were doing, daughter mine,” Ana replies evenly, inspecting the remaining portion of the apple carefully as if checking for blemishes. “After all, hearing such biting words, you must be terribly heartbroken. He is quite vicious, your little white ghost.” She doesn’t wait for a reply, quite content with the sound of her own voice. She sweeps forward quickly and takes the girl by the chin, turning her head left and then right to inspect her in much the same way as she had the apple, her expression one of wonderment, as if she’d never really looked at her before. Smoke wafts up where her fingers connect to the girl’s skin, the heat searing long, pale digits, but Ana does not release her.

“Hmm. You got my cheekbones. My chin. But your eyes, your nose, those are distinctly your father’s. I had always wondered if he had been fair faced once, beneath all those scars.” She smiles, a terrifying thing full of teeth and bitterly cold, releasing the girl’s chin and returning her attention to the apple. Another slow bite interrupts her stream of consciousness, enough for Enambris to scramble in search of her weapon.

The woman waves her free hand dismissively. “You needn’t worry about that, my dear. It is safe, where you left it. You’ll have it again. I just wanted a moment to… talk.”

“You ignored my mere existence for years and then tried to have your knights turn me into your pet demon, your living weapon. You’ve never spoken a kind word to me in my entire life and NOW you’d like to sodding chat?” Enambris retorts, smoke wafting up from where the heat had started to burn through the loose fabric of her satin shirt, light glimmering through the threads where the crystal rests beneath. “You cost my sister her marriage and very nearly killed her, you tried to drown someone I care about very deeply, you assaulted my friends and those who look to me for strength. You’ve driven a wedge between me and my closest friend. I don’t know why the seven hells spat you back out, but you can return there for all I care. You were a tyrant in life and you’re no better in death. Return to the bottom of the sea where you belong,” the girl snarls, her jaw clenched so tightly it might pop.

The woman’s eyes snap to and fix on that bright stone, something between contempt and curiosity playing on pallid features. “So they whisper truly. You’ve taken death into your heart.” She scoffs, and turns the apple in her fingers. Black ichor spreads from the skin to the flesh, decaying and corrupting it as though it had been left for months to rot, a fine layer of mold and fuzz spreading across its surface. “Death does funny things to a person. It changes one’s perspective, gives one a unique sense of scale. In the grand scheme of things, we’re all very, very small, daughter mine. Even within our family, those of us who might be thought strong are, ultimately, subject to the whims of forces too great for comprehension.”

“Get to the point,” Enambris growls, still pressed firmly to the wall. Fists clenched, her knuckles are stricken white and she rises slowly to her feet, astral static blooming behind the mercury of her irises. “Clearly you have something to say, so cut the shite and spit it out.”

The apple, or what’s left of it, slips from Ana’s fingers and splatters as it strikes the ground, putrescence wafting into the air. Her smile peels back, a little madness showing in the sharpness of her amber eyes. “You have a star in your heart and surround yourself with the darkest of creatures, praying that their wickedness is but a mask that your light will shine through. I brought you here to give you a warning – and before you thrust my words back in my face, I warn you because our goals are much closer than you might think. We are, after all, kin.” Her only reply from the girl is a glower, but she doesn’t speak, so the woman goes on. “The creature you call the Shadow cannot be so easily contained as with an artifact alone. You ventured into the lost city of Dun Scaith, you saw what creatures escaped the confines of old Mhach’s greatest magicks. It will not remain idle for long.”

Enambris stares for several long minutes, before at last choosing the least incendiary words she can find. “You’re giving me a warning about the Shadow? With whatever hells you’re trying to unleash? You’ll forgive me for my complete distrust of you, your new lacky and anything that comes out of either of your mouths.”

The woman smirks. “Dearest daughter, until your conquest turns to address me, we are on the same side, whether you believe it or not. No one can be saved if everyone is dead. So heed my warning: your little box is… missing something.” She pushes herself up from her perch, crushing the remnants of the apple beneath her boot. “Until next week meet, Dawnbringer.” The wind changes, the shadows shift and the woman is gone, leaving an irritable Enambris alone in the alley.