> “We are the Scions of the Seventh Dawn,
>
> Who preserve the mighty flames of hope--
>
> We toil to protect this land
>
> No project beyond our scope.
> Bringers of Eorzea’s salvation,
>
> Through Her chosen warriors of light,
>
> Shall strike against the villainy
>
> Who would usher in a blight,
> Upon our dear beloved Hydaelyn!
>
> Her care within each and every heart,
>
> The children of this star shall work
>
> To force darkness to depart.”
> - Khasar, ‘The Pontified’, Part One
Reconnected with Erden, you now have quite the conundrum on your hands. From K’yoko’s account, it sounds like S’olahr is going to warn Phekda that…’Erden’ is killing people in Gridania. Given the option, you would stop S’olahr before he has the opportunity to do so, but unfortunately the Scions’ base of operations is well-hidden from the public.
You explain what has unfolded to Erden and he seems solemn to the news. Despite his best efforts, it made little difference what he actually did. People would still make assumptions about who he was and how he operated. You let out a heavy sigh and express frustration to both S’olahr and K’yoko’s hasty assumptions, but to your surprise, Erden insists on being more patient with them. Perhaps, this is a desperate bid of hope that he may keep his identity secret...but much more likely, he earnestly sympathizes with the stress they are under, and has a higher capacity for patience on the matter.
Before you can make a decision, a duo of carbuncles begin to paw at your ankle for your attention. After a brief inspection, you recognize K’yoko’s handiwork on the gem, and assess that these are both hers. The emerald carbuncle, ‘Aeris,’ and the ruby, which hasn’t received an official name yet-- not until it is fully trained. K’yoko has lamented to you in the past that it is very difficult to train a ruby carbuncle in the guild, what with the fire. During these training periods, she typically reduces the name to an abbreviation, such as Sapphy. However, Ruby can’t be easily shortened, and so ‘Ruby’ is their name.
You reach down to Aeris and apply a gentle pressure to his forehead gem and release a gentle pulse of aether through it. In an instant, he dissipates, and his gem harmlessly floats in mid-air for your retrieval. Erden watches this carefully, and successfully does the same for Ruby.
“You’ve the makings of a true arcanist.” You say with a cheerful grin. “It won’t be possible to intercept S’olahr before he gets to Phekda, but we may be able to prevent them from asking any foolish questions to the people of Gridania if we wait for them there by the Aetheryte.” You realize his smile twinges in pain at your suggestion. “...Ah, you burned your candle at both ends to get this done today, didn’t you?” You gently slap the top of your new grimoire, which you have attached to your waist.
“I may have overexerted myself a bit.” He nervously chuckles.
“I suppose I will need to make this journey alon--”
“No!” He says suddenly. “...Ah, I mean, if I go with you, then they’ll know for sure you’re telling the truth, right? Since S’olahr at least knows that you’ve lied before for me.” He clears his throat. “...And, then you won’t have to face anyone alone.” His right fist tightens.
“Well.” You hold both his hands. “It’s tough to imagine a world where I can’t smite my foes with this wonderful new grimoire, but I’m never one to complain for the added help.” You turn and begin to channel into the aetheryte for both of you, and warp to Gridania. You almost pass out upon landing. While teleporting you along with K’yoko was manageable, the amount of aether required to warp a full Au Ra man is tremendous. “Perhaps...I should have eaten earlier.”
Erden scoops you up and carries you to the Inn to get some hearty Gridanian foods into you pronto. The Wood Wailer who vouched for Erden’s...well, ‘innocence,’ Bernadette, asks if you two are alright. You simply ask that she keeps an eye out for two Miqo’te, one with red hair and one with purple, warping in at the Aetheryte. If they arrive, you ask that she please direct them here. She accepts this request and returns to her post.
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Erden asks the Innkeep for ‘the most nutritious item on the menu,’ and he instantly understands what you need. After heading downstairs for a moment, he comes back up with the most-eaten dish by travelers in need of a pick-me-up: Tree toad legs. They are indescribably awful to eat, but they do help you recover your aether much faster than you anticipate.
Every bite you eat is followed by a large gulp of water, while Erden seems perfectly content eating them. In fact, it seems like he starts to revel in the fact that you’re having such a hard time taking them in.
“What, did you never have toad legs?” Erden has a wry smile. “‘Ma would make me catch and cook them myself!” He looks back down at the dish and pokes it with his fork. “Of course, we’d make them from Gigantoads, so they were a lot bigger than this. It’d last us the whole week!” He takes another bite. “Though, these are a bit dry.”
“DRY!?” You erupt. “These are the slimiest things to have ever entered my mouth!”
“I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising,” He raises his cup to his mouth. “Given you grew up in the sands of Ul’dah.” While this is difficult to contest, you still stand resolute in the fact that these toad legs taste awful. Even if they do a great job of revitalizing your aether, it wreaks untold havoc on your general happiness with each bite.
Once you finish stomaching the meal, you take the time to begin copying down your spells into the new grimoire. Each stroke with this new ink feels almost as powerful as it is beautiful, and you find that your penmanship has improved in a way you never would’ve noticed when you were just getting started. Each stroke feels much more deliberate, each curve that much smoother.
Eventually, S’olahr and Phekda do make their way over. S’olahr seems happy to see you, and then confused to see Erden, but takes a seat regardless. Phekda reluctantly heads over and stands behind him.
“I see everyone is under control here.” She says coldly.
“How much did you tell her?” You ask S’olahr directly, who rubs the back of his neck.
“Everything I needed to know.” She crosses her arms, but is clearly monitoring her voice to make sure nobody can overhear. “You can’t just kill civilians of Eorzea all willy-nilly!”
“That wasn’t me in the marketplace.” Erden says firmly. “I was in Ul’dah at the time, and I have several witnesses to my work there.” He looks at S’olahr. “You saw someone else and made an assumption.”
“With good reason, too.” She leans over the table. “Since you killed that man’s mother not two months ago.”
“She was extorting fear for monetary gain, and would have sent Gridania into a frenzy against Ala Mhigans!” Erden says a bit too loudly, and flushes a bit. “I had to do something.”
“Therefore, she deserved to die.” She says coldly, which seems to drain a bit of light from his eyes. “That isn’t your call to make. You’re just...some guy, nobody double-checked your claim-- I bet you didn’t even try a legal approach to dealing with her, did you?” He doesn’t say anything, and Phekda rubs her temples. “Am I to understand that you have stopped this behavior?”
“He’s sworn off that lifestyle in favor of a more...law-friendly approach through simple adventuring work.” You explain, and he nods in agreement.
“Anyone is capable of changing their path.” Phekda states with an even greater weight than usual. “If you’re determined to follow a more honest approach, then I see no reason to hold any contempt against you.” She brushes her hair out of her eyes and takes a seat next to S’olahr. “So if it wasn’t you, do you have any leads on who did this?”
“Based on what I heard with K’yoko, the culprit was able to engulf themselves in shadows.” You mention. “With the new grimoire that Erden got me, I should be able to produce a light strong enough to shred through the veil. I’ll need to test it…” You clear your throat. “Perhaps somewhere a bit less...public? If it does work, then the next time they make an appearance, I’ll reveal the truth for all to see.”
“The only problem is we don’t know where the culprit is. They managed to escape the clutches of the Wood Wailers and could be halfway across Eorzea by now.” Erden paused for a moment. “All we know is that they were hired to kill Louix Maifine, Idelle’s son.”
“I’m familiar with the family.” S’olahr began. “I never worked with them directly, but they would occasionally send retainers to the conjurer’s guild looking for some enchantment work for their weapons-- especially for their canes, which they would then sell to the guild at a discount.” He rubs his chin, looking off into nothing. “I know the claims regarding Idelle, but Louix was never so political. That someone would go as far as to see him assassinated is...surprising, to say the least.”
“Much to consider.” Phekda clasped her hands together. “It might be a good idea if we were to get you both acquainted with the Scions.” She rose up to a confident stance. “You certainly don’t need to join as full members-- in fact, it might be in your best interests to spend a bit more time adjusting to this new lifestyle, Erden. Just to make sure you’re well-adjusted to taking a more bureaucratic road. Either way, I’m confident that the resources of the scions will be able to aid us in this investigation.”
“Whatever you think.” Erden says with a nervous laugh.
Phekda explains the quickest way to get there is by teleporting to the Aetheryte in Horizon and hiking through The Footfalls, but you can also take a less treacherous boat ride from Limsa to get to Vesper Bay. Immediately after explaining this, she follows up by saying you will not be using either of those methods, and places a scroll on the center of the table. S’olahr tells both of you to make sure you’re holding on to anything you want to bring, since once the scroll is unfurled the spell will teleport us all there directly.
You ask if this will have any aetheric cost and she says no, which relieves both of you. After you both gather any loose belongings, she opens the scroll and all four of you are whisked away.