#astraladvent

The scout reported that there was only one person at the the Spinner’s Shears base, Everret Black. Jessie Wildflower figured that they would only have a short window of them assassins recovering from losing a number of them to the fight in South Thanalan and got the Agents mobilized swiftly. Once they were near the base in Outer La Noscea, Jessie, the scout, and Suwan remained near the exit of the valley to act as lookouts for any returning Spinner’s Shears.

Berrod lead the group to the small hovel where Everret Black, battered and broken, rested. The Assassin that had helped take down the Golden Dawn and almost spelled the end for the Astral Agents certainly did not look like he was in any shape to fight. The Spirit of Murder’s vessel rested on rock next to him. Erioch charged after the blade, while Cerina aimed for the man himself.

Unfortunately, Everret Black drank a vial of dragonblood, and being a descendant of the first houses of Ishgard, likely an infidelity that crossed a great number of generations, he transformed into a rather large black and red dragon serpent. His levin attacks proved dangerous even with the support of Geofri and Reks’ attempts to shield and cleanse.

What was far more dangerous, was the knife itself. With Everret’s transformation came a choking cloud of aether that blinded Erioch while he tried to grab the knife. The result was him cutting himself on its edge. It was a tiny wound, but even then Erioch found his body lunging toward Berrod intent on killing him. Cerina and Berrod, himself, were able to mitigate any major harm to him, but he was just a slaved to the will of the weapon with the scratch. He seized it and charged after Louma’li.

The Miqo’te, fortunately, was able to disarm Berrod and seize the weapon within warding magicks, just in time for Everret, in dragon form, to cause serious damage to the Agents. Lightning fried Reks, Lou, and Berrod, while Cerina attempted to kill the beast before it could crush Erioch in its jaws.

In the end, the combined effort of the Agents resulted in Everret Black returning to hyur form in two pieces and the vessel of Satsujin no Seishin safely in several layers of wards to be transported. Berrod and the tactical team were forced to retreat back to the Advent Hall when Satsujin no Seishin and the remaining Spinner’s Shears were spotted by Jessie and Suwan.

Once all were safely returned to Advent Hall, Jessie Wildflower took the knife and began to try to figure out how they would murder the very Spirit of Murder.

At first was a meeting where she introduced herself and introduced a good number of the newer members to the threat that was the Spinner’s Shears. While discussing the matter, Ciel mentioned that the spirits that the Yuki Clan had been having the Astral Advent hunt down could possibly be responsible for the murders as well, as the last one was the “Spirit of Murder.” Jessie was unsure about the suggestion, not being involved with the previous jobs. In the end, the present Agents agreed to help Jessie investigate the three locations that Spinner’s Shears’ activity had occurred.

Berrod, Ciel, and Reks join Jessie in going to Aleport to investigate the two murders there. They met on the dock and quickly made their way to the building that both occurred in. Berrod took watch just in case the assassins returned while Ciel and Jessie examined the scene. Reks took it upon himself to aethericly examine the scene. Just as Reks had come to the conclusion that the assassins were no strangers to this place and Ciel and Jessie determined the second murder did not take place in the room, but rather the body was brought there, Berrod was attacked.

A Spinner’s Shear posing as a Yellow Jacket shivved his side and was about to finish him off when Ciel interceded. Jessie and Reks quickly worked to bring Berrod into the room and tend to his wounds while Ciel faced off with the assassin. Quick as he was, he was unable to take out the elezen as easily. He shot her through the shoulder, but her aim was far more precise, his heart. However, before he could perish, the assassin, called out “For Mother” and slit his own throat. Instead of bleeding out, red aether flowed out and disappeared into the sky. The Agents elected to teleport away before any more could arrive and to tend to their wounds.

A few suns later Jessie met up with Akhutai, Aoki, and Louma’li at The Gold Saucer. This time a murder had just occurred a bell before their arrive, the third at the Gold Saucer. Jessie was held up answering questions by the local security while the other three traveled to investigate the fresh murder scene. Akhutai took up the role of bruiser and look out after the first group was attacked on their mission. Louma’li and Aoki examined the body, but it was not very long until they had an unexpected visitor.

The entire room froze in place as a veiled visitor joined them at the body. She called it and offering and art. Naturally, that caused immediate questions about who she was. She introduced herself as Mother Nymeia or as they would more likely know her Satsujin no Seishin, Spirit of Murder. The three were immediately put on edge, but the woman was quite calm and forthcoming. The Spinner’s Shears were really a cult created hundreds of years ago worshiping her and now that she has returned they began to start offering murders once again. Aoki pressed her for a way for her to return to slumber and end all the pointless killing, but the spirit laughed and expressed that she had no desire to slumber until hundreds had been offered to her. However, the Agents could avoid being victims of the random killing if they promised to leave her children alone. Aoki express it was not her place to make that decision, and the spirit left. Jessie believe it was something higher ups would need to decide and told the group to return home.

Finally, in Ishgard, Autgar, Gideon, and Geofri found Jessie in the Forgotten Knight. She was quick to fill them in on what occured in the Gold Saucer. Jessie made it very clear if they continued the investigation likely it would be considered saying no to the deal. All the parties agreed to continue even if it meant risking the company. The death of hundreds was not a weight any of them wanted to have to bear.

Their investigation led them down into the Brume, but unlike the other two groups, thanks to the sharp eyes of Geofri they caught two Spinner’s in the act of attempting to create another offering to their “mother.” It was a short brawl between a child assassin with knives and a monk. Jessie worked with Gideon in stabilizing the victim and Geofri and Autgar engaged the assassins. After a few injuries on both side the Elezen Assassin called to the child that they failed and slit his throat just like the one Berrod, Reks, and Ciel encountered. The child was about to do the same when Autgar and Geofri subdued her and took her captive. An odd tomestone was dropped that later was discovered to be map to the Spinner’s Shears base.

With the three investigations completed Jessie Wildflower decided she would speak to the Yuki Clan when they came by for a update meeting on the job. The Spinner’s Shears and the Satsujin no Seishin were connected so it was time she joined in the investigation. A large number of Agents showed up, but their guests were quite late. She took the time to update the entire group on each groups findings, but still the Yuki Clan was missing.

Berrod received an SOS from Yukino, Norowareta Yuki’s retainer, about how the Yuki Airship was shot down, and they were under attack in Southern Thanalan. The Astral Advent jumped into action assuming it was the Spinner’s Shears. Jessie remained at the company house to serve as guard as Berrod, Aoki, Autgar, Reks, Martin, Suwan, T’dras, Tiergan, Geofri, and Crooked made their way to the dunes of southern Thanalan.

The Yuki airship had crashed, taken down by a Dragoon: Everret Black. The very same Spinner’s Shear who had been hired by Iron Jaw during the fall of Astral Agents. He and several other Spinner’s had already killed a large number of the crew by the time the Astral Advent arrived to provide assistance.

Geofri and Suwan quickly engaged the mages of the Spinner’s, Autgar and T’dras went after two knife wielding assassins, and Tiergan engaged a rather large man with a great sword. Berrod, Reks, Crooked remained as support while Martin tried to shoot the dragoon before he vanished into the sky.

The battle was push and pull as the knife assassins vanished and Everret kept launching into the air and out of sight. Reks suffered the most as assassin after assassin stabbed him and even Everret took a chance on impaling the Miqo’te. Tiergan kept the hulk occupied even as it came back to life. Martin and Crooked helped as they could while T’dras, Suwan, and Geofri took down the Black Mage.

The second mage worked on retrieving some object the Spinner’s Shears were after, and even as he was railed on by spell, fist, and round succeeded before killing himself. One by one each of the Spinner’s Shears were taken down by the Agents until the second mage retrieved a knife. Once the knife was retrieved Everret Black retreated, leaving the wrecked airship, bodies, and survivors being tended to by Aoki.

Lord Norowareta stepped out of the wreckage and tended to the dead men and women of his crew, eventually asking Suwan to teleport the bodies somewhere where he could get things arranged to take them back to Hingashi. Berrod, Autgar, and Aoki filled the Hingan lord as to why they were attacked and who the Spinner’s Shears were.

In the end, Norowareta charged the Astral Advent to kill Satsujin no Seishin by retrieving the knife, her vessel, from the Spinner’s Shear and stabbing her with it. Rather than sending the Spirit of Murder to slumber…. The Agents would need to murder her.

At first I watched my younger brother parade around as a golden pig eager for treasure and wealth. He took some mortals of a company known as Astral Advent around on several mad jumps throughout Eorzea. Takara no Hako was quite fond of these mortals, giving them loving nicknames and showering them in wealth. The Yuki Clan, those who failed to guard our slumber, had hired the ‘agents’ to help return my brother to slumber, but as I watched they were too kindhearted and let him go mad and turn his lust for treasure into greed.

Once my brother had fallen to his fault, it was my responsibility to intercede on his behalf. I took the Astral Advent to battle and judged their merit. These mortals proved to be acceptable fighters and embodied the drive for battle. When my brother came to his senses to return to his slumber I saw in them as chance for a glorious battle to carry on in my own. However, the Pauper’s Lode in Gyr Abania was far from a good site. It was one of failure… not glory in combat. I gave the Astral Advent my challenge and headed east, back toward my birthplace.

In my travel over the Ruby Sea the howling of a soul desperate for battle caught my ears. Beneath the waves I found the soul of a Garlean soldier deprived of her desire to die gloriously in war. Vanas Kir Titus perished along with the rest of a garlean vessel’s crew on their way to reinforce their comrades in Doma. Their airship was shot down and all aboard and all their magitek found early graves upon the sandy ocean floor.

Unlike her fellow soldiers, her spirit clung to this world unwilling to accept a death were she did not have a chance to fight. A heart such as that cannot be denied and I granted her the means to seek that fight. I bound her soul to the rusted remains of a large magitek reaper and granted her power to carry out her longing. It did not take long for her to begin sinking ship after ship crossing the Ruby Sea. It was a challenge. It was a battle-cry. I knew it was only a matter of time before the sullen soul would find battle once more.

I had not expected it would be the Astral Advent by chance to be the ones who were sent to answer her challenge. Joy for the reunion filled me, and it took patience only normally reserved for my brother to not jump into the fray of men and women. However, the Ruby Sea did not possess the spirit of war I needed to find that battle to offer me pleasant dreams in my slumber. Still, I could not resist testing these mortals. I sent four to battle Vanas Kir Titus’s soul directly while the rest fought her weapon. It was a glorious fight of blood and bone. Many of the Agents nearly fell to the uncompromising will of the Garlean, but in the end in a brilliant explosion of violence and fire, both spirit and body fell silent. Vanas Kir Titus accomplished her desire to fall in battle. Once again, I issued my challenge to the Astral Advent and returned to my journey.

The Azim Steppe…. My birthplace. Here battle and violence was born in this world and here words are second to feats of strength. Here the blood of warriors watered the earth for grass and beasts, which fed each new generation. Here is where I could find a battle worthy enough to slumber once more. The Au Ra, sadly proved far too weak for that. I had hoped to challenge the Sun but the man refused as he did not recognize me as a warrior of the Steppe. The arrogance of such a child was almost amusing, but I remembered how a warrior is born and made my way to Bardam’s Mettle.

Regardless of their failures, the Yuki Clan has ever been shrewd. They could not meet me in battle due to their failure, but since they had discovered the Astral Advent had become entangled with my brother and sister, they once again sought their aid. According to Takara no Hako the Yuki Clan’s blade himself, brother of the head of the family, traveled to the Advent Hall to ask them to meet me in battle and offer them what aid he could. My vessel… my old armor…  He offered it to them as a tool to help bring me down. Those terrible drums… those drums that beat the rhythm of the death of war he gave as weapons against me. Though, I suppose without them the mortals would not have had a chance. 

Finally, the Astral Advent’s answer to my challenge would be answered.

I forgot… mortals cannot travel so quickly. While I waited, I defeated Bardam’s challenge a hundred times and eventually even the gates would no longer open for me. The Sun would be nothing more than a dying ember if I challenged him, and so I waited. I waited. I waited.

The moment the Astral Advent stepped foot upon the blood fed soil of the Azim Steppe, I could feel my heart beat again. Soon I would have a new vivid dream to keep my slumber steady. I could not help but call out to them and let the very mountains know blood would feed the land once more on that night.

Mortals take a while to get places though.

FINALLY they arrived, with their weapons, their anger, and their lust for battle. I could taste it. I could feel it. I COULD HEAR IT. Their hearts beating in readiness to have steel meet steel, bone break bone, and blood mix with blood as it fed the land. The fire was so tempting I ignored the drummers and the fool with my vessel.

In a ball of fury and feathers my steed and I crashed into the Agents and scattered them like birds. One was defeated on the spot, but the rest quickly took to striking my steed down. Clever mortals, but it did not save them. My fist and my club sang the bloody song of war… until those damn drums.

Their songs were poison to me. The death of war. The death of me. I even tried to kill the drummers, but the damnable Ticklestrong sang his own homeland’s song of battle to strengthen his allies and they stopped my rage. Despite the coward’s song they fought hard and bled me just as I bled them. Lightning, ice, water, fire, blade, fist, ax, fang, and bullet rang against my armour and soul. No doubt they believed the battle was in their favor, but only a fool believes you fight for an end of battle. Their foolishness led to their fall, as one by one I brought them to their knees and crushed their bones. Even an accursed drum fell to my spirit. Then there I stood, victor over all. It was not enough.

I would take my vessel and seek out another battle. The Astral Advent had their chance and now they could wallow in their defeat and blood just as the Yuki Clan. A fool believes a battle is over with their foes fallen. I was a fool.

Mortals are a curious type. Stupid enough to seek peace so they can ‘relax,’ but stubborn enough to continue fighting when they have lost the battle. In what could only be called an child’s desperate flailing, wind, ax, fist, and blade tried to stop me from taking my vessel. I lost an arm and much of my armor… but it was the fangs that stopped me,

No mortal weapon brought me down, but the fangs of an war dog. An animal. It is no surprise. Animals understand the instinctual need for conflict that mortals fight so hard to prevent. I claimed the animal as my own. Though I cannot rob him of his battles in this life… so I shall wait. When his body gives out, he shall join me in my slumber and dreams.

It was a quiet end. But the battle the Astral Advent gave me shall be a vivid dream that shall keep me dreaming until it fades and I stir to find a new battle. Though all who met me in the field of blood fed grass shall long since passed… by time or by my sister.

When Sarij Rahzersyn arrived at the Eorzean command base, the Maelstrom immediately separated him even from the rest of the members of the Astral Advent. With what history that weighed upon the Seawolf’s shoulders, the man was not permitted near any detachment of alliance soldiers. No protest was made to their declaration, wars cannot be fought if hate and fear are pointed inward. However, a sword was a sword, and a body was a body. Sarij received the assignment to serve as flank guard along paths where large detachments of soldiers could not traverse but the threat of special strike teams remained.

And now, Sarij sat on the rubble of a near constant battlefield. It was quiet, there were no gasps of the last breath of life from the bodies that littered the dirt and dust around him. There was no suffering, he had made sure of it. Enemies they have been, but beyond the visage of Garlean armor and ideals, a soldier in war did not deserve pain if they were to die. Those who lived carried the weight of war until they found peace in death alongside those who did not survive. War was different than battle.

“Well, aren’t you just the sour sight.” A familiar voice broke the silence looming over the mass grave. A young woman dressed in a flowery yellow sundress with matching large brimmed hat that concealed her face stepped over a fallen Garlean swordsman.

Sarij did not need to lift the visor of his helm to peer over to the woman. Like the rest of his armor, his helmet was scarred and missing large chunks. The face mask was all but destroyed, but served its purpose as instead of losing an eye he merely was half blind by blood soaking his skin and eyebrow. Even his great-sword was marred from battle. Whatever edge it had was of no use and it had lost around five ilms, not that it was going to be used anymore. The remains of the weapon was driven deep into the carcass of a magitek machine.

“Maddie.” The Roegadyn muttered through his exhaustion.

“Shouldn’t you be bathing in the well fought victory of defeating the mighty army of Garleans intent on bringing Eorzea under their heel and repeat what happened in Ala Mhigo over the entire continent?” Her bright voice contrasted oddly against grisly scene and ash filled air.

“I did nothing.” Sarij grumbled as he tried to stand, only to find his feet still not ready to carry a battered body. “There was nothing glorious in this. It was just killing. Each side throwing bodies at each other, bleeding each of forces and morale. No one gained anything. And…. this.” He motioned to the corpses at his feet and scattered around the small clearing. “Was meaningless, just death. I am not a fool, I was meant to be fodder to feed the battlefield as well.”

“Killing, it is what Blutvyse does best, isn’t it.” She did a small twirl as she continued to stroll around the fallen garleans. At one in particular she knelt down and tipped his head so that he was no longer face down, but instead the empty eyes were pointed directly at Sarij. “If there was no one to kill these men, they would have killed others. Doesn’t that make killing them a good thing?”

“No amount of killing fer a good cause can be called a good or noble thing.” Sarij growled and averted his eyes from meeting the corpse’s gaze. His arms crossed in almost childish annoyance at the woman talking to him.

“I wonder if Fari Aan Tolis is comforted to hear that his killer understands the sins of murder? Not that he can hear anymore.” She laughed and Sarij’s gaze shifted to look at the fallen man by her. “Fari Aan Tolis never had met an Eorzean before, his homeland was annexed so long ago but his grandfather refused to fight for the Garleans, and his father was injured in his youth so he could not. Fari, however, decided he would serve in the military to get citizenship for him and his family. Fifteen years he served keeping the dream of getting a better life for his wife and son and get proper care for his father. Pity instead he died face first in the dirt to be nameless and forgotten. His family likely will only ever get told he is dead moons later if ever at all.”

Beneath the blood and armor, Sarij’s body crumpled under those words and nearly meekly he spoke. “I can dig him a grave and try tah find something tah sen….”

“Naltia Aan Fogi.” Maddie cut Sarij off as she moved over to another corpse. This one was a Miqo’te woman. “Or once named N’ati Nurbai. She was captured in Eorzea some time ago and conscripted into the army. She was so scared she would see someone she knew when she saw the Eorzean forces. Instead of a familiar face that would pain her, she saw a monster cutting down her companions, a new fear gripped her in her last moments as that terrible glowing blade ripped through her armor. Her last thought wasn’t of home or anything peaceful. It merely was: Maybe we are savages after all.”

This time Sarij could not even manage a mere word. His neck grew weak and his head found the sight of the ground more comforting that watching the woman in the yellow dress walk over to two more corpses. These two had been decapitated and she picked both heads up and held them up to Sarij’s slouched form.

“Garus Oen Taso and Jenna Kir Taso. Husband and wife.” Maddie just dropped the heads at the Roegadyn’s feet. “I wouldn’t feel too bad about them. They planned to find the first temple to one of the Twelve and set it on fire with any priests or worshipers inside. The first one probably would have been one to Rhalgr. I am sure Redhammer will sing your praises for protecting his beliefs.”

She turned away to go find another corpse, but paused to glance over her shoulder. The yellow hat still concealed her face. “Oh, they had three children Mary, James, and Victor. Two of them are still sleeping in cribs and the third is reading his first books on engineering and the nanny helping him sound out the bigger words. I wonder what will happen to them… I wonder what they will do knowing their beloved parents were cut down by an Eorzean savage.”

Maddie turned completely around and stepped close to Sarij, even with him sitting her face was directly up against his. “I wonder if in coming turns it will be their turn to lay down in their own blood and gore, cut down by another Eorzean savage just like their parents. Or who knows… you are a stubborn one. It might be you helping them join their parents.”

“Why… are ya doing this?” The Roegadyn choked. “This is war.”

“Yes this is war, a war that needs adventurers and soldiers. Men who are motivated by greed, thrill of battle, and so willing to kill. So many of them so willing to kill for revenge, for country, and for ideology. It does not matter which side.” Her hand lifted to cup the marred chin of his armor. “However, dear dear Blutvyse you are a sinner who has killed for nothing. How many justified murders will you need to do to redeem the innocent souls who parted from this world by terrible hand.”

“I can… No…” Sarij fumbled for words. His armored form trembled as Maddie pressed a finger against where his lips would be to silence him.

“You could bring the entire empire to its knees, kill the emperor himself, and end the war, saving millions of lives, but you would still not be redeemed.” Her voice was low. “You are a murderer with no redemption Blutvyse, but at the same time for you to die would be an injustice to all those you have killed. You must live on with this guilt, ever adding on to it with the lives you take regardless of how justified you are. The guilt is your eternal punishment and the desire to attone but knowing you never can is your power.”

By the time Maddie had finished Sarij nearly had curled up into a ball. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, and the armored face was buried in his knees.

“Now, go home to the Berrod, the man who accomplished what you cannot. Remember as you hold him, every man and woman at your feet here was robbed from holding their loved ones by your terrible hand. Hold on to that guilt. Remember that you must live and continue else it is an injustice to those you have killed. They must be remembered and weigh on your heart… it is best someone such as you can ever do.”  The woman slipped away from the curled up Seawolf. An unnatural wind wrapped the area as she stepped toward the middle of the bodies. Bit by bit her form started to fade into red and black aether until finally the yellow dressed woman entirely vanished.

“Remember your sins. Remember your guilt.” Maddie’s voice called once more through the air.

There was silence once more for a few minutes. Then there were quiet sobs, and then there was Sarij Rahzersyn weeping into his knees alone inside the open grave of men and women he had killed.