Vertigo

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

𝔏𝔢𝔦𝔣𝔲𝔯 𝔊𝔲ð𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔰𝔰𝔬𝔫

_{mentions: @cu chulainn}
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Leifur wasn't sure who he'd hoped to heed his request, but the fidgety child to his immediate left was not it. The kid had practically frozen in place when he'd looked past him earlier, and didn't seem to be faring much better now. Why the faye had agreed in the first place when he was clearly too far to reach the damn thing was a mystery. Exasperated by just looking at the other's struggle, Leifur was just about to tell the boy to forget it, when the king rose from his seat. One long ear twisted towards the voice before the rest of the viera's body followed suit, sitting upright and at attention.

Unfortunately, Leonhart seemed to speak a lot yet say little, a frustrating trait shared by people with more money than sense. Impatiently, the viera flicked the knife in his hand. Warriors, crusaders, champions, yes, yes, quite, but what the hell were they expected t--

The silence, maintained by bated breaths and mouths full of unchewed food, shattered all at once.

The knife in Leifur's hand stopped, and his ears twisted forward as if doubting what they'd heard. But even if someone had missed the king's words, they could not miss the echoes; whispers of disbelief and awe, repeating the three words endlessly. Ten million gil. Compared to that, Leifur supposed, the expensive banquet today was little more than a beggar's brunch. But how the hell was the crown so rich? The war must have eaten at their wealth.

Among the whispers, Leifur could make out battleplans. Names. Complete strangers, now split into four seemingly arbitrary teams, trying to gauge who among them was an asset, who a hindrance. Among it all, Leifur heard a familiar name: Ranbu no Izayoi. Most who'd fought in the war were aware of her. To think this is where she was now, feasting at an Edrenian table... the Blight truly was a unifying threat.

Just then, somewhere in his peripheral vision, a plate of butter approached. The child had gotten his hands on it, somehow. Having already forgotten about it, Leifur turned, ready to take the damn thing off the other's hands, when--

The boy stood, sharply, suddenly, arm raised - and butter swung.

Leifur's sensitive ears flattened at the deafening crash, but the rest of him stayed almost unnervingly unmoving. Ever so slowly, his eyes trailed to the remains of what was once a platter. A moment of silence followed, whether to mourn the loss of the golden spread, to decide which of the boy's hands to cut off first, or to contemplate the king's offer.

Then, in one sudden motion, he thrust the knife into the table, dangerously close to Aelphis's wrist - a coincidence, surely - and spoke.

"Leifur, a sellsword," he offered, forgoing a surname. It was doubtful the others could pronounce or remember it anyhow. "I'm not much for introductions, but I can handle myself in battle. Point me at a target, and they'll be no more." His eyes trailed to the faye boy - nothing but another coincidence, of course - before he continued: "Lacking any other clues, a move against Valheim seems like a good enough start."

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

𝐹𝑒𝓁𝓁𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔

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Seeing her friends worry made Fellwing's plight worse. Desperately, she tried to stand tall and uncurl her tail as Stargaze approached, torn between wanting to hide and try to seem fine. She'd always been the one to run off alone and refuse help whenever it was offered, claiming she could do things on her own - so to be reduced to a shrivelling mess was frustrating. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone, and yet that was all she was doing right now. To Stargaze of all drakes, who should have been more worried about Echo and the island!

"No, Stargaze, I... you don't have to worry about me, as long as I stay within this cave, I should be safe even when alone." Kyte had been, after all. Surely the Darkness - nor those who served it - could not find their way here. "T-thank you, you're kind, but you'll do better without m-"

Skobeloff's sudden voice cut her off as he approached, offering his own reassurances. Oh no, now she'd worried two of them.

He mentioned a thought exercise, and Fellwing had to focus hard to remember what he meant. Of late, her head had been so full of visions from the future, that it was hard to remember the past. But that was precisely the thought experiment Skobeloff talked about; learning not from the future, but from the past. From those older and wiser.

Fellwing tried to remember what Shadestepper, an older drake from the same house but a different clutch, had told her about the Darkness. He wasn't a pleasant drake, and to many, he was way too devoted to the old ways of House Ruby. He'd always said drakes of other houses, with their feeble minds and eyes that were so accustomed to the light of the moons, would be forgiven for shuddering when faced with true Darkness. But not a Kebros. It was their duty to see, even when they didn't want to. Darkness wasn't to be feared, but to be wielded. They were to control it.

Fellwing didn't share his disdain for the other houses, but she did acknowledge her duty as a member of House Ruby. If anyone should be able to stare at Darkness and prevail, it was her.

She inhaled, sharply. The fear wasn't gone, she still felt it drum against her chest, but she could endure it. She had to. "I... thank you, Stargaze, Skobeloff. I'm sorry. I'll come with you. The cave air must be getting to me, I'm sure fresh air helps clear my mind. Let-- let us hurry. The drakes have awaited rescue long enough. Come, I'll show you the way!"

ooc

Convinced by Skobeloff, Fellwing looks to another clutch's example, and with a 10, clears a Shadow.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Did the roll for looking to another clutch's example, got a 10, just need to think of a story that might fit the situation and bring her comfort, ha. Working on it.

That was more of a looking to her house for example, I think, but... I felt like it fit the situation well, so I hope it works.

Sleepless Nights\\ Iron Cages

Oop, started a post but my brain shut down towards the last bit of it, so will finish tomorrow evening after work! Feel free to move us ahead if that was the plan though, I can play catch up and make a bigger post.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

𝐹𝑒𝓁𝓁𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔

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It worked. It worked! The familiar pull of an incoming vision was the last thing Fellwing felt, before her consciousness was whisked away to float high above the treelines. It felt good to fly again; somehow, it felt like she'd been ground-bound for ages.

And then she fell. She couldn't even gasp, nor move her wings to combat the sudden heaviness, but she also knew, somewhere underneath the startlement, that she didn't have to. Her visions couldn't hurt her.

Dutifully, Fellwing tried to remember everything that was shown to her, without letting her emotions run amok. She tried to focus less on the painful looking thorns piercing the dragons' skin, and more on the path she'd taken to get there. Less on the festering darkness, more on remembering names. Less on startling at Vipereyes'... well, eyes, more on remembering she was a good dragon and didn't deserve a fate like this.

Above all else, she reminded herself to stay hopeful. The dragons were alive. They weren't that far from the cave. They'd already been here a long time - surely, her clutch would make it to them in time.

As her vision threatened to end, Fellwing started to prepare what to say once she returned. She had to emphasize the hurry. They had to-- huh? The vision persisted, but it felt... wrong, somehow. No, not the vision itself, but the...

The black dragon. Unlike her. Unlike anything. It shouldn't exist. It was a distortion, faceless, and yet it was staring at her. For the first time, Fellwing felt as though perhaps, a vision could hurt her.

Fellwing screamed, except there was no sound - not in the vision, anyhow. But when her consciousness returned and her body's eyes snapped wide open, the remainder of her shriek was loud.

"It's-! I-- I saw it - it saw me. Something did. The..." The Darkness, she knew, but refused to put into words. It took all she had to put anything into words at all, and even then she stammered. "The others are alive, if barely. They're--" she pointed a claw, as if somehow able to tell direction from within the cave. "They're close by, being held by vines. Unconscious, infected, the thing was there. The black drake. We need to hurry and--"

She wanted to say go, but every fibre of her being resisted the thought. "No... I don't think... perhaps I should just point you the right way. It might be for the best that I stay behind. If-- if it saw me, perhaps it can still see through me. It might be watching. I wouldn't want it to know where we are."

I don't want to be where it is.

ooc

Fellwing marked a Shadow; Fear.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

@XxFellsingxX

Lmao this is accurate, damn that was a cool and disturbing vision.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Heh, sorry to make you do it again!

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

If it's okay, I'll pick which Shadow to mark once I get the vision. Might affect my choice!

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

𝐹𝑒𝓁𝓁𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔

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After Skobeloff's sudden re-emergence (in one piece, thank the Moons), some more shouting at Kyte and arguing over Garrock's safety (the old fool was likely too stubborn to die anyhow), the cave quieted. And, at last, Alpin told them more about the stranger Fellwing had been asking about earlier. She was so focused on every word out the brownie's mouth that when he suddenly pointed a finger towards her, Fellwing nearly jumped. Reflexively she stuck out a claw to point at her chest - to make sure she'd understood right. A black dragon, but not black like her. A dragon of darkness, which she wasn't. Never would be, she hoped, despite how close to it she teetered.

At the sight of Kyte's wing, she practically shrunk. "That's... I've never seen anything like this." But perhaps she might, if she got a moment to concentrate.

Before she could close her eyes and do so however, Stargaze approached Kyte and, weaving moon magic, dissipated the darkness clinging to his wing. "Stargaze!" Fellwing gasped, "That's amazing!"

Skobeloff had a theory regarding some of their inability to use moon magic, and what little Fellwing caught of it seemed viable enough. She didn't catch all of it however, too deep in thought already. Skobeloff was right; this wasn't a battle to be won through strength. What they needed was more information. And if no one here could provide more, then perhaps...

She inhaled.

The Darkness itself would.

ooc

Fellwing Touches the Darkness and with an 8, picks "the visions show you what you need to do; take +1 forward to do it" / "the visions corrupt your soul; mark a Shadow". She wants to know how they might deal with the dark stranger.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Sorry, was gonna post but life got in the way again :') I'll have more time on the weekend and wouldn't mind seeing how the fail plays out first though, so! By all means go first.