Memoirs of a Revenant
A short collection of stories focused on the wandering Sellsword, Carrick, both in the present and far into a past he wishes not to remember.
Faded Memories
The Viatorem
Dreams of Today
Her
Within one of the Weary’s many rooms, Carrick sat on the edge of his bed. He had just returned from Mor Dhona where - with the help of Tayelle and Ramona - had learned much about his past. What his name supposedly was before he went into a coma. Just hearing it stirred memories from the depths of his soul, bombarding his mind with fragments of who he once was that he could not yet process fully.The Hyur held his helmet in his hands, staring down into its visor while deep in thought until his ears suddenly filled with the sound of laughter. It was sweet, almost song-like as it grew from a simple echo to seeming right in front of him. Jolting upright, Carrick’s eyes locked onto a woman dressed in red and gold armor with snow white hair, startlingly blue eyes, and a soft smile that seemed permanently stuck to her face. She looked at Carrick and tilted her head slightly, a few strands of hair falling to cover one eye.“Here we finally are, together again…” The words, spoken in such a sweet tone, put the hairs on the back of Carrick’s neck on edge.“W-who are you?” The man’s brow furrowed, in all of his memories he never remembered seeing this woman, but at the same time she seemed more familiar than everything else he had recalled so far.The woman’s smile turned upside down in a slight pout “Your memory really is gone, huh? I’m sorry to hear that… I was hoping you would remember everything by the time I got to see you again.” A sigh escaped her lips as she took a step closer to Carrick and lowered herself into a crouch to be more on eye level with him. “Long ago, when you were still whole, we were meant to be together - after our service to the throne was complete…”“That… That doesn’t…” Carrick’s words were lost to him, all he could do was stare at this woman’s face with wide eyes while an invisible hand clutched almost painfully at his heart.A sad expression crossed the woman’s face, if only briefly “I know that this is a lot…” She stood slowly and took a step back, her eyes glistening somewhat as she spoke “Please try to remember… For me…”As the final words left her mouth, the woman’s form faded into nothingness and Carrick was left staring blankly at the wall. He blinked, confused as his gaze shifted down toward his helmet to see the first tear roll down the intricate metal engravings.
Art by ChubyMi
then
The sounds of battle echoed throughout the fields of Mor Dhona. Ash and death clouded the sky, but not enough to hide the near blinding glow of the Empire’s great project, sheathing the moon Dalamund in a radiant orange light as it descended slowly closer to the ground. Within a rocky outcropping a squadron of Imperial Soldiers in deep red, engraved armor crouched and watched as a few hundred meters past where they lay in wait were the silhouetted figures of medics tending to wounded soldiers.The Eorzean Alliance had come to put a stop to the Empire’s grandiose plan and this particular unit had been given special orders, to circle around to the edge of the plains before the Alliance Forces arrived and wait to ambush them from behind and sow chaos amidst the ranks.Now it was time: seventy Imperial centurions from the House of Makaio all laid in hiding throughout this area where the medics and magick users were gathered. Carrick took in a deep breath before he spoke quietly into his helmet’s magitek communicator “Take no prisoners.”With one simple phrase, ten figures burst from their hiding place and charged in near silence toward the back of the field hospital with gunblades drawn and as they leapt over a small makeshift barricade the first explosion rang out. A cry of pain, the sound of a heavy weight hitting the ground. Suddenly shouts of surprise, panic, horror… The ground quaked as the soldiers of Eorzea fell to the Garlean Strike Force. It was only when the second enormous blade slammed into the ground within view of the field hospital that the fighting stopped and everyone’s gaze turned upward to see Dalamund growing brighter, cracks forming until suddenly the top of the moon erupted into a pair of wings - immense rocks began plummeting at extreme speeds down toward the battlefield, their impacts sending explosive waves through Eorzeans and Garleans alike. It took only moments, the entire battle turned to chaos, the field doctors began turning to flee only to be cut down by Centurions. This was all part of the plan, right?That was when the rest of the moon fell, shattering the earth as streaks of orange light torn asunder the rocks and dirt, bodies flew and cries filled the plains as a massive shadow passed over the fields of battle like death itself. Light enveloped everything briefly before suddenly there was darkness.Carrick bolted upright, looking around as he lay in his bed within the Weary. Drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, he looked down to the dagger he had grabbed in his sleep which he now gripped tightly to his chest. Shaky legs lifted the Hyur up and over to a small table on the other side of the room where a dark bottle, shaped almost like a gourd, sat beside a glass. ‘A gift from the Steppe…’ the brief thought interrupted the numb feeling in Carrick’s head as he uncorked the bottle to pour himself a glass.
Prelude
Midnight in Mor Dhona, a silhouette against the night sky as wings beat air over the more recently occupied Castrum. Carrick had been here once before, with the help of his friends Tayelle and Ramona they had managed to cut off the supply line of the Imperials, but that didn’t seem to have the fully desired effect since they were still here. Lucky for me, though not so much for Revenant’s Toll…He had been watching the Imperials for a few hours, waiting to see where their commander - a woman claiming to be his sister - would retire for the night. It wasn’t until darkness had fully fallen across the sky that he watched the armored figure disappear into a building that was separate from the larger structures of the Castrum's compound. With a slight shift of his calf, he signaled the Yol he rode on and the bird slipped into a dive straight for a rocky outcropping. At the last moment wings unfurled near silently to alight the mercenary silently out of sight. He left his greatsword tied to the bird's harness, instead opting for his long blade as he crept up to the edge of the cliff to look down for guards.A few patrols made their rounds, but none were near enough to notice him. He had given some thought of how he would approach this situation when he got here, but hadn’t reached a conclusion yet. So instead of something elaborate he simply made a running leap, grabbing onto a balcony that was near level with him before pulling himself up to knock on the door.Footsteps could be heard before the window opened and he found himself face to face with a Hyur woman. Shoulder length snow white hair framed pale skin and piercing blue eyes. “Brother… To what do I owe this… pleasure?” She spoke in a Garlean accent, stepping back from the door which allowed Carrick to enter so that the door could be shut behind him.He found himself in a large state room, sparsely decorated but clearly for an Officer of some sort. “I’m going to Garlemald.” He removed his helmet, raising a brow slightly as he spoke. “And I want you to take me there.”The woman crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. “I’m afraid that will be a tad difficult, Brother. Garlemald is in the midst of a civil war right now, traveling across it would be suicide by yourself.”“I just survived being sent somewhere no one will ever believe even exists, I think that I’ll be okay. If you won’t take me, show me where it is and I’ll go myself.”“Where is this… fervor coming from? Last we spoke you had no desire to have any sort of interaction with our family.”“Things change. I remember things I hadn’t before, and I need to see where I came from.” Carrick clenched his jaw. “In no way does this mean I’ll be returning to the Empire… But I won’t be able to rest until I know everything…”Raising her hands innocently, the woman nodded “Far be it from me to look a Gift Couerl in the mouth, I was just curious is all.” She smiled faintly “I hope that you find something that helps you, even if you don’t believe me.” She motioned for him to follow as she moved over to a table. Spread across that table was an enormous map of the world, all three continents painstakingly mapped out. The focus however was clearly Garlemald, a plethora of marks and small game pieces had been assorted across the lands the Empire was known to call their home.“These pieces represent the current or recent conflicts in Garlemald. I’ve been helping Father keep track of it all from here.” She then pointed to the far north eastern corner of the northern continent. “Here, this is where you’ll find what you seek.”“There? I suppose it could be worse…” He nodded, grasping his helmet as he looked over the map. “It shouldn’t be too difficult to skirt the edge of the land to bypass most of the fighting, right?”“Normally, but all of the fighting has driven much of the wildlife towards the coasts and away from their normal homes. They will be starving, scared, and think you look like a delicious meal.”“Hm… Well, I still prefer it to the alternative. Thank you.” Carrick offered a nod to the woman, pulling his helmet back down over his head and turning to step back toward the window.“Eh- Ah, Carrick. Please, wait a moment.” With a look over his shoulder the woman offered a small device that looked to be magitek “This will guide you to where you seek. Best of luck, don’t die. Even if you’ve come to hate us in your new life, you’re still my brother and I love you.”That made Carrick pause briefly “I… understand… Thank you.” He accepted the device before stepping back onto the balcony where he greeted the patiently waiting Yol on the nearby cliff. He quietly leapt back across the gap to mount the large avian before it unfurled its wings and with a strong upward gust went soaring once more into the air.
Left in the Cold
Taking the magitek gadget from his belt, Carrick stared down at the device. He still didn’t understand exactly how it worked, but it showed where his destination was as well as a marker that represented his location. On foot it was a day and a half travel if he didn’t stop, but he couldn’t just let Jubai carry him the whole way if he wanted a way back. He sighed inwardly as he slipped the device back into its pouch and hefted his bow. The sparse trees scattered along his sight line wouldn’t offer much cover to anyone, both a boon and a hindrance for him as he began his trek across the snowy landscape. Overhead he could clearly see the silhouette of his companion not too far away from him, after a moment the form dove down out of sight for a few breaths before rising into sight once more.As he traveled, Carrick watched for signs of battle or life. This close to the coast he didn’t really see a point in there being soldiers, but he was slowly making his way inland so he had to run into some at some point. It was as he was thinking this that he crested a small hill and spotted what looked to be a camp of some sort. Black metal contrasted with the snow as Carrick approached cautiously. There didn’t seem to be anyone occupying it, so he moved into the perimeter of some makeshift buildings. With a high pitched whistle, Jubai descended down into the camp and alighted on the ground.Once the bird had stopped huffing about the cold metal against his taloned feet, Carrick could make out a sound. It was faint, coming from one of the buildings. It sounded like… Music? He slung his bow around his shoulder and drew his longsword as he entered the building and approached the music; it was an eerie sound, echoing hauntingly through the metal box he now found himself in. One doorway led to an empty kitchenette while another opened up into a sort of common area. This is where the music came from, came too did the sight of bodies. Imperial soldiers from the looks of it, and a few civilians even. They all lay around a table, completely still with ice caking their forms. On the table was a box, a small box made of gray metal with a crystal inlaid at the back of it, this is where the music was coming from. Jubai had ducked his head into the structure to shield himself from the cold winds outside and now looked to Carrick, tilting his head curiously.Carrick turned to look at the scene before him again. The way these people had gathered around this device… Something must’ve caused it, he doubted people who were freezing to death would gather around whatever this was unless it was for a good reason… They weren’t going to need it anymore, so he picked it up to test how heavy it was and tied it to his belt “Come, Jubai. Break’s over.” He patted the Bird’s side, hearing a small huff in response as his companion backed out of the building and into the snow. As he stepped out, Carrick saw a silhouette in the snow, someone approaching. He couldn’t make out the details, but they had definitely seen him and were trying to make their way closer.The silhouette grew as it came closer, becoming clearer until finally Carrick could make out a lumbering suit of Magitek Armor barreling toward him. ‘Oh shit!’ was all the Mercenary managed to think before a barrage of energy pelted the snow around him. Instinctively he held his hand out and a rippling wall of aether protected him from the blasts. He quickly moved forward as the cannon ceased and leapt up to grab the seat of the pilot, grabbing them by the collar before yanking them violently out of the contraption and down to the snow below. With a swift move he dropped down from the Armor with a dagger, a hand pushed against his faceplate in futile resistance as he plunged the blade into the Garlean Soldier’s chest.A deep exhale left Carrick that he didn’t realize he had been holding in, he removed the blade and wiped it off on the corpse’s tabard before sheathing it again and standing up. He looked to Jubai who was watching him curiously, then the suit of Armor that he now had. “Well, that works… Jubai, go home. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt.” Carrick spoke a short phrase in Xaelic, the bird huffed in protest but did as it was told and took to the sky after stretching his wings out. Slowly, he climbed up into the armor and looked down at the controls. He didn’t really understand what he was looking at, but his body remembered better than he did and he turned the vehicle around to start heading north once more…
Footsteps on metal. Armored, by the sound of it maybe. They weren’t heavy enough to be someone his size; a woman’s then? Carrick stared idly up at the metal ceiling of his cell from where he lay in his cot. He had been ambushed on his approach to the Stronghold and woke up in a prison cell where he had spent the last day waiting for someone to acknowledge his existence. He’d been stripped of his weapons, but not his armor for some reason. Back to his current train of thought, however: The footsteps. They’d grown closer, stopping suddenly before the door slid open with a hiss. With a groan, Carrick swung his legs around and sat up to greet the guard that came in. Imperial with red armor and a black tabard, a male though - did they hit him in the head that hard? “Get up.”“What, no ‘good morning’?” The mercenary responded dryly as he stood and was ushered roughly from the cell. Outside was a woman, so he was right, dressed in officer’s armor. Both of the soldier’s faces were hidden by helmets, but he could feel their flat stares pointed at him as they silently escorted him down a hallway lined with cells, then another, and another until they reached what looked to be a room for the security detail. They passed through it however and continued on. After about five minutes of walking through narrow, empty corridors they finally passed through a pair of grand double doors into a main hall. Blood red carpet cut a path through sleek black metal from one end of the room to the other where a raised dais held a throne.With a rough shove forward after having his helmet forcibly removed, Carrick was sent stumbling into the room. With a look over his shoulder he continued walking forward while the two Garleans shut the door behind him. As he turned his head back to where he was walking he noticed a figure sitting on the throne. A Hyur Male with ice blue eyes, pale skin, and snow white hair with a singular gem-like eye in the center of their forehead meanwhile dressed fully in armor the same color as the carpeting that lead up to him. A cold stare came from the eyes that watched him approach, somehow an all too familiar feeling as Carrick drew closer. He couldn’t help a strong sense of deja vu.As he drew closer, the man on the throne leaned forward, elbows propped on knees and fingertips touched together to form a pyramid “I see, so she wasn’t lying…” A voice like gravel greeted him as the blue eyes narrowed. “Welcome home, son.”“I can’t say I feel overly welcome.” Carrick shot a glance back at the door that he figured his escort was still standing on the other side of. “You may think of me as your lost son, but that is not who I am.” His gaze turned back to his ‘father’ as his own eyes narrowed “I am Carrick. Your son died in Eorzea, lost all memories and gave way for me to awake instead.”“Hmm… I see… Well, then why would you make your way here? You were clearly intending to come to this stronghold or else you’d have turned back into the wastes days before you got here.”“Not all memories are lost forever, I’ve been remembering things. I want it to stop.” Carrick crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to stare down the figure ahead of him.“I see, well that is a shame. I was truly hoping that my son, Ehilr had survived. Yet you claim otherwise while you stand here in front of me. I take it that means you will not be returning to our ranks?” The calculating voice of his Father responded evenly as he leaned back slightly and sat up straight.“Correct. I’ve no intention of staying here, I’m not a Garlean anymore. I simply want closure so that I can continue with my life as it is.”“Very well… I will have to decide what to do with you then, coming into these walls and thinking I would simply let you leave was stupid. Though, your mother will surely rejoice at seeing you alive and… Well…” With a wave of his hand, the doors behind Carrick opened and the female soldier came in once more to grab him by the arm. “Take him to the private antechamber, don’t let him leave.”A salute came from the Soldier’s free arm before he was roughly pulled toward a door off to the side of the grand hall.
Mitsa, the Archer
Clouds gathered overhead, casting shadows over the ruined buildings of the colony of Sharlayan. The Illuminati had been stirring up trouble recently, and Mitsa had been assigned to keep an eye on them.The Seeker had nestled herself into a crevice that had formed in one of the larger domed buildings that looked over the majority of the abandoned colony. Her bow laid across her legs as she watched an Illuminati patrol pass through the area every handful of minutes. “Anything?” A voice through the linkpearl built into her helmet startled her. “Hells, Carrick… You can’t just start talkin’ outta nowhere. Nearly made me fall out my nest.” She shook her head and sighed “Nah, everythin’s fine. Why?”“Something doesn’t feel right, I guess.” The voice came back, all business as per usual. The Miqo’te had opened her mouth to retort when an explosion shook the building where she sat causing a few small bits of rubble to shake loose and fall. “Hold that, somethin’ just blew up… I’ll get back to ya in a few.” With fluid movements Mitsa was crouched on the edge of the building a few feet from where she had sat with her bow in one hand, an arrow nocked against the string and ready to be drawn. As she looked down over the ledge, a group of illuminati came running out shouting something in Gobbie Speech, she was never very good at understanding them… Her thought was interrupted as the metallic arm of one of their GobbieMechs came flying out of the building and took one of the small creatures with it. A creature larger than even her burst from the opening in the building, with skin the color of blood the bipedal monster charged toward the remaining Illuminati. Mitsa drew her bowstring back smoothly and loosed her arrow which whistled through the air before putting the mystery monster down just before it reached the Goblin. She stayed put for a moment to make sure no more monsters were appearing, but when she looked back the one she had shot was gone.Slinging her bow across her back she quickly scaled down the side of the building and jogged over to the cowering Goblin, her arrow lay harmlessly on the ground in front of it looking as if it hadn’t even been fired yet. “Hey, what the hell was that thing? Y’alright?” She knew that the Illuminati weren’t necessarily evil, that wasn’t the right term. Crazy? Sure, but they were still living creatures all the same. “Where’d that thing go?”The Goblin seemed too terrified to speak, trying to scramble away from her as a visible aura of what Mitsa could only describe as magic enveloped it, warping it in a matter of moments into a much larger red monstrosity. She backpedaled swiftly as the creature roared and began charging at her. She drew the sword from her hip and stepped into the charge, slashing up into the thing’s chest as a clawed fist slammed into her stomach and knocked the wind out of her as she bounced a few times from the force of the impact. A pained sucking of air managed to make it through her gritted teeth just in time for her to roll to the side as a red fist cracked the stone road beneath where she had just been. Bouncing to her feet she went to swing her blade only to realize that it wasn’t in her hand anymore, turning she sprinted away from the monster as one hand grabbed the bow from her back and swiftly nocked an arrow. Drawing the string back as she spun, the creature was directly behind her - impossible to miss this close, as she let her arrow loose and watched the new hole in its head grow until the entire creature dissolved into nothing.She took a few deep breaths, wincing at the intense pain that each breath caused. Moving to pick up her blade, she spoke into her linkpearl “Blood fuckers… They’re turnin’ into… I dunno, monsters! Strong too, I’m pretty banged up.” Her words were met by a deafening silence for a few moments, the only thing she could hear were explosions in the distance signifying that these weren’t the only beasts that had been unleashed. “Fall back to the city, we need to regroup. It’s happening here too.”“On my way…” Mitsa looked up at the walls of Idyllshire in the far distance and sheathed her blade, keeping her bow in one hand with an arrow in the other as she stalked through the city, offering a brief glance toward the sky which had begun to slowly take on a red hue. “By the Twelve…”
Carrick, the Arbiter
Shouts echoed through the streets of Idyllshire as the residents, Goblin or not, seemed in a panic. A handful of yalms from the Aetheryte Vestaria held one hand out, white Aether emanating from her palm as she furrowed her brow curiously “Hm… How strange…”. Beneath her palm was a red bipedal creature, tusks protruded from its mouth as it slobbered rabidly, trying to force its way up to its feet. It was trapped however, two figures pinned it to the ground; one wearing white and red armor with the other in white and blue “Anytime now, Mother…” Carrick’s voice strained as he pinned the monster’s arms to the ground - its legs pinned by his armored companion, an Elezen who seemed to be straining more than he was “Yes, please…This is difficult…”Stepping back, Vestaria stroked her chin and raised a brow “Very well, you can put it out of its misery now.” Before she could even finish her sentence Carrick had driven a dagger down into the creature’s forehead “These monsters… They have no Aether.” She began to explain “Well, I suppose that would be only partially correct… When I was trying to sense it, it almost felt like the thing was trying to consume my Aether. Like it was hungry, almost… Full of horror and despair.”“Neat. Does it die when I stab it?” Carrick watched as the monster dissipated and his dagger clattered to the stone below “Seems like it to me. So we kill them. Gather the Goblins and lead them to the embassy, try to keep them calm. Adrax, keep my Mother safe. I will rally the others and we will drive the monsters back.”“Yes, Arbiter. Don’t die.” The grizzled voice came through the slight modulation of their helmets as the Elezen stood and drew his battleax “I will follow you, my Erus.” A few Goblins remained cowering in the square around them, and Vestaria called out to them “Friends! Let us seek SafeShelter, follow me!” The Goblins hesitated, but one by one began to follow the robed Hyur and her bodyguard deeper into the city as Carrick held one hand up to the side of his helmet. “Everyone fall back to Idyllshire. Only engage if there is no other option, we still don’t know enough about these things. We will repel them here. Give me ETAs when you start moving, and Clara - seek out the Erus once you arrive, she may need your help.”Carrick let out a deep breath as the responses reverberated through his helmet. He could already tell that they had lost a few of their number just based on how few there were. There was no time to worry about that though, there were still monsters within the city. He could hear them up ahead in the central trading house as he approached. The door was ajar and he could see a pair of Goblins scrambling around as two of the red beasts tried to catch them. He drew his pistol as one of the smaller creatures was picked up by one the monsters and pulled the trigger. The Goblin thudded to the floor with a rough ‘’Psshkoh!” as the wind was knocked out of them. Carrick then sprinted in as the other monster looked toward where the thunderous sound had come from with his sword in one hand, planting his feet he twisted his hips and cleaved the blade through the things midsection as it disintegrated.The Goblins were very clearly terrified. The one that had been thrown to the floor was shaking as it tried to get up until Carrick stepped over to assist “Do not worry, friends. I can take you to more Goblins where you’ll be safe.” He looked between the two goblins who thought for a moment before shaking their heads “W-we have GobWalkers! In outskirts, will provide assistance!”The Hyur tilted his head “GobWalkers..? Like, from the Illuminati? That could be useful… You are both very brave, and I will do everything I can to help you. Stay calm and lead the way, I’ll protect you.” The Goblins nodded and walked over to the open door, peaking around the corner to make sure the coast was clear before quickly moving outside and down the street with Carrick close behind them.
The Conjurer and the Enforcer
Clara looked up at the blood red sky as she walked through the streets of Idyllshire. Her and the others she had been on patrol with had swiftly returned to the city upon hearing Carrick’s message and now he had organized somewhat of a defense, a pair of Goblin Mechs watched the bridges leading into the city and mowed down any beasts that approached before they had the chance to get too close. Now she found herself entering the small warehouse that served as the Viatorem’s staging area within the city, the ‘embassy’ Here she could hear the fearful chatter of many Goblins as she rounded the corner to see Adrax, the Elezen Battlemaster standing over the swiftly dissipating form of one of the strange monsters that now plagued the land. Vestaria, the leader of the Viatorem stood on one end of the room with her brow furrowed in focus. A Magic Circle took up the entire room and a soft glow came from it. Having learned magic from the woman, Clara knew she was casting a larger scale Cleanse so she swiftly moved over to stand beside her and take the staff from her back. With a deep breath she focused her Aether toward the red robed woman, she was trying to use the magic to help calm the Goblins down and that would surely drain her without assistance.Adrax let out a deep breath as he stood up, looking at the Goblins that stared at him in terror as he shouldered his ax “There is no need to fear, friends. We will protect you.” While still visibly shaken, that did seem to help somewhat as one of the Goblins nodded and spoke up “Viatorem are good UpLanders. many thankings for fighting RedOnes!”The Elezen nodded as he looked over the Goblins crowded together beneath the flags of the Viatorem: A silver fabric emblazoned with the angular head of a Wolf. “You have let us stay here with you, so we will protect you like our own tribe.” He had never been all that great at communicating with others, but Adrax at least knew that the Goblins tended to be more straightforward even if their words were strange at times which he appreciated. He could feel effects of the spell he stood in now, the blue aether particles that floated all around the room seemed to almost soothe him and the Goblins. He carefully stepped out of the circle and moved toward the door “I will watch outside for more Goblins. Let me know if anything happens here.”
Illya, The Machinist
Mitsa looked out across the bridge, there was no evidence of it but dozens of the monsters that the Goblins were calling ‘RedOnes’ had been slain here. One benefit to them disintegrating, she supposed. “Oi, Arbiter! When’s this shit gonna be over? I wanna sleep!” Behind her at the end of the bridge, Carrick was currently talking with one of the Goblins, assisting them with fixing the GobWalkers that they had found.“That’s too bad, Mitsa. You can sleep when the sky isn’t red anymore.” He called back from where he crouched, leaning back he gave a thumbs up and the Goblin tested something, rotating the mounted cannon from side to side before nodding vigorously. Footsteps drew Mitsa’s eyes as one of the RedOnes crested the bridge and began rushing down its length. Before she could grab an arrow to ready her bow, a crack echoed from the top of the wall and the creature disappeared. From above, a black gauntlet gave a wave “Got ‘em!”They had recently recruited their first new non-Garlean recruit, a Machinist from Ishgard that seemed a little too eager to shoot things… But damn did that rifle come in handy at times like this “No fair, Illya! You have to give me a chance to get an arrow out!”“No I don’t, that’s why guns are better than your silly little bow and arrow!” The retort came with a mad cackle.“You two are like children…” Carrick sighed a bit and clapped the dirt off of his hands from the GobWalker before beginning to walk back toward the city. “I’m going to check on the other side, keep your eyes peeled here. This can’t go on forever…”After a minute, Mitsa looked over to see Illya lie down on the ground next to where she had crouched and propped her long rifle up on a bipod before looking over at her “So, Mitsa. You’ve been here a lot longer than me obviously… Is the Arbiter always so serious? And is this kinda crazy stuff your normal work!?” Her armor color had not yet been decided, so for now black replaced whatever color the Elezen would eventually choose.“Well, yes and no… Normally we just travel aroun’ Eorzea to help people we meet. Spread a good name for Garleans an’ all that’... For big problems though we get together like this, ya.” Mitsa nodded and tapped a finger on the haft of her arrow idly. She looked over to see another group of the RedOnes slowly approaching onto the bridge. As they spotted the GobWalker parked on one end they let off a roar and she sighed “Alrigh’, newbie. I bet I’ll kill more by th’ end o’ day than you!”
Vestaria, the Erus
It had been a few days since the RedOnes first appeared and the sky turned the color of blood. With much time and assistance from the Viatorem’s few Aetherically inclined individuals, a ward had been placed around the city to help keep the inhabitants calm and prevent any random transformations. This large concentration of Aether was sure to draw more of them toward the city, however. Vestaria stood facing the entrance of the city that would lead out to the bridges that Carrick and the others defended “Adrax, please go and relieve Carrick for a little bit - I’d like to check on him.” She looked over at the Elezen armored in red, the man that had stood as her guard for many years now and mentored her son in the ways of battle. With a quiet bow, the imposing figure began making his way toward the city gate.“You wished to see me, mother?” She watched as her son had approached with a critical gaze, despite his typical stoicism she could see that he was tired. With her arms crossed impatiently across her torso she nodded.“Indeed I did. When was the last time you slept? Or eaten? You’re going to collapse if you don’t take a break.” Her tone was slightly exasperated as she fussed over the man. “I understand you want to take care of the others but you have to take care of yourself as well.” She stepped over to Carrick as he got closer and began brushing dust and soot from his armor as best she could.“I know, mother… Apologies… This is a trying time, I know that I can last longer than most of them without a break, so I need to make sure that they are ready when the time comes.” He shifted his weight back onto one foot idly and crossed his arms as he was fussed over by his mother just like when he was a child.“That may be the case but sti-” Vestaria was cut off as the ground shook briefly and a roar sent a shiver up her spine. It echoed through the city, significantly louder than the rest of the ones heard recently. She looked toward the gate to see a RedOne standing there, only a single one. It was significantly larger than any of the others they had seen - its had to lean down and turn to the side to fit through the immense archway, even through her ward the negative aura cascading off of the creature weighed heavily on her. With a deep breath she steadied herself enough not to worry and drew the staff from her back “Carrick, please occupy the beast while I prepare…”Carrick had turned and drawn his sword, before his mother even said anything he was sprinting to engage the beast. He was barely as tall as the thing’s foot but he would do what he could. The faint shadow of a hand loomed over him for a moment which he dove to the side to avoid moments before a painful roar shook the earth. Looking up, Adrax had come from his bridge and buried his battleax into the RedOnes heel. Carrick took the opening to quickly advance toward the beast with and dig his blade deep into its ankle, causing another roar as one foot kicked backwards to send the Elezen flying, too large to avoid at this distance.Vestaria had focused on gathering her Aether. Thanks to the others who had helped create the ward, she still had a good reserve left and just needed to collect it all quickly. The crystal in her staff hummed with power and had begun to glow bright as she opened her eyes, the blue now softly glowing as Aether coursed through her like a raging tide and she extended her staff “Solis Ruptis!” An immense gathering of fire aspected aether flew from her staff. A beam of power roared in blue, purple, and orange as it struck the RedOne and staggered it back. After a few moments when the beam had dissipated, along with most of her Aether, the monster had a significantly large hole in its chest that quickly grew until the beast had dissolved completely. Completely exhausted, Vestaria’s staff clattered to the ground as she collapsed.Carrick stumbled back as he felt the intense heat of the magic rushing over him and stared in awe as the massive beast died in just a few moments. He looked over at his Mother, the source of the attack, to see her collapsed on the ground. “Adrax, get her to safety - I need to check on the others!” He hefted his blade and turned to sprint down the bridge that the thing had supposedly come from since the Elezen was still alive, finally pushing himself up off the ground from where he had landed.As Carrick rushed out onto the bridge, he didn’t see anyone at first. The GobWalker was gone, all that remained was a flattened hunk of metal. Then he saw a helmet, orange and white with a shattered visor - he knew who it belonged to and slowed as he reached it. Kneeling down, the Garlean let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a brief moment before standing and heading back toward the city, the broken piece of armor dangling from his fingertips.
A Night Stroll
Carrick stepped out into the brisk Ishgardian air. The moon had already begun to sink behind the clouds as a faint snow filtered through the visor of his helmet. His thoughts drifted as he began walking away from the apartment complex. Memories of a woman with white hair dressed in dazzling red armor, she smiled at him warmly before a flurry of snow caused the image to dissipate. As he continued to walk toward the exit of the ward he felt something brush his shoulder. In his peripheral vision he could see the tip of a hat, another Hyur woman with black hair this time stared up at him with a doe-eyed smile “Things aren’t so bad, Carver…” One hand reached up to gently cup the side of his helmeted head, instinctively he leaned into it as the woman dissipated from his vision.Carver. A name he had gone by long ago, before he had remembered his real name. He looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers for a moment before looking back up at the window he knew belonged to his apartment. Koyi’s words rolled around inside his head as he watched the window for a moment: The strange circumstances that returned her flute to her… What could be the cause of it all? He didn’t know, and it bothered him. It was his duty to protect the members of the Guard, to hear their problems and put an end to them so that they might enjoy whatever peace they could find. A small sigh escaped him as he looked out over the snow covered Empyreum thoughtfully “The small things…” Carrick murmured to himself, the small things made the biggest difference sometimes. All he could do was hope that this counted among those things as he made his way toward the Guardian’s Estate, enjoying the silence brought about by the hours just before dawn.