#Dahkar Darkspear

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #3: Temper

“And I would appreciate it if you used your real name – there is a special place in the seventh Hell for those who use “amusing” aliases.”

Dahkar let the trepidation pass through him – he wasn’t exactly used to the Eorzean common script. His mother had taught him his letters long ago, but he had very little reason to practice them in the intervening years. He’d had no formal schooling, most of his lessons being of the practical sort needed to live on the daily, taught by his mother and their surrounding neighbors.

He picked up the quill Miounne (he was NOT calling her Mother) had handed him and steadied his hand, willing the information back to him. It came back, at least well enough to make a passible set of the six letters that comprised his first name. He set the quill down and pushed the registry back to Miounne.

She picked it up, frowning. “I’m afraid I’ll need a surname as well”

“I don’t have one.” Dahkar replied, curtly.

“No family name?” Miounne cocked an eyebrow. “What was your mother called?”

“Just ‘Ghoa'” he said, angrily. He stopped and took a deep but quick breath. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. She….she just passed away a few suns ago. That’s why I’m here, now.”

“Oh. Oh, I’m very sorry” Miounne looked upon him with pity .

He hated the pity.

“It’s…well, it’s not fine but it has happened. She has moved on to whatever comes after this life, and I must make my own way now. But to get back to this, we Xaela use the name of our tribe in place of what Eorzeans call a surname, but I do not know it. My tribe was massacred when I was a babe, and my mother and I were the only survivors. Our home is….not kind to orphans and widows. My mother chose to leave. She made her way here and we have lived among the peoples of the Shroud since. My mother never told me our tribal name, it is considered an ill omen to use the name of a dead tribe”

Miounne pressed her fingers to her chin. “Hmmm…well, I suppose there is nothing for it then.”

Dahkar arched a single eyebrow. “Pardon?”

She looked at him with a smile. “Well, the guild tends to frown on ‘amusing aliases’ considering how many people have tried to sign up with absolutely ridiculous epithets before. But as you have nothing else, I think we can make an exception for you. Something simple and humble, that could pass for a family name, I think.”

He considered that. “Very well, I suppose. But how do I even begin to pick?”

“Do you have any sort of honored traditions? Or perhaps a family heirloom of some kind?” She pointed to the weapon he carried strapped to his back. “What about that? It looks very well maintained but obviously used.”

He stepped back, unslinging the spear as he did, so as not to risk hitting Miounne’s counter, and set it down on the blunt end, holding the shaft. “It was… It was my father’s. Mother….she never told me his name. This was all she had of his. She managed to carry it all the way across the ocean.”

Miounne regarded it. It was certainly a fine weapon, made of some sort of strong darkwood that must have grown somewhere on that faraway continent she’d heard the Xaela hailed from. She’d seen similar but not identical here in the Twelveswood. It would certainly be a distinctive enough sight, but it could also serve well enough.”

She smiled. “I’d say that more than qualifies. How about…..Darkspear?”

Dahkar Darkspear. He tried the name out in his head. Certainly flowed well enough, but something about it wasn’t sitting right with him. He’d never known his father, but his mother had certainly told him enough stories from their life together; hunts he’d completed, challenges he had won, all with this very spear. Was he worthy of it?

No, he supposed he wasn’t. But then again, neither had his father been, once. Like him, he would need to learn. He would need to become stronger, tempered by challenges. And this….epithet, this moniker, would serve as a reminder to constantly push for that.

He could no longer make his tribe proud, they were no more. Perhaps his parents were reunited in whatever afterlife there was. Maybe they were watching him, believing in the best for him. He would always have the lessons, the love, and the memories of his mother. This could be the piece of his father he took with him as well.

Smiling to Miounne, he nodded. “I believe that will do just fine”

#Final Fantasy XIV #Dahkar Darkspear #mother miounne #and now we know how he got that non-standard last name #I mean maybe I've told you all before #but now you know how he felt about it

[porta-decumana]

Psst: Three things that they’ve always wanted to tell your character.

Pick whichever of my crew you want! Or do em all!

"Dahkar Darkspear... I have been curious about that one for some time. I want to know if he's from the Steppe. My grandfather lives there, though I've never met him before. I feel nervous at the thought of going there without understanding much of the Xaela's customs. It's... quite different from my home town. I want to ask Dahkar what he knows about that place. And maybe if he could give me tips on the culture there.

Old Man Franks is the type of person that seems as though he's seen a lot and I'd be curious to hear a story or two from him. I mean... most old people have seen a lot... right? He's old, isn't he? That's why he is called Old Man Franks? ... Maybe I should find that out first and not assume things...

Rheika Aliapoh has such pretty, colorful hair! I... want to ask her if she dyes it. Not that it's any of my business but I'm in the market to change things up myself. Teal has been fun but I've been dyeing my hair that color since we arrived at Ishgard. I want to try something new... do you think she has any hair dye recommendations?"

#kaida asagiri #asks and answers #thank you for the prompt!

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #2: Bolt

It was a clear, cool night in Doma, and many of her citizens milled about the enclave, enjoying another night of freedom. Freedom to express themselves, to rebuild their traditions, or just to be happy and carefree again.

Inside the southern tower of the Kienkan, two men were likewise indulging in their own freedoms; from the demands of their stations. Tonight, they could simply be friends and indulge in a bit of drink.

Dahkar could not remember what Hien had called the libation, but it was strong and delicious, so in the moment, he simply didn’t care. Despite having his fair share of the bottle, his own prodigious constitution meant he simply felt pleasantly floaty, unlikely to awaken the following morn with any severe hangover symptoms.

Hien, by contrast, seemed to be incapable of holding this particular liquor. His words had long been slurred as the duo simply talked about whatever caught their fancy, mostly stories from before the pair had met.

Dahkar had finished his latest tale when Hien suddenly took another stiff pull, straight from the bottle. “Dahk…..Dahkar…..I gotta question for ya. Itsh personal. Can I ask you a pershonal question?”

Dahkar smriked at him. “Sorry, Hien, this is still not a date. You don’t have enough scales, or pointy enough ears, for my liking”.

Hien stared at him for a long second, processing his reply, before laughing uproariously for nearly a minute. Eventually he clamed himself down enough to reply “Ha….no, but itsh about that. You’ve never…had anyone elsh since Haurchefant, right? I always jusht wondered….why not Yugiri? You two always….sheemed to be close.”

Dahkar’s eyebrow cocked. “Hien, I think you might have had enough of that stuff if you’re forgetting her oath to you.”

“What? What’re you….talking about?”

Dahkar sighed. How deep in his cups WAS Hien? “We actually discussed it, a while back, but she said that her oath to you meant she could not have that sort of relationship, and she did not want to abandon said oath.”

Hien appeared confused. He shook his head, as if trying to will the haze he was in away, and did so hard enough that it seemed like it worked, because his voice had lost some of it’s slurred state. “What? I made no such demands of her. The oath I asked her to swear certainly made no mentions of not having a relationship!”

Dahkar shrugged, leaning forward to grasp the frame of the tower’s open windows. “Well….maybe wasn’t as interested as I’d hoped and she was just trying to let me down easy. It doesn’t matter. It’s enough to be her friend, if that’s what she wants. I’ll…..I’ll get over her, some day.”

“Yes…..yes, I suppose so” Hien said, looking down at the roof tiles. Suddenly he bolted to his feet. “I gotta do somethin’…..I’ll be right back!” He bolted down the stairs and out of Dahkar’s sight.

He chuckled. Guess the liquor had finally gotten to be too much. He’d have to ask Hien what it was called when he recovered, then quietly sneak it away from his stores. Clearly it wasn’t agreeing with him

Hien hadn’t gone anywhere near a privy. He was instead rushing through every room in the Kienkan, opening doors, peering inside, and then rushing to the next. After the seventh, he simply stopped, looked to the vaulted ceilings, and yelled “Yugiri??”

“Yes, my lord?” a quiet voice replied behind him. Only years of association with the shinobi helped Hien steel himself from jumping and yelping in shock. He spun and placed hands on her shoulders. “Yugiri. Do you like Dahkar?”

Yugiri reared back, only a little, in surprise. Hien’s words were a bit slurred, but the clarity in his eyes was something she’d not seen since they had dealt with the Blasphemy, and never directed so potently at her. “…..yes? Of course, my lord. We’ve been friends for a very long time by now…”

Hien chuckled and shook his head, “No no no, Yugiri, are you ATTRACTED to him? Are you in LOVE with him?”

Her expression shifted from confusion to hurt. She tried to turn away, but he held her steady. “My lord….this is cruel. You know it does not matter, because I cannot act on-

“I am SO sorry.” he interrupted. She looked back to him. His expression was downcast, his eyes sad. “I never meant for you to believe you could not have a love of your own when I asked for your loyalty. Only that as long as you kept your oath, you always act in the best interests of myself and Doma. I don’t even remember the words right now, but if I ever made you think that meant never having someone….I am sorry.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “My lord…Hien, I….I do love him. I have for some time, but….what if I am forced to choose between him and Doma? How can I do this? Is it not better to never let myself face this choice?”

Hien laughed “Yugiri, considering the reasons Dahkar has made Doma his new home in the wake of the Scions disbanding, do you truly believe such a scenario is likely? Should Dahkar and I find ourselves at odds enough that you feel you must choose between us, then the likely root is that I have committed a severe error in judgement!”

She had to laugh at that one.

“But if it will put your mind at ease and allow you to finally listen to your heart, then at any time in the future that Dahkar and I have come to an irreconcilable difference of ways, then at that time I hereby decree that your oath to me is released. In perpetuity.”

He stopped and cocked his head, looking upward as if trying to consider if he’d misspoken. “Er. The conditions for the release of your oath are effective in perpetuity. As is the release, should it happen. I think that is correct. I’m sorry, I hope this makes sense. I might be a bit dunk. BUT BUT I make this decree with a clear enough head!”

Yugiri laughed. Her lord could be ridiculous sometimes.

Then his words clicked.

“My lord, I believe I need to go speak with Dahkar now. I have a mistake to correct”

He smiled, released her shoulders, and waved her off. “Go! Kami’s blessing to you! He’s in the-“

“-South Tower, I know!” she yelled back, having already bolted in that direction.

Hien watched her go, pressing his hands together as he giggled happily.

Dahkar had been waiting for HIen to return when he suddenly felt the hairs on his neck raise.

He turned and a purple, white, and black bolt collided with him, knocking him backward.

He managed to hold his footing enough to keep from going down, but whatever it was seemed to be …holding him?

He opened his eyes to see the face of Yugiri smiling in a manner he could only describe as loving. Before he could even contemplate what that meant, she pressed her lips to his.

That lasted for a long while and might have been the best sensation he’d ever experienced. He lips were soft and she tasted of sweetness and spice. When they finally broke for air, she had a sheepish look on her face.

“It has come to my attention that I might have misinterpreted the exact nature of my oath to Lord Hien.”

Dahkar chuckled. “He mentioned something about that. I thought you were trying to just let me down without hurting my feelings”

She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. Had I known….I love you, Dahkar. I can’t remember when exactly my heart began to yearn to be yours, but I know it was before you left Doma after liberating it. When you asked me…it took all I had not to say yes. I meant every word I said to you.”

Fear crossed her countenance as she considered her next words. “Do you….do you still feel as you did, that day?”

He smiled and drew her in for another kiss.

#FFXiv Write 2022 #Dahkar Darkspear #yugiri mistwalker #Hien Rijin #my lizard boy deserves happiness again after losing his first true love #Drunk hien playing matchmaker also makes me giggle

[thebmatt]

Ship meme: Rheika and Yugiri?

Right.

Just starting off with the aromantic one of my group, paired with the girlfriend of one of my other characters, are we?

Actually, I’m gonna say this would go down something like this.

Rheika: “Hey Dahkar, I need to sleep with you girlfriend.”

Dahkar: “I’m sorry, what.”

Rheika: “Well I mean, we slept together that one time, so I know you’re good enough in the sack for her, right? So now I gotta make sure she’s good enough for you!”

Dahkar: “okay, A: that’s not how this works, B: I know you’re just doing this to mess with me, and C: go ahead and try telling Yugiri this if you want, just wait til I’m nearby so I can witness both her reaction and her pelting you with whatever is in arm’s reach, kay?”

Seriously tho, Rheika is aromantic and while she and Yugiri are very close, especially given the former’s training as a shinobi and willingness to go along with Yugiri’s assassination attempt on Zenos, they wouldn’t work well as romantic partners. Yugiri’s had a thing for Dahk since they met anyway.

#final fantasy xiv #character asks #rheika aliapoh #dahkar darkspear

[thebmatt]

If someone were to sincerely ask your character(s) how they were at this current point in time, what would they answer with?

Aleister would legitimately answer that he is, without question, the happiest he has ever been. All of the horrors and trauma that came from his old life are behind him, and he's gotten a fresh start and actually done incredible things with it, while getting to retain the absolute best part of his old life: having Gwen in it. Dahkar would say he's very happy. He's reconnecting with his culture, he has a person in his life who truly loves him and he her, in turn. If he had any complaints, it would be that he misses his brother and sisters and the other scions, as none of them are close by and they don't get to see each other as often. But he knows he's where he needs to be.

Rheika would just smile and gesture around her. Wherever she happens to be and whatever she's doing, she'll probably be having a good time and enjoying life.

Fearless has been traveling the whole of Radz-at-Han with Troupe Falsiam, lifting the spirits of survivors of the Final Days. She's been working hard in her performances, but she gets to dance with her girlfriend Ranaa and also has their other girlfirne, Makoto, close by (The Bugyo of Kugane granted her a leave of absence to accompany the Troupe on their extended homecoming tour, as they are fond of the Troupe and wanted to ensure they were protected until they could return and complete their tour of Kugane). So while she does wish she had more downtime to just be with the two of them, they are still together and don't have to hide their relationship

#character asks #oldmanfranks #aleister franks #gwenefyr franks #rheika aliapoh #fearless willow. #dahkar darkspear

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #7 – Pawn

For upon thy life’s reel wind too many threads. Of Fate. Power. Weal, enmeshed with woe. More terrible still is the attrition wrought upon thy companions, as they are swept up in the storm of thine existence.

Take heart and protect them well. They will be your strength and your salvation.

After willing the nightmare to end for what seemed like an eternity, Aleister’s eyes finally opened.

A comforting weight was resting on him, arms wrapped around his body. Someone was holding him. Gwenefyr. She was weeping softly, and he raised his arms to return her embrace. She cried out in joy and cried harder.

“Thank goodness, he’s finally awake!” Alphinaud’s voice. A sound of running feet, crunching in the snow. He looked up to see everyone, the Scions, Maxima, Lucia, his fellow Warriors of Light, all rushing to gather around him.

Rheika reached him first and she knelt down next to him, ruffling his hair. “Welcome back, Old Man”

He could only smile and nod as he bent forward to whisper loving soothing sounds to Gwen.

When she finally calmed down a couple of minutes later, he raised his head to address the others. “Is everyone all right? Please tell me that lunatic didn’t kill someone with my body.”

Everyone shook their heads, but it was G’raha who verbalized it first. “Everyone is perfectly fine. I hope the same can be said of you”

Aleister mumured something into Gwen’s ear, and she immediately began to stand, assisting him to do the same. Nothing felt particularly sore or in any pain, really. He examined himself, stretching a couple of limbs. It all felt well enough.

“Everything in working order?” asked Alisaie.

“Seems like it, but I doubt I’m going to be doing anything before Gwen can scan the heck out of me, so if something IS wrong, we’ll all know soon enough.”

“You’re damn right about that, mister” Gwen said from his side, still clinging to his arm.

Fearless stepped forward. “We…think we pieced together what happened. Fandaniel teleported you away in the chaos of the temperings, then….removed you from your body so Zenos could steal it and threaten us with….a voidsent. I’m not sure I get that last part tho.”

Aleister clenched his head as the memories came unbidden

redandblackandglintingsteelandredsosomuchredtoomanyhandsnotmyhandsbloodanddeathandPAIN

“Aleister??”

Gwen’s voice pulled him out of it. Her voice always could, even before.

Dahkar was at his other side, holding him up against the sudden dizziness that was threating to debilitate him. “Easy, old man. I gotcha. You think you’ll be all right, now?”

Aleister had to sigh. “No. Not right now. That bastard used me to kill for him. Maybe one day, but I don’t know if I’ll be entirely all right for a long time.”

“Given recent events, I would be surprised if you were.” Y’shtola piped up. Her face was grim, Aleister looked to her and knew from her countenance. She blamed herself for saying nothing. She had seen his aether was wrong but realized far too late what it meant. She forced a smile for him. “Under normal circumstances, I would suggest a hearty meal and some rest to start your recovery process, but these are anything but, if Fandaniel’s boasts are to be believed.”

Franks snarled at the mention of the Ascian.

“Loathe as I am to suggest this, pray focus on your anger. It may help you clear away the cobwebs. Once you feel ready enough, we can discuss our assault on the Tower of Babil”+

“No.”

“….what?”

“I said no. I’m not going with you.”

The whole of the Scions turned to him in shock.

“Come on, Old Man, what’re you talking about? We need you.” Dahkar’s voice was concerned.

“No, you don’t. Not for this. The amount of warriors here is more than sufficient to put an end to that tower. What we are sorely lacking in now is information. Information I can gather.”

He looked down to the snow. “The fact is….I am not at a hundred percent right now, mentally. If I go in there with you….I can’t guarantee my usual degree of skill. So, Rheika? Take Gwen with you in my stead. Yes, she doesn’t have the Blessing, but she’s been fighting for nearly as long as I have, and you’ve all seen how quickly she’s taken to those nouliths. She’s more than capable of standing with you all.”

Alphinaud’s face was still shocked. “But…what will you be doing? What avenues do you plan to pursue?”

“You all saw what he used to attack G’raha, Alisaie, and Gwen with. Plus, he had a new weapon. Some kind of scythe. It looked odd, Partially magitek for certain, but it felt like it had some of the void imbued into it. We need more information for when the fight inevitably comes. I’m going to find it. So I’m heading to Ul’dah, right into the Thaumaturge guild archives, and with any luck, we’ll learn exactly what he’s capable of. And then we can plan on how to deny him whatever advantages it gives him”

Alphinaud sputtered “But….but this is hardly the time for research! We could-“

“Stop, Alphinaud”. Gwen waved him off, then moved to take Aleister’s face in her hands. He grasped them in return. “You need this, don’t you. To process what happened.”

He quietly nodded.

“Okay” she replied, kissing him softly. Then she turned to the others. “This is happening, full stop. When we come back from that tower, we’ll join back up with him, and I don’t doubt for a second the information he’ll come back with will be exactly what we need to end this miserable scum. Anyone want to complain, you can tell it to me, not him. Am I clear?” Her eyes met each of the Scions and the others in turn

Alphinaud looked like he wanted to say more, but he wisely shut his mouth. The other Scions looked uncertain, but none said a word. Dahkar and Rheika smirked and nodded. Fearless still looked worried, but she nodded as well.

“Good. Now get going, love”

Aleister smiled at her, forever grateful that this amazing woman stood by him every day. Thenreached out with his aether senses, finding the Ul’dahn aethereyte far from there, and began the familiar steps of the teleport spell.

Zenos would rue the day he’d used his body for a pawn. He swore it.

#Final Fantasy XIV #oldmanfranks #Aleister Franks #Gwenefyr Franks #Rheika Aliapoh #Fearless Willow #Dahkar Darkspear #I may cover this in a future prompt but this is where Aleister goes and becomes a Reaper #He pretty much takes care of Orcus while the other WoLs deal with Babil

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #13 – Confluence

Note: This takes place between the end of 5.0 and the start of the 5.1 MSQ.

” I GOT IT!”

Fearless and Dahkar were both sitting in the Rising Stones, enjoying a meal together, when they heard the yell coming from down the hall where the residential dormitories were found. It startled them both and they shared a concerned look.

“That was Franks, right?

Dahkar nodded. “Sounded like him, at least.”

“He’s been in his lab for….actually I’ve lost track of how long he’s been cooped up in there. I don’t think I’ve seen him since Rheika headed back to the First, come to think of it.”

Dahkar smiled warily. “Something tells me this is gonna either be really amazing or utterly horrifying”

Fearless could only shake her head in weary acceptance. “You’re probably right. Well, we might as well wait for him to come find us. No one else is here and you know him, he’s gotta share as soon as possible.”

Indeed, as she finished the sentence, both heard the sound of their friend and fellow Warrior of Light running into the main room of the Stones, wearing the manic grin they’d long come to associate with him making a breakthrough in whatever his current science project happened to be. His clothing was disheveled and the bags under his eyes indicated he hadn’t slept in at least twenty-four bells. He tried to slow down as he approached their table, but lost his footing and began to skid towards it.

Both Fearless and Dahkar stood and grabbed his arms, steadying him from falling.

“Steady, Old man. We gotcha” Dahkar said, laughing.

“So what have you managed to accomplish now, Franks?” Fearless asked.

Franks dusted himself off, then pulled the magitek grimoire from his side. “I figured out how to get us there! To the First!”

Dahkar and Fearless’ jaws dropped. They looked to each other, as if verifying that they’d both heard that, then turned back to him. “How?” both uttered at the same time.

Franks smiled and began dragging diagrams and formulae across the “pages”(actually a display built to resemble pages) of his grimoire. “It was so simple. Aetherogravometric atttraction is a known fundamental force, of course, but it never occured to me that ours would experience the correct n-value of attenuation value to even merit relevant consideration in this instance, but it DOES! Fourteen-point-nine-two-six-five-three-five-nine! Can you imagine that? The implications are staggering. That’s far too precise to be solely dependent on the Blessing of Light’s own aetherogravimetric influence to have altered our own as the explanation. Don’t you see? This could explain much about how we were drawn together in the first place. Our aetherophysical properties could explain-“

Dahkar held up a hand, trying to interrupt. “Franks-“

“-Right right right, no time for extraneous hypothesizing. Now, normally the gravimetric force of aether is not exactly strong across great distances, but the force is always present, if weak at the micro level. BUT, and this is where it gets fun, when Rheika returned to the First, she used a common Teleportation magick, right? OF COURSE NOT, teleportation between the Shards is a completely new phenomenon, and yet it worked just the same! I was able to get a reading of the spell, and get this, there were quantum spacetime particles detected! Those have only ever been THEORIZED, but they behaved exactly as postulated, and we detected them! Their interaction with Rheika’s own aether makeup generated a quantum tunnel, allowing the aetherogravitational force of her own body’s aether to be drawn towards one of the First’s aetherytes! Can you believe it, the exact same principle by which we teleport to aetherytes here on the Source!

“Franks!”

“Right, of course, tangenting again. Gotta focus. Now, we all don’t have any attunements on the First to rely upon, so if we’re going to utilize this same principle to travel there ourselves, what will our aether’s gravitational force be lured towards? That’s right, RHEIKA’S! The attenuation value, remember? It’s precise enough to work! BUT, there’s another wrinkle, the space-time distance. Neither Rheika’s nor our aether, vast though it is, can match the sheer mass of an aetheryte. There are too many aetheric masses greater than ours, we’d be pulled towards them and…well probably die. So there’s no way this can help right? WRONG, HAHAHAHA! Because THIS….this is where I am truly a genius!”

“FRANKS!”

“We’d need some means of allowing our aether to affect each other without other aetherogravimetric influences to interfere! And we HAVE it, my friends! We can use the very same methodology that G’raha did! I reverse-engineered his spell to open the very same space-time bridge between the Crystal Towers-here and there! We simply open the bridge and allow our aether to natually attract the like! It’s utterly brilliant!”

Dahkar smacked him on the back of his head. Franks reached back to massage it. “Ow! What the heck was that for?”

“Because you KNOW we only understood about one-quarter of what you just said!” Dahkar growled. He looked over to Fearless. “Honestly, you study aether more than I ever did at Stillglade, did that make any sense to you?”

Fearless shook her head. “No, not really.”

Dahkar glared as his heart swiveled back to Franks. “There you have it. Try it again, and dumb it down for those of us who don’t study absolutely mad science or insanely detailed math magic, okay?”

Franks sighed. “Fine. For a lot of reasons I don’t understand yet, the aether that makes up the four of us is incredibly similar. Aether that’s similar to this degree has a force that attracts it to itself. Because the Crystal Tower exists here and there, we can do the reverse of what G’raha did to get her to the First, while using Rheika’s aether like a lighthouse to make sure we get there safely”

Dahkar threw his hands up. “See, was that so hard?”

Fearless grabbed Franks’ shoulders. “Are you CERTAIN about this?”

Franks nodded. “The math…lets just say it adds up. This will work. Of course, I have no way to test it. It’s dependent on our own aether, after all. So the only thing for it is to simply take the plunge, so to speak.”

“Franks, I won’t lie, I don’t think I entirely get how this works, but if you’re right, it’s incredible. Do you think we can apply this to get the Scions souls back home?”

He shook his head. “No. This is incredibly specific to the four of us. It only has even this much of a chance at working because our aether reserves are so vast and so alike. The Scion’s aether is unique to themselves alone, and split as it is, would be far too weakened to draw them back to their bodies. Even when we do get them back, I honestly don’t think any aetheryte attunements they’ve made over there are going to be strong enough to stick for the same reason.”

Dahkar leaned in. “Are we gonna be able to get back?”

“Oh yeah, that’s the easy part. All we have to do is atttune to an aetheryte there and we’ll be able to freely teleport between the two, just like normal. It’s the getting to other shards that’s the hard part, once you make it there, assuming the flow of spacetime between them is similar, moving between the two is a relatively simple matter.”

Dahkar leaned back, crossing his arms and grinning. “All right. When do we leave?”

Fearless looked in shock to him. “Wait, you want to go now??”

“You heard him, the math adds up. Every time I’ve heard him say that, he’s been right so far. Plus you heard Rheika’s story. She’s been through enough of a hell on her own. She needs us over there. Stuff is calm enough over here, and if it’s not, Tataru knows that pixie friend of Rheika’s, she’ll get word to us. No sense in waiting, let’s go.”

Fearless looked unsure. “Maybe….one of us should stay? In case?”

Franks shook his head. “If we do…..all the calculations I made assumed all three of us were making this journey. If we all don’t go….I’m going to have to spend weeks re-doing the math, and I don’t know that it’s going to work under those parameters”

Fearless sighed, then nodded. “Okay. Dahkar’s right, you’ve not been wrong yet. I’ll go grab some stuff, then we’ll head to the Tower.”

Franks grinned. If this worked, and he really believed it would, they’d be reunited with their missing sister very soon.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXiv Write 2022 #oldmanfranks #Aleister Franks #Dahkar Darkspear #Fearless Willow #I wanted to keep going and portray the reunion but I might have to save that for a later response if a prompt will work for it. #Or just do it once the event is over

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #10 – Channel

10 days down! Only 20 more to go! Hope you’re enjoying reading my responses, I’m having a lot of fun writing them!

This one is actually a direct sequel to last year’s Day 7 Prompt

It was right in the middle of setting up the reinforced training dummy they had requisitioned from the Adventurer’s Guild quartermaster that Fearless’ old anxiety started to come back to her. Unbidden memories of you’re pathetic, useless and never be good enough for anything rose to her mind, and she tried to shut them out. She was NOT useless! She was a Warrior of Light and a master of four highly demanding combat skills! She could master this one too, dammit!

“You all set over there?”

Fearless jumped at the sound of Dahkar’s voice letting out a small yelp.

“Whoa, sorry, didn’t meant to startle you!” Dahkar laughed.

She glared at him. “You know, for a guy who wears so much heavy armor all the time, you shouldn’t be this good at sneaking up on people.”

He laughed again. “Hey, I stomped up to you with all the grace of a behemoth with a spear in it’s gut. But I also don’t HAVE my armor on, so it’s not nearly as loud as I normally am. Plus you seem to be absorbed in your own thoughts anyway”

She shook her head. “No, not absorbed….more like trapped. Kept hearing their old insults.”

Dahkar shook his head, then extended an arm. He held a simple scepter there, a red marbled jewel set into a handle of simple copper. “Then I say let’s get started and prove them wrong….again. “

She smiled, grateful as ever for his support. The pair walked over to the other side of the training ground, keeping them a mere fifteen fulms from the dummy she’d set up. It was a simple wooden thing, but it had been alchemically treated to resist common magicks. It would suffice for the simple testing they were doing.

Dahkar reached into the Armory and from that extra-dimensional space he retrieved the last weapon he’d kept in there from his days of training in thaumaturgy, a staff with another red marble gemstone set into it’s crown, framed by a pair of horns taken from a slain stag. “Awright, so lemme go over the basics. Hopefully I get all this right, cause it’s been a while”

“The whole basis around thaumaturgy is alternatin’ between use of fire and ice aether for spells, supplemented by some electricity. Electricity spells leave your foe dealin’ with the periodic shocks, so you can just fire one off every so often. Fire’n ice are the tricky stuff, though. The more you use Fire, it slowly aspects your own aether to the Astral. Same for Ice and Umbral. The more astrally aspected you are, the more stuff changes. Fire spells will take more of your aether, but they’ll be more powerful. The more umbrally aspected you are, the more stuff goes back to normal. Your spells won’t hit as hard, but they also won’t cost more aether, and your own supplies will quickly go back to the way they were. You with me so far?”

Fearless considered. “I think so. So is the idea to just keep using Fire-aspected spells until your aether is low, then swap to umbral to quickly restore it?”

Dahkar nodded. “Exactly. In most instances, fire spells will hit harder, so you’ll want to be using Ice just long enough to get your aether back, then swap back to building up fire again. You also don’t wanna drain it entirely or else you’ll have nothing to cast the ice spells with to get into Umbral. The rough part is that the swapping feels like you’re pushing and pulling against yourself, mostly. You’ll feel like you’re getting more and more hot, and then you have to pull back and cool down until you feel like you’re freezing. Your actual temperature doesn’t change, so it’s not like you’ll get sick from goin’ to hot and cold back and forth all the damn time, but it’ll feel like it and it gets rough mentally after a bit. Go on, try it out.”

Fearless had never tried aspecting aether to fire, but every initiate of magic had been trained on some level for how to elementally aspect aether one way or the other, and her own practice with astrology was no different, even if they didn’t really use elemental magicks themselves. It was simple to adapt that training to aspecting some of her own aether towards fire, and she focused as she gathered the necessary amounts for a basic spell. Focus, gather, and….release!

She swung her scepter towards the target, and a ball of flame soared towards the target, impacting it. The treated metal plates adhered to it sparked as they resisted the magic.

Dahkar cheered. “Hey, hey, nice one! Okay, so you’re probably feeling a little uncomfortably warm, but keep going. If you wait too long between casting, it’ll reset your aspect towards neutral, which is bad, cause then your aetheric levels are stuck wherever they are, and you’ll have to wait for them to slowly regerate or take a potion for it.”

She didn’t feel uncomfortably hot at all, however. She felt pleasantly warm, like from a campfire on a cool night or a hug. Was she not strong enough? She cast the fire magick again.

Even more sparks emerged from the dummy.

Dahkar cheered again. “Hah, yeah! You’re gettin’ it. Starting to feel too hot? Remember, it’s all in your head. Keep going though, there’ll be a feeling your get used to, when you know you don’t have the aether for any more fire, but you’ll have enough for some ice. You’ll wanna get used to recognizing that feeling, so you know you’re at the right point to switch.”

Doubts began creeping into Fearless’ mind again. Why wasn’t this feeling as intense as what Dahkar had described? Was she not strong enough. She kept going, channeling and releasing more fire spells, and never once did it feel uncomfortable. She felt the embrace of a hot shower, the feeling of basking in the sun on a warm day, the enjoyment of a hot meal, never a heat that grew uncomfortable, to be endured rather than enjoyed. Finally she reached a point where she recognized her own internalized aether was growing thin, and so she shifted her focus towards an ice aspect. The first loosed spell was not a traveling ball or blast or magic, but immediately erupted a series of frosty spikes from the dummy, causing it to smoke as the cold extinguished the flames that had appeared on it.

Wait, flames? But wasn’t the dummy treated to resist magic?

There was no time to consider this as her aether slipped away from being astrally aspected towards her neutral, natural state. She felt the sensations of warmth slip away.

Her next ice spell caused her to slip more towards an umbral aspect. She waited for the cold chills Dahkar had described, but this too just felt pleasant, like she had just drank a cold beverage on a hot day, or a cool breeze in the shade. She also felt her aether quickly replenishing itself, far faster than it would normally. Another cast of ice and her aether was completely back. The cold feelings were more intensely enjoyable.

Blatantly she realized that Dahkar had been speaking this whole time, whooping with joy.

“…amazing! I mean, Slafborn probably won’t be happy that the anti-magic treatments were so easily beaten, but he can take that up with Rowena! You did great!”

She looked at the dummy. It bore scars from her magical assault, blackened scorch marks and splintered damp spots. Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Wait, I did that? I broke through the magic resistance on the dummy?”

Dahkar actually cackled. “You sure did! Didn’t even flinch either, lease as far as I could see! How was it, the heat and cold not too tough to endure?”

She look at him in amazement. “I….i thought I was doing it wrong. It never felt uncomfortable at all, it was actually really nice. Like the more Astral I got, the more nice it actually felt, more…comforting, I guess? Even when I went to Umbral, it was cooling, but never frigid. It never felt like what you described, like I was having to fight between them. I was worried that meant I wasn’t doing it right!”

Dahkar considered this while looking at the dummy. “You know….I think it means that I was never doing it right.”

She actually laughed at that one. “So….I guess I’m pretty okay at this?”

He whirled at her, cocking an eyebrow. “Okay? OKAY? Girl, you get your arse to Ul’dah and enroll in the Thaumaturge’s guild right this second! It takes you like five minutes to blow past whatever I could accomplish and you ask me if you’re just “okay” at it. Honestly. ” He threw his hands up as he willed his staff back into the Armory. “I’ll deal with taking the dummy back to Slafborn, you keep that Scepter and get moving!”

Fearless grinned, basking in his teasing praise and the happiness she felt. Pocketing the scepter, she began channeling her teleportation magick, aiming towards Ul’dah’s aetheryte.

She knew that this probably wouldn’t always be easy going forward, but just knowing she COULD do it, she was now determined to see it through to the end, no matter what.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXiv Write 2022 #Fearless Willow #Dahkar Darkspear #thaumaturge

[thebmatt]

27. How did the events of Shadowbringers impact them? 

Thanks for the ask Lyn!

So Rheika did all of the 5.0 MSQ alone, save for the final battle with Hades when G'raha brought her brothers and sister over to help. The experience was up there with the worst days of her life. The light did all of the usual poisoning things to her, but it also killed her Libido. All of those symptoms faded after the Hades battle, but the psychological scars are still there. Anytime she feels slightly ill or not-particularly-amorous, she will be constantly checking her reflection for signs of light poisoning until she's able to get the rational part of her brain to come back online. Aleister and Dahkar have still not forgiven G'raha for separating her from the rest of them. It's not impossible that they might some day, but they're protective of their little sister-slash-team leader. Also Fearless got bored and learned Thaumaturgy while Rheika and the Scions were on the First. Okay, that's a gross oversimplificaiton, more like, she desired to learn a magic art just to prove to herself she could choose something and be good at it rather than be told she should try it and then end up being good at it. Anyway, now she's a Black Mage. Or rather, THE Black Mage.

#final fantasy xiv #rheika aliapoh #oldmanfranks #aleister franks #fearless willow #dahkar darkspear #character asks

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #26 – Break a Leg

The crapton of medication I’ve given myself to mitigate symptoms is working for the moment, so I was able to finish this one, albeit without the level of polish I wanted. We shall see how the rest of the day unfolds. Thank you all for your good wishes!

“All right, Gwen, I think we’ve heard enough embarrassing stories at the Old Man’s expense, I think he’s gotta have at LEAST one about you, right?”

Aleister immediately grinned at Rheika’s question. Gwenefyr looked at him in fear. “Oh no. Honey, not the dog story??”

Aleister nodded, chuckling sinisterly. “Oh yes. The dog story.”

“Nooooooo….” she whined, covering her face in her hands.

Rheika, Dahkar, and Fearless all laughed at her reaction. tossing in encouragements.

“Oh this HAS to be good!”

“Yeah, tell it!”

Aleister nodded, then held up his hands. They all quieted. Gwen made another whining noise.

“So this was….back in our home universe. I had just inherited a farm called Sunsong Ranch from this kid named Yoon. It was his grandfather’s, and he needed help running it, so I agreed to lend him my knowledge. He was a good kid, and…well I felt home in the village the Ranch was part of. Anyway, he got tapped to be part of the local government, which was gonna be a big job, so he gifted the Ranch to me. Not long after that happened….I ran into Gwen. It was….the first time we’d seen each other since….we were raised.”

The non-Hyurs at the table looked at each other in confusion.

“By ‘raised’ he means ‘into undeath'” added Gwen, who had crossed her arms on the table and buried her head in them.

The others made shocked noises, looking at them in a mix of sympathy and horror. They’d been told some stories of what the pair went through as undead, but it didn’t come up often. All of Gwen’s stories had been when they were still alive or had occurred since she had arrived in Etheriys.

“Anyway, after we got over the shock of seeing each other….dead…we spent some time catching up and decided that death hadn’t really killed our love. So I invited her to live with me at the Ranch. She accepted.”

“So one day, I’m over at the neighboring village of Halfhill, and she goes and checks on our crops. We kept a pile of hay nearby for when we had horses or other pack animals come by to pick up deliveries, and she saw it wiggling just a bit. She figured a marmot or some other critter was hiding in there and decided to shoo it out.”

“Of course that’s when the critter’s head popped out. Except it wasn’t a pest, it was Dog!”

“You had a DOG?” Fearless exclaimed.

Gwen groaned.

Aleister’s grin didn’t falter. “We did. He was a stray that Yoon and I rescued. We figured he’d go with Yoon whenever he moved out, but he stayed at the Ranch. He was a good boy.”

“Anyway, Gwen gets startled and loses her balance, falls right on her butt. And then Dog lept out of the hay, grabbed her leg right at the tibia, and took off, breaking it off right at the knee!”

“Oh Twelve, that’s horrible! How can you laugh at that? She must’ve been in immense pain!” said Fearless.

Aleister shrugged. “I mean, not really. She didn’t have any flesh left on that part of her leg, so nothing tore or anything. Far as Dog was concerned it was just like any other bone he’d taken and buried many times before”

Rheika gasped. “Oh Gods, don’t tell me he-“

“Yup. Took off to the other side of Halfhill and started digging. I only saw him because the other villagers were raising a commotion seeing him tear through town, half a leg-with the foot still attached, mind you-in his jaws. People had joked after we adopted him that he was gonna do that to me, and then it happened to Gwen just days after she moved in!”

The other three cracked up. Tears were coming down Rheika’s face.

Gwen lifted her head up, looking completely despondent. “The worst part was the awful puns the village came up with. I had gotten myself upright, hobbled into the village from the farm by leaning on my staff and hopping on a single leg, and everyone starts making puns about ‘Sunsong Ranch’s crops cost an arm and a leg’ or ‘Hey, don’t be afraid to haggle with Sunsong, they don’t have a leg to stand on!’ and other prime examples of what passed for humor there. “

Fearless finally regained control of herself. “I….oh Twelve, that was good, I assume they got your leg back on you?”

“Oh sure, Dog actually brought it back to me.”

“He did what?!”

“Oh yeah, Aleister just told him to ‘give it back’ and he trotted over to the spot, dug it back up, brought it right back and dropped it at my feet, tail wagging all the while.”

Everyone lost it again.

Rheika was the first to recover. “Wait, wait, that’s IT!”

Gwen looked perplexed “What’s it?”

“That’s why you got turned into a Viera! Cause of your hopping experience!”

Gwen groaned as a fresh wave of laughter took over the table.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXiv Write 2022 #oldmanfranks #Aleister Franks #Rheika Aliapoh #Dahkar Darkspear #Fearless Willow #Gwenefyr Franks #and yes this story is technically from their days in azeroth but it's cute

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #14 - Attrition

The Endsinger had fallen.

The Warriors of Light were battered and bloody. They were tired, physically and mentally. They had watched their closest friends give their lives to open to the way to the Endsinger's nest, only to deal with the whiplash of having them returned to them, and then sent them away to protect them from that very creature's power.

They had witnessed the horrifying fates of dozens of stars, in some cases fighting back against the very manifestations of the ends that befell them.

They had been reunited with friends from another universe, as the Endsinger's dirge was threatening both of their realities at the same time, "pushing" them towards merging, only to say what might have been their final goodbyes, as the very act of saving their universes once again erected a metaphysical impassible barrier between them.

The Meteia had been the most powerful foe they'd ever faced, and though they'd survived, the battle had taken a toll all on its own. Struggling to survive and fight against a creature with the power to end worlds was never going to be a clean win, and the injuries they'd sustained, while mitigated by their own healing abilities, were going to require some long-term care to entirely recover from.

To put it mildly, after talking with Meteion and witnessing her miracle, all four of them simply wanted to be done with all of this for a while.

But of course Zenos viator fucking Galvus decided to ruin their moment of triumph.

"You mean to return. To the world where you are hailed as a hero."

They all collectively groaned, slumping over in resignation. Rheika got the first word in. "Of COURSE we do, you idiot. Did you think we fought to stave off the star's end just to STAY here?"

"Here me, then. Not as a hero but as simply...you."

"Can we just not? Do we have to listen to more of his self-important speeches?" Fearless asked.

"Somehow I don't think he's giving us much of a choice" Dahkar growled.

IF Zenos cared about what they were saying, or even heard them, he gave no indication. "As I learned in Ala Mhigo, you are a formidable foe. Stronger than any I have faced, Against you, I need bring my all to bear. I need burn through the candle of my life."

"This is the sole pleasure I know, and it is the sole pleasure I have to share"

Rheika laughed weakly, before it turned into a cough. "THAT'S the sole pleasure you know. I've told you this before, but you really have no imagination. There's a whole world out there full of pleasures that I somehow doubt you've experienced every single one of. Have you tried every variety of Thavnairian curry, for example? Some of them are insanely good."

Once again, Zenos ignored her. "So I come before you to issue challenge, and offer singular bliss."

"Denied. Now go away." Franks immediately replied.

Zenos cocked an eyebrow. "If you wish to walk away, I will not stop you."

"Liar." all four them responded at once.

That seemed to break his stoic monologue as he laughed in reply. "Tis true! I have seen that you value life, that you do not burn yours save causes you deem worthy! Such as the ones that brought you here: the salvation of a world and it's people!"

He laughed derisively. "The motives of a hero true"

He stepped forward, throwing an arm forward, like every self important orator they had ever seen. “But there is more to it than that. You know this to be true! As surely as you know the thrill of pushing your body and soul to their limits! Of confronting ever-mightier foes, dancing ever closer to the precipice, wondering if this will be the one to finally, finally…fill the void.”

Zenos practically leered at Aleister. “Such pleasures, you seek for their own sake, and for no other reason. Is this not so, adventurer?”

Aleister stared at him in disbelief for a few long moments.

Then he laughed.

The others soon followed, recognizing the absurdity of it all.

“Don’t you DARE mock me! I’ve seen it in you! In ALL OF YOU. But you, especially!” Zenos pointed at Aleister. “It’s as clear as the weapon you carry!“

Franks laughed even harder. “Oh, is that so?”

Zenos’ smirk fell as he snarled in fury. “YES. Did you think it escaped my noticed that you took up the scythe? It is the art of a killer! Why else would you wield it, if you did not see the world as I do? For the folly it is, full of lies and justifications for the simple reality that men exist solely to kill each other?”

Aleister’s chuckles tapered off as they gave way to pained coughing. When he regained his composure, he regarded Zenos with amused pity. “I’m tired of this conversation, Zenos. I’ve tried telling you. Hell, we all have.  But it doesn’t matter, because you’re either too convinced you’re right or you’re incapable of seeing otherwise. But you know what? I’ll indulge you again. Because really, you’re the reason I learned the Reaper’s art. I sought this path out to understand what you’d become. How you fought.”

He turned away, facing his brother and sisters. He had already confessed this to them, but he felt like he needed to say it to them again. “As I suspected, it was a killer’s art. And I thought that was what I needed. To focus on dealing death. To get whatever power was necessary, heedless of what it cost me. Forming a pact with a voidsent? Risking my own damnation? Well, I’ve done similar before, not like that has much fear for me. But you know what I found out instead?"

He didn't expect Zenos would answer, so he didn't give him a chance. "I learned that, like so much in my life before, I was wrong about it. It was not a path that would lead to damnation. It was a partnership. Just like being a Warrior of Light has been."

He whirled to face Zenos, reaching into the Armory for the Paladin armor and weapons Tataru had forged for him. In a flash of light, his Reaper's garb and scythe were gone, replaced with the shining mail. "I learned that while it was a worthwhile endeavor to pursue on its own right....I never needed it to defeat you. I already had what I needed."

He drew Lightbringer. Behind him, he head the pops that signified the displaced air of his companions altering their own fighting styles.

Zenos' face had gone neutral.

"But just as I thought, you're incapable of believing me. You're convinced you're right. So think whatever you want, Viator." Aleister pointed Lightbringer at him, raising the Hero's shield in his off hand.

"We're not letting you leave here alive"

"So you would still play the hero!" Zenos sounded disappointed. "No matter. In acceptance, you betray your deception! You know-"

He probably was going to say more. But there was suddenly a black-clad miqo'te next to him, he daggers arcing to pierce his throat, and he had to dodge and grab the scythe at his back.

"Will you just SHUT UP and DIE ALREADY?" Rheika shouted.

In the end, they stood triumphant, not much worse off than when they had started the battle.

In the aftermath of the last time they had seen the man, they had spent a great deal of time analyzing Zenos and strategizing the best way to defeat him. And so for all his grand ambitions of pushing them to their limits, Zenos had fallen in relatively short order, failing to land a single strike of significance on any of them

And so when they collapsed after the fight, before the lost recall device landed near them, it was not due to their wounds or exhaustion or the final burning of their life's candle.

It was from relief.

#Final Fantasy XIV #oldmanfranks #Aleister Franks #Rheika Aliapoh #Dahkar Darkspear #Fearless Willow #zenos viator galvus

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Master Post

Well, I couldn’t finish the final 4 due to getting COVID, but HEY I did the rest!!

1. Cross - Why Franks needs several grimoires 2. Bolt - Look, in their defense, they’re both kinda dumb, your honor 3. Temper - Darkspear is an amusing alias, but she’ll allow it 4. FREE DAY #1 - Veilette 5. Cutting Corners - Franks ain’t taking sides in Nero vs Cid, but he sure will take the benefits 6. Onerous - Does Fearless have a non-shite family member out there? 7. Pawn .- Look, it’s “In From The Cold” the aftermath! 8. Tepid - In which I am sorry for the suffering I inflict on Rheika 9. Yawn - A tired lady tries to stay awake. 10. Channel - Fearless tries thaumaturgy.  11. FREE DAY #2 - Syhrwyda 12. Miss The Boat - Link on this one takes you to my wordpress. The original was deleted from Tumblr after accusations of....stuff that is not me. I revised it over there to more capture what I was going for. Dahkar and Yugiri discuss what might have been and what could be 13. Confluence - How exactly did the other WoLs join Rheika on the First? MAD SCIENCE of course. 14. Attrition - The Warriors of Light end it. 15. Row - A piece of the past is recaptured 16. Deiform - Snowball the carbuncle is a mostly benevolent being 17. Novel - and this is why you research before you shoot your mouth off, Fourchenault. 18. FREE DAY #3 - Brorthon 19. Turn a Blind Eye - What the WoLs did about the Jifuya problem 20. Anon - Fearless, Ranaa, and Makoto discuss the future of their relationship 21. Solution - Engineering can be a mad science discipline too, right? 22. Veracity - I wouldn’t believe this story either! 23. Pitch - Gwen meets the cutest cat-fox-hybrid thing made out of magic she’s ever met 24. Vicissitudes - of COURSE she runs into this asshole 25. Free Day #4 - Rheika (the other one) 26. Break a Leg - The Dog Story

#FFXiv Write 2022 #Master Post

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt #25: Silver Lining

Silver Lining – an advantage that comes from a difficult or unpleasant situation

The date had snuck up on him.

Dahkar rolled out of bed feeling grumpy and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. He had no plans for the day, no diplomatic engagements that he would have to suffer through, no foes to deal with, no responsibilities he found boring. The day was his to do with as he pleased.

So why did the prospect of leaving his room seem so daunting, so pointless?

Something tugged at his mind, a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. He looked over to the calendar on his wall, a simple one that Tataru insisted all of their rooms in the Rising Stones have.

Oh.

Oh.

It was the anniversary….of the day the man he loved died.

Shite.

He’d forgotten. With everything that had been going on, he’d somehow let himself forget that the worst day of his life was approaching.

He’d forgotten him.

No you haven’t

He groaned and flopped back first onto his bed. I’m really not in the mood for this, Fray.

Too bad. Whether you like it or not, I am a part of you, here when you need me. Right now, you need me.

He rubbed his temples. Can you not just let me be sad and lonely in peace?

Not if you are going to lie to yourself, no.

I’m not lying to myself. I haven’t thought about him in moons what with everything going on. I’ve forgotten him. I almost forgot the anniversary of the day he died. I claim to have loved him, and this is how I’m honoring his memory. I deserve this misery and you damn well know it

Are you done?

Oh will you just fuck off. You told me you didn’t think we’d ever talk like this again and here you are. lying to me.

I told you I didn’t know. I didn’t. I certainly didn’t think you’d tell lies to yourself thinking you needed to be miserable. As if that’s what he would want. As if ‘not thinking about someone constantly’ is the same as forgetting them. What a lode of shite, really. I thought we were smarter than this. Clearly you still need me.

Dahkar scoffed What the hells do you know about what he would have wanted?

Do you really need me to answer that? Or should I say ‘need us’?

Dahkar screamed in frustration, covering his face with his hands to muffle the sound.

Feel better?

No, but since you seem to have all of the answers, what do you suggest I do?

You’re being petulant, and you know it. My suggestions are still you knowing exactly what to do. But if hearing me say it will help you realize it, then fine. Get up, get dressed, go to his grave, leave some of those lilies, and tell him how much we love him and miss him. And then move forward. We both know he’d be quite cross with the idea of you holding yourself back from real happiness because of what happened to him. So accept it and let yourself love again already.

He sighed. For being my inner darkness, you’re weirdly romantic.

Do I need to drag us back to the Sea of Clouds so you can hear the moogle’s song again, or are you going to accept that because I remember it, you certainly do?

No, Gods no. Fine I’m going. And I’ll….think about the rest

That’s what you’ve already been doing.

Shut it.

A few hours later, Dahkar knelt at Haurchefant’s grave. While he still carried Nothung on his back, he’d eschewed the dark plate armor he normally wore as a Dark Knight, instead donning the mail of a House Fortemps Knight that he’d worn the Grand Melee with the Eorzean Alliance. It felt like a fitting tribute to the man he was here to speak to, even if it was so light he almost felt naked.

“Hey, Haurche. If you’re watching,I reckon you’re probably yelling at me. I’m sorry for letting myself be miserable with sadness. I know you don’t want me to do that. You’d probably tell me something like ‘You have so much love to give, let yourself do so!’. And you’re right. So I’m gonna try my best. There’s actually this girl in the Scions, she-“

The loud CRACK of a flintlock discharging interrupted his words and his side exploded in pain. He screamed and went down.

“Well well well, boys. Look what we got here. Another bleedin’ heretic comin’ to pay respects to his heretic kin.”

The voice was young, male, angry, but strangely somewhat refined. He rolled over to look at his attackers, trying not to cry out at the pain the act caused him. A group of elezen youths, four boys and a single girl, all well dressed too. The leader held a flintlocke, still smoking, pointed at him. “What…” he coughed. “What the hells are you doing? This is no heretic’s grave!”

“Oh it isn’t? Oh, well my mistake then. I thought this was the grave of that bastard Haurchefant Greystone, who brought outsiders into Ishgard that up and utterly destroyed the very foundations our great nation was built on! Now we have another bastard as our leader who let fucking dragons into the city and let the fucking commoners have a voice equal with their betters!” the leader spat, lowering his gun. His cohorts nodded or shouted agreements,

“Ah, I see.” Dahkar spat blood onto the snow, trying to get to his knees so he could at least defend himself. The shot was well placed, though, and he was struggling to overcome the pain of it. “And what might you plan to do if it was?”

“Well first, we’re gonna gut you and spill your blood over this place. Then we’re gonna dig that bastard up, shatter whatever bones he’ s got left in there and spread em around so the beasts can have em, and whatever’s left of you. Then we’ll shatter that stone and toss it in Witchdrop where it belongs. How’s that sound to you, heretic? Don’t answer, we don’t care.”

The group all drew a series of blades, knives and daggers, and slowly advanced on him. Dahkar tried in vain to get to his feet, or at least his knees, any position where he could try to draw his sword and defend himself, but the strain was getting to be too much, and he nearly blacked out. A splitting headache overtook him as he tried to block out the noise in his mind.

Noise that he belatedly realized was a booming voice

GIVE ME CONTROL. LET ME IN, DAHKAR. I CAN END THIS, GIVE ME CONTROL

“WILL YOU SHUT UP, FRAY?” he screamed. He seized the darkness within himself and pushed it out, as if trying to excise the voice from his head.

Miraculously, it worked. The yelling stopped. He sensed a growing pool of darkness nearby. Opening his eyes, he looked over. A pool of dark aether had gathered next to him. From it rose a shadowy form of a hyur, glad in black and blue, gold-trimmed armor. On his back was a Deathbringer made of darkness. The Shadow looked to him with glowing red eyes

“Neat trick” it said in his own voice.

The youths had began to back away, screaming threats or oaths. He used that time to reach into the Armory and summoned his plate armor. With a flash of light, it appeared on him, the damaged mail gone. The cuirass clamped down on the would, reducing the blood loss.

The shadow offered him a hand, and he took it, getting back to his feet and drawing Nothung.

“Don’t kill them.” he said to it.

“Mercy? They’d have shown you none.”

“They’re angry and stupid. Everyone should get one chance to move beyond that”

The shadow, Fray, laughed. Or Dahkar did. It was impossible to tell, and in the end it didn’t matter.

Both lept at the elezen youths, who screamed in terror.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV 2021 Writing Challenge #Dahkar Darkspear #fray myste #or is it really?

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt #24: Illustrious

Illustrious - well known, respected, and admired for past achievements.

This takes place soon after the events written in Prompt 3: Scale

Magnai sat on the dawn throne, groaning at the pain the action caused him.

Over at his usual post, he saw Daidukul limping and clutching hurt ribs.

He swore under his breath. He'd been humiliated by the khan, again. Word had reached him that he and that witch, Sadu, were once again engaged in a duel. Over what, his scouts had not been able to determine, but their fighting had been just as fierce as the last time they had dueled, so it must have been important. Important issues that concerned the Steppe were his to decide, the gods had spoken as much! He had grabbed his best warriors and mounted their yols to intervene.

What he had found was a trap. Their "duel" had been staged. As soon as he demanded they cease, they had both turned to him and issued a challenge to him. He'd let anger blind him into accepting, and as he and Daidukul lept into battle, he had not seen that they had been expecting him until after it was already over.

Sadu , though strong in her spellcasting, had not noticeably improved since they had last battled. The khan, however....the khan had wielded magics of earth and air, water and light, with deadly ease. He had no idea the Khan was so skilled in such magicks. What was it, some form of geomancy? Before they had only ever seen him wielding that massive slab of metal he called a sword, clad head to toe in black and red armor. This time he wore garb that was common enough among the Xaela of the drier parts of the steppe, though not in any tribal color he'd recognized. And that weapon....it seemed like a living tree branch, glowing with energy.

He'd underestimated the khan, again, and somehow seemed to be falling behind him. This would not stand.

Almost as if on cue, the doors to the Dawn Throne opened and in walked the very man who'd put him in this sorry state. He sat upright, trying to suppress the wince that his injured ribs induced. "Well, if it isn't our illustrious khan? Come to gloat, have you? To rub your tainted victory in my face? The Sun will not hear it. You lured him in with trickery and falsehood, you and that witch, do not deny it."

Dahkar barked a laugh. "First with Sadu, it's glorious khan, and now I'm the illustrious khan with you. I'd almost think you two were coordinating which backhanded compliments you're going to use on me."

"You dare accuse me of collusion when you are the one who-"

"Oh calm your spikey-haired arse down, Magnai. It was a joke." Dahkar interrupted. "As to our supposed 'collusion', yes we faked a fight to lure you out, but one: you could have simply said 'no', and two: it's not like we ambushed you, you came prepared to fight and we let you make the first move. Don't make excuses, it's beneath you.'

Magnai sneered as he stood, still clutching his ribs. "And what is your excuse for your continued disrespect of the rightful stewards of the Xaela, hrmm? Every week, without fail, you come here to the Steppe and speak with the Qestir, the Mol, even the Dotharl, but do you present yourself to the Dawn Throne? Do you show the Sun the respect he is owned? No. Thus are we shown to be last among the Xaela in your eyes! "

Dahkar crosses his arms. "I respect the Oronir plenty, Magnai. Or has it escaped the Sun's notice that one of his own just conveniently happens to be in Reunion at the same time I arrive there every week?

Shock registered on Magnai's face. He looked over to Daidukul, who shook his head, confusion in his own expression.

"I've made more than a few friends among the Oronir, Magnai. Or did you think I only did what you asked of me when you had us do your chores before the last Naadam. They let me know how the Oronir are doing. I bring them things the tribe needs, provide advice when they have problems. So  you see, brother Magnai, I respect your tribe perfectly well. I just don't like you."

"You dare-" Rage enveloped his countenance, but again the khan interrupted him.

"And don't get this wrong, I absolutely respect you. You're a great warrior. You're even a pretty good leader of the Oronir, most of the time. But this delusion you're under that you're somehow divine, calling yourself 'the Sun' and demanding tribute from everyone, that gets annoying real fast. So it's hardly a surprise that I'd rather deal with frankly any other Oronir than you. Take your ego down a few dozen notches and we can talk like two leaders who just want what's best for our people. Or don't, and I keep on as I have been. Your choice. Now, I actually do have a matter I need to discuss with you directly. Do you want to talk about it or do you still want to hurl accusations and threats at me?"

Magnai worked his jaw, glaring at Dahkar, before he finally exhaled and simply said "Speak."

"All right, then. I take it word has made it to you of these metal towers that have emerged seemingly out of nowhere. Nearest one to the Steppe is to the South, near Yangxia."

Magnai's expression changed to concern. "I have beheld it, yes. There are others?"

Dahkar nodded. "Dozens. They've appeared all over the star. Built by the Garleans, though not willingly. They emit some kind of magic that enslaves the minds of any who get near it, forcing them to worship Garlemald itself. They've been spitting out some powerful monsters that have required large numbers to kill."

"I have seen no signs of one in the Steppe. Nor has this 'Othard Alliance' asked for our aid against any such foes." Magnai offered.

"For the moment, the bulk of the activity involving them has been in Eorzea. The ones in Othard have been mostly quiet. I don't expect that to last, though. RIght now we're in a calm before a storm,  and when that storm hits, the people behind this...they're gonna strike all over the star.  So my question is this: when that happens, are you prepared to fight alongside not only all the tribes of the Steppe, but also the rest of the Othard Alliance?"

Magnai looked to Daidukul;. who asked "And you truly believe this threat will come all the way here?"

Dahkar nodded. "I truly do. The madman behind this has shown no hint of any kind of restraint. Myself and the other Warriors of Light are going to do our best to track him down, but we have no idea how long that will take nor what he'll do before we can get to him. So? What is your answer?"

Magnai considered, then nodded. "The Sun acknowledges that the Steppe can live apart no longer, and thanks to you, khan, we are in a better position to defend ourselves than before. We will stand together, as one people and with the Othard Alliance. This the Sun vows."

Dahkar nodded. He drew the cane from his back and weaved a wave of healing light that emanated from him. Magnai felt the wounds under his bandages close, the ache of his bruises fading. He saw Daidukul's own bruises fade as he stretched and tested his own limbs.

Dahkar grinned. "Rest well, khatuns. You'll need it. I'll see you both soon."

With that, he turned and walked out of the Dawn Throne, leaving both men to ponder their uncertain future.

#Final Fantasy XIV #Dahkar Darkspear #magnai oronir #daidukul buduga

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write Day 3

Scale– each of the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another. - OR - an instrument for weighing, originally a simple balance ( a pair of scales ) but now usually a device with an electronic or other internal weighing mechanism.

(yes there's other definitions, these two are what's relevant for my response)

It was a somewhat chilly morning in the Azim Steppe as Dahkar Darkspear, Warrior of LIght and kahn of the Azim Steppe, strode through Dotharl Khaa, striding in the direction of the khatun's tent.  Hushed whispers seemed to follow him, as every Dotharl Xaela in the settlement could not stop watching him or speaking quietly to each other.

It made little sense to Dahkar. He was a Xaela himself and a regular fixture in the settlement at least once a week. He made sure to check in with all of the major leaders of the Steppe regularly to hear news, arbitrate disputes, and otherwise do whatever he could to ensure the people of the Steppe were mostly doing well.

Well, almost all of the leaders. He ignored Magnai and Daidukul on principle. Esugen, the Oronir's culinarian he'd helped a few times, made sure he was always in Reunion when he knew the khan would be arriving so he could pass on information about the Oronir and the Buduga.

He was a day early in this instance, so perhaps that was the reason behind the whispers. He put it from his mind as he approached the woman standing in front of the khatun's home.

Shar smiled and nodded to him. "Welcome, khan. You're early this week."

He smiled back to her. "That I am, Shar. How's your son doing?"

"He's growing well. The khatun does not yet know who is behind his eyes, but it has been but only a couple of moons. She is confident the soul within will reveal themself soon enough. I'm very excited to re-meet whoever it is!"

"I look forward to the day I can meet them. Is Sadu within? I have some...well let's just say an interesting proposal for her"

Shar smirked at him. "Oh, really now? Very bold of you, khan. Very Dotharl. I hope you're ready for a long fight. When my husband proposed to me, we fought for 10 bells straight!"

A look of shock crossed Dahkar's face, descending into horror. "What? No! Not that kind of-!"

She began laughing, loud and from her belly. "HA! Aahahaha! Oh, khan, the look on your face! Priceless!" In between fits of giggling, she opened the tent's flaps to admit him.

"Pretty sure there's rules against sassing your khan" he muttered to her as he walked past her, into the tent. "And if not, I'm gonna make some." This did nothing to stop her laughter.

The tent's sole occupant, a beautiful white-haired Xaelan woman dressed in her people's blue attire with a horned darkwood staff, turned to him. She smirked at him. Dahkar had often witnessed that smirk directed at him, but it was only now that he noticed Shar had given him a very similar one. Clearly she'd been taking lessons.

"Well, well, our glorious khan graces us with-". She suddently stopped and looked at him, frowning. "What in all the hells are you wearing?" she asked, incredulously.

Dahkar looked down at his attire, a style he'd seen many on the Steppe wearing during his first two trips there. He'd made sure to acquire some before departing that second time, aetherically aligned towards boosting magicks. "What? It's hardly unusual. Hells, I saw many of the Dotharl wearing very similar garb on my way in. Granted, this is white in color, but I didn't want everyone to assume I'd joined the Dotharl or-"

"No no, the garb is fine. But...I have never seen you wear anything other than that heavy black armor you favor. Or carry any weapon other than those slabs of metal you refer to as swords. Now you wear this? And is that the weapon of a conjurer on your back?"

Ah. That explained the stares and the whispers. "Yes, it is." He removed the cane from his back. The white crystal embedded in its head began to glow, a series of green-yellow energy lines shimmering around the head of leaf-covered branches. "Before I ever took up the sword of the Dark Knight, I was a conjurer. Pretty good one, in fact. So good they actually decided to let me train as a White Mage, which...well, you probably aren't aware of what those are or why it's a big deal. Suffice to say, I'm damn powerful with conjury."

"Hmmph", she signed, annoyed. "And what, you just decided that one day, it didn't work for you and took up a giant sword, instead?"

"Not quite that simple, but that's not far off the mark. Bad things happened to me and I changed in response to them in part by taking up the art of the Dark Knight." He shrugged and slung the cane over his back again.

"Oh yes, our glorious khan knows all about change!  You and that Doman. First you win the Naadam, as foreigners no less, then you rope us into this alliance of yours and persuade us to fight those men of metal and machines!" Sadu threw up her hands and turned her back to him. "Tell me, khan, what change will you bring next?"

Dahkar sighed. It was an argument he'd heard from her, and others, many a time. "Are we really doing this every time, Sadu? You know there's no rules against foreigners entering Bardam's Mettle, nor against competing in the Naadam. You agreed to help Hien and I fight the Garleans. Multiple times. You even told me you enjoyed the battle to liberate Ala Mhigo! You aren't actually angry about any of this, because you know what i know. Change is inevitable, stagnation equals decay."

She turns, smiling at him again. There's still mockery in her smile, but not as much this time. "Hrmph. Fine, you are correct. I suppose I just wanted to throw you off balance. As usual, you are hard to break. So what brings you to us a day early? It's too early in the day for you to have gone anywhere else first, so I assume this is important."

Dahkar smiled. "That it is. I want to talk with you about the future of the Steppe, and of the Dotharl, specifically."

Sadu's narrowed and her smile turned downward. She crossed her arms. "Speak. I suspect I will not like this, but you have earned the right, many times over, so I will hear you."

"It's simple, really. Many of the other Xaela fear the Dotharl. They see you as merciless raiders who seek only to deal death to them, who lust only for battle and killing. I would have you change that perception."

"And just how would you have me do that? Moreover, why would I even WANT to? The Dotharl live for battle. How many times have you heard me say it, khan? 'In battle do our souls burn bright, and in death do they sing'. Those are not empty words, they define us."

Dahkar smiled. "I'm well aware. I'm also aware that you very much realize that your way of life is not sustainable to the Dotharl's continued existence. You admitted as much to us, Gosetsu and I, that day we first met." Sadu turned her face away from him, eyes downward. "Hrmph. So I did. What of it? We have endured thus far. I will not compromise our way of life, khan"

"I'm not asking you to. What I propose is not a change to it, but a direction for it. I would have the Dotharl become protectors of the Steppe."

She turned to him again, her face a mixture of shock and rage. "...Protectors??  Have you heard a word I've said?" Dahkar raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Wait, just hear me out. It's not as radical as it seems, and it will solve your biggest problem of numbers in the long run."

Sadu resumed crossing her arms, glaring daggers at him. "...fine."

"Very well. First of all, I ask you what exactly the Dotharl gain in making war on weaker tribes? You yourself told me that only in great battle does the soul burn brightly, so what does it gain your warriors to slaughter those of lesser skill in battle than you? Seems unworthy of you. Turning that strength on the marauders who engage in such unworthy predation? That seems like a far better chance for a real battle. Not to mention the Steppe is crawling with monsters and vicious animals of various types. They may pose no threat to most tribes, certainly, but there are those to whom a monster attack is a death sentence. You can protect them and test your strength and bravery at the same time."

"If memory serves, you told me that it was in a monster attack that your own tribe was slaughtered. Purbols, I believe. I can't help but wonder if this is why you ask this of me."

"Which leads me to the second benefit this would bring to you. What do you suspect would have happened had the Dotharl come to our aid?"

"I imagine you would have been grateful, which is hardly worth anything to us."

"Gratitude is a long-term investment, Sadu. Think on it. If I'd been raised on tales of the tribe of warriors that saved us from vicious monsters, that fought back against other marauding tribes that kidnapped people like the Buduga? There's a very good chance that I would have bid farewell to my tribe and joined you all the day I came of age."

A single eyebrow raised. "You would have?"

"Very likely. I became an adventurer because it seemed like the easiest way to earn a living helping people and making things better. If my tribe hadn't been killed and my mother fled the Steppe? I doubt I'd be so different as to not want to do the same, still. Joining the Dotharl, becoming an undying one, born again and again to fight to save people, to help them? Well, it would have been extremely appealing to me. And I doubt I'm the only one, too. In time, I believe this swell your numbers significantly. Furthermore, when the Naadam comes around again, all those tribes you helped? Seems to me like they'd be more willing to help you as allies. In time, this will tip the scales in the Dotharl's favor and you'll reliably have more than enough numbers to rout the Oronir without question. Frankly, I would rest easier knowing the Steppe was in your hands rather than Magnai's. So long as you don't intend to break your word to the rest of the Othard Alliance, that is.  I'll kick BOTH of your asses for as long as I have to, if that's your intent."

She smirks viciously again. "Is that a challenge, khan?"

All mirth or joy fades from Dahkar. "No, Sadu, it's a promise. I have fought through some hellish things these past few moons, and I know that the worst of it is yet to come, and it's going to affect the entire world when it does. I take it you've heard about that large metallic tower that suddenly appeared off the southern coast of Yanxia? They're all over the world, and they're part of it. The Steppe is going to get caught up in this whether the people want to be or not, and I would rather my people fight what's coming together with all of the Alliance than risk being slaughtered and their culture gone. So yes, if I have to fight you to preserve that, I will. But I'd rather see to it that the Dotharl are in a place to help preserve it and maybe even guide it to a better future without leaving tradition behind entirely."

Shock appeared on Sadu's face. "....very well, I'll admit your suggestion has merit. I will not give you an answer now, however. I will need time to think on this, discuss it with the others."

"I expected no less."

"And I demand another battle with you as payment for even entertaining your presence!"

Dahkar rolled his eyes. "I expected that would be the case as well. You DO know that we're going to be interrupted, right? Magnai and Daidukul and whatever others he decides to bring with him are going to show up and whine about us not asking his permission or something along those lines."

Sadu's vicious smirk was on her face again. "I am counting on it!"

"You don't actually want to fight me at all. You want to fight at my side."

"More than one way for our souls to burn bright, khan."

#FFXIV 2021 Writing Challenge #Dahkar Darkspear #Final Fantasy XIV

[thebmatt]

“Wedge: “Here’s the truth: I kill the enemy so someone, somewhere—probably someone I’ve never met and never will meet—will be happy.” Cheriss: “That doesn’t make sense.” Wedge: “Yes, it does. I told you how I lost my parents. Nothing I ever do can make up for that loss. But if I put myself in the way of people just as bad as the ones who killed my family, if I burn them down, then someone else they would have hurt gets to stay happy. That’s the only honorable thing about my profession. It’s not the killing. It’s making the galaxy a little better.”

Star Wars: X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar

This excerpt has stuck with me for a very long time. It’s the attitude all of my characters tend to have with regards to how they deal with the enormous amount of death they have to deal out. 

For my Warriors of Light, Zenos’ constant needling about how they’re the same as him was met with a rejoinder similar to this, probably from Dahkar or Rheika. Franks spent far too long dishonorably taking lives in his old home, and Fearless....she needed to hear this to understand that it was a feeling she’d internalized. 

#Final Fantasy XIV #quotes #Rheika Aliapoh #Fearless Willow #oldmanfranks #Dahkar Darkspear