> His voice is drowned with thorough dissension

>

> Each sentiment, a spark of more rage,

>

> Giving rise to new criticism

>

> Which our enemies engage.

> We knew that this path is best walked alone,

>

> But we could never be dissuaded--

>

> As if your heavenly moonlight

>

> Would for any price be traded.

> And so, we toil through every new labor

>

> And hope you will come to understand

>

> What we truly mean when we say

>

> The pontified rule this land.

> - Khasar, ‘The Pontified,’ Part Four

You take some time to attune your new reusable teleportation lodestone to the Limsan main aetheryte, excited to save yourself the trouble of expending aether to return home. The process is about as simple as attuning to it yourself, and simply involves a brief aetheric exchange between the crystal and the aetheryte itself.

During your walk to the guild, you spot a few yellow jackets installing new aethernet crystals for the use of the public, though you aren't able to attune to them or use them until they've finished. Handily, they put one directly outside of the guild-- convenient both for its members and for anyone who is hoping to catch the ferry.

As you approach the guild door and reach for its handle, you hear a voice from somewhere behind you, just the faintest of whispers. ‘...Get some damn work done…’ When you turn around, you see nothing but the empty hall behind you. In that moment, you realize that your brain must have played a small trick on you, and the sound was coming from within the guild, which was bustling with busy merchants and students alike. While ultimately harmless, your heart skips a few beats as you begin to realize that your investigation and involvement with so many dangerous people means you ought to watch your back. Fortunately, business seems to be as usual, though K'yoko has completely fallen apart whilst waiting for your return. Mina seems to be attempting to console her, but both are elated to see you arrive.

"Ah, S'anah'to!" Mina opens the iron gate for you and leads you to K'yoko who's slightly red eyes betray her forced smile. The three of you head further into the guild, away from public view, before trying to discuss anything further.

The air is tense and miserable, though it mostly sources from K'yoko herself. You bid Mina to fetch the three of you some tea to help warm up from the outdoor chills and she happily does so, summoning her faerie-- which she has begun to call "Metis," to help and observe. Once out of earshot, you begin to explain what you discovered to K’yoko, and as you tell your story she begins to shiver.

“S-so we were…” K’yoko’s arm raises up to her chest and hovers there. “We were that close to an assassin?” Tears well up in her eyes. “I had convinced myself that since it had to be Erden, we had never been in any real danger. S-since…since he’d never hurt us, right? But if a renegade murderer can just run through the streets of Gridania and get away with it.” Tears turn to sobs and she buries her face in her hands. “I-is NOWHERE safe?! Worst of all, you were right.” She lets out a heavy heave before continuing. “Erden was being so kind to us, and I assumed the worst of him. I’m stupid! Stupid, stupid stupid.”

You try to comfort her, but to be honest, you’re not very good at this. When you try to reassure her that she’s not dumb, she argues against you, but is so deep in her sorrow that you honestly can’t understand a word she’s saying anymore. After a brief pause, she asks where her carbuncles are, and you give her back Aeris before realizing that Ruby is still with Erden, which makes her panic. Then, immediately after panicking, she feels bad for panicking, because she should trust Erden, and then the tears start all over again.

“There, there, K’yoko.” You say while gently patting her shoulder. “I’m sure Erden isn’t upset with you for assuming.”

“I…” She raises her head. “I-I didn’t even think of that! What if he does hate me!!”

“...Mina?” You shout toward the dining hall. “How is that tea coming along?”

“Pouring the cups now!” She reassures you, before Metis comes fluttering to the table with a cup and gently places it in front of K’yoko. Given the creature's small stature, the fact that it can bear such a cup is impressive in its own right, let alone fly with it. When Mina returns to the room, she sees that things have clearly taken a turn for the worse and quickly takes a seat.

The tea works to calm her down. You had considered asking for coffee, but the last thing you need in you right now is more caffeine. Once K’yoko has calmed down, you reintroduce why you’re here, and try to ask as gently as possible if she can tell you anything special she remembers about the person. Mina insists that K’yoko shouldn’t need to recount such an experience so quickly after it happened, but K’yoko says that it’s fine and that she wants to help, even if it’s just in this small, safe way.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“It was all so fast, and they were cloaked in a thick shadow, but…there is one thing, even if it’s a bit minor. When they pushed me, it didn’t feel like a particularly strong shove, but despite that, I was effortlessly moved aside.” She paused. “That, and…given the injury the victim received, I think it’s likely that they rely mostly on dexterity. Like one of the rogues of Limsa!” She stirred her tea with a small spoonful of honey. “In hindsight, I guess…it should have been obvious that it wasn’t Erden. I need to find the time to apologize to him, I just don’t know how.”

You thank K’yoko for her contribution, and ask what she plans to do next. Mina mentions that the two of them were going to make a trip back to Nym to examine some artifacts they retrieved, safely away from the city itself. The two are in search of runes that might relate to Metis, as currently Mina has no idea how to get them to do much more than help make tea or cast weak healing spells, which they do independently anyway. The two wish you good luck on your investigation, and you leave with a heavy sigh of relief once you’re out of the emotional volatility of it all.

Since the trip didn't take much time at all, you decide that you have the time to follow up on K’yoko’s suspicions. Unfortunately, you haven’t the slightest clue how to begin getting in contact with the Rogue’s guild, and so you resort to aimlessly wandering the city for a time until you find someone in that awful uniform they all seem so fond of. Well, everyone except for Ace, who changed his uniform shortly after you called him out on that very thing.

When you find such a character-- a lalafell man who is examining activity in the markets from a distance, he plays dumb. Once you elaborate that you are Ace’s brother, his demeanor changes and he asks that you follow him. For basic security reasons, you of course can’t detail exactly where he takes you, but needless to say you eventually arrive at the guild. Ace is there, doing the most exciting thing a guild member can do: filing paperwork.

Presenting the case to them, you explain all that you know of the situation. Well-- not ALL that you know. You tell them exactly enough that they are reasonably certain this is not Halone’s champion, and your reasonings for suspecting it is potentially one of their numbers. Ace explains that such a theory is impossible, and when you ask why, he gives you the rather grave news that all members of the guild who have ‘gone rogue,’ as it were, are currently dead. All other members are well-accounted for, as they have all been working together on an undisclosed assignment.

You’re about ready to leave disappointed, but Ace does mention that there is one other possibility, and that is a Hingan ninja-- words which immediately remind you of the sellsword woman you met during your foray with Mina, Kuromi. You had witnessed her disappearing and reappearing, but given the darkness of the area you were in, it seems entirely possible that she was weaving shadow magic to fade from sight.

You don’t seriously consider that it could actually be her, until Ace adds that it is exceptionally rare to see them in Eorzea, especially now. While the capital of Doma had been under Imperial rule for some twenty-five years, even now the shinobi were relentless in their efforts to organize an uprising. Given the height of the criminal must be comparable to Erden, and the mounting evidence, you decide to take your findings back to the others. The last thing you want to do is to unfairly accuse someone, but perhaps with a bit more evidence…

You thank him for his time, and he adds that if you find anything else about, what he declares to be, ‘the growing group of shadow-wielding murderers,’ to please let him know immediately. Setting that aside, you hurry back to the Aetheryte and warp to Gridania. Not exactly sure where to look, you ultimately decide to go to the Conjurer’s Guild first, hoping that S’olahr is still investigating the poison used.

Unlike the last time you visited, the room is nearly empty, spare S’olahr and the guildmaster. They are carefully purifying a large sample of blood taken from the body to extract the poison from it in a more pure form, a lengthy process that requires a great deal of concentration. The victim was around nineteen summers old, though as an elezen he had a fairly young appearance and small body to match-- as such, the amount of poison used was relatively small, making it that much harder to extract. You avoid uttering even the slightest peep as they work so as to prevent any setbacks.

When they finish, The guildmaster only gives a cursory glance at the now-pure vial of poison before mentioning its obvious infusion of voidsent blood, something S’olahr had noted when trying to tend to Louix’s wounds. Beyond that, the only thing he seems to be able to note is that it does not contain any of the magic he associates with Morbols, meaning the poison likely came from somewhere outside of Gridania. He turns to you and S’olahr and says that it would be wisest to check the Alchemist’s guild in Ul’dah for a more thorough examination, as poisons were never his area of expertise.

S’olahr and you return to the Gridania plaza and find Erden and Phekda waiting there for you, eager to share their findings from The Wood Wailers. The four of you move away from the plaza proper to get some quiet, and begin to discuss your findings one at a time.

Phekda and Erden note that in trying to detain the killer, The Wailers managed to snag a small, diamond-shaped crystal from them with a cyan hue. Their precursory analysis reveals that it is mostly aspected to water, something that surprises you and S’olahr both. After presenting your case, you make a point to note that even if this ninja you’ve met before, Kuromi, is responsible, it is highly likely that she was hired by someone else, given her trade as a sellsword.

“If she was hired to do this job by someone else, then that isn’t too far of a stretch away from typical adventuring work.” Phekda notes. “It doesn’t free her from guilt, assuming she even did do this, but it will need to be considered during her trial.” S’olahr and you nod in agreement, though Erden’s mind seems to have drifted. “...Erden? Is aught amiss?”

“Ah, no! Sorry, I promise I was listening. You’re right, we’ll need to consider that in her trial.” He says with a warm smile. Phekda begins to speak again before suddenly clutching her head and closing her eyes. “...Phekda?”

“Don’t worry.” S’olahr says confidently, before helping her remain upright. “This’ll pass in just a moment.”