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displacedarchon · 2 years

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(Woo! Chap 5 refreshed and reposted.)

When one’s attention is so focused on the present moment, it feels like the rest of the world comes to pause, does it not? What a funny sort of magic played on a person’s mind! Though of course, nothing has truly frozen, and the world is going on with or without you. But wouldn’t it be nice, if everything and everyone stagnated while you got your affairs in order? Perhaps some strong time magic could do the trick but as well all know, such magic is ill-suited for problem solving. Even so, if asked Himi would insist this sort of power would certainly be a boon rather than a complication. Unfortunately for her, even though the narration is wont to follow her around, she couldn’t send the rest of the star and her people into a frozen stasis until they were required to grace the stage once more. Pity! So while she gallivanted through the dusty Thanalan desert with Thancred in search of a missing Sultana- Oh don’t look at me so, if you’re here you know who Lilira truly is- Limsa Lominsa became the unwitting host of a most disagreeable guest.

Captain Ffion had returned to the city, exhausted right down to her pastel hued soul from a grueling and fruitless excursion, short as it was. An unexpected storm had caught them off guard; quite possibly magic in nature but they did not stick around to find out. No lives lost, thankfully, but her ship was forced to return to port for repairs. Death had been lazy that day, the crew rejoiced that day when they all survived; death had been lazy and so they all lived. The warm cheers from days earlier still echoed in her breast as she casually made her way down the dock. A warmth, that was sucked from her bosom as she passed by a tall, fancily dressed Viera with fur black as a starless night, and eyes that burned a ruby-red. As the sharp chill struck her soul, for the briefest of moments she thought she smelled poppies. Death had been lazy that day, but not this day.

She halted at the end of the dock; the only ship that man could have been walking towards was hers. Ffion’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to run as fast as she could back to her vessel. But no one outruns death; not forever. By the time she clambered onto the deck it was too late. Her entire crew were dead where they’d stood, sat, or slept. She tilted her hat over her face for a moment to catch her breath, cursing internally and wondering what they’d done to anger the Twelve, if this were their doing.

The Viera stood at the bow of her ship, watching the constellations with a wistful gaze as they inched across the star speckled sky. Ffion drew her pistol and took aim; he gave her a cursory glance before returning his attention to the stars.

“How quickly the vessel fails the sharded soul, when the sun is not dancing across the sky. I pity those who cross my crew at night.” He mused.

His crew? What a curious thing to say, she pondered. Despite the unworldly aura, was he simply a rotten code-breaker? Normally, such matters would be handled by others but... he was right there, and she had already drawn her weapon.

“Go monologue to Nald’Thal, since yer so keen on pleasin’ him!” She growled, discharging her weapon. The shot ended the night’s silence, but still failed to hit its mark, somehow. She was absolutely certain she hadn’t missed. He didn’t give her a second chance to fire as he stepped into a swirl of darkness, vanishing from sight. Ffion cursed loudly, holstering her pistol. That shot would surely attract the attention of the Yellow Jackets, and there was someone she wanted to get to before they could bog her down with questions she didn’t have the answers to.

“Bloody code breaker, is what he is!” She slammed her fist on the table in the Rogue’s hall. Despite how ethereal that Viera seemed, he referred to having a crew which to her, meant he must be a filthy, no good code breaking pirate! Jacke hid his exhaustion well, crossing his arms and mulling over her claims.

“I’d normally be inclined t’agree with ye, but he doesn’t sound like any sod I’ve seen ‘round her before. Unless the cove’s new. Gotta figure out what colours he’s flyin’ or who’s, first. Might end up not bein’ a code-breaker but that bilge-rat is a right bastard all the same.” He rubbed his chin, secretly praying that the Viera just had an edgy aesthetic and wasn’t say, actually Nald’thal who had decided to look like a Viera for gods only knew what reason.

“Still don’t know how I bloody missed him! Siren’s piss, I’m as good a shot as any!”

“Don’t doubt it dove; but shadows turn all sorts of tricks in the darkmans and ye were distressed.”

“I’ll never bloody know for sure though, now will I?” She sighed, dropping into the chair next to her. She plopped her hat on the table before dragging her hand down her face. “My entire crew, gone, just like that! And here we thought we were so Twelve’s damned blessed fer gettin’ outta that storm with all our hides intact. Siren’s piss, I’d love to know why that bastard didn’t kill me too.”

“M’sorry for yer loss, I truly am. We’ll get his whoreson, one way or another. I-“ Jacke’s attention was abruptly stolen towards the door, as Underfoot, a Lalafellen rogue for those unfamiliar, entered the room with such a racket one would think he was actually a marauder.

“Jacke, we’ve got a problem!” He waved his arms, frantic.

“Aye, I already know about the ship.”

“It’s not just the ship! A whole mess of people’ve just dropped dead! No rhyme or reason! No injuries! No illness! All different ages and races!”

“Seven hells! Was that man actually Nald’thal!?” Ffion’s jaw dropped.

“I bloody well hope not!” Underfoot squeaked.

“Now I ain’t no priest or cultist, but last I knew he weren’t a rabbit man.” Jacke sighed, finding himself fully awake now. “Raise anyone’s who’s sleepin’ and get whoever ain’t doin’ anything important. We’ve got our work cut out for us with this one. I ain’t waitin’ for a call from the Admiral on this.”

There was still the matter of the world not freezing with one’s attention focused elsewhere; so while Limsa Lominsa dealt with her unwanted guest, Thanalan had one of her own. Around the time Ffion was shooting at the Viera, a tall, cloaked figure passed by Thancred and Himi. They pondered the tail, giving each other curious glances. Himi paused and turned to address the Au-Ra, knowing they were currently a rare sight in the area. She wanted to know what he was doing there. Instead, her Echo buzzed as the scent of poppies filled the air. Then just like that, Thancred was on the ground, asleep. Her head felt as though it had been cleaved in twine, but she remained mostly awake.

Perhaps once, lifetimes ago, sending her into a slumber would be as easy as anything else. Perhaps once, when souls were unsundered and there were no traveler’s wards or blessings of light, he would have yanked the waking world from under her feet. You see, there’s a difference between Hypnos putting you to sleep versus, say, a Thaumaturge or Conjurer. They cast simple spells that wear off and even become ineffective with too much exposure. But sleep bestowed by Hypnos is, was, oft compared to death. You did not wake once rested; you woke when he finished having his fun and your lesson well learned. Lucky then, that he’d been long since sundered and hadn’t quite regained his ability to keep one in such a state. Even if it didn’t feel lucky.

No, now his slumber was only slightly worse than a regular sleep spell. It did not wear off as quickly, but he was incapable of dragging people malms deep into their dreams as he once did. Though he could still knock out anyone in a malm radius who weren’t already slumbering, it required more focus and any sort of distraction would null the effect. Tamru and Resin struggled to stay awake as they lay in the dirt. Van fared better than them; though barely. Himi? Plagued by a headache as she cussed out the other man.

“Oh ho!” His violet eyes glinted behind his pince-nez. “He was right about you!” He squealed, clapping excitedly, as if he’d won the Jumbo Cactpot even though he didn’t get the result he wanted. He scurried closer to her as she fell to one knee and pressed a clawed finger to her forehead. “I’ll have to try a little harder!” A wide grin spread across his face. She doubled over as her Echo ripped through her mind and heart threw itself against her chest, but she, in spite of the pain, resisted.

So focused he was, on getting her to sleep, that he failed to notice Thancred stirring. Still groggy from the unexpected nap, the “Bard” sunk a dagger into the back of the other man’s knee. Hypnos yelped, teleporting in a swirl of darkness far enough to be out of range of another stab, but still close enough to watch.

“That’s enough out of you!” Thancred growled, having half a mind to throw his bloodied dagger at the man. He pushed himself to his feet, placing a hand on Himi’s back as she wheezed. “You alright?”

“Peachy!” There was another sharp prod in her mind. “Get out of my head!” She growled, pointing in Hypnos’s direction.

She snapped her fingers and pointed at the sky, striking the man with several bolts of lightning; even though the spell was a Thunder spell, Lightning 4 just doesn’t have the same ring to it, you know? The damage was minimal, but it still stung. And well, Hypnos simply had no intention of getting into combat with people who were awake. So he took his loss, limping through a portal before anyone could do anything else about him being there. Himi’s arm tingled a little, but she ignored it in favor of nursing her headache. (Worry not, Van and the others were none the worse for wear; unfortunately none had any idea as to what had occured yet, as they had not bore witness to Hypnos harassing Himi and Thancred.)

“Good riddance!” Thancred scrunched his face into a glower; he needed to report this incident immediately. “Here; let’s sit you down, yes, good; I don’t suppose you recognize him? No? Pity.” He sighed, wiping his blade on a patch of dusty grass before sheathing it. “Pray, allow me a moment to make a call, though do shout if he returns, hm?” He flashed a smile before ducking away.

Azem watched ------ turn the corner after they had concluded their conversation. Oh! Why could she not remember with whom she’d been speaking to? She tapped her cheek, mumbling under her breath as she wracked her brain. But an energetic man loudly interrupted her thoughts. He had messy, violet hair; no, this wasn’t Hythlodaeus. Nor were they related, but they had made many a joke about the possibility much to the annoyance of Emet-Selch and Azem. While neither hated Hypnos, to clarify, they weren’t fond of him either.

“Azem~! I’m glad I’ve caught you; I’m looking for the Chief Architect, Have you seen him lately?”

“No.” She lied. “He’s quite busy.” Less of a lie.

“Unfortunate! I wanted to personally show him my latest concept!” Hypnos smiled wide, patting his chest, clearly proud of whatever it was he’d made.

“Lovely. I’m sure if you send him a note, he’d be happy to meet you in Elpis.” She forced a polite grin.

“That’s alright! I’ve brought it with me, you see!” He held up an inky, wispy blackness that danced like a flame in his hand. Occasionally, a pair of white eyes would stare back from the darkness. Once she locked eyes with the concept a shiver danced along her spine. Azem took a step back, hands flying to the hem of her hood, ready to pull it down in the event combat was necessary.

“Oh, and I am chided for being reckless! Even I don’t smuggle creature concepts out of testing areas!” Of course, this was only because anyone could take a peek into her memories or the area’s memories to confirm what she had done if she tried to deny it. As for the current situation, she was grateful, and distressed, that there was no one else around.

“I call them, Oneiros!” He beamed, unaware or intentionally ignoring her discomfort.

“Them?“

“Oh yes! I made more than one; I’ve named this particular one Phobetor!” He held the thing closer to her.

“What’s their...function?” She regretted asking the moment the words left her lips.

“Well, Phobetor in particular connects with your fears and manifests them in your dreams, so that you may safely embrace and potentially conquer them!” He wiggled in excitement.

“That’s a clever idea, I’ll admit, but good luck getting anyone to ever admit they’re afraid of something.” Azem pulled her hands away from her hood. Failing to notice the water pooling around her feet.

“Perhaps, perhaps! But I’m sure once the mighty Azem vouches for its effectiveness, others would be willing to admit their own fears!”

“Apologies, I’m still recovering from my most recent uh, adventure. So I really don’t feel up to such a task-“

“Oh, you mistake me, I wasn’t asking.” He smiled. She blinked. Hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her into the puddle.

All of Amaurot was under water, deep in a wine-dark abyss and something lurked behind her. Mischievous voices echoed in her ears, alternating between giggles, and teasing that they knew her fears. A voice encouraged her to turn around, another begged her to not look. Despite being underwater and the hood, something breathed on the back of her neck. Turn around, no, don’t look! Turn around, no, ignore it! Something tugged at her robes; felt like… tiny pairs of hands? Don’t look, don’t look, must not look, can’t look! She shut her eyes and felt an arm wrap tightly around her waist, and heard a familiar voice call her name. She opened her eyes once more, and the water was gone; Hypnos was face first into the ground with Pashtarot’s boot placed firmly on his back.

“You DARE!?” He bellowed, “The rest of the Convocation and your FAMILY will hear of this!”

“It’s fine~! Look, Azem’s perfectly fine~!” His giggled turned into a grunt as Pashtarot dug his heel deeper. Azem clutched the arm around her waist, holding her close to prevent her from falling over. She glanced up, half expecting to see one of her husbands. Instead, with one arm wrapped around her, and a contained Phobetor in his right hand, was a stoic Lahabrea. Who was probably more worried than his placid expression would lead one to believe. Azem, pleasantly surprised, flashed an appreciative smile. Someone else was standing next to Lahabrea, but she couldn’t quite see who it was.

“Are you alright?” He asked calmly, shifting slightly to hold on to her better.

“I think so; thank you.” She noticed there were a lot more people around than before. “...Dare I ask?”

“Long enough to cause a scene.” Lahabrea huffed; not at her but at Hypnos. “Had you not screamed so much and so loudly, it may have been longer.”

“I was screaming?”

“You were!” Pashtarot exhaled slowly. “I pray I never hear you scream in such distress ever again.”

“Azem!” Emet-Selch called out to her as he pushed his way through the crowd. He wasted no effort remain calm, composed. But when he saw Hypnos pinned to the ground, his mouth twisted into a sneer. “GIVE ME A REASON.” He bellowed.

“There’s quite the crowd.” Lahabrea mumbled, handing the trapped Phobetor to whomever stood to his right.

“Oh, don’t stop him!” Hypnos giggled. “I want to see the power of the underworld!”

“I can assure you, one day, you will.” Emet-Selch growled as he carefully took Azem from Lahabrea. She gave a little wave to Hesperos, now seeing he was the one who was with Lahabrea. Knees still a little wobbly from the ordeal, she draped an arm around Emet-Selch’s neck so he could hold her steady.

“This is a very off week for me, this doesn’t normally happen.” She mused.

“We all still yet reach for perfection; I am sure you will have future incidents where you require aid.” Hesperos flashed a wistful smile before glancing at Phobetor. “Though, perhaps none with this fascinating concept ever again; I can’t imagine it will be ah… used again, any time soon.”

“It will not!” Pashtarot removed his boot and hoisted Hypnos onto his feet, pinning both arms behind his back. “The location of your test aside, you full well know that Azem was still recovering from her previous ordeal.”

“But that made her the perfect test subject! Even then, ooph! Still took quite some time to get her walls to break down before she started screaming.” He grinned, mask now hanging askew on his face. Emet-Selch barred his teeth, but remained quiet. Azem wrinkled her nose.

“What? Don’t be daft, you ass, we’d only been talking for a moment before...”

“Oh Azem, you should know by now that time is a useless measurement when you’re asleep.” Hypnos glanced her way, amused.

“I fail to see what you hope to gain from your blubbering!” Lahabrea snapped, tapping his mask, annoyed. “Hesperos; take that thing to Pandæmonium; I’ll inform you of the Convocation’s decision.”

“As you wish, Lahabrea!”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Hades, I’m fine.“

“Beg pardon?” Thancred tilted his head. Himi nearly fell off the rock at his voice.

“Oh, I. What?” She rubbed her temples. “Sorry, my head is still ringing like it got kicked by a Chocobo.”

“Here, hang on, I’ve got something for that.” Thancred rummaged around in his pouch for some medicine. “Always like to be prepared for anything.” He smiled.

“Thanks; I’ve got my own water.” She graciously took the medication with one hand as her other reached into... apparently nothing and pulled out a water flask.

“Forgive my asking, but just how are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” She gave him an innocent look as she took a swig before returning the flask to the air.

“That!”

“What, can’t you?” She flashed a cheeky grin, as she pulled her staff out of thin air and gave it a twirl, before returning it to whence it came as if any of that was normal.

“I can do a great many a thing, but pulling things out of nowhere and creating something out of nothing certainly isn’t one of them.” He crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side.

“Pray Himi, please clarify...”

“Shit, wait. Let me assure you, I am not running around summoning Primals or encouraging anyone to do so.”

“Well I certainly hope not!” Thancred playfully rapped his knuckles on her head. “How’s your head?”

“Better; but I love how you gave it a good knock before asking.” He gave her another cheeky grin as he shrugged his shoulders, motioning towards the road ahead. She gave his forehead a good flick as she passed him. A much more lighthearted moment, in sharp contrast to the grief plaguing Limsa Lominsa at present. But all that was currently someone else’s problem to deal with. Would it affect them later? Oh, of course it will. But for the moment, they were all blissfully preoccupied with an issue so easy to deal with, there would come a day when they’d wish for simple problems like wayward Sultana’s.

Lest you wonder of the fate of Hypnos lifetimes ago; he was punished appropriately. Though some would argue not punished enough.

“You wanted to see me before they throw the book at me~?” Hypnos cooed as Pashtarot shoved him into a chair across from Hythlodaeus. Who was smiling sweetly, as if nothing were wrong.

“Yes! As I’m sure it’s no surprise, I was informed of your... latest concept.” He gently pat a small stack of papers. “The reports were quite interesting. And it seems like an excellent concept...”

Hypnos excitedly sat up in his chair. “... Shame you were so eager to impress us all that you decided that putting my wife and the people of Amaurot in potential danger was a good idea. And it is for that reason alone, that I have decided to reject your concept. In fact; all previous and future concepts of yours are null and void, and if you are caught creating anything, well. I daresay there will be repercussions.” A quiet rage burned beneath his smile, and Hypnos shrunk in his seat. “And believe me, pedestrian as I am in many things, make no mistake I will remind you why I was the Convocation’s first choice to be Emet-Selch’s replacement. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

“Loudly.” Hypnos grimaced.

“Ah! Excellent! Relieved and happy I am, to hear we’ve come to an accord!” Hythlodaeus's smile resumed its usual cheery energy. “That will be all, Pashtarot.”

Once the other two had left, Hythlodaeus's calm demeanor cracked, ever so slightly. Oh, make no mistake there was absolutely nothing he could do were Hypnos to act out again. Except, perhaps, make a pincushion of him with a few arrows if someone held him in place. He looked at the stack of concepts awaiting his approval, but with his stomach twisted in so many knots, he opted to go home early.

Perhaps his partners were right about Hypnos and was worth his disdain from here on out.

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