#Raens Arc

[faragonart]

Halcyon days....

(ft. @pali-himbo's Vatii~)

[voidsentprinces]

Explanation and reiteration, my dear Nashu! The other blue bird of despair site has been humbugging upon Dawntrail. Comparing it to Stormblood under, from what I gather to be, negative implications. Which lead me to hijack this whiplash response to the yet to be released new expansion. And see how everyone feels about each chunk of the story. Firstly, there was A Realm Reborn. Which...the general consensus is, its enjoyable and important its basically the foundation laid upon the ground to build Heavensward, Stormblood, and much more upon. Without it, we would be nothing but with it we are everything.

Then I asked about Heavensward which seems, overwhelming positive but not without a few addendums hither and tither.

But now, we reach Stormblood. An expansion that chose to split its focus between the freeing of both Ala Mhigo AND Doma from the Garlean Empire. Introducing the home lands of the Au Ra who had been around since Heavensward at that point in the form of the underwater city of Sui-no-Sato for the Raen and the Azim Steppe for the Xaela Tribes. As well as pulling the rug up from under us with the change of Yda suddenly to Lyse.

Stormblood! The expansion which spent its Post-MSQ bouncing between both and then seeking out brand new areas on each country. Some beneath the Ala Mhigan Castle in the form of Skalla. Others far, far, far out into the Burn west of Yanxia. Still further, we explored Ivalice, Dalmasca, and other provinces similarly seeking freedom from Garlean rule at the time. Both suddenly taking a sharp left with "The Call" as friends drop comatose before our eyes and we set the stage for Shadowbringers.

It introduced Zenos, under water diving, and a variety of elements and stylings to the MSQ. But what did you think of it? Either at the time before any aether current changes, QoL shifts, or the dungeons being able to be run with trusts or as it is today?

[shroudandsands]

Prompt #6: Halcyon

You can’t tell where it went wrong. How did a simple escort go wrong? How did you screw this up? It was supposed to be easy. You clutch the bow in your hand as you hide behind the carriage.

Your old friend falls in beside you as a bolt of void-lightning spears past them. You free a hand to clasp their shoulder, to ground them for a moment as you both look at each other with the same mix of fear. No words to exchange, of course, the moment is far too short for that. Instead they grip their axe. You nod at them. And you throw yourself out from behind cover. You loose an arrow into the shoulder of one of the summoners. A bolt of fire from one of the voidsent is sent wide by the sturdy metal of the axe. You slip under its wide arc to sink another broadhead into the chest of that same summoner in vain hopes it will curb the tide of monsters that flood the small pass. You hear the sizzle of lightning behind you, the scent of flesh held in flame for too long, and you can only give it a passing glance as the hands around that axe begin to sear into its handle. You can’t look them in the face. You nock the smaller bodkin arrows as you loose them into imp, hound, and what seems like a half-failed summoning of a deepeye. They strike true, they strike well- But you know it’s little more than a moment’s breath of success before you’ll be surrounded. You duck as you hear the axe swing wide around you once more. A bolt of lightning vaporizes one of the voidsent you’d shot. The taste of ozone in your mouth holds back your scream. Your arms, your fingers, the entirety of your body keeps its motion- your last broadhead, bloodied from the body you’d ripped it from, nock and point it as you can barely keep your heart from stopping at the sight of it. You hear the axe hit stone. The gargoyle is massive. Its greying skin and blackened eyes worse than the stories you’ve heard told about them. You’re not even certain the arrow you’re holding will do anything to it. Didn’t that one hunter you met tell you that only magic could hurt them? Or was it that you had to kill their summoner? You’d already shot one, yes, but there could be more and you needed to spot them it was your only chance- There’s an axe in its mouth. Your whole world spirals down into a single point. You scream as your world rocks hard. You’re thrown off your feet, your bow thudding into the dirt too many fulms away. You clutch at your chest. You can’t crawl. You can’t roll. You’re still clutching the arrow in your fist. The metal bites into your flesh. It keeps you awake. You can still only see the axe. And then wings of paradise.

“Get him up!” Comes the call of a commander, a veteran, a voice you’re sure you’ve heard once before. “I’ll round up the voidsent, you take out their casters!” You’re not sure if she’s talking to you. But then another voice is, for certain, as those same wings you thought you’d hallucinated in throes of death spin down to shield your eyes. They scream with elemental rage as you can barely make out the bodies falling to their onslaught. “They are alive-” Your eyes snap open to meet the gaze of a Raen. Her hand on your chest keeps you down. Her magicks bleeding from her like sunlight into your wounds. You clutch the broadhead. Your hand’s wounds reopen. “You will stay under bough. Fly true with which winds will point-” She slaps your bow into your hand in the moment of seeming calm on the battlefield. You manage to look up long enough to see the other; a woman in a white coat and a blade of gleaming silver throwing herself into the midst of all those monsters without a second thought. She’s winning. You grip your bow. You can still see the axe.

The steel of the arrow gleams with your blood and someone else’s. There’s no way it will do anything to the gargoyle. There’s no way it will give as much pain as you have rage. But you’re on your feet. You’re pulling back on the string. Those wings of paradise circle you. They line up with your bow. Magic bursts from them around you, around your arrow, and for a moment you feel as if you can see every second passing. For a moment you feel as if you bear an angel’s blessing. She nods at you. You loose the bolt of light from your bow. It rages, unfocused and bright, like the Destroyer’s own star. And with every onze of your fury it burns away at the dark. A divine wind to carry it. You can’t breathe. The wind from your chest.

You watch as a lone hand picks up the axe. It glints in the afterglow. You don’t look at their face. They nod at you. And you loose another arrow. Another bolt of light.

This will be the first of so many. You will always remember.

[valdiis]

FFXIV Site Write #29: Crash

Axe and sword crashed together hard enough to throw off sparks. When it came to sheer dogged strength, the two men were about equal, yet the swordsman's stance was marginally more precarious and he was the one to relent first. Taking a half step back, Aeluan lifted his sword in guard and watched his little brother's torso for the next tell of his movement. Hinan was quite skilled, so his tells were minimal - but Aeluan knew his brother's movements.

He ducked under a sudden swing that would've bruised his shoulder and arced his sword up from low on Hinan's left side to high - where his right arm was extended.

"Ow!" Hinan yelped as the sword connected with his forearm. It drew no blood. It did not cost him a hand.

"Don't over-extend next time!" Aeluan said as he pulled back and resumed a guard stance.

The Xaela huffed at him and took a step back so he could shake his stinging arm out. The enchanted rings they wore made full contact sparring matches like this possible, but even blunted blades left bruises. Hinan was given sufficient time to recover before Aeluan charged forward, swinging high to low this time - only to be blocked with the wide side of the axe. Before the Raen could take stock, a foot connected with his midsection and he went sprawling backwards, landing with a thump on his thick tail. Hinan was there immediately, the blade of his axe resting on the top of Aeluan's head oh-so-gently.

"Fiiiiine. You win," Aeluan conceded.

"Don't over-extend next time," Hinan quipped back with a laugh. He offered a hand up. "Loser sushi?"

"Damn straight."

They set their weapons on the rack and headed upstairs for some well-deserved (or not) homemade sushi.

[porta-decumana]

I'm still going through all of the new followers by the way! There are a lot of you but I'm genuinely so honored you all wanted to reach out to me. That's very kind of you!

Brief OC intros until I get a proper post going! (under the cut for your convenience)

Akari "Kaida" Asagiri - a Raen from the Ruby Sea, my "main WoL" so to speak. Hails from an underwater city with deep religious ties to the ocean. Daughter of a cold-hearted general and prodigy soldier. Considered a strategist in the Scions and an all-rounder. Getting a bit of a rework but is usually DRK/DNC/SGE.

Cassius Flavus - Garlean from the capital city, an OC that supports Kaida/the Scions. Part of a polycule with Kaida and Gaius Baelsar. Former courtesan, number #1 Emet-Selch/Solus zos Galvus hater, and kind of a disaster of a man (but really funny). Usually DRG/RPR/GNB.

Lillian Willows - A Gridanian botanist that discovered she had the Echo one day, considered a "late bloomed WoL" that joins in post-Shadowbringers. Kind of a spiteful little firebrand, ran away from home to find her missing husband. Probably 1 bad day from her villain arc. Has a crush on Thancred but too stubborn to admit it. Usually a WHM/RDM/BTN. (May be dabbling in PCT in the future!)

Eirian Yascaret - Nonbinary viera from the Golmore Jungle. Eirian and Kaida join the Scions at around the same time. Eirian is a trained fighter with a no-nonsense attitude. They're matter-of-fact, stubborn, and typically don't dilly-dally. Gets embarrassed if they're called cute (to the point where Eirian hides their tail). They're usually a PLD/SAM.

Given changes to m*dding and things of that nature, there may be some updates for each character but as of right now, these are their current appearances!

[dariusult]

FFXIV Write Day 11- Surrogate

"Alright, there." TING! "And there." TING! "And there." TING! "..Aaaaand there." TING!

The sound of a hammer striking steel rang out from the darkened confines of Stormcrow Engineering's flagship (only) workshop. Every strike was answered with a shower of sparks as a glowing hot metallic plate was slowly beaten into shape. With each subsequent strike, the shape changed and the plate developed a deeper and deeper curve, but the red-hot glow of the metal slowly faded alongside the changing shape, until it was quickly moved back into the furnace.

Darius sat by the opening of said furnace, moving the piece of metal with a long pair of tongs, a set of heavy insulated gloves protecting his arms from the intense heat of the forge. "Alright, once we get it hot again we can finish shaping it."

Behind him, Kamui- a gangly, teenaged Raen boy- set a well-worn hammer down next to the anvil to his right and wiped the sweat from his brow, letting out a long sigh. "This sure is taking a while." He didn't want to admit it, but his arms were starting to feel pretty rubbery from all the metal shaping.

"Yeah..." Darius said, peering into the furnace and slowly rotating the curved metal plate inside to ensure even heating. "We gotta make sure we keep working it while it's hot though, ceruleum tank shielding can't have any failure points. Working the metal when it's tool cold makes failure points."

"Right." Kamui said as he turned and stepped towards the workshop door. "I'm gonna go get some water." The Raen lad reached down and slid the shutter of the door open, he winced at the sudden flood of bright sunlight spilling in through the opening while also taking a moment to enjoy the sudden rush of fresh air from the still warm but significantly less warm outdoors. Once his eyes had adjusted to the increased light level, he stepped out of the workshop and followed the worn paving stones around the side of the building. It was quiet, the rumble of the shop's furnace and the hum of its fans was the only sound aside from the rustling of the wind through the nearby trees. The Stormcrow Engineering workshop was located on a small wooded island north of Vylbrand- the island had been surveyed as a potential staging ground for Maelstrom forays into the Indigo Deep and Bloodbrine seas, but an rather rocky coast and several nearby reefs made docking large ships too challenging and the island wound up going unused- and it remained unused until the company book keeper Lilisa Lisa was able to acquire the island for a pittance from the Maelstrom. It was a nice little spot to lay low and do work, and the company's magitek amenities made the island itself fairly comfortable while they were filling engineering commissions.

Following the path from the workshop to the front entrance of the building, Kamui made his way over to a big well with some sort of magitek device fitted over it. He stepped over and flipped a switch on the side, after which the machine hummed to life and a stream of water began gushing from a faucet near the top. The young Au Ra turned the faucet so it was spitting the water up into a lazy arc up and away before splashing down on the ground, and then leaned in and opened his mouth, greedily gulping down the crisp, cool liquid. Once he'd had his fill of water, he stuck his head under the stream and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Hot in the shop today, huh?" A familiar woman's voice sounded from behind the teenager, reached up to turn the pump off and turned to see a tall, handsome Hellsguard woman grinning at him with her usual winning smile- it was none other than the company's resident muscle, Twilight Dove. She was carrying a big crate full of assorted magitek bits and bobs- probably salvage.

"Yeah, it's been slow work." The Auri boy replied as he ran a hand through his untameable mop of auburn red hair, brushing out the excess water. "I guess the plating thing we're making needs to stay really hot while we're hammering it?"

"Sounds about right." Twilight Dove said, carrying the crate over to a pile of similar crates at the side of the building and setting it down. "Gotta make sure the metal doesn't crack or anything."

"Yeah, that's what Darius said." Kamui replied before turning and beginning to make his way back to the workshop. "Buuut we're not done so I'd better get back there. He's was heating the plate back up."

"Alright, well I've got a tip for you." Twilight Dove said, walking over to the well and flicking the switch back on. She then pulled a metal canteen off of her belt and began unscrewing it. "If you're gonna go get yourself some water while Darius is still working in the forge..." She stuck the canteen under the stream of water and let it slowly fill to the brim before pulling it back out and screwing it shut. "You bring water back from the well so he can have a drink too."

"Oh." Kamui turned back to face Twilight Dove, feeling kind of dumb about having just wandered out to get water while Darius had to stay behind and tend the forge. "Right, I guess I should've thought of that."

"Don't worry about it." The Hellsguard said as she stepped past Kamui, flashing him a grin. "I'll bring it this time."

The two walked back around the building towards the back entrance of the workshop, the sound of hammering growing louder as they came around the side of the building towards the back. Apparently Darius had taken matters into his own hands and resumed hammering out the plate on his own.

"Hey, Darius!" Twilight Dove shouted over the hammering as she and Kamui stepped back in through the workshop door. "Brought you some water!"

"Thanks!" Darius shouted over the hammering, keeping his gaze fixed intently on the glowing red plate that now had quite a pronounced curve to it. "Just about done." He motioned to the rack of tools on the wall. "Kamui, can you grab the half-ilm drift pin of the rack there?"

"Right." Kamui said to himself as he stepped past Twilight Dove and went over to the tool rack: a big board mounted on the wall with all sorts of metalworking tools hanging from it, neatly arranged by type and size. Kamui had been apprenticing at the shop for a while, and had used most of the standard tools, but there were some fancy magitek ones that Darius kept elsewhere in the shop that the young Au Ra was interested in trying out some day. The drift pins were all arranged at the bottom of the rack, and it took Kamui a second to figure out which one was the half-ilm pin. He was pretty sure it was the second thinnest one but he always second-guessed himself. He picked up the second smallest pin and looked back at Twilight Dove, who nodded once in confirmation that he had in fact selected the correct tool. He then went over to Darius and held the pin up.

"Put it right here." Darius said, motioning with the tip of his hammer to a spot on the plate. Kamui knelt down and lined the pin up on the spot Darius indicated. The Hyur nodded and began tapping the end of the pin with the hammer, slowly punching a hole through the plate. Once the drift had punched through completely, Darius set the hammer down and pulled the pin out, handing it back to Kamui. "Thanks."

The Hyur stuck the plate back into the forge while Kamui put the drift pin back. As he replaced the pin, Kamui thought again about the fancier magitek tools- the powered hammers and stuff that he'd seen Darius use sometimes. When was he gonna be able to try them out? Didn't hurt to ask. He turned and looked back at the Hyur, who at this point had been handed the flask of water by Twilight Dove and was engaging in rehydration.

"Hey Dad, when am I gonna be able to use the-" Kamui began asking his question but stopped himself when he realized that he'd just accidentally called Darius 'Dad'. The teenager's eyes widened, and he saw Darius's own eyebrows shoot up- he'd noticed. Oh hells, this was embarrassing. Kamui felt a rush of heat in his face and horns, an uncomfortable prickling feeling on his scalp. "Uh.." The Raen boy stammered, looking away from Darius to Twilight Dove, who had a big grin on her face. That was it, he couldn't stay in the room anymore. Without saying anything more, he quickly turned and retreated from the room, mortified. What was he, four!? He'd never be able to live this down!!

Kamui beat a hasty retreat, leaving Darius and Twilight Dove alone together in the workshop. Twilight Dove chuckled to herself and walked over next to Darius. "Haha, he sure was embarrassed." She flashed Darius a toothy grin, but then noticed the faintest of genuine smiles on the Hyur's face. The Hellsguard scratched her nose and sat down next to her adopted brother. "Kid's growing up real fast, huh?"

"Yeah." Darius replied, taking another swig of water.

"Remember when you came back from Hingashi with him?" Twilight Dove said. "You went out there for work with Odette, Lisa, and Koyuki... And then came back beat to shit with some Raen kid." A hearty guffaw escaped from the Roegadyn as she recounted the tale. "You know, for a second I thought you and Koyuki-"

"He was like twelve!" Darius replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know!" Twilight Dove said back. "But if anyone was going to get up to weird shite like that, it'd be Koyuki."

"Can't argue with that, I suppose." Darius said, thinking back to the weird shite that did, in fact, occur in Hingashi as a result of dealing with Koyuki's family. He then pulled the plate back out of the forge and handed the hammer to Twilight Dove. "Here, help me finish this off. I don't think Kamui's gonna be back for a bit."

The Au Ra in question would not be back for a bit. Having exited the workshop, the young Raen lad had gone sprinting away from the workshop in a desperate attempt to outrun his embarrassment. His legs carried him down the paved path leading to the airship landing, past the landing, down through the wooded coast and onto the rocky shore, where he looked out at the ocean, inhaled sharply, and let loose a mighty shout, giving voice to only thought on his mind. "YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!"

Ah, youth.

[acccursed]

More of my WHM Raen Au Ra WoL. & his gender affirming surgeon + fling from thousands of years in the past. & his big knight boyfriend from the present.

His lore is that Hydaelyn magically blocked his ability to speak & write at the start of his journey, which Venat reverses on Elpis. While he's there, he takes the opportunity to get a quality of life upgrade from Hermes.

Throughout the Hydaelyn vs. Zodiark arc, people assume that his echo visions are tuned into the future (like Mikoto from the Ivalice raids & Bozja) as well as the past because of his lack of surprise when certain knowledge is revealed to him & when quests progress, acting weird when shit is about to go down, & his pastime of drawing things that he shouldn't know about. They're wrong, but he doesn't deny it because him being a seer is the simpler & easier explanation.

The more embarassing but straightforward explaination: FFXIV player isekai 😔

[semi-imaginary-place]

ffxiv 4.0 hitting the steppe

the writers were having a field day coming up with all the different xaela tribes.

hmmm

like a mama duck and two baby ducks

Magnai's speech patterns are stranger in english than in japanese. he's just normal in japanese

haurchefant would have loved it here...

I don't think the devs thought through this whole horse Yol thing. What I think happened was that they wanted the aesthetics of central asian horse based nomadic people but they also wanted a cool flying mount and like the logistics of actual people living with both wasn't thought out.

what language is everyone speaking??? I'd assume its the xaela auri language expect you expect me to believe gosetsu, yugiri, and lyse who are all people who have never been to the steppe or had extensive contact with the xaela, understand what is being said. but the other option is equally ridiculous, the xaela are stated to be fairly isolated like foreign trade in reunion is still a new and rare thing, why the hell would they all know and speak hingan.

if the echo has an auto translate function does that mean the party doesn't understand what the wol is saying 90% of the time?

Hien complains of Magnai's arrogance but he's just as arrogant to think he deserves anything here.

wow Hien is condescending af what an asshole. i want to lock hien and magnai in a room together maybe they can tear down each other's overinflated egos.

i wonder if everyone is going to get a heart to heart, yugiri and now gostesu, npcs lining up. i was wondering how the game was or if they were at all going to deal with the parallels between ala mhigo and doma so the lyse hien convo was very important but oof hien needed what gosetsu got in his heart to heart, hien as a character is really suffering for being bereft of that.

still weird magnai is the only one not wearing yellow.

bruh player character was the one that one, hien why the hell are you giving orders you have no authority.

sui-no-sato myth speaks of a great disaster that drove the raen into the sea and as nomads the xaela don't seem big of giant stone constructions. so where did all the ruins and dawn throne come from? my pet headcanon is that there was a proto auri civilization that collapsed due to some disaster and the survivors left. the raen left the steppe entirely fleeing to the coast while the xaela left the immediate area but became nomadic. the sightseeing log also confirms that the xaela were once one tribe.

I can see why people have a problem with hien. he comes off as incredibly arrogant and condescending towards xaela culture. gosetsu just got here and he had a mini arc learning to be open of cultural differences, hien has been here much longer and yet he is still far behind gosetsu's development. Yeah sure xaela society is really violent and at times unjust but for the japanese king to come barging in about how savage the culture is, is a bad look. I'll give the devs the benefit of the doubt but just like how having all the plot important scion ala mhigans be blond haired, blue eyes, light skinned, and use midlander models while the rest of the ala mhigans are mostly dark haired, have medium skin colors, and have highlander models, the japanese prince coming in and talking about how these violent foreign asian savages need to be brought to heel is a bad look, it has unintentional parallels to real life acts of oppression and human rights violations that continue in the present day. at least the japanese invasions never got all that far into central asia. Who is hien to decide what the xaela do.

On that note, to have the more east asian fusion yanxia be dominated by hingan names and culture is another bad idea. as noted in the namazu quests most of the customs in the area are not yanxian, but hingan specifically. And while yanxia is more a fusion of east asian cultures similarly to but to a lesser extent to how eorzea is a fusion of various european cultures, hingashi is specifically japanese. This sadly calls to mind the japanese invasion and occupation throughout east and southeast asia where japanese language and cultural aspects became mandatory under occupation.

the way ffxiv handles all this isn't terrible like i wouldn't say its overtly fascist and I've certainly seen worse, but its not good either it has unfortunate implications and could have been done better.

[autumnslance]

Awesome! (PC port anon)

So what I got is general expac arcs from my WoLs perspective. A basic outline (tried to keep it short, sorry) is:

ARR: healer Raen girl gets the chance to leave Gridania after meeting the Scions. Not much else happens other than the Scions treating her more like a tool than person. Her isolation now isn't limited to Gridania's racism.

HW: WoL finally starts feeling genuine connection with Harchy which gets ripped away. No matter how much her Ishgard allies say that she's always welcome afterwards, she's too broken to care. This is where the grief/depression starts.

SB: WoL is annoyed with being dragged into another conflict (thanks Ilberd). Later realizes the truth of her origins; she was from a Doman(?) village but was kidnapped while young. Finds her "home" village, but how can it be home if it was taken from her so long ago? This is where we hit the anger stage of grief.

ShB: Gets isekai'd to Norvrandt and now things are different. She's no longer "the only hope". No need to hide her feelings anymore given how everyone has been through so much despair. She finds a sense of community with the people because of this. Even the Scions become less callous. Ardbert definitely helps her finally move towards acceptance. And even after becoming the worst threat to their world, the people still accept her. This could finally be home...? (also lore friendly explanation for fantasiaing into a bun lol)

EW: But of course it can't. Not when they have to return to the source because of course things fall apart without her there. The rest of the plot happens and in the end, she realizes that she agreed with Zenos. How her only enjoyment now is from 'the challenge' which is non-existent in the source.. or anywhere at this point.

Good end: she realizes this isn't true bc (reasons?), ideally goes back to Norvrandt one day. The one place where she felt anything close to home

Bad end: feels even more isolated than ever due to losing her only 'challenge'. Goes into anhedonic despair, may even attempt to finish what Emet started

Maybe write/art/screenshot the story out (or parts of it as inspo hits) and see where that good or bad end fall; it's funny how things change when working them out.

And certainly keeps one busy when waiting on that PC port!

I particularly like using the transfer to the First as a way to fantasia.

[nhaneh]

@serayashadowharper

;D

I’d like to think it’s because I want to tell stories, and theirs is very much one of love and finding a place to belong, and people to belong with. I very much want to depict it as a mutual and healthy thing that leaves both of them stronger for it. And all the challenges they face, all the obstacles they overcome and the times spent fearing they might lose one another ultimately only serves to reinforce that.

I sometimes spend a comical amount of time just thinking about what I tend to think as their core dynamic - Y’shtola lets Kea feel safe and allows her space to be vulnerable, Kea lets Y’shtola feel secure in herself and gives her space to remain true to herself - and I’d like to think that comes through in the stuff I create, heh.

;(

honestly I don’t know where I’d set up to dump the stuff I make either.

I still kind of feel bad about Beyond the Tree sometimes - leaving it off where I did and never going back to finish the first story arc at least. I pretty much had a basic outline for where that was going, including a whole multi-page boss fight against some Burning Legion goon and... apparently I still have the prototype page I did to test my panel layout for Hani and Raene doing a kiss before the final push that would then lead to the boss battle at the end. Huh, imagine that.

[that-guy-jin]

Day Thirty: Two Heads Are Better Than One

With a piercing roar, the nue pounced towards the two, claws out and ready to maim anything in its path. Seeing it from a mile away, Jin called out, prompting Suki to dive out of the way opposite of the viara. Clearing out a good distance away from the immediate danger, they recovered, Jin being first to initiate the hunt.

"Focus the serpent's head, I'll occupy the main body.", he'd order. A quick check of the barrel, he'd flick it in place, charging the first cartridge as he leapt forward, blade sinking in just above the nue's shoulder blade. A vice grip held at its matted fur as it thrashed about at the pain.

The serpent head snapped down, aiming to sink its fangs into the new pest. In a flash of levin, Suki closed the gap quickly, Jin's katana in hand. A thorough pierce in its abdomen, sending the serpent off course at the last moment. As the 'tail' thrashed about, the snake coiling, trying to make a strike on the raen, Jin took the window to advance. A pull of the trigger, the round would ignite and tear away the thick hide, taking chunks of meat and nearly rendering the beasts front leg useless.

It recoiled, stumbling and tipping over onto its side. Jin caught his footing from the subsequent tumbling, focusing on aiding Suki while the main body was down. She had been wrapped up in the serpent's body, though her arms still free to defend herself to an extent. Her blade making another piercing strike upwards, clamping the slithering foe's mouth shut as it was nearly inches away. This left it desperately trying to free itself from the blade, Jin sweeping in from beneath them and making an arcing slice at the throat. Another round fired, a forceful blast aiding in completely severing the head from the body, the 'tail' going limp, freeing Suki.

The nue cried out once more, though this time in pain, frantically scrambling back onto its feet. A snarling expression lined its ragged features, blood pooling from its maw. It made a final effort; a clawed swipe which they both barely managed to dodge, following up with a deadly bite. Jin managed to catch it, his gunblade lodged in its fanged mouth.

Pressing all of his weight into the flat of the weapon, he fended off the beast's advance, but it wouldn't last for more than a few crucial seconds. He didn't need to say a word, Suki running around its flank, sparks of lavender dusting her cheeks as she blinked out of sight. In the next moment, a bolt of levin crashed down the center of the nue's skull - it was Suki, blade sunk deep straight between the foe's eyes in a thunderous strike. The force of the strike pinned the beast down, its body trembling for a moment before falling cold beneath her.

With the battle done, Jin tore his blade away, sheathing it onto his back. He'd motion to Suki, hands at her waist to help her off the carcass. "They always say two heads are better than one…", he tried to jest as he caught his breath, the both of them chuckling at the comment.

"Well, it's true in our case, at least.", she'd reply, giving him a hug, the exertion causing her to be a bit unsteady as the adrenaline wore off. "Do we need to bring back both heads, or just one?"

[cl0wnin-4r0und]

I have officially decided to settle upon 3 Wols.

Junsei Senkotsuki

Your local Au Ra Raen Dragoon starting from Gridania

Name day 19th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon || Guardian deity Nymeia

They / Them

Our main protagonist (Aka my main character to play as and resident favorite)

Suffering from amnesia, suffering from survivors guilt, honestly just suffering over here-

The type to ask if you need help and will not wait for an answer, they're helping you now. Guaranteed to have a list of quests and errands they're currently attending to at any given time

Nobanova Nono

Your local Lalafell Dunesfolk Marauder starting from Limsa Lominsa

Name day 1st Sun of the 1st Astral Moon || Guardian deity Menphina

She / He / They / Any

The same vibes as if you handed a magical girl an ax, as tiny as it gets and still an absolute menace

Part of a long family line of successful individuals in various trades, is actually loaded because of this but doesn't tell anyone *cough cough* there's family drama thats why

Fights for justice..! And also the glory. Mostly started for the glory. She wants your attention actually.

Imbr Agma'oltyn

Your local Viera Rava Pugilist starting from Ul'dah

Name day 27th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon || Guardian deity Halone

She / They

Anger issues? What are those? She doesn't have issues. You have issues. In fact want to take this outside, because we can take this outside-

Has yet to go through her redemption arc or critical character development, she um, does not start out as a good person in the beginning of her journey

Yes she will change for the better but it do take time, the most morally gray of the three and most likely to have a villain au, yes she was exiled from her tribe and no she will not talk about it ever actually you have to max out your friendship level with her first

[yurikaxiv]

Before I was a bunny girl, and after my bout with hyurs and lalafells, once Heavesnward hit I fantasia'd to an Au Ra that I played on my main for 4 years. It was based on the heroine of the game Possession Magenta (which was a crappy game anyway lol.)

I go so into Au Ras because of Azim Steppe arc in Stormblood I made my Japan alt a Xaela and I ended up playing on it more than even my main. A lot of stuff happened and then I had fantasia'd this one to a hyur and made yet another Au Ra alt 😂😂😂 (for once again visiting houses on another data center before they had DC travel.)

Eventually I was only down to one of my (3) alts being an Au Ra and we had decided to try being Raens for a change. Once Endwalker and DC travel hit though, I ended up transferring all my alts but 1 to NA because it was just a lot easier time zone wise to complete story related and 24 man raids that way. I ended up making my Au Ra a catgirl who will be a Hrothgal come Dawntrail. My Xaela became a Viera but that's going back to Hyur in a couple weeks as well.

I've got personal reasons (tied to some people that basically ruined Au Ras for me lol) that I don't want to go back to Au Ra ever again and I'm not really pleased with how they changed them in the graphic update so I think it's for the best. Still I think my girls were pretty and at least some of them still live on as my retainers. 🫡

[primamchorus]

SKG Shorts :: Blasphemous

Another FC short for a different arc.

--

A day like any other, Manaka is taking care of what she can after their visitor is deemed okay to leave at his leisure. A day. Like. Any. Other. Till the sounds of screams and shattering fills the air, where we learn that one must fight off despair.

Word Count: 2,347

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Changing sheets on the now empty bed, Manaka had been busy preparing the makeshift infirmary for future use for anyone else that might have needed it. Decius had been okayed for going on his way whenever he wanted, not that this aspect particularly mattered to Manaka at the end of the day. As far as she was concerned, it seemed that Decius was a victim, and was content no longer serving the Garlean Empire. That was, more or less, good enough for her.

Sora, Manaka’s sapphire carbuncle, had been helping out with some aspects of getting things taken care of. He had pushed a wicker laundry basket that had gotten filled with the used sheets back over toward a chute door before sitting patiently on the ground close by. There was little he could actually do, but he did his best regardless.

A soft knock sounded on the open door, though Manaka made no effort to look at who it was as she gathered up emptied vials and placed them in her apron pockets for now.

“I hope it’s important enough to disturb me with,” Manaka spoke, her voice bearing only some small hint of annoyance. People that knew her long enough usually knew to expect it.

“I dare say I’ll miss this charming personality of yours,” Decius spoke after a small chuckle, revealing who was at the door. There was a small smile on his face when the Raen chanced a glance at him. Though he spoke with some amusement, Manaka showed no signs of humor herself.

“Your personal effects have been put away into a bag,” Manaka said simply before motioning to her left of the entrance.

Decius looked where she pointed out, and reached down to pick up the bag, “so they have.”

The bag was a souvenir tote, blue with the ‘Starry Garden’ logo embroidered on it, and the clothes and other items Decius had on his person neatly packed inside. “You don’t need me to pay the 300 gil price tag that’s on this, do you? Because I’m afraid I don’t exactly have--”

“I know you think you’re being witty and trying to connect with me, but you can really just… get your stuff and go wherever it is you plan to go next,” Manaka replied plainly. A loud snort of disdain could be heard from Sora’s location. “I was your temporary chirurgeon. You are fine, and we are not friends. Full glad am I to know my salves and procedures have seen you to good health, but stop talking to me as if we’re friends.”

“... Yes, I will be missing these tantalizing conversations,” Decius chuckled to himself, looking around the room to give it a good once over. “I’ll miss this room in some small aspect. Oh, and the food. I dare say the food here has definitely been better than another night of borscht back home. Filling, warming, but like all things, gets rather stale the seventh night in a row.”

Rolling her eyes as she walked around the room and put the empty vials she had away into a small bin next to a wash basin, Manaka could really only endure the Garlean’s talking without further acknowledging for a time. It seemed he had a penchant for speaking and conversing, even when she did not really wish to reciprocate the dialogue.

“You’ve been given the clear to either stay and work for the Garden if you need to save up the funds, or if you are ready to go, everyone is fine with that option as well. Some might even prefer it,” Manaka said, more referring to Iwa’s overall disposition when it came to any kind of Garlean operative -- current or former.

“Right then. Before I get going, I did need to speak to you about the matter of the medicinal supplies that I was also promised for any future problems that may arise thanks to my injuries?” Decius inquired, dropping the tone of familiarity.

“In the bag,” Manaka responded. “There’s a salve for any stiffness that you might have, a potion for lingering sickness, and two types of teas for any other potential problems. The lavender pearl ginger tea will help with a restful sleep, and the persimmon tea is an Othardian specialty meant to assist with any nausea. Now if you would please let me be so that I can--”

Panic from the public area of the Garden could be heard -- screams, shouts, and things toppling over both cut Manaka off, and caught both hers and Decius’ attention. Not long after the commotion from down the hall did a panicked voice shouting “Mistress Shimizu!” come from the same direction. The voice belonged to none other than C’vurihn -- one of Manaka’s, for lack of better terms, students at the Garden.

“What’s happening outside, Cvurihn?” Manaka asked, keeping herself as level headed as possible.

“I… I don’t know…!” C’vurihn quickly said. It was evident that the young miqo’te was under stress. Manaka could see the signs of magical embers eating away at the hems of his shirt -- a sure sign that his aether had gotten a little out of control with all the excitement that was happening. “B-but… one minute one of our servers -- u-uh, J-J’kaiagmhe -- was fine, the next they came back into the kitchen and broke down! When she kept crying and mumbling to herself ‘bout not being sure ‘bout returning home to Ala Mhigo, sh-she transformed after getting engulfed by this black mist! Tandem’s handling it now while Lyjr is getting everyone evacuated!”

It was after that explanation where Manaka’s serious expression turned bemused. Her lips parted as she then asked: “what do you mean ‘transformed’?”

“She just… turned into a monster! I don’t know what else you want me to tell you, Mistress Shimizu! Out of nowhere, she… she just… I-I didn’t know what to do!” C’vurihn was clearly panicking, and the black mist that had been mentioned seemed to show itself in the miqo’te there as well. “I couldn’t do anything…. If only I could control my magic.”

Gathering herself and striding forward with conviction, Manaka raised a hand and slapped C’vurihn across his face. His ears pinned themselves back flat against his head as he raised his own hand to the now smarting cheek. He looked at Manaka, a sense of hurt expressed on his face.

“Get a hold of yourself, C’vurihn,” Manaka said, brow furrowed. “We cannot have you panicking right now when there are people in need. Help Miss Artjorm with the evacuation, I’ll head down toward the kitchen and see about assisting Tandem with whatever’s going on.”

“Y-yes… yes! I’ll get on that right away, Mistress Shimizu!” C’vurihn said, the mist dissipating as a newfound purpose filled his mind. He then turned tail and ran back down the hall to do as he was told. Meanwhile, Manaka turned her attention to Decius.

“Well? Make yourself useful before you go, then. It’s the least you can do to repay us if you have a mind at all to do so,” Manaka said to him. “Search the rooms and then public areas for anyone that might have taken to hiding, then get them ushered to safety through any exits that you can find.”

Decius gave a curt nod and replied with a subtle tone of admiration, “yes, ‘ma’am…!” And with that, the Garlean went the opposite direction of C’vurihn to start checking the other rooms for others that were within the building.

“Sora, let’s go,” Manaka called, walking out of the room before picking up the pace and starting to run into the Garden. She had not even gotten down the hall before she was stopped in her tracks by the wall to her right bursting wide open, and Tandem flying through, hitting the wall the opposite side of it. She was actually visibly surprised as she stared at what just happened wide-eyed and then looked through the hole that was made.

“Tandem, are you okay?” Manaka asked, looking back at him as he pushed himself up from his position. The air was clearly knocked out of him, and he was a little disoriented from the experience, but it looked as if he was still ready to fight if need be.

“I don’t… I don’t think anythin’s broken, if that’s what you mean. I got enough in me t’keep holdin’ it back!” Tandem responded, his words strained as he summoned his weapons back into his hands in a flash of brilliant white-blue light and crystalline structure. He threw one of the weapons back through the hole and disappeared in a similar, ephemeral flash from his spot back to fighting the creature within.

True to C’vurihn’s words, when Manaka looked back in and really got a good look at the situation, there was a creature that looked much too big to have been rampaging through the Garden. Of course, with a gaping hole in the middle of the hallway, there were already going to be damages that they would need to fix before becoming public once more. The creature itself, however, looked to have been a giant scalekin, its scales an oily black, and eyes red as flame.

Retrieving the heavy tome that hung at her waist, Manaka opened the book and used it as a focus to channel her aether before a ruinous blast rocketed toward the creature and struck at it. Sora also leapt into action, bounding forward and soon emitting a light that wrapped itself around both Manaka and Tandem, shielding them from any oncoming attacks.

The kitchen had already turned into a mess. Broken plates and glasses were all over the floor, food that had been either prepared or in the works were smeared across many surfaces, and a counter had been ripped from its position, its frame now splinters on the opposite side of the room. There were far too many hazards to take into account, but as long as both she and Tandem kept the creature’s attention in the kitchen while the others cleared the Garden, that was what had to be prioritized.

Manaka watched as Tandem attacked the creature mostly to get its attention away from any openings or focusing on other people. Pursing her lips, Manaka looked at Sora before summoning forth a great surge of aether. Sora’s own form changed to that of Titan, his blue glow turning golden as the now Titan-formed summon rushed forward and slammed its weight into the black scalekin, knocking it off balance.

A low breath was exhaled from Manaka’s parted lips as she pulled more aether and used it to create a warm light that wrapped itself around both her and Tandem, giving their bodies a rush of adrenaline.

“Tandem, give it everything you’ve got! My spell to bolster your strength won’t last long under these conditions!” Manaka called out.

As Tandem rushed the scalekin and then disappeared above it to strike, the linkpearl hanging from Manaka’s horn started to ring. Gritting her teeth, she answered it, for it could have been anyone -- more importantly, it could have been Myrddin or Jaydin. The sound of the creature shrieking thanks to Tandem’s attack was the first thing that could come through the linkpearl before Manaka finally growled, “Now’s a very poor time to have a chat!”

“Manaka!” Jaydin’s voice sounded both relieved and concerned on the other end.

It was definitely a poor time to have a chat over the linkpearl. As soon as Manaka wanted to say something, she had to pivot and dance out of the way of the scalekin thrusting a fist at her with its full weight behind it. That much was evident when another hole was made in the wall with a resounding crack.

“What the hells is going on over there?” the worry in Jaydin’s voice now heavily outweighed the relief at this point, diminishing it completely.

“You’re not going to like it. The Garden’s going to need one hell of a gods-be-damned renovation when we have the time!” Manaka replied, flipping a page in her book and placing a hand on it to channel her aether through the ink inscribed. The Titan summon balled a fist and rushed the scalekin, slamming an uppercut into it before an earthen spike ripped through the tiles and impaled the creature upon it. Another shriek came from the beast before it fell limp. Its body remained there for only a few moments… and then it faded away in black mist.

Tandem, catching his breath, stood up straight and leaned against one of the remaining counters in the room. Watching him for a moment, Manaka saw him look at her, wave a hand to her, and nod as if saying that he would be fine for now. Sora had returned to his form as a sapphire carbuncle and returned to Manaka’s side. Raising a hand to her horn where the linkpearl hung, Manaka gave her full attention to Jaydin on the other end.

“Tandem and I just neutralized the threat at the Garden. I…” Manaka started, looking back around at the mess that had been made. A sigh escaped her before she continued, “... I’m sorry I wasn’t faster. The Garden’s kitchen is absolutely ruined, as is one of the walls. But… Lyjr, C’vurihn, and Decius made sure that everyone here was evacuated from the premises. We’ll need time to get everything fix--”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jaydin cut in. It was a rare occurrence, though Manaka shut her own mouth to allow the Knights founder a moment to speak. “There are bigger things at work here, Manaka. How did the Garden find itself in a state of disrepair?”

“... One… one of our servers transformed. That’s what C’vurihn said to me. Said that she broke down -- stress, probably?”

“Then it’s not just Ishgard…” Jaydin was talking to herself, that much was obvious. Though Manaka’s expression became hardened when Jaydin addressed her specifically: “Whatever you do, you cannot succumb to despair. That goes for everyone. Worry not over the Garden, care for everyone who takes shelter behind its walls.”

[thefinalwitness]

edited those picrews from earlier so they could be Together and im just. squishes them

they're the son and daughter of a xaela man and raen woman. the xaela comes from the ejinn tribe, a clan of river-dwelling au ra i headcanon with more aquatic features than reptilian. he found himself injured and dying at the bottom of the ruby sea, when a raen woman from the underwater village of sui-no-sato discovered and saved him. her village is reclusive and unwelcoming to outsiders, so they met in secret and fell in love. hence, their twin children, kaito and kairi.

the raen of sui-no-sato were also more fish- than lizard-like, but while kairi's pale pink features looked raen enough, kaito's vibrant blues led to some suspicions about who sired the twins. some raen there have purpleor red scales, so it wasn't totally damning, but their father knew if he was discovered in sui-no-sato's territory, his children might be exiled.

so he made the choice to leave them, and their mother raised them alone. they were content to adhere to the reclusive life sui-no-sato offered, but it was stolen from them when pirates accidentally fished them up in their nets. not recognizing the two as au ra due to their peculiar features, the pirates thought perhaps they could sell them as "pets" to some soulless rich lout in the west.

the twins escaped on the western mainland of aldenard, but not unscathed. months trapped in insufficient tanks of water meant their gills were damaged and returning to the open sea would be difficult. what's more, the rules in sui-no-sato were clear: those that left the village were unwelcome to return.

besides all that, they didnt really know where they WERE. so they remained stranded in aldenard for a time, until their echos kicked in; these two ocs are in a separate canon from l'aiha, and they're the only two warriors of light OF that canon. :3c

they're both bratty delinquents and troublemakers, with kairi being more bold as a melee dps and kairi a bit more withdrawn as a healer. the damage to his body on the pirate ship also wrecked his voice, so he can't speak very well above the water.

so far my sister and i have been playing them together, and theyre up to the sylphs arc in ARR. :) highlights to their adventures so far include:

eating leia's egg, which consequentially got them kicked out of bentbranch

mistaking the first crystal of light as a rock, and believing that hydaelyn can speak through ALL rocks

upon hearing that ifrit was "a demon weak to water", believed they could two-man the primal and nearly got themselves killed. cried and whined at minfilia a LOT about it

theyre idiots and only care about each other and theyre PRECIOUS TO ME

late night getting emotional about the fish twins :((

[alliesweetsong]

Into Dusk Pt. 2

“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game. “

-Paul Rodriguez

(Continued RP from Here. and Here) 

“I’m Knight Warden Reyland, what buisness do you have in Duskwood?” the man asks

Allie didn’t know if she should trust this person, it seemed a little too convenient a Knight Warden should happen upon her camp the evening she was to push into Duskwood to Identify a Knight Warden. Was this a trap from Tylo? A message? Shrugging , the void elf dodges his questions, she hated lying but she didn’t trust this.

The sun was setting as the guard pointed to the oncoming storm blowing in and mentioned the face the Rendorei should come with him, it wasn’t safe to be out in one of these storms. Nodding in a hesitant fashion, Allie agrees and begins the short trek back to the town hall.

The sun had already set as the duo stepped into his office, or the clouds had engulfed the sky, it could’ve been either one with how dark it was so early.

“You’re required to fill out a missing persons report now that you have told me someone is missing, what is your friends full name?” He asks as he grabs a piece of paper and pen before looking up at Allie.

Unslinging her rifle and setting it down, Allie begins to protest before shaking her head. She didn’t need anymore attention to this than what had already been drawn, too many hands in it and she ran the risk of breaking promises or worse, losing Raen entirely. That was unacceptable.

“I can’t tell you. I uh, I should probably go.” she says as the elf gets to her feet and grabs her rifle beginning to back up .

Looking up the man’s tone grew hostile “Sit!” he says demanding, “You’re not leaving until you tell me what this whole thing is about. What’s going on, and why you have been continually acting so suspicious.”

“Kill him, save the elf…”

(intense violence and language below cut NSFW) 

Allie narrows her eyes as she exhales and relents, setting her rifle back down she moves forward and takes a seat. The leather of her pistol belt straining as she leans backwards against the backrest. “Fine.” she says pausing for a moment before launching into the complete story, not holding out any detail. Describing finding Damien in the forest, being behind Raen and following her tracks. And finally, meeting the mysterious Tylo and finding out about Mackerel.  Reyland looks at her, studying the void elf features for a moment as she explains she had gone to SI:7 to procure any documents she could on him but was unsuccessful, the man was like a ghost.

Questioning her for a few more moments, Reyland agrees that something was off and picks up the phone on the desk and begins to speak into it. Allie doesn’t listen much, she begins to fidget with her hands in an impatient manner, she didn’t belong here sitting down, she belonged in Duskwood right now. The anxiety of it was palpable.  

The inside of the office was clean, neat and organized, very much a government building. Though the elf rarely stepped foot into these buildings often, it was becoming commonplace for her to do so, first with SI: 7 and just a few days later, here.

“Okay Willy, thank you so much.”  Reyland says as he hangs the phone up and looks at Allie and folds his arms. “So..” he begins exhaling slowly

“What was that about Ravenhill and Mana crystals?” Allie cuts him off as she looks up at him

“There was an investigation there about a week ago on the report of the death of some elderly. During the investigation, the wardens discovered a few burnt mana crystals in a grave of an unknown man.”

The two go back and forth for several minutes which only served to raise the Ren’dorei’s anxiety, she needed to go, nothing about this conversation was helping minus what she just learned about the mana crystals. Rubbing her forehead, Allie stands up and growls

“Are you going to do your job!?” she explodes “I don’t have time to be sitting here answering questions I need to find her!”

Reyland blinks in surprise at the outburst and picks up the phone as he holds up his hand “Calm down for a moment. Groaning, Allie rubs her forehead as he calls once more. She wasn’t paying attention to what was being said, she only cared about leaving

“He is betraying you, kill him.”

As Reyland hangs up the phone once more he stands “let’s head out.” he says as the Void Elf doesn’t waste another secord, moving at a quickened pace she exits the building and starts heading east.

“”You need to tell me everything you saw there,  and I mean everything” Reyland says as he lights a torch”

“Useless guard force.” Allie says outloud in Thalassian before nodding. “Blood, and alot of it, there was a cage with chains in it, I am sure that is where they help my friend Damien.” she says in an annoyed fashion, she had burnt way to much daylight to get into position on Mackerel to scout him. She wondered how Alyssa was fairing, if she was back in stormwind yet and had got ahold of a new earpiece. It was too risky to try and call out now. That would have to wait.

The sounds of Duskwood come more clearer as the two step over the bridge and head towards Ravenhill, Allie hadn’t been here since she was following Raen’s footsteps the sound of gravel underfoot, the smell of the woods and the distinct lack of any light minus the flame of the torch let the Rendorei breathe out a sigh of relief, she was where she needed to be.

As the two walk up the patch to where Damien and Raen had been taken, they enter the building, still roped off presumably from the wardens conducting their investigation. Most of it had been left unchanged, the blood now dried on the banister, and floor boards. Leading the guard downstairs, Allie shows him the grizzly scene of the cage and chains and pool of dried blood underneath that. She let him inspect it, being down here knowing her friends had been still pained her too much to dare and step closer. Frowning, Reyland turns around and starts walking upstairs

“Lets go check these graves they mentioned.” He says as Allie begins following. She was starting to think he was there to help, that he wasn’t one of Mackerels employees, it was hard to trust but she needed to try.

“Raen does drugs.” She blurts out as they step off the stone path onto dirt. The soft crunch of twigs and flora punctuates their movements. Reyland seems to be taken back by her honesty, looking over his shoulder he lifts an eyebrow

“What drugs?” he inquires

Allie shrugs and bites her lip fearful she shouldn’t have said anything “I don’t know, Damien wouldn’t tell me.” She says as the two to start to enter the graveyard. It was an eerie feeling being in the graveyard at night. The woods surrounding it quiet, devoid of all light, just a big dark wall of nothing. Kneeling down in front of the grave as they come up on it, Reyland starts digging it out search for clues. The bodies and mana crystals were all long gone, but it was worth searching for something the wardens may have missed. Almost as if on queue, the human hits something hard.

Bending down with a grunt the human removes the dirt over the object and pulls it out, revealing a brick with a piece of paper attached to it. As he stands up he holds brick and starts to inspect it. Lifting an eyebrow Allie lunges forward attempting to grab it.

“What’s that, let me see it.” Allie says as she tries to rip the note out of his hand.

Reyland was about tired of the elf’s behavior, shoving her backwards he growls “Hold on!” he yells. The force of the push surprised the Rendorei as she lands on her butt. “It could be a bomb.” he continues as he carefully pulls the envelope free and starts to read the letter.

“Hi Allie.” he reads outloud.

Gasping, Allie stands up and lifts an eyebrow “Its for me?”

Everything from then on happens in a blink of an eye. Blood splatters on Allie’s armor as Reyland screams in pain holding his hand that has a fresh hole in it as the thunderous crack of a rifle report would echo throughout the forest. Allie watches in horror as she realizes someone was sniping at them. Jumping to the right just as the impact of another bullet right where she had been standing moments before impacts the dirt harmlessly as another gunshot would crack out of the pitch black tree line.

Unslinging her rifle, Allie hits the dirt and closes her right eye as she looks through the scope trying to find the shooter, but it was already too late. Reyland screams out in pain once more as a third bullet impacts him on his ribcage sending him reeling into the grave. Breathing heavily as adrenaline kicks in, the Rendorei tries to drown out the man's screams as she tries to find the sniper. But just as quickly as the gunfire started, it stopped.

While Allie scanned the forest for several moments her first thought was to eliminate the threat, she was exposed, out in the open and the sniper clearly had their location dialed it. It was an ambush. Her thoughts didn’t get a chance linger long as suddenly, the forest erupted once more, this time automatic gunfire starts ripping the area around them to shreds.

Allie knew this was too easy, something about this didn’t feel right. Rolling to the side, the Rendorei tries to crawl to the grave to grab the letter and run, but the rate of fire was too much. Pinned down she was forced to watch the letter get obliterated in the chaos. As the gunfire once more stopped and the forest feel eerily quiet she crawls to a nearby tree and takes cover as she peeks out trying to spot any movement. But there was none, as she breathes a sigh of relief she walks towards the grave rifle in hand ready to return fire as she looks down

Labored breaths from Reyland is the only sound that was made around the area save for the haunting howl of a tornado the storm Reyland had talked about earlier. Bending down Allie grabs ahold of the man and starts pulling him out of the grave.

“F...Fuck.” he pants as he’s pulled out.

“What did the note say?” she asks as she starts to inspect the man once on the surface. He had been lucky, the bullet missed a direct impact with his ribs and torso by inches, it was only a graze  

“J..Just Hi..Allie.” he says trying to catch his breath.

“Kill the man, save the elf.”

Growling, Allie pulls the hammer back of her revolver in its holster as she looks at the man in a serious manner to show she was being dead serious. “Who was it from?” she asks in a low snarl

“He set you up, kill him, save the elf.”

“I don’t know, it only said that.” Reyland replies as he struggles to his feet.

Allie shakes her head lightly as a few tears starts rolling down her cheek. “You tipped them off didn’t you.” she accuses him as the human looks at her confused

“What!?” he gasps out

“You tipped off Mackerel!” she yells out

“He is of no use, bury him in that grave.”

“Who the fuck is Macker-” he starts to say as Allie tries to push him in the grave. Holding her back he weakly tries to reach for his blade with his shot hand and cringes

“Who do you work for?” Allie snarls out getting increasingly angry.

“End this, save the elf”

“Why are you doing this?” Reyland pleads as his hand tightended around hers on his breastplate “If I would’ve known about this I wouldn’t have even come with you.” he says trying to explain.

Allie rips her hand away from the weakened man easily and steps back pulling her revolver out as her eyes begin to swirl with void energy. “Get in the grave, now.” she snarls in a low threatening voice.

Reyland slowly stood up straight “No…” he replies forcefully “I just took two bullets for you!”

Allie suddenly raises the gun to his head “IN! NOW!!” she screams out

“You shoot me and you shoot your only help!” he yells back

Allie stood there for a moment starting at the man trying to collect her thoughts as her finger moved to the trigger, she already knew the answer to the next question, it was the only explanation for what had just happened.

“Who did you talk to on that phone?” Allie asks in a low voice

The human looks entirely flabbergasted as he stood there “The bloody Deputy-Warden just up the road.” he exclaims.

“Up the road WHERE!?” the Ren’dorei snarls back.

“You are out of time, end him, get to the elf.”

“In Darkshire. That’s where their is post is.” Reyland says before he begins to shake his head “Wait..wait a second, I think…” his voice trails off.

Allie knew it, she was right. By going to him he had called the one person she was looking for and tipped them off, they had everything now, her name, what she was doing..and more importantly how much she knew. It was a complete disaster. Looking at the man with malice in her eyes she slowly begins applying pressure to the trigger..

“It was rigged from the start, and it was happening right under my nose..” he starts explaining putting the pieces together “The person we’re looking for is-”

Once more, blood would splatter on the ground, as a bullet tore through the back of Reylands head, exiting through his temple as nother rifle report sounded in the distance. The sniper was still there. As the human falls over lifeless, Allie loses her patience.

“I’M COMING FOR YOU MACKEREL! YOU HEAR ME!? I’M COMING FOR YOU!!”

There would be no response, no second shot would ring out. The forest would grow dead quiet once more. Looking down at Reyland, Allie takes her right foot and nudges the body into the grave with a sickening thud. Slinging her rifle over her back she buries the man and begins to head back to camp. She had told Sarahni that she would come over once she had completed her mission, but she couldn’t show up to a noble lady’s house covered in grime and blood, too many questions that would put her at risk. That was something the void elf could not allow. As her thoughts wander, Allie stumbles nearly loses her balance. Standing up straight, she looks back and sees another brick, with another envelope. Narrowing her eyes she picks it up and opens the note.

Void energy lightly erupts in her hand holding the note as she begins to crumple it, allowing it to wither into nothingness before tossing the ashes to her side. She needed to go back to stormwind and refit. Enough was enough.

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