Soundtracks for this chapter include not only Gates of the Moon, the Doma Castle dungeon theme, but also Thundering Chariot from Honkai Star Rail cuz Chinese boss fight music is funnnn : D (interesting they both involve traditional plucked string instruments, Western orchestral body, and an electric guitar for added gritty texture?)

The inside of Doma Castle has gotten glowed up with the lighting enhancements! It looks great!

My tablet keyboard has been increasingly unreliable the past couple months (especially the E and L keys); I’m pretty good at spotting typos but I’m not perfect so if you see something, feel free to point it out.

Chapter 59: Flames of the Past

 

Chapter 60: The Fall of Doma Castle

Achiyo had just finished her last gear check and was rising to leave the Scions’ dorm in the House of the Fierce when she heard her name called. “Achiyo-chan? Where are you?”

“I am in here,” she answered, and Tori appeared at the door, looking flustered with all her children around her. “Is something amiss?”

“No, no,” Tori said, smoothing down her kimono distractedly and patting her middle child Nigayo on the head. “I just wanted to…” She ran forward and hugged Achiyo. “Kami keep you safe out there! I can’t imagine what you will be doing, what you will face…”

She was shaking. “Do not fear for me so,” Achiyo told her, smiling. What was the House Fortemps motto? Kami, she missed them so much. “My arm will not falter, my shield will not break. In Eorzea we attacked their great fortress, the Praetorium, with so few of us, and we prevailed with everyone working together.” With some hefty help from the Blessing of Light, to be sure, but they would not be facing the Ultima Weapon this time. She was not taking it lightly… but she had confidence.

“Well, come back safe,” Tori said, stepping back, but still holding onto her forearms. “My dear friend, Achiyo-chan… you must win through for your handsome knight!”

Achiyo laughed. Tori might still be terribly frightened for her, but she knew how to tease just right to lift her spirits. “I shall. And for you, and your children, and all the people of Doma.” If she failed… she dared not imagine what might happen to Tori in the aftermath. She had already survived so much hardship.

“Thank you,” Tori said, and let go of her again, giving her the formal bow of a samurai’s daughter to a samurai’s daughter. Achiyo returned it. Then she waved impishly again. “Good luck!”

“Good luck, Achiyo-onee-chan,” chorused the children, and they all ran off.

 

All of Doma was on the move. Achiyo was not privy to much of the plan; her task was, along with Hien, to lead a picked group into the flooding Doma Castle to slay Yotsuyu. But she had caught sight of the campaign map, and knew that Alphinaud had put together a plan nearly as ambitious as the one that had liberated Eorzea from Gaius van Baelsar. The Empire’s presence was less built up here, but that was not as much advantage for Doma did not have the armies of Eorzea to call upon. But every village across her great breadth had been roused, and together they would distract and harry the Imperial forces, with the substantial aid of the Xaela of the Steppe. The Oronir, the Dotharl, and the Mol with Lilidi would aid the Scions in the taking of the Moon Gates and Doma Castle, where the fighting was sure to be fiercest; the other available tribes were being sent across the land.

The Empire had to know that something was happening. Swift as the yol were, as the ships of the Confederacy were, they could not move secretly for long and as dawn broke there were already reports coming in of battles to the north towards the Steppe and the south along the One River. But the Empire was slow to realize that this was a concerted effort, the mass uprising of an entire nation. So when Lyse and her group of Namai volunteers broke in to Castrum Fluminis, they were still off-guard.

Meanwhile, Alphinaud’s group, under cover of the Oronir and Dotharl battling to claim the most aerial kills, infiltrated the Moon Gates’ control room and destroyed the mechanism. That opened the way for the Confederate ships, with Chuchupa aboard, to advance past Doma Castle and up the One River to protect the Doman Enclave, a village that yet housed non-combatant civilians.

Achiyo stood at the head of the Warriors of Light above the riverbank as the sun rose, with Hien and his two retainers beside. “It is done,” Gosetsu said, looking at the water pouring out of places in the castle it was never supposed to be in, thanks to Soroban and a band of Kojin from Tamamizu. “The water surges through the broken masonry and floods the castle even as we speak. Though my heart breaks at the sight of it, I must be strong. All is for the sake of Doma!”

“My heart echoes yours,” Achiyo said to him. She must also privately mourn the loss of the place she had spent two years of her life; though there had been much nonsense within, courtly and otherwise, there had also been great beauty and friendship. It had not been all bad. “But the Imperials have poisoned it. To destroy it will cleanse Doma.”

Gosetsu nodded. “To see the castle thus defaced – and by our own hands… It is enough to make me smile – to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it. This is not the end, but it is an ending. Soon… soon I will be free.”

“Aye, there can be no doubt,” Hien said. “The viceroy is trapped. And so comes our part. I can only imagine the chaos inside the castle. To be trapped by the rising waters and know the enemy is at their gates. They will fight us with every onze of their strength. As will we them, for the eyes of history are upon us.”

“I’m so glad we beat them to their attack,” Kekeniro said, summoning Garuda-egi to be ready. “Hopefully this secret lab they built under the castle, and whatever they were making there, will be completely out of the picture.”

A Kojin paddling a boat deftly manoeuvred it up to the dock below them. “Come! There is an ingress within the walls. We shall bear you thither.”

One of the gates in the outer wall had been blasted open, and they scrambled out of the boat onto a walkway built by the Garleans… on top of the rooftops, apparently for use of their vehicles. They had changed it drastically from when she had been there, and she did not know whether to be more shocked at the darksteel struts and platforms and gates everywhere, or the fact that the muddy, churning water was already up to the roofs of the outer ring of buildings. They had poisoned it with their architecture. Suddenly she was glad they were tearing it all down, to build anew instead of repairing it. She glanced into the water, but the sandy paths on the ground she had once walked were submerged under four or five yalms of raging river. Debris from the north wall was being carried along in it. Anyone who fell in would end up being dashed to pieces, even with the Kojin blessing to prevent drowning.

“We must go quickly,” Kekeniro said, looking down at the water and up at the battle in the sky. “Before these buildings collapse.”

“With me!” Achiyo cried to the Warriors of Light and Doma, and led them at a run up the trembling walkway. The sun shone down fair upon them, hope and determination soaring in her heart. Gates opened automatically at their approach, and though there were magitek machines guarding them, they melted under the onslaught of blades and magic. Gosetsu, Hien, and Yugiri’s blades glittered in the light alongside theirs, and between Kekeniro’s Deathflare, and Vivienne’s Abyssal Drain, and Achiyo’s own Holy Spirit, even the tallest of colossuses were destroyed. Ah, her heart was joyful! After all this time, the day had come to take back their own, and nothing would stand in her way. In this moment all the complicated thoughts from before were stripped away; there was naught left to do but what she did best.

Once inside the inner walls, things became more confused. Some paths were blocked by masses of fallen stones, and other paths were opened by walls collapsing. A flying tower crashed across their path, scattering Imperial-uniformed bodies, brought low by Sadu in the skies above; they could hear her cackling above the din of battle. Still, Achiyo knew the way forward. The inner paths were covered in water, but only about a fulm deep. It was fast, and freezing cold, but she could wade through it relatively easily. “You all right?” she heard R’nyath said to Tam.

“The water is not lava,” Tam answered in exasperation, and jumped ahead to stun a magitek walker.

Now the Garleans had had time to set up machine guns to block their approach, huge cannons that were really designed to take out huge swaths of troops, not individual adventurers. But they had a recharge period, and after Kekeniro noted it, Achiyo led them on a mad charge from one safe spot to another before the guns could fire again. “I’m too old for this,” she heard Gosetsu wheeze, and wondered if she should cast Cover on him.

The garrison had been turned out to defend against them, soldiers and machines, and Kekeniro split their numbers. He would stay behind with Rinala, R’nyath, and Tam, to guard their backs, while the others forced their way onward.

Finally they made it to the central courtyard that she remembered so well, that led within the palace. The Garleans seemed not to have messed too much with the beautiful bronze doors, nor as she entered did the opulent red and gold of the walls and pillars seem to have been altered.

She spoke too soon. The Garleans had installed lamps and cables everywhere for their own purposes, which clashed horribly with the royal decor. Ugh! The keep shook with the impacts of the water and of exploding machinery, and the delicate painted ceiling crumbled before them, revealing the support joists beneath. Achiyo led them up the side stairs. They had to get to the main audience hall in order to get to the upper chambers.

In the main hall, everyone came to a halt. In their way stood a nightmarish creature. Where once there had been clouds of aristocrats in silks and jewels, whispering secrets and gossip, now there was a hulking behemoth of green metal, carrying a fearsome… was it even a blade? It was covered in teeth, and the monster hefted it, and the teeth began to whirr along the blade with a loud noise as stinking ceruleum smoke puffed from the monster’s back.

“EOOORZEAN… EOOORZEAAAN… COME OUT AND PLAY…” said the monster.

Vivienne froze. “It’s… it’s him.”

“That man who has a grudge against you?” Achiyo said. The voice was… familiar, yes, even through the frightening helm.

“Yes,” Vivienne said. “I’ll deal with him. You lot go on ahead.”

“Are you certain?” Hien said.

“She is certain,” Achiyo said. “Watch for a chance, and we shall run past.”

“I’ll stay,” Aentfryn said with an eyeroll. “You’ll only get yourself killed otherwise.”

“Fine,” Vivienne said. “-Look out!”

 

The chainsaw lowered towards them, and bullets spat out of it. Everyone dove in different directions, and the chainsaw and bullets followed Vivienne. She lifted her sword in a vertical block, covering most of her body, and umbral magic billowed around her, swallowing the rest of the damage. “All right, you bastard! I’m here! Is that the best you’ve got!?”

“DIE, DIE, DIE!” screamed the monster, charging at her.

“Câlice de tabergaut de simonaque de bâtard!” Vivienne screamed back, hacking Cronus into the green armour and ducking the… chainsword.

She had not been able to fight him face to face for more than a few moments at the Naadam. He was slightly taller than her, and about twice as heavy, and now he’d been augmented to be taller, heavier, and stronger with… Gods, she suspected this armour had been built into him. Even if he won and survived, he was not coming out of that metal casing again. He hated her that much?

She could do hate.

She didn’t even hate this guy personally, really, at least not any more than any other Imperial piece of shite. He was an annoyance, an irritation, something that kept getting in her way at stupid times and then running away when she showed him she wasn’t a pushover like he was. Not a foundation for a bitter and lasting acrimony for her. But that was all right. She had enough general hate for the Empire that she could focus it all on him right here, right now.

Dimly she registered that the other four were sprinting to the back of the room, where there were stairs leading further upwards. Good, they could get the mission done and be out of her way.

She’d never say Cronus was an elegant weapon. It was a brutal slab of black steel blazing with living aether, humming magenta-to-gold. But it was more graceful in her hands than the chainsword, that was connected to him by its power cable, that he could only raise and lower like an axe. Their weapons clashed, and she had to wince as the toothed edge ground against her greatsword. But Cronus, despite his youthful ignorance, was grown to be like her. Damage only made her sword angry, and with a pulse of power, his glow turned to gold.

She broke the clash with a sudden shove, and her opponent screamed in incoherent rage. She was too slow to parry his next strike, and it raked down her arm, drawing a snarl of fury and pain from her. Eos darted in to heal her, followed up by a full spell from Aentfryn.

Unfortunately, that only drew her opponent’s attention to Aentfryn, and suddenly bullets began to fly again. Eos dodged, but Aentfryn was much larger, and a bit on the old side for an adventurer, and before he could reinforce his shields they’d been blasted through. “Shite!” she yelled, casting Blackest Night on him, running to shield him. “Tell me that son of a snake didn’t put you down!”

“I’m… fine,” Aentfryn coughed stubbornly. “Do your damned job.”

She felt the bullets hammering on her magical shield, off Cronus’s flat side. The instant they stopped… She charged again, and her enemy charged her, roaring. “Go down and stay down!” She managed to get in one good hit before she was parried, slashing him through the chest armour.

“WE GO… TOGETHER… TOGETHER… TO…” The chainsword dropped from lifeless hands as the man pitched forward onto his front, lightning aether discharging around him. But there was no final explosion, no last bullet aimed for her. He was dead, and she was not.

And neither was Aentfryn. He walked up behind her as she surveyed the corpse. “Did you even know his name?” His robe was covered in small bloody circles over his left shoulder and chest. He might have had a lung popped momentarily, before he healed himself. He might not. She wasn’t a medic. He’d definitely come out of it worse than her for once.

“No,” she said, and turned away. It didn’t matter. He was dead, and it was time to see what Achiyo and Hien were up to.

 

Achiyo kept pace with Hien as he led them unerringly through the keep. She still could not shake the strangeness of the feeling to be attacking this place she had once lived. But she remembered these stairs, these passages, all the way up to Kaien’s private audience chamber. There were no Imperials, no guards anymore.

Hien plowed recklessly through the doors, and that probably saved his life, for Yotsuyu had her pistol levelled at the entrance and fired as they came. Hien ducked, Achiyo ducked, Yugiri and Gosetsu sidestepped. Almost as if they had practised, the four of them split up – Yotsuyu could not track all of them at once. Hien got to her first, and slashed the gun from her hand. She dropped it with a cry, falling to her hands and knees on the crimson carpet, bowing her head in despair.

“Have you aught to say for yourself?” Hien demanded, his katana held ready to her. “For what you have done to our people – your people?”

Yotsuyu let out a bitter laugh, her head still bowed. “‘My people’, he says. The precious lordling beloved by all come to confront the wicked witch.” Her hands clenched on the carpet. “My parents thought me no better. They worked me from dawn to dusk, like an ox or an ass or some other beast of burden. Until, that is, my brother spied a chance to transform the family fortunes. And so I was married to a vicious old drunk who beat me as he pleased, and when I pleaded for help, I was told to grin and bear it. For the family. For him. For everyone’s sake. They pretended not to notice, but they knew. They knew!”

Achiyo stilled. It was not an uncommon story. And it fit well with the Echo she had seen before.

“What does it matter?” Yotsuyu cried. “I was nothing to them – less than nothing! I wasn’t of their flesh, I wasn’t a fellow Doman, I wasn’t even a person. I might just as well have been dead!”

She sat up with an eerie smile. “And then, my husband passed away one day. And so I was sold off yet again, to pay his debts. But this time, this time, I found a way to live for myself. To survive. As a spy for the Empire. Oh, those were the days, when the scales fist fell from my eyes. No longer would I be a slave to my parents or my husband or the pleasure house. I would be free… and receive due compensation…” She looked up at Hien, still smiling. “That would be enough, I thought… until I saw a Doman in the road, beaten and broken, and my heart… my heart skipped a beat… Lying at my feet, groaning in agony, sobbing in despair. Powerless, helpless, hopeless! A vision forever seared into my soul…” She gave a cry of joy, then suddenly the smile dropped and she glared at Hien. “There was nothing I would not do to feel that joy again. To bend this cruel, twisted world to my whims! …Now, having borne witness to my life’s work, have you aught to say to me?”

Hien stared silently. His katana had not wavered, but he could say nothing.

Suddenly the building shook, and dust fell from the ceiling. Vivienne and Aentfryn came running in. “Found you,” Vivienne growled. “And just in time.”

Yotsuyu ignored them, and chuckled deep in her throat. “‘Twas kind of you to lend me your ear, my lord. But now it is time for us to conclude our little tête-a-tête with a final game of chance… Who shall stand, and who shall fall? Let the die be cast.”

More rumblings sounded – explosions! “This was her plan from the first – to bring the keep down on our heads!” Yugiri cried.

Hien’s attention faltered for a half-second. Yotsuyu saw it and went for her gun. Achiyo reached out to cast Cover, Vivienne grabbed her sword-

The gun fired. Hien slashed. Two pieces of bullet went ricocheting to opposite sides of the room. He slashed again, and Yotsuyu collapsed lifelessly. “I will remember your words,” he said grimly. He formally sheathed his sword and turned to the others. “We must flee! Order our forces to withdraw!”

“Kekeniro has already taken care of it,” Achiyo said. “Now let us-”

“Look out! Shite!” Vivienne cried, and everyone looked up as the ceiling came plummeting towards them.

There was a confused tussle – an impact – and Achiyo looked up and coughed through all the dust and flying splinters to see Gosetsu had caught the greatest beam of the ceiling on his back… and was holding it up. “Go, my lord!” he gritted out. “While you still can. I cannot hold this forever!”

“We will not leave you behind!” Yugiri cried.

“Stairs are blocked,” Aentfryn said, and his fairy swooped past towards the still-open balcony. “That way.”

Achiyo reached out to cast Cover, since she had been unable to do it for Hien. It helped less than she hoped – it was not a physical pain that Gosetsu dealt with. She felt a crushing ache in her shoulders and staggered, and Vivienne held her up. How should they extract him? Aentfryn was also a Roegadyn, but a scholarly one. Vivienne was a strong and tall warrior, but Achiyo wondered if she could bear this whole tower as Gosetsu was doing. And while she dithered over this Atlasean question, the ruins were settling, half-ilm by half-ilm, crushing him.

Gosetsu frowned at them all, and especially Yugiri. “Do your duty. Deliver Lord Hien and the others to safety. Now, forthwith! I shall manage on my own.”

He was interrupted by three gunshots. “Gosetsu!” screamed Yugiri, as Gosetsu flinched again and again.

It was Yotsuyu, emerging from under a piece of rubble, pale as a yurei. She dropped her empty gun and smiled at them demonically. “No… no one leaves… Not you or anyone else…”

“Dammit!” Vivienne said, raising her hand to cast – Achiyo stopped her. Any violent disturbance of the rubble could just accelerate its fall. “Bitch!”

“‘Tis naught this old frame cannot bear!” Gosetsu said. “Go now! All of you! The day is won! And the morrow beckons!”

“Fine, then,” Vivienne grumbled. “Have it your way, old man!” She grabbed Achiyo and Yugiri by the arms and began to drag them towards daylight.

“Thank you,” Achiyo cried in his direction.

“Nay, thank you,” he answered. “For granting me new purpose… and a measure of peace.”

Hien hesitated a moment more. “Gosetsu… You never failed us. Not once. You served my father faithfully, and I am a better man for your guidance. And the Doma we build together shall be better for it too. Be proud, my friend. Be proud.”

Gosetsu’s smile was gentle, even with blood beginning to run from his mouth. “I am, Shun. More than you know.”

They made it to the balcony and into the daylight, where Cirina was circling on her yol, calling. “Hien – Hien!?”

The giant birds came swooping in, Mol and Dotharl and Oronir warriors picking them up, Hien jumping to the back of his own yol. They joined the rest of the Xaela, where Kekeniro and Lilidi and R’nyath and Rinala and Tam were waiting, and turned to look at the keep.

More detonations echoed from the cliffs around the river, and ponderously, the red and green tower shattered into the foaming water.

 

Gosetsu was gone. Not even his body could be recovered; Soroban had swum as far into the ruins as he could, but the volume of water was too great, too full of debris to reveal anything. Hien, once they landed on the bank, spent a long time staring at the remains of the keep and the churning brown water flowing from it. The warm sunlight, so hopeful when they were attacking the castle, seemed to mock them all.

So he was when Tansui arrived at the dock in a small ship. He gazed at the lot of them, covered in dust and debris, or mud up to the knees, or simply unbelieving grief. “…You all look like shite.”

“Ah, so we do,” R’nyath said, looking around. “This is no look for a victory speech! Line up, everyone, let me tidy you up.”

“And a snack and drink would not go amiss,” Aentfryn said, waving R’nyath away from him. “You are not going to wash the blood out of my tunic this instant, Miqo’te. Be off and see to Rinala instead.”

“I don’t know what happened in there, but it’s over,” Tansui said. “You won. That’s cause enough for celebration – and those people you’re about to see need something to celebrate…”

 

Achiyo had been to the enclave a few times, and was saddened to see how run-down it was… but it still stood, unlike Monzen. And now there were huge crowds there, for the Confederacy had picked up as many freedom fighters as they could to gather them all together.

The party approached, Hien at their head, and murmurs and cries broke out from them. “It’s him!” “Lord Hien!” “He lives, he lives!” As one, the Doma people gathered in the square – hundreds of them, maybe thousands – knelt in a dogeza bow.

Hien was still downcast, frowning blankly at the ground a few yalms before him. Yugiri leaned over to him. “Some few words of encouragement would not go amiss, my lord.”

He jumped and looked up. “Um… Right! Uh, yes. O-of course…” He gulped.

Vivienne gave him a whack on the back. “Of you go, then.”

Hien turned to look at her in bemusement… and even more stammering. “Ummm… Er, um… right, um, right! Off- off I go!”

“If ye ain’t sayin’ somethin’, I will,” Chuchupa said, and was grabbed by several people to prevent such an occurrence.

“Stand tall, Hien-sama,” Achiyo murmured to him, reminding him who he was with the honorific.

He made a rueful smile. “Forgive me. This is rather more daunting than I had anticipated. But you are right, I must be strong. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Rinala offered.

He smiled, and marched forward. Right through the kneeling crowd and up to the town governance building that still stood in the middle of the village. He turned and looked – at the crowd, at the crumbling shacks of the village. His face was tired. 

“We are a sorry lot, are we not,” he began. “Tired, dirty, stinking of blood and sweat and ash. A people pushed to the point of breaking.” He looked up at the sky. “And yet we won. The perseverance to endure decades of oppression. The will to carry on the legacy of those we have lost. These were the bonds that held us together and gave us the strength to reclaim our home. After twenty-eight hard years, the shadow of the Empire no longer darkens these lands, and we may at last look forward to the dawning of a new day. But, my friends, it will be a day of work. So I ask you: have you yet the strength to stand?” Heads lifted. Hien stepped forward and knelt before a young woman, barely more than a child, and reached out his hand to her; she looked up uncertainly. “To rise up with me once more, here and now, and begin to rebuild our homeland?” His voice was gentle, not commanding. He was truly asking.

The girl nodded, smiling tearfully, and like that, the spell was broken. People rose to their feet. Some began to clap, some to cheer, and after a few moments there was a great chant of “DOMA, DOMA”. Hien got to his feet with a proud smile. Yugiri ran forward to join him.

The Scions looked on, happy from afar.

 

After all that, Achiyo thought it would be for the best for her to retreat from the noise, and made her way alone to the docks. There she sat on the edge of a pier, looking at the white moon shining down on the river through the Moon Gates.

It felt like something impossible had happened. She had seen impossible things before – the World of Darkness, the defeat of the Ultima Weapon and Bahamut and Thordan and Nidhogg, the time paradoxes of Alexander, the peace between Ishgardians and Dravanians. But the impossibleness of this thing had been part of nearly half her life, and as certain as the moon’s rising. She had believed it could still happen, had wished it would happen with all her might, and now that it was real… it did not seem real. How much more did it feel that way for those who lived without it their entire lives?

Chuchupa strutted up to her. “How you doin’?”

“I am fine,” Achiyo said, smiling. “Wishing for quiet after the excitement of the day. How was your battle?”

“Great fun! I gotta get me a new ship. Nothin’ like standin’ on a heavin’ deck, feelin’ the cannons all ‘boom boom boom’ ‘neath yer feet. I nearly forgot, bein’ grounded since the Calamity. Besides the sky pirate thing. Not that th’ deck was heavin’ much on th’ river.”

Achiyo smiled, but she did not have much to say to that. Chuchupa allowed the silence for a brief time before breaking out whistling a jaunty tune.

There came a noise of people approaching, and they turned to see the rest of the Scions coming to join them, chattering. “Are you quite certain you would not prefer to stay awhile longer?” Alphinaud was saying. “There are sure to be festivities – at which several of you would be guests of honour, like as not.”

“We’ve had festivities,” Vivienne said. “With the Xaela. We don’t need to strain Doma’s resources. Let them party amongst themselves.”

“We dare not allow the Imperials a moment’s respite, lest they march on Doma again,” Alisaie said. “For the sake of all concerned, we should leave immediately.”

“Very well,” Alphinaud said. “There are other ways in which we might celebrate – by rejoining the fight for freedom in Gyr Abania, for one.”

“We are leaving?” Achiyo said, getting to her feet. It was so soon, and sudden, but she could not say she had a pressing need to stay, either. And she missed Eorzea. There was Tansui, and Rasho among the group. Would they find transport with them?

Alphinaud nodded. “We have all come to love this land and her people well. Mayhap nearly as much as you. But we have done that which we came here to do. Word of Doma’s liberation will soon spread throughout the Empire, and we must seize this opportunity to rekindle the fires of liberation in the West.”

There was a rustle of feathers, and Cirina’s yol touched down by them. “Did I hear you right? You are leaving?”

“I’m afraid so,” Lyse said to her. “We’ve got our own battle to fight. What about you? Will you be heading back to the Steppe?”

“Yes. The war here is ended, and there is no cause to remain. The Oronir and Dotharl have already withdrawn. I will follow them anon, but I wished to bid you farewell first.” Cirina bowed.

“Farewell!” Lilidi said. “I must follow my husband for a while, but I will be back, I promise by Oschon and Nhaama.”

“We will be waiting!” Cirina said warmly, and mounted her yol again.

“The Blue, too, must return to their homes, but we will be back,” Soroban said, from the back of the group where Achiyo had not noticed him until he spoke. “Doma has need of merchants and builders, and we are eager to offer our services!”

Tansui gave them all a sardonically plaintive look. “And just like that, our grand fellowship is broken? Without ceremony or pomp, you steal off into the dark?” He shrugged. “No matter. We have plenty to be getting on with. Places to be, people to rob, and so on. And the captain never was one for mingling.”

Rasho snorted. “I am a pirate. Give me a song at the tavern, and I will be happy. Hobnobbing with Lord Hien? Nay.”

“He is a remarkably practical royal,” Achiyo said, smiling. “You may like him if you try him.”

Rasho shook his head. Tansui sighed. “No taste for the finer things… In any event, we need not part ways here. If you are for Kugane, we would be happy to take you. Her waters have always been… fruitful.”

“We should be very glad to accept,” Alphinaud said.

“Except me,” Tam said. “I’ll eat the Teleport sickness and meet you there.”

“As you like,” Achiyo said. It was a bit far, but no farther than Teleporting from Ishgard to Ul’dah, and he had done that before.

“I wish you well on your journey, my friends,” Cirina said. “May you ever walk in crimson.”

Lyse reached up to the yol to clasp her hand briefly. “Thank you, Cirina. For everything.”

“May the kami speed you on your way! Until we meet again!” Soroban waved and boarded his own little boat.

“All right, see you later,” Tam said, and Teleported.

The rest of them boarded the Confederate flagship. Some of the sailors seemed disappointed not to be staying to party, but the promise of drinking at home base next evening seemed to cheer them up.

Achiyo was looking back at the lights of the Doman Enclave slipping away into the night, the dim shapes of the Gates of the Moon passing them by. Alphinaud came up beside her. “It is a bit of a pity we cannot stay to watch them take their first steps as an independent nation. But we Scions are a democracy, and far be it from me to dictate such a minor decision.”

“Didn’t even think to tell Lord Hien you were leaving?” Tansui commented from behind them. “Well… I’m sure you had your reasons.” 

Achiyo gasped. “We- we didn’t! Unless you did without me? Ah, how could we be so rude- Oh, we cannot go back, and Hien doesn’t have a linkpearl!” Oh, and she should have bid farewell to Tori before leaving…

Alphinaud shrugged. “What’s done is done. I’m sure he will understand. Try not to fret about it.”

Achiyo shook her head. “I shall fret regardless. But I believe this means it is time for me to rest properly. Where might I sleep, Tansui?”

“Follow me,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind average accommodations. This isn’t a pleasure vessel.”

“If I may lay my head down undisturbed, it will be well enough for me,” she said. He seemed to respect that.

 

A couple days later, and they were swiftly approaching the brilliantly-coloured towers of Kugane. “It’s a rare thing for us to sail into Kugane like common traders,” Tansui said, at the bow of the ship with the Scions. “I don’t rightly recall the last time, but it will have been years.”

“We will need to weigh anchor before the Sekiseigumi arrive,” Rasho said. “…From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for what you did. Give my regards to the Ul’dahn.”

From docking, everything descended into a whirlwind of activity. First they met Tataru and Hancock over lunch. Tataru had already chartered a ship for the lot of them, except Tam. “I’m going to use Return, it will take me straight back to Gridania.”

“You’re crazy,” Rinala said. “I mean, we knew that, but people just don’t Teleport that far, even people who can Teleport! You’ll get stuck in the Lifestream, or die from the Teleport sickness on the other side!”

Tam shrugged. “Better than sitting on a boat for two months. And isn’t Return much more reliable than Teleport anyway?”

“Still!”

“Hmph, I almost feel he has the right idea,” Lilidi said. “Sitting around for two months when we could be actively fighting is irritating.”

“The rest will be welcome,” Vivienne said. “Conserve your bloody energy. We just ran another liberation campaign, and now we’re going to run one more. You can’t just do that back to back.”

“You have less cause to complain than any, Lilidi,” Aentfryn pointed out. “Pregnant people must not Teleport. The risk of miscarriage is very well docu-”

“-mented, yes, yes, I know,” Lilidi said. “I won’t! But I’m not even a primal slayer, I’m just here to look after my hapless husband – who could be of more use if he could safely make it there and back quickly, even if it means leaving my side.” Kekeniro grinned.

“Well, I’ll test it for ya,” Tam said jauntily. “If I’m laid up for a few weeks with aether sickness, who gives a shite? Better than a boat.”

“You really ought to stop drinking before you go,” Rinala said. “It’s not helping your chances.”

Tam eyed her balefully and downed another little cup of sake. Good sake, now, though they were running a little short on money after so many months in the wilderness.

Alphinaud rolled his eyes. “As ever, Tataru, I pray you take all due precautions while making your inquiries. Better to avoid the local authorities altogether than risk a repeat of our Ishgardian episode.”

Alisaie gave him a sly look. “And what sordid episode is this, pray tell?”

Alphinaud looked away from her. “Naught to speak of, I assure you…”

“You needn’t worry,” Tataru said. “I’m a regular at the hostelry and a half-dozen other local institutions. Everyone loves me! Ah, that reminds me – here you are, Achiyo!” She gestured to Hancock, who obediently handed over a substantial wooden box wrapped in waterproof canvas.

“What is- oh!” Achiyo saw the seal on the cords that bound it. “Of course, it would be finished by now. I had forgotten about it while I was in the Azim Steppe.”

“What is it?” Lyse asked.

“My souvenirs,” Achiyo said, smiling, trying to remember the rest of her inventory, stowed away at the bottom of her pack. A hanging scroll for Lord Edmont, a wakizashi for Artoirel, a book of translated poems for Emmanellain, a good luck charm for Honoroit, and a bundle of brightly coloured paper fans to give to other friends and acquaintances. She ought to check what was in the box, but Hachisunoha was not a shop that was going to dishonour their agreements. Aymeric and Lucia’s gifts would be safe. “And I have letters for you to post, if you would be so kind.” She had written to Hien to apologize for their hasty departure, and to wish him well in rebuilding his nation, and to Tori, promising to visit again when she could.

“If anyone still wants to pick something up, you might have an hour or so if you want to check the market,” Tataru said, taking the letters and putting them in her kimono sleeve like a true local. “Still, let’s be to the docks on time!”

Tam stood up and stretched. “Right. I’ll see you in a couple months. Try not to run into any haunted islands again. Or do – it might be funny.”

“Certainly not,” Alphinaud said severely. “Be well, and don’t push yourself when you arrive.”

Tam saluted and began casting Return.

 

Some dashed to the market. Most did not. Achiyo sat calmly on a bench and waited, watching Vivienne and Aentfryn argue – Vivienne was not wearing her armour for sailing, instead wearing a black short-sleeved tunic, and was indulging herself in picking at the scabs on her arm left from the wounds from that horrible chainsword. And Aentfryn bopped her on the head with his codex and told her to knock it off. Eos and Selene giggled… and didn’t heal her? Did they not want to spoil Vivienne’s fun, or did they want to exasperate Aentfryn?

Just on time, everyone gathered, and at the gangplank they were saying goodbye once more to Tataru – R’nyath and Rinala had to give her hugs, of course – when a shout came from behind them. “You there! Hold that ship!”

It was Hien, and Yugiri, running down the dock breathlessly, having just hopped off another ship – another Confederate ship, Achiyo noted dryly. She felt guilty that they had come so far. “Hien! I apologize for our hasty departure…” Tataru needn’t send that letter now, she supposed.

“What are you two doing here?” Lyse cried. “Shouldn’t you be in Doma?”

Hien folded his arms and stared. “Shouldn’t you? You left with nary a word! I half wondered if I had done something to offend.”

“Not at all,” R’nyath said. “We, uh, really want to get back home. It’s not personal. Sorry to worry you.”

“Upon learning that you had departed for Kugane, we immediately resolved to give chase,” Yugiri said sweetly. “Our comrades can manage affairs in our absence, and it seemed the least we could do.”

“Oh dear,” Achiyo murmured. Yes, she would well imagine the fledgling government readily sending Hien on his way – he could tell them he had a debt to repay, and they would ask no questions, no matter how inconvenient it was for them. They should have departed properly!

“You mean you came all this way just to say goodbye?” Lyse asked.

“That too, aye, but there was something else I felt I had to say,” Hien said, and shifted from teasing to solemn. “You helped us win our freedom, and for that I cannot thank you enough. Accordingly, after we have established an interim government and so forth, I think it only meet that we repay the favour by dispatching our own forces to Eorzea. If you would have us.”

Alphinaud’s mouth dropped open. “We harboured no expectations of such generous aid… and as there is no telling when the Empire might strike back at you, would it not be wiser to concentrate your resources on the defence of Doma?”

A smile played around Hien’s mouth. “I had a mind to pursue a more… aggressive defence. To wit, we will send forth shinobi to provinces far and wide to spread word of our victory, that we might inspire others to take up arms as we did. Even the Empire has its limits. If the Garleans cannot be certain where and when the next rebellion will take place, how can they commit another force to Doma?” His voice dropped. “And besides… so long as this debt remains unpaid, how am I to face myself? And Gosetsu?”

Alphinaud nodded. “As you wish. I will relay your offer to the Eorzean Alliance.”

Hien turned to look at Lyse. “All of Doma is counting on you to finish what we have started. You have it in you, Lyse, to seize the future you want. Never forget.”

Lyse cracked her knuckles. “I won’t, Hien – not your words or anything else. Everything that led us here, that will drive us forward – I’ll carry it with me, always. And that’s a promise.”

Hien laughed. “I will hold you to that!” He gestured to Yugiri. “Go with them to Eorzea. Tell their people of our triumph, and of our pledge to stand with them.”

Yugiri bowed. “By your leave, I shall pave the way for our new alliance.”

“Welcome along,” R’nyath said. “I know there are plenty of folks in Revenant’s Toll who will be thrilled to see you again!”

Tataru waved urgently at them. “Hurry up, you lot! The ship’s about to weigh anchor!”

“It seems our time is at an end,” Hien said, and waved to them all. “Go well, my friends… and may we meet again beneath a western sky.”

As the ship pulled away, both Hien and Tataru stood on the dock, waving enthusiastically… and chatting. Oh dear, Achiyo thought. What would they make of each other?

 

Ah, Limsa Lominsa felt as much a homecoming as Kugane had. Achiyo’s first impression of Eorzea several years ago had been a lovely one, even if Alphinaud now found it a lot less vibrant and exotic by comparison. But she was glad to be back, regardless of what he thought. For Limsa meant Eorzea, and Eorzea included Ishgard. She had been away an entire year, almost exactly, and her yearning to see those she loved was growing painful. Aymeric’s ring was a beautiful token of security, but it did not satisfy her heart. She wanted to see him, and the Fortemps family; she wanted to hear his voice, to be close to him, to kiss him, to know that she had not dreamed that one wonderful visit just before she left. Kami grant that she would have an opportunity sooner rather than later!

But there was no time for that now, not yet. Admiral Merlwyb herself met them at the dock in Limsa Lominsa, and Tam was with her. “You made it!” Lyse said.

Tam offered her a sardonic salute. “You doubted my ability to survive when it’s inconvenient?” Vivienne snorted and rolled her eyes at him. 

“Admiral!” Alphinaud cried. “What are you doing here?”

“The East Aldenard Trading Company informed me of your impending arrival,” Merlwyb said. “I have tidings I thought best to share with you in person.”

“From Gyr Abania?” Lyse asked.

“Aye,” Merlwyb said. “The Alliance still holds the Wall, despite several Imperial counterattacks. But we have been unable to press further into occupied territory. Commander Kemp, and his men, meanwhile, have made great strides toward rebuilding their depleted ranks. They have even taken it upon themselves to attempt some few operations… with mixed results, I am sorry to say. ‘Twas a complication arising from one such venture which moved me to seek you out. During a mission to transport wounded Resistance fighters to the Rising Stones, Krile Baldesion was taken prisoner.”

“What!?” Chuchupa shouted, growling.

“Krile!?” Alphinaud exclaimed anxiously. “Do they know where she is being held?”

“They do not,” Merlwyb said, eyeing Chuchupa warily; the pirate looked ready to start chewing ankles right then and there. “But your comrades were informed at once, and I am told Thancred is in Gyr Abania looking for her as we speak.”

“We gotta get that little shitkicker back right away,” Chuchupa said. “Hurry up!”

“How could this have happened…? We must seek out Thancred without delay!” Alphinaud was still reeling, but shook his head, recovering himself. “…Nay. Krile taught me better than that. It would be unwise to act without first acquiring a full understanding of the situation…”

“I don’t care ’bout the full situation,” Chuchupa grumbled, but she wasn’t getting far on her own, so settled for popping her knuckles one at a time.

Alphinaud bowed to the Admiral. “Thank you for informing us. Tired though we may be, we must make haste to Castrum Oriens. Pray excuse us, Admiral, Lady Yugiri.”

“Wasn’t the point of taking the boat so that you weren’t tired?” Tam said as the group hurried off in the direction of the airship docks.

“Shut up,” Vivienne said. “We still haven’t slept in a proper bed for two months.”

“How long did it take you to get over the Teleport sickness?” Rinala asked.

“About a week,” Tam said. “Probably less, but Miounne was fussing like crazy.”

“Yes and how many days of those were you vomiting?” Rinala asked. “How long did the vertigo last? Any problems with your eyesight?”

“I’m not a test subject,” Tam said. “Ask Miounne what she thinks. I’m just here to stab magitek armours and sing at sylphs.”

 

Merlwyb arranged for the Scions to get an airship directly to Castrum Oriens, and they all hurried into the fort looking for Thancred. Rinala felt… was this hope? What did she hope for? She just wanted to see him again. Seeing him again was exciting. It had been so long. She tried to hide it, but it was hard when she had a tail and ears. Even though things were serious and Krile was in danger, maybe he would have recovered his old self a bit, ready to face all the dangers ahead with a teasing smile and sardonic optimism.

And then they were hailed, and it was his voice, and there he was hurrying up to them with Arenvald beside him. “There you are! You have heard the news?” He looked very serious, and not at all happy to see them, and he was mostly looking at Achiyo and Alphinaud.

“In broad strokes from Admiral Bloefhiswyn,” Alphinaud said. “What happened?”

“Krile and a squadron of Resistance fighters were escorting Y’shtola and several wounded to the Rising Stones for further treatment when they were ambushed by Imperial Forces,” Thancred said, and gestured to Arenvald. “Arenvald and his men fought valiantly, but in the chaos…”

Arenvald hung his head. “I will make no excuses! We failed to protect her.”

“You protected the wounded, did you not?” Alisaie asked calmly, and Arenvald managed to nod. “Then do not be so hard on yourself. Tell us about the attack.”

Arenvald gestured expressively. “It was the Skulls. They knew a path across the Wall we hadn’t found. We thought we were safe once we reached the Black Shroud.” He sighed. “We weren’t expecting an ambush… During the fighting, I caught a glimpse of their leader’s memories. It was all planned.”

“The advantage of having a Walker in the field,” Alphinaud said thoughtfully.

“I’m not as strong in the Echo as the Warriors of Light are, of course,” Arenvald said, glancing at them self-consciously. “Half the time, it’s enough to knock me on my arse, like I’ve taken a dose of concentrated aether…”

“Yeah, it’s a right pain, ain’t it?” Chuchupa said. “Interrupts the fightin’.”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Arenvald said, hanging his head lower. “I feel it more a liability than an advantage. It left me reeling, and Fordola seized the opening to push past and snatch up Krile. I’m sorry…”

“Ye better be,” Chuchupa muttered.

“Chuchupa, peace,” Alphinaud said. “So you walked in Fordola’s memories. What did you see?”

Arenvald shook his head. “A woman promised the world – education, training, citizenship – all that and more if she but sold her soul. A traitor to her people, a pretender to her masters… It was Zenos himself that gave the order. Told her to return with Krile Baldesion – alive.”

“Our agents have been carefully monitoring Imperial communications since the attack, but have yet to intercept any transmissions making reference to Krile or her current whereabouts,” Thancred said.

“If their orders were to bring Krile back alive, we can save her if we move quickly enough,” Alphinaud answered.

Thancred nodded grimly. “As you say, time is of the essence, which is why I intend to slip past enemy lines and see what information I can uncover on my own. In the meantime, it is up to you and our allies to command the Imperials’ undivided attention. Lots of shouting and explosions and so forth. Keep them distracted, and I will find her.”

“You got it,” Chuchupa said, smacking her fists together.

Alphinaud thought for a while, clearly trying to find a way to come with. But he gave up. “…Very well. I wish I could do more to aid you, but I understand.”

“C-can I come?” Rinala said. She almost didn’t have the courage to speak, but… “I got a lot of experience with Doman ninja over there, I can help too…”

Thancred shook his head. “I’ll be faster alone.” He turned to Lyse. “Commander Kemp is on his way to the castrum as we speak for a meeting with General Aldynn. If you hurry, you could find him on the road, and discuss the situation beforehand.” He raised a hand in farewell, and jogged off without another word.

Lyse nodded. “I think I will do that. Anyone who wants to can come along, but I suggest most of you wait here.” She shrugged. “What can I say? Patience isn’t one of my virtues.”

“…I wish I could go with him,” Alphinaud muttered. “It would be utterly self-defeating, but I would do it nevertheless.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting something stupid, so long as you don’t act on it,” Alisaie said to him. “Remember that there are other ways you can help her.”

The conversation faded out for Rinala as she wandered off. They’d find her when they needed her. She was worried about Krile, yes, and Krile was far more important than her feelings… Minfilia was more important than her feelings… Ala Mhigo was more important than her feelings… Thancred’s depression was more important than her feelings. It seemed like everything was more important than her feelings. But that didn’t stop her from feeling them. It just made her feel worse for feeling them.

He’d barely looked at her, and left with hardly a proper goodbye, after not seeing them for months. She got it, she understood, and it didn’t stop her from feeling unwanted and worthless.

She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t…

She suddenly darted behind a pile of magitek scrap, throwing herself into a little huddle with her tail wrapped around her ankles, and started to cry.

 

Chapter 61: Bitter Dreams

 

Author’s note: Yes, I decided Vivienne curses in French-Canadian, I thought it would be funnier. (and yes, I got them from Wikipedia, I used to have French-Canadian friends but I lost contact with them after I quit fb.)

Did you notice Grynewaht’s name is never actually said in-character in a cutscene? He never announces or introduces himself – why would he do that to someone he’s going to kill? So yeah he dies and technically no one ever learns his name. Pretty sad. : P

Watching Drak’s video of this part of Stormblood, I think he has a valid criticism for the tower collapse. Gosetsu’s strength is finite, and then they have to do all these ‘last words’ and ‘goodbye speeches’ and they have time to play the nostalgic Parting Ways track. Just get outta there as the poor guy asks! Unfortunately, Yotsuyu’s bullets are really the thing that make it obvious that Gosetsu can’t leave and trigger the goodbye speeches. So while I wanted to rearrange it, I felt I couldn’t. (I could shorten it slightly. And we can imagine they talk faster than in the game cutscene.)