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papalo-palo · 1 year ago

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WHM 52, MSQ 40 - "The Heretic among Us" & "In Pursuit of the Past"

Lord Drillemont was angry. Angry as he recalled how many innocents had been murdered. Angry as he recalled how the edicts of the Holy See was used against him. Angry as he recalled how willingly he accepted the impostor's ruse and helped him to complete his evil acts. Lord Drillemont was very angry, and very focused. The impostor was at a certain area called Snowcloak about to pronounce judgement on someone condemned as a heretic. He asked me to lend him my weapon and my power and help save the doomed person.

Of course, I will.

A knight of House Durendaire had already arrived by the time Sable made her way past the baritine crocs choking the path to the glacier. Next to the ice, I could see the false inquisitor dominating over a Hyur woman. The knight waved me over. We were supposed to wait for Lord Drillemont and the others, but by the looks of things, the false inquisitor was about to slay the woman himself. The knight and I looked at each other, and in silent agreement, readied our weapons.

As we stood, Lord Drillemont arrived with more knights. The woman was demanding to know why the inquisitor was calling for her death when his lordship called out for the false inquisitor to surrender. When the false inquisitor challenged his lordship, Lord Drillemont laid the matter plain before all by condemning the impostor as a heretic and a betrayer to Ishgard. In response, the imposter only laughed. Deep rumblings that trembled the ice under our feet. His unsettling aura increased as he declared that he is no betrayer to that which he never gave allegiance to. He called out Lord Drillemont's guilt for acting in blindness and declared that all Ishgardians are worthy of death for the crime of being subservient to the archbishop. I realized that the monologue was a stalling tactic and that the impostor had been gathering aether this entire time. At the end, now fully empowered and prepared, he opened his arcanist's book and prepared for battle in the name of Dravanian steel and claw.

He poisoned our bodies and tainted the very air, but I was able to undo the magics meant to debuff us of our health. He summoned wyrmhounds to vex us with their gaze and we were able to dodge them all. When I saw him drinking something that looked like dragon's blood, I was horrified. He took that fear and transformed himself into a minor dragon! But Lord Drillemont held his ground and called him out for using illusions to vex us. More wymhounds came to his call but in the end, all was undone, including the glamour. At last the imposter was brought to ruin.

But he still had some words in him.

He declared that blood had been repaid with blood and that the families of those he put to death will not forget who failed them. Even as his life drained from him, he spoke his only regret, that I still lived. He promised I would meet my death in the Stone Vigil, and that Whitebrim Front would fall soon after. Spite could hold him up no longer and he collapsed onto the ice, where Lord Drillemont ordered his men to leave him to the crows.

His lordship looked like he has aged twenty years in the span of twenty minutes. He thanked me for staying true and assisting him, and returned my attention to the airship. Yes, he will grant me and my associates access to the Stone Vigil. All I need to do is collect those same associates and speak with him back in Whitebrim Front. When I caught up with Alphinaud, he was put out that I had ran off without telling him what had happened, but now that all was said and done with the imposter, it was time to take back the airship as was originally planned.

Lord Drillemont extended his reasoning for rejecting us and his apologies for holding to that error. He then confirmed what we already knew: That the airship had been seized by the forces stationed at the Stone Vigil and brought inside the keep. That the keep fell to Dravanian forces after the Calamity. And that there is no promise what condition the airship is in and no timeline for the retaking of the keep.

Alphinaud declared that Ishgardian help would not be needed for taking the airship. He assured Lord Drillemont that we would be able to enter Stone Vigil and take back the airship, and by "we", he meant "me". Too quickly I nodded along to his idea before I realized that he was writing a promise that I would be tasked to fulfill. Before I could speak up, Lord Drillemont accepted the inevitable at face value and promised to send word along to Ser Nathelain to grant us entry past the guarded gate to the Stone Vigil.

Sable brought me quickly through the night air to the secured gate where Ser Nathelain stood guard. He had already received the missive and was waiting for me to enter. Alphinaud bid me wait, however. Though the raid on the Waking Sands was a deeply cut blow to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, the order was not scattered to the four winds. The moment entrance into the Stone Vigil was secured, he had put out a call for other scions to assemble to help me. I would be tasked to recover the airship, but I would not be expected to complete that task alone. Tarry but a moment, he said, and I will have the help I have become accustomed to.

The sun had just set when a familiar voice called out from the heavy fog. "Papalo! What did you get yourself into this time?!" My dear marauder strode up to me, doing his best to be only a little bit happy to see me. "I heard... and... then when I heard Ser Alphinaud needed a strong shoulder, of course I had to come. And then when we came through Whitebrim Front and I heard everyone muttering about a wee little shite of a Lalafell getting in everyone's business, I hoped... and..." He muttered something about the cold affecting his face and took a step back.

"What he's trying to say is that we're all glad that you're alive, Papalo! We were helping the Order of the Twin Adder by making a sweep of Haukke Manor again when all that happened at the Waking Sands." The lancer braced her weapon on her shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't go down that easy, not Papalo Titan's Bane Palo!"

I know she meant well, but I could not share her relief as she laughed in joy. The scion thaumaturge was more reserved in his greeting. He watched me wince at the title. I watched him wince as something crossed his mind. When he looked back at me, it was with sorrow and I realized that he bore the Echo. I paled as I realized what he had likely seen. "Not your fault, Palo. Everyone did what they thought was right at the time, including you."

His companions looked literally down at the Lalafell in sudden confusion. He did not return their gaze but pulled his robes closer and pushed his fogged glasses closer to his face. "Come." He spoke as somber as I felt. "It is too cold out here to have emotional outbursts and too dangerous in there to succumb to our feelings. We have been called here to aid our brother-in-arms. Tell us, White Mage, how can we support you in your duty?"

I checked with Ser Nathelain if my fellows could accompany me inside or if I would need to get special permission for them as well. The Elezen shook his head and waved them through. "Every knight in Whitebrim Front is praying for your success. May the Fury guide and protect you." He briefed us on what we could expect inside the keep and unlocked the gate. The marauder, lancer, thaumaturge, and I entered first. The plan was for us to clear the way for Alphinaud and Cid to follow behind us, explore the Stone Vigil for the ship, and then secure the area while the two prodigies did their tinkering. The gate had scarcely been slammed shut and locked behind us when we saw our first dragons.

"It will take more than a few dragons to stop us." My dear marauder hefted his axe and charged forward immediately. Our combined skills had greatly improved since the last time we ventured forth together. None of us were the hesitant neophytes that first met at the Sastasha grotto. However, we still were taken by surprise when we rounded a corner and a dragon dropped in the shattered roof to leave a blazing trail of fire and pain upon us. We ducked into the first open room to heal and recover.

"Papalo, I'm not going to rush us through. I don't want another surprise like that to drop in on us. I will be honest, the dragons have filled every stone with their aura and I won't be able to use all of my skills at their peak. So, we'll take this room by room, group by group, if that's okay with you."

I was surprised that he would ask that of me, as if I was the one leading this expedition. "Yes, that's okay. I feel limited as well, but I'm not overwhelmed. I'll let you know if we need to pull back or slow down."

And with that, we went back into the main hall and made our way through the keep, room by room, group by group. When dawn broke outside, the sudden brightening of the sky revealed just how shattered the keep was and why it was so cold in here despite all the dragonfire. For many sections, there was no roof protecting the interior rooms from the elements. Support beams were burnt to ashes and stones were shattered from heat and impact. The dragons had no problem keeping themselves warm, but this frigid environment only limited us further.

The slow pace permitted me to help stone down the dragons we came across while also keeping the marauder connected with the land around us. A regen blessing rejuvenated him and kept him standing against most onslaughts. He also bore the Echo and moved out of reach from the more damaging attacks. But still the dragon that dropped in on us at the start continued to catch us unawares. Each time, as we wiped the ash off our faces, we were only that much more determined to clear the keep.

"Hang on, that's Chudo-Yudo." The thaumaturge stopped when we rounded a corner and saw a large dragon waiting for us in the courtyard below. "I heard some of the knights in Whitebrim talking about him. He's apparently slow to move and quick to belch fire. Palo, you and I should stay behind him as much as we can." I agreed. Our places now confirmed, we jumped down to confront the dragon.

We quickly found out that the gossip was wrong. Chudo-Yudo is quick to move and quicker to belch fire. The thaumaturge and I were hard pressed to stay behind the beast as it would suddenly scramble quickly to a far wall, turn, and swinge at anything and everyone in its wake. The dragon did its best to cook the marauder in his armor for the entire fight, but I was better at keeping him safe and lukewarm. After a few minutes that felt like a few hours of competitive sprinting, Chudo-Yudo lay motionless on the ground before us.

"Seven hells. I pray we don't face another of those beasts." As I agreed with the marauder, I realized I didn't know his name, only his profession. I didn't know the names of any of my companions, even though they know mine quite well. Have I been so engrossed in my path that I have forgotten my manners? I resolved to find out more about these scion companions of mine once we recover the airship.

More surprise aerial attacks. More packs of dragons waiting for us. More dragons just around the corner. More snow falling through the shattered roof and ice elementals blown in on the wind. I hoped Alphinaud had found something warm to wrap up in our wake. Suddenly our way forward was blocked by a wall of eternal dragonfire, herding us to what remained of the right brattice. There, we found the dragon that had been scathing us from above, Koschei. The creature shrieked at us in delight of having new toys to play with and new bones to crunch. It waited for us to rush it with open wings and we obliged it willingly.

We were so prepared for assault by fire, that we were caught off guard by the sonic storms that the wyvern called upon us. Proving that it was a master of the winds, Koschei regularly called typhoons to sweep across the exposed brattice in an attempt to launch us off of the keep into the crevasse below. But once we saw the pattern of its attack, with the aid of the Echo we were able to wear down the cruel wyvern until it lay shattered at our feet. Breaking the wyvern also broke the wall of dragonfire that impeded us, and we continued on our way.

But not before I looked up and saw how clear and close the city of Ishgard was. As the sun set and the darkness of night moved to obscure the city once again, I wondered how close was the city to being overrun and if our efforts here meant anything more than a token victory.

We moved deeper into the keep. No more surprise aerial attacks, but there were more packs of dragons waiting for us, more dragons just around the corner, and more ice elementals blown in on the wind. Night had fallen and while I did not think the temperature could fall any further, it did. Room by room, we cleared the way for Alphinaud and Cid to follow us in our wake.

Finally, we had cleared the path to the Strongroom where the Enterprise had been secured within the keep. The gate's lock had been made fragile by dragonfire and eternal winter cold. It only required a rough shaking for the gate to swing open. Once open, we could see the airship on a section of wall on the far side of the Strongroom. I wondered if the knights at the time thought to refurbish it themselves and take their battle to the air. Alphinaud and Cid caught up with us as we surveyed the area.

"Look! It's the Enterprise!" Smart boy, that Alphinaud. Nothing escapes his gaze except the rest of the room.

"Yes...just beyond that enormous sleeping dragon." Cid's rejoinder was as quiet as it was pointed. A massive blue dragon was curled up in the open floor of the Strongroom. The ceiling had collapsed and the lack of roof made this a great place for dragons to take a nap without interruption from frenzied knights.

"The dragon is not our concern. We have come for the airship, and only the airship." Once again, Alphinaud proves just how smart he is by disregarding a problem common to Whitebrim Front and ourselves. I considered again just how close we are to Ishgard. Even if we were to leave this dragon alone, when it wakes up and finds the mess we have made of its fellows, it will surely seek revenge. Would the forces at Whitebrim be able to withstand it? "Cid―you and I will sneak aboard the Enterprise and prepare it for launch. Papalo―you stay here and keep an eye on the beast. If it wakes, we may need you to provide a distraction until we are ready to depart. You can manage that, can't you?"

Well, at least he came up with a workable plan. But did he really have to give us orders as if a supreme commander instead of a fellow? The more Cid recovers himself, the less he is tolerating the boy's arrogance. I hope to be present when that restraint finally snaps.

As Alphinaud and Cid carefully made their way across the room, a sudden black aura caught my attention. Lahabrea materialized on a high point outside of my reach and taunted our goal of slaying Garuda. He ported to beside the sleeping dragon and laid plain the strength of the primal that we would be facing. The fanatical devotion of the Ixal has made her far stronger than both Ifrit and Titan. He mocked my ability to best her, declaring me too weak for this challenge.

"Yet only a fool would underestimate the great Bringer of Light, slayer of Ifrit, bane of Titan... If any mortal is capable of defeating the Lady of the Vortex, it is you. Win or lose, the battle should at least make for an entertaining spectacle. ...Assuming, of course, you live that long." The Paragon turned and did to the sleeping dragon what he had done to Graffias in the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, soaking it in his power and increasing the creature's strength and ferocity. The dragon, now roused and seething with hate and an overwhelming desire for destruction, pulled its increased bulk to its feet and focused its eyes upon me. Cid and Alphinaud could only watch as Lahabrea summoned his power in the form of a blood red sigil over his face, then sealed the Strongroom with a dark covering, isolating them outside of the room and preventing them to come to the aid of me and my fellow scions.

"Let us see how well your blasphemous gifts serve you this time, crystal bearer!"

The dragon Isgebind rushed forward as Lahabrea teleported away in laughter. The thaumaturge had no words of overheard wisdom, but by now we all knew how to deal with dragons. The marauder rushed to draw the dragon's attention away from the rest of us and I rushed to stand in the middle of the group. The dragon used the frozen air itself as a weapon against us and tried to freeze us in a wreath of rime, but any damage taken was quickly healed away. In defiance, it spat ice at those behind it and breathed unnatural frost over the marauder time and time again. But we were able to overcome the limitations of the environment and move out of harm's way or be healed through the clattering damage. We learned the pattern to Isgebind's dance the same way as we did Koshchei's, and steadily we wore down the ice dragon until it lay dead at our feet.

Whatever Lahabrea did to Isgebind so distorted the dragon's body that when it fell, its body's aether lost all integrity and it dissipated into aether immediately. However, it left behind an ice-aspected crystal of such purity that it glowed. With a flash, I saw again the grand seal around me and the ice crystal added its power to the collection.

"Papalo! Papalo! Are you all right? Speak to me!" Alphinaud's voice brought my attention back to the Strongroom. I looked up to see him straining at the ledge over the Strongroom floor. When he saw that I was looking back at him, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Twelve be praised, I feared the beast had injured you. I see now why the others rated you so highly. When you were caught in the midst of that aetheric bubble with the dragon, I was all but certain my next mission would be to find a new champion. Thank the gods for sparing me that inconvenience. I have quite enough to do already. Which reminds me―Cid is working on the Enterprise as we speak. Let us go and see what he has to say."

Alphinaud turned away from the ledge to check on Cid's progress. I remained standing on the Strongroom floor, struggling to keep my tongue in place. The nerve of that boy! I am not some indebted sword on the Bloodsands to be dragged hither and thither to soothe a rich brat's ego! Inconvenience?! I turned to my fellow scions, my friends, and attempted to say something, anything, to the people that had fought beside me for no other reason than I had asked, and this child had not given them a single stray thought after everything.

I wanted to thank them. I wanted to pay them. I wanted them to know how much their presence with me had warmed by soul to the very depths of me and made me feel so much less alone. I wanted to tell the thaumaturge how much I needed to hear that what happened at the Waking Sands wasn't my fault. I wanted to tell the marauder that I knew why he turned away and that I felt the same to see them alive. To see them all alive. To know that I'm not alone. To know that I have earned their respect and that they have earned mine. That we came through together through blood and steel and fire and ice and that we stand here as brethren.

And not... as convenient champions to be summoned at a spoilt boy's whims.

"I don't see the past like you and he does, but I don't need the Echo to see the present. You're right by me, Papalo. You can call me Mirabelle, by the way." Mirabelle, the Scion Lancer, patted me on the shoulder. "I know officers like him, young and book-smart with the softest hands you can imagine. They either grow up to be field marshals or they grow out of story they have centered around them. It just so happens that your story and his story are happening at the same time."

"Ya, Papalo. That boy has bought himself a ship and thinks that makes him captain. If my pop's crew were still together, they would have tied him upside down to the mast before sailing through the roughest seas they could find or whistle up. Teach him some humility." The marauder thumped his chest. "Rhylkhana's me name, on account that me maw said I was born laughing and never stopped! Ha-ha!"

The Lalafell thaumaturge had remained silent through all this. "Piwa is my clan name, Palo. Let's leave it at that. I know you're focused on the loudness of the child, but it is the quietness of the man beside him that has me concerned. How well do you know him?"

"Cid? Um... not really. I know he has a good heart, and that he is always seeking to make the world better around him, but that's all I know to be honest."

Piwa hummed quietly to himself. "Then, you haven't seen what is under those goggles. I see. I will say only this, violence craves this man as much as this man craves peace. This man's capability under control of this boy's ambition is a dangerous combination. Mind your step."

In the sudden silence, I heard Alphinaud ask Cid if the airship was ready. "Yes...though it will not be a pleasant ride." Alphinaud complained lightly of the state of the ship but accepted that it would allow us all to leave this frigid place much faster than on foot, or even on my beloved Sable. Before Cid could give comment, the boy called us all to board the Enterprise quickly so that Cid could take us back to Gridania.

As we boarded, Alphinaud exposed his ambition by loudly wishing that Cid could take us directly to the Howling Eye, where Garuda is holding court. Begrudgingly, he accepted that the Enterprise would need repairs before we could make the attempt. Piwa and I shared quiet glances as Cid found himself piloting the ship by the memory held in his hands than any active thought.

Once in Gridania, Mirabelle, Rhylkhana, and Piwa immediately went upstairs from the airship landing to the Carline Canopy to thaw out and rest. Cid disembarked only to turn around and stare at the Enterprise. He said to look at the ship felt like he had come home, but he still had no reason of why. Alphinaud stood proudly beside him and soaked in the warmth of the Twelveswood while he spoke fondly of the adventure he had been condemning the entire time we were experiencing it.

"Alas, our work is far from done. We still have an airship to repair and a primal to slay. No rest for the heroic, eh?" He gave me a small sack of gill and bid me well. I took the coin with a silent nod and immediately left the landing. It was a struggle to hold my tongue, but the elementals do not look kindly on outbursts of emotion. Leaving Cid to his peace, I went upstairs, greeted Mother Miounne as I passed her, and took to my room in the inn.

Rosomoni had returned some time ago and when I saw him present, I was going to address him but he looked me up and down with a furrowed brow before changing the order of the hour. "Bed. Now. Whatever words you have for me can wait until you are of enough thought to hear them. Whatever report I have for you can wait just the same. This is not the time for heroics. This is the time for rest. Good night, ser." He excused himself before I could say anything in retort.

As if I had any energy to retort him with. I did not realize how tired I was until I caught myself asking the land for assistance to stay on my feet. The land declined and pulled my attention to the bed instead. Very well, then. I shall take a rest, without guilt this time as I realized this was the first time since the assault on the Waking Sands that I have not laid down with fear.

Or, at least I tried.

My mind too restless, I sat several bells with the candle at the table and wrote down all that happened in this diary.

If you are still with me, dear reader, may you walk in the light of the Crystal.

#ffxiv #The Memoirs of Papalo Palo

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