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As Sophie, Eoinin, Levviana, and G’intana left the Waking Sands, Thancred turned to Minfilia. “Minfilia, I hope you don’t mind, but I would also lead an investigation into Garlean activity in the Shroud. I don’t doubt that the Sylphs are acting in self-defense, but perhaps there may be something a lot worse afoot.”
Minfilia frowned, “You sense it too?”
Thancred shook his head, “Nothing so glamorous. It’s more of a hunch. I also figured it would be better if I remained an individual unit if I were to go along. I’m not as familiar with the Black Shroud as I am Thanalan—”
“Or La Noscea.” Minfilia added with a soft smile.
“Y-Yes, or La Noscea.” Thancred stuttered. Recomposing himself, he cleared his throat. “Ahem. R-Right. But I would be remiss if I didn’t at least try to better familiarize myself with the lay of the land.”
“If you find it prudent, Thancred, who am I to hold you back? It’s only thanks to your keen insight we’ve been able to achieve what we have so far.” Minfilia smiled again. “I trust your instinct, Thancred. It—and you have never steered us wrong.”
Thancred felt as though a knife twisted in his gut. This conflict was only temporary. It wouldn’t last. If all went to plan, it would be quick and done. Oh, but why did she have to say that and look at him like that?
“I’ll make my way to the Hawthorne Hut then.” Thancred gave a wave and stepped out of the Solar. Focusing his aether, Thancred let himself be swept away on the currents of the Lifestream and emerged safely at the Hawthorne Hut. Thancred gave a wave to the Woodwailers as he walked by, as he turned a corner, safely out of sight, he pressed his back to the stone and vanished into a rift of shadow. Of course, he couldn’t do this work in his normal clothes, so a quick and quiet incantation and Thancred emerged in the robes of an Ascian Overlord. He pulled the hood over his head, carefully pushing his hair out of the way as he put on the red mask of Lahabrea. It wouldn’t do for anyone to recognize him.
“After him!” Thancred looked up to see some Garleans chasing after what appeared to be the Sylph Elder.
“Get back here your floating cabbage!” Another yelled.
That got a bit of a laugh out of him. The Sylphs really could be described as floating cabbages, couldn’t they? No, no, he needed to focus. It seemed things were going to plan so far. And then the Elder made a sharp turn and dove into some crumbling ruins.
Thancred tensed. Toto-rak? Really?! He preferred that the Elder be captured, not killed. And there was no way in hell those idiots that were chasing the Sylph would be able to survive the hellscape. Too many poisons, plenty of monsters, and even more poisonous monsters. It was just asking for trouble.
Let’s see… where did you go…? Thancred traced the Elder’s aether to one of the outer rooms. Good, he didn’t go in too deep. Let’s just collect him and get going.
With a mere thought Thancred teleported himself into the room with the Sylph Elder.
“More of those ones?!” The Elder jumped in surprise. “No. This one has a most sinister aura.”
As much as Thancred wanted to be his usual easygoing self, he had an act to put on, lest anyone find out what he was up to. Best to let the others think he is just some evil shadowy figure or something. He twisted his voice into something cruel, raspy and smug. “You are the Elder of Little Solace, are you not?”
“And why should this one answer a sinister one?” The Elder puffed his chest defiantly.
Thancred felt his temper momentarily flare, but quickly reigned it back in. “I merely asked you a question. Is that any reason to show such hostility?”
“This one will not answer the sinister one! Sinister one has been touched by Darkness! Even touched ones know that those ones who have become tainted ones are not to be trusted!” The Sylph held his ground.
“Is that so?” Thancred was beginning to lose patience. “ngeshtug menzen shum gu zig dingir, menzen shu gi nga-nir ngal?” Thancred hissed under his breath.
“Sinister one will not take this one!” The Sylph Elder conjured an orb of lightning and fired it at Thancred, knocking off his mask. Not wasting a moment, the Sylph bolted past the slightly dazed Thancred. He was done playing nice.
“Contemptible creature…” Thancred snarled under his breath. Without even looking, Thancred called forth chains of aether, circling around the Sylph Elder and locking him in place. Thancred knelt down and collected his mask, carefully donning it once more. “I was planning on just holding you captive, but you’re clearly not going to sit still and behave.” Thancred dragged along the chained down Sylph, brushing past the vicious creatures, cowed by his very presence of suffocating darkness.
“id a shu-gur ning-ul-ak-ki.ene | dim ning-ul-ak-ki.ak bu Sylph armura.e kizrum.tene” Thancred wove the incantation, preparing to cast it once he brought the Sylph to the banemite’s nest.
“Wh-what is sinister one going to do with this one?!” The Sylph Elder demanded.
Thancred did not grace the elder with a reply. Instead, he tossed the Sylph into the air, finally casting that spell he had held. With a flick of his wrist, the webs tangled themselves around the elder.
“Come along, little ones. I’m sure you must be curious about the taste of the flesh of a Sylph〜.” Thancred hummed, but his amusement was cut short. He could feel that someone had entered the ruins. No. Not someone, four people. He delicately reached out aetherically, taking this moment to put the mask back on. He muttered a curse under his breath, recognizing the quartet’s aetheric signatures. How did G’intana, Levviana, and Sophie get here so quickly? No matter. Besides, I could use this to my advantage. I did take on this role to be an insider after all. Gods, I hate having to play both sides but if anyone can actually do it, it’s me. I have to do this.
“Aww… this is just vile!” Thancred heard a voice from outside the center chamber.
“It’s fine, Levvi. Besides, we have to help the elder!”
“We had best hurry then.”
Showtime, Thancred. Let’s see if they’ll buy this.
“Guys… who’s that?”
“I don’t know…”
“On your guard, Levviana.”
Thancred let out an amused laugh as he turned to face the quartet. “ne-gal.ene nam-shar.ene Ifrit.ak ne.ngen ni.ir” Thancred smirked as he saw the three new adventurers mutter among themselves. “mush-me dug ngeshtug | nam-al-dug-zu-e.e ubara, gu-shum | inim king sang keshed”
Switching back to Eorzean, Thancred couldn’t keep himself from smirking. “Mayhap I might if I deign to speak in my guest’s crude tongue. We meet at last.” He gave a small bow. The words came to him naturally. Maybe a bit too naturally. “I am Lahabrea of the Ascians, servant to the one true god. Yours are most fascinating tales. Truly absorbing. They are tales to tell Eorzea’s children before bedtime. And it’ll soon be dark, Bringers of Light. Yes… yours are most fascinating tales. Alas, like all good tales, they must needs come to an end. But fear not…”
Levviana drew her bow as the other two pulled out their tomes as Thancred charged a spell, “For the end of your tales are but the beginning of another… The tale of the Crystal’s demise!” He cast the spell upon a nearby banemite, enraging the creature as he filled it with wild darkness. The creature writhed as new strength filled its body. Thancred called upon the Darkness, summoning his glyph, filling the chamber with a suffocating dark aura. Eoinin bared her teeth at him and charged, but the empowered banemite jumped between him and the Viera Archon. With a quiet scoff of amusement, Thancred slipped away into the open rift of darkness.
Safely away from prying eyes, Thancred removed the mask, which dissolved into shadowy aether, and with a quick spell, changed his robes back into his own clothes. Time to get back to work. Well, Scion work.