Some things in life really just can’t wait, and this is one such thing. Rather than head back to The Waking Sands or simply rest in Limsa, you immediately throw yourself at the problem.

You make your way back to the Arcanist’s guild and find that most of its occupants have made their way to their private chambers, but you know with absolute certainty that very few are actually asleep-- most arcanists stay up far later than they should penning down their thoughts and discoveries.

In your quarters you find Mina’s bed empty but Vincent is dutifully working on some parchment at his desk. He seems excited and surprised to see you, but the joy fades as he reads your expression. You feel bad springing a request right on him, but that’s the reality of the situation.

“I have come into the possession of…a mildly corrupted crystal. Through some preliminary testing, I’ve found that it’s strong enough to work through at least one layer of indirect contact via clothes, and I’m in urgent need of protection. Have you heard of any such thing in your studies?”

“You’re in…some luck.” Vincent stood up from his desk and walked over to his bunk, sifting through one of his drawers. “As we’ve gotten closer to investigating the Crystal Tower in Mor Dhona, we’ve encountered a large supply of corrupted crystals and have begun to investigate ways to…mitigate the risk they pose.”

Vincent pulls out a strongbox that’s just small enough to fit in your pocket, beautifully detailed with a golden trim. The box itself is borne of some unknown metal, though at a glance it seems unenchanted. As he hands it to you, he holds onto it for another moment before letting go.

“It will need to be properly warded based on the element that you are trying to contain.” He looks at you expectantly. “Do you know…?”

“It isn’t quite elemental.” You clarify. “It would be most accurate to say the crystal is aspected to astral aether itself. Though…it does have some lightning-based properties.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, either an Umbral enchantment or an Earth-aspected one would serve you best. Maybe some combination of both…?” Vincent releases it and stands up. “Though, even a well-made ward will likely not last forever. Astral crystals are tricky in that they erode warding enchantments over time, which will weaken both the enchantment and the crystal. Make sure you have it refreshed at least once a month for routine safety.”

You carefully hold the box. The principle is simple enough, and it’s only a conceptual stone’s throw away from what Erden has done for you with your grimoire. You focus your magic and imbue the box with the purest light you are able to muster. While conjuring it is child’s play, keeping a steady and stable flow of aether is tougher than it sounds. Slowly, your aether spreads across the box and makes the gold trim emit a gentle glow.

“This lock on the front here will now respond to Umbral aether as well. Just a quick healing spell should be plenty to unlock it-- that way you don’t have to worry about the crystal just suddenly flying out if you hit a bump on the road.”

You take the lockbox over to the counter and open it with the weakest healing you can manage. Vincent takes a few steps back to the other side of the room as you carefully open your grimoire and slide Erden’s soul crystal inside. You slam it shut, and feel the enchantment spread from the sides of the box to the top once you do so. You let out a heavy sigh of relief as your legs begin to tremble.

“You’re a lifesaver, Vincent. How can I make it up to you?” You collapse into your own bed. Much as you wish you could stay, it would be best if you were to head back to base for your morning ‘responsibilities.’

“Think nothing of it. Ever since your spellwork started getting popular, things have been improving around the guild. More applications, more money from the Admiral-- we’ve been pushing for success for a long time now.” He takes a seat next to you. “The box was designed by Professor Lamberteint from Eastern Thanalan. If you ever have any…difficulties with it, I’d recommend consulting him. He’s something of a corrupted crystal expert.”

“That’s good to know. Hopefully it’s just simple re-enchantment every month from here on out, though.” You stretch. “How have things been going back here?”

“Mina is back out on her Nymian expeditions, but they’ve been forced to slow things down a lot with the unexplained presence of those wisps.” Vincent reached back into his side drawer and pulls out a letter. “K’yoko is out there, too. After she finished her publication of the Sapphire carbuncle and got a pretty sizable amount of coin from it, she reinvested the money in making more types and designs of the lil’ buggers. Currently, she’s trying to make a stronger emerald design, with the working theory that their wind magic will be able to overpower the fire of the wisps.”

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“It’s good that Kyoko’s out on the field helping in her own way.” You note. “I was starting to worry that she’d be locked up in this guild forever.”

“Haha, I think we all were.” Vincent shrugged. “I’m glad that most Arcanists understand that you will never find the geometries of the world by staying stuck inside all day. I think that’s another way you’ve ‘helped the guild,’ though we should have all known that just by observing what the actual guildmaster does.”

“Speaking of K’yoko…” You reach into one of your side pockets and pull out an Emerald gem. “This is Aeris, if I remember the name correctly.” You hand it over to Vincent. “Do you suppose you could give it back to K’yoko on her return? It wasn’t really needed for the investigation after all.”

“Ah, of course.” Vincent took it and set it on a table next to the door. “K’yoko mentioned she had lent out her previous best design to you. I can take this down to them tomorrow.”

“Erden still has her Ruby carbuncle but I’m sure she won’t mind waiting a bit longer-- taking that along to the city would only make things worse.” You cross your arms thoughtfully.

“On the subject of Erden, how have the two of you been recovering? I’m used to members of our guild going a bit off radar, but I assumed the two of you would have been here resting.”

“The Conjurer’s Guild in Gridania is the real deal! They healed all of our wounds and left us feeling nice and energized to get back to work.”

“Thank The Twelve that you were able to actually get treatment. I was worried that the rumors about the guild might be true.”

“...The rumors?” You tilt your head.

“Well…I’m not sure I should repeat them, since I never was able to verify their legitimacy.” Vincent paused. “But I heard that the conjurer’s guild will often deny treatment to non-Gridanians, and particularly Ala Mhigans, due to the will of the elementals. Especially given that Erden is a Xaela, I couldn’t help but wonder if they might give you a hard time.”

“That’s odd, I didn’t think the elementals would care about something so particular.” You think to yourself for a moment.

“Yes, that’s what’s so…unusual about it.” Vincent seems like he has something he wants to say, but then shakes his head. “Hmph! Here you are hale and hearty and I’m bogging the conversation down with needless politics. Where have your travels taken you in the meantime? I’d love to know!”

“I’ve mostly kept to Thanalan, and I’m currently working with an organization called The Scions of the Seventh Dawn. I don’t know if I’ll stay with them forever, but the pay is good and the work is honest. What I’m really hoping for is it’ll give me more opportunities to learn and create new spells.”

“I think everyone in the guild is looking for something similar, to be honest.” Vincent pauses. “After I’m done with my activities in Mor Dhona, I’m not sure where I’ll look next. Since breaching the tower is nearly impossible, I’m beginning to doubt whether or not we’ll ever make it inside…but I have no doubt that if we do ever make it in, it will be the discovery of a lifetime.”

“I hope you’re right.” You say, but the smile quickly fades from your face. “I’m going to be away from the guild for some time, but I’ll need to make a concentrated effort to visit more often. There’s so much knowledge to be gleaned from each and every arcanist here, I’d hate to miss any exciting new discoveries.” You stand up. “Nevertheless, It’s absolutely urgent that I return with this warded crystal.”

“Of course, duty calls.” He gives you a warm hug before you depart. “Perhaps I can make a habit of penning some of our findings down for you, that way it’ll be as though you never missed anything at all. Then, we can share our findings with each other in a collection of notes.”

“What a marvelous idea!” You clasp your hands together. “I’ll do the same, and we’ll have a huge pool of information for arcanists everywhere. I can’t imagine it’ll be much of a formal or official book, but more of…a guide of sorts.”

“And what a guide it will be!” He says enthusiastically. “Until next time, S’anah’to.”

“Take care.” You leave your dorm and exit out into the night. As you walk, you can hear the crystal gently shift around in its cage, bonking off the metal edges with each step. You ferry back to Vesper Bay under a sea of stars, enjoying the serene quiet that the night holds.

Looking at the box, you recall a small detail Vincent imparted onto you: The ward would likely work best if it had a partial aspect to earth. You possess no such spells or experience that would do the job, but one ‘helpful’ and ‘eager to learn fun facts about Erden’ conjurer does come to mind.