#THEMIS

[natus-vincer]

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #26: The Heron Hike and Hustle

Prompt: zip || Master Post || On AO3 (coming in October)

A/N: Spoilers for the first wing of Pandaemonium.

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The holding cells of Pandæmonium were damp, scorched, and covered in plant and other organic detritus. Erichthonios cringed at the sight and sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“Bad enough all the concepts are loose, but if they’re fighting one another, that’s going to make recapturing them even more difficult,” he said.

“How so?” Dancing Heron said.

“Each of these creatures are very powerful and when they go feral, their magicks can spike significantly,” Erichthonios said. “The interment spells are designed to cage one creature at a time; more than one, particularly if they’re in states of aggression, and the spell is likely to fail just from being overwhelmed.”

Themis frowned thoughtfully. “That seems an oversight for an emergency situation,” he said.

Erichthonios sighed once more and nodded. “Aye, but in a normal emergency, there are multiple keywards able to contain multiple creatures. Only one person available in all of Pandæmonium to cast the interment magicks? That’s never happened, and before today, if you’d told any of us about something like this, even the Chief Keyward would have told you that was impossible.”

“Well, bad news,” Rereha said, coming around the corner with Alakhai from scouting ahead, “there’s a nicely sized group of big nasties up ahead snacking on something even bigger.”

Heron swore quietly as Erichthonios darted forward to see what creatures were there. “Is there another route down to the waterways?”

“No,” Erichthonios said, still peering around the corner. “The only alternate route from here is a hallway just up ahead; it’s before the intersection where these concepts are. Looks like they found that ophiotaurus someone decided to give a skorpios tail and the ability to generate earthquakes…”

Heron came up just behind him, looking over his head. About a hundred yalms down the hallway, at a large intersection, a group of…somethings with too many tails and wings and horns apiece were gorging themselves on an enormous carcass. What disturbed her most was how quiet they were at their feasting; she would expect snarls and growls to be echoing towards them, but these creatures were eerily quiet. Even the sound of tearing flesh was oddly subdued.

“Where’s the hallway?” she said, dropping her voice so it would only carry to the rest of the group.

Erichthonious pointed to what had looked like a shadowed alcove, fifty yalms ahead. Heron grimaced; far too close for comfort, but needs must.

“I’ll take point,” she said. “Rere next, Ericthonios and Themis in the middle, Synnove and Alakhai on rearguard. Hug the wall, keep to the shadows best you can; Themis, if you’ve got a trick to disguise those white robes of yours, use it.”

The young man nodded and made a gesture; immediately, the brilliant white of his robes dimmed to a shadowy grey. Heron gave a thumbs up of approval, then carefully eased around the corner.

This hallway was wide, likely meant to facilitate the transfer of larger creatures like that ophiotaurus. But it made Heron uneasy: too open, the feeling worsened by the empty cells and containment chambers all around them. She tapped the top of her armored thigh boots along the leather edge, one-two-three, and a muffling spell slid down her legs to pool at her feet, quieting the gentle clink of armor as she walked. That taken care of, she slid carefully across the stone floor to the opposite side of the hallway, then hugged the wall as she crept forward.

The rest of their group followed after her in single file. Heron kept her eyes on the monsters ahead, trusting her sisters implicitly as she always did and knowing they would both watch her back and watch over Erichthonios and Themis. The faint whisper of uneven, sliding footsteps was just behind her; their two new companions, apparently, either knew how to move quietly already or were following Heron and Rere’s examples.

Heron reached the intersecting hallway without incident and took a few steps forward, giving the others room to each duck into the hallway as she kept watch.

That, of course, was when their luck ran out, as one of the monsters ahead raised up its long, serpentine neck to swallow a hunk of meat, and spotted them. It froze and even at this distance, Heron could see its pupils dilating. It made a strange hissing-like churr that set Heron’s teeth on edge, its neck swaying side to side, and all the others like it looked up, too.

“Run,” Heron said.

Behind her, the others gave up stealth and bolted. The monsters lunged down the hall.

Heron turned and hauled after the group. Roars and shrieks and that awful, ear-ringing hiss-churr followed them, as did the sound of claws and huge paws thudding onto stone. In a few strides, Heron caught up to her sisters and their companions, and she immediately snatched Erichtonious—throwing him over her shoulder and ignoring his startled yelp—and Themis—tucked under the opposite shoulder with her arm banded tightly around his stomach—and surged to take the lead. Synnove had already snagged Rere, and Alakhai was slowing so she could wheel around and throw flashbangs, the pins already clenched in her teeth.

“Which way?” Heron shouted over the sound of screeching monsters and exploding grenades.

She felt Erichthonios push up against her shoulder to crane his head around to see. “Third left then second right!”

Heron obeyed, lengthening her stride with Synnove-clutching-Rere beside her and Alakhai catching up, and sprinted deeper into the depths of Pandæmonium.

[rimefrosted]

Elidibus is probably one of my favorite characters of all time 🥺

[sirensongsea]

unsundered.mp4

[Music]

[symphorine-perle]

[magitekconveyor]

When does a comet become a meteor?

When does a candle become a blaze?

When does a man become a monster?

[athena-ishnuala]

Recap this series~ Heavensward/Shadowbringers/Endwalker grooms

[diadoescomics]

My tribute comic to the Ancients.

It didn't really come out as I would have liked but I'm glad I finished it.

The text is from the song "What Angel Wakes Me" from the Titania fight in ffxiv, written by Masayoshi Soken. Making this comic was only possible through the support of my patrons. If you enjoyed it and want to see more don't forget to ring that bell and smash the subscribe button consider giving me a follow and donating on kofi or subbing on patreon! Links are on my pinned post

[z-nth]

heart of zodiark

[itsmeishmi]

Goodbye Endwalker! Thank you for the memories!

[4threset]

'mirror mirror'

[pebsterino]

unsundered

[mljdao]

celestial body collision

[windupiceheart]

Themis

[ryuucae]

⚔️ 🛡️

[athena-ishnuala]

"Mankind's first hero...and his final hope!"

5 days to Dawntrail early access! I think paladin AF6 suits Themis well!